#lovely beekeeper dragon

[its-leethee]

--Tales of Xadia, p. 35

oh what's this? a ToX story that features codes and ciphers

for meeee?

[lostintransist]

Secrets Are For Grown Ups | Part 5

Part 1 can be found here.

CW: Big emotions™, slight confrontation of bad parenting but vague. LMK if I missed anything.

Shout out to @xbirdiex, I do agree that Simon is at beekeeping age.

John nearly walked into you when he stepped from the spare room.

“Heading to talk to Johnny and Simon. I’ll probably spend the rest of the day with them.” He studies your concerned face, hands wringing your keys between your fingers. “I will text when I will be back so you know whether to lock the door or not.”

“Thanks, John. And thank you again for coming so fast.” You scrunch your nose and swallow as if fighting back the idea of tears.

Nodding once he gestures for you to lead the way down the stairs to the front door. John is sure to pull open the door from behind you and walk you to your car, waving you off as you disappear from sight. He enjoys the short walk between your home and his men’s.

John preferred having a plan. That is how he kept people safe for as long as he had. He still regretted the loss of Johnny’s leg as a personal failure. He had come in part to check in on his men. Despite the discharges they both still belonged to him. He had shed to much snot, blood, tears, and sweat for them to not be his. He had no plan here. It sat uncomfortably close to the growing knowledge that something had happened right under his nose.

Simon answers when John knocks. This layout of a home is quite different than yours. The front door here opens to a split in the stairs, the left side heading up and the right side heading down. Johnny stands at the top of the stairs, a warm smile on his face, he greets you first.

“Come in Cap. Let me show you around.”

Clapping Simon on the arm John steps around the broad man to head up the stairs.

“Si, are you heading back to your cave?”

Halfway up the stairs, John turns back to see Simon roll his eyes.

“Not a cave, but yes,” he bounces down the steps to the basement, turning left before the soft click of a shutting door drifts up to them.

Johnny rolls his eyes, “It’s a cave but he likes it. Thanks for coming Cap.”

The men embrace, only love and respect between them.

“I come when called, you know that MacTavish,” John pulls Johnny’s forehead to his own with a hand on the back of the neck. “Why didn’t you call sooner?”

“I barely remember to call my mum, much as she hates it,” Johnny straightened, rubbing a hand down his amputated leg.

John let it go, knowing that the distance of time had not been intentional.

“Why don’t you show me your home then? And tell me what have you been up to since we spoke last?”

The smile that breaks over his face would only ever remind John of Mac, his son. He didn’t say that though, keeping that brand of hurtful joy to himself.

“Home first, as you can see behind you is the living room,” Johnny hooked a thumb over his shoulder, “This is the kitchen. If you come down this way I will show you the rest before we go down to bother Simon.”

There is almost no limp in Johnny’s steps as he leads the way.

“Bathroom, main bedroom, my studio,” Johnny touches each door at the end of the hall. They are close enough to touch two at a time.

“Studio? You been pursuing your art?” John lifts a brow at the prospect. Sargent MacTavish had guarded his sketchbooks fiercer than anything he learned with his clearances.

Hand on the doorknob Johnny threw back a cheeky grin at John.

“I’m a children’s book illustrator now.”

Throwing open the door John followed his man in, eyes drawn to the walls immediately. They were covered in paintings and drawings. Several were covers or pages directly from a children’s book. They contrasted nicely against the dark green paint and the dark wood desk that spanned two walls and a corner of the smallish room. Chaos reigned at the desk, a computer and a black mat, papers half drawn on and colored with pencils strewn across them. One corner away from the chaos a bit sat a small frame. A dragon lay curled around a dinner roll, peering up at the viewer with mournful eyes.

“That was my first commission.” Johnny picks it up, “I wouldn’t have even submitted for it without Simon making me a bet that I wouldn’t.”

John laughed, hands falling to his hips as he did.

“You and Simon were always great at pushing the other’s buttons.”

Johnny smiled ruefully as he set the frame in its place carefully.

“Want to see what I am working on currently?” He glanced at John as he asked.

“I would be happy to see anything you are working on.”

The brilliance of the smile that Johnny gave him had been missing from John’s life for far longer than the man himself had. They wile away a solid amount of time going through Johnny’s works. John can feel nothing but pride swell in his breast.

The knock at the door surprised both Johns. Simon stood in the doorway, kitchen towel rubbing over his hands.

“Lunch is ready. Want to see my bees after lunch?”

Lifting both brows John nods. Bees? Well, who would have thought?

The three of them trail out to the table, set off to the side of the kitchen with a view out the back sliding glass door and into the living room. John dishes himself a chicken breast still steaming in BBQ sauce, a heaping scoop of rice, and a salad to round out the plate.

They reminisced as the food did its job. John even managed to catch Simon with a joke that had him choking and reaching for his glass of water. It had become a personal point of pride to pull a funny over on the man who had dad jokes on lock. John only held the slightest bit of resentment for Simon’s joke after the sarin exposure.

Settling back against the chair with his hands folded over his stomach John watched Simon and Johnny. They were happy. Truly and deeply happy.

“She is willing to talk.”

All the happiness he had watched disappeared behind their soldier faces. The last time he had seen these looks had been that final briefing for the job that took Johnny’s leg.

“When?” Simon fires his question at the table.

“As soon as tomorrow, though it has to be a school day. She wants to discuss everything and lay out some ground rules before you can meet them.”

Glancing from man to man he finds Simon grinding his molars. Man did that even when wearing his Ghost mask, that sound never quite muffled enough to be ignored. Johnny stares at his plate, blood leeching from his knuckles as he grips his fork.

Sitting forward John laces his fingers. Resting his elbows to the table he leans his chin on them.

“She is willing to work with you. Says she has told the boys since birth her late husband was their father but he didn’t help create them.”

“Did she say what her conditions were?” Johnny’s voice is tight as it escapes.

“She didn’t but I imagine that will come up in the chat. I know you haven’t called your mum recently Johnny but she is picking Nyla up from the airport about now.”

John watches, face impassive as Johnny stumbles up from the table. Turning on a heel he flings open the sliding glass door and stomps down the steps into the back garden.

“I would think he would avoid having stairs with his amputation,” John observes casually.

Simon’s eyes stay trained on the door and the distant figure of his husband, shoulders hunched.

“He likes the views here. Said it would be worth tackling the stairs until his good knee goes out,” Simon puts a hand on the back of his chair to stand.

“Let me,” John pushes his plate more to the center of the table. He shuts the sliding glass door behind him as he follows the sounds of weeping.

John watches. He waits to see if Johnny will notice he is not alone as he hunches into the shade of an apple tree. When he doesn’t John steps past him to sit in the grass and lean against the fence.

“Would you like to know what I’ve learned about your boy so far?”

The glare that Johnny levels him would have boiled his brain in his skull. John only blinks and pulls out a cigar from a pocket, lighting it before taking a long drag.

“Noah MacTavish goes by Mac because there are three Noahs in his class including him, was born August 2nd. He and his brother were premature; spent a month in the hospital before coming home. His first word was cheese, though he won’t touch the stuff currently.” John doesn’t look up from the middle distance where he settles his eyes.

Johnny wipes his eyes and settles next to John.

“His favorite colors in order, are green, brown, blue. He loves Minecraft and science. He and his brother have different teachers at school and he can write his name and all of his letters. He is finishing up first grade. He is silly and kind and he reminds me a lot of you.”

Peripheral vision tells John that Johnny is struggling with tears again. Fist to his mouth to hold in the sobs, thighs bunching and relaxing.

“Why did she call my mum?” He finally asks.

“I imagine she created room in their lives for more than just a few fathers. They have three grandmothers beyond Nyla and a plethora of aunts, uncles, and cousins. More love won’t hurt those boys,” John puffs away on his cigar, knowing that they would be banned at your home without having to ask. You always chided him for smoking at all when you delivered him reports.

When John has finished his cigar and Johnny does not seem ready to rise he stamps out the butt on the sole of his shoe and rises.

“I’m going to find Simon.”

Johnny pulls at the grass within reach.

“He will be in his leather working room, down the stairs, first door on the left.” Johnny has been drained of emotion, the lack leaking into his words.

John nodded once, despite knowing Johnny wouldn’t see, and headed into the house. He found Simon exactly where described. In contrast to the deep greens of Johnny’s studio Simon’s room had been bathed in pale yellow, daisies appeared around the border of the room sitting atop the baseboards.

Head held in his hands Simon’s shoulders shuttered. Settling a hand along one shoulder John waited. Breath stilled under his hand before Simon leaned into him, nearly pushing him off balance in his bid for connection.

