#I’m going to decorate the outside of the aquariums this year

[alastorthirsty]

One week until Hanukkah! This is the first time in 20 years that it has begun on Christmas Day :)

[tobiosmilktea]

hello there. my bday is around the corner and i was wondering how would random haikyuu boys celebrate it with u 💓

how the haikyuu boys will celebrate your birthday with you

a/n: my birthday is just around the corner too so this was really fun to write 🥺 i decided to do it by team bc i couldn’t pick who boys to do lmao

— karasuno

i think they’ll definitely pull some intricate plan that will go wrong one way or another

like a surprise party maybe

it was fs nishinoya and tanaka’s idea to set one up after school in the gym where they tell everyone to pretend to forget your birthday just to add that special element of surprise

but then again, guys like tsukishima and kageyama don’t need to pretend they didn’t know your birthday because they truly didn’t until hinata brought it up to them (don’t take it too personally tho lmao)

speaking of which, hinata almost spoiled the surprise for you if yachi wasn’t there to distract you 💀

despite being the second year’s idea to throw this surprise party for you, it’s primarily the third years doing all the work since tanaka and nishinoya don’t know how to organize a party for shit

poor kiyoko is actually doing all the work while daichi and asahi are putting up decorations with the help of the first years (tsukishima had to be forced tho smh)

yamaguchi and yachi seem like the types to overthink what to get you for a birthday present, probably going all out while kageyama would just buy you your favorite drink and snack from the vending machine near the gym literally five minutes before the surprise

it’s the thought that counts ig

sugawara made your cake as well with the usual message, ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y/N !!’

and since the surprise party was being held in the gym after practice, everyone had to hurry and clean up before setting out all the decorations. and can i just say, it’s chaotic™️

yachi had to distract you for a good ten minutes by asking you to walk all the way towards the other end of campus to ‘get something’ that didn’t exist in the first place

meanwhile in the gym, the second years were in charge of taking down the volleyball net to replace it with a badly homemade painting with tanaka’s messy ass handwriting wishing you a happy birthday

the third years and first years as mentioned before were setting up decorations, hanging up streamers, setting out balloons, and handing out party poppers

with kiyoko, takeda-sensei, and ukai set out a table for sugawara to place the cake he made for you (which it almost fell cause ennoshita bumped into him)

hinata was also on the lookout if you and yachi were nearby

and when you were, he shout so loudly that even you heard down the hall

finishing up any last minute details, the team sets out their presents for you with their party poppers in hand before shouting, “SURPRISE!!”

it’s all fun and games until nishinoya accidentally released confetti at your face by accident

he made up for it with his present though lmao

— aoba johsai

saying that seijoh probably won’t do anything as big as a surprise party is a complete lie

knowing oikawa and the moment he found out it was going to be your birthday soon, he’ll plan something more extravagant than some lame surprise party (albeit, badly planned without the help of iwa)

he’d probably rent out a party bus to drive around the city before stopping by at some random karaoke place downtown

he’ll only invite the third years and your close friends so it isn’t too big of a celebration that it doesn’t feel like it’s your own party

the best part of the night was mattsun absolutely outshining oikawa in literally everything

there was even a stripper pole in the party bus and he just started fucking around with you to pretending to make it rain on him,, it was hilarious

you love rewatching the videos you took of that night

your favorite (besides stripper matsukawa) was iwa singing a ballad for you and when i say that man has vocals i mean it

at the end of the night, all your friends got up to sing happy birthday to you on the karaoke machine

the second years would probably feel bad celebrating your birthday with you, so instead they take you out to get udon after school and just vibe

you were honestly just surprised that it was kyotani’s idea to take you out like this, not to mention the cute gift he gave you that he put a lot of thought into

meanwhile i think the first years are just too intimidated by you minus kunimi

like kindaichi knew of your birthday but he was just too scared to go up to you and wish you a happy birthday before handing you your favorite convenient store snack as a little gift

— nekoma

unlike karasuno and seijoh, the way the nekoma boys celebrate with you is definitely on the more laidback side, yet they still put effort in wishing you a happy birthday

kenma, kuroo, and yaku would definitely stay up with you the night before your birthday playing video games just to be the first ones to wish you a happy birthday the moment the clock strikes midnight

they’ll even set up a minecraft server that kenma spent hours setting up and building everything that you like with a gigantic banner made out of your favorite colors of wool saying ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY!’

the rest of the night staying up playing party games on hypixel despite having school the next day

in the morning, you’d find kenma and kuroo waiting outside your house so they can walk the birthday celebrant to school, plus they had bags in their hands to which you assume were presents for you

it was then did you realize that you were going to get more throughout the day after kuroo mentioned how he told the team that it was your birthday

there was something embarrassing and a bit cringey being showered with attention for your birthday, especially at school, but you still appreciated the team’s efforts

throughout the day, people would notice the gifts in your hands and would wish you a happy birthday, definitely causing a stir in the school when yaku, lev, and yamamoto burst into your classroom to shout happy birthday

while yamamoto is literally showering you with birthday wishes and presents, lev would give you a cute plushie of your favorite animal along with a little cake

he’d probably ask to eat it with you during lunch lmao

by the end of the day, kuroo and kenma would help you carry all the presents you received as you guys end the day off getting ramen

— fukurodani

i don’t think they’ll make a big deal out of it knowing you don’t like making a big deal out of your birthday either

the only reason why they even found out that your birthday was around the corner is because bokuto couldn’t keep his mouth shut

it played out somewhere along the lines like this: akaashi would ask you if you were free this weekend so you two could study for the upcoming math exam

bokuto was there as well when you had to ask for a raincheck on studying as your parents were forcing you to go out on a celebratory birthday dinner (as by their words, “it’s the least you could do.”)

to which bokuto literally gasps and shouts, “IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEKEND?” his words echoing throughout the gym and definitely catching the attention of the rest of the volleyball team

if that’s his reaction to finding out it’s your birthday soon, just imagine how shocked he would be when you tell him that you don’t really like celebrating it

akaashi would definitely understand and opted to buy you a little something for his appreciation and give it to you the following day, but bokuto wants to full on throw a party for you

“come on! it’ll just be a little get-together at the park!” he would beg

“thank you, bo, but i’m honestly fine just going out to dinner with my family.”

he would huff, planning to throw one as a surprise party instead, but akaashi immediately shoots down his idea out of respect for you

instead, bokuto would channel all that energy to giving “the best birthday gift of your life!” (end quote)

even konoha would challenge him on that just to tease him, but would still give you a well thought out gift

and yeah, it’s honestly kind of embarrassing seeing him walk into school with a box full of things you’re into including a giant owl plushie (school spirit ig??)

poor bo was outshined by yukie and kaori when they made a birthday cake for you

— shiratorizawa

lowkey i feel like shiratorizawa is definitely one of those private schools that would announce when their student’s birthdays are when they come close

like no one of the vb team would’ve found out your birthday was in a couple days if it wasn’t for that overhead announcement made by the vice principal

however, i wouldn’t think they’d make a huge deal out of it besides tendou maybe

the moment you would walk into the gymnasium, he’ll immediately wish you a happy birthday loudly before nudging ushijima to do the same

instead of one big party, you celebrated with them almost individually

tendou and ushijima both took you to the aquarium and bought you a gift that you specifically chose out cause they’d probably wouldn’t be bothered to do so without you

and then you’d go out with semi and reon to which you three just get sushi after school

lowkey i feel like they would buy literally anything you show even the tiniest amount of interest in and they’ll buy it within a snap

you literally had to stop semi from buying you anything else as he’ll end up spending all his pocket change when the sushi was enough

and unlike their upperclassman, shirabu and goshiki would probably just celebrate with you by just hanging out at your house--watching netflix, playing video games, maybe ordering some pizza

it’s pretty simple, but they’ll be there all day cause the time spent together is just really nice

— inarizaki

the twins literally cannot keep their mouths shut

the team was already pretty aware of your birthday, but they have been keeping the surprise party for you on the downlow ever since the twins proposed their idea of doing a little picnic for you

but go figure that it would be atsumu and osamu exposing their entire plan in front of you after nagging their team not to say jackshit in front of you

they’d still follow through with their plans, however, despite not being a surprise anymore

the little celebration would be held at the park, suna being in charge of the picnic blanket, kita being in charge of bringing drinks, osamu being in charge of bringing the food, and atsumu being in charge of... well,, bringing you ig

aran would arrive late only because he had to get his bday gift for you (which btw was the best one fs) as well as picking up your birthday cake with the words ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY BITCH <3′ 

it’s so obvious that suna was the one who ordered the cake, but it’s literally the best you have every received

overall, it’s pretty chill but you couldn’t ask for anything more knowing their efforts and how you’ve been laughing your ass off the entire time

you guys would even watch the sunset as yall sat atop a hill, taking photos to put on your stories and to post on social media

out of the hundreds of photos taken of you with your cake or aran force feeding suna food, the group photo taken exactly at golden hour was your absolute favorite

[sourwormsaresour]

Headcanons on the type of pets La Squadra would own?

Holy shit this was too fun to make, especially with giving the pets names.

Sorbet and Gelato have their own Crusty-White-Dog™ that's a Maltese Terrier named Armani. The dog hates and barks nonstop at everything deemed threatening (aka, everyone and particularly the rest of La Squadra) and yet those two will claim she's the sweetest thing in the world. True to her name, they deck her with Armani branded clothes, either specially made dog fashion or they had a DIY done to make it look like an Armani outfit- down to the bright pink leash she wears dripping in the Armani logo. She eats the finest dry kibble and only drinks Ferrarelle Sparkling water; she will know the difference if you switch it up. She's the epitome of "I demand pets but only do so with your eyes" to everyone. Despite loving Sorbet and Gelato the most, she demands all their attention on her and she will cockblock those two if she catches them being affectionate to each other instead. Despite having a nice bed, she always sleeps between the two of them and will whimper if they kick her out of the bedroom so they can get intimate. Those tear-stained eyes always look like they've seen everything, despite being constantly babied by her owners. If Armani could, she would kill everyone.

Risotto, the biggest man in Vento Aureo, has a little Syrian hamster he called Ace. He thought that a pet with a shorter lifespan would allow him the perfect balance of having a pet but not being very attached to it compared to pets that live longer- he was wrong. If you ever come into Risotto's office as he worked, either you are greeted with Ace running around in his green hamster ball, walking around Risotto's desk as he worked, or running in the hamster wheel behind the desk. Ace's tank is an old Aquarium tank Pesci gave to Risotto that is now full of soft bedding, toys, and Risotto frequently cleans it. There are days where Risotto just spends hours watching his hamster walk around the room, eating little treats, and staring at Risotto with its beady eyes. It's gotten to the point where you can't walk into Risotto's office without noticing a lone sunflower seed or piece of bedding on the ground that Risotto didn't notice until you pointed it out. Every time Ace passes from old age, Risotto buys a new Syrian hamster and calls that one Ace. He hasn't kept track of how many hamsters that came and went so far, but treated every one of them as if they were the first Ace. He takes pictures of Ace doing the most relatively boring things and will share them with his members.

Illuso got a Sulphur-crested cockatoo named Scapino as a joke. He thought they didn’t require much attention but later felt bad when he found out that they need specific proper care. He proceeds to care for it as if it was his child. Illuso taught his bird how to speak and swear at people, specifically swearing at Formaggio and occasionally at Ghiaccio. This man will shower his bird with the best treats (expensive nuts, dried fruit, chicken bones) and has a special bar for it to perch on when they're in the shower together. This bird has free reign all over Illuso's place and wears a little anklet thing to verify that it has an owner should it escape. The two of them have spa days together and it’s one of the most wholesome things in the world to witness. Scapino will actually join Illuso on missions too, staying in the mirror world the whole time, and it provides him some comfort from his social anxiety. Sometimes Scapino sits on his shoulder as he walks. Illuso trained it to stay and hide in the mirror world so that it wouldn’t fly away or blow his cover when he’s working. But the bird will fly around in there and will watch anyone that’s getting murked in front of him with no remorse and commenting on it too. Imagine you’re dying in the mirror world and your last moment is this fucking bird looming over you going “night night, motherfucker”. JESUS CHRIST. 

Prosciutto used to be on the whole “pets are unnecessary” train but he had considered looking at breeders for the best quality dog. And then one rainy day he found an abandoned Portuguese Water Dog puppy in an alleyway and at Pesci’s insistence took it in. Turns out the puppy was bought by a rich family for their kid but then abandoned when the kid wasn't interested in it anymore. Prosciutto insisted that the dog was going to stay for one night and then sent to the pound first thing in the morning. It's been years now and the little dog is now a big fluffy good boy named Pon Pon. The second biggest chunk of Prosciutto's paycheck is for this dog; I'm talking grooming services with paw-ticures, an all-organic raw diet, the nicest beds that even a human would wish they can sleep on. Pon Pon is properly trained with all the basics and tricks, because Prosciutto doesn't want to deal with a misbehaving dog, but it will use puppy eyes against the old man now and then. He give you the best smiles if you call him a good boy and if you glance at the right time you can see Prosciutto smile for a brief moment. Had he lived longer, he would have made Pon Pon famous on Facebook like Boo the Dog. Prosciutto will also not admit that this dog has helped him get laid a few times, because every person he did bring home always got a kick out of Pon Pon.

Ghiaccio has a pet snake- an albino ball python named Bianco. Ghiaccio was also on the “pets are unnecessary” train too but mainly because he can't stand loud pets (i.e. Illuso and Sorbet and Gelato’s pets). When Risotto suggested he get a snake, Ghiaccio looked into it, researching and meticulously setting up the proper enclosure  and found himself going to a local reptile expo to find Bianco for sale. He’s fascinated by his snake to say the least, and would use leftover containers or Tupperware for Bianco to spend more money on proper equipment or food. Ghiaccio is really involved in online reptile forums and frequently debates with people on topics such as the best substrates to use, whether live rodents are better than frozen, ethics of breeding certain species, etc. He often gets worried when Bianco becomes picky and Ghiaccio would spend sleepless nights trying to get his baby to eat. Ghiaccio would walk around with his ball python wrapped around his neck or lets him slither around in his room under supervision but he mostly leaves him alone in the enclosure. There are times where he would claim he has the best, smartest pet and everyone just rolls their eyes like “yes the white fettuccine that got stuck in a toilet paper roll an hour ago is so smart”. But they let him rant about it. It’s kind of cute to say the least.

Pesci is the definition of people whose entire LIVELIHOOD is making his room into an aquarium. His room is full of strictly maintained, cleaned, and decorated tanks full of various types of aquatic animals. I’m talking Dwarf Puffers (Antonio, Portia, Jessica, Bassiano, and Solanio), Albino Gold Axolotls (Moe, Larry, and Curly), Red Ear Sliders (Franco and Ciccio), Clown Fishes (Browser, Mario, Toadstool, and Koopa), Brazilian Sea Horses (Tom and Jerry), a Blue Betta Fish named Valentina in a 30+ gallon aquaponics tank that grows a variety of plants each season- to name a few. He rebuilt his entire room to keep everything running and even had Melone help him set up timers for lighting and temperature control. Pesci will cry if you somehow made the pH level off by 1 or did not care for his animals properly when he’s away. He’ll even lecture you about bad tank setup. He's a prominent member of the aquarium  community in Italy and will regularly redecorate each tank to suit the year and mood. This is where he’s spending his cut on the 20 million lira job: caring for his mini aquarium room. He occasionally gives away his pets’ offsprings for extra money (he doesn’t breed but sometimes he ends up having a ton of baby animals he can’t take care of) and would have been a YouTuber for his fish content. Now that I think about it, Pesci reminds me of my mutual @nexter2nd. Please go follow them.

Melone has a Holland Lop bunny and you cannot change my mind. He actually had a pet bunny growing up, another Holland Lop named Echo and Grep, and his current one is named Sudo; all three are named after UNIX commands. He has a large dog crate he diy-ed to be a roomy enclosure in his room for her that he cleans frequently but also allows Sudo free reign of the room when she wants to go out. Because of his job, he makes sure all his wires are covered so his bunny isn't tempted to chew them and watches his bunny diligently whenever she roams around. Easter time is when the denim jacket, pastel bows, and flower crowns come out and Melone makes sure to take a lot of photos. He also housetrained his bunny and taught her a few tricks, similar to how he trained Echo and Grep years ago. Sudo is spoiled in terms of getting a lot of pets, new toys, and feasts on the finest veggies and delicious hay. Melone also makes sure the first thing he teaches his Juniors is to not harm the bunny. Surprisingly, he's against breeding Sudo and has her neutered. This is mainly because he doesn't have the time to breed and raise more bunnies but also he hates the idea of selling the grown bunnies off afterward. 

You know that Formaggio has a cat: the little Russian Blue cat named Sweetie Baby. Sweetie Baby was a kitten that he found outside his home. The little thing was the sole survivor of its litter and nearly starving to death, so he took her in thinking he will bring her to the shelter when she recovers; that cat now lets him live in HER apartment rent-free. Despite feeding her cheap dry food and constantly shoving her into bottles, he treats her like a queen otherwise. He will dress her up in little outfits (much to her annoyance) and often would be too aggressively affectionate towards her. Still, there are moments where she would cuddle with him during the later nights and allow him to put on one iced-out bow he just spent a quarter of his paycheck on. Walking to his apartment and even the backdoor of La Squadra’s HQ means carefully walking through the stray cats mewling at your feet, because Formaggio will feed any cat he sees. Initially, Risotto wanted the cats gone, but then he finds out the cats doubled as security when he watched some robber attempting to break in but getting their eyes scratched off instead.

