#i mean imagine if anderson indeed heard him but pretended not to?

[ayasenisan1713]

“Awaiting…” “Your…” “Reply…” “Letter…” Reinette’s four heads said one after the other.

“How do you know that I’ll reply?” Klein glanced at Anderson, who hadn’t recovered, and confirmed that the Strongest Hunter didn’t notice the words that didn’t match Gehrman’s persona.

Hehe… Interesting material…

[kbuggg3]

Kian Lawley Imagine: “Jealous Much?”

IMAGINE: The fun beach day suddenly gets more interesting when Kian catches a guy flirting with you

Everyone in the 02l house was running around like crazy trying to get together all the stuff they'll need for their beach trip.

"(y/n), didn't you say you were grabbing the towels?"

"Got em! Kian, you got all the snacks?"

"Wait... What? I thought Corey was getting them?"

"Can someone get the sunscreen?"

"Ya. I got it!"

"Hey Seb, grab some waters and a few beers."

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE SNACKS!?"

After everyone got what they needed and loaded it into the two separate cars, they were finally off to the boating dock. (y/n) drove her jeep with Kian, her boyfriend, in the passenger seat and Harrison, JC, and Chelsea in the back seat. Corey drove the truck so he could attach the boat to the back. Sebastian was in the front seat next to him and Bobby, Anderson, Franny and Dom were squished together in the back.

After a few minutes of passing the AUX cord and jamming out they all finally arrived to the boating dock. When (y/n) parked her jeep, she rested her head on the steering wheel while everyone got out and got the stuff out of the trunk. "You okay, baby?" she heard a sweet voice say next to her ear.

Already knowing who it is, (y/n) put on a pouty face and looked up with her best puppy dog eyes. "I'm fine. It's just that we got up sooo earlyyyy." Kian frowned and grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb over it softly.

"I'm sorry. Is there anyway I can help you wake up?"(y/n) smirked slightly and leaned close to his face. "You could kiss me," she shrugged, biting her lip. Kian's eyes flickered down to her lips and he leaned down and kissed her softly.

(y/n) wrapped her arms around Kian's neck, hoping for the kiss to last longer, but Kian almost immediately pulled away causing (y/n) to pout again. "Heyyyy! I wasn't done." Kian chuckled at her reaction and replied. "Well as much as I enjoy doing that, I kinda had another idea in mind."

The moment (y/n) saw the smirk on his face and the evil look in his eyes, she knew he was up to no good. Before she could protest, Kian pulled her out of the jeep and threw her over his shoulder. "Kian! Put me down!" she laughed while lightly hitting his back.

"Not until you wake up."

"What are you even-" (y/n) paused mid sentence when she realized what he was going to do. "Kian, I swear to god if you throw me in the water I'm breaking up with you!" she joked. Kian just smiled even wider, knowing his plan was working, and walked into the water until he was knee deep.

He slid (y/n) down until she was eye level with him, her arms around his neck and her legs now wrapped tightly around his waist as she tried to avoid getting wet at all costs. "Alright baby! You ready?" he asked placing his hands on her ass to keep her from sliding down. "No, Kian!"

"1..."

"I swear if you actually-"

"2..."

"KIAN!"

"3!"

He pretended to swing her forward, acting as if he was going to throw her in but he never actually let go. Instead he laughed until his stomach hurt, earning a punch in the arm from his girlfriend. "I hate you," she said unwrapping her arms from his neck so she can cross them in front of her.

"Well I LoOoOoVe you!" Kian kissed her on the nose causing her to smile and unwrap her legs so she could stand on her own. "Hey, lovebirds, the boats ready to go!" Kian grabbed (y/n)'s hand and they walked to the dock that the boat was parked at.

After helping (y/n) in, he hopped in the boat and sat in the passenger side beside JC, who was going to be driving, and (y/n) went to the front of the boat with Seb, Anderson, Harrison, and Bobby. Franny, Chelsea, Corey, and Dom sat in the back of the boat next to the cooler of snacks and beers "in case they disappear", as they liked to put it.

                                                                            ~~~~

They rode around on the boat and went tubing for a little bit before eventually arriving at the island. They swam in the water, drank, hooked (y/n)'s phone up to the speaker to play music, took pictures for Instagram, and tanned. They stayed at the island for hours on end having a good time and acting like the rowdy teenagers that they were.

After awhile they began to grow hungry, seeing as all their snacks were gone. "I'm starving. Let's go get food," JC said looking over at his friends from under his umbrella.

"I agree. Do you guys remember the Sunset Grill? With the shrimp?"

"Oh my god! The shrimp!"

"We should go there."

"I'm down."

After taking a majority vote, they all packed up their towels, chairs, and umbrellas and got onto the boat. They got into their original seats and Bobby connected (y/n)'s phone to the built in speakers onto the boat. When they arrived at the restaurant they quickly put on some clothes over their bathing suits and were met by a tall, tan boy around their age who greeted them with a pearly white smile.

"Hey guys! My name is Caleb and I will be your waiter for today." Caleb helped tie the boat to the dock and waited patiently as everyone got out. (y/n) was the last one left, but paused as she noticed the boat, although tied to the dock, was getting too far away for her to reach.

"Hey, um, Kian? Can I get some help?" she laughed awkwardly. Kian was too busy talking to JC, Harrison, and Anderson and couldn't here her calling his name. Fortunate for her, Caleb heard the girls plea for help and was quick to be approach her.

He looked at her with his bright blue eyes and brushed the blonde hair out of his face. "Need a hand?" he asked extending his hand out to her. (y/n) gratefully took it with a smile and he helped her step out of the boat and onto the dock safely.

"I'm Caleb," he smiled warmly at her. "(y/n)." Caleb nodded his head before turning to the rest of the group.

"How many in your party?"

"11."

"Awesome! Right this way."

Caleb grabbed some menus and glanced at (y/n) quickly before walking off to show them their table. This act surely did not go unnoticed by Kian.  As they were walking, Kian made his way over to (y/n) putting a protective arm over her shoulders.

They sat down, ordered their drinks, and talked for a little while until Caleb came back asking what they wanted to eat. "I'll just have a cheeseburger," (y/n) stated closing her menu and handing it to the naturally tan boy. "That's my favorite," he smiled as he wrote down her order along with everybody else's.

Kian's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth opened slightly. He looked at JC to see his eyes wide and his lips in a small smile as he tried not to laugh at Kian's reaction. "I'll be sure to have your food out ASAP!"

Caleb looked at (y/n) one last time and with a nod of his head, he left. Kian leaned over to the table and whisper shouted at JC.

"What the hell was that? Did you see that?"

"What?"

"You know what!"

JC awkwardly shifted his eye contact from Kian, to (y/n), then back to Kian again. Kian just sighed and rolled his eyes."oH My gOd i LoVe cHeEsBuRgErS! We'Re, LiKe, ToTaLlY iN LoVe!" J

C attempted to stifle a laugh as Kian mocked their waiter in a high pitched voice.

"Dude, he's probably just being friendly. It's kind of his job."

"No. It is not his job! His job is to take our orders and bring us food. His job is NOT to flirt with MY girlfriend!"

Every time he would go to their table to check up on them, he would have a nice conversation with the table and even crack some jokes. Everyone thought he was a pretty cool guy. Everyone except Kian, of course.

Eventually their stomachs were full and it was time to leave. JC, Bobby, and Harrison stayed at the table to wait for their card to be brought back after paying and everyone else went over to the dock next to their boat. When everyone was listening to Dom tell some story about a time he got super drunk, Kian saw Caleb watching and slipped his hand in the back pocket of (y/n)'s jean shorts.

(y/n) bit her lip to hold back a smile and scooted closer to Kian. "What was that for?" Kian furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her. "What do you mean? I can't love my girlfriend?" (y/n) just shrugged with a knowing smile on her face and went back to listening to Dom's story.

Kian looked over towards the restaurant and once again saw Caleb staring. He clenched his jaw and looked away. He had to do something about this. He couldn't just let this random guy drool over his girlfriend!

Kian took his hand out of her pocket, grabbed her arm lightly, and turned (y/n) around to where she was facing him. (y/n) looked up at him with a smirk. "What is it this time?"Kian pulled on her shirt, bringer her closer to him, making the distance between them small.

He leaned down towards her ear and spoke quietly, "Caleb hasn't stopped staring at you since we came here on that damn boat and quiet frankly I'm not a fan of it." (y/n) giggled slightly at the boy. When she looked over towards the restaurant, she indeed saw their waiter staring at her. When they made eye contact he awkwardly smiled and pretended to be sorting menus.

"So if you could kiss me that would be great." They pulled away only slightly and (y/n) smiled.

"You're crazy."

"Crazy about you," Kian winked. (y/n) rolled her eyes at his cheesy comment and the two leaned in, sharing a long kiss. The others in the group stared for a little bit, but then remembered that randomly making out was kinda normal for them, so they went back to what they were doing.

After a few minutes of hanging out in the dock, JC, Bobby, and Harrison received their credit card and loaded everybody back onto the boat. (y/n) got into the boat and tried to make her way to the front with Sebastian, Anderson, Harrison and Bobby. Kian was quick to stop her by hooking a finger on the back of her bathing suit bottoms saying "C'mere baby" as he pulled her back towards him.

She giggled while walking back towards him and watched as Kians hands made their way to tightly grip her waist. He guided her hips as she sat down on his lap and wrapped his arms loosely around her torso, putting his head in the crook of her neck. "Yes?" She questioned.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see you." Kian smiled at his own comment just as JC slipped out his phone, taking a perfect picture of the couple and connecting his phone to Bluetooth. "How bout a little B Marley, huh?" Although not opposed to the idea, (y/n) rolled her eyes at the nickname.

