#cold sparkler machines

[rashapofessional]

Cold Sparkler Machines: Safe, Spectacular, and Essential for Events

In the world of event planning and production, the demand for memorable experiences is higher than ever. Audiences expect more than just good music, fine dining, or a well-decorated venue; they crave an element of surprise, a touch of magic that leaves a lasting impression. Cold sparkler machines have emerged as a game-changing innovation, providing event organizers with a tool that delivers dazzling effects while ensuring safety and reliability. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of cold sparkler machines, discuss why they are a must-have for any event, and highlight Rasha Professional as a trusted supplier of these remarkable devices.

The Benefits of Cold Sparkler Machines

1. Unparalleled Safety

Safety is often the top priority for event planners, especially when dealing with large crowds or indoor venues. Traditional fireworks, while visually stunning, come with inherent risks such as fire hazards, burns, and the need for extensive safety protocols. Cold sparkler machines, on the other hand, are designed to produce sparks at a low temperature, making them cool to the touch and significantly reducing the risk of injury or fire. This feature alone makes them ideal for both indoor and outdoor events, allowing you to create a spectacular display without compromising on safety.

2. Spectacular Visual Impact

Cold sparkler machines create a breathtaking visual effect that rivals traditional pyrotechnics. The bright, shimmering sparks can be used to highlight key moments during an event, such as the bride and groom’s first dance, the grand entrance at a corporate gala, or the climax of a concert. The sparks can be synchronized with music, timed to specific moments, and adjusted to create varying intensities, offering endless possibilities for creative expression. The result is a wow factor that captivates audiences and elevates the overall event experience.

3. Versatility Across Event Types

One of the most appealing aspects of cold sparkler machines is their versatility. They can be seamlessly integrated into various types of events, from weddings and parties to concerts and product launches. Whether you’re aiming to create an intimate, romantic atmosphere or a high-energy, theatrical experience, cold sparkler machines can be tailored to fit the mood and theme of your event. Their adaptability makes them a valuable tool for event planners who want to deliver unique and memorable experiences for their clients.

4. Eco-Friendly Alternative

In today’s environmentally conscious world, event planners are increasingly seeking sustainable options. Traditional fireworks contribute to air pollution and leave behind chemical residues that can harm the environment. Cold sparkler machines, however, produce minimal smoke and no toxic byproducts, making them a more eco-friendly choice. By opting for cold sparkler machines, you’re not only creating a spectacular visual display but also minimizing your event’s environmental impact.

5. Ease of Use and Reusability

Cold sparkler machines are designed with user-friendliness in mind. They are easy to set up, operate, and maintain, requiring minimal training or technical expertise. Additionally, these machines are reusable, meaning they can be deployed at multiple events, offering a cost-effective solution for event planners. The ability to reuse cold sparkler machines also means that you can achieve a high return on investment, especially if you frequently organize events.

Why Cold Sparkler Machines Are Essential for Events

Given the numerous benefits of cold sparkler machines, it’s clear why they have become an essential tool for modern event production. Here are some key reasons why you should consider incorporating them into your next event:

Safety First: Cold sparkler machines provide all the visual impact of traditional fireworks without the associated risks, making them a safer choice for any event.

Unforgettable Experiences: The stunning effects produced by cold sparkler machines can turn ordinary moments into extraordinary ones, ensuring your event is memorable for all the right reasons.

Versatility and Adaptability: Whether you’re planning a wedding, a corporate event, or a concert, cold sparkler machines can be customized to suit the specific needs and style of your event.

Environmental Responsibility: Choosing cold sparkler machines reflects a commitment to sustainability, allowing you to create a spectacular event while minimizing your ecological footprint.

Cost-Effective Investment: The reusability and ease of use of cold sparkler machines make them a smart financial choice for event planners looking to maximize their budget without compromising on quality.

Rasha Professional: Your Go-To Supplier for Cold Sparkler Machines

When it comes to sourcing top-quality cold sparkler machines, Rasha Professional stands out as a leader in the industry. Based in Riverside, California, Rasha Professional has built a reputation for providing innovative stage lighting solutions that meet the highest standards of safety and performance.

Rasha Professional’s cold sparkler machines are engineered using the latest technology to ensure consistent and reliable performance. Each machine undergoes rigorous testing to meet safety regulations, giving you peace of mind that you’re using a product that is both safe and effective. Whether you’re planning a small, intimate gathering or a large-scale event, Rasha Professional offers a range of cold sparkler machines to suit your specific needs.

In addition to their high-quality products, Rasha Professional is known for its exceptional customer service. Their team of experts is available to guide you through the selection process, offering personalized recommendations based on your event requirements. From product demonstrations to technical support, Rasha Professional is committed to helping you achieve the best possible results.

How to Get the Best Cold Sparkler Machines from Rasha Professional

If you’re ready to take your event to the next level with cold sparkler machines, Rasha Professional is here to help. To explore their range of products, visit the Rasha Professional website or contact their sales team directly. They provide detailed product information, including specifications and usage guidelines, to help you make an informed decision.

By choosing Rasha Professional, you’re not just investing in a product—you’re partnering with a company that is dedicated to helping you create unforgettable events. Their cold sparkler machines are designed to deliver stunning effects while ensuring the safety and satisfaction of your guests.

Conclusion

Cold sparkler machines have revolutionized the way we think about event lighting, offering a safe, spectacular, and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional pyrotechnics. Whether you’re planning a wedding, corporate event, or concert, these machines provide a versatile and impactful solution for creating unforgettable moments.

Rasha Professional is your trusted source for high-quality cold sparkler machines. With their commitment to innovation, safety, and customer satisfaction, Rasha Professional is the ideal partner for event planners looking to enhance their events with stunning visual effects.

Make your next event truly spectacular with cold sparkler machines from Rasha Professional—where safety, quality, and innovation come together to create the ultimate event experience.

[unitedavrentals]

Unforgettable Cold Indoor Sparkler Rental Service for Your Event

Transform your event with United AV Rentals' Cold Indoor Sparkler Rental Service. Perfect for weddings and celebrations, our machines offer a breathtaking, heat-free sparkle effect that adds a touch of elegance to any occasion. Reserve yours now for an unforgettable experience! For further details view this infographic or visit the link here: https://unitedavrentals.com/cold-indoor-sparkler-machine-rentals/

[letmereadherbertwestfics]

Combstober Day 8

Prompt: Campfire

Character: Mr. Brooks (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer)

Warnings: None

You had never understood why people liked to travel alone. Really, the idea terrified you. Being in an unfamiliar place with nobody else to share the experience with? What was so great about that?

But that was before this trip. 

At the last minute, your friend got a violent case of food poisoning and had to cancel your trip to The Bahamas. While your friend had no choice but to not go, you couldn't afford to pay the fee it took to cancel your flight, and had been looking forward to the trip for so long that you couldn't bring yourself to cancel it. So, leaving your friend behind, you took the trip by yourself. And you had a fantastic time.

You still did everything that you and your friend had planned to do together, except without the stress and annoyance of having to drag someone else along with you. Sure, it was scary being alone at first, but after a night of hanging out at a poolside bar and then not having a wasted friend to drag back to your hotel room, your fears quieted down a bit. 

And now it was your second to last night at the resort, and you were dreading the journey home. Not only because of all of the packing and preparation and the god awful boat and plane rides back to back, but just because you didn't want to leave. Not when you still hadn't gotten to talk to the mystery man behind the check in desk. 

He was a few years older than you, cold and slightly rude, from what you could tell he was your average 'manager who hates his job but still runs the establishment like it's the Navy' types. And his name tag read Jay Brooks. And in your week and a half here, that was all the information you got out of him. 

The two of you had exchanged nothing but casualties and a room key when you checked in, aside from his brief questioning of why the booking was listed as for two and you were only one, and whenever you smiled at him on your way to the pool he would react with either a dismissive stare or even an eye roll. But that didn't sway your interest in him in the slightest. If anything it only encouraged you to keep being pleasant towards him. Maybe before you left he would crack a smile. Or maybe not. Either way, you weren't going to be giving up. 

Today the hotel had banners and fliers put up all over, advertising a bonfire out on the beach. There was going to be music, sparklers, and free drinks. It sounded like the perfect opportunity to waste an hour or two before heading back to your room, so you decided to go. 

When you got to the beach you were only half surprised to see that it was thirty minutes past when the bonfire was supposed to happen and nobody had shown up. If there was one thing you noticed about the guests at this resort, it was that they kept to themselves. The karaoke machine at the bar remained untouched, and the pool was almost as silent as a library aside from the occasional drunk or unruly child. Finding out nobody else had decided to attend this party wasn't too surprising when you thought about it. 

You were about to turn around and head back to your room when you realized there was someone sitting by the bonfire. And it only took a few more seconds for you to recognize the suffocatingly neat dress shirt and tie, and the annoyed scowl of Jay Brooks. This realization made your heart skip a beat, and you approached the bonfire a bit faster than before.

"Am I late to the party?" You asked, immediately cringing at how your voice sounded. Brooks looked up at the sound of a voice, looking you up and down before his gaze returned to the fire. 

"Can't be late when there isn't an event." He said bluntly. You slowly lowered yourself onto the log across from Brooks, the bonfire separating the two of you. 

There was an awkward yet slightly serene silence, the only sounds being the crackling of the fire and the crash of the waves. Brooks continued to stare into the fire while you stared at him, thinking you were going unnoticed until he interrupted your thoughts with a stern look in your direction.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Though Brooks didn't look like he was joking when he said this, you couldn't help but crack a smile. You shifted your gaze to the sand, tucking your hands in your pockets. 

"Sorry." You muttered. Brooks sighed, unsurprisingly going back to looking at the flaming logs. 

"You're the one staying in the Junior Suite?" Brooks asked suddenly, making your head snap up. Before you could ask him how he remembered, he gave you a nervous, almost shy smile and explained without being questioned. "You're the first guest to smile at me in weeks. That made you memorable."

His words made your smile widen. Was Brooks, the mysteriously cold resort manager, actually being nice to you? He actually noticed your acknowledgement instead of brushing you off? The realization that you had read him all wrong made your heart beat just a bit faster. 

Relax, Y/N. You don't even know the guy. 

But you wanted to. That was enough to get you to push any anxiety or insecurity out of your mind and get you to move one log over, closer to Brooks. Once the two of you were sitting directly across from each other, you held out your hand. 

[jessicajkitchen]

7 Pro Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Home Soda Streaming Machine

So, you've invested in a home soda streaming machine to enjoy the convenience and fizz of homemade soda whenever you please. But are you making the most of this innovative appliance?

Here are seven expert tips to help you elevate your soda-making experience and unleash the full potential of your soda streaming machine.

Chill Everything

Before you start carbonating, make sure all your ingredients are chilled. Cold water absorbs carbon dioxide more efficiently, resulting in fizzier and more refreshing soda. Chill your water, syrups, and even your soda streaming machine's carbonation bottle for optimal results.

Carbonate to Your Preference

One of the greatest perks of a home soda streaming machine is the ability to customize your soda's fizziness. Experiment with different levels of carbonation until you find the perfect balance for your taste buds. Remember, a few extra pumps of carbonation can take your soda from flat to fabulous.

Add Flavor Creatively

While traditional soda syrups are delicious, don't be afraid to get creative with your flavorings. Experiment with fresh fruit juices, herbs, and flavored extracts to craft unique and refreshing soda creations. From citrus-infused sparklers to herbal elixirs, the possibilities are endless.

Mind the Ratio

Achieving the ideal flavor-to-fizz ratio is key to crafting the perfect soda. Start with a small amount of syrup or flavoring, then gradually add more to suit your taste. Too much syrup can overpower the fizz, while too little may leave your soda tasting flat. Aim for a harmonious balance that tickles your taste buds just right.

Keep It Clean

Regular maintenance is essential to keep your soda streaming machine in top condition. Clean the carbonation bottle, nozzle, and other components after each use to prevent buildup and ensure optimal performance. A quick rinse with warm water and mild soap will suffice, followed by thorough drying.

