#this was the last thing i drew before the con and forgot to post before i left lmao

[chibigaia-art]

I was looking through my screenshot folder and remembered I never drew this thing that’s been stuck in my head for literal months

[pigeonwhumps]

Diwali cooking

Sanctuary masterlist

AMOW day 6: baking

So, I've decided I'm posting these in order of completion, not prompts, bc day 3 is definitely not complete (neither one) and I've used multiple prompts from some days anyway. And this is more cooking (and storytelling) than baking, but oh well. Enjoy!

Taglist: @littlespacecastle @whumpymirages @flowersarefreetherapy @amonthofwhump @poc-whump

Anita helps Lea make galub jamun, and tells her the story of Rama and Sita.

Set on the first day of Diwali, a while after Lea comes to live with Anita, Indira and Theo.

1.1k

CWs: BBU, pet whump, recovery, conditioning, implied past non-con, kidnapping, memory loss

"Lea, do you know the story of Rama and Sita?" asks Mistress Anita suddenly.

Lea glances back at Theo, who's sitting on the countertop, a smudge of coloured sand on his nose from the rangoli, talking to Mistress Indira in sign language as they make the bean curry together. He looks nervous, but he's smiling. She can't explain why the expression looks strange on him, only that it does, and it's starting to make her head hurt, watching him.

That's why they're making gulab jamun dough outside on the balcony, though. So Lea can ignore Theo if it gets too much.

"No, mistress."

"Sorry, I should've told you earlier. I forgot you didn't know. It's the origin story of Diwali, for us. Pour a little bit of milk into the bowl and mix it together with your hands." Lea pours the milk in and sticks her hands in the bowl carefully. It still doesn't feel right, getting so messy, but she does it anyway. Mistress Anita likes her doing things like this. "That's good. Add more milk if you need to, and keep kneading until it's a smooth ball. So. The story of Rama and Sita. Rama was a warrior prince, married to Sita. A demon king called Ravana, with ten heads and twenty arms, wanted to marry Sita himself, so he disguised himself as a wounded deer and appeared in the forest in front of her. Sita was worried about the animal, but it disappeared into the forest before she could ask Rama to help her with it, so he decided to find the deer himself. Before he left, he drew a magic circle around her to keep her safe. So long as she stayed within it, she'd be protected."

Lea can guess what's going to happen and her hands drop the dough, clenching and unclenching tightly. Sita's not going to be safe, is she? Mistress Anita rubs her shoulder gently.

"Hey sweetheart. It'll be okay in the end, you just wait and see. Next, Ravana shifted into a thirsty beggar, and appeared again in front of Sita. As Sita stepped out of the circle to give the beggar water, Ravana shifted back to his normal form and kidnapped her. When Rama returned empty-handed from the forest, he was shocked and confused to find Sita gone. He went searching back in the forest, and came across the monkey king, Hanuman, who agreed to help Rama search for Sita.

"Hanuman searched for days, eventually finding Sita in Ravana's prison on the island of Lanka. He took the news back to Rama, and together they gathered an army of monkeys to go to Sita's rescue.

"The battle lasted for ten days, and Ravana was winning, before finally Rama saw his chance and shot Ravana with an enchanted arrow given to him by the gods. He died, and Rama and Sita were reunited, and everyone in the kingdom lit lanterns so they could find their way home. That's why we light diyas for Diwali, and celebrate Sita's rescue and their reunion."

Lea nods and swallows, giving Mistress Anita a weak smile. All those people, celebrating Sita's escape for centuries.

And yet, when she tried to escape, all she got was punished. She doesn't even remember the escape now, but she certainly remembers the punishment. But she supposes she is only a Pet, and Sita was a princess.

Still, it's... it's awe-inspiring, Sita's story. That people still celebrate her rescue from imprisonment all these centuries later, that they remember it... there has to be something there for Pets like her, right? She didn't want her handler, she never did. She realises now how relieved she was to be sold. It was like a weight off her chest when Mistress Anita bought her, and she reunited with Theo (although he did just make things more confusing for a while). She still doesn't remember him from before, but she knows she knew him. Just as she knows now that it's a relief not to be used by her handler anymore. Her handler who she would like to find and punch in the face, and for a moment she's glad that Mistress Anita can't read minds because that thought would be worth a huge punishment from anyone.

Theo was happy to see her. And she's happy that Sita made it home.

"Sweetheart, you can stop kneading now," murmurs Mistress Anita, and Lea blinks down at the bowl. The dough is nearly flat.

It's not supposed to be flat, is it?

"Sorry, mistress."

"That's okay. What were you thinking about to cause that?"

Lea swallows. That was a direct question, she has to answer. "My– my handler, mistress."

"Fair enough. I'd quite like to punch him too." Lea blinks. That certainly wasn't the answer she was expecting. "Here. Have a sweet. It'll make you feel better."

Mistress Anita holds out a bowl of coconut chikki, a present from her colleague apparently, and Lea takes a piece hesitantly. It's hard and sweet and she loves it, has done since Mistress Anita first gave her some, but she doesn't understand why she's being given a treat this time. She hasn't done anything to earn it, she thought about hurting her former handler and she messed up the dough, if anything she deserves punishment, not a treat.

As if reading her mind, Mistress Anita says, "It's Diwali, it's a time for eating sweets. Don't worry, I'm sure we can salvage the dough. Divide it into small balls, roughly fourteen if you can, and roll them until they're completely smooth."

Lea does so, and it works. Soon it's time to go inside and make the sugar syrup, next to where Mistress Indira and Theo are working on the stove, and Lea, ignoring her headache, and with Mistress Anita's approval, reaches up and pulls Theo into a hug. He startles but returns it enthusiastically.

She hasn't initiated many hugs since she arrived here, especially not when she's not in distress, but maybe she should. It's not like Theo will hurt her, after all. Their reunion was a good thing. And his hugs really are very nice.

Theo sinks into her chest, and she strokes his hair automatically. She's not sure how she knows he likes it, she just does, and she's right.

And with the kitchen filled with the smell of spices and Theo held tight to her, warm body pressed against hers, she thinks that this place, Mistress Anita and Mistress Indira's flat, is finally starting to feel like home. It's supposed to, it's always been home because her owners live here, but it's never felt like it.

Not until now.

[demonio-fleurs]

As a sewist who got her start in cosplay, I would love to hear about your handmade Spider-Gwen suit!

mfw i completely forgot that i ever said something about that on this blog (it doesn't help that the day this was sent i had mentioned/showed the suit to customers at my store so i was like "ah shit, did they find my tumblr??")

so yeah! i made a handmade spider-gwen suit before the pandemic. sadly, it was never completely finished. the only thing i had left to do were the legs, but i had also slightly fucked up the collar and arms so like, a month before the pandemic i decided to restart. and then the entire world shut down, i went into a deep depression that i am only just now clawing myself out of, and sadly my gwennie cosplay has sat in a box gathering dust for the last three and a half years. but lemme walk through my process anyways!

unfortunately, i can no longer find the instagram account of the cosplayer who inspired me to make my own cosplay. i don't know if i unfollowed her at some point (unlikely) or she deleted/got deleted, but in 2019 there was a fairly popular cosplayer on instagram who made her own spider-gwen costume from scratch, and posted her progress updates, which helped me out a lot!

but basically, i started with a simple spandex/zentai hero suit pattern that i bought from joanns, and modified it to fit my needs. my method for making the black/white contrast was, instead of just sewing the black and white parts together/hemming them together, i would use reverse appliqué to make it look more seamless and cohesive. you can see an early version of this here . i would make two versions of each piece for the torso -- one white, one black -- sew them together, then trim away the white and reveal the black!

it was HARD! doing a ^ turn on a sewing machine is incredibly difficult, and i had only a few months practice. but it was so much fun to troubleshoot, and when i finally got it "right" i was so happy! unfortunately, i only focused on the torso portion of my bodysuit, and not the rest (which will come up later) and once i felt like i got the reverse appliqué and the technique needed to do those harsh turns on a sewing machine, i moved on to the expensive materials.

for the fabric, i used yaya han's scuba hexagon stretch fabric in white , and then simple four way stretch fabric in a black faux leather for the black and a basic pink fabric designed for leotards for the pink undersleeves. it was pretty simple and easy to use, although very nerve wracking to make those first cuts! i also spent a LOT more time focusing on the back of gwen's suit, as i felt like in my practice run it didn't feel right. i was OBSESSED with the comics, so i spent hours just studying how robbi rodriguez drew gwen, how the lines worked, and i think i went through 3-4 drafts before i finally settled on a pattern for the back that i felt "fit".

the entire process of building what i thought would be my final suit was slow but rewarding. for the pink undersleeves, i basically made a simple square pattern, traced it on a massive swath of fabric, then went thru with puff paint and spent an hour painting the fabric! that kinda bit me in the ass when i was assembling the suit, as the puff paint was hard to sew through. if i had to do it again, i would just do the puff paint later or find some alternative method of making the blue spider lines stick out. once the torso, arms and collars were done, i sat down one day to assemble the entire upper half, and ended up with this! as you can see, it isn't the best and there's a lot i could have done the better (the entire gap at my arm pits and collar stick out the most to me) but it actually looked really good when i put it all together, i am incredibly proud of how the lines ended up, and how smoothly it all came together.

at first, i wanted to still assemble the legs together so i could have a semi-functioning suit for sakura con 2020. but i already had at least two easy/casual cosplays i could do, so my second plan was to do another attempt at a spider-gwen suit. you see, after discussing it w/ some other friends, i came to the conclusion that the problems i had with my suit stemmed from the fact that i took a pre-existing pattern and made modifications to it, when the existing pattern was not designed for that. if i was going to make a home made suit that worked, i'd either need to spend a lot of time w/ cheap fabric and pattern paper to make my own pattern, or find a pattern that could be modified to how i needed it to be without having the same problems. i then found this pattern on etsy, bought it, and began working on it. i bought new, cheap fabric, resigned myself to the fact that i'd want to do a full test of the pattern with the cheap fabric and not just the torso, and started working on it! i got the torso cut out and ready to go....

right as the world came to an absolute freezing standstill in march 2020. and sadly, despite making promises to myself again and again i haven't touched my spider-gwen cosplay since. i fell into a really bad depressive spot, lost my entire living situation, and just haven't been able to get that drive back. my commute to work is also significantly longer than it was pre-2020, so i am gone from the house for 10hrs a day and i don't really have the time i used to. i have made a promise to myself to at least start casual cosplay again in 2024, with the plans to revamp my 616 Gwen Stacy cosplay in the next couple of months (although that means having to trim bangs again -- uGH). i do not know if i will ever go back to a handmade spider-gwen cosplay, but if you want, you can always look at my highlight reel on my insta (linked above) to see the full process of me making my spider-gwen suit.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

The Long Con Part Five

Previous Part | Masterlist | Next Part Pairing: Marcus Pike x Reader Rating: T Notes: I hope y’all had a good week! 💕 Warnings: This is almost purely fluff. There’s some angst in there, but it’s just, like...A speck. And it’s covered over by fluff. Also I’ve never been to Austin, I did a lot of Googling for this bit, so if any of it is inaccurate, I’m sorry!! It seems like such a cool town and I don’t wanna do it a disservice! Lastly, I linked the museum and the art pieces mentioned in the chapter at the end of the chapter, under the tags. Summary: You’d stayed behind to get ready— but you didn’t know what exactly what you were be getting ready for.

While you and Marcus would be helping Marnie and the family out with wedding prep during the week, they didn’t have anything in particular scheduled for that day. After he’d had his breakfast, Marcus had showered, gotten dressed, and left to get the car that he’d rented for two of you to use that week. You’d stayed behind to get ready— but you didn’t know what exactly what you were be getting ready for. “I wanna show you around while we’ve got some time,” Marcus had told you between stealing sips of your coffee (which were solely permitted because the two of you were pretending to be together - if this had been under any other circumstance, he would not have gotten away with a single sip. His parents had found it adorable. You had found it a loss of coffee).

You dressed in casual clothing, things that you knew you’d have no trouble walking around in for the day. Marcus honked twice once he was outside in the rental, and you bid quick goodbyes to his family. 

-- “So,” Marcus glanced over at you from behind the dark lenses of his aviator sunglasses, “We have a few options-- well, we’ve got a ton, but, I was thinking we could take a tour of the Capitol building, and check out the Harry Ransom Center -- it’s this massive archive and library. There are a few places we could hit for lunch, and then… I don’t know, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center? And I thought we could finish with the Blanton Museum of Art?... Or is that, like, a no, since we’re both kinda around art all the time?” You watched him for a few moments, stunned. He’d clearly gone out of his way to think about what you’d like to do -- places that he knew and that you would like. He wanted you to have fun, and time out of the house - away from his family. Marcus was taking you out and about like… Like he probably would a real girlfriend. “That all sounds really awesome,” You admitted softly. Marcus grinned at you, and you settled back in your seat, facing forward again. -- Conversation came as easily as it had when you were in D.C. Marcus dropped the odd fact about Austin now and again (though it was nothing near his panicked post-flight info-dump), pointed out his old haunts, told you about his and Marnie’s childhoods. Even without his family around, you found that the two of you kept close. You reached for one another’s hands; Marcus drew you into his side when you were in crowded places; even when there was plenty of room, Marcus’ hand was on your shoulder, or your back. The contact was comforting; it didn’t feel forced.  You found yourselves strolling through the Blanton with your fingers intertwined, speaking in hushed tones so as not to disturb the patrons around you. It was where the two of you wound up spending most of your day, discussing Fogel’s Conflict and Kern’s The Adoration of the Magi and Dorigny’s Diana of the Hunt. When you drifted into the Klimt pieces on loan from the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, and the two of you stopped in front of The Kiss, Marcus cupped your chin and leaned down, pecking the corner of your lips. You couldn’t help the stupid grin that took over your face, and you leaned into him, turning your head and hiding your face in his shoulder. 

He just curled an arm around you, smoothing a thumb along your side as you let your sheepishness run its course. You turned your head as it ebbed away, finally, taking in the intertwined lovers, robed in gold and adorned with flowers. 

--

“Okay, this… Is stupidly cool,” You admitted, looking around. “I was a little worried that you were going to stop at ‘stupid’.” “No!” You laughed, “I’ve never been anywhere like this.” Marcus had brought you to a bar with an arcade in Southern Congress for dinner. The two of you had ordered dinner and were looking for a few games to play before the food arrived. “They’ve got a little bit of everything. Pinball, Pac-man, Tron, Skeeball,” Marcus listed off. “Galaga?” “They’ve got Galaga.” “Perfect.” Marcus was exceptional at Pac-man and pinball, but you learned that you had the upper hand when it came to air hockey. You managed to play two games of it (both of which you won) before the food came. “Today has all been insanely awesome,” You told him after you’d polished off your pizza, “Thank you. I mean-- Seriously, you didn’t have to do this.” “I didn’t want you feeling like we were stuck at my family’s place all week, and...I mean I know we’re down here for Marnie, but you said you’d never been to Austin. I didn’t want you to miss out on seeing the city.” You and Marcus shared a smile before he added, “The whole day has been insanely awesome, huh?” “Yeah.” “Even in the kitchen?” “You mean when you were drinking my coffee? ‘Cause that put you on thin ice, mister.” “Right before that,” He corrected. The smile he was giving you was two parts bashfulness and one part coy. You folded one arm on the table, pillowing your chin on your other hand. “...Yeah, I’d include that. As first kisses go, it was…” You nodded a little, eyeing Marcus from under your lashes, “It was very...Very nice.” “‘Very nice’?” Marcus repeated, “I guess that’s not the worst review I’ve ever gotten.” “Don’t get all huffy,” You chuckled, ”I mean it, it was… I forgot what being kissed like that even felt like.” “What do you mean?” “I mean that...Was my first kiss in two years.” “Two-- How is that possible?” Marcus’ brow furrowed. You rolled your eyes a little bit, glancing away from Marcus as embarrassment swirled in your stomach. “The last person was my ex-fiancé. After that fell apart…” You shrugged, “I haven’t dated since.” You felt Marcus lean a little closer to get a better look at you. “Did you give up on finding someone?” “Not on purpose. I think I just...Built up some walls that I had torn down really quickly with them. And I built those walls up double. I prioritized work-- the devil I knew, you know.” “No dates, nothing?” “Nope.” “How many people did you turn down?” “What makes you think I turned anyone down?” Marcus tipped his head to the side, giving you a slight once-over as he muttered, “C’mon.” You shook your head, letting out a quiet, embarrassed laugh. “Well, how long after your engagement broke did you wait to date?” You asked. Marcus’ lips pressed into a thin, contemplative line before he admitted, “Five months.” “What made you get back out there? I mean… How’d you know you were ready?” “I wasn’t, but I was worried that if I waited until I was, the woman that had asked me out wouldn’t be available when I got there. I took a leap. It wasn’t a good leap, but it was a leap,” he chuckled, “And it made me remember that dating can suck and putting myself out there could be scary, but… Ultimately, it’s worth it.” You and Marcus regarded one another quietly for a moment. You couldn't even imagine what he was thinking. You couldn't understand how he was still so open to finding love when he'd been hurt the way he had. That sort of loss had only made you want to recede; it seemed to make Marcus even more determined to find love. Frankly, it was a wonder that he hadn't yet— he was the kindest man you'd ever met. You lowered your eyes to your empty plate as you realized that you were staring. It was easy to get caught up in his warm eyes; you’d found it happening more often lately, and it certainly suited the purposes of the lie you were playing up around his family. But there was something about all of it— his gaze, his smile, everything that the two of you had done today — it stirred up twinges or remorse. Lately you’d found yourself wondering if there ever could’ve been something real between the two of you, if you’d met under different circumstances. That was a very dangerous line of thought.

“If you’re finished with your food, we can go play some more air hockey.” You smiled at the offer, glancing back up at him as you asked, “I didn’t kick your ass enough the first time?” “Oh-- I was just warming up.” “Clocking all of my moves?” “Exactly.” “We’ll see about that.” (You beat him three more times.) (You let him win once.)

