#a plushie and a figure will be here by Thursday <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[yrqrnc]

𖤐 ִֶָ 𓂃 STRAY KIDS : SMILING WEIRD AT THEM UNTIL THEY NOTICE

genre: fluff, crack, pranks

pairing: skz x reader

bringing the tiktok pranks back bcs i need funny headcanon ideas to write 😁🙏🏻

some member's parts might be a bit shorter than the rest bcs i wrote some while being sugar high at 2:50 in the morning so pls excuse that

leave comments, reblog, and feedbacks pls <3

𖤐 CHAN : —

is 70% concerned 30% holding his laugh

you approached him and started a normal conversation on a very normal thursday afternoon so he thought everything was nice and ok in the house and with you???

he guesses not, a minute or two into the talk 😟

bcs why are you smiling at him in a way that would summon his sleep paralysis demon at night???

he already sleeps so less now he fears he will have to sleep even less.

is too worried to say anything about it because what if this is actually your true smile and you’re just getting comfortable around him and he hurts your feelings by making a comment about it?

right????

but he’s also starting to get scared because wHAT HAPPENED TO HIS BABY YOU’VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE 😭😭😭 WHAT WENT WRONG ⁉️

PLS BRING THEM BACK 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

doesn’t say anything but gets so tensed during the convo and gives you this look that has you breaking character shortly after, bcs you burst out laughing and going back to that cute big smile he was used to and the one he adored.

(sorry, writer-break-in: now if anyone comments abt how they ugly laugh, i’m gonna smash my guitar on your head. chris says that’s cute, so it’s cute. you don’t get a say.)

then he’s like “oh ☺️ that’s it. here they are <3”

thinks about it when he lays in his bed at night tho

might make him rethink everything and consider your health (mental & physical) for a couple days 😕👎🏻

𖤐 MINHO : —

right, ok. so, he notices it so quick

this man is VERYYY very very observant and he knows you like the back of his hand

so the moment you flash your worst smile as he’s in the midst of talking, taking just the chance when he looked to the side for a sec—

he catches it from his peripheral vision, snaps his head at you and he goes 🤨⁉️ (15% concerned 85% judging)

stares at you silently for a while after that, trying to figure you out

🧍🏻😾❓️ (yes.)

when you act completely normal and ask him why he stopped, telling him to continue and all that, he cautiously goes back to saying what he had been talking about

but then you pull your shit again and he catches it this time too right away

(bcs he’s always looking at you when he’s talking. he looks at you when you’re talking too. he looks at you. he just loves looking at you, that’s honestly it. bro is just an eye-contact and make their knees weak type of person)

and he knows he isn’t high

looks straight at you and goes — “what’s wrong with this one... 😐”

and you’re all like “what??? 😠🦿🦿 what’s wrong w me???” bcs how dare he say that in that tone

“why are u making yourself look like that plushie whose face doongie scratched up last week”

LMAOOOO 😭😭😭 SAVE YOURSELF

so you’re throwing hands now (& terribly failing) and this is the only part of your stupid prank that minho is finding fun

𖤐 CHANGBIN : —

HELP.

doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry someone pls take him away from you 🙁🙏🏻

he’s just casually telling you about this sick rap that he came up with yesterday night in the studio

and you’re nodding and laughing, and he turns to focus on you more and finds you like: 😁 i mean 👹???

and the lOOK THAT PASSES THROUGH HIS EYES AND THE WAY HIS SMILE DROPS SO SLOWLY

WITH AN EYE TWITCH TOO

LORD HELP ME

no HELP SEO CHANGBIN ACTUALLY

bro freezes but then he tries to play it chill, chuckling and being like “right... 😄☝🏻 hahah hahahahah so i was saying... ”

but you keep doing it and he can’t ignore it anymore 😔

“...baby what’s wrong? do you feel sick?” and that too in such a scared voice yOU CAN'T KEEP UP THE ACT ANYMORE

once you tell him it’s a prank, relief washes over him like cold water on a scorching hot summer day and he laughs along with you

might haunt him when he’s alone in his studio at midnight tho

𖤐 HYUNJIN : —

judges you.

no i’m not even gonna try to be funny first

HE JUDGES 👨‍⚖️

you do it and he instantly goes “😦😣 what the fuck”

and you’re like “what? what happened?”

and he doesn’t even know what to say

then he switches up just as quickly and starts yapping again

but you do it again too

and he’s so fed up he goes “dude tf wrong w u 🙄”

and when you keep doing it, he starts iMITATING YOU TO MOCK YOU😭😭

now you’re both just flaring your teeth and gums at each other while cackling in between too, and anyone watching would’ve started praying honestly

later that day, after finding out it was a prank he’s just thinking... why is my partner like this... 😟

he loves u tho <3

𖤐 JISUNG : —

honestly bro...

he finds you adorable :(

like, you guys are casually talking one evening

and he’s telling you about this new anime he watched recently, that almost made him cry

and he’s telling you the amazing sad plot and all, and out of nowhere you just 😁

first he’s really caught off guard bcs... girl (gn!) what 😟 i said??? i almost???? CRIED??? HEARTBREAK?????

but then he just looks at you as you keep up w the goofiness when he speaks again, and he thinks to himself

:(“i love this idiot so much even tho i do feel half irritated and offended right now”

bcs even if you’re pulling your ugliest smile rn, he loves that sparkle in your eyes as you stifle a laugh back and the way almost break character everytime you make eye contact with him

sorry guys this is getting soft but

jisung just loves you very much ☹️☹️☹️

prank is all forgotten, you are just two young people in love <3

𖤐 FELIX : —

i would say he already knows what the trend is, but that’s really boring so let’s pretend that he’s actually getting fooled here.

the moment he sees u doing it, that epic felix thing happens again— where his smile gradually just drops and he has that :0 face in the funniest way

he isn’t sure if he should speak bcs what if that unleashes more of that demon in u 😓

he’s torn between two things actually: should he hug you and try to squish the demonic smile out of you, or should be just stay away and give u your space until ur okay again

bcs he isn’t sure about how fine you are with the way you’re smiling at him right now

he might just be like:

“haha hahahahah hahahah ok we laughed now can we pls have my partner and their sweet smile back 🙁”

genuinely doesn’t know what to do

half of him is scared, half finds you very cute, some other bits are thinking of ways to get back on a a prank of his lololololz

he decides to continue speaking bcs maybe you’ll get distracted by the talk and come back to him normally again

doesn’t happen. so now he’s just there and thinking abt how to fix u 😞🙏🏻

𖤐 SEUNGMIN : —

you hate him

you hate him so bad

he doesn’t give you any reaction AT ALL 😐👎🏻

you start off gentle at first, right, like doing it when he wasn’t looking and then gradually more intensely and so he could clearly see

but nothing. no weird looks. no comments. no judgement.

NOTHING AT ALL?!^#^*@#,

at some point you get all up in his face and you’re like 😁😁😁👹😁😁😁👹😁😁❓️❓️❓️

and mf just keeps talking like nothing is wrong or off

it gets you more and more frustrated with each passing second but man, if you’d put that irritation aside and looked more closely into his facial expressions,

you would’ve seen the way the corner of his mouth lifted in the slightest and that glint of mischief in his eye

but you don’t 🙄

when you finally give up and go “babe why aren’t you asking me why i’m smiling weird??? 😕”

he... he says... he’s like—

“huh? but don’t you always smile like that?”

damn y/n 😥💔 that’s how it was huh

you’re abt to poke his eyeballs out and then shit tears yourself

jk dw tho he’s just teasing you

he stays with felix enough to know about these ideas

and from how you’ve done multiple pranks on him before, everytime you do something weird or out of place now, he just assumes you’re onto some prank

𖤐 JEONGIN : —

HE GETS SCARED PLS DONT😭

NO LIKE he actually starts taking it in all the wrong ways

when he sees you smiling like that.. there’s this STORM of emotions that starts cooking up inside him 😭

“are they ok” “are they mad at me and trying to play it off” “is this a trick move” “is this a prank and if so how should i react that it would make me seem cool and—”

but then... SUDDENLY

he suddenly remembers this piece of information he read on the internet LONG time back, like, AGES ago !! that said like

if someone is having a stroke or about to, their smile will be crooked / really weird and off/abnormal

....

no way... right ?

HIS BABY 😟😕🥺🥺😭😭😭 (emojis are satire im not—)

“...baby 😨😰 i think... i think you’re about to have a stroke 😣 or ARE YOU HAVING IT ALREADY 😰😢😢 HAS IT STARTED😭⁉️”

now ur not sure if u should stop or continue and whether u should laugh, cry or bonk him in the head

but he’s just a jeongin 🙁🎀

[jazz-bazz]

a fluffy raindrop inspired by my first synthesis step that didn't work because of the same reason it doesn't work for rain... the difference being i didn't get a picnic under the stars... also instead of getting a day off, i skipped half a lab day to get to band practice for an event... the luck these ghouls get *sigh* im jealous...

creds to @sexy-sea-basss for the lake picnic idea! 🖤

didnt plan on posting this today but after the heartbreak that is @alwaysjustmina ‘s whispers (love it so much) 😭… @webbyghoul and i figured we’d need raindrop fluff asap

The Day Off

The week can’t get any longer if you ask Rain, and it’s only Tuesday. He’s been working on just this one step since Wednesday last week, which is already ridiculous, especially the 3 days spent trying to isolate a product, or at least something. They’ve got to have something because on Friday Mist will ask for a weekly report. They’ve been losing sleep and surviving on energy drinks and protein bars, though sometimes Dew would stop by with ‘healthier’ snacks. 

The problem is not with synthesizing the substance, he thinks, although they wouldn’t know, they haven’t taken any spectrums yet, because the substance just don’t want to be isolated from the rest of the shit. They’ve tried all sorts of of solvents, n-Pentane, ethylacetate, diethylether, in various ratios, but nothing is working. The fucking polar nitro group they have in their substance is making it harder to isolate, even if they manage to do it the yield wouldn’t be good. They could change the starting material and methods, but they need to talk about it with Mist first when she’s back from her work trip, probably sometime later today. But damn if he isn’t going to wear themself out by trying their hardest. 

They’ve talked with Mountain and Swiss too, asking for ideas and opinions, even chatted a bit with Cumulus. But none of their suggestions work, it got closer with the ratio of solvents that Cumulus suggested, they could already see a bit of difference in the TLC he did earlier, but it’s still not separated enough for the column chromatography. Now they’re just sitting at his desk fidgeting with Bap, sometimes bringing it close to his nose so they get Dew’s calming scent.

“I have returned from the hell known as human science convention with old men who has no respect for women!” Rain suddenly hears, Mist is back, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Mist! Hi, how was the trip?” Rain asks, to be nice and even though he’s dying to ask her about their problem.

“Rainy, darling! It was annoying, they keep not believing me when I said I’m a participant in the convention and not the catering staff, ughhh. But enough about me, you seem down, what happened?” Mist sees the tired look in Rain’s face, the dark circles under their eyes, and the slump in his shoulder, not to mention the way they were staring into space clutching that crochet plushie of his when she first came in.

“Oh, Mist, nothing is working, I’ve been trying to isolate my product but none of the solvent ratios I tried worked, I even asked Cumulus and Mountain and Swiss and they have no idea either. Could I maybe get permission to redo the reaction with a different starting material? I can even propose to you a new reaction mechanism to get the same result right now, I have thought a lot about this, it just doesn’t work with this one. Or even if it works, the yield would be bad, and-“ 

“Rain, Rain, stop for a second. Take a deep breath, come on,” Mist smiles softly at her protegee, “Okay. You’re good?”

“Yeah, maybe, I don’t know,” Rain sighs.

“Here’s my decision, you are hereby dismissed for today, and also tomorrow, go get some rest, spend a day in bed, go swim, whatever, you’re far too stressed. You can show me your idea on Thursday. And because I know you’re just gonna stay here and stress some more. I will get Omega to let Dew off early and distract you, maybe you’ll even get your first kiss from him today. Got it?”

“Wait, what? No I can do it, we can discuss it now and because it needs to be cooked overnight I can do it today and tomorrow start with the work up, I’m fine Mist,” Rain pointedly ignores the last part.

“No, you’re not. You need sleep and to eat more than coffee and candy bars. My decision is final, you are hereby banned from this room and the labs for the rest of today and tomorrow, go pack your things,” Mist says while gently pushing on Rain’s shoulders to get them to their desk and start packing up, “Meanwhile I’m going to call Omega. Your things better be already in your bag when I get back.”

With a sigh (so much sighing today) Rain starts to save all the documents on his computer and shut it down, stuffing their journal and tablet and the rest of his things into their rucksack. And then he waits for Mist.

“Your knight in shining armour will be coming in about 15 minutes!” 

“More like in hoodies and ripped jeans,” Rain mutters.

“Aw don’t be so glum, Rainy darling, your project will be fine if you take a 1.5 days rest, you know. Then Thursday you can start with a fresh brain!”

“I guess… Thank you Mist, best boss I could’ve ask for,” Rain goes to hug their mentor.

“Hello my dearest loveliest bestest friend ever in the whole wide world both here and below! Thank you for the day off because Aether’s been getting all up my business today, and I am half a second away from burning his journals,” Dew announces as he barges into the office, “I have plans that involve a lake and snacks from the diner with no chemical reactions in the vicinity. Up and at it, bestie!”

“Fucking hell Dew, how can you still have this much energy?”

“By sleeping on time and eating enough food to sustain myself through a day full of quantum equations, which you should’ve done by the way, would be wonderful on those eyebags.”

“Oh fuck off.”

“Nah, you’re stuck with me because we are besties and you can’t live without me, literally, because we are roommates. Let’s go!”

They stop by the diner to get some food to go, and then their apartment to drop of their things and freshen up, Dew also gets his picnic blankets and a couple of towels and change of clothes for when Rain inevitably jumps into the lake and splash him.

There’s this one secluded lake on the edge of the town that Dew found on accident. Usually they just go to the lake at the Abbey complex, but he feels like this one would be perfect for Rain to wind down without anyone watching, the way to this lake is a bit complicated and requires a bit of hiking, which neither of them minds, they both love to be in nature no matter what.

After parking the car and hiking, Dew asks Rain to put on a blindfold just before the bend that would reveal the lake. It’s because he wants to set up the picnic blankets with food and tea lights he brings for a romantic date under the stars, as it was already getting dark, they got to watch the sunset at the parking lot.

Rain agrees with a bit of grumbling, and with Dew’s guidance they walk together to the edge of the trail heading to the beach, where Dew then leaves Rain for a bit while he sets things up. He talks with Rain the whole time, to reassure Rain that he’s still there, just random chatters mostly, like Aether being annoying that day, the plans the pack has this weekend to go to Zenith because it’s bingo night, the last hockey game they watched, and whatnots. Rain has to admit, it is relaxing to just chill like this, even without being able to see anything, he can already feel the stress seeping out from their body.

“Okay, Rainy, you can take off the blindfold.”

When they take it off, the first thing they see was Dew holding a bouquet of lilies (who knows where he got it from) with a big smile on his face, and then behind him the picnic he set up, complete with a background of the lake and the starry night sky.

They spend a few hours there, snacking on the food while talking, kissing a bit (more like a lot) because there’s no one here and they can forget their running joke of not dating (they are both very serious about keeping up with it), taking a dip in the lake (Rain), and admiring the view of an unglamoured water ghoul in their natural habitat (Dew) before being pulled in by said water ghoul for underwater kisses (best thing ever if you ask Dew).

Then at about midnight they both get out of the water and dry up using the towels Dew had packed, and after finishing the snacks they pack up the blanket and tea lights and knick knacks they bring.

“Thanks for today, Dew,” Rain smiles while leaning in for a kiss, which lasts awhile, before they both pull back and rest their foreheads against the other’s.

“Anything for you, baby,” Dew smiles back, “Now, you ready to go home? We need to get some sleep, I know you have tomorrow off but I still need to come in after lunch for a bit. And you are not allowed to come with me, in fact I am ordering you to stay away from campus, go sleep in, swim, read, whatever, as long as it’s outside of a 5 km radius of the campus. Got it?”

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Rain smirks, ”Let’s go, I need cuddles in my bed with you.”

[zenlesszonezero]

Join Zenless Zone Zero with Tsukishiro Yanagi, the deputy leader of Hollow Special Operations Section 6! Beneath her ordinary office lady exterior lies a meticulous, emotionally intelligent big sister to the team.

[tashtooshart]

So my drawing motivation kinda went out the window already day three/four of this stuff so hopefully I can catch up later. For now, take this doodle I did of this wonderful man 

[mingirn]

mars, get a chapel were getting married RN

ok but on the serious note, mars still crying. im at school writing this shit in the corner

and UGH i have so much to say rn but imma keep it short,

as for the normal people thing, i really really thought of the dynamic of connell and marianne with mingi and reader. (if that makes sense)

and as for what i see you in this writing...