Experiment with Bubbles

Who says soda has to be the only bubbly beverage in town? Use your soda streaming machine to carbonate water for sparkling cocktails, mocktails, and flavored seltzers. From bubbly mojitos to fizzy fruit spritzers, let your imagination run wild and toast to endless effervescence.

Get Creative with Garnishes

Elevate your soda-drinking experience with fun and festive garnishes. Whether it's a twist of citrus peel, a sprig of fresh mint, or a handful of berries, adding garnishes can enhance the flavor and visual appeal of your homemade sodas. Get playful and experiment with different combinations to dazzle your guests and elevate your at-home soda bar.

With these seven tips, you'll be well on your way to becoming a home soda streaming aficionado. From perfecting your carbonation technique to exploring creative flavor combinations, the possibilities are endless. So, fire up your soda streaming machine, unleash your creativity, and toast to the fizzy delights of homemade soda. Cheers!

[tptc]

Sparkle Gun

Fireworks gun / Sparkler machine / Wedding cold fireworks for party nightclub stage prop performance show.

Sparkle Gun

[koffeekoko]

LIGHT MY CIGARETTE

shuji hanma x reader

genre: fluff i think

warnings: hanma

word count: 1.0k

two lonesome souls out on the freezing streets at the dead of night. not well familiarized with each other, but might as well be the closest to familiarity when everyone else is either indoors enjoying the comfort of home or out enjoying the company of family, while both are out mimicking strays with no loved ones to count down for a new year.

crouched and curled up in the corner of a dead silent alleyway, you wave your sparklers around in mindless patterns with both hands. they are not enjoyable at all, and definitely not warm despite their nature. sparklers are the furthest from cheerful when being held by calloused hands and someone not feeling the new years. the crackling of them resonates through the alley, the only sound disturbing the tranquility of the night, save from the grunts and whisper-like complaints from the stranger that makes you company.

he stands three feet across from you, leaning against his motorcycle. the guy's dressed poorly for the cold, you notice with a single glance. a leather jacket that does no help in providing warmth, a pair of pants that has him constantly shuffling his legs around for heat, no gloves, and no scarf. compared to you covered with layers of warm clothing, and a soft scarf, he's really sad-looking.

"light my cigarette for me, will ya?" the stranger's croaky voice intervenes in your little fireworks session. you look up at him from down where you're crouched, stare into his eyes as he looks back into yours, and mouth a hard no before going back to waving the sparkles around lifelessly, like a machine set to do the task. the stranger stands straight from his previous resting pose against the bike in surprise, not expecting your refusal. "whatcha mean no? 'm sure ya got a lighter," he protests.

"dunno you," you reply without breaking your eyes away from the shine of your pair of sparklers.

the guy scrunches his eyes in disbelief as you stuff your hand into your pockets taking out a lighter. ready to light up a new pair of sparklers while waiting for the one you hold on your left to die out as the other did. he watches how you stare into the sparks intently as if you're trying to put it off with your gaze alone.

a sigh leaves his mouth as he walks closer to your figure, "hanma." he crouches down in front of you. the last sparks from your item of entertainment faded away the moment you stared at the guy who is now in your personal bubble. it's as if the now sad-looking sparklers are trying to tell you something through the perfect timing. this guy's no good. perhaps. but really, you could not possibly be sorting good-or-bad cards out to random sad-looking people you come across with on the streets when you yourself are trying to make sense of your own. besides, he couldn't be that bad when he's the only one keeping you company on the new years, even if it's all by chance.

"hanma shuji. now ya know me," he takes the died out sparkler from your left hand and throws it away to pile up with other trash to litter the streets.

still staring at him with an empty look, you let silence be your only response. he raises his brows and tilts his head slightly, signaling for you to light the cigarette he's now holding closer to your hands. you quit staring as you now focus your attention on lighting up a new sparkler you just picked up from the pile on the floor. in a good-or-bad debate, the good in you wins over your bad at this moment. the good says 'c'mon light it up for him, he looks like he needs it bad' and you mentally facepalm yourself.

"y/n." you hovered your lighter over the cigarette, lighting it up before retracting your hand.

a visible spark makes it to his eyes upon seeing you light up his cig. "pretty name ♡" hanma said before placing the cigarette on his lips.

this very first encounter hanma shares with you is still fresh in his memories even after it's been an entire year around. the slow progress with getting to know each other. feelings you both developed for each other over time. it was all pretty. it was great. you were the best of his year. hanma thinks about it all, reminiscing the memories he's made with you before it's all going down the drain.

what's making history repeat itself and leading you into spending the new years out on the freezing night streets again. hanma's message, "meet me where we met last year. same time." is.

hanma's never thought he was lonely last year around, and he never did throughout the whole year. he knows why the moment you enter his peripheral vision.

"took ya long enough," he greets. you only shrug, not feeling like entertaining his teasing.

hanma chuckles at your cold demeanor. you've always been passive like that, he's always found that about you interesting. you never seem to show interest, he never knows what's going through your mind. even after a year of getting to know you, you still hold the same mystery aura you had from when you were just a simple stranger.

he's about to fuck it all up, he thinks. 'well, fuck it.' couldn't care less, he wouldn't be himself if he didn't.

"light my cigarette for me, will ya?" he grins.

you chuckle at the familiar scenario replaying while leaning in close to light up the cigarette he's placed on his lips and hanma panics at how your laughter is pulling on all his heartstrings.

"go out with me," he chokes out, not wanting to wait any more time than he already did. unlike last year, he's fully prepared for a refusal. it'll not catch him by surprise tonight.

"sure–" and he's choking on his breath and his cigarette, he'd only prepared himself for you to reject him. you still managed to catch him by surprise, replaying the same event from last time around.

a year has passed, the two once unfamiliar strangers reunite on the same spot, only now without the unfamiliarity for each other. the situation is still the same as last year, but you're glad it doesn't feel as lonely.

a/n: not really sure about this one, but something for the new years :)

[unhinged-summer-fun]

FLUNKTOBER 2021 MASTERLIST.

Because I can’t do things by halves, I’ve decided to mash up flufftober, whumptober, and kinktober this year on days I choose to write fills for. I’m not gonna tag anyone for these, sorry, but you can bookmark this post and come back in November for the complete list. Strikethru text indicates I didn’t get to that prompt.

Day 1: Boba Fett x GN!Reader x Sarlacc (Winning the other a teddy, bound, and masks)

Day 2: Dave York x F!Reader (choking/gagging, sneaking out together, asphyxiation, public sex, orgasm denial)

Day 3: Marcus Pike x GN!Reader (lazy Sundays, licking, pet play, anxiety)

Day 4: Dave York x F!Reader (Sparklers & Fireworks, taken hostage, gags)

Day 5: Comandante Veracruz x F!Reader (watching the sunrise, broken nose, swallowing, gun play)

Day 6: Pero Tovar x F!Reader (Fireman’s carry, touch-starved, hunger, masturbation, nipple play)

Day 7: Marcus Moreno x F!Reader (meddling friends, numbness, blindness, accidental stimulation, massage)

Day 8: Din Djarin x F!Reader (cooking lessons, exotic illness, pegging)

Day 9: Dave York x Reader (text messages, tears, cock worship)

Day 10: Max Phillips x F!Reader (pillow fight, impact play, aphrodisiacs, hospital)

Day 11: Agent Whiskey x Reader (Love Notes, overstimulation, fucking machines, dehydration)

Day 12: Frankie Morales x Reader (Sleepy kiss, begging, biting)

Day 13: Boba Fett x Din Djarin (pillow talk, This Is Gonna Leave A Mark, anal, sex toys)

Day 14: Boba Fett x GN!Reader x Sarlacc (sequel to Day 1, slow dancing, under pressure, orgy)

Day 15: Ezra x Reader (delirium, fever dreams, silly traditions, ass worship, spanking)

Day 16: Zach Wellison x Reader (falling asleep together, recovery, role reversal)

Day 17: Pero Tovar x William (Great Wall) (“Please don’t move!”, dread, knife play, restrained/bondage)

Day 18: Frankie Morales x Reader (uniforms, costumes, doctor’s visit)

Day 19: Max Phillips x Reader (bitten, bleeding, flowers, food play)

Day 20: Marcus Pike x GN!Reader (sequel to Day 3!) (lost & found, secret crush, roleplay, object insertion)

Day 21: Din Djarin x Fennec Shand (bleeding through bandages, blood-matted hair, knuckle kiss, size difference, seduction)

Day 22: Din Djarin x Boba Fett x F!Reader (they made me do it, cursed/demon/obsession, flirting at work, cunnilingus, spit-roasting)

Day 23: Maxwell Lord x Reader (you break it, you buy it, hold me in your arms, lingerie, forced (consensual) orgasm, angry sex)

Day 24: Zach Wellison x Reader (flashback, caught in the rain, praise kink)

Day 25: Max Phillips x F!Reader (cuddling & snuggling, escape/flight/hiding, bite fetish, being recorded during sex, body swap)

Day 26: Elder God!Boba Fett x F!Reader (art of second place) (fallen, new hobby together, sleepy sex, mirror sex)

Day 27: Agent Whiskey x Reader (“I’m cold” “here, have my jacket”, passing out, collapse, clothes swap, daddy kink)

Day 28: Zach Wellison x Reader (nightmare, panic, soothing baths, empathic bonds)

Day 29: Javier Peña x Reader (too weak to move, overworked, up against the wall kiss, creampie, face-sitting)

Day 30: Boba Fett x Din Djarin x Fennec Shand (threesome, suspension, ghosts, fall asleep in my lap)

Day 31: Oberyn Martell x Reader (holiday traditions, disaster zone, stockings)

Back to main masterlist.

[akachaan]

the golden-winged king [xiao]

genre: angst

warnings: death, blood

notes: pls im so proud of this writing BYE

The gentle chirps of birds graced Xiao’s ears. He recognized this as a melody of nature, the sunlight cascading a loving warmth onto his pale skin. Lush and rich grass blew in the breeze, one of the few somethings that Xiao actually appreciated from the Wind Archon. He chuckled breathlessly, a feeling of lighthearted mischief settling upon him. Xiao imagined how Venti would pout and scold him for his unbearably disrespect remarks, as he liked to call them. The grass entwined itself into his gloved hand like a silky ribbon. The light, fluffy clouds passed by, drifting away like dandelion seeds floating in the winds.

Xiao’s legs began to ache— the reason unknown —so he’d sat himself down, assuming he’d been basking in the beauty of the flower field for much too long. Ah, flowers. He’d almost forgotten just how intricately designed they were. Well, as a Guardian Yaksha, there’s only so much you can stop and admire. What were the names of these? The petals were pale blue from the bottom fading into a remarkable teal color, four pastel purple strands sprawling out from the top.

Glaze lilies, he recalled. These flowers only bloom once sung to, yes? He remembers this from a certain... human. He smiles fondly at the thought of them. “Xiao, Xiao!” A familiar and soft voice called. Speak of the devil.

Xiao turned to them, and his breath was caught in his throat. It’s like time slowed down, just for them. Just for him. He took a deep breath, his eyes softening, showing vulnerability he’d been hiding for a millennia. Your shining, soft locks framed your face, [c] eyes shining with love and purity. Xiao had seen skies like an ethereal dream, twinkling like sparklers trapped in the deep cerulean sky... But none of those galaxies and any to come would even compare to your radiant image. You were an angel sent from heaven, one to remind him what life can truly bring upon humanity; people like you.

You were like his little secret of sorts. Not a secret of the world. Anyone could meet or find [Name]. He knew anyone could come and sweep you away from him— though he doesn’t enjoy thinking of such ideas —he knew. It could happen. But, he also knew, and he trusted that you wouldn’t truly leave him, after all they’ve been through. He knew that you confined in him just as he did you, he felt like he was finally certain in his eternity of suffering and emptiness. Days that went by where he felt as if he were just existing. He was not living, he never was. Xiao was simply a guardian, assigned to protect Liyue until he drops dead from exhaustion. He was existing as The Guardian Yaksha, Conquerer of Demons.

