#and is a little less thrilled with the dog hybrid that also lives in the house

[mintmatcha]

aali's got me thinking about hybrid reader smh

[fountainpenguin]

“I come to you with all my secrets... And you never, ever judge.” (x)

---

New Dog's Life chapter today!

Chapter 11 - “Phantom Hour (Martyn, Joel, Honey)”

Read on AO3

Start from Chapter 1

End of Session 1

---

Martyn gets called into work, but drops by Scott on the way. Scott's fighting through his own problems that not a single one of his friends can relate to. Meanwhile, Joel invites Grian to Empires to visit Hermes- Y'know, that kid Joel insists is real and Grian claimed was an armor stand last chapter.

Lastly, Grian returns to his wife on their home server. Their marriage may be arranged and awkward, but he's locked in offline status with her for another month straight, so he may as well get cozy...

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

---

InTheLittleWood

- Card-carrying member of the Broken Hearts Club

- Kept hungry on purpose for nights like this

💚  💛  ❤️

If you're not hearing James Turner cry out "Aww, bat too!" every time Pearl swoops down on his head with wings unfurled, or listening to the constant hum of bee wings in your ear, are you even in Simmers' Quarter? Martyn spreads his arms and wings for balance, meandering across the copper rod rail that spans between the rooftop of one building and the next. Oh, sure… Flapping your wings is easy, but that sort of takes away the thrill and the rush of the tightrope, doesn't it?

Funny joke. I've got 24/7 vertigo anyway.

He takes every step with his eyes shut, tongue sticking out from one corner of his lips. Technically this is the Australian Quarter, but literally no one ever calls it that. Not even Pearl, and she's an Australian Minecrafter. It's just that all the Simmers live together down in this corner: not because they have to (or even because their time zones match up), but because they're such good friends.

Simmers' Quarter also happens to be the edge of the perimeter where Scott assigns housing to the accounts played by fairly young creators who are still learning their way around Minecraft. Basically, you'll never find any fewer than a hundred babies running around, and if you ask Martyn, the Simmers always look exhausted, like managing their needs in mere proximity of noisy children leaves them drained. But if they really didn't like it, they could file the paperwork to move, right?

I mean, they're Simmers… Maybe some of them still think we pay for things with consistent currency instead of doodles and build tips.

Martyn wobbles in an imaginary breeze. His vertigo kicks on a little stronger, a little more demanding. It swirls his stomach and guts in circles like he's mixing homemade ice cream. Whoa. Martyn keeps his eyes pinned shut. He doesn't peek. He only breathes.

I am not falling.

He balances on the copper rod, which Scott probably installed here for the many bat hybrids that call this area their home. Besides little rods and decorative bits like these, everything in Simmers' Quarter is built from wood and chiseled stone. The block palettes are pretty simple, but it works… The young, newbie builders don't often care for fancy designs (and setting them up with pretty stone and wood is a good way to guarantee they won't settle for less tasteful blocks like cobblestone or emerald). Most of the Simmers dump a few leaf blocks down for bushes, but largely prefer interiors, so in the end? It's a win-win.

Martyn's not here to talk to any Simmers. Or any of the hundred kids. At the end of the copper rail, he swings down and drops with a thump on the landing pad. The door's not locked. He waltzes right in. Just without a waltzing partner.

Ah, I'd love a waltzing partner. I oughta talk to Skizz.

The hallway's lit with golden lanterns. He's on the top floor. Nobody else is wandering. Martyn strolls along until he finds Room 810. He sifts through his pockets, digs out his spare key, and pushes it in the lock.

"There we are…"

Home bitter home.

The flat's a lot tidier since Scott packed his things and moved out. That's not to say Scott caused a big mess when he lived here. Jimmy just… never redecorated. Martyn can't even blame him. He's not redecorated in, eeeehhhh… Probably getting close to 300 years at this point. Definitely over 250. Dunno, honestly. Math is hard and everyone's brains are scrambled. There's not really much point in decorating, is there? Jimmy's the one who spends the most time in it, and while Jimmy and Scott were dating, Martyn hadn't seen a reason to get in the way. He keeps his stuff and private portal in his room, but so much of his station time is spent at the flock roost or else combing the perimeter. The flat is…

… Martyn only has a flat at all because of the people he came to stay with.

Martyn kicks his crocs at the front door, sliding into his slippers instead. All the lanterns are off. Jimmy's not home yet, still at the first of many late-night parties. All their games are gone too. There's no food here that Martyn's anivore body will get any pleasure from. And Scott took the blankets and throw pillows. He left the printscreens now framed along their walls - even had the decency not to crop his own face out when he left - but Martyn glances at exactly none of them. He'd just… rather not right now.

His room's the left one at the end of the hall. Jimmy's and Scott's (Jimmy's) is the right. The third door, straight ahead, is the one he came here for. As he walks, Martyn reaches into his pocket and withdraws a letter. He wrote it over break while they were killing time, waiting for Grian and Etho to account for Scar's glitch. Martyn swats it several times against his palm and opens the last door. The purple, wooden N hanging on its front clacks as he pushes through. This room never had a bed. The old occupant never saw the point in one, seeing as you can't sleep in the Between dimension.

It's not as quiet in this abandoned room as Martyn would like. He can hear screeching children playing in the road outside. He can hear Gluon's distinctive bee wings humming very, very near the edge of the apartment. Martyn makes a mental note to take him and his fez out first next time he gets the chance.

Ah, well… It's Simmers' Quarter. Whatcha gonna do?

He gives a little love-tap to the sugar glider hoodie hanging abandoned on the hook behind the door. Hasn't been worn in a few hundred years, but it's nice to know it's still there. No matter how hungry Martyn's gotten… he's never been hungry enough to eat that.

[Full chapter on AO3 - Link at top]

[tothemeadow]

‘the doctor’ / Midoriya x Reader

Uwu, this is the first official post that hasn’t been imported from the other blog     ( ´ ω ` ) Also, this has been sitting around on my computer for the past two months, so enjoy these crumbs while I strive to finish up the semester!

warnings: NSFW, doctor/patient relationship, grinding, heavy petting, fascination for hybrids?, y’all fuck but I didn’t write the whole thing

words: 3,752

(a/n): hehehehehe add this to the list of taboo relationship works I’ve done

-

“The doctor will see you now.”

The secretary sitting behind the desk flashes you a smile as you pass by her. The two of you are already on a first name basis, considering that you have biweekly checkups. With a quirk like yours, it can be detrimental to your health if it goes unchecked for too long. You have enough meds in your system to possibly knock out a small child, but you’ve long since grown used to it.

Still, as you pass from the waiting room and into the hall leading to numerous checkup rooms, your palms feel impossibly clammy. Your previous doctor recently retired after spending so many years in the field, and now you were supposed to meet your new doctor. Granted, your previous one told you many great things about this new kid, about how he’ll take great care of you. You’re not too confident in the sudden change, but it can’t be helped. Unless you wanted to suffer horribly, you had to seek some type of help.

Shuffling to room number six, you silently close the door behind you and take a deep breath. Your intestines feel unusually tight, ache with an indescribable force. Despite your quirk being a relatively simple one – doggification, which essentially means you have the characteristics and properties of a dog – your body could never get quite a grasp on it. Despite looking entirely like a human, your telltale features are the ears and tail protruding from your body. Even now, you can tell your ears are flat against your head and your tail is tucked between your legs.

Gently, you sit on the table, the parchment paper crinkling under your weight. Wringing your hands, you will your breathing to ease, your mind to relax. It’s only the doctor’s office, nothing more, nothing less. You’ve been here practically all your life, so what gives? Oh, that’s right – a new doctor who you’ve never met before.

A few minutes pass; nothing happens besides the tick tock tick tock of the lone clock hanging from the wall, the slight hum from the lightbulbs. Your nerves feel raw, your heart frantic, your breathing irregular. You constantly remind yourself that you’re fine, you’re just nervous. You’re here for a reason, after all. If you want to continue living healthily, you need this treatment. There’s no point in chickening out now.

Just then, the door swings open; you jump in your place as you snap back to reality. Pulse quickening, you’re left wide-eyed as the doctor comes in. He’s nothing like you were expecting – instead of some elderly gentleman like your previous doctor, this new guy is young. He’s ridiculously cute, a mess of green curls piled on his head and a burst of freckles adorning his skin. For a doctor, he surprisingly has an athletic build, so you’re left wondering if he exercises regularly or played a sport in school. But oh, the way his scrubs cling to his meaty arms, stretch over his thick thighs. It’s almost ridiculous how baby-faced he is, especially compared to his Adonis-like body.

Without you knowing, your ears and tail stand to attention, curious about this newcomer.

The doctor flashes you a pearly smile as he reaches a hand towards you. “(y/n)? I’m Doctor Midoriya. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Doctor Midoriya.

Yeah, you like the sound of that. And the way your name rolls off your tongue? Perfection.

Hesitantly, you reach out a hand and grasp onto his for a handshake. His hand is large, fingers long and spindly, and his grip is strong. They’re actually pretty, dotted with freckles and striped with scars. Interesting, you muse, wondering just exactly what he did to get scars like that.

“So,” Doctor Midoriya starts, pulling away and planting himself on the stool stationed by the counter, “doggification, huh? You have a typical hybrid quirk, so it seems.” Pausing for a moment, he glances at his notes attached to his clipboard. “But, since you’re part Doberman pinscher, you suffer from dilated cardiomyopathy. The breed usually has problems regarding that, right?”

You nod in confirmation. “Yeah. Apparently, many owners don’t know their dogs have it until they collapse on the ground. I uh, I’ve been dealing with this my whole life, so….”

You really, really like the gentle expression Doctor Midoriya gives you. His cheeks look squishy despite his sharp jawline, lips a delicate shade of dusty rose… Shit, he’s beautiful yet he chose to become a doctor.

“Doctor Torino left his previous files, and I’ve been studying them before he retired,” he explains, drawing himself to a stand. “He was great, wasn’t he? I’m sorry if I don’t own up to your expectations.” Crossing over to the table, he unloops the stethoscope from around his neck and sticks the buds in his ears. “I need you to breathe in and out for me, nice and slow,” he tells you, pressing the cool metal to your chest.

You go through the usual routines, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Doctor Midoriya hums in which you assume is a good way; you can feel your skin heating up whenever large green eyes flick to your face, digging in right to your soul.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” he says, voice low. The deep rumble sets your nerves alight, your insides pulsing. Dare you say it, but you’re disappointed when he pulls away, looping the stethoscope back around his neck. He scribbles something onto his clipboard, his lips pursed in thought. You take the opportunity to study his side profile, the dainty curve of his nose, the angle of his jaw. How big is this guy, anyway? He’s huge for a doctor.

“I’m six-three, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he chirps, tossing down his pencil. He laughs at the startled expression playing on your face. “Sorry, sorry… A uh, a lot of people ask me that, you know? And I typically get a good read on what people are thinking, so… Yeah! Some people used to call me tree in med school! You know, because of the green hair and all…” Clearing his throat awkwardly, he walks back over to where you sit. “How have you been feeling since your last visit?”

Subconsciously rubbing at your chest, you send him a mere shrug. “I’ve been better, I’ve been worse. I’m just bummed Doctor Torino left on such short notice.”

“That makes two of us,” Doctor Midoriya admits, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. “He’s such a great mentor and all, don’t get me wrong, but it sucks that his time is up.”

Cocking your head, your ears twitch with interest. “Mentor?”

At that, Doctor Midoriya’s face lights up. “Oh! Yeah! I had my internship with Doctor Torino, and he taught me so much!”

“Internship…? Really? I don’t remember seeing you around whenever I had appointments with him.”

“Nah, I don’t think so. I would’ve remembered seeing someone like you!” He giggles – giggles – at his own words, but then it quickly dies down as realization crosses his features. “Wait, wait!” he says frantically, waving his hands before him. “I didn’t mean to sound creepy or anything like that! It’s just that you don’t see hybrids very often, and you’re a dog, and I happen to really like dogs, and I-“ His yammering turns into an incoherent mumble, then, as he awkwardly wrings his hands together.

Heh. He’s pretty cute.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” you say, shooting his own words back at him. “You’re a newbie, right? You’re awfully young for a doctor.”

To your pleasant surprise, Doctor Midoriya blushes. Instinctively, he claps a hand over his mouth and looks away. Again, he clears his throat. “I graduated last year, actually. So yeah, I’m still new to this whole thing, but I want to help as much as I can!” Turning back to you, his flustered expression melts into a determined one. “And since you’re my first serious patient, you can rely on me. I promise to take real good care of you, mark my words.”

You smile. “I look forward to it, Doctor. I expect you to keep that promise.”

-

Three months. Three solid months.

Hypothetically, you should be thrilled being in Doctor Midoriya’s presence so often. Realistically, it’s pure torture.

How this guy doesn’t realize he’s easily the hottest person in the room is beyond you, plus his personality is downright adorable. It’s funny, really, how you’re the one with the dog quirk yet he’s the one who acts more like one. He gets excited over the simplest of things, and you were quick to realize that he’s a giant nerd. It’s clear that he’s got a brain in that skull of his – and, if you’re being entirely honest, it makes Doctor Midoriya that much more attractive.

His constant murmuring and chippering never fail to put a smile on your face. With every appointment you have with him, you purposefully bring up a topic he’s bound to show some interest in just to hear him talk. So yeah, you might be infatuated with your insanely hot doctor, but who can blame you? He’s kindhearted, smart, good-looking, has a good job…. Okay, and maybe he’s packing down south. It’s not your fault that his scrubs clung to his body that one time. You just happened to notice it.

You doubt he’s doing these kind of things on accident. Hell, Doctor Midoriya blatantly flirts with you, for crying out loud. Well, it’s actually more subtle than that, but the point still stands.

“(y/n)?” Doctor Midoriya calls out as he enters the room, the door sliding shut behind him. Warmth floods your chest as your tail sets off in a slow wag. He laughs at your reaction, that toothy smile of his forming on his face. Just like every other time he shows it, you fall a little bit deeper for him.

“Doctor Midoriya,” you greet. Your fingers dig into the table as you bite down on your bottom lip. He looks good, dark blue scrubs shaping his figure nicely. You, on the other hand, stick to a simple pair of gym shorts and t-shirt. It’s a hot day outside, after all.

As Doctor Midoriya scribbles something down on his handy clipboard, you slowly spread your legs further apart. It’s a slight bit, nothing more, but the movement seems to catch his attention. Setting down his pencil, you notice how his eyes linger on your bared thighs for a moment longer than what’s considered appropriate. Slipping the stethoscope from around his neck, he gets up from his stool and crosses to wear you sit.

“Any problems lately?” he asks, voice as professional as always. Sneaky bastard, trying to pretend like he wasn’t just staring at your thighs.

