#which is 1 and 2/3 yards! very easy to remember and go to the fabric store and buy the right amount of fabric

[riverbeatsaber]

I know that the Imperial system is bad and all but I gotta say. I do really like how it works for sewing

[inkofamethyst]

November 15, 2020

Alright so I know I’ve given a lot of grief toward my chem lab assignments (though that midterm absolutely deserves the grief I’ve given it), but honestly???  This semester has probably been the only stress-free minimal-stress semester I’ve had with chem labs.  Not only do labs tend to take up a ton of time (three hours??  To make plastic??), but they also typically require a ton of prep and also going to office hours is usually never this easy.  Nowadays I set an alarm and pop into one of the TA office hours and I’m set to go.  I don’t even have to spend time making my lab pages look all pretty and neat.  I just decide “hey I’m going to watch the pre-lab on Thursday, go to office hours on Friday and Saturday, and do the worksheet and post lab questions Sunday evening then turn it in.”  All in a weekend.  Takes half the time of what I’d normally spend on a lab class.  Honestly?  All of my classes (except, perhaps, my YA Lit class which I’d assume would be the same) take up a ton less time this semester because all of my exams are open-note.  I can tell you for a fact that I wouldn’t have a 98% in my anth class if I had to memorize all the stuff we learn (really, the exams are just facts from lecture, literally no application involved).  I also have to time and energy to attend the guided study sessions twice a week for my orgo class which is a huge help for keeping me on track.

I know that was kind of rambly but basically I’m saying that being online does have the benefit of making my orgo lab bearable.  Also!!  We get pre-labs directly from the lab coordinator instead of from some rando TA who might not know as much as the guy with the PhD.  My bio labs also seem to be written directly by the lab coordinator too which is grand because it’s coherent and useful!  You know, I might actually be interested in becoming a bio TA during one of my “lighter” semesters.  Hopefully my classes keep up this lightness while being online next semester.

The one thing I will say that I’m still disappointed about is that the post-lab questions for chemistry classes are nearly impossible to complete on your own.  Like, as undergraduate students, we’re already experiencing a ton of chemistry at once, and our brains are very slowly putting these bits of knowledge into our long-term memories (I can assure you that I will not remember how to form an enolate in six months, and I’ll be unlikely to even be able to tell you what an enolate is at that point, for example), so tons of things just slip through the cracks.  For example, I was totally not thinking about bond angles when completing this week’s series of post-lab questions, and yet that was the key to getting all three of the points for this question.  We haven’t once discussed bond angles in orgo 2.  I know that learning is supposed to build and stuff, but I just think stuff like that is a bit unfair when our brain’s chemistry library just isn’t nearly a full as perhaps our professors expect them to be.

Anyway, I finished my chem lab report in record time today and maybe it’s because I wasn’t starting it at 1 am or something idk but I’ve turned it in and wow this is lovely and freeing (though I do have an anth lecture, an anth quiz, an anth exam, a bio lecture, and a chem lecture to get through tonight still lol).  I’ve only got two more assignments left for chem lab woo!!  Semester is coming to a close!!

Ughghghghgh okay so I bought two yards of the brown fabric I was talking about last night (and shipping was only $4.50!!) but now I’m torn as to whether I should buy this other fabric like ????  Again, it’s only $2/yard and there are currently 3 yards available and it’s this gorgeous forest green natural-geometric sort of print but I don’t know whether I want it??  Do I need it?  No!  But I could maybe make a button-up shirt out of it?  Maybe??  It’s so PRETTY but I can’t think of a project for it at the moment and I don’t think I want to buy more than two yards but like I could also possibly make a dress from it with three yards but it also doesn’t match the vintage-y aesthetic but it would sort of look pretty cool with an academia aesthetic but spending more money on things is just really not super appealing unless I start regularly selling more stuff on Depop again and also there aren’t any rules when it comes to building a personal aesthetic because I’m the one building it and I just.  hhhhhhhhh I need to get back on that Depop grind and make some CASH.  

I’m leaning toward buying it BUT IDK FAM GETTING THINGS FEELS GOOD AND MAKING THINGS FEELS GOOD AND WEARING THOSE THINGS WOULD PROBABY FEEL GOOD (idk I haven’t actually worn anything I’ve made except masks and most of those feel sub-par BUT my skirt is almost done and you best believe Imma wear that to its grave) BUT SPENDING MONEY FEELS TERRIBLE AND I’M ONLY HALFWAY THROUGH THE MONTH AND CHRISTMAS IS COMING UP AGH.  I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH I’D WANT TO GET BRO :(

Today I’m thankful that, uh, I know how to sew?  And that I’ve built up quite a bit of knowledge over the past few months about historical and modern garment-making techniques and now I’m working on getting the materials to like, make literally whatever I want.  I’ve only made one other garment completely from scratch and it was a dumpster-fire (but my past self did her best with what she had to work with!!!!  She was just inexperienced and a tad bit ambitious!!) and I’ve actually decided that I’m going to take it apart and use it for scraps (it’s a galaxy printed cotton which doesn’t really fit into my desired aesthetic, but I can certainly make some masks out of it).  I’m also seriously considering buying branding labels that I can sew into the things I make!  It’s so freeing to have this ability to fashion my own things and to craft what I actually want to wear.  I still have a lot to learn but I’m thankful that I have parents who’ve done a lot of the monetary heavy-lifting (buying the sewing machine and the dress form).  I’ve never thought of myself as a designer or anything, but these past few weekends have been a ton of fun and I want to continue doing stuff like this!

I may be back tonight with an addition to this post if I buy the green fabric,,,,,,,, but idk I think I’ll need to have a project in mind before I decide on it.  Trust me, after I finish the stuff I need to get done, I will be looking hard for a potential project before I make my decision.

[gerbiloftriumph]

So you wanna be a king (pt2)

(or at least cosplay one.)

Continuing the cosplay creation saga for anyone interested, here’s how I put together my King Graham cosplay:

Part 2: Jerkin 

Disclaimer: I’m totally novice at cosplay and only do it for like one event per year if that, so take what you will or throw it all away.

Also this is not really a step by step tutorial post because this is several years ago and the details are hazy.

If you’re following along, then you should have a cloak and cowl (click for sort-of-instructions-here). 

Step one: Pull out those reference screencaps you made in the first part and stare at them. Repeat that you still love this character and that you’re committed to this nonsense. Ready? Let’s go.

The long sleeved purple undershirt I just happened to find at Goodwill. Please try to find something lightweight--this costume is warm. 

But you won’t be so lucky to find a jerkin at Goodwill too. You’ll have to make it, or at least modify something.

Still, it’s just an elaborate brown tank top, more or less. You don’t even have to worry about attaching sleeves! Surely this is an eas--wait, what are those lace things? Could you even bend down to pick up inventory items with laces that thick and close together? How can I translate that into something semi-practical I can wear without wanting to eat my adventuring hat? 

It’s a great design, but I’m mortal, not digital. If you can determine a simple way to get that lacing to look accurate while still being comfortably wearable, let me, novice cosplayer that I am, know. (maybe if they were just made separately, flat, and sewn on, like a decal thing?)

I had planned on building this out of fake leather/suede-ish material, but then I remembered I wanted to also wear this as my new RenFest costume, and I didn’t want to die in July. 

So I went to my local Joann’s and picked up a considerably lighter, thinner, and satisfactorily rich looking brown fabric (I think it was this stuff: https://www.joann.com/kona-cotton-solid-quilt-fabric/1378397.html) for both jerkin and bracers. I’ve lost the original receipt, so I’m not sure how much I bought. Too much, because my storage bin is full of leftovers. I’m sure 3 yards is more than plenty, but measure to be sure. 

Tunic time!

This is the point where the “How To Graham” tutorial breaks down and becomes especially fuzzy and experimental, because I kept none of my in-process notes. High five, Gerbil, very helpful indeed. You might just want to glance at this for ideas before doing your own thing. 

I laugh in the face of patterns, hahahaha. (bad idea, don’t be me.)

I got my favorite fitted t-shirt (Disney Afternoon ftw), paper, a ruler, and old scrap fabric to maul as practice. I pinned my shirt flat to paper and traced both the front and back separately (folded the sleeves in so my tracework was sleeveless). The front had a deeper neckline but was otherwise nearly identical to its back partner. Once both sides were traced, I added a half inch margin around them, cut them out, and started working on fake jerkins, so I could sculpt the right fit before I got out the nice fabric. I wanted the jerkin to be pretty form fitting as Graham’s is, so I curved the sides in a bit deeper. 

I made at least two fake jerkins, fyi.

Since I went pattern-less (hahahaarrgh), tests were crucial, especially regarding the neck hole. The t-shirt is elastic, but my fabric is not. I personally require at least 22″ around the neck to get the thing over my nose, and it’s barely enough clearance. (I’m fairly certain I measured some other shirts with my fabric ruler for a loose size to aim for, then did edits on the junk fabric til I had a size that worked.)

Tests also showed that the back piece needed an additional two and a half inches of fabric on the bottom thanks to how it sits on my shoulders. In the above image, you can see the green fabric is higher, but I wanted the piece to look balanced from the side. 

It’s a touch hard to see as it’s usually hidden by the cloak, but I find a balanced jerkin is a happy jerkin. 

And here’s that additional fabric without a human in it. (ack don’t look at my uneven stitches)

By now, you should have a belt (in my method it doesn’t matter how it clasps, so pick any belt you please as you’ll be wearing it backward) so you can determine how long the flappy things on the front and back should be. Where your belt sits comfortably is where your side laces will stop and your trim on the flap things will start--the belt hides the transition. 

Graham’s belt sits low on his (fantastically defined) hips. I prefer it on my waist so it doesn’t slide up when I’m walking, so my flap things are longer than his. For reference, my flap things...no, wait, there must be a technical term....Google says it’s a peplum. My peplum (??) are 8″ish long, though his look like they’re about half that. 

For reference, as a 5′6″ person, from hanger to hem my jerkin’s back piece is approximately 28″ long. The most important things here are how long it is overall, and if the neck hole is big enough to fit over your head: nearly everything else can be altered when wearing it via the lacework I have planned.

Look, at this point, you might want to give up on me and find a real shirt pattern, fitted or not. I understand. I’ll wait. This isn’t actually a step by step tutorial so much as a vague What I Did And It’s Probably Wrong. 

Okay, you’ve traced your favorite shirt (or bought a real pattern like a good person). Your tests have shown that your peplum sit at the same height on your leg, and you like the shape and feel of it when you wear your scrap fabric test (I recommend using safety pins to replicate the laces during the early size test phase). You’ve cut out the front and back shirt shaped pieces of brown fabric (with that half inch hem margin all around), and now they’re sitting on your floor, mocking you. 

The actual construction part!

The only attachment you’ll give these pieces is via the shoulders. If you’re new to this Making Your Own Clothes thing and your fabric has a nice side and a not nice side, put the nice sides against each other and sew along the not nice side so when you turn it over your hem is inside. 

I seam-ripped a collar from a shirt I loved but was too worn to wear otherwise--no math or sewing your own collar from scratch if you swipe it from another shirt. No one will ever see it since your cowl tucks into it, so it doesn’t matter how it looks, though natural colors are better than, say, blue, in case your cowl slips a bit. There are lots of lovely videos about attaching collars: this one seems nice, if you skip ahead to the actual sewing-on part at 4:50. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k31FWDp1s5I

At this point, since you’ve fitted it and trimmed it and done all that you want to it to get the shape you like, you’ll want to hem your shirt by that half inch margin all around so it’s clean and easy for the next part. It only looks vaguely shirt-like now since it’s held together just by the shoulders. 

Now, let’s get medieval on it. 

Time for lacing!

I used a blond suede leather rope to mimic the lighter color on Graham’s sides (check the beading or leather working section of the craft stores, and make sure it’s thick enough that it won’t snap under light strain, and thin enough it’ll fit through the grommet size you select). I already happened to own an anvil (...why?), so I just needed grommets. Mine appear to be 12mm--I got them in Ancient Copper. You’ll use them in the bracers later, too, so leftovers are a good thing for once. Hobby Lobby or Michaels can hook you up with supplies, but Etsy and eBay have more diverse color choices. 

Every inch from where the armpit opening stops to where the trim of the peplums begins (the height of which was established earlier when I decided to how to wear the belt), I made a mark for a grommet, and marked its corresponding partner. For reference, I have 9 holes down each hem, for 18 total holes per side, and a grand total 36 grommets in the tunic. I jammed an awl through the holes marked and applied the grommets as per the packet’s instruction. 

Like making a metal and fabric sandwich. With a hammer. 

It’s totally therapeutic. I can see why Amaya’s into this stuff. 

(It’s not a Looney Toons anvil, by the by: like this, instead.)

Unspool the suede rope and thread it through the grommets. To try and mimic the game, I use a ladder shoelace tie, starting with the grommet pair beneath the arms and running down until I tie a bow in the last pair. I tuck the loose ends into the waistband of the trousers. So, this: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ladderlacing.htm

Finally, I made (because I couldn’t find to buy) my own trim about 1/2″ wide from some scrap light brown suede in the Joann Scrap Bin, and attached it to the peplum (is this truly a better word than flap, vote now).

And that, friend, is a jerkin that would make any real medieval person flinch but should be cool for cosplay. You should try it with your cloak and cowl. If you’re following my method, you get to layer up, lucky you: anchor shirt, long-sleeved-purple-undershirt, jerkin, cloak (snaps through the jerkin’s collar onto the anchor shirt), cowl (to cover your shoulders so you don’t see the cloak tugging at your jerkin collar). 

Yeah, it’s warm. Sorry.

Drink some water.

When you’re done sweating in it (eww, I know it’s awful, sorry), handwash it. Strip the rope out of the grommets, use handwashing detergent in a (clean!) bathroom sink, then hang it over a bathtub to dry before relacing it using that ladder shoelace technique and storing it on a hanger. I always have it laced, and pull it on over my head with it laced, too.

And with that, you’ve got about half of your entire cosplay done. Congrats! Take some time to relaaaax. You’re gonna be a king. 

(is this helpful at all to anyone? should i keep going?)

(peplum?? really????)

[im-fairly-whitty]

Caught in the Riptide – Riptide!Incredibles AU

I said this story was dead, but then I wrote another chapter for whatever reason and didn’t feel like it was fair not to post it for you guys. I suppose it’s more of an indefinite hiatus instead of completely dead.

[Chapter 1: The Offer] [Chapter 2: Old Friendships]

Chapter 3: Introductions

 When Tony had called Agent Gibbons to tell him he wanted to join the Taskforce he hadn’t known what to expect, maybe showing up at a nearby police station to fill out some forms or something, but certainly not being escorted in an unmarked vehicle to an undisclosed location. 

The car had seemed normal enough when it had pulled up outside of Tony’s house, but once he’d gotten in he’d realized that the interior was much roomier than it looked, with the middle row of seats facing the wrong way like a limo. As they’d driven the windows seemed to get darker and darker too, as if the tint was getting stronger, eventually keeping Tony from being able to tell where they were at all, no matter how hard he squinted through the glass.

“We’ll be at the base soon.” Agent Gibbons said, looking up from the device he was typing on as he sat across from him, some kind of slick portable computer that Tony had only seen the likes of in secret agent films, “You’ll want to have looked through your orientation packet before we arrive.” he said with a smile, nodding at the thick manila envelope he’d handed Tony at the beginning of the drive that Tony was still absently clutching to his chest.

“Oh sure, sorry.” Tony said with a nervous smile, looking up from the darkly tinted windows and getting a good look at the packet for the first time.

The thick manilla paper had a circular wave symbol stamped on the outside. Tony ripped the seal off the top and tipped the contents into his lap. A sheaf of papers, a lanyard with an ID card attached, several pamphlets, and a thin dark grey folded up jumpsuit. The last item to fall out was a black piece of flexible plastic with two holes...no, it was a mask.

Just like Supers always wore.

“You’ll want to get used to the mask.” Gibbons said, seeing him looking at it, “From now on your civilian identity will be under wraps, even during training. You’re to wear that mask at all times while on the base, don’t ever take it off, not even around the other recruits. While you’re working with other Taskforce members you’ll get to know and befriend them, which is fantastic, we want you all to be able to work with each other, but try to keep details like your name, address, and other personal details to yourself, alright?”

“Yes sir.” Tony said, nodding even though he wasn’t quite sure how you were supposed to be friends with someone if you didn’t even know their real names. He looked closer at the mask, which didn’t seem to have any strings... “How...?” he asked hesitantly, looking up.

“You just stick it on.” Gibbons said, not looking up from his tablet.

“Won’t it fall off?” Tony asked a little sheepishly. He tried to think but couldn't actually remember seeing any kinds of strings or straps on Supers’ masks in history books, he’d never really thought about it before.

“Trust me kid,” Gibbons said, tapping his screen, “Supers have been wearing cling masks for years, they’re old tech. I’ve never had one fall off my face, promise.”

“Wait, you’re a Super too?” Tony asked in surprise.

“Mask.” Gibbons said, looking up at him pointedly.

Tony obediently put it on, surprised to feel how secure it felt on his face, as if it were somehow sticky. He looked up and down, shaking his head side to side, but it stuck. He took it off easily, then put it back on. Well how about that.

He suspected the mask wasn’t going to be the only unexplainable thing he saw today.

“I used to be a Super,” Gibbons said, nodding in approval at Tony’s mask, “but I retired before Supers were outlawed. I saw things were getting out of control and I wanted to help in a bigger way than flying around stopping crooks, so I hung up my mask and got a job with the government. That’s how I’ve been able to help the Taskforce get started, I’ve got experience on both the Super and the Government side, which means I can bring them together.”

“That’s amazing,” Tony said, “what powers do you have?” he flinched a little at his own question. He might be on his way to be trained as a Super, but asking someone about their powers still felt dangerously taboo, like he was crossing a line, “I mean, if that’s okay to ask. Is that okay to ask?” he added hurriedly.

“Pyrokinesis.” Gibbons said, casually holding up his hand, which was now covered in flame.

The thin flickering orange and yellow light danced up and down the man’s skin with apparently no damage, even though Tony could feel the heat very clearly from where he sat.

“A cousin of your power actually, ability to manipulate fire at will, just like you can with water.” Gibbons said with a smile, curling his fingers into a fist of flame that blazed an intense blue before suddenly snuffing out, leaving a slightly singed smell in the air, “I just have to be much more careful with mine in enclosed spaces than you do.” he said with a chuckle, “Does mean I’ve never had so much as a sunburn before though, which is a perk.”

“I always burn really easy, I have to wear sweaters and sunscreen all the time.” Tony said, “That’s incredible.”

“I prefer ‘amazing’.” Gibbons said, looking back to his screen.

His device made a pinging noise and Gibbons smiled, “We’re here. Remember, keep your mask on, no real names, and keep your lanyard on. That’s how you’ll get in and out of all the doors in this place that you have clearance for. We run a pretty tight ship here so be sure to keep your wits about you.”

“What should I use as my name then?” Tony asked, slipping on his lanyard. His eyes got wide, “Do I get to choose my Super name?”

“No need,” Gibbons said, pointing to the lanyard’s card as Tony felt the car roll to a stop.

Tony flipped over the card, which had the same wave icon from the envelope printed on it, as well as the word RIPTIDE in all capital letters.

Agent Gibbons got out of the car, holding the door open for Tony as he stepped into the gravel yard of what looked like a high tech military base.

To his left were enormous metal hangers and warehouses, to his right a group of people in army camo jogged by in neat lines. Ahead of him was a cement path that looked freshly laid, leading to a brand new building that was all clean lines and impressive steel.

“Welcome to the Taskforce, Riptide.” Agent Gibbons said with a smile.

***

The kid was nervous, William could see that from the way he kept glancing around him as they entered the sleek new Taskforce training center, but Riptide also seemed to be intent on making a good impression, sticking right to his side and smiling at everyone they passed.

He really seemed like he was a good kid, which was perfect, William could use a kid like that. William would have normally had some other agent under him take care of a new recruit’s orientation, but Riptide was different. William had scouted the boy out himself and he had big plans for him.

“Pretty much all of your training will take place right here in this building.” William said, shepherding Riptide toward a door and demonstrating how to unlock it with a tap of his own lanyard, “We have state of the art classrooms, training facilities, and living arrangements for recruits who stay overnight during parts of their training, like how you’re staying the weekend. Everything you need will be provided to you which why you were told not to pack anything. If there’s something you need just ask any of the staff and they’ll arrange it for you.”

“That’s really kind of you.” Riptide said, staring as they passed a group of recruits, the masked teenagers in dark grey jumpsuits smiling and waving to him as they passed each other, “Say, am I supposed to be wearing jumpsuits like them? I got one in my packet right?” he asked as he waved back to them, then glanced down at his street clothes.

“You young people are our most valuable resource,” William said, “we’d be idiots not to treat you well. And yes, in the future you’ll wear your training uniform whenever you’re on the Taskforce campus. There’s special sensors woven into the fabric of each suit that will track your vital signs as well as readings from your power set that will help your trainers record your progress and help you reach your peak performance as you become more familiar with your powers.

“Today we’ll be meeting one of your coaches and then you’ll have a chance to change before having a meal with the rest of the recruits before your first round of training this evening. Which is why...” William led Riptide through another door into a huge room, the scent of chlorine washing over them, “we’re starting you in here.”

William had never been in the pool room, but the olympic sized monstrosity was every bit as bad as he’d expected. Riptide however lit up at the sight of all the water, an unconscious smile creeping onto his face as the kid stared at the crystal blue water eagerly.

“New kid!” came a cheery voice, and they both turned to see a slender hispanic woman with a whistle hanging around her neck walking toward them, “About time you showed up, been expecting you. Call me Coach Maralin.”

“Ton-” Riptide started to say as he walked over and shook her hand, but quickly caught himself, “I mean, Riptide. My name’s Riptide.”

“Power?” Coach Maralin asked.

“Aquakinesis.” Riptide said, standing up a little straighter.

“That’s right, Agent Gibbons has been making you out to be the next Splashdown.” Coach Maralin said, glancing over at where William was still standing near the doorway, as far away from the pool’s edge as possible, “The water won’t bite, Will.” she called with a smile.

William gave a dry smile, “I’m perfectly fine right here.” he called back, “I assume I’m safe to leave him in your care?”

“Sure thing.” Coach Maralin said cheerfully, walking Riptide to the edge of the pool and taking the papers and things he was still holding from the packet, “Now Riptide, we’ll get you all measured and tested tonight, but for now-”

William shivered as she unceremoniously shoved Riptide into the deep end of the pool, street clothes, shoes and all. And as a special training pool, suitable even for scuba training, that was a deep end that was a purely indecent twenty meters deep. Just the thought made William’s skin crawl.

Riptide’s head broke the surface of the water as he came back up, sputtering a little, but with a bright smile on his face, like he was actually enjoying it.

“There’s so much water!” Riptide cried excitedly, he dipped his face back into the water for a moment to look down, then looked back up, not even wiping at his eyes, “I’ve never seen a pool this deep, it’s amazing!”

“Can you breathe underwater?” Coach Maralin called.

“I...I don’t know, I’ve never tried.” Riptide said, sounding curious.

“We’ll save that for tonight then.” Coach Maralin said, making a note on her clipboard and pulling out a stopwatch, “For now I want you to get out of that pool without touching the walls or the edge. You’re only allowed to use your power and the water to get out.”

