#LONDON ARE YOU READY

[asexualenjolras]

It is one week until Newsies London closes in Wembley, and I got to see it again the other day, so I want to talk about Ryan Kopel and his beautiful portrayal of Davey Jacobs one more time.

I love how Ryan portrays Davey to be autistic. Ryan has said that he plays Davey in a way that exemplifies his quirks, and it really works in this production. It’s what I am going to miss the most. I’ve never felt more seen.

As an autistic person myself, I have always headcanoned Davey as being autistic – in every format of Newsies previously. Ben Fankhauser’s Davey was always autistic-coded to me – his portrayal was one of my favourites. And I was nervous about seeing another actor take on a character that means so much to me ... but Ryan took Davey and made him even more autistic and I am so, so grateful and in awe of his talent.

Let’s talk about Davey Jacobs and his autistic traits, as portrayed by Ryan Kopel in West Endsies:

- Stimming:

Davey is stimming the WHOLE SHOW. And that’s not an exaggeration. He is shown to bounce on his toes, he is constantly fidgeting with his fingers (and standing with those stereotypical t-rex arms) and he runs his hands along his newsie bag, and he does a few little spins when he's excited, and he jumps up and down at one point.

- Difficulty with social interaction:

From the first moment that Davey is on stage, he is shown to be incredibly uncomfortable talking to other people. He is shown to stammer over his thoughts and struggles to coherently converse with the other characters on the stage. He is portrayed as someone that is reluctant to speak, and he stutters and rambles and struggles to maintain eye contact, looking down at his fidgeting hands a lot. Ben Fankhauser made Davey more confident in his ability to share his thoughts, but Ryan’s Davey struggles - both internally and externally - with this.

He is also shown to have a one track mind in conversations. He struggles to see why Jack is having doubts after the rally because he, personally, thinks it was a success. Davey is bouncing around and his tone is so light and he is so confused by Jack's doubts. It's so autistic. It's so relatable.

- Relationship with physical contact:

Davey is shown to struggle when people suddenly touch him, he flinches and wipes the touch away whenever he is uncomfortable. BUT he initiates touch with those that he trusts. He's so physical with Les, constantly holding him and giving him reassurance through taps. He is shown to hug Jack and he hugs Crutchie and it's nice to see.

- Strong moral compass:

Unlike Ben Fankauser’s Davey (who I LOVE), Ryan’s Davey is shown to be more reluctant to join in on the strike – he is a lot more sheltered, and is completely isolated on one side of the stage in that scene. Davey looks down to his feet and looks to be at war with himself. He looks completely defeated when Jack asks if his father would be in the mess he was in if he had a union, because he knows that Jack – this boy that he has just met – is right. But he is so conflicted because he knows that this is going to be difficult, and he’s so worried and so anxious and so questioning about what the right thing is. It’s such a minor part of the show, but it’s there and I love it.

- Autistic joy:

I don’t know how else to word this but the way that we see Davey unmask throughout the play makes me so smiley. We see him go from this uncomfortable, awkward, masked version of himself in the beginning to someone that genuinely feels accepted and like he has a place in this strike and in the Newsie family. The excitement in his voice when he is talking to Jack in Medda’s is UNMATCHED. He’s so bouncy and light and he’s STIMMING and he’s so happy. I love it.

I could go on and on but I won’t. I just really love the artistic differences between Ryan and Ben’s Davey Jacobs’. I love both of their adaptations, but Ryan’s Davey feels so authentically autistic. And I am PRAYING we get to see his Davey immortalised in a pro-shot?! PLEASE?!

Ryan Kopel, thank you so much for giving us this wonderfully autistic Davey Jacobs on stage.

[alexis-royce]

Thinking about stroke order and variable line weight in The Correspondence. I’ve inked up a fude pen to mess around with markmaking. Making me think about Correspondence Calligraphy, or differences in handwriting.

For the Correspondent characters: what makes your style stand out?

[esteemed-excellency]

The Creditor: hey you're Furnace's guardian, right?

Hiram: what.

The Creditor: I need a bride

Hiram:

[atracaelum]

Soooooo how’re we all feeling about the way they’re building up their take on Moriarty and The Fall?

