#I literally almost stopped at the entrance to the highway and there was a bunch of cars behind me I had no choice but to continue 😭

[eternal-reverie]

was trying to get home from a work training and the gps put me on the highway 😱

[sweettodo]

Rolling ⟿ Hisoka x fem!reader

Includes : praising, smut, watersports, consumption of alcohol, use of molly, swearing.

Word count : 4,8k

A/N, I haven’t really written something like this, I’ve never taken molly but I did sorta look it up, I don’t condone using molly, nor do I condone drinking. This smut is for the sole purpose of a little fun night.

••

"And who might you be?"

••

The event was at it’s prime, everyone chatting, drinking, eating, I hated the idea of coming but disregarded those thoughts the second I got ahold of some alcohol.

"I'm y/n, you?" The dark yet beautifully illuminated ballroom created a sparkle from my red gown, etching out my body to my liking. The tall man who stood two feet away from me devours me with his devilish yellow eyes; his charismatic smirk which quickly lured me in for more.

"Hm, I'm Hisoka, but enough about me. You're so exciting to look at, I must admit." I smile and blush, looking down at the rest of my dress.

"Thank you, what brings you here?" I change the subject, standing in the main area of the ballroom, the bar a reach away, I needed it.

"Ahh, just work business, and you?" While he talks, I observe what he's wearing; a black on black suit, his multicolored hair which was more or less intriguing.

"The same, I'm here with my Co. Owner." I smile, a server comes from Hisoka's right, a plate with champagne, he stands in front of us, I graciously take one and Hisoka does the same, thanking the waiter. His eyes slightly widen as he sips from the glass.

"A lady a charge?" He's tilted against the column, we look at each other intently, I kinda liked his vibe.

"Yep, what can I say!" I giggle, he retorts with a light chuckle, his low eyes captivating me more and more.

While you observed the man in front of you, you weren’t the only one, Hisoka was excited. He undressed you with his eyes so sensually, he could have ravaged you right there. The way your hair paired perfectly with your dress, your makeup was to impress others, you didn’t do this for yourself. You wanted people to look at you, Hisoka picked up on your undertoned confidence and he knew that he liked you. You also had a bite to your personality, he liked the power you held.

‘How have I not met her sooner?’

"Do you plan on going straight back to the hotel room? Or another party?" Hisoka shakes his thoughts out of his head, watching the pretty lady raise an eyebrow in return.

‘Another party? Well.. was I not invited or something?’ I shrug.

"I'd head to another party; if I had known one existed." I roll my eyes, he stands straight and turns around quickly, placing the empty glass on the high table next to us.

"It was more of a word of mouth thing; I'd be happy to take you as my plus one? But the scene might be different as you’re used to..."

"Who did you come with tonight?" I ask, changing the subject from the party for a light minute, wanting to be nosy, what if he had come with a woman.

"Just a few friends, god knows where they are." He jokes, I laugh, my fingers rolling the neck of my glass, swirling and swallowing the last sip of alcohol. The hot feeling in my stomach from the drink making me feel more loose and relaxed, ‘I could go with him to a party, where’s the harm?’

"We should." I nod simply, he smiles and wastes no time taking my empty glass from my hand. Swiftly placing it on a servers tray as the kid walked by. He signals for me to follow him. Leading the way and I follow close behind, my hand gently holding up the fabric of my dress so I don't trip, 'he was so tall', and quiet, who the fuck was this guy I've never even seen him before?

"Is it off base if I say that you strike me as very mysterious?" I toss my hunch out there, he looks back at me when we reach valet.

"I'd like to see myself as more of the withdrawn type." He sticks out his hand, I grab it, it was soft, his fingers long and lanky. He led me a few steps ahead when a car pulls up, opening the passenger side door of a black matte Camero; with red interior. 'Nice pick y/n' I do a little jig of accomplishment and slight excitement before he hops in the sports car.

He pulls the car out of park speedily and drives out of the culdesac.

"What do you do for work, Hisoka?" I ask him, he glanced at me, a hand holding his chin while his elbow sits on the middle console.

"I dip into a little of everything, call me an opportunist." He simply answers. There was a big lie right there, I've been able to pick apart things being true or false since childhood; my tack record never really failing me, he didn't need to know that.

"I own an agency, if you were curious."

But he assumed this. He guessed it when he recalled your name during tonights convo, she owned an agency, more like a school for beginning nen users, she raked in millions a year. A firecracker, determined and strong willed woman she was.

"My, quite fascinating, you must be of some talent, yeah?" He asks, a little of a misogynist thing to ask but I quickly shake it off, Hisoka speeds down the highway and I look out the front window.

"I guess." I hum, I glance at his hands, they kinda made me excited- the size...

Minutes later we arrive at a gated neighborhood, he swings his car through the entrance of the gates and I become excited, finally I could really get fucked up.

"Aren't we a little too overdressed for a house party?" I chuckle, he pulls up the the front of the house.

"This isn't your average party babygirl, no one cares what you'll be wearing." Babygirl? A slight cringe at how loosely he used the word. I furrow my eyebrows, before being able to question him someone is swinging open my door along with the drivers side. It was elegant- he looked... so good.

"Not my average party hu-" my mouth falls open a little before I look at him. I knew these some of these people. It was packed. But Hisoka never stopped shuffling through the crowd, leading me down the few stairs and ignoring any welcomes that came his way.

We reach a basement door, he knocks twice before opening it and he lets me in. There were a bunch of couches, a TV, a bar, kitchen etcetera. Everyone looked like they were rolling, drunk maybe?

No. Not rolling on the floor literally. But rolling on some type of psychedelic, or shitfaced for sure. My heart falls in my throat, baffled.

"I don't get into this kinda thing." I nervously chuckle, stepping away from him, he frowns, lifting his hand to my shoulder, caressing it.

"You will soon." I smirks, grabbing my hand and leading me deeper into the foyer. I look around, it looked fun, I wanted to feel it but I would leave myself open to being taken advantage of.

"Drink?" Standing in front of the bar, he pours vodka into a glass, I smirk. ‘Who was this man?’ I liked him, I ignore my slight anxiousness.

"Mhh, gladly; thank you." I hum, taking it from him, right as I'm about to drink from the glass he stops me, covering the opening of the glass with his palm.

"You'll be very- what's the word? Hot, if you drink that by the way." Referencing to the drink, is that what he did for a living, reeled women in to sex them up on molly and champagne?

"You want to take care of me? Hot and bothered Mr. Morow?" I lean into him, his head slightly dipped down so he can hear me, in all honesty, I already was hot and bothered. His bloodlust licking all over my body and seeping into my pores, he smelled amazing, the tone of his voice got me stirring in my shoes.

I look up at him through my thick eyelashes and he bites down onto his lip in anticipation on what was to come.

"You wanna get me vulnerable?" I reach up and scissor the fold of his black blazer, stroking it slightly, "you wanna take advantage of me Hisoka? Coulda’ just told me what you wanted from the jump." There had to have been something in the air.

While on the other end of things, Hisoka’s breath was quickly sucked out in a bit of a shock. His heart thudding a little faster than usual; god he could tear you up.

“I’m stronger than you think I am Hisoka,” I giggle. I was, I was always on my A game.

“What kind of man would that make me y/n?” He smirks, pressing his cheek against mine and whispering, “if I wanted to take advantage of you, I would’ve torn you to pieces before we even got into my car.” I gulp and pull away from him slowly, mustering up the courage and taking a swig out of the cup and his eyes widen, I stop halfway down the drink and press him to drink the rest.

“Go on, drink it Hisoka, you wanted to get me fucked up.” I chuckle, he pushes the cup and pours his own.

“Drink all of it, you wont regret it.”

••

My head was spinning, the walls dipping in and out, swirling, my third eye was 100% open for sure. I sat on the ‘L’ shaped couch, Hisoka diagonal from me sitting comfortably on the corner, we didn’t really talk. Or maybe we were talking? I really was out of it. I didn’t pay attention to the other party goers, there were around 30 people down here.

While he looked over at the wall, I started deep into his soul. The more I looked at him the more I envisioned him on top of me in some dimly lit room.

“Hmm, y/n, if you keep looking at me like that who knows what I’ll end up doing to you.” My eyes quickly snap up to meet his own.

I was so empty headed I didn’t have the capability of feeling embarrassed.

“What are you gonna do about it?” Hisoka’s dick slighty twitched in his pants. He was already pussywhipped.

He needed you.

He looked at me seductively, eyes low. I bit on my bottom lip; a one night stand wouldn’t hurt. It’s been so long, although you were so intoxicated you had no idea how this would go, nonetheless feeling much more bold.

Hisoka was right, you were hot. Your body throbbing, everything was definitely more sensitive, tingling almost.

Hisoka was restless, he knew that he was going to make you his little plaything.

He couldn’t help it; standing, he taps on your shoulder and ushers you up, grabbing your elbow and slightly dragging you down the darkened hallway, it made you dizzy, your eyes spiraling and colors accentuated and it made you see new weird versions of colors, ‘is this real?’

He opens a door and flicks on the light, your eyes needing to adjust to the weird vibrating walls.

You weren’t able to talk much, everything sounded foreign when it left your lips, like a jumble of noises so you held back talking. He shuts the door quickly and walking back towards you, towering over your body. Your heals slip off your feet when Hisoka is pushing you onto the bed, your legs slightly falling open and you stare at him through your lashes, looking like a whore.

He leans over you, his knees pressed on either side of your own, pinning your wrists back above your head, you bite down onto your tongue. Leaning into you, he dives into your neck, bitting and gnawing at the bit. You breathe out a slight whimper; almost undetectable.

Senses heightened, you felt like you could taste him already. He nibbles and licks down the v line of your dress, he radiated a hot and intense vibe, you were stunned. You were also beyond horny.

