#that was after it has already been work shopped some. originally it was simple telling someone that bed bugs have decoy genitals and i mean

[noctomania]

the sarcophagi contain the remains of two wealthy men, one ecclesiastical who may have had the "disease of kings," and the other young and noble, but whose remains hinted at a hard life. "The first subject is identified via an identification plate on his coffin," Crubézy told Live Science in an email. The brass plate gives his name as Antoine de la Porte, who died at age 83 on Dec. 24, 1710. Crubézy said that the canon's teeth were in great shape but that there were hardly any signs of physical activity on his body, meaning this individual was likely sedentary during his lifetime. The man's big toe bone, however, did show signs of gout, a kind of inflammatory arthritis. Since gout can be triggered by drinking and eating to excess, it has often been called the "disease of kings."

The second lead sarcophagus lacked a name plate, so its occupant remains anonymous at the moment. This man was between 25 and 40 years old at death, but his body betrayed a difficult life. "He shows signs of someone who has been riding horses from a young age," Crubézy said, "and he lost most of his teeth in the years and months leading up to his death." 

So let me get this clear. These men who were somewhere between 43-58 years age difference were both buried "underneath the central part of the transept, an area reserved for the final resting place of the elite" at the Notre Dame Cathedral ...together... alone.... without anyone recollecting who it was no clear consistent record of it - one being clearly a life long leisurely lounging clergy and the other....a young horse rider [?!?noise of disconcert as to what signs of a corpse indicate this?!?] Who somehow...found his way to be buried...next to a clergyman ...40 years his senior...under the transept....where elite are buried exclusively...

They must have been roommates.

Notre Dame's spire had 2 hidden coffins beneath it. Now, scientists know who was buried there.

The day after the world watched Notre Dame Cathedral burn three years ago, archaeologists were called to survey the damage and assist with the long and painstaking process of restoration. During excavations at the cathedral in early 2022, researchers found two unusual lead sarcophagi dating to centuries ago, but it was anyone’s guess who was buried within them.

Now, researchers have announced their findings: the sarcophagi contain the remains of two wealthy men, one ecclesiastical who may have had the “disease of kings,” and the other young and noble, but whose remains hinted at a hard life.

Eric Crubézy, professor of biological anthropology at the University of Toulouse III, oversaw the opening of the coffins last month and has studied the bones to learn more about the men’s age-at-death and lifestyles. “The first subject is identified via an identification plate on his coffin,” Crubézy told Live Science in an email. The brass plate gives his name as Antoine de la Porte, who died at age 83 on Dec. 24, 1710. Read more.

[fandoms-in-law]

Manual Mood Ring

Summary: To keep up popularity and the Harrington reputation Steve couldn't show many emotions. That didn't mean he didn't feel them, only that he didn't always recognise what feelings he hid. So he wore rings, swapped them out according to his moods. And a few people noticed them.

Authors note: It won the poll by 1 vote and honestly I'm glad about it. In typing the other fic up I realised how not finished it is. This has been a great fic to procrastinate work with over the last couple weeks, but I'm glad with where I finished it.

/\/\

Steve would never say, except to Robin, but it all began because of Eddie and curiosity. If the guys he'd been friends with at the start of high school had paid attention, they could've worked it out too, but none of them thought twice when the week after he noticed, and accidentally cause some bullying over, Eddie's rings, Steve came in wearing one of his own.

The ring, or rather rings, he wore weren't expensive, just simple things he'd spotted in a shop window, but somehow everyone thought it was a wealth thing when they noticed it and so far as Steve heard, nobody realised there were 6 different rings he'd swap out. They definitely didn't question when he swapped them either, not even Nancy.

Robin did know. She only admitted noticing them when Steve dragged her out to buy more after the Russians took his original rings and none of the government agents mentioned finding them. She was the one who asked about why he needed multiple rings when he'd only wear one at a time.

It didn't help the assumptions they were dating when Robin insisted on taking his hand to check which ring he was wearing every time they met up after the explanation that he used them as an indication or self check-in of his mood.

/\/\

Eddie knew Steve Harrington wore a ring. When he started to the gossip in Hawkins High said his father insisted on it due to a tradition but if that was the case then the ring was too plain in Eddie’s opinion.

Then he noticed Harrington changing rings after getting a question wrong in class and was certain the rumour was wrong, even if he couldn't figure out the actual reason for it straight away. After he'd seen that first swap, it was too clear for him to notice the times that the ring got changed, especially since he decided to try and figure out why Harrington would do that.

Spotting Harrington's ring enough to tell the differences in it wasn't easy in school, especially outside of their shared classes, but a theory soon grew in Eddie's mind of them being some sort of manual mood ring. This was only backed up when he visited Scoops Ahoy once or twice over the summer.

Before the fire Eddie even thought he was close to knowing what emotions some of the rings might indicate, but they all changed after that, not even one remained the same as before and, thankfully for Eddie's curiosity, the new ones had more noticeable differences.

With all his curiosity over Harrington's rings, it confused him to realise the kids he'd brought into Hellfire seemed to know nothing of them. Once Mike even commented ' Steve would be cooler if he just wore rings like Eddie's.' as if he wasn't already wearing one constantly. Eddie could spot it glinting on Harrington's finger when he picked them up afterwards, not hidden at all.

From paying attention to those lifts and Harrington's expressions and reactions to the brats gave Eddie some clues on what colour or general shape of rings matched good or bad moods, even if he never saw the detailing on them.

Except for one.

Eddie saw one ring in detail once. Hellfire had an extra club meeting that apparently none of the kids Harrington gave a lift to had mentioned to him until he came storming through the school half panicked. Even after confirming they were safe Harrington made everyone move along the table so he could sit next to Eddie and listen until the end.

The ring that time was in a woven pattern, made of silver and Eddie was certain it meant fear or stress. It had to, given how Harrington only looked away from his kids to watch the door or, for some reason, analyse the ceiling for damage and suspiciously eye the lights.

Who knew getting an answer about one of the rings meanings could give Eddie so many more questions?

/\/\

Survival and fear were the only things going through Eddie's mind. He didn't know what happened to Chrissie or if it would happen to him next. He didn't know if he was trying to hide from that or from the town he was sure would blame him.

He definitely wasn't calm enough to recognise any of the voices yelling for him and dived into the boat as they got closer.

The conversation of the group looking for him was heard but barely understood as Eddie tried to get ready to jump up and fight or run through the hard jabs from an oar he thought was mentioned.

It wasn't the oar or the gaze of the man he pinned that broke through Eddie's fear when he decided to get out.

The hand holding the oar wore a silver woven ring. It wasn't polished and definitely showed signs of tarnishing in the indented areas and it echoed how he felt. He knew the ring and what emotion he was certain it meant.

And he knew that other rings were kept in the back pocket from classes where they'd get swapped out. Those are what he reached for now, still pinning Harrington with one hand which made it harder to separate the bronze ring that tended to be worn if he'd be joking when picking the kids up.

“Guess you're not here to have a go at me, or this would be worn.” Eddie mutters eventually into the silence that had fallen in the boathouse.

“I wouldn't do that. Dustin would never talk to me again if I did that. And how do you know anything about my rings?” Steve's words tumbled past each other, but seemed more confused now, instead of the panic he'd shown when first getting pinned.

“What rings?” Dustin demanded, somewhere behind Eddie.

Steve glanced over, “Forget the rings actually. What happened? We want to help.”

/\/\

Steve hadn't changed his ring in days.

Eddie glanced at it each time they came to give him supplies, came to try and talk him into staying with one of them despite how they'd need to hide him from parents, every time he got the change to.

It was still the silver woven effect ring.

He could only hope he'd live to see another ring take its place and was beginning to suspect Steve was hoping the same thing. A few times he'd been caught looking at the hand wearing the ring, but Steve never said anything, only brought his hand back to the pocket with the rest of them.

“You got the bronze ring wrong.” Robin commented on one of the few moments everyone else was distracted. “It's not when Steve's truly happy or whatever you think.”

Eddie glanced at her, gaze returning to Steve straight away. “What is it then?”

“Forced positivity. It's when he's struggling to believe we want him here so tries to reach out subtly for most of them.” She explained.

“And you?”

“Check his rings when I first see him so give him reassurance as needed. Although you might've changed its meaning now.” Her words sounded slow as if she was musing on the idea. “We'll see after Vecna's defeated.”

Eddie wasn't quite sure what to make of that but Robin was already over with Steve again, catching up with whatever they were working on. At least being in hiding gave him lots of time to think through her cryptic comments for breaks from panicking.

/\/\

“That's my ring.” Eddie stated. He'd been staring at the hand since waking up, originally cause it was clinging tightly and then as his memories filtered through the medication clouding his brain, to see if Steve was still stressed out. How was he meant to understand seeing his own ring being worn by Steve?

Steve's chuckle was watery, and there were tears in his eyes when Eddie looked up. “Yeah, mine now. Glad you're awake finally.”

Somehow that was what made him realise he had none of his rings on at all. “Where are the rest? What does my ring have the honour of meaning?” They felt like dumb questions but Eddie was scared to ask the more serious ones.

“Dustin's got them and your pic necklace. He'll be here as soon as visiting hours start along with at least a few of the other brats. Not sure which are seeing you first today other than him. Wayne's at the trailer salvaging what he can. Added me as an emergency contact so you wouldn't wake up alone.” Steve offered, thankfully guessing what he'd want to know first. “As for the ring, I don't know. I've been a mess, unable to figure out what I'm feeling so it's currently a question mark ring.”

That felt like a familiar feeling as Eddie blinked. He had no clue why things would need salvaging from the trailer at all. “What happened?”

The explanation carried on through the kids arriving, Dustin trying to push the rings onto Eddie and being stopped by nurses not wanting the jewellery in the way, and plenty of interruptions and additions. It covered how the attack that had left him in an induced coma to heal had only partly succeeded and everything that had come after and ended with Steve pushing his hair back into place sighing, “Thankfully most of us decided against sleeping through it all. Vecna is gone now and we're just waiting for people to wake up and heal.”

“And get Steve to explain how he's worn a ring so long without us knowing.” Dustin insisted, glaring at said man.

Eddie grinned, shaking his head alongside Steve. “It's not the king's fault if his friends don't pay attention to him. After all, I'd never spoken to him before all of this and I knew about the rings.”

“Lies.” Robin called, appearing in the doorway. “You spoke to him precisely 7 times as I never served you when you came into Scoops.”

Steve tilted his head, thinking before he shook his head at her. “Nope. He just pointed and handed over the money. I spoke to him before it all, but not the reverse. Such an unsociable customer.”

“You couldn't get Eddie Munson to talk to you? That board needed more tallies under you suck.” Robin teased, coming over and smiling at Eddie. “How are you feeling?”

For a moment it was silent as Eddie didn't realise the Steve and Robin show had finished with a question to him. “Oh, I'm – Honestly I feel like I died and this is a bizarre form of purgatory. Could be hell from the pain levels but you're all being too nice for that.”

/\/\

Robin loved Steve's rings. She saw them as a small rebellion against his parents rigid views of gender as well as a good idea for someone who wasn't often allowed to express his emotions.

Even before she knew what they showed, back when they were just co-workers and former classmates, she paid attention to the rings and the ways Steve swapped them out. She knew the original set of 6 almost as well as she knew the ones she'd helped Steve find to replace them.

And she knew they definitely shouldn't be in Nancy Wheeler's jewellery box, still bagged with a label from the US government stating they had been goods confiscated by the Russians.

When she saw them it wasn't sensible to mention it. They were still dealing with Vecna and trying to find out more about him, but she remembered and once everything was over, and all that was left to do was healing, she wasn't going to stay silent any more.

“You know, Nancy, I've had a question for a while.” She stated, off hand, but laser focused on getting answers.

It was just her, Steve and Nancy for the moment so seemed like the best time to bring it up without anyone else interfering.

Nancy didn't seemed concerned either, just smiling. “Which is?”

“You never had anything to do with the Russians during the Starcourt fiasco, right?” Robin didn't immediately mention the rings, knowing just bringing up any of the events was likely to get the guard up of all of them.

Guarded eyes now looked at her, and beside her, Robin knew Steve was trying to catch her eye to silently ask what she was doing. “No. You know I was researching for the paper or with the kids basically the entire time.” Nancy agreed.

“Okay. So why, when we were trying to figure out info on Vecna, did I find a bag of items labelled as things the Russians had confiscated in your jewellery box?” Robin still didn't mention the rings, but knew Steve would immediately think of them.

After being given his keys back he'd tried asking about them but been told nothing else was found. Both of them had watched the government agent then go to talk to other members of their group but assumed that wasn't regarding any other items.

Nancy narrowed her eyes, but stood, going over to the jewellery box to get the bag. “Because the government agents said they'd found them and they seemed most likely to belong to me.”

Robin nodded, holding her hand out for the bag. “So little miss reporter got handed some items she knew definitely weren't hers and instead of say, asking any of the people who had actually been in the Russian base if they knew whose they were decided to keep them for herself and never question the origins?” She challenged, reaching out to take them when Nancy showed no sign of handing them over.

“I recognised them. I've tried remembering why I recognise them so I could return them.” Nancy insisted.

“Again, why didn't you just ask me, ask Steve, Dustin, Erica, if any of us knew who these rings belonged to?” Robin challenged, Steve's hand coming to rest palm up on her shoulder although he remained silently watching the scene.

Nancy glared, “Because I should know whose they are.” She snapped. “If I could just-”

“Pay more attention to the people around you, you'd know.” Steve interrupted when it looked like Nancy would go into a rant about her memory to try and justify not asking. “The reason you'd recognise these is I was always wearing one of them the entire time you knew me.” His voice was calm, but Robin could feel the tension in him, and a glance over at him showed his current rings had been swapped. She didn't think he'd go back to using the set she held even as she put the bag in his hand.

For a moment it looked like Nancy would scoff before she narrowed her eyes on Steve's hands, as if only just realising he still wore a ring. “But why would there be 6 of them?” She asked. “Only Eddie wears that many or more at a time.”

“Because I swap them out when I feel like it.” That wasn't the explanation Robin had received and she doubted the full one would be offered right now. “Thanks for returning them finally. I'm more annoyed that even when I asked specifically about the rings those agents didn't mention them to me at all.”

“Oh.” Nancy deflated as she realised Steve wasn't going to yell at her. She seemed not to notice Robin's gaze was still hard. “Yeah, sorry I didn't remember or, as Robin rightly said, ask whose they were earlier.”

At that Robin leant forward again, knowing her smile was colder than she'd normally direct at friends. “Please do ask if this happens in the future, because Steve shouldn't have had to replace his rings for you to delay solving a mystery this long.”

Nancy nodded, “I will. Are you two sure you aren't-?”

“Best friends and protective friends at that. You might be pretty but you aren't Stevie.” Robin reaffirmed, before sighing and trying to let her annoyance go. “Shall we put a film on or something?”

Steve hopped up, going to the stairs to listen for where Nancy's parents might be. “Probably not a film. I think Ted is still watching something, unless you're about to suggest going back to mine.”

