#also this fabric base was a mistake to use but it was the only white fabric i have

[arctic-hands]

[Image Description: a small embroidery hoop that is securing a gauzy white fabric. In the hoop is a crudely cross-stitched black outline of an uneven heart shape. Within the heart, a little bit off center, is a Palestinian flag (three horizontal stripes of black, white, and green, with a red triangle facing right on the left). The right point of the red triangle ended up being uneven and off center, throwing off the balance of the stripes, leaving the green stripe noticeably thin at the bottom. End I.D]

Fuckity. I can live with the wonky heart (I can't even draw a heart without it looking wonky) and the slightly off center flag, but I didn't realize the triangle being uneven and how thin the green is until the literal end of the flag. I'm a rookie to cross-stitch and am unsure how it would look I embroidered red thread over the white and green to even it out, or to bulk up the green stripe by going into the white. Is there any way to salvage this or do I have to start over? I've been working on this for three weeks because my health keeps interrupting it.

[Image Description: a closeup on the flag part, showing also that the bottom of the green stripe is a bit uneven. End I.D]

[evansbby]

𝐖𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐☆.｡.:*

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐈 - 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: mean jock!Ari Levinson x naive!reader

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: extreme voyeurism, daddy!kink, drugs (ecstasy), smutt, dd/lg vibes, dubcon, choking, dark Ari, liar Ari, cheater Ari, mean Ari, size difference, innocence kink, naive reader, 18+ only, minors dni!

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Finally sick of Ari's lies, you're determined not to fall victim to his charms again.

𝐀/��: This is part 2 of my fic, Wicked Games. Oh, I'm nervous about posting this! Please forgive any mistakes! Major warning for drug use and dubcon smut! Also, we finally find out who the second love interest it! Word count: 14.7k.

Coming to this party was a huge mistake, and you realise that the moment you enter the frat house. The music’s so loud, you can barely hear yourself think. You definitely can’t hear your friend Wanda, who’s excitedly mouthing stuff at you as she hands you a shot. You quickly down it with her before taking in your surroundings: the whole room is dark and packed, with red and black strobe lights thumping along with the music. Bodies writhing at every turn, people laughing, screaming, kissing and more.

And then you see him. Amongst the sea of what feels like a bazillion people, Ari stands heads above them all. The 6’6’’ captain of the basketball team, so handsome in a white shirt that clings snugly to his muscular biceps. Even with a snapback resting backwards on his head, you can still see tufts of his long brown hair curling at the base of his neck. God, did he have to be so goddamn hot?

Of course, he’s staring straight back at you, and you know you should look away. But you stand there, gormless and entranced like a schoolgirl. Watching him take in your body, letting his eyes trail leisurely down your form and drink everything in. He’s a fair distance away from you and half obstructed by dancing bodies, but you somehow still see his pink tongue peak out and run over his lips hungrily as he gazes at you.

Your dress is fire-engine red, daringly short and so form fitting that it barely covers your butt. The material is stretchy, hugging your body as the neckline dips lower than what you’re normally used to. You know Ari recognises the dress by the way his Adam’s apple bobs up and down. His eyes are locked in place, taking over your accentuated curves and pushed up cleavage.

He’d seen it in your closet a few weeks ago, and you remember how he’d picked it up and whistled. “What a slutty dress, baby.” He’d said, “Why don’t you put it on for daddy?” And of course, you had. You did anything he asked you to, and you’d never forget how dark his eyes had gotten, and how sombre he’d looked as he’d beckoned you over to his lap, his hands running up and down your body covered in the thin red fabric. “I don’t want you wearing this dress in public, okay baby? Slutty dresses like this are for my eyes only. Promise me you’ll never wear this for anyone else.”

And promise you had, but yet here you were. And you can practically see the smoke billowing out of Ari’s ears, and you can see his jaw clenching as he’s unable to rip his eyes off of you. And you feel almost bad for disobeying him, until you see a pink manicured hand grab Ari’s face and pull him down for a kiss. Sharon. He was here with her. But of course, he was here with her! She was his girlfriend, after all. And you were the gullible fool who he’d strung along the whole time he was with her.

It had only taken you a few days after your last hook-up with Ari in the locker-room to realise that he had not broken up with Sharon like he’d told you he had. You’d seen them together on the campus courtyard, hand-in-hand, Sharon looking happier than ever. She definitely didn’t look like someone whose uncle had just died. Ari had seen you too, and all he could muster up was a sheepish look before his girlfriend had dragged him away.

That had been last week, and since then, he’d been texting you nonstop.

Ari: Baby, it’s not what it looks like. Me and Sharon are just friends now!

Ari: Okay, fine. We got back together. But, baby, it’s only temporary ;) You know you’re my number one girl.

Ari: Send daddy a pic, baby girl ;)

Ari: Okay, I get that you’re mad but you know I don’t like it when you ignore my messages.

Ari: I miss you, baby. Let’s FaceTime soon, okay? Wear something sexy ;)

Ari: Fuck you. I’ve got plenty of other options.

You prided yourself on not answering even one of his texts, despite the fact that you could feel your resolve weakening all week. But you were determined to never speak to him again, and definitely never be his play-thing or side-chick again. And now here you were, at a frat party that you’d let your friend Wanda drag you to. Which you definitely didn’t come just so you could show Ari exactly what he was missing out on. Definitely not…

Tearing your gaze away from the beefy basketball captain, you pour yourself and Wanda another shot each, cringing as the colourless liquid sloshes down your throat. But the burn is a welcome change from the heartache you feel, knowing you’re in the same room as Ari and her. You dare to peak back at them one more time and hate yourself for doing it because now they’re dancing together, although you can see Ari still looking straight at you while his girlfriend’s back is turned.

“C’mon, let’s dance.” You drag Wanda to the dance floor determinedly.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Little Miss Side Chick.” You hear a deep voice in your ear as two heavy hands land on your hips. Wanda has already busied herself with dancing with a guy you vaguely remember from freshman orientation, so you turn around and come face to face with another basketball player. Tall and rugged, hair buzzed off and tattoos smattered all over his chest and arms. Curtis.

“What do you want?” You sneer, because Curtis is Ari’s best friend. And anyone associated with Ari is an enemy to you.

“Whoa, retract your claws, kitten. I’m not looking for a fight.” Curtis smirks, his hands firmly planted on your hips, swaying you along with him to the upbeat music. His body is practically glued to yours, and you can’t help but inhale his manly scent. It’s some type of aftershave that you don’t recognise, but boy does it smell good.

“Well, I don’t care what you’re looking for!” You raise your chin up at him defiantly, despite the fact that he’s more than a head taller than you. “And you can report that back to Ari, okay? And then you and him can both go to hell–Whoops!” You stumble forward in your high heels and cling to the beefy buzzcut-haired man in front of you to regain your balance. Curtis’ hand travels up to the small of your back as he pulls you closer, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Careful, kitty kat.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“But you let Ari call you whatever he wants.” His lips brush against your ear as he whispers, and you can’t help but cling to him. You feel like a small fish in this gigantic pond of a party, and Curtis feels solid as you teeter in your heels. You see the glint in his eye as he flashes you a smile. “I’ve heard you getting fucked, you know.”

You pout, “That’s really pervy, Curtis.”

“Yeah? I feel like you and Levinson both love an audience. You want a drink, kitten?”

 “No!”

“C’mon, you look like you need a drink. I mean, just look at you. Standing in the middle of the dancefloor looking all cute and pouty like a little baby.”

“ ‘m not a baby!”

As if on cue, you pout again. But you let Curtis drag you back to the drinks table, watching in awe as he mixes different things together in a crystal glass he seems to have conjured out of nowhere. Something compels you to look over your shoulder, and you spy Ari from across the room. Sharon’s arms are around his neck but his eyes are still boring holes into you. He’s got a can of beer that he’s currently crushing in his fist, and even in the darkness, you can see his face going red as his lips pull into a sneer.

Oh, he was jealous!

You giggle and give him a wave before pointedly turning back to Curtis and accepting whatever drink he’s just mixed for you.

“A baby drink for a baby like you.” Curtis pulls your cheek condescendingly and you scowl before eyeing the concoction in the glass. It’s a pretty pale pink colour and smells kind of fruity. You look up questioningly at Curtis, who crosses his arms over his chest as he grins like a Cheshire cat. “Go ahead, kitten, it won’t bite. I told you, it’s a baby drink – you wouldn’t even know there’s alcohol in it. Tastes like strawberries and cream.”

“Well… that does sound yummy.” You dip your pinkie finger in the drink and swirl it around, pretending to consider it. Your eyes dart sideways in Ari’s direction once more. And he’s still staring at you, despite the fact that his girlfriend’s all up against him, whispering something in his ear. God, that makes you mad, and you down the drink without a second thought. It goes down your throat easy, with a pleasantly fruity aftertaste. You look up at Curtis and beam.

“You were right! Tasted much better than shots! Could I have another, maybe?” You bat your lashes at him and he smirks. But he makes you another one, and you down it quickly, trying to flush away any thoughts of Ari and Sharon out of your mind. Screw both of them!

“Easy there, kitty kat. It’s a drink, you don’t have to down it like a shot.” Curtis grins, and it’s only when you feel his arm around your waist that you realise you’ve fallen into him again. Whatever he’d put in your drinks seems to already be hitting you, but you don’t care, don’t care, don’t care! And Curtis’ thumb rubbing circles on your hip feel kind of nice, and so you let him hold you as you sway, blinking rapidly as the alcohol mingles into your bloodstream.

“You know, kitten, there’s a bunch of empty rooms upstairs. Maybe we could find one ‘em so you can lie down for a while?” Curtis whispers beguilingly in your ear, his lips brushing against your skin and making you shiver in your tiny dress. He casually plays with the flimsy straps, pushing one down and exposing your shoulder. A second later you feel his lips press against your exposed skin, making your heart jump with thrill. There’s something hard poking against your stomach, and you giggle and bite your lip.

“Don’t think I can get up the stairs, Curtis. Can’t even… Can’t even stand up straight!” He’s supporting most of your body weight as you lean heavily into him, loving the feel of strong, beefy arms around you. It’s dark enough that you can almost imagine they belong to someone else…

“Don’t worry, kitten, I’ll carry you up there. Babies like you are meant to be carried, right? And I want to hear you scream like you did for Levinson in the locker room.”

You barely have a chance to consider his proposition before you feel a heavy hand grab your arm and pull you backwards. You stumble in your high heels before your back collides with a very solid, very sturdy chest.

“She’s off limits, Curtis. You know that.” Ari’s voice is low but firm, and you turn to see the captain of the basketball team glaring daggers at his teammate and best friend, his brows furrowed and lips set in a thin line. His fingers are curled around your upper arm, not showing any signs of letting go as he looms formidably like a giant by your side. Sharon’s nowhere to be found.

“Oh yeah? You finally ready to jump ship from one girl to the next, Ari?” Curtis grins, wholly unperturbed as he pops open a can of beer and takes a long swig.

“Very funny, asshole. Go find someone else to take advantage of.” Ari says wryly, still holding you with an iron grip while you gape at both of them. And a part of you – an admittedly pathetic part of you – is thrilled that Ari’s come over to you now. Clearly, he was affected by you talking to his best friend, and that makes you feel special.

Surprisingly, Curtis backs off easily, slinking off into the party like a panther. The crowd swallows him up, and you watch him go for a moment before the crushing grip gets even tighter. You hear a rumble from Ari’s chest as he mauls you to a dim corner of the room. It’s still packed with people, but he manages to prop you up in a dark spot, his palms slamming against the wall on either side of you, trapping you against it.

“Well, well, well. Look who showed up to the party.” Ari sneers, pressing his considerably larger frame against yours. “And you’re drunk already. Hasn’t anyone told you not to accept drinks from strangers?”

You blink up at him, feeling slower and more sluggish than usual thanks to Curtis’ magic drink in your system. But then his words hit you and you scowl, craning your neck to look up at him despite the fact that you’re in heels.

“Curtis isn’t a stranger, he’s my friend!” (You’ve conveniently forgotten the fact that you’d sworn that any friend of Ari’s was an enemy of yours).

Ari scoffs, “He’s not your friend. You’re not allowed to be friends with boys.”

You stick your chin up at him, “Oh yeah? Says who?”

The huge basketball player drives his pelvis into you with force, his clothed erection rutting against your stomach and making your eyes pop wide open and a gasp dies somewhere in your throat.

He smirks, “Says your daddy.”

Beyond Ari’s broad shoulder, you can see the party commencing in full force. The DJ’s switched to a more R&B centric playlist, and the whole room reverberates with the sounds of heavy bass and sexy crooning lyrics. Couples find each other on the dancefloor, strangers join together like magnets. Swaying and grinding and groping each other in the dark.

You blink several times before refocusing your gaze on Ari, trying not to get lost in his eyes or his smell or just how big and manly he is compared to you. No. You had to stay strong and you had to stay away from him. He was trouble with a capital T, and there was no way you were going to let him get away with cornering you at this party – not after all the lies he’d fed you about breaking up with his girlfriend. Not after he’d strung you along for weeks…

“Fuck off, Ari! You have no right to tell me who I can or can’t be friends with! Now just… Just fuck off and go back to your girlfriend an’ leave me alone!” Your palms land on his chest and you push with all your might. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t budge an inch. In fact, he yawns pointedly, infuriating you further as you continue to push his huge, muscular body off of you.

“Please. You thrive on my attention, baby. That’s why you’re wearing this slutty dress and flirting with my best friend.” He says matter-of-factly, making your blood boil and your jaw drop open indignantly.

“Don’t want your attention!”

“Babies like you need attention.” Ari tells you, saying each word slowly as if you truly are a dumb baby who doesn’t understand anything. One of his hands meanders upwards, casually twining a piece of your hair around his finger, “Or else you’ll cry and throw a tantrum. And we don’t want the little baby to throw a tantrum, do we?”

You can’t believe his cockiness! Before you know what you’re doing, you punch him straight in the chest. Hard. But Ari just looks down at you bemusedly. In fact, he looks bored, and that infuriates you even more. And on top of everything else, now your hand hurts and you feel your eyes well with tears.

“Aww, did the little baby hurt herself?” Ari teases, patting your cheek condescendingly. You sniffle and try to swat him away but he’s too quick, too strong. You’re helpless, stuck against his big, hard body and the wall behind your back and he knows it as he smirks. “Poor little baby, don’t cry or throw a tantrum. You’ve got my attention now, haven’t you? And that’s what you wanted.”

“No, I didn’t–!”

He cuts you off with a rough kiss, his tongue forcing its way into your mouth. Even in your heels, he still has to lift you up so he can kiss you properly without you having to crane your neck too much because of his height. And so he grabs your hips and hoists you up against the wall, your bare legs dangling on either side of him as he consumes you with a kiss that seems riddled in possessiveness. Until you bang your fists on his shoulders enough times for him to pull away.

“How…How dare you kiss me! When your girlfriend’s at the same party!” You accuse, despite the fact that your heart is racing and lips are tingling and you really want him to kiss you again.

Ari shrugs, still looking bored. “She went to the bathroom with a bunch of her girlfriends to fix her makeup or something. And you know how girls are with the bathroom, they’ll stay in there for ages.” He pulls you snug against him, “Gives us a bit of time to have fun, baby.”

“You’re a man-whore, Ari.”

He snorts, “And you’re lucky you still have my attention, baby girl.”

Your jaw drops open, “You’re the one who’s been texting me nonstop since last week!”

“Just so you wouldn’t feel bad.”

You can’t believe him. Huffing, you try to push past him and storm off. Which proves to be impossible considering he’s still got you lifted up against the wall, his leg snug between your thighs. And even if you were in a position to exit the situation, he was way too big and strong and could easily stop you. Ugh. (But not really because that pathetic part of you really is enjoying the attention he’s giving you right now).

“You look so hot tonight, baby girl.” Ari mutters as he starts kissing at you again. First, he tries your lips. But you’re still stubborn, still mad at him and so you turn your head. That’s not a problem for him, his lips pressing down against your cheek, down to your jaw, then your neck. His hands come up to brazenly squeeze your breasts, making you gasp. “This is some dress. Luckily, attention-seeking baby suits you well.”

“Stop callin’ me a baby!”

He gives your ass a hard smack, smirking when you yelp. You thank your lucky stars that it’s too dark and crowded and noisy for anyone around you to notice how indecent he’s being.

“Oh, so you’re a big girl now, huh?”

“Let go of me so I can go have fun with Wanda–” You once more try to elbow him out of the way but of course, he holds you at bay easily.

“Stay put.” He growls, giving your ass another smack. “And answer my question. I asked you if you’re a big girl now.”

You stick your chin up, “Yes, I am.”

The brunet grins wolfishly. And you’re too tipsy to even notice how, but he suddenly conjures up a tiny translucent plastic baggie, waving it in front of your face. Your eyes take a few seconds to focus on the light blue pills sitting inside, shimmering enticingly as the strobe lights land on them. They’ve got designs printed on them, but you’re way too tipsy to decipher what they are.

“If you’re such a big girl, then you’ll have no problem having some of this big girl candy that daddy got specially for you.”

Your heart lurches. Sure, you’re tipsy as hell right now. But you’re certain you know what those pills are… don’t you? And maybe it isn’t the best idea for you to take your first ecstasy pill with only Ari of all people there with you. But what does it matter? When he’s slowly grinding his thigh up between your legs, one of his hands groping all over your body and pressing up your dress?

