#custom printed table throws

[printpapausa]

Are you looking for the perfect marketing material for your next event? Print custom step and repeat backdrops. Here is how you can benefit from them. 

[brisingamenconcepts]

Contemporary Living Room in Miami Example of a large trendy open concept medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room design with a bar, white walls and a media wall

[bunnycvnts]

need you to write me some perv rafe 😌

pairing: perv!rafe x unaware!reader

summary: rafe has a small obsession with you and finds himself with the perfect opportunity to get closer to you.

warnings: pervy rafe, sexual themes, sorta??dark content, male masturbation, panty stealing (is this a warning LMFAO?)

rafe knew you. well. he knew of you. from glances in the hallway when you passed his room, headed towards sarah’s, small conversations when you joined family dinners, and the occasional interaction during parties when you wanted to score some coke on the low.

he knew you from the image he formed in his head. the one that told him your short passing glances were longing, filled with desire. that your hand brushing his at the dinner table was a sign to spread you open on the wooden table and fuck you. that you buying coke from him when there were many dealers in figure eight was because you needed an excuse to talk to him, not just because he was sarah’s older brother and would give you it a little cheaper than most.

you took up far more space in his brain than any of his little sisters friends should. more than any normal girl should. he’d never been so hell-bent on creating and imagining interactions, forcing them to happen, and putting himself in the right places at the right time if it meant he’d see you. countless nights he’d stay awake, hearing your giggles from across the hall while his hand was wrapped around his cock, jerking it to the sound of your voice that would slip between the cracks in the doorframe. rafe couldn’t be by the pool when you’d swim, his length creating an obvious print in the wet swim shorts that clung to his skin at the sight of your body in a small bikini, soaking wet with water dripping down your soft skin. he couldn’t look at you for too long at parties, his focus being solely on you rather than paying customers, even if you were halfway across the room in your own world.

it was safe to say he was obsessed, but it was okay, right? because you totally wanted him too. at least, that’s what he told himself.

for you, he’d always been sarah’s scary older brother that would sometimes stand a little too close, but offered you free coke at parties and would drive you home late at night, even though you only lived a block away and could definitely walk home.

rafe saw the perfect opportunity to get a little closer to you one afternoon after he’d been spending the day by the pool with you and sarah. you’d wrapped your towel around you, saying you were gonna go shower before dinner. sarah waved you off, determined to soak up every bit of sun she could. rafe watched you walk inside, water droplets leaking off of you with each step and the fat of your ass bouncing lightly, visible even through the towel.

he’d quickly sat up, throwing out an excuse of a phone call to his sister before following you inside. his steps were faster than yours, catching up to you quickly.

“hey, yo-you can use my shower if you want? that way, you don’t have to worry about wheezie or sarah trying to walk in.” he tried to sound casual, despite stumbling over his first words. you thought about it for a second before agreeing, having grown tired of trying to split sarah’s bathroom after pool days. rafe guided you upstairs, relishing in the fact that you were now standing in his room in only a small bikini and were about to be showering in his shower. you’d smell like him afterwards; his body wash would linger on your skin, and your sweet vanilla scent would linger in his bathroom. just the way he thought it should.

playing a nice host, he grabbed you a bath towel and turned the shower on for you before closing the door with a small smirk on his lips. you were quick in the shower, only washing your body and vaguely browsing through his products. when you hopped out, you realized you didn’t have your actual clothes. with a towel wrapped around your naked body and a frown on your face, you peeked through the cracked door and asked rafe to grab you your pink beach bag from sarah’s room as it held your clothes.

his eyes widened at the sight of you, but he nodded and left the room, pushing into sarah’s where he spotted your baby pink bag, your name clearly embroidered on the side. he checked over his shoulder quickly, ensuring he was alone, and opened the bag. he shuffled through it before coming across a little white thong that had a small bow on the front. rafe groaned as he shoved it in his pocket, grabbed the bag, and headed back to his room. he watched as you closed the bathroom door again and came out moments later in a sundress that showed off your tanlines from the bikini top, saying a small thank you and leaving the room entirely.

rafe took a moment to breathe, listening to your footsteps pad down the stairs. when he was sure you were gone, he rushed into the bathroom and stripped, your panties clenched in his fist. once he was under the warm shower water, your sweet scent filled the room, making him groan. his cock was throbbing, and his balls were aching for release. the fist clutching your white thong soon wrapped around his aching cock, now soaked and sudsy with his body wash. his grip was tight as he got himself off, your name spilling from his lips with every thrust of his hand. seeing something that once was worn by you wrapped around his length, your panties nonetheless, was surely enough to push him right to the edge. all he could think of was your sweet cunt dripping wetness into the soft cotton, him spreading your folds open and exploring every inch with his tongue, his cock lined with your tight entrance before pushing inside you and experiencing your warm wet cunt for the first time. what really sent him soaring over the edge, hot spurts of cum shooting from his thick cock and onto the shower wall, was your voice on the other side of the door, accompanied by a light knock. “rafe, are you sure you grabbed all the clothes that were in the bag? some things are missing.”

taglist: @sunkissedrafe @cxsmiclore @mousie101

[blkkizzat]

ꨄ︎『YakuzaBoss!Toji』ꨄ︎

YakuzaBoss!Toji x Black Reader

18+ Minors - DNI

CW: public sex, voyerism, cockwarming Song Inspo: Don't Tell - BIA

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who first spots you while you are Go-go dancing at one of the nightclubs he extorts by Sōkaiya frequents in Shinjuku. He didn’t recognize you. You were the new girl, a foreigner. Yet he couldn’t take his eyes off of your curvaceous body. The strobe lights seductively illuminated your dark skin as you rhythmically swayed to the beat on a high platform centered in the middle of the dance floor. You immediately caught his attention and of course you noticed him. How could you miss the exceptionally built, tall and handsome man seated in the prime spot of the VIP section? He had been shamelessly eye-fucking you since he arrived. You winked and blew a kiss at him before then proceeding to ignore him. Not even looking his way for a few more songs in favor of the men who gathered below you as they were the ones throwing you tips. But you could sense that his eyes never left you the entire time.

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who if anything is more intrigued by the attitude you are giving him despite recognizing his crime associations when your manager nervously forces you to dance on his table instead of letting you take your smoke break. He had requested you personally and whatever YakuzaBoss!Toji wanted at this club, YakuzaBoss!Toji received. Your frown however, quickly turns 180° into a sweet flirtatious smile when you see what must be over two dozen ¥10,000 notes he pulls out of his suit jacket. His iced out Audemars shimmers against the club lights as he throws them at your feet on the table. The exchange program at your University was not cheap and this nigga was clearly loaded, so you pulled out a few tricks. 

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who whistles at the sight of you. Your short pink pleated skirt lifted as you bent over to twerk for him. This gave him an up close look at your pussy print nearly bursting out of your tiny neon pink thong. The strip of neon fabric that struggled to cover your plump lips glowed in contrast against your dark skin in the strobe lit club. Your hand snakes up your legs to cover your pussy again as you lift back up and turn to smile at him as if to tease some modesty. You wink and blow him another kiss from your red cherry glossed lips. However, the eye contact makes you shiver as he looks like he would devour you raw right on the table.

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who tells you to sit and have a drink with him after a few songs, patting the spot next to him. You weren’t supposed to drink on shift nor sit with customers but you had a feeling your boss wouldn’t object. He seemed terrified of this man. The man seated beside you introduces himself as Toji and you tell him your name, Y/N. You impress him with how well you can throw back whisky shots and how good at conversational Japanese you are. Toji listens intently as you tell him about your school, exchange program, friends and how you started working here only this week to help cover tuition costs. Toji's gaze never stops lazily roaming your body and he rests a hand on your upper thigh. From the way the scar on his mouth twitches up into a smirk you can tell how much he enjoys making you squirm underneath his touch when he decides to give your soft thigh a firm squeeze. 

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who you have to remind even though you take tips, you are not a stripper and this is not that kind of club when he requests a lap dance. Yet again you quickly change your tune when he offers you a whopping ¥750,000. With a devilish smirk, he motions down to the black leather bag on the ground by his feet nearly overflowing with ¥10,000 notes. You couldn’t lie, you were a bit nervous. You were just a Go-go dancer, you had never given a lap dance before. But this man was offering you at least half your tuition for the next semester! You also couldn’t deny how dangerously attractive he was. Especially when Toji had his expensive black suit shirt unbuttoned halfway, giving you a glimpse at his massive pectorals in addition to the tattoos that started from his neck and traveled down further past his chest. At least he wasn’t some old decrepit ass geezer, right?

