#bought a hat from her for 80 gold

[bitchesgate3]

Acer enduring sass from a tressym.

Gale's Fairy Godmother is a bitch, but she is also very cute.

[popculturebuffet]

Tex Avery Birthday Spectacular!

Hello all you happy people! And welcome to a celebration of the only cartoon director I knew as a kid and one of the finest whose ever lived, Mr. Tex Avery. 

Avery is a legend in the animation industry and rightly so. Starting out at a few other studios, and loosing sight in one of his eyes due to some tomfoolery at one, Tex was annoyed with the restrctive enviorment and eventually found his way to Termite Terrace, the animated shorts wing of Leon Schislenger Productions, aka the future Warner Brothers Studios and the makers of Looney Tunes. And his impact on the franchise is vast, cannot be overstated and I only learned about just how much recently: The man created Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny, created the prototype for Elmer Fudd, and created the design for Porky we’re all far more familiar with. 

Eventually though while he was happy there, his career when ended when he eventually got into a squabble with Leon schsinger over the ending of “The Heckling Hare” and left soon after. Given he got a four week unpaid suspension for it , a bit extreme given all he’d given the studio, I can’t blame him. He instead went over to MGM who badly needed his wacky energy, and thus got to go as nuts as he wanted, with creative control a better budget and the result was his peak and classic characters like Red and my personal faviorite and personal boy: Droopy. I will try and do a birthday thing for him next month, we’ll see if my rather packed schedule will allow for it. Point is I watched the guys cartoons a lot as a kid between looney tunes and his shorts being repacked for the Tex Avery show in the late 90′s, and until recently I had no idea the depth and scope of his career: The guy gave looney tunes it’s standard fourth walll breaking and made it a huge part of the industry, and he was the one to hlep htem break out of being a Disney knockoff and into what we know today. The guy has my utmost respect so today I honor him as the first animator to get one of my birthday specials: As is my standard ten shorts, my patreons get to pick one each (I now have two but she start’s next month so her benefits will too) if they so choose (Kev opted out of the porky pig one next week) and I went to my friend blah for a recomendation as he’s an avid fan of the golden age of animation and thus usually has a really good choice up his sleeve. Now that’s out of hte way join me under the cut for some shenanigans as old tex would want it that way. 

1. The Gold Diggers of 49 (1935)

This was Tex Avery’s first short with warner and the first of his I could find, not ot mention his first time working with Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett, who he’d mentor and go on to be the heart and soul of Looney Tunes and define the characters Tex created. And since this is more significant than his earlier work i’m coutning it as his first. And as a start it’s.. ehhhhhhh. 

I don’t blame him for it though.  Most don’t hit it out of hte park their first time up to bat, and frankly the deck was stacked against him. He was saddled with Beans the Cat...

No one brak no one. He was part of an attempt by warner to create a new star as part of a Little Rascals/Our Gang style group of kids debuting in the short “I Haven’t Got a Hat”. This short is notable not for Beans, who no one cares about, but for the debut of Looney Tunes first star: Porky Pig. Porky was just one of the various characters but the only one audiences really liked. It took some time for Warner to get the hint though, hence Beans starring here and Porky playing his girlfriend’s father.. and also now being much older than him for some reason. 

So instead of being a Little Rascals ripoff bean is now a mickey mouse ripoff, as the short gives me mickey mouse vibes.. but without the things that made those shorts actually good and feels mostly built on studios trying to make what they think audiences will like. There’s sparks of waht Tex would become.. but just not enough wiggle room for him to make something special. Also porky looks and sounds weird in this one and Bean’s girlfriend has a REALLY annoying voice. Oh and two horrible Asian stereotypes, because it was acceptable at the time but lord was it never okay. Then again I should be at least mildly greatful none of the shorts had blackface.. because tex apparently REALLY had a problem with that, something I obviously didn’t know as a kid as they edited it out but given most of his MGM shorts have “blackface edited out of x version”, yeahhh.... I may like the guy, quite a bit and feel those gags weren’t done out of malice.. but it dosen’t make them okay, they were never okay and he should’ve done better. 

2. I Love to Singa (1936) Thankfully our next entry is 800% better, as we get a classic from my childhood and probably multiple childhoods. Admittedly part of the reason this one stuck in my head is the title song, sung by a young jazz singing owl whose dad doesn’t like that he sings Jazz instead of classical, enters a contest and nearly looses singing classical to please his dad only for his dad to intervene and finally accept his son. It’s a wonderful story of acceptance with some decent gags, beautiful animation and one hell of a title track that will probably never leave my head. The song is really what makes this short and sometimes that’s okay. Also just to note so someone else doesn’t: This short was a parody of the Jazz Singer one of the first talkie’s.. and also a film that uses blackface and whose 80′s remake bafflingly also uses blackface for some reason. Yes really. 

3. Tortoise Beats Hare (1941)

One of Tex’s only four Bugs Shorts.. but given 3/4 of them are certified classics, and one of them involving a horrible stereotype.. to the point it’s part of the rightfully infamous “Censored 11″ and the ONLY one involving Bugs Bunny. 

So as I said, Tex has a bad history with casual racism, and while it was the style at the time and I don’t THINK he was actively malicious towards black people.. it doesn’t make some of his work any less harmful. The rest of his bugs work though is remembered for the right reasons: his first appearance, and early classic we’ll get to next.. and this standout everyone who saw it as a kid or an adult fondly remembers. 

You all know the premise: Bugs finds out, in an utterly brilliant wall shattering bit at the start where he reads off the crew names and then the title, that this picture will have him beaten by a turtle and taking offense to that challenges the guy. This is honestly one of the few Bugs shorts where he’s the out and out villain of the picture. He’s doing this race purely out of ego, yells at Cecil whose perfectly nice in this one, and in general is the bully set up for a fall he’d later be famous for taking on. But it works, both because this si early in bugs career so it’s entirely in character, and because Mel just really sells the obnoxiousness while still being funny. 

This short also has one of Tex’s trademark setups as this is essentially a prototypical droopy cartoon: A meek, goofy voiced protagonist whose shorter than his large obnoxious enemy and who torments him by showing up every where he’s going to be and casually doing it. Cecil even does so using an army of fellow turtles with Droopy later using a similar trick in one of his shorts. As a big Droopy fan i’m clearly not complaining and while Droopy would do it better, this short’s still a classic for a reason with tons of great bits and is a fun break from the usual bugs setup, though in full fairness the usual bugs setup is still solid gold so take that how you will. 

4. The Heckling Hare (1941)

Originally I was going to have Daffy in Hollywood in this spot as I thought it was on Max, it was not,  so I swapped it out with his final bugs cartoon. For the record his first, and Bugs, is being saved for Bugs birthday this summer. And honestly i’m glad I did because this was 7 mintues of pure joy that has another setup that Tex himself and other Looney Tunes animators would resuuse: Bugs being pitted up against a far dumber antagonist. One who often still fully deserves it but allows him to just have fun for several minutes at this dumb bastard’s expense. It works well here, with tons of clever gags, my faviorite being the two doing dumb faces with each other only for bugs to stop and pull out a sign as seen right above. 

It’s also an approriate capper to our warner made Tex shorts for the day, as this would be the one that got him fired. He and Schisnger argued over it and he got suspended as I mentioned and I found it again a bit fucking extreme. So did Tex and after a handful of shorts elsewhere, he’d move over to MGM, whose cartoons would ironically be bought up by warner. They needed a shot in the arm to compete with Disney and Warner and Tex was happy to provide hte needle filled with nonsense. And the results.. are pure gold. 

5. Dumb Hounded (1943)

I’ll admit as a kid I didn’t know Tex’s MGM shorts were theatrical, or any shorts but somehow I knew they weren’t looney tunes. Besidds obviously having hteir own show they just had their own tone and pacing and style. While the Looney Tunes aren’t bad, at all honestly, Tex’s work here was in a class by itself with MGM gladly giving him a higher budget and even more creative freedom. And the results speak for themselves and one of those results is one of if not my faviorite classic cartoon character. And since I might not be able to get to his birthday with one of these next month, though i’m certainly going to try march is just VERY VERY FULL. Anyways point is our happy hero was introduced here. And given i’m frequently depressed and often withdrawn, not that you could tell from my reviews here, I related to this depressed bulldog who always won anyway despite being an outsider, finding love, sucess and always beating a much larger, much more assholish antagonist. But Droopy is good on his own merits as his shorts are just that funny. 

This was true from Day One as dumb hounded is fucking perfect: The Wolf that Avery always used in his cartoons escapes from jail and is hunted by bloodhounds including our boy, who charmingly introduces himself with “You know what, i’m the hero”. From there it’s a simple setup but a great one as Droopy finds the guy.. then chases him from here to enternity with one amazing gag after another. Simple, utterly hilarious and the dawn of a legend, with the ending having Droopy go a bit nuts after getting his reward money before returning to his usual demeanor “You know what? I’m happy” So am I bud, so am I. 

6. Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)

Yup same year. Tex hit the ground sprinting. This one is his signature MGM toon and for good reason. Using his usual forth wall breaking style, both the wolf and red riding hood rebel when it opens with a typical telling, so it changes to a 40′s nightlife setting: Grandma lives in a penthouse and is man hungry, Red is a fanservicey night club act and the Wolf is a sexually harassing asshole who chases after here and has some over the top reactions to her that are iconic in some’s mind.

The short is gorgeously animated with Red’s dance sequence and Wolfie’s reactions being the highlight and the short isn’t as bad as it could be as the wolf is treated as a scumbag for hitting on her and generally being a creep. SO the first two thirds aren’t bad with nice touches like the narrator clearly improvising the new story. It’s just badly hampered by the last half where Grandma sexually harasses Wolfie and it just doesn’t work. This double standard stuff annoys me and “haha get it it’s funny when a woman stalks a man” isn’t funny. Wolfie stalking her really isn’t that funny either it’s just not you know an entire third of the film. So a classic for a reason.. but one that really has degraded with time. Still worth analyzing and what not, just not great. 

7. Who Killed Who? (1943)

Yes still. It was a good year. This is another one off like Red Hot Riding Hood and as is tradition since the Tom and Jerry one, my patreons each get to pick one and Kev selected this one. And this.. was a great choice. 

Seriously I could not stop laughing with a great gag a minute, WAY too many to mention, a classic ending, and just nothing but net the whole time. I don’t have much to say really.. but because this one’s just good. The whodunnit genre hasn’t really gone away, it’s cliches are welll known even today and this is a lovely parody of it that hits the ground running after a live action intro and runs right through the wall across a lake and straight into droopy “You moved.”. 

The only real observation I have other than “This is fucking awesome watch it immediately” is that the villian looks exactly like the Phantom Blot. Who knew the Phantom Blot was a live action guy with a weird haircut the whole time huh?  Seriously this one is a masterpiece, an instant faviorite, and I highly recommend it. 

8. Screwball Squirrel (1944)

As you can probably guess by how I lead it in this one is not very good. It is tex TRYING to make a bugs or daffy type character again and somehow failing at it. He created them, he did plenty of shorts like theirs with other characters and got how the cat and mouse antics of the old theatrical shorts worked.. so I have no idea how this one happened. 

I’m really not overselling it: The short is about Screwy, who hyjacks it from a cute widdle bunny clearly parodying bambi.. who he beats the shit out of, then decides to get things going asks a dumb dog to hunt him, then insults him to provoke him to attacking him. He then spends the entire short tormenting the poor dumb bastard who again HE PROVOKED. It feels like a poor imitation of dumb hounded, as while Bugs clearly outclassed the dog there, he’d die if he lost, so while he was punching down, he clearly didn’t have a choice and you can’t honestly blame him. Here, Screwy is fine, he just wants someone’s head to fuck with and spends a whole short torturing him. We don’t even get catarsis as while the dog does catch him at the end via  weird gag, they end up deciding to beat up the bunny instead. 

His voice is also just the worst, just utterly grating and making me wish an anvil woudl fall on HIM instead. Screwy would return for some other shorts but I have no idea why. This was easily the weakest of these ten shorts and I will probably not return to the guy next year.

9. Bad Luck Blackie (1949)

This is one i’d forgotten till I got a ways in. It’s also weirdly one of the only MGM Tex shorts on HBO Max as this was included in the Tom and Jerry collection for some reason, the dog in it clearly isn’t the tom and Jerry verison of spike... though the dog Droopy fought a lot was indeed called spike. Yes that is confusing, no I don’t know why MGM thought this was a good idea. 

 As a result though I have been saving giving out about this till now but seirously , put the tex avery shorts on HBO Max. Their on Blu-Ray, their on boomerang, especially Droopys. I do not get why they aren’t on here. I’m tired of them holding things out for the boomerang app when not everyone subscirbes to that. Let me have my morose dog dammit. 

That giving out aside i’m glad this one caught my eye via i’ts weird name as it’s another masterpiece. It also does what one Tom and Jerry short I reviewed, the one where tom’s a millionare,  earlier this month failed to: properly make it’s antagonist loathsome enough to deserve the parade of abuse he gets. With that one Tom is tourturning jerry for like 30 seconds, but Jerry torments him for most of 5 minutes. 

Here we get about two minutes of our lead kitten getting torremnted by a mean bulldog. It’s not only still a bit entertaining to lessen the horror just enough to be watchable but not enough to make the bulldog likeable, but it makes what happens for the rest of the short oh so fucking satsifying. While the previous short today really didn’t get the karmic ballance neded for a good classic screwball comedy short this one overwhelmingly does.

Our kitten gets some help in the form of Blackie, a professional black cat who agrees to turn the tables, sauntring across to a wonderfully catchy tune. any time the little guy whistles. The result from there is 5-6 nonstop minutes of comedy genius, as Tex finds new and creative ways for the cat to come out of nowhere, and even shakes things up to keep it intresting towards the end iwth the dog getting the whistle.. only for it to still not work out, and for our little kitten to get his revenge at last by painting himself black after the bulldog paints blackie white. As should be obvious by now, it’s really good, showing Screwball Squirrel was the exception not the rule. In general Tex was this good during his mgm and when he was at his peak we got gems like this. Truly sensational, watch it if you have max it’s under the tom and jerry section for some reason. 

10. T.V. of Tommorow A decent one I remember seeing as a kid. Not much to say though, it’s mostly a bunch of gags about “future” tv’s based on their viewer’s needs. Some good stuff.. not as good as most of what was here today but still better than the worst of it and still very memorable and part of a memorable tetralogy i’ll probably come back to when I do Tex’s birthday again next year. Not a bad note to end on though. 

Overall these shorts show just how strong a creator tex was, gleefully taking convention and ripping it to tiny pieces. As i’ve mentioned many times i’ll be coming back to his work next year.. and probably be watching a hell ofa lot more in the time between. Might even do a second special on him in between birthday ones. We’ll see how this does. The Tom and Jerry one sadly wasn’t quite the hit I hoped. 

Until then I have many other reviews. And since Today (This review is late) was supposed to be the 90′s tom and jerry movie but that turned out not to be on Max for some reason. I still plan to cover it some day i’ll just have to find it and buy it first. But tommorow if I have the time i’ll be continuing the Lena retrospective with an intresting little side trip. So until then, i’ts been a pleasure and you know what? Thanks for reading. 

[mamapriest]

Style Flashback: Sophia Loren 🖤

PART TWO

Sophia Loren is well-known as a muse in the fashion world, both to fans and designers alike. Giorgio Armani created a whole collection inspired by the international star, as did designer Sofia Sizzi. And it's easy to see why. Loren has timeless taste and embodies the classic Italian woman. She loves her fur coats and her designer labels, and always has diamonds sparkling from her ears or throat. 

Take a walk down memory lane and scroll down to see some of Loren's best looks through the decades. *Courtesy of itsrosy.com

Bold Hats

For Loren, heading to the airport meant she got to don fabulous hats. This pink lace floral number is no exception.

Most of Loren's hats come from designer Jean Barthet, who was Paris' most thriving milliner. His business was booming in the '60s when other milliners were closing down shop. His order book had A-list names like Brigitte Bardot, Queen Farah of Iran, Elizabeth Taylor, and Princess Grace. And each time that Loren visited the milliner, she bought in bulk.

Roman Chic

Even when Loren played an ancient Roman, her outfits were modern-day chic. Here the actress is in her role of Lucilla, the daughter of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in The Fall of the Roman Empire, a 1964 movie. While she might have been dressed for an ancient empire, her ruched dress and jeweled baubles looked stylish enough to wear during the modern day.

Bold Fall Looks

Loren really knew how to work her outerwear. In 1965, she arrived at London Airport for the premiere of Lady L, and her bundled-up outfit proved to be the epitome of fall style. Her checkered coat was topped with a bold bow, which she accented with a crocheted hat and color-tinted sunglasses.

Fierce Cat Eyes

In 1967, Loren displayed some fierce cat eyeliner while at a Hollywood event. She dressed in glittering accents from head to toe. Her dress was a sequined designer confection, which she matched with a diamond and sapphire necklace. The show-stopping Bulgari necklace is one of her favorites: she also wore the same one to the 1966 Cannes Film Festival a year prior.

Grand Ball Outfits

Forget red carpets — Loren truly shined at balls. She especially turned heads while attending a grand ball hosted in a casino in Monte Carlo in 1969. It was her first public outing since the birth of her son, and she decided to go all out by sporting an elaborate headdress.

The outing was a "Dîner De Têtes" costume ball, where she and her husband rubbed elbows with Grace Kelly. The princess actually had some trouble getting to the party with her own big headdress. 

Groovy Seventies Attire

Loren perfectly captured the changing fashions of the seventies with this Mod outfit. It consisted of a floral print mini dress with matching go-go boots. Loren wore this scooter dress ensemble on the set of La Femme du Pretre (The Priest's Wife.)

Street Style

Loren looked every inch of the stylish New Yorker while heading to a movie set circa 1978. Her black silk and lace dress was both daring and elegant, and played up her bombshell status.

Late '70s Style

Loren always looked like she walked straight off of a runway in her airport outfits. Here she arrived in Heathrow from Paris wearing a chunky fur coat, turtleneck sweater dress, and knee-high leather boots. She looked like she hopped out of a Vogue editorial, but in reality she was just waiting to get through customs.

Loren's style has always been so impeccable that in 1999 she received the CFDA Fashion Award for "a lifetime of glamour." The actress made it her mission to embody timeless Italian style and luxury. "During her long film career, Loren made bosom-baring an art, with all manner of sensual dresses and tops. Later, she became the elegant patron of top designers such as Valentino and Gianni Versace," the Philadelphia Inquirer observed.

The Age Of Excess

Loren embraced the Age of Excess in the '80s and piled on the glitz and glamour during her red carpet events. In this outfit, her red dress had elaborate bead and tassel shoulders, which she accented with stacked gold chokers and chandelier earrings.

She wore this outfit to a dinner honoring her as Grand Marshall of 1983's Columbus Day Parade. The annual parade on Fifth Avenue is famous for honoring Italian-Americans, but that year they shined the spotlight on an Italian-Italian. And even a bigger deal: Loren was the first woman to lead the parade in its 39-year history!

Nighttime Florals

Spring time florals aren't just reserved for day dresses and picnic skirts. Loren wore head to toe floral while in Moscow in 1991. She had a matching wrap and a flirty high-low hemline. The floral frock was vaguely familiar of another white floral dress she wore back in 1955, proving that Loren's style was timeless.

This was about the time that Loren began wearing glasses to red carpet events, much to the surprise of many. 

"She suddenly began turning up in magazines and at black-tie functions wearing glasses, rather glamorous glasses to be sure, but glasses nonetheless," wrote Vanity Fair in 1991. "Somehow, it was jarring. Somehow, you didn’t want to see Sophia Loren... (in) spectacles. She was... the last of a dying breed, and now she was pushing frames with little curlicues on the side, manufactured by an outfit called Zyloware?"

“I’m doing it for fun,” she insisted. “It’s something I could design, I could draw myself. That’s why I did it.” They were always gorgeous glasses, so why not?

💜💜💜

[bush-viper-cutie]

Love Me Roughly: Motel for the Night

Pairing: Snape x fem!reader

Word Count: 2,008

Rating: E for Everyone

Plot:  Severus has arrived to his new city and must now find a place to stay and get in contact with the wizards who can safely find him a new home.

A/N: This is part 2 of 7 for the week 1 schedule for Snape Appreciation Month! Thank you @snapeloveposts​ for organizing this!

DISCLAIMER: I have edited (drawn over the original) the artwork (taken from a 80′s bodice ripper novel) for the purpose of this short series and will post more information about the original work here.