“Jace Riley is a clever little boy who does not have to fight demons to keep his mother safe. He and his brother were early, arriving on August the second. He loves to play with slime, much to his mother’s dismay. He plays video games and Legos with his brother. They share a room and for all their differences can make the other giggle hard and long, often past bedtime when they try to avoid sleeping.”

Simon tucked his elbows to his thighs, hunching over his arms even as he leaned harder. John moved a hand across the back he touched, offering comfort in the way that had been established between them so long ago.

“He loves trying to make everyone laugh. He is not good at jokes yet but tries anyway. He sleeps with a nightlight to find the bathroom at night, not to chase away monsters under the bed. He will love you when he gets to meet you. You will not be your father or your brother Simon.”

Crying continues for a long while, John rubs his back until all that remains is the aftershocks of emotion rippling through his muscles.

“I heard once that long ago people would tell their secrets to the bees. Why don’t we collect Johnny and give them a visit to tell them some tales?”

Rising Simon crushes his former captain in a hug. John reciprocates, knowing that whether he wanted to be or not, he is the closest thing Simon has to a father.

John herds his men to the car. He follows Simon’s directions to a property nearly an hour outside the city. Flowers carpet the landscape the closer they get to the property. Parking where directed John takes in the swath of natures beauty and the pollinators that drift lazily from bloom to bloom. They spend a long time with the bees. The busy ladies with their gentle buzzing help to center all three men. John fires off a text to you, letting you know he will be home late. On the drive home from the property where Simon houses his bees, the conversation drifts to the goal of meeting the boys.

Ideas are thrown around like what could you want from them, will you use the boys against them like they have seen happen to others. John has no answers to these questions. He has not pried, not wanting to put himself anywhere but neutral in the upcoming talk. Watching Simon reach across the center console for Johnny’s hand pricked at his heart. He had yet to find a lasting love. His first wife left him wary to try again, he was still paying alimony.

At Johnny’s suggestion, they pick up food on the drive home. Happier conversations overtake the melancholy of the day as they eat. John regales the pair of the shenanigans that Gaz and Roach are up to now since he gets a bi-weekly update from them. When dinner is cleaned up Simon chooses a Fast & Furious movie to round out the night. Johnny snuggles into his lover on the couch; John takes the recliner to avoid getting kicked when Johnny invariably stretches out. Their home warmed John, filled with love and their years stolen back from the devil. When he leaves, the husbands wave to him from the door. The deadbolt being sent home accompanies him on the walk back to your door.

Tapping lightly John waits. When you open the door you look up at him, concern plastered across your brows.

“How did it go?”

“Well enough. They will meet with you on Monday.”

You blow out an unsteady breath before nodding.

“Thank you, John. I don’t know how I could have done this without you.”

Dropping a kiss on the top of your head John moves past you to head up the stairs.

“Anything for you dove.”

The floral scent of your shampoo clings to his olfactories, reminding him of the glade him as he settles into bed.

Part 4 | Part 6

Secrets Masterlist | Masterlist

Taglist: @love-kha1 @bdbdhshhs @vmaxis @splaterparty0-0 @momowhoo @talia-the-gemini @redkarmakai @aethelwyneleigh27 @asexualbuthorny @sleep101 @callsignbumblebee @lucienofthelakes

[warmfuzzyanimal]

Not an anon, but as it’s safe to assume you’re a minecraft player- do you have any must-have mods, or are you more of a vanilla person? Also! What’s your favorite creation!

oh my god thank you for this ask- i LOOOVE mods!! modding has and always will be one of my biggest special interests (majorly because i think mods are an art form crafted by a community that collectively loves a game, so how is that not the coolest thing ever???) so i ABSOLUTELY have mods to recommend. for just like. general improvements/additions that i wish were vanilla, not enough animations, waystones, and quark are some of my faves (honorable mention: do a barrel roll. because it makes the elytra flying really cool.) some of my faves that just Lightly add to the vanilla experience are things like... custom player models (be your fursona in minecraft, almost limitless customizable, there's literally taur bases out there to work off of it's so cool, self explanatory)

friends & foes (adds mobs left behind in votes, like mooblooms, glares, beekeeper villagers, copper golems, ect.)

ANIMANIA!!! animania forever and ever. it's stuck in 1.12.2 BUT it adds so many variants to animals (cows, chickens, pigs, ect.) adds NEW animals (hedgehogs, goats, ferrets, frogs, ect.) AND they all have functionality!!! you can make cheeses and other dairy based goodies, make troughs and salt licks to enrich your animals, and just. aahhh! it's such a wonderful mod i literally can not recommend it enough.

annnd the replay mod & camera utils!! for taking pretty screenshots, if that's your sortta thing :] (both of these were taken using the replay mod)

as for like the BIG BIG mods that really change the game, i'm not super well verse in em, but i looove ice and fire for it's dragons / creatures and better end for it's . everything tbh.

AND FOR FAVORITE CREATION,,, that's really hard to chose! i've spent um. an embarrassing amount of time in minecraft, so i'll just. drop a few screencaps of some builds i like.

this also super made me realize i do NOT take enough screenshots of my complete builds oops x__x aGAIN though thank you so much for this ask it 10000% made my morning. i fuckingmg love minecraft.

[imthepunchlord]

Which animals would fit the Creation-Destruction duality better in Miraculous?

Ok this is a little funny as I was just ranting away on Discord about how, through all my research on various animals covering myth, folklore, symbolism, ect.; in comparison to all I found, Ladybug was really kinda boring to pick as an important animal to follow and to be so major in the narrative.

At the core of it, it comes down to love, luck, and divinity (either as God's servant or God's cow). Through divinity you could tie LB to Creation, as God's often a creator, but even then, more often it's more divine intervention that actually creating. So between the two, Ladybug is the easier one to push out as the Miraculous Creator.

There's a few Miraculous in canon that could've worked for Creation.

Bee can easily fit out of the 5.

Bees are heavily tied to life. They help plants grow and thrive, which in turn helps with our survival, they build up their hive and community, and create honey that has healing qualities. Why, in Greek myth, honey is tied to Ambrosia, the nectar of the gods. And while bees are tied to order, they're also known to be adaptable. Alongside cats, bees are one of the animals that recognize there's a gain to working with humans (I believe they're the only animal that will straight up unionize if with an unfit beekeeper, straight up leaving them to go elsewhere).

Bees are also tied to the artistic side of creation, not just builders and crafting honey, but through their ties to Apollo, specifically the music aspect of him, where you have bees that hum and they waggle (dance). Creation you can also tie to interconnection with life that bees also echo, their whole thing is about being a big community that works together; they're also thought to be tied to the souls of the deceased, in Greece bees are thought to escort souls to the afterlife (and have made beehive tombs), and in Celtic culture, I've read they'll tell bees about their day and bees will deliver messages to passed on loved ones to keep them updated.

Bee probably really is my top pick for the alternative for Creation, cause so much clicks, so canon's direction with it made me very disappointed.

Of the Zodiac, that's Dragon and Rabbit.

The Chinese dragon is the opposite of the western, not just being a source of benevolence, but also being a creator, source of life, wisdom, bringers of fortune, and protection. There's a myth that dragons created paper and taught humans how to read and write, dragons would bring rain to water crops and feed life, and they will clash with the chaos bringing tiger to keep order, cresting a yin-yang balance in their fight, making equilibrium between order and chaos.

Rabbit in turn is tied to artistry and life. There is the Moon Rabbit who crafts the Elixir of Life; Celts tied rabbits to Eostre the goddess of spring, which potentially inspired the Easter Bunny, a bringer of food, fun, and new beginnings. And of course, rabbits are tied to creating a lot of life.

Of my OC Miraculous, that'd be Spider.

Spiders are the artisans of the animal world, creating webs, and inspiring weavers. They heavily represent interconnection and life (Indra's Web is the most iconic), and are tied to various creation myths and gods, like the Egyptian goddess Neith (creation, fate, weaving, destiny; mother of Ra, creator of the universe); and Grandmother Spider from Native American culture.

Honorable mentions, not having as much to them to really fit Creation:

Peafowl is tied to the Hindu goddess Saraswati who is tied to: knowledge, music, flowing water, abundance and wealth, art, speech, wisdom, and learning

Bull/Ox was thought to help teach humans how to farm and feed themselves, and helped ever since

The World Turtle who supports all life

Snake is a dual symbol of life and death, and thought to be a bringer of rain in some cultures; they're also tied to a Chinese creator deity Nuwa; snakes are also tied to various trees of life

For Destruction, Cat does work fine. Over all, cats are more tied to protection, magic, and love (especially maternal). But cats are efficient hunters, are chaotic, destructive, and unpredictable. So it's not a stretch for Cat to be Destruction, and Cataclysm does work for the pun too.

But there are other options that can work too.

