#they just. have chicken owner energy.

[dragonsoulage]

„Tasty…“

feat. Kyojuro Rengoku

This happens when you are the cute girl who makes his bentos every morning with that pretty smile on your face. It is impossible to not find you and your food tasty.

Hello world, it’s me again hopeless girl over consuming and enjoying anime stuff💀🤣in this story you are working in the restaurant of your father and everyday you make Rengokus bentos. Don’t know I just thought this might be really cute over all. How he falls for your food and for you. ✨🤣 have fun ✌️

Warnings: pure fluff and just a tiny little bit suggestive in the end but nothing explicit lol

Wordcount: 3,8K

It was a bright day, the sun smiling down. Just highlighting your hair and your features. How he loved to simply watch you. He stood there, tall and broad, leaned against a nearby door frame from the restaurant. Fiery locks falling on his shoulders.

And what was happening right now? Oh, you the sweet, little thing making his bento.

You were the daughter of the owner from this restaurant. And since Rengoku was on a mission here in this small town, he always came here. And even when the food was indeed excellent, he came for you.

He slept in a small hostel next to this restaurant where you worked so hard.

And he always could get his meals there, but in this hostel weren't anyone that was cute like you.

Besides this, you always blushed so endearing when he said his "Tasty" so loud with every bite.

You matched his energy, even when you were more the calm one, a little shy, perhaps. But a shy little mouse, could, caught his eye.

The way you hummed some melody while you made a little twirl before you grabbed the bowl of rice to place it neatly in his bento.

And with the time Rengoku happened to be a good customer in the evening, but since he was protecting this village for a few weeks now, your father was more than happy to serve the talented fire Hashira. Offered that he could get his breakfast or a bento to go for free, and of course you were being the one preparing it fresh every morning.   

With the short time here, he really thought you were a pretty girl, inside and outside. Always smiling at you and speaking to you with his warm voice, making you feel all safe and content.

You didn't know you were being watched right now, he could see a glimpse behind the reception into the kitchen. How you hummed and danced a little while making his food.

Probably this was the reason why it tasted so good to him, it was made with love.

After a moment, he sighted to himself, getting ready to startle you and interrupt your cute dance. His steps walking now inside, and he leaned on the reception before he cleared his throat.   

You were in the middle to make a twirl before you caught yourself. Your back faced him and even when Rengoku couldn't see it, he was aware how red your face might turn."Good morning, little flame." he chuckled, watched how you tried to compose yourself, neatly brushing over your apron and dress before you turned around with a shy smile."Good morning Rengoku. Your Bento is nearly ready, just some details." you let him know, brushed back a strand of your hair behind your ear. "At least I know why your food always taste so good, it is simply made with the sunshine that is shining right out of your heart. Even in the early morning." he complimented, and it was an honest compliment.   

Never, it was just like a compliment from every other guy who tried to hit on you with these simple things like: You look so pretty. What Rengoku said, he really meant. Flashing you a warm smile with his bright eyes.

"You flatter me, but I did not plan for anyone to see this...well, little, silly show. I just like doing bentos...your bentos." you explained, turned again to the small box. You had put a lot of stuff into it, so plain rice with some umeboshi, some tempura fried vegetables and chicken. You also made some fresh dangos this morning that you packed into an extra box. Not only that, but you were simply too good to him with all of that. "Oh, and I like to eat them, they give me strength for the day, my dear. It's the first thing in the morning what I think about." Rengoku meant, and you could feel your heart pumping.

Why did he make you have this weird feeling in your tummy and felt like your heart would jump right out of your chest?   

And he never overdoes it, always the right amount of being flirty but still loving. Not afraid to show a softer side, although he shredded demons into pieces in the night. A man, other people should look up to. When you finished doing his bento and packed it safely, you turned around to him and walked to the reception. Your blush now gone, but he was sure it would return, when he said the right thing. Even when he usually never flirted at all with girls, he found out what made you smile. And the flame Hashira loved to see you smile or trying to hide your cute pink cheeks behind your hair.   

"The first in the morning what you think about, hm? Seems like my food got stuck in your mind." you replied smirking just a little with a playful tone. He lured it out of you, the playful side, he quite enjoyed seeing on you.The flame hashira leaned closer over the reception just to look straight into your pretty orbs. "Not just the food, to be honest, little flame." he said, and then his fingers grabbed a strand of your hair, feeling the silky texture of it before he tucked it lovely behind your ear. Then he leaned away again. Maybe he was a little surprised by himself now for doing it. But it felt so naturally when he got closer to you. Still his fingertips touched just slightly your cheek. And there was a moment of some silence.   

Rengoku looking at you, right into this pretty face, what he adored with that cute expression of surprise. Himself seeming to be surprised. Even when none of you said anything, the moment was quite tender, your head just tilting slightly right, so his palm now was against your face. He felt warm, of course he did, he was the great flame hashira. A fire that always was burning inside him. Making you feel cozy here in this early morning coldness.

But then you two could hear a creaking floor board, it was your father. You heard how your dad sneezed, and the moment of you two was over. Quickly he removed his hand, and you took indistinctly a step back as if you would get caught doing something forbidden.

To be honest, you didn't want to seem like you would get an interest into a man. Afraid your father would find it out. Not that your dear dad would say anything bad at it, but you were always so embarrassed. He just wanted you to be happy.   

„Ah, you again, my boy. How is it going with the mission? Still trying to figure out where the demons are coming from?" your father asked, first looked at you and then to Rengoku. The man straightened his back and gave your father a nod, holding the bento in both hands.

"Indeed, we slay them every night, but it seems like this demon is not just some hungry beast. He quiet is having strategies, and perhaps the bloody demon art is summoning clone like demons of himself. He hides somewhere, we just need to figure out where." Rengoku explained the current state of the mission, and your father nodded along. Let out a laugh before you felt the hand of him on your shoulder.

"Nothing someone like you couldn't handle. My dear (Y/N) makes the best bentos around, she always gets up extra early to make it ready for you. You can always count on our food, of course for free. After all, you will save this village. You are gladly welcomed in the evening too, boy."

your father offered, he sensed there was something between you and the strong hashira. You blushed again and just lowered your head.   

It melts his big heart, when he heard you always got up extra early for his bento, how were you able on being so cute? Rengokus bright eyes laid on you for a moment. Even when he got the food for free, he always laid some coins in the small bowl for tips at the reception, no matter how often you said he wouldn't need to.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Make sure you come back whole, Rengoku." you tried to brush it off flustered, what your father had said before you went back to the kitchen.

Your small flame endearing walked out of his sight. Just when Rengoku wanted to politely say goodbye, your father turned to him again.

"She likes you, boy. More than she wants to let anyone know, but she does." your father said a little lower so you wouldn't hear it. And his eyes, oh they lit up at this moment.

"She does?" was the only thing Rengoku asked again, slightly tilting his upper body to look at your form again in the kitchen before he returned his gaze to your dad.

"Since you are here, I never have seen (Y/N) taking so much interest in someone, so make sure you come back. We don't want my dear daughter to be sad, right?" your father chuckled before he let Rengoku go.   

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

"Awwww is that formed to a flame? How cute is that? And these dangos? You don't mind when I steal one, right?" the voice of Mitsuri was heard by him. He had called for her support during this mission, she was like a sister to him, he holds dear. And of course around lunchtime, while they had inspected the place that soon would to be a battlefield for the demon; she couldn't hold back her curiosity and opened his bento, it smelled so good after all. Rengoku stepped closer after he heard her voice, taking the bento from her hands, looking at the flame.

You always put so much effort in it, every day another little artwork he could see in his bento.

"She is, indeed, quite talented in it. Yesterday she made little flowers out of vegetable in my bento and draped everything nicely." he remembered while looking down at the food, although he was thinking about the way you made it. The smile on your face, wanted that it looked appealing to him.

"For sure, take one." he then added after he realized Mitsuris question. She sighted content and happy about the fact she could have one. But she seemed happy to know someone took care of him, someone who he liked. She smiled, then opening the other box. Finding a note, she really wanted to read it, but she never wanted to hurt you or Rengokus privacy.

"Oh look, whoever she is, packed a small note for you." she said and hold it out for him. 

Was it possible that you just got even more attractive? He took the Bento into his other hand and grabbed the note with the free one, unfolding it quickly.

'Please be safe and successful. I hope you like the food - (Y/N)'

Damn, he fell, he fell so hard in love with you. Even when your father confirmed you liked him, it was a situation he never needed to worry about. And now?

"Someone seems to like you, huh?" Mitsuri teased after she took a bite of a dango.

"And they way you act seems like you like her too. I can see the big heart eyes, Rengoku." she continued with a chuckle.

"She is a special little flame, that is right. I like her presence, since I am here. Enjoying it, but I never quite act too much like it." he said, and Mitsuri could hear that Rengoku no matter how confident he is, struggled a little.   

It was a mission, and with much luck this mission would go to an end today. Then he would need to go somewhere else, he would be missing you. The sweet girl that always makes him tasty food, packing him lovely notes. Talking with him in the evening, when every other guest was gone. Laughing with him, listening so excited to his stories.

"You know what, when she is putting so much effort into these things, maybe you should tell her. I bet she would be happy. I mean, I would when I have someone who likes me that way. Furthermore, I would want to know that." Mitsuri explains herself blushing slightly after she thought about Obanai and their situation that was also not quite reveled....

Mitsuri and Rengoku had a long talk while doing their tasks, about you and him, maybe she even thought about a plan how to get you two finally closer....

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

After the mission went to be successful, and he came back, oh the whole village celebrated. Like everyone was coming into the restaurant of your father. He and Mitsuri slayed the demon quite well and none of them were hurt. You even ran out of the kitchen. Your face edged with worry at first. Wanted to see yourself that he really was ok. Of course, he was, after all, he was a hashira. The flame hashira. Your small hands had laid onto his broad shoulders, looking him up and down.

"You are really fine, yeah?" you asked, not even saying hello. Your delicate hands rand down his shoulders to his strong chest, kinda observing him. Feeling the hard planes of muscles. He chuckled slightly. Mitsuri standing a little away, watching the scene unfold with interest. This was like her new drama/love story to follow. Like she wanted to giggle and kick her feet, seeing how captivated he was by you.

Rengoku took both your hands and laid it over his heart. It was a simple gesture but effective. He was always an inspiration for others, but with you, he was truly tender.

His thumb brushed over your knuckles. He placed the over is beating heart to show you that he was very fine.

"My heart is beating, we slayed the demon. I am more than fine. Not a scratch." he told you, and then your eyes went from his hands to his eyes.

Making you nearly weak in the knees.

"Not a scratch, yeah." you let out, nearly a whisper, before you gifted him with that lovely smile of yours.

But since the demon was slayed, a lot of people wanted to come and thank him and Mitsuri, so it didn't take long for a small crowd to interrupt you two. Before he could reach out for you again, you probably needed to go back in the kitchen.   

As the evening went on, you and your father tried to make a nearly a feast of food for this celebration. The night would be going long, everyone happy that all were safe now. But Rengoku only had eyes for you. After you finally were done serving and cooking, you came out of the kitchen. You were still stressed, he could see this on the way you had pulled your eyebrows together. But still absolutely gorgeous. He needed you, needed you to know.

"When you would excuse me." he then said curtly but friendly to the small crowd surrounding him, before he made his way over to you.

"Nearly seems like you slayed a demon too, little flame." he said when he approached your side after you washed your hands.

"Nah, maybe it's the same, slaying a demon or serving some drunkards. But that is not important. They are all happy, you helped our village a lot and this is the only thing that counts today." you let him know, genuinely wanted him to feel special for this celebration because it was his victory.

"Oh I love the food and-" he started but was interrupted by your chuckle, you dried your hands and turned to him, smirking sweetly.

"Oh I heard that, that 'Tasty' it was loud enough for me to hear it even in the back of the kitchen." and this time it was him slightly blushing before reaching out a hand laying it on the part where your neck meets your shoulder, feeling the smooth skin there.

"Maybe I wanted you to hear it." he continued the playful banter, his thumb caressing over you, making you feel again this tingle inside you.

