#black coffee Agatha christie

[reflection-s-of-stars]

my favorite part of Black Coffee was when Poirot said “it’s poirotin time” and poiroted all over those suspects

[do-you-know-this-play]

[lieutenantfloyd]

Love is a mystery | Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal x reader

Word Count: 841

Summary: With Harry’s help, Rosie finds old hobbies and new love in post-war New York.

Warnings: Mentions, of war, implied ptsd and depression, talk of marriage and pregnancy.

Authors Note: I honestly don't know where this idea came from, but I think my brain needed something a bit fluffy after watching all nine episodes of Master of the Air in two days and crying the whole time. [This is based off of the portrayal by the actors in the Apple TV+ series. I have nothing but wholehearted respect for the real life individuals and situations portrayed.]

Read on AO3

In the months following their return stateside, Crosby takes a trip to see Rosie. During a nice casual lunch, he spends far too long dancing around the fact that Rosie is visibly not okay, and eventually suggests that getting back into things he enjoyed before the war will greatly help his readjustment.

Rosie briefly considered placating him with an "I'm fine, really," but he only nods, unable to lie to Crosby.��

The truth is Rosie hasn't slept one full night since his first at Thorpe Abbotts and he gladly accepts shaky hands and reddened eyes over the twilight memories of what he saw and those he's lost.

Yet, after a night of particularly bad insomnia, he takes Crosby's words to heart and heads to the library. The pen trembles against Rosie's calloused hand while he fills out the library's card application, but his voice is steady when he asks the pretty librarian for recommendations.

He's too distracted by your shiny, kind eyes to notice how you recognize the distant look in his own. contrarily, You note in your diary that night how you couldn't tell if it was sympathy or his easy charm that made your heart race wildly while suggesting some classics and mysteries that should keep his mind busy.

-

"you need to get out more, Rosie," Crosby states in a letter one day.

It just so happens that during a now routine trip to the library, Rosie notices a half-hidden flier for an Agatha Christie book club pinned to the community board.

A week later—spurred onward once more by Harry's words—he pulls himself out of bed, has a shower and shave, and attends the meeting.

The cracked glass of Rosie's brown leather watch allows him to see he's half an hour late as he ascends up the small steps in front of the building.

Designated meeting room C is quiet and mostly dark as he pulls the handle. He's three solid steps inside the door when the room's sole occupant looks up at him—you, that same librarian with those same eyes.

He barely has half a mind to choose one of the provided refreshments—a cup of black coffee dangerously close to room temperature—before sinking into one of the many empty seats. The weary but logical part of him says that this is a waste of time, but the remnants of his fun-loving side tell him that he's got nothing to lose.

He takes a sip of coffee and sinks further into his seat.

While exchanging kind pleasantries, you retrieve a well loved copy of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? from your envelope handbag. Rosie quickly follows suit and slips his own newly bought but already dog eared book out of his leather coat pocket.

"So you liked it?" you inquire with joyfully clasped hands and a voice filled with breathtaking earnestness. After nearly choking on a hefty drink of coffee and his fluttery nerves, Rosie lets a bashful smile slip past his defenses.

Ninety minutes pass completely uncounted before Rosie steps back out onto the snowy, bustling New York City streets. He quickly shuffles home, tossing his coat and book onto a chair before dropping down onto his bed. He intends to return the items to their rightful place after a short rest, though the book will find a home on his bedside table after he spots your number jotted on the inside corner in loopy, flowing handwriting.

-

Spring is well in bloom when Rosie and Harry see each other again. 

Rosie spends the following two days giving the Crosby family a tour of the best sights and eats his hometown has to offer. 

Their third evening in town has Crosby swaying his young son to the music flowing through the jazz bar while covertly helping Rosie draft his proposal speech. You and Jean are sat within arms reach, though you both pay the boys no mind as you're fully entranced by the music. The night winds on, and the draft becomes a full, completed speech. They share a coy laugh as Rosie slips the notebook back into his vest pocket, knowing that if all goes right this moment will find its way into Crosby's best man's speech.

In this smoky bar just past dinner time, they both accept that they aren't the same men they were before the war. They’d seen a hell no words could ever describe, and yet the world somehow kept turning. They escape to the bar soon after, where Harry tells him that he'll soon be a father once more. Rosie offers his congratulations and jokes that he won't be far behind. The bar is dim, but Crosby still catches a glimpse of the lighthearted playfulness returning to his friend's eyes.

You and Jean coo and fuss over the baby as the men say their goodbyes. Through an especially tight hug, they make each other a silent promise to keep holding on. If not for who they were before but for who they are—and what they have —now.

[johnwickb1tsch]

18 👀 I’m curious to see if there’s any scenes that didn’t make the cut in one of your fics?

Oh man, that's a good question Scoob! Usually I manage to jimmy things i write in SOMEWHERE, but this is the only scene I could think of in my scrap pile that I'm absolutely sure I'm going a different direction after banging my head on the table about it. This was fun but way too tame for what the story requires. It's from the Constantine x femVampire!Reader fic. Reader is feeling sorry for herself because Constantine is ghosting her AGAIN, when she meets a mysterious stranger... I know you can guess who it is. 🤣🤣

The Girl Next Door - Deleted Scene

You do your best not to think about John Constantine–and fail at it most of the time. You find that the blood of evil doers nourishes your body, but does not really satisfy. What you really crave, like the most filling meal, and the most delectable dessert, is a 6’1” drink of sardonic demon hunter.

You do wonder why. Things had seemed fine, when you parted ways just before dawn. He’d kissed you with a tenderness that tied up your heart, his big hand dwarfing the side of your face, holding you like you were something precious to him. 

The memory just twists the knife a little more to the left. 

You continue to feel that presence, that omnipresent seething energy, that sensation that you are being watched. But it never shows itself, so you do your best to be vigilant, and continue to go about your business. 

You are delighted one night when you find a bookstore/cafe open late. Shopping has become hit or miss, with your new nocturnal hours. You can order things, of course, but it’s certainly not the same. 

The old hippy at the register offers you a smile before going back to his dog eared copy of Invalids Home From Hot Climates. The place smells like coffee, and books, and you feel like you might have stumbled through the gates of your own personal little heaven. 

