#//no need to match with my length since this is a start to the thread!

[roosterforme]

The Younger Kind Part 24 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: When you and Bradley put some pieces of the puzzle together, you realize it was a blessing in disguise that you ran into Meredith. But in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Bradley is hanging on by a thread. How could anyone try to take Noah away from him?

Warnings: Angst, swearing, fluff, and age gap (18+)

Length: 4000 words

Pairing: Single dad!Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x babysitter!female reader

Check out my masterlist for more! The Younger Kind masterlist.

Bradley strolled out of work with Nat hot on his heels. "She's picking you up?" she asked, clearly surprised by the turn of events over the past few days. When Bradley saw you leaning against the Bronco in the parking lot, Nat gasped. "You let her drive your Bronco?"

"Yeah, I trust her," he replied, taking off at a faster pace to get to you. The expression on your face had him a little worried, and you looked tired, but he was so happy to see you. Because he'd been anxious all day.

"Hi, Natasha," you called out, waving past Bradley as he scooped you up in a hug. "And hi, Daddy," you whispered, next to his ear as he held you.

"Hi, Baby," he sighed, kissing your glossy lips. "I missed you. Did you have a good day?"

You sucked in a deep breath, but then Nat was there, and the two of you were chatting. But your face was pinched and agitated instead of smooth and perfect, and you were playing with your hands nervously. Bradley let you talk to Nat for a few more minutes, and then he softly kissed the top of your head. 

"Don't want to be late to pick Noah up," he told you, and then he gave Nat a hug and took the keys when you held them up for him. "You gonna tell me what's wrong?" he asked as he put the Bronco in gear.

"Why do you think something's wrong?" you asked casually, reaching for his hand. 

"I can tell something's bothering you, Princess. But I'm assuming since you just grabbed my hand that you're not upset with me.

There was a brief pause before you said, "I saw Meredith when I went grocery shopping this morning."

Bradley nearly swerved off the road. "This morning? You saw her this morning, and you're just telling me about it now?" he glanced your way briefly. What happened? Did you get hurt?"

"I'm fine, Bradley." You squeezed his hand and pulled it to your lips, pressing a soft kiss to his thumb. "I'm perfectly fine."

"I swear, she's trying to ruin my life," he growled. "Won't leave me alone. Thinks it's okay to go after you. I'm afraid I'm going to fucking lose it in the courtroom when I see her tomorrow."

"Bradley, let's just go home and have a nice dinner, and then we can talk about it in a few hours after Noah is in bed, okay? You need to stay calm."

But that proved impossible. Bradley watched you with his son, just as patient as ever. You alternated between making dinner and coloring with him while Bradley silently panicked. He had no idea how he could give this up. Even looking at Noah right now was painful for him. And when Noah asked him to get all three of the paper crowns, Bradley actually started crying.

"Sure, bub. Come help me find yours." Noah took Bradley by the hand and led him down the hallway to his bedroom. 

"It's in here, Daddy," he said, reaching for the yellow crown on his dresser and putting it on his own head before giving the bigger green one to Bradley. "Let's get the purple one for Princess." 

Noah climbed up on Bradley's bed, but he still couldn't reach it. Bradley pulled it down and handed it to his son. "Why don't you give it to her, but only if she's not trying to cook dinner, okay?" It was hard to speak with the lump in his throat as Bradley carried his son back into the kitchen. He had his nose buried in Noah's soft hair, inhaling his scent and holding back tears. "I love you," he whispered as Noah handed you the purple crown.

"Oh, are we all matching tonight?" you asked with a soft laugh. But your smile didn't quite reach your eyes as you looked at Bradley. 

"Yep!" Noah said as you slipped your crown onto your head. 

And then dinner was mostly silent. And if you thought it was strange that Bradley held Noah on his lap the entire time, you didn't say anything. The night was going too quickly. Bradley had spent weeks trying not to think about this day, but now here it was, and it was worse than he could have ever imagined. He could barely stomach the food you made even though it was perfect. 

"It's going to be okay," you whispered across the table. 

"How do you know that?" he asked in response. "How do you know this isn't the last night I get to do this?" Bradley kissed Noah's cheek and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

You stayed silent after that, only whispering something sweet to Noah before you said goodnight to him. Then you let Bradley have some privacy to give Noah a bath and get him dressed for bed. He read seven books to Noah, and he was already asleep by the end of the last one. But he stayed on his knees next to the bed, brushing Noah's curls softly back from his forehead and kissing him a million times.

"I love you," he said, tears filling his eyes as he wandered back out into the hallway. You were cleaning up the kitchen, but when he found himself in the doorway, you gathered him into your arms.

"It's hitting you hard, I can tell," you told him, and Bradley didn't care if you saw him crying.

"I just feel like... all of this shit is beyond my control. I can only do my best. But that's still not good enough to ensure I get to raise my son, which is completely fucked up."

You guided him to one of the chairs and then climbed onto his lap. Your voice was so soft, Bradley could barely hear you. "I just don't see how anyone could take him away from you."

"Do you have any idea how often judges side with mothers over fathers? It's so unsettling, I don't even want to think about it right now."

You tightened your grip on him. "Then let's think about something else."

"I still can't believe Meredith was at the grocery store this morning," he groaned, rubbing his face.

You were quiet for a few minutes, and then you looked at him with your pretty face scrunched in frustration. "She said the strangest things to me."

Bradley was on high alert now. "What? What did she say?"

"Well, she made a comment about how your car is worth a lot of money."

"It's a Bronco, Princess. Not a car." He realized this was the first time he'd really smiled in hours, and it felt good. 

"Yes, I'm so sorry. She mentioned that your Bronco was worth a lot, and she said she was surprised you let me drive it."

He rolled his eyes. "Just because I never let her touch it doesn't mean you can't. She used to wreck up her little sports cars annually and then buy a new one. Doesn't appreciate the classics like you do." Bradley kissed your shoulder and listened to you sigh. "But I guess it's kind of odd that she said that to you. And honestly, I have no idea how much the Bronco is worth. Maybe like sixty thousand? I try to keep her running nice."

You scoffed at him, and then Bradley could practically see the wheels turning in your head. "I looked it up against your VIN number. In pristine condition, your Bronco is worth almost one hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

"It is?" he asked, completely shocked.

"It is," you confirmed. "You didn't know that?"

"No," he said, shaking his head.

"Meredith also mentioned some life insurance money?" you said a little reluctantly. "In an account for Noah?" He watched your eyes go wide as you quickly added, "I'm not trying to pry, and we don't need to talk about it-"

"From my mom," he replied, kissing you softly to let you know it was okay to talk about it. "I have my mom's huge life insurance payout. I never touched a cent, because it was too depressing. After Noah was born, I decided to save it for him. He can use it for college or for a house or.... I don't know, he can sail a fucking yacht around the world with it or something. But it's for him."

You gasped and said, "Bradley, I think Meredith just wants your money."

-------------------------

You watched him slowly shake his head as you scrambled off his lap and went to go get his computer from where you left it charging in the living room. When you brought it back to the kitchen, Bradley said, "Princess, she makes more money than I do. I just don't see how that could be the case. You should see where she lives in Oceanside. It looks like a mansion."

"No," she replied, opening up the tabs she had saved. "She doesn't live in Oceanside any longer."

"How do you know that?" he asked, wrapping his arms around you as you sat perched on his thigh.

You pulled up some property records you had found when you searched Meredith's name earlier. "She went into foreclosure last year and had to sell. She lives in an apartment in San Diego now."

You looked at Bradley over your shoulder, but he was completely silent now.

"What was the name of her company?" you asked, turning back to the computer.

"Coastal Business Development," he said quietly. And a shiver ran through your body. You had been correct in what you found. But now you kept opening tab after tab as he sat there with you. More new information was popping up left and right. She had tried to hide her name by using an LLC, but Bradley knew enough of the missing pieces to help you put it all together.

"She's bankrupt," you whispered, and he gently pushed your hand out of the way to open one last tab himself. You skimmed the court documents and said, "It sounds like she married her business partner, and he left her high and dry."

"Damn," Bradley gasped, going back through each tab about Meredith's real estate foreclosure, business bankruptcies, and personal interviews. You tried to push the computer away, but Bradley kept going back to the same tab, and now he wouldn't even let you minimize it.

"Don't read it," you whispered, pulling his hand away and turning to look at him.

His eyes were void of emotion now as he looked at you. "She was quoted saying she doesn't have any children."

"She doesn't," you insisted, taking his face in your hands. "Not really. But you do. Noah is your son, Bradley."

He let his forehead come to rest on your shoulder, but a minute later, his phone was ringing in his pocket.

"It's probably Nat," he said, shaking his head. "I can't talk to anyone else right now."

He handed you his phone, but you looked at the name and said, "I think you should answer. It's your lawyer."

"Tracy," he grunted, holding the phone up to his face and closing his eyes. You tried to slip off of his lap after a moment, but he held you in place. And then his tone sounded sharp and angry as he scrambled to put the call on speakerphone. "Can you please repeat that last part?"

You heard Tracy's voice clearly say, "You remember how I told you Meredith was in breach of contract with her lawyer? Well, she never paid the law firm. Not a cent. The firm dropped her at the last minute when her funds never materialized. I just found out today. Do you know if she has any sort of history of financial mishaps?"

"Yes!" you said before you could consider if Bradley wanted Tracy to know you were there with him.

Tracy was quiet for a beat. "Are you at home? I'll come to you."

--------------------------

When Tracy arrived after ten o'clock on Tuesday night, Bradley was practically having a nervous breakdown. The hearing was tomorrow. He and Noah were supposed to be at the courthouse in twelve hours. He felt like he was going to throw up.

But at least you were there, touching his hands and his shoulders and trying to make him feel better. You actually were helping him feel better. And then Tracy was in his kitchen with a huge bag, wearing gym clothes and eyeing you a little suspiciously.

Then she looked at Bradley and said, "Ignoring my legal advice, I see."

He sighed deeply. "Tracy, this is my babysitter turned girlfriend."