Hisoka moves his knee up to your cunt, you gasp when he applies the littlest pressure. He pulls up and looks at you.

“I can feel your heartbeat on my knee.” He states, I blush and look away.

“That’s because I’m horny.” I admit, he smirks and uses one of his hands to tuck hair back.

“Are you now... what can we do about that?” He purrs, mouth pressed against your ear and you shivered. Tugging slightly against his grip, he releases you, your hands land on his chest, trailing down and unbuttoning the single button on his black blazer.

“No Hisoka, what are you going to do about that?” You send him a smug look and push him off you slightly, you felt confident so why not have a little more fun than usual.

“My my, are you insinuating you’re going to use me?”the undertone of sarcasm made you laugh, you push up onto your knees and he falls on his back.

“Mhm, I’m going to fuck you until all your kids are dumped into me.” Lifting up your dress slightly so you could straddle his waist, he stares at you with his tongue being pinched by his teeth.

You roll your hips as you tug apart the strings that kept your dress closed, watching him as you smirked, he picked up quickly what you were doing and bunched up your dress from your legs, slowly taking it off and over your body, throwing it to the side, he sits up; and since his legs still hung off the bad, this was easier for him to sit comfortably and as close to you as possible.

His hands tickle down your sides, ending up at your lower back as he pulls you into his grasp tightly, grinding against his dick in the process. You lean back slightly, pushing the blazer off of him and he shimmies it off, you start unbuttoning this shirt and his hands caress your butt, following your tailbone and gripping.

You push off his shirt and he was breathtaking. His toughly toned chest, hard as a rock. Abs galore, his shoulders broad and his biceps huge.

“Let me know when you’re done staring.” You roll your eyes and let him toss the shirt on the floor.

You were definitely disoriented, but aware enough to consent but you were 100% felt empty headed besides the fact you could smell colors. Neither was Hisoka, he looked at you while he sworn you were moving so much more slow, you weren’t; but he thought you were teasing him.

He moves his hands to explore your body, feeling your soft and warm skin. His hands knead your boobs, like it was something he’s never felt before.

You push yourself off of him, “stand up and get on the bed fully.” You demand, he stands, but before he can plop back down, you unclasp the button on his slacks, hesends you a smug glance, looking down at your small hands compared to his wide waist, he was going to absolutely fucking obliterate you and you had no idea.

“You won’t be in charge for long my love, but I suppose I’ll let you have your fun.” Hisoka whispers, you could’ve fallen apart right there, but you held it together for the sake of the challenge he bestowed upon you.

He tugs his slacks off and you watch him with puppy eyes, the air coming from his nose hitched, you didn’t even bother to look at how hard he was, while he stares down at you, your hand climbs the back of his neck, standing on your toes more to kiss him.

Once you guys find yourself deep in a messy make out session, he taps your ass so he can pick you up. You jump a little and wrap your legs around his hard waist, feeling so high up you didn’t even know if he was really this tall or if it could be being literally high off molly altered your state.

He drops down onto the bed, you gasp when his clothed dick slides across your clothed cunt, it sat against your stomach as you looked down and your eyes widen, looking at how... how fucking big he was.

He scooches back so his head upper body is against the headboard.

“You seem intimidated, are you scared I’ll break you?” The smug look on his face made you laugh.

“Nope.” You were lying right through your fucking teeth. You were terrified; his cock was fucking huge.

You roll circles against his throbbing cock as you both took turns sucking and biting on each others necks, he left strong hickies and bite marks all over your chest.

He was so close to coming which was extremely unlike him, he could last for so long and was pissed that the drugs were bringing him so close to the edge.

“I’m giving you a few more minutes before I’m taking control.” He hums, you allow him to take control prematurely.

“Take control of me now Hisoka.” You purr in his ear, he takes action, swiftly pushing you up and slipping your panties down your thighs and shoving you on your back so your head was on the pillows.

He rips your panties off, you kick them off your ankle and his hand trails up your abused chest, hand gripping your neck. You were seeing fucking stars, literally? You didn’t know you were so high; but you did notice the peak was slowly ending.

You stick your hand down and it falls into the waistband of his boxers, he grabs your wrist and throws it back at you. “Don’t touch me.” He snarled, knowing it sounded rude, this was only because he was so close to nutting that if she even do much as stroked him he’d bust.

He tugs at his boxers and while your swollen lips and sliding his tongue in your mouth, you feel his sly hand rubbing your thigh and opening it, his hand grabs the headboard and the other one is holding your thigh open widely.

“You gonna let me put it in?” You whisper a little sassy, he looks at you with mean- intense eyes.

“My love, you won’t be able to as much move when I’m done with you, keep the attitude to a minimum.” He growls, your leg wrapping around his back and as he pins your thigh down, Hisoka knowing you were about to attempt to slam your legs closed.

He slowly slides into your dripping pussy. All he could think about was being enveloped in your hot walls. Savoring the feeling, he had enough self control to slowly enter into you. Your eyebrows furrowing and your mouth falling open, you watch him slowly fill you up.

You couldn’t even think of words, or noises for that matter, your brain drowning in loud red colors and your eyes were only looking at him, you didn’t even know what the room around you looked like. You were spinning, your body felt like it was trembling and twitching. He gives a tiny thrust to finish filling you up and your legs jolt, attempting to squeeze shut when he hits your cervix. It hurt so bad, you wince and your eyes screw shut.

He on the other hand was captivated by your beautiful body and scent, he couldn’t wait to watch you fall apart and drip cum all over him.

Hisoka pulls back, the pain making things feel a little more real; you look into his eyes, his golden eyes, pupils dilated from the drug- as he swears he can feel every nerve in your twitching cunt. Lowly, he lets out a little chuckle before yanking your leg up further and he picks up the pace, it was so sensual. You never made love but if it was anything like this and you didn’t even know the man? This was a culture shock.

You glance up at his bicep, trailing up towards the headboard, his hand clenches tighter on the headboard, you see him begin to white-knuckle the wood and your eyes widen, glancing at him. Seconds later, he has your face twisting into immense pleasure when the pace picks up, he releases your thigh from his grasp and grabs your throat, leaning in and licking slowly down your jawline, the pounding of his cock into your pussy feeling euphoric, your head spun, lacking oxygen, still high, you can tell he had finished his peak, his thrusts becoming more stable.

The snapping of Hisoka’s hips, you were finally able to get the clogged up moans that begged to come out. Finally, when he heard your moan, he began sweating. His hair becoming a little slick, falling down to his shoulders.

“O-h my god.” You groan, your stomach tightening, you wrap your arm around his neck and his flexed arm hold him up neck to your head.

“You want me to fuck you harder pretty girl?” Hisoka grunts, you let out a whine, fingers intertwining into the hair at his scalp.

“Yes please.” You mewl; this is was his moment to really get down to business, he pushes off the rattling headboard. He swiftly gets off of you, but roughly shoving you by your shoulder onto your hands and knees, he rips your arms from underneath you, causing you to fall harshly into the bed; holding them tight while he reaches off the side of the bed and picks up his tie.

His dick sitting pretty between your ass cheeks- hard as a rock, he ties you up. You bite down on your bottom lip, almost sad you couldn’t rub your hands all over him and touch him.

“God, your pussy is so pretty.” He mumbles, pulling your cheeks opposite from each other so he can get the view of the pretty cunt he was about to tear up. He spits onto your already dripping pussy before quickly picking up where he left off, the difference being he didn’t hesitate to pound hard into your cervix. You let out a screech and attempt to move away but he grounds your hips and gives you strong thrusts, not holding back, Hisoka disregarding your little screams from the pain.

“Does that hurt? You’re so fucking tight; no wonder it hurts so bad.” He grits, angrily fucking me. You become more and more vocal, screaming into the mattress. You pleaded for him to untie you.

“Y-you’re fucking ruthless H-Hisoka,” you moan between thrusts, he chuckles.

Hisoka was so close to coming, it took him more willpower then he’d like to admit. He brings his hand up and slams it down onto your ass. The slap ringing through the room.

You let out a throaty groan, tears soaking the bedsheet from your eyes. You had gotten used to the pain, but he filled every crevice in your pussy, you could feel absolutely everything, from his veins to his cock twitching.

You’re so close to releasing, his name falling out of your mouth incoherently and swears following the screams. Hisoka groaned and held down your arch so he could drill into you. You screamed, for mercy? His dick nor himself cared how bad far he was reaching. He brings his hand down again into a hard slap, you cry out and moan. He loved it, encouraging him to go faster. “My god, princess, you enjoy me hurting you with my cock and my hand? What else can I do to you?” You whine and you feel your juices drip down your thigh, you can came and didn’t even know it. Hisoka pulls out and listens to you moan, groan and cry while your legs shake and smirks.

“Untie me please, Hisoka I need to touch you.” You whine, he rubs your ass.

“Hmm well, I could, but I won’t.” He yanks you up by the hair and hair hand runs down your throat, your throat was dry, makeup running down your flustered face. He could come just looking at your face. He never felt that way before, it had to be the heightened senses from the drugs.

He sits against the headboard once again and without untying you he pulls you by your thighs and slowly pushes you down onto his cock. Eyes rolling to the back of your head, hissing when he grabs you by the hips and shoved himself into you.

He stares at your pretty lace bra and disheveled face as he bounces you up and down, your mouth forming a perfect ‘o’, practically going cross eyes he was reaching so deep into you. “Y-you’re so big.” You whine, unable to look into his eyes because you could barely keep them open.

“You’re taking my cock so well.” His chest riding and falling, it wasn’t as fast as he liked but he knew he was filling you up as much as he could, fitting his cock into your pussy as he pleased.

He flexed his back, lifting you still and snapping his hips into you. You practically collapse, hair sticking to your forehead and drool coming from your mouth. You scream and your legs begin to quiver.