“Besides the weather, not really. The heat makes things a bit easier, though,” you tell him.

Doctor Midoriya hums. Pressing the end of the stethoscope to your chest, he tells you to breathe in and out, nice and deep. “I’m not hearing any abnormalities in your breathing,” he says simply, switching to your back instead. “Besides the DCM, you’re in wonderful health.”

“That’s a relief,” you mutter.

He continues to go through the regular routine of your biweekly checkup. Soon enough, he’s looking through a scope at your dog ears, checking for any signs of an incoming infection. Try as you might, but you enjoy the way he caresses your ear, leaning into his touch as your tail takes off wagging. Doctor Midoriya chuckles, indulging in your wants and giving your ears a proper scratch.

“You really are like a dog,” he points out, his tone lighthearted. “A cute little puppy.” And there he goes, blessing your ears with his giggle. As you glance at him, you see the pretty blush adorning his cheeks, the gleam of mirth in his large eyes.

Puppy.

For some ungodly reason, you really like the way it sounds coming from his mouth.

“You shouldn’t be referring to your patients with a pet name, Doctor,” you drawl.

The blush on his face darkens. In true fashion, he hastily looks away and awkwardly coughs into his fist. “My apologies,” he murmurs. “If… If it’s any consolation, your ears are really soft…”

A small smile pulls at the corners of your lips. “I’m only teasing,” you reassure.

He flinches.

Teasing.

“Besides, you said you really like dogs, right? I think puppy is cute.”

Doctor Midoriya looks back to you. “…Really?”

You nod. “I do.”

For a moment, neither one of you say anything. The look in Doctor Midoriya’s eyes is unreadable; whether that’s a good thing or not, you’re not entirely too sure. He’s usually easy to get a read on, but like this… It’s nearly impossible.

“Do you mind if we check your flexibility? It’s just touching your toes, nothing more. If your back is out, I’ll recommend some chiropractors.”

Okay, strange. You figure he wants to change the subject – you know, and do his job – so you do as he says, hopping down from the table and stepping away. As you bend over, your fingertips skimming the toes of your sneakers, large hands splay out on your back. You jolt from the contact, your breath catching in your throat. Their movements are calculated, feeling along your spine for any sort of abnormality. You can practically feel Doctor Midoriya’s eyes boring into you; the hairs on your arms and the back of your neck come a stand as you wait for him to do something, anything.

“Your spine feels fine,” he tells you. “You feel a bit tense, though. Do you bend over a lot?”

Excuse me?

You scoff. “I’m bending over right now, aren’t I?”

Doctor Midoriya makes some weird choking sound. “No, no, that’s not what I meant! I meant when you sit or something like that…!”

“I’m teasing, Doctor. Relax.” You wiggle underneath his touch. “Am I allowed to stand straight now?”

You can practically feel the tension radiating off him. “I… Not yet. I need to check one last thing, okay?” Again, he uses that low, husky pitch, the one that reverberates deep in his chest. This is only the second time you’re hearing it, but fuck does it make your insides squeeze and your breath hitch.

Before your mind can completely register it, Doctor Midoriya’s large hands are on your ass, kneading the ample flesh through your shorts. A slight groan slips from your mouth at the unexpected contact. Shit, his hands are even larger than you originally thought, his grip rough and demanding.

“Does it hurt?” he continues, his voice staying as it is, making your brain turn delirious.

“N-no,” you stutter. You immediately cuss yourself out internally. A sharp gasp breaks from your throat as one of his hands grips the base of your tail and gives it a slight tug.

“How about now?”

You wince as he does it again. “Yes, okay?” you seethe through clenched teeth. “Just don’t… Don’t tug on my tail like that.”

“So, your ears and tail are sensitive,” Doctor Midoriya mumbles to himself. “Interesting.”

“Doctor, what are you even going on about-“

At that very moment, those strong hands of his yank you backwards, your ass colliding with his pelvis. Heart leaping to your throat, you’re left scrambling for a shred of reality. Doctor Midoriya leans over you, his muscular chest pressing into your back. He’s so warm, and he oddly smells like mint, but it’s not like you’re going to complain anytime soon.

“This is such a bad idea,” he confesses into your ear, “but you’re just so cute, puppy. You like it when I call you that, right?”

“Doctor-“

“Tell me to stop,” he continues, a frantic edge to his voice now, “tell me I’m a disgusting pervert. I shouldn’t be doing this, but shit… I’ve been fantasizing about holding you this close.” Subconsciously, he rocks his hips into you, his engorged cock grinding into your ass.

Shit, shit, is this really happening? Your doctor has just fessed up to fantasizing about you, and, to be quite frank, you’re a bit too happy to hear that. It’s not like he’s the only one feeling this way; you’ve had your fair share of dreams over the months, most of them with him in between your legs in some fashion.

Straightening up, you reach back and grab him by the back of the neck, balancing yourself in his grip. A breathless noise fills your ear as you grind back against him, your nails scratching into his nape.

“O-oh,” he says, the sound delightfully raspy as it fills your ear.

“You aren’t the only one who’s been thinking of things,” you confess, your voice sounding equally as strained. Again, some unholy noise slips from his dusty lips, the grip on your hips tightening ever so slightly.

“Puppy… Don’t say things like that.”

You bark out a laugh. “Don’t tell me you’re going soft, Doctor. Acting like you’re in charge one moment and then like a scared little bunny the next. A big boy like you should choose one and stick with it.”

Now you’ve done it. Like merely flicking a switch, Doctor Midoriya moans into your ear as he spins you around and stumbles backwards, ass landing on the examination table with you in tow. You squeak in surprise as he easily drags you into his lap, lifting you up as though you weighed next to nothing. The lustful haze in his eyes is evident, the blush adorning his face making his freckles pop.

“Shit,” you curse, eyelids fluttering as his cock rubs frantically against your ass. Again, another surprised noise escapes your mouth as he bounces you in his lap, his clothed erection grinding against your ass and sex. A sliver of tongue peeks from between his teeth, the gleam in his eyes nothing short of determination.

“This is so wrong,” Doctor Midoriya murmurs, his fingertips digging harshly into your ass. “But you like it, right? Right, puppy? You want me to fuck you, right? Right?”

Goddammit-

“Yes,” you grit, fingers clutching at his broad shoulders while your tail impatiently smacks against his thighs. “Come on, Doc, treat me like the good little puppy I am.”

You should’ve expected this, really. An almost animalistic whimper bursts from the back of his throat as he surges forward, shoving his tongue into your mouth. He tastes like cherry lip balm and the lingering sweetness of a cough drop – it’s an odd mixture, but not one that you dislike. Months of built-up tension are finally breaking free from the dam, desperate movements and slurred words quickly taking over your mind. Doctor Midoriya is somewhat sloppy with his kisses, but the way he sucks on your tongue and grinds his cock into you is heavenly.

Fingers skimming over the swell of his pecs and the rigid lines of his abs, Doctor Midoriya shudders at your fluttering touch. You swallow his moan as your hands drift under the shirt of his scrubs, heated skin and a fine trail of hair greeting your fingertips.

Pulling away, Doctor Midoriya pants heavily as you continue to pet his lower abdomen, his cock twitching beneath you. “Wait, wait,” he breathes, hands inching around towards your front, “can we – Can we touch each other?”

“As long as you keep quiet,” you murmur, tongue flicking across your lower lip. “Don’t want the others to know that Doctor Midoriya is a bad boy, hmm?” At that, a high-pitched groan emits from his chest as you shove your hand under the band of his underwear, hand circling around the base of his cock.

“Fuck, puppy, that feels good…”

Quickly following your lead, he slips a hand into your undies; his strong fingers immediately seek out the sensitive spot of your sex, causing your back to arch into his touch. A low, drawn out curse seeps from your mouth as you feel your arousal starting to coat his fingers.

“I guess being a doctor has its benefits, huh?” Doctor Midoriya mutters, tone dropping into that husky pitch once more. Even more of your arousal practically gushes over his fingers, your insides tightening around nothing. Two can play at this game, dammit.

Soon, the two of you are heavily petting each other, wrists flicking and fingers digging into sensitive flesh perfectly. Both your ears and tail lay flat as you pant into his neck, your thighs beginning to quiver with want. Doctor Midoriya isn’t fairing any better, his cock weeping precum as he mumbles incoherently. Maybe it’s the enticing little pants breaking through his puffy lips, or maybe it’s the sinful schlick schlick of your hand around his fat cock, but fuck do you want him inside of you, fucking you stupid.

“Doctor,” you purr, pushing yourself up onto your knees. “Have I been a good puppy? Will you fuck me with your cock and make me yours?” You nearly smile as he twitches in your hand at your filthy words.

Feebly nodding, Doctor Midoriya reluctantly pulls his hands away from you, opting to yank down his bottoms and underwear so they’re stretched around his meaty thighs instead. Your mouth practically waters at the sight of his cock – darker than the rest of his skin and veiny like his hands, he’s just as big as you expected, maybe even bigger. Still, you hastily yank down your own offensive clothing and slip back onto his lap, hovering over his twitching cock.

Doctor Midoriya thickly swallows. “I’m… I’m clean. You don’t have to worry- Fuck, oh my god!” Slapping a hand over his mouth, he groans deeply as you sheathe yourself on him, eyes nearly rolling towards the back of your head at the stretch. Yeah, he’s definitely huge.

For a moment, you allow yourself to grow used to the feeling of him inside. This is really happening; all caution is being thrown to the wind, repercussions be damned. He’s finally in your grasp, and you don’t plan on letting him go any time soon. “You said you wanted to fuck me, Doctor,” you mutter into his ear, your hips beginning to swivel. “Do it like you mean it.”

Again, that determined expression crosses his features. “With a challenge like that, who I am to decline?” Adjusting his grip on your ass, he easily lifts you up and drops you back on his cock, eliciting a breathy moan to fall from your swollen lips. “Don’t worry, puppy – as your doctor, I’m going to take real good care of you…"

[sombreboy]

Bad kitten ☼ yandere!jhs x hybrid!reader

▎18+ ▎ xtremity; 6 ▎ pairing: jhs x hybrid!y/n ▎ genre:smut, hybrid!au ▎ word count: 3.3k ▎ warnings: cursing, petnames, dirtytalk, controlling/obsessive/manipulative jhs, toxic relationship, stockholm syndrome-esque themes, hoseok threatens jin's owner, punishment blowjob

Request by anon: may I request a hybrid reader x yandere owner hoseok where he adopts her & keeps her in the apartment to protect her. She's soft/innocent from and happily agrees🥺, but it turns out she's been sneaking out when he's gone to play with the neighbor's hybrid (jin) bc he comes home to find her "'missing". If Hoseok punishes her, I'm going to leave details up to you.

''Hello, little kitten.''

Hoseok crouched down next to your sitting stature in the little room you were in. He'd come to the shelter to adopt a new pet, and his eyes immediately had been drawn to your picture in the list of available hybrids.

That's when he decided to come visit you, the shy little cat hybrid that was idly sitting on your bed with a book. You seemed calm, a little reserved, and incredibly adorable. Just his type. You hadn't seen the outside world much, spending most of your life in shelters. How somebody hadn't adopted you yet was beyond his knowledge, but he was also thrilled that you were gonna be his.

''Hello, Mister.'' You glanced up at him, a slight blush on your cheeks at his close proximity. He was crouched down, eyes soft and a small smile on his lips that showed off his handsome features, little dimples pushing on his cheeks as if an angel had left deep kisses on them.

''What's your name?'' He already knew your name, but he wanted to hear you say it yourself. Your voice was so sweet, so tiny, like honey in his eardrums.

''I'm Y/N.'' You reply, shutting your book closed and putting it in your lap, fingers lightly fiddling with the cover of it. Your cheeks reddened further when you felt him sit down on the bed next to you.

''Nice to meet you, Y/N. I'm Hoseok, but you can call me Hobi.''

You nodded, trying out his name quietly like a whisper, ''Hobi..''

He smiled wider, a fluttering in his chest erupting like butterflies.

''Hey, how would you like to come live with me, hm?''

Your eyes widened, your hair whipping in the air when you rapidly turn to look at him, a look of shock and disbelief painted across your face,

''W-what? You mean–''

He nods, a bright smile on his lips as he reaches out to move strands of hair away from your face,

''All I gotta do is fill out the paperwork, and you're mine. But I wanted to ask you first. Would you like to be my pet?''

He was only partially lying, he hadn't filled out the paperwork yet, but he knew he was gonna do it whether you wanted it or not. He wanted you, and that was all that mattered. But making you feel like you had a choice in this would make this whole thing a much more positive experience.

You wrap your arms around him in a hug, nuzzling your face into his chest. He caresses your chair, inhaling your scent as if you were a drug.

''Yes.... Thank you, Hobi...'' You almost sobbed, and he sighed with content. You were all he ever wanted.

''I promise to protect you forever.''

Since Hoseok had brought you home to his lavish apartment, you felt like you had it all. You got proper food, new clothes that he picked out for you (he loved dressing you up in cute little summer dresses to please his eye.), and he even let you use his gaming consoles as much as you wanted. You weren't great at it, but being able to entertain yourself was important to him, since he rarely let you out of the apartment. You never thought much of it, as this was the way you were used to live since the shelter, yet it felt like you had freedom because you had this grand apartment filled with luxuries to explore and play with. He surely was doing well for himself. He didn't talk much about what he does for work, but as far as you understood, he was a famous performer.

The only time he took you outside was when you were with him, shopping or eating out. Occasionally, he'd take you for small events and festivals just to see the amazed look on your face from all the things you've never seen before.

At one occasion you'd asked him if you could go outside by yourself, for which he had a concerned look on his face, cupping your cheeks as he stared at your face,

''It's dangerous outside, my kitten. I wouldn't want you to get lost or hurt, so you can never leave the apartment without me. You understand that do you?''

You lean your cheek into his hand with a small smile, ''Okay, Hobi.''

He presses a soft kiss on your nose, ''I only say this because I love you. I don't know what I'd do if you were to get hurt or taken away from me.''

You scrunch your nose, a small giggle rolling off your lips.

Hoseok smiles, his thumbs stroking your ceeks with a fond expression on his face, ''You understand, right? Tell me.''

''I understand. I won't go anywhere without you.''

He smiles with a pleased sigh, pressing his forehead against yours,

''You're such a good girl. I'm heading to work now, I'll be back tonight.''

You nod, staying obediently in the couch as he heads for the door. He stops for a moment to look back at you, smiling,

''Call me if you need anything, I'll bring home your favourite dinner tonight. Love you, kitten.''

''I love you too, Hobi. Have a nice day at work!''

He winks before closing the door behind him, the sound of him locking the door from the outside echoing before hearing his footsteps slowly fading as he leaves for work.