"Do not call her that tomorrow in the courtroom under any circumstances!" she said hastily. "Promise me, Bradley! I don't want us to end up looking like a pack of idiots when you point her out as your girlfriend."

"Wait..." you said, eyes wide. "You want me there tomorrow?"

"Yes," Tracy said, unloading folders onto the kitchen table along with her computer and a protein shake. "I already have a call in with the judge to have you added as a character witness. So be prepared to answer questions and give a statement if called upon."

"That's too much to ask," Bradley mumbled looking from Tracy to you. "I can't ask you to do that."

You looked at him like he was very slow and maybe a little naive. "You didn't ask me to. Tracy just told me I was. And I want to. If there's a chance I can do anything that might help, I'm doing it."

Bradley pinched the bridge of his nose and tried not to panic too much as you and he showed Tracy what'd you had found online. "Fucking hell," Tracy muttered, scribbling down notes. "I didn't know this was going to turn into a criminal hearing, but here we are." She scrolled through the property records and matched up tax identification numbers, taking everything a step beyond what you and Bradley had been able to do.

"A criminal hearing?" Bradley asked cautiously, but Tracy seemed to be in her own world now.

"Oh... she's slick," Tracy murmured. "Or she believes she is. You would think she'd have known her lawyer wouldn't fall for this. I wonder if she'll even have a lawyer tomorrow..."

Bradley reached for your hand on the table. "Can we just backtrack a moment? What kind of statement will she need to make?" he asked Tracy as he nodded at you. "And what will Meredith's lawyer be allowed to ask her?"

Tracy looked at his fingers intertwined with yours. "You'll just have to answer my questions honestly, without using the word girlfriend! And then Meredith's legal team is going to think it's open season on you as soon as they see your name was added to the docket. If we can even manage to have you added. So if you can't manage to answer their questions calmly and without crying as they try to shred you to pieces, then I suggest you learn how to overnight."

Bradley wanted to put an end to this entire thing, but you cut him off before he could start talking. "Do you honestly think I'll be helpful?"

"Absolutely. Could be the nail in Meredith's coffin, given all this new information."

"Then I'm in. Seriously Bradley, do not argue with us again," you told him, kissing his cheek while Tracy typed away. 

"Okay, I need some coffee. And then let's go over everything from the top," Tracy said, clapping her hands.

----------------------------

It was well after midnight by the time you coaxed Bradley into bed. These last minute revelations were something Tracy insisted were good for Bradley's case, but he was looking extremely apprehensive now. He was raking his fingers through his hair nonstop and pacing around. 

"You need to try to sleep," you whispered, pulling him down the hallway. "Let Tracy do what she needs to do, okay? She's going to be in charge tomorrow. She's good at this."

But he stopped short in front of Noah's door and let go of your hand. "You go get ready for bed. I'll be there in a minute." His voice was flat and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed before ducking inside the dark bedroom. You were worried, mostly about him. And about how Noah would do when being questioned by the judge tomorrow. You didn't have time to worry about yourself, so that was at least one good thing you thought of while you brushed your teeth. 

You were dressed in one of Bradley's oversized shirts and waiting in bed for a while before he came in. You helped him change out of his clothes, and he climbed into bed next to you. He didn't say anything except, "I love you, Princess," after he pressed a soft kiss to your lips. But he let you pull him into your arms, and pretty soon you were dozing off to the feel of his soft breaths on your forehead and his heart beating beneath your palm. 

When you woke to a pitch black room, you could tell he was no longer in bed with you. You found him sitting on the floor in Noah's room, watching his son sleep, and when you walked in, your bare feet silent on the floor, he looked up at you. Even in the dim glow from the nightlight, you could tell he had been crying again. But he didn't ask you to leave. He reached for you. 

"You're a good dad," you told him with a soft sob as you climbed onto his lap and wrapped your arms around his neck. "Noah is lucky. And I don't believe they could take him away from you. Away from all this love."

He kissed your cheek, and then he smiled softly as you brushed Noah's curls from his forehead with one hand and Bradley's with the other. "I feel like I can't breathe right," he whispered, and you could feel his pulse racing as you pressed your lips to his neck. "I don't know what I'll do if they take him from me."

"Stop it. They won't."

He was silent again after that, and the two of you ended up sleeping right there on the floor. When you woke up as Noah climbed out of bed just after sunrise, your hip was a little sore, and Bradley was still sleeping. 

"Morning, Noah," you whispered, standing and scooping him into your arms. You took him to the kitchen, kissing his chubby cheeks on the way.

"Do you live here now?" he asked, yawning as you turned on the coffee maker. 

"No. I don't," you said, hoping he wouldn't say anything like that when he was questioned by the judge in a few hours. "I'm just your babysitter." He just blinked at you before asking for breakfast.

About twenty minutes later, when Bradley walked in rubbing his back, he made a beeline for Noah while you scrambled some eggs and made coffee. Even the mug that said My Other Car Is a Super Hornet didn't make you smile today. You burned your mouth on the coffee, and you nearly knocked the pan onto the floor. Because every time you looked at Bradley, you were on the verge of tears. Maybe you weren't capable of being as strong as you needed to be today. Now the idea of standing up in the courtroom was laughable. You were going to ruin everything.

Bradley was calling your name, and when you snapped out of your daze, he said, "You need to eat, too."

"I can't," you whispered, shaking your head. "I can't." You left them alone and went to take a quick shower, happy you'd packed a variety of clothing when you stopped home the other day. You were supposed to have a mock interview with one of your peers over a FaceTime call today, so you'd packed a blazer and some nice pants. You'd just have to skip the interview. Honestly, school and searching for a job had been the last things on your mind recently anyway.

You let Bradley get Noah ready to go, and when it was time to leave, you looked at him, so handsome in his navy blue suit. "Will you drive? Please?" he asked, holding out the Bronco key for you to take. You simply nodded, but a moment later, you felt tears in your eyes again. He was sitting in the backseat next to Noah. You backed carefully out of his driveway and headed to the center of the city and the courthouse and Meredith and everything else that you wished Bradley and Noah didn't have to see today. 

--------------------------

The fact that Tracy was chugging a Red Bull and looked like she hadn't slept at all was only making Bradley feel worse as he carried Noah up the stairs in front of the courthouse. 

She rushed toward them and pointed at you. "You're on the docket. Get ready. Meredith supposedly has a lawyer, and I'm sure they've seen the docket update by now."

"Okay," you replied. You were nodding, but you looked as nervous as Bradley felt.

Then Tracy was patting Noah on the head. "Remember me?  I'm Tracy. We're going to do something a little different today, okay Noah? It might seem a little silly at first, because you'll be the only kid here! But you'll be allowed to color when we get inside."

You gasped. "I didn't pack him any coloring books!"

"I have some," Tracy said, patting her briefcase. You immediately looked a little calmer, and Tracy added, "But that's the sign of a good babysitter if you usually pack them."

"She brings me coloring books when she babysits me," Noah told Tracy. 

Bradley held Noah a little tighter. "Made sure I got you the best babysitter around, bub."

Just as Tracy cracked open another can of Red Bull that she procured from somewhere, she said, "Time to go in." Bradley didn't stand too close to you, and he didn't touch you. He followed you inside the front doors at a respectable distance, and you seemed to understand what needed to be done today. 

When Bradley's eyes settled on Meredith, she was already looking at him. And she was standing next to a tall man in a suit. "Well, would you look at that? She does have a lawyer today," Tracy whispered, crushing the now empty can in her fist and throwing it away before walking over to introduce herself to him. 

Bradley had to turn his gaze away from his ex, and he walked a little further away from you. The desire to touch you was strong, but he instinctively wanted to get Noah as far away from Meredith as he possibly could. Bradley's heart was pounding, and a wave of nausea passed through him. 

"Daddy, can we go home?" Noah whispered, wrapping his arms around Bradley's neck. "I don't like it here."

Neither did Bradley. He held his son and thought about Carole, and how she never let anything scary happen to him when he was a kid. He thought about losing everything by the time he was a teenager and about the fact that Noah had given him a fresh start. A reason to be happy. And it was because of Noah that he met you. When he glanced over his shoulder, you were watching the two of them with a soft gaze. 

"Pretty soon, bub," he replied, squeezing his son and pressing his lips to his forehead. "I'll take you home soon. I hope."

--------------------------

Next up is the showdown! Get in my asks with questions and concerns, but we may be nearing the end. Hope you enjoy your fic, @beyondthesefourwalls And thank you @mak-32 !

PART 25

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[moremaybank]

ALL DOLLED UP — r.c

pairing rafe cameron x fem!reader

summary rafe has plans to hangout with the guys, but you come up with a way to convince him to cancel on them.

warnings 18+, unprotected sex, oral sex (fem. receiving), choking, biting, daddy kink, breeding kink, creampie

author’s note another self-indulgent fic because i’m insatiable

rafe masterlist

rafe stuffs his wallet and car keys into his back pocket as he finishes getting ready to meet topper and kelce at the island club. 

“baby, i gotta go. you gonna come out here and give me a goodbye kiss, or what?” he’s been waiting for you to get out of the bathroom for a while, and not going to lie; he’s starting to get a bit worried. little does he know that you’re up to something mischievous.

“seriously, i’m gonna be late.” 

you beam at your reflection in the mirror, knowing that his plans will be long forgotten once he lays eyes on you. you open the door separating the bedroom from the bathroom, leaning against the door frame as your gaze lands on rafe’s back. the defined muscles of his back shine through the thin fabric of his shirt, and you clench your thighs together momentarily, trying to quell the ache you feel between your thighs. 

“actually…i don’t think you’re going anywhere,” you say, letting a smirk take over your features. 

rafe furrows his brows in confusion and turns to face you. when he does, his jaw drops, and he feels himself beginning to salivate at the sight of you. his eyes trail over your frame, catching every inch of the intricate black lace adorning your curves. it only just covers the most intimate parts of you, your breasts bulging out of the thin material and your pussy barely being kept hidden from his view. then his gaze follows the length of your legs to find the strappy black heels to match your lingerie, fastened around your ankles and elongating your legs in a hypnotizing fashion. 

