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aterriblethought · 5 years ago

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Acid Town fanfiction is up!

Alrighty, I finally managed to get all of the fanfiction up! You can read it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20868263 ⬅️⬅️

As a preview, here is the first chapter... sorry if the read more link doesn’t work and you have to scroll past the whole thing, orz. In my defense this is the shortest chapter.

Fire - 火災

The moment stretched out between them, punctuated by the steady beeps of machinery, the echo of footsteps out in the hallway, and the distant murmur of voices. A suffocating cloud of lily pollen from a vase under the window masked the sharp scent of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the glass and gleamed off the polished tile floor and the crisp white linens of the bed. The boy’s tiny, frail hands clenched the folds of the sheets, trembling slightly. Yuki reached out to brush the top of the boy’s brown hair, ruffling the soft locks which reflected the sunlight.

“Don’t be silly,” he said, as the boy jumped in surprise. “We’ve already been through the worst, and we both survived, didn’t we?”

Yuki pulled his hand away from the sleeping toddler, tugging a tattered and dirty blanket up to the boy’s chin. He pushed himself up, his thin arms straining to carry him. The dark air sat warm and heavy on him. Outside the thin curtains of the window he could see a haze of red and white lights in the darkness. Even late at night, he could hear the distant rumble of cars, the thrumming bass of music, the whispers of muffled voices and moans and laughter somewhere in the building. A fan droned in the corner. Occasionally there was a heavy, grunting snore. Yuki flinched and glanced sideways over at the lump of a man, Ashiei, curled on a futon on the other side of the room. Empty bottles and convenience store wrappers littered the floor around the man’s head, and the mixed stench of sweat and alcohol and semen drifted off of him and stung Yuki’s nose. Shuddering, he slipped carefully out of the blanket away from his brother and rose to his feet. He padded across the room, his bare footsteps muffled against the frayed tatami matting, until he reached the cooler air of the doorway. Somewhere in the building, a door slammed, and Yuki stumbled backwards.

The front door burst open; the thin chain that held it closed scattered its links across the floor. His mother, Tsubaki, turned to get away and stumbled into a table, scattering papers and knocking over a tea cup. Tea splashed onto the table and soaked into the papers as the cup rolled off the edge and shattered on the floor. Yuki’s grandmother shrieked and pulled him out of sight behind her, so he had to lean around her leg to see. Three men pushed their way through the door, and the room burst into chaos. Tsubaki yelled and his grandmother screamed, throwing whatever was within arm’s reach at the intruders as they struggled to subdue the two women. A man with wild black hair and a smirking grin swept the room with a piercing gaze and Yuki felt an extra burst of fear rip up his spine. He wanted to help his mother and grandmother, but his mind was screaming at him to run, run away, his mother was shouting, his grandmother was shrieking obscenities in Chinese, and without thinking he turned and ran into the other room, stubbing his toe on a futon and stumbling into a wall.

His back hit the door, and the small rapping sound it made against the wall sounded like a gunshot in the dark room, making Yuki wince. He froze, waiting, but Ashiei kept sleeping. Yuki crept out of the room into a small living space, crowded with bags of garbage and stacks of old magazines. Half-eaten takeout boxes sat atop a small, boxy TV quietly hissing static. Yuki wrinkled his nose, stepping towards the kitchen, glancing over the stained countertop piled with dishes, looking for a glass that wasn’t too dirty. He pushed a few dishes aside and grabbed a cup, peering into the cloudy liquid at the bottom in the dim red light of a fire alarm on the ceiling above his head. His reflection swam in the glass.

His reflection flashed in a mirror as he ran past the futons to the double closet, trying to ignore the shouting and screaming in the other room. With the futons still out on the floor, the right one was mostly empty; he pulled at the heavy wooden doors and made a crack just big enough to slip his small body through. Once he was inside, he slid the door closed with his bare feet, and the roar of the noise in the other room grew muffled. His head rapped against a shelf above him as he struggled to fit in the space. He rubbed the top of his head and muffled a whimper, his heart beating so loud in his chest he was sure the men in the other room had to hear it. The noise outside was growing softer; Yuki could hear a low crying he thought might be his grandmother, and the occasional slam of a cupboard being thrown open or the crash of something hitting the floor. A tense argument was going on between what sounded like his mother and one of the men. Heavy footsteps started towards him, and Yuki shrank against a pile of boxes as best he could, his heart hammering in his chest. He slapped his hands over his mouth as the footsteps stopped in front of the door. The door of the other closet was thrown open, and he winced as boxes were yanked out, books and knickknacks colliding against the floor with a thunderous roar. His heart leapt into his throat as the door to his left was kicked open, illuminating the boxes there, and he pulled his legs to his chest and willed himself to withdraw deeper into the shadows. After a moment the door slammed closed. The door in front of him was ripped open, and a flood of light stung his eyes.

Yuki closed the refrigerator door with a snap, and the kitchen was plunged back into darkness. Clutching a glass of tepid water and a half-eaten onigiri rice ball in a plastic wrapper, he tiptoed over to the couch and cleared off a pile of used tissues to make himself a space. He climbed onto the couch, pulling his legs up to his chest, and took a bite of the rice ball. The cold, sticky rice stuck to his teeth like gum. The soft glow of the television sparkled in the water of the glass in his hand. The continuous drone of static was hissing in his ears. His vision swam out of focus; he rubbed tears out of his eyes and sniffed. When the room came back into focus, he was no longer alone.

