#predicting him to get a cup is BOLD work lol

[muirneach]

ok because here me out, denis as a left winger bc ofc he is, the biggest menace known to man he fr is tk's and connor garlands love child I can see it. has the most WONDERFUL chirps, admins are always trying to get him mic'ed up because he truly is one of the peoples hockey men. he'd be great as a flyer but I feel vancouver or seattle would suit him as well. literally the goalies boyfriend (regardless of the team) all 6'1 of him WILL try to fight like fuckin 6'9 rempe, most def has a specific grudge w the rangers/habs/blues -> blues are the odd one out no one really knows what his beef is w them.

I feel like he would get a cup maybe a few years before he retires but yeah....

i am envisioning this and i am enjoying it. yes correct peoples princess left winger denis that is him. he is such a chirper he really really missed his true calling. hes so scrawny i would love to see him actually drop the gloves. you are so so right about goalie boyfriendism. also yes hes a toronto man so of course he has beef with the habs (tho felix is a habs fan btw 😔 alas)

[seokgyuu]

My commentary on: Here comes the Sun after catching up >.< Part Dos

Chapter 7: I cannot with the 98s groupchat, please “strangers to lovers au”💀 seungkwan and chan casually talking about yns tweet has me dying, but I love seungkwan and Vernon’s different approaches to getting chan to ask YN out ㅠㅠ NOT HIM CALLING HER A GOOD GIRL BYE😭 I love how the 96s are just going in on YN over her texts with chan but I knew Woozi felt some type of way and I know wonwoo texted him and that’s on context clues🕵🏽

Chapter 8: I KNEW WONWOO JAD A FUCKING CRUSH ON HER TOO I KNEW IT but he’s so tragic like that’s noble of you to give up your crush for your friend but dang that’s angsty. She slapped cheol and struck fear into him we love that lol also her and Soonyoung bonding is so cute and fun

Chapter 9: DINOO YOU ARE BOLD💀 also Soonyoung stop please my sanity can’t EITH your jokes I’m smiling hysterically at my screen-.- they’re going on a date ahhh. Also YN is such a dumbass “take me out” in what context would be the other way😭 but Jihoon coping with his crush by being passive aggressive 💔😭

Chapter 10: Joshua please stop and let your true self show for once for Jeonghan’s sanity🤡 I love how invested the oldies are in yns business to the point where they’re dropping what they’re doing to go get the tea straight from her on her dinner with Soonyoung. Such a ride or die friend group😭

Chapter 11: of course we start the chapter with JiHan bickering lol and cheol has to mediate between them😭but Wonwoo is such a good friend to Woozi consoling him about his crush crushing on another man and going on a date with him. Idk I like how their crush on tan made them bond it’s kind of touching like you can tell wonwoo really cares and wants Woozi to be happy :(

Chapter 12: I love how the plot just TAKES A TURN lmaaoo😭💀 it was so refreshing to see the 97s again after only appearing at the beginning of the story!! As a fellow caffeine drinker I feel personally victimized by wonwoo help but I still love him though he’s just being caring 😭 also Mingyu developing a crush on Yn is so juicy and chaotic especially when chan is also his friend?!

HELLO i am sorry i fell asleep last night before I could answer 🥹. but let’s dive right into it!!!

the 98s… a different bunch fr, and the good girl … just spot on chan, like… damn. you are such a good detective i swear you’re gonna fade through this predicting all the twists and turns 😭😭

wonwoo is in fact a tragic little man. he is very selfless i guess, or is he? ig that will show with time 💃🏼. he does have his reasons and jihoon doesn’t know them so he is just like ??? dude tf. soonyoung and her friendship is so cute, but tbf all her friendships with the 96s boys are special in their own little way 🥹.

the take me out was SOOO 👎🏼 like obv he won‘t k word you, yn 😭 get a grip!!! but at least she is going on a date with him you know, like that’s her DREAM. only took her absolutely embarrassing herself for that to happen 🤡.

gonna be honest, joshua had a good start and now the 95 presence is getting weak i need to give them some more screentime JFJD if only to have joshua swear or smth and have everyone shook. omg the insta posts that day were so fun but also a pain in the ass i won’t even lie 😭 so much work, but it was worth it 💞 lmao jfjd.

cheol is indeed jihans mediator i think without him there would be blood. and yes as mentioned before wonwoo is a selfless dude and he just wants jihoon to be happy :( too bad jihoon is veeeery sure yn would never look at him that way 💔.

