#great! in those cases I'll take an oil painting if that's what you want!

[ariadne-mouse]

Work colleagues stop sending me screenshot images instead of the actual functional Excel tables challenge 2023

[neptuniite]

I really love your paintings! I was curious if you wouldn't mind, could you show your process and tips for oil painting?

Thanks for asking! I had gone and taken progress photos while working on my recent painting of Hickey: hopefully this is enough to walk you through a general idea of how I complete a painting, or at least an Alla Prima (single ~3 hour session) portrait. It's a chaotic process, especially in the beginning, but a lot of fun. I want to start first by saying that this isn't exactly a tutorial, just a showing of how I work. I also want to say that if you are starting out with oil painting, you should be painting from LIFE when possible, rather than from photos. Only thing is, in my case, I cannot wrangle Adam Nagaitis into my room, so photos it is, when it comes to fandom work. Anyways...

Step 0. Brushes, paints, etc. I use sizes between 12-4, though I usually stick to 8 and 4 for most of my painting. Boar bristle brushes are great. For the paints, I'm using the Zorne palette: cadmium red, yellow ochre, titanium white, mars black. That's it. I don't bother to clean my palette between paintings, I usually mix new paint over what's there. Bad habit? Probably.

Step 1. Sketching over another sketch you don't like (clean canvas who??) Yes, this looks like a nightmare. Yes, you aren't really supposed to do this. Typically, I start my paintings on a clean TONED canvas, meaning solvent + a neutral transparent paint so it's not just a pure-white ground. In my next process post I'll show this. However, if I'm lazy and forgot to prepare surfaces, then I'll paint over an older piece I don't like. This was a failed cast study (on primed paper, so I can cut it later) that is now being repurposed into a cold boy. Can you see Hickey? My sketching is usually done with a transparent dark (in this case, alizarin crimson + mars black) and solvent to thin it out. This is slightly more sketching than I would typically do. Main structure lines to focus on are the angles for the eyes and nose, and then the centerline for the face as a whole. You can use a caliper to check proportions at this stage.

Step 2. Block in! With some paintings I'll block in the darks first, others I do the lights first. In this case, I started with the lights. The block-in stage for me consists of 2-3 values only. Dark and light. He looks scary. Goofy, even. You can see that the anatomy of the block-in is pretty bad, but that slowly gets corrected as the painting progresses.

Step 3. Added in the dark background, because it was getting difficult for me to judge the values of the painting with that pesky cast portrait in the background. Typically this isn't an issue when you're painting on a proper surface, lol. I also added his rosy cheeks in on this stage. I love painting from those outdoor scenes, because everyone has bright pink cheeks :)

Step 4. "Oh thank god, he has eyes now." I continue modeling the portrait by using intermediate values and highlights to round out the "planes" of the face. These planes are not that obvious in this particular painting, as the reference photo had very soft, ambient lighting. Always squint when looking at your reference to make sure you don't overstate shadows, especially in a case like this. I've also decided to leave the periphery of the face (hair, clothes, etc) very unfinished, almost untouched. Personal preference!

Step 5. Take care of some drawing mistakes. Here I am scraping away some paint from the forehead, since I realized the hat was up too high. A palette knife is excellent for taking care of this.

Step 6. Call it quits before you start overworking it too much :) I'll varnish this in a few weeks. Thanks for getting through to the end! I'll post more progress timelines in the future, as my process looks a little different depending on what I'm working on. Feel free to reach out if y'all have any questions.

[ehcahache]

For your wip game, I'd love to hear more about "A footnote will do" 👀👀👀

This is a great reminder that I need to change the title because it's taking a different path from Conan's song (where I got the title from)

*note that this is set back in the 1800's approximately

"Uhm, excuse me?" A man approached him, scaring him and bringing Lando back to the real world. Only those two words were enough for him to recognise a foreign accent and when he faced the owner of the voice, he only could think about how much he wanted to paint him and his beautiful features. "Are you the painter of these?"

That definitely made Lando flinch, making him remember where he was. Still, he nodded with the nicest smile he could give the man. Needless to say it wasn't too good.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you about some details of them. The colors are magnificent and the transition between them in areas like the sky or the grass in those backgrounds you have done are precious, what did you use? What techniques did you choose to do this?"