But with you, he was not any of those. He was not just existing, watching over a nation til his last breath. Your presence alone made him feel warm. Him feeling was already an achievement in itself, after all these years as standing on the sidelines, secluded; no matter how close to Liyue he physically was, he felt so different and disconnected from his people. He’d only be remembered as tale to be told. The way that you made him feel. Not only have you made him feel, you’ve made him feel warm. A ‘warmth’ that he wishes to bask in for the rest of his existence. Warmth. Xiao knew this wasn’t the word to describe how he truly felt. By definition, yes, Xiao admits, albeit hesitantly. But he couldn’t help but feel it was so much deeper than that. You made him feel a warmth that burned his insides. The feeling had words caught in his throat, he often struggled to form a single coherent sentence when you eyes twinkled with a joy he can’t quite grasp. It made him stutter, the way you looked so blissed and euphoric in his company. He loved it. He loved how the butterflies in his stomach never seized, fluttering and flying with each second. His heart raced like a tiger running after its prey, running at miles per minute. He felt so human. So alive. So loved, and he’s finally experienced what it’s like to love. He never wanted it to end.

You laid yourself onto the luxuriant meadow of nature, the blades of green tickling at your cheek. The sun caressed your skin like a mother would her child, giving you an angelic-like glow. Your eyes had drew closed as you listened to what was around you. Distant animals chirping and buzzing filled your ears along with the synchronized breathing of you and the boy next to you. You smiled, your heart thumping against your chest as savored the peace of this moment.

Xiao turned his head to admire the gift the Archons had given him. He saw how amicable this whole ordeal was and how much you were enjoying it. It wasn’t everyday the two of you had the time to lay down and appreciate each other and what the Earth truly had to offer, though I’m sure that’s been made clear. The soft whisper of his name felt like a melody being sang to him, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Another sweet murmur of his name was called. And another. And another. Xiao grew worried. With every purr of his name, he could hear desperation and panic in your tone. That alone had him sick to his stomach. He sat up, his eyes now greeted with an all-too-familiar setting.

The sky was dark with stormy clouds, rain thundering heavily onto the bloodstained ground. The air was no longer crisp and clean but instead reeked of the metallic scent of blood and sweat. He could almost taste the blood on his lips. Xiao looked at his hands, dirtied and course with dried ichor. What was once his peaceful escape of serendipity was now a horrid sight of what he used to be. The murderous machine of what he promised himself to cast away since The Archon War. Screams of retreat, pain, defeat and victory mixed in his head, which was now throbbing from the sudden change in scenery. Why was he here?

More importantly, where were you?

“Xiao... Thank god you’re alive.” Your broken voice chuckled, growing dryer in the passing seconds. His head snapped to you, who was laying on the floor, absolutely beaten up. His heart ached at the sight, and he reached to gently cup your face, as if one wrong move could completely shatter you. You gasped for air before continuing, “I knew you would survive. There’s,” You paused to cough harshly, your body crumbling as the cough was let out, “no way the Xiao I know would loose to anyone.” He pulled you closer to his lap, panic and adrenaline coursing through his veins. He knew there was nothing he could do. But he still tried. He still tried to grasp onto what little hope he had left; it was all happening too quickly.

“Hang on. I’ve got you, okay?” He choked out after the initial shock. The time you have left and the time he would be able to get you proper medical attention were so obviously not in his favor. He picked you up, carrying you on his back. And he just ran. His legs moved like he was going to die if he didn’t hurry. Quite frankly, he would most definitely die emotionally. Xiao couldn’t loose you. Not now, not ever. He wanted to live with you until your died of old age, peacefully where you could’ve smiled on your deathbed. He remembers how you used to get mad at him for carrying you like this. The way your cheeks heated up and you buried your face into his neck always got a goofy smile on his face. But now, you were clinging onto his back as best you could— though it was a loose grip, you used what energy you had left in you to let him know you were still there with him.

But soon, too soon, you wouldn’t be, and you both knew it. “Xiao,” you called weakly.

“I said hang on. I’ll get you medical help soon. Please, keep your eyes open. You still have time.”

“Xiao...”

“You can’t leave me like this. I swore to hold you and protect you and love you for the rest of my life. Out of the many promise I’ve broken I can’t... I can’t break this one.”

“Xiao, listen...” The utter amount of suffering in your voice tore him apart more than the searing pains in his limbs. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it in time no matter how fast he ran. So he obliged to your request and set you in his lap once again. He stared at your face, covered in dirt and scars. Yet you still looked at beautiful as ever.

“Please. Don’t go. I won’t know what to do without you.”

“I’m always here with you even if...” You trailed off, both from the lack of oxygen you had and the discomfort of finishing your own sentence. You felt tears brimming in your eyes, as you saw Xiao in such a vulnerable and tormented state. “Xiao...”

He caressed your face like a mother would her child. The sting of his heart drowned any physical injuries he had. Nothing would hurt more than the thought of losing you. The grass scratched at your cheek, and you winced at the feeling. Xiao tucked a hair strand behind your ear. As he leaned down to press his forehead against yours.

“Xiao... You are and forever will be my Golden-Winged King.”

And that was when the tears spilled. Your body went cold and limp in his own very hands, your eyes that shone with love and purity where now dark and lifeless. The smile that lit up his world was gone; replaced with a face of sorrow eternally etched onto your features. Xiao wondered. Death was a pitiful punishment, yet somehow so enchanting. You still looked as heavenly as ever. It was only then the pain of truly losing you settled in. You were never going to grace his ears with your melodic voice. You were never going to grace his eyes with your smile. You were never going to grace his senses with your adoring hugs.

You were never to grace his life again.

The Golden-Winged King had a fall from grace, just as you did in his own very arms.

[lorata]

I may or may not have made an incorrect quote page for your THG universe...

Some of these involve characters that were never in the same universe interacting and often isn't true to canon. It's really just based on The Vibes I get from them.

These were originally just for me, so I unfortunately didn't record the source books/shows/posts they are from.

Of course, no pressure to post this if that's not your thing! Just a thing I made for you/your friends who write in this universe.

Eibhlin: So, Marius is going out of town this weekend and wanted to know if we could take care of his baby.

Claudius: Whoa, whoa, whoa! That is a big responsibility. What do we know about children?

Alec: I'm leaving now.

Claudius, passing Alec his bag: I swear you'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on.

Claudius, to Eibhlin: I don't know the first thing about taking care of a child.

Claudius: Where's your jacket? It's cold outside.

Selene: Lost it.

Claudius: Here, take mine.

Claudius, to Eiblin: Kids are a lot of work.

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

Brin:Are you a cuddler?

Nero: I’ve killed multiple people. I’m known for being a machine of death and darkness.

Brin:

Nero: God yes, please hold me.

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

Alec: Wait, how did you know I was going to propose?

Jake: Creed hasn’t been able to look at me without crying for a month

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

Marius: I like this whole “good cop, bad cop” act you have going on

Selene: It’s not an act, it’s just I’m mean and Dash isn’t.

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

Nero & Callista sitting together in jail*

Calli: So who should we call to bail us out?

Nero: I’d say Adessa, but I honestly feel safer in jail.

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

Selene: Crying is really annoying, you know

*Alec sniffles*

Selene, sighing: Okay, who do I need to beat the shit out of?

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

*Eibhlin intimidating someone/blowing things up*

Everyone: She’s so scary wtf

Claudius: Yeah, but like she’s so pretty-

(I find it both hilarious and very on-brand that most of the times Claudius stops to admire/study Eibhlin, it’s when she’s being Scary Eib™)

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

Lyme: What if they start shooting? How am I supposed to run in a dress?

Brutus: Holy shit! What kind of dinner parties have you been to?

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

Eibhlin: Claudius, I’m so happy I could kiss you!

Claudius: *nervous laughter* uh.... neat!

Later...

Claudius, laying face down on his bed: I can’t believe I said ‘neat’, Lex! ‘Neat’! No one says ‘neat’ anymore! It isn’t neat to say ‘neat’ and I said it anyway because I’m a huge loser!

Electra: Don’t beat yourself up, D. Everyone gets nervous sometimes. Remember what happened when Rigel confessed to me?

Claudius: Didn’t you, like, thank him?

Electra:

Electra, staring off into the distance: I thanked him.

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

Sloane: *tries to create a sense of calm by lighting incense only to find out that the sticks were actually sparklers*

Sloane: This is painfully on-brand, actually.

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

“I am death itself. I am the bringer of death, Cato stop laughing, my soul is as dark as the night’s sky- Cato I swear to God.” -Clove,probably

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

Alec: Hey I heard you like bad boys.

Jake: Not really.

Alec: Oh thank god.

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

Creed: Selene is my best friend, and if I love her, it’s the way I would love a sister.

Alec: I‘m your brother, and if you looked at me the way you look at Selene, I would have to speak with our parents.

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

Brutus: Claudius! Enobaria and Eibhlin are fighting!

Claudius: Don't look at me! They both terrify me, I'll be cut down!

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

Nero, texting: you will machete through this

Nero: **make it

Nero: Fuck pls don't machete your way through this

Enobaria OR Callista, your pick: too late

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

Person on the phone: Am I speaking to the head of the household?

Joseph, passing the phone to Adora: It's for you.

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

Eibhlin, jokingly: I should have Claudius kill you for that.

Claudius, peering around the corner: Who do I need to kill?

Eibhlin: Wh- no, I meant that in jest.

Claudius, pulling out a switchblade: No, who's bothering you?

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

Claudius: Making my way downtown

Claudius: Walking fast

Claudius: ...

Claudius: Walking slower so Eib can keep up.

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

“It has been a true pleasure to watch your distractingly childish friendship evolve into a distractingly childish courtship, and now into what I’m sure will be a distractingly childish marriage.”

-Ronan at Devon & Misha’s wedding

(I know Misha doesn’t actually want to get married, but this is all about the VIBES)

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

“I would say get a room but yours is the same as mine, please try to remember that.” ~Alec to Creed & Selene (Victor!Creed AU)

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

Nero: You know, you can solve your problems without violence.

Lyme: OK, but consider I’m really, really good at violence

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

Capitol News, throwing open door: You two ARE having sex!

Lyme: Really? Brutus, why didn’t you tell me? I would have put my book down.

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

Julia: Paul just texted me “I feel like you deserve the moon but all I can give you is a rock”

Joseph: If you don’t marry him, I will

(Sorry, the concept of the Joseph/Paul bromance is tooo funny to me)

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

Petra: You don’t think I can fight. Because I'm a girl.

Brutus: I don’t think you can fight because you’re wearing a massive wedding dress. For what it’s worth, I don’t think Devon could fight in that dress either.

Devon: Maybe not. But I would make a radiant bride.

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

There is a master key and a spare key for the village. Adessa has them both. When I asked, “What if you die? How will we get in the gates?”...She said, “If I’m dead, you all have been dead for weeks.”  -Nero, probably

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

Someone: Hey what's your type?

Devon/Nero/Creed/Dash: Murderers, apparently.

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

Misha: Brutus, tell Devon that he's an idiot but I still love him.

Brutus:Tell him yourself.

Misha: We're in a fight.

Brutus: You're sitting in his lap??

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

Electra: So umm... I'm having problems with a guy...

Claudius: Like his dead body won't fit in a bag kind of problems? Or you like him, kind of problems?

Electra: ...The second one.

Claudius: Oh, that’s too bad. I could have helped you with the first one.

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

Snow:Anything you say in the next 30 seconds is free…starting right now.

Ronan: I think you’re cocky. Arrogant. Bossy and pushy. You also have a god complex and don’t think of anyone but your damn self.

Snow: But I—

Ronan: But what? I still have 22 seconds and I am not done.

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

Selene:(slams open the door) THE BABY IS COMING!!!!!!!

