#another piece that i wish i had a gold foil print of

[kosalus]

i was just a kid, how’d it get like this?

you can get this as a print here!

[lexacourtney]

Hi Sarah!

It’s been four days since I finished House of Earth and Blood and since I do not have the time at this very moment to reread it, I thought I’d do something else instead. Still tied to my love of SJM and her books, in the hopes that it would satisfy me for now.

I’ve been a SJM fan ever since 2012, when I first saw Throne of Glass on shelves in Borders…well, I think it was Borders. I don’t remember when they closed and became Books-A-Million. Neither of those stores are in the location they used to be, but I can still remember that the YA section was straight back, at the back of the store, and Throne of Glass was sitting on the top right side of the shelf. I picked it up because of the title, probably because of the cover, and then left that day with it after reading the synopsis.

Then I read it and fell in love.

Then the tedious waits began.

Waiting for each new book was always torture.

2013 gave me Crown of Midnight and a chance to meet Sarah for the first time. I think I’ve briefly talked about this signing in a NaNoWriMo post, or a Writing Journey Post, which one, I don’t remember. But in 2013 my friend and I heard about a writing workshop/signing that Sarah, Susan Dennard, Erin Bowman, Kat Zhang and Jodi Meadows were doing. By 2013 my friend and I had graduated High School and while this workshop/signing was primarily meant for high schoolers, we met the age requirement so of course we went. It was such a fun event, we’re we basically got to hang out with the authors. I even came up with my 2013 NaNoWriMo idea at that event!

It ended up running long, and we were kicked out of the library. Most of the teens had left at this point, parents needing to drive them home. We ended up taking photos outside of the library, and overall the event was a blast.

Then in 2014 I was able to meet Sarah again, and get more of my books signed! Now I had The Assassin’s Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire signed. I even have a picture of when SJM’s books only took up a small space on my shelves…those days are long over, and I can’t be more excited about it.

I’ve tried over the years to document each new release – I’ve not always been successful, and I blame my excitement. I get too excited for the new book, so the moment I get it, I sit and read it, photos be damned.

While I’m sad that the TOG series is now over – though, I could and would totally read any book that was just them living their lives happily in the aftermath of Kingdom of Ash. It doesn’t even need to have a plot. Just give me a book full of random scenes. But as I was saying, while I’m sad that the TOG series is over, SJM is continuing to put out freaking stellar content. The A Court of Thorns and Roses series is another favorite. I love Rhys and Feyre and the Inner Circle. Legit the moment after I finished A Court of Wings and Ruin for the first time, I started the series over. She just makes you fall in love with these characters, and you care so much and so deeply. Sarah is amazing at portraying emotions and tough situations, and she does it so well that they feel like they’re your emotions. At least, that’s how I feel when I read her books.

Most recently we have House of Earth and Blood, which is fucking fantastic. Like, I cannot express it enough that you need to go pick this book up. It’s instantly a favorite and definitely on my list of favorite books of 2020.

I’ve had the chance to meet Sarah a few other times over the years, mainly at various Apollycon’s, so I have a few of her books signed. My collection of SJM doesn’t rival Brigid or Jen, I wish it did. Trading for arcs of Sarah’s books is nearly impossible, and I would need more shelf space to have every copy of her books…one day. One day I’ll have all the copies.

I’ve told you all about my history with Sarah and her books, and you’ve seen bits and pieces of that history, so now I’m going to show you my little collection. I almost hesitated to post this, because comparably to my Brigid and JLA collections, this one appears…lacking. But then I thought about it, 1) I didn’t really start collection multiple copies of books until early 2019, and 2) I guess quantity isn’t what’s the most important thing about collecting. It’s about loving a series so much you do posts like this, or you just own one set.

I will obviously continue to buy Sarah’s books and I will always be a fan. I’m currently contemplating buying another copy of House of Earth and Blood…because I totally need another one? Right?

I sound a bit like a hypocrite, oh well!

So, let’s jump into this, shall we?

Quick rundown of Sarah’s Titles (even though we all know them):

Throne of Glass Series:

The Assassins Blade

Throne of Glass

Crown of Midnight

Heir of Fire

Queen of Shadows

Empire of Storms

Tower of Dawn

Kingdom of Ash

 A Court of Thorns and Roses Series:

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Frost and Starlight

DC Icons:

Catwoman: Soul Stealer

Crescent City Series:

House of Earth and Blood

Here’s my entire collection of SJM books. They take up quite a bit of room on my shelf, and due to space constraints, i can’t really display them as I would really like to. After all, they’re all pretty large books. Kingdom of Ash x3 takes up a lot of shelf space…and yes, I need all of them. I obviously don’t have every copy, ever created of these books, but I love my little collection. They’re all well loved.

On top of US standard editions, and various exclusive editions (Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million/Target) I also have a few UK copies, as well as all of the Special Collector Editions that were printed.

Here are some links you can check out!

TOG / ACOTAR / Catwoman / CC

Let’s start with the Throne of Glass series:

I have the standard US Hardcover illustrated cover editions, minus Throne of Glass which has the original cover. I have a two copies of Tower of Dawn – one’s a standard hardcover, and one is a B&N Signed Edition. I have three copies of Kingdom of Ash – one’s a B&N edition, one is the BAM edition, one is the Target edition.

I know I’m missing a few exclusive editions here and there, and maybe one day I’ll get them, but I’m happy with this little collection.

There are quite a few books here. Tell me I don’t need more. They take up enough room as it is (lol).

Links:

TAB/TOG/COM/HOF/QOS/EOS/TOD/KOA

Pictured (top to bottom): US HC The Assassins Blade / US OG Cover Throne of Glass / US HC Crown of Midnight / US HC Heir of Fire / US HC Queen of Shadows / B&N HC Empire of Storms / US HC Tower of Dawn / B&N HC Tower of Dawn / B&N HC Kingdom of Ash / BAM HC Kingdom of Ash / Target HC Kingdom of Ash 

To stay in theme, let’s look at the UK Covers:

Now, I don’t have all of them…yet. I need to place a Book Depository order. Or, I just need to go back to the UK. I *might* be going back to Scotland next year, so…we’ll see. I only have the UK paperbacks of the first three books. I actually love the fact that they’re white. It’s such a contrast to the US covers. Since I don’t currently have the US paperbacks, it was really nice being able to not have to carry around massive books during my reread.

I can’t wait until I have the whole set…though I will need another shelf for them.

Here are some links:

TOG/COM/HOF 

Pictured (top to bottom): UK PB Throne of Glass / UK PB Crown of Midnight / UK PB Heir of Fire

Next, we have the Special Collector Editions.

I heard the words “Special Collector Editions” and I knew I’d need them. I hope that one day they do all the books in the series to match. These are gorgeous dust jacket-less, hardcovers with embossed gold foiling. The US Editions come with protective sleeves.

The UK Edition didn’t come in a sleeve, and I’m kind of bummed there wasn’t a UK edition of A Court of Thorns and Roses. These books are stunning, and I really need enough shelf space to truly show them off. Also I’m kind of bummed that my US Throne of Glass edition came slightly banged up in the corner. I unfortunately and annoyingly didn’t notice until I’d opened it up and pulled it out of the sleeve. It was a Christmas gift from my brother (I told him to buy it for me) and by the time I received it, I couldn’t return or exchange it. I still love it, flaw and all.

Here are some links:

UK TOG / US TOG / ACOTAR 

Pictured (top to bottom): UK SE Throne of Glass / US SE Throne of Glass / US SE A Court of Thorns and Roses

And then, the A Court of Thorns and Roses Series:

I love these books. For a long while I thought I loved them more than TOG…but then I binge re-read that whole series in two month (I highly recommend reading all those books right after one another, but be prepared to be in a massive slump, and now I question everything I once thought.

Like most people, my favorite book is A Court of Mist and Fury. It’s so good and the character arcs…*chef’s kiss*. There are perfect moments in all of these books, and I’m excited for the next one set to come out…I guess next year. I am kind of bummed that the covers won’t match (tbh, not the biggest fan of the cover changes, but will undoubtedly end up buying them).

I only have the standard US hardcover editions for this series. I have a standard ACOWAR plus the BAM Edition. For ACOFAS, I have a signed copy I got through a Virtual Signing, and the BAM Edition.

Here are some links:

ACOTAR / ACOMAF / ACOWAR / ACOFAS 

Pictured (top to bottom): US HC A Court of Thorns and Roses / US HC A Court of Mist and Fury / US HC A Court of Wings and Ruin / BAM HC A Court of Wings and Ruin / BAM HC A Court of Frost and Starlight / US HC A Court of Frost and Starlight. 

And finally, Sarah’s latest release, the first book in the Crescent City series:

I do have a full review for this book, as I just recently read it. If you’re interested, you can check it out – here – I loved it. There were scenes that were purely cinematic. There were moments that made me cry; made me laugh; made me feel everything. I loved Bryce, Hunt, Lehabah and Syrinx. I just loved this book, and I’m dying for book 2.

It felt like SJM, but it also felt completely different. I mean that as a compliment. Like, if I didn’t already know it was written by her, and I just started reading it, I would know immediately who wrote it. Maybe it’s because it’s an urban fantasy, and not jut fantasy, or maybe it’s because there’s a crime they’re trying to solve, something about this book just felt fresh and new and wholly amazing. It deserves all the praise. This book is fantastic, and I can’t wait to add editions to my collection. I’m already contemplating getting another copy.

Here’s a link:

HOEAB

Pictured: US HC House of Earth and Blood 

To close this very long post off – who knew that this Book Collection post would rival my other ones – I thought I’d just share some up close pictures of my signed copies. I don’t have every book in my collection signed, though I wish I did. I try to get at least one signed by Sarah every time I see her.

Above: US Hardcover The Assassin’s Blade 

Above: US Original Hardcover Throne of Glass 

Above: US Hardcover Crown of Midnight 

Above: US Hardcover Heir of Fire 

(I have no idea why this is signed twice – honestly. It’s not a second hand copy, it was brand new when I bought it, but I guess I must’ve taken it to an event not realizing it was signed. I guess Sarah quickly signed it again. I have no recollection of this. It’s not double signed in the picture at the top of this post, which was taken in 2014, so sometime between then and now, it got signed again.)

Above: US Hardcover Tower of Dawn 

Above: US Hardcover Kingdom of Ash

Above: US Hardcover A Court of Thorns and Roses 

Above: US Hardcover A Court of Frost and Starlight 

And that’s it! This post is much long than I anticipated, and took a lot long to format that I thought it would! I figured it would be 1500 words tops. I guess I underestimated just how much I had to say…though to be fair, I didn’t plan on doing that whole long intro before jumping into the actual collection.

I was scrolling back through my Instagram feed (as one occasionally does, or I do) and kind of forgot that I had some of these pictures from throughout the last decade. Oh wow, it’s been almost a decade since I discovered Sarah’s books…granted I need to wait like 2 more years, give or take, but damn.

Anyways, I digress as always. I hope you enjoyed this very long post (I’m sorry!) and let me know which author you collect!