Lando could only blink at the man in surprise by the question before answering it.

"Uh, yes, you see, these were made with oil paintings and when they dry you can paint on them, right? If you put only a few drops of extra oil on the paint you can make it less dense in a way, making it easier to paint more layers and make the colors change differently than if you mixed the pigments and painted directly."

"I see... And what about these other parts? These don't look similar at all and..."

At first, Lando tried to keep his explanations short and simple, not sure that if he went on and on with them the man would be able to understand or not. After the second question though, it was clear to him that this man understood perfectly every word he said and knew what he was talking about. Both held a very interesting conversation for what felt like a few minutes to Lando but was actually close to an hour. It was loud enough to gather around them a group of people who listened attentively without making enough sound to startle both of them. It wasn't until the other man checked the time that they didn't stop talking, only doing it by his obligations and not voluntarily.

"Great heavens, look at the time!" He started. "I need to run some errands but I would really love to continue our conversation. Until when will you be here?"

"I'll be here until the place closes. I won't be going anywhere without them." He answered, signaling to his paintings.

"Great! I'll be back with some people in a few hours then. Thank you for this conversation..." He extended his hand and Lando grabbed and shook it firmly.

"Lando. My name is Lando Norris."

"Carlos Sainz. It's been a pleasure, Mr. Norris."

When Carlos left and he turned around to get some water, he finally saw most of the viewers they'd gathered around his paintings, and between them, George and Alex were looking at him smiling, with an expression on their faces he didn't get and didn't want to do. He felt his cheeks get warmer while he retired for a bit.

Carlos did keep his promise and came back with two older people that looked a lot like him.

"Mr. Norris, these are my parents, Carlos and Reyes."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Norris. Our son has told us very good things about your work." Carlos –the father– told Lando while shaking his hand.

"Oh no, just Lando." He started when it was the turn to shake Carlos' mother's hand. "Mr. Norris, that's my father." He added with a small smile. Something in the face of the elder duo changed in a positive way, which scared Lando more.

"I wanted to talk with you, Lando. Why don't we go while my parents admire your work?"

Lando hesitated. "Wouldn't they want me to stay in case they want to ask questions?"

"Oh, don't worry," Carlos moved to his side and linked his arm with Lando's "they'll be okay without us for some minutes."

And just like that, Carlos and Lando start walking around between all the paintings other men and women have brought here and all the people who have come visit the expositions –the number of whose has significantly lowered as the day advanced– in silence. It was creeping him up. They pass in front of Alex and George in silence. Even when Lando throws them a strangled look, they just look at him slightly amused and curiously. They walked a few more steps when Lando finally broke the silence between them. "So..."

"We recently moved here. Well, I recently moved here, my parents are just here for the spring and summer, to help me. I think the locals call our grounds the North Estate?" Oh, so they are the Spanish dukes his father talked about "Anyways, I don't think that's important. I liked your work a lot and I would like to have them in my palace, as well as ask for some commissions, of course if that's alright for you?" He finished and turned his head to look at Lando, never stopping.

Lando didn't know how to answer that. For starters, he didn't know how he was feeling about the offer. He knew a few things. One, he never thought he was going to end up like this because of a silly game. Two, he never thought about what he would do with his paintings –and that's why they were all kept in Alex's storage room– and selling them had not even crossed his mind. Three, why was this man suddenly interested in him? He was maybe silent for too much time because before he knew how to answer that proposition, Carlos stopped, released his grip in his arm and talked again.

"You don't have to accept it if you don't want to, I don't want to pressure you into doing something you are not comfortable doing and I would understand it."

"Oh, no, it's not that. I just... I just never thought about that possibility." Lando spoke softly.

"Oh..." Carlos lowered his volume too, speaking as softly as Lando. "Do you want me to explain more about what I was thinking about?"

"Yes, that would be nice."