Aren’t you supposed to burst into flames or something?

Thinking that maybe catching up on your reading will help get you out of your funk, you start to wander the stacks, pulling titles that interest you. Classics you’ve always meant to read, but never really had the time. Sylvia Plath, D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf and John Steinbeck, James Joyce, Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, Herman Melville, and Agatha Christie all pile up in your hands. 

On the highest shelf, Anais Nin catches your eye. You reach for it on tiptoe fruitlessly, balancing your stack of books in your other hand. It is way over your head. You could jump for it without spilling your bookish burden–but you know it would not look human to the few other people milling around the shelves and curled up in the comfy reading nooks. 

A long arm reaches over you, plucking out the book, and only then are you aware of a solid presence looming behind you. No one has managed to sneak up on you like this since the night of your undeath. Unnerved, you whirl, putting your back to the stacks. Only narrowly do you manage not to bare your fangs like a startled kitten in this public venue. 

You find a tall man dressed all in black standing very close to you, his arm still raised with the book dwarfed in his big hand. His angular face is accented by a short beard; longish raven hair brushes his collar. Dark eyes fix on you curiously; the weight of his gaze almost makes you squirm. “Saw you struggling,” he explains simply in a deep baritone, offering you the cloth-bound tome. 

You find you cannot look away from those bewitching dark eyes, almost as though you’ve been hypnotized. It’s more than the fact that he is panty-drenchingly handsome–there is something mesmerizing about him, and you’re not sure if his power is sinister or simply…profound.

Almost absently, you accept the book, adding it to your stack balanced in your hand. 

He looks at your copious selections with a smirk. “Someone’s been eating her wheaties.” 

You realize it probably does look odd, for a woman of your size to be toting around such a load one-handed. You make a show of clutching your stack to your front with both hands, feeling ridiculously shy as a school-girl, as though the barrier of old books might provide some protection from this stranger’s charm. 

 “Just…catching up on some reading.” 

He offers the slightest smile for that, not showing teeth, and you cannot tell if he is flirting with you, or sizing you up. There is something odd about his energy. Human, and yet…heavier. His aura is like a thundercloud, and you’re not sure if you are intrigued, or afraid. He’s just this side of being in your space, and a part of you wants to ask him to back up–a part of you really doesn’t.  

“Have some time on your hands?”

“Something like that.” 

He nods, and makes no indication that he intends to move, his attention fixed fully down upon you. 

He gets the honor of being the only man, aside from John Constantine, who has made you feel even a little nervous since you turned. You’re not sure you like him very much for it. 

“What did you find?” you ask, hoping to break the tension, pointing at a little green book in his other hand. It looks old, older than any of your selections. 

“Robinson Crusoe.” 

“Looks like it's seen better days,” you observe with a sad pout, sorry to see a book in disrepair. 

“I’m going to fix it,” he tells you, the first hint of warmth entering his expression. 

“Oh?”

“It’s a hobby of mine.”

Like this man couldn’t get any hotter. 

He smirks at you, like you said it aloud. 

For some stupid reason, you start to blush. 

“Can I…buy you a coffee?”

“Why?” you blurt, mortified the moment it leaves your mouth. 

His smirk widens to a smile, and he seems to struggle with himself, trying not to show his teeth. 

“Just thought you have a nice stack,” he answers utterly deadpan, and you are dumbfounded as those eyes that seemed like black holes moments before sparkle. 

“Um…thanks for the offer…” 

He takes a step closer, and then he is crowding you against the shelf, his broad body dwarfing yours. Something about his presence makes you forget that you’re a vampire, and you could rip out his spine with your bare hands if you wanted to. He makes you feel small, and a little vulnerable, and fuck you if you don’t kind of like it. 

“You don’t drink coffee?” he fishes, and you feel like the two of you are speaking in code, but only he has the key. 

“It’s not my favorite,” you admit, resisting the urge to tack on anymore. 

“What do you like to drink?”

As though on cue, the spiced scent of his cologne and his skin makes its way to your nostrils; and beneath that, what you are sure would be a heady taste of his lifeblood. If you didn’t know any better…you would think he was baiting you with vampire pheromones, or something. The wave of longing that hits you is intense, and you have to close your eyes and lean back from him. You take a deep breath–which does not help. You feel like you’re paralyzed, and when you open your eyes you find he is leaning over you with an arm on the shelf again, nearly nose to nose with you. 

You try twice for your voice, and it will only come as a whisper. “Please don’t.”

Don’t what, you don’t even know, but something is weighing on you and you feel like you can’t move.

You flinch as he reaches up to touch you, the tips of his fingers resting on your throat, just above your surprisingly pounding pulse. His eyes settle on your mouth, before rising to meet yours, and you are both hopeful and terrified this strange, captivating man is going to kiss you. 

He speaks, though it doesn’t really break the spell. 

“Be seeing you, vampling.”  

With wide eyes and utter shock you watch him stride away from you–and my god, what a glorious view. Long powerful legs, and an utterly biteable rear end. There is a pause in which you presume he pays for his book, before the bell over the door chimes, and he exits onto the street.

You stand where he left you for a good half hour, re-learning how to command your limbs, and maybe, your brain. 

[magpiewithnpd]

yea we joke about NPD people thinking they're gods. but when everyone else is as shitty as they are, only doing things because their little empathy meter tells them to, you can't blame me for feeling like one. if i do or don't do something, it's due to a matter of principle, not some odd ideation of what might feel bad

just as i would absolutely do unspeakable things to you if you don't shut up whining, and if not for said principles. it is because of the lack of arbitrary factors that i need to have these self-imposed restrictions. that sounds pretty god like to me

it doesn't help that i've acquired such a vast knowledge and experience of my own issues that i can predict how you'll act beat by beat because i've seen it all before

so while you go on squabbling about "narc black eyes" or what not, i'll be here ominously drinking a coffee in the corner of the local café and reading the yellowing pages of an old-print Agatha Christie novel

[books-coffee-and-the-woods]

January 2025 Reading Wrap-Up

I read 10 books this month! The photo doesn't really do this justice, as most of them were borrowed from the library and have since been returned. January was so long I honestly forgot I read a few of these.