Yunho probably doesn’t have shelves of Transformer figures, and he probably doesn’t go to bed at night atop Star Wars sheets. Mingi remembers the posters in Hongjoongs room from when he’d invited you all over for movie night. On Hongjoongs walls hung The Shining, Poltergeist and The Thing, amongst other titles Mingi couldn’t recognize and had become to queasy to look at any longer, and suddenly the Ghostbusters poster in his own room seemed bleak, childish even. Mingi bets that Jongho didn’t keep his Care Bears plushies, he had probably packed them down as soon as he was any older than 12, then forgot about them, unlike Mingi who had two of the soft bears sitting on a chair in the corner of his room.

this whole ass paragraph. now that im thinking about it, idk if i meant mingi's characterization but i really had moments where i was like 'oh this sounds familiar'. i really think the small details and the little knowledge of stories come from the authors real interests, likes, and personality. and this is definitely when i saw it. i could picture that shelf u sent me.

ugh but yes i have my delayed tests this thursday so i'll def message you after all that! i have so much more to say and i wanna text you so bad as well! i miss you so much.

ok gotta go again, but seriously, we're getting married 😡 sending invites to my moots rn

i’m building that chapel myself from the ground up. make all the demands you want. what colour do you want it how many benches how tall should the door arch be. anything for you 💌

also you’re so cute writing to me at school i’m very flattered but the responsible part of me is urging you to focus in school or else !! /j

the fact that you’d compare it to the relationship dynamic in normal people is genuinely The Highest compliment you don’t even know. you make me feel so.. idk you make me feel on top of the world i genuinely do not deserve to hear this 😭

also!! yeah that specifically was one of the things i put myself into. i actually have a vintage star wars toy collection (in the pic i sent you of my shelf there’s a stormtrooper, darth vader and r2d2, but i have the whole cast). it’s from the 80s, and it gave me inspiration for what i imagined mingis room would have looked like in this universe. there’s also some details about vehicles, here with mingis firebird and in high voltage there’s yunhos yamaha. you’re definitely right that an authors interest influences little details of their work and these fics have been pure indulgence. i actually have this whole draft of a book written in this universe, though it’s not about kpop, it’s just a book with characters, so i guess a lot has been weaved in from that and i’m so amazed and flattered you’ve seen so much of me in the story!!

good luck about thursday!! it sucks so much that they’ve been delayed but hopefully it has given you time to prepare, and i wish you all the best for thursday. and pls do text me when you feel ready and have some free time, i miss you so much sage <3 i love talking to you always

i’m sending you the wedding ring in the mail as we speak.. ❣️ all my mutuals are invited too and followers may attend on the grounds of U Must Love Sage

[adorablele]

we’re just friends; l.dh

hello!!! can i request an imagine with haechan kinda like they were best friends in the past and then after a long time they meet each other again and he finds you really pretty? love all your writings!!!!! 💗💘💞💕 

↬ pairing; lee donghyuck x female!reader

↬  genre; fluff,, angst 

↬ word count; 3.5k+ (my longest fic yet pls don’t flop)

↬ summary; he put the wrong label on your friendship, just like how the grocery store labeled the aisle incorrectly.

↬ a/n; I thought the photo of hyuck was very nice which was why I used it as a header, but if anyone would like to make a header for this fic, I’ll give you virtual hugs <3 also, this is the FIRST TIME I’m writing an angsty ending so feedback is appreciated :)))) 

“excuse me.” someone tapped him on the shoulder.

seven year old donghyuck turned around, quizzically looking at you, “what?”

you made a face at his response. “you need to go to the back of the line,” your tone matched his.

“why?” he immediately asked, eyes boring into yours.

you stared back. “‘cause I was here first.”

“who says?” 

“I say!” you retorted, crossing your arms.

he snorted, “I was clearly here first, that’s why you’re standing behind me.”

you glared at the boy, “what are you a pig?”

he opened his mouth, but you cut him off, “and, the first person stands on the line. you’re in front of it, so I’m first.”

the clearing of a throat interrupted your argument. the two of you looked at the class know-it-all. 

“you guys are both wrong, I’m first.”

“who says?” both you and donghyuck asked.

having caused such a ruckus, the teacher booted the two of you to the back of the line. with a glare aimed at the smug little girl, the both of you followed the teacher’s instruction. 

on his way back, donghyuck spotted his friends, giving them a smile. they high-fived and allowed him to stand in front of them in line. you frowned at him, reminding him that ‘you can’t cut,’ before dutifully continuing your lonesome journey to the back of the line. donghyuck chuckled at your sulkily hung head and told his friends to save two spots at the lunch table. 

“she’s so annoying,” you mumbled, kicking the nonexistent pebbles on the floor, “she thinks she knows everything.”

“I know right,” the boy agreed, eyebrows raising when you jumped.

upon realizing it was him, your gaze went back down to the floor, “I thought you were up there with your friends.”

“the teacher told me to get to the back of the line,” he lied.

you looked at him for a moment. he simply looked back. you pursed your lips, crossing your arms and turning your head, chin up and away from him, “serves you right!” you then proceeded to march away, following the moving line. 

not hearing his footsteps, you peeked behind you. you sighed and fully turned around, placing a hand on your hip.

“are you coming?”

“it’s supposed to be there, not their,” he mumbled to you, reading over your shoulder.

“I’ll fix it when I revise and edit,” you dismissed, continuing to write your draft.

“there’s not supposed to be a comma after you,” he pointed out.

“again, I’ll just fix it when I’m editing,” you told him, thoughts halting because of the boy.

“you know-”

“oh my god, hyuck! just give me these comments when we peer review on thursday!” you exclaimed, glaring at the smirking 10 year old.

“don’t use the lord’s name in vain,” he tsked.

“how cute,” the waitress cooed, setting down the drinks on the table, “are you guys studying together?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” you muttered, annoyance laced in your voice.

the waitress arched a brow, leaning closer to donghyuck. “you like her, don’t you?” she loudly whispered.

he looked at her like she was crazy, not noticing the way your hand froze once the question was asked. “we’re just friends.”

with a slow nod, the waitress looked over at you. she chuckled when you quickly looked down at your paper. “whatever you say,” she shrugged, leaving to go serve other customers in the busy diner.

“what if we drift apart?” you sighed, sipping your juice box as he ate his sandwich on the picnic blanket.

we laughed, ‘we von’t brif abarph.”

you frowned at the boy, “chew your food.”

after a minute of silence, he spoke again. “we won’t drift apart.”

you didn’t say anything. he peered over at you, the loud slurping of the juice box catching his attention.

“I think it’s empty,” he commented, taking another bite of his sandwich. 

you pushed his shoulder, “hyuck, be serious! some friend drift away in middle school.”

he rubbed his shoulder, the crushed juice box gripped tightly in your hand. he sighed and leaned back. “life can’t tear us apart,” he looked up at the sky, “and even if they try, I won’t let you go so easily.”

he grinned at you, the muscles moving automatically upon seeing your sparkly gaze on him, “I mean, who else am I supposed to copy answers from?”

you rolled your eyes, “what are friends for, I guess.”

“you are not going to leave me to ride the bus alone on the first day of school!” 

donghyuck chuckled at the threat you told him the night before, the words somehow motivating him to get out of bed despite how much his blankets begged him to come back. when he arrived at the bus stop, you were pacing back and forth, eyes frantically looking around.

“the bus doesn’t arrive for another-” 

“where have you been?” you cried, hugging him, “I thought I was going to be alone!”

“well, I’m here,” he laughed, patting you on the back reassuringly, “still sleepy, but here nonetheless.”

he listened as you rambled away, nerves floating through your words as the two of you waited for the bus to arrive. you were silent when the bus parked in front of the two of you. he gestured for you to walk in first, and you did, planting down in the window seat. donghyuck yawned, slumping into the seat next to you. he didn’t waste any time, plopping his backpack on the floor next to yours as he leaned his head against your shoulder. 

he quietly counted to himself, hoping that he’ll help him fall back asleep. when he got to thirty, he felt your fingers brush through his hair. it caught him off guard, but eventually, he relaxed, continuing to count to sixty before he left to dreamland.

somewhere along the way, he stopped counting. he didn’t need to count, simply waiting until you played with his hair for him to feel relaxed enough to sleep. 

“hey, are you two dating?” a brown haired boy asked one morning. donghyuck recognized him, the guy sat two seats behind the bus driver. he believed his name had min in it or something.

however, donghyuck didn’t think much about the boy’s name, choosing to laugh at his question instead. you joined in not a second later. donghyuck stared at the boy like he was the funniest person in the world. 

“we’re just friends.”

the guy’s eyes flickered between the two of you suspiciously before he shrugged, “right okay.”

“hey jeno,” he called out waving over to his friend who was actively ignoring him, “jeno, come here! they’re not dating!”

jeno glared at his friend, quickly walking over to him, “why does that matter?” 

“because you-” jeno interrupted his friend, sending an apologetic glance at you and donghyuck, “sorry about jaemin, he’s stupid sometimes.”

you waved him off and gave a nod towards donghyuck. “it’s okay, stupid is his middle name.”

donghyuck gave you a side-eye, “I’m not the one who used soap as toothpaste this morning.”

“they’re both green!” you defended.

jeno and jaemin were easily forgotten, left to watch the two of you bicker away. 

jaemin snickered in jeno’s ear, “we’re just friends, they say.”

“I know you have it!” renjun yelled, keeping jaemin in a headlock.

“renjun, let jaemin go,” you sighed, setting down your lunch on the table.

“so abusive,” jaemin weeped, clinging onto you once he was out of renjun’s deadly arms.

“we don’t know if he was the one who took your moomin plushie, so calm down,” you told him. however, your words went to waste when jaemin stuck his tongue out at renjun, triggering the boy to lunge at him. you looked over at jeno, hoping he’d stop the fight, but jeno remained unbothered, finishing whatever he was writing. 

donghyuck silently sat there, the moonmin plushie hidden in his backpack. he went by unnoticed, his plan succeeding. a subtle, sly smirk rested on his lips, one that no one noticed. no one, but you. 

“hyuck,” you called out.

“yeah,” he smiled, feigning an innocent look.

“where’d you hide it?”

“hide what?” he asked, tilting his head.

you gave him a pointed look to which he responded with a shrug, “why are you- hey!”

renjun grabbed donghyuck’s backpack, digging through it like there’s no tomorrow. he lifted the plushie out of the bag, lips lined straight.

“aight, imma head out,” donghyuck coughed, bolting out of the lunch room.

“you’re so dead!” renjun screamed chasing after his friend.

donghyuck slumped against the wall, trying to catch his breath. he was almost successful in framing jaemin for his mischievous act, keyword being almost. he shook his head, your careful eyes popping into his mind.

of course you figured it out, you always did.

“well, we have a month,” jaemin smiled.

“yeah, why don’t we start planning?” jeno suggested.

renjun pulled out his notebook, labeling the page as ‘donghyuck’s a coward - things to do so he’ll pee himself’. And while the three of them were busy brainstorming activities for the group to do before he left, donghyuck couldn’t help but focus on you. 

you were silent, mouth sewn shut ever since he dropped the news. you wouldn’t look at him, and after a few minutes of picking at your food, you excused yourself. he trailed after you, spotting you in a squatted position in the field.

“life can’t tear us apart, huh?” you laughed, plucking the dandelion from the ground. 

he squatted down next to you, staring at the dandelion twirling in your hand. 

“that’s still true.”

“you’re moving, hyuck.” your voice was soft, almost blending in with the whistles of the wind. you crushed the dandelion pedals, the tears starting to prick in your eyes.

he lifted your chin to look up at him. he wiped away the tears, cupping your face. 

“hey, hey, you’re going to be fine! you’ve got jeno, jaemin and renjun by your side,” he reassured.

donghyuck pulled you into a hug, the pedals in your hand drifting away in the slight breeze. he watched them slowly land a few feet away from the picnic blanket. his grip tightened, your tears streaming down your face.

“I won’t let you go so easily,” he promised. 

donghyuck wished he stuck to those words, but here he was, five years later, with zero attempts to contact you. he touched the chain around his neck, fingers trailing down to the jewel with your birthday engraved in it. 

(“you never remember my birthday,” you pouted, “so here’s your reminder!”)

subconsciously, he started to rub it, the fleeting thought that this could magically summon you passed through his mind. he shook his head, ignoring all the unpacked boxes surrounding him and deciding that it was a nice day to go walking.

following the familiar tune, donghyuck walked until he spotted the ice cream truck nearby. just as he was about to stand behind the line, a person cut in front of him. he blinked, shocked that someone, presumably an adult, would cut in front of him for some ice cream. what shocked him more was this unsettling feeling that this girl looked like you. 

“excuse me,” he said, tapping the person on the shoulder.

donghyuck couldn’t believe his eyes, even when he recognized that scar on your eyebrow from when he dared you to jump off the swing, teasing you that you didn’t have the guts.

(“you’re bleeding!” he cried, tears effortlessly falling down his face as you cried along with him.)

if he wasn’t so close, he wouldn’t have been able to see it. 

“yes?” you asked, tone way politer than it was back in first grade.

donghyuck almost forgot why he even approached you, distracted by how the sun created a halo around you. his heart sped up, maybe you weren’t y/n. he didn’t remember you looking this pretty.

“you need to go to the back of the line,” he finally said.

you furrowed your brows, head tilting. “why…” your voice trailed off, a hint in your voice saying that your question wasn’t applying to what he just said.

he grinned seeing the gears turning in your head. “‘cause I was here first.”

if possible, the sun shone brighter, acting as the lightbulb that went off in your head.

“donghyuck?” 

“are you sure you’re free today?” he asked, eyeing the basket in your hand.

you nodded, “yeah. I was planning to enjoy this meal in the park since it’s such a nice day out today.”

“by yourself?” he asked, raising a brow.

“can’t tell if you’re judging me, but yes, by myself.”

“I’m not,” he paused, “intruding on a date with yourself?”

you stopped walking, turning to look to your left like someone was there, “hey y/n, are you okay with this?”

you stepped to the left, looking to your right, “yeah, I’m good, what about you?”

stepping back to the right, you frowned to your left, “I don’t know.” you looked back at donghyuck’s amused eyes, “he hasn’t contacted us in five years, should he really eat lunch with us?”

for the last time, you stepped to the left, “just don’t give him the cake.”

with a nod, you stepped in front of donghyuck, “myself and I think it’s okay.”

“lee donghyuck!” three boys shouted, attracting the attention of the people trying to enjoy a peaceful day at the park.

his eyes widened, looking over at your cheeky smile. 

“maybe I lied,” you giggled. 

and before he could think about the butterflies that erupted in his stomach when he heard the sound, the aforementioned three boys attacked him with slaps on the backs, words overlapping each other. 

“where have you been?”

“you do have a phone, right?”

“why are you avoiding us?”

“did you move back here?”

“are you visiting?”

“guys!” you yelled, catching the attention of the boys, “whoever’s barbecuing might want to check on the food, it’s smelling a bit burnt.”

“and-” you interrupted yourself, laughing at the untold story.

donghyuck didn’t mind, he was busy processing the noise, still not used to the fluttering in his stomach. your laugh resonated in his ears and harmonized with the chirps of the birds. it left him with a stomach full of giddiness.

“it would help if you finished your story,” renjun pointed out, taking a bite of his food.

you waved him off, “I will, I will!”

you continued your tale, recounting countless shenanigans that he missed in the past five years like when jaemin got bombarded with pom poms because he accidentally walked into the girl’s locker room.

(“I guess that’s one way to get their attention,” you laughed.

“it was my first week there! how was I supposed to know they were lying to me?”

“maybe read the signs?” renjun suggested.)

or when jeno had to reject a guy because he slipped a confession letter into the wrong locker. 

(“what a heartbreaker,” jaemin tsked, receiving a glare from jeno. 

“the letter didn’t even have his name on the paper!”)

or when renjun almost blew up the school during chemistry because he refused to listen to his lab partner. 

(“he wanted to impress her,” jeno commented.

“spoiler alert, it failed,” you added.

“she thought I was dumb,” renjun frowned.)

or when you tackled a random stranger, thinking he was the one who pranked you.

“he’s my boyfriend, now.”

did he mishear that?

“right now,” you pouted, plushed  beautifully under the sun’s rays, “he’s abroad in europe.”

“he’ll be back in two days, don’t worry,” jaemin reassured you, patting you on the back.

your eyes held all the stars in the galaxy when you talked about pandas, your favorite animal, and donghyuck thought that that was the only time your eyes would ever put the stars to shame. 

he was wrong.

as you were spewing out stories about your boyfriend, your eyes made him think that he was looking through a telescope, staring up at the night sky. you held a shy smile, melting donghyuck’s heart to mush. 

but then those words echoed in his mind. 

he’s my boyfriend.

they swirled in his mind, traveling down his spine and coiling around his heart like a snake. it crushed him, leaving a pool of disappointment in his chest. he shouldn’t be disappointed.

he looked at your practically glowing figure. your cheeks were faint with red, your lips softer than the blanket on your lap, your hands looking too heavy for you to hold, but you weren’t his. 

“we’re just friends,” he breathed out, words blending with the wind. they were heavier than he remembered, bitter as he let it rest on his tongue. thankfully, no one heard him. except you, of course.

“did you say something?” you asked him, almost swearing that you saw his mouth move.

he blinked, “what?”

you furrowed your brows, “nothing, I thought you had something to say.”

donghyuck shook his head, heart palpitating with your eyes intensely analyzing him. he took a bite of his food, hoping that you wouldn’t bother him now that he was occupied with chewing. and you did, dropping the topic and continuing on about the adventures you had with jeno, jaemin, renjun and- he doesn’t know your boyfriend’s name. 

he scoffed silently to himself, he’ll find out later. he’s bound to hear the guy’s name again, anyway.

donghyuck found it funny how he left the picnic early to get his mind off of you, yet here he was, strolling behind you with the shopping cart filled with various junk foods. it was almost two in the morning, but he couldn’t say no to you, not when he could practically see your cute pout through the phone. 

you hopped on the colored tiles scattered on the floor, humming along to some tune playing in your head. your eyes roamed over the sweet treats on the shelves, and he chuckled when you pointed out that the aisle was labeled as spices. donghyuck thought it was unfair that you seemed to shine no matter the time of day, even under the dimly lit grocery store lamps. he sighed, especially under the dimly lit grocery store lamps.

with a gasp, you grabbed a box of cookies from the shelf, waving them in his face. “it’s your favorite cookies!” you teased.

he hated those cookies. 

“actually, I’m already going with someone to the dance.”

the girl shook her head, pushing the cookies back to him, “who-”

“you got me cookies?” you squealed, appearing out of nowhere and taking the box of cookies from him.

“actually-” his admirer started, trying to take back the gift from you.

you ignored the girl, ripping opening the box and stuffing one in your mouth.

“thanks hyuck!”