--

You flicked off the light before getting into bed, tucking yourself in beside Marcus. He yawned and mumbled, “G’night.” “Goodnight, what?” Marcus let out an exaggerated sigh, “Goodnight, supreme air hockey winner.” “Thank you.” “Mhm.” “I don’t ask for much.” “I know.” “Just that you steer clear of my coffee—” “Uh huh.” “And address me by my proper title.” You glanced over as you felt Marcus shift in the bed. Your breath caught in your throat as his arm wound around your middle, his hand dangling against your side as he rested his forehead against your shoulder. “Sleep,” He urged in a mumble, “Oh supreme one.” You settled down, resting one of your hands atop Marcus’ arm. It was a warm, comforting weight; a sweet touch that you could, if you weren’t careful, find yourself getting used to. “‘Oh supreme one’,” You repeated quietly, peering up at the ceiling, “I could get used to that.” Tag list: @hufflepuffing-all-day-long​ ; @spideysimpossiblegirl​ ; @blueeyesatnight​ ; @elen-aranel​ ; @yespolkadotkitty​ ; @artsymaddie​ ; @phoenixhalliwell​ ; @lunaserenade​ ; @winniedaboo​  ; @empress-palpat1ne​ ; @randomness501​ ; @nutmeg-20​ ; @leonieb​ ; @the-feckless-wonder​ ; @lou-la-lou​ ; @captain-jebi​ ; @supernaturalgirl​ ; @naturenebula21​ ; @evelynseventyr​ ; @giselatropicana​ ; @heatherbel​ ; @marydjarin​ ; @annathewitch​ ; @absurdthirst​​ ; @hnt-escape​ ; @writingletterstothefire​​ ; @misswriter​​ ; @bison-writes​​

Museums & Art Work

The Blanton Museum of Art

Fogel’s Conflict

Kern’s The Adoration of the Magi

 Dorigny’s Diana of the Hunt The Belvedere Museum

Klimt’s The Kiss

[sunflowerfromthefog]

The Trouble with Vaulting Pt 2

Description: Frank learned a thing or two from the Entity, and he likes to share these perks with his friends.

WARNINGS: rape/non-con, violence, little bit of blood, Frank is once again a great big jerk

You can also find my writing on AO3!

A/N: I’m sorry I totally forgot I had made a Tumblr for my DBD stuff.  Anyway, I don’t think I posted this one or the clown one here yet so here you go!

You couldn’t find a single soul in all of the wrecking yard. You’d searched the area, found the generators you needed to power, spotted the exit gates, destroyed a totem, but no people. Unfortunately, you’d spotted Joey, a friend of Frank’s that seemed just as perplexed as you about the lack of humans in the trial. He’d stood on top of a hill and spun in circles for a good five minutes trying to find someone, but for some reason the entity left you two alone. In a way you were happy for it; maybe it would be a little easier to avoid him if you didn’t have to rush around trying to save others. You were good at hiding after Nea and Meg showed you how to stay low to the ground and silent as you jumped over anything. Still, as you worked on a generator you felt a chill along your spine. Glancing over your shoulder you spotted Joey heading right in your direction. You sped off, dashing around a corner and going to leap silently over a window when suddenly you were stopped. The very same black claws that had stopped you in a previous trial grabbed around your waist again and locked you in place “Damn it,” you swore. You wiggled as hard as possible, but it did nothing. Kicking and pounding your fists you let out a scream. “What the fuck!” A leaf crunched beneath a heavy foot. You flinched, slowly raising your eyes to look at Joey’s half-skull mask. His head tilted to the left as he twirled his blade in his right hand. At least this member of Legion didn’t have an obsession with you like their leader did, but you still didn’t like how he was staring down at you. It wasn’t until he looked to his left that you realized he was waiting on something...someone. “Heya, doll,” a familiar voice sang. The skirt of your dress flipped up and you felt two warm hands grab your hips before one slapped your cheek. “Oh, same panties? Dirty girl. Doesn’t the entity give you a change of clothes once in a while? I’d really like to see you in that little red number the one chick’s got. Mmm, tearing that apart would be fun.” You struggled to look over your shoulder, finding another smiling mask. “What?” you questioned. Two killers in the trial? That never happened. That wasn’t possible! “How the hell--” “Lotta questions, eh, Joey,” Frank said. Joey nodded. “Let’s just say...I learned a thing or two from my time in the fog and well, Joey just thinks you’re really cute. And I don’t mind sharing.” Your heart leapt into your throat. No, this couldn’t be happening again. You began to hyperventilate as you kicked at Frank, swung your fists at Joey and warn them to stay away. “Aw, come on baby,” Frank chided, “you had so much fun last time. Don’t you remember begging me?” He began to grin his clothed crotch against your ass. In front of you, Joey continued to twirl his knife. Despite yourself you felt a small spark in your core. Damn it, why did the warmth of another have to be so tempting? Even when it’s a killer. “You remember begging me don’t you?” Frank asked again, his voice lower. A zipper in front of you drew your attention, Joey’s black jeans directly in front of your face. He undid the button and pulled out a very dark, throbbing cock, pressing it against your closed mouth. You pressed your lips together as tightly as possible, but all it did was force your assailant to grip your hair and force your head upright. He held the knife towards your face but you didn’t dare open your mouth. Instead you glared at him. A thrust from Frank pushed you into the blade and cut your cheek lightly. Joey pulled it down and slid it between your lips, nearly bringing it to the corner of your mouth for a cut. “Hey, hey,” Frank said, stopping the man. “Easy with the merchandise--I like blood but not--you know--blood.” Your breaths were coming out quick through your nose, still defiant. Joey pulled the knife away and stabbed it between the metal beside you. “I’ll give you a hand,” Frank said with a fake sigh. “Just like old times, eh?” Joey shrugged and nodded, giving his member a stroke. It was longer than Frank’s, thicker too. Frank took his knife and tore through your dress, from the bottom of the skirt to the tag at your neck. You were about to tell him to stop but instead clenched your teeth. Joey was ready for any opening--literally. Pushing the fabric aside, Frank then cut off your panties, leaving you completely naked before the men. You covered your mouth with one hand when you felt the black claws of the entity moving. The tickled along your middle, gripping at your sides and shoulders and hips until you were shifting as it wanted. It turned you around, placing you on your back and grabbing at your wrists, locking them to the window. Despite your best attempts, you screamed, “No! This isn’t--” Joey took the opportunity to grab the sides of your face and shove his dick into your mouth. Your lips stretched painfully as you felt him reach the back of your throat and further. You gagged as he pulled back, only to push back in a little further. You did your best to relax your throat and just as you were about to bite down on the bastard there were fingers inside your cunt. “I like playing with you,” Frank said, “and my mom always said I should learn to share my toys. But if you think of hurting my dear friend here, well, I can’t guarantee what might happen to your friends.” You stilled, the salty taste of precum flowing across your tongue as Joey slowed his pace. He was gentler now, rolling his hips along to make sure you felt everything. “Yeah,” Frank whispered. You couldn’t see him but you could tell his mask was off; his voice no longer muffled. Joey gave a deep thrust, his balls hitting your forehead. He stayed there a moment, his grip getting tighter on your face. One hand moved to your throat and gave a squeeze, making him shudder. He must have liked the feel of your throat tightening even more. “Give her a second,” Frank ordered. Joey listened and pulled out, leaving you a sputtering, gasping mess. Joey gave himself another stroke with one hand and began to grope your breasts with the other. He rolled your nipples between two fingers roughly, holding them too tight and making your body tense. Your thighs held around Frank’s hips, and it was only then you noticed his own cock was out and resting against your lower lips. “It’s fun when you struggle, but it’s also fun when you’re compliant,” Frank said. He gave you a grin, clearly loving the sneer you shot at him. “Be a good girl, and we won’t do the same to your friends next time we see them.” Your breath froze in your chest. Did he...had they done this to the others before? “Mhmm,” Frank hummed. His fingers drummed along your stomach, sliding down your thighs and pushing your knees towards your chest. Joey hooked a thumb in your lips, pulling your attention towards him. Frank continued, “I mean, you’ll always be my favourite, but you can’t always go for the same thing at the buffet, right? Well, I will. If you’re good for daddy.” Joey tugged at your lips, bringing his head to the tip of your lips but not forcing himself in. “You going to be good for daddy?” Frank asked. His tone was sickly sweet. You didn’t want to, obviously. But the idea of this happening to Claudette, Meg, Kate, any of the other survivors made your gut churn. So you nodded. “Then suck that dick, girl,” Frank ordered. You gulped as well as you could with Joey’s thumb still hooked in your cheek. You stuck your tongue out and he was more than happy to close the distance. He slipped into your mouth until his pubic hair tickled your chin, sliding back and forth with small grunts. “Yeah, that’s just perfect.” Frank lined himself up with your entrance and pressed in with one thrust. No preparation like before, nothing. He shoved himself in and made your walls burn, forcing a scream from your lungs and into your throat. The vibration caused a loud grunt from Joey, who pulled back squeezed down on your throat. He stroked himself through his orgasm and shot it into your mouth, ensuring your tongue and lips were coated with his seed. With his hand around your throat you couldn’t spit him out or even swallow to get rid of the bitter salty taste. After a few seconds he seemed spent, his dick softening before your eyes. He finally let go of your throat and just as you went to spit his cum out of you another hand covered your mouth. Frank’s hand. “Swallow, baby, swallow. Don’t waste any of that!” You were still sputtering in an attempt to breathe, but obeyed. Frank was still fully sheathed inside of you, and you would never admit that you wanted him to move. The pain you felt was nothing compared to the desire to have this over with...and maybe get yourself off in the process. Swallowing what was left in your mouth, Frank finally released you and placed his hands on your legs. He pushed your knees further up until they nearly touched your breasts, giving him ample access to push hard into you. “Hey, hold these,” Frank said to Joey. Joey did as he was told and grabbed behind your knees, keeping them wide open. His mask was staring down at your breasts, clearly enjoying the way they bounced with each of Frank’s thrusts. Soon enough Frank began to rub your clit with a light touch. He started to press harder and harder, giving your painful burn a delicious pleasure. Your walls started to clench, no longer desperate to push him out and instead rubbing along his shaft searching your own release. “Ah,” you breathed as Frank pressed his palm to your sensitive nub. “Ngg.” Joey’s head tilted to look at your face and you desperately wanted to cover it. Your arms tensed against your restraints, trapped at your sides. There was nothing you could do to hide the fact that you were getting hot and bothered by your own abuse. So you closed your eyes, pants coming faster and faster to match Frank’s. “What’d I tell ya, Joey?” Frank asked, his hands finding both your breaths and pinching hard. “She loves getting fucked. Loves getting raped.” He laughed loudly. “N-No,” you argued. It did little to prove him wrong. “I-I don’t. I don’t want this or any of th--” Without Frank rubbing your clit your high started to drift away. You moaned in despair--why did he have to drag these out? “Good girls that obey their daddy’s would always agree with them,” Frank told her. Joey pulled your knees harder, making you squeak. “Maybe we’ll have to see if one of the other survivors are good girls…?” You pursed your lips. “I…” “Yes baby? What do you like? Tell daddy.” All through his his thrusts were going from fast to slow to fast again. He leaned down and took one of your nipples into his mouth, sucking on it. Your back tried to arch but barely moved against the entity’s hold. “Fuck,” you groaned. Could you really say it? What he wanted… “I...I like it when you fuck me.” “And?” “Sh-share me…” Don’t make me say it, you prayed, please… “And?” “I like it when you rape me,” you whispered. “Louder!” Frank shouted. He straightened and started to pound into you, furiously rubbing your clit with two fingers. You shrieked at the change of pace. The fierce power Frank was putting into fucking you made you want it to stop. It didn’t feel good anymore, though that rubber band in your core was still ready to snap. “Say it!” Frank ordered. “I like it when you rape me!” you screamed. Tears streamed down your temples as you wailed, your orgasm ripping through your while Frank laughed. The electricity shooting through your body, tingling your fingertips and forcing your body to practically convulse in an attempt to move, made your mind numb. Frank continued to taunt you through your orgasm, but soon his own came across him and he pressed as deeply into you as possible to spread his seed. His hips shook with yours, hands holding you there as if you could escape if you really wanted. When your breathing began to slow you swallowed audibly, and Joey released your legs. They fell on either side of Frank, his dick softening inside of you. “What do we say when we get a gift?” Frank asked. “Th-Thank you,” you mumbled. You turned your head away, eyes closed as he pulled out of you and you felt what he left dripping from you. “Thank you.” You heard fabric rustling as Frank put himself back into his pants, and then a sudden heat back beneath your thighs. You opened your eyes, finding Joey’s mask at your lower lips. “What are you doing?” you questioned. “He recovers quick,” Frank behind his friend. He shrugged. Joey had your thighs over his shoulders, and as he dragged his mask from your clit, up your stomach, and nuzzled your breasts you felt his cock against your entrance. With one hand he lined himself up, and then lifted your legs as he slowly slid in. “Nnnn...no,” you mumbled. “No!” “Hey!” Frank said. “That’s not being a good girl.” He leaned against the edge of the window. “I don’t think I’ll let you come this time.” Despite what Frank left in you, and your own juices, you still felt a burn from Joey’s intrusion. He didn’t care for your pleasure as Frank pretended, and used you as if you were a doll. Each thrust gave you a pang as his head reached your cervix. You started to cry and struggle harder. “Hey, remember to pull out,” Frank said, giving Joey a tap on the arm. Joey growled something but when you felt his dick twitching he did what he was told. He pulled out and stroked himself to completion as he had before, spraying onto your stomach and chest. Long thick threads of white decorated your body, both of the men laughing. Frank came around to run his hands through your hair. “Now what do we say?” He played idly with one of your breasts. Weakly, you replied, “Thank you.”

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

kiss me in the d-a-r-k .epilogue ii.

the weekend

masterlist

Warnings: dub con sex (oral, intercourse)

This is dark!(dad)Steve and explicit. 18+ only.

Summary: The reader meets Steve again.

Note: Okay, I kept going and here is the next part. I’m sorry if the following one doesn’t post as soon but I dunno. I’m feeling it. You’re feeling it. I’m the fic daddy over here giving you what your need so here you go! I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply!

...

Steve drove you home. It was past midnight and you were exhausted. He offered for you to stay the night but that seemed too much. You were glad you lived alone in the cramped bachelor. Your summer of work paid off your rent in advance. It was meagre but affordable and close to campus.

He kissed you goodbye. Hungrily. You imagined that if you spent the night in his suite, he'd not have let you sleep long. His stamina was surprising. You thought older men were supposed to be tamer. You bid him a quick goodbye and he idled outside your building until the door closed behind you.

You laid awake for an hour. You could feel him still. When you finally closed your eyes, you saw him in your dreams. It felt almost as good as the real thing. You woke in a sweat and the autumn clouds set grey shadows across your apartment. The kitchen, bedroom, and living all shared the same open space. It looked so dreary in the dim chill and after your evening in Steve’s lux suite.

You dragged yourself to the shower. You let the hot water wash away the filth and shame. Steve was in your head again. You thought of the summer. The night he’d removed your bathing suit and touched you; the first time he’d tasted you; the last night when he’d taken it all. Your fingers were between your legs as you snapped back to reality and the steam blurred your vision.

You stepped out onto the tile and sat for a moment as you gathered yourself. You had a long day of studying ahead of you. The scent of old paper and stale coffee in the uni library would help you focus. A typical weekend bent over a table full of textbooks and notes as Kylie pestered you to come over.

You stopped by the campus cafe on your way to the library and headed to the top floor where the tables were often empty. You parked yourself at one in the furthest corner and strategically set out your laptop, phone, and books. You rubbed your eyes and sipped from your latte as you started your weekly readings.

An hour, maybe two before you drew your eyes from the cramped text. You yawned and grabbed your phone as your stomach growled. Your half-toasted bagel had barely been enough. Your screen showed the usual texts from Kylie and the school emails piled up in your inbox. Another name flashed across the screen; well, a single letter as his moniker: ‘S’. Keying in Steve’s full name had seemed more sinful than your little tryst.

‘Meet me at the Beer Garden. 6pm.’ As always, to the point and more than just a request.

‘I’m studying for midterms.’ You replied.

‘All day? I know you’re probably nose deep in those books already, sweetie.’

‘7’ You replied.

‘That works.’ He accepted and you replaced your phone on the desk.

You were hoping he’d forget about you for the rest of the week. He said he had business and a friend he wanted to see. For a moment, you’d wondered if this friend was another woman but the worry quickly faded. You didn’t care if he had another woman, this was just sex. Easier to keep it that way considering. With another to keep his attention, you’d not be the centre of it. Maybe this thing would die quick enough that you’d both forget and you’d have nothing to hide from Kylie.

-

You stepped off the subway and rushed through the tunnels. You hated the underground. It was eerie and claustrophobic. Above ground, you checked your phone and stared at the map as it pointed you in the opposite direction. You didn’t travel far from the university and catching the right train had been enough of a chore to have you overwhelmed.

The Beer Garden was upscale and above your pay rate, which at the moment consisted of scholarship money and inconsistent cheques for amateur online articles. You entered the tinted glass doors and looked around the bar with dread. You checked your phone, you were right on time.

Your heart froze as you spotted Steve across the bar. You smiled at him as he looked up and saw you. As you stood dumbly in place, another ambled into you as they emerged from the hallway marked ‘restrooms’. You looked over at the man and gasped. Your heart sank as you stared up at him.

“Hello,” He steadied you with a hand on your arm. “Funny to bump into your here. Quite literally it seems.”

“I, uh, yeah,” You stuttered like an idiot. “I was just...meeting a friend here.”

“Oh, me too,” He smiled. “What are the odds?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t see my friend,” You said. “So I guess I’ll just wait outside.”

“Outside? Why don’t you join us for a drink while you wait?” He asked.

“Us?” You frowned. “Who are you--?”

“My friend,” He supplied, “Don’t worry, you’ll like him. And we don’t bite. We’re too old for that.”

“I dunno,” You wrung your hands and glanced over at Steve who watched you curiously. “Okay. One drink.”

“Great.” He turned and waved you along. “Just over here.” He led you across the bar and your nerves began to storm as you got closer and closer to Steve. When Professor Barnes stopped you at the same table, your head swelled in panic. “This is my friend, Steve. Steve this is Y/N. She’s one of my students.”

“Oh, nice to meet you,” Steve reached out cordially and offered his hand. You shook it and he smirked. “I can’t imagine having this know-it-all as my professor. You’re a brave one.”

“I couldn’t handle you as a student,” Barnes replied shortly.

“Heh, yeah,” You climbed up on a stool, “Professor Barnes isn’t too bad. I’ve had worse.”