“Funnily enough, Dingus, I was.” Robin agreed, also getting up. If she hadn't wanted to get him his rings back she'd have suggested going there to hang out from the start but now that was done she would happily swap hang out locations.

/\/\

Perhaps he'd just been young, but Steve had never thought he'd have to get more rings, after finding six of them. Emotions had seemed simple to him, nothing like the tumult he'd been going through and while six rings had stretched before now he was learning that getting more was necessary.

He didn't question how, in getting those original rings back, he knew that one already meant heartbreak and grief, while the rest weren't needed any more. It just seemed reasonable; an escalation of the swap from the ring saying everything is good to saying his world was crashing before he lost them, to now having its hopefully final meaning be grief.

Then there was Eddie's ring, the mixed feelings ring, or as Steve still thought of it, a question mark ring. He hadn't meant to claim it, but when taking the rings off so the hospital didn't dispose of them he hadn't been able to let it go, even to hand it to Dustin. He'd covered by swapping it out with the stressed ring and repeating that Eddie wanted him to wear a different ring.

Honour: A word Steve had only ever heard directed to him jokingly, but Eddie used for his ring being worn. It boggled his mind a bit to realise how sincere the other was being with him. A lot of things did when it came to Eddie, like the fact he'd called Steve a good person out of nowhere and without prompting. Most people just complained about or insulted who he used to be and when he tried talking with Robin about it she'd got mad at herself before repeating how good a person he was now. That hadn't helped his bewilderment, just added another cause for it.

“Dingus, why are you glaring at your rings and a notebook?” Robin asked, draping over his shoulder and bringing Steve's mind back into Family Video and the slow work day they were trying to keep busy through.

“I need more of them but don't want to go around with even more rings in my pocket. Or know how to label what feelings they'd be for.” He grumbled.

She leant closer, forcing Steve to bend with her so she could see the notebook better. “Yeah starting from scratch is dumb. Write what you have rings for already, Your terms not mine or anyone else's, and see what you think is missing after that. Then see which stand out as unlikely to be worn often. Those could live in your car or wallet or something instead of your pocket.” Saying this she moved to his side and laid the rings out on a clear page of the notebook.

As Steve considered the idea Robin wandered off to check on the only customer. It was a pretence he knew, but one he's grateful for, even as the biggest necessity in his list becomes evident.

There's nuance, and different rings for sadness, anger, confusion, embarrassment, heartbreak, but only 'good' and 'trying to see positives' for good emotions. Good was one he barely knew how to quantify now and 'trying to see positives' didn't actually feel good to wear. But Steve wasn't feeling constantly bad, he knew that. He felt hopeful, amused, warm, and loved; like these friends were a real family.

Plus the question mark ring was where good and bad emotions were fighting in him.

“Do you think Eddie will come ring shopping with us?” He called out, settling on the four emotions he needed new rings for and looking around the store for the first time in a while.

“I think I can fit that in, yes Stevie.” Eddie replied, leaning on the counter opposite him. Robin was stood beside him looking over at Steve in amusement.

He shifted a little, looking between them, expecting to get teased. “You've been here how long?”

“Couple minutes, was going to block the page to say hi but you looked so adorably focused.” Eddie shrugged. “Are these all your current ring meanings? You've still not told me-” The words broke off as he read the list, fingers tapping over empty spots noted for new rings

Robin had started snickering, needing no words to tease once Steve met her gaze, but stopped in confusion at Eddie's reaction. “Sure they are. He's decided he needs to show more emotions than that now.”

“Like more positive ones, you mean?” He asked, a sharp gaze stabbing at her. “Little Miss Platonic, why haven't you told him to get more or change all the meanings so he doesn't only have negative emotions to show sooner?”

“What?” The demand was when Steve realised their focus might be surrounding him but it didn't currently involve him. “When did those change?”

He blinked at them, seeing a tussle break out for the notebook and wondering what Robin meant as he glanced as the ring on his finger now, bronze, looking for positivity, then back to her. “They didn't?” He asked, trying to remember what he'd told her they meant. He'd probably described situations which made him change to each ring he was replacing after Starcourt since describing his feelings isn't easy without them. “What did you think they meant?”

Instead of saying anything she snatched the pen to start writing her understanding of the rings down, Eddie's eyes getting wider as he read them. “That's – That's some difference.”

“Did I explain when I'd swap to wearing them before?” Steve asked, unable to read upside down and just getting frowned at as Robin made it clear he had and she didn't like the meaning mix-up it had apparently caused. “You still know how to help anyway.” He tried to reassure, hoping to lessen the glare.

“Just how pissed should I be at Nancy?” Robin demanded instead, angrily gesturing to the embarrassment ring. “How much didn't you say when I thought you might date her again?”

Both Steve and Eddie stepped back from her anger as Steve frantically tried to remember what he'd used to explain that ring and how it involved Nancy. “You literally said you didn't need to know that story.”

“Apparently I do now if just her visiting your workplace has you feeling embarrassed enough to change rings over it.” Robin insisted. “So, story-time please Steve. What happened with Nancy Wheeler?”

/\/\

“Did you argue with Buckley?” Jonathan asked, sitting down beside Nancy and taking in the glare levelled at them.

She looked over as well but soon looked away. “The rings were Steve's. She found them but didn't seem this mad then.”

For a moment he just nodded, before straightening to look for Steve. “I didn't imagine the rings he used to wear then? I guess between you giving them back and now we've been spoken about. Makes sense I think.”

“What does?”

“Steve's best friend being pissed when he told her what happened between us three. I did wonder if she knew anything beyond the rumours.” He explained, waving when Steve emerged from the kitchen.

Nancy stared, trying to understand how Robin's anger came from that, even as she smiled at Steve coming over.

“You two okay? Your move back to Hawkins going well?” Steve asked, relaxed, a ring shaped into a shield on his hand.

“We're good, are you?” Jonathan asked, but carried on without pausing for a reply, “Realised that we never apologised for everything during that Halloween. I thought you'd broken up honestly, until Dustin said you were taking flowers to Nance when he asked for help.”

“I'm good and thank you. It's all history now and I'm pretty sure there was no coming back from that argument. I'm sorry for everything bad I did back then too. Some fault on both sides, I think.” Steve hurried to accept the apology but followed Nancy's gaze when she looked back over to Robin. “And Robs will calm down soon enough. She just got the meanings of some of my rings wrong and is mad about it.”

“What meanings do they have?” Nancy asked, glancing back at the ring he currently wore. “Eddie too? He did the hand hold thing too today.”

His nose scrunched but he looked amused, “Yeah but also no. That's cause Henderson tried using Robin's ring checking as evidence I'm dating her and Eds wants to see if he'll insist the same for someone else doing it. I'm preparing for anything Robin does to me to get copied or escalated for a while.”

“You're cool with that?” Jonathan challenged, looking shocked at the thought and Nancy could remember their fight from years back, wondering if that was why.

“Robin would kill me if I wasn't. Plus it means my empty home is a lot noisier with laughter now.” Steve mused. “Yeah, I'm pretty happy about Eddie's game.” As he finished speaking his hand dipped into his back pocket, a practised gesture that seemed absent enough to be unnoticeable as his ring was swapped out while he looked around the gathering. “I'd better check the kids aren't causing trouble over there.”

There was silence between them for a moment as he headed away. “So that's the first time I've actually seen that happen.” Jonathan eventually commented.

“No wonder. If he hadn't just mentioned his ring I'd have missed it.” She agreed, wondering why Steve would hide the gesture but do it so openly. It was more evidence that she hadn't known him as well as she thought.

/\/\

Dustin was getting frustrated. He'd thought it was a blatant lie when Robin said she was checking Steve's ring each time she took his hands upon greeting. Then he'd thought maybe it was valid but still an excuse after noticing them was what started calming Eddie down in the boat-shed.

Now Eddie kept waiting behind Robin as she checked Steve's rings, draping himself over the side of him left free when they watched movies. It was getting honestly difficult to get a hold of either of them separately and Dustin didn't trust it.

“Why are you leading Eddie on?” He accused one of the few times Steve picked him up without the other already in the car.

“I'm not, but thanks, really flattering view of me you have there.” Steve huffed.

Dustin narrowed his eyes, “You're straight Steve.” He stated as if he was being dumb. “Why are you accepting his flirting when you aren't into him? Are you going to hurt him?”

Steve rolled his eyes. “One, that's not for you to question for me. Neither of us are going to get hurt. Two, Eddie checked and keeps checking we both know where we stand in this. Three, thanks for winning me that bet.”

“Bet? What bet?” He demanded but they'd pulled up in the trailer park and Eddie was already climbing in.

He'd clearly heard the question and leaned over Steve's seat, pulling his hand up to check the ring while asking, “Yeah Stevie, what bet are you telling Dustin about?”

“One I won cause he got in telling me off for leading you on.” He smirked, taking his hand back to pull off again. “Seatbelt.”

“As if I wouldn't follow you anywhere, Big boy. Keep leading.” Eddie remarked flippantly before swatting at Dustin, “But talk about clouded vision, Shithead. So when Robin does it they're dating but I do it and I'm being led on.”

Dustin spluttered for a moment, but Steve's smirk got sharper, “So that's me and Robin one each, you none. Lucas could be anyone's but I think you have a shot at Mike.”

/\/\

Robin helped Steve find it, the final ring he’d buy for himself hopefully. She’d helped with everything else in his realisations since Eddie’s game began and was trying to make him share his feelings with Eddie now.

The ring had been both Steve’s way to delay that admission and his hope that Eddie would bring the conversation up for him. If only because he had no intention of advertising the feeling it meant at all.

It should have worked too, except he was never wearing the ring when Eddie first arrived, never able to get privacy when the change was noticed by the other and didn’t see how it could change with their kids all wanting attention constantly. He almost felt like his crush was doomed to silence and Robin’s teasing over it but refused to accept it, adapting instead. He started swapping rings when even slightly feeling besotted, hearing Dustin raving over something Eddie had done or a song reminding him of the other. Steve even started practising demanding private moments and dragging Robin off during her greetings, just waiting for Eddie to question this new ring.

“Is it my turn to ask for a private chat, big boy?” Eddie asked, finally seeing Steve’s latest ring worn as he arrived.

Everyone else was filing through the house to the kitchen or Steve’s pool and barely glanced their way as Steve tugged Eddie upstairs, blush only noticed by Robin as they went.

“You like my ring then?” He asked only after they were alone. It was partly to delay the admission, but mostly a genuine question. When looking for this ring he’d specifically wanted something that reminded him of Eddie’s rings and the coiled serpent design seemed fitting.

/\/\

Eddie for the first time in a while didn’t know what to say. He wanted to ramble about how much he liked it and wanted a similar one for himself; wanted to interrogate Steve on this new ring when he’d been resolute on pairing rings up if he found an emotion missing from their meanings in the future; wanted to ask if it was a way to get his attention.

It was mostly the last of the list actually, but that felt too vulnerable to say.

“It’s metal, but why? You said you didn’t want to get any more after our shopping spree.” He asked, holding back all the words trying to tumble out.

Steve fell backwards onto his bed, heaving a sigh and making Eddie wonder if he’d asked the wrong thing. “Because a crush isn’t as simple an emotion to indicate and I didn’t want you to make similar errors to Robin if I paired it up with other rings straight away.” He muttered to the ceiling.

Hope flickered to light where it had dimmed at the sigh. “A crush? On who?” There was a guess, especially with how Dustin had been distracted from his questions the week before, but he wanted to hear it for himself.

“You.” Steve said, rolling onto his side and watching Eddie as he stood just beside the door, never having moved since they came in.

He moved now, taking the hand and brushing his thumb over Steve’s ring. “That explains why you weren’t wearing it when I wasn’t around at first, but not why you’re wearing it now.”

“Will mentioned you earlier, some of the chats you’ve had with him over Mike.” He hummed.

“Your love for those kids is cute.” Eddie grinned, kneeling on the bed beside him. “It also doesn’t say what you want to happen now. You seem plenty happy with me copying how Robs treats you but are you wanting more than that?”

Everything in Eddie was screaming to just ask for more, or lean down and kiss Steve, or do something other than gently prying more details out from the gorgeous boy rolling around on the bed.

“Maybe you could kiss me too sometimes, see how we feel about going further when my house isn’t full of everybody else.” Steve smirked up at him, as if reading the desires on his face. “Oh and invitations to either your band practices or performances. I want those too. Who knows maybe the Corroded Coffin boys could just fit in with this chaotic family of ours over time.”

“Yeah?” Eddie asked, leaning so their lips were millimetres apart. “Want to join our families? You already thinking of marriage, big boy?”

Steve leant up for a small kiss, “Forever with you sounds like torturous bliss. Where do I sign up?”

“I think you already have.” They both grinned into the deep kiss Eddie pulled him into then.

[brokenpieces-72]

Home for Holidays

Monster! 141 (mostly Soap) x Hybrid female Reader (jackalope/wendigo)

This is a continuation of the previous fanfic on my page. The only context you need it that the reader is teenager. Mentions @diejager reader character Hunter and is based on designs by @bluegiragi

CW/TW: Mentions of trauma, abuse, family trauma, punishment, origins of wendigo, crying, angst, let me know if I’ve missed anything.

Soon enough Holidays come around and there are no signs of your handler returning to base. Which means you’ll likely be alone on base on the holidays. It’s not the first time so that’s okay but you do get jealous when plans are brought up in conversation.

“So what’ll you be doin lass?” Johnny asks. His friendly face becomes a small frown when you shrug.

“Maybe I’ll just stay on base with Ghost…not sure what else there is. Nowhere to go really…” You say shrugging. Johnny’s brother side comes out in full swing, not just for you but for Simon as well. He knows Simon uses the holidays for his own needs, and doesn’t really stay on base the whole time. Leaving you behind didn’t feel fair to him. Not only that but it’s not fair to you, to have to sit in your room by yourself bored out of your mind.

Johnny makes some calls after that and soon learns there’ll be some paperwork but he doesn’t care. It’ll be worth it.

Nikolai comes to pick people up to take home, and Johnny has you already packed and it basically bouncing on your bed to get you to wake up.

“Come on wheels up lass!”

He’s carrying the duffel you had when you came and hands it to you.

“But-“ you’re half awake as you try to protest.

“No questions. Come on.” He says and you both get on the helicopter. Rudy and Alejandro say good bye to you before you leave and give you a gift to open on Christmas as does Gaz and Price. Ghost sees you off and you tell him you hope he enjoys the privacy.

Johnny takes you to his hometown, and when you land he explains that he made some calls home. And then to Laswell, and the program and few others to make sure everything was sorted.

“Ma didn wantya to be alone. Just know you’ll be put to work still…got dat?” You nod and he takes you to his house after you land, where you meet Soap’s mother and Soap’s older brother. His mother comments a bit on your appearance saying you look a little pale and could afford to put on a couple pounds. Soap gives her a look but you shake it off saying you have been. She gives you a warm smile and helps you find your room.

