#{ I'm allergic to queue }

[boobsneezevids]

a beautiful bouquet blooming between my bouncing bosoms 🍒

[sammy8d257]

*slaps cheese on your face*

C h e e s e

UH... CHEESED TO MEET YOU?

[ayoungeststark]

“You’re a king now.” It was the first thing Logan said when he saw his friend, as soon as he arrived with his family in Lupos. It was his first time visiting the place, and he was very excited to be there. “How’s that been going ?”

@luposcainus ❤'d for a starter !

[ginger-canary]

my body would rather consume an entire pepper than any fish and that's honestly so unfortunate for me

[mondaymoon]

Oh no! And as someone who's been digging into fiberglass DIY mattress research, I'm posting what info I've found!

Annoyingly, some of the best info was from reddit on r/Mattress and r/MattressMod, there's a DIY mattress community combining research on there that's been super helpful. Like this thread talks about mattress brands to avoid (including for fiberglass reasons, though I wish it had more sources) and this thread was how I started digging into DIY mattress building.

(And there's nothing wrong with buying a premade mattress at all. In my case I'm allergic to a lot of mainstream mattress components, so I'm going the DIY route to better control what's in my mattress.)

Which oh yeah, apparently you can just 100% build a mattress from scratch in a ton of ways, including not just base latex but buying coils and batting? They're not all going to be super affordable (a lot of the DIY mattress options on r/MattressMod are pretty reasonable though), but there's likely a good *not fiberglass* mattress in your budget out there even if you end up DIYing it!

You can also consider going for a futon or shikibuton, but you'll need a way to let it air out regularly. But the good news there is there are a bunch of futon makers in a ton of price points for a comfy semi-DIY option!

And seriously, if it's a cheap Amazon mattress, toss it out for your health? Almost all the mattress brands from Amazon are in the 'do not buy' list specifically for fiberglass concerns (allegedly).

Did you know it’s legal in the USA for mattress companies to put fiberglass in their mattresses? They don’t even have to label them! So if you wanna commission me so I can buy a new bed I won’t stop you

[astrxealis]

lowk wanna return to my themis ffxiv theme that was goated asf except this time i make a proper pinned post w a gif >:3 mwehehehehhe

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Someone: What level of self loathing are you at? Me: Apparently, my own body is allergic to itself so like.....high I guess.

[floripire]

Floribeth is allergic to figs - dry or soaked.

[bisexualbaker]

Oh no, another chickpea I'm allergic to!

horrid little cat saved me from my devil's nap by putting her paw directly into my mouth

[ayoungeststark]

“You’re not…from here, are you ?” There’s a hint of uncertainty in his voice, as he looks at the man in front of him. One of his hands is still pointed forward, in a more cautious stance rather than an attack one. He was ready to defend himself if he needed to and that reaction was triggered because of the name he just heard, even tought that was still a bit confusing. “Because you’re supposed to be old.” The Magneto he knew, at least, was old. Or, older than that, anyway.

@magneticrage ❤'d for a starter !

[cryscal]

☝️☝️☝️

Look if there is absolutely nothing else you take away from the nonsense I am posting, it's this: Make Art.

Make art, with whatever you have. Use scrap cardboard and tape and build something; doodle in your notebooks, make a beautiful dinner, grow a plant, write, paint your nails. Learn to whittle, to knit, to cut straight lines, to sew, to cook, to run at a problem and not solve it the first time. Learn to try again.

Make things the wrong way.

If it works, do it again, better. If it doesn't, do it again, different. Draw badly. Look at the way the light hits something and try to figure out the colors it makes. Watch the way strangers walk and how the weight of them shifts in motion.

Creating art--beautiful things, ugly things, silly things--is not something that you should be leaving to people who are better at it or can afford the expensive materials or have a deep message or whatever. Do it anyway. Do it worse, do it cheaply, do it just for the joy of doing it. The work itself has merit. The work itself is rewarding. Make art.

And pet your cat.

[kyri45]

✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 17/11✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

Anonimo ha chiesto: (Baby Mk trying to wake up macaque) Macaque: Wukong your son's awake Wukong: Before sunrise he's your son. Lol lion King reference

Aaaaaaahhh I love it! I was thinking the same!

Anonimo ha chiesto: I wonder if MK is experiencing any other Yaoguai urges? Besides his crush instincts and fun Monkey habits and behaviors.

mmmmm I think he mostly sometimes starts a tantrum in monkey style, where he starts to move a lot and jumps around

Anonimo ha chiesto: So like do macaque and wukong have rings or anything like now I think it would be cute if they renewed their vow.