Book Collection: Sarah J. Maas (@SJMaas) A post dedicated to 8 years of reading and loving Sarah's books. #newpost #blogpost #bookpost #bookblog #books #blog #blogger #bloggerswanted #bloggerstribe #bloggingcommunity #bookish Hi Sarah! It’s been four days since I finished House of Earth and Blood and since I do not have the time at this very moment to reread it, I thought I’d do something else instead.

[femmesfollesnebraska]

Artist Feature: Holly Wong

Thrilled to feature this q-and-a with artist Holly Wong...

1.       Where are you from? 

I am from North Miami Beach Florida which is a diverse suburban community within the broader Miami, Dade County.

“Mind/Forest II” 2018, Polyester tulle, thread, duralene plastic, plastic rope, cotton gauze, origami paper, and monofilament wire, 20’L x 15’D x 14’H.

2.       How did you get into creative work and what is your impetus for creating? 

Like many children, I had a passion for drawing when I was growing up and I developed an ability and love for art making at an early age.  Miami was experimenting at the time with arts magnet educational programs in the 1980’s and I had the benefit of attending a number of arts high schools that helped me focus my interest in art making as a life path.  Alongside of this, my mother taught me a great deal about sewing and in general, making things with fabric and other types of materials; I developed a confidence in sewing later in life as a result of this.

3.       Tell me about your current/upcoming show/exhibit/book/project and why it’s important to you. 

I currently am preparing for two exhibitions.  The first is participating in the A.I.R. Gallery National Members exhibit in Brooklyn, New York from May 23, 2019-June 22, 2019.  I will be showing a series of four water colors on paper that have been burned with candle smoke.  The imagery in this series has a patterned and dream-like reference, layered with the candle smoke which blurs and obfuscates the images.  It is a metaphor for memory and how our understanding of history changes with the passage of time.  The second exhibition is a solo show at the Evanston Art Center in Illinois from July 14, 2019-August 11, 2019.  This exhibit is titled “Silent Music” and consists of several large fiber-based installations on the walls as well as suspended pieces in front of a large window which speak to the nature of psychological states and the visual movement of thought. I utilize ephemeral materials such as polyester tulle, thread and dichroic film to describe a state of both absence and presence.  “Silent Music” is about trying to find a center of stillness in a deeply conflicted world.

“Silent Music I”, 18’W x 8’H x 2’D, Dichroic film, vinyl table cloth, plastic bags, gold foil, hand-painted vellum, and thread, 2019.

4.       What do you hope people get out of your work? 

This is always a really great question because people’s responses to a piece of art work are not only the function of the work itself but also the lens of their own psychology and personal experience.  I do hope that my work gives a feeling of peace and an opportunity for self-reflection. In some ways, my work is an invitation to enter a psychological space free of judgment or preconception.  I want people to have a primary experience in viewing my work and to feel awareness that despite our casting of reality in one way or another, impermanence is the constant.

5.       Does collaboration play a role in your work—whether with your community, artists or others?  How so and how does this impact your work?

I would say that at this point, my work to date has entirely been constructed by my own hands and I take a particular joy from literally the hundreds of hours of sewing involved.  It is a meditation in itself.  I do hope at some point to do larger public works and I realize to scale up, I will need to trust and involve others.  I have been invited to participate in a collaborative project with other artists as a part of an application to the Canadian World of Threads 2021 festival which will be my first collaborative activity.  I really appreciate Hana Rotchild’s invitation and her work is wonderful. (See more at @hanarotchild) 

6.       Considering the political climate, how do you think the temperature is for the arts right now, what/how do you hope it may change or make a difference?

I think there are many climates in the arts environment because it is such a complex ecosystem and it is hard to describe it monolithically.  That said, I do see trends; there is a new focus on art that has a quality of social practice/social engagement and also a focus on highlighting artists of color which is incredibly encouraging.  It has also been great to see artists creating their own opportunities for themselves by launching collectives and defining exhibition venues for themselves.  These are very positive things.  I think the market place still ultimately drives what is talked about or shown in some major museums but it is changing as more people of color become curators and start to be a part of the conversation that they were never a part of previously. I don’t think any of these things happened because it was “given to people”.  It was the result of many years of fighting and advocacy and if there was something that I wish could change, I would say that the art world needs to continue to expand to include more voices and to institutionalize the notion of inclusiveness vs. an occasional give away when it is politically advantageous.

“Emerge ”, 11”W x 12”H, Plastic, dichroic film, vinyl lace tablecloth, painted vellum, polyester tulle and thread, 2019 

  7.       Artist Wanda Ewing, who curated and titled the original LFF exhibit, examined the perspective of femininity and race in her work, and spoke positively of feminism, saying “yes, it is still relevant” to have exhibits and forums for women in art; does feminism play a role in your work? 

I would not describe my work as explicitly feminist per se because the impetus of my work is my study of Zen Buddhism and the notion of creating a visual environment of formlessness and nondiscrimination.  However, I use fabric and sewing practices as a major component of my work and can often be cast as “other” because I am working in ephemeral materials that are the domain of domestic activity.  Because I am a middle-aged woman, I have experienced some inequities as many of my generation have whether in the workplace or elsewhere.  Thus by definition, I am a feminist because I believe firmly in the full emancipation of my gender.  Feminism is 100% still relevant because many women, especially disadvantaged women of color, are not free or able to participate in their own self-determination.  It is true that my artwork does not explicitly speak to these issues but its presence outside the white cube is a feminist action in of itself.

8.       Ewing’s advice to aspiring artists was “you’ve got to develop the skill of when to listen and when not to;” and “Leave. Gain perspective.”  What is your favorite advice you have received or given?  

I love Ewing’s advice and it really resonates with me.  My husband, Al Wong, a highly accomplished San Francisco Bay Area artist and educator, gave me the best advice one day. I was feeling deeply uncertain about the nature of my imagery, its value or relevance.  He said to me: “You must be your own Charlie Parker.”  (For readers new to jazz, Charlie Parker was a legendary American jazz saxophonist and composer living during the first half of the 20th century).  My husband encourages me to follow my artist path exactly as my instincts are telling me to do and not to copy anyone in order to be accepted.  His fierce belief in me even at times when I did not see it in myself was ultimately transformational for me.

Holly Wong in her studio, photo by Al Wong.

https://hollywongart.com/

~

Les Femmes Folles is a volunteer organization founded in 2011 with the mission to support and promote women in all forms, styles and levels of art from around the world with the online journal, print annuals, exhibitions and events; originally inspired by artist Wanda Ewing and her curated exhibit by the name Les Femmes Folles (Wild Women). LFF was created and is curated by Sally Deskins.  LFF Booksis a micro-feminist press that publishes 1-2 books per year by the creators of Les Femmes Folles including the award-winning Intimates & Fools (Laura Madeline Wiseman, 2014) , The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters: Ten Tales (Laura Madeline Wiseman/Lauren Rinaldi, 2015 and Mes Predices (catalog of art/writing by Marie Peter Toltz, 2017).Other titles include Les Femmes Folles: The Women 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 available on blurb.com, including art, poetry and interview excerpts from women artists. A portion of the proceeds from LFF books and products benefit the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Wanda Ewing Scholarship Fund.

Current call for collaborative art-writing: http://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/post/181376606692/lff-2019-artistpoet-collaborations

Current call: What does being a womxn mean to you? http://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/post/183697785757/what-does-being-a-womxn-today-mean-to-youyour

[harrysmeadow]

HELD - CHAPTER 4

CATCH UP HERE / PLAYLIST / HARRY’S INSTA / ERIN’S INSTA

“I don’t know why I’m friend’s with you two.” Harry declared, looking between Izzy and Sam, who were wiping away tears from their reddened cheeks. “You’re so mean to me sometimes.” He said, a small pout playing on his lips, making me want to immediately tell Izzy and Sam to stop making him feel bad.

“We are when you come out with lines like that!” Sam exclaimed, still wheezing from his outburst of laughter.

“Well if you’re both carrying on like that, I’m going somewhere else.” He teased. Standing up from his place at the table, he looked down at me. I was grinning from ear to ear, there was no point now hiding my amusement at their exchange. The smile he sent back made the butterflies in my tummy return, but I don’t think they were nervous ones this time.

“You coming Erin?” He asked brightly.

“Are you definitely sure I’m allowed to come?” I questioned to Izzy as I pulled open my wardrobe doors scanning the contents hoping something would stand out and catch my eye.

I’d been reluctant in agreeing to go the dinner in the first place but as the time was growing nearer my nerves were increasing too. I didn’t know why, all I’d be doing was sitting down and having a meal while listening to some people make speeches. But from what I’d heard it sounded very much like a community occasion. And I was not part of the community. Izzy, Sam and Harry had all raved about the event when they first brought it up, going on about what a great time it would be. I’d bought a ticket which granted my entrance to the event like everyone else, but in my head it still didn’t seem right.

“Yes Erin, stop worrying over nothing.” she replied from behind me where she was sat at my dressing table applying her makeup. She caught my apprehensive expression in the mirror and swiveled in her seat to face me. “All you have to do is show up and look pretty, actually you don’t even have to do that, literally just show up.”

“I know.” I groaned. “I just feel like I’m intruding.”

“Well you’re not intruding if people want you there, and I want you there, so you’re not.” She said matter of factly.

I took a deep breath and shot her a smile. It was moments like these that I hoped Izzy knew how much she meant to me. Her words had the power to make me feel so much. I trusted her with all that I was, just those few simple words had the ability to restore some confidence in myself, because I knew she was telling the truth.

She returned my smile and went back to doing her make-up. I raked my fingers through the clothes on the hangers, hoping that something appropriate for the occasion would just magically appear. I took in a few deep breaths, which quickly turned to frustrated sighs as I realised I was highly unprepared.

“At the risk of sounding like the biggest cliche ever, I have absolutely nothing to wear.” I said with a huff, slamming my wardrobe doors closed and sitting on the edge of my bed in a sulk.

Izzy chuckled to herself as she applied the final coats of mascara to her lashes. “And at the risk of sounding like a super-human with telekinetic powers, I knew you’d say that.” She said with a smug grin.

She got up, gesturing for me to follow her down the hall. I raised from where I was perched on the edge of the bed, slightly reluctant to follow as I thought about how she still hadn’t gotten me back from my prank when I first got here. This could all be a set up I thought. So I stayed a few paces behind her and she paused when we got to my Grandparents room, another toothy grin appearing on her face.

“I came prepared.” she said with a wink, opening the door to reveal the inside of the room.

I gasped as I took in the sight in front of me. Laid out on the bed was an array of gorgeous dresses, all varying in colour, length and style. Some sparkled as the light from the window reflected off the jeweled details, others were more simple, but still striking in shape and cut.

I padded across the room so I could get a closer look at the beautiful pieces before me, trailing my fingers over the delicate fabrics. I looked up to meet Izzy’s gaze, she was still stood in the doorway watching me.

“Are these for me?” I asked tentatively.

“You wish!” she laughed. “They’re mine. But because I’m the best cousin ever I’m letting you take your pick for tonight.”

“Wow, Izzy thank you, I don’t know what to say.” I breathed with a smile, still completely enamoured with the garments.

“Well I figured you hadn’t anticipated that you would be going somewhere like this when you were packing so I thought I’d help you out. Any of them tickle your fancy?” She quipped.

