#What to do if Your Powdered Wig Takes Control of Your Mind

[thatsbelievable]

[ophelialoveshandsomemen]

Say what you will about Van Helsing 2004; hate it, love it, be indifferent, But the All-Hallow's masquerade ball went sooooo hard and it had zero right to do so! It's a fun, campy, monster mash movie with wonderfully dated ( and expensive) cgi and non-stop action meant to be a popcorn flick one takes out to watch around spooky season. And it has this* chef's kiss* GORGEOUS 6 minute sequence plopped arbitrarily in the second act, which unexpectedly surpasses nearly every other ball in the last 30+ years of film( notable exception being the Cinderella 2015 ball) for literally no reason other than to be dramatic af.

Like feast your eyes on this Gothic masterpiece!!! Who doesn't want to immediately live in this picture?!??

They used those candles with oil in them so that they would have real candles, real string orchestra( I believe), probably around 100 real life extras( something which is tragically absent in modern film), said extras are all in beautiful fully decked-out costumes( which are in luxuriously dark colours, but nearly no fully black, another thing you cannot say for much modern cinema), REAL CIRQUE DU SOLEIL PERFORMERS for all the acrobatics!!!! Hell, instead of filming in a sound stage, where they could control the reverb and the acoustics and the size of the set and the bloody lighting ( they apparently had a heck of a time emulating the firelight for this sequence) and the temperature( it's very cold in stone churches!) better, they filmed in a Baroque church in Prague! As I said, peak dramatic splendour, jfc...

Think about that a second...They filmed a vampire masquerade in a Baroque Catholic Church( St. Nicholas' in Lesser Town, if you were curious) with amazing over-the-top acoustics and marble statues and real, tiled floors and marble pillars and a choir loft which they very much utilized, covered the pipe organ and the altar with a grand brocade curtain so it wouldn't be so obviously a, you know, a church! And there's a gold gilt elevated and canopied pulpit into which they put two vampire kiddies for, again, the sake of being dramatic.

And the costumes! They remind me of the 25th anniversary Phantom of the Opera Masquerade costumes. Same quality, like they're old, well-cared-for costumes pulled out of a warehouse, instead of fast industry churn-outs. With lots of trim and colour and masks and lace and feathers and..just...ugh.. they are all perfect! Just look at all the head pieces on the ladies and the hats on all the gentleman ( save Dracula of course) and the powdered wigs on the musicians. ANNNNDD! The dresses are historically correct!!!!!! It's the 80's bustle era! Nobody does the 80's bustle era in film anymore and it's a bummer. Oh and one other thing! Anna's ( and other women's) hair, at least here in the ball, is also historically accurate because it's all pinned up! None of those fucken modern beachwaves at a ball! Everybody's got updo's!

Gah, I swear, Dracula in his gold cloak really does things to me in this scene!

By the way, the acrobatics are bonkers in here for just background stuff!! Especially the random guys on unicycles and the dude playing the violin whilst standing on a ball...Like....WHAT?

Anyways, all this to say, that this masquerade ball feels sooo real and tangible and because of that it blows every other film out of the water, and no, I will not change my mind!!!!!

Here's a few more gifs, bcuz, why the hell not, this scene is sexy as fuu*ck?

Alright I need to go to bed now.

[alistonjdrake]

Adapting Historical Fashion for the Fantasy Eye

I’m back. Why? Because we’ve seen a resurgence of people talking about corsets and whether they were the death traps some would like you to believe (they weren’t and we’re not here to discuss that but I beg you to do some research), people not knowing that there is a vibrant and active historical fashion community who either engage in history bounding (dressing up in period accurate clothing) or add elements of it to their daily lives, and just as always people not knowing the difference between stays and corsets. 

But, June, you say. You’re a fantasy writer. What does historically accurate clothing have to do with anything? Historical accuracy is for losers. And to that I say, you are correct. But if you’re using something that has a heavy historical context (like clothing, technology, etc) you might as well know a thing or two about the subject before looking a fool. If only because readers like me notice the small things and cry OR because the aesthetics are cool but knowing where they come from and how they can be changed to fit your world is even cooler. 

Fashion defines a society. Fashion defines a culture. What garments are important? What garments are the same among the upper and lower class? Do their roles as garments change depending on class? (ex: stays were often wore “out” for working class women while upper class women would see them strictly as undergarments) How do fashion trends define the eras? It’s not hard to notice that throughout history nearly every decade as a definite silhouette. It’s not hard to tell the difference from a regency era gown from an early Victorian gown to a late Victorian one. They all look vastly different. 

I’m not asking anyone to know the ins and out of historical clothing but it doesn’t hurt to read up on it or look at some existing examples. To know the anatomy and construction of what would make a complete outfit (or to read about what people might wear for a given situation if no artwork or garment exists). It all feeds into how your characters hold themselves, how they might be able to move. It’s not so much that people were just “Shaped Differently” back then. Their clothes were constructed with a certain poise or look in mind. And y’know. I just want to stop seeing modern underwear in fantasy underneath historical clothing while we all pretend the undergarments don’t contribute greatly to the finished overall look. 

But again, you’re right. We’re not writing historical fiction here. We don’t need to have every mention of clothing in our fantasy novels be completely in line with the point in time we might be basing our setting off of. This is about adaptation. 

Adapting Historical Fashion for Non-Historical Purposes. 

I’ve said it a bunch by now I’m sure. My books take place in a world based off the late 18th century. Why? I dig it. As such, when I first started putting together the aesthetics of the world that period was also my go to. I know I already did a whole thing on culture and society but really this is more or less just about how fashion can amplify those two things. I mentioned setting and what fabrics might be commonly used or found. And what might make sense to use (lighter, breathy fabrics for hot climates vs thicker fabrics and furs for cold ones) vs ones considered high class and enviable or with trends that might be coming from other countries that have stronger influence. 

When I take real life fashion and shove it into my world (give or take a few changes) I usually ask myself a few things first. 

1. Who controls the fashion trends?

The younger generation, the monarchs, a group of travelers who just look super stellar? Who is the rest of the community following when it comes to the newest look and what elements of it are they trying to steal/adapt? What element is the thing that really catches on? 

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge fan of waistcoats and breeches and stockings, tailed coats with flaps (although anyone who reads my book will also know I axed powdered wigs. Because I could.) But to just copy wouldn’t say much about the opulent and flamboyant Escana. To increase the idea of the vanity and the peacock attitude of the younger, partying courtiers I have young men who usually dye their stockings to match their waistcoats (because colored socks > white or black socks) and forgo the coat to show off sleeve details as well as lose some of that “seriousness”. It says a lot about them while still remaining in a circle that gives readers a clue as to where my inspiration came from. 

2. Who disagrees with the fashion trends?

And how does their disagreement influence the perception of certain garments or the people who wear them? Just read one thing about how evil corsets are and how crinolines are literally cages for women and how many of us go around thinking Victorian ladies fainted every time they opened a window and understand these perceptions can be long-lasting and completely change an outsider’s opinion on how people lived. Granted for world-building or story purposes hopefully these will be happening currently instead of being a huge misunderstanding of history.

Over and over again I say things like cultures not being monoliths but neither are generations and there’s nothing that makes a world feel more lived in and full than people who don’t all wear a uniform based vaguely on what the author thinks a medieval gown looked like. It’s just also sometimes nice to get tidbits like a character wearing a scandalous or pricey color just to look good even if they can’t afford it. Is it usually super vital to the plot and story? No. If used sparingly can it be fun background information to how the society your character lives in works or views things? Sure. 

3. Colors and fabrics and spares, oh my

Okay. That’s not a question. But it’s an umbrella for me to put my thoughts under. Because I live in the 21st century I don’t often think about things like dyes or luxury fabrics but this would be front of mind for most of my characters. Not everyone can afford to wear certain colors, or certain colors come with a context that means they shouldn’t be worn for certain situations or for certain people and the same could be said for fabric. We live with these fashion rules now (although I’m not so strict in my memory of them because my current life doesn’t depend on it, but I do write about princes and courts so it’s more important for a courtier to not wear a happy color to a funeral than for me. Or things like no white after labor day).

Hand-me-downs. I grew up wearing them. They were common in history and should be more common in fantasy. If a family was not wealthy they could only afford so much fabric or to follow fashion trends for their eldest. It wouldn’t be unheard of for a family to still be wearing clothes considered “outdated” and it’s not like we all just throw our clothes out when they get old. While a trend might have moved onto a new silhouette or something, someone with less means might still be wearing decades-old clothing that have held up well (these clothes were built to last. Fast fashion could never) or could have chosen not to jump on the trend at all. In my book, the opulent courtiers and royals of Graza Palace dress completely different than some traditionalists who wear garments more native to Escan before it was an empire that are completely different from the suits and 18th century gowns I’ve borrowed. They’re timeless and probably see a lot more turnover from one family member to the next than a gown that could be out of style in a year. 

4. And lastly, making sure I’m not turning it into a costume

This becomes important when taking garments that have a cultural context in the real world and using something similar to it or basing another garment off of it. I would start with this for the purposes of using culture clues to ease someone into what actual culture the fantasy one is taking inspiration from to give them a taste of what certain things might look like without going into full detail but it’s key to then know what makes these garments...these garments so you’re not bastardizing them. Why do people wear them? (especially if a form is still worn in modern times) What are they usually made out of? What are the occasions they are worn for? A respectful nod to something will just add to your world building, a costume rendition with 0 understanding of how certain garments will work will just make it seem like all your characters are in cosplay. 

So in conclusion: No, I’m not advocating you be historically accurate for your already not historically accurate but it pays to look into why your basing clothing off a certain period and what goes into making that piece of clothing...that piece of clothing. Why it looks that way, how someone wearing it would look/hold themselves, and what it means in the context of your setting as well as things you might change and take extra liberties with for the purpose of storytelling. Clothing can add character and it could be just as useful a tool in world building (in my biased opinion) as language given that fashion can have such a huge impact on people but it can also fall flat. 

[summersnowy]

A GIRL IN ME - Intro

My mum and dad got divorced when I was at a very young age around 7-8y.o. My mum re married and I was left with my dad who was I'm the military force. He was always deployed in the operation and not at home most of the time. Taking care of me was my aunt who was in her mid 30s.

I remember during my school days I was a wimpy boy who was quiet and timid.

Slender and fair and doesn't have many friends around me most of the time I was hanging around with the girls and most of the boys jeered and make fun of me because of that.. maybe they are jealous of me having good friendship with the girls...

And truly I'm well mannered doesnt talk loudly and using vulgarity or rough words so I was deem to be a sissy confront of the boys

The schooling days was a tough one for me having loneliness at home and not having someone I can trust to talk to...although i have mainly the girls friend but i know I'm not really a part of their conversation they cant share the girls things that they are gg thru...hence I cant never be a trusted friend. That's how I think...I begin wanting to be like them...have long hair that can be tied up wearing skirts, neat and tidy appearances..In fact when I'm around 6-7 y.o i start to think why I'm different from a girl and that's when I discover the difference between a girl and boy.

Questioning myself why am I not a girl why I was born a boy? I started to get curious and wanted to try wear a dress. But I was too young and who I can look forward to is my aunt..she is in her mid 30s and an attractive woman as I can see she have alot of Male friends some I often see them around with her. I would sneak into her closet and see all her clothes and lingerie. Observe her appearance and makeup, the clothes she worn...h&M, forever21, Zara all the clothes she had are so pretty and I wish I can wear them and look as pretty and attractive...So at a tender age of 8-9 I begin to explore women clothes and makeup but I only started to wear my aunt clothes when I'm around 12-13 y.o.. I dont know how I know most of the girly things but I just understand how to make up and wear bra and panties and have my Male part tucked... maybe it's thru the observation and my group of girls friend... my aunt is slim and slender so the clothes she have are mostly XS or S which i can sometime fit some are a little oversized for me but still I think I look pretty in it...😍

This lasted for a few months and which time I became bolder from just the lingerie to dress, blouse , skirt, stocking, makeup etc and my aunt ain't dumb she know someone is touching her things but kept quiet. But for me I'm clumsy and dumb I might have mess up the thing she placed in order...she know I did it every afternoon when I'm back from school and at late night during weekends when she goes out partying or holiday trips..

During this time of dressing up, I felt more and more wanting to become a girl. It a strange feeling, inside of me there seem to be girl trying to come out but the outside of me is trying to moderate the out burst knowing this is a perverted thoughts there are little knowledge of what this is all about....the only thing that I know is its abnormal...I try to read and research about it it's the age of the internet at that time but still there are limited information back then. But I learned from chatting platform talk to sister with similar issue and who are just like me I'm definitely not alone...all this topic on cross dressing, transgender m2f, ladyboy, hormone replacement therapy, Srs (sex reassignment surgery), sexuality etc

Now that I knew I'm not the odd one out I felt better. I know it's a mental disorder but I also knew that I'm an Asian and this is not acceptable in the society I'm in..all this thoughts I have need to be kept secret..its a struggle like fighting against my own self...the only time I can let out the women in me is the private time i have to dress up as a girl looking in to the mirror seeing the beautiful face in the mirror...i know it's a not right to wear my aunt's clothes but I'm still a student financially i can afford. I begin saving up but it too little to get what I wanted...

I mentioned that my aunt knew but kept mum about it. I also try my best not to dirty any of her clothes, panties but I cant help the pre cum that leaks when I see it I will clean and dry it I guess sometime I'm too muddled head...so there was this day which I thought my aunt was at work and will usually return in the late evening...after shower and drying up I step into her room and took out a set of black panties and bra..slip into the bra hooking the back of the strap skillfully as though I wear it daily and tucked my little boy peck into the panties which fits almost like it was mine.. I look into the full length mirror adjust my bra abit and pull my panties tighter so it will hold my manhood in position.. I hate my boy hair style...I took out the wig which I bought after month of saving from my drawer which I hidden it in layer of clothes like a pirate hiding his treasure chest..putting on the mid length wig and look into the mirror again...smiling at myself I look almost like any of the girls in my school. Everytime that happen I will ask myself why am I not born a real girl why is it so unfair why I need to hid and do this like a thief...telling myself I want to be a girl badly God if you hear this please turn me into a princess..of course that was how naive I was back then..I have so short time to enjoy this i need to hurry...opening up the compact powder foundation I begin applying on my face lightly and colouring my lip with a glossy mellow red lipstick...that's all I can afford but enough to brighten up my face a little to look pretty..next I slide open the closet where my aunt latest collection of clothes and took out a floral red skater dress. Slipping up the dress and zipping up the back of the dress before turning to the full length mirror..that imagine of me is what I wanted not to remember but to be let this without capturing it into by memory..At this moment I hear the footstep and clinging sound of keys..before I can react the room door open and my aunt saw me in full dress..my heart almost stopped.....Not surprise by what she saw but a little shock that someone is in her room my aunt look at me and stare for a while..my throat was choke with words feeling a gush of blood rising to my head. Shawn? Is that you?