AAAAND we‘ve gotten to the thickening of the plot 👀. ah yes the appearance of one handsome kim mingyu, what a moment. and yo i am also a coffee or well caffeine addict i has three cups of coffee and two cans of energy drink last night the fact i fell asleep and did not have a heartattack instead js actually a miracle and should be medically investigated fr. and yes mingyu liking yn and chan liking yn… yn such a popular girly without even knowing it (yet).

thank you again for this amazing commentary, this makes the start of my day perfect 🩷🩷🩷

[rawrroarart]

Words and Chess

[Little Witch Academia, Diana and Andrew friendship]

Diana and Andrew simultaneously play a game of chess and a word game.

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I have really bad writers block (sry ppl expecting something else lol) so I wanted to write this little thing for fun. No post on ffnet cause its more of a short brain candy oneshot and we’ll just see how it does here. Their game of chess is literally from googling ‘best chess game of all time’ but I cant link it because then my post will get deleted for some reason as well as trying to tag it as my work so...

BTW ITS NOT IMPORTANT IF YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY CHESS OR NOT because I sure don't n honestly don't care whats going on during it

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“Ambitious.”

Delicate pale fingers picked up the first white pawn piece, moving it from its starting position of E2 to E4. Diana confidently smiled at her competitor, sitting back in her chair as she picked up her teacup and its accommodating saucer and took a sip. The simple game of chess had begun.

Andrew hummed at the move with interest, as if already predicting the outcome in his head. There was no hesitance as his hand grabbed the black pawn at D7 and moved it simply a space forward to D6. He, too, haughtily grabbed his own teacup with pride and a small smirk, answering back without missing a beat,

“Baffling.”

Diana nodded knowingly, placing her teacup down to move a pawn in D2 up to D4. Her finger traced against the tip of the pawn in thought despite her chess move having been finalized. She decided on her answer from the many to choose from, and responded,

“Courageous.”

A light spring breeze weaved its way through their hair, and the two of them relaxed at the scent of the nearby field of flowers and their steamed cups of tea. They sat in a similar manner, perhaps in intimidation to match their already bold confidence. Being the first of the two, Andrew took his knight piece at G8 and placed it onto F6.

“Determined.”

Diana paused at the move, taking another sip from her cup as she took her similar knight piece at B1, and matched the movement to C3.

“Energetic.”

“...Fiery?” Black pawn at G7 to G6.

“Genuine.” Diana boldly took her bishop from C1 to E3.

Andrew leaned forward for a better look at the board, finishing his first cup of tea for the game and placing it down along with its saucer to the table. He rubbed his chin in thought, carefully taking his own bishop from F8 and safely moving it to G7.

“Hassle…” He said with a shake of his head and an exhausted sigh.

Diana stifled a laugh as if she understood, pouring him a fresh new cup from the teapot to their side. She held onto her chin as she stared at the board, then looked up to the sky in hopes for inspiration. Mouthing a few words to weigh her options, she held her Queen at D1 idly in the air and decided on her choice. Diana moved her Queen forward to D2 and ended her turn.

“Interesting.”

“Joyful.” Pawn at C7 to C6.

“Kindhearted.” Pawn at F2 to F3. Diana poured herself another cup of tea.

“Lively” Pawn at B7 to B5.

