#//But three times in a row I got this result so like I gave up lmao

[fxckin-blackbeard]

Which Rage Language are you?

step back usually, you're able to bottle up your emotions and ignore the frustrations. but, after weeks of shoving everything down, your body needs a release, and i pity the poor person who managed to piss you off. it's screaming crying, shouting, kicking lockers, whatever you can do to get it out of your system. it's a whole jean grey moment, fire and fury blasting out of you.

tagged by: @avastyetwats tagging: @lighthousepyrate and anyone else who would like to!

[rin-may-1103]

The Master Post.

someone asked for a master post so here we are.

Tag List? yes, there is a tag list. If you'd like to be Added, please leave a comment on the Stories Linked Post. If the tags aren't working for some reason, then you can either Follow this post by clicking the bell (or the three dots) or follow the Story's Post the same way. I'll update both Relevant Posts when there is a New Part.

Unfortunately, I can't keep up with all the people asking to be added to the tag list in all the different posts, so to make it easier, please follow the instructions above. if you don't I'll most likely miss your comment and therefore not add you to the tag list. (if you're not sure if you're tagged or not, you can check out the Tag List Here, please follow the instructions in the comments)

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

I hope y'all keep enjoying the stories as much as I enjoy writing them.

Stories and Summaries:

The Wrong Robin Au (DP x DC):

Tim Drake saw Danny do a quadruple somersault, which resulted in him believing Danny was the first Robin for years. He still figured out Bruce but thinks Dick is in the dark. Now with the second Robin dead, and Batman quickly reaching the end of his sanity, Tim takes it upon himself to get Robin to come back. Danny is very confused when this random kid tries to blackmail him into becoming Robin.

Badger Day Au (DP x DC):

Danny is stuck in a Groundhog Day kinda situation and he would like to be let out now, please. The league is very worried.

Delilah's language (DP x DC):

Bruce Wayne approaches the Fentons because Damian is a big fan of Danny for his work in the conservation of the purpleback gorilla. So now Danny is going to the birthday of this random kid so he can teach him gorilla sign language so he can talk to the purple-back gorilla as well.

Just a Bite (DP x DC):

Danny's homeless on the streets of Gotham, when he gets a terrible idea from some passerby. Three weeks after living with the Waynes, they still haven't noticed he's not supposed to be there.

72 hours (DP x DC):

During a battle with the rest of the league, John Constantine is accidentally sent into the palace of Pariah Dark, Tyrant of the Dead, and Bane of the Living. Danny just wanted to have a simple spa day.

Biggest Regret (DP x DC):

Danny Had been optimistic when he created The Email. Three days, that's what he gave himself. Three days to fix or get out of whatever problem he was dealing with and open his laptop to restart the timer. Three days. Past him had thought that If he ever got caught they'd just kill him; it's what they said they would do this whole time, so why wouldn't he think otherwise? It's been more than three days, and at this point, he's just glad someone could fulfill his last wish.

The Disappointment (DP x DC):

Ra's has stated his disapproval of one of the twins, now Talia is rushing to get them out of there and to Bruce to be safe. Danny has other ideas.

Black Retrievers and Golden Cats (DP x DC):

He remembered how it took two hours for his mind to catch up to what he had done, two hours for him to realize he had just killed his brother. It took another two days to realize his brother was never coming back, that the pits had not worked. Damian stared at the camera footage infront of him, his family's voices buzzing with theories and analyzing everything they could. He remembered his brother's bright carefree smile just minutes before Damian had killed him. So, why? Why was he seeing it again?

College Rivalry with the Genius Toddler in the First Row. (DP X DC):

Tim doesn't understand how he's losing at university to a toddler. Danny's not having a great time, but it's fine because now he can terrorize Red Robin.

The Willpower of Space (DP X DC):

A faulty green lantern ring wakes from it's accidental eon long sleep due to how powerful Danny's willpower is. It decides that Danny is a worthy wielder and grants Danny the ability to use it. There's just one problem; Danny keeps dying. and the ring doesn't understand what's going on. Oa is very concerned.

The Weeping Boy Au (DP X DC):

I'll think of a summary later, for now, it's an expansion of this post.

The Eyes of Death Au (DP X DC):

In an attempt to prevent a cult from causing problems, Danny accidentally convinces the Justice League and Co. that he's possessing himself. Damian is not happy that his boyfriend is apparently the new June Moone.

[rainbowsky]

Back when I had my Anon inbox open I used to get a lot of hate from people who couldn't understand why I hate XFX so much. This post is for you.

This is a fan repo from one of the more prominent C-turtles who was at the events in Milan. This is a machine translation so some things might not be entirely accurate, but hopefully you can get the overall message.

Someone asked me why they saw yellow balloons at the show at the beginning, but then there were no more? Below, there are many words:

Before departure, our Three Kingdoms Turtles jointly prepared hundreds of tri-color balloons. Colorful balloons are very suitable for all festivals and ceremonies, and they are our CPF representative colors. People in the fashion industry are happy and supportive when they see them, and Zhan Zhan sees them. Turtles are here.

It was raining heavily in Milan that day, so we arrived at the scene at 5:30 and stood in the second row. We abide by the order and know that there are solo fans in front of us. In order not to offend each other, we even chat as quietly as possible.

At almost 8:30, we started to blow up yellow balloons. At that time, we heard the commotion from the surrounding solo fans. After all, it was in front of an international show. In order to live in peace, we temporarily decided to only blow up yellow balloons (because we were also verbally attacked and attacked by solo fans last year when we were supporting Milan, due to threats, the final agreement was that we put down a few green balloons and they wouldn’t use banners to block our view).

As a result, not long after our yellow balloons were lifted up, a solo fan kept pricking our balloons with the tip of the umbrella. We kept hiding, but we couldn't resist the solo fan who kept pricking the balloons like crazy. After the bang, those fans cheered: "Yeah! Well done! One more! One more! One more!"

We loudly warned them in English: "Be careful with your words and deeds. This is a show, not a place for you to make trouble!"

They started to completely block our view with umbrellas and said, "Then you won't even get to see him." There was a passerby fan behind us who couldn't help but scolded: "Why are you guys so domineering? We can't even watch other celebrities if we want to?! It's so ruining the popularity of passersby!" (We turned around and asked her, and she is really a passerby fan, she dropped by to join in the fun to see all the celebrities).

But no matter how she yelled or scolded, the shrimps in the first row refused to listen and looked back, holding up the umbrellas resolutely. And every time a reporter came to take photos of fans, those solo fans would stand on small stools, elongate their bodies, and use balloons to try to cover us. Later, other passerby fans/ihan fans/thai fans started scolding: "You guys are ruining the popularity of passersby!"

The last "solo fan representative" finally turned around and said to us: "Put down the balloons and we will let you see him, otherwise you will not be able to see him today."

We flew to Milan from all over Europe and stood in the heavy rain for 4 hours. No matter how warm we were, we still got wet. If we really couldn't see him, it would be so regretful and painful. Who knows when we put away the balloons, how aggrieved I felt at that moment!

Several passerby fans/ihan fans/thai fans around me said angrily: "Just tear off and break the umbrellas!" We said that this is an international show after all, and we don't want to fight here, or to escalate the conflict. Solo fans don't care about the reputation of their idol, but we can't be like solo fans and ignore it. After all, we sincerely hope everything goes well for Zhanzhan!

It was almost noon when we arrived at the Gucci show, and it was already bright. Moreover, many celebrities from the fashion industry had gathered at the venue early. We really didn’t want to cause any trouble to the host on this occasion, so we simply gave up the balloons.

Originally, I didn’t want to mention this offline conflict again online, until today I heard a turtle say that there were solo fans showing off outside the Gucci show: “I brought a pin to prick the CPF balloons today, and it really worked, hahahaha.” . . . . .

We went to the show to see our idol and to support him in everything he did! But the purpose of solo fans going to the scene was to attack?!

Love and dislike are really obvious. People who love understand structure, tolerance and coexistence; people who don't love will always only see violence, jealousy and harm in their eyes.

[crosshairs-dumb-pimp-gf]

Disgrace Chapter 6 : Crosshair x F!OC

Where is the man Tah'nyem had come to know? Reserved, cautious, definitely not one to take risks... well there was that one time... and then... well... Regardless. Despite the ensuing chaos, she's told him to do as he likes and he has every intention of showing her exactly how he likes it.

Chapter Specific Warnings: Canon type Violence (Blaster fire, blood, strikes) stampede, attempted SA, a variety of kisses, light bondage, oral (m receiving), deep throat, inappropriate use of tools, car sex(?) overstimulation, forced orgasm, orgasm countdown, piv (unprotected) w/cπ, breeding press.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Authors note: Off to the races! and other such corny lines. I got this done in time for Kinktober AND my deadline! Woo!

Word Count: 10,500

Dynamic: Princess x Guard, Speed running Co-dependancy, A Mangy Cat and his Aggressive little Chihuahua. She's a damsel, she's in distress- she can handle it.

<-Previous Chapter - Read On Ao3 {START HERE}

Music Inspo- Love You Madly, CAKE

Listen on Spotify - Listen on Youtube

Chapter 6 -Madly

We debated staying in the box but the reality of being cornered with a several story dive onto an active raceway as the sole escape was only an attractive idea to one of us. There was time before Bly would be able to traverse the roundabout path from the opposite side of the track, though not a lot. I brought up the map of the casino compound while we figured out our next move. 

“Bly'd have goons looking for me anyways once he figured I was here, but after that little display, you he might actually want dead… fun part, killing him in turn would be a major political incident,”

“So we find somewhere to hide for the next,”

He tapped the pad to check the time again. 

“Two hours,”

Was that really all?

“Maybe we could catch a holofilm… as long as no one sees us slip in.”

I pointed to the holoplex in the west wing, not too far from the stadium.

“Let's stay in the arena, go down to the general seating and keep moving,”

“The day's races will be wrapped in an hour, where do we have to be to meet our connection?”

“The track loading bays,”

“It'll take a while for the crowd to filter out… sounds like a plan,”

I closed the map and made for the door, but hands pulled me back from the panel, turning me into another kiss, slow, firm, a delay in pulling away. 

“I'm glad he saw,”

“Mm, Let's see how long that sentiment sticks,”

