#i pick my favourites based on who's most excited about seeing my cat on the balcony

[nosygay]

I didn't even get over the idea that apparently the girls living above me are a couple and now I hear another apartment above me is probably lesbians too??? im using a lesbian flag as a curtain but I didn't realize I was flagging for a whole group omg

[blue-aconite]

two for one || j.h.s

Summary: A visit to the local shelter brings not one, but two surprises.

Warnings: No use of y/n, fluff

Word Count: 1.3k

Pairings: Jake Seresin x reader

Authors Note: Based on these pictures. I saw them and couldn’t get it out of my head. Thanks to my lovely betas @wkndwlff​ & @ryebecca​, you’re the best!

When your boss told you to take Tuesday off, you wasted no time in signing off and putting your work phone on ‘do not disturb.’ You had been logging a lot of overtime lately, brokering a deal with a new business partner and overlooking the expansion of the Boston office. Luckily you could stay in San Diego working remotely with the team from Boston, letting you avoid the time consuming travel across the country. 

You had washed three loads of laundry and cleaned out both the pantry and the fridge. After a quick stop at your favourite deli for lunch, you headed out to the grocery store. You opened up all the windows when you got home, putting away the groceries and then taking on the task of cleaning the condo. You had some time to kill before starting dinner, so you headed outside to relax on your hammock with a book. 

You must have dozed off because the next thing you know, your boyfriend is shaking you awake. “What time is it?” you groaned, stretching your limbs. 

“A little after three. Last class got cancelled, so I figured I’d head home early to surprise my girlfriend. Looks like you’ve been busy today.” You hummed as he pressed a quick kiss to your lips, pulling you up from the hammock.

“I just wanted to get everything done so we could enjoy our weekend off together.” 

Jake wrapped his arms around you, kissing the tip of your nose. “I have a surprise for you.” 

“What?” You looked up at him, a playful smile on his face, eyes vibrant with joy.

“Remember how we talked about getting a dog?” Jake had a childlike excitement surrounding him, that cheeky grin you loved so much in place. 

“Fanboy was showing me pictures of this shelter and I thought that we might go and take a look.” 

You lit up, bouncing on your feet. “Really? Because I know you said you weren’t sure and -,” Jake cut you off, kissing you again.

“Yes sugar, I’m sure. The shelter closes at 6pm, so I figured we’d head there now and we can pick up dinner on our way home.” You were already heading towards his truck before he finished speaking. Jake followed behind, smiling at your childlike glee. “I just gotta change, baby. Then we can go.”

“Aw, baby look.” You gestured to the German Shepherd who was snoozing in the corner. Jake trailed behind you. The shelter was fairly empty, both with people and animals. Lisa, a volunteer, explained that they recently had a “family day” and a lot of the animals had been adopted.

“We’ve really seen an upswing in adoption recently, it’s honestly so great seeing these animals find their forever home.” Lisa spoke with Jake as you wandered around. An odd sight in the back captured your attention and you kneeled down to get a better look. 

Your heart melted as you set your sights upon a tiny dog, all curled up into a ball. What melted it even further is the cat sleeping by its side. They looked so cute, all cuddled up with each other. The tag on the outside told you that their names were Ares and Apollo. You turned around to call on Jake, only for him to be right behind you.

“What’s this?” He asked as he kneeled down next to you. The dog blinked at the two of you sleepily before snuggling its face into the cat’s fur. 

“Look at them baby, they’re so cute.” You gushed, wiggling in your excitement. 

Lisa wandered over to the two of you. “Ah, you’ve found our little makeshift family. They were found together, abandoned in a box by the side of the highway. They’re most likely from the same home. We’ve estimated that they’re both around a year old. We tried to separate them at first, but they were both so unhappy that we just let them be together. It’s made adopting a bit more difficult. Not a lot of people want to take on the responsibility of both. But we’re adamant that they go together.”

Your mind is made up the moment she stops talking and you turn to Jake, pout in place, as you prepare to plead with him. He rolled his eyes at you. “We said one dog darlin’.”

“Yes, I know, but look at them! And they have to be together.” Jake raised an eyebrow, but you were determined. “And! When we’re not home, they won’t be lonely because they’ll have each other! I know we said a dog but I’ve always wanted a cat, too. Please, baby?”

Jake was quiet for a moment, watching the little animals sleep. The dog, Apollo, had a fair coat - white mixed with light brown. The cat, Ares, on the other hand, had pitch black fur. 

“I guess we need to pick up a couple of cat things, too, then.” Jake said, and you squealed, throwing your arms around him. 

You stayed with them as Jake talked to Lisa, getting everything in order for the adoption. The dog yawned as you tickled its belly, almost squishing the cat in the process as he chased your fingers. The cat was more apprehensive but after some ear scratches and treats, it let you pick it up. 

Jake returned with a carrier in hand, letting the dog sniff him before picking him up. “Hey, buddy. You’re gonna come home with us, isn’t that great?”

You packed all the essentials into the truck before thanking Lisa and heading home.

Setting everything up was fairly simple. The litterbox went into the laundry room and Jake scattered various toys and a bed in a corner of the living room. You insisted on getting a water fountain and you set up their bowls in the kitchen. A second bed was placed at the foot of your bed. 

After making a grand showing of the litter box for Ares, and telling them where to eat, you walked around with the little creatures, showing them their new home.

They both warmed up to their new surroundings quite quickly and before you know it, they’re both snoozing off between you and Jake on the couch as you watched the news. 

“Baby?” 

Jake hummed, absentmindedly scratching Ares behind his ears. Apollo is cuddled into your side, tongue sticking out.

“Thank you. I love you.”

Jake lifted his arm and you moved gently, as not to startle Apollo and cuddled into his side. “I love you, too. And to be honest, I don’t think I could have gone home without them. They’re perfect.”

“Hah, I knew it. You loved them as soon as you saw them, too, right?” Jake rolled his eyes, nudging your side.

“Yeah, I did. But one of us have to be responsible.” You giggled, lifting Ares so he could rest in your lap. An idea suddenly struck you and you squished your face against the side of Jake’s arm to stop the laughter. 

Jake nudged you again. “What are you laughing about now?”

You snorted, trying to hide your amusement. “You’re totally gonna be one of those cat dads who said they didn’t want a cat but secretly loves it.” 

He made a noise of protest but stopped as Ares abandoned you and crawled onto Jake’s lap. Apollo was snoozing between the two of you. “Don’t tell anyone.”

You smiled. “I won’t. Besides, it’s good training.”

“For what?” Jake murmured, tickling Apollo’s tummy. 

You found yourself falling in love with him all over as you watched him fawn over the two of them. When you first met him, you had doubted that he would want something serious and settle down. Now, two years later, you couldn’t be more wrong. 

Jake was everything you wanted and more. And as you watched him with the two newest additions to your future, you knew he would make a great dad one day. But for now, you would have to be parents to two little four legged babies and you couldn’t be more happy.

Taglist: @wildbornsiren​ @therebeccaw @imjess-themess @antiquitea @fuckyeahhangman @writercole @hederasgarden @yanna-banana @wkndwlff @bobfloydsbabe @hollandorks @anniesocsandgeneralstore @ereardon @luminousnotmatter @roosterscock @thedroneranger @fandomxpreferences @top-hhun @princessmisery666 @bradshawsbitch​ @princessphilly @a-reader-and-a-writer @green-socks @angstybluejay @seresinhangmanjake @ayorooster​@notroosterbradshaw​ @indynerdgirl @gigisimsonmars @girl-in-the-chairs-void @bradshawbabes @unhinged-btch @horseshoegirl @sadpetalsstuff @bradshawbaby @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @ummjustfics​ @septemberrie​ @somenamewithepineapple​ @seresinsweetie​​ @crescentwolf​ @seresinhangmanjake​ @sylviebell​ @waklman​ @roosterforme​ @rosiahills22​ @dempy​ @i0veless​ @ilovewriting06​ @kmc1989​ @demxters @amortentiadrops @teacupsandtopgun @hangmanscoming​​

[master-of-the-railway]

(Questions incoming also sorry I haven't been sending asks much lately)

(General questions)

Of all your aus, which one is your favourite to talk or think about?

Who is your favourite character out of that au, either by design, story or just general character?

(Monster au specific questions)

Do any of the engines gain hoarding instincts? (I think that's what it's called anyways)

Does Gator show up in your au, and if so is he a monster too?

Out of all the monster engines, who would be the most likely to go sit in the middle of a lake for fun (or to get away from people bothering them) (I know the above was a random question but now I really want to know lol)

(Children of Sodor au specific questions)

Do the kid engines (Thomas, Percy, Carly, Sandy, etc.) ever try to follow the big engines on their jobs? (Like, imagine the episode where Gordon drags Thomas behind the express, but instead Thomas isn't coupled up and Gordon isn't trying to teach him a lesson, Thomas is just running behind the express as fast as he can because he wants to be like Gordon, and Gordon doesn't realise until Thomas catches up at a station)

Not a question but I have a feeling that during the time before Sandy got to big to be picked up, if someone picked her up and she wasn't expecting it she would probably squeak (based off my cat sounding like a little squeaky toy if I pick her up and she wasn't expecting it)

How does Toad get along with Bruno? (If they've met)

And how does Duck view the kids? Does he stay away from them or does he chat/interact with them?

And now that I'm thinking about the Little Western branchline engines, does Oliver get along with the kids? Or Donald and Douglas?

(ToH au questions)

Does Willow discover she has magic, or does magic only work on the Boiling Isles? (sorry, I'm a bit rusty on ToH lore I cannot remember if magic works in the human realm) If she does discover she has magic, how does she and/or the people around her react?

How do people react to King? He's clearly not a very normal creature even if he is adorable.

Does Hunter ever meet Lady?

Is Belos looking for a way to get to Sodor/Shining time, to get his Golden Guard back, or did he just get a new one and forget about Hunter?

Sorry there's so many questions here lol you don't have to answer them all if you don't want to.

(Anon Orange)

EXCITED STIMMMING YESSSSSSS I LOVE TALKING THIS IS SO GOOD!!!!! Gonna take em' out section by section.

General questions: 1.) Mmmm that's rlly hard to decide on. I love a lot of them equally. I miiight say Children of Sodor? Purely bc AEG is a very big comfort show for me, I love the kiddos a lot, and I love my versions even more. 2.) Out of the group...either Gordon or Kana. COS!Gordon is beloved to me as the gentle old father he is, and Kana is just my favorite AEG in general, so I think about her a lot in my au content.

Monster AU questions: 1.) I'd say none of them are particularly hoarders. Mainly because they don't have anything they'd really want. They are enamored by shiny objects but once they're snapped out of it they don't really care too much. They've got plenty of water, coal, diesel fuel and such, so they're not hoarders of fuel either. The closest you could get would be yard leaders like Gordon, who sometimes would push their "packs" together and try to keep them in one spot because they were worried about losing any of them. They just didn't want any harm to come to their fellow engines and the leaders have particularly strong urges to guard everyone, Gordon was especially bad for it. 2.) I try to include everyone, so yes, Gator would be here too :) Seeing as I'm doing this to pretty much EVERY engine, I think it'd be unfair to leave Gator out of the fun. Adding onto that, despite being a steam engine, I think it'd be fun if he actually resembled an alligator instead of being a fluffy beast. Mainly because hey why not, and also c'mon, his nickname is Gator!! 3.) I think a lot of the engines would take advantage of the ability of getting to chill in water. As long as it's not super deep and they aren't doing it for too long, they can actually swim a bit. And in shallow waters they can just relax and cool off in warmer weather, they all enjoy it quite a bit.

Children of Sodor questions: 1.) The kids absolutely have always been trying to copy the adults. They have basic "instinct" to do jobs, but they don't know how to do things exactly, so they were looking to the older machines to learn how to do what they wanted to so badly. Carly was swinging her hook when Cranky would in an attempt to load cars the way he did, Thomas would beg Annie and Clarabelle to let him pull them so that he could pull a passenger train like Gordon (which he eventually started doing for real!), so on and so forth. 2.) Sandy did get very surprised the first little while, but eventually she got fully unbothered, mainly because Carly was far faster so she would lift Sandy and just carry her along all the time. 3.) Bruno likes to stick to routine and schedule, and he's usually with Diesel or Thomas if he's working, so he's not on the same branch line as Oliver and Toad all that often. He's met Toad before, and he likes him a lot, he's a very polite brake van and they have that same natural solidarity that all rolling stock of the same type feel. 4.) Duck thinks the kids are all very lovely! He'd heard about them when they first arrived, but didn't actually meet them until a few months later. He's not as intensely involved with their lives as some others are but he doesn't mind them at all, he's friendly towards them and will chat with them if they cross paths. Sort of similar to how Edward is with them, but Duck isn't as involved as Edward. 5.) Oliver is actually also a kid! Duck considers him his little brother, and Oliver is the only kid that Duck is almost constantly around. He likes hanging out with the other kids, Percy most of all, but finds himself more comfortable with the older engines. Namely Duck, Douglas, and Edward. 6.) Based off of my headcanon that Donald and Douglas are both really great with human kids, they're FANASTIC with machine kids. They're like the really fun uncles to the Tidmouth kids, if they get the chance to they're going to be spending every second they can with the kids, especially during the wintertime! They wanted to be as involved with the kids' lives as they could and were very present at the sheds when Kana and Nia had each first arrived so that they could make sure the overseas additions were settling in okay. The twins actually taught the young engines to clear snow!

On The Horizon questions: 1.) Magic from a natural born witch works pretty much anywhere, and in canon it does work in the human realm, though I feel I should point out that Sodor and Shining Time both are completely different from the "human realm" that Luna (aka Luz, I finally decided on the new names) came from. But yes, Wendy (aka Willow!) does indeed have magic! She didn't figure it out for a long while as there wasn't anything that really prompted her to do so and for many years of her life she fully believed she was human. The first time it happened was when she was 12 and it was a complete accident, one of her machine siblings had startled her and she just swung her arm around, managing to somehow summon a pretty large thorny vine from the ground. Wendy panicked and they ended up calling Hunter and MC over to investigate, and during that investigation Hunter finally confessed that he'd thought Wendy was a witch from the day he'd first seen her. He then sat down with Wendy and explained to her the very few things he did remember about wild magic, coaching her with his limited knowledge so that she could start training her powers. Her mother and all of her other loved ones were all quite shocked by this fact, but they didn't force Wendy to hide her magic just like the Hatt family didn't hide Oscar (Aka King) from the world. 2.) Speaking of the little guy! The rest of the island was pretty surprised by Oscar's existence. Topham had kept him hidden for the first few months, but he didn't want to keep the little guy cooped up forever, seeing as Oscar's clearly just as intelligent as any other kid and forcing him to hide for his whole life would be cruel and impossible. He did indeed startle many upon first meetings, but everyone adjusted and pretty soon Oscar was out among other kids his age with barely any issue. He did face a bit of bullying due to his strange appearance and clearly being nonhuman, but he has family and some friends who'd stand up for him and fix those problems. 3.) Hunter met Lady about 2 months after he'd been properly adopted by Mr. Conductor, actually! Seeing as the kid was already from a different magical world and he was healing from some rough times, MC thought it'd be a good idea to introduce the kid to Lady. Lady was a very welcome change of pace, she was calm and easy going and being an engine meant she didn't move that much and her facial expressions were far easier for him to read. Her kind voice and demeanor were really soothing to Hunter and him meeting her proved to benefit him greatly. 4.) Originally, I'd had the idea for Belos to go after Hunter. But then I thought about it. Belos, in the past, would kill the grimwalkers for the tiniest betrayals and then just start over with a new one like nothing happened...so I came up with a different plan. At first when Hunter was reported missing, Belos asked the coven to keep an eye out and listen to gossip. Interview residents of the isles. After a week of that, with no sign, he sent scouts to actively search for him. After a week of that? Belos sighed, shrugged, cut his losses, and cooked up a new grimwalker. This one's hair is a bit long and messy, but he looks enough like Caleb that he'll do. And this time, Belos is going to ensure this golden guard won't be going anywhere.

[fitzrove]

1, 5, 15 for musical asks!

