#I have to be like 'hey its my birthday are you free to eat out?'

[coiled-dragon]

#13 for the end of the year asks 3

End of Year Asks!

13. How was your birthday this year?

Yknow whats cool is that... I dont really remember. I think it was kinda like. Mid. A normal birthday. I should do more for my birthdays... I do think I went to hibachi with friends and that was nice! but I never ended up getting the cheese cake I wanted lmao

[landograndprix]

「Feel the magic ๛ l.n」

part v

✧.* you come to realise that your relationship with lando might just be the most serious and mature relationship you've ever had and while that confuses you more and more each day, your taking it all because some people just love to watch the world burn.

✧.* introducing some people, making babes suffer a little less, hating Alpine, you know the drill, its a chill one really 🥰 this is a psa for the people who wanted to be on my taglist but never got tagged, i didn't forget or ignore you, I simply am unable to tag you and therefore removed you from the list feel free to ask me again so I can take a look at it. Taglist is open Love ya ❤️

✧.* prev part - next part

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cecilemoulin posted to their story

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y/nusername

liked by maxfewtrell, landonorris and 431,657 others

y/nusername oh my days ✨️

tagged: landonorris, maxfewtrell, dashthebeagle

view all 892 comments

f1gurls we've reached peak dog mom, Dash got an Instagram 😭

norrizz waaaaaait y/n's finally gone insta official with lando?!

mclarenbabies it was about time, lando did it nearly two weeks ago 😂

fewtrelllando good to see they've adopted max 🥰

landonorris disgusting

y/nusername you've clearly never looked in a mirror before

landonorris I was talking about the sushi

y/nusername oh..

y/nnorris I love them your honor 😭

landoscar why's dash looking at me like that, why is he judging me? 😭

mrsnorris 🤮 🤮 🤮

landonorris exactly, who would eat sushi?

chilisainz lmfao girl thought she did something

hamilt44n hey girlie, you got lando's attention, speak up 👏

charlie_leclerc I'm changing my mind, they are actually cute together

thomasgoms 😍

y/nloveee we either have a supportive ex-boyfriend or mans completely missed the picture of y/n and lando 💀

norry4 Arianna what are you doing here?

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cecilemoulin

liked by y/nusername, landonorris and 198,763 others

cecilemoulin spending the 28th with the funniest, prettiest and dumbest ones. ❤️

tagged: y/nusername, landonorris, maxfewtrell

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girlsofthegird happy birthday Cecile! 😍

carlandooo lmfao milou watching the stories and seeing this post: 🧍‍♀️

george63russell I mean she's been a lil' bitch lately so are we really surprised? 👀

miloubabess she's with her family on a holiday, guess she couldn't make it 🙄

fewtrelllando I don't known about y'all but this smells like a double date!

norrizz HOWLING THE CAKE 😭

y/nlandooo peak y/n behaviour 😭

chilisainz loving this new friend dynamic, always thought Cecile and y/n would be a better match than y/n and milou..

maxfewtrell well..great picture..

cecilemoulin max, don't worry, you are the prettiest!

y/nusername the prettiest princess of them all 🎀

landonorizzzz goddammit, those muppets really do be in love huh

thomasgoms happy birthday Cecile!

y/nluv boy get out of here..🤨

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y/nusername posted to their story

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Everything taglist; @thomaslefteyebrow @hopefulinlove @smoothopz @softboystarkey @honethatty12 @cixrosie @parkersmjs @ireadthensuetheauthors @celestialams @be-your-coffee-pot @heli991113 @kodzuvk @reality-is-a-con @80sloverry @bibissparkles @myescapefromthislife @lanando4 @elliegrey2803

Feel the magic taglist: @celesteblack08 @mrsmaybank13 @cha-hot @judesgfirl @roseseraj @kissesandmartinis @jpg3 @amulhermaisfelizdomundo @marialovesf1 @silkenthusiasts @luvrrish @laneyspaulding19 @emily-b @formula1bby @judespoisons @buckybarnessweetheart @strawberrychita @iifloweringnightsii @buendiabebeta @jjsprobablywrong @babyvinnie

Lando taglist: @beatricemiruna @simp-for-fictional-people @landossainz @christianpulisic10

[teeny-tiny-revenge]

It's home cinema manufacturing time! 🏴‍☠️ Gonna put my pirate show on my shelf! (I'm doing an Arts and Crafts Project and I'm making it everyone's problem.)

After seeing how much they cost, I abandoned the idea of getting a Blu-ray writer for now. For the time being, good old DVDs is what it's going to be! My TV is old and not very big, so DVD resolution is gonna be fine.

It's been ages since I last burned a DVD. For the full experience, I'm gonna create nice menus and pretty sleeves for the boxes. Graphic design is my passion! Um.

Well. First needed to find a program to do stuff with. I'm a Linux guy, so I'm using Devede. (Which is free, btw. In case someone else wants to do a low cost spot of putting pirate show on the shelf.)

DVDs fit a maximum of 120 minutes of video. So, four episodes, I thought. But after a quick attempt, the program refused to do more than three (maybe because of the menu also taking up space, and four episodes cutting pretty close to the 120 min mark?). Anyway, three episodes per disc it is. It's a pretty nice runtime for watching the entire disc, IMO. An hour and a half, and then you can return to reality to realise you should probably eat something, or go to bed because it's midnight.

OFMD with its current two seasons has a total of eighteen episodes, which is divisible by three. You get the following setup:

Disc 1: Pilot, A Damned Man, The Gentleman Pirate - That's pretty good, Stede's introduction to piracy all on one disc!

Disc 2: Discomfort in a Married State, The Best Revenge is Dressing Well, The Art of Fuckery - All bangers. Great to watch together, our boys meet and shenanigans happen!

Disc 3: This is Happening, We Gull Way Back, Act of Grace - Many romantic moments, lots of great scenes, shit hits the fan at the end there. Alright!

Disc 4: Wherever you go, there you are, Impossible Birds, Red Flags - ... Pain and angst! What have I done!?! The disc of horrors. Gotta make sure to have tissues at hand when I watch this. But hey, it also has messy bun Ed! Small mercies.

Disc 5: The Innkeeper, Fun and Games, The Curse of the Seafaring Life. - Another disc with all winners. I love all these episodes so much! (You can watch this disc to recover from the trauma of the previous one!) But seriously, this one slaps.

Disc 6: Calypso's Birthday, Man on Fire, Mermen - Great combination again. Season finale! Love and excitement!

... Honestly, except for the psychological damage of putting all the most painful episodes together, this is coming out pretty cool. Says a lot about how good the show is. I actually really love all the episodes (yes even the painful angsty episodes of massive depression). Thinking about this little project really reminded me how much I love this entire show.

So, we got a tracklist, now menus, then we can burn this stuff!

I did the menu backgrounds in GIMP. Realised I have a big folder full of screenshots I took myself, screenshots someone else took and posted on Tumblr, official promo pics for the show, and I have no idea anymore where most of them are from, because I named the files according to what's on them. Which is useful for when you want to find pics (Need a picture of cursed suit Stede? I have files named that, easy peasy!), but not so great if you wanted to give credit to whoever took a given pic you used. (It's probably @sherlockig or @ofmd-ann or @blakbonnet. Please feel credited, your beautiful screens and gifs brighten my day, and some of them are now probably part of my DVD menus. Shrunk down and cropped, but, yeah.)

I originally wanted to structure my menus as having the title of an episode, then some pics from it, then the next episode, then pics from that, and so forth, but I couldn't convince the program to give me the necessary padding between the menu items, so I ended up just putting the episode images below the menu. Still like it.

Anyway, DVD menus can also play sound! Behold a crappy video of my beautiful creation (provided entirely for sound):

It plays Gnossienne N°5!

More crappy pics of my other disc menus:

Gonna make them some nice sleeves next. Some day. Gotta make sure they all work properly first. So. I'll be on my sofa, watching my DVDs. With menus! (Edit: here are!)

[a-french-coconut]

Solangelo

His day begins wonderfully.

Truly, it's one of those days where you wake up and think :

Nothing can go wrong !

And for two minutes, nothing goes wrong !

He doesn't stub his toes on the bathroom counter, his hair decided to cooperate on this fine day and the sun doesn't burn his eyes when he gets out in the open air.

Then, he sees Kayla an Austin trying, and failing horribly, to hang an enormous bander on Apollo's porch.

For one second, he is left in utter incomprehension as of why they would hand a sign saying Hyppe Bathdirt Will !

Then, to his grand horror, the bright orange letters makes a lot more sense when they spell Happy Birthday Will !

It's August 23rd.

Will's sixteenth birthday.

And Nico doesn't have a single gift to present to his boyfriend tonight.

Nor does he have a romantic date planned out, no fancy restaurant, not even a picnic on the beach.

"Nico !"

Kayla screams his name, making with her hand the universal sign of get over here.

One he can't ignore considering the bow hanging loosely on the girl's shoulder.

He has learned the painful way Kayla doesn't take too well being ignored.

But it's no problem, he's a demigod who fought two wars, survived Tartarus, he's capable of making a plan, of thinking rationally. He can still get Will a gift, doesn't have to be something big or shiny. It can be flowers or a box of chocolates.

What flowers does Will like ?

What kind of chocolates does he eat ?

Knowing him, he could eat the plainest almond chocolate or a specific pistachio with rose petals and lavender flavored one.

He had seen his boyfriend gulp down a raw egg yolk, claiming its "protein values.". From since, he likes to keep his mind open to any culinary gustos his boyfriend might have.

