#the roses are wilted because of the egg

[rain-on-wax-feathers]

egged c!hannah <333

[goron-king-darunia]

Eggtober Recap and Masterpost 2023

Untitled Egg Poem Egg Yolk Splattered in a chipped bowl, Limitless potential Broken like the dawn.

Scared of wasted sunrise, Scared of loving white lies, Yearning, Wanting to breathe free.

Prison within a prison, Living without living, I am spinning, toiling, burning, Breaking, sifting, praying, learning, Nothing blooming Nothing growing Tears.

Crackling insanity, A song that boils within me A rhythm Setting me in stone.

And I'll claw in Like dandelions, Vines, like yeast and mold I'll make a mark one day, you'll see.

Rooted, I'll grow my thorns, It's not my fault for being born, Sorry if My laughter is too loud.

I'll make a reverie of mechanical monotony No more apologies Just me. Insects and wriggling larvae, Eggshell like lead paint chips, Star dust doesn't choose its shape.

Pigment from wilted roses, blood spilled by mistake, I refuse to ever break.

Not again.

Eggtober is over. We did it~ The poem doesn't really speak to a current state of mind. Just a pattern of maladaptive thinking I grew up having, being the weird kid. People like the rough edges a lot more when you grow up, I've found. Makes you interesting. Or maybe it's just easier to find your people when you're unapologetically strange online. And I like that Eggtober sort of embraces that. It's not a super serious Inktober challenge. Just a bunch of weird people drawing weird eggs. And I mean that in the best way. People expect there to be a "why" a lot. "Why eggs?" And sometimes there is a why. Sometimes I draw eggs to express something or to symbolize something. But sometimes there is no why. Sometimes it's just because an egg is easy or fun or comfortable. Sometimes an egg just feels right. Sometimes it's just to make something. Doesn't have to be poetic or meaningful. Sometimes you just draw an egg, and that's all it is. And I think a lot of discomfort around art is that everyone expects there to be a why, and if you don't have a why, then your art doesn't deserve to be seen. "Why do you like gorey stuff, kinky stuff, weird stuff? If you can't explain, I'm choosing to believe you're a freak and should be disallowed from creating." And I'm lucky, I think, to not be that popular. I don't get asked these sorts of things. But I see it happen to other people. And sometimes I get it. An answer to the why pacifies. I get uneasy with horror the same as everyone and I pacify it by reading the wiki and learning the secrets and understanding the why. But I think we need to get more comfy making up our own why, or get comfy with the knowledge that sometimes there isn't a why. Sometimes the little brain goblin decides there is no why. They just like the weird little eggs. And that's okay. And I think the reason we make up for other peoples' "why" should maybe stop being "because they're a weird little freak that likes degenerate things." Because yeah, maybe they are. But it's not a bad thing. And the world is a lot more interesting when we accept that we don't always know the why. And the why isn't always as simple as that.

I dunno. I'm rambling a bit. But I'm grateful to everyone that showed up and participated and shared and liked and just... enjoyed existing where the thing happening was lots of eggs and the "why" was just "why not?"

Hoping every one of you has a nice glass of your preferred warm beverage and stays nice and toasty for the rest of the year. (Shout out to the southern hemisphere folks if there are any. May you guys have an iced beverage of your choice and stay nice and cool for the rest of the year.)

Lots of thoughts about Eggtober 2023 and no good way to articulate them, but suffice it to say that having a loose amount of structure like this is very good on my garbage ADHD brain. If anything in the collage catches your fancy, here's the posts in order from the top left to the bottom right. May the rest of 2023 be sweet. I can't wait to see everyone again next year! And don't eat too much Halloween Candy at once, even if it is those yummy gummy fried egg candies.

Eggtober 2023 Posts in Order: (Unfortunately I didn't learn about the speedpaint feature until day 6 😢)

Eggtober 1st: Fried Egg on Green Eggtober 2nd: Lemon Fried Egg (Both Versions) Eggtober 3rd: Fried Egg Cake

Eggtober 4th: Poached Eggs and Asparagus Hollandaise Eggtober 5th: Sheet Pan Fried Eggs Eggtober 6th: Raw Egg (Both Versions)

Eggtober 7th: Painted Egg Eggtober 8th: Rice Crispy Eggs Eggtober 9th: Chocolate Souffle Eggtober 10th: Hot and Sour Soup

Eggtober 11th: Flan Eggtober 12th: Fried Eggs and Bacon Eggtober 13th: Ramen Eggs Eggtober 14th: Tiger Skin Egg

Eggtober 15th: Fried Egg with Berries Eggtober 16th: Cheesy Baked Cream Eggs Eggtober 17th: Mushroom Quiche Eggtober 18th: Cipriani Cake

Eggtober 19th: Pavlova with Strawberry Jam Eggtober 20th: Deviled Egg Eggtober 21st: Hard-boiled Egg and Mayo Eggtober 22nd: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese

Eggtober 23rd: Omurice Eggtober 24th: Shrimp Fried Rice Eggtober 25th: Uovo in Raviolo Eggtober 26th: Image of Fried Egg on Jack-o-lantern.

Eggtober 27th: Tea Egg Eggtober Eggtober 28th: Monster Eggs Eggtober 29th: Korean Egg Bread Eggtober 30th: Fried Egg on Magenta in the Stlye of @quezify

Eggtober 31st: Fried Egg on Burger Eggtober 31st Bonus: Egg Creature from SNOBBISM

Special thanks to my bae, @actualaster for the love and support, @hannikka for the encouraging words, @lady-quen for the ongoing collab, and @quezify for being the best host. Love you all! I am putting the King Sized Reese's and KitKat candy bars in your metaphorical Halloween bags.

[myownwholewildworld]

hi hi hiiii

i was going through my notes for "the way to a great wide somewhere" and i thought, why not post the easter eggs i thought of while planning out the storyline?

so below the cut you'll find the easter eggs i left in the fic plus some references that may not have been so obvious.

let me know how many of them you picked up on! 👀

beware spoilers under the cut!

the title is a mix between "this is the way" and the BATB song "Belle reprise" where she sings: "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere."

in BATB, Belle's father is an inventor. that inventor reference is brought to life by Tarre Vizsla, although reader and him are not blood-related.

Belle goes looking for her missing father and here, reader looks for what her father asked her to.

Ashton is Gaston but with a twist (so original, i know...).

the witch that curses the Beast in BATB is Morgan Elsbeth here.

the Darksaber represents the rose. in BATB, the rose wilts and loses its petals. here, that's portrayed by the dimming of the Darksaber over time.

Nau'ul means candlelight in Mando'a and represents Lumière.

Mrs. Kri'gee was a difficult one. she's supposed to be Mrs. Potts, but i couldn't find the Mando'a translation for "pot", "kettle" nor "tea", so i had to go with another drink: a Mandalorian ale.

Ca'nara means time in Mando'a. you guessed it, the chirpy R2-D2 unit is Cogsworth!

the following dialogues are exactly the same (or mildly adjusted to fit the narrative) as the movie:

din & nau'ul: “Master?” “What?” “Since the girl is going to be with us for quite some time, I was thinking that you might want to offer her a more comfortable room…” [...] “Then again, maybe not.”

din & reader: “What are you doing?” “I’ll show you to your room.” “My room? But I thought…” “You wanna― you wanna stay here?” “No.” “Then follow me.”

din & reader: “What’s on that corridor?” “The west wing is forbidden.”

mrs. kri'gee and nau'ul to din: “Try to be understanding, sir. The girl has lost her freedom.” “Master… Have you thought that perhaps this girl could help you break the spell?”

din showing reader the mythosaur lair is a reference to the Beast showing Belle the library.

reader wandering to the west wing is an allusion to Belle doing exactly the same thing, save for different outcomes.

reader throwing snowballs at Din because she's pissed at him is a reference to min 36:20.

din calling reader "mesh'la" (beautiful) is because Belle means beautiful.

Ashton being killed by reader and falling off a cliff is an allusion to Gaston's death, although in the movie he slips on his own and dies. wanted it to be a bit more dramatic than that, just because.

reader using the Force emitted by the Darksaber to save Din's life is a reference to Belle saying "i love you" and breaking the curse.

did i overthink this way too much? yes i did 🤠 thank my adhd for the brain rot i gave myself!

[potatoqueenpal]

In hate fueled motivation, your favorite potato has made a Colm Greer gets Karma because he's a fuckass deadbeat dad and a shitty husband motherfucking skid mark leaving ass bitch fanfic.

I'm planning to make this a series AND it will be uploaded to Ao3 (when I remember)

This is my first time writing a fic please be nice to me!

That's all... enjoy!

Wilted Roses

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As long as he has lived, Colm had never faced consequences. It wasn't surprising, a quip from his silver tongue and a wink of his eye, and you were hooked. How else had Marie been able to stick with him through the fights and the gambling? How else had Lil Milo believe his false promises? Yes, life for Colm Greer was good. But Fate is funny in that way, isn't it? Just when you have everything built perfectly, it falls apart, and the people you hurt might just fall with it.

(This is the cracking point in Marie and Colm's relationship and when Milo is still little. I'll try my best to explain what timepoint these chapters take place in. Lol. Have a good read!)

* ˚ ✦* ˚ ✦* ˚ ✦* ˚ ✦* ˚ ✦* ˚ ✦* ˚ ✦* ˚ ✦* ˚ ✦* ˚ ✦* ˚

"Toots! I'm back!" The man called. As much as Colm tried, his silver tongue couldn't hide the irritation from another failed gamble, much less the reek of whiskey from his lips as he stumbled, trying to take off his shoes, muttering a curse as he nearly tripped over one.

It was late as the grandfather clock on the wall hit 10. The soft chimes seemed loud as if even the clock was irritated by his late arrival. "Listen, I know what you said about gambling with your money, but I had a good feeling this time and, well, I haven't been paid yet, so.." Colm drawled off his eyes widening as the whiskey clouding his vision let up just enough to see the living room. Balloons and ribbons laid across the floor, and wrapping paper was balled up into trash bags. A single slice of cake sat on the table next to the wall that held a banner, 'Happy 8th birthday, Milo!'

Shit.

"Kiddo?" Colm called panicked before being interrupted by Marie stepping out of the kitchen and leaning on the counter. Arms crossed as her hazel eyes glared daggers, her auburn hair tied neatly, well, was tied neatly as strands of hair stuck out, flour and egg stuck to her apron and the sound of the dishwasher was faint.

"Where. Were. You."

"Toots I-"

Marie held up a hand, interrupting him. "Before you bullshit me, 500 dollars are missing from my saving jar, and I smell the alcohol on your breath."

Marie paused for a few seconds, almost daring the man to think of a lie before making a 'continue' gesture.

"Toots, I'm sorry. I needed some extra cash and-"

"So you stole from me?"

"I'll pay you back!"

"With who's money?!"

"Toots-"

"No! Just, no."

Marie took a deep breath.

"I can take the gambling, and the alcohol, and the lies but what I will not do to MY son is let you lie to him about being there over your job or gambling. Over, and over again. I will not let you lie to my baby like that. Do you hear me?"

Marie's nose flared like a bull as she scolded him like a child, Colm couldn't even speak up about the irony with how small he felt.

"You wanna be out so late? This isn't a hotel. So I suggest you find somewhere else."

"Marie, you can't kick ne out this is my house-"

"The house you're barely in? The house I can barely pay for because you spend every cent you get?!"

"That's not fair, I'm busy with-"

"I don't care what you're busy with, it shouldn't stop you from seeing your son!"

Colm sighed, the silence echoing in the room. With no other choice, he pulled his last card.

"You're really going to keep me away from my son?"

If Marie was younger, she would've apologized, saying it's not what she wanted and insisted he sleep on the couch and they talk in the morning. But years upon years of the love and family, she worked so hard for being ignored for the sake of work. Marie could find nothing more than: "Goodnight, Colm."

And with that, Marie left. Her bedroom door slammed behind her as Colm was left in the living room alone. He didn't waste much time sulking as he shook it off as a bad day and too much tension as he trudged back outside, car keys in hand. And the cake slice left uneaten.

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Woo! That took a while! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed Marie snapping at Colm and I look foward to seeing you in the next one!

Love you!

