#because i need to sew the coat myself because i wanted to for some reason (and i hate the texture of most cosplay fabrics but unrelated)

[caffeiiine]

finally gave in and purchased mochies

i will be watching my mailbox for two weeks

[guavi]

I made Aziraphale’s waistcoat about two months ago and boy it was a journey

Rant about the process under cut!

First thing to do was pick a fabric. For the visible fabric on the front and collar, I knew I definitely wanted to use something piled. I also did not want to use a synthetic fabric, which would have been cheaper but miserable to wear. I settled on cotton velveteen which would be more comfortable, slightly cheaper and easier to work with than silk velvet, and generally less shiny than silk. I was able to order some beautiful cotton velveteen from someone local.

Unfortunately it was not even in the same ballpark as the color I needed. This was due to a combination of reasons including the lighting in the photos they had (they were online only and didn’t have a storefront I could walk into), piled fabric in general being nigh impossible to accurately photograph the color of, and probably also some variations between dye batches. This is why we buy swatches when we can, folks.

The fabric itself was absolutely lovely though. So. No biggie I’ll just dye this myself what could go wrong

The dark brown here is after the first dye; the scrap laying on top on the right is the original color; the beige coat underneath for color reference. Note that even the colors in this picture looked quite different from irl. I did dip a scrap in first to check the color, but because Dyeing Is Weird and also I made some mistakes the final dye did not end up the same. I can write several more paragraphs on why this probably happened. We’d be here for a while.

But maybe it’ll be fine right? The color’s not exact but not offensive, maybe I’ll just start sewing and it won’t bother me that much.

Here’s a bit of that process, where you can see the interior of the waistcoat with interlining and twill tape, following some 19th century construction techniques. Lots of tedious but relaxing hand sewing. (Also, real pockets!)

I chose broadcloth for the interlining rather than a more typical canvas, because I wanted a more soft and aged look rather than crisp and new.

(I made another mistake here using cotton twill tape straight off the roll, which shrunk later in the process. You can see this later in how the edges pucker a bit. Oops. Oh well.)

(I also have no other photos of this stage because I went into the hyperfocus zone and forgot about everything except the task in front of me)

Turns out I was not ok with the color. It bothered me a lot.

So I tried to bleach it a tad to lighten the color, but Bleaching Is Also Weird and doesn’t always give you back the same color but lighter.

I got back something extremely orange tones, which bothered me even more. Had a minor breakdown until reboot papped me and helped me talk through how to fix this.

This ended up going through another round of light bleaching, and two rounds of dyeing over with blue to cancel out the orange. Finally I got something I was happy with!

You can very clearly see the puckering here caused by the shrinking tape..thankfully a good steaming was able to get rid of the worst of it.

The color is also slightly uneven if you look very closely, because rounds of the dyeing/bleaching happened after it was sewn together rather than as fabric pieces. Oh well. I can chalk this up to an “aged” look.

Time to finish it off with some buttons and 19th century style hand-worked buttonholes! The buttons aren’t accurate but I just went for ones that were the right size and vibes.

Last step was to add the wear around the buttons, hem, and collar. I’m sure there’s some faster way to do this, but I did it with a pair of eyebrow tweezers to pluck out the pile and a bit of sandpaper to finish off.

And that’s it! For the waistcoat at least. I also made the outer coat, the bow tie, and the blue shirt because I couldn’t find one for purchase that fit me. I still need to make other things. But that’s for another time.

[bomberqueen17]

more stories

ok since telling myself stories of how my day was gonna go worked yesterday i'm gonna do it again today

i did get... a lot of what i wanted to do yesterday done, but i could have done more and just plain didn't. so.

i do have a photo of paint colors behind the cut.

I went to the hardware store and they don't do little sample paint pots. I had to buy a $6 quart of paint in order for them to mix it. I'd grabbed a handful of paint chips, and picked one at random for them, and it's a color I love and think is gorgeous and also almost immediately realized that I super Do Not Want on my kitchen wall, but it was too late to stop the guy so. now i have a quart of this beautiful Sandhill Crane color. (It's PL266, for the record, by Pratt and Lambert.)

I painted a swatch of it inside the basement hallway, which adjoins the kitchen and is going to need redoing anyway.

And then I used some of it to paint a "floor cloth" shelf liner, which is drying now and I plan to sew a backing to and then install today.

[Image caption/description: a chunk of white canvas mottled with a deep blue-green color. I got this effect by priming it and then letting the primer only partially dry before I went at it with the final color, because I wanted a mottled effect. I then went and added a second layer of color when the first layer wasn't entirely dry either, not just out of impatience but because this is what I was going for. I'm then going to sew the hem on an old sewing machine I'm reasonably confident can handle the paint-stiffened fabric; I'm backing it with an old sheet. And then it will be done. I'm not coating it in polyurethane because this is a temporary/low traffic kind of solution.]

And here's the color, swatched, on the wall:

[image description/caption: The background, to the left, is my kitchen, with the stainless steel fridge and grayish cabinets, the floor still covered in taped-down cardboard. The foreground, to the right, is my basement hallway, formerly blue, now bordered in white primer where they replaced the plaster with drywall and fixed the doorway. And in the middle is the swatch of Pratt & Lambert's "Sandhill Crane", which is a blue/green kind of teal color, rather dark but vivid.]

It's not the color I want. it's too... well it's just a little muddy somehow, IDK. It's beautiful and I want to look at it at lot, but I don't want a big expanse of it anywhere. And it's too dark I think. I want bold and vivid but I want it to reflect into the space and change the grays, I don't want it to absorb light into itself.

So here's all the swatches I grabbed, which all look really dark too. The vertical ones are what I'm thinking for main colors, the horizontal for accent colors. The two ones that are the gradient paint chips are because there was literally not a single shade of scarlet or orange in the single-color chips, and because I liked the green one.

I was standing there in the aisle with my scribbled list of colors, confronted by the fact that the paint chips aisle is not organized by any criteria I can understand. It's not like a color wheel. THey don't even put similar colors together. So when I say, "i'm looking for like an ultramarine blue", there's no such thing, I have to take my idea of what I think ultramarine looks like, and I pick up the chip and it's called "soft lavender" or something and i'm like wtf this isn't purple, and it's not, but. wtf.

All of these are too dark and not bright enough, and I have to go back and try again, but I was just trying to get something to start with. I should pair the accent colors with the mains I was thinking of them with. But whatever, it's a start; if nothing else it's something for Dude to disagree with.

So today I need to go out I think. I'm going to measure the cabinets and look at what I'm putting in them, and then go to Homegoods and see if they have any discount shelf rack spacer things, and then find if anyone has any shelf liners in stock. The idea of getting colorful fun ones is great, but those are not sold anywhere, so that idea isn't going to work. I can have gray, white, beige, and if I order online I can have patterns of gray, white, and beige. I'm not going to buy stick-on wallpaper because the point is to not damage the shelves, not to coat the shelves in adhesive that will strip the finish if I decide to remove them.

So I'm just going to go to Target and buy whatever they have, for the shelves I can't see anyway.

I am going to make liners for the lazy susan cupboard, still. but that's how i'm getting started.

so: get the cat off me. Change clothes. Put another load of laundry in, that'll be two down out of the four I probably have built up to do. Put away the dry laundry from yesterday, it should be dry by now.

Go over to the house. Measure specifically which cabinets you want racks and bins for, and compile a coherent list of those.

Go to Homegoods. (please, god, get there before ten am. ugh.) Look for racks/bins/baskets only to fit specifically the dimensions on your list. Don't buy anything else unless it's specifically suited to your needs.

Go to Target. Buy an under-sink liner, you already know which ones they carry. Note what you did and did not get. Go home, order online for whatever they did not have in stock. Buy shelf liners if they have them and Homegoods didn't.

Lunch.

Finish the shelf liner and install the microwave, so you can feel like you're accomplishing something. Install shelf liners in shelves. Begin to move dishes over into the kitchen cupboards Jim said were ready to be used. (Uppers, not lowers, as lowers still have countertop guys to contend with.)

Perhaps find fabric and other materials for the turny-cupboard shelf liners? Cut those out? See how it's going. Play that by ear.

Come home and make dinner.

Oh yeah I was trying to get a chapter update up this morning. I'm like, so close, but it needs another editing pass and I just don't have time.

[silverfoxstole]

It’s finished! The Dark Eyes jacket is done! 🥳

This is the first time I’ve ever tried to replicate an existing garment for myself, but after making a mini version a few weeks ago for Eight Bear I had a hankering after one. I dithered for a fortnight over whether I actually needed it or not before just deciding to order the materials anyway.

As I’m intending it for general wear it’s an interpretation rather than an exact (or as exact as I could make it) replica. I opted to modify a pattern I already had instead of altering a men’s style to fit me which given the inevitable need for multiple toiles would have taken more time and patience than I really wanted to devote to this project. I also figured that using faux leather for the first time I’d be better off with a pattern I know and which I could easily adapt. The one I used is the Vogue V1467 women’s pea jacket which I’ve made twice before, but the V8940 men’s version would be a good starting point too, requiring minimal style adjustments.

To make it look more like the Dark Eyes coat I removed the back princess seams and did away with the belt as there was no way I was going to try and turn a tube of pleather right way out! I also re-spaced the buttons, reducing them to eight rather than ten, and drafted a softer collar, though I did notice when looking at photos again after it was done that I should have made it shorter and wider, which is annoying but it’s too late now and I’m not being slavish anyway. I kept the front princess seams both for fitting and because they’re part of the pocket construction. The buttonholes are bound. I could have topstitched round them but as my topstitching wouldn’t win any awards decided they were better left as they are.

The fabric is a heavy weight faux leather and was surprisingly easy to work with, moving generally smoothly through the machine with the aid of a roller foot. I did end up having to use pins but I tried to keep within the seam allowances and they’ve not made too many marks. Unfortunately there are small holes around the arm seams where I had to unpick when the sleeves wouldn’t go in easily; there wasn’t much I could do about it but hopefully no one is going to be staring at my shoulders enough to notice them! Pleather can’t be pressed for obvious reasons so I had to either topstitch the seams to flatten them or stitch down the seam allowances to the jacket shell. As I have no idea what the lining of the original is like I opted to save some money and use up the ladybird satin I had left over from the coat I made back in January.

All in all, though there are a couple of things I’d do differently were I to make it again I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. It took me about six days from cutting out the pieces to sewing on the buttons, at two or three hours a day.

And of course I had to take some dodgy posed mirror photos:

Now, where did I put my sonic screwdriver?

[somsesh]

Olympus Pen EE3

My passion towards shooting on the film went a little overboard this year. From passion, it had taken the form of obsession, and like most obsessions, there had to be a stop, or at least a patchwork of sorts to sew up the hole forming in my pocket. And I told myself that the last camera I will buy for a while will be a half-frame one. I had no clue that a camera like this existed. Rameez, a fellow photography enthusiast introduced me to it while showing me his collection of cameras and lens kits. As soon as I heard about it, it got me hooked. A camera that can take 72 shots instead of 36 was a boon in today’s market because each film costs above 1K, and the good ones can go up to 2.8K to buy. Then there is the development and scanning cost once you have finished the roll. I knew that the resolution will not be as good as a full 35mm film because well, you are now shooting on half of that space. But I had become a kid whose heart was in it for this new toy. I would keep an eye out for a good reliable half-frame available in the second-hand market. There is the new Kodak Ektar H35, but it has a plastic body, and I didn’t trust how long it will last with all the loading and rewinding of the film. There are not a lot of options when it comes to half-frame, and the most commonly available and decent pick is an Olympus Pen series model. I found one at Prabhu Film Store, but I was hesitant to pick it up because there was the guilt of spending so frivolously on a hobby, and I was eyeing a model that was in mint condition. I must have gone four times to Prabhu, taken the camera in my hand, feel the weight of it, touch the knobs, and then put it back, almost hiding it behind the stash of other cameras, so that nobody else spots it buys it before I make up my mind. I am not very good at being patient with these things, and I wanted to call an end to this indulgence of mine by making this last purchase. On my fifth visit, I bought the camera, loaded a roll, came back home, and decided to spruce up the body as best as I could. 

I cleaned the body with lens cleaning solution, but there were rubbed-off edges with marks that won’t go. You can’t remove the history of an object, and I didn’t intend to make it a new object anyway. There were chipped-off parts on the lining of the body that could have done with some concealing, so I picked up the ever-reliable and mouldable electric tape. I cut thin strips and stuck them on all the black parts carefully. I then painted the area around the camera logo black with an acrylic tube I had lying around. I then polished it with a spray I have for coating plastic parts. The next challenge and the most important one was to make a lens cap. The lens of the Olympus Pen doesn’t protrude out, so it’s relatively free of catching any scratches, but a lens cap was needed for a more important reason. There is no digital light meter in the Pen models, these cameras have selenium cells embedded all around the lens that dictates whether there is enough light to shoot or not. If you want the selenium cells to have a prolonged life, then it’s best to keep it concealed when not shooting. The camera was anyway lying out for many years with no cap on, but I wanted to take better care of it, so I fashioned a lens cap out of a small jar lid with foam lining stuck in the inside. I put on a new strap too, and the camera was ready to shoot. Now, this camera has a set shutter speed of 1/40 (as per my knowledge) with an adjustable ISO setting. You can also change the aperture (there are a couple of stops for it), but I didn’t want to fiddle with that too much in the beginning. This camera is built for shooting outdoors, and there is no inbuilt flash for taking photos in low light. But I wanted to test it out for taking shots indoors too, so I would point the camera towards a well-lit area, half press the button, so that the selenium cells don’t interfere later in going through with the shot, and then take a photo of a relatively less well-lit area. The camera doesn’t fire if the selenium cells tell it that the light is low, so you have to fool it to allow you to shoot indoors.  There was going to be a lot of testing with the first roll, so I put a Kentamere PAN 100 because it’s cheaper than most other films. You have to exhaust 72 shots to see the results, so it’s a much longer wait than the run of a 36-film set. 

I went through the roll relatively quicker because I wanted to see the results and see what tweaks I will have to make when I shoot next with it. I had to get the films scanned at a much higher resolution because, with the basic one, you would hardly get any details in the scans, and that meant paying more for it. There goes the extra bit I was trying to save. 

Shots of Doddanekundi Lake

Banshankari

Sufi :)

You can see the rest of the shots on my Flickr stream.

When I got the results, I was amused, surprised, and a tad bit disappointed too. The shots were exactly the opposite of the Yashica Electro ones because those were a little too high in contrast with details so sharp that they could prick you. Kentamere PAN 100 doesn’t give very high contrast shots, so many shots were a little washed out. An Ilford Delta would work better I suppose. There is certainly a bit of light leak contributing to the flatness of the shots, and it would need better concealing of the camera’s back when I shoot next. There is a lot of flare when shooting against the Sun, and you can’t go very close to the subject because it doesn’t focus well then. I feel shots that are taken at a distance of 5 metres at least work well. Ideally, the shots taken of the subject further in distance should have focused well too, but that hasn’t happened in some of the shots, so I am not sure why the infinite focus is not precise. Some of the indoor shots are better than the ones taken in direct light, so that adjustment has to be kept in mind. Lastly, it’s tough to get very detailed shots on a half-frame, it’s not meant for it because there is not enough film space to pack in details. The landscape orientation feels wider in this one, so that felt good when switching away from the portrait orientation shots. 

Let’s see how the next rolls turn out on it. It will be a while though because I am travelling and don’t have the half-frame camera with me. Glad to have made the purchase and put some sort of stop to this camera-gazing spree I was on. Instagram with its algorithms still keeps throwing vintage camera reels on my feed, but I must stay patient. 

[winterbanner]

Lost and Found (Bucky x Reader)

Summary: It's been five months since you've last seen Bucky. No contact, not even a damn phone call. Yet, there he is standing on your doorstep in the middle of the night, covered in bruises you can't help but want to heal.

Tags: ANGST, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure!Bucky, Steve Slander (oop), Fluff

Word Count: 2167

Warnings: Allusions to Hydra's Torture, Self Deprecating Thoughts

A/N: It's been like 9 months since I've last posted a fic.... yikes... so um sorry I guess? (also pls help me stop writing angst, I don't know what to do with myself)

Doll, 

I’m sorry. I just can’t do this anymore. It’s not your fault. Please, don’t try to call.

-Bucky

You were angry, that much was clear. It was written blatantly on your face as you answered the door, clad in nothing but your pajamas and a scowl.

It was 3 AM, an ungodly hour for someone such as yourself, who had to be up for surgery in just a few hours. Bucky had begged Sam to find someone else; anyone else who could give them the basic medical attention they needed. Sam's petulant insistence, however, left Bucky with no other choice than to show up on your doorstep shrouded in nothing but flesh wounds and guilt.

Sam, always the chipper one, began the conversation with the efforts of lessening the inevitable awkwardness. You had always liked him, more than Bucky would have liked you to. He would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous of you and him, the light air of humor and amusement that encompassed the two of you in conversation. Then there he was, the cloud of gray, sulking in the corner and sucking the energy from the room.

"Hey there good-lookin. Long time no see."

A slight smile tugged at the corner of your lips, breaking the scowl that had previously coated your face.

"Sam, you better have a good reason for knocking on my door this early in the damn morning." You quipped, your eyes sparkling with amusement. as you absentmindedly fiddled with your hair.

"Look um, Bucky and I got beat up pretty bad out there and we figured since you were right here...."

Sam's voice trailed off as they both witnessed the smile immediately dissipate from your expression. Your eyes quickly scanned their bloodied forms, the concern evident in the panicked way you ushered them inside.