“oh, shit,” he gulps as he drinks you in. the blood coursing through his veins runs straight to his cock, and he can’t stop himself from sporting a hard-on in the mere seconds since you’d come into view. 

“like what you see, cameron?”

“uh, y—yeah,” he stutters. “fuck, yeah, princess.”

“i’m all dolled up for you, baby,” you speak, slowly and seductively walking over to him as he keeps his eyes locked on you. “you aren’t going to leave me here all alone, are you? can’t the boys wait?”

you reach him, and your hands run up the length of his arms to rest on his shoulders. you give him your best pout as your fingers fiddle with the collar of his shirt, “i need you, baby.”

rafe’s thumb swipes against your plump bottom lip as he cups your cheek, “screw the guys. i’m not going anywhere.” 

rafe smashes his lips onto yours, the hand that isn’t on your face finding its place on your hip and leading you backward toward your shared king-size mattress. it hits the back of your knees, and you sink onto it, rafe towering over you as you do so. 

“you drive me fucking crazy, y’know that? ’m going to fuck you so hard that everyone on this goddamn island knows my name.”

rafe pushes you back onto the bed, shrugging his shirt off in a rush before climbing back on top of you. he lets his thick fingers dance over your clavicle, down to your breasts, as he toys with the lace that covers them. he yanks the flimsy cup down, wraps his lips around your perked-up nipple, and you arch your back into his touch. your fingers thread through his dirty-blonde locks as his tongue flicks and nibbles at your sensitive bud, and you push his mouth further onto you. 

rafe withdraws his lips from you, grabbing hold of your wrists and pinning them above your head, “no touching, princess.”

you whine, and rafe offers you a chuckle as his hands cup your tits. his fingers slip underneath the cups and grab a firm grip on them. “this shit is gorgeous, baby. but it’s only keeping me separated from the parts of you I intend to devour, and we can’t have that, can we?” 

he isn’t looking for an answer, which is evident to you after he yanks on the fabric harshly, ripping it right in half and freeing your tits. 

“rafe,” you gasp, “i paid good money for this.”

“you know i’m the kook king, baby. i’ll buy you some more. it won’t even put a dent in my bank account.” his lips find the valley of your breasts, sucking soft hues into your skin as he makes his way down to your panties. his teeth latch onto their hem and tug them down your legs. 

ss you watch him use his teeth to undress your core, you feel your entrance seep with arousal. the view of rafe going down on you was always a sight, but this act sends a pulsating sensation to your clit as it begs for attention. 

rafe discards your thong but leaves your heels on because he loves seeing them on you and lets one of his hands wrap around your ankle. he dots wet kisses down your leg, each inching closer to your cunt and filling you with an intense amount of excitement and eagerness. his palm presses your thigh against the mattress, and then he performs the same acts on your other leg, leaving open-mouthed kisses down the length of your limb. 

once he has you spread out on the bed, his eyes catch a glimpse of the pool of arousal seeping out of your entrance. 

“look at that,” he coos, “you’re soaked. bet you want me to eat that perfect little pussy until you’re crying, am i right, baby?” he inches his face closer to your cunt, darting his tongue out as it gets a quick taste of your abundant slick. he lets it coat the tip of his tongue, and his eyes roll back as he tastes your sweetness. “god, princess. you taste so fucking good. so damn sweet, you’re decadent.”

“rafe, please. do something. want your mouth on me, been looking forward to this all day.”

he smiles up at you, his hands massaging the flesh of your thighs as he does so. “i love it when you beg me to touch you. you’re so fucking needy, aren’t you? want me so fucking bad that you can’t help yourself? aren’t you at least a little embarrassed at how pathetic i make you?”

rafe lets his lips press soft kisses around the flesh of your cunt, his tongue darting out around your folds as he teases you. 

“yes, rafe. so fucking needy for you,” you whine pathetically.

“ah ah, what’s my name, baby? i gave you a free pass until now, but since you want to be greedy, i gotta make sure you know your place. who’s in charge, huh?”

“you, daddy.”

“that’s right. daddy calls the shots here,” he replies, his teeth scraping against your aching clit. your hips buck up at the move, and his hands curl around your thighs to grab your hipbones and keep you pressed to the bed. “what’d i just say? don’t fucking move, or i’ll leave you here untouched and desperate. got it?”

you nod, “yes, daddy.”

“good answer,” he speaks, dragging his tongue through your folds and up to your bundle of nerves. his tongue circles it, pulling a breathy moan from your lips as you thirst for more. he sucks it into his mouth completely, letting the suction apply a savorous amount of pressure onto it. his tongue continues to swirl and slather around it, and your breathing grows heavy.

“holy shit. yes.”

he moans as he continues his work on your clit, sending shivers up your spine. he tugs at it, drawing his lips back and letting it go with a pop. he then brings it back into his mouth, flicking at it from every direction as he sinks two fingers into you. he thrusts them in and out slowly, letting them sweep against your g-spot as he massages your walls. 

you feel the waves of pleasure grow more intense, bringing you closer to your peak. your hands cup your tits, kneading and massaging them as you writhe around on the bed. the coil tightens and tightens still, letting you know you’re close to falling apart.

“please, daddy. i’m so fucking close, make me cum,” you beg, squeezing your eyes shut as you let yourself creep on the edge. 

rafe decides to grant you your wish since you asked so nicely. he adds another finger inside you, curling up to hit your g-spot once more, and you let out a loud cry as you cum. he remains relentless with his sucking, the pressure growing stronger as he continues to stimulate your clit. 

once you finish riding out your high, rafe pulls both his lips and fingers back, sucking his digits into his mouth and cleaning your juices off of them. then he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and you almost faint at the sight. 

“i’m going to fuck you until my dick goes fucking limp, baby. i don’t care if tears are flowing down that pretty face of yours.”

your eyes trail down his bare torso as he stands in front of you at the foot of the bed, landing on the tent in his jeans. he smirks when he catches you and undoes his belt. he shoves his jeans and briefs down his legs, casting them aside as he finally frees his hard cock. it’s flushed, presumably desperate from the lack of attention paired with the actions he had just performed on you. 

“will you pound me into the mattress, daddy? make me scream like i know you can?” you ask, batting your lashes up at him as you feel a surge of energy now that he’s standing there in all his devilishly handsome glory. 

“you’re playing with fire, princess. don’t ask for what you can’t handle.”

“but i wouldn’t be doing my job if i didn’t let you take full advantage of me, would i?” you question.

he climbs over you, his broad frame caging you in as one hand cradles your jaw with a smirk plastered on his lips. “you love being my little fuck doll, don’t you? so fucking desperate that you’ll let me do whatever i goddamn want?”

“only the best for you, daddy.”

“is that so?” he asks, the hand he has on your face sliding around your throat. he squeezes it lightly, watching your eyes light up as you lick your lips.

you give him a nod, “mhm.”

rafe grins, his other hand gripping his cock. he taps it against your pussy, watching as you gasp at the contact. he lets the tip probe your entrance before pushing into you slowly. he clamps his eyes shut as he feels every square inch of your walls casing him in. then he moves the hand that previously gripped his dick and places it on your lower stomach, pressing down as he rolls his hips into you. his movements are controlled and steady as if he’s testing himself, seeing how far he can go before he becomes punishing with his thrusts. 

“kiss me?” you ask, teeth sinking into your bottom lip as he pushes further on your stomach, ensuring that your sweet spot is stimulated. “oh my god.”

“yeah, baby,” he breathes, using his grip on your throat to pull your lips to his. he kisses you slowly and deeply, swallowing your moans into his mouth as his thrusts speed up. he’s already given up on his self-test, but he can’t help it. the sounds you make send him into a feral state every time, and it’s something he’s not ashamed of. especially not when he’s the reason for your reactions.

the sounds of his skin slapping against yours fill your ears, and he pulls away from the kiss as he drives into you with fervour. his cock slots against your g-spot without limit; it’s like he’s reprimanding you for being so intoxicating to him.

“shit, you feel so fucking good wrapped around me, baby. you’re perfect, all fucking mine. i’m gonna fuck a baby cameron into you, so everyone knows you belong to me,” he grits, the hand on your throat squeezing tighter. 

“do it, daddy. give me a baby and show everybody that you’ve claimed me. please,” you whimper. 

he releases your throat, leaning down on his forearms as he cages you in. he feels you clamp down on him, squeezing his cock tightly as he fucks you closer to your highs. his teeth scrape against the sensitive skin of your neck, and he bites down, letting his thrusts become raging.

“oh, yes. right fucking there. please, please, please,” you cry, feeling your orgasm creep on you. 

“play with your clit, princess. soak daddy’s cock,” rafe instructs.

you do as he says, bringing a hand down to rub vicious circles onto your bundle of nerves and wrapping your legs around his waist to keep him as close as possible. the heels of your six-inch pumps scratch and dig into the skin above his ass as you keep him deep inside your cunt. it stings, but the slight tinge of pain only spurs rafe further.

“fuck, i’m gonna cum. cum with me, baby,” rafe grunts, his lips near your ear. his deep moans and slight whimpers as he reaches his high are enough to set you off, and you cum hard as he pounds into you. 

rafe’s hips begin to stutter, his thrusts now sloppy as he releases inside you and paints your walls with his seed. his forehead leans against the underside of your jaw as you both come down. 

your fingers thread through his hair, the other rubbing his back as you both lay there, still connected and exhausted beyond belief. rafe presses a few pecks to your skin hazily, and right when he leans up to give you a real kiss, his phone starts to buzz on the dresser. his eyes go wide.