Thank you so much for asking!!!

1. What is your current favourite musical, and is it different from what it was at the end of last year?

Ahhhh it's so hard to pick :D I think objectively (how insane the themes make me and have made me for a long time) it's probably TdV, but right now (3:28 am on December 28th) it's LOTR because I've been listening to it on loop for like 2 weeks ajsjfjhk. Like it's kinda flawed but I love the music so much and it's giving me major nostalgic feels. Last December I think it was Elisabeth (or maybe TdV tbh, that one's hard to displace) but I think Elisabeth is maybe my 3rd favourite now so there's not a huge change :D

5. Did you see any live musicals this year? What did you think of them?

Yess, I saw a whole bunch of them!! Highlights include Rebecca (Vienna), Cabaret (Finland), Evita (Germany), Wicked (London) & Les Mis (London). I really liked Cabaret and Evita (both were staged in innovative ways), had fun and appreciated the casts at Wicked and Rebecca (both were staged in uninnovative ways XD) (ahdhgjgj half joking), but Les Mis kinda sucked (I couldn't see anything because I had a cheap balcony seat and a guy with a big head sat in front of me) ajdjgj. But the cast there was amazing so it's not like it was a complete waste!!!

In total I must've seen like 20+ pieces of live theatre ahsjjf, but some of it I can't reveal here because I'm not open online about where I'm living in Germany. I'm really hyped to be living there, though, because good and speedy train connections are making next year seem very very promising!!!

15. Infodump to me about a musical!

Oooh idk which one... :D Maybe something I haven't talked about on this blog a lot before but I really enjoy: The Lord of the Rings (2006/2007/2023)!!

I first listened to this one in like 2017, because I liked the books/movies and discovered that it existed. Mostly I played Lothlorien on loop because it's an amazing song and there's an actual proshot video of it on youtube and Laura Michelle Kelly as Galadriel is really sparkly and pretty. Then I listened to the rest of the album and the music is just great all over!!! It's done by AR Rahman (composer, multi-instrumentalist, winner of a million awards for film soundtracks mostly in Indian cinema), Värttinä (Finnish folk band - most famously creators of Ievan polkka) and Christopher Nightingale (don't know much about him ahdhf). The Finnish folk influence is especially audible in the songs of the elves, they have real ancient cattle call vibes sometimes (in a good way xD). But my favourite songs are actually the more story-based and cinematic ones that I'm drawn to attribute to Rahman, as well as the soaring instrumental sections. So I would rank my fave songs (yes, all of them are favourites):

Lothlórien

The Road Goes On

Now and For Always

Wonder

The Cat and the Moon

Star of Earendil

The Final Battle

The Song of Hope

That's most of the main songs actually ahdhfgjgk.

The show is flawed, like I mentioned before; for someone who doesn't know the story from the LOTR books or movies it would get confusing pretty quickly, and because of the size of the cast it's hard to get insight into many of them in such a limited timespan (Boromir and the elves other than Arwen and Galadriel fall especially flat). But I love the music soooo much and I'm so excited that it was produced again in 2023, and in such a cozy and compact way too (it was done in a 200-seat theatre with an actor-musician cast as a semi-immersive production). The London cast recording is on Spotify, everyone should listen to it!

[finniestoncrane]

Hey Finnie!! I've been a little nervous and hesitant to do this bc I always scream a little when you reply to my asks but I wanted to be a part of your 1k celebration too!! I'm super curious which rogue you'd pair me with, even if you already know my preference for Riddler, haha

I'm English (I hope you can forgive me), 5'0 and quite chubby. I almost always dye my hair, either hot pink or icy blonde usually, and have a mix of a punk and goth clothing style. When it comes to.music, I listen to a mix of things, but I especially like jumping between Doja Cat, Elton John, Green Day and Slipknot. As you know, I really enjoy drawing and painting and creating in any way I can.

As for hobbies, I really enjoy playing story-based and puzzle solving video games over FPS games, however I love combat in games. I'm also a bit of a horror fanatic, primarily I love horror painters but also greatly enjoy horror video games and movies. Because of this I quite enjoy reading about the occult and pagan beliefs or traditions, especially about mythical creatures or local folklore.

Something I love the most and will drop almost anything to do is listen to my friends and partner talk about their special interests. I'm much more of a listener than a talker, if I can help it, and I love seeing other be passionate and excited. I love to cook for my friends and I'd like to think I'm a rather decent cook. I worry that I've already written too much so I'll stop there!!

Congrats on 1k Finnie!! You deserve it so fucking much and I'm super excited to see even more love for your fics in the future!! 💕

🎀 No.9: Ever Fallen In Love With Someone 🎀

tell me a little bit about yourself and i'll give you a rogue pairing a/n: thank you!! ;-; 💚 yeah i was picking a riddler, because you've got riddler vibes! but the riddler i picked is maybe unexpected... 1k milestone info! 🔞minors dni🔞 • kofi • tag: finnie1k

(i forgive you, truly lmao) ok so body wise, being thick is a plus for him 100%, and same with the fun hair. he's not boring, he might look it, but someone colourful and bright on his side would help other people realise that he's fun too

also look at him and tell me he isn't suppressing his true goth side, pasty ass

he probably doesn't have a favourite genre of music, he'd be happy to listen to anything, as long as it wasn't too loud or distracting, but hey, anything can be good background music at the right volume, so you could probably introduce him to new bands

ok the egomaniac in him would be so 100% down to be your ~muse~ and pose for your drawings, like life modelling, nude or otherwise, his body looks great either way and he'd be so supportive of you making him look even better in your art

puzzle solving games would be his favourite thing to do with you i bet! maybe other games too, just to spend time with you, but allowing himself to do what he loves, riddles and puzzles, in a sort of relaxing and fun manner would be so good for him

he looks like the kind of boring guy who would be very secretly into the occult and pagan practices. and you could teach him everything you know, because his riddles would be a lot more effective in striking fear in the idiots around him if they could mistake them for ooky-spooky satanic doom mongering

dropping everything to listen to him? that's the key here. he's pretty needy and self-involved, but he'd try and not be so bad with you. but he'd definitely enjoy having someone forget everyone else in the world just to sit and listen to everything he had to say. he's a talker, a rambler actually, so a listener is perfect for him

and food would definitely be one of his love languages, especially receiving it! sitting down to a nice meal (i am just picturing that frame of him looking exceptionally delicious and pointing the fork) and being able to flirt over something delicious is his ideal date

[pleasetakethis]

all of ‘em for the rnm ask meme 🤭❤️

Yessss!!! Link to the original in case anyone else wants to reblog/play.

Who is your favourite Rick and Morty Character? This is like asking my favorite It's Always Sunny character... because I love them all for their terribleness. Probably Rick, though Rick wouldn't be nearly as compelling without Morty. Favorite side character would be Squanchyyyyy or Mr. Nimbus.

Which Beth is the clone: Domestic Beth or Space Beth? As a mom, I want to say Domestic Beth is the real one because a parent wouldn't leave their kids... except this is Beth Smith we're talking about, so I think Domestic Beth is the clone. I think our "scared little overachiever" pursued freedom when she knew her family had a fallback.

Do you think that Rick-C137 and Rick Prime were previously romantically involved? "Infinite shit happens." Yes, absolutely.

What do you think would be a good name for Birdperson and Tammy's daughter? Phoenixperson II aka PP aka Peepa (terrible The Office reference).

How many seasons do you think Rick and Morty will eventually have? No clue but I'm here for alllll of them.

Rick C-137: smash or pass? Smash.

Who is your favourite Rick and Morty villain? Evil Morty. I love that manipulative little asshole who found a way out.

Your favourite Rick and Morty episode? How do you pick just one ;_; For Rick's character development, I'd say Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort. Seeing Rick deal with his feelings for others always hits me hard because he spends so much time denying those feelings. For fun, I'd go with Mort Dinner Rick Andre because I love Mr. Nimbus and I also love seeing Jessica become more than just Morty's obsession.

Your least favourite Rick and Morty episode? One Crew over the Crewcoo's Morty (the popular choice seems to be Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim's Morty but I love the slut dragons--currently fostering four cats for a friend while said friend is moving, the youngest is female and going through her first heat, and I will randomly mimic the wizard when she's yowling: "You slut! Shame on you! Shame, you slut! You slutty, slutty slut!" I am giving her lots of lovings and she has a heating pad, though, so she's okay).

Who is your least favourite Rick and Morty character? Beth and Jerry without character development (pre-separation).

What is, in your opinion, the worst thing that Rick C-137 has ever done? Real answer: use his grandson the way he does (codependent, grooming, the list goes on and on). Fan answer: torn between taking Morty's memories and the "save a point in time device" from Vat of Acid.

Do you think that Rick and Morty will be affected substantially by having to change the voice actor for Rick and Morty and a bunch of other characters? Affected, yes. Substantially... I don't know but I'll give anything a shot, especially since Adult Swim did the right thing dropping JR. The cool thing about the show is that there are infinite (heh) ways they can address this, if they choose to address it at all, so I'm excited to see what happens next.

What's a good Rick and Morty blog? All the Rick and Morty peeps I follow are awesome! I hesitate to recommend anyone I don't interact with because DNIs pop up all the time based on stuff I saved in my drafts and later go to queue and have to delete because they have some hateful anti/TERF rhetoric going on, so check out my reblogs and likes to find my favorites. :D

Who is the Rick and Morty character that you relate to the most? This ties back in with IASIP. I don't really relate to any of them, I just enjoy them and their fucked up relationships and situations.

The funniest Rick and Morty bit/scene, in your opinion? This is the one that hooked me on the show, the moment I knew I was a goner for these assholes: Butter robot: What is my purpose? Rick: Pass the butter. (Butter robot passes butter) Rick: Thank you. […] Butter robot: What is my purpose? Rick: You pass butter. Butter robot: [looks at its hands] Oh my god. Rick: Yeah, welcome to the club, pal.

Best Rick and Morty season? My favorite so far has been season 6 (they did such a good job with character development, including Rick backsliding into his obsession with Prime--just chef's kiss).

Worst Rick and Morty season? I've enjoyed all of them so far for different reasons. Much like some of my other favorites (The Office, IASIP), I would say push through season 1 if you're unsure and wait until you get through season 2 before you make a decision about the show.

Would you stop watching the show if Justin Roiland returned? I don't know. Depends on whether a public statement was involved and how much responsibility he took for his actions (versus playing it off). I can't listen to Marilyn Manson anymore (because Brian Warner is an abusive POS) and that band was formative during my middle + high school years (almost as important to me as NIN and I would mourn that loss if Trent Reznor turned out to be trash). Roiland coming back might ruin the show for me.

Your favourite Rick and Morty quote? Hard to pick but right now it would be: "Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody's gonna die. Come watch TV." This gets me right in the feels because it's true. Life is short, probably meaningless, so might as well enjoy while we're here and have a chance... because this all ends.

If you had to be one member of the Smith family in the next season, who would you want to be? Ooo, I'd want to be Space Beth.

[shutup-andletme-go]

thanks for the tag!!! This looks like it's gonna be fun to fill out

Name(s): Jack, Finch and my beloved favourite name Jachary (thank you @antisocialgaycat)

Pronouns: he/they

Star sign: Aquarius woo🥳

Siblings and fun facts?: one younger brother he is fun I just cannot think of any fact about him rn

Pets: two cats and four chickens, two of which are kinda bitchy, one of them pecks the other chickens and the other pecks me.

Fandoms: newsiess! &juliet, bend it like beckham and others but they won't appear almost ever and suddenly you'll get me reblogging 20 posts about it have funnnnn. Also I am the #1 fan for @drinkin-cherryschnapps and mine nutcracker and ballet aus I love them so much

Fav colour: idk man. black? wait I'm doing three fav colours based on how they complement each other. Black, teal and lavender.

Fav song: changes and honestly I haven't been listening to much music lately. But either Don't Start Now or Last Friday Night

Fav author: ehhhmmmm i can't remember author names so I'll pick the queen Alice oseman. hang on also @hypotheticalhore im not sure if they're still active but they used to have the most gorgeous marauders pirate au which made me go absolutely feral in the comments. bro if you somehow see this then please know that reading your fic was genuinely one of the brightest spots in my life and you have IMMENSE writing talent!!

Hobbies: piano sailing football mathematics being on tumblr

Favourite fic type: pirate aus! im a sucker time and time again they draw me in get me hooked and then im flopping about on a table like a caught fish (affectionate) also aus about sports that I do/have done in the past are up there

Favourite holiday: I was confused abt this one so I looked at tays answer and they're answering abt public holidays but I thought it meant like. what Americans would call a "vacation". idk fav public holiday is Matariki, fav "vacation" was going backpacking around europe for a few weeks with my family before covid

Do you have any partners?: noooo bc my mum scarred me when I was 11 by saying "I couldn't let u sleep in the same bed as ur best friend (also crush? I was def slightly in love with him) bc you might have had sex and then you could get pregnant." What the fuck mother im eleven and we were going to be sleeping in my little brothers bedroom. With him in the room. Sex was the LAST thing on my mind ffs I barely knew how it worked other than what they tell you in the "how a baby is made" type books

Fun facts about me: there are So many. how about airports and aeroplanes are my favourite things ever and I get incredibly excited at the mere mention of them. my cat is a sook. battleships, cluedo and connect four are my favourite games.

tags @drinkin-cherryschnapps @antisocialgaycat @pealeii @elemelom @ fuck I know I have more mutuals than this. okay open tag, if u see this do it!! I'm sorry everyone who's blog urls I can't remember ily

I got bored so here's a little get-to-know-you tag game I think could be fun :3

Name(s)

Pronouns

Star sign

# of siblings & fun facts about them (if you have any)

# of pets & their names

Fandoms

Favorite color

Favorite song

Favorite author (of anything readable-- books, fanfics, zines, webtoons, whatever!)

Hobbies

Favorite fic type

Favorite holiday

Do you have any partner(s)? (romantic, qpp, anything!)

Fun facts about you / anything extra you wanna share!

────────

Name(s): Loki (highly preferred), Elye

Pronouns : they/them mostly, he/she okay too

Star sign: Pisces

# of siblings: I've got 2! An older sister and a younger sibling. The fun fact about them is that they're also both queer; in fact, my mom is too. The only non-queer person in my immediate family is my dad.

# of pets: 4 cats! Phoebe & Frankie are our girls, Lenny and Murray are our boys :3

Fandoms: MCU (kind of), BSD, OFMD, Ranboo (does his fanbase count as a fandom?)

Fav. color: Don't have one

Fav. song: Aurora Borealis by Lemon Demon

Fav. author: Alice Oseman

Hobbies: singing, acting, drawing, writing, procrastinating

Fav. fic type: Fluff, definitely. I am a sucker for well written coffee-shop and flower-shop aus, too. Smut's fine, but only if it's romantic. I can't do angst if there's no comfort.

Fav. Holiday: Hanukkah or Halloween! I love autumn and winter

Partners?: Yes! I have a girlfriend (queerplatonic) who I love very much, and a boyfriend (romantic) who I love very much :]

Fun facts:

- Even though I'm a cat person, I really, really want a dog.

- I actually used to play sports. Because I don't do gendered leagues anymore, I don't play, but I've been looking for mixed/gender-neutral/queer sports teams. Baseball and basketball specifically!

- I started questioning my identity in 2019; I'm no closer to finding a label now than I was then. The difference is, now I don't want a label. I just am. :]

tags: @neonganymede @cha0ticlesbian @x-chiara @exceleo @brinnybee @autistic-katara @gandalfthemorallygrey @ohboyanotherlokiblog @roachandrenfri @ourflagmeanslokius @exceleo @edettethegreat @swiftlyspidey

[gallivantingheart]

the proposal pt.1

who?: jeonghan x (f)reader

word count: 1495

genre/s: fluff and a bit of fun

warnings: none!

synopsis: jeonghan has never been confused on how you feel about marriage - now it’s just a matter of how to do it.

a/n: just a fun diddy bc i love this sleepy man - no, not based off that movie with sandra bullock

note: bold italics = korean

You confuse him endlessly. More so than the likes of his cryptic self or round-about Jihoon. How you say action is your favourite genre but he catches you watching the same romance movie at least once every few weeks, singing and crying at the same parts. How your wardrobe is full of dark hoodies and you wear the same ripped jeans, but your nails are always sparkly and your draws have pastel blouses. You'll say you don't need romantic gestures, but almost always squeal when he drops flowers by your office. Or the fact you say you're bad at them but always pull the best tear-jerkers on him. Like the time you brought him dinner to the practice room - vase of flowers and all - at midnight while keeping him company, even though he knew you had a client presentation the next day. The comeback prep was gruelling, so yeah, he got a bit misty-eyed.

