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uozlulu · 4 months ago

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Fic. IwtV (AMC) Sxiteen Nights. Sam/Rashid.

Character(s)/Relationship(s) Armand, Damek, Daniel, Louis, Raglan, Rashid, Sam; Sam/Rashid (main), Louis/Lestat (background), Louis/Armand (background) Genre Drama/Fantasy/Horror/Romance/Slash/Vampire Rating PG-15 (not really PG-13, but not really R either?) Word Count 7,649 Disclaimer As this is fanfiction, I do not hold copyright to the source material(s) nor do I claim that I do. This is for free entertainment purposes only. Summary Rashid receives a concert ticket from Louis and a vacation from his work at the penthouse. Rashid meets Sam the vampire at the concert. They take up with each other. When Rashid returns to the penthouse, he has to decide where his future will lie by the end of the interview. Warning(s) spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 of the AMC show, mention of animals for vampire meals, food consumption, hallucinations, disassociation, fade to black sexual content, vampire bite blood consumption, distortion of perceived reality, brief mention of a canonical suicide, brief mention of canonical attempted murder, language, hypnotism Notes If you’re wondering, “Why this?” I saw a post on Tumblr that said, “work place comedy cut to Talamasca HQ where the vampire Sam and Real Rashid are bonding over stories of their shared Armand-related hostile work environments,” and then proceeded to remember it extremely incorrectly and had to do something with the plot bunnies that ensued.

I originally wanted to experiment with some things for this fic but ultimately decided against it. That's what inspired the characterization of Rashid in this fic.

I know that Dubai still had masking requirements in July of 2022, but since the show ignores this, I decided to ignore it for the fic. I also took some liberties with how the Mind Gift might work. This is because I can't always remember such details. So if there's something I forgot, please think of it as being a little AU moment.

Read on AO3 or below

Sixteen Nights

Night 1

The penthouse where Rashid worked belonged to the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac and his husband the vampire Armand. The décor was a mix of modern and comfortable with contemporary black art and lost paintings of the Italian renaissance on display. Rashid worked as Louis’ personal assistant. He handled Louis’ affairs, received harvests from the blood farm, and followed all requests and orders made by both Louis and Armand. He normally stayed in Dubai, though on one occasion recently, he accompanied Armand to the United States to deliver a package.

Tonight Rashid prepared the final meal for the Arabian red fox harvested from the blood farm. The meal was a mix of the rabbit from the previous blood farm harvest, rice, and vegetables. Louis told Rashid long ago that it was important to indulge the harvest. The fox abruptly retreated to the back of the cage and stared almost unblinking at the entrance to the kitchen. The fox made no noise and did not move.

Rashid followed the fox’s gaze as Louis entered the room. Louis’ green eyes seemed to glow as he surveyed them both. His smile was neither warm nor cold. “Rashid,” Louis said in a firm voice, “I have something for you.” He handed a reservation card to Rashid. On one side was a stylized nightclub logo and on the other side was concert information for an artist Louis enjoyed listening to and a reserved table number.

Rashid put the ticket into one of his uniform’s pockets. “Thank you, Mr. du Lac.”

“For the next two weeks I will be entertaining a friend for an interview,” Louis said. “I would like you to take a vacation from your duties at the penthouse while he’s here, but don’t leave Dubai just in case I need you to return. Armand will perform your duties in your absence.”

“Yes, Mr. du Lac,” Rashid said. The thought of the kitchen covered in blood with every appliance spread across the countertops in disarray appeared before Rashid’s eyes. It was so corporeal that Rashid began to calculate what he might need to do to clean the ceiling.

The scene disappeared when Louis spoke again. “Enjoy the concert and your vacation, Rashid.” Louis looked off towards the left of the fox’s cage and smiled warmly as if hearing or seeing something that Rashid could not. Louis’ gaze returned to Rashid. “Your vacation begins tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mr. du Lac,” Rashid said.

When Louis left, Rashid slid a portion of the cage door aside and swiftly deposited the fox’s final meal inside it. The fox slowly approached the food and sniffed it before eating carefully, the entrance to the kitchen always in its gaze.

Night 2

Rashid was not sure how long he worked for Louis, but the state of the bedroom closet in his apartment suggested it might have been well over a decade. The only clothes unrelated to his work looked like things only a teenager could appreciate. Rashid chose one of his clean uniforms and opened the collar to make it seem less formal.

Rashid arrived at a hotel near Safar Park and took the elevator for nightclub patrons. Veins of moving light led Rashid from the elevator to the terrace. Familiar music with a steady beat sounded behind the club door. The bouncer let him in without question. Rashid found his table and scanned the card into a device discreetly built into it.

An artist from Louis’ music collection rapped on the stage in the center of the room. The first circle of seats around the stage were empty and people spread out about the remaining tables. Rashid leaned back in his seat. His mind drifted with the music like a cork on the Gulf until movement caught his attention. A man casually spoke to single people at other tables. He was shorter than Rashid and his eyes almost seemed to glow in the dim light. He would lean in close, and then the person he visited would slump in their seat as if drunk or asleep. Rashid knew what he was. Rashid could not stop watching the vampire sampling the crowd like a tapas buffet.

The vampire settled beside Rashid. He allowed his eyes to glow fully in the light, a dazzling shade of deep red like blood sitting in the sunlight. The vampire blinked and his eyes returned to a more human color. ‘I’ve never met anyone who found vampires so normal,’ a voice projected into Rashid’s mind.

‘Vampires are only people with fangs,’ Rashid thought.

A chuckle seemed to rumble through Rashid’s mind briefly. ‘I’m Sam,’ the vampire projected.

‘I am Rashid,’ Rashid thought.

‘Are you a trick or a gift?’ Sam asked.

‘A shadow,’ Rashid thought.

The song changed to something smoother, cooler. Sam ordered a drink. It was red and smelled of fruit and syrup. Sam pushed it towards Rashid and projected, ‘I always choose drinks based on color since I can’t drink them. I hope it’s good.’

Rashid smelled it for alcohol but there was none. He took a tentative sip and thought, ‘It tastes like a children’s party.’

Sam laughed aloud this time.

The next song had a beat that matched the rhythm of human hips thrusting.

‘I’ve never met a mortal who could mask their thoughts so well,’ Sam projected. ‘You’re very quiet.’

Rashid thought about Armand using the kitchen as a means to experiment with the blood harvests, Louis conversing and interacting with the air as if it were a vampire, and the fights between Louis and Armand that sometimes tripped the sprinkler system. Each thought was brief and contained. ‘I live it. I dream it. I try not to think it,’ Rashid thought.

‘I used to work under Armand and live with him. I understand what you mean,’ Sam projected. Armand the coven leader, the director, and the executioner played through their minds.

‘Did you learn how to keep him out of your dreams?’ Rashid asked.

‘He has no sense of boundaries,’ Sam projected. ‘He will always find a way if he wants something from you.’

Rashid sipped the drink again. He did not drink alcohol. This drink was definitively in the category of a drink someone who drank alcohol thought someone who did not would want to drink without consulting anyone before putting it on the menu.

‘Can I taste it?’ Sam asked, parting his lips.

Rashid held his gaze a moment and then leaned in closer. They kissed. Rashid’s eyes closed. They kissed again. Rashid ran his fingers through Sam’s hair. Sam nipped teasingly at Rashid’s lip without engaging his fangs. They parted. “We could…” Rashid spoke aloud, his voice trailing.

“We could,” Sam agreed. He offered a hand to Rashid. “I have a hotel room. Stay with me.”

The hotel was so modest that its suites had bedrooms with no windows. The living room in Sam’s suite looked out at Dubai as the city prepared for the darkest hours. Only the lights from the city lit the room.

Sam approached Rashid and reached up, his long nails carefully sliding along Rashid’s ear and down his neck. Sam’s fingers traced the bite mark at the base of Rashid’s neck. “I met someone with a scar like this,” Sam said. “It was a bookmark and a warning.”

Rashid licked his lips. A memory or perhaps a memory of a dream of Louis biting Rashid after offering him employment flitted through Rashid’s thoughts. “He needed a mortal,” Rashid said.

Sam continued to trace the bite mark in thought as he asked, “Why do you want to become a vampire?”

“I do not,” Rashid whispered. “I do not want to drink anything’s blood.”

Sam’s eyes shifted, glowing faintly in the dim light as he gently tugged Rashid down and whispered near his ear, “Let me pull your shadow further into the darkness. Let me show you what I can do without a single fang.” Sam kissed him once and then guided Rashid towards the bedroom.

A light lit on its own. They pulled clothing off each other and discarded it on the floor. The bedsprings sang with their desire.

Night 3

Rashid’s stomach rumbled mournfully. His eyes fluttered open. He was in total darkness. A body laid beside him in bed without breathing or moving. A digital clock on the nightstand read a later time than when Rashid usually woke for work. The holiday was not a dream. Rashid carefully and rapidly rolled out of bed. Sam’s arm instinctively shot out in case of attack and the tips of his nails almost grazed Rashid’s skin.

Rashid stood still in the dark room for a long moment. When the bed grew silent, he found his clothes by texture on the floor. He carefully left the bedroom, not allowing any sunlight to enter. He cleaned what clothing he could and dried them with the hair dryer. He cleaned himself and dressed. There was a note sitting beside the television telling Rashid that there was food in the fridge and clothes in the dresser below the television. The clothes in the middle drawer fit Rashid. The fridge had only ready to eat meals, all of it vegetarian. The packaging was all red like blood. Rashid ate while the sun set.

Not long after twilight ended, the bedsprings sounded and after a while, Sam emerged from the bedroom. “Good evening,” he said in French. He gazed at Rashid and spoke in English, “The clothes suit you.”

“Thank you,” Rashid said. Rashid kissed Sam when Sam approached him. Sam returned the kiss. They headed out into the night.

Like many nights in Dubai, tonight was the temperature of a fever and there was no breeze. Sam led Rashid from transport to the streets. There were more people than in the last two years but the crowds were nowhere near their typical sizes. Sam found ways to pass the night, finally leading them to Kite Beach. It was still hot and humid, but the breeze from the Gulf was welcome. Large spotlights lit up part of the shoreline. People gathered in spread out clusters.

Rashid and Sam walked along the surf. The water was cool but not cold. The city spread out to one side covered in light and darkness spread out from the Gulf allowing for a few stars to survive the safety and city lights.

Sam started to mark the rhythm of something, the beat steady. On occasion, the beat paused only to immediately resume. He murmured words in French to the beat. Something about walking, night, and water. “Le cœur, le cœur… » Sam’s voice trailed and then he asked in English, “Have you ever heard the story of Lestat de Lioncourt?”

“No,” Rashid said, “but I have heard the name Lestat.”

Sam stopped walking. They were in the darkness outside of the safety lights’ reach. He moved closer and kept his voice between them. “This is a story from the Yanks in New Orleans. Lestat de Lioncourt and his husband lived in the Rue Royale. They had money and power, and a daughter no one could account for in the records of the living since all of them were vampires.” Sam paused. “They were known for lavish parties, but also running their incinerator at night and bouts of domestic violence that disrupted those around them. Their neighbors learned to ignore the noises at night.

“One night, their daughter decided she had enough of the theatrics and threats. Instead of running away again, she conspired with Lestat’s husband to kill Lestat. The three of them planned a ball for Mardi Gras. Lestat dressed as Marie Antoinette. He was the center of attention. He gorged on the guests’ blood. It was everything he enjoyed,” Sam paused again, “and the perfect send off before his family poisoned him with dead blood and slit his throat, leaving him in a rubbish pile to burn in vampire hell.”

Rashid watched Sam’s eyes glow in the tiny strip of darkness on the beach and then whispered, “Marriage is poison.”

“There is a lot of poison in the world,” Sam said. “The murder attempt didn’t kill him though. His husband could not commit to it.”

“So he lived?” Rashid asked.

“In his own way,” Sam said. “Last I heard he was playing in a band with some Yanks.” Sam began to sing one of Lestat’s songs. It had a dark, romantic feel that did not sound like Sam’s music when he pretended to be a robot onstage. They resumed walking along the shoreline.

Night 4

Rashid woke late again just as naked as the previous evenings. The food in the fridge made him miss the flatbread, zatar, and ful midammis he normally ate for breakfast, but it was not terrible. The clouds of the sunset drifted like fire on water until the sun disappeared and twilight slowly faded. A building in the distance lit up the same color as Louis’ eyes.

Louis’ eyes pierced the darkness of Dubai when Rashid met him. The night might have been hot and humid like it was now. Rashid only just arrived in Dubai with no purpose, just vague direction. He gazed on Louis without judgment, without fear. Or, that was a dream and they met through other means. Rashid could not be certain Louis ever left the penthouse. At least not since Rashid began working for him.

Rashid blinked and returned to the present. The only light in the hotel room was from the city. Sam appeared beside him and followed Rashid’s gaze. The streets hummed despite the reduced traffic. Sam’s eyes began to glow. “You’re blood is loud tonight.”

Rashid did not know if that was good or bad.

Sam’s long nails ran through Rashid’s hair. He kissed Rashid. “It’s because I forgot you eat at night. I’ll make sure there is food tonight.” He took Rashid’s hand and they left the hotel room.

Voices, shouts, cries, and laughter became an indiscernible noise in the streets where little restaurants hoped to survive the drop in tourism. Smells mingled and every once and a while, Rashid’s mind drifted and soon he observed himself and Sam as if operating a camera moving alongside them. It helped Rashid avoid people rushing about unaware of where they were going.

A man passed by them and stared pointedly at Sam. Sam made a slow U-turn in response. Rashid blinked and his perspective returned to his eyes. He followed Sam and kept one eye on the man. The man was not a vampire. He smelled faintly of sweat and had a healing sunburn on his arms.

The man bought parathas at a nearby food truck and approached Rashid and Sam with them. The man handed Sam a labneh paratha, Rashid a halloumi paratha, and kept a shakshouka paratha for himself. “I’m Raglan James,” he said to Rashid. “I’m one of Sam’s associates. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Loosely an associate,” Sam said and handed Rashid his paratha. “The food is safe, but don’t let him take your body.”

“He is not my type,” Rashid said.

Raglan snorted and looked at Sam. “I have more than one way to do my job you know. Why are you in Dubai?”

“I’m making a new album,” Sam said. “I wanted to go somewhere unknown to me.”

Raglan and Sam continued to talk about business. Rashid ate the parathas. He placed the wrappers in his pockets. Sam gave him so much food already tonight that Rashid would be too full soon. Rashid’s mind wandered before returning immediately to conversation when Raglan said, “…at the penthouse. He’s that kid they were with in the 70’s and 80’s. I think they’re going to turn him when the ‘interview’ ends.”

“Louis did bookmark him,” Sam said, “and I think I read he has MS or something?”

“Parkinson’s,” Raglan said. “He doesn’t have much time left before the next stage if his medical records are accurate.”

Sam’s expression darkened. He glanced at Rashid and then his attention turned to Raglan. “Thanks for the information. Can you keep me informed?”

“Of course,” Raglan said. He bid them goodbye.

Sam led Rashid away. Rashid glanced over his shoulder but Raglan was gone.

Night 5

The alarm clock in the hotel bedroom screeched. Rashid shut it off immediately and stared at the time. It was earlier than he would wake for work and he was sleepy. When he returned with Sam that morning, Sam kissed him deeply and made Rashid swear he would leave the hotel room long before sunset tonight. They would meet at a club later that night.

Rashid showered and dressed quickly. He had breakfast and left the hotel room. He avoided the tower and kept it from his mind. This was the first time he was by himself without an errand or a chore since he met Louis. He arrived at the mall and scanned the options at the movie theater. The only movie starting soon was a western vampire movie.

The movie was not worth the ticket price. Rashid stopped listening not long after the exposition ended and his mind drifted. He flew above Dubai accompanied by a small colony of vampire bats. Rashid settled with the bats atop the Burj Khalifa. The wind was comfortable. The city lights spread out into the horizon. There was just enough light to see everything despite the hour as if it were a movie itself. The bats offered him blood but Rashid refused. His shoulders relaxed.

Rashid blinked and seemingly returned to his seat in the movie theater. The characters were talking about Spider-Man. Rashid left the movie theater. He still had time before he needed to leave for the club.

After twilight ended, Rashid waited fifteen minutes and then made his way to one of the large international hotels. He followed Sam’s directions and soon joined other men following a maze of hallways to a discreet ballroom. A DJ spun music in a far corner. Everything smelled like beer. Blue and green lights lit up the entire room as yellow pulses flashed. Rashid joined the dance floor, moving through the groups of men seeking an escape from the constrictions of society.

Rashid ignored the invitations thrown his way and found Sam among the clubgoers near the center of the floor. The music drove the crowd like a train and Rashid moved accordingly, keeping Sam in sight as they seemed to spiral with the clubgoers around them. Sam accepted an invitation to dance, pulling the clubgoer closer and closer until the room plunged into dark purple light. Pink and orange lights flashed and Sam drank from the man in his arms until the man swooned. Rashid’s heartbeat increased, drumming with the song. Sam passed the man to another clubgoer and disappeared into the crowd. When he reappeared, his gaze met Rashid’s gaze as they moved with the flow of the clubgoers.