But I smiled as I turned. I've never seen someone turn the shade Bly had. The memory was almost worth whatever issues it might cause.

~~~

We settled on the top panel of complimentary seating five floors down from the balcony. The rows were crowded as we navigated the smaller stairs between the benches. 

I rolled my eyes at Cross's suggestion to share a seat and picked out a spot middle left where we could both fit. Side by side. I was curious about this sudden cavalier attitude and lack of caution. 

Did someone spike the drink I gave him?

I pulled my hood lower as the familiar buzz of a droid flew overhead, cursing Jar'ath's name again. 

The man next to me was relaxed, watching a brutal collision on the holoscreens, the resulting explosion blooming hot in the distance to thunderous applause. The pods pit crews were running to retrieve the cockpits. 

“Did they survive that?”

He was watching the crews pry open the ejected compartments. 

“Likely… not without injury, but people don't die in these races like they used to. Ejectors and inertia dampeners became regulation,”

Plus other safety features that made getting a pod up to code very expensive. It was no wonder Riot Racing was finding an audience, but that was the natural progression of any sport. 

“If you want to see the hardcore stuff you’ll have to tune into the Safa Toma races starting off the underground in a few months,”

He didn't answer and I turned to find his attention elsewhere entirely. 

“What's up?”

“Security, on the steps, three paces back,”

I glanced without turning, catching a tall shadow looming over the stairs. 

“What about him?”

“Suits nicer than the staff downstairs, I think he's one of Bly’s boys,”

“That didn't take long,”

There wasn't a way to get up and slip out without drawing attention. 

“Maybe he'll just, gloss over us and leave,”

“Maybe,”

But he had slid his left hand between my legs to squeeze my thigh, making me jerk on the bench.

“Hey! The varp are you doing? Are you looking for a fight?”

“Maybe.”

This time it was purred into my ear as I was lifted to stand and ushered back into the aisle. The figure had already started moving towards us. We could get to the dark alcove marking the exit but we've been made. There could already be back up on the way. 

Swifty up the steps and into the shadows. The through traffic was light now that the race had begun and once we were around the corner we were relatively alone. 

Crosshair pulled us to a stop and pushed me against the wall behind him, waiting. 

The security guard rounded the corner at a casual pace… Cross pressed his side arm into the man’s ribs as he came into view, squeezing the trigger before he was even noticed. The bodyguard was down, and we stepped over him to hurry in the other direction. 

Down two flights of stairs into a busier hall and back out into the rows of spectators. There was only standing room here, and we pushed ahead to be closer to the track. 

As we hit the barrier, the pods zoomed by with a high, metallic whine and a gust that made my hair fly into my eyes. I turned away to try and straighten it, catching Crosshair craning his neck to look at the balconies above. 

“Looking for something?”

“I was hoping for a line of sight where we were, but the boxes are more steeply oriented than I thought,”

“Trying to see if more showed up?”

“If they did and I could see we could take care of this quickly,”

“Not sure that much blaster fire would go unnoticed…”

One or two shots maybe… guess you could do that though couldn't you?

I scanned the crowd around us but couldn't see any more fancy suits so I let myself relax a little, aiming my attention back to the other side of the track. 

The stands across the way were elevated over an open middle section allowing a view of the horizon. Trailing lights against the dark backdrop gave away the pods darting through wilder bends away from the cheering onlookers. 

Below the panoramic view, a wide area of standing room, also flooded with people. 

Half of Nohct City must be here tonight…

A glint caught my eye in the crowd. There were glitters and flashes everywhere, but this one sent a chill through me, like I had just met eyes with someone I couldn't actually see. 

“Cross… somethings down there…”

He caught the timid tone and pulled me against him, following my gaze to the lower levels, scanning quickly. 

“Shyte,”

His hand went to the back of my neck, pushing my head down, kneeling us below the barrier. I felt dust and small debris rain down on me. 

“What the kriff?”

“That's not one of Bly’s security… looks like we have two problems,”

Did someone just shoot at me?!

The tourists around us were mumbling excitedly, thinking the sharp crack to the divider wall was somehow part of the show. We were stuck in a sea of people, unable to tell where the pursuers were behind us and a new player training their sights on our current position. Stuck. 

“We have to try to move, stay as low as possible, use the crowd to hide yourself,”

“What if they get caught in the crossfire?”

“That's not my problem,”

He shifted me to move, tucking me to the inside of the aisle as we squeezed behind a group of tourists leaning dangerously far over the rim. 

We shuffled carefully, moving back up the way we came in a zigzag, shifting with the moving crowd to keep bodies between us and the open side of the stadium. 

I could still see the rim of the large, lower viewing area, which erupted in raised hands as the pods passed through the channel of the arena once more. 

It wasn't heard, but the first sign was a smell of burnt flesh. A man that had been standing in front of me as I moved up another few steps crumpled, crying out at the blaster wound suddenly smoking through his shoulder. 

There was a ripple of silence as heads turned to the fallen man. 

It started slower than you would expect. The audience members closest to the scene were the first to turn, wedging themselves hard between Crosshair and I as they rushed the stairs. Others forwent the stair aisles and simply started to hop up and over the stadium benches. 

I whipped my arm out to snag Cross’s outreached one as I was dragged by the sudden surge of people that began to flow between us. His hold on my wrist was strong but I was still being jostled and at this rate, might fall and halve my chances of getting out of here. 

“Wait for me!”

He had to shout to be heard over the din, and had more to say, but time had run out. I nodded and we let go, allowing me to turn into the current with better control. 

I tried not to worry at the new blaster fire opening up behind me, focusing more on keeping my footing, half carried by the throngs of panicked tourists. 

The pack was moving illogically, continuing upwards and past the turn offs that would lead back to the inner corridors. I fought the current, getting tangled and shoved as I tried to angle myself into a path out of the stadium. 

Screams were confused with cheering as a pod lost control and slammed into the barrier wall just under the commotion, causing a plume of flames to cast the sickening scene into a flickering show of obscene shadow puppets. Our section was in complete disarray and the occupants of the private boxes suspended above leaned over to better observe the spectacle. 

I couldn't see Crosshair. Couldn't even tell exactly where the blaster fire was coming from, if it was him or not, and then visual was cut completely as the throng pushed me into the exit tunnel and out into the wide hall overlooking the Casino. 

The crowd broke and scattered allowing room to breathe finally. I backtracked to a wall near the exit, security was rushing to the area and I was suddenly hoping Cross hadn't actually started to return fire. 

A few of the suits began to coralle guests into composure while another set slipped easily through the stampede and into the stadium. 

“Miss, if you would come with us,”

A pair had sidled up to me while I was scanning faces for the token tattoo. 

“I'm fine, really, just separated from my escort,”

I tried brushing them off, not turning to address them. One stepped in too close for comfort causing me to tense. The telltale press of a blaster in my side warned me too late of my mistake. These weren't casino security. 

I jerked my arm away from the fingers attempting to close around it. 

“Go ahead and shoot me,”

I snarled, but the big men only chuckled as they snatched at me, getting a hold of an arm and my neck. They shifted my struggling form between them, making a more discreet profile as they carted me off. Not that anyone in the confusion was paying any mind. 

“Let go!” 

My screeching barely broke the din, left helpless and fluttering like a bird in the stoney hands holding me firm. 

A well dressed pair of Muun chuckled as they caught my struggle. They probably thought I was a drunk being detained, observing with amusement as I was dragged into a roped off bar. 

The noise of the casino hall grew muffled as I was pushed past tables stacked with chairs, up a stylish set of metal stairs to a raised platform overlooking the silent dance floor.

The lights were off, but the whole club flickered in a harsh blue cast from floor to ceiling tanks lining the walls. Colorful fish the same size as myself swam lazily behind the glass casting eerie shadows in the already inconsistent glow. 

I was dumped on the floor by a darkened booth in the corner, table pulled away, leaving it open to the wide, suspended floor. A flashy shirt sat silhouetted by one of the large tanks, legs crossed, and a look of controlled fury across familiar, handsome features. 

“Lady Ra,”

“Duhanis…”

He stiffened at my omission of the adopted honorifics, 

“That was… humiliating… Are you proud of yourself? Did you make your point?”

“This might come as a shock, Bly’ju, but not everything’s about you,”

“Hmm, so you didn't put your little friend up to that? That vulgar display, you in the arms of that…”

His words cut off as anger made his jaw clench. He stood up, prowling towards me with a dangerous air. 

“Your behavior is unacceptable as one of my intendeds. What’s next little Can’gulia? Spreading your thighs for Clones and Katjarls ?”

I stiffened, Crosshair passed as natborn to the unskilled observer so of course Bly'ju missed it. A wicked smirk broke through my practiced gray expression.  

“Already there Bly’ju… or did you not notice my escort is cloned? Should I describe what those Kaminoan enhancements can do?”

Even if they do marry me to you, you won't own me Bly. I'll kriff who I want. 

His face darkened in a momentary rage that he repressed with a determined clench of his jaw. 

“…I've been asking politely, Tah’nyem, but what's the point when you'll just give yourself away to anyone?”

I didn't ever like his tone, but he was rubbing my nerves raw today. I sneered, making my contempt more than known,

“Oh no, Not anyone… just anyone but you,”

I spat in his face.

The backhand was expected, an angry strike was a telegraphed one, and I rolled with it, minimizing the sting. I wouldn't be able to take many of those though, and flexed my jaw to work the burning out faster. This bantha brain wasn't gonna get the satisfaction of seeing me scared. I forced a dry laugh,

“I see we've improved that temper,”

He looked down at me coldly, loosening the buttons at his wrists. 

“You should be grateful li’ha, a half-blooded off worlder like you still holds my attention, your Vah'hadarr, I'm sorry, the governor, will give in eventually, but perhaps it's time I forced his hand…Hold her down.”

I tried to dive away, scrabbling under a table but hands were already closing on my ankles, dragging me out and back to the open floor. I shrieked in fury as I was pinned, kicking out frantically to make a connection with any part of my assailants. A few soft grunts was all I managed to elicit as my arms were easily restrained. 

Bly stood over me, an ugly expression painted over him as he made for my hips. I aimed a kick at his knee caps which was caught with a cold laugh.

“This was always inevitable li’ha, I'm just done being nice, this was the last kriffing provocation,”

I yanked my foot in an attempt to break his hold, instead, pulling my leg free of the loose, old boot. Bly stumbled slightly as the tension released, letting his guard down. My heel connected with his groin next and this time I was rewarded with a bellowing howl of pain. 

“Idiots, get her legs,”

He was wheezing, his tall form hunched and… wide? 

His shadowy silhouette seemed to double in size… It took me a moment to register through the horrid adrenaline that a figure had materialized behind Bly, erupting from his shadow,

Crack

Bly's head snapped to the side as a fist hooked into his jaw. Before he could react, Crosshair aimed another swing to land with a wet crunch into his nose, sending him backwards to sprawl on the club carpet. Blaster fire, and the security holding me down fell limp. 

I struggled up, angrily stumbling to the disheveled suit gurgling on the floor and ground my heel against the man's crotch, crushing the family jewels and ripping an undignified squeal from the battered Bly. 

“You sick Kark!”

Swinging my leg back in a swift kick for good measure, I jumped when gentle hands slid about my upper arms, pulling me back. 

“You okay?”

No.

“...I'm fine, we should go.”

Forcing the adrenaline making me shake away, I picked up my boot and made towards the stairs.

“You want to give him another kick?”

I looked back at Cross who gestured invitingly to the whimpering form of Bly on the ground. 

…

“Yeah…”

I slowly put the old boot back on and circled the large, quivering shyte stain of a man, surveying the available surfaces before giving him a hard, firm kick right to the ass. I wanted to go for the gut but the coward had curled up in fetal position. Blood was pouring from his nose which was crooked from the hard strike Cross had delivered. It was the best he had ever looked. 

“Better?”

“A little,”

He pulled me to him, cradling me as I stared down at the bloody mess. Stroking my hair and arms, but I was antsy to get out of here.

“We should go,”

“Soon,”

His answer had an odd tone to it. I stepped out from his hold but was spun back, lifted to be held against his armored chest plate. 

“Kiss me,”

“Now?”

He just squeezed me, eyes filled with a playful peevishness. 

This man’s insane, isn't he?

I pressed my lips to his, evoking a happy little groan deep in his throat as I played along. I thought I might be going a bit insane too, something new alighting within me at his possessive display. 

A gurgling, frustrated growl came from the man on the floor as he struggled to find his feet. Cross answered by squeezing my ass in an exaggerated way before setting me down again. 

Bly had finally managed to stand but before he had a chance to move or speak a blaster pulse hit him square between the eyes. 

“Crosshair!”

“Relax, he's stunned,”

“Oh…”

I had forgotten military weapons could do that  and turned to the security out on the floor. They didn't seem to be breathing. 

“Those ones are dead,”

“Ah… good…”

He chuckled, leaning to brush his lips lightly across mine. It was quiet now, and as much as I wanted to revel in the daring rescue I could once again hear the distant voices of the crowded walkways. 

“What happened out there?”

He sighed, standing straight again and turning to look off where my attention had been pulled. 

“Management seems to be working wonders in crowd control. No ones too concerned about blasters going off during the races… I didn't get the gunman though,”

“You missed?”

“No, just… once one person started shooting others joined in, I couldn't get a fix on the original, so they're still out there,”

“Sounds like a podrace… how much time do we have,”

“45 minutes,”

It would take some time to get to the loading area of the track from here.

“We should grab lunch,”

I picked up my bag from where it had been cast aside unnoticed and pulled up the holomap. I was half joking but my stomach perked up at the thought of food. 

“You think there's time,”

He moved closer to me again, fingers playing lightly over my shoulder, the touch was casual, but was becoming constant. Perhaps blanket permission was a bit hasty, I didn't account on him being so… handsy. 

“No, but I'm hungry, One of these quick stands should do, The staginging area is just past this pavilion, We’ll snag something we can walk with,”

He nodded, and grabbed a napkin off the bar, cleaning the blood off of his knuckles before taking the bag off my shoulder. I put my hood up and followed his lead, leaving the mess where it was. 

~~~

We only got lost once on our way to the shopping pavilion that stretched in all directions once you decended into the underground cavern of the spiralling complex. 

As soon as we entered the wide entrance plaza, a family of Toydarian tourists tried to stop us for pictures. They were under the mistaken impression we were a celebrity couple,  apparently recognizing us from the holoscreen display. It took a moment to untangle ourselves, letting them snap a few quick shots to keep from making a scene, before being allowed into the marketplace proper.

An internal fountain sat at the center of the forked halls, the bubbling liquid changing hues from a brilliant sea green to turquoise and back. Projections of little figures made of light danced across the surface, performing complicated acrobatics and romantic plays. Younglings delightedly tried to grab at the shimmering sprites as they splashed in the vibrant pool vaguely unattended by the tired and distracted adults around them. 

Sound echoed off the hollow stone roof filled with whispy artificial clouds painting a false pastel sky shimmering against the ceiling. 

I checked a posted stand marking our location and gestured for Cross to follow me to the left passage. As I turned away I felt him take my hand, falling in stride next to me. 

“What are you doing?”

“If they think we're a couple wouldn't it be strange to just trail around after you?”

“That was one group of tourists…”

“Was it now?”

Something in his tone had me scanning the crowd. 

Ah, varp…

The occasional group was casting glances at us, whispering behind their hands excitedly. More than a few. 

“Well that's definitely not good,”

He chuckled, leaning in to whisper,

“Just play the part.”

“We should duck into the service tunnels, there's still a shooter out here somewhere,”

“Easier if they come to me,”

“Careful now, almost sounds like you're using  me as bait,”

He wrapped an arm around my waist and ushered me along the hall past storefronts with dazling displays of poor taste and kitch. 

“Best bait around, besides, you're hungry, right?”

Kark it. I can chew the scenery.

I leaned into him, pressing against his side suggestively.

“Something sweet, okay?”

I set my stride to something more confident suiting a debutante flaunting her affair. Heads definitely turned to watch us make our way, more than just the giddy whispers from before. It was wonderous what a change of posture could do when it came to commanding attention. 

You better know what you're doing, Cross…

My pace faltered as we passed in front of a clothing store, high fashion displayed in minimal stands. I glanced down at my tailored clothes, or rather, my father's tailored clothes. 