[bbangsoonie]

tangerine guesthouse

member: haknyeon genre: fluff word count: 2,238 synopsis: on a healing trip to jeju island, you meet a guesthouse owner who goes the extra step to make sure you enjoy your stay.

a/n: happy birthday to our jeju boy, juhaknyeon ! 🍊

After impulsively quitting your job, you packed a suitcase and booked a last minute flight to Jeju Island. You wanted to escape but unfortunately didn’t have enough money for an international flight. So you found yourself flying over on a domestic plane.

Everything about this journey was spontaneous. The money you saved up on the side from your tedious 9-5 job was all spent on this healing trip. With nothing but a camera in your hands, you were determined to finally rest and have fun for once. You hadn’t had the luxury to do so in years.

Before you left Incheon Airport, you reserved a room at a random bed and breakfast you found online. “Tangerine Guesthouse”. It had a cute name.

The taxi dropped you off in front of the place and you cautiously walked in with your bag rolling behind you. You peaked inside the building, unsure if you were supposed to just enter.

“Hello!” a chirpy voice greeted you. Startled, you jumped as you turned around to face the person who nearly gave you a heart attack. Seeing him only made your heart beat faster. He was cute. Extremely cute.

“Are you here to rent a room?” he asked.

“Y-Yes, I made a reservation a couple of hours ago,” you pulled out your phone to show him the details.

“Ah, Y/n! Yes, welcome,” he beamed. “My name is Juhaknyeon but please call me Haknyeon.”

You reached out to shake his hand and were surprised to feel how soft they were.

“Allow me to show you to your room,” he said before guiding you upstairs.

The room was fairly small but cozy. It had everything you needed and made a cute space for photos. After Haknyeon left, you began to unpack.

You heard a knock on the door and mindlessly told your guest to come in. You looked up when they entered, surprised to see another male.

“Hello! I’m Sunwoo and I’m staying in the room next to yours,” he introduced himself. “I just wanted to stop by to say hi and get friendly.”

“Nice to meet you, Sunwoo. I’m Y/n,” you smiled.

“The other guests and I are gathering this evening to just chat over beer. Would you like to join us as well? We’d love to have you,” he said.

On a normal occasion, the introvert in you would have declined. However, you were on a healing trip and resolute about trying new things. So you happily accepted the invitation and promised to meet them in the yard at 7.

You had about four hours until then and decided to kill time by exploring the neighborhood. You enjoyed the change in scenery and the fresh air that Seoul could not offer.

You found yourself alone at a nearby beach and embraced the solitude. There were no managers yelling at you about deadlines or coworkers passive aggressively criticizing your work here. It was just you and the roaring waves. Grabbing your camera, you took a few shots of the salty sea. Perhaps you would return to your hobby and pursue photography.

You allowed yourself to consider it as an option as you headed back to the streets to look for a restaurant. You settled for the closest one and were satisfied with your choice when you took a bite of their seafood ramen.

You roamed around a bit more after the meal. You came across a souvenir shop and ended up spending a lot of time—and money—there. You certainly had a thing for cliche souvenirs. Keychains, magnets, mugs. You loved them all.

You came back to the lodging with a bag full of trinkets you knew you would keep instead of gifting. The retail therapy added a bounce in your walk as you climbed up the stairs. You organized them accordingly as you happily hummed.

You looked at the clock and saw that it was time to convene with the rest of the boarders. You threw on a cardigan before going back outside.

Haknyeon was by the grill flipping meat and Sunwoo was busy taking out the drinks from the fridge. You awkwardly stood around, not knowing where to go.

“Take a seat wherever you want,” Sunwoo called out.

Finding an empty spot, you sat down and looked around. The yard was decorated nicely to bring a nice ambiance.

“Hi, I’m Eric and this is Hyunjoon,” the guy next to you grinned.

You exchanged greetings with the two and introduced yourself. You had to admit it was nice to meet such amiable people.

The night went by with the five of you conversing over black pig samgyupsal and alcohol. Haknyeon was a big foodie, Sunwoo was a big tease, Eric was a big dork, and Hyunjoon was a big sports enthusiast. Hyunjoon came to Jeju to enjoy horseback riding and planned on dragging Sunwoo and Eric along.

“If you guys are down for some physical activity, I can destroy you in badminton,” Haknyeon suggested.

“Loser has to down a bottle of soju. Each,” Eric laughed evilly.

To make the teams fair, you were paired up with Haknyeon to play against the other three. He definitely proved his worth as the ace, easily winning 21-12. Sunwoo let out a scream, blaming Eric for his punishment suggestion. The latter tried to run away but was caught by Hyunjoon who handed him a bottle.

They all retreated to their rooms after fulfilling their penalty, leaving you and Haknyeon to clean up. The work was done relatively quickly and you made it back to your bed before midnight.

The next morning, you came out of your room clutching your Ryan doll that doubled as a pillow. You mumbled a “good morning” to Haknyeon who was preparing breakfast and chuckled at your appearance.

“Cute,” he commented on your tastes. You replied with a yawn, still not fully awake.

“The guys are probably gonna be hungover so I’m making some soup. I hope that’s okay with you,” he said.

He rolled up his sleeves before washing his hands. He then grabbed a knife and began cutting the vegetables. Your nose wrinkled at the sight of onions. You had forgotten to mention how picky you were. It was an embarrassing conversation to have as an adult. You had to explain how your childish tastebuds never matured while people let out an incredulous gasp. It was something you had to disclose every time you ate with someone new and it was honestly pretty tiring. People didn’t understand that you didn’t choose to be picky. Your tongue just refused the tastes of a lot of foods. It was more inconvenient for you than anyone else.

Nevertheless, you were excited to try the food made by the self proclaimed food connoisseur. You would just have to pick out the vegetables later.

The two of you decided to just eat together after the guys refused to wake up before noon. Haknyeon took a seat in front of you after he set the table and you thanked him.

To your relief, he didn’t seem so shocked by your childlike palate. He let the conversation end by saying something about respecting other people’s preferences.

Noticing your hair falling in front of your face, he got up to go look for something. He returned with a hair tie which he offered to you. It was just a courteous gesture but it still made you giddy regardless. The hair tie was probably just a spare left by previous guests but to you, it was a token. Something to remember him by.

“So, Y/n, what brings you to Jeju?” he questioned.

You’ve heard your name before many times in your life. Obviously. But hearing it from his voice felt different. The way your name rolled off his tongue made your heart skip a beat.

“Oh you know, just the typical “I wanted to get away from the city” trope,” you hummed.

“Classic,” he nodded.

After breakfast, Haknyeon volunteered to be your tour guide for the day. He showed you his favorite places in town and even drove further out to take you to the photo exhibition you wanted to see. You had a blast, taking a bunch of pictures to commemorate your trip.

When he asked why you used such a fancy camera and why you took photos of everything, you simply shrugged in response. Truthfully, you didn’t know why either.

For lunch, he brought you to a sashimi place where you bonded over a large platter of raw fish. Both the view and quality of the restaurant were amazing. And your company too, of course.

“Do your guests always get such personalized treatment?” you asked, raising a brow.

“Honestly? No,” he laughed. “I’m not that great of a host. Nor do I have the time and money to.”

“Then what’s all this? Today?”

“Hmm… I’m not quite sure.”

You left it at that and let him take you to an aquarium. Haknyeon had more fun watching you than looking at the animals. You were like a little kid in a candy store. Everything was fascinating to you.

The last time you visited an aquarium was for a field trip when you were in elementary school. It felt like you were going back to your childhood roots.

You made it back to the guesthouse in time for dinner. This time, you insisted on cooking. With the ingredients left in the fridge, you made kimchi fried rice. The smell lured the others down to join you two in the kitchen.

The rest of the night was rather uneventful, which you appreciated. You got to relish time just passing by. It was exactly what you came to Jeju for.

Back in your room, you connected your camera to your laptop to browse through the photos. Looking at them, you noticed that Haknyeon was in half of them.

“Maybe it was him I wanted to save in my memory,” you whispered under your breath.

Another week went by and you wished time would flow slower. Hyunjoon was the first to leave the guesthouse and it already felt a lot emptier without him. You hated goodbyes. You hated how all good things had to eventually come to an end.

The feeling made you cherish the remaining time you had left on the island. You spent your evenings with the guys and frequently chatted in the group chat with all five of you in it. You never expected to grow so fond of strangers you barely got to know. Haknyeon, in particular, had a special place in your heart.

He often took you out on what you liked to believe were dates. Under the guise of being your tour guide, he showed you the hidden parts of his hometown. Though he was slightly disappointed that your favorite thing from all the menus you’ve tried was the black sesame frappuccino from Starbucks.

“Really? Of all the things you’ve eaten and drank, you choose something from a chain store?” he had whined.

“Hey, they only have it here. I can’t get it anywhere else,” you defended.

He made it his mission to find you something local that would triumph over your love for the Starbucks drink. A close second was the makgeolli made and sold only in Jeju.

By the time Sunwoo and Eric left, you and Haknyeon had gotten extremely close. With him, it was so easy to open up and just be you. You practically lived in his room. You slept over after late night movies and cuddles.

Neither of you ever verbally defined your relationship. You were both somewhat afraid to ask what exactly you two were. Instead, you focused on each other.

“So you’re picking up photography again?” he asked with your head resting on his chest. The two of you were lazing around on the couch with a random show on for background noise.

“Possibly. It was always an interest of mine. I thought I’d get to have it as a side-job once I started working full time but I never got around to it. Trying to make a living was a lot harder than I thought it’d be,” you revealed.

“You definitely have the talent. I think you should take the opportunity and go for it,” he encouraged.

The idea lingered on your mind as the second week flew by. Your passion for photography had been pushed to the side as you struggled as a paycheck worker. You missed taking up odd gigs for extra cash in college.

On your last night at the guesthouse, you paused in the middle of dinner to stare at Haknyeon. The more time you spent with him, the more you didn’t want to leave. Changing your career path because of a guy was crazy. Moving to an island because of said guy that you only met two weeks ago was even crazier. But he inspired you to do what your heart desires. And that included being with him.

“What if I moved here to start freelancing? Publish that photography book I always dreamed of. Maybe set up my own studio one day,” you pondered aloud.

That proposition had many implications about the relationship between you two. He took a moment to carefully contemplate over it. Your heart pounded waiting for his response.

“If that’s what you truly want to do, I think that’d be nice,” he smiled, making your own face light up.

a/n: wow i was reminiscing my own time at jeju while writing this 🥺 and now, with this fic, i have officially written for all tbz members! :)

[themurphyzone]

Nova Ch 12

AN: I’ve been waiting to write this chapter for so long! Can you believe it’s been a year since I started this story? 

Ch 12: Mare

AO3 Link

Dear Mickey Mouse Calendar, 

It’s May 2nd, and you know what that means! Well, besides bringing May flowers of course! The flowers are going to be so beautiful this year, I can tell! Especially once they bring the butterflies and the birds and the bees! Oh dear, do you think Brain knows about the factory in the sky that produces cute little mouse babies? I hope so. 

Anyway, the beautiful, lovely, fantabulous Pharfignewton’s gonna be running in the Derby in just a little bit! She’s worked really really hard to get this far, and I’m super proud of her! She’s gonna be one step closer to the Triple Crown when she wins! 

Anyway, I’m running out of room on this page, so I just wanted to say I love you, Figgy Pudding! May the best mare win!

Love, 

Pinky 

o-o-o-o-o

Pinky added a heart by his name with a sparkly pink gel pen and blew a kiss to the image of Mickey and Minnie driving a cute little car into the sunset. Then he recapped the pen, washed his hands of extra glitter, and returned to the TV, which had been tuned into the Kentucky Derby for the past two hours. 

They were still conducting pre-race interviews with the owners, jockeys, and trainers. Though there were several saddled horses with colorful numbers in the background, none of them were Pharfignewton. 

But they were still very beautiful horses, clopping around on the dirt-covered track as they flicked their ears and tails in anticipation of the race.  

Several boxes of leftover pizza and paper plates were laid out in front of the television.. It was so nice of the scientists to throw a pizza party and let them have the leftovers! Pepperoni, mac and cheese, and pineapple pizza were all so delicious, and they tasted even better when all three were combined on a single slice! 

Pinky popped a pineapple cube in his mouth, giggling as it stung his tongue. Then he turned to his hat, which laid a short distance away from the leftover pizza so it didn’t get soiled. Lovely, glittery red and purple roses decorated the outside of the hat, and every inch was decked with colorful feathers, encouraging messages, and Pharfignewton’s name so everybody for miles around could see he was rooting for his favorite horse. 

Since the hat was too big and heavy for him to wear throughout the pre-race festivities, he decided to just put it on a few minutes before the race instead.

And it was so sweet of Gummy, Madame Daisy, Nicholas, and Mr. Button to support Pharfignewton! They were all gathered in front of the TV so they could watch the Derby too! 

Pinky’s ear twitched at a gagging noise on his left, and he turned his head just in time to see Brain spit a chunk of pineapple onto a napkin. 

“Of all things, why in Selene’s name would you ruin perfectly good cheese with battery acid?” Brain snapped. He immediately dunked his muzzle into a thimble of water. 

“Batteries aren’t a pizza topping,” Pinky said. Did batteries look like pineapples on New Selene? “And pineapple pizza tastes delicious!” 

Brain scowled as he shoved the paper plate with his barely touched pineapple pizza slice towards Pinky, then grabbed a new plate and loaded it with two slices of pepperoni. 

“I’m outlawing that vile piece of filth you call food as soon as I rule the world,” Brain declared. 

“You can’t do that!” Pinky cried. What was next? Declaring pumpkin spice illegal? He would never support such an awful law! “That’s...that’s just unconstitutional! A breach of power! I won’t stand for it, Brain!” 

Then he realized he was standing up to grab the pineapple pizza slice, so he promptly sat down and chomped on pineapple, tomato sauce, and bread to prove his point. 

Brain wrinkled his nose, but before he could reply, the TV panned to show a beautiful, gray-maned white horse prancing in circles around her jockey, nearly tying him up in her reins. 

“That’s her! That’s Pharfignewton!” Pinky yelled, spewing tomato sauce from his mouth. “Hi, Fig! It’s me, Pinky!” 

Pinky quickly set his pizza down and slipped the hat on, sitting underneath the brim while the rest of the hat was propped against the counter. He hoped Pharfignewton could see the messages he’d written. 

“The cameras aren’t two-way, Pinky,” Brain said, but Pharfignewton whinnied happily, so Pinky knew she could hear him from thousands of miles away! 

She wore a beautiful pink cloth over her back with the number fifteen emblazoned in white, with a brown saddle on top. She tossed her head back and whinnied, her reins quivering in the sunlight. Her jockey slipped a pink mask over her face, and when she turned to look at the camera, her gorgeous blue eyes stood out even more. 

“You have quite the unusual horse here, Mr. Gardner,” the reporter said to Pharfignewton’s owner, who Pinky recognized by his bushy beard. “Not much of a looker, nor was she sired from any famous line of racehorses. And only one fellow’s bet on her at all.” 

Pinky frowned. Not much of a looker? That reporter’s obviously never seen Pharfignewton with the wind flowing through her mane, or the joyful neighs whenever she galloped around a field, or how she practically glowed whenever she ran. 

Mr. Gardner leveled a glare at the reporter, who withered from the intense look. “Pharfignewton may have a different build from her fellow racehorses, but she’s a hundred times more passionate about racing than anyone else. It’s true that neither of her parents have competed on the national level, but she’s inherited her mother’s spirit and her father’s diligence, a mixture of traits which will suit her well today.” 

“Yes...I’m sure it will,” the reporter muttered. His eyes darted to a chestnut horse with a yellow cloth draped over his back. “Oh, would you look at the time? I don’t believe I’ve gotten a chance to talk with Mayoneighaise’s team yet!” 

He scurried off, the cameraman trailing behind him. 

A board flashed onscreen, showing the horses’ names and numbers before cutting to commercial. 

“Mr. Legs? Friendly Neighborhood Racehorse? Is this entire competition just an excuse to saddle these poor creatures with horrific names?” Brain asked over the noise of a car commercial. 

“You can’t saddle a name. You saddle horses, Brain,” Pinky said. Brain could be so confused sometimes. 

“And they barely gave Pharfignewton the time of day,” Brain added. “But they dedicated a full fifteen minutes to Arabian Night’s training sessions.” 

Pinky shrugged. “Well, Arabian Night worked really hard. He deserved that time. And so does Maximus and Maverick and Black Beauty and Rainbow Dash and-” 

“It’s blatant favoritism,” Brain cut in. 

The commercial break ended, and the broadcast showed a female reporter approaching an enormous, muscular black stallion with a comically small jockey leading him by the reins. He bore a royal purple cloak with number one written in a fancy golden script on his back. The horse was so dark that Pinky could barely see his eyes or mouth. 