"Would you mind going somewhere more quiet?" he asked you then, his tone a little more serious. This was probably the last chance to get you alone to talk with him before he would need to go somewhere else. Even when your village wasn't far from the main quarters, he would go on missions.   

"Of course not, the bustling surrounding can be draining." you said and you two went out, walking in the cold night air that was refreshing.

"You will need to go tomorrow right?" you asked then, and he already could hear the sad undertone, making his heart clench.

"Yeah, another day, another mission to save the people. Demons unfortunately don't give anyone a break." he responded before taking a deep breath, looking down at your small frame.

"Well, since we had one here, I can imagine this. How will you survive without my food?" you asked then, kinda playful but also serious, you would miss him. 

 "That just means I need to make some detour to come along, hoping the pretty flame is cooking something delicious for me." he said to you, and then you looked up. What a sight to him, the moonlight making you having nearly this ethereal glow. Your plump lips looking so inviting. He stopped walking, grabbing gently your hand.

"A detour? I wouldn't mind that, I am making everything you wish for." you said nearly a little desperate, indeed you would do anything, when this means he would come back every now and then. As much as he could, at least. Before you realized what came out of your mouth, you covered it. "I am sorry, I-I. I just...I am just glad you seemed to enjoy my food." you tried to talk yourself out, but you meet eyes that looking at you with nothing less the adoration.

"I enjoy quiet more than just your food, (Y/N)." he then actually would try to confess now, that he liked you. You already got ready to apologize, starting to bubble it out, although you then suddenly stopped, raising an eyebrow.

"You enjoyed not just my food?" you asked then with that cute tilt of your head.

"I enjoy you, perhaps. You know, everything you do, seems to be made with love and passion. You are shy, but you're burning brighter than any fire ever could. This is appealing to say at least. I...think I am hitting on you." he then said it, he was always confident, but he was aware that these things needed to be careful with, not wanting to ruin anything. You looked like frozen in place, blinking at him.

"That was the most beautiful thing someone said to me." You then let out more than actually surprised, that someone, a hashira was hitting on a village girl like you.

"I am hitting on you too, maybe even a little too hard sometimes." you then also confessed insecure looking away, but he grabbed gently your chin tilting it up to look at you. 

"So you don't mind when I kiss you?" he asked, his voice just a little lower, making your tummy even churn. Looking at him with these big doe eyes.

He really wanted to do this for some time now, claiming these lips, holding your face in his large hands, letting you know how much you mean to him.

"I don't mind, more like the opposite." you mumbled, already felt how he got closer, his breath mingling with yours.

His nose nudging against your own, averting your face.

"Good, because I believe I can't resist a second longer." you heard him mumble, his right hand cupping your cheek so tender.

Thumb brushing over your cheekbone in a slow movement. His fiery locks tingling your delicate skin before you finally felt his lips against yours.

You were a little hesitant at first, slowly kissed him back, nearly so shy that you pulled away, but the way his own warmth seeped into your body, the way he smelled like crackling fire was kinda grounding.

Your small hands laid onto his shoulders as you felt he moved closer, his free hand laying gently in the curve of your waist, pulling you against his strong chest.   

"Tasty." you could hear the little word in between, you tasted sweet, your lips soft and so kissable, he simply couldn't resist saying it.

You giggled just slightly into the kiss before your lips caught his again. It made you blush, and warm around your heart.

And it didn't take that long for you two starting to tangle your tongues and being completely lost in each other's embrace. Every kiss turned out to be more passionate than the last one. You two started to make out, his hand that cupped your cheek slowly went down to your neck, his thumb caressing over the column of your throat in a loving way.

His fingers on your waist kept you in place, close against his tall body.

"When we keep going, I am not sure if I can stop, little flame." Rengoku muttered against your lips before you stopped kissing him.

Your sweet lips swollen from the make out session, your face flustered just like his own.

"No one said we need to stop, it's the last night you are here." you whispered now, and your eyes gave it all away.

You were always such a good girl, and of course never letting anyone have you when you weren't completely convinced, but for Rengoku?

Your heart fluttered, your tummy making the weirdest moves, and this kiss?

You could get lost in it, and right now you even would want to take him up into your room. You grabbed his hand, smiling a little coy, but you knew what your plans were.

"You don't need-" he wanted to start explaining why you don't need to do this, just because he felt he wouldn't last long without getting too riled up.

"That's the point, I don't need, but I want. And right now when everyone is busy...it's quite a good time. Let me reward you." you said to him, and he could tell this would go to be the best celebration he ever had when he slayed a demon...  

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

Sooooo when you made it to the end of this little fic, then thank you for your time ^^

I am still trying to decide if I should make a second part of this? Like the smutty part of the story you know? Not quiet sure yet, but opinion if I should are welcome :3

[chaos0pikachu]

man I've tried writing this post like 3 different times b/c how the hell do I explain Triage the gay groundhogs day time loop romance mission from a Literal Angel set to the dance pop Lady Gaga track of an organ trafficking hospital factory?

Anyway Tin the protagonist has the energy of one of those fluffy slightly mangled looking older cats that would yowl TWAS I WHO SET THE HOUSE ABLAZE and bites the hand of everyone except his 5 chosen humans

Forget the uni BLs you've seen before because baby Tin is stuck in a thoroughly exhausting gay version of groundhogs day crossing over with an episode of house without the ironic homophobia set in the greys anatomy hospital all to save his Influencer Love Interest from increasingly concerning deaths with the power of having absolutely zero lying skills and negative rizz like Tom Holland levels no rizz ass having, which Zendaya's his Influencer love interest ANYWAY through the sheer power of romantic hyper fixation and being a top tier level 98 slow burn obsessed weirdo with a skill buff of STARE LONGINGLY that usually only appears in accidental gay kdramas like Devil Judge or Hannibal

In the end the day is saved with some the tongue action cheat codes that cure time loop amnesia so they can return everybody's kidneys back to their rightful owners so the hospital can just be a hospital instead of an organ trafficking factory for the chicken soup soul

oh and Techno from Tharntype is here too

[pant--eater]

I've seen plenty of autistic Wallace headcanons (DESERVED because that man is Autism Incarnate. He also gives me low empathy energy, which makes me happy because it's so rare to see low empathy heroic characters in media 💖)

and I've yapped a lot about autistic Mr. Tweedy before, so now imma throw to the table the girl with croissant hair

🥕🥕Autistic Lady Tottington 🥕🥕

hyperfixates on vegetables. Girl dresses up as a carrot for the fair and has a whole ass fancy royal greenhouse dedicated for veggies. Queen shit 🎉 Hell, all of her outfits are somehow nature inspired and I hc she sews many of them herself! :> Ask her about growing them, fertilizing and reaping, and she will NOT shut up. (also yes my Willace hc still stands that after some first inital difficulties, she and Mr. Tweedy become besties who infodump to each other about veggies and apples respectively <3)

Just like Wallace with cheese, her safefood and continual samefood is vegetables. She was that rare child who always ate her greens LMAO and preferred them to candy

Animals and caring for them is absolutely another hyperfixation point!! Her mansion after the movie's events becomes a bunny haven and she grows rabbits, both as pets for herself, and to give them away to people that she trusts would be caring owners

(more under cut)

She also has a soft spot for other creatures too that are seen as pests or otherwise disgusting, and will always be open to adopting them instead of letting them get killed. Such as rats, cockroaches, ants, possums, raccoons, you name it.

(in fact Nick and Fetcher have more than often crashed in her place LMAO, pretty much using the mansion as a midway resting location, during their big trips to the mainland from Chicken Island. And I imagine they would at some point tell Ginger about Totty, which makes Ginger and the chickens wonder that maybe not all humans are evil to animals!)

Totty has a very strong extreme moral drive, and stirring away from it upsets her to the point of tears. (protecting innocent animals and getting rid of pests in humane ways, no matter how dangerous the situation gets. It does get irrational sometimes but she just can't bring herself to see any sort of critters in pain 💔💔💔💔THIS LADY HAS A BIG HEART OKAY???) She tries her best to make Lord Victor bend to that and be kinder to animals, even if that asshat is a lost cause.

The videogame adaptation also mentions she is a vegan, so she def gets massive discomfort from eating anything animal related

Her kind and forgiving, sentimental nature sometimes makes her stress herself out and put her energy to people who don't deserve it. It's clear that she is not happy with Victor, but she stays and tries to make it all work with him, because she wants to believe she can change him and bring out a kind man in him. (Girl please, your "I can fix him" game is off the charts) And she only dumps him for good once he crosses a line and tries to kill Wallace. Heck, maybe she does not have many genuine friends, also due to her noblewoman status being intimidating to many :( And that's also why she stayed with Victor, and it wasn't until meeting Wallace and Gromit that she was able to get out of the toxic relationship.

Victor clearly sees her as naive and annoying for her autistic quirks and personality during the movie, and is only after her because of her status, money and looks. Reducing her to a trophy. If that ain't a relatable autistic experience I don't know what is

In my hc universe she does not get romantically involved with Wallace. I know Aardman likes to shiptease them as canon and I don't have a problem with it, it's cute! I just personally prefer them as platonic friends, especially since the Were-Rabbit movie subverted the "love triangle" and "nice guy gets the girl" tropes where the whole punchline was that Totty in fact did NOT marry Wallace after him pining for her the whole movie, and it was so refreshing to see. Especially since Wallace was not upset at all about being rejected!! We stan a king 🫶🫶🫶

The whole scene of Totty going "I have caught feelings for you" was, in my hcs, Totty being comphet :''') 💔💔💔She has grown fond of Wallace because he is the first man in a long time who does not treat her like a pretty prize like Victor. And poor Totty, being the affection starved girlie that she is, who also has grown in a heteronormative British noble society, thinks that it means automatically romantic feelings. PLUS she is very touchy and affectionate when it comes to interacting with people she likes, so it's easy for people to mistake it for romantic interest

Either way she and Wallace are very good friends with autism 2 autism solidarity, and THIS SCENE LEGIT MAKES ME SO HAPPY, Totty showing her appreciation by copying Wallace's stim <3

[poorwhayfairingstranger]

I've had an idea for an au rumbling around my mind for a while now.

I don't know how many of you have read or ever heard of Beware Of Chicken, but in the first chapter, the protagonist Jin Rou dies But is able to hold on to life by clinging on to an ancestral spirit from another realm. Essentially, using the spirit's energy to drag both of them back into his body, saving his cultivation. The spirit just so happens to be a Canadian farmer.

Basically, it's the original owner of the body.And the trans migrator sharing a body and whoever's experiencing the most intense emotions at any given time is the one controlling the body and when the Transmigrator wakes up the first time after they both come back to life in Jin Rou's Body, he freaks out because he knows the genre he knows the tropes.And decides to just nopes the hell out of the entire situation and Leaves the sect to go become a farmer in the most unimportant province in the entire Empire.

Gradually, over the course of years their souls gradually fuse into one. So by the end of the third book in the series, they're 1 person With the memories of both.

So now I want an alternate universe where. Sj and sy Get stuck together in the same body and Leave the sect as officially asuppose to Become A rogue cultivator and start studying Animals and Plants. Eventually meeting lb When he's assigned to a night hunt And some of the Older disciples Recognize him.

There's no system in this au So everyone just thinks he went a little bit insane after his key deviation And decided to just leave for his own sake. But it looks like He's doing much better Now that he's not the peak Lord anymore. Over the course of a few years and a lot of chance meetings lb Falls in love With the combined sjsy.

I think a lot of this story would be dedicated to the shen's dealing with their past traumas and Constantly arguing in their own head, but helping each other get Over there past and build a future they can actually live in.

[kkanabel]

caffeine addiction ❃ red eye ❃ chapter 4 Bakugou Katsuki x Reader / Coffee Shop! AU / Fashion? AU

directory/m.list

⇦ previous chapter - next chapter ⇨

words: ~2.0k

warnings: mention of tatas (tiddies) & lotsa crack

Bakugou Mitsuki laughed and turned around to walk away when a man asked her for her number. The red bottoms of her stilettos brought attention to themselves by clicking against the marble ground. From behind her, the young man that was hitting on her was stunned until he let out a “W-Wait!”