Now, you loved Hoseok with every fibre of your being. He took care of you, fed you, kept a roof over your head, and provided you with every drop of affection that you ever needed. You were so, so happy & lucky to have an owner like him.

And you were grateful, you truly were. But... You had one little secret. Just a tiny, teeny one. No big deal.

A few weeks ago you were sitting on the balcony of the apartment, enjoying the sunshine and a cold glass of milk. It was a regular, perfect day.

Suddenly, a sweet, honey-laced voice had caught your attention from the balcony next to yours. They were fairly close, so you could clearly see the handsome face of the man sitting on the balcony with a bright smile on his plush lips.

''Hey, neighbour!'' He exclaimed, holding up his glass of a soda and ice. The ice in the glass clinked as he held it up, pretending that he was clashing it with yours before taking a loud chug, followed by an overexaggerated 'ahh!'

You giggled, mirroring his movements as you finished off your milk. Glancing over at him, he had his eyes completely fixed on you, the way the sun lit up his beautiful features had you blushing quite a bit.

''Hello.'' You reply timidly.

His smile remained on his lips, ''I haven't seen another hybrid around for a while, it's refreshing to the eyes,'' He said, inhaling deeply for continuing, ''You smell nice.. I mean, for a cat.''

You scrunched your nose, the small fangs of yours poking out with your smile, ''Likwise, I mean.. for a dog.''

Jin laughed, the sound was slightly obnoxious, but nothing less than infectious. You couldn't help but smile, the light conversation made you happy. It had you slightly confused, Hoseok had told you that everyone except him are dangerous.

Everyone wants to hurt you, or even take you away from me.

His words echoed in the back of your mind, and your smile faltered with it. Seokjin noticed, and a concenered smile played on his lips.

''So, you're Mr. Hoseok's new pet?''

Your ears perked up, tail slightly whipping behind you,

''You know Hobi?''

Seokjin shrugged, ''We're aquainted. He's friends with my owner... But they haven't hung out in a while.''

You felt a little better knowing that this hybrid knows Hoseok. So maybe it gave you a little reassurance that this was okay. This hybrid was nice and easy to talk to.

''By the way, where is he now?'' Seokjin asked.

''He's at work.''

Jin stood up, his tail wagging so hard that his hips moved with it,

''You should come over, my owner finally got me a new kitchen set that I'd love to use, but it's no fun cooking for myself! Maybe you wanna help me?''

You felt excited, nodding heavily before your shoulder sank once more,

''I can't get out though....''

Jin crooked an eyebrow, ''Why not?''

''The door is locked....''

Seokjin seemed concerned, ''You can't open it... from the inside?''

You shook your head, ''It doesn't have anything on it except a hole for his keys.''

''Well, you're a cat hybrid. Just jump over here, I'll catch you.''

You guess you could, you were quite agile. But the continuous words of Hoseok kept replaying in the back of your head, but the excitement of seeing your new friends was stronger. Hobi knew him, and he was so much fun. You were sure this wasn't a big deal.

''Okay!''

And just like that, weeks had gone by of Hoseok going to work, and you sneaking over to Seokjin's through the balcony to play. It surely was innocent, experiencing new flavours of food and pastries, seeing movies you didn't even know existed. You grew quite close, and it became natural to spend time with Seokjin, the dog hybrid. Your best friend.

One early afternoon, Hoseok had been able to get the rest of the day off due to his schedule being cancelled, so he thought he'd come home to surprise you with some new outfits and toys. The smile on his face quickly faded when he stepped inside of the apartment, and noticed that it was completely quiet.

Usually you'd be sprinting into his arms by now.

''Kitten? I'm home!''

He put the bags on the floor along with his jacket, running his hands through his hair as he strode to your bedroom only to find it empty.

He practically ran to check all other rooms, his heart pounding so hard in his ribcage that it felt like it would burst. With worry, and with anger.

''Y/N?! This isn't funny! If this is some fucking prank–'' The crease between his brows was strong, but he was silenced when he heard what sounded like your laugh. But it wasn't from here. Was he going crazy?

Hoseok noticed the balcony door was open, so he went outside. That's when he heard your giggle once more from the balcony next to his, the door creaked open on that side as well.

His blood was boiling. You'd broken his one and only rule? Somebody else was making you happy?

If he had no self control left he would've just jumped over to the balcony, but he had to keep his composure. He didn't want to draw any unecessary attention towards himself.

''What a bad kitten...'' He sighed as if he didn't want to say those words, quietly walking back inside, leaving the balcony door open for you.

He considered going over there and bring you back, but he figured he'd see just how long you were staying there. And, as he figured, let you enjoy the last time you'd see that dog hybrid. Actually... He couldn't wait, but he figured out one way to speed up your return.

Hoseok called his neighbour and owner of Seokin, Namjoon. They hadn't spoken outside of work for a while, for good reason. After quite a few long seconds, he answered.

''What do you want?'' Namjoon said in a cold voice.

''It's come to my knowledge that your dog has been playing with my kitten lately.'' Hoseok chuckled lightheartedly, ''I don't remember allowing this.''

Namjoon 'hmm'-ed for a second, ''I wasn't aware you had a new pet.''

''Well, I do... and I'd really recommend for you to tell your dog to stop seeing my kitten if you don't wanna have to get a new pet as well.''

Namjoon remained quiet for a second before exhaling a sigh, ''Fine. Now please don't call me outside of work.''

With that, Hoseok hung up with a victorious smile on his lips, leaning back into the couch as he waited for you.

''I should head back, it's getting late...'' You looked at the clock, knowing that Hoseok should be home from work soon. Jin nodded, giving you a hug before whispering into you ear,

''I'll miss you.''

''I'll be back tomorrow, don't miss me too much.'' You giggle as you hug him back before withdrawing, walking out on his balcony. Quietly and with precision, you jump over back to your side before sneaking back inside. The apartment was dark, and you got startled when you heard your owners voice from the couch when you walked by.

''And where have you been, kitten?''

You freeze, turning towards his stature sitting in the dark, but you can see him clearly, a perk from being a cat hybrid.

''A-ah, Hobi! You're home early...'' You stutter out.

He chuckled as he stood up and sauntered closer to you, one hand reaching up to grasp onto your jaw,

''I got home early to surprise you, but it seems like you don't care about me anymore. Hm?''

You shook your head, ''T-that's not true!''

He tils his head to the side, biting his lower lip to prevent it from trembling with anger. His eye twitched with his next words,

''Then why would you do this me, Y/N? I had one rule... And you broke it! How long have you been sneaking over to that filthy dog, huh?!''

You flinch at his words, feeling the guilt wash over you, his words hitting you like a truck. You hated when he was disappointed or angry at you.

''I'm s-sorry... I didn't think it was a big deal, he was nice to me, and–''

''That's how they manipulate you, Y/N! Everyone seems nice, but truly he wanted to take you away from me! He wanted to break us apart, is that what you wanted?! You're too naive for this outside world!''

His voice raised with every word, almost yelling at you at this point. You shrunk beneath him, feeling small and vulnerable as he cupped your cheeks to look up at his face. His eyes softened when he saw tears welling up in the corners of your eyes.

''Kitten,'' He sighed, ''I'm sorry for yelling... I..I just can't stand the thought of losing you. I got so worried when you weren't where you were supposed to be. You understand that, right?''

You nodded.

''Tell me you understand.''

''I u-understand, Hobi... I'm sorry, I'm sorry...''

He smiled, ''Good girl... Now, I know you would never intentionally hurt me, but I have to teach you a lesson now... I have to punish you, so that you know who you belong to.''

You swallowed tightly, looking up at him. He swiped your escaping tears away from your cheeks.

''You will take my punishment like a good girl, and I will forgive you.''

''Y-yes... Anything.''

''Get on your knees.''

As if your body was remoted by his commands, you instantly dropped to your knees in front of him. He turned on the TV to get a dimmed light, to be able to see you just enough. The sight below him was one of his favourites, making him feel in control of you, and the look on your eyes of wanting to please him.

''You're so fucking pretty, kitten.''

A small smile pulled on your lips, yet sitting still as you know he likes to control your every move. He put his hands on his hips, a dominant posture of his as he stares down at you,

''Undo my belt and take off these pants for me, my love.''

You obey, your small hands struggling to undo his belt at first, the embarrassment on your face and blush on your cheeks another turn on for Hoseok. You looked so small.

When the zipper finally come undone, you pull down his pants to his thighs.

''Underwear too.''

He watched your movements, your delicate hands pulling down at the hems of his boxers until his cock is revealed to you. It wasn't hard yet, idly waiting for your attention.

''If you hadn't been such an obedient pet, I would've already been rock hard for you...''

''I-I'm sorry..''

He clacked his tongue, ''Words doesn't mean anything, kitten. You better work for my cum now... Go on, suck on it.''

You lean in, hands placed in your lap as you take his tip into your mouth, swirling your tongue around it as your eyes peer up at his expression. He was focused, a crease between his brows as he stared down at you with a piercing gaze.

''There you go... I'm already getting hard for you.. Much better than your words.''

He groans quietly when you take down his entire length into your mouth, easier done when he's only half erect. You gag after a few bobs when his cock grew in your mouth to full erection, letting his cock go with a pop of your lips to breathe.

His hand suddenly flies out to grasp your hair, pulling you back in to shove his cock down your throat.

''I didn't say you could stop, kitten. Keep sucking.''

You whimper, a muffled sound that made his cock twitch in your throat as he held you in place, now guiding your movements back and forth to feel your warm tongue stroke against the bottom of his length.

''You understand why I'm disappointed in you, don't you?''

He moves his hips, fucking into your mouth starting at a gentle rhythm that slowly grows rougher with every few strokes,

''You understand that you hurt me, didn't you?''

Muffled sounds escape your throat, drool dripping down from your mouth to pool at the floor. He is now pistoning his hips into your mouth, the wet squelching noise of your wet throat, feeling the way your insides contract.

''Breathe through your nose, kitten,'' He whispers with a strained voice, ''I'm gonna cum down your throat, and you're gonna swallow it all. Then, I will not give you any pleasure, you don't deserve it.''

Your eyes screw shut, focusing hard on breathing as your hands clench into fists in your lap, letting him mouthfuck you to his content. You wanted him to be proud of you, to be pleased with you.

Without warning, he gives a few rough, long strokes into your mouth before his hips freeze, cock shoved deep down your throat as he cums. Several hot, thick ropes of cum spill down your throat, feeling it dribble down and heat up your insides, a low guttural moan vibrating in his chest.

Hoseok keeps still for a moment until he's absolutely sure he's given you every last drop of himself before pulling himself out of you, crouching down until he's eye level with you, his hand letting go of your hair moving to caress your cheek.

''Swallow.''

You swallow obediently with a loud gulp.

''Show me what a good girl you are.''

You open your mouth wide, tongue hanging out to show him that you swallowed everything. He hums with content, leaning in to give you a soft kiss on your lips.

''I forgive you. Now let's heat up the food I brought, it's your favourite.''

You smiled at his words, letting him take your hand in his after he buckles his belt back on, leading you to the kitchen with him to prepare the dinner.

Nothing made you happier than hearing that he loves you.

He took care of you, fed you, kept a roof over your head, and provided you with every drop of affection that you ever needed. You were so, so happy & lucky to have an owner like him.

© sombreboy 2020. Do not repost, edit or translate.

[ao3porcelainstorm]

poison ivy & stinging nettles 5

On Ao3

Pairing: Sherlock/OFC

Rated: M

Warnings: eventual violence, torture, swears, adult themes (no explicit smut)

Chapter 4 - Chapter 6

Chapter 5- Fungi

~~~

Despite the initial tension regarding Jessica Reynolds, things seem to be progressing well with Amelia’s case. Sherlock was able to pull a number of shipping manifests from the assistant’s computer, each bound for the manufacturing factory in Manila.

It was fortunate that it confirmed almost every compound Amelia had noted when she stole the data set, at least in the cancer drugs.

The problem was the secondary product bound into the cancer drugs that caused adverse effects. The details on the manifests were less than helpful…

~~~

“Psilocybe mushroom components,” Amelia read the computer screen out loud for the third time since Sherlock had passed it to her, annoyance in her tone. “That’s it?”

“Magic mushrooms?” John asked, passing her a cup of tea, she immediately set it aside, scrolling through the computer logs further. “Seems straightforward enough.”

“John, there are over 200 different types of Psilocybe spores,” Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. “Sherlock, please tell me you have an idea for how we can possibly narrow it down?”

“How many did you use in your research?” The detective asked, reaching for his own tea cup.

“47,” she answered. “Two were almost identical hybrids, so maybe 46.”

“There you go,” he smirked over the rim of his cup. “Narrowed down.”

“You know we’re going to have to get samples, even if we run the equations, some might work but not technically be the component. Not to mention the cancer drugs might be different,” she groaned and set her cup aside, throwing her head back against the sofa.

“Sherlock, it might be time to contact your brother,” John suggested quietly, earning a glare from the brunette.

“You have a brother?” Amelia asked, her head still flung back with her eyes closed. “Please tell me he’s a reputable drug dealer because it’s going to be a pain in the ass getting these things.”

“Even better, he’s a member of her Majesty’s Royal Government,” Sherlock chimed back. Amelia snorted, remaining still.

“He could also order seizures of the shipments,” John reminded the group coolly, sensing the rising tension between the group.

“Unhelpful if we can’t properly determine the malicious components, John,” Sherlock shot back, picking up on Amelia’s frustration. “The idea is that Chemco’s random samples are unable to be traced, and random.”

“Certainly a shipment would contain some variations?” he asked the pair. Amelia threw her arms up hopelessly, and he frowned. “Sherlock, don’t tell me you’re at a loss?”

“Short of breaking into a hospital, stealing their current supply, and testing it against the 46 varieties of mushroom Mia has worked with, this doesn’t lend a more efficient solution,” the detective hummed, drumming his fingers on his chin in thought.

Silence fell over the group, each person thinking through potential solutions.

“Monty!” Amelia shot up, nearly startling John into dropping his tea.

“What on earth-?” The doctor grumbled while Amelia fished out her phone.

“Ruthie’s brother in law, Monty, he’s an, er, herbal enthusiast,” she explained, tapping into her phone. “I bought a few illicit plants from him when I first moved over. He’s basically got everything you could think of. If not, he’ll know someone who does.”

“Is he in London?”

“Canterbury, lives down the road from Ruthie and her husband,” Amelia got a ping back. “Says we can swing by tomorrow if we’d like. I know offhand, I saw at least a dozen spores in one of his cold storages. I’ll dig up my research list, I can probably narrow down the list from 46 to something more reasonable if I look through what moved to the second stages of trials.”