"Hey Nico, could you-"

"Help me."

"-help us ?"

Kayla drops the banner, eliciting a groan of frustration from Austin, and looks at him seriously.

"Nico Di Angelo, if you tell me on this day of all day that-"

"I forgot."

It's quite interesting to see Kayla's face reddens with anger, then slack with disbelief to finally settle in a disappointed glare.

"You've been dating for-"

"Four months, twenty-two days and five hours, I know, I keep track."

"Stop cutting me off or I'll shoot you."

"Hum, not to interrupt but Kay, we really need to put-"

"Austin," Nico cuts him off, "I am in dire need of both your assistance. Who, or what, is more important, the banner or me ?"

"The banner." The two children of Apollo answer at the same time.

First step of the plan, failed epically.

On to phase two, bargaining.

"If you help me choose a gift for Will, I'll buy you whatever you want for your upcoming birthdays."

"My birthday was two months ago."

"Yeah, and mine is like, in five months."

Phase three, the one he wanted to avoid.

"Please."

It's not that he isn't polite, he wouldn't want his mother turning in her grave, but he deems a annoying little sister like Kayla isn't worthy of his respect.

Not when she obviously takes great joy in seeing him in such a predicament.

One he caused himself, but that's not the point here.

"Okay, we'll help you." Kayla relents.

"For free even !" Austin adds.

They look at him expectantly, while he looks them waiting the just promised aid.

"The magic word if you may." she enquires.

"I already said it."

"The other one."

"Oh, thank you."

Kayla's face glows, while Austin, bless his gentle soul, gives him a gracious "you're welcome."

"I was thinking to get him something like flower or chocolates-"

"Boring."

"Okay... then Star Wars thingies ?"

"He already has every merch ever created."

"Flip flops ?"

"Don't feed his weird fetish of flip flops, I beg of you."

"Hum, lipgloss ?"

"Now you're just out of ideas." Kayla cackles, "and nice to know Will's lips are as chapped as they look. He thinks that because dad is the sun, we are immune to it. And he's the doctor. A miracle everyone is still alive."

"My preference for Will's lips are no concern of yours," He replies, cheeks slightly red. "And don't talk bad about him on his sacred day."

"It's not like he can hear me."

"Where did you even sent him ?"

He should have known something was missing when Will didn't barge in his cabin, pulling open the curtains like the psycho he is, always ranting about how he needs more vitamin D.

"He's in New York the whole day," Austin pipes up, "he's spending his birthday with his mother and then we will celebrate together tonight."

"Which means I have the rest of the day to find him a gift."

"Yep, open to suggestions ?"

"That is literally what I asked of you. Tell me, Kayla, do you perhaps miss a few braincells ? That would explain a lot of things."

"At least my remembering my boyfriend's birthday date cells are working."

"Okay, stop fighting you two." Austin intervenes, placing himself between the both of them. "I think you should get him something that remind him or your couple. It would be a sweet gift, right ?"

"What he said."

"I'm keeping that in mind, thank you Austin, and Kayla, for your assistance."

"You're welcome, now come one Kayla, we really need to hang that thing..."

Something related to their couple...

What could symbolise their relationship, the love they feel for each other ?

Better to have other ideas if inspiration doesn't come.

"What's on your mind, Nicolas ?"

"Don't call me that, Stoll."

"Only if you guess which one I am." The son of Hermes leans on him, looking at him expectantly.

"Connor, now get off me."

"Nothing could have prepared me to this betrayal-"

"So you're Travis, get off me."

"-from a such close friend, who I have known for years-"

"Aren't you supposed to be in college ?"

"-and still doesn't recognise- oh yes but this my best friend's birthday !"

Travis hugs Nico, ignoring the his protests.

"He's turning sixteen ! I remember when he was a small, fray child, such an easy victim !" He sighs, shaking his head, "they grow so fast, don't they ?"

"Mmmhh !"

"What ? Oh sorry, there you go."

He lets him go, Nico putting two good meters between them to avoid any kind of other physical attempts.

"What are you getting him ? Must be something nice !"

"That's the problem, hum, I don't have anything."

Travis' face falls.

"But-" he stutters, "you're his boyfriend !"

"I know !" Nico snaps, "I know and that' why I need to fix this."

"Do you have any ideas ?"

"Austin and Kayla think that I should gift him a present related to our relationship."

"That's a good idea !" Travis' face brightens.

"But I don't know what, yet."

"Oh..."

"Yeah..." Nico mumbles, twisting nervously his skull ring.

"Ooooh" Travis says, excited, " I know the perfect gift !"

"What it is ?"

"A motorbike !"

"Travis..."

"It's perfect ! And he already know how to drive, we used to do races in his grandpa's farm fields and he loved them !"

"There's no way I'll find a bike in less than twenty four hours."

"No, but I can ask Nyssa to build one," Travis shrugs, "she'll have it ready before sundown."

"Tell her that I owe her." Nico screams to Travis as he sprints toward the forges.

---------------------------------------

"Shhh ! He's coming !"

"Yeah , I see him."

"Is he glowing ?"

"Obviously, Lou Ellen, he just spent the whole with his mother, who he adores."

"Shut up Travis."

"Make me-"

"If you two ruin this surprise, I'll send you to my father right now."

"So grumpy, and it's not a surprise. Have you not seen the gigantic banner ? By the way, why is it not on Apollo's cabin like it was supposed to ?"

"We had complications."

"That's slight way to say that you didn't want to help me, Kayla."

"Don't listen to Austin, Travis, he's lying."

"Everybody close their dam mouths ! He's getting closer."

"I understood that reference."

"And I understood that reference."

"Gods give me strength."

When they hear Will's footsteps passing their hiding place, Cecil mouths to the group a countdown.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILL !" They all scream while standing up to hug Will, who is effectively glowing.

"Guys, you really didn't need to do all of this." His boyfriend says, cheeks a bright red.

"Nonsense Willy !"

"Travis ! You came !"

"Everything for my best friend."

They hug, Will laughing at something Travis whispers in his ear before his gaze falls on Nico.

The way his face lights up, a beautiful smile gracing his features, makes Nico's heart pound faster, skeletons butterfly flying in his stomach.

"Nico !"

Will's hugs are the warmest embraces Nico ever felt, they're comforting, heart-warming, familiar now.

Even so, he never gets tired of them.

"Happy birthday, amore mio." He whispers in his ear.

After lot of embarrassing stories, Travis being the main reason of that, and new created memories, it's finally time to open the presents.

Austin and Kayla gave Will a charm bracelet, with customised charms relating different stories the three of them shared.

Drew offered him a very nice sweater, something about she can't have friends wearing only flannels and cargo shorts.

Travis' gift was a photo album, enchanted by Lou Ellen so that the pictures were alive, going from their childhood to today.

Finally, it's Nico's turn.

"I actually have two gifts for you."

"So thoughtful of you." Will smiles, looking at him fondly.

"The first one is Travis' idea though."

"Yeah, you can thank Nyssa later too."

"What did you- oh by Apollo !"

He has to say, Nyssa did a wonderful job.

The motorbike is gleaming, freshly painted and even though Nico has no knowledge of bikes, he can see that it is a true beauty.

"This is amazing !" Will swoons over the bike, "I can't wait to get my licence to drive it !"

"You know, technically you don't need-"

"Travis, I'm going to get my licence."

"If you insist."

Will rolls his eyes before looking back at Nico.

"Thank you, love, this is a wonderful gift."

Nico's throat goes dry, nervousness jolting his body.

"I have to warn you, the second gift is, hum, well, I'm afraid you might find it too intensive."

"Nico," Will takes his hands, "nothing from you is too intensive."

"Then here you go."

He takes out of his pocket a little box and opens it.

Two matching rings, one golden and the other black, are inside. On the metal is engraved "I love you".

Will's breath hitch and Nico is afraid to have gone too far.

"I know this is a big gesture-"

Will kisses him, a light kiss since they have a public but Nico feels the passion behind it, the underlying love and affection Will holds for him.

"I love them", his boyfriend softly says, putting on his ring, "I love you too Nico di Angelo."

"Oh my gods, did they just get engaged ?"

"Cecil, please shut up."

Will laughs, his cheerful laugh that you can't help but join and soon, sounds of joy and happiness echo in the night as they party the whole night.

"How did you get the harpies to leave us alone ?" Will asks Travis, contently seated next to Nico, an arm around his waist.

"I'm full of surprises."

"He volunteered to help them the whole week in kitchen duty."

"Cecil ! Stop spilling my secrets !"

[superiorsturgeon]

Too late…?

Pyrrha: *panting, sprinting through the forest*

Pyrrha: *gasps for breath as she ducks under a downed tree and vaults another, getting scratched across the face*

Ursa: GROOAR!!!

Pyrrha: No…! *throws her spear while running*

Ursa: *grunts as spear punctures between its eyes, slowly collapsing as Pyrrha sprints past, wrenching her spear loose mid-stride from the evaporating monster*

Beowulfs: *howling in the distance and approaching*

Pyrrha: No…! Not now…! *pouring on extra speed*

Beowulfs: *howling from either side and behind Pyrrha*

Pyrrha: *at a frantic dead sprint* Where is it…? Where is it?!

Alpha Beowulf: *looms up directly ahead*

Pyrrha: NO!!!

Pyrrha: …wait…

Pyrrha: *spotting her target* There!!

