#Poncho is his dog after Copper

[dulcemapis]

more sketches for the fic I'm working on. shout out to my dog for modelling Arthur's new dog (his name is Poncho!!)

[thebearme]

Got any re8 Heisenberg headcanons? (I definitely am so normal about him)

Don't worry, I'm completely normal about him too.

Ethan works with Karl to stop Miranda, but they aren't exactly friends after that, but they learn to like each other.

Chris was originally was going to put Karl into the military as a living bioweapon, but with enough convincing. Ethan got him to just let stay with him and Rose. They're roommates now.

Karl is thankful for Ethan to help him avoid that fate, but he is still frustrated on how his life is in someone's hand. Now he has to listen to Ethan or run the risk of being killed or weaponized. So the anger is the living arrangement is mutual.

Karl tends to be untrusting of everyone, like a feral stray dog. So Karl stays in the basement and minds his business.

Ethan and Mia had a mutual divorce, The relationship was built on rocky ground, and they understand that. But what Mia doesn't understand is why Ethan would have this moldy hobo live with him, and frankly- he doesn't know either.

Karl was a stinky man. His hands are rough and dry, chipped sharp nails that seem to always have something underneath them despite that fact of him wearing gloves most of the time. He covered in a layer of grease, sweat and car oil, smells like copper, gasoline, sweat, cigars, rain dew and a hint of mold and rot. LOVEY ISN'T IT! A sensory overload dream. His hair WILL make a crunchy noise if touched, and don't bother trying to comb through it.

Ethan made sure that his mf got a shower with some actual soap. He may look the same but trust in the fact if you were in a room with him, you'll actually be able to hug him without getting high from the gasoline.

Karl's hair gets so fluffy when conditioned.

It took months before Ethan trusted Karl in watching Rose or let alone hold her.

Karl LOVES sweets.

He originally didn't know about Home Depot because Ethan was worry that there will quickly be no Home Depot.

There's no longer a Home Depot.

Heisenberg will melt when he hears Rose's first words.

The day that Heisenberg finds out what a Samsung fridge is- IT'S OVER!

Heisenberg lived off of military ration meals till now, so he has to resort to the next best thing here: hungry man TV dinners. And kid cuisine when Rose goes into solid food.

HE CAN COOK! To be particular, grill. But he's kinda going through that depression that led you to not take care of himself.

Karl HATES the rain, It rusts all his metal, and he is in content risk of getting struck by lightning, He's a living lightning rod. Ethan tries to be nice and help him by giving him a rubber rain suit, leading him to wear three layers of protection: fishing overalls, rain boots, raincoat, rubber gloves, rain hat and a rubber poncho.

You can hear him from a mile away with all that rubber squeaking.

Heisenberg surprisingly was a virgin for a long time, and it makes sense. He was too busy in his factory to be with anyone romantically nor platonically, let alone get laid. He never really cared till he thought about it now, especially when Ethan has living proof that he fucked. *CUT TO FUNNY KARL SPEED DATING SEQUENCE* this is probably a very sharp contrast to others hc of karl but idc it's my hc

Heisenberg and Ethan have that opposite attract dynamic, Karl gets to teach him that life doesn't end or need to be tense just because they're mole zombies. While Ethan teaches Karl to unpack his years trauma, cuz that shit will come to haunt you.

Ethan found some room for Heisenberg to sleep upstairs instead.

Eventually Ethan gets so close with Heisenberg he actually starts calling him by his first name.

That was noticed by Mia and Chris, which made them nervous in where Ethan loyalty would lie when something were to happen.

Heisenberg never had clean water before, so just imagine him with the crisp 3am water.

Chris only allows Karl to experience the outside monthly. But Ethan sneaks Karl with him when he can. As long, he doesn't scare anyone in town.

Karl is like a caveman entering the present day, He's culture shock is out of this world.

He loves the phrase "metal as fuck."

When Karl has a nightmare he rearrange his room to push all the metal out or nap in the living room. When Karl and Ethan got closer he started sleeping in Ethan's room. Even though their hearts beat slow, the human warmth is still there.

Karl never wants to talk about what his nightmare was about or why he feels better sleeping in a room with less metal.

Here some songs that I always relate to Heisenberg:

Now I'm about to go into what my hc is for Heisenberg before re8.

tw body horror and child abuse

I have the headcanon that Karl wasn't from the village, but his family was. He was born in the states and unknowingly has the genes that make him very susceptible to the mold mutation. Eventually, after his grandfather died and passed the factory/mines to his parents, they all moved to Europe. Explaining the contrasting transatlantic accent.

But like all things, Miranda had to ruin. She noticed the newcomers of the village; she saw how they also have a child and decided to take action. Miranda killed Karl Heisenberg's parents and took him in to experiment on with the cadou parasite.

His gift was unknown till one check up later after all of his complaints of feeling of something tearing into him. Miranda realized that there seems to be scraps of metal like nuts and bolts dug and tear through into his body to his bones like a magnet.

When he's in is REM sleep, his electromagnet powers moves and attract scraps of metal to him. Leaving him to wake up with blood on his sheets, but the wound already healed like nothing happened. But Karl does know it feels harder to move every day.