“I… uh… I dunno, Ari…”

He takes one tablet out before shoving the baggie into his pocket.

“C’mon. Prove you’re a big girl and take one.”

Every sane cell in your body is screaming at you not to, but it seems like you’re not only drunk off alcohol, but also off of his touch and attention.

Ari’s thumb trails across your lower lip, stroking it gently before tipping it open. You watch him, slack-jawed and in awe, as he slowly brings the blue tablet up to his own lips. He holds it between his teeth before he dips his head and catches your lips in a deep kiss, transferring the pill into your mouth. It rests on your tongue for a second before you gather your saliva and swallow it quickly, wanting to prove to him that you were indeed a big girl.

I’ll just let him kiss me for a while and then I’ll leave, you tell yourself, sighing as he peppers butterfly-light kisses all over your neck and shoulder. He pushes the strap of your dress down, much like how Curtis had done earlier. And all you can think about is how good it feels when Ari does it, when he touches you like how no one else could. Not that you’d ever had anyone else – since Ari was your first. And you fear that no one else would ever compare…

Suddenly, the strobe lights seem so bright, so close. The music feels like it’s coming out from inside you, like The Weeknd is literally belting out his sexy lyrics from inside you. The lights hit Ari’s face, making him look so big and bright, shiny like a diamond. And so close, so sexy. God, he’s so sexy… And you feel sexy too, like the sexiest person in this room, in your sexy red dress with this giant of a man in front of you.

“Wanna kiss you, daddy.”

He smirks against the nape of your neck before straightening up, “Kiss me, then.”

You try, but he’s too tall. Fuck, you really want to kiss him all of a sudden.

“Can’t. I’m too small.” But you don’t feel small. Just the opposite, actually. You feel like you’re on top of the world, like you’re the most beautiful, most incredible person in this universe. You wind your arms around his neck, “Lift me up. Wanna kiss you.”

He’s already got you propped up with his knee jammed between your legs, but for once he makes no smart comment. He wraps his huge hands around your waist and lifting you up. And it feels like you’re as high as the empire state building. No, the moon! Your heart’s soaring and so is your head, your body’s buzzing, the music’s switched up to something even more sexy, and that’s when you kiss him.

“Good girl,” he praises against your lips, but all you can focus on is how good it feels to have his lips on yours, how good it feels that his hands are back on your body, touching you everywhere. “You’re such a good little girl, you know that?”

“Better than Sharon?”

“Of course, baby girl. I don’t care about Sharon. Only you.”

Firmly holding you against the wall, he pushes your dress up till the tight material is practically around your waist. And who cares, who cares, who cares?! Not you, not when his hands glide up your bare thighs, spreading them before cupping your pussy through the lace of your panties.

“These are pretty, baby. Did daddy buy you these?”

“No,” you lie. Of course, he’d bought them for you. Ari loved buying you lingerie. Often, he’d have it delivered to your dorm room with a special note telling you to take pictures and send them to him. Sometimes, he’d send other things along with the lingerie. Like once, he’d sent this sex toy – a dildo which was almost as big as his dick. And there was a note too, ordering you to put on the lingerie and facetime him immediately. He’d made you fuck yourself on the dildo repeatedly that night, all while you thanked daddy over and over again for your new toy and lingerie set. All while he sat in the comfort of his own dorm room, smoking a cigarette with a smirk on his face, casually pumping his dick and getting off on your humiliation and total submission. Well, you got off on it too.

Now, it only takes a tug of his wrist and your panties are slipping down your legs. They get caught in your heels and you impatiently shake them off, watching the lace as it lays on the ground. That’s when you feel a rush of air against your bare pussy, now only concealed by the flimsy material of your dress.

“God, Levinson, she looks wasted as fuck!”

You vaguely hear someone say that, but you feel like you are lightyears away from everyone else. As if you and Ari are on your very own planet where only the two of you matter.

As if on cue, Ari presses his clothed crotch against your bare pussy, grinding the denim up and down while you pant in his arms. God, you want him so bad.

“Bad little baby, you got my jeans all wet in the middle of a party.” Ari scolds. But you pay him no heed, instead busying yourself with kissing up his collarbone and smelling his manly cologne, feeling his muscles that ripple through his shirt.

“You’re so big and strong,” you murmur, saying exactly what you’re thinking like you have no filter.

Ari puffs his chest out, “I am, aren’t I? Especially compared to a little baby girl like you.” He drives his crotch against your bare pussy once more, lewdly grinding against you till the denim is soaking wet. And oh, the rough material feels so good against your clit, so good that you don’t even care that he’s dry humping you in the middle of a party with so many people around you.

His hand slips up to grab your hair, and he yanks you up roughly so he can put his lips to your ear, “You’re my little baby princess, aren’t you?”

A shiver runs down your spine. You like the sound of that.

“Y-Yeah, I am!”

 “You like how much bigger I am than you?” He licks the shell of your ear.

“Ah – yes!”

“And you’ll do anything I tell you, won’t you? Because you’re just a baby and you need daddy to guide you. Right?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” You rut against him desperately, hoping he’ll carry you up to a bedroom and fuck you hard. It’s not like you’d be able to walk by yourself. Hell, you can’t even stand by yourself right now, which was why he was holding you up like you were a ragdoll. In the midst of a sea of people, but all you can focus on is Ari. And how high you feel, like you’re as light as a feather, as free as a bird who welcomes the cage of his grip.

You watch as he undoes his fly, pulling his hard cock out of his jeans. Your eyes nearly bug out of your head at how brazenly he does it – in a room full of people, no less! But you lick your lips, feeling your pussy clench at how fat and thick his cock looks under the pulsating lights. God, he was so big everywhere!

“So if I tell you that daddy wants to fuck his little girl in front of everyone right now, you’d say yes, wouldn’t you?”

You lick your lips, lust pulsing through every vein in your body. You’re already humping against him like a wanton whore, loving the feel of his bare cock gliding against your slippery slit in a room full of people.

“M-Maybe we can we go upstairs, daddy?”

“No. Here. C’mon, baby, you know you want to.” He nibbles on your ear, “I’ll make you my girlfriend if you do this for me.”

Your heart lifts, your mind feeling euphoric at the idea of that. And you believe him, of course you believe him! How could you not, when you’re feeling so on top of the world right now? Heart beating so fast, blood pumping even faster… And he said he’d make you his girlfriend! Oh, you wanted that so badly! You’d do anything to be his girlfriend, anything at all…

“O-Okay, daddy, I guess you can– AH, FUCK!”

He pistons his dick inside you in one quick movement, holding your hips firmly in place so you don’t fall over from the sheer force of him forcing his fat dick into your tiny, leaking hole. God, he was so big. You’d never get used to it.

“Good baby,” he smirks. There are waves of people around you – an entire crowd of sweaty, writhing bodies. But all you can feel is Ari, his cock so big and imposing yet your pussy swallows him readily as he bottoms out inside you. Grabbing your face, he kisses you possessively, and you can feel his cocky smirk through the kiss, “fuck yeah, just as tight as always. God, I missed my little pussy.”

Being fucked by Ari in the middle of the dancefloor of a frat party, drunk and high off your mind while his girlfriend was somewhere in this house. It wasn’t how you’d planned your night to go at all, but you cling to Ari like a koala, allowing him to control your body and take pleasure from you. You can hear him groaning as he fucks you slowly, trying to cover your body completely with his. You can hear him grimace, mutter how fucking tight you are as he tries to hold back from tearing your pussy apart like how he usually does when the two of you are alone.

“Not such a big girl now, are you?” he mocks, biting at your bottom lip and sucking on it as his dick drives slowly in and out of you. “Getting fucked in the middle of a party because you can’t ever say no to me, huh?”

“Nngh, Ari please. F-Feel so full,” you moan, never wanting him to stop. Maybe you’d regret this later, but right now it’s like you’re in a bubble of pleasure that has you ignoring the real world around you.

“And the fact that you thought you could make me jealous by talking to Curtis,” Ari huffs, giving you a particularly hard thrust that sends you reeling, and you bite down on his shoulder to keep from screaming at the top of your lungs. “What a pathetic little game you played, baby. But I’ll never get jealous, because I already know I own you. And you know it too. I own your fucking pussy.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” You gasp, feeling him so deep inside you, it’s like he’s practically in your womb. You wrap your legs tighter around him, grinding your clit against his hairy abdomen. The sensation feels heavenly, and you’re so, so close…

“Promise me you’ll never fucking speak to Curtis again,” he demands.

“Fuck me harder, daddy–OW!”

He slaps your ass hard, and you reel into him, shocked at the blow. You’d have fallen over if he wasn’t holding you up in his muscular arms.

“Fucking say you’ll never speak to Curtis again,” Ari says through gritted teeth, and his fingers wrap around your throat. Your breath hitches, eyes widening. But your pussy squeezes around his dick at the same time his hand squeezes your throat, “Say it or I’ll choke you the fuck out.”

Fear splices through the euphoria you’re feeling, but his hand constricting around your throat, him controlling your breathing – it turns you on so fucking much at the same time. But his eyes look so dark, darker than you’ve ever seen them. Is it because he’s high too? Or is it something else entirely?

“W-Won’t talk to him,” you promise, barely getting the words out.

Ari smiles and releases your throat, and you desperately gasp for breath. But when he kisses you again, you can’t help but hungrily kiss him back.

“I own you,” he repeats, slipping his hand down to play with your clit, pushing your dress up in the process. You’re high out of your mind and yet you still try to push the hem of your dress back down, only for him to slap your hands away. “Don’t hide this baby pussy from me, sweetheart.”

“E-Everyone can see,” you moan, breath hitching when he pinches your clit harshly before rubbing circles on it.

“Let them watch, baby.”

As if on cue, you hear someone whistle:

“You’re a fucking dog, Levinson! Can’t even wait to find a room to get your dick wet, huh?”

“She looks high off her ass, bro. Classic Levinson.”

Ari only laughs, continuing to fuck you and make out with you in the middle of the party as if it’s the most normal thing in the world to be doing. And if he’s okay with it, then it must be okay, right?

“This is what happens when you come to a party trying to be an attention-seeker,” he tells you, his fingers leaving your clit as he brings them up to his mouth, sucking noisily, “fuck, you taste so good, sweetheart. Your little baby pussy’s been wet for me all night, huh?”

“Yes, daddy,” you say dutifully, meeting his thrusts now as you feel yourself getting close. You continue grinding your clit on his hairy abs as he fucks you, the sensation so heavenly as you teeter on the edge of your orgasm, blabbering out your inner thoughts: “I…I think about you all the time, want you all the time. Wish you were with me all the time….”

“Mm, it gets you all wet, doesn’t it? Fucking a man who’s got a girlfriend?”

You gasp, but your walls clench around him all the same.

“Mm, I felt that, you slutty little baby,” Ari smacks your ass again, rocking his hips hard against you as you cry from the pleasure, “It turns you on that I have a girlfriend and yet I’m here with you, fucking you in front of all these people like you’re my personal fucking whore.”

“Ari, I’m so close, I–”

 “Bet you wish she was watching us, huh?” He says suddenly, “I bet that would get you off, wouldn’t it, you dirty little slut?”

“Nooo,” you moan, but you can feel thrills rippling through your body, your pleasure mounting higher and higher as the music drones on all around you.

Ari licks his lips like he’s the devil himself, “Don’t fucking lie to me, sweetheart. I bet you wish Sharon was here, watching me fuck you.” His eyes glint wickedly, “Bet you wish she was getting herself off to us, don’t you? Fingering herself while she watches her boyfriend cheat on her with a slutty little girl like you.”

“Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“Mm, and what would you do? Cry your little baby tears and beg for her forgiveness?” Ari chuckles lowly, and you can’t believe you’re on the brink of orgasm and about to lose it and he’s just there, calm as ever as he fucks you in this room full of people. Forcing his big, fat cock inside you with a smirk on his face as if he owns the whole room. “You’d beg for my girlfriend’s forgiveness while you take my fat fucking cock inside your sexy little pussy. And she’d watch us, watch me call you a bad fucking girl while I fuck you so hard that I’d probably knock you up. And I’ve never fucked her like that, baby. I would never fuck her like that. Only you.”

“Daddy, please,” you sob and sob, clutching at his shirt because you feel so overwhelmed.

He grabs your face roughly, making you look at him.

“And you’d watch her rub her pussy as she watches us fuck, wouldn’t you? And she’d cum all over her fingers, watching her boyfriend fuck the living daylights out of you, watching you be a helpless little slut for your daddy. And you’d love every second of it, baby. Because you’re fucking sick, just like me…”

Your orgasm is earth-shattering, breaking your body apart as you squirt all over his huge fucking dick. And he fucks you through it, coaxing your cream out of you as you cry and cry, any sound you make getting drowned out by the blaring music, any thrashing movement blurred by the dancing bodies around you. Some of them know what’s going on, you know they do. But others don’t, lost in their own world as they dance around the two of you. And waves of searing pleasure overtake your body, over and over again as you grind up against him.

“That’s right, sweetheart,” Ari grunts, “cum on my daddy dick like the good little baby you are. God, fuck, you’re squeezin’ me so good, baby, feels so tight and sexy. Gimme another one.”

You cum again, as if your body is programmed to listen to him, as if just his words can make you orgasm. And that’s when he blows his load, muttering a string of curses as he empties himself inside you. He always came inside you, no matter what. And you guessed that he wasn’t going to stop that streak now, even in the midst of a crowded party. One or two guys are ogling at the two of you, but you’re too fucked out to care, your spent body sagging against Ari’s huge frame as he fills you up with his hot cum.

Everything is blurry for a while after that. You’re on the brink of passing out – not even from the copious amounts of drugs and alcohol in your system, but from how fucked out you feel. But you jolt out of it when Ari pulls out of you, whining needily but he ignores you. Instead, he pulls your dress back down over your ass, and you can feel his hot cum trickling down your thigh.

“How was she, Levinson?” Some guy pipes up from within the crowd.

“Move along, smartass.” Ari glares daggers at the random guy, flipping him off as he shields your body with his bigger one. But there are more guys surrounding you, more people beginning to notice what exactly is going on. Ari seems to catch on to this too, shooting dirty looks all around him as he tries to tug your short dress down even further to cover you more, as if he was fuelled by horniness before but now that he’s come down from that high, he’s hyperaware of everyone around you.

“Can’t feel my legs, daddy,” you lean heavily against him.

He picks you back up, carrying you through the crowd. You can vaguely hear the voices of other boys over the loud, pounding music. Thumping Ari on the back, congratulating him. You hide your face in his chest, trying not to think about what’s just happened. He takes you up the stairs, through random corridors, into an empty bedroom, and finally, a bathroom.

“Fuck, baby, you okay?” He asks after setting you down on the sink.

���I’m good,” you grab at him, trying to wrap your legs around him and pull him into you. You can still feel the effects of the little blue pill, and you try to kiss him but he pulls away, chuckling.

“We need to clean you up.”

Funny. He never cleaned you up before. In the past, he’d always fuck you hard and good and then leave you to get yourself together while he typed away on his phone or went outside to smoke. Then, he’d either come back inside to fuck you again, or he’d give you a quick kiss and leave, telling you he was late for practice or something along those lines. But right now, it looks like he was sticking around, and that makes your heart skip a beat.

“I can’t believe I just let you fuck me in front of everyone. It almost doesn’t feel real!” You muse out loud, wondering maybe it was all just a dream, because you feel so hazy and warm. You swing your heel clad feet, accidentally catching him in the stomach. He shoots you a warning look, grabbing your calves to still you before his expression relaxes.

“It’s what you deserved for ignoring my texts.” He smirks before grabbing a wad of toilet paper. He wets some of it under the tap and swipes at your thighs, cleaning his cum off you. You bite your lip, watching his tanned biceps ripple as he gets dangerously close to your pussy. You grab his wrist, pushing it between your legs.

“I think you missed a spot, daddy,” you say in what you hope is a demure and sexy manner.

Ari groans, “Don’t tempt me, baby girl.”

He feels around your folds, licking his lips as he plays with the mess he’s left in your pussy. But you whine after a while, clearly too sensitive for round two so you push his hand away.

“Lemme feel you,” he persists.

“Nuh uh, too sensitive.”

He rolls his eyes and you giggle, reaching out to smooth his long hair, twining a few strands around your finger. You stay like that for a while, liking how he looks at you in the privacy of this bathroom, where the music from outside is still thumping softly and yet it feels like the two of you are in your own bubble. Where the dull orange light makes him look double handsome, and it’s just the two of you and you can pretend he’s your boyfriend and you’re a happy couple and it’s the best feeling in the world.

Until Ari’s hand slips down between your legs again.

“Hey!” You squeal, batting him off, but he doesn’t relent.

“Let daddy feel you one more time, baby girl,” he tries to sweet talk you, but you shake your head, pushing him away again. That’s when he gets a glint in his eye, digging his fingers into your ribs instead. You squeal as he tickles you, and you try to do it back but clearly, he isn’t as ticklish as you because he just shoots you an amused look. You laugh and laugh, till you can’t breathe and even he chuckles, his face pink.

“Ari, will I be your girlfriend now?” You ask in a small voice once you’ve stopped laughing.