You have a good time on your leave and it feels a little odd to you. Your family was way different, but Johnny’s is cozy and kind and teasing. You join in on jabs at him, and help around the house as best you can, learning more basic skills like cooking and chopping wood. Johnny takes you to a few different places around, along with his brother, and you even meet a couple of his football buddies. They’re friendly and tell you some stories about Johnny. They ask about the ears and antlers. Johnny lets you answer how you choose, whether it’s as a jackalope or a wendigo. At some point he leaves you with his friends to take care of something and when he comes back, he sees you talking and having a good conversation with them. It’s hard to imagine you were once this simple, shy, apologetic kid and now you had grown into a friendly, healthy teenager.

One night you and Johnny take a minute to relax on a bench before continuing your walk home. The two of you had just left his friend and their partner at a store, and the walk home would be long. Johnny could handle walking in the dark but wanted you to be safe too. You both look out at the street lit up by garlands of lights and shop windows. It was good to finally take a break after all the walking around. You watch people go by and notice body language you didn’t often see on base. Couples holding hands, kids running and skipping, snowballs being thrown, parents swinging their kids. You lean against your knees, following Johnny’s sitting position.

“Are all families like this?” You ask. Johnny notices where you had been looking and shrugs.

“Nah all of em. The good ones are.” Johnny ponders for a moment before inquiring. “Take it you didn ave that.”

You shake your head.

“Wha were they like?” He asks. You go very quiet, and he pays closer attention. It’s not an easy subject, your parents were mean and obsessive over your hybrid features. You were outcasted and isolated. Christmas was a rough time, as you would see people happy outside but never felt the same way.

“…they…they used to yell at me. Sometimes hit me.” You confessed. Johnny looks at you. “It kept escalating… sometimes it was burns or no food for a day. Then one day they grounded me and put me in the basement.” You pause for a shaky breath feeling your throat tighten up. Johnny lets you continue at your own pace. “They gave me raw meat and told me there was nothing else…”

You’re shaking recalling the horrid memory of how you became a wendigo. Your family wasn’t normal and your parents weren’t sane. You only found out how insane they were when it was too late. How cultish they could be.

Johnny doesn’t need you to finish, and instead moves closer to you on the bench and holds you tight. The tears just come down and you nestle into his winter jacket. You feel a gloved hand on your head keeping you close.

“You didn do anythin wrong.” He tells you over and over, tucking your head under his chin. “You’re a good kid. Don’ forgae ‘at.”

You finally pull away after a while and he asks if you’re ready to keep going. You nod, he gives you his arm to cling to while you head home. There are still tears but your face is stinging from the cold, and you’d rather be inside. Johnny tries to change the subject or make some jokes with you. He gets a couple giggles for his dad jokes. When you finally get back, Johnny’s mother notices your tears and gets you some water. She doesn’t ask about it and lets her son handle everything while you curl up on the couch with him watching Die Hard.

You feel more and more comfortable snuggling up to Soap, and he you. He’s taken to calling you ‘pup’ and ‘whelp’. When you walk in to relax with him he offers to shift for you so you can have a soft pillow to rest against. It doesn’t take long before his brother and mother are friendly with you too, spending some alone time with them as well. His mother has taken a shine to you, often asking for some help in the kitchen or showing you cute videos she found online. There’s a couple of Facebook posts usually involving the Grinch or Peanuts cartoons that you find cute, and smile at.

His mom expresses concern multiple times about your wardrobe, noticing you wear the same items in a row.

“If ya wouldna mind me askin dear, didn ya wear that shirt yesterday?”

“Y-yes. Is that bad?” You ask.

“No no of curse not, it’s a nice shirt, but doncha ave other clothes?” She asks. When you shake your head she sets down whatever she is working on. It doesn’t take long for her to check if any of her sons’ old clothes will fit you. The clothes are a little baggy on you, even with the couple extra pounds you’ve gained while staying there but they’ll work. Especially since they’ll likely get torn anyways when you back to base. Honestly his mother is glad they’ll be put to use, and they’re some of the few clothes she has that are intact since Johnny’s form often rips his clothing.

Christmas Eve comes around and Soap is up early for his workout and his mother is up for her meal prep.

“Aye ma? Canna ask you somethin?” Soap asks quietly, not wanting to wake you or give you the chance to hear him.

“Yes?”

“Whatcha think of the lass?”

She takes a moment to think about it.

“Lovely child. Takes after ya a bit moore than I’d like.” She teases. Johnny smiles before unloading a bit on to his mother. “They don’t ave anywhere else to go after this, unless Price keeps em. So it got me thinkin uhh…” his tail twitches awkwardly as she takes note of his tone. His mom has seen how her sons’ tails react when they get a certain way. Before he can ask she answers the question.

“I think ya need to think this over some more. I wouldna mind it… but she’s got as much of a say as you do. Honestly she’s a lovely lass, and I know you’ve taken a shine to her. More than a shine, yer practically her brother. You’ve told me what she is, and I have no qualms but ya better be here for her too. I’m not dealin’ with a hybrid under my roof, alone and at my age.”

“I will ma, thank you.” Johnny decides to bring it up later when you guys head back to base.

Christmas comes and it’s overwhelming for someone unused to large close gatherings. Johnny and his brother make it a habit for at least one of them to stay close to you. Their relatives ask tou questions and get to know you. You don’t unload like you did with Johnny, but when your past comes up you do respond.

“Well my adoptive parents were pretty bad, so after that my social worker put me in the program for rehabilitation and relocation I guess.”

When you get the chance you slip away to take a breath, and relax a bit. The whole situation is crazy after being on a such an isolated family. The holidays weren’t exactly great for you, and sometimes you were alone to open gifts by yourself. The gifts were strange too, often in the form of weird books and strange toys. Looking back, to any normal person the gifts should have been red flags. Johnny finds you soon enough, and asks if you just want some time to yourself.

“This is normal? Spending holidays like this?” You ask. He nods.

“Never got ‘at back ‘ome.”

You shake your head. Johnny isn’t one to show vulnerability but damn you make it hard.

“Fairly normal. You open your gifts yet?” He asks. “Come on we’re about to start opening them.”

You get up and follow him, carrying the gifts you got from the 141 into the living room, and sit down. Anyone seeing the scene would know you were out of place, as everyone was either human or a werewolf. Johnny’s mom sits by you, and has a gift for you too. You open it and you laugh, finding a hoodie for Johnny’s favourite football team. Johnny looks over and basically cheers seeing the hoodie. The gifts from the team are a journal and some stationary and a sketchbook. They’re simple gifts sure but they’re better than anything you had gotten before. They were yours.

Next couple days you spend collecting and drawing around the area. You take the journal everywhere, writing about the things you see and draw your own ideas.

During a visit to a restaurant you notice some humans and draw them as hybrids, giving them tails and wings. Any common or ugly looks from other humans go ignored as you focus on the pencils and paper before you.

Your journal gets filled with cards, photos, stickers, scribbles and a couple of miscellaneous items you find like leaves, flowers and feathers. It’s not long before items are poking out from between the pages marking your progress. You write plenty of thoughts, and even a couple stories about the items you find.

[yanderepuck]

Okay. Theory time. Again @lulu-the-smol-floof and I never shut up about this shit. Spoilers for jp will probably happen below fyi

So lulu and I are always trying to figure out the timeline.

So here is what we are working with

Current time period: 1897(give or take a year)

Leonardo born: 1452

Galileo born: 1564; 'died' 1642

Comte born: ???

Vlad born: ???

What we know with Vlad and Comte is that they knew each other as little kids, meaning they are roughly the same age. And that Comte knew Vlad when his parents were still alive. Judging by his child sprite I want to say Vlad was no older than 8 when his parents died.

I like to think that Comte and Vlad really aren't that old bc it sounds funny. However. I'm reading Comte's route and get to this

Vlad thinks it's possibly been a few millennia. Comte says a few centuries.

Now you're probably wondering what Galileo has to do with this. Well that's bc Vlad stole the door blueprints from him.

So yes. Vlad and Comte could have known each other for centuries, but they haven't been separated for centuries because they only separated after the door.

It's possible that Galileo didn't destroy all the blue prints to the door so Vlad somehow found them, that already puts us at about 1590ish if we say Galileo was in his 30s when he made them.

Then I HIGHLY doubt they were able to make this door super easily. They probably had to hand make parts for it, they couldn't just go to a shop or ask a carpenter/blacksmith to make all these random ass parts. Comte has the VERY FIRST door, which is why it's so faulty. Plus Comte has the mansion built so let's just say a rough 10 years because they are getting this door working, and I feel like that is generous.

We are now at 1600

Now at some point in this time period Comte even meets Leonardo in Italy bc it's implied that Comte meets Leonardo while he's famous among humans. But Leonardo goes MIA after painting The Last Supper which is 1599

Anyway. 1600. They have the door about made. They are still friends and seem to be using it here and there for shits and giggles.

Now Will is the first one brought back in roughly 1840s. Will has been around for a few decades before anyone else. But Vlad and Comte already went their separate ways, and have been for a while.

So at some point between 1600 and 1800 they went their separate ways.

Yes we can call this a few hundred years bc it's almost 1900 and that puts the door at three centuries old. But there's no way you can mistake that for a few thousand

These gays have really only been separated for 2 centuries MAX

HOWEVER. PLOT TWIST. It is implied that Vlad and Comte used the door so much that they are no longer in their original timeline. Yeah this is where it gets confusing with time travel so I'll keep it simple.

Galileo (and Drake) are also not from this time line. Just like the lessers they used the door to go forward in time. In this theory that means that Leonardo is the only one who has organically gone through life. He's never used the door. He's lived every year. Comte and Vlad have skipped some OR have gone back in time and stayed there for so long that they have lived more years than they should

Confusing? Say Comte was born in 1400. But then 1600 comes along, uses the door and goes back in time to 1300. He was still born in 1400(which hasn't happened yet) but he is 200 years old, and if he stays there (doesn't go back to 1600) he will be 300 when he is born.

So Comte COULD tell us the year he was born, but that really means nothing if he spent multiple years in other time lines.

The other confusing thing is that this means he's lived in Paris for like 3 centuries but no one has caught on to him not aging.

Well that was long. I hope that all made sense. Good luck with all that info

[pasta-in-the-pudding]

May I please RQ a gender neutral reader in a poly relationship with Killian and Julius? The scenario will be you go to buy a dress from Julius, but has two appointments like in the creepypasta. While you're at the shop, Julius and Killian both begin to truly take a liking to you. after you leave both of them agree they cannot bring themselves to kill you on the next appointment because Julius and Killian agree that their relationship truly felt complete when you were the. On your next appointment, they both confess everything, that originally you would have been Julius' victim. Only for them both to fall in love with you by the time you left. You are at a loss of words but feel the same. The plot twist is you kiss Julius then Killian, rather than waiting to be kissed!

You are my fav HC blog, you write so good and so much creativity! 🩵

Oh my, how detailed!! I love getting to write detailed asks!

Also, it feels so nice to be someone's favorite blog, thank you!

Note: i accidentally made this post a little long so the story will instead be broken up into parts. Part two coming soon!

Thank you so much for requesting!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poly!Killian and Julius x target!reader

The shop was a great way to lure in targets. I mean sure, it was also an actual buisness but the only reason it exists is to lure in assigned people. It was almost perfect. Julius would announce a big sale, along with a new line of fashion, and his shop would have a line around the block, filled with people just waiting to get in. Whilst julius works, his dear killian would do the dirty work.

All the other customers are busy browsing clothes and checking out, all the while killian lures the targets to the back rooms of the store with the promise of free clothing that wasn't going to be used. Obviously the people who followed him were never heard or seen from again, but that's for another time. And that's how their process would have stayed too.

However, today you just so happened to make your way into their store. Originally, all was going as planned, julius would check customers out, and killian assassinated their targets. You were quicker than they expected you to be though. You had only just heard of this shop from a friend of yours, and figured that you'd buy just a simple jacket to see if you like their brand. By the time killian had caught up to schedule, you were already at the front desk, being checked out by julius.

Killian heads over to julius and whispers into his ear that you are supposed to be the next victim. Julius looks at you for a moment before turning back to killian and nodding, giving him a sweet kiss and telling him he'll handle it. "What's wrong?" You ask, still waiting to be handed your card back. Julius snaps out of it and shakes his head "oh, nothing, sorry." He says, finally swiping your card and handing it back to you. As he bags up your jacket he looks to you. "Hey, tell you what. Since this is your very first time here, why don't i give you some coupons? Half off an order over 40 dollars, it can't be beat!" He exclaims in his best customer service voice.

You smile and nod. "Oh really? That's so sweet, thank you!" The way you smile at him almost makes julius's heart ache. Almost. He pushes through this feeling and gives you a flashy smile. "Not a problem! Just go tell that guy over there that i sent you, and he should take you back to get your coupons!" He says, pointing over to killian who is scanning the crowd of consumers. "I'll keep your bag here for you, that way it's sure to be safe." He adds. You give him a single nod, say thank you again, and head over to killian, who is now leaning against a nearby wall.

"Um, excuse me?" You ask timidly. "The guy over there said that you'd give me some coupons?" You motion over to julius. Killian looks at you, then to julius, and back to you again. He is quiet for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, i got some in the back. Follow me so i don't have to try and find you in this big crowd again" he says, taking the key on his lanyard and unlocking an "employees only" door. You nod and do as told, follwing him down the short hallway before coming to what seems to be a storage area of sorts. He rumages through a few boxes before cursing under his breath. "Uh, the coupons are in that small crack there. My hands are too big, but yours might just be small enough to reach in there and grab 'em. Do you mind?" He asks, letting out an embarrassed chuckle.

You smile and move towards the box he mentioned "not at all!", as you stick your hand between the crack of the box, he slowly walks behind you and pulls out his knife. He was gonna make this quick, clean and simple. Right before he made his move though, you accidentally brushed up against him, making him freeze immediately. He can't do this, you're too vulnerable....god, what's wrong with him??

You come up a few seconds later with the coupons in hand. "Alright, got them!" You bid him a quick goodbye before leaving the storage area and getting your bag from julius. Killian emerges a few moments later and walks over to julius. "What happened back there?" Julius asks. "It's not like you to fail" killian shrugs. "I don't know what came over me...i had them right there but i couldn't do it!"

Julius sighs. "Dammit. They got to you too?" Killian raises a brow. "What do you mean 'me too'?" He asks. Julius taps his fingers onto the counter and mumbles embarrassedly. "When they first came up to the counter, i almost couldn't do it. Send them your way i mean."

"Shit." Killian grumbles. "What are we gonna do now..."

(Part 2 coming soon!)

[garniers]

Fall & Winter Updates

I would like to offer a warm welcome to the new followers! I haven't been around much this year, so I haven't had the chance to thank you for the support but between the response following the releases and my follower count doubling overnight last spring, I'm super stoked and excited to be sharing this space with you. So I wanted to stop by for a minute and offer you a little insight into what I'm currently doing and what that means for this blog—like I've said before this is something I do whenever I find the time, whenever work and responsibilities allow me to, so I never in a million years would've imagined I would get so attached to this blog (same way I never imagined you guys would like my work so much.) So thank you and, without further ado, these are the updates for the rest of the year.