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who doesn’t know how to keep his hands to himself and his tattooed sleaved arms wrap around your body as you grind on him. Your hips swivel in figure 8s on his lap while you rock against him, your back to his chest. From the size of the bulge pressing into the crack of your ass you could tell he was huge and he wasn’t even fully hard yet. You bit your lip as his breath tickled your ear with crude praises and salacious suggestions of what he wanted to do to you. Your face grew warmer.

YakuzaBoss!Toji, whose large hands laced with gold rings now dig into your doughy hips. He squeezes them toyingly and kneads into them which elicits a soft moan from you. You felt his warm lips at the back of your neck and your stomach did a flip. This lap dance was supposed to seduce him. To wring this sexy rich pervert gangster for every yen he would give you. Nevertheless, his tight hold on your body combined with his scent of bergamot and cedarwood mixing with cigarettes, liquor and sweat made you dizzy. The alcohol in your system begins to hit you as well and only enhances the assault on your senses. You couldn’t help but react as you mewled against him.

YakuzaBoss!Toji, whose grin widens. You were slowly unraveling in his lap. Toji's ministrations on your body from there grew bolder as his hands greedily traversed your body. Rough hands settled to cup your tits over your matching neon pink bikini top as two fingers slipped into the sides of the thin material. Amused to find your nipples pierced, he harshly pinched your already hardened buds. You yelped as he rolled them between his fingers and tugged at the metal rings.

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who lets out a roar of laughter when his assault on your nipples has you jumping out of his lap and turning around to tell him off. Before you can really cuss him out though your face completely drops as you notice the sizable wet spot you left on the crotch of his pants. Following your gaze Toji grabs your wrist before you can run away from him in embarrassment. He tells you with a smug tone he won't pay you shit if you leave him now. You nod and swallow hard as his other hand rubs his now fully hard cock straining against the spot you soiled. He lets his fingers linger on the stain before he brings it up to his face for a whiff and comments on how sweet your cunt smells leaking on his dick. The mood shifts though as he asks you with a dangerous edge to his voice exactly how you plan on repaying him for allowing your slutty pussy ruin his brand new Armani suit?

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who you end up cockwarming in the middle of the dark but crowded VIP section. Your tiny pink neon thong soaked with your juices was pushed to the side as his wide girth split you completely open. Fuck, its too much! Your mind was racing too fast to process how exactly you got here but all you could think about was the sting from the intensity of the stretch. You weren’t fully prepared to take on his size despite how wet you were. “Come on mama,” Toji teased as his hands went under your skirt to spread your cheeks so you could sink lower onto him. “I know you can take dick better than this.” 

YakuzaBoss!Toji, whose cock smooshed up against your core as gravity forced your cervix down further smashing his fat tip. It was becoming difficult to take steady breaths. You crossed your legs together as you tried to tilt forward away from him to lift up and relieve some pressure. His fingers traced the slight bulge that protruded on your stomach as he pulled you back to an upright position and fully seated on his cock. He gave you explicit instructions to be perfectly still and not move an inch. You couldn’t help but pant, tongue peaking out of your glossed lips as your body started to crave a taste of friction despite the very public place you were in, it was torture. 

YakuzaBoss!Toji, whose turn it is to now completely ignore you (he made sure you knew this was payback for earlier) as you whined and cooed for him to reconsider. You would be good for him. He only responds by asking you to remind him of how many songs you ignored him for and doubles the amount before he will even consider letting you move an inch. It was your punishment and Toji made sure to relish in giving it to you as he took calls, barked orders at his men on standby and even brought others to his table to conduct business. He made another waitress come over and prattle off a long list of drink specials while he flirted with her and ordered you another shot of whisky. His thick cock buried in your pussy all the while. You were annoyed at his ignoring you and his flirting but just thankful that from this position no one could see him inside of you. 

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who as if sensing your fears, manspread with you still full of him. Your legs fell to the outside of his thighs and dangled as your feet no longer touched the ground. The sudden movement had you gasping as his cock shifted inside your stretched walls. You fell back fully against his chest as you heaved. The low set table did nothing to help cover you. Your short skirt that barely reached the bottom of your ass standing and had your cheeks peeking out when you sat, gathered around your upper thighs with you spread on him. It was dark in the club but it wouldn’t take more than a lingering second look from someone passing by to see your cock stuffed cunt on display. The fabric bunched on your thighs only hid the top view partially. If the people he was interacting with knew what was going on, they gave no sign. In fact they barely acknowledged your presence at all which either meant they were familiar with him pulling these kinds of stunts or they knew better than to concern themselves with anything beyond what he asked of them.

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who chuckled when you reminded him the 8th song had just ended and you only ignored him for 4. “This messy cunt can wait for one more song can’t she?” Toji wanted to make sure as many of those sniveling losers that you ignored him for now saw what you looked like impaled on his dick. You nearly screamed when his heavy ringed hand came down with a firm smack to your clit. He hushed you with two fingers shoving them deep in your mouth that you couldn’t help but gag and slobber on them. Your eyes rolled back into your head as he would give your cunt a firm tap at random intervals. It made your pussy contract around him and you felt Tojis grunts fan across your neck. “Shhh mamas... You wouldn’t want to make it even harder for the people around here to ignore how well I’m stretching this pretty pussy, now would you princess?”

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who merely snapped his fingers and as if materializing out of nowhere, your manager came rushing over, nearly stumbling on himself. 

“Y-Yes Mr. Fushiguro, what can I get for you sir?”

“This girl… Y/N.”

Toji gave your pussy another pat and it had you shaking as you turned your gaze away from your manager who you couldn't bare to look at directly.

“She no longer works at this club. Understood?” He told your manager authoritatively.

Although your manager didn’t want to lose his best new girl he wouldn’t dare question a directive from YakuzaBoss!Toji.

“Y-Yes, sir! U-understood, Mr Fushiguro sir. I will remove Y/N from the schedule immediately”, your manager replied with a bow before getting himself the fuck out of dodge as Toji waved him off.

“T-Toji- whafhefck” you mumble despite his fingers in your mouth still.

You couldn’t afford to lose this job.

“Hm, you wanna work here?” Toji questioned you running his free hand across your ribs. The calloused fingers contrasted with the gentleness of his touch yet still managed to give you butterflies.

“Or.. would you rather work for me Y/N?” 

There's an edge to Toji’s voice as his free hand lifts you a bit before he slams you back down onto his cock hard with a thrust of his hips.

“To-jisjhi!!!!” 

Your cries were still drowned out by his fingers as drool began dripping out down the sides of your mouth and down his forearm. Tears finally broke free and you trembled as your heels scraped the outsides of his legs. Your poor stretched walls burned at the sudden movement, making you near feral for more as a white ring of your juices and precum formed at the base of his cock and trickled down his balls, staining his pants even further.

“I assure you the pay and the benefits are better.” he continues to roll his hips while your eyes roll back into your head.

“Whaddya say, Y/N?”

Toji’s fingers slide out of your mouth to give you an opportunity to speak but you’ve gone all but non verbal now. You can only babble incoherently as your tongue fully lulls out of your mouth.  

“Dunno mamas, doesn’t sound like you are too interested...”  Toji teased with a huge shit-eating grin looking down at you.

You turn your head up to pout at him and your hips roll in tandem with his in a slow wine. Reaching behind you to bring his head down onto a nasty sloppy kiss. You were so horny you could combust and no longer cared who saw you, you just wanted to be fucked. It’s not like anyone here would stop YakuzaBoss!Toji from doing what he wanted with you.

Toji broke the kiss, slurping up the saliva that lingered between your lips and his.

“I should take that as a yes then?”

Cock drunk and stupefied you eagerly nod your head.

YakuzaBoss!Toji, who shifted as his arms slipped underneath your legs and brought them up behind your head into a full nelson position. There would be no hiding your cunt now as you felt multiple eyes in the room dart towards and away from you again. 

You whimpered in protest yet Toji felt your cunt gush around him at the thrill of it.

“Don’t be like that mamas. I can tell from the way you are creaming on me this slutty pussy loves an audience.”

© ʙʟᴋᴋɪᴢᴢᴀᴛ 2023. ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛꜱ ʀᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ. ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴛᴇᴀʟ, ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛᴇ, ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴏʀ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇꜱ ꜰɪᴄꜱ, ᴅʀᴀʙʙʟᴇꜱ, & ɢʀᴀᴘʜɪᴄꜱ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʙʏ ᴍᴇ ᴜɴʟᴇꜱꜱ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴡɪꜱᴇ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ.

A/N: I know I said next was Geto and cockwarming but this idea popped into my head and I HAD to write it. This is also inspired by this nightclub I went to in Shinjuku during my own study aboard to see my friend from school DJ where I met 2 gangsters (they were in red sweat suits so I don't think Yakuza). They had matching tats from the neck down and were fine af. Unfortunately that was towards the beginning of my trip and unlike Y/N here my conversational Japanese then was ass (and they didn't speak a lick of English) so nothing came from that. I fumbled the bag badly yo. BUT I CAN WRITE THIS AND LIVE OUT MY FANTASIES WITH TOJI LOL.

