#Professional Wood Sanding

[fkfloorsanding]

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unravel the significance of this seemingly minor step in commercial interior design. Get ready to discover how professional wood sanding can transform your space, enhance durability, and elevate customer experience to new heights.

[martingarrix44477]

Sanding Wood Floors

Discover unmatched expertise with our professional floor sanding services at Sanding Wood Floors. Our speciality lies in revitalising wooden floors, with our team providing scrupulous attention to detail to restore their natural charm and improve their longevity. Catering to a wide range of clients, from private residences to large commercial venues across the UK, our tailor-made solutions are designed to meet diverse needs. Witness the remarkable transformation brought about by our cutting-edge technology and eco-friendly practices at Sanding Wood Floors Co., your leading choice for floor sanding.

[onlinetranslpro]

Discover unparalleled craftsmanship with our expert floor sanding services at [Your Business Name]. Specializing in breathing new life into wooden floors, our team ensures meticulous attention to detail, restoring the natural beauty and enhancing the durability of your floors. From residential homes to grand commercial spaces, our bespoke solutions cater to a diverse clientele across the UK. Experience the transformation with our state-of-the-art technology and sustainable practices – all at The Floor Sanding Co., your premier floor sanding company.

[the-learning-hub]

Tips for Sanding and Finishing Reclaimed Wood: Expert Guide to Achieve a Professional Look

Tips for Sanding and Finishing Reclaimed Wood: Expert Guide to Achieve a Professional Look

Reclaimed wood is a beautiful and unique material that can add character and warmth to any space. It’s important to remember that reclaimed wood is often older and has a different texture and color than new wood, so it requires a bit more care when sanding and finishing. Here are some tips to help you achieve a beautiful and professional-looking finish on your reclaimed wood project. Start with…

[peaches2217]

Peach loves showering Mario (and Luigi, but especially Mario) in gifts. He's a simple man with practical preferences, which makes spoiling him fairly easy; an entire dedicated workshop in the castle's west wing, professionally tailored denim and flannels, the best tools money can buy. If she thinks he could benefit from it for even a few fleeting seconds, it's his. He always gets red in the face and stutters in speechless gratitude, and inevitably he'll ask how he could ever repay her. And of course she tells him there's no need! You don't repay gifts. (And anyway, seeing him so flustered yet happy is all the payback she could ever ask for.)

One day she enters the workshop without knocking (as she usually does) and finds Mario sanding a shockingly ornate wooden chair, with a seat that curves upward and rounded arms and flowering branches carved into the back. To her confusion, he scrambles to cover it up and keep it out of sight, so Peach assures him it looks beautiful and comfortable; he must have poured a lot of time and effort into it! Why on earth would he be embarrassed for her to see his handiwork?

And that's when he admits, with a faint and all-too familiar blush, that he's spent months working on it in secret... because it's a gift for her.

Some months back, Peach complained in passing about the rickety old chair in her study, and he had taken the complaint as an opportunity to finally give her something in return for all she's given him, however small. The seat is designed to provide comfort for hours with or without a cushion, the arms will sit level with her desk so she doesn't have to bend over the mountains of paperwork she's often consumed by, and those floral reliefs? Those are peach blossoms.

He apologizes for letting her see it in its unfinished state but assures her it's almost ready, it just needs a few coats of varnish and then she'll be sitting pretty (literally)! And he also apologizes, with a gentle chuckle, for how underwhelming a gift it is, all things considered. But Peach is the opposite of underwhelmed. She can't help but trace her fingers over the raw wood in wonder, her heart full and her eyes stinging with the threat of tears.

Being a princess, she's of course received countless gifts throughout her life. But no one's ever made anything by hand for her. This little chair is the single most personal, most intimate gift she has ever received. Suddenly the untold fortune she's spent on him feels outright paltry in comparison.

The completed chair is brought to her study two days later, and whenever the tedium of her work or the stress of sporadic political instability gets to her, she leans into the delicate wooden peach blossoms, strokes her thumbs over the curves of the arms, and remembers that she's loved.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

What do you think of the renovation of this 1892 home in Milwaukee, WI? I can't decide. It's like a combination of old/new and they did leave historic elements. 5bds, 4ba, asking $639K.

It's attractive, but if you're a purist, then you wouldn't like the wood painted white. Coffered ceiling is still here, so are the columns and arch, plus the fireplace. Looks like the original floor was sanded to make it lighter.

Original stairs, but they've been stripped and lightened.

Undeniably an attractive room, color wise.

Moving to the next sitting room, the color changes to greens. The crown molding is still intact. There's a window in the wall. Could this long room have been a sun room or porch?

Looks like a back porch/room was converted to a small office and mudroom.

Modernized guest powder room with wall niches.

Very nice dining room. Interesting architectural feature- the small area on the left. Wonder if that's original.

Beautiful archway to the kitchen.

Total kitchen revamp. There's a brick chimney. Like the counters and backsplash.

Don't particularly like the thing they made for the light fixture. Just hang the fixture, that frame isn't necessary, and it's off-center.

Whatever this is, is cute.

Going upstairs to the bedrooms.

Oh, here we go with the gray. This is the primary suite.

The en-suite bath is completely open.

Bedroom #2. The exposed brick looks like it was redone with new brick.

Completely redone bath. Nice tile.

Finished attic. boy, they hired a professional stager- look at the pillows in the baskets and the little seating area.

This is nice, a 2nd fl. terrace. The stager put up a shade.

The yard and garden are gorgeous.

The yard goes way back to the end of the .33 acre lot.

Gate and a long driveway.

The 2 car garage is around the block.

Beautiful Beaux Arts style home.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2365-N-1st-St-Milwaukee-WI-53212/40455932_zpid/?

[pimosworld]

would you be able to write something about santi and frankie making a tree house for the reader's kids?

her kids have always wanted one and there's a perfect tree for it right in the center of the back yard, but she's never had the time to make it herself or get a professional to make it.

one day, at a neighborhood barbecue, pope is talking to reader's kids (trying desperately to be their favorite uncle) when they inform him of their plan of how to get their mom to make their tree house.

he tells them to draw him up a plan of their dream tree house and tells them he'll see what he can do. with the help of fish, they draw up a real plan of action from the drawing and set out finding materials. reclaimed wood, an old slide that really just needs a fresh paint job, a carpet to go inside, and some old moroccan style tiles for the roof.

they show up, truck bed full of supplies, unannounced and get to work unloading and constructing the thing. how can the reader be so mad when her kids look so happy helping them build it and playing in it once it's built?!

(new anon, sorry that this was so long.)

Pairing-Triple frontier boys x f!reader

Summary-Your kids find a way to get what they want both for you and for them.

CW-SFW, Fluff, angst, mentions of parent loss, mentions of spouse loss, tf boys being protective, tf boys being great uncles, mentions of insecurities, kids being menaces, dating, cursing, inaccurate descriptions of tree house build time because this is my world and we can build tree houses quickly, so much fluff. The boys being good with their hands.

WC-2.7k

A/N- I’m sorry this took me so long anon. Writers block sucks but it’s only fitting that the anniversary of my first ever fic COMPANY that came up a few weeks ago featuring the tf boys is kicked off with your request for some Frankie and Santi being amazing. I made some adjustments but I hope this is everything you wanted and more.

[Triple Frontier Masterlist][Main Masterlist]

If you build it

“I can tell they’re up to something.” Santi shoots you a look as he flips the burgers on the grill. 

  “They’re kids of course they’re up to something. The question is what.” Santi closes the grill as he looks across the wide expanse of yard at his niece and nephew playing in the sandbox. 

  It looks like the childlike version of an ops mission happening. To someone else it may just look like a little girl playing with a stick in the sand but Santi knows better than that. 

  ****

  It’s such an odd feeling, you should still be grieving right? You most certainly shouldn’t be looking at Santi and his chiseled jaw as he watches your kids play. Or watching the way his muscles flex in his tight tee shirt as he crosses his arms. You’re so distracted you don’t even realize he’s speaking to you. 

  “Can you watch the grill for a second?” He raises an eyebrow at you and you feel flushed for all the wrong reasons. The sweltering heat does nothing to hide your embarrassment. 

  “Ya of course but don’t be gone too long. I’ve been known to burn anything on the grill.” 

  “I’ll make it quick then.” He winks at you as he walks across your lush green yard. Swiftly dodging a football that Benny throws deliberately at his head as he flips him off in return. 

  “You’re gonna burn a hole in his pants if you keep staring.” You jump at the sound of Frankie’s voice and he has the decency to look apologetic at your reaction. 

  You hadn’t really noticed how much they’ve all aged in the last few months. His hair is a little longer as it curls around his cap. His worry lines are just a bit deeper than you last remember them being. Yet he still smiles at you all the same as he pulls you into a deep hug, kissing the top of your head. 

  “I didn’t mean to scare you cariño, I was only joking.” 

  You shove him off playfully as you open the grill again. “I wasn’t staring.” 

  He bumps you out of the way as he grabs the spatula from your hand. “Sure…whatever you say. Your secrets are safe with me.” You watch him as he effortlessly dispatches all the burgers to a plate and sets them aside. 

  You bite your lip as you wait for him to say something but you know he’s giving you time to think. Something he’s always done for you, knowing that your mind is going a mile a minute and if anyone interrupts that train of thought it might be gone forever. 

  He’s just standing beside you like a steady weight as he glances around the yard at some people he barely knows and others he knows like the back of his hand. Now it’s mostly close friends and one or two neighbors, compared to several months ago when he couldn’t pick out a familiar face among the crowd. People tend to forget that your grieving continues even long after you’ve decided not to show up. 