She turned back around to flash him a look at her raised left hand with a very obvious wedding ring with the biggest diamond he’s ever seen.

It was laughable, really. She was here in her fifties, while men who were the age of her son hit on her. Was it the youthful skin or the MILF energy? She’s pretty sure it’s both. She put a lot of effort into her skincare routine, and raising Katsuki was such a pain in the ass that she had to profit off of it somehow.

Mitsuki sat back down at her table at her favorite brunch place with her husband and son. They sat at their favorite table under an orange tree— the brunch place had a greenhouse section that was filled with plants and life year-round. Honeysuckles dotted the place, filling the greenhouse with a sweet aroma.

“Oi, Old Man. The Old Lady’s getting hit on. We should leave soon,” Katsuki said, uncomfortably, and Mitsuki just laughed at him, waving it off. 

Masaru also waved it off, scoffing. “It’s fine! She gets hit on all the time. It’s normal.”

Sipping on her mimosa at 10 am, Mitsuki teased. “Plus, it must be nice having a hot mom, Katsuki. Be grateful.” 

The subject of which groaned and muttered something about “That’s disgusting” before taking a swig of the place’s coffee and trying not to spit it out. He tried his hardest to ignore the fact that it tasted like dirt water. As soon as he did so, the waiter came by and gave them their items. Katsuki uttered a “Thanks” to the waiter and dug into his American-style food—an omelette with spicy sausage and hashbrowns on the side. 

He grabbed the hot sauce from the table and drowned his food in it, ruining the picturesque design that the chefs in the back worked so hard on. He held back a groan at how delicious the food was and just shook his leg rapidly to show his glee whilst chewing. He cut up pieces of the sausage for his parents to try, and he dropped it onto their plates.

As he was ruining his food, the waiter came back to notify Masaru and Mitsuki that the owner wanted to chat with them a little before they left. His parents had invited him to brunch as a way of thanking him for taking photos with their new line. Although Katsuki did it every time they came out with a new line nowadays (regardless of his distaste for having to model), his parents treated him to food every time. It was a habit for them. When Katsuki was younger, he would outright refuse (and scream. and yell.) until his parents bribed him.

But now, it was just tradition for the Bakugou family to sit and eat out the day before a show.

Katsuki was just sitting, listening to his parents talk about their worries and excitements about their new line when he heard them say something about “Kindeki”. His ears perked up like a dog hearing the shaking of a Milk-Bone Soft & Chewy Chicken Recipe Dog Treats (#notsponsored) container. 

“Kindeki?” He asked.

“Yeah,” his mother responded, “ a really great company. Their designs as of late have been particularly innovative!” She took a bite of a waffle in between speaking. “We’ve been friends with Kindeki Takumi for years. She’s always been a genius! She’s been telling me that her niece has been giving her some ideas for her new line. I saw the sketches, and I fell in love.”

Masaru nodded, readjusting the glasses on his face. “Her designs have always been a combination of sustainability, ergonomics, and style. There’s a very purposeful feeling of logic and utility behind her pieces.” He kept going on about the design process of Kindeki Takumi and how she always gets inspired by places around the world.

Then, Mitsuki gasped. “And, I saw a photo of Takumi-chan’s niece, and the girl is gorgeous! I’d have forced her on our runway ages ago if I knew about her. I asked Takumi-chan, though, and apparently, she’s not interested in modeling of any sort, but hopefully, we can ask her to take photos with you, Katsuki!”

As soon as Katsuki noticed that Mitsuki was starting to use such passionate words for this girl, he froze. His mother was way too interested in this Kindeki girl and that did not spell out good things for him. But when Mitsuki pulled out her phone and showed him the sketches of these pieces, he was pretty impressed.

Everything about the Kindeki brand, he concluded, is admirable. The founder, Kindeki Takumi, her niece, and the fact that you wear it on a daily basis.

~Your YouTuber Morning Routine~

(Y/N)’s day started like any other. She woke up naturally on her king-sized mattress with champagne mulberry silk sheets from the sweet chirping of birds outside the window of her upscale New York penthouse apartment.

She stepped onto her heated floor while stretching and sighing in contentment. It was time to go on a short three-hour workout before going to a two-hour pilates class and meditating for thirteen hours. She was going to have a great time eating her eggs benedict with beluga caviar topped with gold leaf this morning.

Life is so tough, she thinks, as she scrolls through her Instagram to see that Apple just released their new phone, dubbed the “(Y/N)phone” in honor of her. In her DMs, she saw an NBA player, the heir to Samsung, fifteen billionaires, and Elon Musk still trying to court her. In addition, her phone crashed and exploded because of the sheer amount of likes she had on a new post. 

She sighed and threw the phone into the trash, along with many others. The same thing happened yesterday. She opened her drawer, revealing dozens of new iPhones (she sighed again, realizing she would have to soon replace these with the new (Y/N)phone) to pick up another one. Today, she chose the phone with a blue glass backing because her life was so… blue. Then, a clown broke into her house.

The clown grew a Pinnochio nose and vomited three blue tiki-themed mugs, opening its mouth to speak to her. Instead, it started screaming at her in a way that would best be defined as screaming in italicized lowercase. It yelled in short bursts and smacked her on the head with a namaste frog statue with boobs.

The Red Eye is an espresso drink commonly known as a highly caffeinated beverage. Created with a combination of espresso and drip coffee, it is the perfect thing to get the burnt-out grad student to have a boost of energy before settling back into their quarter-life crisis. Similar to an Americano, the Red Eye utilizes espresso and then lightens its strong taste by adding another ingredient. In the case of the Americano, baristas add water to smoothen the bitter flavor of the espresso. Instead, Red Eyes utilize drip coffee to strengthen the taste and the caffeine level.

If you’d like to have the experience of a medical student, an architecture student, or a parent of a newborn running on 10 minutes of sleep from three days ago and mere whiffs of coffee, then the Red Eye is perfect for you!

You woke up. A headache hit you like a truck as the ear-splitting noise of screaming old men woke you up. Every time you wake, you regret your choice of alarm ringtone. You fell to the ground with a loud thump. Pain bloomed across your body as your roommate screamed at you from across the bedroom, “Turn off that fucking alarm, you bitch!”

You groaned loudly, standing up to reach your charging phone on your desk. After you tapped the “STOP” button, you stood blankly at your desk in the darkness, questioning all of your choices in life with a blurry vision. You start to calculate how many more minutes of sleep you can afford, and then you start calculating how many people it would take to murder so that you wouldn’t have to stay awake.

By the time that number hit ten people, you just sighed and took your phone with you to the bathroom. The earlier calculations of minutes then turned into the calculation of how many Red Eyes you would have to drink to wake yourself up. Your own red eyes squinted as the ceiling lights flash banged your eyes. As you were brushing your teeth, you scrolled through social media to wake yourself up. You got a spicy three hours of sleep. 

(Around the time you’d slept, Bakugou woke up and went to the gym.)

Music played quietly as you did your skincare routine and examined your reflection in the mirror. Today, you should probably fix your birds’ nest hair. Right now, it could be compared to a cat’s thrown-up hairball. In fact, that may be an insult to the cat’s hairball.

Makeup is slapped onto your face vengefully. Vengeful to the morning, your alarm, and to everything in general.

You’re pretty, gorgeous, amazing, moisturized, and hydrated, but you’re still tired as fuck. Even then, you toss on a nice blouse, a pair of thermal leggings underneath your favorite pair of brown slacks, and a coat that your aunt gifted you. To top it off, you wore an oversized plaid scarf and your pearl-drop earrings.

You look great! You feel like shit, though.

Bakugou wondered which god he’d pleased so much when you opened the door to his café. You looked so-

Your hair reflected the warm lighting of the café, framing your face as it glowed and you gave him a smile in greeting. You looked so cute, so warm, so comfortable. The scarf just made you look even cuter. The soft fabrics covering you made you look more soft, and it made Bakugou want to cuddle up with you on a couch while watching shitty rom-com movies. He had to keep himself from fainting altogether or kneeling at your feet and begging you to let him become your servant for a lifetime. His mind froze.

What are you doing to him? He feels like he hardly even knows you!

He felt as if the two of you didn’t have daily pleasant conversations about your day or a couple conversations about hobbies before the two of you got back to work. He admired that about you–he always saw you hard at work, and it was endearing. He also loved the way you were so efficient with your time. He hardly ever saw you dilly-dallying unless it was for a purposeful break to boost your productivity. 

From the outside, Bakugou’s face was neutral as he grunted out a “g’mornin’” and brushed his veiny hand through his hair. “What can I do ‘ya for?”

You shivered from the lingering outside cold and hugged your arms to your body to conserve any ounce of heat. “Hey, could you make two large hot red eyes, but make it with enough sugar and cream to fuck up the Hulk?”

…Again, he did not ask any questions. But the cursing coming from your pretty mouth gave him a punch to the gut. It was the most pleasant punch to the gut he’s ever felt. He’s going absolutely insane. “For here or to go?”

You sighed, “To-go. I wanted to stay here to have more of these amazing drinks and get some work done, but I’m pretty busy today. I could come back later, though.”

“Sorry, but the place is gonna be closed after 10 am today,” he passed you your red eye, “I’ve got a thing I need to be at.”

You pouted. “Aw, maybe tomorrow, then.”

He looked away from you to hide how flustered he was at how cute you were. Nonetheless, he nodded in response. He watched you walk away and out of his coffee shop, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. Bakugou mentally cursed Ashido.

directory/m.list

⇦ previous chapter - next chapter ⇨

[tarnussy]

Something a bit more important than fandom, give it a read please. It is an issue that has been bothering me to the point of serious emotional distress for years.

Not related to ER but since I have hundreds of people following me here, I thought I'd share an article that is about the moral cost of cats in regards to birds. Much like other social media sites, tumblr also treats cats in a cult-like way, so I think reading something like this is essential for everyone. It is an excellently written article about a scientist and their fight against birds constantly going extinct BECAUSE of cats and irresponsible owners.

I am also sad about constantly seeing that every time someone brings this topic up, cat owners who can behave like they are part of a cult, immediately start acting vile and throwing death threats. So imagine thinking you, as a cat owner, are the victim when birds and small mammals are losing this fight every single day with a lot of species going extinct as we speak because of the very people who don't want to hear the truth. It baffles me that they say they like animals so much, especially cats, but at the same time, when other people who see the whole picture and are actually animal lovers who love more than just cats and dogs are suddenly their main enemies? How does that make sense? Once again I wish I could express myself better but English is not my mother tongue.

I can bring my own experience into this as well, I live in a country where cats outside are in such amounts that is is straight up just a pest issue - cats being the pests. I see how in the last 10 years, a booming blackbird population where I live went down to basically seeing one blackbird a year. I live next to a huge lake that is supposedly a national park type deal where birds are protected, and yet, on the street I live in that is right next to the lake, there are at least 3 outdoors cats per house, doing irreversible harm to the birds in the lake area. There is one person who owns 17 outdoors cats whose cats not only hunt for birds all day, but also baby chickens in neighbours' yards. When confronted, the owner said he doesn't care. Don't forget that cats kill for fun and sport! And there are no laws or anything to fight this, and I feel completely helpless because birds are essential.

I would make it mandatory for everyone to care for an injured bird that was hurt by a cat. And try to nurse them back to life, just to put things into perspective. I've been doing just that almost every summer in the past several years. It's heartbreaking. And I don't have options because the only bird hospital is across the country from where I live. So I have to rely on myself and the short training I had in bird emergency.

And knowing that a lot of cat (and dog) owning for the most part comes down to people being emotially stunted and refusing to see how harmful their pets are is just incredibly sad and also infuriating. Because that is the truth of it. The hypocrisy is wild. And it is a losing battle, especially since social media has been a thing for the past decade or so. It's much worse now. So if you like birds, please read the article. If you are a diehard cat owner who thinks everyone else is wrong, also read the article. Maybe you will see where the scientists and people who care for more animals than cats are coming from.

