#also the poofy pants are just a pair of bright pink pants

[mxriviera]

Took up playing toon town corporate clash bc of a discord server i'm in. Its my first time playing ANY toontown game so it was a huge learning curve but i am infected with brainrot for this game. Anyways heres my Toon Roxy Swinkle-Doodle

They are a sound + throw goofball who goes eee instead of talking real words sometimes. If they do say words it's usually somthing silly like asking micromanagers "why you so little" or asking lawbots in general "pleas.. say real words.." when they're fighting them.

+ a doodle of them in like a cog-ish suit (heard disguises were a thing from a veteran friend so maybe they'd look like somthing like this in a disguise? i dont actually know what disguises look like...) idk i just think the suits are cool okay? i wanna wear one too...

[daisybianca]

pairing: daniel ricciardo x femalereader

summary: your boyfriend was finally returning back home tonight.

warnings: mostly angst, fluffy moments, mentions of sexual activities, teasing

HE WAS RIGHT. It was definitely colder now. You should have packed a “poofy” jacket.

Daniel’s way of saying “poofy” as he pouted his lips together replayed in your head.

What a dork.

You tucked your hands inside the pockets of your denim jacket and pressed your shoulders together to bundle up. The slim black work pants you were wearing provided minimal wind chill protection, but you forgot to do laundry last night and this was the only pair left. Unless you were planning to show up to a client meeting in jeans. You weren't planning on losing your job anytime soon.

The sun was setting in the background and the sky was doing its magic again. Behind the historic building that towered the city, the pastel purple and pink hues splashed the late autumn sky. Every single purple and pink color was somewhere up there, even the ones that didn’t get a dorky crayola color named after it.

As you got to the steps of the apartment, your phone buzzed in the butt pocket.

Darn it, your hands were just getting warmer.

Danny Bunny: So sorry, but you are going to have to do dinner without me.

With a soft sigh, you stuffed the phone with hands back in the tiny jacket pocket. The text clearly impacted your mood because you were annoyed at your stupid jacket pockets. Why did anyone even bother stitching a pocket if it was only going to fit a third of a normal human being’s hand?

“Just try to look at the bright side.” Danny's ’ voice echoed in your head.

Biting your lips, you ran through the positive scenarios of not having Daniel around. No company for dinner meant that yoy could eat anything for dinner and get away with it.

Thoughts of cinnamon toast crunch and frosted flakes ran through your mind as you seriously contemplated each option as you opened the front door of the apartment. The familiar, but faint scent of leftover morning coffee lingering hit your nose.

You dropped the keys on a small table by the door and dragged your body to the living room. You threw your work bag on the floor and immediately went over to the thermostat.

Daniel was going to kill you, but was it your fault that he was gifted with body heat and you weren't?

You always freezing and having Daniel around was like having a personal space heater, but he hadn't been around the past few months with all those races he was trying to win. And,you were the master of guilt tripping him.

You grabbed your phone and texted back.

Me: I hate you, I miss my heater.

You did. You really did.

You settled on frosted flakes for dinner because you were craving the cereal milk after a bowl of corn flakes.

Yoy also finished the last of the remaining oat milk in the fridge.

You know how people say, TGIF?

Well, in this case, thank god it’s Friday because your fridge needed restocking and you could finish that on the weekend.

When Daniel wasn’t around, it was hard to find time to do anything. Without him, you resorted to what your life was like before he came into it. You resorted back to binge watching random Netflix documentaries and going to bed at 9pm. On days you felt extra adventurous, you would head out to the gym, but that was very rare.

When your boyfriend wasn't around you simply... simply lived kind of mechanically. As if you were a robot trying to survive and live an average, safe life.

You rolled into the couch in the living room and laid there blankly staring at the plain ceiling.

Yesterday, you were hoping that around this time, you and the F1 driver would be getting take out for dinner and bet on who would orgasm first before the food arrived. Loser would have to wear their underwear to answer the delivery guy.

Last time you two played, you gave him the best head ever and he lost before you even got fully undressed. But, he kept on arguing through the entire dinner how he purposefully lost because he didn’t need anyone seeing you in your underwear.

Sure, Danny. Whatever you say.

You rolled to the side and faced the empty TV screen. You thought you had turned it on, but you must have dreamt of doing that because you fell asleep after the last blink in the sweet memories of you and Daniel.

“(y/n).”

Your eyes were too heavy to lift as you were still coming out of the sleep haze, but you certainly knew that voice. Your heart was already thumping, it recognized it too.

“Babe,” Daniel whispered. This time his warm breath tickled your ears. His lips pressed against your forehead and you groaned.

“I hate you.” You muttered and rolled over to the otherside. Your eyes were still pressed closed and you sure as hell was not going to wake up to greet him with happy arms. In your mind, he was a traitor.

“I’m sorry, (y/n).” He was always the first to apologize.

“She’s mad at you,” You managed to get out with all the thoughts screaming inside your head.

“She still loves me.” He replied like how someone would answer “yes” to the question if the Earth was round.

“She does not.” You lied.

“She does.” There it was again.

“Actually, she wants to go back to sleep. That way, she doesn’t have to look at your face.”

His smile turned into a full grin. “You are so fucking cute when you are lying.”

You felt my cheeks growing hotter.

No, (y/n). Daniel is the enemy. Remember, Daniel is the enemy.

Yoy pressed your lips together and narrowed your eyes at him, trying to kick the childish voice out of your head.

“I want to kiss you.” Your boyfriend whispered like you were playing footsie underneath the Thanksgiving dinner table.

You couldn’t resist that.

Yoy closed my eyes and leaned your head forward and felt his soft lips against yours. When yours mouths opened, you tasted coffee in his breath.

Hey, you needed the caffeine kick.

You also tasted the Red Bull liquid.

Your man was supporting his team and you were so proud of him, even though you weren't particularly a Red Bull girl.

Even though you was positive it didn’t work like that, your tongue found his and playfully teased around it. When he pulled away first, you were a tiny bit upset.

Okay, you were very upset, but you sure weren't going to show him that.

He clearly saw the discontent on your face and smiled. “God, I missed your taste.”

“I missed yours more.” You argued.

His eyebrows arched at your desperate thirst response. “You know what else I missed the taste of?”

Then, his eyes shifted across the couch. His eyes looked in the direction of your legs, more specifically, the space between them.

There was your guy. He was back.

Daniel slowly got up from the carpet and sat on the edge of the couch. He slipped his hand into your plain boybrief pyjamas and his finger grazed my cotton underwear.

You already knew you was soaking wet just an inch lower from where his hand rested. And moments later, he found out too.

Keeping his eyes glued on yours, he slowly moved his fingers until yoy felt the warmth of his hand through your cotton underwear. You let out a soft moan from your throat that you couldn’t even control.

This wasn’t fair. You wanted him so much.

You reached out a hand to grab a hold of his forearm. Underneath your grip, you felt the tensing of his individual muscle fibers against your skin, twitching and fighting the urge to rip off your underwear.

“Hey,” Daniel spoke and his velvet voice echoed around the empty walls of our tastefully decorated minimalistic apartment.

“Yeah,” You replied with as your mind was going crazy about the fact that he was really trying to tease you.

“How many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop?”

There was a strange moment of silence before yoy both erupted into laughter.

Your happy sounds were echoing around the entire floor.

Other than the fact that this might have been the worst “let’s have sexy time” comment he had ever said, you treasured moments like this. These were the times that lingered around you memories for a really, really long time.

You got up from the couch and tore his hand away. “Okay, Mr. Ricciardo. You definitely hit an all time low with that comment. It really sucks out all the intimacy.”

Daniel moved his body closer to yours and kissed your cheek. “Ironic, it was supposed to get me sucking your pussy.”

The way he said pussy sent chills down your spine. You were getting ready to jump on him any moment now.

“I mean, technically… you can still do that." You replied, nonchalantly.

He smiled and pressed his lips against yours. Your lips went at each other like you were in high school again trying to show off who was the better kisser. It was sloppy, wet, messy, and a lot of biting. It was still perfect.

By the time your boyfriend pulled away, you were both panting to catch your breaths.

He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and planted a sweet peck on your neck. Yoy wrapped my arms around his neck and he already knew the cue. His arms dug underneath your back and knees. He effortlessly got up from the couch, holding you close to his chest.

Yoy looked up at him speechless as he casually walked you through the hallways and kicked the bedroom door open.

It was dark here too, minus the moonlight filtering through your bedroom window placed on either sides of the bed. He walked over to your massive bed and gently placed you down.

You bit your lip and Daniel dropped his cap first, revealing a messy bed of hair underneath. In one quick motion, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. His pale skin glowed. The moonlight reflected off his broad shoulders and firm chest.

Your heart wouldn’t shut up. It was like you felt that for the very first time. It was Daniel Ricciardo after all...

His body snaked over time and pinned you down between his legs. Each hand tightly gripped your wrists. The heat from his body was pouring down yours. He arched his neck and placed a kiss on your forehead. Then, he moved over to the tip of your nose, your lips, yours chin, and then down on yours neck. His warm breath tickled you. But you liked it. You loved it, to be exact.

“I’m sorry for being late." Daniel paused. "I genuinely apologize for that and I'm truly sorry, angel." He placed a soft kiss on your lips, like he wanted to taste you gently one more time before attacking like a hungry animal. "But, I’m not apologizing for how I’m going to ruin you tonight."

●○•°•○●

requests are always open for my wags <3

[dragimalsdaydreams]

[image ID: 3 images of the same front-view, full-body screenshot of Yanfei from the game Genshin Impact.

the first is an unedited screenshot of how she appears in the game. she has long, pale pink, wavey hair, bright teal/green eyes, and a pair of white/yellow antlers flaring out from the back corners of her head. she wears a red/black/white collared crop top and short shorts, showing off a lot of pale skin. she has a pair of disconnected white sleeves that are flared into a poofy shape at her wrists, and she’s wearing small pointed boots with flared tops. a small wooden box hangs off the wrap around her waist, and she’s wearing something akin to the tall, square-ish Xie Zhi Hat, stylized into a crescent shape.

the next image is the previous image, but with heavy editing. the antlers have been shifted to Yanfei’s forehead, now pointing forwards and adorned with gold chain accessories. long, pink, deer-like ears now take the place of the antlers at the sides of her head. she also has some teal/green scales across her face and hands now, matching the color of her eyes. the bare portions of Yanfei’s torso have been covered by the black material of her shorts and parts of her crop top, connecting to her disconnected sleeves as well. the shorts have been extended into a long pair of pants that flare into a poofy shape just above her boots, mirroring her sleeves. the last image is the exact same as this one, but with one horn instead of two on Yanfei’s forehead.

end ID]

ok SO. I’ve started a project to edit certain Genshin characters b/c some of their outfits make me insane. I started with Yanfei because she encompasses most of my design pet-peeves, and I had a rly strong idea of how to fix her. I actually had a blast doing this, so I’m rly excited to get to more characters hehe <3

anyways, I’ll give a full breakdown of my edits under the cut:

let’s start with the head!

[image ID: a screenshot of Yanfei, cropped to a front headshot. the long portion of her pale pink hair flows in a wave behind her head, curving inwards at the neck and underneath her antlers to accentuate her head. long bangs frame the sides of her face, while shorter, sharp bangs cut across her forehead, curving to the left. the tips of some of these bangs fade into white-pink. her antlers are shaped like long, rounded batons, with a single small prong sticking up out of the inner curves. they’re mostly white, fading to yellow at the tips. both antlers have gold bangles wrapped around the bases, while the left antler has extra bangles wrapped around the tip. the hair directly surrounding the antlers is cut into a squared-off bundle surrounding the base of the antlers, and fades from pale pink into white-pink. the Xie Zhi Hat is red with back/gold accents, andvthe stylized curve follows the curve of her skull, tilted a bit to the left side of the head. there’s a red/black sash with tassels and gold accessories/coins hanging off the left side of the hat, while a single gold coin hangs off the right corner of the hat. end ID]

the worst thing abt Yanfei’s OG design is easily her antlers. first off, they’re based at the back, bottom corners of her skull and facing backwards? absolutely useless position?? and worse, they have goddamn jiggle physics? hello?? it makes me want to rip my hair out

so I was pretty eager to shift the antlers up to the forehead, where they should be :)

[image ID: an edited version of the previous headshot. the antlers have been shifted to the forehead, pointing forwards and out. each antler now has two extra prongs, in addition to the main prong-- one longer prong pointing forwards from the middle of the antler, and one short prong pointing back from the tip of the main prong. they’re mostly white, fading to yellow at the tips of all of the prongs. the bangs flow around the antlers, most of them tucked between them and over the forehead. the left antler has one gold bangle near the top of the main prong-- just above the long prong, but below the short prong. the right antler has one small bangle on the long prong, and another bangle on the main antler, just below the long prong. the two bangles on the right antler are connected to the left antler by gold chains, from which hang a couple of red/black tassels and a single gold coin. the deer ears are based to the sides of the skull, just below the eyes and behind the jaw. the ears are the same pale pink base color as the hair, but the tips fade into a dark pink/red, while the fluffy fur in the inner ear fur is an even paler white-pink. rather than the squared-off bundle of hair in the original, the hair has been smoothed over, flowing back over top of the ears. instead, fluffy fur flares out from under the base of the ears, connecting the ears and chin, and curving up around the cheeks. the tips of this fur fade from pale pink to white-pink. the left ear has one gold stud and a long, gold ear cuff. the right ear has 3 gold studs, two of which are connected by a gold chain, from which hangs a small white tassel. a line of teal/green scales flows down the bridge of Yanfei’s nose, while rows of scales sit on both of her cheeks, just below the eyes. end ID]

the shape is vaguely based off of roe deer (they have similarly small antlers), mixed with the original rounded shape

I wasn’t originally going to add in deer ears (despite how much my furry heart yearned), b/c I thought it might stray too far from the original design. but I soon realized that Yanfei’s original antlers give her head region a unique flared silhouette, and she looked too smooth with the antlers simply erased. so I just HAD to add in the ears, you see. and the fluff. it was necessary

now, you may be wondering why I gave Yanfei two different horn designs

[image ID: the same image as previous, but there’s only one horn on the forehead instead of two. the long prong now sticks to the left, while the short prong stick to the right. there’s a gold bangle on the main antler near the top, another at the base, and a small bangle on the long prong. one gold chain connects the higher bangle and the long prong’s bangle, from which hang red/black tassels. the bangs flow around this single horn. end ID]

well, it turns out that Yanfei isn’t technically a deer, but she’s actually based on the Xie Zhi, which the wiki describes as, “an ox or goat, with thick dark fur covering its body, bright eyes, and a single long horn on its forehead.” now, I can’t confirm all the facts in this article b/c I’m not Chinese. but if the basic info is to be trusted, then Yanfei fails almost all of these basic traits-- no ox/goat traits, her hair is light, and she has two horns!! I've at least found other sources saying that Xie Zhi can have deer traits, but otherwise...

even if I change nothing else, I at least want to give her a single-horn design. I tried to make the single horn branch more from the sides rather than the front/back like the paired horns, so that it didn’t bisect the face from the front so much, so hopefully it still works

as for the scales, it bothers me that the originals are basically just her skin color, as if the designers were afraid of us noticing them? I honestly didn’t even know she had scales for the longest time!

[image ID: screenshots of the scale details on Yanfei’s avatar. the first shows the few scales on the back of her hand, while the second shows the few scales on the side of her torso, just under her bust. the scales are only slightly paler than her skin color, with a barely-visible darker outline. they’re diamond-shaped, with a slightly darker diamond accent at the base. end ID]

so I thought it would be fun to extend her eye color into the scales!

[image ID: a screenshot of Yanfei’s hand hand from the side. the scales on the top of her hand have been edited teal/green, and are now shaped like wide bars across her hand, directed towards the knuckles. there’s a small, dark teal accent at the base of each scale. she also has small teal/green claws now, each with a dark teal accent at the base. end ID]

I prefer to shape the scales for different parts of the body, so I thought wider scales for the top of her hand would make more sense-- like the scales on top of bird legs. different depictions of Xie Zhi seem to vary between claws or hooves, so I just gave her some nice claws because I wouldn’t have been able to give her hooves anyways, haha

as for the facial scales, I originally planned them (as well as the horns and ears) on 3/4th angles to get a better handle on them

[image ID: a screenshot of Yanfei’s avatar from a 3/4 angle, cropped into a headshot. only the ears, antlers (the pair and single, for each image respectively), and scales have been edited onto this screenshot, hair adjusted for the horns. the shape of the scales is more evident here. the scales down the bridge of Yanfei’s nose are bar-shaped, starting wider at the tip of the nose, and getting smaller towards the forehead. the top row of scales on each cheek has a 3-D triangular shape, almost like a pyramid, pointing out and back towards the sides of the face. the bottom row underneath these large scales are much smaller and shaped like rounded diamonds. each of the bar and diamond scales has a darker teal accent at the base. end ID]

(apologies for not editing the clothing/accessories on these views too, I just... didn’t feel like it, lmao)

it felt right to give her a nice line of scales up the bridge of her nose, to break up some of the base skin color. the cheek scales were based off of horny toads, and on how Xie Zhi seem to have a lot of sharp scales

“Adeptal biology” handled, we can finally talk about the clothes!