“is she the one your taking to the dance?” the other girl sneered, looking at you with a glare.

he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, smiling fondly at you as you giddily ate the cookies you knew he didn’t like. “well yeah, she’s my girl friend.” 

and you looked at him with a mouth full of cookies and cheeks flushed red. you nodded, “yep, he’s my boyfriend.”

he chuckled, his thumb wiping away the crumbs on your face. “you’re not going to leave any cookies for me?” he teased.

while he meant for the label to be platonic (simply a girl who’s a friend), donghyuck knew that his classmate took it romantically. and he almost went along with it, but when jaemin asked him if the two of you were finally dating, he laughed it off. ‘we’re just friends.’ he ignored the discontent in his stomach and how empty it felt when you shrugged off his arm.

regret clouded his mind, forcing another memory into his brain.

“my family is waiting for me in the car,” donghyuck chuckled, your arms locked in place.

“let them wait,” you frowned, words muffled by his shirt.

“I got to get going.”

your grip tightened and you told him three words that he acted like he didn’t hear.

“I love you,” he blurted.

your smile dropped, along with your arms. you stared at him with confused eyes and backed up three steps.

“remember when that girl told me that?” he quickly added, the seed of regret growing, continuously gnawing away at his heart with each second that passed by, “she made a banner and everything.”

silence.

you could see through him, you always did. that made his heart pound even more. you were just staring at him.

“I have a boyfriend.” your voice was level despite the wavering in your eyes and the tense scrunch of your shoulders. 

he swallowed, hesitant to speak. “I know.”

donghyuck clenched his jaw, he knew that. he didn’t need another reminder that he was too late. he didn’t need another reminder that he should’ve confessed to you before he left. he didn’t need another reminder that you moved on. 

“I...I have to go.”

you left him there, surrounded by boxes of sweet snacks in an aisle labeled as spices. 

[risthebrave]

okay so i was going to send in an ask for the director’s cut thing, but there were too many fics i wanted to ask about 😭 i’ll send them in but PLEASE keep in mind you don’t have to do them all i feel bad dmfjsjf

move so pretty (you’re all i see), sleeping on our problems, works like a charm, just a flicker in the dark, and sweet like honey

ahhh omg thank you for sending these in! i’m so sorry for how long it took to get out - i may have forgotten about it shjkskss also i don’t mind talking about all of them but i’m definitely going to keep each one short. you can find them under the cut:

move so pretty (you’re all i see) ~

this fic was started initially when i was doing word prompts using curiouscat! people would send me words and i’d write a quick little drabble/snippet... they’re typically around 300-ish words but i got the word “owns,” and maybe got a bit carried away? i think that prompt ended up being 1k words - too long to post using cc so i had to take screenshots and post as separate tweet. 

the idea that came to me was something i love to read in fics: one of them walking in on the other masturbating. i didn’t intend for it to become anything more than that snippet but i what can i say? i got intrigued. my brain helpfully provided a backstory: best friends, harry maybe having feelings for louis but not wanting to ruin their friendship... 

fast-forward three days and i posted an 11k fic shjssks

this was my first attempt at writing a pwp so that was an interesting experience!!! i’m too obsessed with giving backstories and arcs to ever write just pure smut but this is the closest i’ve gotten??? 5.5k/11k being smut, that is. and for once coming up with the title wasn’t too hard because there’s one song i always think of when it comes to best friends to lovers and that’s lucky!! 

i don’t really know what else to say for this one! i remember sarah and i both wrote and posted pwps in a short span of each other so that was fun... she’s actually the one who motivated me to finish and post this fic instead of just letting the idea go. and her dog ended up in the story: chica <3 my absolute favorite <3333

sleeping on our problems ~

welp. this fic was a struggle for a long time. idk if i’ve talked about it on this blog but this fic was initially an exes to lovers fic!!! where they spent harry’s rut together right before breaking up and then louis finds out he’s pregnant and angst ensues. 

changing it to a one-night stand (even though it wasn’t only one night shjksks) ended up being a really good decision in the way that this new version of the story required a lot less angst and reflection of their past relationship, choices, actions!! that first fic was going to be a lot heavier i think shjsks but i really love how it turned out!!

barring the main tropes, the progression of the story and the outline itself changed so. much. in the process of writing... i found an earlier saved version of my outline and the story is almost completely unrecognizable haha. and actually the most recent saved version of the outline is also not 100% accurate to the final story because for the last 10k of the story, i was flying completely free shjsksk. 

also, even after i finished the fic, i went back and added two scenes the next day so it’s safe to say i changed so much of this story -- it was never supposed to be that long either hsjsksk the goal was 48-50k and i thought i was being optimistic!

somewhat in the same vein but also really different: this fic was one of the first fics i ever wrote out of order! before this, i had switched around maybe a couple times when writing a fic but mostly stuck to chronological order. but in this one i kept getting stuck with certain scenes and decided that i’d never reach my goal of finishing unless i switched to parts of the story i had the inspiration to write in the moment instead of getting stuck on one single part i had no motivation for. it really helped the process and i’ve been switching around ever since. 

another thing that really helped me actually finish this fic was the motivation and encouragement of people on twitter and i’m still so appreciative of it now :’) there’s no way i could have finished this fic without the kind words and well wishes of my mutuals!!

(also - i included an easter egg in this fic from another one of my fics... i suppose that’s sort of the type of insight that fits for these things? the ballet louis and harry saw in new york was swan lake <3)

works like a charm ~

ooo i wrote this fic for my friend’s birthday!! she loves hp aus and slytherin hl so it was just a given that i write that for her. i was on a deadline - pretty sure i made the doc on september 4th, aka nine days before i posted - and i hadn’t had my full outline done when i started which is is... let’s just say very uncommon. 

this is another example of me going off outline and changing the story as i went because initially the estimation was about 12k and the basic plot was that after they’d fuck for the first time, they’d immediately talk about the past and resolve those misunderstandings. but when i got to that point, i realized it felt too rushed for how the story was progressing so i extended it a bit and added some more *tension* and *miscommunication* until they finally got their shit together!

also i feel like some would find louis’ blatant lies when interrogated about his feelings for harry to be unrealistic but as someone who has definitely done the exact same thing (lmao - without the happy ending), i find it a definite possibility. and i mean, we all say stuff we don’t mean under pressure - whether it’s to louis’ (and my) extent or not. 

another thing i remember about this fic was having to work out with sarah - who was also posting a fic for this friend’s birthday - posting times and dates. we eventually agreed that she’d post first and i’d post the day after (neither were the actual day of the birthday because we were both running late!) this is a conversation we proceeded to have many other times since we both have made habits of birthday fics and we pretty much have the same friends. 

all of this was also happening in sync with us writing a fic together for our other friend’s birthday which was on the 8th... yes it was exactly as chaotic and stressful as you’re thinking but also fun! and i love all three fics involved!! haha. 

just a flicker in the dark ~

okay this fic is definitely my favorite thing i’ve ever written and i’ve said that before many, many times but it’s true! but it too changed so much from the initial idea to the final end product. 

in fact, the original idea was a 20k somewhat-crack fic where harry was a ghost and louis was the paranormal investigator trying to get him to stop haunting this house. it was just supposed to be a quick and fun halloween fic to work on while finishing up my first blff and finally making head way on my abandoned second blff... obviously, that changed drastically. 

it initially started with me getting the idea of louis and harry being partners and enemies. and then i was thinking... why not throw exes on top of it while we’re there??? that was completely self-indulgent since exes to lovers is my favorite trope of all time. but the idea was still that they were paranormal investigators trying to work a case on a haunted house and though the estimated wc had raised to 35k, i was still hoping that it’d be quick and easy because i had two other projects that needed a lot of my attention. 

then came the first day of october. i woke up after having the craziest dream about louis and harry and the ghost that was not really a ghost. i ended up writing about 7k that thursday and the story really just took shape from there. the first sequence i wrote was actually the scene where louis goes into the backyard and ends up in the pocket dimension where the spirit imprints on him - i think it was a 3.5k scene and it just flew out of me sjksjsk. after that i took a small break to start my outline but it was more of a messy list of ideas and details and things i wanted to include than my usual organized format. the next scene i wrote that day was the scene where louis is in the bedroom and the demon is there but harry is not but then he is (i’m so good at describing things, right?) that’s actually one of my favorite scenes i’ve ever written and the funny thing is that i barely even knew all the details of the demon plot by this point but my hands just kept typing and my brain had the tendrils of the story forming and that amazing feeling that this is something good. 

i could ramble on forever about the process of writing this fic but i’ll just say that it’s the most fun i’ve ever had writing anything ever. word-building and supernatural elements are my favorite and getting to delve into those things here was so much fun! the entire process took twenty-five days (spanning from october 1st to october 28th - with a small three day break to focus on finishing miss wedding au!!) and though i did have some small struggles and moments of writer’s block, for the most part the story just came to me. and it’s so amazing to me because i didn’t even have all the details and facets of the plot until louis did too but it ended up working out??? if anything, it showed his process of figuring things out really well because it was the process of me figuring things out!

also this was the first time i heavily featured a fic pet in a fic and i fell as much in love with venus as everyone else did :’) she has my heart, truly <3 i love this world and these characters so so much and i hope to return to it sometime in the future!

sweet like honey ~

whooo, okay, this fic... yikes. this fic was a capital s Struggle. 

so basically this fic was written for the blff and though it came out first, it was the second prompt i signed up for, prompt 63: Friends to lovers AU where Harry and Louis are best friends and flatmates in Uni and they both need money, Harry for his gym membership and Louis for cute stuff like sanrio plushies, so they decide to film homemade porn videos together. Louis is shy and sweet and maybe inexperienced and Harry kinda doms him.

i remember the exact moment i saw the blff post on tumblr about it being allowed to sign up for another prompt from that point on - i was sitting at the counter at my friend’s ranch’s kitchen eating crepes and browsing on my phone. i saw the post and immediately signed up for this prompt because it had been my second choice and though i love love loved my first prompt so much, i was disappointed at not being able to write this one... but i did!

the idea and basic outline was actually completed way back in july/august but for some reason i just couldn’t make any actual progress on it for so long??? i’m pretty sure the document was stuck at 5k for over three months shsjksks to be fair, i did keep pushing it to the side in favor of other newer fics but i was just experiencing the biggest barrier when it came to this story and characters. 

in fact, i actually reached out to the mods in late october about a potential extension - they informed me that all writers could use a two week extension if needed and i figured that would be fine. however, i didn’t end up using it! within the first few days of november, i managed to pull the wc up to 8k by the skin of my teeth (was still majorly struggling) - i was still sure i’d need an extension but then something really awful but in this case, helpful, happened... 

election week. 

basically, i’m a big stress-writer. writing is what i do when i’m upset or anxious or stressed because it truly is my happy place. i wouldn’t say writing during that week made me feel much better about everything going on but it provided a distraction. so much though that i went from 8k to 24k in the span of a few days... and i have absolutely no recollection of writing any of it. 

not only did i not need any extension, i also somehow ended up finishing early by a few days. and i really liked what i had!! or what i remembered of it anyway shjskks.

one thing i remember really focusing on in terms of these characters and dynamic was having it actually just be them starting as friends and developing feelings later. i feel like a common trope in friends to lovers fics is having one or both of them with pre-existing feelings that they feel is unrequited. obviously there’s nothing wrong with that (i’ve written it myself lol) and it’s a common trope for a reason - because it’s good - but i wanted to try something a little different. them actually filming these videos is what acted as the catalyst to them beginning to view their relationship with new eyes and open the door to the eventual feelings that developed. 

i also had so much fun writing harry’s pov in this one haha. i feel like this version of him was really bold and shameless and super easy for me to develop. 

this is also the closest i’ve ever gotten to meeting my estimation word count... ever. my estimate was 32k and it ended up at 33k!!! and yes i’m more proud of that than i should be lol

-

anyways, i pretty much just rambled but if anyone sees this and gets some good insight out of it, then yay! feel free to send more director’s cut inquiries!! i love doing them (even if it takes me weeks - sorry again!)

[meganshinsou-tm]

Sugarcoated. (m)

↳ chapter twenty-one: late

❧ genre: pro-hero hitoshi, adoptive siblings, happy ending

❧ chapter warnings: angst

[multi-chap masterlist] [previous chapter - next chapter]

"Are you serious Hitoshi?"

A set of small ruby red eyes turned and looked at you from the kitchen counter. You froze from the blank expression the little girl held and asked Hitoshi to give you a minute as you walked over to Eri. She was standing on her stool, hands molding a dumpling. Mustering up the best smile you could you bent down to kiss the top of her head.

"These look great Eri. Will you be okay if a just step right outside for a second?"

The silver haired child nodded and smiled. After patting her head you slipped on some boots and a coat before walking out the front door and putting the cell back to your ear.

"Hitoshi, for once you can't just bring everything home and work on it after dinner? I'll even help you."

There was a drawn out sigh on the other end of the line, you could practically picture Hitoshi rubbing his forehead. "I wish I could baby but it's a lot. I have to get all these projects graded and done before the break, there's too many pieces and I don't want to risk bringing them home and something happening to them and then having to explain why someone's sculpture or canvas got ruined."

Your eyes narrowed and foot tapped on the concrete.

"So you rather leave me to explain why you're late again to your little sister, on the one night she begged for you to be home because she wanted to make something special for you?"

"That was tonight?"

You rolled your eyes and sighed in aggravation.

"Oh my god, yes it was tonight! Hitoshi she's only with us for another week!"

"I know - I got my days mixed up I'm sorry. I'll try to finish this fast and make it home."

You shook your head as if Hitoshi were standing before you.

"Don't worry about it Hitoshi, I'll go in there and break the news to her and deal with it like I have been for the past month. Your leftovers with be in the fridge as usual. Love you."

Before Hitoshi could even reply with his usual spouts of making it up to you the call ended. Now facing the door, you wiped the tear that threatened to fall and stood straight, preparing for a night alone with Eri yet again but you wouldn't let it get to you and you damn sure wouldn't let it get to her. Tonight you'd make sure that she would go to bed with a smile on her face.

Once inside you shrugged off the boots and coat and walked over to Eri, still happily making dumplings. You stood back and watched, wanting to keep her happy for a little while longer.

This wasn't the first time Hitoshi had to cancel plans or come home late from work, it was usually a once a week thing. After he first started he'd spend his Thursday nights at school, grading, sorting, recollecting over the weeks work before Friday brought it to a close. Of course you were very understanding of this. It was easier for Hitoshi to do all of this at school and not have to haul it back and forth from home. Being a teacher to so many students you expected nights like those and never once complained. Hitoshi was an extremely hard worker and was very passionate about his career and students. It was okay - at least when it was only once a week.

Over the past month though, these nights became more frequent and more unexpected. At first it didn't bother you, the holiday break was nearing, meaning final exams. All the teachers in fact were cracking down and working harder, sometimes they'd even have group nights and help each other with lesson plans or figure out which students needed what assistance then go out for drinks and food after. 

Still you were okay with this, but you couldn't get rid of the seed of jealousy that grew in the back of your mind, knowing that Claire Amano was among these teachers. It was just that though, jealousy. You were trusting of Hitoshi and since the festival you never once doubted him again, he never once gave you any reason to do so. But just the thought of that one woman being able to spend time with Hitoshi, time that was taken not only from you but from Eri, it ate away at you.

Eri would be leaving the two of you to go back home in a week, so spending as much time as possible with her was your priority and it should've been Hitoshi's too.

"Unnie?"

An innocent voice sliced through your aggravated thoughts and caused you to look up at the little girl who was now turned and looking at you with question. You cleared your throat and tried to smile for her, making your way to the counter.

"Eri," you started with a soft and quiet tone, getting ready to break the news.

A small messy hand grabbed yours and made you look her in the eyes.

"I know...," Eri replied.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, I promise though he's going to make it up to you, to both of us! We'll just have a fun night together by ourselves."

A smile grew on the child's face, making you smile back and squeeze her tiny hand.

"Yeah! We can even have all my plushies eat with us, so our table is full!"

You chuckled and nodded, took your phone out and started to play your favorite k-pop station, setting the device far enough away so it wouldn't get dirty as the two of you made more dumplings and food.

"That sounds perfect, I want to sit between RJ and Koya though!"

For the next few hours the two of you made and cooked dinner, sat down together will all of Eri's BT21 plushies and enjoyed your meal. After, the food was put up, a plate set aside for Hitoshi as usual, you both proceeded to the couch to watch tv. Eri expressed how much fun she had been having over the past almost 3 months, that she missed her father but having you and Hitoshi always made her cheer up. She was sad to be leaving in a few days and seemed to cling to you more and more as the night dragged on. Once 7:30 pm rolled around you suggested it was time for her bath and for bed. After Eri's bath, you sat together in her bed, braiding her hair as she yawned in your lap.

"Unnie ... when I leave, we'll still see each other right?"

"Of course Eri, in fact I made your brother promise that you stay with us at least two weekends a month!"

The little girl smiled as you finished her hair and hugged her close before having her crawl beneath the covers. Crouching down you made sure to tuck her in nice and snug, tickling her sides here and there and earning innocent and cheerful giggles. Her tiny hand reached out to touch your cheek and you took it, placing a kiss to the inside of her palms and brushing a stray hair from her face.

"I love you Unnie," she spoke softly with heavy ruby eyes.

"I love you more my little cupcake. Now get some rest and I'll see you in the morning."

Eri nodded and snuggled more into her blankets with a hum. You stood straight and walked to the door, hand turning off the bedroom light and leaving it illuminated by her nightlight.

"Will you tell Sou-Sou I love him," she turned over and asked.

Your heart pained at her request, knowing good and well you'd do it but that you shouldn't have to if only her brother were here like he said he'd be. With a nod you smiled and blew her one last kiss.

"Of course I will, goodnight Eri."

Hitoshi's black jeep pulled up in front of the house at around 9 o'clock. Turning the engine off he wasted no time in getting out, gathering his work bag and heading up the walking path to the front door. His key slid into the lock and he opened the door, his violet hues scanning the kitchen and living room until they fell upon your legs hanging over the back of the couch and bouncing as you laid upside down on the cushion. He smirked at your cuteness and was relieved to see you still up. Ever since you ended the phone call earlier he was anxious to finally get home and make it up to you in any way possible. 

After removing his shoes and jacket, Hitoshi walked over to the the couch, his hand reaching down and tickling the arch of your foot and making you jump and kick with a yelp.