To be completely honest Bucky was shocked at your lack of resistance, he wouldn't have been surprised if you had just slammed the door in his face. I mean, isn’t that what most people would do if their ex, who broke their heart without an ounce of explanation, showed up in the middle of the night unannounced? 

He should've known better, however, because it takes no more than five minute with you for one to realize that you're not like most people. You're a doctor, someone who has dedicated their entire life to helping others, to alleviating their pain and sewing them up good as new. At least, that's what you did for him. Bucky couldn't begin to count the nights he spent wrapped in your arms, your sweet voice and soothing touch warding off the nightmarish scenes that lived in his head.

Bucky should’ve known better, because you are never one to turn away someone in pain. No matter how hopeless it is and no matter how much you might get hurt in the process. 

"Have a seat in the living room and feel free to grab whatever you'd like from the kitchen." Your head gestured them to head towards the couch, while your hands kept themselves busy gathering whatever medical supplies you had on hand.

The men abided by your instructions and allowed the plush cushion of your couch to alleviate their aching bodies. To Bucky, your apartment was exactly as he left it. His record player still sat atop the side table, his collection of vinyls still filled away in the shelves below. A picture of the both of you remained displayed on the mantle, your smiling faces beaming as the Hudson River flowed in the background.

It was as if he was at a museum, a tourist witnessing some sort of haunting recreation of a scene long gone to the clutches of time. There was nothing missing, so much so that if Bucky wasn't careful he could convince himself that the last five months never happened; that he had never left and that he had never broke your heart so haphazardly.

Sam gave him a knowing look as he reached over to land a friendly pat on his shoulder. He had known exactly what he was doing bringing Bucky here. He could’ve easily flagged down some other source of medical care, but instead he insisted on coming to your place; on formulating some scheme to get you both in the same room together again. It was obvious, so obvious in fact that Bucky was almost embarrassed by how easily he succumbed to Sam’s insistence. Maybe there was a part of him that wanted Sam's plan to work, a realization that only caused the guilt in his stomach to churn even more profusely.

It wasn’t long before you came into the living room, first aid kit in hand with that same look of concern lining your delicate features.

"I don't have very much on hand, but I think this should do."

You stood before them, your eyes scanning over their injured bodies with expertise, your mind taking mental notes on their individual wounds. It was apparent that Bucky was worse off, an outcome that was usual when it came to missions. He had never learned to take your advice, to be more careful; to value his own life in the midst of duty.

Sam stood up abruptly, a slight wince grazing his expression.

"Look, I didn't spend all those years pointing guns in the sand to not know how to treat basic battle wounds. It's this grump that you really need to worry about." He stated, as he quickly gathered up some supplies and headed towards the spare bathroom.

He closed the door before either of you could even begin a rebuttal.

"Come on." You whispered, your eyes gleaming with impatience as you led Bucky through the bedroom you once shared and into the ensuite.

He felt like a child again, that scrappy little kid who couldn't stop fighting. His little hands throwing punches like he was a middle-aged boxer when in reality he was just a little boy who hated watching bullies hurt his best friend. It was because of this that the school nurse always hated him. Every week he'd show up at her door, an office slip in his hand, only to be met with harsh comments and the taunting roll of her eyes. The only reason she even bothered was because her paycheck depended on ensuring he was patched up. If not, she'd have left him out in the hall, the red blood from his nose staining his best shirt.

It was that same feeling of helplessness that Bucky felt now, as you led him into the bathroom and instructed him to sit upon the toilet seat, his abdomen searing with pain. He wasn't wanted there, you didn't want him there, and the only reason you agreed to help was because Sam asked you to.

He was kidding himself if he thought any different, if he considered that maybe you actually wanted to help him; that you actually still cared. Bucky felt like a helpless little kid again, but instead of the old ugly school nurse he was faced instead with the one person he loved more than anything else, and that made it a thousand times more excruciating.

"Take your shirt off." You instructed coldly, an attempt to erase the intimacy that once existed between the two of you. It felt wrong to speak that way to someone you loved; the person you loved the most. In that moment, however, your words were a manifestation of the hurt welling up inside of you, its pain only exasperated by his presence.

He abided by your instructions, his face grimacing in pain as he slipped the fabric over his head, causing his sweaty hair to stick up in disarray.

This was probably the hundredth time Bucky had found himself sat perched upon your toilet seat, his wounded chest exposed to the healing power of your fingertips. This was once routine, you tending to his wounds after a mission, your familiar voice and soothing touch melting the violent events of days past into distant memories.

This was the sort of interaction he had vowed to give up, on the night he fled your apartment with nothing but a half-assed apology note in his wake. It was something he should've done years ago, before you became attached; before he had grown too comfortable in your company.

Yet, here you were, standing before him, your former act of stoicism faltering in the face of your signature tenderness. Your cold words were replaced instead with your fingertips absentmindedly grazing ever-so-gently over his shoulder's mangled flesh; with your soft hand cupping his jaw as you inspected the cut on his brow.

What was once lost was now found, but it wasn't Bucky's to keep any more.

It was all too much. The way you gently apologized every time he winced, your familiar hands healing the wounds that littered his body. He couldn't give in, he couldn't allow himself that sort of peace because you weren't his anymore. He had to leave he couldn't stay; he had to be alone because-

“Bucky, I-I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

His spiraling train of thought suddenly came to a halt, as he felt your hand intertwine itself with his own, your expression laced with pure sadness and concern.

“Y-you didn’t Doll. I’m fine.” 

“Buck you’re- you're crying.” 

It wasn’t until then that Bucky noticed the silent tears that had begun to slip down his cheeks. 

God, did he miss you.

God, why was he so weak?

Your free hand silently reached to grab a tissue from the counter.

“Sorry”,  he mumbled as he wiped his face.

"Don't apologize. It's just- did something happen since I've last seen you? Are you hurt? Are you feeling okay?

God, why did you still care about him? 

Bucky's tears began to fall more profusely, his tissue soiled with salty residue and pathetic sadness. Any resemblance of anger you once held had completely dissipated because this wasn't just an ex-boyfriend, this was Bucky Barnes, and hell would freeze over before you idly watched him experience any more pain.

“I’m sorry”, he croaked.

"Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry that you ever had to meet me, that I left. I'm just sorry, so fucking sorry."

Your hand reached up to cup his cheek. “I’m not.” You whispered, as you used your thumb to delicately wipe his tears “Buck, why did you leave? What happened?” 

He stayed silent for a moment, his eyes searching for answers in the bathroom tile below. His eyes were stinging, his mind racing, and all he wanted was to say something, anything that would make sense, anything. 

“Steve left.” Bucky blurted, the hurt emanating in his tone. "He left because the Bucky he loved is dead; the boy he grew up with died in that ravine a goddamn century ago. They changed me- they broke me."

"Steve left because who I am now, the Bucky you know, isn't worth staying for."

Your head began to shake, absolute heartbreak written on your face as you squeezed his hand even tighter. "That's not true. Please don't ever think that-"

"And if I'm not good enough for Captain fucking America, then how am I good enough for you?", Bucky interrupted. "I left because you could do so much better than me; you deserve so much better. You deserve someone who doesn't keep you up all night screaming; someone who isn't so incredibly fucked up-"

“Bucky stop, please just stop.” You let go of his hand and moved both of your palms up the gently cup the sides of his face, forcing his eyes to make contact with your own.

"Steve left because he selfishly ran away with a woman he barely knew, not because of you; never because of you. Now, I may not have known the Bucky that he grew up with, but I'd choose who you are now over him any day. Buck, I love you. I love you."

"You don't get to decide who is good for me. That is my decision to make and I made that decision years ago, when we first met."

You reached out and pulled him into a hug, your arms encompassing his larger frame as he fully let himself melt into your embrace.

"You are good enough."

"Bucky you are good enough."

"Please don't leave again, just stay; stay with me."

Bucky pulled away slightly, his flesh hand reaching up to cup your jaw and guide your lips to meet his own.

"Okay.' He whispered, a flash of hope gleaming in the blue of his eyes, as he stood up to properly hold you against him.

He believed you, and for once in his life Bucky Barnes was actually going to take your advice. He was going to hold on to what was once lost; he was going to keep what he had found.

"Now, who is gonna be the one to tell Sam that his plan actually worked?"

[bokunosimpfiction]

Kidnapped Yandere!Heisenberg x Reader Pt.5

Summary: You feel emotions other than rage and sarcasm oh my god 

A/N: The reason I took a break from this series was because I had no idea where to take it from that cliff hanger, and I felt that character development needed to be done before we dive head first into the plot. This is part of that, but keep in mind it’s not filler like Chapter 2 became. I think it’s funny that this was SUPPOSED TO BE A FUCKING ONE SHOT BUT APPARENTLY FUCKING NOT. I’ll be posting another chapter for this series soon. Also feel free to send me asks about this series. I’ve been getting comments on my ao3 that are a) genius b)hilarious and c)heartwarming. Talk to me. Please! Ask and anon should be open right now let me know if they aren’t!

Masterlist link for previous parts:

Link to this chapter on AO3:

Taglist: @localdepressedvampire​ and one person recieving updates via email

The fresh cold late-autumn air made your lungs sting. And the layers of clothes didn’t help fight the chill you didn’t know you were facing. Has it been that long since you’ve been outside, to see the sun? You stick your arms in your armpits under your outercoat. Well, Heisenberg’s spare trench coat. It was much too big, the cuffs of the sleeves going well past your fingertips and the bottom half an inch from the ground.

You were so used to the fluorescent lighting and the warm dry air of the factory, that your body went into some type of culture shock. It felt like an allergic reaction to the outside world itself. Adjusting to it once you escaped would be hard.

“You’ve clearly become less fit since you started living with me,” Karl says in a matter-of-fact tone. You’d be insulted if you didn’t hear him say weird stuff about the other lords or the occasional brain-washed villager who brought up offerings. One had sewed you a wool and fox-fur dress and brought it up in September, in preparation for the winter. He’d thought it dumb at the time, but it protected you from the November chill better than anything you’ve ever worn.

Did they think you were a woman? Whether they were right or wrong, it didn’t change the fact that it was comfortable, warm, and made you feel better than the clothes you’d been wearing before in the factory or even before. You felt safe.

“Of course, I have, I’ve been sitting on my ass,” you retort.

“Still see that sass is intact.”

“It’s something that’ll never leave me.”

“You’d make a terrible house-spouse.”

“That’s the point,” you sigh hard, and you can see the cold air in front of your face, “I had a whole ass college degree before I came here and got my ass kidnapped.”

Karl whips around and looks at you, tilting his head down to peer at you from above his glasses. “You have a college degree?”

“Why are you surprised? Did you think I was that stupid?” Even if the question is sarcastic and witty, you felt a pang of hurt reverberate in your heart. Did he really think you were that stupid? Apparently so.

“I have two masters. One in aerospace engineering and one in mechanical engineering. Double majored in those fields for my bachelors at Oxford on a full-ride scholarship of robotic engineering.”

His mouth drops open. “And I didn’t know about this because?”

“It never came up.”

He pinches his nose, “you could have been helping me this whole time in the shop, and I let you sit on your ass and play care-taker.”

“More like forced me.” At this point, you’ve stopped walking, and you’d be able to see the manor of Benviento if it weren’t for the fog.

“Besides the point.” He looks stressed. His eyebrows are furrowed, a deep frown is on his face and his whole disposition makes him look genuinely conflicted and upset. “Let’s just go.” He gestures for you to follow him and stomps up the path.

You follow him, trying not to slip in the mud. Converse doesn’t have great traction, you realized. Maybe you should have worn hiking boots. “Listen, dirty Dr. Doofenschmirtz-“

“I don’t want to listen to your dumb nick-names right now.”

You stop again, and your fists ball up at your side around the fabric of the sleeves of his coat. Your coat. The coat you’re wearing.

“Why the hell are you so mad at me!” It’s not a question. It’s an exclamation of emotion. For some reason, it hurts. Even if you despised him, hated him with all your being, having someone love you unconditionally felt nice. He was toxic at best, sociopathic at worst, and yet he loved you so strongly it tore the both of you so part. To feel that admiration has gone missing, even if for a second, sent you reeling. You can’t explain why you softened towards him.

“I’m not.” He keeps walking before he realized you stopped. He turned around to look at you. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just…” He looks for the words. He’d never been good at expressing himself, you realized. Better through actions than words. But you didn’t want him to act on whatever he was feeling.

You wait in silence, eye-watering, trying not to cry.

He sees and rushes over to you. His left arm wraps around you and his right hand gently grabs your chin, his index finger underneath to lift your chin up to look at him. “Don’t cry, you know I hate it when you cry.”

You struggle to take a deep breath, choke on it, and the world feels so much more dangerous. A million malicious eyes gazing into your soul, whispers of panic fill your brain, and flashing thoughts of running right now, of hurting him or you flash through like lightning in a foggy storm. Every damn thing feels hazy and thick and you’re choking on the lump in your throat. “I don’t want to. I don’t want you to be mad at me, I don’t want-“

“Take a deep goddamn breath.” You feel his tobacco-scented breath on your face. You can see panic flash through his eyes for a moment. You hate the smell, and it suffocates you even more. “You need to breath.”

You swallow around the lump in your throat, and your breath shakes like a wasp nest about to fall from the highest branch. “Why are you mad at me?” This time you genuinely ask. You don’t want a reason, but rather a reassurance that he isn’t at all.

His lips form into a snarl that doesn’t come out before he presses them in a tight line. As he thinks. It makes you even more nervous. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at the fact that I had an opportunity that went to waste.”

You look up at him. “Okay.”

He wraps his other arm around you and places his chin on your forehead. “Let me know when you’ve calmed down.”

You rest your forehead on his shoulder and breathe.

In. Out.

In.          Out.

In. OUT.

In… out

In.

Out.

 In.

 … out.

“Do you feel any better?”

You wait a moment. “Yeah, I think so.” You ponder for a moment. “I think I had a lot of pent-up anxiety from everything.”

He stays quiet. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

He places a kiss on the crown of your head, his beard ruffling your hair. “Are you not going to forgive me?”

You take a deep breath. “I don’t know yet. It’s…” How do I phrase this? “I worked hard for this anger. This anger to love me, to know I didn’t deserve this, to be kidnapped, to have my head ready to be mounted on a stick.” You continue, “if I stop feeling angry, if I forgive you, I’m afraid I’m losing that. That’s why I tried to escape because I loved myself, I wanted better for myself.”

“Was I… Was I not providing enough for you?” His question strikes you like an arrow.

“I-“ You stumble on you’re thoughts for a moment. “It’s less of you not doing enough, but more of the rough foot we started on.” You sniffle. “When I gave up, I felt like I lost a part of myself, all that I worked for. That degree included. I felt all my efforts, all my struggles that I faced outside this goddamn village had gone to waste. That it wasn’t worth it. That I wasn’t worth it.”

You had promised yourself to keep him at arm’s length, to not give him clues to manipulate you. But you poured your heart out into his. You felt him shake and squeeze you tighter.

“Never. Ever. Feel like you aren’t worth it.” You feel something wet on your scalp. “You deserved better than each challenge that you faced, and each bit of hurt you felt along the way.” It’s his turn to choke on his words. He takes a shaky breath above you, and you can feel his heart pound faster. “You, darling, are worth everything.”

Something small inside you breaks. He’s just as human as you are, you realize. In this desperate attempt to escape, to fuel this hatred that’s worn you down, you’ve villainized a man that’s felt even more pain than you. A broken man, who thinks you’re the glue to put him back together. You shouldn’t feel any obligation to, but you do, because you’ve felt a fraction of the pain he’s felt, that he’s currently feeling, and it’s made your mind and bones ache far after the situation ended.

“And so are you, Karl.”

He unwraps his arms from around you. “Come one butter-cup, let’s go. Ugly-ass-psycho-doll is waiting for you. Says she wants you for a fitting and some tea party with her demented child, Angie.”

“Angie? Who’s she.”

“Well, you’re about to find out.”

[retro-life-journal]

The Story of My 2012 year. The Year I bought my Marlin XS7

With deer season coming up, I wanted to tell a story. It sorta tells a little about me, why I’m interested in some of what I am.

Ten years ago, as a 23-year-old new father to my first child, buying my house to raise a family in, and living and working in rural Ga, money was a lot tighter than it is now. I grew up deer hunting (the M81 jacket pictured was a Christmas gift from my old man when I was about 12 and has been my primary hunting jacket ever since). When I was a teen my grandaddy gifted me a savage 110 in 243. It’s all I had and used for years, and I killed a lot of deer with that rifle. Fast forward to 2012. I wanted a .30 caliber rifle. I had dreamed about it. It was about this time of year, and I was in a local sporting goods/gun store browsing around. I admired all the wood and steel on the Brownings, Weatherbys, Remingtons, and other rifles I couldn’t afford. That’s when I noticed a black plastic stock rifle, chambered in 308, for $349. It had a blued receiver and barrel (that was a plus to me. I don’t care for parkerized metal on bolt action hunting rifles). That rifle is this Marlin XS7. I spent the $349+ Tax (that I really shouldn’t have at the time) and had a vision for this rifle. I knew it needed a walnut stock, but money at the time wasn’t an option. So I hunted with it and a cheap $30 Simmons scope. The rifle impressed me with how accurate it was(especially with 165 grn stuff) to be sold at the price point it was.

This is also around the time I purchased my first sewing machine(something I just instantly loved for some reason) at a yard sale for $10. The flannel cartridge holder was the first thing I ever made, from an old shirt I had. I got tired of my shells rattling around in my pocket. And that is the result. It shows my basic, yet crude skills. But it’s stayed together and lasted all these years and deer seasons riding in my coat pocket.