[image ID: a front-facing screenshot of Yanfei, cropped from her shoulders to the tops of her boots. her “crop top” is like... I don’t even know how to describe it. there’s this red/gold open collar that frames under her boobs rather than her neck, if that makes sense. this wraps around her back at the bust level. but then there’s a black bra(?) layered underneath the boob collar, which doesn’t extend all the way up, so there’s some bare bust above the bra. there’s also a teeny diamond cut-out in the bra between the tits, with a small red latch connecting either side. a black/white/red scarf wraps around her neck, with some gold coin accessories used as latches on one side. the disconnected sleeves start around the middle of Yanfei’s upper arm, extending down to her wrists. the ends flare into a bell-shaped poof, widest just before the cuffs of the sleeve, then retracting back into the smaller cuff. most of the sleeves are white, but the tops are cuffed in black, with decorative red/gold pauldrons(?) over top. the bottom cuffs are also black, with some decorative black trim extending up in the sleeve in little peaks. these peaks are tipped with gold studs. the bottom cuff of each sleeve is adorned with a small white puffball. Yanfei’s black shorts poof out just a little bit, and are trimmed with lacey edging, which is decorated with groups of white lines. the shorts are extremely short, ending just under her crotch. the right side ends even higher, cut at an angle so that the outside ends just below her hips. a yellow/black wrap circles her hips, holding a small red sash with gold accents in front of her crotch, covering up most of the shorts. this outfit leaves Yanfei’s shoulders/armpits, midriff, and most of her legs completely exposed. end ID]

my biggest issues with Yanfei’s original clothes are intertwined-- her base shapes are boring, and she doesn’t wear enough clothes. this is a pretty common problem with Genshin girls-- they wear so little clothes (or their clothes are so skin-tight) that their silhouettes all blend into the same boring “skinny hourglass” standard. could you imagine a world were Gensh girls wore slacks? poofy pants? baggy jeans? something with interesting shapes and weight?? smh...

anyways, the solution to Yanfei’s pants seems so blatantly obvious to me-- just mirror the flared poof of her sleeves!

[image ID: the same image as previous, but heavily edited. the black bra of the original outfit has been extended all the way across Yanfei’s bare torso and arms. this gives the impression of a full black shirt with poofy white sleeves underneath the boob collar. the boob collar has also been extended down the torso into a short vest, underneath the original red wrapped around the bust area. this vest has a strip of red fabric down the middle, and white sections on either side of the torso. the right side of the vest overlaps the left side, and two small red latches (matching the shirt latch) hold the vest closed. the shorts have been completely changed into long pants. these pants are black on the top half and white on the lower half, with a slanted border between the two colors, angled towards the inner knees. the shape mirrors the sleeves-- hugging the thighs, then flaring out in a bell-shape near the ends of the pants. the cuffs are black, with similar black trim and gold studs as the sleeves. the border of black/white on both the sleeves and pant legs are edged in a gold band, set directly above black lace trim decorated with white spots. end ID]

it gives her an adorable silhouette with bottom-heavy limbs, lending her a bouncy vibe to match her personality!

(EDIT: I’ve changed the boob collar into a full vest, I think it works way better now hehe)

the pants also extend the black/white palette across much more of her body. there’s wayyy too much skin color (especially across the legs) in Yanfei’s OG palette, it makes her look too washed-out. her palette feels more grounded, with more black/red centered at her torso and white at the extremities, imo

I realized halfway through that the waist wrap on her hips kinda makes the black across her torso look connected to her pants? which I find endearing tbh-- she gets up every morning and pulls on her jester-lawyer jumpsuit shjdkfk

also, the shape of Yanfei’s original shorts is SOOOO stupid to me. I know Genshin likes to insert imbalanced elements into their designs, but when it mixes with the horny female designs, it results real stupid consequences. it honestly looks like one side got bunched up while Yanfei was running around, or her seamstress fucked up one side. my friends suggested re-integrating the lacey bits of these shorts into the black/white boundaries on the pant legs and sleeves, and I was skeptical b/c they look so stupid on the shorts... but it ended up looking really nice, so give my friends a big applause for that one lmao

another friend suggested more puff-balls in different parts of the design, which was truly inspired. if it wasn’t immediately noticeable, I copied the white puff-balls on the ends of Yanfei’s sleeves to the top of the foot of her shoes (where there was originally just a metal diamond), and to the top of her hat (originally a knobby decoration)

bonus addition!

[image ID: the paired-antler edit of the 3/4th view headshot. now, though, Yanfei is wearing glasses. the frames have a square shape, and with the top being open glass. the frames are gold, while the arms are dark wood. a gold chain is clipped to either side of the frames, dangling down past her chin and looping around her shoulders. end ID]

get this poor girl some glasses, for the love of god!!

[image ID: a screenshot of Yanfei doing one of her idle animations. she’s holding a thick book up to her face, and she’s hunched over, inches away from the pages, squinting at the text. end ID]

[knifefather]

KnifeFather’s Kinktober 2020, 18+ NSFW ➼ Day 18: Anal play or coercion ➼ Pairing: Goth!Bruno Bucciarati ➼ Word count: 2.1k ➼ Reader is AFAB and female pronouns are used. ➼ This is part one of two. ➼ Also available on Ao3.  ➼ Warning: Both the reader and Bruno are intoxicated during this fic. If drinking or recreational drug use is not your jam, please be cautious while reading this. 

You attend a concert and meet the perfect stranger. 

The feeling of alcohol stinging the back of your throat distracted you as best as it could from your anxiety. The club was loaded--many other people dressed in the same black clothing as you stood about, talking amongst themselves while they waited for the band to begin their set. Your friend, Narancia, was busy chatting up a girl that he had met on the way into the joint. She was petite with bright pink hair, and her sizeable, poofy black skirt bunched up around her like a cloud. You sat on the other side of him, shooting back the second shot you ordered. Or was it the third?

You were never good at these kinds of things. Even though you were surrounded by like-minded people, you could never get past that incredible hump of social anxiety. You were kinda lost without Narancia and found yourself sticking close to him when you went to shows. The club began to grow smoky pretty quickly. The stench of weed filled your nostrils, and your head began to swim.

Suddenly, you heard the place erupt in noise, whoops and hollers coming from near the stage. The two girls performing came on to set up their equipment, and already they were getting a positive reaction. The lead singer strummed her guitar, testing out the speaker. At least the music was about to begin and that would give you something to focus on. You looked over at Narancia, and he was still busy talking with the girl. Interestedly, the girl wriggled a finger under one of the black leather straps that Narancia wore on his chest. She smiled at him and tugged on it flirtatiously, her blood-red lipstick making her wolfish smile all the more predatory. He began to blush, sputtering at the attention. He was definitely going to get laid tonight. You figured you would leave him to it.

You rose from your seat and decided to start making your way towards the stage as well. The girls introduced their band and thanked the audience for attending. Most of the clubbers were near the stage now. You looked around, taking in the crowd. A few people looked interesting and you thought about going up to talk to them, but the feeling of anxiety in your gut held you in place. As you checked out the group of people, your eyes fell on possibly the most gorgeous man you’d ever seen. His chin-length dark hair blended into the background, admittedly, and his equally dark outfit fitted his body wonderfully. He was talking to another man, tall and with long silver hair. They were mostly keeping to themselves, making chitchat while the music started. As you gazed at them, the man looked over in your direction, noticing your gaze. You quickly snapped your eyes away, trying to act like you weren’t looking. You were thankful when the drummer began playing the opening notes. You tossed a gaze over your shoulder, hoping to see Narancia close by, but you couldn’t see his dark purple hair anywhere. Great. You swallowed thickly and paid attention to the display on stage.

They began to play the next one. The instrumentals went much harder than the last song, and a pit began to open up behind you. You were too skittish for mosh pits, so you quickly ducked out of the way of the other concert-goers. As you moved away, you felt your back collide with someone, hard. You whipped around to apologize, only to see it was the casanova you were checking out only moments before. His painted black lips tugged into a smile while you apologized to him over the loud music.

“You’re fine,” he insisted.

“What?” you asked, the floor and stage vibrating from the sounds around you.

“I said, ‘you’re fine’,” the stranger said again, ducking down to your level and speaking a little louder. Still, you had no idea what he fucking said.

“I’m so sorry, but I have no idea--” you began, yelling over the music. Carefully, he grabbed your arm and ushered you away from the edge of the pit. It was becoming intense as they switched to another fast-paced song, the lead singer still screaming with gusto. As he led you out of the crowd, it was already noticeably quieter. You didn’t see his tall friend anywhere near. “I said,” he began, chuckling, “‘you’re fine’.”

“Thanks. You are too,” you responded without thinking. When you realized what you said, you quickly looked away from him. Did you really just do that? The man’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. He looked you over, taking in your appearance. His eyes lingered a bit too long before he looked back up into your eyes. His blue ones were hypnotizing--they made you feel oddly special. They were a bit hazy, just like yours.

“What’s your name?”

“Y/n. You?”

“Bruno. Y/n, would you perhaps like to come back to my place after the show?” he asked. Just then, the lead vocalist announced they were going to slow down the set. A soft, lachrymose guitar settled over the club. The singer was singing sweetly now, the steady beat of the drum syncing up with your heartbeat.  

“Yes,” you answered, again without thinking. You shouldn’t--you should stay at the club with Narancia. But you had no clue where he was, and he was probably getting some. Why shouldn’t you do the same? Besides, you’d text him after a while to let him know where you were. “Do you… wanna leave now?” you asked boldly, giving him a sly smile.

“Let me tell my friend that I’m leaving,” he said before politely excusing himself to disappear into the crowd. You were alone again, hanging on the outskirts of the crowd. You smelled the skunky stench of marijuana again, and suddenly a joint was being passed to you from another stranger, a woman in a cloak with large, blocky brows. You accepted the joint and took a toke for bravery before passing it to the person next to you. It wasn’t long before Bruno was back at your side, guiding you out of the club with a hand on the small of your back. The sound of the new song playing disappeared into the background.

The night was quiet, yet clear, the streetlights illuminating more than the club did. You had a better look at Bruno under the light. Your interesting new partner was tall, with a muscular but slender built. The brilliant color of his irises stood out even more under the streetlights. You were astounded at how lucky you had gotten. Bruno was beginning to lead you away from the club, down the sidewalk.

“I live near here, so I figured we could walk a bit,” he said, waving his hand in the direction of down the street. You told him that was fine, and you both disappeared from the outside of the club. “I’m not exactly sober, so I wouldn’t want to chance driving." "I'm in the same boat as you," you replied. The slanted lights elongated both of your shadows, making your dark forms look all the more threatening. Bruno’s shirt jingled softly as he walked along, the zippers and chains shifting. You narrowed your eyes to his legs and saw more, along with form-fitting pants that you observed for longer than necessary. He began to make conversation with you, learning more about who you were and where you came from. He was native to Napoli and you were not, so he gave you many pointers about the city and what kinds of places to eat at. Specifically, one restaurant that he claimed had the best food in the city, Libeccio. He was full of knowledge about Napoli and tips on how to live in it. You had been living there for a few years and knew everything that he was telling you, but you enjoyed hearing him speak, so you didn't interrupt.

You realized how intoxicated you were when you arrived at Bruno’s place and there were steps. The platforms that you wore wearing didn’t help you either, and you struggled to climb them straight. You felt Bruno’s arms curl around your waist, and even though he was fucked up too, he still helped you. You did better than you would have on your own, so you allowed it.

When you entered his apartment, you were greeted by a grand window overlooking the rest of the city. You weren’t surprised to find that his place was decorated according to his fashion tastes. Most of his furniture was black leather with appropriate matching tables, as well as minimalistic decor mimicking an almost Victorian aesthetic. What fascinated you the most was the large collection of records that Bruno proudly displayed in his living room. The collection was contained in about three large shelves, all several inches taller than you, and all full. You then observed a small stack of records sitting on the edge of the coffee table nearby.

“I need to get another shelf. I’m running out of space,” he said, his tone a bit bashful. “You can choose some for us to listen to.” You nearly felt honored being allowed to touch his music collection. While you looked over the shelves, you realized there were several different genres contained on them, including older jazz like Miles Davis. You were relieved to be with someone that had an open ear. Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues called out to you, so you grabbed that one and tucked it under your arm.

“So, tell me about you. You haven’t really said much about yourself,” you said without looking at him. You were busy choosing between two albums now. Bruno raised a pierced brow before responding.

“Is there anything in particular you would like to know?”

You gave a nervous chuckle before choosing The Gold Experience by Prince. “Just mostly making sure you’re not gonna murder me or something,” you said, half-joking. He was quiet for a moment, and you looked over to see his expression. He gave you a dismissive look before replying.

“I don’t want to murder you, I promise. I don’t think it would be within either of our interests,” he said, the corners of his plump, black lips pulling up in a smile. “I’m trying to make you feel good, not hurt you,” he whispered beside you, and you felt your shoulders tense. His little comment caught you off guard, and soon, you felt your stomach flutter pleasantly. You looked over at him, and he gazed back, giving you an interested, heavy-lidded look. “Unless you enjoy a little pain?” he asked, looking you up and down like he did at the club. He was closer than you remembered him being.

“Maybe I do,” you teased, setting down the records, forgetting all about them. The truth be told, you were kinky in a lot more ways than just being a masochist. “Would you like to find out?” you invited, folding your hands behind your back coquettishly. Bruno drew closer to you, pulling your hips into his grasp. When he looked down at you, his long black hair framed his face, his jaw appearing perfectly chiseled. The dark makeup he wore around his eyes made the man's gaze pop. His pupils dilated as he looked down at you.

“I would,” he responded simply, before leaning in and capturing your lips in his. Your lips--no, your whole face --tingled as the man moved his mouth over yours, smacking softly in the room. You moaned into the kiss and fisted your hands in his sweater, pulling him as close as he could be. The exchange was hot as Bruno’s warm lips slotted against yours. His kiss was hungry, yet respectful, and you could tell he was holding back on you. To get a reaction out of him, you slid your hands down his sides and to his waistline. You began to fiddle with his belt-buckle, but he caught your hands in his.

He pulled away from the kiss and gave you a pointed look. “Not yet… I want to have my fun with you first, dolcezza,” he said. He gave you a few more kisses and gazed down at you, his forehead pressed against yours. “I want this to last a while,” he spoke softly, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. All you could do was nod and gaze back at him, your voice failing you. Still holding your hands, he guided you away from the shelves and down the hall to his bedroom. The rest of his home was decorated in the same style as the living room. The exciting adrenaline pumping through you made your vision blur, like you were caught in a whirlwind but perfectly fine with it.

[luniellar]

Sorry Not Sorry - Chris Evans X Reader (One Shot)

Summary: Chris may be your boyfriend, but it sure doesn’t feel like so. You guys have been apart for months since he started his filming schedule again. Thankfully, Chris was finally coming back home tonight. A short fluffy and smutty one shot.

Warning: Smutty

Word Count: 2K

He was right. It was definitely colder now. I should have packed a “poofy” jacket.

Chris’ way of saying “poofy” as he pouted his lips together replayed in my head. What a dork.

I tucked my hands inside the pockets of my denim jacket and pressed my shoulders together to bundle up. The slim black work pants I was wearing provided minimal wind chill protection, but I forgot to do laundry last night and this was the only pair left. Unless I was planning to show up to a client meeting in jeans. I wasn't planning on losing my job anytime soon.

The sun was setting in the background and the sky was doing its magic again. Behind the historic building that towered the city, the pastel purple and pink hues splashed the late autumn sky. Every single purple and pink color was somewhere up there, even the ones that didn’t get a dorky crayola color named after it.

As I got to the steps of the apartment, my phone buzzed in the butt pocket. Darn it, my hands were just getting warmer.

“So sorry, but you are going to have to do dinner without me.”

With a soft sigh, I stuffed the phone with hands back in the tiny jacket pocket. The text clearly impacted my mood because I was annoyed at my stupid jacket pockets. Why did anyone even bother stitching a pocket if it was only going to fit a third of a normal human being’s hand?

“Just try to look at the bright side?” Chris’ voice echoed in my head.

Biting my lips, I ran through the positive scenarios of not having Chris around. No company for dinner meant that I could eat anything for dinner and get away with it. Thoughts of cinnamon toast crunch and frosted flakes ran through my mind as I seriously contemplated each option as I opened the front door of the apartment. The familiar, but faint scent of leftover morning coffee lingering hit my nose.

I dropped the keys on a small table by the door and dragged my body to the living room. I threw my work bag on the floor and immediately went over to the thermostat. Chris was going to kill me, but was it my fault that he was gifted with body heat and I wasn’t? I was always freezing and having Chris around was like having a personal space heater, but he hasn’t been around the past few months with all the filming he was getting back into. And, I was the master of guilt tripping him.

I grabbed my phone and texted back.

“I hate you, I miss my heater.”

I did. I really did.

I settled on frosted flakes for dinner because I was craving the cereal milk after a bowl of corn flakes. I also finished the last of the remaining oat milk in the fridge. You know how people say, TGIF? Well, in this case, thank god it’s Friday because our fridge needed restocking and I could finish that on the weekend.

When Chris wasn’t around, it was hard to find time to do anything. Without him, I resorted to what my life was like before he came into it. I resorted back to binge watching random Netflix documentaries and going to bed at 9pm. On days I felt extra adventurous, I would head out to the gym, but that was very rare. I rolled into the couch in the living room and laid there blankly staring at the plain ceiling.