“Mischievous.” Knight at G1 to E2

“Nosy.” Knight at B8 to D7

Diana hummed, taking the last sip of her tea as her eyes calculated the game before them. She poured them both a new cup without ever taking away her focus from the board and picked up her Bishop at E3. Offering her full attention towards him, Diana moved her piece all the way up to H6, directly next to many of his pieces without breaking eye contact.

“Optimistic.” She picked back up her teacup, daring him to make the next move.

Andrew didn’t back down from the provocation, staring at her curiously as if to wonder her motives. Interested in her plan, he went along with it, picking up his Bishop directly diagonal to her recently placed one and moved it forward from G7 to H6, taking her piece.

“Peculiar.” He finished, satisfied as he held up the first lost piece of the game.

Momentarily, Diana looked troubled, but her attention was not at the board at all. She picked up her Queen at D2 without hesitance yet struggled to make her move despite the two aware of what exactly she needed to do. Perking up as if her thoughts had concluded, she moved her Queen to H6, taking the black Bishop that had taken her own.

“Quarrelsome.”

Andrew nodded at both her movement and her response.

“Radiant.” Bishop at C8 to B7.

“Surprising.” Pawn at A2 to A3.

“Teasable.” Pawn at E7 to E5.

“Unique.” Diana castled her Rook at A1 with her King at E1, moving them to D1 and C1 respectively.

“Valiant.” Andrew moved his Queen at D8 to E7.

Diana poured them both another cup of tea.

“Warmhearted.” King at C1 to B1.

Andrew scratched his head in frustration. He ignored the smirk in front of him, toying with the white bishop in his hand to help his thought process. Taking another drink to aid in his search, Andrew instead turned to the side where a large grassy field and a connecting hill laid, and suddenly came the answer he was looking for as he moved his Pawn at A7 to A6.

“Xenodochial.” He smugly smiled, holding his teacup in the air as if to toast before taking another sip.

Diana frowned at the word, staring at the chess board and the field in hopes for inspiration. She hadn’t expected Andrew to be able to move forward, but there was no surprise anyway as she picked up her Knight at E2 and moved it back towards herself at C1.

“Youthful…?”

Andrew sighed, placing his elbows onto his legs to rest his chin against his hands now folded together. He grabbed his Rook at A8 and his King at E8, castling them by moving the Rook to D8 and King to C8.

“Zealous.”

“Accepting.” Knight at C1 to B3.

“Bewitching.” Andrew grinned at the frown he earned in response, moving his Pawn at E5 to D4 and taking the white Pawn previously there.

“Charming.” Diana said sharply, moving her Rook at D1 to D4 to take the Pawn that had taken her piece. She poured them both another cup of tea.

“Dramatic…” Pawn from C6 to C5.

“Emotional…” Diana moved her Rook from D4 back to D1.

“Fearless.” Knight from D7 to B6.

“Goofy.” Pawn at G2 to G3.

They ignored the screaming in the background as the two pondered over the same chess board in front of them. Taking a sip from their own teacups at the same time as if the screaming wasn’t their business, the two focused on the two games they had been playing simultaneously.

“Hotheaded.” Andrew moved his King from C8 to B8.

When Diana picked up her Knight at B3, she was forced to stop as the screaming became even louder. Her and Andrew turned their heads to the side at the field, watching as Diana’s brown hounds ran past at impeccable speed with a pair of shoes in their mouth. What followed was the source of the loud disruption as Akko came rolling down the hill headfirst after tripping, her white socks now covered in grass and mud.

The two didn’t move as Akko tumbled down the hill until her face planted into the ground at the end, and she even slid about a foot forward from the force. And Akko just laid there as if she were unconscious while the dogs came running back to circle her in enjoyment. “HEY!” Akko burst up from the floor completely covered in dirt and bloody scrapes, struggling to get back up as the dogs tauntingly ran away with her shoes once more. “I PLAYED WITH YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT ME?! COME BACK HERE!” She was back to chasing them, slipping some more in some mud as she tried.

Diana and Andrew took another sip of their drinks, and Diana placed her idle piece into A5.

“Idiot.”  They said in unison.

