#mostly because i wanted to make the box one hahah

[sandushengshou]

happy birthday, @yibo-wang! please enjoy barbie from your shows <3

[pynkhues]

Am I the only person alive who would find it (darkly) hilarious if Armand did erase the rest of the 70s interview memory at Louis’ request? I think we can all agree Armand has taken a lot of liberties with the truth and he’s a pretty seasoned manipulator but I’m just so amused with the idea that that was one of the only times he was telling the truth (mostly because of how hard Daniel was rolling his eyes over it and because of how insane it sounds.) it’s got that same energy as that one co-worker who’s always causing trouble who you finally call out, only to find this was the one time they weren’t responsible.

On a similar note, because of how Louis is portrayed (ie with a spotty or unreliable memory at times) and how Armand is portrayed (lying, sometimes directly and sometimes by omission) how do you think about the bits of story we get from the two of them re authenticity? I see lots of takes that just…sweep anything complex or unsavory under the proverbial ‘blame Armand’ rug or the ‘Louis’ brain is Swiss-cheese’ blanket as opposed to examining each action and element of the story through the lens of where each character is coming from in that moment. (For example, I’ve seen plenty of folks question if Louis’ memories of lestat can be trusted at all or if it’s all just Armand’s tinkering to make him look bad and just…it’s a tv show. From a practical standpoint they literally cannot rip up everything they’ve shown you. Rehashing memories can only be done some of the time or the audience gets frustrated. And from a story perspective, can’t we take Louis at his word at least some of the time until shown otherwise?)

(Side note and ironic given my ask but I wish we had half as much discourse about Louis as a capitalist and his understanding of the commodification of experiential human things such as art as we do about whether all his memories are unreliable re his romantic relationships. Thank you so much for including the gallery scene in your fic.)

Hahah, I don't think you'd be alone in finding it darkly hilarious if Louis had asked Armand to take the memory away. Hell, the ambiguity of that scene works because it's believable that Louis would ask - Louis really pendulums between heavy handed repression and unrestrained self-indulgence, and it seems like a dam burst for him that night when it came to Lestat. His name had been unuttered in their home for 23 years! And given Armand can read his mind and could clearly sense thoughts of Lestat in Paris, I imagine he's not been deliberately not thought about too. And suddenly a night with Daniel and it's all he can say! All he can think about! The pressure he's placed on the box he keeps Lestat in has loosened just enough to let it all come out!

To know Armand tried to contact Lestat, to feel his own weakness, to know Lestat might know not just his mental state but his crumbling resolve in terms of the promise he made him in Magnus' tower - - it's not hard to see him asking for Armand's help in repressing it all again.

And in terms of their authenticity in the telling of their stories - - I think it varies! I think Armand definitely and deliberately finds the truth malleable, but that doesn't mean I think he lies about everything. Like you said, he tends to prefer to omit than outright lie - like omitting Gabrielle in his recounting of 1800s Paris or the truth about San Francisco, or, I'm sure we'll discover in s3, Lestat being in Paris in the 40s.

I actually don't think he would've tampered with Louis' memories of Lestat at all though - I don't think he would've needed to. Louis is a really punishing character and Lestat's a volatile one, I don't think it would be all that hard for Louis to focus on Lestat's worse behaviour, or to allow his memory to re-write certain events with the most bad faith interpretations of Lestat's actions, thoughts or words as a means to keep him at an emotional distance. Memories aren't facts, even when we want them to be, and I think for Louis they're as malleable when he needs them to be as the truth is for Armand.

The result is that they enable each other's untruths, I think, which goes to the facade of their relationship. Louis can try and mould his memories into something that justifies his choices, and Armand can mould the truth in a way that makes their love story something more than it is, but that doesn't mean that it's entirely lies or entirely inauthentic. It's a version of a story that they've enabled in one another to perform a happiness neither of them feels, but neither knows an alternative to because Louis' grief struck, traumatised and clinically depressed and Armand has been groomed by a monster, has undealt with trauma of his own and an incapacity to be alone.

So yeah, I think a lot of it is true, it's just not a whole truth.

[studentparxie]

Waterparks Members (and Friends)

Here is a little rundown on the members of Waterparks and the friends that they hang out with a lot!

Awsten Constantine Knight

Birthday: January 17, 1992

Role: Lead singer and rhythm guitarist

Took his driver's license picture to look naked

Legally changed his name from "Austin" to "Awsten."

Awsten is one of the most interesting people I had to learn about. He created Waterparks as one of his passion projects. He has synesthesia, which means he sees sounds and hears colors. He also has heterochromia, which means his eyes are different colors. He made his own fashion line called High Definition Industries. Awsten is really chaotic most of the time, but he does have a sweetness to him.

Geoff Wigington

Birthday: July 2, 1989

Role: Lead guitarist

Legend of Zelda enthusiast

Has a child

Geoff is an absolute sweetheart. He is not the best with words, but he always brightens up everyone's day. He brings a comfortable presence with him. There was an ongoing joke that Geoff loves minions, but he absolutely despises them. I love Geoff and you should too.

Otto Danielle Wood

Birthday: December 20, 1990

Role: Drummer

Possibly a serial killer

Never used the Internet, he literally had to ask Awsten if it costs anything to make a Gmail.

Otto may look like Weird Al's ripped nephew, but he's not. He's allegedly the most unhinged member of Waterparks. He actually got inspired to play the drums because of the drummer in the animatronic band at Chuck E. Cheese. Other than that, not much is known about him since he does not use any form of social media. His biggest music inspiration is My Chemical Romance though!

______________________________________________________________

The following people are not actually a part of Waterparks but are closely related to them. They do interact with the band a lot, so if you are joining the FANDOM (like the album hahah), you should definitely become familiar with these people.

Jawn Rocha

Birthday: September 18, 1992

Role: Photographer, mainly just for Waterparks but he takes photos for other bands too!

Jawn has been a friend of Awsten's for a long time, he even was a part of the same band as him before Waterparks. Jawn eventually found his place in photography and he streams on Twitch occasionally.

Travis M. Riddle

Birthday: December 24, 1992(?)

Occupation: Author

Travis has known Awsten before the band was a thing. He has helped Waterparks with various things: correcting their lyrics on Genius.com, giving his opinion on their music before released, starring in some of their music videos, and overall just being a good friend. Travis has also written a couple of books, such as Mother Pig and Balam, Spring.

Zephani Jong (Zeph)

Birthday: April 18, 1999

Occupation: Singer

Zeph is one of the band's most recent friends, she made a vocal appearance on the song "Crying Over It All." She makes and produces some of her own music, most of which just being little songs she uploads on YouTube. Awsten actually recorded guitar for her song "scared of everything." Zeph has built a pretty large digital footprint, mostly just tweeting her thoughts out on Twitter. She is focused on growing and becoming the artist she wants to be.

De'Wayne Jackson

Birthday: June 27, 1995

Occupation: Rapper

De'Wayne has been buddies with Waterparks for quite some time now. He's toured with them a couple of times and even provided some vocals for the song "LIKE IT." Though, Awsten did a feature on his song "Perfume." De'Wayne has mixed the genres of rock and rap to create his own unique sound. His mission was to show no one should live in boxes and neither should their music.

[freedomfireflies]

question for you miss firefly! i haven’t read the knockout series, i’ll be honest, the boxerry trope isn’t exactly my thing. none of the sporty harry’s are (boxer, mlb, hockey, etc.) BUT i’m seeing how much everyone loves it, and it’s got me wondering, how boxer heavy is it? is it a very primary thought, or does it focus more on harry/reader’s relationship, and the boxer aspect is more of a side thought?

Omg hi baby!! Amazing question!!

I'll put some "spoilers" below!

I would maybe say it's half and half, honestly?? What he does for a living is important to the plot BUT if you just wanted to skip to the smut, you would still essentially know what's going on??

And every single part has smut, so there would def always be something!

The first part doesn't really have any mentions in it!! He shows up with wounds but she doesn't know why and there's no mention of boxing really! She just tells him that she wants him to be careful doing whatever he does! And the second half is smut!

The second part is where he shows up wounded and she stitches him up! And he tells her what he really does!! But the second half of this part is just straight smut!

The third part she actually sees one of his fights and comforts him afterward! (more smut at the end HAHA)

The fourth there's no fighting (it's mostly just Harry and reader discussing what to do because somebody is threatening Harry)! And of course, smut in the second half HAHAH

And the fifth part doesn't have any in it! She simply confronts the guy, gets him to leave them alone, and then the rest of the part is just Harry and reader being intimate and disgustingly fluffy HAHAH

I completely understand if it's not your thing and would never want you to read if it makes you uncomfortable!!! 💞 If you want to skim, and just skip right to the smut, you totally can!!

But if you'd rather just leave this one alone, that is TOTALLY okay!! And if you have any more questions or want specific spoilers or plot points, you can def let me know!! 😭💞💞💞

[survey--s]

478.

Was your childhood wasted by something? The only thing I’d change is how much time I spent in childcare - both my parents were pretty focused on work and it meant that, at times, it felt like they didn’t have much time left for me.

Would you rather die during an adventure or die like a normal person? I want to die in my sleep - totally oblivious.

Have your parents ever put you on a diet? Not a diet as such, but they were hyper-focused on healthy eating when I was growing up and it could be a bit...extreme sometimes.

Have your parents ever tried to commit suicide? Not to my knowledge.

Do you have a gag reflex? Yeah - a really sensitive one.

Do you ever fantasize about trying drugs? I’m too paranoid about the consequences to ever do drugs, but if I knew I could try them all safely with no potential to become addicted etc, I absolutely would.

Have you ever put gum in someone’s hair? No. I did put it in my own fringe once though lol.

Would you rather have sex before you’re married or wait till marriage? I’m glad I didn’t wait until marriage.

Have you ever not gone to school, just because? Not school, but I skipped a lot of university simply because I couldn’t be arsed. Do you know anyone who can play the bagpipes? No, I don’t think so?

Have you ever let someone hit you? Playfully, sure.

Do you own a hand warmer? No.

Do you have friends in other states/countries? Sure, mostly online friends.

Do you ever pay attention during church? I never go to church.

Have you ever broke a window? No.

When was the last time you freaked someone out? I have absolutely no idea.

Have you ever gone on a date with a weirdo? Hahah, yes.

Who’s the last person you called a bitch? I have no idea.

Do you drink kool-aid? I’ve never had it before.

Have you ever dropped something hot on your foot? Yeah, I did that just the other day actually lol.

Do you watch porn?: No. I tried it once and it just made me laugh lol. Have you ever missed someone you hated? Sure.

Is anyone in your family disabled? No.

What do you want for Christmas? Uh, we’re only in March, but I guess money? I would be asking for riding stuff but my instructor is having to stop at the end of next month and I’m GUTTED.

How many moles do you have? Hundreds. I’ve always had them.

Do you make your bed everyday? Yeah, I make it every morning before I leave for work.

Do you know how to ride a bike? Sure.

Do you own any comic books? No. I remember buying the Beano every week as a kid though.

What is the nastiest dare you have ever committed? I never liked playing that game.

Do you know anyone who has been raped? Yes.

Are you an atheist? Yes.

Have you ever owned a goldfish? No.

Who was the last person to call you beautiful? Uhh, probably my husband.

How many times have you been stung by a bee? Just the once. I’m more scared of hornets to be honest - nasty fuckers lol.

What was the last flavor of gum you chewed? Spearmint.

When was the last time you used tape? Uh, last week but I’ll need to use some later as I have a treat box I need to make up for posting tomorrow.

When was the last time you said fuck? Today.

Have you ever stolen something? Yeah, but nothing huge.

What’s the last movie you watched? Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Who’s the last person you watched a movie with? Does the dog count? lol.

Where were you yesterday at 5 PM? Right here, probably doing the same thing I’m doing now lol.

Who would you like to kiss right now? I’m good.

When was the last time you had tic tacs? Years ago. I only ever really liked the orange and lime ones.

When was the last time you ate chicken? Uhh...I want to say Wednesday, maybe?

Who was the last person you told to ‘Shut the fuck up’ to? Mike lol.

Why were you last nervous? Taking Archie to the vets on Tuesday. Thankfully it appears his lump is shrinking so even if it needs removing, hopefully it’s not cancer.

Whose pants did you last take off? Mine.

When was the last time you were disturbed? I don’t remember.

Why did you last feel awkward? I had to drop a dog off to a client who was organising his dad’s funeral :/ how do you even behave in that scenario lol.