“And here we have the clear fan-favorite, Daddy’s Little Angel,” the reporter declared as she carefully approached the horse, who huffed when she got too close to his muzzle. She pulled back, keeping her microphone close to her body. “An excellent track record locally and regionally, highest odds tonight, and a descendant of the famous Triple Crown winner Secretariat. He sure has a lot going for him, don’t you think?” 

Daddy’s Little Angel was stoic and handsome, and as his owner and trainer listed off his various accomplishments, Pinky crossed his fingers and toes for good luck. Pharfignewton had a whole lot of competition. Sure, she was the fastest racehorse around these parts, but in the Derby she was a small goldfish in a large aquarium full of other fish. 

“Zort! Nope, can’t think like that!” Pinky said, thumping his head with his fist. He didn’t want to have doubts about her talent! She was the best, the swiftest, and the fastest at eating apples and hay! There’s no way she could lose! 

“Quiet, Pinky. I’m trying to listen,” Brain said. His pink eyes gleamed with interest as a montage of Daddy’s Little Angel’s previous feats flashed across the screen. “I wouldn’t be opposed to owning a horse like that for ceremonial purposes.” 

“Parading around on Pharfignewton sounds lovely,” Pinky sighed dreamily. 

He imagined Pharfignewton in a beautiful golden outfit, bells on her reins, and prancing down the street to a cheering crowd while he rode on her back. And there were pretty parade floats and celebrities singing and giant balloons of all his favorite characters! 

He was broken out of his fantasy by the sound of a fanfare. 

“Attention, all riders and horses! Clear the track and proceed to your stalls! The race will commence shortly!” the announcer declared. 

The camera lingered on Daddy’s Little Angel for just a little longer before panning out for a wide shot of the horses and jockeys making their way to the starting point, the trainers leading the horses by the reins and securing them in the stalls. 

Fifteen horses dressed in colorful racing garb whinnied and bucked their hind legs in anticipation of the race. Daddy’s Little Angel was in the first stall, the one nearest to the fence. Next to him, a majestic, stout white horse named Maximus took the number two slot. Like Daddy’s Little Angel, he was poised, calm, and determined to win. 

Most of the other horses were far more impatient though. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t quit stomping in her stall, and Maverick gave her a warning nip when her tail flicked him one too many times. She didn’t like that at all, and both jockeys fought to get their horses under control. 

A cinnamon stallion named Spirit thrashed in his stall, nearly throwing his rider off multiple times while two other people tried to calm him down. 

Then they finally showed Pharfignewton. She was in the stall closest to the stands, and while she was penned securely, the workers were all focused on the skittish racehorses. 

Pharfignewton flashed a horsey smile to the audience, then lowered her head in anticipation for the race to begin. 

Pinky’s fingers, toes, and tail were all crossed. She had to win! This was her dream ever since she was a little filly!

“And they’re off!” the announcer declared as the bell rang and the gates opened. All fifteen horses galloped out of the stalls, kicking up dirt as their hooves thundered against the ground. “Daddy’s Little Angel and Maximus off to an early lead! Horsin’ Around’s pulling ahead of Tricky Mickey and...oh! Spirit’s bucked his jockey! That’s gonna cost everyone behind ‘em some time!” 

The names and number display at the bottom of the screen shifted around as horses pulled ahead or fell behind. 

Pinky’s muscles tensed as Pharfignewton swerved to avoid a riderless Spirit, though Achilles’ Heel was unlucky enough to be caught on a back ankle by a flailing hoof. Pharfignewton fell behind Mr. Legs and Mayoneighase for a split second before increasing her speed and passing them as they reached the first turn.

Pharfignewton was truly in her element! Like a happy, gusty wind spirit! 

“YOU CAN DO IT, FIG!” Pinky screamed at the top of his lungs, and there was an angry shushing noise, followed by a parmesan packet smacking the side of his head. “Thanks for the parmesan, Brain!” 

“Onto the second turn!” the announcer continued. “Daddy’s Little Angel and Maximus neck and neck! Rainbow Dash and Arabian Night fighting for third a mere two lengths away! Maverick trying to squeeze in but there’s no room! Hold onto your fancy hats, folks, this is shaping up to be a wild race!” 

Egad, he didn’t want to lose his fancy hat! Pinky clutched the edges with cheese-stained fingers. 

“Daddy’s Little Angel and Maximus still leading the pack, but trailing them is Black Beauty and Grand Chawhee! Rainbow Dash and Arabian Night have fallen to fifth and sixth! Friendly Neighborhood Racehorse trying for a comeback while Maver-what’s this? Pharfignewton’s clawing her way up from tenth, ninth, eighth, seventh...now she’s passed Rainbow Dash! Ladies and gents, this could be the biggest recovery in the Derby’s history!” 

Oh, if only he remembered where he’d placed his cotton ball pom-poms! They’d come in super handy right now! 

Black Beauty and Grand Chawhee slowed down on the final turn, enabling Pharfignewton to easily overtake them for third place. Then she poured on the speed, closing in between Daddy’s Little Angel and Maximus.

“NARF! GO, PHARFIGNEWTON!” Pinky screeched, his hat tumbling off as he leapt to his feet. If he screamed loud enough, Pharfignewton could hear him all the way in Kentucky! And the power of friendship always worked for last-minute wins! His cartoons were never wrong! 

“It’s a straight shot to the finish! Maximus falls back by half a length! Ladies and gents, could this be the greatest upset in horse racing history? It’s Pharfignewton! No, Daddy’s Little Angel pulls ahead! Now Pharfignewton! Daddy’s Little Angel!” 

Brain was quiet, but from the twitch of his pointed ears and the way he leaned forward, Pinky knew he was just as invested in the race. 

The camera centered on the finish line, but Pinky couldn’t tell who crossed first. Pharfignewton and Daddy’s Little Angel galloped offscreen just as the rest of the pack, led by Maximus, finished after them. 

“WHAT’S THIS? PHARFIGNEWTON AND DADDY’S LITTLE ANGEL HAVE CROSSED THE FINISH LINE AT THE SAME TIME! TURNING THE FOOTAGE OVER FOR REVIEW SO WE CAN DECLARE THE WINNER!”

Pinky quickly found that crossing his toes while standing wasn’t the best idea. He fell flat on his face, but quickly pushed himself up on his elbows as the Derby logo flashed by and replayed the last few seconds of the race in slow motion. 

Pharfignewton and Daddy’s Little Angel’s legs were just one giant blur next to the finish line, but the reel paused on a shot of Pharfignewton’s flaring nostril crossing the line before Daddy’s Little Angel’s front hooves touched it. 

Pinky sucked in his breath. 

“PHARFIGNEWTON HAS BEEN DECLARED THE WINNER! CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR VICTORY OVER THE 141ST KENTUCKY DERBY!” 

“She did it! She did it! Lo hicimos, she did it!” Pinky jumped for joy, his heart soaring in excitement for Pharfignewton. She was three years old and she’d accomplished so much! He was super duper extra proud of her! 

Brain rolled his eyes, but there was a tiny quirk at the corner of his mouth. “Yes, it seems all your supportive efforts have paid off.” 

Pinky grinned and tore off a cardboard flap of the pizza box, dumped parmesan cheese all over it, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Nothing tasted better than a victory pizza box with parmesan! 

“Want some?” Pinky offered a second flap to Brain. “It’s delicious!” 

Brain made a gagging noise. “That can’t possibly be good for your digestive system, Pinky.” 

Oh well. More for him then! 

Pharfignewton’s back was draped with beautiful roses, her team of humans all rushing up and hugging her as journalists bombarded them all with questions and photographers snapped photo after photo of her horsey smile. 

Daddy’s Little Angel trotted up to her with a flower crown in his mouth and dropped it onto her head, then drummed the ground steadily with a front hoof in his version of applause. All the other horses followed his lead. Even Spirit and Achilles’ Heel, who were being restrained by a team of trainers, gave their approval. Pharfignewton whinnied in delight, tossing back her head and showing off the beautiful crown. 

She really was the best. Pinky clutched his chest, that warm gooshy feeling of love spreading throughout his body. 

He couldn’t contain it much longer, and he picked up Brain to let it all out, and he danced around in joy with a squirming Brain in his arms. 

“Pinky, I understand that this outcome is most favorable, but I demand that you cease this at once!” Brain complained. 

But Pinky barely heard him. He was more interested in what Mr. Gardner had to say. 

“Pharfignewton did an amazing job and we’re very proud of her,” Mr. Gardner said as he fed Pharfignewton an apple, which she gladly inhaled. “Running’s in her blood, and I’m sure she’s made her parents very proud in equine heaven. She’s definitely gonna take the Preakness and Belmont by storm.” 

“You think she’s capable of gaining Triple Crown status?” the reporter asked. 

Pharfignewton neighed loudly in her direction, messing up the reporter’s hair. 

As the reporter struggled to fix it, Mr. Gardner smiled. “I think she made it clear that she takes what she wants.” 

Two more races for the Triple Crown. Right. 

Pinky stopped dancing, an odd but featherlight weight in his arms. In his excitement, he’d forgotten that Pharfignewton had to win the Preakness and Belmont for her dream to come true. 

It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it. She was a swift runner and the best racehorse in the world. But she would be gone for several months. All the way on the other side of the country. 

And he wanted her to achieve her dream so bad. To rank up there with the great racehorses of old. 

“Pinky?” a voice choked. 

He was accidentally squishing one of Brain’s antennae. Oops. 

“Sorry, Brain,” Pinky quickly said, putting his friend down. 

Instead of stepping away like Pinky expected, Brain remained where he was. Brain was too good at forming unreadable expressions. His pretty pink eyes seemed concerned though. 

“This is a momentous occasion, isn’t it?” Brain asked. “Shouldn’t you be celebrating?” 

Was that Selenian speak for happy? 

Yeah, he was supposed to be happy. Pharfignewton won. He was really happy for her. He didn’t want Pharfignewton to think he was a bad friend because he was sad about not seeing her for a while. 

“Of course I’m happy for her,” Pinky said. But it was flimsy even to his own mousey ears. 

Brain didn’t seem convinced either. One hand awkwardly hovered in the space between them. 

A little touch would be nice, and he held super still so Brain wouldn’t get spooked. But a tapping at the window broke Brain’s trance, and upon the sight of a hovering black camera with the Selenian logo on its side, he quickly pulled away. 

“Correspondence from Snowball,” Brain said. His ears flattened briefly before returning to their normal position. Maybe he regretted breaking their closeness too. “I’m taking this.” 

He wiped his fingers on a wet cloth before unlatching the window. The camera darted in once the window was open, its tripod claws dropping an unmarked envelope into Brain’s hands before flying off into the brilliant evening sky. 

Well, it could’ve had pizza if it stayed just a little longer. 

Pinky moved behind Brain as he tore open the envelope and unfolded the note inside, which was written in a neat script. 

Pickup at seven pm tomorrow. Don’t be late. 

-Snowball

“Well, it’s better than nothing,” Brain sighed. “I’ll make sure we have everything required for tomorrow night, Pinky.” 

He didn’t wait for a reply. He only disappeared into a hidden drawer where all their belongings were stored. 

The masquerade ball was important. He shouldn’t keep Brain from making sure they saved the invitation so they could get in. 

And it would be nice to wear that beautiful dress Sharon picked out. 

But there was an ache in his chest. One that gnawed at his heart, and he didn’t want that icky feeling gnawing at his heart. Pinky sat in front of the TV and focused on Pharfignewton’s happiness instead. He pushed away the pizza, the box tasting like cardboard on his tongue. 

If she was happy, he was happy. And wasn’t that all he needed?

End AN: So as a little treat I snuck some fictional horse names in here. I mean, obviously you know Pharfignewton as Pinky’s equine girlfriend. Daddy’s Little Angel is the name of the horse Brain rode in the OG Animaniacs episode Jockey for Position.

Grand Chawhee’s name is a reference to All Dogs Go to Heaven. Tricky Mickey comes from the 1978 movie Casey’s Shadow, which I caught my family watching a few weeks ago and I just decided to borrow a name from the movie.

Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony, Maximus from Tangled, Black Beauty from the book of the same name, Spirit from the Dreamworks movie, and Achilles’ Heel is a reference to Phoebus’ horse in Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Mr. Legs’ name provided by Boxy. Thank you, Boxy. Snuck in Pinky actually eating a pizza box for ya lol.

Final placements for the Derby are:

1. Pharfignewton 2. Daddy’s Little Angel 3. Maximus 4. Grand Chawhee 5. Black Beauty 6. Rainbow Dash 7. Arabian Night 8. Friendly Neighborhood Racehorse 9. Mr. Legs 10. Maverick 11. Horsin’ Around 12. Tricky Mickey 13. Mayoneighase 14. Achilles’ Heel (never finished) 15. Spirit (never finished)

Next chapter will finally have the Masquerade Ball and boy do I have plans. It’ll definitely be longer than this one. But this chapter at least wraps up the Derby subplot.

[mlqcconfessions]

May I ask if you can make a headcanon of MC x Victor, Lucien, Kiro, Gavin, & Shaw( you dont have to do Shaw if you cant) ( MLQC men's pov) not knowing it was MC's bday. The men finding out that MC hide their birthday cause MC feels that they don't deserve to be celebrated and it is not worth it despite going all out for the MLQC men's bday. Would like to see the boys react that. Sorry if this is too much, but it is okay if you cant, I wanted to thank you and I hope you have a safe day

Because I don’t have a firm grasp on Shaw’s character yet (I’m playing on the English server), I’ll be omitting him from this headcanon. Hope you don’t mind!

MLQC Headcanon - My favorite day

Victor (takes place after his Surprise Date)

He was at LFG when he heard the news

Goldman was dropping off some documents that he needed to finalize

He was browsing through the papers when he came across your company’s rough draft plans for next week’s show

He quickly glanced over the words, signed, and flipped to the next page

After every rough draft, your company’s information always followed (naturally, your personal info was there too)

He stopped to look at your picture (it was the same one you used when applying for LFG’s investment)

Always the same dumb expression.... (but he couldn’t help a smile from forming on his face)

That’s when he saw it....your date of birth (XX-XX-XXXX)

....It’s today.....?

?!

He goes into a panic mode immediately (of course, it doesn’t show on the outside)

He takes out his phone and goes to dial your number

He calms himself while the ringing is going through

But panics (again) when he hears your voice

“Victor!”

Obviously, he doesn’t want to confirm if today was your birthday (that would make him seem like the dumb one)

He has to think of what to say for a moment

“Hello? Victor?”

He’s unable to think clearly, so he just blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind

“Souvenir. 6 PM. Don’t be late”

“What? Vict—“ (he hangs up)

He looks at the time, 4 PM

He sighs, rubbing his temples as he starts to regain his senses

He resumes his work as he ponders over what tonight’s menu will be

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

You arrive at Souvenir a little early than planned (around 5:30)

You go to open the door, but it’s locked (weird)

“Victor? (you knock a few times) Victor, are you there?”

You hear a series of rattling and clattering inside

“....Victor? What’s going on in there?”

You go to knock again, but the door opens wide with a bang

He’s in front of you, disheveled as ever

“....MC....you’re early” 

“Um..yeah. Work went a lot quicker than usual and...um....are you okay? I heard a lot of noise in here”

“Yes...yes. Why wouldn’t I be okay? (he straightens his clothes) Hurry, come in”

You go inside to see Souvenir all decorated, except for a few areas where it’s still bare (even some of the lights were hanging off)

“It’s still in process....but....” (he brings out the cake, lighted with candles)

“Happy birthday”

Kiro

He found out it was your birthday from Kiki and the others (while he was over at your company for a meeting)

As soon as he heard he ran over to your desk with immense speed

“MC! MC! MC! IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY TODAY?!”

You look up from your computer, startled

“Kiro! What are you doing here? The meeting should still be going on” (indeed it was, poor Savin)

“That’s not the problem, MC! Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?”

You can tell that he’s genuinely hurt by this

“I...just didn’t think it was something worth celebrating, that’s all”

He goes bonkers after you say that

“Not worth celebrating? Are you kidding me?”

He grabs your shoulders and looks you in the eye

“MC! Your birthday DESERVES to be celebrated as much as anyone else’s. Mine included!”

“But...”

“No buts! Today, we are going to make sure you have the BEST birthday EVER!” (he grabs your hand and leads you out of the room)

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

He drags you along throughout town, with him wearing a foolproof disguise (he insisted you wear one too, although it wouldn’t really matter)

You’re having trouble keeping up with his energy, but soon become used to it

He takes you out shopping to buy you a birthday outfit (but he ends up modeling clothes himself, to your request)

The two of you are sitting at a bench, waiting for Savin to come with the car

“.......MC”

You turn your head towards him

He gets up, kneels down in front of you, and takes out a small container

“Kiro?”

He doesn’t say anything, but instead opens the box (you become speechless at the sight of the ring, glowing in the moonlight)

“I bought this while you were in the bathroom” (he takes your hand and slips the ring on your finger)

“Kiro...I...”

“This is my reservation, MC! With this, (he kisses your hand) I’m yours forever. Happy birthday”

Lucien

He already knew your birthday was coming up

But was unsure of the exact date

Every time he asked, you would just play it off

“My birthday? It’s.........soon”

He didn’t want to go looking through your information to find out when it was (it would feel like his loss, or something)

He decides to make YOU tell him, yourself

He’s just so good with his words?

