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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 1 month ago

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Slimy fellow meets slimy fellow.

Also known as Fellow meets Azul.

I thought this one would be more fun to write if I immediately cut to Fellow at the Mostro Lounge (following the reader's advice, of course)! Also, I will take any excuse to write the twins--

This ended up being a lot longer than I had initially intended, it's over 2k words (blame my Octavinelle bias)... Hope you enjoy!

So tell me, do you wanna go?

"Whoa, Giddie. Check out this classy joint."

Fellow whistled as he took in the majesty of the Mostro Lounge.

Plum carpets gave rise to a set of stairs, and up the railings were several plush, quilted booths. Each table had its own lamp, a shining orb held up by a gnarled arm of coral. There was a bar area too, complete with a row of sleek stools, the shelves behind the counter well-stocked with tins of tea blends.

Overlooking the entire establishment was a massive glass wall, where the ocean itself peered in on the patrons. Shadows of seaweed and coral ran along the seabed outside, rainbow-colored fish darting by in bursts. Jellyfish lights swung from the ceiling, casting the lounge in an otherworldly blue glow. Smooth jazz emanated from somewhere in the eatery, backed by the soft accompaniment of ambient sounds--water splashing, bubbles dancing.

As Fellow and Gidel stood there gawking, they hadn't noticed two lanky shadows approach them from behind--not until they uttered a greeting in unison.

"Welcome to the Mostro Lounge!"

Fellow jumped at the hands that clapped onto either of his shoulders. He met two nearly identical faces.

"Table for two?" Jade offered.

"Can we getcha started with drinks?" Floyd asked.

Fellow jolted back, pointing a shaking finger at the twins. "H-HIEEEEEEE!! I-It's you guys!"

Jade smiled politely, feigning ignorance. “Oya, Fellow-san. You appear to be rather jumpy today. You’ve come to just the right place to put that anxiety to rest.”

“Y-You’re not gonna wail on us?!”

“Wail on ya?” Floyd’s mouth was stretched eerily wide. “Eheheh. Why’d we wanna do that?”

“Quite right, Floyd." Jade nodded. "We would never harm an esteemed guest. This is a gentlemen's lounge--there is no fighting allowed."

"You're... not mad about what happened before?"

The corners of Jade's mouth twitched. A droll laugh, suppressed. "Think nothing of it. Call it water under the bridge. Floyd and I, we are not the vengeful sort."

Fellow stared at him as though Jade had suddenly sprouted another head. I don't buy that for one second!!

"So do ya want grub or not? Hurry up, cuz we got other customers to deal with," Floyd groused, jabbing at finger at the packed tables behind him.

Fellow eyed them both suspiciously--but his gaze darted between the shady eels and Gidel, who was patting his belly. His reply came out weak and reluctant. "Well... If you're offering food..."

"Then right this way." Jade bent, gesturing with one hand. "I believe this is your first time dining with us, so allow me to inform you of our specials."

He led the way, expertly weaving between Octavinelle servers and roaming guests. Fellow followed, Gidel lagging behind him, and Floyd held the back of the line, plucking up two menus from a podium as they passed it. As they briskly made their way to an open booth, Jade rattled off facts.

"You may order a la cart, but we also offer meal sets in which we have curated the perfectly paired the dishes for you. Substitutions can be made upon request to accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions. There is a separate specialty beverage menu. The Mystery Drink is our most popular item--we highly recommend it."

"Wait a sec!" Fellow held up a hand. "Food's great and all, but I was hopin' to hear about something else too."

Jade craned his head. "Oh? And what might that be?"

The fox beastman leaned in, cupping his mouth against Jade's ear. "Word on the street is, the big shot around here has the ability to make wishes come true. I want in on that."

The twins exchanged a knowing look. Their mismatched eyes glinted with delight.

"... Of course, dear customer. We can arrange an audience with Azul for you. However, please be advised that it requires that you order a certain amount of food. The meal sets are worth 3 points each, and the drinks, 1 point. You will need to accumulate at least 50 points total in order to secure a spot with Azul."

"No problem! Together, Giddie and I could eat a man out of house and home," Fellow chuckled. "We'll take one of everything you've got!"

“Out of house and home!!” For some reason, this made Floyd laugh. It was an odd, raspy sound, like branches and the wind scraping and rustling against a ratty window.

“What’s so funny?”

"Oh, nothin’. You just made me remember a funny joke,” Floyd reassured him. “Don’t worry. We’ll get your order ready for ya in a jiffy~"

"Azul, you have a new client."

Jade held the door open for Fellow and Gidel to pass through. Floyd lingered in the corridor like a bouncer guarding the room--or a jailer ensuring they stay in it.

The duo stepped into a neat office, flanked on both sides by towering bookshelves. The carpet they treaded on bore an intricate pattern of scalloped shells and swirls. Two deep purple couches were set across from one another. A coffee table was between them, its surface layered glass. Luminescent blue colored the base of the bookshelves and the interior of the coffee table.

A large chunk of the back wall composed a massive vault. Seated in front of it was a young man at a grand desk. He had silvery hair swept to one side, and sharp eyes behind thick frames. A pile of contracts say upon his desk, along with a lamp and a pot of ink. He deposited what appeared to be a fish skeleton in his inkwell and stood, smiling at Fellow and Gidel.

“Welcome to the VIP Room,” the young man purred. “I am the dorm leader of Octavinelle and the manager of Mostro Lounge. Azul Ashengrotto, at your service.”

“Honest. Fellow Honest. And this here’s my little buddy, Gidel.”

"Oh, there's no need for introductions, Fellow-san. I've already heard plenty about you from Jade and Floyd."

"Have you now?" A slight edge formed in Fellow's voice. "It sounds like my reputation precedes me."

Azul chuckled darkly. "Indeed. Ah, but that is why you've come to seek my counsel, is it not? You're seeking something. Please, have a seat." He gestured to the couches. "Tell me of your troubles."

Gidel happily planted himself down, but Fellow stood his ground and clenched his fists.

"It's money," he blurted out. "I need money, and lots of it."

Azul blinked. He quickly composed himself and gave a laugh. "If I could materialize thaumarks out of thin air, the value of them would surely plummet. May I ask what it is that you intend on using these funds for?"

"I want to start my own school. One that'll be WAY better than this crappy establishment for entitled rich kids!" Fellow waved at the overembellished office with his cane. "A school for everyone, no matter what their background or social class is! A school that teaches practical life skills!"

(The twins, listening in from the doorway, snickered amongst themselves. Azul shot them a glare.)

"Hmm... I see that you're an ambitious man, Fellow-san. As a businessman myself, I must commend your drive," the merman drawled, "and I am willing to help make it a reality, provided you are also willing to pay the price. You can't get something for nothing, as I'm sure you know."

Fellow's stomach dropped. He had anticipated this, but it didn't make the gut punch any less painful. "What's it gonna cost me?"

"I'm not asking much. Just a token, really--a trifle! You'll never even miss it." Slime coated each of Azul's words. "What I want from you is... your unique magic."

He went cold, the color draining from him. From the couch, Gidel startled, suddenly alarmed. "Life is Fun?""

"Correct." Azul's smile seemed more like a smirk now. "From my understanding, your spell is able to enhance one's optimism, making the subject more susceptible to suggestion and taking risks. Not only that, but it is subtle enough to avoid detection. It would be a great boon to have at my disposal. I could easily dispel any doubts my clients may have about signing a contract."

"But that's...! That's...!" Fellow sputtered, unable to come up with a coherent argument.

"That is my offer, Fellow-san. It's non-negotiable." Azul looked him up and down. Not that he has much else to offer.

"Tch...!"

He weighed the options.

Riches for his magic. A magic so measly that mightier mages spat upon it. His magic for riches. Riches so vast he could jumpstart his dream, ensure a golden future for him and Gidel.

Azul's words coiled around him like constrictive tentacles.

"I'm not asking much. Just a token, really--a trifle! You'll never even miss it."

Fellow wavered.

Maybe I should take the deal...

"...!!"

Gidel rose from the couch and tackled Fellow, latching onto an arm. Fellow stumbled backwards, nearly crashing into a bookshelf.

"W-Whoa! Hey, watch it, Giddie!!" he yelped, trying to pry the boy off of him. "Can't 'cha see I'm thinkin' here?!"

Fellow abruptly stopped. Gidel gazed at him with wide, pleading eyes. Wetness coated the corners, tears threatening to spill.

It's a part of you. It's yours. Don't give it up, he begged.

"Giddie..." Fellow's hand sank into Gidel's hair and ruffled it. "... Thanks for that. I needed it."

His resolve returned to him, hardening into steel. Turning back to Azul, Fellow replied, "Sorry, I've changed my mind. I think I'll work things out on my own."

"!!" Gidel beamed proudly.

"Are you certain? These endeavors can be a challenge without sufficient financial backing," Azul warned.

"Positive. I don't wanna kiss up to some board of investors to move up in the world!" Fellow seized Gidel's oversized sleeve. "C'mon, we've got places to be!"

"Well!" Azul huffed, looking displeased. "If you think you can manage!"

"We can, no worries!"

With that, Fellow steered himself and Gidel out of the VIP Room. They skipped along, humming a jolly tune. Azul waited for their sound to completely vanish before he jerked his head to the twins.

"I thought you said they'd be easy marks," he bellowed.

"Perhaps we misjudged," Jade suggested, brows upturned. "The child appears to act as Fellow-san's conscience--and a rather effective one, at that."

"We did almost get them though!" Floyd protested. "Hook, line, and sinker!!"

Azul sighed deeply. "There's no helping it. What's done is done. This time, they got away from us--but it's alright. At the very least, we've got their money!"

Silence threaded the room.

"... I said, at the very least, we've got their money." Azul stared at the twins, who were strangely quiet. "We DO have their money, correct?"

"My, I may have neglected to disclose our prices to Fellow-san," Jade said with a smile. "It seems he was under the impression that the Mostro Lounge's offerings were as free as the cafeteria's buffet is."

"And since we know you're soooo generous, we thought it would be okay to let'm eat their fill to rack up those points~" Floyd added. "'Sides, Jade and I wanted to see how you'd get along!"

Azul's expression splintered. "... So you two allowed Fellow-san and Gidel-san to dine and dash? All to get a rise out of me?"

"You could phrase it like that, yes."

"Yup~!!"

Panic immediately set in. His mind raced, running the calculations simultaneously. How many tens of hundreds of thaumarks he was losing out on.

Azul pushed past the nonchalant Leeches and to the door. Gathering all of his breath, he hollered down the hallway.

"All Mostro Loungs staff on deck, this is an order from your manager!! I want that redheaded fox beastman and his cat accomplice captured and brought to me STAT!! Is that clear?!"

"Wow, Azul's really losin' it!" Floyd cackled. "It was worth all that trouble just to see this~"

"I couldn't agree more, Floyd. Fufufu, there is never a dull day in Octavinelle."

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detectivemaker · 1 year ago

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Thanksgiving of Villainous Friendship

Once upon a time, in a quaint suburban neighborhood of Gotham City, two unlikely friends, Jervis Tetch, better known as the Mad Hatter, and Jonathan Crane, also known as the Scarecrow, decided to celebrate Thanksgiving together. Both men had put aside their villainous ways and were enjoying a quieter life, raising their children and trying to leave their darker pasts behind.

Jervis Tetch, with his fondness for tea parties and elaborate costumes, was bustling around the house, decorating every corner with Thanksgiving-themed trinkets. He wore a whimsical apron adorned with playing cards and teacups as he prepared the dining table. Jonathan Crane, the more reserved of the two, assisted by preparing a delicious assortment of dishes, utilizing his exceptional culinary skills.