They started walking again side by side, this time without their arms linked, and even if Lando preferred it that way, something inside him felt weird about it. Not wanting to think about it, Lando focused on Carlos' explanation and how he seemed to communicate better with his hands or his whole body. By the time they had arrived again to Lando's area, he was smiling softly about how louder Carlos had gotten. He was most surely talking louder than it was socially acceptable but Lando couldn't bring himself to stop him.

"So, what do you think?" They had stopped in front of Lando's painting that had started their first conversation.

"I like the idea, yes."

"Yes? We have a deal then?"

"We have a deal."

Both smiling, grabbed each other's hand and shook it.

[lastchancevillagegreen]

Friday, 24 November 2023:

How Sad, How Lovely Connie Converse (Squirrel Thing) (released in 2014)

I discovered Connie Converse on God's Jukebox. The song, One By One, was made interesting by the accompanying video of images provided by The Luminous Playhouse Theatre: they were creepy looking dolls in a setting that made it look as if they were humans sitting in a living or throughout a house. I watched the video more than once and realized that the sparse music was only enhanced by that video. Take the video away, perhaps the music might not seem so desolate.

Since most people do not provide bios of the artists they post, I took it upon myself to read Converse's bio. She recorded several songs and nothing happened to them and then she vanished into thin air, never to be heard from again. An intriguing story, an intriguing legend and I wanted to know more about Converse. And so I read the biography that just came out this year. As I was just starting the biography I was also searching for this CD which came out in 2014.

Try and find a copy of it for under three figures anywhere, but it CD or LP. People are somehow proud of their copies of this set. I eventually paid attention to the label Squirrel Thing which is a branch of Omnian Music Group. It is called Squirrel Thing because Converse uses that exact phrase in the opening track Talkin' Like You (Two Tall Mountains). When I followed the links for the label, I discovered they still had three copies of the CD for $12.99 brand new.

And here it is today. Too little, too late. I wasn't enamored with Converse like the author was. Matter of fact, the author was incredibly obsessed with Converse and his book, almost 600 pages in length, was so long and so detailed I got impossibly bored. By page 250 I was ready to quit. I assumed there was a remarkable story about her disappearance, but that wasn't the case. I suspect she committed suicide and dumped all her belongings places no one would find them. There are plenty of garbage dumps and dumpsters in this world, even back when she disappeared in the mid 1970s.

Above you see the front and the back of the slipcover. I think this presentation is flat out weird. Converse was a hell of an artist (paint, oils, pencil) but she didn't paint any of the pictures in this presentation which is odd. I'm not sure what the back of the slipcover is meant to represent. Converse never married, never had children. And those pictures/paintings are dreadful. I don't get what they are trying to convey here and when you look in the booklet, I think it only gets worse.

Below you see the front and the back of the jewel case.

Here is the gatefold of the jewel case. The first photo shows you what it looks like with the CD and then the second photo shows you without the CD.

They certainly love the idea of "Squirrel Thing" as you can see in the inlay tray. Below is a picture of the inlay tray taken out of the jewel case.

The booklet that comes with this thing is unlike any I've encountered. It is like stiff cardboard. And the photos inside are partial paintings mixed with real photos. Bizarre. You can get a vague idea in the photo below.

I dislike this presentation a great deal, especially since it seems Converse's paintings might have been a better choice than these weird half paintings half photo things. Perhaps I'm just unhappy I even have put in so much time on Converse with little payoff. I disliked the book a great deal and now that I have the CD I'm not interested in hearing it. I'll probably just file and pull it out one day and play it when I think I can approach the music when I'm willing to be more open minded about it.

Below is the CD.

[snookersneek]

This is a long post. Buckle up.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about how the dark academia aesthetic, whilst rich in aspects such as literature, music, and material beauty, is lacking in things such as activities.

So I've compiled a list of activities that I would personally deem as befitting the dark academia aesthetic (please do add to this list, as it's far from complete).

Sports:

Rowing (it's in literally every dark academic approved movie.)

Fencing

Tennis

Cricket

Croquet

Rugby (contrary to popular belief, women, men, and everyone in between can play this sport. It's not just for the boys.)

Polo

Equestrian sports

+ Figure/ice skating

+ Running (sprinting is handy for catching your lover when they fling themselves from a tower or something, and long distance is great for running alongside carriages that you want to rob.)