“I need to make a stop…”

~~~

We reached the alcoved pavilion in swaggerish stride, a small bag with clothes that would actually fit me hanging off my arm. Semi permanent food stalls lined the walls and a few snack carts were littered throughout the large, circular room between hundreds of scattered cafe tables. The noise was almost unbearable, voices bouncing off the domed ceiling, the clatter of cutlery, and the occasional babbling infant. 

Cross was already dragging me to a cart near a service entrance. It was a practical choice, the loading dock was a short ways through those doors. 

I looked over the pastries on display, flakey rolled crust with caramelized spices sprinkling the tops. 

“Sweet enough?”

“Mhmm, it looks good,”

We stepped into the short line, Cross keeping me close with a hand at my back. He was standing casually but I could see his eyes systematically checking our surroundings. We were vulnerable while standing still and I silently urged the couple ahead of us to hurry the kark up. 

I took the time to really look at the room. Pillars divided the wall, disguising projection systems that were casting the illusion of being outside. It looked like the holo images were of Naboo with it's waterfalls and old, elegant architecture. As I watched the images faded, replaced with new scenery; as if we were overlooking Coruscant under the sparkling lights of night. 

I looked over the planet I had lived half my life. The projections had a convincing amount of depth to them and I wondered if the feeds were live. This particular section of skyline looked familiar…

If that gold glow over there is the memorial…

I turned slowly, scanning the horizon till I saw the obvious red streak staining the sky in the distance and tapped my companion’s side. 

“Cross, you see that over there?”

It took him a second to refocus and realize what he was looking at. 

“Is this supposed to be Coruscant?”

“It is, but you see that tall tower off in the distance… the red one?”

“Yes,”

“That's The Red Spire, the club at the top is called The Red Crown… it's where you can find me,”

His eyes narrowed, memorizing the point and landmarks. Coruscant was a massive place after all. The eagerness of it was charming me and I leaned against his chest just in time for the couple in front of us to move. 

I stepped up and motioned for two orders from the attendant, turning to relax against the pick up counter. Crosshair leaned over me, keeping his body mostly turned to the room. 

“You live at the club?”

“No… I live where you picked me up, you won't find me there though, I usually stay at Kahtzi’s in The Spire, No one looks for me there…”

“But you want me to?”

“Sure… if you don't die in some gruesome way or another,”

He made an amused tone, but his eyes went distant, then flicked back to the smear of red in the far off projected sky before it shimmered out of focus again, casting a new illusion of a distant land. 

“And Kahtzi, she's gonna… fight me?”

“Hm?”

“Jar'ath… he said she'd want a piece of me,”

I choked on the guffaw that tried to escape me.

“Oh, oh no li’nen, she'll wanna kriff you,”

He looked stunned. 

“Because… you like me?”

“Mm, it's a twisted kind of protectiveness, wants to make sure I'm not being too nice and faking it to spare your feelings or… something,”

He raised an eyebrow trying to process this… complication?

“I don't really get it either, I think she wants to give the guy I end up with pointers or something,”

“You and yours are… strange.”

“Welcome to Strange, here I thought you were a resident yourself,”

That earned a chuckle, and it seemed like processing my ‘strangeness’ was put on a back burner. 

I was handed our snacks, two spice rolls in each little paper tray, and put Cross’s next to his hand on the bar before taking a bite of my own. The flaking crust dissolved with whatever fat they used to make the layers, the spices salty and slightly acidic, all rounded off with a sweet cream filling. 

It was divine and I moaned deep in my chest in delight, closing my eyes as I savored the dessert. 

I had taken another bite before the feeling of being watched became apparent and turned to look at the man looming over me. He was once again stern with intensity. I struggled to swallow the over zealous chunk of pastry, wiping the bit of cream that had landed on my chin and licking it from my finger.

“What? You see the guy?”

He leaned down, growling in my ear,

“You didn't make noises like that when I was inside of you,”

The sudden plain vulgarity sent a heat through me, crashing to my core. My guard had been down and I could feel my cheeks flush, my eyes glazing over with sudden need… his voice was husky,

“What do I have to do, to make you sound that satisfied?”

I couldn't answer, his whole demeanor had changed. The kisses had been playful, daring, and charged with mischief… but this was a possessive lust tinged with a bit of hurt pride. He leaned in closer so that his breath tickled my neck, his lips brushing my ear. 

“I don't plan on holding back with you…”

“Ooh, you better not…”

…

A child let out a high pitched scream, snapping us back to reality. We separated partially, and I finished the sweet I had been working on while Cross picked up the first of his. He took a bite and made a similar noise to my groan of pleasure, eyebrows raising at the mix of flavors. 

“Good, right?”

I chuckled, and he went back to scanning the crowd. 

“Let's move,”

He said suddenly, picking up our paper cartons and quickly shifting me to the other side of the stand, weaving us towards the service doors. 

I casually glanced over my shoulder and caught what had spooked him. A slight figure, dressed plainly for the tourist crowd, walking swiftly in a little too straight a line in our direction. 

Show time.

I picked up the pace to be even with Cross as we got closer to the double doors that would lead to a wide tunnel for staff and deliveries. 

We didn't look back as we pushed through, the heavy doors hissing on their hydraulics, shuffling quickly passed workers who turned their heads questioningly as we went by.

“You got a plan?”

“Working on it,”

We had looked over the public blueprints of the back halls. Most things weren't listed but the outlines of rooms had to be shown for emergency purposes. There would be a few turn offs before we reached the side entrance to the loading docks. 

“We need to get rid of them before meeting our connection, for now, act normal like we don't know they're there,”

I quickly ate my remaining pastry roll, somewhat skipping along to keep up with Cross’s long stride. He kept his arm around me though, squeezing me occasionally to his side and leaning to give my temple little pecks as we walked. I could feel him scanning behind us whenever he did. 

“Alright, we'll end this quickly,”

He gave my ass a squeeze as we passed the last few employees, backing me against a door alcove, leaning in as if to kiss me. Instead he whispered,

“Once we're through get on my back, and hurry,”

I nodded and he pressed the panel opening the door behind me.

 As soon as it shut he knelt, and I climbed on, crushing my bag between his back and my front. The charging pack concealed under his cloak pressed into me uncomfortably but there wasn't much time to adjust as I wrapped my legs around his hips. 

“Can you hold on?”

“Easy,”

He nodded and after sizing up the gap in the hall, put one foot on the wall, braced himself and then the other foot on the opposite. We climbed carefully like this, upwards like a spider, till we were nestled into the space above the door. He found foot holds on the framed doors, and leaned against me in the ceiling corner. 

“Hold. Very. Still.”

I didn't move as he carefully braced against me, taking his hands off the walls and drawing his side arm, aiming it below us. 

A few, shaking breaths, and the door swished open. The slight figure from before stepped into the narrow connector hall, carefully sweeping and seeing nothing. Cross squeezed the trigger, and they were down without even a whimper. 

“Brace yourself,”

Crosshair let go of the footholds and we dropped to the floor. He stumbled a little from the uneven weight but we landed sound and I was put down again. 

The assassin's pockets were turned out; nothing but a small data stick and their petite blaster in a leather holster. 

“Here,”

He undid the belt and handed me the small gun.

“I’m not sure I should… not exactly trained like you,”

“Take it, next time someone grabs you just shoot them, it's not like it's hard,”

In today's headlines, Elite Sniper, shot in back of head after too much sass…

Eyes narrow, I took the belt and drew the gun, gripping the small handle, feeling the weight of the little pistol. It felt nice… right. 

Crosshair had hit the projection on the data stick, the file inside was simple. A list of names. 

Lieutenant Jerimnah Hervos - Confirmed Petty Officer Kuregt Talosi - Confirmed Aviation Specialist Kerna Holotsa - Confirmed Petty Officer Suito Jurlois - Confirmed Comms Specialist Gurino Frasolti - Confirmed Clone Commander CT-9904 - Unknown  Comms Specialist Hailla Jua - Confirmed  Nav Specialist Tai Kinu - Confirmed  Civilian Tah’nyem Ra - Unknown

“What is that?”

Kerna’s name was on it, and mine, but Crosshair's was the only clone code on the list… it couldn't be a complete ships dossier. 

As I watched, the status by our names switched from ‘Unknown’ to ‘Active.’

“I don't know…”

I wasn't sure he was telling the truth.

“Let's hope we don't have to find out,”

He pocketed the data stick, and before I could blink my back was pressed against the wall, hands in my hair pulling my head backwards as my lips were roughly claimed by the tall figure pressing against me. 

He lifted me slightly, pinning my hips with his to grind his codpiece between my legs. The hard metal hurt in a delicious way and I groaned as the embers from earlier were breathed into new life with my desperate gasping against his lips. 

Hands slid over my breasts, the silk of the fabric transferring the heat from him to feel more distinct than if it was direct contact. 

I let out a little whine when he pulled away, his raspy voice coming to me as a pant,

“Soon… soon,”

He nuzzled my hair as I slid back down to standing. I didn't want to wait, waiting was making me… irrational; Reaching for his belt, sliding fingers around the edge of the codpiece, feeling how tight the fabric underneath had gotten. 

He found my lips again, unhooking my fingers from his armor. 

“Soon, we have to go,”

~~~

We casually slipped into the loading dock, passing droids operating sparking tools. The wrecked pods were in the middle of a wide track running the length of the hangar style structure being loaded into a larger towing barge. There were hundreds of participants, and they scattered about sorting out their pods and dock numbers. 

“What do we do now?”

“Loading dock 54, we're meeting the captain of team 88,”

I scanned the bays. Luckily the entrance we used dropped us in the middle of the docks, we were already in the fifties. 

“Wait!”

I let out a delighted little squeal and pranced over to the pod parked at dock 54, throwing myself over its shiny yellow nose.

“Hey baby, did you miss me?”

Crosshair was slowly tailing after me, puzzled by my draped form over the racing vessel. I felt silly not noticing, but a lot had been happening since the race started. 

“Cross, meet my baby, Cowardly Jyck,”

“It's yours?”

“Mhmm, I'm not allowed to pilot it… obviously, but it’s mine, I own the team,”

Well, my father does, and manages it. Explains why they didn't bother to send anyone for me, we were already here. 

“Why would you name a racer ‘cowardly?’”

“Mm, it's fitted for defensive piloting,”

I stroked the paint job, noticing a large gash in the black and yellow stripes on the back hull. 

“Oh baby, what'd they do to you?”

“Oi, ger’off me pod, woman!”

I sighed, sitting up to straddle the vehicle. 

“Hello Sevill,”

The small woman looked up at me. 

“T… I sai’ geroff,”

“You know damn well it's my pod,”

“Like varp, I'm d’pilot,”

I gyrated my hips against the hood of the pod sticking my tongue out, causing Sevill to roll her massive eyes. 

“Ya finna ruin d’paint job,”

“Looks like you already did,”

Crosshair cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows in amusement, but also pointedly glancing at the living mechanics who stopped working to stare in our direction. 

I slipped off the pod. 

“An who's dis, den?”

Sevill stepped back so she could see more than Cross’s codpiece. 

“Don't you recognize T’s scandalous new squeeze?”

A Ga'haiian I recognized had approached after Sevill. 

“An ‘ow I'm s’posed ta do dat, den?

“You're telling me you kept your eyes on the track the whole time?”

She pointedly cocked her head at the gash in the side of the pod. 

“Dunny' see what dat's got to do wit it…” 

Sevill grumbled, but stepped away to start working on strapping the pod's engines into the loading flat. 

“How've you been Ger’nahei?”

“Not as good as you apparently, your team places top ten and you've got yourself a new toy,”

She was pacing about Cross, scanning down his sleek armor. To the Clone’s credit, he seemed to be getting used to my peer’s lack of boundaries and base level respect. It was amusing seeing how small he looked next to Ger’nahei, who stood a full head over him. 

Being full blooded Ga'haiian, her skin was slightly darker than mine, her hair pure white and tied into braids that pulled the silvery strands away from her face. Her frame was built to handle the strenuous life of being on the move with tons of mechanical equipment in tow. She was the Captain of team Yellow Jyck, and I gave her a big hug around her middle. 

“If I knew you guys were racing today I would have come down here sooner,”

“Well, as we established, you had your… distractions, besides, your Vah'hadarr has never been very specific, wouldn't be the first time he left out important details,”

“Mm, it's like he thinks no one will actually have to use his contingencies…”

It was a bad habit of hubris, overconfident that his first plan is foolproof and no one needs to know about the details but himself. 

“So we're hitching with you guys?”

“Sort of, the cab can only fit the two of us, and we're supposed to keep you off the check point registry,”

Sevill had popped the pit team and the little droids began guiding the flat packed pod onto the small freighter through gate 54. 

“You two will be riding with the pod, you'll need to be loaded in before they weigh the crate so… load up Missy,”

“I'm riding… in the back?... The back of a freighter,”

“That's right,”

Ger'nahei laughed at my miffed expression. 

“C’mon, I'll show you,”

Cross leaned in as the tall woman walked ahead, trailing the pod as it locked into place in the truck’s hold. 

“Looks like we'll be alone,”

He walked ahead to follow her, introducing himself as I had failed to, leaving me with the implications of what was to come once these doors closed on us. I shivered in anticipation, the incredulity of riding in cargo melting into something dull witted and needy.

I snapped out of it and hurried into the open truck. The pod was locked into the back nearest the door, it's engines folded underneath. Connector cables were strewn  about everywhere and after I picked my way through them I found Crosshair and Ger'nahei chatting over a bank of heavy tools clipped into the wall. Sevill popped through a smaller door on the side of the truck towards the front… I noticed there wasn't direct access to the cab.

Alone indeed.

“Dunny touch me tools,”

Sevill harrumphed as she passed the chatting pair. 

“Dunny touch d’pod, in fact dunny touch any’ting, including me cot”

She gestured to the small bunk tucked near the tools. 

The front end of the hold was set up like a makeshift workshop, besides the tools and the cot, there was a low workbench clean and tidy and a small cubby behind a folding door. 

“Freshers ‘hind the door here, just a piss pot but better dan notin’... Enjoy”

She bowed in a sarcastic manner, collapsed the pit droids and left out the side door again. 

Ger'nahei and Cross finished their exchange and she moved to close the back doors, locking them in place. 

“Touch whatever, just be quiet and sit tight till we're on the road, if you jiggle the scale the jigs up early,”

She walked to the side door glancing back in at the two of us,

“It'll be three hours till we get to East Station, More if traffic goes to shyte, You'll be let out there before the container is loaded to the border train, get comfy it’s gonna be a while,”

The door was shut and bolted from the outside, leaving us in muffled silence. 

Crosshair dumped the duffle on the cot, followed by his rifle, placed more carefully, then the cloak falling in a rumple over everything else. The engines rumbled to life beneath our feet, causing us to sway as it started to pull from the slotted bay. 

His gaze fixed to me, poised across the bay against the shifting pulls of gravity. He crooked his finger in a beckoning motion. I raised my brow in challenge,

“Maybe you should use your words,” 

His eye gave a small twitch, then the corner of his mouth. Words fell between his lips in a hiss,

“Come to me, Tahny,”

A demand that would normally make me bristle instead sent a ripple down my spine, warming me, spurning me into motion. One step, across the rocking floor, another, and I was in his waiting arms. 

As his lips fell upon me, hot against mine, lacking in the careful restraint that had floated through us throughout the day, a sliver of reservation dropped through me. Almost as if my instincts were calling in one final check, one more, ‘Are you sure?,’ in the form of old Hyretta’s voice from a smoke laden card game ages ago…

“Never invite a man into your bed twice unless he's paying,”

The old call girl had chuckled, puffing on her death stick. 