All Hallows Eve

There's a surprise coming your way this Halloween! I'm currently working and taking care of several things so I haven't had the opportunity to sit down and give it the last little touches. I'm working on it this week after mentioning it in passing the other day. I'm hoping you guys will like it once it drops.

The Primrose Garden

As I'm currently working on The Primrose Garden, I'm studying the potential elements I would like to add and the number of pages that will work for the package. While I had initially planned to make this an edited and improved version of The Garden, which was released earlier this year, I've decided to rebuild the theme with the same general dimensions. The Garden was originally designed to be a simple theme with embedded pages. Following the release of Moonflower, however, I realized embedded pages are doable but not as flexible as separate pages can be, so I'm making this package a cleaner and more complete version of its predecessor.

The Asters

My lovely child probably thinks I've forgotten about it. I've moved the release of this package a bunch of times and made a Frankenstein out of it but I promise you guys I'm so excited to finally get to work on it. This theme will be very different from what I initially planned. I plan to make it a singular theme with graphics included, rather than a package with pages, as I would like to release it around the holidays and I'll be working with a different style in terms of coding and layout.

Theme Prices

First and foremost I would like to thank you guys for your support. This year the theme shop has experienced a level of growth I wasn't expecting. And you guys have offered me one of the best experiences I've had in the decade (I can't believe it's been a decade already) working as a graphic and web designer. I know freelancing online can be very different from freelancing offline. Trust me when I tell you I have some really nightmarish stories from working with customers, especially when I was younger because people felt comfortable being disrespectful because they knew I had no experience. This is why customers on this platform have a special place in my heart, and I try to do what's in my power to make them happy.

The most important part is keeping things as affordable as possible. I have priced my packages based on the time and effort invested in making these packages. After over a year, I've gotten to a point where I have a good grasp on pricing. That's why my prices have been settled the following way:

RPG Packs with additional pages: $15

RPG Packs without additional pages: $12

Writerblr Packs: $12

Premium Pages: $5

RPG Packs (Summer Releases Exclusively): $20-$25

It's important to know these Summer Releases are a yearly event and will depend on me having the time to work on them, as they're very elaborate. I hope to work on something like House Rowan and Heseltine next year, but I can't make any promises. For the rest, Garniers releases will remain between $12 and $15 in the future.

Page Updates

Garniers is still somewhat under construction, but I'll be working on several new pages in the following weeks for the sake of making the theme navigation as clear and concise as possible.

Winter Wonderland Follow Forever

I would love to do a Follow Forever if I reach my next follower goal somewhere between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. I will let you guys know once we're closer to that date.

[jaymber]

Hey there! I have a few questions from the ask game:

For Vaea 🚖- Delamain 👱‍♀️- Meredith Stout ⭕- Dum Dum

For Silver 💻- Judy Alvarez 🚓- River Ward 🔮- Misty Olszewski

For Linda 🎤- Kerry Eurodyne 🥃- Rogue Amendiares 🩺- Viktor Vektor

You can switch them around if one of them didn't meet the person in question ;)

Vaea

🚖- Delamain

Vaea treated AIs as more than simple lines of code long before he became one himself. But, he never had much money before the in-game events and could never afford a Delamain. Meaning, he barely got time to meet him before following Johnny's advice and putting an end to the AI to free his "kids." If a part of the original Delamain still roams somewhere in Cyberspace, he's probably scheming on the way to get even with Vaea right now.

👱‍♀️- Meredith Stout

Another soul gone too soon for Vaea to get to know her. He had nothing against her, but against what she represented. He cracked the chip she gave him just because he could, and told Royce so he wouldn't think he could give an Eddie more, since it wasn't his money to begin with. Her authoritative attitude didn't leave Vaea indifferent, however. He would've loved to "get to know her better".

⭕- Dum Dum

Though they didn't like each other initially because Vaea, a combat netrunner, loved making fun of Maelstrom, they're business partners in 2079. Vaea doesn't want to work with Royce, so he turns to Dum Dum instead when he needs something from his gang. They've shared black lace while listening to some of Samurai never released songs more than once.

Silver

💻- Judy Alvarez

Silver arrived in NC shortly after the in-game events. Judy had already left. They probably wouldn't have gotten along. Something about Judy's utopist attitude would get on Silver's unsentimental nerves.

🚓- River Ward

After the in-game events, River eventually went back to investigate the Peralez. He found something he shouldn't and, Silver being MBE's right-hand man, they were sent after the PI. They don't get along, even though they never share a conversation. River's a nuisance, too clever for his own good. Silver's the asshole who owns River a trip to the ripperdoc for busted cyberware and a few missing memories.

🔮- Misty Olszewski

Sharing their body with an AI takes a toll on Silver's health. They don't care much about ripperdocs, and prefer alternative forms of medicine. In 2079, Misty's shop became pretty popular thanks to Kerry Eurodyne being spotted there a few times. While they're not quite friends, they have more than a simple client-shopkeeper relationship. They've spent a few nights on the rooftop of the shop, wondering about The Occult, amongst other spiritual things.

Linda

🎤- Kerry Eurodyne

In 2079, Linda works at the Atlantis, which Kerry technically owns (as in, he's the one who pays the bills). They had a rough start. Kerry felt too old for her nasty attitude, and Linda saw him as nothing but another boring, dusty, starlet (eat the rich, yadayada). They eventually opened up to each other while really high when she was crashing at his place for a bit. They insult each other lovingly now.

🥃- Rogue Amendiares

In 2079, Rogue retired. The Afterlife is no more, and she's just living happy days TRYING to relax and do absolutely nothing. Expect, Linda got barred from the Afterlife at some point, so she'll gladly annoy the old woman on Johnny's or Kerry's request just for fun. Linda's cyber arms have been shot a few times, mostly because she won't stop calling Rogue "mommy." They really don't get along (and that's precisely why they should [redacted] already!)

🩺- Viktor Vektor

Rippers around Japantown are too expensive for Linda, so she goes to Vik instead. He's seen her at her worst, and knows there's more to her than her bad attitude. She doesn't like him, and thinks he's patronizing. She only comes to see him when she has no other choice. Viktor, on the other hand, genuinely means it when he tells her to "take care."

[thebergeyshow]

transcending the bonds of plastic

I was in the bathroom, organizing, like any other day, putting things away from a recent restock shopping trip, when suddenly, like the fall of Lucifer, my favorite bottle of Jergens Shea Butter lotion tipped from it's perch on my wire shelving, flew through the air and plummeted 3.5 ft to the ground, slamming its head onto the vinyl flooring. I screamed, as you do. Upon its landing my initial expectation was for there to be lotion everywhere, which, while inconvenient, would not have been the end of the world.

However, the truth was much more sinister. It was, in fact, the end of the world.

The scream I originally released was premature. I uttered another as the realization came to light. My lotion bottle had been d e c a p i t a t e d.

The Queen of Hearts could have done no better herself. Severed at it's life-giving artery, my lotion bottle was rendered unalive. Time of death - 8:06pm.

Naturally, my response time was slowed by shock. I stood for a moment contemplating my options, holding the lifeless bottle in my hands, looking about the bathroom for some kind of a solution to jump out at me, much like this Jergens bottle had done just moments before it's untimely demise.

My eyes landed on an ancient glass bottle that once held Bath and Body Works Sensual Aromatherapy (which was amazing but is no longer sold), but now was really only around because I couldn't bare to admit its empty soul had fled, and I thought to myself, "I can save them both yet".

I sprung into action, unscrewing the tops of both bottles, only to discover... the Jergens bottle neck was larger than the Aromatherapy bottle neck. I froze. Where to go from here.

The following sequence of events will haunt me forever.

My first reaction was to find a pump from another bottle of lotion to attempt pumping the lotion from the Jergens bottle into the Aromatherapy bottle. I didn't have a pump that fit perfectly but I had one that could work. After several heart-pounding minutes of attempting this it became clear the subpar pump would never live up to the prowess of the Jergens pump when it was in its glory and would take an eternity to move the lotion through to the new bottle.

My next plan was to find a lesser bottle top which could allow me to turn the bottle upside down to void it of the lotion. The only one I had which might fit was on an underused bottle of Nair.

I don't think I have to tell you how scary it is to try to use something that has been touched by the devil (Nair) to transport lotion. The idea of slathering on lotion only to have my hair removed in the process... I shuddered to think.

Consequently, I spent a fair amount of time and dedication cleaning the bottle top, carefully removing all remnants of Nair so as to provide myself a clean and effective tool to save my precious Jergens.

I would like to take this time to remind you a full-size bottle of Jergens is $8. I was going through all of this to save $8.

But I digress.

I could not get all the Nair out by hand. I dug through a drawer for a tiny bottle brush. I successfully removed all hazardous material from the bottle top. I secured the bottle top on the Jergens bottle.

In a fraction of the time it took me to clean out the Nair from the bottle top, it was already clear it would not be effective in transferring the lotion to the new bottle. The aromatherapy bottle neck was simply too small to sustain that kind of procedure.

My motivation was on life-support.

Of a sudden, an idea occurred to me. One that seemed so simple, so obvious, that I kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner.

An idea that turned out to be so so very wrong.

"A funnel", I thought, "Why didn't I think of that before?"

I didn't think of it before, dear reader, because it is not, in fact, a good idea. I did not factor in the viscosity of the lotion, nor the lack of airflow between the funnel and the bottle neck.

And so we arrived at what you see below. My greatest work and my greatest shame. A failed attempt at saving $8 which resulted in the wasted efforts of 45 minutes of my life. The decapitated and amputated remnants of the Jergens pump, alongside a plastic spoon, both stuck down through a funnel and glass aromatherapy bottle in a final attempt to force the lotion into the bottle.

My efforts failed. My mission was at it's lowest. I abandoned all hope.

At long last I gave up my futile efforts and submitted to defeat. My time was wasted, my energy low, and finally I allowed myself to see the truth of the matter. No bottle could contain the lifeforce that had once been held so ably by that Jergens bottle. Nothing could compare.

With a heavy heart, I gathered the small plastic containers I had saved from my last three vitamin orders (because I can't throw anything away and now we know why), rinsed them, and dejectedly squeezed the remaining lotion from the Jergens bottle, through the Nair bottle top, into the Flo vitamin jars.

"This has been a company teambuilding project," I thought to myself.

But it was just me, in my bathroom, and I was surrounded only by the company of my mistakes.

[alyjojo]

October 🌹 2024 Monthly - Leo

Preshuffle: You’re breaking a rule or some kind of policy at work, and you’ve done this before. I’m hearing “work smarter, not harder,” and seeing more money on a paycheck. Cutting corners perhaps, to save money.

Meditation: Same as the preshuffle, I’m seeing a paycheck where the amount keeps going up, but it’s coming to you - not being paid out 💰

Main energy: 7 Wands

What’s going on in October:

Temperance rev, The World rev, The Sun, Knight of Wands, 4 Swords rev

You’re pissy about something taking too long, standing your ground with someone even. Someone has to leave and come back later; and it’s a lack of patience that’s chapping your ass - but it’s because you’re ✨so excited✨ for whatever comes after this thing. It’s not finished. You wanted it finished yesterday, tf. You’re getting incredibly impatient with delays, The Star shows something you’re waiting on that’s the greatest thing ever to you, this is THE thing you’ve been waiting for, wanting to do, wanting to put in your… “hostel”…wtf is a hostel? Why on earth…let’s see.

Hostel - an establishment which provides inexpensive food and lodging for a specific group of people, such as students, workers, or travelers. So like an Airbnb. Someone here could be trying to open one and working around red tape and inspections, that sort of thing. But that’s the plan for someone. Not everyone obv. I’m seeing it even more with this Cool Lemonade card, cute patio decor & drinks. At the bottom it’s like other people aren’t doing their jobs, in your opinion. Chop chop 🔪 Another reference to cooking, food, this is the vibe idk, we roll. You’ve felt like your hands are tied until some other thing happens or is approved, until you get something fixed probably.

Or healed. Now I’m seeing someone that’s been down, could be medical or literal healing, and they’re itching to get tf out of the house again, to celebrate, be wild and crazy with Knight of Wands. I NEED TO LIVE 🥳 Or even a hospital stay, if that applies. Drives you crazy. The first half of the month is probably confusion and feeling like your hands are tied, Silver Cloud confirms this. Later on you’ll get the clear though, and like shackles being removed - you’re set free 🕊️ No longer tied to this thing and ready to take off - Knight of Wands.

Some of you are getting divorced and already with someone else, waiting for it to be final. Or switch it. Some are trying to buy things for some independent venture, or a side hustle - and setting up everything you need for that. Others may be just be treating yourselves with some kind of pick-me-up. A hair appointment, shopping, decorating, something aesthetic. This could all be concerning a party, gathering (or wedding) you’re trying to put together, or someone is, and by the end of the month there is news is that all roads are clear.

It’s also possible that it’s not you stuck at all but someone else, maybe your maid of honor - for someone - or bestie, and you’re up in arms about it. Things will work out just fine from what I can tell. Enchantment shows you have a creative & magical 🪄 touch, again I’m seeing decor & aesthetics but even if it’s decorating yourself. Makeup, your style, your tan idk - how you carry yourself, it attracts people to you and that will work in your favor in this situation. Patience at the bottom, sounds so simple but is so hard 😣 I see you being defensive, but only at first, because you have to wait, because someone else’s issue is taking priority, etc. It’s temporary. Could also be that someone vital or important can’t be at some event, and their hands are tied. For the color, Spirit said “banana” so…that’s for someone. Idk why.

Signs you may be dealing with:

Leo, Sagittarius, Capricorn & Gemini

Oracle: ✨

Origin 🌱

Initiation - Creativity - Vitality

Blessing ✨

Fulfillment - Well-Being - Enlightenment

47 Enchantment

We are enchanted when the Muses sing the Art Spirit into us.

We enter into October as:

Silver Cloud ☁️:

“Every silver lining has a cloud.”

If confusion is a familiar state for you, then you already know Silver Cloud. Clarity is only available by journeying with him for awhile. Through a willingness to be in confusion, we find clarity. You are to slow down, meditate, contemplate, rest. If you were to know what lies ahead, you might not take on the next task willingly. You’re not supposed to know, you will when it’s time. Bide your time in gratitude and know that clarity will come along the way.

What is to be learned in October:

Cool Lemonade 🍋

“My dreams got answered.”

There are times when chasing dreams leaves us winded and unhappy. If this gift has been given, it’s to remind you there is always a plan. If you fear you’ve been sidetracked from your right path, have faith you’ll be guided back to it. There is not always a complicated reason why things didn’t work out how you wanted them to, it may be simpler than you think. Are you sure your prayers weren’t answered? Or was it a reply you refused to hear? You will find total peace when you appreciate the gifts you have, rather than pining for what you lack. Sometimes, we all need to be reminded that the point of prayer isn’t to get what we want, but to ask to be of service. Cool Lemonade reminds us to only seek to be of service in our lives, closeness with Spirit must always be put before what we’d like to have.