I think I need to go study traditional chinese weddings traditions

l@ovingshadowpeaches ha chiesto: Ohhh my gosh i finally have the balls to send you this ask!! I adore your shadowpeach bio parents AU SO SO SO MUCH, your art style is so satisfying and mesmerising to look at, the plot is chefs kiss and I hope you know I LOVE all the soysauce duo content i am being fed and our Macaque introject adores it because the MK he knows is his son and your comic makes him feel a lot more valid and closer to his boy, your comic is so comforting to both him and me. I can't wait to see how it all plays out and I can't express enough how much we love love this comic!! All the love!!! GAH!!!

awww tysm for your ask!!!! :')

Anonimo ha chiesto: I think that is hilarious that macaque yoinked the great sage. Also other demons jealous Mac?!?! I need more jealous mac. I can only imagine it went like, Here is a basket of delicious peaches for your enjoyment. Excuse me while I go beat the shit out this demon for trying to take you away (Not that they could even if they got past Macaque).

hehe meanwhile Wukong's ego grows tenfold

Anonimo ha chiesto: SHADOWPEACH BIO PARENT AU The last question had me saying: what was Pigsy's and Tang's reaction to Mk's l̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ crush on Red Son? And also the court napping thing?

I think at first they didn't believe it, then they realized what happened, and didn't know wheter being shocked or not since they should have absolutely saw it coming.

@vex--lynn ha chiesto: Do you find it crazy how much you've affected the Fandom, like you've taken it by storm! It's kinda like when "Garden across our collarbone" took over the Fandom. In the end, we're left crying happy tears. I'm so happy to have found this comic while it was still being made cause I feel like I'm part of the adventure of these crazy monkies! I wish you nothing but the best for you!! <3

BRO u CAN'T JUST PULL OUT THAT NAME AND MINE IN THE SAME CONTEXT. That fic is like an atomic bomb I'm just a humble artist drawing gay monkies.

Anonimo ha chiesto: I just want you to know that your LMK comic is getting me through a really hard time in my life right now. It really helps to have something to smile about and look forward to. Thank you so much for all the recent fluff. It brings me a lot of joy. 💕 Awwww tysm!!

Aww that's so nice to hear!

Anonimo ha chiesto: Okay since mac has 6 sensitive ears... wouldn't be sometimes hard for him...? l mean what if there was very strong noises like fireworks or smt around!? U know what is the best solution for this!! Mac lying down between wukong's arms and put his head on chest and listen to his heartbeat!!! This will absolutely will calm him down right? I WANNA SEE THIS IN YOUR COMICS PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAASS

askjcbaicbasc that's sooooo cute! Maybe, perhaps, in the future, who knows....

Anonimo ha chiesto: Is it slowly building back up to shadowpeach getting back together or? 🤔 idk their relationship status rn

situationship so bad these 2 are sleeping together and have a kid but still are allergic to flirt like normal people.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Got a question about Sun Wukong being trans. I know he probably uses glamour to hide his ✨✨boobies✨✨. But like, is he also using tape or are they kinda just... Out Cause now I'm thinking about the times we've seen him shirtless so like... ???

before he learned to shapeshift he mostly used bandages since that's all he could do at the time. Now MK is teaching him what binders are and he couldn't be more grateful.

@ayrza ha chiesto: I know you may not share it, or even read it, but I need to get it out of me. Do you realize that MK has only had father figures and no mother figures? Which means that the simple word "MAMA" carries too much sentimental weight and that's... 🥹 THIS COULD NOT BE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN YOU ALREADY MADE IT!!! MY BABY SAID MAMA!!!! 😭✨💖

o my gAAAAHHD I THINK THAT WAS UNINTENTIONAL OF ME BUT THIS CHANGES EVERYTHINGGG

@s-p-r-i-n-g-t-i-m-e ha chiesto: question: what does MK call Pigsy and Tang? Anonimo ha chiesto: I love the new post i am crying 😢 😭 But I do have a question is mac mama and wukong Baba, or is wukong Mama and mac baba this is an important question I have for you???