In front of him, a boy was sitting on his haunches, his head in his hands, looking up at Yuki with a bored expression. Yuki felt a momentary panic that he’d woken up his brother Jun, but after a moment he realized the boy was older than Jun, and his eyes were different. With a sinking horror, he realized the eyes he was staring back into were his own.

“Is this it?” the boy said.

Yuki turned his head down to focus on the remnants of his onigiri. Ignoring the boy worked in the past. Sometimes.

“Hey.”

Yuki continued to chew slowly, the glass trembling in his hand.

“I said, hey.”

He could see the reflection of the boy stand up in the water of the glass, and Yuki looked up to see they were now eye to eye.

“W… what do you want?” Yuki whispered.

The boy tilted his head. “What do you want? Do you want to keep living like this forever?”

Yuki tossed the empty wrapper aside and set the water glass down on the floor. “Do I have a choice?” he muttered. “I have to protect Jun.”

“Why? He isn’t even your real brother,” the boy said, and Yuki’s head snapped up to glare at him. “He’s the reason Mom’s dead.”

Yuki leaned back against the couch, folding his arms over his legs. “That’s not true.”

“Sure it is,” the boy said, and threw himself down on the couch beside Yuki, kicking his legs. “If she never had him, she’d still be alive, wouldn’t she?”

Yuki said nothing, just stared and worked his jaw. The boy sighed, and leaned forward into Yuki’s face. “We’re going to die, you know. We’re going to die just like she did.”

Yuki buried his nose in his arms. “No, we aren’t. Boys can’t have babies,” he grumbled.

The boy giggled. “If they could you would have definitely had one by now. How many men have been inside you?”

Yuki felt a wave of nausea crest over him. He rubbed his forehead in his arms and groaned. No matter how much he bathed he always felt like he could still smell them on him. His whole backside always ached.

The boy sat back, still chuckling. “We’re going to die, and they’re going to do all that to Jun, and then he’s going to die, too.”

“No…” Yuki whimpered into his knees.

The boy leapt to his feet. “Well, maybe we could still save Jun. If…” Yuki looked up. The boy’s eyes gleamed with the reflection of the TV, and a smile stretched across his face. Yuki blinked, and he was staring into the static of the TV, and the boy was gone.

He rose trembling to his feet. As he started to walk back towards the bedroom, his toes caught something metal, and it spiraled across the floor. Wincing from the pain in his toes, Yuki leaned down to pick it up. The glow of the TV screen flashed across the surface of the lighter as Yuki turned it in his hand. He stared at the blurred smear of his own reflection in the burnished metal. His thumb popped open the top of the lighter and fumbled for the flint wheel. It took a few tries turning the wheel with his shaky thumb until a spark caught the gas inside the lighter and a flame leapt from the top. Yuki watched, mesmerized, as the little flame flickered in the wake of his breath.

In the static, he could hear his screams and cries blending with those of his brother. He could hear the cackling of the men who abused them. In the swimming reflections on the lighter he could see a wash of blood, of sweat, of semen. It all blazed in the flames that would lick at their corpses after he and his brother had been squeezed of all usefulness and tossed aside in the gutter. The static intensified to a roar; the flames consumed them.

The lighter snapped shut. His trembling stopped. The sound dropped out. His head seemed to turn on his own, his body took one step, and then two, his hands pushed through the debris and garbage to find a small canister of lighter fluid. He rolled the canister in his hand and pocketed the lighter. One step, two steps, ten back to the bedroom door where Ashiei lay sleeping in a pile of empty liquor bottles and wrappers and used condoms.

Ashiei’s face appeared in the light, squinting into the darkness of the closet. He caught sight of Yuki and grinned.

The lighter fluid poured out of the bottle onto Ashiei’s blankets. As they soaked into his clothes, Ashiei grunted and turned his head into his pillow, but didn’t wake up.

Ashiei leered at him as his thumb brushed Yuki’s lips. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the good old times?” he sneered, and the bag of books Yuki was carrying dropped to the ground.

The empty bottle of lighter fluid bounced off the tatami mat. Yuki fumbled for the lighter in his pocket.

“Yukio! Don’t you forget!” Even as he ran, Tetsu leading him by the arm, he could still hear Ashiei screaming behind him. “You are hopelessly filthy! Don’t bother trying to live a clean life like a normal person!”

One click, two, and a flame burst from the lighter. He dropped the lighter, watching it spin from his hands.

A large hand reached for him and he tried to kick it away. Ashiei cursed and grabbed him by the leg, dragging him out of the closet, as his mother screamed somewhere in the other room. He yelled and hit at whatever he could reach, but Ashiei was much bigger than him. The light from the doorway danced in front of his eyes as he struggled.

The flame caught the lighter-fluid-soaked blankets and burst into vivid life. Yuki backed into the wall, as Ashiei roared awake, his confusion giving way to screams of pain. He struggled to put out the fire but it was crawling up his arm, fanning out across the bed onto the old tatami mat. The noise and the smell of smoke and burning flesh woke up Jun and he began to cry. Fear burst back into Yuki’s awareness and he rushed to Jun’s side, and his arms closed over Jun just as a hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

Ashiei dragged Yuki by the back of his shirt kicking and screaming into the living room. Yuki could see his grandmother kneeling with her head in her hands, and a man pinning Tsubaki’s arms behind her back, who was struggling to reach Yuki. With a heave, Ashiei tossed Yuki into a table; the explosion of pain silenced Yuki and he crumpled to the ground.