All I did was nod and look down to the floor. Are you the one who touch my clothes and makeup? I was a little surprise to hear that but remain silent..hey Shawn you better own up else I'm going to ask you father here to see his son turn daughter. You know your father shawn you know what he will do. Aunt please dont please dont tell my dad I am sorry to touch your stuff please dont tell my dad i will do anything but please dont tell my dad about this. Then you have to tell my the truth why are you doing this. My heads was running around searching for an answer.

Should I tell my aunt my true feeling or should I just tell her a lies and promise not to do this ever again....

"Shawn look at me, Do you have anything to say about this? " she said in a calm tone. I suspect and knew you have been touch my things for several months. I didn't sound out because I thought you are only curious and will stop in a while but it obviously didn't. And I realised my birth control pills are missing a whole lot every month and that's the point I thought I need to talk to you. Are you trying to turn into a girl? Do u know what will happen if u take these pill over time? I remain silent and tears wells up in my eyes. Her tone change alittle as I didn't speak up. She Pick up her phone by her tote bag, I am going to call your dad now. Aunt! Please dont and kneel down . I'm really sorry . Dont tell me sorry I want to hear why are you doing all this. Aunt I want to be a girl and I hate being a boy..I dont look like a boy anyway but I feel happy when I'm dress up as a girl. I took the pills because I know it is female hormones and I wanted it so badly. Hearing this my aunt move towards me and held me up and lead me to the side of her bed and sat me down. Ok Shawn but birth control pill are not the right medication for this. Also your dad will probably kill you when he see you like this. But Aunt I couldn't help it I just wanted to feel happy. I am always bullied and isolated in school. My peer call me a fag, ah gua, gay all this nasty words I didn't took it to heart but it still hurt me when I'm feeling lonely and what makes me happy every day is to know that I have a private time be look like what I think I should be like..

At this point my tears was pouring and my makeup smudged my aunt place her arms around my shoulder and give me a hug. Shawn if you wanted to live like this then you have to do it the right way and all the way. You need to think about the things that will happen in the future if you take this path and dont regret it. You know it's better being a guy. Being the stronger sex you have a lots of benefit and privileges. Being female you will be the weaker sex over Male. Shawn I think you are old and mature enough to think for yourself. Aunt will be supportive in whatever decision u make but taking this path your dad will be someone you will be having tough time with. I nodded and remove the female clothes and makeup change into my boy clothes and return to my room. I lied on my bed and have a long thought.......

Scene 1

During that time, I had a online friend whom i known for a while from the picture posted on his social media he looks mature and was probably in his 40s. I have been chatting with him for quite a while exchanging picture of myself dress and he return some picture of him. I was feeling down that day my mind is floating as all this thoughts flooded my mind and I just want to stop thinking about it...after listening to my issues, he ask me to come out to have a chat. I dont really like to meet people who knows that I'm a CD but he was really a nice man from the conversation we had and he told me that he really wish to see me as a girl. I finally agree as he make me feel like I am a girl patience, loving and nice..

To be continued................

[eldritchsurveys]

1046.

Do you ever find yourself worrying about things that probably won't happen? >> The thing is, the things I worry about are things that can happen. I know because I’ve already experienced those things happening. It’s the likelihood of the thing happening that may or may not be skewed in my imagination, not the thing itself.

Has your imagination ever made it hard for you to sleep? >> I don’t think so.

Have you ever had a weird dream and obsessed over what it might mean? >> I’ve had plenty of weird dreams, but I didn’t obsess over their possible meaning.

Or do you usually forget about your dreams? >> Nowadays, yeah, I don’t remember my dreams too consistently.

Do you know your heritage? If not, would you ever try one of those DNA kits? >> I know enough, I suppose. I would definitely not do one of those DNA kits, for multiple reasons.

Which languages can you speak? >> Only English with any fluency.

Which language do you speak the most and why? >> ---

Which languages do you wish you were fluent in? >> ---

With films in languages you do not speak, do you prefer a dub or subtitles? >> I greatly prefer subs. I like listening to different languages. Plus, I find that a lot of the times, the dub actors don’t match up well in my opinion.

Which cuisine do you like the least? >> ---

Are there any foods you dislike because of the texture? >> Absolutely.

Which type of chocolate do you like best? >> I only eat dark chocolate.

Do you have a favorite kind of dog? >> Pit bulls, I guess, but I really just like dogs period.

Do you let your pets sleep in your bed? >> I would not.

Do any of your favorite musicians ever write music for/with other artists? >> I mean, probably.

What is your favorite collaboration between two different musicians? >> I can’t think of a favourite collaboration.

Who are your favorite songwriters? >> I don’t have any.

Do you like any of those oldies groups (like the Four Seasons)? >> Yep. I grew up listening to them and I still love a lot of that music.

Do you know who Bernie Taupin is? >> He writes with Elton John, don’t he? They’re associated somehow, anyway.

What are your favorite one-hit wonders? >> Meh.

What celebrities, if any, have you seen naked? >> I mean, whichever ones did nude scenes in movies I’ve seen.

Have you ever seen anybody naked by accident? >> Not necessarily by accident, just... not by my consent. Living in shelters, you see a lot you don’t necessarily want to see.

Have you ever wondered what somebody looks like naked? >> In an idly musing sense, sure.

Have you ever had a sexual fantasy about a celebrity? >> When I was younger.

Have you ever changed your clothes in the car? >> I don’t think so, but maybe.

About how quickly does your hair grow? >> Too quickly for my liking, considering how often I have to buzz it.

Do you have to/choose to shave anything unusual? >> No.

Do you groom (wax, pluck, or thread) your eyebrows? >> No.

Most unusual thing you have worn in public? >> I don’t know?

If you wear makeup, what are your preferred brands? >> I don’t have any preferred brands.

Do you use flavored lip balm? What about tinted lip balm? >> Nope, just regular coconut-oil lip balm, thanks.

What is your favorite swear word? >> ---

Are you afraid of fireworks or other loud noises? >> I’m not afraid of them, I just have sensory issues and an exaggerated startle reflex. My responses are similar to fear responses, though, so it’s all the same shit at the end of the day, I guess.

Do you make your own iced tea, or buy it in jugs/bottles? >> I buy bottled iced tea.

Have you ever made sun tea? >> No.

Do you use sugar or honey to sweeten your tea? >> I use honey sometimes, but most of the time I drink it as-is.

Do you ever put milk in your tea? >> Not usually. It’s good in chai, but I just never think about it. 

Do you prefer powdered or liquid coffee creamer? >> ---

Did your school have somewhere for girls to get emergency pads/tampons? >> ---

Did you have to wear a uniform for gym class? >> ---

Did you have to take showers after gym before going to your next class? >> ---

Were you in any extracurricular activities or clubs in high school? >> ---

Have you ever picked up and kept a rock because it caught your eye? >> Yeah.

Have you attended any rock (literal rocks, not music, lol) shows? >> No.

Have you ever laughed at a scene (TV/film) that wasn't meant to be funny? >> Oh, absolutely.

Do you think they should make a movie about Hatshepsut? >> I don’t have an opinion on this.

Do you think books are better adapted as movies or TV series? >> I think TV series are better if you want to actually delve into more of the book’s content.

Any great books you would recommend? >> ---

Any great movies or TV series you would recommend? >> ---

Were you disappointed with Fox's version of the Rocky Horror Show? >> I don’t care about Rocky Horror.

Have you ever seen the original Kinky Boots movie? What about the musical? >> Never seen either.

Have you seen any Hannibal movies other than The Silence of the Lambs? >> I’ve seen Red Dragon, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising.

Have you read any of the Hannibal novels? >> Not yet. I’ve considered reading Red Dragon, since Francis Dolarhyde is my fave, but eh. Maybe one day.

Do you like any Indie movies? >> I mean, yes.

Have there been any movies you had fond memories of, but upon a rewatch didn't like as well? >> Absolutely. Tastes and needs evolve over time.

Do you like to go to the movies alone? >> I do, I love it. I especially love it when I go to a weekday matinee a couple of weeks after a movie’s premiere and the theater is empty of anyone save me. It’s the best feeling. I had so much fun watching Venom in an empty theater :)

When you watch movies/TV with people, do you find yourself making sarcastic remarks to each other? >> Well, that’d depend on the people, I guess. And what kind of mood I’m in. And what the movie/TV show even was.

Have you ever dried down any flowers to keep them? >> No.

What is your favorite thing that you have made by yourself? >> ---

Do you like your natural accent (everybody has one)? >> I’m fine with how I speak.

What accents do you find most pleasant? >> ---

Does it bother you when an actor in a musician biopic lip-syncs to a recording of the original artist, or is it better that way? >> I don’t have an opinion about this.

Have you ever read about Dennis Nilsen? >> No.

Do you ever go on murderpedia.org to read about murderers? >> No.

Have you ever read about the Black Dahlia? >> No.

Any other unsolved crimes you find fascinating? >> No, that’s not really something I’m interested in (although I don’t mind hearing other people talk about it).

Do you care what color your socks are? >> Of course I care.

What about your underwear? >> Yes. I won’t wear most colours of underwear.

What part of a man's body do you find most attractive? >> ---

What part of a woman's body do you find most attractive? >> ---

Do you think guys look good in makeup? >> ---

Do you like using clay and/or peel-off masks for skincare? >> I don’t use them. They mostly seem like sensory hell to me.

Have you ever had an asymmetrical haircut? >> I had a wig that was cut asymmetrically.

Have you ever made your own pillow or blanket? >> No.

Have you ever made a pillow out of an old T-shirt? >> No, but Sparrow has.

Have you ever tried lucid dreaming? (Where you can control your dreams) Would you ever want to try? >> I’ve not given it a serious attempt, no.

If you want to be cremated, do you want your ashes scattered anywhere? >> I don’t want to be cremated.

Would you ever have a deceased pet stuffed? >> No.

Would you ever have a pet cremated? >> No.

What is your favorite sci-fi series, if any? >> I have a few. The Stargates, for example.

Do you believe in the existence of parallel universes? >> Yep.

If you could run your own business, what kind of business would it be? >> I really would rather not.

[whenimgoodandready]

*SVTFOE Bloopers, Finale Season Part 3

•Gone Baby Gone

-(Setting:Teen Meteora and Mariposas cave.)

Star:(hesitantly slurps and gulps the skin flakes and garlic spider chow) “Y-Yummy”

Adult Marco:(eagerly drinks the soup) “Ahhh! Really takes me back. Though I always used to-“ (he stops and starts to sweat panting)

Star:(looks concerned for Adult Marco) “Are you okay? You look-“ (suddenly feels something) “Oh boy!” (starts to sweat and pant as well)

(Teen Meteora and Mariposa snicker)

Adult Marco:(standing up panicking) “What’s goin’ on!? My mouth is burning!” (screams and runs off-screen)

(Star screams and runs off-screen too. Teen Meteora and Mariposa try to contain their laughter)

Director Daron:(heard off-screen) “Uh, what’s going on over here? Can someone please tell me”

Staff Member:(heard off-screen) “Hang on, let me check”

(Teen Meteora and Mariposa can’t hold it much longer and burst out laughing. Adult Marco runs past the scene seemingly breathing fire while screaming flailing his arms in the air)

Staff Member:(heard off-screen) “Okay, we found the problem! Bryana (Teen Meteora) and Isabella (Teen Mariposa) secretly put Ghost Peppers in the soup for the scene”

Director Daron:(sighs) “Oh my God, girls not cool!”

(Teen Meteora falls back laughing and Teen Mariposa hunches over laughing holding onto her stomach and stomping her foot)

Star:(runs past the scene holding a water bottle) “CAN SOMEONE OPEN THIS THING!”

-(Behind the Scenes. Wyscan is sitting in a make-up chair half complete with his magical look with only his face not painted and wearing a bald cap for his wig. He’s speaking with the Make-Up Artist next to him surround by boxes of various colored paints and brushes)

Wyscan:(exasperated) “Oh my God! You would not believe the day I had getting over here! First, my limo got stuck in traffic, so I was 2 hours late for rehearsal” (the Make-Up Artist adjusts the chair to lounge back and Wyscan closes his eyes as he continues his venting. Little does he know, Teen Meteora and Mariposa quickly and very quietly cover the Make-Up Artists mouth and drag her away off-screen) “Then, I was attacked by those frogs that escaped from that new show, “Ann-phibia”, or whatever studio by some liberal going all, “Free the Frogs!” Ugh! I swear one of those slimy things crawled in my hair!” (cringes as Teen Meteora and Mariposa come back standing on either side of Wyscan snickering and picking up make-up tools) “Finally, those creepy twin Pony Head girls wouldn’t stop playing dumb country rap song, “Old Town Road”, during rehearsal and now that songs stuck in my head” (groans) “Anyways sorry about talking your ear off, I’ll just sit back, lay back and let you work your magic, okay hun”

(Teen Meteora and Mariposa simultaneously pretend to be the Make-Up Artist and go, “Mmhmm”, mockingly while giving one another devious looks. They get to work applying make-up on Wyscan super fast with pink mist and after they’re complete, the mist fades away and Teen Mariposa readjusts Wyscans sweat to make him sit up right as Teen Meteora holds up a hand mirror in front of him. Wyscan opens his eyes and gasps at seeing his prank make-up job. His face is powdered white with hot pink lipstick, lavender eyeshadow and three stickers on his face with a heart, a star and a rainbow plastered on it and his wig was a big curly orange afro. Teen Meteora and Mariposa laugh. Wyscan screams angrily and jumps off his seat)

Wyscan:(frustratedly) “You little brats! Wait til’ my agent hears about this!”

(Teen Meteora and Mariposa stop laughing and put their arms around Wyscan in-between them and Teen Mariposa pulls out her iPhone to take a pic of the three of ‘em as the two strike a pose. Wyscan groans and we see a flash and hear a click)

-Wyscan:(irritatedly) “Ugh, what’s taking so long over there?!”

Teen Mariposa:”I’ve changed my mind”

Wyscan:”I thought we had a deal!”