Sam approached Rashid and cupped Rashid’s face with his warm hands. His breath smelled like blood. He kissed Rashid right where Rashid’s neck met his jaw. A shudder ran through Rashid. He grasped Sam’s hips and squeezed. Sam nipped Rashi’s neck without using his fangs.

‘Are you a trick or a gift, Rashid?’ Sam’s voice echoed through Rashid’s mind.

‘I am myself,’ Rashid said.

‘Who is that?’ Sam asked.

��I…don’t know,” Rashid said aloud. The smell of blood was overwhelming. He stopped breathing through his nose.

Sam stepped back. ‘One more drink.’ He picked up the next man that danced up to him and drank until the man’s eyes closed.

Rashid did not lose sight of Sam, watching his throat pulse with each gulp of blood. Sam sucking the blood from the puncture wounds seemed audible despite the volume of the music.

Sam discarded the body to another clubgoer. He returned to Rashid and they moved to the music and with the clubgoers. By the time people realized how many men fainted, Rashid and Sam were off the dancefloor, out of the hotel, and well into the night.

Night 6

Rashid waited for twilight to end. He stood at the window of the hotel room but his mind was on the dancefloor from last night. The club spread out around Rashid. The lights flashed and Sam drew each clubgoer close in turn. He bit them and sucked just enough blood to make them faint. Always just enough like an endless buffet. Sam turned to Rashid and approached him, warm fingers cupping Rashid’s face and then Sam kissed him. Rashid parted his lips and accepted the blood still fresh on Sam’s fangs. It was tasteless and without texture.

Rashid blinked and his perception returned to view out the windows in the hotel room. For a moment, he returned to the dancefloor and Sam bit him just as Louis did so long ago. Euphoria filled Rashid’s stomach and he breathed through his nose so it would not move lower through his body. He gazed at the light leaving the sky and willed himself calm and his mind empty.

His thoughts felt like memories but he knew they could not be. Blood could not be tasteless or textureless.

The bedsprings sounded in the bedroom. Rashid’s shoulders relaxed. He did not want to know the taste of blood, but his mind continued to return to the kiss on the dancefloor that never was. He moved away from the window when Sam appeared.

The Ain-Dubai Ferris wheel stood motionless and seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky from the ground. Colorful lights played across the structure in programmed patterns. Rashid gazed at the tallest cabin high in the air.

Sam followed his gaze and then asked, “Should we go see the view?”

Rashid looked away from the wheel. “How?”

“I’m not as old as Armand, but I’ve got some skills,” Sam said. He picked Rashid up in a secure hold and then used the Cloud Gift to hop from cabin to cabin. Rashid watched the ground slip further away with each leap. He kept a tight grip on Sam.

When they reached the topmost cabin, Sam broke the lock and opened the door. He entered the cabin and set Rashid down. The door closed behind them.

The cabin was enormous and allowed them to look out at the Gulf, the Palm Jumeirah, and the city. People steadily trickled through the land like streams. Lights changed colors and places on the streets and buildings. Boats spread out across the water.

It was nothing like the wooden Ferris wheel that appeared in Rashid’s mind from either a memory or a dream. That Ferris wheel was easy to agitate and shook when the bench seat reached the top of the wheel. Rashid walked across the cabin. It remained resolutely stationary. He tried shaking by discreetly jumping, but it did not budge. He did not expect it to, but he wanted to try. He looked at Sam and said, “I cannot move it.”

Sam tried to agitate the cabin. No matter what he tried, it did not shake even with his strength and speed. He settled at Rashid’s side and placed his hands on Rashid’s waist. He licked his lips. “When I woke this evening, I could hear your heart beating waiting for the darkest hours. We could make the cabin move to that beat together.”

Rashid licked his lips and then kissed Sam. Sam returned the kiss and tugged at Rashid’s shirt. Hands slipped under each other’s clothes. Little noises echoed in the cabin. Yet, no matter how their bodies swayed under each other’s influence, the cabin remained steadfast and stationary.

Night 7

When Rashid’s eyes opened, there was no body beside him in the bed and the bedroom door was ajar. Rashid’s heartbeat rocketed into his ears but the rest of his body felt calm. He rolled out of bed so both feet fell to the floor as he stood. He peered out the door. It was already night and Sam sat on the sofa, using a stylus to poke about his phone.

Rashid showered and dressed quickly. Sam turned off his phone screen and said, “You didn’t wake when I talked to you.”

“You could have entered my dreams,” Rashid said. He put breakfast in the microwave.

“I’m not Armand,” Sam said.

“I know,” Rashid said. He walked over to Sam and leaned in close. “That is why you can.”

Sam held his gaze a long moment. They kissed. Sam grasped Rashid’s shirt, keeping him close. After another kiss, the microwave sounded and Sam let Rashid go.

“Let me know when you have to return to work,” Sam said.

“I will,” Rashid promised.

The Dubai Fountain Show shimmered and changed color in time to the music as if it were a visual display on a music player. Water continuously shot up into the air and spun. Multiple camera shutters rapidly clicked and beeped. People tried to hold their phones as still as possible for video clips. The spectators let out little cries multiple times during the performance.

Rashid and Sam stood towards the back of the small crowd on the boardwalk. Rashid glanced at Sam. Sam watched the water. Before, Rashid could speak, a voice called out, “Rashid!”

Rashid stiffened. He grasped Sam’s arm and tugged him in a direction. Sam allowed this and followed. Rashid did not run but he took increasingly longer strides. Footsteps followed them along with the voice repeatedly calling out to Rashid. The boardwalk around the lake was too open. There were not enough people to hide and no way to easily exit.

Sam fell behind. Rashid slowed and looked over his shoulder. A man stopped running and stared transfixed at Sam. Sam did not speak aloud but the man did not look away from him as if listening raptly. The man murmured something to himself and then turned away and left.

The man’s face was unfamiliar to Rashid, though for a moment a boy walking away with the same gait appeared in Rashid’s mind. Rashid’s heart thundered in his ears. The man disappeared.

Sam returned to his side. He guided Rashid towards a wall that separated them from other buildings. There were no benches or anywhere to sit. ‘Who was he?’ Sam’s voice projected into Rashid’s mind.

‘I do not know,’ Rashid thought. He took deep breaths and slowly his heart calmed. ‘I only knew to leave.’

After a long silence, Sam asked, ‘Did you leave your home by choice?’

‘Yes,’ Rashid thought. ‘It was time. More than time.’

The fountain show ended. Spectators moved along the boardwalk. Rashid started to walk in the opposite direction that the man left. Sam followed.

Night 8

When night fell, Rashid and Sam went to the aquarium. Sharks rolled their eyes back in their sockets so only the whites of their eyes appeared. Some fish swam under rocks, plant life, and others seemed to rocket themselves away from the glass. Stingrays buried themselves in sand and prepared their tails for battle. Manta rays left for deeper parts of the tank. The crocodiles serenaded everyone with tense hisses. The penguins tries to leave their enclosure.

Other aquarium guests murmured to themselves at the strange animal behavior. Rashid did not find it strange.

Sam sighed and quietly said, “Animals always know. I should write a song about fear responses.”

“It is the smell of blood,” Rashid said. “It is always there.”

No one else seemed to notice that Sam smelled of blood.

‘Shouldn’t you be used to the smell of blood by now?’ Sam projected into Rashid’s mind as they exited the aquarium.

‘I know what I smell,’ Rashid thought. ‘I know it is there.’

‘You’ve been around vampires too long,’ Sam projected. ‘Shouldn’t it put you off?’

‘I prefer vampires to humans,’ Rashid said.

‘And when Louis decides to return to the bookmark on your neck and you still don’t want the Dark Gift?’ Sam asked.

‘Then I will die,’ Rashid thought.

“Do you want to die?” Sam asked aloud.

“No,” Rashid whispered aloud, “but I want to feel the bite again.”

Sam moved closer. “And what if I bit you?”

Rashid did not look away. “Yes.”

“‘Yes?’” Sam asked.

“I want you to bite me,” Rashid said.

“You would give me that power?” Sam asked.

“I do not want to serve a God of my own making forever,” Rashid said. “I want to walk alongside you.”

“Then,” Sam took his hand, “come with me.”

They returned to the hotel room.

Rashid showered as he did every night. His heart would not calm even though the rest of his body felt at ease. He exited the bathroom and watched Sam who stood by the window gazing at the city. They always returned to the hotel room during the darkest hours, giving themselves enough time to wind each other up and down before sleeping. This was the earliest at night they returned.

Sam stepped away from the window. He approached Rashid and pulled him down into a greedy kiss. He pulled back and continued holding Rashid’s face as he spoke, “You are not a trick, a gift, or a shadow. You are Rashid. You are mine and I am yours.”

Rashid’s hands moved along Sam’s sides. He did not look away. “You are mine and I am yours.”

Sam’s hands slipped from Rashid’s face and took Rashid’s hands. Sam pulled Rashid into the bedroom. The light lit on its own and the door closed on its own behind them. As they had for so many nights, they consummated their desires and then Sam leaned down and his fangs sank into Louis’ bite mark. Rashid’s nails dug into Sam’s skin. The pain subsided into euphoria. Sam drank for a long moment and then pulled back, gazing down at Rashid. His fingers ran through Rashid’s hair. “This is when a vampire would share its blood with its mortal partner. Do you want it?”

“I want you,” Rashid said and his fingers tiredly tried to cling to Sam, “but not any blood.”

Sam smiled as Rashid’s eyes closed. “Then we will be bound by choice, not by blood,” Sam said.

Rashid made an affirmative noise in this throat as his mind filled with a dark landscape.

Night 9

Hours ago, Rashid woke from a dream in which Armand told him to return to work while dressed in white. Rashid complied and slipped a note under the bedroom door before leaving the hotel. Rashid cleared his mind of his vacation and prepared himself for a return to the penthouse.

The day staff kept the penthouse clean as usual. There were mail and packages to retrieve and sort, a request to the blood farm to make, a mortal’s dinner to plan and prepare, and plenty of notes from Armand to read. By the time darkness fell, Rashid had everything where it should be. He began prepping the mortal’s meal. Its timing would dictate when and how to handle the blood.

Louis entered the kitchen. There was tension to his lips and shoulders. “Rashid, welcome back,” he said in a firm but tired voice. “How was the concert?”

“The music was impressive in person, Mr. du Lac,” Rashid said. “Thank you for the holiday.”

Louis nodded. “Good and you’re welcome.” He observed Rashid’s knife work and then his attention drifted to a corner of the room. His lips seemed to relax and some of the exhaustion in his shoulders seemed to lessen. His gaze returned to Rashid and he said, “Tonight I will continue the interview. I would like you to serve the meal in the dining room at the time Armand specified in his notes.”

“Yes, Mr. du Lac,” Rashid said. “I will prepare the blood immediately before serving.”

“Good,” Louis said. “I will leave you to your work.”

Rashid watched Louis leave and slowly, silently exhaled. He could not remember a time Louis looked so stressed, not even when fighting with Armand. Rashid exhaled slowly and returned to his work.

Night 10

The interview was about Louis’ life, maybe Armand’s life too. The vampires’ behavior was also strange. Last night, Louis told Daniel about a vampire committing suicide. Tonight, Louis and Armand held hands while talking about their romance in Paris. Rashid only heard portions of the stories. He stayed a shadow and went about his duties elsewhere in the penthouse and the tower for most of the night.

When twilight lit up the sky in the early morning, Rashid finished his duties and left the penthouse, heading for the elevator that would take him to his apartment. Damek was in the hallway heading to his shift. Rashid looked away and continued to the elevator.

“Why was Armand you?” Damek asked.

Rashid paused. English was the only language they shared and an acquired language for both of them. “Armand is Armand.”

“He called himself Rashid,” Damek said. “We all called him Rashid.”

Rashid did not know what to say. It would explain some things that happened since his return.

“They changed everything for you. You do not even want the Gift,” Damek said.

“Armand loves the theater,” Rashid said.

Damek frowned. “They will turn that man. He waited fifty years. I do not want to wait so long.”

Daniel exited the penthouse just as Damek entered it. He was the journalist conducting the interview that Sam and Raglan talked about, with the bite scar on his neck. Daniel saw Rashid and immediately joined him in the hallway on the way to the elevator. “So, they didn’t provide you with your own room in the penthouse, Real!Rashid?” Daniel asked.

The nickname still did not make sense even if Armand impersonated him for a week. Rashid never felt real. “I have my own quarters elsewhere,” Rashid said.

“I was going to go to breakfast,” Daniel said. “Do you want to come?”

‘Say yes,’ Armand instruction projected into Rashid’s mind.

“Yes,” Rashid said. He pressed the elevator button for Daniel and followed Daniel down to a small Japanese-themed restaurant on the lowest level of the tower that was open at all hours. Daniel ordered them both a traditional Japanese breakfast. They each received a whole grilled fish, rolled omelets, miso soup, pickled vegetables, a bowl of rice, and various garnishes. Rashid stared at the fish’s head a long moment and then started eating one of the omelets beside it.

“So, tell me, Real!Rashid,” Daniel said, an edge to his voice as if Rashid knew his employer’s husband would pretend to be him for a week, “why do you want to be a vampire?”

“I do not,” Rashid said.

“Why not? Immortality, health, strength…there’s a lot to offer,” Daniel said.

Rashid did not wish to explain it. He continued eating while Daniel continued to sort through the pros and cons of vampirism. The staff behind the counter politely did not comment or seem to notice that Daniel spoke of vampires as if they were not myth. Rashid looked at the untouched fish on its plate. It seemed to echo Daniel’s words, its mouth moving in little tiny o-like shapes. Rashid could not wait to return to his apartment, wind down, and sleep.

Night 11

When Rashid arrived at work, he immediately went to the package room to inspect a recent sculpture Louis acquired at an auction. As he moved through the halls, he heard Armand speaking. It was the earliest he heard either vampire awake. Armand paused and then leaned closer to Daniel where they sat across from one another. Armand described sharing blood with another vampire in a theater during a show. The other vampire was Lestat, the same vampire that Sam mentioned on Kite Beach and Louis seemed to speak to alone.

Rashid heard more of the story than he should. He left quickly to deal with the sculpture. When he finished checking the sculpture and repacking it, he retrieved the blood farm harvest and entered the kitchen.

Armand stood waiting for him in the center of the kitchen his orange glowing eyes unblinking. He did not startle Rashid. It was not the first time Armand appeared in such a way in a room Rashid entered.

“Rashid, you must accompany Mr. Molloy whenever he leaves the penthouse for the remainder of his stay. Is that understood?” Armand ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Rashid said.

Louis entered the kitchen and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Our guest met an operative at lunch,” Armand said.

“One of the ones with no sense of subtlety?” Louis asked.

“Yes,” Armand said. “Almost as if they are all the same person.”

“The Identity Matrix…” Louis’ voice trailed and then he nodded. “I agree.” He turned to Rashid. “Keep an eye on Daniel, Rashid. Don’t let him out of your sight when he’s not in the penthouse.”

“Yes, Mr. du Lac,” Rashid said.

The vampires left the kitchen. Rashid sighed. The guinea pig in the cage remained frozen in fear. Rashid began preparing its final meal.

Night 12

“Have they ever let you read Claudia’s diaries?” Daniel asked at dinner that morning. It was another traditional Japanese breakfast. It was supposed to be good for things like Parkinson’s disease.

“I am a personal assistant,” Rashid said. The morning chef no longer put the fish on his plate and gave him an extra omelet instead without asking.

“The thing I don’t understand,” Daniel said as he crunched on the fish’s body, leaving the head on his plate, “is how they all survived, how they all ended up in Dubai. I heard there was a fire, but Louis has all of them.”

Rashid did not know. Rashid finished eating and set his chopsticks sideways across his plate.

“You’re a man of few words, Real!Rashid,” Daniel said. “Don’t you ask questions?” He paid for their meals.

“I do not,” Rashid said.

Daniel continued talking about his questions and analysis on the elevator ride on his way back to the penthouse. Rashid exited on his floor and entered his apartment. He brought the dry cleaning waiting at his door into the apartment with him and prepared for bed. The sun streamed in the windows seemingly too bright. Rashid shut the curtains.

Rashid could not sleep. Images from his week with Sam moved through his mind. He viewed all of it as an outsider, any of it possibly a dream or a distorted memory. Rashid felt the scar at the side of his neck. It felt different now, a mix of Louis and Sam’s marks. Sam’s bite in the hotel room was real. The bloody kiss on the dancefloor with no taste was not real. Rashid closed his eyes. Colors moved together and flickered, skyscrapers loomed, animals ran away, and fangs pierce his neck. Rashid opened his eyes and immediately rolled out of bed.