Yuki rolled to get away from Ashiei, trying not to crush Jun in the process. The fire that engulfed Ashiei’s hand had skipped to Yuki’s shirt, and distantly Yuki was aware of a searing pain spreading across his back. The whole room was bursting into flames now; Ashiei turned and ran for the bathroom. It was difficult to see anything other than brilliant flames and the black smoke stinging Yuki’s eyes. He hefted a sobbing Jun, slapping a hand to the toddler’s mouth to block out the smoke, and ran blindly for the front door. The fire alarm in the kitchen was flashing as the flames licked at the garbage bags and consumed the television. As Yuki ripped open the front door and skidded into the hall, a chirping, wailing siren filled the air. There was a rush of half-dressed people trying to escape the building, crushing in on him from every side.

His grandmother wailed as Tsubaki and Yuki were pulled from the room and out into the hall by the three men. It was a blur of heads peeking out of doors that snapped closed as they passed.

The crowd poured out onto the street. Yuki held Jun close as he ran past gawking onlookers, past convenience stores and massage parlors and nightclubs and soaplands, the crowds a sea of faces fixed on a distant plume of smoke and whirling flame. His legs ached, smoke burned in his lungs, and the pain in his back was so overwhelming that he made a sharp turn into a dark alleyway and collapsed to his knees, coughing, Jun tumbling from his grip. He stared down at his hands shaking in the dirt, but he could only see

Ashiei’s hands, the skin curling away from the rush of fire, the fingertips turning black

Ashiei’s hands stretched along the ground, scars peeking out behind dark gloves, a pool of blood seeping beneath his fingers from a hole in the back of his head, bits of hair and skull and brain matter floating in the blood like the blood smeared across

Yuki’s hands trembling in the dirt in front of him as Jun cried, and a fire engine siren wailed, and people shouted, and he sank down into the dirt in a haze of pain, and he didn’t see or hear or feel anything for a while.

#acid town #fanfiction

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lilmissmousey · 8 years ago

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Denial (AKA: this is soooo not a date. Prompt 92)

AU: this is the prompt given to me by the delightful @marcella-duchamp Enjoy my dear!

—

Candlelight flickered across the table, the dim light casting dark shadows across Vegeta’s sharp features. His dark brows were pulled together, fingers drumming restlessly on the wooden dinner table. The waiter had long since kept his distance, especially after he’d asked Vegeta if he was ready to order for the fourth time. If looks could burn holes the waiter would probably be nothing more than a pile of ash. He was waiting for his business associate. She was late. As always. Of course.

Punctuality was not Bulma Briefs strong suit. She was the most gorgeous thing on two legs (and he’d be damned if he EVER admitted that out loud) but hell did he hate how she always kept him waiting. They had an important business dealing to discuss and already forty minutes had been wasted. Growling, he pulled out his smart phone to see if she’d returned his last text. She hadn’t.

“Woman, I swear on everything in me I will go to your house and drag you out screaming and naked.”

He’d thought it at least made his point. Surprisingly, as he was watching the screen the response icon appeared, the tiny bubbles of her incoming text taunting him. The phone pinged with its arrival, and her answer made him roll his eyes:

“Is that a promise hot stuff? ;)”

Vegeta groaned. He HATED when she did that. He furiously text back, “Damnit Briefs you’re almost an hour late. I’ve got shit to do tonight.”

“Oh really, like what?”

His fingers stilled over the screen. She had him there. He lived alone and truth be told he would probably just watch tv and head to bed after jacking off. Bulma didn’t need to know that though. “Since when is my personal life any of your business? Just get your late ass here already. I’m fucking starving.”

“Rude. I’m speak-texting from my cars bluetooth. I’m parking right now. Order me a drink okay?”

“Gin and tonic, extra lemon.”

“You know me so well ;)”

Vegeta was slightly unnerved that he knew her favorite drink by heart. He told himself it was because that’s all she ever ordered; but that was far from the truth. Over the past year that they’d worked together, he found himself paying far much attention to her. More than he had any woman. He’d been hired as Capsule Corps private lawyer, and over the past year had worked pretty much solely with Dr. Briefs and his pesky daughter. Dr. Briefs was planning on retiring within the coming year and wanted to make sure that all of the I’s were dotted and T’s were crossed. Bulma was to be his successor and she’d be a damn good one in Vegeta’s opinion.

That is if she could be on time for once in her life.

He waved the waiter back over, the young man turning a shade of green at finally being addressed by the dark haired stranger at the corner table.

“Gin and tonic, extra lemon,” Vegeta muttered, “and make sure it’s here within the next three minutes.”

“I-I’ll see what I can do-”

A twenty dollar bill was shoved into the waiters sweaty hand, “Three. Minutes.” Vegeta punctuated, “Times ticking.”

The poor server was practically trembling, “A-anything else for you sir?”

Vegeta pondered a moment, “Whiskey, on the rocks. There’ll be another twenty if you can get those here in the two minutes and thirty-four seconds you have left.”

Quicker than Vegeta had seen anyone move, the young man dashed towards the bar, nearly running into the blue haired woman who had just walked in the door.

Blue hair…

He would tell himself it was because he stood up to quick that his heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t the tight fitting, knee length red dress she was wearing. It also wasn’t the black shawl with fur lined hood framing her face. It wasn’t the way she was shaking off her wet umbrella. And it CERTAINLY wasn’t the way she looked around the restaurant, finally catching his eyes and grinning at him.

Nope. Not those things at all.