Miranda made sure to test him on his gift. He looks completely human and is powerful, he was almost perfect… The one single flaw in him is the fact that even as a helpless child that had no one else to rely on but her. He still hated her.

Heisenberg was the youngest of the four lords and the favorite, and he hated it. Dude would just spend all his time by himself, leaving himself tape recorders. He eventually started to entertain himself as if he was a radio host. The theater kid possesses him.

Eventually when he got older he got into contact with The Duke and was able to purchase tapes and machinery scraps from him. The tapes turned out to be American documents of ww2, leading Heisenberg to his American freedom fighter rhetoric.

When he detransform from his big monster form, he has to go get a lil help. He has to get rid of the pieces of metal without just tearing off pieces of his flesh, That shit is hard to grow back you know!

[welcometoels]

Session Thirteen - Zanthia

After a decidedly mixed few hours in the unfriendly city of Monthend, the party has found themselves in the much more agreeable company of Zanthia, a perky Halfling who works as a waitress-cum-entertainer at The Wayward Alchemist.

It is under her guidance that the team now finds themselves upstairs at the Alchemist, as she leads them past the rooms where the staff entertain their more discerning clientele in private.  She also tells them of the tradition wherein particularly satisfied customers purchase lanterns to be hung on the walls next to the rooms of their favourite workers.

Zanthia’s room is the last, the largest, and the most abundantly illuminated.  Inside, the floors and walls are bedecked with expensive and peculiar gifts from all over Toltirgis.

Also present in the room are three Elves, whom Zanthia introduces; admiring himself in the mirror is the High Elf, Jof Suffers; trying their best to be unnoticed is the Wood Elf, Anemia Rixme; and perched on the edge of the four-poster bed is the Drow, Cailynn Coldcloud, with her clockwork wyvern Moo.

While the first two show little interest in the party, Cailynn takes a moment to introduce herself - perhaps because she sees in them a common yearning to solve the mysteries that have plagued them in life, but more likely because she is played by an actual human person (welcome to the game, Alex!)

Cailynn is an artificer, specialising in alchemy.  Purple of eye and skin, she cuts a dashing figure in black studded leather armour and candyfloss pink hair - though, due to certain magical causes, this changes on a day-by-day basis.

As the team settles in on a plushly cushioned corner of Zanthia’s room, she fills them in on why she has brought them all upstairs.  It transpires that a close friend of hers has been taken hostage by a dangerous group of people - of whom dragon hunter Herrington is a member.  She needs a group of seasoned adventurers to assist in setting them free.

To help pique their interest, Zanthia suggests to Talion that he may well find useful information pertaining to the people who may be tracking him down.  Talion is surprised by how much she knows, but, with a coy smile, she points out that she makes it her business to know as much as she can about new arrivals in the city, and he and his party are the most interesting people to have arrived in a long time.

At this juncture, Jof drops off a hastily scrawled map of the building where Zanthia’s friend is being held, and leaves cautiously.  Zanthia explains that he used to be a member of this dastardly group of kidnappers and dragon killers, and has provided a layout of the building at great personal risk.

There is more to the plan too.  Downstairs, in the back room of the Wayward Alchemist, the guards who form tomorrow night’s shift are playing a friendly game of cards.  Zanthia feel confident that she can get one more player into the game, potentially allowing them to incapacitate the guards somehow, thereby allowing the party to take their places.

Cailynn has just the thing.  Rummaging through her alchemist’s kit, she quickly concocts a mild poison - not enough to kill a person, but certainly sufficient to cause them great intestinal discomfort the next day.

And so, a plan is formed:  Kadis will pose as the player, whilst Oddsock sneaks around dog-style, checking out the other players’ cards and mentally transmitting them using his eldritch powers.  Talion will offer musical distraction, Cailynn will stand ready with the poison, and Julius will be an adorable otter.

In order to help them prepare for this ruse, Zanthia opens up her various closets, with an instruction to take anything they need, but to stay out of the bottom drawer.

Talion is in first, tarting himself up with various ruffs and powders, and perhaps taking it too far.  Oddsock keeps it simpler, with just a top hat, bow tie and monocle.  Julius dons a jaunty poncho, and Cailynn takes feather boas for herself and Moo.  Kadis changes into so smart but comfortable red gear, better matching his new eyewear.

Before they head down, Zanthia bestows a quick blessing upon them, making them all harder to spot when sneaking.  You never know when it might come in handy.

Downstairs, Zanthia has a quick word with the Tiefling bar manager Tabitha - firstly about the game, and secondly about the sleeping man she left at one of her tables.  Tabitha nods, and mutters the words “clean-up on table twelve” into her necklace.

At this, the hulking Golem doorman Stopdick folds himself in through the door.  A path is quickly cleared before him, and he picks up the slumbering lecher and carries him out of the door.  There is a soft clattering of a rubbish bin, and nothing further is seen of heard of either of them.

Inside the back room, the team finds six High Elves around a table, with a jug of booze and a deck of cards.  Kadis strides up to them with unusual brazenness, inviting them all to find out how it feels to be beaten by a blind man.

Amused by his chutzpah, they allow him to join the game.  Kadis sits himself down - successfully feigning blindness, despite his beholder companion being secreted in his eyescarf - and is dealt in.