“And then we go shopping for illicit drugs,” John replied dryly. “And what about the cancer medications?”

Sherlock and Amelia exchanged humored glances. There was certainly something that the doctor was missing.

“What?” John gawked between the pair. “You’re not actually breaking into a hospital, are you?”

“We wouldn’t need much, maybe one or two treatments?” Sherlock asked Amelia, who nodded  after doing a quick calculation in her head.

“The binding components are easy enough to track down over the counter, though we might need a better equipped lab than what you’ve got in the kitchen,” she noted.

“That’s not a problem,” Sherlock waved her off, skimming through the list of components from the shipping logs. “Easy.”

“I don’t like it when you two conspire together. It always leads to some sort of trouble,” John pressed, frown deepening.

“John, you’re a doctor,” Amelia reminded him excitedly. “Prescribe poor Sherlock Holmes a chemotherapy treatment for the tumor in his ego.”

“No, absolutely not,” John stood up. “That violates so many ethical rules- besides, you’re a licensed pharmacist. It’d be easier for you.”

“Not here, not yet. I mean, we can let innocent, immune compromised patients die,” Amelia shrugged, leaning back into the sofa. “What a shame about the little babies with leukemia. All because my wicked mother wanted a second mega yacht.”

“What truly is the core of medical ethics Dr. Watson?” Sherlock inquired, slowly closing his laptop, his gaze boring into his friend. “Is it not to protect life?”

John Watson, caught between an American and a hard place, was less than thrilled when he finally, begrudgingly, scribbled his name on a prescription pad and passed it to Sherlock.

“If my license is revoked-,” he threatened, holding it away from Sherlock briefly.

“Will you kill him?” Amelia asked, grabbing her crimson scarf from the back of the sofa and wrapping it around her shoulders. “Because I’d be very interested in seeing that.”

“Don’t think you get off that easy,” John turned his attention to Amelia while Sherlock scampered to his coat, mocking Amelia over John’s shoulder with a smirk. “You’re equally responsible for anything that goes wrong.”

“That’s not fair, I’m an innocent bystander to your collusion,” she pouted, catching her navy pea coat when John tossed it at her head.

“Careful John,” Sherlock warned, passing the doctor his jacket, shielding his friend from Amelia’s sad eyes. “Keep her pouting like that and she’ll convince you to clean her hair out of the shower drain.”

“Just go,” John shoved the detective through the doorway, not bothering to wait for the grumbling Amelia as she pulled her boots on and stumbled her way out the door behind them.

~~~

“And you’re going to be administering the medications at home?” the chemist studied the prescription order, glancing over the paper to John with a quirked brow.

“That’s right,” he answered with a curt nod, his hands stuffed in his pockets to try and stave off the nervous energy that radiated through his core.

“To a Mr. William Holmes?” the chemist looked to Sherlock next to him. “Is that you?”

“Yes,” he pulled out his ID and passed it to the woman, flashing a quick smile.

“Did you guys know that Beyonce is pregnant again?” Amelia held up a tabloid to Sherlock. “Oh wait, never mind. Just a rumor.”

“Who is this?” the chemist paused, looking up at Amelia.

“His fiancé,” she replied, setting the magazine aside and looping an arm through Sherlock’s. “Here for moral support. He’s just starting treatment and is nervous as all get out, isn’t that right, love?” For added effect, she snuggled closer, pressing her cheek against his arm.

“I wouldn’t have made it in one piece without her,” he nodded, giving her cheek a quick peck. “Just an absolute blessing.”

“We’re just so lucky to find Dr. Watson,” Amelia continued with a long sigh. “Not a lot of doctor’s are willing to do home treatments within the NHS, you know. And of course I’m completely out of my element with all of it!”

The chemist chuckled empathetically, asking how the pair met as she typed up the order for the supplies. Sherlock and Amelia shot back and forth, exchanging little tidbits about their “relationship” enough to almost convince John it was real.

“The order will be ready tomorrow morning,” the woman smiled at the trio and reached for Amelia’s hand. “I’ll be praying for you both.”

“You’re an angel,” Amelia replied, giving them a squeeze before ushering the group out of the pharmacy with a final wave at the woman.

Back on the street, Amelia slipped a hand into Sherlock’s pocket, pulling out his wallet.

“I did not know your name was William,” she studied his ID, trying to memorize the details before he snatched it from her. “And you’re only three years older than me? I don’t believe that.”

Sherlock grabbed the wallet and ID out her hands, returning them to his coat pocket with a huff.

“Is there no privacy with you?” he grumbled. “And what’s so surprising about how old I am?”

“I just figured you were older,” she shrugged. “I mean, I’m almost thirty, right? I figured you were like, almost forty or something.”

John sputtered out a laugh.

“That’s spectacular,” he threw an arm around her shoulders. “How old do you think I am?”

“John, in all honesty, I have no idea,” she answered. “Sometimes I’m convinced you’re fifty, other times you have to be my age.”

Sherlock snorted under his breath.

“It’s a fair assessment,” she insisted, frowning apologetically at John. “You get very grumpy in the mornings, and the matching flannel pajamas don’t help very much.”

“They’re warm.”

“I’m sure they’re wonderful,” Amelia smiled, patting his arm in a placating tone. “I’m just a terrible judge of age apparently. I should have know how old you actually were with all of the part-time super models you bring by.”

“Mia, you’re digging yourself into a hole you’ll regret for the foreseeable future,” Sherlock warned.

“Shush,” Amelia swatted his arm.

“That reminds me,” John glanced down at his phone. “I have a second date with Ann tonight.”

“Is she the one with the Pomeranian?” Amelia asked hopefully. He shook his head and she sighed. “I liked that one.”

“You liked the dog and I’m very allergic,” John reminded her. “Ann is a barrister.”

“Maybe you should make sacrifices for your relationships, John,” she countered. “Have fun with your boring lawyer date.”

“Ann is the boring one, that’s right,” Sherlock perked up.

“She is not boring,” John insisted, flagging down a taxi.

“We’ll call with an ‘emergency’ in a bit,” Amelia promised earnestly. “Get you out of talks about law and order. Blegh.”

“I’m turning my phone off,” he called, slipping into the backseat of the taxi.

“If it wasn’t so cold, I’d be half tempted to follow them,” Amelia mused, continuing down the street with the detective.

“Don’t, they’re seeing that action movie that just came out,” he sighed dramatically. "Boring."

“Movies never make sense as an early date,” she noted. “You can’t talk. How do you get to know anything about the other person? They could be a serial killer for all you know.”

“Exactly, hardly an intimate setting,” he shook his head in disappointment. Amelia looked at him in surprise, stifling a laugh. “What?”

“It’s hard to picture you trying to take someone on a date,” she confessed lightly.

“You’re one to talk,” he countered quickly. “You never leave the flat.”

“You literally don’t let me?” she replied with another laugh. “And arguably, I’ve gone at least one more date than you in the last month.”

“Jessica Reynolds does not count,” he shot back.

“She has the remnants of my favorite shirt on her bedroom floor,” Amelia shivered at the memory. “She counts. John’s been on half a dozen dates since then, yet I’m fairly certain I heard you making love to your calculator the other night.”

“Why did I allow you to move into my building?” Sherlock kept his focus forward. “And I’d be a wonderful date, assuming I knew who i was meeting and could plan accordingly.”

“You’d stalk your date for ideas,” Amelia bit back a smirk. “It’d almost be endearing if it wasn’t super illegal.”

“I do not have to stalk someone to take them on a decent date,” he insisted. “What about you? What would you do aside from a bar?”

“First of all, I would never take someone to a bar on a first date,” she held a hand up, stopping in front of him. “It’s tacky. Would you want to date someone tacky?”

“Ok, where would you take me?” he offered, folding his arms across his chest. Amelia considered his challenge, pulling out her cell phone and tapping at the screen. Grinning at the device, she looked up at him.

“I get a little leeway because I’m not from here,” she warned, flagging down a passing cab.

“What are you doing?” he watched her chat with the driver, and look up at him expectantly.

“I’m taking you on a date,” she answered. “Get in Mr. Holmes, and prepare to be wooed.”

~~~

The Barbican Conservatory wasn’t very busy at midday in the middle of the week, so they were able to secure entrance and tour around the large space without too much interruption from other guests.

“There are over 1,500 different plants in 23,000 cubic square feet of space,” Amelia tucked her hands behind her back. “And the ponds feature koi and carp from Japan and America respectively.”

“Did you just read the pamphlet?” Sherlock asked, looking over the informational packet. “Because you quoted the first paragraph verbatim.”

“It’s because I’m well versed in what I sought out,” she answered with a grin. “Look, flowers.”

She pulled him toward a large selection of tropical flora, naming the species as they moved through in both their common names and scientific ones.

“This one is particularly rare,” she gestured to a bright red flower, the pamphlet long discarded in her coat pocket. Sherlock listened intently, occasionally chiming in his own facts about the flora that surrounded them. He could tell she was pleasantly surprised at his own knowledge on some of the more obscure plants.

“Waitwaitwait,” Amelia pulled him by the wrist toward a large swath of sunflowers. “They’re taller than you, that’s so cool!”

“Does that make them extra haughty?” he retorted, letting her shove him in front of the flowers. She snapped a picture while he continued to quip, ignoring his comments a moment while she saved it to her phone. “Do not show that to anyone.”

“I would never,” she promised. “It’s a good picture, though.” She held her phone up, and sure enough, she’d captured a flattering angle while he’d been laughing.

“I’m not haughty,” he quickly stated.

“You know that isn’t their only meaning,” she hummed, tucking the phone away. “They also mean strength, happiness, confidence… I think they sum you up perfectly.”

“Happiness?”

“Oh that’s right, you were happy once and it was terrible,” she replied coyly. “How could I have forgotten? Happiness can mean bringing it to others as well, Sherlock.”

She turned to look at some lilacs, absently chatting while he stood frozen in place, the words running on repeat in the front of his mind.

Who did he make happy?

~~~

Amelia had a mouth full of falafel when Sherlock decided on where he was going to take her next.

“Mmwha mwean?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion. “Dwon’t swteal mwwy dawte!”

“You did an adequate job,” he answered. “But I still think I’m the superior date planner.”

She swallowed her food, eyeing distrustfully.

“I’m only interested if it’s a very old cemetery,” she replied, stealing one of his chips. “And it better be nighttime and there had better be ghosts.”

“There is no such thing as ghosts,” Sherlock clarified sharply.

“Consider this date over,” she stood up from the public bench they’d settled on. “It’s not me, it’s definitely you.”

“Amelia, come back,” he called, but she continued down the road, night starting to swallow the city. “They’re theoretically impossible.”

~~~

Amelia had to admit (though never out loud), Sherlock Holmes did know a thing or two about impressing a date (despite his disbelief in ghosts).

He purchased her a pink peony, her favorite flower, from a street vendor.

Next, they went to the aquarium, where they wandered away from the main tour and Sherlock gave his own version of the tour, naming the fish and telling her random facts about their origins. Together, they came up with complex names and origin stories for all of the fish.

“The puffer fish is obviously fed up with the whale shark’s nonsense,” Amelia laughed, pointing out the fish blowing up as the white shark passed it in the tank. “He’s probably having an affair with the puffer fish’s wife.”

“I don’t know, the whale shark was eyeing the sea turtle…” Sherlock mused, watching the mesmerizing scene next to her.

Every once in a while, Amelia would steal a look at him. The way the light reflected around them, and how it flickered through his blue eyes- should almost wished she had a paint pallet to try and capture the almost perfect cerulean color.

They left the aquarium chuckling about an octopus that had escaped during a demonstration, night having finally swept over the city.

“Ok,” she relented. “You win this round.”

“I’m not done yet,” he pulled his phone out and glanced up. “We have a final stop.”

“What else could you have planned on such short notice?” she asked, letting him grab her hand and pull her along.

“I told you, I know what I’m doing,” he teased, stopping after a few blocks, looking up at the glowing carriages of the London Eye. “It’s not a cemetery.”

“Might be better,” Amelia admitted.

And it was.

Amelia had never experienced anything so spectacular in her life. The lights over the Thames and the London skyline were unlike anything she’d seen before. The old city had a different energy to it compared to New York, and from the top of the famous Ferris wheel, she could see it all.

“I can’t believe we live in the same city as all of this,” she gestured below them. “It doesn’t seem real.”

“It looks like stars,” he agreed, looking over the edge.

“And the reflection on the river?” Amelia continued to gush in excitement, practically jumping around the edges of the capsule as they moved through the sky.

It was over far too quickly, though Amelia knew they needed to get back. John was probably long home from his date.

“You win,” she sighed. “You definitely win, but only for today.”

“That means there’s a second date?” he smirked, offering her his arm as they walk. She took it, falling in step while they tried to track down a taxi.

Amelia knew he was teasing. It was more of an outing between friends, a means to prove a point with no real intimate feelings involved. A challenge.

She repeated this to herself as she stared at the peony in her hands on the taxi ride home. Or when Sherlock made a quiet quip about extra marital whale shark affairs.

He had to prove his point, and he did. She was sufficiently surprised, and very much felt conflicted about it.

When they returned, Amelia cut into the conversation before John could ask where they’d been. He told her all about his date, and that while Ann was very nice, there probably wasn’t a third date in their future.

“Because she’s boring?” Sherlock joked, pulling out his laptop and checking his email.

“We have different interests,” John clarified sharply. “I think I’m going to take a break from dating for a bit. What about you two? What did you do all day?” His eyes fell on the peony in Amelia’s hand, and she froze, not sure how to respond.

“We went on a date,” Sherlock spoke up confidently from his perch, eyeing John and waiting for a reaction.

“You… on a date?” he looked between the pair. “Both of you? Together?”

Admittedly, it was a bit fun watching their friend process the information. Amelia just braced herself for when Sherlock clarified their challenge with one another.

“Yep,” he answered, popping the “p”. “It was a lovely day, wasn’t it Mia?”

Dazed, Amelia choked out an affirmative, her head still catching up with the fact there hadn’t been any specifications as to the motivation behind everything.

“A long day,” she forced out a yawn. “I’m going to put this in some water and head to bed. We’ve got an early morning tomorrow, don’t forget. I have our train tickets already, but one of you needs to get the chemotherapy into the fridge before we go.”

Both men said goodnight and she slipped downstairs to her apartment, sneaking a final glance over her shoulder, in case he was going to add anything else to the date conversation.

“A date?” John waited until Amelia was out of earshot. “You never mentioned being interested like that. In fact, you mocked me.”

“We were merely getting to know one another,” he shrugged. “Initially we were trying to prove a point, but it turned into an enjoyable afternoon. Though, I wouldn’t get too excited about it, John.”

“And why not?” John asked. “She’s been here for two months now, you two get along in your weird, mad scientist way, it could be a good match.”