Pigsy is "Dad" and Tang is "Papa". Mac is "Mama" and Wukong is "Baba"

Anonimo ha chiesto: I’ve seen many many drawings and intereptations of Mac being all piecered, especially on his ears cause if you have six, you gotta use em. Does macaque have any piercings in your au or is his ears too sensitive for that in your mind? Does he like to fidigit with them or any body else?

mmmm he can perfectly have it. I think he would have a few, but only rings and like each of them is far from the others in the lobe area because I can imagine someone with sensitive Hearing wouldn't like to hear the sounds of metal or earrings tingeling every time he moves around.

@alchemical-spill-on-aisle-three ha chiesto: In your shadowpeach comic, is Mei going to help MK with his crush? I just think it would be really funny if they got into hijinks while trying to get MK and Redson together lol

Mei is the one who organized their sparring meetings in the first place. She was Spicynoodle number 1 fan since the beginning.

@straightally2001 ha chiesto: Hmm... if Kai is gonna be MK and Red Son's son does that mean that Nya is gonna be Mei's daughter?

Omg yes. But guys don't tempt me or I might make a "Spicynoodle 50 years later/ninjago crossover" comic the size of the shadowpeach one if we go down this path

Anonimo ha chiesto: If mk is a trans does he still get period?

yes

Anonimo ha chiesto: what is MK’s favorite thing about red boy?

The fact that he tries to hide his emotions but his fire powers reflects them out of his control. MK thinks it's very cute.

Anonimo ha chiesto: So, are you ever going to make a sick episode for the bio dads? I am asking because I am sick, and it would be interesting to see what they are like when sick.

nope sorry. donesn't fit in the current schedule. But MK will go at the hospital at some point if that's of any reassuring.

@sokda-lal-ashes ha chiesto: Do you have why doodles that aren't exactly in the stories but that fits your bio parents au? I love your art so much!! Especially your redson design!!!

Yes but they are spoilers. Sorryyy

Anonimo ha chiesto: Wukong: hay don't forget to eat breakfast. Macaque: what are you talking about I just ate Wukong: you had espresso & anit depressants that is not a meal. Macaque (repeats mocking Wukong) I don't need your judgement I feel like the whole being revived thinks makes macaque sometimes not realize he's hungry or thirsty

ahah how much I relate (I don't take antidepressant but a lot of magnesium bc of mood swings)

@astro-lmk-enjoyer ha chiesto: Wait… if macaque gets his power from a lunar eclipse, does that mean that wukong gets his power from a solar eclipse? Bye <3

Anonimo ha chiesto: Oh so I just had a thought! Since the light hair streaks are being caused by a lunar eclipse because Macaque draws his powers from the moon, is the opposite true for Wukong? Are any of his powers from the sun and would something happen if there was a solar eclipse? Love all the world building in your comics its all so good!!!

mmm I don't think that's how it works.

Anonimo ha chiesto: wait, so since the brotherhood knew about Macaque courtnapping Wukong, did they ever have to witness the monstrosity of cuddles and affection you describe Shadowpeach when they’re together? I could only imagine the awkwardness. Or many they’re totally cool with them being open with each other right in front of them. I know th3 brotherhood won’t show up in your comic as you’ve said before but a fan can only dream.

Oh yeah. O yeah they did.

@shamelesschopshopwasteland ha chiesto: How are Macaque and Wukong? Do they spend time with each other outside of sleeping? (Also I love you AU!!! <3)

Macaque still works from time to time to the Dojo in weekdays, and also likes his alone time, but has been spendind more time with Wukong to help the other monkeys and telling stories about what happened in all those years they missed when they were still enemies.

Anonimo ha chiesto: (I LOVE YOUR ART SM IFDJKEWVJHA, make sure to take breaks!!) Considering Macaque doesn't like the cold. (I love that HC so much, especially because I like to HC that he's freezing 24/7 can only warm up with hot springs and touch but not actual heat/the sun) How would Macaque react in a snowstorm/winter. Would he just bundle up a lot or lock himself in a room or something similar?

3 layers of jackets and self-heating socks when he's going around, otherwise Hot springs every evening.

Anonimo ha chiesto: what other nicknames/pet names does SWK and Macaque have for one another beside peaches and plum?

mmm I think Sun and Moon

@patienceandpokemon ha chiesto: Okay, rip my heart out with happiness in P7 of Monkie trio with the moonlight reveal why don't you?! THANK YOU! But in seriousness, in the latest bit . . Are Mac and MK recharging their shadow powers under the moonlight? Is that why Mac never really attacked in season 1-3 in your AU of LMK, unless there had been a full moon prior? Or am I snowballing into unrelated territory? Anywho, love the comic! He's so fucking fluffy and white like a pearl! And MK, baby fluff!!!!!