“You can call me Bucky here,” He corrected you, “This isn’t a seminar.”

“Okay,” You smiled nervously as he waved over your head and a waiter appeared at the table. 

“We’ll take a pitcher for the table. And another glass.” He ordered and the server went quickly to retrieve it.

“I...I’m not of age yet,” You said shyly.

“They won’t card you here, don’t worry.” Bucky flicked away your complaint. “You good for another round, Steve?”

“More than,” Steve assured him and his eyes peeked over at you. “So, are you failing or is he actually being reasonable these days?”

“She’s one of my best students,” Bucky retorted. “Don’t listen to him. He does this. He thinks he’s more successful than me because he lives out in the suburbs.”

“I know I’m better than you,” Steve returned and the waiter came back to set the pitcher and extra glass on the table. “Your stuffy little office and dozen degrees don’t mean anything.”

You laughed awkwardly as Bucky filled each glass and shook his head. “I don’t mind his class. Even if it is on Friday.”

“Ah, yes, I forgot the uni girls all love their weekends.” He pushed the third glass towards you. “And yet here you are with us geezers on your Saturday night.”

“There is wisdom in years,” You jibed, “As questionable as the source may be.”

Bucky chortled and took a drink. Steve chuckled under his breath and tilted his head as he considered you. You could see the thoughts behind his blue eyes as he glanced between the two of you. You stifled your nerves with a mouthful of beer. It was going to be a long night. If not disastrous.

-

You were done your drink. In fact, you were on your second. The night had worn on and you checked your phone. Two hours! You glanced over at Steve but he was distracted by whatever Bucky was saying. You found it hard to keep track as you tried to balance the two of them. Tried to keep boundaries with your professor and hide your secret crush from the man you were fucking.

“So what about that friend of yours?” You were startled by the question. You blinked and looked at your phone again.

“I...It looks like they’re not gonna make it,” You gave an exaggerated sigh. “It’s happened before. It’s whatever.”

“Aw, damn,” He frowned. His laugh lines showed beneath his thick beard and you couldn’t help but admire the way his blue eyes sparkled. “Well, at least you got to waste your time with us.”

“Uh, yeah, well,” You tapped your half-empty glass with your fingernail. “I think maybe I should just call it a night. I’ll have it out with my flaky friend tomorrow.”

“Finish your drink first.” Bucky said. “Might as well. Oh, you need a ride?”

“Oh, it’s cool. I don’t live too far and pass is subsidized through tuition.” You shrugged. “Really, I’m fine.”

“Alright, just be safe.” He warned. “Oh and don’t forget about Monday.”

“I won’t.” You promised as you drain the last dregs of your beer. You stood and pulled your jacket on. “Looking forward to it actually.”

“Monday?” Steve wondered.

“Writing workshop,” He explained. “A little extra experience for the students and some useful knowledge on how publishing actually works.”

“Oh, that nerd stuff,” Steve kidded and turned to you. “Well, it was nice meeting you. Good luck with this one.”

“Yeah, thanks,” You gulped. “Have a good night.”

“You sure you don’t need a ride?” Bucky asked.

“You sure you don’t? You’ve had your fair share.” You returned.

“Cab fare then?”

“I’m good,” You assured him one last time. “See ya Monday.”

You skirted away before they could suck you back in. They both seemed all too eager to keep you out all night. Steve didn’t surprise you but Bucky did. Rather, Professor Barnes. Always a laidback professor but you didn’t think him that friendly. You wondered how the odds had stacked up against you. The two of them; friends. Fate surely favoured you.

As you stepped out into the brisk evening, your bag vibrated and you stopped to check it. ‘Hotel. Lobby. Twenty minutes.’ You glanced back at the bar doors and texted your acquiescence. It’d take at least that to get over there on the subway. You wondered if Steve could beat you there.

He did. When you arrived he was in the lobby on a long leather chaise. He sat patiently. His eyes found you as you walked in and he stood to greet you. He held his jacket over his arm and held out his other hand for you to take. He pulled you to him and kissed you. His arm wrapped around you and you struggled to part from him.

“Steve…” You looked around. “Not here.”

“How many people do you know in the city, hmm? No one even cares.” He lowered his arm and squeezed your ass. “Let’s go before I lose all my self-control.”

He guided you to the elevator. His hand never left your ass despite your wriggling. He was warm against you and the beer made him irresistible. You leaned into him and your bag hung heavily from your arm. He led you down the hall and swiped his card at his door. He nudged you ahead of him and the door shut with a snap behind him.

“That whole time we were sitting there, I couldn’t stop thinking about your ass. About everything I wanna do to you.” He snarled. “Sweetie, you’re driving me wild.” He rubbed the front of his pants. “I need you naked. Now.” 

You complied almost instantaneously. You wanted him too. Wanted to feel the same electricity as before. You were tired of denying yourself. Of burying that urge that grew so overwhelming as you fingered yourself in your bed. Your jacket was thrown over a chair, your shirt, pants, and underwear followed. Your shoes and socks littered the floor beneath and you stood before him expectantly. 

“Jesus,” He inhaled deeply and unbuckled his pants. “Will you treat me nice, sweetie?”

You neared him as he undid his fly and ran you hand over his crotch. He groaned and let his pants fall open. You rubbed him through his briefs and he shuddered. He played with your hair and caressed your arm as he watched you. You dragged you fingers tantalizingly along his cock and relished the noises it drew from him.

You pushed his briefs down past his cock and got to your knees. You had only done it that one time. You were almost intimidated as you knelt down before him and he gripped the base of his cock. He bent his knees as you wrapped your fingers around his shaft just above his own. He let go and you flicked his tip with your tongue.

“Do you remember what I taught you, sweetie?” He purred and tickled along your cheek. “Just relax. Take it slow.”

You swirled your tongue around his tip and he twitched. You repeated the motion and he hissed. You stretched your lips around him and tasted his salty precum. His hands went to the side of your head and rested there lightly. He groaned as you took him deeper and pressed your tongue along his length.

You did your best not to gag as you pushed past your reflex. You still couldn’t take all of him and pulled back slowly so that your saliva coated his cock. Your hand followed your mouth and you did it again; again; again. Faster each time; hungrier. You’d never expected to like it so much and each stroke had you wanting more.

His thick breaths floated in your ears and you looked up at him. He was watching you intently, his blue eyes intent; hot. His fingers spread along the back of your head and he pulled you off him. He smiled at the small pop as his cock fell out of your mouth.

“Sweetie, you keep that up and I’m gonna cum already,” He purred. “Stand up.” 

He tugged on your hand until you were on your feet. You were almost dizzy; the mixture of lust and beer had you wild.

“On the bed.” He directed. “Tell me how you want it.”

You blinked at him and pouted. “I don’t...I don’t know.”

“Go on. Show me what you want.”

You clamped your lips shut and turned to look at the bed. As you edged away from him you heard the rustle of his clothing. You peeked back at him as he unbuttoned his shirt. He nodded for you to continue.

You stepped up to the bed and touched the mattress. The first night you were together, you’d mostly been on your back. He used his mouth more than his cock. There was so much left undone. Perhaps that was why you were here now. 

You climbed up on all fours and glanced back over your shoulder. His eyes sparked as he freed himself from his pants. You wiggled your ass and he grinned. You turned back as he stepped towards you and the city winked at you through the tall windows. The distant traffic and street lights so far away.

His hands surprised you as they gripped your hips and crawled down the back of your thighs. His hot breath was even more surprising and you looked back again. He was on his knees as he grabbed your ass. He leaned in and his cool tongue dipped between your warm folds. You gasped and your head spun back around. You closed your eyes and pushed your head back.

You moaned, a long relieved moan as he licked you. He played with your clit and sucked at it. His teeth tenderly grazed you and he drank you in. You grasped at the blankets and arched your back.

“S-S-Steve,” You came with a sultry stammer and he carried you through it with his mouth. “Oh, oh, oh god.”

“Yea, sweetie,” He parted and stood. “You want me to fuck you like this?” He slapped your ass.

“Yes, yes,” You were surprised by your desperate plea. You needed it more than ever. “Please.”

His hands were on your hips again. He held you steady and his cock poked your folds as he lined himself up. He plunged into you in a single motion. You squeaked at the sudden intrusion. It sent an overwhelming wave through you. His fingers kneaded your flesh as he started to thrust.

“Mmm, you’re so good, sweetie.” He brought his pelvis flush against you and you whimpered. You were so full. “Can you feel that? How tight you are. How good you feel around me.”

“Yesss,” You said breathily and dropped down to your elbows. You hung your head as he pulled back and kept his pace steady. You could hear how your walls longed for him; how they tried to cling to him. 

“Tell me what you want, sweetie? How do you want it?”

“Faster,” You said without thinking. “Harder.” 

You leaned into him and he impaled you. He sped up and you let out a delighted cry. His cock hit all the right spots as it filled you over and over. Your muscles tensed as you were drawn to the edge and you plummeted down to your orgasm with a roar.

“Yes, sweetie, that’s it.” He kept his hips moving just as quick. “Tell me where to cum.”

“On my ass. It’s...fine.” You gulped as your breathing turned erratic. “Oh. oh, oh, oh…”

Your chant continued as another orgasm followed. You’d never cum so easily. He pulled out suddenly and a warmth spilled down your ass and thigh. Your thighs quivered as he stroked himself to his peak and you slowly pushed your legs out from beneath you to lay flat.

He fell down beside you as the cum dripped down the side of your leg. He stretched his arm across your back and nestled closed. You turned your head to face him and gave a dopey smile. He smiled back but it was more than the afterglow.

“You wanna fuck him, don’t you?” He asked.

You blinked and shook your head against the mattress. “What?”

“Bucky.” He ran his fingers up your spine. “I can tell you want to. You should. If that’s what you want.”

“He’s my professor.” You stiffened and turned onto your side. You grabbed his arm so that his hand stilled. 

“And? He wants to fuck you too. I know him well enough.” He chuckled. “He doesn’t socialize with students. Not like tonight. And the way he perked up when he ran into you.” He tutted. “He’s a dirty professor. Not that blame him.”

“I’m not going to fuck him,” You insisted and sat up, the cum sticky on your leg.

“Alright,” He said coolly. “Just...if you change your mind, don’t worry about me. I want you to explore yourself. Even if it’s not with me.”

“Please,” You laughed off his suggestion and bent to kiss him, if only to shut him up. “I’ve got enough to worry and not enough time to worry about it.”

[stained-glass-fragments]

[ Stained Glass (Fragments) Con. ]

When the blinding white light faded and color seeped back into her vision, Farona saw green---green grass, green trees, green foliage----familiar green, all around her.

Payon.

More specifically, she had been transported to Archer Village in the northern section of the town. A few of the old archery targets and boards were still raised near the tool dealer's shop in the upper right, half-shrouded by trees, and birds sang cheerfully in the treetops, frolicking and flitting in the early rays of dawn.

Her eyes inevitably strayed over the mouth of the Payon caves on the far left. The entrance was blocked with wards that the naked eye couldn't see (and accompanied by a sign that read "Do not enter"), as no guards were yet on duty outside of the caves. They would not allow adventurers in for another few hours yet.

...She still knew the schedule. And if things were different, she might have taken up her old post on patrol duty and wait for the others to arrive, catch up with her old comrades and exchange stories of the time they had been apart.

And come to think of it, this was also the the place that she first met--

"WAUH!"

A mere second later, she was on her knees on the ground, having been bumped from behind abruptly.

"Oh, pardon me," Yune voiced from behind her. She could hear a ghost of a chuckle in his tone. "You really didn't move from that spot even knowing that I was warping in after you?"

Her cheeks took on a hint of pink. She had been so caught up in the unexpected surroundings that she completely forgot about anything else.

Farona blinked as an outstretched glove appeared next to her and looked up, trailing the arm up to the smiling face. Another eerie familiarity came over her, making her heart skip a beat. If things had been different, if things had been like they were before...

His gloved fingers flexed once, closing and opening again. "Come now, my dear. I don't bite. ...Well, actually, I suppose that's a lie." Yune flashed his fangs, as if to make a point of it.

Refusing the offered hand, she hoisted herself back up and dusted her skirt off. He all too calmly retracted his hand with a one-shouldered shrug, as though he'd expected her not to take it from the start. The smile didn't waver.

Not wanting to dwell any of those unnerving thoughts, she forced her attention back to the situation at hand. This was a really strange place for him to have a warp directly to. Slowly, her gaze traveled back to his unreadable face.

"...Why did you bring me here?" she finally asked.

"Bring you here?" he returned the question, eyebrows raising just a bit over his sunglasses. "I was headed here. You're just tagging along now. Correct?"

That note of smug challenge was back. She could see it even with the thick sunglasses and ever-present smile on his lips---like he was just daring her to say otherwise.

Yune was reminding her that she was being whisked up into his plans and endeavors now---voluntarily. She wasn't pulling the strings. He was.

Although Farona couldn't help but wonder if there was ever a time that he hadn't been pulling the strings. His original offer to travel with her seemed like a kind way to fulfill her own wishes of leaving Payon, but now that he revealed he knew who and what she was all along...

She just didn't know. There were too many unanswered questions. And now that he brought them back to Payon, back to this place in particular, they only continued to pile.

"What do you intend to do here, then?" she reluctantly corrected herself. It wouldn't do any good to make things tense between them yet or pick a fight.

"Hmm," he appeared to mull the question over, arms tucking behind his back. "There's something I ought to retrieve from inside the caves. Care to join me?"

Farona blinked. Wasn't he aware that they couldn't get in?

She sighed. "The caves don't open to adventurers and parties for at least three hours yet. If you want to get in, we'll have to wait."

"Nonsense," he brushed her off, briskly walking past her, the tips of the bunny ears flopping.

With a stab of aggravation, she turned to follow after him, boots stomping on the ground. "Hey! Yune! Wait! You can't go in there! It's blocked off! There are magic barriers that will--"

He turned from the front of the cave to face her and she stopped in her tracks a few feet away. The smile was gone from his face.

"You really have no idea of what I'm capable of, do you?" He raised a hand to the open mouth of the cave. "Magic barriers? Child's play, my dear."

"You shouldn't---!" she interjected quickly, taking a unsteady step forward. "Those are dangerous and put up for a rea--"

Farona had no choice but to shield her eyes when a flash erupted from where his hand met the wards. But instead of Yune receiving a shock from magical lightning and being blown back away from it, the crackles of electric magic parted down the center where his gloved hand was, fizzled, and burned out.

She stared. That barrier had been put into place by a group of high wizards. From what she had been told, along with the other knights set on patrol duty here, the skills were advanced, complex, and tampering with the magic in any manner was a serious offense.

Her mind couldn't comprehend how a priest---even a high priest---undid the magic like it was nothing. And she knew that Yune Hiraze was far from a "normal" priest, but the knights had dealt with multiple cases of people trying to break into the caves late at night. And that included entire groups and parties hoping to have the dungeon to themselves in the off hours.

You didn't walk away from this kind of magic with just a twinge of discomfort or a burn on your hand. The sheer power incapacitated entire parties.

Her stunned eyes shifted to Yune, who had turned to the side to face her.

"That's where you were standing."

"Huh?" the knight blinked several times, still overwhelmed by his display of making quick work of an impassable magic wall that had been trusted for years.

"The day I found you," he elaborated, the curl of a smile lifting one side of his lips. "You were staring off into space. And you jumped to attention quite amusingly when your superior showed up."

Her brows drew together, trying to recall the events of that day. It wasn't unusual for her to get bored at her post, especially while waiting outside for the last patrol to return. But if it was when the captain caught her in a dazed moment, it was much earlier in the day than before her break and before the little acolyte boy had run out in a panic. At least a few hours prior to when Yune showed up to assist her in the caves.

"You didn't say anything then," she blurted her thoughts out unthinkingly. "I didn't even see a priest nearby."

"Don't you think it happened a little too conveniently, Farona?"

His voice had lowered suddenly, making the skin above the edges her gloves tingle. He wasn't just sending her down a trip through memory lane. There was something he was trying to get across to her.

"Lo and behold, a horde of zombies appears in the town in the middle of the day!" he continued with flourishing movements of his arms, as though retelling a grand story. "The entire guard is called into the heart of town. That is, save for one person instructed to keep an eye on the caves in the north. And it just so happens that trouble brews within the caves at the exact same time!"

Her heart had begun to beat a little faster. Now that she thought back on it, that had been strange. At the time, her thirst to prove herself had blinded her to just how bizarre and unlikely the situation was.

"That's when you showed up," she voiced cautiously, unnerved by his gleeful expression. "When I was in the caves fighting Osiris off to save those teenagers. Did the acolyte tell you about it, too?"

He was silent for a long moment, and then uttered, "No."

"So you just happened to come by at the right moment?" she asked skeptically, one hand finding her hip.

"Not at all," he replied simply, shaking his head. "I already knew you were there. I already knew you would go in there."

Her expression fell to complete confusion again. "What the heck's that supposed to mean?"

For the moment, he said nothing. Even with the shield of his sunglasses blocking his red eyes, she could tell that he was toying with her. Yune was holding some very important truth just out of her reach and dangling it in front of her until she finally caught it with her own two hands. He wanted her to realize it herself.

And she didn't like it. She had a bad feeling about this.

"You were foolishly loyal to these humans," he muttered through a strained smile. "I could tell after just a few hours of watching you interact with them. If you thought someone in those caves was endangered, you would run in, regardless of what was awaiting you."

Her head was spinning in efforts to keep track of everything.

He knew about Osiris before she did?

He knew that someone had used a bloody branch...?

Something in her insides lurched almost painfully, a gasp falling out of her lips.

No, he didn't know that someone had summoned a boss monster. The truth was...

"You used the bloody branch," she whispered softly in disbelief.

[tybalt-you-saucy-boi]

Hello! I was curious to know what some of your favorite Mindcrack moments are in all of their years of existing?

Bro. You are in for a motherfucking LIST.

