#i had to draw a bunch of llamas the other day and i was actually thinking of pegallams

[egophiliac]

May I humbly request to see pegallama herder, hippocampus rider, and dracocapra shepard again? I know it's been a VERY long time since you last drew them, but those characters and the fun little world they lived in always made me happy every time I saw them (◕ᴗ◕✿)

oh wow, it's literally been half a decade since I last drew them, huh. :') I don't really post stuff like this here anymore, but I'll always be fond of these guys!

[jezmmart]

Chamomile Comic Trivia #22

#112 - Certain

Pretty simple comic based on a thought that popped into my head after I had the same experience Cammie describes.  Can’t remember if the punchline of Layla��s response just came to me or if I had to squeeze it out of the premise! 

#113 - Weird

The second edition of “I came up with a punny joke and just decided to use it completely unorganically as comic fodder instead of just posting it on my personal twitter when I thought of it”.

Also god I wanna slap my past self around the head for thinking I somehow didn’t need to use reference for profile views what is going on with Cammie’s face/neck/hairline here argh!

#114 - Music

The first album the customer holds up here is a doodly little version of the Team Sonic Racing soundtrack, which I guess I was listening to a lot at the time!  The other two albums he holds up were, I think, just random original doodles.  The third might’ve been someone on TV at the time or something, not sure!  I should really start writing these trivia posts as I make the comics rather than several years after, maybe!

#115 - Girl

A long while back I decided to make Chamomile’s canonical birthday the same day as the day I first drew her, which happened to be June 30th.  Since this was the first year the comic update fell on that day, I decided to make it a comic!

Here she turns 28, and sure enough, two years earlier, Brianna said she was 26. However... since then, I’ve kinda quietly switched over to a floaty timeline.  Webcomic time moves slowly, and thus the characters felt like they would age too quickly for the amount of life events I have time to cover in the comic.  So for the time being, Cammie remains 28 canonically, Layla and Brianna remain definitely within the same year as her on account of being school friends, and Vienna and Samantha remain... whatever they are (they’re older than the other three, but not by much).

Brianna’s worn this outfit a few times over the years since this comic, but if I recall you never actually get a really good look at it due to the poses/framing I needed in all those comics.  It says “NO CAUSE FOR A...” and has a Llama underneath.

The final note of trivia on this one... as previously mentioned, on platforms where I provide a title for the comic, it’s always just a single word from as early in the dialogue as possible, regardless of whether that word is a decent title for the comic’s subject or not (so as to not spoil or raise any expectations for the subject of the gag).  I also never repeat the same word twice... except in this case, where for literally years, this comic was named “Birthday”, same as #109, not even ten comics ago!  At time of writing (September 2022) I think it was only within this year that I noticed and corrected this (utterly pedantic that I only I care about) mistake.

#116 - Laundry

Not much to say about this one, if I recall this was just one of those divine gifts my brain figured out on automatic for me.  To this day it remains one of my favourite silly Cammie visual gag comics and I can’t see myself ever removing it from the new reader/sample comic selection on the comic’s home page.  Naturally you can spot a bunch of familiar colours (and a couple patterns) from existing outfits in Cammie’s laundry basket such as her signature outfit, the rose pattern skirt and her designed coffee t-shirt.

I also think I was VERY well-behaved to not clutter up the experience with fanservice even though the scenario was ripe for it.  I’m sure that’ll get me a few heckles and boos from the audience but I say if you can’t enjoy Cammie at her [funny comic] you don’t deserve her at her [sexy pinup]!!

#117 - Hair

This was a fun old one to do, I’ve definitely had a few snapped hairbands over the years and my lucious locks are nowhere near Cammie’s level!  I remember drawing the vice was really tricky because there was little in the way of references at the precise angle I needed for maximum comedic effect and sense-making (as much as it ever could).

As usual for when I need to draw a bunch of CDs from the shop, I put my iTunes library on shuffle, set album artwork to display and just drew little 5 second doodles of what came up because coming up with like 40 original ideas, even at this low fidelity, is a nightmare for something that isn’t really going to be paid attention to.  I can Childish Gambino’s "Awaken, My Love!", Lazlo Bane’s All the Time in the World, and Ryan Roth’s The Beginner’s Guide Soundtrack here, but several others look specific enough to definitely be something.  Seems I randomised the colours though and doodled the designs on after, mind.

Drawing a comic sequence of someone tying hair is really tricky to break down into key poses!  It was also a fun challenge to find a way to imply significantly more failed attempts than I had time to show in the comic (with the panel above being my solution).

[More Chamomile Comic Trivia] (Above link may not work correctly on tumblr app)  

[neutinya]

Some relationships are you, a human, with a human partner, and other are you, a human, and your 240cm tall monster bf, but that's okay - !! I included their backstory as well as the setting up of the general context for this AU below the cut so if you’re interested,,, do consider reading it fhdjdj;;; I'm really happy with how this turned out and it's super fun to draw monster tooru and his 4 arms lmao I'm super excited for this AU;;; I really wanna draw more of it dndjjxjd

Iwa is monster-hunter royal blood. However he doesn't want to be heir to the monster hunter shit so he decided to run away the day before his coronation??

As a kid he would play with all the monster animals near the forest which is where he met his lizard familiar and llama ceb. The day he runs away he brings them with him??

The moment he ran away from his kingdom and title as prince he was immediately hunted down by hunters sent by his own family for dishonouring them the Iwaizumi name. Like he's straight up wanted??? ahhh

Somewhere along the way he meets Tooru and they probably wouldn't get along at the start

?? Like they meet at some weird beer house?? And Iwa obviously sticks out because he's human and humans aren't exactly super welcomed because of the history between monsters and humans. Iwa being oblivious to the monster world obviously doesn't realise why this four armed dude won't stop pestering him in spite of his attempts to keep a low profile.

Tooru had approached him because he was sure if he didn't step in, Iwa would have been killed

Iwa was initially extremely resistant to Tooru's "advances" until Tooru whispers into Iwa's ear that "I don't know if you realised but almost every monster in this beer house is staring at you with the intent to kill, so unless you want to leave this place alive, play along and let me get you out of here"

And Iwa just looks around the room and he realises that Tooru was right so he plays along and they try to leave but one of the monsters in the beer house walks up to them and asks Tooru to back off so they could kill Iwa, and Tooru is just like "no can do, he's a friend of mine" and the dude is just like "move." But Tooru is adamant much to the annoyance of the other. A fight kinda breaks out, but much to Iwa's surprise, Tooru managed to take all of them down with ease

As they go aside, Iwa just asks Tooru why doesn't he want to kill him like the rest of the monsters and Tooru is just 🤷🤷🤷🤷🤷 Iwa apologises for causing such a big commotion and getting Tooru involved unnecessarily. Tooru says it's not a problem and Iwa not really having that much money on him, asks if he could return him in some other way? He offers a family heirloom at first but Tooru is just like "Not interested, although how about you let me tag along wherever you're headed?"

Iwa’s response is just "???" Tooru says "look, you aren't getting anywhere in these parts as a human, if I tag along, you won't have to worry too much about being killed and you returned the favour, it's a win win."

So that's how they kinda go off on their journey!!! Iwa actually learns a lot about monsters from Tooru who seemed much more knowledgeable than he looked (no offense to Tooru but that was Hajime’s genuine first impression) There were so many different types of monsters and Iwa was just?? So amazed and almost excited that there were so many things for him to learn and explore??