“I’m far too busy to have time for romantic partners,” Sherlock shot the suggestion down. He stilled, his hands resting on the keys of his laptop. “And she seemed odd just now, didn’t she?”

“No more than usual,” John replied. “Worried she didn’t enjoy herself? You got her a flower, I’m sure she was enthralled.”

“A peony,” Sherlock corrected quietly. “She likes peonies. They’re in the perfume she wears.”

“Maybe she’s just deep in denial, much like yourself, and needed to sleep to get her head straight?” John snorted, standing up from his chair. “Speaking of, don’t stay up too late.”

Sherlock waved him off, staring down at his computer and re-reading the same sentence over and over. He couldn’t focus on any of his cases right now, his head was all over the place.

Grabbing his violin, he plucked away at the strings, trying to find a sound for the chaos in his head.

Meanwhile, laying in bed with her eyes closed, listening to the soft sounds, Amelia decided she had more important things to think about besides date challenges and eccentric roommates.

Things like corrupt CEOs and fungi.

Chapter 6

[clarascuro]

Clara Reads City of Bones Part 3: Hogwarts Institute for Witchcraft and Shadowhunting

The Plot Thus Far

When last we left off, our lovable cardboard cutout protagonist, Clary Fray, had been attacked by a demon called a Ravener and taken to a place called “The Institute”. After three days of recovery, she has an uncomfortable (for us) conversation with Isabelle Lightwood, where we learn that Isabelle is hot and that we, the audience, should hate her for that, and also that Jace Wayland lives with the Lightwood family because his parents are dead. We are meant to feel bad about this. We are meant to feel sorry for Jace, which is a bit of a tall order, considering that Jace Wayland is the worst person to ever smirk and shrug his way through a YA book. If I were trapped in an elevator with him I wouldn’t even wait five minutes to be rescued, I’d pry those doors open and just drop. Death is cruel but quality time with Jace Wayland is crueler. 

So Clary leaves the hospital wing and goes down a long hallway, lead by the sound of someone playing a piano. Last time I said that it was Alec (Isabelle’s brother) who played piano, and that it was his only character trait, but nope!! It’s actually my favorite boy Jace, that sack of human refuse! So I guess Alec has no personality, actually. Anyway, they have some “witty” “banter”, and then Alec takes her to the library to talk to the head of the Institute, Hodge Starkweather, and, yeah. I think it’s time to talk about the Harry Potter stuff. 

The Harry Potter Stuff

You know how E.L. James made minor changes to her crappy Twilight fanfic and then published it as 50 Shades of Gray? Well, as near as anyone can figure out, this is basically the same thing that Cassandra Clare did with her Harry Potter fanfic The Draco Trilogy. Just change the names, tweak the backstories ever so slightly, slap on a crappy cover and publish that sucker! It’s technically not plagiarism anymore! This is how you end up with stuff like "The Institute”, a secret school to teach young magic kids to control their powers, or Hodge Starkweather, elderly magic professor, who, one could argue, is a crackpot old fool teaching our protagonists magic tricks. (Gosh, how does Clare come up with this stuff?) 

This obviously isn’t proof of any kind, but when the villain of your story is named “Valentine” and he’s an evil magic user who has been dead for sixteen years (the age of our secretly magic protagonist) and the main characters are afraid to even say his name...yeah, it doesn’t exactly take a genius to figure out where all of this comes from. 

Now all this is frustrating, but it’s also hilarious. I mean, the big bad of the story is called Valentine. VALENTINE. And I actually laughed out loud for several minuted when I first read the name “Hodge Starkweather” to myself. I still get a little chuckle typing this. Oh, and since the word “muggle” would have JK Rowling’s lawyers on her ass faster than light, the word Cassandra Clare uses for non-magic people is...”Mundie”. It’s short for “mundane”. Like...first of all this is objectively hilarious. Second, mundane just means “normal”. If the Shadowhunter society is magical, then aren’t they they mundane ones? I know humans don’t have magic, but we still figured how to like, fly and stuff. That has to count for something. If I saw a dog that taught himself how to read, I wouldn’t like, make fun of him for not also being able to talk. I’d be like “Shit! That’s a pretty impressive fucking dog!” like what the fuck?

Anyway, this is all just a roundabout way to say that obviously this used to be a HP fic that through some twist of fate landed a publishing deal. And you know, it’s not as brain-meltingly bad as 50SoG, so who cares? Cassandra Clare’s just having fun, so who cares if her writing gets published? 

Well...

The Plagiarism

So, yeah, she plagiarized lot. Like a lot. The Draco Trilogy has lines of dialogue taken directly from shows like Red Dwarf, Black Adder, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett novels. Quoting shows apparently used to be pretty common in the early days of fanfiction, so there is context to consider here, but it gets worse. Cassandra Clare lifted almost a whole chapter, nearly word for word, from an out-of-print fantasy series called The Hidden Land, by Pamela Dean. On top of that, Clare was sued in 2016 by author Sherrilyn Kenyon, whose Darkhunter series predates Clares Shadowhunters series. (And for the record, Clare’s series was originally titled Darkhunters. Yikes.) You guys can read the full(ish) stories here and here.

I Guess I Have To Keep Talking About The Plot Now

Sigh. So after Hodge Starkweather (A+ naming there) tells them about Valentine, he explains that Shadowhunters are angel-human hybrids? Or something? They’re special, and they fight demons. Also faries, vampires, werewolves, all that stuff exists. We’re stuck with the Shadowhunters, however, because God has punished me for my hubris, and my work is never done. (Oh look, I just plagiarized Brian David Gibert. I’m a real author now, like Cassandra Clare!) The Shadowhunters were started thousands of years ago by a man named, I shit you not, Jonathan Shadowhunter. JONATHAN. FUCKING. SHADOWHUNTER. Why the fuck am I trying to come up with clever names for my characters? I should just name them all “Alex Clarasbook” and call it a fucking day. Fuck.

Anyway after a thrilling conversation with Alec-Who-Has-No-Personality, we find out that he does have a personality! His personality is that he hates humans. Oh, excuse me, “mundies.” Yep, that’s the best way to make a character relatable. Just make ‘em fucking racist. It’s okay though, it’s only magical racism so it evens out. Have I mentioned that this story has no poc?

(Oh also Clary’s mom was a Shadowhunter, but 1. I hate Clary                        and 2. literally a newborn baby could’ve figured that out, so)

Clary and Jace leave the Institute to go back to Clary’s house, and Clary slaps Jace, an act that brings me such joy that only the birth of my firstborn child will ever eclipse it, and even then, it will be it close tie. The moment is quickly over, however, as Clary immediately feels bad about it, because again, she is not a character. She’s a Walmart mannequin created for Jace to make out with. Then she sees two girls looking at Jace, and, in what can only be called the true essence of the book, “Clary turned instant traitor against her gender.” Just as a reminder, Clary sucks.

Anyway they get to her house, kill a giant, talk to a witch, yaddah yaddah yaddah. Basically nothing happens except the inevitable unraveling of my mental processes. I had to stop reading there because I have better things to do with my life besides destroying the few braincells I have left. I’ll post the next part soon, as soon as I can read more than five pages without wanting to fling the book off a seaside cliff into the frothing mist that obscures the swell and crash of the unforgiving waves. Until then, please enjoy some of my favorite bad lines.

Selected Passages (And Commentary)

“Jace chuckled. Clary could tell that he had come up behind her and was standing there with his hands in his pockets, grinning that infuriating grin of his.”                                                                                                             (She knew all that without looking?)

“Attacked. Clary wondered if this was a euphemism for ‘murdered’.”            (Clary you’re literally the dumbest person I’ve ever met.)

“Clary let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in.”                  (This may just be me being petty, but I hate this cliche so much.)

“‘You may be the only guy my age I’ve ever met who knows what bergamot is, much less that it’s in Earl Grey tea.”                                                                   (Ah yes, that famous stereotype, that boys don’t know about tea. Oh, you like tea? Name three kinds. I hear sexist gatekeeping is a real problem in the tea community. I am not having a good time.)

“Dorothea chuckled. ‘It’s good to see a young woman eat her fill. In my day, girls were robust, strapping creatures, not twigs like they are nowadays.’ ‘Thanks,’ Clary said. She thought of Isabelle’s tiny waist and felt suddenly gigantic.”                                                                            (Cassandra Clare’s super feminist, guys. You can tell because she’s always pitting her female characters against each other.)

Rating So Far

3/10-Bad. Jonathan Shadowhunter gets an entire 10/10. I’m going to have my name legally changed to Jonathan Shadowhunter.

[twitchesandstitches]

Boys Night at The Hellscape

Steven Universe, Equius Zahhak, Grimlock, and a traveler named Riddle who often comes along with the Fleet attempt to have a boy’s night out but wound up in a hellscape, where it seems an army of fiends wants to fight them!

Steven wants to talk; Grimlock wants to murder the shit of out the fiends for giggles; Riddle is just so done with all this, and Equius is doing his best to keep these ruffians sensible. And there’s the minor problem that Molog Bal, Daedric Prince of Schemes and Domination, apparently has a vendetta against the Fleet, but that is a Later Problem.

(Riddle is an OC from a friend of mine that I’ve been meaning to do something with, for a bit.)

The sky was no sky at all, a flat shade of… the eye hurt, trying to look at it, because there was no sky, but mountains twisting up and continuing, at such a horrifyingly vast scale that it occupied the trillions of miles that would have filled the sky. Clouds of acid dripped their sulfuric rain down and melted the unwary horrors beyond, rivers of vitriolic fluid sluicing down.

The ground, the mountains, and everything else looked disgusting. Grimlock reached down and pinched a bit of it, rubbing it between his metal claws. It made a red smear, stinking a familiar coppery scent. “Blood,” he said. “It’s all blood.”

Steven Universe, a huge and rather feral man built on the same broad lines as his infamously imposing mother, made a fade. Considering that he was over eight feet tall, packed more mass than you found in a group of humans, and had a mouthful of recursive tusk/fangs, it was strange how cute the expression was. “Oh boy, that’s nasty.” he leaned down and sniffed it, looking sick and irritated at once. He pinched at a rock, which came apart into little bits, and he spat into his hand, mixing up the gravel… and blood streamed out. He wiped it away. “Ugh, it, it feels wrong.”

“Blood of the damned,” said the third of their party, a man named Riddle. Of average size, a chunky pear-shaped body and a distinct resemblance to a famous wizard tyrant (though lacking his serpentine features), he wore a complicated battle harness that resembled a fancy spandex suit. Compared to the others, he looked deceptively small. “Blood of the damned. The entire plane is made out of all the blood shed by evil plans ever since time began. Rivers of the stuff, flowing here in some… weird, metaphysical way. And it makes more world.”

The fourth of their group, and the last, studied it pensievely. He was a troll, and thus a little over forty feet tall, standing tall on digitigrade legs he had modified to look like hooves. Cybernetic implants ran all over his body, and his arms (big even on his massive, hyper-masculine build) were entirely robotic hydraulic wonders. He was Equius Zahhak, rumored descended of an ancient troll known in folklore as the Blue Arrow, and he had been the designated ‘sensible person’ of this little field trip.

It was custom amid the Fleet for at least one person to do their best to try to be a rationally-minded and logical sort, just to rein in the impulsive behavior and frenzies of berserker-ness that permeated the average Fleet child. Equius was content in this role.

“That portal,” he said solemnly, “Should not have sent us here.”

“Nope,” Riddle said. Equius gave him a somewhat wary look, thinking about how he tended to just turn up as a passenger for a bit. Frequently. He was often seen in the company of Miss Wicke, a senior scientist and Pokemon caretaker and one of the Fleet’s strongest mothers, and he was likely the father of many of her children. They seemed to keep it more or less private.

Riddle was a mystery. He turned up now and then, with unusual powers quite unprecedented in the Fleet or among any they had encountered, coming with them for a time. And then he would leave. In the chaotic nature of the Fleet this sort of thing happened a lot, but usually not with passengers living among them; they came for festivals or hitching a ride, and settled down or went on their way.

He was, in short, apparently very well named. Equius distrusted him, in a polite and respectful way, but then he distrusted almost everyone that wasn’t from the Fleet. He saw himself in pretty much the same role as the Big Daddy creatures they had liberated from the Miscella core world; protectors and guardians, and he kept a keen eye on all potential uncertainties.

Steven was less encumbered by fears and he extended to pretty much everyone a universal love and acceptance that was a Fleet model of behavior; everyone strived to be as perfectly nice and kind as him. His continuing dislike of this place was pretty obvious. “Um, I don’t mean to say a swear but… we’re in Hell. Aren’t we.”

Grimlock glanced up. Flying above them were vast reptilian things like serpents but, instead of scales, faces sewn into their sides screamed endlessly, weeping tears that fell from their sides in a stream of a noxious fluid, best not to speculate on what it was. Various winged figures flew, not dissimilar to many bipedal reptilians but somehow… wrong, as if putting on their form could not hide the fundamental horror of their nature. Various parts of the ground liquified into rivers of blood that was also burningly hot, so hot it should have boiled but was magically preserved into a kind of lava. In the distance there were buildings of black metal and spikes, upon which were impaled people being tortured in terrible ways for their great sins in life… and vast war machines, powered by the toils of the damned, moved onwards to a background noise rumbling low and deep.

It sounded like screaming. So many voices screaming together it reached a thousand pitches so low it was a pressure more than a sound.

“Yup,” Grimlock said. “Definitely Hell. Well. A Hell. Dunno about there being a single one.”

Riddle gave him a look. “How do you know that?”

Grimlock returned the look. For a robot who was infamous for his emotional outbursts, assuming he wasn’t just faking them on the spot, he could do a really good enigmatic expression. “How do you know more than they do?”

“I’ve been around. I’ve heard stuff. You?”

Grimlock indicated the land as some awful frog/dog hybrid burst out of the ground, jaws wide and filled with hooks. He grabbed it and twisted its head off without even looking, and set the body on fire with a arm-mounted flamethrower. “Did a few stints with the Dinobots in a few places like this. We got real lost and stuck and just had a fun ol’ time beating the scrap out of every damn thing in sight. That’s a pun, by the way. Damn, and they’re the damned… eh, whatever.” he paused, lost in memories. “Happened a few more times, and then we stayed on purpose, killing all the fiends we could, working our way up to gutting an evil murder god or something. Be a good trophy. Heh… like to see Pearl manage that.”

Steven frowned. “Don’t talk mean about my sword mom.”

“Yeah, okay. Point is, they sealed us up for a few hundred years until we busted loose and got right back to killing. That was fun!” Grimlock joyfully snarled out a plume of flame, thrilled by these memories of righteous slaughter. “So… freeing! Fighting literal embodiments of pure evil! Monsters without pity, or remorse, that deserve none! Actual evil incarnate! No second thoughts, no worry about the moral implications, just ripping apart things that deserve to die. It’s real freeing fighting something like that.”