A pause. And then he sighs.

“Baby, we already have a good thing going–”

“So then why can’t we go out on dates and do all the romantic things that boyfriends and girlfriends do?” Your lower lip wobbles but you will yourself to remain calm and collected.

“You know why.” Ari avoids your gaze, backing up and gathering all the toilet paper he’s just used. He stuffs it into the bin before washing his hands, and the whole time you look at him, waiting for him to elaborate except he says nothing more.

“B-But I let you fuck me in front of everyone,” you scrunch your eyes shut to keep your tears at bay, “I let you do anything to me, Ari. And you keep telling me that you’ll make me your girlfriend but it never happens. An’ I trust you more than anything even though you keep lying to me, and–”

He clears his throat, running his hands through his hair before he reaches out as if to cup your face. But at the last second he holds back, fists curled to his sides. “Don’t do this right now. Look, I’ll get you some water to sober you up, then you can call your friend Carla–”

“Her name is Wanda.”

“Call your friend Wanda, and maybe she can take you home. You’re completely wasted.” He can’t help but reach out, fixing the strap of your dress which you hadn’t even noticed had slipped down your shoulder. God, you were a mess. A complete and utter mess and he’d used you again and now he wanted nothing to do with you. His fingers linger, brushing against your bare shoulder before he snatches his hand back and clears his throat once more.

“Is it because I’m not good enough?” A lone tear drips down your cheek. And it’s crazy because not even a minute ago you were laughing your ass off.

“No–”

“Then why does it feel like you’re using me?”

No one speaks for several seconds. All you can hear is your own breathing, how you hiccup every now and then. How your head is beginning to pound and how all your emotion seem amplified. You know it’s because you’re drunk, and yet you’re hoping you may get something sincere from him in this bathroom right now…

But Ari only shakes his head, keeping his eyes trained somewhere beyond your shoulder, as if he can’t seem to look you in the eye…

“Now’s not the time to talk about this–”

“You lie to me all the time, Ari, and you always take me for granted. An’ I fall for it every time because I wanna be your girlfriend so bad…” Your voice falters, lip curling and tears welling in your eyes, “I really, really like you, Ari. Don’t you like me too? Enough to make me your girlfriend?”

“I already have a girlfriend…” He blurts out.

His words hit you like shards of glass, piercing you from the inside out. You feel like you’re falling, and even Ari looks guilty, as if he can’t believe he’s just said that so abruptly. He’s always come up with a story when it comes to his relationship; “we broke up,” or “we’re having problems,” or “she’s a bitch, I don’t care about her.” But it seems like now, he’s really just laying it all out on the table. She’s his girlfriend. And she always would be.

You bow your head, feeling like a veil’s lifted somewhere between the two of you. “I guess that just makes me the girl you keep around for easy sex.”

“You know it’s more than that, baby–”

His phone rings at that exact moment, cutting him off. But he looks relieved to be interrupted, and hastily fishes it out of his pocket. You sigh, staring down dejectedly into your lap. He keeps his voice low as he talks on the phone, but you catch a few words here and there, like “Sharon,” and “she’s looking for you.”

“Baby, I gotta go. But I want you to stay in here until you’re sober enough to go find your friend.” Ari says, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

“Y-You’re leaving?”

A pause.

“Yes.”

Another tear trickles down your cheek.

“Please stay with me. I don’t wanna be alone right now.” He’s left you after sex many times before, but this time feels different. You feel vulnerable, small, afraid. Little you in this big party where you’d only feel safe if you were with him. God, it felt so special whenever it was just you and him alone together. Like right now, in the bathroom, where he’d carried you up in his arms, cleaned you himself and laughed while he tickled you. Oh, it felt so special to you! Could he not feel that too? Why did he want to leave?

Ari inhales deeply, “Don’t, okay? You know I can’t stay. Sharon… She’s making a scene. She’s really drunk, people are starting to notice I’m not there with her–”

“I’m really drunk too.” And high.

He pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, “That’s why you’re getting so emotional, okay? Just… Just call Wanda. Or one of your other friends.”

His words sting, and you know you should just back off. Let him do whatever the fuck he wants to do since clearly all he wanted was to get away from you. But neediness and sorrow clouds your brain and covers your heart, and in a last ditch effort, you reach out to grab his hand.

“Please stay,” you beg, and you feel like you’ve swallowed your pride but you don’t even care anymore, “Please, Ari. Y-You don’t have to make me your girlfriend, okay? I’m sorry I brought it up. Please, just stay with me. Don’t leave me alone, please, please, please–”

“Stop,” he says gently, peeling your hand off of his, “don’t make this bigger than it is. We hooked up like we always do, but I need to go now, okay? I’ll text you later.”

He backs away, pausing at the door. Hope fills your heart, and you wait with bated breath. But then he leaves, walking out casually like all he’s done is use the bathroom. And you sit there, his rejection like poison in your veins. Frozen, drunk, sad, dejected. Oh God, had you really expected him to stay? To be different this time? How many more times were you going to let him lie to you, disrespect you, embarrass you, play you?

How many more times till he broke you completely?

***

“C’mon, Wanda, pick the fuck up.” You mutter, jabbing at your phone in annoyance. The screen freezes for several seconds, before your call goes to her voice message. For the fourth time in a row. You bite your lip, daring to check your battery. Five percent. Great. Just Great.

 After Ari had left you in the bathroom, all you’d wanted to do was curl up in the bathtub and cry the whole night away. And that’s what you’d been doing for at least an hour, until some horny couple barged in and started having sex against the sink. You’drun out of there in a hurry, and now here you were at the front of the frat house, wanting nothing more than to go home.

“Where the hell are you, Wanda?” You murmur, calling her again and praying to God your phone battery lasts until you find her. You were still drunk and not exactly capable of combing through the crowd of people in search of your friend. When she doesn’t pick up again, you feel a helplessness take over your body, like it had back in the bathroom. All you want to do is collapse down on the grass and cry like a baby, but you will yourself to persevere before you try calling her again.

“Excuse me, sweetheart. Are you okay?”

The voice is deep and rumbling, with an undertone of amusement. You don’t even bother looking up from your phone, your eyes too busy staring down your battery percentage as it lowers down to three percent.

“I’m fine,” you say distractedly, trying to walk further away from the frat house in hopes of getting better signal. “I’m just trying to call my friend so we can go ho–”

Your heel catches against a rock on the grass, sending you flying. You brace yourself for the fall but it never comes. Instead, you feel two strong arms wrap around your waist, catching you and pulling you back till you collide against a hard chest.

“Careful, baby,” the amused voice murmurs in your ear.

“Oh, um, thank you, uh–” You straighten up and turn around to face the stranger who’d saved you, finding yourself face to face with a built looking chest wearing an off-white t-shirt and varsity jacket. You crane your neck upwards, breath catching in your throat at what you see.

The stranger is tall and blonde, his pale skin shimmering in the moonlight (probably because you’re drunk because that’s what it looked like). His muscles ripple under his shirt, and he runs his hand through his hair in a way that’s all too familiar. His blue eyes sparkle as he smiles down at you, his arms still around your waist as if to hold you steady.

“Wow,” you say dumbly. He was handsome!

He smirks down at you, “Sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t quite catch that?” He had an effortless way of speaking, like a relaxed drawl as if he was far removed from all the craziness of the party going on around him.

“I – uh – I said thanks,” you babble, “thanks for saving me.”

“You’re welcome. What’s your name?”

You tell him, trying to keep your words from slurring because of the damned alcohol still pumping in your system. You’re acutely aware of his arms still around you, and the fact that your heart is beating fast and hard as you look up at him almost in awe. In your inebriated state, his pale colouring made it look like there was a halo around him (either that or a streetlight was shining directly at him), but it made him look almost angelically handsome.

“I’m Steve.” He says, confidently reaching out to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear, “What’s a cute little thing like you doing out by yourself so late at night?”

You stick your chin up indignantly, “Not by myself! I’m looking for Wanda!”

“Who’s that, sweetheart?”

“My best friend.”

“Well, she isn’t much of a best friend if she left you all alone at this party, is she?”

Steve cocks his head to the side, a crooked smile on his face that’s so attractive it makes you swoon inwardly, despite what he was implying.

“She didn’t leave me, Steve! She’s just…” you helplessly scan through the groups of people that have spilled out into the front yard of the frat house, “she’s around here somewhere…” Your eyes suddenly snap back over to the blonde, suspicion overtaking you. Who exactly was this guy, and where had he just appeared from, looking all handsome and angelic?

“Do you…uh…do you go to St. Andrews’ too?” You hardly know everyone on campus, seeing as your college is massive and there’s way too many people that go there. But you’re sure you’d remember seeing someone as handsome as him.

“Nope, I go to St. Jude’s.”

Oh. The enemy college. At least according to Ari (who was the main source of most of your information since he knew everything). Ari hated St Jude’s’ basketball team, as they were the main rivals of his own basketball team. You weren’t much into sports or any of that (you only attended Ari’s basketball games to look cute and get his attention), but you suddenly recognise St. Jude’s distinctive blue and white coloured varsity jacket that Steve has on. It resembles Ari’s varsity jacket – which is red and gold for St. Andrew’s.

“What’re you doing here, then?” You ask.

Steve shrugs, “Me and my buddies come to your parties every now and then…” he nods at two other guys in similar varsity jackets. They stand across the lawn from the two of you, talking to a bunch of girls. You look at them for a few seconds before Steve clears his throat, as if he wants you to look at him and him only.

“I think the real question is, sweetheart, what are you doing here?”

You frown, “What do you mean?”

“What’s a baby like you doing all alone at a frat house this late?” His thumb strokes your bare arm, his other hand still firm on your waist. “You’re too cute and innocent for a party like this, the frat boys will eat you alive.”

His eyes glint as he says it, but you presume that’s just you imagining things because you’re drunk.

“Well actually, I’m not a baby and I wasn’t alone,” you try not to hyper-focus on his thumb circling against your skin, “I was with Wanda, and then I was with Ari, and then–”

Steve’s grip tightens, “Ari?”

“Yeah, Ari. He’s my boyfr– Well no, actually he’s my nothing. He’s no one…” you sigh sadly, “I’m no one to him and he’s no one to me…He made that pretty clear tonight.”

The blonde whistles lowly, his hand still rubbing soothingly up and down your arm. And you kind of don’t want him to stop, because he feels so warm and he’s making you feel warm and it’s making you hurt a teensy bit less.

“A pretty little girl like you doesn’t deserve to get her heart broken like that,” Steve comments, “and you don’t deserve to be left alone to cry by yourself either.”

“W-Wasn’t crying!” you lie. God, he was making you sound so pathetic.

He weaves you through the crowd, his grip on you tight as he walks you over to a more secluded area of the front yard. With less people around, his arms catch around your waist and he yanks you closer to him, till you’re flush against his chest, your eyes wide as you look up at him and swallow hard.

“My point still stands,” he says, his voice so confident and velvety smooth. “Now, if you were my girl, you wouldn’t even be allowed to step foot inside a party like this, let alone be left unattended.”

A thrill ripples down your spine, but you barely have time to acknowledge it before you feel a rough grip on your wrist, yanking you away from Steve with heavy force.

“What the hell is this?!” Ari growls, pushing you behind his own body before he squares up to Steve. You gape over at both men, looking from one to the other. Ari was the biggest guy you knew, but Steve matched him in both height and stature. Head-to-head, the two men stare the other down, almost as if they already know each other. Side by side, you notice they look kind of similar. Both of them were tall and bulky, with vivid blue eyes. But Steve was angelically blonde and pale, and Ari was tanner, rougher, darker. Steve looked calm, unperturbed by the interruption – but Ari looked pissed off beyond belief.

“What are you doing here, Rogers?” He seethes.

Steve smirks, “I wasn’t aware that you owned this frat house, Ari.”

“Cut the bullshit. You know you’re not welcome here. Just because your own college parties are filled with ugly sluts doesn’t mean you have to come to mine.”

“Yours? And who exactly put you in charge?”

Steve steps closer as if to challenge Ari, but Ari just glowers at him before shaking his head.

“Do whatever the fuck you want, Steve. But she’s off limits. Everyone here knows she’s mine.” Ari’s still got your wrist in a death-grip, and you wince in pain when he squeezes even tighter.

“Lemme go, Ari!” You try to fight against his hold but to no avail.

The blonde snorts, “Oh yeah, it really looks like she’s yours, Levinson.”

“Fuck off.”

“I know what your girlfriend looks like, asshole. I know it’s not her.” Steve’s still got that smirk on his face, and you can see Ari’s face going redder and redder. God, he was really getting to him! And they did in fact know each other!

Ari pointedly turns his back to Steve as if to shut him out of the conversation. Instead, he looks at you. “Baby, why are you still here? It’s getting really late, let me call you an Uber.”

Baby? Was he serious? After he’d left you alone in the bathroom even after you’d begged and pleaded with him to stay with you?!

You feel a surge of anger, “No! Don’t want you to call me anything, Ari! Just leave me alone, I can get home by myself.”

He frowns, “You’re still drunk. I’m gonna call you a–”

“Where’s Sharon, Levinson?” Steve pipes up from behind in an amused tone, as if this is all an evening’s worth of entertainment to him. “That’s her name, right? Your actual girlfriend?”

Ari whips around with lightning speed. Your heart jumps to your throat as the brunet lunges forward, grabbing Steve by the collar and getting all up in his face, “If you don’t shut the fuck up–”

“Or what, huh, Levinson?”

The brunet lowers his voice, “You know damn well I can beat your ass off court just as much as I can in court.”

Steve scoffs, “You beat my team, not me.”

Oh, so Steve was a basketball player too. He and Ari had played against each other.

Ari barks out a laugh, “Oh yeah, I forgot you got benched in the last game. Can’t seem to keep that temper in check, can you?”

The blonde shrugs, “I don’t know, Levinson. Seems like you’re the one who’s getting all worked up right now.”

“Go to hell, asshole–”

“BABY, THERE YOU ARE!”

Sharon stumbles up to where the three of you are standing, her dress riding high, heels in her hand and hair a mess. She’s even drunker than you are, and yet she still looks beautiful – in a dishevelled sort of way. Like Serena Van Der Woodsen, with her blonde hair so perfectly tangled. She looks tall and somehow still graceful despite how she all but falls on top of Ari, who lets go of Steve’s collar as he holds her up.

“Thought I lost you again,” she giggles, planting her lips on his. You blanch and look away, feeling like someone’s put your heart in a shredder. You almost don’t notice Steve grabbing you around the waist and pulling you back into him. Sharon continues to kiss Ari, making out with him except he keeps turning his head – but she’s too drunk to notice. “Babe, could you please take me home? I’m tired.”

Ari grimaces, “Sure. Why don’t you go wait by the car and I’ll be over when I’m ready?”

Sharon blinks, “What car?”

“My car.”

“What does it look like?”

Ari groans. Steve laughs. Sharon looks confused. And you hope the ground would swallow you whole so you wouldn’t have to witness the happy couple together right in front of your face.

“Sharon, just go wait somewhere else while I–”

“Are you guys a couple?” Sharon cuts him off, finally acknowledging you and Steve. “You look totally cute together if you are.”

“They’re not a couple.” Ari seethes, his blue eyes narrowing at Steve’s hands on your waist. “Let go of her, asshole.” he says quietly (not that Sharon would have even noticed). Steve ignores his, pretending he didn’t hear him.

“I, uh, I have to go,” you mumble, unable to stand being in their presence even a second longer. Sharon’s gone back to sloppily kissing up Ari’s jaw, and you just can’t take it. His words from earlier keep ringing through your ears: “I already have a girlfriend,” “I already have a girlfriend,” “I already have a girlfriend.”

You take your phone out, ready to call an Uber and be done with this night. You’d go home and charge your phone and try to reach Wanda from there. But just as you’re about to type in your address on the app, your screen goes black. Dead. Great. Fucking great.

“Oh no,” you whisper softly in dismay.

Ari’s already got his own phone out, typing away and presumably calling you an Uber whilst simultaneously trying to keep Sharon upright and at bay.

“I’ll take you home.” Steve volunteers.

“The hell you will,” Ari sneers, “Back the fuck off, Rogers, I’m calling her an Uber.” He looks like he wants to say more, his gaze still locked on the way Steve is holding you. But he can’t, of course he can’t… not with her here.

“Babe, I don’t feel well,” Sharon moans suddenly. Her face looks slightly green, and she’s stopped kissing Ari now.

“Just give me a second,” He tells her distractedly.

“Maybe you should worry about getting your own girlfriend home first, Levinson.” Steve says smugly before turning to you, “C’mon, let’s go.”

Ari’s eyes fix on yours, “Don’t go with him.”

You almost do obey. Because you always obey Ari. He’s told you in the past, warned you that you always have to do what he says because he’s your daddy and he’s in charge. But… But what about how you’d begged him to stay earlier, and he hadn’t? Now was your chance to do the same thing to him, give him a taste of his own medicine. That, and you also can’t stand to be in close vicinity of him and Sharon right now, or else you’d burst into tears again.

Pointedly avoiding Ari’s gaze, you look up at Steve instead, “O-Okay. Let’s go.”