Yesterday, I was hoping that around this time we would be getting take out for dinner and bet on who would orgasm first before the food arrived. Loser would have to wear their underwear to answer the delivery guy.

Last time we played, I gave him the best head ever and he lost before I even got fully undressed. But, he kept on arguing through the entire dinner how he purposefully lost because he didn’t need anyone seeing me in my underwear. Sure, Chris. Whatever you say.

I rolled to the side and faced empty TV screen. I thought I had turned the TV on, but I must have dreamt of doing that because I fell asleep after the last blink in the sweet memories of us.

“Y/N”

I eyes were too heavy to lift as I was still coming out of the sleep haze, but I knew that voice. My heart was already thumping, it recognized it too.

“Babe,” he whispered. This time his warm breath tickled my ears. His lips pressed against my forehead and I groaned.

“I hate you,” I muttered and rolled over to the otherside. My eyes were still pressed closed and I sure as hell was not going to wake up to greet him with happy arms. In my mind, he was a traitor.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” He was always the first to apologize.

This was one thing I personally loved about him the most. Even in the worst of the fights, even when I knew I was in the wrong, he was the level-headed being who had the mental stability to pause and apologize. Sometimes, I just want to fight and crush everything we built together, but he would never allow that. I don’t know what I would do if one day he didn’t apologize. I would take that as his way of breaking up.

I didn’t answer him back and I heard some rustling behind me. Chris let out a soft grunt as I heard his body touch the carpet. His hand ran through my hair softly. I opened my eyes, but I kept my eyes forward. The living room was pitch dark and the only source of light was the moonlight that came in through the apartment balcony glass doors.

“I missed you,” he said softly still playing with my hair.

“I didn’t,” I replied, trying to sound cold as possible.

I heard him chuckle and the familiar sound instantly warmed up my heart. “Huh, I definitely have a text here somewhere about how you miss me.”

“Chris! How dare you use that-” I ragingly turned around and met his sapphire blue eyes that still glowed in the darkness. I forgot the rest of my raging sentence.

He smiled and moved his hand to caress my face. “There she is.”

I looked at him completely speechless. He was wearing a baseball cap that framed his face perfectly. The moonlight hit his high cheekbones and the square jawline that I loved kissing was glowing and mocking me. His long eyelashes that were too good to be real on a human tore my heart apart and pieced it back together again. I had to fight the urge to grab on to his face and press mine against it.

“She’s mad at you,” I managed to get out with all the thoughts screaming inside my head.

“She still loves me.” He replied like how someone would answer “yes” to the question if the Earth was round.

“She does not,” I lied.

“She does.” There it was again.

“Actually, she wants to go back to sleep. That way, she doesn’t have to look at your face.”

His smile turned into a full grin. “You are so fucking cute when you are lying.”

I felt my cheeks growing hotter. No, Y/N. Chris is the enemy. Remember, Chris is the enemy. I pressed my lips together and narrowed my eyes at him.

“I want to kiss you,” he whispered like we were playing footsie underneath the Thanksgiving dinner table.

I couldn’t resist that.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head forward and felt his soft lips against mine. When our mouths opened, I tasted coffee in his breath. Hey, I needed the caffeine kick. Even though I was positive it didn’t work like that. My tongue found his and playfully teased around it. When he pulled away first, I was a tiny bit upset. Okay, I was very upset, but I sure wasn’t going to show him that.

He clearly saw the discontent on face and smiled a sly smile. “God, I missed your taste.”

“I missed yours more,” I argued.

His eyebrows arched at my desperate thirst response. “You know what else I missed the taste of?”

Then, his eyes shifted across the couch. His eyes looked in the direction of my legs, more specifically, the space between them. He slowly got up from the carpet and sat on the edge of the couch. He slipped his hand into my plain boybrief pjs and his finger grazed my cotton underwear. I already knew I was soaking wet just an inch lower from where his hand rested.

Keeping his eyes glued on mine, he slowly moved his fingers until I felt the warmth of his hand through my cotton underwear. I let out a soft moan from my throat that I couldn’t even control. This wasn’t fair. I wanted him so much.

I reached out a hand to grab a hold of his forearm. Underneath my grip, I felt the tensing of his individual muscle fibers against my skin, twitching and fighting the urge to rip off my underwear.

“Hey,” he spoke and his velvet voice echoed around the empty walls of our tastefully decorated minimalistic apartment.

“Yeah,” I replied with as my mind was going crazy about the fact that he was really trying to tease me.

“How many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop?”

There was a strange moment of silence before we both erupted into laughter. Our happy sounds were echoing around the entire floor. Other than the fact that this might have been the worst “let’s have sexy time” comment he said, I treasured moments like this. These were the times that lingered around my memories for a long, long time.

I got up from the couch and tore his hand away. “Okay, Mr. Evans. You definitely hit an all time low with that comment. It really sucks out all the intimacy.”

He moved his body closer to mine and kissed my cheek. “Ironic, it was supposed to get me sucking your pussy.”

The way he said pussy sent chills down my spine. I was getting ready to jump on him any moment now. “I mean technically… you can still do that,” I replied, nonchalantly.

He smiled and pressed his lips against mine. Our lips went at each other like we were in high school again trying to show off who was the better kisser. It was sloppy, wet, messy, and a lot of biting. It was still perfect. By the time he pulled away, we were both panting to catch our breaths. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and planted a sweet peck on my neck. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he already knew the cue. His arms dug underneath my back and knees. He effortlessly got up from the couch, holding me close to his chest.

I looked up at him speechless as he casually walked me through the hallways and kicked the bedroom door open. It was dark here too, minus the moonlight filtering through our bedroom window placed on either sides of the bed. He walked over to our California king bed and gently placed me down.

I bit my lip as he stood by the edge of his bed. He dropped his cap first, revealing a messy bed of hair underneath. In one quick motion, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. His pale skin glowed. The moonlight reflected off his broad shoulders and firm chest.

My heart wouldn’t shut up.

His body snaked over time and pinned me down between his legs. Each hand tightly gripped my wrists. The heat from his body was pouring down mine. He arched his neck and placed a kiss on my forehead. Then, he moved over to the tip of my nose, my lips, my chin, and then down on my neck. His warm breath tickled me.

“I’m sorry for being late,” he paused.

“But, I’m not apologizing for how I’m going to ruin you tonight.”

[rcsordinaryworld]

Daisy Outfit Compilation

Daisy from @bittersweetcandybowl usually dons her simple pearl necklace by itself, but occasionally she gets all dolled up and I think that’s really cute. I think of the cast, she’s the most interesting clothing-wise. She doesn’t wear it consistently, but she wears it more often than pretty much any of the not-always-clothed characters, if that makes sense. So I decided that, instead of doing my day job, I was going to make a compilation of all of Daisy’s outfits.

This probably won’t be an analysis, more of a dump with images and chapters listed. I like to draw her wearing clothing a lot and I like basing her outfits on things I think she would actually wear. I think her taste has remained pretty consistent through the years, so let’s see if that’s true! And also, sorry if I missed any, and please feel free to reply with any that I do miss.

The very first outfit we see Daisy wear is her cheerleader outfit (right). This one is her middle school one, which is a little different from high school, but I couldn’t find a color version. I also included a shot from when Augustus recalls seeing her in this in a later chapter, though it looks like she’s wearing her pearls on that one. Don’t you know you’re not supposed to wear accessories in uniform, Daisy?!

Not sure if it counts (since it was for a gag) but she did dress up as a lobster with the rest of the gang for Mike’s birthday. I love the little smile on her hat.

Next, the gang surprises her with a Daisy dress, of the Mario variety. Unfortunately, she doesn’t appreciate it very much. A shame, considering how much that thing must have cost! 

This shows up in a flashback scene with Paulo, but I can’t really tell what it is. A coat I think? It’s not something she wore all the time though, since we’ve seen her as a child and she’s not been in it.

The first Christmas outfit, at Tess’s first party. All of the crew’s outfits are Santa inspired this year, but Daisy’s is particularly adorable thanks to a big bell she wears around her neck.

As it warms up, their PE class involves swim lessons, where Daisy’s donning a black T-shirt. I didn’t even think she would own one, considering how much she loved pastels, but she really is quite self conscious. I can’t tell if she’s wearing any bottoms, since it is a long shirt. I imagine she probably has those boyshort type bottoms, probably also in black.

Hush, no, you’re perfect.

At least she seem comfortable in her cheer outfit! Chapter 38 features the first appearance of her high school cheer outfit, which is different from her middle school one, most notably, that she seems allowed to wear jewelry. (she’s not the only one, as Katie is wearing a necklace.) Also, her new outfit shows off her middriff and has a different pattern on the front chest panel. This one shows up in a few different chapters (list not comprehensive) as well as in the Candybooru. Also interesting, is that it looks like their school colors are sky blue and black. Go Roseville High!

AYOO meme time

But seriously what a weird but cute outfit! It’s so unique!! She was really laying it on thick to impress Mike, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she made it herself. It has a bit of a modified-from-thrift-store-finds feel doesn’t it? I have no idea if Daisy can sew but I am choosing to believe she does. Sadly, the night goes horribly wrong, but hey, at least she looked cute right? 

It’s kinda messed up that Tess was pushing so hard for Mike and Lucy to go to Acapulco, but totally doesn’t seem to care if Daisy and Abbey skipped out. Daisy helped you pass your classes, Tess! I mean, I guess Abbey did need the support, and we did get to see Daisy wear a cute dress to see them off. There’s lots of shots with it being all flowy and girly, I love it so much. That sash is great.

Speaking of cute dresses, she wore a simple but pretty one on her first date with Abbey. They went to a therapy session slash picnic which is a... non traditional choice, but a very sweet one. You can tell she’s really into Abbey by how she’s dressing up for him, and that Taeshi had a lot of fun drawing the flowiness of it.

Bonus silly cute images featuring glasses Daisy. She also sports glasses in the student gov chapter, and whenever she’s shown in the future, she also has them. Adorable.

Halloween costumes are always fun, and Daisy’s costume for freshman year was a traditional one-- a witch. I love the off-the-shoulders look of it. It’s a shame she wasn’t really important that chapter. I’m interested to see what the current Halloween chapter will have her wearing, if she’s in it. 

Pillow Talk is still one of my favorite chapters, because who doesn’t love gossip? What’s interesting is all of them wear pjs, even if they don’t normally wear clothing. Daisy showed up just wearing her pearls, and then put on a sleep dress (gown?) at the actual party. I included a shot of her room from this chapter too, since how she decorates her space is just as interesting as how she decorates her body, right?

Parties are definitely where Daisy likes to show off her fashion sense the most. Tess also hosts the Christmas party the next year, and it’s very cute. She’s got like... a poncho style thing, which actually became a trend way after this I think, since this chapter came out in about 2012, but a sort of Mexican inspired flowy top seems like something that definitely became super common in 2018. She’s ahead of her time! I think I love the flower ornament by her ear too. I couldn’t find a good shot of the length of the dress though.

But enough happy times. The day after the party, she wore this bright navy blue trench coat when she and Abbey went to visit Charlotte’s grave. Usually her fur is enough to keep her warm, so wherever Charlotte is, must be freezing. I wonder if she’s got anything under it, or if that’s not a prerequisite for coats in the BCB universe?

Looks like the trip to the cemetery got her too bummed out to plan an outfit for the New Year’s party. She’s just wearing her standard pearls for that one. Tess has a cute dress though.

She’s in a much better mood by Rachel’s party. I love that her shoes match perfectly. Off-the-shoulders is a great look for her, just like with her witch costume. This one is also reminiscent of the Mexican style blouses I mentioned earlier. I don’t think the waist-cinching has the effect she was probably going for though, at least not without a belt. She really seems to like baby blue huh?

WAIT A MINUTE THAT’S JUST MIKE COLORED.

AWKWARD.

But moving on! Remember how we found out she’s a huge weeb? That was great.The lanyard and backpack are such a great touch of realism. Con badges are the worst part about cosplaying at cons, since if you’re caught off guard you’ll have it in the shot, ruining all of your hard work. She obviously did put some effort into it too-- her costume is really well sewn and intricate and poofy. Notice all those panels on the chest and skirt. My theory that Daisy can sew intensifies. Also those bows are just too cute! I wish she wore them more often.

The same night she’s wearing some pjs again, this time a blue slip. Nothing fancy.

While not an outfit, Love Again opens with the first canon appearance of Daisy’s hip curls, inspired by Kit’s lovely fanart. I’m pretty sure they have a tumblr but I don’t know it, sorry!! I’ll edit it if I find out.

An intermission comic featuring all of their days starts Daisy off in pjs. These look like the one from Lucy’s birthday sleepover, judging by the collar frills. Looks like it might be getting more snug on her as she grows up.

Speaking of growing up, here’s Daisy all dressed up for her birthday, sporting a very cute bow. Her actual dress is made of a really strange material that’s presumably extremely thin, and sewn with plenty of elastic, judging by the wrinkles. I think it’s an interesting experimental outfit, but it’s so detailed it doesn’t really look the best in small scale. I’m not a huge fan of the wrinkled look in general, but the colors are very flattering on her, and the overskirt thing is pretty nice.

Daisy makes a brief appearance in Escape Route, a chapter mostly about Augustus and Lucy. Normally she wears dresses, but this time she’s rocking a cupcake liner. Okay, so it’s not really her, but I can’t not include this cute cupcake!

Last but not least, here’s her outfit for Mady’s birthday party. I adore this outfit so much! It’s amusingly similar to one of Lucy’s mother’s outfits, though her mother pairs it with pants.  That being said, I think this is my absolute favorite outfit of hers. The cardigan pairs great with her necklace, and the belted dress is just so flattering and and adds just enough detail. I think it’s simple, classy, flirty, and just so cute. Most of her looks have been blue, and this is actually one of the few pink outfits she owns, but we know she does like it based on her room. Pink pairs with her apricot/cream fur for a fun, girly look that’s just right for her.

And with that, we’ve finished compiling all of her outfits from the comic, though I didn’t gather any outfits that are Booru-exclusives, like her prom(?) dress. I thought about including those, but there’s so many to go through, and their canonity was so iffy that I decided against it for this post.

It seems safe to say Daisy has very simple tastes, with a rather timeless but definitely girly feel to them. Flowy, mid thigh dresses and skirts are her favorites, and seems to prefer sleeveless or off-the-shoulder looks. She also has a tendency to dress up to impress boys, but she does genuinely seem to enjoy making outfits, and she’s quite fashionable! 

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making it. Daisy deserves all the love in the world.

[outfittrends]

Women Banquet Outfits- 25 Ideas On What To Wear To A Banquet Outfit Trends - Ideas How to Wear & What to Wear

New Post has been published on https://www.outfittrends.com/women-banquet-outfits/

Women Banquet Outfits- 25 Ideas On What To Wear To A Banquet

Banquet Outfits for Women: For Banquet events, irrespective of whether it will be a formal or informal occasion, you need to appear regal and elegant. When the invitation arrives, you might be asked to stick to a particular dress code. However, when you don’t have a definitive dress code, you can opt for an outfit that suits your fancy.

You need to take a few considerations into mind while dressing up for a banquet. You need to get the complete information about the event and look at the latest trends and then figure out what would be the best way to go forward. We have compiled a list of various combinations of garments that you can easily put together to get the perfect outfit ready.

How to Dress up for Banquet

Here are a few things you need to keep in mind while getting ready:

You don’t always need to select big poofy ball gowns while going for banquets.

Keep the dress code, weather, and venue in mind while dressing up.

Add a touch of sparkle to your outfit, with a piece with sequins.

Opt for a dress that is comfortable because most of the time you will need to sit and relax.

Opt for footwear that you can comfortably carry throughout the event.

Accessorize yourself with statement necklace and belt.

  ↓ 25. What to Wear to a Church Banquet

If you have been invited to a church banquet, you might wonder what is the perfect outfit to wear. Well, there are certain limitations to dressing up for the church, like not overdoing your makeup and keeping the hem of your dress to a decent length and even wearing long sleeves and smaller necklines in certain cases to show you respect their beliefs. You can be very elegant without being flashy by showing off your midriff or wearing overly fitted dresses. For more ideas, here are 27 Modest Ideas On What to Wear to Church.

Via

↓ 24. Sports Banquet Outfit

What you choose to wear at your sports banquet depends upon the dress code expected at the ceremony. If it is a school-related function and you don’t have to wear your uniform, go for something that is casual but fancy. You can wear leggings along with a beautiful floral print dress, or simple black slacks with a lace blouse. You can wear lace cardigan with your dress for a more formal look.

Via

↓ 23. Summer Banquet Attire

Summertime banquets are extremely fun to attend and you can totally show off skin and flaunt gorgeous summer dresses. Go with your own unique version of a little black dress, whether you go with a scalloped V-neck skater dress or a black mini jumpsuit. You can also go with soft colours and the prints for the daytime event.

Via

↓ 22. Lace Outfit

Lace outfits are perfect for banquets because the fabric is easy to carry and lace dresses can look stunning too. You can choose to go with various options in terms of garments and colours with lace but usually white and black are the ones most preferred for banquets. White lace dress exudes feminity and softness while a black lace dress is the epitome of sexiness and bold outlook.