Like okay they had a bad first impression but he was kinda starting to like Tooru as a companion, listening to way Tooru told all those stories offered him a comfort that he never had back at home

Tooru did most of the talking honestly but Iwa was always intently listening and Tooru could tell he was intrigued and super attentive so he didn’t mind

He did ask Iwa about why he was wandering around in the first place and why the hell was he just traversing across the land with no plan or knowledge of the terrain. Iwa tells Tooru he ran away from his family but neglected to tell Tooru he was of royal monsterhunter blood. Iwa fires back the same question and Tooru responds saying “I get bored of spending all my time in the same old place every day.” neglecting to tell Iwa the fact that he too was of royal blood, the king to one of the many monster kingdoms. (Actually one of the most feared in fact??)

I was thinking the four armed form isn't his real monster form but a less scary version, he's actually a huge fearsome beast but he would walk around in this form to blend with the common folk. This also explains why people don’t recognize him, because if they really knew who he was, they’d be terrified of him.

Tooru is extremely flirty and generally enjoys teasing Hajime. Iwa's lizard does not like Tooru at all. It would be sitting on Iwa's shoulder, breathing small fireballs at Tooru whenever the brunette got too close- For example, when Tooru tries to wrap an arm around Iwa's shoulder or waist, Haji’s lizard would get extremely angry and began attacking him. Tooru is super upset about this tiny little creature preventing him from getting close to his new human companion, but nevertheless, he learns to pick moments where the lizard is asleep to try and engage with Haji

Sidenote, Iwa is a really fucking good archer and good at knives. He may not have had the heart to be a monster hunter, but he definitely had the physical skills to be one if he desired.

Of course there’s a bunch of shenanigans, but honestly speaking there’s also a good amount of sexual tension?? They have a lot of moments where they kinda save each other, whether it be having run ins with unfriendly monsters or humans, to navigating dangerous terrain and making hard decisions;;

They grow to be rather close friends I would dare say;; In fact, for the most part, Tooru would be Iwa's first genuine friend :(( Iwa was never given the luxury of having friends growing up. He spent most of his time training to be a monster hunter or learning about them, which is why he grew super attached to Tooru platonically at first

Once they have a pretty mean run in where Tooru ends up seriously hurt;; Iwa was so scared that he would lose Tooru at that moment;; Tooru fake dies to kinda tease Iwa but he didn't expect Iwa to cry, so as Iwa is there like "don't die on me you idiot-" Tooru "comes back to life" and is all like "awww is Iwa-chan crying because of me?" And Iwa, embarrassed, just punches him in the chest and wipes away his tears like "shut the fuck up asshole"

Tooru is just like "ow- I may not be dead but I'm still kinda hurt you know?" And Iwa feels bad so he just tries to play it off like "that's what you deserve dumbass" before treating Tooru's wounds. They end up spending the night at this cave near a lake where they decided to stay for a few days since Tooru was pretty beat up and the weather was pretty bad

Haji pretty much nursed Tooru back to health, finding berries, herbs and all that during the day in order to make medicine and food

I think at one point Tooru comments "You're really good at this kinda thing huh?" And Iwa is just confused like "good at what?" And Tooru elaborates "taking care of people. Not everyone can make medicine like you do you know?" And Iwa just says it was nothing and he learned most of it from reading when he was a kid

Also like I said the weather was pretty bad so imagine Iwa curling up next to his llama and lizard for warmth. Tooru finds it so fucking adorable??? Clearly the two of them loved Iwa and vice versa, but he couldn't help but feel a little jealous at the sight uxjxhdh

So like one night he just casually says "you guys sure look warm over there" and Iwa just looks at him like 😐

"I gave you my cape you know" and Tooru just "Monsters can't regulate heat like humans do, at least not my species" That was a lie but Iwa didn't know that, so he kinda just looks at Tooru funny before scooting over to Tooru and lying down next to him. His llama and lizard follow, and scoot on Tooru's other side so Tooru is kinda sandwiched in between Haji and the pets. Iwa just mumbles a quiet "now go to sleep dumbass" and Tooru just smiles like a fucking idiot

Iwa quickly dozes off but Tooru not so much, when he was sure Iwa was asleep he gently drapes the cape over Iwa instead before going to bed himself

The next day Iwa is the first to wake up and much to his fucking surprise, he was pretty much incapable of moving because Tooru had somehow wound up hugging him with two of his arms. He was so embarrassed he thought he could die so he could only stay there and not do anything. After while he realises that staying like that could only mean more mental suffering so he slowly tries inching away from Tooru to which he eventually succeeds

He does his morning routine which was to look for berries and herbs because Tooru needed quite a bit of medicine. Tooru was definitely close to being back to his healthy normal self but he still needed to make sure that everything was in check

[theycallmegothboy]

1-100 >:DDDD REVENGE!!!

FELIXXXXXXXXXXXX >:(( 1. Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?  -spotify  2. is your room messy or clean? -it’s pretty messy i guess  3. what color are your eyes? -blue and grey

4. do you like your name? why? -yeah it’s fine 5. what is your relationship status? -single 6. describe your personality in 3 words or less -certified intrusive thot 7. what color hair do you have? -brown and rn it’s red 8. what kind of car do you drive? color? -i dont have a car 9. where do you shop? -hot topic, goodwill, target 10. how would you describe your style? -comfy emo 11. favorite social media account -of mine, probably discord or youtube 12. what size bed do you have? -twin >:(( 13. any siblings? -i have 1.5 brothers  14. if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? -probably vancouver, idk canada seems lit 15. favorite snapchat filter? -i like the one with devil horns and a tail but its cute 16. favorite makeup brand(s) -i dont wear makeup 17. how many times a week do you shower? -i used to shower every day, but i dont do anything that gets me dirty so like maybe 3 times but if i leave the house then i shower 18. favorite tv show? -stranger things 19. shoe size?  -8 or 9 20. how tall are you? -5′6 with shoes >:(( 21. sandals or sneakers? -sneakers wtf 22. do you go to the gym? -lol no 23. describe your dream date -making some pie or something together and then eating the pie and then sitting on some rooftop looking at stars 24. how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? -quite a bit actually but i’m saving up for a phone lol so soon it will be like maybe 10 dollars lmao 25. what color socks are you wearing? -not wearing socks but the ones i had earlier were white (ankle length) 26. how many pillows do you sleep with? -just one but it sucks 27. do you have a job? what do you do? -NO BUT IM TRYING TO GET A JOB BUT THE FUCKIN PEOPLE THERE ARE GHOSTING ME AND WONT REPLY TO MY EMAILS SO LIKE SBJHBJS 28. how many friends do you have? -like 4 lmao 29. whats the worst thing you have ever done? -idk nothing super bad but i do a lot of small shit that makes me feel guilty when i realize what i did 30. whats your favorite candle scent? -juniper rosewood 31. 3 favorite boy names -leo, clay, charlie 32. 3 favorite girl names -ivy, uh... idk thats all ive got 33. favorite actor? -no clue 34. favorite actress? -no clue 35. who is your celebrity crush? -not a celeb but i’d smash danny phantom 36. favorite movie? -nightmare before christmas or edward scissorhands 37. do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? -no, but my fav book is probably the prince and the pauper? idk 38. money or brains? -CASH MONEYYYY jk probably brains but if your entire personality is being “smart” like fuck off lmao   39. do you have a nickname? what is it? - a bunch of people call me son (see #49, #100), some call me rat, dumdum, goth boy