I’d never been adventurous with my fashion choices, and Izzy knew that. I was willing to go for something different, but some of the dresses in front of me would definitely be pushing my boundaries. I was very much a jeans and a t-shirt kind of girl, and when I went out at uni, I was a jeans and nice top kind of girl.

I was drawn to a simple white shirt dress. The material was soft to the touch, gold piping details lined the edges of the pockets, belt and collar. The sleeves were about three-quarter length and were finished with a gorgeous contrasting satin fabric. It was simple, but elegant. It was very me I thought.

I picked up the dress by it’s hanger, holding it at arm's length and turning it to have a look at the back, hoping I wouldn’t be surprised by some obnoxious slogan or print. It was plain. I was safe.

I dropped my arm and folded the dress over my elbow, giving Izzy an appreciative smile. “I think I’ll go for this one.”

****

The fundraising dinner was being held at a gorgeous country manor house on the outskirts of Holmes Chapel, so it wasn’t too far to travel from the farmhouse. However, our original plan for Izzy to drive there and back was foiled when she decided she couldn’t, and wouldn’t drive in a ballgown.

Sam hadn’t passed his test yet, and I wasn’t insured on any cars we had in Holmes Chapel, so Harry took one for the team and said he would drive after Izzy had rang him in a panic as we were finishing getting ready.

I heard the crunching of gravel under tyres in the driveway as I slowly made my way down the stairs in my heels behind Izzy. Floating effortlessly down the steps, holding the hem of her dress in one hand and gliding the other over the bannister, she looked as if she just went about her everyday life in a ballgown. I however, was clinging on for dear life.

I decided it was a good idea I was holding onto something though when Izzy opened the door to Harry. He stepped into the house looking like he’d just come straight from London Fashion Week. A black and red pin striped suit covered his broad frame, which was nothing like the standard M&S suit I’d pictured. Not that I’d been imagining him in a suit. And his long curls which I’d so far only seen tied in a bun or headscarf, were falling freely around face, effortlessly accentuating his strong jaw.

“Erin!” Izzy hissed at me, suddenly making me aware of my staring.

“Sorry what?” I asked, looking down at them at the bottom of the stairs with a grimace. They were both looking at me with amused expressions.

“Harry said you look nice.” She giggled.

“Oh!” My grip on the bannister tightened as I internally willed myself to keep composed, and seem somewhat normal. “Thanks Harry, you too.” I replied. I was pleased with myself that I’d managed to avoid embarrassment, that was a normal answer I thought.

“Are you ok?” He asked, the hint of a small smile still lingering on his lips.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be” I scoffed.

“Well you’ve got a death grip on that bannister, and you’ve not moved an inch since I walked in.” He stated cockily, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his eyebrows at me in challenge. Izzy sniggered beside him, turning her face away, seemingly amused with the interaction between Harry and myself.

I thought I’d done well so far keeping my composure. I mean fair enough I was just stood still on the middle of the stairs staring, but I hadn’t started drooling! But that self assured grin he was sending my way, was now only making me want to smack it off. There was no way I was giving him the satisfaction of knowing he had contributed towards my weak knees. So I straightened my back slightly, still not fully trusting myself not to fall, and bravely stepped down.

“Just not comfortable in these shoes.” I said plainly, keeping my eyes focused on my feet rather than Harry, as that would surely end in disaster. “Better to be safe than sorry.” I said smugly as I reached the safety of the hallway, confidently strutting past them both. I resisted the urge to turn around to see his face, but I was satisfied hearing Izzy’s giggling behind me and a whining “shut up” coming from poor Harry.

****

“We can just get a taxi there and back.” I suggested a little later, as everyone congregated in the small hallway of the farmhouse, putting their shoes on, and getting ready to leave. We’d realised when Sam joined us in the kitchen shortly after Harry arrived, that because of his good deed of driving us to and from the event, Harry would have to go the night without drinking.

“We could, but the prices round here are extortionate.” He replied, tugging his suit jacket over his shirt. “I’d rather just not drink.” He smiled, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

“Ok, if you’re sure, because I don’t mind paying if you change your mind…” I trailed off. Despite his overly confident entrance earlier which had irritated me a bit, I still felt bad that he ended up as designated driver.

He laughed at my pathetic attempt to try and reason with him. ‘Stop trying to be a people pleaser Erin, I’m fine to drive.” He said with a cheeky grin.

“Good.” Sam interjected. “Because I do mind paying, I’m a student and have no money.”

“Same.” Harry and Izzy, both said in unison, their dry, monotone voices displaying their current displeasure at the thought of their bank balance.

He didn’t seem to be bothered at the prospect though, and I admired him for it. A lot of people our age often just drank for the sake of it, to fit in at parties and such. Harry didn’t strike me as the type to do something just because everyone else was. He was confident he could still have a good time without the aid of alcohol. I was impressed.

“Right then, off we go kids!” He announced, opening the door for me to step out onto the driveway, smiling at me as I chuckled at his enthusiasm.

****

Walking into the entrance hall of the manor house, my earlier suspicions about it being a community event were confirmed as it seemed the entire population of Holmes Chapel was in attendance.

It wasn’t often that I got to dress up or go to fancy events, and although the nervous butterflies were still fluttering around in my stomach, with Izzy as my security blanket I was feeling a lot more confident than I had imagined I would.

The four of us made our way through the hall to the main room where the dinner was being hosted. However, after we’d been stopped for the fourth time, by people calling over the boys, it became clear to me that Harry and Sam were obviously some sort of Holmes Chapel royalty.

Izzy and I exchanged knowing glances and sneakily slipped away from what I’m sure was a thrilling conversation about goal line technology or something like that. She took my hand in hers as we neared the doors that opened into the main room, and I smiled at her in thanks for the reassuring gesture.

When we pushed through the doors, a wall of sound filled with laughter, chatter and cheering hit me. An air of excitement buzzed round the room, and I could see nothing but smiling, happy faces.

All the tension I’d built up in my mind released as I let out a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding. There seemed no way that these bright and cheerful people would be anything but kind to someone new.

“Let’s go find our table, the boy’s will find us later once they’ve done the rounds.” Izzy suggested.

I nodded in agreement, eager to find somewhere to sit down and take some weight off of my feet. I hardly ever wore heels, and it was easy to tell, considering we’d only been here ten minutes and I was already in agony.

In the next half an hour the room filled with the rest of the guests and people settled at their tables, ready for the speeches and food. Izzy and I spent the time talking about everything and nothing. She pointed out certain people in the room that she thought I might need to know the name of if they came over to chat. But no-one did.

Sam and Harry took their seats to the left of Izzy and I, just in time for the food to be served. The three course meal was part of the ticket price, and looking at just the size of the starter, it was now clear to me why I had to pay so much.

As a uni student I loved anytime I had a meal that didn’t come pre packaged. So even though I was stuffed after only a few forkfuls of my main, I was determined to finish and make it to desert.

“Oh my God, I’m so full!” I moaned, slinking down in my chair slightly, and placing my hands over my stomach. Closing my eyes, I silently willed myself not to slip into a food coma. There were only a few bites of the chocolate brownie left, but I’d made it this far.

“Come on Erin, you can do this!” Harry jeered at me. I opened one eye and peered at him smiling down at me.

“I can’t Harry.” I groaned, closing my eyes again quickly. The close proximity of his beaming smile suddenly making my heart race, and I wasn’t prepared to let it show.

I lolled my head to my other shoulder when Izzy laughed beside me at my sorry state. I wasn’t scared of looking at her however, and I stared at her with wide eyes.

“You’re so dramatic.” She said rolling her eyes, taking the final bite of her own brownie. I groaned at the sight, slightly disgusted by it, but also feeling the urge to finish my own. Trying to think of it as a competition, by Izzy finishing hers I was taking it as a challenge for me to finish mine.

“Ok.” I said with a sudden amount of confidence, ignoring Izzy’s comment. “I can do this, I will do this.”

I would eat the rest of this brownie even if it meant I would have to carry a food baby for the next two weeks, or if I would have my head over the toilet in just over an hour. I was ready to accept my fate.

I took my first bite to a chorus of support and praise from Harry and Sam, whereas Izzy was making it well known that she would in fact, not be holding my hair back if I threw it all up later.

When my fork took it’s final resting place on the side of my plate, I was met with mixed emotions of relief, pride, and twinge of regret. I laughed at the round of applause I was receiving from the boys, and felt it only necessary to stand and take a bow.

“Thank you, thank you.” I giggled, before flopping back down on my chair, preparing to relax and not move for the rest of the night. “I’m glad I wore a dress with a belt.” I said, loosening the knot tied at the front of my waist. “I think I needed those spare few inches after that!”

“Behave!” Harry exclaimed. “You’re about as thin as a cocktail stick with the wood shaved off.”

We all turned to look at him with utter confusion, but when Harry looked back at us all with no indication that he was making a joke, both Izzy and Sam barked out howling laughs. I was having serious trouble holding mine in. I wasn’t sure whether he’d meant it as a compliment or not and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but my quivering lip was giving me away. I sputtered a questioning thanks, a laugh still caught in my throat.

“I don’t know why I’m friend’s with you two.” Harry declared, looking between Izzy and Sam, who were wiping away tears from their reddened cheeks. “You’re so mean to me sometimes.” He said, a small pout playing on his lips, making me want to immediately tell Izzy and Sam to stop making him feel bad.

“We are when you come out with lines like that!” Sam exclaimed, still wheezing from his outburst of laughter.

“Well if you’re both carrying on like that, I’m going somewhere else.” He teased. Standing up from his place at the table, he looked down at me. I was grinning from ear to ear, there was no point now hiding my amusement at their exchange. The smile he sent back made the butterflies in my tummy return, but I don’t think they were nervous ones this time.

“You coming Erin?” He asked brightly.

I couldn’t deny that I wanted to spend more time with him. Since breakfast the other day we’d been getting along so well. My frustrations over what he’d done to Izzy had all but vanished, and the first impressions I’d got of him that day at the airport had regained control over a significant part of my mind.

I nodded lightly, moving to push up off my chair but Harry placed a hand on my shoulder keeping me down. I looked up at him through my lashes confused by his actions.

“Are your feet hurting in those shoes?” He asked, gazing down to where my feet were squished into the unfamiliar shape that came with wearing stilettos. My eyes however darted between Izzy and Sam as I anticipated a teasing joke or snide remark, but they were lost in their own conversation.

“Erm, quite a bit actually yeah.” I mused, looking back at him, unsure as to why he was asking, my mind still very much aware of his hand on me.

“I got Izzy to pack you some flats, I think they’re in her bag. Do you want to swap now so you don’t have to walk in those?” He suggested politely.

I blinked slowly a few times, before again only nodding in response. His kind gesture had stunned me into silence. He moved away to find my shoes that I hadn’t thought to bring along, but for some reason he had. The butterflies I’d experienced earlier looked to be taking up permanent residency in the pit of my stomach whenever Harry was around, and right now they were fluttering around like it was a sunny day in spring.

I mumbled a small thank you to him when he returned with the shoes. Offering me a hand when I went to stand, my heart began racing again, concerned at the prospect of Izzy or Sam having seen the innocent gesture. I moved as quickly as I could away from the table my fingers slipping through Harry’s grip as I edged past him.