He’s looking at something on his phone during breakfast (something he rarely does)

“MC, look at this trait description for Scorpios”

You take his phone from him

“Do you think this description fits me?”

Strategic? Persistent? Secretive?? (if this isn’t Lucien, then who else is it)

“Yeah, I think it describes you perfectly!”

“Is that so? (you don’t notice the smile on his face) How about I read yours, too?”

“Sure! But I don’t know my sign...can you check XX/XX?” (insert birthdate here)

Bingo.

“So I assumed correctly. Happy birthday, MC”

You immediately realize what you just did (oh no)

“Um, Lucien. It’s not like I didn’t WANT to tell you....” (he just chuckles as you hang your head low)

“I know.” (he gets up to clear the dishes, and goes inside the bedroom)

He comes out wearing a coat, while you’re still sitting at the table

“Well? (you look at him as he straightens his coat collar) Aren’t you going to get dressed?”

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

You wanted to avoid an extravagant celebration for your birthday

And he understood that perfectly

So he takes you to the movies, buys you dinner, and now you’re in his office (he said he wanted to show you something)

“Thank you, Lucien. I had a wonderful time today”

“You’re very welcome. But I’m afraid it’s not over just yet”

He opens a drawer and takes out a small wooden box

“Lucien? What’s this?” (you open the box, and see a beautiful pen inside)

“....is this...”

“I didn’t know what would be the best gift for your birthday.....”

“So you’re giving me Iridescent...?” (he nods slightly, appearing to be embarrassed)

“But this is your—“

“Favorite pen. Which is why I’m giving it to you”

“Does that make me your favorite person?” (you can’t believe you just said that)

This makes you blush profusely (he’s just SO good with words)

He laughs at the sight of your face going red (he hugs you while you’re holding tight to the box)

“Happy birthday......my favorite person”

Gavin

Why did he have to find out it was your birthday from Minor?

He doesn’t care that you hid it from him (he figured you had your reasons)

But it’s irritating that it was Minor. Of ALL PEOPLE

He’s having such a hard time deciding what to give you

After all, you prepared a big celebration for his birthday

“Bro, it’s gonna be okay! Chill!” (it took everything in him to not come over there and hit Minor)

“I’ll ask Boss what she wants as a present”

“What? NO”

“Don’t worry! I got this!” (Minor hangs up, leaving Gavin to pace around his room)

This was your first time celebrating your birthday with him (ever since he asked you out last year)

No wonder Birdcop is so nervous

He gets an idea of what to get you, and gets to work right away (it’s homemade!)

After pacing for 20 minutes, he decides to call you for a date

But drops his phone when you call him first (he stubs his toe while he breaks the fall)

“He-hello?” (he’s rubbing his foot, hiding his pain)

“Gavin! Where are you?”

“...what?”

“What do you mean, what? Our date! I’m in front of the aquarium right now”

He’s confused (somebody help him)

“A..aquarium?” (he flinches when he hears you sigh)

“Yes, the aquarium! Minor told me you were going to take me out on a date here. Am I wrong?” 

Birdcop’s actually thankful for Minor’s nosiness for once

“I’ll be there right away” (ride like the wind, Sparky)

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

Your aquarium date goes by pretty quickly (he takes so many pictures of you?)

“Gavin, come here! You look like this sea lion!”

It was about time for the aquarium to close, so he takes you back home

As you were about to take off your helmet, it starts raining like crazy

Despite his constant I’m okays, you bring him in into your apartment to dry off

“You’re going to get sick, Gavin!” (getting sick was the LAST thing on his mind, right now)

He’s sitting awkwardly on a chair, while you go to put his shirt in the drying machine

But you feel something in his shirt pocket and take it out

“A necklace?” (Gavin immediately gets up and runs over to you)

It’s a necklace in the shape of a ginkgo leaf, with both of your initials carved in the back

There are rough edges here and there, but nonetheless beautiful in every way

“....Gavin....!” (he hides his face in his hands, and you notice that his ears and shoulders have turned red)

He coughs before offering to put it on for you (his calloused hands are a little shaky as they graze behind your neck)

“It’s not much but.....happy birthday”

UGH can someone give me an MLQC boy to celebrate my birthdays???

[thefandomlesbian]

Ship Questions!

Hotch/Reid

Domestic 🥰

(Also, I’m a huge fan of all your writings! Thanks for sharing 💜)

Thank you! ❤️

Sorry, this got pretty long!

1.) If they get married, who proposes?

Aaron does. Spencer is very comfortable not being married ever, and it's Aaron's drive to ensure Jack is in good hands in the event of his death that pushes him toward marriage. Spencer doesn't exactly want a wedding, but he knows Aaron is traditional and it's important to him, so he goes along with it.

2.) What's the wedding like? Who attends?

This could go one of two ways. 1.) They elope to Las Vegas so Diana can attend and invite literally no one else.

Or, more likely, 2.) They throw a BAU wedding in DC. JJ is the maid of honor and Derek is the best man. Rossi walks Spencer down the aisle and Gideon officiates. Rossi cries. Jack is the ring bearer and Henry is the flower girl.

A mostly unfamiliar face shows up, strolling up during the reception after the ceremony while Spencer is talking to Rossi and Derek. Spencer recognizes him first. "I don't want you here."

William is holding a brochure, pointing to where Rossi's name is listed as the father of the groom. "I would've come if you had called."

"I didn't want you to."

"You could've called," he insists. "You didn't have to write me off like this."

Derek goes to intercede, but Rossi catches him by the arm. "Hey, Reid," he says, looking quite mild. "There's one fatherly lesson I haven't taught you yet."

"What's that?" Spencer is confused at this assertion.

"How to throw a right hook."

William is on the floor, Aaron is covering Jack's eyes, Emily is cheering, JJ is trying to drag Spencer away, Gideon is getting Rossi some ice for his hands, and Strauss is pressing the bridge of her nose trying to decide if they can somehow make this a lawsuit for the bureau or if this is going to create more paperwork for her somehow.

Aaron invites a handful of old lawyer friends and Sean, who does reluctantly show up. Spencer invites his professors and teachers and Ethan. Several of them greet him with, "Oh, I haven't seen you in so long! You've gotten so tall!" which yields the question who was that person, and the answer is always, "A professor from my first doctorate."

3.) How many kids do they have?

In most timelines, only Jack. Spencer doesn't have any desire to spread his genes with his sketchy health history, and while Aaron wanted a bigger family with Haley, he knows it wouldn't be fair to do this to another child, the inconsistent hours, the lack of presence, and besides, Jessica wouldn't agree to free childcare for another kid. Spencer is okay with not being a father in the traditional way, and he's still someone who is very important to Jack, not to mention Henry and Hank and (insert baby name because I reject JJ naming her second child Michael).

But there is another timeline where they've discussed it. Spencer wants to be a father, and he tells Aaron that, and they aren't really sure how to proceed—with their line of work and histories, they aren't eligible for adoption. They look into surrogacy, but Spencer again doesn't really care to pass on his genetic material, and Aaron is having a very hard time shaking off his Catholic upbringing that makes him feel super duper icky and weird about something of his growing inside a woman he doesn't actually know that well and then that child being his and not part of her. They're at an impasse when, on a case, there's a break when a woman is found disemboweled in the dumpster while her newborn infant is wrapped in a plastic bag. There is no family after identification. Social services comes to take the baby, and they both feel like maybe this is some sign from the universe and they're missing out. Later that night when neither of them can sleep, Aaron rolls out of bed and calls the social services contact, and the baby is still floating around the office, not having yet found a foster family. So they take her.

It's several years of paperwork as they transition from foster parents to adopted guardians of Haley Diana Hotchner-Reid. Spencer steps down from the BAU to become a research professor full-time, and he finds cures for antibiotic-resistant bacterial illnesses. He invents a vaccine for tuberculosis. He has a routine schedule, so he's available for the kids all the time, and Aaron doesn't have to leave his job to have the family he wants.

4.) Do they have any pets?

Usually, no. Aaron is afraid of dogs. Animals don't like Spencer. Aaron grew up in rural Virginia, so he likes the idea of having horses like he did when he was young, but they don't have anywhere to put a horse or farm animals, and while Spencer fantasizes about having a farm, he thinks horses and cattle up close are terrifying. But occasionally they wind up with a cat, or even two cats if they're adventurous, and Spencer does a lot of research to start appropriate fish husbandry with a giant, well-kept aquarium where he teaches Jack all about how to properly care for fish (ie, goldfish and betas don't go in bowls, no fish go in bowls).

5.) Who's the stricter parent?

Neither of them are all that stern. Aaron doesn't know how to appropriately discipline a child. He knows what not to do, but he isn't sure about alternatives, and whenever Jack acts out of turn, he feels like it's his fault for letting Jack down and letting him experience so much trauma that twisted his ability to process his emotions in a healthy way. Aaron doesn't know how to provide structure and support in a positive way, and he tries, but it's hard.

Spencer also didn't exactly have any good parental role models. He does have the ability to learn everything there is to know about a child's interests through reading, and he does that to make connections. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't and Jack has still graffitied the side of the school building and Aaron is having to pay out damages and is trying very hard not to raise his voice and Spencer is like, "Is this what Ash Ketchum would do?" and Jack responds, "I'm thirteen, I haven't watched Pokemon in five years, grow up." Then they enlist a family counselor.

6.) Who kills the bugs?

Neither have bug fear. Spencer will squish roaches and pest bugs as he finds them. However, he thinks unique bugs are quite interesting, and he doesn't kill ants or spiders or crickets. Instead, he studies them. Spiders he always captures and takes outside. Once, Spencer has a piece of paper and a cup and is working very hard on entrapping a beautiful black widow, and Aaron sees it without realizing what he's doing and mushes it. "Why would you do that? Why would you kill an arachnid? She was protecting our home." After that, Aaron lets Spencer handle all the bugs and doesn't interfere since he never knows which ones deserve to live and which ones don't.

7.) How do they celebrate the holidays?

If someone is hosting a Christmas party, they'll attend, but otherwise, they'll stay inside and decorate the tree as a family. Sean is invited to Christmas dinner; he rarely comes. Jessica and her family go to her parents', and Aaron doesn't want to make Spencer uncomfortable by taking him there, so they avoid such gatherings. They make it special with just the three of them, unless another member or two of the BAU wants to squeeze in. Aaron likes to go to midnight mass, and he usually manages to convince Spencer to sit through it one night of the year.

On Halloween, they all go trick-or-treating together.

Easter is the other day of the year Aaron insists they go to church because, "I am nothing if not a Chreaster Catholic." Aaron takes Jack alone while Spencer stays home and sets up a wild egg hunt somewhere in the city, and when church ends, Aaron brings Jack to look for the eggs. Sometimes the rest of the BAU's kids join in.

For Memorial Day and Fourth of July, Aaron grills. Spencer tries once and they spend Memorial Day in the ER and Aaron has to buy a new grill. Likewise, they agree Spencer should not come within three feet of any firework materials, including benign sparklers and the like.

8.) Who's more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Aaron likes to get up early to brew Spencer's coffee the way he likes it, warm the house up, and start breakfast. Spencer never asks him to come back because he enjoys having the house warm and breakfast ready when he rolls out of bed. But if Aaron isn't feeling well and Spencer gets out of bed to do those things, it only takes a couple petulant grumbles on Aaron's part to convince Spencer to slide back under the covers.

9.) Who's the better cook?

Aaron is a much better cook. Spencer, to his credit, tries sometimes. But Aaron has a better understanding of how palates work and also how not to set things on fire. Spencer knows cooking is technically just a science, but it's a science that baffles him, he'll admit, like paranormal science or theology.

[sage-sunset]

sunflowers in the rainy winter  - akaashi bday special

this is an aged up, post-college au for my akaashi simps out there

warnings - not much, total fluff, a bit suggestive at the very end 

recommended - 14+

wc - 2.2k

______

“Happy birthday, baby!” He looks you up and down, rubbing his tired eyes. You’re standing there in that pastel blue puffer coat that he bought you a month ago, shaking from the cold with raindrops stuck to your eyelashes. It’s pouring outside, and you’re holding your umbrella in one hand and a box in the other.

“y/n… love… it’s 12:07. In the morning.”

“I know! I wanted to beat Bokuto this year, he probably won’t get here until two!” “...until?” “You must be tired. Let’s go to bed!” You set the umbrella in the bag and put it in the little stand he has before taking off your coat. You’re wearing fuzzy flannel pajamas, the set Bokuto got the three of you last year. You’re still shivering when you put the box into the fridge and then pull him into the bedroom.

Normally you like to hold him, but since you’re freezing like this, he wraps you into his arms and you flop onto the bed together to huddle under the blankets. Your feet are like ice cubes, and he kisses your forehead and smiles into your hair as you fall asleep in his arms. 

He may have been woken up at midnight, but you being here already makes it the best birthday ever.

_

He’s barely dozed off when the door bursts open, and the telltale “HEY HEY HEY” rings out. He rolls his eyes and sits up to see his best friend, standing there in his soaked glory. You’re somehow still asleep, hands clinging to his shirt.

Bokuto is covered in rain, his silvery hair plastered to his clammy forehead. It’s so cold outside Keiji is surprised it’s not snowing.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRO-” “Bokuto-san, please keep it down. Y/N is still sleeping.” “My bad! HAHAHA-” “Loud.” “Sorry!” He whisper-yells, and Keiji rolls his eyes again. Why did he give this doofus a house key? “Anyways, if you’re this adamant about being here, you can crash on the couch like last year.” “Nah, I’m gonna go home. It’s cold as balls outside, and I want my blanket!” Just like that, he leaves. He spent a good 25 minutes walking over to Keiji’s house in the freezing cold rain at midnight, and he literally just yelled for thirty seconds and then left again.

What the fuck? He tries not to think about it, and goes back to letting you curl into him.

_

This time, he wakes up by himself. The curtain’s open, light filters through, and he sits up. You’re not there, but the smell of something delicious wafts through the apartment.

He rubs his eyes and checks the time, it’s only a bit past eight. He smiles when he walks into the kitchen to see you making something, obviously the source of the smell.

“Love, what’s this?” “Making waffles for my waffle!” He stares at you.

“That sounded much more romantic in my head.” His waffle is just the way he likes them; crispy but still soft and fluffy inside. He stares at it, a warm fuzzy feeling bubbling inside at the little message you’ve spelled out in syrup over the whipped cream; “HAPPY BIRTHDAY”. Jesus, he needs to marry you soon.

“Do you want coffee or tea?” “Coffee, please.” He takes a bite once you’ve sat down. It’s perfect, and as he eats he stares at you. You’re perfect too. 

“So, I’m sure you’ve already booked my day full. What are the plans?” You giggle, and the sound makes him feel even warmer.

“I remembered last month that you said that that new gallery was opening up at the museum. And Tsukishima-kun told me that there’s a big shark exhibit opening at the aquarium. So I figured-” “We go to the gallery, get lunch at that cafe we love, and see the sharks?” “You read my mind! Do you want to do that? If not, we can plan something else-” He takes one of your hands in his, and gently presses a kiss to your knuckle, right on your little silver band.

“It sounds absolutely perfect.” He starts to gather up the dishes, but you swat him away.

“You’re the birthday boy, go get ready! Oh, and I forgot to mention, Kuroo-san said that he and a few others are coming over around seven. So we should try to get back by five or so.” He pecks your cheek as you wash the dishes, and you giggle again.

“That’s fine. Do you know how long they’ll be over?” “Not sure, but it won’t be too late, trust me. I’ll have plenty of time to see my birthday boy in his birthday suit…” He blushes, and you turn back to washing the plates. 

“Go take a shower. I’ll join you in a bit.”

_

The gallery is incredible. You seem to agree, staring into each painting with focus and intent. The good thing about you both being artsy is that you can enjoy this kind of thing together.

He holds your hand gently as you lead him to the centerpiece. It’s nothing short of breathtaking. A huge, sprawling field of sunflowers in the middle of summer. The sky is the purest blue you can imagine, and puffy clouds float in the sea of azure. There’s a pair of hot air balloons floating among the clouds, one decorated in oranges and one in purples. In the distance a little farmhouse sits on the hill. The painting is oil, and it’s huge, taller than him. 

“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it, Keiji?” He says nothing, staring into the flower field. He imagines for a second that it’s real, that you and him are standing in the ocean of sunflowers, under the summer sky.

That farmhouse could be yours. He can see it, a quiet life there with you two. He’d spend the day writing, you’d spend the day playing the piano and singing with that little fairy voice of yours. 

You’d take a picnic basket down into the field, lay down a little blanket and watch the sunset on the hill. Just the two of you, safe and calm and warm as the sun fades away.

“Keiji?” He’s startled out of his fantasy to see you looking at him, a smile playing at your lips.

“Did you hear me?” “Sorry, what did you say?” “I just said that you’ve been staring at that painting for the past fifteen minutes. I’m starting to get jealous,” you tease.

He smiles at that notion. The painting may be beautiful, but it fades in comparison to you. But then again, so does everything else.