Yellow may be a lucky color 🍌

[banananasarethebest]

Peel and Conquer

Woody Allen’s Bananas (1971) is a sequel to Steno’s Banana Joe (1982) and you can’t tell me otherwise. Completely disregard the obvious obstacles of contradicting release-times, for I have a grandiose statement to make. This one will be short and sweet. We have found it. We found the bananest banana-themed movie of them all. Banana Joe takes the crown. It is the ultimate banana-centered action comedy, and by that I mean the original, wild, sometimes imperfect bananas, not the artificially-flavored candy monstrosities. 

Already from the very beginning Banana Joe warms you up like a hefty spoon of hot custard. It tells the story of Banana Joe, a cheerful, friendly, kind-hearted man who lives in a remote village buried deep in the South American jungle. He is a simple man, but he is very, very, very serious about his bananas. He grows them in his small plantation, and sells them in the nearby village. The idyllic life lasts no longer when a group of corrupt, profit-seeking businessmen pay him a visit and announce that they wish to exploit the villagers and take over the banana trade. For the hard-working, socially-trusted man that he is, Banana Joe refuses to surrender and takes on the adventure to confront the invaders. It takes him a long, uneven, predetermined battle with bureaucracy, multiple fist-fights, a road-race, and even a brief stopover in the army, but he fearlessly faces all these challenges. In short: anything for the beloved bananas. 

It goes without saying that Steno’s comedy is in no way comparable to today’s standards of both cinematography and humor. Banana Joe, played by Bud Spencer, is the stereotypical unsophisticated-but-strong guy. That’s his main personality trait, just that he is not the sharpest tool, but he is determined and muscular. Similarly to Allen’s Bananas (1971), this, so to say low, level of comedy would not and should not be the daily bread, but it is the case in the feature film from 1982. In its defense, it must be said that the slapstick humor is, yet again, extraordinarily executed. Joe often has no clue how to act, he is like a bull in a china shop, and everything surprises him, but it is done surprisingly tastefully, as if it was catered for the often too subtle and refined contemporary audience.

On a different note, there’s one more aspect of Banana Joe that deserves a particularly loud applause. Some movies feel like two-hour-long music videos, in all the worst ways. Some feel like walking commercials, with nothing else but product promotion instead of an actual plot. And then there is Banana Joe, a film that feels like both of these, and neither at the same time. All is thanks to the catchy theme tune overarching every second scene of the story. While it by all means resembles a soundtrack to a banana advert, somehow it doesn’t strike as repetitive, but more so as a seal of all the elements of the film. Just like bananas are central to the plot, the music binds the artwork together with a leitmotif of the titular character. 

There is not a single minute of Banana Joe that passes without a banana visible in the frame, or mentioned in the conversation. The production went absolutely bananas with props, and I can't help but wonder how much of the yellow, peel-guarded goodness was wasted during the making of the movie. It seems that ecological concerns are yet another thing that would be added to the list of adjustments had Banana Joe been filmed today. But after all, it is the old-timey feeling, at times resembling a dusty shortbread found in the depths of the pantry, that gives this movie character. 

Joyous in its simplicity

Oozing with sass and punchy humor

Especially well-suited for an energy-boost on a rainy evening

Ripeness rating: 9/10

🍌 exemplarily golden, lusciously sweet, ultimately flawless

🍌 looks like the perfect Chiquita banana from ads

[mysticalrose23]

Bun In The Oven

Bun In The Oven | Nanami Kento x Fem Reader

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, Semi-Public Sex, Married Couple Word Count: 3.4 K Words

Originally Posted On AO3:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/36951001/chapters/93799597

Two little red lines. That’s all it would take to change your world forever. Your husband and you had been trying to get pregnant for quite some time now. You could tell he was doing his best not to get disappointed as months went by with nothing but negative tests. His eyes always seemed to sparkle at the mention of having a child making you long to give him one even more. Though your husband was maintaining his composure quite well, you could feel it slowly eating away at you. Every time you watched his bright and cheerful eyes turn cloudy as you sadly shook your head no as another test came back negative you felt your chest tighten. He always gave you tender kisses and reassured you that it was all ok and that you would get pregnant when it’s the right time. But your mind swirled chaotically, often causing many sleepless nights tossing and turning in your bed. You just wanted to get pregnant already. You wanted to watch as your husband’s eyes lit up with joy. You wanted to become a family with him, something the two of you both longed for since you had no one else but each other. Your hands clutched at the small white stick as you repeatedly begged in your head for it to be positive. You held your breath as you waited for the lines to slowly appear.

“Darling? Is everything ok?” A knock on the door breaks your attention from the test in your hands.

“Ah, yes, sorry!” You shove the test into your pocket without looking and rush to open the door.

The moment the bathroom door slid open you were greeted by your husband of a few years. His tall body loomed over you as he stood there wearing nothing but his navy blue pajama bottoms. His usually neatly slicked back blonde hair hung messily over his forehead. His eyes sleepily peered down at you as he yawned a bit. You let your arms wrap around his waist, nuzzling up against his chest to take in his warmth just a while longer.

“You’re up and ready early I see” his groggy voice vibrated in his chest as his large hand gently stroked your head.

“Well someone has to go set up the bakery for the day. It’s not just going to set up itself. And someone decided to sleep in because he stayed up late even after I told you to come to bed.” you said with a gentle giggle.

“Alright alright, I’ll go get ready and come downstairs.” he huffed a bit, grumbling as he scratched the back of his head.

You smiled softly as you let go of him to go get ready for the day. The two of you lived in a humble home. The downstairs had a bakery that the two of you ran, then upstairs was the living area. You made a quick and simple breakfast and sat it down on the table for your husband before heading down to the bakery. You slipped your apron on and tied your hair back before getting to work. Ovens preheated, check. Equipment cleaned, check. Ingredients prepared, check. You mentally checked off the steps in your head as you looked around the kitchen. Most of the stuff the shop would sell today was done last night by Nanami, but there were a few things that needed to be done first thing in the morning to guarantee the freshness.

A gentle hum escaped your lips as you started preparing batches of dough to make various breads and pastries. A smile pulled across your lips as you looked down at your flour dusted hands. Memories of the days you worked at a small bakery in the center of a town heavily populated with business employees popped into your head. You were finishing up college and needed some spare money so you decided to work at the bakery. At the time all you cared about was getting your schooling done so you could quickly make as much money as possible. Little did you know at that time that you would end up marrying one of the shop's most regular customers and opening your own bakery with him. A pink hue dusted your cheeks as you reminisced on it all from the first date, to the first kiss, to the first time he held you in his arms. Kento had always been sort of a blunt and unapproachable man when you first met him. He was never rude, but he made it obvious that he wanted nothing more than to live out his mundane life. But once he finally opened up to you, he was doting and tender and affectionate. You couldn’t help but feel your heart race from the very first time you saw his softer side. If it wasn’t for him leaving his wallet behind at the shop one day, causing the two of you to slowly become closer, you don’t think you would have ever developed a different opinion of him.

“What are you so lost in thought about that has you smiling and blushing?” A voice snapped you from your thoughts as a pair of large arms wrapped around your waist.

“Oh nothing. Just thinking is all.” you smiled softly looking back over your shoulder at your husband.

“Hm. Oh I almost forgot. Good morning, Mrs. Nanami” Kento said while placing a kiss on your cheek.

“Good morning, dear.” you couldn’t help but giggle at him when he called you Mrs. Nanami.

He smiled as he heard the sound of you giggling, planting one more kiss on your cheek before moving away. He started to help prepare the shop for opening alongside you. He would teasingly smack your ass while walking by or press tender kisses along your face from time to time. His eyes seemed to light up every time he saw your cheeks flush red or heard you giggling. He was always so tender and passionate when it came to you. No matter how many years had passed since the two of you started dating, your heart raced just as much as it did on the very first date.

“Anything I can help with my love?” Kento asked, his large arms wrapping around your waist from behind you.

“I think we’re all set to open. The last set of bread is out of the oven. And this is the last bit of dishes. Why don’t you go relax before we open up? You were down here all night last night.” you could feel the warmth of his chest spreading across your back while you finished the last of the dishes.

“Hm, I think I’d much rather spend the down time with my beautiful wife instead of resting.” He cooed softly as he reached to turn the water off.

Kento removed his hands from your waist to place them on your shoulders, having you turn around to face him. Your eyes wandered up to meet his, the brown hues filled with tenderness and love as they peered down at you. His large hands both moved in sync towards your face, cupping your cheeks in both of his warm palms while his thumbs gently grazed across the smooth skin of your face. A gentle smile turned his thin lips upwards before he leaned down to gently press them against yours. He repeatedly pressed tender kisses against your lips, his eyes watching as yours soften and melt from his tender affection.

"I know one thing we forgot to do." He said as he pulled his lips from yours, his hands still cupping your cheeks.

"Hm? What's that? I swore I got everything done on the checklist.." you started to rack your brain as to what you could have possibly missed.

"It's an extra special baking assignment only I can do." A sly smirk formed across his face as his voice deepened slightly.

"Oh?" You couldn't help but raise your eyebrow at his words.

"I've got to put a bun in your oven." He leaned forward to whisper into your ear, his seductive voice dancing in your ear.

The bakery fell silent as you heard his words. You watched with widened eyes as he stood back up straight. He had a playful smirk on his face as he looked down at you. After a long pause you suddenly burst out in laughter. Tears stung the corners of your eyes as you laughed, your stomach aching a bit from doing so.

“What the hell, Kento? Since when did you start telling such cheesy jokes?” You couldn’t contain your laughter as you looked up at him.

“Hey now. I figured if I’m gonna be a dad one day, I might as well start practicing the dad jokes. Plus it was a baker joke too which was even better. So what do you say? Should this baker put his batter in your oven so we can make a bun?” He teased a bit, his eyes softening as he watched you laugh, relieved to see you not look so stressed out for once.

“So cheesy…” you calmed your laughter as you wrapped your arms around his waist, your face nuzzling up into his chest.

“You know, jokes aside, I wasn’t kidding about the sex part” he said as he tilted your head upwards.

A devious smirk was pulled across his lips, his eyes glinting with a lustful desire. Before you could begin to protest, his lips crushed down towards yours. His large hands immediately started to grope you, one kneading into your breast while the other firmly grasped your ass. The moment your lips parted slightly to allow a gasp to escape from your throat, he dove his tongue into your mouth. The hot muscle explored your mouth, twirling around yours as if he was preparing to devour you. His lips pulled away from yours after a short while, your breaths pulling into your lungs with hard pants. His hand cupped your face as his thumb trailed across your parted lips. You didn’t need a mirror to know that your face was red, the heat spreading up to the tips of your ears. You watched as his thumb slipped past your lips, your tongue naturally moving to rub against it. The moment he saw you naturally start moving against his tongue, he let out a low groan, the sound sending chills down your spine.

“Turn around for me, darling” he whispered softly before kissing your ear gently.

His thumb pulled from your lips before moving to guide you to turn around. Your hands pressed against the top of the counter to try to stabilize your upper body. Breaths hitched in your throat as you felt him slowly press kisses against the back of your neck and ears, your core aching for attention as you pressed your thighs together, shifting them slightly in hopes to feel some sort of friction. Noticing your actions, a faint chuckle escaped from Kento’s lips.

“Look at you getting so needy for me already” he cooed softly.

Your face burned hotter at his teasing words, a whimper pulling from your throat being the only response you could manage. He chuckled once more while his hands reached to undo your pants, pulling them down with your panties to rest halfway down your thighs. His eyes wandered to your now bare ass, his tongue darting out to lick his lips at the sight of your slick already causing your puffy lower lips to have a sheen. He swiftly moved to his knees, his large hands gripping into the flesh of your ass as he spread you apart slowly. He pressed a quick kiss to your clit before diving his tongue between your folds, the hum that escaped his lips vibrating against you. Your calves slowly started to stretch upwards while his tongue skillfully lapped against you. Every pass of his tongue over your clit had your sweet moans echoing off the walls of the bakery.

“Fuck. You’re so wet right now.” He groaned out as he licked his lips.

“K-Kento…” You panted out his name, your core longing for more of him, your legs trembling beneath you.

“Don’t worry, I can’t hold back anymore either” he said while standing up, slipping his throbbing cock from his pants.

Using one hand, he slid his tip up and down your folds, slicking himself with your essence before pressing into your tight walls. A low groan escaped his lips as he bottomed out inside you. For some reason he felt bigger than usual, the stretch of your small hole feeling tighter as he filled you. He leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to your cheek before standing back up straight. His hands gripped your ass, his eyes wandering down to where the two of you were connected before he slowly slipped himself out. As his tip was almost fully out, he pushed back in with one hard thrust, causing a loud moan to escape your lips.

"You're so wet and tight today my dear. Does doing it in the bakery with the idea of someone potentially catching us turn you on that much?" He teased as he slipped out all the way slowly before slamming back in once more.

"K-Kento… P-Please…!" Your voice staggered between the gasps and moans that slipped from your lips from his teasing.

"Hm? Please what? I'm not quite sure what you want darling." His voice cooed as he continued to slowly tease you and slam back into your eager walls.

"P-Please… I want you to fuck me…" Your legs trembled beneath you as you could feel your slick slowly starting to slip down your thighs.

"But I am fucking you. I'm giving you what you want." A chuckle escaped his lips as he heard you start to beg

You didn't have to look at him to know a devious smirk was pulled across his lips as he tested to see how much you could take. A needy whimper escaped your lips as you felt your frustration build up. You were more turned on than usual for some reason which made the teasing that much worse. Your hands clenched into fists on top of the counter as your teeth sunk into your bottom lip. Unable to bear it anymore you shifted your legs to stabilize yourself before you began to rock your hips. Your hips moved back to meet his before pulling forward. You could hear a hum vibrate in Kento's chest as he curiously watched you. It didn't take long for you to get a feel for it, figuring out how to exactly rub against your g spot, and picking up the pace while your sweet moans echoed off the walls.

"Fuck" Kento's voice growled out as his large hands gripped your waist.

His fingertips harshly dug into your hips, surely enough to leave red marks against your skin later. His grip caused your hips to stop, a whimper escaping your lips as you looked over your shoulder at him, tears stinging in your eyes from the frustration. His eyes trembled with desire as his lips turned upwards into a smirk seeing the tears in your eyes. Before you could begin to complain, he started to thrust into you rapidly. Due to the teasing, the knot in your core rapidly formed before unraveling in an instant. Your back arched as your orgasm shook your body.

"I'm not stopping. So just keep cumming for me darling." He groaned softly from the sensation of your walls clenching down around him.