Via

↓ 21. Fall Banquet Outfit

If you are attending a fall banquet, you need to dress accordingly and there are a million different possibilities. We already know that early fall season is all about the bright colours ranging from orange to various shades of red. Pair up a burgundy scoop neck blouse with lace sleeves with black micro print pants for a smart look. Pair accessories with the outfit wisely to give you a more fancy touch.

↓ 20. Monochromatic Look

If you think the monochromatic look is too boring or old school for you, you have another thing coming. It is understated how a simple one colour scheme outfit can make you stand out in the crowd. Get your hands on fitted high-waisted pants which are the trendiest piece on the market and pair them up with a sheer lace blouse with a floral inner. Wear big silver loopy earrings and white minimalist heels for a refined appearance.

Via

↓ 19. Power Suit for Banquet

Power suit can give you a formal and powerful appearance. If you are invited to a work-related banquet, you can wear a dark coloured suit for the event. Shades of green are both quite flattering and not too outrageous that they will look out of place in a formal event. Go with printed heels and handbag for an alluring look.

↓ 18. Plus Size Banquet Outfit

It is a banquet and it is fine to flaunt your awesome body. Get yourself a dress with some great leg action and subtle feminine colours and select a cut that flares from above your belly button to give you the perfect silhouette. Soft pink colour looks amazing on all skin tones and you can easily dress it up with the right accessories. Go for a spectacular necklace and pearl earrings. Go for bold heels to give you an edgy look and the perfect height.

Via

↓ 17. Victorian Inspired Outfit

It is time to go for some Victorian inspired outfit with pretty ruffle detailing and antique print. Go for the off-shoulder style dress to show that pretty neckline and you can even accentuate it with a sophisticated necklace. Go for nude shoes and a straw basket style purse to complete the look.

↓ 16. Chic Outfit

Sometimes you can turn things around and go for a plain black top and dress it up with the right skirt. Bright coloured pearl embellished skirts are perfect for banquets and go for the high-waisted style to give you the appearance of long legs and narrow waist. You can style this outfit with thigh-high boots or black heels depending on the venue of the event.

Via

↓ 15. Dapper Jumpsuit

You can’t deny the fact that jumpsuits are extremely trendy and have been widely popular. The best thing about a jumpsuit is that it can be worn in any season and for any event without much ado. Try on a fancy jumpsuit with special print, glitter or sequins and some fancy detailing like ruffles or cold shoulders. Don’t wear loose-fitting jumpsuits with wide pants and instead go for body-hugging ones. Wear a stylish hat and black heels to complement the look. Here are 16 Cute Jumpsuits Outfits & Ideas On How to Wear Jumpsuits Rightly.

↓ 14. Casual Banquet Outfit

We don’t always have to wear the fanciest clothing items for the banquet. In case you are invited to a casual banquet, wear a simple white tee and jeans and pair it with a striped blazer for a quick and effortlessly charming look. Avoid wearing distressed jeans and hippy jeans styles. You can choose to upgrade the outfit with heels or go with flats for comfort. Carry a trendy neutral shade bag with the outfit.

Via

↓ 13. Winter Banquet Outfit

With winter outfits, the biggest advantage is that you can mix and match various prints and pieces together with all your artistic skills. Go a little out of your comfort zone and select pieces that are elegant and will look amazing together. You can work with a gorgeous pastel cardigan and pair it with a feminine skirt. You can choose to wear skinny jeans or some vibrant tights and grey boots to pull a great look together.

↓ 12. How to Wear Animal Print Dress

Between all the different dress options you might have to wear, don’t underestimate the animal print dress. Struggling with how to dress it up for a banquet? Go with a faux fur jacket for winter or a tailored black blazer for summer. You can add a wide black belt with silver embellishments to the mix and slip on a pair of black boots.

Via

↓ 11. High Low Dress

With a high low dress, you can add some excitement and sexiness to your dress. Go with dresses that have a slightly longer train and have an empire silhouette. A v-neck dress with cold shoulder sleeves is attractive for the banquet event and go for vibrant colours and prints for the high low dress. For a breezy and dazzling look, go with matching heels and vibrant earrings.

Via

↓ 10. Mix and Match Outfit

Go with your rebellious fashionista style when in confusion. There is a multitude of different items that go very well together that you already contain in your closet. Check out which prints will go well with each other and what colours will mix together effortlessly. With colourful and vibrant prints, go with low key accessories and footwear to bring attention to your dress.

↓ 9. Vibrant Maxi Dress

↓ 8. Sequin Skirt

If you have been finding moments to wear a sequins shirt for the longest time, grab the moment and wear it now! You don’t need to worry about the time of the event because it is perfect for day or night time. A midi sequin skirt is perfect for a banquet and you can pair it up with a micro polka dots shirt and ankle boots. To add more glamour to the outfit, wear some beautiful gold earrings and an oversized belt at the waist. Love wearing sequins? Then you wouldn’t want to miss out on these Sequins Wardrobe Essentials & 16 Ways to Wear Sequin Outfits.

↓ 7. Modest Dressing

If your religion and values call for modest dressing, there are a few ways you can turn everyday dresses into the perfect outfits for banquets. Wear a flared maxi dress and carry it with an embroidered cape in a similar colour. You can also pin yourself with a scarf or wear a lace kimono over your dress. For covering your head, go for a silk scarf as it has a beautiful shine to it and perfect for formal events.

↓ 6. Styling Tulle for Banquet

Tulle is just not child’s play and a tulle skirt is something you need to have in your wardrobe now. You can wear a black or neutral shade tulle skirt with a vibrant cardigan for winter, or a feminine lace blouse for summer. Go for hemline below the knees and strut around in some classy black heels. A faux fur purse would go well with a tulle skirt outfit and keep the accessories simple so that you won’t appear too over-the-top.

↓ 5. Glamorous Crop Tops

Crop tops for the banquet? Totally Yes! Cropped tops with flared long maxi skirts are just the best outfit option and can really be pretty easy to style. You can even pair up crop tops with your ethnic or traditional printed or embellished skirt for the event. Halter crop tops are best for formal events and keep the length of the top longer for a banquet because overexposing skin is not tasteful for the banquet.

↓ 4. A Vision in Black

If you want to make the most dramatic entrance, we suggest you go with a black dress. Black dresses are beautiful for night time events and you can flaunt any style of a black dress easily. With the black dress in the picture, you won’t have to do much in the department of accessories or footwear. Let the dress speak for itself.

↓ 3. Mixing Up Colors

Don’t fret too much while mixing up colours for a perfect look. Sometimes, colours mix together effortlessly. Start off with a pastel or neutral shade blouse or tee and go with a vibrant skirt and a blue embroidered blazer to make a chic statement. Black self-print leggings and black chunky boots will look nice with this outfit. Since red and blue is a really hot combination to try this year, here are some gorgeous Outfits To Wear With Red Pants.

Via

↓ 2. Accessories and Makeup for Banquet

Go with bold lips colours for the banquet and favour red, burgundy or purple for an instantly stunning look. Go with minimal eye makeup by finishing off with beige or taupe eye shadow and black liner. Go with a soft pink blush and only a slight touch of highlighter. You can choose to let your hair loose or tie it up in a graceful bun for the event.

In case you are appearing in the most glitzy and glam dress, it is better to opt for minimal accessories. However, if you want to dress up your look, go with some gold earrings, and even a statement necklace piece. Tie a belt around your waist for a more defining look for the banquet. Go for light handbags or crossbody bags that will give you a more elegant appearance.

Via

↓ 1. Footwear to Wear to Banquet

You can choose to wear flats or heels for the banquet, however, take care that you are wearing something fancy. You can either go with beautiful heels to give you a great look or printed flats for a graceful and comfortable look. Select your footwear according to the venue and the weather. Sometimes, it is wise to wear boots or covered flats for the winter banquet and heels to the summer banquet.

Via

Via

[beeplusyou-blog]

Things I would like if they were a color other than red

 Red is always an ubiquitous color once fall rolls around, and since this is traditionally the time when fall wardrobes are purchased, more and more red items are hitting the market. And I... I hate red! I know, since red is such a popular color most people will find that statement odd. To be more specific, I’m okay with red as an accent color, but I hate it in clothing. And I’m talking about RED red, true fire engine red. Oxblood I can do, I like it okay. Maroon is fine. Primary red can get on outta here. Since I feel this way about red, you may realize this means it will almost NEVER get featured here. So, I decided to make a whole red post for all the red-lovers out there. It’s interesting for me, since I’m ignoring the color of a garment (usually a huge factor in how I feel about it) and focusing entirely on silhouette, fabric, details, etc. Prepare yourselves for the red.

Asos Curve Ultimate Mini Embroidered Smock Dress

I have my doubts about the wording of this listing, mainly because this is a drop-waist dress, not so much a smock dress, so how can it be the ULTIMATE smock dress? But I love a good drop waist dress, I love embroidery, and the ruffles and bell sleeves are cute as hell. If this dress wasn’t eye-searingly red, I might even consider buying it.

Society Plus York Plaid Pull On Skinny Pant

Stretchy pull-on pants that are both comfy AND work appropriate? Yes please! Bright red accents in the mostly gray plaid? NOPE. Any other color, and these pants would go straight into my work wardrobe. Sorry, red. On another note, I am loving this top (besides the red) but can’t find it anywhere on Society Plus. Trust me, everyone, I would link it if I could. (PS these pants are on sale AND an extra 20% off right now, so run for them if you like them).

Simply Be High Neck Ruffle Blouse

I think this blouse would be a good alternative to the one pictured on the Society Plus site to pair with those pants, if you were truly dedicated to the red look. I love billowy sleeves, and the ruffled high neck. In fact, ruffles in general have grown on me a lot in the past couple of months. Not only is this a lovely top, but it comes in a color besides red! It’s navy, so not my favorite color to wear, but still better than red. Is it cheating if I pick something that actually does come in a second color? Who cares, I’m the one who made up this game.

Target Plus Ruffle Tie Neck Midi Dress

Could this dress be any more twee and cute? Yes! If it wasn’t red. The color may be listed as “rust,” but that’s just a fancy way of saying red! Still, it’s got that perfect fall look with the pussy bow, the pleating, the ruffles, the contrast polka dot pattern, the sheer poofy sleeves. I would wear something like this pretty much anywhere. It doesn’t appear to be a midi length on the model pictured, but she’s 5′10″ so it’d definitely hit me below the knee.

Target Who What Wear Plus Floral Bomber Jacket

I may be featuring Target twice, but that’s because I wanted to include a jacket in this post, and this one is glorious. This also comes in another color, but it’s a different pattern as well so I won’t count that. And it may be listed as orange, but this picture is red as hell (I’ve also seen this in person and it’s very red). I absolutely love a bold floral and a patterned bomber, and the contrasting cuffs are just perfect in my book. I would absolutely adore this in a mint green or a pink.

One thing I noticed is that lilac is getting paired with red more and more. I’m into that, since I love lilac and believe that there should be more plus options in this season’s trendiest pastel, but I just can’t get over the red enough to actually wear it. Hopefully some of you can!

[minijenn]

Universe Falls Preview 2

Goooooodddd it was so hard for me to decide what to put in this preview because I’ve been writing all day and its all so good but alas I can only show you so much for now so here. Enjoy my darling awkward mess of a fusion son (and please! Let me know what you think of him after you read this! I want feedback!) 

“Well, go ahead and take a look!” Mabel exclaimed as she gave the hesitant fusion a push towards the mirror. “Five bucks says you’re gonna be all like-” she gasped, throwing on a shocked, yet amazed expression before giving the fusion a challenging grin.

“Oh please, I’m not gonna-” his scoff quickly faded into silence as he happened to steal a glance at his reflection in the mirror in front of him.

“Yes!” Mabel cheered in a whisper upon seeing the fusion’s jaw drop in awe as he took in his reflection for the first time. “I win!”

Of course, the fusion paid her no mind as he instead simply stared at himself with wide, curious eyes. If he had any lingering doubts before, they were instantly put to rest upon seeing the perfectly equal semblance he bore to both Dipper and Steven. His eyes were bright and expressive, yet alert and intelligent, going well with the rest of his somewhat boyish yet almost mature at the same time. As he was already well aware of, he had four arms, all of which were surprisingly well toned, much like the rest of his body, clearly a merging of Dipper’s thin frame and Steven’s stocky build. Likewise, his hair was on the darker end of brown, short, but thick and unmistakably curly, even if most of it was well contained under Dipper’s usual pine tree cap. He also wore his dark blue vest, overtop of Steven’s pink star shirt, which was short enough to reveal the gem on his navel and had somehow gained an extra set of sleeves to accommodate the lower set of arms. All of that, along with a long pair of comfortable jean pants and a set of grey and white sandals, culminated to create a look that was surprisingly appealing and intriguing, even if his extra arms did throw it off just the slightest bit.

“Whoa…” the fusion finally spoke up, turning a bit to catch a better look at himself. “We actually look kind of…Great? Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking! W-well, I was gonna say…”

“Adorable!” Mabel chimed in, startling the fusion by snapping a photo of them. “Oh, that’s a keeper for the scrapbook!”

“Adorable?!” the fusion exclaimed, offended. “We are not adorable. Well… we might be, just a little… No, we’re not!”

“So if you’re not adorable, then what are you?” Mabel asked with a goading smirk. “Handsome? Because hey, you actually have muscles for once, Dipper. And the ladies love muscles.”

The fusion let out a small, somewhat uncomfortable laugh at this, his face lighting up in an embarrassed blush as his levity quickly faded into a scowl. “Ok, this is getting weird,” he said stiffly, looking to his reflection once more. “Huh? What’s so weird about this? I think the better question is what isn’t weird about this?” The fusion frowned as he lifted his lower arms up, cringing at how admittedly odd the sensation of controlling them was. “Oh, come on! I know it’s a little different at first, but you’ll get used to it! Trust me. Get used to it?! Why would I ever want to get used to—Whoa, hold that thought!” he gasped, his eyes wide as he noticed something interesting while looking at his reflection again. “What is that?” Intrigued, he slowly started lifting a hand up towards his forehead, but his other half was quick to catch onto his intention and hurriedly put a stop to it by grabbing his wrist tightly to halt his approach. “No,” he said simply, his tone rigid and his expression set in a hardened scowl that soon turned into hesitant confusion. “Why not?”

“Yeah, why not, Dipper?” Mabel asked, crossing her arms and grinning knowingly. “Are you afraid of letting Steven see your birthmark?”

The fusion snapped a glance of angry panic over at her, but this news only made him all the more curious. “You have a secret birthmark?!” he asked with a fascinated smile. “I wanna see it! No, you don’t, and you’re not going to. Aw, come on… can I see it? Please? No. But why not? Because… because I said so! But I just wanna know what it looks like!”

“You might as well let him see it,” Mabel interjected, still smirking. “After all, in a way it’s sort of his birthmark now too.”

The fusion was still scowling as he looked to the mirror once more, a brief look of hopefulness crossing his expression before he finally let out a relenting sigh. “Fine…” he released his tight grip on his other hand. “Just… just don’t laugh, ok? Why would I laugh? I’m sure whatever your—or our birthmark, is, it’ll be super cool! Just like us! …Right…” Without anything holding him back, the fusion removed his hat, freeing the upper half of his poofy, somewhat messy hair, which was soon pushed upward so he could get a better view of the mark on his forehead. And when he did, both halves of his whole froze in surprised amazement at what the saw.

“What the…?” he muttered, confusion filling his expression first before astonishment quickly replaced it. “Wow! It’s the Big Dipper! Just like the constellation! Yeah, but… what’s with the star?” His bewilderment quickly returned as he leaned in a bit closer to the mirror, taking note of the small star perfectly contained within the mark iconic constellation, which, when he was on his own, had always been expectantly empty. Still, as strange and somewhat disconcerting as that was, he easily bounced back into excitement with a gasp of realization. “Oh my gosh! This where you got your name from, isn’t it? Uh, well its-”

“Dipper’s not his real name, Steven,” Mabel informed casually. “It’s just a nickname.”

“Can you please stop telling him things?!” the fusion asked, aggravated first, then awestruck. “Whaaaat?! You mean I’ve known you all this time and I don’t even know what your real name is!? That’s crazy! No, it’s not, because as far as I’m concerned, nobody needs to know it. Aw, but its ok! You can tell me! What? No way! I already let you see the birthmark, I’m not letting you-” The fusion cut himself off with a startled gasp, his birthmark and gem both briefly flashing as he took a stumbling step backwards. “W-what was that?!” he asked, breathless and alarmed before breaking into a huge, knowing smile. “Whoa, so that’s your real name?! Wait… what? How did you—what did you do?! I… don’t really know. But whatever I did, I guess I found out what your real name is, Ma—Don’t.” He cut himself off, his tone harsh as he glared at his reflection. “I’m serious. Don’t say it. O-ok… I guess I won’t then…”

“Yeesh, calm down, Dipper,” Mabel rolled her eyes. “It’s not like your real name is even that embarrassing. Oh! But speaking of names, I just realized something! You don’t have one yet!”

Mutual confusion filled the fusion’s face as he looked down at her. “Uh… yeah we do?”

“No, no, I’m not talking about Steven or Dipper, I’m talking about you,” Mabel corrected with a smile. “The fusion! Stevonnie and Maven both had names, so you need one too!”