The same year, at Christmas after buying the XS7, my old man put the Buffalo horn handles on the Russel Greenriver Skinner pictured and gifted it to me.

About 5 years ago I finally bought Boyd’s walnut stock for my XS7. I also purchase a Burris 3x9x40 rifle scope, to replace the old cheap Simmons. These changes are what piqued my interest in gunsmithing (as self-taught and a novice as I am still). I’ve still got some work I need to do. I never bedded the action, because I didn’t know about such things at the time. I also plan on checkering it, if I can ever get my nerve and skills up to the task.

So there is a little story about myself, from back in 2012. Hope y’all enjoyed it.

[ggensblog]

Hiya!! I'd love a general matchup pls <3

My prefered fandoms are bnha and marvel 😊 I go by she/her pronouns and identify as bisexual with a slight male lean lmao

I'm 5'7 (literally only just by like less than 1cm) with brown eyes and long blonde hair that is dip-dyed a rose gold-y pink halfway down. In terms of body type I'm reasonably slim and, with no real way of wording this without it sounding weird (as if this is any better), shaped like the letter P. Haha ok ANYWAYS I tend to wear clothes that fit the "soft girl" aesthetic and have a huge love of cardigains and fake fur coats (I recently bought a massive fake fur leopard print coat and I would die for it in a HEARTBEAT).

My absolute fave things in the world are cats, the colour pink, nature and cosplaying. I have taken most of my friends on picnics with them and enjoy making rly flimsy daisy chains and also making the food to eat there because cooking/baking is one of my main hobbies and I make sure to make something every weekend (latest creations being flapjacks & coconut chicken with rice just not both together at th same time that would be such a cursed combo ew). Pink and cats are p self explanitory but cosplay holds such a huge place in my heart as a former drama kid it gives me a way to express myself and also combine my other loves of sewing and makeup into a final product 💗💗💗. OH I ALSO ADORE FASHION AND PUTTING OUTFITS TOGETHER IN A DIGITAL STYLIST WAY WHILE I SLOWLY GROW MY OWN WARDROBE HEHE.

Overall (as this is getting long soz) I am an extroverted bundle of joy and chaos who is incredibly feminine despite growing up a massive tomboy and I love nothing more than being able to interact with others and putting a smile on their faces 🥰 OH WAIT ALSO FOR SOME REASON I VERY MUCH FIT THE OPPOSITES ATTRACT VIBE WITH MOST MY FRIENDS AS ALMOST ALL OF THEM R INTROVERTED AND NEED ME TO DRAG THEM PLACES LMAO but they also come across a lot tougher than me so they always try and "protect" me from everything like i am a littol baby (which i am very much not and i have the martial arts training to show for it but it's sweet how muxh they care <3 RIGHT THIS HAS JUST BECOME ME LOVEMAILING MY FRIENDS I WILL ACTUALLY STOP NOW FR HAVE A GREAT DAY/NIGHT/WHATEVER TIMEZONE YR IN MWAH

hi my dear ! thank you so much for the request ! i hope you enjoy ! (also you sound really cool and while i was reading this i was like ‘omfg i really wanna be friends)

from my hero academia i match you with;

denki kaminari !

such a sweet guy <3 would love to see y’all together

- absolutely crack relationship ngl. loves to do stupid but sweet shit like dressing up for a gala and then just going to mcdonald’s, or getting on the subway just so you can hop train car to train car

- absolutely mind blown the first time you show him your martial arts training- he thinks it’s so attractive omfg he’s crazy about you

- most dedicated partner ever award goes to him 👍🏻 takes you on picnics, rollerskating dates, study dates (even if there isn’t much studying) like seriously would jump in front of a bullet for you

from marvel i match you with;

mcu! peter parker !

peter my love <3

- totally joins you in martial arts practice, and isn’t too worried about you guys when it comes to defending yourself

- let’s you in on the spidey secret a couple months into the relationship because he hates the idea of lying to his partner.

- thinks you’re the most adorable being ever- like seriously can’t get enough of you ever. takes you ice skating at rockefeller center, or musicals on broadway- whatever you want he’s going to try his best to make it happen

[howtolongfurb]

How to Long Furb

For whatever reason, furbies have taken over the internet. It’s beautiful and terrifying and I desperately want one. Original 1998 furbies are hard to acquire but that doesn’t mean you can’t make one of your own. Imagine the potential for neck pillows with long furbies! I’m going to walk you through step-by-step how I acquired the supplies and compiled these monstrosities. Note, this is not by any means a comprehensive guide, just my personal experience. I am an ameteur. There is a huge community of furby fans online with tips and tricks on executing a variety of furby modifications. Read more below!

I will start off by saying there were many points throughout this whole process where I got frustrated and set the project aside for weeks at a time. I initially started hand-sewing long furbs but was disappointed with the poor craftsmanship. That’s when I impulse bought a cheap Singer over the 2020 holidays and retaught myself how to use the machine. The point I want to make here is to persevere. Every furby is beautiful! Crooked faceplates and chunky bellies just give a furby more personality. They say practice makes perfect, right? So let’s get started. The main components of a furby are:

1) The faceplate: unless you can get your hands on an original furby, finding a faceplate for your project can be tricky. There are a variety of people online selling furby faceplates. You can also 3D print faceplates using files from thingiverse. I’ve even seen faceplates pressed in resin. My favorite faceplate is from MrDsPrintedCreations on Etsy. The iris of the eyes are recessed so you can easily insert glass eye chips. The first thing I do with my faceplate is glue a piece of fabric behind it so it’s easier to sew into the head. I paint my faceplate with acrylic craft paint and top it off with a clear gloss coat. 2) The spine: for a poseable long furb, there needs to be a flexible inner piece. I thought thin wire from Menards would do the job, but once it’s in the plush it doesn’t hold it’s shape. I found plastic doll armature works well as a spine. It even creaks when bent for that extra spritz of cursed, spooky energy! You can also use a flexible coolant hose as a spine. I’ve ordered doll armature online from CR’s Crafts: the 1/8th and 1/4th size works well. The 1/2th inch armature is hard to stuff around. 3) Fabric! Fur and belly piece: In order to make furbs, I knew I first needed a sewing pattern. Tumblr user Cavity Sam created a template based on the 1998 furby and I used this to make my first furb with my new machine and scrap fabric lying around. My friend Gunnar 3D printed a rudimentary faceplate to use. After using Cavity Sam’s sewing template, I modified the pattern to use for long furbs specifically. You can download that sewing pattern here.

You’ll need the following supplies per one 3-foot long furby:

quarter of a yard faux fur fabric (9 inches x 44 inches)

patterned fabric for belly, ears, feet (~3 inches x 44 inches)

sewing machine (thread, needle, scissors, pins)

faceplate, 14mm eye chips, eyelashes

E600 glue, scrap fabric

paint (acrylic or nail polish), paintbrushes, clear top coat

spine (plastic doll armature)

cotton stuffing (I cut open cheap pillows from Walmart)

Step one: Use the sewing pattern to cut fabric pieces for the head and body. When cutting on fur, make sure to trace the pattern on the flat backside of the fabric with the fur flattened in the right direction. For example, the hair on the Y-mane piece (back of the head) should be pointed downwards. I made notes on the paper pattern pieces where you can eyeball more or less space. The mane piece should have more rounded corners, for example. I made my furbies 3 feet long, so the front belly piece was 2 inches wide by 3 feet long. The back fur was 6.5 inches wide by 3 feet long.

Step two, feet and ears: Depending on how small you cut your fabric, it can be really hard to combine two separate pieces. For the feet I folded a piece of fabric in half and sewed the C-shapes before cutting them out. Using tweezers made it much easier to turn them back right-side-out. After cutting the ear pieces (making sure the hair on the fur was pointed in the right direction, inside out) I pinned them together before sewing. Turn back right-side-out. 

Step three, head: Line the pattern pieces up so the Y-mane is in the middle. Sew the sides of the head to the mane first. Once that is one solid piece, fold it in half to sew the top curve of the head. I have pinned these pieces to ensure they don’t slip when going through the machine. Slow and steady wins the race; make sure to turn the fabric as you’re curving the top of the head. Finally you can sew the piece under the ear together, leaving a gap for the ear to go in.

Step four, ears: Everything up to this point has been done on the machine. I haven’t figured out a way to attach the ears with the machine, so this step was done by hand. With the ear facing right side out, pin the ear to the inside-out head. Make sure the patterned part of the ear is facing outwards (where the faceplate goes). By hand, sew the ear to the hole in the head. After the ear is secured, turn the head right side out and voila!

Step five, body: Lining up these pieces is important and a little tricky. You’ll want some excess belly fabric on the top to merge with the bottom of the beak on the faceplate. See the diagram; rotate everything 180 degrees to begin sewing. The fur hair needs to be pointed upwards and the belly fabric pattern is facing down on top of that. After sewing the belly fabric to the fur, fold it over to sew the other side. The fur should be on the inside of the sausage/ body piece. Once you’re finished sewing, the finished piece needs to be turned fur side out.

Step six: Faceplate break time! This step can be done at any point in the process, up until you hand sew the faceplate into the head. To start, glue a piece of fabric behind the faceplate. The faceplate itself should just be the eyes and the beak, making it easier to sew into the head of the furb. You don’t need that extra plastic around the bottom of the beak (or at least I haven’t figured out how to sew that in convincingly). I used grey scrap fabric and E6000 glue to adhere the faceplate. Then you need to paint the faceplates. In earlier furbs I used acrylic paint topped with clear DecoArt gloss varnish on top. You can also use colored nail polish with a clear coat on top. In the pictured furbs I tried sealing the faceplates with mod podge but it dried tacky/ uneven. Optional: you can accessorize your furb with jewelry!

Step seven, inserting the faceplate: You need to sew this part into the head by hand as well. Start from the top center (head inside out, faceplate facing into head) and work your way down the right. Make sure to use a thicker needle and poke the needle through as close as you can get to the faceplate to ensure the fabric fur is flush to the face. The needle may be stubborn (poking through the hardened glue) so use a thimble or bottle cap to help push the needle. When you get to the bottom corner of the eye, the fabric may not line up perfectly. Use excess fabric to sew a seam, effectively acting like a cheek. This part takes a little finessing. Finish attaching the fur fabric one third of the way down the beak. This is where the belly piece will connect to. The final step (later) will be to put the eye + glass chip in. 

Step eight, attaching the head to body: I was able to use the machine for this part. Turning the head inside out, pin the head to the outside of the back fur. The head and back should line up so a gap is left for connecting the patterned belly to the bottom of the beak (that step comes later). After the head is connected to the back, I do a second pass to make sure there isn’t any gap in the seam. When turned right side out, you’ll see that excess patterned belly spills out the top. Keep the furb inside out to connect under the beak. 

Step nine, connecting the belly to the beak: On the excess patterned fabric sticking out the top of the body, trace the shape of the “M” to cut out. See the highlighted yellow portion in the picture, as well as the printed sewing pattern piece. The piece directly below the beak needs to be done by hand. If you can manage it, you can sew a diagonal line with your machine before trimming the patterned belly. I found it easiest to start from the right and work my way to the left. The acute angle under the cheek will need finessing, but with small and tight enough stitches the end result is good. Turn the furb inside out to see your long sausage of a creation!

Step ten, spine insertion and stuffing: Now THIS is where I may have messed up (i.e. got frustrated multiple times) and need feedback from the furby community. The furby is essentially complete, it just needs the butt and feet attached to seal it off. Because of this long sausage of a furb, it was hard to push stuffing all the way up into the head/ ears, even using a yard stick. Maybe if I printed my original sewing pattern at 115% or 130% size, the completed project wouldn’t have been so narrow. (The ears are a perfect size now that I think about it, so maybe just the head pieces need to be bigger.) This resizing would make for a larger in diameter, plushier furby too. I thought I could insert the spine after stuffing, but the opposite is true. Insert your wire or doll armature after the ears and head are stuffed but before you begin stuffing below the beak. Alternatively, you can fasten the top of the spine behind the faceplate before stuffing. I taped a cup to the end of a yard stick and that helped push handfuls of stuffing into the furb at a time. Leave 2 to 4 inches of the bottom unstuffed so it’s easier to sew on the bottom circle. We will leave a small gap for the rest to be stuffed before totally sealing it off. 

Step eleven, connecting the feet and bottom: Stuff the feet and seal them off with a couple stitches. Don’t stuff the feet completely full, the top seam should lay flat. Place the two feet on the bottom of the belly, pointing upwards. Sew the feet onto the belly in a straight line. Now comes the part that takes more finessing, the bottom. When you line up the bottom circle, make sure the hairs of the fabric are pointed backwards. If you can manage it with the machine, sew the bottom circle to the bottom of your furby where the feet connect to the belly, about a third of the way around the full circle. The fur of the circle should be facing down, touching the belly of the furb. Once you’ve attached the circle to the feet, you can fold the circle back to see the butt starting to take shape! You can give it another pass on the machine, sewing the opposite side/ flip the furby so you can see the backside of the belly. Leave enough room to stuff the rest of the cotton and close the gap by hand sewing. Now that your furby is essentially complete, you can add the finishing touches! I always leave the eye chips for last so I don’t scratch them in the process of turning my furb inside out. You can print or paint the eye designs to place behind the glass chip. Use clear glue like superglue or E600 for the best results. Gluing eyelashes on with superglue is an optional last step.

Aaaaaaand the furbies are done! Again, I’m an ameteur sewer who’s learning as I go. I’m always open to suggestions and feedback; if there’s a way to revise this process to make more efficient and better quality furbs, I’d love to know. Thanks yall and enjoy making these cursed friends!

[themousefromfantasyland]

THE GIRL WHO PRETENDED TO BE A BOY

What about a transgender fairy tale for Pride Month?

This variant is a English translation by Andrew Lang of a Romanian fairy tale called Ileana Sînziana. In this long, but fun tale, a powerful new Emperor wants in his court all the male heirs of the Emperors who he already dethroned. Knowing her father doesn't have any male heir, the youngest daughter of an old Emperor decides to dress as man and goes out in a journey.

In the end she is "cursed" to be a man, becoming Făt-Frumos, here translated as Fet-Fruners, a stock Romanian character in folk tales, a knight hero similar to Prince Charming. Făt-Frumos can be roughly translated as handsome infant or child or handsome boy.

Once upon a time there lived an emperor who was a great conqueror, and reigned over more countries than anyone in the world. And whenever he subdued a fresh kingdom, he only granted peace on condition that the king should deliver him one of his sons for ten years' service.

Now on the borders of his kingdom lay a country whose emperor was as brave as his neighbour, and as long as he was young he was the victor in every war. But as years passed away, his head grew weary of making plans of campaign, and his people wanted to stay at home and till their fields, and at last he too felt that he must do homage to the other emperor.

One thing, however, held him back from this step which day by day he saw more clearly was the only one possible. His new overlord would demand the service of one of his sons. And the old emperor had no son; only three daughters.

Look on which side he would, nothing but ruin seemed to lie before him, and he became so gloomy, that his daughters were frightened, and did everything they could think of to cheer him up, but all to no purpose.

At length one day when they were at dinner, the eldest of the three summoned up all her courage and said to her father:

'What secret grief is troubling you? Are your subjects discontented? or have we given you cause for displeasure? To smooth away your wrinkles, we would gladly shed our blood, for our lives are bound up in yours; and this you know.'

'My daughter,' answered the emperor, 'what you say is true. Never have you given me one moment's pain. Yet now you cannot help me. Ah! why is not one of you a boy!'

'I don't understand,' she answered in surprise. 'Tell us what is wrong: and though we are not boys, we are not quite useless!'

'But what can you do, my dear children? Spin, sew, and weave—that is all your learning. Only a warrior can deliver me now, a young giant who is strong to wield the battle-axe: whose sword deals deadly blows.'

'But WHY do you need a son so much at present? Tell us all about it! It will not make matters worse if we know!'

'Listen then, my daughters, and learn the reason of my sorrow. You have heard that as long as I was young no man ever brought an army against me without it costing him dear. But the years have chilled my blood and drunk my strength. And now the deer can roam the forest, my arrows will never pierce his heart; strange soldiers will set fire to my houses and water their horses at my wells, and my arm cannot hinder them. No, my day is past, and the time has come when I too must bow my head under the yoke of my foe! But who is to give him the ten years' service that is part of the price which the vanquished must pay?'

'_I_ will,' cried the eldest girl, springing to her feet. But her father only shook his head sadly.

'Never will I bring shame upon you,' urged the girl. 'Let me go. Am I not a princess, and the daughter of an emperor?'

'Go then!' he said.

The brave girl's heart almost stopped beating from joy, as she set about her preparations. She was not still for a single moment, but danced about the house, turning chests and wardrobes upside down. She set aside enough things for a whole year—dresses embroidered with gold and precious stones, and a great store of provisions. And she chose the most spirited horse in the stable, with eyes of flame, and a coat of shining silver.

When her father saw her mounted and curvetting about the court, he gave her much wise advice, as to how she was to behave like the young man she appeared to be, and also how to behave as the girl she really was. Then he gave her his blessing, and she touched her horse with the spur.

The silver armour of herself and her steed dazzled the eyes of the people as she darted past. She was soon out of sight, and if after a few miles she had not pulled up to allow her escort to join her, the rest of the journey would have been performed alone.

But though none of his daughters were aware of the fact, the old emperor was a magician, and had laid his plans accordingly. He managed, unseen, to overtake his daughter, and throw a bridge of copper over a stream which she would have to cross. Then, changing himself into a wolf, he lay down under one of the arches, and waited.

He had chosen his time well, and in about half an hour the sound of a horse's hoofs was heard. His feet were almost on the bridge, when a big grey wolf with grinning teeth appeared before the princess. With a deep growl that froze the blood, he drew himself up, and prepared to spring.