“A-Ah! I need to pee” You wail as you feel another orgasm wash over your body, he doesn’t slow down but he remains at the same speed, only making the orgasm stronger, he moves a hand and rubs your bud in a pressurized circular motion. A mixture of piss and cum gushes out of your beaten pussy and you have no control of your body, falling forward onto his shoulder and he catches you.

The sound of wet skin slapping against each other filled the room, not stopping you even whilst releasing. He was so thrilled seeing you squirt all over him. Smirking slyly.

“Do you want me to fill you with my seed pretty girl? Have my kids pour out of that tight little pussy?” He grits, moving you back down onto your back and pulling up your numb legs. He needed to come in you now. Drilling into you like no tomorrow. You begged for him to untie you again and again.

He didn’t listen, brutally fucking you. Fucking you so hard your walls clenched so hard he could barely reach as deep. He was so close, Hisoka panting as he begins feeling dizzy, his dick twitched before abruptly stopping, slowly thrusting after a moment, hitched breathing and sweat dripping into your crunched up stomach.

Coincidentally, the slow thrusts made you orgasm again, convulsing and your muscles twitching as you both chased one of the strongest climax you’ve each had. Sniffling and trying to stop the tears, your ass and pussy still twitching as he pulled out of you, he stared sensually at your cunt, watching his own seed spill out of you.

After a few moments, he stops himself from falling in love with your cunt that he just stretched out to fit his desire. He lifted you up by the tied arm and slipped his tie off your wrists, setting you free.

Before you’re able to do anything, he runs his fingers up your slit slowly and carefully, picking up both of your cum, he lifts his hand and grabs your jaw, you instantly open your mouth and stick your tongue out, he sticks his two fingers down your throat and you suck on them, swallowing some of his seed. “Good girl, I didn’t even have to tell you.”

You wipe under your eyes and he smirks.

“We could stay here for the night, or we can go back to my place?” He hums in question. You just drop your back onto the bed. Trying to compose yourself.

“Yeah.” You sigh, panting slightly, he hands you his shirt and you slip it on and button it up.

This was the first time you were now looking around to see where you were, the high slowly reaching an end. You wondered what time it was, hoping to find a clock. Hisoka looks at his phone, ‘1:30am’ it read. He and you had both taken the drug at 9.

He slips on his pants and opens the foreign closet, he didn’t know what to find but when he saw a black t shirt he took it and slipped it on, it fit. He snoops through the closet and tries to find pants for you. He sees a pair of basketball shorts and tosses them towards you, you catch them and try to move as little as possible.

He sees you struggle to put them on and smiles, biting his tongue to prevent him from saying something arrogant. He was so fucking tickled that he fucked your legs into becoming numb and paralyzed.

He steps over at you and crouches down, he grabs the waistband and slips them over your legs. He should’ve warned you his dick would hurt you so bad, but he was so high he didn’t even think to mention it. Hisoka takes your hand and gently leads you to your feet. You feel like your organs had been shifted and you felt empty and cold.

As you and him quietly make your way through the house, people still resides there and the music was as loud as when you first arrived, no one really paid you any mind; which surprised you because your hair was a rats nest and you looked homeless. Barefoot, you and him walk to his car, more like limped.

“I feel like I’ve been split in half.” You mumble as Hisoka helps you into the car, he chuckles. While shutting the door and quickly making his way to the drivers side, he slides in and instantly starts the car.

He begins to drive down the road and out of the gated neighborhood, he puts his hand on your trembling thigh, glancing over at your wrecked face.

“My love, just wait til’ you see what I have waiting for you when we get home.”

[arcanadotcom]

𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝟞 𝕒𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤

⊱ ────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────── ⊰

(Hi everyone! I came up with these when me and my sister went out for a quick little drive after feeling sick of staying home 😘✌🏻 my driving skills got rusty. smh!)

(This is my first time writing so i’m sorry if they’re all over the place!)

⊱ ────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────── ⊰

☆ Asra

owns an old used car from the 90’s that makes you feel nostalgic

it kinda reeks of weed sometimes...

has random shit laying around the back including a blanket because he totally takes naps in the car between his classes

he’s a pretty slow driver (goes 23mph slower than the rest of traffic)

but as soon as he sees a yellow light he FLOORS IT

this lil shit never uses his blinkers...smh!

giggles when people cuss him out. he don’t give a fuck!

will always give you the aux cord because he vibes with whatever. any tunes you like, he likes too 🥰

often misses freeway exits because he’s too busy chatting with you (“wha..? oh haha...anyways!”)

he easily gets distracted with anything really, so you have to remind him to keep his eyes on the road all the time (it’s cute at first...but after a while it’s just annoying)

always offers to pick you up but never asks for gas money (pretends to forget but he just doesn’t care because it’s you and he care you <3)

overall he’s a cautious driver, he just has very erratic speed patterns and takes really shitty turns

★ Julian

has had the same old black car for about 8 years (hates that it’s a stick shift, but he got over it already)

he’s actually quite a responsible driver. doesn’t break transit rules

never got his license though, but it doesn’t really matter (u gotta do what u gotta do)

he never arrives on time, always late (super apologetic about it)

loses parking tickets and misplaces his keys all. the damn. time. so you usually end up carrying them instead

makes a HUGE fuss over your safety. please wear your seatbelt or else he will go bonkers

but at the same time will not hesitate to be your designated getaway driver (if you need to gtfo of somewhere, he will get you the fuck out of there)

he actually has to use glasses because his vision sucks and can’t read road signs. he looks so cute

his car doesn’t have an aux cord outlet, so he has a bunch of cassettes of different kinds of music ( 70’s rock, jazz, some obscure russian band, etc ) lying around. he can’t drive without music!

has a bit of road rage; if he’s with you he’ll mutter curses under his breath trying to keep composure

but when alone he will absolutely yell at people, but his way of doing it is somewhat.....endearing?

will occasionally bump into things, but has never caused any serious damage

has never been pulled over and only gets tickets due to expired parking meters in downtown (somehow manages to talk his way out of them all the time)

he’s had enough experience around the city so he talks to you about places no one really knows about

he will literally take you a random phone booth that is actually the entrance to a secret undergroung café that looks like a place where academics would hang out and conspire new literary movements

☆ Nadia

doesn’t drive, she has a chauffeur

but if she did, she would own one of those beautiful, modern, pearly off-white cars.

it’s perfectly clean, well kept and smells great

no food or drinks allowed inside. periodt

you’d probably be afraid of ruining the seat when you first get in. she assures you everything is okay

totally drives around wearing a pair of gloves, headscarf, and gorgeous sunglasses to protect herself from the sun. also because she’s so classy <3

she excels at everything in driving

flawless breaking and parking, but thinks that going around looking for a spot is a waste of time so she’d rather just pay extra for valet parking

her only flaw is that she gets super impatient with how long it takes for a red light to turn green

and she almost never stops for pedestrians

would usually call you to see if you’d like to go shopping with her or just accompany her for some errands (pls go with her she adores having you around 🥺)

doesn’t have a problem with giving you rides, but she’s always busy with a tight schedule, so rides from her are very rare

probably feels bad about it so she’ll send you an uber black instead

★ Muriel

hates going out because it means he has to drive ://

he just wants to get from point A to point B without any issues really

you’ll notice that his car always has a layer of dirt on it since he never really uses it (he doesn’t bother to give it a little wipe before hoping in)

would probably own a normal, practical car that gets the job done and doesn’t need much maintenance. nothing too fancy

.......but i really want to see him with a jeep so i’ll make him own a jeep ☺️

highkey anxious and hyperaware of his surrounding drivers

he looks too tense and grips the wheel hard....tell him to relax pls

if someone tries to pass him, he will absolutely give them a Look through the rear mirror

not one to listen to music (will sometimes turn on the radio but slams it off eventually because it’s annoying)

used to be terribly afraid of highways

mumbles and grumbles about how dangerous and stupid it is to carelessly swerve lanes just to go fast and look cool

☆ Portia

drives all the time so she’s definitely the most experienced on the road

owns a cute convertible beetle that she takes care of and loves very much ❤️ (has so many cute ass bumper stickers)

will not hesitate to change the tires on her own if needed

music is always loud and top is down most of the time

she’s got anything you might need in her glove box (hand cream? tissues? sanitizer? pocket knife? she has it yes ma’am)

when she’s by herself, laws simply do not exist

lowkey a threat to society. get her off

she goes so fucking fast like she zooms💨 down the road (mainly because she’s always on a hurry)

basically breaks whatever law she wants but once she spots a cop, citizen of the year

ohh but if you and/or anyone else is with her, it’s a whole different story

she drives carefully and slows down, would hate to put your safety at risk (same as julian)

road trips with her are THE BEST. going on drives with her always feel like a scene from a coming of age film 💕✨🧚‍♀️

★ Lucio

not necessarily an irresponsible driver, he’s just reckless and obnoxious

owns a restored, fancy vintage car that’s either red or white (his license plate is personalized, bedazzled and borderline opulent). genuinely proud of it

revs the engine just to piss people off

is always willing and able to be there for you if you need him

when he’s there to pick you up, he will absolutely make a scene for you to notice him. simply giving you a call is out of the equation!

the backseats are full of white hair...you know he brings his adored babies everywhere he goes

blasts music at an ASTRONOMICAL VOLUME and he just sits there like 🤪✌🏻🎶🕺🏼

but believe it or not, his music taste is actually really good....it slaps. so it’s okay

likes to drive fast (“oh you want to see some speed? i’ll show you some real speed”)

cannot stand traffic and slow drivers make him go batshit crazy

honks at everyone for everything but gets offended if they honk back >:(

you’ll still see him at the red light despite him doing 84 lane changes

tells you he LOVES the attention he gets because of the car, but then feels super self conscious if people stare too much or too long......although he will never admit it

this guy loves to gossip with you and likes to make fun of random pedestrians... you gotta admit he makes you snicker quite a bit. who am i kidding he’s funny as fuck of course you’re gonna laugh

doesn’t slow down for speed bumps, will blow quick kisses at the little fake cameras on top of the traffic lights, and has definitely scratched the lower sides of his car on curves more than once (*frantic wheel stirring* “not my fault not my fault!!”)