Wyscan’s Stomach:”And baby’s hungry!” (slurping)

Teen Mariposa:”You want the girl...you’ll” (tries to pull out her bo staff, but she fumbles with it around her hands and it falls to the ground making a loud clank sound as Teen Mariposa cringes. She stares down at the staff as the staff off-screen laugh. Wyscan laughs too and Teen Mariposa gets annoyed with him) “Shut up!”

-(The background fight music plays as Teen Mariposa starts to fight Wyscan with her staff. Wyscan blocks her attacks and pushes her backward with his sword. He quickly knocks her away and pins her to the ground. We hear a crack and Wyscan stops fighting to stand over Teen Mariposa looking confused. The background fight music dies out and Teen Mariposa sits up and picks up her bo staff which is now split almost in half and dangling on one side. She stares at it dangling before nervously chuckling. Wyscan laughs as well)

•Sad Teen Hotline

•Jannanigans

-Tom:(to Marco) “I mean, if you and your best friend, ended up being something else”

Marco:”What? Tom, the Blood Moon acres has been-“ (gets interrupted by a tennis ball being shot at his face knocking him down) “Ow!”

Tom:(gasps. Turns to where the ball came from) “What the f-“ (a tennis ball is shot at him and ends up in his mouth silencing him with him mumbling, dropping his arm full of tennis balls and losing his balance. Another tennis ball is shot at and knocks Tom down)

Director Daron:(heard off-screen) “Who’s using the tennis ball shooting machine!?”

(the camera pans to see Janna using it and shooting tennis balls around the set. We hearing glass shattering, people screaming and see objects falling down)

Janna:(stops shooting and calls out) “Hey, Pony Head! You lied! This thing does work!” (continues shooting tennis balls around and chuckles evilly as more things break and peoples screaming are heard)

Director Daron:(groans off-screen) “I told you to put that thing away before the shoot!”

Equipment Manager:(flatly off-screen) “Sorry”

•Mama Star

-First Born Unicorn:(angrily) “STOP THROWING SH*T IN MY REALM!”

-Director Daron:(heard off-screen) “Cut! Who the Hell is editing the horses dialogue up there!?”

(the camera pans up to the sound room where we see Teen Meteora and Mariposa sitting in the Sound Room with Teen Mariposa typing as Teen Meteora giggles)

Teen Mariposa:(typing with each word) “Every.time.you.come.into.my.realm.you.always.f**K.sh*t.up!” (stops typing and laughs with Teen Meteora)

(they stop laughing when the notice the cameras and go wide eyed with shock)

•Ready, Aim, Fire

•The Right Way

-(the giant Solarian knight is trying to find its balance and then suddenly stands still. It starts dancing as “Old Town Road” plays. We pan to see Shonda and Shinda smugly next to their record player with Teen Meteora and Mariposa smugly next to them watching as Teen Mariposa controls the giant Solarian knight with a remote)

Teen Meteora:(proudly) “We baaaaaaad”

Teen Mariposa:(proudly) “And we like it like that!”

(all four girls laugh)

•Here to Help

•Pizza Party

•The Tavern at the End of the Multiverse

-Eclipsa:(to Moon as she’s positioning her pool stick) “You know, I never got a chance to thank-“ (the pool stick cuts a tear on the table. Eclipsas eyes widen. Meteora laughs from her baby carrier Eclipsas wearing) “Whoops!” (stands up straight covering her mouth blushing)

-Star:”Glossaryck! Glossaryck! Please, don’t leave me here with my dysfunctional family!” (sighs) “Okay”, (waves disinterestedly at Eclipsa’s tapestry) “Hi Eclipsa” (turns to Moons tapestry) “Motherf**ker”

Director Daron:(off-screen) “Cut! Star!”

Star:”What!? It’s what the fans are thinking after what just recently happened!”

Director Daron:(scoldingly still off-screen) “You can’t curse in a children’s show!”

(Toffee is shown casually sitting in a chair next to the Darons)

Toffee:”I believe that’s what the kids call, “Too real””

Star:”Oh, can it Toffee! You’re not really in this episode it’s just a prerecording of your line from our first finale! Besides, my character is just acting appropriately from her mothers betrayal and all the chaos that’s going on!”

Toffee:”Yeah, but who was relieved to be the smartest character in the show?” (gives her a look)

(Rosemary is just sucking her bowl of gumbo next to Toffee in her leveled chair nodding concededly)

Toffee:”Rosemary, sweetie, flip to the last page of the script for this episode please”

(Rosemary puts down her gumbo, wipes her mouth, picks up the episodes script, flips through it professionally and reads through it first)

Rosemary:”It says, “Star turns to Moons tapestry and says mournfully, “I guess this means Toffee was right””

Toffee:(puts a hand to his ear pretending like he’s deaf) “I-I’m sorry, what was that, I couldn’t hear that” (makes a smug look at Star)

(Star looks peeved)

Rosemary:”She says, “I guess this means Toffee” (looks up at Star shouting) “WAS RIGHT!””

Toffee:(turns over his hand smugly in the air) “Surprise”

Star:(has her fists balled by her sides and an angry expression with her teeth clenched yet she speaks in a mellow tone) “I am so glad, you’re dead.......on the show”

•Cleaved

-(Behind the Scenes. Almost everyone from the show is surrounded around The Realm of Magic set murmuring to one another. Daron Nefcy marches onto the green screen set of The Realm of Magic while making splashes on the shallow water spread on the ground. She clears her throat and puts her hands on her hips making everyone stop and stare at her)

Director Daron:(loudly and clearly) “Alright, listen up everyone! This is our last episode of the show and I want this done well! You think just cuz it’s the end you can do crazy sh*t like goof around, or do improve or even curse!? Well think again! This isn’t a playground people! This is a ✨spectacle!✨ You all worked for four years to make this a good show and I want you guys to take this seriously! You don’t know how much pride I put into this to make it my “magical girl fantasy” come true! I had to change a lot in this story to get this green lite, work through sleepless nights, have my episodes get premiered a day after the next in a twisted scheduling and deal with psycho fans just to get this done! Now I want you all to get out there and make this the best damn finale a children’s show has done! Even if we might get backlash for it, F**k it! Cuz we gave it our all! Now places everyone! PLACES! (marches out of the set making loud splashes as she departs with everyone in stunned silence)

(Star and Marco walk onto the set with small splashes as the two watch Daron march off looking silent and a bit unnerved)

Star:(rubs her arm) “Ok.........I guess, we’re gonna give it our all then” (laughs nervously)

Marco:(quietly) “If we ever do the reunion show” (points at Star) “You’re sitting next to her, not me!”

-Marco:(grabbing onto Star) “Star! Ok, what’s the plan!?”

Star:(pointing to an upward waterfall) “Uh, you have to go back through the Earth-“ (the upward shooting waterfall slowly starts decreasing as the lights luminate the set and the wind effects stop. The upward waterfall now just spits out bits of water from the tube as objects are lightly blown onto the set from the giant wind fan and The Realm of Magic turns back to a green screen)

Star:”Is someone using all the water supply again!?”

-Mina Loveberry:(walking smugly past Star and her powers) “And the thing about good ideas is they tend to hang arou-Ow!” (stops and picks up her foot groaning in pain and hoping) “Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! OW! Ahhhhhh! Damn it! I stepped on a freakin’ mini pretzel!” (hisses while still holding up her foot and hopping in place) “God! Why did my character have to go all native with their feet!?”

Director Daron:(heard off-screen) “Can someone get some iodine!.......and the janitor!”

-(Marco is skateboarding down the street and falls off. The big build up music stops on a record scratch)

Marco:(groans and sits up on one knee) “Sorry! That wasn’t the big fall yet!” (under his breath as he’s getting up and adjusting himself) “God damn it, Marco! This your last day of shooting and you’re making an a** of yourself!”

Director Daron:(heard off-screen sternly) “DID YOU CURSE!?”

Marco:(panics and waves his hands in front of him) “No! No! No! No! I swear!” (panics more) “I mean, not as in swearing, I mean as in “I swear I didn’t curse!” Really” (laughs nervously)

[way-too-many-ships1]

Stand Alone, Or By Me Pt. 6

*switches back to Drew* You saw nothing.

*DEATH/ BLOODISH WARNING*

Drew sat beside Aaren, once his friends had sat down, something happened. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly, but something was different from the time he had walked in, to the time his friends sat down. But the only odd thing he knew off, was that Raven was sitting back on their chair. Though their hood was low over their face.

"So, what are you playing." He tried to break the tension as Raven drew a card.

"Rumy." Was Aaren's short reply. They seemed preoccupied now that they had sat down. Raven discarded a 3. Candy picked it up, and laid down the rest of her cards.

"Out." She also seemed preoccupied. Instead of her normal energetic vigor, she seemed bored. Then, there was a sharp pain in Drew's back, and he blacked out before his head hit the table.

When he woke up, he was in different clothes, and a powdered wig. The odd thing was that Aaren was there as well. He looked widly around, he was walking down a cobblestone street with Aaren's arm was around his. In a red colored haze at either side of him, his friends slept, but the people around him didn't pay them any attention.

Drew realized that Candy's marks must have done this. Though Aaren's own marks where powerful, they had a limit. Controlling 6 people was over that limit.

"James, let's go to the bakery." Aaren pulled on his arm. His mouth didn't seem to work to his own accord, for it spoke with out him thinking.

"Anything for you, love. When he had gotten into the street, he felt himself get hit with a something, how he didn't see it, he hadn't known. It quickly changed from scene to scene. Once Aaren was a guy, and it was the late 1920's, another time they where hippies in 1960's.

Most of the time one got killed before the other. Other times they died close together. It always ended when someone died. It ranged from dying of old age to being shot to deathThe last time, Aaren had a knife to his throat.

"You will learn!" She hissed, then sliced. For a while, I writhed, then he woke up. Drew was in his room, along with the rest of his friends. Plus Aaren, Candy, and biggest raven he had ever seen. After his mind processed what might have happened, he sat strait up. Sal was dead asleep laying across his chest, and the others where pain haphazardly on his bed. Drew moved Sal off of him.

"What happened?" He whisper yelled at the people, plus scared up raven. Aaren looked back at him.

"Good your up. I thought we might have to take your goons home and ask you tomorrow." Aaren asked looking up from her game.

"Ask me what?" Drew was hysterical. How had they all gotten into his room? More importantly, how had the raven, about the size of a human being, gotten into his room?

"What do you remember?" Candy asked gleefully. Her red triangles looked more like fangs around her mouth now that he payed attention.

"Aaren," he pointed to the person in question. They met his gaze, unfazed. "Aaren killed me." The second the words left his moth the more they felt unreal. What had a he dreamed of again?

"Did I?" Aaren asked, incently. He shook my head.

"No that's crazy." Drew agreed.

"Is it though?" Drew's attention snapped to the raven, who was no longer a raven. Instead, Raven sat in it's place, hood over their face, wisps of hair escaping. Whatever these three where plotting, it was confusing.

[fight-for-humanity]

Alone, part 1

“You could at least let me win once,” Aaron said with a grimace, though the grin that stretched across his face betrayed him. I don’t know how he always managed to stay so positive, even in the face of such a staggering defeat.

“Naw,” I replied with a laugh, mirroring his grin. “Get good.” I readjusted my grip on the console’s controller. “Wanna go again?”

Before he could respond, Mom’s voice interrupted us from the doorway. “Would you kids like anything to drink? How about snacks?”

Aaron twisted his head around and donned a polite smile. How proper. “I’m alright. Thank you, Mrs… Uh…” he stammered, his expression scrunched in uncertainty. 

Mom chuckled, stifling a laugh with her palm. “Ms. Morgan is fine,” she said. “I don’t believe I caught your name though.”

There was a quick flash of confusion on Aaron’s face, but he was quick to recompose himself. “Oh. I’m Aaron. Aaron Costa.” He paused for a moment. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Costa?” Mom inquired, curiously. “Any relation to Diane Costa?”

He responded with an affirmative nod. “Yeah. That’s my step mom.”

“Ah! She is my supervisor at work. Small world,” Mom said with a laugh. After a subtle yawn, her gaze turned to me. “Ryanne, if you or Aaron need anything, let me know. Alright?” She sent a smile our way before turning to ascend the stairs.

She is probably off to her room to sleep, as always. It’s all she does. Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. I released a bitter sigh and dipped my head, though Aaron’s voice interrupted my melancholiac thoughts.

“Ryanne, huh?”

My head snapped up and turned to him. His face was completely covered with a look of smug victory. I’ve never told him, or anyone, my name. Ryanne suited a girl who wore powdered wigs and fancy dresses in order to attend the ball, so I made a point to go by RK instead, but now he looks like he just discovered the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Was this his revenge for getting beat at the game so many times? Jury says yes. I pushed his shoulder with a hand and hissed, “It’s still RK to you.”

He simply burst out laughing at my reaction. What an ass. After a moment to restore his composure, he waved his hand dismissively.

“Yes. I know. I wouldn’t call you something you wouldn’t want to be called,” he said before falling into a short, pensive silence. “I thought R-K were your initials though. Where’s the M from Morgan?”

I shook my head. “My mom went back to her maiden name after the divorce. Me and my brother have my dad’s name still.”

Aaron’s head cocked to the side, curiously. “Does your brother live in Redacre too?”

I froze. Fear grips me each time Connor enters my thoughts. I miss him so much. I’m so worried for him. My mind always over thinks and goes to the worst possible timeline where he’s hurt, or even worse, killed. Thanks, anxiety. “N-no, uh…” I began, “He’s in the military. He was deployed, and that’s when we moved here.”

Aaron’s expression grew serious, and he fell into silence as he searched for the right words to say. There were none. “Oh…I’m, ah, sorry,” he managed to say. 

Before an awkward silence could settle between us, I shook my head and painted on a smile. “No worries. It’ll be fine. For now, it’s just me and my mom. Kind of. Ignoring the whole… sleepwalking thing,” I said, waving my hand with a conversational flourish. An impish grin settled on my face. “I could probably start smoking cigarettes and other stuff and she’d be too tired to notice.”

“You shouldn’t,” Aaron responded, sternly. His tone caught me off guard for a moment. I thought we would laugh over it, but he appeared...actually concerned? It seemed the awkward silence was inevitable, no matter how hard I tried to avoid it.

“Ha! I’m just joking!” I chortled. “It just, uh, sucks that she’s hardly ever around. I know that sound weird. We butt heads sometimes, but she’s still my mom, you know? Just makes me, uh, feel alone sometimes.”

A brief frown sunk on Aaron’s face, but he managed to salvage it and give me an encouraging smile. “Yeah, I get it. It sucks when your parents are never around or too tired to even acknowledge you. When my parents started sleepwalking, I took my stepmom’s van to the woods and stayed there. Felt better saying I was the one leaving them instead of being the one that was left, yeah?” He paused, briefly. “You’re welcome to come with, so you’re not just sitting at home being sad.”

