#i bought so many toys on clearance there

[bebbie-bilinski]

Stiles Stilinksi age regression headcannons

go easy on me this is my first HC post 😅

ᴀɢᴇ ʀᴀɴɢᴇ

Stiles mainly regresses around the ages of 0-2 so his regression is geared towards the baby side. A lot of it consists of speech-loss, whines and hums, pointing for what he wants, using basic ASL, clumsy-ness, naps, and lots of cuddling. 

ᴡʜᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡꜱ?

Stiles is very secretive about his regression, at first the only person that knew about it was his dad Noah, but that was only because of how persistent the man was on finding out what exactly his son was guarding so closely. Then there’s Derek, who eventually becomes one of his primary caregivers. Derek seemed to take the “news” of his regression the hardest, not because he couldn’t accept it but because he had some serious cleaning up to do with his act (Slamming Stiles’ head onto the steering wheel of his jeep for shenanigans, tossing him around, being at the butt end of so many of Derek’s award winning death-glares, he had a lot of making up to do). Of course, where there’s Derek there’s Peter. He looves to tease about his regression at every given chance but is a very protective caregiver when need be. Then there’s Scott who’s always known even before he couldn’t place his best friend’s odd behavior with the term “age regression". He may be the worst babysitter ever for always giving in to ice-cream for breakfast… and lunch… and dinner, but he really means well! Lydia! Stiles was mortified when Lydia found out and avoided her at all costs but eventually got cornered and lectured on “why on Earth would he hide something like this from her when she’s fully capable of taking on whatever role he needed?!”. The rest of the pack learns about Stiles’ regression but initially its Noah, Derek, Peter, Scott, and Lydia.

ᴡʜʏ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɪᴛ

He mainly regresses due to trauma and a not-so-happy childhood. Although, he also uses it to cope with acute anxiety disorders and autism (yup he’s also got autism to me which I can make a separate post about and go much more in depth). Getting possessed by a thousands year old demon sure is a catalyst for wanting to throw on one of his dad’s old t-shirts, making a nest of blankets/toys and curling up on the couch while watching an old comfort cartoon. 

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɢᴇᴀʀ ʜᴇ ʜᴀꜱ

Baby pacifiers - He has one adult pacifier but the guy adores the tiny baby ones

Onesies - Not a huge fan of how constricting they can be so he only has two or three 

Fuzzy socks - Ohmygod his sock drawer is overflowing with an array of the softest and fuzziest socks he can find at the nearest Target

Stuffed animals - Need I say more? He’s got a couple jellycats (a wolf and a horse), two build a bears he frankenstein-ed and stitched together named Puppy-Bear (can you tell what animals they we’re respectively?), a Pound Puppy, a huge elephant named Jattestor from Ikea, Clarice (a six legged lamb by HoneyLambs seriously check them out they make the coolest stuffed animals), a plethora of Eeyores and a plethora of Furskin’s Bears as well as other customized stuffed animals (no I totally didn’t make this list off of my own stuffed animals, ur lucky I didn’t write them all down)

Pjs - Seriously I think he has a pajama-hoarding problem because at this point he collects any remotely cute and sensory friendly pajama set he lays eyes on

Bottle - his literal favorite piece of regression gear. Nothing fancy, just a small clear blue baby bottle he bought at the clearance section of whatever grocery store he was at

Miscellaneous- building blocks, counter bears, calico critters, jumbo crayons (cus the regular ones are just too small for his taste!), coloring books, stickers (So. Many. Stickers.), night lights, baby utensils, rattles and teethers, pacifier case, and a basket-full of stim toys

i'll be making more headcannon posts but expect them all to be stiles-centric ^^ and thank u @jjtheresidentbaby for all ur support/motivation :D

[strandbuckley]

Christmas Tree Farm

TWP 12 Days of Tarlos @tarlosweeklyprompts

Dec. 13: Christmas Tree Shopping

Read on ao3 here

Winter in Austin was a different kind of cold. TK was used to snow and ice, all of the things that came with winter in the North. This was a different kind of cold. This cold seeped through his layers of a hoodie and coat, chilling him to the bone. He pressed a little closer to Carlos, wrapping his chilled hands around his bicep as they walked through the Christmas market set up downtown. 

“Are you cold babe?” Carlos asked.

“A little,” TK admitted, breath clouding around his face as he spoke. 

“I’m getting you a better jacket for Christmas. I don’t like you being cold.”

“I don’t like it either.”

“We can go home if you want. We can do this on a day that’s less cold.”

“Nope. We promised Noah we’d have a Christmas tree when we got home and I will not disappoint him.”

“He’s two, baby. I promise he won’t know the difference if we have a tree today or next week.”

“No, but I will. This is his first Christmas with us and I want it to be perfect. So let’s go get our kid a Christmas tree.”

Carlos rolled his eyes at his husband’s antics and pulled him closer as they walked. They stopped at a few of the stands along the way, browsing for gifts for Andrea and some of their friends. TK found a handmade ornament of Captain America’s shield that he knew Mateo would love and a handmade vegan candle for Owen. They bought hot chocolate from one of the stands, and even though TK said it didn’t measure up to the Reyes family recipe they both held the styrofoam cups tightly, letting the heat seep into their cold fingers. 

Carlos was distracted for a while by a stand with handmade wooden children's toys and ended up buying a farm animal puzzle and a set of stacking blocks for Noah even though he had told TK two days before that he had far too many presents already. 

After almost two hours of mindless browsing and the purchase of one too many presents for all of the people in their lives, they finally made it for what they came for, their tree. The lot was full of them, despite it being only a few weeks before Christmas.

“Can I help you guys?” an older gentleman approached them, a name tag that read ‘Steve’ attached to his shirt. 

“We’re here for a tree,” Carlos answered.

“Perfect, that’s our specialty. How big of a tree are you looking for?”

“Our ceilings are about nine feet tall.”

“I’d recommend around an eight-foot tree, just to have a little bit of clearance between it and your ceiling. All of the eight-foot trees are on that side,” he pointed to a section to their right. “Let me know when you’ve found something and we’ll get it for you.”

“Thank you.”

They walked around the section of trees for a few minutes, ducking in between rows. The trees were enormous and TK could already imagine Noah’s little hands yanking the ornaments off the bottom branches. 

“Babe, come here,” Carlos called from another row.

TK moved toward his voice until he met him in front of a tree, full and the brightest green TK had ever seen. 

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s perfect, babe.”

Twenty minutes later, the tree was loaded into the back of the truck and tied down with straps to keep it secure. TK had checked it twice, having responded to one too many Christmas tree-related accidents in the past week. (Okay it was two, but his point still stood). 

It took both of them to maneuver the tree into the house, glad that Judd and Grace had taken Noah for the day. Dancing around a toddler while they attempted to get everything set up would have been a nightmare. 

TK called Judd, letting him know it was safe to bring Noah back, as Carlos went to the garage to drag out the decorations.

“Daddy!” Noah squealed as Judd opened the door, waddling across the room as fast as his little legs would carry him and straight into TK’s arms.

“Hi, bubba! Did you have fun with Uncle Judd?”

Noah nodded and leaned his head against TK’s shoulder, “Papa?”

“I’m right here buddy,” Carlos answered, putting down the box of ornaments he was holding in order to kiss his son. 

“He just had lunch about an hour ago,” Judd said, handing off Noah’s backpack. “He’s probably gonna be ready for a nap. He and Charlie haven’t stopped playing around all day.”

“I figured. He’s about to pass out right here,” TK chuckled. “I’m gonna go put him down for a nap.”

“Thanks for watching him today Judd,” Carlos said, walking the other man to the door.

“It’s no problem. I’ll see y’all later.”