“Er… no, we—Oh my gosh, we totally do!” the fusion gasped. “I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about that until now! … You guys aren’t serious, are you?”

“Of course we are,” Mabel nodded firmly. “Now let’s see here… Steven and Dipper… Dipper and Steven… How about we try… Diven!?”

The fusion scoffed, turning his nose up at the purposed name as he put his hat back on. “You are not calling us that. Yeah… I’m not really feeling ‘Diven’ either…”

“Ok… well… how about Stedip!?”

“Eh…?” the fusion stuck his tongue out. “I’m not a fan of that one either… Yeah, because it sounds dumb.”

“Pfft, everybody’s a critic,” Mabel sighed petulantly, but still, she wasn’t about to give up. “Ok, let’s try… Dipen?”

“No.”

“Stever?”

“Nah…”

“Dien?”

“Are you kidding?”

“Ugh, cut me some slack, guys!” Mabel exclaimed in frustration. “It’s not like combining your names is as easy as just tossing Steven and Dipper together and getting-” She gasped, her eyes widening as a new idea struck her. “I got it… You—you being the fusion of Steven and Dipper—shall henceforth now and forever be known as… Stepper!”

[meliaamethyst]

Hey, Bartender! Chapter One

Synopsis:  Heartbroken Gon meets secretive Killua while on a 'boys' night out' with Kurapika and Leorio. The chemistry is instantaneous, and Gon finds himself falling for Killua faster than he could have ever dreamed. But there's more behind those cerulean eyes. Gon's life itself could be threatened. Can Killua, the one who put him in danger in the first place, protect Gon?

Links:

AO3 http://archiveofourown.org/works/10885566

FanFiction.Net https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12485185/1/Hey-Bartender

Tags: Stripper!GonMob Boss!KilluaAged-Up Character(s)honestly there shouldn't be anything bad just some AU fluffoneshot turned chapter impulsively

Characters, Relationships: Gon Freecss/Killua Zoldyck, Leorio/Kurapika, Hisoka/Illumi

8 o'clock on Friday night I'm still at home

All my girls just keep on blowing up my phone

Saying come on, he ain't worth the pain

Do what you gotta do to forget his name

Now there's only one thing left for me to do

Leorio and I are going out to the club tonight, The text from Kurapika, Gon's long-time best friend, read. The light from the screen was the only beacon in Gon's dark apartment, which matched his mood. He'd been depressed and lack-luster for the last two weeks following a particularly brutal breakup. You should come, too! It'll be fun.

I don't know, Gon replied, his fingers flying over the keypad. I'm not sure I'm ready to go out yet.

Not ready for fun? Gon sighed, exasperated. Clearly Kurapika was avoiding Gon's point. You mean the thought of a night with endless possibilities doesn't have your head spinning? Who are you and what have you done with Gon?!

I'm still me! I'm just minus the fun-loving part. That's what happens when you find your boyfriend in bed with another guy. It sucks some life outta you!

And that's horrible, Gon, it truly is. That creep doesn't deserve you and I hope his death brings him eternity bound with white-hot chains. Kurapika's message practically growled, and Gon could almost see the Kurta's eyes turn scarlet in his anger. But this was two weeks ago. It's not in your nature to wallow for so long. Not to mention, it's bad for your health. You need the sun and fresh air more than most people; You'll suffocate in that tiny apartment. As to tonight, you could just order some drinks, maybe dance a bit, or flirt. You don't need to get laid. Just come along and have some good, old-fashioned fun.

Slip on my favorite dress and sky high leather boots

Check the mirror one last time

And kiss the past goodbye

You do have a point. I am overthinking things, aren't I? You're going to Aquamarine, right? I can meet you there in an hour.

Thattaboy! We'll be waiting out front! Gon's phone dinged, but Gon didn't pay any attention. He had already jumped out of bed and started picking out his outfit.

What I'm really needing now

Is a double shot of Crown

Chase that disco ball around

'Til I don't remember

Go until they cut me off

Wanna get a little lost

In the noise, in the lights

Hey Bartender

An hour and ten minutes later, Gon, Kurapika and Leorio entered the gaybar Aquamarine. Their senses were immediately flooded by the cerulean lights and heavy-bass music that was so loud it didn't even sound like music anymore. All around them, bodies on the dance floor ground and gyrated against their partners while others stayed near the bar, and Gon could see a few pairs against the walls, nestled in corners and making out.  Kurapika didn't seem to notice the multitude of couples, but Gon was painfully aware of the atmosphere.

Seeing one pair in particular getting cozy in the shadows, Gon's mind flashed to his time with his ex, pulling up a few more poignant memories. His heart squeezed painfully as he remembered, not for the first time, just how disastrously his relationship had ended. While Gon hadn't been in love with his ex, and he honestly had no idea even now why he had thought dating him was a good idea, but being cheated on left quite a scar on Gon's heart. He had been lied to, humiliated in a very cruel way. Something like that always stuck to a person as friendly and trusting as Gon for a long time. But tonight things would change, he hoped.

Hey Bartender pour 'em hot tonight

'Til the party and music and the truth collide

Bring it 'til his memory fades away

Hey Bartender

Feeling himself drowning in bad memories, Gon shook himself awake. He looked up and was surprised to find that Kurapika wasn't in front of him anymore; He must have been reminiscing for longer than he'd thought. A quick glance around told him that Kurapika was several paces in front of him, heading for the booths, and he was waiting for him with a sympathetic look in his eyes. Gon blushed and hurried to his friend.

Gon had dressed carefully; settling on a brand new pair of black leather pants and matching boots, two pieces that had practically been made for each other. He had chosen a simple, emerald green button up shirt that was just shy of a dress shirt and yet it looked just as good.The green also contrasted quite nicely with his amber eyes and sun-kissed-bronze skin. Gon looked stunning, and he knew it.

The trio sat down at the nearest unoccupied table with Kurapika on Leorio's side of the booth and Gon sitting opposite them. As Kurapika nestled closer to his boyfriend, Gon busied himself with reading the specials menu, pretending like he wasn't affected by their lovey-dovey aura. His wandering eyes found the menu. He picked it up, using it as a desperate distraction from the pink heart-shaped bubble that surrounded his friends.

After a quick glance at the menu, he set it aside and read the poster above the table. That's when he saw a strange reflection in the glass; short and poofy white hair that may have drawn his attention, but Gon's heart almost raced out of his chest when he and the stranger locked eyes in the glass. Were those blue eyes, or was that just the lighting? He didn't have time to find out because after a few moments  the stranger turned away. Gon snapped his head around with surprising force and searched the crowd; there he was, at the bar.

The white-haired man sat in his chair, back straight. He had a shot glass in his hand and there was a dark liquid along the rim.  Gon couldn't tell what it was but for some reason, he yearned to find out, and the strength of his desire startled him. He was a really friendly guy and he was always happy to chat, but he had never felt something this strong before. It was like his gut was telling him to approach the mysterious man at the bar.

Having grown up almost wild on an island, Gon wasn't stupid enough to ignore something so innate. He knew he should listen to his gut, and yet he hesitated. He didn't know what a conversation with the guy would result in, and he wasn't sure that he was ready to find out. But he couldn't let this chance pass.

Approaching the stranger, Gon's mind suddenly began to race.  He had always been one who was confident that everything would work out, no matter what. Even when the odds were stacked against his ideal outcome, it always seemed to happen. Except for his last relationship, that is. But that's beside the point. He had always known that the path he was on was the right one. Now he was wondering if that moment when he had locked eyes with the stranger had all just been part of his imagination, if he had somehow fooled himself into believing that he was meant to meet this other man. Honestly, who was he to jump into a situation like this? Maybe this other guy didn't care to meet, or maybe he just wanted to be friends.

Friends is fine. The other half of Gon's brain, the logical side, reminded him. You're not here for sex. You're here to spend time with Leorio and Kurapika, to get outside a bit.

Yeah, you're right. Gon's slightly-less panicked mind replied. I'm being stupid, I'm overreacting. I should just dive in headfirst as always. And let whatever happens happen.

Taking a deep breath, Gon calmed himself  as he built his confidence back up. He refused to approach this beautiful stranger at anything less than full confidence. He put his hands in his pockets and straightened to his full height.

At six-foot-two, and built solid and firm like an ancient pine, he could be intimidating if he wanted to be. And he was confident in his abilities, so he wasn't afraid of the many fights he usually found himself in...and won.  Also, he had bright gold eyes with a friendly sparkle in them, and he had spiky, black hair with green highlights. His skin was sun-kissed bronze and he had toned muscles everywhere. When Gon decided to turn on the charm, no one stood a chance.

He sauntered up to the white-haired man as said stranger barked "Another!"  to the barkeep, shoving his shot glass towards him almost rudely.

Tonight I'll let a stranger pull me on the floor

Spin me round and let 'em buy a couple more

But before it goes too far

I'll let him down easy

'Cause tonight it's all about

Dancing with my girls to the DJ

Gon  sat in the seat next to the other guy, who jumped as if he was startled. He turned to Gon, his kohl-rimmed sapphire eyes wide and just a bit angry.

"I'm sorry," Gon smiled as he got a bit more comfortable in the wooden stool, trying to pretend like he wasn't staring at this beautiful man in front of him. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Uh, no problem." The other muttered  as he ducked his head, trying to hide.

Gon nodded and waved to the bartender, who came over bearing the refill for the stranger.

Gon checked the menu above the mirror behind the bar and ordered his conversation starter - a martini. It was a drink that didn't usually pair with his image; in fact, it was almost girly. Gon had never met another guy who admitted to liking this drink so his order drew all sorts of eyes.

The barkeep poured his drink and Gon took a delighted sip.

A scoff next to him drew his eyes back to the white-haired stranger. "Seriously?"

Gon shrugged. "Don't knock it 'till you try it," He slid his glass delicately towards his neighbor, who simply gave the glass a look that resembled a cat eyeing a bowl of water when it was expecting cream.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because learning something new is always fun. Besides, what can it hurt?"

The stranger rolled his eyes and accepted the glass. He took a small sip, remained still for a moment, and then gave a noncommittal response. But Gon could see the 'hey, that's actually kinda good!' thought in his eyes. Which was curious because most people, upon discovering that they like something, they'd want to show it. But not this guy. Why?

Before he could analyse anything else, the stranger put down the glass and shoved it back to Gon, who accepted it with a hand that was shaking only slightly.

"I'm Gon, by the way."

"Killua." His reply was curt, clipped. His tone told Gon that he was either pissed off or nervous. Killua didn't shrink or curl, but Gon could almost see Killua's spirit doing exactly that. Yes, he was nervous. But why? Was it even his business? Maybe not, but he felt like he had to help. But how could he do that without making Killua any more nervous than he already was?

"Care to dance?" Gon asked, holding out his hand and smiling at the other man. Killua gave him a shocked look, alternating glances between Gon's smiling face and his proffered hand, before he finally slid his own into place.

Gon smiled again and led Killua onto the dance floor, easily maneuvering through the pack.

It was quite clear that Gon knew how to dance with a partner, and he was really good at it. He held Killua in a secure grip, applying pressure in the right places to tell Killua where he wanted to go, but he never squeezed so hard that Killua was hurt. He didn't move in a jerky fashion, either, and he picked movements that flowed well together with an easy transition between each, which made the dance itself very easy. In addition to that, Gon never lost the beat and actually seemed to use the beat in the dance itself instead of using several different poses in a haphazard manner. And not one of the moves was sexual in nature. Gon didn't grind himself into Killua, and he didn't place any indication that he wanted the same. He was respectful and considerate.

All in all, Gon was a brilliant dancer.

Eventually the song faded away, changing from the heady, bass-propelled rock song to a more gentle, slow-tempoed score. Gon led Killua back to the bar, quite sure that his timid partner wouldn't want to dance to such a slow song; it was too personal and there were too many expectations for a few-minutes-old acquaintanceship.

Then someone gripped him by his elbow, forcing him to stop. Gon turned to see Killua was the one holding him in place. Gon could also see that he was blushing pretty heavily as he muttered. "I wouldn't mind dancing to this one. If that's ok with you."

Smiling, Gon pulled Killua into an embrace, easily picking out the beat in the music and gliding to it.

Killua's hands felt warm in his, and they were long but skinny so they felt smaller than Gon's own; it felt good, holding the other's hands. He looked to Killua's face and briefly panicked.  Killua looked so uncertain, his eyes clouded with so many emotions it was hard to figure them out. It looked like he needed some distraction.

"So, what brings you here tonight, Killua?"

"Avoiding my place. It's too quiet. You?"

Over Killua's shoulder, Gon could see Kurapika and Leorio watching him. Pika smiled in his own 'OMG they're so cute!' way, just happy to see Gon loosening up. Leorio, on the other hand, was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, so smug that this wonderful night was his idea and look what's come of it!

Gon felt his cheeks heat at being the center of their attention, but he didn't let that stop him at all. Killua was finally starting to open up and lose his tense shoulders!

"I'm just getting over a bad breakup, and my friends thought some fun would help get me out of the funk I've been in."

"How's that working out for you?"

"Well, since I'm currently dancing with you, I'd say it's working out pretty well. What about you?"

"Same."

"Okay, good. So, any goals for tonight?"

"Drinks. But I'm open to more." Killua whispered, blushing so heavily that the change was obvious even in the club lighting.

"Why do you say that?" Gon asked carefully, watching his partner's reactions. He was ready to change the subject if Killua showed signs of discomfort.

"I dunno! Jeez. I just...I don't open up much, but I feel like it'd be okay with you."

"I see. Thanks for the compliment!"

"Why do you think-?"

"Because you seem like the type who doesn't let people get close enough to hurt you. By listening to your instincts that say I'm okay, you're showing me a lot of trust that I haven't earned yet. So, that's quite a compliment. So thanks."

"Mind reader, huh?"

"No. I just used to people-watch when I was younger, so now I'm a pretty good judge of character."

"Why would you do that? I'd get bored watching people go about their lives. Once you figure out their motivations, people are predictable so there's not much to see."

"Maybe that's true. But I enjoy watching people react to each other. Two strangers happen to meet and they can either hit it off and be best friends or be total enemies, depending on their personalities, depending on their personalities. It's fascinating."

"Uh-huh. So then I take you're the sentimental type?"

"You guessed it."

"Oooh, lovely." Killua muttered in a tone that Gon didn't like.

"What's wrong?"

"Emotions. Too messy."

"For tonight, I agree. That's why I'm here; Just to have some fun and not fuss about the breakup. Oh, but I guess I should warn you that I've never had a one-night stand before?"

"Hey! Why would you tell me something like that?"

"Well, you're the only one I'm interested in, and it seems like you're interested in me, so it's only fair that you should know. Even if nothing happens. Just….better safe than sorry."

"Jeez, idiot. What if I don't want to go home with you?"

"Then we can talk or just drink or something. Sex isn't my ultimate goal."

"Oh." Killua blushed harder and buried himself in Gon's neck, trying to escape the embarrassment from the conversation. Gon chuckled, and kept dancing, gently but securely leading Killua through the steps. Gon figured that Killua was too freaked to speak and he preferred to hide, so he let him.

Eventually the song ended, and the two winded young men found their way back to their seats at the bar, taking a generous pull from their glasses.

"That was great! Where'd you learn to dance like that?" Killua asked.

"My aunt taught me the basics before I left home, but after that it's a mix of talent and practice. I'd say practice makes up the bulk of it, though."

"Then you must do it every night with those skills. What do you do for a living?"

Gon chuckled. Oh, how right Killua was! "Actually, I'm an exotic dancer."

Gon's answer must have been surprising because Killua choked on the alcohol he had just drunk, and the sudden intake of breath caused painful-sounding coughs to wrack his body. Gon slapped him on the back but he didn't think it had actually helped.

Once the coughs subsided, Killua turned to look at Gon. The dancer could swear that he saw gears turning in Killua's mind.

"Yep, I believe it."

"You do? Why?"

"Because any dancer would need to know how to dance and you've got the talent in spades. Also, I think there'd need to be an awareness of themselves; they'd need to know how they look and how to make themselves look better, right?"

"You're spot on so far."

"Great, let me know if I'm not. Uhm...And that awareness would also be tied to self-confidence, which you've also got. And you're dressed in a subtle but striking fashion. So you know your features - your hair and your eyes - and you designed that outfit to complement not only your own features but the colors of the rest of the outfit, right?"

"Uh huh."

"Right! So, you've got the talent for dancing, the confidence and self-awareness. So I totally believe you're an exotic dancer."

"Well, thanks! I'm glad. What do you do?"

"I'm a business owner."

"Whoa, seriously?! That's so cool! What kind of business?"

"I've got a small general store in my hometown, but I come from a family that owns a huge corporation. I'm only in town for a while, to train with my grandfather in running it. Once he's satisfied with me, he'll retire and I'll inherit the entire thing."

"That's an admirable legacy."

"Thanks."

They talked for a little while longer, Gon easily telling Killua about his childhood on Whale Island, munching absentmindedly on the meal he had ordered.  Killua listened happily and didn't talk a whole lot about himself. He said that he came from a big family and they all had their own roles in the family corporation. But he said it in a closed-off way, so Gon didn't pressure him for more details.

