#but my creative juices have been slowly awakening again

[theartsanityshoppe]

Small update!

I don't wanna jinx it but I think I may be fiiiiiiiinally coming out of my funk/art block! I've been thinking up new comics and responses to some of the questions in my inbox recently... I hope to get some things doodled again! The comics might get looser/more sketchy however - mostly to help stop the intimidation I currently feel over them akfjgakdfjg why must imposter syndrome hurt us so?

I HAVE been doodling on off over the last month, all on paper. Maybe I'll try to find my old scanner and get proper scans of them and not my crappy phone photos XD

To everyone who sent an ask over the last few months: THANK YOU FOR YOUR PAITENCE!!! I promise to get them answered one way or another!! I might end up answering at least one or two myself i.e. no comic but I do have comic ideas for many of them.

[adrenaline-roulette]

Four Eighths

Pairing: Four x Eight (reader) Word Count: 4.5K+ Warnings: Little bit of language, some angst, overall nothing too major this chapter *Disclaimer, Hey, so it’s been a while since I updated this.... I don’t really have an excuse other than that the creative juices just weren’t there I suppose. Plus I started a new job recently, which is awesome, but also rather tiring! But hey, here’s a new chapter! Hope you all enjoy!

Chapters One Two Three Four Five Six Seven and Eight can all be found here!

Chapter Nine: Call me by my name

Waking up wrapped in Four’s arms was both an unfamiliar feeling, whilst also an exceptionally welcome one. By the time you had finally fallen asleep, you could see sunlight breaching the horizon, dawn well on its way to greeting the waking world. And while others would begin to awaken and start their days, you and Four closed the curtain to the pale oranges and pinks painting the sky, turning your backs on the idea of a new day. A new day which held nothing but uncertainty and fear. Though a new day none the less.

In all the ways you had imagined waking up following last night, the way in which you did so had never once crossed your mind. Four had his arms wrapped firmly around your waist, as he cradled you against his chest, his chin resting atop your head. You woke slowly, vaguely aware of Four’s quiet, sleepy murmuring above you, though that in itself was not what woke you. No, instead, what greeted you was the odd sound of something hitting the small window above your bed. At first, you thought perhaps it was an incessant insect which was adamant the way in, or out for that matter, was through the closed window. Rolling over so you now lay on your back, you waited a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the bright light which streamed through your trailer. Gazing up, you noticed a shadow beyond your curtain, a shadow far bigger than that of an insect. “What the hell?” You whisper, earning a tired grunt from Four in reply.

You roll your eyes, smirking softly as you carefully peel his arms away from your naked waist, resting them back on the bed in the warmth where you had been laying. You move slowly and carefully, making sure to not disturb Four’s slumber during your investigation. Carefully, you move up onto your knees, before pulling up onto your feet, standing on your toes so you can see out of the small window. Pulling the curtain aside, you have to stifle a scream at what, no, who you see.

Standing bellow your window, holding a fistful of small rocks is Five, who looks awfully pleased with herself. Your eyes lock with her chocolate ones, and despite seeing you, she throws yet another rock against your window, smirking up at you. “What the hell?” You mouth at her, unsure as to whether she could make out your words or not.

Her sparkling eyes and crooked grin say yes, but her next move screams no. “Get up! We need our fearless leader!” She screams, and there’s no doubt that every single person at base could hear her.

You glare down at her, stumbling backwards as Four flies up into a sitting position, hair a tangled mess of golden curls and shinning eyes darting around like a startled animal. “What’s going on?” He demands, eyes landing on yours, as you grip the curtain to prevent yourself from falling. If Five were still looking, she would’ve received an eyeful of an exceptionally nude you. You pray she had turned away.

Slowly, you lower yourself back to the bed, crawling your way back underneath your blankets. Four is still on high alert, but you pay him no mind, whishing instead that you could rewind the clock to five minutes ago, when the outside world was nothing but a distant memory. “Are you going to explain what just happened, or do I have to guess?” Four finally asks, slithering back down the mattress and curling his body around yours.

“I’ll tell you, but I’m interested to hear what your theories are first.” You giggle, rolling onto your side, and combing your fingers through his hair.

He pauses for a moment, eyes squinting as he contemplates his answer. “You thought aliens had crash landed and you wanted to see for yourself, but were too scared to actually leave the trailer to see?” He blinks up at you, a grin worming its way onto his lips.

“Well I mean, how far from Area 51 are we actually?” You tease, playing along with his stupidity.

“Oh, Area 51 is all a lie. Area 52 is where the aliens are!”

You lift a brow, scrutinizing his words. “Oh? And where is Area 52 then, hm?”

“Right here. We are the aliens!” He grins, wrapping his arms around you again, and tickling his finger down your sides.

You gasp out a squeal, laughter pealing from your lips as he tickles you relentlessly. “No! Stop it! Don’t!” You giggle, wriggling and squirming beneath his touch. He rolls over you, hovering above you in a strong hold plank position, his hand poised at the side of your stomach. “Mercy! Please have mercy!” You beg, tears of joy sprinkling your cheeks.

He leans down, pressing the first gentle kiss you had experienced from him, against your lips. He doesn’t linger, not allowing it to turn into anything more, not yet at least. “I’ll have mercy. But only because you asked so nicely.” Carefully, he slides away from you, laying back on his side beside you. “Really though. What was that all about?” He whispers, turning his gaze up to the window for a moment, before returning to you.

You let out a soft sigh, rolling onto your side too so to face him. “How well can Five keep a secret?”

“Just as well as any of us. It’s part of the job.” He offers, doing his best to shrug in his current position.

“That’s not quite what I meant. I think – I think she knows about us. Or at the very least about what we did last night.”

There’s a pause, the air seeming to go perfectly still between you both. There’s no outside sounds, and all you can hear is the sound of your breathing. “Oh, right.”

“Yeah.” You offer with a sympathetic smile.

“She won’t say anything. At least not to anyone who’ll actually try to do something about it, like One.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she’ll probably give us hell for the next couple of months at least. And I would be surprised if she hasn’t told Three yet.”

“What if One finds out? I know how much shit he gives Two and Three!”

Four takes your hand in his, squeezing your fingers gently within his. “Don’t worry. He’s all talk, but no action. Two and Three have been sleeping together for like, six months now. He hasn’t done anything about it!”

You breathe a sigh of relief, squeezing his fingers back softly, feeling a wave of relaxation wash over you.  He was right, One was good at talking a big game, but more often than not, he never followed through with his threats. With a soft sigh, you press your face against the pillow, squeezing your eyes tightly shut to block out the few rays of sun which dared to invade your vision. “We need to go.” Your voice is muffled by the pillow, but you’re positive Four had heard you.

“Do we have to?”

At this you look up, your eyes searching for his sparkling ones for a brief moment. “Yeah, we do. That’s what Five was here about. Our final briefing is supposed to start right about-” You pause, hold out your arm and peer down at your wrist, squinting at the watch which wasn’t there. “Now.”

Four looks just as disappointed as you feel, however shows no signs of voicing his feelings, at least not now anyways. With a disgruntled groan, you roll away from Four, your feet planting firmly on the floor before you hoist yourself up. The remnants of alcohol left in your system make for the room to spin just slightly for a moment or two, before righting itself. As you walk towards the small chest of drawers where you keep clothes, you toe at Four’s shirt, which at been discarded on the floor last night. There’s no avoiding the grin which snakes across your lips, as you bend down to retrieve it, balling it up and tossing it over your shoulder to the slow-moving blonde. “I think I might have a sweater that’ll fit you if you want?”

Four yawns from the bed, muttering under his breath about how much he doesn’t want to get up, though you pay him little attention, certain that if he were speaking directly to you, he would say so. “Why would I need new clothes?”

As you rummage through one of the drawers, you throw a weary gaze over your shoulder, rolling your eyes for dramatic effect. “Well, if you rock up to the briefing wearing the exact same clothes you had on last night, people will be suspicious!”

You could see in his glistening eyes, that he really couldn’t care less as to what the team thought of him, however after a moment of thought, he appeared to have a slight change of heart. “If you have something I could wear, that’d be good.”

Smiling softly, you dig down to the bottom of the middle drawer, producing a charcoal black sweatshirt before throwing it over to Four. While he tugs the garment over his head, you busy yourself with buttoning up a fresh pair of jeans, and performing the sniff test on a long-sleeved shirt. Upon deeming its smell unoffensive, you hurriedly put it on. Turing on the spot your eyes travel to Four, and you can barely hold back the laughter bubbling in your chest. In the centre of this sweatshirt, in bold white lettering reads ‘Team Jacob’. You knew exactly what the shirt said when you had given it to him, and it wasn’t your fault Four didn’t look at it before putting it on! Chewing on your bottom lip to hold back your smirk, you stride over to Four, who was busy rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. “You ready for this?”

He blinks rapidly across at you, eyebrows rising in surprise at your question. “I am, yeah. Are you?”

That was the real question wasn’t it? Were you ready for this? Were you prepared to give everyone their marching orders, and potentially see your entire team killed? “Only one way to find out.”

*****

Despite Five having awoken you, somehow you and Four were still the first to arrive to the briefing room, though it’s not long before the others slowly shuffle in. One was nursing a mug of pitch black coffee, while Three was rocking a pair of dark sunglasses, whether out of necessity or aesthetic you weren’t quite sure. Seven was marginally better off, though the bags beneath his eyes seemed to show he hadn’t slept well. Two and Five however were way too chipper for two people who should’ve been dealing with hangovers, but yet there they were, looking as flawless as ever. You made a mental note to ask Five if she had some Doctors secrets on treating a hangover. “So I see Four has decided to make a political statement today…” Five smirks, her eyes trained to his sweater. She was the first to mention anything, however now, Four had five pairs of eyes glued to his chest, while you looked away to keep yourself distracted.

“Wh- what d’you mean?” He grumbles, brows creasing into a frown as he grips the hem of the sweater, pulling it away from his waist so to see what everyone was staring at. The colour drains out of his cheeks as he reads, then rereads the words, and you just know he’s already plotting his revenge on you. “Eight…” He growls lowly, and you can feel his eyes boring holes into your skull beneath his stare.

“I didn’t do anything! How could I have? It’s your shirt after all!”

Five chuckles, deciding to play along in this little game of yours. “Aw come on Four, there’s nothing to be ashamed of! Granted I’m more of a team Edward myself, but we’re all allowed our own opinions!”

“This isn’t my shirt.”

“Then whose is it?” Three teases, waggling his brows suggestively.

A deep crimson blush creeps up along Four’s neck and cheeks, and you know he’s wishing for the ground to open up bellow him and swallow him. Finally, you turn and meet his glare, puckering your lips and blowing him a teasing kiss. He has nothing to say, there’s nothing he could say that wouldn’t clue everyone in as to where the shirt had come from, and under what circumstances. “It’s mine.” He concedes, earning a hearty laugh from the entire team. You’ll pay for this little prank, you just know it.

“Right then, now that we’ve established that Four was a Twihard, shall we get down to the real reason we’re all here?” One says, placing his mug down on a table, and motioning for you to join him up the front of the room.

Everyone makes themselves comfortable, or at least as comfortable as possible on plastic folding chairs. You step up beside One, folding your hands together behind your back, and curling your fingers together. You don’t quite know what you’re waiting for, but a part of you thinks that perhaps One will take the reigns on this one, and do all the talking. That however is not the case, not since you took over for this mission at least. You clear your voice with a cough, both stalling and preparing yourself at the same time. “Right, so as One said in the initial introduction last month, we know where the Lushnick’s are. They’ve set up in Noumea New Caledonia. It’s a popular tourist destination for many cruise liners, however that is the local’s main source of income, tourism. There are people who live there who are desperate for medical attention, and as per usual, the Lushnick’s are promising to help these people, but not in the way a reputable Doctor would.”

“So we’re going to the South Pacific then are we?” Seven calls from the back of the room, arms folded across his chest as he watches you intently.

“Yes, those of you who have never visited the Country before will be going. Has anyone been before?”  You look around at everyone, though all heads shake no. “Right, so there we have it, we’re all going to the South Pacific.” Turning to the computer beside you, you log in and bring up the plans you and One had come up with, displaying them on the projector for the team to see. Once an image of the island displays, you step away from the computer. “This is Noumea, at the very back of the island here.” You gesture to the map. “Is where the Hospital the Lushnick’s run, is set up. According to all inspections and accreditations, the hospital is up to standard and there are no concerns, at least not with the government, or with health departments.”

Leaning back over, you pull up the blueprints to the hospital itself. “This of course, is our main target. The Lushnick’s will be here, we just need to find them, and get rid of them.”

This time it’s Three who speaks up. “Is the goal to kill the Lushnick’s, or capture them so they can answer for their crimes?”

You pause at this, the moral response would be to agree with the latter option, however you know that if you were to find the Lushnick’s, then it would be the former. You turn to One, your eyes pleading for back up from him. “The aim is to capture them.” He declares, though there is a spark of recognition that passes through the entire team. If the need arises, kill them, no questions asked.

You close your eyes for a moment, breathing deeply before returning to your task. “So here’s the plan. One way or another, we all need to be in that hospital, there will be no one on the outside for this mission. One and Two, you’re new Doctors to the hospital, One you’ll be assigned to A&E and Two, you’ll be headed to the women’s and children’s ward.”

“Why isn’t Five one of the Doctor’s too?” Seven queries, looking between you and her.

Five answers for you, having had this exact same conversation with you only a week earlier. “It’s too much of a risk. surgeons move around all the time, I can’t risk being recognised if there is a surgeon I’ve previously worked with. It would jeopardize the whole mission.” Seven nods his understanding, and all attention is back to you.

“Five will be head wardsman for paediatrics. It has come to our understanding the Lushnick’s have developed a particular interest in healing women and children, so those will be our main bases to cover. Three, congratulations, you’re now working in the kitchens, and will be delivering meals to patients. And Seven, you’ll be a security officer, patrolling the wards we believe the Lushnick’s will be in. That way you can trail them.”

You turn your attention to Four now, he vaguely knew what his role in this mission would entail, but you had kept most of the details to yourself, until now. If all went according to plan, Four would be face to face with the Lushnick’s. “Four, you’ll be getting admitted to A&E with a severe migraine, this is where One will come in, he will help build your story and keep the act going.” You bite down on your lower lip, meeting Four’s gaze for just a moment longer than necessary, though it did help to calm your nerves. “I’ll be head of security. This will allow me access to the hospital’s computer systems, their security cameras, and I’ll be able to get you guys anywhere within the hospital.”

“How will you be head of security? Surely there’s already someone in that position?” Four asks, brows creased in confusion. This was something you hadn’t thought to mention to him, though then again, up until last night you hadn’t been anything more than flirtatious friends, and there had been no reason to inform him…

“I’ll be arriving in Noumea before you all.”

“How much before?”

You fold your arms across your chest, meeting Four’s intense gaze. “Two weeks before you. I leave this afternoon. I’ll be removing the current head of security, and taking his place. I’ll spend my time there before you arrive, becoming acquainted with the hospital, and sorting out the logistics for you to all begin working.” You pause for a moment, waiting to see if Four will say anything more, though for now he seems to just be listening. “We will all be arriving in instalments. One and Seven will arrive three days after I do, and will begin working the following day. Five, two days after them. Three and Seven one day after her, and Four you’ll be arriving twelve days after I do.”

“Wait, why am I arriving after everyone? What good will I be to you all arriving that late?” Four demands, standing now with his arms folded across his chest. You had expected him to dislike this plan, hell even One had warned you of exactly this happening, but as per usual, you hadn’t listened.

You meet Four’s gaze head on, standing strong against him. “Your cover for this mission, is as a tourist. You’re just there visiting the island, and will happen to fall unwell while there. We can’t have everyone arrive on the same day, it would look too suss. Having you arrive last should keep you in the clear, no one would expect a tourist to intentionally cut their vacation short for a hospital visit. Out of all of us, you should be the safest.”