At least one thing he's not confused with is your opinion of marriage. Despite this comfort, even though you've been together for almost four years, you've never once brought up marriage, even casually. You cried though, when Mingyu and Chaewon got engaged at their anniversary party last year. Babbled wetly into his shoulder about how sweet love was, meant to be and the like - for the record, you were completely sober. Sobbed even longer as one of Chaewon's bridesmaids that Jeonghan had to collect you from the altar after they left the venue. And he's seen you look at apartments to share, linger on pinterest on a Saturday afternoon.

He wants it just as bad as you, but no idea how to broach it. You’ve talked about how you want a rescue cat when you move in together as well as the style of decor. Even said in passing at a park how you hope that your kids have his smile because it’s, “the most beautiful thing I get to see every day.” Jeonghan doesn’t want to overwhelm you with a grand public proposal, but he doesn’t know how to wow you like you do for him all the time. Jeonghan’s gotta be honest - he wants the whole shebang. Smiles, tears, blubbering; the lot.

He also realises that he wants it recorded for your mum when he calls her for her blessing. You moved a whole hemisphere away a year before the two of you met, to pursue a job in the entertainment industry. Something interesting and left of field found you in Korea working in concepts and marketing. So phone and video calls are a regular for the two of you. He’s also tried really hard over the years to improve his English, to bridge the gap with your family. Jeonghan thinks your mother is amazing, kind and funny - the kind of level head he expected to bring such a wonderful person like you into the world.

He’s English is nowhere near good enough for what he wants to say, so he asks for a familiar face to help out. Joshua is on the video call too, made in Shua’s clean dorm. Your mother looks a little surprised to not see you there. You both have the same texture of hair, but not much else.

“Jeonghan! How are you!” She waves.

He smiles at her enthusiasm. “Good thank you. How are you?”

“I’m really good, sweetheart. Bit of a weird time to call - everything okay? Where’s y/n?”

He sees her search the screen for her daughter, even so much as leaning side to side to try and see outside the frame. Some of her speech is still lost on him, so he looks to Joshua in question. He leans over to his ear.

“She’s wondering if everything is okay for you to be calling at this time.”

Jeonghan raises his brows and nods in understanding. Her expression changes as well, the lines around her eyes softening with the fading concern.

“It is okay. Y/N is at work. I...I have a question to ask you. Just us. It’s very important.” He twists his ring anxiously in his lap.

“Of course, what is it?”

Joshua can see the tension rising in Jeonghan’s shoulders, how quiet and hesitant he gets at the elder woman’s agreement. The way he looks at the woman, staring persistently. The American born member leans over with a smile.

“Hi y/n’s mum. It’s a bit of a speech, so I’ll be helping Jeonghan translate, okay?” He looks to his friend, nodding gently. “Jeonghan? Tell her.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a person like y/n... She’s kind and exciting and interesting and she makes me really happy. I hope I do the same for her. I can’t imagine my life now if she weren’t in it. I don’t want to lose all that. I would like your blessing in asking her to marry me.” Jeonghan says as clear as he can, without too much of his nerves or feelings getting in the way - usually an easy feat for him.

Joshua translates along the way and he picks up words here and there - happy and your name, of course. But he’s not watching his fellow member speak for once, instead analysing his potential mother-in-law’s reaction. He starts to jiggle his knee off the bed as he sees your mother’s expression roll from from a quirked brow to a warm smile, then watching her eyes go glassy and her chin wobble through said smile. Her hands go over her mouth once Joshua finishes and out of shot, his hand lies flat over Jeonghan’s on his sheets in a sign of comfort.

“I...I...yes. I would love to have you as part of the family officially. Of course you have my blessing.” Your mother pulls her hands away to murmur.

She fumbles to the side for tissues and Jeonghan looks to Joshua in shock. He heard a yes, but… Joshua is meanwhile beaming in return, laughing at his member’s expense.

“She would love to have you as part of the family. You have her blessing.”

Jeonghan grins, his chest so full and tense he feels like he might burst. Instead, he laughs, grasping shua’s shoulders to shake them

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

She shakes her head. “Of course I would say yes. You don’t know how much she talks about you when you aren’t there - how much she raved about you when the two of you first met. It was like the stories she used to make up as a little girl, come to life. I wish I was there to see her face when you ask.”

Jisoo translates and he laughs even more, elated being an understatement.

It took a little searching and contemplating on what kind of ring to get you. Nothing too big, because you used your hands for everything. Not gold, because you didn’t like the way it looked against your skin. He settles on loopholing the gold for white gold, something silver but reflective and a singular round diamond - only two carats or else you’d throw a fit at the mystery price. He gets a thin chain as well of the same material, knowing you were more likely to wear it round your neck than on your finger for fear of losing it. Seungkwan of all people was the one to help with the final decision, insisting on its chic simplicity and pretty glow.

Jeonghan decides on a little party to pop the question. Or as little as you can get with thirteen members and their partners as well as your friends and their plus ones. Under a guise of missing your friends and a celebration of your success with a client, he even whines that he’ll organise the food and drink. Everyone invited is in on it, of course, which heightens the stakes.

The box sits hot in his pocket or bag all week. All the members know about the little surprise coming up dance between trading their resident trickster or offering a helping hand. Seungkwan has pulled up as quite the miracle worker, his entertainment ties conjuring up a caterer on such short notice and Mingyu slipping the business card of the decorator of his engagement party - it’s a little worn from being worried in Seungcheol’s initial finding but that just adds to the charm. Like a group heirloom to be passed around.

Despite the client win, you’re still snowed under with new paperwork and contracts, so you’re none the wiser to the nerves brewing in your boyfriend which proves to be the perfect mix come the weekend.

He lets you sleep in even later than the two of you usually do, and encourages you to take up that nail salon voucher you’ve been humming and harring about - you deserve a treat, he whines. And when you shut the door gently, Jeonghan breathes a sigh of relief and an inhale of stress - now the fun really begins.

[seokmingiggles]

a confirmation.

Pairing: Lee Jihoon x female reader

Genre: fluff, established relationship, kind of a college!au?

1.78k words

No warnings.

After a long day for both of you at the end of the winter semester, the last thing you want is to be kept awake by your restless feline. Alternatively, where Jihoon is sleepy and pouty, but still loves you and the cat.

A/N: This one is loosely based on true events from my night last night/early this morning. My cat kept me awake for many hours, so I barely managed to sleep. However, I certainly didn’t have a sleepy and pouty Jihoon to keep me company. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

•• I love my girlfriend, I love my girlfriend, I love my gi-

Jihoon repeated the mantra over and over in his head. He didn't have to convince himself that he was head-over-heels in love with you (despite not always being the best at showing his affection), but it was your cat on the other side of the closed bedroom door which made him furrow his eyebrows in the—what was once peaceful—darkened room.

I love my girlfriend's cat, I love my girlfriend's cat.

But little Yuna would not seem to shut up.

Jihoon had had a long, busy and tiring day earlier, and was absolutely ready to curl up in bed with his beautiful partner at the end of the day. You were likewise also exhausted from the copious amounts of studying and preparing for your exams recently, the final one completed just earlier this afternoon. You were more than ready for some time off from school and longing to spend your break in your boyfriend's arms as his schedule also thinned out for the holidays.

It was relieving for your head to hit the pillow when you climbed into bed a few hours ago. Jihoon was already waiting for you which was an uncommon occurrence. He looked just as tired as you felt, beckoning you into his chest with open arms. You gladly complied.

"(Y/N)..." Jihoon muttered softly, nervous to wake you up.

You didn't so much as stir from your slumber.

The boy tried again, this time a little bit louder, "(Y/N)-ie? (Y/N)."

You hummed, still half-asleep and disoriented.

"Please, (Y/N), why does your cat insist now is a good time to begin screaming at the door?"

"She's our cat, you know. We picked her together," you replied, rubbing your eyes lightly as your consciousness crept in.

"She likes you more, though," the boy pouted in the darkness, "you're her favourite."

You sighed as you removed the blanket encasing you in comfortable, cozy warmth; your bare feet hitting the cool wood panels made you regret your decision instantly.

"I don't know why you couldn't have let her in if you were already awake, Ji," you pouted back at your boyfriend despite how he wasn't able to see your face in the dark as you waddled your way to the door.

Upon opening it, little Yuna, a fluffy brown and white lady, perked up from her previous position of being sprawled out on the floor and trying to fit her paws beneath the door to somehow open it herself.

"Let's go, fluffy," you ushered the cat to follow you back into Jihoon's waiting warmth.

Yet, Yuna instead began to groom herself, not caring about you or the plush bed where you invited her to rest.

You let out a sigh and made your way back to the mattress by yourself; fruitless were your efforts as the cat remained in the doorway.

"Remind me again why we thought getting a cat was a good idea?" Jihoon rhetorically asked, already knowing your answer.

"Yuna is a sweetheart!" Your answer was instant despite Yuna's uncompliant actions only moments ago. "We both liked her in the shelter. She'd already been vaccinated and spayed, and most importantly, she's adorable!" You pondered, continuing, "Some would even argue that she's cuter than you."

"Oh?" Jihoon felt a smile form on his face rather than the sulking expression he bore earlier from being so rudely awoken. "She can be cuter than me, I'm fine with that, but she's definitely not cuter than you. She can, however, be noisier than you. Especially at two in the morning."

And at two in the morning, after some giggling and shifting in each other's embrace until you were once again comfy, the two of you managed to fall back asleep. Yuna, after she possibly overheard Jihoon's complaint, managed to quiet down after you left your bedroom door ajar for her to come and go as she pleased.

That was until she had a sudden burst of energy only a few hours later. Jihoon was yet again the one to be disturbed from his precious slumber first, now feeling bad about nudging your shoulder to keep him company as he listened to the sound of Yuna scampering around the kitchen.

"Why?" the groggy boy's words were muffled by the crook of your neck where he buried his face in after you stirred. "Why tonight? Why can't she just be quiet for tonight?"

"That's not how cats work, Ji," you brought your hand to the side of Jihoon's face, stroking his temple lovingly. "Do you want me to go and hide all her toys? That may get her to stop for long enough for us to get some decent sleep."

"No, no," he began to sit up, "I'll deal with her, you got up last time. I need some water anyway." Jihoon placed a delicate kiss on your cheek before he stood up and exited the room, the gesture relaxing you almost enough to fall back asleep then and there.

"Why are you so noisy tonight, young lady? Hm?"

You heard your boyfriend's small voice from the kitchen as he spoke to Yuna. The feline gave a meow in response to his question, seemingly excited that someone else was awake at this hour.

Even though Jihoon made it a mission to act like he wasn't nearly as fond of Yuna as you so unabashedly were, you knew she had him wrapped around her paw.

The padding of Jihoon's footsteps approaching made you look up to the door, only to find him holding Yuna like he was offering you a gift. He gently placed the cat on the foot of the bed before crawling back to your side below the covers, sighing as his head hit the pillow once more.

Yuna carefully worked her way up the bed, softly purring from being held by Jihoon (which was a rare occurrence).

She found herself between your faces, sniffing the boy's brow-bone before butting her head against his.

"See, she likes you too," you grinned, beginning to pet the cat who was kneading into the duvet brought up to Jihoon's chin. "Maybe she just needs some confirmation every once in a while that you care about her."

Jihoon removed his arms from beneath the blanket to feel Yuna's soft coat. "That sounds like someone else I know."

You murmured, "Some confirmation is nice."

You didn't bother to check the time, but you were now able to see the silhouette of your boyfriend's face in the slowly rising light from the adjacent window.

"I love you, (Y/N). Much more than I show it," Jihoon paused. "I know I'm not the best at showing affection. I want to be better at it, but please, know that I do love you. You complete me. We have an apartment together; we have a cat together. I wouldn't do either of those with anyone unless I loved them unconditionally. Like how I love you."

Your eyes remained on Jihoon's face until his gaze finally met yours. You took ahold of his hand and tenderly grazed your thumb across his knuckles.

"Thank you. I love you too, Ji. You complete me."

The boy brought your intertwined hands to his mouth, placing the most gentle kiss on the back of your hand.

If there was more light in the room, you swear you'd be able to see pink dusting his cheeks at the gesture.

"Would you look at that; I think Yuna's finally calm down," Jihoon changed the subject out of courtesy to his burning face. "What time is it?"

You reluctantly removed your hand from his to roll over and check your phone. You blinked a couple of times at the numbers on the screen, about to speak when the noise of your alarm interrupted and answered the question for you.

An annoyed groan erupted from your throat as you placed your phone back on the nightstand. "It feels like we haven't gotten any sleep tonight."

"Well, it won't be the first time that's happened."

Now you were the one sporting the blush, knowing instantly about the night your boyfriend alluded to.

"You're cute when you're flustered, (Y/N)-ie. Come on, lay back down with me and Yuna." Jihoon grazed his fingers over the sleeping cat in between your bodies.

"I've never been happier to have finished my exams," you whispered, not wanting to disturb the sleeping pile of fluff. "There's no way I could be productive later with this much lack of sleep."

Jihoon hummed in agreement and finished your thought, "Let's spend the rest of the day in bed."

You carefully moved as close as you could to the boy with the cat in the way. Your legs found his beneath the blanket, "Goodnight, Ji."

"Goodnight, (Y/N). Sweet dreams, my love."

•

You found yourself waking to the smell of coffee and toast from the kitchen. The culprit was humming to himself, a gentle sound you barely heard over the sizzling of a pan.

"Oh! Good morning, (Y/N)-ie," Jihoon briefly stopped his work over the stove to kiss you upon your arrival, your face slightly puffy with sleep.

"What's all this?" You motioned to the pan with the golden bread.

Jihoon turned back to the stovetop as he spoke, "Well, I was thinking more about what you said last night, or this morning I suppose, about me giving you more confirmations, as you put it. It made me want to make you breakfast, despite it being past noon now. Here, this one's ready if you want to grab a plate," the boy slid the bread onto the dish you presented. "I hope it's okay. It's been a while since I last made French toast."

"I'm sure it tastes as good as it smells, Ji," you thanked him, putting the plate down on the counter to give your boyfriend a hug from behind as he continued cooking another slice for himself, although he stopped his movements as your arms held him close.

Jihoon beamed at your embrace, not being able to diminish the smile that broke across his features. Although he admittedly didn't get the best rest last night, he still wouldn't change a thing. You two didn't always get time to enjoy each other's company with differing schedules, especially during the semester, but last night really was a confirmation for Jihoon that he was in the right place; that all his past decisions leading up to this moment were worthwhile.

After all, he had a beautiful partner to come home to at the end of the day, and—as you would argue to be even more important—a really cute cat.

Other than a proper night’s sleep, what more could he ask for?

••

[shadowturtlesstuff]

invisible duckling

hi!! im alive, slowly working of fics still. i havent been writing as much as i want to but my brain is honsetly tired, but i have this cressworth (obvioulsy) that started as an invisible string based one, but becuase @fangirling-again has been pestering me about writing one about adopting ducks the ideas merged. somehow. the title is also her idea

(also im working my way through acosf so ill be online more frequently very soon!)

“We aren’t leaving the bed,my love.” I murmur as I feel Audrey Rose sit up and our cat move from his spot at the end of the bed to her lap. “We are staying like this forever.” I roll onto my side, careful not to brush against her leg. Her laugh caresses my skin as she lazily strokes our cat. I would happily stay in bed with the women I love and our son for the rest of my life, perhaps we can both get some more sleep that way.