He put on his best scowl as she approached him, the gawking stares of other men in the restaurant unabashedly watching her rear end sway with every step she took in her black heels. To his secret, guilty pleasure however she paid them no mind. She was walking towards him alone. Her sky blue eyes locked on his black, full lips still smiling just for him-

“Bout fucking time.” He snapped.

And the spell was broken.

Bulma’s face fell, that tiny line he adored appearing between her eyebrows, “Well hello to you too, grouchy.”

Inwardly he cursed himself. Having no filter was often more a curse than it was a blessing. Even though she was still frowning at him he edged around her to pull out her chair, “Was there traffic?” He asked gruffly.

“Some,” she said, removing her shawl. Vegeta took it from her and laid it on top of his coat, “I got caught up in the lab earlier. And then I wanted to make sure I looked nice for our date.”

Vegeta froze, mouth slacking. Bulma however was far more interested in the drink being placed in front of her, “Thank you!” She smiled at the server.

The whiskey was slid over to Vegeta, the waiter looking like he’d just run a marathon, “Sorry it’s a minute late sir-”

Suddenly, Vegeta could hear again. He blinked, mumbled a few choice words and handed the man another twenty dollar bill.

Bulma sucked on the lemon wedge garnishing her glass, watching the exchange with great interest. After their server was gone, she raised a brow and asked “What was that about?”

“Just making sure we got the drinks quickly.” Vegeta could feel his cheeks flushing, “Look, I’m sorry but did you call our business meeting a date?”

“Mmmhmmm,” she mumbled around the lemon wedge she was still sucking on.

Suddenly Vegeta’s neck felt hot, “Look Briefs, I don’t known how you’ve deluded yourself into thinking this was anything but a meeting between two coworkers, but this is so not a date.”

He was never quite sure how she did it, but Bulma always had this way of looking right through him. Being a good lawyer meant having a good poker face, and Vegeta always had believed his was the best in the business. It’s how he acquired his own law firm at 25 and had been successful ever since. But this infuriating woman could see through him as easy as a pane on glass.

She removed the lemon wedge from her lips, smirk causing the corner of her mouth to turn up, “Really?”

“Yes woman,” Vegeta hissed, “not every single man in the world has to fall at your feet. Your imagination is almost as big as your ego.”

Frowning, Bulma dropped the drained lemon wedge on her napkin, “Hey no need to get nasty. Usually when you call me to a business meeting it’s at the lab. Not some swanky restaurant. Forgive me for assuming this was supposed to be something else.” She dropped her eyes back to the table, grabbing a complimentary piece of bread from the basket.

Vegeta exhaled through his nose. He and his big mouth. She had him there. When he needed to talk to her about something he would usually catch her in the lab. He wasn’t lying when he said he had business things to discuss, but well…

He sighed, then reached out and grabbed the back support of her dinner chair, dragging the whole piece of furniture and Bulma closer to him. It made an obnoxious scraping noise, but he really didn’t care. When she was within whispering range, he leaned over and muttered, “Sorry.”

Her eyelashes were so long he realized as they blinked at him, the crinkles beside her eyes betraying her smile, “It’s alright tough guy.”

Vegeta allowed himself a small lip twitch. That is until a shaky voice on the other side of the table asked, “Are you ready to order-”

It was Bulma who spoke when she realized Vegeta’s jaw muscle had tensed, “Just get us whatever the specials are tonight; he will have a beef item, rare and I’ll have chicken if it’s available.”

The waiter, as if sensing his impending doom slowly backed away, not fully turning until he’d reached the kitchen.

Bulma pinched Vegeta’s cheek, “Could you please try and not eat the wait staff? Poor guy looks like he’s about to pee his pants.”

Vegeta pulled his face away from her fingers, “it would serve that obnoxious little shit right. He’s worse than a flea.”

“Vegeta,” she warned, “please be nice. For once?”

“Tch.” He scowled and pulled out his phone, pulling up the business documents he needed to go over with her, “Whatever.”

Bulma sighed, and then took a sip of her gin and tonic, “In any case, you look nice. I like you in navy. I’ve never seen that sweater before; is it new? Sure this isn’t a date?”

Vegeta felt his blood pressure rising, the sweater was in fact new, “Woman please…”

“Just saying, you invite me to dinner which you’ve never done before…”

“Briefs I swear-”

“And you’re dressed like a GQ model with that tight navy sweater and black pants…”

“Please stop talking now-”

“And you took my shawl for me…”

“I am never being nice to you again.”

“You even know my favorite drink,”

“It’s all you ever have when you drink alcohol.”

“Pretty good memory if you ask me.”

Vegeta scowled, cheeks burning bright red, “Anyways, here are the documents your father wanted you to look over.” He slid his phone to her, “when you stop talking maybe we can actually get some work done.”

Bulma sighed, then picked up the phone, “Fine, fine. Maybe you should start drinking. You’d be more fun then.”

Eyes narrowed, Vegeta picked up his highball and took a sip. Bulma’s gaze danced across the screen of his phone, finger brushing up so she could read the rest of the document. They were both silent for several minutes when he saw Bulma’s eyes widen.

“What?” He asked.

She flipped the phone around, and Vegeta was horrified to see she was in his pictures folder. The image now on the screen was her, bent over in the lab studying a blueprint. Her long blue hair piled on top of her head and held in place with a pen, face concentrated on whatever she was looking at.

Vegeta paled. He’d taken that the other day and obviously without her consent. She’d called him to say she’d bought him a sandwich and invited him down to eat. Vegeta never turned down food, or a chance to be with her whenever possible. She’d soon forgotten her own sandwich, getting wrapped up in her own brilliant mind and began redesigning a space pod. He watched her in content silence and thought she’d never looked more beautiful. So he secretly took a picture, obviously never imagining she would see it.