Off the bat, every single Team Canada Prank. I’ve practically memorized the Sky Shrooms and King of the Ladder episodes. That moment when Guude realized Etho was part of the prank and said “We? Who’s we?” and Etho stuttered and fell backwards off the mushrooms to his death was the first moment in my life that I truly felt alive. #TheOfficeIsAGoodShow #RealMenUseTheirRingFinger

Von Swaying Guude’s house changed my whole outlook on Minecraft. How could someone make something so darn ugly and yet so beautiful? It’s the epitome of doing something for the sole purpose of shit starting creating and having fun rather than aiming for perfect and never finishing. Zisteau is a great addition to any video 10/10 educational content

Just about every moment in Guude/Nebris/Pakratt/Arkas’ TerraFirmaCraft Reloaded series. Had to pause videos multiple times to write down quotes and even then I passed up some good ones! I fully intend on rewatching the series from each perspective. Arkas getting slain by bear, Guude and Arkas secretly growing mushrooms and getting high, Pakratt confusing dolomite and diorite, literally everything Arkas does, THE COWS, that last episode of absolute chaos wtf Pakratt

UHC #ForTheKidsSeven with Single Malt scotch’s skyblock base and rampant cheating from every team except Nebris’. I fucking LOVED that near-kill with the anvil, and all the chaos as the border shrank. Four players stuck in a 1x1 column! The arrow volley between SMS and SkyblockJr. Can this happen every UHC?

Speaking of UHC, Etho and BdoubleO’s epic fight in season 11! He was absolutely on the ball with those potions, I was sure he’d die before he could use them all. And Etho’s fight with Guude right before that was hilarious! Guude high as fuck on percocets and Etho like completely confused at what Guude was doing. The original UHC skybase by Zisteau #I’mALavaExpert and Anderz reaction to the skybase, and then to Guude’s dogs

The whole portal thing in season 3 with Pause, Kurt, and Beef too! That has remained one of my favourite UHC moments since I saw it, there is nothing more classic. Every single season I hope someone will make a portal for no reason and end up in someone else’s base with them. #TheWolfTheWolfAmazing!

Zisteau’s E-Pranker Montage. I legitimately cry every time I watch it, particularly during 0.5 (the fourth prank) when he rebuilds Bdubs’ first house from his Building With BdoubleO series. Bdubs’ moment of realization hits me like a train even though I know it’s coming. Like, if someone built my first Minecraft base to prank me I think I would die on impact, but like in a good way.

And back to UHC! Season 14 episode 5. HOOOOOOLY FUCK! 2spooky4me should have totally been a UHC team! Remember when Zisteau played UHC? It just isn’t UHC without him to be honest. And besides the #BadYouTubers and #ImALavaExpert moments from Super Hostile and Ninja Turtles, Parkas had a great season as well! Shit, everyone was awesome! Parkas listening in on BTC finding a silverfish, Doc listening in on Ole Yeller right before Zisteau-ing himself and swearing, Baj hiding nether wart, every single drunken drink Genny did, Parkas towers “we should smelt some stone to make bricks”, snnnnowballs! :D, HEY JSANO! WHY YOU RUNNING JSANO?, “ooooh, we’re right behind you haha” “BTC, they’re actually here.” Pakratt was slain by generikb, Avidya’s spooky voice echoing around Seth and Anderz “You wouldn’t hurt an old teammate, would you?” “I dunno. It’s been awhile.” Just. God this was a good season.

Season 19 with Vechs and BTC! You’ve heard all the famous quotes, “how did I get stuck with you of all people” “Vechs, Vechs. I don’t hate you anymore” “He’s not dying. He’s just mad right now.” “Did it come from your hand, knocking a teammate off the ledge?” “THAT WAS A MOD!” etc etc. I also like MC’s half heart midnight desert dash, although it took a good 10 years of my life from the stress. Oblivious Pakratt running away from his teammates as they yell after him and then wondering why he hasn’t found anyone yet. Seth’s reaction to MC’s diamonds. Coe’s post commentary, again, you know the quotes: “Left. Chicken. Right. Chicken.” “This bucket has wheels!” “Are you gonna put that dirt in a chest?!” etc. Kurt finding Beef “Sharpness Five diamond sword!” and PiMP turning around. F1 and PiMP in general. SwedishZen and Millbee with the melons.

Obligatory mentions: “NOOO YOUR DOGS KILLING ME!!!!”, 2Germans1Hole, Zisteau crafting a clock and finding every excuse to use it during the game so that those 4 gold didn’t go to waste, Rob’s jukebox battles, Anderz fighting spiders when a creeper wanders into his hole, Bdubs’ “real” season 9 ending, Nebris going God-mode “HIT ME ALL YOU LIKE”, Nebris and Pause double kill, Nebris and Pyro double kill with Bdubs watching and cleaning up at half a heart and then Etho cleaning up again and finding the potions B left and Bdubs interrupting his video to do facecam to explain that he’s a nice guy who shares and leaves gifts for others (basically whenever Bdubs does facecam in UHC. Let’s face it, when Bdubs whips out the cam you know you’re in for a good show), Team Uppercats season 10. All of it.

Trouble in Terrorist Town when Pyro and Coe pull a long con on Pause and Guude in like episode 9 during the last round. I had to pause the video to take it all in, I was just in awe. That series is one of my favourites! I always watch from Pause.

In original DvZ when BTC got warned for breaking a cake. Also Pause’s helmet!

Team Canada CTM uhhh forgot which series, but Pause and Beef getting stuck in a hole, Etho dying, placing TNT over their heads, and singing “Pause and Beef, best of friends” while Beef panics.

Etho calling Pause fat as a joke and Pause taking it serious and then Etho going “wait, are you actually fat?’ lmao.

Pause yelling about vacations on episode 37 of the podcast with BdoubleO “STOP TELLING PEOPLE I’M GOING ON VACATION IT’S NOT A VACATION!!!!!!!” and every time he’s yelled about vacations or muted his mic.

Baj reading a question and mid sentence switching to talking about the curry he had last night, and then there’s a pause and the rest of Nancy Drew fucking loses it.

On the podcast, Kurt’s “Wake me up, boys!” That whole episode was a blast!

The whole “sitting or standing?” debate and the guests’ reactions to it.

Doc accidentally killing Notch on the Mindcrack server, and Dinnerbone confused about him not dropping an apple.

Doc’s zombie death loop from season 4 with Anderz saving the day and then promptly dying.

B-Team mafia in survival of the fittest, Etho killing Genny, and B and Etho teaming up afterwards. Also B and Pungence talking excitedly at the end was adorable, you can really tell they’re brothers lol. And Etho drinking out of the outhouse! Bdubs’ comment on that video killed me lol. And Etho forgetting his push-to-talk and failing to team up with Doc.

The whole got-dang B-Team trial.

End of season 3 tour “On a scale from Baj to Anderz” “Arkas, say something about your build.” Arkas: “Hello.”

The original Death Games, when Etho reveals his secret to Nebris particularly, and all the trash talking. Also Millbee, MC, and Nebris coming to kill him and Kurt logging on in the middle of it.

Prop hunt, and all the wiener and erect jokes. “Am I erect?” “I just saw a can spying on me while I was trying to put my wiener in the toilet!”

Pause and Rob getting girlfriends in Orespawn, and Rob naming his after Pause, and Pause murdering his.

Andrea talking about waking up with spiders in her mouth in an old Triple Eh Mondays episode.

Nebris “sensually” feeding Beef a banana (and practically begging to do it to) on the Mindcrack marathon, and Beef completely ruining the mood lol

Zisteau accidentally launching CaptainSparklez back into a lava tree column and “Dude, it’s okay. You can just kill me” after Jordan’s hit him about 40 times.

#ForTheHorse

MC accidentally killing his one and only teammate JSano during UHC season 22

Sevadus and Seth playing blindfolded lego with Chad’s underwear on Sev’s head, lots of swearing, bugs in the lego, “Are you sure it’s the grey lego?”, “I don’t think I like kids anymore” etc

All the Pyro and Baj burns on Quiplash, ie “What’s something that absolutely does not make you think of a penis in any way?” “Baj”

Coe and Pak playing that stupid horse/giraffe volley ball game with the stretchy legs and neck, and Coe doing the silly accent

Bdubs calling Nebris a psychopath in Nebs’ first FTB episode because he jumped a dangerous ledge for 2 (TWO) pieces of glowstone dust

Nebs coming outta nowhere and jumping in Etho’s car when he was about to test his race track

The first few episode of CrackPack and the battle between Etho and BTC, and Beef and Nebris

The first building game with potatoes on sticks, the second accidentally dirty and racist building game with bloody toilet capsules, the third actually dirty building game with a viking hat with a penis inside

God, I could go on forever, but I’ve already spent over an hour and a half on this.

[olga-eulalia]

You know what? I can post terrible self-indulgent fic if I want to, so here’s a Sleeping Beauty AU, featuring Silver and Flint. ~3500 words. R just to be on the safe side. Some non-con. Unbeta’d. Non-native speaker writing here.

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, when it was late winter and John Silver had been travelling across the land for many months, he came into a forest that was dark and strangely quiet, and he thought he’d lost the path when suddenly, just before nightfall, a hollow-way appeared in the gloom that brought him safely to the entrance of an inn.

The room was dimly lit, the ceiling low, and smoke came curling out when he entered. For a moment, all faces were turned towards him, squinting. But since Silver was not altogether unpleasant to look at and had the gift of a charming smile he found himself accepted rather warmly for a mere stranger passing through.

Over the years he had learned a couple of valuable things: That news, embellished, were quick to draw a crowd. That people in general enjoyed the company of a man who held their opinions in high esteem. That a ripping yarn was as good as any currency in that even the most standoffish were afflicted with an unusual bout of generosity once the teller’s tongue started to feel a bit parched. And all these, and more, came in very handy that night.

*

Now it was true even then that every place, no matter how remote, had its own stories, some of which people liked to talk about gleefully and often. While others, they only mentioned under their breath or kept secret altogether for fear of catching their oddness. And as knowing which was which was nigh impossible in advance, one had to excuse Silver. It was nothing but his natural curiosity that made him ask about the manor in the distance, whose it was, and he couldn’t have known that it would bring conversation throughout the room to a halt.

"The Devil's," a woodcutter muttered into his jug of ale.

The blacksmith, no less brawny in stature, set down his mug and corrected him.

Then, bit by bit, more people felt confident enough to chime in. Indeed, a rather fierce competition arose as to whose sources were the most reliable, whose account the most accurate. The innkeeper's face was impartiality itself as she pulled another frothy pint.

From what Silver was able to gather the building had been abandoned for more than two generations and folk in these parts believed that it was frequented by a most godless crowd: Ogres, ghosts, witches and suchlike. It was somewhat difficult to pin down the particulars of the tale since it morphed as it went from teller to teller, but in one aspect they all agreed: Don’t go near. The message was so uniform that one could almost believe everyone either in on a joke or cleverly hiding something from an outsider.

Silver, intrigued, had just made the decision to discover for himself whether the place held anything of value that could make his detour yet worthwhile when a shadow by the fire spoke up.

Hogwash! A tall, old man shifted his lined face into the light. In his days, everyone knew that the manor had been bewitched and that the only way to release its residents from the spell was to bestow one kiss on the beautiful princess trapped inside.

The old man frowned at the amusement rippling through his audience. He continued: Some of his friends had tried it in their youthful folly. Thought they could best the brambles that encased the stone walls as securely as an iron casket, but none of them were ever seen to make it through. Or return.

"Witchcraft." The woodcutter nodded.

The talk then shifted to discuss other possible doings of the Devil and whether the local magistrate was in cahoots with him, and Silver, feigning bodily discomfort, moved across the room to occupy a cosy seat by the fire as well.

"I'd very much like to see this manor house for myself," he said. Perhaps the tale and her teller's name would find their way into the book he was writing, he offered as incentive, hoping that, at the end of the day, an interested listener would make up for an empty promise. "You wouldn't happen to remember the shortest way?"

The old man studied the frayed edges of Silver's second-hand coat and his peg leg with great care, but Silver’s face yet more carefully still. From the corner of his mouth, where a missing tooth allowed him to comfortably fit the amber stem of his pipe, he admitted, “I do.”

Chapter 2

A glittering layer of ice outlined branch and fallen leaf. Overnight, the ground had frozen over and Silver’s breath fogged the air as he walked the perimeter. His snares were empty, winter mushrooms sparse. With the supplies in his bag dwindling, a longer stay would be ill-advised, and it pained him to think that he'd have to seek his good fortune elsewhere while the turreted manor sat like a most precious egg pristine in its spiky nest. His gaze roamed all that unspoiled glass and iron he'd be able to sell if only he could find a way to get his hands on it.

At one point, the house must have lorded over a large swath of land. The tree-lined road, whose faint remnants had guided him on his way, stretched for about two miles up north and the overgrown front gate was wide enough to fit six horses side by side. In an abandoned farmstead close by, under a roof that sat worryingly askew, Silver had made camp. And though he had a good view of the premises, there was nothing out of the ordinary to report on. Except for one very obvious thing:

The unusually large thornhedge that wrapped the manor in a tight embrace, covering it all the way round and almost all the way up the highest tower. Even the forest kept its distance from such an unruly, greedy growth that had swallowed up ladder, plank and axe in its past and more recently Silver’s handsaw.

He spotted the tool and began to tug at it with all his strength, hoping to pry it from the clutches of the hedge this time. The sun's rays were slanting in just so that he could make out something stuck further inside the thicket. A piece of clothing perhaps. Or perhaps it was...

"Good morning!" An old woman, snugly wrapped up in shawls, had come out of the woods and startled him.

"Good morning," he scrambled up his last ounce of cheer. Seeing that she was dragging a bundle of brushwood along on a makeshift sledge, he then offered his help, though, truth be told, he deemed his own work far more important and had no real intention of abandoning it.

She mustered him with a critical eye and declined. “You seem very busy.”

As it turned out, she was much more interested in what he was doing anyway, lingering by his side and quizzing him about his intentions.

Those were nothing but chivalrous, he assured her. Curse-breaking was his business. Drawn by the warm sparkle in her eyes, he leaned in and said, "I heard," and then recounted the old man's tale.

"Oh, nonsense!" She poked the hard ground with her walking stick. "When I was young, everyone knew that it was no princess trapped inside this bloody hedge, but a handsome prince." The edges of her smile gleamed with gold. "You let me know if you need any help in waking him from his slumber."

Despite the chill, Silver flushed terribly, seeing himself bent over a downy pillow, lips skimming across a prickly cheek, and gave a chuckle that only drew more attention to his self-conscious state.

Perceptive and kind, the old woman changed the subject, entertaining him with anecdotes of bygone days for a while, bringing to life the bustle of the estate with such clarity in his mind’s eye that he was almost tricked into mourning its loss.

“Snow's coming. Can always trust my bones to be right about that,” she eventually said and then pulled a wrinkled apple and a handful of raisins from her coat pockets -- a sweet haul which she handed to Silver in its entirety, patting his cheek. “Good luck, dear.”

*

Long after she had disappeared back into the forest, Silver was still sitting on an empty plinth with a raisin tucked between his back teeth. When was the last time someone had shown him such kindness? Gifted him food without expecting anything in return? Called him dear without disdain? He should've been more honest about wanting to help her. He should've been more honest in wanting to immortalize the old man's name in a book, too. But instead, he had chosen this. This unrewarding task. This confounded thing.

His next attempt at freeing the saw was rather ungentle. And the more he chided it for its stubbornness, the more the hedge creaked and fought against his efforts. With thorns like talons, it rewarded his impatience by goring him to the bone.

Chapter 3

In the wan morning light, slowly among the branches, snowflakes descended. The forest lay quiet and still as if it had taken a deep breath and slipped under a white cover where it now waited for the sun's return.

While Silver’s sore hands were preparing his belongings for the journey ahead, carefully cording up his burlap bag, his thoughts were far away already, imagining a warm spot, a mouth-watering meal in the next town. He was about to turn his back on the manor, erase this disappointment from memory to the best of his ability when it pierced him: Red.

Red, almost purple, amidst the fresh snow and ashen wood, a delicate bud poked its head out from an array of tender green where yesterday none had been visible, so vibrant and soaked with colour that paint might drip from it at any moment. Behind it, within reach, another blossom coiled. And then another. Dazzled, Silver quite forgot all caution and stepped closer to touch them with his fingertips. They were real, all of them. And a little further on, closer by the wall, where warmth huddled by the stones, one had unfurled its petals like a joyful welcome.

There he saw that he had come a long way already and that the forest was barely visible from this far inside the hedge. Slender rods arched above him like a protective bower, criss-crossing densely. If the old tale had been true and those been possessed of malicious intent, escape would have been quite impossible at this point.

So when the man-high wooden door at the end of the path yielded and allowed him in, Silver grinned: People like him never got stuck in fairytales.

Chapter 4

It was as quiet as the whispering snowfall outside. But a peal of laughter might ring out any moment. A door fall into its lock. A serving-maid pass by, carrying a stack of freshly folded linen. Sumptuous carpets muffled Silver’s steps as he walked the long, branching hallways of the manor, a flickering five-armed candelabra in hand that illuminated a wealth of riches difficult to wrap one’s mind around. Marble, golden ornaments, exquisite furnishings -- only the finest, most expensive materials had been good enough for the owner, whom Silver had started to think of very dearly.

Coming into the great hall by way of the kitchen, he had tried his way through the pickled goods in the pantry till his stomach was stuffed full so that his gait was unhurried now and slow while the bag in his tow grew heavier fast.  

Wherever he went, whether rounding a corner or climbing a stairway, eyes followed him, recognizing him as someone who did not belong and looking on his presence with according disdain. At times bewigged and befrilled, at times presented on black silk and ermine, a hundred unhappy faces judged his actions as he explored room after room. It filled him with an odd sense of satisfaction to see that a couple of these portraits had been knocked down and vandalised, their faces ripped out.

Following those, he discovered that someone had beat him to the library. Books had been pulled out, drawers upturned, the floor strewn with loose papers. Ransacked it appeared in stark contrast to the rest of the house which remained undisturbed in its stately splendour.

Like a box full of choice jewels, the lady's bedroom opened up to him, the surfaces sheened with mother-of-pearl gloss in the pale light. A satin evening gown had been laid out. Matching jewellery. Items that Silver thought to leave untouched, stepping past them into the adjoining chamber where he found half the curtains drawn.

In the dusk, which made it difficult to tell shadow from shape, Silver at first believed that an armful of clothes had been carelessly flung across the bed, but the glow of his candelabra soon transformed it into two knee-high boots, a dark coat and even in the dimness the red shock of hair then became unmistakable.

Silver backed away, withdrawing his light as fast as possible. A doorframe bumped his elbow and startled him into speaking. "I'm awfully sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to disturb...,” he said.

But the figure continued to sprawl facedown as if felled by a mortal blow.