After a minute of searching through Spotify, JC finally found the song he wanted. (y/n) waited and listened for the song and instantly smiled when "Is This Love?" By Bob Marley began to play loudly.

I want to love you, and treat you right. I want to love you, everyday and every night

(y/n) took a deep breath in, smelling the salty air and feeling the wind on her face as the boat glided quickly over the waves.

We'll be together, with a roof right over our heads

Kian held (y/n)'s hand that was resting in her lap and rubbed his thumb up and down soothingly.

We'll share the shelter, of my single bed. We'll share the same room

Everyone stares at the beautiful view in front of them in awe, the sky acting as a canvas with pink and orange colors lighting up the sky.

Is this love? Is this love? Is this love? Is this love that I'm feeling?

Is this love? Is this love? Is this love? Is this love that I'm feeling?

(y/n) heard Kian singing along to the words and she bit her lip to try and hold back a smile. She always loved hearing him sing. Even if it was just singing along to the radio in the funniest voice possible just to make her laugh. She, along with many many others, thought his voice was amazing, but Kian usually only let her hear it.

(y/n) closed her eyes and laid her head back onto his shoulder making Kian look at her. He knew why she was smiling. (y/n) tells him all the time how much she loves his voice, especially when he sings. Because of that, Kian leaned his forehead on her temple as sang softly in her ear so she could hear him better.

As he sang she smiled even more and cuddled into him. When they made eye contact, Kian's eyes would flicker down to (y/n)'s lips as she ran her fingers through his hair.Kian leaned in, capturing his lips into hers as they shared a passionate kiss. "I love you," Kian whispered as they pulled apart. "I love you too."

"Can we just talk about the fact that Kian was soooo jealous when that little waiter kept flirting with (y/n)?" JC said making everyone laugh.

"Oh my God, Kian. You looked sooooo mad!" Franny laughed, almost falling out of her seat with Bobby making another comment.

"He still looks angry!" Kian glared at Bobby and yelled jokingly, "I'm not fucking angry!" Everyone just laughed even harder and (y/n) laid her head on Kian's chest, making him look at her and calm down. "It's ok babyyyy," (y/n) cooed trying to hold back her giggles, making Kian kiss her face all over. "Do you think I'm jealous?" (y/n) looked at his pouting face and giggled. She grabbed his cheeks and gave a him a long kiss on the lips. When she pulled away to where there noses were touching, she whispered,

"Totally."

I freaking LOVE Kian and JC so if you don't watch them you 100% should. They’re legit so funny. Anywho, hope you liked it.

                                                            -Kbug

[nothing-but-dreamy]

TRUE COLORS ~ Ch. 1

Summary:

Maya is the sister of Gary Kayes, the Chicken Feed food truck owner, and from time to time, she helps him out. Everything seems to be as usual until a certain android comes along.

Suddenly, she sees herself faced with the task to explain emotions to an android who seems to be kinda lost in the world.

Pairing: DBH!Connor x OC!Maya

Words: 1.450

Warnings: small cursing? (It's Hank you know....)

A/N: So, this is my first series for DBH. I hope you enjoy it, guys. Feedback is always appreciated. Have fun :)

It was raining… again… well, as always…

As Maya looked at the gray sky, she asked herself how much water could be held in clouds generally AND if Detroit was the only place on earth where it rained so much. The weather forecast already announced snow coming the next few days. Different weather phenomenon, still wet. Maya was sure she could already smell the upcoming weather change in the air. There was something special before it started to snow.

Gary, Maya's older brother and the proud owner of the Chicken Feed, greeted the next customer Pedro and brought her out of her thoughts back into reality.

As Pedro spotted Maya, he greeted her with a wide, winning smile, showing off his white teeth and curved one brow what should look like flirting she guessed.

"What a beautiful sight for sore eyes. You should show up more often, sweetheart."

"Come on, bro. You already know that: no flirting with my baby sister.", Gary said playfully very serious.

"Yeah.. yeah… yeah... Calm down Gary, you just think no one would ever be good enough for her."

"Because it's the truth.", Gary said convinced but with a smirk on his lips.

"Excuse me, brother, but do I have to say something about it, as well?", Maya asked with crossed arms and one tapping feet. Gary turned his head slowly into her direction and pretended to think.

"No, not really.", Gary admitted grinning and shook his head. Maya rolled with her eyes and caught sight of a familiar, old car that had just arrived: Hank Anderson. He came over for his usual lunch break. It seemed to be a day like everyone else. Hank left the car and crossed the street, almost hit by an independent driving taxi.

"Hey, Hank. The usual?", Gary asked as the older man stood in front of the truck. Hank nodded.

"Hey, Hank! Long time no see."

"Hey, Maya. Good to see you.", Hank greeted her with a smile.

"Plastic with you?", Gary asked as he saw the android sitting in Hank's car. Maya looked curiously into the same direction and tried to catch a glance at it. The android left the car and crossed the street to reconnect with its partner.

"Only temporary.", Hank answered after he gave Pedro a small amount of money for the next bet. Pedro waved goodbye and left. The android stood behind Hank and waited patiently. Hank needed a moment to realize that the android was behind him.

"Oh, god damnit!", Hank cursed as he noticed the android next to him. The android was soaked by the pouring rain but it didn't seem to care at all.

"You don't have to follow me around like a poodle!", Hank grunted but the android didn't seem to be impressed.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but my instructions are very clear.", the android answered. Maya noticed its smooth voice. She liked the sound of it and was intrigued immediately.

"Your new partner, Hank?", Maya asked very interested and looked at the android with a smile.

"Yeah...Unfortunately.",Hank muttered under his breath and rolled annoyed with his eyes.

"Don't listen to him. Hank's always a bit moody. I'm Maya. What’s your name?", she introduced herself to the android because she knew no one else would do it. It looked at her, inclining its head to the side. In that moment, she noticed the incredible warm shade of his soft brown eyes. As the light incided into them, she even noticed a hint of gold.

"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife.", he introduced himself politely.

"Nice to meet you, Connor.", Maya said smiling. The android watched her curiously, nodded and showed a soft smile as if he was imitating her behavior.

"Since when are you Hank's partner? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Officially, I became his partner today. But we already worked together yesterday."

“Every second is far too long.”, Hank muttered.

"Ignore him. He doesn't mean it like this.”

“Yes, I do!”, Hank insisted but Maya waved his complaint aside with her hand before she focused back on Connor.

“And how's working with Hank, so far? I hope it's not too challenging.", Maya asked and leant out of the truck while she listened to Connor with interest.

"I'm programmed to adjust to unpredictable human behaviour-"

"Here you go.", Gary said a bit louder than necessary and gave Hank the ordered food and drink to cut off the android. He shoved Maya out of the way to stop her conversation with Connor. Hank took the food and walked to the next table.

"Hey! Don't leave this thing here!", Gary shouted.

"Don't worry. It follows me everywhere.", Hank said. Connor looked after his partner excused himself from Maya politely and followed Hank as promised.

"See.", Hank said, pointing out. Maya turned back to work but now and then, she glanced over to the place where Connor stood, talking with Hank. She wasn't very good at hiding her curiosity because slowly, Gary appeared into her field of view and stood next to her.

"What are you staring at?", Gary asked as he saw that Maya was distracted by something.

"W-what? Nothing!", she hurried to say and turned away.

"Don't lie to me, little sister. Your attention has faded since this plastic thing appeared."

"Don't call him that! That's rude."

"And you shouldn't refer to it as him. That's rude to real living beings."

"I can't believe that you say things like this!"

"Maya, I don’t want to have this kind of conversation again with you!"

"Yeah...right...because you won't ever change your opinion.", she muttered annoyed.

"That's right.", Gary said seriously and turned back to the next customer.

Once again, Maya was distracted by the android. He spoke with Hank about something even if Hank didn't seem to be delighted about it. There were snippets she heard about calories in the food and a question about a highway earlier this day. Maya heard how Connor asked if Hank might want to know something about the android. Immediately, Maya had several questions in her mind she would like to ask. Hank shook his head but stopped and asked something about the androids goofy appearance and weird voice. Maya couldn't understand this point of view. Both were things she already liked about the android.

Maya was indeed fascinated by Connor. He was tall with a slim figure. His brown hair was looking soft with one hair flip falling into his face. Maya imagined how smoothly it would be if she would slide her fingers through it. Maybe it was as soft as feathers. She had never seen an android like him before with his fancy suit and friendly, polite appearance. Maybe humans would trust him more easily because he looked so...cute? CyberLife really outdone themself with this model.

"Come on! Stop that shit!", Gary muttered under his breath more angry as he saw Maya's glance at the android as it crossed the street to go back into Hank's car. Maya made a face and stuck out her tongue to her older brother.

Then, she had an idea. She took a cardboard cup and filled it with Hank's favorite lemonade: pineapple passion. She took the cup, put a straw in it and left the food truck under Gary’s observing glance.

"Here you go.", Maya said and placed the drink in front of Hank.

"Thanks but I.. I didn't order this."

"I know.. I-It's on the house.", Maya said and looked over to the car where Connor sat with closed eyes.

"Maya?"

"Y-yeah?", she responded...a bit too late. Hank noticed that and watched the young woman with a raised brow. He looked from her to his car and back at her.

"What's so interesting over there?", he asked even if he already knew the answer.

"Uhm, oh...nothing."

"Bullshit. You're watching the android, aren't you?", Hank stated and watched how Maya's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Uhm.. w-what? No! No, of course not!", Maya chuckled nervously but Hank saw that it was a white lie.

"Maya?", Hank asked more serious to build a bit of pressure on the young woman.

"Connor seems to be nice.", she admitted low.

"This piece of plastic?", Hank asked confused with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Maya noticed it and frowned why everyone seemed to despise the android.

"I like him.", she admitted with a shrug and was about to leave but looked one last time to the car. Hank watched her closely. Two more times, the young woman looked over at his car before she bumped into the corner of the truck and finally, she disappeared inside.