New to this writing shit so please reblog to spread if you can but likes and comments are also appreciated all the same!

Edit 9/20: minor errors fixed!

[violetlunette]

My Yuu's relationship with NRC Facility as requested by this ask;

Crowley: Dire Crowley is an irresponsible father figure who encourages Yuu’s “creativity” as long as he doesn’t get caught, and it can’t be blamed on him. The reason is that often Yuu's inventions benefit Crowley, such as the private bathroom until the ol’ faithful incident. He has Yuu handle any problems the school has.

Yuu—surprisingly—looks up to the guy despite knowing he’s a bit irresponsible due to Daddy issues. Also, he lets Yuu do whatever he wants, which is a bonus. Personality-wise, they get along great; however, Yuu tends to act like the straight man to him. (Ironic considering how gay Yuu is for Silver.)

Trien: The responsible uncle Yuu never listens to. He likes that Yuu is one of the few eager to learn in his class, as he sees it as a book club. (Yuu tends to critique history like it’s a book.)

“Yuu, you cannot critique history!” “I can if it’s stupid!"

He hates Lucifer on a primal level. (Other than Grim, Yuu doesn’t like cats. [Monster.])

Crewel: Often a disciplinarian to train the sick puppy that is Yuu. Yuu often gets smacked because he can’t hold back the sex jokes. (To be fair, when you carry a whip—ow!) He believes Yuu is determined to turn the rest of his hair white due to his antics in the lab. As of late, most of his lectures come with an intermission of, “Yuu no! Bad boy!”

Yuu likes his coat and thinks he should look into Dalmatian prints.

Vargas: Vargas thinks Yuu is in great shape, but he’s not; Yuu just often throws himself into situations that make his body go “shit!” and activates his adrenaline in hopes of survival. As such, Vargas pushes Yuu during gym, thinking the other’s holding back when he’s genuinely out of shape.

Yuu tries to avoid him and fails.

Sam: Sam values Yuu as a customer and has even offered the boy a tarot reading on his love life. (Yuu decides to pass this up, so he always has hope things may work.) Yuu finds all his items fascinating.

They do business under the table so often that Sam would own Yuu’s soul if either of them could find it. Trien is extremely annoyed by this. “You’re a fatality member! Stop getting our students involved in the black market!

They share a commonality with their ghost pals. (Though Sam’s are cooler.)

[cloveroctobers]

OCTOBER PROMPTS 🦇— 7. Carmy

A/N: This was a little quick write! Reader is given a name since I didn’t want to write in second POV and I’m all here for writing characters that do just a little too much but have a big heart and good intentions 😬 + looks like I’ll be continuing these through November as well before I take a break!

PROMPT can be found here and I’m using: “should I be worried that you know how to replicate fake blood well? I probably should be, right?”

WARNINGS: Language!!! some spooky eatery/themes, Syd being the main one with a weak stomach this time around + toxic workplace & a core four being formed?

*GIF BELONGS TO: @emziess

<- please read my slept on previous anthology october prompt here.

˚₊‧꒰ა ⛥ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧꒰ა ⛥ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧꒰ა ⛥ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧꒰ა ⛥ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

“Jeff, finally you’re here!” Tina rushes up to Carmy as he enters the bear for the first time today.

Carmy dips his head, “Hey Chef, Tina. Good to see you.” He replies back, slowly walking with her as he glances at a few workers who are wiping down the furniture for the upcoming customers.

“‘ppreciate you, Jeff. But you probably won’t be saying the same thing to the rest when we get to the back.” Tina informs, which makes Carmy furrow his brows a bit, stopping at the back doors.

“Something happen?”

“Well…” Tina rocks on her toes, “it all depends really but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Which doesn’t settle the feeling in Carmy’s stomach as he pushes the doors forward. Far as he can tell everything looks normal as he continues through the kitchen, the chef’s are all in the right place prepping for opening time. That’s until he spots Sydney first, twisting her bottom lip as she faces Marcus’ station.

“Okay…and exactly what do you think the appeal is…” carmy hears Sydney speaking and it’s a solid chance that she’s talking to Marcus but the closer he gets, he sees a very familiar face covered in Carmy doesn’t even know what.

She’s standing there in all her 5’9 glory sporting her own vegetable printed apron, hands resting comfortably down on the table as she’s talking but Carmy’s just trying to wrap his head around what she’s even doing here. His eyes scan over her head, which is now completely buzzed and this look? she wears well with the fresh cut showing better angles of her high cheekbones.

He steps up closer to Sydney yet he feels his foot slide against some sort of red liquid? He’s scrambling latching onto a near by table while Sydney tries to hold a hand out to a flailing carmy who manages to catch himself all on his own.

“Yo you good, Carmy?” Marcus calls out while Carmy just exhales, looking down at the floor and now he damp sneaker.

He gives a forced thumbs up and exhales, knowing he hears certain snickers from behind him, further adding to the embarrassment. Finding a way to brush it off, he straightens the back bag on his shoulder and stands up straight to peer at the awaiting faces.

“Just the guy I was waiting for!” The buzzed woman claps her hands together.

“Why is there blood in the walkthrough? Someone’s gonna break their neck like I just almost did.” His eyes shifts from Sydney and Marcus while Tina silently throws her hands up and carefully tiptoes back and away but not far enough to miss out on the drama.

Sydney sighs, “you can thank Venna for that. Sugar let her in earlier to let Venna’s inspiration flow.”

Carmy blinks, “okay…? Wha—what exactly does that mean?”

“It means that I’m gonna bring in more customers for you during this fall season, you’re welcome!” Venna speaks but Carmy was still confused, “why don’t you step on up to the show, carmen? You won’t want to miss it.”

Carmy’s eyes flick to Sydney’s but she just holds her hands out for Carmy to do as Venna asks. He can’t read exactly what Sydney was saying but he could tell that he wasn’t sure why Venna needed to let her inspiration release here a couple hours before opening time?

“Watch your step though,” Marcus warns Carmy and he does, making his way carefully over.

His bright eyes are scanning over the…peculiar dishes that cover Marcus’s station. Carmy picks up the closest thing to him and holds up the shot glass that appears to be as if something is floating in the liquid with blood swirling right at the bottom.

“What is this?” Carmy can’t help but to feel his nose scrunch up because it doesn’t look appetizing at all.

Venna beams, “that there my dear chef is what you’ll serve from the bar up front. A shot of brain hemorrhage basically and you can call it: Richie’s brain.”

Sydney snickers at that, now standing beside Carmy, “that’s good, totally love the name but it looks gross.”

“That’s the point! It’s supposed to mimic the medical condition of brain damage. It’s simple work that your bartenders can whip up in no time: apple schnapps, Irish cream, and finish off with Grenadine which imitates blood while the Irish cream is Richie’s brain matter.” Venna explains to Carmy who grasps what she was getting at.

Carmy nods his head, “Ah okay so all of this is for Halloween?”

“Yes! Limited edition items, I mean you’re going to be open this whole season and Halloween lovers are definitely going to want to try these new dishes so…why not send some ideas your way?” Venna says.

Marcus adds, “I have to say it’s kinda a cool concept. Nothing wrong with a little switch up right?”

Carmy looks at Sydney who holds his stare, the both of them trying to get a read on each other. Carmy was usually more open to change whereas Sydney liked to discuss it first then analyze all the ways it can go wrong then right. At least she could blame Sugar for not sending a text their way first but Venna was here—without culinary experience—coming up with ideas they weren’t even thinking about two weeks into October.

“I know presentation is a thing or whatever when it comes to dishes but with Halloween, it can pass as disturbing no?” Venna questions while Carmy shrugs.

He tosses his head back and swallows the shot, popping his tongue afterwards while Sydney tries her hardest not to gag. The drink was fruity yet distinctive which paired well with the balance of caramel and whiskey along with the tart yet sweetness of the syrup. It was a mixture of this and that flavor wise but it worked. “That’s solid Ven but i wish you would have picked a better time to dump this on us.”

“There is no better time than the present! And you don’t even answer your texts so why bother?” Venna says earning double nods from both Sydney and Marcus as she continued, “I’m here now and I know time management is big so I’ve got two more things I want to show you and Syd if you let me?”

Carmy shares another look with Sydney who peeks at the clock on the wall behind them and then nods. Venna grins at them and waves them further into Marcus’ section.

“Aren’t you uh supposed to still be in London?” Carmy wonders while he and Syd pack in with Ven and Marcus.

Ven lifts her shoulders, “I got fired! So anyways the next one that could be a good option is—

“Huh?” Marcus interjected.