When was the last time you got in a fight with your best friend? We’ve never had a proper fight.

Have you ever asked someone for a tampon? Yes.

Who was the last person you read a book to? Uhh, I don’t know. I’ve maybe read an extract to my mum?

Who is the person you say the most naughtiest things to? Mike.

Who was the last person to send you a letter? Susie.

Do you like cupcakes or muffins more? It depends on my mood.

Have you ever pushed someone on purpose? Yeah.

Have you ever slapped someone in the face? Yeah, in self-defence and in play.

[ptersparkers]

do you think you could write something where you and aaron have just moved into the neighborhood and live across a sorority or something where girls hit on aaron? and you’re affected by it at first until you realize Aaron doesn’t care about them but you overhear them thinking he’s gonna cheat on you but he does something that basically makes them embarrassed when they try to decide him hahah im sorry did this make any sense

the self indulgent side of my came out in this one. also aaron 100% has dilf energy in this <3

***

A large two-story house sits in the middle of the block with a white picketed fence and a welcoming exterior. The cobblestone on the walkway leads from the sidewalk to the front yard, where the newly renovated space is decorated with greenery and other complementary decor.

It’s your dream house and you bought it with the money you’ve made as a neurosurgeon.

When you met Aaron all those years ago, dating had been the last thing on your mind. You met purely because of luck. Running into Spencer (an old friend from a medical program you’d both been involved in) led to running into his teammates, and that Saturday might became much more than picking up takeout.

You still aren’t sure how you caught Aaron’s attention. Spencer told you Aaron’s got a habit of professionalism and remaining stoic for the most part. At the time, you don’t think Aaron’s your type and you left it at that.

But he had asked Spencer to put in a good word with you, shocking both you and Spencer. Despite your reservations about dating because of medical training and other commitments, you gave in.

Aaron’s been the easiest person to be with. He understands your hectic schedule because of his own line of work and understands that there will be times when neither of you are able to prioritize the relationship for a few days.

And it works. It works so well that Aaron asked you to marry him.

This house is on a property you’d bought when the both of you first decided to move into a house instead of Aaron’s large apartment. Years of savings (we well as publishing rights, conferences for your method, and your general salary) allowed you to purchase land and build your dream house in your dream neighborhood.

The both of you moved in six months ago with no hiccups. A few boxes have been left unopened but for the most part, you’ve stuck to decorating the interior in your free time. You keep to yourself mostly, letting Aaron do the mingling with your neighbors and introducing yourself when necessary. But everyone here seems to be friendly and they seem to love the two of you. You’ve got everything you could ever want. A loving husband, a thrilling career, and your dream home.

You have to remind yourself of that when three young women sublease the rooms in the house across your street.

They’re young, pretty, and far too interested in your husband than you’d care for.

Poor Aaron doesn’t know what you mean when you ask him if you think those girls are spending too much time in small bikinis in their driveway and front yard, washing cars or sunbathing where he could see. Aaron had been truthful when he told you he wasn’t aware that they were out for some of the day and you know his eyes don’t wander, yet it doesn’t quell your worries.

But you know these girls and their intentions. You’ve been there before, vying for the attention of a boy you had a crush on. However, the object of their affection is married. To you.

You find it disrespectful above all else.

The girls ring your doorbell just before dusk on a Friday night and the both of you are wrapped in a blanket on the couch, choosing what to order for takeout because you’re both too tired to go out and cook. You’re about to get up when Aaron tells you he’s got it. He slips from underneath you and you’re able to tell by the incessant giggling that it’s the girls from next door.

“Hi,” Girl One says.

“Can I help you?” Aaron asks quizzically.

“We’re new to the neighborhood and wanted to introduce ourselves,” Girl Two explains before they introduce their names that you don’t bother to remember.

“Just wanted to show our neighbors we care by giving out cookies,” Girl Three announces. You watch as Aaron accepts a plate of tin foil-covered cookies when she pushes it into his hands.

“Oh. Thanks?”

“Don’t mention it,” Girl Two replies.

“Well if you need anything, we live across from you in the 952 house,” Girl One says. Her voice dips and it sounds eerily seductive.

“Thanks,” Aaron says curtly before closing the door on them.

He comes back to the living room with a confused expression and holds the paper in plate in front of him. You roll your eyes when you see they’ve tucked a small handwritten card beneath the foil and pluck it out when Aaron sets the cookies onto the coffee table.

“Hey neighbor,” you read aloud. “Enjoy the cookies. You know where to find us if you want more.” You take notice of who they addressed it to and toss the card to the side, dismissing the plate in front of you. “Are they aware you have a wife?”

“Doesn’t matter to me,” Aaron says, pulling you onto his lap. You squeal in surprise and latch yourself onto him with your arms around his neck, his own fingers raking the sides of your body from underneath your (his) t-shirt. “I don’t want anyone else but you. I’m not looking at them.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I love my hot, sexy, neurosurgeon of a wife, even if she prefers to hang out with my team over me.”

He’s uncharacteristically charming in an extremely cliche way. You see the glint in Aaron’s eyes and smack the back of his head gingerly, much to his amusement. He attaches his lips to your neck, peppering slow kisses to your sweet spots and you have a hard time trying to remember why you were so worked up in the first place.

***

It’s a hot Sunday morning when you tell Aaron you’re meeting a friend for brunch before offering to cover groceries for the week ahead. He kisses you goodbye without worry and you blow a kiss at him from your spot on the driveway before you meet your friend twenty minutes from your neighborhood.

Coming back home feels like somewhat of a nuisance when you see your neighbors barely covered in bikinis and white tops that seem to end mid-torso. But you give them credit anyway, their Jeep looks as clean as can be.

You’re somewhat mortified when Aaron meets you outside upon hearing the garage door open. The girls are not subtle with their side-eyeing and you’re aware they’d much rather stare at your husband all day than wash their car.

It doesn’t help that he’s wearing grey sweats and a tight fitting shirt either. Not even you can stop your staring and Aaron looks at you from beside the car when he catches you taking his figure from where you’re standing.

“You’re not very subtle about it either,” Aaron teases, taking the grocery bags out of your hands.

“Well, I’m your wife,” you say with a blush after having been caught despite having your relationship. “I get to stare.”

“I love it when you’re jealous, baby.” You roll your eyes at his attempt at a joke.

“I’m not jealous.” You hold the finger with your wedding hand. “I don’t particularly enjoy these girls assuming I’m temporary, though.”

“Well you aren’t,” he reassures. “You’re Rossi’s favorite out of the two of us, so you aren’t going anywhere.”

“Speaking of Rossi, does he still need up to bring dessert for his party?”

“I scheduled to pick it up on the way to his place.”

You grab the other bags.

“Let’s go inside,” Aaron says as he gives you a quick kiss. “I’m not particularly interested in watching topless girls wash their car. Unless you want to change into a bikini and wash the Porsche?”

You smack Aaron’s shoulder but he just laughs.

***

Dave proposed a nice evening with the team and their significant others after months of being unable to plan a day where everyone was free. You aren’t sure how everyone’s schedule has aligned as perfectly as tonight’s, but you’re looking forward to seeing everyone.

Aaron’s dressed like he’s ready to break hearts and so are you. His black suit compliments your black dress and he finds it impossible to keep his hands off of you on the drive to Rossi’s.

The upscale bakery from down the block has the desserts aligned in boxes for you when the both of you pick them up. You’re dismayed when you see the girls waiting for their order as well, but you pay no mind as Aaron waits for the last box.

“He keeps looking at me whenever we’re outside,” Girl One says in a not-so-hushed tone. It’s entertaining, really. “I’m pretty sure I could convince him to cheat on his wife when she’s gone.”

The girls erupt in giggles and you do your best to keep your composure and to avoid rolling your eyes for the umpteenth time. Aaron finishes paying and the both of you resume your ride to Dave’s without a word.

“So, I’m definitely not going to cheat on you,” Aaron says between the silence. He says it so fast out of nerves that you almost miss it.

“I know,” you say when he brings your hand to his lips.

“As in, I’m quite in love with you and don’t have eyes for anyone else.”

“Baby,” you say, squeezing his hand. “I know. It’s just annoying above anything else.”

“Let’s just get to Rossi’s and have a fun night, yeah?” Aaron says.

The party was brilliant and you come home feeling as elated as ever. It’s two in the morning and you’ve had your fair share of champagne and wine, leaving Aaron the designated driver for the evening.

You get out of the car quick than Aaron does to his confusion. You make you way around the hood of the car and throw your arms around Aaron’s neck, thanking him for being the perfect date and the perfect husband. He laughs and kisses your forehead, mumbling a quick ‘I love you’ into your cheek before pulling you into the house by your hand.

Aaron’s not oblivious. He sees the light to one of their bedrooms flicker on and three faint shadows from behind the sheer curtain. He knows they’re watching the two of you and when he sees one of the girls accidentally rise above the others, he pulls you into him and holds your waist with a tight grip.

You’re pressed against the car door when Aaron puts his mouth on yours. He grips your hips and you whimper against him. It’s enough for him to pull you through the front door and into the bedroom because there’s nothing he wants to do more than make a sweet love to his wife.

Aaron just hopes the girls get the idea.

[redorich]

Hahah, your German startled me! I wasn't expecting that at all. But yes, it was mostly grammatically correct and very adorable <3

Also, aaaah, infant Techno ! God, the casual brutality of this snippet was heartwrenching. The almost dissociated way in which your narration describes the horrific trauma that baby Techno went trough. I am being forced to watch glimpses of his pain trough the same foggy lense of disaffected seperation that he himself probably had to put up to live trough these things. It reminds me a little of the way 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is narrated and that is so terrible and also, terribly good.

As soon as I read it I had to surpress the urge to sprint to your ask box and request the softer sequel - of how he met Phil. I didn't, because there were still two asks of mine sitting in your inbox and I didn't want to completely flood you. But then you go and write it anyway!! As an answer to my ask! God, I adore you! Thank you so much, it made me melt with comfort.

May I perhaps inquire about more along this line? Techno has met neither Willbour nor Tommy yet, and I am quietly vibrating with the possibility of those events.

Also: yay! Then I'll tag you as soon as I'm done with the fanart <3

This makes me happy every time I see it in my inbox, but now I have to let it be free..! I hadn’t really intended for the Technolore fic to be as removed from emotion as it was, but I’m glad it turned out that way. :)

I just posted a bit about Wilbur and Techno, but I never really said how they met. For you, I’ll let the cat out of the bag~ xD The truth is, even Wilbur doesn’t know. He just... came into being one day, and snagged a job helping in one of the town’s minor libraries. He’s always known how to read. The minute he picks up his first guitar, he knows how to play it, but not why. The same doesn’t work for the piano or the flute.

Wilbur’s library shuts down and none of the other libraries will give him a job because he’s so young. Of course, Philza apparently collects orphans now, much to his chagrin, so Wilbur has far fewer books to manage now but some of them actually belong to him this time. And his new brother listens to him when he reads aloud, instead of shushing him! Wilbur isn’t the most motivated at learning magic, but that’s not the only lesson Philza can impart.

---

Frohe Weihnachten! (Thank you Google) Can I call you Vögelchen, or would you prefer a different name?

[beastie-anon]

I think that Ron and Ceasar would be a cute couple so some light fluffy nsfw with them would be cute

Holy shit that would be cute ok here I go- We'll do some cute fluff first and I'll put nsfw under a cut!)

Ron and Ceasar were locked into a room together, Ron for once did the smart thing and sat down. He mostly just wanted to see what Ceasar would do, To see if he would be a threat or not. Ceasar was banging on walls and trying to break through, Failing horribly. As a last resort he slammed his weapon he made into it, And it shattered. Ceasar was panicking, And Ron seeing how his attempts were for nothing decided against trying himself. Ceasar was a famous streamer after all, And he showed his strength in some of his videos. Ron saw Ceasar do shit he couldn't even think of doing, So really it would be pointless.

"Hey uh- C-Ceasar, I know it's a horrible time but.. Can I get an autograph? Heheh..? I-It was so cool how you killed so many humans and when you sang that song you made with the guitar! It was so cool and you sounded amazing!"

"Cut the crap 'your majesty'. All anyone ever watches me for is for a look at my.. Ugh, Goods."

"I'm serious- I liked those episodes the best. I listen to your podcasts while I work since I can't really watch stuff while on the job-"

"I said cut the crap! I bet you don't even know what I said in those videos!"

"Why are you so defensive?!"