+ Boxing

+ Javelin, discus, wrestling covered in oil, think ancient Grecian Olympics.

+ Archery (how could I have forgotten.)

+ Ballet, ballroom dancing, traditional dances

+ Climbing

+ Snooker/Pool (either professionally or just for fun.)

Or, if you prefer the Oscar Wilde approach, no sports at all. That's cool too.

Games:

Chess (of course)

Backgammon

Cards (rummy, poker, blackjack, speed, whist, any game really, maybe with the exception of snap.)

Cluedo (I think it's 'Clue' in America. Don't argue with me, it counts as dark academia. It's got murder in it.)

+ Scrabble

Crafts:

Knitting (I knit socks, scarves, and am attempting a jumper. I find that it's far easier to knit your own jumper, scarf, socks, or whatever than hunting for one suitably 'aesthetically pleasing'.)

Embroidery (monogrammed handkerchiefs and shirts are so in.)

Weaving (sweet mother, I cannot-)

Making lace

Gardening

Cooking (not sure if this counts as a craft, but I'll throw it in just in case.)

Sewing (making clothes for yourself through sewing is a great way to make sure that your clothes fit perfectly, and are styled the way you want them to be. With practise, it becomes easier, and is definitely a useful skill to have.)

+ Calligraphy

+ Painting, of course. (release your inner Basil.

Outings:

Museums

Art galleries

Places of historical interests (in the UK, this might be more easily accessible with things like the National Trust. If you visit often, it might be useful to invest in a membership card with English Heritage (England), Cadw (Wales), or a National Trust card. I have a Cadw card, and I've found that it's accepted all over the UK, in the same way an entrance card specific to whichever country you're in would be too. I hope that makes sense.)

Public executions

Pubs

+ Go to a Café and sketch the people around you (I hear that charcoal or graphite is preferable here.)

Parks

Gardens

Churches, quaker meeting houses, graveyards, synagogues (sometimes the only places that are quiet are places of worship, and a lot of the time, they will be very welcoming in letting people in just to sit and think. Just remember to be respectful: don't insult people for their faith; don't scorn the place of worship; respect people buried in graveyards; don't take pictures, tempting as it may be, just to be on the safe side.)

The theatre

The opera

Concerts (classical music or otherwise)

Social events (memorial services, tours of your local university, open days, anything. It's an opportunity to learn, and spark intrigue because of your darkly mysterious and alluring demeanour.)

Things to do when you're bored.

Writing essays (it's really nerdy, but I find writing essays really interesting if they're on a topic I'm passionate about. It doesn't have to be an intellectual masterpiece, it could be 'The Top Ten Sexiest Classical Writers' for all I care. Just make it fun. Plus it's always an added bonus to that pile of messy papers that aesthetify your desk.)

Research (as above.)

Daydream about how you could have prevented the burning of the Library of Alexandria

Plan a murder / heist. Thoroughly.

Read something light (Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Wilkie Collins or Colin Dexter novels are really good for relaxing. Murder mysteries are always good for winding down a little, whilst still keeping an active mind, so I would recommend those, but really, read whatever you want.)

Dress up

Read aloud

Perform a play alone (or to a pet, if you have one)

If you play an instrument, play through all of the pieces in your repertoire

More daydreaming

Take baths

Fake your death (by murder, of course)

Draw or paint something (no, it doesn't have to be good. Just do it to relax. See what kind of things you can create, like designing Frankenstein's monster)

Write a narrative piece

Watch a movie. A whole movie. Just sit down and watch a movie, no getting up and walking around, no flicking back and forth, no checking your phone. Just enjoy a movie without distractions.

Watch every single 'Greek Gods as vines' video on YouTube and count it as studying.

+ Listen to some classical music! I have a post on getting into classicl here:

Congratulations! You made it through!

Please, add to this list. I really want this to be expanded on, as I'm interested to see whether or not I've missed things, and if people agree.