“oh, shit. you distracted me so badly that i forgot to cancel on top and kelce.”

you give him a wide smile and a shrug, it being evident that you're proud your plan proved to be successful. “oops.”

rafe tag list (join here!): @rafesmuse @rafesdior @adr1an47 @penny4yourthoughts @rafelover @wotfasked @softsatnin @obxjjpouge @outerbankspov @skydisneylover @elijahssuit @kenzi-woycehoski @alexxavicry @kanib45 @princessbetsy123-blog @dudenhaaa27 @houseofperfecttaste @maybankslover @pankhoeforlife

[nanqmies]

Venom || Tsuchigomori

cw: cnc , biting, slight blood, predator/prey, aphrodisiac, bondage ?, manhandling, sadism, anal, masterbation, no prep or lube, hallucinations, overstim, manhandling, creampie, amab!reader, very short, i think that's all?

wc: 0.5k

a/n: i researched different spiders and their venom just for this and i hate spiders!! theres basically ZERO fics about my man so i need to fix that.. anyways i'm writing my pantalone fic and i'm finishing up a quick lil drabble for zhongli.. but please enjoy my work!~

nsfw under the cut~

Since Tsuchigomori is part spider we can assume he has spider-like tendencies too other than extra arms/teeth. Everyone knows how spiders catch their food, the insect gets trapped in the web and gets bitten and filled with venom. We don’t know what exact species Tsuchigomori is but I think he could be any different species if you write it correctly. The phoneutria spider has a hallucinogenic venom that slows their prey and causes them to hallucinate and sedate their movements, and we all know Tsuchigomori’s true nature is being very sadistic and teasing so I think that’d be a perfect spider for him.. listen…

Imagine Tsuchigomori sinking his sharp teeth into you and injecting a small amount of his venom into you, forcing you to run and escape from him, maybe in the woods or even in his huge library right, he gives you a head start to be just to make the chase more rewarding. your body is weak from the toxins in your bloodstream so you’re all dizzy and wobbly walking into walls and shelves of his boundary that he obviously knows like the back of his hand. he can hear how you pant as you run, sweat dripping down your brow while you sprint. The exit seems so close that you can feel it.. reaching out to the doorknob just for a sticky thread of web to wrap around your fingers, You’re pulling away trying to free yourself but of course, you don’t :( He knows you can barely think with the strong aphrodisiac flowing through you.

you’re stuck, tied up in a thick silk web not able to move yourself out, senses heightened at the lack of touch, your body covered in sweat. Tsuchigomori finally lining himself up at your rim, imagine him fucking you at a fast pace, the tip of his cock roughly hitting the sensitive spot inside, the harsh pleasure bringing tears to your eyes. His hand leading downwards to your abdomen to hold your throbbing length is his palm, stroking your dick to match his fast past. Sharply rutting his hips on your ass filling you with his thick sperm, your tummy feels full and warm, whining when he pulls out. tsuchigomori’s teeth sink into your shoulder, shuddering while you feel him inject you once again, the knot in your stomach finally bursting as you cum all over his thin fingers, cooing gently at the sight. ^^

he’ll keep fucking his seed into you filling your ass with his hot finish. slowly the toxins flowing through your veins are too much, you can barely move, barely able to run away til he just pins you to the hard floor and fucks you til you can't walk anymore, his name repeatedly leaving your lips. You’re too weak to push him off and you end up letting him have his fill with you until he feels you’ve taken enough.

the aftercare is amazing OBVIOUSLY!! he’ll hold your limp frame in his arms and kiss your cheek gently, whispering how good you were and that he’ll make it up to you tomorrow. For now, he’ll run you a warm bath and kiss every beautiful bruise he left on your skin, marks that show his love and adoration for you. Tsuchigomori certainly appreciates how much trust you have in him, allowing him to do such a scene that could end badly. He’ll end up putting you to bed, laying your head on his chest. He really couldn’t ask for more.

© nanqmies 2023

please do not translate, steal or repost my work.

reblogs and feedback appreciated!

[darkelfchicksick]

IT'S BLOCKING TIME

this is the first wearable I've crocheted in a few years; I often make pieces of lace or filet just for fun, but I've been craving a high-necked short-sleeved wool sweater for agessss. the pattern looked fun, a little easy for my level (I'm pretty sure I made mistakes anyway but shhhh!) and i finished it within the year!

I used Drops alpaca, a 100% alpaca yarn that's 167 m per 50 g. The pattern, Victorian Love Top by chunkywools, is crocheted top-down & in the round and was reasonably well translated. It comes with a detailed video subtitled in English. It had a few minor mistakes that I found easy to solve and that wouldn't turn the garment non-functional.

Since I used a different yarn, my sweater turned out a lot more drapey than the original. I went single strand instead of double strand, but the weight technically stayed the same. I also had to go up in needle size to match the gauge swatch, so I used a 5.0 instead of a 3.5. Ouch! It's all that lace crochet tension training, I swear!

I also changed the closure since I didn't want to button up five billion buttons whenever I wear this. Instead I threaded a 0.5 cm silver polysatin ribbon through part of the. holes? around the neck and laced it through the back of the sweater. Might add pictures of that tomorrow. Since I crocheted loosely, the collar is actually not so tight that I need to loosen the laces, although I'll probably sew them down about a quarter or so down from the top of the collar. That way I only have to tighten the top two or three lacings.

I do love how the alternating back and front-loop hdcs worked up, it gives a much nicer look to the body of the sweater. It's ironic that I crochet since I dislike the dc turning row look so much, huh?

The full length would have been too bulky under my high-waist skirts so I just cropped this.

Now that I'm looking at it, I'm contemplating adding silver ribbon to the sleeves as well. I think that would really round out that choice.

I'm pretty sure the pattern stitch is supposed to look tidier - maybe I should have started in the same loop each row? it's not so messy that I'm unhappy with it, though.

All in all, I'm super pleased with it! It's exactly my style and of course I picked the perfect color, too. I'll probably make another one in some sort of charcoal and change a few details - I think I would prefer slightly less puffy sleeves after all.

[sheliesshattered]

It's been almost two weeks since my last sewing update, but I have been making progress on a couple different projects, thankfully. I mentioned in my last post that I was hesitant to cut into a king-sized 100% linen bedsheet that I've been hoarding for 10+ years. I knew I wanted to make an apron, but I also knew that it wouldn't take up anywhere near the whole sheet, and I had the thought that I might be able to get two projects out of this one sheet (and the remnants of the matching fitted sheet) if I was careful about how I cut out all my pieces. Possibly a gathered tiered skirt/petticoat, along with the apron.

I measured the two long sides of the flat sheet that had identical ~1.25" deep hems, and I found that each side was 112" or just over 3 yards long, not counting the top and bottom hems. That meant if I did side seams, I could get a 6 yard wide bottom tier for the skirt and not have to do a hem at all, just use what was already there. Not the widest hemline on this kind of skirt (I have a purchased skirt with a 25 yard hem, and years ago I made a 26 yard tiered skirt out of muslin), but with this heavy weight linen it felt like 6 yards at the hem would be plenty.

Gathered tiered skirts are really just rectangles and a bit of simple math. Since the sheet's side hem determined the size of the lowest tier at 224", I figured I would do 2-to-1 gathers and make the next tier up 112" wide, and the third tier up 56" wide. A fourth tier at that 2-to-1 gathering ratio would have been only 27" wide, which wouldn't have fit over my hips, so the skirt would have 3 tiers.

I'm a short girl at not quite 5'2" and I like to wear my skirts pretty low on my hips for spoonie comfort issues, so after measuring a purchased skirt whose length I like, I decided that between 30" and 33" inches in total length would be ideal. With three tiers that length could easily be divided into tiers that are each 10"-11" tall. I added a half inch for seam allowance (but no hem allowance on the lowest tier, since I was re-using the existing hem) to get the exact measurements for each of the pieces I needed for the skirt.

I was able to tear most of my pieces, since the linen bedsheet was nicely on the grain and tore relatively cleanly, thus saving my hands from cutting all those long pieces. I had meant to cut the top tier at 14" tall so that I'd have room to turn under a nice thick waistband too -- and then I totally forgot and cut it at 12" just like the middle tier, lol. I was able to get one of the middle tier pieces and both of the top tier pieces out of the remains of the matching fitted sheet, so I only needed one middle and two bottom tiers from the flat sheet. That left me with plenty of flat sheet left over for the apron, but I'll talk more about that in my next sewing post.

With my pieces all cut out, it was time to start the most annoying part of making a gathered tiered skirt: gathering all those tiers. I'm trying to sew with cotton thread more often these days, but for the gathers I switched back to polyester thread just for the strength. For the two bottom tier and two middle tier pieces I ran two lines of gathering stitches along the top edge, placed pins to divide each panel into quarters, and got to gathering and pinning.

With tiered skirts I really prefer to work from the bottom up, so that I'm always attaching a gathered piece to a completely flat piece of fabric, and save side seams for last. So the bottom tier pieces got gathered up and attached to the middle tier pieces, then the middle tier got gathered up sewn to the top tier.

Since I accidentally cut my top tier pieces shorter than I'd meant to, I did play around with adding a separate waistband for the top tier to be gathered onto. But I couldn't do a full 2-to-1 gather if I wanted the waistband to pull on over my hips, and the waistband made the proportions look weird, like the top tier was too long. So I ended up cutting the waistband off after I sewed it and actually shortening the top tier even a little bit more. After turning under the top edge to enclose the raw ripped edge and then turning under 3cm (~1.2") for a waistband casing, that top tier ended up being about 9" tall, and the proportions of that look much better for some reason.

Before I sewed the side seams, I decided that this skirt needs to have pockets, of course. I knew I was planning to do French seams to protect the raw edges against unraveling, so I put the pockets in with a French seam as well.

With the pockets in place, the next step was to do the side seams (including the pocket bags), being careful to match up the height of the hem and each of the tiers so everything was nice and clean and square. Then I was able to turn under that waistband casing and sew it in place -- my original plan had been put in three separate channels for narrow elastic that would result in a bit of a faux-cartridge pleating look, but actually getting the elastic strung through there turned out to be more of a pain than it was worth, so I ended up picking that out and just using a single 1" wide elastic band in the waistband casing instead.

And with that, the skirt was technically wearable, and with some fabrics I might have been happy to leave it there. But the raw ripped edges at the seams between each of the tiers worried me. I've had well-loved sewing projects just shred after many wears and washes because I left the seams unfinished, figuring I would be the only one to see the inside. Ideally I want this skirt to be in my rotation for years and years, so I decided to make the effort to finish those seams too.