“I don’t want to be the safest!”

“Well you are!”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want you getting hurt!” You almost shriek, your eyes shining with unshed tears. You could live with the other ghosts being injured, hell you would even be fine with yourself being injured during this mission, but not Four. You can’t see Four hurt during this.

The air in the briefing room is thick like a winter’s morning fog, no one dares to break the silence, nor the staring match between you and Four. With a deep breath in, you tear your eyes away from his, clearing your throat before continuing. “Once I arrive, I’ll get myself access to the hospital securities’ database and change over the contact details referring to their employment officer. The number will be changed to mine, and I will become their first point of contact when needing to hire a new head of security. Back to how I will become head of security, the current head is experiencing marital issues with his wife who lives in Scotland with their children. He moved to Noumea for work, and she refused to move with him. The day I arrive, I’ll be sending him an email from her lawyers, demanding he return to Scotland at once or she will be taking full custody of their children. Naturally, he will leave immediately, which means the hospital will require a new head of security. This is where my contact changes will come into play. I will be called, and the hospital will request I assign a new head of security to begin working ASAP. I’ll begin working the following day, and will create access passes for all of our new staff.”

“What about credentials? I don’t know a whole lot about being a doctor, but I’m positive they have some kind of proof of who they are.” Two asks, tilting her head to the side and regarding you with a look of complete interest. So far, despite all her scrutinizing, she has been unable to see any flaws in your plan.

“One has everything you need. I have created diplomas licences, literally everything you could possibly require to prove yourselves as active doctors should anyone request them. One will make sure you have yours before you leave.”  Two nods her understanding, and goes back to taking down notes on the mission.

“I will warn you all now, I cannot guarantee you will all have access to the same wards and restricted areas of the hospital. I will do my best to grant access to everything to you all, however it may not be possible. Seven, Three and Five, you will be the most likely to have access to everywhere within the hospital, as you will all have the most reason to visit all areas. I’ll do my best for everyone though.”

“What exactly am I meant to be doing during all of this?” Four grumbles, his eyebrows creased in frustration.

One replies before you even have the chance, and you remind yourself to thank him later. You’re not sure if you had the heart to tell him just what his role actually was. “You’re bait for the Lushnick’s. As Eight mentioned, you’re going to present to A&E with a migraine. I’ll be your doctor, and I’m basically going to convince everyone that you’re much worse than you actually are. The plan is, that the Lushnick’s will hear about how horribly unwell you are, and will swoop in and save the day. When they do, you have to agree to everything they say. Tell them that you have no immediate family or next of kin. Let them think you’re all alone, that you’re vulnerable. If your acting is good enough, they’re going to believe you, and they’re going to try and help you. That’s when the rest of us will be there to stop them, before they have the chance to actually do anything to you of course.”

Four’s frown has deepened, and his eyes have grown dark. He doesn’t like the plan, doesn’t want to be bait. He want’s to be in on all of the action, fighting tooth and nail in order to get back at the Lushnick’s for everything they’ve ever done. But for once, he knows better than to argue, he may not have a great deal of faith in One, especially after their cluster fuck of a first mission, but you… You he trusts with his life. “Okay. So when I present to A&E, when I fill in the arriving form, you want me to leave all of the emergency contact details blank more or less?”

You nod, offering him a soft half smile. “Yes please, it will help lure in the Lushnick’s if they think you have no one.”

“Alright, I can do that.”

Folding your arms across your chest, you gaze around the room, your eyes falling to each member of your team. “Does anyone have any other questions before I leave?”

There’s a chorus of ‘No’s’ throughout the room, and you smile to yourself, rather proud that not only had you created this mission, but you had successfully explained it thoroughly too. “Wonderful. If anyone does think of anything, One will be here for a little while longer. You will all be able to contact us through email once we’re in Noumea, and upon arriving at the hospital you will all be issued with an earpiece for us to communicate during the mission. Four, One will slip you your earpiece once you arrive at A&E.”

Once again, everyone nods their understanding, and you clasp your hands together tightly in front of you. “Good luck everyone, and I’ll be seeing you in Noumea soon.” And with that, you make your exit from the briefing room, heading to your trailer to finish packing your bag before your departure.

*****

 You already had a few of the essentials packed, however you still had a great deal more you required before leaving for the airport in five hours’ time. One had assigned himself as your designated driver, and you had simply shrugged and accepted his offer. You assumed it was to go over a few last-minute details he may think of before you left. As you fold your clothes neatly into your bag, you find yourself fighting back against dark thoughts which cloud your mind. What if we don’t all survive? What if the Lushnick’s recognise you? What if the plan fails and Four ends up getting hurt? What if- Before your overactive imagination has the chance to create any other worst case scenarios, a knock on your closed trailer door pulls you back into the present. You jump on the spot, blinking rapidly down to the pair of pants you held half folded in your arms. “C-come in.”

The door squeals open, and Four steps through, both hands in the pocket of the sweatshirt you had let him borrow. “We need to talk.” He begins, eyes focusing on everything but you.

You nod slowly, trying desperately to catch his gaze. “Yes, I suppose we do.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving early?”

“Would it have changed anything?”

“Yes? No? Maybe? Fuck Eight, I don’t know!”

“Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth. If you knew I was leaving today, before the rest of you. Would you still have slept with me last night?”

There’s no thought to his next words, they tumble from his mouth without a filter. “Of course I would’ve!”

You smile gently, bowing your head slightly. “I didn’t know that. I was afraid to tell you. Afraid that maybe if I did, then last night never would’ve happened. Or if it did happen, you would’ve seen it as some kind of farewell.”

“There’s not going to be a farewell, do you hear me Eight? No one is saying goodbye, at least not today, not for this mission.”

“Okay, it’s not goodbye then. But just promise me one thing will you?”

“Of course, anything.” Four whispers, stepping closer to you and reaching out to take both your hands in his.

You bite your lower lip, before lifting your head, your eyes finally meeting his. “When it does come time to say goodbye, because the day will eventually come. Promise to call me by my name, Y/N.”

You can see the heartbreak in his eyes, he doesn’t want to think about ever saying goodbye to you, just as he never thought he would have to say goodbye to Six. But here you both were, preparing for something that you had convinced yourselves would never happen. “If the day comes, then I’ll call you Y/N, but until then, you’ll always be Eight to me.” He pauses, rubbing soft circles against the backs of your hands with his calloused thumbs. “Same for me, if we have to say goodbye, will you call me Billy? I don’t want to be a number to you my whole life.”

“You’ll never just be a number to me Billy.”

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Check out my MASTERLIST for other fun stuff!  Chapter Ten out now!

[pandas-pandemonium]

Per Sempre Insieme - Chapter 2

Pairings: Yandere! Team Buccellati x Fem!Reader

Warnings (in this chapter): None really, maybe mentions of killing?

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, coming soon

2.1k words

When you finally came to, you were lying on a velvet sofa, hands bound with a rope. Thankfully though, whoever it was who did this to you was merciful enough to leave your legs untied. You shifted around a bit before letting your eyes take in your surroundings. It appeared to be an office, as right in front of you, just a little distance away, was a large desk with a chair to accompany it and just opposite you, was another large sofa, with a coffee table in the middle. Behind the desk, was a large window, with matching velvet red curtains to frame it. What caught your eye though, was the golden name plate on the desk, just beside a sleeping turtle that was either for decoration, or an actual pet. The name plate stated, in embossed gold font, the name, Giorno Giovanna, a name that sounded both familiar and unfamiliar to you.

While you were taking in the sights, you barely noticed the wooden door at the end of the room creak open, a tall, blonde boy around your age walking in. His hair was the first thing that caught your attention, the three donut-shaped curls above his forehead, followed by a long braid. Behind him was a slightly taller man sporting a short bob, with gold hair pins on his head. The colour gold seemed quite prominent so far, you noticed.

“Ah, I see you’ve awaken,” the blonde man said, walking up to you. You immediately shrunk back on the sofa, your [E/C] eyes glaring at the man in front of you.

“Are you the one who ordered those people to kidnap me?” you demanded, your fists were clenched tight, as you tried not to cower. Something about the blonde in front of you commanded respect and oozed charisma.

“I apologize, I didn’t think they’d be so rough. But I really did want to meet you. It’s been a while since I’ve seen another stand user out of the headquarters,” he said. His blue irises then trailed towards your arms before realisation entered his eyes. “Oh! So sorry about that. Let me loosen your restraints first, and then we can have a proper introduction. I’d hate to have to talk to a possible recruit like she’s a captive, after all.”

After you were free of your bindings, you immediately stood up, your posture guarded as you analyzed your “captor” closely.

“So you’re Giorno, the don of Passione? Why did you bring me here?” you demanded again. If the man in front of you wanted to get friendly, you had to decline. The fact that you were literally brought here after that lady did who-knows-what to you was enough to put you on high alert.

The blonde boy only laughed and put his hands up in a gesture to assure you he meant no harm.

“How about we all sit down over some drinks first? Our talk may be a little lengthy, and I’m certain you don’t want to be standing all the time,” he said. As he spoke, the other black-haired man beside him had opened the door, speaking a few words to an unknown individual before coming back to join the two of you.

“I have asked one of our soldiers to bring a variety of beverages, I hope at least something will be of your taste,” he said, addressing you to your surprise.

“Very well then, I guess we can…talk,” you said, seating yourself back down on the very same sofa.

The blonde began to speak as he sat himself opposite you, the other man following suit.

“Now, where were we? Ah right, introductions,” the blonde said and smiled, standing up a little to offer you his hand to shake. “Giorno Giovanna, Don of Passione. Nice to meet you. The man beside me is my most trusted friend and advisor, Bruno Buccellati,” You almost wanted to scoff, after all, there was no need for his introduction considering his name plaque was displayed on the desk at the back for all to see. Though at least you could put a name to the other man’s face. However, you chose to shake his hand anyways, seeing no reason to antagonize such a powerful figure.

“Y/N Pellerini,” you said, and sat back down. Giorno seemed pleased with your acceptance of his handshake as he smiled a little.

“Well, now that introductions are out of the way. I suppose I should answer the question as to why I asked my men to bring you here.” He paused as a man hurried in, a tray of bottles and cans in hand. As silently as he could, the man set the silver tray down, stood up and bowed before hurrying out the room. “Firstly, what drink would like, Signora Y/N?”

You swallowed your saliva as you scanned your options; you were pretty parched. The tray had cider, wine, vodka, champagne, sparkling juice, sodas and a tall glass bottle of water. At the side, three cups filled with ice had been set beside it.

“I’ll just take some water,” you replied. Maybe if you were feeling more comfortable you would have chosen something sweeter, but water seemed the most appealing at the moment. Bruno nodded and reached for the bottle of water, filling a glass and handed it to you.

“Enjoy your drink, signora,” he said. He kept his replies short, but you noticed he seemed to be watching you cautiously. Who wouldn’t? After all, you were some unknown hitman who got kidnapped and brought in to his boss’s office all because you could have potential to join the gang. You muttered a soft thank you as you accepted the cup, sipping slowly on the iced water, feeling much more refreshed afterwards.

After making sure you seemed a little less tense, Giorno spoke again.

“Once more, I do apologise for having to bring you here by force, but according to Acquario, you were willing to put up a fight.” You scoffed.

“As if. He used his stand on me and left me stuck in the concrete even after I revealed that my stand is not a power type! Not only that, his partner did something, I don’t know what, to bring me here unconscious,” you retorted, a small bubble of frustration welling up in your chest. Giorno only nodded wordlessly.

“So, your stand is not a power or offense-based, is it?” the don asked. You paused before nodding. Silently, you hoped that maybe he would see no reason to keep you and send you off on your merry way. The last thing you wanted to do was be tied down to the mafia after all. You had your own goals in mind.

Bruno raised an eyebrow, “I find that hard to believe. After all, if a stand user is creative enough, any stand can be used in a fight,” he said. You frowned a little. Was he implying that you weren’t a creative person or something?

“I-it’s not that! I just never had any reason to use it to kill or hurt someone,” you defended. Bruno only hummed under his breath.

“You don’t have to worry, Y/N. I’m sure you’ll eventually find out ways to use your stand once you’ve joined us,” Giorno spoke up. “Would you show us your stand please, we would like to know what yours is.”

“I haven’t agreed to joining your gang yet, Giorno. What makes you think I will reveal my stand to you and explain its powers nonetheless?” you asked, arms crossed over your chest. The blonde male glanced to his friend before receiving a nod in response.

“Then perhaps you would trust us more if I revealed my stand?” He asked. In a flash, a golden spirit emerged from his body, staring you down intensely. “This is Gold Experience Requiem, and it has the ability to create life, basically. It can also revert my opponent’s actions to zero, making it seem like it never happened. This is my stand, now will you show yours?”

You swallowed, examining the golden-brown stand carefully. If your memory served you right, this would be stand that killed the previous don of Passione. You didn’t know the full details, but you were certain it was a formidable stand. It frightened you to think of the possibility of being attacked by such a stand. Silently, you nodded, agreeing to reveal your stand, letting the light gold spirit emerge from your body.

The butler-like stand stood straight before turning to the empty space beside it, a doorknob followed by a full door revealing itself. You glanced at your stand before nodding, giving it the signal to pull open the door, revealing a fully furnished mansion lobby inside.

“This is one of the abilities of my stand, Soul’s Mansion. With this ability, I don’t need a room or anything, as I can freely enter the mansion where ever I am. However, only I as the host, can enter this mansion physically, as other living beings will only be able to enter as souls, leaving their physical body behind,” you explained. The two men in front of you nodded.

“I see, so if you hadn’t come back to the same alley that night we probably wouldn’t have managed to find you then,” Giorno said, examining Soul’s Mansion. The spirit stared blankly into the distance, before you gave it the instruction to close the door back, said door vanishing into the air immediately.

“I guess…it was a mistake on my part…I should have changed my spot for the day,” you said bitterly. Giorno laughed a little.

“No, it was a good miscalculation. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to meet you. [Y/N] Pellerini, I think you’d be a great addition to Passione. Now, we should probably decide under whose guidance you should go under—”

You cut him off. “Hold on, I haven’t even agreed to join you guys yet! What’s in it for me, anyways? From what I can tell, my being here will only benefit your goals, Giorno,” you said, giving the blonde a sharp look. Giorno hummed, tapping a finger on his face as he thought about your question.

“Well, I suppose I should first ask you this; what were you doing hiding out in an alley in the streets of Napoli?” the don asked, his head resting in his hand as he looked at you intently.

“For a mission, plus it was near a favourite restaurant of mine, and I needed a place that wasn’t too far or near my target’s house,” you said.

“So, you are a hired hitman then?” Bruno asked, to which you nodded.

“It’s a job that pays well, depending on the client. Plus, I have my own goal to achieve; being a hitman allows me to achieve that goal,” you explained. Giorno nodded understandingly.

“I see, and that goal is?” he asked.

“To find my sister’s killer and avenge her,” you stated, your gaze hardened like steel. A hint of sympathy entered Bruno’s eyes.

“I see, if that’s the case, I’m certain joining us would allow you to gain that information,” the dark-haired man said, a soft smile on his face. You raised an eyebrow.

“How?”

“Well, for starters, you could join Capo Abbacchio’s team which mainly takes charge of finding information, or you could simply work alongside them. Unlike the previous don that unencouraged communication between the different groups, I allow certain groups that could be essential to each other to communicate and share information. Besides, some of the capos of the groups are my friends,” Giorno said.

You took in the information silently. Giorno had a point, if you were going to find out who killed your sister, joining a gang that basically has such a wide range of control and influence would be your best shot.

“Very well then, I suppose I will join. Is there any contract or ritual I need to do?” you asked, to which Giorno smiled and shook his head.

“No, you’re a special case. Though upon joining, we only ask that you pledge your everlasting loyalty to me, and Passione as a whole. Should you betray the gang, or even any of the members, you will be surely taken care of,” he said. As he said it, despite the verbal contract, you could sense the threat behind his words, causing a shiver up your back. The new don may be young, but he was definitely not one to be taken lightly.