Alpha Beowulf: *lunges*

Pyrrha: *jumps at the last second, shield-slamming the Grimm’s head down as she leaps over its back*

Pyrrha: *tucks and rolls back to her feet, sprinting towards a waiting Bullhead while waving her arms* Start the takeoff!!

Beowulfs: *closing in, reaching out for Pyrrha’s trailing hair*

Pyrrha: *jumps at the last second and grabs the landing gear of the Bullhead as it takes off, lifting her feet just in time as the leading Beowulf’s jaws snap shut just short of her heels*

Bullhead Pilot: That was a close call, ma’am! Let me set you down so you can climb inside!

Pyrrha: *does a muscle-up and rolls into the Bullhead* No time! I need to get to the coordinates I gave you before it’s too late!

Bullhead Pilot: All right…! Hold on!

Pyrrha: *grips the cargo netting as the bullhead accelerates rapidly, anxiously looking out the open door at the countryside below* Come on…! Come on…! Where is it?!

Pyrrha: *spots her target* There! Take us lower!

Bullhead Pilot: I’ll have to slow down to land!!

Pyrrha: No time!! *crouches*

Bullhead Pilot: Wait! What are you-

Pyrrha: *leaps from the moving Bullhead, carefully maneuvering her body as she free falls to stay centered on her target*

Pyrrha: *flips at the last second with her shield forward, crashing through tree branches to slow her fall before rolling to her feet at ground level into a dead sprint*

Pyrrha: Please…please don’t let me be too late…please…!!!

Pyrrha: *bursts through doorway, out of breath and looking around frantically* …am I in time…? Did I make it…?!

Pyrrha’s friends and family: …Happy Birthday toooo yoouuuuu….!!! 🎶

Pyrrha: …

Pyrrha: *slumps to the floor* No…I’m too late…

Pyrrha: I missed my baby’s first birthday! 😭

Jaune: *walks up carrying Arkos baby and wearing a party hat* Hey, Pyr! Sorry we started without you, but our little angel here was getting a bit fussy!

Arkos Baby: *babbles excitedly and holds baby arms out to Pyrrha* 😃

Jaune: I took pictures and saved some cake! Our kid likes the lime green icing just like you do! *holds out Arkos baby to Pyrrha*

Pyrrha: *sniffles as she accepts Arkos baby* I’m so sorry I’m late…! 😭 My mission went long, a-and there were more Grimm than we thought, and-!

Arkos Baby: *interrupts by happily grabbing Pyrrha’s nose* Mumma!

Jaune: Hey, you’re here just like you promised, aren’t you? That’s the best birthday gift a mom can give! *kisses Pyrrha’s forehead and puts a party hat on her*

Pyrrha: *sniffles and wipes her eyes* 🥹 W-well, let’s go join everyone else before Nora eats the whole cake!

[newnlovesjennie]

one piece au where literally nothing went wrong everyone is alive and happy hc's

nami

belle mere is still alive obvi

the attack on her island was less of an attack and more of like a alliance? like the fishman pirates pulled up and were like hey we need a hideout can we pls use ur island. and they were like yeah offer us protection and in turn u can use our island! no violence no blood nothing!!

in this au fisher tiger is still alive and the fishman pirates are still what he envisioned before his death, so he’s the captain, not arlong

speaking of arlong he’s like hella toned down. he got the jinbei affect in the sense that koala changed him and showed him humans aren’t all bad. yeah sure he’s more radical and unhinged than the other pirates but he’s just like the weird conservative uncle you tolerate at thanksgiving not a real threat

hachi and nami bonding!!!

nami never develops an obsession with money, she gets to put her full effort into map making and exploring that talent

she makes maps for the fishman pirates completely out of her own free will

she joins the movement for fishman human equality woohoo!!!

yeah in this au that movement actually gets taken seriously instead of played off and the fishmen actually make progress in equality 

koala visits sometimes! koala and nami bonding time!!!

law

doflamingo is toned down like 1000% in this au he’s not a family killer in this one he’s just odd

like seriously idk how the logistics would work but maybe somehow after the whole “doffys family becomes human” thing the humans don’t persecute him? so in turn he just kinda is pretentious and misses being rich instead of holding a particular grudge against humanity?

either way he’s also just the weird conservative uncle you see at thanksgiving 

corazon is number one dad ever did he offer law henny for his 8th birthday yes does he know how to do laundry or cook not at all but he is trying his best!

LAW BABY FIVE AND BUFFALO AS COUSINS. PLEASE!!!! dellinger too maybe idk if he’s a kid or not tho

the executives like trebol diamante whatever the fuck also aren’t as evil either they just tryna do their own thing yk just black market deal in peace but no unnecessary killing 

donquixote family stays pirates instead of going and trying to take a whole kingdom (took a shit ton of convincing for doffy to accept that)

the whole pirate warlord thing gives doffy enough prestige he don’t need to be a king necessarily 

law eats the op op fruit, doffy tries to get him to make him immortal, corazon slaps him, doffy changes his mind

(i am taking so many liberties in this au omg)

zoro

kuina didn’t fucking fall down a flight of stairs!! yippee!!!

their whole competition abt who will be the greatest swordsman is still on

they venture outside the dojo and become pirates

both bounty hunters maybe

kuina is so so gay

hear me out…. kuina x tashigi? LET ME COOK

yeah zoros just there

they find their way to mihawks island without the whole kuma blasting zoro to a random island thing

they beg mihawk to train them but he’s like wtf get out of my house but they show potential and he’s like ok fine ill train y’all 

persona is also there bc i said so FUCK MORIA ALL MY HOMIES HATE MORIA she left him and somehow ended up with mihawk he also let her stay for some reason (he needs to stop adopting kids)

hear me out…. perona x kuina? or at the very least they become besties

once again zoro is just there

robin

olvia and saul are still alive

all of her island is still alive, don’t ask why the world government is ok with that they just are shhhh shhhhh 

robin grows up an archeologist but decides she needs to find the poneglyphs and discover the truth of the world

so she becomes a pirate and joins baroque works, led by crocodile

he respects her (WHAT) doesn’t try to kill her (WHAT) and they actually have a fun friendship a friendly lil boss secretary relationship its adorable

she helps crocodile get with doffy because god knows he couldn’t do it himself

ok if this is how this au is going robins gotta be besties with bon clay come on. mr three hello?? 

[archivalofsins]

The thing I love about Milgram is you can easily start to see how responsibility is viewed across cultures through how the prisoners are discussed. This is something brought up through the text through the pairing of Kazui and Amane along with the gap between their ages.

Something the series itself goes out of its way to point out from the beginning.

Q.06 What would you say is the difference between adults and children?

Kazui: Responsibility. Adults can’t just do whatever they want.

Amane: I don’t think there’s a strict boundary. There are adults who act like children just as there are children who are mature like adults.

Through putting their answers to this question together, we can discern a focal point of the story overall. Before it's brought to the forefront by Jackalope.

Responsibility. What it is, what taking it looks like, and who should have to take it.

These answer together to me read as.

Adults have to take responsibility for themselves. Ergo adults do not have the same freedoms or room for error/growth as they did when they were children. However, there is really no difference between people within these age groups as a child can be treated as an adult (adultification) and an adult can be treated like a child (infantilization). Children can behave in ways typically considered adult, while adults can exhibit behavior viewed as childish.

We see Amane's answer reflected in the ways,

Mu: Uses childish language, shifts blame/refuses to take accountability for herself, throws tantrums or pouting fits, spends a good chunk of her first voice drama crying and states she wants her parents.

Futa: Lashes out first to try to dissuade others and give himself a feeling of control over the situation, complain in nauseum, picky eater but critiques others eating habits.

Shidou: Picky eater but discusses the eating habits of others, poor communicator, uncompromising likely to keep trying the same method without changing it- This ties into why he asked to be guilty and his desire to have someone else put an end to him. Unlikely to change his pattern of behavior even if it's shown to be unbeneficial to himself and those around him. As shown through his crime. Stubbornly asserts he knows best anyway even when faced with someone who has seniority.

Such as Kazui. Shown on Amane's birthday after the attacks where he doubles down stating he knows he has other priorities. Kazui even verbalizes that Shidou is pouting when he tells him not to look at him like that.

22/06/27 (Amane’s Birthday)

Kazui: What’s up, Shidou-kun? You’re looking pretty down. I guess you must be tired, I’ve been relying on you a lot lately.

Shidou: Yeah, I just remembered…… today is Amane’s birthday. I’m just getting a bit sentimental.

Kazui: Hmm, it’s unfortunate, but at the moment we can’t worry about that. ……you understand, right? There’s something that you need to do right now. And if you tried talking to her your words definitely won’t reach her. Don’t look at me like that. We’ll just wait until the situation changes. Let’s do our best.

Shidou: Yeah. I’ll do what I can. I can’t have a child making a face like that. Even though we’re “murderers”…… we’re also the adults here.

In stark contrast to Yuno's response to Mu's birthday where Yuno properly prioritizes the dire state the prison is in over celebrating and asks Mu to do the same.

22/07/05 (Mu’s Birthday)

Mu: Hey~~~ Isn’t everyone a bit gloomy lately? I get that this situation isn’t ideal, but you’re really bringing down the mood for my birthday.

Yuno: Haha, surely even you can tell now’s not really the time for something like that right. Nobody’s really in the mood, or rather nobody has time time to deal with something like that.

Mu: Boo, how boring. You seem to be free, you can celebrate for me. Go on, celebrate.