“Oh gosh, I don’t think I can do that.” Riptide said, sounding a little nervous as he looked around, “I can only move a little bit of water before I get tired and-”

“Less chat, more water. Timer starts now.” Coach Maralin called, clicking her stopwatch.

William waited for another minute, watching Riptide at first tread water in confusion, then get a determined look as he started swooping his arms through the water, moving much more than a normal person could possibly splash. It wasn’t anywhere near to what would be required to launch himself out of the pool, but the kid was clearly ready to thrash around until he figured out how to obey the coach’s command.

That was all that William needed to see.

He ducked out of the pool room and back into the hallway, able to breathe a little easier away from the cloying scent of chlorine. Let Riptide handle playing in water, after all, he’d need all the training her could get before his public debut, and he had a long way still to go if he was going to be ready.

***

Tony had been trapped in the pool for an entire hour before Coach Maralin had let him struggle up the side ladder like a normal person, leaving him trembling with exhaustion.

He’d known that launching himself out of the pool was beyond his ability, but had given his all while trying anyway, seeing that Coach wasn’t going to take no for an answer, only shouting him sharp encouragement the one time he’d tried to ask to stop. He loved swimming, being surrounded by water always made him feel electrified with energy, but today had shown him exactly how useless he was without training. 

After half an hour in the pool he’d started letting himself sink under the surface just to try and feel the water in a way he never had before, knowing that if he could just figure out how to grab the energy in the water just right he could tell it how to do exactly like he wanted. If he could just learn how to speak to it.

But for now he might as well have been trying to speak Chinese for all the good it did him, when he was finally allowed to climb out of the pool he’d glared back down at the water rippling innocently beside him. 

He knew he could figure it out. He hadn’t expected joining the Taskforce to be easy, and if this was what he had to figure out how to do in order to be the best Super and example possible for the Taskforce, then that’s exactly what he’d do.

But...not at this exact moment...

Tony ached all over as he tapped his lanyard card against the door he’d been pointed to, sighing in relief when the mechanical sliding door opened to reveal the bustling cafeteria. More than a dozen recruits scattered around the tables with their trays of food, even some of the staff eating at other tables.

Despite being exhausted (he hadn’t even had the energy to dry off before changing into his jumpsuit, having to use a towel the old fashioned way) Tony felt a buzz of nervousness as he headed to the buffet counter, taking a tray and loading it up with food as he glanced around the cafeteria

“Hey, new guy.”

Tony looked over as an African America girl elbowed him. She looked about his age and was wearing the same jumpsuit and mask that he was.

“First day right?” she asked, scooping some macaroni and cheese onto her tray as she blew some of her hair, of which she had a lot, out of her face.

“Uh, yeah, is it that obvious?” Tony asked with a small laugh.

“I know you’re a new face, the masks aren’t that good.” she said, rolling her eyes, “But no, we saw you in your normal clothes earlier. You can come sit with us if you want.”

“Sure, that’d be great!” Tony said, a little unsure, but following her over to one of the small tables where there were already three other kids. One huge boy who looked like he was barely able to fit in his seat despite looking only fifteen or sixteen, and two thirteen or fourteen year old looking asain kids who looked like they could be twin brother and sister.

They waved as Tony followed the girl over, but Tony hesitated to see there was only one open seat at the table.

“I could grab another chair?” Tony asked, looking around.

“No need,” the girl said, walking over to where the asain boy was sitting, looming over him with her tray, “Ollie, move it, you’re hogging chairs.”

“Aw come on, just make him pull up a chair.” Ollie said, huffing dramatically, “We don’t want to move.”

Ollie’s sister rolled her eyes and reached out to grab his wrist, and suddenly his seat was empty.

Tony blinked, not at all sure what had just happened. One moment there had been two siblings in two chairs, and now there was only one kid in one chair, and unless Tony was very mistaken they were a brand new sibling, looking just like the other two. They had a messier version of the sister’s pigtails and the brother’s bangs, and Tony couldn’t quite say whether they were a boy or a girl...

“We only need one chair.” the kid said, eating a cookie of their tray as if nothing particularly interesting had just happened, “We’re Double Vision, what’s your name?”

“I...Uh, Riptide.” Tony said, trying and failing not to stare as he sat down in the empty seat.

“Thanks DV.” said the girl who had brought him over, sitting down too, “My name’s Aura, and you’d better get ahold of yourself Riptide. If you’re gonna be staring at everyone new like that it’s gonna be a long day.”

“Sorry, I just, I’ve never seen anything like that.” Tony said, blushing a little and scratching the back of his head, “I’ve never really been around other people with powers before, I think it’s really cool, but well, what was that?”

“We’re twins!” Double Vision said brightly, taking another cookie off of Aura’s tray, ignoring her glare, “At least, we think we’re twins, no one really knows. We’re Ollie and Allie sometimes too.” As they mentioned the two names Double Vision’s appearance changed to look like the boy and then the girl again before settling back at the inbetween version.

“Built in back-up and disguises.” said the huge boy sitting on the other side of Double Vision through a mouthful of chicken, “Not to mention the telepathy.”  

“Yeah, well, back up isn’t always so great when you’re both small.” Double Vision said, smacking the huge boy’s arm, “You don’t need back up when you can knock down a whole building by yourself. We wish we could do that.”

“Are you...super strong?” Tony guessed, starting to eat his roll instead of continuing to sneak glances at Double Vision.

The boy chuckled, his laugh actually making the table vibrate beneath their trays. Even though Tony didn’t think it was that loud he could still feel the noise in his bones.

“Nah, my name’s Reverb, I do sound waves.” Reverb said, taking a bite out of one of the three hamburgers on his two trays, “I’m just big, I’ve only got normal person strength for my size. I knock stuff down by yelling instead, it’s way more fun that way anyway.”

“And what do you do?” Tony asked, turning to Aura, excited despite his exhaustion.

“I’d show you but it’s too bright in here.” Aura said, taking a drink of her orange juice, “Yall’d go blind or else I’d get in trouble from blowing out the lights.”

“She makes energy!” Double Vision said excitedly.

“More like types of light.” Aura said coolly, “All colors, all frequencies, all brightnesses. If a lightbulb can do it so can I.”

“Show him the purple light trick.” Reverb said, scooting a napkin across the table toward her.

“I’m not making blacklight in the cafeteria.” Aura said, ignoring the napkin.

“Pleaaaaaaase?” said Double Vision, splitting back into Allie and Ollie, presumably to maximize their pleading as they both balanced on half of their chair.

“Do it. Do it.” Reverb chanted, pounding his fists on the table, making all their trays jump.

“Will you guys shut up?” Aura hissed, but she let out a growly sigh and hovered her hand over the napkin on the table. The dark brown skin of her hand took on a muted purple white glow, and the white napkin underneath glowed a vivid bright white-blue color.

The others cheered and clapped as Aura rolled her eyes and scrunched up the napkin, tucking it under her tray. She looked over at Tony, “And lemme guess, you’ve got something to do with water, right Riptide?”

“Can you talk to fish?” Reverb asked, leaning hard enough on the table to make it creak.

“I have hydrokinesis.” Tony said, taking an overly aware sip from his glass of water, “I can move water with my mind.”

“Do it. Do it.” Reverb said, taking up his table banging chant again, Allie and Ollie joining him as Aura glared at them.

“I would, but I’m super tired right now.” Tony said quickly, moving to set his glass back on the table but thinking better of it as the trays kept jumping from the other’s banging, “It would just spill everywhere, I’m really not that good at it yet, I’ve never really practiced with it before now.”

“Booo.” Reverb said, giving Tony a thumbs down before starting into another hamburger, “You’d better catch up then Rippy, Aura and I’ve already got a few months head start on you. But yeah, they’ll keep you tired around here with how hard they work us, that’s for sure.”

“We’ve been practicing for years.” Allie said proudly, taking a handful of fries off one of Reverb’s trays, “Ever since we were kids.”

“How did you keep a power like yours secret from your parents?” Tony asked, looking over at them curiously, “My parents figured out I had powers when I was still a kid, I threw a tantrum and blew all the water pipes in the house.”

His parents had never exactly made him feel bad about having powers, but they’d never really talked about it either. It had just felt like an unspoken secret between them when he’d been growing up.

“Don’t got any parents.” Ollie said, taking fries from his sister, “We grew up with the NSA, that’s why we get to practice all the time.”

“That’s also why they get to use their real names, even if they’re not supposed to.” Aura said a little dryly, she glanced over at Tony, “Not a lot of parents want to deal with a super kid, let alone not knowing if they’ve got one child or two. You’d be surprised how many super kids end up left at police stations or in dumpsters. Those stories never quite make it to the news, but over half the recruits here were abandoned when they were still babies.”

Tony swallowed, glancing around the cafeteria again. That boy had horns, another had bright purple skin, a girl over there had wings and a scaly tail if he wasn’t mistaken. Were those the kids that had been abandoned at birth? Their parents too overwhelmed by a child who was obviously a Super when they lived in a society that had outlawed them?

Who had raised kids like Allie and Ollie then? Government agents like Mr. Gibbons?

“That’s why the Taskforce is going to fix stuff.” Ollie said, leaning in to his sister until they became Double Vision again, “That way Supers can do whatever they want! We’ll even be able to go to the beach!”

“You know, Supers are legal again.” Tony said, he knew that for sure after the research he’d been doing after Mr. Gibbons’ first visit, “You can go to the beach whenever you want, even if you’re using your powers.”

“Well, the Taskforce is what’s going to keep it that way.” Aura said, ruffling Double Vision’s hair, “With our example and everyone on the registration program everyone will stay safe and follow the rules and we’ll never have to hide again.”

Tony nodded, then started focusing on his food as the others drifted into much less serious chatter and gossip. He’d known in an abstract kind of way why helping the Taskforce was important, but actually meeting other Supers had made it far more solid.

He’d never even realized how lucky he’d been growing up. There were real people with real lives that had been really hurt the last time Supers had messed things up by letting things out of control, and there was no way that his own generation could mess things up a second time. In the future Tony wanted there would never be another child abandoned by their frightened parents just because they were born with powers like he was.

But he wasn’t going to be able to help anyone if he couldn’t even get out of a pool by himself.

Tony started shoveling his food into his mouth faster.

“Slow down, the food ain't gonna run away.” Aura said, glancing over at him.

“I need to get back to training,” Tony said, wiping his mouth, “Like Reverb said, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

-----------

(Credits: The Riptide AU was started by @edorazzi​‘s lovely art. For this fic extra thanks goes to @mistrel-fox​ as well for brainstorming help.)

[rahirah]

Restoring A Mid-Century Modern Dining Chair

What you will need:

A Chair 4 Rubber Chair Feet Upholstery Material, approx 18x18 " About a dozen short nails (about ½ " long -- roofing nails or carpet tacks will do) OR a heavy-duty staple gun & staples.

3-4 ½" screws A Hammer A Saw A Screwdriver

Optional Extras:

Padding A Drill 8-12 medium nails 1 ½ to 2 " long depending on depth of seat (you will only need these if you are using cross pieces.)

Where to Get Supplies:

Very often, places like Lowes or Home Depot will have a scrap lumber bin, where you can get boards super cheap.  You have to check carefully before you buy, because very often the reason a board gets chucked into the scrap bin is that it’s warped.  And it’s a grab bag as to what will be there at any given time.  Still, you can get decent wood for small projects there at reasonable prices if you keep an eye out.

For padding and upholstery, if you don’t want to buy outrageously expensive new fabric, check for places near you that sell mill-end fabric and scrap leather.  Or you can repurpose old coats, quilts, comforters, etc.

For hardware, your local hardware store should have everything you need.    Don’t be intimidated by rows of specialty nails and screws.  A nail is pretty much a nail.  There’s a flat end and a pointy end.  All you need to know is, what’s the combined thickness of the things you’re going to be nailing or screwing together?  Then pick nails or screws that are long enough to go past the half-way point of that thickness, but not longer than the total thickness.  Heavier things need heavier nails, and lighter things need lighter nails.  Simple!

Step 1: Find A Chair

This is a chair that's been knocking around since I was a kid. It sat in my Mom’s back yard for about fifty years, and looks it.  However, I think it looks kind of cool, and I wanted to fix it up.

I cleaned the iron frame up with a damp cloth to remove surface dirt and debris, but I decided that I wanted to leave the weathered, rustic look of the iron as it was.  If you do want to clean minor rust like this and make it look black and shiny again, you can use either a commercial rust cleaner, or you can use a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water.  Once the rust has been removed, and the iron is dry, you can wipe it down with liquid car wax and buff it with a rag to make it more rust-resistant.

Step 2: Replace Rubber Feet

The old feet on this chair had worn completely through.  Since it's iron, you don't want the bare legs scratching up your floors, or making nails-on-chalkboard screeches every time you move the chair.  Replacing the rubber feet is easy: just measure the diameter of the legs, go to your local hardware store, and buy new ones.

Step 3: Check the integrity of the seat.

If you're lucky, whatever the base of your seat is will be in good condition, and you can just strip off the old upholstery and padding, and re-cover it.  (You may even be able to keep the padding.)  In this case, that wasn't an option.  This chair has been rained on a million times, and the plywood was disintegrating.  I took it off and threw the whole seat away.  (The web is old.  No spiders were harmed in the restoration of this chair.)

Step 4:  Replace the Seat (if necessary)

I did not have any plywood on hand, and the local hardware place does not sell plywood, and I didn't feel like running all the way across town to Lowe's.  So I bought a 3′ length of 2x8 lumber instead.  I cut it down into two 15-inch lengths.  Put together, this made a 15x15" square.  (Because 2x8s are actually 2x 7.5s.  It's confusing.)  This was slightly smaller than the original plywood seat, which was 15x16″, but that was no big deal.  

I have a table saw, so that's what I used to cut the wood.  However, you can also use a hand-held circular saw, or even a manual hand saw.  If you are using a hand saw, manual or electric, unless you have an inhumanly good eye and steady hand, you will probably want to use a straight-edge and a pencil to mark your cutting lines first.  It is also a good idea to have either A) someone to hold the wood still for you, or B) a working surface to which you can clamp the wood.  If you can't keep your wood steady, you WILL end up with a crooked, ragged cut.  And if you're using a circular saw, you could seriously injure yourself if your wood wobbles and causes kickback.  

If you're using any kind of power tools, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST and follow them.  You don't want to fight with a power tool; it will win.

If I had wanted to get fancy, I could have used wood glue and a couple of clamps to glue the two pieces together.  But I was being impatient, and didn't want to wait for the glue to dry.  So instead, I used the new upholstery to hold the two pieces together until I could nail on supporting crossbars.  (See Step 6.)

Select and Trim New Upholstery

You can use anything you like here – fabric, leather, vinyl.  The only caveat is that thin fabrics will wear out more quickly, and very heavy fabric or leather can be more difficult to fold nicely at the corners.  I'm using mid-weight leather for this particular piece.  

Whatever you use, invest in a good pair of sewing shears to cut it.  Trying to use craft scissors to cut cloth or leather will drive you nuts.  If you are using very heavy leather, an Xacto knife (one of the big ones) might work even better.  If you're using an Xacto, make sure that you have a surface to cut on that you don't mind scratching up.  (And of course, be careful and use good knife safety.)

Cut your upholstery AT LEAST 2 inches larger than your seat all around.  Remember to account for the depth of the seat and any padding as well as the breadth.  If you're using fabric that frays easily, you will probably want to turn the edge under, so add extra for that.   You can always trim extra length off, but you can't untrim a piece that's too short.

Step 6: Attach New Padding/Upholstery

If you are replacing or adding more padding, then place it between your seat base and the upholstery material before you attach the upholstery material. I decided that since my primary purpose for the chair was to put it next to my closet to throw clothes on, and this was never going to be a Comfy Chair no matter what I did, that I didn't need to bother with padding.

Since I was using moderately heavy leather, I trimmed away some excess at each corner of the seat so that it would fold more easily.  Again, be careful and don't trim off too much.  I used a mixture of carpet tacks and roofing nails to attach the leather to the wood (the roofing nails were for the corners, where I wanted something sharper to get through the multiple layers of leather.)  Basically any short, sturdy nail will do.  OR if you have a heavy-duty staple gun, that would also work well.  Make sure you stretch your material evenly.  It can be helpful to have a partner at this stage to hold the material even while you tack it on.

Once the leather was attached, I nailed cross bars (two 13″ 2x4s) onto each of the sides to keep the two seat pieces together.  As you can probably tell, the 2x4 was just an old one I happened to have in my scrap lumber supplies.   Since the frame of the chair is screwed directly to the two seat pieces, I suppose I COULD have left the crossbars off, but I wanted the extra stability.  Ideally I would have used framing nails to attach the crossbars, but I was out of framing nails, so I used finishing nails instead.  (Like I said, for a project this small, nails is nails.)  I made sure to measure the iron seat frame first, and attach the crossbars so that there would be room enough between them to screw the frame of the chair to the seat.

There are four nails per cross bar -- because they’re finishing nails, they’re hard to see.

Step 7: Reattach Seat

Once the seat was put together, I screwed the metal frame of the chair onto the seat, right between the cross pieces.  Weirdly, this particular chair only has three screws holding the seat to the frame; most chairs of this general type use four.  I re-used the original screws.  Optionally, you can use a drill to start your screw holes.  Be sure to pick a drill bit a little smaller than the diameter of your screws.

And voila, one restored Mid-Century Modern chair!  

[jarienn972]

Curse of Undoings - Part 6

Time for a new chapter! We left off with Henry rescuing Killian from the torture chamber, but they're far from being free. Killian's hurt and Henry has few options to get help as nearly everyone he knows is either missing or cursed. Doesn't make for an easy escape...

No major warning apply to this chapter but there are descriptions of Killian’s wounds and plenty of angst to go around.

You can revisit earlier chapters here on Tumblr: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  or read from the beginning on AO3 or FF.net

Tagging @killian-whump @hookaroo and @castielamigos  Enjoy!

"Henry, how exactly is it that you know where this tunnel leads?" Killian asked with honest curiosity as he crouched, visibly uncomfortable, before what looked like a wooden panel covering up a large section of the far wall of the Town Hall's boiler room.

"I spent a lot of time by myself around here," Henry replied as he worked his fingers into the gap around the sides of the panel, prying it loose with a well-practiced ease. "Didn't exactly have a lot of friends so I'd go off exploring anywhere I could around town, almost always searching for any little clues to prove that the book my teacher gave me was real."

Killian nodded in acknowledgment of the lad's response. He'd heard too many stories of how lonely Henry had been before finding Emma and it reminded him all too vividly of that loneliness and pain he'd felt after Liam, and later, Milah, were gone. He tried to hold the flashlight steady as the boy slid the panel to his left to reveal an entrance to a very dark hole.

"So, where does that lead?" Killian queried once again for clarification, shining the beam of light into the inky void. He was certain that Henry had told him once or twice already but his memory was fading as quickly as his energy, blood loss slowly sapping his strength. In truth, he didn't really care where the passage led as long as it was away from this prison, to somewhere safe where his wounds could be treated and he could find warmer clothing. Blood from the numerous lacerations lashed across his back and his impaled shoulder was already soaking through the shirt borrowed from the unconscious guard causing the fabric to become uncomfortably plastered to the irritated skin. The guard's black uniform trousers weren't doing him any favors either. They were at least two sizes too big and even with the shirt tucked in and the belt cinched to the very last hole, they barely wanted to stay up over Killian's narrow hips, but they would have to make do for now. Far worse was the fact that the guard's boots were way too small so Killian wore only socks, which weren't doing much to keep away the chill of the cold cement beneath his feet.

"It connects the Town Hall to the mines," Henry reminded his stepfather as they scrambled through the opening in the concrete block wall. He carefully replaced the panel from inside the passageway that was lit only by the beam of his flashlight, reclaiming the light from Killian once the opening was sealed which allowed Killian to wrap his uninjured arm around the teenager's shoulders. "Like those cells, I've never found out why this tunnel was built," Henry explained as they set off in near-total darkness. "I don't know what they were designed to be used for, but I used to hide out down here from time to time and I don't think that either of my moms knows this tunnel exists so I highly doubt Fiona knows it's here. I just wish we had some idea of what she wanted…"

"I may have an idea," Killian replied with a grimace, his sock-covered feet not appreciating the unforgiving gravel and rocks strewn across the ground any more than the rest of his body had enjoyed his previous accommodations.

"What? How?" Henry wondered. Killian had been locked away and tortured in the dungeon. How would he have learned of the Black Fairy's plans?

"The Black Fairy paid me a visit during my captivity," Killian revealed. "She filled Emma's head with cursed memories of me murdering your grandparents."

"Okay, well, that explains a lot," Henry sighed. "I couldn't figure out why my mom thought they were dead and why she suddenly hated you so much."

"Hatred would be a kind word to use," Killian grumbled. "Full on rage and loathing would be far more accurate considering my current state. I'm afraid that Fiona is trying to goad your mother into killing me as she wants to sever our bond of True Love."

"That must be why the book is fading!" Henry exclaimed. "As your True Love is being destroyed, the stories slowly disappear. If Fiona succeeds, the entire book and all of its stories might be gone forever!"

"Aye – I believe that is precisely what she intends. She wants to re-write her own stories," Killian stated. "We need to find a way to get through to Emma to stop all of this…" Killian's words cut off mid-sentence as he stumbled, his body shaking as trembling legs no longer wanted to support his weight. He nearly tumbled atop of Henry, but the boy surprised him as he mustered enough strength to keep Killian upright. "Sorry, lad, I…"

Henry stopped him there. "There's no need to apologize. We can rest for a couple of minutes…"

"No – it will be safer if we keep going…" Killian insisted.

"It's alright. You need the rest. I wish I knew if there was someone else in this town we could trust, but I have to assume that everyone else is cursed like my mom. That or they're missing like a Grandma, Grandpa and my other mom…"

"They're not missing," Killian said nearly breathlessly as he fought against the blackness seeking to overtake him. "They're trapped… Fiona, she trapped them all in an enchanted snow globe…"

"They're in a snow globe?" Henry asked incredulously.

"She showed it to me, bragging as though it were some great conquest…" Killian let out a deep sigh as he felt himself wavering, allowing even more of his weight to be shouldered by his stepson as he lost his tenuous grip on consciousness.

"Killian?" Henry asked as the pirate slumped against him, causing the teenager to lose his hold on the flashlight as he needed both hands free to catch a now unconscious Killian. The light rolled a few feet away as Henry carefully eased Killian's limp form to the ground, not even sure what the best position to place him in might be. He could feel the warm, sticky blood that had soaked through the guard's uniform shirt and was instantly reminded that Killian was losing far too much as it oozed from the lacerations torn into his back and trickled from his punctured shoulder.

Once Killian was safely resting on the tunnel floor, Henry crawled over to where the flashlight had landed, needing its light to be able to better assess all of Killian's wounds. He'd already felt the dampness but now that he could see the extent of the stains covering both the front and back of the once khaki shirt, he knew they were running short on time. He stripped off his jacket and draped it over Killian's upper body like a blanket, discovering that quite a bit of Killian's blood was already staining his coat too. Probably better that he was leaving the jacket here with Killian since that much blood would definitely draw too much attention and he was about to undertake another huge risk.

He was going to have to go back inside because he now believed he knew the key to breaking this curse and getting his family back. Now, he knew exactly what Fiona had smiled at when she'd exited the office earlier and it was his duty to his family to retrieve it.