[blaperile]

Homestuck^2 - Reactions Chapter 2 “Clown Logistics” (Pages 57 - 95)

Time for the "Clown Logistics"!

...There's nothing I can think of but a hypothetical department within Jane's ship. So, a chapter from Jane's perspective is my only theory right now!

I mean, seeing as Gamzee’s (presumably) dead I assume this won’t be a direct focus on him.

If we do focus on Jane now, it's interesting how the B2 Kids are getting the majority of the focus so far in Homestuck^2.

And Roxy, who had, especially in the later parts of Homestuck, the majority of screentime has so far not appeared yet.

Very, very interesting indeed.

Anyway, let's read on.

Page 57:

NOPE, SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY. But still related to fucking Gamzee of course.

WE'VE GOT OFFICIAL ART FOR VRISKA MARYAM-LALONDE NOW :O

Oh man.

I'd been forming some mental images on what Vriska Maryam-Lalonde and Tavros Crocker would look like. But to be honest, my creativity wasn't that good so I'd been mostly imagining a near exact copy of Vriska, and a humanized version of Tavros. :P

Meanwhile, for Harry Anderson I'm imagining something like John/Jake with a hair style more like Roxy.

But no, just look at her!!!

She's like a gothic Vriska! Oh man, makes complete sense, considering how Rose and Kanaya like to dress themselves. I can't believe I hadn't thought of that actually.

And it's minutes in the past, which explains why she's not with Tavros currently.

Maybe that means we'll see him too in a little bit? :O

Anyway, Vriska Serket's looking surprisingly okay, considering how earlier she was seemingly bleeding to death, based on the narration. :P

Pffff, Vriska's being classic Vriska already. Stealing stuff and giving herself advantages at the cost of others.

Though to be honest, John's probably not missing that phone right now.

Page 58:

Yikes, yeah, Gamzee sure got a rough beating there.

I like that they decided to depict the scars from Nepeta's claws here!

Oh boy, does this mean Vriska Serket's going to stop being (Vriska)? Indication she's gonna become relevant again? :P

Then what is she going to call Vriska Maryam-Lalonde? Is this going to be based on a suggestion from the readers?

Is it going to be anything like her real name? Or is it going to be a different spider-related name?

...I'll laugh if she decides to name her Aranea. xD

Page 59:

Vrissy! :O

I like the sound of it! It sounds enough like Vriska, and is also 6 letters. And it rolls well enough of the tongue.

Anyway, oh god, Vrissy's gonna call upon Tavros Crocker isn't she? :/

To involve him in this criminal matter... yeah, sounds like something a kismesis might do. :P

I wonder if Tavros is gonna get a nickname. Perhaps not, seeing as there isn't a second Tavros around right now (unless Gcatavrosprite finally shows up again).

Also, since when does Vriska have an eyepatch? I mean, I knew Karkat has an eyepatch now, but I had no idea Vriska also had one.

I like how she drew an 8 on it to make it resemble an 8-ball though.

Page 60:

Ahahaha, Vrissy's immediately sold on the new nickname.

Is she gonna insist that everyone uses that name from now on? Including her parents?

I wonder what kind of car Tavros will be coming with. Will it look like Dad's car?

Oh boy, what is Vriska's reaction going to be to the existence of a Tavros here. xD

Let's hope she doesn't tear into Tavros like he's... ahum, Tavros.

Page 61:

Hehe, perfection! Slightly calmer than I'd have expected her to be, but still.

And uh, is Tavros really gonna get a kick out of this? I mean, he didn't like Gamzee very much of course, but I'd think he'd be a bit too much of a nice person to really uh, enjoy this?

God I'm so curious to see what he'll look like...

Page 62:

There he is already!

A hovercar! Can't say I was expecting that, hehe.

Page 63:

There he is!!!!! :D

Oh man, he looks like a perfect mix between Jane and Jake. Jane's glasses, Jake's hair and bowtie. And the buck teeth of course! :B

It's so cool to finally see what Vrissy and Tavros look like. After all this time that we only had dialog and no images, hehe.

Page 64:

Ahahahaha, mood whiplash! Yup, that's truly an Egbert/English/Nitram reborn. xD

That's exactly how I imagined him reacting to this.

Page 65:

Ha, alright. He really doesn't mind Gamzee's dead.

Page 66:

N'awww. It's pretty heartwarming that the badass Serkets allow Tavros to have this little emotional moment instead of ripping into him.

Page 69:

Hehe, return of the Scribble Mode-like art style!

Oh boy, Tavros is removing his sweater. I wonder what he looks like underneath that! Is there gonna be any symbol popping up here? :P

Page 70:

Ooooh, suspenders! Instantly makes me think of Caliborn and Doc Scratch... errr, not really the best people to be thinking of here I guess. xD

I wonder if this is truly the last we'll see of Gamzee.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he's somehow only "almost" dead and will suddenly start honking again from within the trunk.

Page 71:

HOLY SHIT HARRY ANDERSON EGBERT OUT OF NOWHERE

Wow... man, for a second I didn't realize it was him! To be honest, I first thought it was a girl.

But then I noticed the hair style, the eyes... that's so Roxy-like. Combined with the buck teeth and the blue scarf, that sold it. Just like how Roxy likes to wear scarfs.

Oh man, I love the designs of these characters.

Page 72:

OH DEAR GOD, HE'S A TOTAL COOLKID.

OH MAN

He talks so much like Roxy, I love it.

Pfffahahaha, he doesn't believe a WORD Vrissy is saying. His face is going to be PRICELESS when he sees that she's telling the truth.

Page 75:

Ahahaha, yes, Harry Anderson doesn't believe it at all.

...So that's what Alternian schools were like then. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. xD

I'm starting to think that perhaps they're just gonna bring Gamzee's body to the rebel camp, and that this way the news somehow reaches Jane that Tavros is with the rebels. Just not in the way she's thinking. :P

Oh boy, I hope that if they do go there they meet Karkat and Meenah. I want to see Vriska's face when she meets this badass leader Karkat.

And god I'm dying to find out what he looks like now.

Page 76:

Hehehe, I didn't immediately notice the spades in Vrissy's eyes.

Also, that sounds totally like a Jakey thing to say: "Righto".

It IS starting to look like abundantChewtoys pointed out to me that their relationship is relatively calm, despite being kismesises. Maybe it's somewhat like between John and Terezi!

Page 79:

A honk? Tavros heard a honk?

Oh man... is it really gonna turn out there's still a little bit of life left in him?

But yeah... there's no way this is gonna end well. SOMEONE's going to spot them carrying a body, right?

On the other hand, Vriska's always got irons in the fire, maybe now she's gonna get a clown in the fire. :B

Page 80:

Ahahaha, that's gonna make some noise and draw attention, isn't it?

Page 81:

Pffff, these guys. I love this little group of dorks.

Page 83:

Oh god, they better watch out for that smoke detector or whatever it is, or that's gonna set off a REAL alarm now.

Pages 84 - 85:

YUP, called it that they were going to bump into that.

I didn't think it was a sprinkler though, but close enough. :P

So what are they going to do now? Drop the body and run for cover?

If people find Gamzee, that's definitely going to hit the headlines though.

Page 86:

Ahahahaha, return of the Bluh! God it's been so long.

Yeah... they're busted. What are they gonna do now? Are Vriska and Vrissy going to pretend that Tavros is their hostage or something?

...I just realized we're nearing page 88, hahahaha.

Oh man, I just love Vriska in this chapter. These are just so much more sillier events than we're normally used to seeing her in. xD

Page 87:

Oh man, I didn't think we'd see actual dialog for these people!

It's interesting how they all have FIVE letters in their name. Not 4 like the human kids, nor 6 like the Troll kids, but 5.

I love how they talk like teenagers on social media.

Page 89:

Oooooh, I like how their eyes light up in the dark!

Pfff, yup, Vriska's really enjoying herself out here. Looks like she won't mind THAT much that she can't go back to the action in the Furthest Ring. :P

Also, uh, I don't think they'll just be able to get away when school's out. I bet they're probably going to call the police or something?

Page 90:

Ahahaha, so THAT'S why Jane thought the rebels had captured Tavros. She just refuses to accept the alternative.

That's really just her problem. It's always been.

She can just be SO convinced that she's right about something, she just won't believe she's wrong. Until she sees it with her own eyes.

Maybe that's going to be the best solution to all these problems she has been causing? That all the negative things get SMACKED into her face so she finally realizes what she's been doing wrong?

Page 91:

HOLY SHIT. NOW THIS TRULY IS THE HOMESTUCK AGAIN OF ALL THOSE YEARS AGO.

Linking back to scenes/conversations that happened earlier, hahahaha!

Page 92:

Just look at this smooth bastard. xD

Looks like the face of someone who still believes he's being pranked. Does he think Vrissy set off the fire alarm on purpose, just to get him out of class?

Page 93:

Oh boy, he's looking at his phone. Is he gonna see the same image as Jane on social media now?

Pages 94 - 95:

PERFECTION. THAT FACE. I LOVE IT. THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO SAY ON THE MATTER. XD

His last face reminds me a bit of Pickle Inspector.

Perfect end to a hilarious chapter!

God I love Homestuck^2.

[bladekindeyewear]

Boots Reads Homestuck Epilogue(s) Part 15 - Candy Page 34

==>

John finally decides to let the relevance of his story end, and enjoy that he’s made at least some of his other friends happy with his choice.  Time to read Page 34...

VRISKA: Pfft, yeah, wh8tever. I’m basically Immortal, bitch.

Preeeetty sure you’re confusing yourself with one of your parents.

Pff, actual healthy kismesis with a Tavros?  Wow, we’re getting all sorts of redemption by not-really-Vriska proxy here.