Wait he actually did it in the series?? I never noticed!

Anonimo ha chiesto: Soooooo we know Macaque did the courtnapping for shadowpeach so who did the courtnapping for the demon bull family? PIF or DBK👀

I think PIF did?

@boonalina ha chiesto: Question: In your AU, when exactly did Mac and PIF become sworn siblings? Cuz we know Wuk and Mac were sworn bros with DBK, and then DBK "betrayed" them by getting together with PIF. So when exactly would Mac have become sworn siblings with her? Was it like during the time Wukong was under the mountain or smth? Cuz it does seem like Mac drifted apart from the Brotherhood when Wukong was imprisoned.

this is a fandom headcanon, but I believe it was a little after Wukong was imprisoned, and a little after Macaque was revived

[tvt1me]

Just spray it with water... like a cat...

It might try to summon something, but it can't say any words, so it just ends up summoning kittens...

I'm allergic to cats...

[ * He’s about to spray the thing with water, but stops. ]

..I don’t need anymore animals running wild in the studio!

[ TV TIME QUEUE! ]

[chimaerakirin]

To Ashes And Blood

Stereotypes often come from facts. It's a fact that vampires own nightclubs. It's also a fact that the Fae like to dance. So really, Shigaraki Tomura, Heir to the Prince of Kanto, should have expected to get at least a few patrons who happen to be allergic to iron at some point, and maybe Ikeda Yayoi should have expected to find the owner of her new favorite dance floor to have fangs and a liquid diet. Then again, both are Western monsters living in the homeland of the Yokai, so their surprise might be forgivable. Either way, things are going to change around here, and maybe not just for their personal day to day lives.

Supernatural AU, no Quirks, Heroes, or Villains. Faerie lore heavily inspired by the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. MDNI.

CW: My poor understanding of music genres, mostly.

CH1 - Ch2 ->

A Night Out

{DEFEAT}

[Continue]

"Fuck!" Fucking ARAM. Why'd she have to get stuck with Vayne? She hates Vayne, concept and play both.

"Yayoi!"

"What?!"

"Are you coming or not?"

Yayoi hits AltF4 and shoves her chair away from her desk, still grumbling under her breath, then gets up and stretches her spine. Mina is in the bathroom, it sounds like. "Coming where again?"

"The club, of course! We talked about it last night!"

Yayoi mentally revises her estimate of how long before her roommate vacates the bathroom mirror by another fifteen minutes. "Which club this time? I already told you I'm not going back to Club Refract. I'm not sure what was worse, the Europop or the fucking glitter."

"It's not that bad…"

"It was in my drink. It took a month to get it out of the washing machine." And she cheated.

"…Yeah, okay. That was a little much." Mina sticks her head out of the bathroom. She's actually half-done with her makeup already, and it's much higher contrast than her default. "Anyway, no, not Refract. I picked up a flyer for this place called Sixth Circle! I looked it up, should be more up your alley!"

She sighs. She's not in the mood to play more at the moment anyway. "All right, let me clean up, and give me a spectrum to work with."

"Ehhh, black, alt, industrial? I dunno, hang on. I'll send you a few pics while you're in the shower."

The pictures, apparently taken inside the club from cell phones, look reasonably promising. Distinctly more her style than Mina's, honestly, probably a concession after Club Refract. The address for the place is a bit less promising. "Mina, you know what part of town this is, right?"

"I know, but it's only a few blocks from the train."

"All right, fine."

An hour later, they're in line outside a basement club. She's dressed in a wine-purple satin slip, a black lace overdress with bell sleeves and a zig-zag hem, and knee-high leather boots, with polished bronze makeup and hair clips. Mina is more energetically arranged as usual, but her crop top and miniskirt this time are definitely designed for blacklight displays, not mirror balls. It seems more or less on point with the rest of the queue, although she's not impressed by the guy a few places up. Is that a green bomber jacket with a purple fur collar?

Yes, yes it is, she sees as the line moves forward and the guy and his buddies turn to enter the building. The bouncer, a two-meter bleach-blonde that barely fits into his tanktop, scans their IDs and waves them in. She hesitates for a split second on the threshold, then spots an inscription on the top of the doorframe and snorts.

Enter freely and of your own will.

Cute. Well-translated too. She steps inside and lets the aura of alcohol, bodies, and music press into her skin.