[bluiex]

my brain is just filled with thoughts of pregnant Jimmy during the crossover. he’s barely showing before the hermits arrive/the rift festival (joel is the father so he knows, scott also knows because of his magic eye (you can’t tell me that jimmy and joel’s child wouldn’t have hella magic)) and no one suspects anything

when the hermits arrive, he’s about 2-3 months in and is showing a little. grian shows up in tumble town, does the whole ‘you’re not even safe in your own server’ speech, and then pauses. he stares at jimmy for a bit, before rushing forward and pulling him into a hug. jimmy is very confused before grian whispers to him “why the hell didn’t you tell me!? we’re talking about this properly later” and jimmy realises that he knows. (scars standing there very confused, and joel is slowly piecing together that grian knows)

grian is unnaturally clingy with jimmy, confusing the hell out of everyone. jimmy decides that that’s the perfect time to tell everyone that he’s pregnant and everyone freaks (in a good way). i’m just imagining the entire server just doting on jimmy and giving him gifts (which avian brain appreciates)

when they all go through to hermitcraft, jimmy’s about 7-8 months and is very tired. he just wants this whole pregnancy thing to be over. grian instantly takes jimmy to the entity, to grian’s nest (let’s pretend all the shulkers aren’t there lmao) and just puts him in it, not allowing anyone in (because jimmy’s his flock and bird brain must protect flock and egg). this works until a very angry blazeborn is threatening to burn down the server if he doesn’t get to see his mate (i am a big fan of joel being a blazeborn, it also means that jimmy has a type lmao). joel is allowed into the nest and jimmy instantly drags him in and demands cuddles, putting his wings over joel so he has no way to escape. joel just gives jimmy all his warmth (even though the egg isn’t out yet, he’s still gotta keep it warm).

- a new anon, is 🥀 taken? if so then 🪺, 🐚, or 🏵 is good! (also sorry for the long ask!)

The wilted rose and star flower thingy is taken, so the other two will work perfectly!

AAAHHH I LOVE IT I LOVE IT

Okay Joel being blazeborne I think fits him so well.. Cuz he's just prone to those out bursts that come with being blazeborne lmao

AND JIMMY. BEING SO DOTED ON AAAH

Grian definitely becoming so protective of him and only letting Jimmy and Joel inside the neat <333

[screechingsandwichhologram]

😬 A headcanon about the worst thing they’ve done

😭 A headcanon about the worst thing that happened to them. with channah and cniki

sorry for taking a bit to answer!!!

okay well i'm gonna say pretty mundane things about these because i think we all know how fucked up their lores are.

the worst (or, i mean, not the worst, but a bad thing (kinda??????? it was deserved tbh)) thing c!niki's done is she poisoned a fuckton of pastries during the manburg arc. the poison was quick to make sick, but slow & painful to kill, and virtually undetectable. she gave them to schlatt. unfortunately, he only ate a couple, which made him violently ill but did not kill him. it did weaken his heart tho

and the worst thing that happened to c!niki is post canon ig? kinda. when c!puffy & c!niki were dating, they made a vow like. till death do us part type thing. uhm. c!puffy still remembers that (and so does the egg !!!) i think u can see where I'm going with this

for c!hannah!!!! the worst things shes done is ecoterrorism but in the poison ivy way not the oil company way. specifically i think that she really likes to encourage seeds to grow. in particular, ones that people have eaten <3. she just does this sometimes. the egg really liked that trick. she doesn't necessarily understand how painful it is, so she'll just start to do it whenever she gets annoyed. (don't get me wrong, she totally does it severely specifically to cause intense pain sometimes. she just doesn't totally understand that's its still intensely painful when she just barely starts the process.) she has totally given people hanahaki before.

the worst thing that happened to c!hannah !! (this will be besides the obvious) when she was little, she was gifted a rose seed from a supposed relative (she had never met them, and it was not given to her in person.) she was given it with a locket. she wore it everywhere, to remind herself that her family cared and loved her. this seed was the first that she grew with her magic. she cared for the rose quite a bit, and brought it with her everywhere. she kept it alive with her magic, and this rose was her only support in several trying times. when she got possessed by the egg, the egg tried to make her kill it, but she loved it so much that she wouldn't do it. so, the egg kept her far away from it, where it suffered from neglect. once c!hannah was released from the egg, she went to go see her rose, as it had been her longest confidant and only stable comforting presence. she was so relieved to see the rose, only to find it wilted and dying. weak as she was from being possessed, she couldn't muster up enough magic to keep it alive, and held it in her arms as it finally died.

[rubykgrant]

my yard is so full of pink and whit right now, the sweet-peas and daisies and hollyhocks and clover are blooming, dozens of different bees and butterflies are trading places at each flower, the iris blossoms are all dried up but I can still see their purple husks on the ends of the stalks, the sour cherry trees are full of birds, the figs are starting to grow, the roses are starting their second bloom, in the spots that stay shady all day the mugwort grows through the moss and tiny frogs gather, the blackberries are starting to turn red and will eventually be dark and ripe, I can see little green baby apples/pears/plums in their trees, the pink-lady leaves have all wilted but that means their stalks will shoot up for a second bloom, I saw some of the preying mantis egg cases hatch with all the pale little babies climbing down each other from where they were on a beam of the back porch until they reached the flower bed, the wild grass and weeds that grew in the spring have died and been cut back, smelling warm and earthy as they dry in the sun, I found 4 hornworm moth cocoons that wiggled when I touched them so I moved them somewhere safe where we don't walk, paper wasps have made a whole city under the very tallest point under the roof on the outside of my house, where they don't bother us and we don't bother them, but I can see them all cluster together, the hot poker plants have all grown tall and are full of hummingbirds drinking the nectar from their tube petals, I see places where the tall grass is bent because deer bed down there to rest, when I walk outside at night barefoot I can feel the big nightcrawlers wiggle away and I'm careful not to step down to hard or too fast, I saw the wild turkeys with their chicks starting to get adult feathers, I found and old square nail and a clear quartz crystal in an almost perfect pillar shape with a vein of iron pyrite running through it in a dirt hill a gopher pushed up

Not to sound like a fuckin hippie but please for the love of god start noticing and appreciating the natural world around you. You don’t have to go hike the entire Appalachian trail or anything and I get that not everyone has access to the outdoors for various reasons, but just fucking … look around you when you’re outside. Notice the sky and the sun and the birds and creatures. Start caring about them. I’m begging you.

[dpoetshub11]

Finding abode in sadness

Finding Abode in the sadness

I cried tears fell down my face

I didn't leave behind any trace

That I was unwell

Didn't utter a word

Escaped this town from my mind just went to another world-so far away

I found peace in my own way

Now that the war is over and the weapons have withered

When I started to find a home in my mind

I left it all behind and just ran with the wind

Deceiving happiness,faking smiles and "I'm okay's"

I started to find music in the silence,i kept quite even when it felt like a cut on my arm

I never caused any harm so why will someone tell me now-why

The roses wilt and the field was covered in thorns-thorns everywhere

Where I used to lay,where I sat,where I stood

But I ran and here I am

Yes there is certain kind of comfort in sadness but you become used to being in thorns and that is nothing but sore

With every inch of my body I told myself I'm going to make it out alive

I fell down and down but here I am now

When the war began I was afraid that my life had been playing on loop,somehow the war became repetitive and I started to seek solace in the silence but like war it felt inside me as I didn't say a word every day I held high my sword

And somehow I picked myself up,somehow I always do

Laying in my bed I went to places new

Lake with trees all around

A gentle breeze I saw as I was living in storms,a war in many forms

I saw birds chirping and nightingale singing as the day faded away into night

It all seems painful now in hindsight

When I used to pick up my pen it felt like I was carrying a sword and fighting

Fighting is all I did in my life because this world is harsher on the sensitive I learnt

It felt so tumultuous in this world,why was this world made so cruel that I had to find home in sadness,i found comfort in the tiredness and what became strange was happiness

Atleast someone should have warned me I'm never going to find happiness and that happiness was always going to be a stranger to me

Someone should've told me that it is going to be harder for the soft ones

Now that the blood has bled and I've made it out of this cage I wish I had to never go through this to learn that this world itself is hell and now that I'm well and don't anymore walk on egg shells

I wish that this world was like the world in my head

Or like the world in the books I read

And so I'll escape today and everyday till my last day and there I know I'll feel okay I won't have to worry it'll be starry I hope you find a home like me,the home in my mind

It's so nice that place has a place for someone like me why won't it? it was made by me so I'll go but 'fore I go my past self this all you should know-

it's not all roses and if you're a rose by heart learn that it will be torn apart like how the petals are picked

Eyeing other's mansions you would wilt but now you can always go to the home you've built

And I'm haunted by my past,the scars still hurt but I won't keep trying to scratch them when meeting an edge it'll still linger but I'll try my best to shove it between my fingers I'll forgive but I'll never forget how this world made me feel but in the world in my mind now I know I'll surely heal

But go,go away follow the mist you see in your mind it will take you there where all the power of the world is in your fist

And if you're reading this now know that your future self is not sad cause she has learned all of this and she just runs whenever it's getting tough,she knows she is the only one for herself

she is still waiting for happiness but she finds it in the place in her head,she longs to live it for real someday and I hope she will

Now she can say proudly war is over and she has won- as herself she has earned

There were days she felt defeated but it's all over now and now she runs not to escape,but to live and I'm sorry for what you had to go through to become who you are and I'm extremely sorry no one ever said this to you.

#apoembyme#healing

[martyrette]

◤✞ “ɪꜰ ɪ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ. . .” ✞◥

A fun concept Cryptgore and I played around with awhile ago; An AU where Verona was the Death Knight and Cryptgore the Abomination.

“Verona’s family fled Gilneas during the initial appearance of the Worgen. However, on their travels to Elwynn, their caravan was ambushed by the Scourge and slaughtered. Verona Delarose just happened to be worth while. Becoming a renown Fleshcrafter in the Scourge, she holds the eerie beauty of a wilting rose; forever cursed to a state of life and death. Cryptgore, better known as Duke Teyron, had remained with the Silverhand in the wake of the Scourge alongside his brother, Sampson. Fighting along side them, he hopes to restore his homelands.  It is on the fateful meeting of The Rose & The Duke does the desire to break the Light take a new form. . .”

Verona-pilled Cryptgore is my everything. HE WILL TEACH HER TO LOVE AND NOT BE EVIL AND ABUSIVE AND HE WILL ADVOCATE FOR HIMSELF AND CALL HER OUT AND SHE WILL LET HIM GO AT THE END BECAUSE IT WOULD BE THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND COMPLETE HER ARC WHILE OPENING UP CRYPTGORE’S FUTURE. AFTER, SHE SETS OUT USING HER UNDEATH TO FREE OTHER UNDEAD MINONS AND GIVE THEM CHOICE. CRYPTGORE BEGINS TO EXPERIENCE THE SIMPLE JOYS IN LIFE AT HIS OWN PACE AS HE ALWAYS WANTED.

(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

Also instead of hyperfixating on bugs like Verona, Cryptgore hyperfixates on birds and corvids. Head canon is that he is carrying around a normal cooking egg thinking it will hatch into a pet bird-

[indiagiftsonline]

Guide on Lohri 2023: Get to Know Traditions and Lohri Gift Ideas

Lohri is the celebration that marks the transition of the sun from the southern hemisphere of the Earth to the northern hemisphere. It is the beginning of longer days; it is a farewell to winter and the start of spring, and also the beginning of the harvest season. Apart from the singing and dancing, lighting of bonfires and going around them throwing food items like popcorn into the fire, celebrations include the exchange of gifts. Here we discuss some Lohri gift ideas.

1. Conventional sweets- Sugarcane products score big as traditional gifts on the occasion of this festival. Gur, gajak, chikki, laddoo, rasgulla, gulab jamun, and an assortment of khoya sweets are popular edibles and can be put in a basket for Lohri packing ideas. Hampers of nuts, dry fruits, and popcorn are good gifts to send to your loved ones or even as Lohri return gift ideas. Choose from options like mix dry fruits box, boxes of traditional sweets, nuts like peanuts, almonds and cashew nuts, assortment of sweets like gachak and murmura laddoo, and so on.

2. Festive edibles- Lohri cakes are unique gift ideas. Chocolate cakes, black forest cakes, red velvet cakes, butterscotch, pineapple, vanilla and strawberry flavoured cakes- both with eggs and eggless- are available in plenty of choices for you to send to your loved ones. Choose same day delivery or midnight delivery to make sure the cakes reach the recipient absolutely fresh and delicious. You can avail this option with online gifting websites to send yummy cakes.

