#dragon-plier

[love-fireflysong]

Good morning! I just finished making me a new metal friend 😊

Ain't he pretty 😊

[sayornispress]

My most recent project, and most intensive project in a long time!! Halo Effect and Soldier's Heart by @alex51324. Five books in all, totaling over 1700 pages. Details, story spoilers, and more photos under the cut - there are quite a few!

In WWI, English soldiers wrapped their pants and boots with "puttees", and the spines mimic that look. Rather than actually wrapping, or cutting the spine cloth into pieces (which I worried would fray over time, especially with the opening and closing of reading), I pleated it and sewed it to the cover cloth (which is light canvas-y green but otherwise rather plain, so I'm not including photos here). The titling is flat gold heat transfer vinyl.

The bookmark charms relate to the story, of course.

Halo Effect - I felt that Thomas was defined by his status as a footman and this sets up his massive character change throughout the series, so the first bookmark charm is a footman's button, though not a Downton-specific one.

Soldier's Heart, vol. I - This fountain pen nib is from the early twentieth century. I found in the first volume that Thomas's social network, and communication both to and from define this part of the work.

Soldier's Heart, vol. II - My dad collects WWI memorabilia, including bullets (it's in this volume that Thomas is shot). He cut a bullet down for me to use for this binding. This particular bullet is English, rather than from any of the opposing nations, since he doesn't collect those (and I was rather lucky he had even an English one) but tbh I don't have the slightest idea what the difference is.

Soldier's Heart, vol. III - Y'all this is a genuine RAMC WWI coat button. I couldn't not use it. Wholly unmodified, to be clear, so if the book ever needs rebound or anything changes, it can be removed and reused as necessary. I chose this volume for the button because I felt Thomas really come into his own as a member of the RAMC, away from the war - and because I wanted to use the bullet for the last one, and this is the only volume this button would fit on, other than the last, but that's a whole other deal.

Soldier's Heart, vol. IV - Thomas, whose father was a clockmaker, becomes a chauffeur at the end of Soldier's Heart. My first idea was to use some sort of gear that resembled a car part as a charm. I come from a long line of magpies/dragons/Gollum-like creatures, and my grandfather had, in his garage, an alarm clock that belonged to my great-great-grandfather, gathering dust, because my grandpa had been meaning to fix it and just hadn't gotten around to it yet (he'd been saying this since the mid-seventies, at least - my aunt wanted to use it, since it would have matched her quilt). Anyway, we all gathered around the dinner table to take this clock apart, which turned out to be a rather violent act involving pliers, several screwdrivers, an orbital sander, a drill press, and a hammer. I got a few gears out of the deal, and my cousin (a mechanic) selected the one that looked the most like a car part, scaled down. So. Double connection.

It's a bit difficult to tell in the photo, but the speckled edges each have two different colors, and there's, again, a reason for each choice! Each color represents something specific:

Blue - clear skies/relative calm Green - naivety/he's got things to learn Brown - the muck of war Red - blood (Thomas's and others')

Halo Effect: Green and blue Soldier's Heart, vol. I - green and brown Soldier's Heart, vol. II - brown and red Soldier's Heart, vol. III - green and red Soldier's Heart, vol. IV - red and blue

The speckling is also more intense in the middle three books.

My signature throw, as well as a close-up of the hand-sewn endbands (each volume's endbands match the speckled edges of that particular book) and a bit better look at the RAMC button, though a bit blurry.

And next to it, my metadata page and the gratitude from Halo Effect. I'm very much enjoying this metadata layout, and here's as good a place as any to give some general typesetting info:

I used IM Fell Great Primer for the body text, 11pt, 15pt leading.

Next up, the details in the letters--each character has their own handwriting, and a few are showcased here:

Syl drew a face in the margins of one of the letters with Theo, and I mimicked it for the binding. (Yes I was in fact crying as I did it)

Don't be afraid to ask if you'd like to know the names of any of the fonts - all from Google Fonts, since I do my typesetting in GDocs. I love the first one, in particular (Joey's) because I so rarely use it. I'm very happy with how they all turned out, they feel like they match the personalities well, in my opinion, though I should have made a couple a touch bigger.

---

I think that's all of my photos! I'm so so proud of how this binding turned out. It had quite a long turn-around - it's not unusual for me to have less than two weeks between reading a fic for the first time and having a bound copy on my shelf, and I read this fic for the first time over the course of nine days all the way back in March. (Which. okay. Not that long actually.)