It seems a little better-lit in person than it did in the photos, but that might be just crappy cameras. She can see the details clearly. The gleaming black glass tabletops, the dark leather and chrome seats — red stools, plum benches — the logo of six concentric rings done in dark purple lights with the innermost ring in red on every wall, the underlit tiles on the dance floor, the purple lights backing the alcohol shelves at the bar, the balcony on the second floor with the dark red curtains.

She and Mina wind their way around the edge of the dance floor to the bar, passing the stairs to the balcony on the way. It's roped off, a tall redheaded woman with full lips and biceps bigger than Yayoi's neck standing guard under a sign written in Italian of all things.

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.

In Japanese below, a decent translation. Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

Yayoi giggles.

Mina notices and nudges her. "What?"

She points at the sign. "Someone appreciates the classics."

"I don't get it. Is that English?"

"Italian. That's the sign over the gates of Hell in Dante's Inferno." She glances at the club's logo again. Sixth… "Which makes this place Heresy, if I recall correctly."

The gatekeeper smiles at her.

When they reach the bar, the curly brunette bartender targets them immediately. "What can I get for a lady of culture?"

She raises an eyebrow and glances back at the stairs, then scans the shelves. "Death in the Afternoon, add two shots of Midori."

"Interesting." He extracts a bottle of champagne from below the bar while he takes Mina's order of a red Russian with strawberry schnapps. Then he's off in a blur of motion. Neither drink is complicated, so he shows off by practically teleporting the liquids into the glasses and the glasses onto the bar instead of doing fancy tricks with a shaker. And he's most definitely a show-off type, no one wears an orange shirt with an emerald bolo tie if they don't want to be watched. "Enjoy. What do you call this, by the way?"

She picks up her drink and takes a sip. "Other than excellently prepared? Sweet Dying Dream, I think. Replace the champagne with Midori entirely and double the absinthe and it'll be a Drowning Tinkerbell."

He steps back from the bar and sweeps a bow. "I shall remember it."

She nods back and sips at her drink while Mina chatters about the visible cuts of meat— Ahem. The hot guys on display, and tries to get a feel for the room before she hits the dance floor. Once her drink is empty, she sets the glass back down on the bar and at the next song change, she steps onto the lit tiles and lets the music carry her away.

Mina's description of alt and industrial wasn't inaccurate. The DJ is currently playing Chiasm, one of the heavier tracks, and when it ends, it goes into Marilyn Manson, then Deftones. It's on a cycle, she realizes as it goes on, progressing in a well-judged demonstration of how music genres evolve over time, but it never leaves the darker side of things, even when it verges into something close to pop. Then a jolt runs down her spine as she hears the opening beat of a very familiar tune.

"You say you're not afraid to die… But take off the armor 'round your chest and what's left inside?"

She glides back out to the edge of the floor, this requires precision.

"Lye-luh-lion lickin' your blade, do you really bleed if it washes away? Take a ride, rough as you can. I'll tell you a secret right as the walls are closin' in…"

She circles the rim, watching the crowd, marking the clusters.

"I like it when the bite marks cut through the skin."

Then the beat picks up and she steps into the flow.

"I like it when the bite markes cut through the skin!"

She spins around the other dancers, left around right and right around left, elbows at her sides and head low, until she reaches the center.

"Tell me the walls are closing in, into the fire and born again. Taste the pain and drink it in, I like it when the bite marks cut through the skin."

Then there's nothing but movement.

-TA&B-

Tomura rolls his eyes at Spinner's pick, but can't really complain. It's better than most of Toga's, at any rate.

"Hey boss, check this out."

"What?" He slides out of his seat and moves to the balcony anyway.

"On the floor, look."

"Lou-louder the bark and the bigger the blade, one seat on the throne and one foot in the grave. Lou-louder the moth and the bigger the flame, do you really bleed if it washes away?"

"Which one?" The dance floor is chaos by default.

"The ginger near the middle."

Tomura spots her almost immediately. Ginger is only a halfway accurate description, the girl in question has blazing Celtic-red hair clipped away from her face with bronze-colored leaf-shaped pins. Her nails have an equally bronze coating, and her lipstick and eyeliner match too, standing out against the light gold tone of her skin. The lace of her dress is more thorn than rose in the pattern, when she slows for the few split seconds that the song does. She keeps absolutely perfect time with it.

"What about her?" he forces himself to ask.

"Don't tell me you bleed if it washes away!"

"She did the whole Katarina thing the second the song started. Remember the season trailer?"