We’d gone to bed earlier than planned due to the amount of things we needed to get done today but our son decided he needed our attention and who was I to deny his wants. Sir Issac had sat on my chest as I layed and stroked him long into the night whilst talking to my beloved. Audrey Rose had rolled her eyes at me when I had told her he can stay in the middle of us so we can hug him all night long. I was content stroking him until my eyes had grown tired and I could barely stay awake, but he had just meowed until I continued stroking him. It had led Audrey Rose to face me and tell me that is exactly how I act when I don't get enough attention.

“As wonderful as that sounds, we need to leave at some point,” she tells me and I whine about my discomfort. The bed was warm, safe and didn’t involve dealing with people I wished not to deal with. Again her laugh fills the room and I open my eyes to find her face half concentrated on me and the other on our demanding son. I may have taught him too well.

“Remind me what we’re doing today so I can come up with valid reasons as to why we shouldn’t.”  sir issac moves from audrey’s lap to sit right in front of my face, brushing his head against my own. I nuzzle against before I sit up and pull him into my lap. I fear the day when we get our second cat and sir isaac gets jealous of the attention we give it and not him.

“We are not getting another cat thomas,” she tells me and gives me the look that tells me she saw my thoughts on my face. We shall give sir isaac a sibling but I'll concede this argument for now. So I scowl at her and then rest my head on her shoulder. She sighs as she steals my hand and entwines our fingers. “We have to meet Dacinia at the restaurant near cornelia street. She has news for us, then my aunt wants to meet with me for an hour or so then uncle wants us in his office the rest of the day. Our case, it seems, has new leads that he is dealing with alone today but will fill us in and make plans for tomorrow.”

It has been months since we saw my sister and I've been excited since we got the letter she will be in town. We are visiting my favourite restaurant, the archer. We used to go as kids with our mother before she died. I have been meaning to take Audrey Rose but our lives are filled that we barely have time to do anything together like that. As soon as we are able, I'm bringing her to Romania to have a long overdue holiday. “Have you ever been in the archer, my love?” I ask just to keep her by my side a little while longer. Our grip tightens slightly and I know she knows my intentions behind the question. She always figures out how my mind works even when I do not understand it. Just as I do for her.

“I have, many times. My mother would take us all and we’d have dinner there once a month.” I trace shapes on the back of her hand, it shocks me to think we frequented the same place, for nearly the same reason for so long without knowing. There must be more times our lives have crossed without either of us knowing.

“It is a bizarre and wondrous thought that you were a part of my life, in ways i didn’t know, and now you are the most treasured thing. It is like we were pulling on a string, leading us to each other.” We are both silent, contemplating where else we may have crossed paths when she snorts loudly.

“It is absurd how put together that thought was when you have spent the entire morning whining at me,” her hand rests on my face as we smile widely at each other, “yet it is nice to consider that all our actions, all the mistakes and choices have led us to each other. Like an invisible string of sorts, that tied us to each other.”

“I'd go through all the hell again if it led me to you.” I tell her as she leans in and kisses me. I pull her atop of me now that our cat has lept of the bed, most likely to get us to give him food. We kiss, holding onto this moment before life crashes down on us. She pulls back, her smile blooming on her face and her face flush. It is a sight I wish I could witness forever.

“It is crazier to think our actions now are leading us to another cat.” I give her my most charming grin as she rolls her eyes but smiles at the thought of us having another cat. Slowly I am convincing her we should adopt another cat.

“It is crazy,” she begins, rolling off me despite me trying to hold her to me, “that a grown adult whines like a child every morning about leaving his bed.” Audrey Rose moves towards our desk to get her cane and my eyes are transfixed on the sight of her. Her hair is in a state, messy due to her not being a still sleeper, but she looks adorable. Her face still wears the smile that makes my heart flutter and her dazzling green eyes are bright as she faces me again with her eyebrows raised to challenge me into a retort.

“It is utterly crazy, that a man would want to spend all day in bed with the women he loves.” Finally I sit up as she walks back towards me, her face filled with emotions I cannot read through. She kisses me deeply and then rests her head on mine. Her hand rests on my cheek, her hands warm.

“I too, would go through all that hell, I would search for that string forever if it led to you, my love.” she whispers against my skin and I swear my heart either reaches out to hug her itself or explodes. I marvel at the women in front of me, of all the pieces of information about her I have discovered and all I am yet to discover and smile. “I want to stay in bed too, but we are adults Thomas, people relying on us. Soon, though, we will stay in bed all day.”

