#i love you devils but take that thing outta here

[hoodienanami]

garageland from the clash's first album would be a perfect song if the guy with the harmonica would just shut the hell up

[cherbii]

PUDDIN’

ft. Toji Fushiguro

summary -> you called yourself insane for falling in love with the murderous psychopath, until you became like him!

warnings -> Joker!Toji, Harley!Reader, language, violence, murder, graphic murder, dead dove do not eat, smut! p in v, choking, riding, knife play, blood kink. mdni.

The city never slept and neither did you, not with Toji by your side. It started like a fever dream—one second, you were patching up some two-bit gangster in a back-alley clinic, and the next, you were running for your life, blood on your hands, laughter in your throat, and a maniac with the sharpest grin you'd ever seen leading the way.

Toji Fushiguro wasn't just trouble; he was the whole damn apocalypse wrapped in a leather jacket and bad intentions. And you were the idiot who fell for it. The night you met, the sky bled neon, rain slicking the pavement as sirens screamed in the distance.

You should've gone home early, should've ignored the desperate pounding at the clinic door, should've known that a man who smiled through a bullet wound wasn't normal. But Toji waltzed in like the devil himself, bleeding from his side, grinning like he'd won the jackpot, and you—stupid, stupid you—had let him sit on your operating table like he owned the place.

"Yer a real doctor or just playin' dress-up?" he asked, voice all gravel and amusement as he peeled off his soaked jacket.

You glared at him, snapping on a pair of gloves. "You wanna keep running your mouth or actually get patched up?"

His laugh was low, like he was in on a joke you hadn't heard yet. "I like you already, doc."

That was the beginning of the end. You should have kicked him out, let him deal with his mess alone, but there was something in the way he watched you, eyes sharp despite the blood soaking through his shirt. He wasn't afraid. He wasn't even pissed off.

He looked entertained, like he was sitting front row at some twisted comedy act, and you had just become his favorite part. You told yourself you were just doing your job when you pressed the gauze to his wound, when you stitched him up despite the way his muscles tensed under your fingers, despite the way his smirk never wavered.

"You get shot often, or am I just lucky tonight?" you muttered, cutting the thread with more force than necessary.

Toji grinned wider. "Wouldn't call it luck, puddin’. But yeah, I get into trouble now and then." The words were barely out of his mouth before the clinic lights flickered, a sign that the building's shitty wiring wasn't the only thing malfunctioning tonight.

Your stomach twisted, and you turned toward the door, but Toji was faster. He grabbed your wrist, pulled you close, his breath warm against your ear. "Yer gonna wanna duck."

Glass shattered as bullets tore through the front window, shelves exploding as medical supplies rained down. You hit the ground hard, heart slamming against your ribs, ears ringing from the gunfire. Toji barely flinched.

He crouched next to you, reaching into his boot and pulling out a knife like this was just another Tuesday night. "Hope ya don't mind a little mess, doc."

You should have screamed, should have run, should have done anything but what you actually did—grin. Adrenaline surged through you, drowning out the panic, replacing it with something hotter, something reckless. "You gonna take 'em out or just sit here bleeding all over my floor?"

Toji barked out a laugh. "Knew I liked ya." The next few minutes were chaos. He moved like a phantom, slipping through the clinic, cutting through the gunmen like they were made of paper.

You barely had time to breathe before the last body hit the floor, blood pooling across the linoleum.

Toji stood in the middle of it, panting, covered in red that wasn't his, eyes gleaming as he turned back to you. "Ya got a car?"

You swallowed hard, ignoring the way your pulse thrummed in your throat. "Out back."

"Then let's get the hell outta here." You didn't know why you followed him. Maybe it was the rush, the sheer insanity of it all, or maybe it was the way he looked at you, like you were something special, something rare. Whatever it was, it had you gripping the wheel too tight as you sped through the city,

Toji lounging in the passenger seat like he hadn't just turned your entire life upside down. "You always this much trouble?" you asked, eyes flicking to him.

He smirked. "Only when I'm having fun." You should have dropped him off, left him to his own devices, but when he told you to take a left instead of a right, you didn't argue. When he led you into a crumbling warehouse, you didn't hesitate.

And when he pulled you close, fingers curling under your chin, tilting your face up to his, you didn't pull away. "Ya scared?" He murmured, his breath warm against your lips.

You weren't. You should have been, but you weren't. You stared into the madness in his eyes and felt something snap inside you, something that had been wound too tight for too long. "No."

Toji grinned, and then he kissed you, and you knew right then and there—you were never getting out of this alive. You didn't go home that night. You barely even thought about it. There was blood on your clothes, dried in your hair, smeared across your face, but you didn't care.

Toji tasted like gunpowder and adrenaline, like cigarettes and laughter, like pure fucking danger, and you wanted more. His hands were rough as they slid up your back, pulling you closer, pressing you against him like he wanted to burn you into his skin.

The warehouse was dark, reeking of oil and metal, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered except the heat between you, the way he groaned against your lips, the way your fingers fisted in his jacket, refusing to let go.

You didn't know what the hell you were doing. You weren't stupid—you knew what Toji was, knew what kind of man he had to be to smile through gunfire, to cut a man's throat without blinking. He wasn't just dangerous. He was the kind of dangerous that didn't stop, that didn't slow down, that didn't care who got caught in the wreckage.

And now you were standing in the middle of it, grinning like a goddamn lunatic. He pulled away first, chuckling low in his throat, resting his forehead against yours like he was catching his breath. "Yer somethin' else, doc."

You smirked, feeling high, feeling invincible. "You don't even know my name."

He laughed, like that was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "Like it matters. Yer mine now."

You should have argued, should have pushed him away, should have told him that you didn't belong to anyone, but the words never left your mouth. Maybe because you knew he was right. The next few days were a blur. You didn't go back to the clinic.

There was no point. It was trashed beyond repair, and even if it wasn't, you had bigger problems. Whoever had shot up the place wasn't done looking for Toji, which meant they were looking for you now, too. Not that he seemed concerned. If anything, he was having the time of his life.

You spent your nights in shitty motels, cheap hideouts, places where the walls were thin, and the sheets smelled like cigarette smoke. Toji kept a gun under his pillow, a knife in his boot, a grin on his face like the world was just one big game, and he was the only one who knew the rules.

You should have been scared. You weren't. You learned fast—how to move, how to blend in, how to keep your head down when Toji told you to. You learnt that he didn't trust anyone, that he didn't give a damn about the people he worked for, that the only thing keeping him entertained was the rush, the thrill, the chaos.

And you learnt that you were just as bad as him. The first time you shot someone, he didn't look surprised. You had been cornered in an alley, some lowlife with a knife thinking he could take you out while Toji was busy inside. You didn't hesitate. You pulled the trigger, watched the guy crumple, felt your pulse hammering as the gun shook in your hands. Toji stepped out of the shadows, hands in his pockets, head tilted as he looked at you.

Then he grinned. "Knew ya had it in ya."

You laughed, breathless, wiping the blood off your cheek. "You gonna stand there all night or help me clean this up?"

His grin widened. "Fuck, I love ya, puddin’." You should have run. Should have turned around, walked away, found some way to salvage your life before it was too late. But instead, you laughed again, shoving the gun into his hands.

"Then help me hide the body, asshole." That was the moment you realised there was no turning back. You didn't regret it. Not that night, not the next, not even when the bodies piled up and the blood never really washed off. Toji made everything feel like a game, like you were two kids running wild through a playground made of crime scenes and getaway cars, and you loved it.

You loved the way he looked at you, like you were the only thing in the world that could keep up with him. You loved the way he laughed when things got messy, when bullets flew past your head and you didn't flinch. You loved the way he kissed you after a job, rough and desperate, like he needed you more than air.

The city turned into your playground. You ran through the streets like you owned them, your names whispered in alleyways, your faces printed on grainy security footage.

Toji took you to places you'd never dared to go before—underground fights where men twice his size (if that was even possible) went down in seconds, smoky bars where deals were made with a handshake and a threat, rooftops where you could see the whole city stretched out beneath you like a feast.

"Think we'll make it outta this alive?" You asked one night, sitting on the edge of a high-rise, feet dangling over the city lights.

Toji smirked, lighting a cigarette, the flame casting shadows across his sharp features. "Alive? Sure. Clean? Not a chance."

You grinned, stealing the cigarette from his lips, taking a slow drag. "Wouldn't want it any other way." He watched you, something dark and amused in his eyes, then pulled you onto his lap, crushing his mouth against yours. But not every night was golden. Not every escape was clean.

The first time Toji got caught, it wasn't by the cops. It was worse. You were holed up in a motel, licking your wounds from a job gone sideways, when the door burst open. No warning, no time to react—just a flash of movement, a crack of gunfire, and Toji hitting the ground.

You screamed his name, lunged for the gun on the nightstand, but a boot slammed into your chest, pinning you against the wall. "Cute," a voice sneered. "Think she's got teeth."

You looked up, vision blurring with rage. Three of them. Suit-and-tie types, but their eyes were dead. Professionals. The one pinning you down leaned closer, smiling like he was picking apart a meal.

"You know who your boyfriend pissed off, sweetheart?" Your fingers curled around the gun.

"Not enough people, apparently."

His grin widened. "Oh, I like you." Then he slammed the butt of his pistol into your skull, and everything went black. You woke up tied to a chair.

Toji was across from you, blood dripping from a cut above his eye, arms straining against the ropes. He was grinning.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun," the men surrounding you weren't smiling. The leader crouched in front of you, tilting your chin up with the barrel of his gun. "You're gonna tell me everything your boyfriend's been up to."

You spat blood onto his shoes. "Go to hell."

He sighed. "Ladies first." Then he turned the gun on Toji. And you lost your goddamn mind.

"Touch him, and I'll rip your throat out with my teeth." The man chuckled, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Wariness. Good. You weren't just some scared little girl. You were fire and glass and blood, and if they thought you'd break, they were dead wrong.

Toji licked the blood from his lips, watching you like you were his favorite movie. "Ain't she somethin'?" He drawled, voice all lazy amusement. "My puddin' sure knows how to make an entrance."

The leader rolled his eyes, pressing the gun to Toji's temple. "Last chance, sweetheart. Talk, or lover boy gets a bullet in the brain."

You grinned, teeth red. "You shoot him, and you'll never find the money." That got his attention. He hesitated, just for a second, but it was all Toji needed.

The ropes snapped. Everything went red. The chaos of the night had left both of you breathless, blood staining the air and sticking to your skin.

Toji sat across from you, leaning back against the wall, eyes still alive with that same wild spark as ever. His shirt was torn, his skin covered in bruises, and blood—his blood—was smeared at the corner of his lips.

You couldn't tear your gaze away from the sight. Something about the mess, the violence, the way he wore it all like a badge of honor, stirred something deep inside you.

You slowly reached toward him, your fingers hovering just above the blood at the edge of his mouth. He didn't move, didn't flinch. Instead, he watched you with that ever-present smirk, as if daring you to do it.

Your thumb brushed against his lips, smearing the blood further across his skin, until it formed the outline of a twisted smile.

"There," you said softly, watching the blood mix with his grin. "Now you look like you're really enjoyin' yourself." The playfulness in your voice was a front, hiding the heat rising between you both.

His eyes seemed devoid of light as you continued, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You know, puddin'," Toji muttered, his voice low and gravelly, "You're even more dangerous when you look like that."

You didn't say anything. Instead, you leant in closer, your lips brushing his jaw before slowly moving to the blood on his mouth, tasting it.

He inhaled sharply, his hand snapping to your wrist, stopping you for just a moment. "You're playin' a real fucking dangerous game, sweetheart."

You could feel the tension building, the unspoken words between you two hanging in the air like a storm waiting to break. But before he could say another word, you pressed your lips to his, your hands slipping into his hair, pulling him toward you with a hunger that matched his own.