this man’s biggest struggle is parking. he cannot park for shit (secretly embarrassed about it)

it takes FOREVER for him to parallel park. might as well snooze while he’s at it

genuinely tries his best, going as far as to do the “arm behind the seat to look back” move (he wants to impress you dammit!!), but gets frustrated and gives up

so most of the time he ends up taking two spots despite trying so hard not to

gets tickets all the time (“now they’re ganging up against me! and for what?? what the fuck did i do!!”)

cannot comprehend street signs (“lucio you will get a $650 fine” “darling wdym?? it costs $650 to park here”)

going on a drive with him can be stressful and a bit crazy, but it’s always entertaining and you get the best stories to tell

[there-must-be-a-lock]

Marked (Part 11)

Dean x Reader

Word Count: ~3960

Warnings: Sexytimez, duh. It’s SO FLUFFY and Dean is SUCH A MARSHMALLOW. I don’t even know. Outdoor sex, also, which is not a good idea in real life; it literally always leads to insect bites. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

A/N: This is dedicated to @dean-winchesters-bacon, for all the reblogs, which were exactly the encouragement I needed to sit my ass down and get writing. 

“‘M sorry I’m so late,” Dean said immediately, when I opened the door. I got a brief impression of sunken eyes and a tense jaw before he was half-stumbling up the step and wrapping me in a bear hug.

“It’s okay, Dean, really,” I mumbled. I buried my face in his chest and inhaled, not even trying to deny how happy I was to see him. Under the familiar clean, spicy scent of shampoo or cologne or whatever the hell it was, I smelled stale sweat and something coppery that made my skin crawl. But it was Dean, solid and real and clinging to me like I was a life preserver. I’d take him any way I could get him.

“Today was just -”

“It’s okay. C’mon. Let’s get you in bed.”

“I wanted to take you somewhere,” he protested feebly, but he sagged against me as I guided him inside.

“Tomorrow,” I said. “You can still stay tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Tomorrow, then. We’ve got all the time in the world.”

He collapsed into my bed and kicked off his shoes. His eyes followed me as I moved around the room, getting ready to sleep, but by the time I got back from locking the front door, he was out cold.

I sat on the edge of the mattress and watched him for a moment. There was a crease between his eyebrows, still, like he was worrying in his dreams, and a fading bruise decorated his jawline. He twitched and reached for me in his sleep. I grabbed his hand and made a soft noise, soothing, but it died in my throat. He had dried blood on his hands, deep rusty-brown, unmistakable, caught in the rough edges of his cuticles and under his nails. My stomach lurched.

I crawled into bed next to him and shut off the light, but I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.

-----

It was late when I woke up the next morning. I’d tossed and turned most of the night, woken up at one point by Dean shouting himself awake from a nightmare, and I felt groggy and uneasy. I reached out for him instinctively, but the other side of the bed was cold. I could hear his voice from the kitchen, though, and I smelled bacon.

“No, I told you, I’m fine,” Dean was saying irritably into the phone as I padded into the hallway. I paused by the doorway to the kitchen before he could see me, reluctant to interrupt. He was shirtless, with a spatula in one hand and his phone in the other, and his hair was still wet from the shower.

“It’s not like I could just leave it,” he said, scowling down at the pan. “I’m not a fucking idiot, Sammy, Jesus, it’s locked up… yes, in the damn trunk, okay? What is the problem? All I ask is for you to let me out of your sight for one fucking day. I think I can manage one day without you babysitting me.”

Dean noticed me watching, and quickly schooled his expression into something like a smile. It looked more like a grimace. I poured myself a cup of coffee and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I gotta go, Sammy,” Dean was saying, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll be back soon. I know. Bye.” He hung up and heaved a sigh, scrubbing a hand through his hair.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, just my brother.” He hesitated. “There’s something we’re supposed to be working on together and it’s stressing him out.”

“Oh. If you have to go…”

“No, fuck no. I need a mental health day.” He kissed me, slow and soft and coffee-flavored, and when he pulled away some of the tension seemed to have melted out of his shoulders.

We took our time with breakfast, lingering over second and third cups of coffee, talking idly. Dean’s smile gradually started to seem more genuine. Then he did the dishes while I showered, and when I came back, he was packing a cooler, tucking sandwiches on top of a six-pack.

“Where is this mysterious place you want to take me?” I asked bemusedly.

“You’ll see.” This time, when he smiled, it reached his eyes.

“And we’re bringing a picnic?”

“Hell yes we are. I meant for it to be lunch, but I think at this point it’ll be an early dinner instead.”

We gathered up a blanket and all the other necessities and brought them out to the car.

“Just slide everything in the back,” Dean said, and opened the door for me. I thought of the conversation I’d overheard.

“Trunk full?” I asked.

“Yeah, I keep a bunch of work stuff in there,” he said, not meeting my eyes.

I tried to hold it in, but as we buckled up and Dean started to fiddle with the stereo, my curiosity finally got the better of me. “What do you do, anyway?”

He froze for a second with his hand still on the volume dial. “I protect people.”

“Like a bodyguard?” I asked, surprised by the wording.

“Something like that. You ready?”

“Ready.”

I studied his profile, trying to decide whether to push the question. I’d been curious since we met, of course, but for a long time it didn’t feel like I had the right to pry. Now, though… maybe. But the truth was, I couldn’t imagine any answer that would change the way I felt about him. There would always be questions and answers and inconsequential facts, stories to tell, but what was the point, really? I knew everything I needed to know.

We couldn’t have chosen a nicer day. The sky was a bright, clear blue, with a few fluffy clouds scudding here and there in the cool early fall breeze. We talked, here and there, but mostly I just watched Dean, the way his hands gripped the wheel and the shapes his lips made when he mouthed the words along to certain songs. Every time he smiled, I felt something sweet and warm fizzing in my stomach.

After about an hour and a half, we pulled off the highway at the exit for Lawrence, and I shot Dean a quizzical glance.

“Ever been here before?” he asked.

“Couple times, but I don’t know it well.”

“I thought I’d show you where I grew up,” he said quietly. I watched him silently for a second, the way he was staring straight ahead and drumming on the steering wheel. “Is that dumb? We can always just go somewhere else.”

“No,” I said, grinning. “No, Dean, this is perfect.” I leaned over in my seat until I could kiss his cheek, and I saw him smile to himself.

We walked through the town first, just strolling hand-in-hand, and ended up stopping at a little bakery. We sat by the window and ate pie, and I made fun of Dean for the indecent noises he made with each bite.

“Is this… did you come here with your family?” I asked, gesturing around with my fork.

Dean shook his head. “Nah. Or at least not that I remember. I was four when we moved, almost five. I don’t remember much. I usually have a good memory for pie, though.” He winked, and grinned with his teeth full of cherry filling. I giggled.

“We should get more,” I said. “To take with us, I mean, I’m not sure I could eat any more right now.” He didn’t answer, just smiled at me with such open adoration that my heart raced.  

When we got back in the car, he placed the paper box in the backseat so carefully I expected him to buckle it in. From there, we drove away from the center of town, out into a residential area. Dean slowed down, scanning street signs carefully.

“Haven’t been back much,” he mumbled, but he spotted a side street that seemed to jog his memory, and we turned onto a quiet little street of neat, bland houses. A couple blocks down, he pulled up along the curb and let the car idle.

“Which one?” I asked.

He pointed across the street. I smiled, trying to imagine a tiny Dean walking across that lawn, opening that front door. It was such a mundane place; I’d never expected Dean, with his darkness and his mystery and his fading bruises, to come from something so ordinary. I looked from the house back to him, fitting this suburban street into the fragmented knowledge I had of him.

“My mom died,” he said suddenly. “When I was four. Sam was six months old. There was a fire, I had to carry him out.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I… shit. I’m sorry. Is that why you moved?”

“Yeah. Dad was pretty broken up, after Mom died. That’s when we started… traveling. A lot. He never really settled down again.”

“Is your dad still around?”

“No. He died a few years back. ‘S just been me and Sammy, mostly. We had our uncle, Bobby, for a while too. Not really our uncle, but close enough, he was more of a dad than Dad was, sometimes. And our friend Cas is like family.” He choked out the words gruffly, but it seemed like he was relieved to finally talk about it.

I reached over and interlaced our fingers silently, and he squeezed my small hand in his big rough one. I couldn’t think of anything to say, but he didn’t seem to mind; he was watching the house, eyes distant and shuttered.

“I’d like to meet your brother sometime,” I offered hesitantly.

He looked surprised at that, and he was silent for a second before nodding. “Yeah, I… that’d be good. When work settles down for us, maybe.”

We sat for another minute in comfortable silence. Dean gave my hand another little squeeze and then shifted the car back into drive, and the Impala rumbled slowly along the quiet street. Dean followed the street for about a mile before it ended in a wooded cul-de-sac, and then he pulled up to a dirt trail that was barred by an old, rusty gate and a “Private Property” sign.

“Don’t worry about that,” he said, grinning at my dubious stare. “It’s part of a huge farm, this is a back entrance, but my dad had a standing invitation from the old man to take me fishing here. We caught the biggest trout I’ve ever seen, one time.”

Dean tossed me the quilt we’d packed and then hefted the cooler. He led the way, hopping gracefully over the fence and extending a hand to help me, and we set off into the woods.