[thelighthousestale]

Light Is The Most Glorious

The Gryffindor common room was adorned with festive decorations of holly and garland, the stone walls echoed with the excited chatter of students ran up and down the dormitory stairs, preparing to leave for the Christmas holidays. Lily Evans, on the other hand, remained in the cozy stuffed chair near the warm fire. She had decided to stay in the castle for the holidays as she had several reasons to dread returning home for the upcoming break.

Her sister, Petunia, was bringing her new boyfriend home. Lily had yet to meet Vernon but Petunia had written her a letter explaining that under no circumstances was she to mention and of her freakishness and demanded that Lily behave like a normal person (Petunia had underlined the word 'normal' several times) because Vernon was a "very sensible man" and would not tolerate Lily's oddities.

To make matters worse, Lily didn't want to risk running into Severus Snape while wandering the familiar smoky streets of Cokeworth. She hadn't spoken to him since the start of summer and avoiding him at school was difficult enough.

But perhaps the most significant reason for Lily's reluctance to go home was the fact that it would be the first Christmas since her father's passing. What would Christmas be without his booming voice singing carols? Who would carve the roast? Vernon? Lily couldn't stomach the thought.

As her fellow Gryffindor students shouted have happy holidays to each other and exchanged gifts and goodbyes until the new year, Lily sat, pretending to be immersed in a book.

"Alright, Evans?" A familiar voice disturbed her solitude. "Already packed for the holidays? I see you are not joining in the frantic last-minute packing fray."

Lily looked up from her book and saw James Potter standing in front of her. His messy black hair illuminated by the glowing fire behind him. His head tilted in concerned as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not going home."

"Oh really? Having Christmas at the Castle? That's always a -" James cut himself off as he noticed something going on behind Lily's head. "Oi! Wormtail! Those aren't your socks! Just put them on the table there, I'll get them to Moony when I head back up!"

"You know, you lot think those nicknames make you sound cool but they don't. Wormtail? That's so dreadful, I can't believe Peter is still friends with you."

James just waved her comments away with his hand. "Nah, he likes it."

"Does he or is he too sweet to object?"

"Sweet? Lily you've been hanging out with us for weeks now, you've had to realize Peter is, in fact, the worst of us."

Lily gave a snort in reply.

James took a seat on the ottoman in front of Lily, his hands clasped in front of him as he leaned in to speak lowly so only she could hear him. "Is everything OK, Lily? You seem less than joyous this festive season."

"I'm fine."

"OK..," James sounded doubtful that she was fine but he did't press it. Instead, he leaned in closer and beckoned Lily to do the same. "Want to see something magical?" he whispered.

Lily gave another snort, "Everything here is magical, is it not?"

James, undeterred, leaned back onto the ottoman and shrugged. "Yes, but I know all the castle secrets don't I? Aren't you a bit curious about any of them?"

Lily sighed and shook her head disbelievingly. If someone had told Lily one year ago that she would willingly join James Potter on one of his infamous late-night escapades she would have told them to go eat a sock. "OK, I'll bite. Take me to see this magical something."

"Fantastic!" James clapped and jumped up. "I'll just be a moment. I've got to get my cloak."

James darted off, first picking up the socks Peter had abandoned and then racing up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. Just as Lily was starting to regret agreeing to James' offer he bounded back down the stairs holding a silvery lump of fabric under his arm.

James stopped right in front of Lily and noticed the fabric almost moved like liquid. It was breathtaking to look at up close, shimmering different shades of silver cascading around James' arms. Lily reached out a hand to touch it, curious to see if it would melt between her fingertips, but quickly pulled it back. "Is this the magical thing you wanted to show me?" Lily asked.

"What? No, this is my dad's invisibility cloak." He said softly "The secrets to all my successful missions of mischief. Now stand real close, and I'm sorry you'll have to hunch a bit. I used to be able to fit four of us under the cloak in first year but age has made us taller and now I can barely squeeze two. It's alright though, yes get as close as we can get. Not to worry, Evans, I have brushed my teeth today so you won't faint from goblin breath."

James whipped the cloak over their heads. Lily let out a gasp as she looked at the mirror above the fireplace and found she could not see themselves in the reflection. She felt a tickling laugh in her ear, "It's a bit wild at first isn't it?" James breathed from behind her. "Come on, steady now."