We stay like that, stealing kisses for a few minutes before we tear ourselves away from each other. The string we have between us loosens but as we go about our morning routine we always find our way back to each other.

~~~

“You little beast.” I hear Audrey rose hiss as she tries to carry a tray of food into the dining hall for us. I laugh and get up to help her, taking sir Issac in my hand so she has a clear path.

“This is why, my love, we are not getting another little pest.” she glares at the cat who meows back, seemingly aware of how much he has annoyed her. I sat him down on the chair beside mine and sat, helping Audrey Rose set the food.

“But if we were to get another cat, our son, not a pest or beast, will be occupied.” I try to convince her as best as I can. “Or we could get a dog, or perhaps even a duck-”

Audrey rose starts laughing, “A,” she tries to speak but cannot get enough air to do so. “A duck?” She breathes out finally and I roll my eyes. It was not my best suggestion, but if i can find any way to get another cat I shall.

“What is wrong with ducks?” as muster as much confidence in my voice as i can and that makes her laugh more. The laugh that fills the room with how genuine and adorable it is and I can't help my own laugh escaping. It's a tad absurd even for me.

She reaches out for my hand, trying to master her features into a serious look. She fails miserably but I take her hand in mine and rub circles on the back of her hand. “Thomas. Know that I love you. And care about you a lot. But have you hit your head today because honestly a du-”

“There was nothing wrong with my suggestion? What has a duck ever done to you?” I interject, both of us trying not to laugh.

“Nothing, because ducks are not pets and we aren't getting one either.” I glare at her as sir Issac climbs onto my lap. I tear my gaze away and pick him up so we are face to face. He scratches at my shoulder and tries to rub his head against my hand. I glance back to find Audrey Rose's face still smiling at my ridiculous actions. The smile that would make me do anything ridiculous just to see again, the smile I try and seek every day, more intoxicating than any drink.

“Son,” I say in a voice parents usually give their toddlers, “how would you like a duck as your brother and sister?” he meows at me so I take that as a yes. Audrey rose is shaking her head as she begins to eat her food, seeming to try to end this conversation. “That settles it, tomorrow I shall inquire about adopting a duck.” i had no idea how i was going to do it, or how i would later convince her to get another cat, as that was my main goal, but now i felt as though i had to get a duck. She rolls her eyes at me as I set sir Isaac down on my lap.

“Do not inquire about a duck Thomas.”

“Why? You said you didn't want a cat, and you heard our son, very lonely, so it seems to be the only plausible solution.”

“Thomas, do not inquire about a duck. Ducks are not pets. How would we even care for a duck? Why are we even considering getting ducks as a pet?”

“Consider this my love,” I try and be as normal as possible, try not to smile as i see her do the same, “we could buy it a little bucket to swim in or another bath with a little ladder,”

She shakes her head at me, our food long forgotten. It had been a tiring day for us, with a lot of walking, and when we'd gotten home she collapsed onto the sofa in our bedroom. So this conversation as silly as it is, is somehow needed for us both. “Why would the duck need a ladder?”

“To climb into the bath. It will be cute! The duck has little floppy feet. Oh! And we get make a tiny hut for our son here and the duck to cuddle in and we can have it next to our bed-”

“So at night we can hear both animals and never get any sleep? Thomas this is-” she once again shakes her head at me. “Madness. Utterly crazy. Are you sure you haven’t hit your head. I can call uncle over to double check.” We sit in silence, staring at each other for a second until we both lose it and start laughing.

“Would it not be adorable to have sir Isaac on your lap, with ducks on your shoulder and head?”

“Ducks? A second ago it was one singular duck, now you want multiple?”

“The duck has to have a friend.”

“The cat is to be its friend. If you get more ducks than sir Issac still is lonely as you like to claim he is.” as if in answer sir Isaac appears at her side, jumping onto her lap. She scowls at him but stokes his back. “Pest. you need to stop listening to your father, he is a bad influence.”  our eyes meet and she smiles at me as I begin eating my own food finally. I can see the exhaustion in her eyes even as she smiles at our cat.

“Imagine love, we have our cat, a duck and a child. All under this roof. I did promise a lifetime full of surprises, with all of those in the equation we’d never have a dull moment.” her eyes soften as the mention of a child. We both wanted one, had discussed it, but as of right now it wasn’t the time. Yet I can picture a tiny Cressworth child, my charm and her wit, playing with sir Issac and our second cat. Even a duck.

“That sounds wonderful. Tiring, but perfect for us.” I stand from my chair and walk around to her side of the table. Her hand finds mine instantly as I lean in for a kiss. She deepens it, her body twisting slightly and her other hand on my chest. I may never get used to the thrill of kissing her, of feeling her love for me. I nestle my hand in her hair, pulling out the pins keeping it up. We pull apart as her hair falls down past her shoulder, her emerald eyes dazzling at me. “I love you,” she whispers, her breath coming out in pants. Sir Issac nudged her and she pulled her eyes away from me as he kept nudging her, demanding her attention be on him. I laugh as she scratches behind his eyes.

“This is perfect too.” I tell her as I offer my hand to lead her up to bed. I will get her settled then return with cake, both of us needed a treat. I could feel my own exhaustion settling in as she took my hand and we made our way upstairs, sir Issac following us and jumping atop our bed and taking over my spot. Wadsworth glances at me, a knowing look on her face. One telling me: ‘you still want another one?’ to which I give her my own smirk telling her yes and kiss her before she can start to tell me no again. I kiss her again one more time before I leave to get us cake.

@fangirling-again @goatahoan @kittycat2187 @city-of-fae @the-hoofflepooff @purplecreatorhorsewagon @padfoot-sirius-black-blog  @boredbookwormgirl @goddess-of-writing-wars @lovecakeandmore @yikesitsmaddie  

[just-a-poor-boy-queen]

(This is based off the lovely prompt you gave me a while ago, and I decided to incorporate it into the kid!verse. Khaleel is five years old now.)

Part 14 of Jimercury Kid series

Freddie’s hands were shaking as he held the wrapped package in his hand and he cursed himself internally, wishing his nerves would settle long enough for him to just open the door and give Jim his damn present. He had never been this apprehensive about giving someone a gift before; he usually couldn’t wait to surprise his loved ones, to see the absolute delight on their faces when they unwrapped the paper and saw what he had bought them. It was usually something expensive, something unobtainable to them, something grandiose that only someone with his paycheque could afford.

That’s what everyone wanted, right? Big, expensive presents?

Not Jim, apparently.

Jim was a simple man. That’s part of the reason why Freddie had fallen so hard for him, aside from his unmeasurable kindness and rugged good looks, of course. And being a simple man, he preferred the simpler things in life; he appreciated the lavish gifts and parties that Freddie treated him to, of course, but Freddie knew fully well that he could have been a road sweeper and Jim would still be in love with him. That’s the kind of person his husband was.

Which was precisely why Freddie was in the predicament he was in now.

--

He had been trying to figure out what to get Jim for his birthday for weeks, enlisting the help of Phoebe and Mary to scout out all the local department stores in search of the perfect gift. Phoebe found a nice pair of garden shears, which would come in useful, given that Jim’s current ones were old and rusting and Jim was always talking about replacing them. Practical, thought Freddie, but not exactly the most personal of gifts. Mary found a lovely ceramic cat ornament, its features hand painted by the artist; Jim would love it, Freddie knew, but he had already bought him a similar gift years before. In the end, Phoebe and Mary purchased the presents to give Jim themselves and the search continued.

It was their son who ended up inspiring Freddie, though that was hardly surprising because Khaleel was always inspiring him. Freddie had come home from a long day at the studio and found the little boy painting at the kitchen table with Phoebe, old newspapers spread out to make sure he didn’t make a mess. They had been at it for a while, judging by how many paintings there were scattered around; paintings of flowers, and dinosaurs and, of course, every one of the cats with their names scribbled underneath in felt tip.

‘These are lovely, Bijou.’ Freddie beamed, after Phoebe had excused himself to wash the paint off his hands. ‘You’re so talented. We should hang them up in your room.’

Khaleel nodded enthusiastically, adding one final dab of paint to his wonky picture of Garden Lodge before setting it beside the others. ‘Daddy said you paint too, Baba.’

‘Did he now?’

‘Yeah. He showed me a painting of Delilah you did. It was pretty.’

Freddie couldn’t help but roll his eyes fondly. He had thought he’d thrown out the unfinished portrait of his favourite cat, but he should have known Jim had held onto it. ‘Baba doesn’t really have time to paint anymore, darling. I’m too busy with my music.’

Khaleel looked disappointed. He glanced down at his messy fingers and began to fiddle with them. ‘Your painting made Daddy smile so much, Baba. You should do it again. It’s pretty.’

Freddie was at a loss for words. He had always loved art and still found himself doing the odd sketches and doodles now and then; but painting was something he had given up long ago in favour of singing. He simply didn’t have the time or the patience to commit to it. But Khaleel’s words were now engrained in his mind.

‘I’ll think about it, Bijou.’ He said softly, before leaning down to pick the child up. ‘Come on, you’re going to need a nice, warm bubble bath to get all this paint off you.’

He smiled as Khaleel squealed with excitement. (1/2)

It had taken Freddie a while to figure out what exactly he was going to paint. He still had the old brushes and materials Phoebe and Joe had bought him years ago, when he was ill and had temporarily been inspired to try his hand at art again; but as he sat there, staring at the blank canvas in front of him, he realised he had no idea what he intended to make for his husband.

He considered finishing the painting of Delilah but couldn’t summon up the motivation to continue it. He tried doing a landscape of the garden, but after a few attempts on some scrap paper, he gave up and decided to stick to what he knew best – portraits.

It was only when he leaned back in his seat and surveyed the room a moment that his eye fell upon the large photo frame he kept beside his bed; the one of himself, Jim and Khaleel, professionally taken a year before. There was a copy of it hanging up in the lounge, over the fireplace, but Freddie always kept the original right by his bed, so it was the first thing he woke up to every morning. Safe to say, of all the hundreds of photographs that lived in Garden Lodge, this one was by far his favourite. He and his two favourite boys. His perfect family.

Without giving it a second thought, he picked up his brush and began to paint.

------

It had been two long weeks of staying up late and sneaking around to make sure Jim didn’t catch him, but on the eve of his husband’s birthday, Freddie’s portrait was finally complete, and he carefully wrapped it in brown paper in preparation for the party the next day. He was satisfied with the finished product, and yet, he couldn’t help but feel his gut twist with uncertainty as he stored the painting away in a drawer to keep it from prying eyes. He knew there wasn’t a materialistic bone in Jim’s body but… what if he didn’t like the gift? Phoebe and Mary had bought him such lovely things, what if Jim was disappointed when he got to Freddie’s?

Thoughts like that were why Freddie was now standing outside the door to the lounge, trying to gather the courage to go back in. He had excused himself under the guise of getting another bottle of wine and had quickly darted up to the bedroom to collect the package and bring it down. Taking a deep breath, he finally pushed open the door and re-joined the others, who were already sitting down to start opening Jim’s presents.

‘Mary, I love it!’ Jim smiled widely as he examined the ceramic cat, turning it over in his hands before carefully placing it on the coffee table beside the garden shears Phoebe had gifted him. ‘It’s beautiful. Thank you so much.’

Mary smiled back, ‘you’re welcome, Jim.’ And they leaned forward to give each other a kiss on the cheek.

Freddie’s heart fluttered in his chest. Mary hadn’t been very supportive of his relationship with Jim at the start, most likely out of overprotectiveness and jealousy. But once they adopted Khaleel, she finally had to accept that Freddie had found the love of his life and it was time for her to move on. She seemed a much happier person for it. It touched Freddie to see her and Jim gradually becoming good friends.

Finally, it was Freddie’s turn to present his gift. Despite his best efforts, he still couldn’t help shaking slightly as he watched Jim slowly tear off the paper. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he should have gotten Jim a new suit. Or a pair of cufflinks. Or-

‘Freddie…’ Jim sounded breathless and when Freddie looked up, he could see the Irishman’s eyes were sparkling with tears. ‘Freddie, did you paint this?’

The singer nodded, his mouth dry. ‘Do… do you like it?’

His answer was Jim leaning over and pressing their mouths together in a passionate kiss. When they pulled away, the tears in Jim’s eyes had spilled down his cheeks. ‘Sweetheart, it’s beautiful. It’s amazing, it’s perfect.’

Jim wasn’t usually one for PDA, but he was so overwhelmed in that moment, he couldn’t stop himself from kissing every inch of Freddie’s face, while their guests admired the gift that had enthralled him. It was a painting of Freddie, Jim and Khaleel, almost an exact copy of the family portrait hanging up above the fireplace except they were surrounded by flowers; yellow freesias, azaleas, and Khaleel’s favourite, Eden roses, all painted in watercolour.

When Khaleel saw it, he almost fell off Phoebe’s lap in excitement. ‘Baba painted me! Baba painted me!’

After the party was over and their friends had gone home, Jim snuck up behind his husband as the singer was placing the canvas on the mantlepiece and wound his arms around his waist. ‘So, this is why you wouldn’t come to bed all those nights? You were working on this?’

Freddie nodded, leaning back into his husband’s embrace. ‘I was going to buy you something, but I know how you always feel guilty when I spoil you. I wanted to give you something personal, that I made with my own two hands. Even if it isn’t perfect…’

He felt Jim kiss his ear, his thick Irish accent murmuring softly, ‘it’s the greatest gift anyone’s ever given me, sweetheart. And the best thing about it is that it came straight from your heart. I love it and I’m going to keep it with me. Always.’ (2/2)

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

OMG THIS IS PERFECT😭😭😭 This is the best interpretation of the prompt, MY HEART😭😭

Call me dumb, but whenever I'd think of Freddie doing something for Jim, it'd always be related to music. Until now, I had never considered art as one of the possible ways in which Freddie could've expressed his love for his husband. But this... this is so beautiful, oof.

I genuinely marvel at your ability to convey so many emotions in these short drabbles. You managed to portray Freddie's insecurities, his want to please his husband and do something special, his nervousness and fear so brilliantly. And Jim's reaction was so sweet🥺 This was truly such a special gift for him, and for their family, I am crying😭

Thank you so much for this, anon💙💙

(More drabbles by writer anon)

[carriagelamp]

April l was apparently the month for me to revisit some children’s authors who are steeped in controversy at the moment. So here’s my hot (well, lukewarm) takes on issues that absolutely do not need a single other person talking about them. Also some actual good books that I read this month!

Badger in the Basement

The Animal Ark books are a childhood classic — though I recently found out that apparently there’s a difference between American and British publications, and the American versions didn’t include a lot of actual COOL animals which is… bizarre. As a Canadian stuck in the middle of this, this nonsense drives me nuts. This one was about the main character, the daughter of pair of vets, trying to protect a local badger sett from men wanting to participate in badger digging and baiting. These books are always feel-good, and it was a nice single-day-read while I waited for a library book to come in.

Chi’s Sweet Home

The cutest manga series about the misadventures of a little kitten, Chi, who has been adopted by a loving family. I’ve never bothered to read them in order, but apparently this time I stumbled across the last in the series -- whoops! Still, stood on it’s own pretty easily, and it was a fun read! Things get tense when the family realize that they may have found Chi’s original home… and may have to give up Chi forever.

Earth Before Us: Dinosaur Empire!

This was an odd graphic novel, I feel like I’m not sure who the target audience was exactly. It was a nonfiction comic done in a Magic School Bus style, with the purpose of teaching current, up-to-date facts about the animals that lived in the Mesozoic Era. If you’re into dinosaurs, you’ll probably enjoy this! The art is absolutely adorable, I love the dinosaur illustrations, and I learnt some really neat facts. That being said, the pages are really dense, and there’s a lot of info crammed in… some of it will probably go way over a child’s head without specific additional teaching or a very strong personal interest. But that being said, a dinosaur obsessed kid is still probably going to really dig this… as would a dinosaur obsessed adult. It wasn’t my cup of tea exactly but I’m sure it is someone’s.

assorted Dr Seuss Books

I love these types of controversies because it means getting to listen to every moron who has never had an opinion on Dr Seuss ever start generating a mile of them out of the aether. So many people are so mad about the six books that are getting retired and I bet most of them haven’t even read them. These are not the friggin Cat In The Hat or The Lorax or even the likes of Yertle The Turtle. I was raised by a grade one teacher, was a voracious reader who loved Dr Seuss, and wrote my university thesis on children’s literature, and I still only knew two of the six books on that list. So by all means, if you want to write an essay explaining why those specific books are worth clinging to, feel free, but if you haven’t even heard of them maybe it’s not a big deal. *grumble*

Anyway, my grousing aside, it gave me the urge to reread a bunch of Seuss books, including the two retiring books I personally knew: McElligot’s Pool and To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street. I do still enjoy both, especially McElligot’s Pool which always sparked my imagination, but it’s obvious why they’re being retired and I personally think it’s the right choice. There’s so much good kidlit out there, we can survive without these.

Goodbye, My Rose Garden

A f/f romance manga, fairly standard fair though cute if you’re looking for some historical angst, pretty dresses, and mutual pining. A young Japanese woman moves to England in the hopes of meeting a writer (Mr Frank) who she has long admired. Along the way she is employed by an enigmatic woman with plenty of money, rumours, and melancholy following her. I’ll be honest, uncut romance isn’t really my genre, but I’ll probably still try to the second book to see if the story picks up.

From The Holocaust to Hogan’s Heroes: The Autobiography of Robert Clary

It’s no secret that I’ve been on a Hogan’s Heroes kick. This is the autobiography of Roberty Clary, who plays my favourite character in the show, Louis Lebeau. And holy shit what a life this man has had. He was a Jew growing up in France before the start of the war, and who was one of many children taken away from his family and sent off to the concentration camps in Germany. This was an amazing, intense, inspiring, and heartbreaking read… it has Clary’s voice all over it, and it tells everything from the charming childhood he had, to the horrors of the concentration camps, the brutality of survival, and then about his exciting journey into the entertainment industry afterwards. It’s an experience, would recommend if you’re a fan of the show.

The Ickabog

The second controversial author I read this month. Originally I was going to give Rowling’s new book a miss, given everything that’s been going on over the past few years, but in the end my curiosity got the better of me. Politics aside, it was a fun read! Not groundbreaking, but enjoyable enough and written in an interesting style. It didn’t read the same as a lot of modern kidlit, it felt more like a cross between a classic fairytale and a Dahl book. Perhaps a bit like Despereaux. It tells the tale of how an idyllic country gradually falls into ruin through the ignorance, inaction, and greed, and how a supposedly fictional monster hides the very real, human monsters at the heart of the country. It was cute and pleasant and I’m glad I decided to get it from the library, though for anyone who is choosing not to engage for political reasons: you aren’t missing anything major.

Franklin In The Dark

A Canadian classic. I don’t think there’s a single person my age who hasn’t read or been read a pile of these books, and the nostalgia is so comforting. I found this on Youtube and listened to someone read it to me, and honestly 10/10 would recommend for a calm evening.

The big reason I decided to seek this one out though, was because I finally got to the M*A*S*H episode that inspired this entire series! In the episode C*A*V*E, in which Hawkeye is freaking out over his claustrophia while the camp is forced to take shelter in a nearby cave during some intense shelling, he mentions that if he had been born a turtle he would have been afraid of his own shell, and that the other turtles would make fun of him cause he’d be forced to walk around in his underwear. And so this first story about a young turtle who’s afraid to sleep in his own shell and drags it around behind him. So if you were ever curious, Franklin the Turtle is in fact named after Dr Benjamin Franklin Pierce. (this is also why the French version is named Benjamin!)

Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf

I loved the Guardians of Ga’Hoole books as a kid but I never read the Wolves of the Beyond series. This first book was an interesting read, Lasky does a great job creating worlds and societies for the animals that inhabit them. Lone Wolf is about a deformed wolf cub who was abandoned in the wilderness to die. And he would have, if a desperate mother bear, who had recently had her only cub killed, hadn’t stumbled across him and saved him, vowing to raise him as her own...

Petals

A “silent” graphic novel. It has beautiful artwork and is told entirely through pictures, no text at all. It’s loves and heart-wrenching, though it left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied… I felt like there should have been more. Still, a neat story.

The Southern Book Club‘s Guide To Slaying Vampires

What a banger of a novel!! I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s about a group of suburban mothers in the ‘80s who form a book club out of a shared need for community and a love of grisly true crime novels. But when a strange drifter appears in town and starts setting down roots… and when children begin disappearing… these women need to band together to confront the horrors that have invaded their neighbourhood, and face down not only a terrifying monster among them but the patriarchal system that allows it to flourish. To quote the preface:

“Because vampires are the original serial killers, stripped of everything that makes us human — they have no friends, no family, no roots, no children. All they have is hunger. They eat and eat but they’re never full. With this book, I wanted to pit a man freed from all responsibilities but his appetites against women whose lives are shaped by their endless responsibilities. I wanted to pit Dracula against my mom.    As you’ll see, it’s not a fair fight.“

The Weirn Books: Be Wary of the Silent Woods

I love Chmakova’s graphic novels, though I’ve only ever read her slice-of-life middle grade series before. This one is pure fantasy and very fun. It’s about two cousin “weirns” — witches with demon familiars — who attend the local night school. Things get strange though when an ominous figure appears outside the old, abandoned school house deep in the Silent Woods, and begins tempting children down its path…

I’m very much looking forward to word of a second book and was honestly kind of surprised that I haven’t heard more about this book given how popular her other series is. This has all the same charm and quirks but for those of us who prefer stories based in fantasy rather than reality.

And A Bonus...

For some masochistic reason I got a Garfield book out of the library. Jeez, if I didn’t love these as a kid, I found them absolutely laugh out loud hilarious, and now I just don’t see it anymore. But here I will share the one strip in the book that actually made me laugh

[justice4harwin]

Light’s Corruption- Chapter VIII

Summary: With few friends at the Little Palace, Alina must work to win the favour of her fellow grisha and their commander, who makes her feel light headed every time she sees him.

After training in Os Alta for two years, the king grows tired of waiting and demands the Sun Summoner joins a western post near the Fjerdan border along with the rest of The Second Army to test her abilities.

Something happens. Suddenly, Alina wants blood to run down the rivers and those who stand in her and The Darkling’s way will be blinded by her light and swallowed by his shadows.

It won’t be pretty.

Pairing: The DarklingxAlina

Rating: 18+

Do I have a playlist for this story? Yeah

Do I also have a separate bff playlist for Genya and Alina? Duh

Click here for chapter 7 in case you missed it. 

Chapter 8: Alina the Baker

Grisha at the Little Palace had a day of the week off every other week, which meant that Alina could catch up on some precious sleep in the confines of her soft, warm bed filled with softer pillows. Even with the weak winter sun shining down on her, Alina could've slept all day and well into the night. In fact, it was even better, for she'd be warmer. There was no such thing as 'too much warmth' for her. The hotter, the better.

Curled up like a cat over the luxurious bed, the Sun Summoner intended to sleep all day and night.

Then there was a knock on her door.

She didn't hear it and rolled over in a most unnatural way.

The knocking got louder.

She began to stir.

"Get up, Starkov!" Genya yelled from the other side.

"Maybe if I don't make any sounds she'll leave." Alina thought, clutching her eyes tightly shut.

"You know I can go get the keys, but that'll only give me time to get angrier!"

Groaning, Alina threw herself onto the floor and made for the wretched door.

The redhead swung in with her usual grace, her kit in hand as she hummed a melody strange to Alina's ears.

Slowly, Alina followed her.

"Wash your face and come sit here." she instructed, pointing at the vanity.

After doing so, the Tailor began to work on her hair.

"Do I have somewhere to be?" Alina asked, yawning.

"No, but with the Winter Fete so close, I wanted to try some different styles for your hair and make-up, so we won't waste so much time on the actual day." she explained. "Besides, the Duke is still here, so the queen's daily naps have become longer, which only makes it harder for the Duke to talk whatever it is he wants to discuss with the king."

Alina made an odd face through the mirror; Genya smiled at her ingenuity.

"They've been fucking like ra-"

"Ah, ta-ta-ta, I get it." the Summoner closed her eyes and waved her hands, not wanting to picture any of it. "Does the king know?"

Genya snorted, joining two braids into one.

"Please, he's a dumb child."

Alina yawned again, loudly.

"Look, I don't think my hair matters too much for the Fete, so how about we take a nap?"

"Lazy."

"It's early."

"So?" a red, perfectly trimmed eyebrow rose softly. "Who would imagine the Sun Summoner herself wouldn't want to raise with the sun?"

"Technically, the sun is always out."

"I'm also using you as an excuse to get out of the Grand Palace."

"Can we do something else, then?"

"No!" she yanked Alina's hair once more and tied it. Leaning over her friend, she arranged the three mirrors which sat atop the vanity so the other woman could get a good look at it. "What do you think?"

Alina stared at her reflection. Two braids started at the top of her head and joined as one at the base of her neck.

"I like it."

Genya placed a slender finger to her lips.

"Too simple." With a flourish of her hand, Alina's hair was freed once more, falling in dark waves down her shoulders. "Turn."

When she did, her friend leaned over and took her face gently.

"I thought you were sleeping better." she mumbled as she ran her fingers underneath her eyes, ridding it of bags.

"I am, I think."

"Have you been summoning?"

"Yes, but, …"

"But?"

Genya leaned against the vanity, waiting patiently.

"I don't know." Alina said, looking down at her hands. "I know Baghra is horrible, and she still hasn't called back for me-"

"Then you go to her."

"I don't want to." Alina confessed, even though she probably should. Who else would teach her? The Darkling? He was always on and off the Little Palace grounds. "What if I mess up too bad and no-one's there to stop me?"

"So you haven't been summoning." Genya concluded.

"I have!" she fought back. "Just a little."

To prove her point, she closed her hand into a fist, opened up, and let a small orb of light fly up to Genya's face, not too close to make her uncomfortable. The Tailor watched the light with a small smile, and slowly reached out.

"I thought it might burn me."

"I think it would if I wanted to hurt you, or if I put more effort into it."

"But you love me too much."

"I tolerate you." she joked, moving the orb up and above her friend's head. "Now you look like a saint." she said, trying to turn the orb into a halo. It flickered and didn't exactly do as she commanded, only shone brighter over Genya's features.

The redhead shook her hand.

"Move. With this light, I can probably mask my age a bit more."

"Oh yeah," Alina said as she stood up, a playful smile on her face. "Because you're soooo old."

Alina didn't actually know how old Genya was, but she was sure they were about the same age.

"Tomorrow I will be a year closer to grey hair so," Genya's fingers went over her face, getting rid of imperfections Alina couldn't see. "One can never start too early."

"Tomorrow's your birthday?" Alina asked, starting to smile.

Genya didn't seem so excited. She merely shrugged.

"Yes."

"What are you planning on doing? Are you having a party? How many people will be there? Are presents mandatory? Cause I don't have permission to go to the city to get you one, and it doesn't really matter because I have no money and I don't have time enough to do something myself. What sort of ca-?

"Alina!" Genya had to raise her voice a little to get her overly excited friend to stop. "We don't celebrate birthdays here. It's just another day."

The Sun Summoner frowned.

"So, not even a cake? Or the day off?"

The Tailor huffed, amused.

"What for?"

"To celebrate." Alina was no longer bouncing on her heels.

"Trust me, the last thing anyone in these palaces would think of is to celebrate my silly birthday." she said as if it meant nothing.

Alina sat on the carpeted floor; legs crossed.

"That's depressing."

"If you say so." she remained indifferent.

She peered up at her friend and got an idea.

"Should we have some tea?"

"After I test how to work your face."

Later that night, standing outside the kitchens of the Little Palace, Alina ran her hands over her kefta and stood as straight as she could, putting on her best scowl. She hoped she had picked up a thing or two from Ana Kuya and Baghra

She entered the place like she owned it. At first, nobody took notice, too busy with their tasks. She cleared her throat.

Nothing.

She clapped her hands twice, like Genya did to call upon the attention of her miserable shrews -not that Alina considered the kitchen staff to fall into that category- and everyone in the kitchen turned to her, adopting various expressions at the sight of her.

No-one seemed to know what to do or what to say.

Trying to seem somewhat commanding, Alina cleared her throat once more.

"I need ingredients to make a cake." she stated.

One of the cooks swallowed hard before she began to speak.

"If you'd like a cake, Miss, I can make-"

"I want to do it myself, actually." she said, placing both hands behind her back and praying to all the saints she could remember -there weren't many- that they took her seriously.

Still, nobody moved.

Alina guessed that it wasn't every day that a Grisha showed up and demanded to cook something by themselves.

Not wanting the kitchen staff to feel offended, she spoke again:

"It's for a friend, you see, so I'd like to give her something I made with my own hands."

Slowly, the same woman who had spoken nodded, and then smiled tentatively.

"There's fresh eggs over there, Miss."

As it turned out, Alina did need some help after all. She knew how to make a basic cake, but as soon as she said it was a birthday cake, a middle-aged man jumped on her, offended on behalf of Genya.

"You can't just give your friend something so bland." he had said, his face red as he gestured widely at the cake, like it was a disgusting piece of work. One might have thought Alina had insulted his family. "You need to fill it with something, decorate it, give it life and flavour!"

Yes. That, she had no idea how to do.

He pushed her aside hastily.

"Saint can summon light but can't make a decent birthday cake." he muttered.

Alina's mouth hung open, offended, but she said nothing.

She hurried up the steps with a big cake held as if it were a precious new-born child when she heard him:

"Miss Starkov?"

"Holy Saints!"

She came to such a sudden halt, the cake moved precariously on its base.

"Yes, sir?" she called, tense, not daring to turn back.

"I am glad I came upon you;" The Darkling said, and she could hear him approaching.

It was so great to have him back, but why did he have to arrive at that time? Couldn't he have waited a few more minutes?

"Was there something you needed?" she asked.

"I can't believe myself, but please say 'no'"

"No, no, I just wanted to inform you that you shall start training with me tomorrow. I will see you at the entrance just before dawn."

"I thought you had no time for personal training." she was reminded of their conversation one season prior. "And that you didn't want to show favouritism."

It was probably stupid of her to say those things, to make him look like he couldn't make up his mind, but she find it hard to filter her thoughts when he was in the vicinity.

"I remember our conversation very well, Alina." he said, and she could hear his voice closer. It was so deep and smooth. Alina took a deep breath and tried to steady her heartbeat. "But some circumstances have changed, and I decided to make an exception."

Any other day, she would've melted at his feet at the way he spoke, as if it were almost a dirty, scandalous secret only meant for them.

But she had Genya's cake in her hands. It was big, and heavy, and he couldn't see it.

"That's great!" she said, and she meant it. "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to go. Moi Soverennyi." she bowed, and then clutched her eyes shut, cursing herself silently. Nothing showed more respect for one's General than showing them their behind.

"Are you hiding something, Alina?" he asked, sounding far too amused to her liking.

"Nope."

"Right. And I am the Black Heretic." he almost snorted. Alina frowned; he sounded so…normal when he did that. She wanted to hear it more often, she realized.

She craned her neck so she could get a glimpse at him. His eyes shone with mirth; the corner of his mouth was tilted up. She wanted to freeze him like that forever.

"It's nothing bad or illegal."

He chuckled, and his nose crunched up a little. Alina found it adorable, and she wanted to kiss him again, cuddle next to a fire by him, and make him laugh until his sides hurt.

"Alright, then. I shall let you be on your way." he took a step back, and Alina took a few steps forward before stopping at the end of the stairs.

"It's good to have you back."

She climbed up the stairs so quickly one might've thought a Squaller was pushing her up, and didn't give him opportunity to say anything back.

Alina moved her tea table to the centre of her room, where she placed the cake and a few flowers she had stolen from the various vases around the Little Palace to give it more life.

Smiling like an idiot, she closed her eyes and called her light just as there was a knock on the door.

Her light answered and her hand shot up, leaving a thin layer of golden dust hovering near the ceiling, giving the space a lovely ambience.

Hastily, she made sure everything was in order. The tea was hot, and there was plenty of kvas and wine for at least ten people. The kitchen staff had been more than happy to provide for her when they found out who Alina wanted to celebrate. Apparently, Genya was well liked among the otkazat'sya who worked on the Little Palace.

She hurried to open the door.

Genya waited on the other side, standing straight, an eyebrow arched up.

"You called for me? Is it urgent?"

"Yes!" The Sun Summoner answered, taking her friend's hand and dragging her across the expansive room.

She turned abruptly and placed her hands on Genya's eyes, blocking her view.

"For all the Saints, Ali, I don't have time to play around." she complained as she was dragged some more. "Just because the queen is spending another afternoon with the Duke of Balakirev doesn't mean I don't have other things to do and-"

Alina uncovered her eyes.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she squealed, taking a step to the side and extending her arms to showcase the cake.

It was rectangular, decorated with red, blue and yellow flowers all over it. No white. Nothing about that cake was white.

The Tailor stared at it.

'Happy Birthday, Genya!' it read, in black, messy letters. While the middle-aged man from the kitchen had done most of the decorating of the cake, Alina had insisted on writing the words herself.

Still, The Tailor stared at it, mouth agape.

Slowly, Alina's smiled dropped, and looking at her friend in the eyes, she was horrified to find them wet.

A tear fell down Genya's pale face, and Alina rushed over to remove it.

"Gen?" she asked, extremely concerned. "What is it?"

But Genya couldn't say anything. Her mouth opened, then it closed, and it opened again as a small cry left its confines, the tears falling freely now, like a turbulent river.

Alina hugged her, rubbing her stiff back in circles.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." she said over and over again. "I just thought you might like it. I'm so sorry. Do you want me to throw it away?"

She felt how her friend shook her head, clinging to her with a vice like grip.

Alina was the one who wanted to cry now, seeing her closest friend in such a state made her eyes tear, and, oh damn, she was crying now as well.

They stood like that for a few moments, weeping like idiots, the hug a bit awkward since Genya seemed to hover over smaller Alina.

Slowly, the Tailor disentangled herself from the Summoner, and her friend let her go.

Genya delicately passed a finger underneath her eyes and adverted her gaze, although Alina could see the red in her eyes.

"Thank you, Ali. Truly." she said, her voice slightly hoarse.

Alina was at a loss of words.

"It's just a cake, Gen." she shrugged. "I just thought, we could celebrate together, if you wanted. We can invite anyone you want." she suggested.

Smiling just a little, Genya looked down at her hands and played with her fingers.

"No, it's just…"she took a deep breath and let it out. Alina waited patiently. "No one ever really did this for me before." she said, raising her arm towards her cake.

"A birthday cake?" Alina asked slowly, her voice tremulous and trying not to sound sad. "Well, it's not a big deal!" she tried to shake it off, waving a hand with a forced smile. "Back in Keramzin there was only one plain cake per month for all the children so-"

"No, "Genya interrupted, her voice a mere whisper that cut through Alina's heart like a sharp blade. "I mean, celebrated. No one's ever done this much." her eyes were like crystal again. "Thank you."

Alina felt uncomfortable. She really did feel sad for her friend? Had no one ever truly celebrated her birthday? She knew she had been given to the queen at a young age, but even before that, had her parents ever made something for her? Or at least said anything on the day?

Alina didn't remember much of her parents, but she did remember once a year, her father coming up to her with a small, strawberry tart. He and mamma would hug her more than usual and kiss her cheeks and play with her all day until the sun went down and her eyes dropped closed of exhaustion.

"Chasing the waters." she thought, absentmindedly.

Even before the Little Palace, had Genya never had any of that?

"I'm just, sorry I couldn't do anything grander on such short notice." Alina tried to smile. "I have a present for you" she was now grinning, although so very nervous on the inside. She walked over to her desk and took the envelope. "I didn't have time to make something so… it was very last minute. She came back to stand before her friend and extended the envelope, which Genya took with a look in her eyes that resembled disbelief and wonder. Alina's cheek reddened. "It's nothing. Really. Open it."

Genya did as she was asked, and Alina bit her bottom lip, trembling as she recalled, word by word, what she had put down on the paper with her finest ink.

"I have a friend,

with bright, red hair.

She has a loudmouth,

and a brusque, yet marvellous touch.

 She and I have known each other,

for only a couple of months,

But I know that in my soul,

She's well settled for long.

 Some will say she's pretty

Others will say she's pricky,

and while those all ring through,

I know the person behind those needle-like replies.

 I have a friend,

with bright, red hair.

She's always there for me,

as I'll always be there for her."

It seemed as if an eternity had passed before the Tailor looked up, fresh tears in her eyes.

"Did you write this?" she asked, voice cracked. Alina nodded sheepishly, and Genya said: "This is the shittiest piece of poetry I have ever read."

The Summoner tried to not let her hurt show on her face, but a moment later she was being engulfed into another bear hug.

"I love it." Genya whispered almost fervently, clutching her tighter. "Thank you."

They spent the afternoon drinking tea, eating cake, talking and laughing. Genya had admired the piece for a long moment, as if trying to burn it into her memory, before she cut into the first two portions.

After a while, when there was no more tea and they grew tired of cutting, they sat themselves down on the carpeted floor, cake and all, and dug in directly from the base as they helped it pass through with kvas and wine.

"What do you mean?" Alina asked as they both laid on top of the soft, fur carpet of the floor, facing up, unable to move.

"Another rule of the General to keep his Grisha humble: no birthday parties." Genya answered, her speech slurred and the last part with a deeper tone, like she wanted to imitate Kirigan.

"That sucks!" Alina spat, just as drunk as her friend.

"Yeah!"

"Parties are…cool." she stated, raising her index finger as if to make a point. "There's cake,"

"Ugh." Genya's hand flew down to her stomach. "I can't move."

Alina ignored her.

"There's presents, if you're not an orphan." she giggled at her own misery. "There's more cake, and there's people."

"There's always p-people at the Tiny Palace." Genya reminded her, kicking off her boots.

Alina did the same, her hands blindly reaching up to the couch for the small pillows.

"Yeah;" one of the pillows hit Genya in the face, and the Tailor whined about it as she placed it underneath her head. "But there's no birthday cake, thanks to General Handsomest. And no birthday parties." She counted to three in her head, shot up, grabbed the blanket at the back of the couch, and let herself fall again on top of the rug.

Saints, how had she and Genya managed to eat that entire monstrosity?

She threw the blanket over her body and kicked until it covered her feet. Genya clumsily pulled at it so it'd cover her as well.

Alina frowned.

"There's people at parties."

"Yes, Alina." Genya closed her eyes.

Alina's frown deepened, some of the blurriness in her mind clearing.

"People talk at parties."

Genya opened one eye.

"Are you going to get us in trouble?"