The game is Raktika Hold’em - a simple poker variant involving two cards per player, five in the river, four rounds of betting and a buy-in of a single copper coin.

The dealer hands out the cards to the players.  Around the table sit Melch, Punsie, Rimothy, Elbothan, Gunnannonnimon and Talion’s nemesis Herrington - a fact that does not go unnoticed by the bard.

Kadis’ hand is promising:

Jammy git.

He throws in his copper, and matches a raise from Herrington - as do the other players.  The river is dealt, revealing an all-important King. Off to a strong start.

Oddsock does a good sneak and ogles the cards of Melch and Punsie - nothing much going on, though the presence of some diamonds in their hands could be an issue.

A round of betting follows, while Talion begins performing a rousing (and hopefully distracting) song for the players.  As he does so, he can’t help put spread a little magic, conjuring up an unpleasant smell from Herrington’s direction.  Gunnannonnimon wrinkles his nose and shifts a little further away.

The fourth card is dealt into the river - a Two of Clubs.  Oddsock can see that this offers nothing to help either Rimothy or Elbothan, both of whom are holding absolute rubbish - not that one would be able to tell based on their bets.

The players go in bold for the next round, and even Kadis allows himself to put in a raise now that four of his six competitors’ cards are in his mind.

The final flop seals the deal - it’s only the bloody King of Spades.  Though he is now sitting on a Three Of A Kind, Kadis does not let this break his poker face, even after Oddsock confirmed that Herrington and Gunnannonnimon have nothing to threaten him.  Delivering a new magical smell into Herrington’s lap, Oddsock returns to Kadis’ side for well-earned scritches.

Emboldened by his sneaky knowledge, Kadis puts in a large raise.  Several players bow out, but Herrington holds fast in the mistaken belief that his pair of fives will bring him anything but embarrassment.  Already troubled by the looks he is receiving for his odour, he puts in a raise of his own, which Kadis matches and raises further with a handful of gold.

A disturbance ensues, with much grumbling about “limits” and “poor manners”.  Between this, the stench and the increasingly raucous music, the stage is set for a sneaky poisoner.  Cailynn sets Moo into flight with a tiny vial, the contents of which he successfully deposits into the jug unseen.

After Moo has returned to his partner, the fracas begins to die down, and somebody proposes a toast to help clear the air.  Drinks are poured from the jug for each of the players - including Kadis.

Ruh-roh.

Seeing this happen, Julius beckons Oddsock over and asks him to connect with him mentally.  Minds linked, the otter tells the dog that he has a certain spell that can remove the effects of poison.  Oddsock passes this intel across to Kadis, who raises his glass and sups with confidence.

Now that the mood is once again convivial, the group excuses themselves to return to Zanthia’s room, wherein Julius lays on his paws and removes the poison from Kadis, thereby avoiding a day of severe intestinal distress.

Settling back into the room, the gang tries to relax - which is easier for some than others.  Julius is uncomfortable with all the skullduggery, and takes a quiet moment in a corner to contemplate the blue pebble that used to be a glowing gem, but which now hangs from his necklace.

He runs his paws over its surface, and tries to recall the intense feeling he got when first he held it, but the emotion of that moment evades him.  Drawing the pebble close to his mouth, he whispers to it:

“Pa...?”

At that moment, each of the former gems and lanterns - even the one in Kadis’ pocket - emits the same sound:

“Pa...?”

Everyone looks at Julius, who looks back with confusion.  A further mystery - albeit a useful one - has now come to light.

With his mind on the gems, Kadis dips his hand into his pocket and withdraws the golden gear.  Taking a bit of a punt while riding high on his modest poker win, he hands it over to Cailynn.  As her fingers meet it, she

Hears the voices of her family for the first time in many years

Hears them pleading with their pursuers

Hears them no longer

She sinks to the ground as the golden gear affixes itself to her silver skull necklace, and becomes very quiet.

After some tentative support from the team, she tells them about the murder of her parents and her 50-year-old sister - still just a child by Elven lifespans - at the hands of a violent group who had been blackmailing them.  Still being young herself, her magic was not enough to save any lives but her own, and she has lived with the guilt ever since.

Talion sympathises and shares his own story of familial woe, as do the others, all of whom have lost family in one way or another.  The mood becomes bleak, so  Zanthia opens up a Dragonborn statue, withdraws a very expensive brandy with several crystal glasses, and proposes a toast to them all, to their friendship, and to the success of their future endeavours.

And with that, to bed.  Most of the group settles right down onto the cushions, though Oddsock has a quick, very educational snuffle around the forbidden drawer, while Julius fidgets nervously, unable to catch sleep.

Zanthia takes to her four poster bed, leaving space for company, and tipping a wink to Talion.  Never one to turn down an opportunity, he joins her as she draws the bed's curtains.  There follows an experimentation with bardic inspiration that shall never be explicitly discussed.

The dreams that follow reflect the day that they’ve all had: Themes of familial loss and gambling abound, but at least there aren’t any tentacles.

In the morning, breakfast is brought up - sausages and regular, non-mimic eggs.  Zanthia asks the group all to be here in her room in the afternoon, but otherwise they have the morning to themselves.