My original plan had been to cover the raw edges inside with 3/4" herringbone twill tape. For some reason I was convinced that I had a bunch of it left over from a Wasteland Weekend project from 2018, only to discover that I actually only had ~3 yards left. So rather than ordering more and waiting for it to arrive (and then inevitably having some of that left over too), I decided to just make some 3/4" tape from the linen sheet itself. Since this whole skirt is rectangles on-grain and the tape wouldn't have to go around any curves, I made the tape from on-grain rectangles too, rather than bothering with proper bias tape.

With the hem and the waistband already cleanly finished, I just needed tape to cover the ~3 yard seam between the bottom and middle tier and the ~1.5 yard seam between the middle and top tier. I tore nice straight strips, trimmed off the frayed edges, and ironed the raw edges under to give me that 3/4" width. It's three layers thick in the middle but only 2 layers thick on the sides, since it isn't a proper double-fold tape.

Then it was just an issue of pinning it over the raw edges inside the skirt -- first from the inside in roughly the right place and then from the outside to make sure it lined up with the seam well.

I stitched-in-the-ditch from the outside right where the gathers met the next tier up, and then went back and did another line of stitching just slightly up from that, using the width of my machine foot (~1cm) as a guide. That covered all the raw edges inside and reinforced the seam, and gave it a nice neat appearance from the outside.

It also had the added benefit of behaving almost like cording on a corded petticoat -- the gathered seems have a lot more body and stiffness now than they did before, which gives the finished skirt a really lovely lofty structure.

The whole skirt ended up being about 31" long, right in that 30"-33" length I had originally aimed for, and when I wear it low on my hips where it's most comfortable, it just brushes the tops of my feet.

My plan is to wear this mostly under other long skirts and dresses, more as a petticoat than a skirt on its own (tho it is heavy enough and neat enough to be worn on its own, if I want). That lofty structure from the seam finishes adds a lot of floof to my other long skirts, just barely peeking out the bottom of the purchased green skirt I originally measured to figure out the length for this one, and hiding completely under my purchased 25 yard burgundy skirt but giving it enough extra volume that it doesn't drag on the ground quite so badly.

As the colder weather sets in I'm sure this will get a lot of wear under skirts and dresses (including the several dresses I'm still planning to sew in the next couple months!), but even now in the last heat of summer it's quite comfortable to wear, since it's linen. Jack commented that it seemed like a lot of work for a skirt that won't be seen (and it did manage to remind me how much I dislike gathering long lengths of fabric), but as long as it's functional and gets used often, I feel like all the effort was worth it.

While I was putting this together, I also cut out and started assembling the apron project from the same bedsheet. Even with all those pieces cut out, I still have enough linen left over for at least one more, maybe two more projects. Next up I'm going to get to all the finishings on the apron (which will be getting its own post once it's done) and keep trucking along on the handsewn eyelets for the Lengberg Castle Bra-thing. And once those two are done, I think I just might be ready to finally start on all the dresses I want to make with my new fabric.

[hidefdoritos]

Today's Mending

It was another day in quarantine, but I feel like a human again, which was a blessing. So I sat up at the machine and tried to make some progress.

The machine gave me all sorts of trouble today, no matter how I fiddled with the tension and needle. The stitch lengths were twelve kinds of inconsistent and as skippy as a Labrador in a mud puddle.

I posted on Facebook, and a friend's grandma reminded me to unscrew the bottom plate and have a look at the insides.

Bleagh. Look at all that lint!

Anyway, turns out the feed dogs are a lot more consistent when they aren't fighting with felt compacted underneath them. I got the straps sewn up in short order, learned how to do that neat little x-box thing, and finished off the miniskirt tote bag!

I had a couple mending commissions that got procrastinated for ages because I needed to find patches and thread that matched. They took just a few minutes each when I actually got to them. Guess that's always the case.

My friend Isaiah had done a good job mending these, but all he had was light turquoise thread, and he was a bit self-conscious about having such a visible crotch mend. I put a patch of jersey under, just for stability's sake, and machined overtop in the closest thread I had.

My roommate's partner's pet got ahold of some jeans and tore a raggedy hole in the important part. I trimmed down the edges, found my closest fabric, and machined all around the edges with my closest thread. The mend is still visible, but he usually wears flannels so it shouldn't be obvious. And, as I told him, "If someone does notice, you're legally allowed to kick them."

The final three projects were all for me. First up were these work pants. A couple years ago I started doing the DIY ripstop but didn't finish (time? thread? machine issues? ADHD? idk). I just had the vertical threads. They wore on each other as I walked and started tearing out really quickly. I unpicked all that old thread a while back and re-did the vertical threads, then got sidetracked (yes, again.) So today I did the rest of the ripstop. There!

I also did all the ripstop for these black summer shorts.

Finally, my Christmas break project was adding cargo pockets to all my pants. These less-used jeans have had pockets cut out and pinned on since then, so today I dug out fun aquamarine thread and sewed them down.

I spent the end of the day messing around with my new pillowcases, but I'll drop those when they're done. :) And, most importantly, I slept in, ate well, took my meds, didn't berate myself for lack of progress, and took a nap. All in all, a really good sick day!

[pocketramblr]

Five ask game: au where Endeavor is shopping for quirk marriages for his kids after todoroki started doing his rebellion thing

(ideas for who he would probably approach for each child

Manual or Aizawa for Fuyumi: adding water to ice or quirk nullification to ice would both be super op

Mount Lady or Midnight for Natsuo: gigantification + ice = giant ice obv (and ice that knocks people out when it touches them would also be nice)

I feel like he would be actively shopping around UA for someone for todoroki for whenever he "comes to his senses", so I imagine he's just always on campus in this au to everyone's dismay)

Man's gonna wear down the few threads keeping Natsuo from jumping on the patricide train if he keeps this up

1- ok so the divergence of him actually caring about this is Rei's mother immediately coming to the house after hearing her daughter shout and drop the call. Then she doesn't leave. And she brings that wonderfully eugenicsy Himura family values with her. When she sees Touya and Natsuo and Fuyumi ignored, she purses her lips and tells Enji that the Himuras have not been creating stronger quirks for generations for nothing, and they didn't do it by ignoring the middle steps on the way. Enji tries to tell her he's not really interested in further quirk marriages since Shoto was a perfect success, and she looks at the six year old who's ten seconds from biting into his father's ankle and tearing his tendon out, and goes, "oh, of course, that'll work out perfectly for you, why didn't I realize you'd just give up on them like you did my daughter, no no, I won't worry about it if you won't, I need to get started on dinner now," and leaves.

2- "oh great, I think I hate my father second most now." Shoto says and is ignored, but the thought sticks in Enji's head even after a few years when Grandmother Himura returns home after saying Fuyumi can care for the family now. A few more years, when Fuyumi is eighteen, the Himuras make oh-so-subtle comments about if she's seeing anyone, and an aunt offers to make a match for Fuyumi, since poor Rei is still in the hospital and can't, though Enji must have better connections in the hero field, and Fuyumi says she couldn't possibly think about leaving her family alone right now. She thinks she won't have to worry about it but on the car ride back home, Enji asks what sort of man she is looking for- he does have more connections as a hero, and there's sure to be many quirks that would work well with ice, so she can be selective with the personality too. Fuyumi repeats that she couldn't think about that right now, while desperately being glad Natsuo didn't want to come to the Himuras and Shoto skipped out by saying he'd train instead, and Enji nods, deciding Fuyumi is still too young and he can just keep an eye on on matches in the meantime.

3- After that meeting in Vigs when Manual had the deep misfortune to be awkwardly sitting at the table with Endeavor, Enji thinks his quiet temperament might be a good match for sweet Fuyumi, and the quirks line up. Manual, on being asked a few questions, catches on to "being set up" almost as quick as he does "this guy is plotting murder" and awkwardly stammers out that he's gay and really needs to go now. Ingenium looks up to ask "really?", Midnight laughs at how hopeful he sounded, Enji crosses off both Tensei and Masaki from the potential list, and then they get distracted by an attempted bombing.

4- Literally whenever Natsuo is dating someone, Fuyumi talks about it at length in front of Enji, hoping something will sink in and dissuade him from looking, because the day he says something to his middle son about a match is the day Fuyumi never sees one of them again because Natsuo either leaves to not return or puts their father in the ground. Fuyumi's words don't actually sink in because Enji is great at selective listening but she manages to keep Natsuo from being around enough to prevent any discussions about the matches that Enji is consistently failing to set up.

5- once Shoto is at UA, Enji uses that to try to check out the teachers there, because somehow he still hasn't found a match for Fuyumi, but hey she's a teacher so maybe a common interest will work? What do girls like? Do girls like cowboys? (Snipe: I'm gay and also married) Enji gives up after the SF because he's distracted by the joy of Shoto using his fire, and also assumes that since All Might is teaching at the school he's just cursed to find no success there.

[dailyshowchica]

Loki Cosplay part 7

Previously, on Loki Cosplay: https://www.tumblr.com/dailyshowchica/760378905290031104/loki-cosplay-part-6

Last big base part to make, the tunic. I put this together in 2 days! I think that might be the fastest any part of this project has come together. I sewed the tunic in one day, then attached the snap closures, added darts for a better fit, and hemmed the tunic the second day.

I mean, the pieces are pretty big, so once I got started, I felt like I was making really fast progress. Since I made the tunic longer than the pattern called for, sewing the yoke was harder than on the mock-up, as there was more fabric to manage. But the yoke is doubled layered, and it needs to be, as the shoulders are one of the hardest-wearing parts on a shirt.

I was pretty pleased with how this turned out! Now it's time to make match the film costume.

Backing up a bit to show the collar. It did not quite match the neckband of the shirt, which is always a risk when altering a pattern/using pieces from a different pattern. I finished the collar by hand, to be sure I could fold in all the raw edges, even the smallest parts.

Installing the snap tape got my sewing assistant's attention. Luckily, she only wanted to supervise. She has been known to pull out pins before, which always makes me very nervous. Ruthie cat is sharp enough, I don't need stray pins floating around!