Read in January:

The Book of Love - Kelly Link ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blue Morning vol 2 - Shoko Hidaka ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blue Morning vol 3 - Shoko Hidaka ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

xxxHolic omnibus 1 - CLAMP ⭐⭐⭐.5

Witch Hat Atelier vol 1 - Kamome Shirahama ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Witch Hat Atelier vol 2 - Kamome Shirahama (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The City in Glass - Nghi Vo (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Isis Trilogy - Monica Hughes (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Carrie - Stephen King (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

DNF'd:

Vassa in the Night - Sarah Porter

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

Currently Reading:

White as Snow - Tanith Lee (library book)

Wild Magic - Tamora Pierce

Night's Master - Tanith Lee (ebook)

Acquired in January

So my original goal was to only buy 50 books this year. Clearly I have fallen off the bandwagon with that 😅 but to keep myself accountable (and to keep better track of where my books come from) I'm going to add them to my wrap-ups.

I bought 29 physical books and 1 ebook this month, and also acquired one from the little free library! Now my goal is to not buy anything else until I visit the used bookstore again in March (yes, I have scheduled this as bimonthly Enrichment).

Books from Indigo (5):

Blue Morning vols 4-8 - Shoko Hidaka

Books from the indie bookstore near my office (5):

A Sunny Place for Shady People - Mariana Enriquez

The Vegetarian - Han Kang

Before the Coffee gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The Chandelier - Clarice Lispector

Death in Her Hands - Ottessa Moshfegh

Books from Am*zon (the only place I could find it, I swear) (2):

The Earth is Flat - Tanith Lee

Night's Master - Tanith Lee (ebook)

Books from the used bookstore (11):

Chicks n' Chained Males - Esther Friesner

Did You Say Chicks?! - Esther Friesner

Demon Blues - Esther Friesner

Druid's Blood - Esther Friesner

Death's Master - Tanith Lee

Night's Sorceries - Tanith Lee

Gold Unicorn - Tanith Lee

Red Unicorn - Tanith Lee

Beauty - Robin McKinley

Chalice - Robin McKinley

2041: Twelve Short Stories about the Future - edited by Jane Yolen

Books from Thriftbooks (7):

Black Heart, Ivory Bones - edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

Silver Birch, Blood Moon - edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

Black Unicorn - Tanith Lee

Electric Forest - Tanith Lee

The Porcelain Dove - Delia Sherman

Hannah's Garden - Midori Snyder

The Innamorati - Midori Snyder

Books from the little free library (1):

The Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie

[bookmuseum]

About Eu

Hello hello! 👋🏽 My name is Eu (@eu_gi_oh on Twitter). Any pronouns work. I am a Filipino immigrant living in Canada. My favorite color is blue. I like dogs, coffee, sleeping, jazz music, and squishy plushies. I have a BA in Honors English and MA in literature. I wrote my master’s on 19th to 20th century Japanese literature in Kafka Asagiri and Sango Harukawa’s animanga series Bungou Stray Dogs. My favorite authors are Leo Tolstoy, Mary Shelley, Charlotte Brontë, Osamu Dazai, Agatha Christie, and myself (hehe). My favorite books are Anna Karenina, Frankenstein, and No Longer Human (no one is surprised).

I mostly read and am interested in “classic” literature, mainly from North + Eastern Europe, North America, Japan, and the intersection between them, but I also just like anything. I love Indigenous/Native American, black, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, diaspora/immigration, and other forms of POC/marginalized lit. I usually don’t read stuff before the ancient classics period or past the 20th century, but I enjoy all types of literature, poems, plays, prose, nonfiction, history, biographies, folklore, fairytales, myths, and stories. (Occasionally I read something written by someone alive, but it's not a habit of mine).

My favorite genres are crime and detective fiction, Gothic/horror, Bildungsroman (coming-of-age), mystery, tragedy, speculative, and life writing. I don’t like dark fantasy, romance, or erotica/smut.

Blog Housekeeping

My content is 100% dependent on what I am currently interested in at the moment in terms of books. If you want to follow along with my reading and general literary nonsense, please feel free to talk to me! I tend to be all over the place so don’t expect much structure or organization (or fast replies). This account is for fun and sharing all things literature with others.

My ask box is open, but you can also talk to me on Twitter (@eu_gi_oh), Goodreads, and Tellonym. Tone indicators are appreciated! Please don’t ask me about booktok 😅

My book reviews are all tagged under #book review and are not spoiler free. (Most of the stuff I read is over a hundred years old, how can I be spoiling it?) Each review has a link to the Goodreads version for better accessibility.

Thank you for taking care of me! I hope we can have fun talking about books together 🥰

[bloodmaarked]

➫ monthly book round-up: october 2024

books read: 8 [1 DNF] [+33%] average rating: 3.64 [-7%] average speed: 10.9 days [-30%] total pages: 2,067 [-9%] yearly goal progress: 68/50 [136%] best of the month: pachinko, min jin lee worst of the month: storm and fury, jennifer l. armentrout

4.5* reads:

before the coffee gets cold, toshikazu kawaguchi

pachinko, min jin lee

4* reads:

disorientation, elaine hsieh chou

3.5* reads:

the empress of salt and fortune, nghi vo

lord of the flies, william golding

brown girls, daphne palasi andreades

2* reads:

the house of broken bricks, fiona williams

DNFs:

storm and fury, jennifer l. armentrout

currently reading:

back to black, kehinde andrews

autumn chills, agatha christie

[atlantis-area]

Rules: answer + tag some people you want to get know better and/or catch up with!

Tagged by @taeiltual Thank you Bex!

1. Favorite Color: Turquoise but I really like blue and purple as well 2. Last Song: Paranoid by Black Sabbath 3. Currently Reading: I've just finished reading a Romanian novel, probably will read an Agatha Christie one because I want to read them all 🤭 4. Currently Watching: I'm stuck with One Spring Night and I'm rewatching Jumong :D 5. Currently Craving: I guess chips? I keep seeing them everywhere in stores with Euros going on and I guess I'll give in sooner or later but I want to eat as little as possible! But I'm doing okay for now 😂 6. Coffee or Tea: Tea! Especially the forest fruit one!