Toji groaned into the kiss, his grip on you tightening. Toji's lips were rough against yours, his hands gripping you tightly as if he couldn't get enough. The kiss was hungry, both of you fighting for control, but neither of you willing to give up an inch.

His body pressed against yours, and you could feel the heat radiating from him, his muscles tense as his hands roamed over you. He pulled you closer, deepening the kiss, and for a moment, everything else disappeared.

Toji pulled back just enough to look at you, his breathing heavy. "You're really not making this easy." He muttered, his hands still on your body. His eyes were dark, focused only on you.

You didn't care. You tugged at his shirt, needing to feel his skin, to feel the heat between you. You both worked in silence, each of you getting lost in the need to be closer, to lose yourselves in each other.

When you finally managed to get his shirt off, you ran your hands over his chest, feeling the strong muscles beneath your fingertips. He let out a quiet curse, his hands moving to your back, pulling you even tighter against him.

"Shit.” Toji murmured, his lips brushing against your neck. You tilted your head back, giving him more access, feeling the thrill of his touch as his lips left a trail of heat along your skin. You didn't need words, not now. The tension between you was enough.

You grunted, slipping a hand back up into his hair, tugging harshly on the black strands to rip his head away. “Let me ride you, ‘Ji.”

“Fuck, puddin’. Gonna go dumb on the cock? Hell yeah.” He grabbed at your waist, tugging you towards the springy bed, almost tripping over bloodied limbs before he fell down, you bouncing on top of him before you shifted to straddle his lap.

It was a sight to see; a maniac beneath you, blood smeared at his lips and a wild look in his eyes. Yeah, you’d happily let this man ruin you.

Toji growled as you hurriedly went to rip your shorts off, eager to see you bare. His hand slithered to your cunt, pushing past the fabric of your panties to feel your warm slick.

“So fucking wet. Did killing get her wet? Fucking slut.” He chuckled, trailing his fingers up your torso until they found your pulse, squeezing at your neck.

“Says the ones who’s so fucking hard.” You mumbled, moaning out as your throat began to mechanically constrict.

“It’s what ya do to me, puddin’. Gonna show yer leaky pussy exactly what ya do t’me.” He snarled, curling his fingers, cutting off your air supply.

Toji couldn’t help but feel his cock twitch at the sight of you gasping for hair, eagerly reaching with his other hand, to his pants, tugging them until his cock sprung free.

“Ji…can’t fucking…breathe.” You wheezed, though your cunt pulsed and leaked into your panties.

“Yeah, yeah. I hear ya, quit yapping.” Toji murmured, releasing your neck and sliding his fingers up until he shoved them past your lips, forcing you to suck them clean.

His free hand went to your panties and tugged them carelessly to the side. Toji wasn’t a man of pleasantries, not now, not when you’re dripping onto his balls.

“Lift yer hips. Good fucking girl.” He said, grabbing his cock to guide it to your hole.

You both groaned out, albeit yours muffled, as you sunk down on his length. You leant forward to plant your hands on Toji’s hard pecs, using it as leverage before you raised your hips and slammed them back down in a repeated manner, whining every time his fat tip would nudge at that one spot inside you.

“God, this pussy is to die for,” Toji groaned, fingers dropping from your lips, coated in your saliva. “Gonna fucking murder me with how she’s squeezing my dick.”

Your lips fell open, panting Toji’s name. Fingers curling into his skin. “Love this dick—hah—could kill for it.”

“Rest easy, puddin’. Is all fucking yours. Shit, all yours.”

You didn’t miss the way Toji sent you a smirk, cheeks pulling at the dried blood on his face, the sight made your heart and cunt convulse.

It wasn’t long before you felt a burn in your thighs and lower back, stamina wearing thin. “‘J-‘Ji, ‘m tired. I can’t continue.” You whined, giving the man your best pleading expression.

“Yes, ya fucking can, and will.” Toji grunted, digging into his pockets and pulling out a butterfly knife.

He twisted his wrist, the blade whipped out before the sharp point was pressing at your throat.

“Keep up the pace or I draw blood.”

That was new, Toji never threatened you. Ever. You were his precious, porcelain (murderous) doll he paraded around town, yet it did something to you. Toji smirked when he felt you clench around him

So with a sound something between a whine and moan, you kept bouncing on his cock. Wet sounds filled the room, and so did your whines and moans.

“There we go, see, all ya needed was some motivation. Got ya moving real good f’me. Fuck.” Toji praised, tempted to push the blade into your skin nonetheless.

Your hips stuttered, pace falling behind. You hoped Toji didn’t notice, but of course he did. You whimpered as the blade made a small cut, red pebbling at the small incision he made.

Toji didn’t stop there, he pressed deeper and deeper, not enough to kill you, God, he’d never, but enough until the crimson dribbled down your skin, some onto the knife, most crawling to your collar and breasts.

Toji audibly groaned at the sight, moving the blade to his lips, tongue farting out to taste you. “Fucking hell, puddin’. Yer just as sweet as your blood.”

His words set a flame alight in your tummy. It grew bigger and bigger, until you could no longer contain it. “Fuck! Need to cum, gotta cum!”

“Cum for me, puddin’. Atta-fucking-girl.”

That was it, like a bucket tipping over, you came, hard. Toes curling, eyes rolling, mouth drooling.

“Shit. Fuck, puddin’. Gonna stuff this pussy full of my cum. Have psychotic children with the love of my fucking life. Aw, fuck.” Toji’s teeth clenched together as he spilled ribbons to ropes of his cum inside your cunt.

His hips jumped, and twitched before they stilled. You were panting by the time he was done, a little sweaty too, before you collapsed onto him.

“I got ya.” Toji murmured, wrapping his arms around while his head buried itself in the crook of your neck. You shivered when his tongue struck out and lapped at the cut.

The moment was tranquil, by your definition. Serene, peaceful, perfect.

Until there was a banging to the door, so loud you thought it was going to rip off its hinges. “This is police, open up!”

“Well, waddaya say, puddin’? Ready to kill some motha-fuckers?”

“As ready as you are.”

[msschemmenti]

girl next door 🏠 - 8

The following morning Tina, while slightly hungover, was kind enough to escort Y/n back to her car. With a smile, Y/n leaned against her open drivers side door to address the older actress. “So what night are ya getting me a ticket to your show?”

Tina shook her head in amusement, “When will you be able to pull yourself away from your cul-de-sac orgy? I wouldn’t want to disrupt your usual weekend plans.”

“Oh you think you’re so funny, huh? How about closing matinee on Sunday? Even the devil’s gotta rest sometime.”

“If your morning is free, why don’t you just come hang with me at the theater? I’ll come pick you up and buy you breakfast.” Tina suggested.

“You can just say you miss me, you know?” Y/n laughed watching Tina’s cheeks redden as she rolled her eyes. “But sure. I’ll send you my address sometime before then. And call me if you need me, alright?” Tina nodded and threw a thumbs up awkwardly and Y/n just chuckled pulling her into a hug. “Too awkward for your own good. I’ll see you Sunday honey.”

-

Y/n stood at the front of her final class of the day and watched as their eyes glazed over a bit. “Oh come on y’all, it’s not that bad. I just want ya to watch a musical from the golden age and write a reflection.” At the groans she shook her head and placed a hand over her heart, “Bless your hearts, have it to me by next class. Get outta here.” The students hurried out and Y/n gathered her things and made her way to her office. She had to start grading her most recent music lit test tonight since she’d already signed her Sundau away. And if the previous weekends were anything to go by– Emily and JJ would probably have her other evenings tied up as well. Securing the tests in her bag she was ready to go– until she watched her department chair pop her head through her open door.

“Professor Y/n! Glad I caught you. Do you have a minute?” The Flutist beamed. The tall lanky woman was known to take much longer than a minute but Y/n knew she had to stop.

“Of course, Dr. Kelley. What can I do you for?”

“I just love your little Southern sayings. I just came by to see if you’d decided on your pieces for the faculty showcase in November. I know we’ve still got a couple days left of September– but we like to give the accompanist as much time as possible to learn the music.”

Y/n nodded her understanding and moved to her repertoire cabinet. They’d een mentioning this showcase since the first staff meeting back in August and it was slated to be a pretty big deal around campus. It was volunteer based in the department and every professor participating would need to prepare three selections to be presented during the college’s parents week. As much as she’d tried to get out of it– she was very heavily encouraged to participate. “I have. Would it help to have the sheet music now?”

“Yes! That’s be excellent. That way when we start rehearsing they’ll already have it.” The woman accepted the pages with an eager smile and practically skipped down the hall onto the next office. Y/n shook her head as she watched her go but was quick out of the door herself– more than ready to get into something comfortable for the evening.

After spending most of her afternoon grading, Y/n tore herself away from her desk and wandered through the house in an effort to stretch her aching muscles. Cooking dinner was the last thing on her mind right now so ordering out was the plan. A pizza was ordered and when it arrived she met the teen at her gate to exchange the pizza for the payment. And as she wished him a goodnight, she caught sight of her favorite neighbors climbing out of their car.

“Hi,” Y/n smiled and waved over the fences and yards separating their houses. JJ and Emily closed their doors and walked the short distance to the younger woman.

“Surprised to see you home.” JJ replied pointedly. Emily eyed her wearily and nudged her side as they came to stand outside of the gate.

Y/n quirked a brow at the older woman’s words curiously, “What do you mean?”

“JJ mentioned you have a friend in town, and we noticed you weren’t around last night so we figured you’d be with her again.” Emily jumped in.

“Oh, that. We had a little too much to drink in town and Tina was kind enough to let me sleepover. But sorry I wasn’t around— I didn’t realize you’d notice.” Emily and JJ both shrug in response. Y/n studied the women curiously, fairly confused by their behavior. The last time they’d hung out everything seemed fine and friendly but now there was some weird tension she wasn’t understanding. “Well I don’t know what your weekend plans are but if you’re looking for me Sunday, I’ll be in town.”

“With your friend.” Emily supplied.

Y/n nodded slowly, “With Tina yes. I’m seeing her show. If you’re around when she comes to pick me up, I’ll introduce you.”

“Sure. Definitely if we’re here.” JJ nodded noncommittally. At JJ’s response Y/n looked between both women and really couldn’t ignore the clear tension in the air.

“Right… are y’all good? You both seem a little— perturbed honestly.”

“Us? We’re fine, a little tired. You know with work and stuff. Nothing we can’t handle. Nothing to be concerned about.” JJ waved off.

“Oh okay,” Y/n nodded, checking her watch. “Well don’t let me keep you. Just wanted to say hello. And Goodnight, I guess.”

“Goodnight. Oh and have a nice weekend.” JJ called as they parted ways.

-

“Guess you guys waited too long.” Garcia sighed as she walked into the bullpen. JJ was leaning against Emily’s desk, case file in hand. Both women eyed Penelope curiously as she tapped at her phone and made her way over to them.

“Waited too long for what? What are you talking about?” Emily asked turning her chair to face Garcia.

“I’m talking about this hot blonde your neighbors been with all week. I thought you gals were gonna lock that down. What happened?” Garcia shook her head.

“Tina is a hot blonde?” JJ questioned, reaching for Garcia’s phone quickly. The tech analyst’s eyes widened at her best friend’s eager hands and passed her the phone in surrender. Emily was quick to rise from her chair and peer over JJ’s shoulder. The phone screen was paused on an instagram story of their neighbor– wrapped around a (unfortunately) hot blonde who’s face was partially buried in the younger woman’s neck. Her bright blue eyes were trained on Y/n and it was clear how smitten she was with the younger woman.