Lenore and Lewis, the mischievous twins of Jervis and his wife, eagerly helped set the table while Dorothy, the younger daughter with a penchant for storytelling, arranged place cards featuring hand-drawn characters from her favorite tales.

As the savory aroma filled the house, the families gathered around the table, adorned with an assortment of dishes crafted by Jonathan and Jervis. The turkey sat in the center, surrounded by cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and an array of delectable pies for dessert.

"Let us raise a toast to gratitude and friendship," Jervis declared, lifting his teacup filled with apple cider, and the rest of the family joined in, clinking their glasses in unison.

The dinner was filled with laughter, stories, and playful banter. Lenore and Lewis, mischievous as always, shared anecdotes of their adventures, occasionally sneaking small spoonfuls of whipped cream when they thought no one was looking. Dorothy, with her vivid imagination, entertained everyone with tales of heroic adventures and magical lands.

Jonathan and Jervis observed their children with pride, exchanging knowing glances that reflected their shared appreciation for the joys of family life.

As the evening progressed and the meal came to an end, the children's laughter echoed through the house. They gathered around a crackling fireplace, snug under blankets, listening wide-eyed as Jervis and Jonathan shared stories from their own childhoods—tales of bravery, friendship, and even a hint of mischief from their younger days.

The night wound down with contented smiles on everyone's faces. It was a Thanksgiving filled not only with delicious food but also with the warmth of companionship and the joy of cherished moments spent together.

As the guests bid their farewells and retreated into the night, Jervis and Jonathan shared a quiet moment, grateful for the unexpected friendship that had brought their families together, making this Thanksgiving a truly special and unforgettable occasion.

#jervis tetch #jonathan crane #hattercrow #ocs #fankid #thanksgiving

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usagimen · 1 year ago

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ANON: Mimiko and Nanako watched Sayuri with quiet interest until one of petite twins asked aloud, '' How long does it take to accomplish such a Geisha hairstyle? ''

𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒔, wax is rolled && applied onto a clean slate. Sweet incense that burns, purifying the air between them, the secret is to be guarded but for those who wish to obtain such a status - they must observe. She can hear each feminine voice that peers curiously at the newcomers, laughing softly, too modern for a shikomi - colored hair && lacking that of tradition, they are privileged to watch. She warns gently, it will look ghastly but the beauty of a Geiko is just that, the illusion she crafts before their eyes. Shiny lacquer in cherry red, painted with cranes in mid flight, a treasure that contains everything one may need to morph themselves into walking art. Trinkets filled with rouge, some contained pink, while the other is the essence of what would come to make her into another being.

“Hm…” she does not pry away from the mirror, instead her fingers work to whisk the oshiroi, never too thin or thick, always mindful that it would not crack once applied. “It depends, for a maiko she will spend a great duration of time having her hair tended to. Once we enter a certain age, no longer are we allowed to cut it, prior to life within Tokyo - mine once skimmed past my knees, now, it is much more manageable but still must hit mid back” prongs, painted at the back of her neck, then the entirety of the face comes next. Laughter that snickers but she remains careful to not blemish the effigy that is slowly becoming reality. “In days of yore, we painted our teeth black - I prefer it for special occasions” ebony was pressed onto the brows, crimson on the outer corner of her eyes && finally, lacquered red that was filled from top to bottom in a single stroke.

“The reputation of the God Hand is far more troublesome than some would allow you to believe. Amongst our kind, the imagery of what the heart desires lessens the sharpness of their tongues. You girls will have nothing to fear, tonight you are my guest, when a Geisha speaks it commands respect - in return, her patrons are treated the same”

Standing, her silhouette beckons for them to follow, “Since this affair to take place for sometime, my hair was done prior, in total it takes an hour. We learn to sleep properly, albeit not comfortably, if you’re keen on becoming my shikomi’s, I could speak to Master Geto for you” teasing, her smile contorts into a grin as she carefully opens the doors of the grand closet. Shining with accessories from delicate wooden pins to beautiful flowers arranged accordingly, each robe was neatly folded, as Sayuri tapped her chin. “I never was really good at this, whatever my aunt deemed appropriate, I would wear without protest. Though, since you both are my cherished guests, you may pick my kimono for the evening” the mere thought amongst outsiders was scandalous, for those who desired nothing more than to have a claim to this secretive world, this luxury was out of their reach. Now, she bestowed it upon both girls, benevolence && kindness within her words as she spoke.

“Kyoto sings a distant song, one that is far more subtle than that of the metropolitan. You both shall understand, jushiki sorcerers of these lands pride themselves in uniformity, tradition && remembering an era that once presented itself in glory. It is my duty as the daughter of Okiya Kobayashi to lead you through the path of this dreamscape”

#––– ❛ answered ask 【 broken seals. 】#SCREAMS THIS IS ACTUALLY KINDA CUTE #SHE GOES INTO PAINSTAKING DETAIL ABOUT HER ROUTINE #girls!!! this is such an honor so many sorcerers would murder to pick her kimono!!!#and she is just okay you two can do it make me look trendy!!!#sayu even teasing a HHHHH #then it also is ironic sug.uru is the image of a monk and sayuri is the geiko of gion #hueuheuhue he's probably seen her black teeth when she entertains higher ups or super rich clients #TY TY THIS WAS EVERYTHING

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booksandgalore · 4 years ago

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A Day Late, A Dollar Short

Your old life ends on the day you accidentally notice the white paint on Taehyung's face—and those red lips of his colored into a mischievous, all-consuming grin.

PSYCHOLOGICAL, HORROR, inspired by the JOKER

Yandere!BTS preview with a female reader

SPECIAL THANKS to @cakebite for the header. This upcoming one-shot is a gift for you (estimated date: before the end of summer—end of July or early August)! You’ve always been cheering me on.

PREVIEW OF FINAL ONE-SHOT

Grades were still important despite the college acceptance letter in your hand, so, like you told your mother, you really did go to the library to study, even if your studying just happened to last for five minutes before you stumbled upon the yellow brick road to Jeongyeon’s house, where it was conveniently—no, coincidentally—shy of a minute’s walk from the library in the first place.

Now, now, details didn’t need to be disclosed.

Minuscule effort had to count for something in your senior year, especially when your days should be simple, mundane, free of worry, merely existing to count down graduation. You did study against the finer essence of things, did you not?

Similarly, senior year perpetuated the same beliefs in Taeyong. Always pushing the limits of when he would start his Calculus homework, your classmate preferred Animal Crossing over graphs and lines that seemed to bend one way more than the other, but was it such a bad thing, pray tell, for him to do what he wanted to do at his own pace? And for you to do whatever you felt like doing because it was your God-given right?

You scratched the sole of your left foot with your right and scrolled through the random slime videos recommended on your feed. Somehow, you became addicted to watching these dessert items being smushed by hands, disrupting the illusions of the cakes and cookies to reveal that the items were, in fact, slime, much to your surprise.

From the corner of your eye, however, you noticed Jeongyeon’s chest rising and falling to every deep breath, her shoulders slouching and her fingers curling tightly around the electric fly swatter she had been waving around for a good ten minutes.

You sank deeper underneath her blankets, the thick weight relaxing the tension in your muscles.

“Did you get it yet?” you asked, accidentally double-tapping a random advertisement from scrolling too fast.

“As you can see,” Jeongyeon swung at the air, “no.”

“Hurry up and kill it.”

“I’m trying.”

“Try harder.” Aggravating her was always a fun pastime.

But maybe it wasn't as fun when your legs were suddenly being crushed by the weight of Jeongyeon’s body and, GOD, was she heavy. When she wiggled around, the pressure amplified.

“I need water,” she demanded, soft brown locks clinging to the sweat on the sides of her face. “I need snacks.”

The epiphany struck you late, but you realized how some words were never meant to be spoken when Jeongyeon leered down at you with her petty, little eyes.

“This is your house,” you emphasized, and you reluctantly adjusted yourself out of these blankets to shove Jeongyeon away from her own bed. ”Guests should be treated like kings.”

“You raid the fridge every time you come. It’s time you return the favor, you freeloader.”

That was not true. You raided her cupboards as well.

“Oh, yeah?” You huffed, straightening your shoulders and puffing out your chest. “Would a freeloader do this?”

Releasing a wistful sigh, you smoothed the crinkles on her pillow before dropping your head dramatically on it, her one-hundred-percent-cotton fluff being put into good use.

Jeongyeon loomed over your body. “Go and do what I ask. . .” she brandished the swatter close to the tip of your nose, ”or else.”

You raised your hands. You were just messing around, but she didn’t have to go that far. The circular light on the handle was still green, and with one wrong move, one wrong step, she could fry off your skin.

Jeongyeon continued staring at you, and for a second you thought she would bring it closer—out of pure curiosity to observe what it was like for flesh to burn—until you blinked and the racket was nowhere near your vicinity.

Unconsciously, you started laughing. “Good one!” you said, the repressed stammer lodged in your throat doing you a favor.

As Jeongyeon stood back, the evening sun filtered through the seeps of her blinds, ironically highlighting the shadows of her face instead of the soft planes of her lips, or the curve of her long lashes. Gone was the girl you viewed her as moments before, her cheeks now sharp, strong, and. . .gaunt, if you were allowed to confess this.

When she smiled, it felt a bit lopsided. “You’ll be a good friend, right?"

You thought her teeth seemed sharper for a moment.

“You’ll get me what I ask for, won’t you?” Her eyes were a little too wide for your liking.

But then you blinked again, and this funny interpretation of her vanished.

Jeongyeon puffed out her cheeks and placed her index fingers on top of them. “Jeongyeon”—she whined—“wants some snacks and some water!”

Oh, a horrible sight!

You threw a pillow at her. “Don’t ever act cute.”

Begrudgingly, you made your way out of the comfort of her bed as she applauded you for your efforts, each slow and calculated smack of her palms against one another lingering in the air mockingly, matching the pace of your own beating heart. You wrenched the door open and navigated yourself down the stairs, nothing but the creak in the wooden floor boards accompanying you now with each step, before you arrived into her kitchen.

There, on the table, laid an unopened bag of salt-and-vinegar chips, but your tongue already shriveled up at the taste. Nevertheless, you grabbed what Jeongyeon requested, snatched an extra water bottle for yourself, and were about to hightail it back to her and her room and her oh-so-comfortable bed when a sharp noise reverberating from the hallway ceased your movements.

You turned your head around curiously, retracting your foot from the first step of the stairs to listen, but the sound never returned.

Deeming it to be nothing, you brought one foot on top of the steps again when it resumed, louder this time, and you recognized that it was some sort of rough laughter, vaguely manic, oddly bitter in nature.

Jeongyeon did have a twin, but it wasn't any of your business to disturb him.

With that in mind, you craned your neck back to the stairs in front of you, yet the same rough laughter ricocheting off the walls had shifted into that of a faint, sorrowful tone, hardly distinguishable to the human ear, the change so slight it was a miracle you had picked up on it just barely.

Was it encroaching on his privacy if you checked up on him?

Conflicted, you let out a breath. It didn’t help how Jeongyeon had confessed, very vulnerably, might you add, that she felt disgusted when her friends would talk to her brother. You couldn’t blame her—not when she gave you detailed stories about her classmates back in Korea, who befriended her for the sake of getting closer to him.

“And if you can understand me,” Jeongyeon had told you after school one day, her voice hoarse and lips downturned, “can I trust that you will do this for me?”

And you did comply to her request like the good friend you were—for four years now and counting.

But when another rumble of laughter, tinged on the edge of what seemed like despair, echoed mindlessly, it tugged at your heart, dragged its teeth for good measure, and reminded you of a memory you worked so hard to suppress—of your father and the hollows underneath his eyes and his desolate gaze.