Tomura watches. There's no Elise on the field, but 'Katarina' still moves like she's fighting, like she knows she can win. A challenge. No one else down there looks remotely capable of meeting it.

"Think she's got a knife hidden somewhere?"

"Tell me the walls are closing in, into the fire and born again. Taste the pain and drink it in, I like it when the bite marks…"

She glides to a stop, half-turned and looking up over her shoulder.

"I like it when the bite marks cut through the skin."

Up at the balcony.

Spinner claps him on the shoulder. "I dunno, but would you really bounce her if she drew one?"

No, he doesn't think he would.

-TA&B-

The lighting on the balcony is much darker than the rest of the club, but Yayoi can see a pair of ruby red eyes set under a shag of light hair staring down at her when the song ends and she stops dancing. She doesn't dance to be watched, but it's still kinda gratifying.

Everyone clears out of her way as she returns to the bar, where the bartender has his head tilted slightly as if listening to something, then he smiles broadly at her. "Another Sweet Dying Dream for you, my dear? Your drinks are already paid for tonight."

Her eyebrows shoot up. "Oh? For what cause?"

"For the masterful show, of course." His eyes flick to the side, toward the balcony door.

Huh. That must be the VIP area. She takes the drink and slides onto an empty stool to work on it.

It's about halfway down before someone appears at her shoulder. "Excuse me, miss?"

She automatically shifts her grip on her glass to an overhand one, fingers around the rim. "Hm?"

"May I invite you to my friends' table?"

She glances at him. Wow. What is he even doing here? He looks like an accountant or something. "You may." She shifts her grip on the glass back and takes a sip, but doesn't move.

"Ah… This way then?"

"Mm, no."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Beg away." She glances at him again and sees his face twitching slightly. "You asked if you could invite me. I said you could. I didn't say that I would actually accept your invitation."

His face twitches harder. "I don't think you understand. The invitation is from Chisaki Kai."

The bartender's eyes narrow slightly.

She gives a slow blink. "And I don't know Chisaki Kai from Meiji-heika. I'm just here to dance."

"Chisaki-sama is—"

"I'd like to finish my drink," she interrupts. "It's a very good drink. Very well-made. But if you don't leave me alone, you're going to be wearing it while you go tell this Chisaki person that I'm not interested."

"The lady has made herself clear, my good sir," the bartender says as the accountant guy starts to open his mouth again. "But I shall make an addendum. If you end up wearing her drink, it will not be back to your table. It will be out the door."

The accountant's face twitches for a few more seconds, then he spins on his heel and stalks off toward… Oh, that's the guy in the purple fur collar. Now she's double-sure she's not interested.

She turns back to the bartender and raises her glass in toast, then tosses the rest of it back. "You are a shining example of a good bartender, sir."

He does his sweeping bow again. "You flatter me."

She sets the glass down and slips off her chair, then heads back onto the floor. She crashes into Mina on the way, and her roommate has clearly already had more than two drinks, but is still steady enough to dance.

The next song makes her glance back at the bar, and she laughs as the bartender holds up a glass in her direction while Marilyn Manson's cover of Sweet Dreams plays.

It's nearly three in the morning by the time she and Mina get home. It's a week later when they go back.

-TA&B-

"Hey boss, guess what?"

Tomura takes his headset off one side and glances at the door, where Spinner is standing. "What, I've got a match coming up."

"Maybe you wanna play later then, the absinthe ginger is back."

"The who?"

Spinner facepalms. "Right, Atsu's nickname. The Katarina dancer."

Tomura leaves the queue, but doesn't close the game yet. "And?"

Spinner gives him a look. "You have about five minutes before she finishes her first drink and hits the floor, if she does the same as last time."

"And?" he repeats.

"And that Yakuza douchebag is also back with his entourage. You may remember he was interested last time." Spinner raises an eyebrow. Then he jumps back as the door slams in his face. "I'll just go queue up some Pentakill shall I?" he calls through the wood.

Tomura closes the game and shoves his chair back from his desk, then rifles through his closet. He does not want to deal with Toga finding out he went into the club area in his sweats again. Whether or not anyone spots him is irrelevant to her.

…She's actually dressed like Katarina from the season trailer this time. Or close to it, anyway. A black high-collared top with one sleeve and no back, a red skirt split to the hip on both sides, hair tied over her right shoulder…

"Did you actually queue up Pentakill?" he asks Spinner.

"It's coming up in a few songs."

"Put Bite Marks in after."

"That'll fuck up the rhythm, I already had to speedrun the Prog phase."