Talion immediately tries to pursue a monetary reward to help refill their dwindling stocks, and speak to Tabitha about a slot performing in the Alchemist.  She requests a sample of his music, and his performance is sufficiently good to earn him a spot onstage during happy hour.  Satisfied, he settles in to hone his art.

Oddsock heads out a-sniffing, to see if he can find any trace of his homeland.  A familiar scent is on the breeze, so he follows it, passing by some priests desperately scrubbing their steps, and finds a barrel storehouse.  Further in, two men are operating brewing equipment, and the scent of hops and malt fills he air.

Oddsock approaches them, and the nearest - a simple fellow named Brando - approaches.  After a deployment of the canine charms, he becomes besotted with Oddsock, and asks his companion Kevinge if he can keep him.

Kevinge is less impressed, so Oddsock delves into his mind and tells him that belly rubs are his only road to salvation - or, at least, that’s what he means to say.  Oddsock is not so good with the long words.

Mistaking the voice in his head for god, Kevinge begins rubbing his own belly and muttering the word ‘salamander’ to himself.  Pleased with his morning’s work, Oddsock trots away.

Also out on the town is Julius.  In an attempt to reconnect with nature, he goes out looking for foliage.  Though the city is very built up, there are a couple of trees here and there, and it is towards one of these that he strays.

Resting a paw upon it, he channels his druidic magic and begins to speak to it.  The spell works, though the tree does not have much wisdom to offer.  It has stood for long and seen much, but its only concerns are the soil, the water and the sun.

It turns out that this is just what Julius needed - a few calm, relaxing words from nature to soothe his anxious soul.  He meanders in the sunshine, a much happier otter.

Cailynn is on a natural quest of her own, but for nothing quite as pure as Julius.  The poison she made last night depleted her mushroom stocks, so she is hunting around for something unpleasant for future efforts.

Though mushrooms and toadstools are nowhere to be found, she does finds a promisingly thick collection of mould behind some bins.  Scraping it into a little container, she adds it to her alchemy kit for later perusal.

In a nearby library, Kadis is sat with a stack of books on the topic of local history.  He is trying to read up on his old home town of Amberstall, and anything that may have happened to it after the event that robbed him of his sight and his family.

Unfortunately, the only books he can find are too old, and the entries only refer to Amberstall as the modest farming town he remembers from his youth.  He does also find an entry about Thornhelm, the town he helped defend against bandits, though again, there is no mention of that event.

Mostly, he is just happy to be reading again, and takes his time leafing through a few tomes in peace.

As the team members begin to return to the Wayward Alchemist, Talion starts playing.  Though his audition was just adequate, his afternoon performance is exquisite.  Even the taciturn Tabitha pauses her work to watch him, and once he is finished, she hands him a purse of gold and a little bottle of good brandy as a tip.

All together again, the group heads upstairs, where a strange woman awaits.  Long of ear and sharp of uniform - just like the guards of last night - she stand just shy of five feet tall in her stacked but professional boots.

The adventurers are cautious, but Oddsock catches a familiar whiff of perfume.

This is Zanthia.  And she’s ready to get to work.

[crushedbyhyperbole]

Beyond Broken - Chapter Five

Chapter Summary:  Jess's interactions with her lonely man move forward and her friendship with David begins to evolve. She is beginning to move on from her loss on D-Day but can't see it for what it is just yet

Her lonely man is awkward funny and she's still oblivious to how taken with her he is, subconsciously she knows something is there but she's not ready to accept it yet.

Words:  2.6k

Warnings:  Bit of angst related to missing loved ones, a toxic friendship, bit of home-wrecking, bad language

Situational Evolution

Jess spent her Sunday painting the bathroom.  On a whim she bought a few cans of paint in a rich, deep teal colour.  She and Will had been planning on redecorating last year but they could never agree on a colour.  And so, by default, it stayed the same.

The large oval tub was white with copper coloured fittings.  The tiles were white mosaic style with scattering of copper accents. It had worked well with the beige, but the beige bored her.  It looked better with the teal, but the paint was still patchy.  She’d do another coat on Monday after work.

There was a buoyant sense of accomplishment that accompanied her throughout the rest of her evening. She felt a little guilty, having just gone ahead and changed something in the house.  Their house.  It didn’t feel anything like what she expected moving on to feel like but she supposed the process had to start somewhere.  It was just a house, after all, only a bathroom.  All the things that made her life with Will great were locked up inside her, in memories and feelings.  A few licks of paint would never change that.

 Monday breezed by without so much as a by-your-leave.  After a full day at the practice she delved into the rest of her redecorating.  She skipped dinner in favour of a few of her signature mojitos made with navy rum and brown sugar, and with a substantial buzz she’d fallen asleep on the sofa once again.

Sleep claimed her quickly but she didn’t rest easy.  Her dreams were mercurial.

 Jess awoke to her alarm on Tuesday morning with a crick in her neck and a headache.  She reached for the hand she’d been holding to find herself alone and her dream companion fading to nothing more than the idea of a man, and a feeling of intimacy.  Had she been dreaming about Will?

“You seem different today.” Sadie said as they went through the appointments for the day.

“It’s just a bit of a hangover.  Jessica had too many rums last night.”  She chastised herself.