“Understood. I, [Y/N] Pellerini, pledge loyalty to you, Giorno Giovanna, Don of Passione, and to its members as a whole. Should I be caught in the act of betraying the gang, I duly and wholeheartedly accept my punishment,” you said, kneeling before the blonde, taking his hand in yours.

With that, your heart and loyalty were given, and it’s to be noted that words carry weight. If only you had reconsidered your decision to join the gang, then maybe your oath wouldn’t have become such a burden.

A/N: Wow, I didn’t think I would get chapter 2 out so fast lol. Also, just telling you guys, the yandere is gonna be a reaaaalll slow burn. I want to give time for the reader to establish relationships and then I’ll start cranking the yandere meter. For now, have this slowww introduction lol. It’s gonna last at least 3 to 4 chapters for reader to have proper meetings and establish relations with all our boys. 

[houseswolo]

Day 1 - 'Tis The Season To Be Thirsting

"Look Rey, mistletoe! Join me... please!"

Aight, aight, here's kicking off the Thirst Order Advent Calendar, and our Thristies' showcase!

Azuwrite

(Tumblr: @ashtyntaytertot | Ao3: Azuwrite )

What got you into Star Wars?

It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. We had Star Wars toys and products. My little brother and I used to fight with our toy lightsabers. I always remember my mom saying Chewbacca was her favorite too (it’s not her icon on Disney plus) joy

What made you a Reylo? Lightbulb moment!

I walked out of TFA HATING kylo Ren. Now, walking out of TLJ? A completely different story. The force bond moments definitely helped, but the moment that made me fall in love with Ben solo was when he chose not to kill his mom sob didn’t help that I had become a mom in that time haha

Why do you write / make art?

It’s a great way to get the creative juices flowing (hehehe). I have so many ideas to get out there! Not enough time though weary getting to write/proofread/make mood boards can really be a highlight of my day.

The Object of your Thirst…

Obi Wan Kenobi 😩 oof, that man is everything. Make sexual awakening if you will. So sassy, sarcastic, cunning, the accent, the eyes, the beard, the EVERYTHING. I may have a thing for ewan mcgreggor as well 👀

Favorite Adam look

Definitely the longer hair with the facial hair and leather jacket and plaid. My all time favorite is right clothes, especially t shirts👌🏼 yummmm

Favorite Adam role

Don’t kill me, but I’ve only watched two of his movies 🙈 I love Kylo Ren's character, of course, especially the bde moments 😩 stomp me! But Flip has got to be my favorite so far. He’s everything I love wrapped in a package. Love the mountain man, plaid vibes 👌🏼but Matt was my fav before Flip came along, so hilarious

Which part of Adam do you like the best? That’s like the worst thing to have to decide on 😩 it’s not physical but probably his voice. Mmmm so deep and weakens the knees! For physical, I prefer my boy swol. Gotta love them glorious TLJ titties 🔥

Favorite Star Wars Movie

So wrong that I have to choose! Haha. For the original trilogy-Empire strikes back. Prequel- I like both one and three, just...not two (sorry not sorry) 😂 and for sequel- hmmm gotta give it to TLJ. The throne room scene is hands down my favorite scene from Star Wars. Just chefs kiss

What do you like to write / draw / paint the most?

As far as physical artwork, I love doing all types and mediums so I won’t get into that haha but as far as writing; definitely found I prefer to write angst as well as crack (though that never starts as my intention 😂). I also adore making mood boards, just such a good time and relaxing thing to do when I’m in the mood for it!

Your TRoS prediction

Again, don’t kill me 😬 I want the Reylo happy ending just as much as anybody, but I’m not going to be surprised if we get shafted. This trilogy has taken so much from previous ones (especially the original), I just wish they were willing to take more risks. So my fear is that they’ll go the Vader redemption route. Aka kylo dies. I will be over the moon if we get what we want (and deserve) though 🙌🏼 fingers crossed!

If you were an aesthetic... (colors, images, feels....)

Bright rainbow colors coating a dark black center 😂 I’m definitely both vibes. I love dark things and creepy aesthetics, but I also love the cute and adorable side of things too 💕🌈☠️ I’m just a black cupcake with rainbow sprinkles on top

If you were a candy bar, what would your name be?

I wouldn’t! Not the biggest fan of candy, especially chocolate. Now, tacos, that’s a different story! They’re my favorite food in the whole wide world and people love them. I strive to be a taco

What's your ideal environment for writing / creating?

As quiet as possible. I’m slowly realizing that my attention span and focus is easily broken. I have a very hard time writing with any little thing going on, I start to get subconsciously anxious (playing with my hair like a mad woman). Unfortunately that means in a house with a newborn, a toddler, and a husband, I don’t get nearly as much writing done as I’d like. It can honestly be heart wrenching when I so desperately want to get my creativity out but ultimate can’t

Are you a dom or sub? 

I’m a total sub, like, spank me please and boss me around 🙌🏼 BUT when it comes to blowjobs, I OWN that dick. It is mine and I will destroy you with an orgasm 😂

What's the most exotic/wierd place you've gotten intimate?

Well. I haven’t done anything too crazy. I’ve had my fair share of doing it in public places but just around the corner and out of sight. I did it in a kid's laundry room who was in my grade during a graduation party. (What’s funny is I had never spoken a word to that kid in my life and still haven’t lolol). Also, I lost my virginity in a tent during 4h fair right next to his best friend who was sleeping 😂 but I’ve only been with one person and that’s my husband, since I was 14 💕

What's your kink?

Uniforms. Police officers and firefighters are my jam. Ugh yum

Use three words to describe yourself

Loyal (the hufflepuff way). Introverted (I regret when I go out, I regret when I stay in, there’s no middle ground 😂). Caring (being a mom and wife has been the best thing in my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even if caring for myself tends to slip in the process lol).

Meaning behind your nick / ID name

I met this raver kid who decided to give me a raver name (I have never been to a rave in my life lolll). He asked what my favorite color was and what I liked to do and that’s how Azuwrite came to be!

Are you a big spoon or little spoon?

I am easily a big spoon. I will spoon the crap out of my husband. I prefer my chest to be warm compared to my back. Plus you get to enjoy the smell of your significant other that way. Does that sound weird? 😂

Do you like it rough or soft? 

Soft can be really nice but I’m definitely a rough and tumble girl. I love the hair pulling, pounding type sex with position changes 😂

Favorite toy

I have never used or owned a toy 🙈 I’ve never needed to and I have a hard time spending money on myself hahaha but don’t fret! This girl has perfected her masturbation technique, because I may or may not have been doing it for a very long time haha

Favorite fic you've read

Oof. It feels so wrong to have to pick 😂 I definitely have a top five favorites that really brought me into the fandom. Number one has to go to Berserk by Mallie3. She put so much time and effort into it and it shows! If you haven’t read it, go do it! It’s truly a piece of art

Favorite fic you wrote or favorite art you made

I have a top three for my favorite fics I’ve done, my first three. They have so much planned and lovingly created plot behind them. It’s truly unfortunate that I don’t have more written for them. It breaks my heart. Those are my superhero au, high fantasy au, and cowboy Ben 💕 as far as art, I have made wayyyy too many mood boards to pick one joy

Favorite SW character(s) besides Kylo and Rey

Obi Wan. Hands down. No competition. That man is bae and I will forever be his number one fan 💕💕

—��—

Drnucleus

(Tumblr: @drnucleus | Twitter: drnucleus | Ao3: drnucleus)

What got you into Star Wars?

My mom putting on the VHS since I was a baby. She was a fan and made sure I became one too!

What made you a Reylo? Lightbulb moment!The way he looks at her when she calls the legacy saber to herself in TFA.

Why do you write / make art?

Because no one else was gonna write kink fic that focused on the beauty of it instead of just the smut.

The Object of your Thirst…

Adam and Daisy (girl makes me question my sexuality)

Which Adam look do you like the best?

TROS. Also I like any of his looks from movies/tv

Which Adam avatar/ role do you like the best?

I love Paterson, but I think Ben Solo is my favorite.

Which part of Adam do you like the best? 

Self deprecating humor and thoughtful answers to interview questions

Favorite Star Wars Movie

The Last Jedi and Empire Strikes Back

What do you like to write / draw / paint the most?

Romance, kink, comedy, science competence porn

Your TRoS Prediction

Romantic Reylo and a deliciously cheesy HEA

If you were an aesthetic... (colors, images, feels....)

Purple, green, teal, galaxy images and velvet textures with overstuffed comfort furniture

If you were a candy bar, what would your name be?

Nougatine

What's your ideal environment for writing / creating? 

Comfy chair, music, tea or wine

Are you a dom or sub? 

Dom

What's the most exotic/wierd place you've gotten intimate?

Back of a pickup truck under the stars.

What's your kink?

Communication and goddess worship, also anatomically on men, forearms, hands, eyes.

Use three words to describe yourself

Witty, driven and anxious

Meaning behind your nick / ID name

It was from a super hero name generator!

Are you a big spoon or little spoon?

Depends on my mood.

Do you like it rough or soft? 

Also depends on my mood.

Favorite toy

Sex toy: the fainting goat vibrator, regular toy - my apple watch

Favorite fic you read

Unbidden by Perry Downing

Favorite fic you wrote or favorite art you made

Bedroom Hymns

Favorite SW character besides Kylo and Rey

Leia

cc: @tazwren @deadlikemoi @drnucleus @ashtyntaytertot @lostinqueue-ffa @my-jedi-life @shestoolazytologin @kaybohls @nite0wl29 @cosmo-gonika @wilsonthinks66 @roguesinside @areylofan @3todream3 @koderenn @queenoferebor @thereylowritingden @housedadam @house-crylo @houseplaidam

[meditativeyoga]

Mind that chatter

The mind is simply a biocomputer. When the kid is born he has no mind, there is no babbling taking place in him. It takes nearly three to four years for his system to start operating. And you will see that ladies start chatting earlier than kids. They are larger chatterboxes. They have a much better high quality biocomputer.

It requires details to be fed into it, that's why if you aim to remember your life in reverse, you will obtain stuck somewhere at the age of 4 if you are a man, or at the age of 3 if you are a female. Past that is a space. You existed, lots of points must have happened, several incidents should have taken place, however there seems to be no memory being videotaped, so you can not remember. You could remember back to the age of four or three very clearly.

Mind accumulates its data from the moms and dads, from the institution, from various other youngsters, neighbors, relatives, society ... all around there are resources. And you have to have seen kids, when for the very first time they start speaking, they will duplicate the same word sometimes. The happiness-- a new device has actually begun operating in them.

When they can make sentences they will certainly make sentences so joyously, again and also again. When they could begin asking questions, after that they will certainly inquire about each as well as everything. They are not interested in your solutions, bear in mind! Enjoy a child when he asks a question, he is not interested in your answer, so please don't offer him a lengthy solution from the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The kid is not thinking about your answer, the kid is just appreciating that he could question. A brand-new professors has actually entered into remaining in him.

And this is how he goes on gathering, after that he will begin checking out ... and more words. And also in this society, silence does not pay, words pay, as well as the more verbalize you are, the much more you will certainly be paid.

This chattering is our education, and also it is essentially wrong because it teaches you only fifty percent of the process-- ways to utilize the mind. It does not educate you exactly how to quit it to ensure that it can unwind-- due to the fact that even when you are asleep it takes place proceeding. It understands no rest. Seventy years, eighty years, it has functioned continuously.

If we could inform-- which's just what I am attempting to impress on you-- that it is possible. We call it meditation.

It is possible to put a turn on the mind as well as transform it off when it is not required. It is useful in 2 ways: it will provide you a peace, a silence, which you have actually never understood before, and it will certainly give you an associate of on your own which, due to the fact that of the babbling mind, is not possible. It has actually always kept you engaged.

Secondly, it will certainly give the mind rest. And if we could give the mind remainder, it will be much more efficient in doing points more effectively, more intelligently.

So on both sides-- on the side of mind and also on the side of being-- you will be benefited, you simply need to find out how to stop the mind from functioning, the best ways to claim to it, 'It suffices, currently go to rest. I am awake, don't be worried.'

Use the mind when it is required, then it is fresh, young, full of power and juice. Whatever you state is not just completely dry bones, it is complete of life, full of authority, complete of truth, sincerity, and has tremendous definition. You might be making use of the same words, today the mind has actually collected a lot power by resting, that each word it utilizes comes to be a fire, ends up being power.

What is recognized worldwide as charm is absolutely nothing ... it is just a mind, which recognizes how to kick back and allow power gather, so when it speaks it is verse, when it speaks it is scripture, when it speaks, it need not offer any evidence or any type of reasoning-- simply its very own power is sufficient to affect people. As well as people have actually constantly known that there is something ... although they have actually never been able to specifically pinpoint what it is that they have actually called charisma.

Perhaps for the very first time I am informing you just what personal appeal is, due to the fact that I know it by my very own experience. A mind that is burning the midnight oil is bound to come to be weak, boring, unimpressive, in some way dragging. At one of the most it is practical, you go to purchase vegetables, it is useful. Yet moreover, it has no power. Millions of individuals who can have been charismatic stay bad, unimpressive, without any kind of authority and without any power.

If this is feasible-- as well as this is possible-- to put the mind to silence and also just utilize it when it is required, after that it comes with a rushing force. It has actually gathered a lot energy that each word uttered goes straight to your heart. Individuals believe that these minds of charming characters are hypnotic, they are not hypnotic. They are truly so effective, so fresh ... it is constantly springtime. This is for the mind.

For the being, the silence opens up a brand-new world of infinity, of deathlessness, of all that you could believe of as blessing, as orison, therefore my persistence that reflection is the crucial faith, the only faith. Nothing else is needed. Every little thing else is excessive routine. Meditation is simply the significance, the very essence. You can not reduce anything from it.

And it gives you both worlds. It provides you the various other world-- the divine, the world of godliness-- as well as it gives you this globe as well. You are not bad. You have a splendor but not of money.

There are numerous sort of richness, as well as the guy that is abundant due to money is the most affordable as much as the classifications of splendor are concerned. Let me state it by doing this: the man of wide range is the poorest rich guy. Taken a look at from the side of the bad, he is the wealthiest poor guy. Taken a look at from the side of a creative musician, of a professional dancer, of a musician, of a scientist, he is the poorest abundant male. And as for the globe of ultimate awakening is worried, he could not even be called rich.

Meditation will make you inevitably abundant by offering you the world of your innermost being as well as additionally relatively rich, since it will release your powers of mind right into specific skills that you have. My own experience is that everybody is birthed with a specific skill, and unless he lives that skill to its max, something in him will certainly continue to be missing. He will certainly take place sensation that in some way something is not there that must be.

Give mind a remainder, it requires it! As well as it is so straightforward: just become a witness to it. And it will provide you both things.

Slowly, gradually mind begins discovering how to be silent. And as soon as it knows that by being quiet it becomes effective, after that its words are not simply words, they have a validity as well as a splendor as well as a high quality that they never had before-- a lot so that they go straight, like arrows. They bypass the sensible barriers and reach to the very heart.

Then mind is a great slave of tremendous power in the hands of silence. The being is the master, as well as the master can make use of the mind whenever it is needed as well as can change it off whenever it is not needed.