While Noah was down for his nap, TK and Carlos began decorating. Everything they owned by way of Christmas decorations was a mix of what they’d owned before they moved in together and some things they bought for themselves along the way. 

TK teared up slightly as he pulled his mom’s menorah from the box. He sat it gently on the table using a cloth to carefully swipe a bit of dust from the metal surface. Carlos abandoned his task and wrapped his arms around his waist. 

“I wish she was here,” TK whispered.

“I know you do baby. But she is, in a way. She’s always here, looking out for you. And she’d be so proud of the man and father that you are Tyler.”

“It’s just hard, doing this without her. I want Jonah to have holidays with his mom and Noah to have them with his grandma.”

“Then they’re lucky to have you,” Carlos kissed his temple. “You are going to give them holidays they won’t ever forget. I promise.”

TK nodded and turned around to kiss him over his shoulder.

“Let’s finish getting this tree up before the little monster wakes up.”

They were putting the finishing touches on just as Noah’s calls for them rang out from the baby monitor. Carlos retrieved him, placing a gentle hand over his eyes and he carried him into the living room.

Seeing his face light up as he looked up at the tree almost brought them both to tears. They took about a million pictures, letting Noah explore, playing with plastic ornaments, and feeling the texture of the branches on his hands. The fun was cut short by a mild meltdown when they had to explain to Noah that the presents under the tree were his, but he couldn’t open them yet. Luckily it was solved fairly easily with a snack as Carlos began working on dinner for the three of them. 

The collective puppy eyes of his husband and son convinced Carlos to allow them to eat in the living room while watching The Polar Express. Noah fell asleep again, curled up on the cushions between them, stuffed bunny tucked under his chin. They let him rest there, the movie still playing as they relaxed together.

“We should probably put him to bed,” TK whispered as the credits began to roll. 

“Nah, let him sleep here for a little longer.”

Carlos ran a hand through his son’s hair, marveling at his tiny human for a little while. Every day, he couldn’t believe how lucky he and TK were that they got to be his parents. 

“What are you thinking about over there?”

“How lucky we are. We have a perfect kid TK.”

“Yeah, we do.”

Eventually, they decided that their bed on the couch wasn’t conducive to a good night’s sleep. They took Noah to his bed, tucking him in with his blanket and his bunny. They stood over him for a minute, watching him in a way that would be creepy if they weren’t his parents.

“I love him.”

“Me too,” Carlos whispered.

“We’re gonna give him the best Christmas ever right?”

“Absolutely.”

[pjisskullourful]

thank yall sofucking much for getting house sitter to 100notes!!

i have gotten clearance from myy friend to talk about one thing from the upcoming 18th chapter of stained sheets, which is a gorgeous commission. what i can say is- i found this toy while researching his collection& i knew immediately it was perfect for our couple so i tucked it in my notes. then when sorting out the details for the comm my friend gave me the perfect way to incorporate it. im not telling how its incorporated but this is a feature for chapter 18 (which comes after the dami vs ethan comm)

& heres the promised preview of the beginning of what chapter 19 will be, which is very much not what chapter 18 is gonna be

"You're buying those?" Max asked, interrupting you from placing the small box into your shopping cart.

You had been adding the condoms to your trolley without a second thought, it had become like a natural reflex when in this aisle of the grocery store - you didn't think there was any issue of having too many in the house. You glanced at your friend. "Yes, why? Did this company get, like, cancelled or something? Am I making the wrong condom choices?"

"No, no, it's nothing. Look, forget I brought it up, it's weird of me to get all intrusive on your birth control situation…" She said, readjusting her grip on her own trolley. "Let's just finish shopping, didn't you say something about needing olives? I think those are in the next aisle…"

You dropped the box in with your other groceries. "Screw the olives, you've got me curious now. Why are you so surprised that I'm buying these condoms?"

She took a step closer, lowering her voice to avoid being overheard by the other shoppers. "It's not those condoms, specifically. I am genuinely surprised that you are buying any condoms. I really would have thought that with how long you and Damiano have been together, you would've stopped using them, like, ages ago. Usually guys are all about ditching rubbers as soon as possible.

"It's like brainwashing as soon as you start fucking- oh babe, it feels so much better and for you too." She had put on a deeper voice. "You're gonna love how it feels. The wrappers are so hard to get open, it kills the vibe. My ex-girlfriend had a latex allergy, so I'm really out of practice. But it's my birthday. But I bought you that necklace and paid for dinner."

"Uhm, Damiano has never tried that with me, literally ever." You said. "Past douchebags, yes. But Damiano, never."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever works for you guys. And judging by the hickey that you're barely covering with concealer there- it is working for you guys."

You slapped a hand over the love bite that had sprung up on the side of your neck. "I tried, okay? It's these grocery store lights, no one looks good under fluorescents." 

She started to move away with her cart, heading past a mostly-stationary woman talking into her phone. You followed Max away from the shelf of condoms, going into the next aisle.

You had added the jar of olives (along with some other items) to your cart before your friend slipped into her more serious tone of voice again.

"I'm sorry for asking so many questions about your birth control situation, that is…" She cleared her throat and poorly sang the next words to diffuse some tension. "...none of my bus'ness."

You dismissed this with a limp-wristed flap of your hand. “I literally couldn’t care less. When have we ever had prudish boundaries?”

“That’s true. Sachetan said we should have more boundaries.” She said.

“We’ll add that to the list of useless shit he said when he could have be taking you on exciting dates or spending some time brushing his damn teeth.” You bitterly said of your friends’ former boyfriend (and yoga instructor). You went over to grab a bottle of milk from the refrigerated section.

When you got back, she was giving you that look that made you feel like you were being studied again (better to be studied than judged and you knew where her intentions were).

“So you have never, in your whole life, had unprotected sex?” She asked, keeping her voice low, despite the fact that you were the only two people in this aisle.

“Oh, like, a couple of times with my first boyfriend in high school- if you could even call that sex. I believe it would be what the kids are referring to now as a: one pump chump.” You said.

“Isn’t that a gun from Borderlands, the third game, right?” She asked before quickly pivoting. “But what about Damiano, has he ever…?”

“I dunno, we’ve never talked about it.”

“Well, I’m surprised, I wasn’t expecting him to be the poster boy for hashtag Not All Men. I don’t know what I was expecting.”

“I guess that he was just really paying attention to that part in Mean Girls and he thinks if he doesn’t use a rubber, he’ll get pregnant and die.” You joked.

The two of you finished up with the shopping - paying for and getting all of your items sorted into bags. You carried your things out to Max’s car, getting ready to leave.

“Am I missing out, do you think?” You asked after buckling yourself into the passenger seat.

She didn’t look at you as she started to pilot the car out of the parking lot. “Huh, missing out?”

“Going raw.”

She shrugged both shoulders. “Sex is sex.”

You burst out laughing, louder than you had been expecting and it earned you a scowl from her. “Sorry, but it’s- you’re so insightful. Wow, thanks for putting that into perspective for me.”

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t give your sarcasm any further acknowledgement. “I just mean that it’s never made an amazing difference for me. If the guy is doing it right, then I get off either way. And if he’s doing it wrong… well, you can’t really blame that on a condom, but of course, they try to. They make all of those super thin-feel styles anyways.

“I’m not about to tell you exactly how to live your life ‘cause it’s really a personal preference thing. But I just think that if something isn’t broken, you don’t need to try fixing it."

💋🥰

love yall! get caught up on stained sheets here!!

[smallerplaces]

Preview: I recklessly bought 4" dolls

I wasn't buying more dolls, except things leaped out at me.

The current state of Sparkle Girlz Minis was something I'd wondered about, and Five Below actually had some! Buying was conditional on really liking the face-up, so this Zuru Glitzeez gal was the winner. Her smile is cute!