  He shouldn’t feel bad for you because you’re a strong woman. More resilient than any of them could ever be. 

  “Frankie, can I ask you something?” You say with a nervous smile. 

  “You’re allowed to move on.” 

  You glance up at him and it’s intense the way he meets your eyes. “I didn’t ask the question.” 

  “You didn’t have to…my answer is still the same.” 

  ****

  As Santi approaches the sandbox he can see some kind of intricate drawing. Lexi is using a stick practically the size of her to draw it out while her brother Liam watches from the corner. She looks so much like you, especially with her focused face on as she draws another detailed set of lines that he still can’t quite make out. 

  Liam glances up at him and gestures with his fingers to stay quiet. Santi takes a seat at the corner of the box near him as they patiently wait for her to finish. He looks so much like him that Santi has a hard time not getting choked up, he’s grateful that they both have your personality. 

  “Okay.” Lexi throws the stick to the side and dusts her hands off on her white skirt. “I think it’s done.” She looks up and flashes a toothy smile at Santi and he can’t help the way his heart melts. 

  “Can I ask what exactly this is?” 

  The little girl lets out a deep sigh as she looks over at her twin brother and he just holds his hands out in silent communication that she needs to take the lead. 

  “Well…this is a tree house.” She pauses briefly and Santi thinks that’s cool that she can draw but then she starts. In great detail for several minutes animatedly explaining the process of her vision coming to life. 

  Santi has to get up and stand from her perspective to really get a grasp of what she’s talking about. He tries to follow along as she explains the duel ladder system, one on the trunk and another hanging down from the middle entrance of the house. Two doors, one for entry and the other for the slide,that lets out perfectly into the softest patch of grass in the yard. Her and her brother evidently couldn’t decide on carpet or tile so they opted to split it down the middle. Her half would be tile and his half would be carpet. They would obviously need enough room for arts and crafts, the kitchen and naps. 

  He’s never been so impressed with an eight year old in his entire life. 

  He’s so enthralled with the design that he doesn’t notice the little girl standing there staring up at him expectantly. 

  “So what do you think?” She’s wringing her little hands together as she glances over at her brother with an equally curious look on his face. As if a lightbulb goes off in his head Santi is suddenly aware of what exactly they were up to. 

  “Mija…are you asking if I can help?” 

  She nods her head as she rocks back and forth in the sand. 

  “We both have allowances if that helps.” Liam chimes in from the corner of the sandbox and Santi has to try to disguise his smile behind his hand. 

  “Foods ready!” You yell from across the yard and Santi meets your eyes. A look of what are you up to written all across your face. 

  He crouches down waving Liam over and the little boy carefully avoids the blueprints in the sand to join them. “Okay…here is what I want you to do.” 

  ****

  Your kids are being uncharacteristically good. They finished all their food, they haven’t bothered you in over an hour and even offered to help clean up the table after everyone ate. 

  Most everyone has cleared out from the barbecue besides for the boys who seem to be enthralled with something over by the sandbox. Frankie keeps glancing over his shoulder at you and Will has shot you a thumbs up twice. If they thought subtlety was their strong suit they are sadly mistaken. You often wonder how they managed to be special ops and keep things a secret when it’s so obvious they’ve all got something up their sleeve. 

  ****

  The something they had planned despite your initial worry was in fact a much needed day for yourself. Benny was going to take the kids to the zoo and despite wanting all the credit Will assured you he would be accompanying them so that an adult would be present. 

  Over the last several months various repairs around the house had gone undone in the chaos of being a newly single mom. Frankie and Santi volunteered to spend the day getting your house in order while you had a full day planned with Will’s wife Jenna. Brunch, pedicures, shopping…you couldn’t remember the last time you treated yourself to a day that wasn’t centered around your kids. As much as you loved them you knew that at times it felt like the person you used to be was long buried underneath a world of stress and hurt. 

  Dating was completely off the table at the moment…especially since your current situation was all but off limits. Taking care of yourself for once could be a great start in the right direction. 

  ****

  “I told you to get half inch screws Pope.” 

  “Those are half inch!” Santi says as he hears Frankie grumbling under his breath. 

  “These are definitely a quarter inch and that explains another problem.” Frankie chides as Santi flips him off. 

  They’ve been at this for a few hours having completed the tasks in your house in a matter of no time. All this a ruse to get the tree house completed before you and the kids are back from your day out. 

  It’s been awhile since they’ve done something like this. Not just the physical labor but the reward at the end being something that they know is going to brighten a lot of days. They may bicker and fight like brothers but at the end of the day Santi knows how much they both needed this. To have their minds occupied with an intricate task. 

  Intricate doesn’t even begin to describe what’s unfolded before them. With their niece's original design in mind and a few additions when they got to the store this is turning out to be better than some places they’ve slept while in the service. 

  Frankie is putting the finishing touches on the bug screen that he decided would be a good addition to the entryway for the balmy summer nights. Santi’s never felt so large while he sits on the wooden bench that doubles as a reading nook. The wood matching the same structure that he knows could withstand any storm or hurricane. The sun is setting, casting a shadow along the bright yellow carpet they found on clearance at the back of the home decor store. 

  The leftover Talavera tiles Santi had from his home remodel fit perfectly on the half that would be the makeshift kitchen. 

  There are three exits and two entries. The trap door with a knotted rope, the wooden plank stair steps and the slide that leads to the softest patch of grass in the yard. 

  Santiago’s thoughts are interrupted by the sound of car doors slamming and children’s laughter. 

  “We should head down.” Frankie grunts as he shuffles over to the slide, reaching for his standard heating oil cap placed on the bench nook. 

  Santi raises his eyebrows at the man taking in the scene about to unfold. 

  “What? How else are we supposed to get down?” 

  “Oh I don’t know the stairs or the rope maybe?” He says sarcastically. “We don’t need you breaking the slide before they even get a chance.” 

  “Fuck you, this slide was built to withstand a hurricane.” 

  His nieces squeal from across the yard interrupts their fifth squabble of the day. 

  Frankie flashes him a wide grin. “Last man down has to ask their mom on a date.” 

  “What?!” 

  “Byeeee.” Frankie slides away, throwing him the middle finger on the way down. 

  Santi had already talked to him about this ad nauseam. It always felt like the wrong place at the wrong time. 

  He opened the latch to the trap door, opting to climb down to spare him the embarrassment of using a children’s slide in front of you. 

  ****

  You pulled up to the house at the exact same time as Will and Ben. You don’t remember the last time you’d felt this refreshed. Your hair and nails done, way too many bags piled in the backseat of Jenna’s car with a new wardrobe. It was exactly what you needed and a much needed conversation with another woman to reassure you that you were perfectly capable of making your own decisions about your love life. You shouldn’t feel guilty about moving on and doing what’s best for you and your children. 

  You half expected your kids to be happy to see you but they both gave you light hearted waves as they raced each other around the side of the house, leaving you in the driveway with Will and Ben with amused looks on their faces. 

  ��What’s gotten into them?” You say as the boys shoot each other a look and Jenna takes your hand on hers to lead you around the house. 

  “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than for permission right?” Ben says from behind you and now you’re really starting to worry. Your daughter's screech has you pulling away as you run into the backyard. 

  The sight you’re met with is one that completely knocks you off your feet. Your children are jumping up and down in front of a beaming Frankie and the largest tree house structure you’ve ever seen. This is something out of an outdoor life magazine. 

  You don’t realize you're frozen in place as the rest of the gang join him on the lawn. Santiago perhaps on purpose opted to make your life that much harder by effortlessly climbing down the rope ladder. In all the years he’s been out of the service the man still has an impeccable physique. You will your feet to move as you take in the thing that your kids have been asking you for since they could talk. The thing your husband didn’t make time for and the daunting task seemed impossible for you on your own. Paying someone was out of the question and you were too prideful to ask the boys to help you out anymore than they already did. 

  You don’t even realize you’re crying until Santiago approaches with the most worried look you’ve ever seen on his face. 

  “Look, I’m really sorry if we overstepped. I know we should’ve asked and it wasn’t our place…but the kids-“ 

  His ramblings are cut short when you throw yourself into him. He instinctively hugs you tight as he feels the wetness from your eyes soak into his shirt. 

  It’s embarrassing to admit how long it’s been since a man has held you and right now you can feel your resolve breaking as he soothingly rubs his hands down your back to calm your tears. 

  “I don’t know how to thank you Santi.” You mumble into his chest as you try to calm your beating heart. 

  It’s a moment before you break apart and he really gets a good look at you. Even with fresh tears in your eyes you look stunning. The most relaxed he’s seen you look in ages and just as beautiful as the day Tom introduced you to the boys. 

  With the group and the kids thoroughly distracted he figures now is as good a time as any. He’s far enough away that if you reject him he can slink out of the backyard and disappear to another country for three to six months while the shame dies down. 

  “Listen, I have to say something before I lose the courage to say it.” He nervously rubs the back of his neck as he focuses on some inanimate object behind you. “I understand if you’re not ready or you think this is highly inappropriate and in that case I’ll pretend this never happened.” 

  You can feel the hairs stand up on your arms and you dig your nails into your palm to keep from passing out at this very moment.

  “I know it’s wrong to say but I’ve always thought you and the kids deserved better. You know I loved him but it killed me to see the way he treated you and in another life perhaps I met you first and things would look a little different. I just can’t help but think maybe this can be a second chance and if you’re willing, I’d like to take you out sometime.” 

  The silence is deafening as you try to form words and Santi looks as though he wants to spontaneously combust at your lack of response. In all honesty you were never really good at flirting and now you’re spiraling because what do you say besides. 

  “Yes.” 