Julia:(immediately jumps up) What baby?!

Creed:(rushes into the room behind Selene, carrying Alec in his arms)

Creed: Alec! Alec is the baby! Today’s his birthday!

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

Rigel: Tell me about the victors.

Ronan: Flint and Iris. They never show up in text. They’re...pretty much useless. But they make good coffee.

Rigel: Copy that.

Ronan: Now the good ones. Adessa is tough, smart, hard to read, and scary as hell.

[Flashback]

Adessa: Tell me who has me for Secret Santa.

Devon: No! That takes all the fun out of it.

[Adessa glares daggers at him.]

Devon: It’s Odin. He got you a scarf. It’s blue and ugly. I’ll make him return it.

Ronan: Brutus. He’s a grinder. Not our most brilliant victor, but he works harder than anyone else. He’s not the most physically… ...coordinated.

[Flashback, Brutus unwraps a muffin, then drops it on the ground.]

Brutus: Awww man! My muffin!

[As he picks it up, he smacks his head on a desk that’s too short for him.]

Brutus: Ow! My head! My muffin and my head!

Ronan: Petra. She gets underestimated because of her looks, so she’s always trying to prove she’s tough.

[Flashback, Petra puts hot sauce on her sandwich. She looks up to see Claudius watching her.]

Petra: You think I can’t handle this much hot sauce? I can handle way more than this. [She empties the hot sauce on her sandwich and takes a bite.]

Petra:(in agony) In... your... face.

Claudius: ...I didn’t say anything?

Rigel: Tell me about Artemisia and Devon.

Ronan: Oh, those two. Some of our most talented victors-- he likes grassroots projects and she loves feeding the press. The only puzzle they haven’t solved... is how to grow up.

Rigel: That’s very well put.

Ronan: I’ve talked a lot about those two in my mandated therapy sessions.

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

Creed:Oh no, she's hot.

Selene:Oh no, he's hot.

Alec: Oh no.

(Poor Alec suffering��� when they reconnect in the Victor!Creed AU)

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

Dash:[Puts his feet on the table] I heard you liked bad boys.

Selene:No?

Dash: [Takes his feet off the table] Good, that felt horrible.

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

Creed or Alec: You bit me!

Selene: Biting's excellent! It's like kissing. Only there's a winner.

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

Brutus: You don’t know how to kill this thing!

Lyme: I thought I might try violence.

Misha: Solid call.

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

Skylar:[Trying to catch grapes in his mouth] Lyme, what would you give me if I got this grape in your cleavage?

Lyme: A concussion.

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

Devon: You didn’t have a happy childhood :( ?

Misha:My favourite toy was a knife. You finish the puzzle.

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

bb Misha: On a scale of one to ten how much trouble am I in?

Peacekeeper: Eight.

bb Misha: Oh, I can do better than that.

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

Everyone: Happy birthday Brutus!!!

Brutus: Aw thanks guys

. . .

Brutus: Wait, is that it? No punchline? No joke? No announcement of doom-

Devon: Misha accidentally set your yard on fire

Brutus: There it is.

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

Devon: Will you marry me?

Misha: Wow, uh, be right back.

Misha: *sprints away*

Misha:*texting Lyme* Come pick me up, kids are drinking alcohol.

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

Selene: I’m going to make a deal with you.

Kit: What kinda deal?

Selene: I’ll let you play with my sword if you promise not to tell our parents I gave you twelve cookies and said fuck four...five times.

Kit: I’ll take that offer. Plus interest. I also get to play with the knife.

Selene: Fine. Deal.

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

Nero: Violence doesn’t solve everything.

Lyme: That’s because you're not hitting hard enough.

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

“Creed wants to be a victor when he grows up to protect and honour his district and country. Alec wants to become a doctor so he can help sick kids. Our last child, Selene, wants to be a porcupine so she can stab people with her butt.” ~The Sewards & Valents

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

Eibhlin, breaking down Brutus’s door at 3am: I have a.. stop screaming it’s me. I have a new update for the electrical grid .

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

“I’m very sorry I hurt your feelings by calling you stupid. I honestly thought you knew.” -Adessa

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

Lyme: Did you really have to stab him?

Misha: You weren't there. You didn't hear what he said to me.

Lyme: What did he say?

Misha: What are you gonna do, stab me?

Lyme: ...that's fair.

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

Enobaria: Is it still murder if I give them a heads up?

Nero: I think that's called a threat.

Snow: Something you'd like to say, dear?

Adessa: Oh, there are several things I would like to say-

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

Misha: You know what? Fuck you! Unshrinky your dinks.

Devon: No! My dinks!

Brutus: What the hell is your generation on?

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

Jake, texting Sara:IM RREALLY DRUNK AND I MESSED UP SOME HOT GUY WALKED INTO THE PARTY AND I YELLED DIBS

Alec, texting Selene: LENE I CAME THROUGH THE DOOR AT THE PARTY AND A GUY YELLED DIBS

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

Brutus: I would never say this to Lyme’s face...

Brutus: ...but I consider her my closest friend and I treasure her presence.

Emory and Devon, horrified: Why... why wouldn’t you say that to her face????

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

*In the Capitol during District Upsidedown*

Petra: You said things couldn't get worse!

Ronan: Yes, well...apparently I'm not imaginative enough.

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

Trainer: What the hell happened?

Jason(with a black eye): Selene threw a shoe at my face!

Trainer: Lachlan is that true?

Lachlan: Kind of? Jason was making fun of my shoes and Selene thought he couldn’t see them clearly so she gave him a closer look.

Selene (leaning back on her chair, bored): Yep, sure did. And I’d do it again.

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

Devon: Truth or dare?

Misha: Dare

Devon: I dare you to kiss the prettiest girl in this room.

Devon: Just note, I charitably said “girl” because let’s be honest, I’d smoke all of you.

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

Lyme: Now, remember to act surprised by the audience.

Claudius: How does that mean anything when I was forced to go?

Lyme: What did I say about pointing out the meaninglessness of everything?

Claudius: ... Not to.

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

Devon: One time Callista came over here. All she did was lie seductively over the piano and feed herself grapes. I don’t really understand that woman, but I admire her lifestyle.

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

[After Lyme gets shot]

Brutus: What’s your status?!

Lyme: My status, Brutus, is extremely annoyed.

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

Misha: Claudius/Brutus, I think you should play the role of my father.

Brutus: I don’t want to be your father.

Misha: That’s perfect. You already know your lines.

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

Julia: What are you? Two?

Paul: Yeah, two heads taller than you

Julia: *deep breath*

*5 minutes later*

Julia: OPEN THE DAMN DOOR, YOU COWARD!

Paul: I WAS JUST JOKING!

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

*Creed, Alec, and Selene against an enemy*

Creed: We are going to defeat you with the power of friendship!

Selene: And this knife I found!

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

Misha:*pitches an idea*

Devon, impressed: Huh, there might be something here!

Brutus, horrified: Yeah, a lawsuit.

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

Callista: I’d like to offer you moral support, but I have questionable morals.

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

Marius: Rigel can't go because he's injured.

Rigel: I'm not injured, I was lightly stabbed.

Marius: I'm sorry, you were STABBED?!

Rigel: Lightly stabbed.

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

Misha’s mother: You know you missed your father's funeral... by two years.

Misha: Well, last time I talked to him he said, "I'll see you in hell, girl" so I figured we had something on the books.

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

Alec, to someone giving him crap for being a “soft” doctor: I’m an ex-career doctor. Which means I can break every bone in your body while naming them.

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

*Claudius & Eibhilin sitting together in jail*

Claudius: So who should we call to bail us out?

Eibhlin: I’d say Beetee, but I honestly feel safer in jail.

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

There is a master key and a spare key for our homes. Adora and Julia have them both. When we asked, “What if you die? How will we get into the house?”....They said, “If we’re dead, you both have been dead for weeks.”  -Joseph and Paul, probably

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

Finnick: Why would you give a knife to a child???

Claudius: Noah felt unsafe

Annie: Now we feel unsafe!

Claudius: I'm sorry

Claudius: Would you like a knife?

q;ASLDKFJ;ASLKDJF;LSKADJF;LSAKDJF;L KJAS;DFL KJA;SDLKF

THIS IS THE FUNNIEST THING HOLY BANANAS

I started reading this on my phone but I had to stop bc I was cackling on the sidewalk

THANK YOU FOR SHARING PLEASE ALWAYS SHARE

this goes for everyone, please always share memes nothing is EVER too niche on this blog

[wjbsart]

A complete, very long list of all GBoard-combinable emojis because I can't find one anywhere.

Ok so for those who haven't seen my stuff (or have only seen my Bionicle posts), I sometimes emoji mashup redraws, with the recent fourth one using GBoard-based fusions. Frustratingly, there's no actual list of fusion-compatible emojis, so I'll attempt to compile them, in a list below the "Read More" thing:

Green/▢ = compatible with fusion Blue/△ = only works with certain emojis Red/◯ = not compatible with fusion

Also, since other people's terms for specific emojis might not match up with mine, I recommend using CTRL+F and then doing this to find the specific emoji you're looking for. This list is in the order presented in GBoard's Emoji menu. Some of them will be generic unicode symbols, I don't know how to change that, sorry for the inconvenience. Also, I won't aknowledge multi-category Emoji.

Smileys and Emoticons

😀Open-mouthed smile▢

😃Wide-eyed smile▢

😄Closed-eyed smile▢

😁Closed-eyed grin▢

😆Laughing▢

😅Sweating smile▢

😂Cry-laughing▢

🤣Cry-ROFLing▢

😭Crying▢

😗Kissing▢

😙Kissing, closed eyes▢

😚Kissing, blushing▢

😘Kissing, winking w/ heart▢

🥰Surrounded by hearts▢

😍Heart-eyes▢

🤩Star-eyes▢

🥳Noisemaker and party-hat▢

🤗Hugging▢

🙃Upside-down▢

🙂Smile▢

☺Blushing, smiling▢

😊Blushing▢

😏Looking off to the side▢

😌Relieved▢

😉Winking▢

🤭Hand over mouth▢

😶Nightmare fuel Mouthless▢

😐Neutral▢

😑-_-▢

😔Pensive▢

😋Licking lips▢

😛Tongue out▢

😝Tongue out, eyes closed▢

😜Tongue out, winking▢

🤪Tongue out, wide-eyed▢

🤔Hmmm▢

🤨Suspicious▢

🧐Monocle▢

🙄Rolling eyes▢

😒Unamused▢

😤Snorting▢

😠Angry▢

😡Angry, red▢

🤬Swearing▢

☹Frown▢

🙁Frown but less▢

😕Confused▢

😟Distraught▢

🥺Pleading▢

😳AWOOGA Flushed▢

😬Yikes▢

🤐Zip▢

🤫Shushing▢

😰Distraught, sweating▢

😧Distraught, shocked▢

😦Distraught, neutral▢

😮Open mouth▢

😯Open mouth, surprised▢

😲Shocked▢

😱Horrified▢

🤯Your head asplode Mind blown▢

😢Crying, single tear▢

😥Crying, less sad▢

😓Sweating▢

😞Dissapointed▢

😖Pained▢

😣Persevering▢

😩Weary▢

😫Tired▢

🤤Drooling▢

😴Sleeping▢

😪Sleeping but different?▢

🌛Left-facing moon▢

🌜Right-facing moon▢

🌚New moon face◯

🌝Full moon face◯

🌞The sun▢

🤢Queasy▢

🤮Vomiting▢

🤧Sneezing▢

🤒Unwell▢

🤕Bandaged▢

🥴Drunk▢

😵Dizzy▢

🥵Hot▢

🥶Cold▢

😷Masked up▢

😇Angel▢

🤠yee haw▢

🤑Money-tongue▢

😎Cool▢

🤓Nerd▢

🤥Lying▢

🤡Clown▢

👻Ghost▢

💩Poop▢

👽Ayy lmao Alien▢

🤖Robot▢

🎃Jack-o-Lantern▢

😈Demon 1▢

👿Demon 2▢

👹Oni◯

👺Tengu◯

☠Skull and crossbones▢

🔥Fire▢

💫Star with trail▢

⭐Star▢

🌟Star with bits▢

✨Stars▢

⚡Lightning◯

💥Explosion◯

💯100△

💢Anime anger symbol◯

💨Steam▢

💦Sweat Droplets▢

💤Zzz▢

🕳Hole▢

🎉Party popper▢

🎊Confetti ball▢

😺😸😹😻😼😽🙀😿😾Literally all the "cat in different emotions" emojis▢

❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤Literally all the coloured hearts△