40.how many times have you been to the hospital? -just once i think when i was birthed. i also went once with my brother cause he kicked some scissors i left out on the floor and it sliced his toe the fuck open and he needed stitches and i watched him get the stitches and almost passed out :/ 41. top 10 favorite songs -please dont make me do this i dont have it in me 42. do you take any medications daily? -yea i take 20mg of vyvanse but i need to get it raised to 30 cause 20 is Not Enough 43. what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) -i got some dry fuckin skin yall dont even know 44. what is your biggest fear?  -it depends. the dark is a pretty constant one though 45. how many kids do you want? -like 2 or 3 eventually 46. whats your go to hair style? -in my face, looking stupid 47. what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc)  -it’s pretty small 48. who is your role model? -i dont fuckin know lmao  49. what was the last compliment you received? - “i belive in you, my son, you’re an amazing human being“ (same friend mentioned in #100, not actually a parent of mine) 50. what was the last text you sent? -”no it’s a raccoon“ YOU GET NO CONTEXT LMAO 51. how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? -i dont think i ever hardcore believed in him, maybe i did though i remember sleeping under the tree one christmas eve waiting for him but i was like “oh yeah that makes sense“ i guess 52. what is your dream car?  -i honestly dont give a shit as long as it actually fucking works 53. opinion on smoking? -cigarettes? fuck no that’s nastyyy. weed? that’s fine i guess but wait till you’re like 18.  54. do you go to college? -no. am sophomore n highschool 55. what is your dream job?  -musician/palentologist 56. would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs?  -fuck the suburbs lmao, but also im tired of rural, so like.. semi urban?? 57. do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?  -no but i take the little soaps >:)) 58. do you have freckles?  -yes 59. do you smile for pictures? -awkwardly, yes 60. how many pictures do you have on your phone?  -dont have a phone but i have like 12 on my computer currently. 4 are of me, the rest are of my cat or random shit 61. have you ever peed in the woods?  -yes 62. do you still watch cartoons?  -cartoons these days kinda suck but like if they were good fuck yeah i would like gravity falls can come hang yknow? 63. do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? -i had nuggets from mcdonalds today so i guess them? i dont really care 64. Favorite dipping sauce?  -i got sweet and sour but i dont like it that much. that schezuan sauce was great 65. what do you wear to bed?  -wouldnt you like to know? ;))  66. have you ever won a spelling bee?  -NO ive only been in two. the first one i misspelled the word “turmoil“ cause i had never heard it before and the second one i spelled the word “owed“ as “ode“ cause i was thinking like ode to joy and then i felt like a big Fool afterwards :(( 67. what are your hobbies? -lol what hobbies 68. can you draw?  -i am physically able to draw, but not well, no 69 (haha). do you play an instrument? -yeah i play a few 70. what was the last concert you saw?  -i saw Chicago in either georgia or tennessee i cant remember in like 2016 71. tea or coffee? -hot coffee, iced tea. NOT the other way around. (i love both though) 72. Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? -starbucks 73. do you want to get married? -sure why not 74. what is your crush’s first and last initial? -dont have a crush 75. are you going to change your last name when you get married?  -idk maybe 76. what color looks best on you?  -i dont know but i wear black a lot and that’s pretty dope 77. do you miss anyone right now? -yeah  78. do you sleep with your door open or closed? -closed 79. do you believe in ghosts? -on the fence. not 100% “oh my god look at these gHoSt oRbS i need to sage my house!!!“ but i accept that there’s some things i wont understand about the world and that i have no answers to. i wouldnt be surprised if there are, and i wouldnt be surprised if there aren’t. 80. what is your biggest pet peeve? -whatever my adhd decides i viscerally hate with a firey passion right at that moment  81. last person you called -my brother (the 1 of the 1.5 from #13 and the one who sliced his toe in #40) 82. favorite ice cream flavor?  -chocolate is dope 83. regular oreos or golden oreos?  -regular double stuff. if you say golden, mint, peppermint, or thin oreos i’m gonna have to euthanize you, i dont make the rules.  84. chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? -rainbow cause it’s prettier  85. what shirt are you wearing?  -queen shirt from hot topic 86. what is your phone background? -i didnt get a phone between question 60 and now but my computer one is some mountains with the moon in the background 87. are you outgoing or shy? -really depends on who i’m around 88. do you like it when people play with your hair? -YES FUCK AAAAAAA (this girl played with my hair literally once in middle school and i was like oh shit and i had a crush on her until the end of middle school true story,,, so ashley if you’re out there-) 89. do you like your neighbors? -to the left they’re fine and their dog is nice but idk what happened to the horses so that’s sus but that’s where our cat came from so they can hang  guess, behind me they’re fine but their boys are loud, to the right they’re fine, and even further to the right are the dope neighbors and waaaaaaaaaay far to the right is a llama and he’s dope as hell 90. do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? -whenever the fuck i remember to/have the energy 91. have you ever been high?  -i dont think so but i wouldnt put it past myself 92. have you ever been drunk?  -not that i can remember, no 93. last thing you ate?  -sloppy joe from a can 94. favorite lyrics right now -”not gonna waste my life, cause i’ve been fucked up“ 95. summer or winter?  -fall. fuck you 96. day or night?  -night but i like it when it’s actually night and it doesnt get dark at like 4 fucking pm cause that makes me depressed 97. dark, milk, or white chocolate? -dark is good, milk is fine, white is only suitable for fancy stripes on chocolate covered strawberries 98. favorite month?  -i vibe with september 99. what is your zodiac sign -sagittarius (was almost a scorpio but i was holding out >:))) 100. who was the last person you cried in front of?  -in person, my mom like 6 months ago, on a discord call, my friend (i love you by the way, you’re the best,,, i dont think he has tumblr but im just putting it out there) like a month or so ago. i hate crying in front of people, i turn into such a hyperventilating snot monster which is not suitable for human gaze and thats the real tea :/

felix this took like 2 hours of my life i will never get back i hate you and i hope you’re happy with what you’ve done <3 <3

also anyone who wants to stalk me, enjoy this information that im handing to you on a silver platter :)) <3

[twistednuns]

May 2019

Leah Rieck’s book Sag dem Abenteuer, ich komme - she started out in Munich and travelled the world on her motorcycle, alone. I loved how down-to-earth it was, it didn’t glorify the places she visited. Reading it gave me the final impulse to hand in the application for my sabbatical in three years. Now I just have to sign up for Spanish class at uni.

Being sick - good for losing Canada weight. And getting better really quickly, too! I was already prepared for a horrible flu but after one feverish, painful day I was as good as new! Strange magic.

Andre sending me a very old photo of himself, sitting in a 90s bedroom, shirtless, playing a red electric guitar. He has long-ish hair and looks up into the camera. He looks like a seductive young Kurt Cobain.

Reading Meike Winnemuth’s book about gardening. Another book which kinda gives me the desire to have my own garden. Well. For now I’m just sprucing up the balcony.

My new Dyno vinyl label maker. Exactly the right thing for someone with a passion for sorting, labeling and organising.

Eating ripe peaches and strawberries.

Wearing my cowboy boots from Montréal. I love making click clack sounds while walking.

More literature: Finally reading Hesse’s Siddhartha for the first time. / Bela B Felsenheimer’s debut novel. / A very pretty graphic novel I got in Québec: Anne… La Maison Aux Pignons Verts / And another feminist dystopia, one of my favourite genres: Christina Dalcher’s Vox.

An evening with Maxim and Martina at Flex. Playing pool with the computer scientist and his girlfriend from New Zealand. Needing help for the foosball match - fortunately the guy from Kairo was on the spot. Grasovka and Gauloises on a Monday night. Living a little, you know? / Related: getting better at pool even though I have to play with idiots #horribletinderdates

Finding that sticker of Grumpy Cat saying “Don’t be racist - hate everyone!”

This list here is list number 100 of my Things I Love series. Ha. I’ve been doing this for a really long time now.

Long days, short nights. Twilight. Riding my bike in the evening. The smell of lilac in the air.

Reading about multipotentialism; thinking about my passions, skills and interests. Maybe it’s time to expand my portfolio. Get myself out there. Take on a part-time job or find a new project.

The little bird using my balcony as a playground.