[authorgreybrooke]

A Temporary Batwoman

The Wayne manor was large and dark, iron and oak sealed together in a gothic style, stiff carpet, and creaky floorboards. The paintings that sat on the main walls dominated the rooms, dust-covered, dank, oil paintings of people and events long dead, with eyes that followed guests from room to room. The moonlight cast long shadows that looked like demons about the place, twisted silhouettes of a centuries-old armchair or an obnoxiously tall candle stand.

Alex Danvers cautiously stepped through the foyer, eyeing the decor with a detective's natural suspicion, her hand hovered by her hip as shadowy imaginary monsters loomed. Thunder struck, and Alex jolted and squeaked, and then cursed herself for being afraid of nothing. 

"Who are you?"

"Holy shh!" Alex spun around. "Dude. Not cool."

Luke folded his arms. "What are you doing here?"

The agent withdrew her identification and waved it at the man. "Relax. I'm a cop. Kate said I could crash here if I ever needed to get away. I didn't think anyone else would be here."

"Special agent Alexandra Danvers." Luke narrowed his eyes. "Any relation to Kara Danvers?"

"My sister."

Luke sighed. "So Kate just leaves, and lets National City hero's come in and take over. Great. Just great."

"Hey, I'm not here to take over anything. I just. I wanted to. I needed a break. Okay, a break."

Luke shook his head and stormed off down a dark hallway.

"Hey, wait!"

"Unbelievable!"

Alex turned a corner and lost the disgruntled fellow for a moment, before hearing him cuss and stomp up a staircase, already feeling lost in the labyrinth she quickly followed.

"Hey, wait up!"

"Gotham City is in disarray! I don't have time to babysit."

"I don't really need a babysitter."

"What we're you thinking, Kate?"

"I think she was thinking that there was, like, eighteen spare rooms in this place."

Luke barged into an office and stopped by a bookcase, he raised his hand hesitantly to a display case that sat on a shelf.

"Look, maybe we can call Kate? If it's too much drama I can head back in the morning. Just don't freak out."

"I think you're the one who's about to freak out."

"What?"

Luke twisted the display and the bookcase shifted, revealing a secret elevator.

"Wow. That was unexpected."

The Bat Cave was a dark hole in the earth, with black stone and squeaky creatures, and yet and entire computer laboratory had been designed to run in its confines. Alex noticed air vents and ramps and a platform where a vehicle rested, she heard water trickling somewhere and the hum of the massive computer.

"This is insane. Then again, the DEO was basically the same thing, just less...scary."

A tall case, resting inside one of the cave walls, lit up to show the legendary Bat Woman costume secured on a stand. Alex approached with wide eyes.

"I like those colours. I mean, I've seen Batwoman on the news but up close -- that is a really nice red."

"There's a protest at the courthouse. It bound to get ugly. The Bat-Signal has been shining for days. People need to see Batwoman."

"Wait. What are you suggesting?"

"Suit up."

Alex laughed. "No. No. No, that's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?" Luke challenged.

"To get away. From life. I feel like a haven't had a moment to be just me."

"And who are you?"

Alex paused. "I don't know."

"Sounds complicated." Luke walked up to the display case and tapped on the glass. "Wouldn't it be fun to be a hero for a bit. Just one night even. The city gets a bit of hope and you get..."

"I get to not be Alex Danvers. Just for a night."

"Hmm."

"Sounds like escapism."

"Some of us play World of Warcraft. This is better."

"Just a night."

"Maybe the weekend."

"I do have the week off work."

"So what do you say?"

The Bat-Signal shone red in an otherwise black sky, the only light amongst black buildings and dark streets. Gotham Police camped around the place as a crowd cheered angrily in front of the courthouse, they held up signs and screamed profanities at a judge as he was escorted to a police vehicle.

A Batwoman sat atop a nearby building and surveyed the area.

"These night-vision specs are insane!"

"Thank you." Luke smiled from his place in the Bat-Cave, tapping away on the computer.

"Hey, what does the little canister do?"

"Don't push any buttons if you don't know how to use those devices."

"You're no fun."

"You're here to show the people of Gotham that Batwoman is still around, and if Batwoman has to get rescued because she teargassed herself then fell a hundred feet..."

"Got it. Not touching the little canister. I am a trained agent you know?"

"You have never used my gadgets."