He snickered, realizing you had headphones in and probably didn't hear him entering the house. Your (e/c) eyes went from frightened to annoyed in no time upon realizing who he was. His hand went to touch the top of your foot but you quickly kicked it away and rolled on the couch until you were looking away from the hero. Hitoshi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he walked around the couch.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry I know I fucked up."

You scoffed and removed the headphones fully and placed them on the end-table. Hitoshi sat before you on the ottoman, a small bouquet of flowers in his grasp. Your eyebrow quirked at them in confusion.

"Hitoshi, where the fuck did you get flowers at this late?"

He chuckled and twisted the bundle around in his hand, "I may have found a florist closing up shop and used my quirk to make him open it back up for a few more minutes ..."

Try as you may not to make a sound, it didn't work. You chortled lightly, hand quickly coming up to cup your mouth when Hitoshi looked with a hopeful smile. It quickly faded as your expression turned to one of annoyance once again.

"Look I know they won't make you forgive me but - "

"Me forgive you? Hitoshi I'm not the one you should be trying to make up to, it's that little girl in there, not me. Yeah I'm pissy about this, but not for the reasons you think. It's the fact that she spent all day after school so excited to go grocery shopping for things to cook just for you, because she knows you've been stressed with work lately and wanted to do something for you. She handmade that food for you. And the sad thing is, I didn't even have to tell her you were going to be late, again. She already knew. You're trying to butter up the wrong person here."

Hitoshi sat there as you landed blow for blow. He already felt like shit over upsetting you and you made sure that he felt lower than scum about Eri as well. Lately, you had been the backbone of the household. Being more understanding and patient than you needed to be with his job, taking care of Eri all alone on the nights he didn't get home on time and still making sure to leave a plate of food out for him. Without you he'd be drowning right now in more stress than he already had and each day he was grateful to still have you stick it out with him. More than anything he was grateful for how much you truly cared for his sister, always putting her before yourself or him.

"I swear I'll make it up to her tomorrow, and you. I truly am sorry baby, my days got mixed up, I swear I'd never intentionally fuck up this bad."

You sighed and shrugged, standing to your feet before him, causing Hitoshi to look up at you like a begging peasant at your mercy.

"I know you will, I know you are and I know you wouldn't. I really do understand that right now work is hectic and some things are out of your control Hitoshi and that shit happens. But maybe just for the rest of Eri's time here you can try to be a little more - available?"

Hitoshi's purple eyes saddened at the sound of his own girlfriend having to even ask him to do such a thing as give her and his sister more of himself. He tried not to let it get to him though because in fact something else was going on behind your back that hopefully once it all came full circle you'd forgive him for all the shit he'd been putting you through. To keep up with appearances Hitoshi sighed, head hanging low. There were hands in his hair suddenly, running from the front to the back of his scalp and causing him to look up. His arms wrapped around your thighs, hugging you close as his cheek rested on your stomach.

"Your food is in the fridge. I'm going to shower and get ready for bed," you spoke as your hands disappeared, one slowly falling down to caress Hitoshi's cheek as he let go and you turned to walk away.

Hitoshi got up and sighed, finding his food and reheating it, taking his time to finish it all in silence, left alone with nothing but his thoughts on how he could make things better. When he finished, Hitoshi locked up the house and turned off all the lights, he grabbed the flowers and made his way down the hall and stopped before Eri's door and quietly opened it. Walking in he smiled as she slept peacefully. Sitting the flowers down on her nightstand, he bent over and placed a kiss to her hair and whispered that he loved her before slipping back out. 

Hitoshi made it to the bedroom and started to strip off his clothes as he went towards the bathroom. You were standing at the sink, brushing your teeth, not being bothered at all by his sudden appearance. He came up from behind, one hand cupping the side of your face as he placed a kiss to your cheek before going into the shower, disappearing as he rounded the corner of it.

After brushing your teeth you stood there, hands on the counter and watching as the water circled around the drain of the sink, washing away the foam you spit out from the toothpaste. Your heart pained a little from continuously not giving Hitoshi too much attention. This wasn't like you. 

Usually the second he walked through the door he was attacked by you with over zealous kisses and needy hugs, even on nights he was late. But tonight was different, of all nights why did it have to be this one. You needed to stand your ground and make sure Hitoshi knew he hurt Eri but maybe enough was enough. Your boyfriend may be dumb when it comes to a few things about relationships but he's not completely ignorant. Once he's made aware of dumb minute things he does he never forgets it. Hitoshi doesn't need to be scolded or shunned, he doesn't need long drawn out talks. He learns his lesson and very quick.

Wiping your mouth you quickly walked into the shower, stopping at the corner and peeking your head around it. Hitoshi was standing under the rainfall of water, soaking his violet hair before turning around. He wiped the water from his face and blinked upon seeing you.

"What is it baby?"

"I love you," you replied and pressed your cheek to the cool rock wall.

Hitoshi softly smiled and stepped out from under the shower head until he was face to face with you. Your hands came up to cup the others opposite cheek, foreheads pressing against each other. "I love you more."

The two of you finally kissed each other for the first time since he arrived home and it felt like you could breathe easily again. The tightness in your chest dissipating as his lips warmly enveloped your own, hugging them and trying to convey how sorry he was for his fuck up. It came across clear as crystal and you smiled when the kiss broke. He smiled back and kissed your forehead.

"Get in bed, I'll be there shortly."

You nodded and kissed him one last time before exiting the shower and going to find warmth under the thick blankets of the bed. As you sat and waited, your mood turned sour quickly all over again. 

Mind starting to wonder like it does every night: Eri leaves in a few days, you don't have a job lined up, Hitoshi keeps coming home late, what if something is wrong with you, is there someone else? 

Of course there was no one else, Hitoshi wasn't that type of guy, you knew he loved you to death, you knew that. 

But there was just so much stress lately, trying to hold yourself together for his and Eri's sake was starting to become overbearing and making you think irrationally. That tightness in your chest slowly started to return and you curled up, knees hugging close to your chest and burying your face in them. You were becoming prisoner in your own mind over the next few minutes until the sound of a light switch flicking off caught your ear. You couldn't dare look up, too afraid that seeing Hitoshi's face would just make you break from how fucking much you missed it.

There was a weight next to you now, the smell of Hitoshi's peppery body wash filling your senses as he crawled next to you. His hand rubbed at your back, the other down your shin. Just his touch was starting to make tears pool in the corners of your eyes and your body trembled, trying to hold back a sob.

"Shit," he breathed out before quickly grabbing a hold of your body and cradling it into his chest and lap.

All at once you started to cry into his chest, trying to cover your own face. He rocked back and forth, pressing kisses to your hair and rubbing your back and shoulders. Not once did he try to shush or quiet your cries, he just let you be.

Once again, Hitoshi was intelligent. He knew your tell tale signs of a breakdown, knew how hard you tried to not let it show how the world was wearing down on you and knew that in due time you'd finally submit to letting it all finally come flooding out like it needed to. And when that happened, he was always there. All in all, Hitoshi was a wonderful boyfriend, full of unconditional love and adoration, nurturing and understanding. Sure he may have his dumb moments, but there was so much of him that made up for it.

"I'm sorry Hitoshi," you choked out.

"There's nothing to be sorry for (Y/N)."

"I was too harsh on you earlier, on the phone. And then when you got home, I just got so upset and I shouldn't have, I know work is crazy right now and still I had - "

Hitoshi chuckled and kissed your head, "Alright first off, shut your mouth. Baby, you've been more understanding and patient with me than you should be. I deserved that ass-chewing. Sometimes I don't deserve you. You're here taking care of Eri, making sure she's where she needs to be, as well as cooking, cleaning, helping with her homework, loving my dumbass enough to still leave me food out and show me affection even on nights I'm late. I know you can only take so much and I'm so sorry that I didn't think more about how it's piling up on you. But I know that can't be the only thing that's beating you up, what else is going on?"

Your head shook in his chest and Hitoshi rolled his eyes. His hand went to remove your own from your face and made you look up at him. 

"(Y/N), we talked about this, communication remember? It's okay, you can tell me anything, you know that."

You tried to look away from his violet hues but Hitoshi held your chin, "Eyes on me sweetness."

"Toshi," you finally sighed and looked at him, "... there isn't someone else right? I'm still the only one ..."

Hitoshi blinked in surprise and you hurried to explain yourself, "I - I just need to hear it."

Massive hands were soon holding your face, Hitoshi's eyes softening as he shook his head.

"(Y/N), of course you're still the only one, and you'll always be the only one. I swear on my life! There is no one else, no one but you. I know I've been shitty lately but I swear I'd never fuck up something so good and precious in my life. I don't ever want anyone but you, you're mine forever, you're gonna have to deal with that!"

A smile tugged at your lips and Hitoshi kissed the corner of your mouth, making the smile grow gradually as he continued to kiss all over your face. He didn't care about the salty tears, only that he could wipe them away. You wrapped around his neck and body, hugging him close and nuzzling your face in his neck. He hugged back and kissed the side of your head and pressed his cheek to it.

"I love you so goddamn much and I promise it'll get better."

"I just miss you so much," you breathed out.

"I know you do baby, trust me, I miss you even more. It's only until school lets out. Then you'll have all my time and even when work starts back up, I'll manage my shit more wisely. It's just a bump and we'll get over it. We always do."

You nodded and pulled back, a hand coming up and touching his cheek. "Okay Toshi."

The man smiled and kissed your lips tenderly, letting you melt into him once again. He chuckled and ran a hand through your hair before the two of you started to nestle under the covers together, bodies wrapping and intertwining with each other, lips still feverishly kissing. His arms held you close, your hands flat on his chest as your kisses started to die down. Hitoshi leaned over to turn off the lamp and let you burrow into him, a content hum leaving your lips.

"Get some rest sweetness, we got a full day together tomorrow and I plan on spoiling the fuck out of you and Eri."

"Toshi, you can't just win us over with gifts," you mumbled with a sleepy smile.

Hitoshi chuckled and kissed your forehead, "What about with food, lots of it!"

"Mmm, maybe."

Shaking his head, Hitoshi's fingers lightly brushed over your eyelids, shutting them.

"Goodnight my little halfling, I love you."

[whirlwindflux]

Undersea Adventure: TrotCon 2018

TrotCon is a little special to me - it’s my local Brony Convention. When I say my local Brony convention, I say it with a little bit of sarcasm. At 6 hours away by car from my home in Ontario, most people wouldn't classify it as local, but it is the closest one in operation to where I live! I like a good road-trip and navigating to Columbus is fairly simple and straightforward.

I know it has been more than a month since the convention, but here is how my weekend went! Continue below for a large wall of text!

Last year was my first visit to TrotCon and if you read my weekend review of TrotCon 2017, you’d know I had a fantastic weekend! I was worried that maybe my expectations were set too high and 2018 wouldn't be as awesome as TrotCon of past, but I am proud to report, the weekend was as great as I had hoped it to be! Good news, even with BronyCon and GalaCon occurring the next weekend, attendance stayed level, with new and old faces alike at about 800. For those of you wondering if you saw me during the weekend, I was the guy carrying around either the life-size Blackjack or Little Pip plushie.

Before talking about the convention, I want to talk about the weather we had during the weekend - to say it was wet would be an understatement. It almost felt as if the weather knew the convention theme and wanted to play along. Heavy rain, high humidity, and the sound of cell phone emergency alerts for flood warnings could be heard throughout the weekend. Not sure if anyone else had this problem, but humidity levels in my guest room at the Crowne Plaza were so high that any paper based merch I purchased ended up curling something fierce. No doubt, it was the perfect weekend to be inside, at a convention being held in a hotel with attached convention space.

With good weather while on the road Thursday and no rivers to drive through this year, I arrived in Columbus at 3pm and was able to check in and make my way up to my room. I've always been a fan of the little touches, and the room keys were customized again this year, with a cool play on the con theme and the movie Jaws. The Thursday afternoon/evening LobbyCon experience this year felt a little muted (possibly due to other events going on in the hotel) in comparison to last year, but overall it was easy to find your friends and wait for pre-registration pickup to start.

I learned last year that it was a good idea to get in line early - so I did, and it payed off! I was able to collect my sponsor loot chest and make my way back to my room for the night. Of all the cons I have attended, TrotCon gets top marks for sponsor perks and presentation. This year, the sponsor perks were presented in beautiful hand-stained, customized and packed wooden chests. With all prepaid perks inside and some surprises, this presentation is one of my favourite things about being a sponsor for TrotCon! Also, love the design of the cool tie-dye shirt, it’s unique and stands out in a crowd! I couldn’t believe how many I saw the weekend after at BronyCon! Can’t wait to see what awesome ideas are in the works for next year!

This year, Friday started right on time with Opening Ceremonies. This included the public reveal of the first half of this year’s comic, introductions to our weekend VIP’s and welcoming Guests of Honour. Somehow, I already knew we were in for a great time! Just as the raffle started, I figured it would be a good idea to step out and get my Guest of Honour signatures before the onslaught of long lines later in the weekend. Not only was I able to get right into the autograph lines, they were short, meaning I was able to have a great little chat with everyone present! While TrotCon only invites a few show staff guests, it seems they pick ones that are ready to party and enjoy the weekend to its fullest! Originally I had blocked off a lot of time to get these signatures and ultimately didn't need it. This meant more time for me to browse the Vendor hall, Traveling Pony Museum, Video game room and catch up with friends before my next scheduled event.

As I had a sponsor badge, I was able to attend the sponsor only pool noodle fencing and dueling class. Since the numbers were kept small, it was easy to have a few turns at each to get a feel for it all. Unfortunately, what I learned was I had no aptitude for either, but all in all, had good fun with it. I am glad that more live action events are being tried, explored and added to the weekend - it’s an awesome addition that adds to the TrotCon experience!

Later on, I took some time to stop in at the Canterlot Art Institute panel, getting an easy to understand lesson on expression and pose in drawing. While I have a technique that works for me when drawing, learning from people who have much more experience is always welcome! I find the process of other artists and their techniques very interesting as they always have little tips and tricks that can make a big difference!

The remainder of my Friday night was spent listening to some great live music in the Main Events hall. Although there seemed to be a few issues with sound-check at the beginning which delayed the start of the event, the AV team was determined in getting things sounding right and they did a great job! A shout-out to everyone who performed and everyone behind the scenes that made it possible. Thank you for all that you do!

While Friday was quite chaotic and busy, most of Saturday was quite a bit more laid back and straightforward. Starting my day in the vendor hall, I was able to talk with many wonderful artists and creators. Beyond making purchases, I’ve always found a lot of inspiration in talking with others about their craft and process. Fun fact: It was last year at TrotCon that I was encouraged to try making plushies - it has become one of my favourite hobbies!

The Saturday schedule was perfectly designed with 3 back to back panels I wanted to attend in the Main Events hall. First up was a 2018 variant of one of my favourite events from last year, the panel featuring Heather Breckel. With no particular theme or description, you never know what type of discussion will start! It’s a laid back discussion about comics, art and video games - what more could you ask for? Next up was a voice actors panel featuring Kyle and Lauren. All of our questions were answered by the voice actors of our favourite reformed changeling and student six hippogriff. This discussion was fun and light with Lauren and Kyle playing well off each other! With time flying fast, Elley-Ray and Brenda now took the stage, and while I didn’t know it at the beginning, this would soon be my favourite panel of the weekend! The best way I can describe this panel is that it was food for the soul. A discussion of love, passion, friendship and positivity. By the end of the panel, you felt spiritually recharged! Both Elley-Ray and Brenda had so much knowledge to share with the audience and played off each other perfectly. Before any of us knew it, the panel was over and it was time to find something else to do.

Now was as good a time as any to grab something to eat and take another visit around the vendor hall. After a few more great conversations, and purchases, it was time to attend a few evening panels! From a mythological discussion at the Beasts of Seaquestria panel to a more scientific and mathematical breakdown of the Equestrian Royal Guard, both panels were quite a success! After these panels, it was off to the rave for some great electronic performances! One unique thing about TrotCon is that the convention doesn't sleep - it runs from Noon on Friday to 6pm on Sunday - there is always something to do. Unfortunately, sleep is also important, so most overnight events are lost to me. Maybe one day!

Sunday started with an MLP trivia panel; obscure questions were asked about our favourite cartoon horse show and, for once, I actually knew some of the answers! Uniquely, so called prizes were given to those of us who got the answers wrong - nice twist guys! There was time for a last minute visit to the vendor hall and video game area before the plushie meetup. Piled into a small room with a big table, everyone brought their plushies along to the meetup and after arranging them on the table, we took pictures of the plushie pile. What did you think was going to happen?

With time ticking down to the end, the charity auction began and was full of unique items, all to raise funds for charity. This year, the gimmick was marshmallows. Elley-Ray made a guest appearance to assist the auctioneer and was the life of the party. She kept the crowd lively and bidding all the way through! The end of the charity held quite the surprise; a ritual was performed upon an item to draw away all the negative energy of the weekend and pay it forward, as a gift, to BronyCon. The highest bidder won the item with the stipulation of delivering it to the BronyCon lost and found so it could be located by staff and auctioned off there. Although I wasn't able to make the charity auction at BronyCon, I did hear a rumor that the cursed item made its way. Thanks to the winner for following through and ridding TrotCon of that cursed item! Closing ceremonies brought everyone in and for another year we said thank you and goodbye to our Guests of Honour, VIPs and Con Staff. The TrotCon theme for next year was revealed and I am excited to see what it will bring!

Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible, and see you again next year!

Want a TL:DR? Here it is, if you haven’t (or have in the past), go to TrotCon, it’s awesome!

[exotahu]

It’s here, the giant Bronycon post!

As per usual I don’t usually make this many words ever so shit might be wonky. and also it was written over the course of a few days so things might not line up in the right order. Also, fair warning I get kinda weird and sentimental at the end there. Also I have no idea if tumblr will break the formatting real bad so heres hoping it doesn’t

Thursday We left early without much incident. Only a group of 4 this time. Me, Andy, his brother Justin, and Andy's girlfriend Sam who was coming in via plane.