Equius nodded. “I suppose I can imagine the appeal.”

Riddle grimaced. “ Every time I hang out with you, Grims, you wind up getting nostalgic over murder or something. Don’t you have non-stabbing hobbies?”

“Well, I run a scrap heap art show back on the Fleet,” Grimlock noted. “But that’s not too cinematic.”

Steven, alone, looked to the hellscape beyond, including the pseudo sky. “Something big is coming,” he said, looking queasy. “I don’t… guys, this feels wrong.”

Grimlock sidled in front on hm in a wholly protective and unconscious way. “Stick with me, kid. You stay tanky, I’ll keep the rest of you safe.”

Riddle scowled. “I can fight fine, too.”

“Prove it, meaty!” Grimlock laughed, positively daring him to respond in kind.

Equius sighed. “Can we please stow the bravado-”

“NEVER.”

“-Something is coming!”

A great cloud of rotten dust came up as approximately two thousand feet came marching up, and they squinted at the mass slowly approaching them.

Fiends. ‘Demon’ was a bit of a generalist term these days, often referring to any supernatural being that was broadly humanoid, had a combination of horns or tail or wings, but it didn’t quite refer to evil creatures anymore. Demon was a general description. Fiend was more suitable for describing things that were, quite simply, elemental beings of concentrated evil in the same way that frost giants were elemental cold. They were wickedness, malice and the pleasure of hurting people given a voice and will.

They came now, a huge army that was organized reasonably well, if along old-fashioned paths. At the front were the smallest ones, twenty-foot high beasts suited towards speed, carrying supernatural analogues to firearms fused to their forearms and extended carapaces on the other that served as shields.

Behind them were the dedicated long-range fighters; monsters that were mostly gun or cannon, their jaws gaping and shoveling up all the blood-stone they could get, digesting it into ammunition. Others resembled bows, twisting themselves into gruesome shapes so that imps could slot in arrows over twenty feet long and thick as trees.

Close range fighters, riding dreadful flesh-eating monsters and ready to ride in and leap upon the foe: bloodthirsters, fiends hungry for the thrill of battle and emaciated with the bloodlust. Larger creatures, and at their feet moved the more mobile fiends and those serving all the other purposes of warfare, and these grew progressively bigger, living siege engines and equals to mortal machine-titans, growing bigger and bigger until the largest towered over the entire army, roaring defiance at them.

The army stopped, staring at them.

Shortly thereafter, a tall and spiky fiend that seemed to be mostly folded tendons in elaborate armor, and a sword as big as he was, rode up on something that looked kind of like a horse but mostly like a mix-and-match of various deadly creatures. “Good day, mortals,” it said cheerfully.

“Um,” Steven said, perhaps surprised to see a talkative fiend. “Hello.”

“Don’t talk to the fiend!” Riddle hissed, nudging the much larger man. “What if it enspells you!?”

“I know but… I’m not going to be rude!”

“I am a fiend,” the speaker stated, apparently interested by this debate. “Who cares about my feelings? I don’t even have any. I just assume the appearance of them for interaction purposes.”

“Okay but that’s still no reason to be rude.”

“Bored now,” Grimlock said. “Gonna kill it now.”

“Please, wait!” Equius snapped.

“I gotta. He’s just too annoying to live.”

“Let him say his piece, please?”

“Oh, fine…”

The fiend cleared its throat, dislodging a few gross bits. “I speak on my behalf, the great and mighty Daedric Lord; he who is the Lord of Schemes, Architect of Domination. This realm has, happily, fallen to his conquests and, aha, perhaps so shall you. I suppose you are wondering how you arrived here when, no doubt, your portal excursion was to bring you somewhere more palatable to your tastes?”

Riddle’s mouth opened. “How do you know- oh. Oooooh. You messed with our portal, didn’t you!?”

Grimlock growled, a primordial noise out of nightmare that made them all feel extremely uncomfortable. Even the fiend looked uncharacteristically concerned. “Ah. Well… it was naughty of me, but my lord greatly wished to test his powers against your own! For you see…” He wiggled a finger at them, scoldingly. “Your mother fleet has done much to frustrate his plans!”

“Okay…?” Steven said, warily.

“Going about all the multiverse, interrupting tyrants in their plans to dominate. Interfering in ancient schemes without even meaning to! Blundering right into planets and upsetting careful plots by liberating the populace and then breeding with every single sapient species, and making new ones on the spot! To say nothing of all this dreadful liberty coming across from you introducing new technologies into places that were being perfectly miserable and isolated without them.” It sighed. “I expect the Enemies in the Upper Planes are quite pleased with your lot but… really. This is just bad manners!”

“I hate this guy a lot,” Grimlock said flatly. “I’m going to step on him now.”

Riddle, however, looked thoughtful, as if remembering a report he had seen somewhere. “...Recently conquered a realm… Lord of schemes and domination… oh, shit. You’re working for Molag Bal!”

The fiend looked impressed. “Oho, you caught that one right away.”

“Who?” Steven said.

Grimlock looked surprised. “Don’t tell him anything!” He hissed to Riddle. To Steven, he said, “You’re better off not knowing!”

But the fiend continued. “You see, my lord wishes to match his military might against the power of you four. After all, against one of the last knights of Cybertron-” He indicated Grimlock. “A walking tank boasting impenetrable defense-” This was said to Steven. “A fascinating anomaly such as yourself,” This was to Riddle. “And of course, a blueblood troll with ample boosts to his strength, and gear to accommodate it! Why, this should be a most entertaining diversion for you, yes?”

“Flattering me won’t save you from ending up dead,” Grimlock said indifferently.

Equius sighed. “Then, you will attack no matter what we say. And I expect we cannot leave, one way or another, until this is done.”

“But of course. And you did intend on having a… what’s the term… boy’s night out, yes?”

“...Right. Okay.” Equius drew from his belt a pair of gauntlets that interlocked into his arms. Quad shotgun barrels extended out from each knuckle and loaded up with trick ammunition and projectile gadgets, while the forearms deployed mechanical repeater crossbow arms. The punches stored up energy, the crossbows released it into his very finest shots. “Not at all what we had in mind, but I see no alternative.”

Steven grimaced, his arm swelled up and in a flash of light, producing a curiously organic-looking pink shield, it’s face adorned with the image of a lion. “No one ever just wants to talk things out!”

Grimlock drew from his body an integrated sword as massive as he was tall, its appearance volcanic, it’s black blade bursting into flame as his heroic spirit flooded into it. The Blade of Simfur itself, said to have been wielded by the chimeric machine-god Onyx Prime, passed down through the line of kings of Simfur. “You really think you can talk to fiends.”

“I have to try. No matter how hopeless it seems.”

“...Heh. I gotta like someone that’s ridiculously brave.”

Riddle spread his arms, and magical mandalas materialized around his arm, absurdly complex and ready to summon forth the spells of his choosing. They flickered red, trying to tap into the energies of the multiverse and having to make do with the essence of this hellrealm; he looked queasy and disturbed feeling it flow through him.

The fiend raised his weapon, and brought it down on Steven. “Then let the game commence!”

The sword broke against his shield, in a massive shockwave that knocked him off his steed. Steven sighed and jumped up, and laid a hand against the fiend. Then he grabbed and somehow threw it straight off the ground, into the air, and Grimlock’s fist slammed into the ground while meeting the fiend in route.

Grimlock’s punches were entirely capable of smashing through mountains and planetary cores. The fiend was reduced to a bloody smear. “‘Bout damn time,” Grimlock grunted.

And that was the signal agreed about earlier, unknown to them, and the two thousand fiends charged, in orderly fashion, and the four heroes charged to meet them.

It really wasn’t fair to the fiends, of course, but when you dealt with people who benefited from the powers of the Endowed Fleet, what could you do?

[nikki-reuclife]

chains and necklace men use

Nonetheless baseball jewelry, in the present day it's normally the spies and celebrities who are carrying hats because they don't wish to be recognized by anyone. Moreover you'll be able to require the factory to customize distinctive fashion hats that you want. The double link provides strength and style. You do not should be a pro to dress like one. Whereas nobody will seemingly be utilizing them to make new customized jewellery, these gems are distinctive and have fascinating histories. A technique a man can look his most interesting is by sporting cufflinks. It is a novel means for males to accessorize with out the heaviness of jewellery that can get in the best way or is uncomfortable. A classic men's diamond tennis bracelet is a great way so as to add an elegant, but masculine shine to any look. From the office to the golf course to a night out on the town, this assertion piece can add a classy, fashion ahead accent. It's an extended standing tradition in many families so as to add a charm to a bracelet over time as a holiday or birthday reward.

You additionally get to see these pictures each time you placed on the jewelry. The most thrilling truth about fashion jewellery is that it all the time keeps changing. But let's remind you that even a small ring you put on comes into the category of the jewellery. In fact, perhaps a quick dialog about these New York Yankees, Oakland Raiders or even a bit little bit of Alabama Crimson in your wrists will result in a extra in depth dialog which may inevitably lead to enterprise deals. Like a Baseball Mother bangle bracelet worn by the complete workforce will encourage them to do higher, show cooperation and even embolden the workforce members to play properly. There is the play and costume jewelry. Diamond jewelry is particular in that it conveys emotions with out saying words. The pinnacle secures the diamond. Like may be a pitcher participant allowed to put on a males's marriage ceremony ring within the on the mound?

You possibly can order personalized golf balls, cookies made to appear like footballs, baseballs, or soccer balls, or any number of different sports or workforce oriented gifts. The team spirit and cooperation might be increased by designing the identical jewelry item for the group. Jewellery market veterans in China say cadmium has been utilised in domestic items there for years. Take a fast look at different types of Pet Cremation Urns and different memorials available in the market. Worker Recognition Awards - Staff take great delight in carrying lapel pins that present their achievements, and they're going to treasure employee recognition awards that they will frequently present to others. Wish to take a wild guess at what keyphrase theyre targeting? Typically a ring or necklace can have a particular, personal which means as a result of it was a reward. For the fan that enjoys the physique piercing trend a pink or blue Biobplasts Blazing Baseball Belly Ring will do the trick.

The inexpensiveness of some fashionable rhinestones has allowed them to be used in each form of software, from dog collars to baseball caps. A few of essentially the most unique enjoyable baseball products are baseball slippers for girls sold on amazon, baseball purses and totes or baseball cuff hyperlink, money clip, and tie tack for males. At probably the most primary, you won't go incorrect with knee-size or longer skirts for women and fits or costume shirts and pants for men. Second, tucking shirts in and wearing belts are ok for the holidays, but they certain aren't the cool hip look we're jewelry and accessories used in baseball going for. The place the place you're going to is n determining factor for the accessories. This implies earrings; bracelets, rings and necklaces are all no-no's. Moms and boys proceed to complain that COOL boys clothes are non-existent. These are some nice wedding ceremony ideas for sports activities lovers. Maybe you might be taken with sports activities cufflinks that exhibit your hobbies. %22sequence%22:2}]" width="337" /> This French hybrid grape produces a dry purple wine that is bold, wealthy, and full bodied. For white wine followers, attempt the LaCrosse, a semi sweet gem with aromas of melon and pear. Different sizzling picks embody a diamond bracelet or perhaps a diamond and sapphire heart locket. One of the most easy, however traditional, items of jewellery is a high quality bracelet. There may be the inexpensive option of style jewellery. Wholesale style jewellery is the idea assigned to organizations that manufacture type jewellery. A common misconception is that vogue jewellery is just too faux trying. Fashion jewellery is available in all differing types. A photo of just a little girl at her first dance recital or a little boy in his first baseball game placed on photo jewelry might make wonderful keepsake reward. The usual of Gold present great pliability along with ductility as properly as the man views and his superior ability to generate fantastic along with sophisticated patterns offers full Gold Jewelry the infatuation associated with loveliness. From a 3-stone ring that sparkles with the previous, current and future, or a classic eternity ring, diamonds are a hands-down sentimental favourite. There are several seems that needs to be pulled together in 2006. If you are going for a look, go all the best way and baseball jewelry.

For the sports fan in you, there is a large choice of sports activities cufflinks available together with a wide number of sports team cufflinks. Folks do not realize that in the event that they can't afford the real deal, there are extra options. Mouth - choose a cute pair of lips, smile, giggle, frown or even a tongue sticking out plus extra. Gifts for Collectors Practically any object might be collected: baseball playing cards, spoons, vintage brooches, and even vintage blenders. The Boston Red Sox might be the most famous baseball team to associate with Phiten titanium necklaces. Do you love your team nearly as a lot as the person you intend to marry? If you're a baseball fan or even a football fan, you can rotate your staff all through the seasons so you are always on high of the game. Boys' clothes are getting cooler and cooler all of the time. That is great for people who find themselves up in age who have issues reminiscent of osteoporosis, arthritis, or something that has triggered their legs to change into weakened. Nonetheless, lots of people say it has really helped them; they even mentioned they have been also skeptical to start with.

Or is the deck stacked against her and she'll lose a lot of money? It is obvious that much less money is required for a flea market than for a retail retailer, however what's not so apparent? In other words, focus on how much money you've already made on that order that got here in, rather than specializing in the objects which might be left over and have not offered. Besides giving the video games their structure, rules are meant to give all contributors a (supposedly) even taking part in discipline. These seats embody a button that allows the seated individual to get up with ease, every time they're prepared. Are you able to simply get to numerous spots to buy? Get a second opinion. Males also hit a home run with the woman in their lives by marking a major (or not so significant) anniversary with the diamond anniversary ring. I think this may very well be an incredible reward for a special occasion similar to graduation or marriage ceremony or an anniversary.

I made a necklace with a favourite photograph of a sunset right here. Add earrings and a necklace to finish your look. When using the search terms, you must also add your city or city title to the search in an effort to uncover sources near you. Sure, yow will discover replica Series bands along together utilizing organized stones and in addition diamonds, nonetheless these could be the exception, not the particular rule. Diamonds dazzle like nothing else can. Dazzle her with a diamond. These collars also include some form of identification on them, very similar to we use on our canine tags at this time. Such an exquisite paradise that is like a slice of Heaven on Earth. Even in case you don’t have experience in any respect, it'll simply take a couple weeks of messing round with packages as Photoshop and Illustrator. Nonetheless, in today’s world the place mummification is just not doable, pet homeowners still have the choice to honor their furry pals with the assistance of pet memorials.