Diana raised an eyebrow at Andrew boredly finishing his tea, “It wasn’t your turn.” She sighed, gracefully standing up from her seat and patting herself off. “I assume you admit defeat?”

Andrew shrugged, moving his Bishop from B7 to A8. “Maybe for that game.”

Diana nodded, motioning him to pour himself a new cup of tea as she walked out into the field and called for her dogs who obediently obliged and dropped the shoes that were now covered in slobber. Akko caught up not a moment after, completely out of breath and falling to the floor in defeat.

Diana took out her wand and cleaned Akko up, cuts and all, and brought her back to the chess table and offered her own cup of tea.

“Hi guys…! Who’s… winning?” Akko plopped down into Diana’s seat and quickly gulped down the drink.

Diana moved her Bishop from F1 to H3.

“I am.” Her and Andrew responded, daring each other with their eyes as their competitive nature sparked. 

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You can pry Diana and Andrew friendship out of my cold dead hands. They would be the most chaotic aristocratic duo and would get along if only because of a certain someone. Also I love Diana’s dogs with all my heart.

[ducktracy]

87. buddy the detective (1934)

release date: october 17th, 1934

series: looney tunes

director: jack king

starring: billy bletcher (mad musician), bernice hansen (cookie), jack carr (buddy)

back to buddy! i can’t say i missed him too terribly, but i did find myself wondering what this one would entail. buddy goes on a hunt to save a kidnapped cookie from the “mad musician”.

a windy, blustery night. the perfect time for an evil musician to play some menacing drones on the piano. he pauses and shakes his head, unsatisfied with his work (though it sounds fine to me). a tree limb outside his window sneaks in and plays “shake your powder puff”, a much jollier, happier tune, prompting the musician to grip his hair and grimace. he tries his drab melody once more, hissing “GAH! i need INSPIRATION!”, complete with the evil billy bletcher laugh.

the setup for this gag is great, it’s so nonchalant. the musician approaches a bottle and a cup, and you brace yourself as he gets intoxicated to loosen up. as he pours, a little frog jumps into the cup, and then into his hand. of course! perfect! he hypnotizes the frog (i was wondering what made him so “mad”) and urges it to play a dirge for him. the frog settles on the much happier “amaryllis”, dancing on the keys, which irritates the musician. before any harm can be inflicted, the frog dives into a photo of a pond on the wall for refuge.

desperate for good music, the musician resorts to hypnotizing a portrait of napoleon brandishing a fiddle, the fiddle tunes once more upbeat and happy (and country). even the musician doesn’t destroy the fiddle. it destroys itself as the tunes are simply too hot to handle. as archetypal as the villain is, he’s different from past villains we’ve seen. billy bletcher’s voice characterization is wonderful, and the villain’s frustration, albeit comical, is certainly relatable.

fade to a newspaper, the headline screaming in bold letters “EXTRA! MAD MUSICIAN ESCAPES!” a pan out reveals that cookie is the one ogling at the headline, glancing apprehensively at the storm outside her window. i totally forgot they even redesigned her LOL so i had a moment where i was REALLY confused.

back to the musician, who snags his phone book and searches for a hapless victim to hypnotize. fun little note, some of the numbers include cast and crew, such as “clampett, r.” and “clopton, ben”. however, as predicted, he settles on “cookie” (no surname, of course) and rings her up. he hypnotizes her over the phone, urging “come to me, my little cookie!” cookie rightfully refuses, but succumbs regardless and walks to his house in a daze. i get that she’s under the influence of hypnosis, but her walk cycle feels very stiff: you could still play with it. if you’re going to make her stiff and robotic, make it REALLY stiff and robotic so it seems deliberate rather than accidental... but i digress!