“You'll never get rid of him, baby girl,”

I had lived by that till now, well not the… paid part, but as there's yet to be a bed maybe I've found the loophole. 

Cross seemed to notice my distracted air, biting my lip to bring me back to him and I wrapped my arms about his narrow hips. Confident my attention was where it was supposed to be he darted his tongue out to sooth the nipped skin before slipping it into my mouth. I sucked on it, greedy for the chaos that was whatever we had started doing with our lives. 

He shifted to lean back against the hood of the strapped in pod, pulling me to rest against his chest. I cradled his head, elbows to either side of his slim face and stroked the tender scar over his ear. His hands dropped to grip my ass, pulling my hips in to grind against his still armored groin eliciting a pathetic mewl of need as he kissed me rough and unrelenting.

“Just take me Cross, I need this…”

“Mm, not yet, I'm too worked up to last long like this…”

He pulled back in an attempt to cool off slightly, I had different ideas. 

“We'll just…”

I slid off him, fingers going for the edge of his codpiece. He didn't protest as I clumsily pulled it from the magnetized fasteners, dumping the metal piece and his belt with the growing pile on the cot. 

“...reset a little,”

I smirked triumphantly as I leaned back in, stroking the obvious bulge straining against the tight black fabric before slipping my fingers into the waistband. He groaned as I undid the pull strap and eased them down over the dark patch of hair they hid, letting his cock swing free. I took him in hand, biting back a soft moan myself. 

He was already heavy with blood, the vein along the underside swelling as my fingers gently caressed the velvety length of him. His eyes were on me, I'm sure he knew of my intentions long before I slid to my knees to nuzzle his exposed member. 

His eyes fluttered as he fought the urge to close them, sighing low as I slowly, teasingly lapped my tongue up the main vein, flicking over the edge of the swollen head before letting it rest against my lips. He was musky from the sweat of the days activities, the masculine scent sending little waves of lust through me. 

“Should I continue?”

My lips brushed his head, causing his cock to bob from a violent twitch, tapping my lips as his breath got heavy. 

“Kriff, Tahny, please do something…”

His hips bucked in frustration wanting in my mouth already. I obliged, opening with a little ‘ah’ allowing him to thrust in, massaging him with my lips as his head ground into my pallet and he sighed in relief. I bobbed shallowly at first, pressing against the ridge of his head with my tongue, working his shaft at a comfortable depth. 

The trick was not to overstimulate him the first time, I relaxed my tongue to a more passive role, guiding him away from my teeth, bobbing a rhythm matching his shallow thrusts against the softer tissue near my throat earning me a series of soft little moans as he desperately pressed against the resisting tightness. He was right, not gonna last long at all. 

Something was going on outside the truck, we shuddered as the vehicle stopped and a loud whine echoed around the hold, though it didn't do much to distract us. 

His hands found their way into my hair, lacing into the shorter strands in the back. He kept me at pace, thrusting and pushing me down on him as his breath slowed to a ragged pant. 

The cargo bay suddenly dropped, not far, but enough to displace us, bouncing against the hood of the pod and thrusting his cock past the barrier of my tonsils. I whimpered at the sudden stretch, tears pricking my eyes as air was cutoff, but held fast at the strangled cry that had Crosshair twitching in my throat. He came, pushing as far as he could till my nose was tickled by the soft patch of hair at his base. 

Easy… easy.

I calmed the instincts that wanted to clamp down at the invading rod, desperately seeking the balance needed to sooth my muscles from spasming. 

We both tensed as someone jiggled the side door to a sharp reprimand from what sounded like Ger’nahei. 

I tapped the plate on his thigh and he jumped, releasing me and sliding his softening manhood out from where it was still hugged by my throat allowing me to gulp air. 

“Better?”

I finally asked once my breathing was again even. He was looking at me, kneeling between his legs; Eyes teared up, wiping at the glistening saliva that had dripped down my chin with the back of my hand. 

“Not even close…”

“Good, we have time though…”

We had just finished being weighed and hadn't even left the loading station yet. I stood and wobbled to the tiny closet refresher as the truck set into motion again, splashing a bit of water from the sink on my face.

When I turned back, Crosshair was still sprawled on the hood of the podracer, everything tucked away where it was supposed to be. He was taking in the wall of tools for maintaining the pod, fingers taping his chest plate idly as if he was deep in thought. 

“A credit for your accounts?”

“Hmm”

“Just looks like your brain’s whirring”

“I'll keep my schemes to myself,”

“Scheming is it?”

I slinked to him, lifting myself back onto his chest with a foot on the pod's bumper and laying my head against the plated armor. He wrapped an arm about my waist and I clenched my teeth, trying to suppress the jolts the touch was sending through me. He may have gotten some relief but my need had only grown hotter and more demanding.

He pretended not to notice but his fingers started to tap more deliberately on my waist where the fabric was thin, the skin underneath soft and vulnerable. I could hear a low rumble through the chest plate, an amused response to the little twitches, the attempts to mask what he was doing to me somewhat obvious. 

He struck quickly, fingers grabbing into my sides and ass, hugging me tighter to him. The shock sent a wave of tingles snapping my spine to press into him more and I cried out from the sudden waves of ecstasy. My face flushed, I was getting too sensitive.

“Who knew such a brat could be so cute?”

“Euch… cute?”

“Cute.”

“That's it, put me down,”

I struggled against him, mockingly… but it took a bit of effort to make the show convincing. 

Kriff he's strong…

He cupped my chin, tightening his other arm to still me. 

“You’re cute. Deal with it.”

He cut off further protest, pressing his lips to mine causing me to hum into him. I caught his bottom lip with my teeth tugging it a little too hard. He just moaned softly as my teeth slid off the tender flesh, clicking as his lip freed itself. 

“I'm done scheming,”

He announced, sliding off the hood of the pod, leaving me standing rather wobbly and bemused. Scooping something from between the cables, he lifted himself to the open cockpit of the pod and sat on the back of the chair, feet on the seat. A tap tap to his thigh to summon me and I picked my way over to the side of the racer. 

“Up there?”

“Up here,”

“Little tight don't you think?”

His lips quirked at that and I crawled up the side and into the cockpit, kneeling on the seat between his legs. A length of knit cord was strung between his hands, being untangled and wrapped into a neater spool. 

“And what are we planning with that?”

“Stand up and you'll see,”

I hummed incredulously and he smirked,

“Not used to being helpless?”

I looked up at him through my bangs. It's not that Kahtzi and I hadn't used restraints, it was more that Kahtzi was a harmless tooka kit in comparison to the man in front of me.

“Honestly, I've only really tied myself up… Kahtzi doesn't have a knack for it,”

“So you've never been in restraints you couldn't get out of…”

“Pretty much,”

He chuckled, stroking my hair reassuringly.

“Always in control, aren't you? Don't you trust me?”

…

“With my life,”

His eyes shone brightly, reflecting the dim work light from the bench as he scanned my face, searching… I tried again. 

“I trust you Crosshair,”

I reached up from where I knelt between his knees, cradling his chin in my hands. 

It's okay… 

He swallowed hard, raising me to stand and lean back so that my hips nestled against the steering module, handles to either side of me. It slightly protruded over the edge of the pod's hood in its locked position. 

Pressing one of my wrists to a handle, he wrapped the cord around loosely a few times, sliding the end back under the loops created to tighten the binding. This was repeated on the other handle till I was tightly tied leaning against the pod’s dash. 

“Try those,”

He was focused on my wrists and I pulled at the ropes as requested. They seemed to tighten at my little tug. He made a pleased noise,

“Not going anywhere…”

He undid the holster at my waist and gave my hip a light smack, hopping out of the pod and walking out of view. He was by the tool wall, but I couldn't turn far enough to see what he was doing. 

“And now you torture me for information, right?”

“Something like that,”

Very reassuring.

Some rustling, tapping, a few clicks and footsteps pacing back in my direction, Crosshair appearing before me again a moment later. 

I raised my brow in question at the cord dragging after him. He whipped it around for more leverage as he climbed into the cockpit again, settling into the shallow bucket seat in front of me. He was holding something but I still couldn't figure it. 

Our knees were about even like this, his tucked between mine, spreading them further as he pinned them with his own. 

He brandished what he had brought with him… a sort of narrow sander with a soft pad buffer attachment. I was starting to put two and two together. 

“I don't think that's what that's used for…”

He just shrugged, wrapping one of Sevill’s clean work towels around the padded head for more cushion. 

“Don't think you can handle it?”

I wasn't sure anyone could, not like I'd ever admit that though, so I shrugged, the cords creaking around my wrists.

His hand slid up my thigh, settling into the joint that creased the soft fabric, thumb tracing the seam running up the groin of my pants. The tingles ran through me, delicious and warm as he gently massaged the soft mound underneath causing me to sigh from the ache of it all. He was subtly shifting the fabric, moving the seam from where it might cover the folds creating an even surface that clung to the shape of the labia beneath. 

“If you need me to stop, say so,”

Leaning in, he kissed the outline of me and I inhaled sharp through my teeth as his skin warmed the suede over my barely guarded vulva. Then, the tool clicked on. 

I looked down at him, that mischievous look back in his eyes as he drew his lips away from me replacing it with the towel dampened buffer. 

My body jerked instantly at the intense vibration. It had more power behind it than the toys Kahtzi and I had and my knees tried to buckle at the zap to my nervous system. Cross still had my legs pinned in a splayed position, and I hung from the steering wheel a moment before the next jolt had my back arched. 

I was choking on the gasps that tried escaping me as I thrashed against the bindings at my wrists. It felt good, it hurt, it was too much and my brain couldn't take it. My legs were working again, attempting to kick, propell me over the hood and away from the stimulation.

“Don’t run from it, Tahny.”

His voice was commanding as he pushed the tool against me. Applying pressure from the flat, vibrating surface in rhythmic beats, finding and matching the gasping breaths I was still managing between violent twitches. I was getting close fast, but it was almost difficult with just how strong the sensation was. 

“You're gonna cum Tahny, you hear me?”

My back was arching, the ropes holding me in place getting tighter. I was trembling and taught and hooked on his words. 

“Nod if you're still in there,”

He chuckled, started to push the vibrations into me with a rough, static pulse. 

I nodded weakly. 

“You're close, I can see it, so you're gonna cum -stop struggling- when I say so,”

His words sparked the fuse, the motions against my clit growing more forceful the rhythm staying steady. 

“Three…”

It was like a wave was rising in me, looming over the shore of my senses,

“Two…”

He was counting me down, the very act of it serving to push me further, the wave higher.

“One… Cum now, Tahny.”

He pushed the attachment against me, held it there, and the wave crashed, flooding in and over me. 

“Oh kriff Cross!”

I stood rigid as the orgasm flowed through me like an electrical current, painfully intense. My knees tried to close around him like a vice only to meet the unyielding barrier of his legs holding me… then tension released me and I crumpled. 

The tool clicked off. 

“Good girl.”

His hand replaced the buffer, gentle and soothing against the swollen, overstimulated flesh. I whimpered as even the small brushes of his fingers rocked through me.

“How many of those till we break that pretty little brain of yours…”

My eyes widened and he chuckled, the sound more predatory than amused. 

“Some other time, I've been wanting this all day,”

He grabbed my knees and flipped me up to lay over the hood of the pod with a thunk, anchored by the steering handles, hanging slightly upside down towards the sloped nose. My legs were pushed together and up over his shoulder as he stood, hands undoing the fasteners to the altered slacks. 

The pants were pulled up halfway, a string of moisture clinging to them to glisten in the light. He eyed it hungrily as he twisted the cloth to bind my legs at the knee. His eyes roved down the backs of my thighs to the bud nestled between them, lingering on the slightly faded bruises from our previous coupling. 

“You didn't tell me these were here…”

He ran a gloved finger over the discoloration on my flesh. 

“I didn't think you were interested,”

“I'm interested.”

He leaned in to drag his teeth over the light bruise and I sighed at how good the gentle contact felt. He closed his mouth over one, sucking the soft flesh forcefully to leave another little mark. 

Slipping his gloves off, he traced a cool digit up my folds, pressing on the sensitive button to pull a sharp squeal from me, before retracing it's track down to plunge into my wet slit. 

I jerk violently again, the coolness of his skin feeling like ice against the blood hot walls squeezing around it. The pressure of it against the over stimulated nerves lining my depths made my legs tremble. I was far too sensitive, and let out a little, strangled cry. 

“Don't over react… it's just. One. Finger.”

He punctuated each word by drawing out and then back into me none too gently and I moaned, squirming under his attention.

“You're gonna cum again as soon as I'm in at this rate,”

He had taken his cock from his blacks, stroking his length, recovered and rock hard for the task ahead. His finger kept working my cunt, dragging along where the nerves were thickest in painfully slow motions while he pumped his shaft. 

I was panting already, the pleasure of being pushed so far making me nearly incoherent as I struggled to watch what he was doing, I wanted him more than ever.

He withdrew his finger, drawing over and lubricating the skin that was pressed together between my closed thighs. He licked the digit clean, holding my eyes to make sure I watched, before guiding his cock to my ready opening. Sliding it up and down, teasing me into making desperate little whines. 

“Hurry Cross…”

“Eager for me?”

“Very,”

Dignity can go kark itself.

His eyes darkened with lust and he lined his head up to my quivering sex, pressing in slowly, letting me feel every stretch, every tantalizing inch as he filled me, pushing hard till he was buried to the hilt. 

I sobbed at the sensation, the electricity that ran through me as I was massaged from the inside grew with every inch I took. With that final push the dam broke and my over sensitive tissue clenched around him as I came again, the stimulation already too much; voice strained from the horrid tension,

“Kriff…”

He didn't let me recover, instead, swinging his hips into motion, pulling out to slam back in hard and I arched my back moaning heatedly. It felt too good, my flesh hot and swollen to feel everything; the curve of his shaft, the flair of his head…I swore I could make out his veins as they pulsed against the walls that gripped him. He groaned, teeth scraping along the fabric on my calf before he plowed into me again, picking up pace. 