3. Chocolates and cookies- Chocolates of Indian origin- like Cadbury Dairy Milk, 5 Star, Kit Kat, Munch, and more- and those of international origin- like Ferrero Rocher and Mars bars- can be put together in a Lohri hamper or arranged in a bouquet to bring a smile to the faces of your gift recipients. An assortment of cookies and biscuits and other savouries are also good gifts for this festival.

4. Flowers- Flowers are very eloquent gifts and have been exchanged since ancient times. Roses of different colours are the most popular, but you can also go for gerberas, carnations, orchids, lilies, or mixed flowers. These come in bouquets, baskets, vases, and premium arrangements. Send flowers to the special people in your life with same day delivery, available with online gifting websites, and this will ensure that they reach the recipient while they are fresh and fragrant rather than wilting and smelling bad.

5. Plants- This festive season, give a green gift to those that matter in your life. You can choose lucky bamboo or money plant because they are supposed to bring good fortune, or you can opt for kokedama, which is a ball of soil, covered with moss, on which there grows an ornamental plant. Air purifying plants, flowering plants, indoor plants, and cacti are also great options for this festival.

6. Clothes and jewellery- This festival is essentially a riot of colours. It is auspicious to buy and gift colourful new clothes and jewellery- whether artificial or precious- on this occasion. Vibrant clothing that catches the eye, like brightly coloured sarees or salwar-kameez suits and matching jewellery for women, and ethnic wear with understated pieces of jewellery like chains and bracelets for men are good gift ideas.

7. Accessories- For men, accessories like a smartwatch, a tie, a laptop bag or messenger bag, belts, and wallets are very much useful gifts that you can give as a gift. For women, you can go for ladies' wallets, hats, belts, scarves, stoles or shawls, smart bags and clutches, chic sunglasses and wrist watches to give as gifts this festive season. For men and women both, tech items like Bluetooth earphones, mobile phone charging platforms, wireless mouse, external hard drives and memory cards will be much appreciated as gifts.

8. Home decor- Photo frames, clocks, wall hangings, plates, tiles, scented candles, vases, lamps, lanterns, religious and spiritual idols are small items of home decor that make for great return gift ideas.

9. Combo gifts- Traditional sweets like soan papdi or rasgulla can be combined with chocolates and cakes to make for perfect combination gifts. Other combos you can think of are popcorn with gachak, hampers of variety of nuts with chocolates, sweets with nuts, flowers and sweets, cakes and chocolates with flowers, party packs of potato chips or popcorn with traditional foods, celebration boxes of biscuits and cookies, and so on.

10. Customized gifts- For any occasion, customized gifts touch the heart of the recipient because they speak of how much thought has gone into transforming just another banal gift into a special one meant particularly for the recipient. Starting with pens and journals that you can engrave or emboss with the name or the initials of the person you are giving it to, and moving on to coffee mugs, keychains, photo mugs, photo memory boxes that contain a number of your most special photos, LED cushions and printed pillows, plates and tiles, towels, T-shirts, and even edible items like photo cakes and chocolates, there are a variety of gifts you can personalise with the help of online gifting portals.

This year, add extra cheer to the festivities with well-chosen Lohri gifts sent to your loved ones and the people who matter in your life. Happy Lohri!

[peter-parkourwrites]

the rose with metal thorns | bucky barnes

beauty and the beast AU

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Main Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Word Count: 3.5k

Character Key:

Beast: Bucky

Belle: Reader

Belles Father: Tony

Lumiere: Steve

Cogsworth: Sam

Mrs. Potts: Pepper Potts

Chip: Peter Parker

Gaston: Brock Rumlow

Le Fou: Zola

Monsieur D’Arque: Pierce

A/N: I’m not sure yet how exactly to summarize this. but i’ll figure that out later lol. i hope u guys like this, i worked for a while on it and while the whole thing isn’t finished i hope u like the first chapter. enjoy and let me know if u want to be on the taglist ✨💓 OH ALSO let me know what scenes from the movie you guys would like to see in this because i’m not 100% sure which ones i want to add just yet

Once Upon a time in the hidden heart of France, a handsome prince lived in a beautiful castle, although he had everything he could have ever wanted he was selfish, cold, and unkind. His castle was filled with the most beautiful people, and all things gold.

His parties were lavious, and the village people only ever dreamed of attending themselves.

However on one fateful night an unexpected woman arrived. She asked for shelter from the storm, offering a single red rose for his kindness. However the prince was repulsed by her haggard appearance and turned her away back into the cold of winter. Before the door could shut she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. Her skin and cloak melted away, to reveal a beautiful enchantress.

The Prince begged for forgiveness, but she refused, for she could see that there was no love in his heart.

As punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a spell on the castle, and it’s inhabitants.

As months bled into years, the prince and his servants were forgotten by the villagers. The castle was now hidden by vines and rose bushes deep into the forest. For the enchantress has erased the town folks' memory of the royal family. But the rose she had offered truly was enchanted. As the beast grew older, the rose stayed the same. But now in his 21st year, the rose was starting to wilt.

But if he could learn to love another by the time the last petal fell… the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.

As the years went on he fell into despair and lost his hope… for who could ever learn to love… a beast.

“Bonjur!”

“Good Morning (Y/N)”

“Where are you off too”

“To return this book to the library, it’s about two lovers in fair verona.” You were a romantic at heart, but god forbid anyone find out.

“Sounds boring…” The baker grumbled with a slight chuckle before walking off. You followed your usual path towards the library, hoping for any new books, but you were doubtful because in your small corner of the world the amount of people who actually knew how to read? Well lets just say that number was miniscule at best. You dodged angry market folk arguing about eggs being too expensive and slipped into the shop, the bell ringing just above your head.

“Ah good morning, where did you run off too this weekend?”

“Good morning!” You cheered, “Northern Italy, it was simply wonderful. I don’t suppose you have anything new for me?”

“Sadly no, but you’re welcome to anything else on the shelf.”

“Thank you…” You hummed, skimming your fingers over the dusted and used stem of the books in the shop. Picking out one about a princess and prince you tucked it under your arm, and grabbed your basket of groceries. “See you tomorrow!” You called, as the librarian chuckled before waving you off. Slipping back into the crowd at the center of the village, you began flipping through the pages, absorbing all the knowledge about the characters you could.

“Here’s where she meets prince charming, but she won’t discover that it’s him till chapter three.” You hummed, slipping in and out of groups of people and maneuvering around sheep as the shepherd tried his best, but ultimately failed to contain them all.

“(Y/N)!”

Brock… You internally groaned. Brock was what the village deemed, a hunk. Truly a misfortune since his brain was full of misguided judgements and specific roles women had to play. In his eyes you were nothing more than another one of his prey, a grand prize of sorts to be mounted to his wall.

“Good morning Brock.” You spoke as cheerful as possible, your nose still stuck in the book, hoping and praying he would go away. Alas your plan was to no avail… He continued to go on and on about how you two should be wed immediately, and how lucky you were to marry such a gorgeous specimen.

“If you think so highly of yourself, marry your reflection.” You huffed, glancing up at him through the stray hairs that lay scattered in front of your eyes. “No need to deprive yourself of all the me time you could want.”

“The whole town's talking about it. How a woman shouldn’t read, because then she starts getting ideas, and well we don’t want that now do we.”

“Brock you are absolutely primeval.” You muttered stuffing the book into your basket and crossing your arms.

“Why thank you my dear.” He grinned, causing you to chuckle and roll your eyes. “What do you say we take a walk over to the tavern and have ourselves an engagement announcement?”

“A what?!” You hissed, holding back from punching him square in the jaw. The thought of even kissing this fool made you want to puke, no less marrying him.

“I can’t, I’m sorry I have to go home to help my father.”

“That crazy old bat needs all the help he can get… from the asylum!” Brock's sidekick chortled, his shoulders shaking with every laugh.

“My father is a genius!” You shouted, and Brock stopped his laughs as best he could while punching his sidekick, Zola, square in the jaw.

“Sorry about that dearest, he was only joking!” Brock hissed, stepping in front of his sidekick and giving you a shit eating grin, leaning down close to your face. You coughed at his smelly breath and turned away once again sticking your nose in your book and hoping he would finally leave you be.

“Papa?” You called, as you shut the door behind you. Carefully setting the groceries down on the table you still had yet to put the book down. “Are you home?”

“Down here!” Tony called, and a small pop of an explosion went off before him in the basement. “Not for long.” He coughed, as he made his way up the stairs only to find you rushing towards him, arms out and a damp rag in your hands.

“Papa you’re going to lose an eye like that!” You scolded one hand on your hip as you began to wipe away at his face. Tony swatted away at your hand as he took the rag from you.

“Yeah yeah, what else is new. If becoming rich costs me an eye then so be it. Mr. Richards down the way lost an ear! You don’t hear his daughter complaining.”

“Papa, his daughter is a common whore who doesn’t live at home anymore. Besides it’s not like they got rich from him getting too close to his son swinging the axe. If anything they got even poorer.”

“Woe is me.” Tony gasped, placing the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically. “I see our town's favorite suitor is still trying to get your hand in marriage.”

“If I wouldn’t be thrown in the town dungeon for cutting off his manhood I would have done it already. I pity the poor woman who ends up with that vile creature.” You huffed, beginning to put away the loaf of bread, and vegetables you picked up at the market.

“The baker is still selling his same old bread and rolls I see?” Tony chuckled, sitting down at the dining room table, flipping his glasses on and beginning to work on another gadget at the table.

“Every morning, just the same. Since the very first morning we came. To this poor provincial town. They judge us Papa, we deserve a better life than this. They call me strange, and say my head is up in the clouds!” Your hands waving around in the air frantically as you grip a bundle of carrots in your hand for supper.

“Okay well before we make any rash decisions, don’t go throwing vegetables around the cabin in a fit of rage.”

“They say I’m dazed and distracted, all because I’m a girl who knows how to read!” You huff, harshly turning around to face him. One hand on your hip, the other running a finger through your tousled hair. “They call you a crazy loon dad.”

Tony rolls his eyes and waves his hand towards you.

“Let them say what they want dearest. Your mother and you believed in me and that's all that matters. Besides, they're just jealous. I'm a genius and we're going to be rich soon. Now if you’ll excuse me my dear, I am off to the fair.” Tony stood up and clapped his hands together moving around the table to gather his things together.

“Take good care of him Jarvis.” You grinned giving the horse a gentle kiss to his snout as your father latched the cart to the steeds back. “And you, take care of my boy.” You spread your arms out and wrap your father in a huge hug. He laughs and shakes his head, wrapping his arms around you.

“Of course silly. I always do.” He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head before climbing on the back of Jarvis and riding off, a shit eating grin plastered across his face. You wave as you watch him take the path leading into the woods. Darkness begins to fall across the town as you make your way back to your home, going to curl up by the fireplace with a quilt and a good book.

“Coming!” You called, standing up from your spot beside the fireplace. You carefully opened the door, knowing you weren't expecting any visitors.

“Hello my dear! It’s your lucky day.” Brock cheered, and you peered around his shoulder, a horrified look on your face as the sound of a band played in your front yard to the tune ‘here comes the bride.’

“Brock… What a pleasant surprise.” You grumble, crossing your arms over your chest and leaning away from his face as he leans in.

“Well of course it is. I am just full of surprises. And there isn’t a girl in town who wouldn't want to marry such a fine specimen such as myself you know.”

“I think I could name a few…” You hiss, taking a few steps back from him and he takes that as an invitation to follow you into your home.

“This is the day all of your wildest dreams come true.” Brock fixes his hair in the mirror by the door before turning back around to look at you. Your hands are resting on your hips, balled into fists as you shoot daggers at him with your eyes.

“And what do you know about my dreams?”

“Plenty. Picture this, a perfect wedding. The whole town is invited, we head home to our hunting lodge. And soon after you are with child. We’ll have six or seven of course.”

“Six or seven dogs.”

“Ha and a sense of humor? Perfection. No dear, six or seven children.”

