#details might be overkill but

[cozymochi]

ooooo silver with 6 for the ask meme if you like! <3

IT’S THIS ASK MEME (not accepting new ones)

6. Formal Gala Garb

comes back 2 months later!!! idk what this outfit is but isn’t it fun

[1980ssunflower]

💫STARCHILD💫

Slight design update ive been putting off for Ozzy Kozmic so that he represents current me a bit better. Would love to hear what you guys think of this update and if you prefer this design or the original

[obbystars]

I’m actually working so hard in making that post of my reworked tfp oc like I am neck deep into reading up on lore and rewriting and adding stuff

putting it all into one post HHRRRNRNHGHGB

[alllgator-blood]

I have ten billion WIP sketches I need to finish, but for some reason I stayed up from 9 PM to 4 AM conceptualizing, making patterns, sewing, painting and applying makeup on this stupid fucking felt squid......the detailing needs to be cleaned up cause there's only one coat of paint so far, but he's pretty much done

my neighbors probably think I'm insane because I was running around the yard clenching this toy kallamar in a death grip and flying him around like an airplane/putting him in the barbecue/poking him with a stick. I want to tie him to a string and recreate the opening of napoleon dynamite >:) ALSO I MADE HIM SMOKE OUT OF A STUPID CRYSTAL PIPE BUT PLEASE DON'T ACTUALLY USE THOSE, THEY ARE SUPER TOXIC LMAO MINE IS FOR DECORATION

I don't have any process pics because I had tunnel vision autism style and forgot the rest of the universe existed while I was working on him. BUT if you're curious I'll ramble below the cut

Okay I am not a seamstress by any means. I've sewn my entire life but very, very infrequently. I've done plushies, clothes, cosplays, fursuits, accessories, etc. but I only do one like once a year, so while I planned to make all 5 bishops, I'm not really sure I'll get them all done. The material cost was like 20 bucks tops so I'm not too upset if I don't finish them. I AT LEAST WANT TO GET SHAMURA OR HEKET DONE.

here is the concept sketch ft. heket's toes and shamura's fingers. I decided to do his pre-schism version so I could fit him with jewelry! I did him first because like I said I sew infrequently and don't know wtf I'm doing, everyone else seemed a lot more complicated.

So I basically just traced this drawing on a printer paper-sized canvas in SAI, and guesstimated how everything would look in a 3D space. His head is four pieces, one triangle identical to the one in the picture, two wide triangles that are sewn together in the back, and a circle for his chin. You can't really see it in any of the pics but he's literally like a black cylindrical stick with little tentacles sewn on where his mantle connects to his cloak. The leg tentacles are one piece of felt that look like tassels, where they're connected by a rectangle but branch off into individual pieces. He can't stand up very well, so his cape keeps him up (that's gonna be an issue for every other bishop too except heket cause she's gonna be ROUND). Mostly everything like the crown, cloak, head, etc. are cones so I just had to make a lot of wide triangles.

For the details, I just used acrylic paint that was watered down so he's not especially crunchy, and for the blush tone I used a makeup palette my mom bought me 10 years ago in hopes I'd get in touch with my "feminine side", but I grew up into a nonbinary butch lesbian so OOPS. Kallamar looks better with makeup than me anyway. I'm kinda sad I couldn't get his freckles as lopsided as I draw them but it probably looks better in plush form to have them even anyway....

I could just post the pattern so I don't have to explain this but 1. I am mentally ill about the thought of my kallamar being in someone else's house and 2. the original pattern had to be tweaked while I was working on him so the final pattern straight up doesn't exist, I winged it the whole time

OH and the jewelry is just scrap pieces I had laying around, I might repaint it all to be gold instead of silver + bronze. I used 20g aluminum wire for his armlet thing, jumper rings for his earrings + ring (+ a diamond dot from my mom's kits for the gem) and chain for the bracelet. I made him an amulet as well but it felt like overkill so I took it off. I'm probably gonna make him a plague doctor mask and medicine bag sometime because I think about nurse kallamar more than I probably should :') I've already sewn one as a prop for a toy raven before so it shouldn't be too hard

[strawberrydemonart]

“Be not afraid…”

I’m worried this is underwhelming since his outfit is so detailed but at the same time adding more might be overkill.

Kuras 🕊️ @redspringstudio

[kaelidascope]

I love your mm au so much literally if you made a series of one random one shots of just the bees and friends getting up to random shenanigans I would read it in a heartbeat

This is an old one but I might, actually. There were a lot of mini-scenes (and sex scenes) that got cut from the final product of MM due to story flow issues. There's this one scene I cut that I am turning into an art piece instead where they have a bath one morning and Blake sees Yang's stupid rubber ducky collection and asks if they can use them. Then they order pizza and have it while in the bath because what is life if you can't eat pizza while taking a bath (don't @ me about cleanliness ok let the girls live a little)

I really loved that scene, and I'm sad it didn't fit anywhere, but maybe some of y'all might actually wanna read it?

Other cut scenes include;

A very dirty sex scene after Lemon Custard that's full roleplay with the bees

Serena chases off new competition at the club (Neon Katt) by 'marking her territory' with Yang

The actual alley fight between Yang and the White Fang

Car sex LOL

Guy's Night 2.0 with Yang and Pyrrha but this time they have to track down Weiss and Blake WITH Ruby because they get lost after barhopping

Blake teaches Yang Bachata

Early Blake and Weiss before the events of MM when she was living with her for a while

More exploration of Blake dissociation issues

Flashback to Vernal teaching a teenage Yang how to shoot

A collection of mini-scenes that happen during the chapter called Eight that are meant to span over 8 months but don't fit the final product (small conversations, Blake and her parents, Weiss and Yang interactions, mundane stuff like that)

Where Emerald and Blake's long-standing rivalry comes from in literally everything

And a lot of bullshit small scene ideas that I've talked about in private with friends that were just misc details

Here's the sketch of that pizza bath scene as a treat

[beanswrites]

this might come off as weird but you know which fictional cartoon couple has like THE MOST sexual tension I've ever seen??

And I don't mean in the "omg kiss already!!" way. I mean in the "these guys can't get off eachother, you just KNOW" way.

Scarlet and Herb Overkill.

Yep, the most iconic villain duo of the 70's in the Minions universe.

I know these two are married and they like have every right to have as much sexual and romantic vibes between them as they want. BUT STILL

They are literally obsessed over one another. I'd say Herb is more obsessed over Scarlet, but that's also kinda wrong since you can see Scarlet melt over how hot and cute her husband is. Even though they are both villains, they have the sexiest, most romantic relationship like ever??? I think that's a great detail, since it shows that some villains are not these heartless monsters without capability to feel anything. Vilains, even though evil and selfish, are also capable of having loving relationships!!

Which is also one of my favorite fictional tropes.

I'm so sorry for the rant, but I'm babysitting some kids for my friends and as every cool babysitter, i'm watching the minions with them.

[coffeebeanwriting]

Writing Imagery

Here are some tips when it comes to writing immersive and beautiful imagery! We don’t want something too flowery, but we also don’t want something very stiff.

1) Reveal character through their surroundings and how they react to the world around them.

A young wizard walks into their dorm after a long day at the academy. Their living conditions can reveal a lot about them. Is their bed twice the size of their roommates and spotlessly made? Or are they sleeping on a cot in the corner? What’s on their nightstand? Bottles of stolen potions? Or an old photo of someone they really care about?

2) Use all the senses.

What does your character see, feel, smell, taste, or hear in your scene? I like to think of it as an imaginary checklist. Using all of the senses in a single scene might be overkill depending on its length, but it is definitely wise to mix and match a few of these together! 