Seeing all the Evi Love dolls at dd's discounts had gotten me thinking about Evi Love. I'd decided that if I ever bought one, she'd have to be one of the non-blonde dolls, preferably with ethnic-authentic hair (since so many of my Black gals are bargain lines that just don't bother with curly hair).

What I didn't expect was to find an Evi that met that description at the nearest TJ Maxx. Admittedly, I was reorganizing their disheveled toy shelves to put all the Evi Love boxes together, neatly, so my chances of finding what was there were pretty high. This was the only Black doll of the bunch. I dithered -- I'm not crazy about Evi Love face-ups -- until I flipped her over and noticed she was on clearance for $4. When the universe thrusts an item into your hands, it'd be rude not to accept.

Later this week I have time for a full comparison of all my 4" dolls. In the mean time, it's amusing that Zuru Glitzeez looks more like Kid Kore 2002 Jodi than like her own Sparkle Girlz predecessor.

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

Another discovery today: I won’t be able to buy Lego minifigures anymore!

To explain, you see I used to collect action figures, dolls, plushes, etc. Well, I say collect but not in a price guides and mint condition kinda way. It was more, “Oh, that looks cool! I’m putting you over there with the rest my army.” kind way.

Now back in the day I’d get tons of the stuff, not the super high end, but good ones. Most the nice ones are tied to memories. My parents trying to get a Sweeney Todd Hot Toy without me noticing was a super cute moment. Then there was the adventure in terrifying tow truck rides Mom and I had after driving to a mall 100 miles away to get a Sideshow Phantom of the Opera and breaking down. Lots of contests and gifts…

Anyway, back then I’d root through clearance shelves at places like Toys R Us, KB Toys, etc, or order super cool stuff because “OMG, they made a figure of (insert beloved character)” and as long as it was under $30 I wasn’t too worried. I mean, I once bought a bunch of Sideshow figures based on The Outer Limits because they looked really cool and were only $15 each on clearance. I could buy on whim.

But obviously that was financially a long, LONG time ago.

And yet I crave figures. I simply love three dimensional representations of living (real or imagined) things, especially with personalities. I’d collect statues if I were rich, but not being mass produced toys and “collectibles” satisfied that urge.

So, to keep myself happy as my money dwindled I just down graded what I could get. Like, ok, $30 is out, so maybe $20 tops, okay now $15. People bash POP figures, but for a while they were my go to fix. And then I decided they were too expensive too.

The last few years my “drug” of choice has been Lego minifigures, those little blind packaged things. Once every few months there would be a new wave and as a special treat to myself I’d give myself permission to get a couple.

Now the nice thing is I had a real knack for telling what was in them. I’d stand there getting weird stares as I groped the packets, but 100% of the time I’d get exactly the one I wanted.

And that’s the problem now. They have changed the bloody packaging! The new wave is in boxes, with nothing to feel!

Yes, back in the day I had a talent with those blind boxed Funko figures, but that was different. Those figures are much bigger with more variation in construction. With an ability to feel the small differenced in weight and to rock them to see how they shifted I had a very high success rate. But Lego figures are too tiny, constructed too much the same, and in too many pieces.

I looked forward to buying myself a $5 treat now and again. In fact my little Mulan, Stitch, and Robin Hood from the last Lego minifigure wave are looking at me from my computer. But now I assume they will be my last.

Those $5 minifigures were the last way I had to scratch my figure itch. I simply cannot afford to buy $5 just crossing my fingers I get the one I want, or worse, buy three and get three identical ones I don’t want. I do NOT gamble, not with money.

It’s right up there with when I had to give up buying comics, or my magazine subscriptions, or going to book stores, or going to the movies. I took these things for granted after doing them a life time, and had assumed I could just do them more rarely, be more selective, find cheaper options….

But nope.

Life is about the process of letting go of all the little joys I guess. Eventually you run out of little joys, so maybe that’s when you die or something. I dunno.

**sigh**

This no where else to retreat to realization has made me sad.

Damn, I wish I could sculpt worth a damn. Maybe I could fill my need that way…..

[ourlittledinosaur]

Falling in Love with Cloth Diapering

New Post has been published on http://ourlittledinosaur.com/falling-in-love-with-cloth-diapers/

Falling in Love with Cloth Diapering

Falling in LOVE with Cloth Diapers

I absolutely LOVE cloth diapering. I never imagined how much I would enjoy it! I mean, they are diapers after all.

How it All Got Started

My husband and I decided the summer before my son was born to go the cloth diaper route. Initially my reason for looking into it was cost savings.

Before researching cloth diapers, I was doing a cost analysis of a list I had made for everything I thought we needed for the baby. I actually researched approximately how many diapers we might need in the first year and the cost was staggering. It was something like $1,500. Wowza!

My husband and I have been making gradual changes for a couple years now to try to lead a less wasteful life style, and try to save and make money where we can. We garden vegetables and herbs, compost, recycle metal, hang dry our laundry, and are looking into commuting by bike rather than car. Once we have some land, we plan to do a lot more.

So right off the bat, the first thing we liked about the possibility of cloth was the idea of reusing diapers rather than a one-and-done approach.

We liked that many of the diapers we bought would last from newborn stage right on through potty training! We especially liked the idea of using diapers for more than one child.

Making the Decision to Cloth Diaper

The truth is I didn’t know anything about cloth diapering. No one in my world used them. So I searched and read as much as I could online. Interestingly enough, both my mother and my husband’s mother cloth diapered with us, but didn’t like it. They both thought we were crazy for considering it, seeing it as unnecessary in this day and age. (They have been surprised at the options now available compared to 30 years ago!)

Before I actually decided cloth was for us, I decided to look into how I might save money buying disposable diapers. I read some crazy articles about constantly watching out for sales at six different stores, and buying in bulk and creating stock piles of different sized diapers and such. Those articles I read mentioned how I never needed to pay more than $.17 per diaper – a deal which I couldn’t find on my own as I have yet to learn the art of couponing. (A work in progress.)

There were a few things that made this approach unappealing for me, not the least of which was the uncertainty of just HOW MANY diapers I would need. If I was to stockpile diapers of various sizes, how was I to know what was enough…or worse, too many. It seemed easy to fall into the trap of wastefulness once again.

Another reason I didn’t want to go this route was because I’m not a big fan of shopping. Oh yes, I love to go shop for a new dress for myself, a gift for my husband, or toys for my son every now and then – and motherhood has certainly made me appreciate those trips to the grocery store as a way of “getting out of the house”.  However, the thought of watching for sales like it was my job, and bouncing around from store to store looking at clearance sales was almost stressful for me. I do love online shopping though.

Not What I Expected

So my search for the most cost effective and easiest diapering method led me to cloth diapering. Let me be honest that this did not appeal to me at all at first. I decided to really do my due diligence, and pressed on. I read article after article, and blog post after blog post.

I needed to know HOW to cloth diaper. I had never even seen a cloth diaper before! I quickly realized there were several types of cloth diapers, so I had to read to overcome that learning curve as well. Then, I needed to know WHICH cloth diapers were best. What type? What brand?

When I started my research, I was fully expecting to learn how to use a large safety pin (just like I had seen in stork bringing the baby cartoons), to pin in a towel that I was attaching to my baby. I expected to learn the trick of pinning this towel without sticking him, and then I imaged my child crinkling about as he sported the plastic pants I’d inevitably be buying for him.

Three things surprised me, as I began my cloth diapering education:

I was surprised that all these women whose articles I was reading, truly loved cloth diapering.

I was surprised at all the different cloth diaper options out there. It’s not like it was 30 years ago when we were babies.

I was surprised at how easy clothing diapering truly is.

Here are 5 Reasons Why I LOVE Cloth Diapering!