“Imagine that…” You mumble, putting the book you were reading back on the shelf and Brock cornered you between the door and himself. “I’m truly speechless, I don’t know what to say.” Your hand fumbles with the door knob behind your back as you make a quick escape. You kick the door out from behind you, and duck under his arms as he leans in to kiss you. You give a hard shove as he trips and falls out the front door landing into the pile of horse manure you had yet to take care of for that week. You slam the door shut behind you and quickly lock it, chuckling as you hear the band strike up loudly before Brock yells and they immediately quiet down and stop playing.

The pounding of hooves, your own heart beating heavily in your chest, and the snarling of wolves were all you heard as Jarvis carried you further and further into the dark forest. Snow began to litter the ground as your grip on the reins tightened.

Just an hour earlier you had awoken from your place by the dimly lit fireplace, to the sound of shrieking and loud neighs coming from outside. Confused, you pushed the hair from your face and groggily stood up. As the neighs got louder you threw the blanket from your shoulders and bolted out the front door, looking over the hill as Jarvis came racing towards you.

“Woah boy, easy easy…” You cooed, as he approached you, his breathing heavy as his hooves stomped at the ground ripping up the grass beneath him. “What’s wrong…” You whispered, scanning him for any obvious injuries. When you noticed he had none you took note of his missing passenger and carriage.

“Where's Papa? Can you take me to him?” The stallion seemed to nod as he let out a heavy breath. You climbed onto your back and kicked him forward before you even had a second to think.

“Careful Jarvis!” You cried as he knocked you into tree branches as he came to a sliding stop.

The wolves seemed to back off, now frightened of whatever laid beyond the castle walls.

Mustering up enough courage, you brushed the snow and twigs from the cloak that was draped around your shoulders.

“C’mon boy…” You whispered, taking the Belgian horse you grew up with up to the stables. The castle towered over you with a dark presence. You shivered, not because of the cold but because you could feel eyes on you as you tied the horse up to the stalls mumbling an ‘i’ll be back’ as you slowly made your way towards the front steps. Blood caked your right shoulder, ruining the white cloak you had been gifted by your mother before she passed, and you hissed as you shifted it along your shoulders. The wound opened again and you could see small claw marks.

One of the wolves had gotten to you, and you had only prayed Jarvis was alright, and didn’t have any serious injuries.

As you approached the top step you knocked harshly on the door three times and waited… No answer.

“For the love of…” You muttered pushing the door open only to be met with the interior of the castle whose darkness matched the exterior.

“Hello?” Nothing.

“Papa?” Silence.

The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the wolves howling in the distance outside, and the sound of your shoes against the concrete floors.

“You just couldn’t keep quiet could you! You hot headed fool! Serve him tea, sit in Bucks chair, pet the dog, put his feet up.” Sam grumbled waving his wooden arms around the place.

“I was being friendly. You should try it some time.” Steve chided, shooting Sam a harsh glare as he shoved his arm.

“There's a girl in the castle!” A teacup appeared behind the two friends, bouncing up and down whilst trying to contain his excitement.

“Ha! Nice try Peter.” Steve laughed, reaching down to rub at the top of his head.

“No really! I saw her! I really really did!”

“Oh yes and I saw a pig flying out in the garden yesterday afternoon. Looks like we're all finally going mad.” Sam rolled his eyes, turning his body to face away from the two and looked down the hall. “My gods…” He whispered in a hushed tone but Steve still had heard him.

“Is a pig finally flying Samuel?”

“M-M-M-My…”

“Pig got your tongue?” Steve let out a boisterous laugh turning around to guide Peter over to where his mother was impatiently waiting for him to hop back onto the cart, when Sam whipped him back around, his hands on either side of his face. And there she was at the end of the hall walking slowly towards them.

A long white cloak joined at the base of her neck with a red and gold gem, there was a tear in the side of the cloak that looked like a wolf's claw marks, and dried blood gathered across the wound. Steve groaned internally, Buck would not be happy about that when he found out. The dress she was wearing was light blue and it was covered with dirt, a bit of blood and some rips. Her hair was covered by the hood, but he could tell there had to have been a few twigs intertwined with the pieces of (y/h/c) hair that stuck out beneath the hood.

“Sam?”

“No, absolutely not.”

“Why not!” Steve practically yelled, somehow keeping his voice a whisper. “She could be the one to break the spell!” Before Sam can even respond, Steve is already hopping down off the table they were on and making his way towards the mantle she would soon pass.

“Papa?” You called out again, the hushed voices coming to a halt as your voice echoed through the dark corridors. “Who’s there?” The moonlight that shone through the crack in the curtains did little to aid you in maneuvering around the dark hallway. As you turned a corner a gold candelabra was lit up, the light glowing and illuminating the space around you. “Thank god.” You whispered, grabbing hold of the stem.

“I’m not a god m’lady,”

“Who said that!” You shrieked, turning around abruptly moving your arm out to stick the candelabra outwards only to be met with the stone wall of the castle.

“I did!” You feel movement in your hand and squeeze your eyes shut.

“I know a candle did not just talk to me…”

“Actually my dear, I’m a candelabra not a simple candle.” You jump when he talks again, letting him clatter to the floor. “Okay, ow… didn’t your father ever teach you not to drop your talking decor on the floor? You’d think with how well he took to us you would have been the same.”

“My father?! So he is here?” Your heart leapt at the thought of finding him and hugging him as tightly as you could manage. The candle nodded and began hopping off down the hall towards a large wooden door. Carefully, you took a few steps forward and soon he was leading you up a winding staircase, about every floor you passed had at least one cell and you prayed your father wasn’t in one and his room was simply just at the top.

Your heart stopped as the candle stopped and dipped his head slightly, motioning towards the cell. You were freezing and brought your cloak closer around your body for any bit of warmth you could manage.

“Papa!” You shouted lunging towards the door, your hands connecting with his. “Your hands… they’re as cold as ice!”

“Y/N?! You shouldn’t be here! You have to go!”

“Wh-What?” You breathed, cupping his cold face with your hands. Shaking your head you began to frantically search the floor around you. “No no I’m not leaving without you. Who did this to you?” You asked, eyebrows furrowing in anger as you heard the candelabra move closer towards you.

“I don’t have time to explain, but please go now before it's too late!”

“I am not leaving without you!”

You jumped and whipped around as a loud thud came from behind you. Towering over you was a large figure, his face and body hidden within the shadows.

“What have you done to him!” You screamed using the bars of your fathers cell to scramble to your feet without having to look away from the looming figure.

“The master of this castle and these lands.”

“Please, let my father go! What could you possibly want from him! He’s sick and he’ll die here please!” You cried, tears threatening to spill from your eyes as your face grew hot with frustration and anger.

“He shouldn’t have trespassed here then.”

“I wasn’t even tresspasing!” Tony argued, while sick and about to double over due to sickness he still had fire in his eyes. The figure let out a low guttural growl, and you felt fear roll through your body.

“Just please let him go, take me instead!”

“NO! Y/N don’t you dare!” You whipped around to look at your father, his eyes pleading with you, he cupped your face as you held his wrists. “I’ve lived my life y-you still have your whole life ahead of you! You-you need to see the world you-” Before you could finish you were being shoved back a large paw clamping down on your shoulder. You stared at it, horrified, unable to move as he unlocked your fathers cell.

“My dearest…” Tony ran to you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders. “Please you can’t do this, you have to go!” You frantically shook your head, not able to even wrap your arms around him, the feeling of betrayal causing bile to rise in your throat.

“Move.” The beast grumbled, and you watched in horror as he grabbed your father and dragged him down the stairs, screaming after you. All you could do was lay there against the cold floor, your heart thumping against your chest as tears threatened to spill out of your eyes. That would be the last time you would ever see your father, and you had accepted that.

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Enchanté ep 5 - Visual details

Oh I am so late this week with writing this but my new job is just so full-on at the moment that I just haven't had the time to breathe let alone scrape together my thoughts on this episode.

As it is, this ep was quite neutral...or subtle...in its use of the visual patterns which have been introduced in earlier episodes. Maybe that echoes the mini separation Theo and Akk go through (therefore there's less colour and vibrancy around them) and the growing animosity between the various characters...

Anyway, I thought there were several details that are worthy of noting this ep, so here they are (and not in order of appearance).

First, I think it's very suspicious that the lovely Tan - in his tan-coloured trousers - features in the centre of this photo. I'm still hedging my bets towards him being the original Enchanté - especially if Natee is correct in his declaration that he knows who Enchanté really is (Tan and him are besties).

And then, I feel like it's somehow significant that Akk's bag (this is his third one so far!) is a similar tan brown colour...at a time when he and Theo are estranged from each other. Might this colour inclusion mean that Akk did write one of the Enchanté messages in the book?...or maybe the use of this colour generally signifies the distance between Theo and another character (whoever that might be)...(as opposed to the closeness he normally has with Akk)...

But on to the brighter colours and I loved this little detail of the red, white, and blue paint bottles in front of Theo here. I already mentioned for ep 4 that the zine fair has a lot of the red, white, and blue, but this is a nice subtle little touch...especially when Phupha (stay away from Theo!) is both trying to connect with Theo as Enchanté and then Natee discredits Phupha and reveals that Phupha actually lied to Theo.

Again, I already wrote about the red, white, and blue details in Theo's home-gym - and we can see them again here - but I loved the different framing of this gym scene...with the punch bag dividing Theo and Akk whilst they have their argument and separate. This framing is repeated later with Theo and Phupha in the zine fair...

This time it's a metallic pole lit with blue (it's actually the 'trunk' of a tree decoration but without the book decorations that have been there previously) - a longer, harder immovable barrier as opposed to something (somewhat) softer, shorter, and moveable as with the punch bag above.

And now on to my favourite visual pattern - the blue and orange! This first one isn't technically very orange...but it's almost, and that's enough for me because there's also the blue of the shirt. What I liked in this scene is that red and white is also subtly included (with the stripes on the shirt and the hair ribbon). What do I think this means? At a stab, I think it's showing that even though Phupha is trying to get close to Theo, it's actually Akk and Theo's who will end up together (I mean, we know this but still...). What I mean is, Akk and Theo's closeness is an obstacle for Phupha...and in this moment, his mum and drinking buddies - who are also another type of obstacle for Phupha financially, academically, and emotionally - are reflecting this.

I absolutely adored this blink-and-you'd-miss-it shot of Im, Akk, and Egg. The blue and orange!! But also purple!! (I still don't know how purple fits into all this but it keeps cropping up with Akk and the biue and orange so I have to mention it...).

And again, this isn't technically very orange...BUT I just loved the soft blue of the lockers and light on the walls with the yellowy-"orange" of the foreground objects. The colours aren't vibrant because Akk and Theo are tentatively finding their way back to each other.

And finally, the rose. Not the first one in this ep - but I think it's significant that this one is in a pot and growing whereas the one Natee gives Theo is a cut rose - something that would only survive for a short while and then wilt and die. This one, however, the one between Akk and Theo, will fight and strive for survival, blossoming over and over.

I usually write these kinds of posts and leave them in my drafts for a few days to mull over and edit until I'm happy with everything...but since it's Wed evening already, I'm just going to post it and hope I don't want to change it all in a few days 🙃

[13uswntimagines]

Leave the Cooking to Me (Sam x Rose x Reader)

Request: Sam x rose x reader. Where R was a part time chef so she’s always cooking their meals and the team is jealous of the good food

Author’s Note: Special Thanks to @literaryhedgehog. We had way too much fun doing this one and spent way too much time looking up random food things. Gotta say that we are both a sucker for writing for Sam. 

Sam and Rose were lucky and they would tell that to anyone who would listen to them. You weren’t just the sweetest human being they had ever met, or the most thoughtful. You were all of those things, and you knew how to cook. Not just recreationally either. You were the full fledged winner of Top Chef season 19, and the Sous chef at one of the hottest restaurants in Washington D.C.

“How can you make such good food dressed like that?” Sam asked, leaning over the island and resting her chin on her hand. 

“What do you mean?” You raised your eyebrows at the woman, continuing to run your knife along the onion without looking at it. 

“Don’t all of your skills come from your chefs coat?” Rose asked, sliding up beside you, her hand trailing under the back of your shirt. You shivered at the cold hand touching your skin. 

“I’m not Iron Man. I can function without an outfit,” you said, rolling your eyes, as you grabbed an egg. You happened to like wearing an oversized pajama shirt and short-shorts while cooking. You never felt bad about spilling anything on them, since you didn’t exactly wear them in public. “Sam, since your hands aren’t literal icicles-” Rose stuck her tongue out at you playfully “- can you hold this and warm it up to room temperature while Rose helps me hold the pastry?” 