My nose scrunched at his invitation. Was he being serious? Stole his stepmom’s car and lived in the woods? Did his parents report him missing? Did they report the missing van? How does he go to school? Doesn’t living in a van in the middle of the wilderness with a boy sound all sorts of wrong? Questions raced through my mind at a mile a minute, and my confusion must have been evident by my expression, because he was laughing before I could formulate a response.

“No. I’m kidding. You should see the look on your face,” he teased. “No, but really, I’m sorry you feel alone.”

I managed to force a laugh. “I mean...those kids at school keep me busy enough, at least. They’re helping me make a little robot-thing. That’s been fun.”

Aaron shifted his seat on the couch. “You still hang out with them?” he asked.

“Well...yeah? I can’t just sit at home feeling alone, right?” I said, giving him a confused look.

“Those kids are…” he paused, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “...just a group of cliques. They aren’t going to readily include you.” His voice was filled with concern. “They’re just going to hurt you even more.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. He had me at a loss for words. “I… can still do my part, right? To help?” 

“Just be safe.” Judging by his expression, he was unconvinced, but he seemed to let it go. For now. With a wide grin, he lifted his controller and wiggled it in his hand. “Gonna let me win this time?”

I burst out laughing. “Yeah. Right.”

[bestlacefrontwigshumanhair-blog]

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[ellanainthetardis]

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[ff] or [ao3]

Chapter 45 : Catching Up

Haymitch was dying of boredom and welcomed Effie’s purposeful strides toward him with relief. The party was full of government officials and the occasional celebrity to spice it up. He had been ordered there by Heavensbee and he wasn’t really happy about it. If he had to listen to someone else disparage the Districts and then wait for him to nod as if he agreed… How that kid from Three did it without an ounce of shame, he wasn’t sure. The younger victor looked almost eager to screw up the food chain.

“Dance with me.” Effie hissed before she was even within reach.

He let her grab his hand and drag him to the dance floor without a word of protest, content to know he wouldn’t be preyed upon by insufferable people for the foreseeable five minutes. More if he could snatch another dance even.

Effie was troubled, that was plain to see.

Her smile was strained and she kept darting nervous glances around.

“What’s up?” he asked, once she had her arms around his neck and they were swaying to the soft classical music.

Her smile turned into a very displeased pout. “Do you see the woman in a pink dress next to the bar?”

He took his time to look so it wouldn’t be obvious and he wouldn’t get caught. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally meet anyone’s eyes and encourage an approach. Especially women with money who had an interest in him. He had been good at avoiding any unwanted attention so far but…

The woman in question was plump, clad in puffy fabric and an awful purple wig.

“Yeah.” he confirmed, wondering what she was aiming at. You never knew with Effie. Either she was a potential sponsor they needed to connect with for the following year or she was one of her eternal model rivals or…

“She is the daughter of the Secretary of Communication. I have it on good authority she wants to spend some alone time with you.” she gritted through her teeth.

He froze and they would probably have stumbled if Effie hadn’t kept them swaying as if nothing was amiss. It felt like an icy bucket of water had been poured over his head. He chanced another glance at the woman and wondered if his escort could find him some magic pills because there was no way he could get it up for that.

“We always knew that was a possibility.” he said flatly, purposefully detached. It wouldn’t serve anyone to let them know he was angry or…

He was surprised it hadn’t happened before, truth be told. He had won almost three weeks earlier now and he would have thought…

“She is a romantic.” Effie growled. “I believe your heart is her ultimate prize, not your body.”

“Fat chance of that.” he snorted, reporting his attention on his escort with a fondness he didn’t bother to hide.

“Indeed.” she huffed. He wasn’t expecting the hand she coiled at the back of his neck or the gentle tug and he was startled by the violent kiss she planted on his lips. She drew back from his unresponsive mouth only far enough to toss him a mild glare. “Give them a show, Haymitch.”

Give them a show…

Well, they had been dancing around the issue for long enough anyway, he figured.

There was nothing hesitant to the way he kissed her next. It was familiar, born from habits, not quite as brutal as the one she had bestowed but intense all the same. He licked at her bottom lip, waited until she opened her mouth to slip his tongue in, made it clear without a doubt to anyone who was watching that this wasn’t their first dance at all…

They parted eventually, desperate for some air… He didn’t let her have her full before he kissed her again.

He could feel the stares, the not quite pleased murmurs at the impropriety of such behavior mixed with the delighted squeals of fresh gossip… He didn’t really care. As always when he was kissing her, his whole world revolved around her.

The kiss grew heated for a moment until she seemed to remember where they were and cooled it down. It ended in a series of long pecks. He smirked at how flushed she was but she didn’t look repentant at all. She patted her wig and licked her lips before brushing her thumb on his mouth to catch the wayward marks of her lipstick.

She cleared her throat. “That should hopefully carry my point across.”

He tightened his hold on her, eyes sparkling in mirth. “Maybe we should make sure.”

He attacked her neck with his lips and teeth, prompting her to laugh and mockingly push him away. He desisted but only because they were in public and he thought they had indeed made their point. He didn’t want them to become a spectacle either.

Although it might become a necessary evil. People talked of little else but them for the rest of the night.

The woman in pink turned away with clear disappointment and Effie remained glued to his side, her hand firmly gripping his. He wasn’t sure at which point they had become one of those couples who held hands everywhere they went but it was happening more and more lately. Maybe it was an unconscious thing, maybe they were scared of being torn apart again… He would have minded once upon a time, both the implicit claim of ownership and dangerous public display… He welcomed it now because it was good to know he wasn’t alone.

He waited until they were back to the penthouse to gently brush hesitant knuckles along her nape. “I won’t escape them forever, you know that, sweetheart, yeah?”

He didn’t need to clarify and he didn’t really want to. This wasn’t something they had ever really discussed in their thirteen years of working together. It was left to the limbo for a reason. She couldn’t go and put herself in the middle every time because, at some point, someone would take offence and the whole goal was to keep her safe.  

Her jaw clenched but she gave a brief shaky nod.

°O°O°O°

“So…” Caesar dropped his voice with clear anticipation, leaning a little toward them in his big red chair.

Haymitch braced himself for the questions he knew were coming. Next to him, Effie tensed too, even though it was less perceptible. Her bright delighted smile was in place, her eyes were wide open, her feather eyelashes kept fluttering up and down… Haymitch had to force himself not to fidget, uncomfortable with the whole thing. He was a private man, that was who he was, the perspective of exposing his whole life on TV wasn’t exactly thrilling to him. Needs must, he reminded himself.

He had won four weeks earlier now. They had been sneaking around, more or less revealing themselves by taking walks holding hands or getting caught kissing here and there… Not all of it had been planned either because Effie was determined to make him see he could find a place in her city… He had met with her friends once or twice – for Capitols Aspecus and the other businessmen weren’t that unbearable – and they had spent a couple of nights at her place but they were still mainly living in the penthouse and that was quickly becoming a problem for him. He felt trapped there.

His face was hitching because of the thick layer of foundation powder the prep team had been forced to use to hide the dark bags under his eyes. His sleep was poor. He tossed and turned all night or pretended to read a book to ignore the ghosts lurking in the shadows… When he finally dropped from exhaustion it was usually to wake up gasping for breath, his right hand looking for an imaginary weapon and his left one clutching his stomach to keep his guts inside… It often took Effie several minutes to bring him back and she didn’t look any more rested than he did.

She was good at waking up and leaving the bed when he started thrashing but he was terrified sick of accidentally hurting her. He had tried to sneak to his own room or to the couch once she had fallen asleep but every time she woke up and found him gone, she either ranted about him being an idiot or joined him while he was asleep - and that was even worse since he was certain that if he knew she was with him when he drifted off, his unconscious must have taken it into account at least a little.

Physically, he was completely recovered now. The bruises were long gone and, if his ribs ached now and then, it was a dull sort of pain he could easily ignore. The headaches and the tremors in his hands were more difficult to live with but he had grown used to them. He had also grown used to craving a drink every minute of every day. It didn’t make it easier to resist, particularly at parties or events where they were surrounded by alcohol, but so far so good.

Mentally, it was another story. He was aware the night terrors and the occasional flashback were only the tip of the iceberg. He still tended to spend hours in the shower if he forgot himself and obsessed over imaginary blood on his hands or under his fingernails. He still couldn’t bring himself to talk to Peeta on the phone when he called, leaving to Effie the role of playing buffer. He had panic attacks sometimes, something he was painfully keeping from his escort by hiding in the closest bathroom until it went away – because he felt it was humiliating that he couldn’t control himself better and he had been humiliated enough times in front of her. His mind played tricks on him, the ghosts came to visit him at night, the guilt often made it impossible for him to breathe…

“If you have a particular question for us, Caesar, I would advise you to ask it.” Effie chuckled and the cheerfulness in her voice made it seem as if she was over the moon. Or high. Or both.

The last half-hour of interview had consisted in catching up, as they called it, which really meant Caesar had asked questions about what he had been doing since the Crowning – his cue to thank the Capitol for its generosity and so forth – and about how he was doing with mourning Katniss, how Peeta was doing…

It had been enough to make him less than receptive to the following charade. He understood why it was a necessity to play it this way, he understood the Games were played at different levels and were bigger than just the arena but…

“Very well!” Caesar laughed. “It has been a little over a month now and your team has yet to announce a date for Haymitch’s departure for Twelve…”

“You want me gone so badly?” Haymitch taunted automatically, because it was his role and he knew the lines.

“Not at all!” the host protested. “I am just curious… It is unusual for you to linger so long in our beautiful city…”

“Yeah, well…” he shrugged. “Might linger for a little longer this time around.”

Caesar made a show of looking at the camera with a wink before flashing them a benevolent smile. “May I ask why?”

He rolled his eyes, his patience getting short. “You know why.”

“Haymitch.” Effie hissed in warning. He didn’t really need the additional elbow she knocked in his side and he spared her a short annoyed glare.

“I certainly can guess.” Caesar replied without missing a beat. “However since either of you has yet to confirm… For instance, there were quite a few speculations about that bangle around your wrist… It was your token, wasn’t it? And you are still wearing it even if it is a little worse for the wear – I hope you don’t mind me saying. Did someone special give it to you?”

“Effie gave it to me.” Haymitch sighed, unable to quite contain his irritation. “So yeah… I’m still wearing it even if it looks ridiculous.”

“Why, thank you.” his escort huffed with a pout that wasn’t fake.

His goal hadn’t been to antagonize her and he made a face, a bit anxious that she would go on a sex strike or find another way to make him pay for that – there was a line in the sand in terms of offenses and if he hurt her feelings a bit too much, he would find himself in the doghouse really fast.

“I hate it and I’m still wearing it. Should tell you everything you need to know, sweetheart.” he muttered, his voice softening enough that her pout gradually faded. His grey eyes turned to Caesar, his tone a bit scolding. “Should tell you too.”

“Oh, I believe, I am quite certain of what is going on between the two of you. I have been quite certain for years, truth be told.” the host teased. “How long exactly has this affair been going on? Or are you still going to deny the obvious?”

“We won’t deny anything anymore.” Effie cut in before he could answer. Her hand reached for his and he turned his palm without a second thought, entwining their fingers. “And to answer your question… We have been together on and off for… I would say give or take a decade.”

“Yeah.” he confirmed. Even if at first it had been more about accidentally having sex and being very confused about it. It had only been more serious for the last five years, he thought, although he had refused to admit it or to let her say anything about it. “Give or take.”

Caesar looked a bit surprised and Haymitch couldn’t quite tell if it was fake or genuine. “That is a long time.”

“Indeed.” Effie chuckled without any amusement. “It is a long time to be apart and, to be very honest, we were very foolish. We preferred to pretend that we were not serious because it saved us the heartbreak of a long separation. Haymitch, as you pointed out, has always preferred to spend time in Twelve when the Games weren’t in session.”

It was a little closer to the truth than Haymitch was comfortable with and he awkwardly shifted in his seat. She squeezed his fingers in answer.

Caesar’s smile was sympathetic. “I suppose I don’t need to ask what changed…”

“The Quell was an electroshock, yes.” she stated sadly. “We were all very clear on who we wanted to win in our team…” She paused and Haymitch looked down, jaw clenched. “That is… What happened to Katniss was… unfortunate. We all really wanted for her to…”

She faltered again and, this time, it was Haymitch who pressed her hand.

“We wanted the girl to win.” he finished for her. “We wanted the kids to have a shot at being together.”

Any prolonged talk about Katniss, when it was in relation to his or Peeta’s grief, had been a bit taboo. Haymitch figured Snow didn’t want to inspire any more rebellious thoughts or turn the kid into a martyr. It was a fine line to tread but they were supposed to keep on the pathos rather build her up to be a hero.  

“When Haymitch left for the Games, you thought it was the last time you would see him, then, Effie?” Caesar asked.

“Yes.” she offered and he didn’t think he was imagining the crack in her voice. This was hitting a little too close to home. She cleared her throat. “It was difficult.”

“I can imagine.” the host sympathized, leaning forward to pat her knee in a comforting gesture. “I suppose Haymitch winning must have felt like a second chance.”

“We’re together.” Haymitch declared, cutting down to the chase. “And I’m not planning on going back to Twelve in the immediate future.”

“Well.” Caesar grinned. “I think I speak for the whole Capitol when I say we are happy to have you.” Haymitch doubted the whole city was happy to have him but he simply nodded his thanks, relaxing a little. There, that was done. That should help promote Panem unity – which would make Snow happy – and it would also help keep people who wanted to bed them off their back – which would make them happy. The host wasn’t done though. He nudged Effie’s knee with a scheming smile. “Now… Tell us everything. How did it start?”

They exchanged a glance and it was all it took for Haymitch to know what she would answer would be a revised version of the truth. Of course, she couldn’t appear like a one-night-stand kind of girl, that wasn’t her public persona at all.

He was content to let her take the lead, only cracking a joke now and then for appearance sake.

He did breathe a sigh of relief when the cameras were finally turned off and Caesar had shaken their hands and sent them on their way. There would be a lot more interviews after this probably. People would all want a piece of their story…

“Now what?” he asked, as they slipped through the recording studio’s backdoor to avoid the crowd at the front.

“Now we can finally go home.” she whispered.

[robespierrem-blog]

RULES: repost, don’t reblog. just pick a muse of yours and fill it out.