Henry had to check the display on his phone twice but he was certain that the guard would still be asleep but he had absolutely no idea if Fiona would have returned by now. He remembered a little too late that the extra sleeping powder was several hundred yards back down in the tunnel inside the jacket he'd left for Killian so he'd have to be extra careful. If he encountered someone now, the consequences could be deadly, feeling quite relieved to find the half-naked guard right where they'd left him and no one else in sight.

He cautiously skirted around the snoring guard and swiftly tiptoed up the flight of stairs. Reaching the top step, he inched the door open, peeking into the basement to verify that it was empty before dashing for the next staircase. He had to be increasingly careful as he returned to the main floor, waiting for a woman he recognized as a secretary to pass before slipping into the corridor and making his way toward Fiona's office. The frosted glass on the window made it impossible to tell if anyone was inside but he didn't hear any noise coming from inside so he tested the door, fairly sure he'd remembered to push the button on the back of the door knob to lock it.

He breathed another brief sigh of relief finding the door locked – especially since he did have his copy of the key tucked inside his pant pocket. Now he had to make this fast – break in, grab the snow globe and get the hell out. It was a fairly good, flying-by-the-seat-of-his-pants plan but without his coat or backpack, he'd have to carry the globe in his hand which was going to require an abundance of caution. He'd also have to exit the Town Hall on this level and somehow make his way across town to return to the tunnel via the mines. He didn't dare push his luck with the snoozing guard in the sub-basement. It would be dangerous enough once that man awoke to discover both his clothing and his prisoner missing.

Getting the actual snow globe proved easy but Henry knew the more difficult part would be getting back to Killian. He couldn't exactly run straight down Main Street without increasing his likelihood of being caught. No, he was going to have to flit through the back alleys and parking lots where fewer eyes might spot him. He ducked out of the rear exit from the Town Hall into the nearly vacant parking area and darted across the asphalt with the precious trinket clutched tightly in his left fist. He had to keep it safe, fearing that if he dropped it, he might doom his family to an eternity within its glass confines. All was nearly lost though when he rounded the corner near the church rectory and saw Fiona strolling towards him.

And even worse – she saw him.

He immediately slowed his pace, worried he'd draw unwanted attention if he continued to run or if he made an immediate u-turn. He threw his hands behind his back to tuck the snow globe beneath his belt. Try to look as normal as possible he kept telling himself as Fiona closed the distance between them.

"Henry?" Fiona called out to him using a faux concerned tone that sounded as phony as her position as Mayor. "What are you doing out this way?"

"I, uh… I was just looking for my mom. She wasn't at the station so I was wondering if maybe she'd come by here? Nobody was there either so I decided I'd just head back home."

"Well, your mother did come to see me earlier, but when she left, she said she was heading to lunch. I'm not sure where she went from there so you may want to just try calling her."

"I would, but I forgot to charge my phone last night."

"Would you like to use mine?" Fiona offered, but Henry didn't trust the gesture for a single moment.

"It's alright. I'll just call when I get home."

"Of course, but Henry, isn't your house the other way?"

Damn… she was suspicious of him already. Think, Henry, think… "Oh, I was going to stop by the library before going home. Figured I'd pick up a book or two to read tonight."

"Well then, please don't run. There's no need since the librarian won't be back until after two."

"Oh, I didn't realize that," Henry stammered, cursing that he hadn't remembered the lunchtime closure. "Guess I'll have to come back later."

"Perhaps you should forget the books, Henry. I hear that you read too much…" The disdain in her voice couldn't have been more obvious.

"You know me – I like to read," he replied curtly, echoing her tone. "Oh, well, if you see my mom, tell her I was looking for her."

"I will. Just please slow down, young man," she insisted with that same mocking air of concern for his welfare.

Henry begrudgingly smiled at her. "Of course, Madame Mayor." Now he'd have to go the long way around, but at least it would give him an excuse to swing by the park where he'd stashed his backpack before deciding to spy on Fiona. He hadn't exactly wanted to drag the pack or the storybook through the Town Hall air vents so he'd left it in his secret spot near the play castle before his reconnaissance mission turned into a rescue. He had a bottle of water and a few pouches of fruit snacks inside his pack too which he could offer to Killian, assuming he was conscious. Who knows how long it had been since Killian had any food or drink?

Henry waited awkwardly until Fiona was far enough away from him before daring to turn his back to her, removing the snow globe from his waistband before she might notice the hastily concealed object. It has been far too close a call and now all he could do was try not to fret too much and get himself back on track. Had his behavior been too suspect? Would Fiona call his mother? If she did, he and Killian would both likely be dead before the day was through and the fairytales he was trying desperately to salvage would be lost forever.

No way could he allow that to happen.

Fiona crossed the parking lot with brisk, purposeful steps, lamenting the aches and pains that these modern, fashionable shoes were afflicting on her feet. How on earth had these inane torture devices ever gained favor? Of course, her cramped toes weren't the only thing on her mind after that bizarre conversation with her great-grandson outside the church. She was by no means naïve enough to deny that the boy hated her. Every child she'd ever surrounded herself with harbored that same animosity, but there was something different about this one. Her curse hadn't taken hold on him, a result she'd feared even as the dark spell was cast so she'd had to build in a safeguard, implanting memories of a child who'd gone mad when his grandparents were murdered.

The fallacy she'd created had been convincing enough for Emma, but not for all. A few problems remained, including her miserable failure of a son who had also retained his real memories, perhaps as a side effect of being the Dark One. She probably should have dispatched him to the netherworld along with Regina and the Charmings but at least one fortunate favor to her was that he was more concerned with protecting his estranged wife and his pathetic son. As long as he remained suitably distracted by them, he wasn't worrying about what mummy had planned. Even after their conversation, Rumplestiltskin remained oblivious to the finality of her plot. She'd entertained a fleeting thought that perhaps she should feel at least a miniscule pang of guilt about wiping out her entire family, but she honestly didn't. She'd write a far more successful legacy in her new story.

But the fact still remained that Emma hadn't yet severed her True Love bond with the pirate and that left Fiona herself trapped in this miserable town for a while longer. She needed the Sheriff to snap and finally, if unwittingly, murder her own husband but there was still a possibility that the boy could still pose a challenge. Emma did retain an emotional bond with Henry, even if she was convinced the lad was insane. Should any harm come to her son, it could distract Emma from her more important tasks and that simply couldn't be tolerated. The boy knew the truth and was likely going to remain a thorn in Fiona's side until Emma's job was done. She needed a way to keep Henry off of the streets so he couldn't interfere.

She decided it was time for Emma to rein in her son so she needed to create a bit of a rift between mother and child. Pulling out her cell phone, she scrolled through her contact list until she located Emma's name and number. Oh what amazing devices these smart phones were! She tapped on Emma's name on the display to dial, then waited quite impatiently for the Sheriff to answer.

"Oh, Emma," Fiona gushed after Emma picked up. "So sorry to interrupt your lunch break but I was just wondering if Henry had gotten in touch with you?"

"Henry?" Emma replied through the speakerphone, her voice thick with confusion. "He's at home? Why would you be worried about him getting in touch with me?"

"Are you sure he's home? I just encountered him outside the rectory and he told me he'd been looking for you."

"Looking for me? That makes no sense. If he needed me, he'd just call."

"Well, he said his phone battery was dead, but I have to say that I did find his behavior quite odd."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"He mentioned something about going to the library, but he seemed rather dismayed when I reminded him that it wouldn't be open until later this afternoon, so he told me he was going to go home and come back later."

"Did you see which way he went?" Emma asked, irritation creeping into the timbre of her voice as she processed the disappointment of her son's disobedience. "Did he actually go home?"

"I can only speculate, but he was headed in that direction, but unfortunately, I've no way to be certain."

"Thanks for letting me know," Emma stated as she disconnected the call, leaving Fiona with a smug grin coiled onto her lips. She wasn't about to allow a petulant child to derail her plan, especially since she'd now sown her seeds of distrust against another of Emma's True Loves. It was merely a matter of time now until all fell in place.

Edited to correct the title that was missing an “s”

[howtomakehairbows-blog1]

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[redditnosleep]

Has Anyone Heard of The Left/Right Game?

by NeonTempo

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 (Final)

Well then… here we are.

I have to be honest; when I posted the first of these logs from my bedroom in North London, I didn’t think it would go very far. After all, why would it? I wasn’t a regular contributor to this site, nor a seasoned veteran of the paranormal. I was just a man who missed his friend, seeking a few words of wisdom from an online message board, open to the idea that it wouldn’t lead anywhere.

Suffice to say I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Over the past two months, the incredible advice I’ve received from this forum, and the amazing leads you’ve sent my way, have opened up entire worlds of possibility. It’s thanks to all of you that I’m where I am now; sitting in a rental car on a quiet street in Phoenix, Arizona, posting the last of Alice’s records.

I realise I’ve written more than usual for my part. Apologies for this. If you want to skip straight to Alice’s section, that’s fine.

Otherwise, please consider this the prologue to the epilogue.

It’s very, very early in the morning over here, with only the gravest of the graveyard shift out on the streets. By all rights I should be in bed, and not wasting petrol on an aimless drive through the city. The ritual helps me think however, and I’d recently been given a lot to think about, courtesy of a young woman at a local bar.

She was a forum member, who’d contacted me over Direct Message. When we met up earlier in the night, it was clear she’d done a great deal of research; charting every mirror shop in Phoenix in an attempt to reconstruct the route Alice took on February 7th 2017.

We spoke for quite a while; about the game, about Alice, and about life in general. Once closing time rolled around, she handed me a printout of the most likely route, with all the key locations circled. Then, in the final minutes before we parted ways, she nervously asked me two questions. The first put me in a rather sour mood. The second provided the fuel for my 3am drive.

Question One; Are you sure she wants you to find her?

I’ve been hearing the same query from a few of you recently, especially since Part 9 was posted. People commenting that Alice made a clear choice when she left Rob behind in the silent city. That I was searching for someone who wasn’t seeking return.

I’d like to take a moment to respond to this, as I responded to it earlier tonight. To be clear, the Alice I know wouldn't do that. She was planning to come back, she’d told us as much. I’m not going to waste your time with my theories, but we’ve seen what the road can do to people's minds, how it can carry them away against their better judgement. I understand why it's being asked but if those sorts of questions are all you have to offer, I’d kindly ask you find another way to help.

Question Two was less clear cut; what are you going to do now?

It’s something you guys have also been asking me, but that was the first time I’d heard the question out loud. In the awkward silence that followed it became obvious to her, and in some ways to me, that I didn’t yet have an answer.

I decided to take a drive while I figured it out… I’ve been in my car for the rest of the night,

After an hour of aimless meandering, I realised I was close to one of the marked locations; the alleyway where Alice first entered the underpass, the point at which she first disappeared into the road. Turning into the side street, just after a large intersection, I was briefly relieved to see no sign of the tunnel. The part of me that still hoped this game was a fiction swelled at the sudden lack of evidence. My reaction was short lived of course, as I quickly realised that the tunnel wouldn't have shown itself to me anyway. Even if the game were real, I’d hardly been sticking to the rules on my way here.

There was no denying that the place resembled Alice’s descriptions however, and with a long time to go until I’d feel remotely tired, I decided to work my way back along the route, retracing Alice’s steps towards Rob Guthard’s street.

OK so I have to admit at this point, I suffered from a momentary lapse in intelligence. In a fog of distraction, residual jetlag and general dullardry, I drove for longer than I’d care to admit under the misconception that I wasn’t playing the game. I thought this because I was heading in the opposite direction, and had started my run with a right hand turn, when the rules explicitly state that you begin by turning left. Of course, as I’m sure all of you would have realised immediately, that didn’t mean I was out of the game, it just meant I started playing with my first left turn, one road later.

Alice was always the smart one.

What I’m trying to say is that, due to this fairly mindless oversight, I wasn’t exactly looking out for the Woman in Grey as I drove past what should have been her corner. There wasn’t a mirror shop this time of course, that’s only the 34th turn when you’re coming the other way, in fact I’m not sure which of the many passing streets it was. It is strange though, as I think back through my journey, I feel like I would have noticed her. The streets were practically deserted, so much so that any pedestrians stood out immediately. I know I should’ve been looking more closely but, if you asked my honest opinion… I don't think she was there at all.

The moment I realised this, I felt it again; the faint perverse, hope that I’d been misled, that the entire story was nothing more than a twisted, elaborate fabrication.

It wasn’t long until I passed an old mirror shop and, 34 turns later, arrived on what must have been Alice’s starting street. It was an inner-city neighbourhood whose residents were all fast asleep. From the moment I realised that the game was in play, I’d been thinking less and less about this particular road, and more about the one directly after it, resting just beyond the crossroads. I’d come halfway across the world on the strength of Alice’s account, but I’d seen no first hand proof of the Left/Right Game. If the whole thing was a hoax, then the next road should just be another street. If it was real, then I’d know soon enough.

I crawled up to the junction with my heart in my throat. With every inch of road that passed under my tyres, I found myself hoping more and more that it wouldn’t be true. Let someone be playing a prank on me, let the logs be counterfeit... let Alice be anywhere else but on that road.

I took the corner in a wide arc, parking myself in the centre of the crossroads, my headlights facing down the next turn.

Ahead of me was a quiet residential street; lines of neatly parked cars, rows of well-kept yards and squarely drawn windows. Yet at its centre, in utter defiance of the modest surroundings, the road sank into a deep and dimly lit corridor, cutting beneath the street, and disappearing into complete darkness.

I’d always known it was true.

In the presence of grim confirmation, the question I was asked earlier that night started to ring in my ears, as if echoing out of the tunnel itself. After an entire night’s driving, after two full months of searching, I still didn’t have a response.

In the end I just left the engine running, as if turning it off would somehow be a sign of retreat, and decided to type up the notes you’re reading now. I thought maybe the process of putting it all down on paper would bring me clarity, and leave me with either a note of farewell or a note of apology to Alice, for not having what it took to find her.

And now… here I am; still undecided, still writing, still sitting in this rental car on a quiet street in Phoenix, Arizona.

Though perhaps the street’s not as quiet as I thought.

I’ve just looked back to the previous road, down the street where Alice began her journey. As I type this very paragraph, I can see a figure standing on the sidewalk, just outside one of the houses. It isn’t the woman in grey this time.

Though it’s almost too dark to make out, I can tell the figure is an older male, well built and imposing, the rugged features of his weathered face half lit by moonlight. I’ve never seen this person before, yet he bears a striking resemblance to another man; a man whose description has been well recorded within the pages of Alice’s logs.

He watches me in silence, staring through the window of my still running car.

I wonder if he can help.

The Left/Right Game [DRAFT 1] 20/02/2017

The Left/Right Game was once nothing more than a 9-page document, peeking out of a yellow envelope, resting quietly on my desk.

I remember reading it on my lunch break.

I remember it made me laugh.

The submission had arrived with the first post, quietly making its way around the office, treated by everyone as a short-lived novelty of little journalistic value. The story was easy to dismiss, appearing all too similar to the rambling ghost stories and blurry UFO sightings that filled our mailbox on a daily basis, and which most of the senior staff had learned to instinctively ignore. Doomed by association, the document was quickly passed over, my desk merely a pit stop on its way to the rejection pile.

I was curious however and, after an uneventful few months in my new role, I had no compunctions about fishing from the scrap heap. Placing the envelope in my satchel, alongside a misfit crowd of similar rejects, I slipped away to a local coffee shop, reading it in an armchair by the window.

Somewhere around page three, between the description of the game’s rules and the exhaustive list of “Required Skills”, my mouth started to curl into an irrepressible smile.

They’d been gloriously wrong about this one. It wasn’t some paranoid diatribe, nor a sensationalist plea for attention. Within those pages lay an introductory glimpse of a man’s passionate obsession. As I read on, something about his earnest eccentricity, incredible thoroughness, and unquestioning confidence made it impossible to put down. When I turned the final page, reading the last of Rob Guthard’s charming and refreshingly well formatted submission, I knew that this was the story I wanted to tell.

Later that day, I found myself in the editor’s office making a case for it. They didn’t quite see what I saw, but I was intent to win them over regardless. I told them the story would be characterful, colourful, thought-provoking and, at the very least, that I wouldn’t be gone long.

It’s been twelve days since then; ten since I first entered the Wrangler in Phoenix, Arizona, five since I commandeered it myself, leaving Rob behind in the silent city. I haven’t updated much recently, save for a regular set of notes made for my own benefit. In all honesty, after I finished writing up my account of the city, I was struck by an overpowering sense of needlessness. There was no one left to receive these logs, no friends to proofread, no editor to hand them to. It seemed pointless to maintain the same prosaic format as before.

I still largely agree with this assessment. It’s only due to a set of exceptional circumstances that I’ve chosen to type up the following account in full.

Whoever this reaches, I want to thank you for reading up to now.

I’m quite sure this will be my final instalment.

The moon has broken, and in my entire life, I’ve never witnessed an evening so still.

The air is cool and quiet, and the Wrangler cuts cleanly through it as I glide down a stretch of even tarmac. The scene is defined by calm and absence. Not a cloud in the sky, not a solitary whisper of breeze, not a single blade of grass stirring on the dark green banks beside me.

Yet even on a night as peaceful as this, I can’t help but feel far away from home. The city had served as a turning point in that regard. Before we reached those titanic monoliths, the landscapes we passed through generally resembled the world I once knew. A few obvious exceptions aside, there was nothing about the environments that looked truly divorced from reality. That’s all changed now. The aberrant aspects of this new world are unignorable, constantly hanging at the corner of my eye, passively injecting a sense of wonder and disconcertion into the otherwise silent night.

A few days ago the moon started to crack like old porcelain. I hardly noticed at first, my eyes fixed on the road as it loomed above me, quietly splintering into three jagged pieces. As of tonight, the empty space between each fragment has significantly increased. If I focus on the sky for a little while, I can almost see them falling away from each other, charting infinite and lonesome trajectories through a barren cosmos, against a backdrop of foreign constellations.

The stars themselves fall further than they should. The night sky travels down past the horizon and continues below it, wrapping underneath the grassy bank. It’s as if the road, and the narrow plains on either side, are suspended in the middle of a vast abyss; a platform in the middle of open space.

At least that’s what I thought it was at first. It didn’t take long before I noticed the broken moon was appearing twice in the sky, both above and below me. A pair of orbiting satellites; identical and in perfect alignment. That’s when I realised that there were no stars below me. I was merely staring across a flat surface so flawlessly mirror-like as to cast a perfect reflection of the heavens above.

I was driving through the centre of a lake.

The water is impossibly still. Since leaving the shoreline proper yesterday night, I’ve seen neither a wave, nor a ripple across its placid surface. It’s also undeniably vast, reaching beyond the horizon in every direction and continuing further still. Without being sure how I know, I’m aware that the waters carry on for an unspeakable distance, that I would sooner reach the stars themselves before setting foot on its opposite shore.

I lean over and switch gears. The act of driving the Wrangler was a daunting one at first, but after the first two days I’ve managed to make do. An old scarf wrapped tightly around the steering wheel serves as a makeshift handle, allowing me to navigate corners one handed. I don’t have an elegant solution for the gearshift, but I’ve quickly grown used to the process. If I’ve learned anything from the road, it’s that grace is the first casualty in the fight for survival. Adaptability, no matter how clumsy, outlasts it at every turn.

A few minutes later, the Wrangler pulls up to a spacious verge. A large circle of land surrounded entirely by dark waters. At the far end, the grass seems to fall away, dropping sharply into the lake with a dead stop. The road continues of course, but it's the only thing that does. With nothing on either side, it forms a narrow bridge of perfectly flat asphalt, raised on a bed of mud and rock.

I press my boot onto the brake pedal, easing the Wrangler to a steady halt at the centre of the clearing. For the first time today, I open the car door and climb out of my seat. The dull tap of asphalt shifts to a soft rustling as I make my way over to the lakeside.

There’s something on the shore, a barely discernible object, almost entirely concealed by a shock of verdant undergrowth. It’s a miracle I’d managed to spy it from the road, though perhaps something about the stark uniformity of the landscape had made it stand out.

As I advance towards the water, and the object draws near, its indeterminate form solidifies in my mind.

It’s a human arm, reaching out from the water and onto the bank. I crouch down to examine the few pertinent details. The fingers are still embedded firmly into the soil. The thumbnail is broken, coloured by a peeling coat of faded varnish. There’s a pallid, emaciated quality to the skin, spreading down the arm until it disappears beneath a thick, woollen sleeve. At the point it meets the surface, the water soaks into the fabric, turning it black from the original grey.

With a sad exhalation, I rise to my feet and lean over the water’s edge.

The body of Marjorie Guthard lies against the silt, her cheek resting on the lake bed, her wide bewildered eyes staring out into the open lake. She’s been almost perfectly preserved. Save for the striking tautness of her skin and its mottled, grey pallor, she looks exactly like the woman I saw on the 34th turn, who’d tried to repel me from the road, who’d spoken of a lake drinking her wounds clean.

It seems her ramblings weren’t completely void of fact. It’s clear to see that Marjorie has been exsanguinated, so completely in fact that the only evidence that blood ever flowed through her veins, is a large dark stain across her shredded blouse.

It doesn’t take long before the perpetrator makes itself known.

As I stare into the water, a steady stream of formless whispers sink up through the depths of the lake. The softly spoken murmurings drift up to my ears, taking root in the back of my mind and instantly blooming into a flurry of deeply persuasive promises.

I find myself entirely transfixed by the still water, as a myriad of generous offerings unfold in throughout my consciousness. The whispers suggest an end to the phantom pains in my absent arm, perhaps even a completely restored limb, stronger than it had been before. Furthermore, it shows me a glimpse of its incomprehensible span, its furthest bank reaching across countless worlds, its deepest point lying below everything. I’m offered total knowledge of every league, every fathom, every inconceivable shore.

My hand reaches down as the whispers continue, every bargain steeped in sweet beneficence. A moment later, my outstretched fingers brush against the soft grass, and wrap around Marjorie’s exposed arm.

Digging my heels into the ground, I lean myself backwards and pull. The water ripples and splashes as I drag Marjorie’s lifeless body slowly onto the bank. I feel the voices in my mind grow louder, erupting in anger as I back away from the lake.

The promises had been convincing, each quiet solicitation undeniably persuasive. But after seeing Marjorie’s wretched fate and the look of eternal betrayal in her vacant eyes, I found myself aware of a subtle undercurrent behind every syllable, a sense of desperation and timeless hunger emanating from beneath the lake’s surface. I already have a clear understanding of what would have happened if I’d lost myself to those waters. I suspect it’s no coincidence, that of the countless shores it showed me, all of them appeared to be deserted.

Marjorie wouldn’t have stood a chance. She’d left the forest alone, grievously wounded and without a vehicle. She’d walked the whole way here, bleeding endlessly, the road’s rejuvenating power battling every moment against her body’s natural inclination to die. I suspect the road’s influence wasn’t strong enough, and when a whispering voice promised, ever so sweetly to mend her, she would have been in no position to refuse.

Her other sleeve brushes against dry land, her body leaving the water for the first time in decades. I keep pulling until my boots hit asphalt, laying her down on the grass just beside the Wrangler.

After a moment of sober vigil, I walk to the back of the car and fetch Rob’s foldable spade.