“Ohhh what kind of pastry? Why is that filling purple?” Rose squealed. You knew how much she loved when you baked for them (especially considering those croissants you made them for special occasions). She pulled the bowl closer to her, and scrunched her nose when she saw the contents. 

You may have had a good track record, but that color was crazy. 

“It’s Spanakopita, but we’re going to experiment just a little bit. If you don’t like it you have to eat it anyway,” You shrugged, rolling out the dough onto a cutting board, and positioning Rose’s hands right where you wanted them. 

“If you make it, we’re going to like it.” Sam snorted, and Rose raised her eyebrow at her. 

You bit you lip, wilting just slightly. “I just got inspired, cause the beats are going to look so good in the risotto for the Arancini,”

“If it’s anything like that curry you made last time you got inspired, I think we’ll be ok,” Sam said, kissing your neck with a grin while you worked. You squeaked a little and jumped, hip-checking her to keep her away from accidentally touching the food. 

“It’s just a shame Valentine’s day already happened,” Rose said, looking at the three bowls of filling in their various places on the counter or in the fridge, “Pink, red, and purple dishes would have made great themed appetizers for your restaurant!” 

You snorted and shook your head. “I wish, we could do anything this interesting.” The arancini, maybe. The other two would probably be avoided like the plague for fear of any garlic or other lingering spices. “People are too bougie to enjoy the simple things like strangely colored foods.” 

“Good thing we’re not!” Sam smiled broadly, stealing a piece of orange-colored pork from the bowl to your right. 

“Yeah, we get all the sass and none of the class,” Rose giggled, barely avoiding your slap at her hand as she also stole a piece of pork. 

Just then you heard singing from the couch. “We are family,” Sam stuffed the piece of pork in her mouth and jumped up to grab her phone from where it was wedged between the cushions. “I’ve got all my sisters and me.”

“Tha’s Kwsten,” She spoke through her mouthful then swallowed. Do you mind if I go take this?” 

“Go for it, we’re about to stick this stuff in the oven anyway,” You nodded, giggling when she tripped over a chair on her way to grab the phone. “Make sure you swallow before you answer,” 

“Took you long enough. What were you doing, trying to find your pants?” Kristie’s voice rang through your apartment the second Sam answered the call. You smiled when your girlfriend’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. 

“No, Y/n is cooking. She’s so good with her hands Kris, it’s not fair,”  Sam said shaking her head. 

Kristie snorted, wiggling her eyebrows at the woman. “I’m sure she is,” 

“Stop trying to turn everything I say into a euphemism.” Sam groaned, sending a glare at Rose who was cackling like a madwoman. 

“But you make it sooo easy,” Kristie teased, “I mean what was it you said last time, ‘she kneads aggressively?’”

“Bread, Kris. She was making bread. And you’re supposed to do-I mean knead it aggressively, that’s how gluten develops.” 

“Stop trying to explain it babe,” Rose sang, her voice bubbling with suppressed laughter.  

“You’re just making it worse,” You nodded along. 

“You know, I’m not this mean to you when Emily and Lindsey pull this shit with you. I was even sympathetic with the Sketchers thing,” Sam pouted. 

“We agreed to never mention that again,” Rose said menacingly, but Sam was distracted as you handed her a plate with the Spanakopita.

Sam’s pout melted off her face at the sight of the plate. “Ooo goodies. Thanks babe,” 

You kissed her cheek and waved to her sister on the phone before heading back to the kitchen to finish the next set. 

“What is that?” 

“Just course one of the amazing appetizers lunch my wonderful girlfriend is making for me.” Sam bit in and rolled her eyes at the taste, holding up the other half of the Spanakopita so she could see the gorgeous and delicious purple filling. 

“For both of you Sammy. Don’t leave Rosie out, that’s mean,” You called out, your tongue poking between your teeth as you stirred the pot on the stove. 

In the background of Kristie’s call, Sam could see other teammates gathering around the phone to see her food. She stood and walked back to the kitchen, turning the facetime camera around so they could see the two trays out of the oven and then you stirring at the stove. You waved your spoon but stayed focused. The rice was just at the point when it was most likely to burn and you needed to make sure the texture didn’t go from delicious to goopy. Risotto wasn’t for the faint of heart. 

“Look at how fluffy this Bao is!” Sam said, slowly tearing one of the dumplings in half in front of the camera. Sisterly torture went both ways- her sister may turn half of what Sam said into sex jokes, but Sam could rub the delicious food in Kristie’s face. 

“Why is it so orange?” Emily asked, piping in from behind the older Mewis sister. 

“Some awesome Indonesian spices that Y/n thought would be good,” Sam said, taking a huge bite out of the bun. 

“Tamarind and Turmeric in the mix,” you called out from behind her.

“It’s not fair that your girlfriend is a literal chef who enjoys cooking in the weekend,” Emily whined, followed shortly by a “shut up Sonnett” from Lindsey and a thump. 

“Experimenting apparently,” Rose said, mischievously. 

“Not helping dear. Anyway, what were you calling about Kris?” Sam said pointedly. 

“We just wanted to know what you eta for camp was?” Kristie asked. 

“Um, the flight leaves tomorrow at what time was it again Rose? 8 am?”

“Try 4:30 am Sam,” You rolled your eyes. It was going to suck, but you were going to make sure to pack some tasty overnight oats so no one was grumpy on the plane. 

“Ugh. That’s bullshit. Anyway, takeoff at god-awful early in the morning, and then we’ll see you when we land!” Sam said. She hung up the phone and moved back towards the counter. 

“Don’t worry babe, I’ll schedule the flight next time,” You leaned up to kiss her cheek. “Now how bout you help me roll some balls?” 

*****

“I don’t know what we did wrong this time?” Kelley said, poking the overly pale cinnamon rolls that had just come out of the oven. Then she turned the roll over to see a crisp black scorch on the base. “It looks like we took them out just in time though?”

“They’re pale on the top and burnt in the bottom,” Rose whined, tapping the middle of one of the rolls experimentally. 

“Kind of line you Rose,” Sam laughed, patting her shorter girlfriend on the back. 

“Haha, at least they’re not hockey pucks like the last batch,” Rose grumbled. 

How they had let their teammates talk them into this, she didn’t know. What she did know was that cooking with you was way more fun than doing it with this bunch. At least with you everything turned out tasty in the end. And if she accidentally messed something up you always knew how to fix it. 

“Stop that,” Kelley swatted Alex’s hand away from the bowl of icing. “That’s unsanitary. Let us drizzle it on the rolls first and then you can clean the bowl.” 

“But then what are we gonna do with this caramel you insisted I stir?” Emily asked, looking up from the pot in front of her. 

“It’s for the next batch. You put it in the bottom before you bake,” Sam answered, beginning to roll out the next set of cinnamon rolls. 

“And technically, we didn’t insist you do anything Sonnet. We mentioned our idea to make caramel for the cinnamon rolls and you jumped up and said “I volunteer as tribute”” Rose grumbled. “You didn’t even let us suggest a recipe.”

“Which considering the success of the other recipes you picked, might have been a good idea,” Emily said, frowning slightly at the bubbling mixture in front of her. She was stirring but the bubbles weren’t going away like they did with pasta. Maybe because it was thicker? She stirred faster to compensate.  

“Hey guys, what are you-... oh shit,” You raced over to the stove, nearly barreling into Emily as you grabbed the practically overflowing pot of molten sugar and moved it off the heat, praying you had gotten to it before it was too late. You really didn’t want to have to explain to the trainers why you and Emily had third-degree burns if the pot exploded. 

You spun towards the group of older players, glaring at them. “Who let the child do the most dangerous job?” 

“Dangerous?!?” Kelley and Rose sputtered. Sam just blinked at you

You shook your head and pinched the space between your eyes. “If it crystallizes and you don’t take it off the heat it can explode. You don’t stir sugar,”  

“Oh. Well. At least there’s still icing?” Sam grabbed one of the better rolls and gave it a hearty helping of icing before handing it to you.

“What did you use, because Alex is vegan and she’s been eating it?” You narrowed your eyes at the offered plate, glancing sideways at a set of very pale rolls and a set that were very burnt and flat. 

“Flaxseed and applesauce instead of eggs and oat milk instead of milk. And margarine instead of butter.” Kelley said, automatically. She and her fiance had been making vegan substitutes for a while now, and while they might not have been traditional cinnamon roll ingredients, she knew the measurements by heart, so that’s what they had used. 

You bit your lip and squinted your eyes as you reached out and swiped a bit of frosting from on top of the bun and put it into your mouth. 

You gulped when the salty substance hit your tongue, trying and failing to conceal your wince after the flavor. Your girlfriends were a lot of things, but apparently good cooks wasn’t on that list. “Hey, what container was the powdered sugar that you used for this in?”

“Um, this one?” Kelley said, sliding you a container. 

Your eyes widened at the blue-lidded container. You had been experimenting for a new dish at the restaurant and had gotten a hold of some micro powder salt flour for it. You thought it would give the new cracker-jack-themed desert a better taste, and help to balance out all the sugar from the Caramel ice cream. 

“That’s not sugar,” you said weakly. 

Alex dipped her finger into the bowl and tasted it, gagging. “It’s salty!”

Sam frowned down at the plate in her hand. She hadn’t wanted to do this, to begin with, but the team had insisted. Assured her they knew what they were doing and that you would love the surprise. Instead, Emily had almost burnt down your kitchen and everything was a mess. 

“Is none of it alright,” Rose asked softly from behind you, her lip jutting out. 

You scanned the kitchen, looking from the still ominously bubbling ooze on the stove, to the cinnamon rolls so undercooked you could catch salmonella from them to the icing, then finally to a glass on the counter. You grabbed it and took a large swig of vanilla oat milk. 

“Your milk tastes great!” you said enthusiastically, as the others started laughing. 

Sam and Rose just wilted further. You sighed, wrapping your arm around your taller girlfriend and holding your hand out to Rose. “It’s the thought that counts guys. And I love the thought,” 

“That’s what your parents tell you when you give them shitty presents so you don’t feel bad,” Rose grumbled, and Sam nodded. 

You sighed, unable to keep your lips from tipping up in a smile. It was just. It was so bad it was funny. “Maybe next time start with something a little easier? I’d love some scrambled eggs and toast!”

 Sam sighed. “You hate eggs,” 

You laughed again. “But I love you, even if you two can’t cook,” 

You leaned up to kiss under Sam’s chin and over to Rose’s cheek. You loved them and would remind them that their skills were on the field. They should leave the kitchen stuff to you. 

[messrmoonyy]

same anon here that asked for the remus returning thing, sorry for the confusion i meant like after he gets back but they aren’t back together yet and there are those few days we’re dora is kinda cold and distant just to protect herself and remus is doing whatever he can :)

My girl Dora ain’t no doormat, no way was she letting him get away with treating her like that and just forgive him immediately. Remus did some grovelling for sure.

Pairing: Remus lupin x Nymphadora Tonks

Warnings: none

You can find all my other writing on my masterlist and remember my ask box is always open, I love any and all requests so please do send them my way!

Tonks woke up to the sound of quiet clattering, a scent of sausages and bacon and eggs. Fresh pastries and pumpkin juice. She opened one eye but the bedroom door was closed still, the other side of the bed as cold as it had been for the last month and a half. Ever since Remus had returned to her he’d been sleeping on the sofa, still trying to even come to terms with being able to look at him in the eye. Never mind sleep beside him. She had said she’d sleep on the sofa at first. It was his home after all, who was she to make him sleep on the sofa in his own home? But he’d insisted she take the bed.

She had deliberated moving to her parents. She knew that would be the eventual outcome anyway, they weren’t exactly in the position for her to just waltz into st Mungos to give birth. But the thought of staying with her mother fussing for longer than necessary wasnt all that appealing. So she had stayed put and waited for Remus. And now he was on the sofa until she finally shifted the last of her hurt.

She still loved him, of course she did. But she couldn’t shake the purely painful feeling of betrayal. He had come back so she guessed she should have been relieved. But it was the fact that he had ran in the first place. The fight had been bitter, his words stinging her like acid, biting at her, beating her down until she felt completely worthless. She’d never heard him say such things. She didn’t know he had it in him. He’d always been such a gentle soul, she’d only heard him raise his voice once or twice. But everyone has a breaking point, everyone snaps. And he had. At her.