He retrieved his suitcase from the closet. He wiped the dust from the fabric and packed everything he owned except for the uniforms. His belongings took up a fraction of the space. Rashid zipped the suitcase closed and placed it by his apartment door. He returned to bed and finally fell asleep.

Night 13

Tonight it was time for Armand to feed again. Armand fed regularly but his time between meals were much longer than Sam or Louis. Armand left the penthouse with his prey. Rashid continued his work on dinner for Louis and Daniel. When finished, he brought it to the dining room, but Louis and Daniel were not there. Rashid went to the study and found them with their feet in the rock garden talking quietly but earnestly.

Louis looked over and said, “Rashid, you can place the tray on the floor tonight.”

Rashid carefully placed the tray between Louis and Daniel on the floor without upsetting any of its contents.

“Tell me, Real!Rashid,” Daniel said almost conversationally, “what would you do if you found out that someone fucked with your memory?”

Rashid did not answer. He looked at Louis. “Is that all, Mr. du Lac?”

“Answer the question, Rashid,” Louis said.

Rashid looked away from Louis respectfully. “Memory is malleable. I would not notice.”

“What if someone told you about memories you no longer have?” Daniel asked. “What if they were deliberately stolen?”

“I would not miss them,” Rashid said. “No one’s perception is true. A memory is not different than a dream.”

There was a long silence of reflection.

“But it did happen,” Louis said. “The pain is no lie.”

“Yeah, that smell is too real,” Daniel agreed.

Louis nodded to himself and then said, “Thank you, Rashid. You may go.”

Rashid left. The conversation in the rock garden resumed. Daniel seemed to have a memory of Armand repeatedly slamming him to the floor while Daniel sat in a chair. Louis recalled horrific burn injuries and pain. If Rashid had not packed his bag last night just in case, he would pack it tonight.

Night 14

It was time for breakfast for Rashid and Daniel but time for a late lunch for Dubai. A whole fish stared up at Rashid on his plate once again. He could not look away from it. This chef and Daniel had not noticed Rashid did not eat meat. Daniel talked about the interview, his mind hyper-focusing on the job.

Someone entered the restaurant and bumped into Rashid from behind. Rashid glanced over his shoulder. Raglan gave him an unsubtle nod, indicating a man behind him.

The man was Arabian. He held Rashid’s gaze for a long moment unblinking as Sam might. Then he disappeared into the restroom. Rashid excused himself and followed.

When the restroom door closed behind Rashid, the man spoke carefully as if Sam spoke through him, “I used my Mind Gift on this man a few nights ago. It should work.”

“It did,” Rashid said.

“Here’s my phone number,” Sam said through the man as the man handed Rashid a piece of paper. “Raglan thinks that Louis and Armand are going to turn that bookmarked journalist at the end of the interview. He’ll need a first meal.” There was a deliberate, pointed pause. “Don’t become that meal.”

Rashid’s heartbeat increased even though the rest of his body felt calm. He took the paper.

“I’m in Paris. Come find me,” Sam said and then he kissed Rashid through the man.

Rashid guided the man to the floor when he fainted. Rashid memorized the phone number and destroyed the paper.

“What…? Where…?” the man murmured in his first language as he became aware of his surroundings.

Rashid did not answer. He left the restroom and returned to Daniel just as Daniel’s conversation with Raglan ended. Rashid let his mind empty of everything he saw and experienced. He could remember it when it was time to use the phone number. He returned to the penthouse with Daniel.

Night 15

The interview would end tonight or tomorrow night. Rashid knew he did not have to complete his service to Louis, but staying until the last moment possible seemed appropriate. Rashid collected the blood farm harvest and entered the kitchen. He deliberately listened to the interview in the other room. Lestat was once Louis’ husband and their daughter was Claudia. There was some kind of trial where Claudia died. Lestat somehow saved Louis’ life during it. Daniel’s voice grew increasingly triumphant as he placed his discoveries before Louis and Armand. Rashid left the harvest in its cage. He fixed one last martini with extra vermouth and retrieved the evening paper. He kept his mind blank and entered the room, depositing both in front of Daniel. When it appeared no one needed more from him, Rashid bypassed the kitchen and headed to the door.

He continued to keep his mind blank as he left the penthouse and opened his apartment door just enough to grab his bag. He tossed his keys inside and did not bother to shut the door. He did not think a single thought as he took the stairs down several floors and then the elevator down the rest of them and exited the tower at a fast but not suspicious pace. He found a cab outside and left for the airport where he bought a ticket and a burner phone.

Once he was at the gate, Rashid exhaled seemingly for the first time even though he must have been breathing throughout his journey. He texted Sam and then put the phone in his bag. Sam would not respond for a while. Paris was two hours behind Dubai and their twilight much later at night.

Rashid gazed up at the ceiling of his gate. His thoughts danced along the architecture. He could not relax. He could not sleep. A gate nearby began boarding. The flight attendant’s voice sounded like a trickling stream. Rashid saw water rushing all around him, pouring from the ceiling and puddling on the floor. No one reacted to it. Not even when it turned colors.

Night 16

Rashid flew from Dubai to Istanbul and then Istanbul to Paris. When he exited the airport in Paris, the sun was still high in the western sky and the sunset would not be for a long time. Rashid found food and stayed away from places where he might have to speak too much French. As the sun began to lower in the sky, Rashid followed the instructions that Sam sent him last night.

Rashid arrived at a park as everyone else left it. He followed the paths to a long, old bridge that led to an island. The bridge swayed and protested as he crossed. The sun disappeared and twilight began to fade from the sky. Rashid stepped onto the island and approached a replica of a temple. There was no sign of any lights on the island or the structure. He climbed the steps and stood near a far column so no one might spot him from afar. Paris spread out across the lake, lights becoming more prominent as darkness finally settled.

The bridge protested in the distance behind Rashid. A swift noise rushed up the steps. Sam’s eyes glowed as he stepped into the temple. Rashid moved towards him and soon they embraced, sharing a kiss. There was no moon, no humans, and no vampires. The temple was theirs alone.

The End

#my fanfics #my fanfics 2024 #my iwtv fanfics #iwtv fanfics #real rashid #sam the vampire

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dropdeadbf · 6 months ago

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click below for more details. . .

Today, I am attempting to support a family member of mine (who is our household’s sole provider). Our only vehicle broke. We cannot afford to fix it. My instagram story explains more, as I'm trying to keep what's left of my anonymity. Because I’ve asked for donations many times, and have yet to be able to give back to the community in the ways I’d like to, I decided to do a raffle/giveaway to raise some money and get us out of yet another crisis. ◇◇◇ I am offering 1 winner, 1 package (as of now, this is subject to change) including: - REAL GIRL’S BROOCH (It is made of metal. This was a gift from an artist friend I am no longer in contact with. It is not my work, but I believe it should be enjoyed by someone who will love and appreciate it. And who better than one of you?) - TS BIOHAZARD PRINT (It is not the highest quality print, as I have limited materials and am not very experienced. This is one of the first linocut prints I’ve ever made. The print will also be signed, on the back, by yours truly). - 5 F ON MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE STICKERS (These were printed by stickerninja! They are rainbow, glossy, and sparkly. I have a very limited stock of these, which is part of why I never sold them. But I do plan on ordering more when I’m financially stable). TO ENTER: 1. Be following @dropdeadbf on tumblr and/or instagram 2. Donate to the GFM linked here 3. Screenshot the donation receipt (you’ll find it in your email) 4. Email your receipt to [email protected]. Please include your tumblr or instagram (instagram perfered) handle for potential contact. 5. Comment “Sent/Done” under this post when completed DISCLAIMERS: 1. You must be willing to provide your name (or whatever name you use to receive packages) and your address, so I can send you your package. You do not need to provide this in your email, we can discuss it in DM. 2. This raffle/giveaway is not affiliated with anyone or anything. I am just some guy doing a thing by myself. ◇◇◇ Feel free to donate without entering! And if you want to give me more notes for reach: What, of these items, seems coolest to you?

here is my instagram post. im more active on there.

#ill start posting my art stuff here again and change my handle #sigh #this sucks sooo bad dude #gonna have to sort through my entire feed and everything

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a-year-of-sakuraco · 9 months ago

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January - New Year's in Hiroshima

Price Overview

A single Sakuraco box costs $37.50 USD (excluding shipping), if you choose a 12 month subscription (like I did) it costs $32.50 USD per box. This means this option is $60 cheaper than keeping a 1 month subscription active for a year. I don't remember the exact conversion rate at the time I ordered my box so I can't do a full breakdown of my subscription cost but to give you an idea I'll talk through what it would cost me if I ordered a 12 month subscription right now.

I live in Western Australia so as of now, it would cost $49.85 AUD per box or $598.20 AUD total for the entire year, not including shipping.

On Sakura.co, the shipping is calculated at checkout once you put your address in. You don’t have to put your card details in for the amount to come up. For me this is $12.50 USD or $19.18 AUD once converted. So for 12 boxes it works out to be $230.16 AUD.

So all up if I ordered a 12 month subscription plan from Sakuraco today (07/02/24), it would cost me $828.36 AUD (it was $812.63 when I put my order in). So $69.03 per box on this plan.

Obviously this is a lot of money to spend, which is why I wanted to write these reviews. I know that I like to do a deep dive into reading and watching reviews from people before I buy something this expensive - which I did - and I was hoping my account could help someone else struggling with the same decision.

Shipping

Below is the shipping details for my first box. I started my subscription on the 12th of January.

Note: all of the below times are in JST.

Once my box was dispatched on the 17th I had no idea where it was. I was expecting Australia Post to let me know when they had my package and to keep me informed from there but that didn't happen. Obviously that isn't Sakuraco's fault but it did bother me. I received my box on the 29th of January.

Free Gift - Lucky Neko Collection

When I started my subscription, the Lucky Neko Collection free gift was avaliable so I added two very cute cat paw shaped glasses to my order. This promo is no longer available, but if you plan on ordering a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription you may want to wait for a promo like this that contains an item that you want. Currently until the 15th of February JST, the free gift offered is a Valentine's Day themed collection. (Update: it's now the Hanami Teatime Set which is themed for Sakura season and looks absolutely beautiful.)

Condition Upon Arrival

My first box arrived in a bigger box containing the January box, one of the cat paw glasses and the noriten that was removed from the Sakuraco box to make room for the second cat paw glass. I am glad that my box came protected in another box as it arrived in perfect condition, however, I have heard that Sakuraco boxes have arrived with no protection and with the shipping info taped to the box itself which is difficult to remove without causing damage.

Thanks to the extra space needed for the free gift this hasn't happened to me this month but I am concerned about whether or not my February box will arrive with some form of protection (inside another box or at the very least wrapped) or if it will arrive unprotected and damaged as I have seen happen to some other people. I really hope it doesn't arrive unprotected but I will have to wait to see.

Box Contents

13 different individually packaged snacks (including tea)

18 total individually packaged snacks (including tea)

1 home good - furoshiki

1 snack/culture guide and a note from the founder

The information for this box can be found on their website at https://sakura.co/past-boxes/january-2024

The box was smaller than I expected it to be. I watched a lot of Sakuraco unboxing and review videos on Youtube prior to subscribing and yet somehow it always looked bigger to me. It measures at approximately 20x20x9.5 cm.

I really like how every Sakuraco box has a different design that matches the theme and this one is stunning. The box is a golden colour featuring a reflective Torii gate surrounded by fireworks above the Sakuraco logo. There are also more fireworks around the sides of the box. This perfectly captures the theme of the month by showing Hiroshima's most notable landmark in the midst of celebration.

This theme is replicated by the cover of the snack guide which features an actual photo of the Torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine during a New Years celebration.

The snack/culture guide contains information about some of Hiroshima's landmarks and cultural traditions as well as a guide to all the snacks within the box and a detailed description about two specific snack makers featured this month.

There is also a list of common allergens that are in each snack as well as a 'May Contain Traces of' section which is incredibly helpful if you have food allergies. On each snack it is also stated whether of not the snack is vegetarian. So a lot of food requirements are accounted for.

As an example of something that isn't accounted for - there is no mention of whether or not a snack is vegan. Despite this, I think there would be very few scenarios where a non-vegan snack would be mistakenly eaten. Some non-vegan ingredients (e.g. egg and seafood) are also common allergens so they will be declared. There's also a good chance that non-vegan flavours will be mentioned in either the name of the snack or the description. For example the description of the New Year's Senbei states that it is "coated in honey and soy". So its pretty obvious it contains honey, which isn't vegan. Obviously care would still need to be taken and there is still a chance that some food requirements may be overlooked so there is room for improvement but overall I think the coverage is pretty good.

There is a QR code in the booklet that claims it will take you to a more detailed description about the allergy information. When I scanned this, however, it said that the page didn't exist. My current theory for this is that the page is only valid until the information for the next box is released on their website - this change occurs on the 15th of every month. Since I signed up on the 12th, my boxes will always arrive after the cut off date so if this is why I will never be able to see this page for any of my boxes. This is pure speculation of my part however, I don't know nor do I have a way of knowing why the link doesn't work. The allergy information for each box can also be viewed on their website under each box's contents but since this is exactly the same as what is written in the guide, I'm assuming this isn't where the QR code is supposed to go to.

I love that Sakuraco has a focus on showcasing both the culture and history of specific regions as well as the local businesses that make these snacks. For me, this was a major reason that I chose to subscribe. I really enjoyed reading the cultural guide and this might be asking a bit much but I wish there was a more detailed description of more of the maker's responsible for the snacks in the box.

The guide talks about the history and production of the Miyajima Cocoa Cookie and the Banana Baumkuchen and Tsubu Arare which is really cool but I would have liked to learn about where some of the other snacks specifically came from and how they're made.

Adzuki Bean Tea

Expires - 01/12/24

The packaging of this again features the Torii surrounded by fireworks and it looks very pretty. You'll note that pretty packaging is a recurring theme in this box.

Immediately upon opening there was an almost overwhelming sweet smell coming from the sachet. Due to this I was worried that it would be far too strong, but once steeped, the tea itself had a more subtle sweet aroma. Just like it smelled, the tea is sweet with a nutty or earthy taste to it. I really enjoyed drinking this tea. I found that I got the sweetness right away and then as I got used to that, the nutty taste came through more while the sweetness was more subtle. Once I was finished drinking I was left again with a sweet aftertaste.

The powder in the tea bag was very fine - I don't know how relatable this is but if you're Australian or have been to Australia the consistency of the powder was very similar to that of red dirt - and I did find upon opening, that there was a lot of powder loose inside the package. This powder did also get all over my fingers and bench while putting the tea bag into the cup and naturally this also meant that I ended up with a bit of powder in my tea as well. This didn't bother me too much as the powder is quite fine and I didn't find it annoying at all but I thought it was worth noting.

Miyajima Cocoa Cookie

Expires - ???

The packaging of this cookie features a very beautifully painted (drawn?) image of Itsukushima Shrine. The website of Tomoeya Kiyonobu who make this cookie is written on the back in English which is neat and allows you to look at there other products and learn more about the company. It's http://tomoe-ya.co.jp if you're interested. Tomoeya Kiyonobu was one of the makers that the snack guide gives a focus to.

This cookie was delicious and I wish the box had more than one. It features a really sweet cocoa cream between two egg crackers. The amount of cocoa cream is perfect for the crackers. It was very sweet and you probably couldn't eat too many at once but if you like sweet foods (which I do) its really nice.

Setouchi Lemon Cream Cookie

Expires: ???

The packaging for this snack is far more simple - featuring a white branching design with empty space in the middle so the design of the cracker can be properly appreciated.

And I really did appreciate the design - another Torii gate with fireworks but this time on a cracker! I think it looks very impressive with the red of the gate and the paler differently coloured fireworks in the background. It even features the reflection of the gate in the water!

The booklet states that Hiroshima Setouchi Lemons are "sweeter, milder and juicier than standard lemons." The lemon cream of the cracker is definitely quite sweet and mild while its being eaten but I found it left quite a sour taste in my mouth for a little while after eating which I wasn't expecting but really enjoyed. Its like when you're eating it, its quite sweet and then afterwards you just get sourness. It tasted really interesting and I've never had anything lemon flavoured that tasted similar. Its a very nice balance between sweet and sour and I liked the texture of the cracker as well. The texture of this cracker is different from that of the cocoa cream cookie, if I had to try to define them this one is more of a cracker while the cocoa one is more of a hard biscuit, if that makes sense.

Setouchi Olive & Wine Vinegar Noriten

Expires - 20/06/2024

Number in Packet - ≈20

So as stated above, the noriten in my January box was taken out to make room for the free gift I ordered. It was also the only item in my box that arrived broken. And by broken, I mean two or three of the individual chips were snapped into a few pieces. So given that this has been the extent of the damage to the items within my box I'm pretty happy.