I've mentioned before my distrust of the zipper foot. It serves a good function, but I figured using the regular walking foot would work if I sewed in between each snap. And it mostly did. Given the pulling snaps take, I did tack next to each snap on the outside of the tape, just to make it even more secure.

Once the tunic would stay closed on its own, it was time to pin in the darts. This process would probably be easier if I had a dress form in my size, rather than trying to pin them myself while I wear the tunic inside out. But I really don't do tailored pieces often enough to justify the expense or the space.

It's a better fit, but not perfect. Still, this is all going to be covered up with the faux-leather armor pieces, so that doesn't matter too much.

Asymmetic hem cut, with a bit of length left for the hem. I folded the edge up by about a quarter-inch (I did not measure) and sewed it by machine. Then I folded the hem up again, and stitched it by hand with the closest color thread I had. it's not an exact match, but if you are close enough to see that, you're too close and I'll be pressing charges.

Finally, it's done!

And that's the tunic! I might need another snap at the very top, or maybe a hook-and-eye closure on the collar. But the coat collar might hold everything in place. We will have to see.

And now, a bit of a break. Halloween is 57 days away, so I have time. But for something different, I may clear away a few other projects: PJ pants, a tie and some shorts/culottes for an alternate TVA seamstress costume. I might post those, I might not.

See ya next time!

[melioramuses]

✧ BYF:: Rules // Muse List ✧

Info & Rules

This blog is a hub blog, not a multi-muse blog. This means that each muse has their own inbox, their own drafts, etc.

PLEASE send asks to the individual blog of the muse you wanna interact with, NOT the hub blog! E.g., if you wanna send something to All Might, send it to the ask box on @promisedpeace.

I don't have triggers, really, but I do tag triggers following the "{{ tw: trigger" format. E.g., "{{ tw: spiders".

I'm a very laidback/low pressure roleplayer. I don't do fancy formatting aside from some bolding and/or italics and making the font a bit smaller, and I'm not hella active. (I don't mind people who use heavy formatting, though.) I'm not going to hunt you down for a reply after two days or two months, and I don't care if you've been MIA for a year then come back and post a response. Shit happens and I'm fine with it!

I generally write a couple paragraphs, semi-literate to literate, and omniscient third-person. However, I'm fine with matching length for longer posts. I don't really care if people match my length, so long as you're not giving me, like, two sentences to my four paragraphs. lol

On memes: I reblog memes to the hub blog, and all memes are open to ANY muse unless the tags state otherwise.

On NSFW: I'm open to PG-13 or occasionally even R-rated threads in established ships with writing partners I'm comfortable with. They'll always be put under a read more and tagged appropriately, and are only an option on muses who are 18+. (Also I do not feel comfortable aging up characters for the purpose of smut.)

On shipping: I ship chemistry only. I do not write romantic ships for muses who are underage.

OC's: I fuckin' love them. My MC from my novel trilogy project is an OC I've had for well over a decade and I have a blog for her, too. If you wanna write your OC with my muse, let's go! I'm happy to ship with OC's, too.

My muse is MY muse. If you don't like my interpretation, please just unfollow and go find one that better suits how you view the character.

Muse List + My Other Blogs:

My art/personal blog - @rivenharlow

Toshinori Yagi/All Might (MHA) - @promisedpeace

Eijiro Kirishima/Red Riot (MHA) - @resoluteriot

Tenya Iida/Ingenium (MHA) - @ingeniuminherited

Mirio Togata/Lemillion (MHA) - @saveamillion

Tamaki Amajiki/Suneater (MHA) - @consumingchimera

Nejire Hado/Nejire Chan (MHA) - @wackywavelength

Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto) - @avengerascended

Rock Lee (Naruto) - @bloomtwice

Snotlout Jorgensen (HTTYD) - @strongestrider

Viggo Grimborn (HTTYD) - @grimgambit

Frieza (DBZ) - @gildedemperor

Trunks (DBZ) - @henotichope

Kouga (Inuyasha) - @youkaishowl

Nate River/Near (Death Note) - @thetruesuccessor

Loz (FFVII:AC) - @breakneckboor

Kijonaia "Naia" Remiel (OC) - @thebastardlady

About Me

Hey! I'm Riven. I'm turning 30 in two days as of this writing (June 21st, 2024). I'm an artist and writer with a small business. I'm married with two kiddos and way too many pets (2 large dogs, 6 cats, a rabbit, and a bearded dragon). I'm also genderfluid (they/them pronouns exclusively, though) and pagan. I've been roleplaying since my friggin' Neopets days when I was, like, 8 years old, but I've been on Tumblr for about a decade now. You can find my socials here

Thanks for reading! No password needed but do feel free to message me or toss me an ask if you wanna start a thread!

This post was made on June 21st of 2024 and will be updated as I think of anything to add.

[praesparo]

respond to the following prompts out of character, then tag others you'd like to get to know a little bit better.

roleplayer name: dylan

roleplayer pronouns: he/him

muse name: a lot of underdogs & tragic heroes :)

preferred communication: as much as they suck, tumblr ims for pleasantries & such, then we can move to discord when they plotting/shitposting gets going.

experience: i'm not as experienced as some of the veterans on here, chloe got me introduced to tumblr back in 2020! it's been on & off since then.

preferred roleplay type: i love experimenting with dynamics & pairing up muses to see where potential lies. discovering that two muses work really well together & set up great interactions makes for the best time. whether it leads to ships or other dynamics, placing two muses in a situation & seeing where it leads will always be my favourite thing! if they're not plotted or new, it's preferred to have it short & grow from there. however, i'm happy matching lengths & rambling a little :)

pet peeves & dealbreakers: no basic information on a pinned or anything. like if i cant easily find ur name & age then i wont even look at the rest. when folk take this too seriously, i see it as a hobby (not a jobby hehe) so when people start acting horrifically & drama starts bc someones behaviour is just ass, that's just so off putting for me. we're all writing silly lil muses we love, go outside if you're being an ass or getting upset over nothing. another is shipping for the sake of it. i do love ships, trust me. but there has to be the tiniest bit of chemistry. sacrificing the foundation of your muse just to ship with anything & everything degrades the value of it all in my opinion. THE BIGGEST THING!! when folk butcher their dialogue just for the sake of emphasising an accent!! it's almost insulting, offensive & feels like you're romanticising/fetishizing the accent or dialect. like, we know the muse has an accent, we can hear it, you don't need to type it like a fucking idiot. please be respectful. (phrases, slang or figures of speech are obviously fine.)

plots or memes: memes ALL THE WAY. the absolute serotonin from seeing an ask come to you & the potential threads start popping feels so good. it's rewarding, leaves plenty of chances to start plotting & get even more threads going. it's a great gesture & there's no feeling like it.

best time to write: most likely in the late evening. i try to write when im home from work so i can spend the rest of my evening vibing. if i'm off though then i'll most likely linger for the day or fill the queue!

are you like your muse?: not quite but i do try to aspire to be like some of them.

tagged by: the goated boss man chuckles ( @satellitewar ). tagging: i say YOU but really who's gonna take it. all my friends got tagged so like .... ENJOY

[aircea]

So I was in need of some summer shirts since I don't really have anything. Last year I made do with my Caracos and shifts but it wasn't fun, especially during heat waves. So off I pop to the fabric store and found this lovely muslin in nice earthy colors. Got four into my cart but at the cutting table the lady informs me that the fabric will shrink 30%... so I bought 3m(118 inches) each, not happy about it, but needs must since I wanted to make knee-length shifts with long sleeves. One 6o°C(140°F) wash later I STILL HAD THREE METERS EACH! Meaning after I made the planned shift I had enough to make a cute blouse. Not the worse thing to happen, but that would mean that instead of four summer tops, I would have eight and that just felt too much. I like this coffee brown the least, but I like the lace details I added, I am considering dying it both deep brown

The long rust-red one is still not finished, I ran out of thread and need to get more tomorrow. The short one I kept very simple.

For the cream fabric, I found a leftover bit that matches nicely so now I am contemplating how to incorporate that into s shirt/shift.

As for the green fabric, I am thinking Robe de Gaulle ... or at least my version of it. I've started to make a structured bodice for it, so basically, short stays that I will build the dress onto, that way the dress will have a "build-in bra" and I can just wear it over a simple shift without additional layers. Might need more fabric though if I want ruffles, but since I need to get more thread tomorrow anyway...

[sandzephyr]

RULES & MUN INFO (last update august 17th '24)

mun info: 25yo, not a native speaker, main rp blog, semi active I have watched the anime, just started reading the manga. Have not watched Boruto. This is my first time playing a canon character and an anime character. I've also been away from tumblr rping for a long time so I still have to get back into the groove. I'm happy to communicate and meet new people! Don't be afraid to hit me up!

RULES

no smut!

no minors!

etiquette please! (no homophobia, sexism, racism and such)

threads can get bloody and gory 

multiship but there has to be chemistry

multiverse, if you have a character from another universe or an oc and you’d want to rp. Just hit me up, maybe we can figure something out.

even though Temari is an ambassador, I try to keep politics at a low low since real life politics are already confusing enough and I don't want to catch myself discussing ninja world politics in my free time

no need to match anything (length, media, etc)

I write mostly mid length stuff but don’t feel the need to mimic. I like to get inspired by other peoples writing!

you can always shoot me a starter, meme or message. I’m okay with pre established relationships but I prefer plotting most times

here are memes and starters

I rarely do one liners, not very used to it, but I'm very happy to try! And crackposts, too!

I'm very very bad at tagging my verses so if you ever get confused message me, I'm sorry!

I'm totally fine with having multiple threads

I'm also a little on the spectrum and due to that and English not being my mother language my rps may sound a little dry at times. I apologize!

sometimes I reply really fast, but do not feel rushed please! We can still chat, I won't think you're trying to avoid me I promise!

other times it'll take days until I reply

to be updated

[somediyprojects]

DIY Zippered Throw Pillows

Project by Brett Bara:

Throw pillows are another fantastic way to incorporate cute textiles and DIY flair into your home without a great investment of time or money. If you’ve ever gone into a fabric store and wanted to buy everything because it’s just all so gorgeous, then pillows are a great way to put those fabrics to work in your decor. Bold or loud prints that would be too much used in large scale (like in curtains) can be just right for a little pillow pop on a sofa or bed.