The blonde tugs you along with him, and you purposely drown Ari out as Steve leads you away. And part of you wants Ari to follow, to push Sharon away and come after you, rip you out of Steve’s grip and take you home himself. But he doesn’t, of course he doesn’t. You don’t dare look back, knowing the happy couple is probably making out again, and you’ve already been forgotten.

“He’s such an asshole!” You burst out, “I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!”

Steve chuckles, “He’s an asshole, alright.”

“He really is! Hate how he treats me, an’ how I keep giving him chances. He just hurts me again and again and again and–”

“Let’s get you home, baby,” the blonde interrupts, getting his phone out.

You wait a handful of seconds, swaying in your heels but liking how he’s got his hand firmly on your lower back to keep you steady. You look up at him expectantly, “Well, aren’t you gonna ask for my address?”

“What?”

“My address, silly! How else am I gonna get home?”

He blinks, before slowly handing you his phone. You miss the glint in his eye, however, and how his lip curls up subtly in… disappointment? “Oh yeah. How stupid of me to forget.”

You type your address in on his Uber app and click accept before beaming up at him, “Thank you so much, Steve. It really means a lot to me, I honestly don’t know how else I would’ve got home! But don’t worry, I’ll pay you back! We’ll split the cost in half, and–”

He presses his finger to your lips, effectively shushing you before he shoots you that charming lop-sided smile of his, making your insides melt. “You don’t need to pay me back, sweetheart. What kind of a guy would I be if I took money from a little baby like you?”

You blink, feeling an extreme sense of dejavu. He sounded exactly like… Ari. Ari never let you pay for anything ever. Well, Ari never really took you out anywhere in public, but the two of you would always order takeout whenever he came over to your dorm room. And he’d never skimp out either, ordering from fancy places like Nobu because he said you were his baby and he wanted the best for you. And whenever you tried to pay your share, he’d just snort and push your hand away, “What kind of a guy would I be if I took money from a helpless little baby like you?”

The reminder of Ari has a ton of different emotions washing over you all over again. Sadness, jealousy, anger…. You shake your poor drunken, muddled head, “Oh, I hate Ari so much, Steve! He’s heartless, and he–”

You’re still going on and on by the time the Uber arrives. And you’re so into your tirade, that you don’t even notice Steve’s arms going around you again, holding you tight against him as if he owns you. You don’t notice how his hands wander, how he rubs the bare skin of your arms, the small of your back, going lower and lower. His fingers playing with the short hem of your dress…

You do notice him slip cash into the driver’s hand… Probably the tip, you presume, too drunk to care.

Your mind wanders to Ari again during the ride home. You sit in the backseat with Steve, staring out  the window gloomily as you think about how he broke your heart. Oh, how could you have been so stupid? So gullible? So innocent? You’d never let anyone take advantage of you like that again…

“You okay?” Steve asks, pressing his hand on your thigh.

You nod, “Yeah, I’m just thinkin’ about how much I hate Ari, and–”

“Sweetheart?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been listening to you complain about Ari for the past ten minutes straight. Don’t mention him again.”

He says it softly, calmly, and yet you shut your mouth and straighten up. Despite being drunk, you can detect the seriousness of his tone, and a hint of a threat too. Which you’re probably imagining because why would Steve threaten you? He was so sweet! Wasn’t he?

“I’m sorry, Steve,” you say softly, relaxing once he shoots you a smile.

The drive continues, and Steve’s hand remains on your bare thigh, squeezing every now and again. You don’t mind, his touch helping you feel grounded. You’re still so drunk and probably high too, from that damned stupid pill Ari had given you. No, no, no! You scrunch your eyes shut, willing yourself not to think about him.

“Baby, why don’t you come sit on my lap?” Steve says suddenly.

You whip your head in his direction, “Wh-What?”

“The Uber driver just told me the backseat is really dirty, and you’re in a dress, so I think you’d better sit on me.”

You glance at the driver, who looks straight ahead at the road, not batting an eye or saying a single word. You’re too drunk to argue, and so you just nod. Steve grabs you by the waist, easily lifting you up and placing you on his lap. You can’t help but welcome his warmth, shivering in your skimpy little dress as you wiggle around, trying to get comfortable. He notices, immediately shrugging off his varsity jacket and draping it over your shoulders.

“There. Nice and warm now?”

You smile up at him gratefully, “Yeah! Thanks so much, Steve!” You try not to ogle at his biceps.

“You look cute in my jacket,” Steve chucks you under the chin, “It’s huge on you.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re huge,” you blurt out, before your eyes widen.

“And you’re just tiny.” He quips, pulling you closer.

This was weird, right? You’d only just met him a mere twenty minutes ago, and now you were already in a car with him? In his lap, no less? But you could trust Steve, right? He was nice enough to give you a lift home when he didn’t even know you, and he didn’t want you to touch the dirty backseat either. And he’d given you his jacket so you’d stay warm. All of those looked like green flags to you. Unlike dumb stupid Ari, who was one red flag after another!

The car hits a snag on the road, causing you to bounce inadvertently in his lap. Steve groans as if he’s in pain, and you shoot him an apologetic look.

“Sorry, Stevie. That was an accident.”

He smirks, “Stevie?”

Heat spreads across your cheeks, unaware that you’ve said it out loud… But it’s a cute nickname nonetheless, and so you just shrug awkwardly, a sheepish smile on your face.

Steve’s hand rubs up and down your back soothingly, “It’s a long way till your house, baby. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

You nod, “Well, I’m a freshman at St. Andrews’ College, and…and…” your voice drifts off as you notice how close you are to him, how you can see the freckles and beauty marks on his face, how deep his blue eyes are up close. So much like Ari’s…

Steve licks his lips, “How does a little freshman like you get mixed up with an asshole like Ari Levinson?”

Oh God, where do you even begin? Instead, you shake your head, “I-I thought I wasn’t allowed to mention Ari again?”

“You’re right,” Steve’s eyes twinkle, and he brushes a piece of your hair behind your ear, “You take instructions well, sweetheart, that makes you a good girl.”

You glow at the praise, before the car hits another snag on the road – this time a much bigger one. You bounce on Steve’s lap again, biting your lip when you feel the rough material of his jeans graze against you down there. And that’s when you come to a horrific realisation.

You’re not wearing any panties.

Your mind flashes back to earlier in the night. Ari fucking you in the middle of the dancefloor. Lifting your dress up. Your panties slipping down your legs. You stepping out of them, the lacy thong lying on the floor. That was the last you’d seen it…

You gulp, looking down at Steve’s lap slowly. No, no, no. Oh no… There it is, plain as day… A wet stain on his jeans, directly beneath you. You hear a low groan, and you know he’s seen it too.

“Oh my gosh, Steve, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I–”

“It’s okay,” he breathes, his voice throaty as he grips your hips to hold you in place, “Maybe you should move…”

“Yes, of course, sorry, I’ll just…” You hastily try to get off his lap, but he holds on tight, not allowing you to budge.

“No, baby girl. I mean move like this.” With fluid confidence, he guides your hips over thick, jean-clad thigh. You gasp breathily, hands shaking as they automatically grip his shoulders. Your bare cunt grazes against the rough denim, pleasurable sensations thrumming through your body. Oh God, what were you doing? You glance fearfully at the driver, but he seems to be in his own world, carefully ignoring the two of you from the driver’s seat.

“Stevie, we shouldn’t–”

“Shhh, move again,” he orders, his thumb circling your hip through the thin material of your dress.

“B-But we just met, this isn’t right, we–” But he shushes you again by moving your hips for you. And his hands are so big, gripping you so tight as he moves you over his muscular leg, your cunt catching against the jean material again and making your whole body convulse. You automatically grab at his broad shoulders, feeling overwhelmed and confused yet horny and needy all at once.

Ari wouldn’t like this, your inner voice warns.

“I thought you took instructions well, baby doll.” Steve whispers enticingly in your ear, hands rubbing soothingly up and down your back as if to cajole you into doing what he wanted. “C’mon, move again like how I told you to.”

Your body obeys as if you’ve been wired to, and maybe it’s because you like listening to people or maybe it’s because you’re just plain horny. Either because of Ari’s damned ecstasy pill or because Steve is so handsome and hot and his body is so big and muscular and warm. Oh, you don’t know! But you do roll your hips down against his lap, eyes widening at how good it feels as you both gasp in unison.

“That’s a good girl,” Steve praises, giving you a sweet smile. And you’re so close to him, and he’s so handsome, and his lashes are so long and thick, his jaw so defined, his freckles so pretty…

“You’re so pretty!” You blurt out.

Steve snorts, “And you’re still so fucking drunk.”

“Wha–?”

“Nothing. Move again.” But this time he picks you up, repositioning you so that you’re face to face with him and straddling his crotch, and oh my! He was so hard, so, so hard! You could feel his dick poking through the denim, rubbing against your wet folds! What was even happening right now?! “Baby, this feels good huh? Moving against me like this?”

“Uh… y-yeah, I guess it does.” You answer shyly.

“Good. Then I won’t have to repeat myself after this one last time. Move. Again.” Quick as a wink, his hand leaves your hip, thick fingers curling around your throat instead. He speaks softly yet with authority and a hint of menace, blue eyes almost magically unblinking as he stares you down, “Rub your little baby cunt all over my jeans. You might as well, since you’ve already made a mess.”

SMACK.

You squeak before your jaw drops open. Had he just spanked you? Once more, you look to the driver in the front, but he seems to be determinedly ignoring whatever was going on in the backseat.

Almost as if he’d been paid to do so…

You start to move your hips, letting Steve guide you as you grind down on his clothed crotch. And fuck, it feels heavenly. Your poor clit is throbbing, so needy and desperate as you seek your pleasure, holding on to Steve’s sturdy shoulders.

“Fuck yeah, you’re such a cute little slut aren’t you?” Steve hums into your neck, his teeth grazing against your bare skin, “can’t believe a sweet little angel with a snatch as tight and sexy as yours landed right in my lap. Well, I stole you right from under Levinson’s nose, but that’s not important right now, is it?” He slaps your ass again, his other hand still wrapped around your neck. Not squeezing, just holding it, “Move harder, baby. I’m already letting you use me for your pleasure, so you better do as I say.”

“O-Okay, Stevie,” you pant, not really hearing what he’s saying because the delicious friction is too much for you to handle.

He nips at the nape of your neck, that now familiar glint in his eye, “Call me daddy, sweetheart.”

You gape at him. But you only ever called Ari daddy!

His fingers squeeze around your neck, making it exponentially harder for you to breathe. “Did you hear what I said?” He asks smoothly.

“Y-Yeah,” you barely get the word out.

“Then say it. Say it or I’ll choke you the fuck out.”

“Daddy!” You squeak as he loosens his grip, gulping for air, “D-Daddy, please!”

He smirks, leaning back against the seat as he watches you ride his crotch. You can’t stop now, it feels too good, too sexy. An yet it also almost feels like you’re doing something wrong, like you’re betraying Ari… Except you’re not, you’re not, you’re not! Because Ari already had a girlfriend and it wasn’t you!

“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you? Dry humping your little baby pussy on a guy you’ve just met?” Steve grabs the back of your neck and yanks you forward, till his plump pink lips ghost against yours, “You this slutty for all the frat boys, sweetie?”

You shake your head desperately, “N-No, promise I’m not! I’ve only ever been with one guy, ah!” Your poor pussy feels like it’s been rubbed raw, and yet you can’t stop. Your hips are both moving off their own accord, and Steve’s still moving your body lazily on top of his, the fat outline of his dick protruding through his jeans, a wet spot of your juices on top of his crotch. “W-Well, actually, now I’ve been with two, but–oh fuck!”

You whimper pathetically as Steve suddenly bites down on your neck, sucking against the sensitive skin till it breaks. He peppers the broken skin with kisses, and it hurts yet it feels so good. You find your hand slipping up to grab at his short hair, and instinctively you’d been expecting Ari’s long tufts because that was all you were used to. But all you can think about is Steve right now, and how good his huge body feels underneath you as you grind against it.

“And does it feel good, baby? Humping up against a stranger like you’re in heat?” He licks the shell of your ear lewdly, shivers running down your spine before he suddenly thrusts upwards, catching you off-guard. Your pussy clenches, lust pumping through your veins at his words. “Innocent little baby, only ever been with two guys and yet you’re dry humping me like you’re being paid to do it.”

He laughs wickedly, and how could he still look so angelic? The moonlight shines on his face through the window of the car, and one second he’s looking down at you mockingly, before his face morphs into one of lust and want, and he lets out a soft gasp as he grinds up against you. “Fuck, you’re doing so good, baby. Making daddy feel so fuckin’ good, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yeah, daddy, oh fuck, you feel so big,” you whimper with abandon.

Steve snorts, “I’m bigger than you could handle, sweet girl. Your cute little baby pussy would probably start crying if I tried to put my dick inside you right now.”

His dirty talk makes you moan, and you can feel yourself growing more excited. That’s when he starts to fondle you, his hands everywhere on your body, squeezing and rubbing your tits through the thin material of your dress. “God, you’re just a baby, aren’t you?”

“N-No,” you pant, only to earn another smack to your ass.

“Don’t fucking disagree with me,” he hisses, blue eyes blazing before his smirk returns, “You’re a little fuckin’ baby who’s known me all of two seconds and yet you’re horny for my daddy dick, aren’t you? I said, aren’t you?”

“Yes, okay?! Yes!” You cry out, your folds so insanely sensitive from rubbing and rubbing against him, and yet you’re so close. But was it just you, or had Steve’s demeanour changed. Back at the party, he was charming, funny, helpful. And now? Oh, he was still charming, and so devastatingly handsome. But there was a darkness to his angelic quality… Either that or you were imagining things.

“What if I pushed you down and made you ride my fuckin’ shoe instead?” He asks, that devilish glint ever-present in his blue eyes which were dark with lust, “You’d do it, wouldn’t you? You’d do anything to cum.”

“Daddy, ‘m so close!” you whine like a baby, clutching his shirt hard in case he did push you to the floor. You didn’t want that at all, and you blink up at him with wide eyes, “D-Don’t push me down, daddy, please! Promise I’ll be good an’ I’ll listen to you! Wanna stay in your lap, please!”

He blinks down at you, chiselled face softening some as he cups your face, his other hand still guiding you as you ride his thigh, “Fuck, you’re cute, aren’t you?”

But then his expression darkens once more, and he reaches down, grabbing the flimsy fabric of your dress. There’s a loud tearing sound and you gasp, jaw dropping as he rips the lower part of your dress clean in half. He smiles, “Keep going, baby. Daddy just wanted to see you better. And look at your baby pussy, look how cute and puffy she is. Bet you’re sore down there, huh?”

“Y-Yeah, but don’t wanna stop! So close!”

He runs his tongue over his plump lips, “I bet you are.”

Reaching down, he makes you gasp out loud when his fingers spread your sopping folds, and fuck, his jeans feel so fucking good now, so much better, so much rougher, oh god, oh god, oh god… And that’s when he takes complete control, grabbing your hips harder and moving you on top of him like you’re a doll. Like you’re his personal fucktoy, and he’s using you for his pleasure as he moves you back and forth on his dick, dragging you up and down on his clothed crotch while he whispers dirtily in your ear.

But it’s when he squeezes your throat again, that you feel your pussy clench doubly hard.

“You like that, huh? Like when daddy gets rough?” Steve chuckles darkly, before squeezing harder. Till he’s well and truly choking you, and you can feel your airway close up, and you well and truly can’t breathe, and it’s agony but it’s so delicious, and he’s dragging you all over his crotch, rutting up against you as you scramble on top of him, and you can’t breathe and you’re about to black out and, and, and…

You come hard, squirting all over his crotch which was already wet from your juices. And your cream keeps on pouring out, your orgasm hitting you so hard. And that’s when he releases your throat, like he’s given you the ability to breathe as a reward for cumming, and he rubs your back soothingly as you sob and squeak in pleasure, his voice all sweet once more, all dripping with honey as he caressed you, “you’re such a good girl, such a good fucking girl, you did so good, baby.”

The rest of the drive home is silent, you feeling fucked out in Steve’s lap, Steve looking smug, and the Uber driver staring straight ahead as if the debauchery that just took place in the backseat of his car had never even happened. Your legs are shaking, and you can’t believe what’s just happened but you’re too exhausted to truly care. All you want is your bed. And sleep.

“Sweetheart, I think we’re here. Is this your building?”

“It is,” you say hoarsely, suddenly feeling too shy to even meet his gaze. And there’s a part of you that feels guilty now that it’s all over, a part of you that keeps thinking about Ari and what he would think about all this. Fuck. You shake your head to clear out all those thoughts until tomorrow, “Thanks for giving me a lift home, Stevie.”

His lop-sided smile returns, almost as if the whole ordeal in the Uber had never even happened, “No worries, baby.”

He helps you out of the car, and your legs feel like complete jelly, but you’re thankful that you can stand upright. You feel a weight on your shoulders, suddenly noticing his varsity jacket is still on you. Blue and white, with his initials “S.G.R.” “Oh, your jacket, Stevie. Here–”

“You keep it.” He cuts you off, his eyes glittering with the reflection of the moon and stars as his lip curls upwards, “Keep it somewhere in your dorm room, somewhere where everyone can see, alright?”

“Okay.” You really don’t have it in you to question his weird request.

He walks you all the way to your dorm room like a perfect gentleman, waits while you rummage through your purse for your keys. Chuckles as he finds them for you and unlocks your door. Pats your ass as he pushes you inside.