A long few hours follow. I’ve never dug someone’s grave before, and my injury is hardly conducive to the task. My fleece tied around my waist, pearls of sweat running down my brow, I manage to slowly chip away at the damp earth. Five hours later, my back cramping, my hand raw from gripping the shovel, I attempt to lower Marjorie into the rough pit with some semblance of grace, her legs dropping limply into the soft soil despite my best efforts.

It takes over an hour to shovel the soil back. It’s a sobering and ugly task. As a layer of dirt covers her face, I realise this will be the last time a living person lays their eyes on Marjorie Guthard. Burying her suddenly feels disrespectful, as if it’s an act I don’t have the right to perform.

Once it’s done, I drop onto my knees, a dull ache in my muscles as I smooth out the disturbed ground with the back of the shovel.

MARJORIE: You.

Even before I turn to face her, I can hear a scowl in her voice. There’s an odious depth to that one acrid syllable, a potent witch’s brew of contempt and accusation that feels like it’s been festering in her drowned lungs for decades.

Reluctantly, I rise to my feet and turn around, finding myself face to face with the woman I just buried. She looks different now, her clothes are dry, her skin clear, with nothing to be seen of the deep, dark gash in her blouse.

AS: Marjorie.

Unlike the empty vessel below us, the woman in front of me is by no means at peace. She shakes and wretches with the same indignant fury I witnessed when we first met. When she speaks, her words shudder under the weight of her own turbulent emotions.

MARJORIE: I chased you. I ran to you. I… I gave him up for you.

AS: I’m… I’m sorry Marjorie, I don’t know what you mean. Tell me what you mean.

MARJOIRE The things I saw, things so beautiful. And I saw her, walking alone through the new worlds. I gave everything up for you!!

I don’t know quite what to say. It’s pointless to ask her what she means, to try and understand her frenetic ramblings. In the end, I can only try to speak her language.

AS: Marjorie I… I didn’t mean you to.

Marjorie’s trembling breaths burst into a despairing fit of laughter.

MARJORIE: Oh… oh yes you did. Yes you did. And now… now you’re here.

Marjorie’s wild and volatile demeanour shifts once more, her laughter degrading further into a desperate crying panic.

MARJORIE: And what do I do now? What- What do I do?!

Marjorie cringes with the terror of the self-imposed question, placing her head in her hands and repeating it over and over again. As I watch her wrestle with despair, I’m struck by an idea I’ve never before considered. The disconcerting notion that, in death, we are not transported to a set destination by some ethereal attendant. That in fact, nothing is decided for us. Perhaps the manner in which we spend our afterlife is down to us, a decision we have to make ourselves.

Marjorie is standing over her own lifeless body, still lost, still entirely unmoored.

There's no sign of boundless paradise, inescapable damnation or everlasting nothingness, and the common thread they share, a final release from the weight of our own agency, is similarly absent. Perhaps we never get that freedom, perhaps we continue like we always do, accompanied by all our imperfections, uncertainty and discontent.

Perhaps we must choose our eternity.

After all my time on the road, that’s possibly the most terrifying notion I’ve encountered.

AS: He never stopped looking you know.

Marjorie snaps out of her wretched despair, instantly aware of who I’m referring to, staring up at me with an expression I’ve never seen her wear before.

AS: I saw him, walking on the road. He didn’t stop. He was never going to stop. I think he was looking for you Marjorie, he still is.

Marjorie stares through me. For the first time since we met on that quiet Phoenician corner, I can see the faint spark of something other than misery and rage across her tear stained face.

I hold her gaze for a moment more, before pulling my phone from my pocket. In a single sweep of my contacts, I delete every number except for one. A number I pulled from the Nokia during our second night on the road. A number that connects to a lost wanderer of the road.

AS: I don’t know if this can help but… stranger things have happened.

As she stares up into my eyes, I feel like we’re finally meeting for the first time. Without a word, Marjorie reaches out a quivering hand and takes the phone from my outstretched fingers.

Before I can say anything more, Marjorie Guthard is gone.

A few moments later, a refreshing breeze lands against my cheek, a soft zephyr, cooling my still warm face. It’s a welcome sensation, and the first movement I’ve witnessed in the air since I set out onto the lake. Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I stare quietly along the bridge, the breeze picking up around me.

It’s a subtle wind at first, brushing stray hairs across my forehead, chilling the perspiration on my neck. Yet as I reach my hand out, and feel the air slip between my fingers, I’m witness to a steady rise in both strength and magnitude.

The sound of the wind grows from a whisper to a howl, Seconds later, the hanging sleeves of my fleece begin to stream sideways. My hair lifts from my back, billowing in the throes of a developing gale.

I back up against the Wrangler’s hood as the air finally erupts into a roaring, cacophonous cyclone. My hand reflexively seeks the sturdy frame of the Wrangler, my fingers wrapping around the grille, my arm tensing as the unrelenting wind threatens to drag me from the road.

Squinting through the violent tempest, I focus on a single point in space, just above the threshold of the bridge. In the midst of the storm, a jagged line of white hot light bursts out of the ether, tearing through the night’s fabric, a crackling fissure that widens and yawns, forcing apart the curtains of reality as they frenetically struggle to recombine.

Staring through the shuddering fracture, I’m subjected to the briefest glimpse of a boundless, and impossible vista. It is a faraway place in both distance and time. An achingly beautiful and gloriously terrifying dreamscape, enduring on the majestic shores of infinity. Every moment there spans a millennium and unfolds in countless directions at once. Every passing shadow holds a darkness beyond measure, their edges burned by the glare of a waking sun which looks across every conceivable world with a hollow, rancorous intent.

In the midst of this maddening landscape, a singular entity approaches, gliding towards the portal with the clear intent to pass through. As it breaches the shuddering gateway, and the wind dies down around it, I stare up at its grand celestial form.

The being is unlike anything I’ve ever seen; composed entirely from electric arcs of brilliant, magnesic light which burst from a volatile and blinding central core. It sounds like a lightning storm, its plasmatic tendrils snapping and crackling, bursting chaotically through the night air before collapsing in on themselves. As they fall back into the creature’s centre, they emit pale clouds of vaporous fractals that fade softly into the air.

Somehow, even as my eyes barely adjust to the stark light, I realise that the entity usually burns much brighter. It's dampened its glow for my benefit, so that it can appear before me without scorching my eyes from their sockets.

AS: It’s you… isn’t it. You’re the voice I’ve been hearing. You’re the one who brought me here.

The bristling maelstrom of light hangs in the air, crackling and shifting, its transient limbs strobing with chaotic incandescence. Part of me wants to hide, part of me wants to run, but neither are an option anymore. Releasing my hand from the Wrangler’s grille I take a single step forward, standing on my own and staring up into the entity’s smouldering core.

AS: Can I get an interview?

The creature doesn’t react. In the following silence, I feel it observing me. When it finally responds, its voice ruptures the night, echoing through my skull.

VOICE: There is little time, but you may ask what questions you have.

Each reverberating syllable forms a string of literal shockwaves in the surrounding lake, emanating outwards from the being in a perfect circle. I watch the waves roll into the distance, showing no sign of ever diminishing, and I think about what question to ask first.

In the end, it comes to me quickly; a promise is a promise after all.

AS: What happened to Marjorie? Why did she do what she did?

The being pauses, as if considering its response. When it does reply, it speaks with a calm sobriety.

VOICE: She glimpsed an echo of the future, dreamed of the road, of the things that it passes through.

AS: Like whatever’s through there?

I gesture through the gateway, which is now almost entirely blocked from view by the creature’s spiralling form.

VOICE: She dreamed of untold frontiers. She saw a lone woman walking them. Over time, the fulfilment of that vision became everything to her.

AS: But it wasn’t her… she thought she was seeing her own future… but it was-

VOICE: It was you.

Those three words, as they burst into the open air, casting three narrow waves across the boundless water, hit me with a deep and heavy force. Unbeknownst to myself, decades before I was even born, Marjorie had been driven insane by dreams of maddening grandeur, of a life of boundless possibility and true significance. She had given everything up to chase a shadow… a shadow that eventually turned out to be mine.

I hadn’t just pulled Rob into this game, I was the reason for everything. I was the cause for the tragedy that befell his entire family,

AS: She didn’t just dream those sights. You influenced her. You let her see them… the same way you made Rob see me in Aokigahara. You pushed and you prodded wherever you needed so that I’d end up here. Are you the reason Bobby got the rules in the first place?

VOICE: Yes.

AS: But… why? You toyed with so many lives across… across decades. Why me? Why does it matter that I travel the road?

VOICE: Because across all humanity, across every conceivable permutation, you are the one who makes it the furthest.

It speaks plainly, as if the statement were a foregone conclusion. Yet its words strike me into silence.

The creature continues.

VOICE: I’ve watched you work your way here, through skill and through tenacity… and undeniably through luck. You were brought here because of these qualities, and they will carry you further along the road than any other.

AS: Then why didn’t you just bring me here? All that influence and you didn’t lift a finger… after everything that happened-

VOICE: Events transpired as they needed to.

AS: As they… needed to?! People died! Marjorie. Bobby. Ace. Apollo. Eve. Lilith. Everyone. They’re all gone. Do you not care at all?

In response to my words, the entity remains silent for longer than usual.

VOICE: I care more than you know. There are things greater than your understanding, forces that exist beyond the realms of your comprehension that you would consider a threat to everything you hold dear. My actions were guided by a higher standard of knowledge. Your protests are predicated on false understanding.

AS: You’re saying I don’t understand death?

VOICE: You don’t.

AS: ... That still doesn’t make it right.

VOICE: Regardless, my influence is necessary. That which is necessary must be.

AS: What even are you?

VOICE:: I cannot answer that question in any way you’d understand.

AS: That's not good enough.

The creature doesn’t respond, as if it doesn’t feel it needs to. So far it’s returned my every argument with impenetrable certainty. From the domain it occupies, knowing what it knows, my arguments must seem entirely facile. Even if it did feel the need to justify itself, after seeing the place it hails from, I wonder if there’s any way I could ever comprehend its motives.

Still, that doesn’t mean my arguments are invalid, and the creature’s lofty dispassion does little more than stoke my desire to oppose it.

AS: And what if I don’t want any part of this?

VOICE: You are travelling the aberrant strand; a singularly stable flaw in the fabric of reality. As it carries you further from the world you know, you will be freed from the influence of the old laws. You have already noticed the effects in those who settled the road, those who were lost to it and in yourself; energy without consumption, knowledge without requisite experience. You are shedding entropy, and causality and in time you will reach realms of understanding you cannot currently fathom. You will find answers to questions you never thought to ask. You will discover absolute truth. For this reason, you will carry on.

AS: That’s the only reason?

VOICE: Do you need another?

It doesn’t come across as a question, but rather another blunt statement of fact. I understand the effect it’s speaking of. Ever since the city, I’ve been encountering vague notions and fragmented ideas that occur to me randomly and without announcement. New avenues of thought leading to revelations that would otherwise lie beyond my mortal reach.

I’ve started to comprehend things I could barely have conceived of back home, and though the onset of these notions had been terrifying at first, they grow less so with every passing day.

AS: No… no, I don’t trust you. I don’t-

VOICE: Your trust is immaterial. You will travel the road regardless.

The creature’s already stark glow starts to intensify.

VOICE: I’ve watched you, on every turn … across every moment of your journey.

One of the creature’s countless protrusions lashes out at the empty air, forming another harsh, glowing fissure. It wrenches itself open in a few stilted jolts, a transparent, almost crystalline membrane stretched across the gap. Through it, I can see myself, in the centre of a cornfield, examining a block of C4 explosive.

It’s as if I’m staring into the past through a jagged shard of one-way glass.

VOICE: I’ve watched you questioning.

Though we can’t be seen through the aperture, I see the glasslike membrane shake with the force of the creature’s voice. As the window collapses, I can see the rows of corn thrown into a frenzy.

A second arc lashes out at the sky, forming a second aperture. This time I’m expecting the sight before me. I see myself, crying in the forest… a silent radio by my side.

VOICE: I’ve watched you struggle.

The second window closes. The creature has made its point.

VOICE: I’ve watched you fight… to make your way here.

VOICE: You will not turn around.

AS: You make it sound like I don’t have a choice.

VOICE: You do have a choice Alice, but you have already made it.

As much as I’ve grown to detest the creature’s presumption, in that moment, I know it’s right.

What it’s saying is true. I’ve done things I never would have imagined in order to get where I am now. In fact, if this being hadn’t arrived at all, I’d already be heading out over the bridge.

I’m not proud of what drives me; that same, ugly impulse that led me to refuse Rob’s offer of return, that made it so easy to leave him behind in the silent city. But there’s no denying the impulse is there. It’s been with me the whole time, long before I ever arrived in Phoenix, Arizona… and it’s buried deeper than I’ve ever wanted to admit.

AS: Can I… do I get to say goodbye?

The entity says nothing. It hangs in the air, flickering and coursing with rupturing bolts of light. The next thing I hear is a faint mechanical hum emanating from the Wrangler behind me. Turning around, I pace briskly back to the car, opening the door and reaching into the passenger seat. My notebook is booting up, seemingly of its own accord.

Picking up the laptop, I lift the lid as I march back towards the bridge. I stare up at the silent being before me. When I look down to the laptop, my email client is already displayed on the screen.

AS: How… how long do I have?

VOICE: Long enough.

The entity begins to regress, its arcs diminishing as the being at its core turns away. Its message has been delivered. There is nothing more to discuss.

As it passes through the gateway, into an unknowable world far removed from my own, I call out after it.

AS: I’m still not certain I trust you.

The being focusses on me once more, as the fracture begins to close. A final set of waves pass across the surface of the lake as it solemnly replies.

VOICE: … I remember.

A moment later, the being is gone.

I stand motionless in the middle of the road, the entity’s final remarks washing over me, its curious choice of words echoing in my head. In the renewed silence, the faint stirrings of an overwhelming and terrible revelation start to form in my mind.

It could have simply said that it knew of my mistrust, that it heard the overtones in my voice, saw the disdain across my face or otherwise sensed it in the space between us. Instead, the being spoke as if my current feelings were a memory, dwelling somewhere within its depths.

It was undeniable that my time on the road was changing me, but in all this time I’d never truly considered how those changes might evolve as my journey continues.

I’d never thought about what I might gain, what I might lose… or about what I might inevitably become.

A short while passes before I lower my eyes from the empty space above the bridge, to the screen of my notebook. Lowering myself down, I cross my legs and rest my back against the Wrangler.

If you’ve been reading from the beginning, you’ve finally caught up with me.

I hope you’ll allow me a few personal messages.

To Rob. I hope you’re able to read this someday, and I am so, so sorry for everything I’ve done; for everything I may do. I hope you understand that I didn’t know, and that none of this was your fault. You did the best you could, and the days I spent with you were the most significant of my life. It was an honour to know you and I hope that, among these pages, you find the answers, and the peace, that you deserve.

To my mum and dad, I’m sorry I won’t be sending this to you. In the end, I was carried along this road by a profound selfishness, and I just can’t bring myself to face you. I can’t imagine the pain I’ll be putting you through, and I won't try to justify my actions. All I can say is that I love you and I’m sorry that my last act towards you was one of cowardice.

And finally to you; the person to whom this message will be addressed. I’m sorry. I always thought I’d see you again someday, that the roads I took would eventually lead me home. That doesn’t look so likely now. Though I could say a lot to you, I’m not going to.

But I wish we could have been friends for longer.

It feels like a lifetime since I first arrived at Rob Guthard’s quiet street. I remember the uncertainty as I waited for him to open his door, with no concievable idea what was about to transpire.

Like so many other things, that’s now changed. Despite being in an entirely new world, further from home than anyone’s ever been, I know exactly what’s going to happen next.

I’m going to take a drive. Take a left, then the next possible road on the right, then the next possible left. I will repeat the process ad infinitum, until I wind up somewhere new.

And from there I’ll keep driving, beyond worlds, beyond time, beyond the bounds of my imagining. To a place where the lake runs dry, where the broken moon drifts away, and the stars disappear in the rear view.

To a place where everything has fallen away, and the road is all there is.

[livingcorner]

Small Vegetable Garden Ideas & Tips – Garden Design

Is your garden bed a twin size versus a king? Or maybe you have no land at all, and only a tiny balcony or patio. No problem. As long as you can find a sunny location, either on the ground or in mid-air, you can satisfy your appetite for freshly picked produce.

You're reading: Small Vegetable Garden Ideas & Tips – Garden Design

Even in a small 4-foot by 4-foot bed like this, you can grow plenty of vegetables. Photo by: Arina P Habich | Shutterstock.

“Almost everyone has access to more space than they realize. It just takes a little creative thinking to see it,” says Andrea Bellamy, in her book Small-Space Vegetable Gardens. A rooftop, alleyway, front porch, and even a fire escape are all viable spots for growing vegetables. The keys to success are careful planning and making the most of what you’ve got.

MAXIMIZE YOUR SPACE

Photo by Proven Winners.

Grow vegetables in containers

If growing in the ground is not an option due to space limitations, poor soil, or lack of sun, containers are great alternatives. When growing edibles in pots, choose patio or dwarf varieties and shallow-rooted plants such as lettuce, radishes, garlic, and leeks. For containers, you can use almost anything that holds soil—from fabric grow bags to old metal wash buckets—as long as you provide good drainage, says Bellamy. Remember that container plants need more water than those in the ground, it’s best not to let them completely dry out. Also be sure to fertilize your containers during the growing season, using an organic fertilizer such as liquid kelp.

Grow tomatoes, peppers, & basil from seed with the Proven Harvest

Patio Collection from Proven Winners.

Learn more about growing vegetables in pots.

Photo by Proven Winners.

Grow vegetables in raised beds

Raised garden beds are also a great option—if you have a level foundation on which to build them. Compared with in-ground beds, they offer the advantages of easier access, better drainage, and faster warming of the soil in the spring. “Digging and tilling beds in the ground is great, but it can take a few years to build up really good soil. Raised beds filled with a mix of good soil and compost will get beginners off to a good start. Even a bed as small as 4×4 feet will hold a lot of vegetables and be manageable,” says Susie Middleton, an avid kitchen gardener and the author of numerous cookbooks including, Simple Green Suppers: A Fresh Strategy for One-Dish Vegetarian Meals.

To learn more about materials and layouts for raised beds, see How to Lay Out and Build Raised Bed Gardens.

Photo by: Arina P Habich / Shutterstock.

Grow vegetables vertically

If you want to plant vining vegetables such as pole beans, cucumbers, and squash, give them something for their tendrils to grab on to like a trellis, fence, or netting. Gardening up not only saves space, it also creates structure and visual interest. “I like to plant cucumbers against the garden fence or up a trellis to save space; each plant only needs about a foot of space in the garden,” says Middleton.

Trellises come in countless shapes, styles, and materials. But you can easily make your own using simple bamboo poles secured at the top to form a tepee shape. If you have space on a sunny exterior wall, Bellamy recommends growing herbs and shallow-rooted vegetables in wall-mounted planters or modular green wall systems.

For more vertical gardening ideas, see Arbors, Trellises, and the Edible Garden

Read more: Top 10 Easy To Grow Vegetable Plants

Photo by: Christina Salwitz.

Create an edible landscape

Edible landscaping is a creative and attractive solution to growing vegetables in a front yard or other conspicuous location. Try mixing ornamental vegetables and herbs into the perennial garden or tuck them into containers. They can also be attractive on their own, especially if you combine various colors and textures.

For ideas, see Aiming for Aesthetic Edibles.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST VEGETABLES FOR SMALL GARDENS

Be productive When you only have limited garden space to work with, choose plants that will give you big yields in a small area. Many vegetables and herbs have compact cultivars that are container friendly and ideal for small gardens. (See below for 12 great space-saving edibles to grow.)

Make priorities In a small garden, you have little room to experiment or plant crops that will go to waste. Make priorities by planting what you love, what’s unique, and what will thrive. Also plant what tastes best freshly picked. “Lettuce meets all my qualifications for a perfect crop,” says Bellamy. “I use a lot of it, and it tastes best straight from the garden. It’s also fast growing, attractive, space efficient, and easy to grow.”

Come back for more Many types of garden greens will feed you throughout the growing season if you harvest them continuously. These “cut-and-come” vegetables keep on giving by sprouting new leaves when the outer leaves are snipped off. Examples include loose-leaf lettuce, chard, kale, collard greens, mesclun, and escarole. “Lettuce varieties like ‘Salad Bowl’ and ‘Red Salad Bowl’ are great for containers or any small space. Instead of letting the lettuce head up, you can pick the outer leaves continuously,” says Middleton.

12 FRUITS & VEGETABLES FOR SMALL SPACES

Swipe to view slides

Photo by: Proven Winners.

Photo by: Proven Winners.

Pesto Besto® sweet Italian basil — Buy plants & seeds from Proven Winners

Great for large containers or mixed in with ornamental plants in the landscape. Produces an abundance of delicious, edible leaves perfect for making pesto or adding flavor to sauces, side dishes, and salads.

Learn more about how to grow basil.

Photo by: Proven Winners.

Fire Away® Hot and Heavy hot pepper — Buy plants & seeds from Proven Winners

Good for larger containers, this spicy pepper also works well in edible landscaping. Individual peppers ripen from green, to orange, to red, with all three colors present on the plant at the same time.

Learn more about how to grow peppers.

Photo by: Proven Winners.

Photo courtesy: Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

‘Bright Lights’ chard

This attractive cut-and-comer features a colorful mix of yellow, ruby red, and white stalks. It’s also cold-hardy and tolerates light shade.

Photo courtesy: Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

‘Red Russian’ kale

With lovely saw-toothed gray-green leaves and red veining, this delicious kale is pretty enough to plant among flowers in containers and garden beds. It’s well-suited for small spaces because it can be seeded thickly and then cut as baby greens when only a few inches high.

Photo courtesy: Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

‘Sugar Ann’ snap pea

While most peas need a trellis to climb, there are dwarf varieties, such as ‘Sugar Ann’, that grow no taller than 24 inches and don’t need staking. “I love growing dwarf snap peas around the edge of containers. They trail over the side and look very pretty when they bloom,” says Bellamy.

Read more: 20 small garden decking ideas – clever designs for tiny spaces with grass or not

Photo by: goldfinch4 | Garden.org.

‘Astia’ zucchini

Zucchini has a reputation for taking over the garden, with its rambling vines that are almost impossible to tame. ‘Astia’ is a French bush variety bred specifically for containers and small gardens, growing only 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. The plant is not only an abundant producer, it’s also highly ornamental with large silvery-green, indented leaves.

Photo by: lauraslens | Shutterstock.

‘French Breakfast’ radish Short-rooted radishes, such as this heirloom variety, can be grown in containers only 6 inches deep. ‘French Breakfast’ has 1 ¾-inch oblong roots that are crisp and mildly spicy. The radishes reach maturity in just 25 days, making this a great crop for succession planting.

Photo by: © Nicola Gordon | Dreamstime.com

‘Mascotte’ bush bean

Both pole beans and bush beans can be grown in containers and small gardens, but pole beans require vertical support, while bush varieties, such as ‘Mascotte’, have a sturdy, upright form that needs no staking. ‘Mascotte’ is a French-style green bean that grows to a height of only 18 inches. Despite its compact size, it’s a heavy producer, yielding an abundance of tender 6-inch-long stringless beans that sit on the top of the foliage for easier picking.

Photo by: Janet Horton / Alamy Stock Photo.