“Let’s get lunch, love. We’ll have to hurry if we want to catch those sharks.” -

This cafe may well be his favorite place on earth. Simply put, it’s where you met. You worked there part time, and he’d stopped by every day after class to get his work done. Once he’d first seen you though, he began to focus on you, rather than his homework.

It took him a month to build up the balls to ask you out. You’d said yes, and your very first date was dinner and a planetarium show. Much more romantic than a movie, you’d said when he asked if it was lame.

And now here you were, about to eat lunch here after being together for two and a half years. There you are, ordering him a Hokkaido bubble tea and red bean toast, the two things you spent weeks writing down his order for. Before he’s even pulled out his wallet, you’ve paid, and he’s barely able to scold you for not letting him pay because you sit him down.

“That painting was really something else, huh?” He nods, gazing into your eyes.

“Don’t stare, you’re making me self-conscious.” “Shush, let me admire my beautiful girlfriend.” Since you’re in public, the most you can do without getting looks is hold hands, which you do even when the bubble teas and pastries are set down in front of you. His thumb gently strokes the band on your finger.

He doesn’t let go of your hand as you walk into the aquarium. He doesn’t let go as you walk past the giant tank, staring at the colorful fish and little crustaceans. He doesn’t let go when you ask the kind older woman to take a picture of you two in the shark’s mouth, and he most certainly doesn’t let go as you gently stroke the bamboo shark’s back in the touch tank.

Neither of you want to leave, but he knows that his friends will be coming over soon and you’ll want to have the cake and stuff ready. So before you leave, he buys you an adorable stuffed shark plush from the gift store.

Once you’re home, you decide to eat a little something so that you won’t be having only cake for dinner. He sets out some leftovers; the braised eggs from yesterday morning, the cucumber salad you made a few days ago to go with the katsu bowls, and he heats up some rice and leftover chicken.

While the love of your life sets out some food, you take the cake you brought over last night out of the fridge and place it out on the table. It’s simple, swirled with purple and blue with macarons on top. You also bought a 23 candle, a little golden one. 

It’s perfect.

You eat quickly, only having a little bit but enough to satisfy your stomach. Before you two know it, there’s a knock at the door.

The only person who’d knock, it’s Tsukishima. He may be a sarcastic little shit, but he’s tolerable compared to the other people coming over tonight.

“Good evening, y/n-san.” “Hey, Tsukki-kun. Come on it, it’s chilly outside.” In a little bit, Kuroo and Kenma show up. Then come Yukie and Kaori, Komi and Konoha, and of course the ace himself.

“HEY HEY HEY! HOW’S THE BIRTHDAY BOY DOIN’?!”

You smile at Yukie and Kaori, shaking your heads at the tall man who’s currently hugging your boyfriend so tightly you think he might burst.

“I’m doing well, Bokuto-san. Would you mind putting me down?” “Sure thing, birthday buddy! n/n been takin’ care of you today?” “I’m sure she has, in quite a few ways,” snickers Kuroo, and Bokuto guffaws as Kenma elbows the rooster-headed asshole.

“Don’t be crude.” scolds Kenma as he scrolls through his phone. You assume that Kuroo made him leave his switch at home.

Two hours into the evening and a bottle of champagne later and the cake is almost gone. Yukie and Bokuto are having an arm wrestling contest on the coffee table with Tsukki as the referee, Kaori is passed out on the couch, Komi and Konoha are giggling like second graders for no reason, and Kenma is crying into Kuroo’s shirt about his village and how he needs to get back to the island, that shit ain’t gonna build itself. Keiji is sitting beside you, his head buried in your shoulder.

“You tired, baby?” He nods, his hand gently rubbing your thigh.

“Okay, I’ll call a cab for these idiots. Sit tight.” You stand to go grab your phone, and before you know it the living room is clear of the eight stooges. Keiji walks up behind you, his face slightly flushed, and wraps his arms around you. You can tell he’s a bit tipsy, but he’s not falling over or anything.

“Baby, go brush your teeth and get ready for bed. I’ll clean up in here.” “I can help, love-” “No. I’ll only be a minute. The birthday boy still has one more gift to open.”

With that, you unlatch him from you and go to clean up the glasses and plates. It was nice to catch up with everybody, especially the girls. There were only ten of you, but it was nice to have company for the first time in a while.

You set the leftover cake into the fridge before going into the bathroom to brush your teeth, and you can feel a pair of eyes on you as you wash up and change into one of his shirts.

“Come here, love.”

“In a second.”

“You’re spending the night, right?”

“Of course, baby. I’m yours for the night.”

“You’re too good to me.” “You’re one to talk, prince charming.” He smiles and takes you into his arms. The kiss he pulls you into is just as dizzying and passionate as all of his kisses, but just a bit more fervent. He’s excited, and so are you. 

He pulls away to take your hand, his favorite place to press gentle kisses to. His lips brush over the little band for what feels like the millionth time today, and you remember the promise that the ring means. So does he, and he can’t wait to replace it with a diamond one.

He kisses you again, and you melt into it. He’s so gentle, impossibly so, but despite the gentleness he’s still trapping you there. But trapped against him as he presses a kiss to your forehead and holds your hand in his isn’t such a bad place to be.

“God, I love you so much,” he whispers into your hair. “Mm, how much?” “To the sunflower fields and back.”

(a/n - the “silver band” is supposed to be a promise ring. I’ve always thought that he’d be the kind of guy who would buy you a promise ring.)

[hamsterboos]

The Parent Trap

🎄Day 5 of 12 Days of PJO Christmas🎄

When Annabeth found out that Percy's family was coming down to California to visit them for winter break, she proposed at a dinner where her parents could meet his considering in the last seven years, their parents had never met in person.

Percy had been completely on board with the plan, and one night while offering food to the gods, he had jokingly said that it would’ve been a proper “meet-the-parents” dinner if Poseidon and Athena showed up as well. Annabeth, obviously, knew that it was a joke, and she agreed as well.

Who would’ve known that their godly parents weren’t in on the joke?

PSA: These drabbles are canon-compliant till HoO and just acknowledge the existence of Estelle. Also technology use is a thing.

Read on AO3

                                                             ~~~~~

Percy couldn’t decide if tonight was going to be a gift or the worst decision he and Annabeth had ever made in their lives (which was really saying something, all things considered).

He really wanted to sit next to Annabeth, so he could take a hold of her hand and calm himself down during this seriously trying time, but all he could do instead was hold her gaze and hope she was reading the panic in his eyes. It seemed to work because she winced slightly, and he wanted to do something, but instead he caught Athena’s gaze and flinched. He immediately glanced down at his bowl of pasta, picking at it with his fork.

“So,” Percy’s mother began, “Frederick, how is that book coming along?” 

At first, Percy’s silent instinct was to thank the gods for his mother’s instinct to make anyone feel welcome that it was possible to diffuse the insane amount of awkward tension that was in the room, but he immediately realized that two of the gods were currently sitting with him at a dinner table in a San Francisco restaurant, and he suddenly wished he could just jump off a cliff.

That seemed like more fun than this. 

It was supposed to just be Sally, Paul, Frederick, Helen, Percy and Annabeth at dinner, a few days before Christmas. The Jackson-Blofis family had decided that for winter break this year, they’d come down a week early to visit Percy and Annabeth at New Rome, and Annabeth jumped at the chance to let her parents meet his parents. It would allow the two families to connect for Christmas, and it was quite funny for them to realize that over the seven and half years, Annabeth’s parents had never met Percy’s. 

Percy had been completely on board with the plan, and one night in the New Rome college’s cafeteria, while giving offerings to the gods, he had jokingly said that it would’ve been a proper “meet-the-parents” dinner if Poseidon and Athena showed up as well. Annabeth, obviously, knew that it was a joke, and she agreed as well.

Who would’ve known that their godly parents weren’t in on the joke?

As the six of them were walking into the restaurant they made reservations at, the atmosphere light and cheerful thanks to the bright lights, Christmas decor, and the excitement of seeing their family after so long, they were suddenly joined by a man in a plain blue button down shirt with jeans and sea-green eyes that Percy was all too familiar with and a woman in a royal purple professional dress with stormy gray eyes that looked eerily like his girlfriend’s.

It was Percy who saw them first, looking up at the street outside the restaurant after texting Hazel back who was baby-sitting Estelle, Matt, and Bobby about Estelle’s bed time  as the others were deep in conversation about one of his mom’s books. 

He stopped in his steps; his heart stuttering in his chest. Percy’s brain stopped working for a moment, and he swore that he was hallucinating because there was no way, just none at all, that Poseidon and Athena were at a restaurant. Together.

It had to be a joke. Why else would they be there all of a sudden without any warning?

Sure enough, they were glaring at each other, but as soon as Poseidon noticed Percy’s gaze on him, he smiled. Athena simply turned the glare from his father to him, but it wasn’t as strong as the glare that she had given him a few years back at Olympus. In fact, Percy could’ve sworn that there was a bit of fondness in her eyes that made the entire situation that much weirder, but he took a small amount of solace in the fact that she still disliked him.

At least there was one normal thing about the entire situation.

Percy blinked at the gods standing in front of him, — once, then twice just to make sure that he wasn’t actually hallucinating — and he had been frozen long enough that his mom had noticed he wasn’t following. She turned to look at him, but her back was still to Poseidon and Athena, so she paid them no attention as she called out to her son.

“Percy?” she asked, breaking him out of his stupor.

Ignoring his mom, he ended up stuttering out, “Uh. Dad. Athena. Hi?” 

At his words, he heard a commotion near the door, and he turned to look at Fredrick steadying Annabeth, an arm on her bicep as she clutched the door frame with her free hand.

Annabeth let out a gasp as she exclaimed, “Mom?!”

“You kids asked for us to be at your dinner, so here we are,” Poseidon explained, a small smile on his face, clearly happy at surprising Percy and Annabeth.

Percy was definitely surprised, but the jury was still out on the happy bit.

“You both wished for it, so I agreed to join you for the night,” Athena added, folding her hands in front of her. Her eyes wandered between Annabeth and Frederick for a moment before landing on her daughter.

“You did?” Frederick asked Annabeth before turning to look at Percy. Percy looked at Annabeth in a panic. He couldn’t remember asking them to come, and his brain worked overtime until the dinner from a few weeks ago came to mind, and he could tell the exact moment that Annabeth  also remembered exactly what had gone down that night.

His brain scrambled to come up with something to say that wouldn’t offend his parents — godly or otherwise — but he was blanking. A quick glance at Annabeth’s panicked face as she came to stand next to him said the same thing, and Percy immediately blurted whatever came to mind.

“Yes, kind of? It was mostly a joke because we didn’t think you guys would show up, but you’re here! And that’s great! We should go in!”

Annabeth swatted him in the arm, glaring at him, and he just shrugged helplessly.

“You really have a special talent for ticking off gods,” Annabeth muttered, and he honestly couldn’t even pretend to deny it this time. 

And yet, here they were, thirty minutes later into their dinner, and all he could feel were Athena’s occasional glares towards him. 

He wanted to die.

Percy was sitting between Poseidon and Sally, with Paul next to Sally while across from him was Annabeth. She was stuck between Frederick and her mother with her step-mother sitting next to her father.

Safe to say, both of them were definitely struggling. 

Thankfully, after about ten minutes of stifling awkward silence during which they had ordered their dinner and had begun eating, Sally had finally spoken up to start the conversation.

Percy tried to pay attention to the conversation so he had something to distract himself with the numerous ways the dinner could go wrong that his brain had come up with (monster attack, another godly attack, Athena attacks Poseidon, Poseidon attacks Athena—), but it wasn’t working out very well for him. 

He was almost half-way through planning a route of escape and looking at the small aquarium in the back of the restaurant, trying to figure out if he could use the water from that to fight when Helen spoke up, jolting Percy out of his thoughts.

“Percy, how’s the swimming going at New Rome?” Helen asked.

“Oh, it’s going good. I never really learned the proper techniques, so there’s a bit of a learning curve, though. I’m not officially competing, but it’s just nice to be in the water.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw his father grin, and he couldn’t help but be proud that he was making his father happy.

“Good thing that everyone knows that he’s the son of a sea god,” Sally teased, “otherwise I would’ve said he was cheating.”

“Mom!”

“She’s not wrong, Perce,” Annabeth laughed. 

“Says the girl who wanted to compete in the Trivia Bowl,” he responded, narrowing his eyes at his girlfriend.

“That’s not the same thing, and you know it.”

“Okay, okay,” Paul laughed. “We get it. Not everyone has godly powers,” he teased. Percy rolled his eyes, but he was smiling anyways as he ate some more of his pasta.

“How is Estelle?” Poseidon asked. Percy jumped slightly, not expecting him to ask about his baby sister. Or to speak up at all.

“She’s doing wonderfully,” Sally responded. 

“She’s not here?” his father asked.

“No,” Percy responded. “She’s with Annabeth’s brother with Hazel.”

“Hades’ daughter?” Athena asked.

Annabeth clarified, “Pluto’s, but yes.”

“It would be nice to meet her,” Poseidon offered, and Sally was quick to promise that he could drop by whenever to meet Estelle, and Percy let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. Things seemed to be looking up despite the slight awkwardness still lingering, but he supposed there was nothing they could do about that when a bunch of mortals and demi-gods were sitting and having a normal dinner with gods. 

His father continued speaking, “How is it going to college?”

“I never thought I’d say this, but it’s the most relaxing yet chaotic thing I’ve ever experienced,” Annabeth responded. Percy laughed, understanding exactly what she meant. 

“I don’t know what they’ve done to change the college experience since I went, but it definitely wasn’t relaxing,” Paul responded.

“It’s relaxing in the sense that we don’t have to worry about monsters attacking us every two seconds, but we’re running around trying to study more often than not,” Annabeth explained, and Percy nodded along. 

“So, are you two living together?” Athena asked, casually forking up some pasta.

He shared a glance with Annabeth before she responded, her hand coming up to play with the heart and owl necklace he had gifted her the previous Christmas. 

“No. We both dorm with different roommates.” Athena nodded, clearly very happy with the answer, and Percy watched as her attention dropped down to the necklace that was in Annabeth’s fingers.

“Is that an owl on your necklace, Annabeth?”

“Huh?” Annabeth looked down. “Oh, yes. Percy gifted it to me for Christmas last year.”

“Is that so? It’s beautiful, Percy,” Athena complimented, and Percy tried his hardest not to flinch at her strong gaze. There wasn’t any maliciousness in that gaze, and he was surprised that she wasn’t seconds from striking him down. 

“Thank you,” he responded. “Annabeth actually got me something similar.” He pulled out the ring necklace from underneath his button up shirt, letting it dangle in front of his chest for them to see.

“Are those waves?” Poseidon asked, a hint of awe in his voice. Annabeth shyly nodded. “Thank you for giving that to him, Annabeth.”

“Of course,” she breathed out, looking at Percy with wonder in her eyes. Percy smiled back, and the two of them shared a silent look of happiness. 

Annabeth immediately took a hold of Percy’s arm and wrapped hers around his as they were walking out of the restaurant once they were done.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” she whispered to him. They stood a few steps back and away from their parents as they chatted. 

“Me neither. I still think I’m dreaming.”

“I don’t think your brain could even come up with this, Percy.”

“Can you go one day without insulting me?”

“It would take a Christmas miracle.”

“Oh, so you mean something like what just happened here? Don’t think I’m letting the fact that it’s literally Christmas in three days go.”

“That doesn’t count.”

“How?! Athena and Poseidon made it through an hour without arguing!” Percy responded, looking at his girlfriend incredulously. Annabeth snorted as she still watched their parents.

“You sure about that?” she asked, pointing forward. He followed where her finger was pointing, only to find his father and her mother arguing about the chariot.

Again.

                                                          ~~~~~

Day 1 || Day 2 || Day 3 || Day 4

[impossible-rat-babies]

47. — stars ✨

47. stars | [prompts] | 2050 words | most below the cut!

fhr | nb!sidestep x m!ortega | retribution era

read on ao3

--

“You remember that party we went to? The New Years one.”

Pollux can count on one hand the number of events he went to back in the day and only ever one New Years party.

“The one at the fancy house up in the hills?” Pollux asks regardless, blowing smoke out of the corner of his lips, and Ortega nods.

“The one where I had to go find you all on your lonesome on the patio.”

“I needed a smoke and you know someone was going to throw a fit if I smoked in that house.” Pollux rolls his eyes, folding his arms and he carefully avoids the lit end of the cigarette, resting his hip against the short wall encircling the roof of Ortega’s apartment complex.

The whole house was like a museum with highbrow large fancy art decorating tall concrete walls, expanses of glass windows overlooking Los Diablos down below. There had even been a fancy grand piano in the corner of all things. It had been picture perfect, yes, but it was all rather tempered by thoughts of other parties--east coast parties. Parties from back before, when they weren’t parties and they were missions.

“I dunno, there was that one lady who spilled red wine all over that silk or fur carpet near the couch.” Ortega reminds him and Pollux can’t help but laugh, a half snorting sort of thing and he shakes his head, knocking old memories away.

“Who was that even?”

Pollux looks over at Ortega and he clicks his tongue with a shrug. “Someone who got stuck with a cleaning bill, that’s who.”