But not before pressing a kiss on your cheek and murmuring a quiet, “I’ll see you soon enough, baby.”

And then he’s gone, and you’re alone. You put your phone on charge before immediately flopping down on your bed. Your aching muscles hum in satisfaction, and you feel instant relief as you kick your heels off and close your eyes. Your heart is racing – how had you gone from being a virgin at the beginning of the year to hooking up with two guys in the same night?!

Speaking of one of the guys, your phone begins vibrating the moment it gains its battery back, and you see a flood of texts and missed calls from Ari. And you think back to how you’d feel a small sense of satisfaction and a burst of happiness every time he texted you or called you in the past.

Now, you don’t even have the energy to open his messages. It could wait till tomorrow.

You close your eyes to sleep. And you dreamt of Ari, of course you did. You dreamt of Ari a lot. But there was someone else alongside the brunet in your dreams tonight. A blonde with a charming smile and glittering eyes, the moonlight bathing him like a halo.

But you weren’t so sure if he was an angel.

AFHJSAFA OKAY! SO. What do we think??? AND YES omfg of course the second love interest was Steve! Y'all know i'm a whore for Steve and for me, he's the only one who can believably compete against THE Ari Levinson!!! I can't wait to delve into this story!!! I hope you guys enjoyed! Feedback would mean the world to me!

(also i'm paranoid that there are mistakes and continuity errors even tho i sorta did reread it kind of but aksdfnldaskgal idk!!! i'm sure it's all fine tho)

I actually prepared some questions for yall just in case:

Is it too soon to ask if you're team Ari or team Steve?!?! BC I WANNA KNOWWW.

Do Ari and Steve know each other?!?! DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE HISTORY?!?!

Does Ari have feelings for reader?! What is Steve's deal?!!? IDK YALL JUST PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT, ANY GENERAL THOUGHTS AND FEEDBACK SDFKLSAFN OKAY BYE

donate to my ko-fi!

[mrgladstonegander]

MORE BOOTLEG DUCKTALES ‼️team science (oops! all identity issues!) edition

team magic here

archimedes gallas / gyro = more like other versions where he's nice but this man is carrying SOOOO much guilt. insane amounts. his entire character is focused on how much his self-worth is down the drain (also hes being haunted by the narrative (phoebe/della)). also he's half japanese. based off the onagadori

cherry pekin / huey = has a similar problem to archie where she has overwhelming feelings of needing to seem mature, and responsible, where she overworks herself

sydney eggtooth-diazi / fenton = REALLYY wants to seem like a Professional Normal Dude. repressing EVERY urge to wear silly ties. sees morality in a black and white sort of way and it WILL cause problems later. he puts archie on a pedestal and its super obvious and it just makes archie more mentally ill

salem milly / gandra = planning to really lean into how she joined fowl bc they were the only ones that supported her. mainly the contrast with how the Main Family supports each other with unconditional love, the love she has is purely conditional, and she's constantly convincing herself that she Wants to do bad things, and that she doesnt care about these people, because despite how she says she only listens to herself, shes stuck to FOUL, and thats her 'family'. based on mille fleur d'uccle

frankie loon / fethry = IT IS PART OF TEAM SCIENCE‼️ after getting back to mainland after being alone at sea for four years, he joins as a janitor. pulling back the marine biology in the sense that he is interested in EVERYTHING. man of a 10000 copies. winning the idgaf war (DOES care abt how his family is disinterested in his interests but its FINE because HE cares its fine its fine. he's accepted he'll be alone). its presence WILL send everyone else into a shock about their identity. hopefully it'll happen vice versa as well

widget-time-tech / widget / gizmoduck / lil bulb = theyre being consolidated and also theyre lil bug guys now!! i dont care if you hate bugs theyre cute as shit!! widget is Usually in the little ball, but also helps control the suit with sydney. it still has anger issues so it'll make things harder for sydney rather than just silly incompetence. and it was DEFINENTLY made to be a superhero ai. no other purposes. at all. certainly not messing with the fabric of time. just helping the ppl of the town :)

mad clucktor / mad clucktor = iwhile he IS a villain he isn't necessarily a bad person. hes a physical manifestation of the part of archie that WANTS to be alive! that KNOWS his worth! he doesn't have to work himself to death to make up for his guilt!

and he's the reason why toby is even active. why he's back

toby / boyd = cannot be normal abt this sorry

he was made to be archie's idea of the "perfect boy". the perfect kid. what he wants to be what he WISHED he would be growing up. hes happy, he can do everything right, he's intelligent, he's strong. his existence is free of human doubt and anxiety, he's the perfect boy and if he was in archie's place everything would be fine

but it isnt! he gets used! toby's used for evil through no fault of his own. but he becomes a symbol of things that are "wrong" about archie. toby didn't resent anyone or be upset with how people treat him. toby doesnt have his own needs. he can do whatever people need him to do. toby was his symbol of hope but becomes a symbol of how everything with him goes wrong. he becomes an unachievable goal that archie is trying to be to make up for the existence of toby!!

and so the only way for either of them to be "truly human" is when archie learns that he doesn't have to be perfect. he never had to be. even if he's made mistakes, he still deserves to LIVE!! he doesn't have to hide his pain and discomfort for anyone!! and its okay for toby to be toby!

[ramp-it-up]

The Representative

Pairing: Mob Boss! Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: Around 600

Warnings: 18+ As always, MINORS DNI, Not Beta’d. All mistakes my own. , Organized crime, veiled threats, Bucky’s knife, reader gets the best of Bucky physically, possibly subby Mob! Bucky.

A/N: This is a teaser drabble based on this ask. This is in the same AU as Try a Little Tenderness.

I no longer operate a taglist. Follow @rampitupandread to be notified when I post.

I Do NOT consent to my work being reposted, translated or presented on any other blog or site other than by myself.

———

He was attractive, dark hair and slate blue eyes. And he had a very compelling argument. If you were a weaker woman, you would have assented and signed the contract. But you weren’t stupid. An binding seven year contract for your produce? And you could supply no other entities?

Ridiculous.

You tried to tell him so, very politely as you stood up and walked around your desk.

“Mr. Barnes, I don’t want to appear rude. Your offer, though eloquently presented, is just not a good fit for Three Rivers Produce.”

You leaned on your desk in front of him and his eyes slid up your firm from your Manolos to your grey pinstripe pencil skirt to your immaculate white silk blouse.

Bucky took in the little things, the flex of your thighs as you pressed them together beneath the fabric of your skirt, the swell of your breasts under the fine material of your blouse, the curve of your neck, those lips, those eyes. Your scent. He was lost.

Yet when he smiled at you, you were unaffected. He quirked his eyebrow as you continued.

“We are a small, but growing produce company in the tri-state area with cooperating agreements with local growers and small restaurants and stores. I won’t cut off a source of livelihood for the farms and fresh, good food for our customers. Although your proposal cuts costs, it also cuts corners, which is not acceptable.”

You stared at James Barnes, and he stared back at you. There was electricity zapping back and forth between you that you wouldn’t acknowledge.

“I am very busy, so I hope you understand that I need to end this meeting.”

Bucky admired your resolve and when he saw that you wouldn’t waver, he stood and reached into his pocket.

You stood up and showed him the door.

“This way.”

No matter how fine you were, you dismissing him would not do. Bucky needed you to agree to this contract. He decided to apply real pressure.

When you turned back to him, Bucky had an intricately carved knife out, cleaning his immaculate fingernails.

“You don’t want to turn down this offer, Doll. My partners would not be pleased.”

You narrowed your eyes.

“I could not care less about your partners, Mr. Barnes. And I am not a doll. I am a full grown woman. Get out of my office before I use that knife on you.”

Bucky’s pulse quickened at your words, but he smirked arrogantly and held the knife out to you.

“Try it, Doll.”

Before he knew it, Bucky was up against the wall with your forearm against his windpipe and his knife jammed into the drywall next to his head. You two stared at each other for a split second, both turned on beyond belief.

You stepped back from him, smoothed your skirt, and indicated the open door as you walked back to your desk where you kept your gun.

“Now get out.”

Barnes smiled and stared at you after he extracted his knife. He might have just fallen in love.

“This isn’t over, Ms. Y/LN. Expect another visit. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Then the pleasure was all yours.”

Your bored tone did not reveal the way your heart was racing.

“And the only thing I expect from you is payment to repair my wall, Mr. Barnes.”

You looked down at the inventory spreadsheet on your laptop and dismissed him again.

“Good day.”

You didn’t spare him another glance as he made to leave.

Bucky’s grin became wider as he exited your office, down the stairs and outside.

Once in the car he took a minute to collect himself and then dialed Steve.

“Just as we thought. Everything we heard is true. She will be a tough nut to crack, but I will seal the deal. And I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy doing so.”

Read the next part: Queen of Heaven

[lamaisongaga]

LADY GAGA AT THE CHROMATICA BALL PREMIERE

Lady Gaga joined her little monsters at the screen premiere of her highly-anticipated HBO "Chromatica Ball" Tour Film last night which took place at the Nya Studios in Los Angeles.

Styling by Nicola Formichetti and Hunter Clem with assistance by Erica Valle and Frankie Benkovic. Hair by Frederic Aspiras, glam by Sarah Tanno-Stewart and nails by Miho Okawara, respectively.

Gaga turned up in Argentinian Berlin-based emerging designer SELVA which was based on his "[603.628]km²" collection.

Her look featured a laminated white muslin calico cotton one-shoulder jacket and matching corset dress cut in the memory of an apron, stenced with holes for multiple sterling silver hooks and chains. A white lacquered shoulder sculpture made of discarded car parts pulled the whole look together. It was created in only two days!

Cristian 'Selva' Huygens started by developing and creating costumes for performances he produces, as well as for exhibitions inside ATM banks and interventions in public spaces around Berlin. The collection was inspired by his last trip to Kyiv, Ukraine where he also presented a collection of designs at a local metro station.

He mainly focuses on using discarded materials, all kinds of fabrics, metal connectors, and car parts as armatures. Conceptually, he describes his brand in one word: Brutalism. Every construction detail and mistake is shown. When it happens, he makes them even more visible. As the designer calls it, he develops 'honest clothes,' following the Brutalism concept.

She completed her look with the Pleaser Xtreme-1020 white vinyl platform ankle boots with lace-up front.

Gaga then sat down for a Q&A session, wearing another Germany-based emerging designer: AZIZ, who she previously introduced to us by rocking his designs both on-stage and on-screen at the tour!

This time, he crafted her a custom look which comprised a black stretch jersey long-sleeved elongated dress with a silicone drip-covered stiffened mesh cocoon structure with peek-a-boo slit for the head to come through, and matching gloves.

She crowned the look with a Philip Treacy Fall/Winter 2018 intricate black lace mask.

Our girl also rocked a bunch of white-gold and diamond rings by two French labels. The first ring is Djula's Délicatesse geometric lines large ring (€2,700).

The three other rings are all signed by AKILLIS and included the Tattoo large ring (€8,500), the Tattoo slim ring (€2,900) and the Capture Me ring (€5,250).

I couldn't help but notice how much the last ring resembles a bear trap, which is also depicted on the single cover for the first "Chromatica" single "Stupid Love", creating a great full circle moment.

Shop:

Djula "Délicatesse" Ring (€2,700.00)

AKILLIS "Tattoo" Large Ring (€8,500.00)

AKILLIS "Tattoo" Slim Ring (€2,900.00)

AKILLIS "Capture Me" Ring (€5,250.00)

Gaga rocked her signature sky-high Flamingo-1020 black vinyl platform boots from Pleaser.

The final look of the evening saw Gaga channeling her CBT "Sonnet" interlude by re-wearing her Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2002 "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" collection parachute coat which features a mandarin collar, eye-hook closure and exaggerated bishop sleeves, bubble back and train.

In McQueen's words: "This collection was inspired by Tim Burton. It started off dark and then got more romantic as it went along."

This coat was given to her by Daphne Guinness personally!

She also wore the matador-inspired black jacquard silk mask headpiece Philip Treacy created for Lee's collection.

For the short and black nails, Miho used the Aprés Gel Couleur in "Birnam Wood". Both the base and top coats are by Presto.

[mlove44lh]

Don’t hurt yourself- Prologue - En version

Masterlist here

Chapter 1

Lewis Hamilton x reader

warnings: just fluff

Words: 1.163

Summary: Six and a half years. Seventy-eight months. That was how long Lewis and Y/N's eternal forever prevailed. Love is a gift, but when it is not accompanied by the purity of fidelity, it becomes just words, and this Y/N learned in the most painful and raw way. How long does an "I love you" last?

Notes: English is not my first language. I did my best with the translation, but I know there are going to be many mistakes in the writing. I was inspired by queen B Lemonade album to write this story. Each chapter will be named after a phase of “post-cheating” grief, like on the album. My focus will be all on y/n and how she deals with everything that happens, not on the betrayal itself.

I don't know what caused me to wake up that morning; maybe the sound of the ocean outside, the lingering light breeze that hit my face, or just the human mechanism letting me know that I was sufficiently rested from the day before. I only know that when I opened my eyes and realized where I was, it was like my whole life had been leading up to that specific moment. I felt like that morning was the highlight of my entire existence like it couldn't get any better.

And it really hadn't.

I could still feel the euphoria that lasted for so long. My heart was pounding as if I had just run a marathon. And all of that was beautiful and exciting, it was the feeling of love in its purest form, it came from within the soul.

The room was shining by the sunlight from outside, the bungalow balcony doors we'd left open let the wind in, and the curtains danced across the ceiling. The large bed covered in white linen made everything even cleaner and shiny. Everything was beautiful. It was much more than I had dreamed of having one day.

The new weight in my left hand made me smile as I remembered what I was carrying. I brought my hand to the front of my face and admired for a few more minutes what I had already admired for hours the night before. The sparkle of the diamond could blind. It was a big ring, but at the same time, very delicate. It was noticeable even from across the room. It was more than perfect.

“You look so hot wearing only this diamond and nothing more.”

Only then did I realize he was also awake. And looking at me as he lay on his stomach. The sheet rested at the base of his spine, giving me a wonderful view of his tattooed back, and the smile on his sleepy face made me feel like I could kiss him endlessly.

The butterflies in my stomach fluttered even more when I realized that I had woken up for the first time next to my now husband. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

I dropped my hand and placed it on top of my breasts, covered by the sheet. Neither of us moved. We were only enjoying the presence of each other and the moment. Recovering the memories of all the fun and happiness of the previous day.

“You know what?” His eyebrows arched, waiting for the continuation. He was still a little sleepy. “You got even sexier after becoming my husband.”

“Looks like the new title went down well for both of us then, Mrs. Hamilton.” Lewis pulled me under him in one movement. Laughter echoed throughout the bungalow. “I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying that. My wife.”

“No. Never stop saying that.” My smile was big and truthful, and Lewis's was no different. “Sounds so damn good.”

Lewis came closer to me and sealed our lips in a long peck. Sleep still consumed us, but the desire to have each other and to show our love and happiness was bigger than anything else.

Lewis took his hand to the edging of the sheet resting on my chest. He pulled it up lightly and slowly and took the fabric off my body. My attention was entirely on him as his gaze roamed all over my naked body.

“I'm the luckiest man in the world for having you with me.”

His slow kisses started at my collarbone and worked their way down to my breasts. Lewis wasn't in any hurry with his movements, it was like he wanted to postpone every second, so he could take more advantage of the situation.

“You make me the happiest woman in the world.”

“I promise I'll make you much happier. Starting today, right here on our honeymoon.”

He didn't take long to come back to kiss my lips, and he stayed there for some time. I was surrendered and intoxicated with his love.

His strong hands squeezing me was enough to make me sigh. His touch had a powerful effect on my body.

Lewis's kisses became more intense. Sometimes he left my lips and started kissing my neck and torso, lightly nibbling some parts.

I held his face in my hands and deepened our kiss as I wrapped my legs around his hips.

Lewis pulled me up and in one fast movement sat me on his lap. His fingertips trailed over my back as he stared at me, his forehead resting against mine.

“I love you so much.”

I smiled and closed my eyes, clinging to that unique feeling that only he could bring me.

“I love you.” My voice came out low. We almost didn't need to say anything. It was as if everything could be said through our touches and stares.

“Look at me.” One of his hands left my back and went to my face, moving me a few inches away. I opened my eyes and looked at the glowing black orbs staring back at me. “You have become the most important thing in my life, and I will never let you down. And if one day something goes wrong, I'll be here, and we'll be able to talk and solve it, all right?”

His eyes held pleading and agitation, but I was calm. I was sure that everything was going to work out no matter what. At that moment, there was nothing more important in the world than the two of us, our words and our promises.

“Alright.”

The kiss that followed was deep and said what words couldn't express. We were complete at that moment, exposed to each other, to care for. A new stage of our relationship that had absolutely everything to work out; two people who love each other and want to make it happen.

Our bodies fit together like they were custom-made for each other. I couldn't believe I had achieved this just for me.

I remember wanting more than anything to stop time at that moment and stay there forever. Something deep in the back of my mind told me to enjoy every second of it.

I didn't know it, but that would be the memory that came back every time I reflect on our marriage again. The memory of the warmth of his arms around me the day after our wedding, loving me and promising me the life I've always dreamed of having by his side since the day I met him. The perfect moment.