It was a really easy journey. Even stopped at the one Speedway with the good hotdogs. I decided to tie a ribbon in my hair too, I always say I should do something more with it than just tie it back. So I figured I'd try it. We got to Baltimore in what felt like no time at all. We checked in and went to our rooms and waited for Sam. I fiddled with my little electric name badge thingy I bought last year. Got it to say my name and Bronycon 2018 with some hearts and sparkles. Once Sam got settled in, we all met back up to go to pre-reg. She and I were afraid we'd weird each other out but we ended up getting along great. We all went to pre-reg and picked up our badges. Then, after dropping our stuff off at the hotel we ventured back out into the inner harbor for food and hanging out. We opted not to go to Dick's this time, opting instead to go to Tir na Nog. Got my usual pub food. The Vodka cranberry (yes even though I planned on drinking later) and the plain cheese burger. I like to eat the same thing at all the places, because I think it's neat to see the same food through the different lenses of different restaurants. Tir na Nog in Baltimore is different than O'Toole's in Albany is different from Jack Astor's in Toronto. After that we went to the big Barnes and Noble and looked at books and stuff. Then we all went to that ice cream shop thats right next door. They sell tea apparently so I got a small one. Missed the regular size straws so I had a huge straw (Like a goddamn footlong) in a tiny cup (like 3 inches). We went to the bars in Fells point after that. We only got slightly lost, but we found it. We didn't register for the actual bar trot, cause you don't really have to to enjoy drinks. We went to the Dog's Watch Tavern first cause they usually have a good shot, which in this instance was a Pinkie Pie shot. Don't know what was in it but I had several. We went to the Admiral after that. It was the best as it usually is. I think I drank like, 4 of the Trixie, there was a Sunset Shimmer drink (But it was secretly the Applejack. I liked it anyway). And I had most of a Rainbow Dash drink. I must say, I absolutely adore the atmosphere at this bar. The bartender is great and clearly loves what he does. A couple people recognized me cause I sit in the same spot more or less every time, and the goggles that I wear. That was pretty neat. Got pretty drunk, decided to go back after that to prep for the next day. We got a little bit lost on the way back too, but it brought us by the CVS so I bought a couple boxes of PopTarts. We got back to the hotel and went to bed.

Friday

Tried to get up for opening but missed most of it. Caught the tail end of it though. Sleep deprivation got me, plus the buttload of alcohol didn't really help. Hung out in the harmony plaza til the apple family panel. There was a photoshoot that happened but there wasn't a ton of people there. Saw apple family VA panel. It was pretty funny. Went to the vendor hall and walked it to get the layout, I didn't want to just chaotically walk around and not know where anything was so I strictly just walked each isle in a pattern. Actually helped me remember where booths were. I spoke to an artist about getting a comission for a friend who couldn't make it. His slots were full for the day so I figured I'd come back Saturday. I bought an original piece from him, which was actually pretty cool. I then went to the comic booth. I am trying to get at very least the A and B covers for every comic, Plus I wanted first prints of the first issue mane 6 covers. I got the first prints of the two #1 issues I needed. Then I got invited to Jonny Rockets, and due to needing to finish something in the vendor hall it took me a little bit. My friends are cool and waited for me even though I went on one hell of a journey to get there. So I got out of the vendor hall which exited by the Hilton sky bridge. Figure, shit I'll just take the sky bridge on the opposite side so I go for it. Get out there, pass the other hotel (hyatt?) and what used to be a wide open plaza. (Now it's a parking lot). Realize the goddamn thing ends there and there is no way down (unless I went back through the convention center and all the way back around), and more of the bridge is missing. Figure I don't want to walk all the way back so I go through the hotel. No idea if I was supposed to go through that door cause it looks like there were unused decorations everywhere. Nobody stopped me so I made it out to the street. Realize I still have to walk to the corner to cross, but say fuck it and randomly cross in the middle to the street island thing. Then I almost died to a puddle walking on the sidewalk behind some food trucks. Caught myself though. Finally I get there and we hang out and get a burger. On our way back I managed to drop a Pokemon on the Bronycon gym. We went back to the vendor hall. Hung out and looked at stuff. Me an Sam went shopping for pillows. We each bought one, only the case though. Had no space to store the full whole thing.  We went to the whoves line pannel after that. It was really funny, especially the bit where they acted like the friendship map was a computer that got a ton of viruses and went to a "bad dragon" website. I am surprised I've never gone to it before. We went to Jimmy Johns for dinner and then dropped our stuff off at the hotel and headed to the palooza. The performances were great, although they somehow got super off schedule. I bought a Shake-Ups CD. I stayed until the end. I enjoy the palooza immensely, but those 2AM nights are rough. My legs end up being noodles and its a guarantee I won't get to bed until atleast 330. Which is about when I went to bed.

Saturday

Had a bit of a slow start but I wanted to speak to the artist about that comission for my friend who couldn't make it. Even though I was slow, I still got there early enough. The thing he wanted would have been too complex, so I came up with something I think he'll like. Then I went to the comic booth and figured out what I needed to complete the A and B covers for the main comic series. It was cool cause they just let me into the booth to look. I believe I've done it, I just have to add everything to my app to make sure. I ran out of space in my comic storage, so I only did the main series. Next year I will buy for the side series. (There is a lot less). As of typing this out, I found the shop's location. Only a 3 hour drive. Might make a trip of it so I don't have to worry about it at next year's con. Dunno. Met back up with Andy and Sam in vendor hall. We looked around before leaving to get food and make a hotel drop. We got lunch at the JJ before heading to the script reading panel with Tabitha. Usually they're pretty strict about recording at these. Usually one of the staff says something about my camera, but nobody said anything. Or mentioned not recording it at all. I wonder if anyone uploaded it. It was about the mane 6 and a convention called "boomycon" which was about an alt. universe Derpy as a comic character who rides a meteor or something. The comic characters crossed over into the regular universe and shenanigans ensued. It was pretty funny. After that we went back to vendor hall to check on something, and I bought another of those dang pillows, and these weird flow rings, plus some other small stuff, including some super fucking adorable chibi-ball plushie things of Fluttershy and Tempest (Pretty sure I posted pictures). We made a hotel drop and got food. We tried to get into the DIY pony plush making but ultimately the wait list was too long. At this point we went to the sky terrace thing. Apparently there was a wedding, which is really fucking cool! Then we just found some chairs to just kind of chill in. Justin had a mini-pizza that came in a mini-pizza box. We're just sitting there talking and some guy came up and leaned over. We all thougt maybe he had left something. Then we notice he's signing the empty pizza box? He then just says you're welcome and leaves. It took a second then we realized... It was MA Larson. Fucking hillarious. I went back to the hotel again, meeting up with a friend on the way back. Met back up with everyone else at the palooza after that.  Brought the rings I bought and was playing with them, while doing my awkward-ass flail dancing. A couple people thought they were cool which was neat. I really enjoyed all the performances. A cover of 500 miles happened, Eurobeat was fantastic. Great show. I caught a T-Shirt that was thrown. (Which never happens ever and even though it's a small size it still fits.) Again I stayed until 2 AM, got to bed about 330.

Sunday Sundays are usually always the chill day where not much happens. Woke up around the usual time and headed over to the vendor hall. I wandered and bought some last minute things (Pillow #3...). I met back with everyone else around noon. We spent most of day in vendor hall just hanging out. One thing I did, was get a comission of my pony OC. I've been wanting to for years, just to say I had so I finally did it. I'm looking forward to it. Also saw a little digital badges that you could store pictures in. After that we went to the fountains to hang out before lining up for closing ceremonies. They opened with a nifty performance by Step2Harmony. Some of the guests said their farewells before the con chairs started talking about the numbers, a little more than 5000 people. (I don't remmeber the exact number, might have been closer to 5600?). After that was a skit involving the mascots. Blank Canvas got accepted into an art school and Hoof Beatz was going on tour, and the date they were leaving was the end of August next year. They run off stage and Mane Event just stood there like "What about us... : (" Scene end. Sure enough, the con chairs came back out and annouced that next year is going to be a 4 day event instead of a 3 day event. They also anounced that next year is going to be the last Bronycon and that they are ending the event in 2019. You could feel the moment where everybody's hearts broke. There were a lot of people crying. I was pretty choked up too, and I'm honestly not sure how I kept myself together. We walked back to the hotel. While we were waiting for the elevators, you could tell the mood was pretty sombre. Dropped off my bag and went back down to the lobby to wait for Andy and Sam. We all headed down to the inner harbor to go to Bubba Gumps. We had a hour and a half wait, that we spent hanging out in the harbor and the pavillion. One of them seemed to be closed this year. They seem to get smaller and smaller each year. Bubba Gumps as always was fantastic. I got the usual Shrimper's Heaven. Even got to eat the shrimp that Sam didn't eat. Bonus shrimp! Spent 60$ on my check and regret nothing. We went back to the hotel with the intent of playing some Shipfic in the one banquet room the hotel usually has open, which we did! Another group played the pony movie which was neat. We also saw an Insomnia Cookies down in Fells Point so we decided to order some. It took a little more than an hour. But I got the call and they showed up to the hotel and handed me a very warm box. The cookies were fantastic. Every bit worth the wait. I think I have one somewhere relatively close to my home but I'm nowhere near the delivery radius. Probably a good thing because I would go broke buying cookies. They're pretty awesome. Some guy had also had a baby skunk! No idea how he pulled that off or how the hotel was cool with it but it was really cute. Once the movie ended most of the people left. After that we went back to our rooms. Me and Sam got a group picture of all the pillows we bought. I packed most of my stuff after that and went to bed.

Monday.

Woke up, got the car all packed and cleared the rooms pretty quick. We had thought to do some other stuff, but we really didn't have time. Instead we went to Tir na nog and just hung out until we had to leave. Any day you can be mildly drunk before noon and have it not be a problem is a good day. We dropped Sam off at the airport after saying our goodbyes. We hit the road after that and started our journey home. Which was honestly fairly uneventful. No one's windsheild broke. No one's catalytic converter got stolen. We made a couple of stops but nothing really interesting. Got home way earlier than I'm used to. Like 5:30-6PM. And then I realized, Bed, Bath and Beyond was still open. So I drove out there to get the actual pillows for the pillow cases. Found the exact ones the guy at the booth I bought them from. They were on sale, so they were only 20$. Then I had the fun time of fitting 3 hugeass pillows in my really tiny car. Got back home and finished unpacking.  

Conclude:

I had a really good time this year. It was very a relaxing trip and I enjoyed spending time with everybody. It never quite feels long enough. I didn't make any real attempt at cosplaying this year. Just didn't really feel into it. I did wear my Sylveon ears that were given to me by a friend though. And I had my goggles, which are just kind of a thing now I guess. I tied a blue ribbon in my hair too. I never do anything with it and I guess I decided now was the time. I think I'm going to do that more often from now on. Next, I am beyond incredibly sad that next year is the last one. Bronycon has been one of the big things I look forward to doing each year. It's easily been one of the best cons I've ever been to. The atmosphere was great, the staff was great. The con ending will also mark the end of a 12 year tradition for me of going down to Baltimore for a con. The only year I wasn't able to go to was 2010 because there was just no way I was going to be able to swing it. Aside from that, I went to Otakon from 2006 until 2012. I had honestly kinda burned out on that though and wasn't sure if I was gonna go back, but it would be shortly after returning from the 2012 Otakon, Bronycon announced that they were gonna move to the Baltimore Convention Center in 2013. Some other friends were interested in going, and since I knew the area so well, we decided to go for it. I went every year after that. Hell, it's how I ended up meeting Andy (which is a pretty funny story all on it's own), it's also how I ended up recconecting with another friend of mine from way back in the day as well as others. There were good times and adventures to be had outside the Con as well. Bubba Gumps, the bar trot in Fells Point(that goddamn Trixie drink, looked like something I'd never have been able to drink, but it is easily my favorite alcoholic drink that has ever existed. I really hope I can get the recipe next year), the bigass barnes and noble, the aquarium, the pavillion. It seems like every year it gets better and I've never felt bored of it or burned out. I am going to miss this immensely, I suppose I'll have to find another con to go to, or atleast other adventures to have but one thing is for sure, I'm never going to forget any of this. All the good times that we've had, or this big thing I've been a part of or this place that has brought me so much joy over the years.

(Once next year ends and I walk out of that convention center for the last time, I am going to be a complete goddamn mess. It's going to be a terrible day for rain...)

Also, though I don't know if you'll ever read it, as I don't think we've spoken in several years now, to the person who convinced me to go to that first Otakon back in '06, Thank you. For introducing me to this place, and setting off a real wacky series of adventures. I don't know if any of this would have happened if you hadn't convinced me to come down here all those years ago. Once again, thank you, and I hope you're doing well.

tl;dr Good fuckin' con, but Pete fuckin' sad.

[crowwingedangel]

My vacation, Part 2: Colossalcon!

This is for everyone who keeps asking me how my time going home/at the convention was. Actually, I’m not very good with talking about my emotional reactions and things on the spot… I’m a writer. I do much better writing it out. So that’s what I’m doing now! If you’re one of those people who wanted to know, or are just curious, feel free to look under the cut!

Below is my experience at the convention! It’s long and will have photos, so check it out! 

Wednesday 

So I got to Kalahari around 5 and parked my car. It was still pretty early, so there was plenty of parking around. I went to check in, only to learn that my room was fairly close to where I parked my car! SCORE!  

I then spent some time making trips to the room with my stuff... I brought a bunch of food, since I knew con food is really expensive, and the room itself was a lot... and I had a VIP pass, so this con was costly enough already. Heh... Luckily though, I got all of my stuff in just before the rain showed up!

My friend I was sharing the room with wasn’t going to arrive until Thursday afternoon, so I had this night to myself. I went and registered for the con and got my pass, then I proceeded to walk around... get the layout of the land, as it where. Alas, my phone was pretty full, so I didn’t take lots of pictures of everything I saw... In fact, I only took a few the whole weekend. But a lot of people took photos, so check out the colossalcon tag if you want an idea of what I saw!  I wandered around for a while before heading back to the room and deciding to spend the night chilling... I took a nice bath in the giant tub, then spent the evening making a semi-update for Crimson Wings. That mutant class update? Yeah, I made it during this down time. Eventually I went to bed, knowing I’d have a long day following. 

Thursday 

The con officially began! I took my time waking up in the morning, and decided to explore for a while, waiting for my friend to arrive. I didn’t wear any cosplay that morning, wanting to save it for when she got there, and wanting to look at everything for a while as myself before I changed...

So I went! Not knowing what to do other then look around, I guessed. But luckily, I came across the usual “I need friends” signs that happen at cons. So, seeing as I was alone, I decided, “why not?” I approached, and made some new friends and we all hugged sexy Jesus (yes you just read that). You may have figured out by now that I don’t really like using people’s names on the Internet so... I’ll just say that the two girls had the same name and the guy’s name was my middle name! There, now some of you may know one of their names...

We hung out for a while and met up several times throughout the con! I’m very socially awkward at making friends, so I’m kind of proud that I managed it... But two of them were dressed as two of my favorite twins when I first saw them, so that helped! We went to the game room and played things for a while, mostly team music games. One of them was like a master at them, but we did pretty good as a team! 

Eventually went to the craft fair and saw all the cool stuff people had made and were selling. Eventually my friend arrived and we had to split up, but like I said, I kept in contact with these guys after!  

So I met up with my friend, the one who basically functions as my editor for my writing... Did you know my writing has an editor? Well, now you do. I helped get her stuff to the room, and while she got settled, I changed into my Edward Elric cosplay. I don’t have any pictures of this cosplay, but a bunch of people took photos of me, so if one turns up, I’ll put it here!  We wandered about and I showed her around. And we finally started buying stuff. I got an Non-binary and an Ace-ace patch. I don’t know what I’m going to put them on, but I liked them! I also got one of those ironed-bead sprite Mad Dummy and a small fox pattern pouch... But then of course I finally found the plushies in the dealer room. And there... was a chubby lucario. I made him mine. ...Well, he was always mine, wasn’t he?! He’s actually under my arm right now as I type this! He’s some comfy! Oh, I can take a photo of him right now, can’t I?

Here he is! My fat boi! So chubby and cute, I love him! 

Eventually my friend and I made it back to our room and chilled for the rest of the evening, eating snacks and reading webcomics. I’m pretty good and getting my friends into more webcomics, I think... I had her catch up on a pretty long one that night while we listened to the sounds of party around us.

Friday

Friday, oh boy what I day. It was certainly fun and interesting! So, I (and my grandma, she did the sewing part) worked very hard on a cosplay of RGB from The Property of Hate by @modmad. 

I think it turned out very well, and you can see more pictures in my post here. But, being summer and all, it was very hot and the head was pretty much and oven. I could only wear it for bursts of 20 minutes to half an hour at a time before I’d need to go back to the room and rest. I still think it looked cool though, and some people recognized who I was so mission accomplished I guess! But also... @modmad, is his vision really as limited from that screen as I could see? Because there is no peripheral vision at all, someone get him a seeing-eye hero!  

I wandered about the convention a lot that day sans the head so that I could... be alive, haha. But I bought myself some manga and ordered a commission that I will probably fill you all in more on later once it is made! ;3 (It’s Crimson Wings related.) It’s by the same artist I bought some buttons from a few years back... And I bought more buttons, of course! I needed my snoot-snoot seal!

In the evening, I had my VIP autograph session... I had brought something for most of them (at least the ones I had stuff for, unfortunately I didn’t own anything to bring for the two ladies :C). I knew I was going to be meeting Steve Blum, so I switched into my Terriermon outfit I had made with my grandma. At the session, I met up with the trio of friends from the other day (I had met up with them earlier that day too, but only for a few minutes). We talking in the lines and such while we waited! I got to meet a few awesome people, including Chris Patton, who I caved and bought a Greed poster to have him sign... I love Greed, you guys... I also met Vic Mignogna and had him sign my FMA Brotherhood DVD set, and met Steve Blum and had him sign my Digimon Tamers DVD (he also kept talking in Guilmon’s voice and I was losing it.) My friends also had Vic do the coffee scene from Ouran which you can see on one of their instagrams here! I also got photos with Vic and Steve because I am weak.