“Who’s Tina? And again, what happened to you guys making the moves on her? I was positive after girls night that you would’ve–” Garcia rambled, but stopped at the looks on JJ’s and Emily’s faces. “Wait, maybe I read this wrong. And you aren’t too late at all.”

JJ and Emily finally pulled their eyes from the phone and glared at Garcia. “Do you really think this is bullpen appropriate conversation, Pen?” JJ warned.

“When have I ever participated in bullpen appropriate conversation— I’ve been deemed a walking HR violation. And it’s clear to me you’re just trying to deflect from whatever is going on with this. Which is only making me want to know more. So spill.”

“Y/n’s ex, Tina is in town for a show and she’s been spending a bit of time with her this week.” JJ shrugged, turning her eyes back to the picture of their neighbor.

“Right okay, so why do you both look like you’re trying to kill this Tina with your eyes?”

“We are not.” Both women adamantly denied it.

“Uh huh sure. My guess is you’ve bed her but not exclusively and now her ex is here and you’re both being super weird. And

bonus points to me because I just showed you how hot her ex is.” At the women’s silence, Garcia groaned. “Oh come on, I love you girls I really do— but you’re ridiculous. You, jealousy riddled women, didn’t think any of this through?”

“Well it’s not like we expected her hot ex to pop up and keep her out all night.” Emily shrugged.

“I personally didn’t expect her ex to be this hot.” JJ chimed in.

“Oh my god. What have you been doing since then? Being weirdly jealous and catty?”

“I wouldn’t describe it as catty…” JJ answered sheepishly.

“I can’t believe this. Obviously there’s a conversation you both need to have with each other and Y/n. About the nature of your arrangement. If you’re both too chicken shit to discuss it fully, at least lay down the ground rules. So you’re not treating her oddly every time she’s out past her curfew.” Garcia chastised, poking at both women’s crossed arms. Their faces were set in frowns and they could only roll their eyes at the tech analysts words. Obviously they knew she was right— still didn’t make it easier to hear.

-

“And that’s the house, what do you think?” Y/n asked as she brought Tina back to the main floor. Playing the hospitable host, a tour was a must.

“You always did have a way of making any space feel like home. I think the whole townhouse suits you though. White picket fence and the yard. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten a dog already.”

“It’s on my to-do list. But I’m glad you like it, next time you visit you can book a stay at Hotel Y/n.” Y/n teased with a wink. “Come on let’s head out. I’m hungry and was promised breakfast.”

“Yes of course.” Tina laughed, stepping down the porch steps as Y/n locked her door. She turned to head for the rental she’d been using this week and caught sight of a pair of joggers down the sidewalk. Well jogging was obviously what they intended to look like they were doing but their eyes were trained on Y/n’s house and the brunette seemed to actually be walking. “I’m gonna assume these are your mistresses coming in hot.” Tina whistled as Y/n joined in the yard.

Y/n snickered as she waved at the women with a smile, “You’d be right. Come on I’ll introduce you.” She grabbed Tina’s wrist and pulled her over to the driveway where Emily and JJ were stretching. “Morning ladies. Getting some exercise in?”

JJ stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips with a smile, “Yeah, I got this one out here with me for once.”

“Gotta get those steps in.” Emily threw in as convincingly as possible.

Y/n chuckled and turned her eyes to Tina, “This is Tina, my friend from New York. T, these are my neighbors JJ and Emily.” Tina extended her hand toward both women with a knowing smile.

“Nice to meet you both, I’ve heard wonderful things about you both.”

“Oh, wonderful things you say?” Emily replied.

“Oh yeah, she’s told me all about how satisfying DC has been for her.” Tina answered, emphasizing the word ‘satisfying’ with the same knowing smile.

JJ and Emily’s eye move to Y/n curiously and when the younger woman shrugged they chuckled. “She wanted to know who was handling my business here.”

“Just making sure she’s being taken care of.” Tina shrugged.

“Glad to be of service.” JJ offered, studying the women briefly. This was weirdly platonic and she wasn’t sure what she expected but it wasn’t to basically be praised for fucking someone’s ex. While Tina was objectively attractive and clearly comfortable with Y/n— they sure weren’t acting like reunited ex lovers.

“Y/n mentioned you both have high pressure jobs but didn’t mention what.”

“FBI. And you’re an actress?” JJ asked, fighting the challenging edge in her voice.

Tina either ignoring the edge or missing it completely answered, “Oh cool! And yes, I teach from time to time but right now I’m touring.”

“Oh that’s really nice.” Emily nodded, watching as Y/n’s eyes shifted between the three of them. As concerned and jealous as they had been over this whole thing— seeing Y/n’s eyes shift from her chest to lock on JJ’s exposed midriff really made her wonder what exactly they’d been worried about to begin with. It had been JJ’s idea to do the whole morning run bit but if this was anything to go by, Y/n was not thinking about Tina (In that way at least).

After some intentional attempts at focusing and a playful nudge from Tina, Y/n spoke up with a smile. “Well don’t let us keep you from your run. There’s a waffle somewhere with my name on it and I’m ready to eat. I’ll see y’all later.”All the women bid each other farewell and parted ways. Emily and JJ watched as Y/n and Tina climbed into the car and peeled away from the neighborhood. And as soon as they were out of sight, Emily turned to head back to their townhouse.

“Glad that’s over, for a moment I thought I’d actually have to play the part.”

-

“Okay, so we both know they’re not sleeping together, right? And we were just being weird and jealous for no reason.” Emily sighed as she closed their front door behind her.

“I wouldn’t say for no reason…” JJ tried but stopped at Emily’s rolled eyes. “Okay, maybe for no reason. But what else were we supposed to do at the prospect of her sleeping with someone else?”

“Nothing actually. Because we’re not in a relationship with her. It’s not as if we’ve set parameters for anything that we’re doing with her. And I don’t think us being weird is gonna help anything. Like come on, you didn’t even have to be a profiler to see they’re no longer fucking.”

“I know I know. It’s silly to feel possessive over someone we’re not exclusively attached to. But we both fell into it a little too easily. Maybe this is a sign that we should consider a more established situation with her, Em.”

“I mean I don’t know if you’ve realized but we’ve unconsciously become pretty exclusive for the last few weeks. And that wasn’t even on purpose. I think the only person who may not know that— maybe Y/n.”

“and maybe instead of being jealous weirdos we should at the very least show her we’re not sleeping with anyone else but her.”

“Yeah,” Emily sighed. “I hate when Garcia is right.”

“Ditto.” JJ rolled her eyes with a grumble. They sat in silence for a moment, mulling over the decision they’d just made. If they were this jealous over after only a few weeks it was obviously something worth discussing. After sometime they turned to face each other eagerly.

“I must say— it was nice seeing her struggle to look us in the eyes.” Emily grinned.

“Her eyes couldn’t figure out who they wanted to look at first. I told you the workout gear would work. With the way she was undressing us with her eyes right there in front of Tina? Very satisfying, very affirming for sure.”

“I do have to give you props for that one. It was worth the two seconds of leisurely exercising I did.”

[intuitively-her]

How would your celebrity crush react upon meeting you?

Pile 1-(Justice, The World, Queen of pentacles, 4 of swords, 3 of cups, 4 of cups, The Devil)

They would feel like meeting you was fate lmao. You look like someone that has money or has a high status. They would want to take you under their wing and teach you some things. Like a mentor. They would love how social you are. You're probably the type of person that can talk and connect with all walks of life easily. You would be very refreshing to be around. You would be such a temptation to them. They would probably try to fly you out places.🤣

Pile 2-(5 of wands, King of cups, 6 of swords rx, 7 of swords rx, The Tower, 10 of cups, 2 of swords, The Empress rx, Judgement)

This person would charm tf outta you. Don Juan kinda energy. They would love how honest you are. They would also feel like you need to see more of the world. Idk why. This person would feel like they could create happiness with you. However, they also feel like you could ruin them in some way. You would have this person stuckkk. They would be a little judgmental, but only bc they wouldn't know how to feel about you. Something about you feels too good to be true.🤭

Pile 3-(Temperance, The Chariot, Death, The Star rx, The Hermit, 3 of pentacles, The High Priestess, Strength)

They would see you as someone that's at peace with their life and themselves. Jhene Aiko kinda energy. They would think that you're very transformational and you hold a lot of knowledge. Someone here could be a student. You know what you want for yourself. This person would think that you're a loner and don't enjoy too much attention. They would see that you're very confident and you hold yourself to a high standard.

*channeled song: what a life by jhene aiko

Pile 4-(8 of wands, Knight of swords, King of swords, Page of pentacles, 9 of pentacles, 4 of pentacles, 6 of cups, 8 of swords)

Something about you would be very fast moving. Maybe you're a fast talker lmao. They would be possessive over their time with you. This person would think you're very opinionated and love it. I get the vibe that they may encounter a lot of simple-minded individuals. They would think that you have a lot of good ideas that can lead you to financial success. However, they would also feel that your environment holds you back in some way.

*channeled song: I just died by Amerie

[ramshacklefey]

Maybe it's just an allergic reaction from growing up in a cult, but I cannot help looking at some queers and would-be leftists and seeing the seeds of the exact social framework I grew up in. So, here are some questions to ask yourself about your social circle, online or offline:

Do people around me subscribe to a good-evil dichotomy, and is this dichotomy applied to people? There is no such thing as a "good" or "evil" person. In fact, I encourage everyone to ditch the entire concept of "evil." It's not a useful concept. The kind of thinking that creates good and evil as absolute categories, especially if it is then applied to humans, benefits no one. Learn to accept that morality can be vague in a lot of places, and that a person's actions may be judged right, supererogatory (going beyond moral requirements), less than ideal, wrong, misguided, or morally bankrupt without making any claims about that person's inherent nature.

Do the people around you un-person anyone? This flows out of the previous question, because declaring someone "evil" is usually enough to declare them not a person. And even if you've never consciously put it this way, we all "know" that we don't have the same moral duties to non-persons that we do to persons. There is no action a person can take that removes them from the category of "person." There is no group a person can belong to that removes them from the category of "person." And if the people around you are willing to act as if there were, there is nothing preventing them from doing the same to you.

Do the people around you accept the idea of social contagion? Do they support shunning/exile as punishment? Again, this comes from the idea of evil, but it goes another level down. The claim becomes not just that someone is evil, but that therefore only other evil people would associate with them. This is most apparent during cancel campaigns, when the mob is as happy to turn on the friends, coworkers, and relatives of the target as they are to attack their primary target. But even if someone has genuinely done some fucked up shit, there is nothing they can do that makes them unworthy of friendship. And associating, being friends with, and loving someone who has done wrong in the past doesn't have any moral bearing on you. Communities that act otherwise damage everyone. Fear of being associated with some who has fucked up means that people with maladaptive behavior patterns are cut off from positive relationships with those who could help them. And the threat of ruining lives in this way makes it harder for people to ask for help, whether they are the perpetrator or the victim of bad behavior.

Do the people around you assign moral weight to the media others enjoy? This is a concept straight outta the evangelical handbook. I cannot tell you how many youth group meetings I attended where we talked about the "danger" of Bad Media: it would poison your mind, it would make you drink and smoke, it would make you gay, it would make you have premarital sex. Horror films would make people violent. Angry music would let the devil into your soul. It was all a load of bunk. It remains a load of bunk no matter what it is that you object to, and people who are trying to control what media you have access to are way overstepping their boundaries.

Do the people around you assign moral weight to identity categories? Do they engage in any kind of essentialism? Assigning this sort of weight is just as bad when it's a bunch of leftists saying that All Men Suck as it is when it's a right wing preacher saying that Gays Are Dangerous. Claiming that a person can be more or less virtuous based on their inherent qualities is wrong and dangerous.