They shuffled across the common room floor and out the portrait hole. Lily was grateful that no one could see them as they must have looked pretty silly walking so slowly with their backs hunched.

Under the cloak, Lily and James ventured through the beautifully decorated halls of Hogwarts, avoiding the prying eyes of their fellow students. "You know Nearly Headless Nick served royalty as a Wizard of the Court?" James whispered in her ear.

"Yeah, everyone knows that."

"Well, as payment for his service, he was gifted many fine treasures. Gold, silk, paintings, swords. The usual, you know. And since he is a ghost he still has access to his Gringotts account."

"No, he doesn't! Why would a ghost need money?"

"Who do you think pays for the Death Day Parties? Dumbledore? Anyway, Sir Nick died in the 15th century so with interest his account at Gringotts is pretty sizeable. And a few years ago a young Hogwarts student went up to Nick and said "Hey, Sir Nick, is it true that ghosts feel time differently and for you a hundred years is a minute?" And Sir Nick answered yes, that is true. "Sir Nick," the student then asked, "Is it true that a thousand galleons are like a knut to you?" and Sir Nick replied yes, that is true. The student asked, "Sir Nick, can I have a knut?" "Sure," answered Sir Nick, "Just give me a minute."

Lily rolled her eyes "You are such a dork."

"Come on, that's a solid joke!"

"Yelling at me defeats the purpose of being invisible."

Eventually, as they wandered around the corridors, competing over who could tell the worst joke, Lily found James had led them to the base of Astronomy Tower. Lily twisted around to raise an eyebrow at James who only said "Trust me." in reply. They ascended the winding stairs of Astronomy Tower and with a high-pitched creak the door opened and Lily was greeted by the cold winter winds.

"Nothing extra magical about where we take classes, Potter," Lily remarked, as they stepped out into the night air.

With a quick and sudden movement, James removed the invisibility cloak. Lily put her arms around her, realizing how cold it was out on the tower and how warm she had felt with James hunched over her when they were under the cloak.

"Why did you bring me here?" Lily shivered and looked at James, who she could barely see in the darkness. He brandished his wand and created blue flames in his hands that he then floated in the space between them, enveloping them in a circle of warmth. Lily could now see him smiling.

"Look up," was all James said.

Above them, the night sky was a celestial canvas, painted with ethereal hues that danced and wove a mesmerizing tapestry of light. Wisps of color, like whispers of a cosmic secret, materialized on the dark heavens. The sky crackled with electric greens, blues, and purples, radiant and otherworldly, gently cascading from the inky expanse above. As Lily stared awestruck by the cosmic spectacle, she felt that time had lost its grip and that she was starting to float high above, in lights.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked breathlessly.

"You looked sad today." James had moved to stand a bit closer to her. "I don't like to see my friends sad on Christmas."

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

*KICKS THE DOOR DOWN* WWWAIT FREYA I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ON FANDOMS VIEW OF THIS SHIP I NEED TO KNOW UR OPINION. HOMUMIKU???

WKSHJSHJDBJHAHAHAH HIIIII, GRACE!!!! ❤️💕💞💝💗💖💘💓💕💞💖💞💘

Homumiko (HUGE spoilers for DGS after the bingo sheet):

I have been waiting to get into this ship properly, because I have THOUGHTS and I need to be forced to get them out coherently.

Let's get into the basic ship itself. Honestly? No comment. I think hmmk cheats a bit by relying on the literal decades people have spent shipping Holmes and Watson together, and I doubt that they would be half as popular without this history; but, as someone who has never had strong feelings about HolmesWatson either way, I don't have that bias! Even if we're just going off of DGS and looking at how they complement and trust each other, and are obviously more comfortable around one another than most other people, I don't really have a strong opinion on them. I do think they're close, but whether that bond is platonic, romantic, sexual or some mix of the two is just not something I particularly care about. You know who I do care about, though?

Susato-san.

OKAY, SIT DOWN, EVERYONE BECAUSE THE SHIP BINGO PART OF THIS IS OVER, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE PARTS OF HMMK I DO CARE ABOUT AND WHY THAT ACTUALLY HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THEM AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HER.