Cost Savings. I could go into great detail about how many of which type of cloth diaper is better. Naturally since there are different types of diapers, the prices vary. For the super thrifty, cloth diapers can even be purchased used from second hand stores, other crunchy mamas, and online marketplaces. The cheapest option I found is using prefolds with covers. The concept here is that the cover can be used multiple times (2-4x) and the prefold diaper replaced at each changing. To get started, I bought 36 prefolds (12 in a smaller size and 24 in a larger size), and 6 covers. From my experience this was probably more than I needed. The covers were about $15 to $25 each new. (I bought two different brands and the characters and prints may vary.) The prefolds were about $25/dozen. I also got a few special inserts to help with extra absorbency to get us through the night. For convenience only, I have since purchased (used from a second-hand store) “all-in-2” diapers, in which an absorbent insert is put in a shell, and this entire package is used once before washing. These were about $7 each. (If you decide to buy 2nd hand, I do recommend stripping the diapers first. Click here for great information on stripping diapers. Click here for great information on proper wash routines for cloth diapers.) This is much more than what is needed for one day. With all these diapers, I can go 3 or 4 days between washes, so I only do two extra loads of laundry a week. So, with the diapers, and diaper paraphilia (diaper pail, diaper pail liner, and wet bags, and diaper sprayer (not needed until my baby started solids), and the modern day “safety pin”, snappies!), my cost to get started was about $400.

Versatility. One of my cousins asked me what my theme was regarding purchasing baby items. When I asked her what she meant, she said, “Like for me, I wanted things that were easy!” “Oh,” I replied. “I want things that last me as long as possible – from as early on after birth to toddler hood, if possible.” And THAT is precisely what cloth diapers do! Many cloth diapers come in “one size”. The ones I purchased are for children 8-35 pounds. (8 pounds? But what about babies who are born smaller than 8 pounds? Honestly, I used disposable newborn diapers with my son for the first several weeks. They do have cloth diapers that are made especially for newborns, but since this stage is so short, and there are meconium (sticky, dark, tar-like substance) poops in the beginning that are difficult to clean and can easily stain cloth diapers, I decided to use disposable at first.) However, since that stage we have loved using our Rumparooz diaper covers with snaps and prefolds!

Durability and Absorbency. My husband and I recently took a trip out of state, and to avoid taking an extra suitcase just for cloth diapers, we went ahead and bought a small pack of disposable diapers. Although they served their purpose, they were so much more flimsy than the cloth diapers we have come to depend upon. My husband and I both agreed that anytime my son urinated, the pee smell was much stronger than when he is wearing cloth diapers. The disposables seemed to be plenty absorbent. When my son did do the dreaded “number two”, the smell was much more pungent than with cloth. Throwing it in the trash wasn’t enough to mask the smell even though it has a lid. It needed to be tossed in the dumpster outside! His cloth diapers, though, work wonderfully at preventing blowouts. I remember when my son was only a few weeks old, how the mess would escape his newborn disposables. Yucky! The cloth diapers are also incredibly strong and can last through several baby bums worth of diapering. I will say that not every brand is created equal. I have not been particularly impressed with the Bummis brand cover with velcro. The velcro has not shown itself to have the same quality as the other brands with velcro I purchased. Thirsties Duo Wrap hook and loop have been great diaper covers and the velcro still looks like new after 10 months of use. (We use velcro covers at night to get a more fitted diaper and better control leaks – aka No Leaks!)

Adorability! Anyone who has ever seen a baby in just a diaper has probably said, “Cute!” Cloth diaper takes the diapered bum up to a whole new level of ADORABLE! With so many cloth diapering types and brands, a diaper has now become a cute accessory and a part of an outfit. There are so many color choices, not to mention fun designs and characters.

Better for Sensitive Skin. My son has very sensitive skin, which we expected even before he was born as both my husband and I do also. Cloth diapers, when washed properly, are a terrific option for babies who experience diaper rashes. In our recent experience with disposables, my son had a bout of diaper rash which quickly healed once we were back home and he went back to his cloth diapers. If you are using cloth and do need a cloth diaper friendly diaper rash cream, I recommend using the all natural version of Boudreaux’s Buttpaste (green tube). It’s worked very well for my son.

So if you’re just starting out as a first time parent, or maybe have already started down the road of disposable diapers well into your third kiddo but are curious about cloth diapering, go ahead and take the plunge. Even if you just buy one or two to get you started so you can see how they work and compare to disposable, this is a great start! All I can say is I have not been disappointed in the decision to go cloth!

Here is a really thorough resource on cloth diapers.

NOTE: Feel free to look through the different sizes and colors on the products links I shared throughout the post. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

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[heidiblack]

Convention Artist Alley Review: Dokidokon

Convention: Dokidokon

Location: Kalamazoo, MI

Date: July 15-17

Table cost: $197

Table size: 8’ 

Application: FCFS

Fandom/audience: Anime

Items for sale: 11x17" posters (fanart and original), coloring book, zines (fanart and original), comics, pins (original), resin coasters and jewelry, postcards (clearance)

Mask policy: Required in all areas

New items/display: Bringing my old postcards and selling at half price to get rid of them

Previously attended? No

Pros: inexpensive table, large table, new audience

Cons: Kalamazoo is in the middle of nowhere

Most popular item(s): Posters (79)

Least popular item(s): Commissions (0)

I took notes for this show as it was certainly an interesting one.  I was coming off of COVID (I tested myself daily, and thankfully that Thursday I was finally testing negative). While the convention had sent emails on where the hotel was and which street the loading docks were supposed to be on, when I arrived I wasn’t able to find anything and eventually just parked in the hotel loading zone for the 10 minutes required for me to unload.  The vendor/artist room was in the basement, with most of the artists congregated on the left, but the rest of us spread out throughout the layout.  The room itself was an unusual shape (and, according to the staff, not actually straight on any axis) so the layout was both crowded and strange.  I was facing a back wall and exit, but this didn’t seem to impact my sales at all.

Unfortunately, a lot of things went wrong with the vendor part of the show: the building was undergoing renovation so the downstairs bathrooms near us had no sinks (just some portable hand washing stations); there was no internet/connection in the basement (the staff bought us dedicated vendor wifi because they are amazing), and Square processors went down. The lights in the room went out several times.  Additionally, there were several different vendors playing loud music which made hearing anything difficult. The lines to various events wrapped around in weird places creating bottlenecks and traffic jams next to the escalators.  The worst strike, though, was being told we were not allowed to bring in ANY outside food, including water. 

For as many bad things, though, I still had a great time and did really well at the show! The drive up is pleasant and not all interstate highway (I even got to drive some country back roads!) and the attendees were really nice and enthusiastic. The staff was super helpful and friendly, and checked on us multiple times throughout the weekend. It also seemed like there were some really cool events happening, like a team-based scavenger hunt/event participation contest.

Gross sales: ~$3000

Recommend/will attend again? I’m already signed up for 2023!

Other 2022 convention reviews:

Anime Midwest

Anime Ohio

Huntington Toy & Comic Con

Momocon

SPACE

Causeacon

Indiana Comic Con

Ohayocon

Anime Zap (featuring 2021 review links)

These reviews take a lot of time and effort, but I think they are something the artist alley community needs! If you would like to support me so I can keep doing these, please consider donating or buying from my shops!

Help support Heidi Black by donating or sharing with your friends.

Storenvy

Etsy

[adam16bit]

There are a few toy lines I buy but don't actively collect. One I wish I bought more of is Imaginext. They don't put out a lot of non-licensed figures, but I tend to get pretty excited by some of the ones I've got. This Shark Pirate from 2016 was pretty great.

It's amazing how the last few years more or less shattered toy prices and expectations - blind bags are much less common, and $2.99 3-inch action figures like this are exceptionally rare outside of clearance racks and thrift stores.