I had a really lovely time with the binding, as well, because I got so much input from my family and friends - my dad was integral in the whole process, not only in the donation of the bullet, but also in the design of the covers in general and in answering my WWI questions, and my mom helped me pick colors for the endbands and edges. My grandpa donated a clock, and my boss helped me figure out how to get the charms attached to the ribbons, and her sister helped me with sewing, so all in all this whole experience has been so wonderful, so special. I'm so grateful for it.

[fallowyrm]

An idea I've had regarding affirming clothing/gear for scaled dragon folks is chainmaille, since I think it's reminiscent of tiny scales and sort of acts as a protective barrier like scales do. I haven't had the time to make anything yet, but I really want to make a maille vest for myself :} it's also pretty accessible too since you can purchase jumo rings in bulk and just go at them with a pair of pliers, though it will for sure take a lot of time. Maybe when summer starts I'll pursue that!

[ashipwreckcoast]

favorite dragon pliers, my beloved

[chadillacboseman]

Summary: Alex is having a horrible, terrible, no good very bad...three weeks. Just a very short one shot of pre-Kate (@thesingularityseries) and pre-Echo (@roofgeese ) Black Dragon times.

--

Alex could hear the roar of the fight pits all the way from the storage room- a loud, unforgiving cacophony that rang in his ears as he searched the shelves. Kano's voice rang out, louder than the others, his accent grating on Alex's ears.

He ignored it and crouched to better examine the bottom shelf. He knew what the fight meant for him, it was only a matter of time until-

"Got another stiff for ya, Turk."

Alex glanced up and met Kano's glowing red eye; his face was flecked with blood and a fresh, angry cut ran across his cheek, not yet scabbed over.

Alex sighed and rose from his crouched position, his bum knee creaking in protest as it lifted his weight. The body behind Kano was that of a younger man, his brown hair cropped into a military high and tight. He was wearing olive green, and his name was sewn into the right hand side of his shirt.

Special Forces.

"Your ears painted on? Get rid of him," Kano gestured and his eye glowed threateningly, "And make it quick before he stinks up the place."

Alex sauntered past Kano and searched for the least bloody part of the soldier's body. From the looks of it, his death had been painful and slow. Alex crouched and hoisted the man over his shoulder, pointedly ignoring the wet squelch that met his ears on contact.

"There's the muscle we hired ya for! Now get a fuckin' move on."

Alex had been on body duty for three weeks, a punishment inflicted on him for a botched mission in Montana. It wasn't his fault, not really. The SF had known they were coming, had intercepted them at the bunker and nearly killed him in the process. The warhead Kano had desperately wanted was lost- Alex still didn't know what he wanted it for, but he'd threatened to gut him like a fish for the failure. Of course, Kano's golden child, Kabal, had gotten no punishment for his involvement in the debacle.

Alex made his way to the garage and found a suitable truck, dropping the dead agent unceremoniously into the open bed. He tossed a tarp over the top and retrieved a toolkit and shovel from the nearby shelf.

The drive to the dumpsite was uneventful, through the winding desert and into the mountain range. Still, he gripped his shotgun in the passenger seat, ready for blue and red lights to flash in the rearview at any moment.

By the time he reached the dumping ground, night had fallen and the headlights of the truck were his only source of light, their dull orange glow cutting through the slowly settling dust.

Alex had honed his grave digging skills over the weeks he'd been doomed to body duty- able to make a suitable hole in less than an hour. When he finished, he paused for a moment, resting against his shovel for support as he panted in the still-warm air.

When he had recovered, he made his way back to the pickup and ripped the tarp aside. Rigor mortis had begun to set in, causing the agent's limbs to resist his maneuvering as he wrestled him from the bed and onto the ground with a disgusting thud.

Alex swore in Turkish and began the laborious task of dragging the body awkwardly to the hole. He dropped it next to the grave and returned once more to the pickup, retrieving the toolkit from the cab.

Pliers. Blowtorch.

And then he set to work.

First went the fingertips, prints burned off by the white hot flames of the torch. The smell of burning flesh assaulted his nostrils and made his eyes water- a scent he'd never get used to.

Next went the teeth, each wrenched from the corpse's mouth with the crude, rusted pliers. The first time he'd done it, it had nearly caused him to relive his lunch. Now, he was numb, completing the task with the ease and nonchalance of repetition.

The teeth went into a bag, to be incinerated in the furnace back at the base.

"No hard feelings, pal," Alex spoke aloud to the corpse, something he often found himself doing, "I'm sure you were a nice guy."

