#of his slime looking like a yolk

[cachow-it]

Eggcicle or smth idk

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Things We Can't Change

Epilogue for Sweet Treats AU: by character | chronological | epilogues

Warnings: these drabbles will include dark elements such as noncon, control, intimidation, and other stuff that may not be specified. Take this as you chance to scroll by.

Note: 👋

Please let me know what you think <3

🍯🍯🍯

You swirl the whisk around, wrist keeping a sharp and tenuous rotation as you hold the bowl steady. The rhythmic ting of the metal against the glass fills the kitchen and the silence of the large house. The place is static and surreal, just like the rest of your life. Ever since…

Don’t think. You won’t be alone tonight. Isn’t that something to look forward to? Is there anything left in this world you can be happy for? Maybe if you could feel anything but the flatline.

“My brother is not very happy,” Loki’s voice brings your head up as he strides coolly, “something about that little mouse and her attitude.”

“Oh…” you look back down, focusing on the batter’s consistency. Almost there. The burning in your tendons is almost enjoyable. To feel anything but dread. “Are they not coming then?”

“I never said that, darling,” Loki stops at the end of the marble island and rests his hand atop it

“Good, good,” you utter, “wouldn’t want this to go to waste.”

“Please, it will. No doubt my brother will leave crumbs littered across the floor like the animal he is.”

You look at him again and give a tight-lipped smile. He does this, makes you and offer but makes it feel like a favour asked. Was it not his suggestion to have Muffing come keep you company? Because he said it would cheer you up. That it would help you forget.

How could you forget what he did? You narrow your eyes and stare at him. Your wrist moves out of instinct and a loud clink keeps you from a full-blown glare. You look down. Fuck.

“Gosh,” you stop and drop the whisk to lean against the brim, “looks like I ruined them myself.” 

You sniff and turn away. You go to the other counter and pull close the tray of eggs. Start over. That’s the good part about baking, you can always try again. 

You separate the yolk into one bowl and the whites another. You flinch and break through the yellow with the shell as Loki snakes his arms around you from behind. You cringe as your whites are stained with the viscous slime. You suppress your disappointment and lower the shell as he nuzzles your neck.

“It is rather amusing to think of how you midgardians can find such joy in menial tasks,” he purrs, “on Asgard, we have servants who bake our bread.”

“Mmm,” you stiffen and rest your hand on the counter. “You must miss it.”

“I do, though Asgard never missed me,” he sways you with him, “we have some time… they are still upon the road…”

His hands slip down your sides and frame your hips. He pulls you against him, pressing his twitching crotch flush to your ass. You curl your fingers and swallow a shudder.

“I’ve egg on my hands,” you sidle free of him and grab a dishcloth, “and I promised Muffin strawberry meringues the next time she was in town.”

“Do you even know if she heard you? The creature seems rather oblivious.”

“She’s not stupid,” you argue but keep your tone from piquing, “she’s quiet, that’s all.”

“To think, my brother would make that his wife,” he approaches you again, penning you in before the sink, “none are so fortunate as me, are they?” He looms closely, leaning in until his nose brushes your forehead, “when I heard of those buffoons and their missing women… not me and my darling.” He touches the emerald at your throat, “I shall always keep her close.”

“My prince,” you murmur, “I wouldn’t…”

“I know you wouldn’t, darling, you are a prince’s wife now. You know your duties. You’ve proven to me that you could never let me down, yes?”

“Yes, my prince,” you reply. 

You hold back a tide of rage. You never would have said yes if you knew what it meant. If you knew what he would do. It wasn’t a fair trade. He is worth none of it but he is all you have left. Besides, he will never let you go and that fact sounds a lot more romantic than it truly is.

“My princess,” his hand crawls down your skirt, slowly tugging it up your thigh as he rubs his nose against yours, “the only promise I care for is that which you made to me.”

[anonymous-dentist]

Can I pretty pls get some Roier thinking about Tilín? Any context that you prefer would be perfect :)))

Richarlyson? Dead. Leonarda? Dead. Bobby? Dead.

Tilín? Well. Roier has actually seen her corpse. He stood over it with numb fingers just listening as Slime fucking. Talked. Babbled. Lied.

"It was an accident! I didn't mean to! It wasn't supposed to happen like this!"

And, well, he was right about that. It wasn't supposed to happen, because Tilín was supposed to be with Roier. They would be alive if he had just been a little more insistent about them staying with him like their father had asked. But, no, she had looked up at him with wide eyes and she was holding Juanaflippa's hand and she had begged, and. Well. Now she's dead.

Just like all the others.

Except Juanaflippa, who gets to return. "Juanaflippa", actually, because that is not Juanaflippa. It's a monster wearing her skin, and it doesn't fit. Her glasses are the wrong shape. Her cheeks, formerly pale and sunken from neglect, are rosy and full. Her hands are soft, unused to the weapons the real Flippa used to use against her papa.

"Juanaflippa" smiles too much. The real Flippa only ever smiled when she was with Tilín. Never when she was with her dads no matter how hard she tried.

They stand in front of the Titan waiting for Cellbit to get back from whatever it is he's doing off to the side with his backpacks, and Slime calls Mariana a killer.

"Whose egg died first?" Bad asks, and Slime starts shouting and throwing dirt, and all Roier can think is that, technically, it was Tilín. Neglect both times, but she managed to get resuscitated after her first death.

CPR didn't work the second time. Roier tried even as Slime was moping his way across the island to exile himself, even as Bobby and Flippa built their dead sibling a grave that would later get wrecked by her own grieving father.

"It was an accident," Slime says when Roier says that maybe Mariana isn't the only killer in the family.

But Roier remembers the egg yolk and blood on Slime's sword and spattered across his chestplate, and he remembers sitting in that basement distracting the kids as Slime ran around the island trying to kill every last one of them. He remembers Bad panicked and explaining that Slime had almost killed Dapper and that Bobby and the others were next, and he remembers Slime breaking into his house and running downstairs with a sword and trying to get to the kids to fucking kill them and-

Roier takes a deep breath and takes a step back. It's fine. Maybe it was an accident, after all. It's not like anybody will ever know.

The only witnesses are both dead.

[sparky-is-spiders]

Hey the TMA Somewhere Else is Dredge au still lives in my brain actually. I think Jon spends a lot of time trying to study how the eldritch stuff interacts with the environment. Minorish spoilers for Dredge below. If you haven’t played it yet, please do. Pretty sure it’s still on sale on Steam right now. It’s such a good, lonely, somber little horror fishing game.

Okay I’ll try to avoid too many spoilers because I think this game is best experienced blind and I’m pretty sure I only have a couple followers who’ve played it. But anyway, some Jon nature studies (btw this is an au with any/all Jon):

- Jon actually stays in Stellar Basin w/ the researcher for a while. Helps her take samples and stuff. His interest was perked when he heard that the mutations supposedly came from the creature, so he starts looking for evidence and taking water and soil samples (how did the eldritch influence spread? Through creatures? Through water? Or was the whole area influenced when whatever lived in the basin came through?)

- She starts testing out a theory that the monsters in the area might actually be aberrations who’ve reached some evolutionary peak. This means trying to get samples from the monsters. Which means Jon getting very, VERY close to them. Only complicated by the fact that they make scientific equipment go absolutely haywire (not to mention she’s going off knowledge from the Eye and a crash course from the researcher), so the results prove… inconclusive.

- Once the photographer gives them a camera, they take lots of pictures. Mostly abberations and monsters, but occasionally the local wildlife too. Their favorites are the pictures they snapped of a sperm whale dragging a giant tentacle down to the depths.

- They save up until they can purchase a small apartment out in Greater Marrow. Much like their old flat, it’s barely used and barely organized, and it doesn’t feel even a little bit like home. Their notes are spread all over the place, pinned to walls and filling up shelves and piled all over their rickety desk. The photo of the sprem whale attacking the giant tentacle is pinned in the center of the corkboard (it was a very good, VERY lucky shot, and they think they were honestly more surprised than whatever the hell the tentacle was part of).

- He tried capturing one of the piranhas out in Devil’s Spine, but even dead, they call to their mother, and he has to toss them overboard or have his boat crushed between massive jaws.

- She consulted the researcher (and the Eye) about ways to keep a fish farm, but for the aberrations instead. It took a lot of trial and error, but she managed to keep one of what she classed as “incubator” aberrations (perhaps a cyclopean flounder?) until the “eye” hatched (for non-Dredge players: cyclopean flounders appear to have one giant eye, but it’s actually an egg (the pupil is a yolk)). Unfortunately, what exactly emerged from the egg is unknown. They Eye alerted Jon that it had hatched, but when she checked the area it was being kept in, she only found gorey remains, a hole in the mesh keeping the fish contained, and slime clinging nearby. It was a shame, she had gotten somewhat attached to the unfortunate flounder.

- He’d spend days, sometimes even weeks at a time using his spyglass to watch schools of fish with abberations, observing their behavior and how they interact with the regular fish. He tried going on a dive to observe them once, and I can’t decide if I want that to end with him getting attacked instantly, or with him awakening hours later on the deck, drenched in water, covered in seaweed, with no memory of what he saw and a notebook full of scribbles and gibberish. Either way, he 100% tries again multiple times later.

- Attempts to Know about the ocean or See below the surface of the water are met with… resistance. Part of it is the Eye’s limited presence, it’s only just gotten here and it’s still slowly gathering strength and they can’t draw much power from it (Useful in that it means they don’t need to take as many statements anymore, need to sustain themselves with human food too, but it also makes them weaker). Part of it is the sea itself. It doesn’t want to be seen or known or understood, and attempts to do so have been met with failure and sometimes attacks. (Jon still remembers their first attempt, where they tried to know if all that unnatural fog was somehow connected to the Lonely, reaching out with all their strength, only for a shark with shining white eye to rise to the surface of the water and tear a massive chunk out of the hull).

Ok that’s all I have for now. Go play Dredge. Goodbye.

[twstinginthewind]

✍ Trey + choosing what kind of cake to make. Tomorrow's a very special day, after all ...

✍️ give me a word, and I'll give you a story.

Trey Clover stood in the kitchen of the Heartslabyul dormitory, gently whisking together lemon juice, sugar, and egg yolks on top of a double boiler. The steam coming from the mixture had fogged up his glasses, so he had hung them from the front pocket of his semi-official Queen of Hearts apron. He sighed and looked at the timer next to him. Fifteen minutes left of whisking, then he could add the butter. Once that was combined and the lemon curd was cooling, he could finally start the cake.

Between not really being able to see, and being so focused on his whisking, Trey didn't notice that he wasn't alone until a hand reached out to grab something in his peripheral vision. Reflexively, he reached out and swatted the offending appendage with the whisk.

"Sssss! Ah, that's hot!" a voice yelped. Trey turned and squinted. Orangey hair, large reddish blob on the side of the face, couple inches shorter than him...

"Ace Trappola? What on earth are you doing here past curfew?" Trey frowned and put his hands on his hips, in what he hoped was an imposing, Vice-Housewardenly posture. The squinting probably didn't help. Or the dripping whisk. Or the ruffled red apron. He relaxed enough to put his glasses back on, then frowned again. "You're lucky you didn't run into Housewarden Rosehearts."

"I dunno, I've had him take my head before, and I might prefer it to—" He paused to sniff the yellow substance on his wrist, and made a face. "Lemonade-flavored scrambled eggs, yuck." Ace rubbed at his arm, scraping off the gunk, and indicated a bowl on the counter. "Anyway, I wanted one of those strawberries, and you were totally zoning out, I thought. So I figured, I'd just grab one, bing bang boom, and skedaddle. I wasn't expecting to get slimed."

"It's not slime, or scrambled eggs. It's lemon curd, and," Trey gestured with the whisk, "those strawberries are for the Unbirthday cake tomorrow. No touching."

"Are you sure it's not scrambled eggs? Because it sure looks like it..." Ace indicated the double boiler.

Trey turned to face where Ace pointed, and his face went slack. The mixture that had been smooth just a minute ago had gone all lumpy and discolored, bubbling away in the top bowl. Trey groaned. "Separated. Because I stopped whisking. Of course. Thanks, Ace. There goes the lemon curd filling." He turned off the stove and slumped into a kitchen chair, holding his face in his hands. "And that was the last of the lemons, too. Now I gotta figure this out from the top."

"Hey, I'm sorry." Ace managed to force a sympathetic expression onto his face, and he awkwardly patted Trey's shoulder. "I'm sure you can figure it out, though. You're like, some kinda cake genius, right? I bet you can bang out some sorta replacement real quick."

Trey looked up at Ace, and he raised an eyebrow. "I guess you'll see the extent of my genius," he said as a smirk traveled across his face. "Because guess who's going to be my special helper to make something new?"

Ace pouted. "Can I at least get a strawberry?"

"Of course not."

[mamamittens]

Played more slime rancher 2, wondering what the last two slimes I haven't found yet are and where all those fucking upgrades are hiding (and strange diamond, fuck y'all for making it so hard to find lmao).

Anyway! Dumb thoughts about what kind of ranch some OP Bois would have!

Marco

I feel like he'd invest in the dangerous but lucrative research slimes. Like the quantum, rad, and mosaic slimes. But he does have less stressful slimes less his ranch for fun. Like puddle, cotton, tabby, and phosphor slimes. He also has a flutter slime he's crossed with a phosphor to make a largo that's his baby and less of a bitch to care for than a pure flutter slime.

Very well stocked corals and food sources for his various slimes but enjoys exploring as well.

Ace

If it explodes, he wants to hold. Just really likes the danger but his secret babies are fire slimes. Little garbage disposals just like him~! But otherwise mostly boom, hunter, batty, and tabby slimes for cuddles. He'd like cotton slimes but feels like they'd just be stressed near such aggressive slimes lol. He makes a decent living but is definitely in it more for the challenge and adventure. He's not sure how but he's got a ringtail slime running rampant and can't be bothered to get rid of. He's set aside a coral for it whenever he manages to catch it out of begrudging respect for the crafty bastard.

Well stocked for both him and his slimes cause he feels really bad if they ever go hungry.

Thatch

He probably skews more towards ingredients than any serious specialization in slimes, though he definitely has honey slimes on his ranch. He's got cotton, tabby, pink, and yolky slimes (as chicken friends, he can't say no to the cute bastard that snuck in one night) for more steady income. There's also seemingly a ringtail that plagues his crops that he wishes would just be caught already so he can feed them properly.

Naturally, his corals are all suited up to their slimes and well stocked. He's got fire slimes to take care of any rotten food too!

Just for extra fun, my OC Nikia with her own ranch lol

Nikia

She's unusually kitted out and has expanded her ranch despite now only having very tame slimes (mostly). She used to have several corals of largos and is fully prepared to do so again if she's broke (easy money on the plot market, just take rare slimes and largo them with easier to feed slimes). Keeps puddle, fire, cotton, honey, ringtail, and a small group of hunter/flutter largos (she is NOT getting nectar all the damn time, it's a pain in the ass to find and retrieve). Also many garden and chicken coop plots (a remnant from feeding the many, massive, dangerous largos she used to keep). As well as well stocked silos for obvious reasons.