Harry had to jog to catch up with me as I weaved through the tables in the hall. I didn’t even know where I was going but I needed to get away from my ridiculing cousins as fast as possible. I wasn’t even sure if they’d seen, but I wasn’t prepared to take the risk.

“I can’t believe how many people in Holmes Chapel have connections to the football team.” I said to Harry, stopping just on the edge of the room and looking back at all the people I’d passed.

“I know. It’s a shit game too.” He stated.

“What are you talking about!? You were amazing the other day!” I praised, confused as to why he wouldn’t enjoy something he was clearly talented at.

“Thanks, but I told you before, football’s not my game.” He taunted, backing away from me and moving towards the door.

“Oh really?” I challenged, following him out of the room. “What is then?”

“Rugby League.” He shrugged.

And that ladies and gentlemen is the precise moment I knew I was fucked.

“Rugby League?” I repeated, utterly dumbfounded.

My mind had been plagued with the image of Harry in a suit leading up to this event, and my expectations had been matched and more when he walked into the farmhouse earlier that evening. I wasn’t sure how I was going to cope now that I had the mental image of Harry running up and down a rugby field all sweaty and muddy to add to my little collection.

“Yeah, I’ve been playing for just over 6 years now I think.” He went on, letting me catch up to him as we walked through a long corridor of the building. “I’m actually thinking about trying out for the University team rather than just the club when we go back.”

“Of course you are.” I muttered under breath.

“What?” He asked, looking over at me with furrowed brows.

“What!? Nothing!” I replied, probably too quickly to make it seem normal. But after the information I’d just been given I don’t think I’d ever be normal again.

“Do you know much about it?” He asked, perfectly content to skip over my weird behaviour.

“I’m from Leeds, Harry. Of course I do, it’s in my blood. I’ve spent so much time at Headingley over the years I should have shares in the place.” I laughed, and he did too before coming to a sudden stop, making me turn round from a few places in front of him.

He stood motionless, his eyes were sad and hooded, and his head had dropped towards his chest. What had I said!? What was going on!?

“We can’t be friends anymore Erin.” He confessed, still not looking at me as I took a few steps back to him.

“What?” I breathed. “Why?”

Had I missed something? I was so sure we’d patched everything over from the other day. Had he brought me away from the others to tell me how he really felt? That he couldn’t forgive me for what I’d done?

“I just don’t think I can be friends with someone who supports Leeds Rhinos.” He said finally looking up, a mischievous cheshire cat grin was plastered across his face, and I wanted nothing more than to smack it off.

But the relief I was feeling that he was joking was more than overwhelming. And I didn’t know why the prospect of possibly not being friends with Harry had affected me so much. We’d barely been friends for a week in the first place.

The feeling suddenly turned to frustration at the idea that he was able to draw such emotive reactions from me already. I was so annoyed at myself for letting myself become so wound up when it came to him. Any emotion he caused me to feel was heightened times a hundred, just because it was him making me feel it. I needed to control myself.

“You’re such a bellend.” I growled, stomping away from him with no sense of direction whatsoever.

“Erin, I was obviously joking.” He called after me, completely unaware of the emotional rollercoaster he was putting me through.

“And I obviously know, Harry.” I taunted.

I carried on down the house’s hallways, taking a new left or right every now and again. Admiring the grandeur of the house I couldn’t help but think what it would have been like to grow up in a place like this. The sheer size of the place must have meant amazing games of hide and seek that lasted for hours. And the corridors that seemed to stretch on for miles, I imagined would have been great for cartwheeling down.

I didn’t think we were allowed to wander, but I hadn’t seen anyone around to stop us.

I was confident it was still us, rather than just me, as I had been watching Harry’s shadow creeping along the wall a few safe paces behind me.

Following the hallway round to the right, I spotted a small bench placed opposite a large portrait hung on the wall. I sat down and admired the painting. There was no information as to who it was but I thought it must be of someone who had lived in the house at some point.

The man in the frame stood tall, and regal. An array of important looking medals were attached to his coat. A medium sized dog, that had traits of what I thought looked like a Spaniel sat proudly at his feet, looking up at it’s master with wide eyes.

It was then that Harry appeared in my vision. Taking his place in front of me, he aligned with the man in the painting, and in that moment I was sure I must have looked synonymous to the dog.

“Can I sit?” He asked timidly.

“Sure.” I nodded, swiveling round to face him, as he sat down next to me, closer than I’d expected.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.” He spoke.

“You didn’t really.” I admitted. “I was more annoyed at myself really.” I added.

“Why?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I affirmed, realising I couldn’t let him know that for some reason he affected me in ways I couldn’t explain myself.

I needed to regain some power in whatever this dynamic was. The space I’d put between us as I’d walked through the halls, allowed me to compose myself and take a few moments to devise tactics without being distracted by him in that stupid suit.

“So who’s your team then? Because you clearly aren’t a Leeds fan.” I interrogated, nudging him with my elbow, and grinning at him trying to brighten the mood, which admittedly I’d caused to sour.

“St Helens.” He said, playfully wincing as he awaited my response.

“Oh now I see why we can’t be friends!” I teased.

“Oi!” He cried. His nose scrunched up and that little pout from earlier reappeared on his lips, and I couldn’t help but smile.

The confidence Harry bestowed in himself was something I admired, yet it didn’t mean I wasn’t immune to his charms. His eyes had been locked on mine since he’d taken a seat. And while I wasn’t one to back down from a challenge it felt as though his gaze was breaking down barriers I’d didn’t realise I’d put up.

It became too intense and I had to pull away. Silently cursing myself for being so weak when it came to him. I kept my eyes down for a while, gently moving and admiring the the delicate silver shapes that fell from the chain around my wrist.

“It’s pretty.” He observed, breaking the silence between us.

“Thanks.” I smiled, risking looking up at him again.

But he knew what he was doing, and his eyes were already perfectly placed for mine to snap to like magnets. And that force I felt, meant I couldn’t pull away from the green orbs even when they dropped like mine had done before. Not even when I felt his fingertips glide over the cold metal, admiring the jewellry on my wrist.

“Izzy has the same one, yeah?”

“She does. A few of the charms are different, but it’s the same bracelet.” I commented, slightly breathless at his gentle touch.

“I thought I recognised it.” He mumbled, both his eyes and fingers still searching between the shapes delicately, as if he was reading them like a story, and he was trying to put together the missing pieces.

Of course each of the charms meant something to me, but Harry wasn’t asking what. It was like he was making his own story in his mind how each of the tiny pieces of metal linked together. He didn’t know me that well to try and guess what linked them to me.

A few more moments of silence passed easily between us, until a slamming door at the end of the hall made us both jump in fright, both my hands retracting towards me and out of Harry’s grasp.

“We should get back to the hall.” Harry suggested, standing up from the bench, seemingly not at all fazed by the interruption. “I think the speeches will be starting soon.”

“Good idea.” I said springing up, trying to disguise the fact that I was slightly upset about our little adventure coming to an end. “I need to walk off the rest of that brownie anyway.” I grinned, sending him a wink. This game wasn’t finished yet.

****

When Harry and I arrived back in the main hall all the plates and cutlery from dinner had been cleared, and sure enough the stage at the front of the room was being set up with a small podium and a microphone stand.

A man who I recognised from the tournament the other day made his way onto the stage, harnessing the attention of everyone in the room, announcing the start of the awards and speeches.

The chatter around us died down as Harry and I approached the table we’d left earlier. “Good timing!” Sam proclaimed in a loud whisper, as I took my seat.

I gave Izzy a cheesy grin and I was graced with one back, before I turned my attention to the man on the stage.

“As always,” He began. “We kick off the awards with ‘Player of the Year’. We have fantastic teams in this area that are filled with great talent and ambition and we love to reward hard work and perseverance too. But there’s only one trophy, and I’d like to ask last year’s recipient to come up to reveal the new winner. So please give a round of a applause to Mr Harry Styles.” He announced.

Of bloody course. I really didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing my reaction, but I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder at him.

He was already looking at me, an annoying smirk played on his lips, and when I rolled my eyes at him he broke into a laugh and stood up, making his way over to the stage.

I turned to Izzy who was shaking her head too. “He literally just told me he didn’t like football.” I professed over the raucous sound of applause for the golden boy himself.

“He’s so dramatic.” She complained, but there was no denying the pride I saw in her eyes for her best friend as he reached the podium.

“Thanks Mr Wilson, thanks everyone.” He smiled, flashing his dimples to his adoring audience. “You have no idea how hard it’s been keeping this a secret.” He laughed, everyone joining him. “The Player of the Year award goes to my brother Sam Johnson!”

He could have said something after that but I wouldn’t know because the roar of cheer and applause that erupted in the room was deafening. Izzy and I both screamed, jumping out of our seats and tackling Sam in a massive hug. I was so happy for him, football had pretty much been Sam’s entire life since the age of about 7. We all knew he was extremely talented, so to see him being awarded for it warmed my heart immensely.

When he finally wrestled free from our embrace Izzy and I both squealed in delight. I couldn’t stand still I was so excited and I found myself thinking how I wouldn’t have been able to jump so high if I’d still been in heels.

Well, well, well....what do we think? Harry and Erin are getting a bit cosy aren’t they....? I’d love to hear your thoughts and predictions on the chapter! As always, my inbox is open so I’d love to hear from you about your thoughts and predictions! 

I also want to say a massive thank you to my top lads @cuddlemusclestyles and @islareeveswriting, for everything they do. They both put up with my whining and bitterness on a regular basis, and I don’t know why... I love you two probably as much as I love Harry, so quite a lot, even though one of you doesn’t like hot cross buns and one of you puts ketchup on your scrambled eggs.

Both of them are writing FIRE fics at the moment, so you should read them, because they’re really good. I like things easy and convenient, so I’ve linked them both below. Aren’t I nice!? All the love xxx 💕

TELL ME @cuddlemusclestyles HERE @islareeveswriting

[fanatic-writers]

Sweet Talking: Sour Patch (Part 7.5 to Questionable Intentions)

Pairings: Loki x Reader

Warnings: None?

A/N: Hey guys! I’m so sorry this took me forever to finally get up, but I got a little sidetracked with some other fics. I swear I’ll get the next one up sooner! Anyway, I hope you guys like it. ~A

(This is what I imagined Loki’s face looked like when y/n walked in)

**************************************

Loki sat at the kitchen table with y/n seated across from him, his fingers intertwined with hers. The bright morning sun shone on her like a spotlight, highlighting the planes of her face. He still couldn’t believe how lucky he was, waking up next to the most beautiful girl in New York every morning. Loki was startled from his thoughts when y/n released his hand, grabbed a colorful box, and slid it across the table.

“What are these?” Loki grinned, certain that this was another one of her antics.

“Conversation hearts,” y/n chirped. “They’re little candy hearts with sayings written on them.” Loki tore open the pink box and poured out a few of the chalky, heart-shaped candies. He eyed them with suspicion, still unsure what the trap was.

“Love me.” Loki’s eyebrows scrunched together as he read the words on a green heart. “Doesn’t that sound a bit forward?”

“It sounds desperate,” y/n grinned and shook her head.

“What does your say?”

“Fax me,” y/n sniggered slightly.