Are the people around you as or more worried about appearing virtuous as they are about actually doing the right thing? I was told throughout my childhood to avoid even the appearance of sin. Keeping up a public face of virtuousness and purity was necessary in order to be accepted by the community. This includes things like using the "right" language, enjoying the "right" media, dressing and presenting yourself the "right" way, and many others.

Do the people around you divide the world into categories, defined on a black and white dichotomy of people who are "on your side" and people who are "out to get you"? Yeah, this one is tricky, because if you live under any kind of oppression, there are actually people who want to hurt you and have the structural power to do so. But the vast majority aren't those people. The vast majority of people are just trying to live their own lives, and most are unaware of the problems you're facing. When you're inside a social circle like this, it's easy to get caught up in the mentality that everyone knows what you know, so their actions speak to which "side" they're on. The reality is that most people are indifferent to you, but would object to you being badly treated if they actually understood the situation.

Do the people around you object to nuanced assessments of a situation or morality in general? Is there some kind of "canon" of acceptable beliefs and slogans? Is anything outside of this considered suspect if not outright bad? If your thoughts on mortality and politics can be summed up entirely in tweets and bumper stickers, and people around you get angry at nuance or new ideas, that's a bad sign.

These aren't all of them, and none of these are hard and fast. There are fuzzy edges on all of them. But they are all tactics that enforce social cohesion and Right Behavior at the expense of actual discussion or measured responses to situations. They rely on and grow out of living in a high surveillance culture.

You can push back against them by minding your own business, refusing to engage in surveiling others, and actively opposing judging anyone to be a non-person.

So many of us grew up in and have tried to claw our way out of this kind of social life. Don't just recreate it.

[jlicia]

Jericho's Upcycling - Galley-La and Lifestyle!

Hello! I must start by saying, I don't expect anyone to be well-versed in my oc-lore. I like to write about it in a way to archive my ideas, and if people are interested or curious, that's a bonus! Jericho didn't like feeling like a 'patient in care' when living in the Revolutionary Army HQ. She was rescued from a community service prison (now abbreviated as a BMBD by the RA, Black Market Business Directory, where prisoners partake in 'community service', but are actually rented out as pawns for criminal activity and any other other services that brought in money) after it was discovered she was being preserved to be eaten. (The discovery of Jericho's fate also initiated the investigation into the BMBD as an illegal establishment) Her, uh, mentor? Named Rabba Dakki (my OC) Recommended her to board on at Galley-La, his mate Iceburg wasn't open to just anyone, of course, but Jericho offered her unique skills in up-cycling to Iceburg (as opposed to ship building and carpentry.) An opportunity to save materials, and in turn save money. That's good for any company, so at the expense of providing her accommodation in his office, Iceburg took Jericho on board as head of recycling. Well, she was the only one working in recycling, so. You know. She's the head of it now, I guess. Good for her. The job was perfect for her, she was able to provide hands in a team based environment whilst still remain in her own solitude. A little recycling ward, scraps piled and organised by material, screws and lids in little boxes. Wood was often mended with screws or reduced to woodchip to repurpose, ready for use for carpenters. Not one piece of wood went to waste with Jericho around! Her own little kitchenette, complete with a kettle and teabags; a huge wash basin she built herself to clean dirty materials and tools (she spent a lot of time inspecting complicated, seemingly mundane structures at the BMBD prison, the pipes of the public showers were exposed, so she was able to fully understand it's mechanisms). A textile suite, usually for repairs of ship sails, but Galley-La workers would sometimes deposit torn garments there.

Jericho loves the process of up-cycling, taking junk and transforming it into something to adorn the surroundings or something useful. It surrounds her life, incorporating it into her own habitats. Though, she can be very stubborn about throwing away items that still have use in them, like a 10 year old pillow that is yellowing from sweat: "Well, it is still comfortable for sleeping, is it not?" A lot of her rooms furnishings are mismatched and clash slightly with the variety of patterns, she isn't fussy, but the final image as a result in this is somewhat charming. Her furniture is an accumulation of second hand items, things she has found in scrap heaps and bits she just can't let go of no matter how battered and destroyed. Possibly a minimalists worst nightmare.

TLDR:

jericho's main word is: resourcefulness

she hates wasting things

she hates getting rid of things that are still functional just because they no longer suit an aesthetic

of course, this ties into her being a vulture (devil fruit), they eat the scraps of animal fall, they're naturally resourceful creatures

she believes every scrap has another use!! and she will find a purpose for a piece of junk to serve!

(extra) she's not keen on opulence, she much prefers rustic, simple, maximalism. to her, opulence gives the impression of needless luxury

get this guy outta here bro

[axl-rose-lover-1987]

“Long Night”

Duff Mckagan x reader

Year:1991

Fluff

You jumped out of the cab grabbing your backstage pass when a security guard stopped you. “Do you know the band ma’am?” He asked sternly. “Yes I’m Duffs girlfriend” you said smiling and showing your pass. The man’s face tensed up when you said Duffs name that couldn’t be good you thought. “Alright come with me.” He said. The man lead you inside and backstage to where you could hear a very angry crowd chanting boo and some other rude things about the band. Shit you thought what did Axl do this time. Speak of the devil Axl came walking past with his security team he looked pissed. Like real pissed not normal Axl pissed like he was about to punch anyone who looked at him wrong right now. You decided not to ask him what was going on in fear of having your face punched in. You saw Slash running up behind and decided to ask him instead. “Slash what the hell is going on why is Axl pissed where’s Duff?” You asked Slash. “Long story…” Slash said somewhat outta breath. “Basically we came on late crowd was super rowdy Axl yelled at them then they started throwing shit at us and Duff got hit in the head” “DUFF WHAT” you interrupted now worried about your boyfriend. “He’s fine y/n it was just a bottle but now he can’t play so the show is over and the crowd is pissed and so is Axl.” Slash said. “Ok well where’s Duff?” You said not really caring about anything but him in this moment. “He’s down the hall the paramedics are looking at him” Slash said. “Ok thanks.” You said already starting to jog down the hallway to him. You found the room down the hall Duff was in and sure enough there he was sitting on a couch holding an ice pack on his head while a paramedic was shining a flashlight in his eyes. “Duff babe are you ok” you said running up and hugging him and then placing yourself right next to him on the couch. “Never been better sweetheart” Duff said in a very sarcastic tone. “He doesn’t have a concussion” the paramedic said. You let out a sigh of relief. “He just needs to rest and I assume you’ll be with him tonight so make sure he’s not around super bright lights and take him to the ER if he throws up but other than that he’s fine and I’ll leave you two alone.” The paramedic said getting up to leave to room. “I’m so sorry Duff I got here late and there was traffic and then Slash told me what happened and I was so worried-“ “Babe look at me” Duff said lifting up your chin so you were looking him in the eyes “I’m fine really and all that matters is your here now” Duff said kissing your forehead. You relaxed a little more with that now. You two sat silent for a few mins. Then you stood up and walked away from him and held up three fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up Mckagan.” You said half joking half serious. “ Y/n you can’t be serious” Duff said rolling his eyes and laughing. “I’m serious” you said smiling. “Three” Duff said. “There happy?” Then you walked up to Duff and sat right in his lap “Do you know where you are Duff?” “The jungle y/n” Duff said in a sarcastic tone “cmon babe the guy said I didn’t have a concussion you can relax” Duff said laughing at you. “ I know i know I just love you so much babe” you said kissing him. “ I love you too baby” Duff said. “C’mon” you said standing up. “Let’s go home and rest” you said grabbing Duffs hands and leading him out the door. “Awe i wanted to go home and make out” Duff said in a whiny voice. “ Not tonight blondie ” you said giggling at him. It was going to be a long night trying to get Duff to actually rest but you knew you would still love every moment with him.

[crowcaws]

Wyll's not boring he just got shafted outta a really good man vs self storyline after killing Karlach where he could've lost his humanity after choosing to believe in a lie or fought a path to redeem himself by his own standards. Wyll has nothing to prove to anyone but himself and the idea of him losing faith in himself because of a passing act of human folly would've been so good but instead we got- "I defied a demon and did the right thing but I'm gonna be upset because I no longer look the the part of the hero but ope that's only one cutscene daddy issues instead" LIKE WYLL you're literally the most stable, sane and sexy person here I need you to grow or regress with the story your too perfect for my gremlin ass Tav. (He's so painfully out of everyones league it hurts like it's actually a problem that he's the only functional adult, like it's a stereotype he's the token support and he deserves a bit more than that )

Hello to you too anon 🤣 I pretty much agree with you, Wyll does have the weakest storyline when you put him next to all the other main six. Someone was going to have to wear that crown.

However I maintain that he's still a funny dude with a lot more pinache than people give him credit for -- and I think there's still a fair bit to his story that gets overlooked or dismissed by the fandom in general, based on what they wished/hoped it would be, instead of appreciating what it actually was.

Wyll's arc is the opposite to most of the other cast like Gale, Astarion, Shadowheart. All of them are faced with changing themselves and growing into different people throughout the story. Wyll's influence is the opposite: He has to fight to maintain who he is, when a very real force of evil is manipulating him into doing things that are unthinkable to him morally. If he kills Karlach, he loses himself. If he doesn't re-sign the contract, he loses his father, and Mizora makes it clear the blame will be on him, and he loses his reputation -- which he relies upon in order for the people of the Sword Coast to recognise and accept his help when he offers it. He could lose his father all over again. Constantly he's pushed into positions where he has to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders, and must maintain his integrity through it without angering Mizora, who will kill him if he steps too far out of line.

All his life he's had to make the tough choices and shoulder the consequences alone and unsung. He saved Baldur's Gate at sixteen years of age and was never allowed to tell anyone, and has been burdened with the devil because of it ever since. He lost his home. And the first thing he tells Tav is that he doesn't regret that for a second. He is the kind of person to take a bullet, and Mizora keeps trying to force him to be the one to pull the trigger.

I, personally, think that's interesting enough and a change of pace from the other three or four character arcs that are more of the "do you want to be nice and friendly, or an ambitious/aggressive/murderous wank?" variety. And to Wyll's credit, his personal quest has a way more to do with the overall plot of the game than Gale's and Astarion's do. (For the record I am absolutely a Gale and Astarion girlie so no hate)

Again, Wyll's still the weakest of the six, but one of them had to be. There are things I love about all of the main character arcs, and things I would change. And Wyll's still leagues ahead of Halsin, whose personal quest feels tacked on to a plot that seemed like it would have happened anyway without his input. I still hope that one day we get some bridging dialogue or updates in future patches that make Wyll's arc a little bit more impactful and cohesive. I would also love if they added a bit more banter/more scenes with Karlach and Wyll becoming friends and bonding.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Steady Heart

Chapter 6: The Devil Takes Care of His Own

Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

Rating: M? (Still figuring out the rating system) (might eventually be M anyhow)

Warnings: language, I think this chapter is pretty tame?

Word count: 2,255ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant for being a sounding board for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being a cheerleader, and allowing me to screech at her about things that have happened during the writing process. Seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y’all! 💛

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well! 💛🤓

Stella pulled up to the ranch. When she had gotten a text from Rip last night to come in today by noon, she had wanted to die. Breathing out loudly, she shut the car off and prepared herself for the potential heartbreak that was about to happen. She looked to her left and realized she had parked next to Kayce’s truck. ‘Shit. What’s he doing here?’

She immediately felt her chest tighten. What if John had lied to get him here to back him into a corner and to help make sure she would stay in line when he fired her and kicked her out?

“Fuuuuck,” she drug the syllable out quietly. She shook her head. ‘No. There’s no way Kayce would let that happen.’ Sliding her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, she hopped out of the SUV.

Glancing around, Stella could see a lot of activity for the day in full swing. It looked like they were separating steer prospects they didn’t want to keep. She didn’t see Kayce, but she did spot her brother. She smiled affectionately seeing him doing the work he loved to do. When her eyes landed farther to the right, she saw Tate leaning on the fence watching with childlike wonder.