My brain went foggy, the waves of pleasure swallowing me till I was blind with it, euphoric mist and glitter. His hand was tugging my top open, a button pinging off the metal as it popped from its thread, roughly grabbing my handful of bouncing breasts, pinching the nipple. His other arm was wrapped around my legs, keeping them braced to his shoulder as they shook with each violent thrust. 

That false tranquility had fallen over me, my senses completely overridden by pleasure, the pod had become a cloud and nothing mattered besides the cock hammering into me, making me feel like this… light and airy and good. 

His cheek was pressed against my calves and he smirked down at me. He had quickly picked up on the signs I was close again and was intent on driving me there. It looked like his stamina was holding strong. 

I soared higher, my brain buzzing as my breath switched from gasps to a ragged heaving. The walls of my quim throbbing around him, making him groan as he brought me to climax. My back arched again, and I fell silent, lungs arrested by the taught muscles throughout me. The static from my brain spread hot over my skin, until my fingers and toes began to tingle. 

Then I was limp, completely spent.

He wasn't finished with me, and shifted to hold the tight bunch of fabric at my knees down to my middle, folding me in half, leaning over me with a more animalistic ferocity. His hips snapped into me, ruining me with aggressive, wet pops of skin against skin and a vulgar, lost groaning from deep in his throat. I hung over the hood of the pod helplessly, feeling fluid running from my ravaged cunt down my ass onto the dash and hood. I didn't want him to ever stop, I didn't know what would happen if he stopped, if I fell from this high.

There was no more mounting pleasure, I had plateaued and now swam in a haze of ecstasy, tingles swirling into life with every stroke of him pressing against my insides. Pain didn't exist here, thoughts didn't either, just him and this strange little idea I supposed was me hanging above everything else. 

“You still in there, Tahny?”

Barely 

“Crosshair…”

It was more sighed than said, and I struggled to focus my eyes on him. His breath hitched in a feral groan and he grabbed my thighs, pulling me closer to sheath himself as deep as possible as he came. His twitches echoed through my own muscles, sensitive beyond belief to the small jerking motions against my clenched sex clamped around him. 

Then he too, was still, besides the occasional kiss to the back of my calf between his ragged panting.  

We were both gasping to catch our breath, easier once he could pull out to unfold me, and I willed my heartbeat to return to something resembling normal as he eased my legs to hang back in the cockpit around his own. 

He had started tugging at the knots to undo the restraints while I finished gaining my composure.

“Whoever taught you that,”

I finally breathed, still partially upside down.

“Remind me to send them a ‘Thank You’ holo.”

He stopped his motions and stood up to lean over the dash, looking me straight in the eyes with nothing but befuddlement. 