After i lived at house, I all the time tried to help make adjustments for the better, quite than simply letting unhealthy politics determine for me. These actually exhibit the pursuits of any sharp dressed man all whereas catering to his interior sports lover. When you ask a man what he really wants, he is likely to say a brand new automobile, some sports gear or model new instruments. Missing baseball jewelry, which often shelving up wards repeated flyer a great distance in arms and, joints, fingers, legs and, in addition to earlobes. Many rabid baseball fanatics put on further the everyday investing credit score charge taking part in greeting handmade homemade enterprise notes, signed objects, banners and ads, paint footplate, as well as bubblehead dolls. The first Pizza Hut opened in 1958, which is about 500 years closer. It at all times has a recent simply cleaned regarded that seems to fade shortly with yellow gold. Judy is considering selling earrings on the local swapmeet with baseball jewelry.

[idontevenwannaknow]

sport necklaces

Nevertheless baseball jewelry, immediately it's normally the spies and celebrities who're carrying hats as a result of they don't wish to be recognized by anyone. Moreover you may require the factory to customize unique style hats that you like. The double hyperlink adds energy and elegance. You don't need to be a pro to dress like one. Whereas no one will seemingly be utilizing them to make new custom jewelry, these gems are distinctive and have fascinating histories. A technique a man can look his most interesting is by wearing cufflinks. It is a novel method for men to accessorize with out the heaviness of jewelry that may get in the way or is uncomfortable. A basic males's diamond tennis bracelet is a good way so as to add an elegant, however masculine shine to any look. From the workplace to the golf course to a night time out on the town, this statement piece can add a classy, vogue forward accent. It's an extended standing tradition in many households so as to add a charm to a bracelet over time as a holiday or birthday reward.

You also get to see those photographs every time you put on the jewelry. Essentially the most thrilling truth about trend jewelry is that it always retains changing. However let's remind you that even a small ring you put on comes into the class of the jewelry. In actual fact, maybe a quick dialog about those New York Yankees, Oakland Raiders or even slightly bit of Alabama Crimson in your wrists will lead to a extra in depth conversation which could inevitably lead to business offers. Like a Baseball Mother bangle bracelet worn by the complete workforce will encourage them to do higher, show cooperation and even embolden the staff members to play nicely. There may be the play and costume jewellery. Diamond jewellery is special in that it conveys feelings without saying words. The pinnacle secures the diamond. Like may be a pitcher player allowed to put on a men's marriage ceremony ring in the on the mound?

You can order customized golf balls, cookies made to seem like footballs, baseballs, or soccer balls, or any variety of other sports activities or staff oriented gifts. The group spirit and cooperation will be increased by designing the same jewelry item for the team. Jewellery market veterans in China say cadmium has been utilised in home gadgets there for years. Take a fast take a look at different types of Pet Cremation Urns and other memorials available in the market. Worker Recognition Awards - Staff take nice pride in wearing lapel pins that show their achievements, and they're going to treasure employee recognition awards that they can continuously show to others. Wish to take a wild guess at what keyphrase theyre focusing on? Sometimes a ring or necklace can have a special, personal meaning as a result of it was a present. For the fan that enjoys the physique piercing trend a pink or blue Biobplasts Blazing Baseball Stomach Ring will do the trick.

The inexpensiveness of some modern rhinestones has allowed them to be used in every kind of utility, from dog collars to baseball caps. A few of probably the most distinctive fun baseball products are baseball slippers for women bought on amazon, baseball purses and totes or baseball cuff hyperlink, money clip, and tie tack for men. At probably the most fundamental, you will not go wrong with knee-length or longer skirts for girls and suits or costume shirts and pants for males. Second, tucking shirts in and carrying belts are okay for the holidays, however they certain aren't the cool hip look we're going for. The place where you'll is n figuring out factor for the accessories. This means earrings; bracelets, rings and necklaces are all no-no's. Mothers and boys continue to complain that COOL boys clothes are non-existent. These are some nice wedding ceremony concepts for sports activities lovers. Perhaps you are considering sports activities cufflinks that show off your hobbies.

This French hybrid grape produces a dry pink wine that's bold, wealthy, and full bodied. For white wine followers, attempt the LaCrosse, a semi candy gem with aromas of melon and pear. Other sizzling picks include a diamond bracelet or maybe a diamond and sapphire coronary heart locket. One of the vital simple, however classic, gadgets of jewellery is a top quality bracelet. There may be the cheaper possibility of style jewellery. Wholesale trend jewelry is the idea assigned to organizations that manufacture model jewellery. A standard false impression is that style jewellery is simply too fake trying. Style jewellery is available in all differing types. A photograph of just a little woman at her first dance recital or a little bit boy in his first baseball game put on picture jewelry may make fantastic keepsake reward. The standard of Gold present great pliability together with ductility as properly because the man views and his superior talent to generate fantastic along with difficult patterns presents full Gold Jewellery the infatuation associated with loveliness. From a 3-stone ring that sparkles with the past, current and future, or a traditional eternity ring, diamonds are a hands-down sentimental favourite. There are a number of seems that must be pulled collectively in 2006. If you're going for a glance, go all the way in which and baseball jewelry.

For the sports fan in you, there is a wide selection of sports cufflinks accessible together with a large variety of sports crew cufflinks. People don't notice that in the event that they can't afford the real deal, there are extra options. Mouth - choose a cute pair of lips, smile, giggle, frown or even a tongue sticking out plus extra. Gifts for Collectors Nearly any object might be collected: baseball playing cards, spoons, vintage brooches, or baseball fashion blog even vintage blenders. The Boston Pink Sox is probably the most famous baseball group to associate with Phiten titanium necklaces. Do you love your group nearly as much because the person you intend to marry? If you are a baseball fan or even a football fan, you may rotate your group throughout the seasons so you might be always on high of the sport. Boys' clothes are getting cooler and cooler all of the time. This is great for people who find themselves up in age who have issues reminiscent of osteoporosis, arthritis, or something that has precipitated their legs to become weakened. Nevertheless, lots of people say it has really helped them; they even talked about they had been also skeptical to begin with.

Or is the deck stacked against her and she'll lose a lot of money? It's obvious that less cash is required for a flea market than for a retail retailer, but what's not so apparent? In other phrases, focus on how much cash you have got already made on that order that got here in, fairly than focusing on the objects which might be left over and haven't bought. Moreover giving the video games their structure, guidelines are meant to provide all members a (supposedly) even playing field. These seats embrace a button that enables the seated individual to get up with ease, every time they are prepared. Can you simply get to a lot of spots to buy? Get a second opinion. Men also hit a house run with the lady of their lives by marking a big (or not so vital) anniversary with the diamond anniversary ring. I think this could possibly be an ideal present for a particular occasion equivalent to graduation or wedding or an anniversary.

I made a necklace with a favorite photograph of a sunset right here. Add earrings and a necklace to finish your look. When using the search terms, you must also add your metropolis or city name to the search with a view to uncover sources near you. Sure, you could find replica Collection bands alongside collectively utilizing arranged stones and likewise diamonds, nevertheless these could be the exception, not the actual rule. Diamonds dazzle like nothing else can. Dazzle her with a diamond. These collars also include some type of identification on them, very similar to we use on our dog tags immediately. Such a phenomenal paradise that is like a slice of Heaven on Earth. Even should you don’t have expertise at all, it's going to just take a couple weeks of messing round with programs as Photoshop and Illustrator. Nonetheless, in today’s world the place mummification is not potential, pet homeowners still have the option to honor their furry pals with the help of pet memorials.

When i lived at home, I always tried to help make adjustments for the higher, slightly than simply letting dangerous politics determine for me. These really exhibit the interests of any sharp dressed man all while catering to his internal sports activities lover. For those who ask a man what he actually needs, he's likely to say a brand new automotive, some sports gear or model new instruments. Missing baseball jewelry, which usually shelving up wards repeated flyer a long way in arms and, joints, fingers, legs and, as well as earlobes. Many rabid baseball fans put on extra the standard investing credit score charge enjoying greeting handmade homemade business notes, signed gadgets, banners and ads, paint footplate, as well as bubblehead dolls. The first Pizza Hut opened in 1958, which is about 500 years closer. It all the time has a recent just cleaned regarded that appears to fade quickly with yellow gold. Judy is considering selling earrings on the local swapmeet with baseball jewelry.

[kaliiwashere]

baseball fashion blog

Nevertheless baseball jewelry, as we speak it is often the spies and celebrities who're wearing hats as a result of they don't wish to be acknowledged by anybody. Furthermore you'll be able to require the manufacturing facility to customise unique type hats that you like. The double link provides power and style. You don't need to be a professional to dress like one. While no one will possible be using them to make new customized jewelry, these gems are sport necklaces unique and have fascinating histories. A method a man can look his most interesting is by wearing cufflinks. It's a novel method for men to accessorize without the heaviness of jewellery that can get in the way or is uncomfortable. A basic males's diamond tennis bracelet is a great way to add an elegant, but masculine shine to any look. From the office to the golf course to a night time out on the city, this statement piece can add a classy, style forward accent. It's a protracted standing tradition in lots of families so as to add a charm to a bracelet over time as a holiday or birthday gift.

You additionally get to see these photos every time you placed on the jewellery. Probably the most thrilling truth about trend jewellery is that it always retains altering. But let's remind you that even a small ring you wear comes into the class of the jewellery. The truth is, possibly a quick conversation about those New York Yankees, Oakland Raiders or even a little little bit of Alabama Crimson on your wrists will lead to a more in depth dialog which may inevitably lead to business offers. Like a Baseball Mom bangle bracelet worn by the entire crew will encourage them to do better, present cooperation and even embolden the crew members to play nicely. There's the play and costume jewelry. Diamond jewellery is particular in that it conveys feelings with out saying phrases. The head secures the diamond. Like could also be a pitcher participant allowed to wear a men's wedding ring in the on the mound?

%22sequence%22:2}]" width="337" />

You can order personalised golf balls, cookies made to appear to be footballs, baseballs, or soccer balls, or any number of other sports or staff oriented gifts. The group spirit and cooperation might be increased by designing the identical jewellery merchandise for the staff. Jewellery market veterans in China say cadmium has been utilised in home gadgets there for years. Take a quick look at various kinds of Pet Cremation Urns and other memorials obtainable available in the market. Employee Recognition Awards - Workers take great pleasure in sporting lapel pins that show their achievements, and they're going to treasure employee recognition awards that they will often present to others. Wish to take a wild guess at what keyphrase theyre focusing on? Sometimes a ring or necklace can have a particular, private which means as a result of it was a gift. For the fan that enjoys the physique piercing pattern a pink or blue Biobplasts Blazing Baseball Stomach Ring will do the trick.

The inexpensiveness of some modern rhinestones has allowed them to be utilized in every type of utility, from dog collars to baseball caps. Some of essentially the most distinctive fun baseball products are baseball slippers for women offered on amazon, baseball purses and totes or baseball cuff link, money clip, and tie tack for males. At the most primary, you won't go fallacious with knee-length or longer skirts for women and suits or gown shirts and pants for males. Second, tucking shirts in and wearing belts are okay for the holidays, however they certain aren't the cool hip look we're going for. The place where you will is n determining issue for the accessories. This means earrings; bracelets, rings and necklaces are all no-no's. Mothers and boys proceed to complain that COOL boys clothes are non-existent. These are some great wedding ideas for sports lovers. Maybe you are fascinated with sports activities cufflinks that exhibit your hobbies.

This French hybrid grape produces a dry crimson wine that is daring, wealthy, and full bodied. For white wine fans, strive the LaCrosse, a semi candy gem with aromas of melon and pear. Other hot picks embrace a diamond bracelet or perhaps a diamond and sapphire coronary heart locket. One of the crucial simple, but traditional, items of jewellery is a top quality bracelet. There's the inexpensive choice of fashion jewelry. Wholesale trend jewelry is the idea assigned to organizations that manufacture type jewellery. A standard misconception is that style jewelry is simply too fake trying. Trend jewellery is available in all differing kinds. A photo of just a little lady at her first dance recital or slightly boy in his first baseball sport put on photograph jewelry may make fantastic keepsake reward. The standard of Gold present nice pliability along with ductility as nicely as the man views and his awesome ability to generate wonderful together with sophisticated patterns affords full Gold Jewelry the infatuation related to loveliness. From a three-stone ring that sparkles with the previous, present and future, or a classic eternity ring, diamonds are a arms-down sentimental favourite. There are a number of seems to be that must be pulled together in 2006. If you're going for a glance, go all the way in which and baseball jewelry.

For the sports activities fan in you, there is a wide choice of sports activities cufflinks accessible including a wide variety of sports group cufflinks. Individuals do not realize that in the event that they cannot afford the actual deal, there are more options. Mouth - select a cute pair of lips, smile, chuckle, frown or even a tongue sticking out plus more. Gifts for Collectors Nearly any object can be collected: baseball cards, spoons, vintage brooches, and even vintage blenders. The Boston Pink Sox is probably essentially the most well-known baseball staff to affiliate with Phiten titanium necklaces. Do you love your workforce almost as much as the individual you intend to marry? If you're a baseball fan or even a soccer fan, you'll be able to rotate your team throughout the seasons so you are all the time on prime of the sport. Boys' clothes are getting cooler and cooler the entire time. This is nice for people who are up in age who have points corresponding to osteoporosis, arthritis, or something that has brought on their legs to become weakened. However, a lot of people say it has really helped them; they even talked about they have been also skeptical to start with.

Or is the deck stacked against her and she'll lose a lot of money? It is apparent that much less money is needed for a flea market than for a retail retailer, but what's not so obvious? In other phrases, concentrate on how a lot cash you may have already made on that order that came in, rather than specializing in the items which can be left over and haven't bought. In addition to giving the video games their construction, rules are meant to give all individuals a (supposedly) even playing discipline. These seats embrace a button that permits the seated individual to rise up with ease, each time they're prepared. Are you able to easily get to various spots to buy? Get a second opinion. Men also hit a home run with the lady of their lives by marking a significant (or not so vital) anniversary with the diamond anniversary ring. I believe this could possibly be an amazing gift for a particular occasion similar to graduation or marriage ceremony or an anniversary.

I made a necklace with a favourite photo of a sunset right here. Add earrings and a necklace to finish your look. When using the search terms, you should also add your city or city identify to the search with a view to uncover sources near you. Certain, you could find replica Collection bands along collectively utilizing arranged stones and likewise diamonds, nevertheless these would be the exception, not the particular rule. Diamonds dazzle like nothing else can. Dazzle her with a diamond. These collars also include some type of identification on them, very similar to we use on our canine tags at the moment. Such a wonderful paradise that is like a slice of Heaven on Earth. Even when you don’t have expertise at all, it can just take a couple weeks of messing around with programs as Photoshop and Illustrator. Nevertheless, in today’s world the place mummification will not be possible, pet owners still have the choice to honor their furry pals with the help of pet memorials.