remember that this cartoon is called buddy the detective? well, buddy finally makes an appearance 4 minutes in. cookie’s dog runs over to alert buddy of cookie’s whereabouts, knocking over buddy’s chair, as well as a fishbowl. the dog breaks the fishbowl that was on its head and barks to buddy, urging him to follow. he still doesn’t understand, but he does when the dog holds up a picture of cookie in its mouth that buddy had been admiring. he exclaims “gosh, cookie’s in trouble!” and dives right into some sherlock holmes garb that had been waiting conveniently at the door for him, and together they run off.

cookie is droning out the same dirge the musician had been trying to play. a very humorous transition as it shows her banging on the keys, then turning around with a big grin as she plucked out some jolly ragtime music. the musician is infuriated, a jack king trademark (which, really, is more of a hugh harman trademark) open mouthed scream towards the camera. he forces her to play the dirge, laughing maniacally.

buddy and cookie’s dog approach the house, wind still howling and thunder still booming. a regular james bond, buddy uses a flashlight and a magnifying glass to burn an entryway into the door. unbeknownst to buddy, a mischievous spider lands on his flashlight once inside. buddy signals for the dog to be quiet, shining his flashlight on various walls. the spider disappears and reappears with each flash, dancing and mocking buddy. it’s certainly original, for this time at least. the dog gets frightened and runs away, knocking buddy over and his flashlight. buddy deserts the flashlight as he chases the dog.

man, this mad musician is a murderer! an amusing gag of a skeleton coming out of a room and drinking from a water cooler, the water going right through it as buddy observes in horrified awe. buddy follows the skeleton, who uses an umbrella (love that it’s fittingly broken, just the skeleton of the umbrella is left) and heads out into the storm.

a terrified yowl distracts buddy’s observation as he darts to find cookie’s dog, who’s chasing another skeleton. the dog tackles it, snagging its leg. the skeleton then resorts to chasing the dog via crutches, nice visuals as the skeleton hobbles up the stairs and the stairs pushing to the ground into one giant slab. more stair gags galore as the dog slides down another staircase, the actual stairs pushing out like dominos and causing the skeleton to tumble over the pile.

terrified, the dog gets a curtain stuck to its tail, barreling into buddy and dragging buddy along on the curtain like a sled. we’re reminded of cookie’s existence as she begs for help, a clock’s pendulum launching buddy onto the landing of the staircase (which has no discernible stairs). he pulls at the doorknob of where she’s held captive, yet the musician pops out from a mini window and smacks buddy. cartoon physics to the rescue as buddy snags a door from an adjacent wall and plops it on the same wall, entering through that one instead.

fight scene! that’s what all detectives do, right? resort to fisticuffs? buddy kicks the unsuspecting musician’s butt, and they brawl as they’re both thrown into a door, spitting them back out. very amusing as the musician contorts himself and teaches under his legs to grab buddy, who’s trying to make a break for it. buddy yanks the musician by his unruly hair and spins him around, tossing him into a wall. who knew he had such strength?

a piano stool lands on the dazed musician. like a secret key, buddy spins the stool, and out pops cookie from the piano. he helps her down as she plays a few notes of the dirge to tease the musician, switching to ragtime as she and buddy dance, the musician writhing in agony. another scream/swallow the camera as we iris out.

not the most entertaining buddy cartoon, but not at all the worst. the title feels kind of redundant, as buddy didn’t do much detective worthy at all except put on a tweed suit. he barely had any screentime! i guess the directors didn’t quite know what to do with him. cookie was cute, but a mere plot device—though the scene where she smiles gleefully as she switches to unprecedented ragtime was very amusing. the mad musician was the most amusing character. great vocal characterization, great mannerisms, intriguing design. this cartoon felt it didn’t have much momentum or true urgency to it, and at times felt a bit dull and slow because of it. nevertheless, worth a possible watch, if at all just to hear billy bletcher do his evil laugh. peg leg pete as an evil musician!

link!

[pickalilywrites]

I'm always happy to see more of the Peaky Blinders AU. Don't feel like you have to include the Garrison lol - I do just genuinely like Levi, Petra, and the rest that are already in there.

have been meaning to write this lil garrison gang prequel for a while now xoxo

You Should See the Other Guy

Dot Pixis. Gang AU. 