Alina, who could barely put the dots together as she thought of how full of cake she was and how funny everything looked from where she was laying on the ground, and how handsome the General was, and how she wanted to kiss him again and slap him for leaving her like that, turned her face towards her friend.

"Only if General Handsome caught us." she said.

Genya sighed.

"Fine. But turn your head to the other side. I don't want your puke in my face."

Giggling at the disgusting image, Alina did as she was told.

Their hands found each other underneath the blanket in a soft hold.

"Happy birthday, Gen." Alina mumbled, the lack of sleep due to her preparations for the afternoon and all the alcohol catching up to her.

"Thank you, Ali."

A/N: Hope you liked it! This is probably the last sweet chapter before things gradually start to get darker *evil laugh*

Click here for chapter IX

[51kas81]

Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus by Spirit

My parents were desperate for me to like classical music, but I just couldn’t buy into the length of the pieces. Then they played me Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber and it was so beautiful, I cried. My school music teacher, Mr Vassal, asked for our favourite composers; I said Samuel Barber and he laughed at me. But eventually everyone caught up.

There was a Beatles versus Stones vibe at school. I was on the Beatles side. The first single I bought was Wild Thing by the Troggs and the first album was Bookends by Simon and Garfunkel. I loved Father and Son by Cat Stevens, because it made me think of me and my dad. My tastes weren’t shocking; they just needed to open up. Then, when I was 17, I went to hospital to have my tonsils out and my brother bought me some records and this mobile turntable in a suitcase.

Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus by Spirit had the most amazing way of manipulating stereo. I was just blown away. I have to thank my brother; he turned me on to Joni Mitchell, Andy Pratt and Little Feat and opened up my boundaries.

Little Brother, Little Sister

My mother, Helen Shingler, was famous during my teens for playing Madame Maigret in a BBC series based on the Georges Simenon stories. My father, Seafield Head, was a producer and director at Verity Films, the documentary film company. Every year, a family friend’s mum would hire this huge barn and put on a play. I had a bit part in The Jackdaw of Rheims. The next year, I got to be the Emperor in The Emperor’s New Clothes. As I walked through the audience, all heads turned towards me and I remember thinking: “This is what I want to do for a living.”

I applied to the National Youth Theatre and the Central School of Speech and Drama, but I didn’t get in, so my father hired me as a runner and assistant editor. Working in the cutting rooms was fascinating. Then I enrolled at The Young Stagers at the Thorndike theatre in Leatherhead, run by this lovely woman called Joan MacAlpine. She directed me in an extraordinary piece called Little Brother, Little Sister, which got me into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. My teacher said: “If anybody can make me cry, I’ll take them to the theatre.” I did my piece again and made her cry.

The Rocky Horror Show

I remember being taken to The Rocky Horror Show on Kings Road when I was at drama school in my late teens. Tim Curry was playing Dr Frank-N-Furter – the role that he repeated in the film. Watching The Rocky Horror Show ignited something in my core. I knew I had acting in my blood because of my mother. Now I couldn’t wait to finish drama school and try to make it in the real world.

I finally got to play Dr Frank-N-Furter when The Rocky Horror Show came to the Piccadilly theatre in 1990. The exciting thing about acting is that you shouldn’t know what’s coming out of the actor’s mouth next – and I didn’t hold back. I just let whatever was going on inside of me come out in the character. That was life-changing for me as an actor. It made me realise that there’s nowhere that you can’t go.

Friends would come to see me perform and later say that they hardly recognised me, I was so out of character. As an actor, that’s a huge compliment.

Judi Dench

Judi Dench and Maurice Denham in 1966’s Talking to a Stranger. Photograph: Everett Collection/Alamy

One of Judi Dench’s early roles was this show on BBC Two called Talking to a Stranger, with Michael Bryant, Maurice Denham and Margery Mason. It’s about this family who are at odds with each other. Each of the four parts focuses on one family member’s view of what is going on around them. I thought it was beautiful, amazing and absolutely genius and I just fell in love with Judi. I thought that she was the most amazing actress – and still do. Judi taught me that acting can be at its best when it is very subtly underplayed. The core of believing an actor is buying into the fact that they’re not acting.

I got to play the rather unpleasant suitor of one of her on-screen daughters in Love in a Cold Climate on the BBC in the early 00s. I’m sure I must have said to Judi: ‘I think you’re so wonderful.’ Actors need appreciation and recognition. I suppose for me that will always be for Buffy, because Buffy was so different and so pivotal for its time. The episode called The Body, where Buffy’s mum dies, is the most extraordinary piece of writing and misdirection. I’m very grateful to have done so many evocative things that so many people have latched on to.

Paul Newman

Robert Redford and Paul Newman in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Photograph: Photos 12/Alamy

I love Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Each act is so brilliantly put together; it’s a stunning piece of writing. Both Robert Redford and Paul Newman are phenomenal, but Newman especially I’ve always loved, because he’s so believable that he instantly transports you into the story. I also loved Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West, in which he plays the baddie, which is unusual.

I often get cast as baddies. I don’t know why. I play Rupert Mannion on [the Apple TV+ sitcom] Ted Lasso. He’s a particularly unpleasant character and a complete narcissist, but you know where he’s coming from. To make somebody believable, you have to see their point of view. You don’t need to like them, but you have to be on board with what’s driving them.

I’m also in an episode of the new series of Back with David Mitchell and Robert Webb. I get to play a totally self-absorbed character called Charismatic Mike, who was great fun to play. It’s always been my theory that actors are hugely insecure, which is why we love dressing up and being someone else, because we don’t have to be in our own heads and bodies. Then we can express things that we may feel deep down and blame it on the character.

Lord of the Flies

At drama school, I really liked the people on the stage-managing course who were studying things like costume, lighting and prop-making. People used to say: you have to behave like a star to be thought of as a star. So, traditionally, a lot of actors take stage managers for granted.

I get very cross with actors who just throw their clothes on the floor. I said to one actor recently: “Costume are here before you, setting up your clothes, and they’re here after you’ve gone. Pick up your clothes, put them on a hanger in your cupboard. It’s not a big deal.” Teamwork is important.

At school, one of the books that blew me away was Lord of the Flies. It’s also about teamwork and not necessarily someone standing in front becoming the leader. In your teens, the world is yours to do what you want with. As you grow up, you realise you’re just part of something much bigger. Now more than ever, life should be about teamwork and for the cause of the greater good.

School’s Out Forever is available on digital from 15 February and DVD and Blu-ray from 12 April

[shedreamsofstars]

the leaves are falling, and my love so are we

Amy has invited Sonic, Silver and Blaze on a mountain hike. Even though not everyone knows or even remembers that it's technically a double date, nothing stops the four of them from enjoying a day in each other's company, and even falling a little more in love with each other. Written for Sonamy / Silvaze Week 2020

... xxx ...

"Amy, I thought this hike was supposed to be a group thing," Sonic said sullenly, stretching his arms above his head as he leaned against the fence. His breath frosted ahead of him in a misty cloud of white, vanishing almost as soon as it appeared.

Autumn was in full swing, and that meant that the chill in the air was here to stay. The blue hedgehog had forgone a coat and hat in favour of a simple black scarf he'd found balled up in the back of his wardrobe, but as burst of wind whistled by, Sonic was starting to regret his decision a little.

"It is," Amy insisted. She'd clearly gotten the right idea, standing beside him bundled up in pastel shades of wool. She looked perfectly cosy and warm – not that he had any plans to find out if she actually was.

Sonic bounced awkwardly on the balls of his feet, his eyes flashing to the only other people in the area, Silver and Blaze. They were also dressed for the weather, and for a brief moment Sonic wondered if anyone would notice if he ran home quickly before deciding against it.

He was fast, but not that fast.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a frown, attempting to tighten his scarf to keep the chill out. "Because, this kinda seems like some sorta two timing date thing. Shouldn't there be more people here of something?"

"It's called a double date, and yes I am sure. Besides, do you really think I can trick you into a date so easily."

"Yes, absolutely. I do think so," Sonic deadpanned, grinning as the girl pouted at him. "Okay, fine. I'll believe you … even if it is kinda suspicious."

Amy gave him a smug smile and he was tempted to roll his eyes at her. Instead, he pushed off the fence and zipped over to the other two members of their party. "Have you guys been up this way before?"

"No," Blaze replied, rubbing her gloved hands together. "At least … I haven't." She turned expectantly to Silver who also shook his head.

"Me neither. Not in this world at least."

"Alright. Looks like we got two newbies on our hands, Ames," he said, glancing over his shoulder to see Amy slowly making her way over.

"This trail is really very pretty this time of year so you're both going to love it!" she said, barely containing her excitement as she joined them. "Shall we set off?"

Sonic gave her a curt nod, the others agreeing in tandem.

"Great! This is going to be so much fun."

Even without looking at her, the blue hedgehog knew that she was smiling as she spoke, her boots softly thudding against the ground as she began to lead them up the mountainous area.

Blaze was up ahead with the pink hedgehog with Silver following a little behind them, stopping occasionally to pick up fallen autumn memorabilia. Sonic followed at the rear of the pack, and even he found it amusing that despite his need for speed, he was quite content and curious enough to slow down every once in a while.

"You've probably been here hundreds of times, right?" Silver said, and Sonic looked up to see that the boy had slowed down enough to match pace with him. He hadn't noticed it before, but there was a tenseness in the other hedgehog's posture that he hadn't noticed earlier.

"I think I lost count somewhere after three-hundred and ninety-four," Sonic joked, smiling as his friend's shoulders relaxed a little bit. "You nervous or something buddy?" he asked, wondering if Amy had been as vague about the nature of today's hike with everyone and not just him.

"Oh," he said, looking a little alarmed at being found out. "It's nothing, really," he said quietly, refusing to meet Sonic's questioning gaze. The blue hedgehog was suspicious to say the least, but he let the comment slide for now.

He didn't want to push the hedgehog into something he wasn't ready to talk about, besides, the walk was long enough for everyone to relax enough that he might just share on his own accord.

"Aright, bud," he replied before clapping him on the back. "We're starting to lose the girls, you wanna race?"

Silver grinned in response.

...xxx...

"We don't have very many of this type in Sol," Blaze said, pointing towards a tree growing just off the path with leaves that jutted out in six directions - two at the top and two on either side. "I think I remember there being some in the Northern regions, but I don't remember what they're called."

"We have plenty of these around here," Amy said, although a light frown settled over her usually perky features as she drew to a halt and placed a single hand on the rough bark of the tree. "I don't remember what they're called though…" she mused, throwing a look over Blaze's shoulder to where the boys were ambling towards them.

"Hey Sonic, do you know the name of this tree?"

Blaze turned just in time to see the blue hedgehog shaking his head and Silver rushing up behind him. If she didn't know any better, then she would have assumed the two of them were attempting some sort of a race. Except she did know better, and Silver wasn't dumb enough to challenge the fastest thing alive.

Either way, it didn't escape her notice that the lighter hedgehog was flushed as they joined them.

"Not a clue. You got any ideas?" he said to the boy beside him.

Her gaze fell to Silver once more as he stooped to pick up one of the fallen leaves, holding it up to the light. "It's a tulip tree," he announced proudly. "I read about these just recently actually. I remember it because the illustration of the leaves reminded me of you Blaze," he said, glancing up to meet her gaze.

Blaze felt heat rush to her cheeks as he moved the hand with the leaf in front of him, his amber eyes flicking from the mottled leaf to her face as he tested his own theory. Amy popped up beside him and narrowed her eyes.

"He's kind of right you know. If I squint like this," she said, doing just that. "It really does look like your silhouette."

"You're both being ridiculous," Blaze said breathily, turning away from them deliberately. "People don't look like leaves," she murmured, unable to shake the way Silver had studied her just a few moments earlier.

She glanced up the path, noticing that it was getting narrower and steeper. It had seemed earlier that they would be taking a route the meandered around the base of the mountain, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Where did you say this route led again?" she asked, surprised to see the Sonic was now beside her and leading the way ahead.

"Can't tell you that," he said smoothly. "That'd ruin the whole surprise."

"I can still appreciate something, even if I know to expect it," she explained.

"Sure you can, but – watch your step," he said, hopping effortlessly over a log that Blaze only noticed at the last moment. "Not knowing is its own kind of adventure, don't you think?" he finished.

Blaze followed after him silently, wondering if perhaps he was right. Silver almost never seemed to have anything planned out, at least never in the same excruciating detail she did, and he always seemed to be having a good time no matter what he did.

"I suppose you're right," she admitted after a few long minutes of silence.

"I always am," Sonic said cockily, stopping only long enough to call out to the two stragglers behind them. "Hurry it up slow coaches. I just saw a snail shoot past us."

...xxx...

The walk up the mountain was tiring to say the least, but Amy was enjoying herself immensely. Not only was she getting the chance to spend time with two friends she didn't get to see often, but she also got the entire day with Sonic the Hedgehog, her most favourite person in the world.

In fact she was enjoying herself so much that she actually felt a wave of disappointment when she realised they'd reached the clearing that marked the half-way point. It meant that their day together was started to reach its peak, and that put a time limit on her remaining hours with the people around her.

She put on a bright smile and tried to put the thought out of her head as she approached Silver. The group had taken a five-minute break to hydrate and catch their breaths, and the white hedgehog was currently sat on a large tree stump.

Several pinecones and acorns that he'd collected on the way up floated around in front of him in a teal haze, and he dropped them into his hands as he saw Amy approaching. He shuffled over to make room for her with a smile that almost seemed as forced as her own.

"So," she said as she dropped down beside him. "How's your date with Blaze going?"

"Oh, I think Blaze is having a grea- wait, what do you mean date?" he said looking slightly alarmed.

"Silver …" Amy said, levelling him an incredulous questioning look. "You can't be serious right? I told you today was a date."

Silver swallowed nervously before nodding as if he had just remembered that particular piece of information. His gaze flitted across the clearing to where Blaze was kneeling on the ground, rifling gingerly through a pile of leaves with a look of pure concentration.

"That explains that," he mused softly, looking much more at ease than he had just moments before. "Wait, does … does she know it's a date?" he asked, seeming almost scared of the response he might get.

"Of course she does silly. You're clearly the only oblivious one here," Amy joked, nudging the boy beside her.

"Hmm," he mulled softly, dragging his gaze to the floor with a frown before lifting it up again. "I should go and see what she's doing," he mumbled more to himself as he stood and headed towards the purple cat as Amy ushered him along.

"So … this is a date then," a voice purred from behind her and the pink hedgehog froze in alarm.

Shoot. Of course she hadn't heard him approach.

Amy blew out a frustrated puff of air before slowly turning her head to see Sonic standing behind her, watching her through a narrowed gaze that did nothing to hide the wildness in his green eyes.

"Because I'm pretty sure I remember a certain someone telling me it definitely wasn't a double date."

Amy flashed a glance towards Silver, waiting until he was a little further away before tugging Sonic down beside her. He landed clumsily, clearly not expecting her to man handle him like that, but he caught himself before he fell right off the edge of the stump.

"It's not … at least, not really," she said, realising as soon as she said it that it wasn't much of an explanation at all.

"What does that even mean?" he said, looking thoroughly confused.

"Well, you know that Blaze and Silver are dating, right."

"No, I didn't actually," he said, his brows shooting upwards as he glanced towards them. Silver had kneeled down besides the girl and Sonic couldn't help but feel a pulse of pride that the two of them had been brave enough to follow their hearts.

"They have been for a while," she said with a shake of her head. "Of course you'd be dense enough to miss it." There was no venom to her words, only a warm acknowledgement, and Sonic gave her a lopsided grin in response.

"You love that about me," he scoffed, and Amy refused to acknowledge the remark or how it threatened to make her head spin in delight.

"They've been together forever, but they've never been on an official date so I thought it would be nice if they had it here with us. Things are always easier when there's more of you."

"Amy, you know that's not true for everyone right," he said. "Some people prefer their dates to be a little more private."

"I know that, but you've seen them," Amy said exasperatedly. "At least with a double date, we can help push them together."

"That sounds suspiciously like meddling to me."

"It's not!" she said defensively. "Besides, Blaze only agreed to go if it was a double date so, technically it's not even my doing."

Sonic's gaze flicked back to the couple by the leaves and understanding seemed to cross his feature.

"I think I get it now," he said slowly. "It's like a safety blanket thing, right. I guess it's kinda hard to be nervous when your best friend is beside you bouncing on her heels with excitement the whole time."

"Hey," Amy said in mock hurt and Sonic only chuckled in response.

...xxx...

Silver's mind was racing with thoughts as he made his way across the soft ground towards Blaze. When he'd gotten the text from Amy, it had definitely mentioned that today was supposed to be a date, but he supposed he'd been pretty oblivious to the meaning behind that.

He'd just automatically assumed it would be a friend thing, but he'd been nervous from the moment they'd arrived, feeling like he'd forgotten something important.

Amy had cleared that up pretty quickly, but the worry had vanished only to be replaced by a new sort. Did Blaze know today was a date, or was she going about today almost as oblivious as he had been until it had been spelled out for him in black and white.

This was a date.

She didn't notice him at first, at least not until he'd crouched down across from her. And even then she barely registered his presence as she sifted through the pile of leaves in front of her.

"You're looking through that leaf pile pretty intensely," he said, knowing the exact moment his voice filtered through her focus. She startled and looked up, her eyes wide and bright as she caught sight of him.

"I'm sorry Silver. I didn't mean to ignore you."

"I know," he said kindly. "You were pretty lost in concentration, but … what are you doing?"

"Oh, this," she said, a small smile finding its way onto her lips as Silver ruffled the dry leaves between them. It widened as he threw a handful into the air between them.

As mesmerising as the view of the gold and auburn leaves floating to the ground was, the sight of Blaze watching them with that transfixed gaze of hers was infinitely better he decided.

"I was trying to find one that wasn't too damaged or wind-eaten," she admitted once the final leaf had fallen back to the ground.

"Want me to help?"

She nodded and the two got to work shuffling through the various types that had been heaped together. "So, what do you want it for?" he asked as he searched.

"A … memento of sorts, I suppose," she replied, her eyes glued to her fingers as she discarded a few leaves she didn't like the look of. Silver was quiet, knowing that she'd recognise his silence as a cue to explain further. "I'd like something to remember our first proper date by, and a leaf seems just as good as anything."

"So you did know it was date," he murmured in relief, although his words were so soft she didn't catch them.

"What was that?" she asked, her golden gaze flitting up to catch his for a single glance before dropping back down to where her hands sifted the crackling leaves.

"I was just saying that it's a nice idea," he said, his fingers brushing against a large golden leaf bleeding through with shots of green and red. "This one's pretty interesting looking," he said, holding it up for his girlfriend to see.