Of the 5, Fox wouldn't be a stretch for it at all. While iconic for it's trickery, foxes are destroyers of order, control, and security, and some can lead to destruction of life. Tricking their enemies to death, devastating livestock; there are myths of eastern foxes possessing others and destroying livelihoods, devouring their life energy; foxes are also often tied to fire, which can be a devastating element.

Of the Zodiac...

Tiger is easily can fit, it has a more destructive association than Cat, being tied to danger, aggression, chaos, and war.

If Dragon is meant to represent all dragons, then it can apply for Destruction as well.

Snake can apply as it can be a devastating animal through venom, they're tied to death and vengeance, also snakes inspired a lot of villainous dragons (Python, Hydra, Nidhogg, sea serpents, wyverns, wyrms, cockatrice, basilisk); there's the devastating Medusa, and Ouroboros is tied to cycles of self-destruction.

Of the OC Miraculous...

There's Owl and Raven which are often a harbingers of death and are an ominous symbol. They're also tied to war.

Wolf is another promising one, as most myth and folklore ties it to villainy and destruction, the iconic Big Bad Wolf, who devastates livestock, and are known to be hungry and devouring.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

hey i hope you had a nice day, do you have some parentlock fanfic recommendations? im currently running out of fanfictions regarding this trope and need some new stuff🙏🏼🙏🏼

Hey Nonny!

Ah, not much, I haven't been doing much new reading lately so all the lists I do have are about 6 months old the latest... Hmm. Let's make a new list and go through my MFL list, because I once again don't have a different list of stuff I've read ready, so let's give y'all a nice long list today :) These are all the fics that have been tagged with "Parentlock" based on the author descriptions.

Feel free to add more, friends!

EDIT: THIS HAD TO BE SPLIT UP, SO YAY I HAVE LISTS FOR THREE WEEKS!!! :D I had a lot more Parentlock MFLs than I thought, so I hope you enjoy Parentlock for the next three weeks, hahahha!

------

PARENTLOCK Pt. 4A (MFL, 0-25K w.)

See also:

Parentlock

Parentlock Pt. 2

Parentlock Pt. 3

Adoption

Single-Parent Sherlock

Sherlock Soft With Children

Dragons and Giants by ChrisCalledMeSweetie (G, 432 w., 1 Ch. || Fluff, Humour, Parentlock with Rosie) – Uncle Mycroft tells Rosie a story about how brave her Daddy and her Papa really are.  Part 4 of the Bedtime Stories with Sherlock and John series ||  Part 17 of the Children's Classics with a Johnlock Twist series || Part 6 of the Ring Around the Rosie - Parentlock Fluff series

FOR YOU, MY LOVE....... by sherlock_is_actually_a_girls_name (G, 540 w., 1 Ch. || One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Rosie Watson, Parentlock) – Rosie has decided that her papa needs some makeup........

Bad Influence by Mottlemoth (T, 923 w., 1 Ch. || Mystrade || Humour, Secret Relationship, Background Johnlock, Parentlock with Rosie, Rosie Swears, Uncle Mycroft) – Three-year-old Rosie Watson learns a fun new word; Sherlock is in no doubt who taught her it.

Dear Sherlock: The First 30 Times I Loved You The Most by wendymarlowe (M, 1,063 w., 1 Ch. || S4 Fix It, Parentlock, Schmoop / Fluff) – Written because I have some serious feels about the end of S4.

The Ghostly Beekeeper by ChrisCalledMeSweetie (G, 1,129 w., 1 Ch. || Dog, Parentlock) – Rosie Watson-Holmes shares the story of her father’s great tragedy. Part 9 of the Spooky Johnlock Stories series || Part 2 of the A Sackful of Saki series || Part 11 of the Ring Around the Rosie - Parentlock Fluff series

He Gets That From Me by CrayolaDinosaurs (G, 1,163 w., 1 Ch. || Parentlock, Implied Mystrade, Depressing as Fuck, OC Child) – Sherlock discusses the traits that Hamish gained from John and himself.

Rosie and the Rainbows by MissDavis (M, 1,194 w., 1 Ch. || Parentlock, Girl Guides/Scouts, Papa Sherlock, Fluff, M for Language) – Sherlock isn't exactly opposed to Rosie joining the Girl Guides, but he doesn't really see the appeal, either. It ends up being much worse than he imagined.

Z is for Animals by chainedtothemirror & ChrisCalledMeSweetie (G, 1,228 w., 2 Ch. || Case Fic. Riddles, Fluff, Established Relationship, Parentlock, Illustrated) – A case leads Sherlock and John to spend a day at the London Zoo - with surprising results.  Part 8 of the Sherlock Challenge Prompt Fills series || Part 7 of the Ring Around the Rosie - Parentlock Fluff series

Are you gay, Sherlock? (the question that changed everything) by Wholockian_Nerd (G, 1,370 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, POV First Person John, Parentlock with Rosie) – Rosie asks a question one day and Sherlock’s answer changes everything about his and John’s relationship.

Still here by solrosan (G, 1,387 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TFP, Parentlock) – Sherlock and John come home to Rosie after the events of The Final Problem.

Ink by Strange_johnlock (T, 1,460 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Parentlock with Rosie, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss/Time, Tattoos, Mutual Pining, Angst, Fluff) – Every tattoo Sherlock gets has to do with John.

Without Complexities or Pride by Raina_at (G, 1,671 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4, Sherlock POV, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Parentlock, Stream of Consciousness, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Domestic Fluff) – Love is what happens when you look and look and finally see.

Family by bluebellofbakerstreet (G, 1,919 w., 1 Ch. || Art Fic / Text in Images, Parentlock, Mycroft POV, Fluff, Background Mystrade) – Mycroft Holmes keeps an eye on Rosie Watson. Strictly for the sake of security. Excerpts from a confidential file.

parenting 101 by ImJustPassingThrough (G, 1,922 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4,  Parentlock with Rosie, Crying Sherlock, Caring John) – Rosie accidentally broke a glass vase by playing ball in the apartment, despite her Dad telling her not to. However, when her Papa told her off for it, she may have yelled something she shouldn't have...

Sherlock chooses himself by thewallflower07 (G, 2,035 w., 1 Ch. || Post TLD / No TFP, No Parentlock, Dialogue Heavy, Sherlock is a Mess, Sherlock and Feelings, John is Not Good, Angst) – Sherlock is a physical and emotional mess after John beats him bloody during the Culverton Smith case. He visits his therapist, who tells him to be selfish for the first time in his life. When John appears with his daughter and asks him to move back, Sherlock has to make a very difficult decision.

enbyfriend by blueberrynoahboi (NR, 2,045 w., 2 Ch. || Post S4, Teen Romance, Gender Dysphoria, Teen Rosie, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Parentlock) – Rosie brings home someone special, and John has to grapple with some new ideas. Sherlock's there for support. But as always, it's all fine.

Evermore by SosoHolmesWatson (G, 2,068 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4, Parentlock, Beauty and the Beast, Love Confessions, Disney Songs, Oblivious John, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Pining Sherlock) – For the past years, John and Sherlock have lived at Baker Street again, raising Rosie together--as friends and nothing more. Ever since the little girl has watched her first Disney movie, she is obsessed with princesses. When John comes home one day, he finds his friend and his daughter in the middle of a reenactment of her current favourite. Part 1 of the Made of Music series

Are You Gay? by orphan_account (G, 2,299, 2 Ch. || Parentlock with Rosie, Older Rosie, Fluff) – Some boys at school called Rosie "Gay." She doesn't exactly know what that means, but maybe her dad does?

Keep Calm and Celebrate Sherlock's Birthday by BookGirlWithLove (G, 2,431 w., 11 Ch. || Post-S4, Sherlock’s Birthday, Parentlock / Rosie, Collection of 221B Ficlets First Kiss) – Rosie's excited to throw Sherlock a surprise birthday party. John knows it won't be that simple.

Three of us by Salambo06 (E, 2,801 w., 4 Ch. || Post S4, Parentlock, Domesticity, First Kiss) – He leans in as soon as he’s close enough, kissing Rosie’s forehead softly, murmuring a quiet “Morning love” as Sherlock goes into more detailed facts about Rosie’s sleeping habits. John isn’t sure what happens next, but without thinking twice about it and actually feeling like it’s the most natural thing in the world to do right now, he leans in towards Sherlock and kisses his temple with a smile.