“Are you kriffing mad?”

~~~

Tag List:

@feral-ferrule

[bastardtrait]

Legacy superlatives tag game

hello babes I found this really old tag game that was being passed around simblr like almost 10 years ago and I thought it was funky and fun. I brought it back for the legacy girls. I'm tagging some folks who've got a few generations under their belt, so: @beebeesiims @simsandgiggles @natolesims @bearphase @akitasimblr but if you see this n u wanna participate please feel free to!! <3 I will be answering for Nova and Lucky bc they're both done as of October 2024.

Favourite heirs

Nova: HONESTLY I think my 9th generation heiress has officially dethroned Musica from gen. 2, like I genuinely feel like I went out with a bang.

Lucky: I love Iain from gen. 5 okay he's been through a lot. I put old boy through a victorian death trap of a story and he still made it out flaws and all.

more below...

Favourite spouses

Nova: this is really hard but I think it's Neveah from gen. 6 by @lizillasimming. I had genuinely so much fun with her and she even got her own solo adventure like hello? mother

Lucky: OOHHH this is really hard but I love Chen Ruiyang from gen. 4 mainly because he had the most fleshed out story between Magnolia and his generation and also bc he's hot like. yes daddy.

Favourite spares

Nova: hmm I guess I'll hand it to Crow from gen. 3 bc he appeared as a side character in the Luckys too! but then again Soma from gen. 8 is about to be in another save, so it's up in the air.

Lucky: Sara from gen. 3 thank u bye! actually, I loved Ibrahim too; gen 3 kids were just built different

Favorite side characters, if you do story-oriented saves (skip if not)

Nova: ok this save was really inconsistent with story lmfao but I'll hand it to ... idk Lim Shiyeon from gen. 3? she was not a good person but she gave us Delilah at least so.

Lucky: of COURSE it's miss Khadijah Daniel from gen. 3! she ran Finn's office like a naval commander. but I also have to give an honourable mention to Jiang Yuqi from gen. 4 because she's mother.

Mishaps during your legacy

Nova: let's discuss Salem from gen. 7 dying in a glitched out fire that the firefighters refused to save him from!!! damn!!! that shit pissed me off so bad bro

Lucky: umm it's obviously Shaw from gen. 7 fucking DYING BEFORE HIS GENERATION COULD EVEN START OMFGG.....like are u kidding me dawg!!! i had PLANS FOR U!!!!!

fuck man, 7th generations of my legacies are bad omens...

Largest number of children

Nova: oh let's talk about how Jericho and Day-Day from gen. 1 had four kids: TWO sets of twins in a row?!! i actually quit this save for the first time because of that AJDSIOFDSKF

Lucky: Franklin and Bayram from gen. 2 had three, and that's not even counting all their dependent animals. six chickens, two cows, and a llama! and one Sister Elisabeth.

Any surprises

Nova: that I even FINISHED THIS SAVE AT ALL. lmfao. I abandoned it like 3 times dude! but I'm nothing if not stubborn. and also that I ended up really loving my final 9th generation. I can't wait to post that one.

Lucky: that I pulled out all the stops for the story portion of gen. 6? tbh that was the most story for TS4 i'd ever worked on, and it was hard, I won't lie. but rewarding. and I'm terribly satisfied with the results.

Favorite family pet why this is question so low smh.

Nova: aw now come on, it has to be my baby Tango from gen. 4. a little stray that went up to Delilah to ask for a home...and she took him in...I love u Tango...

Lucky: now can this go to anybody but Cake Boss from gen. 4? the immortal dog so iconic she also appeared in TWO Nova generations? like hello?

[tallaxia]

Writer James Wong and director David Nutter talking about X-files s01 e13 "Beyond the sea"

Cinefantastique #26 - 1995

“Dana, open yourself up to extreme possibilities only when they’re the truth.”

—Mulder

Beyond the Sea

Gillian Anderson and Scully come into their own in this first-rate script by Glen Morgan and James Wong. Scully’s personal and professional lives collide when, shortly after her father's death, she and Mulder interrogate a psychic death row convict named Boggs (Brad Dourif) who may hold the key to finding a serial killer and his latest victims. In a fascinating twist, Mulder for once is the skeptic, and Scully the unwilling believer, when Boggs claims he can locate the killer—his former partner—as well as give Scully some final words from her father. Director David Nutter drew scorching performances from Dourif. and a deeply moving one from Anderson, whose Scully tries mightily to repress both her grief and her belief, and his orchestration of the prison confrontations is masterful. The sholwhere the door closes behind Anderson, leaving Dourif centered perfectly in a narrow windowframe is quite unforgettable. The teaser is a study in how to communicate family tensions and emotions not spelled out in dialogue. Don Davis and Sheila Larkcn as William and Margaret Scully make an indelible impression.

“Beyond the Sea” originated from a number of sources, one of which, said James Wong, was “a book Glen had read which said that 75 percent of widows within three months have a vision of their husband, and 35 percent of mothers see their sons.” And comments from fans that Scully needed humanizing played their part. “Gillian needed a show to show off her talents,” Wong said. Added Morgan, "It was time to grow Scully’s character, because she was doing the same kind of thing too often.”

The character of Boggs grew out of Morgan’s desire to “do a psychic thing. And you start thinking, well, this guy’s got to have something at stake. Capital punishment was one thing I always wanted to write about.” The network executives were not high on the idea of a Scully/Boggs faceoff, and Chris Carter had to back the idea twice before the they gave the go-ahead. “They said it was too much like SILENCE OF THE LAMBS,” said Morgan, “so in order to not do Hannibal Lecter, this kind of cool intellectual, we had this manic high-strung cracker. I was directly trying not to write Hannibal Lecter.”

Noted director David Nutter, "Brad Dourif came in, and my job there was to create a setting where he could be what he really wanted to be. I would just tweak this and that, but basically I let him have the stage. In a sense, it was a static episode and it was important to let his performance be the moving element. I was also very happy with the work that Gillian and I did together. I thought she really proved herself to be quite a talented actress.”

Religious symbolism is a guiding clement in “Beyond the Sea.” The teaser opens on a Christmas tree angel and the statue of an angel also provides an important clue to locating the serial killer. Mulder's lack of faith in Boggs results in his being shot near a wooden “white cross” which Boggs had warned him about, a contrast to Scully’s evading death when she avoids a painting of a blue devil about which she had received a similar warning. “Scully has that Catholic background,” said Morgan. "I’m not a very organized religious person, but we got a lot of letters from people saying, ‘I need to see my religion portrayed positively.’ So you try to have somebody who was raised with that faith.”

The tattoos on Boggs’ hands which read “kiss” and “kill” are reminiscent of Robert Mitchum’s “love” and “hate” tattoos in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, but Morgan said that although Mitchum was in the back of his mind, the words themselves came from a song by the band X. “There’s a lyric which says, ‘It’s kiss or kill.’ I was trying to think of something other than love or hate and I thought that was kind of neat.”

[thefreakydeaky]

After the Thrill is Gone

Part Ten

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Negan Smith x Reader

Modern AU

Summary: From the first moment you laid eyes on Negan you were inexplicabley drawn to him. The passion between you is hot and only grows more intense the longer you see each other. There is only one problem, you're both married to other people.

Warnings: Dark Fic ,Physical acts of agression, Stalking, Stalker behavior, Smuttyness, Adult Language...

Tears rolled down your cheeks as you read the results again and again. Not only had you betrayed your husband, but now you realized you were making him raise a child that wasn't his. You sat down and closed your eyes. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. What kind of sick joke was it to make Negan the father of your child?

He kneeled down beside the stroller and kissed your sleeping baby on the forehead. You wanted to protest, to tell him to get away from her, but now you had no right to.

He looked at her peaceful little face and you saw triumph in his eyes.Your heart, broken in two could not stand the sight. You stood up and grabbed your purse. As you got behind the stroller, Negan stood in front of it, blocking your exit.

"Where do you think you're going?"

You sniffed as your tears slowed.

"Home." You said simply.

"You are not going anywhere with my daughter. Not until I say so." Negan's tone was threatening.

"Please, don't do this. Just let me go." You tried to keep your voice from shaking.

"This isn't just about you anymore." He moved aside and took hold of your arms. "We need to talk about this."

"No! I'm done talking to you. All you do is bring bad into my life-"

He gave you a rough shake.

"Enough." He chastized. "Let's go."

One hand on your shoulder, he followed you out of the clinic.

"This way." He said gesturing to the left.

You went to the end of the row and recognized his truck. He pressed on your shoulder when you tried to stop in front of the vehicle. You went to the passenger side.

He opened the door for you and told you to get in. Trembling, you got into the seat. He opened the clasp at her waist and gently manuevered the baby out of her stroller.

"Put on the seatbelt." He told you.

Afraid and overwhelmed, you did as you were told. He put Millie into your arms and shut the door. You watched him breakdown the stroller and put it in the back of the truck. Then he got in.

At the coffee shop, you were reluctant to hand him your baby as he stood waiting expectantly with the stroller.

"The sooner we figure things out, the sooner we can leave."

You let him take Millie from you. She opened her bleary eyes, looked up at Negan and smiled.

He kissed her chubby cheek and put her back into her stroller. It was like being in a dream. So surreal. You found a table in the back corner and sat as Negan ordered a drink at the counter.

You stared at Millie as if you were seeing her for the first time. You looked at each feature of her face in turn. Her eyes, her nose, her lips, her chin. You now realized that the features you had recognized in her had always been yours and not Daryl's. Now, as you thought about it you realized the dimples that showed when she smiled, she had gotten from Negan. The shape of her nose, Negan. Her beautiful eyebrows, Negan. How had you not seen it before? How could you have been so oblivious?

You startled as Negan set a cup down in front of you.

"Lavender Chamomile tea, with honey and cream." He sat in the chair opposite yours.

"I'm a father. I can barely wrap my head around it." He looked at your napping baby with wonder in his eyes.

"I want to get to know her. I want to be in her life."

You took a shakey breath.

"I get that for you this is a good thing, but you have to understand, my whole life is ending. My marriage will end. Everything is going to change."

Negan's eyebrow raised.

"The decisions you made are what brought you here. You expect me to feel bad?"

Your eyes brimmed with water.

"Daryl will hate me. He will leave me. I-I can't raise three kids on my own. I can't."

"You're gonna have to tell him. Keeping the affair from him is one thing, but this? This he'll never forgive you for."

"Exactly. He will never forgive me. And my boys. I can only imagine what my boys will think of me. So, please, please just don't tell anyone yet. Please?"

"Are you asking me not to tell my wife or... your husband?" He prodded.

You felt the tears begin to flow. To your surprise, Negan reached over and placed his large hand over your smaller one.

"Alright. Alright." He said quietly. "Don't do this to yourself. I won't ruin the life you've built. On one condition."

You looked at him.

"From now on you do exactly what I say."

Your eyes widened in horror.

"N-no! I-I can't!"

"Listen, it's not just your life that will change. Your sons' lives will change."

"Please don't ask this of me! Negan, I -"

"Kids don't do well with divorce. Kids need stability. Are you sure you want to put them through that?" His expression was serious, his tone laced with feigned concern.

You shook your head.

"I-I don't. I don't want that."

"Good. Then you'll do what I tell you to."

"But-"

"From now on," He interrupted, "If I need to talk to you, you will answer the God Damn phone. If I want to see Camilla, you will make the time to meet with me. What I say, goes. Do you understand?"

You swallowed the sob trying to escape your throat and nodded.

He squeezed your hand.

"You can have it all," He said your name with tenderness in his tone. "You have been the only thing standing in your way. Now that I've fixed that, you should thank me for it."

You gazed into his hazel eyes, their warm depths so familiar to you. You were filled with dread at the realization that he had you right where he wanted you.

You stared at him.

His grip on your hand tightened to the point of being painful.

"Go on. Do it."

The sharp pain in your knuckles urged you to speak.

"Thank you." You mumbled.

"What was that?" A smile sat smugly on his lips.

"Thank you." You said through gritted teeth.

"Atta girl." He commended you and released his grip on your hand.

"Well if it isn't, Misses Dixon. Hey there!"

You turned to see Lori, the wife of one of Daryl's friends.

"Hey!" You stood up and went to give her a hug. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, Good good. I was really craving one of those apple cinnamon latte's and decided to drop by on my break. How are you?"

"I'm doing alright." You told her, smiling politely.

You noticed her eyes stray to Negan.

"How rude of me," You laughed lightly. "This is Negan Smith, he is one of Wyatt's teachers and is trying to convince me to let Wyatt be on the baseball team." The lie came so easily.

He stood and held out his hand to Lori.

"What can I say, the kid has a great arm and I am a fan of winning." He said following your lead as he shook her hand.

She nodded and smiled.

"We haven't seen you all in a while. We should get together. What do you think of a cook out? Maybe, Next weekend?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah. That sounds like a good time. Let's do it."

She beamed at you.

"Alright, well, I gotta get back to it. You'll call me later to make plans?"

"Sure." You smiled back at her.

She told Negan it was nice meeting him and went on her way.Your smile faded once she was out the door.

"I know you feel confident that we won't get caught, but I don't. Everytime we meet I'm risking breaking apart my family and destroying my marriage. This is a prime example of-"

"I get it. We'll go somewhere less public next time."

You blinked dumbly for a second as what he was saying hit you.

You had no choice. Now he could have access to you whenever he wanted. You looked at Millie. As far as she had known for all her little life, Daryl was her Daddy. Daryl would surely want nothing to do with her if he found out. She wouldn't understand why she couldn't see or be with her father anymore. And Negan would only give her the time he could get away with giving her. Lucille would always be his main concern. Your child would not be a priority to him. For Daryl all of your children were his first priority. You couldn't take that away from her. She deserved to be treasured. While things between you and Daryl were not the best, when it came to your family life with your kids he was happy. Yes, it was a fucked up situation, but it did not benefit Millie or Daryl for you to tell the truth.

[ddpej]

Autumn Sampler complete!

[Hi-res version]

It's been quite a while, but I'm still alternating a large self-patterned project and @mathysphere samplers as I have time! First up was my version of the Ocean sampler, and now the Autumn sampler has joined the completion pile. As with the ocean one, i did a bonus variation on one of the squares for 17 pieces total.

Technical details under the cut, for those of you interested in such things.

The fabric I used for these was a 28ct evenweave in a muted light brown, stitching two over two. Since I was doing them as individual squares rather than one full piece, I did the borders in backstitch rather than cross-stitch to let the designs shine! I did not bother to keep track of the orientation for each fabric scrap as i went, which is why some are a smidge taller and some a smidge wider. Evenweaves be like that sometimes.

First row: owl, mushrooms, goose, moon All of these were stitched as given, nothing particular to add here! The moon is my favorite of the row. <3

Second row: apples, pumpkin pie, black walnuts, squirrel This row got a few changes. The apples were patterned with a sky-blue background, which I left off and later gave to the squirrel instead. The light brown of the squirrel's body was too close to the fabric color to stand out the way it needed to without some help. I also worked the pie border from the reverse side, to give it a thicker line since it was such a light color (plus a bonus fancy-crust twisted effect).

Third row: produce crates, grasshopper, icy leaf, pumpkin patch This row was also stitched as given. I love the leaf one, but bonus points to the pumpkin patch for feeling particularly fairy-tale!

Fourth row: preserves, campfire, deer, hedgehog This set got a bit of extra backstitch -- I outlined the lids on the preserves jars, and also the hedgehog's face. In both cases, my fabric color was just close enough to the floss colors to muddle things. I very deliberately did not outline the deer, though -- it seemed so much more fitting that they would blend into the background a bit, as they always did in the woods where I grew up. ^_^

Bonus campfire: The campfire was my favorite square of the sampler, and I had a scrap of mottled dark brown fabric sitting around, so I decided to stitch it again! I could not be bothered to dig out waste canvas; instead I just slapped some of the light brown evenweave onto the back of it with a running stitch and worked right through both. Some of the stitches in the center are a little wonky as a result (parallels to the bookmark, Geri! haha) but it came out pretty well! I do wish I'd thought to stitch the middle of the flames in three strands instead of two, to get more intensity of color, but the visible Xs are fun too! The only changes I made from the pattern were leaving off the black background and using black for the border instead of dark red.

[autiezo]

The idea of Emo Teen Jean Vicquemare lives rent-free in my head

[It comes from @slonechnik 's DE AU where Harry's still a gym teacher and Kim has to go undercover as one of Harry's new students, for an RCM case. JV's 15, so Kim's 24 and Harry's 25]

It's so fucking funny picturing Jean V. trying to talk to Undercover Cop Kim. I'm gonna strive to make JV such a cringy loser. BTW, I think emo kids are cool, but not Jean lmao.

Anyways, here's a list of JV emo teen headcanons (below the cut):

- Nicknames himself “The Dark Mare”, based on his surname Vicquemare (reference to in-game Narrator's incorrect pronunciation of his French surname)

- No one used to respect Jean or call him by his preferred ‘title’, calling him “Jelly Boy” instead. That is, until the Hex incident happened. Jean finds that any student using his actual name, ‘Jean’, is disrespectful; unless he gives them exclusive permission, then that means he really likes that person. He also loathes being called by his initials and all of Harry's nicknames for him (e.g. Mean Vicky, J.V., Emo emo emo, King Void.)

- If Jean is late for gym class, Harry will jokingly and loudly mimick an alarm that goes, "Emo emo emo" to announce the teen's arrival. Jean a.k.a The Dark Mare obviously hates this. In Harry's defense, HDB does this specific alarm thing for all the regular latecomers. Every student has their unique, mocking call.

- JV hates Harry with a burning passion, despite the man genuinely wanting to support him. JV also does everything to weasel out of group sports.

- When he was 13, he used to get bullied and shoved in lockers a lot. So he has learnt how to pick locks from the inside and outside.

- He has also stabbed his bullies with a sharpened metal fork before, to the point where he made them bleed. Thrice. Harry helped him to prevent JV from getting expelled. Jean did bite his bullies several times, and has bitten Harry before. Harry laughed it off and said, “Son, you can bite me anytime if it helps you relieve stress. You have my permission, I don’t mind”. Which appalled Jean, so he doesn’t bite Harry anymore.