When i lived at dwelling, I all the time tried to help make modifications for the higher, fairly than just letting dangerous politics resolve for me. These really show off the interests of any sharp dressed man all whereas catering to his interior sports lover. In case you ask a man what he actually wants, he's likely to say a brand new automotive, some sports activities gear or model new instruments. Missing baseball jewelry, which usually shelving up wards repeated flyer a long way in arms and, joints, fingers, legs and, in addition to earlobes. Many rabid baseball enthusiasts placed on additional the typical investing credit charge enjoying greeting handmade homemade enterprise notes, signed objects, banners and ads, paint footplate, in addition to bubblehead dolls. The first Pizza Hut opened in 1958, which is about 500 years closer. It always has a recent just cleaned regarded that seems to fade rapidly with yellow gold. Judy is considering promoting earrings at the local swapmeet with baseball jewelry.

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

Welcome to the Florida Keys

Most of the time when I start dreaming of a new destination for the first time, I can point to several factors. Maybe it’s the setting of a book I’m reading. Maybe it’s getting a lot of press thanks to a news story. Maybe I have a blogger friend or two who visited recently and loved it.

In the case of the Florida Keys, one of my top dream destinations lately, I can point to one source. Bloodline.

My sister had been recommending the Netflix drama for quite a while, but it took me forever to sit down and actually watch it. Bloodline is about a prominent family in the Florida Keys: the parents (Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard) own a luxury resort in the Keys; they’re pillars of the community. They have four children: a detective (Kyle Chandler), a lawyer (Linda Cardellini), a shipyard owner (Norbert Leo Butz), and a burnout who waltzes into and out of his family’s lives (the excellent Ben Mendelsohn, who won an Emmy for his role).

But behind this picture-perfect family are secrets, and crime, and murder. And the show raises questions about how far you’d go to protect your family.

(Just know one thing — Bloodline is a slow burn. I think it took me about four episodes to really get into it. I highly recommend you keep going even if you’re not sure how you feel about it — trust me, it’s worth it!)

What I love most about Bloodline was how it captures the Keys, and particularly paints a gritty image of the Keys — ratty local bars, grungy docks, and dirty trailer parks interspersed among the resorts.

I always had an image in my mind of the Keys being nothing but jaw-dropping beauty and luxury properties. This gritty portrayal was nothing like what I had imagined. And for that reason, I became obsessed with visiting this destination for myself.

I knew I had to visit the Florida Keys.

My friend Cailin and I decided to do a road trip through the Keys and Miami as an add-on to our trip to Universal Orlando. This jaunt would give us two nights in the mid-Keys, based in Islamorada, and two nights in Key West. (We were supported in part by Florida Keys Tourism; see the end of the post for details.)

Key West is like a completely different planet from the rest of the Keys — and for that reason will be covered in a different post. THIS post is about the Mid-Keys, stretching from Key Largo in the northeast to Big Pine Key in the southwest.

Here is the story of our trip to the Keys, told in a series of vignettes.

The New Hampshire of the South

As we drive into the Keys, I’m struck by the sensation that I’ve already been here — that this is a place I knew well.

It hits me when we drive into a sandy parking lot punctuated with palm trees. I’ve seen parking lots like those many times — only with pine trees. In New Hampshire.

Rural streets filled with discount souvenir shops, hawking cheap t-shirts and pool floats. Lots of prime waterfront space without any exceptional beaches of which to speak. Unpretentious restaurants where the dress code is nonexistent and hits from decades ago play loudly. Loud, warm locals that lean into your conversations and give no-nonsense answers.

Not to mention the sneaking suspicion that you would never want to get on the bad side of one of these locals.

This was what I grew up with during my summers camping in New Hampshire. Turn up the heat and humidity, add palm trees and mangroves, and the Florida Keys could be the same place.

Keys Drinking Culture

People in the Keys do seem to drink a lot. Locals do as well as visitors, a great number of them in their fifties and older. And this is a place where you can drink in abundance.

Cailin and I have driven all the way down from Orlando, a six-hour drive. It’s time to start our night at Ciao Hound, near Islamorada, a brand new Italian restaurant.

We start with prosciutto-wrapped shrimp and vegetables, then move on to heartier fare, a local beer, a sparkling water. It’s like heaven after a long day of driving. (Also, dogs have their own fancy dining area and menu here!)

Next we’re led back to the Tiki Bar behind the restaurant, torches flaming in welcome.

Cailin opts for their signature drink, a strawberry daiquiri and piña colada hybrid with a floater shot of rum on top. I’m driving that night, so I order a mojito and sip it slowly. Made with key lime-infused rum, I think that this is the best mojito I’ve ever tasted.

Didn’t you say the same thing about the mojitos at that salsa club in Cartagena, Kate?

I might have.

“Get off your phones!” the bartender yells at us. “You’re on vacation!”

Cailin and I stiffen. The reaction is to respond, “We’re working,” but that’s problematic. Sure, we don’t have to snap and Instagram and Facebook every moment of the trip, but we know our readers and our readers would love these pretty drinks. And most people would kill to do what we do for work, so to draw attention to what we do seems to be rude at best.

Where is the happy medium? Seven years into professional travel blogging, I haven’t found it yet.

We do at least put our phones away and walk over to the dance floor. A cover band is blasting “Beat It” while the intoxicated jump up and down, updating Michael Jackson’s iconic 80s dance moves with some modern twerking.

Cailin and I pose for snaps with a giant monster truck parked nearby and drive to our hotel.

Later on, we read about Snappers, a brunch spot in Key Largo with a make-your-own-Bloody-Mary bar. Might as well start the day right!

Reservations are necessary at this restaurant, I hear, and I make the requisite phone call, despite having developed a fear for calling strangers on the telephone in the age of texting.

Now — a brunch place with mandatory reservations sounds like it might be fancy or formal. Not whatsoever in the Keys. We dine outside underneath Samuel Adams-branded umbrellas, watching locals jet ski their way up and down the waterways.

The Bloody Mary bar is worth the hype. We’re each given a glass filled with vodka, ice, and a single shrimp, then are led to a table covered with bottles of juices, sauces, and accoutrements. Cailin is thrilled to discover that they have clamato juice and she can make a Caesar, Canada’s answer to the Bloody Mary. (Me: “So you’re saying there are clams in your tomato juice?”) I fill mine with pickles and peperoncinis and enough horseradish to clear my sinuses for the next month, then only drink a quarter of it because I’m still driving, after all.

The Keys has such a strong drinking culture, yet it’s a place where you can’t get by without a car. What did people do before Uber?!

Sunset Time

One night we head to Lorelei, a popular waterfront bar and restaurant in Islamorada. It’s a prime sunset spot, famous for its giant mermaid painted on the side of the road.

The drinks at Lorelei are terrific — Cailin and I both get key lime coladas. The food is meh. The key lime pie is an abomination. But that’s fine — the band consists of several men in their fifties playing covers of Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers songs.

People are dancing and partying until the band grinds to a halt and gives a speech talking about why we need to support our troops. (My non-American friends are always surprised to see this when they visit the States. It’s not common in other countries to talk this much about the military.) The band then transitions into a 3 Doors Down medley.

“3 Doors Down was one of few bands who actually played at the inauguration,” I tell Cailin.

Monroe County, home of the Keys, narrowly voted for Trump in the 2016 election.

We don’t talk about politics with any locals on this trip.

The sun goes down and everyone jumps up with their phone to photograph it.

“This is it. I love this,” says a white-haired man snapping shots with his Android, the brightness of the sun blowing out the rest of the sky.

“It’s great,” I agree.

“I know! I live here!” he exclaims, swaying in place to the band.

It’s something that I had missed for quite some time. American exuberance. Going up to strangers and starting a conversation for no reason at all. Less common in urban areas and the northeast but present throughout the nation, especially in this very American vacation destination.

It happens again on the trip. At a souvenir shop, I take of a picture of a bumper sticker reading SURRENDER THE BOOTY to text to my bud Jeremy, knowing he’ll love it. (Best left unexplained.)

A sixty-something woman sees me taking the photo and grabs my arm. “That’s my–” and she starts laughing so hard that she can’t get the words out. “That’s my — my — husband’s nickname!” She collapses in laughter; I tentatively join in before edging away.

How to Spend Your Days

Now, lest you think that the Keys are only for relaxing and doing little to nothing, you can fill your days with activities here, too.

Cailin and I start at the Florida Keys Brewing Company. It’s filled with all kinds of art, neon growlers and mermaid-tipped taps. The staff couldn’t be friendlier or more warm as they pour us a ring-shaped sampler.

The ingredients here come straight from the Keys — like Iguana Bait, a hibiscus-flavored beer. Go for the flight of 10 beers, featuring the best of what they have at the moment. I’m a big fan of the Coffee Stout and the Hurricane Hole Red.

The brewery is actually part of the Morada Way Arts District, a small collection of galleries and artists’ studios. Like most galleries I’ve seen in Florida, the landscape is the main subject. You won’t find gloomy art here.

For something quirky and different, Robbie’s Marina, just south of Islamorada, features tarpon feeding. you can buy a bucket of small fish and feed them to the huge, biting tarpons penned into the water.

It’s scary enough on its own. It becomes even more terrifying when the pelicans start chasing you, trying to snag the smelly fish for themselves.

Have I mentioned that my two biggest fears are fish and birds?

Despite that, it’s a lot of fun. Stay for lunch at the Hungry Tarpon.

For something more docile, visit the Turtle Hospital in Marathon and learn about the work that they do to save sick and injured turtles around the Keys and beyond.

Many of the turtles have “bubble butts” from damage that keep them floating on the surface. The hospital attaches weights to them to help them swim normally.

Panicking at the thought of being away from my gym for ten days, I look for Zumba classes and find one scheduled at the Cheeca Lodge, a gorgeous luxury property in Islamorada. As I drive onto the property, I grumble at being stuck behind a red SUV driven by a woman having a full-blown conversation with the security guard.

Eventually she leaves and I drive up.

“I’m just here for a Zumba class,” I tell the security guard.

“Oh, that’s your teacher!” she says, pointing to the SUV. I promptly drive after the vehicle to make sure I don’t get lost on the vast property.

Here’s something awkward: I’m literally the only person who showed up for class. That’s never happened before!

We do Zumba one on one, me dancing behind her in an upstairs ballroom. She’s got Pitbull on her playlist, which is my benchmark of a good class.

My teacher’s name is Denise. She’s from Germany. Like many people, she came to the Keys on vacation, considered spending longer, and when a job fell into her lap, it seemed like a sign.

I couldn’t imagine a place less like Germany. Perhaps that’s why she fell in love with it so much.

A Certain Kind of Girl

After several days in the Keys, Cailin poses a question: “There’s a certain kind of girl who lives here, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“They all have that look.”

Immediately, I know what she’s talking about.

The girls around our age work in the brewery and wait tables along the waterfront. They love to fish and go out on the water whenever they can. They’re open and friendly and loud, and they’re not afraid to call you on your bullshit.

These girls are deeply tan, what my family members would call “brown as a berry,” clad in denim shorts and worn tank tops with cheap sunglasses perched on their foreheads. Their hair is pulled back into sensible ponytails or worn down and wild, glinting in the sunlight in several different sun-bleached shades.

Could I live here? is a question that I always ask myself, everywhere I go. Could this be my life?

Living here would mean subverting the vast majority of my life. I could not be less like these girls. And not only  because my uniform is jeans, black tops, and tall black boots, which wouldn’t work for one minute in the Florida Keys.

These girls are interesting. Maybe it’s that they’re so different.

And then there’s the pie.

Key Lime Pie. World-famous, sweet and tart, made from the tiny limes that grow on these islands.

Every restaurant claims the best key lime pie of all. Most of them are lying. But taste is a subjective thing — you never know which one will appeal to you personally. The only thing to do is to taste them all!

If you’re in the mid-Keys, I recommend heading to Ma’s Fish Camp in Islamorada, the Blond Giraffe in Tavernier, or Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen in Key Largo. All of them serve excellent key lime pies.

Where We Stayed — Islander Resort Bayside

Islamorada was the perfect place to base in the Keys, and we stayed at a lovely little town home, the Islander Resort Bayside, for our two nights there.

I can’t tell you what we were more excited about — the fact that it was a two-bedroom apartment and we each got our own room, or that we had a washer and dryer! It was the halfway point of our trip and couldn’t have been better timed on either side!

I loved our little home. It was ideally located in central Islamorada, a short drive (or even a walk) from lots of attractions. There was a pool in the back overlooking the water.

It’s expensive to stay here, with nightly rates starting above $300. The Keys are incredibly expensive, though, and this is a standard price for a property of this quality. That said, you can save money by making use of the kitchen and cooking some of your meals.

The Takeaway

My time in the Keys feels like a dream. Not in a conventional sense when you can’t believe that you traveled somewhere so beautiful, but more like you just got back from a bizarre destination and you’re still trying to wrap your head around it.

  Would I want to go back? Would I EVER. I feel like I barely scraped the surface of this destination. Plus, Bloodline has a third (and sadly final) season coming up. I’ll be Keys-crazy once again!

If you’re looking to plan a trip to Florida, I highly recommend the Keys. It’s a far cry from more conventional destinations like Orlando and Miami, and very different from beach destinations, but I think it’s the overall culture and feeling that makes it so interesting. I hope you agree.

Essential Info: While we based two nights in the mid-Keys and two nights in Key West, I recommend spending more time if you can, especially if you’re driving from far away. Budget at least three nights for Key West, possibly even more if you can afford it, and three nights would be great for Islamorada or elsewhere in the mid-Keys as well.

Feeding the tarpons at Robbie’s costs $1 per person and $3 per bucket of fish.

Tours of the Turtle Hospital in Marathon are $22 for adults and $11 for children.

The hourlong Zumba class I took takes place on Saturdays at 10:00 AM at Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada and costs $15. I recommend verifying before you arrive. You must call and book the day before.

The Keys, as you may have noticed, can be shockingly expensive, especially when it comes to accommodation. Rates at the Islander Resort Bayside start at $317. Find more hotels in Islamorada here.

If you’re a Bloodline fan, my friend Andy wrote a guide to the series’ season one filming locations.

Don’t visit the Keys without travel insurance — if you get injured on your trip, it could save your finances and your life. I use and recommend World Nomads.

Many thanks to Florida Keys Tourism and local partners for supporting our trip. We received several comps including accommodation at the Islander Resort Bayside, visits to the Florida Keys Brewing Company and Turtle Hospital, and meals at Ciao Hound and The Hungry Tarpon. Other expenses, including all other meals, activities, car rental and gas, were paid in full by me and Cailin. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Do the Florida Keys look like your kind of destination? Share away!

via Travel Blogs http://ift.tt/2lCntak