The appearance of the wolf was so sudden and so unexpected, that the girl was almost paralysed, and never even dreamt of flight, till the horse leaped violently to one side. Then she turned him round, and urging him to his fullest speed, never drew rein till she saw the gates of the palace rising before her.

The old emperor, who had got back long since, came to the door to meet her, and touching her shining armour, he said, 'Did I not tell you, my child, that flies do not make honey?'

The days passed on, and one morning the second princess implored her father to allow her to try the adventure in which her sister had made such a failure. He listened unwillingly, feeling sure it was no use, but she begged so hard that in the end he consented, and having chosen her arms, she rode away.

But though, unlike her sister, she was quite prepared for the appearance of the wolf when she reached the copper bridge, she showed no greater courage, and galloped home as fast as her horse could carry her. On the steps of the castle her father was standing, and as still trembling with fright she knelt at his feet, he said gently, 'Did I not tell you, my child, that every bird is not caught in a net?'

The three girls stayed quietly in the palace for a little while, embroidering, spinning, weaving, and tending their birds and flowers, when early one morning, the youngest princess entered the door of the emperor's private apartments. 'My father, it is my turn now. Perhaps I shall get the better of that wolf!'

'What, do you think you are braver than your sisters, vain little one? You who have hardly left your long clothes behind you!' but she did not mind being laughed at, and answered,

'For your sake, father, I would cut the devil himself into small bits, or even become a devil myself. I think I shall succeed, but if I fail, I shall come home without more shame than my sisters.'

Still the emperor hesitated, but the girl petted and coaxed him till at last he said,

'Well, well, if you must go, you must. It remains to be seen what I shall get by it, except perhaps a good laugh when I see you come back with your head bent and your eyes on the ground.'

'He laughs best who laughs last,' said the princess.

Happy at having got her way, the princess decided that the first thing to be done was to find some old white-haired boyard, whose advice she could trust, and then to be very careful in choosing her horse. So she went straight to the stables where the most beautiful horses in the empire were feeding in the stalls, but none of them seemed quite what she wanted. Almost in despair she reached the last box of all, which was occupied by her father's ancient war-horse, old and worn like himself, stretched sadly out on the straw.

The girl's eyes filled with tears, and she stood gazing at him. The horse lifted his head, gave a little neigh, and said softly, 'You look gentle and pitiful, but I know it is your love for your father which makes you tender to me. Ah, what a warrior he was, and what good times we shared together! But now I too have grown old, and my master has forgotten me, and there is no reason to care whether my coat is dull or shining. Yet, it is not too late, and if I were properly tended, in a week I could vie with any horse in the stables!'

'And how should you be tended?' asked the girl.

'I must be rubbed down morning and evening with rain water, my barley must be boiled in milk, because of my bad teeth, and my feet must be washed in oil.'

'I should like to try the treatment, as you might help me in carrying out my scheme.'

'Try it then, mistress, and I promise you will never repent.'

So in a week's time the horse woke up one morning with a sudden shiver through all his limbs; and when it had passed away, he found his skin shining like a mirror, his body as fat as a water melon, his movement light as a chamois.

Then looking at the princess who had come early to the stable, he said joyfully,

'May success await on the steps of my master's daughter, for she has given me back my life. Tell me what I can do for you, princess, and I will do it.'

'I want to go to the emperor who is our over-lord, and I have no one to advise me. Which of all the white-headed boyards shall I choose as counsellor?'

'If you have me, you need no one else: I will serve you as I served your father, if you will only listen to what I say.'

'I will listen to everything. Can you start in three days?'

'This moment, if you like,' said the horse.

The preparations of the emperor's youngest daughter were much fewer and simpler than those of her sisters. They only consisted of some boy's clothes, a small quantity of linen and food, and a little money in case of necessity. Then she bade farewell to her father, and rode away.

A day's journey from the palace, she reached the copper bridge, but before they came in sight of it, the horse, who was a magician, had warned her of the means her father would take to prove her courage.

Still in spite of his warning she trembled all over when a huge wolf, as thin as if he had fasted for a month, with claws like saws, and mouth as wide as an oven, bounded howling towards her. For a moment her heart failed her, but the next, touching the horse lightly with her spur, she drew her sword from its sheath, ready to separate the wolf's head from its body at a single blow.

The beast saw the sword, and shrank back, which was the best thing it could do, as now the girl's blood was up, and the light of battle in her eyes. Then without looking round, she rode across the bridge.

The emperor, proud of this first victory, took a short cut, and waited for her at the end of another day's journey, close to a river, over which he threw a bridge of silver. And this time he took the shape of a lion.

But the horse guessed this new danger and told the princess how to escape it. But it is one thing to receive advice when we feel safe and comfortable, and quite another to be able to carry it out when some awful peril is threatening us. And if the wolf had made the girl quake with terror, it seemed like a lamb beside this dreadful lion.

At the sound of his roar the very trees quivered and his claws were so large that every one of them looked like a cutlass.

The breath of the princess came and went, and her feet rattled in the stirrups. Suddenly the remembrance flashed across her of the wolf whom she had put to flight, and waving her sword, she rushed so violently on the lion that he had barely time to spring on one side, so as to avoid the blow. Then, like a flash, she crossed this bridge also.

Now during her whole life, the princess had been so carefully brought up, that she had never left the gardens of the palace, so that the sight of the hills and valleys and tinkling streams, and the song of the larks and blackbirds, made her almost beside herself with wonder and delight. She longed to get down and bathe her face in the clear pools, and pick the brilliant flowers, but the horse said 'No,' and quickened his pace, neither turning to the right or the left.

'Warriors,' he told her, 'only rest when they have won the victory. You have still another battle to fight, and it is the hardest of all.'

This time it was neither a wolf nor a lion that was waiting for her at the end of the third day's journey, but a dragon with twelve heads, and a golden bridge behind it.

The princess rode up without seeing anything to frighten her, when a sudden puff of smoke and flame from beneath her feet, caused her to look down, and there was the horrible creature twisted and writhing, its twelve heads reared up as if to seize her between them.

The bridle fell from her hand: and the sword which she had just grasped slid back into its sheath, but the horse bade her fear nothing, and with a mighty effort she sat upright and spurred straight on the dragon.

The fight lasted an hour and the dragon pressed her hard. But in the end, by a well-directed side blow, she cut off one of the heads, and with a roar that seemed to rend the heavens in two, the dragon fell back on the ground, and rose as a man before her.

Although the horse had informed the princess the dragon was really her own father, the girl had hardly believed him, and stared in amazement at the transformation. But he flung his arms round her and pressed her to his heart saying, 'Now I see that you are as brave as the bravest, and as wise as the wisest. You have chosen the right horse, for without his help you would have returned with a bent head and downcast eyes. You have filled me with the hope that you may carry out the task you have undertaken, but be careful to forget none of my counsels, and above all to listen to those of your horse.'

When he had done speaking, the princess knelt down to receive his blessing, and they went their different ways.

The princess rode on and on, till at last she came to the mountains which hold up the roof of the world. There she met two Genii who had been fighting fiercely for two years, without one having got the least advantage over the other. Seeing what they took to be a young man seeking adventures, one of the combatants called out, 'Fet-Fruners! deliver me from my enemy, and I will give you the horn that can be heard the distance of a three days' journey;' while the other cried, 'Fet-Fruners! help me to conquer this pagan thief, and you shall have my horse, Sunlight.'

Before answering, the princess consulted her own horse as to which offer she should accept, and he advised her to side with the genius who was master of Sunlight, his own younger brother, and still more active than himself.

So the girl at once attacked the other genius, and soon clove his skull; then the one who was left victor begged her to come back with him to his house and he would hand her over Sunlight, as he had promised.

The mother of the genius was rejoiced to see her son return safe and sound, and prepared her best room for the princess, who, after so much fatigue, needed rest badly. But the girl declared that she must first make her horse comfortable in his stable; but this was really only an excuse, as she wanted to ask his advice on several matters.

But the old woman had suspected from the very first that the boy who had come to the rescue of her son was a girl in disguise, and told the genius that she was exactly the wife he needed. The genius scoffed, and inquired what female hand could ever wield a sabre like that; but, in spite of his sneers, his mother persisted, and as a proof of what she said, laid at night on each of their pillows a handful of magic flowers, that fade at the touch of man, but remain eternally fresh in the fingers of a woman.

It was very clever of her, but unluckily the horse had warned the princess what to expect, and when the house was silent, she stole very softly to the genius's room, and exchanged his faded flowers for those she held. Then she crept back to her own bed and fell fast asleep.

At break of day, the old woman ran to see her son, and found, as she knew she would, a bunch of dead flowers in his hand. She next passed on to the bedside of the princess, who still lay asleep grasping the withered flowers. But she did not believe any the more that her guest was a man, and so she told her son. So they put their heads together and laid another trap for her.

After breakfast the genius gave his arm to his guest, and asked her to come with him into the garden. For some time they walked about looking at the flowers, the genius all the while pressing her to pick any she fancied. But the princess, suspecting a trap, inquired roughly why they were wasting the precious hours in the garden, when, as men, they should be in the stables looking after their horses. Then the genius told his mother that she was quite wrong, and his deliverer was certainly a man. But the old woman was not convinced for all that.

She would try once more she said, and her son must lead his visitor into the armoury, where hung every kind of weapon used all over the world—some plain and bare, others ornamented with precious stones—and beg her to make choice of one of them. The princess looked at them closely, and felt the edges and points of their blades, then she hung at her belt an old sword with a curved blade, that would have done credit to an ancient warrior. After this she informed the genius that she would start early next day and take Sunlight with her.

And there was nothing for the mother to do but to submit, though she still stuck to her own opinion.

The princess mounted Sunlight, and touched him with her spur, when the old horse, who was galloping at her side, suddenly said:

'Up to this time, mistress, you have obeyed my counsels and all has gone well. Listen to me once more, and do what I tell you. I am old, and—now that there is someone to take my place, I will confess it—I am afraid that my strength is not equal to the task that lies before me. Give me leave, therefore, to return home, and do you continue your journey under the care of my brother. Put your faith in him as you put it in me, and you will never repent. Wisdom has come early to Sunlight.'

'Yes, my old comrade, you have served me well; and it is only through your help that up to now I have been victorious. So grieved though I am to say farewell, I will obey you yet once more, and will listen to your brother as I would to yourself. Only, I must have a proof that he loves me as well as you do.'

'How should I not love you?' answered Sunlight; 'how should I not be proud to serve a warrior such as you? Trust me, mistress, and you shall never regret the absence of my brother. I know there will be difficulties in our path, but we will face them together.'

Then, with tears in her eyes, the princess took leave of her old horse, who galloped back to her father.

She had ridden only a few miles further, when she saw a golden curl lying on the road before her. Checking her horse, she asked whether it would be better to take it or let it lie.

'If you take it,' said Sunlight, 'you will repent, and if you don't, you will repent too: so take it.' On this the girl dismounted, and picking up the curl, wound it round her neck for safety.

They passed by hills, they passed by mountains, they passed through valleys, leaving behind them thick forests, and fields covered with flowers; and at length they reached the court of the over-lord.

He was sitting on his throne, surrounded by the sons of the other emperors, who served him as pages. These youths came forward to greet their new companion, and wondered why they felt so attracted towards him.

[Quick pause. This is a very funny trope that I keep finding in very old cross-dressing stories. The male characters find themselves mysteriously attracted to the female character pretending to be male. Think of Li Shang from Mulan.]

However, there was no time for talking and concealing her fright.

The princess was led straight up to the throne, and explained, in a low voice, the reason of her coming. The emperor received her kindly, and declared himself fortunate at finding a vassal so brave and so charming, and begged the princess to remain in attendance on his person.

She was, however, very careful in her behaviour towards the other pages, whose way of life did not please her. One day, however, she had been amusing herself by making sweetmeats, when two of the young princes looked in to pay her a visit. She offered them some of the food which was already on the table, and they thought it so delicious that they even licked their fingers so as not to lose a morsel. Of course they did not keep the news of their discovery to themselves, but told all their companions that they had just been enjoying the best supper they had had since they were born. And from that moment the princess was left no peace, till she had promised to cook them all a dinner.

Now it happened that, on the very day fixed, all the cooks in the palace became intoxicated, and there was no one to make up the fire.

When the pages heard of this shocking state of things, they went to their companion and implored her to come to the rescue.

The princess was fond of cooking, and was, besides, very good-natured; so she put on an apron and went down to the kitchen without delay. When the dinner was placed before the emperor he found it so nice that he ate much more than was good for him. The next morning, as soon as he woke, he sent for his head cook, and told him to send up the same dishes as before. The cook, seized with fright at this command, which he knew he could not fulfil, fell on his knees, and confessed the truth.

The emperor was so astonished that he forgot to scold, and while he was thinking over the matter, some of his pages came in and said that their new companion had been heard to boast that he knew where Iliane was to be found—the celebrated Iliane of the song which begins:

'Golden Hair. The fields are green,'

And that to their certain knowledge he had a curl of her hair in his possession.

When he heard that, the emperor desired the page to be brought before him, and, as soon as the princess obeyed his summons, he said to her abruptly:

'Fet-Fruners, you have hidden from me the fact that you knew the golden-haired Iliane! Why did you do this? for I have treated you more kindly than all my other pages.'

Then, after making the princess show him the golden curl which she wore round her neck, he added: 'Listen to me; unless by some means or other you bring me the owner of this lock, I will have your head cut off in the place where you stand. Now go!'

In vain the poor girl tried to explain how the lock of hair came into her possession; the emperor would listen to nothing, and, bowing low, she left his presence and went to consult Sunlight what she was to do.

At his first words she brightened up. 'Do not be afraid, mistress; only last night my brother appeared to me in a dream and told me that a genius had carried off Iliane, whose hair you picked up on the road. But Iliane declares that, before she marries her captor, he must bring her, as a present, the whole stud of mares which belong to her. The genius, half crazy with love, thinks of nothing night and day but how this can be done, and meanwhile she is quite safe in the island swamps of the sea. Go back to the emperor and ask him for twenty ships filled with precious merchandise. The rest you shall know by-and-by.'

On hearing this advice, the princess went at once into the emperor's presence.

'May a long life be yours, O Sovereign all mighty!' said she. 'I have come to tell you that I can do as you command if you will give me twenty ships, and load them with the most precious wares in your kingdom.'

'You shall have all that I possess if you will bring me the golden-haired Iliane,' said the emperor.

The ships were soon ready, and the princess entered the largest and finest, with Sunlight at her side. Then the sails were spread and the voyage began.

For seven weeks the wind blew them straight towards the west, and early one morning they caught sight of the island swamps of the sea.

They cast anchor in a little bay, and the princess made haste to disembark with Sunlight, but, before leaving the ship, she tied to her belt a pair of tiny gold slippers, adorned with precious stones. Then mounting Sunlight, she rode about till she came to several palaces, built on hinges, so that they could always turn towards the sun.

The most splendid of these was guarded by three slaves, whose greedy eyes were caught by the glistening gold of the slippers. They hastened up to the owner of these treasures, and inquired who he was. 'A merchant,' replied the princess, 'who had somehow missed his road, and lost himself among the island swamps of the sea.'

Not knowing if it was proper to receive him or not, the slaves returned to their mistress and told her all they had seen, but not before she had caught sight of the merchant from the roof of her palace. Luckily her gaoler was away, always trying to catch the stud of mares, so for the moment she was free and alone.

The slaves told their tale so well that their mistress insisted on going down to the shore and seeing the beautiful slippers for herself. They were even lovelier than she expected, and when the merchant besought her to come on board, and inspect some that he thought were finer still, her curiosity was too great to refuse, and she went.

Once on board ship, she was so busy turning over all the precious things stored there, that she never knew that the sails were spread, and that they were flying along with the wind behind them; and when she did know, she rejoiced in her heart, though she pretended to weep and lament at being carried captive a second time. Thus they arrived at the court of the emperor.

They were just about to land, when the mother of the genius stood before them. She had learnt that Iliane had fled from her prison in company with a merchant, and, as her son was absent, had come herself in pursuit. Striding over the blue waters, hopping from wave to wave, one foot reaching to heaven, and the other planted in the foam, she was close at their heels, breathing fire and flame, when they stepped on shore from the ship. One glance told Iliane who the horrible old woman was, and she whispered hastily to her companion. Without saying a word, the princess swung her into Sunlight's saddle, and leaping up behind her, they were off like a flash.

It was not till they drew near the town that the princess stooped and asked Sunlight what they should do. 'Put your hand into my left ear,' said he, 'and take out a sharp stone, which you must throw behind you.'

The princess did as she was told, and a huge mountain sprang up behind them. The mother of the genius began to climb up it, and though they galloped quickly, she was quicker still.

They heard her coming, faster, faster; and again the princess stooped to ask what was to be done now. 'Put your hand into my right ear,' said the horse, 'and throw the brush you will find there behind you.' The princess did so, and a great forest sprang up behind them, and, so thick were its leaves, that even a wren could not get through. But the old woman seized hold of the branches and flung herself like a monkey from one to the others, and always she drew nearer—always, always—till their hair was singed by the flames of her mouth.

Then, in despair, the princess again bent down and asked if there was nothing more to be done, and Sunlight replied 'Quick, quick, take off the betrothal ring on the finger of Iliane and throw it behind you.'

This time there sprang up a great tower of stone, smooth as ivory, hard as steel, which reached up to heaven itself. And the mother of the genius gave a howl of rage, knowing that she could neither climb it nor get through it. But she was not beaten yet, and gathering herself together, she made a prodigious leap, which landed her on the top of the tower, right in the middle of Iliane's ring which lay there, and held her tight. Only her claws could be seen grasping the battlements.