"Because I know that nobody in hell would ever want me for anything more than my looks and body."

There was a heavy and upsetting silence in the room, Ron and Ceasar sitting on opposite sides of the room. It seemed like an eternity before surprisingly, Ron broke the silence.

"You used a bomb that you hand crafted. You spent forever making the atoms yourself with engineering, And before that you used the lower lives to test everything out with-"

"Okay stop, I get it you really did listen. Doesnt prove shit."

"...Listen, I'm sorry your entire stay in hell was so horrible. If it was in my jurisdiction you'd of been put into a nice little condo and be given all you needed to survive-"

"What, In exchange for-"

"STOP! I'm tired of you interrupting me! I haven't said anything wrong or shitty to you so why do you keep getting so defensive and angry at me? I didn't trap us in this fucking box and I didn't do any of that shit to you!"

Ceasar seemed a bit taken aback at the sudden snapping, But Ron was right. He didn't do anything to provoke or try to hurt Ceasar at all, It was unfair for Ceasar to take the bad situation out on him. After all, Ron was in the same situation. The silence took over again before Ron once again surprisingly took initiative and stood. He walked to Ceasar and offered him a hand to help him stand.

"Look I'm.. I'm sorry if I upset you, I didn't mean to.. Your the coolest person like, EVER, And I guess seeing that your not the screen I'm used to seeing made me.. Upset, Snappy. In reality your just a person, Like me."

Ceasar was a bit surprised. Ron hadn't even done anything wrong, Yet he apologized anyways. Ceasar decided to take advantage of not having to say sorry and just nodded.

"It's fine, I get it. Thanks for the apology.. It takes a good man to admit when hes wrong."

Ron sighed and nodded, Pulling Ceasar to his feet. They didn't really know what to do now, Until some things were teleported in.. A few board games. Ceasar set them up and they started to play, Chatting as they did.

"You know, I've always admired you. You seemed to be the only sane king you know? Especially compared to.. Well, The candy king. Bob or whatever.. He's like insane. He thinks we can survive with the humans and work together, You know their rightful place is in our stomachs as food."

"I'm glad you think so! I know I'm the best one out there, But it's nice to hear it. Especially from you, Hahah.."

As they both went to grab the dice their hands touched for a second, Their eyes locking together before Ron moved away flusterdly.

"S-Sorry uhh its y-your turn anyways-"

Ron's face was red with a blush, And Ceasars had a slight tint as well. Ron's strange politeness and apologetic attitude really sparked something inside of Ceasar, But he wouldn't admit it. Not yet, At least. He rolled the dice and they played in a crushy yet comfortable silence for a while. Somehow the feelings were developing quicker than if they had met in the real world, Little did they know it was from the mysterious gas slowly pouring into the room... an experimental gas they labeled as 'CUPID-X2', Meant to make people like eachother and fall inlove much quicker than usual. The feelings would have developed anyways, It was just to quicken the process.

"You know Ron.. Your kinda cute."

Ceasar had a devilish little smirk, Trying to get a reaction from him. It definitely worked, Since Ron started to stutter and stumble over words. Ceasar climbed over the board and kissed him on the cheek, Chuckling to himself a bit.

Slight nsfw under cut, Mostly just feeling eachother up over clothes and rubbing under eachothers shirts

Ron leaned down and kissed Ceasar on the lips in retaliation for the kiss on the cheek, His hands trailing to his shirt. Ceasar jumped and pushed away from Ron, And he quickly stopped.

"I-I'm sorry I shouldn't of-"

"It's.. It's not you I'm sorry It's...I'm sorry I'm not.. Ready for that.."

Ron understood and kept his hands to himself.

"Would you.. Be more comfortable if I don't touch you? If you touched me instead..? It's fine if not I just want to make sure your-"

"I-I think I can do that."

Ceasar gently rubbed his hands over Ron's full body suit, Massaging over his surprisingly muscular chest. He sat on top of his stomach as he gently traced over him, Ron tried to quiet his breaths, Getting a bit excited just from the light touches.. Ceasar leaned down and gently kissed his neck, Wrapping his arms around him before leaning down and laying his head onto Ron's chest.

"..If.. You want to.. I-I think I'm okay with you touching me, A-As long as you.. Don't go inside.."

Ron nodded before gently cupping his ass with a gentle squeeze, Causing Ceasar to bury his head deeper into Ron's chest with a whimper. He traced along his sides before making his way to his shirt, Slipping his hands under and rubbing his chest gently tracing his abs. Ceasar could feel himself getting a bit hard, And as Ron started to pull away Ceasar whimpered a bit again.

"N-No don't stop yet- Please..?"

"I.. O-Okay."

He traced his hands down to his thighs before grazing Ceasar's crotch gently with his thumbs. His member twitched excitedly. Ceasar gently grabbed Ron's hand and started to lead it into his pants, Ron quickly yet gently pulled his hand away.

"..No, I know you.. M-Might feel different now but I don't want you to make a mistake with me.."

Ceasar was about to argue, But decided it'd be better not to. He closed his eyes and gently fell asleep on Ron's chest, A door out of the room opening as they slept

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi Steph!! I was wondering if you knew of any really long fics (like 25k or more) that are only one chapter, I travel a lot sometimes and some places don't really have good enough internet for multi chapter fics. So yeah, any really long one chapter fics about John and Sherlock would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hey Nonny!!

LOL OKAY FUNNY STORY. I almost replied to this with “oof I’ll have to read EVERYTHING so I’m sorry.... and then... I remembered.......

I put chapter counts on everything 🙃😐 

I’m not the brightest crayon in the box. 🖍 

Anyway, so yes, I can definitely rec you some fics! BUT I should also offer you two suggestions you can totally do to read ANY fic!

On Ao3, you can click on the “Entire Work” button to load ALL chapters of a fic (it’s the very first button along the top) and in turn you can then just read it all there! 

And the very last button along the top, you can Download copies of the fic to your phone or computer with eBook file types (AZw3 for Kindle, ePub for iPhone’s Books app, and MOBI is for other mobile devices and e-readers), the HTML if you want to read it as-is in a web-browser, or the PDF format which is a universal file format that is supported by everything, even web browsers, so it’s a good one to download if you don’t know what format you need :) If you read on an eReader, though, I can’t recommend enough just downloading the format for your device. You get to keep a copy of the fic AND the eReader keeps it nicely formatted. It’s a BRILLIANT, BEAUTIFUL feature that Ao3 gave us, because I like downloading all my fics and read them later in iBooks. Once you start that, Nonny, you can’t do it any other way. AND at the VERY END of the fics, it links BACK to the original post so you can bookmark, kudos, and comment on it!! <3

So yeah, two options you can do to solve your poopy internet and still read long fics hee hee! <3

ANYWAY EXCUSE FOR A NEW LIST LOL. 

ALSO, side note, check out @silentauroriamthereal; a large chunk of her fics are both long AND one chapter, so it’s a good place to go and she’s a brilliant author so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! <3 Plus a lot of her fics are on this list, so I am sorry hahah.

AND I wanted to make the list a bit longer than I had, so I picked fics over 20K, if that’s alright :) As always, if you wrote a 20k+ single chapter fic, let us know!

SINGLE CHAPTER FICS OVER 20K WORDS

A Life Well-Lived by Kate_Lear (E, 20,121 w., 1 Ch. || Original Male Character, Sherlock Woos John, Jealous Sherlock, Reluctant Bi-John, Past Abuse, Insecure John, Reassuring / Caring Sherlock, Protective Sherlock, Understanding Sherlock) – John got scared off men by an abusive past relationship. Sherlock has to try and woo him while not scaring him off with protective possessive rage.

The White Lotuses by SilentAuror (E, 20,340 w., 1 Ch. || Slow Burn, Domestic, Romance) – One day John realises that he just isn't where he belongs, which is back at Baker Street with Sherlock. So he goes back and Sherlock, in his own way, courts him. Romance.

Out of the Woods by SilentAuror (E, 20,471 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Romance, Slow Burn, Flirting, Drunk Sex, Practical Jokes, POV Sherlock, Bottomlock, Possessive John, Pining Sherlock, Frustrated Wanking, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, First Kiss/Time, Virgin Sherlock, Love Confessions, Soft Sherlock, Dancing, Bum Appreciation, Hanging out with the Yard) – Sherlock is fairly certain that John has taken to flirting with him of late, but can't be entirely certain of it. At least, not until a case takes them into a forest, along with Lestrade's team and something happens that will change everything about their lives...

You're On the Air by prettysailorsoldier (M, 20,616 w., 1 Ch. || Unilock, Matchmaking, Radio, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Sherlock POV, Pining Sherlock, Flirting, Bisexual John) – The Consulting Detective and The Woman dominate the airwaves of their university radio station, doling out advice on everything from meeting the parents to sexual positions. When their ratings start to dip before the holidays, however, manager Mike thinks it's time for some fresh blood, and who better to fill in the gaps than rugby captain--and notorious flirt--John Watson? Part 1 of 25 Days of Johnlock

whiskies neat by Ellipsical (E, 20,660 w., 15 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, POV Second Person Sherlock, Slow Burn, One Night Stand, Rimming, Blow Jobs, Anal, Soldier John, Crying, Emotional Lovemaking, Switchlock) – Home and hearth and whiskies neat, or, alternatively, Sherlock Holmes falls in love.

Achieving the Together-Coloured Instant by teahigh (E, 20,776 w., 1 Ch. || Est. Rel, PTSD, Codependency, Fluff & Angst, H/C, Smut, Demisexual Sherlock, Experiments) – John wonders if this is how it’s going to be: A life speaking in code, because they’re both too stupid to figure out how to say, “I love you.”

Winter's Delights by Kate_Lear (E, 21,173 w., 1 Ch. || Holmes Family, Christmas, Fake Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Bed Sharing, Domestics) – Sherlock takes John home for Christmas to meet the extended Holmes family. Part 1 of Winter's Delights

Love Is by SilentAuror (E, 21,508 w., 1 Ch. || Angst, UST / URT, Post HLV, Romance) – At Mrs Hudson’s urging, Sherlock finally decides to tell John how he feels about him. Part 1 of Love Is

echoes through time by chellefic (E, 21,619 w., 1 Ch. || First Time, Romance, ACD & BBC, Epistolary) – Mummy sends a trunk from the Holmes cottage in Sussex to 221B. Its contents alter the way John and Sherlock see themselves and one another.

Ghost Stories by SwissMiss (M, 22,256 w., 1 Ch. || Pining, Holmes Family, Christmas, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Bed Sharing, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, First Time) – Sherlock's parents think he and John are a couple. They might be onto something.

Sonatina in G Minor by SilentAuror (E, 22,574 w., 1 Ch. || Case Fic, POV Sherlock, Angst, UST, Sherlock’s Violin, Post-S3, Romance) – John has come back to Baker Street, but Sherlock doesn't understand the strange tension between them, even after he begins teaching John to play the violin at John's request.

The Kepler Problem by kinklock (E, 24,270 w., 1 Ch. || Sci-Fi AU, Alien Sherlock, Space Repairman John, Alien Biology, Horny John) – Working in uncharted space exploration was not as exciting as John had hoped, especially when it turned out to be mostly bot maintenance on uninhabited planets. However, the mystery of the repeated, unexplained malfunctions on planet BAK 2212 might turn out to be exactly the kind of adventure he'd been craving.

26 Pieces by Lanning (E, 28,236 w., 1 Ch. || H/C, Torture, First Time, Happy Ending, Schmoop, Past Abuse) – Mycroft gives Sherlock the apparently simple task of solving a puzzle box containing a stolen microchip. It isn't simple.

The Wisteria Tree by SilentAuror (E, 29,773 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S3, Emotional Love Making, Amnesia/Memory Loss, Sherlock Loves John So Much, Sherlock POV, Romance, Angst with Happy Ending, First Times, Hurt/Comfort, Est. Rel., Retirement) – Sherlock wakes up from a month-long coma only to discover that he has no memory of the previous six years to his own shock as well as John's...

Shallow Grave by SilentAuror (E, 31,672 w., 1 Ch. || Romance, Angst, HLV Fix It, Infidelity, Pining Sherlock, First Person POV Sherlock) – Starts as Sherlock's plane is taking off at the end of His Last Vow. When he finds out that Moriarty is alive and that he's being recalled from his mission, Sherlock decides that he should have told John how he felt before he left. So he walks off the plane and kisses him.