Posted: 6/2/20

                   Chapter List

<-- Last Chapter         Next Chapter –>

~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~

The plane ride wasn’t as agonizing as he thought it would be. In fact, he slept for the majority of it. After finding his seat, and after seeing that take off went alright he closed his eyes until a woman with a snack cart came by. It reminded him of the Hogwarts Express, except with only orange juice and peanuts. He closed his eyes again and woke up once the descending turbulence hit.

Everyone stood and grabbed their luggage and Severus followed along. He felt very much like an outsider, needing to observe everyone else to know what to do, which he normally avoided doing by researching and studying but of course he did not have any time for that during his tenure at Hogwarts and as a spy under both Dumbledore and the Dark Lord.

He exited the plane and looked around the airport once more, grabbing another coffee to wake himself up – “Caramel Vanilla with extra whipped topping and hazelnut” – and found his way to the exit. The doors were sliding open as people neared them and the night-time wind finally reached his body.

Severus shivered and clung to his muggle coat, “Fuck that’s cold.” He reached for his knitted hat and shoved it over his head, making sure his ears were covered, and wound his scarf around his neck tight. No way was he catching a cold the first day of freedom.

He pulled his trunk along and exited the airport. The air wasn’t as chilly as he initially thought so he let his scarf down so he could breath in the Alaskan air. He wasn’t sure exactly what time of night it was, but the stars were shining bright in the sky.

He walked over to a taxi-cab line and waited his turn. He finished his coffee and looked around for a bin to throw the empty cup away.

“Over there.”

Severus turned to see it was the same woman as before who had sat next to him in London. He nodded his thanks and threw his cup in, walking back and nodding again to her for helping him and not cutting in line while he was gone.

“Are you from London, or from here?” she gave him a short but polite smile.

Does it matter? Go away. He nodded and looked ahead, turning his back to her.

“I’m from here,” she said a little louder, obviously trying to keep up the conversation.

The line moved and he was able to get the next cab, putting his trunk in the back and opening the door. The man asked where he was going and he responded with “motel” only to be asked which one. How am I supposed to know? What do I say?

“Oh! Go to Aurwa, it’s cheap but one of the nicer ones!” she lowered her hands from her mouth and gave hm a thumbs up.

“Aurwa,” Severus rolled his eyes and climbed in.

The ride was around twenty minutes and he found himself a little pleased to have gotten the suggestion from the woman. The motel looked rather nice and the sign at the entrance mentioned a sauna and free breakfast. He paid the driver and got his trunk out, breathing in the air again.

It was only a few degrees colder than what he was used to and the greenery around the area surprised him. He had thought it would be snowing and that the land would be covered in a white blanket of glitter and day dreamed on the plane that he’d be able to wear layers upon layers with the perfect excuse to cover most of his face.

He sighed and entered, heading straight for the front desk. He rang the bell and an elderly woman came out from behind a door. She opened up a binder and uncapped a pen, holding it ready to write down his request.

“One room …” he looked around even though it was just him and the old woman in the tiny room. “And the number for this city’s worst plumber...”

The woman looked confused but wrote it down and stated the price of an available room per night. He paid and took the keys from her and headed to the very last room with his number on it. He jammed the keys inside and held his breath as he turned the knob and opened the door.

He reached for the lights and flicked them on, letting out his breath as he realized the room looked decent. He had slept in much, much, worse in the past. He closed the door and locked it. He shut the curtains and took out his wand to clean up all the dust off the bed, floor, and drawers.

He moved onto the bathroom and used Scourgify on every surface. He stripped down to just his underpants, throwing his clothes on his bed, and remembered he had his strawberry cheese filled bagel in his trunk still and that book...

He took them out and walked back to the tub, turning it on and sat on the toilet lid eating his bagel as it filled. He licked his fingers and slid out of his underpants, tossing them onto the sink’s edge and lowered himself into the tub.

He levitated the book above his face and sunk deeper under the water, forcing his bent knees out, as he began to read.

‘Robin flung a tight satin robe around her naked body and ran to the balcony doors, closing them shut. She sat at her dresser and rang a little gold bell, calling for her beloved friend and butler, Stephano.’

After about forty minutes of dozing off in the warm water, someone knocked on the door. He wrapped a towel around himself and picked up the note that had been slid under the door. It was the number for the worst plumber in Fairbanks.

He sat on the edge of the bed and dialed the number, hearing an annoying ringing and finally an answer.

“Prosaic Pipes! How can I help you?”

He hesitated at the sound of the cheerful voice coming through the phone. He sighed and laid back on the bed, “I’ve just moved to Fairbanks. I need a home and the Blue Jay package… At the Aurwa motel room 30.”

There was a click and the line cut. Severus placed the phone back, dressed in his wizarding clothes, and waited. Within minutes there was a scratching at the door. He opened it and looked down to see a tiny dog looking up at him with a blue package on it’s back like a tiny backpack.

The dog barked and entered before he could reach down and untie the package.

“Hey,” he turned and followed the dog to the bed where it had curled up with its ears perked.

He scoffed and removed the Blue Jay package, avoiding the dog’s little tongue as it tried to sniff and lick him. Inside was a black bank key with a thorn sticking out from the loop. He pricked his finger and watched as his blood dissolved and the key turned bright gold like the Gringotts ones. He picked up the note from inside the package and read his appointment time for tomorrow behind the motel in the forest, “… ‘seventeen steps deep’.”

“Great, thank you… dog. You may now leave.”

Severus pointed to the open door, but the little dog stayed at the foot of his bed. He growled and picked the dog up, placing it outside. The dog ran back in as Severus closed the door and jumped back onto the bed.

“Do I look like a dog person to you? I’m not going to feed you.”

The dog barked and wagged its tail.

“No, I said I WASN’T going to feed – ” another bark “you… Alright fine, if I do will you leave and go back to wherever you came from?”

The dog barked again and stood, wagging its tail so hard his little body shook. He picked the dog up and left the room, heading to a vending machine. He scanned all the options for the most dog-like food item and bought a jerky stick.

“Here,” he unwrapped it and handed it to the dog, “Deal’s a deal so – ”

The dog took it and ran around the corner, back towards his room.

“No,” Severus chased after it and caught it scratching at the door still wagging its tail.

He gave up and let the dog in, deciding to ignore it until it came time for his appointment in several hours. The sun was starting to rise and he could either stay awake until it was time to leave or rest. Guessing by how hard it was getting to keep his eyes open he decided to take a nap.

“Just a few hours,” he sighed and took off his clothes and slipped into his night shirt. He slid into bed and frowned. The dog was looking at him and refused to budge as he slid his feet under him. “Excuse me. But this is not your bed nor will I accept the company.”

The dog tilted his head and barked, wagging his tail. He stood up, finally letting Severus extended his legs, and walked over the sheet and nuzzled under Severus’ arm.

Appalled, he pushed him aside, “No. Sleep over there. On that side.”

The dog jumped back over his body and nuzzled under his arm again, licking his chin repeatedly until Severus turned around. The dog followed again but this time kept his tongue to himself and Severus sighed, giving up.

“If I wake up covered in slobber, I will NOT buy you another jerky,” he pushed the dog slightly more under his arm, pleased with the extra warmth.

He picked up his wand and summoned his book, ready to continue where he left off.

‘Stephano finally arrived with the tray of honey glazed crème brulee and set it down on the nightstand by her bed. Robin sighed and thanked him greatly, asking if he could do her one more favor. She pulled down the robes that were covering her naked body to around her bare shoulders and pointed to a spot on her bare neck that had been so sore lately.

Stephano could practically read her mind, using everything he knew about his oldest friend to perfectly predict everything she wanted ahead of time. He pulled back his tight sleeves with his large manly hands to reveal incredibly large bulging muscles perfect for the job on her dainty bare neck.’

. . .

“Mmm, stop it,” he pushed the dog away and opened his eyes.

The tiny dog had his tongue out ready for another lick. Severus sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around the room for a clock. He squinted and read the time, seeing that it was only an hour until the meeting time.

“Are you trained as an alarm clock too?”

He got up and stretched, cracking several bones, and scratched his back. He buttoned up his clothes and made himself a sandwich from the food he had backed from home.

Chomping on a large pickle he looked down at the tiny dog, “Let’s go get your jerky, then.”

The minutes ticked by as he observed the dog bite at each end of the stick until a piece came off and swallowed it whole, only to throw it back up and finish chewing it. He wasn’t sure what animal he would have wanted to be, but he certainly would never want to be a dog. Or a cat for that matter.

He saw how students treated every cat that crossed their path in the corridors. Hugs, pets, and kisses from complete strangers? Perhaps a bird though… Ah, what he would have given to be a pigeon perched above Lockhart’s desk, sending down little surprises every hour…

“Well, your time is up. Let’s go give you back to your irresponsible owner and get myself a new house, preferably with a large bath.”

~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~

                  Chapter List

<-- Last Chapter         Next Chapter –>

[anne-lister-adventures]

Tuesday, 11 March 1840

8 25/’’

2 3/4

Fine morning another thorough wash in spite of circumstances – Had piled all portmanteaus against one door and set our table against the other and made a screen of 2 chairs with our clothes just beginning to dress when their curiosity could hold out no longer and they gently opened our folding doors and peeped in at these and the windows till we sat down to breakfast at 8 55/’’ and afterwards at intervals – Reaumur 10 1/4º in our room at 8 50/’’ a.m. – In fact, children or grown people stood looking at us all the time we staid – 

Seeing the master of the house among the gazers asked him in – George had brought us some brick-tea to look at – It is (said the Master) in a cake one half archine (i.e. 14 in.[inches]) square = 4/80 – It seemed about 1/2 in.[inch] or more thick – Made up in China – Cheaper than the other tea ∴[therefore] the Cossacks here have lately began to drink it – They boil it up with milk, and salt, and butter – A piece about 2 in.[inches] long and not an in.[inch] broad he said would be enough to make 30 tasses – But they cannot take it now – It is their grand Carême – Encore 7 weeks of Carême and they are not allowed to take milk or butter - ∴[therefore] their fish is cooked with oil – 

Chinese brick tea (Image source).

2 Traineaux de Poste à 3 chevaux – A smallish Kibitka-body with merely a seat for the driver – And hay in the bottom on which A-[Ann] and I had one of our mattresses to sit on – Our Courier and George followed in the other Traineau – 

Off at 10 10/’’ – We put on our Chalats (Shubes) over our fur cloaks – My Sarepta night-cap under my dark blue cloth waddled Jupp travelling cap, and my fur cloak collar pulled up to my eyes, and over all this my black satin much waddled pink satin lined Moscow bonnet tied tight down – After setting off, tied my pocket handkerchief over the bonnet to keep all tighter and pulled up my Shube collar which came up as high as the top of my head – A sheaf of hay to cover our feet – I had had hardly a peep-hole – But it was no loss – So thick, we could scarce see a dozen yards ahead – My eyes being still tender were still not sufficiently guaranteed from the piercing north wind – (Or wind in our teeth but rather to the left for I have yet to learn whether we went North or South) pulled up the great pelerine of my Shube and throwing it up over my head against the wind, the wind kept it in its place, and I was comfortable afterwards – The wind was very cold and searching yet Gross tells me that at 10 1/2 (on our being gone) Reaumur stood only at -8º and the same at 6 this evening – It is always cold on the river and there seems to be an extra force of wind – Tho’ it is strong enough on the Steppes – I should think the village is not seen at any great distance nor even the church? 

At 11 40/’’ (in 1 1/2 hour) alighted at the Palace of the Prince – A comfortable 2 story high wood (board) Russian House in form of

each front having in the centre a 2 story 4 style portico or balcony the top finished in a pediment – And each end ditto ditto ditto – A row of tallish pyramidal poplars all trees I noticed near the house – 

8 or 10 steps up to the centre room in which a large green cloth covered billiard table – On the left a goodish dining room right the salon in which we sat, and then a room hung round with Circassian and other guns, pistols (so very handsome) and side arms, and a broad 4 or 5 ft.[feet] wide carpet-covered divan the whole breadth of the room under the 2 windows – 2 armoires with some China and cups and saucers, and a carpeted bench and this, if I mistake not, all the furniture – The salon carpeted – Sofa and large mahogany table in front of it, and chairs &c. 1/2 length picture in oil of the Emperor and Empress over the sofa – Poêle – Print of Temirazoff Governor General of Astrakhan – 

The belle soeur of the Prince and her daughter received us at the door – She in a green satin wadded Chalat with red chemise &c. underneath – And handsome high 4 cornered sable rimmed hat, the top full of waddling like the Moscow coachmen’s caps and girdled round with gold brocade – The daughter’s cap not bordered round the face with fur and rather different and she had a light printed cotton or muslin Chelat on – The lady very civil – Could not speak a word even of Russian but of the 4 men servants 2 could speak Russian that with George we got on very well – 

The Prince was at his prayers in the little chapel in the garden close behind the house – Prays from 5 to 9 a.m. and from 5 to 9 p.m. every day) – Not obliged by his religion to do so – But does it from inclination – Prays alone – Query – Is he studying? For he seems an intelligent man – According to their religion they should pray 3 times a day – Fast occasionally but then allowed milk and butter – No regular Sunday – But service 3 times a month – Every ten days – 

Perhaps it was 1/4 hour before he came – They say here he is 70 – If so, he is one of youngest looking men of his age I have ever seen – Remarkably good countenance – Good teeth – An agreeable good looking stoutish gentlemanly man – His manners easy and prepossessing – Moderately Mogul as to features – Might pass unremarked among Europeans – i.e. not remarked as one of another race – 

Prince Serebjab (right) with his brothers.

The lady decidedly the very type of mogul features – Very high broad cheek-bones – Very small eyes &c. complexion very difficult to express – Slightly copperish? The Prince more so – The girl Æt [aetatis] 14 less decidedly of mogul feature – The boy Æt [aetatis] 13 more so than his sister and was he slightly marked with small pox? Perhaps we shall see him again at Astrakhan – He has an older brother studying at Kazan where the Lord is a Mongol who is professor of Mongol – Coffee excellent 2 cups each soon after our arrival – Asked if we would not take something before going away and it was settled we were to dine – Had George all the while as interpreter – 

A Mongol Bible that is book of their religion – Their Bible – From Kazan brought for us to look at, on my inquiring about books in Mongol – Partly in Thibetan (the language of Thibet) and partly in Mongol – The latter read from top to bottom – And lines from left to right – The Thibetan in horizontal lines read from right to left – The grand Lamas (he pronounced it Lammās, with an S) the head of their religion – Buddist – Same as in China – And Chinese language same as Mongol, or the Mongols and Chinese understand one another – Mongol books to be bought at Kazan – But not at Astrakhan – 

The Prince descended from Tchinghis Khâna (Tchin-ghis Khâ-nah) in the 20th generation – 20 generations since – If George interpreted rightly but either his French or Russian or both serve him badly for he has apparently difficulty very often in understanding what is said as well as in translating it – Asked why his nephew was not called Ghinghis or if there was no one of this name – No! It would be a sin to call anyone after this great man – He was too great to have his name given unworthily – 

The Prince quite independent – Pays no tribute to the Emperor, but if called upon furnishes a regiment and defends the frontier – Is Colonel in the Russian Service – Commanded his regiment at Leipzig against Napoleon in 1813 – Wounded by a ball – Did not feel it much at the time – Soon healed and was well – But felt it (began to feel it) 2 years ago and now cannot bear to sit for long together on this account – Lost 1/2 his men at Leipzig – He had some archers there – No archers now – All armed now with gun, pistols, and pike à la Cossaque and clothed the same – He pronounced it Kassak – Find their own horses &c. &c. and the Emperor allowed pay during the campaign – Mongol for quiver = Cōlt-Tchăh and Noonoon = archer Pnash noonoon = archer – 

The Prince is very well with the people at the Cavcase but not with the Tartars of Boukharah, or others (It stuck me that Cōlt-Tchăh resembled Xoλxis the ancient name of the Valley of Koutais …..) about 200,000 Calmucks, the Prince a relation of our Prince here, went some time since to China – No news of them – perhaps they are taken as serfs? But I cannot depend upon George – 

The Emperor of China has an allowance made to him, and cannot do as he likes – Our Prince here much better off – Independent – Can do as he likes – Never stirs out of the house in winter – always lives in it but travels in summer – His brothers live in tents in summer – His brother for he has but one left – He about an hour from our arrival all ready (arrived at 11 40/’’) and we were off to the church – 

The Prince never quitting the house, his belle soeur took charge of us and a nice lively Russian window widow of an employé of the princes and he keeps her – The lady took me by the arm and seated herself by me in the small Traineau, and a larger with A-[Ann] and the widow and George followed – The Lady put her arm round me to hold me safe if there was any little jolt ∴[therefore] I regularly afterwards attached myself to her – Gave her my arm each time afterwards – Covered her gloveless hands (the Prince had a pair of nice light gloves lying on the table in the house) with my cloak, and we were very good speechless friends – The church may be about 1/4 mile from the house and near it and between it and the house the village – Partly Kibitkas partly goodish Russian wood (board) cottages – I could count about 100 Kibitkas (going and returning) – I observed 2 or 3 instances of their being smeared over with mud plaster and one or 2 instances of 2 tents joined by a sort of passage -  

As if these luxurious Calmucs wanted more room than their neighbours – In fact they are Russianizing – The Prince has a Russian Cuisinier – One of his people who has served an apprenticeship I suppose to a Russian – And George said he had one who had learnt cooking in Paris served an apprenticeship there (George said) – The church built 15 years ago – The only Buddhist church in Russia – Planned by his brother who was killed at Warsaw – Brick, white plastered over – After the model of a Thibet temple – Looks exactly like Chinese –

The outer line a low brick wall with brick pillars and wood palisading – Right on entering a handsome new building not quite finished for priests to live in and for a clocher or its equivalent – No bells – Call to prays by one of the large and one of the small trumpets, Kengree-ga and Bēw-ě-răh – Left on entering a wooden (board, unpainted) house where the priests now live – The 2 circles on each side 2 tent-temples – With each its altar and appurtenances – Circular open 6 style A-[Ann] says 7 style wing portico on each (like Kazan church at St. P-[Petersburg]) wooden steps, several up to the large square tower, equivalent of clocher – 

The main temple. (Image Source)

The ground floor forming a vestibule the great and only entrance into the church and here our Princess left her hat, (the handsome cap before noticed) her black hair parted down the middle of her head and made into one long, case-enclosed braid on each side – The thundering music, the din of drum and trumpet commenced as we reached the steps – Vestibule – Nave – A side aisle of 3 arcades on each side – Over the end of nave a lower square tower to give light – And the apse, the sacrum sacrorum for the altar and its appurtenances – 

Khusheutovsky Khurul. Kalmyk temple. Astrakhan, South Russia city on Volga River (Image Source)

The Prince had ordered a grand service (their high mass) for us – 9 priests (left on entering) on one side and 7 on the other on their hams on carpets, and on the same side as the 9 at this end the 2 blowers of the big trumpets – Beginning at the top end (nearest the altar) vis à vis 2 priests with each a curious little bell besides him

Then 2 more priests the one on the right with a little wheat in a little silver cup (about the size of a lotus flower) standing before him – And the one left with a bell that he constantly rang – The head priest – Giving the lead to all the rest – the 2 little dots at the top the bells –

R.2 the chief priest – He and his neighbour next below him had each a pair of big cymbals and the 2d.[2nd] below him and the 2d.2nd from the top on the other side had each a pair of lesser cymbals – Then the 2 bottom men had each a lesser trumpet (with hautboy red) and the 4 on each side above them had each a drum – And the 2 outside R. had each a big trumpet – 8 drums, an 8 in.[inch] long segment of 20 in.[inches] diameter? cylinder called Keng-rēē-găh. 2 big trumpets 5 or 6 ft.[feet] long, Bew-ě-rah 2 little ditto Bish-Kŏor with a red mouth-piece like a hautboy – 2 great cymbals Tzong (Tzong) the hollow parts like little basins 2 lesser ditto Tzêanzin the hollow parts merely like soup plates –

The chief priest rang his bell, muttered a few words (prayers) then struck his cymbals loud and then laid them down ant struck them together on the cushion before him so that the sound was deadened as he did so did the other 3 cymbal men, and all the other instruments played all the time he played – The service lasted 1/2 hour – Besides the 16 + 2 big trumpeters, one man with pointed cap and lappeted in yellow stood at the bottom at a little distance facing the middle of the 2 rows of priests, and 2 other men in yellow with base clean shaved heads stood one on each side – In all 16 + 2 + 3 = 21 priests – 

The 18 musicians all in in a sort of robe de chambre like dress silk embroidered – Flowed rich silk – much worn – With pelerine shaped as if in remembrance of the lotus leaf?