Also, I am really bad at confrontation and fights generally, so I will not tolerate any vile comment or addition on this post that will start to pick a fight. The energy you would use to fight me would have better use if use used it to keep yor outdoors cats inside. And maybe if it was used to actually help animals instead of hoarding them. This post for now is also for my followers only, so no reblogs. But even if 2 people read this post and the article, that's good news for me.

And also just to try to describe how I (and other people who love birds) feel: imagine this made-up scenario where the birds are the cats. You love cats more than anything, they have been going steadily extinct because of an animal that is a popular pet. You love cats but this other animal that is a popular pet is killing cats for fun. And the owners of this other popular pet think it is super cute how their pets are killing your favourite animals that are going extinct. And you can't bring up this topic ever, because the popular pet type that has been killing your fave animal is so so popular that people will gank you via comments and real life for it, no matter what. Now THAT is what fighting for birds and small mammals feels like when we try to bring this topic up with cat owners.

And if you unfollow me for this, good riddance. Just know that before you think you are the victim for people pointing out how harmful cats are, you are actively harming the environment and are responsible for birds and small mammals going extinct - because you are responsible for your cat. Cats by themselves wouldn't be an issue if it was a natural setting, without the human part, but it isn't. Humans are hoarding cats, so their ratio compared to birds is outlandishly big and unnatural. In no natural setting would cats be this rampant without the hoarding aspect. Humans hoarding cats and being irresponsible are the issue. And you can marinate in that after you unfollowed me.

For the rest of you who I reached with this post, thank you for reading. And I know this is not a fandom topic, but it is extremely important to me. And it should be extremely important to way more people. It is a global issue. It is always wild to see the lengths so called environmentalist go into to fight people about recycling and veganism, but hoarding killing machines somehow is acceptable to these very same people. Extend that cat (and dog) loving to other animals as well. Also, hoarding animals will not fix your emotional / psychological problems. It will only distract. There are less environmentally harmful ways for distraction.

[messinwitheddie]

Mr. Casarez "...And a fruit cup. Do you make dessert pizza this early...? Really? Great. Could you add a--"

Nny "He's STILL ordering... who does this guy think he's feeding?"

Mr. Casarez "Myself, My Wife and two boys who really need to eat."

Noise "And me, asshole!"

Mr. Casarez "Just take home whatever you can't finish. Or I'll eat it."

Squee "Sounds good. Thank you. Is it really killing you to be nice?"

Nny "To him? I think so?"

Squee "Well, die with grace, ok?"

MW "Ooel Oi!"

Nny "Did that goddamn bird just call me noodle boy?"

Squee "No-- I mean, I'm pretty sure this type of parot can't talk."

MY OOEL OI!!"

Nny "You--"

Mr. Casarez "The food should be here in 40 minutes."

Nny "Wonderful! I'll get started on the carpet while we wait so this day is over with as mercifully soon as possible! Kindly keep your aerial shit cannon away from me and my belongings. Thank you."

Nny "I will working with my headphones on, so don't bother me until the food is here. Appreciate it."

Mr. Casarez "Ok... I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything."

Squee "I'm sorry about Nny. He really is trying to make up for all the crap he's pulled on you. He just-"

Mr. Casarez "Don't be sorry. I'm grateful for the help around here. It takes 4 times as long to clean her enclosure myself. Do you want to give My Wife a shower out back? She would really appreciate it."

Squee. "Sure, no problem."

Mr. Casarez "Ok, I'll get the hose."

[Out back]

Squee "They just left her locked up in her enclosure when they moved out? That's horrible. "

Mr. Casarez "You don't know the half of it. When I moved in I found her covered in her own shit, her water bottle was dry for who knows how long, she was half starved and plucking out her own feathers from stress."

Squee "Awww..."

Mr. Casarez "Why do people take in pets just to mistreat them? I'll never understand."

Mr. Casarez "Whoever lived here before me must have decided it was too expensive to keep her or it was too much of a hassle to move her. I couldn't afford to take her to a vet so I had to check out a bunch of books at the library about exotic pet bird care. I only knew how to take care of chickens. It was hard. I'm a very slow reader, even in Spanish. It paid off; she's much healthier now and she trusts me."

Squee "That's impressive, Juan."

Mr. Casarez "I've always loved birds. I was afraid to handle her at first though. Loud noises scare me and she's very noisy... and bitey, but now we're inseparable. It breaks my heart I won't be able to keep her much longer."

Squee "Why not?"

Mr. Casarez "My health isn't good. I love My Wife, but she needs an owner with more energy, a longer life expectancy and a higher income to care for her how she needs to live a good life. My social worker's son put her up for adoption on the internet for me. So far one person has contacted me. If I get a good feeling when I speak to them in person, I'll give her away. If not, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want to pass away and leave her trapped in her enclosure."

Squee "That really sucks, but it's sweet you tried this hard for her."

Mr. Casarez "So, Um, just out of curiosity, why do you call him "Nny" and why does he keep calling you "Squee?" Is that some kind of new young person slang I'm unfamiliar with or--?"

Squee "Uh, no, um, not-- "Squee" is just his pet name for me. It's actually a crappy nickname the kids at school call me, but for some reason I introduced myself to him as "Squee" when my family first moved next door to him. I hate being called "Squee", but I don't have the heart to tell him. "Nny is a nickname... he gave himself, I guess? It's short for Johnny."

Mr. Casarez "I like the sound of "Johnny" a lot better than "Nny", but I'm biased. My son was named Johnny."

[Last page

Sorry for so much dialog. I'm trying to move this story along and get to an important plot point, but I only know how to write with loads of dialog so....

I think there were at least 3 dumb spelling mistakes and I was super pissed off while drawing a few panels hence the extra sloppy, heavy linework in some of it. Appreciate anyone still following this au. Struggling to figure out exactly how I want to end this. It's meant to be a rather sad story, but I keep throwing in gags.

[a-killer-obsession]

Wavelengths [Killer x Reader, Heat x Reader]

🔞 Minors DNI 🔞

A search for a rumored Vegapunk weapon leads the Kid Pirates to an unexpected new crewmate, with a bloodlust that rivals their own and an incredible power.

CW: Please check AO3 for all current warnings, but general warning for smut, slow burn, serious gore, and really dark themes. AFAB reader, she/her pronouns.

Masterlist || AO3 || Chapter 1

Chapter 13 - Alone, Together - Part 1

You and Killer find yourselves trapped on a deserted island after going overboard during a storm.

WC: ~5k

Taglist: @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @iggy5055

Day 1

You woke up with a groan as a gentle wave pushed your body further up onto the beach. The sun was bright in your eyes, your entire body ached, and there was something heavy laying across your chest, pinning you down. You tried to see what it was, coming to your senses suddenly when you saw the familiar scarred arm of the first mate draped protectively across you. You followed the arm back to its owner, finding Killer laying beside you, face down in the sand as the waves lapped at his legs.

“Killer, move your arm,” you groaned.

He didn’t reply, or even attempt to move. You watched him carefully for a moment, concerned with the lack of response. There was no rise and fall of his torso to indicate breathing, and you felt yourself start to panic.

“Killer?” You said as you did your best to push his heavy arm off. It was still warm, that had to be a good sign, right? “Kil please say something”

You put all your strength into rolling him, which was no easy feat considering he was probably five times your size and made of pure muscle. His arms splayed out on the sand as he rolled to his back, and you quickly pressed two fingers against his neck. There was a pulse, but it was unbearably weak, and he still wasn't breathing. He can't have been out for long though, since his heart was still working, as weak as it may be. You started to panic more, you needed to resuscitate him immediately before his heart finally gave up, but his damned mask was in the way. You had no choice, it was either remove it or let him die, and you couldn't fathom the latter.

  You knew the mask had some sort of latch, you'd heard it in the infirmary during checkups, so you tilted his neck to search for it, finding what seemed like a button towards the side of it. It clicked as you unfastened it, and you began to slide the mask off, chickening out at the last second and squeezing your eyes shut before you could see more than the base of his blond goatee. Despite the fact that this was necessary to save his life, you still felt awful for invading his privacy.

You pushed the mask aside and used your hands to blindly feel for his nose and mouth, making sure his chin was adequately titled to open his airway before pinching his nose and pressing in hard breaths, pausing between each so his lungs could deflate. Thank god for mandatory marine first aid training. You paused after a short series of breaths, tilting your head so your ear was over his mouth, listening carefully to hear if he was breathing on his own yet. He wasn't, so you pinched his nose again and blew in another.

All of a sudden he coughed hard and turned to his side, throwing up water and hacking. You breathed a sigh of relief and almost cried, realising how close you'd just come to being on your own again. You kept your eyes squeezed shut, covering them with your hands so he could see clearly that you weren't looking as he took sharp breaths and tried to clear the water from his lungs.

After a short coughing fit he caught his breath, wiping the spittle from his mouth with the back of his hand and laying flat on his back again. He felt weak and sore, and he lacked the energy to sit up. He noticed you now, sitting quietly with your eyes covered, and he quickly realised with nervous panic that he wasn't wearing his mask. He pulled it back on and tapped your kneeling leg with a weak finger.

“It's back on, you can open now,” he wheezed. His throat was raw from coughing. You let out a deep sigh and pulled your hands away anxiously, visibly relaxing when you saw the mask back in place. You flopped back down on the sand next to him, exhausted, physically and emotionally.

“I didn't see anything…” you whispered.

“I know, it's okay,” he replied softly, “I'm guessing I stopped breathing, huh?”

“Yeah…” you mumbled sadly.

“Sorry for scaring you”

“It's okay…” you sounded on the brink of tears and he turned his head to look at you. You were staring up at the sky, your eyes watering as you tried hard to not cry.

“Kid has my vivre card, he'll find us,” Killer said gently, “we just have to hold out till then”

“Okay,” you replied quietly.

“Are you okay?” He said, his voice full of concern.

“Are you?”

“Not really,” he replied.

“I don't remember much,” you admitted, “I think I must have hit my head on the railing”

“The wave swept you off, so I dived in to keep you afloat, but the ship got too far away” he explained, sitting up as best he could and gently tilting your head to check for wounds. There was a small patch of blood at the back of your head, dried and matted into your hair, he scowled at it, but it seemed to be okay for now. “The currents brought us here, can't have been much long ago, since we're still saturated and the tide is so close. You definitely hit your head but it doesn't seem to be bleeding anymore, can you see okay? You don't feel sick do you?”

“I'm okay, it just hurts,” you turned your head to face him, scanning him up and down like you were searching for an answer as he lay back down, “You tread water all night to keep me from drowning?”

“Well I wasn't just gonna let you die,” he said sincerely. You rolled over and nestled against his side, emotionally moved by him risking his life to save you. You were shivering a little, the waves still lapping at your legs, and he rubbed your arm in a comforting manner to try and warm you. “We need to get out of the water, and get out of these wet clothes. And find shelter, if this area had one storm it'll no doubt have another”

“Give me a second,” you sat up and flipped your pendant, letting your vision simultaneously expand and obscure. You couldn't make out details, but solid rock was hard to see through, it was an easy way to scan the island for caves. You could also see the inner workings of the various inhabitants, so you could see whether there were any people or potential animals to hunt or be wary of. You scanned quickly, aware that you were a ticking time bomb like this. You found what you were looking for though, a cave that looked large enough for both of you, as well as the presence of a decent wild pig population. You flicked your seastone back and sighed in relief as your vision and hearing returned to normal.

“There's a cave, it looks big enough for both of us, not too far away I think,” you reported, “I can't see any people or any dangerous animals but I could see some wild pigs”

“Okay, good,” he said, trying to stand, “lead the way.” He got to his feet and his legs quickly gave out under him, falling back to the sand on his hands and knees with a heavy thud, “Fuck”

“Your legs must be like jelly,” you said, “let me help you”

You helped him stand again, this time doing your best to support his heavy weight with an arm over your shoulders to keep him upright. He had to take slow, careful steps as you made your way into the dense jungle, quickly leading him to where you had seen the cave. Thankfully it wasn't far from shore, you'd been walking for maybe twenty minutes when you came to it, probably only a ten minute walk at a normal speed. The cave was small as expected, more of an overhang in a short cliff, but it was wide enough for Killer to lay down across it and would serve its purpose to protect from the elements. You were certainly fairing better than him, your body still hurt badly and recovering from being weakened by the ocean water, but at least you could walk unassisted, so you set about gathering dry leaves to act as a makeshift bed, to insulate against the cold, hard, rock floor.