She’d never known he could muster words so cruel. Didn’t know his usually gentle face could twist into such hatred. Didn’t know he could look at as if he could barely stand to be within ten feet of her, when he so often only looked at her with adoration.

He’d come back quite literally begging for her forgiveness, down on his knees and finding every and any word he could to try and prove how sorry he was. She had let him back because she loved him. Because she was carrying their child. But she hadn’t forgiven him. And she wasn’t about to anytime soon she guessed. No matter how hard he was trying to win her back around.

He kept leaving her gifts, there was a constant supply of fresh flowers for her every morning. She had ignored them at first, leaving them on the kitchen counter to wilt and die. He’d started placing them in a vase now. Sometimes it was breakfast- like it seemed to be that morning from the smell. Fresh pastries on the pillow when she went to bed, chocolate frogs in her sock drawer, copies of the quibbler because she liked the comic pages, the list was never ending. She couldn’t lie that she liked his grovelling, it was really the least he could do after all he’d said to her. And she felt she deserved to have him pay for what he’d done.

She sat up in bed and sighed to herself, glancing over at the small box beside the bed that held her wedding ring. She’d thrown it in his face the night he’d left her, it landing somewhere at their feet in the front garden. She’d not even been sure on where it had landed. It had appeared on her pillow a few days after Remus had come back and she wondered if he’d actually taken it with him when he ran. Or if he’d just searched for it when he returned. She’d shoved it in the box and not touched it since. She wished she could’ve gone back to the wedding day. He’d been so happy. She’d been so happy. Her mother would’ve hated the wedding, but that had made almost a little more enjoyable. It wasn’t even the slightest part traditional.

A tiny church in what felt like the coldest part of Scotland going. Some strangers they’d met a few hours before in a local pub as witnesses, no big crowds of guests. No fancy white dress. She’d worn her boots and the nicest dress she could find in her wardrobe back home. Her bouquet had been some flowers nicked from someone’s front garden, one of which she’d pinned to Remus. It wasn’t perfect in anyone else’s eyes, but it was to her. To him. They’d shared their own vows, been bound together by magic and love and hope. They’d danced all night, stayed up until the sun rose sat up on a cliff over looking the sea. And of course the stumbled walk back to their B&B over the pub, the event that had inevitably created the tiny person residing inside her now. And that was that.

But the Remus that had shouted at her, told her that they had no choice but to her rid of the abomination they had created… that didn’t feel like the Remus she had married. She didn’t recognise that man. That wasn’t her Remus. That wasn’t the man she loved, had married, had given up everything for. He was a stranger to her.

She got dressed then, not wanting to fall into the hole of longing for Remus again and put herself in a bad mood, before leaving the bedroom. Remus was stood in the kitchen and smiling at her as she opened the bedroom door. The bedroom was the only place in the house that offered her privacy, the rest being tiny and open plan. She spent most of her time in there just lately and thankfully for her, he often left her to it. The bedroom being almost out of bounds to him. He hadn’t stepped foot in there since coming back.

“ good morning Dora “ he greeted quietly and she shook her head at him, raising a hand and pointing at his face.

“ no. I told you already. You don’t get to call me that now “ he looked down at the floor for a moment and nodded. He looked like a kicked puppy but she told herself she didn’t care. He deserved to hurt like she had. He did.

“ right. I’m sorry. Tonks “ he cleared his throat awkwardly and gestured to the table “ I. I have breakfast for you. I have to nip out to the Weasleys for a while but there’s more food in the fridge for you if that isn’t to your liking “ she sniffed and turned her head away from the table. She didn’t know why but his kindness just made her mad. Like a switch flicked inside of her.

“ and you’ll return this time? Or planning another week away? “ he sighed and ran a hand through his hair “ need another chat with Harry so you? Listen to a child’s advice but not your own wife right? “

“ Dora ple- “

“ no! “ she hadn’t completely intended to shout but she had. She closed her eyes, balling her hair into fists and tried to get rid of her sudden lack of calm. She could feel angry tears burning behind her eyelids and she blamed her messed up hormones. She refused to cry in front of him again. Refused to show the hurt he was still causing her weeks after her left “ just. Just go the Weasleys. Go on “ he hesitated for a moment and gave a small nod.

He knew better than to argue with her now. Knew it would get him no where.

“ just. Please make sure you eat something. It’s not good for the b- “

“ don’t stand there and pretend you care “ she snapped “ don’t “

“ Tonks I do. I do care I have apologised I don’t know what else I- “

“ if you cared you wouldn’t have left “ there was silence then. So quiet it was almost painful. But she felt like twisting the knife, plunging it deeper and drawing out as much agony as she could. She wanted him to hurt like she had, to feel the pieces of his heart shatter inside his chest, splinter his lungs so it felt as though no air could reach him. Make him feel how she had “ I am only here because unfortunately for me. You are the father of my baby. I don’t care how much you apologise. I will never forgive you Remus Lupin. Never “

The words burnt her own throat as she spoke them, and regret seeped into her chest. But she stayed firm. Refused to cry. Refused to feel guilty. He deserved it.

She had clearly struck a nerve. His eyes swam with pain, his hands hanging limply at his side. Defeated. Hurt. She’d won that round.

“ I don’t know how many time I can apologise “ he said weakly “ I know it’ll never come close to repairing what I did but- “

“ please. Just go to the Weasleys “ she said with a sigh and turned away from him as her tears finally fell. She didn’t want him to see. She closed her eyes. gripping onto the kitchen counter so her knuckles turned white. She heard movement behind her and the front door opening.

“ please make sure you eat “ he said softly before the front door closed and she dropped down to her knees, letting her tears run freely. Her body wracked with sobs

————————-

When Remus had been on the sofa for 2 months, and Tonks was finally starting to pass the phase of just looking a little fat, to actually looking pregnant, nearing her 4th month. She had started to become a little more forgiving. She had started to sit with him at breakfast again, didn’t shut down every single conversation he tried to start with her, sat beside him when he read by the fire in the evenings. Though she always left a fair space between them.

She found she’d started to miss him greatly. Trying to deal with how much her body was changing on her own wasn’t exactly the most fun thing. Remus was still piling her with as much affection as he could, even though she still wasn’t particularly receptive to it. But she had to admire his determination.

“ Nymphadora. I was wondering if I could have a word “ she turned to face him as she toed off her boots, having only just gotten home from a trip to see her parents “ please. If you would “ she hung up her jacket and nodded, walking over to him as he gestured towards the table where a small yellow gift bag was sat.

She sat down at the small table, it had an old copy of the prophet folded up under one leg to stop it from wobbling, but it still moved slightly when she picked up the gift bag.

“ you can’t buy my forgiveness “ she stated, not looking inside the bag “ I told you that already Remus. I can’t be bought “ he gave a small nod, clasping his hands tighter.

“ yes. I know. I do. Just- please “ he nodded towards the bag and she hesitated but sighed before pulling at the ribbon and pulling out the tissue paper. She froze when her figures fell upon a soft cotton and she realised what was in the bag. She pulled it out, dropping the bag to the floor “ I wasn’t- I wasn’t sure on the size or- it’s like Hufflepuff, you see? Of course I couldn’t get an official one. It was a muggle shop and I had to be quite quick I didn’t want to risk anything. I mean I had options of course but- “

“ Remus “ she cut him off. It was a babygrow. It was a pastel green with a badger embroidered on the chest. It was the first piece of clothing their child had. She hadn’t exactly had the best of opportunities to go shopping down Diagon alley for some herself.

“ Dora “ he tried her nickname again for the first time in weeks and this time she didn’t chastise him for it “ I know I’ll never be able to take back what I said. But as I told you when I returned. I had time to think. And these past months I’ve been thinking too “ he reached out gingerly for her hand and when she didn’t pull away he gently took it in both of his “ all I ever wanted was a normal life. A normal family. And now… now I have that chance. With the woman I love and. And our child “

“ and what if he’s not… ‘ Normal ‘. If he’s different. I’d hes half werewolf. Or full. Or. In between “ she was getting a little tense with her words again and she tried her best to remain calm. She was finally getting a truthful and meaningful opinion from Remus on the matter. She should be thankful for that. Even with the betrayal still poking the back of her mind occasionally.

“ then I’ll love him all the same. He’ll be could be born with four legs and 5 arms, two heads. No magic at all. I’d still love him. Because we made him Nymphadora. You and I. And I…. I never thought I’d get that. I never believed I’d be a father. A husband. Now I have that opportunity and I see how much of a fool I was to try and throw that away “ he squeezed her hand gently, his thumb rubbing circles over her knuckles in a soothing way. She knew him well enough to know when he was lying to her. And he wasn’t now.

“ let’s deal with the possible moon situation before we worry about any extra limbs shall we? “ she said with a small smile and watched as he seemed to relax every muscle in his body, his worries that she wouldn’t accept his apologies slipping away “ I won’t forgot what you said to me. And to him “ she placed her free hand on her stomach as she spoke “ but you’re his dad. Nothing is going to change that. And the world really fucked up right now. Like. Really. And so we have to protect him. Love him more than we can even think about “ Remus nodded.

She refused to let the world ruin her baby, refused to let him be warped into a life of terror and fear. Of feeling outcast and alone like his father had. Remus stood up then and knelt down in front of her.

“ I love you Nymphadora. And I love him… or her “ she smiled slightly as he placed a gentle hand over hers that was still cradling her bump. Remus’ acceptance suddenly made it feel all the more real. In just 4 months they’d have a baby. A real one. Screaming and crying and laughing. A most innocent thing born into a world on the brink of disaster. And somehow her and Remus had to keep him safe. And kind. And loved. They weren’t exactly the most functional of couples so it was no doubt that their family wouldn’t be either. But they’d make it work. They would.

Werewolf or not.

—————————————-

It was another week after that that she finally caved. The talk had most definitely been the turning point. And she’d kissed him again that evening for the first time in months. Was actually letting him touch her again without recoiling. Though he was still on the sofa.

Though December had well and truly arrived. The cold weather setting her into an almost constant chill, the old cottage not offering much in terms insulation. And she missed having him wrapped around her. He was always warm. And didn’t complain when her cold hands found there way under his shirt in the night to warm up. She also just missed him. Just him. Her Remus. The man she’d fallen in love with. She wanted him back beside her, his slow breaths on her neck in the night, his legs tangled with hers. Even the way his facial hair scratched at her when they kissed. She just missed him.

So it was almost no surprise to her when she found herself slipping out of bed, the coldness of the stone floor seeping through her socks and chilling her already numb feet some more. She opened the bedroom door slowly to see if he was awake or not.

He was in the armchair, a book on his lap. Clearly having not planned to sleep there, he’d have a sore neck in the morning that was for certain. She grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa and silently walked over to him. The fire was crackling in the hearth, immediately warming her up. She moved the book careful not to lose his page, before climbing into his lap in its place. She wrapped the blanket around them, bring her legs up and resting her head on his chest. One more month gone and she didn’t think she’d be able to manage that. She wasn’t the tallest or biggest of people. So her bump was still pretty small. But she loved it all the same.

Remus stirred slightly and made a small noise of confusion to wake up and find Dora on his lap. He opened his eyes fully, his eyelids heavy with sleep.

" Dora? "

" go back to sleep " she whispered and felt him give a small nod as his hand tentatively wrapped around her, like he was still unsure if he was allowed to touch her or not. She snuggled in a little closer to him as if to say it was okay and he fully wrapped around her, pulling the blanket up to her chin. It felt right to be in his arms like that again. They’d snuggled on the sofa the day before. But not as… intimate as this. It felt normal again. Like she belonged there.

" why did you- "

" I was just cold " she cut him off, ignoring the way his raspy sleep filled voice made her melt. She was trying to show that she was still just that little bit mad at him. But she couldn’t deny that she missed him. That yes she was still hurt, that she might always been. But nothing could compare to the amount that of love she had for him. Still. Even after all he’d done. No one would ever come close to the way she felt for Remus Lupin.