Let's get this out of the way first. Based on my very modern sensibilities, I take a rather harsh stance on Mikotoba's parenting.

Do I think he loves his daughter? Sure. But which parts of his daughter? Because it's very easy to love a child who is always obedient, elegant and the literal embodiment of idealised Japanese womanhood without knowing or truly even looking at her. I think Susato made it easy for him to love her, because she believed she had to earn it. Her father left when she was born, consumed by grief over her mother's death -- her mother, whom she killed. I know the game tries to justify this by saying it was Jigoku who dragged him away (and I do think him leaving was good for him, because I doubt he would have been a good father even if he'd stayed due to his grief), but the point is that he still left. For six years. And when he returned, he didn't even return because of her (whether she knew that from the moment she met him or not is debatable, but I think, at least on a subconscious level, she knew. And, of course, it's also debatable whether he could have returned sooner because of his commitment as a transfer student, but the Mikotobas are a powerful family, and, if Soseki could return before his period of learning was fully up, I think he would have been able to pull strings to return home if he wanted to).

This falls under speculation, so I understand not agreeing with it, but I don't think Mikotoba ever properly spoke to Susato when she was a child, especially not about what he did in England. I believe that a part of the reason why Susato started reading the Sherlock Holmes stories to begin with was because they featured a doctor in London, like her father had been, and she wanted to feel closer to him through those stories. And it probably worked! Her father probably did start engaging with her more after after she picked them up, because it was an easy way to connect with her. That's why I believe she was so insistent on the existence of John H. Watson, as a doctor, when she met Iris and learnt the truth.

There's this distance between Susato and her father which glimpse in moments in the game, like how he remarks on her lack of composure in court (suggesting that he isn't used to seeing her yamato nadeshiko mask slip), how he less requests her trust and more orders or expects it forthright, and how he seems reluctant to face the parts of her that inconvenience him (like how he asks her to play the koto when he isn't home and how, when faced by her real anger, he looks to Holmes to explain the situation rather than actually attempt to himself).

HOWEVER, in the setting of the game (Meiji-era Japan), I will concede that Mikotoba is a fantastic father. He may not have been very present in her life growing up, but men largely weren't expected to be. Their jobs were to provide for their children, not nurture them. And Mikotoba went well beyond his duty in that regard. Add to that the fact that he had her properly educated, ensured she knew how to defend herself, and allowed her to pursue her studies overseas at a level that was on par with any man, and you can see that he's really quite a great father; which is why I don't think he sees his absence as a flaw or even notices he was absent. Susato, though, does.

Now, Susato is obviously a product of her time, too, so I believe she'd be insulted if anyone was to suggest that her father or childhood was lacking in some way. That being said, I do believe she is aware of the distance between them in a way he is not. I think her affection for him is founded on a sense of duty and filial piety rather than pure love (although, obviously, she does love him), and, as she grew older, she stopped vying for his affection; hence why she's obsessed with the Great Detective more so than anyone else when we meet her. I also think that this distance contributed to her becoming so attached to Kazuma, in spite of the fact that he kept her at arm's length, too; he may not have allowed her very close, but he was always there, and he saw her for who she truly was. When she leaves at the end of the first game, Susato is not so much anxious that her father is ill as she is shaken -- she seems more upset that she's leaving her Baker Street family rather than that her actual father might be dying, and I think that's because she knows how to live without him. This distance between them, I believe, becomes all the more apparent to her when she goes to London and sees the deep bond held between Iris and Holmes.

And, speaking of, you know who else I think is aware of the distance between them and the part he played in creating that distance? The Great Detective himself, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

See, I think Holmes has always known about Susato. I'm quite sure that, from the moment they met, he knew that Mikotoba was running away from something and that he had left an infant daughter back home. He just didn't care.

We don't know what Holmes was like when he was younger, but I believe he was a lot closer to how he appears in a lot of modern adaptations and how Watson describes him in some of the Sherlock Holmes stories: the 'cold, calculating computer' character. I don't think it's a stretch to think that Holmes viewed marriage and children as mere distractions and interferences to the mind; and Mikotoba was, presumably, his first real friend. He wasn't going to let something pesky like a baby back home detract from his friend's obviously sterling character and brain! After all, it's a lot easier to ignore this nebulous, abstract entity when you simply consider its existence, and thus its abandonment, unimportant. It's a lot easier when you don't know what it's like to be a father yourself. It's a lot easier when you don't know her.