Desperately wants a yolk slime for any of her numerous chicken coops. Often gets lost for a few days exploring and returning to quickly feed her many babies. Does know a lot of random places and usually where to get specific slimes and gadget ingredients. Except strange diamonds... Fuck strange diamonds, she's still looking for more of those to complete her kits.

[castle-dominion]

c3x1 a deadly affair

I need to check to see if there is a comparison/compilation of the intros. I like how the intro changes season to season.

I initially thought this was a dream. Especially after he went through the door, I thought that maybe the outside wasn’t connected to the inside. Or even better, it would lead to his apartment. & then when they shot at each other I thought this is DEFINITELY a dream

But then *three days earlier* & I’m like “oh no what’s going on? was there someone standing behind beckett?”

jkhkjhdfsald the egg. You surprised him! He dropped the egg : ( Now he needs to clean it up. He looks devastated & she looks lowkey mad. My question is why was he doing it on the VERY EDGE OF HIS DESK WAIT HE JUST PICKS UP ANOTHER EGG? (lmao humpty dumpty crime scene) (Also he’s legit wearing jeans with his suit? I mean I guess when you’re a homicide detective you don’t have work unless there’s a homicide... Castle probably did it with an egg that he boiled on an induction with a magnet at the bottom to get the yolk centred. It’s a gimmick. Though I love a good bit of folklore/urban legend & Esposito whacks him upside the head when Ryan mentions castle  Bro it’s the equinox, officially it is the FIRST DAY of fall. Chill Everyone looking apprehensively (non in a sus way tho) at the phone call, like girl, speak of the devil & he shall appear but speak of castle & who knows? UNLESS EVERY TIME THEY MENTION CASTLE HE REALLY DOES APPEAR IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. They both look so angry that it’s not castle

& then speak of the castle he shall appear: “Hey! It’s Castle!” (cardboard cutout placed in window) KR: I guess he did finish that book... (why isn’t he back yet?) LP: Nice of him to send us a copy (Meet the author ad placed in window) KR, angrily: Looks like he’s back in town. (Why hasn’t he called yet?) JE, angrily: Nice of him to call. KB: Alright guys, you can stop pining for your girlfriend KR & JE: *look to each other in mild confusion & insult* WHY IS CASTLE’S CARDBOARD CUTOUT FOLLOWING HER DFJHJKSDHF She passes by & suddenly looks confused. Camera goes to Castle’s Cardboard Cutout & his eyes are following us. Ryan passes by: ... He really is ruggedly handsome. *shaking head* Mm.

Why did they bring Evan to the crime scene? Not the station? Uh seeing the crime scene probably isn’t good, murdoch blackboard moments!

I noticed it in her hand ^-^ (on the second watch thru tho) 

It’s open & the placed where the doorjambs are look odd. Worn away by time or broken open or smth, I can’t tell Why r they going in quiet instead of yelling “nypd”? I love hand signals, everyone should learn a bit of their local sign language WHOA WHO SHOT THE SHOT Rewatching that slower so I can actually see what’s going on! Ryan was p far away, how did he get that much closer? Ryan turned his gun to the side when he shot I think. ? They all looked so shocked to see that it was castle & Then Castle Looks Equally Shocked RC: I, uh... *turns toward the body while holding the gun* All of them: DOWN DOWN, PUT IT DOWN, GUN, DROP THE GUN, HOLD IT, STOP, DROP THE GUN STUPID, NOW, PUT IT DOWN, DROP IT SLIME BAG Just insulting him, possibly more than usual bc he’s being stupid & he hasn’t called (what a slime bag) She’s so happy she gets to arrest him

So cheeky “did you remodel?” as if it’s her house. But I noticed it too, I like the nice dark blue I like him. “You look good,” he says with a soft smile. KB: You look good too, (she says while smiling) RC: Really? KB: For Murder.

RC, awkwardly: I was going to call you, but then you showed up before I could. (I thought maybe he wanted to see if he could solve the murder on his own.)

Why does she specify “relationships with women” hmm?

RC: Maya knew I had a relationship with you-- ooh *cringe* with the nypd. Bud you DO have those fake cop credentials. You know it’s totally valid to have picked up the gun to defend yourself when you think the killers are coming back. Except who left the gun? RC: That’s when you, Esposito, & Annie Oakley came through the door. (Gestures to the glass, assuming Ryan is there) RM: Annie Oakley? JE: *looks pointedly at ryan* KR: I kind of almost shot castle RM: ???? KR: What? He had a gun. JE: I should have let you shoot him. It would have served him right for not calling. Man it really is like they’re all in a romance.

RM: Beckett. A word? RC: Hey captain! How’s it going? RM: *Looks At Castle Angrily with that Eyebrow* (imo it is NOT because castle is there for murder but because castle didn’t call)

Ok I mentioned the gun earlier, it indeed belonged to the victim. RM: I’m happy to hold him if you like (to get back at him? lmao I love it. Or bc he’s a witness ig.)

Castle: gayly forgets his jacket

She is revealing her hand, she IS mad at him. (we already knew that but she’s letting castle know

RC: turns around JE & KR: watching him angrily like beckett’s buff body guards or older brothers That reminds me, one time my dad was at his friend’s house. Dad & his friend were both six foot, the friend’s dad was even taller & an adult. (this was back when they were teens.) The sister’s boyfriend shows up to pick her up & then there are three huge men standing there with their arms crossed. He was scared dickensless. Never disrespected his gal.

Why is the penguin video edited...??? Very 2010.

Well at least alexis explains: he wasn’t going back until after the book tour. (He could have called to explain that)

Parallels. AC: “He said we’d talk when he got back from europe which he already did” RC: Why don’t you call him? Girl... You Should Have Called.  MR: Have I taught you nothing about relationships? RC: You’re a shining example /s. RC: How big of a deal is this...? AC: Idk if I want to see him anymore RC: *oh hecc I’m in trouble*

Yeah so beckett’s hair doesn’t look as bad as it did on the cover. It isn’t as emo anymore but it also doesn’t look quite so normal white woman.

JE: *rolls back in his chair* If you ask me you should have locked him up just out of spite. (Esposito is my vengeful tendencies come to fruition. He is the catharsis I need to be able to be a normal & respectful person IRL.) KB: No that would be unethical. Making the ppl down in holding deal with him> JE: True. KR: *also rolls back in his chair But Way OverShoots* Hey JE: Catches him & pulls him back* KR: Oua-! JE: *Shakes head, ryan doesn’t even say thanks* (They talk about the case) (They both smile at her, tbh it’s kind of awkward) (Talk about the case) KB: run phones & financials, see if anything pops. KR: *taps her desk* On it *smiles* *scoots away in his chair????????* JE: *just watching him, shakes head slightly with his mouth open* (Holy crap. I thought that rysposito shippers just saw caskett & figured the other two mains needed to be in a relationship. Like you know, you can’t see a piece of media without shipping two men, that phenomenon. But tbh I can see where they are coming from.) (As soon as beckett leaves) JE: RYAN!

RC: Hey L.T.! LT: Hey castle, back on the beat? [...] RC: Mind if I take a look around? *lifts the coffee & snacks* LT: *signals him in & takes the bribe.* It isn’t really bribery, this guy has been here before, we know him,,, right? At least castle wears gloves

LP: Hey! I heard you made an interesting arrest today. Wanna talk about it? KB: ... No. LP: Pk, keep holdingthat stuff in you’re gonna get an ulcer. Her hair is long & straight.

Ooh nice tattoos! My bday is coming up I’d like to get one.

edit: I didn’t get one, sad

(bust into mccutchin’s apartment) JE: LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS! RC: *turns around slowly* Oh, Hi. (chuckles) Castle found standing over two dead bodies! She just backs him up all the way into a vending machine lol RC: I was following up on leads, same as you! KB: Oh so you went into the victim’s phone records & looked for commonalities? RC: No, not exactly KB: Then what?? RC: *doesn’t want to share* KB: *grabs his ear* RC: aaHAHaAAAhAH OK I *69ed I star-six-nine-ed! But how would that work if tech pulled the card? How did castle get the phone? I’m impressed by Castle’s detecting skills! KB: You went to an active crime scene w/o authorization? RC: Well, I wore gloves...

RC: You don’t want to let the universe down, do you?

Apparently when an actor messes up their lines around Molly Quinn (Alexis Castle) & swears about it, they give her a dollar. She’s a teenager, probably swears more than you. Regardless, I think it’s cute.

That’s a strong bet! Holy! I don’t know if that is a good stake. RC: What if they figure it out first? (camera pans to ryan & esposito, both staring at them obviously RC+KB: Nah The boys come over & ask: So what are you two talking about. KB: Castle was just apologizing for not calling The boys: *stare at him with arms crossed.* (explain what they found) RC: The bowrey? KR: Yeah >:( >:( (by which he means: shut it castle we’re still mad at you.) It really is how brothers act when their sister gets scorned.

JE: Maybe the co-signed the loan XD XD girl it was an abnormal loan, not  a bank loan. Altho IG he was joking... Castle: *suggests smth* JE+KR: *slowly turn to look at him, remain silent before answering*

My mom, a good catholic: Knights of Colombus British Colombia?

KR: Hey! *sits down on the same table as castle, pushing him way to the side* KB: *can’t hold back a smile*

Ooh! I could dance to this! You know, even as a trans person I would love to try burlesque. I love performance, I love performing, I bet they have aerial performers too, lyra, silk, hoops, hammock; walking on glass, they obv have jugglers, servers probably wear stilts... this is so cool. Castle is right, the circus with alcohol, how have I not been here?

“the incident”

He doesn’t look a /lot/ like the sculture...

Ew the spinning, it is giving me motion sickness

RC: Just like that cable show Time for six degrees of the Angelina Jolie effect. (Find a show these two worked together on, find a show those two worked together on, oh look it’s the actor who is playing the guy in our show.) (Basically it is a universe where XYZ actor doesn’t exist or looks immensely different)

Hoo! Lanie! I don’t typically look at people’s butts but Lanie!

A sculptor, a vending machine salesman, & a chemistry teacher walk into a burlesque bar.

she used that phrasing on purpose

Love the music. Bon Appetite type drums so close, they in love

Bro money is heavy. It’s like carrying a textbook.

Costume design for Ryan? Top tier. I’ve been loving his patterned collared shirts.

Captions were wrong I think. “move move move” was from tf2 was esposito, “let’s go” might have been ryan, but “come on” was esposito. It might have all been esposito tbh.

I hate usa gun laws but yk for the sake of the show castle should get his license to carry. Then beckett wouldn’t have to illegally give him her gun. (which she has two of?) (btw I watched this before s1 so I didn’t know castle was actually a good shot)

Ah yes, three days later. I love the mirror maze, I love the disembodied voices. The captions are struggling with whose voice is whose tho. Yk I’ve always thought about how they filmed mirror mazes. How did the door open nobody was there? Mirrors showing the door would show whoever is opening it He’d better have the safety of that gun on, running like that. Or if the safety is off then he’d better have his finger beside the trigger not on it. Castle, getting on the ground is probably a good thing. Gives you more stability when you’re shooting the guy. That little “ok?” hand symbol.

Girl you could have said that one of the other detectives was shooting over your shoulder & castle was chasing down a suspect with the other detective. Esposito & Beckett were facing off while Ryan & Castle were running after suspects, esposito shot the fellow behind beckett, not castle, castle never had a gun. That’s the lie you should have told. (Or yk tell the truth & lose your job for breaking the rules idk)

I can’t believe esposito & ryan didn’t bet on whether she would take him back but I do like how esposito was watching in the background & then accuses her: How long before castle did you know this was about counterfetting? 

I love the who/whom, beckett used it earlier this episode I think but I didn’t write it. Or maybe it was yesterday. “He called him” “who called whom”

There were moments in this episode that really made my headcanon that especkett had a thing once solid. He still loves her, no matter what WAY he loves he

GOT ALL THE CLIPS I NEEDED YAY

[robo-legs]

🚪

@dead-eye-ranger

[19. covered in baking ingredients]

Of course baking with the other scouts would be a shitshow in and of itself - Matt was unlucky enough to get covered in cake mix, spattered with eggs, and splattered in icing. He looked like a wet cat with the way he stood; arms held out a bit, shoulders tense, strings of yolk and slime dripping from the top of his head - for a hat he had the sad, smashed remains of an egg.

He gave Arthur a forced grinned. "Ta dah."

[nursegracecreates]

Baking A Cake with FANON Ticci Toby (Rogers) and his GN SO

Alright, I generally don't write for fanon Toby because I like my Toby more, but from what he's told me about how his Tourette's was when he was around 18, he wasn't too far off from fanon Toby. So I thought this would be cute since Thanksgiving is coming. I watched a video once of a girl baking with her family and she has Tourette's, and I used things I remember from it 🧡

You and Toby decided one night that neither of you could wait for all of the delicious goodies and treats that would be coming from the kitchens of Slender mansion Thanksgiving Day

None of Slendy's proxies really celebrate Thanksgiving besides the food. And they'll never turn down a feast.

Slendy observes most major holidays in order for the proxies to feel cared for.

So you and Tobes headed into the kitchen, even though it was 2AM, and you started gathering everything you'd need for a cake while Toby picked a recipe

"S-s-sock It t-to me cake!" Toby decided, sitting the book in front of your workspace, propped against the wall.

You let Toby measure out the flour, turning on the oven to preheat

The first few tries resulted in Toby throwing random amounts of flour over his shoulder with the measuring cup. His shoulder and the back of his shirt were covered in a light dusting of flour.

Finally, after an immense amount of concentration, Toby pulled the cup from the flour container. He carefully packed it down and used a finger to brush off the excess, and added it to the bowl that had been slowly filling with flour that wasn't in the floor behind Toby.

You repeated the process, adding brown sugar to the bowl and Toby measured out a heaping tablespoon of cinnamon. He shakily emptied it into the bowl and looked to you, smiling proudly as he blinked hard, another tic

You'd gotten an entire crate of eggs and told Toby that the cake needed three.

Toby picked up the first of many eggs, saying "chicken chicken" quietly under his breath in a sing song way.

And then his hand twitched closed around it

"Hoough" Toby gagged as his hand filled with raw egg and you slid a smaller bowl under his hand just as he opened it, watching a mixture of eggshell and egg slime glop off of his hand into the bowl.

You giggled and handed him a dish towel and he smiled crookedly as he wiped his scarred hand clean.

Toby grabbed another egg before you could stop him and he threw the egg over his shoulder to join the flour. You heard it smash against the opposite wall and laughed openly as Toby picked up another egg.