Pollux grins, flicking ash off the end of his cigarette before he takes another long drag.

“Weren’t the hors d'oeuvres really shitty?” He asks and Ortega laughs, a smile on his face, the hazy orange street lights from below casting a glare across the underside of his face.

“They were good! I just don’t think you had the stomach for them.” He teases and Pollux rolls his eyes, playfully pushing Ortega’s shoulder and quietly telling him to stop.

“But...I do remember you wore that cute little black dress with the glittery front and long sleeves with the deep open back on it...”

Pollux’s groan cuts through his words and he shoots him a withering glare. Ortega laughs—one of those deep in his chest kinds; the ones Pollux still remembers, the kind that bounce around in his head for hours—the ones that bounce around in his memories for years.

“You oogled me the whole night when you thought I wasn’t looking, you ass.” He huffs and Ortega’s still grinning, leaning up against the low stone wall encircling the flat roof. Pollux rests his hands on the wall next to him, shifting off of his hip that aches.

“You did look really good in that dress.” Ortega leans closer to him and Pollux shakes his head, blowing smoke out of his mouth and the cool wind sweeps it away down to the street below. He avoids looking down, instead looking up at the deep black sky above. It’s clear for once, an unseasonable rain scrubbing the smog out of the air, leaving the sky clean and bright.

“You didn’t tell me that...” Pollux looks back at him, fussing with one of the long strings on his hoodie, pulling it even with the other one.

“Didn’t think you wanted to hear it.” He says quietly and Pollux’s lips purse.  Ortega plays with his thumbnail, rough hands clasped together. He’s looking straight out, not down or up, like there’s something interesting in the hundreds of other office and apartment windows blinking at them.

“True. Sentinel and Anathema did say it enough.” Pollux rolls his eyes, hiding a smile behind another drag of a cigarette.

“Didn’t mean I didn’t want to hear you say it.” He admits before he can stop the words and Ortega turns, giving that look. A fond glance and his lips curl up, a  look that sends butterflies fluttering in his stomach and he leans in closer, his voice warm and bright. Pollux catches his breath and holds it tight, lips pursing into a narrow line.

“I can say it now: you look very nice tonight.”

Pollux pushes him away again with another groan, shuffling away a half step and he deflates. Stay just out of reach because even though he is smoking, he knows Ortega wouldn’t hesitate to kiss him and he doesn’t know if he can handle that right now.

“Asshole.” Pollux huffs and takes another drag to hide his shaking hands, soothing the sparks cascading through his stomach. He’s only saying it because he’s swimming in one of those crappy merch sweatshirts Ortega threw at him before they climbed up to the roof, saying it was “cold outside” and that “he needed more than just his light jacket.” Even though his apartment is only about twelve stories and its summer, it’s high enough to catch the cool breeze and Pollux isn’t about to admit that Ortega was right.

“Pollux,” Ortega’s smiling just so, “dress or no dress, you do look very nice.” It’s genuine, the crinkle at the corners of his eyes and he looks far too young, far too much like how he looked at him at that last New Years party back in ‘13 and....

“Okay, okay...” Pollux surrenders with a wave of his hand, pushing the cuff of the sleeve back up his arm. “Enough with the flattery, lover boy. Please.”

The last word is softer than he expected, gingerly reaching out to briefly touch Ortega’s cheek, fingers just a ghost before pulling away. Before Ortega can reach out and touch him in return, gently cup his wrist and his fingers would find his, knitting them together.

This is what they always do, what they’re used to doing. It’s familiar and foreign—like staring a reflection he knows the details of, but the whole picture is so strange. Had he really changed that much if he still remembers how this goes? Are they both so different now, half a foot between them when before they would’ve been pressed together, hip to his head resting against his shoulder. Running his fingers down the wires under Ortega’s skin, from elbow to wrist.

But there’s been things they’ve done, things Pollux from before would only dream of, and promptly shoved in a box to never think about ever again. Maybe a peek or a sip once or twice, but he’s downed the whole bottle and still he wants more. It’s greedy is what it is—utterly selfish. Maybe he should feel bad, but how can he when Ortega is so willing to give?

He can’t be blamed for taking what’s offered. And oh how Ortega offered—oh how he gave.

“You know....” Ortega clears his throat, and Pollux shifts in place, thankful the dark light hides most of his flushed face. “It was nice to see you something that wasn’t just the suit. See you all dressed up.”

Pollux makes a sound half between a chuckle and a snort. “Shocked everyone that I had, you know, other things I could wear. A life outside of wearing a suit and running around with you lot.” He gruffly mumbles, leaning back against the wall, shoulder almost brushing Ortega.

“As much as sleeping in a dumpster counts as having a life outside of work.” Ortega’s teasing and Pollux cringes, looking at him with a raised brow.

“It was a nice dumpster, thank you very much.” Pollux shoots back, smoke falling out of his lips in little clouds before he blows the rest of it away, flicking embers off and they die as they spiral towards the street below.

“It was still a dumpster.” Ortega replies in kind and Pollux runs his tongue over the front of his teeth, shaking his head.

“Having a life is more than just where I sleep.” Pollux insists and Ortega chuckles.

“Going to the aquarium whenever you got the chance?” He pokes and Pollux groans again, shaking his head. He doesn’t want those memories drug up, roughly putting out what’s left of the cigarette butt on the top of the wall.

“Oh leave the aquarium out of this, Ricardo...”

He raises his hands in brief surrender, shuffling half a step closer, his shoulder pressing against his.

“Fine...you dragged me up here for more than just reminiscing right?” He asks.

Standing next to the edge of the rooftop and it’s just a faint matter of fact, a blip of a thought in the back of Pollux’s brain. How ironic it is he’s on a roof this time--how close he is to the edge of the building.

Pollux leans back against him and he lifts his eyes to the sky above, squinting. Above the glaze of a million street lights there’s a few stars poking through the night sky—only a few.

Deep in the deserts near the Mexican border, only a shitty one room shack and a ramshackle bed. Car batteries for impromptu charging discarded off into the corner, old canned food with plastic forks sticking out of them abandoned. The insistent biting flies, moths crowding around the shitty battery power lamps.

Sitting outside of that shack, watching and waiting for any signs that the Void was going to make their move. They had compromised on Pollux taking the first watch for half of the night and Ortega would take the second half. Or at least that had been the plan. Ortega was supposed to be sleeping, but no.

He was sitting outside with him too, slumped over in rusty old folding chair, eyes half closed and glazed over with pain, staring into the inky black desert. Said he couldn’t sleep, that he was too bruised to lay in on that shitty mattress on the floor. He wasn’t lying--Pollux had seen the riot of purple and blues already blooming down his back (and promptly ignored the way seeing him hurt made him feel). Patched the cuts on his face with little butterfly closures and tamed his matted dirty hair the best he could.

He’d told him he needed to sleep, said that it didn’t matter if it hurt, that they’d be worse off if he didn’t get some shut eye. He was capable of watching by himself. He remembered Ortega’s eyes turning hard, the tightening of his jowls and fists, leg bouncing. Said something like “I’m going to sit here and keep watch. I don’t need any goddamn sleep.”

Pollux remembered his tone more than anything, the sharp cut of his words; how for a moment he sounded exactly how he should sound: the Marshal of the Rangers. The man in charge of seeing that they made it back home and didn’t die out in this awful desert to some villain. The Rangers always get their man.

How the next moment he just sounded scared--terrified senseless. Hands clenched to stop the shaking, teeth grinding.

Pollux closes his eyes for a moment, opening them back up and he stares at the buildings in front of him, blinking the memories out from behind his eyes.

(Of course he still remembers--he remembers foolishly taking Ortega’s hand and standing, stepping close and pulling him in tight, hand curling against the back of his head; other things too, lips tasting like sand and--

“I just wanted a smoke. You were the one who told me to take a hoodie and came along anyway.” Pollux replies quickly, grabbing his pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. It flickers to life and he ignores Ortega’s knowing stares. The thousands of “what if” words squeezed in the nooks and crannies between them, leaving them all unspoken because it’s a dance they’ve done a dozen times--a hundred times.

“How many more are you gonna smoke?” Ortega asks instead and Pollux doesn’t resist as he pulls him in close to his chest and he buries his face into his shirt, the rich smell of warm cologne and ozone tickling his nose. 

Minding the cigarette burning away, he lets himself be held, lets Ortega lean down and kiss the top of his head, his forehead as he tilts his head up, the tip of his nose.

“Just one more.”

[mcalhenwrites]

Counters to ACNH/Nintendo fans saying: “You should be grateful they gave us updates!” / “There’s a pandemic, you’re heartless if you expect more content for this game!” / “The game was complete upon release, the updates are all FREE GENEROUS EXTRAS!” / “Go play New Leaf if you love it so much!” / “Why did you buy the game if you didn’t like it?” / “Learn some patience!” / “ACPC makes more money, that’s why it gets updates!” / “You’re playing it wrong!” etc etc - The game was released shortly after the lockdowns, which means the first lockdowns overlapped with ACNH being printed and distributed to retailers. It is unlikely that the core release of the game was affected whatsoever by the pandemic. The updates would be affected by the pandemic, yes, but that still doesn’t excuse why it was released on March 20, 2020 unfinished. - Oh, you say it’s finished and the updates are all free extras we never should have expected? Okay, even if I were to believe holiday events are unnecessary to include in the game (I strongly disagree, btw), there is evidence of actual gaps of content made to be filled in later by updates. In other words, pre-planned omitted content. Examples: the blank spots in the nook mile achievements that were filled in when the relevant updates came around, as well as the aquarium clearly anticipating that it’s space would be used for items you dive for (some of those tanks would be empty or nearly so without the deep sea diving critters).  - About the ingratitude. I’m sorry, did you guys get so upset by how toxic “the customer is always right” is that you decided to adopt “the customer is always wrong and the company is infallible” as your new point? People paid approximately $60 bucks for this game. (In some countries, even more, especially considering conversion rates.) Nintendo isn’t your childhood bestie, they’re a company that wants money.  - “You didn’t have to buy the game, that’s your fault!” Um, we are not Katrina (“Katrina who?” - ACNH base game) and cannot see into the future to know that the game series we’ve loved for years would give us a disappointing installment. Had I known, I would’ve held off buying ACNH and waited until I could grab a used copy for $20 in 2-3 years. Many have already committed to never preordering another AC game after this, too.  - Anyway, you can watch a game being played a little bit before you buy it, but that’s still not always telling of how much you will enjoy playing it yourself. Besides, if you’re excited to get in on the hype while it’s fresh, you typically acquire a copy alongside your friends if you can. - And I should add that not everyone hates the game, but the amount of disappointment I see in the game continues to be far more overwhelming than the amount of people who love it. Even those who love it mention quality of life updates and the desire for more furniture or NPCs or character dialogue. - “You’re playing it wrong!” I’ve seen so many variations of this argument, and one of them involved telling people that they were supposed to do the chores and not care about the items/decorating only. The problem is, the game doesn’t offer much outside of decorating! The reason you collect materials is to either craft tools to collect more materials or use it to grab bugs/fish, and so the two things you can do are - in the long run, after the museum is filled - about collecting furniture or bells. Bells sit in your bank, offering no rewards if you save a bunch of them up, and bugs/fish can either become decorations themselves OR be sold for profit. Otherwise, you’re making... decorations.  - OTOH, I’m not sure how people can play a game “wrong” when they’ve put time into it and enjoyed some aspects of it, using many of the mechanics we were expected to use? But we’re playing it “wrong” because we hope that the future updates would bring in some much needed quality of life updates or returning/new characters and events? Ummm... - “But this doesn’t have to bring back stuff from New Leaf, it’s its own game!” Oh if only it tried being its own, entire game. We’re on a deserted island, which means we could’ve had many island-themed events and decorations. I can think of many items - like the umbrella-covered tables - that could have returned, but they did not. Many flower decorations, like sunflowers and morning glories, are gone from the game, too. My island is personally themed to represent farmland, but many potential orchard fruits, the wheat*, the corn stalks, etc. no longer are present within this game.  *weeds during one season look a little wheat-like, but that’s one season - ACPC getting more items is actually a problem when the game makes less money in four years than ACNH did in one year. (Tip: search “revenue” in that link.) The reason that PC continues to get more items is that it can keep making money, meanwhile Nintendo already has our $$$ from our ACNH purchases. (That said, I used to play ACPC, but my phone no longer can since one of their upgrades. I can’t afford a new phone. Oh but Nintendo is the bestest and I should be grateful!) - I want to address the patience thing. I do agree that many were impatient about this game’s release and its delay. I was not one of them, as I would prefer devs not be overworked. I would patiently await a grand update 6 months down the road than have content drip-fed to me. I would’ve been fine with a game that released two or three years down the line, instead of in 2020. I doubt I’m the only one who would rather something be worked on steadily but with breaks for the devs until the project is completed. - Oh, you say I’ll put the game down and get bored of it if they didn’t release tiny updates (yay, one seasonal item to order!) or had a complete game upon release? Well, here’s the thing: that’s just how games get played, and lots of people already got bored with ACNH and put it down months ago. Most of my friends have moved on to other games. A large update down the road would help me pick it up again for a while, but it’s okay if I decide to move on to other things. I played games like Fantasy Life and Rune Factory for ages, but eventually I put them down. Sometimes, I feel nostalgic and pick them up again. Some people never go back and sell the copies of even their most beloved games. That’s just the nature of games. We play, we enjoy, we move on. If there’s a lot of content and it’s fun to play, we spend even more time with it.  - Meanwhile, I can probably... trade with my friends? Show off my island? I don’t know, that whole attitude about how decorating and being materialistic is the wrong way to play it comes to mind, and I’m wondering what could be more materialistic than “the only reason to deal with my friends is to show off OR to gain items” instead of... minigames? Oh, wait, I suppose you can do the tourneys with friends, but... there are eight of those total per year. Yeah, I remember how Tortimer Island also didn’t have multiplayer except eight times a ye - oh right, it was year-round.  I’m going to wrap this up by saying that I don’t hate the game. I put a lot of hours into it, hoping that updates would offer lots of content. I loved the one for Halloween, with pumpkins I could grow on my farm and use for my favorite holiday to make items. But I also loved Halloween in New Leaf, which was not in an update whatsoever and was included with the base purchase of a $40 game. I actually enjoyed many features in Happy Home Designer and thought it would be great to see them carry over to the next mainline game. I loaded up HHD recently only to realize just how many furniture items/sets and house appearances are simply gone in ACNH. I got Amiibo Festival on clearance and ended up playing a lot of that with my friends and family to the point that I wasn’t nearly as unhappy with it as others. I’m familiar with mobile games using predatory RNG gambling with real money to the point that I typically don’t hold mobages against the series (other than if they keep releasing them - looking at you, Tales of), and PC being exactly that did not surprise me. I didn’t like it, but I figured... hey, I liked some of the spin-offs, I loved New Leaf... I’ll get this game. I played ACNH thinking, “I look forward to seeing what else unlocks and what other shops and goals I can accomplish!” If I want to chop down trees or break rocks, it’s more fun in Fantasy Life and Rune Factory, which also have crafting and fishing, but they also provide storylines, lots of NPCs (RF4 has a lot of dialogue with them, too), marriage, battle systems... ACNH feels like it tried to do something basic that other games have long since accomplished much better.  And just to add, I turn to AC when I don’t feel like fighting monsters or being pressed along in the story. So it’s not like I expect those things in it, like the other games. Sometimes I just want my only enemies to be wasps, tarantulas, scorpions, and the terrible clothing choices my villagers bestoy upon me. It’s a charming game that can have a lot of life, but it feels barren compared to other titles. One thing I am entirely grateful for in ACNH, which applies to other titles as well: Thank you to the artists who have freely shared their design patterns. Your clothing and paths and simple panel and umbrella designs and everything else you share are fucking amazing. Thanks for spicing up the game. Seeing what everyone does with them is why I spent a lot of time with dream towns and islands in ACNL and ACNH. Y’all can be creative and it’s amazing, but I refuse to give Nintendo credit for just being a canvas to your art. 

[queenofnohr]

Twisted Wonderland Event: Scary Monsters - Episode 1-8

Dreamwidth link here.

-

Episode 1-8 “The Richest”

-Alchemy Workshop - Chemical Storage-

Floyd: Welcome in—. What d’ya think? About Octavinelle’s Halloween. Kalim: What is all this…… it’s super creepy! Jack: It looks like something that’ll make a small kid cry…… Floyd: Riiiiiight? But hold the applause until after you see Azul and Jade’s costumes. Azul: Fufufu…… Our costumes’ theme is......

*camera pans over Azul and Jade*

Azul: Mummies. Jade: But perhaps it would be easier to understand if we introduced ourselves as preserved corpses.* This year, Azul and I became members of the Halloween Organization Committee…… We decided that our costume theme would be a dried out mummy, the complete opposite of merfolk. Floyd: I was totally for it. You can’t do a mummy costume in the sea, ya’know.