  He lets out a huge sigh of relief as he looks up at the sky thanking whoever is watching that he didn’t just make a complete fool of himself. 

  You both turn around to see Benny helping your son climb the rope and Frankie sliding down with your daughter in his lap as she claps her hands. Will and his wife made it inside at some point and they wave to you both from the large open window. 

  “It looks like I may be able to take you up on that offer tonight.” 

[toasttt11]

pictures two

before Connor and Carter told each other their feelings for each other and how they acted as just “friends.”

one of the many times Connor and Carter went to the beach, both love listening to the waves crashing and enjoy sitting together on the sand in comfortable silence.

Carter and Connor on the way to another gala together, and Connor always being completely enthralled with the love of his life.

in 2022 when they won the world juniors together and were both so excited they won, and Carter got a the winning goal with Connor assisting her goal, also the last game they thought they were gonna be playing together as Carter was going to the NHL.

Carter and Connor seeing each other for the first time in a few weeks and being very exicted to be able to spend time together.

the normal mirror photo that Carter and Connor always take with each other, Carter and Connor having always taken photos together in mirrors.

Carter and Connor taking a few days off, away from the world, no service, in a cabin in the woods just with Carter’s dog Cooper and spending their days in the lake, hiking, and chilling around the cabin together.

Carter and Connor not usually into a lot of PDA and went outside from the party they were out and were so caught up in each other they didn’t even realize some of their friends were also outside as well and took this photo of them.

Connor having wanting some photos of the two professionally taken and hired a photographer and they went up into the forest having a photo shoot just the two of them, Some of Carter and Connor’s favorite photos of them.

[elitadream]

I think a gift that Luigi would give Mario for his birthday would be a wood carving kit like one of the professional ones with all the fancy tools for carving, sanding and sculpting, along with a few blocks of wood. He saved up all his money specifically for that and nothing else. And Mario can’t constrain his overwhelming joy over receiving such a thoughtful gift.

He cherishes it, truly, handles it with care and love just as he does Luigi.

AHH I love this idea so much!! 😍🛠✨️

I can especially see this ocurring as a flashback from when they were both still on Earth. Luigi buying this for Mario despite how rough times were back then, because he knows the hobby brings him a lot of joy. 🥺

"Fratellino...! You shouldn't have," Mario would gasp as he would unwrap his present, gazing down at the beautiful kit with a mix of wonder and dismay.

"Oh, hush!" Luigi would dimiss affectionately, patting the box and inviting Mario to open it. "We both know you've wanted one for ages. When was the last time you've treated yourself? You never indulge in any personal expenses!"

"Because I can't afford it," Mario would murmur with a furtive glance to their dingy appartment, giving Luigi a pointed look when the lightbulb above them would suddenly start to flicker.

Undeterred, Luigi would merely shrug and sit beside him, his eyes soft and compassionate.

"Please, take it," he would insist, with a knowing smile. "Please. I know how hard you try. I see it everyday. Saying that you deserve it would be an understatement. It was the least I could do."

Mario would grimace slightly at his brother's words, feeling a simultaneous pang of guilt and love in his chest.

"Thank you," he would finally say in quiet surrender, turning to give Luigi a fierce hug.

Much later, when they would both celebrate their first anniversary in the Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi would be elated to learn that the princess has given Mario full reign of the north wing's workshop, essentially letting him have it all to himself. While on his way to greet him there, he would huff with a lopsided grin upon thinking of how vast of an improvement this is over the meagre selection of tools he had offered him back then, but to his surprise, he would find Mario working at the nearest desk... with his kit laid out beside him. He would remember that this was one of the few objects that Mario had been very adamant about retrieving from Earth before the portal vanished, but he had believed it to be merely as a souvenir and would be confused as to why Mario would even bother still using it now.

"Seriously?" He would quip bemusedly as he would enter the room, causing Mario to break from his current train of thought with a start. "I can't believe you sometimes."

"What?" Mario would retort, a helpless smile tugging at his lips.

"Mario, half of these are worn down to a nub, and the other half is completely obsolete. Why keep a rusty old bike when you can have a Ferrari, eh?"

Luigi would nudge him with a smirk, pleased with his own comparison, but Mario wouldn't seem to find much humor in it. Instead, he would stare at the blueprint lying on the desk's surface and would shake his head slowly, his expression one of deep nostalgia and gratitude.

"The old bike has infinitely more value to me than any Ferrari, Lamborghini or Maserati ever could have," he would answer simply, his tone filled with warmth and appreciativeness.

Luigi would sigh dramatically at that, however beaming at the compliment.

"Okay, okay, I get it," he would concede with a playful roll of his eyes. "Just- promise me to use these shiny new toys every once in a while, alright? It's not everyday one of your craziest dreams come true! Might as well make the most of it."

He would ruffle Mario's hair and give him a wink before leaving him to his project, but would secretly feel very touched and a little emotional that Mario views his gift with such importance. ☺️💞

[novasintheroom]

Hi! First of all, I adore your writing and wanted to ask, could I request a short drabble/one-shot of either Vash or Wolfwood reacting to y/n's past self-harm scars? I've been feeling a little down lately and your work brings me so much comfort. Of course only if you're comfortable about writing with such request in mind! Thank you

Scars

♡ Pairing - Wolfwood x Reader

♡ Word count - 1.3k

♡ Warnings - mentions of past self-harm, scars

♡ Description: It's a hard night, remembering what's in the past.

A/N: Thank you for this request! I hope I did it justice. The research I did on writing for SH generally said to not glamorize it, so I hope that makes sense for the descriptions I chose to use.

For anyone struggling with self-harm or suicidal thoughts, please reach out to professionals for help. Dial 988 if you're in the U.S. to talk to someone, or text HOME to 741741 (again if you're in the U.S.).

They’re dim in dying light. Sometimes red, sometimes silver. Jagged. Some crisscross like battle lines, others are just there like a monster came by and left its mark over and over again on your arms.

You tug down your sleeves when Nico walks back into camp.

“Well,” he says, looking self-satisfied, “looks like the others are trekking to the town to get supplies. We get to guard the car.” He looks at you mischievously. “We’re all alone.”

You give him a shaky smile, mind still flicking the images of your scars through its eye. Nico scoots over to where you’re sitting on your bag of supplies and leans a shoulder against yours. “Sooo…” he reaches for your arm.

You stand suddenly, and Nico is left fumbling, trying not to fall into the sand. “I’ll go get the wood out of the trunk.” Nico stares up at you, dumbfounded and suspicious. Lamely, you say, “it’s getting cold tonight.” You flee before he can say anything, though you still hear him grumble.

The wood is splintery and dry. It scratches at your sleeves, poking at your soft skin and you try to not spiral, try to put on a brave face as you dig out space in the sand and line the logs one by one, then the scraps of junk and paper for kindling. Nico goes about getting food out of the truck. Just because you two were left behind didn’t mean you had a free night. It was time to cook dinner and have it ready for everyone when they get back.

Once the food is cooking, however, Nico’s attention is back on you. He smiles through his smoke, blue-gray in the firelight. “So, can I sit by my girlfriend, or are you gonna run again?”

Your shoulders hunch at being called out. “I didn’t run!” Even your voice sounds petulant, and you give him a half-hearted glare as he squats by you again.

“Oh, sorry, I meant flee for your life.” He slaps your arm good-naturedly and sits next to you on his own supplies. “Just warn me next time, almost got a mouthful of sand for dinner.”

You hum, deigning to watch the fire flicker and burn. Nico smiles and pulls you close, and you let him, leaning into his chest, and readjusting your seat. You’re careful to keep your hands away from him, not wanting a repeat of earlier.

For the next half hour, Nico soothes you into comfort. You talk together about the day, the gripes you have, and what you’re planning on doing tomorrow (likely a whole lot of driving again). It’s easy, talking with him. He’s a natural conversationalist and cracks enough jokes to have you laughing in the night.

He’s also one to not let something go if it bothers him. Eventually, he pulls you close and whispers in your ear, “So you wanna tell me why me touching your arms is bugging you tonight?”

Damn him. He’s too observant for his own good. You squirm under his scrutiny, feeling a sweat work up on your neck. “I’m not…” you start.

“Doll.” His voice is firm. Still gentle, but he’s not taking ‘no’ for an answer.

So you sigh, and slowly, you pull up an arm sleeve. It’d nearly killed you all day, wearing the sleeves instead of your usual tank top, but that’s the price to pay for insecurity sometimes. The cooling desert air is a balm to your overheated skin. Still, an ugly frown marks your face. There they are. The scars. “It’s…a hard day today.” You admit.

Nico hums, rubbing your shoulder and looking at the scars. You feel your skin crawl, knowing he’s seeing them. Doesn’t matter how often he does, it’s still a point of shame for you. You pull your sleeve back down, and you feel hotter for it, the cold of the air no longer helping relieve the heat.

But Nico doesn’t let you hide this time. Instead, he grabs your arm and pulls the sleeve up again.

“Nico,” you warn.

He still pulls. Your scars breathe air again. You can feel each one of them, like worms crawling under your skin. It itches. They’re long healed over, the scabs are months gone, but they still itch tonight.

Nico thumbs over them softly. Each one. It helps the itchiness a little. He doesn’t kiss them, like he does sometimes. His gaze is sad, and far too real for your liking. “I wish you loved yourself like I love you,” he finally says.

A pit drops in your stomach. You pull your arm from him and turn away. You don’t know what to say, but you feel mad. Angry. “I do love myself,” you bite.

Nico stares at your back. Do you? You still pull the sleeve back down, rubbing at the scarring underneath. “I don’t mean the scars, hon. I mean I wish you’d let me love you – all of you.” He carefully places a hand on your back and rubs it. “Scars and all.”