This one he successfully cracked, though he shook it vigorously first, saying "Shake the baby" as he did

After the three eggs made it into the bowl, you got another smaller bowl and tried to teach Toby how to separate the whites from the yolks with an eggshell.

Around eight eggs lost their lives prematurely that day, joining the first crushed egg in the bowl under Toby's hands.

Finally you cracked an egg in Toby's hand and he scooped the yolk out with his other hand, gagging again as he put the yolk in the bowl you'd gotten for the pecan filling.

"I'll finish separating the eggs if you want to stir the eggs in."

Toby stirred the eggs into the dry ingredients and asked "Wh-what next?"

"We need some butter. I got a few sticks out if you want to melt and add two to the batter."

You watched as Toby retrieved the butter from beside you, carefully separating the two more egg yolks needed and added brown sugar.

He pulled one stick from the wrapper and put it in yet another bowl, and picked up a second one, giving it a tight squeeze. When his hand unclenched, he pulled the wrapper from the mangled butter and dropped it into the bowl too and then he put it in the microwave to melt.

After it was melted, you added the butter to the mix, finishing the batter as you stirred it in.

Together, the two of you make the filling in a saucepan on the stove top using brown sugar, egg yolks, and cinnamon, taking turns stirring.

When it started to boil, Toby repeated "bubblebubble" a few times as he continued stirring

While Toby finished up making the filling, you laid out a solid 3x3 grid of baking sheets, sitting the bundt cake pan in the center one.

This is so Toby won't waste batter when he pours it into the pan if he spills

After the filling is done, Toby comes over to pour the cake batter into the pan.

He's a mess, covered in flour, egg, sugar, and cinnamon, but then again, so are you, flour dusting your cheeks, and a strand of your hair stiff with egg white.

Toby only spilled a little on two baking sheets, once when he started pouring, and once when he stopped after pouring half of the batter in.

You used a rubber spatula to scoop up the spilled batter and added it to the pan as Toby retrieved the filling

You used the spatula to spread the filling over the top of the batter, and then Toby covered the rest up with batter.

When you put the cake pan into the oven, Toby made you laugh again by saying "B-bake the baby!" as loud as he could.

Time spent while the cake was baking was filled with the two of you canoodling, assuring that you were just as covered in cake ingredients as he was

As the oven timer went off, Toby pulled away from a passionate kiss he was sharing with you and you followed him to the oven, grabbing a pot holder as you passed it.

"Toby, no!" You exclaimed as he opened the oven and reached for the finished cake. You grabbed his hands and he smiled at you sheepishly

"S-sorry, I for-forgot it was h-hot."

You pulled the cake from the oven and sat it on the stove top as the smell of baked goods, cinnamon and sugar filled the kitchen

It was perfect, evenly risen, golden brown, and looked delicious. Your mouth watered as you looked at it

Suddenly, static filled your head, too loud and blaring. You fell to your knees, covering your ears as you felt Toby fall behind you, even still, trying to protect you as you both turned to look to the door.

Slenderman bent to pass through the doorway, straightening as he strode to stand in front of you and Toby.

'I am going for a walk to patrol the forest, there is an intruder.' Slenderman growled through the static, his garbled voice resonating in your skull, 'This had better be clean upon my return.'

Then he turned on his heel and left, bending at the waist again to pass through the door and disappearing.

In the silence that followed, Toby helped you up, gulping loudly as you both stood in the midst of the mess you'd made.

"I'll get the broom" you said, "and the mop."

"I've got the counter and the dishes" Toby said, walking to the cabinet and pulling down two saucers, "But first, let there be cake."

[lazlolullaby]

Allura gave Shiro an egg.

It's not a chicken egg, or ostrich egg, or quail egg, or even a crocodile egg. It was bigger than his helmet, white with hundreds of little multicolor spots on its leathery surface.

She may have told him what it was. It was too late at night, or maybe too early, but he had no translation for some words she mumbled before curling up in bed. She was gone before he could ask anything else.

Buried in the back of his head, on the first nights he couldn't sleep he dug into Altean physiology. Oviparious. Alteans lay eggs. But he was too busy, he couldn't crack open a textbook and find out what the egg needed.

He made a little sling out of his cape and carried it to his office.

Coran took one look and fluttered about, completely flustered, ending the call before answering his questions.

Romelle just giggled, asking him to be patient for his wife to speak with him.

When he carried it to the Paladin's group lunch, he wasn't shocked when Lance made a comment about 'brooding heroes'.

Completely convinced that it may be an elaborate prank, Shiro bundled his cape and made a little nest under his desk. It was still something Allura gave to him; she was precious to him, that made the egg precious.

Coran asked him to the main conference room for a moment. In the hall, he saw his wife, and they paused in front of the door.

Allura tilted her head in confusion. "Shiro. Why are you holding the Orem like that? You've got nothing to prove, surely."

He blushed, feeling foolish. "I don't think I heard you right this morning. Some things didn't translate well. I'm just keeping an eye on it."

"Oh." Her eyes widened. "Well. When an Altean is married, as we are." She coughed, also blushing. "In a stable and regularly intimate relationship, our body changes. Prepares itself for childbearing."

"Uh-huh." Shiro nodded dumbly.

"This was my, practice egg. No one is in there. It's just the stresses of actual formation of a viable egg are easier to take when my body had a 'dry run', so to speak."

"Okay. Does this happen often?"

"Every half deca-phoeb, I'm told. I'll send you an informational packet." She started rambling, disturbed by his non-reaction, "I know when I'm fertile now, and we're careful anyway, so we don't have to talk about children right now-"

"But. What am I supposed to do with it?"

Allura opened and closed her mouth, perplexed.

"Because Hunk wanted to eat it for brunch tomorrow."

"WHAT!" Allura shook her head, "No no no! That's disgusting! Give me a moment, I'm sure I'll remember soon."

Shiro looked down at the egg. Small, innocuous, set against his chest like a baby. "Oh." This could have been a baby. "I can be a dad. We could be parents, someday." He couldn't believe it. It felt like yesterday he was living in a war. Sometimes, with the nightmares, he felt he was still there.

Shiro glanced over at Allura. She helped him through the nightmares. She was the reason all of this was possible. A smile split his face. His mind started racing, filling with images of the bright, happy future. Little boys or girls, or neither, just happy children he can care for and protect and guide and watch grow. Warmth started blooming in his chest and his throat got tight. Tiny loved ones who will never know abandonment, not if he could help it.

"Shiro...are you alright?" Allura noticed his vacant expression.

He tried saying "I'm fine, I love you", but it jumbled together into, "I'm love you." The feelings he had were rushing though his heart. Shiro brought her forward into a crushing kiss, cradling her face with his hands. "I'm fine. You're amazing!"

Allura laughed, "I'm glad you're taking this well." She looked down, at a strange slime on her chest.

Shiro pulled away, and the smashed egg yolk stretched between them. He felt his heart stop. He broke the egg. He ruined everything. "I'm so sorry I-"

She snorted. "Maybe tone down the enthusiasm on the next one, my love?"

He started to giggle, the absurdity catching up with him. "Maybe a little. Did Coran call you here too? We shouldn't keep him waiting."

They walked forward into the room. The doors slid open, revealing it was packed to the gills with family and friends. A hastily printed banner with the words, "It's an alien!" was hung up on the back wall.

Surprise baby showers are always awkward, anyway.

[lickstynine]

Misadventures of Kit: Chapter Twenty-Two

written with @ocsickficsideblog

~tw death mention~

Kit waved as Alistair carried him off, quiet and complacent. He had dried off some in the car, but he was still frigid to the touch, his hands like icicles as he hugged Alistair's neck. Alistair ran with him through the snowy carpark, slipping and almost falling on his ass. The elevator was broken again - were they even trying to fix it? - so he had to tote Kit upstairs. The older boy didn't complain, half asleep as his head lolled on Alistair's shoulder.

Julius was waiting for them in the flat, and he looked horrified when they walked in. “You were outside in this weather?”

“Mum was outside.” Kit mumbled, too hazy to realize how stupid he sounded.

Julius sighed sadly. “Oh honey… Look, we need to get you warmed up.”

“I’ll stick him in the bath,” Alistair said.

“I don't want a bath, I want to sleep.” Kit whined.

“You need one,” Alistair said firmly, taking him to the bathroom.

Kit pouted, but he didn't fight, allowing Alistair to set him on the edge of the tub. He wobbled, and Alistair quickly moved him to sit against the wall instead. Alistair pulled the hundred layers of clothes off Kit, sitting him in the empty bath. “Okay, I’ll gradually warm it up.”

Kit sighed, cringing at the cold porcelain and wrapping his arms protectively around himself. He wasn't as skeletally thin anymore, but he was still significantly skinnier than a grown man should be. Alistair got lukewarm water running, slapping Kit’s feet lightly to get the blood moving. The older boy instinctively pulled away, tucking his knees up to his chest.

“It’s okay, I’m just trying to get the colour back,” Alistair said. “You’ll be fine.”

“Don't like it.” Kit stayed curled up, overly sensitive in his exhaustion and grief.

“It’ll feel good soon.”

Kit remained tucked into the corner of the bathtub, so still and vacant he could have been a statue. He whined at first when the water warmed up, but started to relax as proper feeling returned to his fingers, sinking deeper into the bath with a contented sigh.

“Better?” Alistair said, relieved.

“Yeah.” Kit nodded, stretching out his legs and shifting his hips to get comfortable. “It's warm. Can I have my good blanket when I get out?” He was referring to the electric blanket, which had arrived from Amazon about a week ago. It was delightfully toasty, and he spent most afternoons curled up in it like a cat with warm laundry.

“Yeah, of course. I want it too!” Alistair was still freezing in his damp clothes.

“Go change, you fool. I'm not going anywhere.”

“It’s okay, I’ll get in after you.”

“But I don't want you to get sick…” Kit fussed, as if Alistair was the immunocompromised one.

“I’ll be fine. I’m pretty hardy.”

Kit sighed. “Okay, well, come under the heated blanket with me after your bath.”

“I was planning on it. Don’t pee in there or anything if I’m getting in after you,” Alistair grinned.

Kit looked at Alistair like his cousin had accused him of shitting in a public pool. “Why on Earth would I ever do that?”

“Some people do.”

“Why?” Kit cried.

“I don’t know. Kids pee everywhere. I guess it’s just the relaxation.”

Kit gave him a suspicious glare. “I see. I want to get out of the bath now.”

“What? I don’t do it now,” Alistair said.

“I know, but the premise is making my skin crawl. Besides, I want my warm blanket.” Kit put his hands on the sides of the tub to pull himself up, but he got about six inches in the air before his noodly arms gave out and he plunked back into the water.

Alistair ended up with his jeans soaked through with warm water. “Nice.” He hauled Kit out himself. “You know that scene from Howl’s Moving Castle when Sophie’s dragging Howl’s naked body to the bathroom? That’s how I feel.”

“If you’re going to assault my dignity like this, it’d be kinder to just drown me in the tub.” Kit grumbled, his cheeks burning red.

“Oh shut up, it was said with love,” Alistair said, wrapping Kit up in a towel.

“Then lovingly find me some pyjamas, will you?”

“What am I, your maid?” Alistair asked, but he went to get them nonetheless.

Kit rolled his eyes, sitting in his towel bundle on the edge of the tub. He was still a bit shivery, anxious to get in his heated blanket. Alistair brought the pyjamas, dressing Kit like an oversized doll, and carted him to bed. He brandished the famous heated blanket, flapping it like a bull fighter.

“You’re a menace.” Kit sighed, but he took the blanket gratefully. “Now go bathe your dumb damp arse.”

“I will. I’m about to freeze to death,” Alistair declared, leaving Kit in the bedroom. Kit curled up in the bed, waiting patiently for his cousin to return. Within a few minutes, however, he started to doze, finally comfortable in his warm, dry nest.

Alistair always took unbelievably long baths. When he finally returned to Kit, he was fast asleep, and Star was curled up on Kit’s tummy, purring happily. Kit was snoring obliviously, unaware of the fuzzy menace sharing his nest. Alistair snuggled up to them both, grinning impishly. Kit instinctively cuddled up to his cousin, but didn’t wake. Alistair tucked the blanket around Kit tighter, hoping he wouldn’t wake up with a chill.

Though he slept soundly, Kit was clearly still morose when he woke late in the evening of his birthday. It was long since dark out, and snow was swirling furiously outside the windows. Just the sight of it made him shiver, and he pulled his heated blanket tighter around himself. He felt an unexpected resistance, sighing in frustration as he recognized the furry weight in his lap. Star mewed indignantly, passing up Kit’s tummy and chest, rubbing her little face against his chin.

Kit groaned, trying to shove her away without being rough. “Go bother Alistair.”

“I’m here,” Alistair mumbled, his nose in a book.

“Then get your cat off of me.” Kit said. He sounded more drained than grouchy, and despite having slept most of the evening away, he felt more tired than ever.

“She’s just saying hello.”

“Well she’s said it.” Kit gave up on asking his cousin for help, instead just sitting up and letting Star scramble away as the thing she was standing on moved. He swung his legs off the side of the bed, stepping into his slippers and shuffling off towards the kitchen. Alistair followed him like a little service dog. Kit was rifling in the cabinets, hoping to find something to drink.

“You need to eat first,” Alistair said.

“I’m not hungry.” Kit had been mostly cooperative lately, but he was in no mood today. As understandable as it was, he had already missed four of his six scheduled meals, and Alistair couldn’t exactly let that slide.

“You really need it this time, Kit.”

“I need to be left alone.” Kit clearly didn’t mean it - he couldn’t even look at Alistair when he said it.

“Yeah yeah. You can afterwards, emo.” Alistair said.

“You’re the emo.” Kit mumbled. “What are you going to make me eat?”

“An egg?” Alistair suggested. Julius was out shopping, and he couldn’t actually cook much himself.

“Can you make an egg?”

“I can boil it. Or fry it. I can’t poach, or scramble. Or anything else.”

Kit sighed. “Fried, then, I suppose. With toast. Please.” He shuffled off to the couch, plunking down in the corner. Star hopped up beside him, settling on his lap. Kit groaned. “Why is your cat obsessed with me?”

“I don’t know,” Alistair called from the kitchen. “She just likes warm places. Like laps.”

“I’m not even warm.”

“You’re warmer than most stuff,” Alistair said, coming back with a plate of food. Kit took it, but he didn’t look pleased, and he picked at the eggs instead of taking a bite.

“Eat the flipping things.”

Kit cringed. “Sorry.” he scooped some egg onto his fork, taking a tiny bite and forcing himself to swallow. Alistair had done a passable job cooking, but they felt like flavorless slime when Kit tried to chew.

“Is it still really hard to eat?” Alistair asked, his voice more gentle.

Kit nodded, staring vacantly down at his plate. Alistair put an arm around him, sighing. “Am I gonna have to feed you?”