Silver hesitated. He thought of the bag bulging with jewellery and artworks that was waiting for him outside in the hallway and he thought of what happened to thieves who were caught stealing from rich people's homes. And then, unbidden, the memory of the two old people and his own wheedling talk entered his mind and prompted him to drag his courage by the scruff.

It took both hands and a lot of strength to roll the body onto its back. Thick strands of hair fell aside, revealing a face both virile and elegant, its features so handsomely drawn and complexion so delicate that Silver was quite startled by its beauty. He had spent enough time in the study, rummaging through the documents there and looking at the portraits to know that this man was not the master of the house, and since there was no plunder on him except for a scrap of paper clutched in his hand, which made thievery an unlikely motive for his being here, his presence remained a mystery.

A quick examination revealed no visible wound. And another couple of minutes gave certainty that the man’s life was not altogether gone. Both his heartbeat and his breath merely came very slowly and could not be quickened by any means at hand. Whatever it was -- surely a quick peck would not be able to cure as strange a condition as this.

To distract himself from that particular thought, Silver grabbed the crumpled paper and smoothed it out. The lines there were even, the letters themselves full  of verve as their author vowed to do the utmost to mitigate the damage of the curse and apologised more than once for reneging on the promise of forever, but that these drastic measures were necessary, alas, to avert a much more dreadful fate.

“So I take it you’re James?” Silver, stirred by the intimate, imploring tone of the letter, pondered the sleeper’s face.

By the minute now, the old tale gained in plausibility until it had lodged itself in Silver’s mind like a bulky obstacle that he couldn’t think past, and he caught his gaze returning to those tender lips again and again. Considering it as a real possibility was simply absurd. And it definitely wasn’t good sense that made him lean over and study the man from up close. His thick eyelashes. His freckles. The faint lines bracketing his trim, red beard. Was his expression dreamy? Thoughtful? Mournful? Silver, watching the candlelight shift emotions around like ill-fitting puzzle pieces, couldn’t say.

Nerves aflutter, he gnawed on his lip and considered what if. He lowered his face further. "You’ll forgive me if I," he said, voice thinning to a whisper, “try,” and then hardly dared breathe while he let his mouth sink down into the midst of that soft beard and onto silken lips.

*

Satisfied, at last, that it would be considered a kiss and not only an attempt at one, Silver drew back and watched for a response. But none came.

Of course, none came. He shook his head. Truly, it was high time to put silly notions of fantastic deeds aside once and for all.

“Well,” he said, “I’m sure you’ll be back on your feet in no time. I’ll just... need to take some things to incentivise the good doctor to make the trip out here. I’m sure you’d understand.”

Concentration proved a slippery thing when he tried to picture his loot and which item he could part with painlessly and, idly searching for a clue perhaps, he glanced at the man’s face again, expecting tacit permission there, but finding green eyes instead whose focus jumped, caught and pinned with terrible accuracy. Silver’s gaze was dragged into them like light into an endless well.  

The man pushed himself upright. With an unexpectedly gentle caress, a touch so light that it was barely there, he slipped Silver’s bandaged hand into his palm.

Silver, suspended in a state of anticipation, let it happen. He was glad to be greeted with no anger and no confusion, only a persistent kind of curiosity.

They held each other's gaze for a long moment and then plaintively, evoking an overwhelming need to comfort and reassure, the man asked him, “You’ll forgive me?”

“I,” Silver said and at that instant found himself grabbed by the nape, a thumb splayed across his pulse. “Wait! No, I didn’t mean to– I thought-”

As the man pushed him back onto the bed and shifted his muscular body on top of him, it dawned on Silver too late that he had read the signs wrong, that what he had interpreted as curiosity was voracious appetite instead. And as a gust of hot breath moved over his neck and a set of sharp teeth grazed the all too tender skin there, he remembered that some people knew how to craft a spell with skill and purpose and that not all of their handiwork was meant to be broken.

Pain pierced his skin and sank deeper, sounding out the depths of him.

It seemed impossible that someone might desire such a thing as this and therefore Silver had no words at the ready that would stop the act from happening, and his tongue, which had talked him out of many a precarious situation, floundered.

Compared to the immovable grip on him, his own struggle seemed laughably weak, as if his hands were only curled into loose fists, as if his limbs were good for not much more than a twitch, as if he weren’t struggling to free himself with all his strength, now hanging from a mouth like prey.

The man’s lips were fastened tight to his neck, drinking deeply from his heart’s stream. Warmth radiated from the wound, crawling up Silver’s cheek, down over his chest. Slim-fingered, it reached into his veins and sprouted blossoms, letting them grow as tall as trees so that they tinted everything in the luminous red of their immense petals. To Silver they seemed a marvellous thing and he thought he might rest a while in their light and laze in contentment where pleasure was so abundant and he wanted for nothing. Drowsy, he was rocked. Sated, he was fed more. Aroused, he was excited further until ecstasy prickled all over his skin and every individual heartbeat was delight, so that he was a reedy whine, a writhe in the sheets, and nothing more.

His body didn’t seem to know what to do with all that bliss, and he cusped and came inside his drawers -- a feeble lift of his hips. And then he was spat out.

Waiting for just that moment, cold, slavering, laid hands on him and made him shiver. With a head full of noise and his vision flickering out, he rolled over and dragged himself across the bed, miles and miles of bright cloth stretching out ahead of him. Reason, perhaps, whispered that he was not going to make it, not in such a weakened state, and he could not counter it, not understanding why he was trying to leave in the first place when there was so much comfort and joy waiting for him just an arm’s length away, only knowing that he absolutely must.

And so he grabbed another delirious inch of his freedom and then another, and slowly, ever so slowly managed to pull himself to the edge of a cliff. He clutched at it, belatedly trying to mitigate his fall, already plummeting.

A pair of strong arms gathered him into their cradle, clasped him tight and lifted him up. “Are you trying to lose another limb?” He was deposited somewhere flat and impossibly soft and then covered in warmth. Silver let the world happen around him for a while. “When you’re awake your hand will need cleaning.” The hair was brushed from his face. “And I’m sure you’ll be hungry too.”

[grantfieldgrove]

Your friends want you to fail.

It’s true.

It’s true and it sucks.

But the sooner you realize this, the better off you’ll be. You can set yourself on the course for success while leaving them behind.

That’s exactly what your friends don’t want, but you have the capability to make it happen.

I’m not trying to be negative, but I’ve learned this the hard way.

Let me back up a bit.

Ten years ago I was working a dead end job at a grocery store. I hated it. The pay was crap. The work was crap. Most of the customers were crap. But I had friends!

I was miserable. I had a temper, I was angry about everything. I was bitter that I worked this job I didn’t like when I knew I should be doing better. I was all over social media, posting about everything, even belittling people I didn’t even know by snapping pictures of them and posting them, then enjoying a laugh at their expense.

That’s bottom of the barrel, self-esteem wise.

I would fight with people who held different political beliefs than me, different opinions about religion, or even movies. I was the loud mouth Fred Flintstone type, but I always got laughs. At least some.

It didn’t take long after my son was born to realize that something wasn’t quite right with him. He was extremely delayed and obviously autistic. I blew it off and didn’t believe it, making excuses as to why he was so behind.

We had to enroll him in a special school at age 2. The bitterness grew.

One day I decided to buy an iPad. Just because.

I took it home, unboxed it, and sat on my floor to play with it. But instead of playing games, I started writing.

I literally started writing a novel out of nowhere. It was a hoot. I started carrying a little notebook around work, thinking of plot points. It was great, because when you carry a notebook and pen around while working, people assume you’re working really hard!

Before I knew it, I had a book. I didn’t know what the hell to do with it, but I had one.

I found out you can self-publish books on Amazon, so that’s exactly what I did. I gave it a once or twice over, figured out how to format it, and it was published. And wow, did it have a lot of typos. The story was good, though. Some people bought it and it actually got good reviews. Some friends even bought it, though I doubt many of them read it. But still, it felt good. So I started the second book and finished it in record time. This one was even funnier and I liked it a lot, although, once again, I skimped on the editing.

Shortly before the release of that book, I had a falling out with most of my friends. I had planned a big party in Las Vegas, everyone was going to attend, but it was just a disaster. We had a suite at the Aria, but none of my friends even stayed in the hotel. Not a problem, but they stayed way down the strip at Paris. Then got so drunk at the pool, not a single person showed up. So yeah, I was pissed. And the party wasn’t just for fun, it was a special occasion for my wife. And every one of them let me down. So that’s that. We left first thing in the morning, leaving them all in the dust.

Nothing was really the same after that.

All of this is just specific backstory that doesn’t pertain to you, but the basic elements could. The moral of the story remains the same.

Cut to ten years after I first sat down to write that novel. I now have 11 books, including the first ever murder mystery series for kids, which even, somehow, became the runner up for some award I already forgot the name of. Three of my books have been produced into audiobooks and two have advanced to the semi finals in an Amazon-sponsored fiction contest where out of 10,000, 400 advanced. I’ve gotten positive reviews from Kirkus, and a few other publications.

These are facts that I am proud of. I share these from time to time on social media, although I am still not comfortable with talking about myself.

But, now my friends don’t buy my books. Maybe one or two, not even my “Facebook friends” who were on board at the beginning. The last book published is my favorite. I’m so happy with it and proud of it. I literally tried to give away copies to people I know. I didn’t have a single taker.

I would promote the book being free on Kindle during a particular day or weekend, or whatever, and not a single person would respond to it. I tried to give away Audible audiobooks. Not a single taker.

It’s so bizarre.

Why?

I could understand if the books were garbage. There are a lot of genuinely bad books out there, especially since self publishing has gotten so popular and easy to do. But my books aren’t those books.

I started a small publishing services company, just as a side job to help people out. People who were lost like me when I first started.

My friends didn’t care.

Granted, it’s not very exciting, and with the emergence of “multi-level marketing,” starting a business isn’t that impressive, apparently. (Remind me to tell you about this amazing magical wrap thing! Kidding.)

One thing I forgot to mention earlier, is that I went without Facebook for about a year and a half. I hated it. I hated the fakeness of it. And I was bitter. Bitter that I was trying to better my life, to branch out from a dead end job and try to make something of myself, and I never got any good feedback from it.

My son is severely autistic, he’s ten now and still completely non-verbal. We don’t have a typical life. We have to adapt to whatever life throws at us, and that’s what I was trying to do. My son hated when I had to go to work. He didn’t understand why I had to leave, often in the middle of the night. So I tried to change things.

And still I got nothing. So, bye bye Facebook. Good riddance.

It was weird at first. I still had this urge to let everyone know what I was doing. Like, them knowing would someone validate me doing it. If your Facebook friends don’t know what you do, are you really even doing it?

While I’m typing this, my Facebook is back. But there is a reason. Over the summer, while I was doodling on my iPad, I had an idea. I could put these things on tshirts. I would totally wear them.

So I looked it into. I saw that the possibilities were seemingly endless. Why stop at tshirts when you can make leggings? Why stop at leggings when you can make backpacks?

It goes on like this.

So I went all in. And I mean, ALL IN!

I had quit my job at the supermarket a few months prior. I had enough money to survive for a while while I explored new paths. So I sunk everything into this little venture. I was going to make horror related clothes. The horror market is severely underused. There are, of course, some major players in the horror game, but they all had to start at the bottom, too. So I went for it. I made a website. I made an Instagram and a Facebook. And after a week of the site being up, I made a sale. And then another sale.

Turning a profit is tricky, though. I needed word of mouth. I needed friends.

So I got back on my personal Facebook page after a year and a half, and let everyone know what I had been up to while I was gone.

It landed with a thud.

Nobody cared.

In the time I was gone I had a kid’s book, and novel, and this clothing company all launch.

I got nothing.

I started booking comic cons and would post pictures.

Nothing.

I have a little booth downtown, with all my stuff displayed, where you can walk in, buy something, and help support me and my family, by buying small, staying local.

I’ve had one friend visit it.

One.

It’s been there for six months.

I posted a few pictures of horror-celebrities wearing or showing off something I created.

Nothing.

I drew posters for a few events, movie screenings, even a stage play. I posted them. The most recent one I posted got 6 likes.

I have 590 Facebook friends and 6 of them liked a poster I did for a Scream 2 screening.

I have a family member whose daughter wanted “something Michael Myers” for Christmas. I have tons of Myers stuff. Stuff I poured my heart and soul into. Stuff you can’t find anywhere else.

This person did not buy from me. She bought a generic Myers t-shirt from a major store and probably spent more than she would have with me.

Right now, through luck and hopefully hard work, my work is in the processing of being officially licensed. Which means, with a little more work and a whole lot more hustle, it could end up in stores like Hot Topic, etc.

And then what?

I don’t know. I like to daydream. And I would like someone to be proud of it, someone who doesn’t live with me.

But, there comes a time when you have to let that go. Your friends won’t be proud of you. They will belittle you. They will find something to nitpick about what you’re doing.

And it sucks.

Strangers will support you. Your friends will not.

The sooner you know this, the better. You can delete your personal Facebook, you can shrug your shoulders at all the people holding you back and making you feel bad about leaving your comfort zone and taking a risk.

There is no law that you must remain friends with the people you were once friends with. Cut em loose.

This is about you. It’s about your dreams. Your life. Not theirs.

If they don’t want to follow you on your journey or cheer you on, cut them loose. Release that anchor from around your neck and push full-speed ahead.

You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish when you stop worrying about what so-called friends think and start realizing that no matter what you do, there will be someone who admires you and looks up to you, just as you’ve looked up to someone else when you started your self-fulfilling journey.

Be the person you would want to look up to.

You can do it.

Start today.

Two months ago I had to attend a wedding where all of these people would be, all these “friends.”

All I heard were complaints. Whoever we struck up a conversation with, complained.

Complain complain complain.

I understood what was wrong.

We didn’t complain. My wife and I, we only told positive stories.

Our complaining days are over. We’ve moved on. We seemed out the positives from our lives and choose to focus on that.

All this did was draw out more complaining from the wedding guests.

So tone deaf and these people we’ve left behind, they were complaining about students (the teachers we knew) that are very similar to our son.

Like, really?! This is our life. You go home at 3. We live with this. And we still don’t complain.

So far back these people are, I had to hear outdated and cringeworthy jokes, I had to hear casual sexual harassment, breasts referred to as fun bags, in front of the girl they were talking to, and the groom’s nieces. They still use the R word to describe anything, despite knowing my son is extreme special needs.

Once you realize that you don’t want to live in the world these people still inhabit, the sooner you can progress to where you want to be.

You’ll never be happier leaving them, and their outdated thinking, and their complaints, and everything else that makes you miserable to hear about, behind.

And you can do it.

You can do it right now!

Log out of Facebook and get to work.

Find people to look up to and follow them. Do your own thing. People will begin to follow you.

I’m not saying it will be easy. I’m just giving you a heads up of what’s to come.

You can sidestep it completely.

You just need to realize that your friends want you to fail.

Prove them wrong.

Don’t even tell them.

Start now.

Go.

[allivegottodoislove]

The Song Remains The Same

chapter eleven!!! sorry about going mia last week. i’ve just been having a hell of week and totally forgot that last wednesday even happened! i hope you guys will enjoy this! it’s mostly just calypso and jonesy! i should be back to regular posting now, though

“Bring him back.” Robert spoke as he tossed a set of keys to John Paul. Calypso followed him out the door to an older looking car. She wasn’t too surprised to see Robert owning a classic car. It fit him so naturally.

“Would you mind if I drove?” John Paul asked. Calypso just shook her head. How could she demand to drive?

“I haven’t driven on this side of the ocean, or the street, yet. You probably should.” She replied as she got into the passenger’s seat. It would only make sense for him to drive. She had yet to drive in England. On top of having no real clue where they were going, it felt a little bit dangerous.

The way back might be a whole different story, though. If it came down to comforting John Bonham, a man she had never met and should never have met, or driving, she might just pick the latter. That is, assuming John Paul even gave her the choice. She just didn’t think that the other John would be a man she could handle. This was all so much for her. Him? She didn’t want to think how he might react to it.

At first, the car ride was silent. Calypso looked out the window, simply amazed with the countryside. It was something she wanted to explore. Walking around and just feeling herself in nature was one of her favorite past times. Perhaps, in a few days, she could con Robert into bringing her.

That was a dream all itself. Her and Robert just lost in the woods, wondering around. No doubt it was something he did back in the day. Now might have been iffy. There was no excuse now. It would be a good reason to get out of the house. If they were stuck with houseguests, Calypso had no doubt Robert would want to get away.

If she was going to be trapped here, she wanted to enjoy it. Not that she thought this was a trap. Not that she was even sure she would be invited to stay. Everything was so uncertain. Nothing made sense anymore and she was filled with doubt. Before, it had been a guaranteed week with Robert. Now, there was a floating promise of forever. That had hardly been signed though, hardly even spoken.

Perhaps this was what it had been like back in the day. Attached to one of the boys, never sure when they were going to leave. It wasn’t a pleasant ledge to be on. But, for Robert, she assumed that she had to be there. Hoping and praying he would keep her, for at least a little while.

“I’m sorry, about all of this,” she said softly after a bit. She turned to look at John Paul. The silence had gotten to her. It had been eating away slowly at her insides. Being trapped alone in her thoughts was too much.

This wasn’t like Robert. He was a man she had felt instantly at ease with. John Paul was practically a stranger. A man she only knew from pictures and some clips. Suddenly, he was a human and he was very much real. And she needed to get to know him. They’d likely be spending a lot of time together.

She didn’t blame him for the silence that had fallen over them. Just like her, he had a lot to take in. Not only was he young again, but so was his wife. What of his children? What of them? There were so many questions to ask. While they had the time in the world to ask, they had to worry about Jimmy. If she thought this was a lot for herself, she could only imagine what might be racing through the boys’ minds.

“Don’t be, you’ve done nothing,” John Paul answered. It took him a few minutes, but eventually he spoke. Something told her that he was a bit more calculated. At least, with people he didn’t know he was. Around Robert and Jimmy, he had seemed a bit more off the cusp. Someone in the band had to be a bit more thoughtful with their words.

“In the end, this all comes back to me,” she said softly. If she hadn’t stuck around Robert, this never would have happened. It wasn’t like this had happened the first night. She’d been too greedy.