- This is the Hex incident. One day, Cuno's uncle (Kubo) stole Jean's diary and tried to read it out loud to everyone, but J.V. used big words Kubo doesn’t understand, so only part of JV’s secrets got out. J.V. got mocked severely, and Kubo + his gang of idiots ripped JV’s diary into several pieces. Jean yelled that he’d curse them all.

The next day, Kubo got into a car accident, which resulted in him never being able to play football again. Someone’s parents divorced. The gang proceeded to lose at football against the girls' team three times in a row. They begged Harry to talk to J.V. so he did. After much of Harry’s pestering, J.V. reveals that his curses didn’t actually work since curses are specific and they didn’t do what Jean commanded. Jean refused to tell Harry his secrets and said he just wanted everyone to leave him alone. And so, a deal was struck, and everyone stopped being mean to Jean, but people avoided him a ton. Rumours did spread, so many students really did believe that if they upset Jean, they’d be cursed.

- Jean actually has great parents and an ideal emotional support system outside of school lmao. Loser.

- Does actually get decent grades in school. He advanced two years in education

- makes his own emo music and song lyrics. Gave up on his music dreams after studying Literature and Music in community college, when he realised that being an outsider musician won't support himself financially. At age 21, he became a cop and joined the RCM at the same time as Harry (HAHAHAAHAHA)

- Has a lil gay baby crush on Kim but would never admit it to himself. He's also terrible at hiding it. Kim is the only ‘student’ he'd allow to call him by his real name.

- Secretly loves disco music but pretends to hate it. Will subconsciously bob his head up and down to disco music slightly if it plays for long enough.

- Has two pet cats he adores and drops the emo/cool guy facade for. JV pretends and boasts to everyone that he actually wants a pet snake instead, but he's a fuxking LIAR

- Has a chronic need and desire to seem 'cool' whenever people are around(except his family)

[mal-urameshi]

Chronicles of Mama Okoye and Riri! IV

Bumps In The Road

Riri had always been proud of her mother. She was strong. Dependable! Down right cool! And was so exceptional, she was promoted to General of the Dora Milaje in no time. She led an elite army of Wakanda's finest and her comrades both respected and adored her.

Riri had been there in the crowd, front row actually, when her mother had been appointed the esteemed title of General. Her little eyes had twinkled in awe when her mother walked out, adorned with gold to signify her status. Rings of gold coiled around her neck and forearms, setting her apart from the other warriors.

Riri wasn't paying attention to the speech the King had prepared because all she could focus on was her mother. She stood with her back erect and face stoic. Instead of appearing stiff, General Okoye was regal and poised. She was swathed in an aura of elegance and radiated sophistication. When the ceremony was over, the Doras had tapped their spears on the floor and circled her mother to place their hands on her in congratulations.

Once Riri got the chance, she ran up to her mother who scooped her up into her arms and gave her a big kiss on her cheek.

Riri: Mama! You look so beautiful! *eyes twinkle as she touches the gold around her mother's neck and shoulders* Okoye: Thank you, my Pebble. *kisses Riri again and hugs her tighter* Riri: *presses her forehead against her mother's* Does that mean I'm Junior General? Okoye: *chuckles* Of course it does! Now everyone will think three times before they think they can mess around with you.

Being a Dora meant out of country missions, obviously. And Riri had understood that from a young age. Years of being in Aunty Aneka and Aunty Ayo's care while her mother was away on missions... Or her Uncle M'Kathu or cousins M'Halle and M'Holle's care were testifications of that fact. But being General meant even more responsibility.

Riri knew General Okoye was an important woman to many people. But she was her mother so she was most important to her. And Riri had started to feel like she was seeing her Mama less and less. Okoye would come home from a mission and be called out to duty again three days later.

This had resulted in Riri withdrawing from her mother bit by bit. Okoye would return from a mission and come pick Riri up from Aneka and Ayo's, but she would be insistent that she wanted to stay a day or two more with them. Which never worked out because they needed their alone time and Riri relented.

Okoye would notice the silence and slight pouting of her Small girl and ask her what is the matter. Usually Riri was more talkative.

Riri: *shakes her head and then gives a silent shrug* Okoye: Are you feeling sick? Riri: *stares at the ground and shakes her head*

When they were home, Riri stayed holed up in her room, playing with her gizmos and gadgets as opposed to chatting her mother up while she prepared dinner.

Okoye: Riri, dinner time. Riri: *comes to the kitchen a few moments later and sits at the table* Okoye: It's your favourite~ *she chimed* Riri: *stares at the plate of Lekhotloane and gives a half-smile* Thank you, Mama. *eats some of the potatoes first* Okoye: *frowns and gently nudges Riri's cheek with a knuckle* What's wrong my love? Are you sure you're feeling okay? *presses the back of her palm to Riri's forehead and then her neck* Riri: *leans away and nods, refusing eye contact* Okoye: *carefully brings her hand back to her person as she regards Riri*

Riri's behaviour continued for the rest of the evening up until bed time. Okoye had to get to the bottom of this immediately. She didn't like that Riri was reacting so coldly towards her. Before she left on her mission they had shared so many hugs and kisses and I love yous. She practically had to pry the girl off of her person before she left. But now Riri did a complete 180.

Okoye: *knocks on the door frame* Hello, my pebble. Riri: *Under the bedsheets* Okoye: *walks in and sits on the bed* Riri: *turns on her side, away from her mother* Okoye: *throat tightens a bit and she clears her throat* Riri, what's wrong, you can talk to Umama. *affectionately rubs her side* Riri: *curls in on herself* I just want to sleep, Mama. Okoye: What about storytime? You never miss storytime. Riri: *doesn't answer* Okoye: *takes a staggering breath* Okay, goodnight Riri. *leans down and presses a kiss on her head*

Okoye went ahead and started preparing for bed. She took a long shower, hoping to ease her mind but Riri's demeanour was eating at her. It felt like she was pulling away and Okoye didn't know what to do. Okoye rubbed a stray tear that had slipped down her cheek and gave a light sniffle.

Okoye had shrugged it off initially but it seems like whatever had come to a head. It had started with not wanting to play as often as Riri used to. Then with Riri wanting to spend more time with Aneka and Ayo. Which she had initially chalked up to having developed an unbreakable bond between the two women. But now she was being full-blown ignored.

Okoye rubbed a hand down her face. What should she do? If she pushed too hard, would Riri close herself off even more? She wasn't used to the behaviour Riri was exhibiting and it stung. It hurt more than any wound her enemies had inflicted on her. Okoye tilted her head back and swallowed the lump in her throat. She wiped her eyes again. She'll try again in the morning.

Okoye settled beneath her sheets trying to fall asleep, but the light pattering of Riri's feet alerted her. She laid still as the child slowly pushed open the bedroom door and peered inside.

Riri: Mama? *walks further inside* Okoye: Yes, Riri? *taps on her kimoyo beads to turn the bedroom lights on, revealing her child's tear-stained cheeks* Usana, what's the matter? *opens her arms* Riri: *scrambles on the bed and hiccups a sob* Mama! *buries her face in Okoye's chest* Okoye: *peppers kisses on the crown of Riri's head* What's wrong, Riri? Talk to me. Riri: *sniffles and looks at her* I don't like that you always go away on missions! You never spend time with me as much anymore. *furiously wipes her eyes to make way for a fresh wave of tears* You come home and I see you for one week and then you're gone again! I spend more time with Aunty Aneka and Aunty Ayo than I do with you! It's like they're my parents, but they're not! You're my Mama, not them! *fists her mother's shirt and hyperventilates* Okoye: *quickly sits up and grabs the spare asthma inhaler at her bedside drawer and puffs it into Riri's mouth. She then pulled Riri closer to her and rubbed her back in soothing circles until she calmed down.* Riri: *fists her hands tighter into the material of Okoye's shirt* What if one day you never come back! What if I'm left all by myself? *Riri mumbles while looking at her mother* You're never here anymore and I hate it, Mama! *grinds her teeth and tries to move away, feeling overwhelmed*

Okoye just stared as Riri vented her heart out. Her own heart broke seeing that she was causing her daughter such pain. It was true. She was away more than usual now, especially since having the title of General. This wasn't a new occurence though, given her duties as a Dora. Having missed Riri's first steps and first words due to being held up on the other side of the globe.

Riri had fears. Legitimate concerns of being alone in the world should she not make it back one day. Because regardless of the helping hands of her friends and extended family, the fact of the matter is: Okoye was all Riri had.

Shame. That's what Okoye had felt in that very moment. Shame and guilt and the heavy weight of failure. It didn't matter how skilled and revered she was as a Dora. It meant nothing if she was failing as a parent. It meant nothing if she was incapable of showing up for the one person who depended on her the most. And now that was causing Riri to pull away.

Okoye: *tugs Riri back to her and hugs her* I'm sorry, Riri. Mama's sorry. *kisses her head and cups her cheeks in her palms* I should not have been insensitive to your feelings. Riri: *sniffles, but doesn't answer* Okoye: I will do better, okay? I don't want you feeling like this. I am so so sorry for making you feel like this. Umama's sorry. *wipes Riri's tears* Riri: *mumbles* I don't want you to die. I don't want to be alone, Mama.

Bast, Okoye felt like the worst mother in the world right now, having caused her baby so much distress.

Okoye: I won't die, Riri. And you definitely won't be alone, okay? I would never leave you alone. I would never abandon you. I love you very much. *kisses her forehead. I'll do better. I promise to do better, okay? *holds up her pinky finger* I swear it. Riri: *stares at her mother and nods, linking their pinkies together* Okay. *she says in a small voice*

And Okoye meant it. She never half-asses anything and she doesn't plan on making the same mistake twice.

Riri: *sniffles* Can I sleep in your room tonight? Okoye: You don't even have to ask, my love. Riri: *gets under her mother's bedsheets as Okoye kills the lights.* Okoye: *pulls Riri impossibly closer to her and kisses her cheek* I love you. Riri: I love you too, Mama.

As Riri dozed off, Okoye was doing some heavy thinking on how she could rectify her actions and achieve proper work-life balance.

Taggies: @somethingcleaverandwhitty @karimwillia @neptoons1998 @pantherheart @pilesofpillows

[eziojensenthe3rd]

Midnight Gaming: Serious Tooning

So last night I played Serious Sam 2 past midnight, checked socials later to find.... nothing notable to report. Welp no news segment today.

So when I did my post on the serious sam games for midnight gaming, I felt a bit bad about how I felt about Serious Sam. I know the games are good when you're facing off against tons of enemies but at times, depending on the difficulty, it can either be slow to build up to that momentum with some difficulty spikes now and then or just downright malicious with enemy spawns. And then theres BFE which is just downright bad. So I decided last night to try and delve a bit more into serious sam and try to lock in to a game in the series that i've felt uneasy going close before: Serious Sam 2, a game that repelled me before because of its cartoony aesthetic.

So I decided to install the game on my steam deck, load it up and had trouble with the graphic settings. Trying to change the resolution ends with me having a black screen and needing to exit the game, I turn off settings like bloom and lens glare because they suck and of course, turn the dialogue and subtitles all off. Yeah similar to Borderlands 3, you can turn off the annoying dialogue which in my previous attempts at SS2 I didnt think to do. As a result I only got maybe halfway through the first world before quitting and never touching it again.

So heres the thing, I may or may not have seen this and forgot about it but apparently in 2021, Serious Sam 2 got an update which added a lot of features, starting a new game will present you with options to change the enemy amounts, allow for combo weapons, sprinting and to enable a radar. This is important because this made playing SS2 a lot more enjoyable this time around. Dual wielding any combination of weapons you want is one of those ideas that make you wonder why they didnt do it more often. Usually its just the pistols that can be dual wield, the vr titles let you do that while SS4 has it locked behind skills. Being able to fire a rocket launcher in one hand with a double barrel in the other for close encounters feels like the most ideal way to play serious sam, combine that with the grenade hotkey which is original to SS2 and you can effectively have three weapons at once.

That radar that was included in the update is also just a nice quality of life, showing enemies on the radar so you dont have to scan the enviroment for them. Wheres that screaming bomber running from? Right there on the radar pal. I actually ended up getting much further into SS2 this time around compared to my previous attempts, got to the asian stereotype planet before I called it for the night and I felt pretty satisfied. Before I said the cartoony vibes didnt vibe well with me but thinking on it, it actually does fit with the chaos of the Serious Sam series, the colourful hordes of enemies exploding in a color of death, what other genre works better than the one thats most associated with slapstick violence. The main issue was that the dialogue and cutscenes were trying to go for a saturday morning vibe with corny jokes that seem more geared towards children, in a game that contains a lot of over the top violence and gore. Speaking of cutscenes, for some reason the cutscenes played in two windows both overlayed with a green and purple hue. Since i've mostly been skipping them, its not that big of a deal.

So yeah, Serious Sam 2, a very unappealing game for its cartoony look, has now become one of my favourite serious sam games thanks to that update. Its kinda sad that the reception to this led to croteam abandoning any notion of doing any similar to it, in favour of the prequels but now I want a game that matches the chaos of 2 but without the corny attempts at humor, maybe aim for something like the saints row series? Infact, The Next Encounter was kinda like that.

All in all, i'm sorry Serious Sam 2, you were a lot better than I gave you credit, all it required was a few qol features and changes to break through the surface to what was great about you. Like a durian fruit, stench like hell but a taste like heaven. And for you reading this, maybe consider giving it a go too.

Croteam please bring The Next Encounter back. Remaster it or put up a port come on.

Thats all for today, thank you all for reading. Feel free to leave some feedback or game suggestions. Anons are currently on.

[polyacrylamidepensieve]

Today I was at work late because I needed results / data to come out the flow cytometry lab to figure out how to work up two different patient cases, and if I didnt order the right stains by 6 pm the patients’ cases wouldn’t be resolved until after the long holiday weekend. Because of the timing of pathology. And the lab techs were super sweet and pushed those two cases out for me first simply because they like me. And I helped them resolve a specimen swap mistake a few weeks ago.

Anyway that’s not the point. What happened was, I was sitting at my desk worrying and working and the janitor girl saw I was alone. She came up to me and said, I hate to bother you but… do you have any insight on lupus? I just got diagnosed.

I had about fifteen other patients swirling around in my head. I had half an hour to interpret the data correctly, double check with my attending, and order the stains.

Her question was so out of the blue - normally all the janitors and I say to each other is “thank you” and “you’re welcome” or “good morning”

I didn’t manage to do more than blink at her, pull up uptodate (“doctor google”), print out three articles on lupus diagnosis, treatment, etiology, etc, and ask her to get them from the printer because I was truly that dead tired. I pointed her in the right direction toward the printer. She thanked me on her way out a few minutes later. I completely forgot that any of this happened until literally just now when it hit me, four hours later in bed.

Fuck. Is this what it’s come to? Being too burned out and busy and exhausted to actually stop for a second and hear a person’s story and explain their situation to them in spoken words, with compassion? I gave her only a handful of kind words. I used to have so many. I don’t have any idea if she’s going to understand the articles whatsoever. I’d never seen her before, she wasn’t one of the usual janitors.

What is happening to me. I am barely functioning this week. My attending is horrific. Worse than my mom, but similar in so many ways that I’m constantly triggered. I can see she has ADHD signs and symptoms like I do, but can’t talk to her about it bc she’s old school and likely to respond poorly. she’s rude, constantly expecting too much of everyone else, slow, and her overwhelming anxiety is mostly expressed via shouting at and belittling everyone with “this won’t fly” and “why did this happen? Who did this” when anything goes wrong. We’ve had over 20 marrows four days in a row, which is busier than any other week so far, marrows-wise. I’m just trying to survive. Am on call for two weeks straight (which is a duty hour violation), even though my PD is getting actively yelled at for duty hour violations by the ACGME. I just. Completely forgot about this human interaction. It just fell out of my head as it was happening. I mean. I know I’m dissociating but fuck.

[restorativemeal]

Menu Ten

Menu Ten from Rowan Bishop and Sue Carruthers' "The Vegetarian Adventure Cookbook"

Mexican Frijoles: pinto beans, oil, onion, garlic, dried chilli, coriander, tumeric, capsicum, tin tomatoes with juice, oregano, dried basil, tomato puree, salt and pepper. 

Tortillas: semolina, wholemeal flour, salt, warm water, oil. 

Tapas: cheddar cheese, cos lettuce, carrot, kewpie mayonnaise, sour cream, tomato, avocado, olives, Bishop and Carruthers’ guacamole. 

Chilli Fondue: oil, onion, dried chilli, capsicum, tinned whole tomatoes with juice, salt and pepper, prepared mustard, beer, cheddar cheese, sour cream.

Menu Ten and Week Ten. It felt easy to source significance this week, given it was the final week of my very own early twenties and the 10th week of this journey. Equally, this monumentalism brought about so much pressure in my private life that I once again thought very little about the food and the menu itself. I assume Bishop and Carruthers intended for Menu Ten to be lighthearted and easy and it was, my week just wasn’t. I had wanted during this week to live again like I had in the best times of my early twenties. I have a suspicion now that this was never going to be possible. Bishop and Carruthers had another Mexican evening lined up for Wednesday, corn tortillas and spicy pinto beans. I thought maybe this repetition would translate in some way. 

Imagery of preperation.

On Monday morning I was downtrodden still, by the questions that remained surrounding my health. At lunchtime I got my answers. Inside the Bulk Store, a boy with a buzzcut sat minding the till, maybe he noticed when I ran outside to pick up the phone. The results were overwhelmingly positive, with a prescription waiting for me at the pharmacy far away from where I was. I walked back into the Bulk Store ecstatic. I had received a Chinese love charm from my coworker that day. I wondered if it had worked already when the boy with the buzzcut told me there were no dry pinto beans anywhere because of a worldwide drought, but I could buy them canned. Buying them canned worked in my favour, it took a three day preparation period down to cooking everything the night of the dinner party.

Frijole and big produce.