Lit Cities - Where do you want to travel to? Just pick the right book. This literary world map will help you choose.

Me, the Queen of Bad Dates, the Realm of Being Single and Sky-High Standards despite Insecurities Galore sometimes needs to hear something like this.

Making my own crisp bread for the first time. With sea salt, rosemary and pine nuts.

Avocado green and beetroot magenta next to each other on a sunflower seed bun. A great colour combination.

Virginia Woolf inventing the ODTAA (One-Damned-Thing- After-Another) Society.

Seeing a girl one morning from the tram window. She rode her bike downhill in the morning sun without holding on to the handles. She wore a light jacket and the wind pushed it back over her shoulders. She looked free.

I love finding partyblowers in men’s pockets. That’s why I sometimes put them there. I think it started with Hannes after watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the cinema. For my birthday, Manu got a green one for his leather jacket. I always instruct them to keep it there for me to find next time.

Drawing a stripper greeting card for Sarah because I didn’t think Leoni was able or organise a real one for her.

Waiting for Lexi in front of the water fountain at Prinzregentenplatz when I saw a bunch of balloons rising up in the sky in the sunshine. I hope someone made a wish. Or a little kid was crying, who knows.

Spending time with Lexi! Bun and litchi mojitos as Thao, ice-cream at Ballabeni. Watching the cats at Katzentempel from outside. Shopping at Edited, Words’ Worth and Mikado (where I ran into Dani who showed me his Harley… what a coincidence).

Also: somehow motorcycles are a recurring theme at the moment. I’d like to get a scooter or my motorcycle driver’s license.

I’m a big fan of sculptures with little legs.

“Everything about this aesthetic is working! Can I buy you a drink?” (Jonah) - one of the best pick-up lines ever used on me. Sadly - of course - by a weirdo toymaker with a bimbo fetish. But hey, he had a very nice voice.

The yellow cascade blossoms on the tree in front of my balcony.

Watching videos by a foster mum for rescue kittens.

My birthday! I treated myself to ramen and pistachio ice-cream at Viktualienmarkt in the afternoon. In the evening I met Barbara, Maike, Lena, Obi, Lexi, Yanic, Bibi, Manu and Frank at Keg. It was karaoke night so I sang the Pina Colada song and I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight by Cutting Crew. I made a fool of myself but that’s fine. Gin and tonic and having an awesome time with my friends helped me get over it. I even got super nice presents: a colour-changing umbrella from Bibi (whose eyes looked especially beautiful that day), a book about epic road trips and &otherstories earrings from Lexi and Yanic, a Rivers of London graphic novel from Barbara and Maike and Lena and Obi gave me a happy llama DIY kit (such fun!) and a voucher for a hike with alpakas and llamas. My mum gave me Avène Antirougeurs face cream and a plant holder. Sounds weird but both items had actually been on my wish list.

Frank and Manu’s bromance. They just kept talking about Quake, ignoring me completely. It’s fine. I did a good deed by getting those two together.

An afternoon at the cinema watching Detective Pikachu with Manu, Isi, Andi, Dani and Martin.

The power of imagination: I get a physical reaction when I imagine cutting my finger on the edge of a metal can.

Planning on making a collection of hand sculptures and prints with different materials and media.

Taking part in iraville’s little drawing challenge (#drawthisinyourstyle) - she posted an illustration (‘Matcha Girl’) and asked her followers to use it as an inspiration to draw the same motif in their own personal style.

Drawing more in general. Actually using the huge set of Polychromos coloured pencils I bought.

Wolfgang Herrndorf’s poem Das Elend und die Welt.

Motto week at school. Getting to wear your pyjamas to work is awesome.

Going to England with the students. There were some small incidents but all in all I had a very good time. As a matter of fact I’m one of those rare teachers who enjoy class trips. Everything is better than routine. So we stayed at a host family with a small zoo - they had three cats, their son brought another one on the first day, and in the garden we’d get visits from foxes, seagulls and the neighbours’ cat, too. Sara’s Iranian cuisine was amazing. So much better than anything we had in a restaurant that week. Her granddaughter Liana was quite a handful but adorable. I love it when children have a British accent. I had never been on the Dover-Calais ferry before and seen the chalk cliffs.

[fandima-moved-read-pinned]

I remember seeing a post that said "whatever you have on your desk says a lot about you" or something like that so here's a list of everything on my desk

There's a lot so I put it under the cut hsghshsh

- four paintings, all incomplete

- two complete paintings

- stress egg

- three bottles of watercolor inks

- multiple post it notes with nothing on them

- a toy car

- pokemon cards

- a hand towel

- a stuffed green monster with holes in it that I have yet to repair

- a ceramic snail

- at least 14 rocks

- Purple Sloth :3

- a vase with fairy lights in them and flowers

- a giant lump of clay

- 6 cds

- An empty cup

- more ceramic stuff that I've had since I was a kid

- scraps of yarn that I don't know where they came from

- two phone cases

- two laptops (one issued by the school, the other is actually mine)

- worm on a string earrings

- An owl container filled with more worms on strings

- paint water :)))))

- stuffed llama

- a weird paint pallette thing thats meant to hold paint without it drying out but it doesn't work

- a card from the flower delivery from valentine's day

- flowers from valentine's day (not dead yet)

- paint (red, yellow, blue, more blue, black, and white)

- two styluses

- Mt drawing tablet

- lotion

- my lesbian dice set (made by my mom)

- my metal rainbow dice set

- at least 2.5 thumbtacks

- two pairs of scissors (not sure where the third is)

- Purple

- a tiny plastic baby

- sewing machine box of threads

- earbuds case

- tiny plastic tubes from paintbrushes

- oh yea also like 20 paintbrushes

- plastic wrappers from paintbrushes

- key

- a cinnamon flavored candle

- a bunch of patterned fabric

- pins

- tiny pom poms that I made once

- a Chrismas card with ice skates on it

- empty can of sparkling water that I couldn't drink until it was flat

- An elaphant puzzle thing that has a little storage compartment

- a crap ton of trash

- some cardboard among us characters that my brother made

- another key but this time with a lock

- a power bank that I haven't used in years

- a plastic cup that I used for paint water a long time ago

- another stress egg but green and slightly less squishy

- more paint water but with some clay too

- fabric glue

- a cupcake cookbook that I never really used except as a reference for a painting

- note cards with little sketches on them for when I'm painting

- a crap ton of dust

- play doh :3

Now the thing is that this should reveal that I do a lot of painting and work with clay and sewing, right?

Nope.

I just don't know how to organize my desk.

Half this stuff is from last year.