If she had just left… It had taken a few days for everything to set into motion. She had stayed too long. Calypso could only think that she had been too greedy in what she wanted. How couldn’t she feel like this? Jimmy had said, in rather clear terms, that this had been before of her.

“You had no way of knowing. You didn’t ask for this, none of us did. No one knew or asked besides Jimmy. He’s the only one to blame for this. The only one that owes anyone an apology,” he said simply. It felt final. Like his word was law and pushing this wouldn’t go well.

Perhaps this was what he did with his kids. Perhaps this is how he managed the boys in the band. Perhaps Calypso was the one using him as a therapist and she knew he was right, deep down. She still felt the need and desire to apologize, to take the blame. It certainly didn’t seem like Jimmy would do either.

Underneath all her general unease, she could feel that there was something calming about John Paul. She still felt a bit off. But, she believed she wouldn’t always feel like that. Eventually, she figured, he would be the one in the group that calmed her the most. Both Robert and Jimmy set her off, just in opposite directions.

Robert drew her in, made her curious, made her want to know everything and anything she could. He gave her a strange bit of confidence that she never felt before. Made her want to spill all of her secrets as well. But, whenever he was around him, she felt like she was teetering on the edge of some cliff. It was dangerous and intoxicating.

Jimmy made her want to run and hide. There was just something in him that scared her off. There was a darkness just under the surface, lurking, and she didn’t want to touch it. Perhaps it was just how he came off. There was still time for things to change. She didn’t want to brush him off from the beginning.

If Robert had come to be close with Jimmy, he couldn’t be all bad. Maybe it only took time. Jimmy seemed to be like an acquired taste. From what he said, Calypso now would have all the time in the world.

“I doubt you’ll ever find him apologizing for it. The bastard rarely ever does. Never thinks he’d done anything wrong, a perfect bloody angel in his own eyes,” John Paul mumbled. He sounded just a tad bit bitter.

“It’s just something to add to an ever growing list, it seems,” he said with a shrug. “Not that any of us are perfect, we all have our faults and failures,” he chuckled. His laugh said he knew too much. Calypso had already figured that. Having spent all those years in Zeppelin, she really only could imagine what shenanigans he had seen; what sort of trouble he had been up to himself.

“In place of his apology, I hope you’ll accept mine. In his own time, I am sure Robert will give you his own as well,” he said. He sighed as she shook his head. “I am sorry you got dragged into this, into the eye of the hurricane. It’s not always for the faint of the heart, it never really was.”

Calypso didn’t quite understand why he was sorry. It wasn’t that she felt hurt, or betrayed. This was the adventure of a lifetime. One that really shouldn’t be possible. The only reason she felt bad was them.

They had moved on from this part of their lives. They had all grown and changed as men. Well, perhaps except for Jimmy. If Robert’s words held any truth in them. Jimmy had never moved past the age he now appeared. For the rest of them, to suddenly be young again had to be a shock. A damage to the person they had now become.

“I can only imagine what’s going to happen from here on out. You have a first row seat to the opposing forces of nature that Robert and Jimmy are,” he said. She could only nod, hoping he might speak more. He had direct insight to what life could look like.

It had to be hard, living between those two egos. She’d never lie and say, or even imply, that Robert didn’t have one. Because he did. There was no way around it. To be a star and to be constantly compared to a god created one. Robert had not only lived in that environment; he had thrived in it.

In time, she had no doubts she would see the ego. It just hadn’t appeared yet. They were in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. It was odd to think that that they even had a relationship.

“You don’t need to apologize, either,” she said after a moment. It seemed he was done talking for the moment. The conversation was just naturally slow. Neither of them were moving fast. It was pleasant, a change of pace. She liked that. The space in between their words was perfect. It wasn’t quite the same as the space with Robert.

With Robert, it had felt like a game of chess. This wasn’t that. It was more mellow. They just simply needed their time to think. Without the rush to reply, they could mull over what they wanted to say.

They didn’t know each other too well. Even though she hadn’t known Robert for long, she already felt a certain closeness. That made more sense now. With John Paul, she didn’t have that. They were just getting to know each other. They had to think things over as to not offend the other, to make sure they would be perfectly understood.

At least, that’s what she was assuming. Everything she thought was her just working on an assumption. Hopefully, it wouldn’t prove to make an ass out of her. If Robert didn’t want her around… She wouldn’t be able to stay.

If he wanted her gone, she would have no other choice. His initial backlash against it all worried her. If she was forced to leave, she’d be spending a very long life alone. That worry she pushed down, for now. It was manageable. Suddenly being young again had to be tough, had to work a toll on one’s mind.

It wasn’t until Robert told her to go would she begin to worry. Robert had only been warm and welcoming thus far. She assumed he would stay that way, for at least a little while longer.

“I know I don’t have to apologize,” John Paul chuckled a little. “But I want to extend that apology. I knew what I was signing up for, all those years ago. Something crazy and equally as impossible. For fuck’s sake, Keith Moon foresaw it going terrible, and look where his own life led him,” he said. Another good humored laugh left his lips.

Undeniable, John Paul was relaxing. There was still a bit of edge in the air, but after their day, who could blame them? If she was going to spend a lot of time around them, around the band, she was sure a decent amount would be spent with him.

“But still, I knew I was in for the long haul, that it would take my whole life. You signed up for a night, or a few, of fun.” A huff left Calypso’s mouth. There was an implication in his statement that she didn’t like. That all she was good for was that simple night of fun.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” he chuckled. “Perhaps, when I really was this age, I might have an issue with you, or the girls like you. I’ve grown up a bit since then. I’m a little less naïve about my friends. They, the girls that is, weren’t the homewrecker. It was the boys that were,” he said. “And Robert hardly has any home left to wreck.”

“But, anyways, I digress,” he spoke with a wave of his hand. “I knew what I was signing up for. You didn’t, hardly could. You didn’t think of the long term game because there wasn’t going to be one, wasn’t supposed to be, was there?” John Paul said as he glanced at her. She just nodded.

In her heart, she knew he was right. There was no avoiding that. At the end of the week, she was supposed to be leaving. Shipped off to America to reminiscence about all of this. Now, she couldn’t. From the beginning, it had been meant to be short. This wasn’t supposed to be a long term thing.

Calypso wasn’t a fool. She hadn’t set out to rope Robert Plant into a relationship with her. That idea had long since passed. He likely hadn’t wanted to settle down with someone; his life was already mostly figured out. She had set out to snag him, for only a brief time. Get close and spend what she could with him. Staying hadn’t been a thought, much less an option.

“And for that, I am sorry. Sorry that you’ve been dragged into this crazy shit show of a circus. Even the Stones don’t have to deal with this,” he said with a laughed. He parked the car and Calypso was briefly amazed.

The car ride had seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. She’d been too engulfed in John Paul and their conversation. Their conversation had revealed quite a lot about him in just a few words.

Once he got out of the car and began to walk, she quickly followed behind him. “I come here quite a bit.” He said simply as she joined him. “I like to fill in my old friend on life, tell him about his kids and my kids and everything of the like.” John walked with his hands in his pockets. His voice carried the soft tone of sadness. This wasn’t something he wanted to do. He thought it was something he shouldn’t have to be doing. His friend should still be here.

“I know the others don’t come here often, or at all. I’ve invited Robert a few times, and he just won’t come. Can’t come,” he said with a shrug. “I know it hurts, Rob especially. Not coming here hurts more for me. It feels like I’m abandoning him, pretending like he’s not still there. I don’t want that,” he said.

Calypso understood what he meant. Gong to visit her mother’s grave hurt. It cut deep like no knife really ever could. But, not going felt worse. Like she was trying to pretend it had never happened, she had never existed.

“I miss staying up to the crack of dawn just talking,” he said softly as they walked. Calypso didn’t dare say anything. This was an intensely private moment for him. It wasn’t her time to put her two cents in. “This is one thing I truly hope Jimmy got right, with all of this. Everything else, and anyone else, be damned,” he said.

“I don’t know how the others will fair if he didn’t, let alone how I’ll do,” he muttered.

They walked for just a bit, not talking after that. There didn’t seem to be much else to say. She couldn’t comfort him, at least not yet. If they couldn’t find Bonham, then she naturally would have to. He would be the first of many people she would need to comfort. That was a bridge to cross when it was built though.

Unaware he had stopped walking, Calypso continued a few more feet in front of him. She looked up and around, trying to figure out what had caused him to just stop. Then she saw it. Her mouth fell open and she gasped.

There was a sleeping man on top of a grave. Form this distance, Calypso couldn’t be sure it was Bonham. She wouldn’t want to say it was until they were practically on top of him. From the looks of it, there was no one else it could be. Who else would be sleeping out here, in this graveyard?

It all fell together almost a little too perfectly. The magic had worked at least to give him his clothes. They didn’t need a nudge and confused John Bonham on their hands. Something told her that even John Paul didn’t know how to handle that. The clothes were just a tad too big, but that hardly mattered.

“Is that?” She asked softly as she pointed.

“His grave or him?” John Paul asked. His eyes never left the sleeping form a few feet in front of them. “Because I can only, I only want to answer positively to the latter. I can’t, I don’t want to get my hopes up quite that that it could be,” he said.

Calypso understood. Perhaps this wasn’t the first time he had found a sleeping man on Bonham’s grave. Given his legacy, she wouldn’t be too surprised by that. But, perhaps, he didn’t want to believe it just yet. It did seem too good to be true. This whole thing did, really.

They walked a few more graves over. It was a slow pace set out by John Paul. It seemed the last thing he wanted to do was rush. They were in a perfectly precarious moment. Bonham, it seemed, was both alive and dead for the moment. Rushing forward might just cause their hopes to come crashing around them. Even she wasn’t ready for that.

They stopped just a grave over, practically on top of him. John Paul came to a halt. She watched a smile grow on his face. He grinned my ear to ear and Calypso herself couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s him, my god Jimmy you evil genius. It’s really him.”

[stregacorvina]

Another Disney Princess!

Welcome back on my journal! <3 Sorry for the lack of updates recently but I took some days off finally! I get out of this quarantine way too tired and overwhelmed than throughout the actual quarantine, so I really needed some rest! Luckly, I started working at full speed again by the middle of June (thanks to all the people that scheduled photoshooting in the Summer!) so I had a lot of order to fullfill but also I worked kinda in a rush to ship everything out before August so I was very tired, phisically and mentally at the end of July... And actually this post was started in the end of July but never got the time to finish it so...

After some rest, today I wanna show you how I made the Princess Aurora Cosplay last year for the most famous italian convention Lucca Comics & Games (that is still taking place this year but with a lot of changes in the organizations and in the “events” due this well known virus that is still with us all.....)

This entry was kind of “requested” on my Etsy shop as an explanations to go with my Aurora pattern I sold recently so I hope that can also help everyone that is trying to make this costume!

Let’s start with the basic...

- Materials

For this costume I used very high quality materials, because she is a princess after all! I made the bodice with a light fucsia silk satin, interfaced with heavy canvas and lined with heavy satin to keep it sturdy; the collar is also in white  heavy satin and the sleeves in sheer shiny organdy. For the skirt and the belt I used the same light satin of the bodice but in lighter colors and I also made a petticoat in satin lining and white lace.

As this convention takes place in Autumn the client also requested a cape to go with the dress and I made it with a fucsia/pink alcantara (fake suede) and white fake fur, along with a small purse to carry her belongings.

So, after discussing materials let go a bit dip in the

- Pattern

As I said, I have this pattern for sale in my Etsy shop (in a lot of different sizes and I also can make it for your custom measures) so I will not dig very deep into it but let’s talk about its parts. Bodice: according to the pictures is a 4 panels corset in the front as well in the back, with a V neckline on the front and several V shapes at the hem, at the front, at the back and on the sides. The sleeves are simple tubolar sleeves with a straight edge on the wrist and in the official pictures they do not seems made with sheer fabric but with the same fabric as the belt. The collar reminds me a lot of the Belle Ballgown collar, it is called Bertha collar and it is a flat and rounded collar that goes aroun the shoulders (If you want to know more about it you can check the definition on this page). Skirt: I considered the belt as a part of the skirt so I did not make a separated piece, but if you prefer you can also make two pieces. I did the belt based on the waist measurement and drew the pointed ends in the same places of the corset, but longer this time. As I attached this part to the skirt it closes with the same zipper of the skirt. For the skirt I did a very full circle skirt as it has very deep pleats in the front, sides and back. I did a little train in the back nothing too long because the conventions are always very crowded and it is not safe to have a long train (the total lenght of the skirt is about 110 cm and the center back is 140 cm) Jewels: Aurora has a neckpiece and a very cute tiara so I follow the original design and adjust the shapes to my client measures. As usually I used my favourite technique here: golden spandex and foam. Accessories: as I already mentioned for this cosplay I did a cape and a little purse and I will show them in the second part of this entry.

And now let’s start with the construction of

- The Bodice

I do not have pictures of the early stages of the construction but is very simple to build: I cut all the pattern pieces one time on the fashion fabric (the fucsia satin), one time in the interfacing fabric (the heavy canvas), one time on the heavy satin and one last time on the satin lining, for a total of 4 layers to put togheter! Well it is a corset after all...

In this picture above you can see the fucsia lining and the heavy satin (the pale pink one) that together are the lining layer of the corset. I marked the boning placement on the heavy satin with very long machine seams and then I sewn together the sturdy interfacing and this heavy satin to make the boning channels. The position of the boning was decided during the fitting with the client but you can place wherever you like accordin to your support needs.

This is the rough shape of the corset after the first fitting: you can see the alteration marked on the neckline and the final boning placement.

For the back we decided to avoid metal eyelets (as they are not so princessesque) and to go with ribbon lacing, so I marked the position of the loops and I used a soutache ribbon (heavier and stronger than normal cord) to make loops and the lacing.

Then I covered the loops ends with a matching satin ribbon and on the inside I put two different bones to strenghten this part.

This is the final result of the back closure! All the corset ends (except for the top edge) were finished with bias binding as you can see in this picture. This is a picture of the corset fully closed (my dress form is a little bit bigger than the girl so it seems very stretched XD)

To finish the corset I closed the sleeves and sewn them in the armholes. The sleeves are very simple sleeves sewn with a french seam and a simple rolled hem.

The last thing to do was attaching the white collar on the top egde, it is really simple as well: it is made with two layers of heavy white satin and one layer of sturdy interfacing inbetween. I inserted also two plastic boning in the side seams to help keep the point up. I incased the seam between the fashion layer of the corset and the lining, the edge along the sleeves was snipped to change the direction and finished with white bias binding then sewn with tiny handstiches turning upwards (to be hidden by the collar) Maybe it is a bit complicated to read but I am sure it will be very clear when you will do it yourself! I decide then to add a big snap button on the center back of the white collar to help also the client to put on the corset.

Finally, I sewn bias binding along the center back and the bottom edge to finish the corset.

I totally forgot to tell you about the modesty panel but it is really a short passage XD I made it with the same layers of the corset, it has 5 boning channels made sewing together the interfacing and the heavy satin layers and this time I decided to attach it with handstiches on the right side on the lining instead of leaving it stand alone as I usually do.   

And this is the finished corset! (it looks a bit weird wthout actual arms inside XD)

And the corset ends part 1 of this entry, in the next one I will show you how I made the skirt and the accessories. Keep following my social media to be updated with my works and next entries! I post mainly on my Facebook page and my Instagram! 

Have a nice day and thanks for stick around! See you next time!

Chiara (StregaCorvina)

Bentornati nel mio blog! <3 Eccoci di nuyovo con un aggiornamento dopo tanto tempo ma mi ero presa qualche giorno di vacanza finalmente! Sono uscita da questa quarantena molto più stanca e stressata che durante l’effettivo tempo di quarantena in casa, perciò avevo decisamente bisogno di riposare! Fortunatamente, ho ricominciato a cucire assiduamente già verso metà Giugno (grazie a tutte le persone che si sono organizzate per set fotografici in estate!) e ho avuto un sacco di ordini da terminare e spedire prima di Agosto perciò sono arrivata a fine Luglio esausta, fisicamente e mentalmente...  In effetti ho iniziato a scrivere questo post a metà Luglio ma non ho mai trovato il tempo di terminarlo...

Dopo un po di riposo, oggi voglio farvi vedere come ho realizzato il cosplay della Principessa Aurora, fatto l’anno scorso per una delle convention italiane più famose, il Lucca Comics & Games (che si terrà anche quest anno nonostante numerosi cambiamenti all’organizziazione e agli eventi, per via di questo caro virus che ormai ci accompagna da un pò...)

Questo post è stato più o meno “richiesto” sul mio negozio Etsy per accompagnare il cartamodello del cosplay che ho venduto recentemente, perciò spero che possa aiutare anche chi prova a fare questo abito!

Iniziamo dalle basi... 

- I Materiali

Per questo abito ho usato materiali di qualità molto alta, del resto è pur sempre una principessa! Ho fatto il corpino con un raso di seta fucsia abbastanza leggero, irrigidito con una tela all’interno, uno strato di raso più pesante come interfodera e infine una fodera di raso; anche la scollatura è fatta in raso pesante bianco e le maniche in organza rosa brillante. Per la gonna e la cintura ho usato lo stesso tipo di raso del corpino ma in tonalità di fucsia/rosa diverse. Infine ho realizzato una sottogonna in fodera di raso bianco con bordo in pizzo.

Siccome il Lucca Comics si tiene in Autunno la ragazza mi ha richiesto anche un mantello da abbinare all’abito che ho realizzato in alcantara (finto scamosciato) fucsia e eco-pelliccia bianca, inoltre ho aggiunto anche una borsetta a secchiello per aiutarla a portare i suoi effetti personali in giro per la fiera.