The Best Things in Life by Calais_Reno (T, 2,969 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4, Parentlock with Rosie, Fluff and Humour, Accidental Kissing, Developing Relationship, Idiots in Love) – Will they talk about this? Hell, no. Part 27 of Just Johnlock

Hope is sweet by Lock_John_Silver (T, 2,977 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Parentlock with Rosie, Valentine’s Day, Developing Relationship, Pet Names, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Classical Music, Idiots in Love, Endearments, POV Sherlock) - Sherlock wants to be more than John’s best friend. Has wanted it for ages, truth be told. So, when Molly comes up with an idea, that to some extent involves three year old Rosie, Sherlock doesn’t hesitate.

Lines in the Sand by JRow (G, 3,067 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Parentlock, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Fluff) –  He examines the plain white box, which clearly holds a new mug. John must have purchased it and he’s written a note on the top. First time for everything. – J. Sherlock smiles and feels excitement as he opens the box. As expected, it’s a mug. It appears to be a boring, white mug. Sherlock pulls it out of the box and his breath hitches as he sees the image decorating the side. It’s not boring at all.

Move in by Strange_johnlock (G, 3,073 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4, Misunderstandings, Idiots in Love, Parentlock, First Kiss, Light Angst, Fluff) – Sherlock wants John and Rosie to move out. At least that's what John thinks.

Enfolded in Love by Schattengestalt (T, 3,258 w., 1 Ch. || Trans!Sherlock, FTM Sherlock, Body Dysphoria, Domestic Fluff, Couch Cuddles, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Parentlock, Fluff, Insecure Sherlock, Kissing) – When their daughter comes to them with a question, Sherlock fears that the answer to it will change her perception of him forever.

Words Won’t Come by unicornpoe (G, 3,323 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Fluff, Angst, Softness, Mutual Pining, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Parentlock with Rosie) – John wants to take Sherlock’s wrist into his hand, to tether him close. Pull him in with a palm at the small of Sherlock’s back, press his forehead into the curve of Sherlock’s neck. Catch that heat, and hold it forever. Kiss him. He doesn’t. Instead, he settles for tea and awkward conversation. Fifteen minutes, tops, and John barely breathes the whole time.

The Wee Small Hours of the Morning by Quesarasara (NR, 3,330 w., 1 Ch. || Soulmates AU || Parentlock, Family Fluff, Surrogacy, Established Relationship) – How Sherlock, John and Jack became a family. Part 2 of the The Colors 'Verse series

"Daddy, who do you like?" by OnlyForward (G, 3,441 w., 1 Ch. || Parentlock / 6 Year-Old Rosie Fic) – Rosie is in the phase where she constantly asks questions. This leads to questions like "Who do you like" and develops, eventually, to "Why don’t you kiss Sherlock?"

About Bloody Time by ANGSWIN (T, 3,925 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TRF, Parentlock with Rosie, Family, Friendship, Love, Babysitting, First Kiss, Matchmaker Mycroft) – During a family emergency, Mycroft (un)intentionally plays matchmaker.

Father by NomdePlume (G, 4,525 w., 1 Ch. || Post-T6T Fix It, Parentlock, Soul Searching, Papa Sherlock, Pining, Panicked Sherlock, Fluff,  Godfather Sherlock, Pre-Slash) – Sherlock never realized how good he would be at this parenting thing. Or how much he would love it.

Don't Read the Last Page by Raina_at (T, 4,527 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Parentlock, Domestic Fluff, Life with a Toddler, Friends to Lovers, Love Confession, First Kiss) – What does it mean to be brave? Or: Sherlock and John spend New Year's Day with a grumpy toddler and have a long overdue conversation.

A Study in Sleep by Ranowa (T, 5,691 w., 1 Ch. || Post TFP, Parentlock, Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Worth Issues) – John just wants to go to sleep, and instead is woken up by a crying toddler. He learns that Sherlock is at his most honest only when he thinks that no one is watching.

Love Like Ours by Berty (T, 6,563 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Parentlock with Rosie, Past John/Mary, First Kiss, Declarations, Developing Relationship, Conversations, POV John) – In a moment of madness, John tells Sherlock that he loves him. He had not anticipated where the ensuing conversation would take them.

Incidents with Dogs, Curious and Otherwise by DiscordantWords (T, 6,850 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Dogs, First Kiss, John Comes Home, Parentlock) – Rosie, it seems, is quite taken with dogs. So is Sherlock. John cannot help but notice.

Swift, Fierce & Obscene by J_Baillier (M, 7,183 w., 4 Ch. || Post-S4, Angst, Illness, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Big Brother Mycroft, Drugs, Parentlock, Reichenbach Feels, Flashbacks) – Every morning, he lets out a rattled breath of relief because John doesn't know yet; he can still pretend everything hasn't changed.Sometimes it's the smallest things, rather than criminal master plans or elaborate family secrets, which ultimately destroy what a man has fought to preserve.

Dinner Conversations, a 5+1 by BakerTumblings (G, 7,559 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Blended Families, Parentlock, Dinner Conversations, Established Relationship, Family Adventures, Five and Ones) – Five times that John had something to say at or about dinnertime, and one time where John was requested to listen. Part 8 of Eyes Wide Open

The Beating of a Heart by Ficlet_Sprinkler (NR, 7,700 w., 1 Ch. || MCD, Heavy Angst, Love Confessions, Parentlock) – John is deadly sick, laying in the hospital, with Sherlock by his side. Things are not looking well for John, so Sherlock decides to finally tell him the truth. The truth he had been holding back for years, as it hurt too much for him to admit. Before it's too late...

Miscommunication by SrebrnaFH (G, 7,849 w., 6 Ch. || Post S4, Father’s Day, Parentlock, Surprises) – Sherlock picks Rosie up from daycare and is faced with a Problem To Resolve. Little Watson is distressed.

I meant to say always by OnceSherlock (T, 8,808 w., 1 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Parentlock, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Unresolved Romantic Tension, POV John, Protective Parents) – Rosie made sure that Sherlock was listening before whispering into John’s ear. “I wished for you and Papa to be married.”

Alternative Facts by SwissMiss (E, 10,116 w., 2 Ch. || Post-S4, POV Outsider, Parentlock, Fluff, Five and One) – Five times people imagined what John and Sherlock get up to in the bedroom, and one time we see what they really get up to.

We could. by agirlsname (M 10,918 w., 1 Ch. || Twitterlock AU || Post-TRF, Relationship Crisis, Emotional Sex, Angst and Fluff, POV John, Parentlock, Hurt/Comfort, Texting) – We can do better than two weeks. An interpretation of events occurring on the 16th of May 2017; a most dramatic night on Twitter. Part 1 of Contacts

Wanting Everything by jadztone (T, 10,931 w. 1 Ch., || Post-S4, Miscommunications, Pining John, Pregnancy, UST / RST, First Kiss, Parentlock, Mollcroft) – John and Rosie are living in Baker Street again, after the events of TFP. John is trying to work up the courage to tell Sherlock how he feels. When he finds out Molly is pregnant, he fears that he is too late.

Casualty by Silvergirl (E, 12,051 w., 4 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canon Compliant Until T6T, Mary’s Dead, Trauma/Comfort, John’s a Good Friend, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss/Time, Sherlock Learns Teamwork, Parentlock) – Sherlock renders assistance at a hit-and-run and is left deeply shocked. When the accident turns into a case, John moves back in to 221b to help—and finds that Sherlock has way oversold his image as an emotionless thinking machine.

Darkest Days, Finest Hours by blueink3 (M, 12,448 w., 1 Ch. || S4 Fix It Fic, Parentlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers, Kidnapping, Hurt John, Peril, Soft Sherlock, BAMF John) – They both knew, deep down, that it was only a matter of time. And now the time has come.Rosamund Catherine Watson is missing. And Sherlock Holmes is about to set the world on fire.

The Infinite Curse Of A Lonely Heart by Potrix (M, 13,416 w., 1 Ch. || Post S3 Canon Divergence, URT/UST, Pining, Infidelity, Unhealthy Relationships, Drug Use/Abuse, Angry Sex, Hurting Sherlock, Oblivious John, Not-Nice Mary, Parentlock, Eventual Happy Ending, Protective Mycroft, Paternal Lestrade) – Sherlock agrees to be the best man. John is his friend and that's what you do for your friend. Sherlock prepares and delivers the best man speech for his friend. John is his best friend and that's what you do for your best friend. Sherlock watches his best friend get married and smiles on. John is the person he loves and that's what you do for the person you love.Sherlock kills the man threatening the person he loves. John is his world and that's what you do for you friend, your best friend, the person you love, the love of your life, your world.

A Fortuitous Oversight by scribblesinthebyline (E, 14,513 w., 1 Ch. || Omegaverse AU || Parentlock, Omega Sherlock, Alpha John, Past Mpreg, Anal Sex, Angst, Fluff, Happy Ending) – Sherlock Holmes was perfectly content being a single parent until a scent on the wind caught his attention.