Perhaps Jeongyeon could make an exception this time. You weren’t like them.

Quietly, you ambled down the hall, stopping short when you noticed the generous slit of the bathroom door, revealing Taehyung who. . .

You felt your breath hitch as your heart leapt in your throat.

A question, colored in red, was written on the mirror:

WHY SO SERIOUS?

You traced the edge of each letter, but it became increasingly difficult to breathe.

“AH HA HA!”

Taehyung covered both of his eyes with his hands momentarily. Then, he peered at his reflection again through the gaps of his fingers, as if unable to do nothing but stare and stare forevermore. His entire face was smeared with some sort of white paint chipping along the edges of his jaw, the flakes dropping to the odd, purple suit he adorned as a green tie rested around his neck.

“AH HA HA!” He leaned in closer to the mirror. “AH HA HA!” he repeated, each forced laugh willing his shoulders to heave up and down with every breath.

Taehyung’s lips extended unnaturally from cheek to cheek, a thin red line, wavering slightly at the ends, drawn on to resemble an everlasting mischievous grin.

You had to go back to Jeongyeon. This. . .this wasn’t right. This wasn’t normal.

You stepped back, but you should have known better when the floor creaked and Taehyung’s gaze pierced into your very being through the mirror.

You expected him to speak, to part his mouth to sputter out a few rushed words, but he didn't. Instead, he simply stared at you with that crazed, inhuman glint in his eyes, and with those curved lips of his that just would not stop smiling. Slowly, he dragged his tongue across the expanse of his skin, never once breaking his transfixed stare, as a sneer escaped through the clench of his teeth.

You were unable to distinguish if his smile was truly painted on, or if it was replaced by something else entirely, a viscous liquid in its stead, the crimson color plastered across his face switching to a shade darker, a shade sinister against its nature.

Much to your relief, however, the light fixture in the bathroom had flickered off. For a moment the darkness binding your vision provided you with a small sense of comfort, while the sound of your labored breathing, shallow and quick, reverberated throughout the halls.

But just as suddenly, the light flickered on again, and Taehyung’s smile stretched impossibly wider through the mirror this time.

“You ever get tired of life?” Taehyung smacked his lips, speaking to you with his reflection. “When the razzle-dazzle isn’t cutting it out anymore? Hmm?”

It was hard for you to see past his paint.

#yandere bts

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flipping-voltron-imagines · 5 years ago

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Hello! May I please request a scenario where keith is maybe too shy to kiss his s/o so he tries to awkwardly set up mistletoe? thanks!

A/N: yo this is straight up fluff and hopefully reciprocation of feelings. I love Keith~~

Word Count: 2198

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” Lance cheered as he burst into your apartment, arms full of presents he planned on giving to your friends.

You were in the kitchen, pulling cookies out of the oven. Everyone would be coming over to celebrate Christmas together, exchange secret santa gifts, decorate cookies, and spend time together. “You’re the first one here, Lance!” you called. After setting the hot pan of cookies down on the stove, you grabbed the next pan and slid it into the oven. After closing it and tossing your hotpad on the counter, you emerged from the kitchen and smiled. “How have you been?”

Lance shrugged and dumped his presents on the couch. “Alright, I guess.” He collapsed onto a beanbag in the center of the room. “When is everyone else getting here?”

“Soon, I think. Nobody had texted me to say they’ll be late, so…”

Lance pressed his lips together and nodded. “Cool, cool,” he mumbled. “You been busy today?”

“Kinda. I forgot about making cookies until just a few hours ago, when I was out buying decorations. Thankfully I’m almost done, and we can relax a bit.”

Looking around your decorated apartment, Lance commented, “Looks nice in here.”

When the doorknob rattled, you and Lance looked at the door. Soon enough, Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro entered the apartment.

A familiar warmth entered your heart when your friends entered your apartment. It had been a while since you saw them all together, and the relief that flooded your body caused your eyes to prick with tears. “Hey, everyone!” You hurried to embrace each of them, and when Lance commented that he felt left out, you have him a hug too. “I’m so glad you were all able to make it.”

“Where’s Keith?” Pidge asked. “Did he get here yet?” She put a small gift on the couch, next to Lance’s.

“Not yet. I’m not sure where he is, but he didn’t say he was running late.”

“I thought he would be the first one here,” Hunk commented. He and Shiro each placed a gift on the pile.

You nodded, lips pressed together. It had been a year since you last saw Keith. As far as you knew, he was helping the Galra rearrange their government. He contacted her on occasion, but there was no stable line of communication. Part of the reason why you decided to have a Christmas party was so that he would come and you could see him again.

Suddenly, your external attitude changed. You clapped your hands together. “Well, I have cookies we can decorate, but I think it would be fun to wait for Keith to do that.” If he shows up at all. “And then we can all watch a movie together. So until then, do y’all wanna play games while we wait?”

They decided on Uno, which was fun. Lance and Pidge seemed dead set on making the other draw as many cards as possible, all the while Shiro was quiet and trying not to draw attention to himself while he slowly ran out of cards.

You checked your phone every couple of minutes, sometimes feeling like your phone had buzzed on your thigh when there were really no messages. Anxiety began to claw at your stomach and reached for your heart to squeeze it. What if he didn’t come at all? Part of your plans for the future relied on him coming to the party. You planned on telling him how you felt about him - how much you loved and missed him - and if he felt similarly, you would adjust to be able to talk to him more. If he didn’t… you would move away and try to distance yourself from the group.

After an hour, you decided it was time to decorate cookies. If you waited much longer, you and your friends wouldn’t be able to watch a movie together.

As you opened your mouth to suggest you all move on, you heard a soft knock on the door. Your head whipped up to look at it, and before you knew it you had risen, opened the door, and felt your shoulders fall.

Keith stood there, giving you a small smile. He wore his usual clothing - a black shirt, jeans. His hair was a bit shorter than you remembered it being. “Hey, Y/N,” he said softly. “Sorry I’m late, I-”

Without a word you stepped forward and threw your arms around his waist. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around your shoulders and dropped his head down onto your shoulder. The two of you stood there until Lance commented loudly that it was getting cold. Then you let Keith go, grabbed his wrist, and tugged him inside, closing the door behind him. That wasn’t the reunion you’d fantasized about since the day you parted, but it wasn’t any less special.

“Now that the special guest -” you shot a teasing look at Keith, “- has arrived, let’s start the party!”

Keith removed his wrist from your grip and hesitantly reached for your fingers, but you started walking into the kitchen and out of his reach, oblivious to what he was trying to do.

Lance saw, though, and gave his friend a sympathetic clap on the back before moving into the kitchen with the rest of their friends.

Keith stood in the living room alone for a few seconds. He put a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small bundle of mistletoe. With new resolve, he followed his friends into the kitchen, reaching up to stick the mistletoe on the doorway as he passed. I can do this, he told himself. I can do this. I can… tell them how I feel.

While they decorated cookies - there were a lot, as the friends planned to visit old friends and some of their teachers from when they attended the Galaxy Garrison - Keith stuck close to you. The two of you worked together to make cookies look as good as they could. You talked to each other like you communicated regularly, like no time had passed since your last interaction.

Hoping you wouldn’t catch him, but also hoping you would, Keith snuck glances at you every minute or so. You had changed so much since he last saw you - not so much, but you definitely looked more mature and grown up and seemed more confident in yourself. You were so different but so the same. He wondered how much he changed in a year.

The one time you did catch him, you gave him a bright smile that took his breath away. Your own heart started thundering in your chest when you realized he had been looking at you. Faces red, you quickly looked back at the cookies you were working on.

“Keith look at this!” You held up a gingerbreadman-shaped cookie that was decorated to look like him. “It’s you! I even got your knife!” It was just a gray line on the cookie’s waist, but he was surprised you even took time to do that. When he saw the scowl she drew on his face, he smiled.

“It’s pretty good,” he commented.

You held the cookie up next to his face and took a picture. “You guys are twins! Not identical, though. You’re more handsome.”

“I’m glad I’m more attractive than a cookie,” he said dryly, hoping to cover up the way his heart thudded in his chest when you said he was “handsome.” It made him feel more confident in what he was planning to do at the end of the party.

“Much more.”

Across the table, Lance was watching the entire exchange. He stared at Keith with a sly grin and raised an eyebrow. When Keith looked up at him, Lance’s grin grew and he nodded.

You and your friends ate pizza for dinner, then moved to the living room to watch a Christmas movie. You sat between Keith and Shiro, drawing your knees to your chest, holding a cup of soda close to your body and swirling it to get the carbonation out.

During the middle of the movie, you found yourself looking around the room at your friends. Lance and Pidge shared a bowl of popcorn on the floor. Hunk sat on the beanbag, which had been dragged to the side of the room. You sat in between Shiro and Keith on the couch. A small smile tugged at the corner of your lips.

Keith leaned over and whispered, “What are you smiling about?”

You turned your head to look at him. Your breath faltered when you realized how close he was. “I’m just… happy.”

Keith nodded. He opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something, but quickly snapped it shut and returned back to his normal position.

That space, no matter how small, wasn’t something you wanted. He seemed to be avoiding touching you. So, you leaned into his side, wrapped your arms around one of his arms, and laid your head on his shoulder. Keith’s eyes only widened. He didn’t move the rest of the movie.

You wished he would.

When the movie ended, you and your friends talked for about an hour, then they all left - except Keith, who seemed determined to help you clean.

While Keith collected cups and plates from the living room, you cleaned up the frosting mess from the tables. The next day you would deliver them.

“Hey Keith?” you called, walking to the doorway of the kitchen. He was currently trying to pick up all the tiny popcorn pieces and kernels that Lance and Pidge had dropped in the carpet, putting the tiny pieces into the empty cups he’d collected.

Keith looked up with a questioning look, eyes looking a bit higher than where you were. “Yeah?”

“Are you going to help us out tomorrow? With taking these cookies to our old teachers?” you asked hopefully, sealing a bag of cookies in a decorated zipper bag.

“Uh…” Finally his eyes met yours. “Yeah. I’ll help.”

“Cool!” You sent him a smile. “Is there - is there something on the door frame?” Before Keith could protest, you were turning around and craning your neck to look at whatever he had been looking at. “Oh.”

Keith’s eyes widened. No no no…

“Who put this there?” you questioned. “Lance?” You threw your hands in the air and sent Keith a bewildered look. “Who’s he trying to kiss? Pidge? What the heck was he planning?” You pulled your phone out of the back pocket of your pants, groaning as you found Lance’s name.

When you were about to press the dial button, Keith launched up from the floor. “Y/N, stop,” he said calmly, despite his heart pounding in his chest. He walked to the door and reached up, pulling the mistletoe off the doorframe. “It was me.” Suddenly his ears started to burn.

“It was you,” you repeated, your voice losing its edge.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Keith swallowed thickly and shrugged. “I was… um… I wanted to-” He groaned and wanted to slam his head into the wall. Why couldn’t he just admit it? What was stopping him? He knew how you felt - it didn’t take a genius to notice all the signs you gave him. You gave him lots of chances. Regret started to flood his mind when he realized he should have just put his arm around you during the movie. Maybe if he’d done that this wouldn’t be so difficult.

You took the mistletoe out of Keith’s hands and held it up. “What? You wanted to what?”

Keith groaned and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I wanted to kiss you!”

You blinked once, twice, three times - “You wanted to kiss me.”

“Yeah.”

You just stared at him, body frozen while inside your body and mind were doing flips and shooting fireworks. Stop repeating everything he says, you told yourself.

“I just - I - I love you.” His face turned a dark shade of red at his confession.

“You love me.” Stop it!

Keith nodded, looking at you expectantly.

Not able to quite process the confession he’d just made, you repeated again, “You love me.”