[bae-leth]

AU of The Other Dimitri AU Part 1 of 2

Me again! It’s funny, I know what I wanna do with the Ivan oneshot but planning it and then getting to writing it is being far more difficult than expected. Maybe because I’m dealing with a character who is an OC but also somewhat canon in the sense of taking canon Dimitri’s role? Anyways, I’ll get that fic out eventually, I’m actually having fun with the challenge of getting it to work. So I decided, in the meanwhile, to make some notes about the previous post I submitted regarding Ivan (the unit overview) and doing something fun as a bonus. Writing down Ivan as a unit if he existed in the canon game! An AU of an AU. Ah well, it’s fun and it helps me figure out his character. *NOTE*: As I was writing this thing, I realized this was getting ridiculously long for a submission, even from me. So this is gonna be part 1 of 2. I’ll get part 2 to you in a few days with the rest of the info, mostly related to timeskip stuff, battle quotes, paralogues, and RECRUITMENT (*gasp*). Part 2 is gonna have PLENTY of delicious angst! And I hope this part has gotten you interested in what happened to Ivan during the timeskip, especially with the few little hints I’ve dropped here and there. **WARNING**: There will be slight spoilers about the Blue Lions route. I will avoid as many major spoilers as possible or otherwise be vague where I can, but there is some stuff. Just wanted to give a head up! Anyways, I hope you too enjoy this! And, once again, sorry for submitting these absurdly long posts to your inbox.

******************************

Notes

*The following notes are some fun facts regarding stuff I put down in the Unit Overview post*

Childhood Picture: It’s a portrait of Ivan, Dimitri, Felix, Ingrid, Sylvain, and Glenn. It shows them as they were about five years before the Tragedy of Duscur. In the first few months of the charade, when Ivan saw this picture he freaked out and tore the part that had him in it off, burning it in the fireplace. He carries the picture with him constantly. By the point in the timeskip where he starts to go as “Ivan” again, he regrets tearing the picture, especially since it’s the only picture he had that had all of them together. But perhaps the other members of their friendship group have other pictures?

Collection of Fairytales: Ivan loves fiction books, and fairytales are no exception. When the charade begins, Ivan is so focused on training his body and mind to become more and more like Dimitri that he doesn’t check out his books anymore. It isn’t until a couple years later that he sees this book. He smiles and starts to open it, only to see his real name on the inside cover. Ivan has a habit of writing his name on the inside cover of all his books. What followed was Ivan grabbing a quill and large bottle of ink and proceeding to furiously cross out his name from every single one of his books.

Jeweled Dagger: Considering it has the letter D on the hilt, you would think it was Dimitri’s dagger. And…technically you’re right. But Dimitri never got to see the dagger. Ivan wanted to give Dimitri a surprise present for their 14th birthday. So he secretly commissioned the dagger from a blacksmith, asking that it be delivered on Dimitri and Ivan’s birthday. The Tragedy of Duscur happened a short time later and Ivan forgot all about the dagger, between his trauma and having to train for the charade. That is, until a package arrived on his 14th birthday, addressed to “him”.

I actually forgot to put down Ivan’s favorite type of tea but then I remembered Dimitri’s favorite tea is chamomile. So I looked it up and chamomile tea is known to help with stress and anxiety, as well as act as a decent sleep aid. Perfectly fitting for Dimitri and just as fitting for Ivan. So yeah, Ivan’s favorite type of tea is chamomile!

Ivan very much did learn the edible weeds thing from Dimitri! The story is that when they were around eight and hanging out outside, Dimitri chomped on a dandelion with zero warning. When Ivan stared at him in horror, Dimitri proceeded to happily explain all about edible weeds. Ivan decided to just accept it and move on (screaming internally the whole time) …Though he did keep it in mind and has always been kind of curious…

Why is Ivan terrified of horses? When he was four, a particularly bad-tempered horse bit Ivan’s cloak and wouldn’t let go, tugging it and tossing poor tiny Ivan with every shake. Ivan may no longer remember the incident, but he’s been terrified of horses and Pegasi ever since.

Ivan’s Music: He has a habit of humming, especially when doing monotonous tasks or when he’s in an especially good mood. He practiced hard to stop doing it once he had to become Dimitri, but once he goes by Ivan again, he’s slowly bringing the habit back. He has a lovely singing voice, though he’s very out of practice since he hasn’t sung since he was 13. But it’s a strong voice and he has impressive range. A little practice and he’ll probably be as good as he was when he was younger. His instruments of choice are the piano and violin, once again having not touched either since he was 13. After he officially becomes king (particularly after the ceremony that names him king which was held three years after the war) he starts taking lessons again, though doesn’t have much time for it since he’s busy with so many other things. He only started composing his own music when he was 11. He starts making little compositions again during rare free time in the war. He still makes compositions after he becomes king but, once again, he’s so busy he really doesn’t have time to nurture his talent.

Sometimes he’s bitter towards Dimitri for how disinterested the guy was in music, which made Ivan give up so much to perfect the act. But Ivan also remembers Dimitri patiently and happily listening to him play and sing, always saying Ivan was a “god of music”. A silly exaggeration as far as Ivan was concerned, but he doesn’t think he would’ve kept up with music if it wasn’t for Dimitri’s wholehearted encouragement.

Ivan and Ingrid share so many favorite foods. This is largely because when Ingrid was the one who comforted Ivan, she would often share some food with him when she did so. So Ivan associates those foods with happy memories. Ivan’s interest in food with interesting textures is a thing that started a little before arriving at the academy. The reason of which I won’t say (is it a spoiler? I don’t know, better safe than sorry. It has to do with something mentioned at some point in Dimitri and Flayn’s supports if you’re curious, I don’t remember if it’s said elsewhere).

Ivan and Felix were the baby brothers of the friendship group. Even Ingrid treated him as a baby brother like she did with Felix, even though Ivan was older than her. Ivan and Felix had a strong bond due to being meek crybabies. Ivan also had a habit of often hiding behind Sylvain when something spooked him. Of course, Felix often had the same idea, leading to the pair sometimes competing to cower behind Sylvain, while Sylvain laughed at them the whole time, while also doting on them.

So yeah, Ivan did forget his real name over the five-year timeskip. Between all the trauma he faced and the visions of the dead, he could only recognize himself as “Dimitri”, even though he saw hallucinations of the real Dimitri often. He doesn’t remember his own name until Byleth says it to him after Byleth learns that “Dimitri” was really Ivan this whole time.

I saw an anon noticed my stat joke about Ivan’s high Luck compared to Dimitri. One of my favorite things is when Fire Emblem games do something with a character’s stats or classing options (something other than personal skills) that reflect on some story element. Like having a character who is stated in story to be super lucky have naturally high Luck. Or that thing in Awakening with Kellam’s whole shtick of being practically invisible, so he can be reclassed into the Thief class. So yeah I purposefully lowered several of his stats and growths and just cranked up that Luck to match his backstory. Also, I’m pleasantly surprised an anon noticed that Ivan having higher Mag and E+ in Faith implies he was meant to be a healer. Because yes, that’s true! The idea is that if Dimitri hadn’t died, Ivan was gonna be on the path to be a healer/mage character. But because he had to become Dimitri, that greatly stunted his growth and shifted the rest of it to match more with Dimitri’s stats and growth.

Those are the big notes I thought of. Now, let’s get into the AU of this AU, involving what if Ivan was a character alongside Dimitri! Just a thing I made for fun, and like I said before it helps get those creative juices flowing!

AU of The Other Dimitri AU – Ivan Alexis Blaiddyd Unit Overview

Backstory

An overview of the backstory, at least where it differs from how Ivan is in the main AU. Ivan is still Dimitri’s younger identical twin brother, still has the minor Crest of Blaiddyd too. One difference is that while in the main AU Ivan is the one who interacted with the girl with the dagger, in this AU it’s Dimitri who did so, just like canon. The idea being that both of them met her and Ivan tried his best, but she and Dimitri hit it off while Ivan couldn’t get far, so he stopped coming along to visit her. He’s bitter about the idea of once again being passed up for his brother but he’s also jealous of having his brother stolen away from him for that time Dimitri and the girl knew each other. The other big difference is that Ivan didn’t go with his family on the day of the Tragedy of Duscur. Ivan was a sickly child growing up, and he hadn’t been feeling well during the week of the trip. Therefore, Lambert had him stay behind out of concern his condition would get worse during the long trip. Ivan was heartbroken at being left behind (and while he understood why, there was still a twinge of terror deep in his heart over not being good enough, being a burden). The Tragedy of Duscur goes down, Dimitri comes back as the only survivor. Things on Dimitri’s end go down basically the same as canon: meeting with Dedue, his trauma, the falling out with Felix, etc. On Ivan’s end, things end up changing quite a bit. Since Dimitri’s alive, there’s no act, so Ivan’s skills grow as they were intended, being more magic and healing based. Although he ends up picking up the lance too, because sparring was sometimes the only way to get his brother out of his room during those first few months following the tragedy. Ivan finds himself puzzled by his own emotions, particularly how he isn’t devastated to the same extent Dimitri is. Of course he’s in pain and mourning the loss of his father, stepmother, and Glenn. And he’s horrified by the deaths of all the knights, by the deaths of the people of Duscur (he remembers the furious tears streaming down Dimitri’s face as he told him the people of Duscur were innocent). But unlike Dimitri, who’s half dead and only making it to the next day thanks to Ivan, Dedue, and Rodrigue, Ivan still moves about. Eats just fine (Dimitri acts weird towards food now), doesn’t cry the night away (Dimitri sometimes slips into his room or Dedue’s and just sobs as he clings on desperately). Probably the one thing Ivan has in common with Dimitri in grief is the onslaught of nightmares (Dimitri never says what his are about, but Ivan’s are visions of his loved ones and so many faceless others covered in blood and gore, cursing him for his dumb luck that kept him away from the horrors of that day). And maybe that is what’s wrong, that he wasn’t there and didn’t see any of it. But…he doesn’t know. He’s so confused. And he hears the whispers from nosy nobles who know nothing, thinking he doesn’t care about the deaths. Ah well, he supposes he’s used to being the subject of mockery and rumors, as the worthless second-born, never as good as his brother. Never good enough for anyone…His relationship with Sylvain and Ingrid remains close over the years. However, he too ends up coming into conflict with Felix, although nowhere near what happened between Felix and Dimitri. Felix’s issue with Ivan, much like with Dimitri, stems from the rebellion when they’re 15. Except Ivan wasn’t part of the assault against the rebels (“Let me go too, Brother!” he had yelled while Dimitri refused and even ordered guards to make sure he didn’t come. As if years separated the pair instead of mere minutes). When Felix had told him what Dimitri had done, yes, Ivan had been thrown off by it, even horrified of the image of the warm and loving brother he knew being such a beast (“But the rebels were a threat to innocent people. Dimitri did what he had to, in order to protect others.” “You wouldn’t say that if you saw him, Ivan!”) Naïve and black and white in his view of “right”, almost disturbingly so, that’s what Felix had spat at him before storming off. But perhaps because Ivan wasn’t part of the battle, perhaps because Ivan’s fear of fighting and the way he shakes at the idea of it is so genuine, Felix doesn’t sever their friendship like he does with Dimitri. But Ivan can see they’re no longer “two peas in a pod”, that with Felix’s changing feelings towards the concept of “chivalry”, things can’t be as they once were. And maybe Dimitri is somewhat bitter about Ivan being able to maintain those bonds that he himself can’t find a way to. Another big shift shows up that adds more fuel to the fire of Ivan’s jealousy and bitterness towards Dimitri. The way his uncle, the court advisors, and noble after noble feel the need to tell him to help his brother, to look out for him and support him. The comments alone aren’t an issue, it’s what Ivan was doing anyways, because his brother is his idol and best friend. He loves him, truly. But the way they keep talking gives off warning signs. Before the tragedy he was shoved to the side and considered an afterthought, not worth a second glance and having nothing of value compared to the golden heir and crown prince. But now, with the way they’re telling him to support his brother and stay with him, it becomes more and more clear that they’re telling him to live only for his brother. Live for him, die for him. Ivan’s life is no longer his own, his dreams and wishes are no longer his own. He exists only for Dimitri now. He’s not good enough to actually help or provide any meaningful assistance, such as in battles or in politics, he’s only the spare after all, a weak and timid crybaby. But he still must do everything and anything for Dimitri (“You’re brothers, of course you would do anything for him, right? Anything at all?” “…Yes…” As if he can say no to them. As if he can convince himself he’d ever say no). Because it would be a tragedy to lose the crown prince, but not nearly as much if it was the second son. It’s suffocating. This varies from the main AU, where Ivan is still very jealous and bitter, but Dimitri’s death makes Ivan glorify him. His love towards his brother is very real there, but he goes overboard, which is a major factor behind his issues figuring out who he really is and how he truly feels once he goes by Ivan again in the main AU.

Character Description

The second prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and Dimitri’s twin. He is a timid and gentle young man who claims he’s not made for battle. And yet there may be something far more complicated to his nature, especially his feelings towards his brother.

Preferences

Likes: Writing and performing music, live musical performances, fiction books, board games, sparring, well-deserved appreciation, spending time with Dimitri

Dislikes: Himself, battles, darkness, horses and Pegasi, scorching heat, people who talk behind others’ backs

Stats and Growths

Base Stats - HP: 24 Strength: 7 Magic: 10 Dexterity: 6 Speed: 7 Luck: 8 Defense: 5 Resistance: 5 Charm: 8

Max Stats - HP: 65 Strength: 56 Magic: 71 Dexterity: 65 Speed: 69 Luck: 67 Defense: 42 Resistance: 44 Charm: 73

Stat Growths - HP: 35% Strength: 40% Magic: 50% Dexterity: 45% Speed: 45% Luck: 50% Defense: 30% Resistance: 30% Charm: 45%

Skills and Proficiencies

Skill Levels – Sword: E Lance: E+ Axe: E Bow: E Brawl: E Reason: D Faith: D Authority: E Heavy Armor: E Riding: E Flying: E

Strengths: Reason, Faith

Weaknesses: Axe, Brawl, Heavy Armor, Riding

Budding Talent: Lance

Faith Magic Learned: Heal, Recover, Physic, Nosferatu, Aura

Reason Magic Learned: Blizzard, Thoron, Sagittae, Meteor

Starting Skills/Inventory

Starting Class: Noble

Personal Skill – Second-born’s Struggle: If unit’s HP drops below 50%, grants unit +20 to Hit Rate, +10 to Critical Rate, and +5 to Damage dealt.

Crest – Minor Crest of Blaiddyd: The Faerghus royal family’s Crest, inherited from Blaiddyd of the 10 Elites. Occasionally doubles Attack and weapon uses for combat arts.

Other Skills: Lance Prowess Level 1, Reason Prowess Level 1, Faith Prowess Level 1

Magic: Blizzard, Heal

Combat Arts: None

Starting Equipment: Training Lance, Vulnerary

Academy Appearance

Ivan and Dimitri are identical twins, so physically there’s not much difference between him and Dimitri. The only real difference would be that Ivan’s hair is subtly softer looking and messier, a few more bangs, a couple strands out of place, that sort of thing. Their differences come more from non-physical things, like how Ivan’s voice is softer, or how he holds himself differently, always fiddling with his clothes or having a hard time keeping eye contact, shy and introverted. As far as clothes go, Ivan wears the standard male Academy uniform, the only personal touches he wears being white gloves and a blue cape that wraps across the front of the shoulders and clasps on his left shoulder with a golden fastener that looks like the lion representing the Blue Lions (and Faerghus as a whole).

Relationship with Blue Lions at Academy

Dimitri: Dimitri is rather doting and protective of his brother, which Ivan is sometimes annoyed by since he’s only a few minutes younger than Dimitri. They have a close relationship, although there are several obvious signs that they are at odds with each other, especially considering Ivan’s darker feelings of jealousy and bitterness competing with his genuine love for his brother.

Dedue: While Dedue’s devotion is for Dimitri, he and Ivan have a comfortable relationship. Ivan sometimes sits in the garden with him, Dedue taking care of the plants while Ivan reads or composes.

Felix: Felix finds Ivan’s rather cold, black and white view towards justice aggravating but doesn’t always push him away like he does with Dimitri. Ivan is the one who puts more effort into trying to spend time with him though.

Sylvain: Sylvain enjoys teasing Ivan considering how timid he is and how he still has a habit of hiding behind Sylvain when spooked. But they have a fun and easygoing relationship. And they like talking about music.