I kind of wish I got more from the Shark Pirates line. And the skeleton pirates. But it's probably good I didn't - there are lots of toys and it's a lot to keep track of. There aren't a lot of weird toys that exist apart from a TV tie-in, so I really appreciate a pirate man with an eye patch, pants, and a sawfish sword.

If you stumble on these, I'd recommend them. But don't buy too many - get a playset or two at a thrift store, a box of cheap figures, and maybe a couple of vehicles. Just enough stuff for a shelf. It's rewarding and fun to play with, and it gives me an excuse to pull a couple of vehicles or playsets out whenever I find a really good new figure. I've got my eye on some of the Lightyear spaceships, I'd like to get that $15 XL-01 unless the Vic Viper-esque one sees production.

[flirting-with-psychology]

**Brown Survey**

ever been to a rodeo? 🤠: Yeah when I was a kid

Have you ever had a brown and white dog? 🐶: No

Have you ever fed a goat? 🐐: Maybe?

Did you watch the show Little Bear when you were younger? 🐻: Yes!

What was your first dog's name? 🐕: Never had a dog

Name someone you know who owns a horse. 🐴: Lyra

Do you like coconut? 🥥: Yeah

Name three things that you think taste good with bacon.🥓: Nothing, I don’t like bacon

What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? 🦃: Stuffing

What are three things you are thankful for? 🦃: My boyfriend, my job, not living with my parents anymore

Have you ever played with a Mr. Potato Head toy? 🥔: Yeah

Have you ever hit a deer with your car? 🦌: No

Have you ever seen a deer run across the road? 🦌: Yeah when I was little

Do you like horses? 🐎: Yeah

Have you ever ridden a horse? 🐎: Yeah

Have you ever been thrown from a horse? 🐎: Not thrown, but I fell off when I tried to ride bareback

What is the most beautiful landscape you have ever seen? 🍂: Dunno

Do you like the sound of crickets? 🦗: Eh

What are three things that you are slow at? 🐌: Sports, typing, love life

What is your favorite type of pie? 🥧: Strawberry rhubarb

Have you ever seen a squirrel do something really stupid, like run headfirst straight into a curb ? 🐿: No

Name three things you like that bounce. 🦘: Bouncy balls, ... idk

What are three things that camels make you think of? 🐪: Desert, Aladdin, water

What was the last thing you ordered from Amazon? 📦: Can’t remember

Were you born in the year of the ox? 🐂: No

What color is your winter coat? 🧥: Maroon

Name someone you know who is a Scorpio. 🦂: Dunno

What is your favorite shade of brown? 🤎: Like reddish brown

Do you look good in brown? 🟫: Depends

What is your least favorite shade of brown? 🟤: Like poop brown

Do you have brown eyes? 👁: Yes

Do you have brown hair? : Yes

What type of fly do you consider to be the most annoying? 🪰: The big ones that follow you around

Are you tall? 🦒: Taller than average

Do you own any leopard-print clothing, and if so, what? 🐆: Some from when I was younger

Have you ever had a gold retriever? 🦮: No

Name someone you know who has or has had a golden retriever. 🦮: No one I know personally

Are you an outdoors person? 🪵: Nope

Have you ever found a bird's nest with eggs in it? 🪺: Not sure, I can’t see the eggs

Do you prefer hard pretzels or soft pretzels? 🥨: Soft

When was the last time you ate at KFC? 🍗: Dunno

Do you prefer dark chocolate or milk chocolate? 🍫: Dark

What is your favorite type of donut? 🍩: Probably just glazed

Have you ever drank milk from a coconut? 🧉: No

Have you ever been hit in the face with a football? 🏈: Not a football but other balls

Have you ever thrown a boomerang? 🪃: Not successfully

Do you like African music? 🪘: It’s not really my style

Do you ever listen to Celtic music? 🎻: Sometimes

Do you like Celtic music? 🎻: Yeah

Name someone you know who can play the violin. 🎻: My mom

What are three things that appeal to you about living in Africa? 🛖: None really, I don’t think I’d want to live there

Do you own an old-fashioned radio? 📻: No

Do you own an analog clock? 🕰: Yeah

Do you own a ladder? 🪜: Not personally

Have you ever done the Thriller dance? ⚰️: Yeah

When was the last time you went on a picnic? 🧺: 2020

What color is your closet door? 🚪: White-ish

What color was your closet door in the house you grew up in? 🚪: White in my mom’s, mirrored in my dad’s

What color are your kitchen chairs? 🪑: Brown with teal-gray upholstery

How many wooden chairs do you own? 🪑: I own one

Have you ever stepped in dog poop? 💩: Probably

What is your favorite eye color? 👁: Green

Do you own a pair of brown shoes? 👞: Yes, several boots

Where is the most interesting place you have been hiking? 🥾: Masada in Israel

What color is your purse? 👜: Green and tan

Have you ever owned a designer purse? 👜: Yes, I bought it on clearance

Any vacations coming up? 🧳: Not planned

Name three things monkeys make you think of. 🙉: Zoo, bananas, tail

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

I hope you have an amazing day!

[ultralaser]

perhaps more meaningful as a metric than ‘i graduated high school 20 years ago in june’ is that in july my ebay account will be 20 years old

twenty years! of buying and selling shit online, starting with a rare trials and tribbleations miles o’brien i found at toysrus, back when there was a toysrus at the mall, and nobody on ebay had digital cameras, or paypal, so transactions took way longer and ran almost entirely on the honor system

my ebay store is older than half the stores in the mall now, damn

[hehehoohoohole]

Today was a Bregless day, and while that was usually a good day for his obsession, it left Liva bored and cranky. She understood he was a grown man and of course his mate needed so much of his attention but he didn't need to spend all his time following them around, she'd given them a nice quality taser (through Breg) so that they'd be safe! To combat this sort of empty nester feeling she decided to go shopping, heading by the baby section first to see if there was anything cute for her future grandchildren to wear, nothing that suited her taste... Damn.

But! She could look at toys, it would be good to be up on kids trends for when she had her first daughter, though men hadn't really been coaxed into sitting on the bench near her pond yet. As she walked toward the toy isle her tail flicked idly behind her, maybe a big tree with a swing? A single dad would be even mo- she stopped, why were so many toys poop related? This was the sort of thing you had to teach kids not to play with.

Many, MANY toys were toilet themed with slime added to them, frowning to herself, she made a face and went to clearance, seeing yet more poop themed slime "Unicorn poop" no it certifiably was NOT. Still, something came to mind and a smirk slowly split her face.

She had a VERY good idea of what to do today.

The Clergy, disgusting place truely, and not just because of the... Whatever spell the owner has cast on it. The monsters here were the sort that would try to eat or lure away husb.. humans, all humans, not just husbands, and she hated it, but knew better than to try and stand up to whatever owned this place. The witch had her own power but she was nowhere near a god. Heading in,she paused at the door and, since this was a monsters only establishment, freed herself from her bra and shirt, letting her breasts hang free while shoving her clothes into her shopping bag. Much better! Then she began her search ignoring everyone until she found him.

A grin spread on her face and rushing over to him, she was happy to see he was already in a fishbowl...why? Who cares! The not yet puddle of demon eyeing her warily "I don't like the way you're looking at me toots.." The troll sat down, pulled his bowl first and completely ignored the bar tender who was loading up a tray anyway. Setting her bag on the counter her tail thrashed excitedly and she licked her lips. "Just hold still, and I'll buy you a nice big drink after." This clearly did not assage his fears but free booze make him shut up.