Fire for example feels hot against the skin, can smell like burning wood and ash. We see red and wild flames. it crackles and snaps, roars and pops, whips and bellows. It can taste like the smoke and ash that you breathed in.

3) Use adverbs wisely as they can “tell” instead of “show”

In its most simplistic definition: adverbs modify a verb, typically by adding an “-ly” to an adjective. 

“The monster growled loudly.” If we want to make this imagery more descriptive and full of life, let’s drop the adverb and instead think about how to show something being loud.

“The monster unhinged its jaw and let out a growl that rattled the cabinet doors and tightened the knot in my stomach.”

4) Metaphors and similes

Metaphors and similes can be wonderful for showing how something relates to another thing. Depending on your wording, they can also make writing more flowery and poetic. 

“His eyes were an ocean full of mysterious blues, and I was lost at sea.”

5) Relatability 

Even if you’re writing about a place or scene that the reader has never experienced, relatability has to tie in somewhere. It creates believability and a connection to the character.

If you’re writing about a princess who is about to marry an evil king... most likely, none of the readers have been in this situation before! 

But we can create relatability through the way the princess thinks, reacts, and feels. We can relate to her fidgeting fingers, the way she curses her heels for hurting her feet, and the drop in her stomach before she must present herself to hundreds of people.

These details create detailed imagery and also relatability to the character, which in return gives us a connection to them. And that’s definitely important if they’re your protagonist!

Instagram: coffeebeanwriting

📖 ☕ Official Blog: www.byzoemay.com  

[allthefandomthings55]

Life in the Limelight

Chapter 3

Spencer’s POV

After my text conversation with Y/N, I got back to work. All I had to do was hope that we didn’t get a case in two days. I hopped off the elevator and walked to my desk and greeted everybody as I went. As I sat at my desk I started to do paperwork that had been piling up. 

“Hey Reid, my man,” Derek said slapping his hands on my shoulders. 

“Oh no, what do you want, Derek?”

“Nothing, I just think you should come out with me this weekend. Maybe Saturday?”

“I don’t know, Derek, I think I’m busy Saturday.”

“Ok Pretty Boy! What are you doing, hmm? Are you going to watch some obscure movie? Maybe reading a whole bunch of obscure books?”

“Yeah, actually I was thinking about going out and getting lunch after going for a walk in the park then going to an early movie then going home and reading some books.”

Derek, JJ, and Emily seemed surprised for me to have a detailed plan ready. “Ok Reid,” Emily starts, “Are you going with anyone?”

“No, I’m not. I’m actually kind of excited to go out by myself and enjoy life.”

Everyone was staring at me, trying to read my micro-expressions but I knew they couldn’t. “Everyone in the meeting room in five,” Hotch said as he walked passed us. After everyone left to go to the meeting room, I let out a deep breath. I hope this case doesn’t take us out of state and doesn’t take us long. I don’t want to miss my hangout/date with Y/N. I walk up to the meeting room to see everyone sitting there. 

I take my seat and Garcia starts the meeting, “Ok friends we have trouble in our backyard. First victim, Alyssa Caldwater, was last seen leaving her job at 10:30 last Tuesday night. She was found dead two days ago in an alley, and get this, completely naked. Then just yesterday an Amanda Clarke was found in another alley about two blocks from where Miss Alyssa was found. Also they were both strangled to death then stabbed 30 times postmortem.”

“So,” Emily started, “we’re clearly dealing with someone who has extreme aggression problems.”

“Yeah, they might also be impotent. Maybe that’s why he stabbed them,” JJ commented.

“You know, because of the overkill, we’re definitely dealing with someone who is really fit, or is on some kind of stimulant drug that would give them the strength and energy to do something like this,” I said. 

“Well, it seems like this guy is speeding up. One girl dumped two days ago and another one dumped yesterday.” Rossi added.

Hotch spoke up, “Either way we better get down to the D.C. field office and help them figure this out. Everyone at the cars in 10 minutes.”

I got worried because I don’t know if we’ll be done in time for my brunch with Y/N so I decided to call her. 

“Hello?”

“Hey Y/N, how are you?”

“I’m good, Spencer, I’m just leaving rehearsal. What about you?”

“Uh, I’m ok. Look I hate to do this, but my team and I just got a case and I don’t know if it will be done by Saturday. Luckily it’s here, well in D.C., but close enough, right?”

“Oh,” she sounded disappointed, “well that’s ok. I mean you can’t just let people die, right? How about this, we’ll play it by ear. What I do for work is really flexible so I can meet you really anytime I want. Within reason though.” She chuckled after that sentence and I liked the sound of it. I honestly didn’t even know what to say. “Spencer? Did I say something wrong?”

“No! I mean no you didn’t. I just haven’t always had people in my life that understood my situation.”

“Oh believe me I get your situation. Don’t be nervous but I really need to tell you something when we do get to meet. It’s nothing bad, but I think it’s important that you know.”

“Ok, yeah no worries right? But I have to get going to solve this and hopefully I can make our time and date.”

“Yeah you go catch a killer, Spencer. Good luck.”

“Thank you. Bye,” and I hung up the phone. I made my way downstairs and before I got off the elevator I took a deep breath and made my face neutral so the team couldn’t read me. 

As I walk out of the elevator I see the team waiting for me. “Petty Boy! What took you so long?”

“Uh, I just had to make a phone call.”

“Really? To whom?” I decided to ignore him and just follow everyone else and get into the SUV.

[portsandstars]

Vere cosplay description/tutorial continued part two (belt edition).

If you made it this far, GREAT!!! You're doing fantastic.

My interpretation of his waist/below

I chose to make the belt into a skirt, rather than the whole thing as a dress. This seemed a lot easier to me than trying to combine things further, and honestly I'd definitely recommend this. I made the belt pattern by covering my torso in Saran wrap, tape (masking or duct tape) drawing the belt shape on my torso, and then cutting it out. Note that your front and back of your torso may differ in shape, so I'd reccomend drawing where your belly button is.

I then cleaned up the lines and made it into a pattern piece. Make sure it's symmetrical.. and ADD SEAM ALLOWANCE! If you're not impatient AF then I'd reccomend tracing your tape pattern onto paper so it's actually flat.

It's important for this belt to be SO STRONG because it's going to be under a LOT of strain during the day due to how it's tight and where it is on the body. Maybe it's overkill but I cut out a front and back piece(so my pattern x2), interlining, and added cotton underlining for strength to both the front and the back pieces.

Steps

1. make ur pattern with Saran wrap and tape

2. Clean up your pattern

3. Iron all your fabric and cut out your pattern (2 x of pattern, 2x of underlining cotton, 1x of interlining)

4. Staystitch and zigag fabric (except not the pleather bc we don't care Abt it as it doesn't fray)

5. Attach your interfacing to the cotton (front side cotton) and then baste the cotton to the pleather (front and back). So now you have 2 pieces of the belt, inside and outside piece.

6. Make the pattern for the strips of leather on the front. You should trace your belt pattern and then draw on the strips onto this tracing. They can't be straight lines bc this belt is a C shape tbh, and so they are almost like mini belt patterns. Don't forget seam allowance for their hems!

7. Sew these straps to the outside piece. If you have an idea for the metalic front belt details it would be great to attach them here in this step but I didn't bc I didn't have a good idea (might get them 3d printed though).

8. Freestyle some pockets bc ur gonna rly want some on the inside. I made one the size of my phone as well as credit cards.

9. Sew the pockets to the inside of the belt piece.

10. Put right sides together and sew the top seam of the belt together (seam by your belly button). Belt is like )( now. clip this inner seam.