All that could be done the old witch did; but the fire that poured from her mouth never reached the fugitives, though it laid waste the country a hundred miles round the tower, like the flames of a volcano. Then, with one last effort to free herself, her hands gave way, and, falling down to the bottom of the tower, she was broken in pieces.

When the flying princess saw what had happened she rode back to the spot, as Sunlight counselled her, and placed her finger on the top of the tower, which was gradually shrinking into the earth. In an instant the tower had vanished as if it had never been, and in its place was the finger of the princess with a ring round it.

The emperor received Iliane with all the respect that was due to her, and fell in love at first sight besides.

But this did not seem to please Iliane, whose face was sad as she walked about the palace or gardens, wondering how it was that, while other girls did as they liked, she was always in the power of someone whom she hated.

So when the emperor asked her to share his throne Iliane answered:

'Noble Sovereign, I may not think of marriage till my stud of horses has been brought me, with their trappings all complete.'

When he heard this, the emperor once more sent for Fet-Fruners, and said:

'Fet-Fruners, fetch me instantly the stud of mares, with their trappings all complete. If not, your head shall pay the forfeit.'

'Mighty Emperor, I kiss your hands! I have but just returned from doing your bidding, and, behold, you send me on another mission, and stake my head on its fulfilment, when your court is full of valiant young men, pining to win their spurs. They say you are a just man; then why not entrust this quest to one of them? Where am I to seek these mares that I am to bring you?'

'How do I know? They may be anywhere in heaven or earth; but, wherever they are, you will have to find them.'

The princess bowed and went to consult Sunlight. He listened while she told her tale, and then said:

'Fetch quickly nine buffalo skins; smear them well with tar, and lay them on my back. Do not fear; you will succeed in this also; but, in the end, the emperor's desires will be his undoing.'

The buffalo skins were soon got, and the princess started off with Sunlight. The way was long and difficult, but at length they reached the place where the mares were grazing. Here the genius who had carried off Iliane was wandering about, trying to discover how to capture them, all the while believing that Iliane was safe in the palace where he had left her.

As soon as she caught sight of him, the princess went up and told him that Iliane had escaped, and that his mother, in her efforts to recapture her, had died of rage. At this news a blind fury took possession of the genius, and he rushed madly upon the princess, who awaited his onslaught with perfect calmness. As he came on, with his sabre lifted high in the air, Sunlight bounded right over his head, so that the sword fell harmless. And when in her turn the princess prepared to strike, the horse sank upon his knees, so that the blade pierced the genius's thigh.

The fight was so fierce that it seemed as if the earth would give way under them, and for twenty miles round the beasts in the forests fled to their caves for shelter. At last, when her strength was almost gone, the genius lowered his sword for an instant. The princess saw her chance, and, with one swoop of her arm, severed her enemy's head from his body. Still trembling from the long struggle, she turned away, and went to the meadow where the stud were feeding.

By the advice of Sunlight, she took care not to let them see her, and climbed a thick tree, where she could see and hear without being seen herself. Then he neighed, and the mares came galloping up, eager to see the new comer—all but one horse, who did not like strangers, and thought they were very well as they were. As Sunlight stood his ground, well pleased with the attention paid him, this sulky creature suddenly advanced to the charge, and bit so violently that had it not been for the nine buffalo skins Sunlight's last moment would have come. When the fight was ended, the buffalo skins were in ribbons, and the beaten animal writhing with pain on the grass.

Nothing now remained to be done but to drive the whole stud to the emperor's court. So the princess came down from the tree and mounted Sunlight, while the stud followed meekly after, the wounded horse bringing up the rear. On reaching the palace, she drove them into a yard, and went to inform the emperor of her arrival.

The news was told at once to Iliane, who ran down directly and called them to her one by one, each mare by its name. And at the first sight of her the wounded animal shook itself quickly, and in a moment its wounds were healed, and there was not even a mark on its glossy skin.

By this time the emperor, on hearing where she was, joined her in the yard, and at her request ordered the mares to be milked, so that both he and she might bathe in the milk and keep young for ever. But they would suffer no one to come near them, and the princess was commanded to perform this service also.

At this, the heart of the girl swelled within her. The hardest tasks were always given to her, and long before the two years were up, she would be worn out and useless. But while these thoughts passed through her mind, a fearful rain fell, such as no man remembered before, and rose till the mares were standing up to their knees in water. Then as suddenly it stopped, and, behold! the water was ice, which held the animals firmly in its grasp. And the princess's heart grew light again, and she sat down gaily to milk them, as if she had done it every morning of her life.

The love of the emperor for Iliane waxed greater day by day, but she paid no heed to him, and always had an excuse ready to put off their marriage. At length, when she had come to the end of everything she could think of, she said to him one day: 'Grant me, Sire, just one request more, and then I will really marry you; for you have waited patiently this long time.'

'My beautiful dove,' replied the emperor, 'both I and all I possess are yours, so ask your will, and you shall have it.'

'Get me, then,' she said, 'a flask of the holy water that is kept in a little church beyond the river Jordan, and I will be your wife.'

Then the emperor ordered Fet-Fruners to ride without delay to the river Jordan, and to bring back, at whatever cost, the holy water for Iliane.

'This, my mistress,' said Sunlight, when she was saddling him, 'is the last and most difficult of your tasks. But fear nothing, for the hour of the emperor has struck.'

So they started; and the horse, who was not a wizard for nothing, told the princess exactly where she was to look for the holy water.

'It stands,' he said, 'on the altar of a little church, and is guarded by a troop of nuns. They never sleep, night or day, but every now and then a hermit comes to visit them, and from him they learn certain things it is needful for them to know. When this happens, only one of the nuns remains on guard at a time, and if we are lucky enough to hit upon this moment, we may get hold of the vase at once; if not, we shall have to wait the arrival of the hermit, however long it may be; for there is no other means of obtaining the holy water.'

They came in sight of the church beyond the Jordan, and, to their great joy, beheld the hermit just arriving at the door. They could hear him calling the nuns around him, and saw them settle themselves under a tree, with the hermit in their midst—all but one, who remained on guard, as was the custom.

The hermit had a great deal to say, and the day was very hot, so the nun, tired of sitting by herself, lay down right across the threshold, and fell sound asleep.

Then Sunlight told the princess what she was to do, and the girl stepped softly over the sleeping nun, and crept like a cat along the dark aisle, feeling the wall with her fingers, lest she should fall over something and ruin it all by a noise. But she reached the altar in safety, and found the vase of holy water standing on it. This she thrust into her dress, and went back with the same care as she came. With a bound she was in the saddle, and seizing the reins bade Sunlight take her home as fast as his legs could carry him.

The sound of the flying hoofs aroused the nun, who understood instantly that the precious treasure was stolen, and her shrieks were so loud and piercing that all the rest came flying to see what was the matter. The hermit followed at their heels, but seeing it was impossible to overtake the thief, he fell on his knees and called his most deadly curse down on her head, praying that if the thief was a man, he might become a woman; and if she was a woman, that she might become a man. In either case he thought that the punishment would be severe.

But punishments are things about which people do not always agree, and when the princess suddenly felt she was really the man she had pretended to be, she was delighted, and if the hermit had only been within reach she would have thanked him from her heart.

By the time she reached the emperor's court, Fet-Fruners looked a young man all over in the eyes of everyone; and even the mother of the genius would now have had her doubts set at rest. He drew forth the vase from his tunic and held it up to the emperor, saying: 'Mighty Sovereign, all hail! I have fulfilled this task also, and I hope it is the last you have for me; let another now take his turn.'

'I am content, Fet-Fruners,' replied the emperor, 'and when I am dead it is you who will sit upon my throne; for I have yet no son to come after me. But if one is given me, and my dearest wish is accomplished, then you shall be his right hand, and guide him with your counsels.'

But though the emperor was satisfied, Iliane was not, and she determined to revenge herself on the emperor for the dangers which he had caused Fet-Fruners to run. And as for the vase of holy water, she thought that, in common politeness, her suitor ought to have fetched it himself, which he could have done without any risk at all.

So she ordered the great bath to be filled with the milk of her mares, and begged the emperor to clothe himself in white robes, and enter the bath with her, an invitation he accepted with joy. Then, when both were standing with the milk reaching to their necks, she sent for the horse which had fought Sunlight, and made a secret sign to him. The horse understood what he was to do, and from one nostril he breathed fresh air over Iliane, and from the other, he snorted a burning wind which shrivelled up the emperor where he stood, leaving only a little heap of ashes.

His strange death, which no one could explain, made a great sensation throughout the country, and the funeral his people gave him was the most splendid ever known. When it was over, Iliane summoned Fet-Fruners before her, and addressed him thus:

'Fet-Fruners! it is you who brought me and have saved my life, and obeyed my wishes. It is you who gave me back my stud; you who killed the genius, and the old witch his mother; you who brought me the holy water. And you, and none other, shall be my husband.'

'Yes, I will marry you,' said the young man, with a voice almost as soft as when he was a princess. 'But know that in OUR house, it will be the cock who sings and not the hen!'

[pixelatedrose]

Amnesiac

Word Count: 2,252

Ghostbur goes through through the resurrection ritual and meets a very familiar person

Amnesiac

  Ghostbur felt his skin burning and he screamed at the sensation. It’d been too long since he’d felt anything- even something like pain- and part of him almost enjoyed it.

  He vaguely felt eyes on him as the world started to fade away. He heard people talking in low tones, heard them discussing his pain like it was an experiment. It was, after all. He swears the last thing he saw was Phil as his old father tried to hold him, even now.

  And then Ghostbur’s world went blank.

  And...Then he was...Back.

  Where…?

  He felt like he should know this place, a warm hilltop with dry grass scratched over it, the sky a cloudy and warm ash color, though it almost made the area look dead.

  He turned slightly and saw two people standing side by side. One looked...Familiar in a way that Ghostbur didn’t like and couldn’t place. One of them reminded him of Friend- oh...Friend...Ghostbur missed Friend...But...Where did Friend go again? He thinks he should find him. Maybe these two can help him!!

  He called out to the two figures cheerily, a wave in his hand. “Hello there!! I’m looking for Friend, do you think you can help me?” The two people turned and something caught in Ghostbur’s throat.

  That look.

  No no no no…

  No that’s gone.

  He’s gone.

  That look is supposed to be dead.

  Eyes so rich of brown they looked red, unkempt hair falling over a tired gaze, the harshness in the glare, a snarl quirking his mouth in a horrible way.

  Why was Ghostbur there again? He feels like he should remember...No he does remember- no no no he does…

  …

  But he doesn’t want to remember, does he?

~~*~~

  Ghostbur gasped in a breath of air. The blue stains around the slash in his sweater had grown, and he had blue all over his hands.

  Wait…

  “Dammit!!!” Ghostbur pouted and slammed his hand against the grass. “W-why- why didn’t it-” He began angrily marching his way over, back to the altar, his still ghostly form skipping every few steps and floating above the ground breathily. “Phil, why didn’t it work?!” He asked, nearing the lapis and gold amalgamation of ‘his past’. “I-I- I’m still!! Phil I’m still here a-and I’m still a ghost, and Everything was dark for a bit, and then- then there was- was-” What was there? Where had he gone? What had he seen? What had happened again? Why was he so mad?

  No! Something in Ghostbur scolded him. No, this isn’t happening now! You’re trying to get Alivebur back, and you’re mad because it didn’t work. Tommy- when had Tommy gotten there? Whatever- Tommy clasped some blue into Ghostbur’s hand, he said something along the lines of ‘breath’ and the ghostly boy watched with slowly puffed breaths as the translucent substance began to turn the color of the sky, deepening until it matched the deep of the lapis behind him.

  When Ghostbur had calmed- thank blue- he was then assaulted with questions and soft panic wrapped in frustration.

  “Why didn’t it work?”

  Ghostbur stammered. “I-I don’t-”

  “What did we do wrong?”

  Ghostbur looked sideways. “Maybe-”

  “What did you see?”

  Ghostbur tugged at his sweater sleeves. “I-It was hard to make out-” You mean you can’t remember…

  Everyone was talking all around him at once and Ghostbur wished, now more than ever, that Friend was there. Friend was kind. Friend was calm. Friend never yelled, never complained, never shouted. Friend was safe…

  Ghostbur floated quietly up to Phil and tugged lightly in his coat. “P-Phil…”

  Phil turned away from the arguing and Ghostbur pretended he didn’t notice the pain behind his kind smile. “Yeah, Wil? It’s alright, bud, we’re figuring it out-”

  “N-no, Phil, I just…” Ghostbur glanced every which way, the noises around him seemed to be amplifying, and suddenly the spacious hole felt suffocating. “I-I think- I want to- I think maybe…” He was having trouble with his words now, why? Why was he so bad at being anything except a shadow of a person, why was he so bad at being alive, at remembering things, at doing things right? He was almost silent when he spoke, his words as much of a ghost as himself. “I want to find Friend first…”

  Phil smiled kindly and nodded, ruffling the ghost’s whispering hair, small stars of ethereal light snowing out of it. “Yeah, we can find Friend first, Wil.”

  They searched for almost an hour or more- finding one sheep or another, wild or caged- waiting for one of them to approach the blue that Ghostbur offered, the misty boy never quite finding the right sheep, never quite finding Friend.

  Half way through the search, his mind alive with static noises and worry and constantly growing panic, Ghostbur’s vision went black again.

  The static fluctuated and made Ghostbur’s head hurt and his stomach nauseous. At one point the noise was so loud he fell to his knees and cried out loud, covering his ears as they began to ring loudly, accompanying the symphony of dread and static.

  Then all at once it was gone.

  “Why...are you here…?”

  Ghostbur looked up at the voice- it sounded like his voice, but there was no mistake that it...wasn’t. And when he met those brown eyes- eyes so rich they looked like rust- he felt like he could cry. Something about the way they glared- tired, worn, pained, angry- felt like an ache in Ghostbur’s chest. Like he should remember something, like his soul could remember it but something was blocking it back.

  Ghostbur looked back at the inky black below his hands. “I-I...don’t…” He swore he could almost see his reflection in the black, see his pale, glowing eyes shedding specs of light like a cartoon fairy. “I can’t remember…” He said, tears beginning to brim his eyes. The static was growing louder, louder, louder- there was so much noise and so suddenly memories upon memories poured into his mind, too quick for him to recognize them, and it hurt and the noise grew louder and louder and louder and there was no escape and-

  Ghostbur was in a dark room. He looked around for a moment before hearing a voice behind him. He recognized the voice like his own, but colder and older.

  “Why are you here?”

  There was the noise of static building up in his mind.

  He couldn’t remember-

  “No.” The word had tumbled out of his own mouth and Ghostbur froze slightly. He calmed his brain as best he could, the static retreating. You’re here to bring back Alivebur… Ghostbur took a breath and turned to face the voice that was so like his own in horrible ways. “I-I’m here to bring back Alivebur…”

  Rust eyes narrowed at him. “Wh-”

  Static crashed down onto Ghostbur like an anvil, and the whispery boy screamed from the pain and noise.

  And then he was back.

  Back?

  Where had he gone?

  No he hadn’t gone anywhere, he was looking for Friend.

~~*~~

  Eret had found Friend, and once again the ritual was reenacted.

  Again, Ghostbur felt like his very being was ablaze and he screamed.

  Again, the last thing Ghostbur remembered before it all went black once more, was Phil still trying to hold his old son in his arms.

  And Ghostbur was back again.

  It was the same hill, same grass, and- same rusty eyes…

  “Hello.” Ghostbur breathed.

  “Hello…” Wilbur responded.

  There was an air of pause as they stared at one another, a soft breeze blowing Wilbur’s large coat and ruffling Ghostbur’s hair. The ghost boy seemed to snap out of his trance and took a confident step forward. “I-I’m supposed to bring you home! You’re Alivebur, right?”

  Wilbur’s eyes narrowed painfully. “I don’t want to go back. I died for a reason, you know.”

  Ghostbur took another step forward. “I know! I think...I-I’m not really sure, actually- but all I know is that you have to come back!”

  Wilbur’s rust eyes filled with hurt- why was he so upset? “No, you don’t get it! I can’t come back. I’m dead for a reason.”

  Ghostbur didn’t understand. Wilbur was always so bent on chaos- wouldn’t he jump at the chance to come back and cause more? He took another step forward. “But they need Alivebur!! I can’t do anything by myself! Don’t you want to come back and even see them?”

  Wilbur was silent and he turned away from the specter of himself.

  Ghostbur took this as an invitation to continue, placing another foot forward. “You should want to come back, right? Don’t you want to see Fundy, or Phil? Tommy and Tubbo and Niki- You’re Wilbur!! You’re more him than I am, you should want to-”

  Ghostbur missed the way with every word, every step closer, Wilbur tensed and flinched. He wouldn’t have known the way every horrible memory flooded his reflection’s mind, wouldn’t know the torturous regret that flickered and swam endlessly in his head.

  Flames sprouted around the Rusty-eyed man as he shouted. “I can’t go back- not ever again!!!” Wilbur screamed. “You just don’t fucking get it, do you?!” He laced his hands into his hair. “You weren’t there, oh you weren’t there!”

  Ghostbur stepped back, watching his mirror pace. “B-but they need-”

  Wilbur fumed. “THEY DON’T NEED SHIT FROM ME!!” He pounded his fist against the stone wall- Since when were they underground? The walls were covered in writing and there was a button- oh… “I took everything from them, Ghostbur. Do you not think that maybe this might hurt more than it heals?! You fucking moron!!” He laughed his words and it send chills shivering down Ghostbur’s spine.