The agent's now wide, bloodied maw of a mouth could almost be taken for a smile out here in the darkness. Alex rolled him over once, twice, and then he fell into the shallow grave with a muted whump that sent a small cloud of dust into the air.

The burying was easier than the digging.

Dirt rained down into the hole with each motion of his shovel, slowly building until the body disappeared entirely and Alex cast his shovel aside before lowering himself to the ground for a short rest.

Alex sat for a moment next to the newly-disturbed dirt of the grave and pulled his knees up into his chest before burying his face. Out in the desert, a coyote yapped out a haunting call, likely drawn by the scent of blood.

Perhaps it would be a mercy to be torn to shreds by a pack of hungry coyotes.

Would anyone from the base even come looking for him?

The crushing, all-consuming loneliness of the past three weeks hit him all at once, and for a moment, he felt as if he was going to cry. He wanted to call his mother. Wanted to jump in the truck and just drive until there was no more road to follow. Wanted to walk into the desert and let the coyotes have him.

A small meow from somewhere behind him snapped him from his stupor and he turned his head in search of the sound. Squinting in the darkness, he could just barely make out the shape of a small, orange kitten, huddled near the front tire of the truck.

"Hey, little buddy," Alex extended a hand and clicked his tongue. To his surprise, the cat trotted hesitantly toward him, pausing to sniff his fingers with interest.

It looked rough, covered in desert sand and lean from far too many days without a meal. The cat gently butted its head against his hand and he ran his palm over its matted orange fur, chuckling at the way it leaned eagerly into his touch.

"You wanna come back to base with me?"

The cat looked up at him, green eyes glittering in the headlights. He couldn't leave it out here...right? But Kano would kill him for bringing a cat back to the base.

Alex decided he didn't care.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Manga Ch.100

Yes, Cheelai, we have finally reached the end of the 2023 Dragon Ball Apocrypha Liveblog, but in particular, we've also finally reached the end of the seemingly endless manga adaptation of the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie.

And yeah, this seems like an anticlimactic place to close out the year, but that's kind of how this entire liveblog has been, when you get down to it. I've had fun going through all this stuff, but there's a reason I'm referring to it all as "apocryphal". The Tournament of Power is a lot of fun, and the two DBS feature films are instant classics, but none of it really feels essential to Dragon Ball. From the OAVs to GT to Super, the main theme here is "Hey, remember Dragon Ball? Let's make more of that!" Everything ends up being a sequel or a callback or an easter-eggy kind of deal. And that's not the worst thing that can happen to a franchise, but it's probably fitting that we're closing out on the final chapter of a comic book adaptation of a movie that serves as a sequel to the Android arc that was a continuation of the Red Ribbon Army arc.

Chapter 100 just retells the last several minutes of the Super Hero movie, and I already went over the film, so let's just concentrate on how the manga depicts it differently. We'll start with Gohan's right arm, which got some heat a few days ago when the previews came out.

I refuse to dogpile on Toyotaro, since he's a far better artist than I'll ever be, and I've genuinely enjoyed his art through this entire read-through, even when the writing has been bad. That said... yeah, Gohan's arm looks kind of weird. Maybe while Gohan was teaching himself the Special Beam Cannon, he learned how to do Piccolo's stretchy arm thing too.

I do think it's pretty dumb how chuds on Twitter will nitpick Toyotaro's art as though the original Dragon Ball manga was some kind of showcase of photorealistic anatomy. I've been a fan of this thing for a quarter-century now, and the key to loving Dragon Ball is to make peace with the fact that it's fundamentally goofy and stupid. Sometimes a guy's arm gets drawn longer than his other arm. Sometimes characters scream so loud that their jaws unhinge like when a snake swallows an egg whole. Bulma wasted a wish on the Dragon Balls to make her ass look hotter, because if she didn't, then Frieza would come back and use the wish to make himself taller. Goku grew his tail back by having a guy tug on his ass with a pair of pliers. This show was always a hot mess, so don't blame Toyotaro. It was like this when he got here.

Anyway, Cell Max tries to block the Special Beam Cannon like he did in the movie, but Gohan has a harder time punching through, so in this version Goten and Trunks jump in to distract Cell and give Gohan a boost. In the movie, they were still Gotenks until after the fight ended, but in this version the battle must have taken a little longer, since they de-fused a little earlier.