Tagging @ohmuqueen, @jjongosaurus, @speakofcompersion, @vampyretaemin, @xoalsox, @anotherdescentintomadness, @jonghyunluvr and whoever wants to do it! Don't do it if you don't want to! 😄

[spicykaraage]

Tenipuri Complete Character Profile - Hiroshi Yagyuu

[PROFILE]

Birthday: October 19th (Libra)

Blood Type: A

Relatives: Grandfather, father, mother, younger sister

Father’s Occupation: Doctor (internal medicine)

Elementary School: Kanagawa Fourth Elementary School

Middle School: Rikkai University Junior High School

Grade & Class: Third Year | Class 3-A | Seat 20

Club: Tennis Club (regular)

Committee: Disciplinary Committee

Strong Subjects: All

Weak Subjects: None

Most Visited Spot at School: Student council room

Favorite Motto: “A good deed a day.” ➜ “They were good days. Yes, they have been good days.” [TP]

Daily Routines: Keeping a diary, waking up to classical music, cleaning his room

Hobbies: Reading (mystery genre), interpreting English [TP]

Favorite Color: Moss green

Favorite Music: Songs by Johann Strauss II

Favorite Movie: The Phantom of the Opera

Favorite Book: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie ➜ Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro [TP]

Favorite Food: Tokoroten, naengmyeon [23.5]

Favorite Anniversary: Gentleman’s Day “Are you familiar with it?”

Preferred Type: A chaste woman

Ideal Date Spot: A botanical garden ➜ His favorite coffee shop [TP]

His Gift for a Special Person: “My sincerest words…”

Where He Wants to Travel: The United Kingdom

What He Wants Most Right Now: Handkerchief ➜ Circular glasses and a medium-length black wig [23.5] ➜ Tea leaves Mizuki had recommended to him [TP]

Dislikes: Forgetful people, thrill rides, haunted houses ➜ Psychological tests [TP]

Skills Outside of Tennis: Solving wire puzzles, debating [23.5]

Spends Allowance On: Donating

Routine During the World Cup: Meeting up with Niou for certain things

[DATA]

Height: 177cm | 5’9”

Weight: 64kg | 141 lbs

Shoe Size: 27cm

Dominant Arm: Right

Vision: (With glasses) 1.5 Left & Right

Play Style: Serve & Volleyer

Signature Moves: Laser Beam

Number of Times He Raises His Hand in Class: 11.3 times a day

Equipment Brands:

Racket: DUNLOP ADFORCE M1 TOUR

Shoes: DUNLOP PRS-300DG (ADFORCE)

Overall Rating: Speed: 2 / Power: 3 / Stamina: 3 / Mental: 4 / Technique: 5 / Total: 17

Kurobe Memo: “It’s a requirement for top-notch players to show a calm demeanor even in difficult situations. Just by having the image that you’re unperturbed can cause your opponent to sweat during the game.” <Official Description>

[POSSESSIONS]

What’s in His Bag [40.5]:

Small umbrella: He always carries it in case it suddenly rains

A book by Agatha Christie: Poirot Investigates, he states reading is gentlemanlike. He particularly likes Agatha Christie’s works and reads them in the original English text, then will translate them in his own style

Fountain pen: He wraps it in a scarf rather than putting it in a case. He doesn’t think mechanical pencils suit his image

Pocket watch: A vintage pocket watch his grandfather had gifted him for enrolling at Rikkai. He has always kept it on his person since then, and usually keeps it in his school uniform’s breast pocket

Furoshiki cloth: He’s recently gotten into collecting stylish furoshiki cloths. He does not use a binder to compile his study materials, and instead wraps them in a furoshiki cloth and carries them around

Sanada’s calligraphy: “A gentleman is no specialist.”

What’s in His Locker [C&S]:

Small umbrella

Psychology and tactical books

A penguin postcard: His favorite postcard featuring emperor penguins

[anonymousewrites]

Happy New Year!

I hope you all have a wonderful 2024! You guys all rock!

Here's my plan for what I know I'm writing so far in 2024:

A Study of the Heart and Brain Book 3

Adolescent Antichrist Book 5

One Hell of a Love Book 3 (once the season comes out :))

Don't worry, there will be more than that, but right now that's the definitive plan.

Some possible stories I'm considering:

AOS Logos and Pathos

AU Dazai x Reader

New Father Figure x Teen! Reader story

Also, for fun, here is the list of the books I read in 2023:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

A Duel with the Vampire Lord by Elise Kova

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Radiant Sin by Katee Robert

The Stranger by Andre Camus

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

On Writing by Stephen King

The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle

League of Liars by Astrid Scholte

King of Wrath by Ana Huang

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

Hades by Carly Spade

Black Coffee by Agatha Christie

King of Pride by Ana Huang

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

Mrs. McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deon

Apollo by Carly Spade

Ares by Carly Spade

Eros by Carly Spade

Poseidon by Carly Spade

Zeus by Carly Spade

The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Pestilence by Laura Thalassa

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

A Duet with the Siren Duke by Elise Kova

Still Life by Louise Penny

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

L’Ultimate Notte Della Nostra Vita by Adam Silvera

War by Laura Thalassa

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

King of Greed by Ana Huang

Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

Lightbringer by Claire Legrand

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong

The Righteous by Renee Ahdieh

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

The Blue Machine by Helen Czerski

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories by Agatha Christie

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie

[coolasakuhncumber]

Narratives of 2023

Books

- We've got this, edited by Eliza Hull

- Never Say Die, Anthony Horowitz

- The Making of Us - Sheridan Voysey

- Before the Coffee goes Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Films

- Admission

- Notting Hill

- Seriously Red

- Empire Records

- The Pretend One

- I Wanna Dance with Somebody

- The Green Book

- Palm Beach

- All My Life

- You People

- The Menu (well, half of it)

- 10 Things I Hate About You

- The Art of Racing in the Rain

- Jerry and Marge Go Large

- Steel Magnolias

- Marriage Story

- At Midnight

- The Truman Show

- Everything Everywhere All at Once

- Ticket to Paradise

- A Tourists' Guide to Love

- Good Will Hunting

- Charlie's Angel's (2019)

- Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

- Death on the Nile

- Mrs Harris Goes to Paris

- The Outlaws

- Barbie

- Happiness for Beginners

- White House Down

- Past Lives

- Oppenheimer

- West Side Story

- You Are So Not Inivited To My Bat Mitzvah

- Love is in the Air

- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

- Family Switch

- Best. Christmas. Ever.