A One-Track Life by JennLynn77 (E, 13,526 w., 7 Ch. || Post S4/TFP, Parentlock, Est. Rel., Medical Procedures, Anal, Cuddling/Snuggling, Bed Sharing, Surgery, Physical Therapy, Retirement, Sherlock Whump, Caring John, Bottomlock, Endearments, Drug Addiction, Triggers) – A medical situation threatens to derail the plans Sherlock had for his life with John and Rosie.

Full Circle by cumberqueer (E, 13,797 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Parentlock, Domestic Fluff, POV Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock) – Sherlock Holmes has noticed that his best friend and crime-solving partner John Watson is doing well - too well for what they've been through, if you ask him. Sherlock is worried John is seeing someone that is making him very happy, and intends to find out who. But first: data. Featuring a spreadsheet of John Watson's Smiles, a parentlock makeover for 221b, and John being charming af.

Sehnsucht by unicornpoe (T, 14,770 w., 9 Ch. || Post S4 Fix It, Mutual Pining, Parentlock with Rosie, Romance, Slow Burn, Touch Starvation, Hurt / Comfort, Hurt John, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending) – Sehnsucht: longing, pining, yearning, craving, intensely missing. An individual’s search for happiness while coping with the reality of unattainable wishes. John is here now, yes, yes he is. He and Rosie are back home in 221B with Sherlock, safe where they belong... but why is there still a hole deep inside Sherlock, wide and gaping and consuming? Does John feel it too? And what will it take to fill it?

Quite an Eyeful by BakerTumblings (M, 14,869 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4, Parentlock with Rosie, Established Relationship, Military Backstory, Brief Previous John/OFC, Domestic Life) – Life on Baker Street for Sherlock, John, & Rosie was very good. They had resolved many of the issues that had plagued them, settled in as parents, and thrived on a more predictable yet very enjoyable routine.Until something very unexpected from John's past surfaced to challenge them.They will, of course, work together and find a way to manage. Together. Part 1 of Eyes Wide Open

Winning the Goat by ArwaMachine (E, 17,204 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4, Parentlock, Established Relationship, Kissing, Anal, Fluff, Bottomlock, Slice of Life, Mild Hurt/Comfort) – The life that Sherlock and John have together is rather unusual. Sometimes they lounge about the flat with their daughter. Sometimes they flee for their lives from a band of organ-harvesting criminals. Sometimes they shag. Sometimes Sherlock insists upon arguing with John about the Monty Hall problem for weeks on end. Somehow, they love each other. Somehow, it all works.

Stay for Me by Itsallfine (M, 17,310 w., 7 Ch. || Post-TAB, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Drug Withdrawal, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss/Time, Bed Sharing, Mental Health Issues, Not-Nice Mary, Divorce, Angst with Happy Ending, Parentlock) – 221B was packed into boxes and bins, and that was when John knew, really knew—Sherlock had planned to be gone forever.

One Good Scare by blueink3 (M, 17,386 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Holmes Family, Parentlock, Misunderstandings, Family, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, Halloween, Happy Ending) – Mummy invites Sherlock, John, and Rosie to the country for her birthday, which just so happens to coincide with the annual Harvest Festival, an event Sherlock loathes. With John seemingly making the wrong move at every turn and with ghosts hiding in each of their closets, what will it take for their (Halloween) masks to finally come off?

The Nearer Your Destination by Silvergirl (E, 18,949  w., 6 Ch. || Post-TLD, Established Relationship, Wedding, Venice Honeymoon, Parentlock, Jealousy) – After a December wedding, Sherlock takes John to Venice for a February honeymoon. It's absolutely perfect, up until the moment he hears John growl, "What the hell is Zanardi doing here?" Part 4 of the Drawn to Stars series

I'll Show You the Difference by Ginger_Cat (E, 19,677 w., 10 Ch. || Post-HLV, Infidelity, Hand/Blow Jobs, Hair-Pulling, First Kiss, Caught-In-The-Act, Almost Parentlock, Minor Character Death, Angst, Bittersweet Ending) – John attempts to prove that Sherlock's love for him is platonic. He fails, miserably.

WHISPER TO ME by chrysanthemumsies (T, 20,598 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Fluff, Parentlock, Mutual Pining, Music, Sherlock Plays Guitar, Love Confessions, Light Angst, Romance, First Kiss) - Following the events of S4, Sherlock and John try and fit back into their old life as carefully as they can, all while their feelings threaten to bubble to the surface. Or: Sherlock picks up playing the guitar. John falls more and more in love with every passing day.

A Twist of Fate by cloud_wolfbane (M, 21,103 w., 12 Ch. || Omegaverse || Mpreg, Drug Use, Parentlock) – In a cocaine bender Sherlock forgets to take his heat suppressants and spends his heat with a soldier readying for deployment. While he remembers the man's kindness he does not remember his name. In a move even Sherlock isn't sure he can deduce, he decides to keep the child. What will he do 10 years later when he meets Dr. John Watson at Barts? Part 1 of the Twist of Fate series

Home Is by glenien (E, 21,786 w., 2 Ch. || S4 Fix-It / Post S4, Eventual Happy Ending, Parentlock, Emotional Baggage, First Kiss, Domesticity, Fluff) – While 221B is still under construction, Sherlock stays with Rosie and John.

Into the Multiverse by AnAnYaH (M, 21,958 w., 18 Ch. || Avengers / Sherlock / Dr. Strange Crossover || Multiverses, Everstrange, Parentlock / Teenage Rosie, Sad Sherlock, Angry Sherlock, Guilty Sherlock, Sherlock/John Fight, Magic, Strange John, First Kiss, Whipping, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Threats of Rape / Non-Con, Mental Anguish, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst with Happy Ending) – Nothing lasts forever. I am beginning to think it's the same for you and me. In a world where we don't co-exist how long will it take to finally break us ? Or are we already broken in need of a fix ?A multi-chapter fic where Sherlock and John had to leave their lives to save the world from universal threats and pursue as Doctor Strange and Everett Ross.Will they ever reunite? Part 1 of the Everstrange series

The Alchemy of Sea Glass by reveling_in_mayhem (E, 22,010 w., 5 Ch. || Post-S3 Canon Divergence, Parentlock (Rosie), Friends to Lovers, First Kiss / Time, Vacationing) – Salt and air and sand surrounded their little party of three. Crashing waves, gull cries, and the exhilarated exclamations of an excited three-year-old served as the soundtrack to a day filled with blue skies and bright sunshine.

Where I Cannot Find You by withoutawish (M, 22,211 w., 1 Ch. || Parentlock, Drama, Cancer, Illness, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Turmoil, Established Relationship, Character Death) – When Hamish is diagnosed with cancer, his parents have two entirely separate ways of coping.

Becoming Us (A reunion in three parts) by addicted2hugh (E, 23,207 w., 3 Ch. || S4 Fix It, Pining Sherlock, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Sherlock, Hurt/Comfort, Protective John, First Time, POV Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Light Parentlock, Bottom Sherlock, Self-Harm, Drug Addiction, Sherlock is a Mess) – After watching Mary's last message, Sherlock and John try to be the "Baker Street Boys" again. Rebuilding the destroyed flat is the easy part. Will they manage to rebuild their friendship as well? And what did Mary mean when she said: "And if I'm gone, I know what you could become."?

Lockdown by johnwatso and Salambo06 (E, 23,376 w., 20 Ch. || Quarantine, COVID-19, Lockdown, Fluff, Parentlock, Reunion, Dancing, Soft Idiots, Sex Toys) – The world is in lockdown due to Covid-19. This is how Sherlock and John spend their time.

Danger Nights by khorazir (T, 23,591 w., 3 Ch. || Post-TLD, Friends to Lovers, Mentioned Parentlock, Pining, First Kiss/Time, Winter, Folklore, Wales, Spooky Elements, Bed Sharing, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Spooky Elements) – According to folklore, the nights between Christmas and Twelfth Night are the most dangerous of the year. During them, the Wild Hunt rides, and ghosts and demons come out to haunt unsuspecting and misbehaving folk. An investigation of a series of strange occurrences leads John and Sherlock to Hay-on-Wye on the Welsh Marches, to face ghosts weird and ancient as well as close and personal – and perhaps to start the new year on a more hopeful note than the previous one.

[vinylfoxbooks]

Bingo Master Post

I'm taking part in the Jegulus Bingo 2024 and wanted to put together all of my fics as I publish them!

Here's my bingo card:

Here are the prompts that I've filled out:

I'm Leaving Home for the Coastline (Somewhere Under the Sun) Prompt: Regulus stealing James' Sweater | T | wc: 11,470 Regulus runs away from France and finds himself in a small town where he finds a very pretty person.