Of course, this is just a way for Toyotaro to show off the Great Saiyaman X-1 and X-2 costumes one more time. It's kind of pointless, because all of the added Goten and Trunks scenes in this arc have been pointless. Also, Trunks' pose looks really awkward here. He looks like he got sawed in half, and both halves are still kind of flying forward in the same direction, but he's no longer connected.

I will say that I'm grateful for this final appearance of X-1 and X-2, because it gives me a chance to critique their outfits one last time. I hate the superhero undies they wear over their tights. They look baggy and puffy for some reason, which make it look like Goten and Trunks are wearing diapers. I'm pretty sure that's the exact opposite of what the boys were going for.

I mean, the outfits aren't that bad, but what irritates me is how Toyotaro keeps showing them off like this is the coolest thing going on in this story. The designs are presented like they somehow connect all these different things. Goten and Trunks were inspired by Cleangod, and they named their personas after Great Siayaman, and then Dr. Hedo saw them and supposedly based the Gammas' costumes off their look. Except X-1 and X-2 don't actually look anything like Great Saiyaman, or Cleangod, or the Gammas. It's just frustrating.

Anyway, we get the same bit about cosmetic skin alteration from the movie, except Gotenks has already separated in this version, so Bulma can address Goten and Trunks separately.

I also like this part after Pan shows off her flying ability. This segued into the credits of the movie, but here we see Gohan calling out for her to stay closer to the ground. It's pretty cute, since it kind of calls back to when Gohan was a timid child way back in the early days of DBZ. Now he's older and braver, but I bet when he sees Pan up so high in the air he thinks about how scared he was whenever he was up really high.

Meanwhile, some Red Ribbon goons have survived the battle and appear to be slowly getting away. This is nice because I noticed these guys escorting Carmine to safety in one of the previous chapters, and I've always wondered if any of the Red Ribbon guys made it out of the base alive. Pan knocked Carmine out, so it seemed reasonable to assume that he was vaporized during the Cell Max battle. Actually, in the movie, it looked like the entire crater was flattened, but here it looks like the destruction stayed confined to that area.

Anyway, the implication is that Carmine will return to Red Pharmaceutical and try to figure out his next move, but it seems unlikely that he could be much of a threat. Magenta's dead, the base is destroyed, and a bunch of their soldiers either died or deserted in this battle. Remember, even with the base and all those soldiers, Magenta still wasn't ready to make a big move. Dr. Hedo's androids were supposed to be his game-changing weapon, and now Hedo's turned against the Red Ribbon, so what can Carmine possibly do from here?

We get some additional material of the Goku/Vegeta fight in the movie. In the post-credits scene, they were practically moving in slow-motion and we only got to see the final blow. Here, we see Goku and Vegeta each land one last punch before the one that ends it all. These boys look all rowdy and badass and it's great.

When Whis finally responds to Bulma's messages, we get this cute shot of everyone sleeping in the back of her aircraft. Gohan talks about taking her to the amusement park, which seems kind of random, but it occurred to me that this might be setting up some filler story for Chapter 101. Like Gohan and Pan go to the amusement park for the day, and Carmine tries to kill them or something to avenge the Red Ribbon Army. That probably wouldn't be a bad idea, although I really don't want that to happen, because it sounds similar to the "Hedo vs. Goten and Trunks" stuff we had in Chapters 88-90. Everyone thinks Toyotaro has been champing at the bit to get done with this arc so he can return to his Black Frieza business, but for all we know he's been enjoying this whole bit, and he'll blow the next six months on filler stories with Goten and Trunks goofing around with Sgt. Nutz.

Anyway, this is the last page and this was the last little bit of the movie too, so Toyotaro has definitely run out of movie to adapt. Also, Bulma looks really cute on this page, so I wanted to add that to the record.

So that pretty much wraps things up, except for one minor detail. Where's the big twist?

I ran across this last month when I was checking to see if Chapter 99 would wrap up the arc or not. CBR.com did an article entitled "Dragon Ball Super Chapter 100's 'Unbelievable' Twist to Lead to "'Crazy Developments'" The story stems from comments made by V-Jump editor Victory Uchida, who was hyping DBS chapters 99 and 100 while appearing in an unboxing video for some reason.

The video is in Japanese, so I can't just pull out direct quotes from the man, so maybe this was all some big misunderstanding. Maybe it was a mistranslation, maybe Uchida got confused and was referring to material that wouldn't see print until Chapter 101. Or maybe he was just doing a standard hype job for his publication without thinking about what was actually in the magazine. After all, how can Chapter 100 have an "unbelievable twist" when it's doing a shot-for-shot repeat of a year-old movie?