Kit shook his head, his face burning with shame as he picked up the fork again. “I can do it.” He said, scooping up another pitifully small piece of egg.

“I was only joking.”

“Sorry.” Kit tore off a small corner of toast, dipping it in the yolk of his egg.

Alistair paused. “Sorry. I know today is shit.”

“Not your fault.” Kit mumbled. He chewed the toast for ages, it felt more like a sponge than a piece of bread.

“Is there anything I can do?”

Put me out of my misery, Kit wanted to say. He knew his cousin wouldn’t like that, though, so he shook his head. Alistair just sighed, putting his arm around Kit. Kit leaned on him, offering a piece of yolky toast.

Alistair recoiled. “Yuck! Egg!”

“Are you still that picky?” Kit sighed, eating it himself. He knew he was difficult about eating in general, but his cousin's disdain for any non-junk-food grated on him.

“Yep. Drives Jules mad.”

“It irritates me, too. You know eggs are in pretty much every baked good, right?”

“It’s not because of the periods thing anymore. I just don’t like them. They’re rubbery.”

“The yolk isn't rubbery.” Kit rolled his eyes.

“Really? I’m getting better at cooking then…”

Kit sighed and shook his head, going back to poking at his eggs. Alistair grinned. “Don’t pull faces. I’m not planning on being a chef.”

“I could be a weightlifter before you could be a chef.” Kit grinned.

“Oh ha ha. I’ve been trying to think what I could train for cause art and commissions are sporadic.” He paused. “Don’t laugh.”

Kit raised his eyebrows. “What are you training for?”

“Well, Nothing now. I’ve got to get a proper degree. Which is a shame, I’m a bit sick of uni… Anyway. I was thinking I could train to be a social worker…” he mumbled. “Not right now, I kinda need to sort my head out first, but...there must be tons of kids like we used to be, Kit. Kids who nobody listened to.”

“Why would I laugh at that? I would’ve given anything for someone to help us.” Kit said, somberly setting down his fork.

“I’d have thought you’d have said I couldn’t follow the rules or something.”

“I know you’re an idiot. But you care enough about this to not fuck it up. I hope.” Kit replied.

“I do. It’s just...it’s kind of fucked up, when you think about it. We could easily have ended up dead. Ended up like...like Victoria Climbié. Or...oh, there must be loads of abused kids who died.”

I wish I’d been one of them. Kit felt guilty for thinking it, but he couldn’t get rid of the thought. Alistair saw Kit’s face, and his own face screwed up. “I know what you’re thinking…” He shoved Kit’s plate aside, suddenly wrapping his arms around him and holding him tight. “I’m sorry. I should have made you come live with us. If I’d made you when we first met up, this wouldn’t have happened…”

Kit cringed. He felt like a lot of his inner contemplations had just been dumped on the table, and he hadn't even said anything. “It's not… you couldn't… I didn't…. I'm sorry.” He sighed miserably, leaning against Alistair.

“I know,” Alistair mumbled. “I don’t know what to say either.”

“Then shut up for once and just hug me, you fool.”

Alistair did as he was told, holding Kit tight in his arms. Kit leaned against him, silent for a long time, save for tiny sniffles. Even Alistair kept quiet, clinging to Kit for comfort. There was really nothing to say. As the stress grew heavier, Kit finally spoke.

“Can I have a drink now?”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Alistair mumbled, but he wasn’t really going to stop Kit drinking today. Kit still seemed discouraged by his cousin's words, hesitating for a long moment before pulling away to go into the kitchen. Alistair sighed. “No more than one bottle.”

Kit would've complained normally, but with how much Alistair had been restricting him, his tolerance had dropped. He just nodded, grabbing a bottle of cheap spirits from under the cabinet and filling a glass with ice. Alistair still rolled his eyes at the ice, but he didn’t say a word. Kit brought the bottle with him when he took his drink to the couch, reaching in his bag to grab Alice.

“Do you want me to read it to you?” Alistair offered. “Since you’ll be seeing double soon?”

“Not that soon.” Kit mumbled, but after a small pause, he held out the book. “Please? It’s always so quiet on our birthday. The servants know I’m upset, so they leave me alone, but then the house just seems so… empty.” He sighed.

Alistair nodded. “I know. I don’t ever want a big house, even if I could afford it.”

“I don’t blame you.” Kit curled up in the blanket he’d left on the couch, with only his head and hands peeking out. Alistair opened the Alice book carefully.

“Any particular starting point?”

Kit shrugged. “The beginning is fine. I can’t remember where I got to this morning.”

“Because you were slowly freezing,” Alistair said, opening the book at the first page.

Kit cringed. “Sorry.” He leaned against Alistair when his cousin started reading. Alistair gently ran his fingers through Kit’s hair as he read, remembering how Fox used to. Kit sniffled, draining his glass and grabbing the bottle to refill it. Alistair determinedly ignored how much Kit was drinking. He wasn’t mean enough to stop him on his dead mother’s birthday.

Luckily for both of them, Kit was still tired from their outing earlier, and his eyelids felt heavier with every drink. The bottle was just over half empty when he started to doze, glass still in hand as his head lolled against Alistair’s shoulder. Alistair set the glass aside, then read to him until he was properly asleep, lulled like a kid with a bedtime story. Before long, Kit was snoring into his cousin’s jumper. Alistair didn’t want to risk waking him, so he just tucked the blanket tighter around Kit and slept there with him.

[romanssippycup]

Sanders Sides Easter Egg Hunt Headcannons

(I wanted to write a fic but it was gonna.be too much work...so...have some headcannons. :D )

The sides all knew that Thomas woke up around noon on each day and Easter was no exception.

The fact that this Easter was also April's Fools day, had them gathered together at 7 am wondering what they could do to prank the human.

Even Virgil and Remy were up at such an ungodly hour in the morning.

Roman fired out ideas, but it seemed like everyone had settled on the surprise Easter egg hunt idea.

Virgil added that there should be trick eggs that might not have candy in it but like slime and carrots. Patton shuddered at the carrots.

The others agreed and conjured everything they needed for the surprise Easter Egg hunt.

An hour later all the plastic Easter Eggs have been filled and each of the sides (including Remy and Picani) ran around Thomas's house putting them in different places.

Soon Thomas wakes up and notices an Easter egg on his floor. Its a blue one so he grabs it and opens it.

Inside is a gold coin and a note from Patton himself.

"Heya kiddo! Happy Easter and April Fool's Day! Me and some other people who live inside your mind created an Easter egg hunt just for you!! All the eggs are hidden in and around your house as far as the garbage can outside! Find all 150 eggs in two hours and you'll get a surprise! Have an EGG-cellent time!!"

So, Thomas scratches his head for a minute before shrugging and began to look through his room.

He finds one in the bottom of his bed near his feet, wondering how someone could have put it there without waking him. Opening it, he finds the word "Sleep" next to a tiny Black Panther T'challa figure. He chuckles to himself, getting a little more excited about finding eggs.

He finds three more eggs in his room. Two with chocolate, and one with silly putty in it.

He plays with it before going downstairs and putting his already collected eggs and prizes on the kitchen aisle.

He continues going through each of the rooms in his house looking for Easter eggs and opening them. Oddly enough however, he hasn't seen anyone of his sides, Remy, or Picani since he started hunting for the eggs.

Some prizes are amazing and some not so amazing.

One egg just had a real egg in it. "Hahah. Really funny Patton."

The first that had Logan's name actually had an enamel Pokemon pin in it.

Basically all of the eggs with Pattons names were cute chocolates or practical puns.

In one he actually managed to fit a tiny stuffed chick in an egg with something like "This is Peep!" Written on the name tag. Thomas put Peep on the aisle with his spoils and patted his head.

The first egg he found of Virgil's was just carrots. "Ugh...I love you too Virgil." He could have sworn he heard Virgil's snickers coming from elsewhere.

Patton would be that one person who would hide an easter egg inside of an easter egg inside of an easter egg (etc.) And just puts a note at the bottom. "Congrats! You found air!"

Romans eggs are actually extremely hard to find. Hes so creative with his hiding places, but what's in the eggs are extremely rewarding.

Sometimes its filled with just chocolate, poetry he's written, maybe a necklace or two, or even a part of a story he wrote that he spread throughout all the eggs only to be put together in the end. He also fills one of his eggs with body positivity because he knows Thomas needs it (especially after all the chocolate.)

Virgil's contains some pranks, but not all of them are. Yeah he had filled a couple with staining slime and some without the chocolate but the wrapper shaped like it was still in there. But, he also put marshmallows, candy, and real chocolate in some of the other eggs he filled. He also put metallic ring he liked in one of Thomas's eggs because he wanted Thomas to wear it.

Logan's eggs didn't usually have candy or anything edible in them. They varied from facts and trivia to enamel pins and even tiny puzzles. He even folded a couple tiny paper cranes to shove in a few of the eggs as incentives.

Remy's eggs are filled with minifigures...and minifigures only. Basically he conjured minifigures from the entire Marvel Universe so Thomas could have a full set if he found them all.

Picani’s eggs are mostly chocolate and maybe a few cartoon references. Maybe he hid a few kindereggs in there as well.

Roman and Logan teamed up to fill one egg entirely full of Crofter’s. No jar. No bag. It’s just in the egg.

Logan would also be that person to find all of the Easter sales items and shove all the coupons in an egg.

Patton put gummy krabby patties in a couple of the eggs.

By the time Thomas finds all the eggs he has ten minutes left. He gathers them all on the kitchen aisle and counts through them all making sure he has them all. But, one is missing.

He scowers outside and through the entire house again. He then goes searching through the other’s rooms and he finally sees one of the sides, Patton, holding the last egg in his hands giggling mischievously at Thomas.

“Patton! There you are! Can I have the egg please?”

“Oh sure kiddo!” Patton hands it to him and runs away laughing madly.

Thomas is suspicious but opens the egg in anyway, only to be squirted with egg yolk in his face. He looks down inside the egg from his yolk covered face and reads a message.

“Yolk’s on you! Happy April Fool’s!

“PATTON!”

He hears laughing coming from the kitchen and he stomps to it, revealing everyone who helped hide eggs roaring with laughter at his face.

They stop and present him with his prize which happened to be his very own personalized, rainbow easter basket.

He laughs and opens it, enjoying the contents while the others told their story of how they hid all the eggs and their meanings behind each gift.

They all had a great time, and Thomas made sure to share his candy because there was no way he would have been able to eat that all by himself.

Whose to say Thomas didn’t make them all their own easter basket’s and slightly prank the pranksters later on in the day? Because he totally would.

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (96/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous chapters conveniently available here.

[28 May, 234 Before Age.   Planet Pflaume.]

After hours of being stranded on Planet Pflaume, hovering on the brink of death, Luffa had done a great deal of soul-searching.    She had a lot of things she needed to say to her wife, and when Zatte came to rescue her, she wasn't sure where to begin.    They shared a kiss almost as soon as she had recovered enough to speak, and that had been nice, but it was only a short reprieve.   Then the proximity alert sounded, and Zatte rushed away to check the computer terminal in the cargo bay.   Before Luffa could make sense of what was happening, Zatte ordered the computer to leave the Pflaume system at best possible speed.  

"What the hell are you doing?!" Luffa demanded.   This was not what she had planned to say to her wife after everything that had happened to them, but there it was.  

"Before I got here,” Zatte explained, “I set the ship to tell me if any bogeys showed up on the long-range sensors.   There's a Saiyan cruiser headed our way.   A parting gift from King Rehval, I'm betting."

"Then we should stick around and show our appreciation," Luffa snarled.  She was still unsteady on her feet, but now that she wasn't living off the dwindling air supply of the spacesuit she had been living in, she felt well enough to fight.   She cracked her knuckles and began to contort her arms to stretch her tired muscles.   "If he's too frightened to show his face, I'll settle for punching out a few of his henchmen--"

"Luffa, the navigational computer is down," Zatte explained.  "The bridge is a wreck.   That's why it took me so long to get here.   I had to maneuver the ship manually, correcting course as I went.    Sure, we can limp along like this, but if someone starts shooting at us--"

"I can protect the ship, Zattie!" Luffa insisted.   "Now turn us around and--!"

"No!" Zatte said.   "Dammit, you're not listening to me.   We're in no shape for a fight, you're probably half-starved, and we have to get away from the system before those Saiyans get close enough to track us!"

"So we hide?" Luffa exclaimed.   "Since when do I need a full stomach to tackle a bunch of Saiyans?"

"We're not having this discussion," Zatte said harshly.   She opened the door leading to the interior of the ship and headed down the corridor, waving for Luffa to follow.   "Let's get you to sickbay, then the kitchen, then..." she sniffed at the air and winced.   "...then the shower."

"Hey!" Luffa shouted as she ran after her.  "The only place I want to go is back to Pflaume, and then to Planet Saiya, so I can settle things with Rehval once and for all!"

"Luffa, we can't turn the ship around now," Zatte insisted.  "It would take an hour just to reverse course, and every second we're sitting still makes us that much harder to--"

"I don't care!" Luffa yelled.

"Well I do!" Zatte yelled back.   "I went to a lot of trouble just to save your sorry ass!"  She suddenly turned and started poking Luffa's chest with her index finger.   "I haven't slept in over twenty-four hours, and now I have to feed you and take your temperature because I can't trust you not to go straight to the gym to do one-armed pushups!  Now get this through your thick head: we are taking the ship into deep space.    We're not going anywhere else and you're not fighting anyone else until I can get the navigation system fixed, and that's final."

Luffa grabbed Zatte's hand before she could poke at her one more time.    They were both breathing hard, and Luffa had some fiery response on the tip of her tongue, but it never materialized.  

"Well?" Zatte demanded.   "If you've got something to say, out with it!"

Luffa made a sheepish grin.   "You, uh, mind if we stop by your bedroom first?" she asked.

Zatte breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.   "Okay, good, I thought I was the only one getting in the mood."

"I know what you mean," Luffa said.  

"We'll uh... we should get to that later, all right?"

"Right.   We should talk."  

*******

[28 May 234 Before Age.   Interstellar Space.]

"I want to make sure I'm clear on this," Zatte said.   She had run a medical scan on Luffa while she sat on the examination bed and ate leftovers from the kitchen.  "King Rehval can alter his own memories, and that's how he fooled your telepathy."

"Yeah," Luffa said, after swallowing a large spoonful of cold pottage.  

"Are you sure he didn't do something to your mind, then?" Zatte asked.    "If he could trick you into thinking he was in love with you, maybe he had a way to make you love him back."

"He used charms to control other Saiyans," Luffa said.   "But they were all physical objects he planted on them.    Medals, jewelry, things like that.   When I destroyed the one he used to control General Ratijio, he knew right away what had happened to him."

"In other words, he never managed to plant anything on you, because if he had, you'd still be under his spell," Zatte said.    "And if it fell off somehow, you'd notice it."