At least until she finished opening everything in her canvas bag, and began force feeding him different discount slimes, he had to open his mouth to protest and that simply gave her more room to play her sadistic little game more. Glitter slime, iridescent, glow in the dark, scented, all of the clearance packets had been bought and if he closed his mouth she simply smashed them into his sides to force him full of more.

Eventually the bar tender looked over at them with his one glowing eye, and decided this was not his problem, getting a rag to wipe down the counter and watch from the corner of his eye. Was this one of Fasmas ex wives? She was assaulting him like she was, he did have the "Divorced three times" air about him. If that was the case it was DEFINITELY not Gallons job to deal with.. that.

The little ghost man triggered agression in the troll, and she wasn't exactly sure why that was, but with her sulking today and the idea now happening she was much happier, her tail a blur of motion behind her. At least until someone drew her attention by trying to grab one of her breasts, the little bat creature got a hard kick to the chest for that but little else, no one here was starving, or if they were they deserved it.

That put a thought in her head though, and once she was out of slimes to shove into the now rainbow and very fruity smelling ball of plasma, she looked to the slime behind the bar. "Hello! Who do I speak with about becoming a supplier for this hell hole?"

@eldritch-spouse

[dollsonmain]

Stuff I Did Buy

Ok so I got the clearanced advent which was $15 for 24 figures + 1 regular ball which is $6 for 5 figures (though it was only 4 and a shopping cart).

This many are new, variants, or upgraded versions of ones I had! 17 out of 30 kind of sucks but that’s blind box toys for you.

This was the only version of these little face planters that was on sale. I’ll give you 3 guesses why.

Here I’ve been thinking this poinsettia was doing so very poorly because it had been in the same pot for 4 years and probably was root bound.

Turns out the opposite is what’s been going on. I’ve been underwatering it when I water it and its roots had barely grown at all. So I’m going to have to remember to SATURATE the pot on watering day to get the roots to grow. Maybe water less frequently at a higher volume.

I do seem to have killed off the bugs that were on it, though.

5Below had Hello Kitty Strawberry Milk t-shirts and I got one.

And these arrived. I literally only bought these because I can resell them for more than I paid.

[queercultleader]

DIY Cardboard Coffin Shelf

I present to you.. my cardboard coffin shelf. Now, I’m sure you have questions and I’ll answer them with this: I’m broke and I’m bored. I have seen these lovely coffin bookcases and I’ve wanted one for so long but truthfully even the smaller ones are a little expensive and though I’d love a big one— I’m currently in no place to own one.

However, I went to Walmart the other day and was roaming the clearance aisle like a goblin creating a hoard of things no one else wanted. I found these packs of posters for 50 cents. In each pack there were two posters separated by a piece of cardboard. I bought three packs so I had three pieces of cardboard just chilling in my trash can. I got home from work and after a while it dawned on me.. bro, what if. In that clearance aisle I also found fancy scrap-booking paper for like $3.50 so I bought that as well—which ended up being perfect for this unforeseen craft.

So if you plan to play along at home here’s what you’ll need:

Cardboard

Hot glue

Scissors

Pen and ruler (if you’re smarter than me)

Pretty paper and decorations

First and foremost, I didn’t measure anything out. I just went with it and somehow it ended up not awful. Mine isn’t perfect, it’s a bit crooked and stuff. I used old parts from jewelry I don’t wear anymore and an old plastic skeleton from a Halloween many moons ago. Just work with what ya have, y’know? Last picture is just a display setup to test if it could actually hold objects! I’m actually pretty proud, look at her—she’s glorious with her bloody bow and stability. On the back, I painted a toy skeleton black and glued it to the center.

[expectedbehavior]

I was raised by someone who grew up poor (4 kids in rural Louisiana with homemade clothes levels of poor) and who kept that mindset even after they were no longer financially insecure. It heavily influenced how I conceptualize money and purchases, even tho I am also financially secure. (Yes, even despite my objectively ridiculous “collect all the shit” hobbies lol)

INTELLECTUALLY I know that I can afford to purchase things at prices that seem extravagant to my mind. But I can’t get rid of the feeling that I SHOULDN’T do that, because of many interconnecting associations from my childhood — and also due to How Life Be (TM) in the US.

What if The Thing isn’t really worth that amount? (It probably isn’t but how will I know that until I have it?)

Maybe I just haven’t looked hard enough to find it at a better price. (I mean, maybe, but how long do you “look hard enough” before saying “nope this is it.”?)

What if I get in a medical situation after buying it and now I’m in medical debt up to my ears but if I hadn’t bought The Thing I could have avoided it? (Jesus, I hate private healthcare…)

In the end my mind always runs in circles and I end up settling for something cheaper or I hunt for “bargains” secondhand. But sometimes I wish I could get my brain to understand that buying something used for $100 that looked great but probably has hidden issues and needs copious amounts of work is not necessarily “better” than just buying the thing I need new IF I CAN AFFORD TO DO SO.

I 100% recognize that 1) this is completely a First World Problem, 2) something that is not life threatening in any way, and 3) probably going to make people say I’m a whiny privileged kid and to stfu. I am not writing this post to flaunt things. I am writing it to try and force myself to internalize these thoughts that IT’S OK TO BUY THE THINGS I NEED/WANT EVEN IF THEY ARE “EXPENSIVE”. If I can afford to buy the thing at the price it’s listed at, then I should! I don’t HAVE to find a “better deal”, I don’t HAVE to buy secondhand, I don’t HAVE to justify the price. If I need a cabinet I don’t HAVE to go find a $50 one on Craigslist, I can go into a store or buy one online from a retailer. Right?

It’s just that this is how my concept of money and finances and what is “allowed” has worked my entire life. It started with my mother and the fact that literally every piece of clothing I owned was from the clearance rack. Purchasing a shirt at full price? HAH fuck no, go look at the sale rack.

It’s why I feel guilty when I buy a poster or a Hot Toys figure or something completely frivolous EVEN WHEN I HAVE BUDGETED FOR IT because I know they’re expensive, and my brain tells me I am not allowed to buy things that 1) aren’t necessities and 2) aren’t on “sale” or cheap. It doesn’t stop me from spending money on limited edition things — because I know they won’t come around again. But it does stop me from buying expensive yet “common” items like furniture, house items, other necessities like that. It’s why I think of everything I own in bartering terms: how many posters will I need to sell to buy that bookshelf, how many vinyl albums is that couch worth, I just need to sell 2 more things at $X amount to buy the lamp I wanted… 99% of the time I don’t NEED to sell anything to buy the damn lamp, but that’s not how my mind frames it.

I didn’t grow up financially insecure but I was raised as if I was in many ways, and I don’t know to break out of that mindset. Anyone else here know what I’m talking about?

[hectabdr]

Dragon Raja IV - Chapters 3 & 4 (Abridged)

Hi everyone, continuing with today's chapters, these are centered around Nono and Caesar and their lives after he returned from Japan.

Previous chapters

Chapter 3

Mediterranean Sea, Republic of Malta.

The Island of Frefra is mostly an ecological reserve, there is a white building on top of a natural harbor with luxury yachts and sailing boats. Tourists and locals have always been interested in knowing more about its residents, but the government is very secretive about it. It is well protected against binoculars and often, music can be heard coming from the inside. Girls in white dresses walk around it and they're known as the "Iris girls".

At 5:45 am, a rotating alarm clock started playing a terrible heavy metal song, making its way through fashion magazines and snacks, it ran around the bedroom of Chen Motong, who finally trapped it and took its batteries out.

She slept for another 20 minutes and woke up in a hurry. She had classes to attend. Cooking lessons, Japanese tea ceremonies, British literature and music appreciation, amongst other things. This was the Golden Iris Shuyuan Academy. It was meant to educate Nono on how to live among nobility.