The hope in Keith’s eyes soon fell as his shoulders slumped. “Look, I’m sorry if I misinterpreted things. I thought you might… feel the same… You’re my best friend, and I um… I couldn’t imagine myself being with anyone else. So I - I’m sorry that I misinterpreted our friendship. I’ll… shut up and finish cleaning, then I’ll leave, okay?”

He started to turn around, but you grabbed his wrist and hurried to stand in front of him.

“Keith,” you said, voice barely louder than a whisper. “I love you too.”

Keith smiled softly and held both of your hands in his. “So… what-”

“Kiss me.”

The next day, Lance was not surprised when he saw Keith’s arm around your shoulders, or when you would press loving kisses to Keith’s cheeks or jaw. He was proud that the two of you had finally done something to progress your relationship.

And two weeks later, nobody was surprised when you announced that you would be joining Keith as he continued to help patch up the Galra empire.

#vld #voltron #x reader #imagine #imagines #keith #kogane #christmas #mistletoe #fluff

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papermoonloveslucy · 5 years ago

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ELLIS IN FREEDOMLAND

Spring 1952

Directed by Abby Berlin Produced by Roland D. Reed Written by Arthur Hoerl Music by Albert Colombo Choreography by Alex Romero

Synopsis ~ A 82 minute, technicolor promotional film for salesmen of Westinghouse appliances, featuring the voices of major Hollywood celebrities. Westinghouse claims its electric appliances "freed women from the drudgery of housework." The first half involves dream salesman Ellis at work; the second focuses on the "Spring Sales Event," called "Freedomland."

Westinghouse Electric Corporation was founded on January 8, 1886 by George Westinghouse (1846–1914). The corporation purchased CBS in 1995.

Live Cast

Robert Rockwell (Ellis Homan) is probably best remembered as biology teacher Mr. Boynton on the Desilu series “Our Miss Brooks” (1952-56). Although not the first to play Mr. Boynton, he assumed the role on radio and made the transition with the show to television. He played Viv’s handsome match in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (TLS S1;E2) the second installment of “The Lucy Show” in 1962. He then played night school teacher Jack Scott in “The Not-So-Popular Mechanics” (HL S5;E23). He continued working until 1995 and died in 2003 at age 82.

Robert Carson (Phil Pryor, Westinghouse Representative) was a busy Canadian-born character actor who appeared on six episodes of “The Lucy Show” and made five appearance on “Here’s Lucy.”

Byron Foulger (Andy, Night Watchman) played the leader of the Friends of the Friendless in “Lucy’s Last Birthday” (ILL S2;E25). He appeared on “The Lucy Show” in “My Fair Lucy” (TLS S3;E20) and “Lucy Meets the Law” (TLS S5;E19).

Ann O'Neal (Customer in Mink) appeared in more than 100 films in the 1940s including the Lucille Ball film Lover Come Back (1946).

Betty Furness (Herself, Spokeswoman for Westinghouse) was an actress and model who became the face and voice of Westinghouse in many television commercials. When “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” was sponsored by Westinghouse, Furness appeared with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in commercials for their products.

The Starlighters (Vocals) was a singing group that performed mainly as backing vocalists, frequently backing Jo Stafford as well as many other artists on a number of singles. They also performed songs in cartoon and live short films and the feature films Song of Idaho (1948) and With a Song in My Heart (1952).

Voice Cast

Lucille Ball (Lina the Laundromat) was then filming the second half of her first season of “I Love Lucy” playing Lucy Ricardo, although her voice alone was familiar to radio audiences as Liz Cooper in “My Favorite Husband.”

Edward Arnold (Speedy the Range) lends his deep baritone voice to the role. He appeared with Lucille Ball in Roman Scandals (1933) and Ziegfeld Follies (1945). He died in 1956.

James Mason (Frosty the Refrigerator) was a three time Oscar-nominee who appeared as Lucille Ball’s Angel in Forever Darling (1956).

Percy Kilbride (Drip the Dehumidifier) was best remembered as Pa Kettle in a series of films from 1947 to 1954.

Jerry Colonna (Chop-Along Waste-Away the Garbage Disposal) was a comic sidekick of Bob Hope on radio and television. In 1966 he played Smithers, Lucille Ball’s chauffeur on “Bob Hope’s Leading Ladies”.

Andy Devine (Lanky the Water Heater) brought his high-pitched raspy voice to the film. He was known for his many appearances in westerns on both the small and big screen.

Marie Wilson (Dinah the Dryer) is best known for playing the title role in the film and television series “My Friend Irma”. Later in 1952, Wilson and Lucille Ball were both part of “Stars in the Eye” celebrating the opening of CBS Television Center. Coincidentally, Gale Gordon’s mother Gloria was also in “My Friend Irma” and on “The Lucy Show” Mr. Mooney’s off-screen wife was named Irma in her honor.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Pearly the Dishwasher) played Jane in the early Tarzan films. Her career lasted from 1930 to 1994. In 1987, Lucille Ball and O’Sullivan were two of the many stars in “Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood”.

Mannequins

Jack Mulhall appeared with Lucille Ball in Broadway Bill (1934).

Alan Hale Jr. (Hunter) will forever be remembered as the Skipper on “Gilligan’s Island” but also appeared with Lucille Ball on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy”.

Iron Eyes Cody (Chief Running Water) made a career of playing Native American characters despite the fact that he was of Italian ancestry. He first worked with Lucy and Desi in 1940’s Too Many Girls and 1942’s Valley of the Sun both as an Indian character. He played an Eskimo in a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” but is probably best remembered as the Indian that sheds a single tear in the ‘Keep America Beautiful’ ads that ran from 1971 to the 1980s. He played a Navajo Medicine Man in “Lucy and the Indian Chief” (HL S2;E3).

Willie Best (Chauffeur) was one of the most popular African-American actors of Hollywood's Golden Era. He starred alongside some of film's great comedians including the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, Laurel and Hardy, and three films with Shirley Temple. He did one film with Lucille Ball: Muss ‘em Up (1936).

Karen Sharpe appeared on the “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” in 1959.

Mickey Simpson appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1939 film Panama Lady.

Anthony Sydes (Bobby, the Boy in Buster Brown Outfit) was 8 years old at the time of filming. He left the business in 1958 and died in 2015 at age 74.

With...

Lisa Abbott, Mildred Coles, Richard Crane, Nancy Hadley, Noreen Michaels, Crystal Reeves, Darla Ridgeway, Anne Rubin, Carol Lowe, Frances Zucco

Uncredited Cast

Ralph Brooks (Stove Demonstrator) appeared in four films with Lucille Ball, as well as “The Lucy-Desi Milton Berle Special” and “Lucy Goes to Las Vegas” (TLS S3;E17).

Sam Harris (Showroom Guest) did a dozen films with Lucille Ball before appearing in the audience of Over the Teacups in “Ethel’s Birthday” (ILL S4;E8) and playing a subway passenger in “Lucy and the Loving Cup” (ILL S6;E12). In between, he was a wedding guest in Lucy and Desi’s film Forever Darling (1956). Along with Monty O'Grady and Murray Pollack, he was in the airport when “The Ricardos Go to Japan” in 1959.

Stuart Holmes (Showroom Guest) appeared with Lucille Ball in Lover Come Back (1946) and Critic’s Choice (1963).

Hans Moebus (Washer / Dryer Demonstrator) appeared as an uncredited background performer in hundreds of movies and TV shows, including the Lucille Ball films DuBarry Was a Lady (1943), A Woman of Distinction (1950) and The Facts of Life (1960). He was seen on the dock during the “I Love Lucy” episode “Bon Voyage” (ILL S5;E13) and part of the riverboat chorus in “Lucy Meets Arthur Godfrey” (TLS S3;E23).

Charles Sherlock (Television Viewer) appeared in three feature films with Lucille Ball from 1935 to 1963.

PART ONE - DON’T MEET COMPETITION, MAKE IT!

Westinghouse Rep Phil Pryer meets salesman Ellis Homan at his office on the department store showroom. Ellis tells Phil about the time he dozed off at his desk and the mannequins came to life: menswear, formal wear, beach wear, and (inexplicably) an American Indian in full regalia. Frosty the Refrigerator (James Mason) gets Ellis’ attention to demonstrate his frost-free features, as well as his unique butter tray and meat keeper.

Ellis then has a conversation with Speedy the Electric Range (Edward Arnold) about all its features. Ellis even makes coffee and cookies for Mabel, a mannequin standing in for a ‘prospect’.

MABEL: “Ellis, you’re cute. I wish you were a dummy.”

Ellis then has a chat with Pearly the Dishwasher (Maureen O’Sullivan) and Chop-Along Waste-Away the Garbage Disposal (Jerry Colonna), who sings during his demonstration.

Lanky the Water Heater (Andy Devine) is upset because no one pays him much attention. Pearly draws Ellis’s attention to the drip who has shown up in the showroom lately, the Dehumidifier (Percy Kilbride) who promises to rid homes of damaging dampness.

Chiming in (literally) Lina the Laundromat (Lucille Ball) and Dinah the Dryer (Marie Wilson) sing their greeting. Known as ‘The Westinghouse Twins’, they often finish each others’ sentences and speak at the same time - all in aid of showing that they are a perfect freedom-fighting duo in a home. Ellis demonstrates a typical wash cycle.

PART TWO - FREEDOM FAIR

Back in the present, Phil tells Ellis that Westinghouse is sponsoring radio and television coverage of the summer’s 1952 Republican and Democratic conventions, with ‘Get Out the Vote’ programs to follow. In the meantime, Phil tells Ellis about the big Spring Selling Event - Freedom Fair. The event will be rolled out in the April 11, 1952 issue of Life Magazine and the April 16, 1952 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. On television, it will be announced by Betty Furness on “Studio One”.

After Phil leaves, the scene changes to a typical suburban couple’s bedroom where the morning alarm has just gone off. The bedraggled housewife dances through the home trying to get ready for the day ahead - despite the fact that she does not have any time-saving Westinghouse electric appliances. As the harried husband downs a quick cup of coffee and dashes off to work, the song begins (with offscreen vocals by the Starlighters) and the frustrated housewife realizes just how much work she has ahead of her to clean her home. Just then an ethereal voice sings the name “Westinghouse! Westinghouse!” and there is suddenly a handsome young salesman ringing her doorbell. He sings:

“They say that Lincoln freed the slaves, With that I disagree. Women have been slaves for years Till Westinghouse set them free!”

He whisks her away to ‘Westinghousewives’ Heaven’ where all the products we previously saw demonstrated are extolled in joyous song, some even have angel wings! The housewife (still in her curlers and pajamas) ducks behind a cloud and is suddenly revealed in a diaphanous white gown complete with apron! Amid a large group of ballet dancers, the Westinghousewife and Salesman dance in blissful happiness.

At the last moment the Starlighters appear and sing to us about Westinghouse, while the dancers swirl merrily around the May Pole!

Stereotypes

This film is obviously aimed at a male sales force. All the ‘prospects’ are assumed to be female and referred to in such terms as “the little lady”. The female mannequins are only interested in Ellis as romantic partners. Clearly, housewives were the main target of male salesmen.

The film also presents a stereotypical black chauffeur, the only person of color in the cast. The actor is asked to pull comical faces that make him appear silly - the source of humor

“Mmmm. There’s gonna be a watermelon missin’, ‘round here.”

Needless to say, that an American Indian chasing a scantily clad Caucasian woman around the store plays on stereotypical images of predatory Native Americans. The actor playing the Chief is Iron Eyes Cody, who, despite his name, was born Espera Oscar de Corti, an Italian-American. When trying to communicate all he says is “Ugg!”