"Exactly," Luffa said.   "Which reminds me, we need to check on Drang Dedruhn as soon as we can get in touch with the Federation.    Rehval invited us to Saiya through her, and she didn't look so great the last time she saw us."

"You think she might have gotten more than she bargained for out of their summit," Zatte said.   "But why didn't he try that stuff on you?   If he could control so many other people..."

"I don't know," Luffa said.   "He might have been afraid of what would happen if it didn't work on me.   Or maybe he was planning to do it later, when he thought I'd be more pliable.   The very notion of a Saiyan doing that kind of crap..."

"Yeah, he sounds more like one of the Makyans than a Saiyan King," Zatte said.   "For what it's worth, I'm just relieved you weren't entranced or anything.    At least whatever you did with him was consensual."

"I'm sorry you had to find out through that Pozet monster," Luff said.   "Hell, I'm sorry that Pozet thing ever existed in the first place.  Rehval created it to resemble you, just to get at me.   You never should have been involved in this at all.    That cowardly slime knew he could never defeat me in battle, so he attacked me through my marriage, and then  my son..."

"I can't believe Katem's been alive this whole time," Zatte said.   "And then you lost him all over again..."

"At least I got to fight the brat," Luffa muttered.    She picked up a carton of eggs and placed one in her mouth, raw, and broke the shell with her teeth.   After she swallowed, she ate another the same way, and continued until the entire container was empty.   A small trickle of raw yolk ran down the corner of her mouth.  

"Was he strong?" Zatte asked.    

"The strongest Saiyan I've ever fought," Luffa said between eggs.   "He had some kind of power, not quite Super Saiyan, but something like it.   I don't know if Rehval did that to him with his alchemy, or if he takes after his mother."

"Maybe he's still alive," Zatte said.    "He's already surprised you once, right?"

"I offered to let him stay with us," Luffa said.   "For a second, I really thought he might go for it."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to be a parent," Zatte said with a chuckle.

"Zattie... I really screwed up," Luffa said.  

"We both did," Zatte said.   "I trusted King Rehval too much, same as you."

"But you didn't cheat with him," Luffa said.  

"Frankly, he's not my type," Zatte said.  

"Don't make jokes," Luffa said.    "I'm pretty sure if we found the Dorlun homeworld and met the Queen of the Dorluns, you could manage to keep your hands off her for a week or two."

"We don't have queens," Zatte said.   "Though if we did, and if she ate enough raw eggs in front of me," Zatte said with a shrug, "that might just win me over."

"This is exactly why I did it," Luffa grumbled.   "I knew it was wrong, but I felt sorry for the bastard, and I thought he really loved me.   He was lying the entire time, but he at least took it seriously.    He wasn't all detached about it like you're being right now."

"Oh, no you don't," Zatte said.    "You do not get to tell me how to react to this mess."

"I... I'm sorry," Luffa said.  "I didn't mean--"

"Look shut up, all right?" Zatte said.   She planted her hands over her face and slowly rubbed them across her forehead.    Then she took off the eyepatch that covered her right orbital socket, which housed a prosthetic implant.   There was scar tissue in the surrounding flesh, the last remnant of the war wound that she normally concealed.    She held the eyepatch in her left hand, then began twirling it on her index finger.  

"Sorry, it's been a long couple of days," Zatte said.   "For both of us.   I know you like it when I scold you, and I don't mind doing it, but that doesn't mean I should do it all the time.    

"I've always loved you, that's the thing.   From the day we met, I thought you were the coolest girl in the entire universe.    But you were only interested in Kandai back then, and I couldn't just punch a mountain to vent my frustrations the way you Saiyans do.   Instead I took a step back, and tried to assess it calmly, like... like I'm trying to do right now.     The fact is, I already cried my eye out yesterday, so we're past that.   What I need to know right now is how far it went between the two of you.   Don't hold back."

Luffa sighed and found herself staring at her own knees very intently.    "We kissed a lot," she said.   "You already knew about that, and you didn't seem to mind, so I started pushing it further.   We would feel each other up."

"Go on," Zatte said.  

"Well... that's it, really," Luffa said.   "I'd tear his shirt off, but he usually had a spare handy.  Sometimes we'd lie on the ground and look at the stars."

"Look at the stars?" Zatte repeated.  

"I'm sorry, this is embarrassing," Luffa said.   She took a deep breath and added: "He knew all this crap about what they were called, and the local constellations, and he'd say all this stuff into my ear."

"That's... you two just laid there nude?" Zatte asked.

"No," Luffa said.  

"I don't get it, then," Zatte said.   "You had sex with each other, put your clothes back on, and looked at the stars?   That just sounds dumb."

"Whoa, whoa.    We never had sex, Zattie," Luffa insisted.

"Pozet led me to believe you did," Zatte said.

"Well, Pozet was lying," Luffa said.  

Zatte held up her hands and made a ring with her right thumb and forefinger, then moved her left index finger through it, somewhat suggestively.    "You never did this with him," she said.

"No."

Zatte made a completely different gesture with her hands.   "What about *this*?" she asked.

"Absolutely not," Luffa said.  

Zatte made a third gesture, this time reaching over to Luffa and borrowing one of her hands to complete it.    "What about this?" Zatte asked.  

"I don't think you can even do that with a man, Zattie--"

"Just answer the question," Zatte said.

"No, we didn't," Luffa said.    

"Then what the hell are we talking about?"  Zatte asked.

"I still betrayed our marriage, Zattie," Luffa insisted.

"Okay, yeah!  But there's degrees to these things!" Zatte said.  

"Are you saying you're okay with what I've done?" Luffa asked.  

She shook her head and sighed.   "I look at it like this," Zatte finally said.   "He tried to break up our marriage by seducing you, and luring me on a wild goose chase.   But his plan failed, and now you're here with me, trying to put things back to the way they were.    We took everything he had to throw at us, and we survived it, just like we did when the Tikosi invaded.   That tells me what I need to know."

"What's that?" Luffa asked.  

"That you have lousy taste in men," Zatte said.    "Marrying me was the smartest move you ever made.   Kandai betrayed you and Rehval betrayed you, but I'm still here, getting you out of trouble.   I'll be honest, I can't just up and leave you, Luffa.    I have to make us work out, because I don't have a backup plan.   I'll fight for you and suffer for you and pick up the pieces when you break my heart.”

He expression suddenly became very grim as she stared intently at Luffa.   “But if you think that's too 'cold' or 'detached',” Zatte said darkly,  “then you're welcome to find another Saiyan man to be with.   Someone who can yell a lot and pretend to love you while he's planning to sell you out."

She made an evil grin at Luffa while letting those words sink in.  

"You're right," Luffa finally said.   "It's not just.... I mean... you're right."

"It's up to you," Zatte said.  "This isn't about me punishing you, or your tarnished honor.   It's about survival.   I almost didn't make it in time.   Your spacesuit was almost out of air.    I saved you from Rehval this time, but the next smooth talker you fool around with, I might not be able to bail you out.    Some Saiyans might accept that risk, but you!  No, you fought for every second of life.   That's what's got me all excited, really.    Under that mountain of bravado and tough talk, you want to stay alive as badly as I want to keep you alive.    That's how I know you're mine.    You'll want to make this up to me-- and you will make it up to me, don't worry about that-- but I don't need flowers or footrubs to convince me you learned your lesson.   Either you've learned your lesson, or next time you might die.  Simple as that."

"Wow,” Luffa said with a gulp. 

“Yeah,” Zatte said.

“I really didn't expect it to go this way," Luffa said.    In spite of herself, she smiled.   "You've defeated me... completely."

"You've defeated me a few times yourself, buster," Zatte said.   "The beautiful thing is: we're on the same side.   We can defeat each other all day long, but in the end, we still both win."    

Luffa set her food on the counter and  wiped her mouth on her forearm.  "I should... take that shower," Luffa said.  

"Good idea," Zatte said.   She took Luffa's hand and tugged it until she got up from the examination bed.    "I think I'll join you."

*******

[29 May 236 Before Age.  Planet Pflaume.]

The Saiyan spacecraft arrived at Planet Pflaume and found no one.   By now, Pflaume City had sunk deep into the ice giant's mantle, an ocean of hot, super-dense fluid composed of water, ammonia, and methane.   The immense pressure crushed the city into an unrecognizable assortment of scrap, and everyone who had once been in the city was either dead or long gone.  

And yet, the ship entered the Pflaumian atmosphere anyway, despite the apparent lack of anything worth finding.   The supersonic winds were no match for the ship's maneuvering jets, and in a matter of moments the vessel assumed a stationary position matching the exact altitude and latitude Pflaume City had once occupied.  

Satisfied that the ship was now holding steady, its propulsion balanced precisely against the winds and gravitational field of the planet, the pilot switched on a homing beacon, then focused the ship's sensors directly below.   Then she waited.

Her name was Seltiss, and she found even this part of the mission exciting.  Though she had planned everything to the smallest detail, there were no guarantees.   Perhaps something would turn up, perhaps not, but she loved the thrill of the uncertainty.    Her father had no idea that she was here.   There was a life hanging in the balance.  If something went wrong with her ship, there would be no one around to help her.  She had calculated a two hour window to find what she was looking for.   After that, she would have to leave, or she wouldn't have enough power to get back.  

That had always been her favorite part about space travel: the cold equations.   Everyone told these romantic tales of space travelers doing bold and daring things, but they were still bound by the laws of physics.   You could only put so much fuel in a spaceship, and that would only carry it so far with a specific amount of mass on board.  There was no margin for error.   Those who pretended otherwise would find they lacked the fuel to make it back to safe haven.    She loved the stories of explorers who ended up getting marooned on uncharted worlds, or who spent months or even years adrift in space because they took a chance and suffered the consequences.    Sometimes the stories ended in rescue, but the rescuers were always much more respectful of the cold equations.

As she looked in a mirror and double-checked her makeup, she couldn't help but toy with the idea of waiting a little longer than two hours.   She had padded her calculations slightly for safety, but this was mostly to compensate for the Pflaumian weather, which was somewhat unpredictable.    She could wait an extra ten minutes, but only if the planet was kind enough to buffet her ship with slower-than-average winds.   Now that she was actually here, she supposed that she could crunch the numbers one more time, taking the actual windspeeds into account, but no.   She decided that she liked the hard deadline.    She would feel a little guilty about leaving empty-handed, but that was kind of romantic in itself, wasn't it?   "We all knew the risks."   That sort of thing.

Her foundation was smudged a little, probably from when she had been prepping the ship for entry into the atmosphere, and the dye she wore in her hair had faded somewhat.   It was still pink, but a few shades paler than it had been a week ago when she had applied it.  She wanted to look her best.   It had been a long time, after all.  She reached for her bag to spruce herself up, but then she caught another look at her reflection and decided against it.   No, on second thought, she decided she rather liked looking a little shopworn.   It was more authentic that way, and it hinted at the work she had done to get this far.    On the other hand, she was definitely going to change into a new leotard and leggings.   They didn't smell too bad, but she had been wearing them for a week straight, and she she was probably too accustomed to the odor to notice it any longer.

Before she could finish putting her boots back on, though, the ship sensors detected something, and she had to rush back to the cockpit barefoot.   Once she confirmed the mass and telemetry of the object, she activated the ship's tractor beam, and began pulling it up from the depth of the atmosphere.  This would be the most critical part of the operation, as she had to raise the object slowly, so as not to rip it apart.   However, the tractor beam would use up a lot of her reserve power, so she couldn't leave it running any longer than necessary.  The one saving grace was that she was well within her two-hour window, so that freed up a little power if she needed it.   She wasn't exactly sure how *much* extra power that gave her, though, and so she couldn't really count on that until she had a chance to run the numbers again.   Driven by suspense more than anything, she tried to do the math in her head while she worked, even though she knew it was pointless.   She began to sweat, and she suspected that her makeup would end up looking a little more shopworn than she had bargained for.  

At last, she had the object high enough that she could bring it on board.   This process involved several smaller tractor beams mounted around the cargo bay doors.   For several minutes, she waited for the automated loading process to complete it's work.    Depressurize the bay, open the bay doors, tractor the cargo through the bay doors, set it down on the deck, close the doors, repressurize the bay.   This was the easy part, but she found it the most difficult to wait through.   She could see the vessel sitting in the bay, and it appeared to be undamaged, and there was a life sign aboard, but that was all she could find out until the cargo bay was safe to enter.    All she could do was take the ship out of the atmosphere and plot a course out of the system.  

When the green light came on for the entryway to the cargo bay, she rushed inside and opened the hatch on the vessel she had retrieved.    It stank of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide from the Pflaumian atmosphere, though the ship's life support systems had ventilated most of it.   The vessel was designed for exploring ultra-high-pressure environments, and small enough that it could only hold a single occupant.   At last, that occupant emerged from the hatch, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"S-seltiss?" he gasped.  

"Ah-ah!" she said.   "That's Princess Seltiss, to you, Xibuyas."

"Per... permission to come aboard, Your Highness."

With a strength that belied her slender frame, she hauled him out of the ship and carried him out of the cargo hold.   "You've gotten taller, babe," she said with a smile.  "I guess you had enough food in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber after all."

"Barely enough," Xibuyas said.    "I had to ration the last few weeks very carefully."  

His blue uniform was tattered and worn from what she could only assume was either combat with Luffa or intense training in the chamber.  Her father, King Rehval, had discovered the extradimensional realm, where time moved slower relative to the normal universe, and he had installed a secret entrance to it in Pflaume City.   Rehval had spent several years inside that place, though this was only several days from the perspective of everyone on the outside.  

"I've got food on board, so don't worry about that," Seltiss assured him.      

"Luffa was... too strong for me," he said wearily.   "I had to use a diversion to escape her, and then I got to the entrance to the Time Chamber, just as you planned."

"You didn't have any trouble operating the submersible, then?" Seltiss asked.

"Your instructions were very clear, my lady, " Xibuyas said.   He glanced back the way she came, as if he was worried the vehicle would follow them.   "You never told me how you managed to smuggle it into the Time Chamber without your father noticing."

"Oh, that was easy," she told him.  "The last time I was in the city, I told him I left some things inside from the last time I used the Chamber.    He never dreamed I was helping you in case his plans failed."

"Your father was right to abandon me," Xibuyas said.  

"Come on, was Luffa that strong?" Seltiss asked.   "I bet with a little more training you could--"

"I've spent the last several months training while I waited for you to pick me up," Xibuyas said.   "I'm much stronger for it, but my power still doesn't compare to hers."

"I see," Seltiss said.  "Well, we'll worry about that later, okay?   Right now we need to regroup, and figure out what my father's next move will be."

"I can... stand," he insisted.    "I may be tired and hungry, but it isn't necessary for you to--"

"No, I like carrying you, little boy," Seltiss cooed.   "It reminds me of when you were little, and Father had me babysit you.    Back before you started using the Time Chamber, and our ages got all mixed up.   How old are you now, anyway?"