I'm a Creature of Fine Sensations Prompt: Black and White Films | T | wc: 1,906 James takes Regulus along on a tradition that they have with Remus and Lily, going to a drive in theater that plays black and white movies.

Beauty in Betrayal Prompt: Apocalypse | T | wc: 7,368 Regulus shows up at the Potters' house on Halloween and tells them that they were betrayed and that they need to run. They do and them, Harry, and their friends find refuge in a hidden area.

Following the Prophecy Prompt: Dungeons & Dragons | T | wc: 17,927 | 5/5 chps. Lily is DMing a D&D campaign with some friends and new faces, that's it. It's just a kind of homebrew D&D Here's a link to the character sheets, one per chapter posted.

He Wants the Star (But Who is That?) Prompt: Parent Jegulus | T | wc: 6,666 James and Harry host a Christmas party where they invite all their friends. However, part of the way through the party, Harry starts asking for a 'Star' and while James knows who it is and everyone is able to put two and two together, no one knows who this 'Star' person is.

Teaming Up With the 'Enemy' Prompt: Free Space | T | wc: 5,536 Regulus and Barty get together, much to the chagrin of Evan, James, and eventually Pete. The three boys form a bond over their useless gay pining for people that they're sure they'll never have.

Care for Me? Prompt: Sick Fic | T | wc: 1,859 Regulus gets his wisdom teeth removed and James takes care of him during the healing process.

Oh My God, They Were Roommates Prompt: Childhood Friends | T | wc: 4,066 Sirius invites Remus, the guy that he's been talking to and Regulus' coworker, over to their flat for the first time and informs his brother and best friend that they should engage in their 'plan', the same thing that they do to everyone new that Sirius brings about to the flat.

Protect Me (Take Me Away) Prompts: Regulus Sings to James and Sectumsempra | T | wc: 13,784 James and Remus are pirates that went under cover as knights to kidnap the princes. Along the way, they happened to fall in love.

This Man Belongs to Me, I Want Him Prompts: Animagus AU and Black Cat Regulus | T | wc: 5,193 James goes on the arduous journey to visit his husband, a vampire living in a faraway castle in France, and how he loves the journey.

BINGO!

Better Than a Movie Prompt: Latex | E | wc: 6,310 The group convinces Regulus to go to a Halloween party, where he happens to run into James... James who's wearing a skirt.

Lover (Betray) Prompt: Gellert Grindelwald | T | wc: 6,862 Regulus and James, popular ghost hunters, go to explore the long abandoned Nurmengard Castle with their friends Barty and Evan. What happens if they talk to Grindelwald himself?

Brothers and Boyfriends are Easy to Mix Up Prompt: Tell me you Didn't | T | wc: 1,908 James and Regulus always meet up in the changing rooms when one or both of them have Quidditch practice or a game, however James doesn't have their glasses fresh out of the shower.

Two Alike Minds Prompts: Camping Trip and A Proposal | T | wc: 7,234 James takes Regulus out on a camping trip to help distract him from his classwork. It turns out to be the best camping trip of Regulus' life, no matter the complaining.

Books on Books on Books Prompt: The Fault in Our Stars | T | wc: 3,926 James has been begging Remus for him to take them on a trip to the muggle bookstore that Remus always visits, but it's also Remus' sacred time. But they really need to get some books. Here's a link to the list that James brings to the store!

Will You Be My Honey? Prompt: Beekeeper Regulus | T | wc: 2,926 In a world where Regulus and Sirius manage to escape their shitty parents and find a place for themself, Regulus gets into beekeeping. In a world where they're forever away from their neighbors, Regulus is shocked to hear a knock on the door that isn't from Remus, only to find their incredibly attractive neighbor that he's never met before asking for a bee-related favour.

Getting the Gays Together Prompt: Drag Show | T | wc: 3,823 James, Regulus, and Pete are the last ones to get into a relationship since they've been more focused on helping their friends get their shit together. Little do they know that the teasing about it get to be a little bit too much for James.

All I Need is (To Come Home to You) Prompt: Wildest Dreams | T | wc: 3,336 Regulus and James are together behind the scenes of their fame, and the Marauders go on with a little surprise during their London show during their Wildest Dreams tour. Said surprise being a special guest that turns out to be Regulus and a couple sweet love songs.

Take Me to Your Home Prompt: Bastille Day | T | wc: 10,211 Regulus is finally ready to bring James and Remus to France to show them around his home and to meet Barty and Evan. It's a week of them running around and experiencing Paris and Chartres.

Mama's Always Right Prompt: Codependent | T | wc: 10,238 James and the Black brothers have known each other since childhood and the Potters and Alphard always assumed that James and Regulus, long before his coming out and subsequent transition, would get together from the way that they acted around each other. That changed with time and gender changes, or did it?

Will Drive You Mad (Roxanne) Prompt: Sports AU | T | wc: 3,409 James and Lily have been lifelong figure skating partners, and when Lily steps down James finds an unconventional partner.

Be There for Him (And Me) Prompt: Posession | T | wc: 2,249 James has their first symphony performance since they picked up playing the violin again, but Sirius isn't able to make it. Despite their attempts to reassure themselves that Sirius seeing his brother is more important, they can't help but feel bad. So they instead take to comforting their boyfriend, who's worried about his own brother.

[the-hype-dragon]

Books I Read in October

Books I finished:

The Starry Rift by James Tiptree, Jr. aka Alice Sheldon - 4/5

Collection of three short stories, loosely connected by setting and the overarching theme of self-sacrifice. Much less cynical than anything in the other Tiptree collection I've read, Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (which I thought was excellent). Overall I enjoyed this, though the third story dragged in the middle. "Good Night, Sweethearts" was the only one without non-human aliens and it was also the weirdest, but I liked it the most.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - reread, 5/5

(I say this is a reread, but I don't think I really understood it the first time I read it, years ago.) Tragic story of repressed woman who gets possessed by a haunted house. As I was reading this I could tell Stephen King really liked it, The Shining has a pretty similar premise and conclusion. It's scary but I view it as more of a tragedy. Has two adaptations, both called The Haunting, from 1963 and 1999; I don't think either movie really does the book justice but the '63 version is worth a watch. But also: just read the book.

Chalice by Robin McKinley - 4/5

Beekeeper-turned-sorceress Mirasol saves her demesne and her love interest from evil opportunistic politicians from elsewhere. Very weird and whimsical in a way I think I've only ever seen McKinley pull off. Kind of meanders in a way I didn't like at first but once you get into the flow of the story it's easy to follow, plus that's simply how McKinley worldbuilds so I can forgive it. Ended up enjoying it but thought the resolution was a little too convenient.

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris - reread, 5/5

One of my favorite books ever. Been meaning to reread this for a while and decided October was a good month for it. Still love it. Dolarhyde's a great monster, utterly contemptible while still being sympathetic (to an extent; Harris never lets you forget what Dolarhyde has done). Another legitimately scary book. If you like thrillers I recommend just reading it since neither adaptation does it justice (though imo Manhunter is worth a watch).

Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz - 3/5

If I was a kid I would have unironically loved this. As an adult I found it clumsy and amateurish but I had a good time reading it. The villains are silly but great. Entertaining in the same way a Terry Goodkind book is. Kind of reminded me of Redwall and Warrior Cats. I've seen reviews that take issue with the two (lmao) important female characters but I liked both of them a lot. Wouldn't necessarily recommend to anyone over the age of 20 tho unless it was strictly to see what all the fuss is about. Kurtz has written a billion Deryni books and iirc the most recent one was published ~2014. Not sure if I will give the series another try, this first book was okay but not good enough to get me interested in the rest. Oh well.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley - 4/5

A retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The first half focuses on the protagonist's (Rosie's) foster mother, Katriona, and the second half on Rosie herself as a young woman; heavy emphasis on female friendships and female relationships in general (mother to daughter, aunt to niece, etc.). Very funny but ends on a bittersweet note. I liked Rosie's friendship with her BFFL Peony. There is a weird age gap romance that I wasn't a huge fan of, tho I liked Rosie's love interest. I just wish he wasn't like twenty or whatever years older than her lmao. Otherwise a good book, the ending made me cry.

Books I did not finish:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch -

Lumping these together because I dropped both of them for the same reasons: I thought they were boring and I couldn't stand any of the characters. Neither author seemed to want to let their stories do the talking and the action kept getting broken up by paragraphs upon paragraphs of info-dumping and exposition, and none of it done in a very engaging manner, either. For being marketed as exciting thrillers I didn't find either one of them particularly exciting or thrilling. I could not take any of the 2cool4me characters seriously either, both books felt very juvenile in the pursuit of being edgy and """mature.""" Also did not like the way the female characters in either were written - I dropped Lies about seventy pages in, and in all that time there was precisely one female character with a speaking role, and she was introduced just to flirt with the protagonist and so that we the readers would know what his type is, pleugh. I understand liking these books if you're a teenager going through an edgy phase but as a 30 something I didn't find either very engaging, not even in a corny so-bad-it's-good way like Deryni Rising lmao

[misscinnamonroll16]

Brozone Playlists

So I made playlists for the Brozone brother. These are songs from my personal music taste (and a little bit off that). They all like something besides pop. Starting off with John Dory.