“Fax?” Loki said mildly confused. Gods, it’s impossible to keep track of all this new mortal technology.

“It’s like a text, but printed out on paper,” y/n explained.

“So…a letter?”

“Sorta, but you can send a fax through a printer or a fax machine and it goes to another machine and gets there faster than a letter.” Y/n amended. Loki shook his head, the mortal world was so strange. He picked up another heart.

“One kiss,” he read aloud, shooting y/n a lopsided grin.

“Hold on,” she said as she rummaged through her bag, completely missing Loki’s suggestion. She pulled out a piece of foil wrapped candy and pushed it towards him. “One Hershey’s kiss!” She grinned, extremely proud of her pun. Loki smothered his disappointment and returned her grin, unwrapping the candy and popping it into his mouth. “Be my hero,” y/n read with a grin as she put the candy heart in her mouth.  Loki scrutinized the candy, Am I really supposed to eat these? The hearts looked like the medicine Bruce had given him after his night at the bar. Tastes like it too, he made a face as he put the candy in his mouth.

“Don’t you think that’s a little hard for him?” Tony drawled as he sauntered into the kitchen and fiddled around with a glowing metal and glass machine. Loki scowled at him in reply.

“This is an A and B conversation, please C your way out,” y/n chirped as she grinned at Tony.

“I’m just saying.” Tony taunted. He grabbed a cup out of the cupboard and set it on the counter. “He’s kinda here cause it’s his punishment for trying to take over the world.” Loki could feel the frown lines around his mouth deepen. Ignorant human, he thought to himself.

“I’m aware,” y/n sad nonchalantly, “but I wasn’t aware I asked you?” Tony raised his eyebrows as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Just wanted to remind you,” Tony sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes before shaking his head and walking off, taking a sip of his drink as he did so.  Loki scratched at grain of the table, brushing a few remaining hearts off to the side. Nothing like a good talk with Tony to put a damper on his good mood. Y/n brushed his hand slightly as she slid a bunch of candy hearts in front of him. He looked up in surprise.

“Read them.” She said quietly, adding a few more hearts to the line.

“Hey babe. Smile. ♥ of gold. Crazy for you. Xoxo.” Loki’s voice came out as a hoarse whisper as he tried to speak around the lump in his throat. He tried for a weak smile, but was still rattled by Tony’s words. He’s right you know, a small voice said in his head, you’re a monster. She’s going to leave you when she realizes that.

“I know that grammar is horrible, but I tried.” Y/n grinned at him nervously. Loki searched through his small pile of candies before finding the right one, a small pink smiley face. He slid it across the table.

“That doesn’t count as a smile,” y/n chided.

“I don’t understand,” Loki sighed, his gaze now fixed on the tile floors. “How can you love me with my past?”

“I dunno.” Y/n replied. Well that’s reassuring, Loki thought bitterly. “I guess I was taught that people make mistakes and you’re really not that bad. You’re sassy as hell and I love it, and even if you’ve done stupid things it doesn’t mean you’re inclined to do them again.”

“But I’ve-” Loki began.

“Stop focusing on the past. If you stay there you’ll never get to enjoy the present and you sure as hell won’t get to join me and I’d say I’m pretty damn awesome.”

“You didn’t know me then, y/n,” Loki said darkly, scowling at the ground.

“Exactly. I didn’t know you the so stop worrying about it. I know why you’ve done and I know you’re at least a little sorry for doing it.” Loki opened his mouth, ready to argue with y/n’s tirade. “I swear if you start trying to fight me on this I will find some duct tape, or better yet that muzzle thing you wore when the Avengers first captured you. Damn that thing was sexy.” Y/n gave a wistful little sigh. Loki grinned and shook his head, Gods this woman is insane.

“You know I know exactly where it is,” he smirked.

“Where what is?” Y/n furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“The muzzle,” he breathed, leaning in conspiratorially.

“You’re a kinky bastard, you know that?” Y/n said, returning his wolfish grin.

“Anyways I was wondering if you might want to go out tonight for dinner,” Loki finally said. “A late Valentine’s date.”

“That sounds wonderful,” y/n  sighed. “Besides, I heard Steve was cooking and I don’t think I can handle another boiled meal.”

**************************************

“So what exactly is Valentine’s Day?” Loki finally got up the courage to say.

“What?” Tony cried. “You’re thousands of years old and you haven’t heard of Saint Valentine?”

“That old drunk?” Loki snorted. “I thought the church locked him away ages ago.”

“No, they named a holiday after him,” Thor laughed.

“A holiday named after him?” Loki said incredulously. “What do I need to do to have a holiday named after me?”

“Not destroy New York for starters,” Tony pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

“That was one time you mewling-” Loki began, shooting to his feet.

“Guys,” Bruce interrupted, “knock it off.” Slowly, Loki sat back in his seat. He was still terrified of Bruce. Bruce glanced over at him, smiling hesitantly, “Is there anything else you wanted to know?”

“Yes,” Loki said quietly. He looked away nervously, every muscle in his body tensed like he was ready to make a run for it. “What exactly are we celebrating?”

“I believe this whole day is supposed to be about love,” Thor cut in.

“Love?” Loki said incredulously. “Why?” Thor turned to Bruce and shot him a helpless look, Tony smirking at his cluelessness in the background.

“You’re supposed to show the people you love that you care about them,” Bruce supplied.

“So I’m supposed to tell Thor-”

“NO!” Bruce shouted. “No, we’re talking boyfriend/girlfriend relationships.”

“Oh,” Loki said. “Aren’t they supposed to know that you care about them?”

“Look at Romeo over here,” Tony said, raising an eyebrow. “They created a holiday so people could make up for being a prick the rest of the year.”

“I don’t get it,” Loki said. “Am I required to be a ‘prick’?”

“It’s not like it that would be hard for you,” Tony snorted. “Anyway, it never hurts to have a few points in the bank.”

“Points? I didn’t know we were playing a game,” Loki mused, completely ignoring Tony’s jab.

Bruce rolled his eyes, “Don’t listen to him.”

“I’m just trying to help,” Tony shrugged.

Loki grunted in frustration. “I’m confused. Am I supposed to do anything special today? I was planning on taking y/n to dinner, but will that be enough to win the game?”

“Brother, there’s no game,” Thor sighed. “Trust me, it’s not that complicated.”

“Just be nice to her,” Bruce stressed. “Maybe bring her some flowers or chocolate if you’d like?”

“I’m not sure if I could find her anything good enough in such short notice,” Loki fretted.

“You know what? Don’t worry about it. Just make tonight super special for her okay?” Bruce reassured him.

“Okay,” Loki said absently. For the love of Odin, I wish I’d know about this sooner. What else can I get her?

“Don’t forget about after the date!” Tony raised an eyebrow suggestively. “You’ve got to take her into the bedroom and-”

“TONY!” Bruce and Thor shouted in unison, Bruce shooting him a look of disapproval.

**************************************

Loki fidgeted with the stiff sleeves of the formal suit that Thor had wrestled him into wearing.

He shot a nervous glance at the door, “Where is she?”

“She’ll be here soon,” Thor reassured him. “Be patient.”

Loki glanced at the clock and began picking at a loose thread on his sleeve. We’re going to be late, he worried. His breath seemed to catch in his throat as he looked up a second time, now catching a glimpse of y/n making her way into the living room. He could see her cheeks flush slightly as she stood before him, shrouded in navy and white.

“You look absolutely stunning,” he said, finally finding his voice.

“Thank you,” y/n said, smiling timidly at the ground.

“OK, we get it! You two are in love,” Tony interrupted. Loki scowled at him, Tony’s voice was just about as welcome as a record scratch.

“Could you keep your mouth shut for more than two minutes, just once in your life?” Loki hissed. He was trying his best to thing keep his anger from bubbling to the surface.

“I could, but I might die,” Tony retorted.

“Who says that’s a bad thing?” Loki grumbled, shooting him a venomous glance for good measure.

“Thor, your brother threatened to kill me again,” Tony fake-whined.

“Don’t involve me in this,” Thor sighed as he shook his head. “I’m getting too old for this.” He added under his breath.

“I think he should pay for it for taking me out to dinner tonight.” Tony grinned evilly. Loki scowled at him, ready to tear him a new one, when y/n interrupted.

“Only if you sit at a different table,” she bargained, ignoring Loki’s confused glance.

“I sit with you, and I get to bring a friend,” Tony countered.

“No,” Loki nearly shouted. Gods, this is going horribly.

“One friend, minimal talking, same table.” Y/n said, completely ignoring his objection.

“Deal.” Tony and y/n sealed their deal with a handshake. Loki looked at her in shock, She doesn’t seem to know how making a deal works.

“It’ll get him to stop bugging us,” y/n explained.

“Fine.” Loki conceded. Things can’t get any worse can they?

The buildings and trees seemed to rush past them as they made their way to the restaurant. It was almost silent- except for Tony of course. He chattered away on his phone for a good few minutes before they arrived at the restaurant. A tall blonde woman led them through the crowded restaurant, leaving them at a table with three open seats. Leo sat in the fourth place. Things just keep getting better and better Loki thought.

“What the hell took you so long?” She shrieked in her usually cheerful fashion. “I almost thought you stood me up.”

“Leo? You’re dating Leo?!” Y/n said, turning to Tony for confirmation.

“WOAH,” Leo said, eyes widened in shock, “no one said we were dating. There was free food involved, of course I was gonna be here. Not to mention I didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to mess with you”

“Why are we friends?” Y/n rolled her eyes.

“I actually don’t know.” Leo grinned. Loki took a seat next to y/n, across from both Tony and Leo. A young man rushed by, quickly taking orders before rushing off elsewhere.

“So. How is everyone?” Tony drawled.

“I’d be better if you weren’t here.” Loki finally said.

“What was that sweetheart?” Tony said condescendingly. “The more you insult me the more I buy”

“I was going to hand him your credit card anyways,” y/n grinned at Loki, bumping his shoulder slightly.

“That’s theft you know,” Tony warned, “but because I like you I’ll let it slip just this once.”

“Wait you really didn’t notice? We spent like 200 bucks last time we went shopping. Leo said, her surprise clear in her voice.

“Told you he wouldn’t notice I use his card all the time.” Y/n stage whispered.

“You what now?” Tony said.

“I mean what card? I didn’t even know you had a credit card or a social security number for that matter.” Y/n said innocently.

Tony turned to Loki, “Why does your girlfriend know my social security number?” Loki shrugged and hid a small smile. Her evil side was part of the reason he fell for her.

“It was written on a sticky note in your wallet.” y/n admitted.

“Why were you in my wallet?” Tony narrowed his eyes.

“I had to get your nonexistent credit card somehow,” y/n shrugged.

“Who let you live in the tower?” Tony sighed.

“Better question, why am I not living in the tower?” Leo jumped in

“Because the two of us living together would be a disaster that would end in the end of the world because we’d take control of it,” y/n grinned.

“Don’t ask Loki for advice he tried and failed at that,” Tony said, taking advantage of this latest opportunity to ridicule Loki. He turned and stared daggers at Tony who ignored his warning.

“Y/n and I have been planning this for ages. We’ll need a king or someone to pretend to be the figurehead so people don’t hate us. Loki could come in handy.” Leo said. Why am I forcing myself to do this again? Loki wondered.