Azul: However, simply wrapping bandages around yourself isn’t interesting. Therefore, we aimed to make a stylish coordination that overturns the old-fashioned image of a mummy. Jade: The theme for our decorations is…… “A mad scientist’s laboratory!” The image we had in mind for the aquarium in the back was a “culture tank.” It will light up at night. I thought putting a terrifying mannequin inside would add to the atmosphere. Kalim: Uwah~. You guys made this a full-scale production. Azul: That’s exactly what we were going for. As expected of Kalim, the son of a millionaire. The costumes and aquarium were all finished up by a top tier manufacturer. After all we also had to think about the Halloween menu at the Mostro Lounge…... Unlike you all, we’re very busy people. Idia: So smug…… Kalim: ……Huh? But didn’t each dorm get the same budget constraints for setting up the venue and making the costumes? Crowley: Indeed. One of the pleasures of school life is to make ends meet with a limited budget. You can’t use pocket money, or be over budget, and no shady transfers of money…… Treasurer Jade Leech reliably makes sure of that! Kalim: Right. But was it really okay to use an outside contractor? Jade: Oya. Could it be I’m being suspected of foul play? Kalim: Ah. No, no. That’s not what I meant at all. I was told that I shouldn’t use my own money to pay for a bunch of flashy stuff. So I was wondering how you guys did it. Jade: Fufufu, so you’re curious about that? None of the dormitories, Octavinelle included, exceeded the budget. After all, Octavinelle’s Halloween fixation was…… Thorough cost optimization. Kalim: Cost optimization……? Azul: The costumes are limited in palette and fabric type, and by purchasing in bulk, the unit price per person was kept low. Additionally, the man-hours needed for sewing were significantly cut down by significant use of uncut processing. As for the contractor for the special-order aquarium, we were able to get a deal by having a long-term contract for the future maintenance of Mostro Lounge. We recycled the old lights from the dorm to use in the aquarium. Jade: Does it count as “pocket money” to reuse equipment no longer needed? It was clear where we should and shouldn’t put our money. Azul: Our dormitory used up all the budget allotted for setup and costumes, down to the last madol. The remaining budget for every dorm will all be pooled together to be used as money for the party on the final day. Isn’t it a waste not to use up everything? Cater: To attach the aquarium order while also getting a discount on the long-term maintenance fees of the lounge, totally unrelated to Halloween— ya’ll are playing chess while we’re playing checkers. Deuce: We were only thinking of how to keep it within budget. Vil: I don’t make it a habit to calculate for the exact budget. Azul: Simply put, Octavinelle’s Halloween is “the richest.” Kalim: As expected of Octavinelle. Always so dependable—! Crowley: To prepare the lounge at the same time as this full-scale set and cool costumes…… It’s the skill and ingenuity Octavinelle excels at! Impressive! Now then, let’s go see Scarabia’s set. It was at the school’s store if I’m not mistaken.

-

Episode 1-7 ← → Episode 1-9

*I haven't mentioned it so far because I've (hopefully) been able to make it natural, but there's been a segment in each of these chapters where the costume theme will be introduced, usually just using the English word, then another character will use the Japanese word of whatever was said. I.e. in the last chapter, Cater introduced them as skeletons and Malleus basically said "in other words, you're skeletons (but in Japanese)." It worked out okay for that because it easily went into the "but why aren't there bones" part of that, but here it's literally just "we're mummies" "or perhaps it would be easier to call us mummies." So I changed what he actually says a bit to make a less awkward read.

[whatkikiwrote]

Jen is a character out of an unwritten book. Fairy Michael said it best, "That girl is from another planet." The girl with the spider legs. I say is because a person like Jen doesn't just leave this planet when they die, it'll take awhile before a sparkle like hers dissipates. She was fire, fun and one of the most hilarious people I'd ever met. She was smart as a whip and great company. Jen and I were the girls dating the Hungarians. Thomas and Sam were attached at the hip, which meant for better or worse, so were Jen and I. 

The four of us lived a few months together in a rusty shipping container until the rainy season hit and we were practically flooded out. That was November 2015. The rain in Big Sur fell especially hard that year, breaking California out of it's drought. We were always together in the beginning. Jen would wake at dawn to work her morning shift at Ripplewood and Sam was always ready to walk her to work. If you were unfortunate enough to be in the Ripplewood parking lot around 6am, you'd encounter them with their tongues down each other's throat. Sam and Jen were always making out. I remember once my parents came to visit from Boston, so we took them to the aquarium and my dad joked that Sam and Jen missed the whole thing because they were too busy engulfed in each other.

Living in the shipping container in late October provided minimal heat and sometimes the night temperatures dropped below freezing, so we spent a lot of our time at the pub. To stay warm Sam, Jen and I spent hundreds of hours in the soft glow of the pub's fireplace, while Thomas worked in the kitchen. The pub was located in the same parking lot as our little container, so we would joke it was the living room. I'm sure I'm not the first to say that about the Maiden, and if you were lucky to have spent an evening there, you understand how special it was. A little cozy corner community of people off the beaten Highway one path.

To bide our time I wrote. And drank.

Harassed the bartenders.

 Sam read countless books. But Jen could never sit still. She would pick up a book she was interested in, read a few pages and then start another one. She'd get bored, order a beer from Spencer or, if it was Friday night, from Heavy Metal Chris. She'd roll a cigarette on the bar, go outside by the barrel to smoke and every time I’d glance out the window at her, she would be hugging someone new. Lots of times she'd spot a friend in the parking lot, jump in their car, leave her stuff inside and come back hours later to her beer and purse, right where she'd left them. You don't deserve that kind of community love unless you work for it and Jen certainly did. She was always around and if I needed her in a pinch, I only had to use the “Big Sur telephone”,  "Hey everyone!” I’d call into the open doors of the pub, If you see Jen, tell her I'm looking for her." "Which Jen?" Someone would ask. "The one with the long legs." I’d reply. "Crossed eye Jen?" That was another thing about us. We both had occasionally lazy eyes.

In November Thomas and I moved into our Kia Forte and Sam and Jen moved into her Jetta. We didn't see them as much. Sam and Jen stayed in the valley, sleeping at The Grange while Thomas and I drove down to the south coast and spend our time off surfing at Sand dollar. I remember once we took Sam and Jen out to surf. I let her borrow my board and watched in horror like a worried mother as she flipped and flopped and smashed her and my board over and over again until she realized she could use just use it as a boogie board. I can still remember the endless joy on her face, even today, years later, holed up in a giant downtown apartment, far far away from the Pacific. That cute squinty smile. She wouldn't give me my board back for the rest of the day, no matter how much I pleaded.

In late December Thomas and I decided to move to Monterey. The day we signed our lease I drove to LA to get the rest of my stuff I had left behind when I abruptly decided to follow my heart and move to Big Sur. When I came home to Monterey, the apartment had been completely decorated. It looked like a homeless hippie had vomited all over our walls and, I guess she kinda did. Jen welcomed me with her big goofy googly eyed smile and offered me a plate of burnt cookies. That wasn't the only time Jen decorated my apartment or cooked for us .Once she made a stew of eggs, beans, greens and any condiment and spice she could find in the fridge and cabinet, including the fish sauce. We all took bites to be nice and then fed our portions to the dogs when she wasn't looking. Poor dogs.

Jen and Sam lost their jobs that winter and survived off of Chips Ahoy. They'd sleep over regularly to do laundry, take showers, smoke giant bong rips. We’d get massively stoned and lounge around listening to music while braiding each other's hair. We always had some new abalone or jade or money or doobie or gossip to share. Our collective favorite drink was a latte with a double shot of Bailey's so when they would sleep over, as a thank you, Jen would always make us Bailey's coffee in the morning. One thing Jen was exceptional at, other than being a phenomenal friend and muse, was making lattes. 

Once Jen hosted a dinner party at Coast Gallery, where Henry Miller’s famed water colors hang on the walls. It was just the four of us and Geologist Steve, who was living there at the time. Jen welcomed us at Steve’s door as if it were her own home. The small apartment had access to the latte machine in the commercial kitchen and together we drank at least 10 if not more coffees. She had made little foam hearts in every cup.

 High on caffeine we walked out to the balcony where the cafe serve sandwiches and drinks and looked out at the moon shinning off the ocean. There were few clouds in the sky as the marine layer had dispersed and clearly we could see shooting stars falling around us. Thomas took me by my hand and we started to waltz, as we circled around, I caught a glimpse of Sam and Jen, tongues down each other’s throats. It’s silly how when you are young you believe a moment can last forever.

Jen and I were like sisters. We didn't always get along in the beginning and we'd go long spans of time not seeing each other, but we always had the other's back. If I needed a job, she'd find one for me. If she needed to talk, we'd find each other. Once I took her to that dive bar in Seaside every Big Sur local has been to. I forgot the name. It was noon on a Tuesday and the place was packed. We spent too much money on booze and too much time complaining to each other about the difficulties of being us. After a very short lived game of pool, we decided it was time to leave, but as I reached to open the door, a man blocked my exit and said, "Where do you think you're going?" I stood motionless, freaked out, but Jen just swatted him away and walked out of the dark into the daylight without a blink. 

Eventually she and Sam made a deal with some deeply loved locals and ended up building their own little shack on a mountainside. Jen found a book on gardening and designed her own, at one point she dug out her own stairway down to the garden. Sam and Jen’s only other source of entertainment was a keyboard piano. When Thomas and I would come to visit, Jen and I would play duets. We were shit at it, but that didn't matter. Jen and Sam were living in a dream world. They forged for seaweed at the beach and dried it. They found a colony of bees and tried to harvest the honey. Two of their four walls were made of glass. They watched and documented the Sobranes Fire from their bed. One day as the fire raged, we climbed on their roof and drank Bailey's coffee from their makeshift kitchen: a tarp, a cooler and a small propane stove

.It's been 3 years since I've seen Jen. Thomas and I ran out of money and options after the Pub closed, so we decided with heavy hearts to move to the other side, my side, of the country. She and Sam broke up about a year after we moved. A poor choice, a painful ending, a breakup I wonder if I could have stopped, had I been there.

Despite the distance, I still shared photos with her, of the dogs, of our wedding, our first born little girl. And Jen has never left us, it wasn't even a week ago Thomas and I were sharing memories about her. I still have the pieces of jade we traded,  but I'm realizing now that she's gone,  how little of her I still keep. My apartment used to be where she kept her books,  her clothes,  some memories. Typically when a person you love dies,  there's a funeral to attend,  a gathering of friends to mourn with, but all I have is Thomas and somehow we'll have to tell Sam. How do you tell someone the greatest love of your life is dead? I'm sure it'll be a few more hours until I find out the details of her passing, a few more hours until the shock wears off and I find myself mourning my friend while playing with my children,  doing the dishes or driving in the car. 

Everyone has their own idea about what happens after we die. Thomas thinks we live on only in memories and DNA, I think a bit more spiritually than that.  Anyway, what we think doesn’t matter. Wherever Jen is, besides in all our hearts,  I know she's having a hell of an adventure and I hope someday we can ride those waves again at Asilimar.

[mysaldate]

(UM seduction methods anon here) Im in awe over how much you write for so many character, every day! Do you have any hc on how they live? (where they live? living conditions?) BUT please dont push yourself or anything either!

Thank you so much for worrying about me! I’m simply trying to do my very best for all of you! And thank you also for such wonderful and original requests!

The living conditions of the Upper Moons headcanons

Daki&Gyuutaro

This one will be short since we know quite a lot about them. They’ve lived in the red lights district for their whole lives. In the streets and usually with little more than just their clothes on but they had each other.

They stayed in even after they became a demons. No surprise, there’s plenty of food and nobody will really care if a couple girls disappears.

They don’t have separate rooms of course. These two are literally inseparable so of course they wouldn’t bother with something like that. There’s nobody to tease them about it either since people are not aware of there even being two of them and as for their fellow demons, those just don’t care. Except maybe for Douma but he wouldn’t tease them about it.

We got to see their room so there’s not much to be said about the decorations either. Daki is a stylish girl and she likes to show it off even in the way she sets up their room – even if nobody much gets to see it.

Kaigaku

He never really had much of a home per say. He became an orphan at a young age (if he wasn’t abandoned as a baby already) and then was chased out of Gyomei’s temple as well. Jigoro took him in but unfortunately enough, that relationship didn’t really work out either. Strangely enough, he felt most at home when he was outside, travelling from one mission to another.

After he became a demon, he stayed with Kokushibou for a short period of time but that was just before Muzan approved of his existence. After that, he had to find his own territory – which wasn’t really too hard anyway. He picked a run-down old house as his shelter from the sun for the day but he didn’t really care much how it looked, at least not at first.

It’s not that he wouldn’t like company but there’s not really anyone to share his place with. Humans wouldn’t hang out with him, other demons literally can’t. Other Upper Moons won’t.

He first didn’t care at all how the place looked but after some time, he decided that since he didn’t have anything to do during the day anyway, he could at least try to decorate the place a bit. So while the sun is up, he does little things inside, like sweeping the floors or painting the walls. He even learnt to sew to make curtains. And at night, when he’s not out hunting, he does other reparations. Even he is surprised by how much fun he can have, giving the place a personal touch.

Gyokko

Being an artist, it’s not unlikely that he lived in an open, arid room before he became a demon. Lots of sunlight too. And occassionally, a companion or two but those never really stuck around for long. His place was filled with various unfinished art pieces.

Now that he’s a demon, he can’t have the luxury of a sunny appartment. His pots, however, work as a little pocket dimension so that’s an upgrade? Of sorts? It doesn’t really have a set shape either, it’s a little bit like Nakime’s Infinity Fortress but shapeless, like the walls are made of water or another liquid and constantly change form.

He lives with plenty of goldfish. The entire place is nearly filled with aquariums of various shapes and forms. You know how people make mazes for hamsters, guinea pigs or even cats? Well, those are nothing when compared to the lengths Gyokko goes to for his fishies. It’s not just glass, coloured or plain, either. Sometimes he would use the nichirin blades or pretty hairpieces of his victims’ to decorate the elaborate fishtanks as well. If a human ever strays in, it’s the last thing they say.

Gyokko LOVES decoration. Aside from his fishtanks, he has numerous statues, paintings and just about everything else you can think of. Both handmade and stolen. For his handmade art, he usually uses bodies or bodyparts of his victims, possibly their blood too. It serves both as an artpiece and a food reserve just in case he ever gets to a position where he’s forced to starve. Surprisingly enough, his pots are great at preserving things. Oh, and let’s not forget about the amount of detail he puts to the exterior of his pots! 

Hantengu

Back when he was a human, he didn’t really have a home, naturally. He couldn’t afford it. And most people wouldn’t let him stay more than one night, chasing him out often with sticks and stones. He had to travel all the time and preferably somewhere far away where the rumors about him didn’t reach yet. Due to this, he becomes restless when he has to spend a long time in one place.

Now, as a demon, he also doesn’t stay in one place all the time. He usually sneaks in a house, kills the family and stays there for a few days before moving on to the next one. Some of his other personalities, namely Sekido and Karaku, find this a little useless and bothersome but they wouldn’t really fight him on it.

Speaking of whom, his other personalities split when they have time to be alone as well, taking care of him and the house. It’s a great way to keep him safe as well since at least one of them is always on guard for possible intruders. They get along... somewhat well. There are the usual conflicts between Sekido and the others. Karaku is careless about their cover, Yoroko likes to make pranks on them and Aizetsu tends to lock himself in his room for hours on end. Poor Sekido is left with the task of housework, making sure they don’t get discovered too soon, acting as the voice of reason... and he still has to go out hunting and stay on guard when it’s his turn.

Yoroko likes decorating stuff and Karaku loves to watch him but their taste is strange to everyone but them. Surprisingly enough, Hantengu as well as Aizetsu both can actually create rather beautiful tapestries and Zohakuten sometimes paints when Sekido is just too done with the three useless dorks.

Nakime

She used to be your typical hikikomori. Nakime spent all her time in her room, with nothing but a pile of books and her biwa. It wasn’t a big room either. While her room did have windows, she prefered them covered and read in the light of an oil lamp. As expected, it wasn’t too good for her eyes...

She lives in the Dimensional Infinity Fortress now. A place she can fully control and knows everything about, one that bends to her will and where she can transport anyone anywhere at any time, just as she wants. The only exception seems to be Muzan who comes and goes as he sees fit (at least until the current arc but y’all already know how I feel about that). It’s not that she minds it, she still knows where and when he enters and leaves and even if she didn’t, it’s not like he would ambush and kill her for no reason (right?).

Despite providing rooms specifically suited for the Upper Moons, she much enjoys her solitude. Even when they’re in and she has to keep an eye on them (I’m sorry, I’ll stop with the puns now), she keeps her distance. Try to annoy her, or even just seek her company, and you will mercilessly get thrown out. An exception, again, is Muzan. He doesn’t live there with  her though and only seeks her out when he has work for her to do.

Decoration of the rooms varies greatly, mostly based on what are they used for. Most of the Fortress is not decorated since Nakime sees no reason to waste time and effort on that. However, there are special parts that deserve special attention. Just as an example, there’s Muzan’s upside-down lab, Douma’s lotus pond, that traditional japanese area Kokushibou first appeared in... And of course, the execution platform that’s now decorated with the red of the Lower Moons’ blood.

Akaza

Again, we have a very good canon idea about his life as a human. First living with his father and then spending some time in the streets, he eventually ended up staying at Keizo’s house, taking care of Koyuki. He had his own room there too but it didn’t really matter because he spent most of his time by Koyuki’s side anyway. Rumor has it he dragged his futon to her once when she was having a nightmare and never moved out until she got all better.