Ingrid: They have many favorite foods in common thanks to how Ingrid comforted him all the time when they were young. Ivan gets frustrated with how Ingrid sometimes still treats him like a child who needs to be protected.

Mercedes: Ivan has a friendly rivalry with her, since she’s a fellow healer and mage. He often goes to her for advice and lessons to improve his own techniques. He closest to her after his brother and friends. Dimitri likes to joke that Mercedes is trying to steal his brother for herself. Ivan sometimes notices a brief odd look on Mercedes’ face when Dimitri says that though.

Annette: Since they both love music and have skills with magic, they get along well. But Annette is often embarrassed singing or writing songs in front of Ivan since she finds him far more skilled, while Ivan enjoys her work and wants to work with her if she’d let him.

Ashe: Bookworm babies! They have a little book club (made of the two of them) where they love exchanging notes on books they read. Ashe also enjoys getting to know Ivan since he’s been curious about Ivan ever since hearing all the rumors and jokes about “the pathetic second prince” growing up.

First Meeting with Ivan

“A-are you the one who helped Dimitri? I can’t thank you enough! O-oh, is my appearance throwing you off? I’m Dimitri’s twin, Ivan Alexis Blaiddyd. Although, other than my face, I’m not much like him…”

First Kill

“Stop shaking! I had to do it! …Yes, I had to. It’s what they deserve for all they’ve done.”

Cooking (Pre-Timeskip)

“I apologize in advance, Professor. Cooking was never my strong suit.”

“This isn’t going as badly as I’d feared…Wait, did I just curse us? Oh no.”

Cooking (Post-Timeskip)

“I’m still terrible at cooking, Professor. I’m sorry about that…”

“Okay, this isn’t too bad. Oh, I better stop speaking before I curse us.”

Choir Practice

(Pre-Timeskip) “I’ve loved music since I was a child. But I…I still don’t have the courage to perform in front of a lot of people…This should be good practice for that, right?”

(Post-Timeskip) “No matter how harsh this war gets, no matter how much it tries to break me, I won’t abandon my music. It’s something that’s mine. No one will steal it from me.”

Counselor Note

“I’ve been hearing people say some cruel things about me when they think I’m not around. I’m used to such comments, but it still affects me. And I don’t have the courage to say anything. What should I do?”

(Bad Answer): You should grow a spine and confront them!

(Bad Answer): If you point them out, I can say something to them on your behalf.

(Good Answer): Talk to someone you trust. They can give you the support you need to make a decision.

Lost Item

Items

Collection of Fairytales (A thick book of many tales of fantasy and adventure. Something is written on the inside of the front cover, but the writing is smudged. Probably belongs to someone who loves stories.)

Book of Scores (A book filled with pages upon pages of musical compositions. Each sheet is covered in detailed notes. Probably belongs to someone who loves music.)

Childhood Picture (A portrait, worn with age, of a group of smiling children. Some of the children look familiar. Probably belongs to someone with several friends.)

(If item belongs to him): “Thank you! I…I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost this.”

(If item doesn’t belong to him): “I’m sorry, Professor, you have the wrong person…”

Gift

Liked Gifts: Forget-me-nots, Book of Sheet Music, Board Game, Ceremonial Sword, Legends of Chivalry

Disliked Gifts: Training Weight, Riding Boots, Hunting Dagger

(Received gift he likes): “For me? Truly? I don’t know what to say…”

(Received gift that’s neutral): “I’m glad that you’re thinking of me.”

(Received gift he dislikes): “Umm…Thank you…? Please don’t give me that look, Professor.”

Tea Party (Pre-Timeskip)

Greeting: “Thank you for the invitation.”

Liked Topics: Tell me about yourself, You seem well, Evaluating allies, The ideal Professor, Working together, Thanks for everything…, Favorite sweets, Shareable snacks, The library’s collection, Our first meeting…, Children at the market, Fodlan’s future, Books you’ve read recently, A word of advice, Someone you look up to…, A place you’d like to visit…, Overcoming weaknesses, The view from the bridge, Cats…, I’m counting on you, Past laughs, The Opera…

Disliked Topics: Reliable allies, Being the perfect knight, You seem different…, Dining partners…, Hopes for your future, Things you find romantic, Food for life, Capable comrades, The existence of Crests, Classes you might enjoy, School uniforms, You’re doing great work, Close calls, Mighty weapons, Sturdy weapons, School days, Cooking mishaps, Equipment upkeep, Monastery rules, The last battle…, A new Gambit…, Working hours for guards

Comments

“Umm, I’m sorry if I’m a boring conversationalist. I was never a social person growing up.”  

“I thought you accidentally invited me instead of my brother. It wouldn’t be the first time-Oh! I-I shouldn’t have said that.”        

“Thank you for all the support you’ve given me. It means more to me than you realize.”         

“I…I’ve been composing some songs recently. But no matter how hard I try, I’m not satisfied with them. But I suppose if it was easy then everyone would become musicians.”

“I’ve always hated battles, but I knew I would have to face them eventually. So I chose to study healing. I wanted, at the very least, to make sure I could keep the people I hold dear safe.”

Extended Time Comments

“This is for me? You’re too kind.”

“Umm, are you trying to spot differences between my face and Dimitri’s? There really isn’t much. Trust me, I’ve looked.”

“My hands shake after battles. I don’t know if they’ll ever stop…”

“Sorry, if I’m being too quiet for you, Professor. I’m not really used to all this.”

End of Tea Party: “Thank you, I had a great time! …Could we do this again?”

Tea Party (Post-Timeskip)

Greeting: “I’m sorry for the wait.”

Comments

“I think I’ve gotten a little better at conversation over the past five years. At least, I hope I have…”           

“I appreciate you, Professor. I apologize if that sounds too blunt, but I wanted you to know how grateful I am for all you’ve done.”

“I still compose sometimes, during the few lulls between battles. Some soldiers once asked me to compose some songs for battles, but I refused. I can never do that…”        

“People call me childish for still cherishing my books of adventures and wonder. But why is it wrong to hold them dear? Is it really a sin to want to escape from all of this, for just a moment?”

“I often dream of when I was younger. Before this war, before the Tragedy of Duscur. I…I wish life could be so simple again. I’m sorry, please ignore me…”

Extended Time Comments

“A gift? You’re truly a kind one, aren’t you?”

“My hands still shake after all these years. Is that a sign of weakness? Or a blessing that I’m not desensitized to killing…”

“My scar? Please, don’t worry. It aches when it’s particularly cold, but otherwise it doesn’t hurt me anymore.”

“Thank you, Professor, for all the faith you’ve shown in me. I’ll work hard so that I won’t let you down.”

End of Tea Party: “Thank you for inviting me. Peaceful moments like this are a blessing amidst all this chaos.”

Dining Hall (Pre-Timeskip)

Favorite Food: Shares many favorites with Ingrid, so if a food is her favorite it will most likely be his as well. Also loves sweets.

“This smells delicious! I can’t wait!”

“Oh, m-my favorite. Professor, thank you so much!”

With Dimitri (Before the fight in their support)

Ivan: “What do you think, Dimitri? This dish makes you feel good, doesn’t it?”

Dimitri: “Yes, I agree. It feels comforting, odd as that may sound.”

Ivan: “You better have seconds, then!”

With Dimitri (After the fight in their support)

Dimitri: “What do you think of the food, Ivan?”

Ivan: “It’s good.”

Dimitri: “Oh, that’s good…I’m glad…”

With Felix

Felix: “Why do I have to eat with you?”

Ivan: “Felix, don’t act like such a stranger! We always did so much together as children. Eating, playing, crying-”

Felix: “You better stop while you’re ahead.”

With Ingrid

Ivan: “Look, Ingrid, it’s another one of our favorites!”

Ingrid: “I know! I don’t think I ever realized how many favorite dishes we shared.”

Ivan: “And whose fault is that?”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “Good food, good atmosphere. Now if only it was a lovely lady by my side.”

Ivan: “Am…Am I bad company, Sylvain?”

Sylvain: “What? Oh, no, no! I was just kidding, Ivan, I swear!”

With Mercedes

Mercedes: “Oh, Ivan, did the advice I give you before work out?”

Ivan: “Yes, thank you, Mercedes! I hope my healing will be more effective now. And I apologize for the trouble.”

Mercedes: “No trouble at all! I’m happy to see you grow! We’ll be quite the healing duo, won’t we?”

Dining Hall (Post-Timeskip)

“It smells so good. I’m more than ready for this.”

“…Did you pick my favorite on purpose, Professor? If so, thank you.”

With Dimitri

Ivan: “…I…I’ve missed eating with you, Brother.”

Dimitri: “…I’ve missed it too. Let’s try to eat together more, alright?”

Ivan: “Yes! We have several years to make up for, after all!”

With Felix

Felix: “Do you really have to sit with me so much during meals?”

Ivan: “If you hate it so much, why don’t you find another spot?”

Felix: “Hmph. Cheeky fool…”

With Ingrid

Ingrid: “I’m glad we can share meals together again, Ivan. I’ve missed it more than you realize!”

Ivan: “I’ve missed it too. Who else is going to be meal buddies with me?”

Ingrid: “Umm, please tell that’s not what you’re going to call us…”

With Sylvain

Ivan: “Sylvain? You’ve been staring for a while. You’re going to make me blush if you keep this up.”

Sylvain: “Will I? Ooh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you go red! …Seriously though, don’t mind me. It’s just…been a while, Ivan.”

Ivan: “…I’ve missed eating with you too, Sylvain.”

With Mercedes

Mercedes: “It’s so lively eating with everyone else again, isn’t it, Ivan?”

Ivan: “I agree. Lots of noise and laughing. And I’ve missed discussing healing techniques with you, Mercedes.”

Mercedes: “Oh, I’ve missed that too! Let’s exchange notes after this, alright?”

Instruction (Pre-Timeskip)

Bad: “Ahh, I…I’m sorry…”

Good: “That wasn’t so bad.”

Great: “I understand…Let me review it once more.”

Perfect: “It’s all coming to me!”

(Praise): “Y-You’re too kind to me.”

(Console): “Th-thank you for your concern.”

(Scold): “…I’m sorry…”

Instruction (Post-Timeskip)

Bad: “I’m sorry about that…”

Good: “Alright, I’m doing better.”

Great: “I starting to understand. Let me review it.”

Perfect: “I get it now!”

(Praise): “Oh, umm, th-thank you.”

(Console): “Heh, come now, I’m no longer a child.”

(Scold): “…Sorry.”

Certification Exam

Pass: “Will I be of more use to everyone now?”

Fail (Pre-Timeskip): “Even after all that studying? I, ah…I’m sorry…”

Fail (Post-Timeskip): “Some things never change, I suppose…”

Class Mastery

“I’ll put this strength to good use. I promise.”

Group Tasks (Pre-Timeskip)

“I-I’ll do my best!”

(Perfect) “We did great, Professor! Ah, I mean, I didn’t mean to sound so shocked about that!”

(Good) “We finished the task. Though I fear I may have dragged us down…”

Weeding

With Dimitri (Before the fight in their support)

Ivan: “Umm, Brother? You…You were joking when you once told me about those edible weeds, right?”

Dimitri: “What? No, of course not! Here, come with me, I’ll point them out to you!

Ivan: “Dimitri…”

With Dimitri (After the fight in their support)

Dimitri: “There sure are a lot of weeds, aren’t there?”

Ivan: “Uh-huh.”

Dimitri: “…Ivan…”

With Felix

Ivan: “Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm~”

Felix: “How are you enjoying this?”

Ivan: “I’m not. I’m distracting myself.”

With Ingrid

Ingrid: “Ivan, I don’t mean to push, but could you hum for us? This task is dreadfully boring.”

Ivan: “You read my mind, Ingrid! One song, coming up.”

Ingrid: “Thank you!”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “Ugh, weeding. I can think of at least a dozen things I’d rather do than weeding.”

Ivan: “Keep at it, Sylvain. So long as you concentrate, we’ll be done soon enough.”

Sylvain: “I know, I know…”

With Mercedes

Ivan: “Say, Mercedes. I have a question about the weeds around here.”

Mercedes: “Do you? Well, I’ll do my best to answer, if I can! What is it?”

Ivan: “Are they…? Actually, never mind. I think I would prefer to live in blissful ignorance.”

Stable Duty

With Dimitri (Before the fight in their support)

Dimitri: “Are you okay, Ivan? You can stay over there if you want, I can take care of this.”

Ivan: “No, I appreciate the thought. But…I must be brave. I must!”

Dimitri: “So long as you don’t push yourself.”

With Dimitri (After the fight in their support)

Dimitri: “Ivan. Are you-?”

Ivan: “I’m fine, Dimitri.”

Dimitri: “The way you’re shaking says otherwise.”

With Felix

Felix: “You’re still afraid of horses? After all this time?”

Ivan: “I-I’m working on getting over it, I swear!”

Felix: “You’ve been saying that for years…”

With Ingrid

Ingrid: “When we were younger, whenever I asked if you wanted to help me take care of my horse, you’d freeze in place. What made you so scared of them in the first place?”

Ivan: “Honestly, it’s been so long, I can’t remember anymore.”

Ingrid: “Hmm, how sad…Horses aren’t as bad as you think, you know.”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “Alright, Ivan, my back is ready and here for you to hide behind!”

Ivan: “Sylvain…”

Sylvain: “Haha, sorry! But seriously, if you need a break, I’m right here, okay?”

With Mercedes

Mercedes: “Are you alright? You’ve been trembling for a while now.”

Ivan: “It’s pathetic…No matter how hard I try, I can never feel at ease around horses.”

Mercedes: “Oh my, I see. But please, don’t call yourself pathetic! We all have our fears.”

Sky Watch

With Dimitri (Before the fight in their support)

Ivan: “Brother…”

Dimitri: “Deep breaths, Ivan. The Pegasi at the monastery are tame and gentle, they won’t hurt you.”

Ivan: “My head knows that, but my heart doesn’t agree.”

With Dimitri (After the fight in their support)

Dimitri: “Ivan?”

Ivan: “I don’t want to talk right now.”

Dimitri: “I-I see.”

With Felix

Felix: “How long do you plan on staring at the ground? You have to keep your eyes ahead if you want to keep watch.”

Ivan: “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Felix, but can we not speak right now?”

Felix: “You’re ridiculous…”

With Ingrid

Ingrid: “You’ve been looking pale since we set off. Are you really that bad with Pegasi too?”

Ivan: “I know it’s pathetic, you don’t have to say anything.”

Ingrid: “Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that.”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “Hmm, I guess I can see why Pegasi freak you out as much as horses do. I mean, Pegasi are basically horses with wings.”

Ivan: “Sylvain, please…”

Sylvain: “Hey, no need to glare like that! I’m shutting up now.”

With Mercedes

Ivan: “Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm~”

Mercedes: “Ivan, are you okay? Your humming sounds rather distressed.”

Ivan: “I’m okay! I swear, I’m okay!”

Perfect Result

With Dimitri (Before the fight in their support)

Dimitri: “We did well! Great work today, Ivan.”

Ivan: “Please, the credit should be all yours.”

With Dimitri (After the fight in their support)

Dimitri: “We did a great job together, didn’t we?”

Ivan: “…We did well, I suppose.”

With Felix

Felix: “Well, I guess that wasn’t so bad.”

Ivan: “You worked especially hard, Felix!”

With Ingrid

Ingrid: “The job’s done, Professor! You did a good job, Ivan.”

Ivan: “Not as good a job as you did, Ingrid.”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “A perfect job! C’mon, Ivan, where’s my praise?

Ivan: “Yes, yes, you did a good job, my friend.”

With Mercedes

Mercedes: “It was a lot of hard work, but we’re done now!”

Ivan: “Thanks for all your help, Mercedes!”

Good Result

With Dimitri (Before the fight in their support)

Dimitri: “My, that was hard work. Are you alright, Ivan?”