Sydney rapidly blinked, “wait what? What do you mean you got fired? Everything was going so well the last time we spoke to you?”

Venna was a talented SFX artist that gained a huge position for a horror major motion picture that was filming in London. She left six months ago and from what they all heard was it was the biggest joy she could add to her resume.

What changed?

“Hmm how do I narrow this shit down? Uh creative differences? Microagressions and sexual harassment. Okay! Moving on chefs.”

“No, hold up? That’s not something you can just slide pass.” Marcus is frowning, eyes briefly meeting Sydney and Carmy’s who were also not pleased hearing this.

Sydney adds, “yeah, I mean that sounds like a whole lot Ven.”

“It was! Which is why I’m back here in Chicago’s atmosphere trying to manipulate my brain to not be depressed…it could work if you guys just let me tell you what else I’ve got up my sleeve.”

Marcus and Sydney both stare at Carmy who’s rubbing at his face in frustration. It’s not like anyone here in the kitchen was open to talking about their feelings like that—well maybe except for Sugar and Fak but Venna was still part of this family regardless if she had a degree or background experience in culinary.

“Ven, can I talk to you for a second?”

Venna’s shoulders almost arch up at Carmy’s assertion, “I thought you and Syd said you were pressed for time since this is prep or whatever.”

“This’ll just take a second, promise.” Carmy peers over his shoulder at the buzzed hair woman, arm held out in the air to wave her through.

Venna let’s out a deep exhale and forces out a smile before she glances at Sydney and Marcus, “don’t you two dare sample my shit while I’m not here to witness it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Syd’s response is sarcastic while Marcus just chuckles, ready to poke at a questionable dish—again.

Venna leads the way to the freezer, where Carmy leans his shoulder against it, lightly holding onto the strap of his bag to look at Venna who is looking everywhere around the kitchen but at the messy haired chef beside her.

“Hey,” he starts, “I’m not gonna be in your business unless you show me that I have to be but…we’re cool right?”

“What do you mean, Carm?” Venna blinks, turning to face him.

Carmy says, “what I’m getting at is…you kept this from us, why? How long have you been back?”

“Um…a week? Or Three? I really lost track after my fourth chi dog but time is illusion isn’t it?” She snorts, lightly punching the blue eyed man in the shoulder.

Carmy rubs at his brow, “sure, whatever. But that shit you just mentioned isn’t something I want to take lightly so if you’re really feeling a way—

“Oh, I get what’s happening.” Venna taps her forehead, “You just want to check in and I love you for that but we don’t have to do this right now. Maybe later? Maybe never. The situation was not what I expected and it sucked…really sucked but I’m not gonna trauma dump on anybody. I just want to celebrate Halloween with you guys, that’s all dude, I promise.” She waves her fingers around as if she’s conjuring up a spell.

And carmy took the time to really study Venna. The last time he saw her, she looked lighter as if her aura or something was sunset orange as she was full of excitement to take on this big opportunity. Fuck, Carmy was starting to sound like Nat! Carmy was happy for Venna because he knew she had a gift to share and cared about art in a way that was deemed as, “weird,” by the turds in school, however Carmy never minded sitting beside or near in all those art classes.

“Okay,” Carmy started interlocking her raised hands with his to give Venna’s a squeeze while he held her stare, “just know I’m always around.”

“Yeah yeah, so am I, babe.” Venna winks.

Richie walks by the pair then, smelling of smoke, “are you two fucks gonna play ring around the rosy all day or are you’s gonna get to work? Nice of you to show up by the way, Carmy.”

“Eat a dick, Richard.”

“Shut the fuck up, cousin!”

Richie snorts at the expected reply from the two, just waiting to see the embarrassment on Carmy’s face more than anything. He carries on, squeezing Tina’s shoulders who swats him away with a smile, while then whispering something to Sydney who looks away from Marcus to peek at the two, eyebrow raised while tapping on her wrist.

Carmy dips his head and turns back to Venna, eyes scanning over her much shorter hair briefly before meeting her eyes, “ready to show me what you got?”

“Hey now, hey now. This is what dreams are made of,” Venna sings to Carmy who immediately rolls his eyes as she claps in his face, “hey, hey!”

Carmy latches onto the side of Venna’s buzzed head to place a quick peck to her forehead, “can’t believe I walked right into that one, don’t ever change on me, okay?”

“Never! I’m more sweet than asshole, despite my new look that almost gave my dad a heart attack.” Venna sasses as she shakes Carmy by the shoulders.

Carmy snorts, “oh I definitely want to hear how that went down later,” as they begin walking back to Marcus’ station.

Venna’s father was a pilot, which was inspiring considering all the trouble he got into before growing into the man he is today. He was a single father who raised Venna all on his own after his wife went missing in her native land of Hawaii back when Venna was fourteen. She unfortunately became known in the city because of that tragedy which made high school more of a living hell than it already was. Nonetheless her father did the best that he could (with the help of his own mom from time to time) and Venna often joked that it was hard work raising the man.

The tatted woman certainly didn’t make it easy for him, getting into her own share of trouble but her paternal grandmother? Told him he was getting it all back from his own teenage bad ass years. Which is true, sometimes it’s inevitable the way the circle goes round.

Venna was always getting into something and she had no issue going at it with her dad to stand her ground. Carmy and her were alike in that kind of way, when you share aspirations or ideas and get dismissed or a lack of response? They’re gonna try their damn hardest to show that they’re capable regardless if there were opinions or there lack of.

“Did I hear you singing Lizzie McGuire?” Sydney questions while Venna smirks at her, squeezing in between her and Marcus once more.

“Uh huh, Carmy Carm had a thing for Hilary Duff back in the day.” Venna rests her hands back on the table, glancing at the remaining dishes.

“No way,” Marcus grinned, “I was more of a Miranda guy.”

Carmy dipped his head, “I can see that.”

“No shame in my game,” Marcus laughed while Sydney rolled her eyes peeking at Carmy.

Carmy blinked and held his head back staring at the ceiling, “what’s up, Syd?”

“Nothing.” Sydney bit back a smile.

“Well I don’t believe that.” Carmy rests his hands flat on the table.

Sydney holds her hands out beside her, “that’s okay, believe whatever makes you feel better.”

“Why does this feel like you’re judging me?”

“Uh oh, see what you started?” Marcus whispers to Venna who shushes the beanie wearing twenty-nine year old.

“Let mom and dad hash it out.”

“Shit stirrer,” Marcus coughs while Venna playfully elbows him.

Sydney says, “just never saw you going for blondes. Guess I also don’t really know your type but—

“What are you talking about? She was a fictional character, Syd.”

“I mean celeb crushes still have some sort of relation into what you look for in a person, no?” Sydney is frowning a bit as she’s looking off to the side in thought.

Carmy huffs, “who’s your celeb crush?”

“I uh don’t know?” Sydney is fidgeting on her feet now.

“I remember, didn’t you say Steve Harvey that one time when we were drinking over that card game at Venna’s?” Marcus asks, making Syd choke on her saliva.

“What the hell?! I never said that.”

“Now why am I in it?” Venna mutters while Carmy sends her a raised eyebrow for clarification.

“You fucking started this!” Carmy points.

Venna places her ring covered fingers against her chest, “all I did was sing a damn song?”

“Steve Harvey? Ew!” Sydney shudders, “he’s older than my dad…why would you ever think I said that?”

“I don’t know…I could have sworn it was you? Or was it Chester? Shit, don’t take my word for it then.” Marcus scratches at the back of his head, suddenly second guessing himself, while Sydney looks as if she’s ready to wrap her hands around the man’s throat.

Venna sighs, “don’t knock it until you try it…can’t say the oldest I’ve dated was in his 60’s but the last one I was with was truly a standup guy. Maybe I should have picked up his last call.”

When the area suddenly gets quiet, Venna widens her eyes as all the pair’s of eyes settle in on her.

“Did I say that out loud?

“Yeah you did!” Marcus exclaims, “let us find out you’re living a secret life we don’t know about.”

“Is there something you want to share with the rest of the class?” Sydney has her hands digging into her hips now, surprise written all over her face.

Carmy is pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Clearly we have a lot to catch up on.”

“There’s time for that later,” Venna fans her hand, “let’s get into this beauty right here! I call it, ‘The smashed Spider!’” She models the interesting pasta dish.

It’s off putting for sure but looks can be deceiving just like, “Richie’s brain hemorrhage,” or whatever Venna named the dish. When she places it back to the center of the table, she plucks up three forks to hand to the chef’s.

She stands up straight and folds her hands behind her back, “I’ve always wanted to say this: Chef’s what I prepared for you today is a creamy Pumpkin Cauliflower Alfredo, garnished on top of the sauce is my most hated vegetable: peas! Please enjoy.”