And now Bulma was staring at him with a confused expression and he guilty snatched the phone from her hand, shoving it in his pocket and looking away, “We’re done here.”

“Vegeta-”

He made a movement to get up, but stilled momentarily when he felt her grab his hand, “Vegeta, stop it.” She insisted, “Can you quit trying to run away and talk to me?” The fingers on his hand tightened, and he slowly felt his resolve waning. What was he supposed to say? What did she want him to say? That she was right? Because she was, partly. He’d wanted to impress her, not necessarily on purpose but he figured having her alone for once might help. However, he was just a lawyer and former street kid. He’d brought himself up from nothing; had survived by the skin of his teeth doing less than legal things and the only thing that spurred him on was his pride.

She was the complete opposite. Bulma’s family was wealthy and she was used to the best things in life. She could have anyone she wanted. What chance did he have with her? Why was he even trying? Eyes closed tightly, he made the hardest decision of his life and snatched his hand away and stormed out the door as Bulma looked on, hurt; the food just being brought out and laid onto the table.

The channels on the television flipped robotically, Vegeta not really watching anything. It had been a bad night. Already stripped out of that new sweater, he sat on the couch shirtless and in sweat pants. How could he face her in the morning? He’d already drafted a resignation letter, more than prepared to walk in and slam it down on her desk right when he walked through Capsule Corps door.

Temper flaring, he pitched the remote into the wall. The flimsy plastic broke apart, batteries flying across the room. He was such an idiot. He’d just ruined the best thing in his life in less than an hour. Vegeta supposed he could easily open his firms doors again and pray his reputation wouldn’t be too soiled, but the promise of a paycheck was the furthest thing from his mind. All he really wanted was her, pressed up against his side as the two of them watched television together. His damn pride was his biggest asset and hinderance sometimes.

A light knock came on his front door.

His head turned slightly, brows furrowing. Who the hell would be knocking on his door at ten o clock at night? Beside him, his phone buzzed, the preview of a text flashing across he lock screen:

“Hey, open the door.”

It was Bulma’s name. His jaw tightened, hand twitching as he fought the urge to reply.

Bzz: “VEGETA, come on. Please?”

He exhaled through his nose and stormed to the door, throwing it open. There she was. Still in her red dress and shawl, a takeout bag in hand and his coat draped over her arm. She blinked, eyes roaming over his heavily muscled bare chest, “Oh, uh, hi.”

Forearm pressed against the doorframe, he sighed, “What is it Briefs?”

Bulma cleared her throat, trying in vain to take her eyes off his muscles, “Uh, you forgot your jacket. And I got the food to go. Maybe we can eat it here and talk?”

“About what?”

Scowling, Bulma pushed past him and into the living room, “Please, can we not play this game anymore? It’s getting old.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes, but followed her to the couch where she had already started laying out the food on his coffee table, “Woman, this really isn’t neces-”

“I didn’t know you did jujitsu!” She interrupted, skittering off to look at a picture on his wall, “Wow! That explains the muscles. It looks like your standing with a big trophy! But who’s that spikey haired guy with the bigger trophy -”

“Bulma,” Vegeta hissed, “what the fuck are you doing here? It’s late. I’m tired. And we have work in the morning.”

She turned, hands on her hips, “You should have thought about that before you ran away from our date!”

“For the love of…Bulma it wasn’t a date.”

“Who do you think you’re fooling?” Within a few steps she was in front of him, blue eyes burning into him, “Why would you invite me out to dinner? Why would you buy a new sweater? It still had the price tag on the back collar, so don’t even pretend like you’ve had it forever. And why was there a picture of me in your phone?”

“Why the fuck were you going through my pictures anyway?” He growled, “You’re looking far into it Briefs.”

Bulma’s sighed, “You’re hopeless. You know that right?”

“It’s for the best.” He said coldly, “I have nothing to offer you anyway.”

“You.”

“What?”

Small tears were beginning to brim in Bulma’s eyes, “There’s you. You’re smart, and cunning and even funny in you’re own weird way. I see when we’re in public places and you look only at me. And when we’re in crowds you put your hand on the small of my back because you know I’ll get lost.”

Vegeta swallowed, suddenly feeling a stirring within himself. An uncomfortable, ripped open sensation.

Bulma continued, reaching out and touching Vegeta’s sharp cheekbone, “I know how much work you have, but still you come visit me in the lab. You let me drunk text you and you always answer, even at three in the morning. Even if it’s snarky I don’t care, because it’s you. I wish you could see what I see when you look at me. Because it’s wonderful; you’re wonderful.”

Vegeta stood frozen, mind playing catch up with what she was saying, “So, you…think I’m tolerable?”

Choking out a laugh, Bulma nodded, “More often than not. But even when your an asshole I like you.”

“You, like me?”

“Yes.”

Vegeta blinked, “So…”

Bulma rolled her eyes, “Geeze Vegeta, do I have to spell it out for you?”

“Spell what?”

Bulma wrapped both arms arms around his neck, and dragged his face down to meet hers.