He’s pretty much a street rat as of now, looking for challenges and new foes to fight for the most part. During the days, he usually stays still outside, in dense forests or deep caves. He’s not particularly picky. Sometimes he stays there during the night too, setting up a campfire and waiting for someone to wander close. For some reason, he doesn’t really like cities, especially during the festival season.

So yeah, he lives alone. At least usually he does. It’s not all that rare for Douma to find and bother visit him. He doesn’t want company. Getting attached would make him weak. The more people you care about, the easier it is to take advantage of you.

The only thing he cultivates in his surroundings is his own body. No, I’m not talking about the tattoos, though those certainly are a decoration as well. Rather, it’s his muscles and strength. However, he still prefers to have some manners over raw power, hence why he keeps refusing Douma’s more than generous offers to hunt down some girls together even if that could make him stronger.

Douma

Grew up in the temple in the forest. High up on a mountain overlooking a small town, it’s not a place with the most access to society. But cults are usually like that. When he was about three years old, his father planted two magnolia trees in the courtyard so that the place is a little more lively and the trees can grow tall to provide lots of shade in summer since the sun could be quite annoying. If only he knew...

Loyal as he is, Douma stays at the temple even now. He had it expanded a little and even had a lotus pond build right behind his room so he can calm his thoughts at least a bit after every session. He used to need it more than he does now, especially since he now also has the one made by Nakime that is way better and more spacious.

Canonically, there is at least one temple servant staying with Douma at the temple. But honestly, it wouldn’t be quite like him to satisfy himself with a single person. There’s probably a number of people taking care of the place, both temple servants and maidens. They also serve as a source of entertainment and possibly even as a last-resort snack just in case. There also used to be Kotoha and Inosuke for a short period of time but well...

While he is quite childish and it might sound just like him to go overboard with decorating stuff, that’s not entirely true. Really, the most he has is the skull closet with engraved golden door. That and the pot in which he planted Kotoha’s head but that one is a gift from Gyokko so it doesn’t really count.

Kokushibou

As with most of them, we were blessed with enough info on Kokushibou’s, or rather Michikatsu’s, homes. Growing up a samurai, he never had time to spare, little to no friends and a bride who was most likely found for him without him having any say in it, it’s really not that much of a surprise he would elect to leave it all behind and become a demon slayer since it gave him significantly more freedom.

Even as a demon, not much have changed. During the day, he stays at a mansion like the samurai lord he is, and at night, he goes out to hunt down the pests in the area, more often than not treating himself with a bountiful feast while he’s at it. He also has a room in the Infinity Fortress but like the majority of the Upper Moon demons (actually everyone but Douma), he enjoys his solitude way more.

He has a few servants at the mansion. Ones that get replaced every once in a while when they mysteriously disappear. But the salary is high enough to let any major rumors die out in a blink (I know, I promised, I’m sorry) so the most he has to deal with are whispers about him overworking his servants to the point where they rather abandon the money and run away under the cloak of the night.

You would probably find the house eerily plain but he’s used to it. The backyard is where he spends most of his time aside from his room and those two are the only actually decorated places in the house. And they’re still kept neat and practical for the most part. He rarely has anything that wouldn’t serve a purpose, both when it comes to items and people.

[novantinuum]

For the 35 questions: 3, 12, 26, 34!

3) What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Hmm... Well, I generally tend to think I have a pretty good grasp on character voices. I try my hardest to make them sound and feel as much like they do in canon as I can. I also think I’m pretty good at prose, sometimes. I’m still working on like... hitting an optimal prose-to-dialogue balance, but when I start out chapters/fics and it’s ALL prose, I can usually rip out some nice establishing scenes.

12) Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

Ohohohohohoh well I finally got going again on Crack the Paragon, so of course I’m h y p e about that! :D

I’m writing more Ruby POV, and she’s so fun to explore the headspace of. I’m also giving more Garnet development (via memories) when she’s not even active in the story, and I’m really excited about those segments because I got to invent Gem rebellion lore.

26) Already answered!

34) Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

I already did this once, but since it’s an open-ended question, I’m just gonna share another one!

So, in an earlier chapter of Crack the Paragon, I had Steven and Amethyst (after experiencing some Traumatic, paradigm-changing revelations) catch up with Peridot and Lapis, and- because the butterfly effect had not yet met these two Gems, their initial meeting is pretty similar to what is seen in Beta, before the changes in this universe begin to ripple in. So... I had the distinct challenge here of trying to describe events that readers are already somewhat familiar with, while simultaneously making them feel fresh and interesting. A lot of this was accomplished in prose, to skip to the parts where things actually begin diverging. I was pretty proud, however, of what I wrote for the scene wherein Steven and Amethyst are given a tour of the barn, and felt I captured Steven’s boyish excitement (and slight disturbance, in the last paragraph) nicely:

And with this declaration, a few magical minutes pass wherein the two of them receive the highest honor of enjoying the Official Barn Grand Tour, presented by the very artists themselves. In a word, it’s a transformative experience. The outside looks amazing, yes, but in his wholehearted opinion the personal touches on the interior decor raises the place’s coziness to the next level. Over the past few weeks, Peridot and Lapis have spent their efforts transforming all the mementos and broken scraps of their lives into art, (or ‘meep-morp,’ as Lapis calls it), displaying the pieces all throughout their shared home. Peridot’s broken audio recorder now rests peacefully on a stand, a sky blue ribbon tied around the fractures at its middle. Touchingly, he learns that Lapis kept the leaf he gave her, delicately propping it upright in a clump of soil. A TV affixed to the ceiling beams with metal cables plays a clip of CPH on repeat. He has a niggling suspicion that the clip she selected represents her lingering trauma about, like... being trapped in a mirror for thousands of years, but according to her it’s merely a fan’s shrine of the show. Still, while discussing books together Connie once told him that all art is subjective and authorial intent is dead, so respectfully he’s sticking to his interpretation. But regardless of its meaning, he’s so, so happy to see her freely making things for herself.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the creative spectrum, Peridot’s green alien plush is floating alongside various hunks of garbage in the hodgepodge aquarium at the side wall. Its slow voyage through the tank is admittedly entrancing, but oh, do those big deep eyes grow more and more unnerving the longer he stares at them. The last straw comes when he watches stuffing slowly drift out of a gaping hole in the fabric at its neck. Subtly cringing, he takes a step back from the glass to go admire something else. Sometimes art isn’t made for everyone, and that’s okay.

[ghostking-wenning]

Radishes, Chapter 4

I wrote this all in one go last night, and I think it came together pretty good! So y’all get a lil two-fer today. This chapter is mostly dialogue, which is probably my specialty! Lemme know whatcha think. 

1900 words, rated T for drinking I guess, NingXian, modern au, first date, momentary angst but it’s resolved really quick!

Enjoy~!

“Thank you! We’re The Whatevers! We have stickers and T-shirts at the merch counter. Have a great night!” Wuxian waved as he and his bandmates gathered their things and left the stage. Their set was short, but it was easily the most exciting thing Qionglin had seen in … well, ever, probably. The host in the strappy dress came back, and thanked The Whatevers, chatting to fill time while the next band set up.

“Hey!” Wuxian suddenly appeared at his side. He’d shed his leather jacket, and a light sheen of sweat coated his skin.

“Hey!” Qionglin parroted back, hopping to his feet. “That was amazing! You really are a rockstar!” Wuxian had put on heeled boots for the show, and now towered a few inches over him. Qionglin had to tip his head further back to meet his eyes.

Wuxian laughed breezily. “Thank you so much! I’m glad you liked it. It means a lot.”

“Of course! I um, I really like your s-singing. And the lyrics were really poetic and moving, but still cool and exciting! I-- I haven’t heard a lot of music like that before.” 

“Oh, gosh, thanks!” Wuxian gushed. “I didn’t know anyone actually listened to the lyrics, heh…”

“You asked me to,” Qionglin explained. “But I think I would’ve noticed them anyway, they’re…” He searched for the right word. “Beautiful.” 

Wuxian didn’t say anything for a while, just stared down at him intensely. Qionglin shuffled his feet and broke eye contact. 

“Do you wanna get out of here?” Wuxian eventually asked.

“Uh, out? Where?” Qionglin forced himself to look back at him, but his expression was still so piercing. Qionglin bit his lower lip, and his stomach flipped over when Wuxian’s gaze flicked downward. 

His face finally softened, a slight smile curling his lips. “I know a place. Let’s go.”

Qionglin followed him back through the greenroom, and out of the club. They walked a few blocks, to a quiet bar called the Lilypad. It was decorated in blues and greens and purples, live plants overflowing from handmade ceramic pots. Soft, traditional Chinese music lilted through the air.

“Wow,” Qionglin remarked. “This place is cute! Kind of a 180 from the Devil’s Den, huh?”

“Mhm!” Wuxian agreed. “It’s an old favorite. My dad took my brother and me here for our first drinks when we turned 18.”

They took their seats across from each other at a small round table. Brightly colored fish swam in an aquarium next to them. Wuxian perused the drink menu. They had a beautiful view of the river, glinting faintly in the twilight.

“What’s good here?” Qionglin wondered aloud. “This probably isn’t surprising, but I don’t drink very often. Pretty much just on holidays at family dinners or whatever.”

“Hmm… do you trust me?” Wuxian asked, peering over the menu, one eyebrow raised.

Qionglin looked at him, confused. “Yes…?” 

“Good!” Wuxian said decisively, tapping the side of his nose. “Wait right here.” And he whisked away.

“Okay…” Qionglin waited obediently. A couple of minutes later, Wuxian reappeared with two glasses of pale golden wine.

“This is one of the best things you’ll ever taste,” he promised, setting one glass in front of Qionglin. 

Qionglin raised his eyebrows. “Not what I was expecting…” he began, lifting the glass and sniffing curiously. The wine smelled of lotus blossoms and ripe plums. He took a tentative sip. The golden liquor warmed his lips, but didn’t burn as it slid down his throat. Its sweet aroma reminded him of summertime. “It’s delicious!”

“Right?” Wuxian effused. “It’s called Hefeng. It’s a specialty from my hometown. Also, I lied. It’s the second best thing you’ll ever taste. The first one is harder to find up here.” He drank happily from his glass, smiling fondly.

“Oh? What’s the first one?” 

“It’s called Emperor’s Smile. They only make it in Suzhou, though, and the vineyard that makes it doesn’t distribute it. Something about how it doesn’t taste right outside of Suzhou, I dunno. Sounds like bullshit to me, but it’s damn good wine.” He sighed wistfully. “If I get a bottle, I’ll save you a glass.” 

Qionglin felt heat rising to his face, and tried to hide it behind his wine glass. He took a long sip. 

“Pace yourself,” Wuxian warned. “It’s stronger than it tastes.” 

Indeed it was. Less than a quarter-hour later, Qionglin’s glass was empty and he was feeling quite buzzed. Oops, he thought faintly. Oh well!

“So tell me about yourself,” Wuxian prompted. He swirled the wine in his glass; he was on his second cup, but seemed thus far unaffected.

“Oof,” Qionglin muttered. “What’s there to tell? I’m … Just a farmer, I guess. I like plants and animals. I like to cook. That’s kind of it.” He shrugged. “I’m not exactly the most interesting guy around. I’m probably pretty boring, huh?”

“Don’t say that,” Wuxian chided. “If you were boring, we wouldn’t be here. Tell me about farming! How’d you get into that?”

Qionglin blinked. No one had ever asked. “Well, it’s a family thing. The farm’s been in our family for over a hundred years. My cousins and I are starting to take over the bulk of the work from our aunties and granny.” 

“What about your folks? What do they do?” 

“Oh… Um… They were doctors.”

“On the farm?”

“N-no, I mean… before they died.” Awkwardly, Qionglin glanced out the window. It was dark out now, but he could see city lights twinkling across the water.

“What? No way!” Wuxian blurted out.

“Uh… It’s not exactly unheard of…” Qionglin picked at his paper napkin.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” Wuxian corrected. “I um. Lost my parents too. When I was really little.”

“Oh.” Qionglin looked back at him and offered an apologetic smile. “What a thing to have in common, huh? But I thought you mentioned your dad earlier?”

“Yeah, I was adopted. I was in the foster system for a few years, then a friend of my father’s found me and took me in. He’s been very kind to me. His kids are like my real siblings.” He cleared his throat. “So, what about you? Do you have siblings?”

“Yeah, a big sister!” Qionglin said, already forgetting the maudlin turn their conversation had taken. “Her name is Qing and she’s the coolest. She’s in medical school here in the city. What are your siblings like?” 

Wuxian smiled warmly. “I have a big sister too. She’s probably my favorite person ever. Her name’s Yanli, she’s a pastry chef. My brother, Wanyin, is… he’s my best friend, but he’s kind of an acquired taste. In other words, he’s a total dickhead, but I love him anyway!” His laughter was almost as beautiful as his singing.

Qionglin couldn’t help but laugh too. “They sound great,” he mused.

“Yeah…” Wuxian sighed. “Even my boyfriend likes them, and he doesn’t like anyone!”

Qionglin’s heart dropped like a stone. “... your what…?” He whispered, praying he’d heard wrong. Involuntarily, his hands curled into fists in his lap.

Wuxian blanched. “My-- my boyfriend? Don’t tell me-- did I never mention him?”

“No. You didn’t.” Qionglin said shortly. He couldn’t believe he’d been so naive. He must’ve misread his kindness and openness as flirting, and like a fool, fell for it. Maybe Wuxian was just like this to everyone he met. He felt hot from the inside out, like his bones had turned to molten lead. His skin prickled, and his breath hitched like suddenly there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. “I should go.” He stood abruptly, slapped a stack of small bills on the table, more than enough for one glass of wine, and hurried out of the bar. 

The shock sobered him up instantly. He walked briskly down the street, vision blurred with tears. He hoped he was walking back to his car, but the streets all looked the same, especially in the dark. Stupid! Of course he already has someone! Why would he ever waste his time on me? He roughly swiped the tears away with his shirtsleeves. Just my fucking luck, isn’t it? The first time I ever like someone and it goes like this. So much for new beginnings and taking chances, huh?

“Wait--!” Wuxian fumbled for his wallet, paid quickly and ran after him. “Qionglin! Wait, I can explain!” 

Qionglin walked faster and tried to ignore him, but he caught up easily and cut him off. Qionglin took a shaky breath. “Explain what?” He spat, refusing to look at him. “I … I thought you… ugh, never mind.” Words rarely came easily, but it was even harder to speak when he was so worked up. “God I’m an idiot…” he muttered.

“No, you’re not--! I didn’t mean to… to lead you on or anything. I-- my boyfriend and I-- we’re open. I’m polyamorous.”

Qionglin blinked a few times. He’d heard that word before, but wasn’t sure he understood. 

“It means I sometimes have feelings for more than one person.” Wuxian explained. “My boyfriend, Wangji -- he doesn’t feel the same way, but he understands that I do, we have an agreement and everything. I-- I swear I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I really just forgot I hadn’t already told you.” Qionglin still avoided looking at him, but his tone was gentle and sincere. 

Qionglin sniffed. “S-- so what?” 

“So… Can I have a do-over? A new first date, a proper one. A-anything you want to do! I know I don’t deserve it… but I like you. Will you let me try again?” Slowly, shyly, he reached for Qionglin’s hand. Qionglin flinched but didn’t pull away, letting Wuxian gently prise his fingers apart and twine them together. 

Qionglin’s head was spinning. Suddenly he felt tipsy again. “S-so…” he repeated slowly. “You do like me…?”

Wuxian chuckled softly. “Yeah, I do.” With his free hand he reached up and delicately dabbed the tears from the corners of Qionglin’s eyes. “I’m so sorry I upset you like that. That was my fault.” For someone so carefree and vivacious, he could be surprisingly mature when he wanted to be. “I won’t do it again.”

Qionglin swallowed hard. “Okay…” he whispered.

Wuxian stepped even closer. Their chests were nearly touching. “Okay? You mean it?” He asked hopefully.

Qionglin nodded. He looked up at Wuxian finally, and managed a shy smile. Wuxian pulled Qionglin into his arms, squeezing tightly. Qionglin wondered when was the last time anyone hugged him like this. Tentatively, he brought his arms up and wrapped them around Wuxian’s waist, leaning into the embrace and resting his forehead on his shoulder. He was still reeling a bit from the emotional whiplash, but Wuxian’s arms were warm, strong, and grounding. His heart rate slowed, and his breathing evened out. "So a do-over, huh? A proper… date?" He said, voice muffled in the collar of Wuxian's jacket.

Wuxian finally let go and stepped back, hands still lingering on Qionglin’s own. “Yes! Let me know what you want to do. Say the word and we’ll go, okay?” 

Qionglin thought for a moment, humming and tipping his head to the side. 

“You don’t have to think of it right now!” Wuxian clarified. “You can just text me when you decide.”

Qionglin shook his head. “No, no, I’ve got it. Let’s go to the zoo. I'm… free tomorrow! Or next Saturday. Every Saturday, actually…"

Wuxian smiled that sunshine smile. “Tomorrow is perfect.”