"Who are the mercenary-looking guys?"

Luke glanced at the screen showing what Batwoman was observing. "They are Crows. Military. They were brought in to help Gotham almost a decade ago."

The Crows stood like statues as the mob of citizens stomped and screamed. The judge was slowly taken away and the crowed deflated minutely.

Alex sighed. "Well, that was anti-climatic."

"Oh, sorry you didn't get a full riot."

"You know what I mean. You gave me this whole speech about being a hero for a little bit and I haven't done anything yet."

"There's a robbery-in-progress at sixth and Cornwell."

"I'll take it!"

For the next week, the Gotham news was dominated with a three-second clip of Batwoman sparta-kicking a thug wielding a baseball bat.

[leelee10898]

Party in the USA

Hey guys, It's @leelee10898.Ive been MIA from CGW for a while, I miss it so much.. In light of the 4th of July, ive thrown together some squad shenanigans for ya!! I tried my damndest to get this finished yesterday, but no luck... I did a super fast edit, so im sorry, but this shit is gonna be flawed lol.. enjoy.

The Royal Jett touched down in Dulles international airport as the girls squealed in their seats. It was 4th of July weekend and they were excited to share it with their men, since not one of them had ever celebrated the extremely patriotic American Holiday.  "Nothing says 4th of July like celebrating in our nation's capital." Anitah beamed as she stepped off the plane, joining the group who already exited. "Well, you're the queen of Cordonia now, she is your Nation now Love." Liam grinned as he kissed her cheek. "Um no offense Liam, but this will always be our nation." Alicia butted in. "Yeah, 'Merica!" Genevieve pumped her fist. "Merica?" Liam whispered to Drake "yeah. Short for America. Just, go with it Li." Drake shook his head. Pam laughed at her friends "ok Ladies, how about we get settled and go find something to get into."

They opted to rent a house instead of a hotel so they could grill and chill the proper way. "Oh shit, there's a pool, I can't even wait to jump in that later." Alicia smirked as she winked at Leo. "Clothing optional love?" He smirked as Liam rolled his eyes. "Why are you two always naked every trip we take?" Liam huffed as the two shrugged. "Well, we could just start right now." Leo began tugging at his shorts.  "NO!" the group resounded. "Hey guys, I seen a huge fireworks tent down the street. We should go check it out." Maxwell walked outside where the group had converged, a glass of purple liquid in hand. "Maxwell, what do you have there?" Drake eyed him suspiciously. "Just some punch." He shrugged, giving the girls a look.

One by one the girls made their way inside sneaking drinks of maxwell's punch. Once they reached a nice buzz they decided to venture off into DC. They watched a parade, sampled some summertime staples including funnel cake and deep fried oreos. There was a carnival being held and they would have a fireworks display at night fall. "Oh! The zipper. I loved that ride."  They eyed the caged ride "how's your tummy feeling Gen?" Pam gave her a look. "It's good, let's do this shit!"

"Are you sure darling? This doesn't look safe." Rashad voiced his concern.  "Psh, safe shamafe. This shit is indestructible,it's probably like 40 years old." Anitah snorted.

"Yeah because everyone wants to ride a 40 year old death trap. No thanks Brooks." Drake held up his hands and shook his head. "Its ok Drake, I think the ferris wheel is calling our names." Pam winked at her husband,  who then adjusted his pants.

Rashad looked at Genevieve, and then to the zipper swallowing audibly she took his hand and led him towards the ride. "It's gonna be ok Rashad.  Do it for America." She smiled at him.

Maxwell had already been strapped in the seat and moved up Liam and Anitah also already on the ride in a cart halfway up. "Ok this doesn't seem to bad love." Liam leaned back as they slowly made their way up letting others on. "Oh it's great. Just wait until we really get going." She smirked. Liam arched his brow "what does that mean,my queen?"

"So how does this work exactly?" Leo asked Alicia. "Well, we basically go around in a circle, and flip upside down, a lot. You don't have a weak stomach do you Leo?"

"No. I can handle it. Liam on the other hand, he's going to puke or scream. Maybe both." He chuckled. "My money's on both.  Anitah is going to laugh at him." Alicia giggled.