E ora, dopo aver parlato di materiali, iniziamo ad approfondire

- Il Cartamodello 

Come ho gia detto, potete acquistare questo cartamodello nel mio negozio Etsy (è disponibile in tante taglie diverse ma posso realizzarlo anche sulle vostre misure) perciò non approfondirò più di tanto la costuzione, ma andiamo comunque a vedere i vari componenti.   Corpino: guardando le immagini ufficiali, si tratta di un corsetto a 4 telini per il davanti e altrettanti per il dietro, con uno scollo a V davanti e numerose forme a V sull’orlo, davanti, dietro e sui fianchi. Le maniche sono delle semplici maniche tubolari con un orlo dritto sul posto e nelle immagini non sembrano realizzate in materiali trasparenti quanto piuttosto nello stesso materiale della cinutura.  La scollatura mi ricorda molto quella dell’abito oro di Belle, si chiama “Bertha collar“ e per sempliicare è un colletto piatto e tondo che copre anche le spalle (se volete approfondire vi consiglio questo link). Gonna: ho considerato la cintura come parte della gonna perciò le ho unite sul punto vita, ma se preferite potete anche fare due pezzi. Ho costruito la cintura basandomi sulla circonferenza vita e ho disegnato le punte a V negli stessi punti del bustino ma più lunghe questa volta (circa 18 cm se non ricordo male). Siccome io ho realizzato un pezzo unico con la gonna, si chiude con la cerniera nel centro dietro. Per la gonna invece ho fatto una gonna a ruota intera molto ampia, circa 2 volte e mezza la circonferenza della vita visto che ha delle pieghe molto profonde davanti, dietro e sui fianchi. Ho fatto un piccolo strascico dietro ma non troppo lungo perchè nelle fiere affollate potrebbe essere pericoloso avere uno strascico lungo (la lunghezza totale della gonna è circa 110 cm e nel centro dietro di circa 140 cm)    Gioielli: Aurora ha una collana e una tiara molto carina perciò ho semplicemente seguito il design originale adattandolo alle misure della ragazza. Come al solito li ho realizzati nella mia tecnica preferita: lycra oro e anima in foam! Accessori: come ho già detto ho completato il cosplay con un mantello e una borsetta, che sicuramente vi farò vedere nella seconda parte di questo post.

E ora inziamo con la costruzione del

- Il corpino 

Non ho fatto molte foto nelle fasi iniziali di costruzione ma è motlo semplice da assemblare: ho tagliato tutti i pezzi del cartamodello una volta sullo strato esterno (il raso di seta fucsia), una volta sulla tela di sostegno (un cotone pesante), una volta sull’interfodera di raso pesante e per ultima una volta sulla fodera di raso vera e propria. Un totale di 4 strati da assemblare insieme! Del resto è sempre un corsetto...

Nella foto qui sopra vedete la fodera di raso (fucsia) e l’interfodera in raso pesante (rosa cipria) che insieme formano lo strato di fodera del corpetto. Ho segnato con delle lunghe cuciture a macchina sullo strato di interfodera la posizione dei canali per le stecche di sostegno, e ho creato questi canali cucendo insieme la tela di sostegno e l’interfodera. La posizione delle stecche ha seguito più o meno la posizione iniziale che avevo segnato il cartamodello, con qualche piccola modifica nell’area seno dopo il fitting con la ragazza, in realtà potete posizionarle dove volete in base alle vostre esigente di supporto e sostegno.

Ed ecco la prima forma del corsetto dopo il primo fitting, come potete vedere in alto si notano le modifiche da fare sulla scollatura ed essendo girato dal lato della fodera si vedono anche le posizioni finali delle stecche.

Per il dietro abbiamo deciso di non usare degli occhielli metallici (che non sono proprio così “principeschi”) ma di usare un’allacciautura con nastri ed asole; ho segnato la posizione di ogni asola e poi le ho realizzate con una fettuccia da soutache (molto più dura e resistente di un normale cordoncino). 

Per chiudere e nascondere bene la fine degli occhielli ho applicato sopra un nastro di raso in tinta e nella parte interna ho sfruttato le cuciture del nastro per creare altri canali per le stecche.

Ed ecco il risultato finale della corsettatura! Tutti i bordi, tranne quello in alto, sono stati riginiti con uno sbiego di raso in tinta che potete vedere nelle immagini qui sotto (il manichino è leggermente più grande della ragazza perciò la corsettatura tira un pò più del dovuto)

Per terminare il corsetto sono passata alle maniche! Le ho assemblate con una cucitura francese (o all’inglese, come siete più familiari) e un semplice orlo arrotolato in fondo, poi le ho inserite nel giromanica.

L’ultimo passaggio riguarda la scollatura in alto. Anche questo è molto semplice, realizzato con due strati di raso bianco pesante e una tela di sostegno all’interno, ho inserito anche due stecche di plastica nelle cuciture laterali per aiutare la parte a punta a restare in alto.  Ho nascosto la cucitura della scollatura fra la stoffa del corpetto e la fodera in modo che restasse nascosta, invece per le maniche ho tagliato il margine in corrispondenza della parte trasparente, l’ho bordato con dello sbiego bianco e l’ho cucito verso l’alto con dei punti a mano per nasconderlo sulla parte bianca. A parole forse è un pò complicato ma vi assicuro che se lo farete capirete subito di cosa sto parlando Infine ho deciso di applicare sul collare un grande automatico (anche se non era necessario ai fini del collare stesso) per aiutare la ragazza ad indossare il bustino da sola.

In ultimo ,ho bordato tutti i margini ancora da rifinire (i centri dietro e l’orlo in basso) con dello sbiego di raso, attaccato a macchina dritto contro dritto e poi cucito a mano all’interno.

Mi sono resa conto di non aver minimamente menzionato il modesty panel ma in realtà non c’è molto da dire XD L’ho realizzato con gli stessi passaggi del resto del corsetto, all’interno ha 5 stecche inserite in canali realizzati cucendo insieme i vari strati del corsetto e poi ho preferito fermarlo con dei punti a mano sul lato destro del corsetto invece di lasciarlo separato come di solito si usa fare. 

Ed ecco il corsetto finito! (Purtroppo le maniche sono un pò cadenti senza delle vere braccia dentro XD)

Con il corsetto chiudiamo qui la parte 1 di questo post, nella prossima vi farò vedere la gonna e gli accessori.

Continuate a seguirmi sui Social per maggiori aggiornamenti sui miei lavori e le novità su cui lavorerò possimamente, soprattutto sulla mia pagina Facebook e su Instagram! 

Buona giornata a tutti e grazie a chi continua a seguirmi assiduamente! Alla prosima!

Chiara (StregaCorvina)

[0vv0b]

I say con report but things about the con is barely mentioned in this...this is just a roller coaster of events that happened to me in the span of 2 days.

Day 1 (SAT)

I was so ready for this con right like I drew the prints a month before printing and printed them 3 days before the con so I can prepare for any last-minute thing that might happen like I was SO ready!! But then just as I was about to leave for the con my dog suddenly peed on my shoe;;; I was meeting my tablemates that morning but I was the last to get there because I had to wash and dry my shoe first.

Our table!!

I HAD TO COVER HIM UP BECAUSE THERE WERE CHILDREN

Everything was calm in the morning but around noon people started to come in lots. The MC in the back was very loud and I was getting worried because I couldn’t tend to people fast enough (can’t hear clearly), I also ran out of change so I started to panic big time it was really embarrassing… (lol why am I like this)

I was supposed to leave around 3:30 pm for class but I kept delaying because it still wasn’t confirmed if the prof was going to teach or not lmao. We have a group chat and most my classmates didn’t really want to have classes because it was raining really bad. The prof cancelled around 30 mins before classes start so I was able to stay til end of day 1! (would’ve been better if it was cancelled early because my nerves were killing me hhhhhhhhhh)

There were lots of BNHA cosplayers!! There was a cheer squad group cosplay and people were swooning all over them! They wanted to buy my BNHA prints but hnnnggs already sold out, except my Kirishima print, which the Kirishima cosplayer bought!! 

It looked like kiri was his fave (if the cosplay wasn’t obvious enough lol kou) because he was so happy buying the kiri print!! it was like seeing irl kiri!!! HE SMILE SO PURE!! SO BRIGHT!!! 

I remember there was a Dabi, Toga, and Shiragaki group that bought our stuffs! 

The Shiragaki cosplayer was so cute they were pointing at which prints they wanted to buy because they couldn’t speak properly wwwwww

sorry I couldn’t take pics I was a dead tired granpa with a hurting back who slept under our table

Day 2 (SUN)

Day 2 was a lot stressful so buckle up. Note that I was carrying that grid thingy THE WHOLE TIME from house til i got to the con.

I was supposed to wake up early to reprint stuffs but I overslept I rushed out of the house with nothing but coffee for breakfast (big mistake). Sunday traffic was super light though! Very different from a weekday!

Anyways, en route to print shop I had to take transit I was making time but I was still rushing I didn’t notice I went into the driver’s car, which I didn’t know was half reserved for senior citizens and there was a chain border thingy that’s kind of a hassle to step over so I just stayed put.

It was really awkward the granma and granpas were looking at me and then the granpa beside me farted that lasted 2 stations.

I had to keep a poker face and take shallow breathes I didn’t want to hurt his feelings because I know he can’t help it and I was in the wrong car anyways so I had to face The Consequences lmao

When I got to the print shop the guard there told me they were closed on Sundays but there was a branch nearby that’s supposedly walking distance. It wasn’t though… I’ve walked 3?? 5?? km before decided to take a cab ToT . The area was a super windy too because i think there was still a low pressure area in the country so I was like

I got to the print shop but I was running a bit late and I’m starting to get tired and hungry my arms spaghetti but when the guy opened my prints folder I foRGOT MY PRINTS WERE KINDA… HONKA HONKA I didn’t think they minded tho bUT I KINDA DID AND WHEN ONE GUY WAS ABOUT TO CUT OUT THE CRAIG PRINTS I HEARD HIM GO—

lmao I was half tired half embarrassed I just didn’t care that much. I thought their reactions were funny.

I was already running because it was past lunch and my tablemate was texting me that there were people waiting for like an hour to buy my prints I WAS LIKE HOLY SHIT WHAT IM SO SORRY I zoomed through the station all sweaty like a mad man and rode the transit again (got in the correct car this time) and ppl were looking at me funny;;;;

After transit, I had to commute via jeep then walk for a bit to get to the venue. But when I stepped off the jeep it started raining like hell I thought my prints would get wet so I

AGGRESSIVELY RUNS THROUGH A STORM

I went up an overpass soaked all over ( lol and the security guard looked so sorry for me he didn’t even check my bag he just let me in. T-thank you........ ) and when I went down it had already stopped raining… 

By this time, I was power walking and I see the venue but my joints are hurting because light breakfast and almost no lunch I was thinking “I’m finally here!! Yay!” When I got inside though the escalators were dead.

The con was held at the 5th floor :)

I DIDN’T GIVE UP I MANAGED TO DRAG MY ASS AND THANKFULLY ESCALATORS FROM 3RD TO 5TH FLOOR WERE WORKING

Day 2 Table set up!!

When I got to our table there really were lots of people waiting in line I FELT SO WARM AND TENDER AND SOFT BC AWWWW (also the things that happened prior already butchered me) BUT ALSO FELT GUILTY BECAUSE IF I DIDN’T OVERSLEEP I COULD’VE GOTTEN HERE EARLY IM REALLY SORRY!!

Day 2 went by so fast for me because I got to the con late and I stayed under the table most of the time to dry myself off and rest T_T (I didnt wanna walk around with wet clothes gjkdshdgd gross) One of our table mates was sleeping under here too and I was like yea dude same.

By the time I was dry and able to roam around it was already closing time but managed to grab a few loots because they were price dropped last-minute (Oshawott and Snivy plushies). Lucky!!

Closing time was WILD: everyone was (aggressively) trading merch to each other and it was extremely sweet, fun, and cute!! lots of screaming!

ALSO?!???? Kami (@kittlekrattle) delivered my copy of the suits zine herself i met up w her outside the con???? I also kinda met her mom too gjkhfdsdjghdfg THANKS KAMI!!!

Then we had post con dinner at this Japanese food place called Yabu! They refill your side dishes and drinks for free!!! Everything was so delicious!! (except the wasabi... don’t ask...)

We kept dropping our chopsticks so much we had to ask for spoon and fork lmao

If I learned something important from this experience its to NOT. SKIP. BREAKFAST

ALSO I CARRIED THAT LARGE GRID THINGY ALL DAY RIGHT BUT WE DIDNT ACTUALLY NEED IT FOR OUR DISPLAY HAHAH ok thats it i think ill sleep some more bc im still so tired

[impalaimagining]

PittCon Saturday

(holy shit y’all this was so much to remember from this morning until now. sorry if I forgot anything) Also this is obnoxiously long so this one gets a cut. #You’reWelcome

Read Friday’s here.

Part One: 

No Rob Benedict. Rich makes promises of him later.

ROB BENEDICT!!! He walked out with Briana and she claims she planned the whole thing.

Briana, Kim, and Gil didn’t have anyone lined up for questions. Briana threatened period talk. Gil blushed. 

Questions for Briana today instead of Kim. Briana does a little victory thing every time someone says, “My question is for Bri.” Kim mocks her from yesterday and says, “I’m gonna answer it anyway.”

Gil is third-wheelin’ it, hard. 

Gil addresses the whole thing that happened with the butt grabbing. He wanted to “nip it in the bud because it was weighing very heavily” on him. Apparently I missed that last night because I had no idea what he was even talking about when he said it. He’s a great guy. Try not to fault him for one little slip, yeah? He’s human. Cut the man some slack. 

Part Two: 

Rob scolds Rich for not telling us about the “I <3 KoC” shirts. Debates about whether it’s pronounced like Coke or like cock. “Wear that to Grandma’s house.” “One of those things will kill you!” 

Matt, Rob, and Rich bounce off of one another unbelievably well. 

Pssst, Matt Cohen is fucking attracccttiivveeeee

Questions about other projects and hobbies come up. Matt says he wants to get into racing again. Racing is in his future. Richard says he’s a lot like his father. His father was a lawyer. Rob used to have his own baseball league. With himself. He made up teams like “The Colors” and “Other Things.”

Rob and Rich are besties and it makes my life. 

The pilot for Skyward is streaming now on Amazon. Rich said there’s a part already sketched out for Rob if the show continues. It wasn’t his idea to include Rob, but he wanted to eventually anyway. 

Part Three:

Mark Sheppard is either consistently grouchy or was very tired/cranky today.

Almost all of his answers boiled down to one word, so that was the one word he used, and then moved on. He probably answered more questions on his own than Misha and Jake did combines just because of how fast he was moving. 

He said fuck Creation’s rules and walked around the crowd most of the time. Also joked about how when he was more powerful (and important), they never would’ve allowed that. (sad face on my part)

A fan asks how he feels about Fergus’s deal and how he lost his soul, what he sold it for. He doesn’t laugh. Just says, “If you want to ask about my penis, there are other ways to do it. I can’t relate to Fergus, if that’s what you’re asking.”

His favorite line is “Where’s your moose?” 

“You’re good, but I’m Crowley,” was improv. 

Talking about his wife and daughter made him light up like a Christmas tree. It was adorable. 

Everyone thinks he hates cats. He got very snarky about it. “Did I say I hate cats? No. I don’t hate anything. I hate Misha. Oops.”

He thinks Crowley came full circle. There wasn’t much else for him to do in the series, he thinks. 

He doesn’t understand the logic behind Rowena being Crowley’s mother.When Rowena dies at the hands of Lucifer (the first time), Mark said the line, “Always thought I’d be the one to do it,” felt very right in that moment.

Part Four: 

Jake Abel has the bubbliest butt in the entire cast. To quote myself from earlier today, “You could bounce a fuckin nickel off of that thing.”

He’s been creating plotlines and ways to bring Adam back. New plans are made every time he comes to a convention. Currently, we’re looking at an Adam spinoff in which he and his mother are resurrected (him from Hell, her from Heaven) and become hunters. They have “opposing forces!” as Jake said, and the story would follow the way they got the opposing forces to work together for the same common purpose.

This man is insane. 

He kept reminding us that he was in a weird mood because his flight didn’t get in until 4am.

Sleepy Jake is the cutest. 

Talk of Percy Jackson. 

Lots of talk about bringing Adam back. 

Part Five: 

MISHA. FREAKIN. COLLINS.

Guys. I’ve never been more amazed by one person’s smile and overall attitude. He’s so cheery and bright and uugghhh Misha.

He tells a story about his dad, and then says that he had to tell his children about his parents’ (brief, I think?) split, but he doesn’t want it to sound like that’s the only way marriages can end. The next day, his son went to school and told the teacher, “I want my parents to get a divorce.” I literally have no idea if this is true, but it’s what Misha told us.

Fake spoilers for Season 13, but he told us that he was filming it last night. Jared and Jensen still fuck with him to no end. 

“We were filming. Jared was on the bed, and we were doing something we don’t usually do on Supernatural.” *cue roars from the audience*

I think he tried to fight someone in the crowd. I have photos of his bulgy eyes and sassy jawline. Yeah, it’s a thing. 

MY PHOTO OP WITH HIM !!!!!!!!!

I was going to show him the photo of himself standing in front of the whiteboard with his drawing of Maison and the dandelion. Creation doesn’t allow phones in the photo op rooms so I had to put it in my pocket, which was fine.

I walked up and asked the woman if I could show him something. She said, “Sure, just make it quick!” Again, I get it. Not a problem. 

I’m standing there waiting with my arm pulled out of my sleeve to show him my tattoo. I walk up and I’m greeted with the most amazing smile and such a soft “hi.” 

I blurt out, “I NEED TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING!” *shoves my arm towards him* *silence from Misha as he stares*

His mouth kind of popped open when he realized what it was. His eyes are so freakin’ blue and I know because he looked me directly in them and told me, “That’s amazing.” 

My heart is racing, but I lean and and we hug and Chris snaps the photo. I step to walk away and Misha grabs my hands (!!!!!!!!!) I turn and look up at him (because damn he’s tall! He’s right, he’s just surrounded by giants.) and he squeezes my hands. “That’s amazing.” It’s so quiet and I blink for a second. “Thank you.” I get another tight hand squeeze and thank him before running into the hallway and crying. (*inhale* I’m okay, really.)

HUGE HUGE HUGE FUCKIN’ THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED MONEY TO GET ME THAT OP. I LOVE YOU ALL AND IF/WHEN I MEET YOU GUYS, HUGS ALL AROUND.

On to the auto. I showed him the tattoo again, quickly spat out, ”I know I showed it to you at the photo ops but...!”  and he drew a heart next to his name when he signed it. I got another “That’s amazing. Thank you so much.” and that friggin smile

I still don’t know if he knows the tattoo is his handwriting. I assume he could tell when he looked at it, especially for how long he looked at it. But *shrugs* maybe one day I’ll tell him.

While waiting for Misha’s op, I MET @HIGHONPASTRIES (whose tumblr is literally not working this weekend, just FYI)!!! There’s a selfie to prove it. Will be posted later.