  “I-I know the risks, but if you just-”

  “If I just what, Ghostbur?!” Wilbur shouted, though his eyes looked so pained and defeated, his body seemed to ache from the weight of memories. He seemed to be holding himself together with sewing thread spread thin as his voice wavered and small tears housed themselves in the corners of his eyes. “I hurt them!!! What the fuck don’t you understand about that?!” Hands curled around his arms as he closed into himself, falling against the wall in despair. “I dragged them through shit and hell on earth, I pulled them into things I should have fought, made them fight wars because I was bored…” 

  He shot off the wall and he spun, a smile concocted of pain and regret and twisted grief splattered across his face- it wasn’t whole, he wasn’t whole- spreading his arms wide. “AND EVEN IN MY FUCKING DEATH!! Even in my death I continue to bring them nothing but pain and loss.” The fake smile had fallen from his face as he turned his head to Ghostbur. “I don’t deserve to leave this hell. This cage is my fucking home now and the torture I live in is my birthright.”

  “Wilbur, you don’t have to- You can come back with me…” Ghostbur offered. Wilbur scared him, but he looked so hurt...he looked so broken and so tired and sad, like he’d finally shattered and felt his grief after years and years of ignoring it. Like the part of him from before- the manic and mad part of him, bent on destruction and bloodlust- had dissipated, leaving a smoking, burning, ever suffering parallel that lived with the scorching regret of choices that were no longer his own.

  Wilbur stared at the wall, the wooden button in the center plucked from the memory he was forced to relive most. “...No.”

  Ghostbur’s heart stuttered. “N-no? But-”

  Wilbur turned, rusty eyes full of guilt, regret, pain, and still yet a smile of melancholic hope graced his face- tears streaming and framing the scene. “They don’t deserve another me- they need you, far more than they have ever needed me.” 

  Ghostbur stumbled, ruble under his feet making his movement feel like quicksand and tar. “ W-wait- no, Wil, Wilbur- Wilbur hold- Wait, no, you don’t understand, no they need-”

  Schlatt was suddenly beside him and Ghostbur’s eyes shot to the ram-horned man. Wait- since when did he remember Schlatt?

  “Give ‘em a message for me, yeah, Schlatt? Tell them to stop trying.” Wilbur asked somberly.

  “Wait- You can’t just- Wilbur wait!!” Ghostbur pleaded, his legs felt like tar as black tendrils held him away, and he fell over trying to reach his past.

  Wilbur glanced sadly at his ghost. “Time to go home, now.”

  Ghostbur shrieked. “NO!!!”

  Wilbur pressed the button.

~~*~~

  Ghostbur woke up with a gasp. What the hell had happened? “H-hello?” He glanced down at his hands. His hands… “DAMMIT!!” The ritual must have failed again. He felt a cool wetness on his face as a breeze blew by. He was crying…

  Why?

  Phil and the others filled him in on how Schlatt had spoken through his body instead. “Okay...Who’s Schlatt?” Ghostbur felt like he should know that name, but he didn’t...Even when they told him he drew nothing but blanks.

  When they asked what happened to Ghostbur that time, the misty, blank-eyed boy couldn’t recall much of anything- just like the last time. But he did know that there was only one figure this time.

  And that night, when he slept, he had nightmares and conversations with Wilbur, trying endlessly to bring him back, to tell him that his family needed them.

  And in the morning, memory fuzzy, he always wondered why he was crying.

[one-boring-person]

How would stealing the lost boys signature clothes go- SO tries to take it when their boy isn’t looking

This is an interesting idea, thanks for requesting it! I hope you like this!💛💛

A/N: I've done this seperately for once, so I hope that's alright. I'm sorry that some of these are shorter than others, I just didn't really know how to expand on them effectively enough.

"Borrowing" Clothes.

Masterlist

David

It's nigh-on impossible to steal something that is never left alone, and David's coat? Well, he doesn't take it off for anything, even if it does reek of blood, motorcycle oil and cigarette smoke, though he does insist that he cleans it, so there is little to no chance of me ever getting my hands on it. It's not like I haven't tried - I made an attempt a year or so ago, but it was easily shut down by the platinum blonde, who seems to have eyes in the back of his head. I later found out that this is because of his super-hearing, which is an unfair advantage, and one that means my whereabouts around him are almost always known to him.

For this reason, I'm almost certain that he's pulling some trick on me when I find the long overcoat folded neatly on his wheelchair one night, as if the vampire has left it there to pick up later. It's position is almost too obvious and staged, so I approach it hesitantly, expecting the four of them to jump out at me from the shadows as my hand reaches out ever so slowly, fingers gingerly making contact with the worn fabric. Nothing happens, so I step closer and pick the coat up properly, enjoying the feeling of the black fabric as it shifts under my fingers, lifting it carefully to my face, burying my nose into it with a deep breath, relishing the ingrained scent that is David. Glancing around, I make sure one more time that no one is nearby, before quickly slipping it on, giggling quietly when I feel his long it is, the hem brushing the ground as my hands disappear into the sleeves, the smell of it enveloping me as I spin in a circle, my chilled skin soon heating up under the thick garment. Pushing my hands into the pockets, I feel around a little, locating his lighter, cigarettes, some spare change and what feels like a ring, which I pull out curiously, only to feel a burst of happiness when I notice that it's one of mine. I'd lost it a few months ago, and had wondered where it went. Now I know.

Smiling to myself, I replace it and go to one of the sofas, the coat dragging slightly in my wake, sitting down as I wrap myself in the comforting layer, burying my cold nose into the rapidly warming fabric. Laying back against the arm rest, I kick up my feet and turn up the collar of the coat, grimacing slightly as I get a whiff of what is probably blood, only to then find it is followed by an undertone of cologne. I settle myself down, intending to sleep until the boys come back, my eyelids just starting to droop closed when I hear a deep chuckle reverberate around the room, the sound making my eyes snap back open again, slight panic erupting in me. My eyes swiftly find the vampire hanging, upside down, from the ceiling rafters above me, his blue eyes glittering with mirth as he looks down at me, lips pulled into a smug smirk, the sight of which makes shivers go down my spine.

"David! I didn't notice you were there! I'm sorry-" I go to start, only to be cut off by another chuckle, this time sounding more amused at my attempt to cover myself up, his smirk pulling into a smile.

"Don't apologise, kitten. You look damn good in my coat." He compliments me, dropping elegantly from the ceiling so that he's standing beside the sofa, hair slightly dishevelled from being upside down, eyes roaming over my obscured figure with unconcealed admiration and pride.

"T-Thanks." I murmur, blushing a deep shade of crimson as he unashamedly stares me down, the vampire quite content to just watch me squirm under his intense gaze. His lips pull into a grin, before he gently reaches down to pick me up, briefly holding me against him as he lies back down again with me cradled against his chest, arms pushing under the coat as he manoeuvres me so that I'm on my front, hands smoothing against the planes of my back as mine rest against his collarbone.

"Don't get used to it, though. It's never going to happen again." The vampire reminds me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"Oh yeah? You sure about that?" I probe in response, lifting an eyebrow at him as he stares me down again.

"Very sure."

Dwayne

There aren't many occasions where Dwayne takes off his jacket, being shirtless underneath and all, so stealing it can prove difficult at times, but when I do succeed in nicking it, the result is always great. Over my time spent with him, I've come to learn the specific times when he will remove the piece of clothing: when he's working on his motorcycle, when cleaning himself up after a hunt and, more conveniently, when the two of us go skating together.

When the both of us figured out the other likes to skateboard, we quickly decided to spend time together at the skatepark, where we show off to each other and help each other learn new tricks, though it's incredibly rare that Dwayne needs help with anything, so it's more or less just him helping me. In a week, we can spend hours upon hours in the more secluded skateparks of Santa Carla, thoroughly enjoying our time there, especially when no one else is around. Somehow, however, I never really noticed that he removed his jacket to skate until a few weeks ago, at which point a plan started forming in my head, subconsciously observing his other habits and mannerisms at the park with a keen eye. By now, I have it mostly figured out.

My skateboard clatters to the concrete floor beneath me as I fall out of the flip, my arms flailing slightly as I travel at speed through the air, only to suddenly find myself face-to-face with a toned bare chest, dark eyes looking down at me in a mixture of concern and amusement.

"If you keep doing that in public, someone's gonna figure you out." I scold him teasingly, grinning thankfully up at him, "Thanks for catching me."

"If they figure it out, at least they'll know I don't let people fall into what is probably going to result in serious injury." Dwayne smirks, floating back to the deck a little way away, placing me carefully on the side of the bowl where we're skating, retrieving my skateboard for me.

"Oh right, I forget. You're a righteous vampire." I joke, laughing as he mockingly bows to me, lips pulled into a smirk.

"Only for you." He reassures me, before grabbing his board and dropping off the edge of the bowl, falling into an elegant series of tricks, which is normally pay close attention to. This time, however, I cast my eyes around elsewhere, knowing this is my only chance.

Quickly, I spot my target lying a little way away, out of the way of the lip of the ramps and bowl, a cunning smirk making its way onto my face as I stand and walk over to it, making sure that Dwayne is still focused on his run. Glancing over at him, I pick the leather jacket up when he isn't paying attention, slipping it on before grabbing my skateboard, standing in preparation to escape, noting now that the vampire has come to a halt, his eyes quickly finding me.

"I'm gonna need you to give me that back, (Y/n)." He informs me, starting to walk around the lip of the bowl towards me, lips pulled into a small smile.

"Oh yeah? Make me." I challenge, before kicking off on my skateboard, away from the bowl and towards the smaller features a little way away, intending to lead him on a series of twists and turns through the different obstacles.

Behind me, I hear a quick chuckle, the sound of wheels rattling on the concrete swiftly following as he gives chase, his longer legs giving him more momentum as he starts to catch up to me. Giggling, I veer around a tight corner, using a raised half-pipe as support as I go round, evading his reaching arms momentarily.

"I'll catch you, (Y/n)! Just you wait!" He calls after me, amusement lacing his tone.

Marko

Marko and his jacket are near enough inseparable, so taking it is an incredibly rare occurrence for me, and always results in a playful wrestling match between us, which he always wins. The only times he ever takes it off is either to add another patch, or to wash it if it got particularly bloody during a hunt, and he will not let anyone touch it at these times, not even me, who has offered to help him sew on new bits and pieces from time to time. Each and every time, he has declined, insisting that he does it himself, despite the fact that my sewing is clearly better than his.

One thing he can't stand, however, is when his pet pigeons decorate it with droppings, so he usually takes it off during the times he's caring for the small birds. He always keeps a close eye on it, but he can't always be watching it, so I've made several attempts to steal it at these times, only to be found pretty quickly by the fact that I always scare the birds away. Having realised this, I managed to figure out a way of grabbing the jacket without alerting the pigeons to my presence: befriend some of them.

Marko was delighted when I told him I wanted to help him care for the birds properly, knowing that David gives him all kinds of crap for having them in the first place, eagerly accepting and showing me how to look after them. Soon, the birds became used to having me around and didn't fly off when I came near, meaning it was finally time to put my plan in motion.

I carefully stand from my place on the sofa, eyeing the place where the curly-haired vampire is faffing around, my eyes finding the patchwork jacket quickly, calculating the distance between me and it. As silently as possible, I walk over in that general direction, smiling as a pigeon flies over briefly to greet me, flapping around me once before returning to the crop top wearing vampire, providing me with a distraction, which I gladly take as I go to the jacket and snatch it up. As discreetly as possible, I push my arms through the sleeves and shrug it on, the scent of Marko easily flooding my nostrils as I start to back away again, managing to get to the fountain before he notices me.

"What've I told you about stealing my jacket?" He remarks, tone amused.

"I don't quite remember. You should probably remind me." I respond, continuing on my way to the sofa, only to squeak when he suddenly pops up behind me, having used his abilities to get there in record time.

"Oh, I'd love to." He purrs into my ear, before his fingers swiftly find my side, brushing at the sensitive skin in practiced motions.

"Oh, no, no, stop! That tickles..!" I protest, laughing and squirming as he continues, his hands holding me in place as he continues tobtickle at my sides.

"That's the point, (Y/n)." He remarks again, chuckling at my attempts to break free of him, "You need to learn your lesson, missy."

Squealing now, I keel over onto my knees, clutching at his hands as I try to get away from his persistent tickling, my strength easily overpowered by his, his body falling over mine as he trips slightly, pressing us both into the ground.

"Fine! Fine, you can have it back!" I give in after a minute or so, writhing wildly underneath him.

"And?"

"And what?" Confusion floods me, until I realise what he wants, "And I promise I won't take it again."

"Not without my permission, anyway." His smirk is almost audible as he pulls away, helping me up, "Keep it on for now, it looks good on you."

Paul

Someone as irresponsible as Paul is easily stolen from, even by an amateur like me. And his clothes are no exception to this rule, often finding themselves thrown into the most random corners of the cave at the best of times, sometimes left behind at hunts and especially around my house, as if he leaves a treasure hunt for me to follow every day. It makes stealing from him simple enough.

Tonight is just another of those nights where I've come downstairs again to find a few scattered pieces of clothing around my own lounge, their positions apparently inexplicable in that they seem to be there randomly. Gathering them, I figure out that he's left a pair of his white trousers, a black mesh shirt and a few bracelets, too, basically creating a whole outfit, which I decide I will finally take advantage of after months of just returning them to their owner. Going back upstairs, I take off my clothes and pull on Paul's, smiling slightly at the sheer size of them on my shorter frame, pairing them with a leather jacket of my own and some knee high boots, admiring myself in the mirror before I leave the house for the night, heading for the Boardwalk. On my way, I receive a good few nasty looks, but I ignore them all, flipping one man off as he makes some snide comment, arriving at my destination in a pretty quick time for once, eager to see if Paul will notice my choice of attire.

On the Boardwalk, I quickly locate the boys and go over to them, Dwayne, David and Marko instantly recognising the scent littering the clothes I'm wearing, though they don't say anything, smirking at me as they choose to let Paul figure it out for himself.

"Hey, guys!" I greet them all, jumping on Paul's back as he forgets to turn around in time, giggling when he let's out a huff of air and stumbles forwards.

"Hey, (Y/n)." The other three chorus, smiling at me before turning their attention elsewhere, half-listening to us so that they can catch Paul's reaction to my clothes.

"What's up, sweet cheeks?" The vampire in question replies to me, carefully letting me go as he turns, leaning in to press a kiss against my lips.

"Not much. How about you?" I continue, amused that he hasn't quite slotted the difference yet.

"Likewise...is that my shirt?! And my white trousers?!" He exclaims, blue eyes roaming my fame as he takes this in, clearly not expecting this turn of events at all.

"Indeed."

"But...how? Why?" Is all he can manage, eyes still pinned to me.

"You keep leaving your clothes at my place, so I thought I'd wear them for once." I shrug dismissively, "They smell like you, so I'm quite enjoying this."

"Well, i guess that's fair enough." He muses, smirking at me, gaze darkening as he makes eye contact, clearly more affected by my clothes than I am, "Wanna go somewhere more private?"

[sailor-manga]

A/N: I’m so sorry this took so long, and I’m really sorry if this isn’t the greatest. I just know quite a few of you have been waiting for it so I tried to finish it with little motivation I had left. ;u; I love you guys, hope you enjoy. Also, I know there is mention of a party in this fic, and it was just getting long already so if you guys want a part two where they go on their first.. official date [I guess?] Just let me know. 

This fic is meant for readers +18, if you are not +18, please go elsewhere.

Warnings: Smut, Swearing. 

Word Count: 5,397 words.

You hurt, you didn’t know what went wrong.. One second you were simply walking home from a friends house, next thing- You found yourself in a pile of rubble, trapping your leg and leaving you helpless. Letting out a loud cry, you would hear more smashing in the distance, as well as yelling- There was a fight breaking out and you were in the middle of it. You could see a flash of red, it was Red Riot, pinning down a hybrid looking human. Your eyes practically lit up! Red Riot was your favorite Pro Hero and you found yourself constantly swooning over the male on TV or on the internet. 

You were so giddy that he was here, you ALMOST forgot the fact that you leg was being crushed by a fucking piece of building, begging to be let out. You could feel blood dripping, and it did hurt- a lot, but thankfully nothing felt broken, the pain would be ten times worse. 

Glancing back down at your trapped limb, you would try to pull it out, only to get out a strained cry.. You were really in there. You never thought you’d see yourself in this type of situation, you always saw yourself as careful and aware of your surroundings, but this happened out of nowhere! 

You were quickly snapped from your thoughts when some landed next to you loudly. Flushing slightly you would turn your head, expecting to see Red Riot himself ready to save you- But instead you were met with angry looking eyes and spikey blonde hair. Furrowing a brow, you would look past the male to see if you could find Red Riot “Are you fucking blind?” he grunted annoyingly, which made you huff “W-Where is Red Riot?” you asked in a shaky tone, your body shifting uncomfortably on the pile of rocks “Listen you ungrateful bitch, I’m the one here to get you out of the stupid mess you stumbled into like a fucking idiot! Now hold still so I can blow these rocks off of you” he barked at her, vile coating every word. 

This was why you didn’t like Bakugou, he was rude, arrogant, and vulgar with a horribly explosive temper.. Every interview you saw with the Pro Hero, there was always some kind of situation. He put a bad taste in your mouth and now that you were formally meeting him, you knew exactly why. Feeling small against his words you would quiet down and he would quickly put his hand on the rock and with one swift CRACK, the large piece of stone would crumble, freeing your leg and allowing it to breathe. 