She wandered over to the little boy. “Hey bud!”

“Oh hey Aunt Stell! Isn’t this cool?”

“Yeah it sure is. I love watching them.” She smiled. She whispered conspiratorially to him. “It’s even more fun to do it though.”

Tate looked at her with wide eyes. “You’ve done this before??”

She smiled. “Yessir I have. Plenty of times. With my brother and your dad, and your grandpa.”

“Woaahhh! That’s awesome! I wanna do it too!” Her best friend’s son practically started to levitate with excitement.

“Well you’ve gotta be just a little bit bigger for that, bud.” She chuckled. “Speaking of your dad, do you know where he went?”

“I think he went to talk to grandpa.”

Stella sighed. “Okay I’m gonna go find them. Stay on this fence and not the inside one, alright?” She ruffled his hair gingerly and he giggled. Stella knew Tate knew better, but she couldn’t help herself to give the warning anyhow.

Stella circled around and gave everything a passing glance. It was almost like an out of body stream of consciousness. Her eyes stopped as they landed on the two men in question looking in her direction. She was sure she turned seven different shades of pale. Stretching her neck from side to side, she walked toward them. Little did Stella know, they watched her from the moment she pulled in.

“Is this my judge and jury pair?” It was spiteful of her to say that. She cringed and started again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be like that.”

“What are you talkin’ about?” Kayce asked, surprised at her rough greeting. Stella’s eyes darted to John, whose face was stoic, but his eyebrows raised slightly. He hadn’t told Kayce.

She tried to smooth past her slip. “Nothin’. Y’all just seemed like you were ready to make big decisions for everyone’s day. So the judge,” she motioned at John, “and the jury.” She finished pointing to Kayce. “I’m also just in rare form today apparently.”

Kayce decided to ignore that and looked at his dad. “How’s that stallion treatin’ ya?”

“It’s the gift that keeps on giving.” John snorted and looked around.

Stella laughed quietly. “He’s definitely giving everyone a run for their money. And I’m almost outta money.”

“Kayce, let me borrow Stella for a second.”

The younger Dutton stopped shifting on his feet. He passed a look between his dad and his best friend, confused. “Sure. Don’t need my permission.”

John waved his hand for Stella to follow him. Kayce caught the sight of her wiping her hands on her legs. Why was she nervous to talk to his dad, of all people? This is the girl that told his dad to ‘go fuck himself and get off his high horse, it’s not just about you’ when she defended him back when she was 18. He reached out to grab her arm, but his fingertips barely brushed it. She fixed him with a look that made him stop any form of question.

When the eldest Dutton and Stella walked around the corner, she let out a heavy sigh. She leaned her shoulder on the wall while she placed her hands in her back pockets.

“Well, let’s have it, sir.” She tried to brace herself for the hit.

John pinned her to her spot with a look of warning. “I heard your conversation with Rip last night.”

“And I meant every word.” She answered confidently. “If you think I’d have loose lips, you really don’t know me like I thought you might have.”

Kayce had snuck up behind them. “What the hell are you accusing her of?”

Stella threw her hands up and let them slap back on her thighs. She hadn’t planned on telling Kayce, but he inserted himself into the problem.“Well, now is as good a time as any. I overheard a conversation, and decided to sneak out instead of making my presence known. Your dad saw me leave, and then I lied to him about it because I didn’t know he saw me.”

“So you’re questioning her integrity?”

“No, son, that already happened. I’m telling her she’s allowed to stay. My men trust her. My son,” he paused to look directly at Kayce, “trusts her. I’ve never had any issues. So I’m letting it slide. Once. I think she’s learned her lesson. But Stella?”

She looked at him wide eyed. “Yessir?”

“Lie to my face again?” She understood the hidden meaning of the slippery slope. “Now, I’m going to go see my grandson.”

“Stella, c’mon.” Kayce left her no room for argument. The way he turned and walked off told her he was definitely pissed. She rolled her eyes and fixed her glasses. “Come on.” She heard Kayce press.

Stella picked up her pace to catch him. “I’m comin’, I’m comin’. Jeez.”

Kayce whipped around at her when they got to the tack room. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?!”

She placed a hand on the middle of his chest to keep him out of her face, “woah woah woah there, cowboy. I didn’t keep anything from you,” then removed it just as fast. “You were dealing with a lot. It’s not your responsibility to mend my busted fences.”

“But he’s my dad, and he should fuckin’ know better. Especially when it comes to you.”

“Those kinds of things get forgotten. Especially when it wasn’t happening to his family, Kayce. Of course he remembers yours.” Both sets of eyes glazed over for a minute, recollecting the memory.

“I could have reminded him. I could’ve made your life so much easier.”

“Yeah, but how will I learn anything if you’re fixing things for me all the time?” She raised her eyebrows at him. “You won’t always be there to save me. Also, just because I’m your best friend, doesn’t mean I should get preferential treatment either. I’m still an employee here, ya know.”

Stella went to lean against the work table against the back wall. She leaned back on her hands and gazed at Kayce. “You know, this is the same exact conversation you helped me have with my brother when I turned 18. I’m not doing it twice.” She scoffed out a humorless chuckle. “Everything is fine, Kace. Next time I’ll announce myself to the conversation with bells and confetti.”

“That’s not funny, and you know it. This could have been bad.” He scoffed back at her, but still came to lean next to her. Touching shoulders like always.

“Rip wouldn’t have let it get there.” Stella defended.

Kayce had a sudden realization. “Wait, is that why you thought I was here? To help kick you out? Do you really think I would have let that happen?!”

She sighed harshly. “No Kayce. I don’t. I do, however, think your dad would have lied to get you here and back you into a corner. I’ve seen him do it before.”

“Also wait a minute, Rip?! I could stop the problem at the starting gate.” Kayce ignored the accusation about his father. He knew she was right.

She joked. “So now we’re derby runners? I thought we were cowboys.”

“Stella…” He let her name fall off in a warning.

She put her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. It’s not funny. If I saw things start to really go sideways, I would have come to you. I promise.” Stella fixed her glasses while she played with the bottom of her T-shirt. It was time to change the subject. “So how are you? How’s Monica?”

“I’m alright. Day by day, you know. Monica…? She’s holding on, but I can’t talk to her.”

Her face scrunched up. “Since when can’t you talk to her? I would expect that to happen between us before it happened with you two.”

“There’s something I did that can’t be forgiven.”

“Kayce… I highly doubt there is anything you could do, that she wouldn’t forgive you for.”

“Not this.”

“So what is it?”

“I can’t tell you either.” He looked down. Defeated. Stella observed him for a minute. He looked lost. Scared almost. The look reminded her of that day they snuck out and got trapped by a brown bear and she threw herself in front of Kayce right as Rip came galloping up to save them.

“Well, I know when you’re ready, you’ll tell me. But you’ve gotta talk to your wife, Kayce. You can’t leave her in the dark. It probably hurts her that you’re avoiding her.”

“You think I don’t know that? I just, can’t break her heart like this.” Stella reached over and patted his back between his shoulders.

“Whatever it is, cowboy, we’ll get through it. I’ll be here to help as long as you want me to be.”

Kayce pulled out his phone to check the time. His dad and son had been gone for quite some time.

“I gotta go get a horse. I need to find Tate.”

Stella practically jogged to keep up with Kayce. He was headed Rip’s way. Ryan and Colby walked in the opposite direction towards the friend pair. They were headed to dinner. Ryan could be heard calling Fred a dipshit. She let out a hearty laugh because it was the god's honest truth. As they got closer, they could hear Rip talking to Lloyd. He told him to give Fred his wages and send him on his way. ‘Oo shit.’ Her eyebrows raised. Jimmy limped by them.

She shouted at Jimmy. “What the hell happened to you?!” She stopped following Kayce to talk to Jimmy. In her peripheral vision, she saw Kayce stop and glance back at her and Jimmy to watch the interaction. Stella reached out to examine the bloody lip Jimmy acquired and the nice goose egg on his forehead. Kayce exhaled loudly, and Stella was all but sure there was an eyeroll and clenched jaw attached to it, but he continued moving.

Jimmy side eyed the youngest Dutton. “Uh, it’s nothing. You go catch up with Kayce.”

Rip yelled at Stella as he and Kayce went into the barn. “Don’t you dare fuckin’ clean ‘im up! Let everybody see!”

“I’m at least gonna give you some Tylenol. Rip can suck my ass if he gets pissy about me going to the bunkhouse for that. C’mon.” She pulled Jimmy along to the bunkhouse.

As Stella searched for the Tylenol, the air was tense between them. She could feel he wanted to ask her something.

“Go ahead and ask Jimmy. I’m mostly an open book.” She nosed around in the top cabinet.

“Oh it’s nothing.”

She looked at him disapprovingly above her lenses. “Yeah and I’m Miss America.”

“Okay so I’m probably wrong, but is there something going on between you and Kayce?”

If she would have had water in her mouth, it would have been spat across the room. “What?!”

Jimmy fidgeted around. “Well you guys are really close and I’ve seen how you look at him.”

Stella found the bottle in the back of the cabinet. She turned to face Jimmy with as much seriousness as she could muster and a deadpan face. “For the love of god, don’t repeat that thought to anyone else. I’ll be dead in 24 hours. Whether from embarrassment, or Monica murdering me herself, I don’t know.” She snapped the cabinet shut. “No, there's nothing going on between me and a married man. He’s just my best friend. Always has been, always will be.”

“Oh yeah definitely. I just maybe thought —,”

“— Well you thought wrong.” Stella interrupted, and roughly shoved the bottle at Jimmy. “Here’s your Tylenol. Keep those thoughts to yourself. Clear?”

“Crystal.” Jimmy watched as Stella stomped off. He heard the telltale jingle of her keys and the front door slam.

Stella stormed past the picnic tables where everyone had gathered. Ryan and Colby called out to her as she stalked by, only to be ignored and left perplexed. Even Rip and Lloyd shared a look.

By the time she made it to her SUV, she reached a boiling point. She huffed and puffed while blindly searching for the unlock button. Hopping in, she jammed the key into the ignition. Stella was ready to go home and get away from this cursed place for the night.

She felt like a child with how she reacted. If anything, her reaction made her seem guiltier than she was.

[yourlastbraincell-kiwi]

“If not him, then her.”

A/N: Hey! I’ve been getting so many imagine ideas for Carl, literally outta nowhere. But here’s another, and I hope you like this one.

Pairing: Carl x Black!Fem!Reader

No use of Y/N in this one!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Kid,” Negan said motioning Carl over with his finger, “right here.”

I took in quick, yet rapid breaths, as Carl continued to kneel, glaring at him, swallowing thickly. Hoping he could burn a hole through Negan’s head, with nothing, but his stare.

“Kid..now.” He looked at his me—my tear stained face and my runny nose, looking like a hot mess. Then his father, before putting a hand on his knee, then lifted himself up and off the concrete. “You a southpaw?”

“Am I a what?” Carl asked, with nothing but pure hatred, individually wrapped around every word that he spat at Negan.

“You a lefty?” The Devil had asked. He was practically, a spawn of such. He was merciless, pretending like he cared. But ultimately, you did as he said, or you got the chop. No exceptions. His words, not mine.

“No.”

“Good.” He replied tightly, tying a belt around his left arm. “That hurt?”

“No.” Carl answered, with a slit tilt of his head. I began to notice that the tilt of the head, was something that of a family heirloom. It was passed down from person-to-person. I wouldn’t be surprised if Judith had developed, such an action.

“Should. It’s supposed to.” He said as his eyes with wide, with pure unadulterated excitement. “All right. Get down on the ground, kid, next to Daddy. Spread them wings.” He said, tossing Rick’ hat, that now belonged to Carl somewhere on the ground. He pulled Carl down to the ground, but his left arm, before pushing him on the ground so he was cheek-to-cheek with the gravel.