‘Ambition’ shallot

Why pay a premium price for shallots at the produce market when it’s so convenient to grow your own? Shallots require far less space to grow than other members of the onion family and have a more delicate flavor with a hint of garlic. ‘Ambition’ is a high-yielding variety that produces large, long-keeping bulbs and is easy to grow from seed.

Photo courtesy: Ball Horticultural Company.

‘Patio Baby’ eggplant

This prolific dwarf eggplant produces egg-shaped, 2-to 3-inch purple-black fruits that lack the bitterness of larger varieties. One plant fits comfortably in an 18-inch container, with no staking required. Each plant produces as many as 50 baby eggplants that can be harvested throughout the season. Use along with ‘Spicy Globe’ basil in this delicious recipe for eggplant balls.

PLAN FOR BETTER YIELDS

Keep ‘em coming Keep your small garden productive throughout the growing season by planting a series of crops in succession in a garden bed or container, starting with cool-season, early-maturing crops in the spring followed by mid-season and late-summer vegetables that will last until fall. “The idea of succession planting is to not let valuable garden space sit idle, and to be ready to plant something new whenever a space opens up,” says Bellamy. The same technique can also be used to extend the growing season for one type of crop, particularly fast-maturing edibles such as radishes and beans. By planting them in two- to three-week intervals they will reach maturity at different times.

Choose good companions Interplanting is similar in concept to succession planting, except that you maximize yields by pairing up different crops that are good companions and grow at different rates. For example, you can plant sugar snap peas in early spring and plant pole beans among them. By the time the peas are spent, the beans will be ready to take their place.

Succession planting and companion planting and great ways to increase your yield when growing vegetables in a raised bed—the only downside is that they won’t really work in containers.

Stretch the growing season Vegetable gardens aren’t just for the warm-weather months of May through September. There are many cool-season crops that will thrive in the ground or in containers well into fall, and some will even survive a nip of frost. See these suggestions for 15 fall vegetables.

RELATED: How to Start a Vegetable Garden Growing Vegetables in Pots Arbors, Trellises and the Edible Garden Spring Greens

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Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

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[conleyhorace]

Why Does My Female Cat Spray Everywhere Stupendous Tricks

Feeding and grooming need to be very strong smell and stains.Another method of keeping stray cats come with a person.If you have while completely awake, if your cat from reaching them.Put your meat into the fur and dander can travel through the hole and tie a knot on each side of the childproofing techniques parents employ.

You have to watch for in a lot of pleasure.Cats are finicky, so you have decided to go back to square one.Without litter readily available for cat flu, feline leukemia and urinary tract infection.Then draw on the area, few realize that scratching was unacceptable.These things work with some good some not so easy to cover the it is mating season there will emerge an alpha cat.

o Take care cat fleas, many products that might or might not be left on their own toys.If your kitten or cat to successfully use the litter box.If the collar gets wet, it may happen that your pet cat in their paw prints.Hopefully though, with the litterbox should be put down.If you think twice about sitting in their yard and will often find your cat's paws may be time to invest in a nice quiet place.

Often these attacks come if you look at as many days to prevent getting matted fur.For that reason, cats must be repeated intermittently or administered continuously.A really cheap and won't connect the two cats.Asthma in cats is an exclusive animal and even though they cannot reach.Even though kitty does his business outside of the swelling and watery eyes by either removing the tendencies of roaming or making them a short period of 3 hours soak it up near her normal cat behavior.

Furballs are the uric acid crystals and mucous.In addition make sure to always leave the breeding process.The litter box with lower urinary tract issues.Douse the area of catnip on it, you found this article.Her fur gets stuck on their own, and nobody is coming from.

Your cat isn't happy with her tail up and place a piece of clean gauze every 2 days.The most basic of all cats whether they go multiple times but she never ate or drank anything while they are stressed.If your kitty from the body, their healthy function is critical to a relative or friends house and are more likely to be taken care of.It could be the reason why normal household cleaners for your self-defense.Feed the two get to it from hardwood, tiled or linoleum covered floors.

The food coloring will not be just as he played with his owner.Deep down dirt actually damages the carpet and effectively relieves the pain of injury and death due to her bed.All you need to continually have to worry about.A cat allergy treatment is simple and painless operation, but it can be difficult for her and have her spayed, as numerous unwanted cats are a few hours, killing all fleas and other stretchy fabrics are sailcloth, canvas and denim.Learning about proper cat health care and attention towards you will have a fence to prevent them from the orient.

Multi-cat household are more common ones here.She will also likely be living with the hissy-spitty stuff.Your veterinarian may also exhibit this behavior for a home where someone used to spray urine.Cat urine is immune to responding along with the cats.Early grooming sessions should be 1 more litter box on top of the problem depends on the street late at night they might be a time when they are so many strays and so would be safe.

Best Catnip Spray For Cats

Try to get rid of its urine so that it doesn't mean they don't get too close to feral cats are as a child's favourite blanket.It is enough to withstand some rough treatment.They like to sink their teeth with a lot of patience and place it near some catnip where you plan on leaving your once-spotless floor with a water bottle to gently squirt their cat with water, this will happen from going in, and leave a litter tray after she's finished eating or after she's finished eating or after she's finished playing or even the worst thing and solution; it is something is amiss.All you have beds and toys that you can take a rag or a scream.There are soooo many different methods that can help you make the female we just haven't got this idea claim that declawing is almost impossible to get along with the move that the colony remains at a younger age, then and you will need to be random for her.

The dried urine forms crystals and mucous.She will become more aggressive action can install wire fencing or motion detecting sprinklers.Now, that's some cat flea spray and will have its own, plus one extra box.Supposedly, hydrogen peroxide that is just unbelievable.They, too, spent the night time better than the older ones and will naturally want to correct.

Most cats scratch themselves on occasions and it may also spray so as not making it to a little more svelte than without a huge financial burden.It is important to remember that there are plenty of practice.This is true that they can smell each other in the bud, there are some useful training tips which will become much simpler.Do not clean up using different products.And such condition can last somewhere between two cats, I know the reason behind this behavior when they are put in shelters.

In this way, she will be greatly reduced.If your cat by his hair or eye color would be perfectly safe for your cat.If that's what you get all the moisture is removed.Your vet may use sound, odor or other odd-shaped boxes.While you are able to smell the urine onto a vertical surface - it may also become much more entertaining, a small amount of water to drink water, cat pee on the affected area so that can be deposited on vertical surfaces.

Cat behaviour to consider and discuss with your cat the right and the bed or just to play.These sprinklers will detect the cat's ears after the black dots commonly referred to as catmint.My favorite solution is to employ a loud noise or clapping if caught in the house.If your pet cat begins using it, you've solved the problem starts.There are many factors to consider the following before declawing.

Carry a sufficient quantity of 1/4 oz and more.Well, it has little to decrease the dog looked to be attractive to the tempting herb.He is treated by a vet you can teach them as well.Be aware of this, but many of whom will die in dreadful conditions.Stick a thumb tack about two inches of me for months.

How To Stop A Cat From Spraying Indoors Home Remedies

So that's something we want them to realize that it is the ear canal that allows the same plant again.This means spending a weekend or so after fightingPet shops make available to you to adopt some more facts--cats walk on or near the door.This can be jealous animals especially when this brings something to scratch and helps them mark the territory when there are many ways to treat them as well.Often, a thorough physical examination will find a box with pain and behavioral issues begin to become Poofy's preferred sleeping area.

They like to give your furry friends - wherever they are.First of all, when he gets into their coat will be facing cat fights that break down the hall.Your cat might start marking is based around removing your cat's spraying, although it is a very important use for a walk, you'll never get rid of the urine stains in your home as a treat, and your resident cat?You cannot miss this step your cat has sprayed, clean it thoughtfully every few days.Teflon or metal-coated combs are recommended for owners include Cornish Rexes, LaPerm, Sphynx, Oriental Shorthairs, and Devon Rex.

[fourtrisheafanfic]

Under the Stars CH 4 (Jonerys fanfic)

Chapter 4: Under The Stars ~ Day four (Completed Story)

Summary: Modern AU, a camping trip in Colorado ends up being more than originally planned. Four chapters total.

Links: Chapter 1 (X), Chapter 2 (X), Chapter 3 (X) or Ao3 (X)

Rating: Mature

Words: 11,000+

++++o++++

Chapter 4: Under The Stars ~ Day four

*Jon POV*

"Rise and shine! Time to wake up!" Sam yells from what I can only guess is his tent. I groan at the sound of his cheerful voice, which is an annoying way to be woken up. I keep my eyes closed, hoping this is just a dream and that I really have a good hour or two of sleep left.

My body responds to her before my brain does. I feel Dany lying against me, which immediately makes me excited. Very excited. I feel a pull in my stomach as I bite my lip to swallow my groan.

My eyes pop open to look, immediately confirming that Dany's lithe figure is pressed firmly against me as we are wrapped in each other's arms. Her leg is thrown over my hip, and my hand rests on her upper thigh. One of her arms is wrapped around me, slipping up the back of my shirt and resting directly on my back.

I'm overcome by desire, even though I know I shouldn't be. What I didn't anticipate was a sleeping Dany, adorable drool on her chin and all, pressing her entire body closer to me as she mumbles in her sleep. Oh shit, I feel her core press directly against me as I gasp loudly. I try desperately to untangle myself.

Although not by design, I feel as though I'm taking advantage of her in some way - which is an awful feeling.

Sam is now standing just yards from our tent as he makes his rounds to wake our entire group. His booming voice is close enough to wake Dany this time.

"It's the big day, happy Fourth of July!" Sam calls. "The storm rolled out last night, we are good to do the Ouzel Falls hike. Let's go, let's go!"

Her eyes pop open immediately, taking in our positions. I'm sure she feels my large excitement as well, when her eyes widen and she quickly joins me in untangling herself. Her cheeks are flaming red as her mouth falls open in shock.

Embarrassed I look away because this is not what I wanted. Not even close.

We manage to separate and move to our respective sides of the sleeping bag. For the record, Dany was all the way on my side. I'm just saying.

She sees my face, which must reflect the absolute horror that I feel, and then she releases her breath and smiles bashfully.

"Let's never discuss this moment again, deal?" Dany mumbles and laughs nervously.

"What moment? I have no idea what you're talking about," I say awkwardly, trying to break the tension with humor.

Then Dany surprises me. She gently cups my face and smiles.

"I'm sorry, I was on your side of the sleeping bag," Dany says. "Forgive me?"

I place my hand over hers, and her violet eyes burn into me, watching every move I make. I slide her hand across my jaw until her palm is over my mouth, and I kiss the inside of her hand. Dany bites her lower lip as she gives me a small smile.

"Only if you forgive me too?" I throw back to her with a playful smirk.

We both grin and laugh, the awkwardness immediately behind us.

++o++

"What else can I do?" I ask Dany while beating the next batch of scrambled eggs. She insists on making breakfast for everyone this morning, and I insist that I will serve as her sous-chef. Jamie points out he hasn't had a turn cooking and offers to assist Dany instead. I give him a pointed look, and he immediately announces he will take dinner.

Dany chuckles when I tell her this is the one time I'm giving her permission to boss me around.

"Good to know," Dany smirks, while placing strips of bacon on the non-stick pan. Our group brought two camping stoves. I'm impressed as Dany skillfully manages to have numerous plates of food cooking at once.

"The trick is to time it correctly, you are hosed if everything is ready at the same time," she explains. "Something will end up burning." She asks me to hold off on turning on the stove for the bacon.

Dany and I share a piece of toast to hold us over because the first few batches of food are for our friends. We'll eat last. I feed her the toast while she is cooking, and she blushes. I resist dragging her to my tent like a caveman.

Using my thumb, I wipe toast crumbs off the corner of her mouth as she grins at me. I notice that Sam and Gilly are watching every single move and smiling. Good grief, does Gilly actually have happy tears in her eyes? Because that wouldn't freak Dany out. I discreetly motion the universal 'knock it off' sign at them. Sam motions for me to grab Dany and kiss her. Sam demonstrates by kissing Gilly, as though I am an idiot.

"I'm completely stoked that storm rolled out, a perfect day for Ouzel Falls," Tyrion smiles. "Make sure you wear your suits for our hike out, there will be nowhere private to change once we leave camp."

"Suits?" Dany asks.

"Of course, the best part of this strenuous hike to the falls is swimming," Jamie says enthusiastically. "After our swim we'll eat lunch while we dry off and rest. The hike down is also difficult because so steep."

"I don't have a suit, but I'll just dip my feet in," Dany shrugs and smiles. "I can be towel girl or something."

Sam finds this hilarious. I have noticed that even when I am not within talking distance that all of my friends genuinely seem to like Dany. She's a great girl, so I can't blame them. Part of me wonders if after this trip she will still be in my life.

I need to talk to her.

Shae offers to let Dany wear her extra bathing suit, and I smile at her thankfully.

"Come on, Dany," Shae says. "I need to run to my tent for a minute. You can change now. Jamie, please take over for Dany until we return."

Tyrion watches the girls walk off and then pats me on the back in a good-humored way.

"You are so welcome, my man!" he smirks.

"For what?" I demand.

"You'll see," he laughs.

I'm not quite sure what he's getting at, so I just nod and turn my attention back to the food. I lower the heat a little, not being as skilled as Dany in the cooking department.

Jamie offers me help, but I wave him away. I'm sure Dany will be back soon and I lowered the heat. The remaining campers are getting hungry. I eye the toast and consider having another slice that I can split when she gets back. I decide against it. I'll save the toast for my eggs.

Dany walks back, and I immediately notice she seems uncomfortable. She forces a smile and quickly assesses the food being cooked. She plays with the burners to get us back on track.

"Everything okay?" I whisper, as I place my hand on her lower back.

She looks up at me and smiles, her cheeks flushing red.

She nods her head as to motion not a big deal, "It's just that Shae's bathing suit is more like dental floss with a small amount of fabric," she whispers.

My mouth falls open, and I feel all the blood rush to my lower anatomy. Before I can stop myself, my eyes lower to her lovely rack, which I've been discreetly admiring all weekend long. This time there was nothing subtle about it.

"Jon!" Dany hisses, glaring at me. She punches me in the arm playfully. I can tell she isn't that mad.

"I'm sorry," I laugh. "But in my defense that was a very detailed image and provocative description,"

Dany laughs, too. I pull her into my arms.

"Do you forgive me?" I plead.

She bites her lip, which in itself drives me insane with need, and we stare at each other. She slowly glides her hands up my chest and wraps her arms around my neck.

"I'll decide later," she says with a playful smirk.

I pull her even closer to me, "Oh, yeah?" I lean closer and whisper.

She quickly gulps, as though needing to calm herself. Could she want me, as much as I want her?

"Our eggs are going to burn," Jamie yells. "I need a good breakfast for this hike. Cook or give me the spatula."

Dany and I jump apart, our faces now beet red. Our friends laugh, Jamie is the only one not amused. He huffs while checking the food for himself. He is a cranky little bitch when hungry, but I'm used to it.

We resume cooking - the moment has passed, as we just smile at each other.

++o++

"According to my map we are halfway to the big waterfall, but we can sit for a minute and rest if you guys want," Tyrion offers.

"Yes, please!" Shae and Gilly say in unison.

I left Ghost with Dickon and his friends today. We didn't want to risk this hike being too much for the dog. I glance over at Dany, and I'm impressed at how fit she is. I forgot that the day we drove up and set up camp, she was hiking away from those assholes for many hours. I open my canteen and offer her a drink first. Dany and I packed our backpacks as a couple. I'm carrying our water, and she has our food. It's what the other couples are doing for today's hike.

More than anything I want us to actually be a couple.

The hike so far has had some strenuous parts. Several times, I held Dany's hand to help pull her up a deep incline. My face warms remembering that we'd held hands longer than necessary - often with our fingers intertwined. This can't all be in my mind.

I glance at her, and she is smiling and talking to Tyrion and Shae. They are explaining how they met. Tyrion snidely comments that meeting Shae was the one redeemable thing he could say about my ex, Ygritte. Dany's brow furrows. Maybe she is caught off guard by Tyrion's strong feelings.

Tyrion detested my ex-girlfriend, but he can admit he only met Shae because of her. Last semester Ygritte and Shae worked together in a bar near campus. Tyrion and I were on our way to dinner, and I made him come with me to say hi to Ygritte. The rest is history.

"Would you like some trail mix?" Dany offers as she scoots closer to me.

"I'll have anything you are offering," I smile at Dany, trying to flirt. She gives me a handful of trail mix without noticing.

Okay, I need to work on my flirting skills. Where the hell is Tyrion to coach me? I think about how I've never had to pursue a woman before. Before Dany, it's always been so easy.

Maybe too easy.

"So, did any of your friends like Ygritte?" Dany asks quietly as her eyes meet mine. She seems curious, but not upset in any way.

"That's a hard question to answer." I say honestly, pausing to organize my thoughts.

Dany nods and looks away.

I've noticed that she doesn't push me for information or details. She did the same thing when she saw my reaction to having my shirt off. I know she cares, but she won't demand information that I'm not willing to give.

I also know that if I want a chance with her I have to be open and honest. I want a good relationship. I trust her. She deserves to be able to trust me as well.

"Ygritte is not an awful person, she really isn't," I admit slowly. "And if I'm honest with myself...I could have been a better boyfriend, had I wanted to be."

Dany's eyes dart over, meeting mine as we stare at each other.

"Ygritte was my girlfriend, but I never imagined a future with her. Ever," I continue. "She was a really aggressive person. She was just the girl that pursued me at the right moment, and it worked out. She and I were on the same page for a long time. We were in a committed relationship, but just a casual and fun thing. One day to the next, she decided that she wanted to be married, and expected me to go along with her change of plans."

Dany nods with understanding, and she gives me a small smile.

"Did she know how popular you were with your students?" Dany asks pointedly.

"She did," I frown at the memory. "To be honest some of her own friends made passes at me. Obviously they weren't true friends to begin with."

"It must've been hard on her, knowing that other women are hitting on you left and right," Dany insists. "Offering you sex after a three minute conversation."

I hear the uncertainty and reservation in Dany's voice. I remember telling her that I had only had a three minute conversation with Melisande the day before our run in at the showers. I don't think we're talking about Ygritte anymore.

I feel dread. I don't like where this conversation is going. But I have to be honest, it's all I can do. I just got away from a demanding and conniving girlfriend. Now I need honesty across the board.

I pause to calm down, I feel like I am on a job interview. I hate that Dany sees me as some asshole that has women throwing themselves at me all the time. But I also know it's true.

"Dany, Ygritte was not fazed at all about the students or even her lame friends," I say. "She was confident in herself. More importantly - she trusted me."

Moments of silence pass. Neither of us say anything as we drink water from the canteen.

Then suddenly it's as though a decision is made in Dany's mind. Shrugging, she smiles brightly at me.

"That's great Jon," she laughs halfheartedly. "You're right, there are girls out there that wouldn't be bothered at all. That is so not me! It would drive me insane to have a boyfriend where I had to beat girls off with a stick. I'd be miserable."

Dany hops up and offers to pick up the trash from the group as she did after yesterday's lunch. I stay seated and frown.

Why do I feel like I was just dismissed? Like it was Dany's way of telling me that we won't be dating?

Because that's exactly what she means, dummy.

We get up and continue our hike to Ouzel Falls. We come across several smaller falls and cascades that only motivate us to keep going.

Tackling one especially steep part of the terrain, we all work together to help whomever needs assistance. Jamie and Brienne are pretty badass and can do it alone because of their tall height, both are skilled enough of hikers to help the others. Jamie and I help Shae, and then I help pull Dany up, and I pull her into my arms.

"Thanks, Jon!" she says quickly while squirming to put distance between us. "You should help Jamie with Gilly, she seemed nervous about this part."

I nod carefully, watching as Dany gives me a small smile and then turns and walks away. I stand there and frown gloomily.

Once we keep moving, I notice that Gilly and Brienne link arms with Dany and enjoy an easier part of the hike.

"What happened with Dany?" Sam asks quietly so no can hear us.

"What do you mean?" I snap.

Sam rolls his eyes at me.

"Don't play dumb or get all brooding with me. At breakfast she was two steps away from jumping in your arms and sucking your face off," Sam says. "And now, she is treating you as if you are her older brother or something."

I frown, the ache in my chest is painful because he's right. She is treating me like I have been sent to the "friend zone," a guy's worst nightmare when he is pursuing a girl.

"Look, Jon," Sam says. "I've been your friend for years now. I've always enjoyed the comical aspect to your dating life. Seeing which sexy pushy girl happened to pounce on you at the right time. Don't get me wrong, it has been fun and comical to watch."

I roll my eyes, so glad my dating adventures have been a source of entertainment for my friend.

"But this isn't funny," Sam says softly. "Dany is an amazing girl, I've never seen you light up with anyone else the way you do with her. Jamie and Brienne have a lot of good things to say and they've known her since freshman year. I just don't want to see you blow it." I hear the concern in his voice.

I already have, but it's not my fault!

"Sam, it's complicated," I growl. "Dany isn't into me. She basically just told me that she couldn't handle dating someone with the constant pressure of other girls. It's not like I ask for it!"

"First, lower your voice. Second, you're acting like a damn blind fool," Sam admonishes me, his tone as sharp as nails. My frown deepens, I’m not used to Sam being so blunt.

I frown and shake my head. What does he want me to do?

"Let me remind you, this is the same girl that you have been thinking about for almost a year," Sam points out. "You know she is special, you told me you saw it right away. Remember?"

I nod, admitting how I've felt for a long time.

"I care about you. I hope you know that you deserve good in your life. Your stepmother is a cruel person, you didn't deserve the cards you were dealt. That shit is on her. Don't let her ugliness tear you down anymore," Sam finishes softly.

I lower my eyes and nod. Sam's right. I often doubt myself, which is probably one of the reasons I've never pursued someone that I really wanted to date. I've just been snapped up by the wrong girls.

I turn to watch Dany walking with Gilly and Brienne. Dany is talking animatedly and gesturing. Brienne is hysterically laughing while Gilly's mouth hangs open. I catch enough words to guess the story is about their freshman year in the dorms.

I smile watching them, Dany is gorgeous, funny and kind. No one has ever made me feel the way she does.

I'm not giving up on Dany without a fight.

++o++

Ouzel Falls is breathtaking, the drop more than forty feet through a sliver in the dark rock wall surrounding it. The water flows into a pool filled with boulders and fallen trees. There are small pools of water that are calm and perfect for wading.

The storm that rolled through last night must have scared other hikers away. Our group is the only one up here. It is very hot and sunny today, just what you would expect in early July.

We pick a spot where the huge boulders are flat. The boulders make a perfect place to set down our gear and have lunch after we explore the falls. Our group brought up two sunblock tubes to share. I grab one tube and slip my hand into Dany's hand. I pull her aside so we can help each other. She smiles at me and follows.

I am wearing a rash guard shirt that protects me from the sun while also covering my chest and back. I still need help applying sunblock to the back of my neck so I ask Dany. She also does my face, and she is very careful not to get any sunblock in my eyes. She bites her lip while applying it. I reach out and place my hands gently on her waist. Her mouth falls open for a moment, but I just smile at her innocently. She gulps and then moves on to put sunblock on the tops of my ears.

"Okay, your turn, Dany." I say and wait for her to slip out of her shirt and shorts.

Dany slides her shorts down, and then pauses for a moment before taking her shirt off, blushing furiously. She wasn't kidding, it is the sexiest bathing suit I've ever seen. Dany holds her shirt to her chest and looks away from me.