“Did she now?”  Sadie jested.  “Good party, was it?”

“No party.”  Jess scribbled notes in her diary.  “I painted the bathroom.”

“Good for you.  We have to celebrate the little things these days.”  She squeezed Jess’s shoulder.  “You look great, by the way.  You’ve got colour in your cheeks.”

Sadie was the eldest of the dentists based at the practice, and she was one of Jess’s closest friends. At fifty four, she was twenty two years older than Jess but she was still young at heart.

 “Hey, do you want to grab a few drinks this evening?”  Sadie asked later as they were setting their tools in the UV steriliser.

“I’m meeting David tonight.”

“You mean you’re walking his dog while he spends time with that boyfriend of his, who you’ve never met.”

Jess had told Sadie some of her arrangement with David and she hadn’t approved.  The consensus was that Jess needed time for herself and not to be the enabler for the self-destructive behaviours her not-quite-brother-in-law displayed.  He needed real help and Jess was too soft to force him to face his issues.

It wasn’t that simple. Jess also needed him.  His high demand on her time kept her busy and mentally occupied.  It distracted her from her own pain.  She knew that was also not healthy.

“I can do after ten?” Jess offered with a shrug.

“Another time, maybe.” Sadie gave her sad smile.  “Don’t make me abduct you one night.”  She hugged her briefly and left Jess to lock up.

 David was waiting impatiently at Neptune’s.  He handed her the customary offering of tiramisu hot chocolate, the dog leash and a peck on the cheek.  He asked how she was but it felt strained.

“What’s going on?  You seem stressed.”

“I really miss Silas.” He sighed, shaking the tension out of his shoulders.  “I must have it bad if I can’t go two days without seeing him.”

She didn’t blame him. Missing someone that bad was like a gut punch that kept on giving.

“It’s still new.”  She smiled reassuringly.  “It’s only been a couple of months, hasn’t it?”

Wow, a couple of months? Is that how long she’d been helping him lie to Bill?

“Almost three.”  He nodded, glancing in the direction he needed to go to meet his beau.

“Why don’t you bring him one evening.  I’d love to meet him.”

“Yeah I’ll ask him. Listen, Jess, I’m gonna go.  I’ll meet you back here at ten.  Promise I won’t be late.”  There was barely time for a reply before he was marching off. He hadn’t even walked her across the street to the park this time.

“Have fun!”  She called after him.

 Jess wasn’t fooled by the apparent amiability of the weather; she carried her waterproof poncho in a small tote bag and had swapped her heeled pumps for a pair of boots.

She meandered the paths of the park as was her routine.  Without David there talking she had more time to think, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.  Daisy did her business and Jess dutifully picked up.  The dog was bouncing in and out of the bushes, excitedly chuffing as she snuffled around.  Jess couldn’t help but smile at her.

Down on the boardwalk she wondered if the lonely man would be there, and he was.  Sat in his usual spot on a bench by marker twelve.

She gave him a nod of acknowledgement and received one in return before taking up her place at the railings.   Both the sea and the sky were calmer than they had previously been.  Jess thought the clouds were thinning even further despite the cooling transition from evening into night.

The ocean always made her feel small and helpless.  To think of something so massive, uncontrollably powerful, and somehow alien, gave her shivers. It was natural to fear things we didn’t understand.  She imagined what it would be like to stand here while a ginormous wave grew out of the ocean, bearing down on the land and washing everything away, even her.  A wave like one in a disaster movie, hundreds of feet high.  She’d had dreams like that in the past when she was feeling overwhelmed and unsure of choices in her life.  She’d never envisioned one in her fully conscious mind though.  It gave her goosebumps.

 A shiver passed over her, and she came back to herself to find that she was not alone.  Swiping at the moisture under her eyes, she flicked a quick glance to see the lonely man.  He’d noticed her tears, a concerned look on his face.

“It’s calmer today.” She said, glancing at her watch. She’d been stood in silence for more than an hour.  “I still don’t trust it though.”

The lonely man nodded as if considering.  “Yes, those pesky storms are far from reliable.”

“Maybe the Lord of Thunder is angry.”

“God, of Thunder.”  He interjected flatly.  “He would be the God of Thunder.  Lord of Thunder just wouldn’t do him justice. Rather insulting if you ask me.”

She laughed at his dorkiness.

“Oh, my bad.”  She held her hands up in mock surrender, jostling the bell on the dog’s leash.  “God of Thunder, please don’t strike me down.” She spoke up to the sky with a light laugh tickling the cadence of her voice.

“He would never…”

She was almost lost in her own amusement as the lonely man looked ruefully out to sea.

 “Not angry, sorrowful.” He said after a while fixing her with a knowing look.  “I mean, I imagine he’s more sorrowful than angry.  Just a speculation.  Obviously I don’t know him.  How would I?”

Jess couldn’t help but laugh at his goofy ramblings.

“He’s an Avenger and not at all like anyone I’d ever hang with.”  He scoffed.

“I wouldn’t know.” She turned back to the dark horizon. They were deep in twilight now, the clouds a lighter dark against the coming night.

“You do not know The Avengers?”  he seemed surprised.