Next Brother

My band by D12

Too sweet by Hozier

Chicken in black by Johnny Cash (he likes older country songs)

Take me where you go by Fulton Lee

Psycho Crazy by Halestrom

Little Miss Perfect by Taylor Louderman (queer and obsession with being perfect? Sigh him up!)

Voices in my head by falling in reverse

Valentino by Years & Years & MNEK

Panic at The Disco

Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill

Billionaire by Bruno Mars and Travie McCoy

Porn Star Dancing by My Darkest Days (embarrassed to admit it tho)

Scotty Doesn’t Know by Lustra

My First Kiss by 3OH!3 featuring Ke$ha

S&M by Rihanna

He likes boys by Simone Battle

Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day

You call me a bitch like it’s a bad thing by Halestorm

Good girls go bad by Cobra Starship

Sarcasm by Get Scared

Yeah by Usher ft Lil Jon & Ludacris

Beekeeper’s daughter by All American Rejects

Do Not Disturb by Halestorm

Vicious by Halestorm

Love Bite (so do I) by Halestorm

Angel of Darkness by Alex C featuring Yasmin K

You’re gonna go far kid by The Offspring

Dance with the Devil by Breaking Benjamin

Diary of Jane by Breaking Benjamin

Bad Romance but specifically the punk version

Animal I have Become by Three Days Grace (both him and Branch being a lil feral)

Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani

19 Somethin’ by Mark Willis (version 1 bc I didn’t know there was a 2 until just now)

Likes Heathers the musical songs, solely bc of the character JD (it’s Floyd's fault)

Take a bow by Rihanna

Angel with a shotgun by the cab

Lazy Song by Bruno Mars

Lost boy by Ruth B.

Everybody talks by Neon Trees

Bang Bang by Green Day

I’m Not Gay by J Pee (this is a gag song to him and Floyd)

I hate being a grown up by Jenna Marbles (found it back when youtube first came around, started listening to it ironically, soon became unironically)

Mama by MCR

I kissed a girl by Katy Perry

Love the way you lie by Eminem featuring Rihanna

P!nk (especially Fucking perfect, hits him hard)

Twenty One Pilots

All American Rejects

Stacy’s Mom by Fountain of Wayne (either him or Bruce dated a girl named Stacy and this song pissed her off)

Die Happy by DREAMERS

BOYTOY by Halle Abadi

I’ll sleep when I’m dead by Set it Off

Hello Anxiety by Bowling for Soup

I am the righteous hand of god by Poor Mans Poison

Brozone songs

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: February 2024

A real grey month broken up by the colours and beauty of art. Here's how I spent the month of February.

……….FILM……….

The Beekeeper (2024) Perfect February movie.

……….TELEVISION……….

Succession (Episode 1.01 to 2.04) Wasn't sure I was going to like this (every single character is just awful) but now I'm keen to see how these awful people are increasingly awful to each other. So far I'm really appreciating every shot that shows the staff and just the sheer number of people responsible for making the lives of these awful people as low-friction as possible. We 100% need to tax the rich more.

Delicious In Dungeon (Episode 1.05 to 1.08) Now having seen more episodes, the shifting animation styles feels more consistent overall and I love the frenetic style during the high-stress/combat scenes. If you like this show then know it's a near 1:1 with the manga but still worth reading.

……….YOUTUBE……….

Pinocchio is a Story About Art and God by Jacob Geller This opened me up to a wholly new interpretation of what the story of Pinocchio is about. Also go watch the Del Toro adaptation on Netflix it's truly a work of art. VIDEO

Vape-o-nomics: Why Everything is Addictive Now by Tom Nicholas In short: everything is a subscription now and it's making everything worse. Worth the watch and looking forward to further installments in this series. VIDEO

This Experiment Undid Our Cities. How Do We Fix It? by Strong Towns Push back against any local government that doesn't want to introduce mixed use zoning into neighborhoods. The suburbs are subsidized by density, it's as simple as that. VIDEO

……….READING……….

How To Watch Football: 52 Rules for Understanding the Beautiful Game, On and Off the Pitch by Tifo (Complete) So I actually read this over the course of a month or two. I'd read a rule or two, process, then read a couple more a day or two later. I don't even really watch football but this helped so much and now I expect I'll crush the fantasy premier league I'm in.

The Big Four by Agatha Christie (Complete) Only my second Christie novel and this felt SO different. Turns out that's because it really is an outlier amongst her other works. So that was reassuring. Not terrible but I wouldn't exactly recommend it as it felt thoroughly disjointed (a result of stitching together a series of unrelated short stories).

The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett (Complete) Hey I love the Discworld series. You know this. I know this. But there's always gotta be an entry that goes on the bottom of any list. I love Rincewind, but prefer the other wizards in a less prominent role. Not one I'd recommend when trying to get into the series and probably not one I'll revisit. Oh well.

Catwoman: Lonely City by Cliff Chiang (Complete) Big fan of Chiang's artistry on Paper Girls and really enjoyed this interpretation of an aging Gotham. It has such a clear and singular voice it covers so much in just four chapters! Really great read.

Silver Surfer: Black by Donny Cates, Tradd Moore, and Dave Stewart (Complete) Every time I read this I love it more and more. It's truly what I pictured comics to be when I was a kid: vibrant, dramatic, and a little bonkers. Why does the villain ride a dragon? WHO CARES it looks cool. I love it all.

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 4 by Ryoko Kui (Complete) Watching the series and rereading the manga is really making for a great experience. This volume really highlighted that Senshi isn't a man with all the answers. In the upper levels of the dungeon, he's competent, but as they go deeper and face more dangerous monsters, the rest of the party take more of the lead. It's so good. This series is so good.

……….AUDIO……….

Wolves of Glendale by Wolves of Glendale (2024) Comedy music is always tricky but for me, the comedy is second. If I don't enjoy the music having no understanding of the lyrics then I probably won't stick with it. Some tracks strike this balance better than others but I found The Gym to be a good introductory track.

……….GAMING……….

Disco Elysium (ZA/UM) On one hand, I tend to prefer more...active games. Something that requires hitting buttons at the right time. On the other hand, I'm really digging the mystery and complexity of the game. It really feels like I can play this detective however I want without being forced to follow any one playstyle. Not sure how far into it I am but I read the review that it's less a detective game and more a game about being a detective and that really feels right. But I do have to say that it's...rather buggy on the Switch so that might not be the recommended way to play it.

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The Tuesday crew is working towards ridding the island of a competing group of adventurers. Hook wants them gone, the Gnomes want them gone, heck even the Moss Mother wants them gone. But will they be able to do it? And the more lengthy recap is over here.

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The Mof1 D&D crew found a (literal) underground magic item shop so did a bunch of shopping after their big funeral heist. Everyone loves a good shopping session!

And that's it. See you in March!

[reliquiaenfr]

thank you to everyone who enabled my insane idea re: collecting 177 pears. i will be doing that now. might never scatter those imps, idk if i even care lol

to celebrate having a focus again, i have four new double pears! including two that are dream combos!!

double pears with cottoncandy and cerulean primaries omg i cannot WAIT to gene them i love them soooooo much ;u; i've wanted a cotton/pear dragon for literal years i am so happy. (juice, the cottoncandy, will be a perma baby, hence the lame excuse for an outfit. duckweek i'm not sure what breed i'll go with but he will be fade/striation/belly)

plus a hunter and saffron primary. excited to have a beekeeper finally! and lmao another swamp dragon? in my lair? groundbreaking.

obvs they aren't done, the genes will come eventually. in the meantime i've set up a LF thread in the forums, and don't forget i've got a pinglist you can join for front row seats to my descent into madness :D

[sonicasura]

But would it not be a typical thing for Kafka to somehow get a Yoshi egg or 5 by accident though? It seems to be a trend that Kafka is somehow a magnet to orphans who needs a parent figure of some kind.

Kafka honestly would find a bunch of Yoshi eggs and raise them as his own. One would definitely be like the Thousand Year Door partner cause I like when characters get alternate designs than colors. Here's how this goes.

Kafka discovers the five eggs when he was about to head home after work around 5 years ago. The latest cleanup was a ruined movie theater involving a Digger class Worm Kaiju and he been assigned the basement task. Kafka notices a colorful object through a crack in the wall.