So I assumed this meant there would be some sort of epilogue scene in the final pages, designed to set up the next arc. Sort of like how the last chapter of the Tournament of Power arc had the scene where the Galactic Patrol kidnaps Majin Buu. But Chapter 100 had no such thing. No Black Frieza, no Cell Max suddenly turning the tables on Gohan to win the movie, no mysterious appearance from Purple Turles or Red Bojack. Not even a lousy cameo from Platinum Cooler.

Does this make Victory Uchida an unreliable source of information? Or has he simply been misunderstood? I feel like his ridiculous yellow wig/hat thing kind of holds the answer to that question.

Anyway, the ultimate fate of Dragon Ball Super lies in Chapter 101 and beyond, but those stories will be printed in 2024, which means they fall outside the scope of this liveblog. So unless Toei or Shueisha has a new movie or anime coming out in the next eleven days, I'm done. This has been the 2023 Dragon Ball Apocrypha Liveblog. Good night, everybody!

[somnambulant-seraphim]

This is one of my favourite outfits that I've ever worn!! I love it so much!!! >:)

I've got one of my favourite sweaters on with my brown plaid skirt (also one of my favourites), dragon earrings, coffin locket, old rosary, teeth necklace and spike choker (all necklaces I made, repaired or put together myself :-] ).

I recently just made the spikey choker with screw-on spikes and an old belt, I punched holes through it with needle-nose pliers and screwed the spikes through.

[superfallingstars]

Ok how about a Yule ball afterparty in Gryffindor tower?

(From Remus-poopin) (why am I signing my tumblr anons like letters)

send me playlist prompts!

Me from the future after writing this whole thing: What a fun and innocuous prompt! I’m sure this will have a short and succinct answer that stays relevant to this simple yet thoughtful topic the whole time!

Ok I actually really struggled with this one! I think it’s because I rely a lot on lyrics when I make playlists, but an afterparty isn’t really the time or place for deeply introspective and relevant lyrics – it’s for CERTIFIED BANGERS ONLY. However this sent me down a super interesting rabbit hole because, out of curiosity and for inspiration (and because I’ve been obsessively watching Todd in the Shadows for months now), I started looking at the UK Singles Charts in 1994. And oh my god what an insane history lesson, because so many of these songs are honestly just bewildering. Why the fuck was Bat Out of Hell charting in 1994? Actually there’s kind of a lot of Meat Loaf on here for some reason? And then there are basically a million awful downtempo power ballads, especially from washed up rock stars like Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams... Some smoooooth synthy boy band picks from Boyzone, East 17, and Take That… Some truly insane dance songs that made me go, oh right, this is the Blue (Da Ba Dee) era (special shoutout to “Doop - dooper than doop” by Doop, which made me feel like my brain was melting right out of my skull)... There was also a decent amount of reggae, which was nearly the only tolerable stuff on the charts (Chaka Demus & Pliers’s “Twist and Shout” is a fabulous summer jam, and honorable mention to that version of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” with a reggae beat behind it, which honestly kind of slaps. And of course there was some Britpop (tbh was expecting more of it), especially Oasis because this was their debut year

There are also some things that charted that are just completely fucking insane tho. “I Like to Move It” charted? “Cotton Eye Joe”? “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers”? “Come On You Reds,” made famous by Manchester United? The B-52s’s “Meet The Flintstones”....? And perhaps most mind-boggling, the bizarre novelty children’s song “Mr Blobby” (?????), which I guess was like, the “Baby Shark” of 1994? Anyway I now believe Dudley sang this nonstop all summer to drive Harry insane (with Aunt Petunia being like, “Oh, what a beautiful voice you have, Duddykins! I’m sure we’ll see you on Top of the Pops someday!” and Harry’s like. Kill me).

Oh right I was supposed to make a playlist. Well I did do that. And Meat Loaf is indeed on it, and I wouldn’t have put him on here if I hadn’t listened to every top ten song on the 1994 Singles Chart, so I guess I can say my research was extremely relevant and also very much worth it

Track list:

Let’s Dance - David Bowie: banger of all time. I don’t care that it’s from the 80s it’s a classic

Blur - Girls & Boys: shockingly this iconic song did not chart (only "Parklife" did), but we love a danceable Britpop moment

Radiohead - Creep: I fully believe this happened. Like Harry gets this song. Partly because he’s literally like fourteen this is such a song for being fourteen