11. One option you have is to now hem the bottom of the outside and the inside. In this case, you would put the pleated hanging fabric between these two layers and then topstitch it down. This isn't what I did but it'd look better imo than having it hand stitched to the inside. If you don't want to finish it this way, keep the right sides facing each other , sew the bottom hem, and then turn inside out. This will not be possible if you've added stiff belt details btw.

12. Figure out your pleating. I did this by pinning my fabric to my waist while was wearing shorts and seeing what density of pleats looked like and how it compared to what I wanted. It'll depend on how translucent your mesh/tulle is. You can do a small section, and then extrapolate. For me, I did a test of 17.5 cm of freehand pleating which I discovered was 98 cm of fabric (unpleated). As I needed the top pleated edge to be 44.5 cm long, that was-250 cm of fabric for EACH SIDE. These side skirt things are REALLY awkward bc you need all this pleating at the top to get the look but at the bottom, it's supposed to be little wider than a foot or so. Below I demonstrated my end shape with paper. You start with the wide top for the pleating, and the bottom the ending width you want it to be. Then, place weights at the corners and bring up the edges. Cut off the excess. Pleat the top edge as you would normally ignoring the odd shape and it should work out. The proportions in the bottom image is NOT ACCURATE Bc the top edge should be 250 cm and the bottom edge like.. 40 cm.

13. personally I just sewed the pleats to some small strips to keep everything together and then handsewed them to the inside of the belt (with my arm insidethe belt, like a pillowcase). But like I said, you could easily add them into the seam of the belt for a neater look.

14. Add your black gauze in here. Tbh it doesn't need a weird shape it can just be a rectangle that you pleat

15. I placed an unpleated mesh pannel behind the pleating and sewed small tacks throughout so the fabric stayed pulled back to the side. It felt too skirt like (?) Without this and more puffy, too. You don't have to do this but it was my solution and was pretty unobtrusive.

16. Hand fix your chains in. The cotton is also important for supporting these bc they're heavy af. I used chandelier chains, and I'd reccomend getting some where the links are NOT welded shut or it will be difficult to adjust the length of the chains without heavier duty metal working equipment.

17. Add in some structure! If the belt is an open pillowcase, this goes where the pillow would. I used a stiff plastic folders (below) cut into shape (smaller than the pattern by a bit so it doesn't mess with seam allowances). This gives your belt SO MUCH HEFT and is great!! You could also use foam too! Highly reccomend!

18. Add a closure. Personally I used a zipper, but a corset back would work great too especially if you fluctuate size. We don't see his back yet so you can do what you want lol.

19. Personally I added some wire to the bottom hem of the tulle to help it be straight and hang better with the weight but I didn't really like how this turned out.

Just for posterity, here's the pattern I made for the legbands. They're prettttty close but not SUPER close. I'd recommend covering your leg in ductape and having yourself or someone else try to draw the shapes in a mirror. It's wack AF though so I thought seeing what mine looks like laid flat might help you.

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

Calum flying you out to one of the Europe shows bc he knew you always wanted to visit that country

Hi Blanca! Thanks for the request. We're going with Spain because I'm a nerd and they have the longest break after that show with the 5 seconds of Summer show.

Gender Neutral Reader Insert. Fluff--so much of it.

____________

Requests are now closed. Finishing up the last one from yesterday

Feel free to look through my masterlist for more.

_______________

Calum knows it’s ridiculous, but he does it because you like it this way--a hard copy backup of the flight information in addition to the app on your phone. He could call it overkill, but he’s not going to do that. Because it makes traveling easier for you. So he digs out the stapler from your desk and staples the pages together. 

Calum listens, catching the crackle of your phone from the kitchen. It cuts over the hum of the stove vent. “No, my toes are not food,” you laugh. No doubt it’s Duke at your feet as you cook. You’ve insisted on this break during the tour to spoil Calum. He’s just glad that his outfits are by no means tight fitting so he can enjoy every single thing with which you spoil him. 

Calum shuffles up from the offices to the kitchen. He keeps the itinerary at his side. He knows you may be a little annoyed at first. But he had the number to your boss’s line for a reason. And though this might not be for the reasons that he had it--mostly in case you got sick or godforbid injured--Calum’s sure that once you find out the location of the destination any annoyance you have will disappear.

“Smells good up here,” Calum comments, peering into the kitchen. 

You smile up at him. “It’s your favorite. And I could be a smidge quicker but Duke’s annoyed he’s not being fed right now.”

Calum laughs, knowing the old man is pretty fond of his schedule. Calum’s arrival was a small interruption and Duke will not let himself be ignored. “I’ll get it for him. But in the meantime, you should probably get packing.” Calum’s careful to put the flight itinerary on the fridge out of the way of the hot stove or the mess on the counter that he’s sure is tomato juice from your previous chopping.

“Packing? Why would I be packing?” you ask, giving the pot a good stir. A few more bubbles are popping up and you know soon you’ll need to turn the heat down. 

You spin to catch the paper Calum’s tacked up. The cabinets with Duke’s food squeak open. You’ve put all that you can think of on the hinges and nothing gets rid of the noise entirely. You read over the details--noticing you’re flying on what will be the date of the Lisbon show but going into Madrid instead--directly. 

“Cal, what the absolute hell is this? What am I reading?” you ask, a little concerned that you hadn’t seen this coming. Though, maybe you should’ve. Your boss normally had a standing 1:1 with you on Tuesdays but the one for next week had seemingly disappeared. Your plan was to ask about that on Monday, but this seemed to be the reason why the date was no longer showing up on your calendar.  

Calum presses a kiss on your cheek, arms winding around your waist. “A trip to Spain. Because you said you’ve always wanted to go.”

“Looks like a trip to Milan too? Just flouncing me around everywhere?” You laugh, turning back to look at him as best as you can. You can’t get more than a glimpse but Calum’s laughter is soft over your cheek. 

“I like to spoil you too. Besides, you haven’t taken a vacation outside the one we took what? Two years ago. I know you don’t like to take time off unless necessary, but I think you’d benefit from just a few days ago, baby. You know what they say about all work and no play.”

You snort, tapping at Calum’s stomach with your elbow. He releases you and you spin towards the stove to turn the burner down. “I’m just so used to sort of holding things down while you’re gone, you know? You’re gone for big chunks when you do leave that I just don’t think about myself? Not in a bad way. I don’t blame you. I just do what’s gotta be done.”

“I understand that. Just want you to have some time to enjoy yourself. Get out there, explore the world with me because I know you want to do that too.”

You do want that too. You want to not feel chained to your work and responsibilities, but letting go is hard sometimes. Maybe a surprise trip wouldn’t be all that bad. “Have you planned who’s taking Duke?”

Calum nods. “Yes, they’re free and able to watch him. Plants will be watered too. Got someone who will check the house too.” This is how your brain works. You need a plan, clear and concise of what’s happening. Calum can give you that, so he takes your hips in his hands to get your attention back to him. When you look up at him, he kisses your forehead before continuing, “Car’s will get you from here and one will pick you up at the airport. You’ll be getting to the hotel before us as we’ll be getting in late that night and you’re landing about late afternoon, but the hotel knows we’re in the same room. Duke’s getting picked up the day before. I’ve already emailed over the instructions though it’s not really necessary. Spare key’s already in the box and they have the code should they need to get inside for anything.”

A plan. A good one. You nod. “And what am I supposed to do for the few hours that you’re off in another country playing a show? Hmm? Mister-I’ve-Got-All-This-Planned.”