MUSE: Maximilien-Marie-Isidore de Robespierre

— basics

▸ is your muse tall/short/average? max is..tiny..tiny boy. he’s anywhere from 5′1″-5′3″, depending on your source.

▸ are they okay with their height? he acts like it doesn’t bother him, but honestly, when people point it out, he gets very defensive about it. however, he makes up for his height by having a rather large presence whenever he speaks.

▸ what’s their hair like? light brown, almost shoulder length, straight, although you wouldn’t be able to tell because it’s under that damned powdered wig when he’s out in public like a Proper Gentlemen. if he’s at home, however, it’s either down or up in a ponytail.

▸ do they spend a lot of time on their hair/with their grooming? ......yes....too much time...max is all about appearances man.

▸ does your muse care about their appearance? TOO MUCH. max spends at least an hour and a half every morning making sure that every hair is in place and that he looks the part. he doesn’t have much money, so he sews all his own clothes, and everything is done very meticulously. he won’t walk out of the door until he’s 100% ready.

▸ does your muse care about what others think about them? honestly, yes. max very much wants to impress others or gain validation from his peers. while it’s easy for him to do things well, he very much wants to be told that he did it well, or that his idea was a good one, etc, etc. it all stems from his anxiety. he wants to be told that he’s good enough because he’s never thought that he is.

— preferences

▸ indoors or outdoors?  indoors ▸ rain or sunshine?  rain ▸ forest or beach?  forest ▸ precious metals or gems?  precious metals ▸ flowers or perfumes?  flowers ▸ personality or appearance?  personality for sure ▸ being alone or being in a crowd?  being alone ▸ order or anarchy?   order ▸ painful truths or white lies?  painful truths ▸ science or magic?  science ▸ peace or conflict?  peace ▸ night or day?  night ▸ dusk or dawn?  dawn ▸ warmth or cold?  warmth ▸ many acquaintances or a few close friends?  few close friends ▸ reading or playing a game?  reading

— questionnaire

▸ what are some of your muse’s bad habits? he doesn’t sleep. ever. max has very bad insomnia, and a lot of it has to do with his anxiety. he is constantly, constantly thinking. his brain never stops, so he doesn’t sleep easy. he’s also a perfectionist and a workaholic. he’d work himself to death, honestly. he ALSO tends to just...not eat...so there’s that.

▸ has your muse lost anyone close to them? how has it affected them? his mother: when max was 6 years old, his mother died in childbirth, leaving behind him and three younger siblings. charlotte quoted in her memoirs that max went from a typically ‘noisy, boisterous, and light-hearted’ little boy, he became 'serious, grown-up, hard-working.’ his mother’s death profoundly impacted him, traumatized him, even. her death also led to his father leaving, rarely returning. all in all, her death caused max to grow up too fast. his childhood was lost. camille desmoulins: after the death of camille in april, 1794, max’s mental health took a sharp decline. he became ill, reclusive, paranoid. camille was his childhood best friend and lover and he died at the hand of committee that max was a part of. camilles death was the final nail in the coffin for max, and max died two months later.

▸ what are some fond memories your muse has? his days at lous-le-grand are memories he loves to look back on. he met camille while he studied there, and they were inseparable friends from the moment they met. whenever he thinks of a time of peace, he always finds his mind wandering back to then.

▸ is it easy for your muse to kill? NOT AT ALL. max has never even shot a gun in his whole life (except for when he tried to kill himself, and we all know how that went). at his core, max is very sensitive to death. he never showed up to executions, and it is known that he aggressively opposed the death penalty and advocated for abolishing it. even the terror became too much for him because it spiraled out of control. he could never personally kill someone. 

▸ what’s it like when your muse breaks down? messy. silent. max does not like to outwardly show that he is falling apart. if he is having an anxiety attack, he tends to retreat into seclusion until someone possibly finds him (usually camille, lucile, or saint-just) and calms him down. the last two months of his life were spent in one massive breakdown that slowly but surely happened as well.

▸ is your muse capable of trusting someone with their life? of course.

▸ what’s your muse like when they’re in love? when max is in love, his walls come down. he speaks gently. he’s very affectionate. i wouldn’t say that he’s an open book at first, as that takes time, but you will have a very doting, caring, sweet partner on your hands. max is...soft-hearted. extremely so. if he loves someone, he loves with everything he has.

TAGGED BY: @desmoulinsc TAGGING: @margueritestjust @calledprogress @sacrdos (foR WHOEVER), and any of my followers. just say u got it from me!

[minseologs]

devil’s breath

tw// mild sexual themes, drug usage 

The preparation for a lure is planned meticulously, Minseo feeling a bit nervous for the first time in awhile considering this is her first assignment since the fall out with her sister.

She was directed to a club, secluded in the alleys of Hongdae. Her tan wig was realistic enough that she wasn’t easily known— complete in her skin tight dress, the reflective colors of the club’s pulsing lights attracts most eyes she passes by.

~

“Are you sure you’re ready?” The man who was heavily tattooed speaks in front of her, doubt lacing his words. “I mean I know your job doesn’t require fighting but I don’t want you to get hurt and you’re still recovering, are you not?”

“I know.” It made her smile, she definitely didn’t belong there. “I’m doing this because i will be in need of a favor in the future. You know the drill.”

Because Minseo was already swimming in her own wealth, she didn’t need much monetary payouts when it came to the underground. Everyone knew that the only thing she asks of those who work with her, was loyalty. Whenever a favor is asked, she asks for loyalty which went both ways. When business is done, people have always favored her when it came to requests because she’s honest and will always carry out whatever it was agreed upon. When that’s broken, Minseo’s wrath is felt when time is favorable on her side— which never usually ends well.

She jumps the opportunity to be a bait, much like she always did when it was more lavish with the upper class galas. The two-faced child, as they called her. Work like this is when she’s usually in a disguise, however. Minseo was able to earn the trust of a local gang who she appointed in an area of her grounds to ensure no excessive violence was happening near an a building she owned. It protected the elderly who lived there who have other wise been taken advantage of by society. Of course, none of the public knew this as it was also a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

“We just made this.” Minseo was given a small box containing two capsules that have yellow powder inside. “We want to try this out.”

~

Loud, booming music pierced her ears at an uncomfortable level. She manages to dodge people who tried to take her in their radar, a sweet yet seductive smile only leaving the path. She sees her target up in the patio view, and they already had their eyes on her. It was a rival gang on who people she were with had issues.

Her goal was to get the head leader away from his troupe, and whatever happens then would be the gang’s responsibility. Minseo uses her body as a weapon, being mindful that the area is not of her control. Her form makes it’s way through and passes the guards, the leader of the gang greets her with a smirk and holds out his hand, which she pretends to be glad to accept. The night went on smoothly that she was able to eventually coax him away from the crowd, where he led her to his office drowning out the sound of the club underneath. Minseo found herself sitting on his desk, his frazzled form in front of her as he held on her leg with one, his face kissing everywhere he could. She has about 20 minutes to carry out what was asked. 

“Do you come here often?” The man asks, his face nuzzling on her neck, a grasp on her waist while she manages to slip the capsule on a near by glass of drink, dissolving rather quickly. 20 minutes. "Because I’d be happy to give you VIP access anytime, if you’d like?” 

“Anytime?” Her hands linger around the loop of his belt and quickly pulls him in closer to her. It excites him that she could feel the bulge on her thigh. 15 minutes. “Am I the catch then?” 

“Of course~,” the palm of his hands are felt on her thighs, lifting her dress dangerously high. His thumb make circles inward. “And I can add more than access to that, baby. Do you want money too?” 

“Do you have the money?” She chuckles, the man didn’t find it funny however. At this point Minseo offers the drink, in which it was fortunate he wanted to take a sip of. 10 minutes. She smirks as they meet eyes once again, unbuttoning his shirt. “Relax darling, I know you can give that to me.” 

Her neck feels his tongue, his lips trail down the valley of her chest. Minseo notices his words starting to feel sluggish backing away from her as she watches. 

“W-What...!! What did you do to me?!” he stumbles back, running towards the door only to be greeted by the men Minseo worked for. She adjusts her dress back while being handed a huge jacket for her to cover herself with, being told that they’d take it from there. She pats her hand on his arm as she leaves, seeing the damage left on the hall as bodies lay still. 

~ 

Minseo safely gets home, only finding herself back to reality as she faces the shower head. She didn’t even remember stepping in the house. The water on her face brings her back to her thoughts as she washes her skin. It was gentle, as if she told herself to be kind to it. She finishes her shower, eventually, taking the clothes used and heads outside. 

She stands in front of pile of wood meant for a campfire outside her home, the guards who can help aids her. Slushes of liquid gas was heard as someone lights it. One by one, Minseo tosses everything she used. Starting with the shoes, because they take longer to get rid of. Then the wig, the dress, and jacket. But before she could do so, she feels something in it. Her hand reaches on the pocket with the same box she was shown earlier before she tosses the jacket too. The box contained the same pills, there was probably 10 in there. A written note dangles nearby. 

The pills contain the powder devil’s breath flowers. They use this to knock out some one or kill them. These are all high dosage, so use it well. Thought you might need it sometime.

[love-skincareroutine]

Best Skin Care Products For Black Skin

New Post has been published on https://skin-care-routine.com/best-skin-care-products-for-black-skin/best-skin-care-products-for-black-skin/

Best Skin Care Products For Black Skin

A. These Are Best Skincare Products for Women of Color

The melanin in our skin, which is reflected in a warm, natural golden glow, ensures that our skin blooms all year round. Skin tones that cover the spectrum of brown, from sandy caramel to deep chocolate, deserve products made specifically for your complexion. These products did not exist for a while. Normally, skin care is advertised for specific skin types, such as oily, dry and combination skin, completely ignoring the under-represented group of people with dark skin. People with darker skin are more prone to things like hyperpigmentation, melasma, dark spots, and more.1 Many of these concerns are inherited and are part of our genetics.

Fortunately, more brands have created skin products that are specifically designed for dark skin tones. Our concerns with skin care have been in the background for a long time, and it is refreshing to highlight the brands that have made waves in the industry with colorful products for women. Many of them are independent niche brands born in the kitchen by women who could not find products suitable for their skin tone in the conventional market. Some of them found their way into the aisles of department stores and drugstores, but far enough away.

Black women, I blame them for endorsing and promoting those brands that need to be part of a bigger conversation. Inclusion is important, as well as healthy ingredients, free of aggressive chemicals and suitable for all skin tones. Knowing what to put on your skin will give you the shiny complexion you deserve. Below are just a few of the brands that deserve a reputation, but there are more.

1. Marla Rene

Marla Rene created this line of natural care for women of color after taking care of her mother who had cancer. This soothing facial tonic mixed with cucumber extract acts as an astringent, cleanser and make-up remover suitable for all skin types.

2. Specific Beauty

Specific Beauty is a line of products specially developed for the care of the skin of multicultural women. These pillows are full of herbal ingredients and antioxidants that are supposed to fade dark spots and even out the skin with an intense lightening effect.

3. Jacq’s Organics

Jacq’s is a black-owned natural beauty brand that believes in obtaining healthy ingredients that enhance its natural beauty. This gentle facial moisturizer provides your skin with deep hydration with its powerful combination of fatty acids, peptides and herbal extracts.

4. Black Girl Sunscreen

The Black Girl Sunscreen was born from the depletion of the lack of sunscreen for dark skin tones. This formula protected by melanin is filled with SPF 30, totally transparent and at the same time moisturizing. It’s all natural too.

5. Base Butter

Base Butter is a line of skin products manufactured by a WOC for WOC. These ethical ingredients were created to challenge the traditional standards of beauty that taught black women to cover up their natural beauty. They should get the best of you. Like this moisturizing facial gel that gives a refreshing touch to the skin due to its tea tree, lavender and primrose. Your skin looks supple, plump and radiant.

6. Bolden

Bolden is a brand developed by black women to create excellent products that really work for women with color. This lightweight sunscreen does not leave a ghostly white layer on dark skin tones and protects melanin with a sun protection factor from harmful ultraviolet rays.

7. Dr. Barbara Sturm

Dr. Barbara Sturm has scientifically and specifically developed this product line to meet the skin care needs of darker skin tones. Loved by timeless celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith and Angela Basset, this enzymatic cleanser is supposed to remove exfoliants, remove dead skin cells and lighten the appearance of dark spots.

8. The Afro Hair & Skin Co.

Dark skin tones are more prone to dark spots and hyperpigmentation.1 This balancing facial oil from the black beauty brand The Afro Hair & Skin Co. is made from curative English currant seed oil and organic ylang-ylang flowers to help control oil build-up and repair inflammation.

9. Kaike

This herbal beauty brand was founded by Keli Smith in 2015. Following the brand’s strong belief in clean, vegan ingredients, these products are handcrafted in small quantities in the suburbs of Chicago. This cleansing oil contains nourishing antioxidants, designed to clean and moisturize your skin.

10. Unsun

Jojoba oil is a natural oil made from the seeds of the chinensis plant, a drought-resistant shrub native to southern Arizona, California and Mexico. It mimics natural sebum and nourishes and seals skin moisture without clogging pores or worsening acne

This FPS-focused line was created by the mother of musical genius Frank Ocean, Katonya Breaux. After examining sun damage around the age of 30, she was inspired to create a line of sunscreens for women whose color is free of harmful ingredients that can be even more damaging to dark skin tones. The Unsun shade was developed especially for women with skin color and is composed of fruit extracts, jojoba and coconut oil.

11. Urban Skin Rx

Developed by Rachel Roff, licensed medical beautician and certified laser technician, Urban Skin Rx is a range of clinical products designed to help solve skin problems for all skin tones. This award-winning dark spot treatment dramatically improves the appearance of dark spots, melasma, hyperpigmentation and more.

12. Shea Moisture

Shea Moisture has always developed products with dark skin tones. African black soap is an ancient ingredient known to have destroyed the appearance of dark spots for a long time.3 This mud mask deeply cleanses the pores while exfoliating and restoring the skin.

13. SDot Beauty

SDot Beauty is a black-owned beauty brand dedicated to making products with pure, natural ingredients that are made in small quantities to ensure an effective blend. This powerful serum penetrates the skin and adds an effective layer of hydration to protect against environmental stressors.

14. Kwan Dermatology

How often do you see products in the medical field that treat dark skin tones? Ethnic skin care specialist and dermatologist William Kwan, MD wanted to change that and created Day Dream. This day and night serum was developed to standardize skin tones, while supporting hyperpigmentation and irregular skin tones.