“Nope.  I know of them, sure.  But I don’t know much about them.  Wouldn’t recognise one.  Couldn’t name one.  Save for the God of Thunder who I now know is an Avenger, thanks to you.”  She shrugged.

He flashed her a smile that lit up his entire face.  Something dropped in her chest right down to her stomach, making her feel jittery.  Holy hell he was handsome.  And yes, there it was, the hot blush she got when she was embarrassed.  Just great.

“You have a little something on your neck.”  He waved his finger at her.

Distracted, she fumbled to feel her skin.

“A little higher.”  He rumbled.  “No, to the left.  No, my left.”  He watched awkwardly as she failed to find it.  “Please, allow me.”

When he stepped forward she almost jumped back, stumbling over the dog, who yelped.  Gasping, she gripped the railing to steady herself.  

The lonely man looked torn, stuck between a choice of back off or catch her.  He backed off.

Shocked by the sudden potential contact, she frowned.  She didn’t know the man.  Strangers didn’t just touch other strangers.  And strange men shouldn’t just go touching women who don’t want to be touched.  She supposed he was only trying to be helpful.

“My apologies.”  He said stiffly, his large hands held out as if to steady himself on unsteady ground.  “It’s just a dark smudge of something, dirt perhaps.”

“It’s not dirt.”  She rebuked, her pride kicking in.  She always took personal hygiene very seriously.

Sensing her offence, he backtracked.  “Not dirt, no.  Impossible. Definitely not dirt.”

“Poor Daisy Duke.” She crooned, scooping up the dog. “It’ll be paint.”

“Oh!  You’re a painter?”  He seized the opportunity to draw the conversation on.  “How lovely!  What do you paint?”

“My nails mainly. Occasionally I paint a bathroom.” She chuckled at his confusion, trying to bring the mood away from her harsh reaction.

Initially she’d thought him a solemn, troubled man, waiting out in the rain for some kind of peace. There was something about him that she felt connected to, like his outward display of – how to describe it - mourning, maybe, was akin to how she felt inside.  Now she saw he was light-hearted and really quite funny in an awkward, goofy kind of way.

Unable to make sense of the man, she decided to change the subject.  Time was getting on and she had to meet David back at Neptune’s.

“I better be going.” She gestured with a thumb directed over her shoulder.  “It was, ummm, educational talking with you.”

“The pleasure was all mine.” He smiled warmly if a little reluctantly.  “Would you like company on walk back through?”  The suggestion was hasty.

“No thanks, I’m good.” She said.  “See you tomorrow.”  The little smirk that curled her lip was involuntary and she turned to hide it, waving vaguely in leu of a goodbye.

“Good night!”  He called.

 David arrived at precisely ten o’clock, jogging around the corner, dishevelled like he’d rushed his clothes on only minutes before.

“Good visit?”

“The best!”  He hugged her tightly, planting a lingering kiss on her cheek.  Did she want to know where those lips had been?

She was always happy to see him happy.  It was more rewarding than you would imagine, putting yourself out there to help someone who then relied on you to help keep the balance of their fragile but fierce happiness.  Jess felt, in moments like these, that it was all worth the effort.  This feeling was exactly why she supported him the way she did.

“Did you ask him about meeting up?  I really wanna see this mystery man who makes you so happy.”

“I did.”  David was sheepish.  “He doesn’t think it’s a good idea.”

This didn’t sound good at all.  Usually when David got defensive it was because he’d done something wrong or because he knew that people wouldn’t approve.  It was rare that he wouldn’t tell her the truth however.

“Why not?  I’m not going to bite.  I just want to meet him.  It’s not like me seeing him is gonna somehow trigger your dad finding out or anything.

“He’s not ready to meet people, you know, out.” He tried to explain it away but couldn’t look her in the eye.

She felt the irritation rising up under her skin as a restless burning feeling.  She clenched her teeth, pursing her lips and going fully with the disapproving frown.

“I accept that you don’t have to tell me everything.  It’s your life.  But when all I’ve ever done is support you, the least you can do is not lie to me, David.”

“It’s complicated, Jess. I can’t ask him to do this.”

“David, so help me god…” She hissed.

“He’s married, Jess. As in straight and married.  As in going behind his wife’s back to sleep with me, his gay lover.”  His agitation faded as the words flooded out.

“Jesus…”

Her mouth fell open and she didn’t know what else to say.  She felt pity for him and his situation but she also felt angry for being kept in the dark.  Knowing wasn’t any better than not knowing.  In fact, now, all she could think about was that man’s poor wife.  People had so little left to feel happy about, after D-Day, that to wreck someone’s marriage knowingly was pretty despicable.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“No.  No, you don’t.”

“I know you, Jess. You think I’m a selfish prick for getting involved with a married man.  I’m no homewrecker.”

Okay, so that was pretty close to what she thought, but still…

“He’s never going to leave his wife, and I accept that.  They lost their child like I lost Will and Mom, and he is all she has left.  He still cares for her, he’s just gay.  And this makes us happy.”  He gasped emotionally, shoulders hanging down.  “We found something together that keeps the darkness at bay, you know, we’ve both lost so much.”

A tear slipped free. How could she not understand? She’d lost as much as anyone.

“Jess, I’m so sorry.” He reached for her and she went to him, hugged tight against his chest.  He kissed the top of her head and rested his cheek there.  “I’m so tactless sometimes.  You’re always so strong that I forget you’re suffering too.”

That was her curse. She was always the strong one, the one people turned to for support.  She cared too much, gave everything asked of her and took very little back.

“Am I forgiven?” David mumbled into her hair.

The wind was getting up again, cold and gusty, carried off the see and straight up the street.  The effect was not unlike a wind tunnel during high winds.

“Not by a long shot.” She slapped his shoulder, withdrawing back to her own space.  “There’s going to be a free dinner in it for me sometime in the near future.”

“Cheap dinner though.” He cringed.  “I’m a broke-ass basic bitch right now.”

Jess couldn’t help but laugh.  She’d probably never call in that favour, like the hundreds before it. David was her brother.  Not just because of Will but because they shared this strange life together, each needing the other in some way just to get by. She wasn’t sure if she needed David in the same way but he kept her tethered to Will in a way that allowed her to live rather than moping at home in a pit of her own despair.  She was a high functioning griever.

[detectingdiva]

Rich W. from the YTC Club chillin’ with Abby

Detectorists from all over the east coast descended on the Catskills, June 16th to 18th  to attend Blackthorne Resorts Lost Treasure Weekend, in East Durham, NY.  This hunt has been an annual event in the metal detecting community for years—how many years, I’m not sure, but I’ve been hearing about it and wanting to attend since I started this hobby, and this year I finally got the chance.

My pre-event impression was a cautious one. Since I knew a lot of people who had been to this event in the past, I asked around about it a bit, and was warned about the resorts food, and lack of guest communication skills.

I found this out first hand while trying to get information about the hunt and confirmation of my booking.  It was a frustrating effort, so I advise all those who wish to attend this hunt in the future to employ the old fashioned telephone call method.  Calling will confirm your reservation, but make sure to write everything down, because you will probably need that information when you check out.  And don’t expect the usual itemized bill when you depart, write it all down–trust me on that.

Once you get through all that and arrive at the Blackthorne though, you will be pleasantly surprised. The resort is in a word, “Whimsical”.  It has that old world charm that you might remember or expect from a resort in the Catskills.

The charm comes from the details, which you will notice immediately.  All around you, wherever you go there is attention to detail.  From the teapots hanging on poles, to the duck pond with a mini working mill wheel, and colorful retro beach chairs by the pool, you’ll be sure to notice something new each day.

My room was nice.  It was clean, with air conditioning, a huge bathroom, sliders facing the hunt field, and a pleasant decor.  I had been told by previous attendees to make sure to  upgrade to a plan A room, which I did, and I did not see a plan B or C room, so I cannot make a comparison, but my accommodations were just fine.  Compared to some of the other places I’ve stayed in the Catskills, this was a total upgrade, with no “old motel creepiness” factor.

The Blackthorne is also a pet friendly place, so I brought my dog “Abby” along.  The pet fee was only $5.00 per day, which I thought was reasonable, and Abby thought I was just the best Mom for taking her to see her favorite thing in the world… people.

I arrived, checked in, got the dog settled and gathered my gear to board the bus, which was to take us around the area to various natural hunt sites for the day.  When I got to the bus, the driver informed me the bus was full—seriously?  I paid extra money, and reserved early, to make sure I had a seat on the bus.  I thought that pretty much sucked, but there were 7 or 8 cars following the bus, so I carpooled it with Kevin and Joe from the Nor’easter’s club.

The first site we hit was an old house, and everyone was out of their vehicles, donning their rain gear and ponchos as it had started raining on the way there.  It was a bit confusing because all those that were on the bus were privy to the details of where the hunt boundaries were, and were off hunting already.  The rest of us were on our own.  I asked a few folks if they knew where we were supposed to hunt, and they didn’t know either, so I just stayed near by, since I wasn’t even sure who was in charge yet to ask.

I found an old button, and saw some folks hunting in the wooded back yard area, so I went in that direction.  I don’t think I was there 15 minutes when it suddenly grew quiet.  I looked around and saw people walking back toward the road, so I quickly went back to the car, and yup, they were packing up to leave already.  We couldn’t have been there more than a half hour, and I was a little confused, but thought, whatever.

We went to the next site, and I got my gear on more quickly, thinking a half hour was all we were probably going to get.  It was an old farm house with a small yard, and folks were running around hurriedly digging signals.  I was on my third hole, when I suddenly heard someone yell “Lets go”.  I looked around, and saw Jeff from my club, with a look of disbelief, questioning the person who had said it.  Jeff had just found a large cent—who wants to leave immediately after finding a large cent, or any coin, or even 7 minutes after starting to hunt?

People were starting to get annoyed.  No one could understand what the heck was going on,  but we continued on, following the bus to the next site.

We ended up at an old house from the 1700’s, with a good size yard and field area to hunt.  The owner gave us the history of the house, then we were off.  No one knew when they would pull the plug and tell us we had to go, so it was like a mad race to see if you could find something.  I pulled out a few wheaties, and a neat black marble, and then made my way back to the parking area because I didn’t want to be left behind when whoever was in charge decided it was time to leave.

Woody from the Pennsylvania club pulled out a nice reale, and it was like the most perfect reale I had ever seen.  I was so happy for him, and everyone was checking it out and taking photos.

Complete with strippers pole

I also checked out the bus.  I was told there was a stripper pole inside it, and I was kind of thinking, no way, but I took a look anyway, and yup, there was a strippers pole inside the bus and half the seats were removed around the pole/strip area.  The mystery of why there were no more seats left on the bus was solved—You just can’t make this stuff up.

We were told that bus was the only bus available for rental on that particular day, so thats the one we got.  Now maybe I’m being too critical, but I don’t really think so, by pointing out the obvious, which is, that if I were putting on a hunt, and needed a bus for a certain day, I would reserve that bus far in advance to make sure an adequate one was available—just sayin’.

Anyway, we then moved on to a ball field, which I assumed we were going to hunt but was told, no, this is where we are having lunch.  I didn’t care about lunch, but then we were told that lunch wasn’t ready yet and we were going to hunt the field.  I got all rain geared up, went out and dug my first target, then someone came over and said lunch was being served.  OMG–I wasn’t alone in voicing my frustration of this bus tour/hunt, while I removed my gear once again, and then made my way to the pavilion.

I expected hotdogs and hamburgers, but instead they served us Chicken Cordon Bleu, rolls, gravy, potatoes, salad, etc…. It was catered by the motel, and delicious.  I was surprised with this sudden great meal, under a pavilion, at a ball field in the rain, and still confused by this whole hunt scenario.

After we ate, they quickly herded us back to the vehicles for our next site, which was a motel.  After I geared up again, I found the “leader” of this caravan and asked him where exactly we could hunt.  His response was “Just hunt, if you go someplace you’re not supposed to, I’ll let you know”.  I was like, um, okay thanks, but in my mind, I thought “What an a**hole, this hunt is ridiculous”, then I wandered around aimlessly swinging my machine, having lost interest in being a participant anymore.

As predicted, 20 minutes later it was back to the vehicles, and on to another site.  I just went with the flow, because what else could I do?  When it was time to go, Kevin (our driver), was no where to be found.  A brief search ensued, and when he appeared, he showed us the reason for his tardiness—he had been busy digging up a gold ring!  Way to go Kevin!  At least someone had time to find something.

The next site was the remains of an old motel.  They gave us a good 40 minutes there, and I did manage to find a watch, a buckle, a key and some clad.  It’s hard to enjoy yourself though when you don’t know how long you will have to hunt, and are afraid to turn your back to dig a signal, because when you turn back around everyone may have disappeared, or are waiting on you.

After that it was over. Everyone went back to the motel except for about 8 of us who went off on our own and hunted a permission for an hour or so, until it was time to head back for dinner.

Dinner was great. Whoever said the food wasn’t very good at Blackthorne, I feel was mistaken.  All the food we had all weekend was great, and there was plenty of it.

After dinner it was time for the Moonlight Madness seeded hunt, and everyone donned their headlamps to search the field for tokens.  It was kind of fun running around in the dark, and I ended up with 10 tokens for my efforts.

The tokens were cashed in for prizes, which, for some folks were great, but for me, they were “meh”.  Most of the prizes were coins, which I have absolutely no interest in unless they are coins I’ve dug myself.  They had a trunk of junk, which was just that, and I really didn’t need anymore junk, so I settled on a hopefully useful claw like item, that I supposed was an old garden tool?

The rest of the weekend was more of the same.  A lot of food and seeded hunts, more tokens, and more coin and junk prizes.  A group of us went off on our own during the day and sought out permissions, but except for Rich W. from the YTC club finding two coppers at one of them, they didn’t really produce much else.

Despite my frustration, and dislike of seeded hunts, when the weekend was over, I couldn’t really say I had a bad time, nor can I say I wouldn’t go again next year.  I might pass on paying the extra fee for the now infamous natural hunt bus tour, but it was still metal detecting, and the best part of the weekend, and most of  the reason I was there anyway, was the people.

There are so many folks I’ve met through the years in this hobby.  Some of these people live quite a distance away, and the only time we really get to hang out and detect together is at these events.  There is always a lot of laughter, reminiscing and an all around good time.  This hunt was no exception.  It was the people who made it.  The evenings hanging out, having a few drinks, laughing at most everything, especially inside jokes (i.e. Tom Foolery), which I have to include here, as it was one of this particular hunts inside jokes that a lot of people reading this will understand.

There is also the opportunity to meet new people, and make new memories and friends, and those new acquaintances will be the folks you look forward to seeing at the next hunt.

Metal detecting is just one of those hobbies that brings people together.  I can’t quite put my finger on one thing about it exactly, as there are so many great people and things about the hobby.  I mean even if its been a few years since you’ve seen someone you hunted with or attended an event with, when you see them again, its like no time has passed, and you know that whether its a sucky hunt or not, you’re going to have a great time anyway.  I like to describe that feeling as camaraderie, but its just so much more than that…

More photos below–Happy Hunting!

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  Blackthorne Resort's Lost Treasure Weekend 2017 Detectorists from all over the east coast descended on the Catskills, June 16th to 18th  to attend Blackthorne Resorts Lost Treasure Weekend, in East Durham, NY.