Your calves stretched upwards to their limits, the burning sensation causing your legs to tremble. Kento relentlessly pounded into your fluttering walls, his tip kissing your depths with each thrust in. Tears stung the corners of your eyes from the overstimulation of him continuing to thrust through your orgasm. The wetness that pooled in your core spilled down your thighs leaving wet trails along your skin. Another orgasm quickly approached causing your walls to clench down on him once more.

"Shit it's too tight. I'm gonna cum." He hissed out as he started to lean forward, his broad chest just inches away from your back.

"K-Kento…! M-Me too…! I'm going to cum.. nng..!" Your voice trembled as you forced the words out of your mouth, your mind going blank with pleasure.

"Cum for me darling." He groaned as he pressed his chest into your back, one of his arms supporting his weight to not crush you while the other wrapped around your chest.

As if his words casted a magical spell, you came on cue, a loud cry stinging your throat as you succumbed to the pleasure. Feeling you cum around him, Kento buried himself as deep as he could into you before his own orgasm washed over him. His head hung down to nestle against your shoulder, his lips pressing against your neck as he throbbed within your walls. The tears that stung the corners of your eyes spilled down your cheeks from the overwhelming pleasure. His breaths danced across your skin as he panted from the intense orgasm.

Once the two of you came down from your high, Kento quickly helped clean you up and pull your pants back on. His large hands cupped your face while his fingertips brushed the tears from your face. He smiled softly and pressed a gentle kiss to your lips before pulling you into his chest. Your arms wrapped around his waist as he held you closely, his one hand gently running through your hair.

"Who knows, maybe it'll take sex in the bakery for our child to finally decide it's ready to come." He said softly, a hint of forced hope in his voice.

"Ah! The test!" You suddenly remembered the pregnancy test you took this morning, pulling from his arms.

"The test?" He looked at you confused for a moment.

"I took a test this morning but never checked the results!" You quickly pulled the white stick from your pocket.

The bakery went completely quiet as the two of you waited with baited breath. Taking a deep breath you squeezed your eyes shut as you slowly turned the test around to show the results screen. You repeatedly begged for it to be positive in your head, afraid to open your eyes. Your eyes slowly pulled open and focused on the screen. Two red lines. There were two red lines on the display. Your eyes grew wide as you stared in shock. You couldn't help but pinch your arm to make sure it wasn't a dream. The sting against your skin reassured you that you weren't in fact dreaming.

"Kento…. We're…. WE'RE PREGNANT!" You excitedly exclaimed as you looked up at your husband.

Kento's eyes were wide and trembling as tears swirled in them. He was speechlessly staring down at the test before he looked up at you when he heard your words. The moment he saw your eyes filled with tears and your gentle smile, his eyes softened. His knees immediately gave out on him, causing him to kneel on the ground in front of you. His arms wrapped around your waist as his forehead pressed into your stomach. His whole body trembled as he clung to you.

"Thank you… Thank you so much [Y/N]... For not giving up and losing hope… For allowing me to have a family with you finally… Thank you so much…" his voice trembled as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"I should be thanking you for giving me a new life and the chance for us to become a family." You smiled gently, your hand gently brushing through his blonde hair.

"Mommy and Daddy can't wait to meet you already little one…" he said softly as his hand gently caressed your lower stomach before he pressed his lips against it.

Your eyes softened at the tender sight causing tears to slip down your cheeks. Finally, after so long and so many failures, the two of you were going to become a family. Kento looked up at you, a smile pulling across your lips as your eyes met his. Standing back up to his feet, he gathered you in his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist. His hands firmly held your thighs as your arms wrapped his neck.

"I love you so much, Mrs. Nanami." He whispered softly.

"I love you too, Kento. Now and forever." You answered him before cupping his face and pressing your lips to his, enjoying the tender moment with your beloved husband.

[townofcrosshollow]

Twine Sugarcube 101

AKA, all you need to make a Twine game (I swear to god)

I’ve seen a lot of people go “Twine is too complicated for me :(” and give up before they’ve even started. And that makes me sad, partly because they’re giving up on a really cool hobby, and also because that’s false! It’s absolutely not too complicated for you!

I think the problem is that people look up Twine, see the documentation, and go “There’s way too much there! I can’t learn all that!” Well guess what- you shouldn’t learn all that, at least not yet. As a beginner you can skip pretty much all of this:

(Ignore <<linkappend>> too, forgot to crop that one out)

That’s a lot more manageable, right? Below the cut, I’ll let you know how to use all those remaining important things to make your story! Warning- it’s quite long! You might want to read it in sections! And while I’ll try to keep it entertaining, it’s also a coding tutorial, so... y’know. Might not be the most exciting read if you aren’t trying to learn Twine.

Welcome to below the cut!

First off, make sure your story format is set to Sugarcube 2. On the right side of the home screen (with all your stories), click format and choose the one labeled “Sugarcube 2.x.x” then open a new story with the green button! Here’s what you’ll see and what it all means:

Passages are all like individual web pages that you navigate between to play the game. When they’re linked together they’ll be shown like this:

Anything you write in a passage will just be shown on screen as plain text, no code required! But if you want to make anything more than just one passage with a bunch of text, you’ll have to link passages together with...

Links!

A link is composed of two parts- the text you see on screen, and the name of the passage you’re attaching it to. These are enclosed in [[double square brackets]], with a vertical bar | or a little arrow -> between them. If you want to show the passage name instead of alternative text, you can just put the passage name in square brackets alone! So this in the editor:

[[Visible text|Passage name]]

[[Visible text->Passage name]]

[[Passage name]]

Will look like this in the story:

Visible text

Visible text

Passage name

And all of them will lead to the passage labeled “Passage name.” You don’t even need to create the passage- when Twine sees that you’ve linked to a passage that doesn’t exist, it’ll add that passage for you.

That’s all you need to know! Technically, all you need to do to make a Twine story is add those fancy links between passages. If you add your awesome writing skills, that story will be super cool!

...but you want to do some fancy shit, right? Well let me introduce you to the next step up in complexity,

Variables!

“Variable” is a fun, code-y way to say “a bit of information that can change.” You could say they... vary.

Variables are useful for keeping track of information. If the player chooses to be blonde instead of a redhead, you might want to bring that up again- but you probably don’t want to write an entirely separate story based on that choice, right? So instead you save that information as a variable.

In Twine, variables are written as words with a $ in front of them. So my hair colour variable might be “$hairColour.” If you just write the variable out without any code, Twine will print the information you put into the variable. So if $hairColour is set to “blonde,” this...

She had $hairColour hair.

Will become...

She had blonde hair.

The value in a variable can be a boolean (ie. true or false), a number, or a string (like “blonde” or “any other string of characters”). They can also be fancy stuff like arrays, but we won’t be touching on that.

You can use variables to keep track of a lot of things! For instance...

How much money the player has

Whether a player has a key

What the player’s name is

I keep mentioning the value of a variable or “setting” it, but how do you do that? Well, one way is to add it to a link. If you want a link to set hair colour to blonde, for instance, you could write [[Blonde|Next passage][$hairColour to “blonde”]]. Clicking on that link would forward the player to “Next passage” and set the value of $hairColour to “blonde.”

There is a better way of doing it, however, but we’ll need to talk about...

Macros!

A macro is a snippet of code that runs when you put a special code word inside these <<spiky boys>>. You can write your own macros with JavaScript if you’re smart, find them on the internet if you’re even more smart, or just use the ones that come built in with Sugarcube.

The ones we’ll be talking about, and the ones that are the most important for most Twine games, are <<set>>, <<if>>, and <<link>>.

<<set>>

The <<set>> macro allows you to, you guessed it, assign a value to a variable. For instance, if you want to set $hairColour to blonde... well, that’s all you need to do! It’s just:

<<set $hairColour to “blonde”>>

It’s important to remember with the <<set>> macro that strings (collections of different characters) require quotation marks around them to show the code that it isn’t a number or a true/false value. If you put quotes around a number and try to do math with that variable, you’ll get a big ol’ error message.

If you’re using numbers, you can also use JavaScript operators in place of “to.” Each one will perform a calculation on the variable if that variable is a number, and then replace the variable with the result. If you want to add $5 to the player’s $money, you could use this:

<<set $money += 5>>

The “+=“ will add the number on the right to the variable on the left. “-=“ will do the same for subtraction, “*=“ for multiplication, and “/=“ for division. Easy enough, just don’t forget the = sign after the usual symbol!

By default, the <<set>> macro will be executed as soon as the page it’s on loads. Sometimes that’s useful, but sometimes you would rather the player click a link that sets a variable- like if they choose a hair colour. You might also want the same link to set multiple variables, like subtracting money and giving them an item when they use a shop. How do we do that?

<<link>>

The <<link>> macro is also pretty simple. All it does is create a link, and when that link it pressed it executes whatever is inside of it. Here we’ll be using it with <<set>>, but you can use it with all kinds of different macros and even nest some of them to do really complicated stuff!

As an example, we want the player to click “buy key,” give the player the key, and subtract $5 from their money. Here’s how we do it:

<<link “Buy key”>>

<<set $key to true>>

<<set $money -= 5>>

<</link>>

The text the player will click is in quotation marks, and after all of the macros we need to execute we have to close off the code by adding <</link>>. Easy, right?

But other than printing them on the screen, what can you actually use those variables for? Well, for that we’ll be using...

<<if>>

The <<if>> macro is my favourite, hands down, because it’s an easy way of accomplishing hard stuff. Simply put, <<if>> will check if the thing you asked about is true, and if it is, it will do whatever you put inside of it.

Here’s a simple example:

<<if $key is true>>

[[Use the key|Progress]]

<</if>>

Whatever is inside the <<if>> macro will be executed if the “if” statement is true. In this case, the link “Use the key” will be printed on the screen only if the player has the key. This also applies to code- if you put a <<set>> macro inside, that macro would only set a variable if the player has the key.

Now here’s a more complicated example, to show everything the <<if>> macro is capable of. Here we also want to check if they’ve already opened the door, and display alternate text if they have no key and the door is locked.

<<if $key is true>>

[[Use the key|Progress]]

<<elseif $doorOpen is true>>

[[Walk through|Progress]]

<<else>>

You need to find a key.

<</if>>

I’ll break it down line by line to tell you what each thing does.

<<if $key is true>>

This line is the only necessary one- it checks whether $key has been set to true. You can check for any value that a variable can be, like a number, true/false, or a string. You can also check for other things with this macro- for instance, “isnot” will check that the variable isn’t equal to the value on the right. “gt” or “lt” will check if the variable is greater/lesser than the value on the right, and “gte” or “lte” will check if it is greater than or equal to the value.

<<elseif $doorOpen is true>>

This line allows us to check for something else within the same <<if>> macro. Once the game has checked the original <<if>> and found that it is false, it will move on to checking each <<elseif>> until it finds one that is true. You can have as many <<elseif>>s as you need, and they can check the same variable or different variables, but only the first true one will be executed! And, of course, you can’t use <<elseif>> on its own- it’s stuck to the <<if>> macro!

<<else>>

This line is the last resort- if the original <<if>> and any <<elseif>>s have all been false, the game will execute whatever is after <<else>>. Because of this, there can only be one <<else>> line within any <<if>> macro! If you don’t have an <<else>>, nothing at all will be executed, so whether you include one depends on the situation.

<</if>>

This closes off the <<if>> macro. Nothing special, but very important! Put it after the last piece of code or bit of text you want the macro to control.

Phew. That’s it! That’s all I wanted to show you!

Now, HOMEWORK!

Okay, not homework, just practice. Here are some things you can try building to practice all these tools and get comfortable with how they work!

A store system with different items for different amounts of money

A character creation screen, followed by a description of your character (with variables!)

A puzzle that requires you to choose the right answer to proceed

If you have any trouble, need to ask any questions, or if something in this tutorial wasn’t clear to you, please let me know- you can DM me or send me an ask anytime and I’m happy to answer any Twine questions you have. I hope this was of use to you, and have fun making games <3

[ruby-whistler]

i made a list of the vibes of the hermits i watch, so you might want to check some of them out! this is just mostly jokes, but i thought all of the more “serious” propaganda was missing something, so have what truly makes hermitcraft worth it; the players’ unique styles!

will be back on my dsmp stuff asap but it’s the first day of season 8 and i would really appreciate if you checked them out through the links provided :]

Grian; [ episode one link ]

vibes of a 17 year old mcyter, is actually 27 and married

noo not my red jumpah!

chaotic capitalist

someone is making the server better through order? *starts another war* whoops, hand slipped :D

he built a- he rebuilt his entire megabase in survival, above a giant lake of lava, in the nether, on hard mode, upside down??

“watching as scar dies over and over in my trap is peak comedy and i’m tired of pretending it’s not” but it happens like 5 times i every season

video editing is very main-stream and good for short attention spans!

*sad montage over losing stuff he’ll get back in 15 minutes because he’s rich*

pesky birdd! great elytra flier! amazing builder! will tnt your house! poultrymannn!!

wholesome, chaos incarnate, talented architect

why won’t mumbo respond to my messages it’s been two weeks :[ (clingy)

doors???????????? your house has doors???? no doors for you good sir!

will laugh a lot at a lot of things, esp when he’s with his friends

genuinely just so fun to watch

Mumbo Jumbo; [ episode one link ]

perfect british accent

mustache man (warning: he has no mustache irl)

*fails ten businesses in a row* iskall please help

redstone is his element

“it’s actually quite simple” i like your funny words magic man, now can you repeat how in the hell you made a that fancy vault work-

filmographer?? i think? met up with grian irl

him and grian have a robot son named grumbot. that has nothing to do with the vibes but i had to mention him because he means a lot to me.

tries to stay out of wars and server politics until someone (grian) drags him into them

minigame maker, makes the hermits competitive and that is scary (also very funny) e. g. button, hermit challengesss!

“it’ll be fineee” *que shot of everything on fire behind him*

makes his base a living being and then all his neighbors end up feeding it instead of him

conspiracy theorist. bumbo baggins. the usual.

very entertaining videos that help you learn more about minecraft mechanics!

GoodTimesWithScar; [ episode one link ]

wheelchair creator with literally the best vibes

so wholesome i. he is so cool he makes me so happy :’D

*extremely cool announcer voice* ooooo hello there my fellow miners and crafters, good timeees with scar heree, and welcome backk to the wonderful world of hermits and crafting, and we’re flying over-

commentates everything extremely well

spends tenths of hours on builds within a single video and doesn’t bat an eye

lore for all of his builds! he builds these amazing bases to tell a story!