HARRY ANDERSON: he’s always getting all weepy whenever i talk to him anyway. HARRY ANDERSON: i don’t think i could have taken another round of him choking back tears while apologizing to me about “what happened with me and your mother, harry.” HARRY ANDERSON: i mean, god. he’s not even fucking DRUNK when he does this. HARRY ANDERSON: that might actually be the most embarrassing part.

.......

Okay, having grown up with a father who suffered from serious depression and would break into tears embarrassingly easily, uh.  I can relate?  But also fuck you, that’s inconsiderate.

--Dammit, new Vriska is catching wind of old Vriska.

Vriska and (Vriska) both start shrieking at a pitch John’s only ever heard one time before. It was a sound that once accompanied the end of everything. A sound once heard the night he dreamt in anime.

Oh that’s brilliant.  If the entire Candy arc ended here it’d be great, though I know it’s not quite over yet.

==>

...Oh shit, we actually get to see what happens immediately next.

Interesting introspective thoughts!  Or, trying her best NOT to be introspective and failing.

Oh my god, SHUT UP Gamzee.  Vriska, just kill him already??

PFFF HE SENT A PIC OF IT TO KARKAT :D

Pfff.  Yeah, Vriska, TRY and ignore what just happened and how it was almost entirely your idea.

(Vriska) is so furious, she has no way of pinpointing the exact moment her intent stopped being intimidating him into silence and started being guaranteeing his silence, forever.

Thank FUCKING goodness, PLEASE kill him.

YAY he’s dead! :D  (Even though he’ll probably revive anyway because bullshit.)

Heheh. NOW we get a cross-Vriska heart to heart.

==>

Alright, a bit more John moping.  Man... this Candy section is a whole lot easier to swallow AFTER Meat than I imagine it would have been before.

.....heck.  EITHER of these epilogue branches are really fucking hard to swallow the first time around without the other’s context.

Oh huh, it’s his house from the Medium then?  Relocated and stuff?

Jake, hm.  Is Jake going to try and leave his son with John like that failed kidnapping in reverse or?

Jake snaps the elastic on his pair of red underpants. It’s the only thing he’s wearing.

Oooookay then.

JAKE: She had a certain way she liked me kipped out and well, i didnt want to bring anything that belonged to her when i left. Nothing she er, might miss. TAVROS: You took me,

Jake winces.

TAVROS: And,,, you took you,

Jake’s wince deepens.

Oh, so that’s what this is!  Jake fleeing with his son from an abusive relationship.  About gosh darn time.  .....geez, how bad did it get for JAKE to finally muster the gumption to do that himself after all these years???

Jake is one whole wince now

I know THAT feeling.  Or at least feel like I do.

John you dedicate your life to keeping this child happy

JOHN: it’s just been kind of a rough forever.

:C

JAKE: Maybe you should blame me? JAKE: Maybe i need someone to blame me. For once. JOHN: ...huh? JAKE: I think im starting to realize that ive been going through life with the mindset that nothing has ever really been within my control.

YES.

This is how Vriska broke Tavros way back in the comic, by constantly denying him agency.  Jake’s been battered down the same way too, and it’s not too late to pick up the reins.  He’s already DONE that by finally leaving his genocidal wife.

There’s a bit of Page of Hope-yness to this whole disastrous Candy timeline, come to think of it?  People fulfilling others’ desires out of obligation constantly, doing what they think others want?  Roxy, Jake, Dave and Karkat... all fucked over at the aggressive whims of more active folk, rolling over when they really shouldn’t have?  Or in Roxy’s case, her CHARACTER basically SHOULD NOT HAVE IN THE SLIGHTEST?

JAKE: Havent you ever wanted to let someone make the tough choices for you?

Huh.

Or maybe he is doing exactly what Jake has always done. In a certain light, isn’t ascribing all this mess to some unconscious influence he might have had over the metaphysical shape of reality just a way to brush off his simpler failures as a man and a father?

Yes.  You can act and change this too, John.  You almost did with the kidnapping before!  Go and take down the new Batterwitch.

Hm, Hopey thing?

JAKE: John. JOHN: yeah? JAKE: Take my hand. JOHN: what? why?

Oh shit.  Are they going to be able to FIX some of this BS with some sort of hopey thing??? :D  Probably too much to hope for but still!

Being flung from Jake’s orbit of Hope and Change

Pffff.  Had to throw in an Obama didn’t you.

...Oh.  Oh wow.  Oh we get to figure out what the fuck was up with Roxy all this time.  Oh boy.

JAKE: So what if it doesnt change anything? Wont it matter to your family to see you care? JAKE: Wont it make you feel better to try?

:D

Heheh, Hope aspecty stuff.  The ability to believe that something matters even when you “know” it doesn’t.

==>

...Yeah, it’s pretty easy to relax on a dead Gamzee.

Oh cool.  These Vriskas are alike enough to bond!  New Vriska is still in her teenage unbalanced go-for-it stage, and old Vriska has been knocked down a peg by the clown incident, putting them on a close enough level to not want to instantly disown each other, unlike old Vriska and ghost Vriska.

VRISKA: The Mayor’s dead, dude.

HOW did the Mayor die?!??  Did I just FORGET that from the end of Homestuck or something??

(I mean, probably.)

Callback to the clouds in that first Jade dream John had.

(VRISKA): Or may8e the truth just makes me kind of nervous. VRISKA: What “Truth”? (VRISKA): Don’t tell him I said this, 8ut, I think John is just an extremely powerful 8eing. Even when he sucks. (VRISKA): And he certainly does appear to suck in this reality. (VRISKA): And yet, the uneasy feeling is there. (VRISKA): It’s a vague feeling I’ve had in the 8ack of my mind for a long time, 8ut it really hit me when I was talking to him earlier. (VRISKA): It’s distur8ing to think a8out that much power 8ottled up in one stupid nerd who’ll never understand it. VRISKA: What Power are you even talking a8out? VRISKA: Like, lame Wind Powers? (VRISKA): No, I mean... (VRISKA): The power to shape reality. Even without intending to.

FUCK did he really cause all this??? Even the Roxy shit?!???  D:  D:  D:

It’s being left vague but it IS sounding like John was actually RIGHT about all that stuff.  FUCK, if the “villain” who messed up Roxy is actually just John’s subconscious...  :C

Even if the epilogue ends right here, though, with John about to call Roxy, I can imagine it working out, though.  It’s on a right enough track there.

(VRISKA): I’ve spent so long caring so much a8out what other people thought of me. Mainly that they saw me as important, or making a “difference.”

Mhmm mhmm.  Light n stuff.

Yeah, realizing that importance isn’t ALL that’s “important” is really, um.  Important.  Ahem.

Hm, other Vriska, that smile had seven pairs of dots, not eight.  :?

(VRISKA): The POINT is, I was so mad at her. (VRISKA): That happy ghost version of myself, who was free of everything. (VRISKA): I was pro8a8ly mad 8ecause she got to 8e who she really was, without stressing a8out it, which is something I never felt like I was allowed to have.

Indeed.

(VRISKA): I guess I mean there’s someone specifically I fell out of touch with, who it feels like I’ll never see again.

Too bad, only ghost Vriska got her reunite with ‘Rezi.  :P

(VRISKA): On some level I knew she was right. She was happy and honest with herself. And that’s what made her... (VRISKA): A version of myself who was actually worthy of someone I cared a8out.

Yyyep.  As I said.  :)

VRISKA: You’re just talking a8out The Girl You 8linded that one time, aren’t you? (VRISKA): Ummmmmmmm.

Heheh.  Yeah, you’re not going to hide that sort of thing from your sharp near-clone.

Oh cool!  She gets to see all those messages and feel turboguilt or something.

...oh shit.  Is a message going to actually get to her?  It-- oh shit.  Didn’t Terezi have her phone buzzing in her pocket and ignored it in the end of Meat or something?  Or at SOMEONE did and I thought it conspicuous but it didn’t get addressed in that side of the story and-- FFFFuck is she eventually going to see it or??!  D:

She’s GOT to have seen it before running all the way off with villain Dirk, right?? D:

==>

Okay.  You seem to be thinking clearly, Roxy.  What’s going through your head? Give us some answers.  Don’t fuck this up too much, John.

but she knows by now that it’s not her job to make him happy. That was something she gave up on years ago. But wanting to? That feeling is still as fresh as it always was.

FUCK was this all just a placid feeling of obligation to make John happy for all he did to ensure victory or something??? D: D: D:

She’s still working through what she feels about distancing herself from Jane

Yesssss

If he’s truly about to be real with her for the first time in forever,

Gosh fucking DARNIT John, you could have fixed all this DECADES AGO if you had a real talk with her ONCE!!!!!

ROXY: the more i thought abt it the more i figured holdin on to that one thing made me lose out on some other shit ROXY: u might relate JOHN: haha, you got me there i guess.

:c

JOHN: i’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how things got to be like they are. JOHN: i guess i’ll just come out and say it. JOHN: i completed fucked up your entire life. JOHN: i’m not going to pretend like there are two sides here. it’s my bad, totally. JOHN: like, not just what happened to our marriage, though it’s also true that that’s completely my fault. JOHN: but even before that... JOHN: i think i fucked up on just this massive, fundamental level, and it’s what i did— JOHN: or, well, what i didn’t do— JOHN: that caused every stupid bullshit thing about the way this world is.

...Huh.

That may not actually be true, and Roxy might be about to prove how self-absorbedly reductive that is.

ROXY: oh nah ill stop u rite there my man

Okay YES.  If this wasn’t him, then SET HIM THE FUCK STRAIGHT.  :D

She knows more than he does, and she doesn’t need to hear it.

TELL US TELL US TELL US

YES TEAR INTO HIM he’s wanted that for so long stand up for yourself and tell us what the fuck happened and why

He’s been looking at her, really looking at her, and she doesn’t want to blink, just in case that shatters it.