#vegeta x bulma #vegebul #vegeta #bulma #fluffy #au #lawyer Vegeta #scientist Bulma #romance #writing prompt #fanfiction writing #fanfiction #fanfic #mouse wrote a fic #dbz #dragon ball super #dragon ball z #dbsuper

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infotainmentplus-blog · 7 years ago

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Here are all the Samsung Good Lock 2018 features and what they do Samsung Good Lock 2018 is here and it brings a ton of options for customizing the UI of your Samsung phone. After first being unveiled in Korea last week, it has now received a U.S. release and it should work using any Samsung device running Android 8.0 or higher. Download Good Lock 2018 Good Lock 2018 lets you change your lock screen, quick settings menu, task changer window, and more. Good Lock doesn’t work on its own though. Instead, it works as a space to download and access other apps that control the customization. The main apps that work with Samsung Good Lock 2018 are LockStar, QuickStar, Task Changer, and Routines. There are also four extra recommended apps: EdgeLighting +, Edge Touch, One-Hand Operation Plus, and Sound Assistant. While Good Lock isn’t required for these extra apps to work, it does make it easy to access them. Here is a look at what each of the Samsung Good Lock apps does. LockStar: Lock screen customization LockStar lets you customize your phone’s lock screen. It brings plenty of options including the ability to change the following: Lock screen background: There are plenty of preloaded options on the app or you can choose a picture from your gallery. Clock type: You can choose from nine different styles of clock. Which items show up on the lock screen. Which app shortcuts appear on the lock screen: You can choose up to six. Placement: As well as options for what you want to appear on your lock screen, you can also choose how you want everything to be placed. Once you have customized the lock screen to your liking, you then click apply and it will take over from the default lock screen. You can also save numerous lock screens in case you like to switch them around in different situations. I had a lot of fun choosing customization options and I especially like the analog-style clock face that you can see in the screenshot above. See also: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus deep-dive review: Best of the best QuickStar: Further customizations QuickStar contains three features: Coloring, Simple Indicator, and Notification Multi-Window. Coloring Coloring lets you adjust the appearance of the quick settings menu at the top of your phone. This solves the problem of what to do when your wallpaper doesn’t match the quick settings menu. Options for customization include the ability to change the background color and transparency of the menu, the color of the icons, and the blur and dim effects. It’s super simple to use and it doesn’t take much playing around to end up with a color scheme you are going to be happy with. It is also possible to save numerous different color profiles if you like to switch things around a lot. Simple Indicator Simple indicator lets you choose which functions show on the status bar at the top of your screen. It’s not the most useful feature but it can be nice if you find that things get too cluttered at the top of your phone. Personally, I left everything on as I like to know what is turned on in the background of my phone. Notification Multi-Window Notification Multi-Window is a nice feature that gives you the option to open apps in a multi-window view directly from the notification. You simply swipe to the right on the notification to see the multi-window icon alongside the default notification settings icons. I found the feature to be especially useful for when I wanted to check out a notification without stopping what I was doing on my phone. It is probably the Good Lock feature that I use the most often and it makes quickly replying to messages super easy. Task Changer: A stylish upgrade to the task-changer menu Task changer is a cool feature that switches out the default task changer for an updated version with lots of fancy, customizable animations. It also has a mode that puts the menu in the lower half of the screen which should make it easier to use with one hand. As with the default task changer, you can drag and drop apps to enter the multiscreen or popup window modes. While the extra functionality isn’t a massive change, the update looks flashier than the existing task changer. See also: Android P: The top features you need to know Routines: An easy way to set your phone up for different situations Routines lets you set up profiles that automatically turn on pre-determined settings at certain times or during specific situations. For example, you could make a nighttime mode that turns on Do Not Disturb and the red light filter before you go to bed. You can also set profiles using many different conditions including when you are at a specific location, when you have headphones connected, when your phone hits a specific battery level, and when you are connected to WiFi. Other Samsung Good Lock integrations The four extra recommended apps that you can access through the Samsung Good Lock app are EdgeLighting+, Edge Touch, One Hand Operation+, and Sound Assistant. EdgeLighting+ EdgeLighting+ lets you customize the edge lighting that shows when you get a notification. You can change the animation effect, color, transparency, and width of the edge lighting effect. It’s not super useful, but it is a nice option to have. I definitely prefer the colorful edge lighting setup in the screenshot above to the default one. Edge Touch Edge Touch lets you set up and customize zones around the edges of your phone that won’t respond to touches. One complaint about Samsung’s Infinity Display is that it is too easy to accidentally press the screen when holding a phone. If this happens to you a lot, setting up a zone on Edge Touch should put a stop it. You can adjust the length and thickness of the edge zones. One Hand Operation+ One Hand Operation+ lets you control your device using gestures with your thumb. It places a bar on the edge of your display, which, when swiped across, either brings up the navigation menu or works as the back button. It’s actually really responsive and definitely made my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 a lot easier to use with one hand. Editor's Pick Android smartphones with the best battery life (March 2018) Some people might think that the most important feature in a smartphone is its display size. Others believe it comes down to a phone's processor performance, or the amount of RAM, or how much storage … Sound Assistant Sound Assistant lets you customize sound settings on your phone. I’ve been using it for a while to turn down the volume on certain apps when I use a particularly loud set of headphones. It can also be used to make it so that the volume buttons control the media volume, not the notification volume, and switch it so that when headphones are connected, alerts only come through the headphones. Wrap up Samsung Good Lock 2018 brings lots of customization options to your phone. Some I really liked, such as the Notification Multi Window, and some I don’t think I’ll use much, such as the Simple Indicator settings. I doubt there are many people who won’t find at least something that they will use on their device. If you are interested in customizing your Samsung phone and want an easy way to do so, then give Samsung Good Lock 2018 a try. Next up: 15 best Android launcher apps of 2018 , via Android Authority http://bit.ly/2yx1VGY

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josephlrushing · 4 years ago

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The LG Velvet Is a Stylish Phone with a Versatile Dual-Screen Case Option

If there is one thing that 2020’s new tech has shown us, folding screens and dual screens are a popular feature that people want, even if they aren’t always affordable. Smartphones that can seemingly do it all are de rigueur, and sometimes it takes more than just a single screen to make that happen. The 5G LG Velvet starts as an agile, fashionable, and versatile Android smartphone; the addition of its optional and removable Dual Screen case provides a second display for those times when you need a phone that can do more.