“i wanna see white flags! white flags, outside your base, by-“ wait no wrong anti-rebellion army leader

all videos have a clear objective

mostly building, but he loves hanging out/helping his friends!

loves disney movies! wants to go to space! :D

kind-hearted, always makes everyone else smile

can be chaotic but usually just tries to have fun and make sure everyone else has fun too

*flies into a tree on half a heart* wait what why did i die D:

scar. scar please eat. you’re going to die for the tenth time this video-

the non-chaotic capitalist, has extremely creative shop designs

a danger to himself, but also the kind of person you can’t be angry at for long

BdoubleO100; [ episode one link ]

the guitar music at the beginning of his videos brings a smile to my face, it just has such an immaculate mood

*camera pans over him as said music plays* ladies and gentlemen welcome to another episode of hoimycraffff

the way he talks is extremely endearing

one of the best builders on the server - probably best builder of interiors in existence

able to make a palette using any number of strange blocks and then make amazing builds using it

built a whole castle as a backdrop, then built an entire giant mountain for said castle

extremely sensitive to short jokes, usually gets pranked by others because his reactions are always so funny

his daughters show up from time to time in his room while he’s recording and it’s so cute

*has no way to see the sun but still knows it’s nighttime* gotta go schleep!

scar, pointing at him “this is why we can’t have nice sunsets”

(scar dies because of mobs every time bdubs isn’t on the server to sleep)

likes to be accomplice because he isn’t the one being made fun of (/lh)

*shoots himself in front of a confused grian because he thinks the guy wants his face again when he’s actually just looking for a netherportal*

is usually the underdog so it feels good when he wins

they’re all actually such great friends so it’s genuinely funny to watch

he himself is amazing at entertainment and just a very cool guy

ImpulseSV; [ episode one link ]

what’s going on everyone, my name is impulse and welcome back to hermitcraft!

always speaks with a smile in his voice

has a good dynamic with basically everyone

great co-worker and always helps out if he can

had his base turned pink during the swap, and instead of changing it back afterwards, he dyed his skin’s hair and clothing pink to match it

very cool and original building style!

makes a lot of farms and sells what he gets in his few shops

makes money to be able to do more stuff and make more farms

blows up most his base ever so often to rebuild parts. you know, like a normal person does in minecraft survival.

the grind is never over

the guy who always gets all of the work done on the school project and proceeds to be chill about it

always has very cool side-projects going on and puts his heart into all of them

pog timelapses!!

Rendog; [ episode one link ]

*short, funny scene from the video at the beginning slowly fades out into great music

dogs howling as the half-dog half-cog logo comes up*

greetiiings cyberdogs and citizens of the interbubs! this is ren diggity dawg coming atcha, in another minecraft episodes varuuummm the hermit. craft. server. (hey!)

we’re kicking things off today my friends, from the- *location name on screen*

that intro gets me hyped every time

he’s a furry who talks in bro language it’s great i swear - very atypical but fun

he transformed an entire biome into a star wars planet for his base

his building skills and dedication are incredible

horny (just a little bit)

the only person who cared about mycelium in the whole rebellion

does a lot of roleplay-themed stuff and mysteries to be solved

“b-dubba-dubs one hundred”

extremely upbeat & sweet guy

adds -age after everything “biddage” “flyage” to make it sound Cooler

amazingly positive always and funny as hell

mcc winner!! wooooooooo :D

always tries to be where stuff is happening and interact with people

very entertaining editing style

Iskall85; [ episode one link ]

drives joke into the mud and then picks them up and does it again which is funny

starts videos with one-off bits

iskallman!!! the superhero literally no one needed and yet there he is

only has one (1) braincell when with mumbo

they both do and they’re hilarious together every time

like when they laughed at squeaky noises for ten minutes straight. guys please you’re adult men

bernie the leaf master

omega (something) of doom!!

encourages gambling (in a videogame)

he has so many jokes he keeps using i can’t possibly fit them all in here

basically a wildcard

i have no idea what he’s doing this season

i have no idea what he’s doing ever actually

tame chaos, confusing to the point when it’s funny again

really great builder as well!

mostly for younger audiences but his videos are a good watch in general

feel free to send asks about hc! i’m already loosely involved in hermitblr but yeah, my dsmp followers aren’t immune :] /lh /j

[technowoah]

Can I request a prompt #37 with Karl Jacobs? I love your writing btw :)

Ring(s)

The four times Karl tried to propose and the one time he actually did.

- Karl Jacobs x gen!neutral reader!

- Prompts: 37) "Are you proposing?!"

⚠︎ swearing, fluff, angst if you squint and a rushed ending. I didn't proofread either

an// TYSM FOR LIKING MY WORK 😭ALSO Thanks for requesting and sorry this came out so late! Hope you enjoy :)

To say that Karl loved you was an understatement. He adored you and practically worshipped the ground you stood on. He is so respectful, which is a major upgrade from your other boyfriends, and loves you for who you are. You didn't have to put on a facadè at all during the 3 years you two have dated.

This love wasn't a one way thing. You loved him just as much, or even more, than he did. Everything he did you supported, you were always cheering him on from wherever you were. You were here for the good and the bad, and he was too. You two never shyed away from admiting your love and support. You could write a essay on each thing you love about Karl.

The idea of marriage came up during a late night dinner at Denny's. The idea came so naturally to you, so it surprised Karl that you didn't tense up. Karl was tense when bringing up the topic of marriage, so when you said "Yeah, I wanna get married to you one day." so casually it caught him off gaurd.

You two had already talked about marriage time and time again, but this time Karl wanted to take the initiative. He was ready to get married and since the marriage talk was just a few months ago it was fresh in his mind. Karl could vividly imagine you walking down the aisle towards him looking angelic. He could see everything now and he wanted those daydreams to become a reality. He wanted to physically feel your hands against his as you two say "I do" to one another.

He couldn't stop thinking about settling down in a nice house with you. Karl already bought a ring for you and always has it with him. Now he justs needs to figure out how to tell you.

1st proposal: Fireworks

"THIS IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE FIREWORK IN THE ENTIRE WORLD-"

You blocked out Jimmy's yelling as you sat in a lawn chair in the middle of the woods. Karl had invited you to a MrBeast video shoot because he thought it would be a great early 4th of July. It was late at night and slightly cool outside, so you were wearing a MrBeast hoodie Karl was wearing earlier. You zoned out as the boys talked to the camera over and over again, taking multiple shots.

You found yourself looking at Karl most of the time you sat there and you always caught his gaze towards you. Every time you caught him looking at you, you sent him a small wave or blow him a kiss and every time he sent a shy wave back or sent a more exaggerated kiss back.

During halfway through the shooting you begrudgingly had to move your lawn chair further and further away from your original spot. Karl always checked up on you before and after each firework set were blown up. He has been acting fidgety around you and you didnt know why. When you tried to confront him about it he would always turn away and go back to the boys without a glance back, and his hands in his pockets.

You loved watching the guys play with so many different types of fireworks, this was a great 4th of July for you, but you wished that Karl was sitting next to you feeling the bliss that you were.

You were currently sitting behind bulletproof glass while the guys had a control panel on their lap. Karl kept sending glances towards you and you looked at him and smiled whishing he was next to you and not over by the guys. You knew it was selfish, but he invited you here.

Karl kept bouncing his leg, he kept his hand in his pocket which held the ring. He kept sending glances towards you, knowing he should be on one knee right about now. Jimmy was about to fire off the last rocket of the night and Karl couldn't seem to go over and ask you to marry him. He knew he was hilding himself back which made him hate himself. You deserved a good night and he hoped you enjoyed the fireworks, but he knew on the ride back he would have to apologize.

He stayed with the boys as they went to go see the fireworks they would be setting off soon. Once they came back they were all about to press the button to set off the expensive fireworks they counted down from 5 and he looked towards you. You were standing up with your arms crossed, hopefully shielding yourself from the cold, and looking towards the fireworks that were going to burst. They finally pressed the button the fireworks went off.

Each burst of light in the air sent a glow onto your smiling face. Karl sent a somber glace and marveled in how the explosion of the fireworks sent a beautiful glow around you.

This wasnt the right time. Next time.

2nd proposal: Donuts

"Im sorry for last night." Karl apologized as you both took a seat at a booth by the window at the small coffee and donut shop.

This was supposed to be an apology for the last failed proposal. Instead of spending time with you, he kept his distance which was the opposite of what he really wanted to do. This was a way to spend much needed time with eachother, but this was also another attempt at a proposal.

Karl wanted to hide the ring in the middle of a donut so when you inevitably look at it when he hands it to you, you'll see the ring and then he'll propose right there. To him it seemed flawless.

You never wanted a huge proposal. You didnt want that much attention on you when your future significant other would propose. Something simple would be the ideal proposal and you've hinted that many times to Karl and right now he was listening. There were only two other couples in the small diner because others were picking up donuts and leaving. If he decided to get down on one knee it would cause a scene.

You stayed silent for a moment looking at Karl before deciding to speak.

"It's no problem. Please dont stress out about it." You smiled softly and he smiled back at you. "I mean the fireworks were beautiful, but you all were screaming too much."

You both laughed as you both recalled that night in the desert.

"Yeah I just didn't..I didn't really talk to you all night. I feel bad." Karl said fiddling with his hands.

"Its in the past Karl. And I still know you love me." You reached out to grab both of his hands and hold his cool hands in yours.

"I do love you." He whispered for only you to hear leaving both of you smiling ear to ear.

"What kind of donuts you want?" Karl asked looking into your eyes carefully.

You thought about it for a while before speaking up. "I'll keep it simple. Icing with sprinkles. Surprise me with the icing color!" You exclaimed while letting go of his hands for a second.

Once you two let go of eachothers hands he immediately went to his pocket and played with the velvet box. He nodded his head and without a word he stood up to meet the cashier behind the display box of donuts. He ordered only one donut as you said with orange icing this time.

He paid for the food and stayed at the counter where he paid. Karl looked back to see if you were paying attention to him only to see you looking out the window at the people passing by. Karl smiled at the sight knowing he really wants to marry you one day and then he looked down at the glistening ring inside of the box.

Karl was supposed to put the ring in the middle of the donut that was laying alone on a napkin on the counter. He started to think of the possibilities of what could happen. What if you didn't see the ring and crumble the ring with the napkin and throw it away? What if you accidentally put the ring in your mouth? What if you weren't hungry anymore?

He looked over again to where you were looking at him giving him the same smile you gave during the fireworks. Karl sighed and once again closed the box with the ring. He was a coward and he knew that.

Karl picked up the donut from the counter and made his way over to you.

"Here's your donut with sprinkles and orange icing!" Karl exclaimed putting emphasis on the 'orange' part.

"Thanks babe!" You smiled as he sat down across from you. "Wait, you didn't get anything for yourself?"

Karl sighed again for what seemed like the 100th time today and put on a smile. "I ended up not being as hungry as I thought I was."

"Well I could always share!" You started to eat your donut as Karl ended up looking outside.

Unbeknownst to you he was thinking of another way to propose without himself getting in his own head.

He'll find a time.

3rd proposal: Livestream

"Chat! As you can see I have my significant other here with me!" Karl exclaimed to his Twitch following.

You were sat next to him in another one of his office chairs with a blanket across your lap. You loved to join Karl's streams, the last couple of time you two played minecraft, gang beats, played on the nitendo switch for a while, but this time he didn't tell you what games you two would be playing. Karl just told you to come over tonight and ended up asking to join him for a stream last minute.

Now you are here next to him as Karl glows with excitement as he streams to his growing followers. You loved how he interacted with his fans and had a genuine connection with them, but sometimes that strong connection can, and has led to some nights where you had to stay the night and comfort him from his inner demons and the internet. Those nights made you love him even more, the vulnerability he gave to you made you comfortable with him.

It seems like the more time you spend eith him the more you want to officially get married. You didn't want to rush him because you soon figured out for yourself that there is no rush to express your love, which you two do everyday day. You two can get eloped in Vegas and you'll be happy, as long as you can spend the rest of your life with the man you love.

Karl kept sending glances towards you throughout the stream hoping you were having fun with the chill, q and a stream. Again he wanted to propose to you tonight during the stream. He loved showing your relationship whenever he could and whenever you would allow him to. His community also loved you the moment you became his significant other, so hopefully this will be a beautiful moment.

You talked to his chat as he contemplated, again, about whether to propose tonight. It wasn't infront of people, it was infront of a screen and it would be on Twitter in less than a week. This would be a good moment, but then again he wanted this moment to be between you two and he couldn't find the right time nor the right "moment".

As the stream continues you ended up wrapping yourself fully in the blanket and lying your head on his shoulder. You both cuddled eachother while you two answered questions. Karl kissed the top of your head and finally collected all of his thoughts.

He didn't need to propose to officially claim his love to you. Karl knew you both loved eachother to the ends of the Earth and back. There's no need for ceremony and the one day he will propose, he know it will come naturally. There is no need to force it, and now he wont.

Only time will tell.

4th proposal: spongebob

"Are you ready, kids?

Aye, aye, Captain!

I can't hear you!

Aye, aye, captain!

Oh!"

The TV illuminated the comfortable, dark room you two were in. You were lying on the couch with Karl with the blanket you had while streaming. It was late at night after the stream and you two ended up watching re-runs of spongebob. Karl sang along to the theme song softly while you hummed along. This was the 4th episode you both watched this night and it was a great way to end the week.

"Do you want to stay over tonight?" Karl asked softly with tiredness in his voice.

"Of couse. Im too tired to move, so thanks for offering." You chuckled.

"You're welcome here anytime." Karl yawned and squeezed your sides. "Do you want popcorn?"

"Hell yeah." You got off of Karl as he walked to the kitchen.

He put the bag into the microwave and leaned back onto the kitchen counter as he waited. Karl looked over to the side and saw a empty vase which was next to the velvet box he was carrying with him this whole week. He shook his head and laughed to himself before getting the popcorn out of the microwave, dumping it in a bowl and walking back to see you taking up the whole couch.

"Move over or I'll sit on you." Karl said standing above her.

"Is that a promise?" You teased.

"Okay then!" He turned around and began to slowly and dramatically fake sitting ontop of you.

You began to laugh and try to push him off of you. You successfully got him to sit down and returned to your previous position, but this time with popcorn.

"I love you, you know that?" You hummed into his chest.

"Yeah, and I love you more."

"I love you most."

"I love you mostest." Karl laughed.

"That's not a word." You smiled.

"I love you so much I made up a word for ya." Karl kissed you head and you hugged him tighter.

"You know what?" Karl chuckled. "I love you so much that I tried to propose to you 3 times this week."

Karl finished and you sat up from your spot looking surprised. Karl sat up as well thinking he made a mistake telling you. He was abkut to apologize, but you beat him to speak.

"Oh my gosh!" You exhaled.

"Look, I'm sorr-"

"Are you proposing?!" You exclaimed with a smile on your face.

"Huh-?"

Karl was surprised just like you were before. He remembered that he wanted the Maybe this was the moment he needed this week.

Karl grabbed both of your hands and caressed them both, looking into your eyes. "I was planning to all week. But now I think this is a good moment. So Y/N? Will you marry me?"

"Of course I will!" You enveloped him into a tight hug and peppered his face with kisses. He finally found his moment and he couldn't be happier.

"You said you tried to propose three other times?" You questioned. "When was that?"

"Its a long story."