15. Limegreen

With simple ingredients passed down from their grandmothers in mind, founders Talima and Allison created Limegreen, a line of formulated products naturally accessible to everyone. They are all made for multipurpose use, like this facial oil that also works as a moisturizer and make-up remover for the body. This packaging with affirmations is also a differentiator.

16. Re: Fresh

Brooklyn-based skin care pharmacy Re: Fresh boasts natural ingredients specially formulated for people with more sensitive skin. This organic facial mist is instantly refreshing and soothing to the skin.

17. Avya

Avya’s new skin care line is making an impact in the industry, with a specific focus on melanin, which the brand describes as “one of the least valued determinants of skin health”. Kiss your skin with a good morning kiss with this moisturizing day cream with the right amount of herbal ingredients and sun protection factor that guarantee a smooth and fleshy skin.

18. Three Notes

Activated charcoal is made of carbon-rich materials that are burned at high temperatures, such as charcoal, coconut shells and wood. There are claims in skin care that it binds and removes impurities, but more research is needed. Developed by the Tanzania Crew in Columbus, Mississippi, Three Notes uses natural ingredients of the highest quality to nourish the skin. This charcoal and tea tree cleanser clarifies and exfoliates. Removes excess oil and completely softens the skin texture.

  B. The 11 Best Black-Owned Skincare Products for the Winter Season and Beyond

As black women, we grew up with the idea that “black doesn’t crack”. Although we are beautiful and old like wine, this does not mean that we should be careless with skin care and ignore the work that helps maintain the natural glow of melanin. It’s no secret that winter is a time for black women to invest in protective styles like braids, fabrics and wigs, but choosing the right skin care products is just as important.

Although black skin is diverse – and needs vary from person to person – there are essential ingredients that can benefit black women a lot in treating skin problems like dryness, eczema, acne and hyperpigmentation, says Elyse Love, MD, dermatologist at GlamDerm in New York City. “Hyaluronic acid and glycerin are excellent hydration ingredients. Zinc and niacinamide have anti-inflammatory effects and soothe the skin. Vitamin C, retinol, azelaic acid and kojic acid help pigmentation ”, emphasizes Dr. AME.

During the dry winter months, switch to thicker creams, ointments and body lotions and use products containing hyaluronic acid for the face to help keep moisture in the skin barrier, advises dermatologist Karen Kagha, a Boston physician. And just because the days are grayer and shorter doesn’t mean you can do without the sun protection factor – 80% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can pass through clouds. So always use sunscreen, says Dr. Kagha.

With so many beauty products to choose from, it can be difficult to find the right ones. Fortunately, we’re here to bring you the best Black skin care products designed for BIPOC to keep you glowing throughout the winter and beyond.

1. Best Cleaner: ROSEN Skincare Super Smoothie Cleanser

Fruits are a great trick for glowing skin – and that means putting them all over your body and face! With a smoothie consistency, this facial soap offers active powder of lemon, strawberry and raspberry to clean and firm the melanized skin. Not to mention that it also works as an exfoliator, helping to lighten the skin and get rid of irritating marks of hyperpigmentation. The black-owned product has an almost perfect rating for Urban Outfitters for a reason!

2. Best Body Bar: Redoux Turmeric Botanical Bar

This bestseller from Redoux has sold out more than 10 times, so you know it has to be good. The detoxifying cleansing bar contains natural ingredients such as olive oil and palm oil, turmeric and pink clay to gently illuminate and exfoliate opaque skin. Reviewers swear that it is also safe for sensitive types. The scent of sandalwood and ginger will leave you and your bathroom with a super fresh smell.

“This was my second purchase and I will definitely be a repeat customer,” said one buyer. “I love the smell and feel of my skin through the bar. Soft, smooth and refreshed. I have sensitive skin and most things irritate my skin, but not this soap!”

3. Best serum for hyperpigmentation: serum with vitamin C, bleach and bleach for hyper skin

Former lawyer Desiree Verdejo founded Hyper Skin in 2018 after serving as one of the leading visionaries at Harlem’s Vivrant Beauty boutique, which housed black-owned beauty brands. In an incredibly light and odorless formula, this serum contains everything you need to combat hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone – including vitamin C, vitamin E, plus bearberry, turmeric and kojic acid. It is free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates, so it is also gentle on sensitive skin.

4. The best serum for enlarged pores: Fenty Skin-Water Pore-Refining Toner Serum

Queen Rih Rih has undoubtedly reached the beauty industry with Fenty Beauty since the official launch of the brand in 2017. Rihanna has created products that adapt to the versatility and diversity of black women, and her skin care line has not disappointed this department. This combination of toner-serum reaches the pores, lightens and softens the skin and removes unwanted shine. As for the main ingredients, Rihanna includes a slice of the house with the Barbados cherry that adds vitamin C to brighten the properties, a cactus flower for hydration and the Japanese grape to detoxify the skin.

5. Best moisturizer: Buttah facial shea butter

Founded by Dorion Renaud, Buttah has earned its name in the black skin care community. This face cream made from 100% pure organic shea butter from Africa nourishes, protects and soothes your skin with each use. All you need is a small amount to exchange dry, scaly skin for a shiny, glowing complexion. (Professional tip: although you can use it during the day, critics say it is thicker than other moisturizers, which makes it an ideal night cream too.)

“I gave this to my mom for Christmas and she loves it!” Shared a customer. “She said the smell is very mild and her skin feels hydrated without the strong oily feeling that other moisturizers leave. Now I’m making a wish for myself!”

6. Best Gel Moisturizer: Radiate Facial Gel Butter Base

For women of color, for women of color, this moisturizing gel is soothing, refreshing, balancing, moisturizing and cleansing – everything you should look for in skin care products for winter and dry climates. For those who prefer light gel moisturizers to heavy creams or thick balms, this product is for you. Dermatologists tested facial jelly combines tea tree, evening primrose, lavender gel and aloe vera to restore, protect, disinfect and increase skin elasticity. This is especially good for oily or combination skin, as your face will not look oily or excessively shiny.

One reviewer said, “I have been using this moisturizer for a few months and it is amazing! I have difficulties with mixed skin and it balances my skin wonderfully! I have an active job, so I sweat a lot at work, but not that.” it just provides the perfect balance to prevent acne, but it still nourishes my skin. In addition to GLOW! Moist skin without fat! It is now a staple in my skin care routine. ”

7. Best toner: Temple Zen facial cleanser + toner

Developed by professional dancer and choreographer with classical training Jashiro Dean, this 2 in 1 product cleanses and tones to fight acne and keep blemishes away. It is made from witch hazel, aloe vera, shea butter and essential oils of eucalyptus and rosemary, which together help to disinfect skin from pollution, environmental toxins and makeup, and balance oil production.

“I love this facial cleanser,” said a customer. “I use it as the first step in my skin care routine and, honestly, I can’t imagine my life without it.”

8. Best mask: Golde Clean Greens face mask

Golde has the perfect mask to guide you through your winter skin problems. The powder to gel formula requires only a few drops of water to activate, which makes it more convenient than your favorite DIY mask. Full of spirulina, mango juice, chlorella (read: a seaweed) and naturally activated chlorophyll, it detoxifies the skin and gives it a real shine.

“I only used it twice, but my skin is so nourished after it helps to dry active pimples! (I have dry / dehydrated skin, very sensitive and prone to acne). It has a natural, earthy smell. Super easy to use and wash too “wrote a buyer with sensitive skin.

9. Best natural sunscreen: Black Girl Sunscreen

Black Girl sunscreen is more than just a product – it’s a movement. As a founder, Shontay Lundy used her own story to inspire others to take risks in the beauty industry and beyond, especially as black women. This sunscreen contains natural ingredients such as cocoa, sunflower oil, avocado juice and carrots to help hydrate, hydrate and prevent skin irritation and hyperpigmentation. Perhaps the best news, the pure formula ensures that the infamous whiteness does not last once applied, proving that Lundy thought of everything when creating this product for darker skin tones.

Also called “magic in a bottle”, a fan raved, “Buying sunscreen is usually a hit or miss for me, but this was certainly a HIT! I was so impressed with how moisturizing this product was that I almost forgot. I was using sunscreen. It doesn’t dry my skin and doesn’t leave a white shade. It’s also ideal for winter! ”

10. Best tinted sunscreen: UnSun mineral sunscreen with mineral tint

Another great FPS option, this baby, was created by Frank Ocean’s mother, Katonya Breaux, who has a personal experience with sun damage. Katonya used her platform to create a line of sunscreens specifically for colored women, without the harmful ingredients normally found in other sunscreens and daily skin care products. This dyed pimple gives you a moist shine and also serves as a 100% natural mineral sunscreen and color correction primer. Available in “light / medium” and “medium / dark”, it contains ingredients suitable for the skin, such as lactic acid, aloe vera, fruit extracts, vitamin C and vitamin E.

“I love this sunscreen! It looks good on my skin and loves the cover. A wonderful product that offers sunscreen without the white glow of the face – because ALL skin needs sunscreen, ”said a customer.

11. Best care for the scalp: Briogeo Charcoal Shampoo + Micro Peeling Coconut Oil

ICYDK, skin care, actually extends to the scalp. It is important that you pay attention not only to the skin on your face, but also to the skin under the growing curls – which can be neglected. From the black skin care brand Briogeo, this shampoo contains charcoal to remove impurities from the scalp and hair follicles, micro-peels to remove dead skin and product build-up, tea tree oil to reduce irritation and coconut oil for moisturize and eliminate dandruff. Bonus: any type of hair – whether straight, wavy, curly or curly – can take advantage of this shampoo.

A five-star reviewer wrote, “I love this shampoo! It should be used once a week, maybe twice at most, especially if you have sensitive skin,” she wrote. “Exfoliates the scalp and refreshes hair follicles from top to bottom. It smells like mint and is fresh and tingling.”

[shiningamongdarkness]

Chapter 33. You have captured my curiosity

Shining among Darkness

By WingzemonX

Chapter 33. You have captured my curiosity 

After two days of resting locked in that strange little room, Lily Sullivan could get out of bed. However, she required crutches to be able to walk, since her wound still hurt too much to support her right leg. Luckily, her kidnapper got them suspiciously fast. Esther got her some new clothes too, plus a short brown wig and ugly thick black-rimmed glasses. Had also bought a blonde wig, somewhat more discreet glasses, and a hat larger than her head for her. They looked ridiculous, at least from her point of view. And on top of that, Lily also needed some makeup to hide the ugly bruise on her face, which had already faded but was still visible enough. Luckily, Esther had plenty of powder for her personal use.

It turned out that they were not in the middle of the forest or in front of a police headquarters, or in any other strange place. In fact, they were in a modest old hotel in an equally modest old town a few miles north of Portland. Lily never knew the name of that place, and she didn't care.

Esther bought them two tickets for a bus to Olympia, which they boarded quite early in the morning. The trip lasted about three hours, and at least two worried people asked them the same questions: "What are two such pretty girls doing traveling alone?" and "What happened to your leg, little one?" The last one came as soon as they noticed Lily's crutches and the thick bandage around her thigh, discreetly noticeable under her outfit's yellow skirt. For both questions, Esther always went ahead to answer with fantastic ease.

"We're going to visit our aunt in Port Townsend. Our dad is already waiting for us in Olympia," she replied to the first, with a wide, friendly, and innocent smile. With her totally fake and made-up face, this made her look like the most adorable girl in the world. And about Lily's leg, she only answered: "A dog attacked her, a very big one... But it was her fault. She annoyed it and misbehaved. But I'm sure you learned your lesson. Right, sis?"

In those moments, Lily preferred to just keep quiet, smile discreetly, and nod. Interestingly, no one questioned them much more after that. She had to give her captor credit. She could be crazy and totally false from head to toe. However, she knew how to manipulate and control people, and she did it even without powers.

They got off at Olympia and disappeared before anyone asked them more questions, including their supposed father, who should be waiting there. They hadn't been lying when they said they were heading to Port Townsend, although that wasn't their final destination.

They had to wait for the next bus to leave in two hours, so they decided to go get something to eat. On the other side of the avenue in front of the station, there was a shopping plaza. It seemed to Lily that it was a bit absurd to go to such a crowded place and risk being recognized by someone. From another point of view, Esther affirmed that it was better to be precisely in a place full of people, where they could be mixed with the crowd. She had said something about how, when more people are around them, the persons looked less. It did not seem coherent to Lily, but she wasn't the professional psychopath, so what could she know?

They entered the plaza without much trouble. There were indeed enough people, but all too busy with their own affairs to care about the two girls who were out there alone. They did not get too complicated about food: they went directly to a McDonalds that was there inside the square. There would be many kids with their parents, so they hoped that two more girls wouldn't attract much attention.

Lily sat at a table, leaving her crutches on this one, while Esther ordered. She had been sitting most of the day, but the little use of the crutches had been enough to tire her. And although she wasn't putting weight in her wounded leg, it still hurt. And yet, she was sure it was not even remotely close to how it would hurt if it had been infected, gangrenous, and dead. She had been taking antibiotics and anti-inflammatories as her deranged nurse had instructed. And adding to the two days of rest that had apparently helped. But she feared all the hustle and bustle of that trip would reopen the wound or complicate her recovery.

She placed her hand on the bandage, squeezing a little and vividly feeling the burning that this contact generated. She didn't understand people's taste for doing that kind of thing, but she was apparently doing it unconsciously. After being in it for a while, she felt a curious tingle on the left side of her head… a familiar itch. She raised her cautious gaze and caught a woman at another table, looking away, hurrying, and pretending not to see her. But, had she done it? Or was it just her imagination?

The woman was accompanied by two small children, as blond and pale as she was, but they were seated so that their backs were turned to Lily. She stared at the woman silently, seeing if she could detect something coming from her head. The only thing she noticed was annoying anxiety but did not identify the cause. Inadvertently, she stared at her for quite a bit longer, long enough to see her subtly trying to turn in her direction again but realizing she was looking at her too. The woman quickly lowered his gaze back to her tray and greasy burger. The anxiety Lily felt coming from her increased relatively.

Esther's abrupt appearance at her side, carrying a tray with her meals in her hands, brought the girl abruptly out of her concentration, startling her a little.

"Here you go, a Big Mac," the blonde-wigged woman murmured in a crafty voice, placing the tray on the table in front of her. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer a Happy Meal?"

"No," replied the girl with the brown wig, as she took the small box that contained her hamburger. "And you?"

Esther just smiled and took her respective food herself, including the fries and the soda.

Lily glanced at the woman at the other table, who at that moment seemed to be concerned about cleaning the dirty faces of one of her children while saying something slowly. Should she tell Esther about it? She considered it but decided better to see where it all went first.