"Like Toga and Jin don't do worse with their picks. Just do it." He leans against the wall next to the railing. "I wanna see what happens."

It takes half a dozen songs to get to Spinner's selections. Good choices. Grasp of the Undying, mostly. He catches a wild, blinding grin on her face as the music segues from Tool into Karthus and Kayle, then she starts moving like the music is following her instead of the other way around.

Fuck, why is this so fascinating to watch? Should he check with Atsuhiro to see if she's using charms or something?

…Dammit, now he's wondering how she'd look in red and white.

When the opening notes of Bite Marks start playing, he watches with interest as she grabs her pink-haired friend and says something to her. Then she slips off to the edge of the dance floor and flows into a perfect mimicry of Katarina's hunt. She twirls in a spiral around the other dancers, not even brushing them except with the flair of her skirt in the narrowest gaps.

Oh. Now he sees what the deal with the pink friend is. She got an Elise stand-in. Did they practice this? …No, this isn't choreographed. He was right. The 'Elise' is good enough, he guesses, but she's not capable of challenging the Katarina. Katarina is winning, as she should.

She's really agile too, the rest of the dancers have cleared a space for the duel so she has room to pull off some actual jumps and flips. Holy shit does he want to see her with a blade in each hand. And she knows how to do it without giving anyone an upskirt shot too.

Then the song ends and the Elise bows out, and Katarina rests in the same pose as last time, looking over her shoulder at the balcony. Up toward him.

"So is she drinking free again tonight?" Spinner asks.

It takes him a minute to realize his best friend has said anything. "…Yeah. The other one too, I guess."

He watches as the next song starts and she goes back to dancing. She's got stamina, she's not even breathing very hard after all that.

"So are you just going to stare at her all night, or…?"

"What do you mean, or? What do you expect me to do?"

Spinner snorts. "Expect? You? Not much at this point. What do I think you should do? I dunno, talk to her maybe?"

Tomura tears his eyes away to glare. "The fuck am I supposed to do that?"

"You bowed out of a League match to come watch her dance, and gave her a free drink pass. Again. Atsu's gonna talk. So will Toga. That means Nee-san will join in."

"So?"

"So if they're talking, then Dabi's gonna talk shit. And if you don't make a move, he might do it instead."

His blood heats up at that, and his jaw aches. "I'll punt his head into the fucking harbor if he does."

"You know that won't stop him."

"Without the rest of him?" Spinner gives him a flat look, and he growls back. "What the fuck do you want from me, Shuichi? You know I don't do people. People, in general. Girls? Forget it."

"Oh-ho-ho no. Girls? That's not a girl, boss. That's a woman."

"Whatever, how the fuck do I even talk to one of those?"

Spinner eyes him for a minute. "Have you considered that maybe you don't?"

"What."

"Don't try to talk to a woman. Talk to a gamer. Ask her if she plays."

"What, just like—" He stops, head snapping around to look at the dance floor. Something's wrong.

She's not there. At the bar either. She's…

He sees red.

-TA&B-

Yayoi is… annoyed, let's go with that. The blonde guy Mina picked up seemed fairly innocuous. Then he requested to swing by his table and let his buddies know he'd be gone for a while. She felt like going to the toilets anyway, so she walked with them.

Then 'his table' turned out to have the accountant and the purple-furred collar sitting there, along with some silver-haired douchebag and a bald giant. The latter of whom is currently blocking her.

"So glad you finally managed to join us," the purple fur collar says. Wow. He sounds… vaguely like FIddlesticks, somehow. "Please, have a seat." He gestures to the empty stool, the one the bald guy vacated.

She crosses her arms. "No."

He doesn't blink. The silver-haired one does, and looks offended. "You rude little—!"

"I wasn't talking to you." She doesn't bother looking straight at him. "I told your accountant last week I'm not interested."

"You haven't even heard what I have to offer," the obvious boss points out.

"Do you have a hea—"

"Hojo."

The bald one, the enforcer, clamps a hand down on her shoulder and squeezes slightly.

"I want to offer you a job," the boss continues, like nothing happened.

"I don't need one."

"You told my friend — who is a lawyer, by the way, not an accountant — that you're only here to dance."

"I am."

"That's good. That's what I want to hire you for."

She stares at him. "Are you hard of hearing? Are you not fluent in Japanese? Or am I somehow speaking Welsh? I said no. I don't give a fuck if whatever stripper pole you have set up in your house is solid gold, I am here, in this club, to dance, for my own entertainment. I am not for loan, rent, or sale. Especially not for you."