[iuwonys]

two idiots in love — y.jw ★ part two !

synopsis. chou y/n's mom suddenly passes and she now has to run her floral shop that's halfway across town. alongside, she has to give up attending her dream school and become a student at hybe university and meets yang jungwon; who ends up becoming a regular at the floral shop.

pairings. softball player!jungwon x florist fem!reader

genre. strangers to friends to lovers, fluff, angst, mutual pining, this is a series lol

status. ongoing

you and heejin arrived at be:lift café, looking around to see if you could spot jungwon. you soon saw him waving at you from a table across the room. you and heejin walked towards the table and sat in the empty seats that were left.

“hi! i’m glad you guys made it. y/n, these are my teammates; heeseung, jay, jake, sunghoon, sunoo, and riki” he introduced. all of his friends greeted you kindly with nice smiles. “nice to meet all of you! this is my bestfriend, heejin” heejin waved at all of them, calmly saying ‘hi’ to everyone.

“so, jungwon tells us you’re new. what made you wanna attend hybe?” one of the boys who you remembered as jake asked. “well- this school wasn’t originally my first option. i had no other choice but to come here, to cut a long story short” you shrugged.

jake nodded and all of you continued chatting. you were glad that it wasn’t so awkward. you were worried that making friends would be hard but it suprisingly wasn’t.

it seemed like you and heejin had been at this café for hours and it was soon time for everyone to part ways. jungwon’s friends bid their goodbyes but jungwon stayed back.

“y/n!” you turn to see jungwon behind you. “yeah?” you replied. “i had fun today, i hope my friends weren’t too annoying” he smiled. “i did too, and don’t worry you’re friends are so nice” you told him. “okay good, i hope we can do this again sometime”

“me too, see you later” you smiled before walking off. “bye jungwon!” heejin exclaimed as you dragged her behind you.

— ★ —

the next day passes quickly, and you and heejin are back at the shop. “thank you for buying, hope your girlfriend likes them!” heejin smiled, waving off the previous customer.

“yah! y/n! i’m ready to switch. come take front desk” heejin shouts. you roll your eyes and head up front. “sick of being up here already?” you question, arms crossed. “yes! socializing is so much work!” heejin groans. god this girl was something else.

“well i’m here now, you can head to the back and take a break” you patted her shoulder and she was off as soon as you finished your sentence.

not long after, someone is walking through the door again.

and that someone happened to be jungwon.

“jungwon, hi!” you greeted. “hey y/n” he smiled. “so, what can i help you with today?” you asked. “need some decoration for my dorm” he shrugged. “ah okay, so you looking for something more simple?” you asked. he nodded.

“alrighty, follow me”

jungwon gladly followed, watching you scan throught flowers thaf might work. “okay, here! these are just your average lavenders. they’re simplistic but still very pretty. i can put these in a smaller vase unless you're looking for a bigger batch?” you offered.

“a small batch is fine, these are perfect” you smiled and nodded before heading back and arranging everything for him. he was busy looking at all the flowers until you rung the small bell at the front desk.

“here you are, that’ll be $7.45” you told him. he payed and watched you count the cash so you could give him the change.

jungwon had seen you up close before, but it wasn’t until now that he realized how pretty you were. you had pretty long hair, a cute nose, and a beauty mark above your lip. jungwon didn't even realize he had zoned out until he heard you repeating his name.

“jungwon? hello? your change?” you repeated. “huh? oh! sorry about that, but keep the change” he told you. “jungwon, no. take the change” you chuckled. “y/n keep the-” jungwon was cute off by you taking his hand and basically forcing the left over cash into his hand, closing his hand after.

“take. your. change.” you told him. “but-” “no buts! take it!” you exclaimed. “fine, but you're keeping it next time” he told you. “sure.. whatever you say” he chuckled softly before thanking you once again.

“see you in class, y/n” he said. “see you, jungwon” you waved him off and then he was gone.

“oh my god! what the hell was that?” you heard from behind you. you rolled your eyes before turning to face heejin. “what are you talking about?” you asked, raising your eyebrow at her.

“oh don’t play coy with me! he was totally staring at you! and you forcing the money into his hand? my god y/n, when did you become such a flirt?” heejin teased. “i was not flirting” you pouted.

“you may not have done it on purpose, but you were totally flirting. and you can’t deny that he was staring! you even had to snap him out of that little trance he was in” heejin pushed, poking your arm playfully.

“heejin stop. he was probably just daydreaming” you shrugged. “yeah- daydreaming about you!” heejin exclaimed. “aren’t you supposed to be on break?” you asked, making an attempt to change the topic.

“whatever, you're blushing anyways” she smirked before heading back to the back. you quickly opened your phone camera and was suprised to see that you were, in fact, blushing.

god, why is she always right??

— ★ —

“alright class! simmer down, we have a project!” the teacher announces, causing all the students to groan. “oh boohoo! anyways, you’ll be working with a partner-” the teacher is caught off by students cheering and celebrating.

“don't get excited, i'm picking your partners. for this project, you and your partner will have to do a presentation and go in depth about one of the many human emotions” the teacher continues.

the teacher explains further and begins to read out the partner.

“heejin and jake!”

“eunwoo and jia!”

“karina and beomgyu”

the list went on and on, you kind of forgot how large this class was.

“lastly, y/n and jungwon! i hope you're all at least somewhat okay with these partnerships. the project will be due and must be presented in 3 weeks” after that, the class in dismissed. heejin meets you at the door, poking your arm teasingly.

“have fun” she smirks. “don’t start, heejin” you scoffed. “you're so easy to bother” heejin chuckles, pinching your cheeks. you swat her hands away.

“heejin!” you both hear jake call. “i gotta go, text me!” heejin waves you goodbye before heading towards where jake was. you were about to walk off when u felt a hand on your shoulder.

“what the- oh! hi jungwon” you smiled. “hey! i just wanted to come and ask for your number. you kneo, the project?” he asked. “oh, of course” he handed you his phone and you typed your number in. “here, just text me a good time to meet up” you told him.

“will do, talk later?” you nodded before heading out.

— ★ —

it was now the weekend and you were currently chilling in your dorm with heejin. “first week didn’t go too bad, huh?” heejin asked. “yeah, i was expecting to hate this place but i’m not complaining much” you shrugged. “that’s great, you're adjusting well and i’m so proud of you” heejin smiled.

“aw thank you, jin!” you pretended to wipe away invisible tears. “way to ruin the moment, asshat!” heejin laughs, slapping your shoulder. you were about to reply when your phone went off.

“who is it?” heejin asked, sitting up and looking over your shoulder. “jungwon” heejin instantly began teasing you and all you heard were childish “ouuu’s” coming from behind you.

“move!” you laughed, pushing her away.

jungwon

hey y/n! you busy rn?

y/n

nope, not at all

jungwon

you free to meet up? wanna get an early start yk?

y/n

of course, where did you want to meet?

jungwon

maybe the local library? in about 15 minutes?

y/n

that’s fine, i’ll see you in 15 :D

jungwon

see you in 15 :)

“you're leaving me already?” heejin spoke, fake pouting at you. “don’t do that, i’ll be back later. why don’t you make plans with jake?” you asked while getting yourself ready.

“i guess i could- but i’m lazy” she groaned. “you’ll be just fine, i’m not that fun” you chuckled, packing up your bag. “that is true” heejin joked. you glared at her before flicking her forehead.

“yah! asshole!” she yelped, rubbing her forehead. all you could do was laugh before grabbing your keys and bidding your bestfriend goodbye and heading off to the library.

let’s see how this goes :))

— ★ author’s note: i kinda left this off on a cliffhanger and i’m sorry! but i promise that the next chapter will he longer :(( anyways, tysm for the support on chapter one ?!?! i’m glad you guys are enjoying it sm !

[minahoeshi]

you were loved the most of all.

Ushijima Wakatoshi x reader | break-up angst

summary: You should've known that when Ushijima Wakatoshi found it easy to fall in love with you, it might be even easier for him to fall out of it. But who expects the worst when it comes to loving someone as seemingly perfect as him, anyway?

Chapter 1 of 2

Chapter 2 of 2

He said it was easy to fall in love with you. He said he didn’t know when exactly, at which place, nor for what reason. Simply one day, Ushijima Wakatoshi found himself looking at you with the epiphany that maybe there’s something more meant to happen between you and him. There you stood before him that day, the person he could promise love to. (And there he stood before you that moment, the boy whose promises you found yourself believing in no matter what.)

So maybe that’s why it was even easier for him to fall out of love. When he told you he was no longer in love with you, it didn’t matter to you to ask when exactly, at which place, or for what reason. Even the universe itself is meant to fizzle out one day along with the death of the stars. Just one more person drifting away from you like a lone planet with no real orbit shouldn’t leave you broken. You are used to this. You won’t fall apart.

But you break anyway.

It was snowing outside when he decided to tell you to end things now before it hurts both of you even further. Not that the snow has anything to do with the coldness creeping up your chest threatening to spill out of you in endless sobs. You were glad, though. That at the very least, he remained honest with his feelings. He never left you guessing. Every time, he never forgets to tell you what’s on his mind. His honesty is something he thought was necessary.

“I understand, don’t worry. Thank you for telling me right away. I know you’re also considering me–” you tell him and choke up. There are tears running down your face but you’re not worried about that. Wakatoshi never let you mask your emotions around him. For the longest time, he reminded you to feel free to be completely bare with him. All the good and the bad, he said. Don’t be afraid to show them to me. I will always understand.

He steps closer and puts you between his arms. You feel his chin on top of your head as you lean your face into his chest. You’re sobbing now. “I’ll be fine, Toshi. We’ll be fine.”

He kisses the top of your head and lets you stay in his arms for minutes. “I loved you then, and I love you still. It’s just that they’re no longer the same kind. I will stay if you ask me to, okay? Anything you want.”

This only makes you cry harder. He’s always been too good. And even in breaking your heart, he’s too good. You want him to hold on. You want to ask him to stay with you for years and years. Even with a different kind of love, you’ll let him be as long he’s close by. But someone like him who has dreams beyond yourself shouldn’t ever be with someone like you who still lacks certainty toward anything.

“Just for tonight,” you ask, still crying. “Can I stay?”

“of course,” he replies. Anytime you want. Anything you want. It has always been this way.

Because humans are creatures of routines and familiarity, you spend that night the way you usually do when you’re at his place. You cook dinner with him and eat on the dining table, sharing stories and laughter. You keep adding food to his plate and he smiles as you giggle at everything you find funny.

It’s okay, it’s okay. You’ll be okay. You’ll be fine.

You clean the kitchen and stay in the living room. He leans on the couch as you lay down with your head on his lap. You keep talking and laughing. He goes along, sometimes adding things to make you laugh even more, sometimes simply agreeing, sometimes asking questions. You keep it loud and light, afraid of the silence. Inside you, it’s so heavy, your heart might just fall off. This will be the last, you tell yourself. You want to be happy for now. While he’s still here.

"Do me a favor, okay?" You tell him as you're nearing slumber. "Let me leave first tomorrow. Maybe stay in bed, maybe pretend you're asleep. But tomorrow, don't get out of the room until I've left the house." Your voice shakes, feeling yourself wanting to sob.

"I don't want to wake up to another empty bed but I don't want to see your face when I wake up too," you curl into him even further. "I'm sorry for being selfish. I'm sorry I still don't really know what to do. And I know you wake up pretty early and you know, do stuff, but just for tomorrow, please?"

Wakatoshi didn't really understand why. He originally planned on cooking breakfast for you and taking you to the train station. He would watch you board the train and he'd make sure to smile at you as he waves. You always waved back. That's how it works. Even after fights, and even after especially bad nights, you'd still do the same. Watching you leave with a smile was how you both knew you'd still be fine the days after. That nothing much can affect your relationship. For years, this has been the routine.

But tomorrow, he knows he has to give way. He knows what he said hurt you. It would be wrong of him to do what he wants simply because he's used to.

Tomorrow's the last, he realises. And then if you want, he'd never see you again.

--

You wake up pretty early. The sky is a calm shade of blue, the world outside still waking up. You check the time on your phone and find it's 6 AM. Last night, you slept with your back on him. The sight before you is the other end of his bedroom and you notice just how much of yourself you've managed to leave around his place. Pieces of just one other person in his life, scattered in places around his world pretending that’s just where they belong. You didn't mind leaving things behind back then. You never really thought of the day that you might’ve to take back all of them. Just how does one pick up parts of themselves when they thought they’ve finally found a place for them to stay?

But as you stand up, you conclude that when things end, traces shouldn’t be left behind. He didn’t decide to break up only to be reminded of you even after you’re no longer close to him. So you go and pick every little thing that's yours. Even your jacket and sweaters and a few pairs pyjamas in his closet. You'll just take his things from your place too and hand it to Tendou's shop. Coming back here won’t do you any good. Him coming to your place instead wouldn’t either.

Collecting all your things, even the ones you can't use anymore, you leave the bedroom and enter the living room. You don't have many belongings here aside from some DVDs and books. You only take the books and leave the rest for him. You've always preferred reading anyway.

Setting your bag and things aside on the sofa, you go ahead and wash yourself in the bathroom and bring your toothbrush and some other products with you when you're done. You then head to the kitchen to cook him something light to eat for breakfast . You knew you didn't have to. He knows how to cook. It has always been him cooking breakfast for you. When you could, you’d rather stay in bed until the very moment you must start preparing to go to uni or work. But you did anyway. He's probably in his bed, awake. He has never been a heavy sleeper. With all the moving you did around his room, he was bound to wake up if he wasn't already.

You make him a simple omelette and write a small message on top of it with ketchup. "Good luck with practice today!"

You've already cleaned everything you used, preferring to wash and set utensils as soon as you're done with them. That way, when you're sitting down to eat, there won't be any cluster around to distract you.

You put the ketchup down and decide that should be enough. You'll stop here. You should go now.

Ushijima is sitting on his bed. He's been awake since 5 AM when he usually goes on his run. It isn't the first time he chose to stay with you instead of going out, but he can't help but feel heavy this time. He stayed in for you. But as the minutes pass by, it seems that he simply cannot find the courage to sit up and face you.

He wants to sink into his bed.

There's knock on the door followed by sentences uttered softly. "Toshi, I'm going now. There's breakfast on the table. Make sure to eat before you go."

There goes the heavy feeling again. Maybe if this keeps up, he might just actually sink and never get back up.

You've done that a few times. Leaving while he's still in the room. You don't even open the door. You simply knock and tell him you're about to go, always reminding him to eat before he goes too.

But this will be the last, he thinks. If you leave now, will he never see you again?

a/n

chapter 2 will be up soon not rly sure when tho. (it's up now the link is at the top)

also, im not entirely sure but i think i didnt use any pronouns or gendered nouns for this except "girl" in the 1st paragraph which i erased just now? if i'm right, then i hope everyone reading this get to feel as though theyre rly the person in the story. unless ofc u dont want that bc this isnt the happiest ushitoshi x reader fic u can find🥲. but thanks for reading!!!! m so sorry for typos nd other errors as well. i kinda cant read my own writings bc sometimes doing so makes me wanna smack myself in the head and never write again nd i hate that so now im leaving my mistakes to the gods nd hope they love me enough or smth. but yes thank u sm again for reading!!!!