“Um, no.” Y/n came to his rescue. “We’re not throwing him under the bus. Why don’t we just use Tony?”

“Why Tony?”

“Cause he’s totally the kind of person that could get everyone to follow him and then change all the rules so he’s the only leader, but really it’s us. Tony is kinda a dick anyway,” y/n paused for air. “No offense, so no one would be surprised.”

“It’s a match made in heaven” Tony said dryly.

“And what do you mean by that?” Loki jumped in.

“I just mean she wants to rule the world, and you tried to rule the world,” Tony said lightly. “How do you plan to get past the Avengers by the way?” “Easy.” Y/n replied confidently, “I already live with you, I just have to convince you to join me or take you down from the inside. And leave him alone, you didn’t go through what he went through you don’t know why he made the decisions he did! One day you’re gonna fuck up too and maybe it destroys New York, maybe it doesn’t, but you have no right to judge him on past mistakes when you have plenty of your own. He has changed and you know it, but you’re going to continue to hold one mistake over his head for what? The rest of his life?” Y/n ended her little tirade suddenly, slightly out of breath. Loki stared at her in shock, no one had ever stood up for him like that before.

Leo let out a low whistle, “I haven’t seen you blow up like that since I told you that Tony was hotter than Steve.”

“Ok, have you seen Steve? I mean, come on.”

“Have you seen my date?” Leo replied.

“Yeah and he’s an ass.”

“Better watch out there, Cap might steal your girl.” Tony smirked.

“That is not what I said. I said he was hot, there is a difference.” Y/n corrected.

“And what’s that?” Tony said. Loki looked at Tony, Why is he doing this? Then he turned to y/n suspiciously, What does she mean anyway?

“He’s not my type. He’s too nice I’d feel bad for being a bitch,” y/n said shortly.

“And you’re okay with being a bitch to Loki?” Tony said incredulously.

“He can take it and he can dish it right back out. Can’t we just go back to a nice awkward double date?” Y/n tried to cut him off.

“Please” Leo said, and for once, Loki was in agreement with her.

“Just saying, I don’t understand why you’d pick Loki when you could have me,” Tony said. Loki knew by that that he should stop listening to Tony, but that still didn’t make the words sting any less. Why did she chose me? Loki searched for the answer in his plate of foods. He shot y/n a quick glance, Does she ever regret picking me? She turned to look at him, and Loki turned back to his plate, keeping his head down for the rest of the night. When they finally got up to leave, y/n slid him something across the table: another candy heart. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand. “I love you.” The pink words declared. Loki grinned and walked out of the restaurant, grabbing y/n’s hand as he caught up with her. It would take a little more than Tony’s words to split them up.

**************************************

“I have a surprise for you,” Loki said, glancing around to make sure Tony had actually left.

“What is it?” Y/n grinned.

“Do you mind waiting up in your room for a moment? I need to go get something,” Loki said, the light dancing in his eyes.

“Alright,” y/n’s grin widened as she turned the stairs. “Don’t take too long!” She called behind her. Loki grinned and shook his head, I wasn’t planning on it. He waited a few minutes before sprinting up to his room, his heart pounding with excitement. Loki threw open his door, making sure to close it carefully behind him. Cursing under his breath, Loki dug frantically through his drawers, he hasn’t lost it, had he? Finally, he found the device, the silver metal cool against his skin. He grinned to himself before closing the drawer and making his way up to y/n’s room. Loki stopped in front of her door and knocked quietly.

“It’s open,” y/n called. Loki stepped inside and carefully closed the door behind him.

“Do you think everyone is asleep yet?” He said anxiously. “We might be making a lot of noise and I don’t want to wake anyone up.”

“The only person we’d be bothering is Tony.”

Loki grinned mischievously, “Shall we begin then?”

“I mean what exactly are we doing?” Y/n raised an eyebrow. “You still haven’t told me what the surprise is.”

“Okay, close your eyes,” Loki said.

“Do I really have to-”

“Yes,” Loki said, “this is supposed to be special.”

“Fine,” y/n sighed before closing her eyes. Loki walked over to y/n’s speakers and hooked up the device- the MP3 player she’d lent him ages ago. He scrolled through the playlist for a minute before he found the song he was looking for. As the quiet thrumming of the guitar in Hozier’s Work Song began, Loki stepped forward and put his hand on her waist. Y/n’s eyes popped open in surprise.

“What’s all this?”

“Well,” Loki began, grabbing hold of her other hand, “you always said you wanted to learn how to dance to this song, so I thought we could do that tonight.”

“You know that means one of us has to know what we’re doing right?” Y/n said doubtfully. “And we both know that isn’t going to be me.”

“I’ve been practicing for a while now,” Loki shrugged. “I think I know what I’m doing.”

“Yeah but you know I’m about as uncoordinated as humanly possible,” y/n quipped.

“Trust me,” He let go of her hand and tilted her chin up slightly. “I’ll take care of you.” Loki grinned and kissed her, y/n turning her head slightly as he pulled her closer.

She broke away for a moment, “I know,” she breathed before pulling him back in.

**************************************

A/N: Thanks to G for editing, and thanks to you guys for reading! If you liked this story you might also like:

Questionable Intentions

Splitting Hairs

Splitting Hairs: Extensions

An Open Book

An Open Book: Between the Lines

Baby It’s Cold Outside

Baby It’s Cold Outside: I Really Can’t Stay

And All That Jazz

And All That Jazz: Razzle Dazzle

For the Love of God

For the Love of God: Kiss the Girl

Sweet Talking

Tags: @ws-lover-245,  @dead-lee-15 

[mebell01]

Sanna Annukka

Growing up, British printmaker and textile designer Sanna Annukka would spend summers in Finland with her grandmother. While there she spent plenty of time outdoors. Sanna points back to these experiences as the main inspiration for her work. She is particularly drawn to culture and art of the indigenous Sami people of Lapland, an area encompassing the far north areas of Scandinavia. The patterns and mythology of other cultures around the world also make it into her designs (“About Sanna”).

Inn 1983, Sanna was born in Brighton, England. She studied illustration at the University of Brighton. The band Keane discovered her prints in a London shop and contacted her to do their album artwork. After this success, she joined the Marimekko team of designers where her work is sold as various housewares and prints. Along with Marimekko she takes on other clients and also has her own online store (“Sanna Annukka”). Despite the subject matter being nature, Sunna’s designs are generally geometric and pattern-heavy. In describing her own work, she says “My style is all about pattern. Simple, bold and folkloric” (Annukka).

“Sunset” is a screenprint. It features a thin rectangle with triangles and angular shapes that follow the edge of the rectangle, all leading up to the top of the print that has a white circle, indicating a sun. Although the patterns are geometric, there are curvilinear shapes as as well, representing hills, waves or another kind of landscape. At the bottom of the print are small triangle and circles, adding texture and detail. The colors are maroon, orange and a gold. White breaks up these colors and leads the eye back up to the sun. Overall, it is a successful, interesting design. The viewer immediately looks at the white circle at the top, then the two white curvilinear shapes directly below start the journey down to the bottom. It was a wise choice to leave the maroon area behind the sun a flat color rather than add more pattern, as it adds drama and a place to rest. My critique of this design is that the viewer isn’t sure what the area below the sun is. While I appreciate the abstraction, Sanna’s other work is a little more clear. The colors are also subdued. I think the gold could be a brighter, warmer yellow. Although the piece is entitled “Sunset,” it feels very cold. Arguably, she could be depicting the cold Arctic landscape she often does in her work, but the color choices are still dull.

“The Fir Tree” is a fairy tale written in 1845 by Danish author/poet Hans Christian Anderson. The story tells about a fir tree unable to appreciate living in the moment and always wishing for bigger and better things until it is too late (“The Fir Tree”). Sanna illustrated this entire book but unfortunately I could only find the cover artwork. The hardcover book is a solid bright green. A large and small tree stand side by side, each made out of a dark green triangle pattern. Gold foil triangles are mixed into the pattern as well, along with negative space shaped like birds’ heads. To the top right of the two trees is a gold foil sun, made out of triangles arranged around the center of the circle. The smaller tree has tiny dots making stripes horizontally along its length. The design as a whole has a limited color palette. The lighter, bright green and the dark green emphasize the story being about a fir tree, even before you read the story. The gold adds a grand, festive feel which is appropriate for a very old fairy tale. The use of any more color or anything other than green would be ineffective. Considering the brightness of the green, other colors would vibrate and clash. The gold is striking, even in its limited use as a third accent color. The sun does not have anything to do with the story but it adds another compositional element and the cover would be empty without it. The font choice for the title has interesting thick and thins that serve as a nice base to the tree illustrations, negating the need for tree trunks or a horizon line. The thin, small caps text of the author and illustrator’s name’s does not take away from the rest of the illustration or the title and was an appropriate choice. Overall, the design of the book cover is successful, with appropriate color and composition choices considering the subject matter of the story.

The album art for the British band’s “Under the Iron Sea” album kickstarted Sanna’s career. Years ago when I saw this album artwork and knew nothing about the band I was drawn to it because of the swirling, organic shapes of the sea monsters/horses and their bodies playing off the shapes of the waves. The cool ocean colors work well. The very dark blue, almost a black, represent an angry and stormy sea effectively. The smallest sea monster with its teals and greens give the entire design depth, as the larger the monsters get the darker the colors and the darker monsters are in the back. This particular creature is also closest to the front and breaks up the large, overbearing shapes of the rest of the creatures, preventing them from becoming one large blob. Three of the dark monsters have red eyes, which are distracting and my least favorite part of the design. The red, although very small parts, is still too much. It would be interesting to see the eyes be the teal or green of the smallest sea monster, which would draw the eye around the design more. The white dots for the other monsters’ eyes are repeated in the bubbles and foam of the waves. There needs to be another cluster of these dots in the bottom middle or bottom right to break up the waves a bit more. The patterning on the monsters helps make up for this. The inside sleeve of the album has an interesting pattern with the turtle/fish creatures and the missile shapes. The pattern is disconnected from the subject matter of the album cover at first glance. However, the design in the center of the record works well and connects these two elements. The viewer can imagine the fish/missiles coming from the sky and disrupting the more uniform wave pattern on the front cover and turning it into the chaos on the record itself.

“Kultakero” is a textile design created by Sanna Annukka for the Marimekko site. It features rolling magenta and red hills with the silhouettes of fir trees against a deep plum background. A gold, orange and plum stripe pattern that reflect the shape of the hills break up the dark colors. A horizontal uneven stripe pattern also breaks up the space and adds texture and interest. The horizontal stripes add contrast to the triangle-shaped fir trees. Although there is a lot of pattern and detail going on in the piece, the dark plum adds a sense of calm. As seen in her other work, Sanna doesn’t let the use of pattern make her designs cold and stiff. The imperfections in the lines and shapes give it life and add to its handmade quality, even though it is a mass-produced fabric in this case. Looking closely, each cluster of horizontal stripes is different from one another. However, the small dot pattern, gold stripes and the trees are exactly the same throughout the design. This piece would be more successful if all the elements were slightly different, like the horizontal stripe motif, and had variations instead of being exact copies.