“Simon…you got a pen?” He right-hand man nods, before tossing a marker to him, and he catches it uncapping it with his teeth then bent down. We all watched as he drew a line across his arm. “There you go. Gives you a little leverage.”

“Please..” Rick begged, and he was never one to beg, none of us were, but when someone you love’s life is on the line. It’ll make anyone do anything to keep them safe. And that’s why my eyes, evidently spelt, ‘don’t do this,’ in them.

I liked Carl. Hell, I liked him enough to even say, that I damn near loved him. Both of us too young and too dumb enough to even know what it truly meant to be, in such a thing, known to all the common folk, as love. But neither of us gave up on trying to figure out the meaning for ourselves.

Whenever we had free time, we’d hang out together, climb over the walls of Alexandria, and run free in the forest, before sitting down near a log, reading the comics, Michonne was so kind as to find for the two of us.

When we were done, Carl would stand up first, before lending me a helping hand, pulling me up into a tight hug. He’d always flash me that, one-of-a-kind smile he had, and I always smile back up at him, before pushing him and raced back home.

On days, where Carl was taking care of Judith, I’d always be there sitting next to him, if I didn’t have anything to do, of course. I’d be watching over his shoulder, as he coo’d at his baby sister. Sometimes, I’d be too focused on Judith, to even notice Carl looking at me, with a certain softness, in his face. He only seemed to show it with our family, but mainly with me.

On occasions when I did catch him staring, he’d turn his head, pretending he wasn’t just watching me. I’d smile, and shake my head. “You’re staring again.” I said, with a content sigh. “I was not!” He said, getting all defensive. “And you never were a good liar, Carl.” I said, placing my hand on his cheek, running my fingers through the ends of his long hair.

His hair was always so soft and well kept, even with the sun beating down on him, leaving him drenched in sweaty from that and grimy from the forests we found ourselves traversing everyday. “Never cut this, you hear me?”

“Why? Do you like it?” He said, almost suggestively.

“I absolutely love your hair, and if you cut it I will hurt you.” I responded, more so a promise then it was a threat.

“Wait, hold on a minute. Did you just say you love me?” He replied, with a wriggle of his eyebrows. “I said, I love your hair, don’t get ahead of yourself, Grimes.”

He sighed, almost defeated. “But I do, I’m fact, love you too, Carl.” I mumbled to myself, but it was ultimately meant for him to hear.

I was then forced out my trip down memory lane. And forced onto the ground, by Negan, causing me to wince and groan.

“Well, look who finally decided to join us. Raise and shine, darling. The sun is out, the birds are doing whatever the hell birds do, and I,” He lifts my head up, by my hair, and I lick my bottom lip, tasting something of metal. “Am about to let Lucille pound your skull into the red meat. Now, you don’t want that do you, sweetheart?” I didn’t respond, but I did glance at Carl, and that was answer enough.

And Negan picked up on that instantly.

“Oh. Oh.. We got ourselves a couple of lovebirds. Young love..beautiful ain’t it, fellas?” He asks his men. “Ain’t it just the cutest damn shit you ever seen, Rick?” Rick stays looking at the ground, shaking violently.

“Here’s what’s going to happen, sweetheart. Since Rick here couldn’t do something as ‘simple,’ as cutting off his sons arm. Then maybe he’ll have a better chance at it with yours.” He said, crouching down till he was eye level with me, or as eye level as you can be without having to lay on your stomach.

“How about that?” He asks, and I shake my head, mumbling a ‘please, no,’ to him. “I’m sorry, pumpkin, but this is the way it has to be.” He ties the belt tight around my left arm, and I look at Carl with pleading eyes. And Carl looks at his dad, trying to plead and beg with him, not to do it. But Rick didn’t notice, face still staring down at the concrete, with the occasional sniffle.

“If Rick can’t cut the arm off his own flesh and blood, then he’ll surely be able to do it to you, right? Seems like a simple mathematic equation.” I felt the cold felt-tip sharpie, being grazed along my arm. The weight on my back is lifted as Negan rose and forced Rick to hold the axe, before telling him to do, what he couldn’t do to Carl. Negan waited no longer then a few seconds, for any sign of Rick moving, but the only bit of moving he did was shake his head.

“Alright, well it seems you’re stiff with fear, ain’t ya?” He said, kneeling down, now eye level with Rick. “Let me help you with that,” He grabs his arm tight. “And you should be thankful. I’m never helping your sorry ass again.” He forces Rick hand into the air.

“Dad, please..”

Rick probably heard, but chose not to listen and mouths ‘I’m sorry,’ to me before bringing it down so fast, you can hear it wisp through the air. “No!” Carl cried out, only to be kicked in the ribs. He held onto his side, then let out a cough.

I closed my eyes waiting for the sharp blade of the axe, to come in contact with my arm, to which it never did.

“You answer to me.” I opened my eyes, and looked up to see Negan, holding Ricks hand that held the axe. “You provide for me. You belong to me. Right?” Rick nods his head in response, but Negan didn’t like that, and calmly requested a verbal response.

I didn’t hear anything, he was saying to our group due to the pounding of my heart, beating in my ears like a drum.

“Welcome to a brand-new beginning, you sorry shits! I’m gonna leave you a truck. Keep it. Use it to cart all the crap you’re gonna find me. We’ll be back for our first offering in one week. Until then,” He walks away throwing the axe in the air, haphazardly, not that he cared. “Ta-ta.”

None of us moved not one muscle, Carl and I moved to sit up, but that was the only form of movement we made as the Saviors dispersed. Leaving us much less than we were before. Broken and afraid.

We watched as Maggie stood up and walked over to Glenn’s body. Rick tried to tell her to sit down, but she refused and told us to get ready to fight, The Saviors.

“Hey, come on.” A gentle voice called to me, with a hand on my shoulder. I continued to sit, on the ground feet to my chest. “Is Maggie coming?” I asked, feeling one bead of tear fell down my face. “She’ll meet us back at Alexandria. Come on, let’s go.” He said, gently grabbing me by my underarm, helping me stand.

Once I was fully standing, I turned and hug Carl so tight, I almost knocked him to the ground. “Carl?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve never been so scared in my life, Carl.” I mumbled into the crook of his neck, and he rubs my back, trying to comfort me.

“I know,” He rests his chin on my head, looking over at Rick, who had been glancing over at this whole encounter. Normally Carl, was like Daryl in a way. You do so much as to threaten them or hurt my family, I’ll end you. But with Negan having a literal army, and Daryl as leverage over us, it was hard to not be frighten into doing exactly, as he says. “Me too.”

[silversodas]

There Is A Song That Vox and Val Remind Me Of

Lose Control by Teddy Swims.

So starting with Val’s temper tantrum and what Velvette said about waiting for Vox to calm him down. I thought that was…odd, especially for a grown ass man. When he gets to the suit where Val is fuming is where the song part comes in

“Feels like the walls are all closing in, and the Devils knocking at my door”

The Red smoke is the social poison that Val carried around in life that manifested itself as a literal poison in death. He is sitting and stewing in his own poison and wants relief given by Vox

“Outta my mind, how many times, did I tell you I am no good at being alone? Yea It’s taken a toll on me, trying my best to keep from tearing the skin off my bones”

FUCKING FINALLY!!

I thought that was just to show how dramatic of a bitch Val was (and he is) but think it’s to show he suffers from his own bullshit, his own poison, and Vox is what gives him relief

“I am falling apart right in front of you can’t you see!!”

Val was more or less trapped in his own bullshit cloud and making it everyone else’s problem, and it’s only when he vents it to Vox that he is starting to noticeably get better. And honestly I feel pretty bad for Vox here, because we kinda know now that they are dating, and Val is venting about some other fucking dude that he obsesses over. I mean I totally get why he doesn’t seem to like Angel now. (Even though Val is the one at fault) What’s interesting though is he doesn’t enable Val like a lot of piss babies like Val go to their S.Os for

(I borrowed some of these images from a video called Vox being a mood and that’s why only some images have texts on them)

I love that Vox’s old time tv voice sounds more distorted and demonic the angrier he gets, he could be as creepy as Alastor if he wanted to be

“I lose control when your not next to me”

What do you think chasing whores around town will do for our image?

Uh..fuck it up?

RIGHT!!

Feels like you could have come to that conclusion yourself there Val. I mean yeah maybe he is just stupid, but it feels like Vox is 100% of Val’s impulse control, he keeps Val from losing control, not only that, he seems to help Val think more clearly and without so much poisonous emotion

I really wanted to shoot someone

Well, let me send up the lowest earners this month

At this point Val sounds completely snapped out of it, and doesn’t sound angry anymore. And Vox, while he doesn’t enable Val, he does coddle him and that’s not any better, if anything it just encourages Val to act like this when something is wrong and Vox will come and fix it.

It seems that Vox has not set boundaries with Val that he can’t act like that to get his attention and that if he needs him when he is distressed then he needs to talk to him, not kill employees and destroy work property. And because he coddles Val’s behavior it keeps happening and Vox resents him for it

And to make things worse, Val does the opposite for Vox, he spreads his poison and encourages Vox’s impulses and bad emotions

(Seriously! I looooovvvee how creepy his tv voice can sound, hmm maybe it’s just another way he and Alastor are alike. Also his voice actor did such a good job with the delivery of this line! It’s so unsettling)

You can see the poison taking effect when it’s coming out of the side of his mouth

Teddy Swims said he wrote the song based off of toxic relationships and how addictive they can sometimes be. And I need to see more of their relationship, but I definitely think that’s the case with these two

[foxcantswim]

Barbie x Harley Quinn // Lucky I Love Ya

First Barbie x Harley fic out there??? I am now BEGGING for more. I am also begging for requests for these two. I'm on my knees at this point.

Harley breaks Barbie out of jail. Afterall, she would do anything for her girlfriend.

TW: Mention of catcalling, blood, language

Barbie had been arrested… again… She had been catcalled one too many times and she had simply lost her patience, a punch and a kick there had landed her in yet another cell.

Harley grabbed hold of Barbie's wrist and pulled her closer, "Watch your back!" she shouted before pointing a gun at a cop who had appeared behind Barbie.

Taking a deep breath, Barbie closed her eyes and awaited the gunshot. She flinched. Harley had always been on the extreme side. She had even offered Barbie a gun a few days ago, which she obviously declined.

An arm wrapped around Barbie's waist, "You sure are lucky I like you enough to bust you outta here, puddin'."

A shy smile appeared on Barbie's face, "You know I appreciate it. But you don't have to keep…" she dared to take a look behind her towards the body on the floor, "Keep doing things like this," her voice became quiet.

The concept of death was always something Barbie had a problem with. And Harley didn't exactly help with that.

"Anything for my doll," Harley licked her lips, leaning in close, "One day you'll use a gun and you'll see just how exciting this shit can be." Barbie took a step back, narrowly avoiding Harley's kiss. Harley stuck out her tongue, Barbie couldn't help but smile.

Barbie was grateful for Harley. She had run into her when she was robbing a bank… Of course she was. A stray bullet had flew past her head, missing her by mere inches. Harley was about to make sure the next bullet hit its mark, but then she realised something. It was almost as if she was looking into a mirror…

Harley was determined to look after this mysterious woman from that day on.

It had been a few months since the two first met now.

"You want to take me to where?"

"BarbieLand!" Barbie exclaimed with a huge grin on her face.

BarbieLand was something she had brought up a few times, Harley was still confused at the possibility of a whole other world which was run by women and… very pink?

"This again?" she groaned, "You really think someone like me would be able to function somewhere like that? You know I love ya, doll, but I ain't goin' anywhere near that place," Harley said as she sat down on the sofa, leaning back.