Calum laughs. “Plan what we’ll do with my days off. Explore. Send me pictures of all the shops you’re doing to drag me.”

Your gaze narrows, a playful smirk lifting your lips. “Goddamn you know me so well.” Stretching upwards, you capture his lips in a kiss. His cheeks squish a little in your grasps. “Thank you for planning this, baby. I appreciate it.”

“With honor,” Calum mumbles. “Your boss was very shocked to get a message from me though and I had to swear like fifteen times you weren’t sick or dead.”

You laugh. “Sounds like Tom. I think he gets freaked out even more so when I take time because it’s usually always super serious. Like the time we had to spend the night in the hospital thanks to my food allergies.”

“Yeah, no, we’re never eating at the restaurant again and I need you to not bring up the night I’ve ever seen you in such rough shape. You looked like a balloon. I was so scared.”

It was not a glorious night. You’d noticed an itchy throat after you ate dinner, but hadn’t thought anything of it as the spring blossoms had also been giving you issues lately. But when you woke up, hot and itchy, you felt something was wrong. You couldn’t halfway swallow and the bathroom lights revealed the hives across your chest and arms. You knew immediately that it was an allergic reaction and woke Calum. His panic was immediate but he calmed down enough to administer your epipen considering you hadn’t been able to do it yourself. 

The drive to the hospital was tense as Calum sped through a couple red lights. But you spent only a few minutes before you got checked in. An hour and a half of steroids and antihistamines rectified the situation but Calum was putting in the submission for the day off and emailing your boss on your behalf the second you got back to the house.

You pat Calum’s chest, before turning back to the dinner you’re preparing. “I know, baby. You didn’t like it and neither did I. I’m a-okay now though.”

“I got your epipen refilled too by the way. Please bring the new one for me?”

“Scouts honor,” you return. “Wouldn’t dream of leaving that thing behind.”

 “Good, good. But this weekend, you’re packing. Because you’re going on a trip. No ifs, no ands, no buts.”

“I’ll pack, no ifs, no ands, no buts,” you laugh, pulling the garlic knots from the oven. They’re a perfect shade of brown and you know they’re done. Calum brings the mats closer so you can set the hot tray down. 

“Oh, these look fucking amazing,” Calum gravels at the sight. “I’m so goddamn lucky to be loved by you.”

“Damn straight you are,” you laugh. 

*********

Your suitcase rolls next to you, catching just a little at the bumpy texture of the sidewalk. The black truck is paused right outside the house and the driver jogs to catch up to you. You only have a carry-on suitcase and a backpack. Though you don’t travel often, you’ve helped Calum pack more than enough times to know the best ways to get tuck, roll, stuff and flatten all your needs into the smallest bag possible. It’s annoying to wait for checked baggage at times and for the few days you’ll be gone, you don’t feel the need to carry too much. 

“I can take that for you,” the driver greets, reaching out for the handle of the carry on. 

“Oh, uh, sure,” you laugh. It’s not heavy at all, but you don’t want to interrupt the kindness. With your case loaded in, you slip into the backseat and the drive passes in light conversation. The sun’s just barely peeking out from the horizon and you’re grateful that it seems to be an easy trip into the airport. 

At your gate, with your shoes still untied, you snap a picture to send to Calum. You anticipate that it’ll go unanswered for a while. But to your surprise, a couple minutes later after you tie up your laces, your phone shakes. Please don’t…trip ;D. See you soon! You hate that you snicker so much at the text. Another text comes in a minute later, Love you too, baby. Can’t wait to explore with you.

Your reply is swift, Love you too. Already plotting something! 

I expect nothing less. 

The flight is uneventful, but a little long. You’re glad for boring though, allowing you to grab a few extra hours of sleep that had been interrupted by the early morning flight. Spotting the car for you is easy--there’s a sign and flowers. Only Calum would ever do such a thing. But you sheepishly close the gap and introduce yourself as the person on the sign. 

The driver smiles, an accent painting their words, but they seem cheerful. “Welcome to Spain! I’ve heard it’s your first time.”

You nod. “If you have any suggestions on things to do, please do tell.”

“Oh, you’re very much in luck; born and raised here.” The drive to the hotel is filled with suggestions and places to check out. They’re suggesting both tourists' needs and spots that only locals are familiar with. Your notes app is littered with names, some misspelled, but you’re beyond grateful to have their perspectives. 

At the front of the hotel, you thank the driver yet again, profusely for the list. “Oh, you’re beyond welcome. Enjoy your trip!”

With your backpack, luggage and the flowers, you juggle your way into the lobby. At the front desk, you’re greeted with a bright smile and you manage to get your keys with ease. The room is cool as you’re already anticipating. The day of travel is catching up and you’re getting hungry. You look to see what’s close around you and decide to set out on foot. It’ll be a nice way to waste a little bit of time. Maybe you can scope out what’s close by to do as well. 

You find a little cafe close by--one actually being one that’s on your list from your driver. It looks cute and quaint with a patio for you to eat on. As you settle down, you snap a picture of your items. Safe and eating some food. Thanks for the flowers <3. 

Throughout the day, as you stumble across various shops and things, you snap a picture and send it to Calum. Your list of things to do with Calum narrows down a little as you realize some things are just for you really. You’ll share what you can with Calum, but you know that he’s going to want to take a much chill approach to the day than you. You’ll do a bit more with the time you do have so that way the time you have with Calum can be about enjoying each other’s company. 

As you wander, a park opens up in front of you. You’re thankful as you settle in a little deeper that you have a strong sense of direction. Perhaps, you’ll just take a minute to sit here, watch some people. It happens to be a beautiful day and you’re grateful for the good weather as you settle down near a fountain to take in the sight unfolding around you.  Most people are just passing through it seems. But you spot some sitting, chatting animatedly. 

God, I’m so jealous. Can we visit again together? Looks beautiful, Calum responds to one of the pictures from the park. 

You’d expect him to be performing at the very least by now, but you’re not entirely sure of the time difference. You’ve snuggle into the sheets, with the TV on in front of you. Definitely we can, you reply. 

As the night continues on, you can hear the streets coming alive. You’re not shocked as you’ve heard the night life goes long and hard in Spain. You’d want to join, but you have the second key to the room and you need to be here when Calum arrives. Also, the long flight today has gotten to you so you’re not sure if you’d have the energy to continue on anyway. But the TV and the laughter below start to blur together as your eyes drop and drop. 

A knock rings out through the room and you snap awake. It takes a moment to unravel yourself from the sheets, but once you do, you scurry over to the door. Through the little peephole you catch Calum’s buzzed head and swing the door open.  “Hi baby,” he smiles.

“Cal, hi,” you return, throwing yourself up into his arms. The hug is warm and tight--a feeling that follows you as you fall asleep that night wrapped in Calum’s embrace. 

The morning is a little slow--a lot of gentle kisses and soft tufts of laughter, but you finally unravel yourselves from the bed to do some light exploring before the car collects the entire group to head to the venue. In the excursions, you try to point out where you went yesterday and where you want to go tomorrow after the show. Calum’s input is relatively minimal and though you make sure he’s not being left out, he just shrugs, “Whatever you want babe.”

“You say that now, but just you wait,” you laugh after a sip of your coffee. “I don’t want a peep come tomorrow then,” you laugh. 

“Scouts honor,” Calum returns. “But, there’s something happening in the evening that the guys want to do.”

“What time?”

“Around 7 or so, I think. Think we’ll make it?”

You nod. “Absolutely, we can.”

Calum grins around his bite of fruit. “Sweet.”