Here's the thing: I believe Holmes's image of and relation to Mikotoba began changing from the time he started raising Iris. Suddenly, that inconsequential baby seemed to bear quite a bit of consequence, actually. But it was still all right to keep dismissing her, because maybe Mikotoba's baby wasn't special the way Iris was. Maybe she was a brat or an idiot, and really not worth much time at all! Maybe she could've lived without him and been perfectly fine, regardless...? As time went on, I believe the excuses he made for Mikotoba's decision all those years ago became increasingly flimsy, but he was still able to hold onto them because The Daughter was still an indistinct figure in his mind. She wasn't quite real.

That is, until he met her.

In the game, Holmes tends to keep a certain width between himself and Susato. He very rarely initiates conversation with her the way he does Ryuunosuke, and from a Doylist (ha) perspective, this is obviously because Ryuunosuke is... the main character. Looking at it from a narrative perspective, though, I think he was afraid of hurting more than he already has and must.

Holmes is a very resolute man. He sticks by his decisions regardless of what anyone else thinks, so I don't think he ever regretted what he did. However, I do think he felt guilty. Certainly, he didn't quite take her father away from her, but he did play a role in keeping him from her for so long. I think there was a part of him that consciously guided Mikotoba away from thinking about Japan while they lived together, because, well... he didn't want him to leave.

There's an interesting layer to the separation that Holmes creates with Susato, because, beyond the distance he maintains between her and himself, he also keeps her identity separate from her father's. Contrary to how he refers to Ryuunosuke by his last name, Holmes only ever calls Susato "Miss Susato" or "my dear (madame)", and never "Miss Mikotoba". I view this is his way of, perhaps subconsciously, dividing from that little girl he once decided did not matter. And it's interesting because, to an extent, he tries to do with her and Kazuma, too.

In the SS Burya case, despite meeting Susato first and seeing how affected she is by Kazuma's "death", Holmes largely ignores her in favour of focusing on Ryuunosuke and his bond with Kazuma. He calls Kazuma Ryuunosuke's "dear companion" and pretty much only interacts with Susato when he has little other choice... until he sees her cry.

See, I believe that when Holmes found out Susato was going to England and was about to be wrapped up in the whole messy affair, he was fully committed to Not Giving a Damn about Her. Sure, he would let her and Kazuma live with him, but by no means was he going to allow himself to grow attached to her because, again, he values his relationship and history with Mikotoba too much for it to get complicated in this way. Susato's relative composure throughout the case helps him hold on to this resolution; however, when he catches that final conversation between her and Ryuunosuke in the cabin, he is finally forced to see and acknowledge the amount of pain she is truly in. It forces him to at last face the fact that he can't avoid or fake aloofness around her any longer, because she is not some nebulous, distant entity he can continue to ignore. She is an actual girl with a fiercely strong spirit, a brilliant mind and real, human emotions. A girl whom he's hurt twice-over now and must continue hurting until all his lies finally come to light.

When he makes that decision to enter the cabin and console her the only way he knows how, he throws away any hope he had of feeling anything but apathy towards her. In truth, he probably didn't have much hope of that to begin with, because at his core, Sherlock Holmes is a good man, and he cares.

He cares for her, too, even though he may have no right to. How could he not, when she loves him so openly, trusts him so readily, saves his life? How could he not, when she comes to him in the middle of the night with a secret she can't tell anyone else because his judgement is the only one she wholly trusts and believes in? How could he not, when she refuses to accept he lied despite the living, breathing evidence he did until he admits it himself? How could he not, when after everything he has done, she still looks at him the way she always has and says that she's proud that her father is the assistant of "the Great Detective"?

How could anyone not? How could Mikotoba not... love her the second he laid eyes on her?

And of course this doesn't shatter his love for Mikotoba -- he has no right to these feelings in the first place: no matter how indignant or guilty he may feel, it doesn't change the fact that he has been lying to and manipulating her the entire time they've known one another. He can't even bring himself to tell her that he's been lying; he has to go through Ryuunosuke instead, because, even after all this time, he still can't face the woman whom he's done nothing but cause pain for from the moment she was born. When he can't even give her that ounce of respect, who is he to judge Mikotoba?