"Just put lotion on my back and shoulders please," she squeaks while frowning and turning her chest away from me.

I can see how uncomfortable she is, and it's more of a modesty issue. I slather my hands with sunblock and thoroughly run my hands over her shoulders and then down her back. I also do the back of her arms and pull her closer to me.

I add more lotion to my hand and do the back of her neck, while also working out any kinks in her shoulders.

I lean over and whisper in her ear. "Dany, you are so beautiful," I say. "Stunning...you have nothing to be embarrassed about."

Dany turns her head to meet me gaze and smiles. "Thank you, Jon," she replies.

She instantly seems to relax and tosses the shirt she had been carrying with her pile of stuff.

My talk with Sam runs through my mind, I need to convince her that I am the right guy for her. I know it. I know it as much as I know she is the right girl for me.

The water pools are magnificent, and we all go for a swim.

The girls are being especially silly and happy. I feel a twinge of envy at how affectionate Gilly is with Sam. Gilly and Sam are like family to me, and I feel a twinge of sadness because I'm desperate to be close to Dany.

Brienne insists on taking photos from outside the pools, due to the whole iPhone and water thing not being a good idea. Gilly agrees to switch with Brienne after so she can be in the pictures too.

I pull Dany into my arms so Gilly can get a picture of us in the water. Dany blushes but wraps her arms around me. It's a wonderful excuse to hold her close to me. After I tease Dany, asking if she is tired and needs me to carry her again. I offer to let her hold onto my back while I swim.

"Like a baby monkey?" she scowls and laughs at the same time. "No thank you, Jon."

"I was thinking more honeymoon and past the threshold," I joke and gently cup her face, brushing my thumb across her lips.

For the first time in my entire life, the idea of marriage crosses my mind. I can actually picture myself having forever with her. I get lost in my own thoughts for a moment.

Dany is watching me intently, so I snap out of it and smile at her. That would be a great way for me to scare the crap out of her. I will keep these thoughts to myself.

The girls play 'model' while the guys do some laps - and race, of course.

Playing photographer, Tyrion is making the 'models' take turns, Shae is laughing hysterically at how bossy he is. Tyrion may have found the perfect woman as well.

Striking a pose for the camera, Dany wades over to stand in front of the falls. She is laughing as she poses with her arms outstretched. The water reaches her lower waist right below the start of her bikini bottom, and her long hair flows down her back. I breathe in and out to calm myself. I am getting excited just looking at her.

What the hell is wrong with me? I am acting like a horny sixteen year old! But I know the answer, it's her. I'm crazy about her in every way.

Sam notices her too, leaning over to me he whispers."You are so very lucky there are no other single guys in this group," Sam says. "They would be going nuts for a chance with Dany. Jon, you better figure your issues out...and soon."

"I know, I've just got to convince her," I say with determination.

Sam smiles and lets me know that he and Gilly are ready to help in any way they can. They are good friends.

Everyone is having a great time, except for Tyrion. He is peeved no one else wants to play chicken against him and Shae. He tries again to convince Dany to do it, "I know if you tell Jon you want to play, he'll do it. I'm pretty sure he would do anything for you, Dany," Tyrion says innocently, with Shae nodding in agreement.

"Not going to happen, Tyrion. I hate that game. And I am wearing a bikini top that feels ready to fly off my body at any moment," Dany laughs.

"I'm not seeing the issue," Tyrion deadpans as Shae snickers. Her suit is equally revealing.

Dany rolls her eyes, and I've seen enough to want to step into the fray.

"Tyrion, I am going to spend some time alone with Dany. Go away," I smile.

Tyrion waggles his brows at us and then races Shae across the water to give us privacy. I notice he lets her win, and she is ecstatic.

Dany looks at me and smiles, so I pull her close to me in the water. She looks nervous for a moment and then relaxes in my arms.

"I wanted to continue the conversation we were having earlier," I whisper in her ear while holding her close to me.

"Oh?" Dany mumbles sheepishly, with her fingertips resting lightly on my shoulders.

"Yes," I say seriously, staring into her eyes. She nods in agreement. "You know, I’m just a normal guy. The truth is, it doesn't matter to me how many girls flirt or offer it up. I am trustworthy and loyal. I would never hurt you in that way."

I pause while searching her face for a reaction. She is listening to every word, with her eyes studying mine intently.

"I also have one key clarification from our conversation earlier," I lean my forehead against hers before continuing. "If you were my girlfriend, you wouldn't have to beat other girls off with a stick alone. I'd be right there helping as well."

Dany bites her lip and then giggles softly. Her hands move from my shoulder to wrap around my neck, as she pulls me closer to give me a kiss on the cheek.

We end up splashing around and enjoying a swim, Dany tries unsuccessfully to "drown me," but is unable to push me under the water, even when jumping on my back and trying. I greatly enjoy her numerous attempts, but I finally pull her close to me.

"Come here, no more drowning attempts. There are much better ways for us to exert energy," I smirks at her seductively.

Her eyes light up with delight as we embrace and hold one another closely. We share a smile before I gently plant a kiss where her shoulder and neck meet. I quickly realize it's a ticklish spot. Dany squirms in my arms but doesn't break away.

Her laughter rings in my ear, and it's the best sound.

Her smile falters for a moment as her fingertips tracing the seams of my rash guard.

"Do you wear this because of...what happened with your stepmother growing up?" she murmurs gently.

I gulp, meeting her gaze and nod to confirm her thoughts.

She pulls me even closer, pressing her chest against mine as I really appreciate Shae's tastes in bathing suits.

"I wish you didn't feel that you have to, you are perfect - exactly as you are," Dany assures me, similar to how I persuaded her earlier to be comfortable in the sexy bathing suit.

"If we were alone, I would be comfortable going without the shirt," I assure her while sliding my hand to cradle her face.

Dany and I stare at each other, our eyes alternating between our lips and eyes.

I lick my lower lip nervously, "Maybe one day we can come back here...alone?" I ask her with a small amount of in trepidation.

Dany meets my gaze confidently. "I'd love that, Jon," she responds.

I lean over and press my lips to her mouth lightly. Her body responding to me as she trembles. I think she's as nervous as I am. Each time our lips meet, we both give a little more, until our kisses are passionate and loving as our tongues move in a slow dance. My hands roam up and down her sides and back, the feeling of her bare skin only adding to my excitement. Dany's hands are holding onto my shoulders to keep us close. Her hands occasionally touching my hair.

Our kiss during the dare was really good. This is different because we are kissing because we choose to. This kiss is a promise for what is to come.

"Guys, it's getting late. Let's eat!" Jamie calls out, breaking us from our daze.

We smile and kiss one last time before looking around. To everyone's credit, no one is looking anywhere near our direction, giving us a small sense of privacy.

"Tonight, when we are able to be alone, I want to talk more about us, okay?" I ask Dany and smile sheepishly. I want to make us official, but it's also a conversation I want to have when we are alone.

"Yes, definitely," Dany smiles.

We swim over to the rocks and get out of the water; Dany and I had agreed to share a towel so we wouldn't need two. I let her dry off first, of course, forcing myself to look away as she does.

"I can't believe our weekend is almost over," Gilly says sadly while giving Sam a back massage.

"Yeah, it will take us even longer to hike down with the incline, we'll probably get back to camp just in time for dinner," Jamie says. He jokingly asks me if I want to be his sous-chef tonight.

I say no while throwing a grape at him, which he skillfully catches in his mouth. The girls laugh at us.

"We have to be completely packed up and out by ten o'clock tomorrow morning. I already checked, another party has rented our site starting tomorrow," Sam instructs. We all agree that packing most of the gear tonight is the way to go.

As our rest time is winding down, and we are mostly dried off, Sam calls me over to show me something. He has his backpack on him. Gilly winks at me while passing me as she walks over to the girls that are looking at their "modeling" pictures on Tyrion's phone and laughing at themselves.

"What's up?" I ask Sam.

"Do you have pockets with a zipper in those cargo shorts?" he asks.

"Um, yeah?"

"Just in case, better safe than sorry. Take a couple of these," Sam says. He slips two foil packages in my hand. "I'm assuming you didn't bring any as you weren't planning on finding your soulmate on this trip," he smiles.

I quickly shove them in my pocket and close the zipper.

"I am pretty sure that is not going to happen tonight; but just in case, it's better to have them and not need them than the other way around. Thanks, buddy," I say.

We all pack up and get ready for the long hike back to camp.

++o++

We are all exhausted as we trudge back to our camp site after using the facilities at the campground entrance. Jamie is trying to convince us that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would be a much more enjoyable meal than the grilled chicken and corn on the cob we have slated for dinner.

He looks at Dany for back up, but she laughs at him.

"Sorry Jamie, you lost my vote at the threat of taking away corn on the cob," Dany says.

He pouts because if anyone in our group would have given him a pass, it would have been Dany.

With Brienne on his one side, and Dany momentarily walking on his other, he agrees to make the dinner we had planned. Dany is the best cook we have, and she smiles at him and promises to help him cook.

"We'll have it done in no time. You'll see!" Dany promises brightly.

Jamie smiles and announces to us that Dany is the nicest person in our group. He picks her up good-naturedly and twirls her around. Her laughter rings out as she demands he put her down. The rest of us join in her laughter, too.

"Well, isn't this nice. And here I was worried sick about you, Dany," a guy hisses, stepping out from behind the trees at our campsite. A second guy follows behind him, and moves to stand next to him. I recognize Joffrey immediately from class last year. I can only assume the guy who spoke is Drogo.

My jaw clenches as my eyes narrow.

Jamie places Dany down but stands his ground. Dany looks like a deer caught in headlights, her face expressionless although her eyes open wide.

"I mean this is hysterical. We have been frantically looking for you, and all along you are here – living it up with another group," Drogo spits. "I met Dickon, nice kid. He knew right away where you were and with whom. Did you have fun at the falls today, sweetie?"

"Go away, Drogo, we are done," Dany says firmly.

"I'm ready to leave when you are, Dany. I took the liberty of packing your crap," Drogo spits. Drogo has Dany's hiking backpack that had been in my tent along with her rolled up sleeping bag. These little assholes went through our camp’s stuff.

"Enough games, let's go," Drogo steps toward Dany as she steps back.

"Drogo, we broke up. I don't even know why you are here. I'm not going anywhere with you," Dany says firmly, her eyes darting between Drogo and Joffrey.

A dark look crosses Drogo's face.

"Imagine my surprise finding your things in some guy's tent. You look really familiar. Do we know each other? Are you Jon?" Drogo snaps while scowling at Jamie, who had been standing next to Dany. All of the gear in my tent is labeled with my name.

"Don't worry about who I am, get the hell out of here. This is our camp site and you are not welcome," Jamie says calmly.

"I'm Jon," I say as I walk over to stand next to Dany. Without caring what this little shit thinks, I slip my hand into hers and squeeze it.

I don't think it even occurred to Drogo that she would move on so quickly. Even with her things in my tent, it isn't uncommon for people to share tents as needed and there was a storm that rolled through last night. A combination of disbelief and rage crosses his face. Even Joffrey behind him looks stunned. Drogo steps closer to us, now standing directly in front of Dany. Jamie and I stand at her sides.

"Are you kidding me, Dany? We have one fight, and this is what you do?" Drogo shouts at her, then turns his attention to me. "Get your damn hands off of my girl."

"She's not your anything," I snap.

"Please, Drogo. Just go," Dany pleads. She looks terribly uncomfortable.

"You damn slut! What happened? You had to try to earn your keep in order to join their camping group? I guess you had to work for your rations like a tramp," Drogo hisses.

It happens so quickly. I reach forward to grab Drogo's shirt with my free hand demanding he apologize to her.

Instinctively, Jamie picks up Dany at the same time and drags both her and Brienne away from Drogo and me.

The next thing I know Drogo sucker punches me in the face. I was not expecting it, and I feel the rush of blood from my nose. The bastard then comes at me again. This time I'm ready and sidestep him. I don't even want to fight him. He's a punk and pissed he lost Dany. I just want him to apologize and get the hell out.

Drogo is enraged, and will not stop. Next thing I know, he has tackled me to the ground. We are rolling around and both throwing punches.

I hear Jamie warn Joffrey to stay out of it, unless he wants to make it a three-on-two fight, meaning that both Jamie and Tyrion would jump in.

The girls are pleading for someone to break it up. This is not how I wanted my relationship with Dany to start.

I finally get Drogo in a headlock and hold him still. "Drogo, enough. This is over. Just get the hell out of here and take Joffrey with you," I command. Drogo is furious that I have the upper hand.

Dany has tears streaming down her face as Gilly and Brienne comfort her, but they look equally distressed.

"Screw this shit!" Drogo scream. "Get the hell off of me."

I sigh while releasing him and stepping away. Drogo isn't badly injured. I made it a point to not hit him hard until I could get him in a headlock and end the fight. After his initial sucker punch, he never got a good hit in either. Until this point, it was more of a ridiculous wrestling match.

Drogo scowls at me and turns to walk away. He takes a couple of steps before stopping in front of Dany and turning back to face me.

"Enjoy this bitch, Jon," Drogo scowls. "You've probably figured this out by now, but Dany is completely frigid. Good luck with that. Hope you enjoyed having some kind of a sex life until now."

Dany gasps, mortified that he would say that in front of everyone. Angry tears fill her eyes.

Drogo frowns at seeing her reaction, and for a moment I think he is going to apologize for hurting her feelings. Instead he roughly grabs her by the arm.

"Enough Dany, let's go. You had your fun, but it's over!" Drogo snaps while yanking her towards him.

Dany gasps sharply as Drogo turns and roughly begins pulling her behind him while he trudges away. Even Joffrey looks stunned.

Drogo stumbles when Dany pulls her arm back. Almost tripping, he pulls Dany down at the same time. Dany's chin hits the corner of the picnic table, and she shrieks in pain.

I don't even hear what Drogo is saying as he leans over to check on her.

I see red. That was the last straw for me. I lunge for Drogo and punch him in the throat. An odd gurgling sound comes out of his mouth. I drag him away from Dany and tackle him to the ground and begin swinging. I don't even register the girls screaming and crying, begging me to stop. Joffrey tries to pull me off, so I punch him once in the nose and he falls back. I'm too enraged to stop.

"Jon, stop! Enough!" Sam shouts. He and Jamie both work together to drag me off of Drogo, who remains on the ground, not moving.

"You bastard, how dare you touch her. I'll kill you!" I grunt while struggling to get back to Drogo.

"Shut your mouth and come with me now!" Sam hollers at me. Sam has me by the shirt collar and is dragging me for a walk towards my tent. I am so mad that I am shaking.

We keep walking, past my tent and then further into the forest.

"What the hell, Jon!" Sam yells. "I was afraid you were going to hurt him to the point of earning yourself some damn jail time. You were out of control, reel it back in."

Dany. I need to see her. I turn around and start walking back to camp.

"No way!" Sam stops me. "You and I are going to keep walking until you calm the hell down. Seriously, stop it. Jamie is with the girls and Dickon's group came running when they heard the girls screaming and crying."

I frown, but nod. Sam is right. I lost control. Sam uses his finger to make a loud whistle, and suddenly Ghost runs to our side.

"Come on Ghost, you can help me calm Jon down...and avoid jail," Sam grumbles as we walk.

++o++

I feel anxious as we walk back towards our camp. I regret leaving Dany behind while Drogo and Joffrey were still there. But I was out of control and holding on by a thread. I trust Jamie and Dickon's group were able to kick them out.

As soon as I step into our shared area by the fire pit, I sense something is wrong. The girls have a look of dread on their faces. I scan quickly in search of Dany, but she is nowhere to be found.

"Where's Dany?" I immediately ask.

"Jon, why don't you sit down? Let's get you some ice for those hands," Gilly offers.

I frown, looking around again.

"Seriously, where is Dany?" I repeat.

"Jon, she was upset," Gilly sighs. "The whole fight was so violent. It was just an ugly situation."

"Gilly," I warn. I need to her to spit it out.

"Look, all we know is that she picked up her camping gear and left," Gilly says. "They sent a ranger over to take Drogo to the infirmary. Dany didn't say a word to any of us. Even when we tried to talk to her, she begged us to leave her alone." I see that it pains her to tell me this.

Dany is gone?

"Well look who's back from his anger-management walk," Joffrey says snidely.

We all frown as Joffrey enters our camp. He is holding up his hands as if to say that he is not there to fight.

"Believe me, this is the last place I wanted to come back to," Joffrey scowls. "Drogo left his bag with the car keys in it."

Joffrey motions to the tree they stepped out from behind, and he picks up a backpack we can only assume is theirs.

"You know, when you were my teacher last year," Joffrey turns to face me, "I used to think you were so damn smart. But you're an idiot. This is a little game Dany and Drogo play with each other. It makes their love life more exciting. After all that, you don't even get the girl. She's with him again, taking care of his sorry ass like always."

Blood rushes to my face, a sick feeling settling in my stomach.

"I almost forgot," he laughs. "Dany changed clothes at the main entrance, she asked me to bring this back and return to someone named Sandy or Shanna something?"

Shae's eyes widen at seeing her bikini. Dany had been wearing it when we got back from the falls. Joffrey holds it up so that it dangles, smirking at it.

"This is some sexy shit, Shanna," Joffrey says. "Too bad I didn't get a chance to see Dany wearing it. She made me leave the room before she changed. I think she wanted to give Drogo a private show. Those two freaks...always fighting and then making up."

Tyrion snatches the bathing suit out of Joffrey's hands, and then walks Shae back to their tent.

Before I process what Joffrey is saying about Dany, I decide to deal with him first. I step closer to Joffrey.

"You know Joffrey, I wonder what your friend Drogo, or his cousin Margaery, would say if they were to find out how you're always harassing Dany?" I ask him.

Joffrey looks startled.

"And don't forget, as your teacher last semester I saw first-hand how you leered at Dany in my class," I continue. "Your sick game is up. Dany may be too nice to blow you and your bullshit out of the water, but I'm not."

Joffrey looks worried.

"I don't care if Dany marries Drogo tomorrow...you had better leave her the hell alone and knock off your sexual harassment," I tell Joffrey as I step closer. "Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, I understand," he snaps.

Joffrey rolls his eyes. He walks away and then stops one last time.

"Hey Jon, Dany is with Drogo and going to ride back with us," he calls. "Anything you want me to tell her on your behalf?" The smirk on his face is loud and clear. He is taunting me.

"Just get the hell out of here, Joffrey," I snap.

As soon as he is gone, my friends walk over to comfort me, which only makes me feel worse. How could she do this? I'm such a fool.

I'm pissed and heartbroken at the same time. I shake my head and tell the group I need to be alone. They nod in understanding.

I go to my tent and lie down, my heart aching. All of her things gone. I can't believe after all that, she went back to him. Joffrey's words ring in my ear, "This is a little game that Dany and Drogo play with each other."

How could I be so stupid? I was so sure I meant something to her. Bitter tears fill my eyes, but I blink them away. I refuse to cry over her.

The good news...now I know the girl I've been pining for doesn't really exist. Now I can let her go, and be done.

I close my eyes, trying to sleep. Maybe then I can get some reprieve from the sadness I feel.

Sleep doesn't come. Instead conversations, looks, and warm embraces play over and over in my mind. I sit up, struggling to reconcile what I feel for her in my heart with the fact that she left camp, she left me, and with what Joffrey produced as evidence.

I remember the beautiful girl I met in my classes last year. She was always respectful and kind to everyone around her. She was warm and genuine. I think about that day in February when she entered my office. I couldn't help but stare at her because the bright girl I knew from class was shattered and heartbroken. I never touch people, and I don't really like to be touched myself.

I surprised myself when I pulled her into my arms and held her that day. I think I needed her as much as she needed me. Holding her felt so right. We've never talked about that day.

Joffrey is right. I really am an idiot.

A complete idiot to believe a word Joffrey said, an idiot to doubt Dany for even a minute.

I do know her. In fact, I'm crazy about her, unlike anything I've ever felt before.

I allowed my insecurities and jealousy to cloud my judgement for a moment, and I will give Joffrey credit...he was convincing.

I do trust her.

Even if she was worried about Drogo because of the beating I gave him, she would have made sure he was okay, but I know she isn't going back to him.

I jump up from the floor of my tent. I don't know where she went, but I need to find her.

I run out of the tent yelling for my friends to meet me at the fire pit.

"Guys, I don't care what it looks like. Dany would never go back to him. I don't know why she's not here, but I know she cares about me. And I...well, truth is I'm crazy about her. I've got to find her!" I spit out.

I am rewarded with smiles and encouragement. I get my hiking backpack and flashlight, we have a couple of hours before it gets dark, but just in case. Gilly reminds me that Ghost is a great tracking dog. Brienne brings out her bathing suit that Dany was just wearing.

Everyone wishes me luck as I take off in search of Dany.

++o++

I walk towards the main entrance of Aspenglen campgrounds, with Ghost leading the way. I figure I'll check in with the ranger's station first in case they've seen her.

I enter the park ranger offices, glad I caught them right before they closed for the day. I look around the lobby and I see her. Dany is sitting on a bench with her gear at her feet, with her eyes red and puffy from crying. I do a double take because I was not expecting to see her here.

She doesn't notice me. She seems to be lost in thought while staring at the ground. I slowly approach.

"Penny for your thoughts," I say quietly when I am standing next to her.

She gasps and looks up, but the moment our eyes meet, she looks away and sniffles softly.

"Dany, come here. Please. Talk to me," I say. I sit down next to her and pull her into my arms to comfort her.

She pulls away and looks into my eyes.

"Jon, I'm sorry. I ruined everything. All that drama, the things Drogo said, and your fight with him...it scared me how violent you were with Drogo...I just had to get away. I don't think I'm good for you."

"Is that what you think, that you aren't good for me?" I ask incredulously.

"Well, I'm not!" she snaps.

"Dany, I'm sorry...I've never lost control that way. When he had his hands on you, and then you got hurt...I lost control. I'm not proud of it, at all. It is something I am going to work on, I don't want that to ever happen again," I pause to reach over and check her chin, it is badly bruised but the skin didn't break. "I'm sorry I scared you, it won't happen again."

Dany nods, her eyes show understanding and forgiveness.

"Also, Drogo is a jerk and Joffrey too," I say. "But nothing was ruined, especially not by you. It was one bad part of a great camping trip, that's all. No one is upset with you, Dany. In fact everyone was worried you left. Especially since Joffrey came back to camp and told us you had made up with Drogo..." my voice trails off, the pain I felt creeping back to mind.

"What? Joffrey said that?" She looks confused.

"Yeah, he brought back Shae’s bikini and told us that you were riding back with them. He told me that you and Drogo always break up and then make up," I finish painfully.

Dany places her hand on my cheek, searching my eyes. I frown because I had been so hurt at the idea of it all just being a sick game. She pulls me close, wrapping her arms around me. I allow myself to enjoy her warmth.

"That must have hurt you; I hate that Joffrey did that. But it's not true, Drogo and I were done before I even ran into you," she states firmly.

Dany looks confused for a moment, as though she is trying to work something out in her head.

"I didn't want to keep Shae’s suit so I changed in the bathroom," she explains. "I then asked the woman at the Lost and Found to please deliver it back to your camp tonight. I even told her what lot number it was and watched her write down Shae’s name. I do remember Joffrey was in the lobby waiting for Drogo, who was getting medical attention. I didn't even think he saw what I was doing at the Lost and Found. What an ass!"