The Midas Touch by flawedamythyst (E, 32,231 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Magical Realism || John has a Magical Cock, Dub Con, Healer John) – John Watson has a medical condition that means everyone he sleeps with is instantly healed of all illness and injury. This causes complications when Sherlock breaks his arm, and even more complications when Sherlock falls in love with him. Yes, this is a story where John has a literal magic healing cock. It's a lot less cracky than you're probably imagining. Warning: Contains complex issues of sexual consent, although not between Sherlock and John.

The Whore of Babylon Was a Perfectly Nice Girl by out_there (E, 32,897 w., 1 Ch. || Past Drug Use, Blowjobs, Toplock, Mentions of Switching, Rough Sex, Background Cases, Sherlock’s Past, Sherlock’s Sexual History, Experienced Sherlock, Past One Night Stands, Fingering, Cuddling, Possessive Sherlock, Paris Holiday, Bed Sharing, Naked Lie-Ins, Bathing Together, Confessions, Worried Sherlock, Laying in Bed All Day, Meddling Mycroft, Naked Lazy Day) – Sherlock walks into a room and takes all the space right out of it. He does the same inside John's head.

Our Enthusiasms Which Cannot Always Be Explained by withoutawish (M, 32,961 w., 1 Ch. || Christmas, Fluff and Angst, H/C, Post-TRF, Case Fic, Mild Gore, Sherlock Whump) – The list that is tacked haphazardly on the refrigerator of 221B reads, ‘Kidney(s), and/or a full cadaver (preferably male, late 30s, under six feet tall), bag of fresh toes, sixteen cow’s eyes (corneas retained), dual exhaust hand –held flame thrower, an unopened first edition copy of Joseph Conrad’s 'Heart of Darkness', and no less than ten abhorrently gruesome murders in the upcoming month.” The one neatly hanging next to it simply reads, “Sex.” One of these lists is not John Watson’s. If John Watson were to put what he really wanted in list form, to live in a land somewhere beyond ‘almosts' now that Sherlock Holmes has indeed returned to him, he would never be able to look his flatmate in the eye ever again.

Bedtime Stories by Liketheriver (M, 34,388 w., 1 Ch. || Emotional H/C, Romance, Angst & Humour, Bed Sharing, John First Person, TRF, John Whump) – John's POV during Season 2 and beyond when Sherlock takes up semi-permanent residence in his bed. A collection of codas and missing scenes wrapped up into one long fic and topped with a bow that takes the story beyond Reichenbach and into happy territory once more. Part 1 of Bedtime Universe

The Yellow Poppies by SilentAuror (E, 34,952 w., 1 Ch. || H/C, Nightmares, HLV Fix-It, PTSD, Trauma, POV Sherlock, Doctor John) – Sherlock is threatened and assaulted in the hospital immediately after having been shot in the heart, first by Mary, then by Magnussen. As he recovers at Baker Street with John and plans the attack on Appledore with Mycroft, he fights to work through the trauma caused by these two visits. Set during His Last Vow.

The Unfinished Letters by SilentAuror (E, 37,391 w., 1 Ch. || Post S3 / S3 / HLV Fix it, Angst with Happy Ending, Romance, Infidelity, Depression, Case Fic, POV Third Person Sherlock, Love Confessions, Pining Sherlock, Letters) – A fire at Baker Street leads John to read something he was never intended to see: a notebook of half-written, unfinished letters Sherlock wrote during his time away...

Set in Stone by SilentAuror (E, 39,309 w., 1 Ch. || Romance, Wedding, Therapy, Fluff and Angst) – Sherlock and John are back from Ravine Valley and planning their wedding. However, as they move past the trial of the human traffickers, Sherlock can't help but wonder if he's imagining that John is becoming a little distant. Surely he isn't getting cold feet about the wedding... Part 2 of The Ravine Valley series

Act IV by SilentAuror (E, 39,707 w., 1 Ch. || First Person POV Sherlock, HLV Fix-It, Infidelity, Angst, Drama) – After Sherlock is shot, John moves back into Baker Street. They spend the autumn together as John tries to make sense of his life and make some important decisions about both Mary and Sherlock. Canon-compliant, excerpts from His Last Vow.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by SilentAuror (E, 50,635 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4/S4 Divergence, Case Fic, For a Case / Reverse Fake-Relationship, Conferences, Marriage Equality, Travelling / New York, Pride, Homophobia, Bottomlock, Marriage Proposal, John POV, Sexuality, Love Confessions, Emotional Love Making, Public Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Passionate Kissing, Needy/Clingy Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Touching / Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Little Spoon Sherlock, Intense Orgasms) – John and Sherlock go to New York to attend a conference run by the National Defence of Traditional Marriage Coalition in order to investigate the potential bombing of the annual Manhattan Pride parade. As the conference unfolds, John finds himself repulsed by the toxic ideology being presented, which becomes relevent to his own unacknowledged issues and his friendship with Sherlock...

[batsinurbelfrey]

M I'm curious about your Finnish learning because you're the only person I've ever seen actively learning Finnish and that's super rad to me. Mostly the how? but also the why?

Awww Kiitos anon! thanks for Finding my linguistic endeavors rad, I think most would alternatively call it "questionable time management" xD Both the how and the why are kind of convoluted and A Long Story so buckle in haha (sorry it took me so long to reply, you are about to see why) So for some reason for me, Finnish has always been Around™ one way or another in my life trying to get me to learn it even though none of my direct family are native speakers lol. It started when I was very little, my dad raised us on any Moomin content he could get because he was enamored by them, at some point along the line in late 90s ebay adventuring, he THOUGHT he had found an english dub of the tv show, and ordered a box set, turned out it was a Finnish dub and my dad is illiterate. But as a poor single father he was determined to get his money's worth so he would still put it on for us semi regularly and just gave us this adult trickery speech about how the show was "magic" because we could "make our own story" for it and re-invent episodes infinitely. Anyway, it meant there was a lot of ambient Finnish around the house when i was a kid xD (and i think this may also be why i find the sound of it so pleasant? maybe? like some kinda subconscious nostalgia? lol) Then for a while I was just vibin' i grew out of Moomin age and spent Grade school and HS studying French, Spanish, and to lesser success japanese and icelandic (it should be mentioned I have a bit of a hunger for linguistics if thats not already clear PFFT) when i got to college however, I developed a bit of a crush on an intl student in a few of my classes, and wouldn't you know it we ended up becoming friends and she asked me for tutoring in regards to photoshop, and just so happened to offer to barter Finnish tutoring as payment. And i jumped at it kuz it seemed like it could lead to us dating (it didnt LOL but its all good) She's the person that got me into music and taught me about memes tho hahah after college I stopped again for a bit, and it wasn't until quarantine hit that I decided like many ppl it was time to get back into language learning. Ironically enough I had initially set out to pick ICELANDIC back up and NOT Finnish but around that same time I dug back into an old Finnish textbook because I wanted to write ONE sentence for a joke about the Dallas Stars Finnmaf, and--- Suomalainen kieli just sank its claws into me and didnt let go. So I pivoted LOL as for the HOW, there was obvs the 1:1 tutoring before, but as far as the last few years I did a combination of things: - Drops language app this is a great way to start and i much prefer it to duolingo - https://uusikielemme.fi/ this site is AMAZING for grammar and actual learning info outside vocab - Reddit threads//youtube videos and then honestly, while this is harder to like recommend as an easy "you can too!" after about 3 months of brushing back up on my own, I decided it was time to dedicate to actual classes, and tracked down a teacher to work with me weekly. This is really what made the big difference for me and has been the key to the progress ive made!

[frauleinjustice]

Saimatsu Valentines Day Prompt!

Heeey, my good peoples! Happy Valentines Day!! ♥ Naturally, I wanted to write a cute little oneshot for it~ This time: with my saimatsu babies!! I just thought it would be cute to write something for them for once, hehe...

Summary: For Valentines Day, Kaede wanted to make homemade chocolates for her crush, Shuichi. But since she normally never cooks, she had Maki assist her in making chocolates that actually come out good. And not only will she want to give him romantic chocolates, but: finally confess how she feels, too...

So yeah, I hope you all will enjoy! And as always, thank you so much in advanced if you decide to give it a read. May you all have a nice day, and indulge in some chocolatey treats, regardless if you celebrate today or not! 🍫

"What the hell, Akamatsu." Was the immediate reaction of Maki once she saw the disaster of a kitchen before her very eyes. Splotches of ingredients stained the counter, bowls messily stacked upon each other, and the pot Kaede had used to whisk everything together... was completely burnt at the bottom. And the practice chocolates she had made... looked burnt and greatly misshapen.

"H-Hahah....haaah....." Is the only thing the pianist can utter in response, before she gives several bows. "S-Sorry! I tried to make them on my own, I-I really did! But it uh... diiidn't go exactly well..." She laughs weakly, with even her apron looking like a mess. Tomorrow was Valentine’s Day: the reason Kaede had even attempted to try making chocolates in the first place. While she normally would buy chocolates for her friends... this time, she wanted to actually make them for a very special person. That person being: Saihara Shuichi. To pretty much everyone else in their class-aside from the very boy himself, funnily enough-it was obvious as day Kaede had a big crush on the detective. Not only did she want to give him chocolates that were homemade... but ones that were supposed to be romantic. Even if the thought of giving the guy she likes chocolates was completely nerve-wrecking, not only knowing if he’d like romantic chocolates from her or if he’ll even realize they’re supposed to be romantic: she wanted to believe it would go well, shaking her head of the thoughts of it going badly.

Though... the progress of actually trying to make chocolates, as Maki could see: was not exactly going well at all. Kaede normally isn't allowed to cook, as to avoid the risk of her injuring her fingers, due to being a pianist. It was times like these where she really wished she could cook, since there was no way she was going to give Shuichi these badly made attempts. That's why Maki was here: in a near desperate plea, Kaede called her to ask her to come to her house so she could help her out. Reluctantly, the "child caregiver" gave in and came over after enough begging, since actually she felt a bit bad for Kaede. Sighing, she just shakes her head and goes to tie her hair up in a single high ponytail. "Yeah, I can see that. Fine, I'll help you: but you're still going to be doing most of the work. It's for Saihara, after all."

"Yes!!" She nods, pumping her fists. "All you have to do is watch my progress, make sure I don't screw up! Thanks once again in advance for this!" 

A small mumble in response, Maki goes to grab some of the used dishes. "Let's clean up first and then grab a clean apron."

"O-Okay..!" Once the girls take a moment to clean the counter and wash the dishes, Kaede places her stained apron in a laundry basket, before grabbing a clean one, along with giving Maki one. They start setting up the bowls, kitchen tools, and pot they'll need. Kaede also had a silicone heart mold tray she'll use, which makes Maki have to wonder how she still managed to mess up the shapes of them, anyway. As they're measuring out the ingredients, Kaede shows Maki the recipe for homemade chocolates she had been using. "And then for an extra ingredient, I wanted to add espresso powder... so they can be espresso flavored dark chocolates! Since Saihara-kun likes coffee and all...y-you think he'll like it?"

"...Probably." Is her nonchalant answer before she adds:  "I mean... I'm sure he will, I guess. Saihara is cheesy enough to like whatever you'd make him, anyway. ‘Because Akamatsu-san made it!’ or whatever he’d say..." Her imitation of Shuichi, and the crack of a smirk on her face, made it obvious she was joking.

"Heheh.... yeah, I could see him saying that, too. Then, yeah: I’m sure he’ll probably like it, then! Okay, so first things first: melting the coconut oil in the pot!" A nod from Maki to indicate her to go ahead, she watches Kaede head over to the pot to start emptying the bowl of coconut oil into the pot... after cracking the fire up way too high. 

".........." Immediately, Maki goes over to turn the fire down to a much lower level.  "Don't have the fire up so high, you'll burn the coconut oil."

"O-Oh...!" Blinking in surprise, she turns to Maki and gives a flustered nod. “Thank you, sorry!" Sighing, Maki makes sure to keep a close eye on her as she stirs the gradually melting oil. Once it is completely melted, Kaede transfers it to a mixing bowl. It would now be time to add the  cocoa powder, honey, vanilla, and sea salt to the mixture, along with the additional flavor of espresso powder. 

"Don't whisk it so hard, and not so fast, either. You're trying to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated together, not making splotches fly everywhere."