The path was wide and easy, probably an unused ATV trail, with grass and wildflowers starting to grow up the center. We walked quietly, holding hands again. Dean had this gorgeous, boyish grin that was deepening with every step, his eyes sparkling a bright green that matched the sun-dappled canopy of leaves. I should’ve been captivated by all the natural beauty around us, but I couldn’t stop stealing sideways glances at him.

After about ten minutes, the susurrus of running water joined the soft chorus of insects and birds. The path led right through a wide, sparkling creek, and on either side of us, a rocky bank cradled the water.

Dean turned to the right and followed the bank where it curved. Just around the bend, the creek slowed and eddied through a sandy basin, a perfect natural swimming hole. A massive old tree leaned close to the edge. Dean set the cooler and blanket in a little dip at its base, a sort of mossy cradle formed by the roots, and got everything settled as I stood, spinning in slow circles, trying to take it all in.

“This is incredible,” I finally managed, and Dean sidled up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing the side of my neck.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I’m glad it’s as beautiful as I remember it. Been a few years. We came back whenever we were in the area, just me and Dad, but... it’s been a few years.”

I turned in his arms and kissed him, soft and careful, mapping the curve of his smile with gentle brushes of my tongue.

“Thank you for showing me,” I said, my voice just as hushed as his had been. It felt appropriate, like we were in a church, or something, somewhere that commanded wonder and quiet respect.

He beamed, this dazzling smile full of joy and something like relief. “I wasn’t sure you’d… like it. This. All of it.”

“It’s you,” I said fiercely. “It’s part of you, so I- yeah. I fucking like it. How could I -”

He cut me off with a kiss, so deep and passionate that my head spun.

My ribs felt too tight for the fluttery pounding of my heart. I wanted him, and I wanted to be closer to him, and I wanted to know every damn thing about him, and it hurt. It fucking hurt, like a bone-deep ache, to want someone like this.

Tears pricked at my eyes, for some stupid fucking reason, and I blinked them back, bit at Dean’s lip so sharp he gasped, but I couldn’t hold back the convulsive little hitch of a sob that caught in my chest.  

“What is it?” he asked, cradling my face in his hands, looking at me intently. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing’s wrong,” I breathed. “C’mere, just -”

I closed the distance between us again and kissed his swollen lip, the corner of his mouth, his cheekbone, the soft spot by his ear, while his fingers slipped under the hem of my t-shirt and settled warm on my hips. I tugged the collar of his shirt out of the way to nip at his collarbone, and when I worried the skin between my teeth he sighed, letting his head fall back to give me better access.

“Can I?” I asked, already sinking to my knees and fumbling with his belt. When I looked up, his eyes were heavy-lidded, pupils blown, and he was gaping at me.

“Fuck if I could say no to that,” he said huskily. I grinned.

He was already hard by the time I eased his zipper down, hard and getting harder, and I felt his cock twitch when I wrapped my hand around the base. I licked my lips, looking up at him, and he made a strangled noise in the back of his throat.

The smell of him was so familiar, at this point; his smell and his taste and his everything were ingrained somewhere deep in my neural pathways. I closed my eyes and breathed him in. The hunger I’d felt, the desperation, melted away, and suddenly I just wanted to take my time.

I mouthed my way up his length and then down again, slow and gentle. I could feel the heat of blood under the velvety skin, feel the pulse of it when I flattened my tongue over the vein on the underside, a counterpoint to the sharp, panting breaths he drew in when I took each of his balls into my mouth, one and then the other. I massaged gently with my tongue before running the tip of it up to the swollen head of his cock, swirling in slow circles until I could taste the salty drop of pre-come gathering there.

His hands found my hair and held tight. I took just the head into my mouth, pressing my tongue firmly against the spot that always made him shake; this time was no different. His hips snapped forward, just an inch, before he got himself back under control.

I looked up at him through my eyelashes and smiled around his cock. He cursed, gaze locked on mine with smoldering intensity, and I held the eye contact as I started to slide down, torturously slow. When I felt him hit the back of my throat, I pulled off enough to take a deep breath and then swallowed him down, closing my eyes finally and trying to memorize the feeling of my lips stretching around him. He groaned, loud and shameless.

Maybe the best part of knowing his body so well was knowing how to tease, how to draw it out until he was begging, and exactly how to make him fall apart. This time, I went for the latter. I hummed, feeling the shiver that went through him at the vibrations, before moving back just enough to massage that one spot with my tongue again. I sucked in a quick breath and then slid down, taking him in all at once, letting him feel my throat work as I battled my gag reflex. I fell into a fast, forceful rhythm. My eyes watered and spit slid down my chin.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he hissed, and his hips twitched forward roughly. I felt his cock jump and swell the way it did when he was seconds from coming, but then he was clutching at my shoulders, pushing me back, pulling away from my lips. “Can’t, not yet, fuck, you’re too fucking good at that.”

He practically tackled me back onto the blanket, fingers clumsy and eager as he tried to undo the button of my jeans. I giggled breathlessly, smiling up at the blue sky, and then lifted my hips so that he could get my pants off.

All that about knowing exactly how to get Dean off? Well, it went both fucking ways, of course, and he wasn’t wasting any time; he spread me open, hooking one of my legs over his shoulder, and his tongue dipped inside me briefly before dragging up to my clit and flicking with just the right amount of hot soft pressure to make my toes curl. He slid two fingers into me easily and moaned, low and filthy against my cunt.

I hadn’t even realized how wet I was. I hadn’t thought about how much it turned me on to suck his cock, but I was already squirming, trying to fuck myself on his fingers, and his hand was slippery-slick where it met my body. The third finger was still a stretch, though, a rough thick perfect stretch that pulled an obscene cry from my lips. I twisted and bucked my hips, pulling his hair, rubbing myself against his mouth until he gave me what I wanted. He wriggled his fingers and sucked my clit, setting a quick fluttering rhythm, and the sensation pulsed through my whole body, leaving me helpless, unable to do anything but babble shamelessly.

“So fucking amazing, Dean,” I gasped, and squeezed my eyes shut, thighs already shaking uncontrollably. “Oh, fuck, I don’t understand, nobody’s ever made me feel like this, not even close, never wanted anybody like this, think about you all the time, fuck, right there, don’t stop, I -”

I bit down on my own hand, trying to shut myself up, too close to spilling out words that couldn’t be unsaid, but whatever Dean was doing with his tongue was making my nerve endings short out. I writhed under him, clutching at the blanket in a vain attempt to ground myself, and then everything went tight and urgent and unbearable. White light burst behind my eyes and my orgasm sent shudder after lightning-sharp shudder of pleasure through my core. I rocked up, pushing to meet his mouth, and he licked me through it until I was a trembling, oversensitive wreck, shivering and limp and content.

When I finally managed to open my eyes, the sight in front of me made my stomach roil with need all over again. Dean was propped up on one elbow between my legs, staring up at me with wild, naked hunger, and he was holding his flushed, rock-hard cock at the base with the tight grip that meant he was trying not to come.

“Do you want -” he started, low and strained.

“Wanna watch you,” I said immediately. “Do it, c’mon, let me see.”

Before I could finish my sentence he was stroking himself, groaning with relief. I watched the deep red head of his cock slide through his fist, overwhelmed by how beautiful he was like this, how beautiful he always was. He looked up and met my eyes again. I could see the tension in his expression, how close he was, every movement sending a little spasm of ecstasy across his features, and when his mouth dropped open I noticed the way his lips and his chin were glistening, an incredible filthy reminder of where that mouth had just been. I squirmed and bit my own lip.

“Come for me,” I ordered softly, and I could see the ripple of tension surge through his shoulders, his neck arching and his back bowing as his hips snapped forward into the circle of his fist. He let out a long, ragged moan, and then he was spilling into his hand, shaking with the force of his climax.

He half-collapsed, shifting his weight forward just enough so that he could use my stomach as a pillow. “Fngh,” came a muffled grunt. I laughed.

“Pretty sure sex that good should be illegal,” I said, and stretched, feeling the heavy satisfied weight in my limbs.

“Pretty sure that was totally illegal,” he said wryly against my belly button. “Indecent exposure, trespassing…”

I laughed, a full-on belly laugh, and felt rather than heard him chuckle. He heaved himself up onto his elbows, wiped his hand on the blanket, and crawled up to kiss me, brushing his nose against mine with a soft, goofy smile.

“There’s beer,” I said, at the same time he blurted out, “There’s pie,” and then we grinned at each other for a syrupy-slow moment, eyes locked, and there was a warm, liquid joy swelling in my ribcage that had nothing to do with orgasms or beer or pie.

“I -”

“Dean -”

We both stopped, waited for the other to continue, but there was just silence, broken only by the loud, bright warble of a bird overhead.

“Not important,” I whispered.

He shook his head. “Yeah. Just… me too.”

His smile was so sweet that for a second, it felt like he knew exactly what I wasn’t saying. I took a deep, shaky breath, and then we sat up, reaching for clothes, smoothing down hair, coming back to reality. Dean opened the cooler and cracked two bottles of beer.

We settled back against the tree, curled comfortably into each other, warm and sated and bathed in sunlight.

-----

I was still half-asleep when I felt him nuzzling at my ear, still foggy and caught in a dream, and I couldn’t process what he was saying, at first.

“Hmm?” I grumbled, burrowing back into my pillow.

“Gotta go,” he whispered. “I wish I didn’t have to, but -”

I frowned with my eyes still closed. “Nuh-uh.”

“I’ll be back in a few days, promise.” He pressed a butterfly-light kiss to my lips.

“Love you,” I mumbled hoarsely against his mouth. It took half a second of silence for me to realize what I’d said.

My eyes snapped open. Dean was smiling, his blush visible even in the dull pink light of sunrise. He stroked my cheek gently.