Eventually, all of the food and liquids made their way through Gon's system and he left for the bathroom. When he came back, though, he found Killua surrounded by four burly men. Killua was doing his best to ignore them, despite the intruders' increasingly lewd gestures and cooing. One of them, no doubt the leader, even dared to whisper something in Killua's ear that made the white-haired man grow red. He looked angry and ready to kill, and Gon felt the same. He couldn't stand by while his new friend was being harassed. He had to do stop this!

"Hey!" He shouted and rushed over to help his friend, shoving the leader off of him. The force of Gon's shove almost sent the guy flying. "Back off! Can't you see that he doesn't want to talk to you?"

"Gon-" Killua whispered, watching him with shock in his eyes.

"Why don't you stay out of it, man? This is between me and snow-top, so butt out!"

"No, I won't. Killua is my friend and you're harassing him so I'm putting an end to it. Back off and leave him alone!"

"And what are you gonna do, little man?'

"Whatever I need to."

"Yeah? You and what army?" The guy growled and his three cronies joined up behind him. Killua stood as well, but it didn't seem to faze them.

"Just me. I don't need an army to take you out."

The four thugs 'oooh'd. Clearly these four were just punks with an ungrounded sense of superiority.

"Big talker, huh? Well, bring it!" The guy growled again and slid into a crappy, flawed fighting stance as his cronies surrounded Gon and Killua. Gon shook his head, anticipating an easy victory.

I'm feeling that buzz I'm ready to rock

Ain't no way I'm gonna tell you to stop

So pour that thing up to the top

I'm coming in hot

Hey Bartender

The ring leader was the one to throw the first punch. It was sloppy, slow and weak. Gon avoided it easily, ducking under the fist with plenty of time to spare. Then he bunched his legs and sprang upwards with everything he had, his arm ramrod-straight, and rammed his fist into the thug's chin in a devastating uppercut. Gon could feel the guy's lower mandible shatter as he went flying up to the ceiling twenty feet above them, crashing into the concrete roof headfirst, and then falling back down to the ground. He cringed as the guy's body bounced on the tile. Gon actually kind of felt bad for the guy; No one deserved a beating like that.

"Damn, overdid it again." He whispered to himself. Then he turned to the guy's friends. "I think we're done here. You might want to get him to a hospital."

Within seconds, the cronies had abandoned the losing fight and dragged their buddy outside, leaving Gon and Killua in peace.

Unfazed, Gon turned to Killua. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking Killua over for anything out of the ordinary.  Aside from the eyes that widened to the size of dinner plates and held a spark of awe in them, Killua looked unharmed. "Killua?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. How'd you learn to fight like that? I've never seen a normal person throw a punch with that much raw power."

"Well, that's a long story. You sure you wanna hear it?" Gon asked as he and Killua took their seats again.

Killua nodded, and Gon began his story. "My father left me to be raised by  my aunt on a tiny island. And when I turned twelve, Aunt Mito gave me a message that my dad had left for me. His message was essentially 'If you want to talk to me, you'll have to find me.' And then he gave me the name of a person I should seek out first, she'd teach me the most important thing that I'd need to know. Which turned out to be how to defend myself. Oh, and I'm really not sure that I have more raw power than anyone else. I just use my muscles more effectively, and that sometimes looks like I have more power than a normal person."

"Yeah, but I doubt anyone would be capable of sending a guy that size twenty feet into the air with momentum to spare. You heard the way his head crashed into the ceiling. He could have kept going for another ten or fifteen feet if he had the space." Gon didn't know how to reply to that, so he made a noncommittal sound and drank some water.

"Okay, so, tell me more. What else did you learn? Did you ever find your dad?" Killua asked, changing the topic to one Gon seemed to enjoy.

About an hour into his story, Killua's eyes suddenly moved away from Gon, and his back stiffened. He had seen a threat. Gon turned around to look in the same direction, and his heart froze when he saw a familiar couple entering the club.

What I'm really needing now

Is a double shot of Crown

Chase that disco ball around

'Til I don't remember

"See the guy with the red hair and playing card marks on his cheeks?" Gon asked, turning back to face Killua.

"Yeah."

"That's Hisoka. He's my ex."

"Oh, shit. And the guy with Hisoka...he's my brother, Illumi."

"What?!" Gon exclaimed, laughing. "No way! What a coincidence."

"Yeah. Talk about a small world." Killua chuckled, too, but only for a second. "Uh-oh. They're heading this way."

"Oh, crap." Gon muttered, quite sure that Hisoka had spotted them and wanted to do something vicious to Gon. He didn't have the right to, because Hisoka was the one who had cheated. But Hisoka was simply the type of guy to dish out pain whenever he could. And he knew that Gon was a great target.

Together, Killua and Gon stood up to confront the threat that approached.

When the two pairs were just steps away from each other, Killua approached Hisoka and whispered something to him. A moment later, Hisoka snapped a reply that shut Killua up. Gon couldn't hear the words that were exchanged because of the quiet voices and the loud music, but the tones were certainly not friendly.

But he quickly realized that he had bigger things to worry about.

Hisoka leaned close to Gon and whispered something in Gon's ear that sent the blood careening away from his head and into his shoes. Hisoka's tone practically dripped with malice and cruelty.

"How nice to see you again, Gon. I must say, I thought you'd be curled up at home for at least another month. But here you are. And dressed up so nicely, as if you think you mean something again. Good boy."

Gon did his best to not let his pain and devastation show, but his eyes revealed everything. Hisoka chuckled as he and Illumi moved away to sit just a couple of seats down from Killua's chair.

Struggling to regain his composure, Gon sat back down and attacked his hastily-ordered shots of whiskey. He was barely aware of Killua sitting next to him, watching him with angry, protective blue eyes. But Gon was all-too aware of how close Hisoka was. No, he couldn't have that monster so close to Killua.

Gon shifted himself so he sat in the chair that separated Killua and Hisoka, appropriating himself as a barricade between the two.

He faced Killua again, and tried to smile as he resumed his story as if nothing had happened. But the smile didn't reach his eyes.

Gon lost his voice again as Hisoka started gossiping with Illumi. Normally Gon wouldn't care at all about anything Hisoka had to say. But this topic was horrifying. Gon's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized that Hisoka was blatantly, and deliberately, telling Illumi all about his and Gon's relationship….Details that were intimate and private, that painted Gon as a grovelling, begging sub that paired with Hisoka's all-important dom. And he didn't seem to care to control his volume. He practically shouted the secrets so everyone could hear.

Go until they cut me off

Wanna get a little lost

In the noise, in the lights

Hey Bartender

The bartender turned red and refilled Gon's shot glasses, some people near Illumi moved away, and Killua…

Killua was angry. His eyes had darkened to an azure color, his irises had contracted to slits, and a shadow had fallen on his face.

"Killua?" Gon barely had time to get the name off of his tongue before his new friend had shoved himself out of his chair and stalked to Hisoka.

"You shouldn't say stuff like that." Killua growled deep in his throat. "Its no one's business how your bedroom dynamics with Gon used to work. So shut up."

Killua was defending him. Gon realised as a warmth gripped his heart. Killua was standing up to Hisoka, to protect Gon.

"Killua, it's alright." He murmured, awestruck, as he reached for Killua's hand. As much as he loved Killua's chivalry,  he was in danger, and Gon had to get him away from Hisoka.

"No, Gon!" Killua barked, twisting his head in Gon's direction. "Its not alright!"

Gon blinked, dumbfounded at Killua's accurate guess. But the white-haired man kept going.

"Its not alright that he is doing this, saying all of these things so nonchalantly. It isn't alright for you to lie down and take it. It isn't alright that he's hurting you again!"

Gon could have cried from the sheer force of his joy.

"You're right, Killua. You're absolutely right, and I refuse to let him affect me anymore. But Hisoka's dangerous. Even I would hesitate before getting into a fight with him." He tried to convince his friend, grabbing his arms to physically pull him away from the magician.

"I don't care. I can take him." He growled menacingly, throwing off Gon's arms.

"Killua-"

"My, my." Hisoka purred in that tone that made Gon's skin crawl. "What a brave little boy."

Killua snapped. He spun around to face Hisoka and punched him square in the face, a punch that was so fast that Hisoka couldn't have avoided it if he'd tried. Gon noticed that Illumi's usually blank-expression eyes widened just a bit at the ferocity of Killua's assault.

The force of Killua's attack whipped Hisoka's head to the side. Gon could have cheered and clapped Killua on the back had he not been so scared. Meanwhile, Killua stared at his hands with a quizzical look in his eyes.

And then Hisoka straightened his neck, looking at them with a mad glint in his eyes and a sickening smirk on his face. Hisoka slid off the chair like a snake slithering out of a tree. Gon swallowed thickly and was dimly aware of Killua taking a half-step back. Then Hisoka made his move. He darted forward, arm outstretched for Killua's neck. Gon didn't even have time to move let alone protect his new friend.

In the instant before Hisoka's hand wrapped around Killua's neck,  Illumi simply picked Hisoka up by the collar as if he were a disobedient puppy. Hisoka's feet dangled twelve inches off the floor, waving uselessly in the air as Hisoka tried to get to Killua.

"Now, Hisoka, what have I told you about harming my dear Killu?" Illumi cooed quietly as he walked the magician outside.

As the pair passed, Killua lunged toward Hisoka.  But Gon snatched Killua around the waist and pulled him securely into his chest. He held Killua there until he had calmed and signaled that he was okay.

"Killua, are you alright?" Gon asked as he released his friend, stepping in front of him to look him in the eyes. "That was so amazing! I can't believe you punched him! I haven't met anyone capable of something like that. Are you hurt?" Gon's words left his mouth so quickly they seemed to melt together.

"I'm okay." Killua stammered, surprised by Gon's enthusiasm. Then he looked down at his hands again, that same 'what the hell?' expression coming into his eyes again. "But I don't understand. I meant to send him flying. How could I have just turned his head?"

"You what?! Send him flying?! Your lucky you could get in what you did. I couldn't land a tickle on him if he was asleep."

"Yeah, I guess you're right... How did you ever manage to date him?"

"To be honest, I have no idea. And I don't even know why I wanted to in the first place. I should have known better than to get involved with someone like him."

"Someone like him? What do you mean?"

"You know, someone as dangerous and selfish. Remind me to never get mixed up with that type again, yeah?" Gon laughed good-naturedly and nudged Killua, not noticing how the man had gone quiet.

A moment later, Gon caught sight of Leorio and Kurapika running over, worry clear in their eyes.

"Heads up. Here come my friends." Gon whispered to Killua. He barely heard the whispered Oh, great that Killua muttered. He wanted to ask what Killua meant by that, but then he didn't have time to focus on it. Kurapika and Leorio came to screeching halt before him, each talking quickly in a frantic tone. Kurapika was shout-asking questions, and Leorio failed to introduce himself to Killua when he grabbed his hand.

"Hey!" Killua snarled, yanking his hand back. Was his hair always that poofy? "Get lost, old man!"

"I'm not an old man, you little brat. Let me see your hand, I can help!"

"I said buzz off!"

"Guys, guys!" Gon  shouted, holding up his hands in front of his friends' faces. "Let's all take a breath, okay?"

He sure as heck did.

"Killua, these are my friends. Kurapika and doctor Leorio Paladiknight. Guys, this is Killua." He gestured to everyone in turn, eyes shining brightly when he introduced Killua.

"Hello, Killua. Sorry that we startled you." Kurapika held out his hand to shake Killua's. "It is really nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Killua muttered, and Gon could almost swear that his hair settled down. Kinda like a cat's fur.

"Yeah, sorry." Leorio piped in, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Anyway, like Gon said, I'm a doctor. So can I see your hand?"

Killua appraised Leorio again and let him inspect his hand for any damage.

"Thanks for defending Gon, Killua." Kurapika bowed to him. "Hisoka definitely needed someone to put him in his place. And I'm glad that you care enough about Gon to be that person."

Killua could only blush as he stammered his reply. "Uh, yeah. No problem."

"Hey!" An angry voice broke the now-pleasant atmosphere. The small group turned to the barkeeper, who was visibly livid. "That's two fights tonight! I don't care who started it or how justified the fights were, I want you two out of here!"  He yelled, pointing to Gon and Killua.

"Of course." Gon replied quickly. "We'll leave now. Sorry for the trouble."

As one, the two men approached the bar, swallowed their drinks, and fished out their wallets. They slapped down the paper bills, Gon uttered an apology to the bartender who honestly did not hear it as he picked up the pile of green that must have held a pretty sizable tip in it. The guy had money signs in his eyes!

Irked but also not surprised that his money was more heard than his apology, Gon caught up with Killua and the two exited the bar.

The night air assaulted Gon's heated body as he stepped outside. He shivered, his breath visible in the frosty air. Beside him, Killua shivered once, adjusting his coat collar as he subtly glanced both sides of the street. Gon didn't know why, but the action reminded him of a prey animal checking for predators.

"So, now what?" Killua asked.

"Common sense says home, but I'm not sure I'm ready to say good-bye yet."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, then, do you feel like getting food or hitting another bar?"

"Not really. I've had enough of people for one night."

"Me, too. Then the only logical answer left is home."

Gon whimpered as quietly as he could, but not quite enough to stop the signal altogether.

"But, then again, who said we have to take separate cabs?"

"That's true! We could take the same cab, and then we'd have a few more minutes together."

"Bingo!"

"You are brilliant, Killua." Gon praised as he dug out his cell phone. He dialed in the familiar number and gave the woman at dispatch the information she needed.

"Alright. Er, who's getting dropped off first?" He asked as he hung up.

"My place is something I don't like advertising. So why don't we take you home first?"

"Yeah, okay."

Yes! Gon cheered internally. My apartment complex is twenty minutes away!  And the cab won't be here for about five minutes. That's almost another half-hour with Killua!

Ten minutes passed by much quicker than Gon would have thought. Killua asked him for more stories and Gon obliged even though he was dying to know more about Killua's business ventures. But Killua was the type to keep things to himself until he knew who he could trust, and Gon vowed that he would earn that trust.

The cab arrived a few minutes late, which was fine with the islander, and he let Killua get in first. He made a show out of it, bowing low at the waist, sweeping with one arm in a grand arc, and addressing Killua as "Lord Killua".. Killua scoffed playfully and smiled as he got in, passing Gon with an endearing "You're such a dork!" to which Gon only smiled as he, too, entered the car.

He gave the driver his address and sighed as the heater blew what felt like scorching hot air in his face. He sank into his seat with all the consistency of hot butter. Beside him, Killua was in much the same position and Gon tried to ignore the glances Killua gave him that said that he was in a debate with himself. About what, Gon didn't know, but there was yearning and uncertainty in his eyes.

Three lights into the trip, Killua finally relaxed and laid his head on Gon's shoulder, cuddling as close as his seatbelt would allow. Gon's chest swelled with pride at the silent admission and he nuzzled closer.

The rest of the ride was silent and Gon tried to ignore the numbers flashing through his mind as they got closer and closer to his home. The number of lights before a certain turn, the number of stop signs, the number of turns, the landmarks they were passing. He tried to forget all of them, tried to stay wrapped in his cocoon of warmth. But he couldn't ignore the driver asking for the code and directions to Gon's apartment building.

That's when Gon gently enveloped Killua in his arms, trying to convey every feeling he felt but couldn't put words to.

When the car stopped, Gon stayed for a moment, looking into Killua's equally-depressed sapphire eyes.

Without breaking eye contact, he unbuckled his belt, opened the door and climbed out. Then, in a split-second, 'I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable but I have to do this because I'll never see you again!' decision of desperation, he reached for Killua and gently kissed him.

It was lightning-fast, but it was enough to say what he wanted to say; that Gon really liked him and wanted to keep seeing him, even if it wasn't romantically, and that they'd be good together. There was a bit of heat mixed in with Gon's typical consideration, a bit of passion and a healthy dose of tenderness.

He was expecting Killua to blush and turn away, taking that as his cue to leave,  and then Gon would close the door and they'd separate and never see each other again. Gon saw the blush, but he wasn't prepared for Killua grabbing him by his collar and yanking him down for another, much more forceful and passionate kiss that spoke volumes.

Gon returned the kiss wholeheartedly, holding Killua tight even as the man struggled. Wait, why was Killua struggling?

Gon broke the kiss, confused, only for his doubts to be swept away as Killua undid his seatbelt, threw some loose cash at the driver and leapt out of the cab, grabbing Gon's hand and pulling him in for another kiss. As the cabbie drove away, Gon broke the kiss and led Killua to his apartment.

[yukiwrites]

The Hat Stays

This is it... the carrot thirst... YOU GUYS MADE ME DO IT I HAVE REMAINED PURE THROUGH THIS SIN.......... Okay who am I kidding; here have this extremely thirsty piece because hot damn I love my husband and his butt

Dusk had almost entirely fallen at Windmire when the Heroes Team delivered a special sets of clothes to the eldest nohrian siblings, through one Anna. After dinner, they gathered around the long table so as to inspect the contents of the packages.

Coincidentally, Elise had come to visit that particular day from Hoshido (though her visits were quite often to the point of making Leo snark at her about her marriage sometimes) and squealed in delight when Camilla inspected her set.

"My, such naughty outfit!" The eldest princess laughed as she lifted the bunny leotard designed especially for her.