Homosexuals don’t escape either. A man with an effeminate manner and lisping voice wearing a coonskin cap swishes in to say “Hello, Fellas” with a toss of the raccoon tail he swans off. The two men in suits look uncomfortable and deny knowing him.

Voice casting reflects gender stereotypes of the time. Cooling and heating appliances are voiced by men while washing appliances are voiced by women.

Trivia

Lucille Ball’s participation in this film may have influenced or been influenced by the fact that for the first season of “I Love Lucy” Lucy Ricardo had a 1951 Westinghouse Frost-Free refrigerator in her kitchen - very similar to “Frosty” - the model shown here in the film. It was widely promoted in print publications and on TV during 1951. Previously, the freezer cabinet had to be thawed manually when frost and ice built up in and around it.

LUCY: “Didn’t you watch the conventions on television?”

Phil tells Ellis that Westinghouse will take out extensive advertising on radio and TV during the Conventions. In July 1952 both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions were televised live from Chicago. Although the conventions were also televised in 1948, few Americans owned a TV set to watch them. This time, an estimated 70 million voters watched the broadcasts, which ended with the nominations of Adlai Stevenson II and Dwight D. Eisenhower. There is a popular myth that Stevenson lost the election because of backlash from interrupting airings of “I Love Lucy” with hour-long campaign ads. Perhaps from Westinghouse? The conventions were mentioned on “I Love Lucy” (appropriately) in “The Club Election” (ILL S2;E19) which aired in February 1953. However, it was filmed in September 1952, when the reference would have been much more timely. By the time it eventually aired, Eisenhower had been inaugurated and the conventions were a distant memory.

Distribution: Who Saw It - The film series reached 25,000 dealers in 75 cities in a single week. Released in Technicolor and in 16mm. Longest of four dealer promotion films in a two-hour series produced to promote Westinghouse home appliances.

The wall calendar above Ellis’s desk matches the calendar for January 1952, which was likely the filming date. The calendar depicts a loaf of bread with the brand name redacted for filming. On the table close to the bottom of the frame are copies of Life Magazine. Later on, Ellis makes instant coffee from a jar labeled Maxwell House Coffee, although the dish washing detergent and the food in the fridge are obviously props with no brand identification. The laundry soap, however, is clearly labelled ‘All’ but is not in their usual bright colored packaging.

Blooper Alerts!

Dates! Phil tells Ellis that Freedom Fair will be announced in the April 11 issue of Life. However, the issue is actually dated April 7, 1952, not April 11. Interestingly, copies of Life Magazine are used as set decoration in Ellis’s office. Similarly, the April 16 edition of the Saturday Evening Post is really dated April 12.

Weather Forecast! The put-upon housewife at the end of the film realizes her wash is still on the line when there is a sudden cloudburst (she does not own an electric dryer). The next moment, she answers the door to the Westinghouse Salesman and it is a clear day. Not really a blooper, just an indication that Westinghouse makes a rainy day into a sunny one - at least in the movies!

Fast Forward!

“Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” was a television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on CBS between 1958 and 1960. Two of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s television series “The Twilight Zone” and “The Untouchables.” It also presented 11 of the 13 episodes of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” after its initial sponsorship by Ford.

In joining forces with Desilu, Westinghouse canceled their other anthology series “Studio One” which ran on CBS from 1948 to 1958.

To kick off the partnership between Desilu and Westinghouse, a similar film (informally titled “Lucy Buys Westinghouse”) was produced which depicted Lucy and Desi giving a Westinghouse Executive a tour of their studio, formerly RKO. All through the tour, much to the dismay of Desi, Lucy is trying to order appliances for her dressing room from the executive! At the end, Lucy appears inside a Westinghouse dryer - hiding from Desi! Like Ellis in Freedomland, this film was only shown to Westinghouse employees. Unlike Ellis, it was filmed in black and white - only later colorized for home video. Throughout the film, Desi mispronounces the company’s name as “Westin-Gouse” and its spokesperson as Betty “Furnace”.

During that time, the cast often did long-form commercials for Westinghouse. Here, Betty Furness and Vivian Vance join Lucille Ball to talk about the 1959 Westinghouse washing machine, the same type of appliance Ball voiced in this film seven years earlier.

Naturally, during this period Lucy Ricardo had the most up-to-date Westinghouse appliances in her Westport home. Like this two-toned refrigerator and freezer.

Back in New York City, the Ricardos owned a Westinghouse Clock Radio!

The Handy Dandy vacuum cleaner was actually a Westinghouse model!

In 1954, Lucy made breakfast with her Westinghouse "Grill-n-Waffler" Waffle Iron - if only she can remember to pay the electricity bill, that is!

Lucy squeezes oranges for juice with her Westinghouse Model #FM-511 Food Crafter with juicer attachment (sold separately).

Lucy owned two different models of the Westinghouse Commander Super-Corox Range. This 1950 model was used during season one...

...and this 1954 Model on a later season. It looks similar to the 1950 model, but the controls have a different layout.

In 1953, ownership of a washing machine was a point of contention between the Ricardos and Mertzes. The appliance used in the episode is labeled Epernay (a fictional brand). In actuality, it is probably a Launderall Horton 500 with gas stove handles affixed to the sides to help move it back and forth on the narrow porch.

Lucy uses the washing machine (a lot!) in Yours, Mine and Ours (1968). It is impossible to see what brand it is.

Coincidentally, in April 1952, “I Love Lucy” did an episode titled “The Freezer” (ILL S1;E29) where Lucy and Ethel want to buy a home freezer to economize, but end up buying a walk-in model instead. In Jess Oppenheimer’s book, he states that newspapers and magazines were full of ads for home freezers at the time. Once they came up with the idea of Lucy getting trapped in the freezer, they had to abandon the home freezer idea for a larger, walk-in model.

In 1966, a TV musical titled “Evening Primrose” with music by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth, also explored the idea of department store mannequins coming to life. Anthony Perkins starred.

The idea of anthropomorphized laundry room appliances was also explored in the 2004 Broadway musical Caroline, or Change, in which actors played embodiment of the Washing Machine and the Dryer. A revival of the musical was on track for Broadway but interrupted by the Corona Virus pandemic.

In 1987, the film Mannequin starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall also explored the idea of department store mannequin coming to life. It was partly based on the 1948 film One Touch of Venus, although in that film, the mannequin was a statue.

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trevhanson-blog1 · 5 years ago

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11:21 PM;

It’s about a fourteen minute drive outside of Hidden Palms— by the time you pull up, you find Uber Xs sidling down the long driveway and rounding the cul-de-sac like airport drop-off, and people milling about, talking and smoking near their parked cars; some are still dressed in finery from the gala, but most have arrived wearing shorter, tighter, more after-party-appropriate outfits. You wedge your vehicle between a purple Huracan and a heavy-looking Range Rover. Music spills from the house, a super-sized Hamptons home masquerading as a Beverly Hills mansion for the night, and you’re drawn in by the boosted bass, beating like a disembodied, electronic heart. Fingers wiggle at faces, shrieks of glee erupt; some of these people you recognize, many you don’t. As you slip through the front doors, you’re struck by how little this place resembles a home. They must have hired a decorator, you figure, looking around at blank walls awash with a pulsing disarray of colors— no family portraits on the mantle, just ashtrays, sleek vases, and a cursive neon wall sign warning all those who enter: NO BAD VIBES. There’s more to see outside; the whole party’s really out there, in the enormous backyard shrouded privately by dark oaks and elms, enclosing a salt-water infinity pool and a spacious jacuzzi with steam curling off it. The real showstoppers tower above you: twenty full-size palm trees, swaying in the night breeze, each one floodlit from below. They stand at attention on either side of the pool, whose waters are kaleidoscopic with colored strobes, the surface crowded with various pool toys— pineapple floats, beach balls, an inflatable swan dyed pink, then blue, then green in the changing light. Two make-shift bars are serving drink specials with cheesy names— Botox Bombshell, Rodeo Drive 75, OG Kush on the Rocks (with weed-infused vodka, of course)— and there’s a teakwood cabana, intended as a pool house, now converted into a DJ booth for two long-legged twins bobbing their heads to an endless succession of dance beats and clubby remixes.

And beyond that, behind the DJ booth and the food tent and the out-of-season sauna room storing fresh towels, past the clustered groups of models and NYC trustfund brats that have all turned out in droves, a stretch of land leads down to a private beach, the walkway completely dark except for some fairy lights strung along the railing. You find yourself here later, music pounding at your back; the dune grasses whisper and the ocean roars, climbing hungrily up the shore. Other party guests are barely visible along the beach, walking with drinks in hand, some of them paired off and reduced to shadows in the privacy of the dunes. You crane to look at the palms silhouetted behind you, shivering like black paper cut-outs in the breeze; and for a second, it’s actually hard to tell (or maybe just easy to forget), whether you’re not on the West Coast after all.

SOUNDTRACK.

#palmsevent:003 #palms:event #palms:social #v went IN w this graphic

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gimmiesophiebaek · 1 month ago

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Spirits (Aubrey Hall Chapters)

Sorry I haven’t updated this on Tumblr but the Aubrey Hall chapters are up, starting in Chapter 25

With that, I’m taking a mini break in prep for Benophie Week 2.0 and a collection of one shots! Enjoy the fun, the drama, the romance, and maybe a singalong with the Bridgertons and their “spiritual” guests!

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hoynovoy · 3 years ago

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How To Watch The 'Friends' Reunion In The UK

The upcoming Friends reunion is arguably the biggest TV news this side of 2020. With all the original cast getting together after two decades – plus heaps of celebrity guests – this is one show you definitely don’t want to miss. Friends: The Reunion (The One Where They Get Back Together) is set to air in the U.S. on May 27, but undoubtedly Friends fans on this side of the Atlantic are desperate to know how to watch the Friends reunion in the UK.

Announced today, Deadline has revealed that Sky is the frontrunner in securing the UK rights for Friends: The Reunion. The deal is not yet confirmed, says Deadlines’ sources, but Sky has been considered “most likely destination for the special” due to its close ties with WarnerMedia.

While Sky has historically had exclusive rights to HBO originals (think Game Of Thrones, Watchmen etc.), the HBO Max Friends reunion could still be snapped up by another big broadcaster. It is the hottest thing on the TV market right now, after all. Sky has yet to comment and you’ll just have to watch this space.

Meanwhile, Bustle has been keeping a close eye on the Friends: The Reunion updates (could we be any more eager?).

HBO Max first confirmed in early 2020 that Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer would be reuniting for the unscripted special. The show’s creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane are on board to host the special, which was originally set to be filmed and aired during the spring of 2020 before COVID interrupted, well, everything.

Ahead of its debut, Courteney Cox spilled some details about the “unbelievable” reunion to Ellen Degeneres. “It was so emotional. It’s an unscripted reunion, but we got to be on Stage 24 for the first time, all of us in, like, I forgot how many years. 15 years? 17 years?” she said.

Cox also confirmed that there were lots of “special surprises” during filming too but kept schtum about other details.

As Bustle detailed earlier this year, in addition to the core six Friends friends, the reunion special will feature a slew of famous faces, including supporting actors from the show’s 10-season tenure: Maggie Wheeler (Janice), James Michael Tyler (Gunther) Elliot Gould (Jack Geller), Christina Pickles (Judy Geller), Tom Selleck (Richard Burke), Reese Witherspoon (Rachel’s sister Jill), Larry Hankin (Mr. Heckles), and Thomas Lennon (Randall, aka Joey’s hand twin).

Also joining will be plenty of other celebrities who are, presumably, Friends fans: David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Kit Harington, Mindy Kaling, and Malala Yousafzai. It’ll be a packed house — and it all takes place at Warner Bros’ Stage 24 in Burbank, where the show was originally filmed.

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felicia-cat-hardy · 3 years ago

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How To Watch The 'Friends' Reunion In The UK

Meanwhile, Bustle has been keeping a close eye on the Friends: The Reunion updates (could we be any more eager?).

Cox also confirmed that there were lots of “special surprises” during filming too but kept schtum about other details.

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thehungrykat1 · 4 years ago

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Luxurious Bali Vacation at The Patra Bali Resort & Villas

After three exciting and tiring days touring around the scenic island of Bali, Indonesia (Read: My Breathtaking Adventures in the Island of Bali), it was finally time for me to have a little rest and relaxation. Kuta Beach is filled with lots of interesting establishments, from budget hotels all the way to posh resorts. So after exploring the various temples, swings, and Instagram spots around Bali, we decided to spend the next few days enjoying the sunshine and the waters at the luxurious Patra Bali Resort & Villas.

We checked out from The Oasis Kuta Hotel and headed straight to The Patra Bali Resort & Villas. Located in the more private South Kuta Beach, the resort offers serene sophistication and is one of the most popular places to stay in Bali, especially since it is just five minutes away from the Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

We checked in at the bright and spacious lobby and got ready to spend the next three days here with a more relaxed pace. This restful beachfront retreat is set within a serene tropical landscape. The property is the largest of its kind in the Kuta area and has in the past been honored to host an extensive guest list of international dignitaries and heads of state.

Duchess already flew back to Manila the previous night so it was just Ingrid and me staying at The Patra Bali. The tranquil resort boasts of a tropical garden and winding bicycle paths around the resort. We headed to our room located on the garden level.

We booked our Deluxe Room from Agoda for around P7,900 a night. This was the lowest category room type at the resort but they also offer larger rooms and suites. It comes with two pillow-top Queen beds, a separate dresser, a flat screen television with cable channels and free wifi throughout the resort.

The best feature of the Deluxe room is that they are located on the first floor so you get a great view of the gardens from the balcony. The room also provides a mini refrigerator plus coffee and tea making facilities.

After settling in our room, it was time to explore the rest of the resort facilities. Bali is known for its fantastic pools and beaches so it’s time to change into our swimsuits and enjoy the waters.

There are three separate pools inside The Patra Bali, all with their own unique characters and designs. The Kintamani Pool is the main guest pool which offers a gorgeous view of the Indian Ocean. This magnificent pool is the signature backdrop of the resort.

The Kintamani is inspired from the name of the biggest Mountain in Bali. It offers a breathtaking view and features an adult pool and a kids zone.

It also features a swim-up bar called The Kintamani Sunken Bar which offers a delicious selection of light meals and healthy snacks served poolside. The menu features light entrees, fruit mixology, homemade milkshakes, refreshing cocktails, and a children's menu.

I spent my afternoons lounging around the pool and taking advantage of their happy hour selections as well. Guests can also enjoy outdoor activities during such as mini soccer, water polo, volley ball, tennis, and more.

The hotel also has a separate private pool area exclusively for use of Villa and VIP Guests. The Beratan Pool is inspired by the twin lake in Bedugul. This pool offers an exclusive view overlooking the magnificent Indian Ocean.

There are four cozy gazebos here which can be reserved for the afternoon or for special private dinners. There is also another semi-private pool may called the Tamblingan Pool which is located on the left side of the lobby.

Unfortunately, the beach area outside the resort is not exactly conducive for swimming and frolicking. I guess this location in South Kuta Beach is more popular for its resorts instead of its beaches. That area in the distance with the cranes is actually the Bali international airport, so you can see how close and how easy it is to get there from the resort.

The Lobby Lounge is a cozy and stylish venue for retro cocktails and casual fare. It is open 24 hours a day and is beautifully designed with a semi traditional style. Guests may have light snacks and drinks here.

For dinner, we decided to try the hotel’s Tenku Japanese Restaurant which is located at the second level. This cushioned venue features a Teppanyaki Counter, Sushi Counter, Robatayaki Counter, Tatami Room and Dining Area. You can also glimpse the stunning sunset by the window whilst enjoying Japanese food made by well-trained chef.

The restaurant is beautifully designed and furnished completed with Japanese music as background. I ordered my favorite Prawn Katsu which I usually order when I dine at Japanese restaurants.

Guests dining at the hotel can also enjoy musical performances near the pool side. They also have the Rinascimento Italian Restaurant which located just next to the garden.

Our room also comes with daily buffet breakfast for two at The Teratai Coffee Shop from 6:00am to 10:30am. The Teratai Coffee Shop is a cultural diversity, serving international cuisines with its beautiful surroundings. Located on the Lobby Level, it is also open 24 hours and has a Terrace area where you can enjoy the breeze from the seaview Swimming Pool.

The cafe has a wide range of menu selections for the breakfast including Western, Japanese, Oriental, Indonesian, and Indian Food. A special Balinese music performance called Rindik is also featured every morning from 8:00am to 10:00am. In the evening, there are also live performances such as Balinese Dance, Acoustic and Live Band Performances.

There are many other shops and restaurants around Kuta Beach so we spent our remaining time leisurely exploring the area and relaxing at our luxurious resort. We really had fun during our trip to Bali and we went back home with so many beautiful photos and memories to share.

The Patra Bali Resort & Villas

Jl. Ir. H.Juanda, South Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia, 80361

+62 361 935 1161

www.thepatrabali.com

www.facebook.com/thepatrabaliresort

#ThePatraBali #Bali #Indonesia #Hotel #Pool #Swimming #Travel #Lifestyle

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harinezumiko · 7 years ago

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Side Job: Reunion 1/?

Guess who needed Peridot and Ames to reunite, hint it was me and @drawbauchery. 8]

Warnings for mention of sexual assault and past abuse, but this part is pretty tame. Also @anditwasjustathought‘s glorious Gemsonas!

It turned out “booked for a decade” was a very liberal estimate. The Crystal Arena was headed by a renowned war hero, had a spotless reputation, and had been opened some centuries prior with all three remaining Diamonds in attendance, which was unheard of for a Level Three Arena. That Yellow Diamond was a frequent visitor made it all the more absurdly luxurious for a stupid gladiatorial arena where the matches were fixed and nobody died.

Peridot couldn’t get tickets for nearly a century.

Her numerous jobs, transfers, and surprise restraining order-related relocations were emotionally draining. Peridot 5xG almost looked forward to the Arena trip, just for a chance to unwind without looking constantly over her shoulder. The facet the Crystal Arena was located in was highly developed, and Peridot had actually done some work there fairly recently; there were outposts that needed tech upgrades within her skill set, and a few retired Era One Gems with enough creds to call in technicians of her caliber.

She’d had the sense to make certain that 2xS was actually competing, and was glad of it; the Arena Second, a brittle milky quartz had informed her a little too cheerily that 2xS was very popular, but hadn’t been around much lately. Peridot didn’t know that she wanted her rescuer to know she was in the stands, but the Arena Second had been very insistent about passing her designation along, and she seemed…

Unsurprised? When she gave her cut and facet.

Peridot didn’t know that she liked that much.

There was no possible way for Zircon to come along on this trip, but Peridot could contend with that. She didn’t need her lawyer with her when she was supposed to be having fun. It was a frivolous, embarrassing idea.

Peridot’s shuttle docked without incident. She was more accustomed to traveling like this now; public transport was strange and unusual. It was cramped, and Peridot didn’t like that other Gems could touch her.

But they didn’t.

Most Gems kept their hands to themselves, and the ones that didn’t seemed genuinely repentant. There were quartzes to contend with, but they weren’t like 8xA. Elbows in her face weren’t ideal, but they weren’t invasive. Growling usually worked.

The Crystal Arena was big. Peridot hadn’t been sure of what to expect, but there were guards at the entrance that checked her pass and directed her toward the stands, and she merrily ignored those directions. The stands were easy to find, but Ames wasn’t scheduled right away, and Peridot was resolutely disinterested in the Arena’s purpose.

She wandered, pulled up a map on one of her portable screens, and tried to guess at where, exactly, the contestants would be during preparations.

It wasn’t totally surprising that she got well and truly lost in the process.

The more hallways she turned down, the worse things got. Every pillar looked the same under fluorescent lighting, and at least two stairways ago windows were a thing of the past. Doors were becoming a thing of the past, too, and as unease settled in her belly, Peridot considered her dwindling options. She didn’t have the authority to be down here, and knew it. She was fairly certain that her century long wait to see Ames again would be put off if she admitted to snooping around a Level Three Arena looking for a Gem she barely even knew.

Peridot scowled, absently chewing a finger without thinking on it. She hadn’t even gotten a good look at Ames, and it had been a hundred years. Who was to say that she even remembered her?

Did she want to be remembered, hiding in the back of a malformed exit hole, crying over one of 8xA’s many trespasses against her? It wasn’t like it had been the first time, or the last. It wasn’t even the worst, but she supposed that was mostly thanks to Ames.

“Hey!”

The chill that traveled up Peridot’s spine shouldn’t have been possible. She froze, bit down so hard on her finger that it sparked, and turned in time to see a quartz jogging toward her—shoulder-length white hair, standard uniform, a Gem that was mercifully set on the opposite shoulder from 8xA’s, but definitely an Era Two quartz.

For a moment, panic seized the core of Peridot’s being. She couldn’t be sure of what she was seeing, but instinct warred within her, and as happened too often, the urge to raise her canon in self-defense came too late. She always hesitated now, always flinched away from self-preservation, and instead, she scrunched her eyes shut, prepared for the worst—

“Um… You okay?”

Peridot forced her eyes open and was met with strikingly soft features, wide, pale yellow eyes, and brows furrowed in concern that was impossible to miss. The technician jumped back, feeling color flood her cheeks.

If 2xO hadn’t been an oddly-hued amethyst with her Gem at her naval, Peridot would have sworn she was faced with her twin. Of course, a few extra inches of distance helped prove otherwise; it was the Arena Second, the milky quartz she’d spoken to on vid call when she was trying to book tickets, but the resemblance was uncanny.

“Don’t sneak up on me!” Peridot snapped, looking askance and painfully aware that she wasn’t in a position to be making demands. Still, it was hard to feel dread around this quartz, once the initial wave of fear had passed.

Milky regarded her cautiously, then shrugged shoulders that Peridot noted were too narrow for her caste; she almost reevaluated her guess about where and when she’d been made, before it dawned on her.

The Arena Second at the Crystal Arena was known to be brittle.

Brittle and small and unfit for the frontlines. She remembered reading that, recalled how odd it was that one of the top gladiatorial Arenas would employ someone who needed light armor to participate. It hadn’t been very apparent in the few vid calls where she had spoken to her, but it was impossible to miss when she only had to crane her neck half way to look her in the eye.

“I got lost,” Peridot grumbled, voice sour and fingers curled tightly. “I was looking for someone I know here.”

“Um…” Milky looked conflicted, if a little confused. She shook her head. “It’s Ames you’re looking for, right? You’re, uh, way, way beyond anywhere a guest should be. Like… you need special clearance to be down here.”

“I didn’t pass any signs.”

It wasn’t a lie, technically. Peridot had been careful to turn before passing signs that didn’t interest her.

“Yeah… there’s no signs this far down,” Milky said, pursing her lips in a frown. “But I guess we also don’t have doors you’d have to access with a code, either.”

“I got lost,” Peridot said again, louder this time, and her voice squeaked, just a little. She hated how often that happened, how completely, utterly unintimidating everything about her was.

It wasn’t a good excuse, and they both knew it. But Milky’s frown gave way to a sympathetic smile, and she nodded toward the hallway she had come down. “I can escort you back,” she said, “Ames was really excited to hear you were coming. She thought you forgot.”

Peridot’s nose wrinkled in distaste. She didn’t much like the idea that Ames had told who-knew-who about her. “I wouldn’t forget,” she insisted, earning a nod from the quartz.

“Peridots have good memories, right? Since you do tech stuff?” Milky asked, and it seemed genuine enough. Peridot’s stiff nod didn’t seem to put her off in the least. “We don’t have a full time tech yet, but there’ve been a lot of applicants.”

“I’m a Kindergartener.”

“Ah,” Milky said, in what had to be the least authoritative tone Peridot had heard yet. No wonder she wasn’t a soldier. “I guess it wouldn’t be your style, then.”

They lapsed into silence for some time. Peridot knew, vaguely, that they were going back up somewhere, but the route Milky took was different from the one she’d gone down, and there were definitely doors involved. A small, appropriately paranoid part of her wondered if this quartz was going to toss her out the back for snooping around, and the pragmatic part of her mind wondered next if she could demand a refund if that happened.

“Milky!!”

Milky jumped to attention, looking briefly panicked, and Peridot wondered if she were about to be faced with another, bigger, more quartz-like soldier. Maybe the fabled Arena Head. That was exactly what she didn’t need; an oversized jasper yelling at her for breaking rules that easily could have been not broken if the Arena weren’t a giant maze, or if the map had actually been of any reasonable use.

Instead, upon turning, she was faced with a very angry pearl, and truth be told, Peridot couldn’t begin to guess what to do with that.

Copper Pearl had taken a few of her calls during her failed attempts to book tickets. She wore the same dipped collar that Milky did—a ruddy brown and black uniform that suited her color scheme far better than the Arena Second’s—and sported a short gauzy skirt with a split up the side that showed her Gem. Peridot didn’t know much about pearls, and had no reason to, but she knew the translucent skirt likely meant she was expensive. She wondered with cursory interest why a fancy pearl would be working in a place like this, and then, more appropriately, wondered if she should be afraid of the murderous look on her pretty face.

“Copper!” Milky squeaked, and somewhere deep down, Peridot felt a little better about the way her voice sometimes wavered, knowing that soldiers did the same, even if Milky was brittle and unfit for battle. “We were, uh… See, she got lost, so…”

“Lost?” Copper echoed, and she didn’t sound like she believed it for a second. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and Peridot wondered if she’d belonged to an agate. “Milky, how could you believe—it’s impossible to get ‘lost’ this far from the guest area without a map!”

Color flooded Peridot’s face, knowing she’d been caught. “I was looking for someone!” she snapped back defensively, crossing her arms. The weight of her limb enhancers was comforting, in a way. They were a good barrier. Not that she was afraid of a pearl.

“She’s the peridot who wanted to see Ames, remember?” Milky tried helpfully, spreading her hands placatingly. “She called a bunch of times—“

“Then she should be in her seat, in the stands, where she belongs,” Copper growled, “Not snooping behind the scenes where she can—and will—get hurt!”

From the looks of things, Milky either wasn’t the sort to win an argument against the Arena Pearl, or she might have secretly agreed with her. Peridot scowled at the very idea.

“I’m not dumb,” she snapped, “I know how to handle myself.”

The look Copper cast her way was absolutely scathing. Conversely, Milky looked sheepish. The latter suggested that they hurry along, back to the Arena proper, and Peridot would have argued if she didn’t think that Copper looked like the type of Gem to revoke her ticket and deny her a refund.

Milky ended up walking between them and generally tried to keep things cheerful, while Copper acted nothing like a Gem of her caste and everything like she owned the place. Peridot wondered without asking if they were aware that their personalities were completely backwards, but decided that she preferred a meek quartz she didn’t know over the prospect of an angry and possibly volatile one.

Returning to the main Arena, to halls that now had Gems wandering about before the first match, Peridot was increasingly uncomfortably aware of how many quartzes were here.

She hadn’t thought of that.

Peridot crowded a little closer to Milky, looking around with a frantic air as they moved. The quartz peered down at her, raising an eyebrow. “Ames isn’t in the first match,” she said gently, “I could get you down to see her, if you want?”

“That’s not following protocol…” Copper grumbled under her breath, but she cast a sidelong glance at Peridot and heaved a sigh, waving a hand. “I’m not covering for you if Jasper gets upset. I need to start rolling out terrains.”

Milky looked ready to protest, but Copper was already moving away from her, marching with purpose in the opposite direction.

“Is she always like that?” Peridot asked, deliberately avoiding both Milky’s question and her gaze. “Seems abrasive for a pearl.”

Milky elected not to comment on the technician’s inappropriate tone, instead motioning for her to follow her down another hallway. She seemed to know an awful lot of visitors, and greeted them accordingly. Quartzes and spectators alike seemed to both know and like her—and Peridot supposed she could see why. She was warm and friendly, and perhaps more importantly, harmless.

Which was exactly none of what a quartz should be, but then, Peridot didn’t really like quartzes.

And that begged the question of what she was doing here, in what had to be the second most quartz-filled place after an active Kindergarten. There were other castes too, but Peridot suspected that they had been able to afford tickets for better seating, and likely weren’t going to be caught ambling about in the lobby or hallways. Peridot felt the hair at the nape of her neck prickle and wondered if she were imagining things when her gaze darted toward the crowd, just in case, because she could never be too sure…

8xA would surely regret it if she’d stalked her out here today, Peridot thought, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see her assailant again. It had only been a few weeks since the last close call—mercifully cut short by her shuttle pulling away from the station before the amethyst could cut through the crowd, but not before making eye contact.

That was the worst of it; that 8xA knew she didn’t even have to get her hands on her anymore. She still seemed to derive sick pleasure from it, but she could get the same reaction across a room. Peridot still had to file a complaint once she’d been discovered, and several supervisors complained. It was hard to find work, harder to keep work, hard to maintain a good reputation. Peridot was tired, worn down, and 8xA seemed to have a limitless supply of both time and energy that she could devote to ruining her life.

Ames was something of a last resort, and Peridot knew it. Zircon had told her that her involvement at the Kindergarten was almost entirely luck; 2xS owed her a favor and had been in the area. As a Gem of White Diamond’s quadrant, she didn’t actually have the legal precedence to take on Peridot’s case, and Zircon wasn’t sure she was reliable, anyway.

But Ames had deterred 8xA, just for a little while. Peridot thought of how short she was on creds and wondered what she would have to offer in exchange for protection, but by now, there wasn’t much that was off the table.

“5xG? 5xG, right?” Milky’s voice was soft, but startled her so badly that she nearly jumped out of her enhancers. Peridot jolted, looked ready to run, and the Arena Second smiled disarmingly at her. “We’re at the showers. I can’t let you in there, but I can go get Ames. I wanted to let you know.”

“Oh.”

Thanks was probably the right thing to say, but Milky had keyed in a code and slipped through a sliding door and abandoned her in the deserted hallway before she thought of it. Without really thinking, Peridot took to pacing, and the cracked finger from earlier zapped her when she absently put it in her mouth. With a muttered curse, she rotated the digits and chewed at another one instead.

She heard the doors slide open with a mechanical hum while her back was turned and froze. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Milky jog off, functionally abandoning her, and she almost ran after her. This was a terrible idea, Ames had no reason to remember her, even less reason to help her, and oh stars she hadn’t thought this through at all—

Peridot turned almost mechanically, voice caught in her throat, and was faced with exactly who she’d been looking for—only it was the first time she’d ever seen Ames from the front, in halfway decent lighting. The amethyst was heads taller than her at a slouch—and she was definitely slouching—and her long white hair was tied up in a messy knot at the back of her skull. Peridot thought it was safe to assume that it was wet from showering, and wrinkled her nose a little in distaste. It seemed foolish to go to the trouble of a wet shower before engaging in something physical like—whatever these matches entailed.

She tipped her head back, bound and determined not to back down, not when she was cornered. Wide blue eyes met hers—oddly bright, she noted; most amethysts had darker eyes—and Peridot didn’t know what to say when Ames’ entire face broke out in a grin.

“Peridot 5xG! You finally came to see me,” she teased, with the sort of familiarity that Peridot normally detested. Somehow, instead, this time it pulled the tension from her shoulders. “Lucky me, I’m not set to lose today! That’d be an embarrassing reunion, huh? Wouldn’t be worth your ticket to see me lose.”

“You remember me,” Peridot said stiffly.

Ames nodded easily, leaning against the door in the most precarious possible manner; if someone opened it from the inside, she would tumble right in. “Shouldn’t I? I’m surprised you remember me; you’ve gotta run into way more amethysts than I do peridots.”

“You helped me,” Peridot said, wishing she’d rehearsed this better in her head instead of focusing on trying to download dated, blatantly incomplete maps that had only gotten her lost.

“Of course,” Ames’ smile dropped, just a fraction. Her brows creased in concern. “You needed it.”

“I need it again.”

#fanfiction #steven universe #drawbauchery #peridot #gemsona #ames #amethyst 2xS #milky quartz #Copper Pearl

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breakslda · 8 years ago

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BREAKS lda. Radioshow 2017.01.22

BREAKS lda. @ R.U.M. Live: Sundays 00h00-02h00 97.5 FM or @ www.rum.pt The best of Beats & Breaks!

Tracklisting:

Hour.01

Mixed by Sérgio Gomes | BREAKS lda.

01. Source Direct - The Crane (Function/Inland Rmx) 02. Muslimgauze - Untitled 1985 (Victor Shan/Gerd Janson Rave Mx) 03. Silk Road Assassins - Cryo Enemy 04. Doms & Deykers - It's You I See 05. Aphex Twin - CIRKLON3 (Kolkhoznaya Mx) 06. JT The Goon - Oil on Ice (Version 02) 07. Formation Boyz - Dlala AmaBenuBenu 08. Nosaj Thing - N R 3 09. Special Request - Reset It (Head High Dirt Mx) 10. Factory Floor - Ya 11. 808 State - In Yer Face (Bicep Rmx) 12. Kornel Kovacs - BB 13. DVA Damas - Clear Cut 14. Marc Houle - Silver Siding 15. Midland - Blush

End Of Mix

Download It Here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/lrqt6br21ndx4hf/01.+BREAKS+lda.+Radioshow+2017.01.22+Hour.01.mp3

Hour.02

Guest Mix: Hotfire

01. Reelow ft. Leroy Burgess - This Is How We Do It 02. Lenny Kiser - Dial-Up 03. Mad Villains & JECK - The One 04. Jamie George - Doo Wamp 05. DJ S.K.T - Livewire 06. Lorenzo & StikkyLips - I Want You 07. P!nkOs - Party Starter (Mafia Kiss Rmx) 08. Jaded - ID 09. Aniki - Credit Score Happiness 10. Khleo T - 5 on it (Magic & Johnson's Uk Garage Rmx) 11. AC Slater & Petey Clicks - Got Damn (Hotfire Rmx) 12. Magic & Johnson - The Upside Down 13. Digital Nature - Alert 14. Crawford - Life 15. Nu Era x Hybrid Theory - Four Riddim Master 16. Taiki Nulight vs. AC Slater vs. Petey Clicks - ?!?! 17. Endor - Fever (Kinky Edit) 18. Sage Armstrong & BOT - Wholefoods Shawty 19. Zander & Left/Right - Can't Stop (Hotfire Rmx) 20. LO'99 - Make Me Feel (Kormak Rmx) 21. Sinden & Wongo - Make It Up 22. Memory Service - Whatchugot 23. Sinden - ID 24. Don Rimini - Royal Casino 25. Volac - Do Ya Thing 26. Sinden - GOD 27. Jay Robinson - The Start 28. Jack Beats - Body Work 29. Hervé - Voodoo Chilli

End Of Mix

Download It Here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/15cnqc7d7h7hyc6/02.+BREAKS+lda.+Radioshow+2017.01.22+Hour.02.mp3

Download all radioshow as zip file: http://www.mediafire.com/file/aws7k2gridjm40t/00.+BREAKS+lda.+Radioshow+2017.01.22.zip

www.rum.pt

#breakslda #breaksldaradioshow #rum #mixtape #freedownload

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marclefrancois1 · 6 years ago

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Kim’s Favorite Things — Treat Yourself with Sleep Products

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HEATED BOOTIE SLIPPERS ($30)

Got cold feet? That’s going to keep you awake. Microwave the insoles for just 30 seconds. Then slip them into the booties for battery and cord-free warm feet. Made from odor-free earth materials, the inserts and booties will relax you, create blood flow to your feet, and make you smile all the way to bed. BUY IT HERE.

LOUNGEWEAR JAMMIES ($19-$40)

With a full-button, two-piece design, these all-season jammies come in your favorite color too! Whether you’re packing your hospital bag for your baby’s arrival, or celebrating that your child is finally sleeping, nothing says bedtime like a nice pair of PJ’s. The elastic waist and front buttons are even perfect for new moms who are breastfeeding. BUY IT HERE.

SILK PILLOWCASES ($10)

There’s more to silk pillowcases than comfort. They’ll leave your hair tangle and frizz-free and your skin soft. These are 100% polyester satin, so you can have the luxury of silk at an affordable cost with these pillowcases. They’re available as a pair in queen and king-sized. Certain to encourage you into smooth slumber. BUY IT HERE.

HERBAL TEA ($18)

Sliding into bed with a hot cup of tea and a good book is the ultimate gift. Especially if you’ve been going all day long. Made with traditional herbs known to promote sleep, Hey Girl herbal tea is 100% non-habit-forming, and contains no caffeine (obviously). It will send you to sleep even if that’s difficult to you — if not, they’ll refund your money! BUY IT HERE.

BED JET ($370)

The age-old couples’ argument, solved. One person wants it warm, the other cold. Now you can have both, and airflow too! You control the temperature and airflow on the BedJet with an app on your phone. It works by blowing air between your sheets. No more night sweats or waking up freezing! Choose one or two, and maintain your own climate control. Heat or cool your bed before you get in, for the perfect sleeping micro climate. BUY IT HERE.

CHILIPAD ($500)

Chilipad controls your bed from under your sheet. Its energy-efficient system pumps temperature-controlled water through the pad, which sits on top of your mattress. You control the temperature in one-degree increments. Chilipad is available from twin to California King, and features separate controls for each person in the Queen and larger. Sleep in your own climate! BUY IT HERE.

GUIDED JOURNAL ($23)

Being mindful is important and also not easy for everyone. One way to analyze your thinking is journaling, but at the end of a long day, staring at a blank page can be more stressful than helpful. Enter guided journals — these diaries feature prompts for you to feel grateful, reflect, and even track progress on improvements. With a hard cover and high-quality paper, the simple act of writing things down becomes even easier to accomplish. BUY IT HERE.

MOISTURIZING HAND CREME ($22)

It doesn’t have to be expensive to be high-quality. This Crabtree & Evelyn La Source moisturizing hand creme is made from hand-sourced plant-extracts, nourishing botanical oils, and features seaweed extract. Anything but a weed, this sea product is known for its moisturizing properties. Smooth those rough spots before you relax into a deep sleep. BUY IT HERE.

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Kim West

Kim is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been a practicing child and family therapist for more than 24 years, and the creator of the original gentle, proven method to get a good night’s sleep for you and your child.

She is the author of The Sleep Lady's Good Night Sleep Tight, its companion Workbook and 52 Sleep Secrets for Babies.

Click here to read more about her.

Did you find this article helpful? Please share it with your friends by clicking below, or ask a question on The Sleep Lady Facebook page.

The post Kim’s Favorite Things — Treat Yourself with Sleep Products appeared first on Baby Sleep Coaching by the Sleep Lady.

from Blog – Baby Sleep Coaching by the Sleep Lady https://sleeplady.com/special-occasions/kims-favorite-things-treat-yourself/

from https://www.marclefrancois.net/2019/03/06/kims-favorite-things-treat-yourself-with-sleep-products/

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rnrmarineservices-blog · 6 years ago

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Spirit Yachts: behind the scenes of the P70 wooden motoryacht in build

Spirit Yachts may be best known for their stunning sailing boats, but in a remote corner of Ipswich docks, a beautiful motor cruiser is gradually coming to life

I should have known better than to rely on my phone's sat nav system. It has taken me three-and-a-half hours to drive from Southampton to Ipswich, braving the M25 at its rush-hour worst, and I'm not in the mood for a confrontation with Google Maps. There's no mention of Spirit Yachts at the entrance to the docks, a steel barrier is blocking my path and even after the nice lady in the marina office has pointed me in the right direction, I still can't find what I'm looking for. My phone's screen suggests it's less than 100 metres away but the road seems to end abruptly at the slipway outside Fairline's testing centre, where a crane is inching a Squadron 53 towards the water. It's only when the man operating it moves out of the way that I realise the track carries on round the side of the Fairline facility to reveal another building beyond it. The rolling shutters are open on both sides and through the safety netting I can just catch a glimpse of an arrow-sharp wooden bow picked out by the sun's rays. Even from here I can make out the sensuous curves of the hull, so smooth and pale it looks like a sculpted piece of driftwood bleached and burnished by years of gentle erosion from the sun, sand and sea.

This is Spirit Yachts' stock-in-trade, elegant sailing yachts with long overhangs, low freeboards and svelte lines that hark back to the glory days of the 1930s. All of them are handcrafted out of wood but built using the latest hi-tech methods to make them light, fast and surprisingly tough. What's less well known is that they also build powerboats. Not in huge numbers and often for existing owners of Spirit sailing yachts, but that is starting to change thanks to a very special project taking shape in one of its two main sheds.

Known only by its project name of P70, it has been commissioned by an experienced motoryacht owner who was born in Norway but lives in Britain. He currently owns a semi-displacement Fleming and wants his new yacht to exceed the seakeeping, engineering and build quality the Fleming offers, but with the soul of a wooden craft built to suit his precise needs.

Wooden heart

If this doesn't sound like a challenging enough brief, his key requirements are that it has to be capable of cruising comfortably at 18 knots non-stop for 1,000nm through the North Sea. That's because although it will be based on the Hamble most of the year, he wants to be able to cruise to the Baltic for the summer months without having to worry about refuelling en route. And in case you're wondering, he doesn't bother with crew either; it's usually just him and his wife or a few good mates to help with rope and fender duties.

It's the kind of brief that would have most production yards thanking the customer politely for their enquiry before suggesting that they might like to look elsewhere. Not Spirit Yachts. Head designer and CEO Sean McMillan enjoys a challenge and the beauty of building in wood is that the usual constraints of fixed moulds don't come into play. It's not the only advantage; when used properly wood is remarkably light and strong with excellent insulation properties against sound and cold, as well as being infinitely repairable and environmentally friendly. Nor does it suffer from the leaks, rot and constant need for maintenance that wooden boats of old used to. The trick is to use it and treat it in much the same way as the layers of gelcoat, glassfibre and foam cores that make up a conventional GRP sandwich construction.

The process starts with the creation of a set of ring frames made up from multiple layers of sapele, shaped and bonded to the exact dimensions specified by a computer program from Sean's original hand drawings. These are fixed into position on a laser-levelled jig and planked over longitudinally with 27mm-thick strips of interlocking Douglas fir screwed and bonded to the ring frames. Once the glue has set all the screws are removed and the holes filled to make sure there are no mechanical fixings to corrode. If this sounds worrying, bear in mind that Boeing bonds the wings of a 747 to the body of a plane for the same reason. With the main structure now secure, between two and four layers of 3mm-thick kaya wood veneers are laid diagonally over the planking in opposite directions, marked, cut and attached using plastic staples, which are then sanded off, before being bagged and vacuum infused with epoxy resin. Kaya looks similar to mahogany but has a more open grain, which allows it to soak up the epoxy in much the same way as woven roving glassfibre matting. Last but not least, a thin layer of transparent GRP scrim is added to create a perfectly smooth and watertight finish that can be painted or even varnished to show off the wood beneath. The end result is a totally inert structure with much the same strength as carbon-fibre but without that material's brittle, unforgiving nature that transmits sound and vibration almost as efficiently as a drum.

Spend a few minutes talking to Sean and you begin to wonder why more yards don't build in wood. His answer is as telling as it is believable: building in wood requires exceptional skill and experience to achieve the necessary strength and finish expected of a high-class yacht as well as a lot of man hours. In other words, it's neither easy nor cheap. But the best things in life rarely are.

Being a Spirit Yacht it also has to look the part. Its sailing yachts are inspired by the elegant proportions of J-Class yachts but the P70 has no obvious forebear to pick up on. It does share some of its design cues with the handful of P40s already built, such as the flared bow and tumblehome stern, but the size and volume needed to accommodate the owner's wish for three double cabins, a covered wheelhouse, saloon and dining/galley area meant some fresh thinking was needed. The exterior profile alone went through 22 different iterations before being signed off and even now some of the details like the angle of the bow and design of the air intakes are still being worked on – the latest idea draws inspiration from the intakes of a classic Mercedes 300SL. The end result has a recognisable 1930s motoryacht aesthetic but with its own distinctive style and layout. The length-to-beam ratio of 4.5:1 is much slimmer and more efficient than the 3:1 ratio of most modern motoryachts, while its dry weight of 22 tonnes is almost half that of a normal 70ft GRP flybridge. This in turn enables it to use smaller than normal 800hp MAN engines while still pushing its semi-displacement hull up to a maximum of 24 knots. Four separate fuel tanks with a combined capacity of 10,000 litres and a built-in polishing and balancing system provide the final link in the chain needed to reach the required 1,000nm range.

The layout is equally unconventional with the saloon forward and half a level down from the wheelhouse, and the dining and galley area aft another half a level down.

The owner's cabin sits below the saloon for maximum peace and privacy, with the two twin guest cabins tucked at the opposite end of the boat in the stern. The wheelhouse itself sits proudly aloft at the centre of the action with one door out to the port sidedeck and another to the open flybridge astern with its raised outside helm position and well-protected seating. The only area that rivals it for sheer drama is the engineroom, which enjoys the kind of towering headroom, space and clinical lighting normally reserved for operating theatres.

Soul trader

It all speaks of an owner who knows what he wants and isn't afraid to ask for it. It's a relationship that Sean clearly revels in, praising the customer's vision and technical knowledge. For instance, he insisted on fitting Seatorque's oil-filled BOSS shafts for quieter running and reduced maintenance, and the electrical system is built around a li-ion battery bank so that it can power the air conditioning and Sleipner curved fin stabilisers overnight without having to run the generator. Even simple things like the deep bulwarks, which allow crew to move safely around the decks without the need for ugly stainless steel guardrails, smack of someone who has extensive experience of boating in all weathers.

Above all you get the impression the owner is enjoying the build process almost as much as he will enjoy cruising the finished boat. It's not hard to see why. Stroll around the P70's carcass and you can feel it coming to life. Everywhere you look there's a craftsman or woman using their skills and experience to create their own little work of art. This isn't a production line, it's a group of artisans breathing life into somebody else's vision. I had always assumed that the Spirit Yachts name was a reference to the looks being in the spirit of a 1930s classic. Now I'm starting to wonder whether it's simply because each of its boats, and the P70 in particular, has a spirit and soul of its own.

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This article Spirit Yachts: behind the scenes of the P70 wooden motoryacht in build appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

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