He couldn't help but notice you were bone dry now as you approached with an arm full of leaves, “What happened to your dress? You find a hairdryer out here or something?” he asked curiously.

“Glad you asked, take off your clothes,”

“Bit forward,” he smirked, pulling his shirt off.

“Gimme your underwear too, you can't keep sitting around in wet undies you'll start to smell,” you sat down next to him and closed your eyes, then held out your arms for his clothes, “I won't peek, I promise, just flip my pendant for me when I'm holding everything”

He did as he was told, sitting awkwardly next to you, naked except for his mask. He delicately flipped the pendant and you started to vibrate the clothing, heating it as much as you could without setting fire to it. Steam came off the fabric as the water evaporated, leaving the clothes dry. You flipped the pendant yourself when you were done, holding the clothes out for him to take, but keeping your eyes shut. He took them and quickly worked on putting them back on, thankful that he'd at least been wearing comfortable clothes to sleep so he didn't have to fight with tight jeans over his sore legs. They felt like they were fresh from the dryer, though slightly scratchy from the sand and sea salt still on them.

“You couldn't just do that while they were on me?” He mumbled.

“And miss out on getting you naked?” You smirked, “with my mask I could have, but I can't concentrate properly without it, I could have burned you”

“Oh, fair enough,” he said, slipping his shirt on, “you can open now”

You opened your eyes, sighing in relief and arranging the thick pile of leaves you'd dropped in a pile before so he could lay on them. He laid down with a small wince, and you stood like you were about to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“We need water,” you replied.

“It can wait, you need rest,” he sighed, “if you drop from exhaustion out there I won't be able to help you. I might not even be able to find you, the forest seems pretty thick”

You sat back down with a pout but rubbed your forehead like a headache was forming, “you're not wrong…”

“No more using your powers till we get some food and water,” he shimmied over to make space for you on the leaves, making them crunch as he moved. The cave wasn't large but it was just enough room for you to both lay down with a little space between. He patted the leaves to invite you to relax and you did as you were told, laying to face him. You looked sad, a deep frown on your face as you picked at a leaf between your faces.

“The others will find us, we're gonna be okay,” he assured you, like he was reading your mind.

“How long do you think we're gonna be here?”

“Depends on if the ship is damaged,” he replied, “if it wasn't, maybe two days at most. But if it was damaged, which is likely, the nearest port wasn't far away, maybe a day's sailing. Give or take a week to make repairs, then the couple days sailing back, we're probably looking at a little over a week”

“We need to find water then,” you stated.

“It can wait till tomorrow,” he said firmly, “we both need rest right now. We'll look for water tomorrow. If there's wild pigs here like you said then there has to be fresh water somewhere, don't worry too much about it. We're gonna be fine”

“Okay Kil, I trust you,” you sighed.

“Get some rest,” he said blearily as he tried to get comfortable. The leaves weren't exactly a five star mattress but they were better than cold hard ground. “We'll look for water tomorrow”

“Okay,” you mumbled, trying to get comfortable as well and unwillingly closing your eyes. It didn't take long for you to both fall asleep, overwhelmed and exhausted from what you'd both been through.

Killer woke up in the middle of the night. The temperature had dropped a significant amount, and there was a light rainstorm happening outside the cave. The overhang protected you from the water, but not the temperature. You were shivering, still in only a thin satin nightie to cover you. You were facing away from him, but he could hear your teeth chattering as you hugged yourself tight. Instinctively he pulled you closer, holding your body against his to keep you warm. You sighed, intertwining your fingers with his over your chest and pressing back against him. The chattering slowly stopped as his body heat warmed you, and you soon fell back asleep.

Day 2

Killer was already awake and moving by the time you opened your eyes. The rain had stopped, the heavy dew leftover still sticking to the vegetation around the cave. He had broken a rock open, and was sitting cross legged near your feet, using the sharp edge of the broken stone to scrape away at the end of a long, thick branch. He planned to scorch it later to strengthen it, so he could make it even sharper, but first he'd need to find materials appropriate for making a bow drill. He'd need to find some soft, dry wood, as well as some sort of fibre for the bow string. He wasn't so worried about the “dry” part though, he was sure you could repeat what you did for the clothes if necessary. You could probably start a fire on your own in general, but he didn't want to push your abilities when there was no guarantee you'd have adequate food to replenish your energy.

Given the island clearly had frequent rain, and a healthy population of animals, it was likely he would find some sort of stream or river nearby if he looked. Water and fire were his priorities today, he was overly aware now that any temperature drops were going to affect you a lot worse than him. He at least had a shirt and sweatpants, but you were almost entirely exposed, with only thin, delicate fabric that offered no insulation or protection against the elements

He noticed you stirring in the corner of his eye and stood, ripping a large leaf from a nearby tree that had caught a decent amount of rain the night before. He'd used the same plant to sate his own thirst earlier, and delicately carried the water over to you, tilting the leaf carefully for you as you sat up so you could drink from it.

“Thanks Kil,” you mumbled sleepily, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. He discarded the leaf and went back to sharpening his makeshift spear. “That for hunting?”

“Yeah,” he replied, “it'd be better if I can burn the end though, I'm hoping to make a fire later. We can survive without food if we have to, but I'm worried about you getting too cold if your body doesn't have anything to make energy with”

“That's sweet of you Kil, I'll be okay though,” you smiled, “this isn't the first time I've starved. I'm glad I at least have a friend this time though”

He paused his sharpening for a moment, trying not to get bummed out about the depressing statement. “Right, yeah, of course”

“I'm more worried about you, big guy,” you poked his arm, “how will Kid find us if you waste away to nothing?”

“This isn't the first time I've starved either,” he said nonchalantly.

“Oh..” you replied sadly.

“It's fine, Kid and I were street urchins,” he explained, “the South Blue where we're from is pretty well known for gang wars. That's how we met Heat and Wire actually. Ended up forming an alliance with them to take down a gang that killed our friend, and it turned into a crew at some point.”

“Victoria?” You asked shyly.

“How did you know that?” He entirely stopped what he was doing to look at you.

“No crew of blood thirsty men names their ship after a woman without good reason,” you shrugged, “most ships I've seen are named after things the captain likes, or something to do with their devil fruit or reputation. Not women.”

“I guess that's true,” he conceded, returning to his stick.

“She must have meant a lot to Kid for him to name the ship after her,” you mused.

“Yeah, we loved her a lot,” he replied.

“‘We’?”

“Slip of the tongue”

“Sure,” you squinted suspiciously, “well I'm sure she must have been an impressive woman then to catch your eyes”

“She beat the shit out of us,” he huffed, it was almost a laugh.

“Why does that not surprise me that that's Kid's type,” you laughed.

“We were only kids, to be fair,” he added.

“Sure, cos Kid wouldn't get rock hard if I beat the shit out of him any day now,” you smirked.

Killers shoulders shimmied in silent laughter, “Yeah, he probably would,” he admitted.

Once you were properly awake, he abandoned his half-carved spear and you both set off in search of water. It didn't take long to find a stream, decently sized but not quite wide enough to be considered a river. The water was clear and untouched by pollution, the stir up from last night's rain already having passed through. There were fish in the stream that neither of you could identify, and you made a mental note to weave a trap later, something else you'd been taught in the marines. You were feeling glad now for the course they made everyone do on what to do if you got shipwrecked, Killer wasn't the only one who knew how to start a fire with sticks.

You unabashedly stripped off your nightie and panties, stepping into the water with no shame for your nudity and using the gentle flow of the water to help wash your garments. It didn't take long, given how little fabric there was, and you returned to the water's edge to drape them over some larger rocks to dry. Killer stood awkwardly at the water's edge, doing his best to look away as you casually stood naked in front of him.

“Don't tell me you're shy,” you laughed, “I don't have the energy to dry the clothes again, so if you don't want to keep walking around with sand in your undies I suggest you wash your stuff too. The sun here isn't too bad, it shouldn't take too long to dry if you wring them out well”

He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly very aware of the sand that was still chafing his ass. You weren't wrong, the sun was bright and warm in the small clearing the stream passed through, it was an ideal chance to wash his clothes. He wasn't shy about his body, it was more that his feelings for you were making him shy. You giggled at his hesitation.

“I won't look, big baby,” you laughed, turning and wadding away. The water was waist high on you, which meant he'd have to stay on his knees if you weren't going to get an eyeful. He trusted you to not look though, you hadn't even looked at his face when you'd had the chance. He finally conceded, and you heard the soft rustling of clothes and gentle splashing of him entering the water behind you and setting about washing his things. You leaned your front against a smooth boulder on the other side of the stream, slightly warmed by the sun, watching a small bird collect pieces of dead plants to make its nest.

He laid his clothes out to dry next to yours and turned back around, sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him in the water. There wasn't much else he could do till the clothes dried, so he may as well let the cool water ice his sore body. He observed your smooth back, painted with the same purple freckles that were scattered over the rest of your body. Your hair was loose, as it had been when you'd gone to bed before you were tossed overboard, and the wet strands stuck to your shoulder blades. In the middle of your back was the old, faded slave brand you'd received when you were young. It stung his heart to think of a child being sold, he could only imagine what most people bought kids for. Not that you'd escaped that fate anyway when the marines got hold of you instead. The Kid Pirates occasionally visited the human auction houses on Sabaody, whenever Kid had extra cash to throw around he liked to use it to rescue men who showed promise. It was a small thing, but it was all they could really do to save the occasional man or teenage boy from slavery or sexual abuse. Women were harder to save, they always fetched a higher price, so he avoided bidding on them. Chances were they'd just be recaptured again the second he left anyway, since he wasn't in the habit of bringing women on board. Why save one woman when he could save three men instead?

“Does it ever hurt?” Killer asked, looking at the slave mark. You didn't have to ask what he was talking about, it was usually the first question you got when someone saw the branding scar.

“Not for a long time,” you replied, “it hurt for a few months after it happened, but once it healed I couldn't feel it anymore. It's a little sensitive though”

“I heard they can hurt for years for some people, we've had a couple of men over the years with them,” he added.

“Yeah?” You said, “guess I got lucky then aye? Lucky, lucky me”

“Sorry,” he said, feeling like he'd hit a nerve.

“It's okay, I'm just hungry and stressed, it's making me bitchy,” you sighed.

“I'm gonna try to finish that spear and hunt when we're done here,” he assured you.

“That'd be good,” you replied, “I'm gonna see if I can find something to make a fishing trap”

He replied with a mmm and there was a pregnant silence while he watched your back again. He couldn't really help himself, but he was doing his very best to not imagine other reasons why he might see your naked back. “Do you think she's still alive out there somewhere?” he asked, trying to distract himself from the threat of dirty thoughts.

“Who?” You replied curiously.

“Your mother,” he asked.

“I have to hope she is,” you sighed, “but in reality I don't think it's likely. The marines tracked her down for me for my 16th birthday, the vice admiral I was with at the time was kinder than most and wanted to get me something to celebrate officially being old enough to join the marines. They found her but the best they could do was get me a letter, not that I could read it. I kept it with me all these years, it's one of the only things I ever had for myself and the commodore kept it in his safe as a bargaining chip. I haven't heard anything since though, and that was maybe ten years ago? Hard to tell when I don't know how old I am now.”

“You still have it then?” He asked.

“Yeah, it's in my side table back on the ship”

“I'll read it for you, when we get back,” he promised.

“Thanks Kil,” you sighed, “maybe it'll even tell me my name”

“You don't know your name?” He asked, genuinely surprised. He knew Yin wasn't your real name, but he assumed like many pirates, himself included, that you'd just chosen to go by the nickname.