Awesomeness.

Then later that night my editor friend and I went to the Kalahari pool for the after hours time we had! We went nearing midnight, and did stuff like the wave pool, the hot tub, and the lazy river for a while. We were about to leave when I ran into the friend trio again, so we went back into the wave pool for a while before finally heading back to the room. It was like 3 in the morning and I had an early Nintendo photoshoot I wanted to get to!

Saturday

Saturday I cosplayed as Pit the whole day. Nintendo had an early photoshoot that day (well, early considering how late we were up that night and how it’d take a while to get dressed. We’re still waiting for all the photos to come out from it, but it’s page is here. And one photo is out at least with me and the other awesome Pit in it! 

It was a lot of fun, and all the smash brothers poses and things were a blast and I hope more photos show up soon! Like we beat up Sandbag and there was the smash ball and-... lots of playing around, I hope they turn up. Unfortunately the Zelda shoot was at the same time, so no Zelda or Link for us... what’s up with that? 

Anyway, after that my friend and I hung out in the room for a while, needing to relax after being up so early... I showed her some youtube videos and made her laugh so hard she fell off the bed. Good times! Then we headed back to the con and did more shopping around, smaller things like charms and stickers now, and went to some panels. I said good bye to my new trio of friends who were leaving that afternoon, and hopefully they are doing well! 

By the evening I had to go to the room a while because I wasn’t feeling great... I actually bought some actual food at the con because the food we had was basically running out and I needed something to settle my stomach. But when we grabbed food we headed to the Masquerade (The skit / cosplay contest) and watched that! I still chuckle that Tony Stark was the host. It was a lot of fun, and the skits were fun, including some really good singers and a Nurse Joy who wanted to become a trainer (that one had some very clever props, just saying). And those cosplays were amazing. Much appreciation. The halftime show was hilarious, our side’s champion two girls beating the other side’s two men at a blind-folded donut eating contest-... It’s a long story, and this is long enough as it is, haha.  

After it was over, my friend and I headed back to the room and ended the night watching some youtube.  

Sunday 

Alas, the con was basically over. I wore my Terriermon cosplay that day since it’s the simplest and isn’t hot. We had to check out by ten, and my friend had to leave at ten, so we basically got up in the morning, packed my car, and parted ways as she was picked up. I stayed a little longer to check out the flee market. I found some good stuff and spend more money (of course! More pokemon plush for me! ...And some really old digimon toys. Nice.) Once I felt I had checked everything out and had basically spent the last of the cash I had brought with me, I headed back out to my car to start my drive to my parent’s house...   I arrived, and then had dinner with my family, including my aunt and uncle at a restaurant, then turned in for the night, having to catch an early flight back down here in the morning... 

AND that was the con, everyone! It was a lot of fun and I tried to sort out as much as I could here! I hope that helped answer the basic question of how it was! If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask! 

[cordie064blog-blog]

The Untapped Gold Mine Of FUNKO That Almost Not a soul Is aware About

Expanding Funko Pop! Collection With Figures From $four.50

Right here are the Funko Pops you will need to add to your collection ASAP. In Funko Pop! Blitz, fans can play via 60-second rounds and win by matching 3 characters to score points and comprehensive quests to level up. Steve teams up with his coworker Robin, Lucas's kid sister Erica, and Dustin to navigate the tunnels beneath Starcourt Mall, and for the whole season, Steve is forced to wear his ridiculous Scoops Ahoy uniform. This Funko Pop faithfully captures its ridiculous flair, total with ice-cream scoop (but sadly no USS Butterscotch).

One of the most tragic and unexpected deaths on Game of Thrones was immortalized in this 2013 San Diego Comic-Con exclusive, which options the head of the Stark family and his detachable melon. The Pop Value Guide has valued Stark at $1980, though a single eBay auction climbed up to $2600. This is Erica's premier Funko Pop, being notably absent from previous Stranger Things Funko Pop releases, and what a debut figure! She's depicted in the gear she wears during her reconnaissance mission, total with backpack, knee pads, and helmet with flashlights.

Steve stepped up in Season two, earning his "mom" status by becoming specifically overprotective of "his youngsters" , and always creating sure they have been secure though the adults (Bob, Joyce, and Jim Hopper) had to face other evil. This Funko Pop depicts Steve in his iconic look from Season two, total with yellow rubber gloves, Members Only jacket, sunglasses, and studded baseball bat.

The rationale behind this policy is that what is regarded as a "mint" or "pristine" Pop! Vinyl collectable toy or what is deemed an "challenge" with a Pop! is a subjective view held by the person and varies extensively from customer to customer. We, as a retailer of collectables for over 21 years, basically have to draw on our collective understanding and knowledge in the business and cast an objective view on what we consider are items that have a "defect" vs goods that have a "minor manufacturing variation".

Avenue Talk: FUNKO

Other present item lines contain Hikari, Legacy Collection, Fabrikations, Mopeez, and Rock Candy. Former solution lines contain Spastik Plastik, Blox, FunkoVision, Funko Plushies, Funko Force, Reaction Figures, and Wacky Wobblers. A best ornament for your dashboard (as long as you place some adhesive on the bottom), this dancing Baby Groot is not only a basic Funko Pop Vinyl it really is also a bobblehead. No watering needed.

As of 2018 update , Funko no longer provides these boxes via a subscription. The Disney Treasures box, which focuses on Disney collectibles, is obtainable at Hot Topic. Collector Corps, which focuses on Marvel collectibles, and the Star Wars Smugglers Bounty box are now available by way of Amazon. At its base, the tower measured 20 cubits, and was constructed on the floor as portion of GameStop's new initiative to sell extra collectible products in-store. The Star Wars line of Funko Pop! Vinyls made up the majority of the base, with less desirable properties producing up larger and higher tiers.

From Marty McFly and the Jurassic Planet T. rex, to Lucky the Leprechaun and Frankenstein, each and every Funko Pop! Blitz character will come to life with a variety of emotions and animations. Fans attending San Diego Comic-Con can discover out much more about the upcoming launch - and be the first to hear about new character reveals - at the Funko Funkast hour-extended panel taking location in the San Diego Convention Center, Space 6A, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 18.

Created to take a dive into your transform jar, this Funko Pop is receiving released in conjunction with the reboot of DuckTales. Darna, arguably one of the most iconic Filipino pop culture characters, was produced by legendary komiks artist Mars Ravelo. The restricted edition toy was made to celebrate her 70th year. We're the largest Funko Community stranger things funko pop on reddit. Retain up to date with the newest releases or just browse other readers' hauls and collections.

If you are collecting Funko POP! Vinyl figures and maintain them outdoors of the box, you could obtain that they have the occasional stability challenge. They do, just after all, feature a substantial head and little feet. The initially point to verify is if the figure has a hole in one of its feet. This typically indicates that the figure has a stand that has been left in the box. However, the finest resolution that we have discovered is a compact blob of Blu Tack on the bottom of a foot. This will keep your POP! Vinyl figure standing upright without having any issues.

[zenlesszonezero]

Join Zenless Zone Zero with Tsukishiro Yanagi, the deputy leader of Hollow Special Operations Section 6! Beneath her ordinary office lady exterior lies a meticulous, emotionally intelligent big sister to the team.

[traveling-couch-potato]

Japan Day 1

Got a decent sleep but was woken up by the drunken British boys stumbling into the hostel room at 1:30am. Between that and minor jetlag I made it up for my first official Japan adventure at the brisk early hour of 2:30am.

I ordered a taxi via the Japantaxi app and headed off to the famous Sushi Dai at the new Toyosu Fish Market. I didn't quite get dropped off where I needed so I spent about 20 mins wandering the grounds before caving and asking a security guard for help. So for future reference:

Head upstairs to the 3rd floor (more like 2nd floor) and you'll see a long outdoor hallway. If you're arriving extra early there's a barrier set up and you just have to wait behind it until they open it up at 5am. For my early April trip, there were only 2 people in line by 4am. Nowhere near as bad as online reviews made it seem. (Edit: 4 people by 4:05, 9 by 4:30am)

The stretch of hallway to look for if you're waiting for Sushi Dai before the restaurant area properly opens.

We were finally let into the restaurant building by 4:43am but somehow about 5 people made it in by some other path that I can't figure out. I was 8th in line. (Some people say they just entered through the "Staff Only" entrance which is unlocked).

From there the line only continued to build and by the time Sushi Dai officially opened their doors at 5:30am, there was a decent 30+ person queue forming. Luckily I got in on the first round. My meal consisted of 10 pieces of nigiri, 4 pieces of maki, a bowl of miso soup, and a piece of tamago all for $45. The selection and overall quality of the fish are more than worth that pricetag. However since the taxi to the market cost me around $32 I feel like I basically got my money's worth which is what I expected. Honestly I just wanted the rights to say I once woke up at 2:30am for sushi.

Great meal for $45 if you can figure out a cheaper way to make the trek out here before the trains start operating.

After being stuffed to the brim with sushi I took a walk around the Toyosu Fish Market, snuck my way into an Airbnb tour on accident, explored the Uogashi Yokocho Market section for a while, then eventually headed up to the rooftop promenade and garden.

The view from the garden is especially gorgeous and since it was a random Thursday morning it was quite peaceful too.

After lots of wandering, I headed back down the stairs and started making my way out to Tsukiji Market. It was a decent walk but fairly easy with lots of water views that made it all quite serene (minus the bikers speeding by). And thankfully the long walk also meant I was hungry enough again to eat my way through Tsukiji and boy did I.

My favorites were the uni cream bun and the white strawberry daifuku.

I was stuffed again which meant it was time for another food break. Hamarikyu Gardens is located pretty close by and makes for a nice 2-3 hour break spot. The garden has an interesting and diverse history, plenty of seats to sit back and relax, and lots of gorgeous flowers to take photos with.

Even though I was full, I had one more piece of mochi in my pocket and decided to eat it right by the peony gardens

Toward the back edge of the park is a small hill that also offers a great overview of the area.

After slowly making my way through the park I was finally ready to return to city life and headed into the heart of Ginza for shopping (and a bit more food). I got a bit lost but ended up outside the Hakuhinkan Toy Park store. This place is 5 stories of collectibles, plushies, games, and more. I had so much fun in there playing with puppets and losing at mini crane machine games. My next stop was Mister Donut, Ginza. This is a popular chain and I wanted to give it a shot. For about ~150 yen I got a delicious matcha donut. It was chewy and fluffy with a rich matcha chocolate topping.

Next stop was Tokyu Plaza, one of several large department stores in the area. The shops are definitely pricey though there's a few booths that sell more reasonably pried and unique gifts. If I was seriously shopping I could easily spend a day in here. By this point my feet were a bit burnt out so I took a break at the Kiriko Lounge on the 6th floor which offers a gorgeous ceiling to floor window view of the surrounding area.

Such a nice spot to grab a drink or just sit back and rest a while (and maybe type up a Tumblr post). 

Eventually my two friends finally made it in from Narita and checked in so I headed to my final official stop of the night: dinner at Tempura Tsunahachi Ginza. Unfortunately they misheard our order number so we ended up with way more food than I could handle. Luckily it was all delicious and surprisingly not too heavy.

After feeling extremely guilty about our meal we did the responsible thing...and got ice cream from a convenience store to really drive the point home. We picked up some random frozen bars and headed back to the lounge to hang. It didn’t take long for my eyes to just kill me from the inside out. I’m exhausted since I’m hitting the 20 hr mark of being awake. Time to get some shut eye. Big day tomorrow!!!

[romantic-barista]

For funsies for that ask anonymously or not ask: all of them

“For funsies”... fuck you lmao. j-just kidding.

(1) Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed?

- closed. 

(2) Do You Have Freckles?

- nope!

(3) Can You Whistle?

- yeah, but not like melodic whistling.

(4) Last Song You Listened To.

- Singing in the Rain by LOONA’s JinSoul.

(5) What Is Your Favourite Colour?

- Orange! 

(6) Relationship Status.

- Complicated, to say the least currently.

(7) What Is The Temperature Right Now?

- It is currently 72F/22C

(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky?

- No, just woke up DEAD tired.

(9) How Many Followers?

- Like, 65? I keep blocking people tho, since they’re bots.

(10) Zodiac Sign.

- Gemini! 

(11) What Is Your Eye Colour?

- Emerald.

(12) Take A Vitamin Daily?

- No, but I do have a face moisturizer with vitamins in it??

(13) Do You Sing In The Shower?

- Sometimes, depends on where I’m showering!

(14) What Books Are You Reading?

- Currently, NONE.

(15) Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14.

- “on November 24, 1950, he announced that the offensive would soon bring the war to an end” (Groupthink, Irving Janis 2nd edition) ... I have mostly books from my old classes, but this one was a gift from my grandfather since it’s on one of my favorite communication theories.

(16) Favourite Anime?

- ... hmm, I have a lot I really like but my all-time favs are Higurashi, Umineko, and Fate/Zero.

(17) Last Person You Cried In Front Of?

- I think... my best friend? Well, kinda. I cried messaging him?? Technically, my cats were actually physically there.

(18) Do You Collect Anything?

- Figures, wall scrolls, art prints, and plushies. 

(19) What Did You Have For Lunch?

- A “bragel” (breakfast bagel) at work. Cinnamon vanilla bagel, strawberry cream cheese, ham, and cheese. (haha, suck it Wil. I’ll eat my nasty bagel, you can’t stop me now lmao)

(20) Do You Dance In The Car?

- I do, especially to embarrass my younger cousin Caleb.

(21) Favourite Animal?

- Sharks, cats, and jellyfish are my top three.

(22) Do You Watch The Olympics?

- No, I don’t really like watching all the events, but I do sometimes go and watch old ice skating videos.

(23) What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed?

- Lately, anywhere from 1AM to 5AM, since I’ve been talking to @xero-xenos until I fall asleep.

(24) Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now?

- Nope! Forgot to wash my face this morning, so no make up. 

(25) Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean?

-  I like swimming in both, but an ocean is more fun to relax at since you can sunbathe in the sand 

(26) Favourite Tumblr Blog?

- @scribbledstars, @novice-heartbreaker, @weissrose and @shinobu-is-daijoubu are some of my favorites! 

(27) Bottled Water Or Tap Water?

- Bottled. I hate our tap water, it tastes like lead.

(28) What Makes You Happy?

- Compliments??? Idk, a lot does. Easier to list shit that doesn’t! 

(29) Post A Gif Of What You’re Currently Feeling Right Now.

(30) Do You Study Better With Or Without Music?

- With, because studying gets boring.

(31) Dogs Or Cats?

- Both, but I love cats a little bit more! 

(32) If You Were A Crayon What Colour Would You Be?

-  Sunset Orange #FE4C40, Yellow-Orange #FFAE42, Jazzberry Jam #A50B5E, or Wild Strawberry #FF3399, honestly.

(33) PlayStation Or Xbox.

- Playstation, for sure. But my xbox one controller for steam is growing on me.

(34) Would You Swim In The Lake Or Ocean?

- Lake, it’s closer to swim in Lake Michigan lol.

(35) Do You Believe In Magic?

- Not really, but I’m slightly superstitious. 

(36) What Colour Shirt Are You Wearing?

- It’s a white tank top with cat faces on it, lol.

(37) Can You Curl Your Tongue?

- Yeah, my tongue is pretty flexible, too. I can do a clover!

(38) Do You Save Money Or Spend It?

- SPEND. What’s “saving money”?

(39) Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You?

- My rose gold phone, my Mary Kay face wash set, my little piggy that holds up my phone, Super Sonico... Sailor Moon stuff on my wall... the thing I keep my paystubs in, my cat’s little house, the little bin my controllers are in.. I like pink.

(40) Do You Have Any Obsessions Right Now?

- I’m obsessed with K-pop, but that’s nothing new.

(41) Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly?

- Kinda? I went to a butterfly sanctuary and it landed on me!

(42) Are You Easily Influenced By Other People?

- My interests are, for sure. But, I’m not sure about completely being influenced?

(43) Do You Have Strange Dreams?

- I don’t anymore, but all my old dreams used to be recurring with timeskips/alternate timelines. 

(44) Do You Like Going On Airplanes?

- I’ve only gone on them like three times. Twice to go to Utah (round trip) and once to Hawaii and Japan (round trip). 

(45) Name One Movie That Made You Cry.

- Once again, easier to ask me what movies haven’t made me cry. But, I’d say I cried at Time of Eve.

(46) Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds?

- Peanuts, for sure. 

(47) If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be?

- Hayley Kiyoko

(48) Are You A Picky Eater?

- Sometimes?? Idk, I just like pasta!

(49) Are You A Heavy Sleeper?

- Hmm, yeah? 

(50) Do You Fear Thunder / Lightning?

- Not unless it’s shaking the house or is really close.

(51) Do You Like To Read / Write?

- I used to really love writing, but I lost motivation for my stories. Hard to write once you can’t remember the dream you based it off of anymore. I still love to read, I’ve just not been able to find anything worth reading but my textbooks. 

(52) Do You Like Your Music Loud?

- Yeah. When I was younger, my aunt used to “yell at me” to turn it down on my headphones, though.

(53) Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents?

- Wrap presents, because I suck at carving pumpkins. Actually, when my step grandmother was newer to our family, she used to pay me to wrap everyone’s presents, including my own. 

(54) Put Your Music On Shuffle, What Is The First Song That Came Up?

- I usually do my kpop playlist, but I changed to my EDM one right as I was answering this. Aerion - Stellar. 

(55) What Season Are You In Right Now? (Weather)

- Summer, and I’m dying.

(56)What Are You Craving Right Now?

- WHITE RICE.

(57) Post A Screenshot Of Your Tumblr Feed.

(58) What Is Your Gender?

- cisgendered female.

(59) Coffee Or Tea?

- Coffee, but that’s because I’m a barista.