Yuno: Wow, what a pain. I’m reading the atmosphere properly and keeping quiet. Well, you just go and have fun with Haruka. In the corner somewhere so you’re out of everyone’s way.

Yet Shidou despite Kazui's explanation still emphasizes how they as adults shouldn't be letting this situation cause a child to make such an expression, or be unhappy.

Mikoto: Using childish language, whines/throws tantrums when met with opposition or when not given the treatment he believes he deserves, shifts blame/accountability onto other parties, inclined to woe is me behavior even when there are others going through the exact same situation as him.

I won’t forgive you if this is happening to me even though I’m right./ Come to know me as an honest man, eat your words, gulp them down.

Oh also is noted in the text to tantrum by lashing out violently and breaking things when situations don't go his way.

Mikoto : AAAHHHHHHHHHH!! DESTROY EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!!

Mikoto: [scream] You’re all fucking annoying! I’ll beat you all to death, pieces of shit!!!

It's through all these ways that the Milgram cast supports Amane's initial answer of there being children who act like adults and adults who act like children.

Such is the case with Yuno in comparison to her senior Shidou when it came to prioritizing the severity of the situation they were in over a birthday.

This mindset of Shidou's ends up greatly impacting how he engages with Amane.

At a glance it can appear that he is only projecting how he treated his own family and the children within it onto Amane. Yet it may not only be that. Shidou may in fact be projecting how he wished to be treated as a child on Amane as he may have done with his own children. As this is something that people can end up doing to their kids once having them. Trying to vicariously live out the childhood they didn't have through their kids.

Simply put, he may just really like pancakes, and none of his kids ever really did. I mean, they aren't making pancakes when the wife's there. I'm just saying.

In a lot of ways Shidou could be considered an adult version of Amane.

As he projects on others how he would want to be treated in contrast to how he did get treated. Something that Amane does a great deal as well.

This is something we see her do in her first voice drama when it comes to her reaction to Es' tardiness. Along with the way she attempts dictate her religious beliefs now that she is free of her parents input.

"Okay! I'm kind, so I shall forgive you. That's nice, isn't it? If my parents were in my place, you would have been lectured for another hour."

Amane's stated desires during trial two contrast with the implication of how she was taught in Magic and Purge March. As she was shown very little lenience or acceptance yet says she wants to alleviate the pain and confusion the guilty prisoners were facing.

Her definition of love also conflicts with how her upbringing was portrayed in both of her music videos,

Q.09 What is love to you?

Kazui: Being able to be as you are, and having that accepted.

Amane: All-encompassing, eternal affection.

Though her answer still aligns with the sort of love she states she wanted in Magic. A forgiving love where her apologies were accepted and she was given space to grow/become better. A love where her capacity to develop was recognized along with the fact that growth came through trial and error.

"Will you laugh with me and forgive me? I promise! I can only become a better girl!" - "Even I can say "I'm sorry". Even I have hope I swear! I'm going to be a good girl now! That's it!"

This also plays into Es' assertion that Amane actually did want to be treated like a child in her second trial interrogation.

This web of responsibility all spirals back on the audience and Es. A lot of fans of Milgram have blamed a lot of their actions on the series, the way it progressed, how others talked about it. The blame shifting transcending the work to become and endless bout of finger pointing with no end. Despite from the beginning Milgram through Jackalope blatantly stating,

"Yeah. Milgram leaves how it’s administered up to you. Whether you wanna make it heaven or hell, that’s your call."

Milgram has and always will be what the fans make of it, whether the audience enjoys the series, learns anything from it, or continues engaging with it is fully up to that audience member alone. Just as the ways we engage with it are up to our personal discretion as well.

In this game the audience has the power to vote based on whatever biases they may hold. Yet, with choice comes culpability.

"You can even make a decision on whether you like them or not… just be careful of the consequences, that's not my responsibility."

It's okay to like or dislike but when it's time to reap the consequences who will really be ready to eat what they've grown?

Well, it's not like it's my responsibility to answer that. That's something only time can tell.

[pumpkinsy0]

And…what if I asked to start this new year off with some angst headcanons? Specifically the gang accidentally forgetting Two-Bit’s birthday. (Bonus points if you throw in either Dar-Bit,Dalbit, Or TimBit,you can decide.)

Idk everyone always says they���d forget Ponyboy or Sodapop’s birthday. And I genuinely can’t see that happening with how the Curtis brothers act. But I can definitely see them accidentally missing Two-Bit’s birthday. I can also see Two having very mixed feelings on this especially if his own family forgot as well.

id tell u that ur soooo real for it i love drama too

•FOR THE CURTIS GANG AND BDAYS, mrs curtis actually made a whole list of everyones day so she doesnt forget and after she died, darry followed that tradition on (or at least tried to). darrys the one who tells everyone whos bday it is so EVERYONNEEE wishes them well, this time however, he was so exhausted from work he misread two’s bday as being later on in the month

•tbh, two bit never striked me as the type to put a lot of emphasis on his bday, he loves having fun but i dint think hes BIG on the attention that comes w it being ur bday, he doesnt complain about it however. in his head its just if u remember u remember, if u dont, u dont, hes not gonna wish death upon u or somethin

•he expected that from a LOT of ppl to not know it was his bday, but not the gang. maybe one or two ppl but all of em??? hes a lil hurt, but hey they got their own lives, he was probably gonna spend most of the day celebrating on his own anyways, hes not totally bogged down thankfully

•if u want him to b extra sad, be tried hanging out w at least one person from the gang, but they all brushed him off, he was like a stray cat walking around for one singular crumb of attention. they didnt even have to know it was his birthday, he just wanted to b around someone

•what would b two’s tipping point is the fact that he doesnt have cake, and i dont mean this in a “he wants to eat cake cause two loves cake, thats all his character is” kinda way. its bc he wouldve liked to have a littttllleee moment of connection w ppl he loved, its more what the cake represents ig u could say!!! the cake being good is just a bonus

•so god damn it if he cant have cake, he might as well get free drinks over at bucks, make something good out of a not so good birthday. thats where he bumped into,,,hold my hand for this🫴🏽,,,,tim,,,woah,,,,,

•tim was there playing pool and noticed two looking slightly defeated, which means a lot cause hes never seen that guy upset so whatever happens has to b solve IMMEDIATELY🗣️🗣️

•tim personally doesnt care much for his own bday, like truthfully he doesnt, so when it comes to listening to two, he has a bit of a hard time relating to him, not that he doesnt care, but he does brush it off a bit, he sees it as something pretty simple but its BC he sees it as so simple that he decides to stay w him for a bit, for his sake

•they played stupid games, they now have 2 inside jokes, yet they could never rlly explain to someone WHAT they talked about, they were just yapping asay. their asses were totally carved into this bar stool chairs, they didnt leave for HOURS, hell they didnt even realize they were there for so long till bucks place got pretty quiet from most ppl leaving. am i allowed to say that tim even gave two his number to call if he ever needed anything bc if all the free drinks two gave tim??? dudes loving dudes, u love to see it,,,

•as far as it goes w the curtis gang, they dont realize his bday passed till a few days later, darry took a look at that piece of paper and his heart dropped, he felt so bad about it and apologized. does two have any bad feelings over it???? nooo bc the gang made a surprise late bday party just for him and he got his cake :D

[gluttonoustouch]

hey babe! i made you a biscoff cheesecake since you said you like cheesecake so much! you have to have at LEAST two slices, its your birthday! (600 cals) ok ok, but seriously, where are we going out for lunch? ok, that sounds good, but when was the last time we went to texas roadhouse? i knowww you love their rolls (880 cals) its like their whole thing! lets leave after some tv and couch time, you should relax... --- alright, so what were you thinking to get? the boneless wings? (760 cals) sounds good! anything else? what about the smokehouse? (1080 cals) and a cherry coke (260 cals) to drink, yeah? great! i know youll love it all. oh dont worry about the portions, i promise ill probably end up eating more than you! (lie) --- you can't be full babe, I already ordered dessert... come on, this is the ONE day a year you can eat whatever you want! i just got the apple pie, its so small! (1110 cals) --- Alright alright, we can head home since you wont stop WHINING about how full you are. you should get some rest when you get back though, we've been up and out almost all day! --- what's that? you woke up a little hungry? hmm, how about I get you one of those sushi burritos (750 cals) across the street? they give you a free drink, so i'll get that in house lemonade you like (180 cals) sound good? Alright! (5620 cals total - 1700 BMR = 3920 > approximately 3500 necessary to gain a pound of fat) You had fun today? I'm so glad! I'll try my best to make everyday just as fun for you!! 😊😊

[mariaofdoranelle]

Drawing up the Plans

If you saw my struggle here, now you know that I made it 🥳 ! Kinda. I still need to post a part 2 since I had no time to make it the oneshot it was meant to be. But it’s not midnight where I live yet so it’s pretty much still Rowan’s birthday loll

I’m also using a prompt from @rowaelinprompts

Happy birthday to Rowan!! Here’s a birthday fic

Warnings: language

Words: 940

Fenrys: if we were to throw a hypothetical party this sunday

Fenrys: would you be mad if i brought asterin?

His girl for the month. Rowan rolled his eyes at his phone while pressing the elevator button, eager to get to his house and rest. He texted back:

Rowan: You’re throwing a hypothetical party on my birthday?

Fenrys: kinda

He pressed on the button again, as if it would come faster. For fuck’s sake, when Rowan moves to a new place after he graduates, he’ll sure check how fast the elevators are.