“Love you too,” he breathed. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

I tilted my chin up for a last lingering kiss. Then Dean was pulling the comforter up to my chin, tucking me in like I was a child, and he was gone, slipping away, so quietly that I barely heard the click of the front door.

I whispered it again into the empty room, surprised by the way it rolled off my tongue: “I love you.”  

.

.

.

NEXT PART IS HERE. 

If you enjoyed this, please reblog or leave something nice HERE. 

[bulldawgjross]

The Second Time Around

        The first time was an accident

        The second, lifting yet heavier

        But the third can’t happen yet

    The night prior, all that was swimming in my mind was that I was getting the chance to see her again, however, I’d be lying if I said I was ready. The last time an adventure like this occurred, whether other’s would admit to it or not, it didn’t go over too well, but this time I was determined to make sure I didn’t fuck up… again. Going on these trips can sometimes make me nervous in a sense of not knowing what’s going to happen next, while at the same time not caring because of her. Even though it hadn’t been terribly long since I’d seen her, just the look of her always melts my heart. Yet, she’s always meant more than glamour and shine to me. She can make just about anyone seem like life has purpose once more and always brings a smile to my face. 

    Of course, waking up to start an hour or so drive just to get Allie is always worth it. On the drive up to her house, I tested how my new bluetooth system would work in my Cooper, which in all honesty is just the speakers like the Beats Pill but not that at all. Pulling up to the driveway and making sure everything is ready to go just before the trip ahead is always a great start for the trip, as everything is in place as Allie starts walking to the car. As always, the regular hijinks ensue as we talk about the usual coasters, cartoons, shows, and just life in general. She struggles and how she’s been bold and brave enough to overcome all the obstacles as of late, my bouts with the idiotic public (not ya’ll, but the random customers whose soul purpose in life is to find a way to fuck up so bad that there is literally nothing I can, could, or would do to fix their stupidity) from work and hilarious stories of said characters is all just icing on the cake, and that’s the usual. After a while, it was time to put on some good throw backs, as a couple days before I had found a video on YouTube of a whole bunch of old cartoon intros which we obviously jammed to. 

    Just before we had even hit the city limits before totally nerding out, I felt that with the scenery of Charlotte that the only proper song to play was “What a Fool Believes” by the Doobie Bros, which was honestly pure bliss. Following up into uptown… well…. If you know Allie, then you know the song that we had to play for that. Capping it up, we had to give the X to Fury sense when we normally give it away Lilly is always closed down. All that being said though, after a four hour drive or so, we finally made it back to where we belonged, yet for it being a wednesday, Allie was not even prepared for what was to come shortly after.

    The first stop was actually the starbuck at the entrance so Allie could finally try the Fury latte they had going on, but alas, sold out. Apparently so popular that the first day it came out it was gone, and a recipe so secret that one customer went and rode Fury 325 six times in a row just to know how to make it themselves. However they soon regretted it because of the extreme g-forces that it can dish out might have been too much for them as one of them looked as if he was going to pass out, according to the lady at the shop. We took that as a challenge, however, and tried to do the same, if not surpass the six ride limit. Only we weren’t just lucky, oh no.We had hit the motha effing jackpot!

    We make our way to the great Giga-dork and ready up the locker (which is honestly a fucking rip off but ya have to), break a pair of my sunglasses, fix said shades, and start giggling like little kids on the playground as I start to notice something rather strange. One o’clock in the evening and Fury’s line looked like something out of a fantasy, five people up top with three others walking up the stairs; almost void. We ran after seeing such grace and even ducked under the railings to get up there faster, directed to row 5 and made our way to the incline. After that, row 6, but after that something incredible happened. Since there was no one line and clear of anyone else coming on to the train we just stationed, the attendant looked back at me and asked, “Wanna go again?”

    I stay in my seat as Allie was about to make another lap around the station, when I quickly scream for her to hop back on. The look on her face was pure dumbfounded joy for she’d heard the myths of back to back rides but hadn’t experienced it herself. Next up, after asking that attendant if we could ride in row 8 and graciously allowed it, we were coming close to getting six rides in a row. Even more shocking to Allie was that around the seventh or eighth ride and climbing the stairs to her majesty, we noticed that the attendant was GONE. Guess which row we picked next? Up front!

    After ten rides in a row within a one hour time span, here’s what you need to know: She’s an intense bitch on top and could only be tamed in the front, and though she’s a beauty around every turn, she every time you lift out, she doesn’t know any better but to thrust you back into her. You might think you have control but the sad truth of the matter is that she’s a fucking kinky ass dominatrix who’s studied the Kama Sutra, perfected it, then created her own shit that makes that book look like a kindergartener's kid story.

    Yet she doesn’t really mean to, however, because that’s what can happen when you give her the grand key to world. She might have changed in the slightest details that only a true enthusiast would be able to pick up on, but it still remains that even if it’s a one time deal, it’s a reward well given… last year. This time around however, it could win again, but it’s changed drastically. Back in August when we had gone, we rode her up front but waited till night to see her with all her beauty and it was well worth it. Keep also in mind, it could be the long lasting effects of the non-stop g-forces due to continuous runs, but it felt painful at times. Even more intense when your belt doesn’t lock and you have to rely on the lap restraint, which one of the attendants said “That’s the THIRD time today”

    After the ride(s) of a lifetime (which tbh is great that I have a month or two to recover from all the g-force, but I do it for her) we stopped and grabbed a water and I went back to the car for a vape break just to be ready to tackle Intimidator! Now, he’s no dork we know and love, but he has a certain vibe to him that you can’t ignore. To be completely honest, after Fury, any other coaster after that lacks in comparison and can really ruin the experience. Intimidator is amazing in every way; perfect air time, breathtaking drops, Nighthawk ain’t got shit (in general, just thought I’d add that in). 

    Once we debated getting lunch, which to be honest is their real money maker, (like literally one of the stands was selling a normal hotdog w/ fries and drink for $12!!! Pack or wait tbh) we rode the one and only. The og that never changes no matter what the circumstances, the ride of all rides with the best inverted inversions, the one that is the south gates were open (like they should be) would be the first high motha-fucka you’d see. I’m of course talking about… TOP GUN!!!

    If you call it whatever stupid name that it’s been given now, which is pointless for me to remember because it has no other name, I will ignore you and ponder the ride you are referring to because it doesn’t exist. The name it was given due to the original’s copyright reasons, and since I don’t give a fuck, you’ll usually catch me riding the incline humming to myself “Highway to the DANGERZONE!” It’s always tradition for me and my family to ride this one first, but even if you ride everything else before hand, TOP GUN will never disappoint. In comparison, Nighthawk hurts, you’re laying back for a good portion of it and once you get the “free falling experience” the restraints punch into your shoulders. Manta at Seaworld Orlando is a much better experience, but overall, gotta give the OG. In all fairness, it’s nostalgia reasons, since TOP GUN was my first inverted and inversion coaster, but it’s fast, it’s insane, the experience of a fighter pilot is always present, and it’s done right, looping around the entrance so perfectly. The south gate needs to open up again soon because you honestly cannot start a day at Carowinds with any other.

    That being said as well, I want to take a moment and honor those that have fallen: Troy and Lucas, the twin woodies that made Charlotte live, racing devils always going forward and backward. Thunder Road always has a near and dear place in my heart, not only being my first wooden coaster, but the BEST!!! Fair point, I have not ridden the beast (yet), but I have also been on Dolly’s Lightning Rod, but even then, TR rules over them all. Sure it was linear, sure it wasn’t as intense as most other coasters, but you couldn’t care. On Troy, you knew what was to come, but it was always smooth, which I’m sure you can’t say about anyone else, especially not Hurler! Lucas always runs backwards, perfect for those that don’t worry about where they’re going and just need to know where they’ve been. Thunder Road has always been the greatest wooden coaster ever and there is no debating their glory, which is why I had to get the shirt to commemorate the fallen titan.

    A couple more rides here and there on Intimidator and Fury just before we hit the road back home and though traffic was almost crystal clear coming, it was as if once we got into Charlotte, we could never leave. The plan was always to leave early so we would beat out the closing traffic, but it didn’t matter. I-77 was jammed all the way through the city, trying to escape onto any exit ramp was nearly impossible, but once we managed it everything just kept going down hill. The parkway was jammed, I-85 as well, and all the while my phone keeps blowing up from Google telling me that the road we are on is currently jammed. “No Shit” became a recurring phrase as we tried to leave, yet after an hour and a half just trying to leave the city and searching the radio for music only to find the usual talk shows, usual country station (which almost tore our hair out), three stations where you only heard Pixies Fluting (the only reasonable explanation I have for it) and a Mexican Broadcast. 

    All in all though, even if it was a short trip and a hella long ass drive for me, we needed it and it was well worth it. Just seeing her again can always bring a smile to my face and she’s perfect in every way. No one can so the things that she does to me. She brings a light out of me that I don’t feel with anyone else and I love every moment, every second I’m with her. She can’t be beaten down, she refuses to give in, and she boulders her way through every turn like it’s nothing. Knowing her and seeing how she’s grown has always been the highlight of my life, but alas, the moments that seem to be the happiest are true in despair, for there’s no way to insure total contentment. If only she gave it a chance.

We’ll just have to see.

[welcometooblivionbay]

So another wild story I have from my experience as a classicist is the time we all went to a lecture at another school. I went to a college with an extremely small Classics department, like literally two professors and maybe eight majors total at any given time, so we saw a lot of each other and were pretty comfortable with one another. We usually all just kind of piled into the profs' cars to go to lectures or other fun shit off campus, and it was all pretty casual.