"You know Love, thing we haven't done yet." He gave her the signature Rhys smirk "oh. Shit. Leo." She jerked as she felt his long fingers slip between her legs.

"Gen, love. I'm not so sure about this. Why does it move like that?" Rashad began to panic. "It's supposed to move like that. Just calm down,  it's gonna be so much fun." She patted his leg. "It's supposed to sound like it needs 4 quarts of oil on the rickety old Metal?" Genevieve let out a high pitched squeal. "This is going to be so much fun. If you piss your pants, I will laugh at you." Suddenly the ride jerked and picked up speed, their cart reached the top as it flipped over. Rashad let out a long girlish scream as they plummeted upside down towards the ground.

"Oh my god. Oh my god im gonna diiiiie." Liam screamed as Anitah laughed uncontrollably.  She wasn't sure if it was the thrill of the ride, or Liam's girlish screams but she was definitely enjoying herself. "Oh god. Noooooo. Help me!" He screamed again, joining Rashad in fear stricken symphony.

The ride came to an end Liam ran to the nearest trash can, head inside as he puked.  "Told you he would puke." Leo laughed as Anitah stood next to her husband, giving him a sympathetic pat on the back as the other hand gave him bunny ears for a photo.

A dizzy Rashad stumbled off the ride "see baby. That wasn't so bad." Genevieve looked at Rashad who was pale faced. "That was." He retched  "I just…" His hand flew over his face as he bolted towards the trash can next to Liam.

"Looks like those two couldn't handle the ride huh?" Drake snorted as he and Pam approached the group. "Nope. Hey how come you two didn't ride? Scared Drake?" Alicia teased.  "He wasn't scared. We just, had other plans." Pam blushed as Drake pulled her into his side. "Why are your pants unbuttoned?" Anitah questioned, before going wide eyed in realization. "How about we go back to the house, and get this party started." Leo Spoke up.

"For once, I agree with my brother.  I've had enough of this." Liam spit into the trash can. "Wait. Where's Maxwell?"

"Maxwell.  Max." They called, and he didn't come. "He will find his way back. Lets just go." Drake took Pam's hand "Drake, were in Washington,  not Cordonia how's he going to find his way?" Anitah folded her hands across her chest. "He's like a damn puppy brooks. He will find his way home, now come on." Drake grunted as Anitah finally gave in.

Back at the house Drake and Leo ran to the store, returning a short while later with a few cases of beer and some liquor and wine. Still no sign of Maxwell. "I'm gonna call him." Alicia pulled her phone out and dialed his number, they heard it ringing inside.  "Looks like he left his phone behind." Rashad lifted the phone off the counter. "I hope he is ok. Maybe we should call the police?" Pam worried, it wasn't like Maxwell to stray so far from the group.

Finally Maxwell came sauntering in, hands full of bags.  "Maxwell!" Anitah shouted as she wrapped him in a hug "where the hell have you been?" She slapped his arm. "Ouch, hey little blossom that hurt!" He rubbed his arm "I went to the fireworks tent. Look at all the cool stuff I got. "I'll be taking these." Drake reached out to grab the bags, Maxwell recoiled defensively, clutching the explosives to his chest. "No, these are mine. Don't take my toys away Drake."

"Maxwell, let me see what you have." Leo walked over sorting through the bag. "Um Maxwell,  most of these are illegal in DC. Where did you even get these?" Maxwell smiled, oh I took an Uber to Virginia. "Ok Maxwell. You can have these and these." Liam held him out a box of sparklers and some fountains.  "The rest, were putting up." He handed the bags to Bastian.

"Yeah, can you imagine Maxwell with a damn mortar? He would blow up the damn shed over there." Drake chuckled, and then shook his head.

The night went on, the group getting drunker by the minute.  Liam sat perched up on the steps of the pool, wearing American flag swim trunks and a stars and stripes bandana around his head. "Woooooo 'Merica!" He hollered as the group around him screamed " 'MERICA" back. Genevieve and Anitah danced on the picnic table in their skimpy bikinis, beers in hand. Alicia and Leo were busy in the corner. hands all over each other while Rashad and Maxwell played a game of washers.

