#Ironically enough I didn't get a cake this year

[reksink]

Happy Birthday, Reks!

(Hands you a Lemon Cake) 🍰 ^w^

Mmmmmm lemon cake my beloved THANK YOU FUZZBALL!!

#ask #fuzzy-worm-draws #my art #Ironically enough I didn't get a cake this year #But honestly that was propably for the I would've been incredibly full of good food I would've felt bad for not being able touch it hehe #I still might ask for on though. My cake needs are yet to be met #Also don't ask why the cake had blood in it #Sometimes you need a cake with layers of flesh in it #It's very important for the growing body

[walpu]

Happy birthday Aventurine

...in which he finds himself enjoying his birthday for the first time after he lost everything

notes - gn!reader, was written with a stellaron hunter!reader in mind but it's not specified just know you're considered a criminal in this one, pre-canon, unestablished relationship with a flavor of pining, angs, hurt/comfort, no beta

Love my birthday boy

He doesn't celebrate his birthdays. Not since the day he lost everything. How can he celebrate the joy of his birth if on this day all the joy was taken away from him?

Born on the blessed day, he's Mother Goddess's beloved child. But why did she abandon her people then? Why it had to happen on the day they were celebrating her, on the day they were supposed to be saved? How can he see himself as something other than cursed, how can he see the day as something other than tragedy?

Anyhow, even if he would want to celebrate, for the first years after the massacre he didn't even have the opportunity to do so. And if he could, he would rather mourn his people, his family. But no, he can only focus on his survival, trying to fulfill the promise he gave to his sister.

Now, standing in the lonely hotel room, he can only smile bitterly at the sight of beautifully decorated cake Jade has send him. How ironic, wasn't she the one who told him to forget his name and his past? Perhaps she simply doesn't look at this the same way he does. "You can't change what happened but you can celebrate that you're still here", she would probably say. He envies her ability to brush off sentiments, really.

Now, when he is no longer Kakavasha but Aventurine of the Ten Stonehearts, he was deliberately choosing to ignore this day. It has nothing to do with his new self.

He may still hold onto his mother's necklace, his father's shirt, the promise he gave to his big sis. But this day? He doesn't need it. He doesn't need another reminder of the moment he lost everything.

That's what he tells himself, ignoring the pain in his chest, trying to bury himself in the work, running away on a mission he insisted on taking, even if was supposed to be his day off.

Still, he gets the cake. This stupid reminder of the worst day in his life.

It honestly feels like a joke. He doesn't even have anyone to eat this with!

He knows Jade didn't try to mock him, she's pragmatic, not crue. But aeons, it does feel like mockery still.

So he sits with this stupid cake in front of him, not really knowing if he should just throw it away. Somehow it feels... wrong. Wasteful. He knows how stupid that thought is, both him and Jade are rich enough to buy thouthands of those cakes. Yet he can't help but remember how his mom and sister would go out of their ways to give him something nice for his birthdays, something that could be considered a treat, a gift. Now he can have everything he wants but... they won't be there to share it with him.

No one is there to share it with him.

... at least he thinks so. Up until the moment the window opens from the outside (eighteenth floor, mind you) and a very familiar figure jumps in.

He really can't help but smile. Not only out of habit but because your ability to sneak in anywhere you want is truly amusing.

"Oh, what I see? A wanted criminal breaking into the room of one of the IPC's most noticeable employees? Don't you afride of being caught, my dear? Or you've finally decided to end our partnership and get rid of me?"

He can't help but chuckle at your unimpressed gaze. Yes, he has told this joke more than once already. But it's not his fault it always make you roll your eyes in a funny way.

But he really is curious what brought you here. Showing up like that is very risky, for both of you. Something serious must have happened if you decided to visit him out of the blue.

... that's what he thinks until you pull out a small gift box from your pocket, throwing it his way.

"A little birdie told me today it's your birthday. I don't usually participate in the whole gift giving tradition. Nor do I celebrate something myself. But those things reminded me of you and I was nearby anyway" you say with a cheeky smile.

He doesn't even know how to react, honestly. His hands just automatically unwrap the box and... oh. It's a set of earrings. A very pretty set of earrings.

"They reminded me of peacock tails" you say, barely holding back a chuckle.

"How original you are. I'm a birthday boy, you should be nicer, you know!" he acts like it's just a small joke between you two but his voice is weaker than usual and his hands are a bit shaky. He doesn't want to overthink it, he really shouldn't do it, it's just a small gift, a joke.

You thought of him. You know his taste well enough. I came to find him. You're here with him.

He almost panics when you say your goodbyes and turn to leave (through the window again. He'll never know how you do it).

"Hey, hey, no need to hurry. Let me be a good host for my friend" he says with his signature smile (he always feels like you see right through it) while his hand is clenched behind his back (he feels like you see through this too).

Please don't leave.

When you sigh and turn back to face him, he suddenly feels relieved that Jade send him the cake. The thought of sharing it with a wanted criminal who caused nothing but headaches to the IPC is somewhat amusing.

"How about we visit a nearby casino after this, hm? I promise you won't lose with me by your side"

If he can have you by his side, mayve he'll have at least one memory of this day untainted by pain and grief.

#sleep deprived and tired but I really wanted to write something for his birthday #Aventurine #reader insert #hsr #aventurine x reader #honkai star rail #hsr aventurine #walp's writing #stellaron hunter!reader #kinda

[wispythreads]

I did catch on to that part of it with him bouncing between jobs so frequently, and some of the other things like the fridge freezer, but they were still included in the jumbled up thoughts I listed out partly because I was thinking about them before coming to an answer, and partly because I'm not fully sure if those answers are all there is to it.

Cause, yeah, there’s the newspaper clipping rebuking him for being “unprofessional and brash” (which damn that’s also just rotating in my head because Vince was clearly reading this specific clipping earlier and blatantly lied saying Rody hadn’t been mentioned at all, later scribbling out the section talking about the waiter), he’s very clearly messy and unkempt in pretty much every aspect of his life, and even if he gets the to-go question right in the tutorial, Vince appends the "Good work." with "keep tone in mind."

But, the thing is, he does know a lot of the basics. Much of the tutorial is really just for the benefit of the player to know how the mechanics of the game works, Rody meanwhile nods along and does whatever task is needed without comment, only getting tripped up when Vince mentions the way the menu for his bistro works, and when the aforementioned customer asked if he could get boxes to go or call in his order ahead of time. Which I think are reasonable things to get tripped up on! Those seem like things that would vary depending on the establishment he was working for.

I keep thinking about his reaction when Vince pivoted the conversation of "do you actually like your job" onto Rody. His awkward response that it paid him money. Vince voicing specifically “I doubt you wanted to wait tables for a living-”, and that being met with how there was “something” Rody went to school for, that he was too hesitant to tell Vince, feeling he’d get made fun of. The impression that its some passion he had that just didn't work out. The revelation later that the “something” in question was him majoring in hospitality.

He was afraid he'd be made fun of for actively going to school and choosing to study for skills that, either ironically or purposefully, would've been useful for his current job of waiting tables. A goal that he flunked out of. He has had 28 jobs in the service industry over the course of 7 years. He keeps losing his job, but he also keeps getting hired.

I keep thinking of the post-credits scene of the Best Served Hot, whisky lemon cake ending. "I can't keep watching you ruin any semblance of progress you make with yourself while trying to make me happy, it's exhausting-"

He's only 4 days into this job when he approaches Vince for a raise. He already figures he'll have enough to do something nice for Manon, his "girlfriend," by the end of the week, but he wants more to make it really special. He is very clearly told 'no.'

On the 5th day, when his shift is finally over and done, we don't next see him as we usually do, back at his apartment. He's still at the bistro, all the lights turned out. The only other person presumably being Vince hacking away at the meat in the freezer that'll be used for the meals in the morning. The first time I went through that night, I presumed Rody had just been selected to stay late and help clean up for the night, with whatever Vince was doing in the background ominous horror ambience to be unsettled by.

But we can't really do anything while there that would support this initial assumption. There are only two things you can do. Snoop around in Vince's office, and... steal from the cash register. Whether you avoid doing the latter as I did or not, it has no bearing on whatever ending you get, but just the fact that it's even an option to Rody...

How many other times did he allow his love for Manon to rule over his decisions, making choices in the pursuit of what he believed would make her happy, no matter the cost, before finally facing a price for his obsession beyond the scope of his worst nightmares?

...

And after all that I do want to defend the rollerskates a bit because

Rollerskates in restaurants are kinda a thing, in the 1960s (the year this game is set) they were a pretty popular gimmick/tool for diners in the U.S. at least, not sure about elsewhere in the world unfortunately

Yeah he canonically brought and proceeded to wear rollerskates to work at a fancy bistro. But that also means Vince watched him show up to work one day, wearing rollerskates, and just let him do it. Just watched Rody roll around his fancy bistro attending to customers that expect the highest of professionalism, and said nothing.

#dead plate #dead plate spoilers #rody #bit of play experience #sort of #hopefully this makes sense for others reading this my thoughts still feel very jumbled up

[goosedoes-fics]

Missing

Spiderman Noir x Reader

Content warnings: alcohol mention, no use of y/n, first person (reader pov)

Notes: if you look closely you can see the exact moment that I lost all inspiration to actually finish this oneshot!! anyways yea I was gonna have it from Noir's POV but it would be harder for the reader to be gender neutral if that was the case

~~~~~

The young shamus' office was colder than a summer night in Antarctica. A single light dangled overhead, dimly illuminating the room just enough that the corners were pitch black, but everything else was a bit visible. I had heard tales of the hard-boiled gumshoe, the only private eye in New York to wear a mask. It was pretty dang smart, really. Protecting his identity and all that jazz.

His feet were propped up on his desk, clad in worn leather boots that seemed to have dirt caked in from his many adventures. His fedora covered where his eyes would have been, had he not been wearing a mask that already concealed them.

I took notice of the bottle of moonshine on his desk, picking it up and inspecting the label. "Bit ironic for a detective to be drinkin' hooch, ain't it?"

For a moment, I thought he wouldn't respond, as he didn't look up nor tilt up his hat, but he leaned forward slightly as he addressed me. "Don't blow your wig, pal. You can't convince me ya haven't stepped into a speakeasy a few times."

His retort earned a quiet laugh out of me as I placed the bottle back in its original spot.

The private investigator finally took his feet off the desk and looked up at me. I could only imagine his piercing gray eyes inspecting me. The thought somehow got me flustered, subtle heat rising to my cheeks.

"You got somethin' to say, or are you just gonna stand there gawkin'?" He eventually asked, snapping me out of my stupor.

He reached into a drawer on his desk and took out a cigar, lighting it and putting it up to the fabric of his mask where his mouth would be. "Usually people come in here for me to solve a mystery."

"Oh!" I laughed nervously. Had I been staring at him? Idiot. "Right. Yeah."

Reaching into my back pocket, I retrieved a small photograph, sliding it across the table like an 8 ball in a game of pool.

"My grandma." I tapped the photo. "Y'see the necklace? It's been in my family for decades. And today, it wasn't in the safe."

The detective's interest seemed piqued, at least from what little I could deduce from his body language. "Touched it lately?"

"Not since two months ago. It's only for VERY special occasions." I shrugged, taking a glance at the nameplate on his desk. "Mr. Noir... can you find it?"

The silence was thicker than 5 year old expired eggnog. Golly, how I wished I knew what he was thinking. The only thing I could decipher was a bit of curiosity from the slight tilt of his head.

I hadn't even realized I was holding my breath until I started getting dizzy.

Eventually, he spoke up. "The question ain't can I, toots. It's will I. And the answer is yes."

A small smile spread across my lips as he stood up, handing me back the photograph with a slight tilt of his head.

"Thank you, sir."

The apartment I lived in was quite small, and hardly luxurious. Despite our family heirloom being one of such high worth, we weren't a wealthy family. But I managed to get by. Even if it wasn't large, it was cozy.

"This is your place?" His body language betrayed no thoughts. It was really quite frustrating how little I could infer from him, with only his voice and movements to determine what he was feeling.

"...it's not much," I admitted carefully, "But I do like it."

"And you never thought to sell the necklace?"

"No, sir. It's too important to our family."

Noir hummed softly, inspecting the safe when I pointed it out. He dragged a gloved finger over the surface, a thin layer of dust now coating his fingertip like ash from a fireplace. The motion somehow made me nervous, as if he was convincing me I had something to hide.

Noir looked up at me after a moment's pause. "...Listen, if you can't pay, I can-"

"No." I cut him off. "I can pay. I wouldn't have hired you if I didn't set aside some money."

The vigilante didn't respond. He merely turned back to the safe, closing the door of it before standing up straight again. He looked down at me, and I could practically feel his eyes burning into me.

"...I can't take your money, darlin'."

Frustration boiled inside of me as I took a step forward. "Yes you can. I don't need pity, detective."

A small sigh could be heard through the fabric of Noir's mask. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from having an outburst.

In a swift, almost imperceptible movement, Noir took one of my hands in both of his. The investigator's huge gloved hands dwarfed my own. "You don't understand. I know what happened with yer necklace, I can't ask you to pay me for such a quick job."

It was hard for me to choke out any words. "But-"

"No buts."

"I have to pay you. This is your job," I protested.

Noir was quiet for a moment before cupping my face in his hands. I was aware of heat rising to my cheeks. If he noticed how flustered he was making me, he didn't say anything. "You really wanna pay? I'm not gonna bump gums with you about this."

I nodded stubbornly. Perhaps I didn't quite understand the implications of his words, because after lifting up his mask just above his nose, he kissed me square on the lips.

The light pink on my cheeks doubled, turning my face red as I slowly began kissing back. My mind clouded, halting any racing thoughts and focusing only on the gentleness of his lips.

When he finally pulled away, it felt too soon. I couldn't squeak out any words as he took a step back from me, tilting his hat by the brim with a small nod.

My mind was still in a bit of a daze when he started to leave. "By the way, darlin'." I looked up at him as he spoke to me. "Check the coffee table."

And sure enough, there was the necklace, hidden from view next to a stack of magazines.

#spiderman noir #spiderman #spiderman noir x reader #spider noir #spider noir x reader #noir #noir x reader #into the spider verse #itsv #x reader #itsv x reader #into the spider verse x reader

[gregorovitch-adler]

@flashfictionfridayofficial

BBC Sherlock.

It is what it is

"I cheated on Mary," said John, as his eyes welled up, and in came the monologue to a non-existent person, presumably Mary.

Sherlock followed John's gaze and stopped at an empty corner of the sitting room of their flat. Well, his flat, technically, because John wasn't here anymore.

All he could conclude was that John was not okay.

"Who you think I am, is the man I want to be," John continued.

Sherlock turned to look from the empty corner to John's face, pressing his lips together with utter heartbreak. Sherlock had always admired John's medical skills, his combat skills, his sense of authority, his sense of humour, and the list could go on forever.

Mary was not even in the picture when Sherlock began to look up to him and admire him.

Was that not enough?

The image of John punching and kicking him in the ribs flashed before him. Of course it wasn't enough, thought Sherlock and chuckled mirthlessly in his mind.

Probably because he wasn't a woman, or not human enough for John's liking.

However, anyone with half a brain would laugh at the second possibility, given the fact that he wouldn't have been sitting on this chair if he hadn't revived himself that day, after getting shot by John's own wife.

When John buried his face in his hand and burst into tears, Sherlock thought it didn't matter anymore. He got up as carefully as he could with his wounded back to approach John slowly across the room.

Sherlock felt as though he was in a lion's den, and any wrong move could prove to be fatal. Still, mustering enough courage and physical strength, he approached John and carefully placed his right arm around John's shoulder, and rested his palm on John's nape. He placed his left hand on John's other shoulder and held him gently in his arms. Surprisingly, John not only allowed himself to be hugged, but he also placed his head on Sherlock's chest. Sherlock didn't care about his shirt getting wet because of John's uncontrollable tears.

As Sherlock continued to hold John like he was the most precious thing in the world, he came to a conclusion: perhaps he was wrong to put John on sort of a pedestal for all these years. John had a plethora of qualities, but seeing him through a rose-tinted lens most of the time had been an imperfect sign. An imperfect way of viewing this man.

Ironic, for someone who was a professional detective.

John wasn't perfect; he had a dark side too. The thought was oddly comforting.

Sherlock just wished he hadn't found this out the hard way. But his love for John was far too much to waver, even after everything.

Sherlock pulled John even closer as he buried his nose in John's hair, inhaling his natural scent. Their breathing rate had become in-sync.

Sherlock reluctantly let go of John after some time. John gazed up at him with his beautiful, deep blue eyes, dampened with tears.

Sherlock decided to share his conclusions with him. "It’s not a pleasant thought, John, but I have this terrible feeling, from time to time, that we might all just be human."

John raised his eyebrows at that with a faint smile. "What, even you?"

Sherlock was not amused at this taunt. "No."

John's smile faded and he just blinked at Sherlock wordlessly.

"Even you."

A moment passed. "Cake?" asked John, all of a sudden.

"Cake." Sherlock nodded.

As he walked across the room to grab his coat to go out with John, Sherlock decided that being John's friend again was the next best thing. The other option, the unthinkable one, was completely off the table now. It never was on the table for John.

Sherlock sighed heavily and wistfully.

Probably for the best, he thought, as he and John walked out of the apartment building to have some cake for his birthday.

Tags: @a-victorian-girl , @lisbeth-kk, @helloliriels , @topsyturvy-turtely , @keirgreeneyes, @totallysilvergirl , @jamielovesjam, @peanitbear, etc.

#johnlock #bbc sherlock #john watson #sherlock holmes #sherlock x john #bittersweet #flash fiction friday #ficlet #fic writing #johnlock ficlet #the lying detective #pov: sherlock holmes #introspection #unrequited love #pining sherlock holmes #angst #platonic friendship #FFF233 #imperfect sign

[he-calls-me-kitten]

His Darling Apprentice 2

<- Part 1

Solomon x Gn!MC 

Continued...

"Happy Birthday, Solomon!" Your voice message chirped from his phone at midnight. The first and only wish he got that day.

You weren't too keen on his idea about not telling anyone else, but he was the birthday boy and his word was final. He was away in the human realm 'doing urgent errands'.

In all honesty, he was avoiding direct contact with you. He couldn't stop feeling guilty about that night.

"Won't you let me come meet you atleast?" You texted. He could picture you pouting so clearly. It hurt him to make you that way.

"Next year I promise. This year, just your wish is enough." He said, warm and giddy as he lay back in his bed, waiting for your next text. Only there was a picture too.

It was you wearing a silly birthday hat tilted on your head, one finger stuck inside your mouth, cream smeared on the sides."You are missing your delicious birthday cake. I don't know how long I can protect it from Beel."

Fuck. Not again.

His imagination grew more vivid. He closed his eyes and imagined you sitting on top of him, displeased because he kept you waiting. He imagined you undoing his belt and roughly tease his throbbing erection. "This is your punishment for spending such a special day alone."

"Hah...MC..." You placed his tip between your soft lips and he grabs you by the hair, pushing himself inside you, to the back of your throat. You don't pull away even as your eyes water. He tries to pull away before he comes but you don't let go.

His cum marks your face, glistening in the moonlight as you smile and taste him. Before Solomon knew it, he'd made a mess of himself, some of it even covered the phone screen. Right on your picture. He wiped it away hastily.

Ironically, the last text from you read "Please just come soon."

❄️

"It's almost Christmas." You shivered by the closed windows, watching the delicate snow flutter to the ground. "I love the festivities, hate the cold."

"Really? I rather like the cold." Solomon placed a blanket over your legs. The goosebumps on your skin were too distracting. "It's the heat of the summer I can't stand."

"Well the cold is fun when you have a partner to cuddle you and keep you warm." You said gleefully, pulling him closer and wrapping your arms around his waist in an embrace. "Just like this."

His heart pounded right underneath your cheek resting on his chest. He let his arms reciprocate.  He felt the summer heat in the middle of Devildom winter, throbbing and needy under his belt. He had gotten worse since that day, getting aroused by your mere proximity.

"We are doing the Secret Santa system aren't we? Who did you get?" He asked, changing the subject. Talking to get his mind out of the gutter.

"I got Satan. Got him a book called Memoirs of a Catlady." You answered. "Every chapter is about each one of her 32 cats. Honestly it's good that Satan has such particular interests. Easier to buy gifts for him. Who did you get?"

How lucky for him.

"Well I didn't so much 'get' one. More like Asmo simply took the paper with his name on it and forced it into my hand." Solomon sighed. He really wanted to get your name. There's so many things he could have given you.  

You seemed downright annoyed, eyebrows furrowing in anger. "That Asmo, honestly! Again the same as last year! I don't care if he's full of himself but the least he can do is not be so pushy and let you choose fairly like everyone else." Your grip on his waist tightened.

Is that just protectiveness? Or is that ... jealousy?

"It's okay, it's not too bad. One good thing about Asmo is he always keeps a list of the gifts he wants ready." He laughs, as if trying to soothe you. "So I never have to think too much about it."

"Ugh. Way to ruin the spirit of suprises." You shook your head in dismay. "Well what does he want then? If it's something magical you have to stay up late night to make again, I'm going to help you. I can't believe you lost so much sleep trying to make a particular soap for him last year."

"Haha, it's already finished. I'll show you at the Eve party tomorrow night." He patted your head to calm your temper.

It was driving him crazy. Your endless care and willingness to help, getting angry on his behalf - he was falling deeper in love than he thought was possible.

❄️

Asmo announced it before Solomon could. "Attention everyone! I'd like you all to marvel at the gift I requested! Thank you Solomon for being so amazing!" The demon leaned towards him, pressing a glossy kiss on his cheek.

Solomon's eyes flitted to you on instinct. You were looking somwhere far away, a forced smile and resentful clapping. Like you didn't want to be in this room anymore.

"It's a magical mistletoe! Any two people standing beneath it will feel a unstoppable compulsion to kiss." Asmo winked at you when he said that.

Solomon's head burned. But your steely eyed response to Asmo's advances cooled it back. What a relief. Atleast he won't lose you to his cheap charms.  

"You can't possibly think to hang it here in the middle of the party." Lucifer reprimanded. "What if two of us brothers land underneath it?"

The rest of the brothers let out groans of disgust and agreed. Simeon and Diavolo nodded in agreement too. So it was put away, back in its box until the party ended.

Soon, Levi was singing his sixth song on the karaoke. Mammon and Asmo were trying to pull him away, Belphie was passed out asleep and Beel was finishing whatever was left of the giant Christmas cake. Diavolo was attempting to carry a drunken Lucifer back to his room while Barbatos was enjoying tea and themed pastries with the angels.

"What a waste. You must worked hard making it." You appeared next to Solomon. Even with the chaos erupting around him, it felt like he was in a space alone with you. He constantly craved that feeling.

"It's quite alright actually. I'd have to take the blame for whatever that thing makes happen." He felt you lean on his shoulder casually. The weight of your head on him was more comforting than he could imagine.  That was until Satan took it away.

"MC, I believe I haven't properly thanked you for my gift." The demon appeared out of nowhere, taking MC by the hand and leaning in towards their face. Solomon almost muttered a repulsion spell.

"No Satan really it's okay. I'm just glad you like it as much I thought you would-"

"Even then it's not fair that only Beel got to give you a present. Half of which he had already eaten. Surely you deserve better presents than that." Satan argued.

"You are waiting for MC's permission to give them a gift? I already planned mine." Asmo appeared, wrapping his arms around both Solomon and you. "I'll come to your room to give it to you at night."

A sickly feeling filled his insides - Solomon did NOT like the sound of that.

❄️

"Just what I was afraid of." Solomon stared at the enchanted mistletoe hanging from your ceiling.

He didn't dare imagine what would have happened if he hadn't sneaked away from the party and to check. Even the thought of another man with you- ugh, it made his blood boil.

He was just about to get up on your bed when he heard the door creak open. You looked back in shock to see you enter.

"Solomon?" You inched closer to him. He should have stopped you. Stop before we're both under the mistletoe. But he didn't. All he could think of was your lips and how soft they'd feel against him before he lost complete control of his body.

Without another word, he pulled you in, latching his lips on to yours. You tasted like cake and coffee, so soft and supple. Far better than what he dreamed of.

Light-headed and dizzy, he thought of nothing else. Only that he was kissing you. And your hands were holding onto him tightly and your tongue dancing on his.

#obey me #obey me solomon #obey me smut #obey me solomon x mc #obey me imagine

[historia-vitae-magistras]

butt?

I had to substitute it for arse, sorry. Exploratory fic I began to explore some character dynamics and what the lifestyle of 4 growing nations and their mother in their last real time together would be like in a slightly Post-Roman Iron Age estate as the Migration period picks up and Germanic peoples cross the North Sea to make a home. I believe of these earlier themes have their origin with @balladofthewhitehorse.

5th Century AD, Cumbria

"Rhys," Alasdair appeared at the fence line, his face gloomy. Rhys had stopped here for his mid-day meal halfway between where the shepherds had herded the sheep in the northernmost glen and their home behind on the hill. It'd been a long two days in the hills. He offered the cider flask to his brother as Alasdair approached, his frown deepening. It wasn't raining, and the day's work wouldn't have been hard. Bad news, then. It was always bad news.

"What is it this time?"

"Rot in the south store."

"Oats, rye or wheat?" Rhys asked. The rye they might go without, but the rain hadn't come so early that anything else should rot.

"Oats,"

"Fuck." Rhys sat on the low wall of flagstones and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fuck,"

He glanced up. His brother looked even more dour. "Gods, what else?"

"Seven horses," Alasdair said, sitting beside Rhys, boneless and upset.

Rhys gaped at him. "Seven? That's three more than were sick yesterday!"

"It's spreading." Alasdair shrugged helplessly. "I took the healthy ones into the third stables, and it didn't help."

"Is it distemper?"

"I didn't think so," Alasdair said. "They weren't so feverish, and there wasn't pus, but now I don't know.

"So, no horses to sell this year. At least half the oats are gone."

"Rhys." Alasdair's ingot grey gaze fell heavily, and Rhys glanced at his brother.

"I know," He said, and Alasdair didn't look convinced. He looked at his elder brother with a firm look. "I know."

"If we can't pay the tributes…"

He thought of the mustached helmets of the German kings and exhaled. "We don't know that we can't pay. There's plenty to sell."

"It's not just a lack of goods I'm worried about. It's been a bad year for everyone. There might not be anyone to sell to."

"There must be," Rhys said, pulling his cloak tighter over his shoulders. "There will be. We'll figure it out."

"I suppose all we can do is pray," Alasdair said.

Rhys frowned. Alasdair was the one with a mind for numbers, but he always worried, and they always managed before. So what if the horses would not fetch the total price if they were ill come market day? There was still the wool, the fine worked saddles he and Alasdair had made the year before, and plenty of cattle, sheep, honey and mead to sell. There were options. They had options.

"I'll see to the horses; if none of them die, we'll be fine," Alasdair said. "We have ore too. I might get a good price for my boar spears."

"Maybe," Rhys said. His hope was teetering precariously on the assumption that his brother was overly worried.

There was an unspoken sense of doom between them, both praying their worries were unfounded. Rhys grimaced after they parted ways at the outer gate, Alasdair marching off to the stables and Rhys to the poultry yard and the hives. One of the women in his mother's service alerted him to the fact that another of the hives had gone dark with rot. Honey was expensive, and now there wouldn't be enough to sell and use themselves over the long winter. Rhys waved her off with a pinched-off smile.

He stood in the poultry yard for a long moment, leaning against the half gate that kept the hens, quail, and ducks safe in their enclosure and away from the hounds. He watched Arthur tumble after a goose, laughing as it squawked and ducked him. Their dinner pail of scraps and grain was sitting neglected as he played, but Rhys looked on, letting him play. They'd have to keep more honey than what he'd wanted to sell, if only for Arthur's sake. Honey cakes with stored apples and cheese or on bread were one of those precious things that would cheer him when the worst of the winter gloom gripped him worse than any of them. Arthur rolled to a halt, cackling as the goose bobbed angrily and finally noticed him.

"Rhys!" He grinned, leaping to his feet and making a beeline for him. He exhaled a loud "oomph" as Arthur knocked into him, throwing his arms around him. "You're back!"

"I was only gone a night," He laughed. "How is Mother? And where is your cloak? Have you lost it again?"

"The same," Arthur said. "Maybe a little better. She laughed this morning when I fell right on my arse out of bed. Bridgie pushed me."

"Good! And you probably deserved it. You kick in your sleep." He replied, and his smile was genuine. Mother had at least made an effort to shake her recent gloom then. She'd been thinner, paler, and sadder than he'd ever seen her in the last few years, and it hadn't gotten any better as the days became shorter. "And your cloak?"

"I forgot it!"

"You'll catch your death." Rhys ruffled his hair. "Hurry and feed the birds and come in for dinner."

#the ask box || probis pateo #my writing || cacoethes scribendi #Britannia and her children || they made a desert and called it peace #hws scotland #hws wales #hws england

[oceanlue]

A birthday and holiday 🕯

The hand on the Clock Struck 12 as the day of the 25th came by for the day of joy and celebration went throughout the night Christmas has arrived.

In the morning lots of children with run downstairs under the tree and see the present Santa or their loved ones I've given them the stockings hung up with care and hearing the people outside singing Christmas carols for all to see and hear.

But one man was alone in his own home in the morning as he just drank his coffee looking out his window staring at the beautiful scenery of snow people and the laughter even though today was Christmas it was also his birthday kind of ironic in a way but nonetheless you didn't really celebrate Christmas or his birthday

This man was known to be cold grouchy and not nice kind of like Scrooge.

And even though he acted the way he did he slightly cared for the people and his work and sadly everyone had to work even the ones I had family some of the people asked for the day off to be with their loved ones but he said papers must be filed and he wasn't going to do it by himself.

He was grouchy for the afternoon because his favorite person was not in the building his loved one that he loved dearly asked for the day off so they can visit family out in the country although he did said yes he kind of Misses them whenever they're around it filled a hole in his heart that he never knew was empty.

It was in the afternoon when he looked out his window contemplating on what to do next he decided to do one nice thing and call every Department in and his building that if they get done fast enough then they can go home and enjoy being with their loved ones.

And when the Clock Struck three in the afternoon everyone was finished and went home while he remained at work feeling out his papers after he was done it was already 8:00 and he left for his humble above.

As soon as he walked in he noticed that I thought I was unlocked and a pair of shoes were at the front door he was curious and alarmed and heard humming.

He went to the kitchen to find his loved one there, decorating some gingerbread that they cooked and as soon as his love and noticed him they smiled and ran up to him giving him a big hug and then nice loving kiss.

Of course he asked why they were not at their families house and they simply replied "I didn't want you to be alone for Christmas and plus I love spending time with you"

For a long time it's cold hot started to warm and beat fast how did he receive someone's so loving.

After a while they stuck close together I need at 12:00 at midnight they brought out a cake with candles on it and he asked why there was a cake that's when they yelled "happy birthday auron".

He was stunned he didn't think anybody would congratulate on his birthday when Christmas was on it but apparently his love remembered and got him a gift.

Honestly he didn't know where he would be if they weren't with him right now probably be by himself in his office just writing to ask the time.

But now that he's here is celebrating Christmas and his birthday he was happy knowing that he has someone so lovingly that he would protect them with his life.

"thank you rook, and marry Christmas"

The end

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

Hope you like it and marry Christmas to all and to all a happy year

#yuurivoice #yuurivoice auron #oceanlue #spotify

[sardonic-the-writer]

Hello! Since your requests are open for dsmp and you write for c!tommy, this is probably gonna be really REALLY specific. But how about a c!tommy x caretaker/peace maker!gn!reader (platonic!) like, the reader has this small area away from all the bad stuff young on. And takes care of tommy there? They (reader) take care of Tommy and comfort him, like a parent! Or something. and are very motherly! (But please keep them gender neutral!) this is just a fic idea i got.

-😴☕️

Morning like this were probably Tommy's favorite.

He liked the cold. It reminded him of the few years he had spent in the arctic with Phil and Techno. The sight of his breath spilling from his mouth like smoke was something he used to love bothering Phil with. Showing off as he took a drag from his pretend cigarette, puffing his chest out and calling himself The Biggest Man as Phil just rolled his eyes. Of course Techno was there in the background tending to some froze over garden that still somehow managed to produce crops, letting out the occasional amused bruh at the blonde's childish activity.

But that was just a memory now. A fuzzy one at that. Through all the scars and explosions and long journeys in his life, a lot of things got fuzzy along the way. All Tommy could really remember out of those memories was the feeling of being wanted. Of being enjoyed.

Loved even.

The war had fucked him up. And it had fucked him up good. He would be an ignorant fool to ignore that. In fact he had fantasized many times about building a time machine just to go back and cuss that prick Wilbur out something fierce for letting twelve year olds enlist in a war that would still be causing problems to this day.

Of course, he could go find Wil and do that now, but the blue tinted apperation that the former presedent had become might burst into tears if Tommy all but glared in his direction.

"Hey! Tom's! Shits ready! Better come eat it before I steal your portion bud."

Tommy's head perked up at that. All thoughts were thrown into the crackling fire besides him as a mess of lanky limbs and light blonde curls scrambled to get up. The glass window Tommy had just been staring at now stood vacant, window seat underneath it still warm to the touch with body heat.

Speeding to the brightly lit kitchen in the cabin, Tommy slid to a stop on the tile floor. His red socks riddled with patched up holes provided just enough friction so that he landed right next to a grinning figure, whom of which reached up to flick his nose playfully as he stilled.

"Ow! Bitch! Sorry didn't mean that, but you bitch!!!"

A snort followed his words, (Y/n) staring at him with an expression just as sardonic and playful as his. The two burst out into a fit of laughter as soon as they had made eye contact, as they often did, Tommys half wheeze half yell mingling with the equaly as boisterous cackles from next to him.

Tommy would forever thank XD that he had met (Y/n) that one day. He liked the forest goer a lot more than he cared to admit. Quite a lot more than he cared to admit actually.

This was his safe space. This fucking stupid, horribly decorated cabin (ironically he had helped decorate almost all of it) in the middle of the woods was the safest he had felt since his mom had left.

Maybe it was less of the cabin and more of the person who lived in it though.

But Tommy might need a bit more time before he could admit that.

"Okay seriously though, grab your half of the cake before I eat it all. I've been watching this thing bake and rise for nearly half and hour and I'm about ready to swallow the whole thing."

"You will not! Half of that is mine bitch! Not a bitch sorry, incredibly sorry, but I'll be damned before you eat my cake you arse!"

A fake gasp sounded as (Y/n) placed a hand playfully to their chest, eyes widening with faux sadness.

"Tom's! And here I thought you liked me and my cooking."

"I'm a grown man (Y/n). I need to like nothing but women, money, and Big Drink. Available at any New York store today!"

"Big what now."

"Nothing. NOW GIVE ME MY CAKE YOU BASTARD—"

The ensuing chase around the house was messy, and would eventually result with cake smeared around the surrounding walls (later Tomy would groan as he was forced to scrape the food off the wall, resulting in quite a few jabs in the ribs as he was told to shut the hell up.) But it was fun.

It was comforting.

Tommy had a feeling this memory wouldn't grow fuzzy anytime soon.

#dsmp #dsmp x reader #tommy #tommyinnit #tommy x reader #tommyinnit x reader #platonic tommy x reader #x reader #one shot #mcyt #mcyt x reader #fluff #request

[katy-133]

Emesis Blue Cinematic Parallel: The M (1931) Tape

Okay, so I'm late to the party talking about this, since it's been like 10 months since Emesis Blue was released, but I have seen zero people mention this when talking about the various cinematic parallels the film uses, and I think this is a very funny one.

I'm not even sure if this was an intentional parallel on the part of the screenwriter, or just a coincidence, but Emesis Blue included a reference to MacGruber (it was the, "How did you know he wouldn't shoot you in the head?" "I didn't," exchange between Spy and Soldier), so Emesis Blue is not above referencing comedies.

Okay, so early on in Emesis Blue, Scout sees a bunch of tapes knocked over in Medic's office. As he's tidying them up, he notices one tape is labelled "M (1931)."

The implication is that it's M for Medic, and it's footage of Medic from 1931. Scout's medical report (the one Soldier finds) says that he's 23 years old and Emesis Blue is set in 1968. Scout is curious about what Medic was up to before he (Scout) was born, between the wars.

Scout steals the tape.

In a later scene, we see Scout at home, watching a black and white film. This film is 1931's M, directed by Fritz Lang (very good director I can recommend; he also directed Ministry of Fear, a film about a man who gets caught up in a bunch of espionage stuff because he won the wrong cake at a raffle--I enjoyed it enough to re-watch it multiple times). The film is in German, which makes sense, as Medic's first language is German.

While we don't get to see Scout's initial reaction to watching what's in the tape (as we cut to the scene in media res), I imagine it was a mixture of disappointment in himself, upon realising the tape is just a movie and that he betrayed Medic's trust for basically nothing.

Kinda ironic, as his trust in Medic will be tested again and again later in the film.

So, this plot beat reminded me of something. And when it occurred to me what it was, I smiled. Because it's a rather unexpected callback when you remember that Emesis Blue has referenced films that can be described as highly respected, iconic, and (very important here) dark. Films like The Shining, Jacob's Ladder, Se7en, and Dr Strangelove.

The film I'm thinking about is…

2005's The Pacifier.

For those unfamiliar with this film's work, The Pacifier is about a military man who, after failing to protect a scientist, is forced to look after and protect the scientist's 5 children in the suburbs while his boss tries to recover the computer program the scientist was working on. The film's premise is part of the tradition of the "main character (who is usually played by a famous irl wrestler/bodybuilder/martial artist) is an action man who is unexpectedly forced to survive in a domestic setting" subgenre since 1990's Kindergarden Cop.

In this film, the main character (Shane Wolfe played by Vin Diesel), while cleaning the house, comes across a disk labelled "GHOST." This looks significant, because Ghost is the name of the computer program the scientist was working on that everybody is after.

Shane Wolfe, after fighting tooth and nail to protect the disk in an action sequence, pops it into a disk player… and Whoopie Goldberg appears on the screen.

The disk was not the much sought-after computer program. It was the 1990 romance film Ghost, starring Whoopi Goldberg.

Cut to Shane and the kids looking very very disappointed.

(Gif source)

Scout: "Jeez. You got a whole video store in there."

Both The Pacifier and Emesis Blue have a major plot beat where a main character finds a labelled piece of storage media, mistake it as important documents, take it, and then realise it's just a movie. And that is very funny to me. I love it. Cinematic masterpieces. Chef's kiss

Again, this may be entirely unintentional on the part of Fortress Films. Still very funny though.

People who make "Every film reference in Emesis Blue" metas, get on this.

#my text #tf2 #films #team fortress 2 #storytelling #history #meta #the pacifier

[rwrbmovie]

RE: adapting the book

Quotes from interviews on #RWRBMovie about adapting the book

This post will be updated as content is released

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Last updated: August 9

From Glamour

Says Galitzine, “We were all aware that we wanted to make one a classic rom-com but with a sort of new spin. Matthew's a very sensitive, very feeling person, and we obviously wanted to inject our movie with that kind of emotionality. He had a great balance in being able to facilitate both lightness and emotion within his work.”

Fans of McQuiston's novel will be pleased to know that, with a few exceptions, the movie largely follows the book's enemies-to-friends-to-lovers tale. And the tone and spirit that made everyone fall in love with the book are certainly still there. “Casey has been an incredible source of support for me throughout the making of this film,” López says. “I respect them for being appropriately protecting of the novel and am grateful to them for also giving me space to tell my own version of their story. Obviously when translating a nearly 500-page book to the screen, there are things you have to lose and things you will need to change. It is an adaptation, not a recitation. I like to think that, as a fan of the novel, I was able to find the balance of serving Casey’s story while also serving the needs of the movie.”

For López, the most important element to maintain from the book was Alex and Henry’s individual personalities as well as their shared story together. “If there was one lesson I kept learning over and over while making this film it’s that if it’s not about Alex or Henry, it doesn’t belong in the film.”

While the movie is, as López describes, “an adaptation, not a recitation,” McQuiston was available to the actors. “I remember Casey coming in on a really fun day,” says Galitzine. “It was a scene where Taylor and I were bickering in that sort of Alex/Henry banter way that we do, and it gave us time to talk to Casey and understand the influences that went into the book. We obviously have a lot of fan service, and I hope they love my interpretation of Henry.”

From Entertainment Weekly

But the thing that weighed most on all of them was not royal protocol, chemistry, or even comedic timing. It was honoring McQuiston's novel, which hit the New York Times bestseller list and even earned a release in a special collector's edition last year. "[The biggest challenge was] quite simply how to delivery Casey's story in a way that honored the novel but that didn't result in a three-hour film," says Lopez. "There are a lot of wonderful scenes and characters in the book that didn't make it into the film because they didn't fit. I don't regret any of those decisions but, as a fan of the book, they weren't easy to make."

From Vanity Fair

López turned to romantic comedies of the past as inspiration: screwball affairs from the ’30s and ’40s like Bringing Up Baby and Sullivan’s Travels, as well as more recent hits like When Harry Met Sally or Moonstruck. All of those films revolve around “very smart, very clever people who often find themselves in over their heads, and the only way to really get themselves out of trouble is to talk their way out,” he explains.

From the outset, there were two scenes considered make-or-break. One was the wedding cake food fight, a chaotic sequence that, ironically enough, had to be carefully choreographed. Those three days of filming contained “the least bit of goofing off on set,” López explains. “We really had no room for error. And so we all really approached that with a sense of seriousness, which I hope does not in any way translate onscreen.” Then there was Alex and Henry’s romantic stroll through London’s Victoria & Albert Museum. “It’s sort of a dream come true—your own personal night at the museum,” he says of the late-night shoot. “So that was less daunting than an endurance test, but it was just such a magical night for us. And I hope that did translate onto screen.” Both of those moments live vibrantly in the minds of those who love Red, White & Royal Blue—an impassioned group of people bringing all of their enthusiasm to the movie version when it premieres August 11 on Prime Video. But the film’s director isn’t nervous about answering to an opinionated, online fan base. “It’s absolutely undeniable that the fans love the book for the same reasons that I do, so I think of myself as one of them,” says López, who himself was excitedly making plans to see Barbie with his husband at the start of our conversation. “You could argue that I’m such a rabid, passionate fan that I made the most expensive bit of fan fiction ever. I hope the fans take solace from the fact that one of them has made this movie.”

From Out Smart Magazine

“The most important thing to me is the end result. You’d have to be a moron to make this movie without certain themes in it. I would be justifiably run out of this business if I didn’t include certain things in this book,” López says with a laugh. “Any act of adaptation is almost exclusively an act of exclusion. In any adaptation, there’s going to be more left out than there is included, because that’s just the nature of the beast. My main goal for myself was to make sure audiences feel the same way at the end of the movie as they felt when they finished reading the book.”

When news broke earlier this year about the film receiving an R rating for “language, some sexual content, and partial nudity,” fans rejoiced. The director explains that giving the film’s sex scenes the royal treatment was an important factor for him. “One of the things in the novel that I knew needed to be in the film was the fundamental truth that these two people have really good sex with each other, they are very attracted to each other, and they find ways of expressing it physically. I inherently knew that there were a multitude of ways that we were going to express intimacy in this movie and that we were tracking the progression of their closeness. They sort of meet-cute and not only go from being enemies to lovers, but one of them is not fully aware of the extent to which he’s into guys before they meet. I thought a lot about the intimacy themes in the movie as a way of bringing them incrementally closer and closer together.

From What to Watch

"I knew that there were a lot of expectations of this adaptation, I knew that people really feel very personally about the book. I think there’s something really wonderful that happens, this transference when you fall in love with a book and it’s yours, ignoring the fact that billions of other people also feel the same way about it, so I knew that it would be a bad idea to screw it up! [laughs] That was always at the forefront of my mind. The thing that is also true is that I am one of those crazy obsessive fans over the book, and for me it was like, the ultimate in fanfiction that I got to make. But I recognise that I was very fortunate and lucky to be the person to make this movie, because I think there are a lot of people who are counting on me not to screw up — and I took that very seriously!"

From RadioTimes

"I think there are certain things in that book that, as the director of the movie, if I hadn't put it in the film I would never be allowed to direct a movie again," he revealed. "There was no chance that I was going to cut the cake scene out of the film," Lopez said, while also revealing an amusing behind-the-scenes detail about filming that moment. "The thing about the cake scene is that that shot of the cake landing in their faces is actually me and my production designer throwing cake in Taylor and Nick's faces," he laughed. "After about three weeks of filming [that] was a really great way for me to burn off some steam!" And that scene was just one of many that Lopez was excited to bring to the screen after first reading and falling in love with McQuiston's book in early 2020. "While I was preparing the film, I was really... I put a lot of thought and a lot of care into the V&A scene," he explained. "We got to film overnight at the V&A one evening and it was very magical. "And so, as a filmmaker looking at the book, there were just a lot of things that I was excited to film."

From Pink News

While fans will be thrilled to see that heady physical attraction between the two play. out, they appear less impressed about some character choices in the adaptation. June, Alex's sister, is a favourite among the fandom, while senator Rafael Luna is – spoiler alert – pivotal to how Alex and Henry come out to the world. López has cut June out completely, and merged the character with Alex's pal Nora (played by Love, Victor star Rachel Hilson). Rafel has been replaced with a new character. After it became clear that June wasn't going to be in the adaptation, the film's social media pages were targeted with a "justice for June" hashtag. Fans were upset, but the reasoning behind the decisions, López says, is simple. When you're writing a book, you can do whatever you want with the characters, you have no actors to talk to, you have no mouths to feed in certain ways," he explains. "When it came to the character of June and the character of Nora, I knew implicitly that if I had both of them in the movie, I would have two young women with half a meal. I decided to give a full meal to one young woman." As for the book's several subplots, López believes they would have been too "unwieldy" for a two-hour film, and he needed to focus on "bringing danger in a very streamlined way." Could he have opted to make a TV series, instead? In short, his answer is no. “For whatever sacrifices you have to make in adapting it for a feature film, an extended eight-episode thing would stretch it out too much,” he says. “You’d lose a lot of the magic.”

From OutSFL

Ellen is a staunch Democrat. As a Florida native, and considering what has occurred here during the reign of the current governor, was that in any way what appealed to you about directing and co-adapting the screenplay for “Red, White & Royal Blue”? ML: No, I loved the story, and I didn't give a shit what the governor of Florida thinks about it. I couldn't care less what that man thinks, only as it relates to the health of the union. I didn't have this story growing up. I didn't have access to characters such as these when I was younger. It took until I was in my 40s to read it, to get a novel that had a character like Alex. That I knew implicitly was really special. To me, it was really powerful to read a novel that had a queer, Latine, young man at the center who was a very positive characterization of a queer Latine man. Someone who was filled with hope and possibility. I wanted to bring that into the world. The politics in the novel and in the movie are a hopeful one. It's not something that is, I hope, too much of a fairy tale.

From The Fresno Bee

Why a movie and not a play? “You can’t beat the locations! Buckingham Palace, the Oval Office, the White House, and all those great locations,” said López. “It really, really wanted to be a movie. “And I really wanted to shoot in all of those beautiful locations.” López doesn’t see much difference between directing a play and a movie. “I got to take a lot of the things I learned as a playwright about storytelling and apply it to this movie,” he said. “There’s a lot of overlap between the two disciplines.”

From Windy City Times

Were there parts from the book that were difficult to cut out? ML: It was a very simple and straightforward thing for me. This is a movie about Alex and Henry. I had two hours to tell the tale. The mandate was it needed to help me understand Alex's journey with Henry for it to go in the movie. If it doesn't, then it comes out of the movie. We shot a lot of scenes that were in the book, but once in the editing room, I realized what we didn't need. I looked at it from the perspective that it was two characters on a journey in two hours. That made it clear what belongs in the movie and what doesn't.

From MetroSource

At the end of the day in a story like this, you need to care. Sometimes in order to make an audience care, you need to put your heroes in danger, but you also want the audience to fall in love. And there is nothing more deliriously fun than falling in love. Just as Alex and Henry fall in love with each other, the audience has to fall in love with them. And that is such a fun thing to be able to create. That’s a fun story to tell. I never thought that we were making something completely lightweight and disposable. I definitely didn’t want the movie to feel disposable. I didn’t want people to see it and then forget about it the next day, because the characters stayed with me after I read the book. I wanted the movie to feel exactly the same way the book felt. I wanted those characters to linger in the audience’s mind once the movie was over in the days, in the weeks after they’d seen the film. And that was the most important thing to me.

From Billboard

“Casey was never insistent that I make Casey’s Book: The Film,” Matthew Lopez, the film’s director and co-writer, tells Billboard. “Casey always wanted me to make Matthew’s movie and trusted that someone who loved the book was in charge of the film.”

#rwrb #rwrb movie #red white and royal blue #matthew lopez #casey mcquiston #nicholas galitzine

[smgsecretsanta]

A gift from @taillesscomet to @jugger-heads!!!

Text under the cut

Fluffy Christmas

Jessica didn't know whether to cry or laugh at this situation. She, Josh and Mike were the only ones from their team who were supposed to celebrate the New Year alone, but the girl couldn't let that happen. Her parents went to visit relatives, her older brother Hank went to celebrate with his girlfriend, and her younger brother Jacob with friends. The Washington family stopped celebrating Christmas after Hannah and Beth disappeared (Jess burst into tears when she found out about it, she was very ashamed and she told Mike about it, they spent the whole evening hugging and crying). The former president managed to get sick, and Damian and Luther had a holiday shift, so despite his illness, he was also invited. 

Jess broke up with Mike after the incident in February and initially stopped all communication with him. The same thing happened to Josh after his rescue. But after a while, the girl went to a therapist and gradually began to return to society, her friends helped her with these, and especially Mike, but what surprised her more was Josh, who helped her on an equal footing with Munro. This led to the formation of their unexpected friendly trio. And so to this situation.

The girl looked at Josh, and Washington was just looking at her too. The guy was as surprised as she was and seemed to be on the verge too. Josh looked at Mike, and Mike was the first to break the silence. Michael fell back laughing, hugging his stomach until a sore throat stopped his laughter with a coughing fit. Jess and Josh joined him next, the first one still started crying, but they were happy. The reason for the laughter was a simple exchange of gifts, now there were four cages and two carriers in front of the teenagers. There were two rats in one of the cages-a gift for Josh from Jess, beautiful rats that looked something like Beth and Hannah, and they were named after them. By chance, in response to this, Josh gives the girl a hamster, Mr. Potato, and Mike gives a black and white guinea pig, Lila. And before that, Mike received from Jess a black and white rabbit, which Riley named Lala. The situation was not taken advantage of by the younger Munro, who decided to give his friends a sphinx kitten and a Husky puppy. Washington got the kitten with the ironic name Fluff, and Jerry's puppy fell into Jessica's hands.

"Jesus hot sauce Christmas cake, this is fucking unbelievable!" Mike shouted, coughing, trying to calm the attack. "You two conspired, otherwise, judging by Lily and Lala, you chose together!"

"No!" protested Jess, wiping away tears, the girl somehow took a breath and said: "I thought you and Josh were lonely, you both live alone, besides Chris said that you, Josh, love rats. And Sam said about you that you love all animals!" The girl only had enough for that, and then she laughed again.

"Cochise. Betrayed. Me! I'm not alone!" Josh speaks with pauses, and after Mike falls back, tears of laughter appear in his eyes and from how these gifts touched him to the depths of his soul. Especially the two rats with the names of his dead sisters.

"Hey, just because I live alone doesn't mean I'm lonely!" Mike was able to say calmly, calming down after a long cough. Exhaling, the guy smiled at his friends. To which they could not help but respond with a smile. Straightening his hair, he continued: "I originally planned to donate animals. Ashley advised me to give you a cat, because you are somewhat similar to these animals, and Emily told the truth about you, Miss Riley, she told me that you have wanted a puppy since childhood."

"I didn't plan on it. Matt offered to give Mike some kind of rodent, I thought it was funny, and already there I saw a hamster for Jess."

There was silence again. Until there was a puppy barking, followed by a meow. The trio knew what they were going to do in the near future.

***

It was three o'clock in the morning when they went to bed. It was decided to sleep all together because of this, Josh settled in the middle, and Mike and Jess lay down around him, Fluff and Jerry curled up in one common ball at the feet. What was happening now seemed amazing to Josh, no, they had arranged such overnight stays before, but now it seemed like something had changed. 

"Share it," Jess's voice distracted him from his thoughts. The guy didn't want to upset her and pulled a smile because of this, saying:

"I haven't celebrated Christmas for a long time, I forgot how exhausting it is."

The girl sighed, but smiled a little, shaking her head negatively. He had forgotten how perceptive she had become after the incident, although maybe she had been like that before.

"I didn't think that after..." Joshua didn't know what to call what happened, the truth hurt his heart. "...After I lost the status of an older brother, I thought that I would no longer celebrate holidays," he smiled bitterly.

Jessica didn't know what to say to that, so she laced her fingers with his, holding his hand tightly and not looking away. Mike, who seemed to be asleep before, suddenly but slowly turned to them, looked at both of them, and then put his palm on top of their hands. A hand where two fingers were missing. And then he said confidently:

"You cannot lose this status, if you love them and they love you, then you will always be an older brother. And I'm sure they love you even there," Mike smiled and added, "Besides, you now have three younger brothers and four sisters. Well, or at least two younger "relatives"."

"Do you understand, big brother?" Riley joined in with a grin.

Josh felt like he was going to cry. These words struck him to the depths of his soul, warming him in the chest area. And then he realized that something had let go, that Josh couldn't forgive himself for the last two years, just left after a few words.

"Well, well... Then you're in trouble, little ones!" Washington said laughing, hugging those shoulders and shaking them, amid general laughter. While...

Sneeze

"Thank you very much, Michael!"

***

Squeak

“what?..." Jessica raised her head without opening her eyes. Somehow gathering herself, she opened her eyes a little, not fully waking up, her sleepy mind could only realize the time "5 a.m... Josh, turn off your alarm clock." Closing her eyes, the girl began to push Josh.

"Where is he?..." the guy mumbled without waking up, followed by Mike's dissatisfied mumbling.

"Jooosh, the alarm has been turned off!..." Jess did not calm down and began to push harder until it began to reach Mike. He sat down on it, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Oh...Fuck nuggets! It's a sea rabbit!"

#smg secret santa #supermassive games #until dawn #josh washington #mike munroe #jessica riley

[hotforharrison]

Void, we meet again.

It's her birthday tomorrow, and he's going out early to get her a surprise cookie cake from the mall that she casually remarked looked good a while back when they were there.

He didn't do anything special for me on my birthday.

My birthday is New Year's Eve, and we shared every New Year's kiss that he wasn't deployed overseas from 2007 to 2022. He somehow didn't notice that and promised it to her without asking me first, even though it was my birthday, just casually told me that was the case the day before.

I shouldn't have made a fuss about it, but I did, and it turned into my own personal hell that lasted almost a week before I was ultimately forced to apologize to her for my wrongdoing.

(Although she left a hateful and bitchy comment on one of my Facebook posts a few weeks ago, instead of just scrolling on by something she didn't agree with, like a mature adult, which she doesn't have to apologize for. I find that rather ironic -- like how all of her behavior is excused. Next time she is loud enough while they have sex that I can hear her through two closed doors and a pair of headphones, when she has a whole goddamn house of her own all to herself where they can easily go and be as loud as their hearts desire, I am going to blast Taylor Swift as loud as I fucking can. She hates Taylor Swift. But she can just "shake it off.")

Anyway, after my birthday, I set peace and acceptance as goals for 2024, in addition to being present and not having my face buried in my phone. I've been doing a pretty good job of all of those things. (Other than the Taylor Swift thing. I have calmly voiced on multiple occasions that I feel disrespected and suggested the solution of loud sex at her house. Yet it keeps happening.)

For her birthday, she gets a surprise cookie cake and a dinner with her friends, coworkers, and him and whatever else he has planned tomorrow and Thursday that they're spending together as well.

I got crying and yelling and residual bitterness that I've been trying to shake for over two months now.

I pointed out earlier today that he doesn't think of me the way he used to, the way he thinks of her now.

He rather quickly had to grab his phone from the nightstand to say good morning to her when he woke up while I was there in bed with him, and he always tells her good night every single night with a phone call.

I stayed at my parents' house for over two weeks to visit family and go to my high school reunion last fall. He never said good morning or good night to me, not once. I was lucky to get a reply on Discord when I sent him messages. I could count the times we talked on the phone during that two week trip on a single hand.

At least he didn't try to deny it when I pointed it out, and he said he'd try to do better.

I told him I didn't want it if it was forced.

He says he wants to have the both of us, but I find myself questioning what that would mean for me.

When I've brought up dating again, he's always asked if that was me ending things between us.

I told him that it's not, and I mean that sincerely, but feeling like an afterthought --or, really, not even a thought at all-- breaks my heart a little more every single day.

He's on vacation this week from work, and we went on a lunch date today. I dressed up and felt pretty. He noticed and told me I looked nice.

The date went better than the last ones have. He didn't get upset with me, not even a little bit. I was honestly surprised, with how things have been lately.

The restaurant we originally intended to go to was closed due to a lease violation according to a letter on the door, but there were other options in the same parking lot.

We had a really terrible waiter at the one we chose, but the food was good, and the conversation was nice.

What's happened since then was that he went over to spend time with her before their weekly online Dungeons & Dragons session.

After that ended, he immediately headed back over there to see her again and told me he wouldn't be long. It's been over an hour and a half now.

This is a pretty regular occurrence, and I shouldn't be surprised.

I slept for all of 90 minutes last night, less time than he's been there now, and I was hoping to maybe spend some time with him before bed. Not sure if that's going to happen.

He's very much an introvert so he needs to have alone time for his mental health. I would never deny him that. It's important to take care of yourself.

And she's an extrovert, which is additionally taxing for him a lot of the time.

It feels like it's usually alone time, or her time, and I just get whatever scraps are left.

[novankenn]

Unnatural (v1-4)

(Chapter List)

MATURE CONTENT WARNING : This story deals with some disturbing themes. Check the tags. IF any of these are triggers for you or will disturb you... then DO NOT READ!!

Jaune was hacking and coughing. His chest seizing and pain burning through his lungs. He could taste the iron of blood in his mouth; a taste he was intimately familiar with. He didn't have a destination and just kept running, feeling his fragile body starting to break from the strenuous activity. Tripping over something on the uneven woodland trail, he crashed face-first into the leaf covered ground. His body screamed in protest as he tried to get back to his feet. He made it to his knees before he threw up. Bile, the remains of his birthday cake, mucus, phlegm and blood splattered the ground between his hands as he held himself up.  As he struggled to breathe, his mind replayed the events that lead to his current situation...

/==/

“Saphron.” Jasmine, addressed her second eldest, “I think it's time. You need to tell him the truth.”

“I can't do that. He’s happy how things are… why ruin it?”

“Saph you mother him already. You’ve been mothering him his whole life… it’s time, he’s old enough.”

“No… I’m not… it’s destroy him…”

“Saphron… you need to admit it… he needs to know the truth, before it’s too late. We’ve had so many close calls… too many.”

“You KNOW what dad did to me! I’ve just about been able not to relive it every fucking night! Even now… I can still feel him touching me!”

“I do know, and that's why the fucking bastard is sitting in a cell for the rest of his life, and IF he ever gets out, he won't be around long enough to be a threat to you girls, or Jaune.”

“Then why? Saphron shouted back at her mother. “Jaune's happy, he's better off not knowing how he came to be!  Why punish him, punish me for something neither of us wanted or asked for?”

“I’m not punishing you, Saph, despite what you think, what you’re feeling… I’m not.” Jasmine ran her hand through her mane of golden blond hair. “You’re getting ready to move out, start living your own life… are I KNOW you’re thinking of taking Jaune with you… that’s going to be confusing to him… he deserves to know why.”

“I…”

“He's YOUR son, Saph. Your baby, your blessing.” Jasmine spoke in a reassuring tone, “It's time. You showed how strong you were… despite how things came to be… you are his mother, you always have been, and you took to the role…”

“Took to the role?” Saphron laughed darkly… “Yeah, took to the role when I spent the first year of his life… hoping he would die! Wishing all his pain would stop!”

“That PROVES my point!” Jasmine snapped at her daughter. “You wanted HIS pain to stop… not yours, his! And considering what your age and what you went through… dark thoughts are… understandable… yet all you have EVER done is shower him with care and affection.”

“I can’t… I’m not…”

“You are nineteen, Saphron, it’s time to stop. You need to…”

“Yeah, I'm nineteen with an eight-year-old son, given to me by the bastard who FATHERED ME!!!” Saphron completely snapped instantly moving beyond upset, to nigh on hysterical, “WHY didn't you stop him! You had to see what he was doing! Why mom? WHY?””

“I did stop him... when I caught on! If your uncle hadn't been there, I would have killed the fucker!”

“Not good enough!” Saphron screamed. “I'm not telling my son that not only is he a bastard, but that his father is a fucking incestuous pedophile! He's so weak already... that'll outright kill him! Is that what you want? For me to stress him out so badly that he dies, and you can ignore your MISTAKE!”

The slap echoed about the small den the pair of women were arguing in. But it was what was heard after that caused both of them to stiffen. A small, sharp, pained intake of breath. They turned and a double set of blue eyes took in the slim, sickly looking form of an eight-year-old boy, clutching a rather creepy looking redheaded doll in his arms, whose whole world had just been crushed around him. Tears were starting to roll down his cheeks, as his small body started to shake. It was obvious to the two women that he had heard it all.

“JAUNE!” the pair shouted as the boy bolted down the hallway.

#Discretion Advised - MATURE CONTENT #rwby #jaune arc #annabel #anna arc (OC) #saphron cotta arc #jaune is saphron's son #demonic possession #disturbing content #warning: implied/referenced incest #warning: implied/referenced rape #warning: implied/referenced child abuse

[whenthechickencry]

Umineko EP4. Replay Part 4

This must have hurt Maria a lot even if Ange didn't mean anything bad by it... kids are really cruel to things they can't understand often.

I am pretty sure cage made of flesh is explicit wording used by Beatrice before too!

This is Ange at her most raw so far, she doesn't want to live. She doesn't want to keep going. She has no one on her side,,,,

And now we go back to Maria having her own breakdown over Ange's word to remind us that Maria truly is miserable. Having a 9? 8 at this point maybe? year old describe living as holding out is so heartbreaking....

It is interesting to see the contrast in how Maria and Ange do with magic when they are faced with a bad situation - Ange starts denying it entirely and Maria instead leans harder into it ie believing the Good and the Bad Mama thing. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer as to which is better, though, both are harmful to both in certain ways.

Maria brings up how NOT LONELY she is so you know she really ISN'T LONELY did you know Maria is NOT LONELY.

Maria is fucked up but then when the police WAS contacted. It just caused Maria's situation to escalate... obviously, I am not saying the good thing to do was ignore this obviously neglected child. Still, sadly that's the fucked up reality of how it is in real life for a lot of children who finally have their abuse reported.

Tearing up again.... this episode certainly takes the cake in that regard....

And yet, no one really helped Maria.... I don't know exactly the situation with abused children in Japan but I always imagined Rosa used her connections and money in order to keep Maria with her.

If you think about how Maria is very likely autistic, this is all the more horrifying, not that it would be good either way, but having someone be punished and be considered their way of being just for the way they were born is just too harsh.

The smile with which she says this is so fucking horrifying.

Beatrice is under the belief that Rosa made the toy, too.... it's funny, if she knew she could probably get it replaced for her....

Even at her lowest, she is still trying to not hurt the Rosa in her brain, haha....

You can judge Sayo for teaching Maria 'bad coping mechanism' and while, yes, it's probably not ideal for a child to have such thoughts, all her positive coping mechanisms were removed forcefully from her, so what option did Maria really have....

She does end up rethreading to that "naive belief" once the harsh truth of her parents murder is presented to her and she wants an alternate truth....

Yeah like getting dunked by a group of ~10 year olds anyways what Amakusa is saying is extremely important and true otherwise, and Ange really wants to be at that point where she can be happy with/satisfy herself, even with all her faults and trauma.

Ange's coming to important realizations about magic and how she has hurt others, something Battler will realize soon enough too... though I think her general view is not really correct, it's not that Maria was truly self-actualized in her life, it's that she constantly lied to herself about being like that. But she needed someone to understand and help her as she is not someone that would try to change her or remove her coping mechanisms bc they are strange.

Some people feel that Ange is too self-actualized for her to go back as she did in ep8, but like, I don't agree. First of all the temptation to deny her parents the murderers is strong and second even here she is still trying to find ways for her to be the fault for an incident that happened when she was 6. She still desperately wishes for control for her life and is still probably considering killing herself on Rokkenjima.

This is, ironically after talks about hating Beatrice, the sort of understanding Sayo always wished for. For someone to not only be able to respect her and her interests but also understand the deeper pain that lead to it.

"And while still unfulfilled, she met with death," Sadly describes most of the Umineko cast and that's always hard for me to think about for me...

B-battler? Okay, I gues... I am not sure George will appreciate that statement but I am sure Shannon appreciates the hint that maybe you didn't forget her after all (crushed hope on the end of this chapter)

Eeugh, I mean, Jessica didn't mean anything by it but it's kind of a cruel thing to say with full context....

Oh, I forgot about this, I guess Sayo just did her Krauss act in front of Maria...

Was it Sayo? They did solve it on like 30 mins when they really tried.... Also the hammy and crazy version of Kinzo is kind of entertaining lol.

The irony of all of this coming out of Nanjo's mouth when he's currently being both bribed to hide the death of his Dear Friend and being bribed to assist in a murder is funny.

Damn uh, yeah uh, yeah sure.

Rosa can't even be assed to prop Maria up in any way haha.....

Maybe I am biased but I think this is 100% more Sayo's view than anything Kinzo ever remotely thought, the "hoping for a magical miracle" combined with the test that are done later being about love....

Aka DO NOT DISMISS EVERYTHING VIRGILIA SAID PLEASE

This is so fucking funny to me? Uwaaaaaaah.

Immediately setting up both Beato and Gaaps' relationship and Beatrice's relationship with Beato, damn!

#umiepisode4 #umineko

[catmonk]

Pain In The Neck

Suzaku x Lelouch

It's Halloween and Milly Ashford is at it again, join the student council as they suffer through awkward flirting

 -bzzt-

“Hello Ashford Academy! This is your student council president Milly Ashford speaking. I'm proud to announce a schoolwide costume contest for Halloween! The judge will be yours truely, the students! Don’t worry, only I will be able to see who you voted for. Third place is a study session with a student council member, second is a DATE with a student council member, and first is…drumroll please… a kiss from a student council member!” 

-bzzt-

Groans went up from everyone in the student council building.

“Ooooh Milly should have told us about that beforehand!” Shirley stomped her foot, nearly dropping the stack of papers she was holding. 

Lelouch sighed, leaning back in his chair. “You have to admit it's cost effective, even if there's definitely going to be biased judging.”

“Someone is going to get a kiss from Madame president, I just know it!”

Suzaku chuckled, “Milly didn't say anything about someone from the student council joining.”

Rivalz suddenly perked up. Shirley shook her head, bemused, while Lelouch looked pensive, eyes furrowed in a way that said ‘plotting’. 

“Oh I’ve- um I've never celebrated Halloween before.” Kallen mumbled.

Nina smiled at her, “Neither have I, let's ask the others for help.”

“Ouch, Sayoko please be more gentle.” Lelouch winced at her touch. 

Nunnally wheeled into the room. “Oniisama I wish I could see you now.” 

“Don’t worry Nunnally, Milly will be sure to take pictures for when your sight comes back. Is Suzaku done with his costume?”

“Yes, but I couldn’t be a big help to him.” 

Lelouch put his hand on Nunnally’s. “I'm sure he appreciated you being there.”

Nunnally smiled, her eyes curving upwards.

“Now go get into your own costume, we have to win this contest.”

“You'll definitely win for sure, Oniisama.”

Millly ambushed him before he could enter the room, “Well, well, well it looks like I found a way to get the grumpiest of my minions to have fun.”

“Now where did you manage to get that costume.”

Milly flashed a pose, showing off the gaudy sequins of her top. “You like it? I'm going for a succubus theme this year.”

“I doubt you'll seduce anyone in that.”

Milly laughed, “You’ll seduce several the way you're dressed, Mr Vampire.”

“I simply had to make sure I wouldn't lose.” Lelouch smirked, brushing past her.

Several people gasped when he entered the student council room. Lelouch flaunted under the attention. He had Sayoko airbrush his skin to perfection and an elegantly ruffled outfit that would put several nobles to shame, complete with a cape that flourished perfectly. 

Rivalz slung his arm over Lelouch’s shoulders, “Wow, you really outdid yourself this time. I really am surprised that you coordinated outfits with Suzaku instead of Nunnally.”

“Now what does tha-” He stopped in his tracks. A ripped flannel shirt showing just enough, tight jeans, complete with ears and a tail. Suzaku looked…adequate.  “Ahem, Suzaku, I wasn't expecting you to come as a werewolf.”

Suzaku looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sayoko recommended it to me.”

Kallen snickered, “How smart of her, maybe you should give her a raise.”

“What a good idea, Kallen. Ohh everyone must have put so much effort into Halloween today, that makes me so happy.” Nunnally clasped her gloved hands together, a perfect image of Alice.

“Everyone except Rivalz that is,” Shirley said.

“Now how did that happen?” Milly playfully put her hands on her hips.

“Don’t tease me! I spent all night on ideas, and then it was already morning!” Rivalz pouted.

“Oh Kallen, don't rub at your face paint, it took me so long.” Nina flustered, she was dressed as, ironically, Einstein.

Kallen rubbed at her green face paint harder, the frankenstein lines smearing. “I can’t, its so itchy. I think one of the freshmen might take the cake, I saw a whole group of them dressed as the emperor. They're out in the main hallway giving contradictory commands.” She snorted.

Shirley laughed, “That group certainly isn't winning. Speaking of which-” she adjusted her mummy wraps, “who’s winning so far, Pres?”

“There’ll be an announcement at the end of the day.” She winked playfully.

Rivalz groaned, slumping over.

Lelouch was twirling his pen around and around. He felt Suzaku sit down beside him, but he didn't look up.

“…uh Lelouch?”

“Yes Suzaku?”

“I swear I didn't plan this out.”

“Of course you didn’t”

“Yeah..HEY wait what’s that supposed to mean.”

Lelouch smiled fondly.

Suzaku averted his eyes.“You uh, you look good.” 

Lelouch paused. Using his fingertips, he ghosted Suzaku’s arm. “So do you.”

Neither of them made eye contact.

“Ahem, well I believe I have to bring Nunnally her lunch.” He made a move to get up.

“Of course, tell her I said hi.” Suzaku watched Lelouch leave, rubbing the back of his neck.

-bzzt-

“Hello Ashford Academy, this is Nunnally Lamperouge reading the results of Halloween’s winners!” Nunnally smiled, feeling the braille under her fingers. “Our third place winner is, collectively, Emperor Charles zi Brittania. A very royal study session awaits. Our second place prize is Suzaku Kurarugi, or as many people wrote down, the sexy werewolf.” Giggles were heard over the intercom. “Our first place prize is…Rivalz! Everyone congratulate our winners for their amazing costumes- or lack of. Have an amazing Halloween!”

-bzzt-

The school bell rang, students flooding out of the classrooms chatting away. Lelouch sulked, before he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

“Will you accept me as your date?”

#oneshot #code geass #suzaku x lelouch #suzalulu #catmonk works #halloween #high school #suzaku kururugi #lelouch vi britannia #lelouch lamperouge #code geass fanfiction #fanfic