So he doesn't. Till the end of the game, he keeps Susato at a distance and pretends that everything between him and Mikotoba is as it was from the start. But, inside, I think he knows it isn't. Because I think Holmes can see that Mikotoba doesn't feel half as guilty about what they've done as he does, and that he doesn't view the fact that he left Susato 16 years ago as a real problem. And while he doesn't judge Mikotoba for that, I don't think he can look past it anymore. That final investigation and dance of deduction, to me, is less an assurance that they are still the same partners they were before, and more a final farewell to their old, uncomplicated bond -- the one that did exist before they grew to love other people and understand what love truly meant to both of them.

Going back to the ship itself, I think shipping them pre-DGS works perfectly well. They both had a huge impact on each other's life and changed one another for the better; Holmes by drawing Mikotoba out from his grief, and Mikotoba by pulling Holmes from his life of solitude and loneliness. They needed each other, but it is also because of these reasons that I think there was an issue of codependency between them, hence the semi-horrible for each other box I gave them. With Mikotoba, it's clear cut. Holmes helped him run away from his very real issues at home and allowed him to live like he was a bachelor with zero familial obligations again. With Holmes, it gets a bit more foggy, but I believe that Mikotoba basically allowed him to live believing he was the only person Holmes would ever truly connect with and properly befriend. Holmes is obviously his own person and whatnot, but I do think there was a bit of unhealthy attachment there on his end if not both.

During DGS and post-DGS is where their ship gets more complicated for me, because, while Susato is still very much there at the beginning of their relationship, her role in their lives and what they did to her becomes impossible to ignore once she and Holmes actually meet. I don't believe that they can just pick up from where they left off because there is now (imo) a fundamental disagreement in how they view their actions and how it affected her. So, even if they do go back to being lovers or whatever afterwards, I feel that there should be this chasm or weight between them that they simply don't talk about or acknowledge in any way. Because I don't think they'd discuss it. Holmes because it isn't his place, Mikotoba because he sees it as a non-issue (maybe he doesnt even notice this distance), and both because sweeping unpleasantness under the rug is so ingrained into their cultures.

My main issue with the way this ship is often portrayed post-DGS (why they got a 50-50 on the I would erase them from existence box) is that it ignores what happened with Susato. The few times I've seen the concern that she might have an issue with their relationship even brought up in hmmk works is always because they're gay. Which, like!! Fair!!! It's the 1800s, I get it, but!!!! You're ignoring the actual, very big issue for why she might be hurt and that's because DGS ends with her finding out that three of the men she's closest to have been lying and using her for their own means her entire life!!!!!!!! And she just has to take it!!!!!!!

Which brings me to the second most popular interpretation of this ship which doesn't just put Iris and Susato in a box somewhere unseen, and that's the one where all four of them are a peaceful happy family with 0 issues! And this one bothers me because it seems like it's taking what Susato said at the end of the reveal as what she 100% sincerely meant down to her core, rather than something she had to say because (1) it is her duty to honour her father no matter what, and (2) because Iris was there. When she learns the entire truth, I don't think Susato knows what she truly thinks or feels about any of it; but she sees Iris, and she sees this little girl who was abandoned through her circumstances as a baby, named after her mother, and forced to grow up much sooner than she should have been, and she sees a girl who is more her sister than anyone else. So she does what she always has and tucks away her own emotions so she might tend to someone else's. She has been the perfect daughter her whole life; she can be the perfect sister.

Even if you don't subscribe to the, admittedly, harsh view of Mikotoba's parenting that I do, I don't see how you can get away from the fact that they still lied to her for a significant portion of time. Especially from Holmes, whom she trusted and believed in more than anyone else! In the face of his shoddy deductions, she still held onto her unwavering belief that he was a genius and a good man, and then it comes out that he's just been lying to her from the first day he met her. I just can't extract the ship from their treatment of Susato, so when I say that I would erase the ship from existence, it's mainly about these two bits. As with Asoryuu, the primary reason why I don't ship them personally is because I can't do that to her.