He stares back for several long seconds. "…I see. A pity. Kurono, tell Setsuno to bring the other one back."

Mina. Her eyes widen and she tries to to take a step, but Hojo's hand tightens around her shoulder, enough to make her collarbone creak slightly. "Let go of me, right fucking now."

The boss shakes his head. The silver one smirks as he types something on his phone, while the lawyer gives her a sanctimonious look. Her eyes flick over the three at the table, then she raises a foot and slams it back into Hojo's shin just above the ankle, hand darting down to the top of her boot.

Before she can bring the knife up to Hojo's hand, however, his grip disappears and he lets out a whine of pain, the other three jolting in surprise.

"So you do have a knife…" The voice is raspy, light, the auditory equivalent of a cat's tongue licking down her spine.

Hojo struggles, but doesn't get anywhere. "Who the hell are you?" he wheezes. Then he whimpers at the wet crack of bone. The music doesn't quite cover the scream or clatter as his broken arm is twisted around behind his back, used to drag him away from Yayoi, then shoved at Kurono hard enough knock the silver-haired man out of his seat and the seat to the floor.

"Get out of my club, Chisaki, and take your dogs with you. All of them. You have five minutes to settle your tab. Any member of the Shie Hassaikai that sets foot on the property after that is getting fed to my bouncer."

His club?

"You're making a mistake," Chisaki says lowly.

"Three minutes."

Chisaki takes his wallet out and drops a few crisp yen bills onto the table. "It's unfortunate we couldn't come to an understanding. I won't be able to help you with any upcoming supply issues after this."

The VIP bouncer woman comes up leading the blonde. Yayoi sees Mina being guided toward the bar by the bartender, a little unsteady on her feet. "Hey boss. Front or back?"

"Front. Make sure Imasuji's got them memorized."

"You got it, sugar. Let's go, boys."

As the table is vacated, Yayoi catches sight of a blonde flash snatching up the money on the table and skipping off toward the bar. Then she turns to look at the club owner.

[ayoungeststark]

“I mean, if she worked for SHIELD, she might be talented enough to be doing whatever she wants, right ?” Logan was never very close to the organization, there wasn't much reason for him to be, after all. But he knew it wasn't easy to get in, so moving from SHIELD to CIA didn't seem like such a difficult task.

He rested one arm on the back of the couch. “She’ll be here later today, to see how things are going. Happy will come too.” He paused for a moment. “So—what do you wanna do now ?”

"I mean technically, her dad is my cousin, she's my mom's great-niece. But family is family right?" Sharon wasn't bad, Liberty didn't like the fact that she'd been spying on her and her dad but Sharon had been following orders.

"Um currently unemployed, because y'know S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't a thing anymore. But I think the CIA might be interested in her so she'll be okay." Liberty fidgeted a little, family was complicated. Technically she had half siblings on her mother's side she'd never met, maybe she should talk to her folks about that.

"Is your mom coming to stay? Or is she staying in the city to run the company?"

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA/WIBTA* for donating packaged food that is obviously regifted?

*(I haven't donated anything yet, but because of the queue, I will have by the time this posts!)

For Christmas, I was given some prepackaged food that I am allergic to. I am planning to donate it to the local food bank. But. It was all in gift packaging. It's still sealed (I didn't unwrap the plastic itself) but between the weird shape of the bags and the clearly removed gift packaging, it's very obvious that this is an already unwrapped gift.

On the one hand, it seems wasteful to just throw away perfectly good food; on the other hand, the packaging/obvious regifting part feels analogous to those people who donate ripped and stained clothing because 'it can still keep people warm.'

Info/emotional background: this food was a gift from my mom, who decided to "give me the gift of health" this year by sending me food I am allergic to in order to "cure" me through exposure. (This post is NOT about whether she's an AH or I'm TA for regifting her gift in general; I'm looking for judgements on whether I'm being TA to the people who would receive it from the food bank, so please only vote regarding that part!)

The reason I'm sharing that part: I've had a lot of arguments with my family about saying I "can't" eat food when I can and am just choosing not to in order to avoid the health consequences, so I'm having Big Emotions right now about the prospect of wasting food. I really, really, don't want to just through away perfectly good food just because I'm allergic to it -- but I also don't want to make myself feel better about waste by making the people who go to the food bank feel worse because of the regifting. So. AITA?

What are these acronyms?