Ivan: “I’m fine. Sorry if I was going too slow.”

With Dimitri (After the fight in their support)

Ivan: “The job’s done, Professor.”

Dimitri: “Yes, we…we worked hard.”

With Felix

Ivan: “That was a lot of work. I’m sorry if I dragged us down, Felix.”

Felix: “Always looking to blame yourself for something, aren’t you?”

With Ingrid

Ivan: “Thank you for all your help, Ingrid.”

Ingrid: “My thanks to you as well, Ivan!”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “Finally! I thought we’d never be done!”

Ivan: “I hope it wasn’t my fault we took so long…”

With Mercedes

Mercedes: “I’m exhausted, but we did well, didn’t we, Ivan?”

Ivan: “I agree. Thank you, Mercedes.”

Group Tasks (Post-Timeskip)

“My, this brings back memories, doesn’t it?”

(Perfect) “I hope we met your expectations, Professor!”

(Good) “I hope we didn’t cause extra work for someone else.”

Clearing Rubble

With Dimitri

Dimitri: “There’s so much rubble around here. Forgive me for letting all of you deal with it by yourselves for so long.”

Ivan: “It’s alright, Brother…Just make sure to pull your weight from now on, alright?”

Dimitri: “I promise, I will.”

With Felix

Ivan: “Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm~”

Felix: “…Never thought I’d actually miss that.”

Ivan: “Huh? What did you say, Felix?”

With Ingrid

Ingrid: “So much rubble! It truly is a disaster.”

Ivan: “Hmm, hmm, hmm~”

Ingrid: “…Heh, well, at least one of us seems to be having fun.”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “Good grief, every time we clear this area it’s like someone dumps another load of rubble just to spite us!”

Ivan: “The monastery did take a lot of damage over these past five years. Let’s work hard, okay?”

Sylvain: “I know…”

With Mercedes

Ivan: “Are you doing alright, Mercedes? If you need to take a break, feel free.”

Mercedes: “No, don’t mind me! It’s hard work but I’ve been training a lot these past five years!”

Ivan: “Haha, I see!”

Stable Duty

With Dimitri

Ivan: “…It’s not by much, but I think I’ve gotten a little more used to horses.”

Dimitri: “That’s wonderful, Ivan! You’ve grown so much while I wasn’t around. I’m proud of you.”

Ivan: “Th-that’s a little too much, don’t you think?”

With Felix

Felix: “Well, looks who’s not shaking like a newborn fawn.”

Ivan: “I’ve grown since you last saw me, Felix! I-Ah! S-stay away!”

Felix: “Hah…Well, at least he isn’t running away.”

With Ingrid

Ingrid: “I’m glad to see you’re a little calmer around horses now.”

Ivan: “Well, I can’t be a cowardly child forever, can I?”

Ingrid: “…You’ve worked hard, haven’t you?”

With Sylvain

Ivan: “I must tell you, Sylvain, you won’t see me cowering behind you anymore! I’ve gotten a little more used to horses now, so I-Ahh!”

Sylvain: “You sure you don’t wanna cower behind me?”

Ivan: “…P-please don’t tell anyone.”

With Mercedes

Mercedes: “Aww, these horses are rather sweet, aren’t they, Ivan?”

Ivan: “…Yes, I-I suppose they’re not so bad.”

Mercedes: “So long as you’re patient and gentle, I’m sure the day will come when they won’t scare you anymore.”

Sky Watch

With Dimitri

Ivan: “Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm~ Dimitri, you’ve been quiet for a while. Are you surprised to hear me humming?”

Dimitri: “I admit, seeing you at ease enough to hum atop a Pegasus is surprising. But…I was just focused on your voice. I’ve missed your music…”

Ivan: “…Then, what’s your request? I’ll perform for you later, like when we were children.”

With Felix

Felix: “You’ve finally calmed down around Pegasi, have you?”

Ivan: “Well, yes and no. I still feel terrible around them, but I’ve gotten better at pushing through regardless of my fear.”

Felix: “Hmm…Not bad, I guess.”

With Ingrid

Ivan: “Ingrid, what is it about Pegasi that make you like them so much?”

Ingrid: “Well, I’ve always adored horses, so I suppose loving Pegasi was just natural. I adore the feeling of flying beneath the blue skies, the wind whipping past. It’s exhilarating!”

Ivan: “I see…I guess that does sound interesting.”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “Hey, Ivan, how’re you doing over there? Don’t panic now.”

Ivan: “Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm~”

Sylvain: “Heh, he’s in his own little world.”

With Mercedes

Mercedes: “Hmm, hmm, hmm~”

Ivan: “Your humming sounds nice, Mercedes.”

Mercedes: “Why, thank you! I can see why you enjoy humming so much. It’s so relaxing!”

Perfect Result

With Dimitri

Ivan: “Well done, Dimitri! We never would’ve finished as fast as we did without you.”

Dimitri: “You’re the one who deserves most of the credit, Ivan.”

With Felix

Felix: “I suppose there are worse partner to work beside.”

Ivan: “Why, that just may be the nicest thing you’ve said to me since we reunited.”

With Ingrid

Ingrid: “We managed to take care of everything. Thank you for all the help, Ivan!”

Ivan: “I’m glad to have been of service. Thank you as well, Ingrid!”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “Whew! All in a day’s work, huh, Ivan?”

Ivan: “You worked hard, Sylvain. Good job.”

With Mercedes

Mercedes: “We did well today! It’s all thanks to you, Ivan!”

Ivan: “Oh please, you’re the one who deserves the praise, Mercedes.”

Good Result

With Dimitri

Ivan: “Alright, the job’s done. I didn’t hold you back, did I?”

Dimitri: “You could never hold me back.”

With Felix

Ivan: “Good work today, Felix! We had fun, didn’t we?”

Felix: “Are you honestly saying that with a straight face?”

With Ingrid

Ingrid: “That was exhausting, but we finished up, Professor.”

Ivan: “Thanks for all the help, Ingrid!”

With Sylvain

Sylvain: “We’re done! Man, that was such a pain!”

Ivan: “Was it really that bad? I thought we were doing well.”

With Mercedes

Ivan: “We’ve finished the job, Professor. I’m sorry it took so long.”

Mercedes: “My, I’m exhausted! I’m glad you were there to help out, Ivan.”

[thedarkenedkeeper]

12 Days of Writing: STRAWBERRY

Author's Note: This was a short story I had to write for one of my assignments this year for my creative writing class. The idea was that we had to write something that would be considered "banned" writing - whether it was about something wrong, like necrophilia, cannibalism, pedophilia, anything twisted and revolting really. We had to also make everything somewhat more implied that straight up going into detail about everything.

You guys should know by now that I love horror, so with this, I HAVE to put a warning. WARNING: The following story contains strong implications of cannibalism - to be more precise, self-cannibalism. While it doesn't delve into extreme detail, everything is still very much heavily implied. You have been warned.

The bubbly water is warm against her skin. She sits there, bathing herself in the luscious heat, running a bar of strawberry-scented soap all along her body. The lights are dimmed while a couple of lit candles – also strawberry-scented – provide an accented glow to the room, only relaxing her further. She releases a content sigh as she sinks into the tub, washing away her sins.

Everything is blissful and calm. And all that clouds the air is the sickly-sweet smell of strawberries.

She reaches out for her razor as she sits up. Soapsuds coat one of her legs as she moves to gently run the blade along the limb. Slowly, slowly, slowly…

She jolts, a hiss slipping through her teeth at the sharp, unannounced pain. A small bead of crimson pearls at the surface before running down her calf, lining her delicate skin with a stream of red. She stares at it in a dazed state, high on the scent of strawberries.

It’s red – such a bright, delicious-looking red, just like her favorite berry. Just like a strawberry. It’s mesmerizing.

A fingertip runs along the cut and she pops the tip into her mouth, sucking the juice from it. She moans softly, almost wantonly at the first taste.

The blade returns to the skin, kissing it lightly before it deliberately digs its cool edge in. There’s a tug and a gasp, a thicker stream of warm crimson trailing down her leg and connecting with the sudsy water. Her finger collects her essence and brings it to her hungry lips, craving that sweet, fruitful flavor again. It drips out her tongue, coating it red and sinking in, awakening a curious wrongful hunger deep inside. Her moans are louder as she coils her tongue around the tip, sucking harshly until there isn’t anything left to take.

She notices the swirls of dark red within the tub, creating patterns of flowers and vines. It’s beautiful, captivating to her glazed-over eyes. She follows the stream of her life-force back up her leg and sinks her nails into the opening. Pain blinds her momentarily, only to get overridden by pleasure. Pure, sinfully hot pleasure.

The blade makes sweet passionate love to her flesh, biting and twisting and pulling more juice from within. Splashes of crimson warmth coat her fingers as a thin strip is torn loose. It’s a glistening red, calling out to the malignant thing inside her. She slips it into her mouth and sinks her aching teeth in. A lustful groan crawls out of her throat, spreading her legs as she savors the succulent meat.

Over and over, the razor chews away at the silky skin. Over and over, patches and strips are peeled away. Over and over, she engorges herself on the flesh of a sinner.

She’s covered in crimson, sticky with her blossoming essence. The soapy bloody water envelopes her carcass and washes away her sins once again.

 She bathes in her sins as she let’s the inner monster consume her.

All she can smell is the sickly sweet scent of strawberries.

[hayaomiyazaki]

i saw call me by your name and then i came out to my parents

last night at nyff, i saw call me by your name (and enjoyed a brief post-screening q&a with the director and leads). i have studied film theory for six years at nyu, and i’ve seen so many films…so many queer films…so many feminist films…just so much, and i’ve been so grateful to have been exposed to so much immersive, reflective, creative cinema over the years. there are no “best films of all time” — only films that have helped develop mainstream form and style, and films that we each love personally. the latter is all that matters, to you, to filmmakers, to cinematic history. please trust me. here’s some notes on things people seem rather curious about (with minor spoilers for those who haven’t read the novel, though i genuinely believe knowing what happens in the film takes away nothing from the experience whatsoever, because it’s not a plot-based narrative, but an exercise in pacing):

the peach scene is not grotesque as the media is leading you to believe; it is brief, and it is essential. it represents the exploration, awakening, and ennui of elio’s life, and affords a huge amount of vulnerability to the following interaction between the two men. it’s not scandalous or explicit or silly or gratuitous. it’s not “a big deal.”

they kiss. no, they kiss. i’ve found that it is a default for straight or straight-leaning actors to kiss a very particular way: closed-mouth, hard, foreheads pressing together as their faces gravitate towards the floor. it’s rough and inexperienced, and, sure, this can be passionate. but in this film, they kiss. they kiss with their mouths open, and slowly, and they touch each other’s hair and faces, and their chins press together because they’re looking up, up at the stars or the hot air above them; “gasping for air” is what we often read in fiction, when two characters are kissing. those gasps — that air — it isn’t between them from below; it’s above. they look up and into each other’s eyes and it feels like gentle want, not like they’re rushing to make use of stolen time.

armie hammer has mentioned many times in talks that the film is simply about love, that there’s no harshness about coming out, that there’s no phobic sources forcing them apart, etc. understand that this is not necessarily true. yes, the film is wholly about love, but the root of their “lost love” narrative is a subtle religious-based shame, almost exclusively on the part of oliver, a proud jewish man. he is sure, as much as he loves elio and will never forget their time together, that it simply isn’t realistic for them to be together (specifically mentioning his father would have him “carted off to a correctional facility”), and does default to a heterosexual marriage at the film’s end. at the same time, they function completely in secret (or, attempt to do so) during their weeks together. this is important to recognise, even within the spacio-temporal context of the film.

timothée chalamet’s voice is a lot deeper than you’d imagine it would be.

you will hate your life after seeing this film. i’m sure you have it wonderfully, loving friends and family, sure, sure, but do you have a villa in northern italy, a cook that makes apricot juice good enough for the gods, two pools, parents who read you fairytales in german as you lay across their laps on a wet summer’s evening, a rustic turquoise bike that maintains its perfect state no matter how many times you carelessly throw it against the dirt road, a closet of endless cable knit and cotton button-downs, fresh peaches for days, fluency in three languages, and armie hammer in short-shorts? call me by your name is not set in italy — it is set in utter queer paradise, and it will make you sick.

michael. fucking. stuhlbarg.

the film is 90% symbolism. fountains. statues. bikes. hankies. mattresses. paper. shirts. bare feet. water. juice. peaches. so many peaches. the score replaces the first-person narrative of the novel, and you’ll never forgive sufjan for how it all makes you feel.

i called my mother this morning and said, “i want to talk,” and she was worried, “oh no, what’s happened? oh, you’re calling to tell me you won’t graduate, is that it?” and i laughed, because what a silly assumption, but also so spot-on, and i sighed because we’re not very close and this is feels like the interaction close family should have, and i said, “i just want you to know that i didn’t lie to you because i’m scared of what you’ll think, because i’m not,” which is true, because my parents are wonderfully accepting, and i would know, as my sister is in a committed lesbian relationship, and she said, “oh my goodness, what’s happened? are you okay?” and i said, “mom, i’m fine. last month when you visited, you shocked me by asking me a question at dinner so nonchalantly, i wasn’t prepared, but i should say i’m glad it was so nonchalant because it means we really are making some progress in society…” and she cut me off, saying, “sarah, what is the matter?” and i said, “nothing. i just wanted to tell you that last month, you asked me ‘if i was dating girls’ and i lied and said no, but i had a girlfriend over the summer, and she just moved to london, and it’s over, but it’s true, and you would have liked her, mom, she was very sweet, and she was much prettier than me, you would have been proud, but, anyways, that’s happened and now you know,” and my mom laughed and started, "she's not the first...no, of course she isn't..." and then got very stern and said, “you mean she was in town at the same time as me and you didn’t introduce me?” and i laughed and then she asked me about the lgbtq acronym and told me labels don’t matter, and i told her not to be surprised when there’s another lucky lady in the future, and she said, “yes, any lady would be lucky to have you,” and i agreed, because she would want me to, and i said, “i saw this film last night,” and she said, “you’re sick and off from work but you felt fine to see a movie?” and i said, “no, that’s just it. i saw this film and it made me so ill…i didn’t go to work, and then i called you and told you all this,” and she said, “well, i’ll have to see it, then, and i’ll have to tell your sister about it if it’s gay,” and i laughed, because she assumes all gay people like all gay films, and then she went on to tell me that she wanted to watch the danish girl because she wants to know more about the trans experience, and i tried to interrupt and say, “well, perhaps don’t start there,” but she said, “no, i didn’t, because i got it confused with this movie carol,” and then she told me how she watched carol waiting for one of them to be trans — “probably cate blanchett because she can play anything!” she said — but then fell asleep because it was kind of boring, and then she said, “but i’ll try again,” and then there was some gentle jesting about grandkids and who knows what else, and that was it. it was the easiest thing in the world. and i don’t feel relieved…i just feel some equilibrium in the universe has finally been achieved.

anyways, what was the point of this post again? ah, call me by your name. yes… yes. it’s one of my favourite films i’ve ever seen. it’s made me supremely poorly: my head aches and my chest hurts and my feet are heavy and my eyes are welling up during every downbeat, and i can’t focus on anything, which is probably why this whole post is such gobbledygook. that is to say: i’m very grateful.

[sea-birdie]

Five Steps to a Happy Mother’s Day

Summary: It’s Mother’s Day and the NozoEli household is getting ready for a great day thanks to a precious treasure of theirs.

Pairing/s: NozoEli (Main Pair), KotoUmi, NicoMaki, RinPana

A/N: I’M BACK WITH ANOTHER ONE-SHOT! This is a late Mother’s Day fic though I had the idea yesterday to write it. This was also at the request of my gf  @theworldhopper because she wanted some fluffy NozoEli and child so what better to way to do that than a Mother’s Day fic? Anyways, hope you enjoy this little one shot and thank you for reading!