She arrived late at the breakfast table only to realize the other girls were betting on her punctuality. After she accepted Caesar's proposal, he took her to Rome to meet his relatives, some of which were more than 300 years old, they left their cryogenic beds and unexpectedly blessed their marriage (after evaluating her from head to toes). Nono's own family was rich and powerful, known as the Black Prince Group. After both families signed the marriage contract, they agreed to make Nono drop out of Cassell to take a years-long bridal training in the Shuyuan Academy.

During her dancing lessons, a yawning Nono was the only one who couldn't keep up with the rhythm, prompting her teacher to whip her foot.

At her cooking class, she kept eating bits off her dish, leaving almost nothing for the teacher to evaluate.

She managed to succeed on her tea ceremony while her boredom made her toes fight each other behind her back. She was distracted during literature and used her profiling skill to cheat on her analysis of classical music.

She unwillingly started regretting the moment she accepted the marriage proposal, but not because of Caesar, it was all about the life that awaited her. The lessons were relentless and the academy was isolated from the outside world. She didn't sleep enough because she used her Cassell training to sneak out at 10:00 pm to swim by the beach, that was the only time in her day when she felt truly free.

She toyed frequently with her obnoxious alarm clock, it was a gift from her old classmate, Luminous. On her last birthday, he casually carried a backpack with him all day, it was pretty obvious that he was preparing to give her a gift, which he nervously did, and he was the only person who dared to do so, as everyone else felt intimidated by Caesar.

She knew about Luminous's feelings for her. All of the male classmates who liked her could easily fill the whole cafeteria. Luminous was just one of them. She considered herself a passer-by in his life, thinking some girls of his age (like Zero) would be a better match for him. One day he'd mention it as a thing of the past and they would both laugh about it.

She hoped to finish the bridal course in months, but it had already been a year. She brought mostly books but she quickly ran out of things to read.

Suddenly, she realized someone was hiding in her bedroom, right after the cleaning lady left. The intruder took one of her books and a bag from her secret stash of potato chips. She turned off the lights and grabbed a knife, more excited than scared, she searched for the thief.

After finding nothing, she remembered her bathtub, and there he was, asleep with the missing book on his face and a bag of chips in his belly. She punched him in the stomach. A patrolling Nun showed up, concerned, Nono hid the intruder in the tub and pretended to take a bath. If someone found Luminous in her room, they would accuse Nono of having an affair.

The nun searched the whole place with a revolver but couldn't find anyone, before leaving, she had a conversation with Nono about her situation in the academy, specifically her wish to leave. In the lady's words, "Her soul seemed to lag behind her body". Luminous finally understood that she was there to become the perfect bride. When the nun left, Nono scolded him for his presence, she realized he looked different, he was clearly taking care of himself, better dressed, he definitely had a better haircut. He also thought she looked somehow different, more elegant, but exhausted.

His stomach roared, breaking a long awkward silence and she took him out to steal some food for him. They took wine from the cellar, along with some ham and cheese.

-Sister, do you know Johann Chu? -Maybe, was he your boyfriend or did he just owe you money?

Luminous explained his situation to her: he decided to go with the school's psychologist, professor Toyama, who diagnosed him as schizophrenic. Toyama attempted to erase Johann off his memory, but Luminous responded by making a scene and drawing out his desert eagles. He tried to track Johann in everyone else's memories but his missing classmate didn't have many friends.

Anjou couldn't remember him either. Back during Luminous's second year, there was no trial against a Blood Rage user, Frost Gattuso only accused the principal for his terrible administration. The rollercoaster incident happened way after they finished their ride with Shavee. Anjou gave Luminous the location of Chen Motong, telling him to use her profiling ability to find some clues.

However, Nono also believed Luminous had schizophrenia and convinced him to stop his search and look for treatment instead. Luminous lamented his condition and how he couldn't trust the world he lived in anymore, however, despite how enticing it was to forget Johann and go back to the real world, he felt his brother was still out there, waiting to be saved, but everyone forgot about him. Nono couldn't do much for him in his situation.

-Years ago, you were not the president of the Student Union, but a scared boy that I rescued from a theater. Now that you don't trust the world anymore, you came back to me. How many more times do you think I'll be here to save you?

Suddenly, a security guard noticed the candle they lit in the cellar. Nono didn't know how to react, but someone broke a bottle of wine on the guard's head and knocked him down. It was Finger, who informed Luminous that now he was wanted by Cassell, as they thought he was an undercover agent sent by the Dragon Raja.

Apparently, on the same night that Luminous left the college, someone entered the Ice cellar and stole Constantine's skeleton, severely injuring principal Anjou in the process. The only student with such clearance and power was the S-Rank himself.

Agents of the Execution Bureau went looking for Finger in Cuba, so he buried them in a tobacco field, with their heads out, of course.

Nono urged them to understand the seriousness of what it meant to be hunted by the secret party, which essentially made them targets of the whole world. They could leave no traces for Norma to track down. She considered there were three possibilities:

1- Luminous was insane.

2- He was an undercover agent sent by the dragon raja all along.

3- He was the only person in the world who was't hypnotized.

The only being who could be responsible for the third option is the white dragon king. Its skeleton was never recovered. Their only option was to travel with Luminous in secret to track down any trace that Johann might have left in the world before he disappeared.

-I really hope my brother is alive... -True Love! Said Finger and Nono in unison.

Finger then urged them both to leave and "go save the world" but Nono refused to leave. She had a responsibility with her family and with Caesar. As Luminous turned around and started walking, Finger stunned her, urging Luminous to help him carry her outside.

Chapter 4

Caesar Gattuso was sitting down in a church. This was the anniversary of his mother's death, so he wore a suit, drove a Harley Davidson motorcycle on his way there and brought her a bouquet of white flowers.

When he was younger, she bought him a miniature bike, she also loved to see him wearing little suits. Most of Caesar's style was based on her taste, he thought that would please her while she watched him from heaven.

The first time he had been on the Milan cathedral, he was attending her funeral. The ceremony was presided by the pope himself. Knowing of his family's involvement in her death, he poured kerosene on the coffin and lit a fire on the church. The authorities managed to save the historical building and despite of it all, Caesar was still allowed inside every year to mourn Gulweig, (as long as he wasn't carrying any dangerous chemicals).

Parsi Gattuso arrived in a car to give him some urgent news, his wife Chen Motong had gone missing. He brought with himself a letter that she wrote for her fiancé, it expressed Chen's dissatisfaction with her new life, asking him to give her some time.

Caesar immediately realized the poetic letter was fake, since Nono wouldn't bother to express herself in such a way. According to him, Nono would just write "Caesar, I'm leaving" In a napkin and leave it on top of her bed. The letter was probably written by a narcissistic person like Finger.

However, this left him reflecting on Nono's true feelings towards her future, wondering if all he did was capturing a bird (that he initially admired for its freedom) just to lock it in a cage.

Far away in Cassell College, the elders of the Secret Party reunited for an emergency meeting, the first one since 1961. Many famous individuals that once shaped the course of history were in it, still alive after faking their deaths to cover up their slow aging. In the principal's chair, Leonardo Flammel, the vice-principal and a direct descendant of Nicholas Flammel sat down and started the meeting.

He welcomed EVA, Norma's war personality with 140,000 times her processing power, and asked her to project a life-like hologram of Anjou's assassination attempt.

According to the recording, the previous night, the principal intended to access the ice cellar, but he stopped meters before reaching the entrance. He looked behind and said:

-Is that you?

In a fraction of a second, his access card had left his pocket after something cut through it. His entire body started bleeding from multiple cuts to his skin. He had no time to react and tried to use the card as his weapon, since the attacker didn't give him enough time (even using Time Zero) to draw his dragon slaying knife. It was guessed that his opponent could use Time Zero as well, but was more skilled in combat than the principal himself.