I’m going to show you how to make a zippered pillow cover, which is easier than it sounds, I promise. It looks super-professional AND has the added bonus of being easily changeable—I love the idea of making tons of different pillow covers and just swapping them out whenever you want a little change in a room.

The best part? You can make the pillow shown here in less than an hour! –Brett Bara

A Word on Zippers

Ok, I know you’re not going to believe me when I say this, but installing a zipper is REALLY EASY. (There are many ways to install a zipper —some more refined than others—the method I’m sharing here is basic and very simple!) BUT, if installing a zipper feels like it’s just too much, don’t give up. I’ll give alternate instructions at the end for how to make a pillow without a zipper. Everybody happy now? Let’s get started!

What You’ll Need

½ yard fabric (if your pillow is larger than 16”, you’ll need more fabric)

1 pillow form (buy this at a craft store or upholstery shop)

1 all-purpose zipper about 4” shorter than the edge of your pillow

Thread to match your fabric

Seam ripper

Sharp scissors

Straight pins

Tape Measure

Sewing machine

Zipper foot attachment for your sewing machine

Selecting and Preparing Fabric

Almost any type of fabric can be used for a throw pillow, but for beginners I recommend starting with medium-weight fabrics that are smooth in texture, like cottons or cotton-linen blends.

I’m using a Japanese print from the fantastic Etsuko Furuya for Echino line.

If your fabric is machine-washable, wash and dry it before sewing. This will pre-shrink the fabric, which is necessary to prevent the seams from puckering during future washings.

Finally, thoroughly iron the fabric before beginning.

Cutting

Cut two pieces of fabric that are the size of your pillow form plus 1” in length and 1” in width. So, if your pillow form is 12×16”, you’ll need two pieces of fabric that are 13×17”. This allows for ½” seam allowance on all seams.

Installing the Zipper

Place both pieces of fabric together with the right sides of the fabric facing each other and all corners aligned. (Be sure to situate both pieces so that the print pattern is facing in the same direction.)

Center the zipper along what will be the bottom edge of the pillow, since you’ll want the zipper to be on the bottom edge of the finished pillow. (Here, my fabric is flipped with the bottom edge facing up, just to make it easier to work with). Place a pin near each end of the zipper, just INSIDE the metal stops at each end.

With a ½” seam allowance, sew the two segments on the outside of each pin. (This should be a short space of just a couple inches between the pins and the corners of the fabric.) Reinforce these seams by back-stitching at the beginning and end of each seam.

Next, change the stitch length on your machine to the longest length, which will allow you to baste the next seam. (Basting is sewing a long stitch which will later be removed; the long, loose quality of a basted stitch makes them easier to remove than regular stitches) With the stitch length set to long, simply sew the space in between the two short seams you just made. (Do not back-stitch to reinforce basted seams.)

Iron this seam open.

With the wrong side of the fabric facing up, place the zipper right-side down, aligning the zipper teeth directly over the seam. Pin it in place.

Change your machine’s presser foot to the zipper foot. Consult your manual for help with this if necessary; usually the feet snap off and on rather easily.

A zipper foot (shown here on the right) can be different for every sewing machine model, but it often looks like half of a standard presser foot (shown on the left). It allows you to sew right along the edge of the zipper teeth neatly and easily. The zipper foot has a little sliding part that changes it to a right or left position, so just slide it accordingly depending on whether you are sewing the right or left side of the zipper. (That means you have to pop off the zipper foot after sewing the right-side seam, slide the zipper foot thingie over to the left position, then pop the foot back on the machine. All this only takes a second once you get the hang of it!)

Note: Be sure your stitch length is back to normal length for the remainder of the sewing. Starting at the bottom of the zipper on the right side, with the zipper foot in the right-side position, sew down the side of the zipper. When you get near the end, stop the machine. Leave the needle in the work, but raise the foot, and gently move the zipper pull back behind the needle. Then lower the foot again and sew to the end of the zipper. Backstitch at the end of this seam.

Next, change the zipper foot to the left position, and repeat this process on the left.

And your zipper is installed! (That wasn’t so bad, right?) The seam is still basted closed, so from the right side, use the seam ripper to gently remove the basted stitches. (They’ll pop out really easily; just pick out any remaining thread pieces that are left dangling.)

Change back to the standard presser foot. Fold the two pillow halves so that they are aligned with right sides facing each other and all corners and edges meeting. Pin in place. Sew around all three sides with a ½” seam allowance. (The fourth side, of course, is the side with the zipper installed.)

Here’s how to sew around the corners: when you reach each corner, leave the needle in the fabric and raise the presser foot, then pivot the fabric 90 degrees, lower the presser foot again, and continue sewing.

Clip the fabric at the corners. (Removing the excess fabric here helps give you a nice, sharp corner once you turn the pillow inside out.)

Turn the pillow cover inside out, ironing the seams flat.

Insert the pillow form, and you’re done!

NOW FOR THE NO-ZIPPER PART

If you’d rather skip the zip, just use your sewing machine to sew the two pieces of fabric together around three edges, plus about 2” on each side of the fourth edge. Clip the corners and turn right-side out, iron the seam flat, then insert the pillow form. Using a needle and thread, hand-sew the opening closed. Of course, this pillow cover won’t be removable, but it will still be lovely!

[b3ast0fburd3n]

Rules since I seem to change these once a month, you're allowed to ignore new ones if we were mutuals before they came up.

I only rp with one Vaas. @/badtrigger

I block freely and don't feel ashamed about it. If you're uncomfortable with my content or me, please use that beautiful button.

Due to the nature of my blog, we're MDNI here. PLEASE do not interact with my posts if you're under 18, it makes me insanely uncomfortable.

I rarely trigger tag. If you see my posts often and need something tagged, LET ME KNOW! I have few triggers myself but I used to have a lot more, I understand how upsetting it can be.

Don't even think about following me if you don't understand why someone would explore these topics in fiction. Mun =/= Muse. Obviously I don't condone their actions or beliefs.

Having said all that in a very confident tone, I can now say that I am not a confident person! I push through a lot of nerves to start interactions, because I know a lot of people have issues with that. but I am BEGGING you to PLEASE tell me if I did something wrong or if I upset you. I'm always malleable to changing things up, especially if it upset someone! I'm still new to this, too, so I might use a term wrong or something. Let me knoowww pleeasseee

I ask that you not reblog roleplay threads you're not part of or character promos. Likes and comments are welcomed and appreciated on all posts (even if I don't respond)

I usually follow if I'm interested in rping with you. If you follow back, I'll take that as you're interested as well and I'll reach out to you.

My muses are mean sometimes! They're far cry ocs, cmon now. You are more than welcome to give them the same energy. I just ask that we, as the Muns, try to get along! Just because our characters are at each others throats doesn't mean that we can't joke about them making out.

Shipping is WELCOMED. Most (if not all) my characters are bi/pan in some capacity and I can see each of them with several different kinds of people. I ask that you not force ships, however. If you think our muses would be good together (as friends, lovers, hatefuckers, whatever!!) lmk! I love all kinds of dynamics and relationships, I really can't think of one I'd be opposed to other than illegal shit.

pleasepleaseplease don't control my characters. 'godmodding' has been the bane of my existence since middle school. I do what I can to make sure our interactions (especially violent ones) are even while still being in character. I have noticed, though, that some of my characters are awfully inclined to back down if conversation swings towards violence. I'm not afraid to rp fights, but I ask that we plot how it will end beforehand, so I can know what direction to head for.

I like to start character interactions with first meetings. It gives us the chance to get to know each other while our characters do.

Crossovers: Mostly good with them! Other characters in far cry is great. Depending on the fandom I might be willing to build an AU to interact. idk, hasn't come up yet! I will say, though, that my anime phase ended before high school. I've got nothing against it, I just don't like it myself anymore. I probably won't interact with anime characters, oc or canon.

I match length (and often, more) but I don't expect others to. Life is busy, you can't always write out a long reply. As long as your response as some kind of action or sentence to be responded to, don't worry about it!

Questions, quick asks, one-liners and such are always open! I prefer longer interactions, but these can be really fun too!

Overall, I came here to share my creations and make friends. Thank you for reading my rules :))

[tokiro07]

Cipher Academy ch.42 thoughts

[Enter the Pungeon (Puzzle Dungeon)]

(Contents: New arc speculation, thematic analysis, minor Dekiai/Kogoe analysis)

...Huh, wasn't expecting Zakuroguchi to sit things out, especially since she's the only character who's explicitly stated her intentions for the Morg. That's mighty suspicious, she's definitely doing something shady behind the scenes

I forgot to mention it, but I was in fact expecting Eteshite to be Rikukeito's second. I knew we wouldn't know Yonakiuguisu's second, and while I predicted that Anonymity would be Hakanage's second, I'm not at all surprised to see that it's a supposedly new girl hiding behind the Class F mask. That leaves plenty of room for it to turn out to be Anonymity, but also doesn't necessarily mean that it is. I do think it's rather telling that we can't see any distinguishing features, whereas the other Class F girls at least had some hair sticking out, and her eye shape matches Anonymity almost perfectly even so zoomed out. If it's not her, Nisio and Iwasaki definitely want us to think it could be, which honestly just muddles the possibility more than if they'd reused a name and design from one of the other girls (in which case I'd be convinced it was Anonymity)

I really love the class picture visual; Iwasaki used it during the CLP election to show how Iroha had befriended everyone in the class while Anonymity distanced herself, but while that was the end of the introductory arc, this is the beginning of the real focus of the story as a whole. When you think about it, the Gradewide Leader Tournament was more like a second prologue, as it mainly served to establish the wider cast of the story and their motivations and relationships rather than resolve anything that had already been built up. With that perspective in mind, I almost have to wonder if even this is just set up for something bigger and more thematically central to come?