Yes because he was looking for the real Roxy that would call out his BS

JOHN: i used to be so angry that you wouldn’t tell me what you really thought, before. JOHN: not like i wanted to FIGHT fight, but like. JOHN: i’m just not used to this flavor of roxy. ROXY: hm ROXY: sounds to me like u just disproved ur own hotshot theory then genius JOHN: huh? ROXY: you wished i was one way the whole time we were married ROXY: but i wasnt

YES!!! Yes his theory’s disproven!  He never WANTED Roxy to just act that way, he wasn’t the cause of this, I was hoping for that!  :D

ROXY: i was bad at standin up for myself then and im learnin to be good at it now

D:

That’s....... sad, if that’s the explanation.  But it’s better than mind control I guess.  :(

JOHN: but... JOHN: you were never like that before i... ROXY: dude ROXY: where tf do u get off trying to decide what is or isnt me being “like me” enuff ROXY: do u think ppl stay the same their whole damn lives or what

Oh wow.  Now Andrew’s slamming SLAMMING of fanfics.  He’s saying “who are you to know for SURE that they wouldn’t act that way”??  That’s pretty good.

ROXY: i like the way things turned out just fuckin fine ROXY: so maybe u could stop wastin precious eternity thinkin ur so special that its ur fault everyones not perfectly happy

:’)

Mhmm, and they’re free from the heroic design arcs or what have you.  Or... were, until Dirk tore them back in again.  Tossed aside their fucking victory with his selfish... ugh.

Mhmm, Roxy’s the perfect person to explain that not being in a canon, Light-filled timeline isn’t really a bad thing.

ROXY: i just do things the best way i think to do em and then shrug n hope it works out?

Roxy thinks about time and the spirals of choice that hang just outside her periphery, and the vertigo grows.

Good advice, and hm.  Maybe there’s some Void sight kind of playing into this as well, making it easy for her to get paralyzed by indecision and she’s had to learn to work through it.

...Ooh, that was a really cool non-binary gender diatribe in the narrative text.  That’s some nice stuff.  I felt like that was missing from the Meat side, glad we got it here at least.  :D

JOHN: there’s literally nothing to do but keep moving forward. JOHN: i may as well not be a big fucking downer about it if i don’t have to be.

Thank goodness.

YES, JOHN SHOWING HIMSELF STRAIGHT-BACKED FOR HIS SON!!! :D

Man, I wish my dad had done that instead of all the other shit he did.  At least he’s dead.  :)

(Here’s a hint in case you’re wondering why I was relieved when my Dad offed himself.)

But that’s off topic.  Let’s wrap up this epilogue already!!

==>

Page 39... only three or so pages left, right?

Pff, Karkat’s keeping them safe.

Heheh, more shitty Liberty statues.

Heheh, using them for weapons caches.

Gosh I hope they actually love each other and are mostly happy.  Jade seems happy, at least.  :(

Dammit, there go the doubts.  He wouldn’t have had those doubts with Karkat. :C

He’s standing in the Oval Office of the White House.

Oh heck yes.  Please tell me...

And over there... is something he doesn’t quite recognize. It doesn’t seem to fit in. He steps closer to investigate, wiping away at the layers of moss and dirt to reveal a surface he most certainly does recognize. It’s a transportalizer.

YES

Dave doesn’t waste any time. You don’t find something like this in the Oval Office and start agonizing over whether or not to use it. He steps on the platform, and in a blink his surroundings are completely different. The centuries of overgrowth are gone, and he appears to be in some sort of crypt, boxed in by walls of smooth, golden stone. At the far side of the room, something is hanging on the wall, encased in a sort of display. It’s a mounted god tier costume, about the size an adult male would wear. He recognizes the symbol. It’s the same one Jake used to wear when they were teens. It is the symbol for Hope.

HELL FUCKING YES

YES OBAMA

OBAMA: Hello, Mr. Strider. OBAMA: I’ve been waiting a long time for you to show up.

Dave’s jaw hangs open. The legends have been confirmed. As well as several key headcanons of his. Without thinking, he drops to one knee and bows his head.

DAVE: m... mr president DAVE: its an honor sir

Man, forget my past stomach clenching.  Forget my hesitations, my turbulent emotions, all the ups and downs the various facets of these Epilogue chapters have given me.  THIS is the best.  THIS makes it all worth it.  This is the best thing to have ever happened, and if I ever feel any regrets about ANYTHING that transpired in the Epilogues, I’ll feel infinitely better the moment I remember it gave us THIS.

The most beautiful scene I’ve ever witnessed.  All my liberal, economy-ranting hopes and dreams confirmed.  It’s glorious.

OBAMA: Come on now, Dave. We can’t be having that. OBAMA: I’m nobody’s king. I’m a democratically elected representative who took an oath to serve his country and his people. People like you, Dave. OBAMA: If anything, I should be the one bowing.

OBAMA.  I MISSED YOU OBAMA.  I CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE THROUGH YOUR TEXT AND ITS SO COMFORTING AND UPLIFTING

DAVE: mr president what i mean is im a huge fan of yours and i hope this doesnt sound fucked up but on some level i feel like ive been waiting my whole life for this moment?? OBAMA: I know, Dave.

Yes, yes you have.  Yes, we can.

OBAMA: Most people thought I was gone. But I was keeping an eye on events. OBAMA: Wouldn’t miss it for anything.

I, too, would like to have the feeling that Obama is still out there, keeping an eye on things.  Watching, smiling... providing some last background of Hope as things seem so temporarily sour.  That feeling would be amazing.

...I mean he’s still alive IRL, sure, but not Obama watermark smiling lovingly from the sky or anything like it should be.

Yes, back to reading.  Back to this glorious, definitely canon moment.  The moment we learned that Obama was with us the whole time.  :’)

DAVE: sorry if this is nosy but if you didnt die when you disappeared then how did you die OBAMA: Most of that is classified, Dave.

Pfffffff  :D

OBAMA: When I was a boy living in Hawaii, on my thirteenth birthday I was visited by a mysterious stranger. OBAMA: He was an older man with a mustache. Kind of a corny, old-fashioned, adventuring type. He tried to convince me we were related. Of course, I thought he was full of shit. OBAMA: To this day, I’m not sure about that. Maybe he was. I didn’t think much of his tall tale at the time, but what did pique my interest was his story. OBAMA: He was voyaging all over the Pacific looking for a mysterious island, which supposedly had all the answers he’d spent his whole life searching for. OBAMA: During his travels, he set up outposts all over the ocean to help with his search. Such as one near where I lived as a boy. The outpost had a laboratory, an archeological dig site, a network of underground tunnels, the works. OBAMA: One time, I snuck in there and did some exploration of my own. Somewhere in the maze of underground ruins, I found a transporter pad, just like the one that brought you here. OBAMA: It sent me to a new realm. A place they called the Medium.

Grandpa Jake of Earth A, thank you SO much for bringing us this gift.  The gift of Obama.

OBAMA: Hey, why don’t we take a walk. You’ll have a chance to collect yourself. And there’s something I’d like you to see.

:O :O :O

I am shivering with anticipation.

Ah, leave it to Obama to help Dave with the final steps of his character arc.

OBAMA: Are you sure that’s all he is, Dave?

FIX THINGS OBAMA!!!! :D :D :D

Wait, what if Obama can turn things into an actually legitimate DaveKatJade?  That would be a miracle only a god of Hope could pull off.

OBAMA: I’ve had my share of doubts about all that, just like any other man. OBAMA: And I’ve had plenty of the same kind of struggles as you, Dave. DAVE: wait DAVE: you...

Obama nods, smiles wistfully. Dave arches his eyebrows high above his shades. They stare at each other, and in the look they exchange, they seem to say all that needs to be said between two grown men on the matter.

:’)

OBAMA: Believing is the key to understanding the truth underlying the words, the truth underlying the ideas they represent, and the truth underlying who we are as individuals. OBAMA: The power of belief, the power of Hope, that’s what endows that which is intangible, ephemeral, or uncertain with a sense of reality. OBAMA: It brings focus to the insubstantial, the mirages of the mind, the multiplicity of what is possible, of what could be, and isolates it—concentrates it—to turn it into that which is. OBAMA: And the result of that, Dave, is what we call truth.

I didn’t think we’d be learning more about the Hope aspect straight from the mouth of Barack Obama.

OBAMA: He taught me about many things. Combat, philosophy, life, love... DAVE: love??? DAVE: hold on are you saying DAVE: that...

PFFFFFFFF :D :D :D

OBAMA: She’s settled happily into the specific. That’s her path now. OBAMA: All of you have embraced that life, in this safely sequestered version of planet Earth. OBAMA: All of you until now, Dave. OBAMA: This is why you’re here. OBAMA: I believe you’re ready to wake up. DAVE: ...

:O

...this is suddenly possibly going to be getting slightly sad isn’t it.  D:

--Oh shit, so THIS is where Davebot came from.

How is he going to break things off with Jade though???  D: D: D:

...Oh my GOSH he’s just going to suddenly vanish and abandon her isn’t he.  D:

...alright, merging with his other selves, et cetera...

It defers to its greatest knight, risen anew.

Yeah that’s nice but am I supposed to pretend you’re going to say goodbye to Jade offscreen or

--ah that’s why the bot didn’t have shades, gotta use the genuine Stiller ones

==>

Page 40, and the start of this sounds a lot like the Postscript.  But we’re getting more this time, thank god.

ARADIA: when i watched as everything broke apart ARADIA: and got swallowed up by the black hole ARADIA: which is where i ended up too ARADIA: that black hole... ARADIA: thats basically you right JADE: yes. ARADIA: and when you speak of your brother ARADIA: thats lord english JADE: yes. ARADIA: and hes dead JADE: not just yet.