“Nomadimaa” or “Nomad Land” is a two-color print that utilizes negative space as well as detailed patterning dark, solid shapes. The sun in the top left corner and a few hatched stripes below it is the only orange (and color besides black for that matter) in the entire design. Any other use of color, even the orange, would make break the solid composition of the piece and add confusion. While the compact design is a lot to take in at first, the more time you spend looking the more you will see the patterns and the negative space surrounding make up animals such as the horses and birds. The small trees in the top right make a horizon line with the activities of the wildlife taking place below. The small, thin hatching adds a great deal of texture, but the solid black shapes keep it from taking over. Sanna is a master of utilizing great deals of detail and texture without hindering legibility of the scene, and it is prevalent in this piece. The shapes and patterns have a combination of sharp and curved edges. The curved lines such as the horses’ necks repeat the shape of the sun throughout. This piece is successful because again, Sanna uses pattern but adds imperfections to keep it looking handmade and human. What could be a chaotic and confusing piece is expertly organized into a successful composition because of Sanna’s placement of pattern and shape.

Sanna Annukka’s illustrations are works of art on their own but also work well when applied to textiles and housewares. In each design, Sanna brings the landscape and culture of Finland and combines it with carefully-considered detail and patterning as well as interesting color palette to add life and uniqueness to any application.

Works Cited

"About Sanna." Sanna Annukka. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2017. < https://www.sanna-annukka.com/pages/about-us>

"Sanna Annukka." Finnish Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2017. <http://finnishdesign.com/sanna-annukka/>

Annukka, Sanna. Interview with Catherine Lazure-Guinard. Nordic Design. Nordic Design, 2011. Web. 9 Apr. 2017. <http://nordicdesign.ca/profile-sanna-annukka/>.

"The Fir Tree." Hans Christian Andersen: The Fir Tree. Zvi Har'El, 13 Dec. 2007. Web. 10 Apr. 2017. <http://hca.gilead.org.il/fir_tree.html>.

[vsndesigns360]

THE TICK COLOR COVER PROOF NUMBER 12 VARIANT DINNERTIME by vsndesigns Via Flickr: THE TICK #12 Gold Foil No Logo Unused Covers x4 Complete Set The aftermath of issue 11 has landed a windfall for The Tick! The Tick and Arthur are now in possesion of an entire arsenal of crime-fighting gizmos! What they do with it and who is THE TERROR AND THE EVILLEERS? Written and drawn by creator Ben Edlund. Unused covers for the #12 gold foil stamped comics. Includes all 4 variants. I asked Michael (aka Bespin15 on Ebay, a really cool dude btw) the story about these gems that I acquired from him and this is what he told me. "I got these from New England Comics in the early '90's. I was actually trading comics with them as they were selling back issues in their catalog and I would get various items in return. I don't recall the specifics around the availability, but I presume these were test runs since they have the color tags and don't have edition numbers printed on them. I haven't seen another set available since I got these. These are my favorite pieces of Tick memorabilia that I own." I also asked my friend Brian, who also is an avid Tick Collector, and he also told me the following. "Since I have a set also they are probably not "test" but rather "pull" from the production run to check for color accuracy. They have not yet had their serial numbers applied nor have they been trimmed to to comic book size. While it's not a one of a kind item, I would guess there are only a small handful in existence. I have a few for some of the games I made - they are the full deck of cards all on one sheet before they were cut up and boxed. I had to specifically ask for them." The proper name for them is a "press sheet". There may be other slang names for them. But that's what I've always called them. Also sometimes referred to as a Printed Comic Cover Color Guide, or Printer's Proof Sheet, or Untrimmed Full-Color Tear Sheet. THE ORIGINAL TICK NO. 12 (LAST OF THE SERIES) WITH VARIANT 1993 (BACK SIDE) Issue 12 "One Man's Treasure......is Also Another Man's Treasure" Released May 1993 Ben Edlund, Writer & Penciller; Jeff Whiting, Inker; Bob Polio, Letterer; Richard Edlund, Cover Colorist; George Suarez, Editor Barry returns to his castle, upset that the Tick has usurped his name. Meanwhile, the Tri-State Superhero Congress has decreed that since the Tick defeated Barry, he stands to inherit all of Barry's superhero paraphernalia. Barry accedes to the Congress's wishes, allowing the Tick and Arthur to move into his castle, but the loss drives him over the edge and he refuses to wear clothes. Barry devises a plan to get his stuff back by contacting his arch-enemies, the Evileers, led by the Terror and goads them to attack the Tick. This is the last issue that Ben Edlund was directly involved in. After this, he left to oversee the animated version of the Tick. Four different variant covers were released with this issue. Each came with a no-logo front cover with a gold foil Tick emblem. The back covers came with four limited variations: Rockets On (1000 copies), released at Capital City Sales Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Dinnertime (1000 copies), released at the Diamond Tenth Seminar in Atlanta, Georgia; Frrd! (1000 copies), released Summer, 1993; Tick Society Coat of Arms (2000 copies) which was one of four variant covers, each is numbered with a different art on the back. The "Tick Society Coat of Arms" cover was limited to 2,000 and available only to Tick Fan Club "Mystic Orders of Arachnid Vigilance" (MOAV) MEMBERS ONLY. Second edition released September 1995. Third, 10th anniversary edition released August 1996. Fourth edition released January 1998. That's it for now. I sent a message to Jeff W. to see if he knows a little more about these. I've got four more to post up, so stay tuned! Hey, and let's all celebrate a Very Happy Tick Day! #TheTickDay

[danidolldesigns]

17 Bullet Journal Hacks To Make You Even More Organised!

Bullet Journal Hacks – tips and tricks to keep your planning on point.

There are countless ways to keep making your bullet journal better and better. The trick is to find what works for you and what doesn’t. How you use your index, how you mark collections, how you reference other pages, the list goes on. And on. And on.

  I have tried a load of different bullet journal hacks and tips and tricks since I started my Bujo. Some work so so well and some, are just not for me.

  I’ve made a list, of 17 of the ones that I think are worth giving a go. They might not all work for you but they’re all really simple and easy to try out.

  All these bullet journal hacks add functionality to your planner system and they look super pretty too!

  #1 – A Fold-Out Bullet Journal Key

If I had to choose my all time favourite bullet journal hack, it would be this one. This super handy fold-out key makes keeping track of different symbols so easy! I’ve changed my key a few times since I started my bullet journal so it’s really handy for me to have the updated one easily accessible.

  I simply use a piece of scrapbook paper folded in half (I like it to be a bit more sturdy than just a piece of paper because it’s constantly being moved). I then write my key out on a post-it and washi tape it to the scrapbook paper so I can easily change it if I need to. And then tape the scrapbook paper into the cover of the journal on one side so it can be folded in and out as needed.

  #2 – Corner Tabs

This is another one of my favourite bullet journal hacks and I’ve only been using it a little while. It’s simply a little triangle tab you pop on the corner of the page as a sort of bookmark. Genius. I always have mine on the page I’m currently working on. But you could make multiple ones and use them throughout your whole journal. They’re easy to re-position throughout your journal, they’re easy to make and they look so cute!

  You can either make your own triangle tabs but folding a square of paper in half diagonally and then in half again. That’s how I made mine and I prefer it as it’s a bit thicker and won’t tear easily. The other option is to use the corner of an envelope, that’s even easier to make! Just cut the corner off of an envelope…that’s it!

  #3 – Collection Threading

When I first read about threading, I was completely over whelmed and confused by the idea. But as it’s not a bullet journal hack I use that often, I’ve got to grips with it and use it when I really need to.

  Threading is used for keeping longer collections. Say you have a ‘movie’s to watch’ spread and you’ve filled a whole page with film titles but you still want to add more. Threading is a way of adding another movies to watch spread in the same journal and being able to keep track of where it is. Let’s say the first spread is on page 20.

  You’ve used the next 30 pages or so for dailies, weekly’s and even more collections! Your movies to watch spread is full up but you still want to keep track of even more films.

  Don’t do what I did in my first journal and tear a page out the back of your journal and attempt to stick it in neatly next to your original movies spread. Just don’t. It’s messy and no matter how careful you are it never looks good.

  Instead, just use the next available spread to start the second part of your movies to watch collection. Sounds crazy right? But all you need to do is list the page numbers of the additional spreads next to the original page number.

  So, the bottom of the first spread would read something like: 20-50. Does that make sense? That way when you check up on the first spread, you know exactly where the next one is. You could also write the additional page numbers in your index too so you know where all the sections are.

  Pretty nifty right? Luckily you shouldn’t need to use this hack too often. Otherwise it would get very confusing if every page had two numbers!

  #4 – Marking The Edges Of Your Pages With Symbols Or Letters

This hack is great for keeping a mini log on your daily spreads. You simply add either little symbols or letters to the margin of the page. This way when you flip through pages you can quickly find which pages contain certain activities.

  I like to use a B, for anything blog related. W for workouts and a – for notes. This makes finding out when I did something a whole lot easier. Especially for things that I don’t do every single day.

  It’s quick and simple to do and will make finding specific tasks or even appointments easy to look up.

  #5 – Color Code Edges With Washi Tape

I use this technique a lot. I use wash tape to mark off the edges of certain spreads so I can easily find them.

  I’m using glitter tape at the moment to cover the whole edge of each monthly spread. This makes my monthly spreads so cute and makes finding each month really easy. Even with my journal closed I can still see where each month begins and ends.

  I also sometimes use just little squares of washi tape on the edges to mark certain collections or pages I flick back to regularly.

  #6 – Colour Code Edges With Stickers Or Labels

I don’t use this trick anymore, simply because I’d run out of stickers! So I made do with washi tape and then realised I actually preferred that method haha. This bullet journal hack is the same method as using washi tape on the edge of pages except you use stickers instead.

  I was using the little round stickers you can buy in just about any shop in the stationery section. When I was using this method I was using it just to mark out the collections. But you could use them to mark your monthly pages or weekly pages. You could even use different colour stickers to mark the different sections.

  #7 – Color Code Your Pages

This bullet journal hack is super simple to do. Just add a swatch of colour to the border part of your page. Do this for all categories you wish to keep track of and voila! An easy flip through way of finding specific pages without having to check your index every time. Colour right up to the edge of page so you can see the colours even when your bullet journal is closed. Highlighter pens work really well for this but a lot of Bujo’ers use coloured markers.

  #8 – Color Coding Your Bullet Journal Index

Same principle as the first bullet journal hack. You can either just colour code the index if that’s where you prefer to look up pages. Or if you’ve used the previous bullet journal hack, then you can match up the colours on your pages to your index. Categorise your spreads in a way you can easily distinguish, e.g. blue for monthly spreads, green for anything food related, pink for business etc. Again, I use highlighter pens to do this as you can see through it very easily.

  #9 – Mark Collections With Washi Tape

If you have a special collection that deserves a little more decoration than just the edges marked. You can mark these pages with decorative washi tape over the corners in a triangle shape. I just love how these look and they make these pages easy to find. There are so many cute washi tapes you can buy and I had a hard time choosing which to use for this hack but I decided on the zebra print glitter tape.

  Below are some links to some of my other favourite fancy washi tapes:

Gold Foil Washi

Gold Washi Tape

Jumbo Pack of Washi

  This would be a great idea for event planning pages or for big home projects. Or anything to be honest, I just love how cute they are!