Quiet footsteps approached the closed door of her parent's bedroom. Today is May 14, the second Sunday of May and little Anna knew what it meant. It was Mother's Day and she made plans for her and her moms for today. Even if she was six years old, she inherited the wit of her mother Nozomi and the sharp planning of her other mother Eli. It was a simple 5 step plan for today and right now, Anna was starting step one.

Anna quietly opened the bedroom door of her parent's and peeked a little. Her parents were still quietly sleeping having had a busy day yesterday. Nozomi had to take care of Anna and watch the house while Eli was at work. Nozomi had waited for Eli last night after putting Anna to sleep but by the time Eli got home, both of the women she loved were already asleep so she ended up passing out on the bed along with her wife and in her working outfit no less.

As much as Anna didn't want to disturb her parents, she needed them awake for what she had planned. After all, it is Mother's Day.

Slowly opening the bed room door, she snuck inside. In her hand were two roses. One purple and and one yellow. She thanked the gods for the flower shop next to them that sold colored roses. Then, quickly, she lifted the covers from her parent's bed then yelled out: "Happy Mother's Day!!"

Nozomi and Eli's eyes opened, having been awakened by the sound of their daughter's voice, sat up and stretched before they acknowledged their daughter's greeting.

"Awww. Thank you my dear!" Said Nozomi, coming out of bed and giving Anna a hug.

"Thank you sweetheart!" Eli said, joining her wife in hugging their daughter.

Anna held out the two roses. "These are for you! Mama gets the yellow rose and Mommy gets the purple one!" Anna said with glee.

The moms took the roses and smelled them, the sweet fragrance entering their noses. "These are wonderful Anna! Did you get them yourself?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes I did Mommy!" She acknowledged. "Now let's go downstairs. I made breakfast!"

Anna took Nozomi by the hand as she led her downstairs. "Mama, are you coming too?" Anna asked.

"Yeah I will sweetheart. Just need to fix the bed." Eli replied.

As Anna and Nozomi went downstairs, Eli fixed the bed then went through her purse and found what she was looking for. It was a little blue box with a card attached saying: "To the love of my life. Happy Mother's Day Nozomi!"

Eli smiled before she placed the box in her drawer and joined her wife and daughter for breakfast.

----------

After breakfast, which were messily made rice balls Anna made from techniques she learned from Auntie Hanayo, the three ladies went out for the day. Their first stop was the mall. Anna wanted to take her parents there to simply have fun with them. Nozomi and Eli also decided that while they were there, they would visit Kotori in her store. After visiting the arcade and getting an ice cream for Anna, the two entered Kotori's store.

"Nozomi-chan! Eli-chan! Anna-chan! Welcome and Happy Mother's Day to you two!" Kotori greeted them when they entered.

"Hi Kotori-chan and thank you!" Nozomi chimed.

"Hehe, thank you Kotori!" Eli said.

"Auntie Kotori!" Anna said. "Is Auntie Umi around?"

"Sorry Anna-chan but Umi-chan's not around today. She said she had a session today with her archery class." Kotori answered.

"Oh alrighty." Anna said, not sounding too disappointed.

"Speaking of Umi-chan," Nozomi inquired. "Any plans yet for the wedding?"

"Sort of." Kotori replied sheepishly. "She's still too embarassed to talk about it. I guess if there's one thing that won't change about Umi-chan is how easily embarrassed she gets."

Eli and Nozomi giggled. "Well, she is the woman you fell in love with Kotori." Eli said.

"Of course! I love my Umi-chan just the way she is after all!" Kotori said. "Oh, Eli-chan, Nozomi-chan! I have a Mother's Day gift for you two!"

Kotori excused herself and went into the inventory room. After a minute, she emerged  from the inventory room and with her were two beautiful dresses. The first dress was a purple dress decorated with creative designs of the tarot cards Nozomi uses. The other dress was a cerulean dress decoreated with purple flower designs.

"I made these dresses for you two!" Kotori chimed. "A gift for the first moms of Muse hehe!"

"Oh wow! These are beautiful Kotori-chan!" Nozomi exclaimed.

"Indeed! You never lost your touch Kotori!" Eli also exclaimed.

"Mhm!" Kotori said. "Do you want to try them on?"

Nozomi and Eli nodded before Kotori handed them their respective dresses. The two mothers headed for the dressing room and soon after, they came out in their respective dresses.

"Kyaaa! It looks amazing on you two!" Kotori gushed.

"Mommy and Mama look super pretty!" Anna cheered before running to her moms and hugging them.

"Thank you Kotori-chan! These dresses are beautiful." Nozomi said.

"Just as I imagined hehe~"

"We better get going now Kotori. We still have a long day to spend. Thank you for the dresses." Eli said.

"You're welcome Eli-chan! Happy Mother's Day again you two!" Kotori said, waving them goodbye.

"Oh Umi-chan, if you were only here to see them..." Kotori said to herself. "We could good be great parents just like them! Hehe~"

----------

Next on the agendum was lunch. Eli and Nozomi took Anna to the food court where they would be having their Mother's Day lunch. Anna may be six but that didn't stop her from eating the spicy ramen she ordered. Nozomi, on the other hand, ordered a enough Yakiniku for herself and for her family (and by enough, I mean a lot) and Eli simply ordered some sashimi for lunch.

As they ate, they talked and had fun during their lunch. Anna told her mothers that she was doing well in school and that her teacher was amazed by her good test scores. Eli and Nozomi congratulated her, which made Anna smile widely.

As they ate, someone approached their table.

"Well, well, look who it is. It's Muse's first mom!" The three turned to see Nico and Maki and, in Nico's arms, their baby.

"Nico-chan! Maki-chan!" Nozomi greeted.

"Hi Auntie Nico and Auntie Maki!" Anna greeted. "Happy Mother's Day to you two!"

"Thank you Anna-chan!" Nico said, patting her head.

"I can see you two are enjoying Mother's Day huh?" Eli acknowledged.

"Yeah we are." Maki replied. "Good thing this is the only day where I don't have a shift at the hospital."

"You got lucky Maki-chan!" Nozomi said. "And how's little Dia doing?"

"She's been an angel." Nico said.

"Well apart from the crying, pooping, burping and vomiting, she's been lovely." Maki added with some remorse.

"Yeah it has been hell the past couple of weeks." Nico responded.

"Hell? What does that mean?" Anna asked, sipping her juice.

Eli glared at Nico, who scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "I-It's nothing Anna-chan! It's just something adults say..." Nico told her sheepishly.

Anna glared at Nico with violet eyes before chiming up. "Oh okay Auntie Nico!"

"What did I tell you about swearing in front of Anna, Nico-chan?" Maki scolded her.

"Sorry Maki-chan..." Nico said before she held up her hand in her signature hand sign.

"Anyways," Eli interrupted. "Nico, Maki, you want to join us for lunch?"

"Thank you but Maki-chan and I are just takinga romantic stroll at the moment." Nico replied.

"Yeah." Maki acknowledged. "We're still new moms so we gotta make the most out of it and spend time with Dia before she grows up."

"Before she grows up just like you." Nico teased.

"Well, duh," Maki commented. "She'll be just as beautiful and intelligent as me."

"I sure hope that's it." Eli commented. "Wouldn't like Dia to be like her moms when they were in high school acting all shy and embarrassed to be with one another."

"Hey!" Nico and Maki responded before everybody just giggled and laughed.

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

After lunch, the Ayase-Tojo family gabe their farewells to Nico and Maki, who continued their romantic stroll. After that, they went to the grocery to shop for dinner. From what Anna heard, Eli was cooking borscht for dinner, to her delight.

As they were shopping, they saw two very familiar girls near the produce section, checking out some rice.

"Auntie Hanayo! Auntie Rin!" Anna exclaimed, running towards the two.

"Hi Anna-chan!" Hanayo said, looking up from her rice to hug the girl. "Where're Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan?"

"Rin-chan! Hanayo-chan!" Nozomi greeted, waving to them, and Eli right behind her.

"Nozomi-chan, Eli-chan! Happy Mother's Day nya!" Rin greeted, hugging the two mothers. It was nice to hear Rin still says "nya" at the end of her sentences.

"Thank you Rin." Eli replied.

"What bring you here?" Hanayo asked them.

"Mama's making borscht for dinner!" Anna exclaimed. "So we're shopping for the ingridients!"

"Ah that's wonderful!" Hanayo chimed. "And you know what goes best with any meal Anna-chan?"

"Rice!" Anna answered quickly.

The two mothers giggled. "Seems you got our little sweetheart to like rice as much as you do Hanayo-chan." Nozomi acknowledged.

"Well, rice is a necessity for growing little girls like Anna-chan." Hanayo giggled.

"How are things at your place by the way?" Eli asked.

"Oh it's been great nya!" Rin chimed. "Kayochin and I are expecting children soon!"

"Really?" Eli asked, surprised.

"Yep! Our little girl Mocha-chan is about to give birth." Hanayo said, taking out her phone and showing them a current picture of a Corgi.

"Oh that's exciting!" Nozomi commented.

Anna gasped. "Can we get one of the puppies Mommy? Can we?" Anna begged.

Nozomi looked at Eli, who just shrugged. "I don't mind if we do. It could help us watch over the house." Eli reasoned.

Nozomi sighed then looked at Anna, who's eyes sparkled with glee. "Alright, we'll get one of them. But you have to take care of it ok darling?" Nozomi told her.

"Yes I will! Thank you Mommy!" Anna said, hugging her mother tightly.

"Consider it as our Mother's Day gift to you two nya!" Rin said.

"Although, you might have to wait until we the pups are a few weeks old." Hanayo informed them. "They'll still need to be with their mother while they're young."

"We can wait." Eli said. "What do you say sweetheart?"

"Thank you Auntie Hanayo and Auntie Rin!" Anna said, hugging the two.

Nozomi and Eli simply smiled as they watched the gesture.

-----------

The rest of the day went on quickly. After paying for their groceries and bidding their farewells to Rin and Hanayo, the family went back home to rest and have dinner. As they did, Anna mentioned she was hungry and wanted something sweet. Luckily, Eli and Nozomi knew what street they were in and decided to visit Homura.

Inside, Eli and Nozomi were greeted by Honoka, who gave them some of the signature manjuu the place was known for as a Mother's Day present. Although they did chat for a while, Honoka closed up afterwards so her family can celebrate Mother's Day with her mom, bidding farewell to the Tojo-Ayase family.

Once they got home, Eli began to cook the borscht while Anna and Nozomi played with Anna's toys in her room. As they played, Eli slipped into her and Nozomi's bed room and got the little box before returning downstairs to finish the borscht.

Soon, dinner came. The family enjoyed the scrumptious borscht Eli made, a smile on their faces with each bite. Afterwards, they helped clean up the table together then proceeded with a movie before heading to bed. Nozomi and Eli decided to watch Anna's favorite, My Neighbor Totoro, reliving some of their childhood with this movie (plus the look on Anna's face when Totoro would show up on screen was adorable).

When the movie ended, Anna was already tired, given the long day she spent with her mothers. Eli carried Ana to her room then tucked her in while Nozomi turned on her night light.

"Mama, I had a really fun day with you and Mommy." Anna said tiredly.

"So did we sweetheart." Eli answered, kissing her on the forehead. "Good night sweetheart."

"Good night Mama. Good night Mommy." Anna said to her parents.

"Good night too my dearest." Nozomi replied as she and Eli exited the room and closing the door.

"Well, today was fun don't you think?" Eli said, wiping some of the sweat off her forehead.

"Mhm!" Nozomi said. "After all, Anna did plan today."

"She did?"

Nozomi handed Eli a piece of paper. On it, it was written: "Five Step Plan for Mommy's Day 1.) Wake up Mama and Mommy and have breakfast 2.) Go get Mama and Mommy new dresses 3.) Have lunch with Mama and Mommy 4.) Spend more time with Mama and Mommy 5.) Have dinner and watch a movie with Mama and Mommy

Also, call Aunties to come say 'Happy Mommy's Day' to Mama and Mommy.

Mama and Mommy will have so much fun! I love them so much too!"

Eli smiled. "Anna's growing up..." She said, shedding a tear.

"Mhm. We're so glad to have her right Elicchi?" Nozomi said.

"Yes." Eli replied. Then, Eli took out the little box she kept in her pocket and revealed it to Nozomi.

"My love, this is for you." Nozomi took the box and opened it, revealing a locket with a picture of them and Anna inside. The inscription on the locket says "To the two most beautiful women in my life."

"Ohhh it's beautiful Elicchi!" Nozomi said, hugging Eli. "Thank you! I love you."

"I love you too Nozomi. Happy Mother's Day." Eli replied.

And the two would remain this way until they went to bed. Anna's little five step plan worked and it turned out just the way she wanted it. After all, she loved her moms and they loved her back. Even if Mother's Day is over, she'll still treat her mother's in a special way because she loves them as much as they love her.

[sunjunkyblog-blog]

How to Photograph Sunrises

I get sunrise photography up every morning routinely. I say automatically, simply because I do not use an alarm clock. One thing inner wakes me up, all the time earlier than sunrise, or one thing external that passes by just on the right time. I roll out of bed, wipe the sleep from my eyes and rumple my hair. I am then ready to go downstairs, get a drink of juice, and get the dog recent sunrise beach photoshoot water.

I discover that doing the identical things every morning maintain me on a good keel in addition to serving some features, ergo the recent water. I examine the climate channel each morning to see the temperature, the wind and the doable cloud cowl additionally, this last point being germane to good image taking potentialities. The temperature dictates sunrise canvas set how many layers I'm going to placed on, particularly in the winter, and the wind helps with that call additionally. I then "layer up" after which lace up the shoes. My canine patiently watches this morning procession, sometimes even enjoying with one in every of her stuffed toys while she waits. I feel that she anticipates what comes subsequent.

Stalking the best image of sunrise We leave the house, sniffing our way along the road the three or so blocks it takes to reach the street operating along the beachfront. At this juncture, the canine completely dictates which way we travel, preferring selection in her walks. We https://www.sunjunky.net/ flip left or right and proceed until she thinks it prudent to cross the road, trying each methods beforehand, and proceed to the beach, profiting from several entry points available. I've to be patient, being sufficiently old to have discovered that one cannot rush a woman.

Relying on the place we're exactly when we entry the seaside, usually there is a gangplank stretching over the scrub brush and then sand at the end. I normally wait until we've reached the seaside correct before releasing the hound. She's always excited to be on the seaside and understand this type of freedom, to romp and sniff what she chooses.

At times, she takes off running as if she'll never cease, but normally does, turning round to see and test my gradual prodding progress. Once I strategy, she'll repeat sunrise canvas painting the method, running full-velocity for awhile, then as soon as again stopping and waiting. The cooler the climate, the more she runs, and often the slower I walk.

We often arrive at the seaside just earlier than sunrise. I watch the climate channel for this info additionally, along with the tides, to try to arrive at the least a few minutes early. This enables me to examine the lighting and potential images that I might take that day, some involving scenery, some not. Most of my photographs are the ocean and the sky, trying always to honor the principles of pictures and shot framing which dictate about a third of the picture exhibiting the sea and two thirds sky.

Occasionally both the ocean or the sky will win out and these proportions might be violated, but only within the identify of creative license. I have a digital digicam with settings on it for sunrise and sunset footage, so I often use these and let the camera dictate the speed and publicity beautiful sunrise stock photos I've found, for the most half, that I'm happy with these photographs, however would possibly experiment in the future. My digital camera is a Fuji Finepix S3200 and I shopped round for features earlier than purchasing.

The precise means of taking good dawn pictures I usually try to take several photographs, ascribing to the idea that higher more than much less. I always hold alert for changing situations, hoping that I am going to seize one thing unique, like the lady strolling her two dogs or the one girl gazing in awe. I've all the time stated that one ought to stay alert as America wants extra lerts. Snapping several footage additionally permits me the chance to put collectively a photographic sequence if significantly good that day. I think I shall concentrate on these for the website in the future.