The security system identified the situation in time and called the police and medical assistance, otherwise, Anjou would have died. The conversation quickly turned to Luminous's possible involvement in the situation, Flammel had a conversation about it with "Mr. Beowulf", who was also present.

The legendary Beowulf was not an individual but a family of dragon slayers. They had a strong attraction to dragon blood, for them it was almost like drugs to an addict.

They were the most fierce dragon hunters in history, pouring the blood of their prey and drinking it after every successful kill. Their newborns were poisoned with dragon blood and only those who survived the process were considered worthy of living. Their latest descendants were almost dragon-like in appearance, but they were unlikely to turn into death servitors. Whenever that happened, the family killed them immediately.

Considering there's an imminent crisis ahead, the leader of the family showed himself in the table for the first time in a hundred years. That's because he strongly opposed the establishment of Cassell College, since "a true dragon slayer can only be born in the battlefield".

Back in the day, he led the "Action team" of the secret party, which eventually became the Execution Bureau. Initially he was expected to lead it, before he expressed his dissatisfaction with the college. Compared to the Action Team of the old days, the cruel Bureau is almost a charity.

Beowulf immediately started discussing Luminous's background. His parents were apparently in the records of the Execution Bureau, but their achievements are not registered. They never reported themselves and their location is currently unknown.

Caesar Gattuso was responsible for the defeat of Norton, Abdullah for Fenrir and the Gattuso's orbital weapon for the White King. Luminous was present during all of these events, but his actions are not registered either. He theorizes that Luminous is in fact a dragon, taking advantage of the war to slay his fellow kings. Since his use of Yanling was unknown and Time Zero belonged to the King of Sky and wind, the most mysterious of the dragon kings, the elders came to the conclusion that this dragon was none other than Luminous himself.

As soon as Beowulf questioned the absence of Frost Gattuso, Pompeii himself made an entrance by making EVA project his hologram on an empty chair. The man was semi-naked as multiple women applied sunscreen on him, annoying everyone on the room, specially Beowulf. Pompeii focused on the importance of Constantine's skeleton, since everyone else seemed more focused on Anjou's assassination attempt. Those bones contained the power of the king of bronze and fire, who was conformed by twins, so the college kept Constantine's skeleton, while the Gattuso family kept Norton's. In that very moment, Frost was transporting their half of the dragon king to an underground vault in the bank of Rome.

Pompeii linked Frost to the call, who was now 120 meters underground and descending. The vault was heavily protected against Time Zero users.

Just as they were discussing the security measures, the loud sound of an alarm silenced everyone in the room, when the members of the meeting asked about its purpose, they quickly realized that it wasn't coming from Cassell, it came from the elevator in Rome. The intruder was in the vault.

Frost was instructed to forget the original plan and leave with the bones of Norton. His bodyguards quickly mutated into dragon-like creatures to protect him. Corrosive acid and bombs were released as the elevator rose back to the surface, but there was something heating up the place and it was greater than any bomb they detonated.

Every guard stayed behind to guard the doors, hoping to witness the intruder. Finally, one of the doors was blown away. In the fire, there seemed to be dragons and snakes dancing. The mummy-like figure in white robes slowly walked towards Frost, as he exclaimed:

-It that... you? Is it really you? It is you!

EVA instructed him to step back, as he had no chance of winning against this "reaper", Frost took out his phone and transferred control of the vault to EVA before the strange creature reached him. Suddenly, the camera was broken and the visuals lost. The sound of the doors being blown up one by one was heard. Beowulf commanded EVA to close the sole entrance of the vault, which could easily resist ten-million-ton nuclear weapons, (Not enough to contain certain dragons).

Believing this to somehow signal the end of the world, the council awaited quietly. Investors in Rome were ecstatic when the value of gold suddenly increased (Since one third of the monetary gold in the world was just destroyed). EVA used the surrounding cameras to confirm the worst, Frost Gattuso was dead, crystallized by the extreme heat. Their diamond-like statues were left behind and soon collapsed, turning to dust.

The possibility of the resurrection of the black King soon reached their heads, its return would signal the end of humanity.

Caesar soon appeared in the room. He was named the new representative of the Gattuso family, so he ordered EVA to kick his father Pompeii out of the meeting. He defended his education in Cassell in front of Beowulf, saying it made him prouder than his last name ever would. He explained that this dragon was more dangerous than the others due to its ability to understand humans, their organizations and its capability to hide among them. It was more similar to humans than it was to dragons, which was its more terrifying feature.

He impressed Beowulf, specially when he ordered to investigate anyone who had come into contact with his uncle, since he recognized his killer. He then brought up Luminous. EVA explained that his unprecedented progress in combat skills was due to his participation in the Nibelungen project. It allows Luminous to surpass the dragon blood limit without turning into a death servitor. He was an artificial emperor, like Chisei Gen from Japan. Beowulf was enraged, since he considered it was a waste of resources to use Nibelungen on such a weak student instead of picking one of their A-Rank fighters and ordered EVA to put all of her computing power in finding Luminous and Finger. However, EVA found no records of Finger in her database. Everyone concluded that he deleted himself.

Since Luminous already worked for the Executive Department and therefore knew how to hide from them, Caesar proposed to employ a different type of hunter, specifically the ancient creatures that the college kept under the ice cellar, originally intended to be used against the black king. The elders voted in favor, but even Beowulf was frightened by the idea of employing them. Flammel suddenly stood up and contacted Finger, warning him of the impeding threat. Moments later, a veteran knocked him down.

Parsi had noticed a change in Caesar. In years prior, he'd make childish requests, like asking him to empty a restaurant because he wanted to drink tea in peace. It looked like he was never going to grow up. Ever since he came back from Japan, he was far more mature, taking bigger responsibilities and doing most of the work by himself. He asked Caesar about his friendship with Luminous, specifically if he wasn't worried about the beasts hurting him.

-I don't want to harm Luminous, but he made a mistake, he shouldn't have involved Nono.

He seemed extremely silent, stopping in his way out to stare at a decorative kimono, one that he brought from Japan as a souvenir, he was wearing it the day he arrived. He wondered about the weaknesses of the dragons, if Constantine was Norton's, who was Shavee's?

He felt like he was forgetting something.

[dollsahoy]

Just saw a frugal blog suggest a way to save money (and reduce waste) for the xmas season is to...not buy new decorations every year.  Do...do people do that?  Do people buy all (or nearly all) new decorations every year?  We never did that when I was growing up, and half the fun of decorating was getting into the big box and revisiting the old stuff (as well as seeing the few things added in post-holiday clearance the previous year, often to replace the old old stuff that finally broke.)

I kinda had the same reaction when I worked at the toy store and the owner who fancied herself a ~decorator~ would go to Big Lots and buy Easter baskets for $8 and build elaborate toy displays inside them (to sell to customers) or offer just the baskets for sale at $16.  One customer bought a basket and remarked that it was a good price for such a big basket--I knew they were $8 Big Lots baskets, but I figured I shouldn’t say anything (partly because I also knew there were none of those baskets left at the nearest Big Lots, thanks in part to the toy store buying so many, and partly because I  knew the owner would freak out if I ~gave away her secret~...her secret of being so ~low class~ she would shop in Big Lots, heh) so I said something about always using the same Easter basket every year as a kid.  The customer was really surprised by that?  I forget what she said, but it was something about how nice it was to get a new basket every year, so I told her it was always nice, to me as a kid, to see that same familiar basket ever year, and it was a little sad when it broke and had to be replaced.  I think she had never considered that that kind of thing could become family tradition.

But, I mean, honestly, save-and-reuse was such a huge part of my holiday upbringing that it never occurred to me that there’s so much stuff available for sale each season each year because people replace almost everything?  I assume they save the artificial tree and the lights...