Oh shit.  John’s final blow didn’t kill Lord English did it.  Alt!Callie is going to strike the very last killing blow herself isn’t she.

JADE: lesser beings have so much trouble perceiving divinity in the uncanny.

Divinity?  Like, Lollipop-style divinity?  I mean, I guess this IS the Candy branch...?  But what made this so “perfect” to begin with?

JADE: this world, unlike the canonical horrors from which it is hermetically insulated, will always fail to meet the combined criteria for truth, relevance, and essentiality that would endow this realm with any real gravity. JADE: its own naturally occurring supply of gravity, rather than the artificial supply i have given it. JADE: as such, what transpires here is characterized by experiential frivolity. JADE: physically, it is cordoned off by the black hole’s event horizon. it is safe. untouchable. JADE: inescapable. ARADIA: that sounds ominous

Oh.  So this outside-of-canon timeline-verse whatever that Candy takes place in is like a trap?  For Lord English to be trapped in forever, inside not just his OWN story like we thought before but into a place where he’ll be forever irrelevant, while, like... the “Prince” and others following him for pursuit or camaraderie reasons manage to escape somewhere even different?  --No wait those people are OUTSIDE this place, in the “real” timeline/universe of Earth C. So Dirk’s destination is somewhere completely different; oh, and alt!Callie is the only one with the power to escape the black hole, to bring Davebot and Aradia with her back to quote-unquote “canon” or the closest thing to it to bring bastard Dirkbro down.

Or... something.

JADE: one could describe it as a phantasmal projection confined within my horizon. JADE: it was created by a choice that made it possible for that horizon to expand infinitely, to consume infinitely. JADE: and since that choice could not coexist with canon events, this place manifested to here to support its consequences. JADE: if this world were capable of anything either essential, relevant, or true in some stable combination, then it would perpetuate a corrosive paradox. JADE: as such, insulation from what is out there, and the inescapable well it rests in, is what protects all it holds inside. JADE: and since i am the embodiment of the black hole in which it rests, JADE: i am the one protecting this world.

Oh huh.  So when we saw alt!Callie creating the black hole out of the Sun, she was actually using John’s “choice” and his timeline split to engineer the paradox that drove that singularity’s expansion?  And so she’s going to be the lord and safeguard of all that is Non-Canon, and also seek to guide the heroes trying to save what IS Canon?

Hm!

JADE: physical destruction is one thing. JADE: obliteration of the entire canvas for all of reality over a given cosmic span is another. JADE: and yet there are even more insidious forms of destruction and subversion of life to consider. JADE: methods that are difficult to grasp for those on your plane.

Yep, destroying Heart.  Destroying Soul.  Destroying the uniqueness that drives individual agency and choices, and suborning people completely to your will and ideals without their consent or choice.

Hmm....

JADE: but longer stories have the power to draw consciousness into them. they possess arresting and hypnotic qualities which can be used by their tellers to alter the awareness of the listener.

Yep, like a biased narrator with their claws on the > prompt for characters.

JADE: i brought to your attention that the story you were listening to had a speaker with a specific identity. JADE: and where there is an identity, there can also be an agenda.

Yep yep.  And by commandeering the story to his own agenda, Dirk’s been robbing everyone of a fundamental right to their own existences.

JADE: this is the sort of corruption i now must dedicate my existence in this new body to ending once and for all.

Heck Yes; returning the narrative to as objective a speakerless-ness as can be attained or simulated, and divesting the bias from agenda’d narrators that can wrest all control from the participants in a story, enslaving them and making them the author’s puppets instead of true to themselves as characters, people, etc.

--Oh my GOSH, was Dead!Jade eating the remains of Lord English at the end of that Postscript???  She was, wasn’t she?  :D :D :D

That’s pretty fucking awesome.  And a pretty fucking fair fate for him to get cannibalized by his sister.

JADE: consume his body. JADE: absorb his essence. JADE: and then using this host, i will generate enough power to move beyond the staggering pull of the event horizon encasing this world. JADE: a prison of my own making, which can be escaped only through the supreme unification with my other half. JADE: it is crucial to the cosmos that i succeed. JADE: the prince of heart has to be stopped.

:D :D :D :D :D

Pretty awesome!  A decent setup to a story that probably shouldn’t be told, the implied sequel that Meat invites up or whatever.  And... oh phew.

Oh PHEW.

OH FUCKING PHEW. HOLD ON.

So.  The very last line of the epilogue, the last bit:

The hole leaves behind an absence in the sky so calm that continuing to call it a sky wouldn’t seem to do it justice. It’s a perfectly neutral expanse into which anything one can imagine might be summoned. And for a while, anything was. But not anymore. Where the hole gaped just moments ago, there now exists an imaginary line.

Above this line resides all that matters. Below exists all else. Never again the twain shall meet.

Okay!  :D :D :D

So, when I read that last line, I was INCREDIBLY disheartened.  I thought that Andrew was declaring that canon would never interfere with anything again, that this was the FINAL WORD on Homestuck and everything to do with it as far as canon was concerned, and that Dirk’s crimes and such would forever go unresolved and left to the imagination.

But that’s not what the line meant.

What’s INSIDE the singularity, and thus “under” the imaginary line, is everything non-canon, all the possibility and fanfiction and dead ghosts and such who are trapped in this safeguarded realm alt!Callie created to protect them, away from the influence of any future plot danger beyond the mundane issues they create for themselves.

And what’s OUTSIDE the singularity, above the line, is canon.  A canon which actually continues, and which this line doesn’t necessarily cut short.

I don’t know if Andrew will ever continue this nonsense, maybe to show me a Rose who’s actually happy as a robot or something?  But... er, that’s not the point.  The point is that even though the story “isn’t over”, it’s left so it CAN continue, so that the final state of these ISN’T a permanent cliffhanger to be left forever unfulfilled intentionally.  I’ll still be traumatized by the state some of these characters are left in, until Andrew maybe possibly chooses to resolve some of this nonsense with later content, which he probably won’t.  Heck, this actually might be easier for him to create a new work with, given how much baggage has been left behind on old Earth and in the singularity, so all you have is a much relatively smaller cast of characters on a chase to wherever Dirk is planning to go?  But, like.  When I read that Postscript, I stopped believing anyone I saw suggesting we’d get anything after this.  Any sort of work of... you know... continuing, er, Homestuckiness from Andrew, no matter what it was.  But even just... leaving it open even if he isn’t going to DO anything about it, and having that final line NOT be an aggressive cutoff?  Is just nice.  Nicer, anyway.

And this singularity is kept safe for us to enjoy ALL of the old stuff, the multitude of possibility that the in-singularity version of Roxy glimpses out of the side of her eye.  That--

Oh my Gosh.  THAT’S also what the final line means.

Above this line resides all that matters. Below exists all else. Never again the twain shall meet.

Homestuck fanfiction is now COMPLETELY FREE FROM CANON.

Within this singularity, nothing has to stay true to absolutely every underpinning of the earlier comic.  Nothing has to make sense.  Nothing has to be narratively consistent with anything else, though it’s obviously more enjoyable if it is.  Truth, essentiality, and relevance may all be FLEXED as much as any individual fanfic writer needs to!  And... and earlier, before this epilogue.  When we would get Snapchat stuff of the story on Earth C.  And even before that when all we had was the ending flash.  There was still a FEAR on many parts that there was more to canon that Andrew wasn’t telling us, that whatever was in our imaginations about what may have happened was “wrong”, that any fanfic you wrote was liable to be disproven formally.  But that’s not the case anymore.  Because with that line, with alt!Callie sealing off this realm and taking just a last few soon-to-be canon-impactors out of one of its timelines, Andrew has left ALL of the earlier trappings of Homestuck, of Earth, of all these characters and ghosts and fragmented possibilities, permanently free from canon influence from the rest of time.  Meaning no Homestuck fanfic that takes place in this singularity-granted realm may EVER be busted by Andrew’s future work.  He’s done what he first aspired to do when he declared all fantrolls in existence canon.  He’s finally “killed the author”.  He’s made the very FACT of an author an enemy, to be pursued in its own canon story outside of all this.  He’s set EVERYTHING free.

Wow.  So that’s what all the point of all this was, huh?  :D

Let me read the last few pages of Candy anyway.  Where was I again?

Oh, about to click the last page.  ==>

Oh my GOD.  This Postscript is about the end of MEAT, where the Meat Postscript showed us the end of CANDY!!!  :D

Let’s hear where this shit is all going!  I’ve been wondering what realm Dirk is actually heading towards to try and start fucking up.  Reading...

...Oh, okay.  I thought I glimpsed someone mentioning something about Rose “doing Dirk’s laundry”, and I thought I just missed some narrative comment on laundry made when Dirk took Rose out of the apartment on that final trip out to Jake’s for a spaceship?  But I guess this was the scene they were talking about.  Fuck you, Dirk.

One of her more reckless shipmates chipped a tooth trying one, despite repeated warnings to stay away from the stuff.

So Terezi IS there?  And probably received that final message from Vriska to think about.

It’s a stray ruby slipper. The other is about ten feet away, down the hall. No sign of their owner anywhere.

Yep, that’s definitely Terezi.

...Oh cool, Rose’s body isn’t quite dead?  She could be returned to it or a souped-up version of it if she’s ever brought to her senses outside Dirk’s corrosive influence.

A new planet is within sensor range. She studies the millions of statistics all pouring in at once.

They’re heading for a planet?  Somewhere else in Universe C?

It’s an M-Class planet. The right size, right age, right distance from the sun. There’s no advanced life yet. It’s exactly what they’ve been looking for all these years.

Shit, a NEW planet?  For all this shit to go down on?  Maybe I don’t need to see what happens next, that sounds potentially a little boring.  The future adventure this story entails COULD just be implied and never followed up on.