[theimportanceofnotme]

December.13.2020

Letters to the social worker from my High School:

Dear Mrs. Avalos,

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you or even talked to you. If I’m being honest I kinda miss it. This might sound a little pathetic but you were my best friend during my 4 years of high school. Of course we kept everything professional but even so you were the closest I ever came to having a true friend. I remember after graduation I went to Peru with my mom and I saw this Shawl in a market and it made me think of you cause even though it was only llamas they kinda reminded me of sloths cause of the colors haha. I remember you loved sloths and I ended up getting it. When we came back from peru I wanted to give it to you but we never did got to see each other. You always had my best intentions in mind and I wish I saw that back then. Since I graduated a lot has happened and some of those things I’m not very proud of. I ended up moving out to live with a friend cause things at home got real bad. I lived with her for about 3 or 4 months and my mental health skyrocketed. I was so happy living there but then it got to the point where my friends grandmother made me lose all those good feelings. She always had something negative to say about me and I can understand why. When I first started living with my friend I stayed in her room and we shared that room. It felt like I had a little sister and I loved it but one day the guy that lives in her basement drank and in the morning he came upstairs and while tipsy I gotta draw something on his arm and he liked it so much he gave me a hug. To make this sound a little less creepy the guy in her basement is her grandmother's friend. He’s 36 and I was 18, he’s actually really funny and can be an idiot. Well that night I ended up taking a few sips of what he was drinking with my friend and we were both a little out of it. My friend when sober took the three of us to go through a car wash cause her car was filthy and I love car washes. While on that ride the guy was in the backseat and I sat passenger. He and I always got along with each other and he ended up giving me a bunch of compliments and asked me if I was uncomfortable and I didn’t think anything of it so I just told him i didn’t care, cause i didn't. He groped my breasts and I still didn't care. And now that I’m writing this all out it’s starting to sound pretty bad. Well we came back to the house and my friend wanted to know if I was okay with everything and that she would make sure he stopped but I told her It didn’t matter. We ended up going to the basement to watch a movie and I ended up in his bed and we both passed out. I woke up with his arms around me and we were both fully clothed and my friend was still watching the movie so I know we didn’t do anything. I felt oddly safe in his arms and it felt right in the moment. The next day he avoided eye contact and asked my friend to ask me if I was uncomfortable and if I wanted him to avoid me he would willingly do so. I didn’t feel violated or anything so I just told her to tell him it’s all good. about a week later I was sleeping over and my friend had to take home and I couldn't go back so I texted the guy and asked if I could go to work with him and he said it was okay so I went to work with him and at first it was a little awkward but eventually we fell back to being friends. I constantly went to work with him and eventually I helped him with his work. He power washed those big trucks and I thought it was lots of fun especially in the hot summer time. After a while him and I got close enough to call each other best friends then one night while my friend was sleeping I got a call from my dad who was drunk and he told me a few things that just really fucked me up in the head and I went downstairs but I don’t know why and when I went there he was passed out and I decided to talk to him while he was sleeping. I spilled out my guts to him and it felt good to let it all out. I ended up sleeping on the little couch with the dog. The next morning my friend woke up and came to get me. And it just became habit to sleep in the basement. Until one night some things got heated and him and I did some sexual stuff together. I thought it was a one time thing but when I officially moved in I lived in the basement with him and we shared a bed. We cuddled every night, talked about random shit, and he helped me with some internal thinking and reflection. It felt great honestly. But we kept it a secret cause it’s kinda weird. But eventually people in the house kinda knew but it was never brought up. But when it came to the grandmother she didn’t like it and that’s when all the mean comments came. But funny enough that wasn’t the reason I moved out. And a secret I’ve kept from you since sophomore year, I smoke. Not marijuana though but boy do I have story about that haha. Well I have to get going but thank you for everything you’ve done for me and I’ll write to you soon. 

[renegadesrpg]

Dark Angels: Creation Part 10 Demon Trouble -- Zav and Bryn

Bryn: I’d finished making the cancellation calls for Zav and waited until he’d finished with his “tattoo”. Tattoo. In the middle of all this, he takes time to do a tattoo for a pretty face. It wasn’t in character at all for him to lose focus like that. So something was up big time and I was going to find out what. When the old-style bell on the door jingled, I brushed aside the beaded curtain that separated the shop from his small back office and walk out to lean on the counter.

“So, you want to tell me what /that/ was all about? We’re literally about to go life or death here and you take a time out to indulge your hobby?”

 Zav: --I’d been fixated on the door after Truely walked out, lost in the wonder that I’d finally found her, but now my whole body jerks around towards Bryn. A slow flush creeps on my face and down my neck. I knew better than to put the personal ahead of the professional when lives were on the line but…hell.—

It was Kalare. After all these millennia, it was her Bryn. She just walked into my shop out of the blue, and I… --

 Bryn:  I held up my hand…

“Stop. You don’t have to say anymore. I wouldn’t want to be accused of causing a chick-flick moment. You guys give me a hard enough time as it is.”

And really, I knew what this meant to him. The “chick flick” crack was meant to lighten the guilt I knew he’d be feeling over taking time for himself, because we’d had plenty of “chick flick” moments over the years and I knew all about Kalare, right down to her favorite color and how many kids they’d wanted. And he’d heard all about my mom and sisters. So baring our souls to each other wasn’t a problem. I just knew he wasn’t ready to tell me about finding her yet. He’d want to hold that to himself awhile, to let it become real before he shared it. So, time for change of topic…

“I made all the calls. One… Dragon was his name in your book? Yeah, Dragon said to tag him when you were done with your ‘personal business’ and he’d meet you for a ‘ride and a brew’ before he rescheduled. And that if this ‘personal business’ needed backup he was in. And then he asked if I was as hot as my voice.” Raising my eyebrow… “That would be the dragon tat with the Enochian protection symbol on the wall?”

 Zav: --breathing a mental sigh of relief that Bryn wasn’t pushing for explanations, I nod and grin a little.—

Yeah.  He’s a friend. And a ‘hit it and quit it’, so watch your ass, because he sure will be if ever sees you in reaper leather.  – My smile widens as she calls up a fireball and aims it at my head. We both know it won’t kill a reaper, let alone a reaper angel, but it would sting if she landed it. Luckily, hey, angel here. Dead, but still with all the perks. I slow the fireball in midair and turn it into a bouquet of flowers. Taking them in hand, I present them to her with a bow and a snort of laughter.—

Bryn: “Idiot.” I choke back my own laughter. “Are you ready yet? You take more time to pack than a girl.”

 Zav:  Almost. I just gotta clean up after the tattoo.

--Turning back to my workstation, I remove the needle I’d used from the gun and toss it, the tracing paper, and the small ink pots into the same metal trashcan I’d put the tissues that I’d used to blot Truely’s blood into. Then with a snap of my fingers, I incinerate it all, blue flames briefly flaring so hot it put spots before my eyes but then dying just as quickly, having burned the contents so thoroughly even the metal needle had turned to ash.—

Bryn: “Angelfire?” I raise my eyebrow at the overkill.

Zav: --nodding—

Fuck it, Bryn, I just found her and I’m ass deep in demons and psycho reapers. I don’t want anything left behind that could be used against her. So yeah, angelfire. Not much withstands it and it’s controllable in a small container like that where the fuel source is limited. And before you snark, the trashcan is spelled to withstand it. Truely isn’t the first person I’ve felt the need to protect. Just the most important.

--zipping the backpack and slinging it across my shoulder—

Now are we going to your place or what?

 Bryn: “Actually, it’s the ‘or what’. I figure I’m going to need pretty much my whole workshop to get this right so I need to check out the accommodations at Sin’s house in Brazil. It’s been awhile since I’ve been there.  I’ll need to clear a room and then move my workroom contents into it.” Grinning at his resigned look, “Magically. If the space is right I can just move it from one place to another. You remember the way?”

 Zav: --Ok, so I’m relieved that I don’t have to try to pack a llama with all of Bryn’s tools. Or be the llama.—

Yeah, I remember. We’ll go back to the alley and mist out from there.

 Bryn: “Good enough. C’mon Romeo. Let’s get this done. The sooner we kick the Horseman’s ass, the sooner Sin can put Lucifer back in his place and you can get to romancing your lady.”

 Zav: --I follow her to the front door, the bell jangling as she opens it and step out onto the sidewalk. As I turn to lock the door, I take a moment to look over the place one more time. This place had been my sanctuary, where I shut everything out and it feels like I might not be coming back to it. My face sets into determined lines as I pull the door shut and lock it. Brynn’s already turning the corner into the back alley as I lengthen my stride to catch up.  And then I catch it… the whiff of sulfur on the air. Long steps turn into a sprint as I catch up with her.—

 Bryn: Turning in surprise as Zav comes up behind me at a run…

“What…?”

 Zav: Demons.