"R-Right...!" Since that was the exact mistake Kaede made with the practice chocolates. This time, she was whisking at a much better speed and pace, avoiding making a big mess and making her arm necessarily more sore. "This is already coming out a million times better than before. You really know your stuff, Harukawa-san!" She chimes, a smile widening on her face. "Did you already make some, yourself? Fooor..." Her smile turns more mischievous. "Momota-kun?"

"!?" As if hitting the nail on the head, Maki's face quickly turns red as she tries giving an intimidating glare to Kaede. "D...Do you want to die? Why would I want to give chocolates t-to that idiot... now don't say such stupid things..."

"Hahah, sorry, sorry! I was just teasing you!" Though that reaction told Kaede everything. She didn't want to risk teasing Maki too much, though, so she refrains from saying that, and instead gives her a softer smile. "Really though... thank you. I would've been so hopeless without you!"

"Hmph...." Pouting, she begins stroking her ponytail. "...Don't worry about it. Maybe next time you won't be such a disaster at it." Despite her blunt words, there wasn't actual annoyance in her voice. Maki truly didn't mind helping Kaede out. Even if she found the girl a bit much and annoying at times: she wasn't against considering her a friend. That, and she knows Shuichi feels the same way for Kaede. He was one of her closest friends, alongside Kaito, and Kaede to a lesser extent: so she wanted this to go well for them both, hence why she was secretly happy to help. 

Chortling in response, Kaede continues mixing until the chocolate mixture is fully incorporated with no lumps left. She carefully pours the mixture in the silicone mold before placing them in the freezer. "Alright, there we go! Can't wait to see how they'll look..!" In the meantime while the chocolates begin to harden, Kaede and Maki take that time to clean up the kitchen. Around half an hour later, Kaede checks on the chocolates. "Ohhh...!" By then, they had hardened. She takes the tray out of the freezer and sets it on the counter. Popping a chocolate heart out, she turns it around to give it a good look. The chocolate wasn't misshapen, lumpy, burnt... much better than how Kaede's first batch came out. "Harukawa-san, look! They came out perfectly! We did it!!" She cheers, putting it back in its slot before cupping Maki's hands. 

"Ah, hey-!" Flinching in surprise from the sudden contact, she just rolls her eyes and sighs. "Yeah, yeah... though it was mostly just you, Akamatsu. I just made sure you wouldn't make the kitchen look like a disaster, again."

"Ahaha... well, still! I wouldn't have been able to do this without your help. Thank you so much...! Now I feel even more confident giving these to Saihara-kun tomorrow." Now all she would need to do is pack them in a chocolate box and give them to Shuichi. Nervous excitement was already building up in her for tomorrow. Will it go well? Will he accept her chocolates... and her confession? Kaede was normally not on to think of a worse case scenario, but even she couldn't help the anxious feeling bubbling up in her if everything doesn't go right. "So, ah... wish me luck! H-Heheh..." She nervously rubs the back of her head. "Not to scare myself or anything, but who knows how tomorrow will go, you know...? And if it's alright with you... I'll want to tell you how it goes afterwards, too."

"Well... if that's what you want. I don't mind. Though... don't act like it could possibly go wrong, or whatever. Saihara's never outright said it, but: I bet he's hoping to get chocolates from you. So... yeah: good luck." And for a moment, a hint of a smile appears on Maki's face.

"Harukawa-san...." Smiling warmly, she could feel some of her nervousness seeping away. "That's right... I just have to believe that it will be okay. I'll make sure it does! Thank you so much...! Okay, then I'll be sure to tell you how it goes..!"

With that, Valentines Day arrives the next day. Kaede had told Shuichi to meet her in a quiet area of campus after school this morning, without telling him the exact reason why. While Shuichi was curious, he thankfully didn't persist, much to Kaede's relief. Though her being unusually more nervous around him during class probably gave an obvious hint as to what the reason may be: Shuichi still didn't want to assume anything... even if he's hoping it's for the exact reason Kaede wants to see him.

Once classes were over for the day, Kaede immediately headed to their meeting spot: an area on campus that was a bit off the path, but was quiet with no one really around. She wanted to give him chocolates in a quiet area where no one could be nosy. "Okay... looks like I made it first. Hggh..." Cupping her arm, she can feel the nervousness kicking right back up as she stares down at the ground. ("Come on, Kaede, don't get nervous already.. he hasn't even shown up yet!")

"...san.."

("Like Harukawa-san said: don't like it could possibly go wrong. A-And if even she thinks Saihara-kun may like me back...!")

"...san? Akamatsu-sa...."

She shakes her head, completely unaware of the soft voice from behind calling out to her. ("So come on, be optimistic! It will go well! Just believe in yourself!! When he arrives,  I'll... I'll give him the chocolates, and tell him how I fe-")

"Akamatsu-san!"

Pouting, she swiftly turned around and was about to yell at the person who dares interrupt her- "Geez, what is it, can't you see I'm busy he-?!" Before finally noticing who it was, gasping. "Ah! S-Saihara-kun!!" At his understandably confused reaction, she gives a few frantic bows. "S-Sorry, I didn't notice you there!"

Blinking, he gives a reassuring shake of his head and waves his hand in the air. "A-Ah, it's, um... it's alright. Hi... I'm sorry for taking a moment, I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"No, no, you're fine! I literally just got here myself, so you're not late. But yeah, hey! Thanks for being willing to do this! I hope it wasn't too sudden a request..."

"Ah, not at all! I don't mind. It seemed like you wanted to tell me something important, so..."

"Y...Yeah..." Before she begins, Kaede takes a quick moment to look around. It was still just them around here, just as she hoped. A soft exhale, she looks back up at the boy. "...Okay, so! You've probably... already guessed why I called you out here, but... still. There's something I... wanted to give you, Saihara-kun. It's in my bag: one moment..." Trying to ignore the increasingly rapid pounding in her heart, Kaede reaches into her backpack to take the box of chocolates out.

"!" Shuichi's eyes widen when he sees it. "Oh! That's...!" He is presented with a heart-shaped chocolate box, with a white bow wrapped around it. 

She bows slightly as she holds the chocolates out to him. "F...For you, Saihara-kun: Happy Valentines Day...! I-I... made them, myself!"

"Ahh? You... made these? For me..?" A soft, surprised gasp leaves his lips as he stares down at the box of chocolates. Shuichi knew the pianist was normally not allowed to cook. So for her to not only give him chocolates, but ones that she made, herself...  "......." A blush starts to creep onto his face. So his prediction was right, after all... he was surprised, but so happy and relieved. "Akamatsu-san... thank you..." Finally, he gently takes the box of chocolates out of her hands. A shy, yet bright smile appears on his lips. "I'm flattered you would want to give me homemade chocolates..! If it's okay, I would love to try them right now."

"Of course…!" Standing back up straight, she smiles bashfully at him, a soft blush on her face. "And yeah, that's totally fine! I hope you'll love them, Saihara-kun...!"

"I'm sure I will, since Akamatsu-san made them, after all! H-Hehe..." 

"Hehe...!" She couldn't help but giggle with him, recalling how Maki said that he would say something just like that. Though it really did make her happy: to hear that Shuichi was confident he was going to like her chocolates. He beckons her to walk over to the nearby tree with them to sit down. Shuichi places the box on his lap before opening it up, an amazed hum leaves his lips when seeing how nice the heart-shaped chocolates look. 

"Ohh… These look very nicely made. Alright, let's try one..." Picking one of the pieces up, Shuichi pops it into his mouth. "Mm..." He takes a moment to savor the flavor, a delighted hum emitting from him. Kaede watches him in anticipation, eagerly yet anxiously awaiting his response. Once he's finished the piece, he looks at Kaede with a smile and an approving nod. "Akamatsu-san, these are so good...! Just as I thought, I love these.” 

"!!!" Seeing he loved it, her eyes light up and a smile widens on her face as she clasps her hands together. "Yay!! I'm so glad to hear that, Saihara-kun! They're espresso flavored dark chocolates.”  She eagerly informs. “I thought, since you like coffee, why not add that additional flavor to them? And Harukawa-san helped me with this, too, since I was a complete disaster trying to make them myself."  She chuckles sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "So it's honestly thanks to her that these turned out much better than I ever could've made them on my own..."

"Ohh? Espresso flavored, I see... so that's why there was a coffee taste to them. I'm so honored you took that into consideration, Akamatsu-san... they taste absolutely amazing."  He smiles softly, giving an intrigued hum. "Ohh, Harukawa-san did, huh? Haha, that was sweet of her to do. But still, it was mostly your hard work that made the chocolates come out as tasty as they did, yes? So I think you should give yourself some more credit... and say, rather: with her help, they came out even better than they already would have, even if you did make them on your own."

"S...Saihara-kun...." A light blush appears on her cheeks. It was always things like that: the sincere, kind things Shuichi said... that made her fall for the boy in the first place. "Th-Thank you for having so much faith in me like that... makes me very happy to hear."

“Of course..." Shuichi picks up another piece and eats it, savoring it just as much as the first piece. Kaede made these for him.... even if she normally doesn't cook, she went out of her way to make homemade chocolates or him. The more he's reminded of that, the more his cheeks heat up and his heart thumps softly in his chest. And for a moment... "......." He wondered if he should ask this, but decided to go for it, a nervous exhale leaving him before he spoke up. 

"S-Say, um..... Akamatsu-san? I hope this is not an, um... strange question to ask, but: are these....ah....friendship chocolates?"

"!" Kaede's eyes widened in surprise at his question. "Ah...!" Even though she knew it was coming, she didn't expect him to ask so directly like that. "N-No, it's not strange! I'm just surprised you just came out with it, haha. But, um..." Now it was the moment of truth. The nervousness from before was quickly kicking back into high gear. She was going to say it... she was finally going to say how she feels, once she confirms that these chocolates were completely intended to be romantic. Taking a few deep breaths to keep herself calm... she looks back at him and shakes her head. "No: they aren't friendship chocolates. I... when I made these for you, the intention was... romantic. Th-They are... romantic chocolates."

"....!" Shuichi freezes at her clarification. "A...Ah...." He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding in. He was nervously anticipating what kind of answer she would give. That part of him hoping so badly that his assumption was wrong. "R...Romantic chocolates?" 

"Yes.... so that's why I wanted to do my best to make sure these chocolates came out great. Since I wanted to make... um.... the guy th-that I... that I like, happy." She chuckles shyly, feeling her cheeks heat up again. "I... really like you, Saihara-kun. U-Um: like, like! Since I have a r-really big crush on you and all, a-and!! Wanted to finally tell you that through these homemade chocolates...!" And then once she finally got that out, she hangs her head low, wanting to hide the only worsening blush on her cheeks. The embarrassment she was feeling over stammering her confession out quicker than she had hoped aside... a big wave of relief washed over her after finally telling the detective how she feels. And now it was time for the most nerve-wrecking part of all: awaiting his response. 

"........." Shuichi just stares at her, too shocked to form an immediate response. His eyes are widened and a deep blush crosses his face. "Ah. A-Ah..." She likes him.... Kaede, the girl he truthfully has been crushing on badly in turn, likes him: like, likes him, as she stated. He could feel his heart bouncing around like crazy in his chest, feeling so overwhelmingly happy right now. He heard exactly what he was hoping so badly to hear: just as much as he was hoping these were not platonic chocolates. "You like...me...? H-Had a crush on...me? Oh..." He stares down at the ground, one hand to his chest as he gives a few deep breaths. Kaede was brave enough to confess her feelings... so he wanted to give her a proper response back.  "....Akamatsu-san." 

She gave two nods in confirmation at his questions. And when he calls her name like that, knowing he wants her to look up at him. "......." Nervous as she is to, she brings herself to slowly lift her head back up.  "S...Saihara-kun."

"S-Sorry, I was honestly at a loss of words for a moment. A-Ahaha..." He chuckles softly, bashfully scratching his cheek.  "I never thought that... you'd feel that way about me. And in all honesty, when I asked you if these were platonic chocolates... I was really hoping you would say no. I-I hope that's not selfish of me. Especially since it…. made me so happy that wasn't the case. Because... if there was anyone I was hoping to get romantic chocolates from... it  was from you."

"!" Kaede perks up at that. "R...Really? You were... hoping they wouldn't be platonic ones? And that... you were hoping they would be from me?"