Once the new race has established

What race??? Human, hybrid?? It’s not TROLL, y’all would have brought Aradia if that was the case, right?  Or is this why there are tons of trolls in Universe C that Caliborn and Calliope’s parent trolls got to incinerate ages later, seeded across planets by these assholes?

The ones who get the chance to play what will arguably be the most important session in the history of Sburb?

Ahhh.  Okay.  So this may INDEED be something interesting, something worth seeing.  A new session, one where Dirk is the villain, Rosebot is enthralled, and old heroes are on their way to help see him thwarted.  Along with the mystery participants of a session we’ve yet to see.

Enough time goes by that she begins to wonder if he’s asleep. But no. It’s just the irritated silence of a man who knows he isn’t currently dressed well enough to attend to something important.

DIRK: Are my fucking pantaloons ready yet?

Yeah, fuck you and your anime pantaloons straight in the Yaois, Dirk Smartass.

Okay!

So that’s the end of the epilogue.  BOTH epilogues.  And... I like it.

I don’t know why.  I mean it was all excellent before, and my stomach’s still a BIT clenchy, but I like it now.  I misinterpreted things from the Meat ending, and now everything... everything makes a little more sense.  Some things seem resolved, others earned...

And... in a way I feel like I could actually oddly accept, even if there’s never anything that touches on this ever again...

It doesn’t seem “over”.  :)

[theoldgods]

So I saw Lesley Manville twice in two days at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) (a movie screening with a Q&A after on Monday 5/21 and then an actual performance of Long Day’s Journey into Night on Tuesday 5/22), and it was fantastic. She is just as interesting and luminous in the flesh as she is onscreen, and her vibe is great. If you ever get the option to see her IRL, I definitely recommend taking it.

More details about each night under the cut for the curious.

Monday

This was a showing of Another Year as part of BAM’s “Two by Lesley Manville” film series they did in honor of having her in residence for the month of May (the other film, a few weeks before, was All or Nothing). Afterwards was a Q&A with her that lasted about half an hour or so. I’d seen the film before, but it was fun to watch it with an audience that was very engaged (they kept laughing at a lot of Lesley’s mannerisms as Mary, though they quieted down by the end when it gets insanely awkward and emotional for her).

The Q&A was great fun. To be honest it was hard for me to focus on what Lesley was saying half the time, since I kept like....getting caught up in my head in awe at what was really transpiring; I wish I’d filmed all of it (I filmed her answer to a fellow Lesley stan, twitter user @girl_hag, which was about Cyril, but nothing else). It was mostly focused on her work with Mike Leigh and on Another Year itself, and not a whole lot of new information that Lesley hasn’t said in like 20 different previous interviews came out, but the interviewer was quite good and kind of low-key also a Lesley stan? Interesting specifics I can remember:

Everyone applauded her hardcore when she came on stage after the film (the interviewer commented that usually Q&A audiences aren’t that excited) and she did these silly stage bow type things 

In general the audience was super into her talking, laughing at a lot of the little jokes she made and getting hyped for the brief Cyril discussion (more on that below)

Lesley was wearing the yellow and blue dress she wore for the Build Series interview a few weeks ago, with the leather jacket she always wears, and she took the leather jacket off after about one minute and just kind of...casually dropped it in a heap on the floor. (It has a silvery lining.) The usual rings (including a pinky ring gjfskgdg). I think she had an orange purse too?

She sort of plays with her earrings occasionally while thinking? I think this is visible in video interviews of her in general but it was lovely to see in person

She had a funny anecdote about meeting “a guy named Adam” on the train on the way there and wondering if he was actually in the audience or not

When the interviewer mentioned seeing LDJIN on the opening night, Lesley had some remark about how she had sort of lost her voice at that point and as a result she thought Mary Tyrone initially sounded “sexier than I intended” or something until she got it back

The interviewer had plenty of good lines, remarking that Lesley seemed very empathetic etc. in actuality (which made Lesley be like “aw thanks”), referencing the NYT profile that came out last week, referencing the internet’s obsession with Cyril, pointing out that she loved Mary’s line to David Bradley’s character in Another Year asking if he wanted a cuddle (#bigmood), and remarking that Lesley’s eyes should be insured by Lloyd’s

In general the questions from the interviewer were about Mike Leigh’s working/filming process, screen vs. stage questions and the use of the body in stage work to make up for not being able to see facial details (and the famous eyes), and similar

There were probably...4 or 5 audience questions? 

The first was the big one since Cyril stan @girl_hag asked about feeling like Mary but wanting to be Cyril and what Lesley would want from a Cyril spinoff, which made Lesley kind of laugh and be like “you know that’s never gonna happen right?” and talk about how she didn’t really see material there since Cyril is such a satisfied/fulfilled character already (her whole answer, and banter about Cyril memes and how women are Into Cyril, is up at https://twitter.com/girl_hag/status/998752343595388928).

Lesley is very polite and meets your gaze the entire time while answering you which meant she looked right at us for about 3 minutes hjbkljlkjlkj

There was a question about Paul Thomas Anderson, so Lesley got to talk for a few minutes about how she adores him, how genuinely kind he was, his working methods and the extensive shooting and reshooting he does, his willingness to collaborate with actors, etc.

I believe the rest of the questions were just more about Mike Leigh and specifics on his process, which were basically all stuff I’d read/heard before in other interviews, though she did talk more about how Mary was drawn from several different women and how slow and organic the process of cobbling it all together is, including things like coming up with the long list of things that befall Mary’s poor little car in the film

Everyone just left after the Q&A so we (me, girl_hag, and @afinpassing) didn’t try to talk to Lesley one on one or anything (that and we were trying to, you know, pretend not to be totally gone on her while in her presence), but as we were leaving the bathroom after she was standing just outside talking to a couple people who had waylaid her to ask about LDJIN, so we got to walk within about a foot of her on our way out

It was a great night, lots of fun meeting other Lesley stans IRL and walking around Brooklyn yelling about how beautiful she is (she really is...she looks just as beautiful in person, and just as brightly shining/luminous-perfect-skinned, can’t stress this enough dfjgksdfgfdg)

Tuesday

First and foremost, LDJIN is a long play--three and a half hours including intermission. Lesley is a huge part of it (indeed, the play sort of is about her character, thematically turning around her), but while she’s a big part of three of the play’s four acts, she’s absent from all but the last few minutes of the fourth act, meaning the last quarter of the play was kind of a slog in that I just didn’t care much about the men’s various issues as acted out on stage. That and the fact that this was going on at 10pm after a long day of walking around half of Brooklyn meant that I actually nearly dozed off a few times in the long 40 or so minutes without Lesley on stage; I couldn’t feel the male actors’ energy enough from back in the mezzanine, though maybe it would be a bit more urgent from down in the first few rows. (Most reviews mention how much the play drags here, though, so I suspect it’s not just me; I’m pretty sure this is a Known Issue with LDJIN in general as a play.) I’d say it’s worth it just for her overall if you’re really dedicated, but it helps if you’re into this sort of insanely depressing dysfunctional upper middle class familial drama stuff.

But whenever Lesley was actually on stage, she was wonderful, of course. For those who don’t know, her character, Mary Tyrone, is a self-described “lying dope fiend” of a woman who has been battling morphine addiction since the birth of her youngest son (who’s now in his early 20s), and the play takes place over the course of one long day in 1912 as the family is bumbling along and, as a result of some new stress in their lives, Mary is struggling not to relapse after several pretty good months. Lesley plays Mary as almost girlish, determinedly reminiscent of an imagined better time in her life before the dope, alternately acutely aware of her addiction and yet also determined to pretend it doesn’t exist. Her hands are a huge part of this--always stroking and twisting and nervously trying to sublimate her craving for morphine into these various physical tics and mannerisms. Also, all the cast use American accents, and while the men’s accents kind of warble throughout, Lesley’s is definitely the strongest.

Random points:

She’s quite awkwardly handsy with Jeremy Irons at multiple points (this adaptation definitely puts an emphasis on their relationship and the real passion, though it’s been faded and distorted by time and addiction, underlying it), which is kind of adorable

One of the play’s little underlying gags in the first half is that she’s “delightfully fat” now (after being skin and bones in the throws of her addiction the last time through), which means quite a bit of affectionate touching of Lesley’s stomach, particularly from Jeremy and from Lesley herself

There’s lots of both melodramatic and more earnestly desperate draping herself across the men in her family, across empty chairs, and so on, including her doing some semi-stoned entranced staring at her own hands, briefly

Mary as a character does a fuck-ton of rambling, both purposeful (to try to throw her family members off the scent of how badly she’s struggling against the urge to relapse) and more dissociative, which is alternately played for laughs and for pathos by Lesley and gives her a good blackly comedic underpinning in moments 

In the third act she throws herself face-down on the floor for a moment, and later she sits with her skirts rucked up slightly, both of which show the boots she’s wearing, in kind of a disheveled bit of tenderness

She plays the piano (mostly off-stage, but still) in a couple brief bursts

She looks good in Edwardian dresses and shawls? I mean, this is obvious from the stills, hah, but she wears them well on stage and moves wonderfully in them, sweeping and draping and everything

Crowd cheered the loudest for her of anyone in the curtain call, including Jeremy Irons (he’s fine overall, they’re all fine, but Mary is such a flashy role that she naturally draws the most attention)

Mary is just a really interesting, meaty, complicated, fucked-up character for anyone to play, and the fact that it’s a role that’s meant for older women is fascinating and just perfect for Lesley; I’m so glad she got to do something like this, and she manages to balance the insane physicality and mannerisms it requires without losing the naturalness and emotion behind it

Overall I’m very glad I went; part of me just wishes I’d had closer seats so I could truly soak up every last facial expression of hers. (I could see quite a lot from the mezz, but some of the finer details were inevitably lost, and as my eyes grew more tired over the night it became harder and harder.) I booked all this on a whim last month, though, when there was only about 25-30% of the house left, and trying to balance “decent seats” with “not paying 200 plus dollars when I haven’t had a chance to truly budget for that” meant having to settle for the middle ground of the mezz, and most of the seats in the front of the mezz were already gone by the time I booked, putting me near the back of the mezz. Also, I went to the performance alone, and after the great time on Monday with two other folks, I did kind of find myself wishing I could share Knowing Glances with other people who would appreciate a couple of the more carnal pleasures of some bits of Lesley’s performance.