♥Heart suit▢

💘Heart with arrow▢

💝Heart with ribbon▢

💖Shiny heart▢

💗Growing heart▢

💓Beating heart▢

💞Swirling hearts▢

💕Two hearts▢

💌Love letter▢

💟Heart in square▢

❣Heart exclamation mark▢

💔Broken heart▢

💋Kiss▢

👥Two silhouettes◯

👤Silhouette◯

🗣Talking silhouette◯

👣Footprints◯

🧠Brain◯

🦠Microbe▢

🦷Tooth◯

🦴Bone◯

💀Skull▢

👀Eyes◯

👁Eye▢

👄Lips◯

👅Tongue◯

👃👂🦶🦵💪👍👎👏🙌👐Every other body part and hand gesture, seriously this isn't even all of them◯

People

Seriously, I don't know why none of the people-category emojis are Fusion-compatible. Let's just move on.◯

Animals and Nature

💐Bunch of flowers▢

🌹Rose▢

🥀Wilted rose◯

🌷Tulip▢

🌺Hibiscus flower◯

🌸Cherry blossom▢

🏵Rosette◯

🌻Sunflower◯

🌼Daisy▢

💮White flower◯

🍂Falling leaves◯

🍁Maple leaf◯

🌾Rice plants◯

🌱Seedling◯

🌿Herb◯

🍃Falling leaves again◯

☘3-leaf clover◯

🍀4-leaf clover◯

🌵Cactus▢

🌴Palm tree◯

🌳Deciduous tree◯

🌲Coniferous tree▢

🏞National park◯

⛰Mountain◯

🌊Wave◯

🌬Wind◯

🌀Tornado symbol◯

🌁Foggy scene◯

🌫Fog▢

🌪Tornado▢

☃Snowman (with snow)▢

⛄Snowman (without snow)▢

❄Snowflake

🏔Mountain with snow◯

🌡Thermometer◯

🌋Volcano◯

🏜Desert◯

🏝Desert island◯

🏖Beach◯

🌅Sunrise/set (water)◯

🌄Sunrise/set (mountains)◯

☀Sun▢

🌤Sun with cloud◯

⛅Sun and cloud◯

🌥Cloud with sun◯

🌦Sun and cloud with rain◯

☁Cloud▢

🌨Snowcloud◯

⛈Stormcloud◯

🌩Thundercloud◯

🌧Raincloud◯

💧Drop◯

☔Umbrella with rain◯

🌈Rainbow▢

✨Sparkles▢

🌙Crescent Moon◯

☄Comet◯

��Shooting star▢

🌌Milky Way◯

🌉Bridge◯

🌆City in the evening▢

🌃City at night▢

🌍🌏🌎Earth▢

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘The moon◯

🙈🙉🙊🐵Monkeys, wise or not▢

🦁Lion face▢

🐯Tiger face◯

🐱Cat face▢

🐶Dog face◯

🐺Wolf face◯

🐻Bear face▢

🐨Koala face▢

🐼Panda face▢

🐹Hamster face◯

🐭Mouse face◯

🐰Rabbit face▢

🦊Fox face◯

🦝Raccoon face◯

🐮Cow face◯

🐷Pig face▢

🐽Pig nose▢

🐗Boar head◯

🦓Zebra head◯

🦄Unicorn head▢

🐴Horse head◯

🐸Frog face◯

🐲Dragon head◯

🦎Lizard◯

🐉Dragon◯

🦖T-Rex◯

🦕Diplodocus◯

🐢Turtle▢

🐊Crocodile◯

🐍Snake◯

🐁Mouse▢

🐀Rat◯

🐇Rabbit▢

🐈Cat▢

🐩Poodle◯

🐕Dog◯

🐅Tiger◯

🐆Leopard◯

🐎Horse◯

🐖Pig▢

🐄Cow◯

🐂Bull◯

🐃Water buffalo◯

🐏Ram◯

🐑Sheep◯

🐐Goat▢

🦌Deer▢

🦙Llama▢

🦘Kangaroo◯

🐘Elephant◯

🦏Rhinoceros◯

🦛Hippopotamus◯

🦒Giraffe◯

🐒Monkey▢

🦍Gorilla◯

🐪🐫Camels◯

🐿Squirrel (why does the squirrel of all things have a Unicode symbol?)◯

🦡Badger◯

🦔Hedgehog▢

🦇Bat▢

🐓Cockerel/rooster◯

🐔Chicken◯

🐣🐥🐤Chicks◯

🐦Bird▢

🦉Owl▢

🦅Eagle◯

🦜Parrot◯

🕊Dove◯

🦢Swan◯

🦚Peacock◯

🦃Turkey◯

🦆Duck◯

🐧Penguin◯

🦈Shark◯

🐬Dolphin◯

🐋🐳Whales◯

🐟Fish▢

🐠Tropical fish◯

🐡Pufferfish◯

🦐Prawn◯

🦞Lobster◯

🦀Crab◯

🦑Squid◯

🐙Octopus▢

🦂Scorpion▢

🕷Spider▢

🕸Spiderweb◯

🐚Shell◯

🐌Snail▢

🐜Ant◯

🦗Grasshopper◯

🦟Mosquito◯

🐝Bee▢

🐞Ladybird◯

🦋Butterfly◯

🐛"Bug" yeah sure ok◯

🐾Pawprints◯

Food and Drink

🍓Strawberry▢

🍒Cherry◯

🍎Red apple◯

🍉Watermelon◯

🍑Peach◯

🍊Orange◯

🥭Mango◯

🍍Pineapple▢

🍌Banana◯

🍋Lemon▢

🍈Melon◯

🍏Green apple◯

🍐Pear◯

🥝Kiwi◯

🍇Grapes◯

🥥Coconut◯

🍅Tomato◯

🌶Chili▢

🍄Mushroom◯

🥕Carrot◯

🍠Sweet potato◯

🌽Corn◯

🥦Broccoli◯

🥒Cucumber◯

🥬Lettuce◯

🥑Avocado▢

🍆Aubergine◯

🥔Potato◯

🌰Nut◯

🥜Peanuts◯

🍞Bread▢

🥐Croissant◯

🥖Baguette▢

🥯Bagel◯

🥞Pancakes◯

🍳Frying pan◯

🥚Egg (somehow)◯

🧀Cheese▢

🥓Bacon◯

🥩Meat◯

🍗Chicken leg◯

🍖Anime meat◯

🍔Burger◯

🌭Hotdog▢

🥪Sandwich◯

🥨Pretzel◯

🍟Chips◯

🍕Pizza◯

🌮Taco◯

🌯Wrap◯

🥙Stuffed flatbread◯

🥘Paella◯

🍝Spaghetti◯

🥫Can◯

🥣Bowl◯

🥗Salad◯

🍲Pot of food◯

🍛Curry◯

🍜Noodles◯

🍣Sushi◯

🍤Fried prawn◯

🥡Takeaway container◯

🍚Cooked rice◯

🍱Bento◯

🥟Dumpling◯

🍢Oden◯

🍙Jelly Donut Rice ball◯

🍘Rice cracker◯

🍥Fishcake◯

🍡Dango◯

🥠Fortune cookie◯

🥮Moon cake◯

🍧Shave ice◯

🍨Ice cream◯

🍦See above◯

🥧Pie◯

🍰Cake slice◯

🍮Custard mate what kinda custard have you been eating, this is clearly a créme caramel◯

🎂Birthday cake▢

🧁Cupcake▢

🍭Lollipop◯

🍬Boiled sweet◯

🍫Chocolate◯

🍩Donut◯

🍪Cookie◯

🍯Honey◯

🧂Salt◯

🍿Popcorn◯

🥤Soft drink◯

🥛Milk◯

🍼Baby bottle◯

🍵Green tea◯

☕Coffee▢

🍺Beer◯

🍻Beers, plural◯

🥂Champagne glasses◯

🍾Champagne◯

🍷Red red wine◯

🥃Whiskey◯

🍸Martini◯

🍹Cocktail◯

🍶Sake◯

🥢Chopsticks◯

🍴Knife and fork▢

🥄Spoon◯

🔪Kitchen knife◯

🍽Plate▢

Travel and Places

🛑🎡Everything from the stop sign to Ferris wheel◯

🎠Merry-go-round horse▢

🎪🏕Everything from circus tent to campsite◯

🌇City at sunset yes I'm surprised as you are▢

🛤Train tracks◯

🛣Road◯

🗺Map◯

🗾Japan is an island by the sea filled with volcanoes and it's beautifuul!◯

🌐Globe with meridian lines▢

💺Plane seat◯

🧳Luggage◯

Activities and Events

🎈Balloon▢

🎀Bow◯

🎁Present◯

🎇Sparkler◯

🎆Fireworks◯

🧨Dynamite Firecracker◯

🧧Red envelope◯

🎐Wind chime◯

🎏Fish streamers◯

🎎Japanese dolls (that's what the emoji's called, don't @ me with the actual name for them)◯

🎑Moon viewing ceremony◯

🎍Pine decoration◯

🎋Tanabata◯

🎄Christmas tree▢

🎗Ribbon△

🥇🥈🥉🏅🎖Medals◯

🏆Trophy◯

📣Megaphone◯

🥅Goal◯

⚽⚾🥎🏀🏐🏈🏉🎾🏸🥍🏏🏑🏒SPORTS◯

🥌Curling stone◯

🛷Rosebud Sled◯

🎿Ski◯

⛸Skate◯

⛳Golf-hole◯

🎯Target◯

🏹Bow◯

🥏Frisbee◯

🎣Fishing rod▢

🎽Running shirt◯

🥋Martial arts uniform◯

🥊Boxing glove◯

🎱8-ball◯

🏓Ping-pong◯

🎳Bowling◯

♟Chess◯

🧩Puzzle piece◯

🎮Controller◯

🕹Joystick◯

👾Videogame alien◯

🔫Gun◯

🎲Dice◯

🎰Slot machine◯

🎴Flower playing card◯

🀄Mahjong tile◯

🃏Joker◯

🎩Top hat◯

📷📸Camera◯

🖼Painting◯

🖌Paintbrush◯

🖍Crayon◯

🧵String◯

🧶Wool◯

🎼🎵🎶Music▢

🎷🎺🎸🎻🥁Instruments◯

🎤Mic◯

🎧Headphones▢

🎚🎛🎙📻Assorted audio stuff◯

📺TV◯

📼VHS◯

📹Camcorder◯

📽Projector◯

🎥Film camera◯

🎞Film◯

🎬Clapperboard◯

🎭Comedy and tragedy masks◯

🎫🎟Tickets◯

Objects

📱🧻Everything from smartphone to toilet roll◯

🧸Teddy bear▢

🧷🧢Everything from safety pin to baseball cap◯

👑Crown▢

🎒💍Everything from backpack to ring◯

💎Diamond▢

💄👓Everything from lipstick to glasses◯

🕶Sunglasses▢

🥽📁Everything from goggles to folder◯

🕶Newspaper▢

🗞🔎Everything from rolled-up newspaper to right-pointing magnifying glass◯

🔮Crystal ball▢

🧿🔓Everything from Nazar amulet to open lock◯

Symbols

There are no compatible non-repeated Emoji here.◯

Flags

Aaaaand none here either.◯

Feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong.