The London Suede - So Young: I feel like this song has a sort of whimsical dreaminess that makes it really quite magical. Maybe it’s just the “let’s chase the dragon” part

EMF - Unbelievable: again that Britpop/dance fusion is like 1000% the vibe here

ELO - Livin’ Thing: it’s like maaaagic :-)

Primal Scream - Rocks: I’m always stunned by the variety in Primal Scream’s music… They were basically the Britpop/dance blueprint, but before that they were a lovely little indie jangle pop band, and then this song is like, a stomp clap rock song (and it charted)

Mannfred Mann’s Earth Band - Blinded By The Light: If we’re putting Meat Loaf on here then this is going on here too. This is like one of The Most Gryffindor Songs Ever to me

Oasis - Whatever: I felt obligated to put at least one Oasis song on here because it was the year of Definitely Maybe and out of the three that charted I went with this one. Love the strings and the sheer bigness of it, like it really just bulldozes over you for six minutes straight. Also I could see Liam and Noel being problematic Gryffindors

Meat Loaf - I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That): The moment we’ve all been waiting for. This song was in the top ten for 14 WEEKS (!) and peaked at NUMBER FUCKING 1! But if you can buy into the bombast (the very thing that I think makes it Gryffindor to me), it kinda goes absolutely crazy.

Anyway sorry this devolved into insanity but I hope you enjoy this playlist and also that you annoy everyone in your life with Mr. Blobby. Also idk why I didn't think of it for the other asks but I'm going to tag you lol @remus-poopin

[sebekzigv0lt]

I'm worried about Edmund though... We'll have to shake him up pretty good to make him talk, and that's if we can even get a hold of the balding bastard.

And Sebek and Silver, those two are certainly hardworking, talented young guardsmen. But I doubt he'll take either of them seriously, and honestly... The odds of a guy like him sueing...

Maybe if Malleus gets involved, he can pardon you two—but still...

What about others who respect their family? Hurting him could ruin Sebek and Silver's reputation...

What if getting near him puts Sebek at risk to Valarie...? Or worse–

Ugh. This is such a a mess... Okay, forget it. We can't touch him. Malleus might back you up, but he's only the Prince, and I doubt his primordial, tired, no-nonsense dragon grandma—you know, The Queen—will take kindly to you two harassing her one of her subjects.

She'll likely favor the Tylwyth family, simply because they're pureblood fae, and seem to have been an important name in the kingdom for some time.

I could do it myself, just give me a hammer and some pliers. I'll make him look like a baby!....covered in blood and with many broken bones

You are not doing that, Donnie!

[ottpopfic]

People are home from work now, the later shifts still trickling in. Katie doesn't expect Lit for another half hour, the wrestling team he coaches is going to state soon so they're getting in extra practice. Aunt Georgie is in the kitchen with Aunt Calypso taking out some anger on potatoes

“What's with Aunt Georgie?” Katie asks the room as a whole

“I had three field trips today, THREE!” her youngest aunt cries “A middle schooler tried to lick a statue’s ass! What the hell is wrong with kids!?”

Ah, she must have been on tours today. Aunt Georgie is much more of a conservation and archives kind of art historian, but the Illinois State Museum has everyone do a tour shift at least once a month to keep it fair. Aunt Georgie loves her job, but she doesn't do sticky fingers and snotty noses, or dumbasses who touch the art

Katie leaves her aunt to take out her day on the potatoes, she hopes Aunt Calypso doesn't need them diced because they're edging towards mashed.

Katie turns her attention to the WorkShop

“What are you doing to my cousin?” she asks Uncle Leo who still has his upper torso in the dragon's neck

“I'm updating the-”

“Aren't you supposed to be troubleshooting his hydraulics?”

“Uh-”

“Wasn't he supposed to be closed up hours ago?”

“Don't do me like this” Uncle Leo pleads peeking his head out

“Put my fucking cousin back together” Katie scolds, ridiculous

Uncle Leo starts grumbling about how she sounds like the worst combination of her dads but gets his shit together. She hears Uncle Jason snickering at his husband from the couch, the shit she has to deal with with these grown-ass men she can't fathom what her dads had to deal with when they were chock-full of hormones

She gets to packing what she needs from the workshop, pulling her backpack from under a bench. It's less of a classic backpack and more of a fancy leather folding tackle box with backpack straps. Inside is a multitude of small snap lock boxes filled with a shmorgishborg of shrunk-down objects. She only needs to pack tools, current projects, and single-use weapons, everything else is either in Lettie’s bags or already there.