The show goes off without a hitch--the whole day between soundcheck and getting ready for the show also passed with ease too. You’re excited that a few older songs make their way into the setlist, but don’t really take much of your sight off Calum. He bounces around the stage, a smile that hardly leaves his face. The sight makes your chest warm--knowing that he’s enjoying himself. It’s a feeling that you find yourself in often--a sense of calm knowing Calum’s happy with his life, knowing that you’re happy with it too. But you don’t take these moments of clarity for granted, when you get to see just how blessed your life is, you like to do your best to hold them to your chest, pressed into your ribs. 

“I like seeing you happy,” you whisper to Calum that night, straddled over his waist. Your fingers trace the ink decorating his chest. 

“I like seeing you happy too,” he whispers in return. His hands squeeze just a little at your thighs, as if to reassure you of the sentiment. 

That’s all the moment needs, content now to just trace shapes onto his body. Calum seems content too, eyes slotting close at your touch. You imagine all the adrenaline is leaving now. The effort of the shows catching back up with him. Before you can even think about it, the words are falling over your lips in a prayer, “i carry your heart with me(i carry it in/ my heart) i’m never without it(anywhere/ i go you go, my dear).”

In your mind’s eyes, you can see Calum’s handwriting in the margins of the page, an arrow detailed to the lines that are bracketed, us--you’ve seen the world even if you didn’t know it. i’ve never left home, even if i don’t know it. 

You can feel the gaze behind you, as you peer up at the sculpture in front of you. You know it’s Calum behind the cap. The glasses he’s dawned make his face look softer but somehow the lenses seem to magnify his eyes. You can see the blinks, watch his eyes widen when you catch him staring. 

“You’re supposed to be paying attention to the art,” you whisper. 

“I am,” he shrugs. “It’s an added benefit that I can touch the art I’m looking at.” Calum wiggles his eyebrows at you. 

“It’s still going to cost you and I’m not cheap,” you retort. 

“I think I’ll be able to afford the cost.”

“Just don’t misbehave in the cathedral. I do not need the saints to come alive and smite you.”

Calum laughs, taking your hand. “What a way to go am I right?”

“No, sir, you’re very much wrong,” you huff, following him into the next room. Your lunch is spent settled into a park--not the one you showed to Calum in the pictures, but thankfully there’s another good one close to where you two are. 

Under the clear skies, you and Calum work over your servings of patatas bravas. Though it did take a little translation via your phones to make sure none of the items were one you were allergic too. Your pen’s in Calum’s coat pocket, but it’s not a risk the two of you want to take. As you chase some of the sauce so it doesn’t land on your pants, you are tentative in trying to decide if you like it or not. Though with a couple more bites, you decide that it’s a dish you very much enjoy. Though with the basics, you think it would be hard to not love fried potatoes. 

Just as the sky gets a little more pinkish in hue, you and Calum find yourselves in a ride. You rest your head on Calum’s shoulder. “The guys are meeting us there right?” you ask knowing that Calum’s the one coordinating with them. 

“Yep, I think they might be there already. They were just a little closer than us.”

Your hum’s the last sound of the room before you pass thanks to the driver. As you step out you notice something floating up into the sky--yellow and red. “Is-is that a hot air balloon?” you question. 

“M-maybe,” Calum returns. “I was really hoping you wouldn’t notice that.”

“Are you taking me in a fucking hot air balloon?” you gape. It’s not fear though your heart rate does spike at the thought of being so high up in just a basket. 

“Maybe,” Calum answers again. “It’s a yes if you’re not mad.”

You laugh, taking Calum’s hand. “No, not mad. A little nervous, but do you know how cool I’ll be when I go back to work and say I’ve been in a fucking hot air balloon?”

“So cool,” Calum laughs. 

It’s scary at first, as the guide walks through the safety procedures. It’s the entire band plus you in one basket, but you’re all spread out so the weight is a bit more even. Michael let’s out a little shriek it lifts off the ground. “Holy shit,” he laughs. 

Ashton pats his back, but it’s much easier to not look directly down. If you keep your gaze and eyeline straight ahead it’s a little less scary. You don’t feel like you might plummet. Your hand is tight around Calum’s but he doesn’t complain once about the grip. His thumb soothes over the skin on the back of your hand. “Just breathe for me, baby,” he encourages. 

“If our tour manager finds out about this,” Luke laughs from the otherside of the balloon. You know there’s concerns about their safety at the forefront and also worry about the tour. But you can’t help but laugh that Luke’s first concern is about getting caught. 

“Don’t spill the beans then,” you return. 

“Touché,” Luke laughs. 

When your nerves settle, thanks to the steady climb with no issues, you can actually pick out parts of the landscape--the mountains, the city below you. It’s a gorgeous sight and your own awe bubbles up your chest in a round of laughter. “This is so insane,” you whisper to Calum. 

The corner of his eyes crinkle with his smile. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”

“Thanks for bringing me along.” 

“Wouldn’t want to share this with anyone else,” Calum returns, pressing a kiss to your cheek. 

As you watch the expanse beneath you, the horizon that is endless, the trees that look like you could pluck them if you reached out, you’re amazed at how big the world is and how small you are in it. Yet, you don’t feel meaningless in all of the vastness. You’re still a piece of the puzzle--small, but not insignificant. You’ve got a place even if it’s just being a good human in all the madness of the world.  Even if it’s just to love and have been loved in the grand scheme of everything. 

“Look,” Calum offers softly, noticing what appears to be deer clustered together. It’s a little hard to tell from the height, but Calum would hazard that to be the animal. 

You laugh when you spot the cluster. “They look so tiny.”

“Yeah, a little bit they do.” Calum watches your pre-occupation, gaze floating around at the earth beneath you. With the tiny distraction, he reaches into his pocket and digs out the little box. His hands tremble just a little. But when you bring hand to your lips, he knows it’s you attempting to bring comfort. 

“Can-can you hold this for me?” Calum ask, holding out the box. 

“Yeah,” you start to answer without really thinking. But when you feel the shape and the soft texture, you look down at what it’s in your hands. This is not what you think it is. It’s not. It can’t be. 

��Holy fuck,” you hear from your side and look to spot Michael with his eyes wide. 

Calum clears his throat. “I know there’s probably a much smoother way to go about it. But I wanted to say that the time I’ve spent with you has been the most amazing. I could never conjure up someone better to spend the rest of my life with.”

Your can’t quite make Calum out with the blur of your tears until you blink and they clear. “Fuck,” you sigh out. 

Calum laughs. “Will you do the honor of letting me carry your heart with mine for the rest of our lives?” 

Time freezes, Calum swears. He waits, and waits, and the seconds feel like hours. He doesn’t think you’re going to say no. You’ve talked about getting married, knowing it’s a thing you both want. You’d even told Calum you wanted something small and intimate, but know that if Calum’s asking it would be okay to find a way to have the guys there as moral support. The conversations about marriage weren’t immediate, but they weren’t about a far off future. It was a tangible goal--though the two of you had mentioned that waiting for a quiet moment with the band would probably be for the best. So, no, Calum’s not scared you’re going to say no. He never anticipated that he’d ever shock you. 

“Scouts’ honor you’re not bullshitting me?” you ask, a small lump raising in your throat. 

“Scouts’ honor I’m not bullshitting you.”

“I’m nonrefundable,” you laugh and capture his lips in a kiss. Calum laughs into the kiss, but knows it’s a yes. When you break away, Calum slips the ring--a gold band with what looks like a rope pattern etched into the metal--onto your ring finger. 