–it comes out short as I materialize my angel blade in my hand and watch Bryn’s reaper daggers appear in each of hers. I turn my back to stand back to back with her so we can 360 the alley.—

 Bryn: “How many?” My eyes are sharp, searching every nook and cranny of the alley but coming up empty.

Zav: I don’t know. I just scented the sulfur. FUCK. They must have seen Truely leave! I’ve got to get to her….

 Bryn: “Chill, loverboy. They don’t know she wasn’t just a customer and you destroyed everything that leads to her. They came for you, not her.”

 Zav: --grimly—Not everything. I put a couple of drops of grace in the ink I used. Not enough to be mistaken for an angel, and they wouldn’t be able to sense it if they didn’t get close enough to touch her, but if they did…

 Bryn: Quietly, I swear under my breath. “What were you thinking?”

Zav: That I could find her again when this was all over. That I wouldn’t lose her again!

–it comes out a hiss of anguish that I could have put her in danger. That she could die because of me…again.—

 Bryn: “They could just be gathering information. Can they get into the shop? You destroyed everything personal to her, but if they’ve got a hound with them and it picks up her scent, they’ll still find her.”

 Zav: --My eyes are still focused on the entrance to the alley but I can hear the old bell jangle as someone manages to get past my locks and open my shop door. Cautiously, I edge forward to glance around the edge of the building, just in time to see someone disappear into the entrance.--

Then they’re screwed. Seal of Solomon is painted on the ceiling disguised as part of that big mural that covers the whole thing.  Two steps in the door and they’re trapped. And it looks like the trap just sprung. Can you glamor us so the whole world doesn’t see us with sharp shiny shit in our hands while we check this out? We could go half-world but I need to be wholly in this one to do what I’m going to do if you’re right.

  Bryn: I dematerialize the dagger in my left hand and softly utter “cuir am falach armachd.” The weapon in my right hand and the sword in Zav’s shimmer briefly before changing. To the human eye it will look like we’re holding cell phones.

“Done. Let’s see what you’ve caught in your trap.”

One day I’ll ask him why he didn’t just ward the whole place against them but for now it works in our favor that he didn’t.

Zav: -- Casually we walk towards my shop and stop to look in the window. To the randoms on the street it will we look like we’re looking at some of the photos displaying my work, but in reality we’re scoping the enemy. In a voice so low it’s almost a growl…

-- You called it. Two and a hellhound. Stay out here. I’ve got this.

Bryn: Looking at him warily, “What are you going to do?”

Zav: --grimly—Angelfire burns more than crap I throw in trash cans, Bryn. 

Bryn: If he does this it will burn down the entire building and everything in it. Maybe even the entire block. Only ash will be left.

“You love this place….”

Zav: It’s just a place. I always knew this day might come and it’s warded so the angelfire won’t spread beyond these four walls. The fire department is going to have a headache trying to figure the how’s and whys, but everyone else will be safe. Now, step back.

--stepping into the doorway, I lean lazily against it, de-matting my weapon and folding my arms as I do—

Well, well, well. Tweedledee, Tweedledum and your fur baby. How nice of you to stop by.

--The male of the pair snarls at me, keeping a tight leash on the mutt. The female, always the more dangerous, lunges towards me only to be stopped dead at the edge of the trap. Languidly I look up at the ceiling and magically call the Seal of Solomon to the fore of the mural, letting it glow against the background. –

Sorry guys, but you’re all screwed.

--The female glares at me. -- ‘So we’re trapped. Big deal. You have to come closer to kill us. You have to touch us or use your reaper blade. Which’ she looks me up and down, ‘you seem to be missing. And we’ve got these.’ 

--I raise my eyebrow, at the angel blade she draws from her belt. Funny how that mannerism of Sin’s seems to have been one of the things we’d all picked up from him, but I’ve got to admit, it gets the point across.—

Where did you get that? –keeping my tone mildly irritated, when in reality it concerns me a great deal.—

Only angels are supposed to have those and I highly doubt that Lucifer’s mangy bunch has managed to kill enough angels for low level scum like you to have them. 

--The male smirks at me.— ‘We have a source these days.’

--Still, maintaining that relaxed, unconcerned profile, I shift my weight against the doorframe.—

You’ve got an arms dealer now? Now that just pisses me off. I don’t suppose you’d name that source for me in exchange for dying easy as opposed to hard?

--the female replies cagily— ‘Maybe if you come in here we can talk about it. I’ve always wondered how a reaper…does it.’

--After having spent even an hour with Truely, that disgusts me on levels I can’t even begin to describe. Anger replaces the calm façade I’ve displayed so far as I push myself off the doorframe to stand straight.—

I don’t think so. I’ll find out some other way. Demons talk. If you know how to ask. –leering at her malevolently—and you aren’t worth the effort of asking.

‘Big talk for someone who hasn’t dared step inside the seal,’ stormed the female.

Oh, that won’t be necessary. You should have researched /which/ reaper you were tailing. Because I don’t /have/ to touch a demon to kill it, provided I don’t care what else goes down. And I don’t.

--With that my dark eyes begin to glow blue as I reach my hand out. Blue fire flares from my fingertips, igniting the room around them.—

You see, I’m the angel-reaper. And you’re going to die in agony.

--the enormous black devil dog snarls at me and leaps forward only to be repelled by the edge of the trap. I focus on the beast and it bursts into blue flame, then I turn my gaze on the demons and let the fire begin to edge up their fingertips and spread. Their screams ring out as the fire explodes from within them, a wave of flame and wind pushing me back as it does. Vaguely, I feel Bryn’s hand on my shoulder, urging me to back away and let the angelfire do its work, but all I can think is these bastards would have hunted my Truely and they have to die.—

Bryn: “Zav….ZAV!”

The fire had exploded in a whoosh out the door and still he stood there, letting it dance around him.

“Demat NOW. We have to go.” The sounds of people screaming were all around us. I can hear sirens in the distance. “If we go now, while the flames are surrounding us, it will look like we died in the fire because I know damned well security cameras on the surrounding buildings caught us standing in the doorway before this all happened.”

Zav: --For a moment I resist, wanting to see them burn, to know the threat to Truely is neutralized, but Bryn’s sane, insistent voice breaks through my haze of anger. Rather than stepping back out of the flames, I step forward, drawing Bryn with me as we turn to black mist and ride the winds away. There was a bigger battle to be fought. This was just the beginning.

#TBC

[thebibliomancer]

100 Days of Comics! 059/100: Masks2 #5 (2015)

Okay so! Dynamite Entertainment! Have you ever vaguely wondered who owned the Green Hornet and the Shadow (of ‘the Shadow knows’)? Dynamite, apparently. And today’s pull from the box of mystery, is Masks2. The second of Dynamite’s big crossover miniseries that draws a bunch of their characters together for shenanigans.

But when I pulled it from the box, I briefly wondered whether the PBTA superhero game I kickstarted had a tie-in comic. I would kind of like one, actually.

In Masks2 #5, the various heroes have been cast through time and space in three groups. The narrative jumps around between the three groups but eh I’m going to handle it group by group.

Thunderbolt, Miss Fury, probably another Miss Fury, and Green Llama end up in dinosaur times. Where Thunderbolt - the man who uses 100% of his brain - uppercuts an allosaurus into unconsciousness.

One of the Miss Furys is pretty impressed but the other isn’t and also notes that Green Llama (amazing name) just floated away. Green Llama apparently is one of the most powerful beings of his time. With control over vast magical powers, bizarre energies, nature, and even life itself. And he’s detecting something strange. The others follow him but one of the Miss Furys attracts an ambush of raptors by yelling at the Llama.