[ginkgomoon]

Gavin’s Mini House In Detail 🏡

During the Mini House special events, I obtained all the furnishing items and had already unlocked all the furniture in the home so I thought for Gavin’s Birthday Week, I would share all of the little secrets it contains! 

Gavin has four sections of the house including-

Living Room

Loft 

Courtyard

Basement

This post also includes MC’s commentary and quotes from special happenings associated with Gavin. Special furnishes will have the coziness points indicated next to its name.

Please enjoy! 

Living Room

Soft Stool 

The white soft stool next to the tea table.

This stool is a must when Gavin watches soccer games.

The leather surface is very soft, and its height is just right for watching TV on.

Want to know the trend of the soccer lottery recently? How about asking about it? 

It seemed to have won all the recent games, and is both happy and lonely.

If his favourite team loses, Gavin will sit here alone. (#sad) 

White Sofa 

With so many pillows, you don’t have to worry about having no support behind you.

Is the white sofa difficult to clean? 

The bolsters are very comfortable.

Curled up on the sofa with soft ginkgo aroma.

“Gavin, do you remember what you told me?”

“I just want to be with you, just like this...”

“You still remembered!” 

“I won’t forget what I’ve told you.” 

“Then... Do you have anything you want to tell me this time?” 

Gavin kissed MC’s forehead gently.

- This special happening (Starry Sky) refers to the Furniture City Date!

White Table 

“Gavin’s Pad is placed here too.”

(It has a photo of MC and she says she will change it into the both of them next time.)

“I can add a snack box, but Gavin doesn’t really eat snacks.”

Hallway Cabinet

“Gavin waters the plants regularly.”

“These are often loose change on the cabinet which we can take before going out.”

“The silver ornament is a souvenir I bought when we went to Disneyland.”

The “Wavy Thing”

“I noticed a little “go for it” written on the most recently scrawled page of the notebook.” 

“I found a magazine that puts people to sleep in a second, which was necessary for insomniacs.”

Zoombot 

The black Zoombot.

Today I’m again busy all over the place saving Zoombot.

It’s a bit stupid and often gets stuck after hitting the furniture.

Makes a buzzing sound when working.

You threaten it: If you hang again, I’ll replace you!  

Music Stand

The music stand bought by Gavin.

On it are sheets of music scores printed by Gavin.

It will sometimes think that the small black table next to it is a bit short.

Sometimes Gavin uses in in the hanging chair to record melodies.

Gavin will print the music scores and put them on it to practice.

Flowers on the Wall 

Each flower is carefully selected by Gavin.

The front wall stores a variety of flowers.

The flowers on the entire flower wall are all preserved fresh flowers. 

Black Table and Seat 

Looking at it closely, it is the song that Gavin played last time. (Music score sheet on table.) 

It is also very comfortable with the little black seat cushion next to it.

The soft black cushion stuffed with cotton.

My exclusive seat for Gavin’s recital.

I bought it with Gavin when we were shopping at the furniture market.

Hanging Chair/Rose Hanging Chair (Coziness 88)

A great napping spot.

Here in the Leisure Time special happening, MC and Gavin talk about the swing they had in high school. MC is surprised that Gavin knew about the view of the sunset when being on it. He says he “passed by” sometimes. MC notes how the ginkgo leaves danced in the wind. He says, “they were gifts from another person”.

Heart-Shaped Chair (Coziness 28)

A cute small stool and a convenient storage box.

Gavin’s expression was a bit subtle while he sat on it first.

Alternating blue and pink hearts, as it’s a Valentine’s Day limited edition.

Surfboard Cabinet (Coziness 42)

It’s a new surfboard. Bring it next time we travel.

There are also other surfboards. Guess where they are? 

It says fly on the surfboard, like I can leap through waves with it.

(THEIR CUTE SHOES ARE NEXT TO IT AHHH)

Blue Lamp

A lamp that always blows bubbles from the bottom to top.

It’s beautiful and dreamlike when switched on at night.

Black Table on the Left 

“This looks like the score that Gavin played on the beach last time. I suddenly feel a bit nostalgic.”  - This refers to the Slightly Drunken Date!

“I found a picture of an asleep Gavin. He was sleeping soundly.”

Claw Machine and Carpet 

A dream-like claw machine. Gavin will add new dolls in it.

The inserted game coins can be taken out from the back of the machine and then reused.

A small black carpet in front of the claw machine.

I bought it together with the large carpet.

Red Bunny, White Bunny, Pink Bunny, Red Bunny, Grey Bunny.

Motorcycles 

The blue motorcycle sometimes want to compete with the opposite motorcycle.

The colour of the motorcycle displayed is sky blue. 

Maybe its name will be “Azure”? (because Gavin uses colours to individually name items.) 

Spring Landscape Display 

The landscape has been embedded into the window, like beautiful paintings.

Maybe there is a new world inside.

I can't help stopping to enjoy the view each time I pass.

Is designed for a wider view, improving your mood even when you're tired.

Winter Landscape Display (Coziness 61)

A corresponding landscape should be changed into winter.

Such heavy snow! Frozen river! Unfortunately, they are all fake. 

You can enjoy the red maple leaves and snow even at home, isn’t it wonderful?

Loft 

Painting

This is a word map that covers the entire wall.

Looking at it, Gavin and I have already been to so many places.

If you want to travel, you can find the destination on it in advance.

I'm willing to create memories with him in many more places.

Chandelier

The current iron style design is really cool.

Shines warm yellow when turned on, warming our hearts.

Display Cabinet  

It should have been a wine cabinet, but Gavin doesn’t drink, so it became a display cabinet.

The ‘little things’ between me and Gavin are displayed inside.

It looks empty now, but it will slowly be filled up in the future.

Black Tea Table

A black low table in front of the sofa.

I occasionally work here.

The star and moon deco piece is very beautiful, I picked it with Gavin.

You can put fruits and snacks on it while reading.

The wood texture had a matted quality with the black coat of paint.

Art 

Looks cold but is artistic.

Seems useless, but also seems cool.

Greenery

A corner with blooming flowers all seasons, is warm and restful to the eye.

Outside the window is a huge ginkgo tree, and the fallen leaves are like brocade.

I feel like it’s always spring with all these flowers around.

It compliments the scenery outside the window. (They have a ginkgo tree right outside their home!) 

Cabinet 

Photo framed have karmas from the Starry Date and the Romantic Date!

Decorative Cabinet/Snowman Closet (Coziness 49)

The two little snowmen stared at each other throughout the winter. (Cute little reference to the CN Recovery ASMR.)

It looks like a window at first glance, but it’s actually a cabinet if you look carefully.

And you could open it. Didn’t see that coming right? 

Starry Sky Wall (Coziness 52)

Today’s wish… I hope that Gavin…

I will accompany you to see the meteor rain which falls on this Earth.

Every moment a wish is realised, there will be a meteor streaking across the sky.

Dandelion Lamp (Coziness 43)

The lamp looks exactly like the grapefruit during Mid-Autumn Festival.

Like a burning sparkler, shining brightly.

Six light sources, not too dazzling nor too dark.

Festive Decoration Table (Coziness 57)

Although there are two cups of drinks, we can still drink from the same cup.

The sofa in the corner always makes people feel safe. 

Although we are only two people, I still chose two long couches.

The letter under the ginkgo biloba leaf, writes a love poem.

All the shopping bags represent his most flawless love.

The wide view allows you to see the scenery in the yard.

The soft white mat was added afterwards.

But it’s always hot under the sunlight, so the curtain is often pulled down.

Basement

Security Camera 

You are in a monitored area, please mind your actions.

Bulletproof Glass 

It’s not a normal screen, it’s bulletproof.

It's not often that one gets to see such a cool and HARD-CORE transparent screen.

Anyways, curious what’s in this wall.

Sci-fi glass wall in the movies.

The engraved badge is Gavin’s silent pride.

1-2-3... still shorter than it!

Gingko Tree

Seasons slip by soundlessly.

No matter how small their wishes are, they will become seeds and eventually bloom in gold.

All life’s little joys turned into gold.

It guards the serene life here quietly over in the corner.

(Gavin makes ginkgo bookmarks with them for MC. CRIES.)

Corner Resting Area 

These action figures are actually pretty fun!

The puzzle is all grown up. It should be able to piece itself back together. (LOL)

(Puzzle) Maybe finish it while Gavin’s gone? 

(Table) It sometimes thinks the table is a bit short.

(Chair) It looks hard but it’s actually comfortable to sit on.

Very spacious, but looks a bit empty.

Some decorations should be displayed here.

Sitting on a blanket is also very comfortable. You can also lean on the small pillow. 

(Carpet) This is a carpet. You can’t tell, right? 

The advanced smart carpet that is warm in winter and cool in summer is awesome.

(The book on the table is called ‘Kritik Der Urteilskraft’- The Critique of Judgement by famous German philosopher Immanuel Kant. It follows after the Critique of Pure Reason and the Critique of Practical Reason- the First and Second Critiques, respectively. The Critique of Judgment constitutes a discussion of the place of Judgment itself, which must overlap both the “understanding” and “reason”.)

“You need to take better care of your health.”

“Who was the one working overnight over the proposal the other day?”

“Alright, we’re birds of a feather, so... so both of us should look after ourselves for each other!” 

“Rest assured, I will. After all, it’s different now. I have you by my side.”  -Harmonous Compa Special Happening

Gavin’s Workspace

Accompany Gavin though every sleepless night.

This seems… No, I’m seeing things.

All folders are neatly organised and arranged.

A spacious table, with files and reports spread all over when busy.

I no need to worry about waking up from naps due to cold late at night.

I was reminded of some criminal investigation shows I have watched. Come on, Officer Gavin!

If this complicated case is made into a movie, it will be an exhilarating one. 

(Computer) A customised large-screen UHD model customised for work purpose.

(Computer) Work exclusive computer, only connected to intranet.

(Computer) The three auxiliary monitors can help keep the data safe.

(Chair) If you want to protect your waist, you should first have a comfortable cushion.

(Chair) if you work long hours, be sure to work in a comfortable chair.

(Board Area) What does it say? Ermm… Cats have nine lives? 

“Found a girl crookedly drawn next to a work record when he reached a bottleneck.” 

Airplane

This airplane model was assembled by Gavin himself.

The computer says-  Agent B-7

Team Operator S.T.R.I.K.E

Location Tracker 

S.P.Y Camera 

U4V Commando

Gunship Operation 

Motorcycle Repair Area 

Every vehicle is so cool in its own way! 

Hello, you are... Little… Erm… Let me think… 

With the strength to lift mountains and the spirit to take on the world! Ha! 

The robot arm is actually a simple robot.

For your safety, please don’t linger below it

(Motorcycle) I would like to greet my seniors.

Electronic Control Pad

Responsible for controlling the rising, descending and switches of the entire area.

On Spring Festival, it will say: Happy New Year, Sir!”

Sooner or later, fully automated smart management will be achieved.

Radio Office 

It’s an important communication device, and the only disadvantage is that it’s a bit heavy.

It’s actually a satellite phone, and it can receive signals everywhere.

Looks like the palm phone in the 90s. Oh no, I’ve exposed myself.

It looks like an electrocardiogram.

Don’t know how to use this weird device.

A thick laptop that it’s properly shut when not in use.

A cool eagle logo is printed on it.

Gavin used it only for special tasks and it will not be brought out.

LMAO MC DOESN’T HAVE ACCESS-

Courtyard 

Corner Seating Area 

A courtyard in sunny or snowy days are interested in their own ways.

Sometimes the unfrequented bolsters will envy the knee pillow.

It's’ wonderful when two people are sitting here reading, even if they don’t talk.

Standing barefoot on the soft lawn is very comfortable.

There's nothing nicer than basking ourselves when its sunny.

Binoculars

The white binoculars which you can see things several miles away.

You can use it to watch the stars when it’s not too cloudy.

But star-watching is clearer mid-air.

Seems to be the same binoculars as those in the scenic area.

The binoculars in the scenic area require coins, but this one doesn't.