Marcus doesn’t hesitate as he twirls the black rice pasta noddles up onto the fork while Carmy and Syd use spoons to assist the fork. Venna notices Syd giving a silent prayer while holding her stomach before placing the utensil into her mouth.

“I don’t know how you came up with this,” Marcus swallowed the food, “but call me impressed and I mess heavily with cauliflower.”

“Thank you, chef.”

“You’re welcome, Makeup Chef.” Marcus winks at Venna who smiles sweetly at him.

When she turns back to get Carmy and Sydney’s intake, they’re doing the thing where they’re peering into each other’s eyes and communicating telepathically, Venna guesses.

“So…” Venna pressed.

“How long did this take you?” Carmy asks going in for another bite while Sydney is still chewing, savoring.

Venna replies, “Prep is about thirty minutes and cooking is about another round. So not long.”

Sydney glances over at Venna, “I’m proud of you for making this actually taste better than it appears.”

“Thanks for your faith in me.”

“Anytime.” Sydney laughs, “I think we can do something with this. We can use activated charcoal or stick with the squid ink.”

“And we can offer two different options: with pumpkin cream or regular depending on the fall loving person’s perspective. This is fresh and a brilliant idea, Venny.” Carmy compliments Venna who waves her hand about before bowing.

“Thank you, thank you! I’ll be here all season.”

Sydney is scribbling down in her mini journal now, nodding her head along with a small smile on her face, suddenly excited with this idea and how they can tweak it and transform it at some point. She’ll ask Venna more questions at a later date but Sydney knew they were still pressed for time.

Which Venna wasn’t the best at, really.

“That’s two out of three stars for me!” Venna poses before nodding over at the last option, “now hold onto your knives, chefs! I’m about to really scalp you with these final idea!”

Which made a smile twitch onto the corner of Carmy’s lips as he watched Venna get further animated.

[1 week before Halloween…]

“C’mon Carmy Carm, please!” Venna followed carmy around his apartment.

He knew he shouldn’t have let her in the front door. Now he was stuck in this mess, with her pleading with him as he attempted to clean up his place a little. Sydney and Marcus were also coming over to meet up before they had a night on the town together. It was shocking to them both that Carmy even considered going out with them but Venna managed to bribe or bully him with news of fall themed snacks at this festival uptown.

“Quit your whining already, I’m not getting dressed up and even if I wanted to—which I don’t, I have no costume!” Carmy hissed as he snatched up a pair of jeans to fold and place right back into the stove.

Venna tisked, “and you say I have bad timing? It’s no big deal, that’s what you have me for right? A very skilled individual. Just let me touch your face.”

Carmy grips the roots of his greasy hair, “only if talk to me nice.”

“I’ve been doing that since I walked through the door.”

“You called me a beautiful bastard.”

“I did say I love you after that right?”

“That’s because you want to touch my face! And I don’t want to be sitting here for hours when we have someplace to be.” Carmy exasperates.

Venna pokes her hips out in her black cargo jeans, “don’t underestimate me, baby. I’ll have you ready in less than thirty minutes because you have the best canvas for me to work on and if you say no two more times…I may act out my best version of being a scream queen. I’ve been practicing you know?”

Carmy seethes, “fine.”

“I get your approval?”

“I said fine didn’t I?!”

“Oh Candy Carm, I promise you you’ll find a way to love it.” Venna grips Carmy’s face as her brown eyes study every detail of his face, from the small scars on his skin, the moles, the slope of his straight but pointed nose, his hooded but bulging undereye glacier blue eyes, “but first…we’re gonna wash this hair right quick.”

Carmy scowls, “I just said I didn’t want to be here any longer?”

“Patience is a…”

“Virtue,” Carmy finishes with a groan as he gently moves to rest his forehead against Venna’s shoulder.

Sooner than later, Venna is working on Carmy’s face just as her phone plays the theme song of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy?

“should I be worried that you know how to replicate fake blood well? I probably should be, right?” Carmy asks as Venna continues working on his face.

She carried her “special ingredients,” on her but the minute she tried to incorporate onion to replicate scabs, Carmy was not having that.

“Sorry but I actually want to smell good tonight.”

“For whom may I ask?”

“No you may not, so shut your trap.”

Venna smirked but kept at it, “no need to be worried about my craft when I’m never worried being a taste taster with your new dishes. We trust the process and each other don’t we?”

Before carmy can respond, she reaches back to put her phone on speaker without breaking eye contact from the blue eyed man’s skin, “Venna speaking.”

“Hey! We’re making our way up to Carmy’s place now. He’s not answering his phone.” Sydney informs.

“Cool,” Venna replied, “he’s busy being tortured by me right now so sorry about that.”

“…I don’t even know how to respond to that.”

“You’ll see. Tata!” Venna bids her farewell, hanging up the phone and does a few last minute touches to the gash traveling from the corner of Carmy’s lips and upwards along his cheek.

Venna sniffs and wipes away a faux tear, “damn I’m so talented.”

“Let me see.”

Then there’s a knock at the door that gets Carmy to stop scrambling for the camera on Venna’s phone. She shoves him away and dips her head, silently saying for him to get that while she gets ready to record.

“Whoa! What did you do?!” Marcus hollers in the hallway while Carmy glances back at Venna who’s all smiles behind the camera.

It’s Sydney and Marcus’ turn to analyze Carmy who isn’t feeling this attention so he rapidly waves them in before shoving the door closed.

“You guys aren’t really dressed…up?” Carmy pauses as he eyes the brown bald cap that’s covering Sydney’s head and the crooked mustache above her lips, “I’m so glad I didn’t let Venna talk me into it.”

Marcus tips his cowboy hat as he attempts to put on a western accent, “dressed up enough though, partner. I just hope you let us actually dress up for the dang holiday.”

“That’s still up for debate.” Carmy slowly says while Sydney presses her fingertips to her lips, “you okay, Syd?”

Sydney swallows the lump in her throat, “no yeah, I’m chilling! It’s just that blood looks so real.”

Carmy looks at Venna as she steps on up to the group, lightly shaking his head at her for causing this reaction from Sydney. She nods her head signaling, “go on, have at it and try not to out scream me.”

“Wait he hasn’t even see it yet?” Sydney wiggles her nose, “also who are you supposed to be?”

Venna holds up a finger as she back steps and goes over to the item next to her bag to place the green eye shades over her eyes, “I couldn’t get my starfire green contacts in earlier so this’ll do. I’m buttercup but resurrected.”

“Ohhhh,” Sydney nods, “I was a blossom girl all the way. I would have never guessed.”

“That’s because y’all lack to see the vision sometimes,” Marcus comments, “But did you really have to kill buttercup, Ven?”

“Duh it’s my vibe. Always in my heart though.” Venna pounds her chest and throws up a peace sign towards the sky while Marcus blows on his makeshift gun.

Sydney widens her eyes at this and let’s out a laugh at this whole childish ordeal but she’s glad she gets to call these two her friends.

When Carmy returns back through the walkway, Venna’s phone is away now as she lifts her head to witness his reaction.

“This uh looks fucking insane but I’m more amazed by your work every time.” Carmy strongly claims making Venna claps her hands together and bring them up underneath her chin.

“Yay! You like it?”

“You legit made me look like I got sliced.”

“By richie?” Marcus teased.

“Nope that’s Syd’s job,” Venna pointed making Sydney playfully shield her face.

“I’m amazed by you.” Carmy says first looking at Venna who looks as if she’s about to get emotional before he drifts his stare to Sydney and Marcus, “All of you and I know I don’t say it enough because I’m a shitty little bitch sometimes but really…you guys put in the effort and I’m honored see all that you do.”

Marcus pats his chest showing that it was all love before nudging Sydney who seems as if she’s at a lost for words. Seeing carmy being vulnerable in this way was new.

“Well thanks, Carmy. You’re not so bad too, half of the time anyways.” Sydney awkwardly voices as she lets out a laugh followed by the rest.

Venna pressed her knuckle into the corner of her eye and waves them all forward after shoving her bag onto her shoulder, “bring the love in you whores.”

“Ah,” Carmy jumps back, “I don’t want you ruining the work you just did.”

The three meet each other’s eyes.

“Were you taking selfies in the bathroom or something because it’s alright if you were,” Marcus is grinning as he grips Carmy’s shoulder who scoffs while Venna and Sydney share a side squeeze.

“Let’s go!” Sydney announces to the men as Venna opens the door still holding onto her.

Carmy waves Marcus towards the door, patting himself to make sure he had his keys before he followed him out.

“C’mon man, was it a mirror selfie or a regular one? And who received the fire pics? I know they had to be. Instagram? Twitter? Facebook? I know you got a Facebook,” Marcus chats while Carmy feels a smile breaking onto his lips as he keeps this mystery to himself.