The heroes try fighting off the raptors but Green Llama just causes a tree to grow, flinging the raptors away. And probably breaking their legs so they can’t hunt. Poor things.

Anyway, Green Llama has also uncovered the strange thing he detected. A bunch of weird masks stuck to some kind of wall with swirled patterns. But who could have put them there in dinosaur times??

The second group consists of two Green Hornets, two Katos, and a Spider. They’ve ended up at a masquerade and by asking around they learn that they’re at Prince Prospero’s party and that the doors have been welded shut. Like in the story ‘Masque of the Red Death’?

And when the clock strikes 12, the Red Death comes down the stairs but unmasks as some doofy mustache guy to mass applause from the partygoers.

Spider asks around some more and learns that this is the annual re-enactment of ‘Masque of the Red Death’ and that the doors and windows are barred shut because “it keeps the sacrifices from escaping!”

And now the third group. Consisting of Black Bat, Black Sparrow, Black Terror, the Shadow, and Lady Satan. She even lampshades that it was all the dark characters got sent to what seems like a post-apocalyptic plague times.

Some gross plague zombies or something come shambling out to attack this group of Masks and they unhesitatingly fight back, the Shadow even gleefully doing his “The Shadow knows!” jump and cackle and shoot people a lot thing.

But there are so many of them that the heroes beat feet. The Shadow notes that the plague people seem to move against them with purpose, as if serving an unseen master.

The Masks get cornered in an alley but suddenly the Spider shows up opening a door that they can escape through. Lady Satan creates an illusionary decoy for the plague people to chase and the Masks all flee with the Spider.

The Shadow asks whether the others are with the Spider but the Spider is confused. Why, he’s been here alone for weeks!

DUN DUN DUN!

Possibly time travel wackiness. And overall a lot of mysteries going on. But someone punched a dinosaur and it was pretty rad.

And at the end of the day, isn’t that what we read comics for?

[i-dont-know-how-to-write]

A Proper Finish

A/N: This is the lat chapter of the Proper series. It’s been a minute. This isn’t my best work but I’m still happy with it. I hope you guys enjoy it as well.

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader

Warning: just all the fluff

Word Count: 1077

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

“So,” you breathed when you stopped at Sebastian’s car. “Where to Mr. Stan?”

“Sebastian,” he corrected, “And the beginning.” He smiled as he opened the car door, ushering you to sit down. The confused look you gave him made him chuckle as he shut the door and jogged to his side. “You’ll see,” he said, squeezing your hand in silent reassurance.

“Alright. Fine.”

“Sebastian, what are we doing at your office? Did you forget something?” You asked, looking around the office you used to work at.

“I told you, Doll, we’re at the beginning. Only this time it’s going to go a lot better.” The mischievous glint in his eyes spoke a thousand words and you had no idea what they were saying. Were you supposed to know what was happening? If so you were drawing the biggest blank. He obviously had something planned and you didn’t want to ruin in with more questions. But his cryptic words were only making you more and more confused. Now would be a great time for that ‘click’ so you could put everything together.

“Sit,” Sebastian ordered pointing to your old desk.

“I don’t-”

“Just do it, Doll,” he interjected.

You sighed as you sat down in your old, uncomfortable, generic desk chair. You watched as Sebastian unlocked his office doors, walked in, and shut the door behind him. Sighing, you looked around once more, noting that nothing had really changed since you left. Only that whoever sat here now had major OCD.

“Ms. Y/L/N, can you come into my office for a moment?” his voice rang through the phone that was on the desk. What the hell-

Click

That sneaky little shit. How had you not known before? Of course this is the beginning he was talking about. You smirked as you got up and strolled into his office.

“You wanted to see me, Mr. Stan.” It wasn’t a question, it was just so he knew you had come into the room since the back of his leather conference room chair was facing you.  He turned around until he could see you, a big grin adorning his face.

“Yes. You and your beautiful face.” Mischief sparkled in his eyes as they roamed over your features. You wanted to laugh at the little game going on, but you also wanted to keep playing so you willed yourself to keep a straight face.

“Is that so, Mr. Stan?” You crossed your arms over your chest, poking out your hip.

“Sebastian,” he corrected again. You lifted an eyebrow in response making him smirk and shake his head.

“You’re married,” you stated.

“Divorced.” He leaned on his desk, resting his head in the palm of his hand, and gazing at you with his steel blue eyes.

“You’re my boss.”

“Former boss for three months now.” He stood up from his desk, walking around it until he was in front of you. Oh, how you were dying to know what his lips felt like against yours. Now that you could it still took every ounce of your willpower, and then some, not to take those last few steps to him, throw your arms over his shoulders and kiss him like he was the last man on Earth.

Fuck

“Kiss me,” your voice was barely above a whisper when you spoke that you were positive he hadn’t heard you. You were about to repeat yourself when his lips came crashing down onto yours.

It was everything you didn’t expect but you were nowhere near disappointed. You expected him to be rough, rushed, and demanding; ready to rip your clothes off. Instead, his right hand gently cupped the side of your face. His lips slowly melded into yours and you could feel him letting go of three months of built up frustration. The passion and the want he poured into the kiss had your knees giving out from underneath you. His free hand wrapped around you pulling you against him, basically holding you up. You moaned into his mouth when his fingers dug into your side, bunching up your shirt. It was like he was trying to savor every sound, touch, and feeling. Like he was going to war, you were the girl he had to leave behind, and this was your last night together.

You reluctantly pull away when he pulls back for a breath. The hand on your face joins the other one on your waist and his eyes dart from your lips to your eyes.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since we met at your interview,” Sebastian breathed.

“Why didn’t you?”

He chuckled softly at your big curious eyes, “Because I hired you. Instead of kiss you I decided to torture myself and see your beautiful face every day for the last year and a half.” He pulls you closer to him and rests his forehead against yours.

“And no that wasn’t the only reason I hired you. You were actually qualified for the job and one of the top choices. Your beauty was just the icing on the cake,” he added.

“I didn’t even say anything,” you giggled.

“Yeah, but I know you,” he shrugged.

You nuzzled your face into his chest in embarrassment, “Shut up.”

“Come on. We’re going to be late.” Sebastian made his way out of the office with you right behind him.

“Late for what?” you asked as you tried to catch up.

“Our date.”

“Even though I may not have gone about that the right way and ended up getting yelled at and making her hate me I wouldn’t change it for the world. I knew from the moment she stepped into my office she’d be an important part of my life. Little did I know she’d become one of the most important parts of my life. She has made me a better man and I will forever be indebted to this wonderful woman I get to call my wife. I’m ready to spend the rest of my life giving her the life she deserves.” A tear rolled down Sebastian’s cheek as he finished his speech. He had yo and almost everyone else in tears by the end. You couldn’t have asked for a better husband and you didn’t want one. He was perfect for you. He was your everything. You grabbed your glass of champagne as you stood up.

“To a proper finish and a new beginning.”

Feedback.

Tags:

@sam-reidzugzwang @green-love-red-fantasyhearts @beccaanne814-blog @chaos-and-the-calm67 @stone-cold-mustache @buckysplums14 @buckysberrie @thelastxgoodthing @sebstan01 @ms-brown10 @emaray2002 @sebastiansin-221b @sebbytrash @buckys-other-punk @becs-bunker @fandommaniacx @simplyevansstan @agentsofcap @-supernatural-coffee-llama

[brido]

Mike and Vicky Go to Ecuador (Day 6)

On the morning of our final day in Ecuador, we were supposed to go to Mindo to see cloud forests and butterfly gardens. I’m still not exactly sure what that means but it sounds magical. Unfortunately a mudslide blocked the highway that goes from Quito to Mindo so we had to come up with a Plan B.