Looking at your leg now, you would visibly cringe hard . Your leg was peppered with cuts and already bruises as black as night. Reaching over, you would prod at one of the cuts which immediately began to ooze crimson. Before you could really collect yourself, you would feel a hand grip at your forearm and yank you to stand. Letting out a loud cry, you would fall into Bakugou, who would quickly catch you, holding your weight up effortlessly “What are you doing, dumb ass?” he yelled, which caused you to shoot a glare up at him “M-My leg, you fucking jerk!” you snapped back at him. 

Only for a second, would his face soften to a look of concern before letting out an annoyed grunt “I should have left you under there, now I have to fucking take you to the hospital” he growled. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you! I can take myself there, I just.. Need a moment to recoup” you’d mutter out with a frown. “Listen little girl, you’re talking to a God- and I don’t wanna hear your drama” he spat, quickly cupping your cheek and letting out a ‘tch’ sound “You busted your head too, that’s probably why you don’t realize that I just saved your fuckin’ ass” he grumbled before picking you up bridal style, causing you to cry out a little. 

“Fuck! You’re hurting me” you spat before the male would shoot you another death glare, making you shrink into his chest “Just shut the hell up and let me help you, dumb ass” he spat. Swallowing hard, you knew that you wouldn’t actually be able to make it to the hospital yourself. Wrapping one of your arms around his neck, the other would lift to inspect the gash that was on your head and oh boy.. There was definitely one there. You could feel a jagged cut that started from your hairline to your brow. 

“Don’t fucking touch it, idiot- It’s already filthy from the dirt” he barked, which caused you to jump a little “Can you just.. Shut up or be nice!” you yelled out, your face growing lightly rose from frustration. Bakugou would smirk and shrug his broad shoulders “Sorry babygirl.. Kindness isn’t my brand” he replied in a cocky tone, which caused you to huff and glance away from him. The hospital wasn’t that far, but you still didn’t know why the male was walking you there rather than calling the ambulance or even taking a taxi if he really wanted to do it himself. 

As he carried you though, you would idly drop your head onto his shoulder, which made him growl out a little bit “Hey, dumb ass” he said in a soft tone, his arms shaking you lightly “You need to stay awake, who knows if you got a concussion or not, idiot” he scoffed. Staring up at him through your lashes, you would frown some “I-..just hurt” you muttered out, which caused concern to fill his eyes “We’re almost there, okay? Talk to me or whatever.. Just don’t fucking pass out on me” he snapped quietly. 

Licking your lips, you would let out a soft sigh, which caused him to shake you a little again “Tell me why you were looking for my friend” he asked, his eyes glancing elsewhere. Feeling the lump in your throat, your cheeks would vividly ignite “I-.. I’ve always wanted to meet him, he seems so nice and gentle.. I’m a fan, to put it short..” you’d mutter out in a skittish tone. The male would roll his eyes “Of course you are, there’s nothing that great about shitty hair.. He wasn’t even the one who saved you” he grumbled, which caused you to frown even deeper. 

“It doesn’t matter! At least if he was the one who saved me- We’d be at the hospital by and and he’d be a hell of a lot nicer to me” you barked out softly, which didn’t get an answer from him. Looking down to avoid any sudden glare, you would feel a little guilty.. Yes, he was a fucking jerk- but he saved you.. You knew you should thank him, but for some reason, something was stopping you. 

Before you could really get up the courage to talk again, you could hear doors opening- You two were already there? You must have zoned out, lost in your impending thoughts. Bakugou would carefully set you in a wheelchair before telling some of the staff what happened, his hero costume sticking out like a sore thumb and causing bystanders to snap his photo and take little videos of him. 

“W-Wait, Bakugou” you said quickly, but the male waved his hand at you dismissively. Biting onto your lip, you were spun around in the chair by a nurse and quickly carried off to a room so you could get further examined. Now that all the excitement was away from you, and you didn’t have that stupid jerk barking at you every five seconds, the pain was really starting to kick in and a wave of exhaustion washed over you. You were in and out as the Doctor examined your battered leg. Luckily the rubble had only created some flesh wounds. The Doctor talked about simply cleaning the wounds, and putting some ice on it. 

When it came to your head though, you needed stitches.. Luckily there was no concussion, but the cut was pretty deep, it probably happened when you initially fell. Unfortunately you weren’t able to sleep through that, the stinging feeling as the male sewed the cut shut. 

Once he finished, you would let out a whimper.. Why.. did you miss that fucking jerk? Maybe it was guilt that you didn’t get to thank him or apologize, because he was right in calling you out on being ungrateful. “Alright [First and last name], we just wanna keep you overnight to make sure that head injury is okay. Is that alright with you?” the Doctor asked with a soothing smile. 

With a small nod, he would return it and collect his tools “Get some rest, you had a hard day” the male claimed quietly before exiting the room. 

That was the last thing on your mind though. Regardless of your body feeling absolutely exhausted, your mind was going insane.. You hurt so bad, you probably would have been there longer if Bakugou hadn't seen you. Growling out to yourself, you would cover your face with your hands and shift in bed, wincing out.. Broken bones or not- Those fucking bruises felt like little needles gutting into your beaten leg. 

Sooner or later, you had drifted off- well, barely.. You couldn’t get the explosive male out of her head. That had been the whole night, occasionally waking up from both the pain and him on your mind. It wasn’t until the sun started to shine through the window of the hospital room, and you would feel a hand on yours. “B-Bakugou?” you’d mutter out quickly, your eyes fluttering open to see not Bakugou- But Red Riot himself standing sitting there next to the bed. Your eyes would widen as he smiled cheerfully at you “Hey! Sorry.. Not Bakugou- But I heard you wanted to meet me” he mused, patting your hand, 

Your guilt immediately grew, you knew that Bakugou had told him, and the whole reason he was here was because of the blonde. 

Staring at the Pro Hero, wearing his sexy costume.. You weren’t enjoying the meeting as much now that you knew why he was here. Biting your lip, you would immediately let out a whimper and hang your head down your body tensing out as you felt a few tears start to stream down your cheeks. 

The red head immediately stood and placed his hands gently on your shoulders “H-Hey, are you okay? Hurting?” he asked quickly, his voice oozing with worry. Shaking your head, you would quickly wipe at your eyes “I-I’ve wanted to meet you for so long, and now you’re finally here.. And I can’t help but feel terrible because I was mean to Bakugou and didn’t thank him or apologize for saving me and being a bitch.. And he- he did this!” you’d claim out, trying to explain only further urging the tears out. 

Kirishima’s face would fall a little, into a frown “Hey now.. I’m sure he didn’t take it heart- I mean, he got me here didn’t he?” he said in a soothing tone. Your ears weren’t completely hearing his words though, looking up at him, he would offer a comforting smile before using his thumb to wipe away a few stray tears “You want to talk to him again, don’t you..” he asked quietly.

Eyeing the male you would hiccup quietly and nod “I-I’m so happy to meet you, but.. I need to do the right thing” you’d mutter out, which caused him to chuckle “Damn, here Bakugou said he found me a cute girl, but it seems she’s already grown a crush on someone else” he purred out before patting your shoulder “When are you discharged? I’ll take you to the hot head.. And you can fix things” he assured. 

You were still taken back by the male assuming you had a crush on that jerk, that wasn’t it- Was it? No! It couldn’t be.. You simply felt bad.. And well, kind of missed his smell.. His warmth. Shaking your head quickly, you would glance up at him “I-I would really like that, but don’t get the wrong idea! I’m not crushing on him” you’d say quickly before biting your lip “Also.. I should be able to leave today, the Doctor just wanted to make sure my stitches settled alright” you claimed quietly. 

You were so incredibly grateful to meet Kirishima, he was so nice and so willing to help. After about another hour, the nurses came in and gave her clothes back, allowing her to change and leave. 

Kirishima was a gentleman and left her alone to change into her battered clothing, it wasn’t exactly the outfit you wanted to wear around Bak-... Wait, what were you saying?! You didn’t care what he would think! Shaking your head, you would open the door and head down, immediately greeted by Red Riot once again “Ready? Come on” he said, placing a hand on her upper back and urging her forward “You know, if you really wanna get to know Bakugou- there is a party tonight that he and I are going too. You should come” he suggested with a gleaming smile.

Swallowing hard, you would fiddle with a rip in your shorts “I-.. er I don’t know” you’d mutter out “I just want to say thank you is all” you’d press, which only caused the red head to roll his eyes “Fat chance, cutie! It’s all over your face~ Come on, just come for a few hours and if you aren’t feeling it- I’ll personally drive you home” he said patting your back. 

Letting out a soft sigh, you would nod your head in defeat- How could you say no to someone doing so much for you? Not to mention.. He was your favorite Pro Hero after all. 

The male would lead you to his car, opening the door for you to slide in. Doing so, your eyes would watch as he made his way around to the drivers side, plopping it with a sigh “Are you nervous?” he asked. Turning your head to him, you would look a little confused “N-Nervous? Why?” you’d ask sheepishly before he let out a snort “Well, I am bringing you back to our house” he stated quietly before looking at you.

You would stare at him with wide eyes, you didn’t think he’d make a move like that- You thought maybe you’d be meeting a cafe or something “A-Are you sure? You’re okay with me knowing where you live?” you’d ask in a shaky tone, red faced as could be. 

Kirishima shrugged “I mean, no offense.. But what are you going to do? Do you have a hidden quirk or something?” he asked with a chuckle. Sinking in your seat, you would shake your head “No.. I don’t” you pouted, which caused him to snort once again before starting the car and driving off. 

The car ride was nice, it was mainly him talking- Tell you stories about how he and Bakugou met, shit that the two had gotten into together. They honestly sounded like super close friends, it made your heart warm just thinking about it “It doesn’t ever bug you? His attitude?” you asked curiously, causing the red head to shrug “I mean, yeah he’s got a temper.. But he also has a good heart. He cares about people in his own hot headed way” he said with a bright smile.

Looking down some, you’d sigh.. You were the jerk, not Bakugou. 

It didn’t take super long before the male would finally pull over, parking in front of a rather fancy looking apartment. Biting your lip, you’d lean forward to gaze up at it. “Come on then, don’t just stare” he chuckled before getting out of the car. 

Letting yourself out, you would wince some.. Your leg still hurt pretty bad, but at least you could walk. Slightly limping your way around the car, Kirishima would once again place a hand on your back, leading you up the stairs carefully, ready to catch you if you were to lose your balance.  

Going up to one of the upper floors, Kirishima would unlock the door and immediately you would hear Bakugou from the other room “Back already, shitty hair? I thought I fucking told you to make it meaningful- And did  you get my text?” he barked loudly, causing Kirishima to roll his eyes with a smile. 

Quickly taking your hand, he would lead you down the hall “I think I did one better” he called out as they turned the corner into the living room area. 

Bakugou sat there lazily, feet propped up on the table- Shirtless and only sporting a pair of loose sweatpants. Swallowing hard you would tense as he turned his head to more than likely yell at his friend, but those deep crimson hues landed on you. Immediately, his cheeks would light up before quickly standing up and turning his attention to Kirishima who was taking his head gear off “Yo, shitty hair! This wasn’t the deal” he spat. 

Kirishima would look at him with a small smirk on his face “Hey, I didn’t intend on doing this- But this cutie here wanted to talk to you, and I invited her to the party tonight” he said flashing a grin and disappearing around the corner once again, probably to get into some more comfortable clothing. 

The blonde quickly stepped forward to stop him, but was cut short with the quick exit. Soon those eyes turned to you in a harsh glare “What do you want? You got what you wanted” he spat, flopping back on the couch with a huff. 

Building up your courage, you would step forward and awkwardly sit on the edge of the sofa, folding your hands over your lap “I’m sorry..” you muttered, causing the blonde to tense a little “What?” he grunted. 

Biting your lip, you would keep your eyes on your fidgeting hands “I-I was a jerk to you, you were totally right to call me an ungrateful bitch.. You saved me, and made sure I got into care. So thank you, Bakugou, and I’m sorry for the way I acted” you whimpered, barely able to make out the words as the male stared at you in a bit of surprise. 

“You.. came all the way here just to say that?” he asked, his voice seeming slightly softer. It didn’t last long though “D-Dumbass, you could have just told Kiri to relay the message” he huffed, crossing his arms, but never once taking his gaze from you. Finally looking up, you’d meet his stare once again. You could feel a blush start to surface which made him flush in return “Y-You sent Kirishima to me as well.. Even after I was rude to you” you muttered out.

Bakugou would quietly lean forward, his fingers just barely grazing the bandages on your head “So what.. You wouldn’t shut up about it” he grunted, his eyes now trailing down to your leg injuries “Are you.. In pain?” he asked, quickly changing the subject. 

Giving off a slight shrug, you would bite your lip “Y-Yeah.. It hurts, but I’ll manage. Luckily, nothing was broken” you said softly. 

His hand never left your head as he scooted closer “It would be better for me to have a look anyways” he grunted, sitting directly next to you and leaning forward to prod at the bandages, he didn’t want to take them off, obviously- But he still tried to see, a clever way of getting close to you. 

He would mumble some profanities to himself before looking down at you, the way you were staring up at him was almost.. Longingly? Swallowing roughly he would break the gaze for a moment before taking the risk and leaning in, pressing his lips roughly to yours. You would let out a small whimper but seem to lean forward, attempting to melt into his chest. This only further caused an arm to wrap around your waist as parted his own lips to take yours in his teeth, tugging on it roughly and causing you to moan out.

“What the fuck are you doing to me, idiot..” he growled out, his weight pushing forward to make you lay back on the couch. You would oblige and shake your head some, you also questioned this.. You were never the type to just dive into something like this, so what about Bakugo was different? 

Before you could really answer him, his mouth was roaming your neck, careful not to bump any of your injuries “W-Who said I wanted to do this to you” you retorted out, blinded by a hazy fog and unable to make proper words “You did.. Staring at me like that, pain in the fucking ass..” he growled, lifting his head slightly to meet your gaze “Do you want me or not, dumb ass” he hissed out, taking you into consideration. 

Blinking up at him, your face would soften.. Like you said, you never expected it to go this far, but now that it has you felt butterflies start to rise in your stomach “I do” you’d say sheepishly before biting your lip, causing Bakugo to slowly start trailing kisses along your jawline, his strong calloused hands gripping at your waist. 

Resting your head against the arm of the couch, you would blush and let out a small sigh as he explored your body. 

Your eyes would slip closed as those strong hands moved to the bountiful mounds on your chest, giving them a firm squeeze before suddenly mashing his lips up against yours again, his tongue shoving past your lips and immediately pinning yours down in dominance. You would moan into his mouth and wrap your arms around his neck as those devious hands went to the end of your shirt and started to peel it off of you.

The kiss broke for only a second so the shirt could go past your head, but as soon as the pesky piece of clothing was rid, he was back to exploring your cavern, growling into your mouth. You two would go from tongue dancing to just sloppily making out, noises rising from both of you. Breaking the kiss, he would sit down on the couch, smirking at you deviously “Come on dumb ass- hop on my lap” he ordered, taking your hand to help you stand. 

At first you seemed a little shy about it, but Bakugo was quick to grab your hips and make you straddle him, his hand going to your neck and pulling you down for another messy lip lock. Your hands would quickly grab at his shoulders, slowly moving into an embrace as you groaned quietly into the gesture. 

Before you could realize, your bra felt loose and his hands were eager to pull it off of you. Moving your arms and breaking the lock he would toss it and stare down at your breasts, his face looking surprised for a moment before a sinful smirk painted his expression. “What are you looking at” you muttered out, covering your breasts with your hands. He was quick to pry those hands off “Ah, ah.. I don’t think so princess.. Let me look at those sexy fucking tits” he growled, leaning forward and taking one of your nipples into his mouth. Letting out a loud gasp, you would let your head fall forward, nestling against his blonde tresses as his tongue skillfully circled around that sensitive bud “B-Bak-” you were cut off by him suddenly releasing your tit and glaring up at you “Katsuki” he corrected with a glare before starting to palm your mounds with his hands “If I hear you call me Bakugo one more time, I don’t care if you’re injured, you’re getting a punishment, dumb ass” he grunted before letting off a devilish smirk, his hands trailing down to your shorts to pop them open “Stand up and take those off, and make it fucking sexy” he demanded, letting go of you altogether. 

Slowly getting off of him, you would blush and stand there for a minute “I can try..” you’d mutter before hooking your thumbs through the belt loop of your jeans and shimmying them down, making sure to be a little extra with those hips of yours. It seemed that it was working, because Katsuki’s hues were glued to you the whole time “That’s right princess.. Even with a battered leg you still managed to get me hard” he teased. 

Scoffing quietly, you would cover your naked pussy and roll your eyes “W-Why do you have talk like..” you trailed off as he shrugged down his sweats, revealing that he was definitely telling the truth that her little shake had gotten him hard, because his cock was standing at full attention. “You like what you see?” he said with a smirk before offering his hand. Without word, you would take it and the male would lead you to straddle him once again, which only caused you to wince a little with how your leg was bent “Fuck, does that hurt you?” he asked quietly before moving your weight so you were laying down rather than on top of him. 

“Y-You don’t have to do that, once I sit for a minute I’ll be nnghh…” you trailed off with a moan as he began to rub his shaft into your folds, his warm cock teasingly rubbing against your clit. “That’s right princess, just shut up.. Let me take care of you” he purred out, using the pad of his thumb to reach down and pay good attention to that swollen bud, making your back arch and toes curl. 

You hadn’t experienced something like this before, yeah you’ve been with other guys.. But Katsuki managed to be so gentle with you, yet so.. Rough at the same time. Making his movements very prominent so you could feel just about everything he was doing to you, being oddly attentive to making you feel good. Your thoughts were finally cut off by his body looming over you, and his mouth finding your neck to sink his canines into, making you moan out loudly “F-Fuck.. Katsuki, you’re.. Being rude, just.. Put it in already” you’d groan.