The answer was decided, Rowan was just thinking of the best way to put it. Fenrys would bring this girl to the “surprise” party, force Rowan to interact with this stranger and have pictures of her there for the rest of his life, just to get bored of her within the month like he usually does.

Rowan: No.

Fenrys: i can ask her to bring you a friend

Fenrys: as a hypothetical birthday gift

Rowan: No. You can give her a slice of cake after the party is over.

Rowan: Correction: The hypothetical party

When the elevator arrived, Rowan couldn’t help but lean on its wall. Is this the moment he regretted not spending the summer with his family? He could be sipping beer with his cousins for free at Uncle Ellys’ beach house, but of course he’d refuse the plane ticket his parents offered as a birthday gift to stay in Varese, being yelled at by his boss because apparently his customer service smile was too weird.

The thing is: his regrets decreased significantly when he got home.

Rowan was first greeted by the smell of burnt food and the sound of animated characters arguing on the TV. By how loud it was, he had no idea how Aelin managed to fall asleep on the couch. He took his sneakers off and kept his footsteps as soft as possible as he turned the TV off and sat beside her sprawled body.

She was half-clutching a bowl of burnt cookies. Knowing Aelin, she was eating them out of stubbornness. It was the only answer, considering how they looked.

He moved a strand of hair off her face. “Hey, sleepyhead.”

Aelin’s eyes fluttered halfway open, just enough for her to settle around him, hug his middle and fall back asleep. Chuckling, he carefully picked her up to take her to her room before she got a sore neck.

When Vaughan moved out and Aelin asked to take his room in the apartment Rowan shared with Fenrys and Lorcan—and Elide from Thursdays to Mondays—he didn’t think much of it.

He didn’t think she’d sit on a stool and chat about their days while he chopped vegetables.

He didn’t think she’d fill his empty bathroom with six different hair masks and leave the bathroom smelling like lavender every time.

He didn’t think he’d fall head over heels in love with his friend.

Rowan quietly kicked her bedroom door open and placed her in the bed, his touch delicate as if Aelin was made of porcelain.

Once she was settled and Rowan was covering her with a blanket, she held his wrist. “Cuddles?”

A flood of warmth spread through Rowan’s body. He didn’t think twice before lying beside her on the bed, feeling her button nose nestle his collarbones for a few seconds before sliding against his neck and nuzzling his cheek.

More used to it each day, Rowan brushed his lips against hers. It was tender and idle, not quite matching the urge he felt with the way his blood hammered its way against his vessels, making his heart go a mile a minute. Aelin had her hand on his hair and cheek, playing their lips and tongue, nice and slow until he lost his mind.

The only reason he was letting her do that while half-awake was because it wasn’t their first time doing something like that, even if it wasn’t often, but Aelin was very awake in most of them. They never passed this stage—or even addressed what they were doing—and Rowan wouldn’t test her limits when she didn’t seem ready to cross them.

Feeling his heavy breathing, Aelin smiled against his lips. “You’re my favorite roommate, did you know that?”

He snorted. “Good to know it’s not Lorcan.”

Aelin wrinkled her nose, but pecked him once more after. “Do you have plans for your birthday?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Good.” She squeezed his middle, pressing her face close to his booming heart. “Don’t make any.”

Rowan brushed her hair back, watching her drift off again. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

He decided to wait a little more before leaving her room. Not to watch her sleep, just for… reasons he couldn’t think of now. Rowan caressed her scalp, considering the turmoil of feelings he’s been through since he became aware of his feelings for Aelin. And how much of a good kisser she is.

Rowan would be lying if he said he didn’t want to tackle all the bases at once with her. He’d do every single thing that never left his mind if he could, but some things are meant to stay between a man, his shower and his hand. Whatever plans she had for him, he only wanted to know if he could keep his hopes up at all.

Truth was, if Aelin decided she’d do nothing more than hold hands for the rest of her life, Rowan would just hope his skin wasn’t too dry.

The only thing he needed to know was if she wanted him as something more than a friend or not.

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[randoms-fandoms]

Hi! Would I be able to request Marcy Wu x Fem!Reader who goes and ASKS HER to play Creatures and Caverns or Watch War of the Warlocks? (She deserves it! 🥺)

Absolutely! I do not know anything about the game, but I’ll try my best <3

Warnings: a little bit of canon typical calamity trio toxicity, but with the reader thrown into the mix :)

Relationships: pre-established Marcy Wu x (female) reader

Marcy Wu had been your best friend for years. Of course you didn’t predate Sasha, and certainly not Anne— but what you had was more special. More tender than the loud, fierce friendship the three shared. Your bond surpassed platonic feelings, at least on your end.

Your feelings were clear. You loved Marcy. You had for years now, though this more painful edge had only recently developed.

When Marcy kept you up all night on the phone, crying because Sasha had chosen to invite Anne to something and not her, of course you felt compassionate. You also felt angry. Not because of your lost sleep, but angry on Marcy’s behalf. Why even tell her about the activity if you’re not gonna invite her?

Whenever you all hung out as a group, something that happened more often now that the school year had began, you didn’t miss how the excited grin on Marcy’s face would fade when she noticed Anne and Sasha weren’t paying attention to what she was talking about. You just bit your tongue and engaged in Marcy’s story, trying to cheer her up.

It nearly pushed you over the edge when you noticed Marcy had cut off all of her colorful friendship bracelets. “Anne said that’s why people make fun of me in P.E— its not really a thing people wear anymore.” She explained casually, shrugging, as if it didn’t matter. Her arms looked bare and lonely.

You tried not to hate them, you really did— Marcy loves Anne and Sasha, I’m sure they’re actually nice… but you were just so frustrated that they were unintentionally ignoring the funniest, smartest, kindest person in the world.

A mean little part of you was kind of glad that their friendship seemed to be struggling. You hated it every time Marcy was hurt by them, but at the same time, you felt a small bit of joy in being the one to comfort her.

All these conflicting feelings were eating you alive. You couldn’t stop thinking about Marcy, everything you saw reminded you of her.

One weekend, you were cleaning your room when you found an old set of dice that hadn’t been used in a while— they were a birthday gift from years ago, but you hadn’t played creatures and caverns in what felt like forever. I bet Marcy would have fun with this, you thought with a smile.

The next think you knew you were pacing your room with a ringing phone to your ear, heart beating in your throat. You didn’t know why you were nervous; you hung out with Marcy all the time— but this would be the first time she came to your house. You usually hung out at her house.

Marcy picked up the phone after two rings. “Hey, how’s it going?” She asked. You could hear the smile in her voice.

“Um, hi Marcy! I’m good, I was just, uh—“ you looked down at the small bag of dice in your hand. “Are you busy today?”

“No, never.” She said with a little laugh. “I’m free pretty much every weekend.”

You nodded to yourself. “…Do you want to come over and play creatures and caverns with me?”

Marcy gasped. “Of course!” She exclaimed. “You have no idea how happy I am—“ you heard a crash on the other end of the line. She must have gotten up too fast and tripped. “I-I’ll be over in just a minute! Text me your address!”

You smiled wide, excited to see her. “I will! See you soon!”

The room felt too quiet when you hung up the phone. You already missed her. After texting her your address (and receiving a string of happy emojis in response), you looked up and came back to reality— I should get ready.

You surprised yourself by how quickly you got dressed. A cute shirt from a concert you had been to over the summer and a comfortable pair of shorts. You looked over yourself in the bathroom mirror and smiled.

You were glad you were already close to being done with your cleaning when you got distracted— all you had to do was make your bed, which didn’t take long.

Marcy arrived quickly. She looked out of breath when you opened the door, face flushed and breathing hard as she unbuckled her bicycle helmet. “Hi!” She said, smiling wide.

Her excitement made you happy. “Hey, Marcy! Come on in.” You stepped aside to let Marcy in. She took off her shoes and left them by the door.

“Um… thanks for inviting me over!”

“Of course! You’re the first person I thought of when I found these.” You pulled the bag of dice out of your pocket and felt yourself smile automatically when Marcy’s face lit up.

She took the bag from you and opened it, beaming. “Oh my gosh, this is a limited edition set! Where did you get it? They stopped making these forever ago!”

“I got them for a birthday present.” You replied, trying to remember all those years ago. “My parents must have found them in a secondhand store or something. Anyway…”

“I brought all my stuff, and plenty of paper. This is perfect! We could design up our own caverns, and do a whole campaign together!” Marcy looked up at you, still super excited. You felt a twinge of guilt upon realizing that you didn’t really know what she was talking about.

“Um… Marcy? You might have to teach me how to play.” You said, laughing nervously. “Is that okay? I’ve never actually played a game of creatures and caverns before.”

Marcy’s smile turned into something softer. “Of course! I’d be happy to teach you! Let’s start by setting up the board…“

The rest of the afternoon, you had more fun than you’d ever had in your life playing a tabletop game— Marcy was just so full of energy, cheering with excitement, eyes glimmering with joy when she laughed. She was adorable, you thought, and you couldn’t help but flirt with her a little— in your own special way, nerdy and sweet, just the way you knew she’d like.

“You know a lot about this game— you must have played a ton of campaigns!” You praised, watching a blush spread over Marcy’s smiling face.

“Well, not exactly— I’ve always wanted to, but I’ve never had anyone to play with before! I tried getting Anne and Sash to play with me a few times, but they always get bored after one session.” She laughed awkwardly. You reclined against the edge of your bed, not sure what to say.