“It's been so long since anyone used it, I forgot what it was,” you replied sadly, “my mother was the last one to use it. Marines have always called me Yin, it was the codename they used for the mission they had to get their hands on me, and I guess it stuck”

“Surely it'll be addressed to your given name,” he assured, “maybe it'll even be dated. If it is then we could use it to figure out how old you are”

“That'd be nice,” you mused.

Eventually the clothes dried and you were able to return to the cave, working together to gather wood for a fire along the way. You used the end of a blunt branch to dig a small pit into the earth to house the fire, and Killer lit it with the bow drill he'd assembled, setting fire to the dried leaves you had collected to get the flames started.

You watched curiously as he alternated between searing the end of the makeshift spear, and grinding it against a rough rock, till it formed a sturdy, sharp point. You used your devil fruit again to point him in the direction of a nearby boar, and he left, returning a few hours later with the already bled carcass. You'd built a makeshift split from branches and vines while he was gone to make yourself useful, and you ate well that night. With renewed energy you used your power to entirely dry whatever was left, preserving the meat so it could be eaten over the coming days.

The temperature was already dropping again as you settled in to sleep, and he didn't wait this time to pull you in close, anticipating your shivering. He didn't want to be woken by your chattering teeth again tonight, at least that was the excuse he told himself. The dying fire helped a little, but at some point it too would grow cold and you'd have nothing but his body to keep you warm. He didn't run as hot as Heat did, but it was certainly warm blooded. You didn't protest, you enjoyed how safe and secure you felt when he held you.

“Do you usually sleep with your mask on?” You asked curiously.

“No,” he replied bluntly.

“Aren't you uncomfortable then?” You asked, “I won't look, if you want to sleep without it”

He thought about it for a moment before unlatching the mask and removing it, returning his arm to your side. He could press his face against the bare skin at the top of your back now, and it felt nice for both of you. You could feel his warm, steady breaths against your skin.

“Whatever your reason for the mask, I won't judge you, you know?” You told him, “I'm sure you have your reasons but I hope one day you'll trust me enough with it”

He gave you a noncommittal hum and closed his eyes to sleep. You didn't pry any further, just happy that he trusted you enough to remove it at all, even if you weren't allowed to look.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

[dollsonmain]

Ok, so...

Manager started a notebook and told us to write down what we need to order in the notebook, so I've been doing that.

I add things as I become aware of it being needed.

Today I wrote in something I'd asked for repeatedly (pork BBQ rib patties/McRibs, basically, which I suspect she only saw "BBQ pork" and stopped reading and that's why we have so many tubs of bbq pulled pork in the freezer....) and she was like "Make sure you tell me what you need by Mondays because the order goes in on Tuesday.

I was like "Ok..."

She can just order all that stuff on the next Tuesday... Next... Next week... Does she want me to not write things down UNTIL Monday???? Or write them as the week goes by and I become aware they're needed like I had been??????? Like wh...... The latter is more efficient?

I had asked for that repeatedly? There are 2 left (2 rib patties in a huge box in the freezer.......) and they won't sell by the time Monday rolls around again either way but... I did ask previously for that product.

Like, we stood there and had a conversation about them. We had lots of sub rolls expiring soon, and she had previously said she didn't want to order more rib patties because they weren't selling, so I suggested we put the rib patties into the sub rolls [because we normally slap them on burger buns and they look ridiculous because the bun covers about half the patty in the center and they really should be on sub rolls] and then heat them up and put them in the hot case, because people like to buy them out of the hot case and then be done with them. And she was like "Oh well they kind of took off..." and I was like "That's because I've been putting them in the hot case." They really do sell out of there, but not out of the cold case, and the same goes for the buffalo chicken with pepperjack. No one wants that cold, but when they're warm, people snatch them up.

I........

This week we have one tub of chicken salad that is brand new, I opened it yesterday, it expires today, and I was expected to make tons of little chicken salad sandwiches out of it, but if I do that then I have to throw it all away tomorrow and that seems a waste of bread, which we're always out of. Not that it's the right bread. It's "white wheat" bread which is just bread made with whole wheat flour that's been ground down finely.

She bought some burger buns at a store to make sandwiches with today and they all expire today.

I just.......

How has no one noticed this was happening??????? Like, NO one thought to check expiration dates?????? The past FOUR YEARS?

I'm so confused.

Me checking expiration dates has definitely opened her eyes to some issues, though. She's rearranging sections of the store, now, implementing pseudo-plan-o-grams in places that it's easy to do that like the automotive stuff and paper goods, things that don't move fast, to make reordering things easier, etc. but she's not THERE, yet, and the inventory is still all wrong.

I also saw her drawing a diagram for the Monster energy drinks so she's certainly looking at things a little differently, lately.

I'm still not sure if I can say to her "I know how to set up and manage a micro-warehouse because I have one in my basement. If you set me loose, I can get this all sorted, but everyone has to be on board and maintain the system for it to work and save you lots of trouble and money over time." because she is head strong and it would cost some money, AND she's just Manager. Everything has to pass by Owner, too, and he's not seeming too flexible.

And also that's not my job, my job is "cashier". I'm already doing way more than my job. I get paid $12/hr. That's nothing compared to the amount and variety of work I do. But the kind of person that I am, if given this Thing that needs fixed, omg let me fix it, just like how I've been pulling out fixtures that haven't been moved in ages and cleaning under and behind them and now she has the other employees doing stuff like that later in the day, too.

I am definitely shaking things up in there, and still not sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. It's good for the store, certainly, in general. It's bad for the bottom line in the moment because they're suddenly having to liquidate expired stuff left and right because I go find it when I'm bored (all the more reason to not let me get bored, I guess), and that's showing Manager and Owner how inefficient the inventory and ordering is. I'm sure it's frustrating af for the both of them to have someone come in and be like "Wow, all of this is wrong."

[acti-veg]

So I'm trying to get a better understanding of what Veganism is all about, from an ethical standpoint. So, my Grandparents keep chickens pretty much as pets and will regularly give eggs away to family members because they have tons of them. And I'm just curious what the Vegan perspective on that situation is? Like is the main problem with the cruelty of industrial farming or is using animal products in general just blanketly considered bad?

Like I know Vegans do keep pets, so I just wonder what the perspective would be on using eggs or wool or milk or something from an animal that you care for as a pet? Like, if I decided to rescue a sheep an name them and give them a home with me as like another member of the family, would it be considered unethical to use their wool to make yarn for crochet or something like that? Is it different depending on the situation?

The core belief to keep in mind here is that we as vegans oppose the exploitation of animals for human benefit. For welfarists (who tend to be meat eaters or vegetarians) the main issue with animal products is the cruelty involved, whereas vegans tend to be abolitionists, who want to abolish animal agriculture rather than simply improve treatment.

This is relevant for discussing backyard eggs, because those eggs are the result of exploitation. The hens themselves have been exploited because they have been bred into bodies that vastly overproduce eggs to the extent that it comes with a myriad of health issues, they also usually come from hatcheries where male chicks are brutally slaughtered on mass. To then take what their bodies have spent resources to produce, and therefore profit from that situation, is further exploitation on top of that.

Vegans are generally okay with pets on the basis that they're adopted, and that we aren't exploiting them to serve our own interests. You can adopt hens, but the responsible thing to do is to prevent them laying using implants, except in the USA where this is not allowed. In that case, I personally would prefer chickens were allowed to benefit from their own production and those eggs are fed back to them, which restores some of the enormous amount of energy needed to create them. Excess eggs should then be donated to food banks, fed to other rescued animals or donated to vulnerable people rather than thrown away.

Milk is clearcut, since no animal produces milk without first being made pregnant. To keep a steady flow of milk you have to continuously impregnate them, and generally remove the calf so they aren't drinking it all. Dairy cows once again have been bred to overproduce so there may well be excess, but you really shouldn't be allowing pregnancy in the first place, so this is a moot point in terms of what to do with it.

With sheep it is a bit different, while sheep have been purposely bred to over-produce wool, wool is still an incidental part of keeping sheep, they need to be sheared and there is no real way for them to directly benefit from their own production. It is essentially a waste product at that point, like manure. Views differ on this, but I've no issue with a non-profit organisation selling wool on the basis that 100% of the funds generated go towards the care of the animals in question, which is practiced by many animal sanctuaries. Otherwise I think it is fine if someone donating the wool to an animal shelter for blankets, or turning it into warm clothing for the needy.

As a general rule, animals should be allowed to benefit from what they produce, rather than us. In cases where they can't directly benefit, we certainly shouldn't seek to profit from them. The power dynamic between humans and non-human animals, between pet and owner, will always be imbalanced and to materially benefit from that relationship is taking advantage of that power for personal gain. As soon as you're personally profiting from an animal's body, you also have a vested interest in continuing to make sure the animal continues to produce whatever you are profiting from, opening the door to further exploitation or even abuse.

Things like eggs from pet chickens or wool from a rescued sheep certainly aren't the biggest animal rights issues on our radar, but thinking about it in an ethically consistent fashion means that we apply the same values to these situations as we would any human use of non-human animals. Animals do not exist to serve our interests, and we should respect their bodily autonomy in every way that is possible and practicable. In short, we just shouldn't be looking for ways to benefit from our relationships with animals.

[mylifeisinanotherreality]

oc-tober (shifting edition) day 9!

writing prompt – talking about my favourite "things"

i think i've already talked about my favourite things in my room for day 3, so i'll just take the opportunity to gush about my pets.

i have a dog, and 4 cats in my dr! i have a room dedicated to them with a door linked to my bedroom so they can sleep wherever they like. (i love them so much)

Rocco is a Doberman, and he's very friendly. He barks quite a lot, though he stops when i hold him, but continues after i let him go. He loves people, and loves to bother the cats – he wants them to play with him, but half the time the cats just side-eye him and leaves him alone. He's very protective too, and he tries to make sure everyone is safe (though i trip over him like most of the time – spider senses don't work on him)

Damian is a Bombay cat, and he has the typical gold/ copper eyes of one. He is probably the most grumpy cat out of all of them, but i love him anyways. One thing he loves to eat is chicken, so if i ever buy that home, he'd jump onto the table and stare at me till i feed him (which also means i have to feed everyone else). He lets me pet him though, and if you pet him for long enough, he drifts off to sleep.

Ebony is also a Bombay cat, and from the same litter as Damian. When I saw them, they were the only two left and i couldn't bear to separate them, so i adopted them both! She has green eyes, and is a lot nicer than her brother. She likes to keep to herself, though sometimes she'd just come over and demand pets and i can never say no to her.

Charlie is a Snow Bengal – he was originally bought by his previous owner who lived in the same apartment building but she ditched him in the lobby because the responsibility was too much. The options were to either put him down or send him to a shelter, but when my father told me about it (he owns the building), i offered to take him in. He was so skinny and peed everywhere at first, but eventually, he got used to it and i love him to bits. He's honestly really sweet, and loves food (he'd eat anything you give him), and it makes me so mad that he got ditched after the previous owner bought him just because he was "rare".

Maddie is probably the only cat that i've bought and she's a Ragdoll cat! My parents' friend's daughter was a breeder and since i was forced along to interact, i ended up just playing with the cats. Maddie's a sweetheart, she loves pets and food and is really friendly and relaxed. Apparently, there were a lot of people who wanted to come over to visit Maddie and see if they wanted to buy her, but i took the opportunity then and there to just bring her home with me <3

being a billionaire in my dr is extremely useful when it comes to taking care of all my pets. can you tell i love them? i love them.

normal prompt – answering basic q&a questions

"what are your hobbies?" – i love reading, writing, listening to music, watching movies, playing games and acting! it's pretty basic, i know, but it brings me joy.

"what are some of your favourite games?" – i like horror games, like the backrooms, poppy playtime, fnaf, etc., though i always end up flinching at jumpscares; interactive fiction and visual novels! also otome games, though they aren't my absolute favourites.

"do you have any siblings?" – i'm the youngest of five children so, yes. honestly, i respect my mother for popping out so many children 💀

"what's your favourite food?" – well, it's either herbal soup with rice (all the different chinese soups), or like, chicken chop with mushroom sauce. i like a lot of food, but i also dislike a lot of food.