But nothing is perfect. And the unbeatable, eternal marriage we believed we had had an expiration date after all.

Six and a half years.

Seventy-eight months for infinite love to come to an end. At least on one side.

[msbarrows]

Yeah, got behind because I wanted to include photos of my crochet and kept procrastinating on that, so have a verbose post of four days at once.

Aug 15 - finished the green and white cotton wool scarf! Overall pretty pleased with how it came out. It's a little weighty and has great drape, as cotton generally does.

Then I killed some time looking at various shell crochet based shawl patterns online, before settling on a simple one with a good video tutorial, Lacy Triangle Shawl by Hopeful Turns (damn but she's a fast crocheter).

For supper I got the pair of remaining moose hand pies out of the freezer, and reheated them in the air fryer. Served them with potatoes mashed with chopped green onions and smoked paprika, steamed butternut squash, and a couple of fresh garden tomatoes cut in quarters.

Aug 16 - More crochet, more Anno 1800. I'm half regretting going for such a fine yarn; thinnest one I've ever worked with, which is proving to be a PITA. But it'll look fantastic if I manage to complete it. Right now I'm just trying to start it; I keep making mistakes and having to frog back and try again.

Supper was mild Italian sausages with hashed potatoes and corn.

Aug 17 - slept in stupidly late after staying up until stupidly early. Disordered sleeping'r'us.

It was due to a combination of Anno 1800 and getting very focused on crochet once I went to bed; I'm finding that crocheting for a bit before trying to sleep usually helps my brain wind down. Anyway, I finally got the hang of the pattern of repeats for the lacy shell crochet and got a reasonable start on it:

After that I decided since I was still feeling too wired to sleep that I might as well frog the crochet vines (the scale of them really is completely wrong), drag out my yarn winder to rewind the variegated yarn from that into a cake, and then start on yet another scarf using the green yarn I'd been using for the leaves. Yup, I now have two projects on the go at once. Got the first few rows of it done before I finally felt tired enough to sleep, on the wrong aide of dawn. Brain, why do you do this to me?

Once I finally got up, showered, dressed, etc, I didn't really have time (or motivation) to cook anything else, so supper was pasta, with meat sauce from the freezer.

Aug 18 - Day started out with a nice long power outage, so what did I do? Crochet, of course! Overcast day so I stuck with working on the green scarf, which doesn't need me to work under a light to differentiate the loops from each other (also helps that it's all one colour). Made pretty decent progress on it, since the rather large yarn (having to use my biggest crochet hook with it) means it adds up fast. I'm working this one out of my head, not from a pattern. I think I'm going to aim for about three times as long as it is wide, if the wool lasts that far, as it's quite wide.

Not a big fan of the yarn. It's 100% acrylic (Red Heart stuff) and works up very stiff; even with netting parts I think the final scarf might be uncomfortably bulky and not have nice drape, though that may improve with size, as its own weight will affect that. I'm mostly thinking it'll go in a pile of stuff to eventually donate or give away or something, since there's only so many scarfs or shawls or whatever my mostly house-bound self needs.

I need to find a sizable project to work on that isn't either of those two types of items. Maybe buy a LOT of yarn and make something sweater-ish. I'm looking at the construction of a poncho-style ice dyed top I purchased recently and thinking it might lend itself really well to a crochet coverup to wear over other items; it's basically two same-sized rectangles, with a slight scoop at the middle of one long side for the neck opening, joined along that long seam, and then partially up each short side, but set in from the edge hems so there's a few inches of loose fabric beyond the side hems to be all flowy:

It looks like it should be very easy to make out of a couple crochet panels, I just have to figure out how to work the scoop. I'm thinking make the back panel first, from the top hem on down, then starting at the top edge of it again work the front panel directly off of it as well, so my starting chain is lost in the join except along the back of the neck opening. Then I just have to slip stitch the side hems and done.

Ended the day playing even more Anno 1800. I'm teetering back and forth between making and losing money, but am generally gaining more than I'm losing. Have gotten even further than last time (yay!) and have now hit a spot where I can see a hump looming that I need to get over or around, can see what the way past it probably is, and just have to work through some prerequisites to unlock some technology so that I can change from shipping a bunch of things long distance from other regions, to making them locally out of alternate (local) materials.

For supper I made corned beef hash. Yum.

[glareandgrowl]

The Oposstag V2.0- Part 2: The Head!

Before I start showing my process, I just want to give a quick shoutout to all the Skullies, Skulldogs and other skull masked furries that came before me and posted tutorials, because they were all super helpful in visualizing and completing my mask! Even if I did entirely different methods... SKS Props specifically (on youtube) for their tutorial on EVA foam masks, with free PDF patterns!

Now onto the making!

My previous attempts at the Oposstag mask, beginning as an old wendigo halloween costume, the easiest method I found for creating long snouts that are lightweight and sturdy has been none other than cardstock paper and hot glue!

I first started with a plastic mask that I trimmed down and made a baldcap out of ducttape and cellophane (a staple of this journey).

As you can see, the process doesn't look very good at the beginning. But have faith!

See? It all works out with a lot of planning and patterns! With the loadbearing strip in the middle, I was able to essentially make one half of a pattern and then copy it to the other side for a nice even mask! (the holes in the side are a surprise for later ;)

I was a bit worried when making the base that the mask seemed incredibly long, but when compared to my old Oposstag version, they're actually exactly the same size! Unintentionally!

The jaw gave me a bit of trouble, however, because I was trying to make the structure (which is still paper) look as realistic to my reference (which in this case was a coyote skull I brought with me. Eventually I just had to realize and copy what I did with the top part, which is thinking in hollow 3D structures and making them out of paper. Much like making a cube by cutting and gluing shapes, the same applies for the hollow portions of the lower jaw.

I don't have any photos of the process, since it was, in all honesty the hardest part of the costume to make. But I do have some of the teeth!

By this point I had patterened and covered the head and jaw with a thin layer of craft foam. (I had to create new patterns and do a lot of guesswork since I threw away the old paper patterns I had used ((FORESHADOWING)) and it was a bit of a pain...)

The teeth were made of a mix in moldable plastic pellets and foam clay, which I also used on the rest of the mask to give it texture, fill in gaps and bulk up a few areas. Along with constantly closing the mouth to ensure the teeth all fit together naturally, (a problem I had with the last mask) this part was fairly easy!

The surprise was the holes were for the fangs.

The horns were also made with foam clay and textured to look like deer antlers! I skewered some wire through the base of the head and hot glued it to hell and back. Those bad boys aren't coming off anytime soon.

After that, I sanded down some edges the best I could and slathered him in a thick coat of bone-colored paint and called it a day!

(highlighting in white and shading with a mid brown color)

The ears are just some 2 inch upholstry foam I cut down to size and glued to the head.

Now comes the foreshadowing.... Since all that was left to do was put the fur on, I had the idea of making the ears a two toned of the silver/grey of Oposstag's body, and the black fur of his arms and legs. Needless to say after I had made a pattern, cut them out of fur and was beginning to handsew, I made the mistake of throwing away the ear pattern. Only to then find out the fluff hid all details of the ears and made them look far too big compared to the size of my head. So... with regret and dissapointment, I had to retry with some black elastic fabric to try and get it right.

Well... the thing about elastic is that it's really hard to work with, and it also shows hot glue extremely easily. I had no pattern to work with (and with a refusal to make another one because of the difficulties) I had to work with what I had, and cover up the glue marks with some of the black fur I had used previously...

In good news! The other neck fur turned out fantastic!

Sure I had to cover my head in cellophane and tape it all up to get a good pattern, but it worked! and it fits great!

The back has a zipper thats covered with a small mohawk-like strip of black fur attached with velcro, hes got a removable tongue, a working jaw, and light eyes!

Here's a lil thing I posted to my insta to show off everything!

If you want more up-to-date updates on my suit, or just whatever else im doing, I post a lot to my stories there! @/faux__paux (two underscores)

[chloeunit6]

Technical File

Here is my technical file. This is where I show my garment construction and how my dress came to life. I had included my fashion illustration, my specification drawing of my dress, my style name and number which is Kloe13 for my garment the Pink Petal, my patten making construction where I have nineteen pattern pieces. my method of construction s, my toile belt and bow, the samples of construction which includes my prints decorative techniques, my technique called bagging, and my closed seams with my hem samples and to finish with my finished garment photos. All these elements helped make my construction of my garment. Before my garment construction I had created my specification drawings to help me understand where each pattern would be I started to number the pieces on my drawing as I started to make my pattern pieces. As I was making my pattern pieces, I decided to write a method to help me understanding what I did if my toile went wrong in my construction I knew how to remake and change the pattern piece based off my method of making the pattern pieces. From all my completed pattern pieces I cut all these out in calico, and I began construction of my toile. I also wrote a method of construction whilst making my toile which was helpful as I had to change and adapt some of my pattern pieces and have a new way to construct my garment. For example I had to change the amount of how many pieces I had to cut out with some pattern pieces such as my skirt strips I needed to cut out twelve strips with six printed on and six plain compared to my toile where I had only cut out three strips, and also my hang over part I needed to cut two out instead of only one as for both of these pieces I needed to use the technique of bagging out. This method is where I used two pieces to sew them together at right sides at a 1cm seam allowance but leaving a 6cm gap. I then flip this inside out using the gap and press the sides. I finished off by topstitching on both sides where I left the gap from before but for the hang over piece, I needed to leave the arm hole side of the pattern open. I was also happy to make my toile as I had made a couple of mistakes as well. I had to reconstruct my skirt and bodice compared to my last dress as I had my new piece at the front. I had to leave the left side front piece for my hang over piece as well as my left side back of the skirt as well. I had made a mistake with my sleeves on my toile as well as I had made the wrong notches marked on my pattern piece as I forgot to make one of my toile pieces on the wrong side whilst I was cutting this out I had made the correct adjustments on my final garment and this was easier to make my sleeves with the right notches matching up correctly. After finishing my toile, I started to think of which fabrics would go as I knew I would be using a range of burgundy, red, pink, and white for my dress. I had made a few adjustments to my chosen colours from making my print samples. I was originally going to use my burgundy-coloured cotton for the hang over piece. I had tested out how the print would look like in my chosen fabrics. For the burgundy cotton I was going to use this as my hang over pattern piece. However, the white satin made the print have a bold and clean finish. I had changed my print pattern pieces to all white satin fabric. Due to the burgundy colour cotton did not show my pattern in a strong colour as it had been washed out. I even tried making it on a white background and then adding my print on top but after seeing the results, I decided my best option was the white satin for my pattern. But I had one more attempt to add coloured fabric for my pattern. I tried dyeing the white printed sample using brusho inks as I had tried the white satin, and it left a strong colour after the dyeing process. In conclusion, the stain did dye well but I still thought the print blended into the coloured satin and I continued with the decision of leaving my lotus print to be printed on the white satin. 

From understanding this I had chosen the colours of my garment and wrote these onto my pattern pieces. This is when I created my fabric lay plan, so I understood how much fabric I needed for each of my pattern pieces. This is shown in more information on another blog post named Lay plans for my garment (the link to post at the bottom of this post). Closely following this, I planned out and started to cut out my pattern pieces for my final garment. For my patterned pieces I had to make some samples for printing my final prints outs especially for my small sized print I wanted for my skirt strips, my back bow, and my lower sleeve. I used some calico to show what the print looked like after rescaling it and adjusting it to what I had envisioned. This process took all day printing out after understanding the measurements and sizes I wanted from using the calico print samples. As I had to use the computer to rescale and place where I wanted the print to be I did have help with my tutor in this process. Before printing I had cut all my fabric out for printing and made arrows to understand which way I wanted them to go, and I ironed these before the printing had begun. I had placed these samples into my sketchbook to show the process of my experimentation and understanding. Furthermore, I had decided on my final decorative technique in which I was going to use for my final garment which was my cherry blossoms fabric flowers where I made a few samples and placed these in my technical file I have made a post explaining these in more detail which is shown down below on this post. For my final garment, I had made on finishing change which was adding a press stud to keep my hang over piece straight and not drape that is one element I did change from understanding my toile. From using my experience in all these factors in my technical file, it left a stunning result for my final garment and left a strong result and finish to match my key ideas for my Harajuku Japanese inspired garment. I love the bold prints to the perfecting touches of my fabric flowers with the ribbon draping next to them. I am glad about my hours of experimenting and taking time to finish my garment in the highest quality I could create my dress for my FMP. 

Individual Areas of my Technical File:

Style Name and Number:

Kloe13

From my pattern pieces (nineteen altogether):

centre front

side front

side back

centre back

front skirt

back skirt

skirt strips

lower sleeve

upper sleeve

sleeve band

thrill cuff

hang over

belt

front facing

back facing

back bow

back bow strip

front mini bow

front mini bow strip

Machines Used:

Industrial sewing machine, Industrial overlocker, Industrial iron, button holer machine, and hand sewing needle.

More information on my other posts:

[housecleaners235]

Laundry Day Simplified: Hacks for Effortless Washing & Ironing

Laundry day – two words that can strike fear into the hearts of even the most organised individuals. But fear not! You can turn laundry day from a dreaded chore into a breeze with the right tips and tricks. Say goodbye to wrinkles and endless piles of clothes with our guide to efficient washing and ironing.

Efficient Washing Tips:

Sort Smartly: Before starting your laundry, take the time to sort your clothes properly. Group similar items by colour and fabric type to prevent colour bleeding and damage. Separating whites, darks, and delicates will ensure that each load is washed appropriately, preserving the quality of your garments. Additionally, check for items with specific care instructions, such as hand wash or dry clean only, and set them aside for special treatment.

Use the Right Detergent: Selecting the suitable detergent is crucial for achieving clean and fresh-smelling laundry. Consider factors such as your washing machine type (top-loading or front-loading) and the fabric composition of your clothes when choosing a detergent. For example, high-efficiency (HE) detergents are designed for front-loading machines and require less water, while traditional detergents may produce too many suds in these machines. Furthermore, opt for a detergent formula that targets specific stains or odours, such as enzyme-based detergents for protein stains like sweat or blood.

Maximise Load Size: Make the most of each laundry cycle by maximising your load size without overloading the washing machine. Washing full loads not only conserves water and energy but also reduces the frequency of washing, ultimately prolonging the lifespan of your clothes. However, avoid cramming too many items into the machine, restricting water flow and hindering the cleaning process. Instead, aim for a balanced load that allows clothes to move freely during the wash cycle, ensuring thorough cleaning and rinsing.

Effortless Ironing Hacks:

Steam Power: Invest in a quality steam iron or garment steamer to streamline the ironing process and achieve professional-looking results. Steam irons use hot steam to penetrate fabric fibres, quickly relaxing wrinkles and creases. Additionally, garment steamers are an excellent alternative for delicate fabrics or garments with intricate details, as they eliminate the need for direct contact with the fabric, reducing the risk of damage. Choose a steam iron or steamer with adjustable settings to cater to different fabric types and garment styles, ensuring optimal performance and versatility.

Iron Strategically: Approach ironing strategically by starting with items that require the lowest heat setting and gradually increasing the temperature for stubborn wrinkles. Begin with delicate fabrics such as silk or chiffon, using a low-heat setting to prevent damage. Then, progress to medium-heat settings for cotton or linen garments, followed by high-heat settings for heavy fabrics like denim or wool. When ironing, work systematically from top to bottom, focusing on one section at a time to ensure thorough coverage for delicate fabrics or garments with embellishments. Iron clothes inside out to minimise direct heat exposure and prevent damage to surface decorations.

Hang Wisely: After ironing, hang your freshly pressed clothes immediately to prevent wrinkles from forming. Use padded hangers for delicate items like silk blouses or dresses to maintain shape and to avoid shoulder bumps. For heavier garments such as suits or jackets, opt for sturdy wooden hangers to support the weight of the fabric and preserve the garment's structure. Use clip or skirt hangers to prevent creases at the waistband when hanging pants or skirts. Allow clothes to hang freely without overcrowding to promote airflow and prevent wrinkles from setting in, ensuring that your garments remain crisp and wrinkle-free until you're ready to wear them.

Washing & Ironing Mistakes to Avoid:

1.   Overloading the Washing Machine: While cramming as many clothes as possible into the washing machine is tempting, overloading it can result in inefficient cleaning and increased wear and tear on your clothes. Stick to recommended load sizes to ensure optimal washing results.

Ignoring Fabric Care Labels: Fabric care labels are there for a reason, so always take the time to check them before tossing clothes into the wash or ironing them. Ignoring care instructions can lead to shrinkage, colour fading, and damage to delicate fabrics.

Skipping Pre-Treatment: Stubborn stains require special attention, so don't skip the pre-treatment step. Apply a stain remover or spot treatment to stains before washing to ensure they are adequately lifted during the wash cycle.

Laundry day doesn't have to be a dreaded chore. With these tips for efficient washing and ironing, you can tackle your laundry pile like a pro and enjoy fresh, wrinkle-free clothes every time. So, say goodbye to laundry day woes and hello to effortless laundry care.

FAQ:

How can I prevent clothes from shrinking in the wash?

Always check the care labels and wash items in cold water whenever possible to prevent clothes from shrinking. Avoid over-drying clothes in the dryer, and consider air-drying delicate fabrics to maintain their shape and size.