Each wore a cap of long flowing 1/2 way down the back black silk tied at the top that is the cap finished tied up in 3 diminishing balls terminated in a little crown like ornament crown of 4 rays –

Reminding me of a flower – Whence also the fleur de lis of the Bourbons – And a Tiara, as it were of 5 petals surrounding the cap – Every cap had the same no.[number] of petals the white lily – the lotus has 5 petals – The dresses painted with lilies, lotuses, marigolds, (geums?), everything has reference to the lotus – 

At the annunciation the angel is generally painted with a white lily in his hand – The sticks that struck the drums, curious the shaft like a sceptre (constable’s staff a little sceptre) i.e. both ends top and bottom reminding one of a flower and something else – The symbol of power – The handle like a ceinture tho’ rather disguised winged idol – The head of the church and particularly near the altar hung round with Chinese like drawings of Indian deities – I carefully examined them but found the Budhist deity too much disguised to be traceable to an inexperienced eye – Yet it is at the bottom of all – 

The priests here draw – Paint – Do all the pictures – They understand – Our Princess and her nephew equally ignorant of the meaning of pictures – The people not admitted into the church – Stand outside – We were allowed to examine altar little brass images – All – Nothing evident – Little silver cup, (like lotus cups) of wheat and barley and oats mixed – And little cup of ice (eau benite – As if milk and water frozen) – And silver on tinsel flowers – Went into all the 7 tent-chapels 4 in the court and 3 rather larger outside it – An altar in each – The quantities of little brass or nice like Chinese images and pictures – A square pedestal stand on one side of 2 of their altars that the idol ought to be upon and a sort of sceptre in front of 2 of the altars, with a protuberance made to receive something – Inquired – George said a plate to hold the offering – Or what the priests ate – This column and its proper Budhist companion ought to be one on each side of each altar – 

At the doors of the 3 tents outside was a cylindrical bundle of reeds one on each side the door – This paganism is a curious remain of Antiquity – The exterior of the church is very Chinese –

The clocher is square and then 4 retiring squares up to the ball on which rests the needle and above that a little ball and crescent and a point springing from middle of crescent I have inadvertently put the black-painted crescent work at the top of the retiring grade instead of the bottom? The cornice under the roof is every where triangular, in diminishing –

A very pretty cornice ‘4 grades square to ball and sceptre and top and crescent and ball – 6 columns’ (2 rows of) in each circular colonnade on returning to the palace our Prince ready to receive us – Gave me a Mongol Grammar printed at Kazan in 1835 and wrote his name in it – He had before given me his name and the names of his 2 brothers and that of the wife (our Princess) of his 2d.[2nd] brother all the brothers equally Princes and Sovereign Princes – Our Prince Cerbedjab de Tumen his tribe Tumen, and calls his village here Tumen, had 50,000 sheep when winter began – Has lost 20,000 – Ten years since such a severe winter – Last year at this time there was grass for the cattle – 

Arrzha and liqueur glasses the precursor of dinner – The spirit tasted exactly like good Noyau – 1/2 and 1/2 mare’s and cow’s milk that of today sourish already (in 4 days, fermented and give once distilled yields the common Arrzha that we tasted and that still has sufficiently left of milk derived taste to let one find out its origin – This distilled 3 times and prepared with almonds yields the Arrzha like Noyau – Tchez-gan the Mongol name of Koumis – One may call Arrzha esprit du lait – 

Dinner 1st Eesh-Kessen (looking like a Russian shredded reddish cabbage) a plat of shredded mutton – Shredded like on cabbage salad at Sarepta – Very good – Next little beef olives à la Russe with gravy good – Then Sabac fish cutlets like those the other day en route but better cooked – Then blinnys in little rolls 2 in.[inches] long and 2 in.[inches] diameter and several folds – Rather too hard and not hot enough – 2 preserve orange peel in shreds and white currants – Declined Medoc and some other French wine drank a glass made from the grapes of his own garden (4 v.[versts] off) this year – A weak white odd tasted but not disagreeable wine – The water excellent – Tasted dessert of Persian almonds, 2 sorts – Then coffee – Excellent now and in the morning – From Astrakhan but from Moscow or St. P-[Petersburg] then tea – 2 cups each – excellent – The best I have tasted in Russia – 

Admired the lady’s cap – The Prince asked how long we should stay at A-[Astrakhan] if long enough would get me a cap made, and send it to me there – Said we should only stay 5 day glad to be handsomely off putting him to so much trouble &c. – He had asked for our name I wrote as under 

‘Madame Lister de Shibden Hall dans la Conté de York d’Angleterre, et Mademoiselle Walker de Cliff Hill das la même Conté, rendent mille graces à Monsieur le Prince Cerbedjab, Prince Souverain des Calmoucs de Tumen, - de son hospitalité et de touts ses politesses – Elles desirent pour lui et pour toute sa famille le plus grand bonheur – Mardi. 11 Mars (Nouveau Style) 1840’

George explained and the Prince seemed pleased – I had asked if anyone had sketched his church &c. – Yes! An Officer (a Serjeant said George) chez Colonel Balájaefski at Astrakhan, has sketched the Prince and his people and temple – Much pleased with our day chez le Prince – 

Thanked him thro’ George as well as we could – He had ordered a Traineau and pair and a Cossak mounted en courier to take us home because we should by this means go much quicker – True – The wild screams of our Cossack and his whipping on our Courier’s post horses (spite of the driver) and seizing them by the tail and thus urging them on and our driver, too, screaming and delighted at my laughing aloud – That us over the river like magic – At the Prince’s door and at our own at 6 21/’’ in 1 6/’’ hour! Gave the men each a Silver Rouble, and then on their asking for a written assurance that I was satisfied I told the Courier to write thanks and that we had come in 1 6/’’ and I then signed                  

A Lister de Shibden Hall

Tuesday 11 March 1840

And set aside this my arms – Tea – And we drank Sackville’s health &c. on his 8th birthday – All this over at 8 - Then till now 1 25/’’ wrote all the above of today – A-[Ann] writing by me – Very fine day but bitter cold wind to the left nearly in our faces, going – At our backs in returning and besides abated since morning – the ice often sounded as if the river would not be safe very much longer – Lay down at 2 3/4 a.m. –

[in the side of the page:]      Brick Tea

[in the side of the page:]      Cerdebjab Prince of Tumen

[in the side of the page:]      Grand Lamās

[in the side of the page:]      Chinese and Mongol languages nearly the same

[in the side of the page:]      Calmuck (Mongol, Buddhist) Temple at Tumen      

[in the side of the page:]      Buddhist priests’ caps &c.

[in the side of the page:]      Tumen from Soroglazinskaya                        13 versts

[in the side of the page:]      S-[Soroglazinskaya] from Astrakhan . .        90 1/2

 Page References: SH:7/ML/E/24/0040 and SH:7/ML/E/24/0041 and SH:7/ML/E/24/0042 and SH:7/ML/E/24/0043

[kathillards]

rangerstop day one

ALSO KNOWN AS: BITCH EVERY POWER RANGER REMEMBERED US FROM MORPHICON (except selwyn. but hes still valid.)

so we avoided the megaforce rangers all day bc we wanted to surprise them at our photo op so for most of the con we wandered around looking at art and toys and bought so much shit oh my god there are so many talented artists here one lady was selling POTTED CLAY DOLLS and i almost bought a kat doll but. restraint. because i spent $80 at ceevee’s table and i still want more from him (he also remembered me from morphicon I LOVE POWER RANGERS YOU GUYS. I LOVE POWER RANGERS SO MUCH. I DONT HAVE ANY MORE ROOM ON MY WALL FOR THESE PRINTS BUT IM GONNA FUCKING MAKE ROOM.)

FIRST UP mike ginn because i got ceevee’s huge rpm gold and silver prints to get signed by them and the minute i got up to his table he was like “oh hi didn’t i see you at morphicon” and i was like YES and he was like “and weren’t there a bunch of you” and i was like YEAH LOOK ITS MY FRIENDS and he was like “and one of them was like super shy” because at pmc abbey had told him that our friend tabby loved him but was shy so he called her “shy tabby” and we all pointed at tabby who was trying to hide from him and we were all laughing and he just pointed at her for a minute to tease her and then he walked around his table and got behind her and pretended he was gonna jump at her it was so FUNNY AND CUTE HE LOVES HER HES THE CUTEST and he wanted us all to be in the pic i bought and i mean who am i to say no to mike ginn, the greatest gold ranger of all time

SECOND well li ming was busy (bc she’s a LEGENDARY RANGER BITCH WE STAN THE QUEEN OF RPM) so we turned around and jessica rey was there and SHE WAS LIKE “DIDNT I MEET YOU GUYS AT MORPHICON” because we talked to her for like literally 20 minutes at pmc just shittalking jdf and we were like HELL YEAH ugh she’s the cutest and we again talked to her for like 20 minutes (no shittalking this time) about what we loved about wild force and she was telling us about the alyssa’s father episode bc duh thats our fave and how the actor who played her father was like a famous actor but she knew him bc he was the real dad of one of the PAs and she didnt know he was famous and it was so cute shes so cute and tabby bought a white tiger hat from her (and a bunch of other things BUT THE HATS WERE HAND-CROCHETED THEYRE SO CUTE) and she was telling us just like. shit that happened in her day. and we LOVE her shes so great. AND THEN while we were talking to jessica, ann marie crouch came back bc they’re sharing a booth!! and she was dressed in her princess shayla outfit!! so kat and ben started talking to her god shes so nice and beautiful and she was selling little christmas ornaments of her flowers from her headband they’re so pretty and i told her “wild force rangers are ON POINT with the merch bc everyone else just has headshots” and she was like omg did you hear that w/ her handler and they high-fived (bc her handler made the ornaments) AND THEYRE SO CUTE. JESSICA TOLD US TO COME BACK SO WE WILL bc we have more things to get signed by them. she was also wearing a white tiger wild force hoodie she looked so cute.

THIRD then li ming was free and ofc i had to get her to sign my rpm silver print and shes SO NICE AND PRETTY AND she asked us what the japanese on the print said and we were like “it says you’re the best rpm ranger” and that gem’s said “my sister is cooler than me” and she laughed and we told her how much we loved her in the anniversary and how she was the strongest and most powerful rpm ranger and how she was the REAL LEADER gosh i love her and then we took my photo and SHE LET ME HOLD HER RPM TOY GUN THING i love herrr

FOURTH oh god okay so abbey couldnt be here but we wanted to get her shit so we went to sean cw johnson’s table bc duh and sapphire steph (of sapphire management, she handles like. a lot of rangers. SHES SO COOL) was handling him and we were talking to her and kat facetimed abbey to show her all of sean’s merch and he had these little coins that we got for abbey and asked if he could sign them and we were just talking to steph i dont even know about what i love her and abbey was on the phone and we were like telling them that she loves lightspeed thats why we’re facetiming and SEAN ASKED TO FACETIME HER AND SAY HI bc she was right there and also i showed him  and steph abbey’s little carter art of “get in losers we’re going demon hunting” and they both LOVED IT and then he was like “wait ive seen this art before” and i was like “yeah bc you fucking replied to my tweet about how dino charge is better than lightspeed” and he was like “oh yes i do remember that you said it was worse than watching paint dry and you wanted to gouge your eyes out with a spoon” and i was like I DIDNT SAY THAT I WASNT THAT MEAN (i was pretty mean, im so sorry sean i love you) im not gonna link the tweet bc I CANT BELIEVE HE FUCKING REPLIED TO IT AND REMEMBERED bc he was like “i’m not even on social media” and i was like “well you popped up in my notifs soooo” and he was like “no i respect your opinion even if you’re wrong” lmao and he asked what i didnt like about it and obviously i couldnt say “too many white people” to his face so i said i watched 20 episodes it was boring and we HATED captain mitchell bc we hate shitty mentors and we only love rangers and he was like “okay that’s fair” and i was like “and i didnt like that carter had this whole hero worship thing of captain mitchell when he was a shitty dad and like... is this your king???” (i literally said that why am i like this) and he was like “oh well he was kind of my king” and steph was cracking up at the black panther reference she was like “you guys are a hoot” oh and then we got him to do a video shout out where he says abbeys fave line “freeze missiles? sounds cool” and we were like DO IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT, YOURE AN ACTOR so he pretended to get in character and it was so cute and he told me also “i respect that you’re not fake and you stand by your opinions” and i was like ya cuz lightspeed sucks (no i didnt say that) cuz he was like “some people will be like ‘time force is overrated’ and then go up to michael copon (his booth was behind us) and be like ‘oh i’m a huge fan’” and we were like oh we’d never do that and he loved us even though i was so mean to him IM SORRY SEAN I WILL BUY SOMETHING FROM YOU TOMORROW as we were leaving he said to me “tomorrow you can be fake its fine” hes literally like. so cool. and also handsome. but lightspeed is still boring im sorry.

FIFTH we were wandering around again looking at toys and shit and tabby and ben wanted dino bite cafe shirts so we went to marvels by mossers which was right next to brennan and the sudarso brothers and we started talking to the guy there (aiden, not mosser) about, you know, the stuff they were selling and whatnot he’s so cool like they’re all so cool we talked for ages?? bc tabby had to go to the atm to get money and she took forever so we were just standing around saving her spot in line and aiden asked us like how we became friends when we’re all from different states and we told him we met online bc we love power rangers and we met up at morphicon and loved it so much we came to rangerstop and he was like oh thats so cool (this will be important later ok) anyway im just saying WE HAVE SO MUCH FUN JUST TALKING TO PEOPLE LIKE JUST. JUST TALK TO THEM. EVEN IF THEY’RE NOT POWER RANGERS. like this guy wasnt even a pr fan but he was so chill anyway i love everyone in this bar.

then we went out to eat but got distracted by gazbot’s booth of his HELLA COOL PRINTS and we bought abbey a balance print and an alpha print and kat bought all the six megaforce rangers and tbh tomorrow im gonna go back and get ninja steel blue BECAUSE while this was happening peter texted me “saw you and said hi but you seemed busy haha” becAUSE i did not stop to say hi to him (because he had a line!) while we were by marvels for mossers anyway i felt bad but we were hungry so went out to the food trucks and we saw two ranger actors whom we will not name come out to smoke together which was HILARIOUS (we love them anyway its ok) and THEN

SIXTH we came back inside bc i wanted brennan to sign my dino charge red print that i got from ceevee (also a shoutout to his handler who is really cool and talked to us and just. guys. i love everyone. i love EVERYONE.) and hes sooooo pretty god and his handwriting is so cute it looks like a child bc he’s left-handed and i asked him why the other dino charge rangers werent there and he was like “well davi’s filming and michael and camille dont really do cons” lmao and i told him i went to school w/ michael and camille and he was like “oh cool my sister-in-law went to that school” when i told him what university it was anyway hes just so pretty. im blanking on most of our conversation. then ben talked to him bc they’re both left-handed and reminded him that he instagrammed ben’s art and they message on insta and it was very cute #bennan for life bitches he also signed ben’s dino charge hat

SEVENTH so you know yoshi and peter are right next to brennan so i was with taylor (@ crossbuild on twitter, rocking the ryuga banjou cosplay) and she wanted to meet the sudarsos so we went over to say hi and peter came over and hugged me and we talked and he was like “since i dyed my hair blonde ive gotten like three more roles” and i was like “blonde privilege” (he looked. surprisingly good with it.) and he was telling me that he and yoshi are playing monkey demigod brothers?? or something and that’s why they both dyed their hair blonde and we also talked about kamen rider (bc taylor mentioned it) and he said he wants to watch wizard and i was like YES WATCH WIZARD ITS MY FAVE and he was like “everyone says bad things about it!” and i was like FUCK THEM JUST BECAUSE ITS SLOW-PACED and he was like “no you know i love slow pace” and i was like yes its very episodic but its SO GOOD THE CHARACTERS ARE SO GOOD they just had an issue w/ the lead actress being an idol and he was like “oh well so is lupinyellow” and i was like DO YOU ACTUALLY WATCH LUPATO bc he does keep up w/ sentai but hes always behind and he was like “dont spoil me im three eps behind” and i was like “well thats pretty good for you and also nothing happens in lupato” and he was so offended on its behalf and i was like “name one thing thats happened peter” and he was like “uh gold showed up???” and i was like “that happens every season” but then i was like “dont get me wrong i love lupato its my fave show of all time” (because it absolutely fucking is) and he was like “i thought so i was so confused” lmao (bc like. im always tweeting about how much i love lupato.) anyway yeah i asked him which kamen riders he’d watched and he was like “you know this pearl” which i did i just enjoy pretending i dont know anything about him. watch wizard y’all. and meanwhile, while i was talking to peter, ben and the others were meeting yoshi and ben was getting his dino charge dvd signed and he gave yoshi his art of koda WHICH YOSHI LOVED and ben was gonna pay $30 for the autograph but yoshi was like “no take it back” and he was like “you’re not gonna sell th dvd right” and ben was like “no i’m keeping it forever” and he was like “ya then you’re not paying for it” bc he LOVED THE ART AND HE LOVES BEN AND US hes so handsome irl like fuck man. who allowed dino charge rangers to exist in the mortal realm. he also gave me and ben cheetos later (he offered them to everyone, we were the only ones who accepted. i love hot cheetos.) 

EIGHTH we went to the alphas to get the alpha print signed for abbey and first of all, david fielding’s (zordon) handler was there (david wasnt there) and we were talknig to him and he was like oh im a HUGE power rangers fan i have boxes in my basement full of old power rangers toys and we were like “oh big mood” he was cool too man everyone is so cool i just love. to talk to them. and kat was getting the alpha print signed by romy and she was SO SWEET and we told her how much abbey loved alpha and went to search her art on twitter to show her and she LOVED ALL OF IT she was so sweet her handler was so sweet too and then we went to peta’s booth AND SHE HAD ALPHA GAY PRIDE SHIRTS AND STICKERS so we’re gonna buy those for abbey tomorrow

after that we were hanging around the nearby toy booth avoiding the megaforce rangers who were RIGHT next to the alphas (all together bc they’re codependent losers and we love them) and AIDEN FROM MARVELS BY MOSSER CAME OVER WITH A DINO CHARGE IRON-ON PATCH AND JUST SHOVED IT IN BENS HAND AND SAID “i want you to have this for free because i loved talking to you guys and you deserve it and i love when people meet like you guys did” bc of our little story of how we became online friends and met up and love each other and LIKE. BEN WAS ABOUT TO CRY. I LOVE US AND EVERYONE AT THIS CON. 

NINTH so we went back across the room to the sudarsos bc ben wanted to give peter his preston and marv art so i was like “we have something for you” and shoved ben at him and he LOVED THE ART (of course bc ben’s art is amazing) and was like “i’ve seen this on twitter dont i follow you” and ben was like noo you dont and i was like “no, i just retweet ben all the time so hes on your timeline anyway” AND THEN HE PULLED OUT HIS PHONE AND FOLLOWED BEN IN FRONT OF US and then also later he took a SELFIE w/ the three pieces ben gave him and tweeted about finally getting to meet this amazing artist and @-ed ben and it currently has like 100 likes so ya ben’s famous now go follow him @brodyromero 

AND THEN FOR THE MAIN EVENT THE MEGAFORCE PHOTO OP THAT WE BOUGHT AND WANTED TO SURPRISE THEM TONIGHT AND we also went to walmart earlier and got rainbow cupcakes for them and a candle that says 5 to celebrate their 5th anniversary bc we are that extra. side note, there was an ADORABLE little boy in line behind us in a pink mmpr diamonds t-shirt and he was freaking out at everyone and saw a blue ninja steel cosplayer and went OH MY GOD ITS NINJA STEEL BLUE and he was the only valid fan at the entire con and we let him cut in front of us (well we let everyone cut bc we wanted to be the last people in bc we are dramatique)

TENTH THE MEGAFORCE RANGERS so like the whole day we’ve been stressing “what if they dont remember us what if they dont care what if they dont” and then we entered and the literal second they saw us it was like. azim’s WHOLE FACE LIT UP AND HE WENT “OH MY GOD YOU GUYS CAME ITS MY GIRLS” (cuz remember we’re #azimsangels as per his hashtag) and HUGGED US ALL IMMEDIATELY oh hes such a good hugger and they saw our cupcakes and we were like “its for you for your fifth anniversary!” and they were so happy and surprised and ciara was like so jumpy and she like hugged us all SO BIG SHES SO CUUUUUTE they are all so fucking cute cameron remembered us too and came to give us hugs and kat got pity hugs from christina and john mark, the dignified ones (they were very nice, its just everyone else was clearly high and super jumpy and SO HAPPY TO SEE US) and andrew was just there looking gorgeous. sorry i cant say anything about him bc if u look into his eyes u black out and that happens to all of us. idk if he said anything. hes too pretty to exist. and we were like WE CAME TO FLORIDA TO SEE YOU GUYS because we loved meeting you at morphicon so much (which is TRUE we planned this all so last-minute bc we were like. fuck it lets go to fucking rangerstop we wanna see the megacast again.) and god they were so HAPPY. AZIM WAS SO HAPPY. CAMERON HUGGED ME SO TIIIIGHT. azim like crushed us all in a group hug the second he saw us. and then we took the photo and ciara literally just JUMPED into ben and kat and tabby’s laps bc they were sitting on the chairs and i got in the back in the middle of ALL FOUR BOYS like oh my god i cant even look at myself in the picture we got bc i’m surrounded by the literal hottest guys in the world like what the fuck. andrew gray TOUCHED ME. like holy fuck. and christina posed w/ the cupcakes and cameron held the 5 candle and was like “COME ON JOHN LETS BLOW IT OUT” and that was their pose and the rest of us were just cheesin and god its so cuuute im gonna make them all autograph it tomorrow and i also got megaforce red and silver prints from ceevee to get andrew and cameron to sign. and then after the pic christina tried to give us back the cupcakes and we were like NO THEY’RE FOR YOU THEY’RE YOUR BIRTHDAY GIFT and cameron literally started jumping up and down like a little kid he was like “WE GET CUPCAKES” and i was standing next to him so i said “we got rainbow ones so everyone was kind of represented except you sorry” and he looked at me and was like “yeah because nobody cares about silver” and i was like nooo its bc its hard to put silver on frosting and he was like yeah thats true AND THEN as we were leaving and they were like thank you for the cupcakes!! he was like “are there drugs in them” and kat was like “no” and tabby was like “yes” and i said “next time, for your 10 year anniversary” and andrew was like “ten years!” all chill like. i love him. king of red rangers. cameron said “love youuuu” to us as we left. i would quite literally die for all of them.

afterwards we were waiting around to get our reprints and azim came out and stopped to talk to us and we were like “where the fuck is your girlfriend we only came to see her” and he told us she’s flying to london :( and then he was like “are you guys coming tomorrow come hang out at our booths” (we were like “we have shit for you to sign we’re not just gonna loiter” and he was like “no just come hang out”) and he said “i wanna tell you guys the most heartwarming story that’s happened at rangerstop, a four year saga” so he like. REALLY wants us to come back tomorrow like what a cliffhanger that was!!

we also saw catherine and li ming bc the 25th anniversary photo op was right after us they’re so pretty!! im gonna visit catherine tomorrow and get my PINK RANGER W/ DRAGON SHIELD PRINT SIGNED BY HER ugh ceevee’s art is literally so amazing bitch. fuck. and then steve was also there and tabby was like “we love you steve!” (she said that for every actor that passed us but nobody heard her EXCEPT STEVE) and he stopped and turned back and was like HEY GUYS, love him. AND THEN SELWYN ALSO SHOWED UP FOR THE PHOTO OP and then on our way out of the photo op hallway he was ahead of us getting water in the hotel lobby so we stopped and said hi and introduced ourselves and i was like “we met you at morphicon” and he was like hmm (he was the only one who didnt rmr us at all clearly BUT HES STILL SO VALID. I LOVE YOU SELWYN.) and he was like “why don’t you guys get a picture with me” and we were like “well we’ll be here tomorrow to see you” and he was like “no we gotta do it right now” so he and tabby took a selfie LITERALLY THE CUTEST. HES SO HANDSOME. I LOVE POWER RANGERS.

also psycho red is hot

[miserablesoldier]

Go Fish

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader, Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: on a mission to capture an enhanced individual, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes unassumingly come across them in an elevator in a run down hotel in which it gets pretty awkward when it gets stuck in the middle of the night.

Warnings: Swearing.

Word Count: 4k+

Author’s Note: After a much needed mental break and an episode, I’m reposting these fics and maybe I’ll post new ones in the future.

The end of autumn and the start of winter, the beginning of getting plastered for an entire month. What could be better than that? Oh, right, getting out of this piss stinking hotel and out of this cramped city. You weren’t a fan of New York City at all, especially with all the crazy crap that happens in that city.

You can’t really complain about that since you were associated with the crazy crap. You made sure to stay out of every sort of media eye and out of the Avenger’s shadow. It would have been easier to avoid them a month ago but now, not so much.

You didn’t really think that fully fledged enemies or arch-nemesis was actually a thing for you, but it looks like you pissed the wrong guy off because it looking like someone is spilling blood in your name. 

Which you weren’t too happy about.

As much as you would love to take the guy out, that would make too much of a mess and cause too much attention. You didn’t want to get on the radar, you wanted off the grid completely. Which is what you were doing.

Designer clothes, accessories or anything of the style wasn’t your forte so you could pick what was essential and go like it was nothing. You do have an actual house to call a home but that’s shoved far back in the crevasses of your mind. It needed protecting, it was your home. No damage will be done to it so cheap, dirty motel rooms were the right way to go.

No questions asked and nothing ever worked other than the shower which is all you really needed.

You dropped off your room keys and the money for the room before you turned on your heels for the elevator, you wanted to go to the roof which was wasting time realistically but had your knocked about Polaroid with you and it was a weird tradition that you took a picture of the location and skyline of where you stayed. You would write down the place, time, date and how long you stayed there.

A slide of a large map came into mind. Your old room, all your old childhood possessions gathering dust in that empty, boarded up house. Safe. How it should be, for now.

You smiled to yourself as the memory faded in your mind. One day. You would make it back home in one piece, crossing every ocean if you had to. The imagery of returning home held only yourself walking past the rusted gates and up the stoned pathway with no one by your side. You were perfectly content with that ending and you didn’t see it as any other way.

You pulled at your pony tail, tightening the band around your silk hair. You decided on a side Dutch braid for today, up your hair game a little. You didn’t know why, you were fine with a standard pony tail every other day but today felt different. A good different, but that is yet to be determined.

Clutching your patch covered army green back pack, you made your way from the front desk to the elevator at the end of the stained corridor. For clothes, you raising the Amy Navy Surplus store for plain, cheap shirts and heavy duty boots and thick jackets. You grabbed a couple cheap black skinny jeans from Primark. Pretty reasonable and quality, at times.

Mid walk, you pulled your phone out and slotted your cheap earphones in and pressed shuffle. Your music taste was soft, dark and a mix of 80s groove. It was weird.

You stopped at the elevator and pressed the button with the arrow pointing up to the skies. With the music sending spiralling waves of art into your ears, you didn’t much hear of the two pairs of foot steps coming up beside you for the elevator.

You glanced to your right and saw a tall, broad and muscly blonde haired man sporting a baseball hat and sunglasses. Very inconspicuous. He felt familiar to you. He gave you a kind smile and nodded his head.

“Ma’am.” Who in the world talks like that? You returned with a small smile of your own and a raise of your eyebrows. You weren’t much of a talker to strangers especially.

To your left, was an equally tall, muscly and handsome man with dark brown hair pulled back in a man bun with a few strands left in the front. Another baseball hat. “Ma’am.” He said it too and you gave the same the response to this man as well. He wasn’t as familiar as the blonde but there was something about his eyes.

Honestly, waiting for the elevator to come down and open is far worse than the music that plays in it when you’re in it. You wished for it to come sooner.

You wish didn’t come true. You had to stand in between these two men for another two minutes. You contemplated just leaving and forgetting about the photo. It may be silly but it’s important to you. So, you stayed and waited for the elevator with them.

The silver doors with bullet dents creaked open. That’s comforting, you thought to yourself.

“After you, Ma’am.” The blonde insisted and you quickly shuffled into the elevator. It wasn’t the biggest but it could have been the smallest with these two beefy men in it with you.

You pulled one ear pud out. “Thank you.”

The dark haired man smiled at her and then turned to the door where the buttons were, his attention went back to her. “What floor, Ma’am?”

I hate the way they call me that. “I’m going to the roof.” You continued before it got even more awkward.

“To take pictures with my camera.” You said and they nodded. The one with the pretty eyes pressed the button for the fifth floor and then the tenth floor.

You nodded your thanks, and placed the ear pud back in your ear and leant against the cool stainless steel walls of the elevator. You closed your eyes to enjoy the music and to ignore the men.

The blonde haired man bought that you couldn’t hear him or his friend through your music but he was wrong. “Bucky, this is the very last motel in the area that Bruce came up with. If she’s not here then she is long gone.”

“Steve, It’s always the last place you look, that’s what Wanda keeps saying.” The aforementioned Bucky told his friend.

Steve sighed but remained focussed. “Let’s hope, she’s always on the move and we have no idea what she looks like.”

“Now that we’re doing this legally, it will take time to get her ID from Scotland Yard and they’re not particularly friendly with Stark.”

Your eyes quickly opened.

Stark.

Blonde.

Steve.

FUCK.

The elevator screeched and shook to a halt which caused you to fall to your knees while the two stood firm with their hands on the walls. Bucky helped you up to your feet and you muttered your thanks to him.

You rubbed your forehead. Your head collided with the metal cage you’re currently strapped in now. “Ow.” Steve heard that and looked over at your direction.

“Are you okay, Ma’am?” He asked softly, placing a hand on your shoulder to steady you.

You winced but nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m good. Just a bang on my head when I fell.”

Bucky gave a concerned glance over to Steve which he reciprocated which you couldn’t have missed. You dropped your bag on the floor and looked over at Bucky. “Are you going to ring the alarm or what?”

He looked confused. You frowned and pointed to the button with the yellow bell on it. “Press that and it triggers the alarm, someone will answer.” You hoped to gold holy Hell, you wanted out and now. You couldn’t be in a stick elevator with two of Earth’s Mightiest hero’s.

This could be your hell right now but everyone else’s heaven.

Bucky followed your instructions and pressed the bell. It rang for fifteen minutes and he wasn’t pleased no one answered. “They should’ve answered. It’s their job.”

“Not in this motel, sweetie. It’s the most run down piece of crap in town. Nothing works.” You would have smirked or at least given have a comforting smile but the thunder raging in your head didn’t give you the luxury. You saw the slight pink hue on his cheeks and you couldn’t help but feel proud of yourself in the most worst ways.

“Bloody hell.” You and me both, honey.

You slid down the wall of the elevator with one leg outstretched and the other bent with your bag in between them. You unzipped it half way and pulled out a bottle of water and some ibuprofen.

Steve kneeled down to you. “You sure you’re okay, Ma’am?”

You nodded as you met his gentle blue eyes. “I’m fine, and please, call me (Y/N).” He smiles but there was still worry circulating in those eyes of his.

“If you say so, (Y/N), but I’ll keep checking until we get out of here.” He rose up to his feet, looking at Bucky who wasn’t happy with the service in this place.

You took a gulp of water out of the bottle and took two small white pills of ibuprofen to hopefully cure the pain in your head. “I’m Steve Rogers.”

Rogers. Definitely the Avengers.

“Bucky Barnes.” The one with the shady past, you really couldn’t talk about pasts.

You tightened the top of the bottle water. “Nice to meet you both given the circumstances.” It wasn’t.

Bucky chuckled and shook his head. “You could say that again.”

A voice of static came out of the speakers. “Hello, is there anyone there?”

“Yes, the elevator got stuck at the fourth floor and we’re tapped in it.” Bucky has restraint which you found impressive as you thought he would go all Alpha on the guy for being lazy on his job.

“How many are you in there?”

Bucky glanced at Steve and then you before answering. “Three of us, sir, one of us has hit their head and we need to get out of here.”

“We’ll get you out of there as soon as possible, hang tight.”

You definitely didn’t believe that. You’ll be in here for hours. You recon you would miss the last coach out of the city but it isn’t like you haven’t slept in a bus station before. It doesn’t bother you.

“Hopefully, your injury will speed the process.” Bucky informed them, joining you on the floor to your right with his legs crossed. You noticed the single gloved hand of his. It is true about the metal arm then.

You pulled out your earphones. “Very doubtful, Bucky.”

You sighed unhappily and displeased. “We’ll be here for hours.”

Bucky, once again, was not happy. Steve joined them on the floor with his legs out stretched and angled to the metal doors.

“You know what…I’m calling Tony.” Steve pulled out his mobile phone but you shook your head. Before he would even turn the phone on he thought the worst with your expression.

“This motel doesn’t have service does it?” Steve deadpanned as she nodded.

Bucky banged his head against the wall. “What does work in this cursed motel?”

“The shower is pretty good.” You laughed.

The two followed with chuckle. Steve dragged a hand down his face. “We really are stuck here.” He couldn’t believe it. He’s been frozen in the Antarctic in a ship and he got out of that but a horrific elevator has defeated him. A super soldier.

You looked at the two avengers and a few few thoughts that weren’t exactly nice. Let’s have a little fun, shall we?

“Wanna play a game?” You raises an eyebrow, bringing out your playful mood in this down in the dumbs melancholy the two guys have. 

Steve sat up straight. “Like twenty questions?” He didn’t see the harm in it as it looks like you don’t know who they are. Just two friends and a woman stuck in a crap situation. 

“What? Are we having a sleepover? No.” You rolled your eyes and laughed as you rummaged through your bag which seemed like the bag that Mary Poppin’s has. Full of mysteries, infinite and full of weird stuff. 

You pulled out a Jack Daniels themed pack of cards. “You two in the mood for a game of play your cards right?” You smiled at the two. 

Bucky pivoted and the three of you are now sat in a triangle. “What’s play your cards right?” 

“Well, there’s a game called Higher or Lower and traditionally the first player is dealt a card. The player then guesses whether the next card will be higher or lower than the next card. If wrong, the player drinks once (because one card is showing). If correct, the player guessed again.” 

You continued as they listened intently to you, they seemed to never have played such a game before. “Since we don’t have any alcohol to play with we can mix it with twenty questions. So, if you are wrong, I get to ask you a question but if you get it right – you can ask me a questions about anything. Sounds fair?” 

“How will be taking turns?” Steve brought up a good point. 

You took a second to think it over. “First to five and then we switch or we could play a different game if you want…” 

You looked away as if you were embarrassed. “No, Doll, we’ll play. Right, Steve?” Bucky looked over at him as you brought your attention back to him. 

Steve smiled. “Yeah, of course we’ll play.”

They were easy. 

You smiled happily. “Great.” You pulled the cards out the pack and made sure to pull the jokers out before shuffling them. 

“Jack Daniels, huh?” Bucky smirked with a raised eyebrow. That look would make any girl swoon. 

You chuckled. “The pack came in a set with poker chips, and two small bottles of Jack. They went fast.”

“I bet.” Steve watched as you shuffled, he couldn’t help but enjoy your company. You were playful, had a great sense of humour and you made his best friend laugh. You were good in his books but your eyes really caught him off guard at first. 

He couldn’t put a finger on it though. 

You finished shuffling and you held the deck with the back to them so they didn’t see what the card was. “Just pick one card. Who wants to go first?” You were in quite the mischievous mood now. 

Steve went first and pulled the card out. He wasn’t sure if he should reveal the card. You nodded. “It’s okay to tell what it is.” 

“Oh, 3 Of diamonds.” 

You held the deck tightly in your hands. “So, do you think the next card in this deck is higher or lower than the card you have in your hand?” He and Bucky quickly understood the game after that sentence. 

“Higher.” He was pretty sure of himself. 

You pulled the card off the top. “7 of spades. Congratulations, Steve. Ask me a question.” 

“Why were you in the motel other than taking pictures?” 

You made sure to tell as close to the truth as you could. “I’m traveling, it’s easier to stay in places like these than fancy holiday hotels and I don’t mind roughing it a bit.” It wasn’t a lie and it was not that far from the truth. 

“Where have you travelled so far?” Bucky asked, he wanted to know more about her and he was sure Steve wanted to too. 

You shook your head. “Ah, Ah, Ah. You have to wait your turn and one question for a one right answer.” 

He rose his hands up in surrender. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

You laughed and shook your head. “Steve, do you think the next card after 7 of spades is higher or lower?”

“I can see where it gets tricky now. I want to say higher.” Steve pushed his luck. 

You pulled out the card and whistled. “6 of hearts. Sorry, Steve.”

He hung his head but chuckled. “I asked for that, what’s your question then?”

You couldn’t obviously just out yourself to him and Bucky, they would put you down in a heart beat. So, you had to go in light. “What do you like to draw?”

He and Bucky both blinked confused. How in the hell did she know that he draws? “What?” Steve asked, very confused and suspicious. 

“You have artist hands, Steve and you have pencil shaving stains on the side of your hands.” 

That made sense. “Oh, right.” She is quite observant. 

He cleared his throat. “Realism, landscapes, animals, people. That kind of thing.” He answered her with a smile. No one had enquired about his art before, not even Bucky or any of the Avengers. 

“I bet you’re a great artist, Steve.” 

His cheeks warmed. “Uh, I’m not sure about that.”

“He’s being modest, he’s a great artist. Never shows his pieces though.” Bucky had his back. 

You smiled at the two of them. You couldn’t help but feel a mixture of blue emotions. Sadness, shame, guilt. They were people, human (to a point) too. They were more than what the media portrayed them as. 

You’ll remember that. 

“Bucky, pick a card, please.” 

He slid a card off the top. “Queen of hearts.” 

“Do you think the next card is higher or lower?”

He stated to pretend to mull it over. “Oh, I need to think about this one.”

“Okay, smartarse.” You laughed with a roll of your eyes. 

He couldn’t help but love that sound and he was glad that he was the one that got that out of you. “Lower, Doll.”

“Are you talking about the card or..?” You smirked. 

Steve put his head in his hands. “Jesus Christ.”

“Doll, you’re such a tease.” 

You rolled your eyes and pulled out the next card. “8 of clubs. Ask a question.”

“What do you like to take photos of?” You were expecting a more different question. 

“Landscapes mainly, forests, everyday life and sometimes other people. I use a Polaroid camera, I feel more at home with it than I would with one of those chunky Canon ones.” Bucky was happy to learn more about you even if it was just for these next few hours. They would be back on their mission and she would be on that roof and then back to travelling. 

He will be sure to remember her or he doesn’t have to. Phone numbers and the 21st century make it work for long distance. He was optimistic and he was sure Steve was too. 

The game higher or lower lasted an hour at best, then went to a nice game of 21 in which you had to teach them that one as well. They played several games of that one which lasted a good two hours. 

They were in the middle of a game of Go Fish when your stomach made an abrupt rumble which everyone heard. There was a silence that lasted a long five to six seconds before anyone said anything. 

You piped up first. “I think I might be hungry.” 

“You think, Doll?” Bucky chuckled and shook his head. 

Steve pointed to your back pack. “Anything in that bag of yours you could eat?” 

“I honestly can’t remember.” You pulled the bag into your lap and unzipped it. You pulled out your purse, phone charger, clothes and underwear and then pulled a plastic container from the bottom that held half a ham and cheese sandwich. 

“I will thank any and all God’s for bestowing this gift of food for me.” The lads smirked and glanced at each other as their minds went to a god of thunder that they knew. 

They were surprised at how fast you are they sandwich. “You were really hungry.” Steve commented. 

“Yeah, I haven’t eaten since yesterday.” Bucky’s eyes widened, shocked. 

“You’ve gone over twenty four hours without food? How are you lucid?” Steve was worried even more now. 

It was bad that they were growing attached to her, especially with the life that they lead. It’s a bad idea for any human friends or companions in their line of work. He guessed that being trapped in a steel container really bonds you with strangers. 

“I have to save money.” 

That didn’t seem a good enough excuse for them but it was the only one you had. “What? Can we just play now?” 

A static fazed through the speakers. “Hello, are you three still okay in there?”

Bucky answered them straight away. “Yeah, just hungry, tired and in the need of a bathroom.” He hoped that would hurry it along. 

“The fire department is in the building now and will be getting you out within the hour. I’m sorry for this, folks.” 

The speaker was cut off after the man finished speaking. “Finally.” You breathed out. 

The lads looked at you. “No offence, as much as we all are best buddies now I would really like to get out of here.” 

Steve smiled. “I seconded that.” 

You gathered up the cards you played with and slotted them back into the box they came in. You shoved them back into your back pack along with your plastic container, clothes, purse and phone charger. 

You slowly got up to your feet and nearly stumbled. Bucky got to his feet quickly and got ahold of your right arm as Steve got your left. “Thanks, lads.” 

Looking at them now, you really enjoyed their company. It would be disappointing and sad to get out of this elevator and that would all change. They would continue their chase after you and you would escape out of their clutches. The elevator was a safe space, a neutral zone without them knowing it was. You were just some unlucky woman with a dark secret that got trapped in an elevator with two super soldiers. 

“I have an idea.” You spoke up and pulled the back pack to your front as you caught their attention. You opened up your bag and pulled out your Polaroid camera. 

You looked at them both. “Want a photo for the road?” You genuinely smiled at Steve and Bucky. 

“Of course, (Y/N).” Steve moved closer to her.

As did Bucky. “Go ahead, Doll.” 

You put them either side of you, like you began before you entered the elevator, but closer so they would be in the whole shot with her. You turned the camera lens to yourself and took three separate photos. 

One for yourself, one for Bucky and one for Steve. 

“Just shake them until you see the photo develop.” They did just that and watched fascinated as the photo of the three of them in the elevator came to view. This was definitely an experience they would never forget. 

A clang of metal on metal rang in the air. A few minutes went by with clang after clang. The metal doors were pulled open by firefighters and they got you out first and then Steve and Bucky, not that they needed the help to get out. 

“Cap! Barnes! There you are, you got yourselves stuck in an elevator. Didn’t you jump out of a glass one before?” That was Tony Stark’s voice. 

Your heart dropped as his eyes set on you. 

“You got the girl, too?” Steve and Bucky turned with genuinely shocked expressions, then they turned not so happy. 

“Now, this is awkward.”

[not-a-princess-but-a-queen]

Creature of the Night

I actually wrote this for Halloween last year and didn’t publish it lol. Have some Shadowhunters gang doing some RHPS

Jace hummed to himself as Izzy linked arms with him, dragging him back a pace from Magnus and Alec. He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, tilting his head. Izzy smirked and shrugged. "Just giving them some privacy. It's the only day he has off this week. " 

Jace rolled his eyes. "They didn't have to come if they didn't want to." Izzy bumped him. "They're being supportive," she said. "Something you could try." 

Jace frowned. "I am supportive, I just don't get the freaking show." 

Izzy smirked. "I liked it." 

Jace sighed and shook his head. Clary and Simon were taking part in their local theaters production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. They'd gone down two actors  and asked them to fill in, even though they'd stopped attending after they graduated High School.  The Shadowhunters’ had no idea what they had been talking about so they, along with Magnus when he found out, had made them watch the movie the other day.  The whole thing had been weird and incomprehensible to Jace, but Izzy had liked it and laughed and grinned through it. 

The cool autumn breeze had picked up and Jace shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing around the empty street. It was nearing midnight and the streets that had been packed with trick or treaters during the afternoon had disappeared. A few groups of people were making their way to where ever they needed to go. They were approaching the theater, a fairly descent sized crowd milling about outside waiting for the door to open. 

"Hey guys!" a familiar voice called out and Jace locked on Clary and grinned. She was dressed as Columbia, her long red curls pinned up so that it was up around her ears. She had on high waisted shorts, a  bedazzled corset,  and gold top coat and hat.  

She grinned her painted lips at him and wrapped him in a hug. He grinned and lifted her off the ground a bit making her squeal before letting her go. She turned to the others and offered them hugs as well. "Thanks for coming you guys!" 

Magnus smirked and gave her shoulder a pat as he let go of her hug. "You make a cute Columbia, Biscuit." 

Clary smiled. "Thanks!"

"Where's Simon?" Izzy asked glancing around. 

Clary smirked. "He's not allowed to be out yet. You aren't allowed to see Frank N Furter till the show." 

Izzy grinned and cackled. "You didn't tell us that was who he was!" 

Clary shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. He used to be Brad but we needed him for Frank this year." 

Alec rolled his eyes. "I'm going to need alcohol." 

Clary smirked. "There's beer and snacks inside," she offered. "Also bags of things you can throw. Now," she dug out a red lipstick tube and smirked. "I know you guys haven't seen this live before but what about you Magnus?" 

Magnus chuckled. "Yes, I've seen it live before. I was here in the 80s dear,  these were a yearly tradition." 

Clary smirked and nodded. Then she opened the lipstick and stepped up to Jace drawing a large V on his forehead and doing the same with Izzy and Alec as well. 

"You guys are lucky I'm not picking for the pre show tonight," she smirked as she stepped back from Alec. "Good luck! Have fun!" 

With that she was off, greeting the other newcomers in a accented voice. They all made their way into the theater, chatting and buying drinks and snacks. Magnus bought him and Alec bags of things to throw, saying he'd let him know when it was time. 

The theater was small to begin with and Simon and Clary had gotten them front row seats so they settled in while others filled the theater. 

The preshow made everyone laugh, watching the crazy antics on stage. Magnus muttered something to Alec when they did the condom and banana bit that made him snort and laugh. After the costume judging, the show started and everyone settled in, clapping and cheering as the red lips appeared on screen. Clary seemed to really be enjoying herself in the opening acts of the show, getting into the role.  When Simon's reveal came up Jace  raised an eyebrow in surprise. The outfit actually didn't look ridiculous on the vampire. Jace was expecting him to struggle with the heels but he didn't,  strutting and singing along with the movie with ease.  When the scene with Rocky came, and Simon was chasing him around Izzy, who was on the end of the row, held her hand out for a high five which Simon took with a smirk. 

By the end of the show, Jace had to admit, he'd had a good time. The crowd rose, and Jace joined them, grinning and clapping along. Izzy wolf whistled as did Magnus, making Alec shake his head and laugh. They stayed standing as the cast all bowed and the announcer from before told everyone that they'd be out in lobby if they wanted pictures or to talk. 

Everyone filed out and Jace found Clary and the girl who played Magenta talking, arms loose around each other. Clary's face lit up when she saw him and waved him over, taking his hand when he did. 

"Hey! Almost ready to go," she muttered. 

Jace hummed and nodded. "No problem," he said. He glanced around and smirked to see Isabelle with her arm around Simon, who was trying to talk to people. He'd given Izzy the feather boa from the last act and it was draped around her and she petted it absently as she talked to Magnus. 

It didn't take long for everyone to file out, it was late and most didn't want to stay too long. Jace and the others leaned against the wall outside while Clary and Simon changed and said goodbye to their castmates. By the time they made it out, they were all ready for a good nights sleep. Clary came up to Jace, holding her arms out for a hug, face still painted but in normal cloths.  He complied, and she kissed his cheek. "Give me a piggyback ride home?" she asked. "My feet are killing me." 

He laughed and shrugged, stooping down for her to climb onto his back. She hopped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and he shifted a bit to be more comfortable, activating his strength rune to make it easier. He turned back to the others to see Izzy with a black lipstick smudge on her cheek from Simon, and Simon with a red one from Izzy and smirked. They all started making their way home together until Simon separated to go back to the boathouse for the night, after a host of congratulations and laughter. All in all, it hadn't been a bad night, Jace decided.

[tumblunni]

Hhhh bunni legs pain accomplishment day

I HAVE FINISHED THE SHOPPING OF HELL

Tfw u only get paid 4 days before christmas and have to rush everything aaaa

It was bad enough today so i'm so glad i got it done before it got even more busy!

Misc boring essentials i bought for myself: new phone charger cos broken, new trousers cos i spilt hair bleach on my only two pairs, new shoes cos my left shoe literally snapped in half down the middle like wtf even happened there, cheap pink hair dye from a discount store cos i wanna try different colours but in a thrifty way

Now for EXCITING CHRISTMAS PRESENT TIME!!!!

First off SO MANY pc and xbox 360 games from Every Charity Shop In Cardiff, St Mellons, Rumney and Llanrumney. My sis has been trying to find some games to play but was like 'dont worry about it i can just wait til the charity shop gets something good'. So i thought i'd get some stocking stuffers via all the charity shops on my side of town. By our powers combined we will blitz the entire vale of glamorgan's discount gaming scene!!! I found SO MANY good stuff for £1/£2/£3 like holy shit i love when charity shops dont know the proper price for shit XD

speaking of which i also found a WEBCAM for £2! If its that cheap it probanly isnt great but itd still be fun to play around with! :D and the same store also had an old vintage G1 My Little Pony coffee mug in excellent condition. Oh god the nostalgia! My support worker gave me a lift to llanrumney so i had to awkwardly explain why i had an armful of weird 80s mugs and big teary eyes!

Speaking of vintage, i found this new vintage toys and games shop in cardiff called Galactic Attic! The name hooked me in and then they actually DID have pokemon inside! As well as all sorts of stuff ranging from 40s to 90s, wow! There was even a lil pile of old 90s gaming magazines in the corner, covered up by a bunch of boxes. I'm glad i noticed them! I got the announcemt issues for pokemon diamond pearl and platinum in a weird old pokemon fan magazine that i loved as a kid. Im kinda sad that nowadays we just have one official magazine fpr each console and not the wild madness of amateaur journalists failing horribly to get news from japan. Shame they didnt have Beckett Pokemon cos that one was infamous fot drawing its own terrible interpretations of pokemon sprites to avoid copyright. And speaking of terrible, they even had bootleg pokemon!! I talked to the cashier and he was like "you know those are fake right" and i was like "yeah its so nostalgic thats why i want em" and he was like "lol yeah they actually sell pretty well so i'm not mad my supplier ripped me off". It was a pretty good and awesomely terrible fake at the same time? There was this exact replica of some japanese display stand for the product and then the actual pokeball toys looked perfect BUT the mini pokemon inside were.. Really not. I am so damn happy with the surprise inside my one, surprise inside has never been more accurate! I can't take a picture now cos my phone is charging but REGICHEETO. Just..just imagine that, and whatever you're imagining it is probably worse. I love it so fuckin much. Also less hilariously there were some bootleg mini pika plushies with actually (as far as i can tell) their own unique design? They have cute lil winter scarves and an art style that reminds me of the Magical Pokemon Adventure manga. A really cute and good bootleg that i would have loved to see as a real product! The only way you can even tell its a bootleg is because there's no marking on the tail. I dunno, maybe if i still have some brown fabric in the cupboard i could fix it? Or maybe its unique tail makes it even more special! I mean there's Cosplay Pikachu with its double tail marking so maybe this is her cousin Accessory Pikachu with no markings? He just likes wearing scarfs and hats and stuff. OMG HE'S THE POKEMON GO EVENT PIKACHU!!!!!!

Along the miscness of finding a few things for myself, i also found: cute lil pokemon pencilcase, kingdom hearts blind bag, cheap copy of Fruits Basket volume 1 cos the new remake is coming out soon and i wanna Get Hype! The KH blind bag was really weird cos i didnt know they now have an entirely different set as well as the keychains i bought before. Its kind of a shame the art style doesnt match cos vexen is only in the keychains, alas! But i do really love these ones! Theyre apparantly made by funko pop but dont have the art style AT ALL, they just look like really accurate versions of the characters in mini form. Its kinda like the 'distance animation' style in steven universe? (Incidentally they also do SU ones but they missed the opportunitu to actually use the distance style, lol) I got a Sora in his kh2 outfit and i'm decently happy with that, its not one i really wanted but its not a bad one either. But i think now i've tried the fun of surprise once i'll just buy the actual ones i want off ebay later. They have roxas in his organization outfit! With a happy smile!!!

Oh oh and then EVEN MORE XBOX GAMES OF THE WILD THRIFT STORE VOID! i managed to find the whole fable series, two assassins creeds, saints row, gta, some misc shooter games and racers that she wanted but i dont know much about, mass effect 2 and ff13. I think maybe one or two others cos i cant fully remember right now. Theyre all in separate bags strewn across the room and my shoulders feel like death so i'll sort through them later.

Aaaand i wrote up like 14 paragraphs more but tumblr didnt save my draft fpr some fuckin reason and now im way too tired to do it again

Briefer summary:

* had a huge horrible panic attack getting stuck in a skyscraper shopping centre clothes place full of screaming and every perfume smell and WHY DO I HAVE TO NAVIGATE THIS HELL MAZE TO FIND THE ESCALATOR and seriously i was my most primal animalistic self and i went full fight or flight on this bitch

* had a lovely time visiting Cool Shop Grandma and rambled the story of how i met her and how we became friends but hhh too tired to rewrite. But anyway today i gave her a christmas pikachu plush as thanks for everything and cos her shop is moving on to its next location soon. She got really teary and gave me a big hug! She's gonna be at a comic con in march so i hope i'm able to go to that and see her again.

* went on a wild goose chase looking for harry potter merchandise and eventually found a gold plated replica of the movie prop version of the time turner and HELL YES my sis will love it!

* rambled about several market stalls that were cool but i can make a separate post about that in the morning when i find their contact details to advertise them

* got a plushie delibird and decided to take selfies with it everywhere to try and fight my social anxiety somehow. We went to a neat lil restaurant and had cheesy fries and a coke float!

* asked for a refund on an item for the first time ever and im proud of myself

* went off on a mystery bus trip to buy a preowned 3ds and pokemon games from a lady in an online preowned stuff facebook group and it didnt go horribly and i am glad! She was really nice and i witnessed A Good And Smart Parenting Moment and man it healed my heart and i wish i'd been raised that way. Again i'll probably ramble about the details later when im less tired, it really touched my heart seriously! And now i have MANY GIFTS FOR SIS!

* in total i was out present shopping from 9am to 8pm and i clicked my shoulder out of its socket for a split second from.all the heavy bags. Now im in a lot of aches and i need a sleeps

The End

[meanwhile-on-spn]

Meanwhile...

Season 1 Ep. 3 - Dead in the Water

Previously on Supernatural: Three friends try to recreate Stand by Me.

---

“You promised me he wasn’t coming!” Lucas whined in a way that would be embarrassing if his friends saw. Of course she couldn’t keep a promise when it came to her new boyfriend.  He hadn’t been around very long, yet Paul was always inviting himself over and invading their lives.  

“Lucas, he wanted to come. Paul just wants to celebrate your birthday with you.”  His mother said, placing a lock of hair behind her ear and crossing her arms.  This wasn’t a good sign, the pose normally meant she was getting angry. “He even brought a gift for you.”

He rolled his eyes and turned to leave the kitchen.

“He’s not welcome.  I’m going back upstairs.”  He could hear his friends laughing and didn’t want to miss out on the matches.  He walked quickly to the front hall and turned to head for the stairs.  

“Come back down for cake soon!”  His mom yelled after him.  He kept walking, heading for the stairs by the front door, nearly bumping into someone.  He looked up to see an older man wearing his normal crusty plaid shirt, baseball cap, and dad jeans. Lucas made to walk past Paul, but the man awkwardly moved in front, blocking his way again.

“Happy Birthday dude!” Paul said through a large smile.  He went to hug Lucas, but when he took a step back, Paul paused, then took something out of his coat pocket instead. “Here take this, I’m going to go see if I can help your mom with the cake.”  He pushed a small wrapped box into Lucas’s arms. Than with the stupid whistling that he always does, he stomps into the kitchen.

The package in his hands was lumpy and wrapped poorly with weird bulges in the paper and a store-bought bow perched in the middle. He scowled at it, a present from Paul was bound to be bad, probably stupid baseball jersey.

Lucas nodded, then ran upstairs not bothering to look at the package.  He heard his friends making weird noises from down the hall. It sounded as if they were mimicking the sounds of explosions and gunfire around mouthfuls of snacks. 

“Lucas!  Finally you’re back!  You mentioned you liked this band, but I didn’t know you had so many concert posters. Aren’t these guys like super old?”  His friend Artie said, smirking, as he pointed at a poster on the wall.  There was a collection of 70s and 80s style posters in an array of colors. They all had one similarity and that was a zeppelin flying across the poster with a band name written across the top.

“Come on, man they’re a great band!” He exclaimed, only sounding slightly defensive.  Lucas dropped the gift in the pile on his desk, with the rest and walked over to sit next to Artie on the floor. 

“I guess.  My dad plays their tape in the car all the time.  It gets annoying after awhile.”  Artie replied, crossing his arms. He was focused on the tv, controller in his hands, twisting this way and that as if it controlled his character better.

“It's such dad music.” Elijah said it like it was a slur. Elijah liked to think he invented good taste, which always made him fun to rile up. He made it easy too, all you had to do was say that Tarantino was a hack.

“They are a classic! Way more well known than your EDM DJs.” Lucas snapped back watching at Alijah’s face got slightly red and his playing started to slip.

“When did you start listening to them?”  Sid asked, controller in his hands, twisting this way and that as if it controlled his character better.

Lucas smiles watching as Sid landed a hit on Elijah’s character, “Around the time when we moved.  A friend introduced me to them.  All I can say is Zeppelin Rules.”

The room goes silent as the boys all look at Lucas.

“Alright then, David just destroyed Sid, you sub’ in Lucas.  I bet you can’t beat him!” Elijah smiled, flicking his moppy hair out of his eyes.

“Yeah right, did you forget this is my game?”  Lucas smiled and grabbed the controller from Sid.

A few minutes later David was yelling and cursing his luck.  Just as he was asking for a re-match, they heard a voice yelling from down the hall.

“Kids, Food is ready!” His mother called from the kitchen.

“One minute mom.” Lucas replied by starting up a new round to kick David’s butt again.

“Come on Lucas! If you don’t come now you won’t have time to open your gifts!” His mother called.

“Better hurry before I eat all the cake!” Lucas rolled his eyes, Paul was trying to be funny again. His friends however, began to shift, getting up to head into the other room.

“Cake sounds good to me!” Sid said, happily jumping up and heading for the door. David sighed.

“Fine but I want a re-match before I leave!” He said, pointing the controller at Lucas. 

“Coming mom!”

---

As the sun started to set, Lucas was sitting at the mahogany table surrounded by wrapping paper, crumb covered plates, and his excited friends. He was inspecting the back of the game David had given him, when his mom placed a lumpy package in front of him.

“Don’t forget this one!”  She said looking expectantly at him, She turned and smiled back at Paul. once she was close enough, Paul had his hand around her waist, with a big dumb smile on his face. Gross.

Lucas hadn’t forgotten, he was just more excited to open his friends’ gifts. They got him things he actually wanted like new games.  He also wasn’t expecting much from Paul, it was probably going to be something he didn't want but it would impress him mom. Like, a book on submarines in world war one or underwear, sensible and boring. 

He heard his friends mumbling to each other as he unwrapped the camo-print gift.  Inside was a crushed brown rectangular package.  He quickly shook it and felt the weight shift, but it didn’t make a noise. It was too big for a game and two small for a nice sketchbook.  As he opened the box he sighed, seeing the contents were clothing, sensible and boring.

He was about to give a fake thank you, ready to throw the half open package into his closet, but then he saw the logo.  Blue, Gold and orange faded together to make up the illustration of a fleet of zeppelins flying through the sky. Emblazoned over the top of design was United States Tour ‘77 Led Zeppelin. It was faded and cracked, from years of it being washed, dried, folded and loved.

Paul had given him a Led Zeppelin t-shirt. He pulled out of the paper and could feel something more solid wrapped in the faded fabric.  Slowly unfolding the shirt he found a CD copy of their first album. Lucas stared down at the gift, at a loss for words.

“I hope you don't mind” Paul actually sounded slightly nervous, “the shirt being too big. It's original. I got it at my first concert.”  Lucas just stared at him, he still had his stupid hand around his mom. Still had that stupid hat and flannel shirt on. Still whistled his stupid tunes. Now though, he seemed so different. Like a man he never met before, like a man that he could see driving around in a muscle car, shooting guns and zig zagging across the country.

“You’re giving this to me?” This shirt had to be worth hundreds of dollars.

“Of course, it’s your birthday.” Paul said like it was absolutely nothing, His mom was beaming at the man. She looked so happy and Lucas couldn't really remember the last time he saw his mom like that. She didn't like to talk about it but he honestly didn't remember much before they moved. Just that she felt like they had to. To many bad memories back in Lake Manitoc. “And I know how much you like them.” Paul continues pulling Lucas out of his thoughts.

Looking back at the shirt a massive smile grew on Luca’s face.  Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad after all.

Can we talk about how incredibly dark this episode was. like out body count practically doubled in this one episode alone.

Onscreen Body Count: 10

[goldandbeloved]

Ways Different Than Our Own

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1288437

Sometimes, this is what happens when you don’t think you’ll ever write a high school story. Cersei, Jaime, Rocky Horror and the 80s malls of AU Westeros. 

Lannisport, 1985

This is River Road Station,  the mall on the road to Gulltown, the one with a beige and salmon tiled floor that shows every stain, the one with the creaky mint slush stand with the gummy counter, the honeyfinger stand where everyone smells of sugar syrup from work and hemp smoke from breaks. Here the clothes come in crinkly plastic sacks instead of jewel toned and gold-stamped paper bags with white clouds of lavender scented tissue. The shops are shuttered now, the metal gratings across them pulled down by girls (who will be going down on unsuitable blue haired, blue bearded boys in their Camaros, but that's after a smoke, a slash of sticky cherry-bright lip gloss and a gossip at the roast chicken cart.) The shop girls hang around and talk, killing time  till the boys come round in the parking lot. It's almost midnight, let them wait. For a moment, they have the keys to lock and unlock the shops, the kingdom is theirs so they're going to smoke  because their jeans are rolled properly, their hair is high and they look perfect clustered by the fountain near the food court. (Only a little while ago, some of them were washing off the grease from serving endless bowls of brown and corn friters, but now they're chatting, eyes sharp talking about which of the customers had the tackiest outfit, who wore what tokar to prom, who's been at the moon tea.) They scatter like butterflies at the click click click of heels on the tile floor dodging as someone barrels through in a blur of black and patent, someone behind them both hurrying in the direction of the movie theatre at the end of the concourse. One of the girls looks back, her feathered hair fluffed out in a peroxide halo, the golden lion at her neck turning her skin green though she just bought it two days ago, at lunch. She sneers, looking with derision as she pulls a packet out of her tight jeans pulls out a cigarette, puts it between bubble-gum lacquered, snarling lips. “Fucking freaks.” Cersei's eyes flash with anger; the heels she has on are worth more than that girl's godsdamned paycheck for the week, but Jaime's grabbing her arm, though he's not stopping her. Cersei's not at King of the Rock Galeria now. Often when they're at River Road she finds herself smugly tabulating the cost of these girls's plain, stupid evenings against what she'd really spend at her mall and finds theirs wanting in money as well as taste. Occasionally she'll smirk and crow that her Galeria lunch (thin whole wheat crust, arugula, slivers of quail drowned in butter, served on an oversized white plate with a violent slash of blood orange balsamic spattering the plate with red) is worth more than all their wardrobes to the only person who will listen, the only one she can ever tell. Cersei's not at the King of the Rock now. With a menacing tap, tap of her heels, Cersei walks forward, looks down at her quarry, grinning a wide grin, yes she's enjoying this, since the girl looks nervous, is fumbling with her cigarette.

Without hesitation Cersei slides her tongue over her teeth (to make sure her crimson-black Dior lipstick is perfect), bares her fangs. “We are—but aren't we nice?” Cersei stomps her foot, dislodging a black feather from her boa,watching it drift down between them, bearing ill news. Cersei leers at her prey, twirls a black curl around her satin-gloved finger, strokes the quivering girl's cheek with the other. Cersei knows she's close enough that her quarry can smell her cheap white greasepaint mixed with La Mer. Cersei can smell her fear.

There's also a mix of anger and lust in the girl's eyes, a curiosity, as she looks up weakly at the lioness who would devour her. Jaime's beside her quick and silent, a flash of gold in the dim mall lights so close to midnight. Cersei lasciviously runs her hand over Jamie's oiled, bare chest, daring the girl to do anything but stare, be mesmerized. Her lips are right by Jaime's ear, her heart racing, the half-light shimmering over her black and silver corset, the matching panties lusciously padded with a pair of Jaime's clean socks. Jamie grins back, caressing her arm above the gloves, swivelling his gold-clad hips. Cersei leans forward as if to kiss, then snaps her teeth just in front of the girl's earlobe and yes, she's swooned.

“Stay for a bite?” Cersei hisses, heat rising in her veins, in control, definitely not at the King of the Rock now and she's glad.

The girl yanks herself away and runs, dropping the smokes. Cersei preens, proud and glorious, walking the perimeter of the fountain court like it's a runway. Jaime picks up the cigarettes. “How gallant you are. Remind me to properly thank you for guarding my honour.” “Don't put them in your trunks, they'll ruin the line.” Cersei takes Jaime's arm as they walk quickly the rest of the way to the ticket office, throw down a few stags for tickets, scramble through the crowd at the sugared almonds stand and take their places in the back row, Cersei coming through as the crowd oohs and ahhs, beautiful boys swooning over her corset all of them applauding in their shredded smallclothes, party hats, smears of cheap makeup. She storms past the shiver in her stomach, unfurling her beauty, no one knows them here and she extends her hand for kisses and bows, which they oblige. (people treat her like a queen now. how strange.how wonderful.)

“Magnificent. Such a pleasure to see you, Doctor.”

Jaime offers her a patched seat like a gift and she sits beside him. Her heart beats fast and Cersei leans in for a long, slow kiss that no one in the theatre notices or cares about, they're too busy trying to get their glitter lipstick perfect, kiss their sweetlings and bring back boxes and boxes of marchpane for their row.  In the half-dark Jaime leans like he's all gold, not just his boots and shorts and cheap wig and he tastes better, richer than any sticky thing from the concession stand. Some people clap and cheer as they kiss, Cersei pulling up to laugh with joy with the audience, then sprawling across her love all heels and garters, shaking the wig like it's her hair, caressing the pearls at her throat. “You're the only one that's got real jewels.”Jaime purrs, nuzzling her neck as the lights go down.

Cersei leans into him, Grandmother Marla's pearls looking more shimmeringly perfect around her painted neck then they ever do in Lord Tywin's safe deposit box. Cersei pinches his glittered nipple because she can, feeling a rush of power and heat as her love winces, leans into the pain because she's causing it.

“Next time you should be Janet.” Cersei whispers, thinking of the pleasure they'll have of stripping him to a chemise in the parking lot, her dagger turning it to white shreds before they go in, just like they did with the maid and butler costumes last month. Jaime chuckles.

“And after that, dear sister, I'm the one in the fishnets.” He nips at her ear as the first red words appear on the screen. Cersei can't wait. His legs are almost as lovely as hers and she can't wait to compare. With a fanfare and a pop of light, the show begins.

The Lannister heirs watch the story unfold, sing along, dance and they'll wash their faces and scrub clean at the way station on the long slow drive back to the Rock. For now their heads are tilted together, lips smeared with makeup and glitter and nothing else matters but their entwined hands.

In the moonlight of the screen, they could be anyone in love.

[songgypsy]

Scarlett Begonia

Scarlett Begonia is not only Nashville’s connection to the past, present, and future of fair-trade, it’s the story of a family business that keeps on keeping on.

by Trisha Leone

I moved to Nashville in 2009. A singer-songwriter from Colorado making the pilgrimage to Music City, because that’s what songwriters do. I wanted to be around the best, and I was not disappointed. In my first year, I watched Sheryl Crow perform for a music video in Centennial Park, I had a great conversation with Ray Stevens at Grimey’s Record Store, and I saw Chrissy Hynde perform at the Exit/In to a crowd of less than fifty. Since then there have been many other memorable moments, but what I treasure most are the people, many of whom I met at a store called Scarlett Begonia on West End Avenue. It’s across the street from the Commodore at the Holiday Inn, where singer-songwriters line up for a chance to perform at Debi Champion’s Writer’s Night, a longstanding Nashville tradition.

As with most songwriters who come to town, I needed a day job. My husband, a guitar player, as well as a guitar amplifier builder and repairman, quickly found work at Rock Block Guitars on Elliston Place—which is how I first found Scarlett Begonia. The colorful window displays drew me in like a magical spell, and for several minutes all I could do was stare in awe at all the beautiful details—hand-carved gourds, seed jewelry in every color of the rainbow, stylish clothes and intricate weavings. Lucky for me, someone broke the spell and spoke to me in a friendly voice that I loved the moment I heard it. It was Kyle Elias, one of the owners. We became fast friends and when I told her I was looking for work her eyes twinkled. She flashed a big grin and said she would talk to her daughter Gabriela. Not only did I gain some lifelong friends working at the store, but I also gained an education in customer service, merchandising and music. As we worked, we listened to music, curated mostly by Jack Elias, Kyle’s husband and co-owner of the store. While I helped customers and straightened displays, I honed my craft of songwriting by listening to Gram Parsons, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Marshall Chapman, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, and yes, the Grateful Dead, whose song “Scarlet Begonias” is the namesake of the store. The stories that Jack and Kyle told while the music played were priceless, but before I delve into those, let’s go back a few years to the beginning.

The roots of Scarlett Begonia go back to 1971 when Jack graduated from Vanderbilt with a degree in Latin American studies. He met Kyle in the summer of 1974 while working at the Jolly Ox restaurant in Goodlettsville, TN. Jack soon left to travel with a friend throughout South America and his descriptive letters of the beauty he encountered enticed Kyle to follow within a few months. After returning to Nashville, the couple spent the next two years waiting tables and tending bar at the Gold Rush on Elliston Place, saving money for their next trip to South America. (Both the Gold Rush and Rock Block Guitars on Elliston Place are no longer here, partly a result of changing times, and the escalating rents that come with progress.)  They even celebrated their wedding reception at the Gold Rush in 1976. Jack and Kyle’s stories of the ‘70s and ‘80s Nashville music scene are priceless--stories of serving drinks to Townes Van Zandt, Shel Silverstein, and Guy Clark, who used to tell them to play his latest album while he sat at the bar. Just across the street, the Exit/In was in the height of its glory days, and many legendary artists played at the iconic venue before they made it big. Jack and Kyle are music lovers to the core and one can learn a lot about music from the soundtrack of their lives.

However, aside from music, there is another great love they share which is the culture and people of South America. After marrying in ’76,  they ventured out to explore the treasures of South America, traveling and living in places throughout Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia--embracing the native cultures, shopping at the markets, making friends, and developing a keen eye for the finest in indigenous arts and crafts. After spending their limited resources on irresistible finds at the markets they came up with the idea to bring their treasures back to the United States and open a shop. Thus, Scarlett Begonia was born and opened its doors on October 1, 1981.

Jack and Kyle’s wedding reception at the Gold Rush in 1976.

Scarlett Begonia was fair-trade before fair-trading was cool. For almost 40 years, Jack, Kyle, and now their daughter Gabriela have mindfully chosen every item in the store and displayed them with careful attention to detail. Through the years, they’ve dressed some of their favorite musicians in Nashville. Emmylou Harris bought an Ecuadorian Poncho from Scarlett Begonia in the late ‘80s which she is wearing on the “Brand New Dance” album cover. The cotton men’s Matrimonial shirts from Ecuador are also a favorite among many musicians and are easily recognizable on stages throughout town. Every item in the store has a story—about where it came from, who made it, and how it got here, nothing is ordinary. Master gourd carver Pedro Osores is a close family friend and travels from Cochas, Peru every other year for in-store demonstrations. Jack, Kyle, and Gabriela still purchase many of the items on an annual trip to the Otovalo market in Ecuador, including handwoven rugs and wall hangings, paintings by their godson Patricio, Chales (lightweight scarves), handcrafted jewelry made by Betty and much more. They know the artists’ families and their children and have stayed true to their original objective to provide an outlet for struggling artisans from around the world and to gain positive exposure of native cultures through their folk art and clothing. On any given day, Jack can be heard conversing in Spanish with his Latin American friends on his flip phone while out on the sidewalk. Fair-trade is still a basis for all their business dealings. Scarlett Begonia also offers items from several Nashville-based companies that share their business practices and sentiments including Thistle Farms, Bee Attitudes, Center Earth Pottery, fine jewelry by Sealy, and several others.

Gabriela shopping at the Otovalo market in Ecuador.

Scarlett Begonia is the heart and soul of Nashville. A small family business that continues to open its doors day after day. For almost forty years, the colorful windows of Scarlett Begonia have brightened the busy street that leads to downtown Nashville. The antique bells that hang on the side of the wooden open sign ring every time the door opens as they have for decades. Sure, shopping online is easy and convenient, and we’re all busy. However, what we need most in these troubled times is connection. Do yourself a favor, take the time to stop by Scarlett Begonia and visit with Jack, Kyle, and Gabriela. Learn about the artists, see and touch the Tagua seed that sustainably provides raw material to make jewelry, ask Jack about the Panama hats, feel the softness of bamboo fabric, look at the picture behind the checkout counter of Jack and Kyle at one of their first markets, and listen to a few stories about the Gold Rush days. It will do the heart good. And although Scarlett Begonia has withstood the test of time, there are no guarantees what tomorrow will bring, because as we all know, “the times they are a-changing.”

Scarlett Begonia is located at 2805 West End Avenue Nashville, TN scarlettbegonia.com

[claramarla]

Connections

Pairing: Victor Nikiforov/Yuri Katsuki Word Count: 4200+ Rating: M Summary: Yuri's days are connected by the music that plays throughout them.

Excerpt:

Yuri’s itching to thread his hand through Victor’s fingers again. He settles for stuffing his hands between his knees and biting the inside of his cheek.

Later, he thinks. But that reprimand doesn’t do anything to douse the high giddiness he’s been swallowing down since he got off the plane and tracked down Victor outside of customs.

Oh, he thinks, with something like wonder etching onto his heart, I’m excited.

Here on tumblr, and on Ao3 

There isn’t snow the first day Yuri arrives in Russia. Instead, a fog hangs low on the ground, smudging out views of the water under the bridges they pass in Victor’s car.

It snowed when Victor came to Japan. It would be fitting if it snowed again now, considering the month.

Maybe they left all the snow back in Hasetsu, and only brought warmth with them. But that’s the type of thought that makes his stomach squirm with embarrassment and redirect his gaze out the window.

Yuri’s itching to thread his hand through Victor’s fingers again. He settles for stuffing his hands between his knees and biting the inside of his cheek.

Later, he thinks. But that reprimand doesn’t do anything to douse the high giddiness he’s been swallowing down since he got off the plane and tracked down Victor outside of customs.

Oh, he thinks, with something like wonder etching onto his heart, I’m excited.

Victor keeps shooting quick glances his way, and it’s easy to notice how pleased he is to see both Makkachin and Yuri after more than a few days apart.

“You must be tired,” he says, and Yuri’s considers the time. It’s about 4am in Japan right now.

He shrugs, “Not really. I slept during both flights.”

Feeling a little coy, he adds, “I’ll probably be awake all night.”

Victor sends him a smile that’s too flirtatious for its own right, and says, “What a coincidence, I will too.”

Yuri bites the inside of his cheek again.

Bon Jovi is currently testing the capacity of Yuri’s speakers on his laptop from where it sits on the bedroom floor. Livin’ On A Prayer fills the room in a way that makes him feel nostalgic for college.

His music taste is… eclectic, at best. He doesn’t really know genres the way some of his friends do. Mari’s room used to mirror Yuri’s own walls when they were younger, when posters that came in magazines were coveted. Her walls had been covered in odes to rockstars that were huge in the 2000’s.

Yuri had been too busy taping up posters of long haired athletes to care much about JRock at the time.

Phichit loved music with the same experimental openness he approached everything else, dropping folders of 80s and 90s American ballads onto Yuri’s laptop as an act of friendship in their first year together. There was a weekend where all they watched were MGM musicals, listening to Debbie Reynolds, and watching Fred Astaire dance while Yuri felt a reverent burning itch to transfer those step sequences to the ice.

Victor’s taste in music-

“If you want, we can connect my speakers to your laptop.”

Yuri jumps at the voice and drops the hanger he was threading through his shirt. It hits the floor with a clack, plastic on hardwood.

Victor’s leaning against the door, his hair still messed from the cold wind outside.

“You scared me,” says Yuri as he bends for the hanger. He just realises now how his music being played this loudly is suddenly something he’s embarrassed by.

“I’m sorry, I’ll turn it down,” he says, and quickly reaches for his laptop. Presses the volume button fast enough to transmit a Morse code of anxiety. “I didn’t think you’d be back for another half hour.”

“You can leave it on,” soothes Victor. When Yuri looks over he sees him smoothing hands over his hair, taming it back from its windswept tangles. Victor doesn’t like to wear hats in the winter. They leave his hair crackling and hovering with static.

Unfortunately, the next thing he decides to do is help Yuri unpack. He picks the first thing he can reach for out of one of the boxes. “What’s this?” he asks, looking down at a picture frame, as if Yuri could answer the question without actually seeing the subject.

He prays it’s not some poster of Victor his mother had decided to frame and shove in with the rest of his belongings. Or worse, a poster of himself, like the kind plastering the walls of Hasetsu’s train station. He gets off the floor and walks over.

“Oh,” and then flushes with mild annoyance. “It’s my degree. My mom wanted me to hang it up before. I guess she bought a frame for it.”

Victor turns to him, practically glowing.

“I’m not hanging it up.” Yuri quickly amends. He’s proud of his schooling, and he enjoyed it for the most part, but hanging up your own degree wasn’t something he found comfort or humility in.

“Then I’ll hang it up.” Victor says with some bolster of pride. “I’ll put it next to our medals.”

Yuri makes a choking noise of embarrassment at the idea of his lonely degree hanging next to Victors wall of medals and trophies. Eight Grand Prix gold medals, and a Bachelors from Wayne State University.

Victor is rich.

How rich he was didn’t necessarily surprise Yuri anymore. Spending longer than a few hours together back when they’d crashed into each other’s lives (the second time) made everyone in Yutopia aware of just how well the other half lived.

Yuri had taken the time to explain why they were hand washing the dishes when Victor nodded at the broken appliance next to them. “Why not just buy a new dishwasher?” he asked. Yuri just stared.

Living with him in his own bachelor’s apartment brought that awareness to the surface once again. Victor’s housecleaner came on Wednesdays. Half of his clothing had ‘dry clean only’ on the tag. He owned three cars.

Yuri once bought half his groceries at the dollar store during college.

“Alexa, play track 14,” Victor says. The speaker on the kitchen counter lights up and Victor’s newest choreography experiment plays.

They breathe each other’s program music. Yuri enjoys the routine sound of it in the apartment when it’s still fresh and something exciting to listen to. He watches Victor run through choreography from his spot on the couch; watches the expressions that pass his face, the lay of his arms, the tilt of his shoulders.

Tomorrow, or maybe next week, Victor will ask him to run through some of the routine, to see it in its fruition on the ice in front of him.

Right now it’s easier for Victor to dance across their hardwood floor in socks.

“Alexa, Pause,” he says. Then, “Rewind 20 seconds,” before he does the same steps again. He transitions this time with a deep lunge, brushing the tips of his fingers along the hardwood.

“I like that bit,” says Yuri, transfixed.

Victor turns his head and his expression softens.

“Who’s it for?” asks Yuri, straightening a little.

Victor lips curl up at the edges. He places his finger to his lips and hums. “Hmm? Would you be surprised if I told you?” he teases.

Yuri sighs, incredibly fond.  They’re caught like that for a few seconds, just staring at each other, matching smiles softening for the other.

Victor cracks first, “You’re so handsome when y-“

“Alexa,” Yuri interrupts, “Play ‘Late Night Jazz’ playlist on Spotify.”

He stands up to hold Victor close, just to see the light pinking of his ears up close. Victor’s biting down his own smile.

Yuri’s not a romantic. At least, he’s not sure if he is. But, little actions like these, bridging the distance between them so they sway slowly to trumpet playing, leaning closer to Victor… Yuri presses his face into the shoulder of Victor’s shirt, smelling laundry detergent and dog. What would he have done if he’d given up this opportunity in Barcelona?

They dance together next to the living room coffee table for the next twenty minutes.

Victor’s taste in music is just as dramatic as he is. It almost matches the taste that teenage Yuri imagined Victor would have: a playboy with a Hugh Hefner bachelor’s pad with soft opera music in the background.

Well, matching a playboy persona to a man who rolls around the floor and coo’s endearments to his dog doesn’t seem to fit. And Victor’s apartment is actually smaller than Yuri ever would have expected. It’s modern, and filled with…an interesting theme of décor.

But Victor’s taste in music is exactly what teenage Yuri had imagined, filled with operas and old jazz, soft ballads from tenors and aching reprises from movie scores.

Yuri and Makkachin come home to Nessun Dorma blaring from the radio on the television. Makkachin’s already dancing around Yuri’s legs, waiting for his leash to be unhooked. Apparently, none of this fazes him.

“Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me,” belts Victor from the kitchenette. He had skated to this in 2005, back when he could use songs about disappearing into history, name forgotten.

“Il nome mio nessun saprà, No! NO!”

“Whose name?” mutters Yuri. He puts his coat in the closet. He’s cold, and wet from the sleet outside. Victor was destined to have three stadiums and a shopping mall named after him. No one would forget his name.

Warm arms circle around his waist, and a kiss is pressed behind his ear when he turns his head.

“Mine, won’t you take it?”

And it’s both the cheesiest and most annoying line Yuri’s heard, but he flushes anyway. He loves the idea that he’s the one who gets to keep Victor; loves the idea that he’s the one who will get to wear his name. Victor knows this, and slides little facets of Yuri’s possessive nature back to him like they’re gifts that cost Victor nothing to give. Like he’s not aware that it makes Yuri shiver from his neck to the base of his spine and want to drop to his knees no matter where they are.

Yuri’s going to destroy himself one day thinking of all the things Victor’s willing to give him through no struggle at all.

“Lilia and Yakov have been arguing lately,” Yuri Plisetsky admits quietly one day. The way he says it, as if he’s hiding a secret from the empty ice, eyes looking anywhere but at the only other person in front of him-

It hits Yuri in the chest, and lodges tight in his throat, his jaw.

The rink is empty save for the zamboni which is circling around the first half of the rink. The arena speakers have come back to life in preparation for the novice classes that would take place in half an hour, pushing out Russian and American pop.

Yuri Plisetsky looks lost.

“Do you want to come over for dinner?” Yuri asks. He’d be eating it alone in Victor’s house anyway. Victor’s currently hosting double hours at the gym, studios, rinks, physios, in order to get both himself and his student on the podium in time for World’s. He wouldn’t be home until late.

There’s tension present in Yurio’s jaw. ‘Don’t pity me’ it says.

Yuri smiles. The pride Yurio exhibits feels like a little like navigating a field of landmines sometimes. There’s almost ten years between them, but he doesn’t remember being this proud at Yurio’s age. Then again, Victor’s 28 and he’s still this proud.

“Okay,” Yurio mumbles eventually, and slides off the bench they were sharing. “I need to pick up some homework first.”

Yuri nods along.

“I’m only speaking Russian once I get there!” Yurio threatens.

Trial by fire, thinks Yuri, and prays he can remember enough vocabulary to make conversation better than a toddler.

He can’t, but Yurio speaks slower and lets Yuri respond in English.

  “Oh!” says Victor, abandoning his coat on the nearest chair. “Yurio!” he sings out in acknowledgment. Yurio sends him a look of impetuousness from the kitchenette table, but says nothing of the nickname.

“Makkachin,” Victor coo’s and bends to pay attention to the dog jumping and snuffling around his legs. What follows is a verse of Russian that Yuri can barely pick apart sentences from. “Good boy,” and “Did you miss me?” and “Taking care of the home.” Makkachin loves it and wiggles around on the floor.

“There’s broccoli, carrots and rice in the fridge” says Yuri. He’s surrounded by Yurio’s homework and an answer card, checking over his calculations.

“Thank you,” is accompanied by a hand at the small of his back and a body draped over the back of his chair. Victor’s looking down at Yurio’s physics text books, and then back at Yuri with a confused expression like he doesn’t understand where this fits in with the fiancé he knows and loves.

“You’re really a nerd, Katsuki-kun” teases Victor, in Japanese.

Yuri sticks with English, “I have a bachelor’s of science. What do you have?”

Yurio snorts from across the table, “You’re marrying an idiot, Katsudon.”

“I’ll be a trophy Husband,” Victor says, not at all ashamed.

  “Yakov and Lilia are fighting,” says Yuri, when it’s just the two of them. The movie on tv is being played at low volume, subtitles in English present for Yuri.

“Mm,” mumbles Victor, and he angles his face further into Yuri’s neck, presses straighter behind him on the couch until there’s a long line of Victor Nikiforov touching Yuri’s side.

“They’re not. They’re thinking of getting back together.”

“Yurio thinks they are,” whispers Yuri.

“Yurio is 15. Do you know what I was doing when I was 15?”

Yes, thinks Yuri. Out loud he says, “Tell me?”

“Living with Yakov and Lilia,” Victor says, and smiles against Yuri’s neck. Yuri almost rolls his eyes.

“They were fighting then, and they divorced when I was 17. This is different.”

“Did they always fight?” asks Yuri, and shifts on the couch so he can look up at Victor, whose hands have been maddeningly tracing lines up and down his thigh.

“No, but there are some people who yell when they want someone to understand them.”

“Oh,” says Yuri. And then a moment of silence stretches out between them while Yuri gives Victor a significant stare.

“What?” asks Victor.

“Nothing,” Yuri dismisses. Victor has always been yelled at a lot by Yakov, and now, to a lesser extent, Lilia.

“Yuri~” whines Victor, and tucks his smiling face back into Yuri’s shoulder.

Yuri wakes up with a headache. He wants to fall back asleep, but drags himself up with a resolve he finds every morning.

Two glasses of water later, he takes Makkachin out for his walk, and comes back with his head pounding with every heartbeat. He swallows a pill that Victor assures him is for headaches, helps with the breakfast dishes, and then pulls Victor out of the door for morning rink time.

By the time they reach the bridge, his headache has slipped away, and has been replaced by a flushed warm fogginess that settles right through his body.

Back in Hasetsu, he’d seen Victor step onto the ice still drunk from the night before. At nationals, Yurio had skated with his nose red and dripping, hissing and sniffling as he sat in the kiss and cry.

Yuri’s practiced through worse. He’s skated on next to no sleep, learned new step sequences while suffering from spring colds before.

He’s pulling himself through his stretches with Victor by his side, folds his body over to reach his toes, leans his warm cheek against the cool flooring of the change room, and thinks, this would be a nice place to take a nap.

Victor leans over his stretched back to land a kiss at his shoulder, and asks if his headache is okay. Yuri tries not to evaporate into a feverish cloud.

  “Yuri,” calls Victor from the boards. He’s skated over to where his notebook lays open, and is flipping through it.  Yuri picks himself off the ice and glides closer.

So far they’ve just been going through combination jumps, and Yuri has been drilled for the past 10 minutes on take offs alone. One of Yuri’s Phichit-gifted playlists is playing. Background noise actually helps him keep his head clear, and Victor adores the idea of Yuri having a playlist with both Bruce Springsteen and songs from Top Hat.

Weekday dawns are their private time on the ice, something Yuri appreciates with a reverence because it allows him to warm up, fall down, and be impatient with Victor’s particular brand of coaching cheer without a large audience. There’s no doubt that this private time was negotiated as one of conditions that determined Victor returning to competition - probably arranged in an iron exchange between Yakov and Victor while he was still in Japan. He’s never seen a coach and student relationship like how Yakov and Victor work with each other – full of stubbornness and respect. But he’s never seen another skater quite like Victor either.

“-see the same thing as last week, then I won’t let you do it in competition.” Victor’s smiling as he finishes, and Yuri realises he’s just spent the last 40 seconds staring without listening to a single word.

He shakes his head to focus, “Sorry, could you repeat that?”

Victor pauses. He levels Yuri with a serious expression, and then leans fractionally closer.

“What are you worrying about?” he asks patiently.

Yuri leans away. ”Oh. No,” he corrects. “I think I’m sick.”

Victor hums in thought, and raises a hand to Yuri’s forehead. Yuri doesn’t stop him, and also doesn’t point out that he’d be cool anyway after half an hour in an open rink.

“I feel fine,” he insists, “I just have a bit of a headache, and my head feels foggy.”

He knows as soon as he’s said it that he should have kept that last part to himself. Victor’s expression turns from attentive coach to concerned partner faster than a quad loop rotation.

  Eventually he goes home after ignoring Victor’s insistence for another solid 20 minutes.

He climbs onto the couch, convinced he’ll spend the next hour cycling through social media, emails and whatsapp. It’s only when he’s reading through his third email that the wave hits him, and he puts down his phone, and drops to sleep.

His dreams are filled with feverish strangeness, and the melody of Victor’s short program on sickening repeat.

He wakes up briefly to the sound of keys and the front door opening, but falls back under before Victor’s done taking off his boots.

He wakes up some time later to a hand combing through his hair, and a weight next to him on the couch.

“I brought home some soup,” Victor says softly, and Yuri notices a bowl of it on the table in front of them.

His headache has returned and he grinds a palm into his forehead in retaliation of the thumping.

“What time is it?” he grumbles, trying to push the sleep from his limbs.

“Almost 1 o’clock,” says Victor, meaning he’d slept for almost four hours. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

Yuri’s eyes are closed, savoring the coolness as Victor presses his hand against his face.

“I don’t want you to get sick,” he says. Taking a day or two off is probably okay for him. Taking Victor away from training for more than one day is not negotiable, in Yuri’s mind. He’s prepared to spend the next five days on the couch if he can avoid that.

Victor doesn’t seem to care.

“Oh, I’m definitely going to get sick.” He says it with the same cadence he usually saves for “Oh, I’m definitely going to kiss you,” when they talk about future competitions together.

Yuri considers that they routinely share a bed, and spend the remaining 60% of their day within six feet of each other. Thinks about how Worlds is only 5 weeks away and concludes fuck.

“I’ve already warned Yakov,” says Victor, completely unaware of the anxiety building next to him.

“Victor, nooo.”

  Victor gets sick on day three, despite Yuri’s continued isolation on the couch. He’d gone back to light training after the second day himself, but had disinfected the apartment within an inch of its life while home. Victor ruined all his efforts by hanging around to comb his fingers through Yuri’s hair.

He also found immense joy asking Yuri questions when the fever made his answers jumbled and whiny.

“Please get drunk more often,” he laughs, right after Yuri had swatted him with away with a long, and heavily accented, “Victooooooor.”

Luckily, by then, they’d bought enough medicine for cold and fever relief that they were capable of acting like normal functioning adults. Well, to each of their extents.

They haven’t slept together for over a week. Between their fevers, and catching up on their schedules, they’d fallen into bed earlier each night, practically comatose from cold remedies.

Yuri wakes up hours before dawn feeling coiled tight in the best way: confident and languid, stretched next to Victor. The clock on the bedside table reads 4:28 am. He slides closer, presses his whole body along Victor’s back, and mouths at the back of his neck.

“Mn,” Victor mumbles, “Yuri, I have to get up in an hour,” and then, “Ohhh,” quietly, as he wakes up a bit more.

Yuri uses the moment to wrap his arm around Victor’s chest and pull them closer. The cotton of his own nightshirt is riding up and he can feel the warmth of Victor’s back against his abdomen as the other stretches out, pliant under his arm.

Victor’s hand reaches back and finds Yuri’s hip, slides under the elastic of his pajama pants. He keeps it there, warm against Yuri’s skin, encouraging, and lets out an appreciative hum when Yuri kisses up to the line of his jaw.

Victor isn’t secretive about loving the feel of Yuri pressed to his back. He loves being the little spoon, loves the feel of Yuri rocking into him slow while holding a hand around his chest and breathing damp on his shoulder.

Which isn’t an issue, but Yuri loves seeing Victor on top of him. Can barely breathe when Victor presses him into the mattress, fucking into him with deep thrusts while Yuri pulls at the sheets around them, desperately trying not to come in the first five minutes.

“Ah,” gasps Victor, as Yuri drops his hand from his stomach to the band of his sleep pants. The hand gripping at his hip tenses. Victor arches back and grinds against Yuri, makes another tight noise at the hardness he feels.

It’s slow, and dark, and Yuri’s determined to appreciate Victor’s body in all the ways he finds himself shy of doing during the daylight.

He’s kissing a spot high on Victor’s jawline when Victor’s ankle tangles against his. Toes tug down against the hem of his pants. “Take these off?” Victor asks, breathless.

Yuri manoeuvres away for just a few seconds in order to shuffle out of his pants and shirt, pushing them off the bed and onto the floor.

He returns to press back up against Victor, and licks a long line across the man’s shoulder.

Victor leans back against his body, and shudders from head to toe at the bare feeling of Yuri behind him. His breath is coming uneven as he rocks back into the hardness against his ass.

Yuri returns to trailing his fingertips along the skin just above Victor’s waistband, which has been steadily sliding lower with each roll backward of his hips.

“Ah, Yuri,” breathes Victor, as Yuri pushes down the bottoms of his pajamas to grasp his cock.  He stretches out in an arch, grinds back against Yuri’s hard-on. It’s dark in the room, but Yuri can hear the sound of fingers grabbing at sheets.

If Yuri had to consider it, living privately together would be one of his own non-negotiable conditions for returning to competition. Only this had been constructed silently over long weeks where they could do nothing but breathe heavily against bedsheets in Hasetsu, trying to keep quiet, and the drawn out nights in hotel rooms, where neither of them got sleep.

Luckily, this condition was never something they’d had to negotiate for.

He leaves Victor again, briefly, to reach for the lube under the bed. Uses it to slick between Victor’s thighs and ass before smearing the rest on a firm stroke up Victor’s cock. Victor’s shaking at the stimulation, voice cracking over small sounds, and kicking his pajama bottoms the rest of the way off, lost in the blankets.

Yuri kisses along Victor’s shoulders. His hand is pulling long tight strokes up Victor’s cock. He rests his forehead against the back of other’s neck and thinks, tonight I want to give him a blowjob in the shower.

When he slides his cock between the cheeks of Victor’s ass, he hears a moan that’s hastily bitten down.

A quiet “Mn,” escapes Yuri’s throat, unable to catch his reaction when Victor so clearly loves this. “Ohh,” he breathes.

They rock together like that, using the dark of the room to map each other out with hands and strained noises. By the time Victor comes, he’s whispering soft “oh, oh, oh”s into the sheets and digging his fingers into Yuri’s hip again, goading him to grind harder between his thighs.

Yuri’s practically laying over him by then, toes digging into the mattress, breathing hot pants against the side of Victor’s neck before he spills between one sharp thrust and the next.

“I love you so much,” says Victor, with a bone deep exhaustion that just spells how fucked out he is.

Yuri huffs out a laugh and kisses his cheek, still trying to catch his own breath.

They’re interrupted by the switch of the radio alarm playing classical music.

[kyaranflowers]

jewelry blog

Majon baseball jewelry and International is among the worlds Hottest internet marketing and web advertising corporations on the web. A necklace made with a photograph of one among your kids is one-of-a-kind. This will give you time to return the watch and obtain a new one to offer as a present. You may be giving the reward of happiness. As you'll be able to see, carry chairs are great gift ideas for the elderly in your loved ones and for individuals who could also be having hassle with using their legs. As soon as youve made your first gift basket you could be hooked to this artistic way to present gifts and will make many extra! This may ensure your purchase was accurately graded. Put up CommentNo HTML is allowed in comments, however URLs can be hyperlinked. Ever questioned sorts of jewellery a sports activities athlete is allowed to put on in the sector? Put merely, pitchers can't put on rings as they'll scuff the ball with zero large mirrored necklaces which might distract the batter from ball (not that anybody is questioning about wearing it, but you obtain the thought).

Do you've experience with some of the stuff you would possibly sell? However the nice diamond imitator has given one thing to many people who otherwise would never have had it, a glimpse of the sparkle and wonder of essentially the most valued of gems, the diamond. Yes, I already mentioned it, however NO Funding ON Inventory. There are a number of other ways to make your personal customized picture jewelry. Unique jewellery can actually showcase your photographs. The equipment concentrate on durable, masculine materials combining gold, silver, diamonds, steel and different substances that can keep up with a man's each day life. These are certain to be a grand slam or a touchdown with all of those who take discover of those dapper and svelte equipment. You can't always take your pet with you wherever you go, but you could possibly take a photo of your pet with you. And, it’s actually arduous to bid adieu to your darling pet. This may lower the seller’s defenses and make bargaining easier. Ensure you deal with respected wholesalers when buying film DVDs. The photos may be of particular occasions such as a graduation or a marriage ceremony.

Check out these fun wedding concepts for sports fanatics. Sports activities necklaces and bracelets were initially designed for athletes to wear during their practices and competitions. Hasidic men normally wear the "uniform" of their specific denomination (usually a special kind of black suit and hat). Footwear needs to be clear and professional; for informal days, flats for girls and loafers for men are acceptable. DVD Motion pictures: Older blockbusters, youngsters's motion pictures and basic motion pictures are usually good sellers. Posters and Prints: Giant photographs that stir folks's emotions are at all times good sellers. Titanium necklaces are claimed to have constructive health benefits, particularly reduced muscle aches and ache. The materials used are claimed to boost cellular function and thus promote overall bodily exercise. Sports activities necklaces are made of material that's able to spice up the body's power and increase cellular effectivity and bodily efficiency. Additionally they need to know if these Phiten sports necklaces stay as much as the hype that they're listening to. In the event you love sports almost as a lot as life, then it is only natural to need to have fun your favourite workforce whilst you pledge to spend your lives collectively. Even now she had skilled the emotional ups and downs undulator since she bought divorced with baseball jewelry.

Since the mid 80's, Nebraska's wine business has taken flight and now wineries are springing up in all areas of the state. As a bonus for wine lovers, grapes are among the crops thriving here, significantly in the japanese portion of the state. Plus, these cufflinks are product of high notch metals. That can be achieved by adding sports activities cufflinks for accessories for baseball fans a go-to look that can be dressed up or dressed down. These waterfalls look merely magical and I might love to see the Banyan bushes. I can see why you are a giant Squid! That is why some family members even go so far as confiscating their keys. Little do they notice that this is not even remotely true. When David opened a decorative glass retail retailer in 1979, right subsequent door was yet another jewelry store the place he spent more than slightly time. Don't forget to order somewhat early to leave enough time for transport and simply in case they ship you the unsuitable watch. They are all on ‘should be bases. Since fingers are primarily used for catching and blocking, rings are usually not worn as they might affect the catching or throwing of a ball.

Titanium necklaces are claimed to have positive health benefits, especially reduced muscle aches and pain. The new sports necklaces that are creating such a buzz of excitement have been available for several years. This is one reason that there are a lot of elderly people who continue to drive although they have been told not to. The metallic counterpart is the most preferred one among the pet owners. A necklace made with a photo of one of your children is one-of-a-kind. You can make larger charms also for a necklace or a keychain. What a better way to make her feel special than with the gift of diamonds. Not too along together using baseball jewelry, that shelving upward repeated flyer a long way on as well as, necks, hands, legs and, and lobes. Looking at photos of happy times is a good way to make someone happy. This will lower the seller’s defenses and make bargaining easier. Living on the Mainland I sure miss Hilo - now I have somewhere to stop by whenever I become homesick!

The reason the festival was first started by the Hilo Chamber of Commerce, was to "preserve the Hawaiian culture and to perpetuate and promote the art of the Hawaiian hula through education". If a lease must be signed, get a lawyer on your team first - tell your lawyer you want some kind of an "out" clause - before you sign! Get together in the near future? They are a not-so-old online fashion store with a relatively small line of products, but you get to witness real craftsmanship in their handmade items. Buying fashion jewelry gives you the ability to have a selection of different items. For every other time, you can buy a variety of fashion jewelry. Dresses - All sundresses are generally not allowed, especially if they are sleeveless or of the see-through variety. Many people are curious about what these products really are. Some people think they're being smart with minimal inventory purchases/displays, I think they're cutting their own throat! But the great diamond imitator has given something to many people that otherwise would never have had it, a glimpse of the sparkle and beauty of the most valued of gems, the diamond.

Have the seller plug in electric items to be sure they work. Using keywords in carefully chosen places allows you to have more freedom with your copy itself. For something a bit more edgy, try the fresh and hoppy India Pale Ale, or my favorite, the thick and creamy Blackstone Stout, named after a landmark Omaha hotel of yore. Read on for more details. The Preppy Look is back. Additionally , there are recognized sports activities hooks and that may produce their own properties up about, amongst other things, less difficult, back packs, jerseys, as well as overnight bags. This jewelry is being promoted as an effective and safe form of alternative medicine that can ease minor pains and aches as well as helps increase one's strength and stamina. An old classic piece of jewelry has made a comeback in recent years. They are just struggling to give up their independence doing something that they have been able to do on their own for so many years.

How much does Judy have to sell to break even? Any interest one might have can literally be worn on your sleeve (or lapel). Taking in a game and getting engaged, all in one afternoon? A men's diamond bracelet can add a touch of masculine style to any look. Accessorize with jewelry made out of real toys, like bike chains and spokes for a real tough look! The majority of baseball jewelry is made of sterling silver and it is comparatively cheap. Many rabid baseball fans stock up on the most common trading cards, signed items, banners and ads, paint-foot lite flit, and even bobble head dolls. If a search returns few or no results, you may need to check the yellow pages for local produce wholesalers. When shopping at the local department store, you might notice the employee with the “diamond” star lapel pin, indicating their outstanding level of service to the business.

You can shop around at other discount stores because many of them offer the same style of watches. Gold charms are made in popular styles, but unusual designs are very difficult if not impossible to find. Bay is definitely the giant in the industry and many experts are willing to share tips. Or perhaps you are a soccer lover who wants some cool cufflinks that are actually functional soccer fields. I would say anyone who has any valuables that they want to protect. No inventory on your garage. That takes the fun out of it. From the outset, his primary fascination has been with wristwatches, particularly those with complications--chronographs, lunar subdials, and the like. Reading these lens is like a trip to Hawaii. Hasidic men usually wear the "uniform" of their particular denomination (often a special type of black suit and hat). Judy likes this information very much. First and foremost no animals or characters on clothes no matter what the shirt says. Be ready to hit the first sale around 7 or 8 AM baseball jewelry.

[themurphyzone]

Mayor Murphy Ch 5

Honestly, you can’t expect me to put in a time stream without our favorite time travelers? 

Ch 5- Errand Running

Balthazar and Vinnie were used to sharing a small, cramped space and the looming threat of eviction if they didn’t pay the rent on time. They were accustomed to the Bureau ignoring Balthazar’s constant requests for a pay raise. Not to mention occasionally losing the money they made from exploding pistachio carts if a certain boy happened to wander by. 

So the whole talking raccoon giving them a place to stay with no set deadline for paying off a home loan thing was still a big shock for them. But like all good things, there was a catch. 

And that catch was playing delivery boy for Tom Nook while wearing a ridiculous green work shirt. The shirt clashed horribly with Vinnie’s pants, but he didn’t mind in the slightest. 

In his humble opinion, seeing Balthazar wearing informal clothing was completely worth it. Or at least partly informal. He still kept the dress pants and hat. 

“A leaf,” Balthazar said in disbelief. “We have to deliver a leaf to a Ms. Eloise.” 

“No, no!” Nook chortled. “This is a special kind of technology that only exists in Crossing Valley! Since you seem behind the times, I will happily enlighten you. Since it would be rather cumbersome to drag beds and desks with you everywhere you go, we’ve developed a way to collapse furniture items into a more portable form.” He turned the leaf over, revealing a small red button on the stem. “Push this button and it will expand into a piece of furniture you can place into your home.” 

Vinnie whistled. “That’s amazing. Why don’t we have anything like that?” 

“Because the Bureau would rather watch us suffer than do anything useful,” Balthazar muttered. 

“Trade secret,” Nook winked. “Now, I believe I forgot to give you a town map when you arrived. Forgive the inconvenience. As you can see, Eloise’s house is located in Acre B2. Just south of here. Come back in thirty minutes, and I might deduct a few extra Bells from your home loan.” 

Nook waved them out of the store, humming as he rearranged the tool display. “Dakota, we came here to investigate the disappearance of pistachios from the time stream of Crossing Valley,” Balthazar muttered, crumpling the map in his hand. “Not to owe money to an apron wearing raccoon!” 

Vinnie shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind working for him. He’s nicer than Mr. Block. Though maybe it wouldn’t hurt to find a better uniform. Green just isn’t my color.” He coughed. “But hey, it looks good on you! You’re green with a fancy mustache.” 

Balthazar tried not to preen at that. “Well, I don’t like to brag or anything but it does take quite a bit of time for proper mustache maintenance. Moving on, let’s get this, uh, leaf item thingy which is apparently a green chair to Eloise.” 

“How do you know it’s a green chair?” Vinnie asked. “It could be a UFO, or a video game, or a plant-well, i guess it’s technically a plant since it’s a leaf but then again it’s synthetic so-” Balthazar reached over and pinched Vinnie’s lips closed. 

“Because the label says ‘green chair’, you disco loving dolt,” Balthazar pointed to a tag on the end of the leaf. 

Snow crunched beneath their shoes as they kept an eye out for Eloise’s house. Vinnie almost didn’t want to tread on it since there was such a pretty star shaped pattern dotting the landscape. He paused in front of a cherry tree, stomach growling at the surprisingly large cherries that hung from the lowest branches. These had to be several times larger than any berry back home. And it was yet another food that had gone extinct in the future. 

Vinnie shook the tree, and three large cherries fell down, the bright red skin standing out from the white powder. “You want one?” Vinnie swallowed one with a single gulp, spitting out the pit. 

Grimacing, Balthazar declined. “You’re really going to eat that without washing it first?” 

Vinnie bit into a second cherry. “More for me, I guess.”

After walking south for several minutes, they finally found Eloise’s house. Smoke poured from a brick chimney, the small house looking more quaint than the one they bought from Nook. Balthazar straightened his hat before knocking twice. 

“It’s unlocked,” Vinnie said, twisting the doorknob. 

Balthazar slapped his hand away. “We can’t just barge in there unannounced! We’ll be arrested for breaking and entering!”

“Didn’t you hear Nook when we were looking at the houses?” Vinnie asked. “The houses only lock when the owner isn’t around. Though you didn’t really care about being arrested when you tried to use a battering ram on the Murphy’s back door-”

“I thought we agreed to never mention that incident again,” Balthazar hissed, opening the door and shoving Vinnie inside. 

“Yay, leprechauns! I’m so happy to meet you! I’m Eloise, toooot!” an elephant cheered. Her entire house was green, with several moneybags stashed in odd places. It looked as though someone had decided to interior decorate with a jungle.

“Um, no actually,” Vinnie said. “Balthy and I aren’t leprechauns. Now that I think about it, you could easily pass for a leprechaun. A tall, cranky one with a big mustache.” 

“First of all,” Balthazar snapped. “We are not leprechauns. We are the newest residents of Pecanville. My name is Balthazar Cavendish, certified time traveler. And this is my colleague, Vinnie Dakota. We are on a mission to deliver-wait, something wrong?” 

“If you aren’t leprechauns, then you have no business in my house!” Eloise suddenly whipped out three brooms, clutching one in both arms and trunk. Her eyes blazed ferociously as she stomped her feet and prepared to charge. “You will get a front row seat to my special Three Brooms Style!”

How on earth she held anything without hands was beyond Vinnie. 

“Wait, wait!” Vinnie frantically waved his arms, jumping in front of Balthazar. “We do have business here! Tom Nook wanted us to work in his shop for a while, and we have a special delivery for you.” He grabbed the leaf and held it out. 

Eloise promptly dropped the brooms, squealing happily. “The great Lucky has blessed me with this green chair!” She tapped the button with her trunk, the leaf expanding into a green chair with a cushion in the back. Dragging it over to a small table, she thanked Lucky profusely. 

“Now, since you’re from beyond Crossing Valley, I assume you’ve met Lucky before?” Eloise asked.

“I don’t know anyone who goes by Lucky,” Balthazar grumbled. 

Eloise gasped. “How could you not know who he is? Why, when I lived in Ceres, someone there told me about Lucky, a great leprechaun god who could make marshmallows and dry cereal pour from the sky while he relaxed in a river of milk! And whenever he came down to earth, a crowd of children always chased him so they could learn the secrets of his Lucky Charms! Oh, and he has little leprechaun helpers that create rainbow slides and give gold coins to good children! Oh, and please accept this guitar as a gift from Lucky himself.” She tapped a button on the neck of the guitar, and it shrunk down into a leaf. 

As he pocketed the leaf, Vinnie noticed many portraits of the cereal mascot around the house, with scented candles lit underneath. “We should really get back to Nook. These deliveries aren’t going to deliver themselves!” He and Balthazar quickly exited the house. 

Behind them, Eloise called, “Prayer is at seven tonight if you wanna join me!”

Vinnie patted Balthazar’s back as he fumed. “Relax. What could possibly go wrong around these parts?”

Nook only deducted 80 Bells for that task, claiming that they were dawdling too much even after Balthazar tried to protest that Eloise held them up with inane ramblings of the leprechaun god. 

The next task was to write a letter to a villager named Puck about an upcoming sale. They managed that one in less than five minutes since the post office was next door. 

“Yes, yes! Very good, very good!” Nook nodded in approval, carefully handing a long, wrapped bundle to Balthazar. “Your next task is to deliver this ax to Murphy! You will not be able to use it yourself, but handle it carefully all the same!”

“Deliver an ax to Murphy?” Balthazar yelped. “Are you insane?”

“No, no! It’s a perfectly reasonable request! Out with you now! And no dilly-dallying!” Nook ushered them out of the shop. 

Balthazar twirled the gift-wrapped ax in his hands. “I am officially placing Tom Nook under investigation for having potential ties to Agent Murphy. He must be a weapon supplier.” 

Vinnie moaned. “I don’t want any part of this please. Have you considered maybe there’s someone living in Pecanville named Murphy and we’re supposed to deliver the ax to him?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Balthazar snapped. “We met all the residents in this backwater town already. Besides, Nook seems awfully quick to get us out of the shop quickly. He’s hiding something, and we’re going to find out what it is. Luckily, I have reliable sources that point towards Agent Murphy and his accomplices hiding somewhere in Crossing Valley.”

Vinnie rolled his eyes. “Reliable sources being one conversation at the dinner table.”

“The problem is that there are millions of towns within the time stream, so we must try to narrow it down to a single location,” Balthazar mused. “We shall begin where all the time streams converge. Central.”

They boarded the train bound for Central, sitting down in a car next to an old boar. “’Scuse me, sirs. Would you like to buy any turnips? Selling ‘em for 100 Bells each!” She gestured to a a handmade basket full of turnips on her back. 

Balthazar scoffed. “We don’t need any sales pitches-oof, get off, Dakota!” 

Because the seat was so small, Vinnie had to lean awkwardly over Balthazar so he could peer into the basket. “May I please get two of your largest turnips?” They completed the exchange, the boar counting her payment. 

“Thank y’all!” the boar exclaimed. “Old sow Joan is pleased to do business with you lovely folk! Now, if ya’ll excuse me, I need to go find that nosy kitty who’s always talking it up with strangers he don’t know. Gonna be in trouble one of these days, I’m telling ya....” 

Joan mumbled to herself as she exited the car, slowly shuffling down the aisle as other passengers ducked her swinging turnip basket. 

“You could stand to be nicer,” Vinnie commented as he snacked on a turnip. He stopped chewing and made a face. “You want these? They’re kinda on the bland side.” 

Balthazar took one bite and made a face. “What’s the point of selling these things if they don’t even taste good?”

“MROW-HA-HA!” a cat snickered. They jumped. She definitely hadn’t been there before. Two fangs poked out of her mouth as she snickered. “Man, I knew noobs learning the ins and outs of plain old everyday town life could be completely clueless. But this? You two definitely take the mouse, purrty. Cheese, whiskers, and all.”

“It’s terribly rude to eavesdrop on conversations that are none of your concern,” Balthazar retorted. 

Vinnie gave him a look. “I think you’ve maxed out the hypocrite meter today, Balthy.” 

“His name is Balthy? How embarrassing.” she smirked. “The name is Katt. Yes, a cat named Katt. Hilarious, am I right or am I right? Time traveler extraordinaire, not at your service, purrty.” 

Katt kicked back against the seat so that her legs rested on Balthazar’s kneecaps. 

“Prove it,” Balthazar demanded. “And we are not clueless. We know what we’re doing.”

Katt lazily flicked her wallet at him. “Sure ya do. Word to the idiot. Turnips are meant to be bought and sold. Not eaten. We’ve got a little thing called the Stalk Market. If ya wanna get rich quick, ya might want to figure out how to use it.” 

“I don’t care about the turnips, Katt,” Balthazar spat her name as if it was poison. “What time traveling organization are you affiliated with?” 

In response, Katt flicked out her watch. “I don’t work for anyone. I’m a lone cat, purrty.” She winked at Vinnie while the gears in her watch wound up. “Your partner is a handful. Makes me glad I’m solitary. Catch ya later!” 

With a burst of light she was gone, leaving a charred seat cushion behind. 

“Eek eek! Arriving in Central! We are arriving in Central!” 

Balthazar and Vinnie set up a pistachio stand as soon as they arrived to bait the target. The ax was hidden inside a compartment, since Balthazar was still indecisive about giving weapons to Murphy. 

The animals were completely clueless to the stand’s real purpose. A purple squirrel paid for his pistachios and muttered something about persuading the mayor for a pistachio stand public works project. 

“Hey, it’s those pistachio sellers!” a voice called out, and a boy in a sweater vest politely made his way across the thick crowd of animals. “Didn’t think I would be running into you guys here! How are you?” 

A small green bear fished by the ocean, yanking up another sea bass.

“Why does everyone always forget things that I ordered, laddie?” he asked his catch as he held it up to his face, preparing to chow down. The sea bass slapped him in the nose with its tail, escaping back into the water and disappearing into the depths. 

“Sure. Forget about me. You’re just like everyone else, you know that?,” he mumbled. “I need to figure out a way to make animals remember the name of Murphy.”

Balthazar and Vinnie are in the Gamecube version of Animal Crossing in winter. 

Eloise copies Zoro’s fighting style in One Piece. 

Poor Murphy. 

Don’t be rude to your neighbors, Balthy. 

[zapgraptrash]

moy did a bunch of these text memes for one of her characters so i will now do them also

ZAPPER

repost and bold what your muse can do

bake a cake from scratch | ride a horse | drive a submarine | speak a second language | dance | catch a fish | play an instrument | throw a punch | build a deck | ice skate | unclog a drain | program a computer | change a flat tire | fire a gun | sew | juggle | play poker | paint | fly a kite | sculpt | write poetry | change a diaper | sing | shoot a bow and arrow | ride a bike | swim | sail a boat | do a back flip | play chess | give cpr | pitch a tent | flirt | stitch a wound | read palms | use chopsticks | write in cursive / calligraphy | use an electric drill | braid hair | make a campfire | make a mixed drink | do sudoku puzzles | wrap a gift | give a good massage | jump-start a car | roll their tongue | do magic tricks | do yoga | tie a tie | skip a rock | shuffle a deck of cards | read morse code | pick a lock

(i’ve been wondering forever if he should be able to play an instrument but i’m always on the fuckin fence about it)

GRAPPLER

repost and bold your muses aesthetics

red // orange // yellow // green // blue // purple // pink // fire // ice // water // air // earth // claws // fangs // wings // gold // diamonds // grass // leaves // trees // roses // metal // iron // rust // rain // snow // lace // leather // silk // velvet // denim // cotton // sun // moon // stars // blood // dirt // mud // silver // steel // sugar // salt // pepper // lavender // glass // wood // paper // wool // fur // smoke // ash // cigarettes // cigars // candy // bubbles // ocean // city scape // bruises // scars // wind // spices // light // dark // paint // lingerie // charcoal // wine // phone // hard liquor // sweat // tears // dust // lips // smiles // bare feet // hats // canine // feline // coffee // tea // books // photos // sketches // analog // digital // clockwork // scratches // petals // thorns // hay // glitter // heat // cold // steam // frost // dewdrops // candle // sword // dagger // arrow // hammer // axe // shield // fists // spikes // sand // rocks // roots // feathers // pearls // rubies // sapphires // emeralds // amethyst // herbs // waves // lightning // sunlight // moonlight // rainbow // money // clay // stone // brick // lions // wolves // black // white // birds // eyes // hands // flowers

SLYGER

repost and bold what your muse has done

1. HAD SEX 2. BOUGHT CONDOMS 3. GOTTEN PREGNANT 4. FAILED A CLASS 5. KISSED A BOY 6. KISSED A GIRL 7. USED A LITTLE PAPER BAG FOR LUNCH 8. HAD A JOB 9. MISSED THE SCHOOL BUS 11. LEFT THE HOUSE WITHOUT YOUR WALLET/PURSE 12. BULLIED SOMEONE ON THE INTERNET 13. SEXTED 14. HAD SEX IN PUBLIC 15. PLAYED ON A SPORTS TEAM 16. SMOKED WEED 17. SMOKED CIGARETTES 18. SMOKED A CIGAR 19. DRANK ALCOHOL 20. WATCHED “THE BREAKFAST CLUB” 21. BEEN OVERWEIGHT 22. BEEN UNDERWEIGHT 23. HAD AN EATING DISORDER 24. BEEN TO A WEDDING 25. MADE FUN OF SOMEONE FOR BEING FAT 26. BEEN ON THE COMPUTER FOR 5 HOURS STRAIGHT 27. WATCHED TV FOR 5 HOURS STRAIGHT 28. BEEN LATE FOR WORK 29. BEEN LATE FOR SCHOOL 30. KISSED SOMEONE IN THE RAIN 31. SHOWERED WITH SOMEONE ELSE 32. FAILED MY DRIVERS TEST 33. RAN A MILE IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES 34. BEEN OUTSIDE MY HOME COUNTRY 35. BEEN ON A ROAD TRIP LONGER THAN 5 HOURS 36. GOTTEN MY HEART BROKEN 37. HAD A CREDIT CARD 38. BEEN TO A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS GAME 49. BROKEN A BONE 40. BEEN UNHAPPY ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT 41. WON A TROPHY 42. CUT MYSELF 43. HAD AN STD 44. GOT ENGAGED 45. BEEN ON A DIET 46. TRIED OUT TO BE ON A TV SHOW 47. RODE IN A TAXI 48. BEEN TO PROM 49. PLAYED IN A DRINKING GAME 50. STAYED UP FOR 24 HOURS OR MORE 51. BEEN TO A CONCERT 52. HAD A THREE-SOME 53. HAD A CRUSH ON SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX 54. BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT 55. HAD BRACES 56. LEARNED ANOTHER LANGUAGE 57. KILLED A BUG 58. BEEN AT A YARD SALE 59. BEEN TO A JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 60. WORE MAKE UP 61. TALKED TO SOMEONE VIA WEBCAM 62. LOST MY VIRGINITY BEFORE I WAS 16 63. HAD MY WISDOM TEETH TAKEN OUT 64. KISSED SOMEONE A DIFFERENT RACE THAN MYSELF 65. SNUCK OUT OF THE HOUSE 66. BOUGHT PORN (no need to buy) 67. HAD A VIRUS ON MY COMPUTER 68. HAD ORAL SEX 69. DYED MY HAIR 70. CHEATED ON A PARTNER 71. GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE 72. WORE SOMEONE ELSE’S CLOTHES 73. VOTED IN AN ELECTION 74. RODE IN AN AMBULANCE 75. RODE IN A HELICOPTER 76. CAUGHT THE STOVE ON FIRE 77. GOT IN A FIGHT 78. BEEN ON VACATION 79. BEEN IN AN AIRPLANE 80. BEEN ON A BOAT 81. HAD SURGERY 82. BEAT A VIDEO GAME 83. FOUND SOMETHING VALUABLE ON THE GROUND 84. MADE A SURVEY (”IS YOUR FURSONA: FELINE, CANINE, URSINE, DRAGON, OTHER”) 85. STALKED SOMEONE ON FACEBOOK/MYSPACE 86. PRANK CALLED SOMEONE 87. BEEN TO A LIBRARY OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL 88. SPENT OVER $100 SHOPPING IN ONE DAY 89. CUT YOUR HAIR AND HATED IT 90. PEED OUTSIDE 91. WENT FISHING 92. HELPED WITH CHARITY 93. TAKEN A PREGNANCY TEST 95. BEEN REJECTED BY A CRUSH 96. BEEN SUSPENDED FROM SCHOOL 97. BROKEN A MIRROR 98. FAKED SICK FROM SCHOOL 99. OWNED A PET 100. BEEN TO SIX FLAGS

GRANOX

repost and bold your muses villainous attributes

Abusive | Aggressive | Angry | Anarchistic | Bitter | Callous | Cannibal | Careless | Chaotic | Compulsive | Condescending | Cold | Cowardly | Crude | Cunning | Deceitful | Directionless | Distant | Domineering | Driven | Enervated | Entitled | Envious | Fickle | Flippant | Greedy | Hypocritical | Impatient | Impolite | Insatiable | Insincere | Insulting | Irredeemable | Kidnapper | Lazy | Liar | Lustful | Machiavellian | Malevolent | Materialistic | Murderer (erryone’s a murderer tho) | Obsessive | Offensive | Over-critical | Overemotional | Patronizing | Perfectionist | Petty | Psychotic | Redeemable | Sarcastic | Scrupulous | Self-Indulgent | Selfish | Self-victimizing | Serial-killer | Sly | Spiteful | Tormented | Torturer | Touchy | Thieving | Thuggish (this one is technically true but i’m not bolding it) | Traitorous | Two-faced | Unclean | Unfaithful | Unpredictable | Unstable | Untidy | Vain | Vengeful | Violent

half of these aren’t like. villainous. and also everyone in trashland is technically a villain so??