“If you steal my good pliers again I'm coming after you” Uncle Leo threatens from inside Festus

“There my pliers!” she protests

“There Katie’s pliers,” Uncle Jason monotones, turning the page in his book “she brought them with her when she moved here”

“And she stole them from me when she was still in school!” Uncle Leo defends pulling his head back out so he can gesture “There my pliers!”

“Just get new pliers”

“It's the principle of the thing!”

“Oh just like when you left the lid off my carbon paint”

“That has nothing to do with the good pliers”

“Ladies ladies you're both pretty, please don't fight” Lit taunts deadpan as he enters the room. Everyone gives a soft cheer at him coming home before going back to what they were doing

“Lit!” Katie calls “Are the blue pliers mine or Uncle Leo’s?”

“I do not care” Lit grumps before collapsing face-first onto a free couch, those kids must be wearing him out

Katie makes eye contact with Uncle Leo, holds up the good pliers, and holds eye contact as she shrinks them down and adds them to her packing. He makes a ‘your dead meat’ throat slice and thumbs down motion and then goes back to closing up Festus. Katie is going to have to double check she locks the door to her and Lettie’s room when they leave, her girlfriend will not be happy if pranking starts up again

They are saved from having to duke it out (aka, Katie continuing to pick a fight, Uncle Leo trying to turn Katie upside down from her ankles and shake her like he did when she was a kid, failing at it because she's taller than him now, and them play fighting on the floor of the workshop like proper Hephustus kids until Uncle Jason has to break them up because there doing it by the saws again and that stresses him out) by Lettie leading in a very bedraggled trio of Steel children

“What happened to you?” Uncle Jason asks

“This stupid place keeps sending us to the fucking elephant’s room!” Jackie wails, she has hay in her freshly washed gray hair

“Yeah, the Way Station is still pissed at Gus for exploding the west wall when he was here last” Uncle Leo tell them “It likes to try and get people to step in Livia’s shit when its mad”

“I said I was sorry!” Gus yells to the ceiling. Katie can feel a prickle of annoyance against her brain stem, from the snicker Uncle Leo lets out as he goes back to closing up Festus he can feel it too. A cabinet on the wall opens and smacks the seventeen-year-old on the back if the head

“Come clean up and set the table” Aunt Georgie suggests, also feeling the building “Way Station will forgive faster if you show remorse through action”

[im-a-simp898]

Today i fucked up by accidentally breaking a banana inside my anus.

I refer to myself as an anal connoisseur, a man with refined taste when it comes to inserting common households items inside my anus. Being the sexually deprived virgin that I am, I was feeling extraordinary horny today for some unknown reason. Not to fear however, my mom had a doctor's appointment and was meant to be gone for a few hours. Perfect, I thought to myself.

When I heard the door shut when she left, it became prime time to begin my analizing ritual. As I took to locking my door, while my purple penis tensed, aware of what was to come next. I open my closet, and in full display were my dildos, anal beads, plugs, and other items very familiar to my anus as its best friends. It was an almost perfect sight, with my varying sizes of dragon dildos analogous to a museum collection. I lubricate the smallest one, sticking to the floor and letting it acquaint itself with my butt hole. I eventually make my way to the biggest one, a green monster teasing my purple penis, which I stroked vigorously to avoid making it feel left out. The green dragon dildo makes me wonderfully orgasm all over my body, but I was not completely satisfied.

Horrified, I realize that this is the first time my little (hehe) dragons have failed to completely fill my hole of sexual desire. I proceed to perform some analysis. I find that my gaping, red (more of a maroon color) anus is able to perfectly fit two fingers from my big hands. Here come the household items. I unlock my door and run out to fulfill my self given quest of the ultimate orgasm, remembering to insert an anal plug before I begin my adventure. As I venture out fully nude, with my cum glistening on my hairy body like stars in the night sky, and my anal plug filling in my figurative (and literal) emptiness for sexual desire, I limp around my mom's apartment and pick up a broom stick, a cucumber and a banana. Yes, a banana (we were low on groceries unfortunately).

I return to my room and close the door, ready to abuse my purple homie once more while my gaping asshole prepares itself for another round of torture. The broom, while small, was a fresh new experience, while the cucumber provided the necessary nutrients and vitamins my anus needed to function. Veggies are healthy for a reason. Saving the best for last, with my purple erect friend nearly ready to bless me once more, I peel the unbeknownst yellow victim, and carefully insert it into my gaping red anus, with the white fruit in stark contrast to my dark sexual desires. I stroke my purple dick and unleash a vicious load of cum, once again gracing my nude, hairy chest. However, my experience was promptly ruined by the arrival of my mom's boyfriend.