He guesses this is what it feels like to have friends, something he never thought he needed.

Maybe he was wrong after all.

˚₊‧꒰ა ⛥ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧꒰ა ⛥ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧꒰ა ⛥ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚₊‧꒰ა ⛥ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Continue along with my October anthology prompts here.

[shaunlovesyou]

So, do you come here often ~ Jason Todd / Red Hood

Jason Todd x Reader

Summary; An awkward encounter turned unpleasant.

Word Count; 0.5k

Warnings; Swearing

You let out a sigh as you rearrange the books on the display table yet again. It’s a slow day but somehow no matter how busy the shop is the bookshelves and tables always ended up in disarray.

As you pick up Pride and Prejudice and take it out of the Mansfield Park pile a man approaches you.

“So, do you come here often?”

The question caught you completely off guard, not expecting to be spoken to while rearranging displays. 

You look down upon your blue striped apron proudly displaying the words Three Lives Bookshop, a pin with your name printed on in bold letters sitting over your heart.

“Well,” you start slowly. “I work here, so, yes?”

“That was a stupid question, I’m sorry.” the stranger fumbles over his words, obviously flustered. “I’m Jason.”

“Nice to meet you, Jacob?” you respond awkwardly. “I really need to get back to work.”

You scramble away before the man can say more, darting behind the counter and assuring your coworker you can take over while guiding her towards the main floor.

Out of your vision Jason holds his head in his hands, muttering about how stupid he is quietly. He stops suddenly and with a determined look on his face he grabs the recently misplaced copy of Pride and Prejudice and carries it towards the counter.

You pick up the book placed in front of you and scan it.

“Jane Austen, good pick, lots of people say shes too mainstream but I’d say shes popular for a reason.” you comment on the book absentmindedly.

“I think shes one of the greatest authors, I have a first edition at home.” your customer adds to the previously one-sided conversation, his large hands gesturing towards the book resting on the counter.

“A first edition Pride and Prejudice?” you exclaim, looking up to see the person claiming to have a thousand dollar book in his possession.

You falter when you see deep green eyes belonging to the man that had tried start a conversation with you just minutes prior.

“7 dollars.” you say once you realise he isn’t going to respond to your previous statement.

He hands you the money and walks out of the shop onto the street without waiting for his receipt, a small smile gracing his face.

You open the cash register to place the money inside and are met with not three but four pieces of paper, one square in size and bright yellow.

Once you dispense the money into the register your eyes fall upon the sticky note in your hand.

Ten numbers are scrawled onto the piece of paper in elegant handwriting.

“That dickhead.” you whisper under your breath as you throw the note with the mans phone number into the small trash can under the counter. The vivid yellow standing out in contrast to the white of receipts and blank pieces of paper.

[printpapausa]

Today, everyone is posting pictures and videos online. So, one of the items you might want to include in your next event is a step-and-repeat backdrop.

[moreloke]

csm x skinner, flower shop au, accidental time loop??

you can find other fics under #csm x skinner

Walter is not a big fan of flora. He's also not a big fan of places that smell like grass.

He's awkward and out of place amongst the delicate plants in the apron and work gloves. He's too old to be a flower boy. He's helping a family friend.

...He's very much applied when hauling pots and vases around and counting the cash meticulously.

🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸

Walter looks up - a man steps in, water dripping from his coat, muddy shoe prints everywhere, and puts a cigarette in his mouth. He's just cleaned up after the last customer, the weather was dreadful alright, a bit too wet, but then his shop is not a bus stop.

"No." The man freezes comically, a lighter half way to his face, brows going up.

"No?" He repeats, unused to being denied.

Walter silently points at the no-smoking sign. (He dug it out of a stationery box in the back for no particular reason. He's glad he did.)

"This is a flower shop." Walter points out helpfully at the prolonged silence.

"So it is."

"People buy flowers here."

The man ponders this, as if unfamiliar with the concept. The man is someone Walter could have seen in the endless halls of Hoover building. He hopes not.

"So. Sell me flowers then."

🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸

Man in a suit comes in with a frown and a lit cigarette in his mouth. The man puts it out at his stern look.

"Something simple. For a funeral."

Walter got no idea what's appropriate for a funeral.

"Lilies ok?"

The man nods.

He doesn't ask about colours or arrangement, sensing it's not that type of customer, and ties a simple black ribbon carefully around the bouquet.

"These are not US dollars." Some foreign currency, german maybe?

"You could still take them." The suit man's voice is gruff, from years of lung damage, surely. He frowns at his own hand, then at him and Walter guesses he's not used to being refused. Well, tough luck.

"I couldn't." He says it firmly enough and stands straighter, so they're the same height.

At that the other changes his stance lightly, less of a stand off, more of a size up.

"I'll write a cheque."

Walter shrugs and accepts the paper. He studies it attentively, then, finding no apparent fault, slips it into the drawer.

"Your flowers."

The man grabs them carelessly, too carelessly, but that's not Walters problem anymore.

"Sorry." At the raised eyebrows he adds "for the occasion." He doesn't know why he said that.

The suit throws him a look and leaves without another word.

Walter sighs and turns back to work. He hopes the cheque isn't a fraud.

🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸

"Something for a hospital."

There's nothing well wishing about the man, harsh frown, deep lines, insincire eyes. But then it's not Walter's place to comment on that.

He plucks carnations out of their vases, some fern and lemon leaf, and rolls them into a simple paper bag. They wouldn't smell too strongly and would last arguably well on a bedside table. He doesn't explain any of it, presuming that the other wouldn't care.

This time it's proper american cash but he still makes a point of examining the hundred dollar bill.

"It's genuine, I assure you." He insists, as if offended at the forgery insinuation.

"Hmph," agrees Walter and hurries to count the change.

🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸🌷🛸

A man in a suit rushes in and demands two dozen roses.

"We're closed."

The man winces, yet comes closer to the counter. There's a cigarette in his hand, unlit.

"You're still here, aren't you?" Walter is busy trying to discern the note of threat in his tone when the vague smell of Morley breaks though the grassy wet fragrance of the shop.

His supervisor's office reeked of smoke that day.

"You're doing good work in the field, Agent Skinner. We would hate for your career to... stall due to unsubstantiated claims and lack of concrete evidence."

It was back there. Whatever horror he supposedly never saw. It was still back there.

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir, I understand."

Someone else got the promotion. The thing, whatever it was, still roamed at large. Unchecked. Free. Hungry.

The cigarette man is looking at him expectedly.

"So? My roses."

Well, fuck it.

"Sorry." He breathes out unapologetically and looks straight into the murky blue eyes. "But we're closed for the day."

The man sizes him up. Huffs in an obvious displeasure. Stares at the "no smoking" plaque and lights his damn cig on the way out.

What an asshole.

[pettyrevenge-base]

Quit my job at an upscale steakhouse…but not before making sure all the customers knew what a prick the owner was.

This happened back in 2009, but I shared it in a comment on another sub yesterday and figured it belonged here too.  

I was waiting tables at an upscale steakhouse, and the company culture was absolute garbage. The owner, “Gary,” was constantly throwing tantrums and screaming at everyone, and we all HATED him. He’d line us all up before every shift just to berate us and yell how lucky we were that he’d hired us, because we were all shit at our jobs and no one else would ever have us. Stuff like that. The only reason anyone ever stuck around was because the money was good due to the high ticket prices and solid customer base, as well as the fact that there weren’t many other employment options for fine dining service in the area. 

In addition to being a massive prick, Gary was also a cheap bastard. There was this 6-foot tall dessert cooler in the kitchen that had a broken door, and he put off fixing it for months because he didn’t want to spend the money, so it was just sort of hanging on its hinge and you had to be really careful opening it. Inevitably, during the height of a Saturday night rush, it fell completely off and hit one of the servers, hard.  

So she’s laying there on the kitchen floor, bleeding from a serious-looking wound on her head, and Gary is standing over her and SCREAMING down at her: “Way to go - just BRILLIANT. What the FUCK am I supposed to do now? It’s the middle of the rush, you’ve got a full section, and no one’s going to be able to pick up your goddamn tables because everyone who works here is useless and incompetent! You should have been more careful!”  

I’d seen a lot of his shit, but this was the hard line, and I made a decision right then that I was out. So when I got home that night, I typed up a letter to Gary, telling him exactly why I was quitting and leaving no detail out when it came to his tantrums, his verbal abuse, and the hazards in the workplace that he wouldn’t address. I printed out 30 copies, went in early for my opening shift the following day (midafternoon - the place was only open for dinner) and hid them all over the restaurant where guests would find them: in the menus, under the napkins on the tables, in between paper towels in the restrooms, etc. Some were in really obscure places, so that they wouldn’t be found right away and would keep popping up randomly - surprise! - allowing my legacy to live on. Then, instead of working my shift, I left before the pre-shift lineup.  