2469 words. 

Buy me a ko-fi!

Dot Pixis fiddles with the glass in front of him, staring at the two empty seats at the other side of the table. As the minutes pass, his frown grows deeper, and he grows more impatient. He takes a quick glance at his watch - half an hour past ten - and grumbles to himself. The woman beside him, Anka, ignores the old man’s mumblings, and instead stares straight ahead at the door where their guests should have arrived long ago. Aside from the distiller, the two are alone in this place. Together, they sit in silence with only the sound of Hannes tending to the moonshine in the fermentation vessel sitting behind them.

“Pour me a drink, Anka,” Dot Pixis says suddenly, gesturing at his glass. “You may have a glass as well if you wish.”

“It’s rude to drink before your guests arrive,” Anka replies, but she’s already heading towards the racks of rum. She selects an unopened bottle without looking and returns, pouring the golden liquor until it almost fills the entire glass. However, she refrains from pouring herself a drink, setting the bottle down instead and returning to her place beside Pixis.

“You’re quite right,” Pixis agrees, but he takes a slow sip of his drink anyway. When he sets his glass down again, it is half empty. He looks disapprovingly at the other empty glasses. “Of course, I’m sure you would also agree that it’s rude for guests to arrive over half an hour late.”

“Perhaps they’ll have a good reason for their tardiness,” Anka says, but she knows this is unlikely. It is more likely that their guests think very little of Dot Pixis and his crew. It’s an unfortunate opinion to have, but it wouldn’t be the first time that people have underestimated the old gang leader.

Pixis merely grumbles, although it’s clear that he doesn’t agree with his second-in-command by his displeased expression. With every impatient glance of his watch, every move of the minute hand is another strike against their absent guests. Another fifteen minutes pass, and Pixis has emptied his glass. Should this meeting ever begin, Anka knows for certain that it will not end well.

There’s a knock at the door, and one of Pixis’ men enters. “They’ve arrived, Pixis,” Mitabi says. He waits for his boss’ command. When he sees Pixis wave his hand, Mitabi nods and proceeds to let the guests in.

Two men stroll in, not bothering to apologize. It could be that they’re unaware of their own tardiness, but Anka believes that it’s more likely that they don’t care. The expression on their faces is far too smug to be innocent, and they don’t bother to greet the old gang leader as they sit down across from him. They sneer at Pixis, believing him a senile old man, and one of them turns to Anka, gesturing for her to pour them all a drink.

Anka only moves when Pixis waves her forward. As she pours the gin, she keeps her eyes on the two guests, a neutral expression on her face. She remembers them from previous meetings that Pixis had held with their gang, although she recalls that they’re merely henchmen. It’s evident that the leader of this particular gang does not find this matter important enough to attend himself. It would have been better if nobody had come.

“You’re late,” Pixis says. He leaves his drink untouched. It might be that he’s had enough alcohol from his previous drink, but Anka believes it’s more likely that Pixis wants to deal with these poor fools first. “We were scheduled to meet an hour ago. Is there a reason for your tardiness?”

“Huh, an hour?” one of the men say, glancing down at his watch. He simply laughs when he sees the time, unashamed at his rudeness. He looks up and grins impishly at Pixis, the expression of someone who hasn’t acknowledged that he’s done anything wrong. Like his partner, he wears a black bowler hat on his head. Anka finds his boyish face and golden curls familiar and recalls his name as Edward. “Were we not supposed to meet at eleven? We were certain the meeting was at eleven, not ten.”

“It was ten,” Pixis says. Unlike the other two giggling fools, Pixis sits without so much as a smile on his face.

“Well, at least we’re here,” the other man says with a wave of his hand. He’s probably barely out of his twenties, if the peach fuzz on his upper lip is any indication of his age. When he takes off his bowler hat, he reveals a head of messy brown locks. Anka would like to say his name is Fred, although she thinks she’s merely grasping at whatever familiar name is available in her mind now. “There’s no point in getting angry about us now. It’s not as if losing your temper will fix things. Let’s talk about what we came here to talk about shall we?”