Outdoor Lounge Chairs 

The new furniture I asked Gavin to buy.

Can enjoy the sunlight spa comfortably when relaxing. 

Closing my eyes, I feel like I’m lying on a beach.

The soft breeze and warm sunshine. This is life. 

Lying on it and looking at the blue sky and white clouds, your mind goes blank easily.

The blue and white clouds-

Leisure Table/Romantic Table (Coziness 52)

Lace tablecloth… I can’t imagine that it was chosen by Gavin.

The elaborately prepared dinner and roses, just for today.

A large sunshade on the balcony. (Black large umbrella.)

Bird Nest (Coziness 37) 

Once it was a pair of binoculars, now it’s a bird’s nest.

I bought it just because it was cute, but I’ll consider having pets in the future.

Birds flying by can also have a free meal here.

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we can’t do this

Book: Open Heart

Warning: one or two swears, lots of angst. Rating: General Pairing: Ethan x F!MC Word Count: 2500+ Author’s note: Sequel to ‘denial’. I’d advise you to read the first part here before reading this to avoid any confusion. More notes about this fic is in my reblog.  While you’re at it, take a look at my masterlist!

“We wish you a merry Christmas...”

The words trailed off her lips, almost soft enough to be drowned out by the sound of her boots crunching against the snow. It was uncharacteristically quiet for her.

Her hand lightly brushed against the railing next to her, quickly retracting back when her nerves registered the low temperature of the surface. The sudden movement made a lump of snow that had previously sat calmly on top of the railing to fall to the ground before her feet.

Another clump fell, this time many meters further, the sound of it meeting the river below the bridge where she stood disrupted the short period of calmness that washed over her for the first time in quite a while.

The cold was starting to numb her fingers, making them feel stiff and frozen; though she was more distracted by the fallen snow that had unsurprisingly seeped through the thin layer of clothes she was wearing, which were now painfully scrubbing against her clammy skin.

“...we wish you a merry Christmas…”

The sky hung above her like a blackout curtain, the stars nearly invisible behind a thick layer of clouds. Surroundings only dimly illuminated by the faulty streetlights that lined either side of the road, she focused her vision on the small clouds of air that escaped her mouth with each shuddering breath in between each line of the song.

The song wouldn’t, couldn’t leave her mind, always lingering at the back of her head, even though Christmas was long over. If one would consider a week long, that is.

She paused longer this time before continuing the next line. Bringing her soaked sleeve to her face and rubbing her stinging eyes, she tried to clear her vision from the tears she’d been struggling more and more to hold back the further she strayed from the city.

“...we wish you a merry Christmas…”

She leaned against the metal bars in front of her, the only things preventing her from plunging into the rushing river below.

Amid the peaceful environment she isolated herself in, she could hear the sound of the people in their homes not too far away. The cheers and celebrations from the people celebrating the new year with friends, family, the people they love.

Imagining it like it was taking place right in front of her eyes, she saw how everyone stood close together, bright sparklers in one hand, bubbling champagne in the other. She swore she could hear their laughter and drunken giggles. She smiled as she thought of them shamelessly slurring their favourite songs at the top of their lungs next to the old karaoke machine they only got out of the closet for times like these, her favourite times.

But she wasn’t them. Hell, she wasn’t even the one awkwardly lingering at the corner of the room, envious of all the fun everyone else was having with their friends but too afraid to join in. No, she was standing there, in the cold, with nobody by her side.

Tugging on the green leather jacket, the only thing she brought with her, she brought it closer to her chest. She was sure that it was the one thing she could never bring herself to let go of. It was the one thing of his that she still held on to, and yet it still failed to protect her, to give her warmth, a tiny feeling of not being so alone in the numbing weather. She laughed at the irony of that damn jacket being the polar opposite of what he was to her.

A glance at the watch on her wrist that was half-hidden by her sleeve told her that it was 23:54, 6 minutes until midnight, a point in time that symbolised a new beginning for so many people, but was just yet another moment that had lost its spark to her.

“...and a happy...new...year…”

Her voice gave in, barely managing to pronounce those 5 little words, and her legs soon followed.

With her back now turned to face the barrier, she let herself slide down as slowly and gently as her jittery legs would allow--which admittedly, wasn’t a lot anymore. She more or less plummeted into the snow on the rough floor beneath her soles. And though her breath was caught in her throat for a moment as she felt the full extent of her body’s impact on the bitter cold, there wasn’t any movement to indicate she was getting up anytime soon.

A tear fell from her eyes. She didn’t feel it, she didn’t feel a lot, but she could still register that it was hot in contrast to the seemingly never-ending shower of snow that slowly fell on and around her. Another tear slipped out and she mindlessly watched as tear after tear dripped down her cheeks and fell onto the thick bed of snow.

Before she knew it, her face felt warmer than before, the wet tracks down her face warming her despite the sobs that shook her body more than the cold ever had. She shut her eyes as tightly as her weakening body would allow her, it was a desperate attempt to stop and she knew it. And so she let go. She let the shaking and the sobs and the cold take over, letting her legs go limp and fully enclose themselves in the snow, her hands fell to her side instead of tightly clenching them inside her pockets. She let herself be exposed to whatever poor soul was roaming the streets on the outskirts of town at that time of the night and had the displeasure of witnessing the in the state she was in.

Bells rang loudly in the air, signalling the start of the new year. The formerly pitch-black sky behind her was now filled with the loud and colourful explosions in the form of New Year fireworks. She didn’t want to start the new year just yet, still too caught up in everything that happened last year. She only wished she could turn back time.

The last time she saw him was bad, horrible, but that feeling wasn’t as bad as the one she was feeling right now.

The last time she saw him was...so long ago. At least that’s what it felt like. In reality, something she wasn’t too sure she was even apart of anymore, it had barely been half a year, yet it felt like an eternity ago.

As the fireworks died out, so did she. It was like the memories of him were slowly moving past her along with the previous year.

She started walking back to Donahue’s, simultaneously the best and worst place for her to be headed at that moment. On one hand, everyone was there, all her friends, colleagues, and superiors from edenbrook were at the local bar ringing in the new year. It had become somewhat of a tradition, the forever busy doctors came together and were a family for that blissful little period of time, drinking, chatting, dancing the night away. She smiled at the thought of her friends making fools of themselves and being as rowdy as can be.

It was a long way back into town, but the freezing weather and the adrenaline and numbness wearing off were a more than helpful incentive for her to hurry into the packed establishment and warm herself with the burning feeling of all sorts of alcohol sliding down the back of her throat.

By the time she walked in, her tears had dried and she managed to conjure up as convincing of a smile as a person who had just broken down at the side of the road could. Her friends welcomed her with open arms and shot glasses full of questionable liquids, minds not focused enough to wonder and ask why she had only stumbled in well after the clock had struck twelve, much like an opposite-cinderella.

It was just after 1:45 in the morning. Of the 8 that were originally there, only her and Sienna were left, the others had gone back home not too long ago but Sienna insisted on staying with her.

She had been silent for a while now, unlike the rest of the bar. Many patrons had gone but the ones that were left looked to be far from it. She sat silently as Sienna told stories about almost anything, she had been loosely paying attention. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested, she really was, but her night hadn’t been the most celebratory.

It wasn’t looking like the night could get worse than it already had, but then the door opened, the bell at the top ringing and the swoosh of the door closing behind them clear. The same couldn’t be said for the countless drunk Bostonians who had come and gone throughout the night.

A few seconds passed and firm footsteps cut through the chatter of the crowd before her intoxicated mind had registered that someone walked in, and it took even longer for her to look up and realise that he had walked in.

It was barely half a second after it dawned on her that it was actually him that had just entered her line of sight and not another one of those dream scenarios she experienced in the weeks after he left.

In the haze of the moment, she wasn’t sure who looked over first but they had caught each other’s eye. She swore she saw him physically stop in his tracks and freeze up at the sight of her, and suddenly she felt more intoxicated than she had been all night, like she got high just off the sight of him, if that made any sense.

It was like the most cliche fairytale dream she had ever seen; the room seemed to fade away and a spotlight shined down on the two of them, like two lost lovers reunited at last. And if she were honest, that’s all she hoped for, to be in that situation where she could run into his arms, his only-for-her warm embrace that she couldn’t get enough of, and just melt into him after being apart for so long.

Instead, she settled for staying put and pretending like her mind wasn’t racing, with the exception of the glances she sneaked in when she thought he wasn’t looking. But as her luck would have it, he was, every single time.

Sienna got up to leave, advising her to at the very least say a friendly goodbye to him before she left, if nothing else. She reluctantly nodded her head. Thinking she had everyone fooled that she was fine after he left was a stretch, especially when it came to Sienna Trinh. It was almost like she had a sixth sense for spotting it.

She stood up and walked over to the bar, careful to steer her vision away from where he sat at the very end of the bar, a glass of his usual top-shelf whiskey in his palms. Ordering one last drink before she faced her fears, she walked over to him, looking in his direction but not quite meeting his eye.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” he replied in his usual toneless voice.

“Let’s sit over there,” she said, “I’d like to talk.”

He nodded, following her to an empty corner booth at the very back, almost fully secluded from the rest of the room.

They walked, sat down, and stared at each other in silence, unsure of what to say to the other.

“You went away for what? A month or two?” She lied, she knew exactly how long it had been. Hell, if she really concentrated, she probably knew it down to the second.

“Something along the lines of that, I can’t really remember,” he lied too. The guilt that was constantly eating away at him made it damn near impossible for him to forget.

That voice, his goddamned voice. It felt so good to hear his voice again, like it set off delayed New Year’s fireworks inside of her, and the bastard didn’t have the slightest clue that he had that kind of effect on her.

She let out something of a cross between a laugh and a scoff. Ethan, not being able to hear her inner thoughts, furrowed his brows and his hands started fidgeting, inching closer to her glass, concerned that she had drunk a little too much.

Lost in her own thoughts about him, she almost didn’t hear him when he finally broke the silence hanging eerily in the air between them.

“I’ve missed you.”

“I miss you too,” she replied back, almost too quickly.

Surpassing any expectations she held regarding what would happen when he walked in, he hastily leaned over the table separating them and pressed his lips against hers. Her body tensed at first, but eventually returned the kiss.

Are you kidding me? Her head practically screamed at her internally. That was all it took? For him to say that he misses her and just like that she’d forgive him and forget about everything that had happened that past year?

Finally making a logical decision, she pulled back, drawing in a breath from the loss of contact despite being the cause of it.

“Ethan,” she breathed out, all the air suddenly disappearing from her lungs, “we can’t do this.”

The look of hurt and pain that showed on his face almost made her want to take back what she had just said, but she knew better than that, “I can’t do this. Not after everything that’s happened.”

“Rookie…” He trailed off in a pleading tone.

“I begged you,” she recalled that dreadful moment in time, forever branded into her memories.

“I’m sorry. Please, I-”

“Why did you leave me?” She said bluntly despite her quivering lips and watering eyes.

“They needed my help an-” he tried to make things better, soothe her conscience, and at the same time his too.

“Why did you leave me?” Never in a million years did she ever think that Ethan Ramsey, world-renowned internal medicine doctor, would have commitment fucking issues.

She had hoped. She wasn’t religious but she hoped to god that he would be different with her, that it would be different with him, that it would be different despite him. It never did happen, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that it did. Maybe that’s why she had broken down that much after he left, because it meant that they weren’t good enough, that she wasn’t good enough for him to want to stay and try, maybe that’s why she couldn’t bear to risk it by being together with him again.

Maybe that’s why she stood up and cupped the now tearful Ethan’s face in her hands and placed a parting kiss on his lips, as he had done the same for her so long ago, muttering a soft apology and a soulful goodbye. Then she let go. She let her arm drop back down to her side and walked out while she was still thinking clearly enough to not go back on the promises she made to herself.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Epica's Simone Simons: "We felt burnt out after The Holographic Principle"

Simone Simons looks back on the album that made Epica take a five-year break and a near-disastrous run-in with pyro

For almost two decades Simone Simons has been pushing boundaries with Epica, the symphonic metal heroes matching orchestral grandeur with high concept prog metal. With each new release pushing the band's artistry to new levels, its little wonder they have become steadfast heroes of the symphonic metal world, scaling back none of their conceptual ambitions whilst still exploring prog-death elements that maintain their ties to the underground.