"Yes..." For a moment, he hesitates when suddenly moving his arm, wondering if he should do it… before he dares to bring his hand towards Kaede’s to rest it gently on top of hers. It makes a soft gasp leave her, Shuichi ready to move his hand away if it was being too forward. But seeing she doesn't move her hand away, nor looks uncomfortable... he keeps it there before continuing. "I wouldn't have cared to get them from anyone else but you. Since.. since I..." Even if he knows she feels the same, he still feels his face heat up. Then with a soft exhale, he tells her: "...I feel the same, Akamatsu-san. I-I... like you, too. And for a long while, I have. So... I'm so happy that you return my feelings." He goes to intertwine their fingers just a bit... before giving her the warmest smile she's ever seen on his face.

"Saihara-kun...!" She feels her face turn redder when he intertwines their fingers together. And to hear it back: that Shuichi returns her feelings as well. "I...you...!" Relief washed over Kaede... before an overwhelming amount of happiness started bubbling in her. And before she knew it, Kaede lunged forward to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.

"W-Woah...!" Shuichi yelps out in surprise from the sudden hug, his other having quickly secured a grip on the box of chocolates so that they wouldn't fall off his lap. Once he made sure they were secure on his lap, he gave a soft chuckle and shyly wrapped his arms around her to return the hug, cheeks turning a darker shade of red. "Ahaha.... Akamatsu-san..."

"H-Hehehe... sorry, I'm just... so happy! That the guy I like... likes me back!! I was so nervous... but now I'm so relieved!" She laughs, burying her face in his shoulder for a moment to stifle her giggles. The biggest, brightest smile was on her face. He returned her feelings.... he likes her back... The more she processed this, the happier she felt. She couldn't have felt any happier that she took that risk to make these chocolates for him and confess.

Shuichi gives her a soft squeeze in the hold, closing his eyes and just sighs so happily. She felt so nice to hug... he almost didn't want to let go of her. "I'm so happy, too... probably the happiest I've ever been."

"Me too...!" And for a moment they continue hugging like that, Kaede not wanting to leave his warm embrace anytime soon either... but eventually, they break away, Kaede going to sit back down in her spot. "S-So um! I guess that means we're... dating now, huh?"

"Dating..." Even just muttering it makes him flustered. "Hehe... y-yes, I suppose that does mean that, huh? Homemade chocolates from my...g-girlfriend. Thank you so much again..." For a second, he smiles at her... before deciding to lean in and place the softest kiss to her cheek. "I-I ah: hope that was okay to do..."

"!" Kaede uttered a surprised noise at the peck, making her cheeks heat up again before she giggles and nods her head. "O-Of course! You're my...b-boyfriend, after all! H-Hehe..." Humming in content, Kaede gently leans against Shuichi. She feels a gentle breeze brush through them, closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy it. She felt so content, wanting time to just stop for a moment. The guy she likes, she loves: was now hers... and she is his. "Sh...Shuichi-kun. Can I call you that? Um, I've never really been in a relationship before, so sorry if I'm a bit awkward at this at first, but: I promise... I'll be the best girlfriend I can be for you. One that will make you happy... and always make you feel loved."

"Ah..." His heart soars when she calls him by his first name. And hearing just the amount of sincerity in her tone couldn't help but make him chuckle, finding it so cute: finding her so cute...  "You're so sweet.... though you've always been such a caring and loving person who always makes me happy whenever I spend time with you. And... I promise to do the same. R-Relationships are just as new for me, too, but... that just means we’ll be able to experience what one is like, together. I will make sure to be nothing but a great boyfriend to you, too. You deserve to feel just as happy and loved, Akamatsu-san. A-Ah, well.. if you're going to call me 'Shuichi-kun'....th-then: K...Kaede-san..." Even just uttering her first name makes his cheeks red, but felt so nice. 

"Mmhm... please call me Kaede..." She hums, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder as she goes to wrap both her arms around his arm. "...Shuichi-kun...." She opens her eyes back up halfway. Then turning her head to look up at him, she gives  him a look just spilling with warmth and love. "...I love you..." 

"Kaede-san..." A quiet sigh of awe leaves him when seeing the look she gives. A look that would be reserved just for him. He couldn't feel any luckier... and in turn, he gave her a look and smile just as warm and loving, one hand going to gently cup her cheek.  She loves him... it felt so nice to hear. "...I love you, too. I always will." 

"Hehe... me too...." She nuzzles her cheek against his hand, sighing so happily. "....Shuichi-kun: ....let's kiss...." Kaede slowly leans her head closer to his. "....If that's okay? I really want to..."

"....Of course." He begins to slowly lean in as well, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. "...I'd love that more than anything." 

"I'm glad... Then.... And as their eyes slowly come to a close, shifting slightly so that Shuichi wraps his free arm around Kaede's waist, and Kaede now wraps both her arms around his neck once more... they close the distance in a soft kiss. A soft hum emits from them, loving how nice the other's lips felt. She could taste a hint of the chocolates on his lips as well, which made her muffle a small giggle. Kaede's heart was pounding so hard in her chest, giving his lips several smacks during the kiss. It makes a delighted sigh vibrate through Shuichi, one of his hands proceeding to rub small circles in her back. Her first kiss with her new boyfriend... she wanted to indulge as long as she could before they would have to break away. 

And even once they do, their kiss slowly lingers... before Shuichi dares to take the bold initiative this time and draws her right back into a kiss. She happily welcomes it, feeling her heart bounce even more she feels him press his lips firmer against hers, with Kaede doing the same. One of her hands gets tangled in his hair, slowly combing through the smooth black locks. This kiss is longer, deeper... and full of much more love packed into it. When they break away, they softly pant as they stare lovestruck at each other, both of their faces flushed red. "Th-That... felt nice..."

"Yeah... it really did...." She continues stroking his hair, Shuichi nuzzling his head against her hand as he utters a content hum. "Today... couldn't have gone any better. Not only did you enjoy your chocolates, but now you're my boyfriend, too! Hehehe I can't wait to tell Harukawa-san the great news!"

"Hahaha.... and I guess I'll tell Momota-kun as well. I did wonder why he told me 'Good luck' before I left to come meet you here..." He chuckles. "But yes, I truly did, Kaede-san. Ah!" Picking a piece up, he offers her one. "I know you made these for me, but I would love to enjoy them together with you."

She chuckles at that, not surprised Kaito knew exactly why he had been called to come here by her. Then when he offers her one of the pieces, she blinks in surprise. "Oh! Well if you'd like to: sure, thanks!" She takes the piece, and plops half of it into her mouth. And just to tease him... with the other half sticking out of her mouth, she bops her head forward, gesturing him to come closer while muttering: "Mm, mm!"

"Wha-?!" Face blowing up in red, Shuichi starts flailing his hands. "W-W-Wait a minute, th-that's-!! I-I mean I ah, I'm not saying 'no', b-but-"

"Hehehemmph!" The chocolate stifling her laugh, she finishes it completely before she starts laughing even more. "I-I was just teasing you, Shuichi-kun, hahaha! But were you really going to be up for it? Woah... Shuichi-kun is bolder than I thought!"

"Ah... o-ohh, geez! Kaede-san!!" He huffs, blushing even more in embarrassment as he gives her arm the lightest bap... before he starts breaking into laughter, too. "V...Very funny! Hahah...!"

"Heheh...!" She gives him a playful nudge to his arm, before they continue to enjoy more chocolates together. She still couldn't believe how well today went. With Maki's help, the chocolates came out great, Shuichi loved them... and realizing he loved her too when she confessed. Now she felt silly for having doubts, and couldn't feel anymore grateful that she was just worrying over nothing in the end. She already couldn't wait to get back home and play a song that expresses the amount of happiness and love she feels for the boy next to her. And maybe, she thinks to herself: she'll play it for him one day, too.

[ninnodesu]

The New Matriarch, ch 6

AN: Okay, this chapter is A LOT better than chapter 5 in my opinion, hahah. I'm just churning out chapters right now during christmas break, it's great!

Again; Thank you sooo much for reading! It's so much fun seeing the statistics and see that people like my little story. <3 Oh! Regarding the name "Kit": This is mostly just a placeholder name, do not fear! It is still You/Reader friendly ;)

TW: None, really. Maybe some light mentions of bullying!

Thomas B. Hewitt.

Thomas was grumpier than usual today at work. When he’d arrived, his work station had been vandalized.  There were snickers and giggles behind his back as he had to clean up his little corner of the slaughterhouse almost all morning. It was covered in trash. People had literally dumped at least one trash can all over his station, might’ve been two, even. Rotten food all over his bench, some stuck to his cleaver. Everyone thought it was hilarious to mess with the residence retard. It was one of those days. One of those days where he was - apparently - only at work as some kind of comical relief to lighten the mood of the otherwise gloomy workers, at least that’s what they had decided.

At one point the ones responsible for the mess he had to clean had even pushed one of the shy girls right into Thomas’ chest, making cat calls and whistling towards them as a way to mock both at the same time.

The girl because she was shy and cried easily, and Thomas because… well… he looked like he did.

He wasn’t able to properly start butchering until maybe an hour before lunch, his boss yelling at him a handful of times before that.

What did I ever do to any of you assholes… Not only did he have to clean up the entire morning, there wasn’t enough food at home so he couldn’t bring lunch… and his cleaver was getting dull. A mental note to bring it home the next day to sharpen it.

This. Was not. His. Day.

I just want to go ho- , his inner sentence was interrupted by a hard dunk on his back, knocking a bit of air out of him.

“Hewiiiitt!”, one of the several bullies he’s had comes up with two of his friends holding his arms out wide, they’re smirking.

So you did this.

“Did ya’ like our present, Hewitt?”, he nods towards the trash can and starts laughing, “We got it specially for you.”, he chuckles before continuing, “Oh, and, I hope you don’t mind I take Laurie for myself, since you uh… wouldn’t know what to do with’er even.” A barking laughter erupts from the three of them at the end of his jab against Thomas, making everything personal. The end of his sentence makes Thomas turn towards them and glare down through his dark curls. The men take a step back, they can probably literally feel how Thomas’ anger starts boiling as he straightens up and flexes his biceps towards them. A clear sign they’re starting to royally piss him off.

He would never use his strength to physically hurt people, but he does know how to make them leave him alone, at least for a short period of time, they know he could crush their skulls if he wanted to. And they never go into fist fights with the giant. All they do is emotionally drain him, they make him know he’s different, not like everyone else, and that he never will be. He’s the village dumb animal and that’s his only purpose in life.

They laugh nervously as he stares them down. “Haha, you really are an animal, Hewitt.”, they just laugh as they turn and leave him alone in the now empty slaughterhouse. He plants his hands flat on his table and glances over at all the parts he has left to cut up before he can leave without getting reprimanded by his boss the following day and sighs heavily.

I fucking hate all of you.

It’s dark out when he’s finally done with his work, thankfully, his dull cleaver made it so he could snag more pieces of rejected meat with him home. At least something good came out of this shitty day at work. More food for his - now - bigger family and he tried looking at that like a consolation prize as he lumbered home in the dark, letting his mind wander.

I want a name for her.

Even if he didn’t want to speak to her, he still wanted to give her a name until she could remember her own, she couldn’t walk around with no name in the house.

Sure, I’m not going to openly talk to her…

He cleared his throat at that as a reminder for himself that he still had vocal cords. He made a conscious choice not to speak several years ago. But on lonely nights, or when he was alone - and knew no one could hear him - in general, he hummed, or spoke to himself, thinking aloud or mumbled reminders for only him to hear, to make sure his vocal cords were still there. The two words he had spoken in the barn a few days back the most he had actually spoken in… months, maybe years. His family had gotten used to his body language and mannerisms when they talked to him.

I can alwa-, again, interrupted. But this time by a family of foxes running across the dirt road. He stopped and just stared at the bigger one as it stopped in the high grass in the ditch on the other side, looking over at a small collection of babies that sprinted across it after looking over at the giant in the distance.

He smiled as he figured out what to call her.

Kit.

He hummed slightly, picturing her in his mind. Her face, the kind eyes that always crinkled when she smiled at him or his family, trying out the new name to see if it would fit her face.

Yeah. Yeah, I like Kit.

He readjusted the bag he had thrown over his shoulder and kept trudging home through the night, a tired sigh leaving him as he started to see the outline of the big house in the distance.

The house was silent, obvious evidence that everyone else was asleep, so he made sure to walk as quietly as he could on his way to the stairs leading to the basement, snagging a few pieces of the leftovers and shoving them into his mouth on the way down to the damp and musty basement where the coolers were loudly brumming and vibrating. Alone, he seized the moment to talk to himself.