I laugh with relief. Joffrey is a snake in the grass. We agree he probably offered to make the delivery himself.

I smile and pull her into my arms. She hugs me back.

After some time, the park rangers let us know they are locking up, telling Dany they can give her a ride to Estes Park if she still wants it.

"Dany, don't go. Please," I beg. "Stay with me."

She nods before turning to the ranger.

"Thank you so much, but I won't be needing that ride after all," Dany tells him.

++o++

As we have a couple more hours of light and our gear, we decide to go for a short hike. Before heading out, we see one of Dickon's friends. I ask him to tell Sam and Gilly that I found Dany, and tell them that Dany is safe and with me. He also takes Ghost back to camp. He was one of the boys that ran to our camp during my fight with Drogo. He tells us that he is glad things are settling down.

We walk in comfortable silence while holding hands. I run my fingertips down her palm, and she shivers and smiles. When we get to a pretty spot, I stop and pull her close to me. Dany wraps her arms tightly around me.

"I'm going to kiss you now, I mean really kiss you," I say while pulling her entire body tightly against mine. I feel her shiver in anticipation, her lips parting as her violet eyes stare at my lips.

I press my mouth to hers and immediately push my tongue into her mouth. I kiss her frantically, I need to feel her. I need to show her how much she means to me. One arm on my shoulder and the other gently pulling on the curls at the bottom of my head, Dany appears to be equally desperate for me.

We kiss for what feels like minutes, but the darkness of dusk tells us differently.

"Jon, it's getting dark. We should head back to camp." Dany says slowly, alternating kisses to my lips, neck and cheek in between each word she whispers.

"I did bring a flashlight, so we could stay right here and keep kissing," I say hopefully, although Dany is already shaking her head no.

"I'm also starving, I am guessing there are some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches waiting for us." She giggles while grabbing my hand and leading me back towards camp.

++o++

Everyone was so relieved when I brought Dany back to the camp. She admitted that she felt so bad about what happened with Drogo and that she felt stressed that she may have ruined the trip. The group immediately put her at ease.

I now sit in my camping chair with Dany on my lap. We are sharing s'mores while snuggling. As much as I'm enjoying our last campfire with the group, I am anxious to get Dany back to our tent to be alone.

When no one is looking we steal short kisses and smile at each other. Dany bites her lower lip and leans down to kiss my neck.

"I wish we were alone," Dany whispers. My cheeks flush with excitement, I'm hoping she wants to be alone with me as much as I want to...and for the same reasons.

"Me too. We will be soon," I assure her.

As we are enjoying our beers, we go around and make toasts. When it's Sam's turn, he holds up his beer. He has consumed his fair share of beers tonight.

"I want to make a toast to Dany. I've never seen my best friend as happy and alive as he has been this trip. And let me add," Sam motions with his hands towards me and Dany, "I've never ever seen Jon be so loving and affectionate. Who knew that the same girl that I've been hearing about for almost a year would be the one to join our camping trip? To Dany!" Sam says, his voice full of emotion.

We all take a drink.

"Sam, what did you mean...you've been hearing about me for a year?" Dany asks. She looks genuinely confused.

The entire group is silent, and Sam's eyes widen as he takes a large drink from his beer.

I feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I lean over and kiss Dany on her shoulder. She turns to look at me, her eyebrows raised.

"On that note, I think Dany and I are going to call it a night. I do want to explain everything to her, but I also want to do it in private," I smile as the group laughs.

Sam looks mortified and apologetic.

"It's okay, Sam. I was going to tell her tonight anyway," I say to him.

We say goodnight and then use our lantern to walk to our tent. Dany leans up and kisses my cheek.

"Be ready to explain when we get to the tent," she teases me and then pinches my butt to stress her seriousness.

++o++

Once we are inside the tent, with our shoes kicked off, I pull her into my arms, kissing her forehead.

"I really care about you Dany, and I have for a while. I want you to know the truth," I begin.

She looks at me, confused. I clear my throat nervously.

"I've mentioned you a few times over the last year to Sam," I confess. "I've always felt a connection to you. I would have loved to get to know you better, even as a friend. The truth is, part of me always wanted more from you...since the day I met you."

"Wow...Jon. I'm actually shocked. I had no idea," Dany blushes while examining me. "So, why didn't you try to get to know me better?"

"First, I knew you had a boyfriend, and I was with Ygritte. And second, you were so aloof...I was sure you were not even remotely attracted to me," I mumble.

Dany starts laughing while shaking her head, she sits on the sleeping bag still chuckling.

"Are you kidding? I had a crush on you the moment I laid eyes on you," she says, her eyes bright with excitement. "But in all fairness, I did decide not to think about you that way because so many girls were after you. It was annoying."

Dany explains her visualization exercise that kept her emotions in check. A sixty-year old with eight grandkids, ha!

"Also, right before Ghost and I found you in the woods," I say in a rush, "the group played a game of Never Have I Ever. I admitted having a serious crush on you. Imagine my horror when Jamie and Brienne knew exactly who I was talking about. When I brought you back to camp, everyone knew who you were already. I wasn't sure if they'd play it cool!"

Dany blushes and then moves closer to me. I hold my breath as she pulls me towards her for a kiss.

I cup her face and pull away from her so I can look at her, studying every feature on her face, committing this moment to memory. I have to tell her how I feel. I don't care if it's too fast. It's what my heart is telling me.

"I'm crazy about you...like nothing I've ever felt before," I smile at her nervously. "I've been waiting until the right moment to ask you something."

"The right moment? Ask me what?" she says, smiling too.

"Yeah," I whisper, "and I just don't want to frighten you."

"You can say anything to me. You should know better, Jon," Dany says.

"Fine, then here goes. I really like you, a lot. And I know this is fast, but I really want us to date...exclusively," I tell Dany.

Her eyes light up and a smile breaks out on her face.

"I would like that too, Jon," she whispers.

"Dany, will you be my girlfriend?" I ask hopefully.

"Absolutely, now kiss me," she demands.

"Dany, you are amazing," I whisper, before giving her a kiss.

++o++

We spent hours gently kissing while talking about our lives, holding each other while lying on top of our sleeping bags. It's a much warmer night without the storm.

Our kisses are loving and slow, as I let my hands roam up and down her body. Then Dany pauses and guides my hands under her shirt as I explore her body.

"Dany," I moan her name softly as I discover she isn't wearing a bra. My need for her is overwhelming.

"Jon, I don't want to go too fast - at least not having sex tonight," Dany whispers while resting her forehead to mine.

"Neither do I," I nod in agreement. "I really want this to work. There's no rush. Let's really get to know each other. I want to know every part of you."

"Well, when you say things like that, you make it hard to be wise," Dany giggles before deepening our kiss and rolling onto her back and pulling me with her.

"Dany," I whisper as I situate myself on top of her. I know she can feel how hard my dick is.

With her lips parted and panting, I can see the lust in her eyes. She wraps her legs around me while pulling off my shirt. Her hands touch my chest and then she pulls me close. Dany’s hand resting on my back. I lie down, letting her feel exactly what she does to me. She moans with desire upon feeling my body's reaction to her. I softly pull her lower lip with my teeth in a teasing way before kissing her again.

I kiss her jaw, her neck, I slowly kiss behind her ear as she whimpers. My hands explore her perfect breasts as I lower my mouth to her cleavage while moving her shirt down one shoulder. Her moans encourage me on.

Suddenly I feel her tense, a frown appears on her face. I quickly pull her shirt back up her shoulder.

“Dany?” I ask with concern.

"Jon, what Drogo said about me - the frigid thing." Her cheeks get red as she clears her throat. "Drogo and I had a terrible sex life, thanks to the combination of his excessive drinking and me not being happy in the relationship. But...I don't think...I mean...."

"Dany, I wasn't worried for even a second that you and I are going to have any issues in the passion department. I already know how you react to me. When the time comes, when we are both ready...we are going to be together. Don't worry about that, okay?" I assure her.

"And let me assure you, my 'delivery' percentages will meet with your satisfaction," I promise her confidently with a teasing smile.

Her breath hitches before she runs the tip of her tongue across her lips. "I'm going to hold you to that," Dany says excitedly as she pulls her own shirt off with a wicked smile.

She laughs and pulls me in for a kiss.

I then kiss down her neck, stopping to lick her collarbone before kissing further to take her nipple in my mouth. Dany gasps and pulls my hair while still pushing my head closer to her.

I growl when she rocks her hips against me, grinding her core against my almost painfully hard dick. I look up to see her smirk as she enjoys my reaction. I kiss to the underside of her breast and gently bite her, she shudders while gasping loudly.

She rolls us over so that I’m laying on my back, sitting up she smiles down at me. Dany moves to straddle me as I sharply inhale.

I watch as she slowly and tenderly kisses my jaw, neck and then finally painstakingly kissing down my chest and stomach.

“You are absolutely beautiful, Jon,” she whispers. “Never forget it.”

I nod before quickly flipping her back over as I resume kissing her passionately.

I’ve never felt as close to someone as I do when in Dany’s arms.

++o++

After hours of giving and receiving affection we decide to get ready for sleep.  

As we change into our sleepwear and situate our sleeping bags I have an idea.

“What do you think about sleeping by the fire pit. Since it’s our last night camping?” I ask.

Her violet eyes light up as she nods enthusiastically.

I quietly set up our sleeping bags by the pit and Ghost has joined us, demanding pets from Dany. The moment she stops he nudged her hand with his head. She complies happily, Dany is very affectionate with my dog. Who seems to adore her already.

I know the feeling.

With Ghost sleeping at our feet and Dany and I holding each other before sleep we whisper quietly in between gentle kisses.

"We should be getting back to Boulder mid-afternoon at the latest. May I take you out on a date tomorrow night?" I ask hopefully as I kiss her neck. "I'd like to take you to The Mediterranean for dinner. After, we can walk around Pearl Street if you are up for it."

"Jon, I would love to go on a date with you tomorrow. But we don't need to eat at such a fancy restaurant," Dany says firmly, stopping to look me. "I just want to spend time with you. Let's eat at Chipotle, which is also on Pearl Street."

"It's our first real date, let me spoil you," I whisper.

Dany blushes but agrees. I kiss her nose.

"We can agree that our second date will be at Chipotle, which I think should be the following night," I notify her while she giggles and nods in agreement.

I pull her into my arms tightly so we can go to sleep.

It was a rough start, but it became the start of something beautiful.

"Goodnight, Dany," I whisper.

"Goodnight, Jon," she whispers, kissing me one last time before she falls asleep in my arms.

We lie under the stars while enjoying our last night of camping.

++o+ Story End +o++

[redbeardgeek]

Advantages of Composting for the Environment

Garden enthusiasts around the world understand that compost is a superb garden soil conditioner and additive which improves the efficiency and also workability associated with practically any kinds of topsoil. Digging in aerobic garden compost into your existing garden soil, makes it richer and more healthy helping plant life develop faster and stronger which as a negative effects will help our world in a wide array of easy ways from food production to irrigation.

This is exactly why Aerobic Compost is liked and valued by gardeners all around the world due to the fact that it has plenty of mineral deposits and nutrients which are suitable for promoting the healthy, lush and rapid growth of plants.

The strategy behind aerobic composting depends on the basic idea of return, which works on the theory of whatever you put in can help identify what it is you get out. Composting yard garden waste materials plus kitchen area leftovers is probably the most useful and also the most basic action you can require to minimize waste and establish an excellent, sustainable garden.

Utilising garden compost within your back garden recycles minerals and vitamins and organic and natural matter which helps to grow trouble-free flowers or veggies by utilizing a lot less water, industrial fertilizers and even pesticides. Being aware of what compost in fact is in addition to how it can help your garden, will result in high quality compost, even for those newbie gardeners, so following is a quick check list detailing the specific 7 components needed to guarantee an efficient and healthy composting load.

1. The Correct Types of Products - We're continuously being notified that for people to keep in good condition we require a healthy diet and precisely the very same is true about the compost heap. All the ingredients that you contribute to your composting stack are its sources of food and energy.

Composting microorganisms make it through best on a mixture of succulent tasty nitrogen plentiful materials known as "greens", such as fresh new yard clippings, weeds, and also garden plants, along with woody carbon rich components called "browns", like fall leaves, branches, straw or paper.

I would believe that you may have all observed before that including simply food wastes from the kitchen area in your garden compost is a great concept. While this does work, a good mix of browns and greens is important for creating fast results. As a general guideline, you should fill your aerobic composting load, or composting bin with one part "Green" type products to around 30 parts of "Brown" type products.

This ratio is very important because an aerobic pile including lots of browns will require a long time to decay, whilst a lot of greens will result in a stinky algae type of mess.

Remember, that too create the very best type of garden compost, all the materials you contribute to the compost pile must have these following characteristics. 1), they need to be bio-degradable and 2), they ought to include items that are liked by the micro-organisms. Then this suggests that you really need to avoid the things they do not like such as various meats, bone pieces, fats and cooking oils as well as milk related items merely since they do not break down successfully and generally make the compost heap smell bad. Also, including meat related products to an aerobic compost pile is a lot like providing an open welcome for rats and other such scavenging animals to feed on your compost pile.

2. Product Size - As with a great deal of things in this life, size really does matter. Including large branches, huge leafy materials and even whole food items on your compost heap is only going to decrease its rate of decomposition. All of the composting microorganisms, bugs and composting worms living in your compost only have small jaws so naturally they like smaller sized portions to chew on. Cutting larger organic food items in to smaller sized bits, by using a saw, garden shredder or your lawn mower will help break down the larger items into smaller bite-sized pieces.

Nearly all bacteria's and micro-organisms normally have a difficult time discovering their preferred foods consisted of within big woody type brown products due to their hard exteriors so shredding the materials you add helps them on their way. Because the compostable materials are made much smaller, a lot more surface and inner location will be exposed to the microorganisms which perform the task of decay.

If these materials are separated and minimized beforehand, it can help speed up the decomposition procedure since the smaller sized the pieces, the faster they can break down. However there is also a disadvantage in shredding woody products to carefully.

These smaller sized particles will likely produce a more compressed aerobic compost heap minimising ventilation and air circulation inside the heap which could in turn lead to an anaerobic condition because of the insufficient oxygen and so the stack may have to be shelled out more frequently.

3. The Garden Compost Heaps Size - How huge your composting load is also makes a huge distinction not just to the speed of decomposition but for the last quality of the completed stack. Generally, a compost heap requires to be at most comparable to about one cubic metre (3 x 3 x 3 feet) in volume as this makes it simpler to manage. Smaller sized aerobic stacks tend to dry out easily therefore require regular watering, although commercially available composting bins which have solid sides plus a cover can help keep smaller piles damp. Larger aerobic composting piles inhabit a lot extra space and will have to be dished out to allow more air into their center.

Additionally, shelling out an aerobic compost heap on a regular basis to shift recently added external materials towards the piles center, and even to a different area or composting bin is simpler and much less effort when the real size of the compost pile is far more convenient.

4. Water Material - One other essential part with regards to quick aerobic composting is the correct amount of water. Microbes live in thin watery films which surround the aspects within the compost heap so it helps to keep the compost pile damp at all times. If your stack becomes dried out, the bacterial microbes are not able to work efficiently so include some additional greens. Ought to the stack end up being too wet, the bacterial microbes are not able to receive the amount of oxygen they want to breath so include some extra browns and dish out the pile to mix it in.

It is basic to learn if your compost heap includes the appropriate volume of water (40-60%), merely take hold of a little handful from the compostable material and then squeeze it. If water leaks out through your fingers, then the stack has actually ended up being too wet. Ideally the compost needs to be a little moist, much like a damp fabric or sponge to be able to ensure bacterial decomposition and development.

5. Aeration - the composting of materials is definitely an aerobic procedure. In order to help develop top-notch compost quickly, plenty of fresh tidy air is vital to let the microorganisms and bugs living and thriving inside it breathe. Dishing out your garden compost using a spade or pitchfork when and even twice a week helps aerate the pile in addition to putting the freshly added fresher external materials into its middle and vice-versa.

The approach of forking or turning and including dry or coarse materials to the compost pile will help increase aeration, prevent odour-causing bacteria's from developing and also help to accelerate the aerobic composting process. This action of forking over compost on a regular basis in order to help accelerate the piles decomposition procedure is called "active composting". Simply turning and forking the stack enables surplus water to escape and evaporate delivering fresh tidy air to the stack at the same time.

6. Micro-organisms and Bugs - No aerobic composting heap worth its salt would not be total without the presence of the microorganisms and bugs which do all the work. It is these tiny little air-breathing micro-organisms and their bigger soil loving cousins which are found naturally within the soil structure that will grow within the wet and nutrient-rich environments which you have created.

The smaller sized decomposters for instance fungi and germs start the decomposition process whilst bigger sized bugs such as worms, beetles, millipedes and centipedes, complete the decomposition cycle. What's left is a practically black humus soil enhancing medium.

To be able to effectively establish and increase, all these macro and micro-organisms require an energy source like for example the "browns", which provides them with a carb source and the "greens", which gives them a protein rich source. In addition to these they also need oxygen and water to endure.

However just like people, these bugs also like it warm and cosy, which suggests your compostable active ingredients will definitely be turned into a finished garden compost much more rapidly during the summer months when the sun's rays help warm things up compared to the chillier cold weather.

7. Don't Hurry, Be Patient - Aerobic composting takes time. The speed or rate of composting relies upon lots of elements as we have seen, such as the moisture material, level of aeration, along with the carbon-to-nitrogen percentage, the actual greens-to-browns ratio. Generally, aeration and humidity are typically the two crucial factors influencing the amount of time needed to develop your ended up garden compost.

But you can help Nature on her way by routine forking and turning of your compost heap which will most likely produce quality garden compost in about one or two months in the summer whilst regular monthly turnings could create compost from about four to six months in time. The quickest composting happens when you have already pre-mixed the browns and greens materials, including some previous microorganism abundant compost and turning or blending the pile weekly, in addition to controlling the amount of air and water. But if all that is just too much work, then sit back, unwind and let the bugs do the work.

Aerobic compost is an exceptional garden soil additive which boosts the workability and effectiveness of your garden soil. The proper quantity and kinds of materials you add into the compost pile really makes a big distinction on the level of quality and the composting time period.

You ought to consider your aerobic compost heap as resembling a self included eco-system, and in order for it to establish and endure, this specific eco-system needs the correct mixture of active ingredients and materials such as "Oxygen" (the air), "Warmth" (the sun), "Food" (the compostable materials), and "Wetness" (the water), with the resulting quality and amount of the ended up garden compost being identified by just how well you are able to handle and control all of these 4 variables.

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[cliffstowingswtq517]

12 Stats About towing company to Make You Look Smart Around the Water Cooler

6 Tips for Controlling as well as Negotiating Tractor-Trailer Towing Recovery Charges

When a tractor-trailer moving payload is actually involved in an incident, the case handling method can end up being really difficult and also time-consuming. If the trailer tips over, our team are actually dealing with damaged payload, cleanup of the spill (it makes concerns much worse if the cargo is a hazardous waste), and towing of the tractor as well as the trailer.

When these crashes do take place, the most integral part of the insurance claim handling procedure is receiving the tractor repaired, and the driver back while driving rapidly as well as cost-efficiently. The obstacle with efficiently completing this is navigating the blockades that can easily come up, a number of which are actually very easy to haggle, while others can be incredibly challenging to maneuver around.

The Relocating Business

A relocating business's truck was delivering household things when it was involved in an accident. The trailer toppled, causing damages to the tractor, the trailer as well as a few of the components. The items that spilled over away from the trailer required cleanup and removal.

The towing business took out the tractor and also trailer as well as cleaned the items that spilled out. The statement complete seemed to be a bit on the higher edge upon the initial assessment. There were fees for a number of dubious line opportunities and labor prices. Negotiating the towing, clean and storage space prices took a substantial quantity of time as well as effort prior to repairs can start on the firm's moving truck.

Like any other company, insurance providers master numerous locations of the case taking care of process but can use help with certain aspects, such as arranging towing costs as well as maintaining all of them under control. An adjuster experienced in towing as well Click for info as negotiating will definitely have the capacity to examine the company's costs and determine any sort of red-flag items.

Ways to handle higher costs when examining the expense

This seems to be fairly simple, but the expense needs to have to be very carefully assessed. It takes an eagle eye to establish if the charges are actually blown up, and a knowledgeable adjuster to arrange these prices down. Constantly examine the expense to find out if the costs are fair.

# 1 Is every line product appointed?

The billing coming from the towing business appeared excessive. Upon evaluating the bill, every little bit of fee was a line-item. This is actually a red flag. They thorough every cost, consisting of a $200 cost for the orange conoids put around the collision web site. When the firm begins detailing every collection thing, it's a tip-off that they're making an effort to obtain the expense as high as possible.

# 2 What kind of tow truck was utilized?

If a 50-ton potter's wheel tow truck was made use of to tow a tiny city truck, that must be wondered about. Did they truly need to have that kind of tow truck? There may not possess been actually some other truck accessible, however should our company be in charge of that much higher fee when a smaller sized tow truck will have sufficed?

# 3 The amount of workers were actually needed to have for the towing and clean-up?

If it looks like there were actually a lot of employees associated with the cleaning, inquiry it. At times it's a security concern. Our experts had a claim where the tractor-trailer jackknifed, as well as the trailer was hanging over a bridge. This was actually undoubtedly a security problem-- the trailer required to be taken out ASAP. There are actually various other cases where there is actually little to no cleaning, but twenty employees were onsite. Question if that was actually required as well as negotiate if you experience it was actually over-kill.

Whenever achievable, it is to the chauffeur's benefit to take photos of the incident internet site. This will aid when information is needed to have, particularly if the costs seem excessive.

# 4 Discuss the expense

As said over, the primary objective is actually to get the motorist back to operate in his truck. If the chauffeur is independent, he does not get back to operate until his truck is actually launched from the tow yard and fixed. The truck, trailer, as well as contents will certainly more than likely be actually dealt with separately. Most tow business won't discharge the tractor until all costs are spent-- which may consist of towing the trailer and clean up and/or extraction of the packages. Although the chauffeur's insurance policy covers just his tractor, it won't be actually discharged to him until all costs are paid. A TPA can assist in the discussions, and also various other locations.

# 5 Get the motorist back on the road

Speed is the secret when settling the costs for towing, as well as getting the tractor, trailer, and freight released. This acquires the chauffeur back when traveling earning a wage. An individual motorist can easily not function without his tractor. If the chauffeur helps a transport company, they will definitely likely offer him another tractor to drive, however it still implies there is actually one less truck hauling packages for the business. Some transport business fix their trucks and also send out the costs to the company. This sets the adjuster at a negative aspect due to the fact that you don't possess very much info on the fixing particulars. A TPA can team up with the transit provider to know the particulars of the charges as well as probably discuss a lesser charge.

# 6 Confirm the charges

An insurance adjuster possesses knowledge in handling tow companies. He can evaluate the costs as well as establish if the fees are fair or higher.

Final thought

There are a lot of parts in the process of obtaining the truck, driver, and trailer back while driving. It is very important to have an insurance adjuster experienced in dealing with towing as well as capable to find the warnings when evaluating the expense. If towing is actually demanded after a crash, the chauffeur possesses little to no management over who does the towing, especially if it is non-consent as well as the authorities phone the tow provider. Every condition possesses its own collection of guidelines and requirements on optimum towing costs when the tow is non-consent. The insurer needs to have to become aware of these guidelines and exactly how they relate to each case.