That plan ended up being pretty good too. We ate breakfast at yet another good place and headed to Foundation Guayasamin and the Chapel of Man, the former estate and museum of 20th Century Ecuadorian artist, Oswaldo Guayasamin. We also got a pretty good look at Ecuadorian warplanes zooming past in some military exercise that made Ecuadorian Twitter blow up with rumors and jokes about an invasion by Peru. I was like, “Oh no.” But mostly, “Wait, Ecuador has an air force?” Because I don’t know things.   

I’d honestly never heard of Guayasamin before this trip either, but as we looked around the outside of his rap video mansion overlooking Quito I couldn’t help thinking, “This is where a fucking artist lived?” But honestly, isn’t that the secret goal of every artist - to die in a sprawling castle and then turn it into a museum to honor their lives? I dunno. Maybe not.

The first thing the tour guide had us do (after telling us no photos were allowed) was head to the living room to watch a video of Guayasamin explaining why he wanted to turn his home into a museum. It was essentially the ramblings of a self-important old man concerned about his own legacy. And his purported motive for the museum was to keep his ever-so-culturally-important masterpieces in his native Ecuador. I wasn’t buying it yet.

The first thing about the tour I found interesting was that Guayasamin had a pretty impressive private collection of pre-Columbian art. When we went to Olga Fisch Folklore a couple days before, the upstairs of the shop was also a private museum, which also included pre-Columbian art. And I believe both museums claimed that Fisch and Guayasamin collected the artifacts after just sorta finding them on the streets around Quito. That sounds bananas to me. But then again, just outside the Temple of Man, there was an accidental archaeological dig they supposedly uncovered in 1999 on the same day Guayasamin died. So maybe you could just walk around the streets of Quito in the 30’s scooping up 400-year-old statues. Weird. 

The bedroom of the mansion also had a glass display case of 50-or-so pre-Columbian ceramic statues (possibly Moche?) all in various sex positions. One was straight-up body contortion. I feel like if our tour guide was worth a shit he would have talked about them. Instead he smiled awkwardly like everyone had that same display in their house. Yes, my personal erotic pre-Incan collection strictly features “the sledgehammer”, “the wheelbarrow”, “butt stuff” and of course, “regular.”

Before we entered Guayasamin’s work studio, the guide showed a wall of photos with the artist and various political leaders. They included multiple with Fidel Castro and one with Mao Zedong. The tour guide pointed to Chairman Mao and asked if I knew who it was. I did. Then I asked, “So, Guayasamin was sympathetic to communists?” And the tour guide just goes, “Socialists” and kept walking. Like, he was fucking correcting me. I was really confused. One, because those guys are definitely communists. And two, because Rap Video Mansion.      

Everything changed when we watched another video. This time it was of Guayasamin painting a portrait of flamenco guitarist, Paco de Lucia. And it was fucking incredible. As the sounds of de Lucia’s furious guitar played in the background, Guayasamin seemingly matched that virtuoso intensity, slabbing paint onto his canvas and chain-smoking cigarettes until a stylized rendering of the master appeared on the canvas. I turned to Victoria and said, “Okay, that was awesome.” And it didn’t hurt that the actual painting was right behind us. I also started to worry that I might like flamenco guitar music now.      

The tour of the mansion concluded with a small gallery of Guayasamin’s work, as well as a gift shop. Apparently the tour guide told my sister he remembered her from the last time she was at the museum and that, this time, she could leave two tips. One for the tour we just had and the second for the last time she didn’t tip. Looks like he’ll be asking for three next time. 

“Socialists.”  

Next we walked a few yards from the socialist rapper mansion to Guayasamin’s Chapel of Man, which was a more extensive collection of his works. He’s pretty fantastic, to be honest. If I wanted to be a dick, I’d say that it looked like he saw a copy of Picasso’s Guernica once and spent the rest of his career trying unsuccessfully to copy it. But I guess I also felt the same way about Carlos Paez Vilaro when I also visited his quirky mansion/museum in Uruguay. Like, “Boy, he sure does like Picasso.”  

That’s not to say I didn’t like either artist. I think both are fantastic. So I don’t know if I begrudge both men for getting wealthy by being derivative or if, in this case, I just wanted to punch the tour guide and found the artist to be pretentious and hypocritical. I mean, the name of the building is the Chapel of Man. And there was supposed to be an eternal flame dedicated to those who died defending human rights. In front of his goddamn rap video mansion. Ah, forget it. People are complicated. And the dude’s paintings were badass. We all bought a bunch of shit in the gift shop.

“Socialists.”

On the way back home, we stopped to take some photos of some more pretentious art of the more self-aware variety. There is a group of vigilante graffiti artists in Quito known as “Accion Ortografica” who go around with red spray paint and fix the grammar and punctuation on other graffiti in town. It’s kind of genius and it’s even spawned copycat groups in other cities. Apparently, the crew consists of dudes who go by Dieresis, Tilde and Coma. Which is nerdily hilarious brilliance. Here’s a Guardian article about them from 2015.  

Oh, and my sister just told me that the underwear tagger’s name is Apitatan. And a quick Google search of him quickly informed me that I had vastly underrated him. His murals are amazeballs and I instantly followed him on Instagram. It’s even possible that the fact he has that much ability and still tags quickie drawings of men’s underwear around town makes me like him even more. However, since he doesn’t feature any of his undie pics on his website or anywhere else, I can’t really be 100% sure they’re the same person. But I do want to believe.   

The last thing we did before heading off to pack was a visit to the neighbor’s house for a home cooked lunch of seco de gallina, which was requested by my sister. It’s Ecuadorian comfort food - chicken stew, rice, avocados and plantains. My mouth was all, “Aww fuck yeah.” And the neighbor told us a probably-apocrvaphyl story about the origins of the dish’s name (since ‘seco’ means dry and the dish is a stew) involving English speaking foreigners asking for a second chicken. Or something. Whatever. The shit’s delicious.  

In the neighbor’s house, there were also tons of original artwork of Eduardo Kingman, another Ecuadorian great and a contemporary of Guayasamin. The neighbor told us Kingman was the better of the two. I asked how an artist could possibly afford to buy what would have been a $20 million mansion in Los Angeles. And the neighbor said that after Guayasamin gained notoriety in the art world, nobody could buy any of his artwork for less than $35,000. Plus, according to the tour, the dude was just cranking out paintings. The one I saw of de Lucia took under an hour.

So my next logical question was how Guayasamin could square away having all that wealth with his SOCIALIST leanings. “We used to say Guayasamin was a watermelon,” the neighbor laughed, “Red on the inside. Green on the outside.” And there it is.    

In summary, Ecuador is one of the most diverse and fascinating places I’ve ever visited in my life. As frozen in time as a Quechua-speaking tour guide, still angry at the conquistadors. As modern as a crossfit gym in Cumbaya. And that’s still with us just scraping the surface of the overall country. My sister and her family are the best people in the world for showing us as much as they could in a little under a week.  

We saw an overwhelming fuckload of roses, multitudes of llamas (and even one to eat), we haggled with indigenous weavers, I had the best meal of my entire life while braving the altitudes of an active volcano, tested my fear of heights in a neo-Gothic basilica, did DX crotch chops on the fake equator, got diarrhea from dead baby bread and got sunburnt at a volcanic spa. I still want to see the Galapagos. And I do think Guayasamin deserves to be a little pretentious.

As Alexander von Humboldt once said, “Ecuadorians are strange and unique beings. They sleep peacefully amid smoking volcanoes, they live in poverty amid incomparable wealth and they cheer up with sad music.” I’m glad I finally made it there. But at this point, it was time for my wife and me to go off to see our attention-starved puppy in the normal altitudes of World-Series-crazed Los Angeles where we could finally breathe. Thus concluded Day 6.