“Let’s see… ”. His voice was raspy, but deep, and vibrated throughout his body. He rummaged and rearranged in the freezer box to take out the packages whose date seemed to run out to put it on top of the ones he had brought today. “Pen… penpenpen… ”, almost having to turn the entire basement over to find the one he usually uses - and mentally punishing himself for never putting it in one specific place - he scribbles down today’s date before putting them in the bottom of the box. As he stands and stretches he’s greeted with a series of tired pops in his spine. “Getting old, Thomas. ”, he mumbles before lumbering over to his basement corner. Not having the energy to climb the stairs.

He just wanted to sleep. Unbuckling his mask he rubs his hands all over his dried cheeks to ease the blasted itching all over him before kicking off his boots and laying down on the creaky bed. A yawn that transcends into a small, deep moan escapes him as he tucks one arm under his pillow and the other reaches under his shirt to scratch a spot on his stomach. “Kit. ”, he says out loud to try it on his tongue. “Mmmh. Kit is good. ”, is the last sound that leaves the basement before his snoring takes over.

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

You

You woke up in your bed, not really remembering when you went to sleep, but you decided to cuddle up a bit under your blanket before the morning heat reached your body and you had to force yourself up out of bed.

As usual, it was quiet in the house. “It’s really starting to get lonely here…”, you muttered to yourself as you descended the stairs. You were greeted by a few piglets running around in the kitchen as you entered.

A yellow paper struck you in the otherwise white and gray kitchen.

A note.

“Mornin’, dear. Breakfast is on the table.

Love

- Luda Mae.”

You looked up from the note and towards the table, and sure enough. There it was. A plate with a few sausages, a fried egg and a small piece of bread. You mentally thanked Luda Mae as you sat down, tucking a leg under yourself and started munching on your - now cold - breakfast while watching a few piglets running around. Occasionally you threw a piece of sausage at them which they happily ate. “I wonder why you live in here, piggies.”, you said to them as you downed the last of the meal. You hummed a bit at a thought before heading over to clean your plate and fork.

After drying your hands and putting the dishes away to dry on their own you turned on your heels and leaned back at the sink just looking around. “Now what…”, you giggled as you poked a pig with your feet and watched it twitch. “What should we do now, little guy?”

You sauntered away from the kitchen, into the dining room and just looked around. Taking in the homely - but not the cleanest - house you were in. You’ve never seen this before, never seen these people. But then again, maybe you weren’t even from around here… Everything before meeting Thomas in the barn was a blur, a darkness you really couldn’t remember. And right now, at this moment? You were happy you couldn’t remember anything. All you knew at this point was that you were relaxed.

You knew you’d been on the run, you remember the Box, but no details. Not your name, not where you came from, you knew an estimated age of yourself, but still no details.

You came from the darkness, yes, and Thomas was your light. Your beacon of hope.

Your venture took you into a room with a piano and a couch. You approached the piano and started tinkling on the keys, it was really out of tune and you couldn’t help but to laugh at how bad it sounded. But you shrugged and sat down in front of it and started poking the keys. Thinking you knew any kind of melody you could play, but it was fun nonetheless. After your solo concert you found yourself sitting in the grass outside, legs sprawled in front of you under a tree, the shirt you’d borrowed tickling slightly as a breeze caressed your skin and you closed your eyes. “This is nice.”, sure it was quiet, and sure you were lonely… and bored . But it was a relaxing kind of silence where you could lay in the grass if you wanted, take a nap on the porch if you felt like it. No stress and no need to live up to any expectations.

It isn’t until late afternoon that you finally notice the family starting to drop in. You’re on the couch in front of the TV lazily watching, not even paying attention to what is on when someone suddenly kicks the sofa. “Fuck you think you doin’?”, you jerk and look up at the grumpy man, Charlie, standing there with his hands on his hips shooting daggers at you. “Been home all day and not done anything ‘round the house.”, you don’t even get the chance to reply to him so you resort to shrinking in on yourself. “I uh…”, he interrupts you before you get any chance to defend yourself. “Listen here, girlie.”, he gets down low and right up in your face and grab it harshly to make sure you’re looking at him, “Mama might be treatin’ you good n'all, hell, she won’t stop talking ‘bout ya’”, he sneers and looks annoyed, “But you’re in my house, so you listen’ to my rules.”

His grip starts to loosen on you.

“So, ya’ see, honey. If you want to stay here, livin’ a good ass life, ya’ better do ya part, understand?” All you can do is nod weakly, after you do, he pats your cheek a little harder than he had to and gave you a tobacco smelling kiss on your forehead before he left. You mind starts hurting slightly, the treatment making something you can’t fully decipher before your eyes

You didn’t dare move off the couch after your meeting with Charlie. You kept your place on the couch until dinner was served. The other older man, Monty, had joined you, but you didn’t care. He didn’t care and acted like you weren’t even there. Dinner was just as uneventful, you all ate, but without Thomas. A knot started growing in your stomach when he wasn’t present, Charlie scared you already. And you had only been there for about three to four days. Barely talking to him, the few times you did meet him he shot you nasty glances. Eyes that traveled uncomfortably over your body.

After dinner was over and done with, Luda Mae invited you to have evening tea with her on the porch, and you, happy to accept, almost sprinted out to get away from mainly Charlie. He didn’t seem to dare say or do anything against you when Luda Mae was in ear shot.

Your house my ass... , you thought when you’d notice that small detail.

So, here you were having a cozy evening with at least one you enjoyed spending time with.

“You seem tense, darlin’”, she spoke up from her crocheting and glanced at you. “Is everything alright?” You looked over at her and gave a crooked smile. “I’m… I’m alright. It’s just…”, you shook your head and proceeded to rest your chin on your hand. “Can I ask you something, miss Mae?”, you tilted your head. “Mmhm.”, she hummed as she went back to her crocheting, the tone of her voice seemingly knowing what you were about to ask about.

Thomas.

The two of you ended up talking about Thomas for several hours. Luda Mae told you she found him in a dumpster outside the very slaughterhouse he works in, how he from an early age suffered from a skin disease they couldn’t afford to treat due to her and her family already living on the verge of poverty. She told you he was heavily bullied in school, and when he was around twelve left it altogether. Charlie helped him get a job at the slaughterhouse and that’s where he’s been since. He’s a gentle giant to the ones he considers family, he’s strong but never abuses his power.

“So, uhm… is there any specific reason he doesn’t speak?” She folded her hands in her lap and sighed heavily at that question, she had been teary eyed all through Thomas’ story, but now it seemed they started falling. “Due to him takin’ a knife to his face it hurt him too much to speak, and even eat. He stopped eating for a long time. He utters a word sometimes, but… that’s it.”, her voice trembled and she took a deep breath to continue, “My poor boy stopped talking completely when he was around… fifteen. And I haven’t talked to him since then.” You did the numbers in silence before gasping slightly “He hasn’t talked for nineteen years?”, she shook her head slightly. “I do miss talkin’ to him. He always did have the best laugh I’ve ever heard.”, she smiled to you. “Ya’ know the deep, rumbling kind, I remember him always laughing until he folded over.” You giggled slightly at that, picturing Thomas folded over in a deep laugh with his arms clutching his stomach.

It was a lovely image.

[tsukishumai]

(feel free to keep this to yourself or delete or whatever ik it's long so if you don't want it to take space on ur blog I get it!!! ❤️❤️❤️)

Ok im the anon from last night and im gonna try to fit my somewhat clear (still mostly jumble) thoughts into one ask! Maybe 2 if i absolutely cannot fit but anyways i went to bed last night thinking “damn idk who i want reader to be with” but uh based on the tiny notes i took when i reread it there is a clear favorite O.O

Anyways im not sure if Bo just doesn’t know that he likes reader or what??? Why is he LITERALLY BRINGING ANOTHER GIRL HOME to presumably sleep with and then act all >:( when reader leaves w kuroo??? Absolutely not !

Also im sorry but the “shes like my sister!” comment absolutely killed me, i remember when that happened to me and i made a BEELINE for the bathroom right afterwards to cry about it lol but speaking of crying!!! Idk how reader kept it together when she was helping Bokuto dress up because seeing someone i like put so much effort into a date with another person would have destroyed me….and then when he spun around and was li e “how do i look?” ABSOLUTELY NOT it would have been OVER for EVERYONE.

AND ALSO the whole assigning colors to people part is so lovely and jehfbrwuifekj im a huge color/number person when it comes to emotions and people because I feel like everyone has their own unique color for them? Sometimes numbers but for me it’s only when i really know the person but anyways this is as much as i can say without going over the limit so in conclusion, i LOVE your series and i’m so excited for future updates and you seem like a really cool person so i’ll hopefully be back in your ask box soon!! Kissies and hugs kjednfkwjef pls have a spooky october!!!

🧡💚🧡💚

Love Galore

i'm not gonna lie i've been keeping this in my inbox FOR DAYSSS BECAUSE I JUST CAN'T STOP RE-READING IT AND I W ANNA KEEP IT FOREVER T-T but i don't want you to think i ignored this sweet message BECAUSE FUCK!

it honestly still BLOWS my mind whenever i get asks like this, because honestly it makes my heart fucking SIIINGGGGG hearing your thoughts about Love Galore!! AND YOU TOOK NOTES I'M ACTUALLY CRYING LMAO I LITERALLY LOVE YOU fsadas but anyway i just have to know, who are you rooting for? lol

HONESTLY Bo is just as confused like he's kinda self-centered you know! not in a bad way, like he's nice and caring to his friends but ultimately everything he does everything for his OWN self interest, and someitmes when ur so tunnel-visioned like that, it's difficult to understand the feelings of those around u!!! cause in a way he only cares about his own? it's kinda contradictory LOL

AND BESTIE IM SO SORRY THAT HAPPENED TO YOUFFSDA being sister-zoned is absolutely not a curse i would wish upon my worst enemies smh and i have NOOO idea how y/n did i could fucking NEVERRR i'd just tell him like 'go watch a youtube video or something' like SHE DONE HELPED SHIP HER MAN OFF!! UR CRAZY!! but at least she got to spend time with kuroo lmao

im so happy u like that part bc i feel the same way i love associate people with colors ij ust feel like color plays such a big part in our life and i love assigning colors hahah but anywayyyy

THANK YOU SO MUCH from the absolute bottom of my heart for reading and letting me know your thoughts on Love Galore it honestly means a lot to me and i hope i see you in my inbox more ofteenn!!

[neozoneships]

“hi!! could i get a personality ship for NCT, The Boyz and SKZ? 😊

i’m an INFP-T and a leo (though i dont really identify much w leo traits, more so of my rising sign- cancer!) my top love language is quality time- so i really treasure time spent with my loved ones, and of course, alone time!! i really really love to eat desserts- tarts, cake, ice cream, you name it! my hobbies are watching kdrama, sports (occasionally) and anything arts and craft related- like embroidery, beading, painting, and more~ for music, i mostly listen to rnb, soft pop and alternative rock :D i play the piano and ukulele (but not very well) and have been trying to learn to play the guitar (but its so hard…)”

@xstarlightzx​ hellooo, thank you for requesting! hope you like your ships!! (*´▽`*)

in nct dream + 127, i ship you with... mark! 

idk why but like,, when i first saw your description, it just screams mark so that’s why in both dream and 127, he’s just the best yanno HAHAH okay anyways first off, astrologically, this is a good pair. based on sun signs, leos are relatively compatible since well... you are both leos aha,, but considering you resonate more with your rising sign, and mark’s rising sign being a capricorn, capricorns and cancers have a really good mix of energy, hence you two would totally click in an instant! Mark’s an INFJ, which complements well with INFPs. Both of you would be attuned to each other’s emotions, and are attentive towards the needs of the other. Both of you are sensitive, empathetic, and very much introverted. You both would rather be comfortable alone (or with a few friends) rather than hang out in big groups. i think mark’s a versatile character so whether it’s arts and crafts or sports you’d wanna do, he’s totally up for it. and he’s really the type to not be able to say no to you because he just wants to see you happy yanno?? anyways, since you both have a sweet tooth, you’d both probably be spending a lot of time cafe-hopping or just jamming together (and it’s okay, mark can teach you how to play :) ) 

in wayv, i ship you with...ten!

soooo like ten because there’s overall a good mix of energy; astrologically wise for both sun and rising signs, you both would be a good pair. in terms of mbti, ten can arguably be an isfp, and infps and isfps have a lot in common! both of you would prioritise each other’s needs and emotions over your own. Both of you are very accepting, loyal and a good mediator if working in groups. I think ten would be a good match since he’s quite creative as well. since he loves to draw and has an affinity for photography, there definitely is some overlap between your interests and his!