“Mmh? Put what in princess.. I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about” he scoffed against your neck, you could practically feel the smug smirk on his features. “Y-Your cock, Katsuki, I want your cock” you’d mutter out helplessly. Those pathetic, whimpering words were all that Katsuki needed. Reaching down he would line his cock up with your hole and roughly start to inch it in, your slick making great use as a natural lube. 

Your arms would immediately grip onto his shoulders as your tight little cunt attempted desperately to stretch to his size “Ka.. suki.. Please” you’d mutter out with a gasp, only to be silenced by a rough kiss “Calm down dumb ass.. It hurts because you’re clenching on me.. Relax, princess.. I’m going to make you feel good” he grunted, though it was much softer than the others.

Taking a deep breath, you would try to relax your body and he would slowly do small thrusts, trying to get you warmed up “See?” he muttered in a shaky tone, all you could do was nod. 

He took that as permission to keep going, rearing his hips back he would thrust into your clenching cunt, causing you to moan out loudly, Your good leg would spread further for him to nestle in between and his hips would work fluently, the sounds of soft smacking filling the room “Y-You can go.. Harder” you’d pant out, looking up at him with an awkward, embarrassed smile. Katsuki would smirk and lean down, pressing his lips against your cheek “Oh, I planned on it, Princess.. Just getting you used to my fat cock” he purred.

It was after that when he reared back again and started to thrust at a fairly rough, rhythmic pace, causing your fast to twist in a pleasure you had never felt before. It was like his cock was perfectly made for your dripping sex. Long strings of mewls would escape you as the male laid claim to your pussy, his grunts and growls filling the room. At this point, you didn’t even care if Kirishima walked in on you two, you just wanted him to keep going, to fill you to the brim with his hot and sticky cum.

“You’re fucking mine now, do you hear me?.. Fuck I’m never giving up this tigh tlittle pussy to anyone” he growled, his hand wrapping lightly around your neck. Your breathing would hitch and you would stare up at him with wide eyes, the pleasure fogging any logical thought you had “Ye..s.. I’m yours, Katsuki..” you’d moan out, which caused his cock inside of you to twitch violently “That’s right, Princess.. You know who your man is now.. No more thinking about Red fucking Riot.. You’re all mine”he hummed, leaning down to bite onto your neck, which caused your walls to squeeze the life out of his cock. 

Letting your head fall to the side, you would let him mark you up as he pounded that G-Spot with incredible force. releasing your flesh he would lick up your neck slowly and let out a grunt “You better tell me now, Princess.. Can I fill up that slutty little pussy or do you want me to pull out” he huffed, slowing his thrusts only slightly “N-No! .. Don’t pull out.. I want you to fill me up, Katsuki..” you moaned out quietly. 

It must have been what he wanted to hear because his thrusts became rough again, no specific pattern or rhythm, he was all over the place and it was fucking amazing. “Get ready, Princess.. I want you to feel how badly I’ve been thinking about you, and I want to feel that cunt cum all over my cock” he growled, sitting up a bit and letting his head fall back. 

All it took was three more hard thrusts and his load was pooling out inside of your needy hole, coating the walls and making you feel warm. That was what did it for you, as you milked him, your hole would clench around him and an orgasm would rip through your body, sending jolts of white hot pleasure from head to toe. 

He would be careful of your leg, but his body was soon pressed against yours as he attempted to catch his breath “The.. party, you’re going as my date” he gruffed, which caused you to blush. As you slowly came down from your high, you would glance at the male who was staring you dead in the eye “I mean it, Y/N.. I want to take you as my date, show you off as my woman” he breathed, moving some strands of hair from your face.

At first you couldn’t answer, there was a pit in your throat stopping you to do so. Idly nodding, he would press a kiss to your cheek “I promise I’ll make it fun, after all you owned up to being a bitch so consider it a thanks for that” he snorted before pushing himself off of you and pulling up his hands. 

Carefully helping you up, he would make sure to carefully put your clothes back on for you so you didn’t hurt your leg.

“I’m taking you back to your house to get dressed and showered, okay?” he said grabbing a tank that was hanging off of his couch.

“If you’re going to a party with me, we gotta make sure you’re the sexiest thing there” he said with a dark smirk. 

You had no idea how it escalated this far, and you know you should run now .. But the man you thought you hated was slowly becoming your favorite person, he was different behind closed doors and you were more than glad that you gave it another shot. 

[[WIll do a Part Two if you guys wanna see the party part ;P ]

taglist: @hipster-merchant-of-death​ @nighthoodhawk​

Credit to my picture: Made by my lovely waifu @queensynderella​

[resinatingbeauty]

I’ve had a lot of requests from various people at different times who are just learning how to use resin to create with and wanted some tips and tricks. I have wanted to make this post for a while, but I wanted to acquire more experience myself before giving others help. This first post is just going to go over some really basic tips and tricks and subsequent posts (if they’re found helpful) will elaborate. This is for all of you who are like me and get the least amount of benefit from watching Youtube tutorials these days because EVERYONE has one, and half the time they’re drawn out for ad revenue so an hour long video will only contain 20 mins worth of information with the kicker being you can’t even fast forward through what you know or rewind through ads to get back to where you need to be. So, for those of you who hate that like me, this text post is for you.

If you’re just starting, choosing which resin you want to purchase is intimidating. Craft stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby rarely offer more than one or two brands, typically over priced due to the fact that they’re labeled “art resins”.

Epoxy resin is by far the easiest to start with for beginners. It is the most forgiving, has the most consistent results, most brands use the same 1:1 ratio and the overall technique is the same. I am not affiliated with these brands/companies in any way other than I have used their products and have written reviews for several on Amazon.

Start with small packages (4oz-8oz kits / 8oz & 16oz hardener + resin). A quick Amazon search for epoxy resin will give you many results. This is one of those cases where you really don’t get what you pay for- boat, tabletop, etc. epoxy will yield the same results at more reasonable prices per fluid ounce than art resins. I recommend going with brands like FanAut, Puduo, Let’s Resin, Craft Daddy, etc. which often offer kits with gloves, craft sticks / stir sticks, measuring cups, and even additives at reasonable prices. All these items are things you’ll need to start off, so any extras are appreciated. I recommend Puduo, as it is relatively inexpensive compared to similar brands, yields consistent , crystal clear results, and has a somewhat faster curing time than other epoxy resins for the price. If none of these brands ring your bell, here are the qualifiers for a “good” epoxy resin:

Self Degassing- This is pretty much the standard expectation of epoxy resin and one of the reasons it is considered forgiving for beginners. When resin and hardener are combined, gases are trapped and form air bubbles which have a tendency to multiply as you stir your mixture and the combination heats up. But it shouldn’t be taken for granted that all epoxy resin does this, so try to look for “self degassing” in the item description / label.

Self Leveling vs. Doming : Doming resin is great for the magnified look on pendants and other flat projects, but self leveling resin is where you should be starting as doming requires the build up of surface tension to achieve. While “doming “ resin may achieve this easier than others without this feature, it is pretty irrelevant if you don’t know to dome resin in the first place.

Art Resin vs Other Epoxy: Art resins make claims of being ideal or a better choice for arts & crafts, but the reality is that you can achieve the same effects from table top or boat resins such as Mas- are just as capable of casting, coating, doming etc. as art resins especially if you’re looking to take on a larger project you will pay less and get more with these brands than smaller quantities of art resins. Make sure they are crystal clear, hard type, self degassing, and self leveling. Keep in mind that cure time relates to the size of your project and the ambient temperature of the environment, so don’t waste money on products that charge more for touting faster curing time.

What about 2 part epoxy in syringes? (Ice Resin, Gorilla Glue) Personally, these pre prepared epoxy resins are more complicated than they look. You can’t save combined resin and hardener, so once you mix the two or pop the seals to both you have to use the lot of it in one shot. Ice Resin in particular is quite expensive and doesn’t offer the clear, glossy results I expected it to when I used it, so I would avoid these if you are just starting out.

Additives & Extras- Don’t waste a lot of money at the start funding your would be creations until you have at least seen one entire project through from start to finish. I made the mistake of investing in silicone molds, glitters, additives like rhinestones, craft papers, transparency films etc before I really found my niche and what I was really using epoxy for the most. There are some great deals for 100+ piece silicone mold kits that include gloves, stir sticks, silicone measuring cups, and the like available cheaply for those looking to make smaller things like jewelry, keychains, figurines etc. the one I have just linked to even includes the epoxy for under $20. These kits are offered by Amazon and even Etsy and are a great place to start as they provide you with everything you would need to create at least one full project. They are also a great activity to do with your kids (ages 10+ would probably be ideal) as you can add pretty much anything that isn’t silicone, wax, unsealed paper, alcohol, or water based into resin, which opens up a world of possibilities!

Tips & Tricks That Will Save You $

If you’re itching for purchasing pigments to add color to your resin projects, try purchasing or reusing some old or cheap mineral eye shadows. Not sure if your eye shadow is mineral based? I’m willing to bet it is, though some colors may not look the same when mixed in resin as they do on the pallets, they will color it nonetheless, just pick a small amount up on a popsicle stick or toothpick and stir it into a small batch of resin to see how it turns out. Dollar Tree eye shadows will work just as well as expensive pigments, so consider this before investing in expensive mica pigment sets!

While silicone molds are probably the easiest and are reusable, you can also use plastic molds, carve your resin block with carpentry tools or by hand-or even make your own molds! There are simple recipes utilizing dish soap and corn starch out there, or you can use silicone or even hot glue! Flexible silicone molds won’t require a mold release, but plastic and other molds will or you may end up cutting your project out. You don’t have to purchase a mold release product for this, either- olive or vegetable oil spray on a paper towel will suffice, just remember to let your mold sit for a few hours to demoisturize.

Can’t find gloves because of COVID19 hype? Finger cots are even better than gloves as they allow for more dexterity even when they get sticky, are cheaper, and readily available in bulk online!

Pretty much anything compatible with homemade “slime” can be mixed into or embedded in resin, so there is that. However, be careful how much glitter, pigment, etc you add as you can throw off the chemical balance that allows your project to cure properly. Refer to the directions included with your specific resin kit as most will tell you what ratios must be maintained for proper curing.

Everyone that works with resin knows the arch nemesis that is the bubbles. There are times where it seems like, no matter what you do, your perfect clear cast of a dandelion goes to shit because of some stray air bubbles. There are a few tricks to avoid this from the start:

Use a separate cup to measure resin and hardener. Pour the combined mixture into a fourth cup after the first 3-4 mins of stirring (half time) scraping the sides and bottom. This helps what was on the bottom get integrated into what was mixed on top. Always make sure to pour resin first when mixing and mix slowly, scraping the sides and bottom, for the time listed on your instructions. You want your mixture to be almost water consistency, clear, fluid, with little viscosity, and no streaks visible. Allow it to sit for a few minutes to natural degas and get rid of the bubbles.

Use a torch or grill lighter to pop surface bubbles. You can also do each one individually (as the grill lighter suggestion may not always be a good idea- be careful using this on large projects and molds that may ignite) with a tooth pick. Using a blow dryer or heat gun will also help bubbles rise to the surface to be popped.

Make sure that you keep contact with the bottom of your mixing cup with your stir stick-try not to lift it too much as this can introduce air into the mixture (“whipping the resin”) this can also occur if you are stirring too quickly. If you notice a lot of bubbles, let your mixture sit for a few minutes and resume stirring at a slower pace.

Make sure you start your project at a temperature of 74 degrees +, if your bottles are cold to touch, place them in a plastic bag and let them sit in hot water to warm up. You can also roll them (slowly) on a counter top.

You know, if all else fails you could always make ocean or nautical themed projects :)

That’s all for now- let me know if this helped you or someone you know working with resin or experimenting. Feel free to comment with any questions you would like answered in my next post! I also recommend the Resin Obssesion blog- they have a lot of useful information and tutorials with photos that were really helpful for me starting out!

Xo Samantha

[cloudsrust]

Do u have any personal head cannons for the OFF folks??? I am 👂👁👂

*cracks knuckles* Let’s see how many of them I remember- it’s been years after all sygdhf. Headcanons under the cut since it’s quite long.

Elsens: (think I already talked about these ones but Imma repeat them here for order. Also yes starting with the Elsens because I love them to bits sobs;;)

-Since they are so many, they start off with numbers as their names. To have one of their own they gotta either earn it or they just use nicknames among each others. -They cannot normally travel through zones on their own will. They can only do so through a demontion/promotion or because of the will of their Guardian.

-Being bitten or wounded by a spectre isn’t always mortal for them, the stress of the attack can be however. Not because they become burnt (gonna get to it to the next point), but because they either: A) get eaten/killed off by the spectre due to them being vulnerable in that state, so they aren’t able to fight back. B) They’re disposed off by their guardian as damage and stress control. (Would’nt want other elsens to see them on a rampage and become burnt too afterall.)

- I believe they can still live after turning burnt- they won’t have a head anymore but they can be calmed down to go back to their “normal” lives. Having no head means no eyes- so from that point on they’ll have to live with being blind. In Zone 1 being blind, or just remotely impaired for that matter, is a death sentence- unless Zone 3 is searching for blind workers specifically- after all they got a certain job in which not seeing can be preferable..

- This is an headcanon I got by seeing the artwork of the artist @/katatumuripai (Their Elsen art is both cute and creepy- but extremely cool looking! I really suggest you check ‘em out!). Spectres/other enemies only attack if they sense deep fear or if they are threatened (approaching them can easily be seen as threat too)- but if they’re left in peace and not forced into contact they’re safe to be around. They can even warm up to a certain Elsen and become like pets for them. Batter:

-*Deep breath* ...nonbinary Batter. Agender/Gendervoid to be more precise. They got a mission to fulfill, they got no time for stuff like gender. (Also idk why but I feel it fits their whole thing of purity.. really no idea why it does tho;;;)

-Their eyes are always closed, as if in some kind of trance- especially when the Puppeteer is in control of them. When left “stringless” they can open their eyes, but why should they? (enter a whole speech of them wanting to keep themselves pure even in mind/not wanting to see the world in such state for personal taste.) I like the idea of you only seeing their eyes once you’re not in control of them anymore- in the Judge ending. (Also explains why you literally need to throw eyes at your opponent to know their weak points/stats lmao.)

Zacharie:

-If you ask him what’s their gender they’re gonna answer either “Merchant” or ignore the question. He vibes with any pronouns.

-Under their mask? Void. Just a pair of frog like eyes starring back at you.

-Has a collection of unusual/rare items (the ones you can collect and give to them for either the Aries card or the Ashley bat (Can’t believe I still remember that after 5 years lmao)) that he would never sell (shocking I know.)

-He might look a bit out of shape/weak but they have an impressive strenght. Better not mess with them.

-This is... very self indulgent but- they travelled across all of the zones not only to to fulfill his role as a merchant but also to collect enough colors for Sucre (ex. the Red of the meat fountains, the Blue of the library walls, the Yellow of the sand in Zone 0, etc.). They wanted to paint a rainbow for her in their hiding spot (Yes I still think about “Somewhere over the Rainbow” as the ending song to this day sdhsgds). Every reset he hopes to have enough time or well... luck- to do so with her before the world is turned OFF.

Sucre:

-Genderfluid Sucre... and she likes to use she/her pronouns the most! (She likes the sound of them.)

-An artist at heart. No matter what she got she will find a way to turn it into art- be it painting, music, dance, crafting.. anything goes!

-Was found and adopted by Zacharie as a sibling. They have a very strong bond.

-Extremely hyperactive and willing to know others but will get uneasy/anxious if there are too many people around.

The Judge/Pablo and Valerie:

-Very good at table top games/card/chess, no matter if they require skill or just luck- they seem to always win! A match between the two of them is a sight to behold.

-Both love to read, but Judge prefers witty comedies while Valerie is more interested in unusual tragedies (eh.. see what I did here? ..I’ll show myself in the corner.)

Dedan:

-*Even deeper breath* ...Italian Dedan. Listen I know the creator might’ve been joking and I don’t even know how nationalities or stuff would work in OFF bUT- I’m using the headcanon. (I need a badass and scary Italian character in my life y’all;;).

-Following the previous headcanon, he slips into Italian cursing when EXTREMELY angered. (And I don’t know about you all but when someone starts screaming profanities in Italian I get SCARED- it’s just so harsh,,)

-He is quite good at sewing, he needed to get good at it to fix up his coat (A gift from the queen herself) after every spectre attack- but he took a liking in it.  He now makes leather aprons out of the cows’ coats for his barns’ workers.

-He has retractable claws, kinda like a feline.

Japhet:

-They can change their size/body age- like a phoenix but they do so on their own will. (That’s how I explain their size changes during their boss fight. -At times they like to choose an Elsen in their library and just use their head as a nest for a nice nap. (While in their smallest form of course.)

Enoch:

-A good cook- but I wouldn’t trust his choice in ingredients..

-(Tw: possible cannibalism mention) There is a rumor around the lower class elsens of his factory that he eats his own rebellious employees whole- it’s just a rumor they hope.

-His body is very.. malleable. (Him using the tubes of his factory to get to the station before you)

-He smells like a snake, using his tongue. (listen he got no nose sdsgdhs)

The Queen:

-She is known as the Queen of a thousands faces because her expression/traits depends on the feelings/emotions of those who see it. The reason why we see her without a face is because we are seeing her through Batter’s “eyes”, a being with no emotions or feelings.

-Those tentacle arms are perfect for hugs and you can’t tell me otherwise.

-Her hair can move by her will.

Don’t have any headcanons for poor Hugo unfortunately,, These are all the ones that I remember right now though!