You watch the sun catch the jewelry too--a glint passing over your eye and feel a squeeze in your chest, pressing at your ribs. You reach up and kiss Calum again as the guys erupt into cheers. Even the person conducting the hot air balloon cheers as well. 

When the balloon touches down again, the guys rush you and Calum in a group hug, laughing. “I swear he wasn’t going to do it. I thought he was going to wait for dinner later,” Ashton giggles. “Swear I was going to have to kick him in the ass to do it.”

You laugh, but when you look over to Calum you can see the sort of toll that asking too. You wind your arm around his waist. “Worried?”

“I was so scared I’d drop the ring from the balloon,” Calum admits with a laugh. 

“Oh, that would’ve been awful, but I would’ve still said yes.”

“Oh, you didn’t even say yes,” Calum howls. “You said, ‘I’m nonrefundable.’”

“Basically the same thing,” you laugh. “I mean at least from me, it is. But you didn’t drop the ring. It’s a win-win.”

“Imagine when you go back to work and you tell them about the hot air balloon and a proposal. You’ll be the coolest one in the office for at least three months.”

“Six months,” Michael tosses in.

You nod at the correction. “That part. Thank you, Calum. Couldn’t have asked for a better trip to Spain with my now future husband.”

Calum giggles. “Husband has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

“Oh, absolutely it does.”

[quill-of-thoth]

Letters from Watson, the Engineer's Thumb

Crimes in Context: Counterfeiting, circa 1889

What coins were the Stark-Becher gang trying to make, anyway? And did they actually need a person squishing hydraulic press to do it?

Most of the cash in circulation in Victorian England would have been coins, so it's time to refresh our memories on what they all are, since I last addressed currency smaller than a pound in The Man with the Twisted Lip. We will be restricting ourselves to denominations that the Stark-Becher gang may have been minting, based on the comment that the hydraulic press was necessary to make coins that were previously minted in silver.

Imperial Currency Definitions

Pound/Quid/Sovereign: Not applicable, the Sovereign coin is gold, but it's the base unit of the currency we're dealing with. It also would have been hard to pass as genuine just because it's a large denomination - the era's equivalent of a hundred dollar bill. Indeed, our Bank of England inflation calculator returns a modern value of £107.

Crown: Five shillings / a quarter pound. Represented by a silver coin. Probably the largest coin you'd make change for without being annoyed by it.

Shilling: 1/20th of a pound. A silver coin. Crowns and Shillings are our most likely candidates, as they're in common use in 1889 and is the kind of cash an average man might have on hand. I personally think shillings are the most likely coin to counterfeit, as a lot of accounting of people's wages, expenses, etc. in this time period is written as pounds / shillings / pennies (L/s/d) and silver pennies (And their horrible spawn of sixpence, twopence, etc) are probably not worth the effort. Also, while there were silver pennies in circulation, the fact that things like silver twopence were minted for maundy money makes the timeline and consistency of their minting beyond my pay grade as a blogger. And probably confusing for a coiner to get exactly right, given the payoff. Hydraulic press:

Modern (paper*) money is printed with several aspects that make it harder to reproduce: the exact fiber content of the paper, the multi layered and detailed design (with parts that can only be seen under UV light, parts that can only be seen with a magnifying glass, etc.), the embossed parts of the print design, and the exact chemical components of the ink can be analyzed to see if a note is authentic. The ink in US dollars also contains a smattering of heavy metals that aren't great for human health, so I don't recommend consuming money in any way - don't lick it, don't snort things off it, don't put it in your blender for a science fair project. It would be chemically somewhat dangerous to counterfeit modern currency at home, assuming you got anywhere close to the right ink.

*Some countries use polymer, but same difference. It will kill your blender, though.

The Victorians did... none of that, really. The idea of designing money to be harder to fake was already around, but metal coins can only be produced to a certain degree of precision with the tools that were available in the 1800's: you essentially heat a disk of the correct metal (a blank) and press it with a stamp. The hydraulic press would, of course, squash blanks between two plates of stamps precisely, and with great force.

Both silver and gold have relatively low melting points (under 2,000 degrees F / close to 1,000 C) and are malleable at lower temperatures than the iron or steel of a hydraulic press. Silver amalgam (a silver/mercury alloy) has an even lower melting point, so it would be even easier to fit to a mold.

Essentially, anybody who knew much about molding metal and could get a precise-ish model of the coin in question would make pretty convincing money. A hydraulic press large enough to fit three grown men between the plates of may have been overkill.

[writeforfandoms]

Warrior Song 3

Find the series masterlist

We're slowly working our way towards a plot and more interaction, I promise. This is all building up to the fun stuff.

Warnings: Swearing, a bit of manhandling. More swearing.

You didn’t see Fernando and the Chief again for a couple weeks after that, as Chief resumed his one man mission to rid the ring of Banished. At least, that’s what you assumed his mission was, based on the tales told by the soldiers. 

Really, all you cared about was that there were fewer attacks, and fewer injuries, and healthier, happier people. 

Still no UNSC rescue mission, but. One thing at a time, you supposed.

Beck stopped by one morning to inform you, rather stiffly, that one of the other bases was sending wounded your way, as they were out of supplies. You didn’t ask for more details, and he didn’t offer. You just nodded and got both exam rooms ready for whatever might end up coming through the doors.

But you still didn’t expect three Spartans to walk in. 

You didn’t falter. You merely looked them over, assessing, before addressing them. “Who’s injured?”

“We’ve been assigned to help you relocate.” The voice sounded like a woman, and she dipped her helmet just a little to you. 

“What?” You blanked for a moment, caught completely off guard. 

The three exchanged a glance, subtle but there. This time, a different one spoke, a man. “The decision was made to consolidate all local forces, but you’re needed sooner. There are patients too high-risk to move.”

You swore softly, grabbing your tablet. “Any idea what they need?” It took only a moment to find a serviceable basket, and you started dumping some herbs in to start. 

“Everything.” The response was dry but you had a feeling also accurate. 

You grumbled a little to yourself but started grabbing more things. “Three Spartans for little ol’ me seems like overkill,” you joked, grabbing a second basket to start piling bandages into. 

“Blue Three will escort you,” the man told you. “Blue Four and I will assist with the rest.”

You paused for a moment, looking at the three of them, and then nodded once. “Excuse me one moment.” Stepping past them without waiting for permission, you went into the hallway. “Lindsay, Carter, I need you both for a minute!” 

“Yeah boss?” Lindsay poked her head around the corner of the other exam room. 

“C’mere.” You beckoned her closer, waiting until Carter trotted over as well. “Apparently,” you drawled in a tone just shy of frigid, making Carter wince, “we are moving camp. I need to go ahead, and if either of you worries about me I will assign you to cleaning for the next month. You two will need to pack up and bring what you can. You know what’s irreplaceable, you know what we can live without. I trust your judgment. Okay?” 

“But–” Carter started, already looking stressed.

Lindsay elbowed him. “Okay,” she agreed, holding your gaze steadily.

“Good. Okay. Behave, we have guests. Pretend we have manners.” You shot them both a grin, counting it as a win when Lindsay laughed while Carter only groaned. 

And then you went back to packing, making sure you had the supplies you’d need. Hopefully. Since you had no baseline to go off of, this would have to do. 

“Ready when you are,” you said to Blue Three, the woman who’d spoken before. Your tablet was the last thing to be added right to the top of the basket. 

She nodded and motioned for you to follow, leading the way outside and over to a Warthog. Ensuring that your baskets were settled and not going anywhere, you sat in the passenger seat. 

Honestly, it felt… odd. To be leaving. This had been, more or less, home base for the past months. To be going somewhere else, even somewhere safe, was… weird. Unsettling. It left you feeling a little adrift. 