Whereas I snap footage, my dog could be very patient, one time simply sitting down by my side while I snapped photograph after photograph in a nice sequence. After the solar has risen, my work is finished and I feel that she is aware of that this is Check Out Your URL her time. We often walk more than two miles, getting some good cardio whereas, hopefully, some wonderful footage. Pru, my dog, knows that after we go away the seashore and head home, it's to get her some breakfast and some scorching coffee for me.

I have been walking the beaches of Hilton Head Island since 1989, largely within the morning hours. My neighbor inspired me to start taking pictures of the sunrise and to place them collectively on a web site so that others might get pleasure from them. I wished to explain, as greatest I can, the expertise to my viewers, perhaps setting the stage for them to either visit the island, or to start getting up a little bit earlier to enjoy nature.

Waking up each morning is an exercise the bulk of people who exist in the world really hate. Some individuals, like myself, hate it with a passion! Scaring and jolting myself from a stupendous dream world each morning into a chilly actuality is what regular alarms clocks are great at. However with a bizarre trying and wacky alarm gadget referred to as a sunrise alarm clock, waking up does not should be a horrible experience each morning however something you actually look forward to. In case you do not believe me, carry on reading...

A dawn alarm clock looks like a regular alarm clock however with a bit of weirdness added to it. It has a base and attached to it is a massive dome shaped globe which is capable of pumping out excessive intensity gentle which is considerably brighter than normal globes. The elemental distinction between a regular alarm and a sunrise alarm clock is the former makes use of sound to wake individuals up, whereas the later uses light.

Using gentle as a substitute of sound to awaken in the morning is a way more natural solution to get up. Your body does not like being jolted awake in the morning from sleep. It is a harsh and generally even violent method to get SunJunky up. However with a dawn alarm clock you might be slowly and gently woken with a lightweight which begins off very dim however regularly will get brighter and brighter. Then when it is at it's brightest you will be conscious.

Dawn clocks simulate natural daylight. This is the way your body likes to get up in the morning. When vivid gentle hits your body, chemical substances are produced to cut the production of one other chemical in your body called melatonin. This chemical is liable for sleep and if you are being woken by a daily alarm then melatonin will be current in your physique while you wake up inflicting morning grogginess and irritability.

Vivid gentle sends a sign to your physique to cease producing melatonin because it kick begins chemical substances and endorphins which trigger a much more productive and more healthy transition into being wide awake. Waking up with a sunrise beach photos sunrise alarm clock or daybreak simulator as it is also recognized, will result in you being in a better mood, with better amounts of power, and clarity of mind. This appears like a much better method of waking up don't you assume?

I exploit to go to mattress every night time considering of the ache I would be in when my alarm clock went off in the morning. That nasty beep, beep, beep sound use to hang-out me. The only peace once you wake to this sunset canvas painting diy noise in the morning is to either hit the snooze button and drift off for one more few stunning minutes, before being violently woken up once more, or flip the sound off, rise up and begin your day in a foul temper.

However dawn alarm clocks are different, a lot totally different! Now I wake up easily and naturally. The transition from deep sleep to conscious is a smooth and pleasant course of that does not leave me in a position the place I really feel hooked on hitting the snooze button time and again. As an alternative I wish to get up, get out of bed and start my day because I really feel fantastic. It is so simple as that. This is the fantastic thing about awakening with the help of a dawn alarm clock each morning.

Sunset it the right time to reflect, like seeing your self by way of the sunrays of light at daybreak or by dawn. Mirror by gazing with introspection at your life-model. Can you see your reflection that stares back at you through the waters of the ocean? Do you see what is going on proper in your life? Choose introspectively. The time has arrived to purse additional effort by setting your sights to new heights upon the following dawn! The sun has at all times been such a barometer of time and accomplishment. It's laborious to think about time without pondering of a sundown or dawn!

Yesterday is gone! With the expectation of a new day comes thoughts of the solar rising upon a brand new daybreak. The dying of the day before is now a forlorn conclusion, it's an indisputable fact. There is an keen expectation that arrives with the promise for a brand new start, like the Sun Junky sunrise beach photos new promise skilled by each new sunrise! Daybreak indicates that mourning/morning has come and yesterday's troubles are gone. There is no must mourn or lengthen yesterday's morning any longer than is necessary. Yesterday is gone- POOF- CHAZAM- GONE! YESTERDAY IS GONE, IT'S NOW UP TO NOW!

A new day and a new house is made available to make more time for new thoughts and efforts. Outdated solutions have expired like yesterday, time can not revise or reverse yesterday's troubles or worries. Might the brand new dawn make you extra apprised of the clever ways that new ideas contribute to devising profitable outcomes to your most difficult life conundrums or puzzles.

The sun shines upon everyone equally everyday. It invites a chance for a new beginning and an end to yesterday. Let solar rays come to you with glares of enlightenment in the type of nice ideas, concepts, intentions or plans. Have the data that there's sunny, viable, important, healing power that's granted to you, like a brand new sunrise, with a promise for a contemporary begin!

Be welcoming and engaging when experiencing the flames of changing sunlight and solar rays. Prices are exposing and acquiring options of illumination. Readily grant the help that the Universe offers you with each new sunrise. A brand more information on wikipedia new day is granted for all of humanity, it's up to us to partake of what we need to change or preserve receiving. Don't fall into the insanity of doing the identical things over and over anticipating totally different outcomes!

You gain far more readability by means of your decision to concentrate and attune more to what you need to surpass, understand or have interaction than by in search of to change yesterday. Rehashing and rehearsing your troubles over and over helps nobody.

Choose change every day. Take part and expend extra vitality by taking motion in the direction of your own wishes, life occasions and concentrate on calculated outcomes that you just want to authorize for yourself. Enable and honor alternative ways of pondering. Invite more introspection, correction, renewal and planning sunrise canvas in your way to advancing your ideas. No matter time of day resonates essentially the most or the most effective with your biological clock, take a break, relax and sit nonetheless for a few moments a day. In occasions of stillness,plan to grasp what you plan to perform before the top of the day unfolds.

As you look inside your self, attain closure by what was accomplished yesterday. Ponder and spend time considering. Know what you need to accomplish before the daybreak of a new day, week, month or Sun Junky Social Network 12 months occurs. Hear what your conscience is telling you. Be content material to receive illumination daily, in the best or smallest type, welcome knowledge such as you welcome a heat dawn.

The illumination of a warm sunrise is exciting and invitations CHANGE and PROGRESS. Change is like having wings that fly and soar into the horizon attaining more of what you are hoping for! Find the vantage level of your plans, ideas hop over to this blog and goals. When pondering of the illuminating Son/sun, it is our enlightened method of viewing new opportunities. We are all able to find ways or devising how we want to reach our aspirations after many sunrises have passed us by.

Be assured in the data that there's very important,viable therapeutic power granted to you everyday. Be a optimistic recipient of change, engage the flames of change! All the time search sun rays of hope or change. I encourage you to brazenly get hold of illumination within the type of data. Assist your means to digest better and larger things arranged via change and enlightenment, get pleasure from your new thought process!

Let's benefit from the sundown in the present day and devise a method to meet- that will be really cool and fairly neat too! Get pleasure from the rest of your day and in all methods remember that actions are to be taken at the perfect time of the day, no matter time works best for you. The perfect sunrises and the most superior sunsets are probably the most superb instances to draw inspiration out of your inner talk within the form of your ideas. Considering is based on what you notice has been settled at the end of your day, or so that you can resolve how you intend to engage or change after the subsequent dawn comes upon you once more!

[cestfromage]

As we were drifting off to sleep last Friday night, I mentioned to Alice that I felt like I was coming down with something. Sure enough, upon awakening on Saturday morning, I was sick. Joy. Alice, though, maintained health! Yay! Unfortunately, we had a full day planned, so, despite my budding illness, we headed out the door to Central London.

First stop, a perfume store. Sigh. Alice has wanted me to wear cologne ever since she met me. And I have resisted. For some reason, I am not a big fan of colognes on men. But I am nothing if not amenable. We found a perfume store and went in. Not having much of an olfactory sense at the best of times, I fear I was not much help to Alice in picking out what scent to purchase. I think Alice tested four before opting for Dior – Sausage. I mean Sauvage. Here me roar. I did learn that one does not mist the air and then walk through the scent. Yay knowledge.

Next stop, lunch. Although not terribly hungry, I did know myself well enough to realize that a bout of clothes shopping would be better endured with a full stomach than on an empty one. We went to a cool place called Kinglsy Court where there were a bunch of heavily patronized restaurants. Nothing really appealed to either of us, until we saw someone chowing down on a bowl of Japanese noodles! Sadly, that restaurant had a long line outside its door. So we meandered through the rest of the three floors of mostly restaurants, hoping for inspiration. It came in the shape of a second Japanese restaurant called Oka. There was a table in the corner available to us and we took it! I was in the mood for soup, as I felt that soup was most easily digested -saving my body’s energies for fighting my illness. The miso soup was delicious and plentiful! Actually, all the dishes were reasonably sized, especially for a Japanese restaurant. Alice ordered a beef dish (delicious) and I suggested either a Spider Roll or (to cut out the middle man) Tempura Soft Shelled Crab. Yummy and yummy! And we also got an order of asparagus. And a serving of seaweed salad. All delicious. And so much food that we had to take some home with us (beef and asparagus – we both finished our soups and there is rarely any leftover soft shelled crab when we are around).

Fat and happy (and sick) we headed to our next destination (of five – though we only made four after all) a clothing store called Massimo Dutti. Alice has gotten me clothes from there before – and we had even visited this same store during a previous visit (though I don’t remember us getting anything there last time…). Alice was tenacious, persistent and patient – she found me oodles of things to try on – pants, shirts, sweatshirts…and waited while I slowly, very, very slowly, tried everything on. We ended up with a lot of clothes for relatively little money. By the way, the shopping was all on Alice – for Christmas missed and my birthday to be missed. I would have actually like to have worn one of the pairs of pants out of the store, but I forgot somehow. Oh, right, I was sick. And dragging.

We packed everything into one bag and headed off to our next appointment and destination. The appointment was with Alice’s friend Rachael at a pub Alice and I had met a different friend at last visit – The White Horse Pub. (Wow, that was a convoluted sentence…) Apparently the only pub in the area that Alice remembers the name of. We managed to score an indoor table despite the crush of humanity. Rachael arrived in a timely fashion and we had a pleasant time chatting and drinking. Alice and Rachael took turns modeling Rachael’s white hat. I was only mildly tempted to join in.

Alice and I had been planning on going to the Lego Store, but I was just feeling way too exhausted to even try. Maybe we will be able to do it during my last week here. We shall see. Headed home, where Alice started to minister to my illness.

Sunday dawned to a freshly sickened Alice. Since she was still feeling a teeny bit better than I was, she went to the grocery store and came back with lots of goodies! We had had plans to meet up with another of Alice’s friends for lunch, but neither of us really felt up to seeing anyone – or wanted to infect anyone if we could avoid it. Alice made us some amazing soup (I just had another bowl of it for lunch today in fact…) for dinner – mostly vegetable soup with some chicken and bacon. So good! And good for our sickened bodies!

Monday dawned and Alice was sicker! She contacted the office and told them that she was ill and would be working from home, which they were very cool about. Alice again worked really hard. It is great to watch her – answering emails, responding to instant messages, making calls and getting things accomplished! No wonder she is liked and respected at her work place! Meanwhile, I did lots of nothing. I had thought I might head out to the Charles Holden, but I couldn’t face it. I spent most of the day in bed, while Alice spent most of the day in the living room (or “Lounge” as she calls it) on her laptop. At some point, Alice remembered that we were supposed to be meeting another of her acquaintances for dinner that evening. Sigh. Since she was feeling a bit better after being able to forgo the busy and taxing commute to work – and the sitting in the sometimes chilly office – we decided to go forward with our dinner plans.

Off to Central London! We were going against the commute so it was pretty easy. The place was called Hubble and Boxton or something like that. Looked like a hotel with a bar and dining area. Alice had made reservations and we were given a lovely booth in the back. Alice’s friend showed up though both of us were starting to get worried that she might not appear after all. I had a vodka with grapefruit juice which I thought would be a good healthy combination, since I was still feeling sick (heck, I am still still feeling sick…). And I ordered way too much food. I don’t really know what I was thinking! I started with a greek salad (small) then went on to my main course of duck, with a side of fries and a side of broccoli! Wow! I think I had one bite of the duck. The salad was good sized and filled me right up. Oh, I also ate most of Alice’s and Jane’s house made potato chips that their steak tartare appetizers were garnished with. Boy those were tasty! Everything was tasty – though I somehow managed to forget to have a taste of Alice’s steak tartare. Or her ribs. Hmm. I really must have been sick. One of the pleasures of dining out with someone, I believe, is getting to taste other people’s food. Sigh. Oh, yes, Jane and Alice had identical food – steak tartare to start, bbq baby back ribs for mains. Good food, good conversation, good evening! Jane even decided that she was going to lend us a book! Yay!

Back home again, Alice and I played a couple of hands of gin and went to bed. Yay sleep – though neither of us did much of that – still sick. Sigh.

Tuesday, Alice went in to work – I am sure that being there made parts of her job a lot easier. And I think she had a meeting to attend. Anyway, I stayed at home, where I played house husband. I folded and put away the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, straightened the bed and generally made the place welcoming for Alice after her long (long, long!!) day at work. I also took a trip out to the Charles Holden to get a blog post done (which I hope you all read – newsy though it was). I sat in the comfy chair near the outlet! Yay! And drank a pretty good concoction of orange juice, cranberry juice and soda water. Health first! After hanging out there and relishing the wifi, I took a walk in the other direction from my walks last visit. Last time, I/we spent a lot of time down Wimbledon way. This time, I decided to walk up towards Tooting Broadway. Really, one has to love some of the names in England. Tooting. I wonder if it means the same thing here as it does in some parts of the States. Doubtful…

Tooting isn’t that far from Colliers Wood – about a mile I think, to the Tooting Broadway Tube Station. Alice had asked that I pick up a pair of shoes that she had found on the internet. They had been left in a Portuguese restaurant. I mentioned to the proprietor that we were heading to Madeira and he (I hope jokingly) told me that we were going to be robbed and raped and beaten up during our visit there. He said the island was lovely, but the people were terrible. All the time looking at one of the woman in the restaurant who was from there. The second part of my mission was trying to find another present for Alice for her birthday. I did find the shop I was looking for, and saw one thing that I thought might be good, but decided to try again the next day to see what else appeared. (Sigh – more on that later.) Then I walked home and waited patiently (napped) until Alice got home – much later than either of us had anticipated.

When she did finally get home, we decided to cook dinner together. Both Alice and I enjoy cooking – she is much more creative, I tend to stick to what I know with occasional forays into the unknown and experimental. Dinner consisted of lamb steaks and mixed vegetables (brussels sprouts, leeks and asparagus). And it turned out very well with neither of us getting in the way of each other in her teeny tiny kitchen area! Yay! More card playing and then off to bed.

I slept way more than I had the previous nights. I don’t know that Alice can say the same (I’ll have to ask). She got up and went in to work again since she was taking the next few days off from work for our trip to Madeira! Oh, I think we booked an airbnb room one of the past few nights. I got scared when I did my search, because only one place seemed to be available for our desired stay. Eeek! Turns out my preferences had been set so that only one dollar amount was being searched for. Phew! We found a lovely place – will definitely post pictures of it after we get there…I again have acted as house husband and, despite my intentions the day before, I ended up just staying home. Nursing my health a bit and doing house husbandly tasks. And working on another blog post. And napping. Yay napping!

Thursday, we were heading off to our vacation (within a vacation for me) for Alice’s birthday. It is, er, interesting, the way things don’t turn out as planned…

Charnel House? We’re not dead yet! As we were drifting off to sleep last Friday night, I mentioned to Alice that I felt like I was coming down with something.