"what's your dream job?" – well, obviously, i'd love to be an actress and i'm grateful that i have had the opportunities to act in some films, and have my own fashion magazine.

"are you a morning person or night owl?" – night owl, definitely. having to wake up early usually results in me being grumpy up until i shower/ eat breakfast. i also have more energy at night, being able to accomplish more things then.

wow this was a long post.

[vegance]

Is being a vegetarian okay? The only real thing stopping me from being a vegan is eating eggs, which I get from hens I or my friends raise, and I know they’re cared for well and aren’t kept to be killed. don’t use any animal products otherwise

I just really don’t want to contribute to all of this animal abuse happening in the world.

i do think that being vegetarian is a huge step into the right direction, and for many people it's a great transitional point towards veganism.

i do see some issues with backyard eggs though, as a vegan.

Where do the hens come from? are they rescues? do they come from a breeder? if so, what happens to the male chicks born on that farm? what happens to the hens who go to people who keep them just for egg laying? are they cruelty-breeds (meaning they suffer from being selectively bred to produce so many eggs)

how well are the hens being taken care of? do they have adequate space to roam? are they truly safe from predators? if they suffer from overproducing eggs, would they be given the implant that stops it?

do you take away important nutrients from them by keeping their eggs? producing eggs takes energy and depletes nutrients, many vegans feed rescues their own eggs, to maintain their health. is this an option/necessary?

i can see a scenario where i would have no ethical problems with someone eating these eggs. maybe the hens are rescues, they eat most of their own eggs but some stay leftover and their owner eats those. but i think using animals bodies can be a really slippery slope. maybe one day the owner is really craving an egg, and even though the chickens could use the calcium, they eat the egg instead of feeding it back to the hens.

it is also not something that could be a wide spread solution, since it could never deliver on the necessary scale.

ultimately, i think you are already doing much better than the average person, and if you need to rely on backyard eggs for a bit to keep up the changes you've made, i don't see a problem with that. sustainable change takes time, and that is ok.

whether your unique case is contributing to animal cruelty and exploitation is something you will have to figure out on your own <3

if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask!!

[exquisiteserotonin]

Footsteps to Follow: Part 4

The Dangers of Fate

Series Summary: The loss of a loved one lasts forever and every person finds different ways to heal.

Pairing: Alice York x Foodtruck owner! Joel Miller

Warnings: MATURE. Descriptions of violence and intent to commit violence. TW due to some talk of human trafficking and rape (nothing described, just implications of a bad guy involved in organized crime might be doing). Hints of romance and fluff. ANGST. If you are UNDER 18, please DNI. MDNI!!! AU, Foodtruck Owner Joel! No outbreak.

Word Count: ~3.5K

A/N: I'm glad that my writer's block more or less fixed itself for the time being. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I think we are finally getting somewhere. Things are starting to move! 💜💜💜

To my magical sluts: Thank you for helping through my neurotic feelings if inadequecy regarding my writing @imalrightllama @magpiepillsjunior @youandmeand5bucks @pink-whiskey-woman @redhotkitchen @legendary-pink-dot @sparklefarts38 @arcanefox207

Taglist, thank you so much for reading my work: @drewharrisonwriter, @casa-boiardi @nerdieforpedro @secretelephanttattoo

Alice sat with her legs tightly crossed one over the other on a quaint, earthy green bench situated in the middle of a garden. The aroma of the coffee in her hand paired with the ocean breeze wafting through the arched breezeway sent an invigorating energy through her body. Another country, another job. She took a sip of her coffee, surrendering to the warmth it spread from her lips to her chest, and stomach. The vibrant color and smoky sweet scent of lavender plants filling the air were beguiling to the senses. There wasn’t anything quite like it at home.

They were countless, the times she wished her next destination would be to a place of her choosing, at a time she found convenient, during a time she desired. But for the first time, she longed for the feeling of returning home. With another deep breath of her coffee, it was like she was back again, sharing one with a middle-aged man from Texas with patchy facial hair, a man more handsome than he had any right to be. 

***

“I’m sorry our first date had to be over shitty hospital coffee,” Joel had apologized. 

“Is that what this is?” she asked, treading carefully along the bridge between disinterest and full-on crush. 

Joel’s hands wiggled as he raised his brows towards her and twitched his mouth at the quip. The way faint lines on his forehead revealed themselves and the line that appeared on his bottom lip as he puckered them in thought sent a light flutter inside Alice’s stomach. She squeezed her eyes tightly, blowing out a nervous breath. 

“I’m so sorry,” she said, scrunching her face in consternation, “I’m so not good at this.” 

“Now, I don’t know ‘bout that,” Joel responded, as he stretched out his feet under the table, the toe of his boots just inches from her sneakers, “I think you’re doin’ alright.” 

“How can you be so sure?” 

“I’ve got a few years on ya, Alice,” Joel replied in a self-deprecating tone. “So, tell me, how’d ya fall into nursin’?” 

The answer was easy, but the guilt that accompanied it was equally apparent. 

“Helping people, trying to anyway, seemed like,” she paused for a moment to think, “the appropriate choice. I kind of rebelled, pretty terribly as I got older and probably hurt a lot of people in the process.” 

“Well, I’m not ‘bout to judge people by their past,” Joel shared.

“Human nature, huh?” Alice commented. “We’re all a little bit broken.” 

“Like an egg,” Joel countered, his posture straightening and his eyes lighting up. 

“What?” Alice laughed, curious about his unique comparison. 

“You know, like an egg can break, but what’s inside is usually helluva lot better,” Joel explained, “like you can eat it, could be a baby chicken, too.”

So many people might have ridiculed him for the simplicity of his comparison. Ever observant, Alice took in the moment, took in the words, keeping the charm and wisdom that were present underneath the rugged exterior. 

“That’s pretty wise, Tex,” Alice praised, tipping her cup of coffee to him in salute. 

Joel took a sip of his simple, black coffee and pushed against the table with a long, nervous sigh, “Truth is, Alice, I ain’t really good at this either.” 

He waved his hand in the space between them.

“I don’t know about that,” Alice hummed, “you seem to be doing OK to me.” 

***

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she heard a voice muse, bringing her back to the garden.

Alice looked up, shifting her eyes towards her handler. She closed them with a silent nod of her head. 

“Romantic even,” Firefly murmured, out at the impossibly, vibrant blue water of the Dubrovnik coastline.

Is she talking about my father? 

It was an exercise in conflicting emotions to watch her handler’s face change, each line filled with a story, each gaze and each sigh held a memory which Alice knew nothing about. Some days she wanted to ask her what those memories were, searching for any strings that could tie her even closer to her father. Other days, she was simply scared to ask for fear of the emotions it would stir in them both. 

How did you know he was in love with you? 

Did he talk about me? No. Don’t answer that question. 

Did he treat you better than he treated my mother? 

Why didn’t you save him? 

Standing up, Alice followed Firefly through the archway leading up to the quiet, nondescript apartment she had secured for their stay just on the outskirts of Dubrovnik. The walls of the apartment were made of stone that varied in shape and size. Each one climbed up to the top of the building revealing beauty, age, and distinction in their grooves and crevices. The owner at the front desk barely acknowledged them with a smile on her aged face. She stared out the arched window, closing her eyes to the breeze, occasionally waving to locals she knew. 

In a single file, Alice followed her handler up the narrow, steep stairway to their room. It was cozy, clean, and simple. A couch with a pullout bed greeted them, a small coffee table placed before it was a perfect space for working. Past the living space was a narrow but open archway leading to the bedroom. Alice explored the small space as her handler immediately took her laptop from her briefcase. The change back to cutthroat professionalism was jarring. She opened her laptop, her fingertips clacking at the keys as she ensured that she had an encryption to protect their location, their identity, and everything else in between. It was no wonder her dad had fallen in love with her, she was just like him. 

Alice sat next to her, as she began to bring up all her files on their target: Vojislav Đorđević. The dossier Firefly had compiled on him was extensive and at first glance, overwhelming. She and Alice combed through information: wanted in the Netherlands, Germany, and France for human trafficking of women, children, and migrants, firearms trafficking, and participation in a criminal organization. 

A trembling feeling began to percolate in Alice’s stomach as she continued to read about the man’s atrocities. It was as though someone had stuck their hand down her throat and was churning her intestines. Kidnapping, torture, rape, and murder. Just seeing the written on the same line, in the same sentence as children sent a scorching rage igniting inside her. She felt her shoulders and chest beginning to tighten as she fought to keep herself from seething. Before she even realized it, an enraged tremble began to quiver beneath her skin. It grew with each file she read and each photo that she had to go through.

She drew a deep breath and stood up, turning away from the computer, placing her hands on her hips. Pacing around seemed to be the only way she could tear her eyes away from just one photo she saw, one photo that was enough to strengthen her resolve to kill him in the most terrible way imaginable. A shot to the head would be too merciful. Perhaps a knife to both eyes before cutting off his dick. 

“Alice…Alice?” she knew it was her handler, but her voice seemed simultaneously close and far away. “Alice, you ok?”

After a few blinks, she refocused herself and turned back to Firefly. 

“Sorry…,” Alice replied, her brow furrowed still, “I’m fine…I’ll be fine.” 

Firefly turned away from her laptop and closed it, “I know I’ve told you this before, but I need you on your A-game, there can’t be any distractions.” 

“I’ve heard this all before, I know if I get distracted, I get killed,” Alice said, her voice spent with exasperation. 

“Personal feelings about this aren't going to make you execute the job any better,” Firefly declared, her face firm and authoritative. “I need your head clear.”

Alice turned back to her handler, the tightness in her shoulders beginning to settle as she unclenched her hands that she had formed into a fist. She returned to her chair, her posture straight and attentive. Leaning forward, she pressed her forearms against the table. 

“You’re right. I’m ready,” Alice conceded. “Tell me the plan again.”

***

Alice awoke the next morning, rested and ready. She left the apartment in the early afternoon living, breathing, and becoming one with the town. The breeze off the ocean danced through her hair as she walked through nearly every quiet side street of the seaside city. Alice checked her watch, the time ticking down to the job. She stopped outside a busy cafe ordering a coffee from the counter. The humming chatter of tourists filled the air as they sat down for a snack and a respite from their day of exploring. 

Once she finished her coffee, she went inside to the bathroom, opening her bag which held her uniform: a boxy and plain blue shirt and black pants. She examined herself in the mirror straightening the creases on the shirt and pants of her housekeeping disguise. 

The warmth of the setting sun was slinking away as Alice strolled through the side streets approaching the luxurious hotel where Đorđević was holing in for the evening. She crept past a few hotel staffers arguing amongst one another on their smoking break. Other hotel staff walked in and out a side door that was easily accessible to the public, but also easy enough to slink through amidst the rocky hillsides and floral strewn hills that provided a natural landscaping that would be easy for her to navigate. 

I’m in.

Alice texted Firefly quickly.

Blending in easily with the cleaning staff, she gained access to their supply room, surreptitiously grabbing a keycard that one absent-minded young individual let fall to the floor from his hand She pushed the giant cart of cleaning supplies in front of her, glancing at her reflection in one of the spotlessly clean mirrors. Not a spot of makeup. Hair pulled back into a tight low bun. Completely plain. Completely unnoticeable. 

As Alice inched closer and closer to the top floor where the Presidential suite and Đorđević rested, Firefly kept a lookout and waited for the job to be done so they could return home. Her eyes scanned the glimmering, midnight blue water as tourists and locals strolled along, breathing in the night air. A tightness grasped her like a fist punching through her chest. Her eyes narrowed on a figure familiar to her, age lines littering his face, and his once golden blonde hair was nearly white in his old age. He held his head up with an air of privilege and entitlement she thought she would never have to see again. The stench of his ego threatened to hitch a ride on the wind. His shoulders were pulled back in an arrogant posture, a posture she could never forget. It was the  same arrogant, self-assured posture his son once shared with him before he was killed.

Alice looked down at her phone, seeing a text message light up the screen. 

Mission compromised. Abort now.

Seriously? Alice thought. This can’t be happening. 

    Can still finish job. 

She typed her words quickly as she walked through the halls of a floor a few levels below the top floor. 