What's the best way to remove stubborn wrinkles without ironing?

For stubborn wrinkles, try hanging clothes in the bathroom while you take a hot shower – the steam will help relax wrinkles. Alternatively, place wrinkled garments in the dryer with a damp towel for a few minutes to release wrinkles.

Are there any time-saving laundry hacks for busy individuals?

Absolutely! Consider pre-treating stains as soon as they occur to prevent them from setting in. Invest in a laundry sorter to streamline the sorting process and save time on laundry day. Additionally, consider using laundry pods or pre-measured detergent packs for quick and easy washing. For further cleaning tips, visit London Domestic Cleaners.

© London Domestic Cleaners

[otherpeoplescreativity]

I have, somewhere, a picture of parasol in action. Let's see if I can find it before I hit "reblog"!

It will probably be the one shown in this old post: https://otherpeoplescreativity.tumblr.com/post/128355946772/complete-for-now-parasol

Edit to add: Sorry, I don't have the picture on this computer that I had in mind. If I find it on the other one tonight, I'll reblog myself and post it there.

Meanwhile: Yes, I absosmurfly use a parasol. I got the base unit from either Disneyland or WDW; I continue to lament that the maker, "Rubio Arts", does not do direct sales anywhere on the internet that I have found.

My personal tips would be:

One. Water resistant is better, even if you won't use this as an umbrella. Water resistant means your life is not ruined if it's muggy, if you get caught in the spray from someone's squirt gun or garden hose, plus you have a chance of cleaning it if dust happens.

Two. Carpet thread! Decorate with carpet thread for strength, and put a button on the underside at the same time as you put a silk flower or other "three-dimensional decoration item". That way the strain gets distributed. Hot glue is not going to work out over the summer because hot glue becomes not glue once the temperatures are over "Feels like 105 Fahrenheit".

Also, when one of the spokes separates from the fabric, carpet thread is a great and easy tool for reattaching it most of the time. Only once have I had a joint problem weird enough that I had to resort to Stealth Paperclip for the rest of the trip.

Three. A short loop of machine washable braided yarn is a great way to connect the handle to either one's wrist, or one's purse strap, or one's cane.

Four. Learn from my past mistakes: remember that even if your so-thick-it's-opaque parasol does happen to block out enough UV light, the elbow area is still going to need frequent application of sunblock lotion. What a strange looking sunburn I managed to give myself!

That said -- one of the things I love about having my parasol is that it makes a great Signaling Device in a populated area. Everyone who knows me can spot the parasol in a crowd, even though I have the Short superpower!

Another thing I love about having my parasol is that it is a conscious choice I am making about my visual impact on strangers. People are going to remember "that lady with the parasol with the flowers and paste gemstones on it", or "that person with the red parasol that made a gentle swish-swish noise because its bead fringe clinked at every step". They are less likely to remember me as "that woman with the blotchy skin" or "the dumpy middle-aged broad who is definitely NOT bilaterally symmetrical". I am choosing the framework of my story, not leaving it up to strangers' perceptions.

I currently have two parasols in everyday rotation (the blue one and the red one), a white one with snowflake string lights on the inside that I use at holiday season, a black one that I almost never get to use around Halloween due to rain, and a rainbow one by another manufacturer that I have not yet enhanced.

Parasol?

I was just thinking that this summer is likely to be a hot one in the Northern Hemisphere.

Shade? Valuable thing.

Out of curiosity, does anyone carry a parasol for personal shade and how does that work out for you?

[spines-tvo]

Very personal stuff incoming

This is less to entertain others and more for me to just talk about this world that I greatly enjoy developing. So, if you don't care, just leave now.

So; Lemonland! An island that occupies the space in between universes. It grows and shrinks to fit the population, so you never have to worry about food or housing. How did it come to be? Well, over time, universes have tears build up in their fabric, letting things sort of drip through to Lemonland. (Our universe connects through the Bermuda triangle because it's neat.) While, yes, there are humans and human-like creatures, the number of them is smaller than other types of creatures. The island itself is kind of a utopia, however, with all these people and creatures occupying the same space, there are a lot of problems that crop up, whether those are personal or interpersonal. There are few to no rules that say who or what an occupant can be, so magic-wielders can live in the same house as literal war robots. Why is it called Lemonland? When it was first discovered, all the occupants had to eat were lemons from the lemon trees that dotted the landscape. The strange thing about these lemons is that if an individual eats a large number of them, certain parts (Normally hair or eye color) would change to a bright yellow, similar to flamingos when they eat shrimp. (This is mostly used as a way to differentiate different versions of the same character, however, some characters dye their hair to hide their identity.) Now, why would you need to differentiate when there's only one version of the character? Well, there are a lot more than just the one, actually. There are places that parallel Lemonland, such as Limeland (Similar except for one character's choices.) and Pumkinplace (Basically a Halloween-styled Lemonland.) Characters often jump to and from different Lemonlands, so you may have two or more versions of the same person in one place at the same time.

So... Who lives in Lemonland? (Right now, I'll stick to the primary Lemonland.) Timothan and his family. Timothan is an extreme optimist. Some people might even consider it toxic how optimistic he is. Thanks to the "Lemondyeing" of his hair, he looks like any other blonde haired, blue eyed white boy. He doesn't really think things over, and he expects everything to always work out. Since it actually does always work out, he doesn't really learn from his mistakes. He has one sister, Timothania, who travels across the multiverse in a small boat, and a dad named Deero who sticks around and helps out when he can. His mother disappeared when he was young, and nobody seems to know where she is or why she vanished.

Next is Namothy, a version of Timothan from Limeland who is occupying Lemonland because of a serious mistake he made that turned everyone he knew against him. He's almost exactly like Timothan, except he's more unhinged.

Then's Namie (Short for "the nameless one") who is a being of personified negative human emotions. They were created, destroyed the lab they were created in, got transported to Lemonland in order to prevent their entire home planet getting destroyed. And then's when they changed. Since they were based on humanity, they started to think like a human. So they got tired of being negative. And that's when they found Timothan. He's the closest thing to a being of pure positive emotions, so they sort of latched onto him (metaphorically) so he could teach them to be happier.

Bean Man. Yep. You read that right. Bean Man. He's an all-powerful deity that nobody seems to know. He sits at the top of a mountain in a gas station. And he looks like a bean with arms and legs. He's so powerful that when Timothan drinks from a goblet that Bean Man recently also drank from, Bean Man's saliva gave Timothan the power to restructure whatever universe he is currently in. Namothy also has this power, along with most other versions of Timothan, however, it was gained from Limeland's version of Bean Man.

Sorry this was so long and potentially confusing, I just really like talking about my stuff.

[shadowyfiretyphoon]

T Shirt Printing Options

Whether you are looking to have your T shirts printed for a special event or you just want to have some unique tees, you will find that there are many different options available to you. These include screen printing, drop shipping, direct to garment printing and stenciling.

Stenciling

Using a stencil to print a T shirt is a great way to add a personal touch to your clothing. You can use your favorite images or create your own.

The best stencils are easy to use and make stenciling T shirts a breeze. It can also help you save money and create a better profit margin. The best part is that they can be used for other projects as well.

The best way to stencil a T shirt is to find a plain white shirt and use the stencil to print it. You can then cut out the designs you want using a craft blade. You might want to use masking tape to secure the stencil before cutting.

When cutting the stencil, you should be sure to use a craft blade that is the right size for the design. You don't want to make a small mistake. Also, make sure you are using a good quality paper to print the design on.

Screen printing

Using a screen to print T shirts is more popular than ever. It's more cost effective than digital printing, is more durable, and can be done on almost any surface. In addition, screen printing can add value to your retail products and shirts.

Screen Printing Perth uses a woven mesh stencil to push ink through. This can produce some great effects, such as glow in the dark ink. It also requires a lot of setups.

The screen is typically made of synthetic threads or stainless steel. You can use a variety of inks, from a standard black ink to glow in the dark ink. Ink thickness is especially important for lighter blends.

The screen is wrapped in duct tape to prevent ink seepage. The screen is also positioned on the shirt so that it aligns correctly.

The screen is also made of nylon or polyester. Using a nylon mesh will give you a better-quality print.

While the screen isn't the only thing you should be doing, it's definitely a good idea to use a squeegee to get a smoother finish. A squeegee will also help to keep ink from bleeding through.

Direct to garment printing

Using Direct to garment printing is a great way to create detailed and colorful graphics on your t-shirts. It is also the ideal method for printing high-definition photos on your shirts. This technique uses water-based inks and is less expensive than screen printing.

DTG printers use specialized print heads that apply water-based ink to fabrics. The ink is then cured with a heat press or tunnel dryer. This process allows for very detailed images to be produced in a short amount of time.

Direct to garment printing is also better suited to fabrics that are natural fibers such as cotton. This means that your garments will never need to be bleached. It also means that they are more durable. However, direct to garment printing is not ideal for uniforms. You should always clean your garments with gentle detergents.

Direct to garment printing also costs less than screen printing. Because it doesn't require a multi-step process, you will save time and money. You can also use a broader color palette than with screen printing.

Drop shipping

Whether you are starting your own business or you are looking to expand your current product line, drop shipping for T Shirt Printing Perth is a great way to make money online. This method of selling t-shirts is very affordable, and you don't need to pay for printing materials or packaging. In addition, you can also save money on printing equipment.

Pointful is one of the largest t shirts drop shipping providers. They offer quality products and fast service to a variety of countries. They also offer free shipping to certain destinations. They offer cut and sew printing, direct-to-garment printing, embroidery, and more. They also offer custom branding options.

Tee Launch is one of the fastest t shirt print-on-demand drop shippers. They offer fast shipping, custom t-shirt options, and direct-to-garment printing. They have facilities in the UK, California, Arizona, and Australia. They have also helped more than 215K Etsy stores.

Fine Art America offers a variety of customizable products, including T-shirts, wall art, and more. They also offer drop shipping services. You can also purchase a premium membership, which gives you access to a white-label Pod website.

[bye-bye-sunbird]

Porcelain - Yan!Diluc x Maid!Fem!Reader

This is my first fic in a LOONG time. ‘Been years since I last wrote... anything, so please excuse my rustiness. Also, english is not my first language, so I am bound to make mistakes TuT.

I was heavily inspired by the amazing work of @ddarker-dreams, and read about the idea of a touched starved Diluc getting all hot and bothered by a maid darling... Maybe I’ll turn this into a series, but since I am only starting to write again, I can’t promise anything really, i’m terribly out of shape. I mean, this tumblr isn’t really for writting... But it can be (?)

So, if anyone has any prompts or ideas they want to throw my way, I’ll be happy to read them!

The Genshin fandom has taken over my life, help me.

Warnings: Slight NSFW, Dubious Consent, unhealthy relationships based in power dynamics, general yandere themes.

Your limbs stiffen at his touch, as your gaze refuses to leave the ground while he gently traces his lips over your jaw, so softly, that you almost can’t feel it. His bare hands ghost over your figure, drawing patterns over your neat uniform. You can feel the hunger lurking behind his restrained movements.

He whispers your name with the softness of a prayer meant to be heard only by you, who dares not to move. Your fear will never let you realize the power you hold over him. 

He presses a kiss on your neck, the touch sending shivers all over your spine. The teapot you used to serve his tea almost slippes from your fingers, yet you manage to stand still.

You feel ashamed of yourself.

After a while, your eyes avert slightly to the window next to you. Rain pours over the fields, while mist slowly devours the roof like a patient beast. 

Like Master Diluc himself would do to you, should he ever were to become mist.

He often takes his time with you, and while he has never truly given in to his impulses, you can see in his eyes and read through his mind the ways he has imagined to take things further than that.

Sometimes, he would look at his desk while caressing your back, as if toying with the idea of pinning you there.

Other times, his fingers would lift your skirt a few millimeters, only to drop the fabric seconds later.

Your neck is the only thing he allows himself to indulge in. Most of the time he is content with soft kisses, just like now. But on other days he would press his body behind your back just an inch further, his hand grabbing your jaw while his lips ravished your neck as if he was a starving man.

You stay still, always the quiet, subservient creature he obsesses over with. You never raise your voice, nor look directly at his eyes. 

You barely let a slight hitched breath escape your lips while he slowly nibbles at your earlobe.

But when he slowly slips his hand under your white apron you can't help but drop the teapot you held so tightly moments ago. The sound of the porcelain crashing against the wooden floor startles you, and your immediate reaction is to lower yourself to pick it up, only to find that Master Diluc hasn't let go of you.

He had stopped his attention towards your neck, his eyes fixed on the broken porcelain and the cold tea spilled on the floor. After a few seconds, he lowers his head and averts his hand out of your apron carefully, turning his back on you.

“Leave it” he orders, as he walks towards the window.

Even though he isn't looking at you, you respond with a small bow, and meekly excuse yourself before getting out of the room.

It’s only after you close the door behind you that you let a profound breath escape your lips.

[thingsaday]

Cosplay Wings: A Tutorial

I thought I’d immortalize the wing-building process through which I created the wings for Dream XD! So here’s the-most-budget-stationary-wings-tutorial-ever. 

P.S: If you like this tutorial, or want to see more of my cosplays, check out my instagram, alooxis_cosplay! Also consider reblogging this post so that others might see this tutorial as well! :) 

[This is gonna be a long-ish post, fair warning!] 

So, it begins! 

To preface, these took me about one summer (2 months) of on-and-off work to complete, though I was not working on them every night. If you were to work on these for a few hours each day, you could probably finish them much faster! 

I also wanted to create these for as low of a cost as possible. Thus, all my tools are either things that I had on hand (like a hot glue gun/comb, and even simple pencil/paper for the patterns) or things that I bought on sale at Michael’s. 

DISCLAIMER: In retrospect, I would have used a stronger material for the supports. I used thin balsa wood strips, which held up very well when walking, running, and spinning- but did eventually start to break after a few hard hits at con. If you’re making these at home I’d recommend experimenting with a few different supports (including thick metal/ wire that would bend more before fracturing if you’re planning on being a little more rough with them) and find what works best for you!

~~

MATERIALS: 

- 2 large sheets of white project paper

- 2-3 rolls of thin EVA foam (Outer feather layers) 

[Choose thickness based on your preference! I believe I used 4mm]. 

- 1-2 rolls of Thick EVA foam (Base Wing + Backpiece) 

[Once again, choose thickness based on your preference! I used 6mm]. 

- 10+ strips of thin balsa wood for supports (SEE DISCLAIMER) 

- 1 pack of 18 gauge stem wire 

- White Scrap fabric for the shoulder straps (1/2 yard?? Approximately?? I used a skirt.) 

- One long, thin strip of black fabric for the waist strap. 

TOOLS: 

- Wide-Toothed comb

- Hot glue gun

- Pencils, tape, 

~~

PROCESS:

I began by looking online for a wing design I liked online. I found this diagram of the feather groups that I liked, and printed it out on a regular-sized sheet of printer paper. 

This would be the basis for my wing pattern. However, a sheet of printer paper is small- and I needed them to be life size! So, in order to save money- I decided to scale them up manually using a grid-and-pencil-method. 

I folded the paper into eight sections lengthwise, 

And width wise- creating 64 little evenly spaced ‘boxes’ on the original piece of paper. Then, using two taped-together pieces of large project paper purchased from Michael’s, I did the same exact thing on a larger scale. 

For reference, I numbered each of the boxes on the small sheet of paper 1-64, and labeled the corresponding boxes on the LARGE sheet of paper with the same numbers. (This was mostly so I wouldn’t mix up the boxes when I transferred them over!).

Next comes the really fun part. I hand-copied the contents of each small box to each large box, piece-by-piece. 

It’s very important when you’re doing this to ONLY copy the lines in each box, one at a time. It’s very easy to get carried away if you try to copy the whole picture at once and mess up the proportions. 

I assure you that while it’s tedious, copying the pattern box-by-box is the best method to accurately scale up a pattern if you do not have access to (or do not want to pay for) a professionally printed poster. 

At long last, the full pattern was traced! Next, I cut it out as cleanly as possible- following the outermost edge. 

Next, I rolled out my (thickest) roll of EVA foam and traced the right and left wings onto the sheet. MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE that you have configured them so that both will fit onto one sheet (one facing left and one facing right) before tracing - if you do make a mistake, trying to erase pencil from the foam once you’ve drawn on it is nearly impossible! (I did this, and had to apply a few layers of opaque oil paint to ‘cover up’ the misplaced pencil lines. 

[Don’t throw away that paper pattern though, it’ll come in handy for every layer after this!]

Then, I simply cut those foam tracings out to get two of my first, ‘base’ wing layers. (This is the point at which you may want to paint over any misplaced pencil lines if they remain on the wing with an oil-based spray paint to to hide your crimes). :) 

Next, return to the paper pattern, and cut ONLY the straight lines between the bottom-most layer of feathers, as shown: 

Then, place that paper pattern directly on-top of the foam cut out, and grab your comb- because it’s texturing time baby!! 

Using the back of a wide-toothed comb, gently rub the back of the comb back and forth along each of the wing ‘separation’ lines that you just cut out. This creates the illusion of separate feathers on the otherwise un-textured foam! 

(Don’t worry too much if they’re a little messy at first! Actual bird feathers aren’t perfectly straight and clear.) 

Then, once again using the back of the brush, make ‘center seam’ lines marking the middle of each feather. These should be a little less defined than the lines separating each of the feathers themselves. 