They must be incredibly bold and incredibly stupid to speak so brazenly to Pixis, although there’s a chance that it’s a dangerous mixture of both. Anka can’t recall the last time someone has ever spoken to Pixis in such a way. She’s sure that whoever had met an unfortunate fate. She’s surprised when she turns and sees that Pixis wears a calm expression on his face. She watches as he takes his glass, holding the top by the tips of his fingers, and swirls it around. He hasn’t even taken one sip yet, but the men across from him have eagerly gulped down their drinks.

“Then let’s talk about more important matters, shall we?” Pixis says, sitting back in his chair. He taps his fingers against the table, watching the two young men carefully. “Last month, the Citystreet Bowlers purchased 200 cases of beer, 100 cases of liquor, and 100 cases of wine from the Garrison Gang. However, the money we’ve received so far hardly covers your expenses. By now, your group should have surely sold enough to pay for at least 75 percent of what is owed, and yet we have received less than half of that money. Why is that?”

The blond one - Edward - tilts his head, feigning an expression of surprise as if this is new information to him. “Is that so?” he asks. He takes another swig of his drink, finishing off the rum. With a lick of his lips, he then says, “It’s true that much time has passed, but perhaps you’ve overestimated the quality of the product you’ve sold us. It isn’t doing nearly as well as you have predicted, Pixis. How can we possibly pay you back when it isn’t making as much as you believe it’s worth?”

Here, Hannes stops his works and looks up from where he stands at the open fermenter, and both he and Anka watch Pixis’ reaction. Rather than looking at his distiller, Pixis continues to look at the two men. The old man strokes his silver mustache, watching the men carefully. After a moment, he says, “A few of my men had the luxury of stopping by your bar the other night, and it seemed that business was well.”

The smile on the brown-haired man’s face falters for just a second, but his companion breezily answers, “There can be more than one reason for a business to succeed. In the case of the Citystreet Bowlers’ new establishment, we were lucky enough to have additional entertainment to attract customers - music, gambling, beautiful women, and the like. Much of our sales are attributed to these other attractions rather than your drinks.”

“Then you should have been able to sell drinks regardless of how good they were,” Pixis says, completely unruffled. He takes a small sip before he continues. “If you’re entertaining your guests well, their throats are sure to get parched eventually. The wine could have turned to vinegar, and they wouldn’t notice at all.”

The man continues to give Pixis his false smile. “We admit that we overestimated the popularity of your drinks. Why can’t you admit it as well?” the man laughs. His glass sits empty in front of him.

Pixis narrows his eyes at the man and his companion. “Tell me what you really think about these drinks,” he says. His eyes flicker over towards the men’s empty cups - all empty save for a drop or two of rum at the bottom of each glass - before his gaze returns to his guests. “Be honest this time.”

The dark-haired man looks nervous, his eyes flitting over from Pixis to his companion, but the man with the blond curls is as confident as ever. The blonde man rests his arm on the table as he leans over, a fiendish smirk on his face. “Frankly, Pixis, your drinks are complete shite,” he says, his words echoing through the cellar. Behind them, Hannes winces at the insult, but the man continues. “You could replace your beer with a bottle of piss, and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”

“Is that so?” Pixis asks. His eyes return to the empty glass in front of the blonde man. “Perhaps your palate is not as refined as you think it is.”

The man’s eye twitches. He’s clearly annoyed by Pixis’s comment, but he disguises his annoyance once more with his overconfident smile. “Don’t you believe it’s more likely that your products are poorly made?” He looks around the room - first at Pixis, then at Anka, then at Hannes. “After all, the people you’ve employed here can hardly be called reliable.”