"How is your leg?" Her captor questioned.

"Do you really care?" Lily answered right after with a sharp tone.

Esther shrugged.

"As I have to give you alive, yes."

Lily watched her for a while in silence, noticing how she began to remove the bread from the little hamburger, and strangely began to separate its parts. Using the two parts of the box, she put the meat and cheese on one side, and the few vegetables on the other. Also, using a plastic knife, she tried to remove as much of the dressing as possible from the bread and meat. Lily just wondering who the hell ate a hamburger like that.

"My leg's better," she answered her question after a while. "Or at least as good as it can be after getting a shot."

"Why don't you say it louder?" Esther murmured with apparent calm, as she continued in her task of removing the dressing from her food. "I think they didn't hear you at the cashboxes."

Lily snorted slowly, and then she took her burger and took a big bite, like a "normal" person. In doing so, however, she ended up staining the large glasses she brought with him, so she had to quickly remove and place them on the table.

"It's uncomfortable enough having to carry these crutches. Are these stupid costumes really necessary?"

Esther had already started eating, or something like that. Using a fork and a plastic knife, she began to cut the hamburger's meat into small pieces and put one by one in her mouth, also chewing them carefully.

After swallowing the bite, she commented:

"Do you think the police would forget so quickly about a strange child-looking murderer who killed one of them and escaped with an innocent and harmless ten-year-old girl?" She ended her comment with a small wry giggle. "If they knew what you really are, they would care more about me."

"Don't be smug. You don't even know what I really am."

Esther continued to eat, though she regarded her with an amused expression that even Lily found conceited as she did so.

"I know better than you think. In fact, you and I are quite similar, or not?"

"Not at all."

"Seriously? Well, how we both came to this world is indeed different. Still, despite everything, we ended up traveling quite similar paths, even crossing right here and now. We both apparently murdered our parents and a few others along the way, for example."

"I've never killed anyone," Lily stated sharply.

Indeed, she had never directly shot or stabbed someone. She had only played with their minds and fears, making them do it themselves: even her father and even Emily.

However, her response caused Esther to laugh, low-key but still quite noticeable.

"Yeah, of course not. You're the type of person who would push someone off the ledge of a building and claim they were killed by the pavement, right?"

"It wouldn't be a lie. People are so… fragile."

"Is that why you do it?" The woman asked, looking at her with fervent curiosity. "Is that why… you pushed all those people off the ledge of the building? Because their weakness bothers you? Because do you find it funny? Or because do you enjoy it?"

Lily was silent, in a small reflective silence.

Did she enjoy it? Yes, there was probably a bit of it.

Since she was little, she had had that fascination, almost morbid some would say, to the tragedy, the pain, and the suffering, as if it caused her some satisfaction. In his image of her as a demon from hell, her father said that she fed on it. Was it like that? She didn't really know, and… she didn't really care.

"Do you enjoy it, do you?" Lily murmured a bit defensively, eating some of her potatoes. "Did you enjoy killing all those men fantasizing that they were your father? What did you like the most? Sleep with them or kill them?"

The smile faded from Esther's lips quickly, and that did bring joy to the ten-year-old girl. Her captor turned back to her food and continued tasting the pieces of meat one by one.

"You'd better eat your hamburger in silence," she answered in a dry voice.

"You started."

After that, they ate in silence for a while. Out of curiosity, Lily tried to capture a little of what her companion was thinking at the time but did not perceive much beyond a cold and dark sensation. During those days that she had spent with her after waking up, it had seemed difficult to inquire into her head. She wondered if the medicines she had to take had something to do with it, or perhaps a part of her was reluctant to enter Esther's thoughts further after hearing the long story of her deplorable, but still interesting life.

Suddenly, Lily noticed that Esther was looking ahead surreptitiously while continuing to eat her meat. Lily turned in the same direction. The woman who had surprised looking at her was no longer at the table, and neither were her children. In fact, she was right outside the McDonalds now, talking to… a policeman. Or so it appeared to be, from her dark blue uniform. He was a tall and somewhat thin man with reddish hair. Both conversed quietly, while the lady held the two children against her legs. And at a certain point, she turned in their direction, and the alleged officer did the same. At that very moment, Lily managed to catch a clear thought coming from the woman. Thoughts fueled by fear were always much easier for her to grasp: "I think it's the girl from the news, the one who was kidnapped in Portland."

Lily glanced at Esther; this one might not read minds, but it was pretty evident that she didn't need to figure out what was going on.

"Grab your crutches and let's go," Esther pointed out sharply, quickly setting the plastic cutlery on the table.

"I'm not done yet," the little girl said calmly, although she was only teasing her, in fact. She even took one more small bite of his burger at that point.

"Let's go, I said," the killer snapped, getting to her feet and shifting her large suitcase back to her shoulder.

Lily took another bite, again mostly to annoy her, and then took her time picking up her crutches and following her as they allowed it.

The place had two exits, so they quickly left through one, while the officer entered through the other. He apparently moved cautiously as he followed them; most likely, he was not entirely sure of his actions. For one thing, if they weren't who he thought they were, he would be chasing two innocent girls for no reason. On the other hand, if indeed they were, they would have warned him that this mad murderer was dangerous. She had already killed one officer in Portland and wounded another. Plus, they were in a public place; he couldn't just scare people if he didn't have an apparent reason for that. Esther hoped she could use that to her advantage and lose it in the crowd.

Both began to move among the people who walked through the corridors or entered and left the stores. Esther frequently looked over her shoulder to make sure they were still being followed, and indeed there it was, each time a step back, but still trying not to lose sight of them.

At that moment, Lily caught a word in Russian, or something like it, echoing in her captor's mind. That she had clearly perceived, so her powers weren't atrophying so much. It was not precisely fear what she perceived of her, but it was very similar. But not by being trapped in itself, but rather by being… locked up?

Esther then pulled her in the direction of a hallway, which led to the bathrooms according to the signs. This corridor looked lonely at those times. And when they entered the women's restroom, there was no one in the washbasins, and all the cubicles looked empty. In fact, as soon as the automatic return door was closed, there was a rather profound silence, in contrast to the hustle and bustle outside.

"Looks like your costumes didn't quite work out," Lily commented wryly.

"Silence," Esther replied with marked stress in her voice. Then she opened that huge bag that she brought with her, where in addition to clothes and several cash bills, she carried some firearms. She did pull out a pistol, checked the cartridge to see how many rounds it had, and then put it back in the gun, all in just a couple of seconds. "Go to the cubicle, now."

She pointed the gun at the first of the cubicles. If her idea was to hide there, it sounded pretty desperate. Still, Lily did what she said and entered it. Esther followed her and closed the door behind them. However, Lily noticed that she didn't lock it, which struck her curiously.

The girl sat on the closed toilet bowl and put her crutches to one side. On the other hand, Esther stood right in front of her, turned toward the door with her weapon held in both hands, and pointed straight up.

"Are you planning to shoot him right here?" Lily murmured skeptically. "What a professional killer you are. Why don't you yell at the top of your lungs, so everyone knows you're here? How long do you think it will take before they block all exits and surround the building with patrols? And after that happens, what? Are you planning to take all the people as your hostages? Yes, that will surely end very well..."

"Shut up!" The foreigner snapped, turning to see her annoyed over her shoulder. "Do you have a better idea?"

"Actually, yes," Lily replied seriously, then reached out with a hand and placed it just on Esther's right shoulder. "Don't do anything... leave it to me."

Esther glanced at her with a confused face. Then she heard how the bathroom door opened abruptly. That put her entirely on alert, and she gripped her weapon tighter between her fingers.

"Don't do anything, I told you," the girl whispered to her slowly, and then she stared at the door.

Cautious footsteps were heard from the one who entered the bathroom and approached the cubicle. It was him, Esther was sure of that. Regardless of what that brat said, she was tense. Her finger ready to pull as soon as she got her sights on. However, the closer she heard his footsteps, the more Lily's fingers tightened around her shoulder.

The cubicle door swung open, and there she saw him standing: the tall, red-haired officer, holding his gun out front with one hand, while with the other he pulled on the door. Esther was about to shoot unashamedly as soon as she saw the weapon, but Lily pulled her back with a bit of force so that her ear was level with her lips.

"Don't do that," he whispered very slowly.

Esther looked at her over her shoulder for only an instant, and then she turned back to the front. At that moment, she noticed it: the policeman was looking into the cubicle, but he was not exactly looking at them. He looked from side to side, up and down, but said nothing, nor did make any gesture indicating that he was even aware of their presence. He didn't look at them...

Esther looked at Lily again, somewhat confused. She was looking at the man seriously. Was she doing it? Was she making him not see them? Could she do such a thing?

After a while, the officer withdrew and went to the next cubicle, apparently opening it similarly and inspecting it. Esther just stayed still in her place, somewhat tense as she listened as the policeman moved around the bathroom. When he reached the last cubicle, the man backed away in confusion, scratching his head. He put his weapon back in its holster, and at that moment, the radio he carried on his shoulder sounded.

"Owlman, are you there?" A woman's voice questioned, her tone somewhat annoyed. "Where did you go?"

The officer took the small radio and activated it so he could speak.

"Here is Owlman. I was following two suspicious girls, but I lost sight of them. I'll keep walking around here for a while to see if I see them."

"Roger. Do you need support?"

Officer Owlman seemed hesitant about how to answer that question. He was not really sure at all that those he was following were indeed who he thought. And even if they were, those stories about a murderer and kidnapper who looked like a kid... That seemed like something out of a movie; how could that be true? But there was still an alert about it. What was the right thing to do? Alert his teammates or wait to be sure? In the end, he was more inclined to the second option.

"No, don't worry. Maybe it's nothing."

"Ok. We wait for you outside."

Owlman went to the sinks and wet his hands a little, then moistened his face. He had missed for a moment that he was in the ladies' room, but he hoped there was no problem; he was an officer, after all. After washing his face, he leaned against the sink and looked carefully at his face, still with drops of water, in the mirror.

Then he heard a hiss, a peculiar sound that did not identify its origin at first but became more and more noticeable. He lowered his gaze; it seemed to come from the sink drain he was leaning on. He stared at that round, dark hole for perhaps several minutes. The hiss became more noticeable as if something was climbing through it. After a while, the head of a long, completely black snake with big yellow eyes peeked out of the hole and crawled across the white porcelain towards the sink's edge. Owlman reacted in horror, jumping back and then backing further, almost touching the cubicles with his back. He could no longer see the drain from his perspective, but he could see how the black snake peeked over the shore and then dropped to the ground. But it was not the only one; it was followed later by two, five, ten more alike, all falling to the floor from the sink like a waterfall.

The snakes crawled across the ground, right in his direction. Owlman was petrified at the horrible scene, and by the time he reacted and tried to head for the door, it was too late. The snakes began to climb up his legs, both outside his pants and inside. The policeman started to scream in despair, waving his legs and hands, trying to shake them off, but it just seemed to be impossible to achieve. The animals climbed his torso, even reaching his neck. The man's screams getting louder, and his movements more erratic.

But snakes didn't really exist. There was no reptile of any kind crawling up his body. It was all on his mind, caused by the same girl he thought was helping… But this one, as well as her captor, were quite real.

Esther approached him cautiously from behind as the man screamed in despair. Quickly, she kicked the back of her left knee with great force, causing it to buckle and cause him great pain. The officer fell to his knees to the ground, and just a second later, the murderer behind him wrapped the laces of her own shoes around his neck, both tied tightly to his hands. He squeezed them around the officer's neck, while he made his whole small body back, applying all his weight and thus beginning to suffocate him.

The officer was unable to continue yelling. The feel of the stiffness on his neck only made his desperation worse. He instinctively brought his fingers to her neck, trying to shake them off, but it was impossible. Esther had placed her feet against him back and dropped her body entirely back. That, added to his kneeling position, made it difficult for him to get up. And then there were the snakes, hundreds of them crawling all over his body. In his mind, he was actually thinking that the thing that was gripping his neck was, in fact, one of them, pinning and squeezing him.

Esther's face had turned totally red from all the effort she was putting in. Her hands were also burning, and it seemed they were even starting to bleed.

Owlman made an attempt to get up, but he still could not fully maintain his balance. Esther jumped, pulling his body down even harder, causing the policeman to fall back to the floor. The officer's heavy body fell on Esther, hurting her, but she didn't care. Her wig also flew off and fell away from her, but she didn't mind that either. She crossed his arms to completely encircle the officer's neck with the laces, tightening him with all his might. The man moaned weakly out of the air, and his body writhed uncontrollably.

At that moment, Lily quietly left the cubicle, stopping for a second right to one side of such a shocking scene. However, she remained gentle.

"Always so noisy," she sighed seriously, and then she walked calmly to the bathroom door on her crutches and locked it. Then she returned with the same calm, but this time towards the sinks. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to adjust her wig. She also took off her glasses and checked to see if her horrible bruise was still hidden; it still looked good, but maybe it would require a makeup touch-up. All of this while a man was being killed on the ground a few inches from her.

Esther kept squeezing without giving a bit until Officer Owlman's body began to let go and shake. The growls stopped coming out of his mouth, his hands stopped trying to push away the huge imaginary snake that imprisoned him, and then everything went quiet... The red-haired officer remained totally still, with his eyes wide and almost wide, with some blood injected, her mouth open in a hideous grin. All the suffering, and all the fear and confusion, were carved into his face like a grotesque work of art.

Even after he was still, Esther kept the pressure on her hands almost a minute more before releasing the laces and laying flat on the ground. She was breathing hard, staring at the ceiling. Her body was shaking a little, similar to as if she had just had an intense orgasm, and really the sensation was not so different.

"You finished?" Lily questioned calmly from the sink, and only then did she force herself to react.

She barely managed to lift the officer's body high enough to get out from under him. Owlman's neck was bruised, with the mark of the laces around it. Sitting on the floor beside him, she silently contemplated her own hands for a few moments. The flesh of her palms had been split open by the force with which she grasped the laces. However, little by little, these wounds began to close again. While they did, Esther felt the energy return to her body; in fact, she was starting to feel better, even stronger than before.

When her hands were completely closed, she stood up quickly, grabbed Owlman's body by the armpits, and began to pull him towards the cubicle they had hidden in upon entering. The body was heavy, and it took a lot of effort to pull it off, but she still did it.

"Why did you do that?" She questioned Lily in a low voice as she went about her business.

"To prevent someone from coming in and surprise you, obviously," the girl replied from the sink, referring to the fact that she had locked the door.