Setting the table fell off the wagon on Wednesday evening, tension in the flat meant the dishwasher hadn’t been put on the night before, it ran while I cooked and I worried there wouldn’t be plates to eat off. The Mexican Frijoles had a well written recipe, a side note suggested serving with serviettes but I didn’t, even though I have provided serviettes consistently since Week Three. My Tortillas were put together with ease as well, for the second week in a row I was substituting cornmeal for semolina, because Google said it was okay. The blender got its most use ever this week, I blended onion and tomato to go in the guacamole, as Bishop and Carruthers had instructed, it gave the guac an ugly consistency. The avocados I’ve been buying from my favourite fruit and veggie store are never good, but I buy them anyway, which I tend to do with a lot of things. The onion and capsicum for Chilli Fondue was supposed to be blended as well, though I attempted to do this while my guests were talking, the blender whirred but nothing blended. 

Bishop and Carruthers' own guacamole and corn tortillas.

Dinner was served to five usual guests and two new guests. Both of them leaving the country in the coming weeks, a reminder of why I had taken this on. A reminder also of why I could never recreate my early twenties. I missed the photos on my phone. I thought I lost just four things in my 23rd year, but on Sunday my toenail fell off. How can a blog post do justice to the end of an era? 

Menu Ten and the last week of my early twenties...

[ticiie]

week 1: the first time

prompt from the off-season winter sport fandom challange

characters: Marco Odermatt, Gino Odermatt (mentioned), Paddy Kälin

lenght: 667 words

author's note: as happy as I honestly am about the revival of the osws-prompts, I had a hard time coming up with something for week one. I had to bend and break the prompt in order to find the minimum ammount of inspiration and this is the result that has me apologizing already. Let's hope week 2 turns out easier and therefor better 🤞🏼

The friendly lady that had accompanied Marco through the highly confusing insides of the studio gave him a sign to walk through the corridor. The audience was pretty huge, a lot bigger than the last time he had been here. Marco gave them an awkward wave that only seemed to fire them up. Paddy, the host of tonight’s broadcast, just shrugged. He tried to say something but Marco couldn’t hear a word through the applause. Paddy pointed him to the table and Marco gladly took a seat. He had spotted his sister and one of his best mates sitting in the front row, Alina gave him a secret thumbs up and Marco tried not to laugh at her too much. The crowd eventually calmed down again so Paddy got to fulfil his job as anchor-man.

“Welcome back, thanks for taking your time!”

“Thanks for having me.”

The medals of the world championship were lying at the edge od the round table, close to the three crystal globes Marco had won this season. Paddy didn’t hesitate to use them as a hook to the interview:

“Let me summaries some statistics of your season: Two-time world champion, three-time globe winner, one of them being the overall globe, your second I may add, most points won in a single season on men’s side which got you tearing down a 23 year old record, and since yesterday: national champion in giant slalom. Congratulations.”

“Thank you very much.”

“It sounds a bit unbelievable but this is the first time you’ve won that title! Does it mean as much to you as the other victories?”

“Well, it’s certainly a great feeling to have it secured as well, especially since I can’t compete at the nationals every season, so it’s nice how it worked out this year alongside everything else. But it’s not comparable to winning Adelboden for example. It’s a bit more down to earth, less hectic.” Laughs came through the audience, Marco felt his shoulders relax. After that, the rest of the interview went by smoothly. At one point, Alina gestured Marco to sit up straighter and Marco had to bite his tongue in order not to burst into laughter. As they reached the end of Marco’s screen time, Paddy brought up the topic of vacations and time away from training. Marco chuckled. “It’s really not as much as people might think. I’ve got some more appointments and testing sessions scheduled and I’ll try to get a few weeks off before the first training camp starts again in June.”

“How does an athlete like you spend his vacation? Are you allowing yourself a week on a sunbed with a good book and no physical exercise or do you need to spend it actively? Taking sightseeing-tours, getting an adrenaline kick?” Paddy pointed over his shoulder to the big LED-screen where the production had pulled up a picture on which he and Gino were hanging overhead from a bungee rope. Again, the audience laughed, just like Marco.

“It really doesn’t matter what I do or where I go, you can always be sure to find Gino calling you on day two, complaining about him being bored and asking what the plan for the day is.”

The program was being shown live on national TV. Marco had forgotten to leave his phone in the dressing room so now he could feel it vibrating in his pocket after saying the thing about Gino. He knew that the text message probably didn’t contain the nicest expressions without having to read it and Marco might would have to make amends by getting Gino a year-supply of those disgusting frog-shaped candies that he loved so much. He had never understood his boyfriend’s obsession over those and they also didn’t taste like the soft drink they shared their name with but Marco knew it would make Gino happy and that was the least he could do after deliberately teasing him in front of a good quarter of the Swiss population.

[signofthestriking]

"She's not trying to be rude or anything. Shes just shy."

Oh my god I'm actually making an OC intro post I haven't done shit like this since I left Amino-

This is Maize! A teenage hermit of few words, with a dad she's supposed to avenge. I say "supposed to" because it's not really her idea, but more on that later. She's one of the main characters from my fanfic book, Three Musketeers.

So what's Maize's life like before the start of the book? Well, pretty simple. Train, read books, hunt for food, rinse and repeat. Up until she was about 13, she was under the supervision of her mentor, Master Limax.

I still need to learn how to draw old men.

Limax was a harsh teacher, to say the least. And his whole goal was to prepare her for a fight with the man who killed her father, another Saiyan warrior and no stranger to combat. And Maize agrees to this goal, because why wouldn't she? It's Master Limax. If he says avenging her father will put her to rest, she'll trust him.

After all, Maize does find herself feeling quite hopeless and distant at times. She often finds herself unable to understand what Limax is trying to tell her, and can never meet his gaze. Her mood is always weighed down by something, and her expression often remains flat no matter what she's feeling. But that's all just grief, ri-ight...?

But anyway, once she turned 13, Limax left. He said he would return when she had proven her true strength to him. Presumably, he wanted to test how she took care of herself. And she managed to take care of herself pretty well! She could hunt her own food, she adhered to her training routine as always, and she joined the World Martial Arts Tournament once she was old enough. Of course, there was only so much any human could do against a Saiyan, even a teenage hermit like Maize. So she won twice in a row, and earned herself some money! Which she barely used, but hey, she has it!

Now, right around when Limax left, Maize soon sought out Penguin Village. Technically, she was forbidden from interacting with humans, and had been punished for sneaking out to the village before. But she went there anyway, and found the local library. There, she found a whole new world to explore, and dove deep into a newfound love of reading. At least Limax gave her a basic education.

Maize asked if there were books on Saiyans, and of course, the librarian had no idea what that meant. So they directed Maize to a working computer and suggested she look it up. She did, and her search yielded one result: a blog post that briefly mentioned Saiyans by name, specifically a vent post of sorts. So, naturally, Maize immediately reached out to contact the other person.

That other person happened to be Konnie Sai, a half-Saiyan in Central City who was on lunch break whe Maize reached out.

"hey are you an alien" "who tf are you and why are you in my dms-"

The two got to talking, and while Konnie didn't immediately trust Maize, the two soon grew to become friends! Maize would make regular trips to the library just to talk to Konnie, even figuring out how to setup a way to talk to her new friend from her island home. Konnie would gripe about her dad a lot, but Maize still enjoyed the company of her long-distance friend. Limax had warned her away from having friends, citing that they would turn on her once it benefitted them. But once Maize met Konnie, she broke that rule as well.

Which turned out well for her, because three years later, Konnie found a Dragon Ball. In the basement of her school. There's a reason it was left there but shhhhhh. So you know what that means?

"Hey what if we used the wish to learn more about Saiyans?"

Because, despite Limax knowing a lot about the Saiyans and what they were up to in this universe, he's never told Maize the details. Deliberately. He's only said that he wants her to be "better than that". Konnie's in a similar boat with her father, but that can be explained in its own post. So, with two young Saiyans left in the dark about their own history, what can they do? They can hunt for the Dragon Balls and get their own answers!

And that turns out to be the catalyst of a whole new adventure:

Anyway fun trivia about Maize:

She likes to talk to animals, at least when they can talk back. One of her first conversations with someone aside from Limax was a talking turtle who was curious about what she was training for.

She survived rabies for a couple of months, due to her Saiyan constitution. It was a rough couple of months, and it would have killed her had a passerby not intervened.

Maize's favorite food is fish. More specifically, the giant fish she catches below the ocean outside her island home. They're big enough to satisfy her appetite, usually.

She once drank out of a decorative water fountain, not understanding that those are just for show. She still thinks they're a waste of water.

Despite being a two-time champion, Maize doesn't actually like going to the World Martial Arts Tournament. Too loud, too crowded, and too many eyes looking at her.

The people of Penguin Village don't see anything strange about Maize. They just think she's a wandering swordsman who stops by to read books from the library. She also bought an old laptop from someone there so she could talk to Konnie from home.

Anyway idk what else to put here I just love her a lot

[totaldramafan-lauri]

Unhappy Campers

Hoo boy.....for such a simple, back-to-basics VOTW episode, my thoughts on this one are.....complicated. I had to watch it three times in a row to get everything straightened out. There’s a lot to unpack here, but I’ll do my best to explain myself for those interested.

First of all......yeah. On my first viewing at least, there was an element of disappointment that held me back. It ties back to what I said in my post talking about last episode- I REALLY wanted an immediate follow-up to what happened with Stolas. I....I got my hopes up. I didn’t want this to be like Seeing Stars again. I’m not saying that I want Stolas in every single episode, cuz I know he shouldn’t be. Other characters should get enough time to shine so this doesn’t just become The Stolitz Show. I know that, but.....i-in this case, the ending of last episode was SO impactful to me that I just.....didn’t wanna ignore it right away. So, when I saw that this episode wasn’t what I wanted it to be, I felt a bit let down.....

However, I’m not holding that against this episode. I KNOW we’ll get back to him, so I shouldn’t worry. That’s why I gave this episode multiple watches...to wipe that feeling away, and enjoy it for what it is. ^^

So....this episode is....like I said, complicated.

First off, my biggest issue.

I have a very.....hard time with cringe comedy. I have that hyper-empathy problem that a lot of autistic people have. I HATE HATE HATE HATE watching people, even fictional characters, embarrass themselves. And Helluva doesn’t usually do this, so I was very unprepared for this much of it. Heck, that’s MOST of the comedy in this episode! It REALLY wants you to laugh at Moxxie and find him pathetic, like the writers are putting him up on stage and giving him a wedgie. I’ll get to Moxxie himself later, but my point is.....it doesn’t matter what character is in that position. I don’t find it funny. Even if it’s a random nobody, I still won’t find it funny. Cringe comedy is the best way to make me wanna mute my headphones.

As a result....I’m sorry to say this, but this is the least funny episode of Helluva Boss to date for me. It’s the only time I didn’t laugh ONCE. I did like the episode for other reasons, but the comedy is not one of them. I’m glad that they’re trying to still throw in lighthearted and comedic episodes, rather than ignoring that part of the show, but I really hope they don’t do this particular style of humor anymore. At least....not going this hard on it.

But....again, this is just a personal taste thing, so I’m not holding it against the episode. I know those jokes do have fans, or else....they wouldn’t be a thing. XD So, yeah, literally just a me problem. If you find this episode funny, you’re valid. I wish I was like you.

So, on to my favorite part of the episode, then.....Millie development! WOOOOOO! I was able to get over my Stolas disappointment easier than I would’ve normally, cuz....well.....sure, we didn’t get to see him, but hey, we got an episode about MILLIE! We get to learn more about her outside of her adorable relationship with Moxxie! We learn that she wants to feel important! She’s from a very large family, AND she’s probably feared by most people she knows, TBH, so I totally buy this. XD And honestly? Same. Sometimes I worry that I don’t matter. I found her very adorable this whole episode. She didn’t let it get to her head, she didn’t grow an ego or anything.....she still supported Moxxie the whole time while finally being able to live her best life as....well, a “regular joe”. These people don’t know her, they don’t know she’s an assassin with a berserker-level temper, and....they love her! No doubt, she loves her job, but taking time away in a place where her reputation doesn’t follow her everywhere she goes......I can see why she’d love it.

She feels important. She feels like she’s more than her fighting skills. She feels.....like she’s capable of more than she expected. And she feels GOOD about herself.

I hope I don’t seem like a jerk when I say this, but I LOVED seeing Millie the more vulnerable one for once, when she’s talking to Moxxie. She’s always seemed like such an...invincible character. The only one without trauma to deal with, and the only one who seemed to have her crap together. She’s amazing at her job, she has a great personality, she’s sweet, kind, supportive, strong....but seeing that she has these insecurities makes me appreciate her even more.

This episode....REALLY made me adore Millie as her own character more, and I already liked her beforehand. Heck, I was one of the people who didn’t agree with the “flat character” criticisms! I loved her attitude! She had so many memorable quotes, and she’s adorable! But yeah, I was still waiting for her to get a focus episode, and this episode.....while not perfect in other aspects, flipping NAILED Millie. So, good job to the team.

Not only that...but I also enjoyed Moxxie here (other than the cringe comedy). I can totally see why some viewers might find him unlikable in this episode, don’t get me wrong. They’re clearly TRYING to make him in the wrong, and yes, he IS. But.....I’m sorry, I’ve always related to this man so hard and that doesn’t change here. He is still SUCH a mood to me. Being given a leading position for the first time ever, feeling super excited......but then getting wrapped up in myself, so focused in getting my first time exactly right, so much so that I start overthinking EVERYTHING and ignoring the obvious......hahahahaha I’m in this picture and I don’t like it. PLEASE don’t let me lead anything ever hahahaha.....I feel Moxxie SO badly here, which....makes the jokes even harder to sit through. Cuz he’s trying his best, maybe even TOO hard, and those kids are just- UUUUGGHHH! >__<

I will admit, tho, that even tho it was believable, I....REALLY didn’t like watching M&M fight. Especially the first time. It’s....pretty hard to watch. Say what you will about them being “boring” or whatever, but M&M are one of my favorite parts of the show, and one of the reasons is that they DON’T fight. That there ISN’T any drama. Their wholesomeness provides levity from the dysfunctional relationships everywhere else in the show. So.....yeah, even if it wasn’t forced, and made perfect sense for both of them, the fight still put me on edge. I don’t want that from my M&M. BUT, fortunately, Moxxie immediately realizes he messed up, and makes it up to her as soon as possible. Saving me my sanity. Thank god, or Satan. XD

My favorite moment in the whole episode is after Millie’s performance, when Moxxie tells her he’s proud of her. That, combined with the look on Millie’s face melted my heart. It’s such a simple, yet sweet moment. I love them.....so much.....Again, Millie’s always felt....untouchable before this episode, and it was Moxxie that always needed validation from her. So, seeing Millie so vulnerable when she doesn’t think her husband supports her really shows how in love they are. And that moment....just.....you can tell how much it meant to her to hear him say that. That, no matter what.....his approval means more to her than that of anyone else. Flipping perfect.

(Also, can we talk about how the climax involved Millie performing on stage, and Moxxie taking part in the big action scene? Talk about a cool role reversal, huh? XD)

So, overall, M&M were the best part of the episode (minus the cringe comedy surrounding Moxxie). But it was still pretty cool to finally meet Blitzo’s sister after so long, altho she isn’t the focus of the episode.....

And....that, sadly, brings me to my other....issue? I guess? Not really a complaint, but more of a missed opportunity....

I wish this episode had been split into two.

Now, I can see why they’d think that the camp story wouldn’t be enough to fill an episode, but.....why couldn’t they have come up with a different b-plot? Something....simpler, like Blitzo, I dunno.....betting on a hellhorse race, or something? Pffff, sorry, that was off the top of my head, but- Y-you get the idea!

I really feel like Bltizo finding his sister should’ve been its own episode. I mean, c’mon, we’ve known about Barbie Wire since the pilot, and she’s been mentioned multiple times since then. We were all waiting to see her...and here she is! And she seems really cool so far! But....she’s not the focus of the episode she’s finally introduced in? What was the thought process behind this? This is Blitzo’s SISTER! Her introduction should’ve had more fanfare! Was this literally just to get the audience guessing and wanting more? Cuz it worked-

I REALLY hope we’re not waiting too long.....What the heck is going on with Blitzo’s family? First something happened with his mom, and now we learn his sister hates his guts and UGH I WANNA KNOOOOOOWWWW- Blitzo, what did you DO? (altho, TBH, that kinda reveal sounds like “season finale” material, so-)

S-sorry this got so long, but....l-like I said, my feelings toward this episode are very mixed. Not a fan of the comedy, which is an issue, but I love the character development for Millie, Moxxie being relatable and learning from his mistakes, and Bltizo trying to reach out to his sister was great even tho I feel like that should’ve been its own episode.

Overall....this is NOT my least-favorite episode of season 2. It doesn’t have the tonal whiplash problems that Seeing Stars had. The tone of this episode is handled really well, which is another thing I’ll give it. It never felt like it jumped from one tone to another too quickly. Being a more simple story with not much serious stakes probably helped there. The best scenes in Seeing Stars were probably objectively better than this episode’s, but as an overall package, I like this one better. (And Millie stuff helped it out too)

However, it’s not nearly as good as Exes And Ohs, and I would also say it’s sliiiiightly worse than Western Energy too, so yeah, that’s where I stand with it. I enjoyed myself. It’s a grower. It’s just that the comedy dragged it down too much for me. But again, that’s just a me problem, and not a problem with the show itself! ^^