Anyway: I’ve had fun in NYC! I got to meet @afinpassing in person and she is lovely, and I spent a total of about 3.5-4 hours sharing the same air as Lesley Manville, so that was, uh, great stuff. I just need to sleep now for an early flight, as I’m typing this, so I’ve probably forgotten some details that will come back to me over the next few days that I may edit in.

[seeroftodayandtomorrow]

Love Lessons

Chapter 3

Read on AO3

Kurt was standing in the courtyard with the butler and steward, watching his father's carriage roll in.

He knew Lord Burt was likely to disappear directly into his office with the steward to go over anything that might have happened during his absence, so Kurt spoke as soon as Lord Burt climbed out of the carriage.

“Father,” he said, bowing briefly. “Welcome home. I should like to speak to you at your convenience.”

Lord Burt handed his coat to the butler and pulled Kurt into a short hug. “How fitting. I would like to speak to you, too,” he said. “Let's have lunch together. We can talk about everything over food.”

Kurt went to lunch with a little bit of apprehension. His father wanting to speak to him didn't usually mean anything really bad, but also rarely something good. Besides, he risked Lord Burt's displeasure anyway by telling him about Blaine.

They ate in silence for a while, but finally Lord Burt dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and said, “Well, what did you want to talk to me about?”

Kurt hesitated. He had thought long on how to tell his father the news, but had not been able to find words that would be able to describe his relationship to Blaine without mentioning details he really did not want Lord Burt to know.

“I made a new acquaintance,” he finally said, “Or rather, I re-formed an old one. Blaine Anderson, the Viscount Dalton's son? With your permission, he will be joining us for dinner, and afterwards spend the night.”

Lord Burt frowned. “And will he be sleeping in his own room, or in yours?”

Kurt said nothing, but knew his silence was answer enough.

The frown deepened. “Kurt -”

“Father, I know what I promised, but...Blaine is....I'm not saying he is the one I will settle down with, but I think...I think that at the very least we will be friends.”

There was silence for a while, and Kurt waited with held breath. He knew his arguing was feeble; he could well be Blaine's friend without bedding him.

“I will allow it,” Lord Burt finally said reluctantly. “For two reasons. The first is, I know the young man, and I know he could use a friend. I'm sure you can imagine that it can't always be easy to be the current Viscount's brother, or the late Viscount's son. Whatever else happens between the two of you, I trust that you will treat him well and with the consideration he deserves.”

“Of course, Father,” Kurt promised, watching with growing concern as his father now used his napkin to dab at his forehead, before he took a sip of water and continued talking.

“The second reason is that I am in a peculiar mood and willing to indulge you, especially since I have some news that I think will concern and vex you in equal measure. There was an...incident on the road yesterday. Nothing bad, just a spell of dizziness that incapacitated me for a moment, but it showed me, as my recent illness should have, that I am not immortal. Therefore I have decided that your brief period of freedom is over. Starting tomorrow, I will teach you everything you need to know about running the estate, so that when the day comes, you are ready to take over.”

For a moment, Kurt felt dizzy himself. Losing his father was the greatest fear of his life, and he had thought that he could stop worrying about his health for at least a while.

“Of course, Father, as you wish,” he managed. “But are you sure you are well? Would you like to lie down for a little while, or-”

“I'm perfectly fine, Kurt,” Lord Burt interrupted. “William made me nap since we arrived. He is already fussing over me like a mother hen; don't you start, too.”

Despite everything, Kurt had to grin. William was Lord Burt's loyal valet, a fussy man who liked to make motivational speeches at every opportunity. Kurt could just about imagine him tucking Lord Burt into bed, whether he wanted or not, promising all would be well as if speaking to a child.

“Seriously,” Lord Burt continued. “I'm fine. This is merely a precaution,” He stood up, throwing his napkin on his plate. “Now, I have work to do. Tomorrow, you'll be helping me. Or hindering me, more likely. I look forward to meeting your friend tonight.”

“Father, may I present Blaine Anderson. Blaine, my father, Lord Burt Hummel of Lima.”

“It's an honor to meet you, my lord,” Blaine said, blushing slightly.

“Likewise, Anderson,” Lord Burt said gruffly, but he was smiling. Kurt knew instinctively that if something bad happened between them, Lord Burt would regard it his fault, and never Blaine's. Strangely, that was how Kurt saw it, too.

Dinner was a fairly relaxed affair. Lord Burt and Blaine seemed to get along well enough, and after some initial shyness, Blaine was charming and even talkative, even though, Kurt was sure, he knew that Lord Burt was aware of what they would be doing after dinner.

They had agreed not to make a secret of each other to their respective families, as it would make getting together quite difficult, and Blaine had told Kurt that the Viscount had been surprised and less than happy over their involvement. Kurt grinned as he imagined an enraged Cooper confronting him, demanding he return Blaine virgo intacta, so to speak.

Well, that was not happening.

He looked at Blaine over the table, and very much wanted to kiss him.

After dinner, for a while things got awkward. It was too early to retire, and Lord Burt was in a sociable mood or just knew of Kurt's impatience and wanted to vex him. He inquired after Blaine's family and his studies until finally that topic had run out and silence set in. Kurt was about to propose a game of cards even though he wasn't fond of those, when he remembered something Cooper had mentioned in passing at one of the few opportunities he had talked about something other than himself.

“Blaine,” he said, “I believe you sing and play the piano?”

“I do indeed,” Blaine said with a smile. “I'm surprised you know of my humble abilities.”

“I've never had the pleasure of hearing you, but I heard...someone talk about it.”

Blaine would knew of whom he was talking, but Kurt's father really didn't need to.

“Anyway,” Kurt said, rising. “Would you care for a duet?”

Blaine's smile grew wider. “I would love to sing with you. If it doesn't bother Lord Burt?”

Lord Burt waved his hand. “Please, do whatever you like. I confess I don't understand much of music, but I do enjoy a good song.”

They spent a truly enjoyable evening singing song after song. Kurt was in awe of Blaine's talent as a pianist and singer, and he could see his own voice was appreciated as well when Blaine stopped singing after a few beats of their first song, only accompanying him on the piano to better listen to his voice. Most of all, he liked when they sang together.

But when finally Lord Burt bid them good night and retired, they stopped singing without having to talk about it, and not out of consideration for Lord Burt's rest.

Kurt was about to speak when Blaine crossed the distance between them in a few quick steps and kissed him hard, without a trace of any shyness or hesitation.

Both of them were breathless when they stopped, and Kurt had to subtly steady himself on the piano to keep his knees from trembling.

“I apologize for attacking you thus,” Blaine said. “I've wanted to do this the whole evening.”

“Me too,” Kurt said. “And don't apologize. It seems you have embraced the boldness, and that can only be good.”

They kissed again, more slowly this time and almost without any expectations of doing more, because of course nothing could happen as long as they were still in the sitting room, where any moment someone could come in. Before too long, however, Kurt longed to go upstairs and take Blaine's lessons a little further.

“What do you want to do?” he asked when they parted.

Blaine chuckled. “I don't think any teacher has ever asked me that before.”

“I should hope that our relationship is very different to those with any of your teachers.”

“That it is. My teachers were all hideous old men, but, like you, they enjoyed telling me what to do.”

Kurt smiled, tracing Blaine's bottom lip with his thumb. “Well, but now I'm asking you what you want.”

Blaine blushed and looked down, but at the same time, he gave a teasing lick to Kurt's thumb. “I want to go upstairs. Usually, I would of course let my esteemed teacher choose the lesson, but since you asked—there is something I very much want to do.”

When Kurt wanted to take his hand away, Blaine grabbed his wrist and kept it at his lips, sucking lightly on his thumb before saying, “I want you in my mouth.”

Kurt couldn't suppress a moan and had to hold on to the piano again, this time considerably less subtle. What was so incredibly erotic about this was less the promise of what was to come, as Kurt had every intention of letting Blaine have his will, but again the sure, confident way Blaine was stating his wishes. If he could keep doing that with the man he wanted to woo...well, the man would have to be an imbecile to reject him.

He would have to be that anyway. Blaine was handsome, very intelligent, courteous and friendly and energetic, and with Kurt's tutelage, he would be an excellent lover as well. Not to mention that he was the brother of a Viscount, and a rich one at that; though Kurt outranked him, Blaine was no bad match at all. Any man would count himself lucky to be chosen by him, and Kurt only hoped that the one he had chosen would prove himself worthy.

Kurt extended his hand for Blaine to take. They went upstairs together, nodding to the servants getting the house ready for the nightly rest, and once there, they didn't even bother pretending that Blaine would retire to the guest bedroom provided for him. Instead, they went directly to Kurt's room that was dominated by a large bed and lighted by candles a diligent servant had put there.

“Are you ready for your lesson?” Kurt whispered.

Blaine swallowed. “Yes, my lord. Yes, I am.”

Kurt kissed him and helped him take off his jacket before quickly getting rid of his own. Blaine in only a shirt and waistcoat was a sight that made Kurt want to touch him, to taste him, and he decided to slightly change his plans. Blaine would still get his wish, of course; Kurt had no intentions of denying him that. But first...

He opened Blaine's breeches and made him sit down on the bed, then lowered himself to his knees in front of him.

He looked up at Blaine and smiled. “Watch, and learn.”