Esther managed to carry Owlman to the cubicle and exert even more force to seat him on the bowl with his head falling back. She arranged it as best she could so that she would interpret it only as a person using the toilet from the perspective of someone who saw from the outside. She locked the door from the inside, and then crawled underneath it to get out.

"I mean, why you helped me," Esther explained, as she got to her feet and fixed her clothes. "You could have pretended I had you kidnapped, got me killed, and come back as an innocent victim to all of this."

From the mirror's reflection, Lily looked at her and smiled, amused by her question.

"Do you really think that if I wanted to leave, I wouldn't have done it as soon as I got out of the bed?" She replied slyly, and then turned to her, already in full disguise. "For better or for worse, you have captured my curiosity. I want to know who sent you after me and what they want with me. Until then, I'll put up with you. After that, we will see..."

Esther looked at her carefully in silence, perhaps a little suspicious. Maybe she was lying, maybe not. But anyway, everything was better if she had already decided to cooperate with her. They had accomplished together at the time, using their strange powers as assistance, was something to keep in mind, and could be of great benefit to her from then on. But she still wouldn't take his eyes off her.

"Sounds good to me," Esther murmured in a neutral voice, and immediately set about picking up her wig and fixing her own costume. Finally, she took the suitcase of money and headed for the door. "We have only a few minutes before his teammates miss him. Let's hurry and go back to the bus station."

"I'm going after you," Lily replied simply, following her as she leaned on her crutches.

— — — —

Surprisingly, the next stretch of their journey was much calmer. By the time they got on the bus, Officer Owlman's body had not yet been discovered; or at least, no movement seemed to have been made yet in the plaza.

The trip to Port Townsend took another four and a half hours. They had to make about three stops, but everything worked out for them. While riding the buses, Lily spent most of her time sleeping; Esther couldn't do it one bit. Maybe it was the adrenaline that still hadn't subsided, but she felt relatively tense and alert.

In Port Townsend, the next thing on their itinerary was to take the ferry to Moesko Island. They had to wait half an hour before getting on, dealing with questions similar to those of earlier about why they were traveling alone, what had happened to Lily's leg, etc. Esther fully maintained their pantomime and attitude, as if what had happened hours before had never happened. Anyway, that helped them get through it all.

By the time they landed at Moesko, the day had gotten really cloudy and wet, but not a drop of water fell. Asking the good people of the place for some directions, they came across the Morgan Horse Farm. From the hill on which they both positioned themselves to survey the site, it was wide. They even managed to see a corral where some horses were walking from one side to the other. A cliff could be seen behind the farm, and after this, the immense sea. Esther thought that there must be where horses jumped, according to the news.

"It seems to be there," Esther pointed out confidently. "A horse farm. As a child, I would have liked to live in a place like that."

"Did they exist a hundred years ago?" Lily commented sarcastically, causing the woman beside her to glance at her in annoyance. However, this did not matter much to her. "And what is your plan? Knock on the door and convince them to let you in just because of your cute little face, and then gag and torture them all?"

"You'd be surprised how many times that was enough," Esther answered normally. "But no, I thought instead that you would use that magic of yours again."

Lily looked at her somewhat confused, although Esther did not take long to explain what she meant.

— — — —

That afternoon, Richard Morgan and two of his employees were mending a fence on the east side of the house, while the rest took care of the horses and some repairs in the stable. He was in the middle of a negotiation to buy five purebred foals, raise them, and somehow replace those who had been lost in that tragic… "accident." He hoped that when his wife returned, it might keep her distracted. But for this, it was necessary to make some adjustments, but mainly to repair the damage that those horses had done when fleeing and see how it would not happen again.

Mr. Morgan and his employees were nailing the fence boards, each on his own side. The farm owner could then see out of the corner of his eye that someone was approaching him from his right. He thought it was one of his workers, whom he had commissioned to bring more nails. Instead, however, he saw two little girls approaching from the property's main gate with broad playful smiles on their faces; one had a cherry-red lollypop in her hand, which apparently had almost wholly painted her lips red. The other approached her from behind, leaning on crutches, which made it somewhat difficult for her to advance in the dirt and undergrowth.

"Hi," the girl with the lollipop greeted once she was close enough, grinning at him. Her face was adorable and delicate, adorned with pretty freckles and beautiful dark eyes. The other also had a charming look, although she did not smile as much as the other.

"Hey, hi, little girls," Richard said, somewhat surprised. "Where did you come from?"

"We are here to visit our aunt, and we went out for a walk," pointed out the girl with the lollipop, accompanied by a couple of giggles. By mere reflex, Mr. Morgan laughed too, though he didn't quite know why. His attention then turned to the girl with the crutches and the bandage on her leg.

"And what happened to you, sweetie?" He asked curiously. The little girl hesitated a bit, but then she replied in a slightly shy tone:

"I was attacked by a… huge dog."

"I get it…"

"The sign outside says you have horses here," the girl with the red lips intervened at that moment, actually holding the lollypop inside her mouth. "Can we see them?"

"Sorry, we're all very busy right now. Come back early tomorrow if you want."

That said, Richard thought the talk was over and took up his hammer again to continue his work. However, the same girl asked her one more question, which made it impossible for him to do that so easily:

"Are there any other children here we can play with?" She muttered suddenly, somewhat incautious. Richard slowly lowered his hammer and turned back to them. "My aunt mentioned that a girl lived here."

The man looked at both of them with a serious, almost stern expression, as if he were facing two unexpected debt collectors.

"Who did you say your aunt was?" He inquired, trying not to sound defensive.

Both girls were silent for a few moments, but suddenly the one with the crutches blurted out the answer.

"Her name is Marie," she muttered quickly. "She lives across the hill."

"Ah, yes... Well, your aunt is wrong. There is no girl here."

"Where is she?" The girl with the lollipop muttered, some disappointment in her tone.

"She's with her mother, they both went on a trip."

"Will they be back tomorrow?"

Richard took a deep breath. That conversation was making him uncomfortable. And even though they were two girls, the truth was that he had no desire to continue talking with them much longer. He especially didn't want to talk about Samara, or where she was at the moment.

"No, I don't think so," he replied dryly. "I need to get back to work. Come back tomorrow, and I'll saddle up a couple of horses for you to ride, ok? In the meantime, don't hang around here alone; it can be unsafe."

"Ok, thank you very much, sir," the little girl said goodbye, making a curious curtsy, taking the folds of the lack of her old-fashioned dress and leaning her body down a little. That act was a bit strange to him, although nice.

For a moment, the thought crossed his mind that he would have liked his daughter to be just as cute and polite as that girl... and not the monster that ended up being Samara. He thought he must feel guilty for thinking such a thing, but he didn't really feel like that.

The two girls walked away, side-by-side towards the exit. The one with the candy apparently walked to the other's rhythm to not leave her behind on her crutches. Once Richard saw them near the door, he went back to his work as if nothing had happened.

— — — —

"And so?" Esther questioned sternly, but slowly, as they walked away. "Did you catch something?"

Lily took her time answering as if afraid someone was going to hear her. When they were far enough away, she spoke at last, though her gaze fixed straight ahead.

"It is much easier for me to perceive what people are afraid of," Lily whispered slowly. "And that man was terrified of this girl named Samara, not to say that he also hates her."

"A father who hates his daughter? Where have I heard that before?" Esther ironed but also loaded with some irritation.

They passed through the open gate in the fence surrounding the farm and onto the main street that ran directly ahead. They crossed that street, and they advanced down the side of it while they talked.

Lily continued with what she had grasped from the man's mind while talking to Esther.

"Apparently she's not in the house or on the island."

"And where she is? Did she really go on a trip with her mother?"

"I don't know if that's what it is, but I caught a place: a hospital called Eola. That was the first name that came to his mind when you asked where she was, and it seems she's there right now. It is all that I managed to perceive about it."

"Eola?" Esther muttered, somewhat lost.

They both kept moving for a few more minutes until they reached a hollow tree where they had hidden their bag. Lily took advantage of the fact that they were there to rest. She sat very carefully on the grass and spread her injured leg as far as the pain allowed. It was time to take her meds, so she took advantage of that little break to do it too.

Meanwhile, Esther extracted the suitcase from the tree, and from inside, she took out a Smartphone. She quickly searched the internet for a nearby hospital called Eola. The closest, and fitting the description, was the Eola Psychiatric Hospital, located in a community of the same name… in Oregon. It was apparently a few miles from Salem; that is to say, it was located totally in the opposite direction to which they had been going all that day. Worse still, it was in precisely the direction she had hoped to avoid at all costs after that noisy incident in Portland that they were lucky to get out of without being discovered.

Esther then turned to face the tree, pressing her forehead against its bark with some force as a sign of frustration.

"You must be kidding…" she murmured slowly as a thought aloud.

Lily looked at her, confused by that reaction. Her arm with the phone was hanging off her side, so she reached out and took it to see what it was about; it didn't take long to realize.

"Wow, so we have to go back to Oregon," she muttered mockingly, quite mocking. "And half the state police for sure must be looking for you. It's good to know that I still have the option to pretend I'm the victim like you said before. But you…" She gave a little wry laugh. "How much will they give you for each corpse? Do you think they will extradite you to Russia?"

"Shut up, will you?" Esther snapped in annoyance, turning to see her sideways. Then she turned and sat down on the grass as well.

Be that as it may, she had already come far enough to go back at that moment. They would have to travel there without being discovered, enter that place and get Samara out of there, and she had a feeling that it would be much more complicated than Portland. And everything had to be done as quickly as possible...

Esther closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead a little with her fingers, perhaps with more force than required.

"I hate psychiatric hospitals…" she whispered slowly to herself.

— — — —

Neither Esther nor Lily were aware that at that moment, a man parked in a somewhat old truck further down the road, was watching them in the distance with a pair of binoculars. In fact, he had arrived on the ferry with them; he and his truck. He was also observing them all the time they were waiting for the ferry to arrive. He had managed to keep his distance, not attract attention, and blend in with people. It was something he was really good at, as it was necessary on many occasions for the kind of life he had been leading for a long, long time, even when it came to hiding from people like those two.

With his hairstyle tied back in several braids, the African-American man had to lower the binoculars for a few moments to cough twice with moderate force. He took a deep breath to calm himself before fully regaining his composure.

The boy had told him to keep an eye on them and not intervene unless he deemed it necessary; he only noticed that one did her job. He hated having to fulfill those kinds of assignments, especially for… that guy. But here he was, following two rubes brats at a distance, hoping neither of them would notice his presence. He didn't know where else those two's journey would take them, but inevitably he would have to go as well.

END OF CHAPTER 33

Author's Notes:

—Official Owlman was an original character, without any relation to any other of the characters or the movies or series involved in this story.

[life-coach-collins-blog]

The Pursuit of Happiness

For us lucky Americans, this week is President’s Week, which for most means at least one free vacation day to celebrate the fact that America has had some pretty bad-ass Founding Fathers. This got me thinking about one of them in particular, Thomas Jefferson. (Stay with me folks, I promise this is not just some boring lesson on American history.)

Thomas Jefferson was your textbook overachiever. He was not only the first ever Secretary of State and the Third President of the United States, but he also had his likeness carved into Mount Rushmore and is featured on the very rare and coveted two-dollar bill (not to mention, he sure knew how to wear the hell out of a powdered wig, am I right?) What he is most famous for, however, is writing the Declaration of Independence… no big deal. (Can you imagine how annoying he must have been to talk to at his high school reunion?)

In the Declaration of Independence, our man TJ coined the term “unalienable rights,” which he believed to be the stuff granted by God to every human; rights so natural to human existence that even the government couldn’t take them away. Pretty deep stuff for the 18th Century.

In case your third grade history lessons got lost sometime in college after too many Jäger bombs, here is a refresher. Unalienable rights are: “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Which means, every human has the right to live, the right to be free, and the right to pursue happiness. Read that again; there’s an interesting distinction there. Notice he did not say “Life, liberty and straight up happiness.” That’s because this Yoda-esque forefather knew that we are not just born with automatic happiness. No, my friends, Tommy J was very aware that happiness is something that has to be attained.

Where so many of us get hung up is that if we don’t jump out of bed every morning completely jazzed about life, we assume that there is something wrong with us; that our lives are somehow broken. Shouldn’t happiness be easier? 

Bad news, y'all, happiness actually takes a lot of work. It has to be cultivated, chased, developed - every single day. Some days are easier than others; some days can make it feel downright impossible. And, there is never a point, for anyone, when the pursuit ends. That’s the tricky, pain-in-the-ass thing about happiness. There is no such thing as an achievable, permanent state of happy, because our definition of what makes us happy seems to evolve daily. We have to continue to pursue happiness everyday for the rest of our lives. How wonderful.

Often we try short cuts to fill the void left by the non-existence of natural happiness; short-term pleasures like drugs, alcohol, food, sex, social media… pick your poison. But the truth is, those short-term fixes are just as fleeting and impermanent as anything else, and they typically make the pursuit of true happiness that much harder.

I know what you’re thinking, “Gee whiz lady, thanks for this load of depressing information!” I promise, there is good news. Here it is: if you don’t wake up every morning doing a happy dance around your bed, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. It just means you are a completely normal human being. 

Even better news: your happiness is 100% within your control.

Happiness will not magically come when you lose that weight, get that dream job, finally get married, or become a millionaire. I know that sounds like bad news, but it isn’t. Here’s why - you can choose to be happy, right now, without having to wait for any of that. It really is that simple - and horribly complicated at the same time.

Here is how it works. When you wake up in the morning, and your brain starts firing off a million reasons why your life sucks, you have a choice to listen to that voice in your head (refer to “The Voices in my Head”), or to decide that regardless of whether it is true or not, you are just going to be happy. When your boss yells at you and calls you a moron? You decide to be happy anyway. When your boyfriend dumps you for another, skinnier, hotter, richer lingerie model? You decide to be happy anyway. When the bank repossesses your double-wide because you lost all of your money? Happy. Happy. Happy. 

Sound like a bunch of bull? Ya well, remember before when I said that happiness takes a lot of work? I wasn’t talking about working hard to lose that weight, get your dream job, find a husband or become a millionaire. No, the work I’m talking about is the mental toughness and continuous diligence you need to put forth to control your own mind, regardless of what life throws at you. I promise you, even the most annoyingly happy person you know has to put a ton of mental effort, daily gratitude and regular introspection to smear a smile on her face every day.

Despite you being in the driver seat of your happiness, this stuff isn’t easy. Life Coaches are pretty boss at helping clients in their pursuits of happiness, and have black belts in mental mind control. Give one of us a call if you want help. I think I even read somewhere that Benjamin Franklin was actually just Thomas Jefferson’s personal life coach.