in the boyz, i ship you with... kevin!

kevin is yet another versatile (and canadian!) boy, whom i think you’ll connect well with. being a pisces, kevin and you will have great synergy. this is also combined with the fact that you are both INFPs. that said, both of you will share the same values, emotions and outlook in life. because of that, you’d both be able to have an emotional connection with another. plus, you both are really really creative. like ten, kevin loves to draw, and he’s quite well-known for his various calligraphy work for the group itself. and also he’s also musically-inclined, since he plays the piano. talking about music, you both like r&b, which would be something both of you will bond over. i think somewhere down the road perhaps there’ll be a collaboration between the two of you, may it be in arts and craft or in music. i swear, are you kevin himself? 

in stray kids, i ship you with...han!

fyi im listening to his playlist on spotify just to get a better understanding of him and let me tell, this guy has exquisite taste and range (++ he listens to gallant and childish, i approve) as i was reading up more on the stray kids members, han jisung really ticks off all the boxes. as a virgo, it makes him quite compatible with you, and he can definitely click with your rising sign. in terms of mbti, he’s an istp, so since both personality types are introverted, you both would possess similar social levels. he’s creative, good at art, can play the guitar, goddamns what more can you have? you both would totally bond over these. plus, apparently his favourite food is cake so expect to be eating a lot of cake when you’re with han („• ֊ •„)

[insert-cleverurl]

hello!!! here's your prompt: think sleeping beauty except when knight!will goes to find the sleeping princess he instead finds nico, definitely not asleep. nico's parents locked him up with all the crazy thorn bushes and stuff because he was too "dangerous" and they came up with the sleeping princess thing as an excuse to make a maximum security prison for him. also nico can turn into a dragon and that's why they locked him up

oh that sounds very fun, and so as to not just have this in my ask box forever and somehow forget about it, I’m gonna do some plot points rn (because I don’t feel like working on the elams au I was so excited about an hour ago lmao)

a thing: I dug really deep into backstory instead of plot, as I do with everything lmao

nico mostly spends his days in the dilapidated castle summoning ghosts and skeletons and playing card games with them - sometimes he gets news of the outside world, but not a whole lot of people die near the castle. mostly knights, and Nico finds them all pretty annoying

will’s been training to be a knight ever since he was old enough - his father, Sir Apollo, was once one of the strongest and most trusted knights of the good King Zeus. at least, until he was cast out of the palace for crimes against the crown. will just wants to be like his father, make the king proud. 

“your father made some horrible mistakes, William. but he was a brave and strong knight - I believe you could become the better version of him.” - mr zeus

will lives by those words literally for like seven years

and then he hears through the grapevine that there’s a prince who was cast into an eternal sleep by a wicked witch (who turns out to be the bastard princess Hazel, who is not at all wicked and just wants to protect her brother) and he’s like “hey, saving that prince would totally boost my status up and maybe I’ll get a cute bf out of it too”

our boy is completely unaware that the good King Zeus and his wife Queen Hera actually sent Nico (their nephew/adopted son after Hades and Persephone died in a raid sometime after Hazel’s birth) sent Nico there because his powers were getting out of control

also they may have had a hand in Bianca’s death - but hey, they didn’t know the war on the eastern front was so bad. yes, they sent her regiment, the hunters, there, but they didn’t think anyone would die

so Will visits his friends for some supplies and heads out w/ absolutely no clue where to go except some vague directions young General Reyna (famous for climbing so high into the palace ranks despite not being part of the large extended family - and, of course, being close to the young prince, the poor girl, however does she feel? King Zeus was to have them married, she must be heartbroken) gave him

will goes and fights and gets in (and he maybe meets Hazel and her new coven at some point - Calypso, Circe, Hecate) and then he sees Nico and he’s like “hey what the fuck you’re not asleep”

Nico’s like “hahah ye my uncle thinks I’m going to kill him in his sleep and like at this point I might, his son’s way cooler than him anyways”

they talk, stuff happens, Will’s like “cool ok I’m getting you out of here” and it somehow happens

so they meet up w/ Hazel and her gals and collect some friends and Artemis too (she’s just like uhhh dad’s been kinda mean recently don’t like that) and they storm the palace and Nico gives a big and dramatic speech and in the end Zeus and Hera yields the throne to the next in line - one of the princes or princesses aka Jason, Thalia, Percy, or Nico (literally none of them want it but Nico gets out w/ “hey I've been trapped for like twelve years idk what's happening” and Thalia’s like “y’all know I’ve got an army to run” so Jason n Percy are like “u no what we can figure this out later”)

and then Nico and will are like “hey I kinda really like you��

“do you like like me” “yes you gremlin I like like you” and then they kiss and everything is all well and good and happy

wow this is gonna turn out to be really long isn’t it :// I'm probably not gonna finish in time here’s to hoping tho?

[dianadragonfly]

Blogging “The Sign of Three”

I’m noticing that I’ve been reading so much amazing fan fic that my sense of the characters has changed. There are so many layers to Sherlock Holmes —all of the fan fics I’ve been I’ve been reading layered on top of Gatiss/Moffat’s Sherlock on top of all the cultural ideas of Sherlock and all the adaptations down the the ACD canon. ACD lost control of his Sherlock almost as soon as he brought him into creation. Most art is like this but Sherlock has an impressive number of layers.

So the beginning — I love Lestrade and Sally.

Ugh, I hate the fact that it’s a cheap joke that calls Greg to miss his big moment. Amusing tho. Lestrade would have phoned or called before bringing the helicopters.

Is it bad that my heart sort of hurts to see only 1 tea cup on the tray?

Ugh. Mrs. Hudson’s lecturing on marriage reminds me of me in my 20s. All my friends were getting married and settling down and having babies. I wanted zero to do with it all and was made to feel like a freak for it. There was one particular bridal shower that might have been the low point of that time of my life. The sort of smug assumption that one who was not married has no valid opinions ... I recognize that. Why does everyone treat Sherlock like he’s incapable of being hurt?

THE LOOK AT THE CHAIR! My heart! That’s the sound of my heart cracking! Isn’t there a .gif someone of Sherlock and John staring at empty chairs? @simplyclockwork has said something to the effect that this fandom stans staring at empty chairs.

I’m sure this is boring for the 10 followers I actually have, but it’s fun to me to take notes and recall how the episodes are out together.

I love Sherlock and Jannine. Too bad he wrecked this cute little friendship in the next episode.

David is obviously terrified of touching Mary. Hahah

If Mary has only had this identity for 5 years and John pretty much doesn’t have family, where are all these guests from? Here (Midwest US) there is a wedding, sometimes a meal for the wedding party, then a party/reception for everyone. One can attend any combination of the three that you are invited to and not seem rude. The British weddings that I remember have been an all day affair. Not something you do for a causal friend.

“Oh Sherlock, neither of us was his first.” This partnership between Sherlock and Mary is so cute and so pure. I freakin hate where it went. She recognizes that Sherlock and John’s relationship was the most important relationship in Sherlock’s life. She is aware he feels pushed to the side and uses that knowledge to comfort him, not torment him.

Mycroft of course uses it to torment him. That “Redbeard” reference was pretty heavy-handed, Mycroft. Might as well have blinking lights saying “Foreshadowing!”

When the room goes silent for Sherlock, I cringe so hard. Thank you for cutting away...

Oohhh the reaction Mary has to the name “Cam.” That’s how you foreshadow.

Considering how subtle the writing is and how understated so many things are, I don’t believe the continually clunky references to Series 4 ideas are just badly done. There’s something else... I’ve read the meta about it and I believe that I’m missing something huge, but that’s a conversation for another DVD.

I love the “asking Sherlock to be best man” scene. The look on his face. It’s so different from his blank blink when Molly says she sees him. Oh! wedding planning scene. Mary’s shirt is covered with little thumbs up emojis— I didn’t notice that.

Sherlock’s face. He doesn’t understand why John would want to not be involved with the minutiae of wedding planning.

Has anyone explained why Bainbridge was targeted?

Sherlock in the fuzzy hat - squee.

There are so many jokes online about Sherlock having a military kink. I don’t see it. I mean maybe ... he looks somewhat amused at soilders — but he does at all humanity. Oh, the look he gives John when John pulls rank. Maybe. . .

Oh no, here comes Meat Dagger! There are several Sherlolly fan fics where Sherlock calls him “Meat Dagger.” Not in a complementary manner.

“Stories worth telling” - the storytelling theme emerges again.

Uh.. why is John’s face on Vitruvian man? That’s just bizarre. Fandom seems to see it as proof that Sherlock sees John as an ideal man. I’m not sure. But bizarre.

Those cylinders aren’t phallic at all... nope.

Ohhh ... curled up on the stairs. So cute.

The scene. The scene. The knee touch is coming up!! They are so funny and relaxed with each other. I never noticed Johns feet on Sherlock’s chair. This scene has been analyzed to death but it’s so amazing. They are just enjoying each other’s company, making each other laugh, and maybe? drunk enough to flirt in ways they won’t let themselves do when sober.

The first few times I watched, I missed Sherlock suddenly being interested and awake when the client references “taking it further.”

From where do I know the “I’m just going to whip this out?” joke? Pink Panther?

I buy that Sherlock has little experience with alcohol, but not John. John wouldn’t let himself get that completely drunk — he’s a drinker. Even though he has cheated on Sherlock’s system, I think he’d know the difference. Unless he just decided “screw it. It’s my last night with Sherlock.” Which would help explain the knee touch. He’s not planning on getting drunk and sleeping with Sherlock or anything, but . . . It would have to be deliberate for John to drink enough to end up in the slammer. Or buzzed on the staircase. Or maybe he’s somewhat faking his buzz to see what happens.

Dear Lestrade: I love you.

Mrs. Hudson presenting the full English breakfast. Oh my god! I feel sick for John.

Watching on a TV with a Blu Ray is so awesome. I was able to pause and read the little blurb about Major Sholto that Sherlock pulled up.

Back to the wedding ... we’ve been away from it for a while. It’s kind of a shock.

— note : small children had the phone and big child (spouse) got the TV for a bit. —

Oh the scene where his speech goes off the rails. I cringe so hard for him.

Irene in his mind palace... naked ... my son walked by, looked at the screen, said “Not watching!” Hehehe

Mycroft is sort of a god/Greek chorus figure in fandom and in this version of the mind palace. He provides the exposition, he is all knowing, he is the God-in-a-box. Interesting how he has evolved.

Molly is shooting daggers at Sherlock when they leave to rescue Sholto. Cute.

Of course Mary knows his room number. I would have loved for their partnership to last longer.

That kiss on Mary’s forehead.

There’s a theory that Major Sholto and John were lovers or that at least he wanted to be John’s boyfriend. The “neither of us were the first” quip is mostly taken as just a cute joke by me most of the time. But “Mr. Holmes, you and I are similar, I think.” And “We wouldn’t do that to John Watson.” There is great love and admiration shared by both of them at the least.

Sherlock and Janine dancing. “I wish you weren’t.. whatever it is you are.” line. I interpreted it as Sherlock being a genius/ aloof / etc. But maybe it’s more of a reference to his sexuality, as fandom insists.

That might be the whitest wedding I’ve seen outside of my hometown. Not one friend or associate of color?

The pregnancy reveal. So much fandom analysis of this. I am unable to pause and really look at it because again, although there are many electronic devices in the household, whenever I’m on a TV, it gets comandeered. WHY DO I HAVE TO HIDE MY FANDOM IN MY OWN DAMN HOUSE! ?

But the pregnancy is a big thing. Life cannot go back to how it was. This a significant departure from ACD canon as well. There’s no going back to being just Sherlock and John and hoping Mary just disappears.

I see Sherlock’s sadness for real this time and it’s not just because I let all the theories influence me. I didn’t realize how much time it takes to establish the shot before Sherlock leaves. He looks around. John and Mary are dancing and Mary exchanges a look — a “thank you” type of look. Like she understands Sherlock but she will not ever give up John. Sherlock catches Janine’s eye and starts to move toward her. Then it’s revealed Janine is dancing with one of the men Sherlock pointed out as a good candidate for sex. He sees Molly. She’s dancing with Tom. He’s pushed her away and she’s stayed away. It occurs to him that he is, as Janine says, “whatever it is” he is. But he no longer belongs with John and Mary (“We can’t all three dance”) and so he leaves.

I feel for him so so much.