“I heard you had contact with the Master Chief.”

You very nearly jumped. Blue Three had been driving silently for the past couple hours, and you hadn’t expected the question. So it took you a moment to get past the thundering of your heart to actually realize there had been a question. 

“Yes, I’ve seen him twice. Last time was a couple weeks ago.” You glanced at her. No further question seemed forthcoming, but she did tip her helmet your way. Just enough. “He seemed okay. No major injuries or anything like that.” You paused a moment. “Although he seems determined to take the weight of everyone stuck on this ring.” 

She nodded once, slowly. But her shoulders had lowered a bit, relaxed a little. Apparently she’d gotten what she wanted. 

Well. If you could provide that comfort, you were happy to. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up again shortly,” you mused, twisting your fingers together in your lap. “He’d better, anyway. Considering the way I’ve heard he throws himself at problems.”

That elicited a snort, and you sat back in your seat, smug. 

At least until you saw where you were heading. Then you leaned forward, eyes wide, as if that would help your view at all. 

“Is that…?” 

“The Mortal Reverie.” 

“Huh.” You tipped your head to the side. “Wasn’t she lost to the Banished?”

“Until recently.” 

“Chief’s doing or yours?” You looked at her this time, one eyebrow raised. 

She didn’t answer, just glancing your way before driving a little faster. You took that as your cue to shut up. 

Fortunately, nobody tried to give you the full rundown right when you arrived. Instead, Blue Three escorted you straight to medical, along with your supplies. You barely remembered to thank her before diving into your work. 

The head medical officer here was brusque, not that you could blame her, but she seemed polite enough and competent. She at least had no problem updating you on everything going on while the two of you worked on the most precarious patients. 

The retaking of the Reverie did mean more supplies, whatever could be retrieved from the wreckage. Some things, like clothes and soap, were easy enough to find. Medical supplies, though… not so much. 

Carter and Lindsay arrived a few days later, along with the rest of that base, and you started them teaching the other techs how to make and use the plant-based remedies. 

Despite having more room to spread out, Reverie Base felt more cramped. There were more people around, more noise. More soldiers. It made your skin itch, made you twitchy and miserable for reasons that you didn’t want to investigate. 

Worst of all, though, was that your new boss imposed limits. She didn’t let you work all day until you dropped, she didn’t let you sleep in the medical bay. She set a strict eight hour work day, barring emergencies, and actually threw you out a few times. 

Leaving you with empty hours to fill and an ache in your chest. 

It was purely by chance that you heard about the volunteer program to go into the wreckage and scavenge what was available. But you signed up as soon as you could, eager to be doing something. Anything other than have free time. 

You were surprised to get paired up with a Spartan to go digging, though. Actually, it was the same Spartan who had escorted you here. 

“Blue Three, right?” You smiled a little at her as the two of you made your way inside the wreck. “Or do you prefer I call you something else?” 

“Blue Three is fine. Or Kelly.” Lights on either side of her helmet flipped on as you got further in, while you were stuck with a handheld light. 

For a while, the two of you worked in silence. Parts of the ship were untraversable, too unstable or just plain wrecked. And what you could get to was grim work, prying open compartments to get at anything useable. 

Kelly at least seemed pleased to have found some ammo. 

“Crew quarters are this way,” she said, looking ahead. At a minor gap. It wasn’t too bad, really. You had no doubt she could jump it easily. 

You, on the other hand. You stared at the gap as if it were a thousand feet deep. “I’ll find an alternate way around,” you offered, a little faint.

She turned to look at you, making you yet again very aware of the unbelievable height of the Spartans. Then she stepped closer to you. “Try not to scream in my ear.”

Before you could protest, she scooped you into her chest (ow, armor) and made the jump. As if you weighed nothing. 

Well. Shit. 

“Next time, give a gal some warning?” you asked as your feet touched the floor again. 

Kelly made no promises, but you could feel the armor moving as she… stifled laughter? Was she laughing at you?

Damn. And you couldn’t even really complain. 

“Are we looking for anything in particular?” you asked, turning away and starting forward. This was going to suck. 

“Anything useful.”

“So, an extra sense of humor.” You couldn’t help the quip, you really couldn’t. 

“Depends on your definition of useful.” She didn’t even hesitate, and you wheezed for a few moments with delighted startled laughter.

It didn’t take long to get to crew quarters, and you split up, each taking a room to start looking. Clothing, tablets not completely broken, anything of use all went into the bag you carried. But you carefully set aside anything personal. 

That wasn’t your burden to carry. 

Once your bag was bulging, you went to find Kelly, and paused outside the door. She was knelt on the floor, bag open next to her. 

Unsure what had her hesitating, you deliberately knocked your foot against the floor, letting it ring hollow in the otherwise still air. She didn’t jerk, but she did lift her head and then stand, scooping up the bag. 

“Suppose we have to jump across to get back,” you mused, looking back the way you’d come. 

“Negative. There’s an alternate route down.” 

You turned to stare at her, incredulous. “Then why did you grab me and jump across?”

She shrugged, massive shoulders twitching, voice bland. Almost too bland. “It was faster.” 

You squinted at her. “One of these days…” you muttered in a vaguely threatening tone. “Fine. Which way?”

“Follow me.” She strode ahead, and you scrambled for a moment to keep up. 

The two of you were nearly out when she paused, glancing back at you. “Why did you volunteer for this?” 

You blinked, caught off guard by the question. “What?”

“You work full shifts at medical. Why volunteer for this too?” 

You huffed, putting your hands on your hips as you debated the best way to answer. Uneasiness stirred in your gut, reminders of everything gone wrong, and you swallowed. “Best to stay busy,” you settled on. “It’s easier.” Taking a deep breath, you shrugged. “What about you? I would have figured someone like you would have more important things to do.” 

She shrugged again. “Making sure you don’t get killed,” was all she said before striding off again. 

And that? That was… both flattering and humbling. In the extreme. You weren’t sure how to respond to something like that. So you didn’t, just following her back out into the sunshine.

[airplanned]

Castletown Academy 2

Zelda produces an overwhelming amount of legal paperwork to make this happen.

--

Zelda passed a thick binder across the table at the coffee shop.  "The first section is my proposed prenuptial agreement--it should be straight forward, since we will not have any joint marital assets.  The second section is a lease for the mother-in-law unit behind my house.  It's set up like a rental unit, so it's self contained.  I've never used it for anything other than storage.  You'll be able to have privacy and autonomy while we share a mailing address.  It will also be easy to car pool.  I don't expect rent, but you would be responsible for your utilities."

Link's eyebrows hiked as he looked over the pictures she'd put in at the back.  His friend leaned in over his shoulder to look too.  Supposedly, this man was a lawyer, but it was clear from the look on his face that he had not been prepared for the full force of Zelda's paperwork.  The man had a bushy mustache, spoke even less than Link did, and looked as if he might start sweating.

Maybe this was a bit overkill.  Maybe this was a bad first impression on Link's friend.

She hurried to say, "The details are in there.  You can come and look at it first, of course.  The lease is a formality, just to protect us both if things go wrong.  If there's anything in there you would like adjusted--"

"You don't want rent?" Link asked.

Oh.  "You're going to be my husband.  That would be strange."

He snorted and then tried to act like it was a cough.  The friend hummed.

"The next section is a draft of an addendum I'll be adding to my will once we're married.  It will set up a trust fund for Flora to use for school in the case of my death."

Link nodded, but the lawyer hummed again in disapproval.

Zelda was about to bristle and explain that they had an understanding, but Link cut in first.  "I don't need to be in her will."