- The Heart of the Holidays

- The Muppets Christmas Carol

- 8 Bit Christmas

- Love at the Christmas Table

- Jones Family Christmas

- The Family Plan

TV

- Black Snow

- Hacks S1, S2

- Home Economics s3e11 - s3e13

- Modern Family s1e1 - s10e14

- Abbott Elementary s1, s2

- Kim's Convenience a few episodes in s4 rewatch

- That 90s Show s1

- Better Date than Never s1

- Aftertaste s1, s2

- How I Met Your Father s2

- Summer Love s1

- Physical 100 s1

- Latecomers s1

- Below Deck s5, s6, s9, s10

- Not Dead Yet s1

- The Mandalorian s3

- Cunk on Earth

- Seachange s1e1 - s1e6

- Ted Lasso s3

- Firefly Lane (s2e10 - end)

- Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

- Heartland s16

- Alone Australia s1

- In Limbo

- Five Bedrooms s4

- Never Have I Ever... s4

- Year Of s1

- Black Divaz

- Ahsoka s1

- The Traitors (a few episodes)

- Below Deck Down Under s2

- Surviving Summer s2

- Sex Education s4

- Old People's Home for Teenagers s2

- Starstruck s3

- Queen of Oz s1

- Heartstopper s2

- Doctor Who specials

- My Life with the Walter Boys s1

- Carols in the Domain

- Carols by Candlelight

- Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas

- Bump s4

Gigs/Plays/etc

- Feared and Revered Exhibition

- Drag Cabaret, Summer Lovin'

- Elton John

- Daniel Champagne

- Sons of the East

- Brass Knuckle Brass Band

- The Zackerbilks

- Multi Cultural Comedy Showcase

- Peking Duk

- The Women's Room 2 - Just Add Esteogen

- Koori Comedy Showcase

- Sarah Ison and Laura Johnston - Would We Lie to You

- Josie Long - Re-Enchantment

- Julia

- Wine Machine aka KLP, Northeast Party House, Vera Blue, Lime Cordiale, Bliss N Esso

- Choirboy

- A Day on the Green aka Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper, Jon Stevens (from INXS) and DACY

- Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap

- A Reconciliation Day Eve concert aka Yothu Yindi, Alinta Barlow, Stewart Barton, Tahalianna Soward-Mahanga

- Monkey Sparrow & This Way Orkestra

- Come From Away

- Brass Knuckle Brass Band, Lucy Ridge & the Derby Widows

- Footloose: The Musical

- Australian National Botanic Gardens: MEGAfauna After Dark feat Dead Puppets Society

- Reflections on Country Exhibition Opening, Kayannie Denigan

- Unchartered Territory Festival: innovation, art and science

- Rubber Necker & White Knuckle Band

- Soul Lab

- West Side Story

- Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers

- The Visitors

- The War on 2023

- Campell's Ramble

- A Very Canberra Comedy Festival Christmas

[santademikey]

for the oc ask game, birdie !!! 🌷💐☘💧🍁

🌷— how does this oc take their coffee?

black, three sugars. girlie does not get a good nights sleep lmao.

💐 — where is this oc's favorite place to relax?

before the fire at sammy’s— probably sammy’s! that was her home and the place she felt safest. after the fire however— there’s a watchtower (spoiler!) her birth father takes her to not long after she meets him. she doesn’t exactly like that the space was introduced by him, but the view is so beautiful she can’t help but to go back.

☘ — does this oc have any piercings? Do they want any?

just her ears. perla took her to get them done on her fifth birthday! + she’d like more piercings in the future, she’s just not sure exactly what.

💧— what is this oc most passionate about?

science! birdie’s majoring in chemistry, but sadly the class is boring as fuck to her because she doesn’t think her lecturer pushes the class hard enough. she also loves taking photos in her spare time (and she’s pretty good at it, too!)

🍁 — what's this oc's favorite genre of movies/tv shows/books/etc?

she’s not much of a tv person (though she did used to mindlessly watch random shit on tv with sammy and ellis) but she loves agatha christie-style murder mysteries!! they fascinate her lmao.

(x)

[all-for-geek]

Drawn to the Dark: A Nightmare to Remember Chapter 1: An Invitation

Chapter 2

Fandom: Escape the Night

Summary:  Selena Mordrim ran the Youtube series Melody Parody where she would create music videos of parody songs that she wrote. After hitting one million subscribers, she felt like her life couldn’t go anywhere but up. Then, she received an invitation to a mysterious manor in the 1920s. Selena now finds herself and 11 others fighting for their lives against a dark force that threatens to swallow them whole.

Warnings: death, poison, depictions of overstimulation/disassociation

Disclaimer! The guests in this story are not meant to be depictions of the real people they are based on. I treat the Youtubers as characters within the Escape the Night universe. Additionally, just because I endorse a character within this story does not mean that I endorse their real-life counterpart and vice versa. Over half these people I don't even watch. Enjoy!

Word Count: 2,735

Selena admired herself in the mirror one last time. The glittering red dress only covered her ass because of the tassels dangling from it and the slight “cover” of the fishnets. It had taken her nearly an hour to get the feathered headdress to sit properly on her head, but she had to admit that it contrasted nicely against her pinned up jet black hair. The outfit was definitely… flashier than what Selena normally wore, but she supposed that that was the point. She was The Flapper after all. She was just thankful that she had found a nice pair of black flats to wear instead of heels. 

A car horn blared outside of her apartment. Selena tugged her dress down one last time and eyed her phone. For a moment, she considered taking it. Joey had never mentioned when they would all get back after dinner, and she didn’t want to end up stranded in the dark looking like she just walked out of speakeasy. God forbid, something bad happened! The driver honked their horn again, and Selena ran out leaving the phone behind. Joey had been insistent that no one bring any modern technology, and she didn’t want to make a bad impression.