I’m going to focus on the AT&T version of the LG Velvet that I received for review, but the Velvet is also available for T-Mobile and Verizon customers. Depending upon which carrier you purchase from, the LG Velvet will come in Aurora Gray, Aurora Silver, Aurora Red, and Pink White; my review unit came in Aurora Silver.

There’s not much included in the box. Inside, you’ll find the phone, a wall charger (labeled “fast charge”), a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, a quick-start guide, a booklet with info on product safety and the warranty, and a flyer with how to turn your phone into a digital wallet with LG Pay on one side and information on how to get a second year added to your limited warranty with registration and an upload of your purchase receipt on the other.

The LG Velvet measures 6.6″ tall by 2.95″ wide by 0.33″ thick, and it weighs 6.2 ounces. The phone is quite tall and very thin, with a 6.8″ FHD+ OLED Display (2460 x 1080; 395 ppi) with a 20.5:9 aspect ratio and an uninspiring 60Hz refresh rate. It fits quite well in my hand, but the Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which covers its front and back, is very slick (and a fingerprint magnet) without a case. The glass edges on the front are quite curved, and the display wraps subtely down the long sides; a metal frame holds the glass pieces in place. The overall effect is stylish and sharp. The phone is gorgeous and striking; the back glass reflects light so beautifully, as you will soon see. The Velvet isn’t a flagship phone, per se, but it looks and, for the most part, feels like one.

There’s a 4mm black border at the top and bottom of the display with a 1mm black border on each of the sides. A single front-facing 16-megapixel camera lens dips down from the upper border at the center top of the display. If the lens hole bothers you, LG allows you to set a solid black status bar that stops just below the camera display, but doing so puts an 8mm black border at the top of your screen, and it only works with LG apps anyway, so don’t bother. There is a sizeable in-screen fingerprint reader (it’s been about 95% accurate in my use), but no facial recognition. The Velvet’s display is crisp and very bright, and I had no trouble seeing the display outside. The display dims nicely at night with a Comfort View blue light filter that you can manually set; you can also schedule it to come on from sunset to sunrise, or you can set specific times for it to activate. If you prefer to run your phone in dark mode, LG offers the option to do so. You can also set the otherwise bright white screens to go into dark mode from sunrise to sunset or between specific times. LG also offers the option of an always-on display, and they have an excellent selection of clocks and cute creatures (some animated) with which to personalize.

On top of the phone, there is a microphone and a combination SIM and microSD tray. The LG Velvet comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB user memory (On the AT&T version, about 97GB of that is available to the user from the start), and it can accept up to a 2TB memory card. Because I received the AT&T version, it came preloaded with a vast selection of software, including games I won’t play, premium television services that I don’t pay for, and all of the standard AT&T apps. Some of the preloaded apps can be deleted, including HBO Max, Amazon Shopping, NBA, Bleacher Report, Pandora, Candy Crush Saga, three versions of Solitare, DirecTV, Wish, SmartNews, Gold Fish, NewsBreak, Great Big Story, Puto TV, and Coin Master. But many — like most of the AT&T apps, DC universe, CNN, GOT: Conquest, AT&T ProTech, Booking.com, The CW, and Facebook can only be disabled, meaning they are hidden from showing on the phone, but they are still using ROM. After deleting all the non-LG apps that came preloaded to see what would now be available, I had 98.78GB free.

On the left side, there are two volume buttons and a dedicated Google Assistant button.

On the right side, there is a power button.

On the bottom, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB Type-C port, a microphone, and a speaker.

On the back, there are elegantly descending lenses in this order: a 48-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera, and a 5-megapixel ToF (time of flight) sensor followed by an LED flash. I like this simple design, as it is less obnoxious than the square and rectangular camera arrays so many device makers have embraced. The LED flash and the bottom two cameras sit flush with the Velvet’s back, and there is a ~1mm protruding ring around the top lens.

SO SHINY!!!

Let’s take a look at some sample photos; I thought the LG did a good job capturing the water lily display in San Angelo. The zoom photos can get grainy, but it’s to be expected.. (Click any picture to open a larger view slideshow.)

The LG Velvet runs Android 10 with LG’s Velvet UI skin running on top; I’ve had several updates arrive since I had the phone with the most recent being on September 24th. The UI is fine; it’s not too heavily overloaded with weird “features,” and I genuinely appreciate that swiping right on the home screen still brings up Google News (unlike the travesty forced on Samsung users to choose Samsung Daily or … nothing, for instance). However, there are still some head-scratching additions to the system; one of them is the annoying reminder not to remove the (non-removable) battery. I mean, when was the last time a smartphone’s battery was removable? Is someone out there actually still trying to do this?

One addition that Samsung Note admirers might like that the LG Velvet works with an active stylus (like this one), but because I don’t have one and my review unit didn’t include one, I wasn’t able to test that feature. It’s just as well, though; there’s no place to store a stylus, so it would just be an extra piece of gear to carry, and I am not sure how often I would use it anyway.