You feel your shoulders shake as you hold back tears. This was a lot. Too much. You didn’t want to talk about this. Yet your mouth opens, and you say, “It’s always going to be there. They’re always going to be there.” The warble in your voice cracks at the end.

Nico turns your head back to him with two fingers. He sighs, takes a long drag of his cigarette, and lets it hang in the corner of his mouth. “What’s makin’ you think this?”

What doesn’t? When you see the clear arms of other women, when others wear jackets just because they’re cold. Your lip wobbles, and you look down. “They’re ugly,” you finally sob. “Y-You shouldn’t have to look at them every time we…do anything. Hug, kiss, they’re just…always there, always staring at me, and you hate them too, I can see it, you – “

“Hey, hey, shh…” Nico pulls you close as he can and rubs your hair, your sobs shaking your shoulders and tears staining his jacket. “Now, what’d I say about putting words in my mouth?” He chuckles a bit sadly. “You’re breaking my heart here, doll. I don’t hate ‘em.”

You don’t believe him. Not really. You pull back and give him a frown. “You’re just saying that.”

He sighs again and looks away. Pulls out another cigarette – the last one going out – and lights it. His hand stays on your shoulder, making sure you don’t pull away. “They’re not glamorous,” he says, blowing smoke at the stars. “Shouldn’t be. But they’re part of you now. Shows you survived a lot your mind tried to put you through.” He leans forward and nods at your scars. “That’s more than a lot of people can say. Can’t tell you how many friends and people I’ve found who…” His eyes go blank for a moment before snapping back to reality. He grunts and shakes his head. “Just…”

Nico grabs your arm gently now, thumb running along the bumpy lines. His nose scrunches, but he gives you a smile. “Just, promise me you’ll come to me first. For anything.” He leans forward and gives you a long, long stare. “Even if it’s stupid. Even if it’s something small. It matters. You matter. And this?” He lifts your arm. “Is in the past now. You’ve managed to stop. Do you know how much strength that takes? And even if you go back to it, even if you…hurt yourself again – which you better not – I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere.” He laughs then and raises his brows. “I mean, have you seen Vash? Dude’s a walking scar, and I’m still stickin’ by him.”

You let out a watery laugh. It turns into another sob. Nico shushes you and pulls you to his chest again. “Bad analogy,” he admits, and says a quiet sorry. “You ain’t like him. You’re way too pretty for that.”

“Shut up,” you say, laughing and crying, “just shut up.”

He does. Instead, he kisses you, slow and steady. And maybe this wouldn’t solve everything. You may have many more nights like this. But with Nico, everything felt a little better.

[ceasarslegion]

Sometimes i think about how, when i was 17, i was told in the back room of a cosplay competition at middle east film and comic con "dont worry, youll get good at costume design with practice."

At that point, id been doing those competitions for 6 years, i was just making my costumes from complete scratch out of a budget of a teenagers allowance money and limited in my reach to whatever stores i could access with my bus pass, in a country where it was illegal for minors to work. Being told that by someone in her mid 30s by my estimate was so thoroughly soul-crushing that ive never entered a cosplay contest since.

The thing is, i was actually really good for what i had to work with. I realized later that no one who would place actually made their costumes from the ground up like i did, they would get them custom-made and drop hundreds of dollars on them, while i managed to carve out a bow for a hawkeye cosplay out of two wood planks and an old ethernet cable in my schools woodshop. It was a little rough and unevenly sanded and the string was very obviously a spray painted cable but i made a whole bow! Out of 5 bucks worth of material and whatever favours i had available to me by being in the student council at the time.

I dont know what point im trying to make here. Something about thinking before you speak or presume things of peoples skill levels, because to this day i wonder if i had more raw skill than the person who said that to me simply because i had to work thrice as hard as they did to qualify for a competition at all because everyone i competed with was at least twice my age with jobs and plenty of disposable income to drop on a costume they didnt really have to have any hand in making themselves, or the equipment to do it to professional standards. (Because trust me, no one is hurting for cash if theyre living in dubai)

[treefory]

Chandlo’s talk

854 words

No art for this one:(

Chandlo felt the shimmering spring sand on his paws as he walked back to snaxburg with Snorpy by his side. A light dusting of rain came from the light gray clouds above. Soon He looked up a his love and to see a his warm goofy smile. Of course this made him smile as well.

As they reached Snaxburg Chandlo heard the voice of the residential mayor saying his hellos and goodbyes to Floofty and Shelda as they returned. When Filbo’s eyes met Chandlo’s and Snorpy’s a large smile grew across his face (not like it wasn’t there before)

“Chandlo, your back!” He cheered

“Hey Fil-bro, how’s it hanging?”

“Oh, things are going good! How was your trip?”

“Great! Really needed it.” He nodded “but I’m really just itching to get back to the mill. Cut some wood, lift some steel, bounce some balls, ya know how it is.”

“Awesome! And how about you snorpy?” Filbo asked as he looked up to the taller grumpus

Snorpy’s face grimaced like he didn’t want to answer, but of course he did anyways “Much better now that Chandlo is back.” His face softened “I can finally rest easy knowing he’s safe.”

With those words Chandlo smiled but it also made his heart ache knowing how stressed Snorpy must have been without him.

“That is all you need to know Filbo.” Snorpy continued “now come Chandlo, we must speak of that very non important thing that you wanted to tell me.” He added as he walked off

“Uhh okay, bye I guess…” Flibo stuttered awkwardly

“Later Filbo!” Chandlo called following after Snorpy

The two walked through town together, he saw Floofty and Shelda in her gazebo and for once, not arguing. Triffany and Wambus talking in his garden, Triff clearly rambling and wambus listening to every word.

But soon they arrived at the mill. Chandlo took in a deep breath, smelling the old soot from the forge and the woody smell from the logs. All the while the faint sound of gears twisting and the distant coos of bugsnax filled his ears

“Ahhhh nice to be home.” Chandlo sighed with his hands on his hips

“That it is. Now, what did you want to tell me?” Snorpy inquired. He wore a smile on his face that terribly hid his nervousness.

Chandlo seemed to match his expression as he spoke “it’s alright Snorp-dawg! It’s just something I think we should talk about.”

“Ah I see, let us talk upstairs then. Wouldn’t want any prying ears listening in.” Snorpy suggested as he walked up the stairs. Chandlo followed closely behind.

When they reached the top Snorpy settled himself on his bed so that he and Chandlo were more at eye level but was a bit surprised when Chandlo sat next to him. Chandlo sighed as he slouched over a little.

“C-Chandlo, is something wrong?” He asked as he gently rested a paw on his back.

“Nah, I just kinda wanna sit down for this.” He shook his head “So me and shelda and I guess everyone else were talking… about you.”

“A-about me?” Snorpy echoed, taken aback

“While I was on broken tooth I was thinking about you a lot and how you’re doing out here. I know you’ve been super anxious lately and I guess I just needed some advice.”

Chandlo leaned back on the bed and looked up towards the ceiling. “So I went to shelda and she told me that you’re ‘lost in a maze of your own making’ and said that you needed… professional help.”

“Professional help- l-like a therapist? You know that I don’t trust therapists, right?” He questioned “they all work for-“

“The Grumpinati. I know, but I just think that you need a little help.” Chandlo interrupted, then crossed his paws over his abdomen, locking his digits together. “And I don’t think I can help you alone…” he choked

Silence

“I’m just worried about you.” He pleaded, his voice a soft whisper. while still laying down He looked up at Snorpy for an answer, but he sat there quietly thinking as he fidgeted with his paws and apron

There was a long uncomfortable silence

when Chandlo went to speak again to try and convince him further he was interrupted before he could even make a sound “w-well, i suppose you're not wrong… I’d hate to be a burden to you.” Snorpy whispered.

“Bro, you’ll never be a burden to me!” Chandlo corrected, “not in a million years.”

Snorpy smiled at that then laid back just like Chandlo

“I may not trust the world but if there’s any grumpus I do trust, it’s you Chandlo. A-And if you think I am in need of professional help… then so be it. As long as it means you’re happy.” He finished looking Chandlo in the eyes with an unsure smile

The biggest, most goofiest smile grew across his face as he quickly pulled Snorpy in for a big hug “thank you for understanding snorpy!”

Snorpy stammered uncontrollably, trying to find his words, before simply wrapping an arm around Chandlo and saying

“I’ve missed you so much.”

[cattimeswithjellie]

Stream Recap DocM77, 6/23/24

((A quick content advisory on this stream, Doc and his chat get into an involved and sometimes contentious discussion on the "Man or Bear" thought experiment between 1:11:00 and 1:35:00. I have omitted nearly all of it from this recap because it is literally impossible to fairly and fully recap that kind of discussion in this kind of format and also I didn't want to. Timestamps made during the discussion discuss what Doc was doing, but not what was being talked about.))

9:22 Doc brings his stream live with 52 seconds left on his 10 minute stream-start countdown clock. He is in his studio view and comments that the light appears to be getting pinker than ever. He doesn’t think it used to be quite this pink. Chat agrees that it is very pink. Doc thanks subs and donos from the countdown. Doc’s studio really is exceptionally pink. He makes an adjustment that might help a small amount. Chat is skeptical that anything changed. Doc is streaming on a Sunday today and that’s good, gives a chance to some viewers who might not be available on Saturday. He explains that he had thought the birthday party Doccy was invited to was today, but in fact it was yesterday. It was a good time except a kid almost broke Doc’s nose while playing on the playground with water. He got smacked in the face with a bucket. Chat is sympathetic but also laughing. Today Doccy is off visiting Grandma.