The car looked like it rolled right out of 1920. If it wasn't in such pristine condition, she would have sworn that it was authentic. As she stepped in and faced the border that blocked her from the driver, she couldn’t help but wonder if Joey had inherited more than just a house. 

Four years ago, Selena would never have dreamed that she would be personally invited to a Youtube party. She had been a recent college graduate from film school at UCLA trying desperately to get a break along with the thousands of other starry-eyed dreamers in LA. She spent the majority of that first year serving coffee and waiting for the nearly 100 studios she applied to never get back to her. Eventually, she got a  position at Youtube in their media department. She worked on various projects where she was able to network with other content creators to find more work. This was actually how she met Joey when he reached out to her to help him with this idea for a music video he had. Just a year ago, Selena considered making Youtube videos. She would make small parody songs on her own, so she figured that she might as well try and post them. In a remarkably quick time, she was gaining a decent following and making full music videos for her songs. She was even in the beginnings of writing her first original song for a one million subscriber special. She was still new to the Youtube scene, so an invitation like this is something that she could never pass up.

Selena gasped as the impossible pulled her out of her thoughts. Seemingly out of nowhere appeared a beautiful house that would have felt at home in an Agatha Christie novel. The road to the house was long and empty save for a few trees and grasslands. It should have been visible for miles and yet it only came into view as the car rolled past the gate. Joey had mentioned that the house would appear like magic, but Selena did not think that he meant it literally.

A handsome man wearing a well-tailored suit and tie opened the car door and extended his hands to help Selena out. Selena was too caught up in the theatrics of it all to notice the slight electric shock as she took the man’s hand.

“Welcome, Ms. Mordrim,” the man said, giving a slight bow.

“Thank you,” Selena replied, although her eyes never left the gorgeous building in front of her.

The man chuckled. “I see you are already taken with the house.”

“It’s beautiful,” she admitted. “There’s something about it…I can’t quite put my finger on it.” 

“The House has ensnared many since its creation. All are drawn by something different. The architecture. The air of mystery. Some claim that it is something spiritual. Tell me: What draws you to it?”

Selena scanned the building as she took in what the man told her. There was a part of her that knew that what he was saying was weird, but…she could feel it. There was something…calling to her. Something she had only felt once a long time ago. She squashed the feeling as quickly as it came. She was probably just excited for the party. 

“A party I believe,” she answered with a cheeky smile.

The man smiled. “You’re in luck then. There is one happening just on the other side of that door.” He gestured up a staircase to the main entrance. “I hope you enjoy your night Ms. Mordrim.”

“As do I,” Selena replied more to herself than to the man.

As she walked up with the other lambs, the man stared at his hand that still tingled slightly from the shock. He smiled to himself. This night just became a little more interesting.

If it were possible, the inside of the house was even more extravagant than the outside. The dark wood shone from the light of the chandelier overhead. All the other guests, dressed in their best 1920s attire, added an extra layer to the spectacle. Selena scanned the room and made eye contact with LeLe who motioned for her to join her and the women standing next to her. LeLe was one of the few people that Selena had worked with in her short time on Youtube, and she breathed a sigh of relief that there were in fact people here that she knew. 

The two looked stunning in their get ups. LeLe was in a glittering, tight fitted black and silver dress adorned with pearls and a silver headdress. The other was wearing a feathery white dress with a tiara. LeLe gasped as Selena walked to them.

“Girl you gotta warn me next time you decide to be all sexy!” LeLe exclaimed. Selena felt her cheeks heat up as her colleague complimented her.

“Uh thanks.”

“Give the whole twirl girl. Come on.” Selena spun around in her fringed dress careful not to spin too fast as to end up in a Marilyn Monroe situation. “If I was a lesbian we would be having a fun time tonight.”

“I…don’t know how to respond to that but…thanks?”

“Seriously, you look really good,” the woman standing next to them added.

“So do you! I’m Selena by the way.”

Selena extended her hand toward the woman. She gingerly took it with her fingertips and gave a deep bow.

“I am…Sierra, if you please,” Sierra said in a hushed tone with an accent that Selena assumed was supposed to be British.

“Girl what the hell are you doing?” LeLe's response sent all three women into a fit of laughter.

“I was trying to like, get into the whole “Heiress” character,” Sierra explained. “It’s weird. I’ve never been to a party like this where you’re given a character.”

“I’ve never been to a party where the house appears out of nowhere like a freakin’ ghost,” LeLe interjected, “Joey is one weird dude.”

“Where is he anyway?” Selena asked.

As if one cue, Joey came down the stairways in his 1920's-style tuxedo. Everyone cheered for him as he welcomed everyone to the party. He introduced his staff that, apparently, had also come with the house. Selena recognized the butler, Arthur, as the man who had helped her out of the car. Sarah, the maid, was slightly hunched over with her head down. It made her already small frame appear tiny. Selena shivered as a cold breeze sent a chill up her spine. Luckily, Joey had just promised them drinks. That should warm her right up.

Selena found herself sitting at a poker table with Justine, GloZell, and Tim. She had heard of Tim and GloZell before but had never gotten a chance to meet any of them. GloZell, true to her role as the Jazz Singer, was singing nearly every time she played a hand. At one point, Selena began to sing along with her when she heard a song that she knew. GloZell immediately stopped and glared at her. 

“Nuh uh, honey,” she said. “You might sing good, but I don’t do duets.”

There was a momentary pause at the table. Selena began to shrink in on herself as Justine and Tim watched for her reaction. She hadn’t noticed the joking smile on GloZell’s face as she shrank into her shell. GloZell’s face softened, and she placed her hand on Selena’s.

“Why don’t you do some of your fancy footwork while I sing along. You can even sing back-up. We’ll make it an act!” she added dramatically. 

Selena squeezed Glozell’s hand thankfully before a smirk creeped across her face. “Bold of you to assume that you could afford me as back-up.” The whole table broke into laughter before continuing to play. 

After realizing that Justine is much better at poker than they all thought, the maid came in to announce that dinner was ready. The whole group moved into the dining hall where everyone had a name card placed out for them. Selena was a little shocked when she found her spot at the head of the table opposite Joey.

“Well somebody had to be,” Joey explained, “And seeing as you're the latest hot trend, I figured you earned it.” Selena smiled and took her place by Tim and a woman in all black that she learned was Andrea.