The band's seventh studio album The Holographic Principle honed these elements to stunning effect, rewarding them with a top 10 charts placement in their native Netherlands when it peaked at No 4. Hammer spoke to Simone Simmons to find out just how they keep raisin their game...

The Holographic Principle was your seventh studio album. Does it get harder to keep raising your game?

“With each album, we challenge ourselves to become better musicians. Every album is a record in time of who we are at that moment, and The Holographic Principle was conceived during an extremely busy time in our career; in between touring we’d be in the studio, and on tour we’d be working on songs with our producer, Joost [van den Broek], who came with us so we could meet deadlines. So The Holographic Principle is a high-energy album – almost hyper-energetic! – but there are some awesome songs on it.”

There was a five-year gap after The Holographic Principle – a lengthy hiatus for Epica. What triggered that?

“We felt a little burnt out. We learned from The Holographic Principle that it was impossible to keep that up. We were like a machine, pooping out albums every two years and touring the world simultaneously! Some of us have kids now, so we all decided we wanted a little break from touring and songwriting with a deadline. That was the biggest thing that we learned; we were going at such high speed, it was getting a bit much.”

Which song are you most proud of, vocally?

“I really love the ballad Once Upon A Nightmare. When I wrote the lyrics, I had no clue what I was going to write about, and my husband said, ‘Why not draw inspiration from The Elder King?’ Which is basically a very dark fairy tale that describes this white creature taking away little children in the middle of the night. I became a mother after The Quantum Enigma [2014], and I thought, ‘I like [this song]’, but afterwards I was like, ‘No, I don’t like this! Now I’ve got to sing this song that’s reminding me of this creepy thing!’ But it’s art. All our music and lyrics are personal to a certain extent, but I had to disconnect from that in order to be able to put the right emotion into that song, but not make it too personal.”

What’s your standout memory of making The Holographic Principle?

“The timing of it was bad for me because I had a cold, so I was struggling with sniffles, but my voice was still powerful. Sometimes you get lucky – you get sick but you can still perform, and sometimes you feel good but the voice is gone. My most vivid memory was on the tour, when I was almost set on fire. It was in Tilburg during our 1,000th show, so of course we added pyrotechnics and all that great stuff. At the ending of the album’s title track there was a curtain of sparklers coming down, and I was standing right underneath it, singing away, thinking, ‘Why is my scalp burning?’ That was not so nice! But I enjoyed the whole cycle of the album; I could go crazy with outfits and make-up. Because ‘holographic’ is all the colours of the rainbow, I could go completely nuts!”

[earthfluuke]

summary: individual ohmfong moments i couldn’t get out of my head.

everyone has been writing yearning fics (and i adore them so much), but i wanted to get some fluff out there. i hope you enjoy!

i.

it’s second nature for ohm to slide into any open seat at their group’s table. full plate in hand, he’s just about to dig in when he catches phuak’s questioning eye, and his fork freezes a breath from his food. the silent questioning raise of his eyebrow has phuak shaking his head and motioning a hand to the opposite side of the table.

“sit next to your boyfriend, dumb ass,” he says, followed by the mumble of, “no wonder none of your girlfriends stayed with you.”

eyes widening, he turns to fong who can only send him a forgiving smile. scrambling to move his things, he falls onto the bench beside him with a sigh. head hung, shoulder slumped, he works out quickly, “i’m sorry. it completely slipped my mind, and i–”

“it’s okay,” fong assures, understanding as ever. “it’s…different. but we’ll get there.” he slides a plastic cup across the table to him and knocks their shoulders together. “now stop sulking, and drink that.”

ohm rises a bit, reinflates. he’s only ever remembered fong coming to the table with a signature blue hawaii in hand. there is none in sight, only this. taking a sip, he can’t help but feel it tastes a bit sweeter than any other time he’s had it.

they’re not there yet; but they’re on their way.

ii.

“oh!” he hears ohm exclaim as they’re walking out of their classroom towards the football field. just as he turns to ask what’s wrong, he feels a hand grab onto his.

eyes shooting down to the space between them, fong takes notice of how ohm’s fingers fit between his and curl over more than half of his knuckles. he soaks in the warmth ohm’s palm presses into his own and the feel of his thumb stroking up to his nail and back down again. he’s never held someone’s hand before, save for his parents a long, much younger time ago, so he doesn’t have much to compare to. even so, he doesn’t think any other hand would feel as nice. this is the hand he wants to hold forever.

allowing his fingers to close and rest between the ridges of ohm’s knuckles, he tightens his hold when ohm gives their arms an experimental swing.

“we’re boyfriends now,” he explains. “that means we get to hold hands.”

 it’s so innocent, so simple, but knowing that doesn’t help in slowing fong’s heart.

iii.

fong knows he has a very handsome boyfriend. it’s difficult to ignore when they’re meant to be studying in the library. ohm has a hand in his hair, head rested against his palm as a finger taps in concentration. his lips move with each word he reads, tongue sticking between his teeth when he gets to an exceptionally difficult section.

it’s too much sometimes, to just sit there and stare. actions have never been his strong suit; observations are more his style, but it’s not enough. leaning past the edge of his chair, he smooths a hand under ohm’s chin and up the cheek farthest from him. he pulls him the small distance he needs to in order to press a gentle kiss to the cheek facing him.

he hides the laugh that’s building in his throat when he moves back to find ohm wide eyed and stunned. the hand in his hair has slid down to where fong’s lips just grazed, and fong has to turn away from him to hide his pink cheeks and silly smile.

“i’m going to get some snacks. do you want anything?” ohm is too dazed to respond, so fong pushes back his chair and scurries off to the vending machines. it’ll give him the chance to calm down.

(and if he comes back with a few choice snacks he knows to be ohm’s favorites, then that’s just a bonus).

iv.  

when fong is fast asleep, ohm can’t help but prop himself up on his arm and admire him. his bangs curl over his brow, and his cheek buries further into the pillow when there’s an especially cool breeze from the air conditioner. dark lashes fan over tan skin, full peach lips puffing out calm, even breaths. one hand clutches the blanket closer to him while the other lays on the sheets as though it’s looking for something.

he’s as gorgeous as he always is, but there’s something more special about a beauty that only ohm gets to see. there is a constant pull of wanting to grab onto that hand, remind him that what he’s reaching for is right beside him. but he cannot will himself to disturb him and instead resigns himself to only stare. he’s done enough to last him a lifetime, but he doesn’t think he’ll ever tire of it; not if he’s staring at fong.

v.

“beautiful. sweetheart. babe. love!”

“um,” tine clears his throat, looking from ohm’s wide, hopeful grin to the top of fong’s head, the only part of him visible from behind the pages of the book he’s using to hide. “what are you doing?”

“trying to figure out which name i like the most,” fong mumbles from behind his book, clutching the binding a bit tighter when ohm throws an arm around his shoulders.

“the secret is that he likes all of them,” he says, continuing over fong’s protests, “i just need to find out which one he likes the best.”

it picks up again from there, in front of their friends no less. all fong can do is let him go on and on, each name more blush inducing than the last, and hope his novel does a good enough job masking how much he’s enjoying this.

vi.

“i’ll see you for dinner after my group meeting. okay, tilak?”

“yeah, sure – wait, what? hey! fong!”

vii.

fong is always a vision, but this. this. this is something completely different and so very far from even his wildest of dreams.

his sweater – a light beige with a v-neck that dips lower without the collar of the shirt he normally wears underneath it poking out – hangs loose around fong’s smaller frame. the shoulders pool upwards, the sleeves drape over his fingers, the hem hits far past the bottom of his torso. it doesn’t fit at all, and yet it does. there is something so right about coming out of the shower and finding fong lying on his bed, homework papers strewn out across the sheets and ohm’s sweater pooling up around his hips.

“i’m sorry,” fong is quick to say, fingers scrambling to tug it over his head. “it got cold, and it was the first thing i saw. i can give it back.”

“no.” he holds his hands out to steady fong more than himself. when the neck of the sweater stretches back down and he can see him, ohm sends him a smile. “it’s…it’s good. nice. it looks nice.”

“nice,” fong repeats. the very tips of his fingers, the only parts that peek out from beneath the sleeves, smooth over the fabric. his eyes soften, the tips of his mouth curving up. ohm can’t the tingling feeling that spreads through him.

viii.

that single strand of hair. it’s as lovely as it is distracting, for fong at the very least. he supposes ohm must have gotten used to it, takes notice of it the same way he does to the air around him. but it’s so out place and somehow so perfectly put that fong cannot help but admire it.

it’s a flame, stark black and contrast to his skin, that draws his hand towards it like a moth. ever so carefully, with just a graze of his fingers, he pushes it back into place. brushing over his ear, his hand buries beneath the hair parted against his scalp, dark locks blanketing over it.

only then does ohm look to him, realize that there had been something out of place he hadn’t seen. what he does see – feel, sense, know – is fong. and what a wonder that is, to be more noticeable, more important, more vital than the air. to be what ohm needs to breathe.

ix.

ever changing lights flicker across the concert venue. sarawat’s band is on stage, but they’re impossible to pay attention to when fong has all of his focus. he’s beautiful in every color he bathes in, but ohm can’t help but be partial to the mixture of yellow and orange.

fong has always been a bright light, a beacon, an ever-present warmth. the colors paint him as the sun he’s always been, the very center of ohm’s universe. head back, ears turned up to the music, his eyes reflect gold when he turns to ohm to tug him close and sway them along to the bass beneath their feet.

purple and blue remind him of late nights where they’d forgotten to close the blinds. green brings memories of lying in the grassy field in the back of their high school, when all ohm could rely on was stolen glances and accidental hand brushes he’d hold nearer and dearer to his heart than he should have. pink and red mix together, and all he can see is love coating over full cheeks and a fuller smile that he is lucky enough to have directed at him. and then it’s back to yellow, back to orange, back to warmth so hot ohm could burn.

it’s a heat like no other. all he can do to cool is curls a single arm around the small of fong’s back and pull him close enough for their foreheads to touch. his heart still roars with flames, engulfs him in a love hot enough to melt.

wrapping himself around him, fong comments, “you really like this song.”

and all ohm can do is hum, hold him tighter, and soak in his warmth. “i think it might be my favorite.”

x.

“how did you know?” fong asks. the two of them are staring up at the ceiling, peeling paint their replacement for stars. “that it was me, i mean.”

by all intents and purposes, it should be an easy enough question to answer. but it becomes difficult when it hits him that…it’s always been fong. there isn’t a moment where anyone else has taken refuge in his heart and made it their home.

“i don’t remember when it started. but i remember when i realized it couldn’t be anyone else.” the memory flashes behind his eyes in vivid detail, kept clean and clear from how many times he’s brought it back to the forefront of his mind. “new years eve of second year. after tine and phuak ditched us to find pretty girls to kiss at midnight.”

mouth agape when he looks to him, fong says in startled disbelief, “in your backyard when i almost burned my hand on that sparkler? that wasn’t as special as i was expecting. more embarrassing.”

“it wasn’t. and that’s why i knew. there didn’t need to be some big sign. i just knew that even in those simple moments, i wanted it to be you there with me. and,” ohm catches his eye, looks at him so he knows how much he means what he says, “it was the first time i got to see you smile. it wasn’t because of something stupid phuak did or something sweet tine said to you. it was just… because you were happy. i hadn’t seen anything that beautiful before.”

fong says nothing, only reaches down to grab his hand. but when he smiles – that smile – he tells ohm all he needs to know. it’s another one of those not so special moments; the two of them lying flat against the sheets, their hands twisted together between them. but that in and of itself makes it special.