“Enough,” Pixis says. He slams his hand on the table, and the glasses shake from the sudden jolt. The two men look at Pixis, startled, but Anka is hardly surprised. She had watched his anger grow and grow with every word that came out of the blonde man’s mouth. It was only a matter of time before the old man lost his temper. Now that he has, his stern gaze and the fire blazing in his hazel eyes are proof that the old gang leader still possesses the authority and power that he had held in his prime. Even though the two men had mocked and disrespected Pixis only moments earlier, they now shake in his presence.

Anka puts a gentle hand on her leader’s shoulder. “I’m afraid they’ve had a little too much to drink, sir,” she says quietly. It is not so much that she cares about what happens to these men. It’s just too much trouble to clean up afterward.

Pixis, however, isn’t having it. He rises from his seat, his chair scraping across the wooden floor. “On the contrary,” he growls, “I believe that they haven’t had enough to drink.”

“Sir,” Anka says, but she knows it’s far too late.

The gang leader grabs the angel-haired man by the collar of his shirt. It seems that the men have underestimated the old man’s strength, for all they can do is cry out in surprise as Pixis drags the man over to the open fermenter that Hannes is tending to. The man struggles as he’s dragged backward, reaching back and trying to tear himself away from Pixis’ grip, but he’s not strong enough. At least his companion has enough sense to fumble for his gun - a weapon stands a far better chance against Pixis’ fury than bare hands do - but he only has the opportunity to point it Pixis before Anka shoots it out of his hand.

“You bitch!” the brunet hisses, holding his other hand in shock. His head turns towards where he had dropped the gun. He reaches for it, but Anka is much faster.

Anka doesn’t say a word to the man. She simply steps on the gun, trapping it under the heel of her boot. She gives him a withering glare, making it clear that she would crush his head her heel if given the chance. The man has no choice but to watch helplessly as his friend’s head is submerged in a large vessel of alcohol.

Pixis holds down the man’s head, his eyes cold now. At first, the man struggles underneath Pixis’ grip as he tries to free himself, but his movements become weaker and weaker until he gives up completely. Pixis is deaf to the shouts of the man’s companion, and he’s oblivious to the look of alarm on Hannes’ face. His eyes are fixed on the rum that the man is being drowned in. It’s only when the bubbles have completely disappeared from the alcohol that Pixis lifts the man’s head. He raises the man up, his expression full of disgust as the man coughs out all the rum he had ingested. After the man has finished coughing, Pixis throws him on the floor. With his hands in his pockets, Pixis walks over to where the blonde man - his curls once a golden yellow, now a dirty blonde - has fallen. “You’ve insulted me,” he says, his voice gruff. “But far worse, you’ve insulted my gang and their work.”

The man on the floor splutters and coughs. He had once been so confident, but now tears stream down his face. Although he had strolled in like a grown man, he looks just like a boy now. He’s too afraid to even look up at the fearsome gang leader. He keeps his blue eyes on the floor in front of him as he mumbles, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, sir.”

“Get out of my sight,” Pixis says. He watches as the two men scramble away - the brunet holding up the blonde. As the two near the door, he calls, “And tell your boss that I’ll be expecting the money by the end of the week. If he hasn’t paid me by then, the Citystreet Bowlers can kiss their business goodbye.”

The brown-haired man nods frantically before he rushes out the door, half-carrying his comrade with him. Those guarding the doors on the outside look at the two men curiously, wondering what had transpired in the basement, and watch as the two hurriedly leave the building.

Pixis returns to his seat, leaning back in his chair. “We’re done with doing business with the Citystreet Bowlers, Anka,” he says calmly. He looks over at his second-in-command. “You’ve heard of Levi Ackerman, haven’t you? He’s just returned from the war. I hear that his clan is thinking about opening up a bar as well. Look into it for me.”

“Yes, sir,” Anka says.

“And pour me another drink.” He looks behind them, gesturing for Hannes to fetch them another bottle of rum.

Anka raises an eyebrow. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough to drink, sir?”

Pixis scoffs. “If you think I had too much to drink,  you should see the other guy.”