I won't make that assumption right now, but I think we can be confident that the coming world war that they keep talking about is going to be the payoff to every plotline we've seen and will see going forward, so while the metaverse may be the setting for the bulk of the remainder of the story, this arc specifically is probably just the introduction to that setting rather than the main event

I've talked at length about how the first two arcs lined up with Jump's themes of Effort and Friendship respectively, and how the coming arc would likely focus on Victory. When saying that, I always expressed hesitance since there wouldn't be anywhere to go thematically from there once those were all covered, but now I think I'm starting to get a clearer idea. While this is an expedition team with some level of cooperation to be expected, it's clear that Iroha is not really the leader of this group, and there is going to be internal competition here to decide who's really in charge, which strongly backs up my idea that this is a Victory arc, but once that's done? Well, if this is prologue part 3, then that means that we won't need to find a new theme to latch onto, but rather the true main event will be where Friendship, Effort and Victory finally meet! Iroha's efforts, the friendships he's made, and his hard-earned victories will culminate in his position as Code Emperor, allowing him to work towards his goals with everyone standing firmly behind him

That's not to say new themes won't arise, or that we won't revisit the individual themes one arc at a time, but rather that everything will be synthesized in the actual main story

I wonder if that's part of why Cipher Academy is still so low in the rankings, cus some fans feel it doesn't resolve anything it sets up? They'd be stupid if that's the case, since it's an ongoing story, of course things aren't going to be paid off. One Piece leaves threads dangling for decades, you don't see anyone complaining about that...

I am hoping that now that we're in a new setting with the opportunity for a lot of visual variety that the series should be able to establish more of an identity. That would really help it stand out and connect with readers who aren't already hooked by either the premise or characters, though I suppose that depends on how far it deviates from other VR adventure series like Sword Art Online or the like

I'm pretty excited to see this turn of events, I was worried that the metaverse would just be regular AR with visuals overlaid on the school itself rather than effectively introducing new locations ad infinitum (er...ad five-hundritum?). Literally anything could happen here, and presenting it as a procedural dungeon-crawler (I am NOT calling it a Roguelike and NO ONE, not even Nisio, is gonna make me!!!) is a really fun and novel way to do it! If it's procedural, that implies that players can be booted out and need to restart, so there's got to be a lose condition to worry about, though I guess that's to be expected anyway. I think the bigger questions are how many attempts they'll be allowed to make, how big the consequences of loss are, and most importantly, who's going to lose first? I imagine Iroha's going to lose at least a few times, though probably not until he reaches a much lower level than 1. If I had to guess, his first loss will be with someone at his side to make contextualizing it a bit easier

Do you think any of the puzzles are going to be conceptualized as monsters? This whole thing has a war theme, so maybe we'll see tank dragons or fighter jet gryphons or bullet-casing slimes. Zombie soldiers seem like a given, but that's low-hanging fruit, so I hope we'll get those out of the way and see at least one super-creative one quickly. Ah, but maybe I shouldn't even be speculating about this, it might just be setting myself up for disappointment...Argh, why is Sunday so far away?? Curse me for getting this review done in a timely manner for once!

Anyway, enough speculation about what's to come, let's focus a little more on what's actually in front of us. Dekiai is a super cutie, isn't she? With her heart eyes and literal bubbly personality. I've been wanting to see what made Iroha's Glasses Weapons special for a while, and I think I suspected that he'd have his own AI avatar like Kogoe's CG for a while, but I never was able to think of what she'd actually look like! The watery hair is the biggest surprise, it's so fun to look at!

Hm? Her hair is made of water? And come to think of it, her bangs and mechanical scrunchies look familiar too...Hold on, is Dekiai Kogoe with her ice melted? They both have similar catchphrases too..."can't say that too loudly," "don't say anything rude"...yeah, she could be Kogoe's sister with those looks and personalities. I wonder if perhaps Kogoe modeled the avatars after her family? I could definitely see CG being her grandpa or something

Or maybe she just modeled this one after herself. Whatever the case, I hope the other avatars have equally interesting visual flairs so they don't end up being monotonous

Oh, and fun fact, I looked into it and apparently Dekiai can mean either "ready-made", as in the mass-produced version of the Glasses Weapons, or "adoration/blind love," explaining her heart theme and potentially fitting in with Kogoe's stated goal of getting Iroha to fall in love with her. I bet that's why she gave him this avatar, actually, to help endear herself to him. It'll be so funny if Dekiai joins the harem and becomes competition for Kogoe, I really hope that happens

I think that about covers it for this week. I'm really excited to see how this arc plays out, and I hope that it helps garner a lot more traction going forward. The next chapter is in the back of the magazine reportedly, which I think is absolutely ridiculous; apparently CA was trending in Japan because of this chapter, what business does Jump have putting it so far back? Unless they consider it a strong closer, which is definitely a take I can get behind since I too save it for last every week. I'll tell you, being able to close the app and ruminate on this development was quite the experience for me! Really left me wanting more, which is a great problem to have in a Jump manga! I'll be waiting for it with bated breath!

[sheliesshattered]

Despite my lack of posting in the last few weeks, I did actually manage to finish my velvet Yule dress in time to wear it on the 21st, to a live performance of the Nutcracker. I was working on it up until an hour or two before I needed to get ready -- which is to say, a day or two later than I had hoped to finish it -- and then with the holidays and liminal space week, I'm just now getting around to writing up a post about it.

In my last update, I was in the midst of replacing the center front panel of the dress, less than a week before I planned to wear it, to fix a problem with the fit. I mentioned in the notes of the post on the 16th, when I had decided I needed to do this in order to really be happy with the dress, that I re-drafted the center front panel earlier this year to work better with stretch knits -- and then forgot I'd done that when I cut out the velvet, and cut the stretch center front rather than the original. Here's the two center panels on top of each other, to illustrate the difference:

I gained some width through the bust, where it was pulling a bit before I put the sleeves on, and a lot of width through the shoulders, which is where the fit problem had really made itself known. This whole maneuver was risky, especially with so little time left to go, but it turned out that the process of picking out the seams went really quickly, maybe 10 minutes total. The cotton thread just slid out of the silk velvet. I spent significantly more time pinning the new seams in place than I did taking out the old seams.

I did end up hand-sewing the shoulder seams, where the center front, center back, side front, and side back panels all come together in a sort of four-way intersection. If it's off by so much as a millimeter, it's obvious, and so getting it to meet up correctly was much easier to do by hand -- and even then I had to wiggle it around to get the matching exactly how I wanted it. It ended up better than it had been before I replaced the center front panel.

As soon as I was able to try the dress on with the new panel, I knew I'd made the right choice. The fit was much better, no more weird pulling. It took me about a day and a half of work total, but it was worth it in the end.

Once that was done, I was able to do the hem on the neckline, using a thin strip of flannel like I did on the sleeve ends. I had thought I would be able to do a machine blind hem on the neck (and the skirt hem) because there's plenty of room to get it into the machine (unlike the sleeve hems, which are so narrow I knew I had to do them by hand). But I couldn't figure out how to get the blind hem secured with pins or clips in a way that wouldn't injure the velvet, so I ended up doing it by hand with a prick-stitch that's fairly invisible in the velvet pile -- on Friday morning, when I intended to wear it Saturday evening. That just left the skirt hem to finish.

Leveling the hem is always a bit of an adventure, since I don't have a mannequin, but with the nearly-floor-length dresses I've been favoring lately, it's relatively easy: while barefoot I place pins where the skirt hits the floor, use those pins as a guide to pin out a nice curve across half of the dress, cut just below that line, and cut the other side to match. Then when I turn up a hem, it ends up being just a little bit off the floor when I'm not wearing shoes, and slightly higher than that when I wear shoes, such that it still feels floor-length but I never actually step on it. It's weirdly easier than trying to hem something to knee-length.

But by the end of the day Friday the 20th, I had only gotten as far as cutting the hem to length and sewing the flannel facing to it, and then realizing I was going to have to hand-sew it rather than do the machine blind hem. After a small breakdown at not being nearly as close to finished as I hoped, I slept in fits and starts and spent the rest of the night making a plan for finishing the dress during the day on Saturday while still leaving enough time to actually get ready to go out in the dress.

For all my angst and worry the night before, the dress hem came together pretty easily, and I even had time to sew on a hook-and-eye above the zipper and then take a little nap before I needed to start getting ready for the evening.

Jack was kind enough to take a picture of me when I first put the dress on, with my hair still up in twists:

Earlier in the year, I made a double-strand necklace with the tiny garnet beads left over from my Rhaenyra cosplay (I ended up doing less than half of the beading I had planned to on that dress) and it was the perfect match for the burgundy velvet of this dress. Once I was fully ready to head out for the evening, Jack took another few photos of the finished dress:

For the evening at the Nutcracker performance, I layered my 25 yard burgundy cotton skirt underneath, both for warmth and for the extra volume in the skirt (as seen in both the full-length shots above) and warm nice-looking boots with warm socks, since I'm always cold, and then my beloved leather jacket over top. We hadn't been to this particular theater before, so we left with plenty of time to get lost or have to search for parking -- and then the drive went off without a hitch and parking was easy, so we had some time to grab a couple of photos in front of the theater, which was nicely decorated for the holidays.

I've had a pin on my Pinterest board since August with someone wearing a black leather jacket over a floor-length burgundy dress, and I was quite pleased with the final look. Jack wore his Very Fancy Santa hat, made of the same velvet, so we both looked nicely festive. The Nutcracker was amazing, and I think the Long Beach Ballet may have my favorite staging and choreography of all the Nutcrackers I've seen over the years.

Overall I'm really pleased with how my velvet Yule dress turned out, and so relieved that I managed to finish it in time to wear it to the Nutcracker performance that was basically the only opportunity I had to dress up this holiday season. But now that the dress is done -- and no changes that need to be made -- I can add it to my collection of reliable stand-bys to wear when I have the chance.

I have a little bit of the velvet left over, and a few ideas for what I might do with it, but all of that will have to be left for my 2025 plans. Happy new year everyone!