"Hey, look what fell out of the bag." Pam beamed as she walked over with a small box. "The singing lotus?" Drake looked at it. "Huh. Looks like it plays the star spangled banner, when you light it." He pulled the content from the box and sat it on the patio next to the pool, carefully lighting the fuse and backing away.

The fireworks began to spin, sparks of red, gold and blue shot from the center while it played a very distorted version of the star spangled banner. "Oh my god. My ears, make it stop." Genevieve shouted as she held her hands over her ears.

Alicia stood up, momentarily stepping away from Leo and began to belt out the song.

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

Gen and Anitah stopped dancing, and began to sing along. Pam joining in as well.

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

"Play ball!" Anitah and Alicia said in unison. They looked at the burned out dilapidated flower. "Man that was a sad excuse for a firework. " drake mumbled "Just look at it." The group looked down at the melted heap of plastic and soot.

As the night went on and the sun went down, the group were pretty drunk. Pam and Drake disappeared into the pool shed, Anitah and Genevieve continued to dance and sing on the picnic table while Rashad and Liam looked on. Leo and Alicia ended up in the pool together,  while nobody noticed Maxwell had snuck off again. Anitah had convinced Liam to let her paint his face in the American Flag, so he just sat there arm slung over the chair, red white and blue face with a Budweiser in hand.

Rashad started to babble,  staring straight ahead. He made no sense whatsoever and the only thing he could do was point. "Rashad, what the hell are you trying to say. Spit it out." Genevieve snapped. Finally climbing down from the picnic table she stood in front of him waving her hands in front of his face "helllooooo?"  "Shiminag hemmeinah. Ah ma tha…" he babbled.

Suddenly a firework whizzed past Liam's head and exploded against the pool shed. "Run for cover." Liam screamed as he dove into the pool. Rashad still standing there dumbfounded Genevieve tried with all her might to pull him away, but he wouldn't budge. "I love you, but I don't feel like getting blown up." She yelled taking Anita's hand and jumping into the pool.

"What the fuck is going on out here?" Pam snapped as she and a Drake stumbled out of the shed. Another firework crashed into the shed, pam screamed and ran into the pool. Drakes pants fell around his ankles as he tried to run,  he kicked them off and joined his wife in the pool.

Fireworks were flying dangerously low, explosions everywhere as Maxwell sensed the sudden danger and ran for cover under the porch. Alicia and Leo obvious to the Chao ensuing around them, continued to have sex in the corner of the pool. Alicia opened her eyes looking above her. "Leo. I see fireworks." She gasped. "I know baby. I have that effect. " she smirked as he thrust into her. "No, you ass. The fucking back yards a war zone." She tapped his shoulder, and pointed to the disaster area. Leo loomed around the pool, their friends and family screaming. Bastien on the phone with the fire company, deftly ducked under a bottle rocket headed straight for his head. "Beaumont,  when I get my hands on you." Bastien shouted. "Im sorry bas. I didn't mean to light all the fuses." Maxwell shouted back.

Dark smoke plummeted from the pool shed where Pam was giving Drake a blow job, just moments prior. "Hope they got insurance " Leo joked as he and Alicia swam up to the group. Liam rolled his eyes taking not of their nude forms.  "Where the hell are your clothes?" He held back a snicker. He wasn't three sheets to the wind drunk, he would have been more annoyed at the situation at hand.

"Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave…" Alicia began to sing. "This again?" Drake rolled his eyes.  "Just sing along Walker." Pam kissed his lips.

"O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!" The group sang along,  just as the fire company rushed in putting the shed out.

The following Monday Liam walked into the council meeting, shoulders back, head held high. The hushed whispers began to circulate the room as Liam cleared his throat. "Shall we begin?" After the meeting a young council member approached him. "Your majesty, please may I speak freely?" Liam nodded "of course Lord Nicholas. And its Liam."

"Liam. Why Is there a faded Flag on your face?" Liam hung his head and shook it, recalling the past weekend's antics. Sighing loudly, he lifted his head. "Nick. Have you ever been to America on the 4th of July?"

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