Part Six: 

SNS

Jake introduces the band. First starts by demanding that we chant, “Bring Adam back,” over and over again. Chant quickly turns into, “Lou-den Swain.”

I didn’t know I needed a fuckin’ KAZOO. *cough cough* @torn-and-frayed @nichelle-my-belle-spn-con-blog (still waiting for the kazoo tip to make an appearance)

Rob Benedict sang half a song without a microphone. Don’t know why. It just wasn’t working. 

MATT COHEN WINKED AS HE RAN PAST ME Y’ALL. Camera was too slow to capture it but if anyone has that wink, good God send it this way, please.

Sam Smith popped out! Just to introduce Kim though - no singing. 

Kim Rhodes was so nervous and I just want to hug her and tell her she’s amazing. 

Briana was wearing LEATHER BOOTS UP TO HER HIPS. #YAAAASSSS

Gil McKinney. That fuckin’ man. Making me cry and shit, two days in a row. 

Drunk Matt Cohen is a thing of my dreams. 

Lots of guest appearances within the band. Chris on bass, Rich on bass, Adam from Creation on keys, Rich on guitar and the mic. Nobody takes Billy’s guitar from him though ;) 

Whipping Post sans Jensen. Still fuckin’ awesome. 

Fare Thee Well!!!! Rob prefaced it with a spoiler alert for those who haven’t seen the episode yet. *giggle*

Rob cried singing She Waits. Then said he loves us so much it’s unreal. This man is pure and good and needs to be protected at all costs. 

They played my faaave song. It’s called Amazing. 

Kazoo song. Also known as Medicated. Someone had an amplifier for their kazoo. Rob was very impressed. Cast members are getting better at the kazoo solo. Rob isn’t happy about it. “This isn’t as fun when you guys are gooood.” 

Questions? Comments? Anything? If you’re at the con, come find me and say hi! I’ll be in (or around) seat D25! :) 

TOMORROW I MEET JARED AND JENSEN Y’ALL THIS IS ITTTTT. *quietly crying bc tomorrow is the end*

*falls into bed and immediately starts snoring* P.S. Cons are exhausting in the best possible way.

[lia-nikiforov]

Revised edition

Quick report on Kubo and Yamamoto’s attendance to Concomics Guadalajara. I was in line for 9 hours plus two more for their short Q&A and am objectively dying, sorry for typos 

ETA: When I wrote this it didn’t occur to me that it would get hundreds of reblogs before I ever got to fix it, now my half-deceased incompetent typing will live on forever *sobs*

I arrived at 6:30 am and there were already people in line jeeesus (lots were coming to see a youtuber though)

Gonna spare you the deets on the awful people in my surroundings thank @yuurinikiforov cos I screamed at her for hours

ETA: I just realized this sounds like it was Ally making me scream but in fact i tumblr-screamed at her to prevent from unleashing my frustrations on the gross fujos that surrounded me. Thank Ally because she got to read all that nervous-wreck garbage and y’all get to be spared

I had a two-day ticket so I was allowed in half an hour earlier and if not for that, I probably would’ve missed on the autograph line. They had space for 50 people (plus 200ish that had bought the express pass which was super expensive). I was #45. It took less than three minutes since getting inside for all 50 spots to be taken

(this was the line after three minutes. I was too lazy to take pics of it later, but it got to be around 5 times this at some point.)

ETA: According to Con staff, since the lines were very well organized, they actually got to sign quite a bit more people than the originally allotted 50. The Queens are so kind. 

No photos, video or sound recording of The Queens allowed, except for this one taken by Con staff. They were giving away those postcards for the filthy casuals people who didn’t bring any official merch for the sign

i’m mostly kidding about the filthy casual thing bc I hate fandom elitism but there were a lot of people bringing FANART PRINTS and I wanted to gut them

Kubo would quick sketch a character of your choice. I chose Victor bc I love how she draws his huge heart mouth

I was able to tell Sayokan how grateful I am from the bottom of my heart and that I’m looking forward to the movie and she said thank you and that they’re workinng hard. I died. ETA: I wanted to say so much more but I was so nervous my Japanese came out really garbled and we didn’t have much time. And I didn’t get to say anything to Kubo because I didn’t want to distract her from drawing ;---;

Sayokan has a beautiful smile and I love her

ETA: She also had an aura like Meryl Streep in Devil Wears Prada, twenty years younger: A STRONG woman who takes no prisoners and is fabulous af. I love her with all my soul.

After the autographs, The Queens had a short stage appearance

There was a cosplay contest and the winners would get to sit in the front row for The Queens’ presentation. I didn’t take any pics but the standout for me apart from a flood of gorgeous girls doing Eros Yuuri, was a pair of girls doing Lilia and Yakov. The announcer clearly didn’t watch the show and botched Lilia’s last name, but the cosplayer had the attitude 100% on point.

Something I hate is people who say Yurio stressing the u, it sounds so wrong and a lot of people today were doing it and driving me mad

The stage was packed af

Kubo drew quick sketch of Victor while she and Sayo answered a couple of questions. They will post the video later today

ETA: Here’s the video

Audience Questions logistics wasn’t very well prepared and even Kubo asked how it was gonna work. I was embarrassed for the lack of planning. In the end those that were lucky to be close to the stage got to ask the questions. Lia was praying for no stupid questions pls.

Q&A (translation partially mine partially from the interpreter)

1. What were your expectations about Mexico and have those expectations changed now

Kubo: I haven’t gone sightseeing yet but it’s my first time in Mexico and I didn’t expect so many people. [The people/audience] feels four or five times warmer than japan (make of that what you may, Japanese people say that about us a lot) Sayokan didn’t answer

2. Dumb question that has already been answerred in interviews about whether Yurio was planned to win from the start. As we know, yes, pretty sure both of them have said it before. Sayokan added that his character development wasn’t completely planned though, and he evolved a lot during writing.

3. Which word do you think of when you thibk of Yuuri and Victor 

Sayokan: Love (愛) 

Kubo: She didn’t talk to the mic and people were still screaming about 愛  so Ididn’t hear what she said but the interpreter said she said Friendship. My queens get your story sraight pls

HUGELY IMPORTANT ETA: Other people that were there have confirmed that Kubo gave a long answer that included 断ち切れない絆 “an unbreakable bond” and didn’t say anything about friendship. There was a telephone game going on because there was a JP-ENG interpreter and then an ENG-SPA interpreter and I don’t know how or why the latter got “friendship” but please take this into account, I don’t want people to hate on Kubo because I wasn’t close enough to hear her answer and the Spanish interpreter botched it.

Not important ETA: A girl close to me was yelling “Victuri” like she hoped they’d answer that and I was facepalming hard

Kubo also asked (in Japanese) if anyone understood Japanese, it wasn’t translated and a good dozen of hands shot up. She was surprised. Some folks screamed abd she said 落ち着け. One or two continued screaming so obviously they didn’t understand Japanese lol

4. Stupid question about whether they plan to develop Otabek and Yurio’s relationship. 

Sayokan said they hadn’t fully decided on how everything’s gonna end in the movie so can’t say yet but look forward to the bonus on V6 (the interpreter said V3 and I wanted to gut him). Hoes I like Otayuri but stop trying to shove it on The queens’ faces pls

5. Do you have plans for a special chapter about the Lady skaters? 

Sayokan said it’s definitely something they’d love to do but right now their focus is on the boys abnd finishing their story. Best answer for me tbh besides Sayokan’s 愛 cos I wanna see Mila skate soooo bad.

ETA: Forgot to mention this but a lot of people were chanting “Boda! Boda!” (wedding). Kubo asked what it was that people were chanting and the interpreter told them. Someoene else is reporting that Sayokan chuckled. There were two tall dudes in front of me so my vision was very obstructed and can’t confirm, but neither said anything out loud in response to it

Sayokan threw some gifts at the audience but My Queen is no pitcher and I was too far back so didn’t get anything *sobs*. Some were prints or maybe postcards but no idea of what exactly.

And that’s it! Theyll be signing more autographs and have another stage appearancw tomorrow but I can’t stay so someone else will have to report it whilst I die.

TL;DR I love them and my calebdar looks even more beautiful and I never thought that was possible and I’ll cry about this day for the rest of my life.

PS I’ll fix those typos when I’m not utterly destroyed PPs: I have no shame so I wanna plug my cute Victuri Tangled AU it’s really cute and it doesnt have typos promise, please read it  http://archiveofourown.org/works/10529547/chapters/23245557

[roslinadama-sinequanon]

Sorry about the last Christmas in Connecticut post. My original “keep reading” post froze so I went to another screen to re-post and forgot to hit the “keep reading” icon. Wish Tumblr had a way to delete a post. But it doesn’t so I’m re-posting. Grr.....

CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT-PART FOUR

“Mmmm…. “Andy gave a soft groan. “You weren’t kidding, this does feel great.”

“I’m surprised you’ve never done it before. “

“No, never. I had no idea you liked this kind of thing. Do you do it a lot?” Even after all this time together there were still things he was learning about Sharon.

“Once or twice a month. But I’ve never done it with anyone, just on my own. It‘s a great way to alleviate stress.”

Certainly better than bottling it up inside. She didn’t make the accusation aloud but the undercurrent was certainly there in her tone. Andy wisely chose not to argue the point.

“You know, “she continued. “Maybe if we do this more often it could even help with your blood pressure.”

“Better than those stupid pills. “

“Andy, you still have to take your pills.”

“I know, I know.”

He hated the little hitch of fear in her voice. His collapse a few months ago, even though it had turned out to be much ado about nothing, had really done a number her.

“Since you’ve never done this before, what made you decide to give it a try?”

“Gavin.”

“My Gavin?”

“Do you really have to call him that?”

His disgruntled response drew a soft laugh from Sharon. Gavin was gay and Andy knew it. He had nothing to worry about on that front. But a jealous Andy Flynn was an adorable Andy Flynn. “You consulted with Gavin?”

“Well, he is one of your best friends. He knows what you like. When I showed him the website of the resort he said I had to book some time in the spa for a massage. The only massage parlors I know anything about are the ones we used to raid back when I was on Vice in the 80‘s.”

Sharon’s hand tensed in his then quickly relaxed.

“What?” he asked, turning his head to look at her. She gave him a little smirk.

“I thought you were going to say the parlors you used to go to.”

Andy snorted. “I have a long list of sins but being serviced at massage parlors is not one of them. Of course that doesn’t mean I don’t know the kinds of things that went on there so if you’d like to do a little role playing---”

”Andy!” she cut him off squeezing his hand hard. “Please remember we are not alone.”

“Oh yeah. Sorry guys.”

Both massage therapists laughed. Andy didn’t really seem very sorry at all.

“Well, anyway, Baker was right. Who would have known that having hot rocks pressed into your back would actually feel good?”

“I thought it sounded strange the first time my massage therapist suggested it too,” Sharon said. “But I’m glad you listened to Gavin. A romantic couple’s massage is the perfect way to spend our afternoon. My muscles could use a break.”

They were both lying side by side holding hands though on separate tables, naked, save for a strategically placed towel over their buttocks. Warm fragrant oils were massaged into their skin, ylang ylang for her and sandalwood for him and hot smooth stones pressed out all the aches and pains in their muscles. Candles created a soft glow and soothing music a sense of calm and peace.

It was just what they needed to cap off three days of nearly constant activity. After day one on the alpine slopes, yesterday had been spent cross country skiing through the woods and open fields surrounding the inn with the rest of the family.  Sharon was in very good shape. She worked out frequently, swam almost every day and took yoga and a body barre class, but her muscles were still protesting the vigorous activity. Cross country looked easy, but it was actually a lot of work, a great cardio vascular exercise.

And after all that, this morning they’d had a big breakfast and the whole family, except for Ricky and Rusty, hit the trail along a bluff of the frozen river to try out some snow shoeing.  

Much to Sharon’s delight Ricky had offered to teach Rusty how to snowboard and Rusty had actually accepted the offer. It had been a rocky beginning between her boys. Rusty had been wary and intimidated by her older, confident and accomplished son and Ricky had been suspicious and jealous of the boy she had come to love and wanted to make her son.

Ricky’s reaction to her adopting Rusty had been appalling to Sharon. She’d always prided herself on having raised two kind and compassionate children. But, with a little manipulation by his jealous father and the protectiveness that came from being the only male with a mother and a sister, Ricky had come off as petty and condescending and worst of all for Sharon, lacking in empathy for a boy who had been raised without all the love and care and material advantages that Ricky took for granted.

But as shocked and upset as she’d been, she’d also known right away that while it was Ricky speaking, the words coming out of his mouth were pure Jack Raydor. Once she’d cut through Jack’s bullshit, laid it all out to Ricky and appealed to his better nature, he had come around as she’d hoped he would.  He’d made an effort with Rusty and offered him an olive branch which, happily, Rusty had accepted. And he’d done it again today with the offer of the snowboarding lesson. Ricky was turning out to be a pretty decent big brother.

++++

“I’m so relaxed, I almost feel like I want a nap.” Andy settled heavily on their bed once they were back in their room at the inn.

It was a beautiful room, very romantic. A king sized canopy bed covered in luxury linens was strategically placed directly across from the fireplace. Thick plush carpeting warmed their feet and French doors opened out to small balcony overlooking the twinkling lights surrounding the frozen pond.

“Mmm…” Sharon hummed. “I can think of something better. How about we try out that Jacuzzi tub?”

“Really? “ Andy’s eyes lit. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

Sharon grinned and shook her head at how quickly that perked him up. She used to think Andy was so unpredictable, but when it came to sex he was very predictable. Predictable and insatiable. Not that she was complaining. Since they’d become lovers Andy had reawakened her libido making her burn in ways she’d never known she could burn. She wasn’t ashamed to admit that she’d become quite insatiable herself.

Andy stood and looked at his watch.

“Do you have somewhere else to be?” She asked.

“No…uh…No. I just. I think I‘ll start a fire so the room will be warm when we‘re finished.”

Sharon’s eyes narrowed. She could always tell when Andy wasn‘t being completely truthful. A knot tightened in her stomach. The look on his face was one she unfortunately knew all too well.

No.

She quickly shoved her suspicions aside with a shake of her head. Andy was not Jack. He did not have ulterior motives for bringing her here. He didn’t have a poker game waiting for him or another woman tucked away somewhere.

“Okay, well, I’ll go start the tub then.”

Andy nodded then got to work at the fireplace. He was still working on getting a fire blazing when his cell phone rang. He answered the phone and glanced toward the bathroom at the sound of the female voice on the other end. “Yes…uh…Yes tonight,” he agreed. “But I said I’d call you. Please don’t call me again, my girlfriend is with me. I don’t want her to know what’s going on.”

“Andy…”Sharon called from the bathroom. “What’s taking you so long?”

“I don’t start many fires in LA,” Andy called back. “It’s taking me a while to get it going.”

“Well hurry up, it‘s lonely by myself in this big tub. I think I‘m going to have to get started without you.”

Andy froze at the quick image of Sharon pleasuring herself that flashed into his brain, a shot of desire piercing him right in the groin. No way he wanted to miss that.

Quickly he rushed into the bathroom.

A slow sexy smile curved on Sharon’s lips. “I thought that might get your attention,” she drawled sensuously.

Andy could hardly speak. Sharon was leaning back in the bubbling water, hair piled up on her head. Candles lined the edge of the tub and she teased him by biting the tip of one of the chocolate covered strawberries they’d been given at their massage while her fingertips ran up and down her chest

“Andy?” She questioned when he continued to stare, mesmerized by the finger moving down her breast. “Would you care to join me?”

“What? “

“I said would you care to join me?” Her thumb came dangerously close to her nipple and all the blood rushed from his head into his cock.

“Oh, hell yeah.”

Sharon giggled again watching him tear off his clothes as fast as he could.  Yep, her Andy was extremely predictable.

****

“So, as far as role playing goes, is this the kind of massage you were referring to?”

“Oh Christ, yes.” Andy’s head fell back on a groan when Sharon’s hand closed over him, sliding up and down his rigid length.  “So good Shar.”

“I thought you might like that.” She rose slightly to nuzzle into his neck, giving a surprised gasp of pleasure when one of the jets sent a powerful surge of water between her legs. “Oh God Andy, when we buy a house we have to get a tub like this.”

“Anything you want, sweetheart.”

Through the haze of pleasure her hand was creating between his legs, he let his mind drift with satisfaction at her reference to their house hunting. He was well aware that he’d pushed the matter a bit by making the decision to put his house in Valencia on the market so he could find a place closer to her Los Feliz condo without consulting her first. He‘d figured that if he discussed it with her she might try to talk him out of it. She was trying so hard to keep the last tiny bit of the wall that she’d shielded herself with between them, and he was trying equally hard to tear it down, slowly, brick by brick.

It wasn’t that she didn’t love him, he knew she did. She was just scared. She’d been let down so badly in the past it was completely understandable that she’d have trouble letting a man, even one she loved, completely into the life she’d so carefully constructed for herself and her children. She’d been very open with him about that and he’d tried to be respectful of her request to take things slow. But because of her reticence he knew that if things were going to move forward in their relationship he would most likely be the one to have to take the initiative. And so he had, by putting his house up for sale and tentatively broaching the idea of moving in together.

Sharon had definitely surprised him with her response. Not only hadn’t she flatly turned him down, she’d suggested going out to dinner to discuss the matter and before their shrimp potsticker appetizer had even arrived she had agreed to start looking for a home they could purchase together. And when his Valencia house had sold more quickly than he’d thought it would Sharon was the one who had suggested that he move in with her, this time into her bedroom, while they continued to look for a place to buy together. A place big enough for the two of them, Rusty, and enough room for their visiting kids. It was everything he’d wanted. Well, almost everything. But he’d also worried that he’d pressured her. He was getting what he wanted, but was she really getting what she wanted?

Those worries had been alleviated after the first house they’d gone to look at together. Sharon had been so excited and enthusiastic as they toured the home, already planning how she was going to decorate it. Ultimately they hadn’t bought the house because it was infested with black mold, but it had shown him that Sharon was just as excited as he was about buying a house together.

“Andy, did I lose you?” She nibbled on his earlobe while gently cupping and stroking his balls.

“No, not all. “ Damn.  When she spoke like that, all sultry, low and throaty, his body responded with liquid lust.   “I was just thinking, maybe we should take this into the bedroom.”

“I think that’s probably a very good idea.”

TBC