Elise beamed. "It's soooo cute, Big Sister! Is it a swimsuit? I want one with these frills and cute tailcoat, too!"

Camilla laughed. Leo cleared his throat. Kamui was too busy looking at Xander's package, alongside him.

Elise remained oblivious to her brother and sister's reactions, though the smile still remained over her lips as she turned to the King and Queen duo. "How's Xander's?"

The color left Xander's face as he put his eyes on the bright pink fabric. Immediately did he close the cloth bag. "Absolutely not." He said plainly.

Kamui snorted. "Come now, my King, let us at least see what they prepared for you." She put one hand over his, the other one slowly pulling the packet so as to open it. Xander narrowed his eyes to his wife, not before focusing on each one of his siblings.

Leo was fighting a smirk -- he had seen the bright pink tailcoat --, Camilla skimmed through the rest of the set provided for her; complete with stockings, high heels and, gasp, bunny ears. Elise expectantly looked at her brother, feeling somewhat envious of both elder siblings because they got such great outfits while she had to battle in her old and boring dress.

The Queen kept pulling the package. "Are you really going to turn your back to the Heroes Team after saying you would provide all the help they needed?"

Xander groaned. "Do not try to guilt-trip me into wearing this, Kamui. I understand perfectly my duties as a Summoned Hero and, as flattering as it is to be chosen to host their Spring Festival, as a King I must keep myself presentable and honorable at all times."

Leo nodded, though he couldn't help but add: "Indeed, though it is also a King's duty to be approachable and..." He fought a snicker, feeling terrible for saying that of his respectable older brother, but still not wanting to miss the opportunity of snarking. "... and there's nothing more, pfft... approachable than a bunny suit..." He shook with suppressed laughter, taking one hand to cover his mouth.

Before Xander could reprimand the younger prince, Elise and Kamui managed to sneak the package open. "It's sooo pretty, Big Brother! Leo's right!" She took the poofy undershirt and twirled with it in front of her body. "I'm sure people will think you're less sc- er, more approachable with this!" She managed to correct herself in time -- as far back in her mind as it was, the image of Xander as a distant brother still lingered at some extent and she almost let it out.

"Why, Brother, our siblings are right!" Camilla chuckled, neatly folding her clothes back into the bag. "I will gladly wear this to their Festival, though I will ask of Kaze's opinion on it first..." She winked to Kamui and blew a kiss to her siblings before turning on her heel to the southern door. "Kaze, my darling, I know you're there. We have some checking to do." She said as she exited the room, calling for her husband.

Once again Leo cleared his throat, though now his face was flushed. Kamui bit her lip and squeezed the pants still inside the bag, glancing from them to her husband. "Won't you at least try it out? I'm sure they picked you specifically because of your qualities as a King and host; as gaudy as the colors look."

"Hey! They're not gaudy!" Elise retorted as she browsed through the transparent cape. "Please, Xander, won't you reconsider? I really wanted to dress up with these cute bunny ears, too..." The youngest princess looked down, almost distraught. Xander never won against that look, but now his own self-respect was at stake.

"I'm afraid I cannot concede to this, little Elise." He glanced at Kamui then narrowed his eyes at Leo, who was now more feeling bad about his earlier comment than willing to make another. "Or Kamui and Leo."

"Now, now," Kamui patted his chest before signaling for Elise to give the cape back. She then put everything back at the bag. "Let's not be hasty. You can change into it and then we can talk it out, hm?" She nudged him towards the northern door, almost pushing him out as she nodded a goodbye to her siblings. "I'll do my best," she mouthed to Elise, then lifted her thumb.

The young queen gasped, nodded and waved. Leo started to draft an apology inside his head.

"Kamui, I will not repeat myself." He said for the millionth time as they reached their room. "You cannot make me wear-"

The Queen looked down. "I thought you wanted to do whatever it took to make our family a happy one..."

"You are being overly dramatic." He took the bag out of her hands and walked towards the table to put it inside a drawer. "I will not disgrace myself--"

"But it's just for a good fun!" Kamui stomped her foot on the floor, making Xander turn around. He actually hadn't thought of that. "It's such a good thing that, in Askr, they're so blessed with Spring that their Festival's big enough to call people from other realms to host it! We barely have anything like that in Nohr..."

Xander pursed his lips, squeezing the clothes with his hand. "I can see through your reasoning all too well, my Queen." He sighed, shifting the weight of his body to another leg. "So be it. I will wear this for your eyes only and then refuse their invitation as a host." If it were his Kamui, he wouldn't mind being seen at his worst... mostly.

Still not satisfied, but at least happy for the opportunity of seeing him in that outfit, Kamui clasped her hands and nodded. "Okay! We can talk more after you've changed." She trotted to the bed and sat, her deep green dress fluttering around her.

Once again the King sighed, taking one last look at the brightness of the pink he was about to wear. He took another glance at his eager wife and forced a smile, walking towards the folding screen so as to change into his demise.

Kamui heard as he stripped, groaned at the sight of the costume and put it on. She giggled, a bubbly feeling rising inside her chest -- he was so against it, but still indulged her when she asked; how loved she felt at that moment!

However, after a few moments, she felt not only loved, but blessed.

"Are you finished?" She asked after some minutes of silence. He was mortified.

"... I am." He replied before stepping out of the folding screen, one palm over his face so as to hide his shame and bright red cheeks. "I do not know how they put their hands on my measurements, but surely they got at least a number down."

Kamui lost her voice as she brought one hand to hide her gaping mouth. Indeed, she thought, everything was a complete tight fit -- she could almost see through his muscles and, most of all, she could outline his crotch inside the cramped pants.

Her throat suddenly felt dry. "Can you... take a step forward?" She opened and closed her hand, almost begging him to walk towards her. 

Not realizing the state of her mind or where she was staring at, Xander simply looked up, too ashamed to face his beloved. Even his "hat" was simply a headband with a bunny-eared hat sewn into it. "... I will not."

"Ahn..." Kamui let out a strangled moan as Xander shifted the weight of his body to another leg -- she could see it! Outline it! "For the love of all gods, please... can you turn around?"

Finally sensing the lust in her voice, Xander felt his ears burn with embarrassment as he finally laid his eyes on Kamui. She was blushing and panting, though surely not from mortification as he was. Was she actually enjoying that... atrocity... that much?!

"What are you thinking, my Queen?" He managed to smirk under his embarrassment as he took a step towards Kamui, the pants so tightly fit into his body they made a leather squeak.

Kamui placed both hands over her face so as to hide from that god-sent pair of pants, but opened her fingers so she could still stare. "I'm thinking... that we can tell the Heroes team that they need to give you another set of these..." She gulped before getting up, her eyes never leaving his perfectly outlined penis. "So we can keep this one between four walls."

Her feet took her to her husband, who was still standing uncomfortably halfway to the bed. The Queen opened her arms and embraced her beloved, trailing her hands towards his rear.

Xander flinched when she squeezed them. "L-little Princess!" He hissed her old nickname by reflex, jerking his neck away so was to look at her as she pressed her face into his chest. Kamui kept her hands over his butt cheeks, taking her time in appreciating them.

"Ahh... it's a tight fit here too..." She bit her lower lip, trailing her hands from his rear to his front, teasingly pressing them around his inner thighs and crotch. "Please, don't tell me you still want to give this back..." She rested her chin over his chest so as to look him in the eye.

She almost regretted it if the sight weren't such a gift: his entire face was red not only from mortification but from embarrassment -- Kamui had never been this assertive around his body before and he didn't know how to react.

Blinded by lust, the Queen held onto his belt and put herself on her toes so as to steal a kiss. She inserted her tongue and deepened the caress right away, her chest going up and down in excitement.

Xander reciprocated the kiss almost right away, still taken aback by her teasing hands over his growing erection. He placed both hands over her face, holding it as tenderly as he knew how under those circumstances. The Queen's hands moved quickly -- she unbuckled the belt but never pulled the pants down.

Instead, she lowered herself to his lap area, nipping at his now full erect penis over the pants. They were so tight she could feel his bulge trembling; eager to be freed from its clench.

"Kah...mui," Xander moaned, placing one hand over her head, panting her name at every bite she gave. She rolled her eyes in pleasure -- how she loved when he called her name like that! -- and lowered the pants just enough to take his penis out: she was starved for it.

Xander sighed in pleasure with the contact of her hot breath and his glans, though it quickly turned into contained moans as Kamui put it all inside, twirling her tongue around it. She held one hand over his hip for support, the other one caressing the part of his shaft she didn't put inside throughout her caresses: she nipped, licked and sucked -- especially at the glans.

Panting, Xander already started to feel the orgasm looming in -- he could sense how much his wife hungered for him by the urgency of her movements and it only made him want to penetrate her more. "Ah... my Queen..." He clenched his hand over her hair, slightly pulling it as the climax shook his body; his fluids spurting into her mouth the way she liked it.

After swallowing it all, Kamui didn't stop: she still sucked and kissed his limp penis, trailing her mouth up towards his pubes and navel. As she went up, she undid the buttons in her way, licking through his strong abdomen and chest finally to his neck and left ear -- the second most sensitive spot of his body.

He had been bending down so her small body -- compared to his large and robust one --  could lick him all over, but he felt as she pulled him towards the bed, almost throwing him over it.

"Ah... so this is how you feel," Kamui marveled as she looked at his disheveled mien: clothes half open, second erection mid-way up and tousled hair. She liked her fingers in anticipation and undid both knots of her panties before climbing onto the bed and placing both legs between either sides of his body.

It would take too long for her to take off her dress, even only the upper part so he could fondle her breasts -- so the Queen went with it and only lifted the skirt enough so she could touch his now erect penis and place it into position before lowering herself over it.

Xander squeezed her leg with one hand, using the other to touch the hat-headband on his head so as to take it off since it was in the way. "How you suck me in, Kamui!" He breathed out, trembling with pleasure as she put it all in and sat completely over his penis.

"Ah...hn..." She bit her lower lip, taking her index to her mouth. "Don't... don't take it off." She managed to gasp despite feeling him rubbing onto her sensitive spot, all the way deep inside of her. "The hat stays."

The next chain of events happened so fast they might've happened at the same time: As Xander blushed with yet another assertive order from Kamui, she squeezed both her eyes and her vagina in pleasure, loving everything about a meek and embarrassed Xander under her power. That, in turn, made Xander himself close his eyes in pleasure and place both hands over her love handles, her insides twitching so much around him he felt his sensitive glans shudder.

"So this is how you feel when I put on a new lingerie..." She finished the phrase after going up and down a few times, his entirety bringing her so much more pleasure with the memory of the tight fit around his hips.

The King once again squeezed his wife's hips, the slow pace she went up and down driving him crazy. "Had I known this would affect you that much, I would have accepted it right away." He panted after she moved a few more times, both of her hands leaning over his broad chest.

"Please..." She begged, her usual behavior bleeding into the assertiveness. "Please tell me you'll accept their invitation..." She bounced up and down with more speed, just the thought of watching him walk around in those pants bringing her strength. Before he could reply, his voice lost due to pleasure, she kept going. "It'll, ah, do me WONDERS... to, ah... see you in battle with these..."

Kamui's mind started to fog due to the upcoming orgasm and her arms lost their strength -- she lied down over Xander's chest, obediently sticking out her hips so he could move them up and down over his shaft with both hands. "I'll, ahnn... be unstoppable, if, ah... it means to have you, ah, inside of me like thiss ahnn... every time..."

"Don't... Don't say these things." He panted, stretching his neck towards her for a kiss, his hands moving her hips with such speed he could see tears of pleasure rolling down Kamui's cheeks. As soon as their mouths joined, Kamui started to feel herself closing in around him, as though the extra contact with her beloved spurred her orgasm closer.

She wanted to keep her eyes open and stop the kiss so as to watch his face -- but ah, how his mouth lured her in; how his firm hands on her hips made her want to melt under his touch...!

"Xan-anh..." She moaned by his lips, squeezing her eyes as the orgasm washed over her body, making her twitch and clutch him inside.

The King bit his wife's lower lip before coming a second time, losing himself inside of her. "Hah... ah, my Kamui..." He marveled at their experience, both of their bodies shaking with the lingering pleasure as he embraced her in his arms.

"Please... please keep it..." She shook her head, just the thought of the costume making her twitches increase and stimulate him again.

He would have another erection at that rate and he wasn't sure he condoned it.

If it meant having a feverish and hungry Kamui pleasing, pleading and leading at the same time, what were a few hours of shame per day?

[freakflagbyiana]

Pride & Coming out

It’s Pride month, and I’ve been listening to the coming out stories of people I know and admire. I’ve also been thinking a lot about my friends who either aren’t out or are out but their family doesn’t quite accept them... They have an “understanding” that they don’t talk about it. So here’s my coming out story, a queer memoir in 3 acts: Childhood, Puberty, and Adulthood.

Childhood

When I was a kid, I was called a Tomboy. It’s not even entirely accurate; I played with Barbies and makeup and costumes. I just also enjoyed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and video games and comic books and getting dirty. And since this was the '80s, having an androgynous haircuts wasn't an indicator of gender or sexuality one way or another, it was simply the fashion.

Here’s a fun fact: My dad potty trained me, so I first attempted to pee standing up. He quickly realized he had to demonstrate sitting down if he was going to be the one teaching me. My idea of femininity - instilled in me by my mother - was also rather androgynous or 'tomboy'. Because she had always been skinny and flat chested, I grew up naturally assuming I’d be the same. I came from mom so I’ll look like mom when I grow up, right?

I remember hating Easter. It was the only time mom made me wear a big frilly dress for the pictures we'd send to Grandma. Pictures which inevitably involved me sitting on the side of the highway in a field of bluebonnets. In these photos, I am wearing a hot, unbreathable dress with scratchy tulle to make it 'poofy', sitting in a field (probably next to some fire ants), breathing in fumes of the highway with the afternoon sun burning my retinas, and trying not to squint too much for the picture. I remember thinking, “Boys don’t have to deal with this crap” (To this day, I still take bluebonnet pictures in the shade.)

I remember liking pink because, “I’m a girl, I’m supposed to like pink. Barbie’s favorite color is pink, so if I like Barbie, I like pink.” Gender Programming in action, folks! Eventually I rebelled against this gender standard, and, to this day, I’m still allergic to pink. Later I felt vindicated when I figured out how olive-yellow my skin tone was and thus how pink will always make me look sick. But I think it will always make me feel sick, too, because it was forced on me so heavily as a child. Forced by society, that is, it wasn’t my mom’s fault. I remember not knowing quite what was going on with David Bowie in Labyrinth but being really into it. {see previous blog on the subject} My parents watched a lot of MTV in the '80s, which explains most of my music and aesthetic tastes. But, more importantly, as a kid who would not understand the negative sides of the decade - the war on drugs, the AIDS epidemic, the Yuppies - until much later, the '80s were a magical time for a baby queer. Grace Jones was a strong masculine woman of color; and Nick Rhodes made it okay for “straight” men to have what I still call the gayest pink wedding I’ve ever seen. I could go on about my influences from this decade but the points that are relevant right now are these: Androgyny was fashionable, and Genderqueer was fashionable. In so many ways, the society of my early childhood, the '80s and early '90s, accepted all this stuff far better than that of my pre-teen and teenage years, the later '90s and '00s. At the time when I was affected most by society’s views on sexuality and gender identity, the culture was shifting, becoming less fluid... More into dividing by categories and labels and, to some, moralities. In my childhood, my mother was a department store makeup artist. This is a key ingredient in the Life Story of Iana. She was a department store makeup artist for Clinique, but she really wanted to be a special effects makeup artist for the movies ... like back in the days before CGI became the most efficient option, when they still hired artisans to create prosthetic movie monsters. (RIP the glory days of prosthetic SFX.) This is why I grew up watching horror movies and wasn’t scared by the scary stuff. She always explained to me how they made the zombies look dead, or blood look real, or those amazing transformations in American Werewolf in London & Thriller. Horror education aside, she also notably introduced me to makeup, brought home by her from work for me to play with. This was her most glorious, single-mom, life-hack moment: Tell child they can play with makeup and get them set up in the dry bath tub, allow them to draw on themselves and on the walls (because it’s only tile and it’s only makeup) while you sneak in a nap on the fuzzy bathmat floor. Dangle arm over bathtub so that the child knows you’re still there. When they are done, surprise! it’s bath-time, and you’re already trapped in the tub, kid! ... Frankly, it was a true stroke of genius. When people tell me “you’re so good at makeup,” it's like, of course I am! It was one of my first toys, and I’ve been playing with it ever since. You'd be, too, if you’d been playing with it as long as you can remember. It’s simply a matter of practice: do a thing 1000 times, and you’re a master, right?