"Sixteen years, two months," Xibuyas replied.  

"Hah, I'm still a little older, then," Seltiss cheered.  "Five months isn't much, but I'll take it."

"Seltiss...," he asked, his voice betraying the haughty arrogance that he usually projected, "what are we going to do now?   Where will we go?"

"Hey, I'm the brains of this outfit, remember?" Seltiss said.   "You leave everything to me.   I got you out of Pflaume City in one piece, didn't I?"

He nodded.

"Fact is, I had some ideas about where to go next.   You and I are engaged to be married, right?   Father just wants us to breed some grandchildren for him, but we may as well get to know each other a little better, right?   I think it's high time you and I went on a date."

She had hoped that this would lift Xibuyas' spirits a little.    He was always more useful to her when he was in a good mood, and more fun to hang out with too.    Instead, he seemed rather nervous, but she decided she liked that reaction better...

NEXT: Those Awkward Teenage Blues

[multipikblog]

Cooking Cartoon

Walking, the trek to Everest looks at the recipe book that Marshall is trying to seal. First, if the animator puts the eggs in the oven, it needs a baking powder to increase the yeast Cooking Cartoon Then the crust needs to be rounded. Then you need tomato sauce. For sowing cheese and small tomatoes are sown and lemon first. Cook for 20 minutes. Let’s see how Marshall does this. I will go back to where I knew me now with your PAH spider. It’s okay to make pizza. Marshall watched Rocky comment. This is the hamburger he wants. Burger bread with beef in the middle.

Add the mustard seeds to the ketchup, add the cheese and chop the tomatoes. It should be easy and hassle -free. Use more. Almost perfect, you’re completely back. Check out the recipe book on how to cook blueberries next so Sky can make a cake. To start, you will need flour, butter, sugar and vanilla sugar. Mix the eggs and peel the oranges. Then place the muffins in the oven for 15 minutes and try the Skyth. It must be too thin. Makes it thick on top. For the next chicks, the cake doesn’t catch a smooth bite. Take a look at the cucumber chips. Yes, little Dobin seems perfect. Yes, that’s how to make a smoothie, but let’s take a look at more information on how to cook it.

Pour the ingredients into this mixer. First you need to thicken the regular yogurt, which is made by cleaning and cutting the berries into bananas. Finally, add the apple juice and mix so that the fruit is smooth. Cartooning is not very good. Check out the repair book to find out what Chase did. Why not eat spaghetti with noodles and add a little salt and pepper? It’s time to pack cheese and grated vegetables. Well, well, now you get heavy equipment. Where's the spaghetti? Try the spaghetti dish. Ice making for Everest is now ruined.

She should pour a glass of milk and add sugar to the egg yolks to make it sweet. A little for the consistency and flavor of the vanilla bean. Then mix everything and put in the fridge and the crushed stone becomes a delicious ice cream. I’ll give you my recipe, I don’t think it should be known. I need more, but I think that’s enough to spread the cooking comics. This whole boy. I am a genius. Lasts 30 minutes forever. Not bad in 1 minute. So boy, I mean Ollie Everest is always here. Everyone can cook, yes. And I never had a problem. Yes, Marshall did not have to turn the crushed stone into ice. I had a few issues with what happened. Hello everyone. In fact, I heard your treasurer so we could have a laugh at the food. Oh, that’s sweet of you, but shiny, stop eating. Oh, what do we do with all these foods we don’t know much about? But I like the rest. What are we trying to do to me? I’m still far from this barrier, don’t worry about the pebbles I have We wrote a lot of food, yes, it's a lot of fun. What do you think you should wear as a pizza chef now? Yes, how to make a chef comic with branding and characters and I hope you will join us. You are ready to start with dry food, starting with drawing a face for our chef. Start with a chin and draw a curve in the center of the page. I'll come down, pull it back to the edge of his face and tie it up. Draw a little more C and a recliner on each side of this curve. For the other ear to work well, pull the end of the head from the top of the ear to both sides.Then pull the top of the hat and create a line or curve. Let's try to write a coca comic that connects each other. Put the circle on the side that has a good eye, and actually put a circle here for the other eye. It's in the eyes. Draw a small circle in the lower right and look for a small circle in the lower left. Now let's paint the big circles and leave those little white circles. We have to draw his big nose, we make a right circle in the middle of his nose. Chefs and drinkers do this by drinking a lot of drinks, but not all. But it could be one of them, so I'll draw a picture here and wear a scarf. It goes down and rejuvenates, then we touch his nose. At the end of the slime of the universe we are alive Read More....

[rhapsody-under-pressure]

Losing What We’ve Learned

Don’t do that. Speak when you’re told. No, you have to do this. From the day you enter the world kicking and screaming, your mind a blank slate, you’re beaten and molded into the form that everyone else wants you to be. Parents are the puppeteers, threading the needle and sticking it into your body, lacing it around the base and controlling you until they suddenly snip the strings and leave you to fend for yourself, wondering why you’re so lost and scared.

It was a lesson he was close to finishing. With the morning sun just barely breaking through his shut curtains, Brian was buttoning up his shirt and tucking the loose ends into his jeans that he had freshly ironed the night before. He finished tying the knot to his tie, pulling it down and flattening it against his chest. A nagging exhaustion lingered at the back of his mind, the primal instinct to go lay down and fall back asleep until he naturally woke up again. Jolts ran through him, keeping him robotically working across his outfit and making sure he was as neat as possible as to not provoke any reprimanding from his parents. He fixed his hair, grabbing the still hot straightener, crushing out the last tight curl from his hair to make it as straight as he could. Yet there was one last thing to fix and he dreaded the day his parents would finally notice it. But for now, he rubbed his eyes, trying to hide the blatant exhaustion and hoping that a cup of tea would shove it away for another few hours.

As if on cue, the gentle knocking came out from the other side of his door, his mother’s soft voice coming through the wood.

“Brian dear, you up yet?”

“Yes! Just finishing getting dressed!”

Her gentle footsteps followed, growing softer and softer until he could hear them no longer. Before heading out, he pulled open his curtains. Pink and orange hues began blending into the sky that was still dark from the night before. The faint moon hung in the sky, barely visible with the rising sun starting to take its place above them. He tried to take in the happy sight so it would mix with his own mood and bring him back into higher spirits. Alas, the fresh sight did nothing to pick him back up. He hesitantly reached out, his fingers hitting the cold glass window as he continued to stare at the warm sight from his cold room.

To avoid any worry, Brian pulled himself away from the window, unplugging the straightener and rushing out of his room, instantly slowing down and poising himself into his regular, respectable manner. Shoulders straight, head and chin up, chest pushed out ever so slightly, and a calm, equal footed stride. A hearty laugh filled the room, Brian looking towards his beaming father who was sipping his coffee while a piece of sausage hung on the edge of his fork.

“Look at our boy Ruth! God he’s gonna be a great man someday. With a look like that, everyone’ll be begging for his picture to go on a magazine!”

“He cleans up so well. Even manages to keep his hair neat. Girls adore a clean boy, Brian.”

“T-thanks…I try!” He said in a forced happy tone.

“Sit down and eat dear, your plate is almost ready.”

His stomach turned as he took a seat across from his father, unfolding his napkin and laying it across his lap, watching as his mother brought over his still steaming plate of potatoes, eggs, sausage, and bread slathered with butter. She placed the bottle of ketchup in front of him, Brian looking down at the meal in front of him and dreading the idea of needing to eat half of what she had given him.

“Aren’t you going to eat? Your mother worked hard to give a good breakfast for us.” His father asked, a slight accusing tone hiding beneath his words.

“Y-yeah! J-just a bit nervous about school.”

“Oh don’t be nervous about that! You’ve high marks in all your classes! And the teachers adore you! Why would you be nervous about going?”

You wouldn’t get it…He thought solemnly. “It’s still fairly new into the year and teachers always love to pile work onto your lap.”

“Bah! You can handle it. You always do. You can’t let those slip though. Universities won’t take anything less than the best, especially if you’re going into a science field.”

“I know…” He said softly, picking up his fork and focusing on eating his potatoes instead of any meat on his plate. His mother brought him a glass of orange juice, laying it in front of him, Brian quickly swallowing what he had in his mouth in order to vocally thank her. Only once the potatoes, bread, and juice were gone did his stomach start to shrink. Just the mere scent of the remaining food on his plate sickened him. He paused, hoping the clock would speed up so he could rush out the door and someone else would have to deal with the meal he left behind. He’d barely made a dent in his meal and his stomach was still begging for food and yet he couldn’t bring himself to eat anything on his plate. Brian gave a cautious glance towards the clock, seeing five minutes remaining before it was seven.

“Go on and eat Brian. She worked hard, least you can do is eat your eggs before you go.” He told him, the glare from his father hitting him like a truck and forcing him to pick up his fork once more and plunge it into the eggs on his plate. Yellow slime poured out of the egg, the punctured yolk spreading farther and farther across the plate until it had completely spread around the entire thing, coating it in a repulsive yellow that was instantly being picked up by the few crumbs on his plate. He swallowed back the rising disgust, scoffing down the eggs as fast as possible as to not taste any part of them.

“Don’t wolf down your food. It’s uncivilized.”

A wave of nausea passed over him as he reached out for a napkin, quickly wiping away the muck from the eggs that clung to the edges of his mouth. He apologized softly, earning a scoff from his father. His stomach felt even smaller, the vulgar taste still attached to his tongue and pushing away the rest of his appetite.

“I think I’m good ma…I should get going. Don’t wanna be late!”

“Right, right. Best you get going.” She told him, leaning forward and giving him a quick peck on his cheek. He waved goodbye to his father, grabbing his bag and dashing out down the steps and collapsing against the rail. Please…C’mon it’s not even seven…He tried catching his breath, snatching the water from his bag and guzzling half of it down so his mouth wouldn’t reek of those blasted eggs.

The temperature jumped a sudden twenty degrees, every part of his outfit slowly starting to cling more to his body. His heart raced and he could almost feel his pupils dilate. He quickly wiped his hands across his trousers and walked forward, trying not to count every step in case he took too many or too little.

“Good lord you work like clockwork! Every morning, here right at seven.”

“I try. Besides, you’re like that too…”

“Touché.” He answered with a laugh, his bright eyes glowing as they began their walk to school.

Brian wanted to bite down onto the strap of his bag to calm himself down. Every single nerve jumped in place as he continued to stare at his friend. He looked perfect but he looked like that every day. Hair combed through probably once in order to leave it organized yet still messy. Shirt untucked and tie barely put together. He didn’t know how he did it, but whatever it was, Brian couldn’t help but adore it.

“Hey you heard about that dance next Friday? It’s one of those ‘girls ask the guys’ dance. I’ve had four barking up my tree to go with them.”

“Forgot about it…Heh, makes sense anyway.”

“Why’s that?”

“Ah…uh…well I’m not, oh c’mon Roger you know I’m not the most popular guy there. Most girls avoid me like I’m the plague.”

“Well if you didn’t dress like some old, right bloke you’d do better. You’re so damn quiet too! What you think they’re gonna know you if you never speak? Or keep up that teacher’s pet gimmick?”

“I don’t even think I wanna go…”

“Oh now fuck that! You’re going, date or no date. You think Fred and I are gonna let you get away with you not going? Hell Fred’ll probably find you someone, or he’ll go with you.”

“I’ll pay him to go with someone else.” He grumbled, dreading the idea of having to dance with their overly flamboyant friend.

“Like any bloke would go with him. He’s isolated enough as it is. Why not just go with him for fun? No one’s going to think you’re actually with him! Girls do it all the time anyway!”

“I dunno Rog…I might just not go.” Ask me and I’ll go…He thought, the image of having him slowly dancing up next to him, their bodies inseparable and the calm music surrounding him, a few pink lights shining from the rafters above with Freddie in the background, cheering them on.

“You are going!” Roger insisted.

Brian gave up on his arguing, deciding to just accept the fact that he was going even though he’d just be uncomfortable the entire time. Once he did accept, Roger gave his arm a hard punch with a playful ‘Er ya go!’, his face beaming with pride the rest of the walk to school. He kept his face down, watching his feet hit the pavement while the sound of Roger mindlessly tapping on one of his books became the only steady sound in the background. An icy breeze rustled their jackets and the trees, pushing even more of the leaves off their branches and letting them fall to the pavement on top of the dozens of rotting, dry leaves.

“There you two are! C’mon dears I gotta show you something!” A loud voice shouted as soon as they walked into the courtyard of the school.

Speaking of the devil himself, Freddie was clad in a dark red tie that stuck out against his usual uniform as to match that mischievous demeanor, those sharp eyes shimmering with excitement as he grabbed one of each of their wrists and tugged them across the way.

“Fred! We’re old enough-” Roger started.

“Hush you!” Freddie interjected, letting both of them go and nearly making Brian fall over onto the muddy ground. Freddie held his hand out behind them to keep them from walking around the corner of the building.

“Found out where Deacon’s been heading during lunch.” Freddie whispered, motioning around the corner, Roger immediately rushing ahead to catch a glimpse. Brian couldn’t help but follow, his own curiosity rising. He peered around the corner and, sure enough, that shy, nearly invisible fellow to the entire school minus them three was standing against the gate, his arms wrapped around a young girl’s waist and her own thrown up around his neck, their mouths pressed right up against the other’s.

When both parted, they rushed back behind the building, Freddie and Roger both muffling their laughter with their hands clasped over their mouths. Both of their faces were flushed a dark red and holding their sides. Brian ventured a glance back, the girl tracing her finger along his chest before moving her delicate hand up to move a loose strand of hair out of his face. She whispered something that Deacon probably didn’t hear too well, but whatever it had been, it made his face grow even darker.

“I know!” Freddie managed once he got his breath back. “I couldn’t believe it either! Hey!”

He felt something yank at the back of his shirt, seeing Freddie’s dismissive glare stare up at him, his arms now crossed over his chest.

“Don’t keep eavesdropping! Let them have some privacy!” He berated.

“You’re the one who dragged us over!”

“Yes and? You two should see, not keep on gawking at him like he’s an animal in a cage!”

“Oh come off it Fred!” Roger interjected. “You’re just as nosey as the rest of us.”

“Ab-soo-lutely not!” Freddie shot back, Brian’s eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head at the statement.

Amongst all the arguing, none of them had been able to see or hear the couple’s approach, John standing against the wall and watching forlornly as his presumed girlfriend wandered back off into the crowd. Only when Roger took notice of him did he snap back into reality, adding a fierce glare towards each of them before directing his attention towards the ground.

“Deacon’s got a girlfriend! Deacon’s got a girlfriend!” Roger chanted with a broad smile on his face.

“Why didn’t you bother telling us?” Brian asked in a much softer voice.

“Because of that.” He admitted, pointing directly at Roger, who was still chanting his little tune.

“Now that’s not that bad.”

“The entire bloody school knowing it is!” Deacon argued, shooting a deadly glare at the other two, this time gaining Freddie’s attention.

“Hey, it’s alright Deaks…” Freddie said softly as he walked over. “We’re happy for you. Thought we’d have to hook you up with some broad eventually so you’d have a girl of your own. But! You beat us to it!” Freddie told him, adding a harsh, quick laugh afterwards.

Deacon’s eyes softened instantly as he looked towards the direction the girl had walked in. A small smile formed across his face. Freddie watched him intently, almost replicating the look upon his face before he tore himself away and looked at the rest of them. Roger had now recovered from his laughing fit and stopped his singing, now looking down at Deacon who was still lost in his own thoughts.

“Hello! Earth to Deacon! Get out of la la land, will you?”

“She’s so beautiful though…You ever seen anyone like that?”

Brian’s eyes instantly rushed over to Roger before looking back down at Deacon and shrugging. He didn’t seem to care, he was still just rambling on about her.

“She’s got these beautiful eyes and the sweetest laugh and she’s so smart and kind and just…God…”

“Ask her out then! We got that dance coming up and lord knows you two would be just adorable together! Who cares if the girls should ask, you’re girly enough to count.”

Deacon couldn’t even find words for a response. He just stared dumbly up at Freddie who could only wait a few seconds before bursting out with more ideas.

“Ooh! You two could go out to dinner beforehand at one of those absolutely lovely Italian places around the corner or you could buy her some flowers or after the dance you can head out to the cinema if it’s still open or-hey, you listening?”

“I-I am it’s-”

“Oh now if you’re gonna be all shy again!” Freddie started, giving a disapproving look towards him. “Bri, come on now, you think he should pass up an opportunity like this?”

“Ah-uh-well I mean I d-don’t think so but I guess…” He paused, nearly freezing under all three of their stares, his mind racing to find out what else to say. Yet any words he could’ve managed to get out instantly vanished once that sly little grin snuck up onto Freddie’s face.

“I mean…I could definitely help you out. Sneak a little note into her bag later and see what she says then!”

The look of pure fear upon the young boy’s face transmitted the feeling right to Brian as he seemed to grow smaller and smaller with each passing second. Freddie stood proudly, his eyebrow cocked upwards as he now waited for a proper response from Deacon, who was still trembling in his spot.

“C’mon now Deacon.” Roger finally said. “She knows you like her. Hell you two were just snogging in the corner over there! Lord knows she’s probably dying for you to ask her.”

“Probably dying for something else too.” Freddie commented, Brian giving his arm a hard hit while Deacon groaned loudly.  

“I-I know…” He replied, turning his gaze towards Roger. “I-it’s just hard, okay? I don’t like the extra attention cause everyone’s gotta shove their noses into my business just because I got a girlfriend or whatever.”

“Bah! Fuck that nonsense!” Freddie shouted, “You two are hardly noticeable as it is. People might just look at it because they can’t ignore it. Like a car crash.”

Each of them shot Freddie a deadly glare, Deacon only giving another loud groan afterwards and resting his head atop his knees. Before Freddie could get another word out, the bell rung, Deacon taking his chance and dashing off to not have to endure any more of Freddie’s shenanigans or ideas. Freddie looked down at the ground, giving a small shrug and rearranging his things before putting on his happy mask and looking back at them.

“I’ll get him that date. He’ll thank me in the end.” He told them before heading off.

Brian’s own heart had begun racing with every passing second, his mind racing to add up the time it would take for him to get from the courtyard over to his first class. Three minutes, if there wasn’t any terrible traffic, which he knew there would be since it was first, so he would have to allot another minute to give him ample time to get there or take the backway which always took longer but-

“Hey, I know a shortcut to first. Let’s get going.” Roger said to him, grabbing his sleeve and tugging him off in said direction.

He didn’t even have time to think about what he had just said and just nodded, his body still bristling with tension at the touch on his arm. Even when Roger released his sleeve, his body was still jumping a few degrees for the next few moments. He instantly clasped both hands around his books, trailing ever so slightly behind Roger as they made their way through the crowd of students and headed to the quieter shortcut for their first class.

…

When study hall finally rolled around, Brian couldn’t have been more relieved. A quiz for first and a completely hellish third class made him wish he could just collapse onto his bed and listen to music without any other distractions. Yet the mound of work sat in front of him, demonically laughing at him and making him wish he could just skip ahead a few hours to where he was all done with every bit of it. But that time wasn’t now and what other choice did he have but to get started with it.

Turned out, Freddie was ready to give him a second option. A knock on the door garnered the attention of the students who weren’t sleeping with the teacher waving her hand for him to come in, not even giving a glance his way as he entered.

“Alright, get up!” Freddie said as soon as he got over to him. “You can deal with this shit later on.”

“No I can’t. I gotta help dad out with some work and then I got even more stuff to study and-” Brian began.

“Brian! Come on! You’re one of the smartest blokes in the school. Take a bloody break for a second. I swear you could miss half the semester and you’d still get perfect marks!”

“That doesn’t mean-” He started.

“Don’t argue love. C’mon, least go study somewhere that doesn’t feel like a prison cell. God I swear I feel like I’m turning grey just from sitting in this room!”

“Do I really have a choice?”

“Not unless you want me to sit here the whole time.”

Brian huffed, but eventually agreed, folding his book closed and shoving it back inside of his bag, wishing he had just waited for Freddie’s arrival instead of hoping he would’ve given him some time to study. Yet Freddie had practically made this a routine between the two of them, seeing as they both had study halls at the same time, and always came over to drag him out of his own designated room so that he would have something more fun to do. Freddie beamed instantly, helping him with his things and tugging him out of his seat.

“He’ll be back before the period’s over.” Freddie told the teacher, though she didn’t even seem to realize he had even entered the room.

As expected, Freddie was heading towards their usual spot. Since the cafeteria and courtyard were out of the question to go sit in, they always took to this little place near the stairs by the gymnasium. Freddie almost always went there anyway when he didn’t have to be in class, claiming it was one of the quieter areas of the school, to which Brian couldn’t help but agree and appreciate the silence in a less bleak area. It was odd that a classroom full of living teens felt less alive than a completely desolate stairwell and yet…

“So? You gonna ask him or what?” Freddie said as he took his seat under the stairs.

“Pssh, sure. And tomorrow I’ll just go and grow wings and fly to the moon!”

“Hey, just a question. Don’t get all bitchy. That dance would be the perfect thing for you to say something!”

“Yeah, yeah I know but it just won’t work. He’s not into me anyway and he’d probably prefer some broad here to go there with.”

Freddie gave a loud laugh, smacking his arm. “Then why the hell hasn’t he asked any! Lord knows he would’ve! He’s got the most confidence out of the four of us anyway and God knows it wouldn’t be hard for him to get some hot girl to go with him to the dance.” Freddie paused for a second. “Course he could just ask a girl a question and they’d throw him their shirt and bra.”

“Maybe he just doesn’t want-” Brian started.

“Maybe this, maybe that, maybe he-Oh shut it already May! Good lord you’re never gonna know unless you just fucking go for it! You have no idea with him, just try it. You don’t even need to get all romantic with Rog and make it sappy and all that. Just go there with him so he’ll have someone besides me and Deacon to talk to.”

“Aren’t you still trying to hook him up with that girl?” Brian asked.

“Yes but that is not the point!” He barked, furrowing his brow and staring at the wall in front of him. “I’ll focus on that when I see him again but for now I still think you should at least go there and hang out.” He softened his voice and finally looked back at him. “Bri dear I really think you should go. Even if it’s not to hang out with Rog and me you just need to get out of the house. Every day you go back home and just lock yourself up in your room and study endlessly or do whatever the hell your parents want you to do. That’s not a way for anyone to live!”

“C’mon Fred…I got a lot to study for. I gotta get into that university so I can actually study what I want!”

“Yeah and most of what you want to study requires actually being outside! How can you want to study the stars and not go outside to actually fucking see them!?”

“It’s just hard…You know my parents, they want me to study as much as possible. If I ever let them down because…”

“Brain. You listen to me and you listen to me now. Stop doing what they want you to do. My parents want me to be some fucking business dude and God knows I’d rather jump off a bridge than dress up in a suit every day and talk about mortgages or royalties or whatever. If your parents give any damns about you then they’d fucking let you do what you want.”

“What if I don’t know what I want?”

“Then you take your time. You’re seventeen Bri…That’s young. We’ve all got so much time for stuff to change or enter our lives.”

His mind howled back at him. No no you’re meant to be prepared. Having a plan and following through so that you’re safe. That’s what they always told him and he knew they wouldn’t lie to him about the true route to success.

“Freddie…” He began, giving a long sigh afterwards and staring up at the stairwell floor that hovered above them, wondering how the hell there was so much gum and writing on it. “Don’t you think it’s better to have something planned out.”

“Plans are helpful but damn it all if you shouldn’t at least bend a bit to see what might come your way. Did you really think you’d go and fall for Roger? Probably not and yet look where you are now. Wishing that he’d come to you without a shirt on after a quick swim and kissing you beneath the sunset so that you won’t have to go and say ‘I’ll be at the dance’.”

“I don’t fantasize about that!” Brian shouted.

“Yeah and I’m straight.” He said back, slouching even more so against the wall. Freddie gave a quick hum and looked his way. “You should spend more time in the locker room during gym. You get a lot of nice views while you’re in there.”

“Freddie!”

“What? I mean it. While those rugby players are so loud and obnoxious, they do look quite nice without any shirts on. Or trousers for that matter…You ever really get a look at that guy? What’s his name…James or some shit. Now that there is someone I wouldn’t mind to have in gym.” Freddie rambled, his mouth curling up into a devilish smirk.

“The bloke looks like he rolled in dog fur.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

The usual sly grin crept up onto his face, Brian feeling quite thankful that he couldn’t see into Freddie’s mind at the moment. He sighed and leaned back against the wall. As much as he wanted to follow Freddie’s advice, both of them knew just how slim the chances were of that working out were. Besides, if it did work, neither could continue with it. The invisible stares and sneers of those around them because they were just a bit closer together already began to burn his skin and twist his stomach around. If Deacon having a girlfriend caused this much buzz between the four of them, he could only imagine what would happen if he even admitted to having a crush on Roger.

“Hey, I know you’re not gonna take my advice but I’m still sticking to what I said.” Freddie told him once more. “If you wanna know, all you gotta do is try.”

Brian just shrugged, still not sure if he should even begin to contemplate the idea with Freddie around. The guy could read your thoughts with the slightest change in your expression. But there was one thing Freddie was good at and that was secrecy.

“It’s just…I dunno. How would everyone else act?”

It was then that Freddie’s own expression darkened. For once it was something that he couldn’t just brush off with another smirk or witty comment. Freddie just scoffed, now trying to find a proper response to what he had just said.

“I mean…It’s not like we could just go ahead and do it.” Brian continued, his insides now starting to churn. “Even just a rumor…I don’t want anyone to know…If my parents ever found out, I’d be a goner.”

“Hmph…Hell I don’t even know…I’d be a dead man too.” Freddie mumbled, a dark confusion now spreading across his face as he tried to finish what he wanted to say. “It’s…Tsk…I don’t even know what I’d do if I found some bloke who liked me…I’d probably run and hide from him…” A hard longing and sadness filled his face before he continued. “Be so much easier if I could find a girl so that everyone here would just shut up. ‘Oh you should find someone! Always bragging about what a good lay you are!’ or ‘Bucky over there couldn’t find a broad even if she had the same teeth.’ Fucking bastards. Don’t know how to keep their traps shut.”

“Tell me about it. People barking at you every now and then and calling you ‘teacher’s pet’ gets annoying. So does ‘goody-two-shoes’.”

“Hey, it’ll be them who repeat their final year three times because they can’t multiply past ten times ten.”

Both fell silent. Who wanted to talk about something like that in school? The risk of someone else hearing them was so immensely high; Brian didn’t even want to consider what would happen if someone did overhear them: blackmail, revelation, taunting...Anything petrified him. To think it’d been so easy for Freddie to tell them about it and yet it seemed like he didn’t want to tell himself. He’d go off all the time about what he’d love to do with a guy if anyone ever wanted him. Yet Freddie himself always seemed so hesitant to truly accept where he was. It wasn’t like he wasn’t somewhere similar…He didn’t want to admit it either. Who would?

The time slowly ticked by, Freddie occupying himself with toying around with his outfit or hair while he just stared at the opposing wall. Why did he always have to bring it up? He knew he didn’t like talking about this and yet that’s all Freddie did when it was just the two of them. Maybe it was because Freddie knew he could relate to him. Maybe it was just to start drama so he could ‘get a kick out of it’. Whatever the actual reason was, it’d fit Freddie to a tee. He wished he could see into the bizarre mind of his, just so that he could understand why he felt that need.

“You ever wonder what it’d be like to be off on your own?” Freddie finally asked.

“You know I do.” Brian told him. “It’ll be great.” He lied, the old fear starting to settle in his stomach.

“But to just be free!” Freddie exclaimed. “To just be…you. No one badgering you for who you were and to just let everyone, including you, be happy. You think that’ll every happen?”

“No.” Brian replied in a blunt tone. “No one’s ever gonna change that much. Let alone society.”

“Now don’t be so pessimistic! C’mon Bri…You gotta think that there’s some good out there.”

“I didn’t say there was no good. I’m saying that old traditions and ways don’t die easily. The way we’re raised will affect the future and I doubt all the children right now are not being taught the same exact stuff over and over again.”

“But those who don’t like what they’re taught can change it. There’s gotta be a future out there where people can just be happy.” Freddie retorted. “Isn’t there?” He asked solemnly, his eyes growing dark with desperation.

“I dunno Fred. I just don’t know.” Brian told him, trying to leave his own doubt out of this.

“You know what then.” Freddie told him in a much stronger voice. “If the world’s gonna be a bitch, I’ll be one right back. Try me. I’m not letting anyone tell me otherwise.”

Good luck with that. Brian thought as he sunk lower towards the ground. He wished he could share Freddie’s current optimism. It seemed so easy to just ignore everything. Maybe he should just stop everything he was putting himself through. The thought was sincere but the accompanying feelings were anything but. In an instant, the thoughts were dashed away, leaving him wondering what would’ve happened if he let them stay for just a bit longer.

He glanced towards his watch, groaning and pushing himself up from the uncomfortable position. Freddie got the message and heaved himself up as well.

“Look. I know what you’re thinking.” Freddie told him in a hard voice. “But you gotta at least try. Ignore your bloody parents and the other kids. Just be you.”

Freddie headed up the staircase without another word, leaving him to continue to wonder why on earth he was dwelling on Roger so much. He heaved a heavy sigh and grabbed the few things he had, already starting to toss away the bustling thoughts. Only when the bell rung did he succeed, his mind clicking back into its robotic state and walking him off to his next class.

…

The lock clicked as he twisted the key within. As expected, the house was empty. Not a soul was moving around nor were there any signs that someone had been home recently. It was normal, and it was something Brian truly relished. Those few moments of solitude in his own abode were truly something he wished he could have more of. Alas, he knew already that he had about an hour before his mother would return home, meaning the gratuitous time was slipping right through his fingers with every second he spent staring at nothing.

Brian instantly took to his usual routine. He hurried to his room, laying his bag on the neatly made bed and took out his work. Something once again began gnawing at the back of his mind, Brian shooing it away in an instant.

His work took hours, yet it would take others usually days to finish it all. The usual headache began to grow about three hours in and made him wish he could just be done with all of this already. It wasn’t hard. It was just tedious. Every damn sentence he had to write out in that perfect format so the teacher wouldn’t bark at him that it was properly written. Each formula that was etched in his brain. Couldn’t it have been so much shorter? He understood it. So why make him do it thirty times when ten was just plenty. Because without practice, you can’t be successful. Those words echoed through his mind, Brian wishing his father wouldn’t keep repeating it whenever he came home with a load of homework.

When it was actually finished, Brian neatly put it away in the designated folders and gently placed them each in his bag. His brain was pounding and each part of him just wanted sleep. But the bustling down the hall kept him from laying there. In a matter of minutes, someone would come over to remind him to come and eat. As he tried to head out, his eyes landed on the guitar sitting in his closet. The beautiful crimson wood almost hid among the darkness of the closet, but the light reflected off a few bits so he could finally see it.

Just a moment…He thought as he let go of the doorknob. He walked over to his closet and grabbed the guitar by its neck. A flash ran through his arm and up through his body when he came in contact. It grabbed him and took over for a second, allowing him to bring it out and hold it in his hands. It was just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. How he wished he could properly play it. An amplifier of any kind would be a blessing in disguise. He allowed his fingers to dance across a few of the strings, the soft, but warm, sound following, its full potential lurking beneath the surface.

A knock from the other side of the door scared the daylights right out of him, the guitar leaving his hands for a second as he fumbled around to keep it from falling. The door opened behind him, his father standing on the other side, an imposing glare hiding in his eyes while he put that fake smile up on his face.

“Oh you and your music.” His father told him, reaching out and taking the guitar from his hand and immediately placing it back in the closet. “You know better than to keep us waiting when it’s time for dinner.”

“Y-yes…Of course. Sorry about that, I just finished with my work and-”

“Ah thatta boy! Remember, without practice, you won’t be successful.” He told him, the invisible needle stitching the words onto his brain again.

He smiled sheepishly and followed his father out of the room, looking behind him for just a second and seeing the neck of the guitar inside of his closet, Brian once again shutting out his mind and trudged down the hall.

A sickening scent hit his nose, making his stomach violently twist. His eyes landed upon the dinner table. It was a classic scene, one someone could’ve seen in any picture book. A small basket of bread with butter ready to be spread, a freshly made salad with bright tomatoes, dark leaves of lettuce, and purple curves of onions while the dressing was reflected off the light hanging above their table. Glasses filled with ice, a bottle of beer next to what he knew was his father’s plate, more roasted greens sitting inside of a neat little bowl, all of it looked tantalizing, minus the cut pieces of chicken lined across a white plate, a boat of gravy sitting next to it.

His nerves shot around as he took his assigned seat, his mother to his left and father to his right. He made it through the routine of saying grace and allowed the others to grab their food first. Each went right for the still steaming chicken before moving onto the other food around it, Brian taking his chance and diving for what he actually wanted to eat. He lined his plate with as much salad, roasted asparagus, and bread to completely cover his plate so his parents wouldn’t force any of the dead bird down his throat. The idea revolted him, the memory of this morning’s incident only making it harder for him to eat what he actually wanted to enjoy.

In those few seconds of silence while everyone took their first bites of dinner, Brian tried to formulate a kind of story that they might actually want to hear. What was there? All he’d gotten to deal with was the usual routine that had been crafted since his birth. So, nothing new ever happened. He couldn’t dare mention his conversation with Freddie. They both already disapproved of him and his flamboyancy. Anything that had happened earlier would only anger them more.

“So, anything happen in school?” His father finally asked.

“Ah! W-well…” Brian began, laying his bread down on his plate. “Not really…Just the usual go to class and do what I can. Came home, did my work, and now we’re here!” He told him, seeing him give that pleased smile.

“That’s good. It’ll help you in the future if you keep the hard work up.”

“Brian hon, surely you’ve heard of the dance coming up!” His mother piped, giving her soft smile. “I heard it from Williams next door. Her son is ecstatic to go.”

“Bah! Ruth dear you know Brian doesn’t bother himself with any frivolous things such as dances. He’s got so much work to do.”

“Harold, don’t you think it’d be fitting for him to enjoy a night out. Perhaps he could hang out with Roger.”

“Yeah and that means that Frederick too. He doesn’t need much more of him, let alone at an event like that.”

“I-I mean he’s not that-” Brian began.

“Don’t interrupt!” His father snapped. “He’s got no reason to go. It’d be a waste of time and any more time with that Frederick is gonna turn him into some bum flashing himself at a party, neck deep in alcohol and I will not accept that!”

“Harold.” His mother said sternly. “He’s just a boy-”

“A boy who’s got so much going on that any behavior like that would throw him off. I’d bet every pound I got that something’s off with that Frederick and I’m not having him rub off on Brian.”

Nervous stares were directed towards his father, whose anger could be felt for miles. All fell silent and returned to their meal. He silently apologized to his mother, knowing that his father’s temper was on him from having his guitar out, not her bringing up the dance. He scoffed down his meal as fast as he could without reprimand. The chicken sat in front of him, half of it missing and sitting either on his parents’ plates or in their stomachs.

Dinner was quiet. No more talk of school, work, or any other miscellaneous babble. When they’d all had their fill, Brian took to clearing the table, his father moving off to the couch and reading the paper. While he washed the dishes he’d gathered, his mother began wrapping up the remainder of the food from dinner, neatly putting it in containers and then in the fridge. He looked down at her, seeing a dejected shadow inside of her eyes while she quietly worked. His eyes moved off to his father who, as expected, was sat with his nose buried in the paper.

“I’ll go pack my bag.” Brian finally said, hoping his father wouldn’t say anything else.

Thankfully, no one did. He hurried back to his room and shut the door as fast as possible. The checklist was already forming in his mind even though he already had everything ready for the next day. Well, everything but any encounter with the others. He could already see a conversation with Freddie and Deacon spoke as much as a piece of yarn. But Roger…Lord how he wished that he could predict how any conversation with him would go. It’d make it all so much easier. No more nerves bouncing about or butterflies dashing around in his stomach.

But he just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Why he felt that way towards him. Of all people he could’ve fallen for, he fell for him. There were obvious issues with liking him, but something was so alluring about him. That cheekiness, the confidence that just radiated off of him. The guy paraded around like a tiger. It was amazing to watch. How he wished he could share it.

Time ticked by slowly, Brian pretending to be occupied with his work whenever someone came by as to avoid any conversation. His shower was done as quick as he could and well before midnight, he had his pajamas on and a book in his hand. Light now came from his desk lamp instead of the sunlight outside or the bigger lamp at the corner of his room. A few cars rumbled from outside, but besides the occasional turn of a page, all was silent. Brian found it both soothing and unnerving. He just wished for his eyes to finally grow heavy so he could mark his page and get under the covers so this day could just end.

Yet, his mind kept up the thoughts. He tried to focus on the words in front of him, but he found it nearly impossible to care or focus on them. Fitzgerald’s words seemed to form a blur of black and white. He shook his head, closed his eyes for a second, and tried to refocus before his turning and heavy thoughts resurfaced.

He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes.…The dance…it was just a few days away. Roger would be there…Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real. Maybe he should just go…It’d shut Freddie up…whereupon Gatsby sat down and shaded his eyes and began to laugh. “It’s the funniest thing, old sport,” he said hilariously. “I can’t — When I try to-”

Brian tossed the book away, the pages fluttering and the book landing on the ground with a quiet thud. How could he focus on anything else but the impending Friday night? Freddie was right, though admitting it would have him boasting about it for ages. But lord was he right. It’d be better to know what would happen then to keep living in this state of confusion and wondering. Surely it was…Was it not better to try something and fail or just never attempt it in the first place?

The question had plagued his thoughts since he first met Roger. That first time their eyes met a truck had slammed into his chest. He couldn’t speak for a few seconds and had to be whacked out of it by a slap on the back of his head by Freddie. Over the two years he’d battled the idea that just saying something, something that simple, could solve everything or make everything worse. Even if he did like him, how could he even find a way to be with him when everyone around you thinks your mere existence is a creation of the Devil himself?

He glanced over to his bedside table, the small drawer calling out to him. The lamp cast a now angelic glow upon the wood, Brian now following it and opening up the drawer. A few papers sat inside of it, his handwriting scrawled out in various pens. Old song ideas began to swarm around in his mind again, the lyrics reminding him of the few short moments that his parents had seemed to encourage his desire for music. But his father had slammed the songs away into the drawer the instant he seemed to be moving away from what he wanted him to do. The old thought hurt just as much as it did when it was the moment itself.

An urge arose once again, one he hadn’t felt since the last time he held those papers. To be perfect, to make everything as good as it could be. He reached out and grabbed a pen from his bag, placing the tip of it against the paper, a small blue dot forming and slowly growing. Brian took a deep breath and scratched out a few words, writing in what he felt fit better. His pen moved over the words, hovering just a centimeter above it until he scratched out more words and replaced them once again. This process continued as he scoured through all he had written, tossing the papers aside, making notes in the margins about what could be a guitar rift or solo in the future.

For once it felt natural to do this. Like no one was going to barge in on him and tear it out of his hands, telling him he’d be wasting his time with anything trivial. Once he did put the pen down, he stared down at his work, pride swelling up in his chest. It was his. Something he made. No matter what, someone couldn’t take away that satisfaction of making something better, something he had made himself nonetheless. The song was his own. Not perfect, but for now it seemed to be. Every stroke of the pen had been made by him: whether it be a note, rift, lyric question, or random doodles he made when trying to think. His pride seemed to start to relax him, his eyes now starting to grow heavy.

Brian now folded up the papers, laying them gently inside of the drawer and putting the pen back inside of his bag. His hand slightly ached, but it was that good kind of ache, like the type an athlete got after exercising. Again, his eyes fell upon the guitar that sat inside of his closet. The desire to test out the notes he’d written down arose again as he continued to stare longingly at it. But it was unfair to play it without letting it reach its full potential. He laid down beneath his covers, letting out a heavy yawn before finally shutting his eyes, now ending he final part of his routine and, within minutes, drifting off into a blissful slumber, that pride never once vanishing.

[eishero]

The Story Of Jake Light nigga Dark nigga Simp nigga Trill nigga Rich nigga Poor nigga House nigga Field nigga Still nigga... Still a nigga, This the Jake life Still referred to being called bywords Still stereotyped profiled Can't shake off these proverbs Still an astonishment a wonder shaking of the head Fallen angels Lost sheep Congregation of the dead They say erybody wuz a slave but look who caught it worst Just as prophesied Deuteronomy 28 biblical curse Our faces ain't on federal reserve notes But we wore shame from sins in yolks of iron on those slave cargo boats Baptized by their priests Shown a kross and got broke Emasculated castrated molested whipped raped burned and hung by the rope Swinging from the trees Strange fruit on the oaks So-called Negroes Afro-Hispanics just let dat ish soak... 1492, 1619 For Judah Ephraim the 12 tribes i bleed For Judah Ephraim the 12 tribes i sow seeds For Judah Ephraim the 12 tribes koz we the lost sheep Always last hired Be the 1st fired Gave us bass Gave us dope and then tapped our wires Loss in the system for conspiracy when they the main liars Get probation Can barely flip burgers and change tires Seeing Jake's oppressed Fulla stress getting faded Poison in our air food and water Tryna faze it Don't land a profession or be an entertainer then you ain't make it Back to the block Back on the pole Vanities jaded Never free from sin Stumbling blocks just like cages Labeled injunz wetbacks and savages Their false religions tamed us Brainwashed hypnotized by Greek fashions Babylonian ancients Planned Parenthood from gatorbait fire of Molech killin' our babies Willie Lynch, Hellenized, Lightskin versus dark still alive Make all the men weak and our leaders are the wives They killed our elders and house-niggaz swear they wise Gave us Sunday law sun-worship Sunday churches paying tithes Bet a hundred million dollars that yo' pastor ain't no Levite Look at these so-called Christians and not a nan 1 follow Christ Marvel not Satan and his ministers appear as angels of light The story of Blacks Native Indians Latinos, Datz the Jake life My kinsmen fall by the gun drugz and shank knife AiDs HiV cancer heart disease right High blood pressure and diabetes right Local neighborhood cops Plus undercovers right Or might just be ya own bruddaz Ain't no luv slime Or cud it be ya own sistaz Diliah-Jezebel smiles Give em an inch They gonna stretch a mile Better learn from Adam b'koz Eve wuz beguiled Financial freedom i know we all want it Koz bills never stop coming, Plus the children get hungry, Raised by a TV Parents working Guess who's left lonely Monsters raising monsters and our children are our oppressors MTV to Disney drown our salad bowlz with their dressings Seeing my kinsmen lose their morals just for fame and reject correction Destroyed for lack of knowledge Ain't talkin' bout their education The synagogue of Ha'Satan funded the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Stole our identity and heritage and made us slaves Slavery never ended Sum in prison Sum paid a wage Human trafficking still alive Our sistaz made sex slaves Allah ain't no God, Trill Muslims will keep it trill A few Jewish Caucasians will admit that we are His Jews by blood not religion Datz the truth How you feel Take ya issues up with YAHAWAH but ain't no debating and datz the biz Don't be fooled by house-niggaz swearing that they in the field House-niggaz luv massah and too comfortable in the hills So what if this ain't popular At least i kept it trill Ask me and i'LL show ya koz most homies ain't real See the fear on they face They gone talk around it Visible dirt on the floors but they gone sweep around it Mud been tracked thru-out the house but they gone mop around it Dancing with the Devil, Electric slide and bunny hop around it Got the wisdom on luv You can't luv erybody Trust in the stock of ya own seed Can't just marry anybody Datz Word of YAH, Ezra 9 and 10 told me about it Deuteronomy 7 and Joshua 23 spoke about it Light nigga Dark nigga Simp nigga Trill nigga Rich nigga Poor nigga House nigga Field nigga Still nigga... Still a nigga, This the Jake life £!$H€RO🦁🐺 Eishero🦁🐺 #HeroicThriller #Poetic #LionzDen #Flowetry #FieryFlamez #Lyricist #BrewPoets #JooPoets #BlackPoets #Poetry #Lyricism #SpokenWords #Sonnet