"Erm… Gloria probably wouldn't like it if you got…" Barbie nodded towards Harley's blood covered clothes, "That on her furniture."

Speaking of Gloria. She almost fainted from a panic attack upon seeing TWO Barbies. It had taken a few weeks for her to get used to it.

"Isn't this kind of weird…?" she had asked.

"I'm literally friends with a walking shark and a woman who can control plants. Nothin' is weird to me."

Harley giggled up at Barbie, "Me n Gloria are like this," she crossed her fingers, "She won't mind."

"I won't mind what?"

"Speak of the devil," Harley smirked before kicking her feet up on the coffee table.

"Hi, sorry I'm late I had a-" Gloria froze in her tracks, "Get up! Now!" she shouted, instantly moving to grab Harley's hand to pull her up, "What the hell happened?"

"Nothin'!" Harley smiled as innocently as she could.

Gloria released her hand, "Really?" she tried to control her breathing at the sight of blood staining her couch.

"Some assholes were gettin' all up in my doll's business. I only did what was right and broke her out of jail."

"Jail?! Again?!" Gloria's eyes darted towards Barbie who was shifting back and forth on her feet.

"She was stickin' up for herself," Harley argued, "Men can be assholes."

Gloria sighed deeply, "That doesn't mean you can go around killing people! For one thing, you are dragging evidence here!" Despite not wanting to be anywhere near the blood, she ran to the kitchen to grab some rubber gloves in preparation of a thorough cleanup. This hadn't been the first time Harley had shown up covered in blood. Of course Gloria had called the cops the first handful of times, but each and every time Harley would somehow escape and show up once again.

"She was only trying to help," Barbie muttered as Gloria made her way back towards the couch with multiple different cleaning products in hand.

Harley laughed and walked up behind Barbie, wrapping her aways around her waist, "Ya see… Even puddin' knows I'm only doing what's right."

Gloria had found it incredibly narcissistic when Harley had announced that she was in a relationship with Barbie a few weeks ago. But then again, that was totally a Harley thing to do.

"I never said it was right," Barbie gasped.

"You wound me, babe!" Harley pouted as she rested her chin on Barbie's shoulder.

"You need to leave. Both of you. I need to disinfect the whole house." Gloria loved Barbie, regardless of her choices. And if Harley made her happy, then who was she to judge? If Gloria was being honest, she was glad that Harley was there to look after Barbie in the outside world. She was still learning about how to be human, afterall. She just hoped that Barbie was learning how to be a good person.

Harley planted a kiss on Barbie's cheek before moving away, "But where would we go? You can't kick us out like this," Harley wiped her eyes, trying her hardest to produce tears.

Barbie's frown soon turned into a huge smile, "We can go to BarbieLand!"

Before Harley could protest, Gloria interrupted, "Yes. That is a great idea. The police won't look for you there."

Harley was quickly on knees in front of Gloria, "Don't let her take me there!" she clasped her hands together and begged, "What if I don't make it back alive?!"

"You are always so dramatic," Gloria shook her head before looking over at Barbie, "Go on. Take all the time you need."

Barbie giggled with joy before pulling Harley up from the ground, "We're going to have so much fun, Harley!" she placed a kiss on her cheek, which melted the latter's heart.

It was becoming increasingly hard for Harley to deny whatever Barbie wanted. It was rare for Barbie to show affection, so a simple kiss on the cheek was usually her undoing.

"Okay! You've convinced me, doll!" Harley linked their arms together before dragging her towards the door, "Good luck with the blood!" she laughed towards Gloria.

"Ha ha……" Gloria rolled her eyes. Just before thy were about to leave the house, Gloria gasped, "Harley! Clean yourself up before you leave!"

"Booooo! You're no fun," she replied. Barbie had to forcefully drag Harley up the stairs towards the bathroom.

Harley clicked the lock as soon as they were in. It was barely even five seconds before Barbie found herself pushed against the sink.

"Nope!" Barbie put a hand up as Harley leaned in, "I refuse to kiss you when you are covered in… that."

"Dollfaaaace, you're killin' me!" Harley rolled her eyes, but she did indeed move Barbie out of the way in order to reach the sink. She had never scrubbed her face faster, water and soap splashed over the sides haphazardly.

"There we go!" Harley cheered before turning towards Barbie once more, instantly claiming her lips with her own. Barbie automatically smiled into the kiss.

"Much better," Barbie said when she pulled away.

"Love ya, babe," Harley moved a stray hair out of Barbie's face before going back in for seconds. The kiss soon deepened, it was always hard for Harley not to escalate things.

A loud bang could soon be heard coming from the front door.

"Ma'am, we're looking for Harley Quinn… Again."

"Fuckin' cops," Harley groaned as she buried her face into a panting Barbie's neck.

"L-Language," Barbie shivered under her grasp.

"I think it's about time we jump this place, puddin'," she pressed a soft kiss to the underside of her jaw before reluctantly pulling away.

The pair made their way to the room next door, Barbie always made sure to keep a spare change of clothes in a bag for Harley.

"Do I really need to change?" she groaned.

"Yes! You can't go out looking like that!" Blood still clearly stained her clothes.

"Lucky I love ya," Harley rolled her eyes before grabbing the bag.

Barbie clapped her hands together in excitement as she watched Harley change, "We're finally going to BarbieLand!" she shouted.

"Shh!" Harley hushed her.

Once Harley was finally changed, she ran towards the window and flung it open. She reached out to hold Barbie's hand before the pair jumped.

Harley was not looking forward to the trip to BarbieLand. She had no idea what was in store for her… But if it made Barbie happy, then so be it. The smile on her girlfriend's face as they skated alongside the beach was worth it.

[caladblog]

#DAVECHELLA

to be updated each week! or whenever i have the time y'know. when it's done i'll throw it all together on spotify and 8tracks

---

15) Billy Gibson: I Just Don't Care That Much // Matt Maeson runner-up: Meds // Placebo

smthn i really like about gibson--which is easy to forget, what with [waves hands at hickey's whole thing]--is that he's the one to start the mutiny. seriously, go back and watch the beginning of ep7-- he's the first to express Doubt in the captains' plans, specifically doubting that fairholme's party is coming back with help and that the natives would be friendly. over the course of the episode (and ep8) it spirals into a bigger thing, more of an active mutiny than simply taking supplies and striking off on their own in order to move faster, but gibson was still the spark here. hickey does not have the monopoly on bastard actions in that relationship and it makes them more interesting.

14) Tom Hartnell: Like a River Runs // Bleachers runner-up: Ashes // The Longest Johns

i got really attached to tom hartnell when i saw that poll that was like "which of the characters would you most like to work with" and i realized that i've actually worked with several tom hartnells before, which is to say, young well-meaning dudes who fuck up on occasion but earnestly try to make it better once they realize they've fucked up, and i'm like yeah :) i'll have tom hartnell on a job site any day. pick up a coffee for him on break when it's cold. swap the aux cord in the work van. he'd tease me for being old but also listen to my advice. look when i went back to trade school i was in a class of almost entirely dudes straight outta twelfth grade and i wound up adopting most of them as honorary baby brothers ok???? don't @ me

13) Henry Collins: Overboard // Johnny Manchild & the Poor Bastards runner-up: Sea Song (You Waded Out) // Apocalyptica

rip henry foster collins, dead 1848 of The Years Start Comin' And They Don't Stop Comin'

i didn't notice until i rewatched with subtitles that he's the one who ordered billy orren up into the rigging immediately before he died :') gosh i love it when this show hurts me and hurts me and hurts me

12) George Hodgson: Iscariot // The Vassar Devils runner-up: Delusional // Charlie Allen

oh hodgson you're so. you're so unsuited for command T_T what are you DOING out here, you should be back in england playing the clavier and making delightfully eccentric drawing-room small talk. he's basically one of [these birds] and what i wanna know is who thought it'd be a good idea to bring that to the arctic

11) John Bridgens: Our Time Is Short // Gang of Youths runner-up: Genesis // Amelia Day

[riffles angrily through all 5 of the somft romantic songs i own] dave k if you don't make at least one of these nerds listen to punk i'm gonna be in trouble

10) Solomon Tozer: Death of Me // Red runner-up: Believe // The Bravery

just so you know i'm having a completely normal one and i haven't chewed even a little bit of drywall over tozer's playlist

my initial music choice for him was just the entire discography of Rise Against. then the official playlist dropped and i blacked out and woke up surrounded by Flesh by Simon Curtis and Blood in the Cut by K.Flay and other such things and also i was wearing my leather gloves for some reason? so narrowing down my options here was somewhat of a trial

9) John Irving: Tell Me How It Ends // David Wirsig runner-up: I'll Be Good // Jaymes Young

the narrator of Tell Me How It Ends is a dying man who's struggled with faith all his life and the song is addressed to god [UPSIDE DOWN MELTING SMILEY FACE] ANYWAY HOW BOUT THIS HIGH STRUNG SELF HATING LIL MISS ANGER ISSUES, i want to poke him with a stick until he has some sort of breakdown <3

8) Thomas Blanky: Frozen Pines // Lord Huron runner-up: Heavy Rescue // Doomtree

give it up for the guy i have zero ideas for! i mean i love him don't get me wrong, i just don't know re: music. shrug emoji

7) Thomas Jopson: The Rockrose and the Thistle // The Amazing Devil runner-up: Seamstress // Dessa

i had 2 thoughts when Davechella was first announced and one of them was that modern jop only listens to death metal. "turmoil on the inside needn't show on the out," he says, putting on his extremely high end headphones and making his ears bleed

to which hodgson is like "why spend $2k on headphones just to listen to music where you can't understand the words?" (<- also spent $2k on headphones but sensibly listens to opera) and nedward is like "you're gonna be stone deaf by age forty :/"

to which jopson is like "hah, as if i have to worry about living that long" before remembering that normal people tend to take those jokes poorly I'M NOT PROJECTING YOU'RE PROJECTING

ANYway im not cool enough for dave's jop (i can't be in the club i'll be saying shit like perchance & thrice) but my contributions are more about the show than the modern AU

6) Edward Little: Bad Things // Social Animals runner-up: Downhill // Lincoln

[cracks open my Depression Jams playlist like a tepid beer!]

i do find it pretty funny that one of the Edward Little Certified Sad™ images for shitposts etc is actually the bit from ep3 right after franklin kicks the bucket bc like. that's not ned being sad that's ned looking at fitzj like Oh God He's Having A Whole Ass Breakdown Here. Oh God Please Get Me Out Of This Room Before He Starts Sobbing What Do I Do Oh God We Are So Cooked

[demonsfate]

I'm trying to take a nap but I just GOTTA write this real quick 'cos due to the New DLC Character, there have been alotta discussions and I just feel like many ppl forgot the original points of the earlier games. ESPECIALLY the original trilogy.

Of course, there are many ppl who are saying Clive looks outta place and that he'd fit Soul Calibur more. And the many ppl arguing against this popular criticism just... don't understand? Like they're like "but he's Anime Boy! How does he not fit in?" or old tired "this game has bears and devils!! But HE doesn't fit in??? Lolwhut!! XD" Even though ppl are making jokes about how TK8 is the first time Clive will see a car or billboards (and uh... y'know. that already explains how he's outta place LMAOOOO)

Yes, the original Tek series has ALWAYS had some kind of supernatural or wild element. Notably Yoshi, Jack, the bears (and Roger) and devils / monsters. But like... REALLY THINK ABOUT IT. What were the context of these characters? The animals still fought rather traditionally than flashy or magical. And plus, they were joke characters. They weren't intended to take seriously. Jack, Yoshi (And Yoshi's counterpart, Kuni) and Mokujin are the only really fanatical serious characters in the whole cast. (Even Jack, you can still argue he has more of a "technological" aspect to him than magic or fantasy) Yes, there are demons like Ogre and Devil. But... they were literally final bosses and there's a reason why. Like it was supposed to be a GRAND THING for the mostly normal cast to be fighting fucking monsters in the end. Like that's why they saved it for last, it was something to build up to, and something to be shocking. I think a lotta modern players miss the point of that.