#10 – Dutch Door Spreads

Love this one! It’s a really quick and fun way to add more space to certain spreads. This works particularly well for weekly spreads when you just need a bit more room than two pages. Instead of 2 pages, a weekly spread would be made up of 3 pages. The middle page is where you’re going to put in your dutch door. Simple cut a panel out of the middle page with a craft knife or scissors and you have a bunch more room to add weekly trackers or a section for notes, whatever you like! Plus, it looks awesome!

Awesome Bullet Journal Hacks To Keep You Even More Organised! Click To Tweet

#11 –  Keep Your Journal Open

Not sure if this really qualifies as a hack. But it is damn helpful!

Sometimes I need my to-do list, right in front of me, all day. If I don’t keep reminding myself of what I need to do, sometimes procrastination creeps in and nothing gets done. Something as simple as leaving my journal open is enough to just nudge me into something from my to-do list.

  I’ve seen some bullet journalists on Instagram use display stands to keep their journals in front of them all day which seems like a genius idea too!

  #12 – Wrap The Strap To Make A Pen Holder Or Make Your Own Pen Loop!

This hack seems a little obvious once you know about it. But when I first started bullet journalling the idea had never occurred to me! Of course, you could just buy a pen loop..but where’s the fun in that?

  All you have to do to turn your elastic strap into a pen holder is; pull the bottom of the elastic strap on your journal (I know Leuchtturm and Moleskine notebooks have elastic closure straps that work well for this hack) and wrap it over the bottom left corner of the journal. Voila, one diagonal pen holder that you can just hook your pen on. Love this hack.

  Another idea to keep your pen with your journal is to make your own pen loop. This is what I have been using recently and it was really fun to make and looks so cute on my journal.

  All you need is a binder clip and some kind of material. You could use either elastic, fabric or thick tape. I used a type of duct tape to make mine with this really really cute cupcake design on it. Simply cut it to the size of your binder clip plus the width of your pen. Glue each end of the material to each side of the binder clip with strong glue (I added a layer of clear tape on top to make it extra secure) and there you have it.

  The perfect little pen loop that you can move around your journal whenever you like and you can make as many as you want! It’s a very easy and cheap DIY and the results are awesome!

  Supplies you might need:

Binder Clips

Elastic

Very Pretty Duct Tape

  #13 – Categorize Your Bullet Journal’s Index

This bullet journal hack I have never actually tried but I could see this working really really well for some people. Simply split your index up into columns and use each section for a different category.

  This would be a really good way of keep your dailies and monthly spreads separate or your just your collections separate from the rest of your journal pages. If you’re using the colour coding bullet journal hack from earlier you could incorporate the same colour coding from that hack into this one.

  Related: My favourite bullet journal supplies

#14 – Keep A Bunch Of Post It Notes In Your Journal

Now this one has to be the simplest. But also one of the most helpful bullet journal hacks.

  If you’re someone like me and you keep a lot of notes, on a lot of different sticky notes, in a lot of different places, all the time. This hack is for you.

  Keep a stack of the darn things in the back of your journal! Duhh… Sounds obvious right? This way you always have some on hand, in different sizes and you can just dot down your notes and things and stick it straight where it needs to go.

  Some of my favourite sticky notes:

Owl Sticky Notes

Butterfly Sticky Notes

Floral Sticky Notes

  #15 – Migrate Only On A New Page

I find, that a good way to make sure I do something, is the prospect of having to right out the same tasks again…and maybe even again.

  I hate rewriting things because it’s a horrible reminder that I didn’t get as much done as I wanted to the day or week before. Now, although I don’t always write out tasks from the day before again, I’ve adopted a method of only rewriting them if I need to start a new page.

   This way I can just work on the list from the day before if I didn’t get everything done. But if it’s time to start a new page, I’m forced to rewrite the tasks I haven’t completed. It’s a horrible feeling when I have to do this but it does make me work harder to complete things in a timely manner.

  #16– Make A Pocket Or Envelope

This hack is something I have only just started doing in my journal and I am loving it. The back pocket you get in a lot of notebooks is so handy and I always use them. To the point they are bulging and making the journal all misshapen and no longer laying flat!

  So, why not create another little pocket somewhere else in the journal? You could add one to the front cover or on any page you like throughout the journal.

  You can either stick in an envelope and use that as the pocket or make your own. To make one simply fold three edges of a piece of paper or card stock to create the side of the pocket and then sticking it into your journal with either glue, washi tape or double-sided tape

  #17 – Write Down Your Mission Statement Or Favourite Affirmations

I’m not sure this one counts as a hack either to be honest. But I think it is definitely worth putting on a bullet journal hacks list as it is something I’m sure a lot of people will find help and inspiring.

  It’s always so hard to decide what to put on the first page of a notebook. So why not make it your favourite affirmation? or your favourite quote? Or your mission statement?

  I love using one of these three things to start a new notebook. For the first page in this bullet journal, I have the year 2018 written across the top of the page and then the affirmation ‘New Year, New Journal, New Beginnings’ and I just love that. I think it was the perfect quote to start the year off with and I love reading it every time I pick up my journal, it’s so inspiring and motivating.

  I also have my word for the year written on the first page of my journal. The word is ‘Progress’. This serves as a reminder that although I might not be where I want to be now, The little steps I take today are still progress and I am still closer than I was yesterday.

All these hacks add functionality to your planner system and they look super pretty too! Click To Tweet

Any of these bullet journal hacks take your fancy?

I love using variations of all these hacks. They help to add even more functionality to an already solid system. I recommend giving them all a go and see which ones work for you! Let me know if you try any of them out!

  Those were all my bullet journal hacks, what are some of yours? Let me know, I’d love to give them a go!

  Related Posts:

Must Have Bullet Journal Supplies For Every Planner Addict!

Bullet Journal 1 Year On – What I’ve Learnt

Plan With Me: June 2018

Get Things Done With A Solid Planning Routine!

Day Zero Project – 101 Things In 1001 Days

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[cardboardhogs]

I have a stack of cards in front of me that have a story that needs to be unearthed, something that can connect the pieces of card stock together in a nice little cycle of like kinda way.  I just don’t know what that story is yet.  I got foil cards. I got celebrity cards, I got guys with turkey necks and a guy that took a barbecue sauce bath, and some cards that are called Fire but look like Chihuly glass…guess it was fired glass…semantics i guess.  Let’s start with the celebrity stock of First Pitches.

Two rappers, one is The Rapper…Chance that is.  The other is Warren G.  If you have been reading my words the past few years, you are fully aware of my affinity towards the rap music and culture.  I’m pretty critical with my rap music though, almost a snob…yes, you should call it a snobbish attitude.  I love lyrics and great storytelling.  Guys…and Gals…that can paint a picture with their words in a seemingly quick or witty manner.  The two guys above do that, although in all honesty, i can’t say i’m a fan of either.  The reason for me?  Their voice.  Guru from Gangstarr had a song “Mostly the Voice” that clearly explained that its mostly the voice that we love or hate about a rapper.  Now, he did go on to explain that the lyrics are critical as well, but in his opinion…it’s mostly the voice, and i agree with these two guys.  Both Chance and Warren G have very distinctive sounds to them and are incredible story tellers.  One of Warren G’s biggest hits was a terrific narrative of the wild life of an inner city Regulators, but the voice though…couldn’t handle it, plus it was the kind of laid back west coast music i wasn’t really in to back then.  Now, Chance is one of those new rappers and i’m an old guy, so part of my distaste for his sound is that i’m not sure i truly get his metaphors.  Seems like a great kid, positive kid trying to do some great things and share his stories…just not something i’m really in to yet.  Possibly haven’t given it a good enough listen, I just struggle with him.  Plus he’s in Kit Kat commercials and gettin’ down with so many different stars on my television set and internet machines.  Seems like a lot of success came quick for him, too quick.  I’m sure he’s been grinding at his craft for a while…but too much too soon for me to be a believer.

Speaking of quick success, Aubrey Plaza.  Came on the scene out of nowhere with her popular character in the comedy series Park and Recreation (April Ludgate) who might have been the quintessential apathetic employee…that’s what the backside of this card said about her.  Think that’s pretty appropriate.  I had never heard of her until the Parks and Rec show that i watched for Nick Offermans’ character, Ron Swanson and the lovable Amy Poehler.  I feel like Aubrey is one of those actors/actresses that doesn’t really ACT! but rather ends up playing the same person in each role that is really her in real life like Vince Vaughn or Michael Cera.  She’s cute, awkwardly funny and somewhat edgy i guess.  I must admit that her glove seems excessively large for her scale of human being.  A smaller glove may have been in order for her big first pitch opportunity.  Wonder if she could borrow another one?

  Here are those Fire cards i was talking about earlier, not really sure how i feel about these inserts.  Maybe if the card stock was thicker and possibly shinier, shiny is good sometimes, then i might be all in.  I’m definitely all in for Griffey and McCutchen.

Griffey and Cutch appear to be in a flaming cauldron and trying to swing their way out to a burning hell.  The Cutch card should be a Steelers card.  Meanwhile the two Dodgers i pulled are emerging straight out of a pit of propane and butane, or more poeticly, emerging from the latest experimental Chihuly sculpture.  Either way Maeda is feeling the effects of those flames coming in as hot as blue blazes!!! (my grandma would have been so proud of me for getting that one in, miss you Winn!)

We’re about to go from fire to foil, just like a night over the grill.  (Really wished i pulled a Jason Grilli foil card, would have made that transition solid gold).  I will settle for this quote though from the back of Pat Deans’ card “the cunning southpaw soaked up a barbecue sauce shower after beating Felix Hernandez for his first win”.  So foil, grilling, BBQ sauce, Pat Dean:

You readers at home are just going to have to trust me in regards to the foil on these guys.  It’s there, you can’t see, but trust me, it’s there.

The next card was a pretty cool pull, a Cubs team card black and white reverse negative SP card…wait, It’s a Jake Arrieta card…wait, it’s a Jake Arrieta no-hitter card…wait, it’s a damn checklist.  Damn!!!  It’s also a very demonic appearing David Ross.

Moving on to the next group of cards.  Serial numbered foil cards with perforated screen print and a running 2016 Topps banner…these cards have it all…everything on one card.  If it had a snowflake/snow flake (forgot to look that up today…) it would have been over the top though.  The thing that struck me about this trifecta of National League East pitchers was their turkey neck poses.  I wonder how many players get excited to see their cards in a pack and pull…

THIS!

OR THIS!

OR THIS…!!!

Actually, i can’t really see Bartolo Colon ever caring about his image on a card, seems too carefree for such frivolities.  That glove…he should let Aubrey Plaza use that if she ever tosses out the first pitch for the Metropolitans.

I have a few more cards to post, the hits you know.  Gotta wait for those tomorrow though.  Kinda happy with the little success i had with those three cards…not a bad bunch.  Nothing ground breaking, but nice no less.

Hope you guys have a great evening.

Here’s a video from one of the greatest storytellers in rap and a no doubt classic.  From 1988!!!

One more Chance! I have a stack of cards in front of me that have a story that needs to be unearthed, something that can connect the pieces of card stock together in a nice little cycle of like kinda way.