I like that the Velvet supports WiFi calling, as my network coverage at home can be spotty; this is one of those things that is a deal-breaker for me when considering whether a phone could be my primary or not. We don’t have 5G in my area, so I could not test how well it did or didn’t perform with that type of network.

The phone may look and feel like a flagship, but it runs the mid-to-higher-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 5G Mobile Platform. While the Velvet is capable and zippy enough most of the time (opening web pages, playing games, opening apps, etc.), there have been some odd stalls — like when I scroll on certain web pages or when trying to take a photo with HDR.

Battery life has been surprisingly good; even though the Velvet is a thinner phone, it has a 4,300mAh Li-Ion battery that lasts for about 8 hours of semi-solid use for me. The phone has Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0+ and wireless charging, so that’s convenient when it is time to top off.

One thing I was disappointed in was the removal of the excellent Hi-Fi Quad DAC digital-to-analog converter feature that higher-end LG phones utilize when headphones are plugged in. If you usually use Bluetooth headphones, you likely won’t even miss it. Still, I always felt it was a wired-headphone feature that set LG phones apart and that LG made the most of, especially considering that they were one of the few phone makers still including a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Worth noting is that the LG Velvet is IP68 Certified & MIL-STD 810G Passed, so it’s dust, water, and shock-resistant, which is useful for those who like to bring their phone to the pool or hot tub. This is an underrated feature until it is needed, and then it’s something to be thankful for once an accident or dunking occurs.

Like several models of higher-end LGs before it, the Velvet offers the option of adding a Dual Screen Case to give the user an extra display for enhanced multitasking. Unlike the reflective front on the LG V60’s Dual Screen Case, the front of the LG Velvet’s Dual Screen Case is matte silver with a shiny black cover display; the cover display activates when you lift the phone or press the power button, and it shows the time, date, battery status, and various notifications without having to open the case to check the phone. The Dual Screen Case adds considerable weight and bulk to the otherwise svelte Velvet. With the phone installed in the case, it will now measure 6.9″ tall by 3.4″ wide by 0.6″ thick, and it weighs 10.8 ounces; it is only slightly thinner and lighter than the V60’s Dual Screen Case, but it feels perceptively sleeker in hand.

The benefit of adding this extra bulk to your LG Velvet is, of course, the addition of a second 6.8″ OLED FHD Display. On it, you can operate completely separate apps than those you are running on the main screen. I went into heavy detail on the functions and uses of the second screen in my V60 review, but suffice it to say that it is convenient for having a separate area to chat in another app, for instance, when you are in the middle of a Zoom call. It is also handy for checking email when you are watching a video, or pulling up multiple news sources when researching something. When you’re using the Dual Screen features, you can swap screens from the main to the second screen, you can put the main screen to sleep, or you can turn off the Dual Screen completely. The Dual Screen case folds 360º so you can fold the second screen behind the main screen when you need to reply to emails or answer texts with both thumbs; it’s a bit difficult to manage actual keying when the Dual Screen case is open unless you are proficient at typing with your pointer fingers.

Even though there is no camera in the Dual Screen Case’s display, there is a matching black circle where the camera appears on the main display.

As they did on the V60, LG opted to connect the case to Velvet via a built-in USB Type-C charger on the inside of the Dual Screen Case rather than using POGO pins inside the case with an open charging port on the bottom as LG had on the V50. The Dual Screen Case does drain the battery significantly faster than when using the Velvet alone, So you need to be mindful of that when using it.

The design of the case necessitates using an included white dongle that clips onto your regular USB Type-C charging cable and then magnetically attaches to the charging pins on the bottom of the Dual Screen Case.

The optional Dual Screen Case is not necessary, but it is nice to have when you do want it. And when you don’t need it, you can remove it and carry the LG Velvet on its own

If you buy the LG Velvet outright at AT&T, it will cost $599, but if you make the 30-month AT&T installment payments at $10 per month, it is just $300, which makes it an excellent deal. For $300, you’ll get a gorgeous IP68 5G phone with a large, brilliant screen, a decent camera, a fast processor, wireless charging, and the ability to add the Dual Screen Case with a second display for $200 more. That makes the LG Velvet a compelling choice; if better multitasking is what you need from your phone, you’ll likely love it.

The LG Velvet is available from AT&T ($599.99), Verizon ($699.99), and T-Mobile ($588). The LG Dual Screen Case for the AT&T and Verizon versions of the LG Velvet is available separately for $199.99. You can learn more about the LG Velvet here.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: 5G support; 3.5mm headphone jack; The LG Velvet’s design is gorgeous and svelte; The screen is brilliant; You can add a microSD card to expand storage; The Dual Screen case is easy to activate, personalize, and control; Excellent battery life (when not using the Dual Screen case); IP68 dust and water-resistance; Battery life is very good; Wireless charging: LG Velvet works with an active stylus (but there is no place to store it if you have one)

What Needs Improvement: The LG Velvet has a 60Hz screen refresh rate in a time when some even mid-tier phones are offering higher; Battery life takes a considerable ding when running both screens; No face-ID; Phone stutters at times; The Hi-Fi Quad DAC digital-to-analog converter feature usually found on high-end LG phones when using wired headphones is not present

The post The LG Velvet Is a Stylish Phone with a Versatile Dual-Screen Case Option first appeared on GearDiary.

from Joseph Rushing https://geardiary.com/2020/09/25/the-lg-velvet-is-a-stylish-phone-with-a-versatile-dual-screen-phone-option/

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