Also using characters from TK6+ instantly makes the argument invalid 'cos that's when ppl started criticizing the game for "getting too anime / far fetched"

Also another cool thing about the earliest games is that a lotta them had aesthetic themes. TK3, for example, had a very gritty aesthetic. Most of the characters looked like they belonged to the same game -- having a biker or sporty look (if not a martial arts look, which is obvious) You can see what the theme they were going with here. In TK8, we have characters of all kinds of different styles -- some clashing. (We got Jin and Xiao, who match with their black outfits. But then we got some military outfits, and then some in suits, and some that look like fairies like Alisa, and so on) Which just makes me feel like as the games go on, they just stopped caring about "style" as much, y'know? Like sorry but I can't picture TK8 Alisa (even if I do love her) or Clive in TK1-TK4.

Gon is another example they like to use of a third party feeling totally out of place. But... again, context matters! Both Gon and Dr. B. were secret characters that were meant to be taken as jokes. Like Gon literally has a move where he farts on the opponent. The difference is, we're meant to take Clive seriously. This totally out of place character isn't meant to be funny.

Like I'm glad some ppl are happy about Clive, of course. But like, I totally understand the criticism / concerns some people have. And like, I just feel like a lotta ppl talking about it just don't rly understand the issue.

[surveillance-0011]

I recently got to the HOTD fandom and I saw @hollybluberry's and others devil concept and I had a question which is

what are your headcanons on @hollybluberry's and the other devil concepts people made?

ah oops sorry im getting to this late!!

i don't really have too many head canons for other people's devil concepts,, but off the top of my head

@hollybluberry devil:

friendly but takes no shit

spends a lot of time preening their wings.

Enjoys the sun (odd since many creatures who are more nocturnal) but also fond of clear nights and looking at stars

Points out constellations and the like while stargazing. Holds up Tower to the sky and points to Ophiuchus and is like "look it's you!!" It's like holding up a cat to the Sphinx

Has tried to point out Lacerta to Heirophant with even less success.

gets upset/disappointed seeing the other bosses fight (ive always headcanoned that all together the bosses usually don't get along too well with only the handful of factions/little groups getting along... better??) and often has to break things up. I assume they'd listen to her.

As Blu mentioned Magician and Hangedman have seen her angry and consequentially they're a Bit Scared. Magician isn't visibly frightened but treats them with a lot of respect and is uncharacteristically agreeable+polite with them. Hangedman has started to avoid her, on the other hand, immediately stopping what he's doing if he looks over to see her looking peeved. He's like. actually fucking terrified of her and he's not someone who really gets scared all that much. So it's a bit strange and he won't elaborate on why he's so scared of them.

Most creatures are intimidated by her but none are actively hostile towards her. Some of the bosses don't always approve but it's hard to stay mad at her because she's much more gentle/lax and levelheaded relative to the others.

Likes sweet snacks with fruit.

hates thornheart and pities curien/wheel of fate, though she's not gentle with him either. WOF isn't intimidated by her at all though, though whether or not he's seen her angry or not is hard to say.

Moon, on the other hand, thinks all the eyes are cute. I mean, moon's self preservation skills are dogshit and he's biased since he's got three eyes, but hey.

Assuming that a boss fight with her, knowing how she'd let them win, would maybe have a phase where she fights out of fear or being hijacked by Thornheart?

Generally full of whimsy and curiosity for the world around them and wishes to see more of the world, and how it was before humanity fell.

@pixelcoin devil:

aggro towards most humans. Cool with creatures and other lab grown undead etc as long as they don't show aggression first

Still, anyone who could prove their worth may be shown mercy...

Kind and polite to their few closest allies

also annoyed by any fights between the bosses. much more... assertive in their ways of breaking up any discourse (read:mauling)

they get injured in the antics just as frequently though, so it balances stuff out.

a little silly. we stay silly

finds zeal and other smaller creatures cute, much to their chagrin. Especially zeal's chagrin, but he does appreciate being seen as endearing and doted upon rather than treated like some pest.

Wasn't like that at first, though. There was not a good first impression. Devil still calls him out on his bullshit now too, but he's forgiven a bit easier than most.

Also i am sure zeal is getting the (metaphorically speaking here hopefully) Webkinz Milk Plush Treatment. to be loved is to be changed.

Kuarl is not amused by this.

Strength kind of is.

Belligerent and high energy. Also a bitch to deal with when they get mad. much more violent than Blu's Devil, I assume.

A total powerhouse, often unaware of their full strength. Many an accidental energy beam shot through a wall....

Their eyes get stuck outta their head a lot. Magician is skeeved out to hell and back every time this happens but tries (and fails) not to show it as Devil often goes to him for help

Devil is a sort of tentative leader? They're treated as one of the big men on campus, yknow, but I think with their youth they may have some power struggles or find themself pushed around by the more domineering ones like Emperor or Moon.

Goatlike mannerisms but only really eats meat.

Hangedman isn't as put off by this one...for... don't know actually. Then again this Devil is more like the baby of the curien-thornheart-goldman fucked up family of all time so?? idk??

i think both the devils would manage to kind of sort of get along. hopefully. i would like them to :3c

[mrstsung]

I will die on this hill.

Ok ok so i keep seeing people be hating unnecessarily on the new shang tsung. Now he isn't the BEST shang but he's not the WORST either. In fact,he's alright. I like him. The only good thing about mk1/mk12 period. Mostly from god liu kang stans. Im not the one for this bullshit but the reasons they give are absolutely fucking stupid and can be immediately countered with by several points and potholes.

So how dare some of y'all.

For the people who say they dont feel sorry for shang tsung in mk12/mk1.

They (the god/"titans"characters) talk about choices but when it's the one they dont want them to make or have no other choice but to make to make ends meet or survive. Suddenly their the "bad guy" and made the "wrong choice"

Yeah just say you hate shang tsung because he was poor. Just say you're fucking an ableist pos and what you really wanna say.

You say shit about the new shang tsung (mk12/mk1) like you know what that would be like. Foh.

Nah i feel bad for shang. But now more so because he has legitimate reasons to hate the gods. And liu kang.

If you aint kissing boots or playing "nice" or being a "good doggie" suddenly you're the bad guy?

Shang tsung is now tge epitome of a character that if he had a genuine support system. Maybe he could have been nicer. Maybe wouldn't think about even going down a dark path.

You blame it on his past self. But if the new shang was fucked over by the gods. Whos to say he wasn't in other timelines too? If this is supposedly true.

Nah you want someone to blame to put all neatly in a box when it's not so black and white. The actor,alan lee, himself said shang tsung got fucked over by God liu kang in this game,and how could you not feel for shang even a lil bit.

Even if his other self helped fuel that. How could you not feel the same.

Shang has no choice but to steal souls in that timeline. The gods cursed him. Because they were salty. There are darker magics but somehow...shang is the problem? Shao kahn exists. Quan chi exists. But shang is the problem?

Yeah bias reeeeeeeks.

Shang tsung isn't a fucking punching bag. And I'll be damn if someone hates on a character thats supposed to be a "better the devil you know" and "i take no pleasure in this but i have to to survive" type.

Dont hate shang tsung for the shit he had to do. Hate the fucking gods that put him in that situation in the first place without genuine friends and help.

Liu kang had help. Raiden. And he takes that for granted. Never gets called in the narrative for when he does fuck up. But because shang is a "bad guy" suddenly we have to find someone to blame.

When the world of mortal kombat is brutal in the first place. Gaslighting shang tsung wont absolve liu kang for fucking up shit. Nor stop god shang tsung from (rightfully so) hating liu kang.

Shang tsung from mk12/mk1 is actually valid in being pissed. Just because you wouldn't do it. Dont mean that the character shouldn't. Or should be punished for his behavior.

Until you have been at the bottom of the barrel. Treat homeless people with respect and human decency. And know what that's like.

You can piss off with your hatred of this version of shang tsung.

Period.

I dont wanna hear a peep outta shang hatin ass jerks.

My man has done horrible shit in previous version. but holy crap he is so fucking valid this time for being pissed at liu kang this time in mk12/mk1. And i dont blame him.

So liu kang stans kick rocks. (Im not talking about those that actually have a brain. I'm talking about "those" fanboys specifically. Those "well actually *insert fave here* is better because he's swongest bestest guy here and i said so because he's the main guy and* like it's childish. Schoolyard rules. Like i love liu kang but not in this narrative,at all but mostly people who wanna suck his boots so damn bad and ignoring the shit he has done WORSE than dark raiden ever did and leaving shao kahn and quan chi alive....you know...the guys supposedly "worse" than shang tsung?! Ffs man. And it's worse because liu honestly hasn't earned a win past the very first mk game. It's just been handed to him. But especially godhood. I dont feel he's earned a damn thing and the narrative certainly hasn't made me lately feel remotely sorry. More so sorry raiden didn't discipline his bratty ass more. I feel sorry for the raiden enjoyers. Fr.)

Like bottom line. Mk12/mk1 shang tsung is poor,down on his luck,has to resort to lying because he trusts nobody. Has no friends. Has nothing. Has no other way. Even if he was honest. People would find an excuse to hate him for other reasons and excuses. Just admit that you fucking hate shang for no other reason than he's the "antagonist" and because daddy boon warner bros said you should. Go ahead lick those boots clean because there is definitely some bullshit among fans. But more so this pisses me off because the reasons they hate shang is based soley around plot. And because "bad guy" nothing actually fucking valid. Forgetting that shang tsung is just as valid(if not more because he lives under a corrupt regime)

Look i may not always see eye to eye with other shang tsimps. But one thing is for certain i won't tolerate disrespect from people who treat characters who are in the gutter in life like trash. Because i know for a fact they'd treat irl people like that.

"Evil" shang or not there is no excuse to treat him like shit because you didn't like how he did things. Because he wasn't "nice" enough for you.

And dont give me that dumb ass "tArKaT disease" subplot. You know that was horseshit. And is a disservice to mileena. That was plot convenience and you know it.

Same shit with quan chi. Tho i hate his guts,he don't deserve that. Basically treated like a slave. Wtaf nrs?! And people just accept this?! All the villains have been turned into jokes and y'all dont care. Y'all let it slide for some reason.

It's worse because this man is by all technicality an ASIAN MAN. And is othered so damn hard in the narrative it makes me sick. The amount of micro agressions i see in this game is astonishing. Fans dont help that. They just let it happen! Did y'all forget what they did to sub zero n scorpion?! They legitimately cucked hanzo and swapped clans like there isn't a difference between chinese and Japanese cultures?! It's irritating. It's more than irritating. It's infuriating. And downright disrespectful to the character,the VAs,and the fans who genuinely love the game series. New and old alike. If new fans are saying it sucks and they are taking creative liberties. That's not good. If new fans are saying the gameplay is boring and stiff and leaving the servers. Thats bad. When old fans be saying "we told you so" and saying they'd rather deal with mk11's crap despite everything. Yeah. Thats bad!

So if you even remotely call yourself a mortal kombat fan. Dont ever say shang deserves to be treated like he does in my face again! But especially mk12/mk1 shang tsung. Because that version is valid in his spite and deserves revenge. Period!

Vent over 🔥🔪🔥🔪🔥💀

"Baby,sweetie,my beloved sorcerer. You don't deserve this shit. At all"

Legitimately me the whole time seeing all of shang tsung's parts in mk12/mk1 cutscenes (like holy shit)