13:30 A chatter asks what happened to the rainbow beacon. Doc reveals that he eventually got tired of fixing it ((Something about the daily server reset was killing the beacon every day, Doc and Xisuma had been working on a way to fix it.)) and Bdubs eventually landscaped over it when he built the courthouse. The beacon is there in spirit, and may be rebuilt somewhere else later.

14:20 Doc brings up Hermitcraft, or tries to. It is a black screen. Things are working great in this professional stream environment, says Doc. He restarts Minecraft, saying this is a problem that happens occasionally. Today, he tells Chat, they get to share Doc’s daily experience of logging on and wondering if anything has been stolen. The alarm system is good, but not foolproof. The Ore Snatcher could use tools like chorus fruit and wool blocks in a risky ploy to steal another block. Doc’s paranoia has reached new heights, but he is also distracted because OBS is still not detecting Minecraft. He troubleshoots it.

17:10 Minecraft appears, but Doc has to fiddle with it some more before it will display properly with facecam and overlay. He logs on, telling Chat more about his daily fear. He logged out above the shop and cannot hear an alarm, so that’s good! He checks for a released warden and finds it in its place, then checks for newly missing blocks. Doc and Chat agree that there are no new missing blocks. Doc sings a smug song of satisfaction and dances on the grave of the Ore Snatcher. He is happy, but commenters have made him paranoid that maybe the Ore Snatcher hit the redstone in Big Wood. He will not feel okay until he checks.

21:00 Doc conducts a thorough survey of the Big Wood redstone. He has gotten a lot more sand paid into the shop and does not find any missing ore blocks, so is in a very good mood. He tells Chat that he has a new, lower sub goal that reflects the fact that the high rollers in Chat can’t keep making huge sub drops. As Doc returns to the trim shop, he responds to chat’s concerns that if the Ore Snatcher stops, nobody might ever know who it was. Doc tells Chat that he specifically designed the alarm system to be not-quite-impenetrable, that someone who is really dedicated… He trails off when the overlay does a strange thing, then takes a moment to thank more subs and his favorite of the Single Ladies. He picks up the thread and tells chat there are ways someone smart and dedicated (Cub, he is pretty sure) could get into the system. Doc is 60% sure at this point that it is Cub. Not many people could be so dedicated, careful and tricky just to piss Doc off, but Cub is just that kind of guy.

25:20 The Bdubs-shrieking phantoms are starting to come out now, so it is time to go inside. Doc switches back to studio view so Chat cannot see the Secrets of the Sand Pile. Chat is pretty on board with the Cub thing, they agree that Cub is the type to keep his pranks quiet and incredibly annoying. Doc disables the Warden alarm and enters into his redstone, only to discover that his secret door is not working. He does some yelling. He freecams around to see if that tricky Ore Snatcher has been at it again, but the cause is benign, a simple mistake probably caused by all the sleep Doc is losing lately. He breathes a sigh of relief but is still annoyed on principle. With the alarms disabled he can break the wall of his shop and access the bed he’s got hidden in the unfinished alcove back there.

27:50 Today Doc must, absolutely must, finish the interior decoration of the shop. He wants to have more armor pieces laying around like T-shirts set out for sale in a clothing shop, but he can’t figure out how to make it work. A chatter activates text-to-speech. Doc is pleased that it is working again. He tells Chat that next week he will be recording the Imp and Skizz podcast, something he’s really looking forward to. He tells Chat that Impulse has asked him what sorts of things he wants to talk about and asks for ideas. Chat thinks they should talk about who the Ore Snatcher is, and suggests that Doc should be as unhinged as possible. Doc asks if he’s allowed to swear, Chat says not much. They suggest no politics or talk about Elon Musk, so as to avoid a podcast that is a hundred hours of Doc ranting, and they want to hear Doc’s dad lore and stories about his basketball career. It could also be an opportunity for Doc to plug his interest in trying out the Life Series. Doc agrees that’s worth thinking about, then gets distracted talking about soccer/football with Chat.

31:20 Chat reminds Doc that his mic is hot. Doc says he likes the hot mic, but he turns it off so Chat will calm down about it. The shopping district is not exactly buzzing on a Sunday morning anyway. Doc points out that this is his area on the server and if people come near him they will hear him speak, just like in real life. This is apparently enough to convince himself and he turns the mic right back on again and goes back to talking sports. He once again declares victory over the Ore Snatcher, but says that the worst outcome would indeed be if the shenanigans stop and they never find out who did it. That would drive Doc and Chat extra crazy. Chat points out that if it is Cub, he has been known not to fess up to pranks for years.

33:20 Chat brings up the problem of shulker boxes to Doc. If a Hermit is using a wallet box and places it down to pay, how would they pick it up again without setting off the alarm. Doc is not worried because the alarm’s not going to be on all the time, and it’ll only be there for as long as the Ore Snatcher is active. So yes, basically anyone who tries to pay will set off the alarm. Doc is distracted by voice-to-text again, then decides what he really needs to do is talk to Xisuma. He searches up Xisuma’s coordinates and heads over there. Doc had ruled out Xisuma from the get-go because X is generally a peaceable guy, but now he has to investigate everyone. He flies down to land at X’s base, singing the “X gonna give it to you” song but replacing X with “Goat.”

34:50 Doc goes into the base and looks around. X is not visible but does tell Doc in chat that he made him jump with the singing. Doc continues searching and calling out, acknowledging that he can be really annoying when he wants to be. He finally spots Xisuma, on the path outside his base and begins a friendly and unsubtle interrogation. X says he has a great alibi, he hasn’t been on the server for the whole past week! Doc asks if he’s heard anybody talking about it, but X says only people in his chat speculating. Doc’s chat speculates that it could be Xisuma with the spelling errors, given that he could not remember how to spell “Field” during Wordle. Doc tells X about the alarm system, brags about his success, and worries that he’ll never learn the truth. Doc lays it on thick how much he trusts Xisuma and how he knows X would never-ever-ever do something like this because he’s such a nice and trustworthy guy. X agrees with this assessment and says it’s more likely that he would fix something he noticed off than break something, but does not come out and say that he is not the Ore Snatcher.

37:40 Doc agrees about X’s penchant for fixing things, but what about Evil X? Xisuma really can’t vouch for that guy, he’s liable to do anything. “But he’s not in the picture right now, right?” Doc asks. Xisuma is not sure, he doesn’t know what that guy gets up to while X is away, and he’s just mentioned being gone all week. Doc tells X that he’s pretty sure Ren is innocent. Ren is too busy; when he’s deep into the lore he can’t think about pranks. Scar is the police and the police can be corrupt, but Doc has interviewed him several times now and either Scar is innocent or Doc has vastly underestimated his skills as a smooth and plausible liar. Xisuma suggests maybe it could be someone who wants to earn Doc’s business… someone who has just built a courthouse and needs cases to be moving through it. Neither X nor Doc can really take Bdubs seriously as the Ore Snatcher. Doc points out that unlike some bored people (cough GRIAN cough), Bdubs is pretty much always grinding and building when he is online. But Grian is actually very busy right now and was on vacation, plus he is already involved in a whole snail-prank situation that neither he nor X are very familiar with. Doc says it sounds like money laundering to him.

40:00 X admits to Doc that he himself has been accused of some shady financial behavior in relation to his trophy scheme, where the Hermits sell things in their shop, earn diamonds, and then send their diamonds straight to Xisuma in exchange for a trophy saying how many diamonds they earned. Doc says that sounds like a Bitcoin scam to him. Chat is debating with itself about options like Grian, Gem and Etho for Ore Snatcher. X admits it may sound like NFTs, but the Hermits like it! Doc’s current suspicion list is Gem, Cub, and Joel, though Doc doesn’t really know him well enough for a real assessment yet. They had that interaction where Joel was clearly annoyed about having to shovel sand, and in Doc’s book that means motive. Honestly though, he has no real hints or clues to go on. He asks X to keep an ear out for the alarm in the shopping district and asks if there is a plug in they can add so Doc can get a cell phone ping if anyone comes near the shop. X reminds him that they try to do things the vanilla way on Hermitcraft. Doc walks off grumbling about “no sand duping, no phone monitoring, can’t do anything… this sucks.” Xisuma wishes him good luck.

42:00 Doc walks away and tells Chat that Xisuma is innocent and they all know it. Chat is batting around Jevin as a possible suspect. Doc insists he and Jevin are tight. He thanks subs and donos, then takes Chat over for a look at the new Poe Poe HQ that Scar just built. The new searchlight looks really cool at night. Doc still thinks it was almost certainly Cub. Chat suggests Impulse and Big Salmon, as well as Iskall, Joe Hills, Mumbo, Stress, Cleo, and the snails. Chat is not being super helpful at the moment, but they are full of enthusiasm and ideas. Doc says it’s not Beef and Chat will know why soon. ((This is one day before Beef makes the public announcement that he and his partner are expecting their first baby and he’s going to be very, very, very busy for the next little while!))

43:30 Doc forgets the inherent peril of every GoodTimesWithScar build and gets severely jumpscared by the creeper that sneaks up behind him. He’s not hurt but the front yard of Poe Poe HQ has lost some landscaping. Doc thinks that vandalizing Poe Poe HQ might not be the best move for a guy in his legal position, and it seems like the “SUE TODAY” banner on the courthouse might just be mocking him. He remembers that Scar’s building supplies chest monster hasn’t been picked up yet and goes to rummage through it for extra booshes. He finds some, but comes very, very, very close to blowing up Scar’s entire chest monster when another creeper pays a visit.

44:40 Doc uses freecam to show the now-underground broken rainbow beacon, buried under the road between the courthouse and the police station. The metaphor would be unbearably heavy-handed if it weren’t also obviously accidental. Doc replaces the destroyed bushes and takes a look at Poe Poe HQ by daylight, declaring it a really cool build. He laughs at the enormous POE sign and is confused by the sand countdown clock. Chat tells him it is counting down to the enforcement of the rule against popup shops in the shopping district. Doc wonders who made this, even as he finds a trapdoor with a sign reading “Ultra Redstoners Only.” Deciding he is definitely in that club, he enters without hesitation to check out the guts of the countdown machinery. He studies it for a moment and asks in complete befuddlement “Who _made_ this?” Hearing from Chat that it was Scar does explain a lot. Doc decides he had better leave before the redstone drives him insane.

46:40 Time to go back and work on interior design again. Doc does not want to do his interior design. He bemoans the fact that he got himself into a quarrel with Cleo, who would’ve been the perfect Hermit to tap for all the armor stand work he needs done but is now mad at him. He decides he should wander around and look for design ideas from other shops, because he is so uninspired. Chat suggests Joel has great interiors, so does Pearl. Doc admires Joel’s octopus but does not want one in his armor trim boutique. Chat thinks the octopus is amazing. Doc tells Chat they are useless. Chat doesn’t care; they want to go look at the Lizzie statue at Joel’s base. A chatter says they heard Doc was going to play Stardew Valley and is excited about it; Doc tells them he has played Stardew Valley through three times already. He’s exploited everything exploitable in that game and even made a tutorial for finding rare fish; Stardew Valley has nothing left for him.

49:00 Doc looks around in the honey shop for decoration ideas, but is disappointed to find no armor stand work to get inspired by. Chat wants to hear the song. Doc is unenthusiastic but plays the song. He goes on an entire facial journey as Chat grooves to the “Honey, Honey, Honey” song. “Jesus Christ,” Doc says. This puts Joel at the top of the suspect list as far as Doc is concerned. Anyone who could come up with that song is clearly capable of anything.

51:00 Further evidence of Joel’s potential villainy, putting his tree-trunk honey shop very close to the hourglass. Why would Joel put his wood thing next to Doc’s wood thing? Are they doing a wood comparison? Doc asserts that everyone knows Joel has small wood. Chat has a lot of feelings about this line of reasoning, most of which can only be expressed by emoji. Doc dismisses Joel’s wood shop as thicker, maybe, but stumpy, and then abandons all pretense and just mutters “smallishballs.” Chat is so upset.

52:10 Really though, at the end of the day Doc thinks it is Cub. And now it is time to hang up clothes in the armor trim shop. Chat reels momentarily from the quick change of topic, but gamely tries to help Doc decide what goes in a typical clothing shop. They suggest caps, a netherite chest plate, and a mapart of Karl Lagerfeld. Doc remembers he also wants to hang up his permit. He puts it up on his cash register and declares it good. Doc also has the dirt and rails permits he is not using just yet. One of the “single ladies” in chat demands shoes, Doc caters to the single ladies and adds a rack of shoes behind the counter.

57:00 Chat begins debating which types of shoes are best for the single ladies to wear. Doc places a pair of black boots, per chat request, and says he does not have a favorite type of shoe. Chat’s opinion on heels are divided, they don’t like how they feel but a short chatter points out that it is nice to be tall. Doc admits there are probably not any high heels available in his size, so he has never tried them. Chat could recommend him some places if he is interested. Chat says that for women, beauty is suffering. Doc agrees and says that is true for men as well! He recounts a time where he used waxing strips as part of a charity event; it has been four years and the hair has not fully regrown. He has to shave his legs now if he doesn’t want them to look patchy. Chat is sympathetic and also grateful that he specified legs. Doc says he was recently clocked as a waxer by another child’s mom at the swimming pool and could only defend himself with “It was for a good cause.”

1:00:00 Doc reads Chat and decides it is definitely time to stop talking about leg hair. He begins working on the armor stand boots again. He positions them on the rack and thanks subs again. Doc decides that the shoes will look better as high heels, but that requires quite a bit more manipulation. Chat provides advice and critique. They want red trim, so Doc pulls the boots off the armor stand and goes to the trim machine. Chat wants Dune trim in red, with red candles for heels. Doc wants to give Chat what they want, because it is important to make the ladies happy. Chat begins arguing amongst themselves over whether Hermitcraft-style Louboutins would have red candle heels or black candle heels. Doc wonders if there is a candle shop.

1:09:00 Chat finally starts trending in the black candle direction, so Doc heads for Papa Keralis’ shop. Doc likes that Keralis has the candle shop, he’d probably have one of those if he weren’t a YouTuber. He may look clueless but he is a very, very good businessman. Doc finds the disco at Keralis’ base and busts a few moves. He obliquely mentions some of the grooming controversies on YouTube lately and deflects any talk in that direction. A chatter says they would trust Doc with their drink. Doc and the rest of Chat agree that Doc would drink it. Doc cannot find the candle shop.

1:11:30 A chatter says they would pick Doc over the bear. This leads to a lengthy discussion with Chat over the man vs bear thought experiment. (“You are alone in the woods. Would you rather see a strange man or a bear?”) It is the sort of discussion that covers several controversial topics and is very difficult to recap accurately and with nuance by a recapper who is mostly interested in making funny jokes. For that reason (and because a detailed recap including Chat commentary might be triggering for some readers), it will not be covered here but can be viewed on the VOD.

1:19:00 Doc’s mod asks if Doc would still love them if they were a worm. Doc makes an unflattering “ehhhhhhhh” sound and then says he would still love their soul. He might also love them if they helped create good soil for the tomatoes. Doc remembers he was supposed to be finding the candle shop and making high heels for shoes. A chatter gives him directions to the candle shop. He is still distracted by his discussion, but purchases black candles and heads back to the armor trim shop.

1:25:00 Doc resumes work on the black and red high heels. He is not sure about the candle heel, it’s actually pretty big when he puts it on the armor stand, and not quite the same color. Chat reminds him that the stand can be made smaller, but the color is a tougher nut to crack. Doc wonders if a blackstone stair or a block of coal might do the job better. He might need to mine some blackstone.

1:30:00 A chatter asks if Doc is going to be collaborating with other streamers or Hermits to play other games on stream. Doc says Hermitcraft takes up all his time and energy, so probably not. He heads for the Nether and finds a patch of blackstone to mine. He comes back and makes some blackstone walls and tries on on the armor stand. It is not quite right either.

1:35:30 Doc tries a blackstone button instead, it seems better. Chat agrees that it seems good. A chatter comments on the ground that the conversation has covered today. Doc makes a joke about Brazilian Wax being the opposite of Big Bear. Chat misses the joke, but Doc knows he is funny. He has to get out his calculator to adjust the angles on the armor stand. Chat makes semi-helpful commentary on the angle of the shoe and the heel. The original chatter who requested the black high heels gifts two more subs and says they look great. Doc regrets his life choices in agreeing to make heels. They are not turning out the way he’d hoped. He swears a little and keeps manipulating the angle of the heel, then realizes he also doesn’t like the color. He blames the single moms.

1:43:10 A chatter asks if Doc would consider going to Twitchcon. Doc says the only good thing about cons like that is meeting the audience. He’s not interested in meeting other content creators except Hermits. He’s been to lots of events and mostly finds content creators loud and obnoxious. He tries an anvil, which is the wrong color. Chat suggests black glazed terracotta, end rods, coal blocks, and making the boots into Crocs instead of high heels. Doc tells them that if he tries the coal block and it works, then Chat is to blame for forty wasted minutes. He tries a piece of black dye and says it could be a beard, but not a heel. The question arises whether Chat would rather go to the woods with a spider or a bear. Doc is outraged when Chat continues to choose bear, though some savvy chatters are asking how big the spider is. It is an Australian spider, so probably pretty big.

1:46:50 Doc tries a blackstone block as a heel and continues regretting everything. He accidentally gives the armorstand his sword and destroys the thing in a fit of pique. He is about ready to give up on high heels. A chatter suggests it might be time to beg Cleo for forgiveness, but Doc will NEVER. A chatter suggests leaving the heels imaginary. A chatter suggests making the shoes roller skates.

1:49:20 Doc puts an Enderman head on the armor stand, then puts it in the stand’s hand. He can’t place it properly because of armor stand interference. He is doing a lot of under-the-breath muttering, but the only clear word is “stupid.” The heels are fine without actual heels on them. He remembers he has some mini diamond ore blocks and wants to put some around for decoration. Even this is much harder than anticipated because there are invisble armor stands everywhere. Doc has so many regrets. He does not seem to know the scroll-wheel trick for the armor stand mod. He successfully places the miniblock on a shelf.

1:53:40 Doc steps back and looks at the display. It looks all right. He decides to make some more leather armor and talks about how happy he’s going to be when he’s done with this interior. His next shop is going to be a hole in the ground. Chat suggests that maybe Cleo will feel bad for the heels and fix them. Doc doesn’t know if Cleo is a heel person or not. And he doesn’t know if he can trust Cleo in this shop, who knows what they might do! ((In Cleo’s stream a few hours later, they do notice and fix a number of armor stand problems, but not the heels in particular.)) Doc makes another hanging chestpiece to look like a shirt.

1:56:30 A chatter says the court case is going to be entertaining. Doc says it’s going to be crazy. He talks with a chatter about subs and donos. A chatter surprises Doc with voice-to-text. Doc talks about which chatters are “sugar daddy” or “sugar mama.” He does more hanging clothes along the back wall, using the copy-paste function on the armor stand mod. Several chatters make gifts of subs. Doc thanks them but reminds them that big donos are never required or expected, just appreciated. Doc notices one DCP chatter is not around anymore after the discussion earlier. A chatter tells him that the DCP are all busy drawing him waxing his legs.

2:02:00 A chatter asks what the DCP is, Doc explains it is the Doc Collaboration Project, the fanartists who originally came together to create the murals on the Perimeter but who also do a lot of Doc fanart and amplify and support one anothers’ art. He creates another hanging shirt.

2:05:30 Doc tells a story about Doccy learning to make rhymes in German. Doc told Doccy to take a bath, but Doccy would rather eat chocolate. Chat asks about the time when Doc used to have long hair. Doc says yes, it used to be over his shoulders in finger-thick dreadlocks. He has no pictures of this era, but his mother might. Back when Doc was young, people didn’t take pictures all the time like the kids these days. Doc has a picture of himself at a religious milestone ((He is not sure of the name in English, calls it communion but it sounds like it might be confirmation)) wearing tight leather pants and a blazer with enormous shoulder pads, plus steel-toed safety sole boots and dreadlocks. Eventually his beard started to grow in too, but only a soul patch. Chat is overwhelmed by this mental picture.

2:09:30 A chatter asks what the deal is in Germany with sparkling water. Doc doesn’t know, Europeans just love sparkling water. There’s lots of different kinds, and they prefer juice mixed with sparkling water to most soda. Doc likes apple juice and sparkling water. Chat is not sold on the merits of sparkling water and Doc can sympathize. A chatter mentions Twitter, Doc warns them not to mention anything about “Elmo” Musk, because that is worse than mentioning Disney to Scar. There will be ranting. A chatter talks about the Sodastream carbonation machine. Doc has one, he and Doccy both like it.

2:13:30 Doc starts organizing some of his strewn shulkers. He talks about his own drink, vitamin juice and sparkling water. Chat admires his glass. He puts diamond pants on the last armor stand, turns them into shorts and hangs them up. Doc and Chat talk about what kinds of fruit juices they like best. A chatter wants trims on the leather chestpieces, Doc doesn’t know about that. That wastes a lot of trims, but this is the trim shop.

2:17:00 Doc fancies up the hanging tunics. Chat provides suggestions for trims and materials. A chatter asks what will happen if the Ore Snatcher replaces the diamond ore miniblock with a deepslate miniblock. Doc tells Chat not to give the Ore Snatcher ideas. Chat and Doc both like the look of the trimmed outfits he is creating. Chainmail pants with redstone trim looks a lot like a neat skirt. A chatter suggests making the tops actually match the bottoms of the hanging outfits, but Doc is not very concerned about that.

2:24:00 Doc is getting into it now and begins trimming the outfits on the sculptures he created earlier. It’s something Louis Vuitton would do, he declares. He really likes the way trimmed chainmail looks. He makes a chainmail helmet and sets it on the shelf of the back wall.

2:29:20 The shop is good, but could use some paintings. Doc can’t remember how to make paintings. Chat reminds him of the recipe, but he has no wool. He has to go visit the Wolves of Wool Street. Chat awoos. Doc realizes that wool is sold by the four-stack and decides to go buy string instead. He only needs one wool block! Doc declares Bdubs’ 1 diamond per string stack a much superior deal to WoWS’s diamond block per four stacks of wool and hopes they don’t find out Bdubs is undercutting them.

2:32:00 A chatter asks if anyone is surprised that Doc hasn’t sworn yet. Doc asks what the fuck they are talking about, then covers his mouth. Chat is amused. A chatter does the math and points out that Bdubs is basically selling seven wool blocks worth of string for a diamond, making WoWS a consderably better deal. Doc manages to get the walking man painting in his shop and says it looks like it belongs in a clothes shop. He says Bdubs is still a better deal if you only want one block of wool. He hangs several more posters.

2:35:30 Doc declares that this is enough detail and the shop is finished. Chat agrees, this is enough. He notices two armor stands that still need clothes, but after that he is calling it done. But the shop should have some music, so it’s time to pick some! He starts testing songs. They are VERY LOUD. Doc and Chat bop along with the music. A chatter demands CBAT. A chatter suggests Soulside Eclipse. Doc finds a song called Top Ten (or Chop Ten?) and Chat agrees it is the best shopping vibe music yet. He goes out and comes into the store to see what it would be like to shop to this music, and immediately starts yelling at the imaginary shopkeeper to turn down the music, it’s way too loud and he just wants to buy some pants!

2:41:00 A chatter has a birthday. Doc sings an unintelligible version of Happy Birthday and tells them now they can feel like Pearl. He says he might hit Jono up for shop beats, or says anyone who wants to can hit him up on Twitter with some beats. Music is always a problem because there are lots of talented musicians and he’d like to feature more of them, but DMCA makes things really hard. Doc puts the music back on. It is still quite loud. The headphone chatters have feelings about it. Doc comes across a song that sounds like the guitar beginning to an early 2000s pop ballad and begins improvising words to it, seconds before a vocalist actually starts up with a not dissimilar theme. Doc is pleased to have been proven right; Chat thinks it’s hilarious.

2:45:00 Doc goes through more varieties of music, none of which are quite right. He tries “A Sitar Story” and likes it. Chat likes it too. Doc improvises an armor trim song to go with the music. It’s nice but very much in conflict with the visual theme of the shop. He tries a few more. A song with a strong beat comes on, he and chat all jam along. A lounge jazz song comes on, it is too sophisticated. Doc finds a song called Emotional Mess and calls it relatable, but not what they are looking for. “Classic 1985 Music Soundtrack” is aptly named, but also not quite the thing. Chat suggests using the permit office music. Doc insists that when they hear the song, they will all know.

2:50:00 More music browsing. The lead mod asks Chat to watch their boss, because they have to pee. Chat will not make any promises. Doc is currently telling an epic tale of a Goat in a swamp who crushed everyone to the tune of an epic prologue. He switches channels again and asks why everything is so lame or too pushy. Chat is starting to wonder if CBAT is actually the best option. Doc finds a song called Snowfall Butterflies and wonders if someone was trying to find the cutest words they knew for a name. He jams to another song, then keeps scrolling. Chat has given up and are just grooving along. Doc finds music that is perfect for a shop he would hate, where no one will tell you whether your pants fit.

2:54:30 Doc finds some music he likes and improvises armor trim-related lyrics for it. The mod comes back and asks if Doc was good. Chat doesn’t know. More music, more grooving. Doc finds a song he would enjoy if it were the early 80s and he liked cocaine. Especially if his name was Falco. The music becomes increasingly baffling to Doc’s sensibilities. He decides there is nothing good in the YouTube Audio Library and wonders if YouTube asked musicians especially for their shittiest songs. Chat suggests it’s copyright-free for a reason.

2:59:00 Doc has been streaming for hours and has just heard Doccy and Karin come home, which means it is time for him to return to the real world. He asks for an up-down vote on whether the shop is done. Chat says yes, it’s done. That means next week will be the grand opening! After that the dirt shop, then the rails shop. Also, Doc has found a loophole regarding concrete farms, but does not elaborate. A chatter reminds him to activate the alarm before he goes. Doc pops into studio view so chat can’t see the secret switch. He looks for someone to raid. Martyn IntheLittleWood is on, but Doc raided him last week and Martyn got very jealous over the whole Ren marriage thing. Doc saw it on Twitter! He decides to raid Martyn anyway, thanks subs and donos, reminds Chat to ask Martyn why he has little wood, and ends his stream.

[thelampisaflashlight]

Some simple headcanons, with a side of angst for your Friday night. Below the cut.

-Dew is really good at sewing, and used to repair the old ghoul uniforms before they got the money to buy new ones/were able to hire a professional to do it, but he still fixes the other ghouls’ clothes now and then if they ask.

He’s currently in the process of making a t-shirt quilt out of some of his old band tees as a little side project.

-Rain is not a great cook, but he does make the best fucking pancakes. They were the first thing he got to cook topside apart from scrambled eggs.

-Swiss likes being the little spoon, both because he loves cuddles, and because then he doesn’t feel like he’s trapping the other person there if they don’t want to be. 

The only exceptions to this rule are when he’s laying face to face with the other person, or when he’s snuggling with Cumulus.

He enjoys holding her.

-Sunshine can do cartwheels, and is generally very good at gymnastics/balance related things, to the point that everyone is convinced she might be part goat.

-Cirrus and Dew have watched every Adam Sandler movie together, and basically have the plots of “Blended” and “Just Go With It” memorized for no reason at all, and parrot lines from “Little Nicky” at each other all the time.

-Aether is 100% ride or die, and has gotten into a LOT of fights despite everyone thinking he’s not a fighter, and he has not regretted a single one.

-Mountain is well versed in sign language, and has given all the other ghouls sign names, some are more creative than others, but Rain is obviously Rain, and Dew is simplified to just “D” or a repeated “Dee-Dee” when Mountain is referring to him in an affectionate way.

-Cumulus is friends with a couple of the sisters from the abbey, and goes out with them pretty regularly, and basically has them as a sort of separate friend group from the other ghouls.

Cirrus doesn’t really get along with them, not because of anything bad, but because she doesn’t want to feel... replaced.

-Dew can smell changes in people’s blood sugar levels well enough that he can tell when someone is experiencing hypoglycemia just by catching a whiff of their breath, and while he has explained, numerous times, what the scent is like to the other ghouls and even the siblings, none of them seem to have as firm of a grasp on it as he does.

-Rain can make sand, or, more accurately, he can channel his water magic to erode rocks and make sand.

Once, Rain and Dew teamed up to see if they could make glass this way, with Rain making sand and Dew heating it, and as it would turn out: Yes, yes they can.

Neither of them, however, are exactly good at sculpting though, so the results were a pathetic little glass snake, which they gave to Imperator on Mother’s Day because, “Sure, why the fuck not?”

...She kept it.

And, lastly;

-Mountain has a secret greenhouse and adjoining cabin in the woods where he grows his “experimental” plants.

He has yet to elaborate on what that means, or where this mystical place might be.

Many have wandered in vain.

Except for Dew and Swiss.

They found that place in under an hour on a summer’s afternoon, and were lowkey disappointed to find out Mountain wasn’t growing monster amounts of weed, and was actually researching rare plants.

Neither of them left though, and now Mountain has guinea pigs lab partners.

[naruto-ol-protags]

What are each of the Naruto Online Protagonists backstories?? I wasn’t aware they had any, or if they had a lot of profiles with that listed their own attributes. If you could describe them or provide a link for me to check them out I would really appreciate it!

This is kind of a complicated question, mainly because they are split into: the Orichara contest versions, the first beta versions, the second beta versions (some info on them was retconned), and the current game version (the question is whether browser and mobile count as the same or canon divergence XD). There is also the scrapped intro cinematic video where the protags are kids in the Ninja Academy who seem to be friends? It's honestly a mess that doesn't add up a lot of times unless you follow exactly one version and disregard everything else.

I've been working on a spreadsheet/masterpost on all kinds of canon info available for each protag but it's still being put together and has some personal commentary... Please feel free to take a look at it though 😅

You can also go through the #character trivia tag for more details!

A condensed version would be:

Azure Fang - she is determined to cure illnesses of the world and specializes in medical jutsu and chakra control. She's compassionate, curious, lively, and often shows her cute/girlish side. Despite being a medic she also readily uses poisons. In fights, she's shown to favor her tantō. Her mobile voice lines suggest that she's rather casual with others when at work and socializes easily.

Breeze Dancer - she's said to be a "royal sister type" and a few of the game ads have suggested her being in some way tied to Sunagakure and the Three Sand Siblings. Interestingly enough her nindō is intertwined with Orochimaru (although they don't seem to be on good terms). She has travelled a lot and thanks to that gained a mature outlook on society. Breeze is the only one who is vocal about having a distinction between good and evil, it seems to be one of her motivations for fighting. She fights using her metal fan, multiple clones, and seduction tactics (on men). Funnily enough, she prefers the company of girls.

Crimson Fist - he's liked and trusted by others and looks more mature than his age would suggest. He specializes in taijutsu and close combat. Crimson is a calm guy who cares for his friends a lot and trains hard to be able to protect them. He also likes to cook and garden, and occasionally sass at the other guys (usually to show off his manliness). Nothing is known about his clan but he has the wood release and a kekkei genkai.

Midnight Blade - younger by one year from the rest, works as a bounty hunter, knows an ANBU skill (up to interpretation whether he just picked it up from someone or was/is in the organization), and fights mostly using kenjutsu. He's cold, not talkative, and pragmatic, his main motivator seems to be money. His ideal setting is a 1v1, when faced with more opponents he loses his advantage. Despite being very professional and concentrated while on duty, he has been, in fact, portrayed as disliking work.

Scarlet Blaze - his lineage is connected to the Uchihas (not said to what degree), he also experienced a clan massacre, it's unclear if he's the last survivor or has some living relatives. He's calm and collected, hardworking, pragmatic, interested in all kinds of the world's ninjutsu, and aware of his good looks. Prefers to engage with opponents by his genjutsu first, and is good at finding their weaknesses. Preferred weapons seem to be kunai but he has been getting some variety with the latest skins.

I'm also putting the relevant profiles under the cut:

^ Above are presented the beta profiles (longer and shorter versions)

^ The more detailed profiles released on the official forum website and in-game

^ My Ninja Way intro screens with each character's phrase in the bracket

[upontherisers]

shush for mahalia & bucky pretty please 😁😁😁

a/n: no proofreading, we die like men, etc., etc. i've answered the prompt on a technicality. welcome back to lake harding, everyone. [ shush ] for a kiss to silence the other party

Jack calls it at 1:30 am, standing with an exhale and taking in the counselors spread along the waterfront.

“Already?” Ev asks from where he’s slouched in a fraying camping chair.

Jack shrugs. “I’m tired.”

“Hazel’s tired,” Bucky says. “You just want to walk her back.”

Hazel—in the middle of draining the rest of her beer as she walks over from the girls’ fire—pauses, looking between Jack and the rest of the group around the fire. Her arm lowers hesitantly and she huffs a flustered laugh before breaking into a smile. “I’m good by myself. This is your last one, I don’t wanna—”

“No, no,” Jack says as he steps out of the ring of logs. “Let’s head back.”

Bucky has to duck under the hand Jack flings out to smack him with and he grabs around at the sand underfoot until he finds a pebble and hurls it only for Jack to sidestep without having to turn around as he sets his jacket around Hazel’s shoulders.

They watch the pair go, their tall frames moving in and out of the firelight from the flames up the beach. Bucky waits for something, for Jack to wrap his arm around her shoulders, for her to reach for his hand, but they disappear past the Big House without incident and he shakes his head with a chuckle. Always professional, those two, very resilient to his badgering. They’ll break this year, he’s sure of it, with it being Jack’s last and all.

Then, it’s quiet. Waves run gently to shore and rock the docks to and forth, the creaking wood blending with the crickets and owls in the trees up the hill. The breeze is gentle and chilling and gives him every reason to stay by the crackling fire. Even the moon’s out tonight, lighting the lake all the way to Outpost Island and Camp Taylor at the other end, and into the mountains beyond. It’s peaceful—not just a night in at his apartment peaceful, but peaceful peaceful—the kind of peaceful they make movies about, the kind of peaceful that settles right to his bones and scratches the itch he’s had since he drove up from the city this morning. The kind of peace he can be alone in, even when he’s surrounded by friends.

The kind of peace that blends with the beer and the bud and the moon and nearly sends him to bed right where he’s sitting until he hears a laugh from the next fire over that cuts through the zen he’d reached in the last few minutes.

“Jesus, she’s loud,” he mutters, laying out on his log now that he has the space. There are a lot of stars when he looks up.

Buck snorts. “You’re loud.”

“I’m not that loud.”

“You are,” says Benny. Bucky flops out a leg to kick at him and misses. 

Mahalia laughs again from the girls’ fire and he turns his head toward the sound. She’s sharing a log with Willie and they’re cackling, falling over each other and wiping their eyes as Dolores tells a story that has her gesturing wildly with her hands. Their resident comedian saves her best work for nights like these and while Bucky would usually try to push his way over to be in on the joke, he’s caught by Mahalia in the firelight—the blush of her lips, the flame-washed dark gold of her skin, the smooth lines of her neck, and the delicate chain shimmering at the hollow of her throat. He’s cold suddenly, and sits up to grab his jacket.

Curt’s hand raises across the circle. “Last call. There’s, like, two hits left.” The joint in his fingers leaks thin wisps of smoke above the flames.

“Dibs!” Bucky and Mahalia say at the same time. 

Curt holds it out to Mahalia, who’s rising from her seat. Bucky glares at his friend. “That’s my weed.”

“I wouldn’t hear the end of it,” the younger counselor says with a shrug, his dimple popping out of his grimace. 

Bucky’s on his feet and bounding over before Mahalia’s halfway there, and she squawks as he plucks the joint from Curt and takes a hit. 

He really makes a show of it, taking a long drag and holding the smoke for longer than necessary before exhaling with a labored sigh pointed at the stars. When he looks down again, Mahalia is a few feet from him, arms crossed over her sweater, mouth open as she slides her tongue over her teeth in fury. She’s hot when she’s angry—round brown eyes burning in the flames of his fire, jaw tight and sharp—but she’d kick him in the nuts if he said it out loud.

Curt speaks up behind him. “C’mon, Bucky. It’s the last night.”

“I don’t know,” he replies, rolling the joint in his fingers. “Sounds like she’s got a problem if she needs it this badly.”

Mahalia’s stomping toward him in an instant. “Chick’s not here to stop me from beating your ass—”

“Okay, okay,” he says, “fine.”

She comes to a stop in front of him as her next blustery threat fizzles out. He debates going for it and dashing before her short legs can get traction in the sand, but as he looks down at her—her eyes pools of dark, still water now that he’s blocking the light—he’s cold again, and he doesn’t let himself look lower than her expectant face to the scars that now dot her left knee and crawl up her thigh. You owe her.

But, he can still do it with his usual… flare.

It’s slower than the first time as he takes another hit and her lips part, enraged. He takes advantage of the moment to press his mouth to hers and exhale. Her chest presses against his as she breathes him in and he ignores the twitch in his pants at the small whimper in her throat that’s only audible to him. You’ve done this before, he thinks. It’s just Mahalia. 

But her name sounds different in his head than it has during all the previous summers, and as she pulls away, exhaling with a blissful, lazy smile, he wants to suck the smoke from her mouth. Not because it’s his weed, but because it’s her.

A burst of laughter from a group of Lower Camp counselors further down the beach breaks him out of his thoughts and he steps away from her with a nod. It’s just Mahalia. “We good?”

She blows the last of the smoke in his face and chuckles cooly. “For tonight.”

Tonight won’t last much longer—the long drive is catching up to him, so are the High Noons, and they have an early start tomorrow when Chick and Red get in—but as Mahalia walks back over to her fire, already joking with Vera about something that makes her voice carry back to him on the breeze, he decides he’ll take it. Tonight’ll do just fine.