Fast forward to a couple days later, when a coworker reached out and shared with me the beautiful details of Gary’s head almost exploding with rage when he found out about the letters. A couple tables read them and walked out before ordering. People in the dining room could hear him screaming from the kitchen. Apparently they were still finding letters weeks later, and every time one surfaced, the vein in Gary’s forehead would pop out and he’d disappear into his office and slam the door. It remains one of my proudest moments, and my only regret is that I couldn’t be a fly on the wall, watching this all unfold. 

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

[gorogues]

Fictober 2023

Prompt number #7 Fanfiction Fandom: Flash Rogues Rating: T – Teen and up Warnings: Profanity, people being jerks to each other, violence.

Day Seven: “Do you recognise this?”

Len had been drinking and brooding by himself when Mick came storming into the clubhouse, looking like he could bite somebody’s head off.

“Do you recognize this?!” Mick demanded, brandishing an orange ball cap which read Mick’s Big Weenie Roast in custom-printed lettering.

Len calmly swigged his beer.  “Sure do.  That’s your lame grilling hat.”

“Then why do you suppose it was found in the jewellery store that was robbed last night?!”

“Beats me,” Len shrugged, but Mick knew him well enough to recognize a blatant lie.

“Don’t gimme that!  Somebody robbed the store and left my hat behind, and I’m pretty damn sure it was you!”

The beer bottle was placed carefully on the table so there’d be no spillage.  “So whaddya wanna do about it, tough guy?”

Mick socked him in the jaw, though he took it well and quickly jumped to his feet and returned the blow.  Mick staggered a bit, but soon he and Len were exchanging blows and grappling in earnest.  The table was broken (and the bottle with it), and the two men shattered a spindly lamp that Sam had always said was an accident waiting to happen.

“Fight, fight!” Digger cheered, having heard the commotion and come running, though Hartley and Sam were already trying to pull the combatants apart.

“Calm the hell down!  What is it this time?” Sam demanded of them both, and Mick tried to kick at Len from the corner he’d been dragged to.

“He wore my hat when he robbed a store!  He tried to frame me!” Mick shouted.

“So what?” Len retorted.  “You all heard what he said about my sister last week.”

Sam frowned, because he remembered the incident and its ensuing brawl.  “Yeah, that was shitty.  But at the same time, we can’t be stabbing each other in the back over this kind of stuff because nobody will be able to trust each other.  Anyone who betrays another Rogue is gonna get kicked out of the group.”

“So I should just let the insult slide?” Len snarled, and Sam shook his head.

“He should apologize.  They both should,” Hartley suggested.

“Yeah, that sounds fair,” Sam nodded.  “Both of you apologize for being an ass to the other, and then we’ll consider the matter settled…or else there’ll be harsher discipline in the future.”

“Sorry for swiping your hat and using it during the break-in.  It’s actually a pretty good cap even though it says something stupid.”

Digger chuckled to himself from across the room, as all the other Rogues agreed about the slogan on the hat.

“And I’m sorry for saying what I did about Lisa.  It was out of line, to be honest,” Mick said, and meant it.  He’d been feeling guilty about his comment for the past week, because he really did like her.

“It sure was.  But thanks,” Len muttered, and got up to fetch another beer from the fridge.  He tossed one to Mick as well, who smiled at him and opened the can, only to have it bubble over due to the shaking from the throw.

Len smiled slightly as he sat down and swigged from his new bottle and watched Mick clean up the mess.  Plausibly deniable revenge was one of the most satisfying types.

[trashquisitor-shirozora]

My ankle that I sprained so wretchedly years ago is trying to murderize me now after I spent 2.5 days walking all around parts of DTLA. Anyway, wandered around an L.A. Comic Con with @kuiilandtorch and took some pics (should've taken even more pictures but I'm horrible about taking pictures of people soooooo):

The Saturday Star Wars meetup. I'm a teeny tiny person with an older phone so this is the best I could do.

The very good bantha pupper was the most important.

The Hobbits came to LACC and had a Q&A in the South Hall in full view of everyone, so no need to park your ass in a seat in a room for hours like I did at SDCC years ago to get to the late evening Mythbusters panel.

A couple Sunday photos, including a fucking rad Bumblebee custome. How could I not snap a pic?

Imo the most popular new character to cosplay at this year's LACC was Hobie/Spider-Punk. There were a fuckton of amazing Spider-Punks roaming the floor and I regret taking no pics. RIP me.

On the personal front: Spent way too much money on merch, including on some Black Series figures since I decided to commit to start staging scenes from, uh, fics, and would rather throw reasonable amounts of cash at small sellers rather than Target/Walmart/Amazon. I've decided to assemble a Sweater Weather-style Din Djarin/Mando costume for next year so got to talking with a prop maker about helmet fans and am making plans upon plans.

We also ran into a dinluke fan in the wild! She was running a table with some very nice stickers and prints and we ended up visiting her all 3 days lol. She noticed my sample lanyard and I ended up giving her my Insta, which is how she found out. Got some nice feedback on making/selling merch, which is great.

You can find her here: Purple Top Hat

I love cons. I love being among my people. My brain is vibrating with thoughts and ideas and I can't wait to make something of them.

[markabnett]

PREPARING FOR YOUR BEST CON

Okay this is a big post but I need to do it.

Just back home in Scotland from Dublin ComicCon.

One thing this weekend left me with is to remember to get fit for your convention!

My body is like a slab of carbonite at the moment. Quite drained and very heavy footed.

So why is that?

I am unfit.

I mucked up and didn’t prepare my body for the con.

Leading up to the con at least 2 weeks before walk everyday each day increasing the time of your walk by 10 minutes minimum.

This will help you get your body ready for being on your feet for extended period of time.

Wait?

Don’t the cons provide chairs?

Yes most do.

But have you ever been to a con and noticed what artists and writers are doing when they are on their butts?

They are not focused on YOU a potential customer who wants to give them money so they can make more comics!

Well rule number one if you actually want to SELL your books.

Never, NEVER sit down!

Get a yoga mat. Roll that bad boy out and stand behind your table.

Rule number 2

Stay off your phone!

Take photos of your table and surrounding area before the con and set up social posts on schedules through out the day. This keeps you focused on your customers and not missing opportunities for sales.

This gives you a huge advantage and you can look people in the eye and make a connection. Mimic body language. Adjust your tone and pitch to the individual . Be positive and remember your book may not be for them but if you are polite with both your time and theirs they may come back with a friend later on or follow your future endeavours.

Ask them Open ended questions and funnel their answers till you have an answer you may have a solution to with a book on your table.

Have 3 different elevator pitches prepared to adjust to their needs in a book but NEVER lie to them about your book. That will come back and bite you in the arse.

Let them know why your book is worth their hard earned money. Compare it to other similar pop culture properties “ If you like this movie then you will like this book”

Other tips

At 2 day cons compliment cosplayers.

Day one they go large on their looks. Day 2 they usually try something else or come back shopping. They can be a pain and block isles on single day cons but manners and compliments go a long way.

Let them know who you are!

Don’t hand out business cards, hand out free prints with your social details / website on the bottom. People throw cards out. People also post prints up on walls. If you have a memorable print and your social details are there that will give the customer an instant connection between and art piece/ project/story and your name.

I have a sign on my table that says “Say Hi and get a FREE print!” This helps even those who are a wee bit socially awkward muster up the courage and engage in conversation.

Now this print is only 120gsm on gloss paper and coloured on one side. But it’s cheap as chips and I have thousands of them. They result in more social followers (which the value of is still extremely debatable) and importantly post con web-store sales!

WATER WATER WATER!

Ditch the coffee, red bull and sugary drinks.

Water and electrolytes are the way to go.

Treat your body like a finely tuned machine and do not get drunk the night before!

You are there to put your best foot forward and get your books into peoples hands.

Odour check.

A can of lynx/axe body spray (or alternative ) on hand is a must. Add mouth wash / mints and hand sanitiser to that list . Keep your self clean and healthy. Heck in a hit event centre a spare shirt does not go amiss either.

FUEL

Pre-packed lunch and snacks. Trail mix, sandwiches, Bananas and other fruit are massively important. Maybe a bit of chocolate to reward yourself should you feel low but not too much.

TABLE PRESENTATION.

You pull up banner should be broken down into thirds.

Top third- your name- your socials- then your titles.

Middle third. Amazing Splash page art or collage of action from your books that best represent you and your “brand”

Bottom third- a continuation of this or nothing at all. It’s behind a table no one should see it!!

On the table.

-Books open on the best pages of art/ splash pages or double page spreads are a bonus . This will invite people to pick them up and flick through more.

-Books at attention. Small collapsible cardboard standees to have your books upright.

Have them closest to you at the back and in front stack those books high and watch them fly.