“…But it’s okay.” Marcy continued. “I know it’s not what they’re into, so… it’s whatever,”

You nodded, suddenly feeling a little nervous. “Um, do you think we could make this a regular thing? Playing Creatures and Caverns together?”

Marcy absolutely lit up. “Of course!” She leaned in excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. “We could play every weekend, and draw pictures of our characters!”

You fought the goofy smile that was creeping its way onto your face. “That sounds great, Marcy!” You sat perfectly still, shyly aware of how close she was now. Marcy didn’t seem to notice for a moment, then she glanced away and pulled back, clearing her throat.

“It doesn’t have to be every week if you don’t want to—“ she rushed. “I mean, I was being too… presumptuous. I think. We don’t—“

“Marcy, no!” You frowned, sitting up. “I do want to hang out and play with you as often as we can, I was just…” you realized with dismay that she had misread your shyness at the proximity as reluctance. “I was…” you tried again, too embarrassed to tell her the truth.

“Let’s go back to playing.” Marcy said, but her smile didn’t exactly reach her eyes. You decided you had to explain to her, if only to save you the guilt.

“Marcy, I need to tell you something.” You said seriously. She paused, looking up into your eyes. Ugh, she’s so pretty…

“Yeah?”

“I, ah—“ you felt your face heat up. “Um, do you want to… go on a date sometime? Or more than one date?” You watched as her mouth fell open slightly, surprised. “I really like you…” you continued, trying to fill the silence.

“Of course I’ll go on a date with you! Can you— can we be girlfriends?” Marcy asked, sounding in disbelief.

You broke into a breathless smile at the prospect. “Yeah! That sounds really great.”

“Aaaah, I’m so happy…” Marcy shook out her hands, then scooted to sit next to you. She hugged you tightly. The warmth made your heart beat a little faster, and you hoped she couldn’t feel that you were trembling slightly with nerves.

“I’m happy too,” you replied, resting your chin on the top of her head.

The two of you sat there in silence for another moment before Marcy pulled back and smiled broadly up at you. “Now can we go back to playing?”

You smiled right back, glad she felt comfortable enough to ask you that. “Of course!”

A/N: hope this was alright, sorry for the delay— I’ve been busy with irl things like funerals and school

[shrimplymoray]

Hi

Can i request a Deimos x reader , where Deimos suprise the reader for his/her/their Birthday please?

( Since my Birthday is soon and i simp for Deimos, i would aprecciate if you do this TwT)

I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG, I'VE HAD SOME TROUBLES WITH LIFE AND GOT STUCK ON THE PREVIOUS REQUEST!! Hopefully this is still on time, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! *Note: since u didn't specify, imma write it as GN but feel free to request again if u want other pronouns or something more specific!

Deimos x Reader - Birthday Surprise!

It was no surprise to the average Status Quo member that Deimos was acting odd. He was especially chatty about his oh so lovely partner, and how he was excited to show them something, and yet he never did so to them, face to face. To the less close to him, this was odd at its finest. I mean, Deimos? Not dropping whatever he wanted to share you the second you appeared? Is he going clinically insane? But it only took a couple days for him to drag everyone into his big plan. Your birthday was coming up. And he basically thought it would be so fucking funny to pull a super duper surprise on you and see how you reacted to it. It was no surprise that the only thing he seemed to love at par with you yourself was... well, your reactions, of course. Although it was noticeable him shifting focus a bit, and his "peculiar" inquires about your tastes and... in general, all you liked and disliked, you knew very well that man could not focus on only one thing at a time, so you pushed the thought to the back of your head, not even realizing the dates passing. It took only but you to open your eyes after being poked awake, on a day you forgotten how special it was, for the big toothy grin of your boyfriend to meet you. "Mornin' cutie." His voice showed an excitement that was... suspicious. "Hey... Dei? Why did ya wake me up... What hour even is it?" "Don't worry bout the details. I have something to show ya." As you sat down and blinked the sleep out of yourself, you were met with what Deimos was holding. "Breakfast in Bed? Are you trying to smoothern me up for something, bae?" The teasing in your tone didn't go unnoticed, as he chuckled before replying "Maybe~ you'll have to wait and see~" It took you to finish your breakfast and chat with Deimos to realize how quiet everything was. For Dei to be awake, it would usually mean Sanford was also awake, and he wasn't exactly the quiet type of guy... "... So what hours is it again?" " Uhh... An hour? Anyway, why don't ya stretch those legs of ya, and get some of ya pretty lil style up so we can get ya day started?" He was... getting more and more suspicious by the minute at this point, but it was honestly kinda fun to follow Deimos on his shenanigans, and since no one was dead yet (you hoped), why not indulge him a bit? You pushed him out to change, and when you opened the door... "I'm ready- Dei what the fuck?" Wherever the hell he got the blindfold, it made you raise an eyebrow. "Well... It's a very special day, and I think it deserves a very special surprise? C'mon, baby~" His attempt at puppy eyes didn't usually work, but... maybe it was the sleep still in your body, but he looked so damn cute, you sighed. "Just this time... And I want an I Owe You after this..." "fine by me!" he tied the blindfold, taking care to not mess your hair too much, and started guiding you around. As you walked, you heard whispers, and smelled a familiar scent. He put you sitting in a chair and, after a bit of tension in the silence, the blindfold was undone to be met with... a giant cake? wait... "... DEIMOS? YOU DID NOT." "Actually he managed to convince me to do it, chucklehead." San burst from behind the monstrosity with his loud as a boom voice and laughter. It took a bit for you to process it, and you kept staring from Deimos to the cake and back at Deimos. "Wait... are ya thinking i did just this? Ya so cute~ After we eat some of San's Cake, ya have a mission in the base." "A... Mission?" "Find all of the stuff i hid for ya~ Good luck cutie~!" He didn't give you much time to process the information, before you were yelling his name again. And there it was. His favorite stuff in the world: the way you reacted. I hope this is good, again, so sorry for being late!! Hope you have/had/will have a great Birthday!!

[tokiohotel-luvr]

Tokio Hotel headcanons - How they are in the kitchen

Hey! this is my first time writing ever so please go easy on me 😭

but feel free to request headcanons/fics and i will try my very best 🫣

warnings~ very little nsfw content (implied sex)

✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮

Bill Kaulitz

Has had a passion for cooking ever since he was little

Spends hours looking for the perfect recipe to impress his family and friends 

Very much a perfectionist 

Likes to involve others especially y/n “please y/n it’ll be fun”

Until it isn't.. His perfectionist tendencies start to kick in and he takes over and becomes a little very bossy 👀 but don't worry he always make its up to y/n ;)

Is a fan of natural aphrodisiacs - likes to involve them in his recipe to add a little ✨spice✨ 

And

Oh

My

God

They do wonders

Tom Kaulitz

Just like his brother he's always had a passion for cooking

However Tom being Tom he isn't too keen on rules so he likes to experiment and its a very hit or miss situation

He could spend ages coming up with a elaborate meal for it to... flop. But its the effort that counts right? 

He lacks in the organization department but a messy cook is a good cook (sometimes)

He tends to like cooking alone however he has a soft spot for y/n (obviously, they are amazing duh)

But this isn't always a good idea as it always seems to end up with them both being covered head to toe in food 

The rest of the band isn't a fan of this little tradition because they refuse to take responsibility “Tom started it-” “Hey- no i didn't” and normally poor Georg and Bill end up cleaning the kitchen as Tom and y/n mysteriously go missing to go eat something other than the food they are covered in 🤭

Georg Listing

The only other band member other than Bill who's meals are edible

Doesn't mind cooking but sometimes it feels like a chore especially after a long day in the studio, he normally tends to order takeout 

When he does cook he's very organized likes to have the ingredients laid out and pre measured, he doesn't like to over complicate things 

However he loves to cook for y/n, especially when she's not feeling the best he loves whipping up a soup in hopes to help which y/n loves to thank him for

Gustav Schäfer

Tends to avoid the kitchen at all costs as he hasn't got very much experience in the kitchen

but he doesn't mind helping other in the kitchen as long as its very minimal tasks

However, he will always be the first to volunteer to taste others food as long as it isn't Toms (sorry not sorry)

However for y/n birthday he gets up extremely early determined to make her breakfast in bed

Only for y/n to wake to the slight smell of charcoal lingering throughout the house

But there's always something else she could eat instead…

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Thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed!

[taruchinator]

🐺 General Audiences

🐺 2k Words

🐺 Written for the @fnafchibizine!

‘Happy Birthday, Cassie!’

The lopsided cursive writing made of icing dripped from one side of the chocolate cake, making it appear soggy and unappetizing from any and all angles. Its candles having burnt out hours ago didn't help the case either, but that was okay.

It wasn't like Cassie felt like eating a whole cake on her own.

“Man, did I get the wrong memo? Didn't know we were doing a funeral today.”

FNAF? In MY account? More likely than you'd think! 🤭 Hey everyone! Alice here! Today I come with another special piece written for a zine: The FNAF Chibi Zine, to be precise! 💖

I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do for a cutesy project like this one in writing form, but then it hit me that I could get away with adorable goofiness and kids getting to be kids (the calm before the storm ig lol)

Something I've wanted to do was explore Cassie and Gregory's relationship, so that's exactly what I decided to go with! This can be seen as either platonic or romantic, tbh. I just love me these babies (even if Greg is possibly an evil psychopath 🙃).

You can also download it for free so consider checking the official account!

Cassie had never been particularly interested in video games.