Noriten is a snack featuring deep fried seafood (in this case squid) and seaweed. I don't like seafood so I wasn't really expecting to like this - which I didn't. That being said, I did love the vinegar and olive flavouring and if I had that on a rice cracker or something instead, it would probably be one of my favourite snacks in the box. For me, the squid ruins the taste but if I try to look at it objectively - I do get all the individual flavours together, nothing is overpowering anything else and each individual noriten is full of flavour. So if you do enjoy seafood, I imagine you would really like this snack.

Miso Peanut Tetra

Expires - ???

Number in packet - 6 in each

I loved these. The air filled triangular packaging is very cute and fun and the flavour is so good. The sweetness of the white miso goes really well with the peanuts and I definitely prefer these to eating salted peanuts (which I also like).

Tsubu Arare

Expires: 04/06/24

Number in packet: 17

The abstract shrimp and seaweed on the packaging is pretty cute and perfectly showcases the flavours within. There were 8 shrimp arare and 9 seaweed flavoured ones.

I'm probably going to be saying this a lot over the course of these reviews but again - I don't like seafood. I don't hate seaweed the way I hate fish, crustaceans, etc but I'm still usually not that fond of it. However, I actually did legitimately like the seaweed one and would have happily eaten another packet of just that one flavour. I didn't really like the shrimp ones though. I kept eating them trying to figure out whether or not I liked them but if there was another packet I wouldn't have reached for them. I did also really enjoy the crunchy texture of both.

Banana Baumkuchen

Expires - 04/04/24

The first of this German cake to be baked in Japan, was made in Hiroshima during WW1. It looks very impressive with the many layers that mirror log rings.

All of the baked goods came with little sachets of what I'm assuming is silica gel inside. This has done a good job of keeping the cake and the other baked goods fresh and moist. It's been kept so moist that your fingers literally come away wet after touching it however, the cake doesn't feel soggy so this didn't bother me.

This Baumkuchen is banana flavoured. It definitely tastes and smells like it has real banana in it, not just an artificial flavouring. The banana comes through quite strongly and is easy to identify. The cake itself was very dense and hard to chew, which I imagine is normal for Baumkuchen since there isn't much air in it, but since this is my first one I can't say for sure what it should taste like. I did enjoy it however and it does look very cool.

Setouchi Lemon Mochi

Expires: 15/05/24

Number in Packet: 9

Just like the lemon cream cookie, this was made using Setouchi lemons. The texture of these are perfect for mochi, they're soft, stretchy and sticky. The flavour is also really nice. The lemon flavour is very sweet and the sourness is more mild. However, it has chunks of lemon rind in it which give extra bursts of sourness as well as adding to the texture. After eating, I was left with a sour aftertaste in my mouth. The taste was a lot stronger than that of the lemon cream cookie and the sour aftertaste lingered for far longer. Overall, these were really good.

Setouchi Hassaku Jelly

Expires: ???

The instructions on the packaging implies that you should cut the bottom of the packet. Since the image in the booklet shows this standing up, I am assuming this is intended to drop the jelly out as a single self-supporting item. This didn't go so well for me. My scissors couldn't cut through the strongest part of the packet (where it is sealed) and as I was trying to do so the jelly leaked out of the small hole I had already managed to cut. Thankfully, I had the foresight to put a plate underneath before I started cutting but because of this I just ended up sucking the jelly out of the packet. Maybe if I had stronger scissors this would have gone better but as it is I couldn't get a photo of what the jelly inside looks like.

This snack features another fruit from Setouchi, this time the hassaku which is similar to an orange. The taste was very citrusy and very sour. The sourness is very similar to the taste you get in the back of your mouth when eating an orange, like when you get to close to the pith (the white part between the peel and the fruit). That sourness was the only flavour I could identify. So it was literally just like eating the sour part of an orange with none of the normal orange flavour. I know that makes it sound bad but I actually really enjoyed the flavour. I've never had hassaku before and I enjoyed trying it.

The texture, however, wasn't as nice. This may have been my fault for squeezing the jelly out instead of removing it from the packet correctly but it was very lumpy. Instead of the one cohesive lump expected of jelly, I was instead squeezing lots of little gelatinous lumps into my mouth which wasn't pleasant.

Another factor that may have potentially affected the jelly is the fact that it is summer at the moment here in Australia. So the gelatin may have melted in transit.

Taiyaki

Expires: 06/03/24

Just like the Baumkuchen, the taiyaki was quite wet but again this didn't seem to affect the texture or the taste at all. The outside was very moist and soft and the filling was quite sweet. These are both filled with red bean paste (anko) which is made from adzuki beans - the same bean that was used in the tea bags. The filling has quite a mushy or pasty kind of texture which was really nice with the smoothness of the coating. They were very generously filled too which was nice.

New Year's Senbei

Expires: 19/04/24

The packaging is a very eye catching red and gold with an adorable dragon perfect for celebrating the arrival of 2024 - the year of the dragon. There are two different versions of this packaging, the other one features a side view of an equally cute dragon.

The senbei was quite big and thick but since it was quite airy it was very easy to bite into. The texture was very cracker-like - just what you would expect. This senbei contains mackerel and as has been previously stated I don't like seafood but, like the noriten I loved the other flavours. The honey and soy sauce flavouring comes through really well and is very enjoyable and while I didn't particularly enjoy the mackerel, I still ate the whole cracker - which is honestly the highest praise I could give something with seafood in it.

Maneki Neko Arare

Expires: ???

There are 8 different lucky cat designs on this packaging. You get two in your Sakuraco box. The designs are very cute, showing both the front and the back of the cat and the design ties in with the New Years theme.

These are absolutely coated in flavouring. They're sticky to the touch, the moisture on the cracker is visibly obvious and the flavour of mackerel is so strong. Unsurprisingly, I wasn't a fan. The flavour hits you full force and unlike the senbei or the noriten, there are no other redeeming flavours to pair with it. If like me, you don't like fish, you will not like this. If you enjoy very strong fishy flavours then it might be perfect for you. The texture was nice and as you would expect from an arare - hard and crunchy.

Omikuji Candy

Expires: 31/12/24

Number in Packet: 7

Another lucky cat! This one has an added gimmick of fortune telling which is super fun. Each hard candy has a grape flavour on the outside and the fillings are strawberry, green apple or lemon with each foretelling a different outcome for 2024.

The first one I ate was a lemon flavoured one which which means that I would have a good day (medium fortune). The description for the green apple says eat another and try again (small fortune). There was one strawberry in the packet and it was the last one I ate. Naturally, the strawberry denotes that everything will go your way (great fortune). So according to these candies, I don't think I'm going to have a very good year :(.

The fortune telling adds another layer of interactivity and fun to this month's box which I thought was really cool. I also really enjoyed the flavours. They all have the expected artificial candy taste to them and I liked them all. My favourite was actually the grape, which was nice since I got to taste it seven times.

Neko Furoshiki

This months home good is a beautiful furoshiki - a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth, most commonly associated with wrapping bento boxes. There were two colours a red and an orange, I obviously received the red. They are both stunning and feature black and white lucky cats and pink cherry blossoms (sakura).

I was planning on displaying this somewhere where I could look at it. Unfortunately I haven't yet found a good spot to do so for now I've given it to my dog to use as a bandana in the hope it will manifest some luck for her this year, which is something she could do with some more of. As shown above, my cat disagrees with this decision.

A big part of the reason that I chose to subscribe to Sakuraco was that every box includes a homeware item. I looked back at their past boxes on their website and there has been some really gorgeous stuff in there. I really like the idea of having something tangible from the box that you can keep using and have as a reminder of the box and its theme. I really like this furoshiki and I'm excited to see what items will be in future boxes.

Matcha Cream Cookie - October 2023: Kyoto Crimson Leaves

Expires: ???

So this snack wasn't in the booklet and after digging through the contents of the past boxes on the website, I identified it as being from October's box from last year.

The matcha cream is very smooth and the bitter taste goes well with the crispy cookie, which has a similar texture to a wafer. I wasn't expecting to find this in my box but I'm glad that I did because it was very good.

Summary

Overall, I was very happy with this box. The only snacks I didn't like were things that I knew I wouldn't enjoy as they contained food that I didn't like (i.e. seafood). Even then I could still always manage to find things that I did like about them. Everything that I liked I thought was very good, there was nothing that I felt impartial about. I either didn't like it because it had seafood in it or I really loved eating it. My favourites were probably the Setouchi Lemon Mochi, Miyajima Cocoa Cookie and the Miso Peanut Tetra.

Sakuraco has done a good job of having a cohesive theme and having the items in the box match that theme. I really enjoyed looking at the snacks and their packaging that represented either New Years or Hiroshima or both. I like knowing how things fit in and how exactly they relate to the theme. The only snack in the box that I can't figure out how it relates is the Miso Peanut Tetra. There is nothing in the booklet that mentions a connection to New Years or Hiroshima Prefecture. So if there is a connection or something that I am missing I wish it was more explicitly stated even if its just a few words in the description.

One of the criticisms I have seen about Sakuraco is that the snacks in their boxes can be found anywhere. I'm not entirely sure if these complaints just mean the type of snack (i.e. mochi, senbei), similar flavours or the exact same snack from the same makers. Obviously some types of these Japanese snacks can be found in Asian grocery or convenience stores and some can even be found in your local supermarket and that's fine. It should only be a problem if a lot of the specific snacks can be found easily outside of Japan as the exclusivity is something that Sakuraco credits themselves on. I plan to test this as best I can here in Western Australia by seeing if I can find any of these exact items either in store or available to buy online. Or if not, if there is something that is very similar. I plan to have this done before my February box arrives (which shipped today - 20/02/24), however, since things have been very hectic for me lately and will continue to be so, it may not happen. At the very least I will aim to do a post on whether any of this box's items can be bought online.

In terms of whether or not it's worth the price, it's going to be up to personal opinion. For $37.50 USD you are paying for all of the snacks in the box, the homeware item, the teatime experience, the booklet that describes the theme and showcases the makers and the exclusivity of the snacks. The portions of the snacks and the box itself are quite small but if these snacks are coming from independent makers in Japan, it makes sense that they would cost more than those that you bought from a convenience store. I personally don't mind paying extra in order to support independent business owners. I also enjoyed reading the booklet and learning about this month's theme.

Another factor is the cost of shipping, which will depend on where you live. Here in Australia, the only option is Express Shipping. I am unsure if there are multiple options in other countries or just the one like here. It does make sense that the boxes would need to arrive quickly since they contain perishable goods. This may be why Sakuraco doesn't offer a cheaper (or even free) shipping option that takes longer. What ever the reason, you probably will want to go to checkout to see how much shipping will cost you before you think about buying.

As far as I'm aware, the only other company that offers the same service as Sakuraco is Bokksu. Any other Japanese food subscription boxes seem to contain more modern convenience store snacks rather than traditional snacks made by independent business owners. Unfortunately, I could not afford a subscription to both so I can't really compare the two or confidently say which one is better. However, I can say that Oshogatsu Fortunes, Bokksu's 2024 New Years box contains, 16 different snacks, while Sakuraco's has 13 (14 if you include the matcha cream cookie) plus the furoshiki. I can't really say which one is better value as that would depend on the prices of the individual items, but from watching some videos of the Bokksu box it does look like it has a larger overall quantity of snacks as a lot of the packets look bigger. However, I as I have stated previously, the Sakuraco boxes did look bigger to me prior to ordering, so my perception could be off. I would definitely recommend doing your own research as to which one is a better fit for you.

Another thing I wanted to mention is that Sakuraco has an affiliate program (I think Bokksu does as well). If you are affiliated with Sakuraco, you will get $5.00 USD every time you convince a new person to sign up using your coupon code or link. So, if a reviewer or unboxer is part of this program it is in their best interest that they convince you that Sakuraco is worth it. There was also a note in my box stating that "5 lucky reviewers" will win a prize with a QR code attached. The link gives you a choice of leaving a review at four places - Facebook, Trustpilot, Sitejabber and Reviews.io. I don't actually know what the prize is but the perception of buyers will likely be that they would only pick the winners from those who give a positive review, even though that is not explicitly stated. So again, be careful with the reviews from these sites, I would recommend looking for non-affiliated reviews that aren't on the above websites. The note also says that "Each review you leave increases your chances of winning". That's not so bad if you're leaving one review on every site but people definitely should not be encouraged to skew ratings by leaving multiple reviews.

None of this necessarily means that Sakuraco isn't worth it or is a scam, it just means you should definitely do your research before buying to make sure you will be happy with your purchase as it is a lot of money to spend. I'm happy with my first box as I enjoyed the experience and learning more about Hiroshima. I do intend to do more research pertaining to how obtainable all the snacks in this box are in Western Australia but overall I'm pretty happy.

#Sakuraco #SakuracoNewYear #Hiroshima #NewYearsInHiroshima #snack box #subscription box #Japan

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grannyandgrandpascreations · 10 months ago

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Future Member of Hamm's B.B.D.B Onesies®

Add style and make Daddy proud with this one-of-a-kind Hamm’s Onesies® features the phrase " Future Member Of Hamms BBDB". Nothing matters more than a baby's comfort, and this one piece is the right choice for all active babies. The envelope neckline and three snap leg closure ensure comfort throughout the day. Make sure to check out our Adult T-Shirts and Flannel Shirts too!

These gender neutral Gerber brand Onesies® are incredibly comfy! Both the bodysuits and t-shirts are printed on 100% cotton for a super soft feel. These unisex baby bodysuits are great to use as a take home outfit, baby shower gift or everyday attire!

All items are created or designed by Granny & Grandpa's Custom Creations. We also print and heat press our items using our professional, commercial grade heat press! Each design is made with High Quality, Heat Transfer Vinyl. All of our bodysuits and t-shirts are made to order in a smoke free and pet free home. We only print on genuine Gerber Onesies® and Children’s Place. Gerber Children’s Wear holds the trademark for the word “Onesie®”. The term “Onesie®” is to reference the Gerber label and to describe the genuine Gerber Children’s wear products we use at Granny & Grandpa's Custom Creations.

Care instructions: Turn item inside out, machine wash cold, no bleach, no softener. Do not dry clean. Do not iron. Tumble dry low.

Please also know that although every effort is made to photograph my items accurately, color may differ slightly from photos due to different monitor settings. Please contact me with any questions about the color or size of any item before purchasing. Have something in mind that you’re looking for? I love custom orders! I can make custom changes to all existing designs that are currently available in my shop. Please send me a message, and I’ll be happy to help!

After a package leaves my hands with the post office, Granny & Grandpa's Custom Creations is not held responsible. Current Turnaround Time due to upcoming Holidays - 1-5 Business Days. While we always use priority shipping options, once shipped we cannot guarantee delivery due to the backlog current being experienced USPS/UPS/FedEx. If you have a strict deadline, please message me when ordering so that I can note any rush requests. Ownership of packages turned over to USPS transfers to the Buyer. We are not responsible for lost, held, damaged packages or delayed packages, once your package(s) leaves our Shop it is completely out of our control. Thank you for understanding!

Thank you so much for supporting our "small Granny & Grandpa's Shop", we truly appreciate YOU! Please visit www.grannygrandpascustomcreations.com/shop to view more of our creations!

Due to different picture lighting settings the actual color might vary a bit from the pictures.

Please visit www.grannygrandpascustomcreations.com to view more products.

LET’S GET SOCIAL & BE FRIENDS! Like, Tag & Follow us for Our new Creations, Inspiration & Giveaways!

website/ www.grannygrandpascustomcreations.com/shop

facebook.com/ https://www.facebook.com/GrandpaHandmadecreations/

instagram.com/ https://www.instagram.com/grannyandgrandpacustomcreation/

pinterest.com/https://www.pinterest.com/grannyscustomcreations

#grannygrandpascustomcreations

Add a style to your mini-me's wardrobe with our designed sleeveless onesies bodysuit, not only practical, but also cute as can be! This is a perfect design to have some fun with any Hamm’s Beer Bear Lover! Our Future Member of Hamm’s B.B.D.B Onesie!

The onesies bodysuits are made with 100% cotton rib with organic fibers to ensure the fabric that touches baby’s skin is both safe and soft. Onesies are excellent for layering to keep your Baby warm on colder days, or the onesies can be worn all on their own to keep Baby cool when the temperature is warm.

The onesies are designed with higher snaps in front which helps for easier diaper and outfit changes. They also offer an expandable lap shoulder neckline for easy on and off.

Care instructions: Turn item inside out, machine wash cold, no bleach, no softener. Do not dry clean. Do not iron. Tumble dry low.

Make sure to check out our other Hamm’s Bear products, Adult T-Shirts, Koozies, Kitchen Towels and Garden Flags! Perfect gift for any Hamm’s Beer Bear Collector!

Due to different light settings the actual color might vary a bit from the pictures.

#grannygrandpascustomcreations - #Hamms - #HammsBeer - #HammsBear - #Babyclothing

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paypant · 2 years ago

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spoon-and-knifehandcrafts · 2 years ago

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Tax Return Yarn and Yarn Accessories woo woo

This will be part 1 of... 2 if I remember to do a part 2 lol

A wide range of them in various sizes because SOMETIMES YOU NEED BIG ENOUGH MARKERS FOR THAT 10MM PROJECT WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND THESE?

We have on the far right, Czech glass in iridescent fairy wings and also faceted beads and flowers from one store, which I will link in a sec, and on the left, faceted Czech glass on soft loops that fit up to a US 8 I think it said, and AB acrylic stars that fit up to a 5mm... I think.

In the middle bottom are free gifts from the second store, some of them 'mini' markers meant for sock projects and the like.

The blue Czech glass sets in a close up, not for focus (silly fuzzy camera) but more to catch the colors on the wings and such. These sets by Beastwiththeleast on Etsy:

Close up of the other side, mostly up top to see the AB facets on the translucent beads there. These and the free gifts in the bottom center are by Tekoro on Etsy:

I ordered these less than 5 days ago. They shipped fast and arrived in pretty cute packaging and both sellers made sure the markers were nice and safe inside.

I will def be buying from both again.

#spoon+knife updates #spoon+knife purchases #a little bit of capitalism and retail therapy I guess lol #knitblr #stitch markers #knitting

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just6f · 2 years ago

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TIME TO SHOP OUR SWAN PRINCESS BABY GIRLS PLUSH TOYS Finding your ideal Swan Princess Baby Girls Plush Toys is easy as 1, 2, 3. Our shop delivers quality customer service and product selection. Ready to shop our Home Decoration? Find the Color you want Click the ADD TO CART button Pay (and now wait for your order) That’s it. Enjoy! SWAN PRINCESS BABY GIRLS PLUSH TOYS: DETAILED FEATURES Material: Cloth Features: Stuffed & plush Gender: Girls Filling: Pp cotton Looks like an attractive offer, doesn’t it? Hurry up and click on ADD TO CART because this item is in high demand and could run out of stock! PRODUCT QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Can you offer more variations? We are showing all the available variations on the product page, so feel free to take a look at the description of the Swan Princess Baby Girls Plush Toys! Are the manufacturing materials safe for the users? We use the materials that meet all the required standards. So, all the items we offer, including the Swan Princess Baby Girls Plush Toys, are of an exceptional quality. Is the purchase tax-free? The terms of taxation that are going to be applied to your purchase depend on your country’s legislation. However, you will be able to see the final purchase cost on the checkout page. Do any extra fees apply? You will see the total price on the checkout page. In other words, it will include all the necessary fees and taxes (if applicable to your location). Can I share my opinion on the purchase? Your opinion about our products is really important for us. That's why we’ll be happy if you share it with other people. I received my order, but it doesn’t suit me. Can I get a refund? This problem can be easily sorted out. You just need to let us know about it and we’ll help you find a solution. In addition, we'll return the money if necessary. ORDERING & STORE POLICIES Is it possible to get my order delivered to some other address? If your personal address doesn’t match the delivery address, it’s not a problem! Despite that, we will send the package to any location you specify for us. Do you give a full refund if a package gets damaged or lost during transportation? There is no reason to be worried about it because you will either receive your package safe and sound or get a full refund. How many of these are left? Every day, the number of these products in stock changes because of both buyers’ and manufacturers' activity. There is nothing to worry about, though: if there is no “Out of Stock” sign on this product page, then the Stuffed Animal can be purchased safely. Is it still available? The product is available for purchase, that’s why use ADD TO CART button to order it. Do you sell the Baby Doll on a legal basis? We have all the required licenses. In addition, this store is fully authorized to work with the licensed manufacturers who supply us with these and other products. How can I know that your store is better than any other one? Our team aims to provide customer support of the highest quality and make you genuinely happy with the purchase! https://just6f.com/swan-princess-baby-girls-gifts-cloth-rag-doll-toddler-plush-toys-stuffed-baby-dolls/?feed_id=4133&_unique_id=63d4be4b67c6c

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invisibleinkpen · 2 years ago

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The Gift of Nothing. Fun Xmas Prank for Friends.

Take "Less is more." to the max with the hilarious Gift of Nothing!

Some people think something is better than nothing, well think again! Introducing the fabulous Gift of Nothing. It's the best gift for the dad who has everything, the mom who always says "You don't need to get me anything, sweetie." or the girlfriend who is definitely testing you when says she doesn't want anything for her birthday.

Make it the gift that keeps on giving!

Your husband may have bought it for you on Valentine's Day, but watch out because Xmas is right around the corner and he's next! Pass this hilarious gift idea around the family and see who gets nothing next. Men and women alike will get a kick out of this extra special gift - even grandpa could get in on this action! Other presents can't compete with this ultimate unforgettable silly gift.

Family friendly gift everyone can enjoy.

Enjoy some good old fashioned family fun with the funniest fake gift! Appropriate for kids, teenagers, and adults of all ages! Whether it's for a bday, Father's Day, Mother's Day, or Xmas, nothing could be better than this. This anti-gift contains no nuts, no meat, or anything at all so even vegans and people with peanut allergies can enjoy!

Office making you participate in Secret Santa?

Just bring nothing! The Gift of Nothing, that is. Share laughs with coworkers when you break this out at the office White Elephant Christmas party. This weird (and definitely not stupid or useless) toy will be a smash hit this holiday season.

What’s in the box?

You will receive one (1) "Gift of Nothing" novelty package with nothing inside.

Lifetime 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee!

If you aren’t completely satisfied with your order, simply email us, and we will respond within 24 hours to make it right even on the weekends. We absolutely guarantee your satisfaction or your money back!

Some customers review:

Ray Rauch

Great white elephant gift or the gift for someone who said they wanted "Nothing" for the holidays. This fits the bill super nicely. I think they are going to love that I was thoughtful enough to get them nothing and that's all for this Christmas season. It's really what they deserved after all.

Jess

I love this gag gift and laughed at all the clever labels describing what's in it/what it's for (nothing of course) etc.. What's better than to make someone laugh and put a smile on their face? It's peanut free, sugar free and emotion free! I love it. I would recommend this.

Heidi Anne Heiner

Okay, this is hilarious and we giggled over it all weekend. I got it to give to my dad for Christmas and have already teased him that it is something that he's always wanted. It's true since he is not big on getting stuff and doesn't care about receiving gifts. So I finally found his perfect gift. This will make the entire family laugh when he opens it up. I like that I can keep teasing that it is sugar free, gluten free, etc. in the meantime.

If you care about this product. Click here: https://gift-of-nothing.com/

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eastoncowan · 1 year ago

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list below:

a little who’s who in this band:

Geddy Lee - lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, guitar Alex Lifeson - guitars, backing vocals, synthesizers, additional keyboards Neil Peart (rest in peace, professor) - drums, percussion, lyrics

and finally, the songs, in order of release:

1. Anthem (Fly By Night, 1975) a quintessential rush song, imo. maybe not one of their most popular songs, but a banger nonetheless. energetic, vibrant, makes you wanna nod along. would bring joy to all the old toronto dads, and isn’t that what we need? ‘know your place in life is where you want to be, don’t let them tell you that you owe it all to me.’ 7/10

2. Circumstances (Hemispheres, 1978) doesn’t have the same hopeful vibe as some of the other songs on this list, but you know what, you’re so right, neil. the more that things change, the more they do stay the same. very fitting for our leafs, i think. ‘plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.’ 6/10

3. The Spirit of Radio (Permanent Waves, 1980) the guitar intro to this song is etched into my soul and will remain so until the day i die. bright, upbeat, joyous vibes. just what our little cringefail loser boys need. ‘emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength, bearing a gift beyond price, almost free.’ 9/10

4. Tom Sawyer (Moving Pictures, 1981) this song has almost 300 million plays on spotify and for good fucking reason. if you’ve heard a rush song, chances are it’s probably this one. they ate and left no crumbs. none whatsoever. listen to it and tell me it wouldn’t absolutely FUCK as a goal song. go. do it. ‘he knows changes aren’t permanent, but change is.’ 8/10

5. Limelight (Moving Pictures, 1981) the fucking guitar intro. holy shit. this one’s got nearly 130 million plays on spotify, and is one of the other few rush songs you might’ve heard. would absolutely get me fired up, whether i was at home, or at the game. love this song. ‘those who wish to be must put aside the alienation, get on with the fascination, the real relation, the underlying theme.’ 9/10

6. The Big Money (Power Windows, 1985) this song has the potential to obliterate the eardrums of every corporate shitheel that wastes a seat at scotiabank arena, which is all we could hope for. this isn’t gonna be my manifesto about how much i hate the state of our ticket prices, but know that the rage runs deep and endless. ‘it's the power and the glory, it's a war in paradise, a Cinderella story on a tumble of the dice.’ 6/10

7. Time Stand Still (Hold Your Fire, 1987) let me start by saying i’m not one of those rush fans who hates hold your fire. in all honestly, i really enjoy it. that said, this is by far the best song on the album, and maybe the only one that could possibly be a goal song. ‘freeze this moment a little bit longer, make each sensation a little bit stronger.’ 6/10

8. Superconductor (Presto, 1989) this is nowhere close to being a popular rush song, but it slaps and i adore it so you’d best believe it’s going on the list. orchestrate illusions, indeed, neil. wish this song got the recognition it deserves. makes me wanna DANCE. ‘packaged like a rebel or a hero, target mass appeal, to make an audience feel he really means it.’ 7/10

9. Face UP (Roll The Bones, 1991) banger alert!! this one’s got some fun keyboards in it (as do many rush songs, but i digress) which i think adds some Vibes to our lack thereof. this song makes me wanna get the W. ‘face up… hit the target or you better hit the ground. face up… there's still time to turn this game around.’ 6/10

10. Dog Years (Test For Echo, 1996) yes this song is actually about dogs!! we know our leafies love their pups, and i think this would pay a good homage to them (them: zeus, banksy, pablo, felix, etc.). also talks about geological time which is very much my vibe, and this is my list so i’m including it. could be like a reference to how long ago 1967 was, no? ‘it seems to me, while it's true that every dog will have his day, when all the bones are buried, there is barely time to go outside and play.’ 7/10

11. One Little Victory (Vapor Trails, 2002) the drums at the beginning of this song could wake me from the fucking dead. neil put his whole peartussy into this one. it’s fast, it’s intense, the guitar is sexy—and it’s about victory, which is something i would like to see more of from our leafs. ‘celebrate the moment as it turns into one more, another chance at victory, another chance to score.’ 8/10

12. Caravan (Clockwork Angels, 2012) the intro to this song is kinda quiet, but i think it gets loud quick enough to still be a good choice. impeccable vibes though. think this could be a good morale booster, somehow. also has the fun misheard lyric of ‘in a world with only papaya’ which gives me a little chuckle. ‘the caravan thunders onward to the distant dream of the city, the caravan carries me onward.’ 5/10

13. The Wreckers (Clockwork Angels, 2012) i love the guitar in this. i mean, i love the guitar in all rush songs, but this one especially. the whole clockwork angels album is a masterpiece and should be listened to in order, but this one holds up great as its own entity. ‘all i know is that sometimes you have to be wary of a miracle too good to be true.’ 7/10

honourable mention:

14. Take Off (The Great White North, 1981) not technically a rush song, but bob & doug mckenzie are national treasures and this features geddy lee so i had to include it. the actual song doesn’t start until like 75 seconds in, but it’s so good that i don’t even care. best possible goal song, and it's not even close. ‘take off to the great white north. take off, it’s a beauty way to go.’ 10/10

idk if any of y’all listen to rush but i’m annoying and i think they have so many songs that could be iconic goal songs for our leafies…..

#rick's oldest special interest rears its head #long post #i didn't even pick a song from each album but this is still over 1000 words long #leafsblr pls skim this i put in WAY too much effort #rush

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shandian-go · 2 years ago

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Shandian GO - 2nd Anniversary Celebration!

I can’t believe it’s been two whole years since this group order was created and to celebrate this milestone, I’ve put together some events to thank all the joiners that made this GO possible :D

1) Giveaway

The lovely yuka_cchii has designed some adorable USB cards to commemorate the second anniversary of the GO! There are 5 options available (MDZS, TGCF, SVSSS, SHL and 2ha) and they’re free to order!

The giveaway is open to all registered Shandian GO joiners (past and present). Maximum 1 USB card per joiner, first come first served!

➥ Link to listing

2) Mid Year Survey

I’m always thinking of ways to improve the GO experience for joiners and would love to get your input about the GO process through the survey. There’s been a number of changes since the last survey and I’d love to hear what worked for you and what didn’t, and also get a sense of what you’d like to see from the GO going forward :)

The survey can be submitted anonymously but if you do want to leave your contact details, I’ll be doing a prize draw for survey participants as a thank you! There will be 6 winners and each winner will receive a $10.00 CAD gift voucher for the GO~

➥ Link to survey (ends July 31, 2022)

3) New Feedback Gifts

The monthly feedback prize draw has been replaced by a new process that will allow all joiners to claim some goodies for posting feedback for their packages :D

All feedback posts posted after May 31, 2022 are eligible for this new process.

Joiners who posted feedback before May 31, 2022 and have never won a feedback draw prize will also get a maximum of one (1) roll-forward entry for the new process. This means that when you claim your feedback gift for the first time, you’ll be able to submit one (1) URL link for a post dated before May 31, 2022.

If you have any questions about the new process, feel free to use the Tumblr Askbox :)

➥ Link to feedback gifts page

Lastly, thank you all so much for your ongoing support for this GO and sticking around through all the ups and downs over these past two years. I'm grateful and humbled by all the trust you've placed in me and will keep working hard to be deserving of that trust.

I hope the goodies you receive from me continue to bring you joy and if fate allows it, I also hope we’ll be able to celebrate again together a year from now~

- Mel

#shandian go #announcements #i was going to post another longwinded reflections post but #there hasn't been much time with all the cupsleeve event planning and shipping issues and catching up on admin #but my sentiments from the last reflections posts haven't really changed and i'm still incredibly thankful to you guys #for giving me this amazing opportunity to build all this from something i love #and for being patient and supportive when i have to figure things out #i had a vague notion of closing the GO within 2 years because that's usually the time limit of my stay in each fandom #but it's because of you guys that i still want to keep it going <3 #so thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart #<3<3<3<3<3

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dialovers-translations · 3 years ago

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Diabolik Lovers LUNATIC PARADE ;; Kanato Route ー Sub Scenario w/Subaru

–> In between the main route chapters, the player is taken to the area map of the Parade where you can freely roam around. There are four different places to visit, each with different mini games and sub scenarios to enjoy.

AREA: GLIMMER MAIN STREET

CHARACTER: SUBARU

ー The scene starts on Glimmer Main Street

Yui: ( I shouldn’t complain about this free candy we were handed along the road but... )

( There’s a skull drawn on the package, so to be honest, I’m not exactly thrilled about putting this in my mouth... )

Kanato: Say, Yui-san. Could I have that candy?

Yui: Eh? Yeah. Of course.

But are you sure? It doesn’t seem very delicious...

Kanato: Yes. I’m not going to eat it after all. I will use it for my entertainment.

Yui: Entertainment...? What do you mean?

Kanato: Just watch and you’ll find out.

Ah, Subaru arrived just on cue. I suppose I will call him over.

Yui: Eh...? But why Subaru-kun?

Kanato: His lack of respect towards me has always bothered me, you see.

This candy will fix that. Fufu, just watch, okay?

Yui: ( It’ll fix Subaru-kun’s lack of respect...? I wonder what he means by that...? )

ー Kanato walks up to Subaru

Kanato: Hey, Subaru. I’ll give you this candy.

Subaru: ...Haah!? Why, all of a sudden...?

Kanato: It’s a gift from me. Come on, eat it right now.

Subaru: Not interested.

Kanato: That was an order. Hurry!

Subaru: Didn’t you hear me when I said I don’t want it!?

Yui: K-Kanato-kun. It doesn’t seem like Subaru-kun is interested, so you probably shouldn’t push too much...

Kanato: Shut up. Could you keep quiet, please?

Yui: B-But...

Kanato: ...Hey, Subaru. You are my younger brother, aren’t you?

Subaru: So what?

Kanato: You should show respect for your older brothers. Isn’t that common sense?

If you won’t listen to me, I will get rid of that coffin in the living room, understood?

Subaru: Haah!?

Yui: Y-You can’t do that...!

That coffin means a lot to Subaru-kun, so for you to throw it out...

Kanato: But it’s in the way, don’t you think?

Besides, I am giving him a choice. I won’t throw it out as long as he eats this candy.

Subaru: Uu...

Kanato: ...You wouldn’t want that, right? You need that coffin, don’t you? In that case...

Subaru: ...Fine. I just gotta eat this shit, right!?

Kanato: Fufu, I’m so happy my younger brother knows what’s best for him. Here you go.

*Rustle*

Subaru: ...Nn...

Nn...Well, it does not taste bad...I reckon. (1)

Yui: Eh!?

( His way of talking... )

Subaru: ー Excuse me...!? Would you please explain this situation to me!?

...Wait! Again...!?

Kanato: Fufu...

You fell for it...Fufu...Haah, hilarious...

Those who put that candy inside their mouth will end up using formal speech.

It’s a very popular candy here in the Demon World nowadays...but I suppose you had never heard of it.

Subaru: How was I supposed to know exactly!? Or rather, you made me eat that shiーー ...candy on purpose, didn’t you!?

Yui: ( It sounds like he’s trying to talk like normal, but struggles to do so... )

Kanato: Fufu, this is even funnier than I expected. Who would have thought you’d sound so awkward while using honorific speech...

Subaru: Please stop joking around...! I want to be able to speak normal again as soon as possible!

*THUD*

Yui: S-Subaru-kun, calm down...!

( He’s still the same even when speaking politely like that...! )

Kanato: ...Then just take it out of your mouth.

Subaru: ...I beg your pardon?

Kanato: I’m asking why you’ve kept the candy in your mouth like some gullible fool?

You’ll be back to your usual self once you take it out, right?

Yui: Ah...He does have a point.

( I’m sure Subaru-kun should have caught on to that as well, so why...? )

Subaru: I simply cannot help it! Its taste is rather enjoyable, wasting it would be a darn (2)...shame!

Yui: Eh? That’s your reasoning...?

Kanato: ...You really are a fool.

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) This is difficult to tell for anyone who doesn’t speak Japanese, but Subaru’s speech pattern suddenly changes here. He adds ですね or ‘desu ne’ at the end of his sentence, which is used in standard, polite Japanese. (E.g. The Japanese Kanato uses.) If this was the usual Subaru talking, he would say something like ‘だな’ or ‘da na’ instead.

(2) Subaru does slip up every once in a while even while having the candy in his mouth. For example, he says もったいねえ or ‘mottainee’ here instead of the proper もったいない or mottainai’, but then follows it up with a ですよ or ‘desu yo’ to make it this weird mix of informal and formal speech.

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #kanato sakamaki #subaru sakamaki #lunatic parade #diabolik lovers translation #lpkanatosubsubaru

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dollopheadedmerlin · 11 months ago

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First of all, every time I do a poll about what color Kilgharrah is, I always get new options. This time around, those who voted other, said they thought he was either Blue or Bronze. Though I voted gold, I really do like the bronze option, and it probably more accurately describes how I view him.

Okay so let's look at the evidence.

First, you think, okay let's look at some renders of Kilgharrah. At the end of the day, he is a 3D model. So, there should be some flat colors of him out there, right?

Eh. Both of these images (this one and the original reference) have pretty influential lighting. And they both have incredibly different color. Some may argue that the first image is lit with a more neutral light, but since we don't know his true color, it very well could be a very cool light, like they use for night scenes in Merlin.

I'd say the first image lends itself well to people who believe him to be grey, black, blue, or purple and the second image lends well to brown, gold, and bronze.

Okay so those aren't concrete, plus it is entirely possible that Kilgharrah received touch ups or recolors as the show adjusted it's CGI. So focusing on what color the model is, might not lead us anywhere. So instead let's look for what color they want us to interpret him as.

Here are some unedited screenshots from the show:

Ah. Still pretty hard to tell for sure. Kilgharrah is almost always in harsh lighting, likely in order to partially compensate for the quality of CGI at the time. He is always either lit by fire or torchlight, moonlight, or he is presented as a near silhouette at dusk or dawn. You can easily find convincing scenes for all of the options in the poll. Even green (which I was very surprised got so many votes).

So maybe we cant find any solid answers in the source material. Let's look at merch!

Hm. The action figure even seems undecided, like they handed the unpainted statue to the designer and, when asked what color the dragon is, the Merlin team shrugged and said to just try and base it off of the screenshots. He appears grey or black from a distance, but is very clearly dusted with varying warm tones.

Next we have The Great Dragon Glider, which was an "exclusive free gift" that came with issue 1 of the Futura Specials Merlin Magazine. He is very clearly green!

However

This does not look like Kilgharrah.

If you are familiar with any of the little toys that came with Merlin Magazines, you'll know that the ones from issue 1 are simply preexisting bargain toys with Merlin branding added to the packaging (a bright orange sticky hand scorpion branded as a "Super Sticky Serket" and a crystal tree growing kit with Merlin's face and blue crystals from the Crystal Cave on the packaging). So, it is very unlikely that this dragon toy was designed with Kilgharrah in mind, and the only evidence this really gives us is that whatever part of the design team that worked on the gifts for the Merlin magazine decided that this looked enough like Kilgharrah to pass it off as such and hand it to children.

But, inside the magazine

There is a comic!

It uses very flat colors. This definitely seems to lean towards gold, bronze, or brown. He is colored in these exact shades and hues in every panel of the short comic.

Before my last bit of evidence, an honorable mention I think we should consider!

I feel as though it is a reasonable assumption to make that the Pendragon crest in the show is, in fact, meant to symbolize the Pendragon's conquering of magic and the dragons, assuming this crest was adopted during or after the Purge. Kilgharrah was locked beneath the castle as an example, so what better way to mark their triumph over magic that to plaster their greatest trophy on all of their knights? Any who dared to challenge Camelot would be reminded that this kingdom bested the dragons.

If Kilgharrah is meant to be portrayed on the Pendragon crest, then I feel like the yellow lends itself towards gold or brown.

However, this is an honorable mention because this is only based on assumptions and headcanons about the show, and nothing concrete. The dragon could have very well been their original crest before the Purge, the dragon may not be intended to resemble the specific dragon they have in captivity, or the gold and red colors could have carried over from their previous design.

If you are tired of all these images with inconsistent colors, don't worry, I finally have some text.

In all of the Merlin books, the Annuals, the Guides, the younger readers, the older readers - they distinctly avoid describing Kilgharrah.

All except once.

In Merlin: The Dragon's Call, the novelization of the first episode of the show, Kilgharrah is described as such:

Scales shone golden and bright on its majestic crested head, along its ridged spine and along its flanks

Finally, you think. We have it in writing. Surely this is the only proof of what color Kilgharrah is in BBC's The Adventures of Merlin (2008-2012). Such plain text finally puts an end to the mystery and the confusion.

Except it is immediately followed up by:

It may only have been the reflected torchlight, but the colours appeared to ripple with every movement of its great body.

. . .

I think it's safe to say that no one behind the scenes is entirely sure what color they made this dragon.

At least we know his eyes are yellow.

For Science

#mine #merlin #Kilgharrah #you heard it here first folks #his eyes aren't gold #they're YELLOW #Merlin's eyes are desxribed as amber a few times to be fair #wild #I 100% believe he is MEANT to be gold #or WAS meant to be gold at some point #I like how visually accurate bronze is though #bc bronze can look black in low light #and that fits for sure #also the passage definitely could jusy be referring to the rippling and not the actual color being affected by the torchlight #but it also does say “colors” after only listing one color #and even without the followup sentence #shone golden could be torchlight reflecting #i just thought it was more fun and dramatic to act like it was The Answer #lol

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juminsmysticmc · 4 years ago

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Pregnancy Series - Part 3

Telling them

Hey! So a lot of you have been waiting and I am honestly happy that you guys seem to like my pregnancy series! Please feel free to tell me your opinion with a comment or through a reblog ( I read every single # ) or just send me a message in my inbox! Hope you enjoy!

Pregnancy Series: Part 1 // Part 2

Jumin

You nervously rubbed your hands together as the weekend finally came.

Ever since Jumin married you, he decided to have his birthday parties only with you instead of throwing big parties with people he didn’t even like just because of his status.

But this time you prepared something special for him.

You decided to invite your father-in-law as well as the RFA, even Zen, at your place on the 4th of October to stay until Jumin’s birthday at midnight the 5th october.

For Zen, you even prepared your party room since your beloved cat wasn’t in every room of the big penthouse your husband owned.

And so you prepared everything without your husband’s knowing. To say it clearly, you made someone else prepare it because you were scared of hurting the baby, being overprotective since it took you so long to get pregnant.

Maybe you were too scared, but you knew that Jumin wouldn’t have wanted you to overwork yourself.

The room was decorated in gold and black colors and you also baked a big cake on your own, deciding to hide a long note into the cake, saying that you were pregnant. At the end of the note, a copy of your first picture of the baby was attached, showing Jumin that whatever was happening was real.

You knew that he would be more than happy to see this, to know about the baby you were carrying.

,,Finally ready,’’ you said and sighed, looking at your clock, knowing that at 8 PM everyone would come home to stay into the room before Jumin would come home with Jaehee from the office.

The first guest to arrive was your father in law. To your surprise, he didn’t take his girlfriend along, but since Jumin always had to prepare a second party for his status, your in-law promised you to bring her along the next day. Well, you knew that this wasn’t going to last for a long time, but to make the elder happy, you nodded and smiled, telling him that you were more than happy to be able to get to know her.

Lastly, Seven, Zen, and Yoosung arrived. Zen and Seven were arguing whether or not the red haired boy should kidnap his Elly.

,,I need to go home with you. You can’t take that fur ball with you!’’ he hissed.

You left the men alone for a second before you waited for the final guest - your husband, of course followed by Jaehee who just sent you a message about her arrival.

Jumin was puzzled at first when you invited Jaehee inside and led the way to another part of the penthouse, but since it was you who asked, it was okay, you were his wife after all.

The surprise party, however, made him emotional and you knew that Jumin was touched just by his mimicry and how he stood there, you knew your husband.

,,I have a present for you, but you will only be allowed to have it at midnight!’’ you teased him after he gave you a long, lovely kiss.

Staying awake almost four hours more was hard for you. Since you knew that you were pregnant, you were even sleepier, but for Jumin you could manage to stay awake. You had to.

,,IT’S MIDNIGHT! BRING THE CAKE!’’ Seven screamed in excitement, making you a bit nervous.

Yoosung carried the cake into the room after you kindly asked him to, as you all sang ,,Happy Birthday’’ to him.

,,Thank you, my love,’’ he whispered and kissed you again, ready to blow his candles.

,,Before you cut the cake, Jumin,’’ you said as he stood there with a knife already ,,here’s something you have to pull out. Read it out loud,’’ you said.

You pressed your lips together as you waited for him to pull out the long white note until finally the first words appeared. ,,I…..’’ he said, he smirked, thinking that the note was ,,I love you’’

,,A….M…..P...R...E...G…-’’ he looked at you in shock before he pulled the note even quicker out of the cake, seeing the last picture of an ultrasound.

For the first time, all members of the RFA saw Jumin Han cry real tears by the man they always called ,,cold hearted’’ as he hugged his wife and kissed her with a lot of love, thanking her over and over again.

,,This is the best present ever,’’ he hiccuped and kneeled down to kiss your flat belly.

Zen

,,You will surely be a good mother!’’ the chocolate lady praised you as she gave you the white chocolate with the baby sonogram of your baby.

You quickly went back in and prepared a few more things. The chocolate was ready, you thought you would now take a little package and put balloons around the chocolate so that it would float up as soon as Zen would open the box.

Since the chocolate was in a cute packaging too, you put a note on it saying to open it immediately to see the surprise.

You guessed that this would be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

Then you also decided to bake a few muffins, not just for Zen, but also because you wanted to slowly get used to the idea of baking cakes for your future child.

That evening, you tried your best to act normal because you were overloading with happiness and excitement.

The next day, you woke up pretty quickly. One of the reasons was because you had the urge to throw up and the other reason was because you wanted to drop the news as soon as possible.

,,Mc, did you get checked up? Like-’’

,,Hyun, it’s just a virus. That’s why I had to cancel our reservation at the hospital,’’ you groaned as you again had to empty your stomach.

,,Of course, baby,’’ he whispered, holding your hair as he kept rubbing your back.

At times like these, he wished you could be like him, healing and getting better quickly.

But he also knew that you were a strong woman and didn’t have any problems.

,,Okay, I’m better,’’ you gasped as you went to wash your mouth. The taste you had in your mouth wasn’t really yummy and so you brushed your teeth before you decided to give him his present.

,,Here, for you,’’ you whispered as you laid back in bed, feeling a bit lightheaded.

Zen’s eyes went soft as he saw the big box, placing it on the floor and sitting next to it to open the present.

Just like you wanted, the balloons flew up, pulling the chokolate up.

Zen quickly grabbed the present and read the note out loud.

,,I’m excited. I never thought that Valentine’s Day could become so special one day,’’ he laughed.

You slowly teared up as you thought about how much better and special this day would become.

Zen opened the chocolate and inspected the picture.

He stayed silent for a second before he looked up at you again.

,,Really?’’ he asked you, whispering as his tears found a way out.

,,Really, Hyun, really.’’

Yoosung

You hurried home after the appointment, thinking about the best way to tell your husband that you were pregnant.

After you decided to take a look at some Pinterest boards, you decided to sew a little baby out of his clothes.

You once saw it in a drama and it was, in your opinion, the cutest idea.

And so, you took an old shirt of his and went down to the city, buying some stuff to fill your baby.

It took you the whole day to sew that baby, to first cut the material, put it together in a little cute baby outfit, and patch it together.

You were really happy back then; your teacher taught you how to sew at the machine and your mother bought you one back then.

Right when Yoosung entered, you just finished the little baby.

You were proud of yourself and were more than happy that you could hide the present before he came home.

,,Hello, my wife,“ he smiled and kissed you, seeing that you were in a better mood than in the morning.

,,You haven't cooked yet? Wanna do it together?“ he asked you, seeing that nothing was prepared.

,,Oh, I need to be honest. I took a good rest today and I forgot that it was already so late,“ you lied.

,,It’s okay! I can also order some sushi or-”

,,No sushi!“ you called, looking away.

,,Can we eat pizza?“ you asked him, trying to hide the fact that you preferred to not eat raw fish.

And so you both did, although Yoosung was kind of puzzled when you didn’t take the wine you both usually drank while eating pizza.

The day went by and the next morning finally arrived. You were happy to wake up just in time to set the table, prepare the breakfast, and put his bag with the baby doll on his seat.

,,Happy eighth anniversary,“ he whispered and kissed you, hugging your body from behind, nuzzling his head in your neck.

,,Eight years already,“ you sighed happily and turned around, ready to give him a deep, lovely kiss on his lips.

Yoosung quickly sat down, giving you his hand over the table as he put some sugar in his coffee.

,,That’s for you,“ he told you, giving you an envelope.

You smiled.

,,The bag in front of you is from me for you,“ you told him, as if someone else could have made him a present.

The both of you decided to open your present at the same time.

And once again, you surprised each other.

,,You want to adopt a child?“ you asked him as he almost screamed ,,YOU’RE PREGNANT?“

You both laughed at the same time. Yoosung quickly got up from his chair, getting on his knees as he kissed your belly with tears in his eyes.

,,I knew it! No sushi, no wine! I knew it!“ he sobbed, stroking the place where his baby was supposed to be.

,,Such a little human being will grow up here. Can you believe it?“ Yoosung asked you.

You were also now sobbing, shaking his head as you stroked his fluffy hair ,,Finally, Yoosung, finally,“

Jaehee

Your girlfriend couldn’t wait to hug you, hold you in her arms and so, as soon as she caught a glimpse of you at the train station, she hugged you, sobbing into your shoulder.

It was cold outside and you luckily came back right in time before the holy days of Christmas.

Jaehee still hugged you when suddenly, something soft and cold touched your nose, making you look up into the sky.

,,The first snow,’’ you whispered, making Jaehee loosen up her hug and look up too.

She chuckled as she knew that you loved the snow.

A few seconds later, the both of you walked hand in hand towards your shop. Jaehee was happy as you seemed to be in a happy mood.

Your fingers felt hot as hers were entangled in yours, stroking the skin of your finger with her thumb.

,,Go and take a warm shower. I will make us some food,’’ she mumbled and quickly left you alone.

And so, while the warm water of your shower hit your body, warming you up and relaxing your muscles, you thought of a way to tell Jaehee that you two finally did it.

Suddenly, you got a very good idea. Lately, you were into sublime stitching and found it hard to find new things to stitch, but now that you had your first ultrasound, you finally had a new challenge to take!

You copied your first ultrasound and sent it to your favorite artist, who was more than happy to make your ultrasound into a pattern with ink.

Just like always, you ironed the picture with the hot iron on your fabric, but this time you didn’t buy the pattern and indeed used your own.

You smiled as you saw how good it worked out. You were really proud of yourself that the first step was already so well done!

But you couldn’t keep going as Jaehee called you to open the shop with her.

And so the weeks went by. You luckily didn’t have any symptoms that could have ruined the surprise for Jaehee.

You wanted to give it to her as a Christmas present after all.

You kept stitching along the line, slowly and accurately so that everything would look nice and neat.

When you finally finished, you felt yourself becoming emotional. This was now real, this present and this baby was really happening to you and Jaehee, who waited for so long for this.

The last step was to wash the fabric so that the blue ink would disappear, making it look once again much more beautiful.

,,I can’t wait for Christmas,’’ you chuckled to yourself and put the present into a little box.

,,You really didn’t have to,’’ Jaehee whispered the morning of Christmas Eve.

The both of you sat on your couch in front of your Christmas tree.

It was warm and cozy in your living room as you both were wearing the same Christmas hoodies.

You excitedly looked over to Jaehee as she opened the box.

Her fingers followed every stitched line, her lips began to tremble and it seemed as if she couldn’t breathe calmly.

You were getting worried, but soon enough Jaehee looked at you.

,,Is that yours?’’ she asked her, her voice was cracking.

,,Yes. I didn’t have the flu or covid, I’m pregnant,’’ you laughed.

Jaehee hugged you, not too strong, stroking the back of your hair as she enjoyed the warmth of your body.

,,I don’t have such a great present,’’ she laughed and kissed your cheek.

Saeyoung

The birthday of the twins was slowly approaching. By now you were eight weeks pregnant.

You still had symptoms and felt sick. Sometimes you couldn’t even cook, making Saeyoung worry for you, but you knew that this was worth it.

You chuckled as you thought about your self made toy you prepared as a present for Saeyoung. It was a toy he had to play first before the news of your pregnancy would be announced.

It took you a while to construct everything.

It was a game where he had to put cards together. To put them together, he had to form different sentences in different languages.

Matching cards would give him a letter and afterwards those letters would give him the sentence ,,You will be soon a daddy!’’ but of course, he had to also form this sentence.

Since it was kind of difficult to perform this all in Hangul, you decided to make it an english game.

For Saeran, you prepared a little teddy bear which would say ,,Hello Uncle’’ but of course, he wasn’t allowed to open his present until Saeyoung played with his present.

The 11th of June quickly approached you guys as you woke up one morning. Luckily, you still didn’t feel sick.

You hugged Saeyoung as you woke him up with a sweet kiss ,,Good morning,’’ you whispered, making him groan, but not open his eyes.

,,Hello, how did you sleep?’’ you asked him when he turned his body to you and hugged you back.

,,Good, but being awake next to you is better,’’ he whimpered and almost fell asleep again.

,,Ya! Your birthday breakfast is waiting for you!’’ you hissed and laughed.

He immediately jumped up, yelling for his brother. ,,SAERAN, YOU ARE TURNING A YEAR OLDER!’’ he laughed, making you shake your head.

But you were happy that Saeyoung finally found his brother. You could just imagine how it must have been for him to miss his second half for all those years.

And even though Saeran didn’t admit it, he probably missed his brother too.

The three of you were sitting around the table as they ate their soup. It was a special soup for their birthday.

,,I will give you your birthday present later when the other’s are here too,’’ you told them both, making your husband especially sad. ,,You always want your present at midnight and now I have to wait?’’ he asked you, whining as you laughed at him.

,,It’s special, that’s why,’’ you told him, making him sulk.

,,My presents are always special,’’ he whined but didn’t say anything anymore as he enjoyed his food.

You were nervous as the RFA came one by one. By now, you guys were always together. You saw yourselves as a family.

,,Okay guys, because of you I couldn’t open my present!’’ he whined and finally unpacked the box. At first he looked a bit… puzzled, which made you chuckle.

You explained to him how to play and even persuaded him to play on his own.

,,Boring that everyone is watching me,’’ he mumbled as Saeran kept patting his present, you told him he wasn’t allowed to open it yet.

,,Is that german? ,,Wir müssen…’’ what?’’ he laughed.

But one by one he did it and finally had the single letters that would give the hidden message.

,,I am pregnant, I don’t even have to think about it, that’s the message, right?’’ he said and immediately looked up at you, already in tears.

By now, Saeran too, unpacked his bear and in a big family embrace, Saeyoung cried into your shoulder.

Saeran

After you were brought to the maternity ward and they did some more tests, it seemed that it was official that you were pregnant!

Saeran got up as soon as he saw you walking out of the big doors.

,,Is it something serious? It took you so long and no one wanted to say anything,’’ he whined and took your hand between his, massaging your palm as he slowly walked out with you.

,,I just had to wait a long time,’’ you lied and smiled at him, trying to convince him that you just had a mere virus.

And so the days passed again and you worked on a present for Saeran who was a soon to be father.

You put a lot of thought into it and decided that doing something handmade would be much better than just telling him.

That’s why you decided to give him something your baby would get - a handmade baby blanket with his favorite flower patched on it.

You put a lot of hard work into it, using the best material and the most beautiful colors.

And since the gender was still unknown, you decided to go for a light beige color with some red details.

In the end, the blanket looked just too cute and it hit you - you were pregnant.

The day was nothing special when you told Saeran that you would like to go and eat an ice cream with him, something he agreed to immediately.

He took a few hours free and hand in hand with you, he went to buy ice cream for the both of you, enjoying the sun on your skin and the nature around you.

,,What do you have in that bag?’’ he asked you after a while, still licking his ice cream as he pointed at the little bag in your hand.

,,Nothing,’’ you began, ,,just something little I want to give you,’’ you told him, making him excited to know what you would like to give him.

To prevent the blanket from getting dirty, you decided to wait until the both of you were finished with the ice cream, giving you the chance to talk to Saeran a bit more about his day and your day.

,,Okay, now I’m ready,’’ he nodded and looked at the bag. He couldn’t wait to see what you had prepared for him in there.

He opened the bag and pulled out the self made blanket, observing every little detail.

He tilted his head as he looked at the length of it.

,,It’s a bit too little for you, right?’’ you laughed, making him laugh too.

Suddenly, Saeran saw a little note in there.

,,It’s not for you, it’s for your baby, Dad. Congratulations…’’ he whispered and put the note back into the bag, looking at the tiny blanket again.

You knew that he was happy, but probably overwhelmed with this news and so you decided to wait a few moments.

But as soon as the news arrived in his head, Saeran couldn’t prevent himself from hugging and thanking you a thousand times.

,,You...you always make me so happy…!’’ he whined.

,,I will give my best to become a good father,’’ he said with a trembling voice.

,,I won’t become like my parents. I will be a good one and I will protect you and our unborn child,’’ he whispered, his hand on your belly by now.

,,I promise,’’ he nodded.

,,I trust you, Saeran.’’

Jihyun

As soon as Saeyoung heard those words, he began to tear up and hugged you, patting your back. He was just so happy for you and Jihyun as he knew that the both of you had a hard time lately.

,,Let’s get back and prepare something!’’ he said in his mischievous smile and helped you to get into the car.

Of course, to keep it fair, Saeyoung wasn’t allowed to tell anybody. Instead, the both of you planned on how to tell Jihyun who would soon come back home.

,,How about I make a computer print of your future family and he has to paint it in little colors? We will just make it with so many details that he won’t notice from the beginning that it’s a family picture of four!’’ Saeyoung chuckled. You loved the idea and were more than happy to go with it.

You and Saeyoung worked on the details while the rest of the RFA weren’t at your home as they too had their personal lives.

Saeyoung and Saeran, however, stayed with you partly because Saeyoung prepared the surprise with you, but also because they both were worried.

When you finally finished with the layout and Saeyoung helped you to print it out, you wouldn’t be able to tell that this was a picture of a family.

,,I wonder how he will react,’’ you laughed and thanked him for his hard work.

,,Those were the longest six weeks I’ve ever experienced,’’ you whimpered when Jihyun finally arrived at home, Lucy on your hand, also more than happy to see her father.

Hugging the both of you, he nodded in agreement.

,,I also missed the both of you,’’ he said honestly.

Quickly letting him step in, you took his stuff and helped him to unpack before you told him that dinner would be soon ready.

,,I have a little challenge for you,’’ you laughed as you went back to your room to take the picture you prepared for him.

,,Oh, I saw that on Instagram,’’ he nodded, as he remembered the logic of the painting.

,,Yes, but I did this myself,’’ you said proudly, handling it over to him.

He laughed happily ,,I’m excited to work on it, thank you!’’ he laughed.

,,Yes, but there’s a hidden message in it so you need to hurry with it!’’ you told him, not knowing that you encouraged him to work on it the whole night after you fell asleep that night.

In the morning, when you just opened your eyes and saw his black bags below his eyes, paint all over his hands, you knew that he overworked himself.

,,Will we be able to adopt a child?’’ he asked you, his voice was raspy as he asked you, tears in his eyes, excited to know the answer.

You slowly shook his head, making him wonder if his sleepy eyes made him see something he just wanted to see.

But you didn’t want to tease him anymore so you finally told him. ,,I’m pregnant, Jihyun. I wasn’t sick back then, I was just… pregnant! I was having symptomes. We will have a child together soon!’’ you told him, slowly getting up from the bed.

,,I’m so happy,’’ he sighed and kissed your belly.

,,I will never go away for such a long time, I swear,’’ he whispered and then, with his knees on the floor and head on your lap, slowly fell asleep….

Vanderwood

You observed Vanderwood, noticing that the mood was being off for a few days.

To be honest, it was happening ever since you told him that you wanted to stop trying to have children for the time being.

Your eyes followed Vanderwood as he walked out and took out a cigarette, sluggishly smoking and looking around.

You began to chew on your lips as you thought back, maybe beginning the topic with ,,Yo’’ wasn’t the best way to start.

But there was no way back now and it didn’t matter anymore since you finally got pregnant.

You hoped that a day later, Vanderwood’s birthday, this silence between the both of you would be over finally as you wanted to surprise him with a self made cake which said, ,,Hello Daddy!’’

Of course, you firmly told him to not look at it, something he would never do since he knew how much you liked to surprise him.

,,Vandy,’’ you called him softly.

,,Don’t call me like that,’’ he groaned, a bit annoyed as he closed the door.

,,Are you angry at me?’’ you asked him, scared for his answer.

Vanderwood turned his body to you.

He didn’t look happy and you just noticed.

,,I’m not angry, I’m just… I have the feeling that you don’t really care about having a family with me while I work my ass of and-’’

,,Woah, what gives you that idea?’’ you asked him, slowly getting off the couch and looking at him.

You didn’t want to fight with him, but his comment… hurt you deeply.

,,Last time, sorry, but you approached the topic totally wrong!’’ he hissed, on his way to the kitchen.

You followed him there. He was partly right, you thought.

,,But, I was just… I didn’t know how to tell you, but this doesn’t mean that I don’t care,’’ you told him, your trembling voice making him look back at you.

,,I know. It still hurts though,’’ he whispered and opened the fridge to take out a cold drink.

,,You know what,’’ you told him, holding onto the door of the fridge and pulling out the cake you made for him which was covered with something so that he couldn’t see what was written on it with the chocolate.

,,What-’’ before Vanderwood could even say anything, you showed him the cake you prepared for him with the note written on it that you were pregnant.

,,It’s true. I was mean and I should have approached you differently, but I was so down, I didn’t think I could get pregnant anytime soon and- just don’t say anymore that I don’t care,’’ you finished your sentence and looked up, your tears were rolling down your cheeks as you were unsure of what to do now.

But Vanderwood knew what he had to do and softly took you in his arms, laying you down in the other room and kissing your neck.

,,You destroyed my surprise,’’ he whispered, giving you a kiss again.

,,Sorry for being selfish. I was mean while you’ve been carrying my baby,’’ he honestly apologized, stroking your flat womb as you sobbed into his shoulder.

Part 4.1 of my pregnancy series here

MASTERLIST 1

MASTERLIST 2

MASTERLIST 3

🤰🏻ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ sᴇʀɪᴇs🤰🏻Masterlist here

16.05.2021// 00:12 MEST

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sushi0989 · 3 years ago

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Pick Me If You Want To (part 1)

Summary: Set in the early 1950s, you are an aspiring photographer that is currently working at a toy store until you make your big break. During a surge of Christmas shopping, you are first met by Wanda Maximoff, a mother of twin boys and married. She leaves her gloves, which gives you the opportunity to meet her again. She takes fond of you, and you of her, but her messy divorce with her husband, Vision, risks the custody of her twins. Does she continue your blossoming relationship or fight for her kids? Based on the movie Carol

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Warnings: none (i think)

Word Count: 4823

A/N: I actually thought of this idea in the middle of the night while lying in bed and I literally jumped out of bed to write it down haha. I have 2 parts written so far and I plan on having 4 parts in total. I’m also not sure if I want to include smut because in the movie they hook up once, but I’ll think about it. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy :)

Christmas was the most hectic time of the year, for shopkeepers especially. You were struggling to stay afloat during the Christmas present buying palooza. The customers kept flowing in searching for the perfect toy for their child or nephew or grandchild, constantly asking what was the best of the best. Not to mention, the annoying Santa hat perched on your head was a little too big for you, so it kept sliding off and obstructing your view. Your shift ended ten minutes from now, you only had to keep at this for ten more minutes, you assured yourself.

That was when a woman walked in: curled chestnut red hair falling just above her shoulders, red lipstick glistening in the store lights, and wore a tan coat over her light blue dress with matching gloves. She looked at the different products quizzically as you tried not to stare. She began to come to your area at the counter, so you pretended you were writing in the sales slip.

"Hello, sorry to be a bother, but I was wondering if you could help me?" the woman asked you, her voice was warm but also had a richness to it you couldn't quite describe. Perhaps like honey. "Of course, ma'am. How could I be of assistance?" you responded with your customer service voice, perky and obnoxious, two things that you were not.

"I was hoping to get something for my twin boys, but I'm not quite sure what I should get them, you see. I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction," she continued, her eyebrows furrowed while addressing you, her green eyes not leaving yours.

Your thoughts about annoying customers disappeared all for this woman. There was just something about her that made you drawn to her, but what was it? "May I suggest a model train? It would be a great gift to share between the two of them," you suggested. The woman felt that she could trust you with anything, you had this energy that she wanted to relish in, but your interaction only lasted for 2 minutes. You gestured to the model train showcase behind the woman and she nodded in agreement. "Yes, I think I would like to order that, thank you, doll," she said to you, your stomach fluttering at the nickname.

"Could I get your name please?" you asked so you could fill out the sale slip, you tried maintaining your professional composure. "Wanda Maximoff," she answered. You asked her to sign the bottom of the page, and she took her gloves off and placed them on the counter beside her to do so, your eyes glanced at her gold wedding band on her ring finger. You stared away to check on other customers as she signed and you noticed an older woman who appeared to be needing help. "If you would excuse me, I need to help another customer. Darcy over here will help you with the purchase," you told Mrs. Maximoff as you made your way to the old woman by the action figures.

She nodded her head and watched you as you turned away. Darcy came over to Mrs. Maximoff and assisted her with the payment, but as Mrs. Maximoff was leaving, she was so focused on you that she had left her gloves sitting on the counter. When you were about to leave for home, you noticed the light blue gloves still lying on the counter, but Wanda was nowhere to be found.

You went to your boss, "Mr. Stark, it looks like one of our customers has left their gloves," you stated with a ring of fear that he might get angry. He crossed his arms and huffed, "well then go look at the sales slip and contact them." You nodded, "yes sir," and pulled out the sales slip for the day. There was written, 'Wanda Maximoff' along with her address and phone number. You wrote the address down on a separate envelope and placed the gloves inside and mailed it off on your walk home.

You got back to your apartment, and much to your disappointment, your boyfriend was there, too. "Hey, baby," he said as you walked into the living room, engulfing you into a hug that you weren't really in the mood for. "Hey, Steve," you said into his chest trying to pull away, the strong scent of cologne invaded your nostrils. He wasn't a terrible person, but you couldn't stand him most of the time by his 'lovey-doveyness'. Your first year with him was great, your love felt pure, but over time it felt bland and repetitive. He, however, was infatuated by you, always wanted to be with you in every waking moment like a puppy.

"Come to France with me," he whines, but you've already told him dozens of times that you didn't want to. You were in the midst of potentially getting signed on as a photographer for The New York Times thanks to your friend, Bruce, who works there. "I already told you no," you groaned, walking away to put your bag down and ready to shower. "Come on, I have so many things planned for us," he pleaded, but you didn't want to hear it and locked yourself in your room. Little did you know, he wanted to propose to you with a candlelit dinner on the Eiffel Tower.

"Open the door," he knocked aggressively, but you didn't want to deal with him right now, or else you would say things that you wouldn't be able to take back. "I'm tired, I'm going to take a shower and crawl into bed," you groaned through the door. "Why don't I join in," he murmured seductively. "Not today, I'm not feeling it," you replied flatly. Steve sighed and walked off, now relieved, you gathered your showering items and went to the bathroom.

Wanda arrived back at her home late at night, her sons running up to her as she walked through the door of her grand estate in New Jersey. Vision, her husband, gave her an irritated expression as she hugged her children. "Go off to bed, kids, I need to talk to Daddy," she cooed and kissed the tops of their heads and they ran off up the spiral staircase.

"Took you long enough to get home."

"Well I was running errands," Wanda huffed and went over to the cupboard that contained alcohol and poured herself a glass of whiskey. She walked over to a chair in the living room and sat with her legs crossed eyeing her irritated husband.

"Errands," Vision chuckled dryly. "It's my turn to sleep in the bedroom, you can stay in the guest room tonight," he seethed while going up the stairs and slamming the bedroom door shut.

Wanda sighed as she chugged her drink and slumped further into the chair. Once the divorce was finalized she could finally be free from his judgment. She could do whatever. Wanda eventually went upstairs and quietly entered the room of her sleeping boys, giving them each other kisses and tucking them in as they were fast asleep.

In the morning, Wanda received a package with her gloves inside, the return address reading 'Stark's Toy Emporium.'

Wanda picked up the phone and called the store.

"Hello, this is Stark's Toy Emporium, Tony Stark speaking," a man answered, seeming to be in a rush. "Hello, I just received my gloves I misplaced at your store in the mail, I was wondering if I could thank whoever found them," Wanda replied.

Soon you were being called over by Tony, his eyes rolled in annoyance, as per usual. You quickly grabbed the phone hoping it wasn't Steve, "Hello?"

"Hi! This is Wanda, I just wanted to thank you for sending my gloves," she chimed through the speaker. "Oh it was nothing ma'am," you replied, trying to shake off the feeling you were getting from this woman's voice. "Well, I was wondering if I could take you out to lunch as thanks," she invited, her voice was a bit softer, deeper than before. "No, ma'am it's okay, it wasn't that big of a deal," you answered back. "Oh come on now, it's my treat. I'll see you at 2 pm at Barnes' Bistro," she hung up the phone before you could object.

It was already noon, only two more hours before you had to awkwardly make small talk with a woman you very well are intimidated by for some odd reason. You hung the phone back on its receiver and returned to work, the rush of people continued through till the end of your shift. There was not even a moment of rest before your lunch. You masked your exhaustion as you entered the restaurant, the aroma of cigarette smoke mixed with delicious food circulated the air, but you would take this scent over Steve's cologne any day.

A waiter noticed you enter and greeted you, "Good afternoon, ma'am, do you have a reservation?" You quickly scanned the restaurant and noticed the top of the chestnut red hair in the back corner. "Um, I believe the name is Maximoff, I see her back there," you pointed in the direction of the redhead. "Ah yes, Mrs. Maximoff, right this way ma'am," he gestured for you to follow him towards the back of the restaurant. It was rather dimly lit, the booths were occupied either by two men in business suits or a man and a woman, all of whom were smoking a cigar or cigarette.

"And here you are," the young waiter said as you stood at the end of the table, Mrs. Maximoff glancing up meeting your eyes. Her fingers also held a smoking cigarette, but you didn't mind since it was the norm, however, you personally didn't smoke. "You made it!" she exclaimed quickly, getting up and kissing both of your cheeks as a greeting. You awkwardly smiled and sat across from her in the booth seating.

"What drink would you like, ma'am?" the waiter asked. "Oh, uh, water should be fine, thank you," you replied quietly, your nervousness could be detected from miles away, but Mrs. Maximoff seemed to be shocked for some odd reason. "Water? No dear, let me treat you to something nice, could you get her a glass of Chianti?" she requested and the waiter nodded enthusiastically and rushed off. Mrs. Maximoff took one last puff of her cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray.

"So, I don't think I ever got your name, dear," she began. "Y/n Y/l/n" you answered quickly. "That's a pretty name for a pretty girl," she smiled and picked up her glass of red wine and took a swig. Your face blushed at the compliment, you looked down at your hands fiddling with the spoon on the table to avoid her eyes. The waiter came back with the glass of red wine meant for you and placed it next to your hand. "Thank you, Peter," Mrs. Maximoff said to him. He nodded his head before dashing off again.

"How long have you been working at the toy store?" she questioned. "It'll be one year next month, it's just a side thing," you answered embarrassed to mention your true dream. "Well, what is it you want to do?" she raised an eyebrow. "I uh- I'm a photographer," you stammered. "That's very intriguing, y/n" she complimented, you were flustered by the use of your name.

"Have you had any success in finding a job relating to photography?"

"I just met with a photo editor at the New York Times last weekend, I have to put together a portfolio and send it off to them to be considered for a position," you explained, finally looking up at her and putting your spoon down. "That sounds exciting! You must show me your work!" Mrs. Maximoff exclaimed with genuine excitement. Steve would complement your photography, but it felt half-hearted, maybe it's because he didn't want you to overshadow him someday.

After lunch as the two of you headed out, Mrs. Maximoff and you exchanged a farewell. "Thank you again for the lunch, Mrs. Maximoff," you thanked her in a quick hug. "Oh, it was my pleasure. And please call me Wanda, you're making me feel quite old. How about I give you my number and we can meet again?" she offered and you couldn't help but nod. As much as you weren't keen on continuing this friendship or relationship or whatever was happening, you felt like this woman understood you in a way no one else did.

You decided to go visit Bruce to thank him for getting the meeting with the photo editor. The thought of Wanda's phone number written on a slip of paper in your handbag added pep to your step as you strolled into the office building. You walked up to the front desk saying you were going to visit a friend, "Mr. Banner is on floor 11," she said. The elevator let you off on the floor and you saw Bruce in his office typing away on his typewriter.

"Y/n! What a pleasant surprise to see you here!" he beamed and got up from his desk to give you a kiss on the cheek. "I figured I should stop by since you're the reason my dreams have a chance of becoming a reality now," you smiled and took a seat across from his desk. "It was no problem, your talent would add so much to the paper. You're also welcome here whenever," Bruce stated leaning back in his armchair.

"Where are my manners? Let me get something to drink! I've got whiskey, gin-" "I just had a drink actually," you countered declining his offer.

"What's one more drink gonna do? Come on, live a little!" he pressured you and got up to go to the corner of his office to pull out two glasses and a bottle of gin. "Fine, only this once," you caved in. He poured two drinks and handed you one. The gin went smooth, but it still burnt your throat, however, you were able to mask it.

"How are things with you and Steve?" Bruce inquired with skepticism, which you found a little out of character, but the alcohol toiled with your mind and proceeded to spill all of your thoughts. "He wants me to go to France with him even though I've told him not so many times. I can't deal with him anymore, but I've been with him for so long now that I feel bad to end things," you confessed, making Bruce intrigued. He leaned on his desk directly in front of you.

"Is there someone else you think is causing you to lose interest in him?" Bruce asked in a low tone and leaned towards you a little bit, but still your slightly tipsy self didn't see the red flag. "I mean, I haven't really thought about that," you answered pondering, thoughts of Wanda flashing in your mind, but you were quickly brought back to reality when Bruce's lips were on yours.

You shrieked, forcing him to pull away. You angrily got up, "what the hell, Bruce?!" you scolded him. "I'm sorry! You weren't reacting when I was leaning closer to you so I just went in!" he defended his actions. "God! All men are the fucking same!" you complained and downed your drink before rushing out of his office. Bruce rubbed his forehead realizing the mistake he made, but it was too late to take it back now.

You arrived back in your apartment to emptiness, Steve was nowhere to be found. Thank god, you thought. You stumbled onto your pea-green sofa and laid there in anguish. Nothing seemed to appease you, nothing went your way. As soon as these thoughts rang in your head, your telephone rang as well. You groaned as you begrudgingly made your way to the kitchen where the phone was hung.

"Hello?" you groaned in a tired and yet apathetic voice which Wanda was a bit surprised to hear.

"Hi, sweetie, it's Wanda!"

You held your breath realizing you rudely answered the woman. You cleared your throat and corrected your shoulders before speaking again. "Hi- uh I'm- hi!" you stuttered, grumbling to yourself for this embarrassing encounter.

"I was calling to invite you over to my house, I would love to have you over," Wanda said, biting her lip hoping that you would say yes. She twirled the cord connecting to the receiver around her finger patiently waiting for your answer.

"Oh, really? I mean, I can. I don't have a car though-"

"I can pick you up!" Wanda interrupted with excitement. "When are you free this week, dear?"

"I'm free tomorrow," you replied with a smile to contain yourself. "I'll come tomorrow at noon then," Wanda concluded, little did you know just how much she was looking forward to seeing you and your adorable self. She couldn't get enough of you, and neither could you get enough of her.

Steve never came home that night, and you didn't care one bit. He was a nuisance to your life, especially right now since he knew how much this photography opportunity meant to you, but his pestering was going to make you snap and break his heart at any second.

You looked your best self, wearing a navy blue blouse with black trousers. It wasn't that common for women at the time to be wearing such things, it was more progressive, however, all you cared about was comfort. You occasionally would wear dresses, but you preferred pants and a shirt. You could say that it was for Wanda, but it was for yourself. People, particularly women, would examine your modern style as appalling, but not Wanda. You figured why not be comfortable and stylish.

You made a small breakfast before Wanda arrived. You had a bit of a headache from all of the alcohol you had the day before, but that was barely on your mind. All you could think about was making sure you looked presentable as did your apartment before Wanda came. You just finished drying the last dish when you heard a knock on your door. You dried your hands with the dish towel before scurrying to quickly let Wanda in.

There she was, standing in a red coat that hugged her figure in all of the right ways. She wore a beige dress underneath, hidden by the boldness of the coat that you couldn't keep your eyes off of. She was also wearing a matching red hat that looked beautiful with her chestnut hair.

"Ready to go?" she asked, seemingly in a hurry. "Yes, let me get my bag," you turned around and grabbed your bag off of the coffee table, inside holding your wallet and your camera just in case there was an opportunity to shoot.

You walked with Wanda side by side in a comfortable silence until you reached her car. You sat on the passenger side, which was connected with the driver's seat.

"Would you like any music?" Wanda inquired as she pulled out of the parking spot on the curb. "I'll listen to whatever you do," you answered. You didn't listen to music all that much, you didn't have the time to nor did you have a radio.

"I like to drive in silence, the sound of the wind soothes me," Wanda replied. You turned your head and saw how the cool wind tousled Wanda's hair around, but never did it ruin her perfect curls.

"There's a Christmas tree farm on the way that I wanted to check out if that's okay with you," Wanda imparted quickly glancing at you but focused on the road. "That's fine, I don't mind," you said. Wanda's cheeks feathered a light pink, delighted that you agreed. She soon pulled into the small but crowded Christmas tree market. There was Christmas music playing, kids laughing and sprinting around completely oblivious to the disgruntled shouts by their parents, and the occasional newlywed couple admiring what tree was to be their first one.

"You can stay in the car if you'd like, I'm just going to pay for one and bring it back some other time," Wanda was saying to you standing right out of the passenger window. You didn't even notice her get out of the car let alone walk around to get your attention away from the beautiful scene you were watching. "That's fine, you go ahead," you answered, glancing up at her face.

Wanda turned around and made her way towards the clerk, the cool winter breeze ruffling her coat and hair. Your attention was now focused on the woman, how her smile stretched from ear to ear, her mannerisms like how she would play with the ring on her finger while speaking to someone, or how she would partially bite her lip while thinking of a response to a question in conversation.

Your hand automatically reached for your bag and pulled out your camera. You stepped out of the car and shot some candid photos of Wanda, capturing her elegance. As Wanda finished up, you took pictures of the rest of the scene you were so enthralled in before Wanda had caught your attention again. Once you were satisfied, you went back into the car and wrote your name onto the foggy window.

"Dirtying my car I see," Wanda teased, making you tense up. "I'm sorry, I'll wipe it-"

"I'm just kidding, you're so uptight! Let loose! I don't bite," Wanda assured you, but you still held your breath around her. You didn't want her to think badly of you, to set her off in any kind of way even though you barely know this woman. You responded to her with a weak smile to exemplify that you understood her suggestion, you reprimanded your subconscious for looking into her enchanting eyes.

She got into the driver's seat once again, only her left hand gripped the steering wheel while her right hand rested on her lap. After another 20 minutes, you arrived at her home. It was evening by the time you got there, the sunset earlier in the winter, but the area around her room was beautifully lit. It was just as you imagined, a large estate with a grand yard filled with all kinds of bushes and flowers surrounding it.

"Wow," you gawked in amazement. You both entered and your head swiveled to take in all of the details perfectly situated around her home. Your eyes lingered at a family portrait of her, her twin children, and what appeared to be her husband, a tall man who had a strained smile, forced, no true happiness lying beneath it. There was no one in the home, was what you thought at first until you heard the giggles of children emanating from upstairs.

"Billy! Tommy! What are you doing?" Wanda shouted, her hands on her hips facing to look up the spiral staircase in the direction of the laughter. "We're just playing, Momma!" one of them shouted back from the bedroom.

Wanda turned back to face you and sighed. "They can be a handful, but I'm just glad they have one another to keep each other entertained." You nodded in understanding, you had younger siblings who were reckless little misfits that you had to take care of, so you knew exactly what it was like.

You noticed a beautiful grand piano located in a room beside the dining area and your legs automatically took you towards it. You hand caressed the top, you had never seen such a luxurious piano, you've only ever played cheap upright ones. "Can you play?" you asked Wanda, your eyes still admiring the ivory keys.

"Sadly, I cannot. My husband can, but he hasn't touched it in years," Wanda confessed, a twinge of disappointment in her tone. "Can you?"

"I can, but I'm not the greatest," you chuckled dryly. "Oh, you shouldn't have said that, y/n because now I'm going to need to hear you play for me," Wanda smirked and walked over to you and the piano. "Oh gosh, I'd rather not. My hands probably have lost their ability and my voice-"

"You sing, too?! Now I must hear you play and sing!" Wanda was elated, she leaned on the piano as your face heated up. You sighed knowing that you were a guest and you brought nothing to give, not even a bottle of wine. "Since I didn't bring you a gift for inviting me to your home, this can be it," you grinned nervously as you slowly sat on the bench and placed your hands on the keys.

Your fingers automatically played a run, completely captivating Wanda at the effortless ability. You cleared your throat and began to sing.

"Everybody loves somebody sometime. Everybody falls in love somehow. Something in your kiss just told me, that sometime is now." You carried on singing, your voice lulling Wanda as she swayed to the song. She crept over and took a seat next to you on the piano bench as you continued playing, trying not to stutter your words when you felt her leg brush yours.

"Everybody loves somebody sometime. And though my dreams were overdue, your love made it all worth waiting for someone like you," you slowed the song and the piano still hummed the last note. Wanda placed her hand on your thigh and whispered, "that was absolutely beautiful." You shuddered by the touch and curled your toes.

"My dad taught me how to play. He would always sing this song to my mother. He loved her so much, I swore that I one day want to love someone the way my dad loved my mom. When he passed, I would play this song for my mother in his place, but then she started to lose her memory and now she stays with my younger sister in New Haven," you explained solemnly. Wanda furrowed her eyebrows, her heart ached for you. She moved her hand from your thigh to your face, cupping your cheek.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I am certain, however, with that talent and song you can win over anyone's heart in under five seconds," she smiled and kissed your forehead. You blushed and looked deeply into her green eyes. You tried to capture this moment into your subconscious. She was no longer in her coat, just her beige dress, a pearl necklace, no gloves, and the same red lipstick. Her mouth was slightly open, she glanced down at your lips and began to close the gap.

The front door of the house abruptly opened and a man wearing a suit hiding underneath a black coat walked inside with a brown briefcase. Wanda quickly dropped her hand from your face and stood up. You turned away from her as well. He took notice of the tension and scowled.

"Wanda. You brought your antics into our home. My home. Under my roof. Already moved on from Monica and now you've brought someone else!" he fumed and aggressively put his briefcase down. "Don't yell in front of her, Vision! We can discuss this privately," Wanda hissed at him.

"I'm taking the kids to Florida with me for Christmas, right now," he announced as he ran upstairs to their room. "You're what?! You didn't discuss this with me!" Wanda yelled at him running after him. He soon was holding each kid in either arm and pushed Wanda out of his way. "You can't do this!" she began to cry, but he ignored her, anger clouded all around him. There was a car outside with a chauffeur, Vision put them in the backseat. You stood there watching this all unfold, unsure of what to do.

You rushed over to the front door to see Wanda sobbing while on her knees on the porch as the car drove off. You crouched down and embraced her, she put her arms around you and burrowed her face into the crook of your neck and shoulder. Her sobs wracked her entire body, her breathing was uneasy, so you rubbed circles on her back. She eventually calmed down and pulled away.

"I'll drive you to the train station," she said with her broken voice. You nodded your head, she needed time to herself and you were right now a reminder of what she just lost. "I'll call a cab, you should go get some rest," you responded and held her hand in yours. "Are you sure?" Wanda replied. You gave her a smile, which she took as her answer.

The cab arrived within ten minutes, Wanda waved goodbye, no hug or kiss on the cheek. You waved back through the window and the view of her became smaller and smaller as the cab drove off into the night.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff #fanfic #marvel #avengers #wanda x reader

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