More books stacked actually helps sales.

You mean business . You are professional . You’ve come prepared.

Don’t have an empty table.

Use a tablet to have a slide show of art from your books. Add animation elements if you can grab that passer-by’s eye.

Battery pack for devices and back up cables.

Already got a battery pack? Great! Now buy another for backup.

Pens/ sharpies. Make sure they work in your book for signatures and other notes. Seriously test them out first . You would be surprised what pens work and what don’t.

Price LIST!

Using the same branding as your banner header.

Type out your items you have for sale and either leave the price bit blank and use a whiteboard marker if you want to be flexible or make them fixed.

Laminate that bad boy. Helps to keep it firm on the cardboard stand.

Small price tags.

Again use your branding and have multiple price point ready that are the length of a A5 sheet but only 1-2 inches across. Laminate them then tuck them into the books you have in front of the table. These are reusable and with the laminate make them firm enough to hold attention.

Lozenges.

You will get a sore throat from talking too much if you follow the above!

I think that’s all at the moment.

But this stuff is some basic key principle stuff for Indy sellers.

Sure some cons you are there to hang with mates but if you are not

Presenting yourself well and giving yourself the opportunity to earn money to make more books then you are wasting that moment, your own time and your own money.

[catcheyes-t-shirt]

What is Upcycling? Is it the future of the Fashion Industry?

What is Upcycling in the Fashion Industry?

Upcycling is a process where we make some adjustment to the product which enhances the value of it. For example in t-shirt upcycling would be making some changes in the print of the t-shirt or adding some embroidery. In many industries upcycling has been adopted like furniture, electronics and automobiles. Companies have started adopting upcycling in the fashion industry.

Why Are Companies Gradually Adopting Upcycling?

There are 3 Things That Provoked Upcycling in the Fashion Industry. 

Excessive Waste: In the fashion industry both pre and post consumption waste is very much. In the cutting table 15% of the raw material gets wasted. While making cotton and polyester water, chemical and other energies are wasted very much. 

Make-Use-Throw: It is a new trend that has been followed by people nowadays. As per capital income is rising so people’s living standard is increasing due to which they buy more clothes and throw it away after using it for a few times. 

Pandemic: This was the last and most powerful wave that provoked upcycling. As many brands had manufactured their stock at the time of pandemic but as we all know it did not come out to be sold, that made many brands to simply modify their stock and sell it once the market got open. 

Will it Stagnant the Growth of Textile Companies?

The answer is a big no, the textile industry is growing at a CAGR of 8% year on year. So, the demand is there to cater by the brands. They can just shift a portion of their production to upcycling. Through upcycling also they would be able to earn profit. Brands will buy t-shirts in bulk, jeans in bulk and other garments. 

Who Can Make Upcycling Possible?

Upcycling is a new challenge and opportunity for the brands to show their creativity. Designers are the ones who can make upcycling possible. They can add value to abandoned or damaged cloth which would be appealing in front of the eyes of customers. For example they can simply purchase bulk printed t-shirts and make some changes in the print and resell it in the market.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

With the holidays rolling in, making some last minute gifts may be at the top of a few minds. There are many benefits to being a crafter. Here are a few idea I've found for those last minute gifts if you're considering making a quilt. The quilt tops are designed to take less than a week to make, but if you want to hire someone to do the machine quilting I recommend calling around. Many LOQs (long arm quilters) get booked fast at this time of year.

As always, remember you can change whatever you want about the quilts. Make them smaller, larger, more fabrics, fewer fabrics, whatever colors or prints you want, etc.

Finished quilt: 32-1⁄2 ×48-1⁄2" This is great for a large table runner, end-of-bed foot warmer, a long lap quilt, crib quilt, or baby quilt.

Finished quilt: 43-1⁄2" square Much like the previous, and the blocks are big. Big block quilts take less time to make.

Finished size: 42-1/2" square This one has even larger blocks, at 18 inches, and has just four of them with a border.

Finished quilt: 37x37" Remember, you can make it larger or smaller. This size is great for most wheelchair users. Those I have spoken with say 30x30" to 40x40" is the size they prefer.

Finished quilt: 23" square This is a very small quilt, more decorative than functional. Great for a wallhanging!

Finished quilt: 60-1⁄2 " square This is a larger quilt, but the 12 inch blocks make it a quilt project, especially with how large the pieces are cut. If you can set aside an entire weekend, this is something you could possibly finish in that time.

Finished quilt: 56-1⁄2 ×72-1⁄2" A significantly larger quilt, but it's very simple. Something that could be finished within a week for many. If you want to make it smaller, make fewer blocks.

Finished quilt: 75-1⁄2" square This has large 15" blocks, all of which are basically courthouse blocks. Courthouse blocks are in the log cabin family of quilt blocks, aka one of the most popular and easiest blocks to make. This is a quilt top that can be potentially be finished in less than a week.

Finished quilt: 26-1⁄2 ×38-1⁄2" The blocks are smaller, but with it being just snowball and shoo fly blocks, it's very simply. Snowball blocks are the among the first many quilters learn, and shoo fly is just squares with HSTs (half square triangles). Easily a weekend project.

Explore your options, but keep them realistic. I made the mistake of thinking I could make 12 placemats in less than a month one year. I was very wrong and many ended up being several months late. This year, everyone is getting coasters, pins/magnets, or mug rugs. I know I can finish all those in less than a week.

[firespirited]

Well, it's been a day. One of the ways my body lets me know i've overdone it (asides from pain and bp drops) is gastrointestinal distress which is actually quite smart at getting actually listened to as I'm forced to stay close to the toilet and not do anything physically strenuous that might provoke smth.

But hey Lily has perked up so much after her haircut over two days, she's back to her old mischief and recycling bin thievery. Worth it.

Readmore for ramblings

Up to episode 39 of Thundercats (plus the anointment trials of Lion-O) and I can't seem to find a skippable/key episodes list. Lots of discussion about production order and orders to avoid discrepancies but none that have, lets say, a sort of quality meter. I'm not sure how many times I can watch "old enemy finds new weapon"/"new enemy turns up out of nowhere" to attack the Thundercats. I'm interested in alliances, third earth lore, character episodes. There are only so many times you can watch Mumm-ra's extended magical girl transformation before it gets grating. This was absolutely not made for binge watching more than two at a time.

I'm thinking I might have to make one myself, there are recaps already but no table of new lore/character exploration vs basic filler (but may have a fun villain). I'm thinking of taking notes and if I can tolerate watching more Thundercats, sticking it on a neocities page.

I once printed a star trek TOS episode list and marked which ones had Kirk use seduction as a way to save his crew, in which ones he actually had romantic feelings and the ones without (at least if we deliberately pretend he's straight) . I regret not sticking that somewhere online before throwing it away. Kirk has few real romances and mostly uses his masculine wiles to save his crew. His romantic relationships are with smart independent women, his grand gestures are either for Spock, the ship herself or other core crew.

Today I did something I'd wanted to do for a while which is update the my crew 'mugshot' folder as there were dolls that have gone to new homes and a bunch I hadn't added yet. I snapped some quick photos but have about 7 more to do tomorrow.

The google spreadsheet is up to date but spread across 'my dolls: work in progress' -organized by work needed- and my crew' -organized by doll line-.

I also noticed i'd lost a bunch of ooak photos from the online galleries *and* the offline copy (the thumbnails were there but not the full size) and found them in the 2018 file backups. Not sure how that happens but grateful for file history.

Gunky bundle was cancelled by the seller. Oh well. Maybe that's for the best. It did have aqua fairytopia seapixie(?) - there are still a few I hope to get someday: jewellia with the blue translucent limbs, pale blue seapixie, ceo pink purple and blue fantasy skintone fairies with nice face alignment. Skipper face Kareena (blue) from starlight adventures. But I don't mind if the hunt takes another ten years.

Totally not in the mood to dig out the big box of 'barbie bundle' from under the bed and find a more photogenic approach.

The main problem is that usually I can sell at a big discount because I made money back on the bundle it came in so I zero the price cell. This new lot has quite a few dolls bought solo for my personal projects or were part of bundles with customs that haven't sold yet. It adds up.

My very real fear is that if I get out the box, I won't be able to resist keeping Pretty Girls, DCSHG, and a Snow white. OTL

It might have to wait until the SADS lifts to be more level headed and at peace with this hiatus for slow lower back rebuilding. I can't contemplate rerooting or other sewing/intense manual work for more than an hour at a time until the end of summer at this rate. It is what it is.

The little reorganisations and adding photos is sparking joy, not always in the moment but sometimes later, I'll see them and go oooh I have such treasures!

If you've slogged through this and read this far you deserve a treasure too, hope something that makes you feel happy when you see it or wear it comes your way this week. 💚💚💚