At school, it was one of the things that separated her from the rest of her classmates in the social hierarchy, with everyone always showing off their newest consoles or big hit releases. As if she didn't need more help in sticking out like a sore thumb.

Despite owning a pretty decent handful of games, she was never the competitive type, so she didn't pay much attention to them—but that all changed one day when her father got a new job in the city as an engineer for the animatronics at Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex.

The man would pick her up after last period, and together they'd head over to the massive hall attraction, where Cassie was free to roam around wherever she pleased while the adults got to work. A few of the other employees’ children would be there too. She tried to befriend them at first, but eventually stopped once she realized they would laugh and talk behind her back.

That's when the Arcade Cabinets came into play.

With the restaurant’s powerful 80’s aesthetic, it was no surprise to see an area dedicated to these gaming devices from an older time. Once she'd explored every inch of the building and none of the animatronics were available to spend time with her, Cassie figured she'd give these guys a shot.

To say she enjoyed them would be an understatement.

Before she knew it, the brunette would find herself wandering into the gaming area more and more frequently, going from one cabinet to the next to try and figure out which one she liked best. It was surprisingly ‘Balloon World’, despite her complaints of not finding a single Roxy themed arcade cabinet.

And even though she was having so much fun, there was something that slightly piqued her interest.

At first she didn't even notice it, but after constant playthroughs of the same games, Cassie saw a pattern in all of them—they all had the same acronym as the top score player. Curious to know if this was a factory defect, she went looking into other games, even ones she didn't normally play, only to keep finding the same name over and over.

“GGY…” She mumbled the three letters as she placed her palm against the joystick of Princess Quest. For someone to have the high score in not just one, but all the games in the arcade, they'd have to have been playing here for a very long time. And yet, Cassie was never with more than a few kids at a time in this area, and rarely did she see them again unless it was weeks afterwards.

So now, only one question plagued her mind every time she walked into the building—who was this mysterious ‘GGY’?

Two hours.

That's how long Cassie had been waiting to play Midnight Motorist.

When she arrived at the Pizzaplex earlier that day, she'd planned on trying to beat her previous record, only to find a boy she'd never seen before already there. Usually she wouldn't mind this, after all it was a public place and many kids spent their time here too. It wasn't the first time someone was playing in a cabinet before her.

For them to take two hours playing in said cabinet however, was a different story.

“Um, excuse me?” Cassie dared to take a chance, gently tapping the boy's shoulder in order to get his attention. “Are you almost done?”

“Ugh! Wait your turn, will you?” The boy immediately flinched away from her touch, and was almost startled out of the track in-game yet was quick to steer himself back in the right direction. Never once did he take his eyes off the screen to acknowledge her.

This annoyed her slightly. “I have been waiting. You've been playing for hours! And I should know; I went to go see Roxy's performance as soon as I got here and you're still here!”

The boy seemed to share her annoyance, but something told her it wasn't for the same reason. “Who cares? I was here first, so don't get in the- wait no, no, no! Dang it!”

Undoubtedly thanks to her meddling, the car on screen crashed against one of the obstacles, causing an instant ‘Game Over’ to appear. Yet despite that, Cassie couldn't help but notice that the boy still managed to beat the previous high score, which only made her wonder how much longer he would've lasted here if she hadn't said anything.

In reluctant grumbles, the boy started writing his initials on the scoreboard. Cassie didn't even bother listening to what he was saying once she saw the familiar letters that were scattered all over the arcade.

“Ya know? You're lucky I don't have any more tokens on me, cause I'd definitely keep playing if I did! I was about to get to the secret level before you—” The boy's rambles were quickly cut short by the brunette's gasp.

Her expression quickly morphed into that of awe as she invaded the boy's personal bubble, causing him to back up again the cabinet with a look of confusion on his face. “You're ‘GGY’?! Oh my God, I've been dying to meet you, I'm a huge fan! I'm Cassie!”

The mystery of GGY was something that started eating at her for a while now, so getting to meet the face behind the name was incredibly exciting, even if said face belonged to a boy who was somewhat rude at first meeting.

It was only now that they were face to face that Cassie got to have a good look at him—He had shaggy brown hair, a blue striped shirt, and khaki shorts that exposed legs covered in bandages. He also appeared to be around her age, yet still, he was completely unfamiliar to her.

Sure, Cassie didn't know every kid that frequented the Pizzaplex, but she had a fair idea of the usual guests considering this was the place she spent most of her time at, perhaps even more than her own home. Maybe he just moved into town?

“It would explain his terrible social skills…” The girl mused to herself, still waiting on the other's reply.

He seemed to be stuck between being mad and confused, cornered like a wild animal not knowing how to respond to the interaction. Honestly she couldn't blame him—her dad always said she gave off a strong aura, which some people might find too invasive.

The mystery boy didn't seem to think so though, as he finally decided to snap back into reality and started pondering her question. He rubbed at the back of his neck and avoided eye contact, but Cassie didn't mind at all.

A faint blush spread across his cheeks as the boy averted his gaze in what was unmistakably fake annoyance. “I-I'm… Gregory.”

Cassie couldn't help but smile. She had a feeling this boy was going to be interesting to hang out with. “Nice to meet you, Gregory!”

‘Happy Birthday, Cassie!’

The lopsided cursive writing made of icing dripped from one side of the chocolate cake, making it appear soggy and unappetizing from any and all angles. Its candles having burnt out hours ago didn't help the case either, but that was okay—it wasn't like Cassie felt like eating a whole cake on her own.

Party decorations were plastered all over the walls of the empty room, with everything from balloons to streamers to confetti, and yet none of it made the sight seem any less depressing.

After all, what could be sadder than a little girl celebrating her birthday all alone?

Roxy had been there with her the first few hours, giving her hope that her classmates were probably just running late or maybe got distracted by the ball pit and arcade games on the way. “They'll be here any minute!” Roxy had said.

But when the minutes turned into hours, there was nothing left in the brunette’s heart other than pain. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, messing up the awesome make-up Roxy had done for her earlier that day, Cassie couldn't contain the soft hiccups escaping her lips, no matter how hard she tried.

“Man, did I get the wrong memo? Didn't know we were doing a funeral today.”

That voice was one Cassie had grown accustomed to when coming to the Pizzaplex. It would usually bring both joy and annoyance with it, yet this time she felt nothing but shame as she buried her face deeper into the cocoon of her smeared sweater. “Why are you here, Greg?”

Cassie could hear Gregory's footsteps as he made his way around the food table and towards her. The sound of rustling paper and shuffling could be heard before she felt a tap on her shoulder. Tentatively lifting her gaze, she was surprised to be greeted by both a napkin and a flustered looking Gregory.

The boy coughed into his empty hand as he motioned the napkin in her direction. “What do you mean? You think I'd miss my friend's birthday party? Sorry I'm late. Had to get your present ready…”

That's when she saw it—a small paper gift bag resting on the table in front of them. It had a tag attached to it with Gregory's name on it, albeit rather clumsily written.

Cassie didn't have time to react before her friend decided to take initiative and start wiping the streaks of mascara running down her cheeks. He gently dabbed her eyelids too, trying to get rid of as many tears as possible as he kept talking. “I wouldn't get my hopes up though. I won it at the prize counter a few weeks ago cause it reminded me of you, and your birthday just happened to be coming up so… yeah. Sorry if it's kinda lame.”

Finally getting a hold of the napkin Gregory was using, Cassie blew her nose into the piece of paper as she felt more tears starting to build in the back of her eyes.

She knew he was an orphan, and didn't have any money to his name, so of course getting her something from the Pizzaplex would be the best solution. But just the idea of him playing games and spending all of his tickets just to get her this gift, was more than enough to warm her heart even if he didn't think it was worth getting worked up over.

Which was why she was quick to grab the bag and open it up right then and there despite Gregory's protests.

Inside, nestled between some stray pieces of confetti, was an adorable Roxy-Talkie. She'd been eyeing it on the prize counter for a while now, so maybe she wasn't so subtle about it and the boy was quick to notice her interest.

A soft beep broke her out of her thoughts, causing her to turn and find a smug looking Gregory holding a Freddy-Talkie. His voice echoed on both her right ear and the Roxy-Talkie's speaker. “This is Captain Gregory speaking. Lieutenant Cassandra, do you copy? Over.”

Rolling her eyes at the use of her full name, she pressed the button to reply in feign annoyance. “I copy Captain Doofus, over and out.”

“Hey! Is that any way to treat someone who didn't just get you a present, but also went out of their way to get a matching one for themselves?” Gregory's voice rose in pitch and all Cassie could do was giggle in reply.

“I mean, let's be real. You got one just to annoy me.”

“So what if I did? That's proof that I care, Lieutenant.”

“Oh, finally! A guest!” Roxy walked into the room at the perfect time, looking at the duo of children with a delighted smile gracing her robotic muzzle. She turned to address Gregory. “Welcome to the coolest, most badass birthday party of your life! Not just because I'm here, but you also get to hang out with my best friend Cassie!”

The boy simply stared with a pointed look. “Are all these robots such suck ups?”

“Hey! That's Roxanne Wolf you're talking to! Plus she's right—it's my birthday! So if anyone gets to be a Captain, it's me.” Cassie smirked in the boy's direction, trying her best to look as cool as possible despite all of the crying she'd done mere minutes ago.

Gregory chuckled, but didn't protest. Instead he returned the grin as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “As long as I get free cake, you can do whatever you want, dweeb.”

He ran away before the brunette could even react, already by the sweets table with Roxy close behind him. Still, she couldn't contain the smile from spreading across her face as she watched his excited form.