"Okay," he said.  Then, "Most husbands are in their wives' wills."

"We're doing things differently."

"Okay," he said.  Then, "Just seems kinda weird."

Link rolled his eyes.  "You knew your wife for two weeks before you proposed."

The man shrugged.  "Knew her last name before I did."

"That's--"

"And now I get to kiss on her."

"Do you have anything helpful to add?" Link asked.

"...Nope."

"Okay then."

"...Just seems like a bad idea."

"Your official lawyer advice is that it seems like a bad idea?"

"...No, that's friend advice.  I'll have to read first to give you lawyer advice."

"That's--Great.  Thanks, Hudson."

The lawyer friend nodded and hummed to tell Link he was welcome.

Link's eyes darted up to hers in apology, and she bit her lip and took a deep breath.

"The last section is information that might be useful about me and Ralphie.  Contact information for his doctor and baby sitters and piano teacher.  He's allergic to amoxicillin.  That kind of thing."

"Oh, that's a good idea," Link said.  "I should type something up about me and--"

He flipped to the section, and his words died in his mouth.

Yes, she had definitely gone overboard.  But it all seemed like things he would need to know if he became a part of their lives.  Overviews of their schedules--when she left for work and what day Ralphie had therapy and how he was expected to do homework and piano before he played any video games.  Some house rules.  Some information about what she did for a living, which people tended to not understand.  A family tree in case one of her cousins dropped by.  Information about the house.  Medical histories.  Some background information about where she grew up and went to college and work history (Goddesses, it looked like a resume).  Some background about Ralphie's anxiety and the timeline she'd drawn up about the bullying he'd faced at school.  A copy of the restraining order they have against Ralphie's father and a copy of the paperwork terminating parental rights.

Her whole life laid bare and handed over to someone she barely knew.

And it was a lot.

She cleared her throat.  "I--"

The lawyer leaned in again to read over Link's shoulder, and Link flipped to the front of the binder, popped open the metal rings, and removed the sections the lawyer would need to look over.  He took the papers, and Link closed the notebook, quietly protecting her privacy.

"Are you okay with getting married at town hall?" he asked.  "We could do a party later.  A temple service if--"

She hurriedly agreed, "Town hall is fine.  I think the children should be there, but beyond that..."

"Exactly.  I have a black suit and Flora has a pink dress and a green dress.  They're from Malo Mart.  The dresses, not the suit.  But I can get us something nicer, if you want."

"I'm sure they're cute.  Ralphie has a button up shirt and a bow tie."

"That sounds adorable."

"It is."

"Flowers?" he asked.  "I can get flowers."

"Do you want to get flowers?"

"Yeah.  What's your favorite kind?"  He'd had a note pad in front of him the whole time, but he had yet to write anything down.  Now he reached for his pen.

"Silent princesses," she said.

He nodded, writing it down. "Do you want to go eat afterwards?  There's that Tabanthan place nearby.  The food is really good.  It's nice. But not so nice the kids couldn't come."

"That would be excellent."

"Would Friday work for you?  We could go after I pick up Flora from school."

"About 4:30?  That sounds good as long as all the contracts are signed by then."

Link turned to his lawyer friend, who shrugged.  "I'll see what I can do."

"Good."  

Link pulled a folded sheet of paper from the back of his note pad, but hesitated before handing it over.  "These are some ring designs I thought were nice, but now...maybe I should read your packet and see if I can find something that's more you?"  The tips of his ears pinkened as he passed it across. 

"You don't have to--"

The perfect ring looked up at her.  One round diamond with two little ones on either side set flush in a simple band.

There were eight other rings on the page, all in a variety of styles--geometric and swirling, clunky and delicate, different cuts and different sizes, some with additional colored stones.  He was giving her options.  But he'd found the perfect one.

She lay the paper down between them and pointed.  "That one."

A smile twitched across his face, and he circled the ring in a haphazard circle with his pen.  "What's your ring size?"

"Six.  Yellow gold, please.  I do get hives with other metals."

"Gotchya.  Does tomorrow work for Flora and I to come over to see your mother-in-law suite?"

"Yes."  She shook herself and pulled out her slate to check her schedule.  "I won't be home until six."

"Is 6:30 too late?"

"Not at all."

He wanted to get her a ring.  He wanted to get flowers.  He wanted to take her to dinner.  Her heart shouldn't flutter so much.  She should put a pause on the conversation and make sure they were on the same page that there wouldn't be any romantic entanglement.

She should.  But she didn't. He was just being kind, trying to make this process as pleasant as possible.  He'd been married before, and was probably well aware that this could scarcely be called a wedding.  The rings were just to keep up pretenses with the school.  Surely, they didn't give tenants and roommates sibling benefits.

"Awesome," Link said, finishing his note to himself.  "Flora will still have another week of school after we go to the court house.  I don't want to be too disruptive, so once school's over, we can pack up the apartment and move the week after."

"I can hire movers if you'd like.  They can pack for you."

He looked up at her in confusion.  "They would...pack my stuff for me?"

"If you'd like."

He blinked at her.  "Let me think about it."

"Alright."

"Okay."

They stared at each other.

"Are we good?" he asked.

She straightened her spine and gave a relieved sigh.  "I think so."

Link smiled at her.

The lawyer friend mumbled, "Fastest wedding planning I've ever seen."

[dippersguidetotheunexplained]

ok i know all these antennas and dishes were probably just drawn randomly but can you play with me in this space for a minute i want to speculate. for fun

these two antennas on the left are pretty clearly yagi uda antennas (ones even drawn with enough detail that you can tell which way its pointing. drew a little arrow to show). yagis are very directional so since theyre both pointing in different directions i assume theyre being used for different things. they have all kinds of applications but its my post so im going to blindly speculate and say well, if i was in panic mode i would probably want an easy way to communicate with my apocalypse bunker at the very least as a failsafe and well a yagi can work for that as long as its pointed in the right direction. as for other potential uses well i would probably also want to keep as ear out for local law enforcement since i assume portal operation has got to be breaking some kind of laws and once again you can use a yagi to do that. from what i understand its a little overkill considering how small gravity falls is but whatever itll work probably

as for the giant seti looking satellite dish after looking into a bit im actually pretty confident that this is an early tv dish, in the late 70s/early 80s satellite tv was kind of just starting out so thats just how big the dishes were apparently

^ heres a picture of a commercially available satellite dish from around that time (which was going for over $30k in the early 70s btw... yikes) and the resemblance is really really close imo. person in the pic was interviewed about his setup in 1981, so the dates match up too. so despite the really dramatic scifi kind of look to such a huge dish i think the purpose of it was actually relatively mundane. it seems that programing was a bit limited at this point in time so im not sure what exactly hed be watching but who knows, maybe someone was broadcasting some scifi shows for him to keep up on

the tiny satellite dishes on the shacks roof are little bit more of a mystery to me since as previously mentioned tv dishes were fucking huge at this point so theyre definitely not for that. honestly i dont know a lot about parabolic antennas. might get back to this later

[hostilemuppet]

NEW LEAD ON THE DETAILED DATA (these things for those of you who havent been haunted by these for months)

the previous trail went cold when i thought they were on the first blood dvd but they werent anywhere to be found on overkill HOWEVER they MIGHT be on specifically BLOOD SAMPLE A-. unfortunately the only listing of this is £45 and im not able to shill out that much money on a lead to buy episodes i already have. so. this is my desperate plea. if you have blood sample a- (or the combo blood sample a- + b that came out in germany) PLEASEEEEEEEEE look for it PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ILL DO ANYTHING