I was a sophomore, and I'd already gone to an off-campus lecture with my advisor (who, by the way, is my favorite person in the world and has a plastic snake/baby doll god on her dashboard), but the other professor had been on sabbatical the year before, and I didn't know him very well. I also wasn't doing spectacularly in his class because Medieval Latin was hellish and definitely contributed to my eyesight getting worse, and due to several awkward interactions and him just being a strange bird I was convinced he hated me. So I was less than ecstatic to learn that I would be riding in his car to this lecture.

As was his custom, he was wearing his leather vest and tie (his "casual" Friday class garb) and he was driving this older model Volvo, I think. Full disclosure, he is a rather short man, very scrawny, with big glasses and thin hair that he kind of styles into a point on his head, and every time I see him he makes me think of a bird. Very odd little guy. So I end up sitting up front because I get carsick easily, and it's kind of awkward, but we set off on our journey.

About halfway there, there's this store that has a bunch of international food, and my advisor wants to stop there for some groceries, so I become navigator for Professor Bird Man, who drives a little fast for my tastes. I'm a decent navigator, so I give plenty of warning for turns, but right as we're almost to the store we realize there's only one tiny entrance to the parking lot. So my professor swings the wheel around, running us up on the curb, and we careen into the parking lot like that sequence from Twins where Arnold Schwarzenegger has just learned to drive, and we almost hit another car. All three of us students screamed, and Professor Bird Man was completely unphased. He just grinned and said, "We're here," like nothing happened.

At this point I'm a little anxious, but we do our shopping and make it to the lecture unharmed. When we leave, though, we decide to go to this pizza place that the professors both like. Me and the other students are thinking it's no big deal, it's just a stop on the way, totally cool, right?

Wrong.

This pizza place is almost half an hour out of our way, and that entire half hour is an increasingly more worrying and Wrong Turn-esque series of back roads and hairpin turns, all of which my professor is speeding around like it's the goddamn Daytona 500. And once we finally get to it, it's a tiny building with almost no space for parking, settled on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by empty woods, and there's a whole string of Harleys out front, but no bikers inside. At this point I swear I'm in a liminal space or becoming the first person to experience hallucinations from carsickness, but inside it's totally normal, and the pizza is fantastic, which is somehow more unsettling.

We stayed there for like an hour and a half and ate more pizza than we should have been capable of, but it was very nice. Then on the way back to the highway, we got lost on back roads and ended up going in a demented loop around where the pizza place was (and I swear we passed the place where the highway entrance ramp was before but the highway entrance ramp was not there the first time) and spending half an hour in panic mode while my professor kept snickering, "I hear banjo music," and driving too fast. We finally got back to the highway and went back to school, and by the time we got back it was 10:30 and I was so carsick I could hardly move.

But from that point on, I felt a connection with Professor Bird Man. This near death/liminal space/escaping from a pocket dimension experience had bonded us, and I knew he didn't hate me. He was just quite possibly the weirdest motherfucker I had ever met, a title which he still defends. I never rode in his car ever again, though. You honestly could not pay me enough.

[isakthedragon]

Super Sonic Thieves Chapter 16

Chapter 16 - Quick Draw

The Set-Up:

Sonic, narrating: “With relaxation and smiles on our faces, we were ready to get back into action of dealing with Sly’s next big villain.”

Sly, narrating: “And by next big villain, I mean, big arms. Our next villain was the notoriously stubborn-like-the-dog-he-is Muggshot. Laughed at as a child, Muggshot decided that to get even means to work out, which for some reason, meant to work out your arms to the size of tree trunks. Does get the job done I guess when you can punch someone out in one shot. Anyway, he’s been our most visited villain, since we first stopped him from building his gambling city, Mesa City, and also stopped him from ruining our dogfight in Holland, where we met Penelope.”

Penelope, from afar: “Oh, boy, mentioned in the opening briefing. Sweet.”

Sonic, narrating: “It seems wanting to run a gambling establishment isn’t out of Muggshot’s blood yet, as he has made a new one in the desert with our other casinos. We better hurry and stop him before he can start taking people’s money away. We’re going to show Muggshot why you don’t skip leg day.”

-----

Zone Layout: As said before, Muggshot has built himself a huge casino to tower the other casinos on the strip it is on. It has many floors of casino related games, from blackjack and roulette to slots and other machines and games. Of course, being Sonic’s world, there are literal bingo tables within floors too to add on to the fun. You could definitely earn a ton of rings here.

Enemies:

Jailbird Dogbots: Robot copies of Muggshot’s jailbird guards. They are still quite simple, wielding ball and chains and swinging them around to try and hit you. Carries 18-20 coins and has a 10% chance of treasure to pickpocket.

Inkspot Cardshots: Robot rebuilds of Muggshot’s dalmatian guards. They are quite the master of cards, tossing them out like ninja stars in many patterns to trip you up. Carries/drops 22-24 coins and has a 25% chance of treasure to pickpocket.

Vinney the Pinscherbots: Eggman’s robotic recreations of Muggshot’s Doberman Pinscher guards. They still wield their dangerous machine guns in an attempt to shoot down thieves. Carries/drops 22-27 coins and has a 50% chance of treasure to pickpocket.

Cowboy Pawns: Egg Pawns ready to ‘git a long, lil doggy’. They carry lassos in attempts to catch you and fling you onto them or into spikes for damage. Just try to keep on the move and you’ll be fine. Drops 22 rings when smashed.

Slots: A badnik that disguises itself as a slot machine with other, real slot machines. Hitting them will make them spin their reels, where it can either land on rings or Eggmans. Any non-3 match will just make the machine explode for damage, so stay away. A 3-match of rings will drop 100 rings instantly, and make the machine disappear with no explosion. A 3-match of Eggmans however will cause the machine to grow arms and legs to chase you and spit spike balls. Defeating it like this (Just give it another thwack) will drop just 24 rings when it’s smashed.

Legs: In a sort of ironic twist to Muggshot, these bulldog badniks have legs comparable to Muggshot’s arms that are obviously meant to be used for kicking, specifically across a large space. At least their tops are weak though, if you can hit them there. Drops 26 rings when smashed.

Treasures:

From Guards:

Bronze Bone: Worth 105 coins and 53 rings.

Silver Bone: Worth 125 coins and 63 rings.

Gold Bone: Worth 145 coins and 73 rings.

From Pedestals:

Golden Fire Hydrant: Found replacing an regular fire hydrant in Act 1. Worth 2300 coins and 1150 rings.

Muggshot’s First Bone: Found in a room in his Penthouse in Act 2.  Worth 2400 coins and 1200 rings.

A Dead Man’s Hand: Found on one of the large tables in Act 3. Worth 2500 coins and 1250 rings.

The coins have a bone design on them.

-----

Boneyard Casino Zone Act 1: Sly and Silver find that, once more, the entrance is guarded with gun turrets and invincible/impossible to defeat badniks and guards, so the player will have to find their own way in. Rather than find keys, the player should just find a way to climb up the buildings around them to reach the roof of Muggshot’s casino. Sly’s tricks and Silver psychokinesis to move things should make short work of that to the end of the Act on Muggshot’s roof.

*At the start.*

Sly, flatly: “What a surprise, the entrance is guarded.”

Silver: “I know… we find a different route in, right.”

Sly: “Yep. Got an idea how?”

Silver: “Hmmm… up the buildings to the roof?” *The camera pans up during this.*

Sly: “Ding! We have a winner. There’s so many poles and spires, it’s practically a thief’s paradise.”

---

Boneyard Casino Zone Act 2: Carmelita and Knuckles sneak their way across the roof of Muggshot’s casino and into his penthouse suite. While sneaking around, they end up listening to the big dog himself talking about how he’s trying to go legit with this casino, though he’s still planning on robbing people blind. He importantly notes that he has gained a boost in defense from a Clockwerk that he has hiding around in his casino, laughing that nobody can beat him now.

*At the start.*

Knuckles: “Well, wasn’t that a nice climb to the roof? Wow, we sure are high up. Look at all the neon.”

Carmelita: “No time to sightsee, we have a job to do.”

Knuckles: “Listen for Muggshot, right?”

Sonic, over the binocucom: “He honestly sounds like a knucklehead like you, heh he.”

Knuckles: “Yeah… HEY!!”

*Sonic chuckles.*

*While sneaking around, through Muggshot’s open windows.*

Muggshot: “Heh he… Eggman, youse were right! With no Sly messing with my works, I’ve built myself a new and better casino! It almost makes me want to go legit… if it weren’t so much more lucrative to just shake everyone dry. And it looks like this world is perfect for that. I don’t get this ‘ring’ currency though…”

*Later, now inside his penthouse behind some ajar office doors.*

Muggshot: “Heh he, even if those fools come my way, they’ll have a tough time defeating me… if they even can! I gots me a Clockwerk bird that makes me invincible with a shell shield! They’ve got no chance, not even that fox!”

Carmelita: “This sounds like a problem…”

Knuckles: “Hmmm… I don’t think we can physically attack him… looks like we’ll have to find the bird.”

Penelope, over the binocucom: “No sign of it yet. Muggshot got smart and hid it with other background noise from other machines. I think it’s going to be faster to find it yourselves.”

Carmelita: “Got it.”

---

Boneyard Casino Zone Act 3: Murray and Blaze take the elevator one floor down to find a large expanse of floors of various huge card and roulette tables, slot machine areas, bingo tables, and others (Think BINGO Highway, Casino Park/Street/Night, etc.) that they’ll have to just roll their way down like they would do best. Of course, since this a casino, you’ll need to make 10000 rings to be able to finish the Act, as it opens the bottom elevator (Otherwise you’ll be sent up via pinball plunger to the top again with all the rings reset.)

*At the start.*

Murray: “Wow! Muggshot sure went big here! It’s huge!”