Maybe no one else showed up, but the person who truly mattered did.

And that was more than enough in her book.

✦𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬!✦

[quickdeaths]

【ME & 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗜'𝗗 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥】

- ALIAS / NAME: Bryn, Ya Girl, Hey You

- BIRTHDAY: March 20

- ZODIAC SIGN: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh pisces/aries cusp but I will be honest I don't know much about astrology - I consider it harmless fun but it is harmless fun that I do not participate in, feel free to drag my ass because that's EXACTLY what a pisces/aries/pisces-aries would say

- HEIGHT: 5'11

- HOBBIES: Reading, writing, video games, dungeons and dragons/other TTRPGs, hanging out with the fam and/or the squad, watching tv sometimes when I can get the adhd to be quiet and focus on something. I like studying, too, to a point, and I would like to get back to like Working On A Skill in some way. Maybe polishing up my Japanese back to where it was when I lived abroad?

- FAVORITE COLOR: I say purple, which is kind of true, but actually a like, darker blue purple, like an indigo.

- FAVORITE BOOK: I'm annoyingly that girl you went to school with who loved all the books that they made you read. If there is a classic novel from like, 1800-1960 that they made you read in school, I like it, probably. I would also say, when I was in high school, which probably was (along with college) the time that I read most for pleasure, as well, I was really emotionally affected by Ned Vizzini's It's Kind of a Funny Story, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World, and Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato and considered them faves.

Probably what I would say now though is Imogen Binnie's Nevada. I read it on a flight down to a weekend work retreat, read it on the flight, in the cab, and skipped dinner/informal meeting to read it all in one sitting. It's not an easy book to read, nor a "fun" one in a lot of ways, but I read it over 5 years ago and I think it about it constantly. It feels very raw and honest, and like 10 years after publication, I feel its influence on so much queer literary fiction.

There's also some books of poetry that I hold in high regard. I have Paul Muldoon's Poems: 1968-1998 and Seamus Heaney's Opened Ground, Selected Poems 1966-1996. I also have a story about being in college and writing a capstone essay for a notoriously difficult class where we were supposed to write about a book of poems of our choice. My laptop had broken, so I was confined to one of the shitty computers in the computer lab, and I had been working on the essay about a book of poems I found in our school library for maybe three weeks before the due date, and by happenstance, I ended up reading The Captain Asks for a Show Of Hands by Nick Flynn. I immediately had the thought of "I need to write about this," deleted my entire existing essay, and crunched for basically the entire remaining week to write a new one about Flynn's book instead.

- LAST SONG: I'm not sure what song specifically, but I was listening to the entire album Bon Iver by Bon Iver while writing RP replies earlier. I'm very much a full album girlie most of the time. Before that we've got "POPPY (Japanese Version)" by STAYC, "Champions of Red Wine" by The New Pornographers, "Biohazard" by Momma, and "Star" by LOONA (they're still together I swear here is how LOONA can still win-)

- LAST FILM / SHOW: I started watching the She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat live action drama last night. Probably gonna start watching Shogun with my mom soon when I go to have dinner and visit with her? As for movie... I saw Origin with my mom in theaters last month. I thought it was a very creative choice to adapt a nonfiction book into a narrative about the author writing the book, while still managing to incorporate a lot of the themes and content of the book into the film.

- RECENT READS: A lot of manga tbh... I read the She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat manga recently, as well as reread My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness after twitter drama thrust it back into my consciousness. I've been meaning to read Dungeon Meshi so probably soon? In terms of non-comic books, I read this nonfiction book called The Digital Closet: How The Internet Became Straight by Alexander Monea recently that was very engaging! In short, it's a dissection of the way that the American government's attempts to regulate and censor the internet (for a variety of reasons) have had the knock-on effect of things like age-gating even non-sexual queer content on youtube, or social media algorithms burying queer posts. I'm slowly working through Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett, which is about a woman trying to hold things together and run her family's taxidermy shop after her father's sudden death. It's weird, but good. It's probably also time for my annual(ish...) reread of Stephen King's On Writing, too.

- STORY BEHIND URL: It's a Maki quote! Her and Shuichi are talking about Tenko's death, and Shuichi says something about Maki's insight coming from experience, and she responds, "Of course. Quick deaths are my specialty."

- FUN FACT ABOUT ME: I used to be an elementary school English teacher in Japan, probably everyone knows this by now, but it is my funnest fact. I used to be a decently good soccer player and I was a pretty high-ranked doubles tennis player in my middle school district district for a little while (my partner carried me but still!) I honestly spend WAY too much time doing D&D prep - I spent basically the entirety of summer 2021 rewriting the entirety of the Curse of Strahd published D&D adventure to fit my preferences, and that of my players, complete with new characters/maps/statblocks/items/plot points/etc. Before the campaign had even started, I had absolutely dumped probably 100+ hours into it.

TAGGED BY: @more-than-a-princess the bestie thank youuu

TAGGING: @lunaetis @hopeds @honoosenshi @amoriscustos @wouldhope and you!

[rafent]

Avoiding strangers as if he was waltzing with them Alfred made his way through the halls. As he walked by, some stopped to look at him with curious eyes and others kept on their tracks as their heads turned his way, but the prince didn't think much of it and instead kept on his way until he was met with a closed door. With busy hands he knocked on it to make his entrance known, unlocking the door without dropping or damaging anything he carried proved to be more of a challenge but with a movement of a few free fingers and push with his arm he made his way in.

Walking in he closed the door behind him with his arm and then turned to face the person sitting at the other end of this office. A smile bloomed on his face as Alfred walked closer. "Hey there, Lord Rafal!" He greeted stopping his tracks and eyeing the table separating the two of them, yes there'd be enough space to place everything on top of it. "Today's your birthday and i know you didn't get to celebrate many of them as yourself, so to make up for some you missed i brought some gifts."

In his right hand he carried a big bouquet of red roses, he placed it on the table. "To start, roses, they remind me of you and their bright color makes me think of your eyes—and dragonstone!" Looking at the size of the gift he chuckled, maybe he went overboard with simply asking the florist 'give me a big bouquet!' "Each rose is a birthday wish i didn't get to give you until now."

With one gift down he made his way to the other side of the table and kneeled down, with his free hand he set down one of the gifts. "This one's for last." Having said that, he looked inside the little bag he carried and pulled out a box, opening it a snake-shaped ring with two rubies for eyes and a pair of diamond shaped earrings twinkled. "You're always wearing jewelry so i thought you'd like this one. Let me put the ring on for you."

Reaching for Rafal's left hand, Alfred held his world with his right one. Two digits were enough to pick up the ring and his eyes danced choosing were to place it of the few free ones, in the end he gently slid it on his ring finger. A complacent smile at seeing it fit perfectly.

Lastly he reached for the small fabric placed on the table. Quietly he unfolded it to show a small embroidery with two roses and some diamonds on it—details that reminded him of the dragon—the stitching was far from perfect but he had put effort on it. "I'm not good at sewing but i tried making something myself that would last more than a flowercrown. The embroidery passed down my family is way prettier but it's back in Firene." He laughed, placing it on Rafal's hands. "This is to remind you that even if we are apart, i'm always with you."

"I do want to say something, for as long as i'm alive i will be here to celebrate your birthday and to remind you how precious your life is not only to me but all the people who love you." Standing up his gaze softened as he spoke once again. "Happy birthday Lord Rafal! I'm blessed to have you as my dear friend."

Having taken that off his chest he gently smacked his friend's shoulder. "Anyway! Why don't we go eat dinner together? I know of a place where we could eat a nice birthday cake."

A sweet waft of roses invaded the dragon's lair. Curious. Sacrilegious. Alfred. For all his familiarity with the Firenese prince, a single knock predated the bold vision that resulted in the other's wake - as was often wont to do. Heavy, trundling steps barely succeeded in entering his office and in holding aloft an armful of items. Had there been greetings or questions he first intended, the sight of a thoroughly encumbered Alfred plucked them straight from his mouth.

Countless thoughts whirred in their attempts to reach a conclusion. However, the proclamation of 'happy birthday' left no room for mistake, only further cementing intentions with a bounteous rose bouquet just short of spilling onto the floor and more offerings on its tail. Crimson eyes partook in a slow-inching dawn of understanding, drawn to the ring placed on his hand, the earrings chosen for their memorable ruby color, and then the gift of embroidery. True to word, an amateur product, if not one made lush by time and labor.

. . .the maker's homage to his subject of regard.

Wordlessly, he twisted off the band and set it down without force. He acknowledged the roses with a glance. At last he picked up the fabric, turning it over in his fingers with a blasé look of measurement, this way and that, sparing no corner from sight. And, at last, he spoke: "This stitchwork is not anything special. It is of a quality that the average onlooker would not inspect twice. The roses intended as embellishments are not perfectly aligned. These edges look to be unraveling."

Each word snapped into line without hesitation, piercing as the gaze that analyzed every defect that dared exist before it with visibility. Not a single mistake did he fail to bring to light and, after planting the cloth down, silent judgment lapsed across the course of several seconds. Several more.

". . .I approve."

He pushed onto his heels with a fond twitch of lips. Rising from his chair and brushing past the prince in one seamless motion, only with two feet set firmly before the door did he halt. "I am grateful, Alfred, your sentiments and gifts have not only been generous, but they have revealed to me the true blessings to be had. They have made this a special birthday." Anticipatory appraisal over his shoulder. "—and dinner would make the occasion happier still."