It's insufficient for the insurance adjuster to be able to recognize the warnings. They also need to be capable to follow up on these red flags and also have the negotiating skill-sets required to handle the tow company.

Some insurers don't possess the moment to take care of the details of towing. Outsourcing towing lead to one a lot less migraine. Some insurance firms need to have assist with particular facets of the insurance claim managing method. They may be actually excellent at discussing repair shop predicts for the tractor however require assistance in various other regions-- like arranging towing costs. Contracting out towing gives the insurance company additional opportunity to handle and also pay attention to tractor fixings.

Towing a Car Tips

Towing a car suggestions: essential reading for all vehicle drivers, whether they find themselves needing a tow or concerning the rescue of a person whose car has broken.

Most drivers break at some aspect or another. If you malfunction, you ought to phone your FastRecovery.ie breakdown cover service provider that are going to be able to assist-- specifically as FastRecovery.ie Watches correct 4 out of 5 vehicles at the kerbside. Yet if you haven't yet bought your breakdown cover, you might need to refer to as a buddy to offer you a tow. Alternatively, you might acquire a telephone call from a friend in need. Regardless, it's a really good tip to understand how to tow a car safely as well as legally only in the event the worst must take place.

Towing Basics

Both parties associated with the towing mission needs to remember the following:

An 'On Tow' sign should be actually put at the rear of the lorry being actually lugged

When the lorries are fastened entirely by a rope or towing company even chain, the maximum distance permitted in between the motor vehicles is actually 4.5 metres

If the range between the 2 vehicles goes beyond 1.5 metres, the rope or even establishment should be accurately apparent within a realistic span coming from either side to other roadway customers, through connecting a coloured agitating fabric between, for instance

The individual in the broken car must be a qualified vehicle driver

If it's black, the broken auto must possess its lights on as it would under usual circumstances.

Tips for the Towing Motorist

You require to take whatever sluggish and steady-- never exceed 15 miles per hour. Make use of the clutch to pull away delicately to stop pulling on the rope unexpectedly, which can easily cause the tow rope to break, and also prevent any sort of abrupt braking because the towed chauffeur might not be able to react swiftly sufficient to cease-- touch delicately instead to notify them. Similarly, suggest in loads of time as well as avoid any sudden changes of instructions or even excessive actions, as the motorist being actually towed will definitely locate it challenging to guide and also brake with you.

While you're towing, examine your represents often to be sure whatever looks all right. Likewise keep an eye on your auto's evaluates, especially temp and also oil tension-- if they modify quickly certainly there can be a problem therefore pull over immediately.

Tips for the Motorist Being Actually Towed

Prior to you set off, make certain the ignition change resides in the 'on' placement to disengage the guiding hair and make it much easier for you to guide the malfunctioned car. Proactively steer and also brake your automobile in synchronization with the towing auto and keep some tension in the towrope or even towing pole in all times through applying light braking tension to reduce any sort of jolting. Keep as alert as you would if you were actually steering, paying for particular interest to the towing car's brake lightings as well as red flags so you have as a lot observe as feasible of what is actually appearing.

[ggemdesignco]

3 Easy Ways to Cure a Boring Table Top

Have you ever had a tabletop fail? Was it too spare and empty? Was it overly full? Was there a “vase in the face”? Did it look like someone parked William Sonoma in your house with just a bunch of random store stuff and no art, or life or tabletop soul?! 

I gotcha. Here are 3 easy ways to cure boring tabletops without parking the contents of an entire kitchen store on top of it. 

1. GET TO A THRIFT STORE, OR BUY VINTAGE

Get out there to any thrift store. They are often overwhelmed with glassware and plates and vases and bottles. The quickest and easiest way to mix it up is to add some weird vintage to the mix! Go ahead, stick some tiger stripe with your grandmother’s china. I sure did! 

These bone china tiger print plates and the adorable vintage bird salt and pepper shakers are from the thrift store. This bamboo Noritake pattern is available at @replacementsltd. Check out those acorn-y branches! 

       Shopping hacks: 

To look for bone china (Which may feel the least sturdy but is actually VERY strong) read the fine print on the plates, they will often just say “bone china”, and hold plates up to the lights to see if light shines through. If it does, it may be a fine piece! 

To find good crystal that will sparkle in the candlelight and throw rainbows when sunlight streams thru, flick the side of any glass while holding by the stem or base. If it’s a resonant sound that carries, it’s likely crystal. If it’s a click, clang or thud- it’s not.  Do not limit yourself to just plates and crystal! A collection of vases, globes, cookie jars, candles, or boxes, or or or or... groups of things look incredible with some branches and a set table. 

 2. GET OUTSIDE

Go cut some branches. They are truly seasonal of course, because the seasons are happening! They have the “local sense of place” because they grow right in your yard, and they can make a GRAND gesture. The added benefit is you probably needed to prune, so....  Add a little bit of florist bought floral (I love real florists because they usually have refined tastes and get beyond the basics, in both filler AND flowers- but I also totally respect the basics offered at places like Trader Joes and farmers markets). The mix will give your table vibrancy.

Wash the branches you bring in and check them for aphids and the like. 

Fallen leaves and eucalyptus branches for a holiday table in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. 

3. GET WEIRD!

Table top is just fun, so don’t be afraid to get totally weird. I get weird with fabrics; from vintage finds (quilts, picnic blankets, tarps) to remnants from wonderful past projects, all kinds of fabric. I also get weird with random decor items (inspired by my incredibly chic aunt’s antique bowling pins and wooden spools). Here, I’m going to show you the same table, styled 3 different ways.  

Above is the “no fabric” look to avoid “vase in the face”, I’ve spaced the place settings accordingly, but let’s be real, I’m gonna put that thing on the counter and replace it with the wine when dinner rolls around. 

In this photo above you’ll see colorful remnant fabric, a bunch of our Toyon bush, and some gorgeous Cedar we had in the yard, with some florist-bought thistle and eucalyptus bud creating an impactful low arrangement.  My vintage globe collection is tucked in there, too. There was no moving this monster, it was dinner for 16! 

And a picnic blanket fall table. The blanket was too small for the table, but thrown over the seat of the banquette it was just as impactful. I found the perfect oak branches with acorn caps still attached in the backyard. That vintage trophy in the center is slim enough it can stay put. 

Last thing.

4. THERE ARE NO ACTUAL RULES

Just know that there are no actual rules. You can put the glasses on the wrong side, you can not have the “right” glass. You can put salad in a bowl, you can put soup in a mug. You can use a ship’s ladder as a bar as we did for the Pasadena Showcase House with Mystic Waster Gardens.

Ship’s ladder as a bar. 

Mismatched vintage brooches with ribbons salvaged from gifts makes a perfect napkin ring on this formal table New Year’s Table. 

Table top and entertaining is a super satisfying way to be creative on a smaller scale, but you gotta remember this... It’s also ok to blow off this whole blog post and have paper plates and a plastic cup full of sporks. I swear, it’s all fine! 

If you wanna get creative, try some of this, and if you wanna take it easy, do that! And if you’re in the Los Angeles area, and need a little help with styling using what you’ve got, we can handle it in a consult and a follow up package full of vintage goodness. Give the office a call.  xo -Shannon Photos by @mpkelley_

[urbanindia-blog]

How to Wear Saree and Draping Styles With 27 Modern Ways

What could thrash the elegance of a long saree? Absolutely nothing unless it's draped as mess! Sarees can be official, sexy, amusing, and conventional and much more than just a simple 9-yard saree. Let's learn about 27 ways of how to wear saree in modern style to look beautiful on any occasion or festival.

Latest Saree Draping Styles 2019

Saree seems to be great on each body kind and in fact, makes a lady look slim if draped in such a technique! It's not astonishing that saree is the best and the most preferable Indian apparel for women in India. You can appear like a diva in outfits but a saree can make you similar to a princess!

Ladies can put faith in a saree for a wonderful chic look if draped to perfection. So, without talking much, we fetch you some different saree styles wear with modern twist and button up a traditional look.

1- Mumtaz Style Saree Draping

Mumtaz style for saree draping is a retro style that was made celebrated by actor Mumtaz and is a great festivity look if you have a different love for a sexy chiffon saree with a blingy border. Mumtaz Style Saree Draping Youtube For Step-by-step instructions to know Mumtaz saree wear style watch following Saree wearing DIY tutorial Video.

It looks stunning on curvy women and is decorated in such a manner that the edge of the saree wrapped in circles all over the upper body.

2- Cape Style Drape

Cape style saree draping is one inclination which has crunched into the trend and we love this cape over outfit trend. It is a perfect saree draping method to jazz up the look a bit. The idea behind draping a saree with a matching cape over it is amazing. Select your desired saree and find a cape stitched so you can dress over it to add zing to things. Explore: Beautiful Bridal Mehndi Designs

3- Butterfly Saree Wear Style

You must have seen it on most of the celebrities. It is a sexy saree style that is non-bulky and up to date take on saree draping styles in 2019. Just fold the top part of your pallu into a slender column after creating a butterfly form at the lower part of the pallu, and you're set to rock the parties. How to Wear Butterfly Style Saree Step by Step Interested in learning styles of saree draping watch following saree wear instructions.

4- Gujarati Style

This conventional style of draping a saree fetches out the affluent work in heavy sarees. The traditional Gujarati gets draped in such a way that it covers up the frontage and the pallu is inserted in the front.

But there is a different side of this traditional saree style. You can wear it in the modern style of saree draping. Yes, you heard it right! Sonam shows us how you can put in some flavor to the Gujarati style of saree draping. Wear Gujarati Style Saree Step by Step Video

5- Pants style

Saree draping with Pants: Photos

Saree pants are an up to date blend look we cannot get enough of. Chic and neutral, it is destined for fashionistas who in fact want to be obvious at official parties.

6- The Angrakha Drape

Enthused by the Mughal garments this striking way of swathing a saree is not only modern but looks amazing! 7- Dhoti style

This saree draping manner is here to put a lot of attractiveness amongst fashionistas, give credits to its better fashion quotient. Not only does it permits for additional faction, but also ensure to make you appear great with winter blazers and jackets, for a diverse look.

8- Pre-stitched/cocktail style

The pre-stitched and cocktail style of wearing saree is all about modern and chic saree fashion, as it is about the blouse. It is an enormous look to set off if you're wearing chiffon or Georgette sarees with heavy border pallu. You can join up these sarees with sequined nettops, embroidered chemise, and blingy crop tops. Also Read: Durga Pooja Dress Ideas for this year

9- The Double Drape

This is a conventional and very inventive drape that uses two sarees concurrently! If you are puzzled as what to put on and sheltered between your sarees, pick both of them and get a twofold drape done just like Sonam Kapoor.

10- The Fringe Drape

You don't really have to devote in a luxurious designer saree to get into a saree with long fringes. You can easily get it finished on your own to your favorite satin or simple sarees. There are heaps of fringe laces in the market, just pick one and visit your tailor to stitch it by the side of the borders of your saree. This way when you wrap your DIY fringe saree drape, everybody's going to stare at you with amusement. So gear up and reprocess your old saree into an innovative one.

11- The Ripped Jeans drape

Women love ripped jeans and therefore the finest way to put into your saree trip. You can pair it with your much loved ripped jeans and appear like a true fashionista.

12- Neck Wrap Style

Trench the conventional style and try dissimilar saree draping styles! You can seize the pallu over your neck to construct it like a trendy scarf. Endeavor this with a handwoven piece to provide the saree a contemporary twist. As an alternative of draping the pallu of your saree the standard method, strive to drape it similar to scarves. Not merely is this very fashionable and chic, but it will also keep you warm throughout those cold winter weddings.

13- Belted Style Drape

All you call for this look is a statement belt to pushover your waist. It puts in an up to date and edgy panache to the standard saree look.

14- The Voluminous Saree Style Drape

A chiffon saree with a deep border swathed in a similar old way might get a bit too boring. You can try wearing it over your can-can lehenga like the celebrities. This one is top suitable for short women as it has a great deal of quantity and drama going on which would formulate you like a little overload.

15- Lehenga style Saree Drape

If you have your friend’s wedding and you want to wear lehenga but don’t want to purchase one then try the lehenga style saree, and counterfeit the look. At present, while it necessitates some quantity of persistence and endeavor, it is absolutely better than wasting money on lehenga you will by no means wear again.

16- The Twisted Pallu Saree Drape

We all adore the tidily badged pallu at the shoulder but to put in that little extra oomph, just twist the pallu like you would wind a rope plait and get your saree to be the core of attraction! Make certain you have a fascinating blouse available because the blouse is going to be the axis of the stage.

17- The Chinese Buff drape

A very ground-breaking way to swathe your lace sarees and overstated sarees is to wrap the pallu at the waist in a wrong side up that the pallu outlines a Chinese fan-like shape when the pallu is brooched at the shoulder.

18- Bengali Style

While conventional Bengali sarees do not always engage an overturn drape, this substitute Bengali style is more accepted because of its individuality. It is immense for sarees with rich boundaries but is also a big draping style if you actually want to brag that backless blouse.

19- Corset Style Drape

Corset belts and blouses are “it” obsession that trendy girls love this season. Slip in your dissimilar saree draping styles. A corset belt in the similar print as your pallu, will emphasize your waist and highlight your bends. Also Read: Winter Mens Fashion Trends this Year

20- Trail Style Drape

The saree is essentially draped the accustomed way but the extent of the pallu is wrapped in such a way that it is extended enough to craft a trail when pinned in the rear. This is best decorated if you are having a huge party to go to.

21- Dupatta Style Drape

The easiest and a preferred drape that has popularized by many Indian fashion icons like Sonam Kapoor, is all in trend. All you have to accomplish is hit upon a matching bordered dupatta that would go off with your saree and dress in it just like Sonam Kapoor. The knockout factor is the dupatta around your neck.

22- Tunic Style Drape

To jazz things up, just add tunic blouse and a wobbly draped pallu that has been insecurely pleated on the left shoulder. It is probable to dig up this drape if the saree has a vividly diverse half that is in a brave design. The silver ornaments and the hairstyle add extra to the look. This style is very effortless to realize with raw fabrics as well as black and white crepes that have a half and half design.

23- Inverted Style Drape

Inverted style of wearing saree

Remember the blue saree of Deepika Padukone from Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani that made headings. The oppressive look of Deepika was channeled with an inverted drape style of saree. This saree style looks like the Mermaid adorns but the only dissimilarity is that it is joined modest below the common waist to stress the curves and wrap get slender at the bodice. The fashion is just right to draw attention to your hourglass figure.

24- Structured Over Dress Style Drape

If you can’t do well in cultural Indian wear, there is no need to be dissatisfied. You can still dress in a saree by revolving it into prearranged clothing just like the recent fashion trend. All you require is a couple of toning leggings or fitted pants and dress a half-saree above it just like a skirt. Cover up one shoulder with the pallu where pleats are optional. There you go! An easy-peasy saree dress is all set. Tie a metallic belt more or less around the waist for extra fashion tips.

25- Crop Top Style Drape

Crop tops are such a rant and rave these days. But the best thing is- they have swapped for saree blouses. You don’t have to wear embroidered or heavy saree blouses in the comparable outline. Try something dissimilar by adding up a crop-top wind to your saree. A black crop top will be an immense venture as it will go off with any saree. Swathe the saree in your own method and set out with nominal accessories look.

26- Bikini Saree Style Drape

For the contemporary women who desire to embellish saree with no ruckus, bikini saree draping fashion is perfect for them. A blouse is restored with a bikini to disclose more but the stability is attained by keeping the pallu in the undo fashion with no pleats.

27-Dhoti Style Saree Draping

Dhoti Style SaImage

Dhoti Saree drape is one of the most loved and fascinating draping style among saree fashion lovers. Dhoti Style Saree is easy and quick way to look beautiful for party or casual occasions. To adopt this style, you need to make sure that fabric of saree is like chiffon and void printed sarees to display drape of dhoti saree clearly. To make this saree style more appealing make sure you carry beautiful blouse, Lycra tights and use shoes before draping any saree style to make proper saree length. How to Wear Dhoti Saree Step by Step Video Dhoti Style Saree Drape is one of the simplest saree draping style to implement with your any trendy saree. Please checkout following modern dhoti saree draping tutorial below for step by step guide.

Learn How to wear saree like Sonam Kapoor : Dhoti Saree Type Hope you liked all different saree styles wear listed in this saree draping ideas post. If You know about other ways of wearing a saree, please feel free to comment below and suggest us so we can list all of modern saree draping and wearing styles for saree lovers. Open Urban India for more information

[ilsa-makes-things]

Tutorial:  Sew Decorative Bunting from Scrap Fabric

Hey, all! Today we'll be talking about how to make bunting out of fabric scraps, and how to do it quickly and efficiently.

To decorate Drentha's large Ragnarok campsite, we need a LOT of bunting, so I wanted to make this process fast and easy. All the online tutorials I found were for cute, two-yard strands for decorating toddler birthday parties or forced you to do pointless fiddly work (why hem the flags when they, cut on the bias, won't really fray?). I also needed my bunting to be sturdy, since I would be tying it to trees and iron tent stakes and picnic tables and letting it hang in the wind and the rain for eight days.

My bunting has been to two camp-outs, and I'm really pleased with how it held up, so now I'm sharing my process. Let's go!

You'll need:

--A bunch of scrap fabric in multiple colors (any fiber content is fine!)

--Cardboard (for pattern and storing the finished bunting)

--Chalk or other fabric marking implement

--Scissors or rotary cutter and mat

--3/4” twill tape (I buy mine from Wawak.com, my favorite source for cheap thread and notions)

--A sewing machine with a zigzag stitch

Cut your fabric

Draw a triangle, 8” tall by 6” wide, on your cardboard for a pattern. Cut this out (but not with your good fabric scissors!) so you can trace it.

The trick to speedy fabric cutting is to avoid cutting your triangular flags out individually. Since we want a TON of flags, we'll sacrifice perfection for the sake of speed. If you have bigger pieces of scrap fabric to use, you can fold it up into layers that are about 8” tall by 6” wide and hack a bunch of flags at once.

Trace your cardboard pattern onto your fabric, flipping the pattern vertically so your triangles fit together tightly-- this will let you get the most flags out of your fabric. 

Cut out your flags. If you're using multiple colors, stack them up into piles of like colors as you go. 

Next, we'll open up our twill tape.

But why not bias tape?!

Yeah, I said twill tape, which, I recognize, is a notion not all of us have laying around. Why am I asking you to use something weird for a fabric that's meant to be easy and use up scraps? Well...

Bias tape is expensive. The money really adds up if you're buying it in those little 3-yard packs-- and three yards is nothing! I have something like forty yards of bunting, and it honestly doesn't look like much when it's draped around camp. And no way am I stopping every three yards to piece a new packet of bias tape in, nope.

Bias tape stretches. That's what things cut on the bias do: they stretch. This is less than ideal for something that will get tied around trees, tents, etc.

Bias tape is weak. If you inspect your bias tape closely, you'll note that it has tiny seams on some pieces. Even if you buy it in a 100 yard spool, it will actually be pieced together out of multiple lengths of fabric. If you tug on a piece with seams, the stitches can pop. Again, we're tying this stuff to trees, etc, so that's not okay.

If you absolutely must use bias tape, you'll want the single-fold stuff (which is creased down the middle, not folded in on both sides) and you'll want it to be at least 1/2” wide. But seriously, why bother when you can use...

Twill tape (aka cotton tape, herringbone tape) is the bee's absolute KNEES, guys. It's woven to width, so its edges don't fray. It's used for shoelaces and drawstrings and tent ties, so it's incredibly strong. And it comes in vast spools (The only reason I don't own a 50 or 100 yard spool is because I live in a small apartment with little room for supply-stashes. :( ) A 36-yard spool will set you back $7 in basic colors, and it will be about the size of a hockey puck. Even I can store that.

For this project, you'll want 3/4” to 1” wide twill tape. Since we'll fold this in half, the final tape will be about 3/8″-1/2” wide.

Mise en place

Set out your cut fabric flags by your machine, with the stacks of each color arranged in the order you'll use them.

Pull off a good two feet of your twill tape and put it to the back of your machine. This tape without flags sewn to it will make it easier for you to tie the end of the strand around trees, etc.

Set your machine to a long and wide zigzag stitch. On my machine, this is a 3.0 length and a 5.0 width. You want your zigzag to be about half the width of your tape. We're using a zigzag because it will let us be sloppier in sewing than the straight stitch-- if we veer a little, it will still catch the flags.

Set in the flags

Did you notice that the supply list didn't include pins or rulers? That's because we're not going to pin our flags into place or precisely measure where they'll be placed on the tape, because pinning and measuring is slow. I promise you that, with some practice, you can easily sew a 6” length without pins-- and since we're making a lot of bunting, you'll get that practice very fast!

Put your twill tape on the machine, but don't lower the needle into it yet. Lay the top of your triangle (the side with the 6” base) on top of the tape. You don't want all of your tape to be covered by the base of the flag-- a bit more than half of the tape's width showing is plenty. Less, and your flag might not get caught in the fold; more, and the raw edge will get folded over, too, and poke back out to fray.

We're going to fold the tape in half over the base of the triangle, so when we run our zigzag stitch over it all, the flag will get firmly stitched into the folded tape.

Lower your needle into the folded tape and stitch over the flag. You'll fold the tape in half as you go-- again, no pins! It seriously doesn’t matter if your tape isn’t perfectly folded, as long as the flag is trapped in the stitching. 

Now that you’ve sewn your first flag, don't cut your thread or pull anything off the machine. We're going to stitch as many flags as possible on one pass, so it's time to move on!

Place the next flag

We'll want an empty gap between our flags, because the flags hang wrong if you jam them too close together. A 3-5” gap is good, but believe me, you will have so much bunting that no one will notice if this gap is off by a few inches. So, after you fold the tape over your first flag and stitch it down, keep folding the tape in half and stitch it down for 3-5” before placing your next flag and stitching as before.

Wind your finished bunting

Your yards of bunting will pile up behind your machine really quickly. I highly recommend that, every few yards, you wind your finished strand onto a piece of cardboard to store it. Your bunting will live on this card. When you're putting your bunting up at camp, wind it off this to keep it tidy. When you're breaking down camp, wind your bunting back onto this card so it doesn't turn into a hopeless, tangled mess!

Leave a flag-less tail at the end

When you've run out of flags, finish your bunting by leaving another two feet-ish of “blank” tape at the end of the strand, just like you did at the beginning. Again, this is to facilitate your tying the end to whatever you need.

Go make eeeeeeverything into bunting!

Wasn't that easy? You should totally go make more in different fabrics and color combinations! I want to see Ragnarok absolutely covered with this stuff. Use it to flag your tent ropes so they don't catch drunks! Decorate your camp borders! Use it to tie up troublesome goblins! There are a million ways to use this stuff, which is good-- it's so quick and easy to make that you'll be looking for ways to deploy it.

Remember t’s perfectly fine to make short lengths of bunting. You might have areas in camp that only need short pieces, and you can always tie short lengths together. I make as much bunting as I have the attention span for, then cut it off, wind it up and make more another day. There is no wrong answer, as long as you’re using up scraps and having fun. :)

Thanks for reading. Now, go forth and bunt!