    Negative. Hold position. 

Alice paced back and forth stepping away from the cleaning cart. The cold, carbon steel pressed securely to her leg with her ankle strap. 

I’d just need one moment. He’d be dead faster than a lightning strike. 

The fast whirring of the staff elevator raced to Alice’s ears. Like a startled cat, she acquired her knife and held still behind the large cart. The steel took on the warmth of the anticipatory heat that flowed through her palm and her fingers. She stood ready to eliminate whoever was about to come through the elevator to thwart her. Her slow and silent breaths quieted the fast and loud thumping of her heart. The thin, mechanical hiss of the opening doors set off a countdown in her brain. Slow footsteps echoed through the quiet hallway. 

“Excuse me, I seem to be lost; could you show me where the indoor pool is?” a sing-song voice called out.

Firefly stood before her, a stern look washed over her face while Alice rolled her eyes, twirling her knife behind her wrist.

“What are you doing here?” she breathed through her teeth. 

“I told you we were compromised.” 

Hooking her arm with Alice’s they walked briskly towards the stairs. Alice was huffing with the speed at which she followed her handler. The chill of anxiety began to creep into her bloodstream the closer they got to the ground floor. In the stairwell, Firefly took a quick scan of her phone tapping into different cameras in the building. All clear. Their sprint had ended when Firefly walked ahead, grabbing the handle of the door to the lobby.

“Meet me at the Tisak booth after you’ve changed.”

Alice rushed to the bathroom, her heart beating faster with the lack of knowledge her handler was refusing to provide.

This is the kind of shit that’s going to get me killed. 

She slipped into a soft, black linen dress and applied a swipe of red lip gloss across her lips and a quick coat of mascara on each set of eyelashes. With her hair down, she looked like a different person. As she glided past the front desk, she noted everything around her, nothing seemingly out of place until spied a tall, older man with bright, silvery blonde hair, his shoulders pushed back beneath the sleek pressed fabric of his polo shirt. 

“Oh yes, thank you sir.” Alice overheard the polite and discreet voice of the front desk agent. “Someone will be down to accompany you to his room.” 

Alice shook off the urge to follow the man, certain he was being accompanied to the Presidential suite. She stored the image of him in her brain, filing it away, certain she’d have to return to it later. 

Is this old man really the one she’s worried about?

Distractions will get you killed. 

I could have gotten killed.

She walked with long strides, her small traveler bag on her shoulder. Her personal artillery shifted inside, and she slowed her steps, cognizant of any attention that she might inadvertently bring to herself. The adrenaline rushed to her ears as she saw her handler’s car. She entered through the passenger’s side, pulling the door closed with a loud slam. 

“What the fuck was that?” Alice demanded. 

“I told you we were compromised, and I made the call to drop the job,” Firefly responded quickly and firmly. 

“No, no, I fucking put my life on the line out there and that’s the bullshit reason you give me?”

“It’s not your concern anymore,” she added, looking in her car’s rear view mirror as she left the city walls of the old town heading towards the airport. “I will take this one moving forward.” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Alice groaned, rubbing her eyes and forehead in frustration. “What? Is this some kind of fallout from an old job you and my dad had? Couldn’t keep your legs closed, so karma’s knocking at your door?”

Firefly swerved the car with a sharp turn of the steering wheel, stopping at the side of the road. Faster than Alice could open her mouth to speak, her handler slapped her in the face. Tears sprung from the corner of her eyes as she brought her hand to her face, which was left red and stinging.

“I just saved your fucking life. Trust me, if you needed to know about this, I’d have already told you.” Firefly said as her eyes, darkened by the nighttime sky, held back tears. “We’re done.” 

The quiet of the deep night took over the road, the rush of the world zoomed past the car while the silent, stifling air that filled the vehicle threatened the life of any noise that tried to pierce it. Alice tried to calm her seething anger, looking out the window at the stars in the sky only moving her eyes towards her handler in quick glances. The silent noise continued until they arrived at the airport. 

***

“Here are your tickets,” Firefly said, her face laden with lines of distant confusion as they walked through the sliding glass doors of the airport terminal. “Take some time for yourself. If something comes up, I’ll notify you.”

“Please…,” Alice urged, letting out a sigh of frustration, “why won’t tell me what’s going on?”

“Alice, I could have gotten you killed,” her voice cracked with the words, “I’d never---I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.” 

A dull ache crept across Alice’s neck as she observed another moment of sentimentality escape from her handler. Anger, disappointment, and frustration. She felt all of these things and yet through it all, there was never a question regarding trust. Not in Alice’s mind. She’d always been able to trust Firefly. 

“Why don’t you trust me?” Alice questioned. 

“I could ask you the same thing,” she replied, this time her eyes demanding Alice’s attention and gaze. “I promise you that once I have all the intel, once I have it all clear, I’ll find you again.”

Alice stood dumbfounded as Firefly turned away, disappearing into a crowd of travelers. An unwelcome and familiar feeling of dread veiled itself over her. She dug her hands deep into her pockets, squeezing her keychain as she turned on her heels to join the sprinkling of travelers. Her footsteps heavy with the unwanted memory of a broken promise. 

***

Bright sunlight greeted Alice as she disembarked the plane that had touched down on the tarmac. She stretched her arms over her head as she walked through the terminal. 

“Shit,” she swore under her breath as she recalled that she didn’t plan for a ride home. 

Signs littered the airport advertising taxis and ride shares. Exhaustion and confusion had already set themselves within Alice and the desire to curl up in the warm covers of her bed was strengthening its resolve. As though in a trance, she opened up her phone contacts, swiping through the names of co-workers and lingering longer than she wanted to admit on her sister’s name before her thumb settled over a name she knew she shouldn’t call.

Stop being ridiculous, Al. She heard her inner voice groan. 

As though her thumb had a mind of its own, she discovered that she had already dialed the phone number for Joel Miller. 

“Shit, shit, shit…” Alice whispered as she began to walk with hint of panic in each step.

“Hello?” The sound of his rugged drawl came clear over the phone.

“Um, hey, Joel, it’s Alice,” she greeted, her fingers trembling along with her voice, “I’m sorry to call all of a sudden like this.” 

“Hey come on now,” Joel assured, “it ain’t no trouble. You OK?”

“Um yeah…,” she lied through shaky breaths, “I just got home from a trip and realized as I landed, I didn’t make the right pick up plans and I---,” 

“Need me to come pick you up from the airport?” Joel offered, the tone of his voice rising eagerly. “Where should I meet you?” 

“Yeah, if you could? I’m in Terminal A, if you can do it.” Alice asked with a slight tone of embarrassment. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

“Already said I would,” he replied with a low chuckle. 

“Thanks, Tex.” 

Alice restlessly shook her knee as she sat on a bench just outside Terminal A. The nerves of waiting for Joel and the anxiety built up from the last 24 hours combined to create a particularly biting panic attack. She watched as car after car passed, until a metallic green pickup truck slowed in the passenger pick up lane. The way he practically leapt out of the truck to grab her suitcase was enough to set her spirit soaring. 

It should be a crime to look as good as he does in an old t-shirt and jeans. She thought to herself.

She followed him as he placed it in the back passenger seat. He turned to face her; his smile was like a bright beacon that guided her through the fog of her panic. 

“Welcome home, Alice.”

“Joel,” she greeted, her voice shaking as she stepped towards him. 

“Hm?” He smiled, showing off his ridiculously attractive dimples. 

With one bold move she pulled him close towards her, tugging at his shirt before her eyes lingered on the calming glimmer of his deep brown eyes until they followed a natural line to the pout beneath his mustache. And with one soft caress of her lithe fingers from his forehead to his chin, she kissed him. 

[feralfiendsvn]

HE HAS A PET TIGER!? (I’m new)

Yes, and no!

Squishy is both a domestic cat with a tiger coat, and a whole ass Tiger. Her form depends on how Trevor is feeling. If he's stressed out or scared, she's padding around as a Tiger.

He's good at hiding his emotions, so he will seem as friendly as normal, then Squishy plods up and it's just. Yeah lmao, he's lying to you.

Exposition dump explanation belowwwww

In this universe, Demons, and Fiends (Trevor is a Fiend) are such energy heavy beings, that sharp spikes of traumatic emotions, has a small chance of just straight up creating life. These beings are called "Laguna". They can feel their persons emotional state, and essentially are service pets.

There's two types.

Demon made Laguna, which only have one form. The form can be anything from Earth or Pit (The Demons home world).

Fiend created Laguna, which have two forms. A smaller more friendly form, and a larger more aggressive form. The forms must be from the same family, but don't necessarily have to be from the same time era. Through Fiend Laguna pets, science has been able to give proper form and coats to extinct species.

The smaller form tells how well a person handled the traumatic event externally. While the larger form is how well they handled it internally.

Example. A Fiend's Laguna pet can be a chicken, but they become upset, and their pet shifts into the bigger form, and it's a whole ass T-Rex. Externally they handled the trauma well, internally they didn't really process it at all.

-

Both versions can be given up by their owners if they feel they've moved past their trauma. There are people who care for Laguna pets and help get them to people with similar trauma that the pets were made from.

[zexalisliving]

My Yugioh Headcanons:

Eliphas is Astral's father and Enna is his mother.

Don Thousand has a strange french wife that was based off of a remotely Barian-colored Rainbow High doll.

Yuma reads hentai

Astral dislikes Yuma reading hentai and just hentai by itself

Kalin/Kiryu is a hentai bookstore owner and it's called "Kalin's Bookstore of Doujinshi and More".

Yami Yugi also reads a lot of hentai

Don Thousand and Eliphas are brothers, meaning that Astral and No. 96 are cousins

No. 96 insists that he and Astral are "a brother".

Yuma winds up with Anna and not Tori

Yusei loves heartbeats, Doge, unicorns and other strange things.(no, he's still straight)

Nelson/Fuya has a crush on Anna and in some AUs they are in a relationship

Hart/Haruto hangs out with Kalin, despite Kite's hate for him

Kite and Hart are afraid of monkeys

Whenever Hart screamed or emitted energy in ep 40 it was because of germs from other people

Kalin and Misty (the dark signer) are in a relationship and sometimes married

In some stories Christopher is Kalin's son and Pegasus is Kalin's father

Kite, Kalin and Hart created a team in a game called Terarria and they named it Team Defeatium. "To the Wyverns we'll put an end!"

Tea/Anzu, Tori, and Zuzu are slightly bimbofied.

Alito cooks in a strange french cooking show

Marik sends people to the Shadow Realm for 15 minutes as punishments

Lightning (the ignis)'s greatest fear is chicken nuggets, because they look so good and yet he doesn't have a mouth to eat them with.

Specter married Sunavalon Dryas because he's sexually attracted to trees

Yusaku gets away with cheating in duels against AIs because he's human

Shadi and Ishizu are in a relationship

Odion/ Rishid has an egg in his pocket that he gives to Marik whenever he asks for it

Chazz/Majoume plays Minecraft

and Syrus/Sho is a mega wimp who claims to be a pea-brain

ooh, and fun fact: I had a dream where Chazz was part of a basketball team and was creating machines that used... uh... gas to make the other team forfeit, and everyone on Chazz's team were yelling "ALL SMELL THE CHAZZ!!"

[thedigitalempress]

Day 2: This Post is Late But...

I accomplished so much yesterday and I feel like I'm officially in full blown business owner energy. Before I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off but I just kept hitting the wall until something stuck.

That's what this is all about... getting up everyday, taking aligned action, and keeping a positive mindset through it all. Mentally knowing and feeling you're on the right path.

I finally finished chapter 6 of IWT and the author basically explained that I can be my own financial advisor from here on out as long as I keep a streamlined financial system. He provides a pretty easy one in the book to follow that I already have setup. Now it's just time to let the money flow in.

I did some research for my current client as well and did some social media branding. I am getting better at that as well. Making sure I'm posting everyday on TikTok and BlueSky since we've all collectively decided to leave X.

I was so good at going viral on X. I'll do the same on BlueSky. It's effortless for me to go viral online and attract amazing people and opportunities into my empire.