What he discovers is a nest with 5 colorful eggs (red/blue/green/pink/black) and broken mess of an oversized large pipe. Before he could do anything, all five hatched into 'cute strange dinosaurs' in his words. Like the famous Mama Luigi meme, they believed Kafka was their mama.

Accepting his fate, he would take them home and make a few housing arrangements which results in a small farm near the countryside. Kafka picked up a lot of different skills to help raise them as Yoshis grow pretty quickly. Any new observations on their species were written down and he has help from his coworkers in case he needs a babysitter.

They don't stay secret for long once Kafka gets his powers.

The five Yoshis in particular.

Kafka Jr- Green, based on Thousand Year Door and wears a black jacket. A punk with a heart of gold that gets into more trouble than his younger siblings. Male

Fizzy- Blue, has webbed fingers and likes to wear sunglasses alongside white lab coat. The science kid who prefers to throw chemical cocktails than dud eggs. Female

Aero- Red, little red dragon wings for bumblebee style flight, prefers to wear aviator goggles, aviator jacket and a blue scarf. Loves flying as much as building of any kind so he often teams up with Fizzy to make things. Male

Sirri- Pink, a flower at the end of a longer tail, wears a sun hat and a beekeeper suit. A kind-hearted gardener who taken beekeeping as a hobby. Female

Coro- Black, can spit fire and likes to wear various cooking attire. A mellow chef who often makes delicious meals from the ingredients that Siri farms. Male

[ghostthecryptid]

Ghost ghost ghost-

I wanna ask you about this because I absolutely love your ideas and headcanons

But what do you think are the mercs favorite modern games/games that they definitely would play, secret or not?

Scout i feel like he would play mario kart, just- it makes sense (even though its coming from me, someone whos never actually played it)

And Pyro definitely with no doubt plays animal crossing, like cmon

Engineer plays minecraft because of the building, Heavy might play it too with how peaceful it can be

But what do u think? :0

I love videogames so much dude you have no idea

Here are my thoughts/headcanons on what the mercs favorite videogames are:

Scout: He would kill at any Mario games. Full on dominating the others on Mario Kart and Mario Party. But hes also killer at The Legend of Zelda games. (I also think hed secrety love Stardew Valley)

Sniper: Racing games. From Mario kart to Forza Horizon 5. He would even have one of those full racing simulator setups. But he also loves to play some horror games. The ones set in a space setting are his guilty pleasure.

Engineer: he genuinely enjoys shooting games. Such as Call of Duty. Hed also enjoy Bioshock. Its a nice change of pace. But that doesnt mean he doesnt enjoy more peaceful games such as Minecraft. I mean you can beekeep in Minecraft and you know for a fact Engie would enjoy that.

Pyro: Yes Pyro would absolutely love games such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. They also enjoy Rythm games such as Melatonin and Deemo. Its a nice escape and you can really just get pulled into those games.

Medic: My mans would love surgeon simulator. Just the chaos that comes with that game is satisfying. He also would like RPGs like Fallout, Pokemon, and Final Fantasy

Heavy: Peaceful but sentimental games such as Firewatch, Spiritfarer, and What Remains of Edith Finch. Those games have such a relaxing atmosphere but can make you cry. The Minecraft End Poem gets him everytime. (Also That Dragon, Cancer)

Demo: Absolutely loves horror games such as Resident Evil, Until Dawn and Phasmophobia. Something about the thrill of them. Plus the ones that go off of myths, legends, and folklore? *chefs kiss*

Soldier: You would think shooting games but i honestly think he would find enjoyment in older games like Qubert or Burger Time. He gets overly competitive with them and if he does not have the high score he will grind until he does (and modded minecraft)

Spy: Absolutely the tycoon games and the Sims. No doubt about it. (farming simulator 2019)

[otwdfanfic]

Prequel

the hidden river of my life / antlers / in the woods somewhere / ptolemaea / white foxes / carolina / settling in another gray box / only the beginning of the adventure / intro / feel more / hunger / delicate / mermaids / dark doo wop / deadly valentine / fire in the water / cry baby cry / family tree / I love you, but I need another year / milk & honey / dear arkansas daughter / beekeeper / kitchen / tricky to love / run

Once There Were Dragons

you've got time / crossbow / when a woman is around / what kind of man / salt and the sea / love and war / again / killing eve / a car crash for two / would've could've should've / scotland / mad woman / hands / tessellate / my tears ricochet / ptolemaea

Into the Polar Night

forester / the yawning grave

[a-silver-dragoness]

This is Sunflower!

He's the husband of Honey, and the father of Bee Balm. Sunflower is a beekeeper, and works with several dozen hives of native honeybees (someone's gotta supply the demand for honey!). He's a very friendly and generous dragon, although he tends to bore his friends with stories about his honeybees (the only dragon he doesn't bore is his wife). Before he came into the bee business, he worked as a healer for the SapWings. Sunflower loves trying new foods (chocolate and oranges are his favorite), and is one of the very few LeafWings that prays to Clearsight (that's usually a HiveWing thing).

[questwithambition]

For the questions: 11, 14, 19? And happy new year!

Thanks so much for asking (and for giving me a chance to ramble about books!). Happy new year to you too lovely, hope it’s an amazing one 🤍

11. Something you want to do again next year?

I answered here but I’ll add on something else! I discovered the joys of random phone calls with friends, and email as a form of communication. Both work far better than text, and have been wonderful ways to stay in touch. So more of it!

14. Favourite book you read this year?

Im going to list a few because you cannot stop me from talking about books.

All time fav? Babel, RF Kuang. This one really lives up to its hype (I was doubtful too!). Incredible writing and plot, with a beautiful examination of languages but also the impact they have on communities and people, as well as facing Britains history face on. I devoured this book. It hit me. It sent me researching a million Wikipedia pages about languages and hour long discussions with a friend. 10/10

Non fiction? You’re getting two. David Attenborough’s biography A Life on Air (great writing, great learning, someone even more respect for the man); and Lottie Möllers Bees and Their Keepers (a discovery of beekeeping across the world and time, with the most gorgeous photos and illustrations).

I also have to shout of A day of fallen night by Samantha Shannon, a book that took me forever to read (not the books fault, blame the diss), but it has the most beautiful lyrical writing, some characters that I care about so much, and ladies riding dragons / wielding swords. What more does a gal need? Plus I has the chance to meet SS live at a signing and boy my brain short circuited which I did not expect.

19. What are you excited about for the next year?

Biggest excitement is being able to step foot into a dance studio again! But in the meantime I’m excited for my recovery from surgery, I’m starting to feel more confident and abled, and I can’t wait to continue moving forward. I actually walked on my own to the nearest grocery shop, bought a few things, and walked back on my own today for the first time since the surgery!!! Which is a huge achievement!!! So we’re heading in the right direction :)

From the end of year asks

[godseeker-yharim]

do you have any yarm hcs? i love that miserable guy so much and i want to build him a house. right next to a hive. he's so !!! to me

First off: love that idea. Let him live by the bees. Part-time tyrant, part-time beekeeper. And let's see if I can't dust off the old brain and dredge a couple of headcanons up. - While his exceptional height has always been a thing, it was only amplified by his attunement to Yharon. Turns out having a dragon's soul melded into one's own without taking the time to do the ritual properly (impossible, admittedly, when one is actively burning to death in magma) has some side effects. He did used to be a much more reasonable seven feet or so. - (Yes. I do headcanon that he is Just That Tall, even out of armor. It's important to me.) - Likewise, his hair was not always quite as vibrant a shade of red. Also Yharon's doing. He likes to match his best buddy, honestly. If it didn't do that naturally he'd probably dye it anyway. - Being attuned to a phoenix means he doesn't age normally. By all outside appearances, other than visibly having been beat to hell and back during the war, he doesn't look much older than he did before. He's not totally ageless, his lifespan has just been stretched out to a timeline more like a dragon's. If he survives the upcoming confrontation, he'll get physically old one day, it's just not going to be for a good, long while. - He is largely not aware of the above because he feels old. Most of that is the consequences of decades of major battles (so much chronic pain) and just plain not taking care of himself as much as he should. - This is part of the reason why he has a drug delivery system built into his armor. "Oh, I'm getting old and I'm not as sharp as I used to be. I need my stims to be in top form." No, sir, you have several unaddressed physical and mental health problems and now a chemical dependency on top of that. See a doctor, please. And this one is not so much a headcanon as it is a theory, I guess? - He was actually not the first person throughout the Deific Era to have been told he was "destined" to devour Yharon's soul and ascend to rule as god-king forever. Far from it. There've been plenty throughout the centuries, who all lived and died waiting for Yharon to hatch. Yharim was, however, the first to say no.