Puberty

I grew up in Cuernavaca, the “affordable” hippie area of Westlake at the time. Cuernavaca is a weird little microcosm all on it’s own... I once referred to it as “The Twin Peaks of Westlake” and I stand by that statement. I attended West Ridge Middle School from 1996 to 1999. Although I was closer to my mom, I had to live with my dad in order to go to this “better” school. All the people I'm still close to from that time were kids from my neighborhood. They weren’t completely spoiled jerks, and most were probably a little weird like me. I had a beautiful best friend named Jane. I’m using her name because I want her to know if she ever reads this. Her parents were hippies while mine were weird, artist nerds into cyberpunk and technology, and we were from opposite worlds in many ways. But both of us, along with our other close friends Chelsea and Saira, were great at art. We were like an antisocial fantasy art coven who didn’t want to get involved in school politics ... we would keep to ourselves and draw when we were supposed to be taking notes, draw during lunch, and hang out after school to draw and listen to music. We hang around after class to talk to our favorite art teacher, Ms. Mouer, who always would say, “You’re only young once, but you can be immature forever!” (That’s not relevant to the story; it’s just a shoutout incase she reads this, too.) I remember this time was when Labyrinth was out of print, and I was the only girl in the neighborhood who had a VHS copy, taped off of HBO. My girlfriends would frequently come over to watch it, although once it got re-released on DVD, my house was suddenly less popular. It was in this environment that I was able to explore different aspects of my aesthetic. In hindsight, if I had been this age nowadays, I’d describe myself as non binary or genderqueer (not the same thing, but I’m not sure which I’d have used then). But at the time, I looked like an outcast no matter what; people could make their own assumptions, and I certainly wasn’t going to defend myself to anyone judging. The first Bowie album I acquired (read "stole from mom") around then was the Ryko edition of Scary Monsters - one of my favorite David Bowie songs still is Teenage Wildlife. This part always brings a tear to my eye. I think most teens can relate to this because most of us were “others” in some form: You'll take me aside, and say "Well, David, what shall I do? They wait for me in the hallway" I'll say "Don't ask me, I don't know any hallways" But they move in numbers and they've got me in a corner I feel like a group of one, no-no They can't do this to me I'm not some piece  of teenage wildlife I had developed an androgynous, genderfluid aesthetic, but, problematically, I did not have an androgynous body. I did not develop into a lanky, Twiggy-esque waif like my mother. I developed hips and breasts so suddenly that I had bright red stretch marks, everywhere. To this day, my breasts were never as big as they were then. I’m assuming it has something to do with still having “baby fat” and all the new hormones working overtime, and also my diet being sugar/dairy heavy (fatter = curvier). Later, in my 20s, I was relieved they got smaller as I cut HFCS out of my diet. In any case, sudden curves meant that I had to drop out of gymnastics ... it’s very difficult to safely throw your center of gravity around when your center of gravity is extra jiggly and changing daily.

I didn’t know how to dress for my body type. At the time when I just wanted to wear oversized band tees, the only bras I could use were underwire ... it would be years before I discovered the glory of sports bras, much less breast binders. So I wore oversized band t-shirts with underwire bras, paired with pants that never fit quite right (they still don’t) or full skirts. On top of wearing what most often resembled a giant tent, I had started cutting and coloring my own hair, so it changed regularly and got shorter. Sidecuts, mowhawks, pixie cuts, and a fully shaved head at 14 years old. From the outside looking in, you could definitely tell I was either “gender confused” or “on my way to becoming a butch lesbian” to use the language of the times; non-binary was not yet a label, especially not a respected one. My room was covered in posters of comic book women (mainly the characters from The Sandman), male rock stars (mainly Robert Smith and Keith Flint), and LOTS of pictures of Brandon Lee from The Crow, with whom I have been obsessed since age 9.

One day, mom told me about a “joke” she made to my father; taking one look at my room covered in pictures of Brandon Lee, she said to him, “At least we know she’s heterosexual” It was the first time I wanted to speak up, to argue about it with someone. I didn’t care if people outside my family assumed one way or another, but I was so angry that my mom just jumped to a conclusion like that. My own mother - who enjoyed short hair and androgynous fashion, who herself had been “a lesbian in college.” She was the one that taught me that gender and sexuality were a fluid spectrum to begin with. I didn’t argue with her though; I didn’t have any evidence to the contrary, I just knew she was wrong. I grew up watching The X-Files from day one - trading her love of David Duchovny for a deep interest with whatever Gillian Anderson was doing onscreen. Mom also took me to see The Fifth Element when it came out, and I have been in love with Milla Jovovich ever since. To this day, I have bonded with many of my male friends over these two female crushes. At this point in my life, I didn’t know if I was gay or bisexual. I wasn't sure if I was comfortable with my cisgender female identity, or if I was something else. I just knew she was totally wrong. In this time also, I would say that Jane was my best friend. She was beautiful and looked exactly like Claire Danes in Stardust, which is crazy to me now, because she and I had been obsessed with Neil Gaiman’s works long before any movies and Stardust was always one of her favorites. It's impossible for me to watch the movie now without thinking of her.

So I was close to my best friend because we were weird kids. So I thought she was beautiful because she objectively was. So what? Was I gay for my best friend? Probably a bit but no more than is normal to be gay for your best friend. ... I mean, I think even heterosexual, same-sex besties should be a little gay for each other. That’s how close friendships work! This is a person you love so much that you have their back in 99% of situations, you would bury a body with, etc. You should think they’re attractive even if you don’t want to sleep with them yourself, you should enjoy their company often even if you don’t want to marry them yourself, you should love them enough that it doesn’t matter if people accuse you of being gay for them. Platonic love is still love, so even if that person is gay and you’re not, it doesn’t mean their love is romantic. What I’m building up to, dear audience, is the other shoe dropping. Jane’s “hippie” father didn’t like me. He was in the National Guard and had just come back from dealing with the aftermath of the war in Bosnia and living in Russia for a while. After Russia he was different; he bought Jane very sexy (for a fifteen-year-old), form-fitting dresses, dressed her up like a Barbie and became more strict at home. I remember her finding it distressing, but she liked fashion, so it seemed like the typical patriarchal tradeoff that my gender faces: If you want to have shiny objects bought for you, you have to obey the breadwinning man of the house. And then, in the midst of that, here came I, parading around their house with my strong sense of self, thanks to my '80s-influenced, genderfluid upbringing. How dare I waltz in there and preach the word of David Bowie to his little Stepford daughter? I, on the other hand, just knew that they were hippies, they were supposed to be into peace, love, unity; acceptance of other, races, cultures, and “free love.” I was just a kid, how was I supposed to realize her father was so threatened by my very presence in his daughter’s life? It was so long ago that I don’t quite remember if he accused me of being gay to my face, or if Jane relayed the questions he asked her about me when I wasn’t there. But I vividly remember uncomfortable dinners, where vague personal questions that would be downright unacceptable to ask a child today were posed to me. When I asked my mother what to do, she wrote Jane's father off as “an asshole,” because she was familiar with the type of man he was. She told me to just stop going over there. But then how was I supposed to hang out with my best friend? Well, in truth, after that I didn’t really. She would have to make the effort to hang out with me at mine, or I’d just see her at school. But in truth, she totally checked out of the friendship after that. She put her head down and concentrated on getting good grades in school like she was serving a sentence in jail. I knew she had always wanted to make costumes, but after that time, she suddenly needed to get better grades as her father wanted her to become a lawyer or something related. (Eventually, she ended up making costumes after all) In April of 1999, right before I graduated from 8th grade, something happened that would change my life - and the country - forever: the Columbine school shooting. At the time, the only story we were told was that the shooters were goths, and they shot up the school because they were being bullied by jocks. (We now know that it was the other way around, the shooters were also the bullies.) And here I was, a baby goth and a genderqueer “lesbian” in a school full of rich, preppy jocks. The media perpetuated the “us vs them” situation, magnifying the underlying misconceptions and misjudgment. To be honest, I probably would not have gone to Westlake high school in any case, but Columbine sealed the deal. My mom and I loved watching Heathers, and I knew a similar environment awaited me at Westlake. Fortunately, it was around this time that I became acquainted with another Cuernavaca kid who was in the grade above me, Maria Russo. She was out as a lesbian or bisexual (I don’t remember which exactly as they were essentially the same thing in that environment) and was the only other goth girl in school. She wore ripped fishnets and dog collars and was obsessed with both Rocky Horror Picture Show and mermaids. She told me she wasn't going to Westlake either and that I should join her at this cool, hippie high school she found, The Griffin School. So even though I was only 14, I told my parents I was not going to go to arguably the best public school in the city, and that instead they were going to work together to send me to this weird, small private school for artsy kids. I was always a good student, except for middle school and I blame that on everyone being more concerned about social status than actually learning anything. That’s the irony of privilege, nobody appreciated the educational resources they had they just cared whether or not my clothes were from the Gap. I sold my parents on sending me to Griffin because of my grades suffering, the fact that my best friend and I had drifted apart, and then Columbine making the world more dangerous for goth kids really sealed the deal... The backlash meant that my safety was more severely threatened by the clothes I put on everyday, which I had been wearing for years already. I attended Griffin for all four years of high school and had one of the rarest experiences for a teen - I thoroughly enjoyed every year of high school. And it wasn’t because I was popular and peaked in high school either. I felt my sense of self was respected, my sexuality or gender identity wasn’t a concern to the staff or to the other parents. Also, I made excellent grades. I have since reconnected with several of my middle school friends that attended different high schools. But I never saw or spoke to Jane again.

Adulthood

As an adult, I identify as Bisexual. There is a myth that bisexuality excludes being attracted to people of non-binary orientation because you are attracted to "males OR females." The way I see it, the "bi" in bisexual refers to both ends of sexuality as a spectrum between heterosexual relationships and homosexual relationships. The stuff in between is undefined but included.

Many of the people who would have been considered Bisexual in the '90s identify as Pansexual today. That’s fine, but I’m not going to do that. I’ve considered myself bisexual since puberty; I don’t see the point in rebranding my sexuality now when I know what I mean by it, and that’s all that matters. But I think the reason Bisexuality split off into Pansexuality is that Bisexual is still a four letter word in the gay community. It’s better than it used to be, but there’s still this feeling that we’re not gay enough.

I once talked to a Pansexual who said she has been attracted to all kinds of things, including trees. And I thought, first, "that’s very interesting," and second, "I definitely don’t identify as that." This makes it hard to be a loud and proud bisexual; I don’t hide it, but I’ve kept it private for a reason. In the past, when a lesbian I had just met (at a party) asked me about my sexuality and I said I was bi. She then interrogated me about my gay experiences in a way that made me very uncomfortable. I finally interrupted her by shouting - “I don’t have to tell you anything!” - I didn’t know her, and it was none of her business. I got defensive because it took me by surprise, both, I suppose, because I expected more from another member of the queer community, and because it triggered memories of those uncomfortable dinners with Jane’s father. But the great thing about being an adult is that peer pressure isn’t real. No one can actually force you do anything you don’t want to do or tell them anything you don’t want to share simply by “putting pressure” on you to do their will. So I stick to the Bisexual label, partially out of resentment. I had to fight so hard to find this identity; I changed schools and lost one of my closest friends over it. I’m not going to stop being bisexual just because there are some mean girls in the gay community. And, in the end, I will always defend use of the term Bisexual: it was good enough for David Bowie, and he was a fucking Genderqueer alien. If the King/Queen of Genderqueer aliens Hermself feels included by this term, why wouldn’t I? Weirdness is a part of me right down to my sexuality and gender identity. I will always be attracted to the “others” of the world. In the end, I don’t belong in the gay clubs because I don’t like dancing to Beyonce, not because I’m not gay enough.

Although we’ve come a long way, people are still surprised if I mention that I’m not straight. Not every member of the queer community is an effeminate boy or a butch girl. Just because I look comfortable as a cisgender female doesn’t mean I didn’t struggle with my gender identity my entire childhood. I went to see Eddie Izzard do his standup act the other night, the first time since I’d seen him live in 2003. Towards the end he got heckled with something simultaneously misogynist and homophobic - “SHOW US YOUR TITS!” - and audible cringe swept over the audience as we began to boo. I thought, “WOW, He’s been out since the '80s, he’s so established and respected and famous now, and he still can’t get away from this stuff.” You never get away from it, there will always be a problem for someone. All you can hope for is a bigger, better group of people around you to boo on your behalf. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “wait this is your coming out story, when do you come out to your parents?” The truth is I didn’t. This blog entry, coming out to the general public, is the most coming out I’ve ever done. I didn’t have real relationships when I was in school, and I got married to a bisexual boy when I was 19, so it never came up. At the time, we were openly bisexual to each other but neither of us really had “the conversation” with our parents. He didn’t because they were British and, although I have no doubt they would have accepted him, Brits just didn’t talk about that stuff out loud. I used to think of him as choosing to be repressed, choosing to remain in the closet, but it’s only recently that I’ve realized that would mean I chose the same thing. I didn’t have “the conversation” with my parents because A) I wasn’t having relations under their roof either way; B) my “woke” mom had already assumed wrong, and I wasn’t close to my dad; and C) I felt it was none of their business. By the time I confirmed my sexuality, I was an adult, and they had no say in the matter anyway. That’s the million dollar question - if you know your parents accept and love you either way, do you need to have a conversation about it? Are you still in the closet even if you make no attempts to hide your sexuality or gender identity? Many of my clients are various degrees of queer and trans, going through their own complex struggles with all the emotional dust that Pride month kicks up. For example, those we have lost. ... I am again reminded of the recent void left behind by an older gay friend, the closest I had to a brother; we lost him in December to suicide shortly after he was diagnosed with advanced HIV. He was in his 40s and there appeared to be some form of denial coming from his family. Even though he was a fully grown adult, it seemed like he chose suicide over living as a “sick” person and having to address the facts with his family. Pride isn’t just about rainbow outfits and drag shows. Pride in the queer community is essential to survival. Lots of statistics prove this out in different ways; here’s just two of them: “LGB youth seriously contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth." And "LGB youth are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth.” [source: The Trevor Project] If is that common as a teenager, do you think that changes when you grow up into a gay adult? Not necessarily. But I’m not going to end on a sad note. I have a lot of happy memories associated with Pride, too. My favorite part of living in Chicago in my early 20s was being a block away from Boystown, the gayberhood. The parade would come down our street, Broadway, off Belmont. For a few glorious hours the street was absolutely covered in rainbow confetti and glitter. Then as everyone moved indoors to drink and party, because Chicago is a proper city, the street sweepers would drive by and clean up all the litter like nothing ever happened. Below are some pictures from Chicago Pride 2005. That year was the first and only time I’ve ever seen RuPaul perform, way before Drag Race, when Supermodel was still his top hit. The Grand Marshal was Wilson Cruz, and, as a '90s latchkey kid who watched reruns of My So-Called Life with some of TV's first out gay teens, that was very exciting! (CW: this picture of the proud gay WWII vets makes me cry every time)

In the process of writing this blog, a client who came out to me as non-binary. It’s always exciting for my shop to be considered a safe space for people to come out before they deal with the complications of telling family, if they even tell their family. We related on a lot of the same levels. Being outright gay is difficult, being outright trans is difficult. ... But being nonbinary/bisexual can be difficult in a different way; it’s like flying under the radar, sometimes even to yourself. You’re not denying that part of you is 'other', but you know you’re not 'other enough' to be Grand Marshal of the Pride Parade. Especially for folks of my generation who grew up with the fashionable androgyny of the '80s/'90s. Then when you hit puberty and struggle with having a very feminine or masculine skewing body, it’s easy enough to fall back into binary fashion since those are the only clothes that are made to fit your body. This is one of the reasons there’s so many older people discovering this stuff about themselves now. Now we finally have language for the nuances of gender identity, so we’re all able to talk about it together. Strangely enough, these concepts are as old as mankind, the language is only new to the western culture. One of my favorite things to read about is the five gender system of Native American cultures: men, women, trans men, trans women, and nonbinary are all mentioned. {see this super-rad article here} In the end, though, when people ask me about my pronouns, I still don’t know what to say. I'll get that feeling like I'm taking a test I haven’t studied for. I’m still wired to be unconcerned with what people think of me, what they call me, but I’ll try to answer to the best of my understanding. I don’t feel entirely comfortable being a female or dressing femme. But I damn well love costumes, and I got comfortable with makeup early on in my childhood. So when people compliment my feminine aesthetics, I see it as being good at drag. Like high femme feels more like drag than when when I dress in androgynous or boyish looks. High femme is a lot of work but simultaneously (relatively) easy because I understand the programming I’ve been receiving since I was a little girl. Androgyny is easier and more comfortable for my brain but also more difficult to execute given the body I have and the way they make clothes for it. (I’m getting better though, I just got a binder by gc2b which I’m eagerly awaiting in the mail any day now!) Anyway, I’m comfortable with “she” as my pronoun - in the same way RuPaul is called “she” when in drag, even though he’s “he” when he’s just Charles, right? It’s like the same way I don’t care when someone gets my name wrong the first time they try to pronounce it. ... I don’t care what you call me, just as long as you see me. 20 years later and I’m still friends with Maria, who many of you will know as the mermaid Co-Owner of Cute Nail Studio - otherwise known as the Gayest Nail Studio in the city, state, possibly the country. I hope she knows how proud I am of her and how eternally grateful I will forever be for getting me out of Westlake. It was like she tossed me a big gay lifesaver when I needed it most. In the end I think the key is not being afraid, especially now, to talk about those things. Especially during Pride when so many different flavors of queer (and non-) come together to celebrate. Don't be afraid to talk about your own pathway, the unsureness you still might have, and the childhood experiences that made you realize you were born just a little weird. Stick together so that you don't feel isolated and don't settle for feeling like a group of one. REACH OUT to you brothers and sisters and siblings of no discernible gender and tell them you love them. Love people as an act of defiance. Walk tall with your strong sense of self.