The group talked and laughed as they ate. Many of the women were trying to get close to Joey for his money. GloZell even tried to serenade him. Selena shook her head. While the house was beautiful, the pull that she still felt to it creeped her out. It would take a lot of money to convince her to stay in it. Besides, Joey was as much her type as she was his.

As the group continued to gossip, they noticed that two members were missing. Eva and Shane had apparently not been seen since dinner started. Selena thought back to the rounds of poker she had played. While she had never met Eva, she knew of Shane and saw him sneak away with a woman shortly before dinner was called. While the rest of the group oohed like a bunch of middle schoolers, Joey’s face scrunched in disdain. Before Selena could comment on it however, the two came walking into the dining room. Shane briefly made eye contact with Selena and scowled. She tried not to let her confusion show on her face. Did he already not like her? She hoped not. It would become a long night if she had to start avoiding people.

The mood quickly shifted as the two were interrogated on where they had gone. Eva insisted that she had just gone to piss, but Shane seemed to dodge the question at every turn. It didn’t help when Arthur came in to deliver a telegram to Shane. This made no sense to Selena. Why would someone deliver a telegram of all things? Who even sent telegrams anymore?

Shane’s cocky smirk from being the only one to receive a telegram faded once he read it. He started coughing violently and slumped down on the ground. Much of the group began to crowd around him, but one man wearing the best 11th doctor cosplay read the note and announced that Shane had been poisoned. 

“Ah, now it makes sense,” Selena thought, “Joey invited us here for a murder mystery party. That explains the theme. Shane must have been in on it. This actually sounds kinda - OH MY GOD THAT’S A HUMAN HEAD!”

Sure enough, the maid brought in their “last course” that would help them find the antidote for Shane only to reveal a severed head. All at once, the screams and shouts began to muffle as Selena’s vision darkened. She gripped the back of her chair for balance. This was too much. If it was real, she was going to watch somebody die. If it wasn’t, this was going way too far to just be a bit for a party. She felt a hand gently squeeze her shoulder. 

“Hey are you okay?” The voice sounded far away, but it was enough to bring Selena back to reality. As her vision cleared, she saw Andrea standing next to her with a worried look.

“Not really,” Selena whispered with a chuckle. “Someone is about to die.”

“Maybe not. Apparently there are these glasses that could help us open this box that could help us find the antidote for Shane.”

Selena blinked. “What?”

“Yeah I don’t really get it either, but that’s what the note said to do so…” Andrea shrugged and made sure that Selena had regained her balance before going off to try and help the others. Selena noticed a chest on the other end of the room by the window. On top of it was a drinking glass with an odd symbol on it. She looked around and noticed an identical glass sitting in a nearby cabinet. As she picked it up, her thumb brushed against the symbol on the glass and the symbol glowed briefly. The glass became incredibly hot. Selena ran over to put it down on the chest before it burned her hand. As she inspected her hand for any damage, LeLe ran up with the glass and the chest opened. Her hand seemed to be fine.

Apparently, the antidote was broken into three pieces hidden nearby. Selena went with LeLe and the Matt Smith cosplayer, who she had learned was, ironically, named Matt, and another man named Oli. They discovered fairly quickly that the antidote was hidden inside a maze trapped in a box. The problem was getting it out. They couldn’t see the maze or the box and had to simply feel around for it and pass to each other. LeLe and Matt began to argue as the box kept getting lost or being pushed into a corner. Selena tried to mediate the two of them, but as Arthur called out that Shane had five minutes left, she resorted to pushing Matt out of the way and working with Oli. Oli grinned as he declared that he could feel the box coming out of the maze. Not a second after, Arthur announced that Shane was dead. 

We all reconvened in the dining room around Shane’s body. Everyone was shouting and accusing everyone else of murdering him. Their voices all began to meld into one as the stress of the evening began to weigh on Selena. Her eyes were pulled to Shane’s body like a magnet. It was almost…peaceful, in that dazed blur of voices. Like her mind could simply float from this house and fly somewhere, anywhere else. Something nudged her side and tugged her back down to find the group staring at her.

“You good, girl?” LeLe asked. “What do you think of all this?”

“I…um…” Selena was thankfully saved from answering by Joey who had found a note in Shane’s pocket. Shane had apparently been a part of some organization called the Society Against Evil that had sent him to stop the evil in the house. But that evil got to him first. Selena sighed in relief upon hearing that no one in the room was a murderer. 

The relief was short-lived as Joey announced that in order to defeat the evil, they would have to endure death challenges to collect relics that could trap the evil forever. If they didn’t, they would be stuck in the 1920s forever.

This time, Selena was not the only one that was done with the murder house. The group made a mad dash for the car that had brought them here. Not everyone could fit, but maybe they could get people in rounds or find help once they were gone. 

That plan, however, went up in a cloud of smoke. Literally. The car exploded. As the heat of the flames singed the feathers on her headpieces, Selena’s vision blurred and darken. She barely registered falling to the ground, or was she caught? Someone called her name, but whether the voice came from those around her or inside her own head she was not lucid enough to be sure.

“Selena.”

[loverslibraries]

Books (and fanfic) I read in 2024:

twitter thread / goodreads / storygraph

The Outsiders by SE Hinton

Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

On or Off: Volume One by A1

On or Off: Volume Two by A1

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

On or Off: Volume Three by A1

On or Off: Volume Four by A1

Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

paradise is in my hands by curlynerd

Death Note vol 1 by Tsugumi Ohba

Death Note vol 2 by Tsugumi Ohba

Death note vol 3 by Tsugumi Ohba

Queen of Bebop by Elaine Hayes

death note vol 4 by Tsugumi Ohba

The Future by Naomi Alderman

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

death note vol 5 by Tsugumi Ohba

death note vol 6 by tsugumi ohba

grow more with less by vincent simeone

skin of the sea by natasha bowen

the words by ashley jade

justine by marquis de sade

soul of the deep by natasha bowen

the woman's revolution by muriel fox

jingle his bells by kaci rose

psycho shifters by jasmine mas

and then? and then? what next? by daniel handler aka lemony snicket

circe by madeline miller

pretty little liars by sara shepherd

speech textbook

Spanish textbook

us history txtbook

fangs by sarah anderson

boulder by eva baltasar

stolen heir by holly black

the autobiography of malcolm x

sociology textbook

American govt txtbook

crimson crown by heather walter

girl interrupted by susanna kaysen

carmilla by joseph sheridan le fanu

prisoner's throne by holly black

Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion

twilight by stephanie meyer

interesting facts about space by emily austin

it ends with us by colleen hoover

it's kind of a funny story by ned vizzini

nutrition textbook

ethics txtbook

good omens by neil gaiman and terry pratchett

the memory police by yoko ogawa

murder on the orient express by agatha christie

tell me three things by julie buxbaum

the friend zone by abby jimenez

all fours by miranda july

hatchet by gary paulson

rubi ramos's recipe for success by Jessica parra

Tell me when you're ready (I'm waitin') by insufferablelovebirds

fangirl vol 1 by rainbow rowell & gabi nam

math txtbook

fangirl vol 2 by rainbow rowell & gabi nam

braiding sweetgrass by robin wall kimmerer

golden sheep vol 1 by kaori ozaki

fangirl vol 3 by rainbow rowell & gabi nam

the murders in the rue morgue by edgar allan poe

y/n by esther yi

a study in scarlett by arthur conan doyle

once upon a broken heart by Stephanie garber

sociology txtbook

comparative govt txtbook

a wizard of earthsea by ursula k le guin

asl 1 txtbook

the ballad of never after by Stephanie garber

a curse for true love by Stephanie garber

the four agreements by don Miguel ruiz

[despairs-memorial]

"Ah, Sayaka-senpai!" Shuichi waves her down to catch her attention. He asked her earlier if she wouldn't mind meeting in the dorm commons area, as it usually was pretty empty around this time of day. When she comes closer to sit down, his smile brightens.

"Thank you for coming, I know I had asked you so suddenly... but yes, Merry Christmas! I hope you've been having a nice one so far! Ah, s-so um...! I wanted to give you a couple of gifts I thought you might like... and, if it's not too much trouble... some I wanted to give to Kyoko-senpai as well, but I know she's been very busy with work, so I was not sure when I would have the chance to give her them.. I thought maybe you'll most likely see her soon, since you're classmates. I truly hope it won't be any trouble...!" With how kind his senior detective always was to him, never allowing him to compare himself to her as a means of downplaying his own skills; he wanted to express his gratitude in the form of gifts he hopes she will like... and of course, wanting to give Sayaka some nice things because of how much of a sweet and wonderful friend she is, too!

"Here you go... ! The blue gift bag is for you, and the purple will be for her. I don't mind if you want to see what I got her, too, hehe. But yes, I hope you'll love your gifts...!" In Sayaka's bag, she will first have a light blue, cableknit cardigan sweater with white heart-shaped buttons and a blue beret-shaped hat, along with a mini purse with a pink bow on it to match with the sweater! That, and there was also a mini dessert box inside, containing a big, fluffy vanilla cupcake, topped with vanilla bean frosting and a strawberry slice. "U-Um, when I was shopping, I saw that sweater, hat, and purse and thought.. maybe it's something you might like to wear altogether? A-At least, I hope I got your sense of style right! You always wear nice clothes, s-so I wanted to give you something I thought would look great on you, too, h-hehe... and then I wanted to make you a little something, too. I hope you'll like the cupcake...!"

Then in Kyoko's bag, if Sayaka does want to see: it's three special edition books from Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot series, a bag of civet coffee and a coffee mug with a black bow wrapped around it.. and then for her, Shuichi made a chocolate cupcake with milk chocolate frosting, topped with a raspberry. "I thought, maybe, when she actually has time to rest, she can unwind with some books and this coffee.. and then I wanted to make her a little something, too.. She always works so hard, she deserves it. And so do you, Sayaka-senpai; I'm sure you'll probably be super busy with idol work again, soon, but until then, I hope you can continue to just relax yourself and have fun.." He tells her, smiling softly.. (sORRY THIS IS A BIT LATE, BUT SHUICHI HAD TO GIVE SMTH TO HIS WONDERFUL SENPAIS, TOOO!!!)

While she had a feeling about what this was about given the season and how generous Shuichi always was, Sayaka would have came even if she didn't have any clue. He was such a sweet person, it was difficult to say no to him, especially when he just asked her to come visit him.

"Of course, Merry Christmas to you, too. I've been doing great, though it's even better after getting a chance to talk to you." Even if he wasn't currently giving her a gift, she would have thought that his company made it better. He was always such a good friend to her. It really warmed her heart. "Of course, I'll be sure to give it to her the moment that she gets back. Hehe, I suspect that the moment that she gets it, she'll be hunting you down to thank you in person, so you better prepare for that."

Taking the two bags, she smiles as she looks at the blue one. "Aw, thanks so much! I appreciate this a lot." Opening it, she can't help but gasp a bit in surprise by how thoughtful the gifts in it were. The sweater looked so soft, and with the beret and purse along with a pink skirt that she had? She could easily coordinate something cute to just enjoy wearing rather than for any shoot, and the cupcake? How often did she get to just have sweets on her diet again? It wasn't often, but something that looked that delicious and was made by one of her kohai? There was no way that she could possibly not savor every bite of it.

"This all looks incredible! Thank you so much, Shuichi. Hehe, this will go perfectly with the hair clips you got me, too. I think they'd really tie it all together! And I'm sure I'll love the cupcake. It's not everyday I can have sweets and it being from you will make it all the more special." She does look in Kyoko's bag, curious about what it is, before grinning a bit. Sayaka can tell just how much Kyoko would enjoy getting it.

"Oh definitely. You picked out everything perfectly. Hehe, I'm sure she's going to be so happy to get this and actually relax a bit for a change of pace with this."

Sure enough, when Kyoko did get the gift, she was eager to start brewing a cup of the coffee to have in her new mug while eating the cupcake and reading one of the books, but first, she went to go find Shuichi, eager to tell him just how much she appreciated the gift in person along with invite him to share the batch of coffee with her. While it would be relaxing to have it alone, getting to have coffee with her kohai and share stories of their cases together sounded rather nice to her.