Blaze cocked her head to the side, reaching out a single finger to trace the single vein of green before nodding. "I like this one," she said softly. "I like it even better that you found it, actually," she admitted, and Silver felt his stomach flutter at her words.

Blaze was pretty straightforward about a lot of things, but it was rare for her to be straightforward about the way she felt. So the fact that she hadn't even hesitated to tell him that had a warm heat rushing to his face.

"You two done over there," Sonic called from behind him somewhere.

"We're done," Blaze replied, taking the leaf from Silver and standing to brush the dirt off her legs. Silver did the same before giving Blaze a slight dip of the head to let her know he was ready.

He couldn't help but notice that the purple cat clutched her new leaf tightly as they joined the others to continue their trek up the mountain.

...xxx...

Sonic was the first to catch the sound of running water in the distance, and it took a severe amount of self-restraint to keep from rushing on ahead. He was supposed to stick with the others, and so he forced his feet to slow and one by one, the others overtook him.

Or at least, all but one.

Whilst Silver and Blaze shuffled on ahead, Amy hovered beside him with a concerned frown. "Are you okay Sonic? You're never usually this …" She paused as she mulled over the correct term. "… slow."

Sonic cracked a smile. "I know, but if I speed up then I won't be slowing down any time soon. And I'm pretty sure you need me to stick around for this whole thing, right?"

Amy nodded, her face softening. "Thank you Sonic."

"Ah, it's nothing," he mumbled, forcing his gaze ahead of them as Silver and Blaze rounded the bend. "And, three … two … one." Sonic snapped his fingers right at the moment Silver let out a cry of delight from the front and he turned to give Amy a knowing smirk.

"There's a waterfall all the way up here!"

It only took a second before Sonic and Amy joined the other two who had paused in their tracks. The trail ahead rounded out at a dead end, but beyond the fence that marked the trail was where the true reason for their hike lay.

A serene waterfall cascaded down from high in the mountains, the water falling steadily only to crash into a frothing pool at its base. It wasn't long before all four of them were pressed up against the fence and gazing at the precarious waters below.

The waterfall fed into a river that flowed down the opposite side of the mountain, and no matter how many treks he'd made, Sonic was still a little disappointed that he'd never managed to find the source.

"So ... what kind of surprise would you call this one, Blaze?" Sonic said, stepping back a little when water sprayed against his muzzle. As much as he liked the view, he still didn't like the idea of being too close to water.

"I would say this is definitely a good kind," she responded, and Sonic couldn't help but notice the intimate look she flashed at Silver, or the way the other hedgehog's hands were protectively wrapped around her waist as if to keep her from leaning in too close.

He turned to ask Amy what she thought of the view, but when he turned to his side he found that she had disappeared. For a split second, Sonic's heart was in his mouth as his mind considered the possibility that she'd fallen over into the water below.

But a crunch of a twig somewhere behind him brought him back to his senses and he spotted her a few steps behind, gazing wistfully up at the lip of the water above.

"What're you thinking about Ames?" he said as he joined her.

"Oh nothing," she said, dropping her gaze to meet his. "I was just trying to memorise the moment I guess. It's not often I get to come up here, and with you in tow too," she added with a smile.

Sonic shrugged in agreement. He really didn't get to spend much time with her, especially now that they were older. Maybe he needed to rectify that in the future.

"There's an easier way to remember things, you know?" he said, reaching into his pocket. "Hey Silver, catch!" he called, tossing his phone across to the other hedgehog.

Anyone else would have missed and let the phone tumble over the edge, but Silver's powers shot into effect immediately and he guided the phone into his outstretched fingers with ease.

He flashed Sonic a confused look.

"Can you snap a picture of us here?" Sonic asked, grabbing Amy's arm and guiding her closer to the waterfall. Her eyes went wide as he slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side with a wide smile.

"Sure," Silver replied before pausing a beat. "Um … Amy, are you gonna look at the camera?"

"Oh … sorry," Amy mumbled from beside him, and Sonic chuckled to himself as he realised she'd been staring at him that whole time.

The phone camera flashed three times consecutively, and at one point Sonic snuck a glance to his side under the guise of fixing his scarf, before Silver lowered the phone with a frown.

"Is it done?" the white hedgehog asked, voice laced with confusion and an expression to match.

"Let me check," Sonic said as he let his arms slip off of Amy. "Thanks bud," he said as he reached Silver and accepted his phone, showing the other boy how to check the gallery for the recent photos.

He didn't dare glance in Amy's direction until he was done, but by that time she was lost in conversation with Blaze and he'd already lost his hold on any words he might have wanted to say to her anyway.

...xxx...

Lunch was a simple meal of sandwiches and granola bars downed with water. No one had been excited at the prospect of carrying too much so they'd all packed pretty light. Amy had been pretty vague on the details, so he and Blaze hadn't even been sure how long they'd be out for.

The walk up the trail had been intriguing enough, that Silver hadn't even noticed he was ravenous until he took the first bite of his sandwich sitting cross legged on the ground beside Blaze.

It was like shattering a glass bottle and releasing his hunger from its prison as suddenly his stomach grumbled loudly in protest of the lack of sustenance, audible even over the noise of the water crashing down behind him.

"Sorry," he said to no one in particular, his mouth still full of food as he took another bite to sate himself. He caught Blaze watching him from his side, her gaze flitting away to her own food when he noticed.

He smiled into his sandwich, wondering when she'd just let herself openly look at him whenever she wanted. It wasn't as if he minded. Not if it was her at least.

He jolted in surprise as something warm touched his free hand, the one resting on the ground beside him. He glanced down to see the purple cat's hand hovering next to his own and realised that she must have knocked him by accident.

Unless …

Still staring straight ahead and, taking a bite of his sandwich for good measure, Silver stretched out his pinkie finger until it collided against the edge of Blaze's hand. He considered pulling it back, but before he could, the cat had shifted her own so that it was suddenly tangled with his.

Silver swallowed nervously, his gaze flitting between the two hedgehogs sat across from him but neither of them seemed to have noticed anything.

It was the slightest of contact, his smallest finger hooked innocuously to Blaze's, but already Silver could feel her head radiating through him. She was always warm, likely due to her flames, whereas more often than not his own hands were ice cold.

When he'd mentioned that those two things meant they were destined to be together, she had rolled her eyes affectionately, but he couldn't help but think it again now as her warmth flooded through him.

They remained that way for the duration of their small lunches, even as Amy handed out jam tarts that she'd made the night before for dessert. Throughout all of it, neither Amy nor Sonic made any comment on their linked hands.

Maybe they just assumed it was normal for them or something, but Silver was thankful regardless. He was a little regretful when it came time to begin the trek back down and Blaze removed her finger to collect her belongings, clutching at her leaf once more.

As the group made their way back down the mountain, Silver found himself missing Blaze even though she was stood right beside him. He knew that he needed to touch her, to remind himself that she was right there, but he was reluctant to admit it to her.

This was a date and they both knew it. Silver held her hand all the time. So why then did the first fact make him so nervous about the second?

His brows dipped as he contemplated his dilemma, and it didn't take her long to notice and call his name softly enough that the other two walking ahead wouldn't notice. "Is everything okay?" she asked, voice hushed but full of concern.

"Yeah," he said quickly. "Actually, do you mind if …" he trailed off, his fingers flexing nervously at his side as he realised he couldn't go through with his original request. "Your leaf, you want me to look after it for you?"

"Oh," Blaze said, looking at little surprised. "Please do," she said, holding out the leaf she had been twirling in her fingers. He took it gently and smiled.

"You should hold it in your other hand," she commented, and Silver did, a little confused as to how it made any difference until he felt Blaze's arm link with his and her body press closer to him as she slid her hand down his arm and into his

Silver caught her eye and she kept her smile steady. How did she always know exactly what he wanted even when he said nothing? It didn't really matter if he was honest, having her around was more than enough.

"Thank you," he whispered, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. She returned the favour without hesitation.

...xxx...

Amy's heart was so full as she finally reached her garden gate at the end of the day, waving off the others as they headed to their respective homes and times. She'd had an incredible day, and she only hoped the others would say the same thing.

They'd made it down the mountain just before the sun began to set, so by the time she sat down on her doorstep, she could see her garden burn in beautiful deep colours in the glow of the fast disappearing sun.

She didn't want to go inside just yet, and she knew it was stupid, but it almost felt like she could make the memory of the day last longer the more she lingered out here.

Going inside and sheltering from the chilly air she'd spent the days company in felt like finally deciding that it was over and done, and she wanted to make today last as long as possible.

Picking up her phone, she quickly sent everyone messages to thank them for their company and to check that they'd all gotten home safely before placing it face down on the ground beside her.

She watched quietly as the sun dipped down in the horizon, its soft glow replaced by the equally soft glow of the moon that bathed her view in ivory. A moth fluttered nearby, attracted by the light of her phone screen as she checked her messages to see replies from both Silver and Blaze.

She missed them already, but they'd promised to be back soon, so she refused to hold it against them. Especially after she'd caught them clinging to each other more and more as the day went on.

That sight alone had made her romantic heart sing with joy.

She had expected to have to intervene more, despite Sonic's warning on meddling, but as it happened, she hadn't had to do anything at all. The two of them managed just find on their own.

Shivering a little from the cold, she stood, fully ready to head inside when her phone buzzed once more in her hands. She lifted it up to see who had messaged her, and the butterflies in her chest soared at the name of the sender.

Sonic.

She unlocked it quickly, opening the message.

S: just made it home S: today was fun

Amy shook her head at his response, an involuntary smile lifting her lips.

Despite being the speediest of the bunch, of course Sonic was the last one to make it home. She had no doubt he had made several detours along the way, but the thought only made her smile widen.

She was about to put her phone away when it buzzed again and she saw a picture flash up in the chat, one that made her sink back down onto the doorstep in surprise.

Sonic had sent her a photo of the two of them, the very one that Silver had taken that day by the waterfall. Amy's face in the picture was so pink that she looked like she'd smeared berry juice all over her face, but it wasn't herself she was drawn to.

No.

She had been too concerned with the unexpectedness of it all at the time that she hadn't noticed Sonic at all. She had the vague memory of him snickering beside her once Silver had her attention, but she'd had no idea that he'd been looking at her whilst the photo was being taken.

And like … that.

Like she was the only thing worth looking at, even with the wonderous waterfall falling in a sparkling rainbow of light behind them.

Before she could dwell too hard on it, Amy send back two hearts.

His reply was instant.

S: speechless huh. you can't think of a single word?

A: I'm sure I can think of at least one.

Amy replied, unable to back down from a challenge. She bit her bottom lip, wondering if there was actually any word that could truly encompass how wonderful the day had been despite it not being an actual date.

She bit back a giggle as Sonic replied with a series of impatient replies, each one less coherent than the last. Making him wait just as long as it took for her to set the photo of the two of them as her phone background, Amy finally succumbed to his pleads and hit send.

A: Magical.

...xxx...

and scene. did i attempt to mash up almost every single prompt into one fic because i have no time or am i just lazy. yes and also yes.

i hope you all had a great sonamy/silvaze week! i'm slowly catching up on some of the stuff created and i've already seen some amazing work! there's so many talented people in the sonic community, i feel blessed.

this had so many pov jumps that i might have confused myself a little whilst writing lol. if the transitions are terrible, my bad (it's all a learning curve right?) i hope you enjoyed it for what it was meant to be. i know i had a great time writing some of the interactions, especially between the characters who don't meet often.

thanks so much for reading! let me know your thoughts if you have a moment 😊

[oftenderweapons]

Introducing: the Girlfriend — Giggles

Hello bumblebees!

Since the girlfriends will feature as original characters in some of the pieces I’ve planned, in this small serie you will find some general information about the girls, presented with their aesthetics. Here you will find Hobi’s Giggles. NSFW content is featured.

You can find more of her and the other girls here.

And here is my masterlist

Giggles is the cutest little potato. That could be all. However, I'm gonna elaborate.

I think she's a couple years younger than Hoseok, or maybe the same age. She is medium tall (slightly smaller than him, but barely) and quite thin. Her body is lithe and stretchable — she does yoga — but quite curveless, however this is not an issue to Hoseok. He loves her small, girly physique. In terms of nationality, she could be Korean, but her parents might be foreigners: I see her being pretty pale and a natural readhead.

She is a vet; Hoseok met during an emergency with Mickey and after that she was stuck in his mind. Though economically independent, she can’t afford a comfy apartment in the city, that’s why she lives squished in a small three-room apartment; still, she doesn’t mind since cleaning up takes less time and the tiny den seems fitting for her being a tiny human. The only problem with her apartment is that she can't keep any pet, however she wishes she had a cute, fluffy, big cat. She likes thrift-shopping, coloured things and animals. She’s really gentle and has a sparkly, although introverted personality. She’s basically the stereotype of a Hufflepuff.

This girlie is soft, she has the quirkiest sense of fashion and she often wears children clothes since her size is THAT small. Of course Hoseok jokes about it, but secretly he loves it: whenever she gets into his clothes, she looks extra small and he needs to snuggle her like his favourite teddy bear. Yes, she might be in her twenties, no, do not take her Winnie the Pooh onesie away from her. She still watches cartoons (attentively) and enjoys spending her evenings in front of the TV with a Disney or a Studio Ghibli movie.

Nature makes her happy. Hoseok likes making her giggle and smile, therefore he likes doing whatever she likes. He takes her out on picnics, or to pick cherries and strawberries.

She likes animals so whenever she spots a cute pet, Hoseok is more than glad to ask their owner if she can pet them. When she spots a kitty out of her reach she pouts and goes all big, sparkly, sad eyes; of course Hoseok can't stand that and he has often picked her up so she could reach for the kitty and pet it.

She loves cherries and strawberries a whole lot. She might be a vegetarian and her diet is mostly made of fruit and several types of tea and herbal tea. She is addicted to cornflakes and milk.

Publicly, Giggles and Hoseok hold hands a lot, with Hoseok tugging at her hand to pull her into him when he wants her close. Normally you would simply see them trotting like two excited puppies when going on dates, while during official public appearances he would simply catwalk like a model while she ethereally strolls behind him. I see her dressed in lots of chiffon and light, airy fabric, making her look like a fairy floating around him like a spirit of the woods.

Giggles is delicate both emotionally and physically. She hasn’t had meaningful relationships before, only dates and small flings with maybe three or four partners, one of which might have been a friend with benefits, maybe. Her flings were usually calm and quiet, mostly vanilla, and normally they ended because of a lack of chemistry and because those people couldn’t make her feel comfortable enough to let her inner freak out, or simply turned down her propositions to explore and venture into more daring activities. With Hoseok it immediately turns out that they have an excellent connection, his bubbly and sparkly personality meeting her childlike side, but at the same time, his darker, demanding and open-minded persona immediately answering her needs for sexual exploration. Their bodies seem to know each other instinctively from their very first encounter and this kind of “perfect match” based on physicality brings them closer and closer to each other, but also helps them use sex and their bodies to explore each other’s minds. With Hoseok, Giggles gradually discovers several degrees of submission as they both venture into the mechanisms and techniques of BDSM. This shared exploration is the glue of their relationship, but it also creates an intimacy so deep that they manage to completely remove shame from their bond. Hoseok can be ruthless in bed, however Giggles’ girlish nature hides a spine of steel that comes out while undergoing tougher, harsher scenes; still she prefers Hoseok to fondle her verbally and emotionally as he delivers the most vicious treatments. Giggles and Hoseok took a bondage course after both of them discovered a certain interest for this discipline. She is excellent at it: Hoseok trusts her blindly and she is generally more wicked in her use of the lessons; on the other hand, Hoseok uses ropes and knots more often but more gently, paying extra attention to Giggles’ skinny, delicate physique.

In terms of sex positions, Hoseok likes changing a lot. During a round he can go through two or three positions, which sometimes extenuates Giggles. His most recurrent positions are missionary with her legs on his shoulders, doggy, and spoons with her laying on her front; occasionally he might fuck her while standing, hooking one of her legs around his waist, or also making her lay down on her side and lifting her free leg up, pressing it to his chest while he straddles her lower leg and enters her — we all know he can handle the most unbelievable positions and those hips can be pretty cruel with deep strokes and hard and fast thrusts. He is more than willing to make up for his restlessness by pleasing her, especially with his fingers — he can make her squirt easily and likes doing so very often. She is also extremely ticklish: torturing her with ticklers, feathers and fur gloves is a huge turn on for him, however he rewards her plenty with several sessions of oral sex.

Hoseok in bed can be very demanding, both physically and spiritually, therefore she often prefers to be allowed some space during aftercare. He understands and follows her will, quietly leaving for a few minutes to let her calm herself, check the results of their session and clean up. It usually doesn’t take long before she calls for him or actively looks for him, asking him to massage her sore body, or to apply lotion over her skin. Normally, if they engage in a scene before going to sleep, he makes sure she takes mild herbal sleeping pills and water to relax before sleep, to avoid her gritting her teeth in her sleep and having small twitches because of the physical effort, or waking up with painful cramps — after all she is a delicate creature. She prefers having him by her side after making love: he likes showering with her, washing her hair and drying it afterward. Generally he likes cuddles after domming, since he feels vulnerable and he needs to know that he didn’t go too far. He also needs to be reassured with love affirmations, especially since during punishments and certain kinds of (so to say) torture — like sensation play, edging and overstimulation — Giggles might say hurtful things or might have unpleasant reactions such as biting, scratching, trying to escape or in some extreme cases, crying.

During the day or when chilling on the sofa, Giggles likes cuddles. Hoseok often squishes her cheeks and kisses her nose. His most frequent form of cuddles is playing with her hair or nuzzling into it while spooning her. Her hair always smells like flowers. Hoseok lives that. He gives her loads of small kisses, especially on her cheeks, sometimes biting into them since they’re the roundest part of her face. She might have cute, hamster cheeks. Hoseok’s favourite cuddles are her hands in his hair, combing it or massaging his scalp while he rests his head on her stomach or lap. They give each other a lot of kisses — more like playful smooches.

They don’t have a favourite sleeping position, Hoseok is too impatient and shifts a lot in his sleep so he falls asleep as he feels like doing. Normally they sleep simply next to each other: Giggles likes falling asleep while he spoons her and normally she falls asleep first, while Hoseok moves away once she is soundly asleep.

Overall, Giggles is a cute and delicate creature, a gentle soul who is fond of animals and nature; still, she has a kinkier side that matches Hoseok’s experimental one: their bubbly personalities, instinctual communication and sexual needs match perfectly, creating a strong and well-balanced couple.