Next, use the wide teeth of the comb to ‘carve’ diagonal texture lines into each feather. I like to think of the lines on the right side of each center seam going ‘SouthEast’ and those on the left side of each seam pointing ‘SouthWest’.  

Yay texture!! 

Repeat this process for both the front and back of both sets of wing bases (so you’ll be doing this four times in total). 

NOTE: You don’t have to texture the parts of the wing that will be covered by the next layer. I’d recommend texturing only about an inch or so above where your ‘wing separation’ lines end. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ON TO LAYER TWO!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once your base wings are done, it’s time to start the next layer! Start by cutting away the lower layer of feathers from the PAPER pattern (I told you it’d come in handy again!)   

Then, lay this on top of the THIN foam sheet, and cut out FOUR versions of this pattern (two facing right, and two facing left). 

(Sorry for the crusty image quality, the lighting in my room was determined to make my tracing lines appear as faint as possible). 

Once you’re done tracing, cut those bad boys out! 

Once again, return to your paper pattern and cut along the lines separating each feather. 

Just like you did on the first layer, place that paper pattern directly on top of your foam pieces and use the back of the comb to gently trace those lines into the foam. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: 

For these thinner wing parts, you only need to texture ONE SIDE of each sheet. This is because each of these smaller layers will be glued to the lower layer (so one side will be hidden from the outside). Therefore, make sure that you’ve oriented your wing layer pieces so that two are textured on the ‘left side’ (as shown below) 

And two are textured on the ‘right side’ as shown below: 

(Don’t mind the slow loss of sanity as demonstrated by the snapchat caption) :)

The idea here is that you’re going to end up with four thin foam wing layers - which will be placed on the front left base wing, back left base wing, front right base wing, and back right base wing respectively. Only the side of each wing layer that will be visible from the outside need to be textured. 

I didn’t take a picture of these finished layers unfortunately, but you should end up with something roughly like this: 

(Excuse the godawful handwriting. Crafting I can do, but writing legibly? Mmm. Doesn’t sound like me.) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ON TO LAYER THREE!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This should be getting familiar now: Once again, you’re going to cut away the bottom layer of feathers from your PAPER pattern, and trace four versions (two facing right and two facing left) onto your THIN foam sheet. 

Then, cut the feather separation lines into your paper pattern, ‘carve’ them onto (one side of) each foam layer with the back of the comb, draw your ‘center seam’ lines, and use the bristles to texture those bad boys. 

You should end up with four pieces of foam. Two of which should be textured on the right-facing side, and two of which should be textured on the left-facing side. 

GREAT JOB! You should now have ten separate pieces of foam: 

- Two ‘base’ wings made of thicker foam, both textured on BOTH sides. 

- Four ‘Second layer’ pieces, two of which textured only on the right-facing side, and two of which textured only on the left-facing side. 

- Four ‘Third layer’ pieces, two of which textured only on the right-facing side, and two of which textured only on the left-facing side. 

At this point, (if only for the sake of consolidating the ridiculous pile of foam pieces that were accumulating around my room), f I began to put them together! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ON TO CONSTRUCTION!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the point at which I finally began to add supports and hot glue the layers I’d created together. 

For supports, I used about six(?) thin balsa wood strips purchased from Michael’s. I’m not sure of the exact brand I used, but they look a bit like this: 

BIG DISCLAIMER: 

If you’re planning on running around/ roughhousing with these wings on, I highly recommend looking into slightly bendier (or simply stronger) supports. While these wings held up decently well prior to con, they began to break after getting hit a few times by other con-goers (including this kid on an electric scooter who slammed into them while racing down the street?? People are wild sometimes). Since wood is pretty much un-salvageable after it’s snapped in half, a light (but strong) plastic or metal support may be preferable. 

With that out of the way, back to your regularly scheduled programming! 

~

Starting with the back of the wings, I placed the second and third wing layers over the base wings to get an idea of where things would be when they were put together: 

Then, I began to lay two wooden supports (in a triangular formation) between the base layer and the second layer of wings, hot glue-ing the top of the wing pieces together as I went: 

Then, I flipped the wing over to the other side (the front side), and placed one support between the base wing and the second layer, configured approximately in-between where the other two supports laid. ...

...Ending up with something like this, with three supports sticking out of the side: 

(front of wing pictured below) 

Then, once again looking at the back side of the wing, I placed one more wooden support parallel with the top-most of the three supports I had already done. 

Then I hot-glued the third wing layer on top of that support, completely hiding it.

Then, on the front side of that wing, I simply glued the second wing layer to the correct spot (without a support). 

At this point, I had one full wing, made of five pieces of foam and four balsa wood strips total. 

Finally, the process was to be repeated... for the other wing. 

AT LAST: WE HAVE TWO SEPARATE WINGS, shown below: 

At this point, you can see that I began experimenting with how the balsa supports should be intertwined in order to get the least strain on those thin little wooden pieces. 

I found that the best configuration to do so (in order to minimize strain and, as a bonus, take up less horizontal room), I would align these strips at 90-degree angles with each other, and sort of ‘weave’ the balsa wood strips through each other as shown: 

As I did so, I began to hot glue the wood pieces together and strengthen these connections by weaving the 18 gauge stem wire around each intersection. 

I ran into a bit of a problem at this point, however- which was that there was no support at the very top of where the wings met (at the uppermost part of the shoulders). To remedy this, I cut a thin hole into the third wing layer of each side, and threaded an additional balsa wood strip underneath this third layer, as shown: 

Then, for a bit of extra support, I wove one more strip along the center of all of the previously-made supports, and connected it with got glue and wire. 

At last, everything had been connected! At this point I began to snap off extra lengths of balsa wood that were ‘sticking out’ too far as shown below: 

If you made it this far, fabulous work! the next (and final) part of this project was making the back piece (to stabilize those breakable little balsa wood strips) and straps (to attach the wings to my back!) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BACK PIECE + STRAPS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Using four taped-together sheets of notebook paper, I had a friend trace the shape of my shoulders/ upper back onto the paper. Using the width of my shoulders as reference, I sketched a shape for the back feathers that I liked, and cut it out (comparing/ adjusting it as needed by placing it on the wings themselves) 

Then, I cut that shape out of THICK foam and checked that it fit comfortably on the center of my back, as shown. 

Then, I began work on the shoulder straps. Using the lining of an old white skirt for the fabric, I cut two long rectangles of this fabric and sewed them together longways.

Then, I sewed both into loops that comfortable (but firmly) fit around my shoulders, and hot-glued them to the concave side of the back piece. 

Finally, I hot-glued this back piece to the FRONT side of the wings, with as many connections between this thick foam and the wooden supports as possible (for stability). 

(Front view below) 

(back view below) 

Then, using the same method as I did for the back piece, I traced a shape I liked for the back of the wings onto notebook paper, and cut it out using the thick foam. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to increase the overall stability of the wings, and partially hide the still-somewhat visible supports at the top of the wings, I added a long strip of foam at the top of this piece and wrapped it around the front of the wings, as shown: 

At this point, the wings were wearable, which was very exciting! They did not collapse under their own weight, and withstood walking, turning, and even spinning relatively well. 

But I still had two issues: 

1. Due to the top-heavy nature of the wings, they tended to tilt forward such that the back piece made an angle with my back, with the bottom pushing out. 

2. When viewed from the back, the wings were a little bland. It needed some sprucing up! 

To solve problem one, I added a waist strap! 

For some reason, I took virtually no pictures of this part (I think I was finally too tired to care about properly documenting my work, lol)) - so the picture below is a rough sketch of what I did: 

I essentially made two small ‘loops’ of white fabric (the same way I made the shoulder straps, only I made the circumference of those little loops much smaller; big enough for only a strip of black fabric that would become the waist-tie.) I hot glued these loops near the bottom of the back piece (routinely picking up the entire construction and measuring it against my back to make sure the placements made sense), and finally threaded a strip of black fabric through the loops. 

NOTE: Because the waist piece (the strip of black fabric) is not actually attached to the wing construction and is instead threaded through, you can use ANY color of fabric you want- this means you can choose the waist strap color to match the cosplay you’re doing! (For my purposes, black blended in the best). 

To solve problem 2 (and add a bit more detail to the back of the wings, I sketched one last pattern on notebook paper, cut it out of the THIN foam, textured it with the comb, and hot-glued it to the back of the wings (the part that would be visible from behind). 

                   🥳 🎉AND WITH THAT, THE WINGS WERE DONE!!!! 🎉🥳

All in all, this process took about two months of on-and-off work, and while tedious at times, was incredibly fun and rewarding! 

If you’ve decided to create a pair of stationary wings using this tutorial, I wish you the very best of luck! Try not to get too discouraged if something doesn’t work out, either- this tutorial shows you the main (successful) steps in what was a long (mistake-filled) process. 

Many of these steps were a creative attempt at fixing problems that arose along the way, so the best advice I can give is to keep at it- and view issues not as roadblocks, but as opportunities to learn and come up with original solutions! 

~~

Congratulations on making it to the end of this long post! 

Please help me out by reblogging this post, and tune in to see more of my crafty creations over at alooxis_cosplay on instagram! 

Happy crafting! :) 

[nerdwriting]

The Creative Directors Behind Fate: The Winx Saga Must Not Be K-Pop Fans

Also, they have a pretty wrong idea of the role fashion should play in a show.

There are a few words that will stand out across most reviews of Netflix's Fate: The Winx Saga - drab, boring, flop, flat, unimaginative. Critics and audiences consensus is that the show is not only a mediocre-at-best story, but also an atrocious (and ultimately confusing) choice of adaptation of the color pop and fairy magic cartoon it’s based on, 2004 italian cartoon Winx Club.

Fate has plenty of it's own issues - white washing and erasing characters, cringey dialogue, outdated melodrama, etc. But where it truly, unequivocally fails is as an adaptation. Fate misses everything that was magical and lovable about the original series, in all levels, from bizarre writing choices, - such as never actually developing any sense of friendship between the characters, who are based on a cartoon about…..a group…….of friends -, but it's especially and immediately felt in the art direction and costume design.

Winx Club is set on a fantastical world, Magix, where each of our main characters hail from a different planet, à la Sailor Moon. Alfea, the fairy school they attend, is the most common background: a pastel colored, futuristic high tech-meets-fantasy, art nouveau inspired castle. Alfea sets the tone for the whole visual of the cartoon: bright, colorful, futuristic meets vintage, leaning into the technological positivism of the Y2K style, uniting it with magic, DnD worthy monsters and, of course, fairy wings. Often featured are also the Red Fountain school, where the Specialists train, and especially Cloud Tower, the goth and gothic inspired witch school Alfea has an OxBridge rivalry with (How cool would that be in a live action? I guess we’ll never know…).

On Fate, Alfea is the only school we ever see, and it’s another beige boarding school in not-Britain, somehow set in a magical world where everyone has the exact same technology and even social media that we have on Earth in 2021, no transformations and, most egregiously, no fairy wings.

This lack of visual creativity is pervasive throughout the whole show, and its most heartbreaking iteration is in the characters' wardrobe. The styling has the barest bones of a color scheme, - such as 'Bloom has to only dress in red since fire, duh',- the clothes are ill fitting, bland, dark and very dated. These are supposed to be teenagers who enjoy fashion, and yet they look like varying types of soccer moms from 2010.

The series seems to operate on an old and tired vision that women and girls can’t have depth and have adventures and fight monsters while also caring about fashion, a vision that the original show played a big, big role in challenging in the early 2000's. Fashion and costume design sets as much of the tone of a visual medium as the script does; through clothes we can gauge characters’ backgrounds, passions, and personality.

Winx Club has some of the best examples of this in the cartoon sphere - Bloom’s comfortable and bright style, Stella’s glitzy and bold, Musa’s edgy and cool, Aisha’s sporty and fun, Techna’s neon and tech gear inspired, Flora’s earthy and romantic, they all work as extensions of each character and serve a narrative purpose. And that’s not even mentioning how insulting it feels that in their quest to make Winx “edgier, darker” and fit for an older audience, the creators of Fate somehow decided that was in opposition to caring about style and fashion. Most “girly” shows, including the Winx Club are just as much adventure action shows as the ones geared towards boys, and it’s emphasis in fashion, friendship and color does not detract from that. The original run of the cartoon deals with war, violence, grief, abusive relationships and even genocide; leaning into those plotlines would not require Fate to erase any integral parts of what made Winx so beloved, and the fact that they did shows that the Netflix team completely missed the point of fashion in the original show, and really, the point of fashion and costume design in the world building of any show.

That, however, is not a mistake K-Pop makes very often; (This might seem like a bit of wild swerve in topic, but stay with me here). Unlike it's western counterpart, the Korean pop scene never lost the emphasis on music videos and how the visual medium can complete and potentialize music and performance; the K-Pop culture is very album and concept oriented in a way that has been all but lost in many other pop circuits, and the music video, styling and set design of a ‘comeback era’ is a key point of excitement among fans.

As such, music videos that follow storylines, connected universes, boundary pushing concepts and visual effects are the norm, rather than the exception, and a list could be made of works that are beautiful examples of what a live action Winx adaptation could look like. In fact, and very smoothly, here is a small list of exactly that!

A Small List of K-Pop Music Videos That Are Better Winx Club Live Actions Than Fate: The Winx Saga

3. Red Velvet - Psycho

If it was a darker and more somber look that Fate wanted, there was a way to make it actually appealing. While it still feels a liiitle too grown up and elegant for Winx, (maybe this author is biased, as a full proponent for the Y2K fun) Psycho makes a very compelling argument for a witchy, mysterious, fairy tale-esque show that could look scrumptious and definitely not boring, or even a gorgeous example of what the witches in Cloud Tower could look like. Black and white, dark green, pastel blue and pops of jewel tones make Psycho's color palette. To add interest to the understated colors, the styling is heavy on textures; We see plenty of stonework, intricate embroidery, tassels, lace on lace on lace, feathers, bows, opera gloves and lots of glitter. All of that is offset by bold, dark makeup, leather accents and eerie cinematography. Needle & Thread, Marchesa Notte and Self Portrait lend their hyper feminine and intricately detailed tulle gowns, juxtaposed with the creepiness of the lyrics and the dark backgrounds; their deep berry and green fairy tale looks are built with pieces from Zara to Nina Ricci to Dolce & Gabbana to Alexander McQueen.

Red Velvet’s more edgy styling for 2018's Bad Boy would also not feel out of place on the Trix.

2. IZ*ONE - Fiesta

IZ*ONE kicked off 2020 with sweet and fun Fiesta. The MV features rooms with mismatched décor that go from retro to space opera, rocky faux landscapes that feel other worldly, and visual effects that would look perfect on the back of a transformation sequence. Mirroring the set design, the girls wear various outfits by sustainable up and coming brand Chopova Lowena. Their signature skirts made with discarded and repurposed fabrics give a cool and interesting twist on a schoolgirl look that would look very sweet for a band of school fairies that occasionally go off to save the world. Also, wouldn't those bedazzled headphones look great on Musa's fairy outfit?

1. Aespa - Black Mamba and Next Level

Aespa is what fans call a monster rookie. With only three music videos under their belt, they still have some of the most visually interesting work in the industry right now. Their concept is very tied in with high tech, featuring even AI avatars of each member, packaged in a glitzy, fantastical and futuristic aesthetic, candy pop meets cyberpunk. I think I’ve exhausted ways to say that is exactly what a perfect Winx adaptation should feature.

Their debut smash hit, 2020’s Black Mamba is truly a perfect moodboard for live action Winx. Wearing a sequined and colorful mix and match of Dollskill, Gucci, Didu and Balenciaga to a backdrop that features some alien fairy forest realness, a pyschedelic fever dream, rooms straight out of a Y2K catalog or donning lime green and black techwear inside a metro fighting the "black mamba", Aespa look through and through the part of fashion loving fairies who save the world together, while looking fierce, stylish and, most importantly, interesting.

The styling and the sets jump seamlessly from more casual colorful fits with blouses, shirts and baggy pants to barren, darkly lit backgrounds and fringe-and-glitter heavy pieces necessary to fight giant snakes, in a way so fitting to transformation outfits for magical girls we could cry.

In their third MV, 2021's Next Level, the cyber in their concept is taken up a notch (get it. because Next Level-), set to a futuristic urbanscape intersped with a planet made of crystals and the ocasional alien fauna popping up again. We get treated to Monse, The 2nd Skin Co., Johanna Ortiz and The Attico styled to fairy princess standards, sporty sky racers and a white and sequined group styling that is top ten fairy busy saving the world uniform material, or maybe even a specialist worthy getup.

This particular look from Ningning is so Techna that it almost feels as if it's mocking Netflix.

And doesn’t this Karina trapped inside the "black mamba" in Alexander McQueen feel like a perfect Dark Bloom moment?

These are only a few examples of interesting and creative designs that are in line with what a live action Winx Club should have given us. There are so many more I could list, even among other TV Shows, like Sex Education and even polemic dark Euphoria, that know how to have fun with style and design without losing the depth of their stories. In the end, it's hard to justify why Fate creators even wanted to make an adaptation that didn't even try to capture the heart of its source material, and all we can do is watch one more "Restyling Fate: The Winx Saga" video on Youtube whilst mildly dreading season 2.