" right " She lifted her head for a moment to find he was already looking at her. And she couldn't help herself. Because time was precious now. And she was wasting it being angry all these months later. She slipped a hand up to cup his face before pulling him in to kiss her. He seemed a little surprised at first, his lips frozen for a moment before they opened to capture her own. But she didn't blame him because she was too. She hadn’t planned for that night to be that night she let go of the final part holding her back.

" this isn't me forgiving you " she said against his lips once they pulled apart. Half joking. Half not.

" I know " he seemed quite truthful with that. Like he understood her thinking. Maybe he did.

" good "

" good " she kissed him again and found herself shifting in his lap, slipping a leg either side of him. Because she was mad at him, she was really. But she loved him more. Missed him more. Needed him more. And soon she was unbuttoning his trousers and bunching up her sweatshirt- that was actually his- around her waist, rolling her hips against him until she was panting out his name, gripping the back of the armchair so hard she was surprised she didn’t splinter the wooden frame.

They stayed on the armchair even after Remus had cleaned them up, trying to keep the warmth of the fire in her body, trying to share Remus’ own body heat.

" Remus " she said when she was certain he was just dropping off, her head against his chest. Heading his heart beating felt like home. The familiar sound she had so often fallen asleep to. Comforting.

" I know. This isn't you forgiving me " he mumbled, hurt tinging his words.

" actually I was going to say that I love you "

" oh. Oh right... I love you too. You know I do " his arms tightened slightly around her and she let herself calm to the sound of his heart. She waited again until she felt him slackening with sleep to speak again, a slight mischief in her tone.

" oh and Remus? This isn't me forgiving you "

[bellatrixobsessed1]

She Never Liked Flies

More Lady Dimitrescu fics! Because I love her very much now lol. 

Summary: A lonely Alcina only has flies for company and she hates them very much. And then she is given a Cadou to work with.

She never liked flies, they are pests. They are bothers. They seem to be drawn to her, especially on days that are sweltering. Days when the bodies she has stacked are festering and baking. She hasn’t gotten around to tasting their meat so the flies have begun to make work of them. She is content to leave them to it so long as they leave her be.

But they don’t seem to appreciate her mercy. They’d rather antagonize her; land on her and make her skin twitch and crawl. She snarls and swats them away; having more success with slapping herself than any of the vermin.

She plucks one from her dress and flicks it away with a scowl. She supposes that she should just be rid of the bodies that are attracting them in swarms. She can harvest the village for new, fresher ones anyhow. Alcina’s face bunches in disdain as she makes her way through a cloud of flies. Their buzzing is incessant and aggravating and--with so many of them--impossible to ignore. They hang greedily about the corpses. Her corpses. She thinks that they may have gotten more of a feast than she had. She waves them away with her hand only for them to drift right back into place as though to antagonize her specifically. She thinks to crush them all, but what a mess that would make and one that doesn’t suit her aesthetic quite as well as blood.

She stoops to pick up one of the bodies. Her hand only has to graze it for a swarm of flies to burst out of the corpse’s chest cavity and into her face. Her face contorts once more in agitation. She thinks that one of the teeny pests has made its way into her mouth. She hoists the body up and over her shoulder. One by one she collects them. One by one the swarm grows larger

A few more moments, she reassures herself. A few more moments and the bodies will be outside and out of mind. A few more moments and she will be mostly rid of this loathsome flies.

She puts it in her mind to never leave the corpses in her dining room for that long again. Their blood is a honey for the flies and the meat is an incubator for their maggots. They multiply at such a ridiculous rate in such optimal conditions.

She ducks under the door and pulls it shut behind her. If she never sees another fly again in her life that would do her just fine.

.oOo.

Alcina finds that the flies are her only company. She isn’t exactly sociable but she shouldn’t like to call herself a recluse. She likes to think herself a fine, well-mannered lady. The sort that worthy, powerful folks might seek kinship with. And yet she has no one at all.

No one who comes by her castle save for Heisenberg every now and then, but his company can be loathsome at the best of times. She thinks it beneath her and yet she can’t help but to crave companionship nearly as ravenously as she desires flesh and blood. She gracefully licks her fingers clean of it.

The girl she drinks from is a pretty thing; youthful and willowy, just older than fifteen. She has the face of innocence, though it is growing ashen and hollow. Sometimes it is hard for her to remember feelings. Sometimes she forgets that she still has them. For her forgetfulness, when emotion does work its way back in, it takes her by surprise. And with surprise comes intensity. Intensity that is almost too much for her to shoulder.

This time it creeps up on her. Slowly. Subtly. Undetectable until she is taken by emotion in full. This time it stirs within her in such a way that she feels almost human again. Weak.

It comes upon her as she stares at that youthful face. It comes under the guise of her yearning for companionship and intimacy. Alcina steps away from the girl’s body and takes to her bedroom, the feeling follows her. Whatever it is, she can’t quite name it. Can’t quite name it and can’t quite shake it. Neither can she understand it. And so she can’t process it.

Putting it aside is her best option. This emotion, like a single breeze through a long abandoned crypt, clings to her. She tries to bury it under the elegant hum of a cello. She perches near her bedroom window and slides the bow over its strings until her wrists start to cramp. And when the melancholy still refuses to leave her she tries to mask it beneath smoke. A drag from her kiseru does little at all. She thinks that she could smoke the night away and see little pay off.

And it comes to her what she is feeling. It is longing. Longing and mournful nostalgia. A touch of regret. And she remembers. Remembers something from very long ago. From what might as well be another life entirely.

She remembers children. It is distant now but she is almost certain that she had, had one. A small boy. A broken boy who didn’t last past his third winter before withering the same as a rose.

She remembers nights both long and short of trying to have herself another to replace the hollow left by the withered child. The child who became feed for the flies. Those hateful flies that have tasted her child on their maws.

She remembers babies who died before they lived. Two of them before she gave up.

Alcina craves company more than ever. The castle seems somehow too big even for her. The only company she has are the flies.

.oOo.

She plants three Cadous. And three Cadous are taken by three separate swarms.

Her lips curl back in resentment, nose crinkles with aggravation. They take her meals and now they tarnish her experiments. Loathsome little beasts. She will be rid of them somehow. She watches them flick and flit about, untroubled and ignorant of what she has in store for them.

They dodge the slap of her hand. Swirling around her as though she is of no concern at all. Her temper rouses. They fly higher as though they think that they can ever be out of her reach. And then they begin to take shape and color.

She very nearly slices them to ribbons and then she sees a face. A young and pretty face. A smiling face with soft doe eyes. The young woman reaches out, her fingers brush the fabric of Alcina’s dress. “Mother?”

She yanks her dress out of its grasp and swats at the thing. A pest, one giant, talking pest.

She hates the face it makes, that pitiful expression.

“Leave.”

It furrows it’s brows.

Perhaps it isn’t as sentient as she had initial thought. It is, afterall, only a cluster of flies. “Leave my castle.” She turns on her heel. Decidedly, she will destroy it if she comes back to find it still dwelling in the room.

.oOo.

She hadn’t expected to come back to two more of them. Surprise and outrage alone became their protectors. “Mother?” The eldest of them inquires again. It’s voice is soft and quiet. The way it looks at her…

It is only a bundle of flies and yet it looks at her with such warmth and love. They all look upon her with the sort of affection she hasn’t seen since her mutation. Something in her breaks. She hadn’t realized that she could still cry, not until she feels wetness on her cheeks.

“It’s okay mother.” Assures the one with the yellow pendant fixed around its neck.

“We’re here now.” Says the third, the youngest presumably.

They are just flies. So many flies. But the eldest steps forward and when Alcina stoops down, she wipes her tears away. Gently, tenderly. Just like a real child.

Hesitantly, Alcina takes her tiny hand. The fly child peers up at her with such adoration, a bright and eager smile.  “You’re going to be alright, mother.” Declares the middle child. “You have us now.”

“You won’t be alone.” Adds the youngest.

And she believes them. She believes her...her children. Absently she finds herself wrapping her arms around them. She can feel the beating of thousands of wings and if she squeezes too tightly some of the flies break off. She can’t help but make a reflexive cringe.

They are unperturbed. The nuzzle their faces against her chest. Her children. The company she had longed for; her human dream finally fulfilled and yet she is apprehensive. They are flies, just an assembly of flies.

.oOo.

She is thankful that she never found it in her to exterminate them. They love her. They look up to her. They give the castle an aura that it had needed. They each have their own quirks. Their own hobbies. Their own peeves and dislikes.

Bela is quiet; a young woman of academia who finds entertainment in discovery and literature. She is a poet and a linguist.

Cassandra is an artist of her own.  She can pick a body apart in ways that Alcina herself could have never dreamed up. The girl has a knack for knives and a sharp tongue to match.

And Daniela is unpredictable. A feral little thing. She is difficult to tame, prone to making a perfect mess of Castle Dimitrescu. Her interests change day to day.

They are a handful. A handful and a helpful. Harvesting the village is easier with their help. Mealtimes and glasses of fine wine are richer now that they are here to make conversation with her. When they laugh with her and inquire, “mother?”

Sometimes she lets them fall asleep leaning against her. Sometimes she reads to them. Reads the stories that she might have read to that little boy had he not wilted. A part of the woman she once loved is still ever present and that part of her loves her little darlings dearly, as though they were born of her own womb and not a Cadou and hundreds of eggs.

They are flies. They are her children. They are her Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela.

She never liked flies but she loves her children.

[wjbsart]

A complete, very long list of all GBoard-combinable emojis because I can't find one anywhere.

Ok so for those who haven't seen my stuff (or have only seen my Bionicle posts), I sometimes emoji mashup redraws, with the recent fourth one using GBoard-based fusions. Frustratingly, there's no actual list of fusion-compatible emojis, so I'll attempt to compile them, in a list below the "Read More" thing:

Green/▢ = compatible with fusion Blue/△ = only works with certain emojis Red/◯ = not compatible with fusion

Also, since other people's terms for specific emojis might not match up with mine, I recommend using CTRL+F and then doing this to find the specific emoji you're looking for. This list is in the order presented in GBoard's Emoji menu. Some of them will be generic unicode symbols, I don't know how to change that, sorry for the inconvenience. Also, I won't aknowledge multi-category Emoji.

Smileys and Emoticons

😀Open-mouthed smile▢

😃Wide-eyed smile▢

😄Closed-eyed smile▢

😁Closed-eyed grin▢

😆Laughing▢

😅Sweating smile▢

😂Cry-laughing▢

🤣Cry-ROFLing▢

😭Crying▢

😗Kissing▢

😙Kissing, closed eyes▢

😚Kissing, blushing▢

😘Kissing, winking w/ heart▢

🥰Surrounded by hearts▢

😍Heart-eyes▢

🤩Star-eyes▢

🥳Noisemaker and party-hat▢

🤗Hugging▢

🙃Upside-down▢

🙂Smile▢

☺Blushing, smiling▢

😊Blushing▢

😏Looking off to the side▢

😌Relieved▢

😉Winking▢

🤭Hand over mouth▢

😶Nightmare fuel Mouthless▢

😐Neutral▢

😑-_-▢

😔Pensive▢

😋Licking lips▢

😛Tongue out▢

😝Tongue out, eyes closed▢

😜Tongue out, winking▢

🤪Tongue out, wide-eyed▢

🤔Hmmm▢

🤨Suspicious▢

🧐Monocle▢

🙄Rolling eyes▢

😒Unamused▢

😤Snorting▢

😠Angry▢

😡Angry, red▢

🤬Swearing▢

☹Frown▢

🙁Frown but less▢

😕Confused▢

😟Distraught▢

🥺Pleading▢

😳AWOOGA Flushed▢

😬Yikes▢

🤐Zip▢

🤫Shushing▢

😰Distraught, sweating▢

😧Distraught, shocked▢

😦Distraught, neutral▢

😮Open mouth▢

😯Open mouth, surprised▢

😲Shocked▢

😱Horrified▢

🤯Your head asplode Mind blown▢

😢Crying, single tear▢

😥Crying, less sad▢

😓Sweating▢

😞Dissapointed▢

😖Pained▢

😣Persevering▢

😩Weary▢

😫Tired▢

🤤Drooling▢

😴Sleeping▢

😪Sleeping but different?▢

🌛Left-facing moon▢

🌜Right-facing moon▢

🌚New moon face◯

🌝Full moon face◯

🌞The sun▢

🤢Queasy▢

🤮Vomiting▢

🤧Sneezing▢

🤒Unwell▢

🤕Bandaged▢

🥴Drunk▢

😵Dizzy▢

🥵Hot▢

🥶Cold▢

😷Masked up▢

😇Angel▢

🤠yee haw▢

🤑Money-tongue▢

😎Cool▢

🤓Nerd▢

🤥Lying▢

🤡Clown▢

👻Ghost▢

💩Poop▢

👽Ayy lmao Alien▢

🤖Robot▢

🎃Jack-o-Lantern▢

😈Demon 1▢

👿Demon 2▢

👹Oni◯

👺Tengu◯

☠Skull and crossbones▢

🔥Fire▢

💫Star with trail▢

⭐Star▢

🌟Star with bits▢

✨Stars▢

⚡Lightning◯

💥Explosion◯

💯100△

💢Anime anger symbol◯

💨Steam▢

💦Sweat Droplets▢

💤Zzz▢

🕳Hole▢

🎉Party popper▢

🎊Confetti ball▢

😺😸😹😻😼😽🙀😿😾Literally all the "cat in different emotions" emojis▢

❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤Literally all the coloured hearts△