(60) Do You Have Any Homework Right Now? If So, What Is It About?

- Won’t until Thursday, sadly.

(61) What Is Your Sexuality?

- Bisexual

(62) Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning?

- Honestly, I never make my bed unless someone’s coming over.

(63) Favourite Pokemon?

- I like bellossom, snivy, and chikorita. I love grass types.

(64) Favourite Social Media?

- ... Probably Tumblr, since I have a lot of friends on there.

(65) What’s Your Opinion On Instagram Stories?

- People be making them too damn long.

(66) Do You Get Homesick?

- Yeah, I do.

(67) Are You A Virgin?

- By society’s standards, I would assume. Right? Virginity is whether or not I’ve “popped the cherry” right?

(68) What Shampoo And Conditioner Are You Using Right Now?

- organiX coconut milk shampoo & conditioner with an olive oil lite leave in conditioner.

(69) If You Were Far From Home And Needed To Sleep For The Night, Would You Choose To Rent A Crappy Motel Room For $60 Or Sleep In Your Car For Free?

- ... Depends on how crappy we’re talking. Honestly, as long as the toilet works, there are no bed bugs, and I can shower in the morning before I get the fuck outta there, then yeah. I’ll take the shitty room. 

(70) Are Both Of Your Blood Parents Still In Your Life?

- Yeah, I live with them.

(71)  Whats The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters?

- Jurassic World 2 or the next Avengers movie! 

(72) Do You Miss Your Ex?

- Which one?

(73) What Is Your Favourite Quote Right Now?

- I always fucking say it, tbh. It’s a Maya Angelou quote. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” 

(74) What Eye Colour Do You Find Sexiest?

- Honestly... blue.

(75) Did You Like Swinging As A Child? Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set?

- I LOVED swinging, because it felt like I was gonna fly into the sky, but I was always afraid to jump off and hurt myself. I do still get excited, but that’s only because it’s the one thing I can play at the park with my niece that isn’t embarrassing lol..

(76) What Was The Last Thing You Ate?

- Bagel. 

(77) What Games Do You Have On Your Phone?

- Fate/Grand Order (JPN), Pokemon Go!, TETRIS, Classic Bejeweled, Heads Up!, and Pinball Breaker! 

(78) Would You Give A Homeless Person CPR If They Were Dying? Why Or Why Not?

- If I knew CPR, yes I would. Also, being homeless doesn’t mean someone should fucking die??? If anything, I’d make sure they have a safe place to sleep at night as well as give them CPR.

(79) Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight?

- Not yet today, but I do usually hit at least 5 hours on mine.

(80) Stalked Someone On A Social Network?

- Mhm. Used to stalk people who would talk shit about me.

(81) Do You Like Meeting New People?

- I do, especially lately since I need to make more friends & we are in dire need of new coworkers at my job.

(82) Do You Wear Rings? If You Do, Take A Picture Of Them.

- I’m not wearing any currently, but I do wear them. I usually wear the Kiki ring @xero-xenos gave me. 

(83) Do You Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open Or Closed?

- this is question number one, wtf is it doing here?

(84) What Are Three Things You Did Today?

- Wake up, do headset at work, and open tumblr.

(85) What Do You Wear To Bed?

- Pajama pants or shorts, and a t-shirt. Sometimes a tank top, if I know my boobs won’t spill out of it.

(86) List All Of Your Different Beauty Products You Have Right Now.

- ... All... all of them? Okay, sigh. Mary Kay timewise moisturizer for combination skin, Mary Kay 3-in-1 timewise cleanser for combination skin, Mary Kay timewise day & night solution for combination skin, Kat Von D lock-it foundation, Mary Kay CC cream, tarte moisturizer/highlighter sampler, Loreal sampler make up remover, Loreal sample mascara, dollar store eye shadow, Better than Sex mascara, various lipsticks in the shade red or pink, pink highlighter from NYX (i think?), setting spray from Kat Von D... and a couple other items. I also have a couple sheet face masks and then a charcoal mask. I like make up a lot.

(87) Are You A Day Or Night Person?

- Night.

(88) List All Of Your Video Games On Your Phone, Console Etc.

- Listed ones on my phone already. I can list ones on my console another time. I have three consoles, and that’s a lot of games.

(89) Tell Me About A Dream That You Had And When It Happened.

- I had a dream like freshman year of highschool that my grandmother was a witch and that she was pretending to have Alzheimer’s so that nobody would kill her since she was wanted for something. I wore goth lolita in the dream and the “home” she was in was in New York, inside a Victorian style house. I almost wrote a book based off it, since it ended up that I had to walk through a mystic door in an alley. It’s a crazy ass dream, and I did write a story called “The Door” in high school.

(90) Favourite Soda Drink?

- My favorite sodas are Dr Pepper and Mtn Dew.

(91) What Sounds Are Your Favourite?

- Fireworks, some synth noises, and cat meows. I also like the sound of a zippo lighter. 

(92) Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More?

- Jeans for work, sweats at home.

(93) How Do You Look Right Now?

- Gonna post a separate selfie

(94) Name Something That Relaxes You.

- Music.

(95) What Tattoo Do You Want?

- Cat behind my ear, hibiscus on one thigh, banner on the other that says “FIGHT LIKE A GIRL” and a half sleeve of roses and macarons (like, an Ib themed sleeve)

(96) Favourite YouTuber?

- Vinny (Vinesauce). 

[marcuserrico]

'Star Wars' 40th Anniversary: First Look at Disney's Toys and Collectibles

Do you sense a disturbance in the Force? Maybe that’s because this Thursday, May 25, will be the 40th anniversary of the original release of Star Wars in theaters. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, we’ve been posting Star Wars stories this month, including choice vintage interviews, original videos, some of our favorite pieces from years past, and, like today, exclusive news.

Yahoo Movies has the first look at the anniversary toys and collectibles that will be available at Disney Stores on Thursday, including deluxe action Han and Luke figures and cuddly Tsum Tsums, as well as limited-edition lithographs, pins, ornaments, and figurine. Click through to preview the complete collection.

In addition to the special items, Disney Stores will host these special events throughout the day: Opening Ceremony, where guests will use the Force to open the store; Star Wars Adventures, which features BB-8 and Chewbacca training guests ages 3 and up how to fight Stormtroopers, fly the Millennium Falcon, and write their names in the Aurebesh language; Art of Drawing, where guests get a brief introduction to the history of Disney Animation and then get to practice drawing R2-D2 and BB-8; Story Time, which features the interactive adventures Escape From Jakku and Star Wars: A New Hope; and Star Wars Trivia, where all guests who know their Force facts can win a set of trading cards or an anniversary button.

Meanwhile, keep coming back here all week long to see other Star Wars happenings in our galaxy.

Han Solo and Luke Skywalker Elite Series Die-Cast Action Figures

These fully articulated deluxe 6-inch die-cast figures allow fans to fans to recreate the famous scene where the heroes disguise themselves as Stormtroopers to rescue Leia from the Death Star. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Han Solo and Luke Skywalker

Each $49.95 set includes both Han and Luke with detachable Stormtrooper helmets, two blasters, and two standing bases. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Tsum Tsum Plush Set

Luke, Leia, Han, and Artoo are all kinds of adorable in this special set of 2 1/2-inch Tsum Tsums, Disney’s uber-popular line of plushies. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Tsum Tsum Packaging

The $19.95 collection comes in a box designed after the Millennium Falcon. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Limited-Edition Ornament Set

Have your own Star Wars Holiday Special with this limited-edition set of six ornaments featuring A New Hope characters: Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Darth Vader, and R2-D2/C-3PO. Available for $59.95, there will only be 2,700 of these sets available. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Ornament Packaging

The collection comes in a specially designed box featuring satin lining and magnetic closure. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Limited-Edition Figurine

Striking the classic poster pose, this $249.95 Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia resin statuette has been limited to 1,250 copies. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Figurine Packaging, Front

Each box comes with a certificate of authenticity. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Figurine Packaging, Back

(Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Lithograph Set

This collection includes reproductions of five vintage A New Hope posters from around the world. The lithograph set, limited to a run of 3,300, will be available for $39.95. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Lithograph Set Packaging

Each print comes packaged in a glossy, embossed envelope within reusable clear plastic folio. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Limited-Edition Pin Set

This quartet of jumbo-size pins includes Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and the 40th anniversary logo. Each has a brushes-steel finish and a Mickey-shaped pinback, and Disney has limited the set to 1,250 units. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

Pin Set Packaging

The $79.95 collection comes packaged in a commemorative display box. (Credit: Disney Consumer Products)

Source: Yahoo Movies

[kintailscape]

CONfabulation 2017

This weekend, I had a wonderful time at CONfabulation, a multi-fandom convention by the people who brought us Wincon. As always, it’s hard to adjust to real life again after several days of being a fangirl at the height of excitement and being uncensored around/among my people. So I thought I’d write it up while the experience is still somewhat fresh.

I headed out on Thursday morning a little earlier than I’d planned. There was a Penguins game that night and the hotel I was heading to was next door to the hockey arena in Pittsburgh, so I was worried about parking. Google said it would take me 4 hours to get there.I left at 10:30am and made it there at 4:45pm; I’m not so sure, but that seems like a little more than 4 hours. But it wasn’t all the fault of traffic or the weather. I did make one wrong turn and had to pay a toll for a road I didn’t even go onto (Grr!) but I got there without too much difficulty, especially once I left Northern Virginia. I was traveling alone this time, as my con friend was unable to get off work, which meant I could stop for snarfs I saw on the side of the road along the way. I earread Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riorden during the drive.

When I got to Pittsburgh, the traffic wasn’t all that bad, but it was FILLED with Penguins fans. As a Capitals fan, it was a bit stomach-churning to witness. Luckily, the hotel had self-parking spots available. So I checked in and then unloaded, realizing on my last trip that I’d left the giant bag of food I’d bought at home! Arg! I settled into my hotel room within two minutes (I never really unpack much). My room had a giant space in it (where another bed or a table once was, I assume, or else it was for playing Twister).

I headed down for the meet & greet and ended up sharing two fandoms (Carry On and Grantchester) during small fandom speed dating. I also wrote down several fandoms I now definitely need to put on the high priority list. Then I joined a few people who were heading out to a 7-11 in order to stock up on food. We learned a lot about Pittsburgh City Center during our exploration including: streets are layered, hilly, and confusing; alcohol cannot be purchased at 7-11, and all stores close ridiculously early. I stocked up on some protein bars, bananas, and cereal for the week, then we ventured out to find an open liquor store. Three stores later, we found one that was still open (it was 7:15pm). I also found a good handful of historical markers; my new friends helped me spot them.

We got back to the hotel and I knew from the sight of the downstairs and the streets packed with Penguins fans that I didn’t want to go back out (besides, everything seemed closed). So I spent the night in my room watching Doctor Who episodes, writing fanfiction, reading Outlander, and eating room service. Every so often I checked the hockey score and, when the Pens unfortunately won, the streets outside my hotel room exploded with noise. Ugh. Not where I wanted to be, that’s for sure.

I had a rough night sleep-wise, so I was glad to have my Always Keep Fighting hoodie to snuggle up in Friday morning.

Friday Morning Schedule:

10:00am–10:30am Dealer room I hit the dealer room and bought a few presents, items for future swaps, and something for myself. I also picked up the custom order I made from NightengaleNeedles for a pillow. It turned out so nicely! I had to run it back up to my room so that I wouldn’t fall asleep in panels with it. heehee

10:30am–11:00am Opening Ceremonies Yay! We made it here!

11:00am–12:00pm Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 20 years Later Panelists started by playing the theme song, which definitely got us in the Buffy mood. We had a good time talking about our favorite characters, moments, and episodes as well as discussing the uniqueness of the show itself. It was wonderful to find there were quite a few Spander shippers there, including among the panelists. We all pretty much agreed Spike is the fandom bicycle, but we meant it with love of course. I also liked the discussion about how the show highlighted the concept of inventing yourself and that change is possible without losing your friends.

12:00pm–1:00pm Plushie Workshop I We had to start from scratch as bodies weren’t pre-made, and deciding what to make took me a while, but this was a much needed fun crafting break up in the Quiet Craft room that happened to also be on my floor of the hotel.

I headed out with a new friend to find Jimmy Johns for lunch. After walking in the wrong direction and stressing about time, we ended up at a pizza place on the other side of the block from our hotel where several con attendees were also eating. I had a veggie hoagie, which I ate while walking back to the con and finished during the next session.

Friday Afternoon Schedule:

2:00pm–3:00pm Ohana Means Family This was the found family panel, and we started off by trying to define found families (does joining an existing family like Harry joining the Weasleys count? do they have to have a parental figure?). I adored the discussion of non-human species (like werewolves) who have a sense of otherness already who need to seek out others for a shared experience (I love a good wolf pack). We also discussed the many different ways they come about—choice, workplace, survivalism, world-saving, etc. Other discussion topics included how fandom is our found family, subsets within families, the greater diversity in a found family compared to biological family, how people with different skill sets help each other, and if there are any found families lately without tragic backstories. You get a tragic backstory! You get a tragic backstory! Look under your chairs, everyone get s a tragic backstory! I was THRILLED to get to talk Sense8 for a while! Squee!

3:00pm–4:00pm A Galaxy Far, Far Away We started off by sharing our own Star Wars origin stories, and it was neat seeing the diversity in the group (and also finding others who like the Ewoks). We talked about ships and ships as well. I’m clearly going to have to properly make my way through the Darths and Droids Webcomic. And we ended with discussion of The Last Jedi (SPOILERS!!!!!!) including how even though Finn is wearing Poe’s entire outfit it doesn’t necessarily indicate that Poe is naked, though there is a strong case for such.

4:00pm–5:00pm Vid Show The vid show was wonderful; I’d seen only two of the vids before (and as one was Leverage with my OT3 and to an Ingrid Michealson song, I certainly didn’t mind seeing it again). I was utterly destroyed by Darcy’s SG-1 Jack/Daniel vid entitled “Living Alone” and had to break out the tissue pack almost at once. So good!

As I had no one to do dinner with, I worked on my plushie a little and then went back to the only food place I knew was open and ordered a salad (healthy) and onion rings (my weakness). I sewed through dinner and got the body done (even though I had to reinforce the crotch better after stuffing him).

Then I got ready for the masquerade. I wore my Marauder’s Map dress with Marauder’s Map pin on my badge, Marauder’s Map bow in my hair, and the actual Maurader’s Map as a necklace. (I maybe like the marauders a bit, you know) I also had a black mask I bought with the cape I wore to the Walk to End HIV a few years back when the theme was superheros. I discovered upon arrival that I had taken the masquerade title too literally and I was only one of a few who had masks. Still, it went with the outfit and made me feel a little bolder to be hiding behind a mask, so I kept it on. There was a mashed potatoes bar and a dessert bar as well, and the decorations were wonderful. I had a lot of nice conversations with people, including getting to geek out on Classic Who (and ask some questions about it… and get some lovely audiobook recs) and catch up with one of my favorite fellow hurt/comfort writers. I don’t like dances much and attempted to retire to the fandom lounge for button-making with friends like last Wincon, but it was locked up. Drat! So we headed back to the dance. I did dance to the Time Warp, because that one has scripted dance moves. And I danced to the last song with everyone, which was Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” (so perfect, though were were a little iffy on which verse was which LOL).

Oh, the movie never ends It goes on and on, and on, and on … Don’t stop believin’ Hold on to that feelin’

I went back to my room after the masquerade and worked for 2 hours on my plushie while watching Doctor Who. I finished up watching the Fifth Doctor’s episodes! I also discovered I cut the underwear too small for my plushie. Then I went to bed at 2am.

I got up at 9 in order to eat breakfast and get down to the dealer room as soon as possible.

Saturday Morning Schedule:

10:00am–10:30am Dealer’s Room My friend put in a request for merch and I was hoping to squeeze it in before the morning panels. However, the dealers didn’t all get there early, so I ended up missing half of the first panel. I also dropped a few BookCrossing books on tables in the fandom lounge to give away. Worth it, though. The dealer had the thing my friend wanted AND I ended up buying things from pretty much all the other dealers. Good start to a morning indeed!

10:30am–11:00am Disability in Media A LOT less angry and complainy than most of the disability panels I’ve attended at other cons. There was a lot of talk of positive examples and analysis of things. That was refreshing to hear. I’m sorry I missed the part where they discussed Bashir because, I mean, Bashir, right?

11:00am–12:00pm Invisible Unicorns I had the HARDEST time figuring out this time slot. It was up against Book Recs for the People (I adore books) and Totally 80s Toons (possibly my only chance to talk about my first fandom with people: Pound Puppies). I asked the panelist heading from Disability in Media to Totally 80s Toons to please NOT discuss Pound Puppies because missing such a discussion would break my heart. Then I stayed in the roundtable room for Invisible Unicorns, where we talked about bi, ace, pan, etc. representations in fandoms. The session was so well attended we had to keep grabbing more chairs. LOL It was wonderful. I came out with a LOT to think about. We talked about the whole “prove it!” thing and the problematic usage of “born this way.” One thing I had never heard put into words before was how there is a shorthand for sex onscreen but no shorthand for things like asexual romance (YET!). There were also some hilarious moments i.e. “Once you cross the het barrier at knotting…” “That is NOT where the het barrier is.”

12:00pm–1:00pm Plushie Workshop II I was considering going to MCU, but I’m behind on S.H.I.E.L.D. and haven’t seen the second Guardians yet, so I decided to craft. I had big plans: Finish the head, make new underwear, make the suit jacket, sew the head on to finish it. I managed the first 2 of 4. I made the suit jacket then discovered it’s just a little too small. Drat! I’ll have to redo part of it. But it was definitely another nice break. Except now I have what looks like a headless Morman and not a Ianto Jones yet. One lovely attendee brought a ton of little figures, and we had fun going through them, sorting them by property, and selecting a few. I got a couple for myself and one for a friend. At the end of the day, after everyone else had a chance to look through them (and they were no longer sorted) I took a few more.

I worked on my plushie through lunch (thanks to snacks from 7-11) then headed to afternoon sessions.