And, obviously, it's just shipping and fun and games, and everyone should feel free to ship whoever in whatever way they want bUT IN A SPECIAL WORLD MADE PERFECTLY FOR ME. iris would be perfectly oblivious, and susato would have tossed both holmes and mikotoba into the thames and left them to figure it out. In a world that must still vaguely make sense with the canon of the game, though, then Holmes would have given Mikotoba the boot and taken the kids; because he may be a coward, but at least I can see that he knows he fucked up, and he allows Susato to set the terms of their relationship, just like he does Iris.

Anyway, I'm so sorry for how long, convoluted and only tangentially-related to the ask this is, but thank you so much for it, Grace!!!! I don't think I quite got down what I meant precisely, but it's the closest to coherency I've ever gotten so. Thank you 💖💕💗💓💕💘💕

[thegreatyin]

i backed out of mr eaten for now btw. not because i don't wanna do it i just don't wanna deal with the watchful stat loss

[howthesleeplesswander]

@tenacquity continued from here! ((hghhhgng these two are immediately tOO CUTE I'M DYING T~T))

It took longer than he'd thought for Kazuma to finish his work for the afternoon. Scarcely a week had passed since the corruption in Great Britain's own government had been laid out to bear. In the wake of Lord Stronghart's detainment, the staff of the Old Bailey were understandably flustered, thus both himself and his mentor had been busier than in the last three months combined—despite (or, perhaps because of) their involvement in that very trial.

But this was where Kazuma's title of "apprentice" paid off. With Lord van Zieks away attending to other matters, the instant he completed his tasks from that morning, he was finally free to indulge in the distraction who'd been pacing the Prosecutor's Office.

Ryunosuke's squeak and subsequent grousing was met with a fond chuckle. "If I did that, I wouldn't get the pleasure of startling you," he teased. Loosening his arms enough to let the other man turn, Kazuma's hands settled at his waist once they faced each other.

"Wouldn't you? Hm, somehow I doubt that." Gloved thumbs traced idle circles at the rise of Ryunosuke's hips, a soft smile adorning his mouth. This whirlwind of a week had left time for criminally few moments like this. Now that he had the chance, it would be equally criminal not to relish having Ryunosuke in his arms again.

"Not to worry: I've finished my duties for today. Though, if I'm ready to leave, well...that's another story entirely." Ducking his head down, his lips danced featherlight along the curve of a handsome jaw. A chosen spot of skin shadowed just beneath was bestowed with a soft kiss.

"Not when I've got you all to myself in here."

[baura-bear]

Waves sadly I hope yiu slept okay!!

Don’t be sad!!

I did sleep ok!! I woke up at 4am randomly? But I was able to go back to sleep until 7:30

[londonsboy]

GOOD MORNING ITS TTPD DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[i-gotyou-dontworry]

She tagged the bulgari hotel so i have a feeling she already left…

It is probable! We'll see where it goes😌

[alexis-royce]

MERRY SODDING WHITSUN, LADS

[quill-pen]

Bess: Darling, I'm afraid I have some terrible news.

Eb: Oh, yes, and what's that?

Bess: Apparently, I'm planning to murder you.

Eb: Really?

Bess: Yes. Murder you and abscond with all your money back to my American lover.

Eb: You have an American lover? You never told me--I'm offended! What is the fine fellow's name.

Bess: I'm not sure. The gossiping biddies at the market wouldn't tell me when I asked them.

Eb: Bollocks. Did they happen to mention where you have him stashed away?

Bess: No, they didn't! They were a rather unhelpful bunch, I must say.

Eb: I dare say! How can they possibly expect you to successfully murder me and abscond with my money back to your lover if they don't even tell you his name or where he's staying?! The nerve!

Bess: Some people are just so inconsiderate. *hugs hubby, smiling* Unlike you. You're considerate to a fault. *gives hubby lingering kiss* I will miss that after I murder you.

Eb: I should think you would. Just please don't spend my money on books of puns. That's all I ask.

Bess: I make no such promises, Ebenezer Charles.

[cruelsister-moved2]

[abby420]

love being an older sister sometimes bc like i get to be like omg i am going to fill your lives with so much joy and great memories

[sparingiscaring]

FINALLY

IM COMING FOR YOU MANAGER