♥Heart suit▢

💘Heart with arrow▢

💝Heart with ribbon▢

💖Shiny heart▢

💗Growing heart▢

💓Beating heart▢

💞Swirling hearts▢

💕Two hearts▢

💌Love letter▢

💟Heart in square▢

❣Heart exclamation mark▢

💔Broken heart▢

💋Kiss▢

👥Two silhouettes◯

👤Silhouette◯

🗣Talking silhouette◯

👣Footprints◯

🧠Brain◯

🦠Microbe▢

🦷Tooth◯

🦴Bone◯

💀Skull▢

👀Eyes◯

👁Eye▢

👄Lips◯

👅Tongue◯

👃👂🦶🦵💪👍👎👏🙌👐Every other body part and hand gesture, seriously this isn't even all of them◯

People

Seriously, I don't know why none of the people-category emojis are Fusion-compatible. Let's just move on.◯

Animals and Nature

💐Bunch of flowers▢

🌹Rose▢

🥀Wilted rose◯

🌷Tulip▢

🌺Hibiscus flower◯

🌸Cherry blossom▢

🏵Rosette◯

🌻Sunflower◯

🌼Daisy▢

💮White flower◯

🍂Falling leaves◯

🍁Maple leaf◯

🌾Rice plants◯

🌱Seedling◯

🌿Herb◯

🍃Falling leaves again◯

☘3-leaf clover◯

🍀4-leaf clover◯

🌵Cactus▢

🌴Palm tree◯

🌳Deciduous tree◯

🌲Coniferous tree▢

🏞National park◯

⛰Mountain◯

🌊Wave◯

🌬Wind◯

🌀Tornado symbol◯

🌁Foggy scene◯

🌫Fog▢

🌪Tornado▢

☃Snowman (with snow)▢

⛄Snowman (without snow)▢

❄Snowflake

🏔Mountain with snow◯

🌡Thermometer◯

🌋Volcano◯

🏜Desert◯

🏝Desert island◯

🏖Beach◯

🌅Sunrise/set (water)◯

🌄Sunrise/set (mountains)◯

☀Sun▢

🌤Sun with cloud◯

⛅Sun and cloud◯

🌥Cloud with sun◯

🌦Sun and cloud with rain◯

☁Cloud▢

🌨Snowcloud◯

⛈Stormcloud◯

🌩Thundercloud◯

🌧Raincloud◯

💧Drop◯

☔Umbrella with rain◯

🌈Rainbow▢

✨Sparkles▢

🌙Crescent Moon◯

☄Comet◯

🌠Shooting star▢

🌌Milky Way◯

🌉Bridge◯

🌆City in the evening▢

🌃City at night▢

🌍🌏🌎Earth▢

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘The moon◯

🙈🙉🙊🐵Monkeys, wise or not▢

🦁Lion face▢

🐯Tiger face◯

🐱Cat face▢

🐶Dog face◯

🐺Wolf face◯

🐻Bear face▢

🐨Koala face▢

🐼Panda face▢

🐹Hamster face◯

🐭Mouse face◯

🐰Rabbit face▢

🦊Fox face◯

🦝Raccoon face◯

🐮Cow face◯

🐷Pig face▢

🐽Pig nose▢

🐗Boar head◯

🦓Zebra head◯

🦄Unicorn head▢

🐴Horse head◯

🐸Frog face◯

🐲Dragon head◯

🦎Lizard◯

🐉Dragon◯

🦖T-Rex◯

🦕Diplodocus◯

🐢Turtle▢

🐊Crocodile◯

🐍Snake◯

🐁Mouse▢

🐀Rat◯

🐇Rabbit▢

🐈Cat▢

🐩Poodle◯

🐕Dog◯

🐅Tiger◯

🐆Leopard◯

🐎Horse◯

🐖Pig▢

🐄Cow◯

🐂Bull◯

🐃Water buffalo◯

🐏Ram◯

🐑Sheep◯

🐐Goat▢

🦌Deer▢

🦙Llama▢

🦘Kangaroo◯

🐘Elephant◯

🦏Rhinoceros◯

🦛Hippopotamus◯

🦒Giraffe◯

🐒Monkey▢

🦍Gorilla◯

🐪🐫Camels◯

🐿Squirrel (why does the squirrel of all things have a Unicode symbol?)◯

🦡Badger◯

🦔Hedgehog▢

🦇Bat▢

🐓Cockerel/rooster◯

🐔Chicken◯

🐣🐥🐤Chicks◯

🐦Bird▢

🦉Owl▢

🦅Eagle◯

🦜Parrot◯

🕊Dove◯

🦢Swan◯

🦚Peacock◯

🦃Turkey◯

🦆Duck◯

🐧Penguin◯

🦈Shark◯

🐬Dolphin◯

🐋🐳Whales◯

🐟Fish▢

🐠Tropical fish◯

🐡Pufferfish◯

🦐Prawn◯

🦞Lobster◯

🦀Crab◯

🦑Squid◯

🐙Octopus▢

🦂Scorpion▢

🕷Spider▢

🕸Spiderweb◯

🐚Shell◯

🐌Snail▢

🐜Ant◯

🦗Grasshopper◯

🦟Mosquito◯

🐝Bee▢

🐞Ladybird◯

🦋Butterfly◯

🐛"Bug" yeah sure ok◯

🐾Pawprints◯

Food and Drink

🍓Strawberry▢

🍒Cherry◯

🍎Red apple◯

🍉Watermelon◯

🍑Peach◯

🍊Orange◯

🥭Mango◯

🍍Pineapple▢

🍌Banana◯

🍋Lemon▢

🍈Melon◯

🍏Green apple◯

🍐Pear◯

🥝Kiwi◯

🍇Grapes◯

🥥Coconut◯

🍅Tomato◯

🌶Chili▢

🍄Mushroom◯

🥕Carrot◯

🍠Sweet potato◯

🌽Corn◯

🥦Broccoli◯

🥒Cucumber◯

🥬Lettuce◯

🥑Avocado▢

🍆Aubergine◯

🥔Potato◯

🌰Nut◯

🥜Peanuts◯

🍞Bread▢

🥐Croissant◯

🥖Baguette▢

🥯Bagel◯

🥞Pancakes◯

🍳Frying pan◯

🥚Egg (somehow)◯

🧀Cheese▢

🥓Bacon◯

🥩Meat◯

🍗Chicken leg◯

🍖Anime meat◯

🍔Burger◯

🌭Hotdog▢

🥪Sandwich◯

🥨Pretzel◯

🍟Chips◯

🍕Pizza◯

🌮Taco◯

🌯Wrap◯

🥙Stuffed flatbread◯

🥘Paella◯

🍝Spaghetti◯

🥫Can◯

🥣Bowl◯

🥗Salad◯

🍲Pot of food◯

🍛Curry◯

🍜Noodles◯

🍣Sushi◯

🍤Fried prawn◯

🥡Takeaway container◯

🍚Cooked rice◯

🍱Bento◯

🥟Dumpling◯

🍢Oden◯

🍙Jelly Donut Rice ball◯

🍘Rice cracker◯

🍥Fishcake◯

🍡Dango◯

🥠Fortune cookie◯

🥮Moon cake◯

🍧Shave ice◯

🍨Ice cream◯

🍦See above◯

🥧Pie◯

🍰Cake slice◯

🍮Custard mate what kinda custard have you been eating, this is clearly a créme caramel◯

🎂Birthday cake▢

🧁Cupcake▢

🍭Lollipop◯

🍬Boiled sweet◯

🍫Chocolate◯

🍩Donut◯

🍪Cookie◯

🍯Honey◯

🧂Salt◯

🍿Popcorn◯

🥤Soft drink◯

🥛Milk◯

🍼Baby bottle◯

🍵Green tea◯

☕Coffee▢

🍺Beer◯

🍻Beers, plural◯

🥂Champagne glasses◯

🍾Champagne◯

🍷Red red wine◯

🥃Whiskey◯

🍸Martini◯

🍹Cocktail◯

🍶Sake◯

🥢Chopsticks◯

🍴Knife and fork▢

🥄Spoon◯

🔪Kitchen knife◯

🍽Plate▢

Travel and Places

🛑🎡Everything from the stop sign to Ferris wheel◯

🎠Merry-go-round horse▢

🎪🏕Everything from circus tent to campsite◯

🌇City at sunset yes I'm surprised as you are▢

🛤Train tracks◯

🛣Road◯

🗺Map◯

🗾Japan is an island by the sea filled with volcanoes and it's beautifuul!◯

🌐Globe with meridian lines▢

💺Plane seat◯

🧳Luggage◯

Activities and Events

🎈Balloon▢

🎀Bow◯

🎁Present◯

🎇Sparkler◯

🎆Fireworks◯

🧨Dynamite Firecracker◯

🧧Red envelope◯

🎐Wind chime◯

🎏Fish streamers◯

🎎Japanese dolls (that's what the emoji's called, don't @ me with the actual name for them)◯

🎑Moon viewing ceremony◯

🎍Pine decoration◯

🎋Tanabata◯

🎄Christmas tree▢

🎗Ribbon△

🥇🥈🥉🏅🎖Medals◯

🏆Trophy◯

📣Megaphone◯

🥅Goal◯

⚽⚾🥎🏀🏐🏈🏉🎾🏸🥍🏏🏑🏒SPORTS◯

🥌Curling stone◯

🛷Rosebud Sled◯

🎿Ski◯

⛸Skate◯

⛳Golf-hole◯

🎯Target◯

🏹Bow◯

🥏Frisbee◯

🎣Fishing rod▢

🎽Running shirt◯

🥋Martial arts uniform◯

🥊Boxing glove◯

🎱8-ball◯

🏓Ping-pong◯

🎳Bowling◯

♟Chess◯

🧩Puzzle piece◯

🎮Controller◯

🕹Joystick◯

👾Videogame alien◯

🔫Gun◯

🎲Dice◯

🎰Slot machine◯

🎴Flower playing card◯

🀄Mahjong tile◯

🃏Joker◯

🎩Top hat◯

📷📸Camera◯

🖼Painting◯

🖌Paintbrush◯

🖍Crayon◯

🧵String◯

🧶Wool◯

🎼🎵🎶Music▢

🎷🎺🎸🎻🥁Instruments◯

🎤Mic◯

🎧Headphones▢

🎚🎛🎙📻Assorted audio stuff◯

📺TV◯

📼VHS◯

📹Camcorder◯

📽Projector◯

🎥Film camera◯

🎞Film◯

🎬Clapperboard◯

🎭Comedy and tragedy masks◯

🎫🎟Tickets◯

Objects

📱🧻Everything from smartphone to toilet roll◯

🧸Teddy bear▢

🧷🧢Everything from safety pin to baseball cap◯

👑Crown▢

🎒💍Everything from backpack to ring◯

💎Diamond▢

💄👓Everything from lipstick to glasses◯

🕶Sunglasses▢

🥽📁Everything from goggles to folder◯

🕶Newspaper▢

🗞🔎Everything from rolled-up newspaper to right-pointing magnifying glass◯

🔮Crystal ball▢

🧿🔓Everything from Nazar amulet to open lock◯

Symbols

There are no compatible non-repeated Emoji here.◯

Flags

Aaaaand none here either.◯

Feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong.