#true crime woo

[hebrokein30]

for @wincestwednesdays day 3: radio

Müde bin ich, geh zur Ruh'

Dean likes going to bed. It's one of those mundane, boring, humiliating human things but hell. Dean is allowed to enjoy himself with that at least. It's the in between hunt nights he enjoys the most. Where he really can get into it without having to think too much about other things. There's a whole process behind it. When they were children, Dad would make them share a bath and scrub themselves clean (there was a whole lot of water splashing and kicking and screaming involved) and if they were lucky they could watch that new action movie on TV, which Dean looked forward to, and then Sammy'd sit in bed next to him and read from his little children's book and Dean would pretend to be annoyed but would listen to the little lisb in Sam's speech because he still kept losing teeth. That changed over time, and so did the books, becoming first adventure stories and fantasy, which he enjoyed, then Sam developed a taste for fancy artistic stuff, which creeped Dean out (who'd wanna read about someone turning into a giant bug for gods sakes?). When Sam started reading articles about the differences of pest boils in different animal species, Dean'd tell him to fuck off or shut up. It usually worked. After Stanford, Sam developed a habit of keeping the little portable radio on the bedside table and listen to police chatter, anything he might find important. When it wasn't that bad anymore, sometimes he'd find a comedy show station, which he didn't really enjoy but Dean found hilarious and so he kept it on until Dean's laughter faded away into snoring.

Dean turns off the shower with a satisfied sigh. His skin is tingling and raw from the hot water and the excellent pressure, he's smelling nice and clean and that's about the best thing in the world. Well. Almost the best thing. Definitely up there in the top ten anyway. "Drained the pipes yet?" Dean's turning to find Sam standing by the sinks, wiping a mirror with a towel which, oh yeah, did steam up pretty good. "Gotta take care of the pipes Sammy", he says, making his voice sleazy the way Sam hates but secretly loves, Dean knows that. "'S important. Wouldn't want them to rust." Sam rolls his eyes but there's a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "My pipes ain't rusty", Dean finishes, drying his hair with a towel. "No", Sam says, his tone low, "I make sure of that." Dean emerges from the towel and catches Sam's gaze in the mirror, trailing slowly over Dean's naked body. Dean grins. "Hurry up, bitch" he says, and strides out of the bathroom, butt naked. He can do that now, in this place that only belongs to them. He dresses in his room, the softest boxers he could find and nothing else, because Sam is an oven and he doesn't want to die from heat exposure. He gets into bed and sighs at the feeling of his mattress giving into the curves of his body. Best damn thing he ever bought, this mattress, and Sam can roll his eyes at that until they're stuck to the roof of his head. Dean just closes his eyes when Sam strides into the room and makes the mattress dip under his weight. He smells like peppermint and aftershave (the weirdo shaves at night) and so Dean let's himself be pulled into the dip Sam is making. "Scoot over", Sam says and Dean wiggles away a bit, eyes still closed, until Sam is finally lying down and then Dean presses up against him again, his nose burying into the middle of Sam's (very fantastic very comfortable) chest. Sam oofs, but doesn't push him away, and Dean feels him getting comfortable, a hand at Dean's back, keeping him close. Dean hums and feels himself relaxing. The room is cool, but Sam is warm, and the bedsheets smell nice because he bought them and washed them and changed them himself, just this morning. There's a click and the light behind Dean's eyelids turns black. He sighs again, breathing deep. He could fall asleep in the next three seconds he really could. There's just something missing. Sam keeps fumbling around behind Dean's back. Deans just about to open his eyes and see what's going on, when someone starts talking way too loudly into his ear. "But how did they manage to decapitate the victim with--" "Sorry, sorry!", Sam says, and Dean jumps, startled, only lying down because Sam keeps pressing him down into his chest with the hand on his back, stroking clumsily in an attempt to soothe him. "Dude, what the hell?" Dean says, and then "Is that your freaking podcast again?!" "It's the last episode of the season". Dean buries his nose into Sam's ches and groans. "This thing has seasons?!" "Shhhh", Sam says and doesn't dignify Dean with an answer. He has turned down the volume significantly though and curled up around Dean, his nose in Dean's hair, making a cocoon of their bodies. "...what happened, between that afternoon and when the bodies were found strung up over a river?" Dean groans again. "You know, for Christmas I'm gonna get you those headphones you refuse to buy. Or you could get me a nice pair of earplugs. I heard they were good for, you know, silence and sleeping". But Sam only hums, totally relaxed, the bastard. Dean closes his eyes again and tries to get into his sleeping groove. One day Sams little podcasts are gonna give him worse nightmares than the one time Sam read about governmental sleep experiments. Even if its just for the shock value of having this thing played directly into his ear. But the voice behind him is quiet enough to fade into a background murmur, easy enough to ignore, and Sam is still warm and still smells nice and familiar and it's...not so bad. Dean likes going to bed after all. Sam's little nerdy podcasts are just part of the process.

[kero-verdade]

Respectfully. if an unknown man took my child to a mountain without my permission he WOULD get his ass beat expeditiously

[bkgbian]

aaaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhh

[themurdererblog]

Woo Bum-kon, a policeman turned spree killer.

Country: South Korea

Years Active: 1982

Victim Count: 62, including himself.

Punishment: None, committed suicide following killings.

[arathergrimreaper]

me, watching the drama begin to unfold:

me, when people are leaving because they get no satisfying answers from LEAD production people:

me, when long time stans and white knights go silent because they don't even know what to say either but are fuming too:

[faux-ecrivain]

Yan Cheater

(Fifth official post)

(Character’s name-Isaiah)

Yan Cheater who shameless cheats on you, the whole town knows, and then smirks when you berate him for his promiscuous ways.

Yan Cheater who always manages to keep you with him, usually by threats of blackmail or begging. 

Yan Cheater who, despite his hedonistic faults, doesn’t want to leave you. He still loves you, but sometimes you bore him.

Yan Cheater who become panicky when you start to ignore, then he starts to throw a fit when you give him the cold shoulder.

Yan Cheater who temporarily halts his promiscuous actions to try and woo you again. He doesn’t want to loose you, he loves, really he does! (He doesn’t, but he’s too much of a coward to leave you)

“Please baby, don’t leave me! I swear I’ll never do that again!” He begs, desperate to bring you back into his arms. He reaches for you, his arms open and attempts to embrace you. 

Unfortunately for him, his actions are undesired and therefore you slapped him, then told him to screw off and then  you kicked him out of your house.

Yan Cheater is absolutely devastated when you kick him out, this is a bad sign, what if you leave him? His mood isn’t even lifted when that annoying neighbor he hooked up with invites him over. (He rejects her invitation politely, then decides to just wait on the porch until you let him back in or give him his clothes)

Sadly, he doesn’t get invited back into your house, nope, instead you toss his clothes out and then you hand him a sleeping bag. You locked him out, he can’t understand it and he has no idea how to repair this relationship.

Yan Cheater who mourns your break up, even after weeks have passed. He doesn’t understand what happened, he thought for sure that you would’ve stayed with him. (He knew all your secrets after all) But you didn’t care of he told the world about your crimes (not that there were any serious ones going on). In fact you only seemed to encourage him to inform the whole world of what you’ve done.

Yan Cheater who still hasn’t gotten over you, you and him were dating for so long and he just can’t fathom the idea of being separated from you.

Yan Cheater who snaps when he sees you flirting with your best friend, he decides then and there that he will get you back, and nothing will ever separate the two of you again.

Hence he kidnapped you, locked you in his basement (don’t  worry it’s fully furnished) executed your best friend, blocked all other contacts on your phone and then began his to try, and salvage your relationship. 

It doesn’t work, but he has all the time in the world to try and it’s not like you’re going anywhere anytime soon.

Yan Cheater who swears to be true to you and to stay with you for all eternity. 

(Short post today, but enjoy it anyways and feel free to comment)

[morphodae]

Edgar Redmond | Headcanons

Including: general, relationship (x reader)

cw: perhaps slight manga spoilers

Read more P4 headcanons here: 🪻x 🦉 x 🌱 x

General:

With a leniency towards rules and regulations, this is primarily due to his social upbringing and status. As a child, I imagine he was rarely told 'no' and thus got away with petty pranks and was able to sneak sweets… things like that.

Edgar’s tendency to get away with most anything drove his neighbor and childhood friend, Lawrence Bluewer, almost mad. Either way, the two found a way to make the friendship work even as opposites and even into their young adult years.

Raised in nobility and high esteem, Edgar does still have standards he holds himself and others to. It’s more of the sign of the societal norm at the time, though his outlook on life and people tended to lean more towards untraditional than anything.

With such an outlook, Edgar became rather tolerant of others and often looked past “unconventional” appearances, personalities, and sometimes even status. Yes, he’s a rich boy, but even so, he feels he has no right to judge others for being “different.” After all, isn’t he a little bit similar?

Relationship:

I’ll be honest, Edgar screams commitment issues. It’s evident in his statement that he’d rather not stick to one partner, but I also feel it’s much deeper than that.

There’s definitely a reason for it, and if we look at Maurice Cole’s betrayal of his trust, and Edgar’s words along the lines of “I can’t believe I let myself be a poor judge of character again,” then we can assume his trust has been broken at least more than once in the past. Namely, think of the situation with Derrick Arden.

So when it comes to falling for someone deeply and genuinely… he’s scared out of his wits. Of course, he has the looks, the wealth, the charm — but in his mind, all that is meaningless when his heart yearns for another yet simultaneously fears the worst.

Edgar is, unsurprisingly, a true romantic at heart. Has he wooed numerous people in the past? Yes. But when his feelings for someone are genuine, it’s quite an enigma. He will put on a faux persona like normal but his closest friends may pick up on how unusual his behavior is. Just why is Edgar so… strained in his advances towards this person? Or worse yet — he fails to make a move. He’s hardly ever denied acting upon pursing a fling before, so his friends become suspicious.

It takes a long, long time for Edgar to open up. And I mean, genuinely. A part of him isn’t sure where the genuine part of him is in regards to romance and trust; so giving that to someone who stole his heart is something that will take time and effort. It’s nothing the other person has done, it’s all on Edgar. Once he figures out his inner turmoil, he will be a rather genuine, teasing, charming and flirtatious partner to have.

It will truly take someone special to cause Edgar to commit. But, I don’t believe it’s as hard as you might think. He needs to work on his trust and commitment and if someone is patient and willing, then all would fall into place.

Additionally, I also see Edgar falling deeply for someone (gradually) who has absolutely zero interest in him and brushes off his advances like dust on their shoulder. It would drive him insane… in all the best ways possible. But as with any sort of game, playing hard to get with him may only serve to exacerbate his trust issues.

After leaving Weston, he would love more than anything for someone to stay by his side through it all. He doesn’t feel deserving of any love, deep down, (not after his crimes) and needs to know someone can give him the loyalty his soul desperately craves.

[screeching-bunny]

How about a yandere!king with reader who is head over heels in love with the queen, wooing her and she reciprocates?

Yandere! King Asks 1

Warnings: Obsessive Behavior, Yandere Thoughts, Bad Writing, Stalking, Possessive Behavior, Reader is Referred as ‘You’

The first thing I thought about when I saw this request was the tik tok audio that goes “NOOOOO!!! KILL HER NOW I GOT A HUNDRED THOUSAND TO WHOEVER BLOW THAT BITCH BRAINS OUT!!!!” Would totally see him saying something like this lol.

In all honesty, he would be so upset that you’re in love with her and is even more livid when that feeling is reciprocated. Like you're his perfect match not hers, it’s not fair you're supposed to belong to him. The feeling is his chest is unparalleled to anything else he’s ever felt in his entire life. He feels like he’s being skinned from the inside out at the mere sight of you with her. The feeling of despair is quickly replaced with anger. Not you of course but at her. How dare she! How dare she convert someone who belonged to him!! He swears upon his life that he’ll make her suffer for this.

Yandere! King has had enough and has finally reached his boiling point. The sight of you with that damned woman made him incredibly nauseous. There was not a single day that went by that he did not want to gouge his eyes out when he saw you happy with someone else other than him. He knew that something had to be done soon before you fell deeper in love with the queen. Which was why on this fateful night that he decided that something just had to be done. Guided by his love and obsession for you he just knew that he had to find a way to kill her. Those who dare stray you away from him shall face the consequence of it.

Yandere! King would definitely frame her for a crime she didn’t commit just to have her executed. Would be absolutely thrilled at the sight of you being heartbroken and leaning on him for some support. Using his influence he would plant false evidence that directly implicates the queen in the crime, forge documents, pay or bribe witnesses against her. Yandere! King’s power would suppress all opposing voices and control the flow of information. This causes the people and even you to fall for it and believe in the queen's guilt. No matter how hard the queen tries, the entire kingdom would doubt her integrity and fail to provide her with a fair trial. Even the people who suspect Yandere! King of being involved would remain silent in fear of dealing with the consequences. In the end there is nothing the queen can do but accept the death sentence given to her and become beheaded.

—

“I can’t believe it. To think that she was once someone that I used to love. I don’t understand why she would do something like that” sniffles

Yandere! King: *hiding evidence behind his back* “Yeah, you never know a person’s true colors until they’re fully revealed. Would getting some ice cream cheer you up?”

“.... Yeah.”

Asks 2

[washeduphazbin]

I know were all on an Adam kick rn but I wanted to get your take on what Alastor would be like with a fem partner?? Maybe someone thats a bit more innocent than him and doesnt ENJOY partaking in murder or cannibalism like he does

Unsure if this was a fic request or for me to answer in general! So if you want a fic just lmk!

But I think Alastor is really tricky because I love him but I don’t think he has a bone in his body that isn’t manipulative at least not one we have seen. So I think at first it’s a very (not toxic necessarily but still manipulative) but a much more guiding, nurturing role type relationship. Similar to Charlie and him AT FIRST cause I get that you would have the same vibes as Charlie with your hope, optimism and innocent. Cause I imagine innocent you falling down to hell being terrified and Alastor taking her under his wing. At first it’s just to get another deal or another soul but then he realizes like.

Oh. Oh I don’t think you’re supposed to be here at all. There’s absolutely been some sort of mixup because this girl is incapable of hurting anybody.

From then on I think he’d be more of a silent protector role. He’d know and respect your unease at his cannibalistic and violent lifestyle so he’d do his best to keep her out of it. No interacting with Vox, no other overlords other than Rosie, any freak outs/power trips he has he would always make sure you’re away from the danger and the sight. He doesn’t like you seeing him like that for some reason. (Rosie would have to explain to him that he might be in love or whatever that means to him)

I also think No one would know they’re together romantically until one day Angel makes an offhand comment to reader and as follows:

Angel: I just don’t understand toots, you’ve been in hell for ‘dis long and there hasn’t been a single dame or lad that’s tried to woo ya? It’s a crime! I mean look at ya!

You: *very flustered* oh thanks Angie. That’s not entirely true though Al and I have been together for…oh goes going over seven years at this point.

To which you slap a hand over your mouth because you and Alastor are very private and you just did the one thing he told you not to do. Al just slowly turns to look at you eye twitching.

Reactions as follows:

Angel: flabbergasted. Jaw has dropped. Eyes BULGING. Asking a million questions about your sex life.

Husk: chokes on his drink while promptly also dropping the bottle and shattering it on the floor

Niffty: she def already knew.

Charlie: LOUD SQUEALING, HUGS, A MILLION QUESTIONS

Vaggie: shock, horror, curiosity…but mostly the first too.

Both you and Alastor would get very overwhelmed and he’d teleport you both away, with a promise of answering questions later but him and his dear heart must be off on important business.

Anyway yah hope that’s what you’re looking for! That’s my take! And if you guys want little blurbs like this lmk I can probably crank these out much easier.

[sixosix]

GENSHIN IMPACT.

# XIAO

( 1 ) something happens

drabble / 1.7k words. verr goldet and huai'an playing matchmaker, basically

( 2 ) wasted time

drabble / 500 words. talks a lot x listens trope, but with xiao

# WANDERER / SCARAMOUCHE

( 1 ) patching you up

drabble / wc 500. you're injured, and wanderer is there to help—not of course without a bit of snark here and there.

( 2 ) flustered

drabble / wc 600. wanderer proves that he can fluster you.

( 3 ) clingy

drabble / wc 1k. scara shows his true colors when he’s missing you.

( 4 ) softie

drabble / wc 800. scara does, in fact, have a soft spot for animals.

( 5 ) he can fly; you cannot

drabble / wc 700. he makes it his problem.

( 6 ) and his voice is a familiar sound

longfic / wc 5k. forced proximity + childhood friends reuniting.

( 7 ) happy birthday, wanderer!

drabble inspired by wanderer’s 2024 bday mail

( 8 ) pda w/ wanderer

drabble about him and public display of affection

# SHIKANOIN HEIZOU

( 1 ) i drive down different roads | part two

fic / wc 4k. you met a detective once on an unexpected night; fate decides that it won’t be the last time.

“you look so pretty,” the stranger with twin moles murmurs, “like it’d be a crime not to want you.”

# LYNEY

( 1 ) distractions

drabble / wc 600. roommate!lyney annoying you who just want to finish your essay. you fail miserably.

( 2 ) sleight of hand

longfic / wc 8k. local sumeru architect goes to fontaine looking for inspiration and comes out of it with three rainbow roses and a crushing magician.

you will not let lyney get to you. unfortunately, lyney already got to you the moment you met eyes. after all, what is a magician if not an expert in stealing hearts?

( 3 ) kissing him awake

drabble / wc 600. kissing lyney awake doesn't really work.

( 4 ) teapot voicelines

drabble / wc 1.5k. lyney’s teapot voicelines turned fic

( 5 ) overwhelmed

drabble / wc 500. a huge party + reader who is sensitive to the environment + lyney being a sweetheart

( 6 ) sickfic

fic / wc 3k. you take it upon yourself to make it up to lyney when he couldn’t perform on the night he looked forward to the most—and lyney falls a little harder.

( 7 ) kisses

drabble / wc 500. sleepy lyney + kisses all over his face.

( 8 ) sucker

drabble / wc 700. it was not your intention to seduce lyney, really, he was just already so very weak for you.

( 9 ) lovesick and desperate

drabble / wc 900. lyney can't stop staring at your lips.

( 10 ) plastic flowers

fic / wc 1.8k. the great magician lyney wooing nine-to-fiver reader.

# AETHER

( 1 ) jealous

fic / wc 1.5k. aether has been traveling with you long enough for his bottled up feelings to overflow one day. lyney pushes that day closer.

( 2 ) infatuated

drabble / wc 1.5k. mutual pining but aether is a tease and you're an idiot.

( 3 ) accidental

drabble / wc 500. you accidentally kiss him on the lips.

( 4 ) hitting on you

drabble / wc 700. aether (one of the) main character(s) in hit game genshin impact hits on you.

( 5 ) stay, too

fic / wc 2.8k. you were afraid that aether would break your heart, but that all flew out the window the moment he got sick and demanded only you take care of him.

( 6 ) i want you for worse or for better

fic / 2.8k. your ex, aether, invites you to be his plus one at a wedding; you were doomed from the very beginning.

# KAEDEHARA KAZUHA

( 1 ) can i go where you go?

fic / 2.2k words. three times kazuha keeps kissing you on 'accident'

# KAVEH

( 1 ) it was all by design | part two

longfic / wc 10k. when soulmates are given a second chance.

he kisses you square on the mouth, the blueprint of the palace of alcazarzaray hidden beneath his palms, and he thinks he’s never been happier.

# ALHAITHAM

( 1 ) officially swept off your feet

drabble / wc 1.5k. in which everyone knew you were in a relationship, except for you.

# WRIOTHESLEY

( 1 ) one look (meant just for you)

drabble / 700 words. wriothesley visits your home.

[forthegothicheroine]

Henchwomen Through the Ages

The "ages" of comics are not hard and fast things, and even comic book historians argue where they begin and end. They're more like moods than time periods, and your standard game of Henchwoman RPG will probably be set in a vague time period that could be anywhere from the thirties to today with an overall Silver Age mood. Still, let's take a look at how the roll of the Henchwoman has evolved, shall we?

Goldie is a gun-toting, cigar-chomping bank robber in victory rolls and a bullet bra. She's not called a henchwoman- she's called "Look out, that broad has a grenade!" She's loyal to the boss despite his dumb penny gimmick, but if he ever finked on her in court, he wouldn't live to see the sunrise. There's no Henchwomen's Union for her to join yet, but she's provided muscle for plenty of mob-backed unions. Goldie can't afford to be soft on heroes since they'd be just as happy to throw her off a roof as to arrest her, but she might be wooed by an appeal to patriotism- she ain't no Nazi rat! Her hobbies include matinee shows, swing dancing, and blasting coppers.

Sylvia is a competitive surfer and was a cocktail waitress until they fired her for slapping too many customers. Thanks to the newly formed Henchwomen's Union, she's treated much better by her current job, which usually involves crashing parties to steal themed jewelry. She and the heroes she fights have an understanding- they'll never be rough with her, and she won't check up on them after putting them in a death trap to see if they've died. On her off hours, she can go dancing in the same outfit she worked in- a silver jumpsuit, gogo boots and a purely decorative motorcycle helmet.

Brawny is a member of the Sisterhood of Wicked Witches, and she fights for a cause- or rather, several causes. These range from the reasonable (Save the whales!) to the less reasonable (A free ray gun for every child!) The Henchwomen's Union is strong enough to get her good pay, so many of her problems are philosophical- is she a good guy or a bad guy, and what do good and bad even mean? Brawny has to be a bit more careful than she would have been ten years ago, since death may well stick- but that also means she might really kill a hero, at least for a while, and that's what matters!

Tenebra prefers to be called a Dark Muse, a member of a vampire circle dedicated to bringing art to life, painted in colors of blood. Her eyeliner is swirly and her gowns are velvet, and she wears them onstage in her sideline darkwave band. Tenebra arranges her crimes in accordance with pre-raphaelite imagery, with victims displayed in heartbreakingly beautiful and mythologically-influenced poses. Her boss may technically be the Queen of the Vampires, and she may have a card with the Henchwomen's Union, but her true loyalty is to art itself.

Ferra is a mercenary with a separate pouch for each type of bullet, and she has a lot of types of bullet. Her stilettos are tall but her hair is taller, and she can strike intimidating poses that would break a normal person's back. The Henchwomen's Union had its own back broken by the bosses, and is now more of informal underground thing, but it still hooks her up with real deal bad guys. She'll kill without a second thought for her boss, but she's only one bad day away from turning her gun on him. It might even happen accidentally, since he and the heroes dress exactly the same. Ferra somehow has a heavy metal soundtrack even when there's no music playing.

Ally got a degree in psychology but until she can afford grad school, she gigs as a henchwoman. Her bosses are sillicon valley dickheads, but the first one to offer her real benefits will have her loyalty for life. Thanks to the resurgence of the Henchwomen's Union, Ally gets to wear big stompy boots instead of high heels, but she still has to wear a big day-glo logo on her leather jacket that might as well be a target sign. Her hobbies include pop culture conventions, smoking weed and credit card fraud.

[cupid-styles]

the first date

a sugar daddy h blurb!! in which harry just wants to show mia how much he adores her, but it turns out they both have some reservations to hash out.

word count: 2.5k

content warnings: none! a little bit of angst but all gets solved in the end<3 lmk if you wanna see any other blurbs from these two ! :)

masterlist | talk to me

"Mia—"

"No."

"Mia—"

"No."

"Please?"

Mia lets out of a huff as she pulls her legs into her chest. For the past hour or so, Harry's been trying to convince her to let him take her out on a date — in his words, their first official date, despite going out to dinner the night that they met. 

It's not that she doesn't appreciate the way Harry tries to woo her and constantly make her feel special, but it can get so overwhelming, especially because he's him. Gorgeous Harry with a stupidly perfect face, a stupid amount of money, and, for some reason Mia's yet to understand, a stupidly large crush on her. 

Over the past month or so as they've begun seeing each other more seriously, Mia and Harry have been content with their little routine of cooking dinner at his place, watching crime shows, and the occasional event Mia will accompany him to, but Harry's a romantic. He wants more, especially since he hasn't even asked her to be his girlfriend yet. He wants to show her everything she deserves.

And, unfortunately for her, she can hardly resist that little puppy dog pout he does, and it makes her want to lean over and smush her face into his feather-filled pillows.

"If I say yes, I don't just wanna sit at dinner or whatever it is rich people do," Mia says, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth.

Harry chuckles at that and wraps a loose arm around her shoulders, bringing her back into the comfort of his side. As usual, while her words have a bite, her actions never do. 

"So, what you're saying is... you want me to plan something special for you?"

Mia rolls her eyes before pushing her face into the crook of his neck. She inhales quietly, letting the musky, warm scent of his cologne invade her senses. 

"I'll go on a date with you." she mutters into his skin. 

"Hm?"

"I said," she removes her face from his neck just for a moment, repeating her words barely a decibel louder, "I'll go on a date with you."

Harry smirks and lifts a hand to run it through her hair, smoothing the messy strands. "You're cute. Thank you for humoring me."

"Mhm," she replies, pressing back into the gentle grasp he has at the back of her head, "Can we go to bed now?"

"Whatever you want, baby."

. . .

From: Harry🫀

Clear your schedule for tomorrow, please. I'm taking you out on that date you agreed to. 

Less than 24 hours from Saturday, that's what Mia receives. In classic Harry fashion, his texts are always cryptic, a true showcase of their age gap. (She's been trying to convince him to use emojis more, but he's insistent on his claim that they're unnecessary. Still, he'll use the occasional red heart or smiley face, and it makes Mia's lips curl up into a small smile.) 

They typically spend Friday evenings together, but tonight, he has some sort of work event that required his attendance, and Mia just didn't have it in her to pull on an uncomfortable dress and heels and pretend to laugh at his employees' jokes. She appreciates how understanding Harry is, and when she said she needed a night in on her own, he was more than happy to do that. 

(After getting off the phone earlier that day, he also sent her $100 on Venmo with the description, Order yourself some takeout on me and make sure you get dessert, too. 🍰)

And her evening alone was actually quite nice — she sent Harry a picture of the dinner she ordered from her favorite diner, complete with a piece of cheesecake. She watched three episodes of Gilmore Girls, worked on her crochet project (a half-assed attempt at a scarf for Harry, but it wasn't going all that well), and basked in the scent of the pumpkin vanilla candle she snagged from the shops last weekend. 

But now Mia's panicking. Because she was honestly banking on Harry forgetting about that date he insisted on taking her on, especially since their schedules are so busy. She should've known better — Harry never forgets a thing when it comes to her — and now it's 20 minutes past midnight, and she's trying to come up with some excuse to get out of it.

It has nothing to do with him. Truthfully. She adores spending time with Harry. He just... spoils her so much, and the thought of him setting up something official so he can do even more for her is enough to make her head spin. Even over the past month, Mia sometimes has gotten in her head and questioned why Harry was even interested in her. She didn't see what she had to offer the same way he did. On her worst days, she was just some girl eight years his junior who managed to get a lucky break.

Eventually, that's what she falls asleep thinking about. It's the only thing that calms her heart rate enough as she curls up on the couch, snuggling the sweatshirt Harry left behind a few days ago. She promises herself that it's just a fluke, that he'll realize he can find someone better, more mature, and on the same stature as him before the sun rises. 

. . .

Mia is starting to realize that Harry knows her a little too well. 

Because she doesn't say anything about her minor breakdown last night, and he still shows up to her apartment at half past 10 with coffee and a bagel from her favorite bakery. Not to mention, it's seriously out of the way for Harry (he lives in the opposite direction, so it's not like he stopped on the way over), and Mia has no choice but to swallow her insecurities down and wash them away with the iced pumpkin chai he brought her.

Harry's dressed in what she affectionally refers to as his "weekend clothes" — a stark difference from his typical suits and blazers during the week, instead opting for trousers or baggy jeans and soft cardigans. Meanwhile, she's still in her pajamas, zoning out and staring into space as she sips on her coffee. 

Harry clears his throat from beside her, ripping her from her thoughts. "Are y'alright, Mi?"

"Hm?" she asks, turning to look at him with slightly widened eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, it's been 15 minutes and you haven't said anything. I know I make fun of you for rambling sometimes but I like to hear your voice, y'know."

She can tell that Harry's attempting to make light and she smiles gently, murmuring out, "Sorry, just tired."

"'s alright. Are you feeling okay enough to go on our date today?"

"Sure," she forces out, tucking the straw between her lips, "What are we doing?"

"That's a surprise, love," he says with a lopsided smirk. "Go ahead and get ready, hm?"

Mia nods and shuffles upstairs to her bedroom, willing herself to get rid of the negativity clouding her thoughts. She knows she's in a funk and she's not being fair to Harry and she wishes she could just flip a switch and be... better, somehow. She breathes deeply as she washes her face and swipes her skincare over her face, quickly getting dressed and meeting Harry back downstairs. 

"Pretty girl," he coos from the couch, pushing his phone back into the pocket of his trousers, "Ready to go?"

She hums and follows him out, locking the door behind them and walking out to his sleek car. Mia knows it's an expensive one — it has all those nice features, like seat warmers and tinted windows — but she's never been a car person, especially if her modest Honda Civic is anything to go off of.

Harry's a good driver, and she's grateful for the way she feels just a little bit more at ease in the passengers seat of his vehicle. He plays soft indie music that she doesn't know but still finds comfort in, probably because it comes from him. 

With his hand grasping her knee, he squeezes it gently as he pulls into the parking lot of their presumed destination. They pass a sign that reads botanical gardens, which makes Mia's heart warm. She'd mentioned a few weeks back that she'd been wanting to visit the gardens for the longest time but hadn't had time. 

"We're here," Harry announces softly, putting the car into park. "I hope this is okay. You said you didn't want to go out to dinner and I know you wanted to come here before they close for winter."

Mia swallows, realizing there's a small lump forming in her throat. She clears her throat and nods, blinking owlishly — and if she's not entirely too off base, she thinks she notices the slightest twinge of nervousness in Harry's own voice.

"This is perfect, Harry," she murmurs, looking out the window to assess the plush mazes of greenery, an abundance of seasonal flowers seemingly everywhere. "Can we go in?"

He grins, making his eyes crinkle. "Yeah, we can go in."

In true Harry fashion, he pre-purchased the tickets earlier this morning, prepared as ever. Mia's breath hitches in her throat as they walk through the array of marigolds, mums, and chrysanthemums, her face in pure awe at the smattering of warm colors. 

"D'you like it?" Harry asks quietly, catching the shell of her ear. The only other people visiting today are other couples and small families, quiet murmurs being exchanged so not to disturb the peaceful scenery. 

"It's beautiful. Thank you so much for taking me, H."

"'Course," he wraps an arm around her shoulders, "Y'know I wanted to be a florist when I was younger?"

Mia looks up at him, a surprised smile on her lips. "Really?"

"Yeah. My mum had a gorgeous garden that I loved spending time in. She told me that I could make a living doing it and I became obsessed with idea of spending my days with flowers."

"That's so cute." she replies, giggling at the thought of a younger version of Harry, traipsing around the garden with his mom back in London.

Harry's steps pause as they pass a particularly bright bunch of hydrangeas. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and Mia shuffles to the side, assuming he wants to photograph the flowers. 

"What are you doing, baby?" he asks, "I wanna take a picture of you in front of the flowers."

"Oh." Mia mumbles, making Harry chuckle. He playfully guides her to stand besides the white and blue-hued flowers and raises his phone up, peering over his sunglasses to see better.

"Smile, sunshine."

She giggles and flashes him a quick grin before quickly stepping around him, grabbing his phone out of his grasp. 

"Your turn, old man," she smirks, switching spots with him. 

"Old man, huh?" Harry teases back as he crosses his arms over the expanse of his chest. "That's not what you were calling me when we were—"

"Okay!" Mia exclaims, passing his phone back to him after taking a few quick pictures, "Let's keep walking, hm?"

He lets out a loud laugh, ducking his head back slightly as Mia scurries away. He's fast in catching up with her, hooking his arm through hers with a playful twinkle in his eyes. 

"You seem more at peace here," Harry notices lowly. "I know you said there wasn't, but... was there something bothering you this morning?"

Mia swallows nervously. She knows the switch in her energy was apparent, mainly because the nerves had effectively faded away when she saw Harry's casual planning of their date. She also knows it wouldn't be fair to continue acting as if everything was fine, when she'd nearly talked herself into a tizzy the night before.

"I just get overwhelmed, I think."

Harry nods. As they approach a bench, he stops their leisurely pace, sitting down on the faded wood. He pats the spot next to him and wordlessly encourages Mia to sit. 

"Overwhelmed about what?" 

She sighs, "Not... not you, exactly, but maybe your lifestyle. I have a habit of convincing myself that this is all a joke. You're so much more established than me, and I just feel like you'll eventually find someone who actually matches you so much better than me."

"Mia," Harry croons through a concerned expression, "That's not true at all. Just because of our... age difference, and yeah, I know we're in different places in life, but... that wouldn't deter me from being with you. Ever."

"I was just nervous about today," she mumbles with a shrug, "I love that you enjoy taking care of me and doing nice things for me, but sometimes it does feel a bit... much."

"What would you qualify as being too much?" he questions, nibbling his nails, "Sending you money for dinner? Paying for your nails? Your bills?"

Mia smiles gently at his immediate worrying, placing a hand to his thigh for a semblance of comfort. "All of that is wonderful, H, and so, so helpful. But... maybe the weekly flower deliveries... and you definitely don't have to send a car to take me to your place whenever we have plans. There's also no need for me to get a new dress every time I accompany you to a work event."

Harry nods, a perplexed look on his face as if he's mentally checking off boxes, ensuring that he keeps track of her asks. 

"Okay. I can do all that. Am I... doing anything else that's making you uncomfortable?"

Mia's stomach immediately twists into knots, a sharp pang of hurt shooting through her body. She turns to look at the wounded expression on Harry's face and she wants to grab his cheeks and smush them together, promising that she's here, she just can't quite verbalize that right now. 

"You're not making me uncomfortable, Harry, not at all," she rushes out with a shake of her head, "I just... I don't know. Maybe I want to level the playing field a little? I know when we started this we were different, but... I don't want it to feel like that. Does that make sense?"

He nods slowly, the cogs turning in his brain as he processes her response. 

"Yeah. I'm sorry if I was overcompensating at all. I just want you to be happy, Mi."

For the first time, she can see the insecurity radiating through his facial expression. His eyebrows are pulled together and a small frown curls at the edges of his lips as he picks at the skin surrounding his nails. It's then that she realizes: She's not the only person in this relationship that's feeling it. He's scared of losing her, too. 

"I am happy, Harry," Mia says, willing her voice to sound as strong and confident as she feels. "With you, I'm so happy."

He looks up at her, his eyes slightly widened. "Really?" 

"Of course. I love spending time with you, going to events as your date, hanging out at home together. I wouldn't change a single thing about us, H."

Harry grins at that, reaching forward to intertwine the fingers together as his posture straightens. "I feel the same way. I really like you, Mia. I... I want you to be mine. My girlfriend."

Her heart warms at the admission. She ducks down to catch his lips in a kiss, firm but soft, a silent gesture of mutual affection. 

"I'm already yours, Harry."

[easternmind]

The weird and wonderful history of Kowloon as a digital interactive space - Part II

This article is the continuation of a previous post.

Any comprehensive history of 20th century Hong Kong is not complete without a chapter entirely dedicated to the architectural and urban planning puzzle that was Kowloon Walled City. Quite unlike any other slum in Asia or elsewhere in the world, the extreme conditions under which its inhabitants lived captured the attention of various international journalists and photographers whose reports of this accidental labyrinth, in turn, inspired some of the most remarkable artistic explorations of our time. In this regard, video games did not remain impervious to the powerfully stimulative imagery, as much a reference today as it was when its hardened concrete walls still stood tall.

Kowloon's Gate Suzaku VR - Jetman - 2017

Kowloon's Gate made a most unexpected comeback twenty years after the original episode via the crowdfunded VR project Suzaku developed by Jetman, a studio founded by and composed almost exclusively of ex-SME/Zeque staff. While it is not the remaster many had hoped for, essentially consisting of a walking simulation through some redesigned locations from the original, it does a commendable job in faithfully replicating its instantly recognizable, light-starved alleyways in competent high-definition. It is also the only VR-compatible entry from this list, granting it a degree of uniqueness over its counterparts.

Stranglehold - Midway/Tiger Hill Productions - 2007

Stranglehold is the result of a collaboration with Hong Kong movie director John Woo, developed as a direct sequel to his heroic bloodshed classic Hard Boiled, featuring Chow Yun-fat in the role of detective 'Tequilla' Yuen in his unending confrontations with organized crime. One of the game's most unforgettable levels, Slums of Kowloon, takes place during a particularly rainy day, seemingly in those last days when the zone had been emptied of residents and demolition work was well underway. The visual representation of the quarter is suitably evocative, its buildings in complete state of disrepair, the remnants of local businesses or places of prayer still discernible from under the piles of steel and cement rubble.

Resident Evil 6 - Capcom - 2012

For all its shortcomings, Resident Evil 6 partly succeeds in taking the first two episodes' concept of parallel storylines and realizing it to a much fuller extent. Its choice of different characters translates into entirely different campaigns, locations and playing styles. The very first scene in Chris/Piers' campaign occurs in the fictional Chinese city of Lanshiang, modelled after real-life Hong Kong. The mayhem in the main streets forces the player to take a detour into a location named Poisawan, which bears a striking resemblance to the Kowloon district. Though an unofficial representation, it is among the most skilled replications of the scenery we find in the vast photographic repository of the area. The degree of minutiae with which the district's haphazard electric installation is replicated, alone, suffices to demonstrate a true commitment to authenticity.

Paranormal HK - Ghostpie Studio - 2020

Few would dispute that Kowloon is, itself, naturally conducive to sentiments of dread and anxiety. Paranormal HK is a 2020 made in China production reviving the defunct neighbourhood in a gripping, blood-curdling contemporary ghost story. The player is the cameraman of a paranormal-themed TV show exploring the zone during the evening of the Zhongyuan festival, a scheme suspiciously akin to that of Akira Ueda's 2004 game, Michigan: Report From Hell. As a result of the thorough research work performed by its creators, as well as the impeccable usage of contemporary 3D graphics techniques to achieve accurate lighting conditions, players may momentarily experience the feeling of walking into a photo of the actual city as it existed in the mid eighties.

Sifu - Sloclap - 2022

Notwithstanding of its renaissance during the 128-Bit era, the beat 'em up genre is commonly associated with the arcade games of the late 80s and 90s, the period of time when it flourished and, arguably, reached its zenith. The simplicity of controls and ease of access sufficed to attract players to the arcade cabinet, while the frequently extreme levels of difficulty of advanced levels ensured a steady flow of cash for arcade room owners and game development companies alike. Nevertheless, the genre has but perished and, in many aspects, recent years have indeed elevated it to unforeseeable degrees of complexity. Sifu, by Sloclap, synthesizes the elation of digital hand to hand combat simulation with the real-life complexity of mastering a martial art.

As is the case of previous entries in this list, Sifu makes no admitted reference to Kowloon or Hong Kong. However, the designers left little to the imagination in what pertains to their inspirations when taking on the task of constructing the game's environments. Another notable coincidence stems from the fact that this production was made possibly with the support from a celebrated independent game funding group going by the name Kowloon Nights.

Stray - BlueTwelve Studio - 2022

Stray is one of the most revered independent video games in recent memory, and justifiably so. The long development process yielded many benefits, judging from the consistency and attention to detail that engrossed many an avid player. That the main character is singularly charming feline may have played an equally crucial role. The creators have made no effort to conceal the fact that the notorious Hong Kong district was a pivotal influence to the design of its nameless city. The first indication can be spotted in the game's earliest footage, in which a black cat traverses a street where a particularly conspicuous sign boasted the initials HK. Stray is less concerned with presenting a precise replica of Kowloon than it is about summoning the very essence of its atmosphere. Moreover, in an exquisitely poignant way, its ending lends an entirely new meaning to the term walled city. In the future, robots may well take the place of humans. Invariably, the Walled City is no more. Slitterhead - Bokeh Game Studio - Work in Progress

An sequence of unconscionable mistakes from the part of Sony Computer Entertainment's management galvanized Keiichiro Toyama to part ways with Japan Studio, as it once was, and establish his own game production label. Their debut title, Slitterhead, is described as a grotesque survival horror experience, a genre within which the author moves with matchless ease. Among the few certainties regarding this project is the fact that it will take place prominently - if not exclusively - within the Kowloon City province. A wide variety of aspects included in the preview footage leave the viewer optimistic as to this being one of the most accomplished portrayals of the district ever seen in a video game. Subtle yet telling signs already demonstrate the creator's in-depth knowledge of the quarter's architecture and history. Take, for instance, the suggestive image of the airplane flying mere meters above the top of the buildings. Although the growth of Kowloon was for the most part ungoverned, buildings did not rise above a certain height, even as inhabitants claimed for increased availability of space. This is due to the fact that airplanes landing at the nearby airport would be required to make their descent at relatively low altitude, performing a tight curve as they soared just above the enclave, thus preventing construction from expanding upwards. Another scene shows a child playing on the rooftops of the buildings, which once again is consistent with the documented habits of residents who, starved for sunlight and open space elsewhere within the city limits, had little alternative than to take the stairs all the way to the top.

Warehouse Kawasaki Arcade

I would be remiss not to make some form of allusion to Warehouse Kawasaki, an arcade built to replicate the Walled City with unthinkable detail. Though its ultimate purpose was for visitors to engage in digital entertainment, the venue was scrupulously put together. Point in fact, many of the objects used in the construction of the five floor amusement centre were imported directly from Hong Kong. Like so many other Japanese arcades, it closed its doors in 2019.

In recent years, a rather similar initiative was taken by the Chinese in their attempts to build unique mall spaces. The 文和友 malls in mainland China, found in Changsha, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, attempt to reproduce the walled city aesthetic. Local residents inform me that these are increasingly lacking in foot traffic, for which reason the majority of their stores are closed. Other digital replicas of Kowloon

A number of other videogames set in or deriving inspiration from Kowloon could not be featured in this article. A frequently cited reference in this context is the action/adventure game Fear Effect, one which I emphatically dispute. No doubt remains as to it being located in a futuristic version of Hong Kong, yet I could discern no parallels with the walled city, save for those scattered second-hand visual motifs that were no doubt imported from sci-fi classics such as Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell.

The Utelek Complex stage of Deus Ex: Makind Divided presents a similar situation, where the overall atmosphere of the futuristic favela bears some resemblance to Kowloon, without meeting the specificity quota that would warrant a more comprehensive exploration.

The 2004 Shout! original Kowloon High-School Chronicle for the PS2 is a unique case, in that it borrows the city's name despite taking place in a massive, Tokyo underground dungeon that is later revealed to be a maze-like Egyptian pyramid. The odd choice of title remains unclear. Shadowrun: Hong Kong game (screenshot above) contains a very direct mention of Kowloon as the place in which an entire episode comes to pass. Another project still in development, Kowloon's Curse (screenshot below), is following the lead of many popular independent horror games in recent memory by using a visual design and structure that elicits memories of the late Playstation/early Dreamcast era. A short prequel episode was made available earlier this year, for free.

Additionally, I refrained from mentioning the Kowloon maps in Call of Duty: Black Ops or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, as I perceive both games to be insufficiently relevant to merit study or contemplation.

A space that refuses to be forgotten

(China rooftop stage from The King of Fighters 2003)

It would be a gross overstatement to claim that Kowloon is a recurring location or level design motif in videogames. The relationship between digital games and the real life ghetto has been one of sporadic references. What makes the subject so engrossing pertains to the quality of the relationship, particularly that of a small cadre from among the titles featured in this article. Kowloon's Gate was one of the most relevant game creations of the 32-Bit era, a game deserving of reverence and cult following inside and outside Japan. Likewise, Shenmue II is the second instalment of a truly ground-breaking and highly advertised series whose production costs alone were unmatched until quite recently.

Moreover, this is an affair that is far from concluded. The unexpectedly high number of allusions to Kowloon in videogames released or revealed just last yet demonstrates that its aesthetic is still very much present in the minds and hearts of artists and designers working in the field. The walled city lives on as a digital demarcation that is certain to resurface time and again in years to come.

[swissmissficrecs]

Johnlock fics I read in 2023

This is everything I read in the Sherlock Holmes fandom last year that made it into my bookmarks. So while I may not have read enough to make a selected "best of" list, consider these the ones that made it past all my internal selection criteria and are deserving of a spotlight. A few of these were completed prior to 2023.

A Case of You by Silvergirl (17K, M, Johnlock, Sherlock/OMC) Sherlock is marrying an American, and at the rehearsal dinner, best man John makes a drunken love confession he doesn’t remember the next day. Badly hungover, John can't find anyone to tell him what the hell happened to the wedding, where the grooms are, or how he can put it right so that Sherlock can be happy. But what if he's dead wrong about what will make Sherlock happy?

A Midnight Clear by khorazir (16K, T, Johnlock) It’s Christmas Eve, and Sherlock is working. Because that’s what he does. He doesn’t need Christmas, or holiday cheer, or even company. He’s fine on his own, thank you very much – until a series of strange encounters on his way back to Baker Street makes him reconsider.

A Story That Is Almost, But Not Quite, Entirely Unlike Blue Carbuncle by Iwantthatcoat (16K, M, Johnlock) It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and the Holmes Family is all set to have one of those unimaginable Christmas dinners— but the game is afoot, as Mummy’s friend is caught up in a Christmas mystery.

An Elegant Solution by ArwaMachine (19K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock finds himself unspeakably aroused by the idea of John with another man. Problem is, the only man Sherlock will permit be with John is Sherlock himself. Seems like an unsolvable problem. ... or is it?

An Ocean Away by westernredcedar (14K, T, Johnlock) Sherlock Holmes has been gone for twenty long years, time enough for John Watson's daughter to make it all the way to Harvard University.

Avast Ye Merry Gentlemen by StellaCartography (10K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock is not a Christmas person. John decides it's Christmas that needs changing.

Bright Blue Ink by 13_33 (13K, G, Johnlock, Warstan) When one of my patients asks me about my relationship with Sherlock Holmes, the great detective, I answer this: I am his chronicler, his assistant in solving crimes, his confidant and friend. Of course, all these terms hold true, now as then, at the beginning of our shared history. But just as in a family portrait you can only see the put-on smiles and never the real faces of the people, they were only part of what made up my true relationship with Holmes. I know him, I then add; I know him well. [ACD]

Deductive Reasoning by cormorant (8K, T, Johnlock) John finds out that Sherlock has assumed for a while that their relationship was romantic, and feels like maybe he should have been notified about that.

Doting Husbands by Calais_Reno (16K, M, Johnlock) Sherlock takes on a new hobby: writing a story. If only something would happen! Takes place a year after the ending of Wooing Sherlock Holmes. He and John have been married for a year, still retired, living in Sussex.

Full Mount by ArwaMachine (54K, E, Johnlock) After Sherlock unceremoniously returns from the dead, John finds himself inexplicably angry all the time. So he does what any emotionally-constipated British man does: he joins a Mixed Martial Arts gym. As John throws himself into the sport and joins in on underground no-holds-barred brawls, situations arise that just might force John to face what is really going on underneath all the rage.

Indefinite Lines by ArwaMachine (298K, E, Johnlock) When two lines, inclined towards each other, are extended indefinitely, it is inevitable that they meet. Upon meeting, the lines become something new. Together. Perhaps it’s been like that from the beginning for Sherlock and John—their lives weaving together, inclined towards one another, moving closer and closer to something greater than themselves.

Live from the Morgue by disfictional (8K, E, Johnlock) Molly interviews Sherlock on her podcast, Live from the Morgue. John listens.

Lost In A Good Book by khorazir (68K, M, Johnlock) After chasing a criminal into a poky second-hand bookshop, John and Sherlock find themselves not only stuck in the building, but in L-space itself. With things still raw and unsettled between them after the events surrounding the Culverton Smith case, this adds another dimension to their predicament, which not only consists of finding a way out of the shop (while avoiding getting murdered by the criminal), but also to finally address the issues between them.

Nightjet by khorazir (22K, M, Johnlock) Officially deceased for eighteen months and still looking for the last remainders of Moriarty’s criminal empire, an exhausted Sherlock boards a night train in Germany to bring him to his next hunting ground. Due to a mishap with the sleeper cars, he is forced to share a compartment with a stranger – who turns out to be not quite as strange as Sherlock thought. The universe isn’t lazy, after all …

Nothing to Celebrate by DiscordantWords (30K, M, Johnlock, Warstan) Sherlock Holmes is back from the dead. Things only get worse from there.

Our Ghosts And This by LipstickDaddy (12K, T, Johnlock) An epilogue in three acts.

Primavera by Berty (9K, T, Johnlock) Italy in the springtime is as romantic as it gets but is it enough to free unspoken words and feelings after years of silence?

Salut d'Amour by ecoutes (11K, G, Johnlock) Despite Holmes claiming that my narrations of our cases were tainted with sentimentality, his preferences in music, I learned, were awfully romantic. [ACD]

Spare Parts by Raina_at (63K, E, Johnlock) Two years ago, Sherlock Holmes jumped off the roof of New London Hospital. Two months ago, he walked into John's clinic as if no time had passed at all. John hasn't seen him since. But then Sherlock knocks on John's door with a case he can't say no to, and while figuring out why the biggest manufacturer or synthetic limbs in the System is going after veterans, they also need to find out whether there's a way to fix what's broken between them.

stirringofbirds between my arms by NotusLethe (18K, E, Johnlock, Enola/Tewksbury) Over the years, John Watson gets to know his new flatmate, Sherlock Holmes, and the man's clever ward. [Enola Holmes]

Stretch by illwick (13K, E, Johnlock) Sometimes the lines get blurry. [Part 35 of a BDSM established relationship series]

The Adventure of The Reluctant Docent by mydogwatson (23K, T, Johnlock) Someone is killing the docents of London. Sherlock is on the case when he meets a very interesting docent.

The Case of the Freudian Dick Pic Slip by expoduck (11K, E, Johnlock) John accidentally sends Sherlock a dick pic he'd intended for another man.

The Mystery of the Missing Metallurgist by rudbeckia (14K, M, Johnlock) A young wife engages Holmes to find her missing husband. Lestrade thinks the man has absconded to America, but Holmes rises to the challenge of Proving Lestrade Wrong. The case turns out to be far more complex and dangerous than they first thought, and Holmes sends Watson to secure Lestrade’s help in bringing a criminal gang to justice. When Holmes gets injured, Watson realises where his heart lies and a little lighthearted banter leads to a tentative confession. [ACD]

The Silence Between the Notes by J_Baillier (44K, M, Johnlock, Viclock) Lieutenant John Watson's days in London are painted in shades of grey after losing both his military career and his family. Could an unexpected request to travel to Vienna to track down the errant son of a wealthy family break the monotony?

The Wizard of Baker Street by Calais_Reno (23K, T, Johnlock) In which Sherlock is a wizard under a curse and John spends a lot of time as a cat.

‘tis the damn season by chrysanthemumsies (22K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock and John travel to Edinburgh to catch a homophobic serial killer in time for Christmas. They figure out how to use their words, more or less.

Trapezoid by SilentAuror (27K, E, Johnlock, OMC/ OMC) Corey Graham invites John and Sherlock to visit L.A. to consult on a project… at least, officially.

Yorkshire by lurikko (8K, E, Johnlock) They're in Yorkshire, in a house in the moors, for a case, only Sherlock keeps touching John. [Omegaverse]

[respectthepetty]

Because when a color demon is summoned by @negrowhat and @mggsttn's post, I show up!

Top 5 - Color-Coded Storytelling in BLs

Y'all already know what number one is, but let's pretend you don't. Instead follow me on this journey into BLs that gave the best color-coded storytelling. In order to be considered for this list:

The story had to integrate the colors into multiple aspects of the series: wardrobe, lighting, accessories, setting, etc.

The colors had to be meaningful to the plot.

The narrative did not explicitly state what the colors meant.

The color coding had to be consistent and featured in each episode.

The series has to be finished.

So let's begin!

Honorable Mention: Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

This isn't a BL (yet it's queer, so anyone who says it isn't can argue with the ghosts), but that damn red thread of fate had me and Yiyong messed up all season! The appearance of the color red in the series was less of an alarm, and more of a signal that every single moment was connected. All those single red threads that Yiyong and his unlikely crime-solving buddies weaved each episode came together at the last minute not only to solve the crime, but to stitch Yiyong together and bring him back from the edge of death because the true message of the show about fate and dying was how connection is what makes life worth living.

#5 - Moonlight Chicken

Director Aof and Cinematographer Rath never miss, but this particular story being told in this series through the symbolism and lighting depicting moon vs. sun, coldness vs. warmth, dislike vs. love, and so much more was phenomenal. Watch the scene of Li Meng holding a crying Heart in Heart's cold, blue, dark room then witness the two kissing in Li Meng's warm, orange-ish, bright living room or watch the hatred and blue melting off of Alan as he begins to find love again and you'll understand that the color coding in this show wasn't just a simple red versus blue dynamic. This was the work of PROFESSIONALS. This color coding was like tiramisu made by the best Italian chef; it had layers and was effing delicious!

#4 - My Beautiful Man

This show did several visual devices oh-so-well. We got Hira always being lower than Kiyoi. We got the duck. We got Hira capturing Kiyoi with his camera instead of being present with him. We got traditional colors but with that Japanese twist. And all of the elements worked together to give us an elite visual story. Hira was blue. Kiyoi was white. Hira was the loyal and reserved servant. Kiyoi was a god. Yet this was the point of contention between the two. Kiyoi wasn't a heavenly being. He was a human boy devoid of love. He wanted Hira to love him, not worship him. He wanted Hira to stand with him, not lower himself. He wanted Hira to live with him, not through him. So we saw Kiyoi struggle with his color when he didn't feel stable in their relationship, but once Hira made it clear that he loved Kiyoi, Kiyoi never shined brighter.

#3 - My Love Mix-Up

Nobody does colors like Japan. It color codes its ties. It leans into the religious aspect of the light versus dark color scheme. It invents new ways to color-code and is always evolving . . . like Aoki's orange color did in this series. Our disaster bisexual started the series with a muted color and as he discovered he liked a boy and not the girl he originally was crushing on, his color started to emerge. At first it was a soft yellow, but by the end, it was a vibrant orange. Ida was a solid blue, so watching Aoki's feeling deepen for him was electric each time the blue lighting lingered on his face until it overwhelmed him. Oh, and that color exchange is the best that has ever been done!

#2 - Semantic Error

This show tricked us. Jae Young played us the way he played Sang Woo, yet Jae Young's true colors were revealed as the boys spent more time with each other because isn't that the entire point of color coding? Seeing people's true colors without having to be told? Jae Young started off as red solely because quiet and introverted Blue Boy Sang Woo HATED red. That was it! That was the entire reason Jae Young became red. He just wanted to piss off Sang Woo. But as the boys worked together and Jae Young's personality shown through, Sang Woo realized Jae Young wasn't the devil he made him out to be and was actually a pretty chill Green Guy who he wanted to hug longer than two weeks.

#1 - Big Dragon

The only reason 82% of the crowd decided to watch this show was because of the visual above. Let that sink in. This one visual piqued y'alls interest enough to watch a show about a guy drugging someone to have sex with him and blackmail him with the tape of it so he could *looks at notes* get the girl? A girl?! And the guy who was drugged, almost sexually assaulted, and blackmailed was *checks notes again* HE WAS IN TO IT?!

Y'all hated this show. I loved it. Y'all think it was ridiculous. I love it. Y'all are rolling your eyes right now. I will always love it because it understood the assignment! I can't keep repeating the same points over and over, but here I go again:

Everything was color coded!

And it all supported the story. It never distracted from the story. It never became its own story. It was laced into the story. It did exactly what visual rhetoric is supposed to - show don't tell.

And it showed me when Yai opened his heart to Mangkorn.

And how Mangkorn's love transformed Yai.

It showed me that Yai's sister was his only source of light living in that isolated house.

It showed me the warmth Yai felt from Mangkorn's mom.

And it showed me that no matter how much he protested, Yai was deep in love.

And to think it all started here.

And ended up here.

That's the power of color coding and remarkable visuals.

It makes you see the beauty is in the details.

[fabuloustrash05]

ROTTMNT Love Interests Headcanon

If the Rise boys were ever given love interest, here’s who I headcanon they should’ve been and what their dynamic would be like:

Note: Raph and Mikey's love interest are my OCs/HCs of a Rise version of existing characters.

Leo’s love interest would be Yuichi

Leo met Yuichi through Hueso, who Yuichi works for as a new waiter for his restaurant in the Yokai city

Suddenly Leo constantly wants to go to Hueso's restaurant for lunch/dinner and his brother quickly figure out it's only because he wants to gawk at the cute new waiter.

Leo is overly flirty but Yuichi doesn’t notice him, not that he’s uninterested, it’s just he has lots of admirers, so sadly Leo in the beginning blends into the crowd.

It’s not until Leo takes a more forward approach by hitting on him with a cheesy pick up line, then proceeds to trip over himself and be humiliated by everyone, except Yuichi. He found the act endearing and Leo has now caught his eye.

Yuichi finds Leo annoying at first, but also charming/endearing thought he hates to admit it

*flirts* *flirts back* “I was not expecting this outcome, tf I do now??”

Leo tells a dumb joke and Yuichi thinks he’s a comedic genius.

They spar together, exchanging sword fighting tips/techniques

Hueso is their third wheel

Raph’s love interest would be Mona Lisa

My HC on how they first met (I guess you could say she really FELL for him ;D )

Mona is obviously in love with him but Raph is painfully oblivious. Everyone knows she likes him except Raph.

“She’s just a really good friend!” *said "friend" is wearing a shirt that says "I <3 Raphael"*

Raph would be very obvious to Mona's flirtatious actions towards him and not realize he's being hit on. Everyone knows Mona likes him, except Raph himself.

It took Raph a whole year to realize he liked Mona too. His bros can't comprehend his obviously stupidity when he asked his bros if he should ask Mona out and says he's worried she doesn't like him back (Raph end up freaking out and nearly faints when his bros tell him Mona has liked him the entire time)

She fell first, but he fell harder

For a while, Raph is conflicted with asking her out for a few reasons:

1) “What if she lost interest in me and I’m too late?!”

2) He feels he’s too busy as the oldest to have a relationship but his brothers encourage him to ask her out because him having a GF does not mean he’s being selfish for doing something for himself that makes him happy.

3) Mona’s got an overprotective father who hates the idea of his daughter dating. He liked Raph better when he was just her friend, but when Raph started having feelings for Mona he became a threat.

Eventually Raph does asks Mona out and she says yes! They become boyfriend and girlfriend shortly after their first date.

Everyone feels a wave of relief and satisfaction when these two FINALLY get together! "IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" But everyone soon realized that they are annoying as a lovey dovey couple, "Stop shoving your happiness in our faces!!"

Donnie’s love interest would be Kendra

Partners in crime, on again off again romance

Fake dating trope in the beginning with them both having plans to steal each others tech, “I’ll woo him/her and when they’re off his/her guard, I’ll robbed them!”

They actually start to fall in love with each other, but then the truth comes out and they “break up”

Now constantly bicker anytime they see each other, blaming the other for the betrayal and “break up”

Check out my post on how I HC they first started “dating”

*Cue “True Love” by P!nk*

Argues then proceeds to make out then argue again

They are the first couple to get together, but them being really officially together is a secret. They secretly date after their first "break up" and everyone doesn't find out about them until much later on, to which Donnie just mentions he's actually dating Kendra so nonchalantly while everyone just looks on at him with shock. This is after Leo x Yuichi and Raph x Mona became couples.

Mikey’s love interest would be Renet

Renet is a human orphan who grew up in the Yokai City and is practicing to become a witch, specifically a time witch!

They met when Mikey was in the Yokai city and came across Renet when she was practicing her magic spells (aka she fell on top of him when practicing a teleportation spell)

Everyone struggles to figure out if they are dating or just REALLY close.

Best friends, goofy dummies who eventually fall in love with one another slowly over time

Innocent young love. A playground crush.

Mikey hangs out with her a lot because he likes her. He doesn’t realize he likes her and no one tries to tell him cause they thought he knew he liked her

Act like a couple loooooong before they even become a couple.

“Are you two dating or just friends?” “Yes”

That tweet of that girl asking her bf if they are dating (they are living together and have a kid) cause they never confirmed they are boyfriend and girlfriend, so when she asked the bf he responds by fist pumping his chest, giving her a peace sign and saying "we're just Bros"