Saturday Afternoon Schedule:

2:00pm–3:00pm OT3: A Love Story We listed our favorite OT3s in fandom (Leverage, Force Awakens, White Collar, Haven, Marvel, Sense8, etc.) I ship some very rare OT3s so I didn’t bring them up (Wolverine/Iron Man/Captain America; Sherlock/Watson/Lestrade) but it was fun hearing about other people’s ships. We discussed why OT3s are the best (solves love triangle problems, avoids ship wars, solves problem of killing off awesome female characters). We also talked about dynamics of OT3s (relationship negotiations–swoon!, soulmate AUs, imperfect moments, overlap with found families, inviting someone to join, etc.). And, of course, this lovely quote “My fandoms have orgies all the time” which pretty much sums up my writing style. LOL

3:00pm–4:00pm Fandom as Genre This one was interesting, and I’m very glad I went. What’s unique to fandom that makes it its own thing and makes it special? Some topics of discussion included: ability to have different versions of the same character, ability to have different settings/situations with the same characters, ability to explore minor characters, having less exposition (already know the shared universe, history, appearances, etc.), POV differences, how much of the community aspect is needed to make it fanfiction, the difference between authorized tie-in novels and fanfiction, why we write fanfiction (for ourselves or for a certain population that knows certain things already about the source material), what we’re allowed to write in a fandom vs. what is taboo, how A/B/O originated in fandom, and the concept of headers/tag wranglers. Some quotes I liked included “Fanfic is the only place characters go into the bedroom and come out as the same people,” “We need to make supernatural disgusting again!” and “We’ve come a long way from ‘we’re not gay, we just love each other.'” There was also a question raised regarding what is at the core of a character that makes him recognizable and feel like the same character when everything around is different?

4:00pm–4:30pm Charity Raffle The charity was Planned Parenthood, and people were generous both in the donating of items and in the buying of raffle tickets. I bought $40 in raffle tickets, so I was expecting to win a few things (especially as a few things I put tickets in for only had one or two tickets in the cup). I didn’t get the Ace scarf I really wanted and put a lot of tickets in for, but I did get a bunch of things, including a Martha plushie (who can hang out with Ianto, once he’s done–the Joneses!), tons of comics (including some Archies, Buffys, Marvel, and more), a Donatello figure (he’s my turtle), a Spider-man hat, and some gorgeous fannish jewelry. I was also super happy to see the items I donated to the raffle go to people who will love them. One super nice new friend gave me something she won in the raffle and had two of. Squee!

After the raffle, I bought a few things from the other vendor I hadn’t purchased from yet (I’d frankly been avoiding her booth because I wanted every single thing she had for sale and didn’t trust myself). I ended up with a few buttons I’d never seen before and a super soft Kaylee Bear. I thought about also buying the Jayne Bear, but I just couldn’t do it without a Simon Bear to ship with him. #noregrets.

A few of us stayed in the fandom lounge to finally take advantage of the button machine. Making buttons was one of my favorite parts of Wincon, and it was fun to have one of my button-making friends back as well as some new button-making friends joining the crew. We had a great time going through stickers and magazines, looking for things we wanted. I made a kickass perfect RuPaul button that is sort of now my favorite. I also made an Alexander Hamilton button and a kitty King George button to go with him. And some others, of course. We were at it for a little over 2 hours. It was such fun seeing the creative things people made!

I had just enough time to pop over to Jimmy Johns (found it this time!) before it closed (it was only 7:20, mind you!) and get back to the con in time for the trivia contest. I’d planned on just watching, but I got roped into playing. Glad I did; I even knew a few of the answers, like what century Outlander was in. However, I feel SHAME forever for saying “Flashverse” instead of “Flashpoint.” I will never shake off that shame. I was proud to be able to answer the question about all the Weasley siblings (including next generation) and probably could have done the hockey siblings one, but two people on my team JUMPED at that, so I let them have at it. I’m also sad I couldn’t remember the names of the Hansons! Terrible fangirling on my part; I’m just not good at remembering things when there are time constraints! In all, we had a great team and we came in second… though later I heard we misgraded another team’s paper and actually came in third. Just like the Puffs play says “Third or nothing!!!”

After trivia was Badfic Idol. My fic “Five Times Something Happened and One Time Something Else Happened” was read at the beginning. It was my first attempt and it didn’t win first place or even second. But it did get some laughs. And my friend appreciated the Picard on a Horse inside joke from Wincon I threw in there. Actually, 80% of the fic was thought up during Wincon a few years back, so it was fun to share it. Instead of the judges giving their thoughts after each fic like last time, they gave them all at once at the end, which was a little more confusing, but we got there in the end. The winning fic had no words and was written only in emojis starting with policeman knife fireman and ending with sailboat. I mean… sailboat, you know? That’s a damn powerful ending. Definitely deserved to win! It was a great event; all the stories were hilarious; I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. And the judges’ comments were amazing!

After Badfic Idol, I stuck around for a game of Cards Against Humanity. I actually won a round, which was great. I played some fantastic cards but just the one win. Everyone was bringing their best to the game, and it was definitely a hoot.

I headed back to my room and packed up so everything would be ready the next morning.

On Sunday, I woke at 8:45 sleepy but fine (one nice thing about never drinking is not worrying about con morning hangovers). I finished packing and, once again, headed to the dealer’s room for a morning purchase. I had forgotten a button I HAD to buy a friend and, luckily, there were still a few left (in various styles). Score! I’m not posting the photos of things I bought for people, BTW, because that would spoil the surprises.

Sunday Morning Schedule:

10:00am–11:00am The State of Fandom I had to ask but, yes, everyone agreed that LJ is DEAD. Someone suggested Pillowfort, which is like Tumblr only fixes all the problems Tumblr has and lets you have actual conversations. Someone else suggested Pinboard for bookmarking. We talked a lot about building our “brands” and the differences between us oldtimers and the new internet generation in terms of privacy concerns. We also talked about things like how releasing whole seasons at once erases that anticipation we once had for week-to-week shows, how there used to be a fannish code and norms that get passed down but are being challenged now culturally, and how freakin awesome Fanlore is.

11:00am–12:00pm Hamilton: Who Tells Your Story? We started off talking about race and how it puts so many marginalized groups back into the narrative of our country. Then we went into discussions about gender (how women are in the war scenes and how it’s kind of Eliza’s story, or would be if she were in it more). I loved the point one person made about how in Revolutionary War times, a person’s writing style was uniquely identifiable just the way the musical styles for each character are uniquely identifiable for us today in the musical. I was shocked that more people hadn’t read the Ron Chernow book, and I was going to recommend it for people who write Hamilton fanfic, but then the discussion moved on (it’s filled with amazing details like the fact that Hamilton & Eliza had a dog named “Old Peggy” and how Washington’s aides usually shared beds at camp). But we did talk about how the American narrative actually wasn’t as rose-colored as we thought and how the musical humanizes history. Some recommendations included the book Colony in a Nation by Chris Hayes, the Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast, and a Sleepy Hollow crossover where Alexander Hamilton comes forth into modern day and is stuck here. Also, I was given a rec that has Asexual!Dom!Washington and subby!Hamilton that is currently my favorite Hamilton fic EVER!

12:00pm–1:00pm Family Affairs: Incest in Fandom Was great to end the con with a good ol’ incest panel! We talked about our first and favorite pairings. I asked about Bates Motel because I LOVE me some Bates Motel and was told the fanfic is not good, which wasn’t too surprising. We also talked about what makes incest fic good and the different kinds (I’m in love with the term Gencest now!).

1:00pm–1:35pm Closing Ceremonies I had to leave during the closing event, because of my hotel checkout time and because I wanted to get home before it got too dark, but it was nice being there for part of it. And people waved to me as I left, which made me feel all warm and fuzzy. The con com did an amazing job putting this together and making it special and unique. I really hope the next Confab Con is somewhere close to me so I can attend it!

On my way home, I attempted to find some postcards of Pittsburgh to send to people and struck out everywhere I looked. I picked up a grilled cheese with onions and some more onion rings (did I mention I was driving home alone?) as well as a frozen slushie drink at Sheetz. My GPS wanted me to go one way that was blocked off with a detour, so I took the scenic route out of Pittsburgh and quite enjoyed the drive. Then I ended up on 40 heading to a big snarf stop I’d seen when I was driving up but couldn’t stop for because I’d been worried about Penguins game parking. I finished earreading Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer and put on In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord, which I also ended up finishing on the drive. So then I started Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

I found the historical markers (snarfs) I’d been looking for and discovered it was General Braddock’s grave. Just down the street from that was Fort Necessity. I thought about just doing a drive-by with it and coming back some other time. I even went into the park, drove around the lot, and then went back to the highway again. Then I decided to just do it and went to the fort. I was still on a Hamilton high, and what better way to end my con weekend but with a George Washington fuckup? The park ranger was sad to inform me that the reenactments were all done for the day and that there was only one showing of the film left; I didn’t really care about either. I went through the museum and headed out to the fort. Apparently the Braddock Road by my home is, actually, the very same one I’d been driving on for an hour up in Pennsylvania. I snarfed all the signs and took some nice shots of the fort, the tavern, and the monuments. Hopefully no one thought less of me in my wearing my Hamilton/Harry Potter mash-up t-shirt.

I found a few more historical markers on the drive home, stopped for gas in the little town that literally has an interstate running right through its middle just above it, and got home around 8:30. My cats were happy to see me, and Ozma kitten has already claimed my CONfabulation bag as her own.

CONfabulation 2017 was originally published on The Fangirl Project

[adamthepastryguy]

So my Harry Potter themed  Afternoon Tea  has come and gone. The most immersive and most expensive Tea i have done to date. It took the longest to prepare for the decor and foods and hopefully is the most elaborate to date.

I visited the  Harry Potter Studio tour on Thursday for the 1st time and did pick up some wizarding world items to enhance the Tea for the sweets challenge. The props alone for this Tea have made it the most expensive to date and find how much at the end of the blog.

Just  like the films it takes many people to make it all happen, and would like to thanks my parents and also partner for their help in the decor and filming on the day. It took most of the 2nd half of the week to do the decor, prepare the props and plan, shop and bake/prepare the treats on offer.

The Tea has been in the planning for over a year, but on paper mainly, since i was visiting the Studio Tour the same week i decided to end the week with the Tea.

I searched the internet and many of Pinterest posts for inspiration for  treats and foods to make alongside my original ideas. I have never read the books but seen the films. A lot of the references i found came from the books and small snippets from the movies. I wrote them all down and done a shortlist and came up with my menu. I was happy with all i did but you always want more. I ran out of space on the table  I need a long banquet table !

SETTING THE SCENE

Whilst planning i came up with the name Platform 9 Tea/4 as my backdrop was to be the Hogwarts Express. I already had a trolley from my market stalls so used that with some loaded up luggage to set the scene I wanted a cage for Hedwig but knew it would be a waste getting it for a one off, so found an adorable but expensive Hedwig from Platform 9 3/4 shop online  for £35 originally £45 and the biggest one they make and exclusive to the shop also.  The backdrop came from Ebay as per my others.

I saw the Hogwarts letter pack in Sainsburys and decided to make my own Acceptance letters and also brought a wax sealer online and made 20 to hang on a wall to set the scene further. I made some floating Candles from hot glue and Paper towel holders and tealights and hung from the ceiling. These were all hung with invisible thread so did indeed appear to be floating besides the obvious sellotape mark on the ceiling.

I had the idea also to have Hogwarts on the table  and that came in 3d puzzle form. I was lucky to win 2 auctions on eBay hoping all the pieces were there! it took me 5 days to complete both of them myself and 1 piece was missing. I paired them with my Lego like Harry Potter Mini figures and think they went great together even if the scale is somewhat out lol. I had imagined this in the centre of the table and  cake stands on each end, but was naive and it had to go at the far end of the table but looked good anyway.

  SORTING HAT

I do have one of the original talking sorting Hats but it doesn’t work, i saw Argos had a sale on the new version for £17.49 i got it as they are usually £40+ within a week or so it was back to normal price so glad i got it. I used it as a prop and to sort everyone into their Houses before we begun the Tea.

    THE TEA

I was lucky to get hold of the Harry potter Teapots, 1 from Primark and 1 from eBay( from primark) and the House crest Mugs these were all reasonable compared to most around. I found a Round Marauders map Beach towel ( yes round) i used as a tablecloth with my Black cloth underneath. I knew i wanted a Birdcage cake stand for the Tea and found one on Amazon using my vouchers i got 2 and £30 off. I did not try my plates on it and last minute figured the big plates would not fit, so had to use the side plates as the stand plates and big plates as our plates to eat off

I just had a choice of Loose leaf plain Tea and regular Tea for this Tea.

MUSIC

My Dad is the sound man and he had the Harry Potter Soundtrack from the films playing in the Background which created some ambiance.

  THE FOOD

After gathering references and ideas it took 3 days plus of preparation to make it all happen with all the sweets and savories enough to feed Dumbledoores army!

The savouries

For the Sandwiches i made  Endless Bacon , Corned Beef ( Ron’s least favourite) and Chicken & Ham

Cheese wand Scones

Pumpkin Pasties – These are mentioned as being eaten on the Hogwarts express and no mention of sweet or savoury, a lot of recipes made them Pumpkin Pie type fillings. I saw some savoury i made mine into Curried Pumpkin which were really nice.

Mini Steak Pies

THE SWEET STUFF

Their was endless possibilities for sweet items and i whittled it down to several, haa i still had loads.

Golden Snitch Cake ball Truffles – Sprayed gold and complete with Rice paper wings.

Treacle Tarts – Harry`s favorite apparently who knew?

Hagrids Rock Cakes – A definite improvement on Hagrids version these mini Rock cakes were great.

Harry`s Birthday Cake – I made a small Vegan Chocolate Cake complete with Strawberry Pink icing and a rustic message ” Happee Birthdae Harry” with the crack down the middle.

Lemon Sherbet Eclairs – Filled with Vanilla Cream and topped with Lemon Sherbet icing and crumbled Sherbet sweets dust.

ButterBeer mini Cupcakes – If you have never had Butter beer it is a cross between a cream soda and Butterscotch topped with a cream like top layer. To replicate this i made a Butterscotch flavour sponge topped with Butterscotch buttercream and coloured yellow.

Chocolate Frogs– right from the start on the Train these were a definite to add to the Tea. I made my own in some moulds with Rice Crispies/Coco pops pieces inside. typically they contain a Holographic wizard Cards in their boxes.

Philosophers Scones – Love the name i found online. I topped my Scones with a lightening scar for added effect.

I recorded the Tea live, but much to my horror afterwards found once the tablet fell the sound had cut out after 9 mins!

Luckily my partner had made his own videos and i borrowed them from him allowing the whole thing to be relived in short clips. I always film them via Facebook live and with a new tripods thought this would be okay. Tripod needs sorting out for next time seemed to be top heavy with my tablet resting on it. Happy with the combined footage

SWEETS CHALLENGE

As part of the Tea i wanted to have a Bertie Botts sweet challenge afterwards ( The disgusting flavours) and also take the chance to try some other Harry Potter inspired  Sweets. I got from Universal studios the original Frog and the studio tour here i got the rest of the Honeydukes Sweets and around other places. I looked at reviews of some and picked the ones which got the best scores. Some for what they was i left. I was lucky to get some cheap and discounted in Tkmaxx in a hamper bundle for £5

The sweets i got were

Chocolate Frog in Box – Universal Studios Orlando

Chocolate Frog packs x2 – Chocolate & Puffed Rice Pieces

Fizzing whizzbees

Peppermint Toads

Exploding Bon Bons Orange & Pineapple

Bertie Botts every flavour Bean

Jelly Slugs

Gringotts Chocolate Coins

Lemon Sherbets

 SO HOW WAS THEY?

The Bertie Botts Bean challenge  we picked 3 Beans each and from the reactions we all got mostly disgusting ones. I got Grass and Toothpaste which tasted like deep heat lol. I mixed them in with Bean Boozled which have nice and nasty flavours.

The Chocolate frog in box from the states is Big and fills the box but however is American Chocolate! so could not eat much of that for it is not the best eating Chocolate.

The Puffed Rice Chocolate frog with Cards were also not that great and i could not believe the size of them once opened compared to the size of the packet. Disgraceful for the price.

The Exploding Pineapple & Orange Bonbons in White Chocolate were very nice but not much fizz with the Popping Candy for any of us.

Fizzing whizzbees – I liked the Chocolate shaped like Bees but again not much of a whizz or Fizz, think it must have flown away.

Mint Chocolate Toads – Dark Chocolate and extremely strong Mint taste, okay but a bit overpowering for most of us.

Jelly slugs- various flavours and small little Chewy gummy sweets these were okay.

Gringotts Chocolate Coins – Come in a little sack with an emblem on it, the Chocolate was okay on these a novelty more than anything.

Lemon sherbets – i got these from Tesco they are nice just plain Sherbets

These sweets were interesting to try but expensive for what you get

Fizzing Whizzbees £8

Peppermint Toads £5

Frogs packs £4.50

jelly beans packs £3-4 each

Sherbets – available anywhere  really from £1 or less

Explosing BonBons £8

Jelly Slugs £3-4 a pack

Chocolate frog in Box £8-10

It was an eventful evening and after such a lot of planning it came to an end. I invited my work colleague and friend Sharon to participate in the Tea rather than watch it from fb live. Hope she enjoyed her time on Platform 9 tea/4 and she went home with a goodie bag of treats and souvenirs.

This was the most expensive tea i have done in the 2 years i have been doing this project for fun. it came in at the cost of WAIT FOR IT!  £356.30 

The cost of food was low compared to the Props, Teaware and other  items that made this whole Tea what it was. Of course i have the props and plushies to keep for another time. Some i will sell on the things i do not need to keep. The rest will stay for the return to Hogwarts one day.

  My Platform 9 Tea/4 Harry Potter theme Afternoon Tea – behind the scenes So my Harry Potter themed  Afternoon Tea  has come and gone. The most immersive and most expensive Tea i have done to date.