Blaze: “I swear casinos in our world are just giant…”

Bentley, over the binocucom: “Okay you two, focus. You need to find the Clockwerk bird before Muggshot knows we are here. There’s no time to enjoy the stuff.”

Sonic, over the binocucom: “I don’t know… they might have to. I have a feeling they’re stuck on those floors unless they gather some rings. Is there a big board suggesting a ring amount?”

Murray: “Yeah, big and small ones showing a target of 10000 rings.”

Sonic, over the binocucom: “Yeah, they can’t leave until they score 10000 rings. They’re getting smarter at least, but not by much. You’ll have to collect that amount to escape.”

Blaze: “Okay. Well, we better get started on collecting those rings.”

---

Boneyard Casino Zone Act 4 (BOSS): Vector and Panda King arrive on the ground floor’s grandiose entrance hall to find an extremely angry bulldog…

Vector: “Geez, it sure is dark in here.”

Panda King: “Shhh… I don’t think Muggshot knows we are in here. We have to stay-”

*The lights turn on, showing Muggshot on the base of the Clockwerk statue.*

Panda King: “-On…”

Muggshot: “Aha! I got youse Cooper!-” *He notices who he captured.* “-Wait… Panda King? What are you doing here.”

Panda King: “Uhh…”

Vector: “You two know each other?”

Panda King: “Yes… as members of the now disbanded Fiendish Five…”

Muggshot: “What are youse doing here? Last I heard, youse were in the Chinese mountains meditating.”

Panda King: “I was… but not anymore.”

Muggshot: “I can clearly sees that.” *Muggshot finally gets the picture.* “Wait… You’re working for Cooper, ain't you?! No wonder we couldn’t finds you!”

Panda King: “I have found enlightenment with Cooper and his friends. Hatred leads nowhere but resentment that shall haunt and take over your life. And they did also save my daughter, so I do owe them some gratitude.”

Muggshot: “You’ve gone soft, Panda King. The Cooper gang are enemies to us.”

Panda King: “Only if you had crossed with them before. Which we did, so many years ago. What did you expect? Now that I’ve made peace with them, I also see they are quite an interesting bunch. They too have honor they want to protect.”

Muggshot: “I expected better of you, Panda King. I thought you’d be the unbreakable one. Looks like I’ll have to fight my coworker then.”

BOSS: Muggshot

Muggshot is unfortunately using his Defense Clockwerk to create a barrier strong enough that any damage done to him is negligible to his health. Which means that destroying a Clockwerk is in order. In probably as an act of boasting, the Clockwerk is a giant gold statue in the middle of the room, which Muggshot walks around shooting from. Of course, the player should use Panda King’s rockets and Vector’s enemy spitting to slowly damage the Clockwerk until it develops enough cracks and shatters on Muggshot, and also shattering his barrier. Then the player can just wail on Muggshot with fireworks until he is defeated.

*Once the Clockwerk bird has sustained enough damage, it cracks to its limits and shatters.*

Muggshot: “No!!! My beautiful bird! It really brought the room together. Grr… youse are gonna pay for that!”

*Once defeated.*

Muggshot: “No! 3 defeats to the Cooper gang! I’m an embarrassment!”

Panda King: “Perhaps you need to do some self-reflecting of your own… perhaps in prison?”

-----

(Yet again, not enough idea for a cutscene to finish.)

Next Time: Not everyone from Canada is a nice guy, or bison, you know. Better pack winter clothes for Winter Woods Zone.

[johnnyonespur]

Santa Fe

So ever since visiting Meow Wolf on my own (back in March 2017), I’ve wanted to bring the kids there. But summer was busy (and hot), and then both the kids had school, so...

Anyway, so last weekend I finally brought them! The weekend:

Friday: Rocky pulled the kids out of school early, and the kids and I left Denver about 2:50 p.m. I’d stayed home that day to do road-trip-snack-shopping, get the car’s oil changed, pick up some maps, and do the packing. We stopped for gas in Trinidad (about 3 hours’ south of Denver), and dinner at Blake’s Lotaburger in Las Vegas, NM (incredible green chile burger!). Also, like, three pee stops. Got into Santa Fe about 9:30, which means we made it in 6 1/2 hours, which is about half an hour less than I had thought it would take. Checked in at the Sage Inn hotel, and we watched half of Captain Underpants (a colleague had loaned me an HDMI cable so I could use my laptop as a DVD player!).

Saturday: Got up around 8:00, had the hotel breakfast, but it was still only 9:00, and Meow Wolf didn’t open until 10:00. So we walked to the farmer’s market a couple blocks away. Beautiful food! I got a coffee, and the kids got to play in a little park there. Sunny and clear, but the temperature was around freezing.

Drove to Meow Wolf. I’d bought the tix last night online, so didn’t have to wait in line.

The kids loved it, as I’d thought they would. It was kinda hard keeping them corralled, since there are so many directions to go, and so much to see. But we managed to see everything (I think). We spent maybe two hours, then went to the kids’ art area, where they painted, built forts with big foam blocks, and built towers with magnetic blocks. We probably spent at least an hour and a half there in the art studio. Then we went out for lunch, and came back to MW and went through it all again for another 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

The kids were really excited by the idea of the Art-O-Mat--an old cigarette vending machine that’s been repurposed to sell small (cigarette-box-sized) works of art for $5. The lass got a beautiful painted rock. The lad got a print on a wooden block that he wasn’t super fond of, so I took that one and he got a Japanese fish print that he did really like.

After that, we went to the Harrell House Bug Museum. Unfortunately, the lass had fallen deep asleep, so she missed the entire thing! The lad bought some little plastic animalitos with his own money (he loves them!). He got to handle a bunch of different bugs--a millipede, a tarantula, hissing cockroaches, and a vinagroon. But the highlight of his evening was the place had some axolotls and tiger salamanders.

See, for the last few months, the lad has REALLY been into salamanders (not lizards). Also diplocaulus, but they’re not as common to find, and they’re also extinct. But I don’t think he’s ever seen an actual live salamander--just photos in books. So he was super-excited. And I asked the guy if he could hold one of the tiger salamanders, and since we were the only ones there, he said sure. So the lad got to hold one for a few seconds. He was positively giddy! We also got to see a water monitor eat an entire dead rat, which was cool (though not as cool as the salamander).

We went back to the hotel, and got a couple salads to finish off dinner (since we’d had lunch so late, we didn’t really need much) while we finished Captain Underpants. The Caesar salad was pretty good, but the caprese salad was literally two slices of tomato and two slices of supermarket mozzarella. Kind of a ripoff.

Sunday: We had the hotel breakfast, then got donuts from a place that was supposed to be really good (they were meh). Then we went to the plaza to walk around, but there’s nothing there for kids, really (they’re not into the Native American jewelry sales or fancy art galleries). They did enjoy chasing pigeons around trying to catch one, though. And while doing so, the lad’s second tooth came out! Yay!

Then we went back to the Bug Museum, because the lass was sad that she’d missed it. A different guy there this time, though, so she didn’t get to hold a salamander, though she did hold the bugs.

Then we had a picnic for lunch, and then went to the Museum of International Folk Art, which is the one I’d wanted to see. It was alright, but not a lot to see for $12 (at least the kids were free). One of the halls was closed for remodeling, though. They had a kids’ play area, where they spent about an hour, and there was another area downstairs where later we did some origami for maybe another 45 minutes.

By then it was 5:00, the sun was setting, it was getting cold, and there’s nothing to do for kids in Santa Fe at 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday night (I looked to see if there were any kids’ movies in theaters, but no...). So we got pizza for dinner and gelato afterwards, and then went back to the hotel. I’d like to say we got to bed early, but the kids stayed up (probably the gelato) and I stayed up way late looking at the photos I’d taken and such.

Monday: hotel breakfast and packing. Both the kids got showers, which is an achievement. Got out about 10:30. Stopped by the Flea Market, but it’s only open on Fri Sat Sun, apparently. I was going to go to the outlying, loser section of Bandelier that has a nice rocky hike and petroglyphs, but then the GPS was like, “Bandelier is 7.6 miles away.” So I decided just to go to Bandelier, since the kids had never seen cliff dwellings or Native American ruins. (I’d forgotten that the GPS measuring attractions just gives the distance as the crow flies, so 7.6 was actually 12, and that was just to the entrance--the ruins were another 3.5 miles, and then back like 25 miles to the highway. So it was a pretty big detour.)

Bandelier was cool--the kids liked climbing the ladders and the caves, but they were more interested in finding pretty rocks in the gravel pathway than appreciating the history of the site. Still, it was a beautiful walk, and they did get to see their first cliff dwelling/Native American archaeological site, so...

I was going to stop at Taos Pueblo, since that’s another thing the kids have never experienced, but by the time we got to Taos, it was like 3:00, and there’s still another 4 or 5 hours to Denver. So we had lunch at another Lotaburger, and then just drove straight through. It was a long push, but no traffic at all, and we got back to Denver at like 8:30. And made it on one tank of gas all the way from Santa Fe, too!

Anyway, it was a great trip, though because we only had three and a half days, it was a little rushed. But we got to do almost everything I’d wanted to do, the kids had a blast, and couldn’t wait to tell Rocky about everything they saw and did. I figure between the hotel, the food, the gas, and the entry fees, it was probably about $550. Maybe next time we’ll aim for a cheaper hotel, or the hostel (which has a kitchen, so less money spent on restaurant food).

Hotel: $230 (3 nights)

Food: about $100 or so--three dinners, two lunches, and donuts, for three of us.

Entry fees: about $80 for Meow Wolf, the Folk Art Museum, the Bug Museum (twice), and Bandelier.

Gas: two half-tank fill-ups at $25 each, plus I’ll need to fill the car up again once more.

Other: $15 for the Art-O-Mat, then a housekeeping tip, animalitos for the kids, a coffee for me, etc. Maybe another $30 total.