Turns out I forgot to lock my door the second time. He came into my room unannounced; surprised and scared, I removed the banana from my anus in an awkward position, however, it was too late. My butt muscles contracted with shock, and the banana broke before it came fully out, and was stuck in there for the time being. My mom's bf apologized and rushed out of my room as quick as he could, while I, the cum painting, had a banana stuck in my anus. Long story short, the next few shits I took were incredibly painful. I had tried pliers, but they only injured my already hurt and abused anus, and it started bleeding. I crushed the banana by squeezing my gluts together, and then washed it out with a lot of water. Needless to say, I learned a valuable lesson from my round of analytics: to never insert a feeble material that can't handle my anal pressure ever again.

TL;DR: Inserted a banana inside my anus while pleasuring myself which broke when I was surprised by my mom's boyfriend.

poor guy ^ he dont know whats awaiting him

[borninwinter81]

The mirror is not a mirror. Its a jewellery holder. I bought this mirror for £5 at a car boot sale when I was about 15 years old. It's served me well for the last 27 years. I've always used it more for jewellery, the curly bits lend themselves to that, and it means when they're not being worn they're still decorative to the room.

There's far too much here for me to go through it all, though the vast majority is thrifted or I've had for decades and I forget where its from. However, shoutout to my friend for the rosary style necklace (here's a post I did about them in more detail which includes a link to her etsy shop). She also made the green lady and the heart with the eye in it at the top and the dragon eye. I think they were all done with air drying clay.

I also assembled a few myself (can't really say I properly "made" them), the ones you see on velvet ribbons, and I have a full post about how I did that here.

The message board is not a message board. Its a jewellery holder.

Many of these were found or thrifted. The two sets at the top left are my Good Omens earrings that I put together with charms and beads, the onyx teardrops were my wedding earrings, the flies are by Katie Whittle, the Krampus ones were bought at a comic con but unfortunately I've forgotten the details of the seller (a shame because she had lots of other cool stuff).

The ravens I got from Etsy, but they're originally Ali Express. Be careful with etsy, there are a lot of sellers who claim their stock is handmade but are really re-selling items from Ali Express, Wish or Temu. Initially I found these for £19 ("on sale", regular price supposedly £30). All the seller had done was put an earring hook on them, which I really don't think qualifies them as handmade or warrants such a price hike. I did a search for "crow charm" and found them being sold elsewhere on etsy for £5. Then I did a reverse image search and found the original Ali Express listing where they can be bought for £2.37.

I did buy the £5 etsy ones for the convenience of having them shipped from the UK, but I would always advise checking more than one shop, or using Google lens/reverse image searching if you suspect an etsy item might not be legit.

You may notice, none of my earrings have hooks or posts on them. This is because my ears are stretched (the right has been 16mm for many years, and I'm currently stretching up the left to match, at present it's 5mm), so I can't wear conventional earrings.

You can get special plugs or tunnels that you can hang a hook earring from, but they usually make it very front-heavy which I don't like. I prefer the weight evenly distributed across my whole ear.

So, I simply remove the hook or post from any earrings I buy using jewellery pliers, and when I want to wear a set I hang them from a hinged segment ring (bottom left on my pin board, very cheap online), and put the ring through my tunnel. You just have to make sure there is a loop of some kind left at the top of the earring that you can put the segment ring through.

And if I want to wear them hanging from another of my lobe piercings I can do that too 😉. All my regular piercings are 1.2mm.

[jloves-pp]

Merida and Hiccup's story-chapter 13

Chapter 13-Once and for all

Toothless wandered into the blacksmiths shop and found Hiccup. He had been working since they returned from DunBroch, as usual he concentrating deeply. The dragon watched him until Hiccup accidentally dropped a hot piece of metal. Quickly, Toothless shifted and caught the metal on his head.

Hiccup signed with relief "Hey Bud, it's good thing dragons's scales are heatproof". Using pliers, he picked up the metal and place it back on his workbench. The dragon purred and stopped to listen when he heard footsteps. He turned to see Astrid carrying drinks.

"Hey, do you need these" Astrid said to Hiccup, offering one of the drinks.

"Thanks" Hiccup quickly replied taking it. He gulped the drink down in one, feeling the cool water against his hot throat.

The dragon and the girl glanced worriedly at each other, they both understood each other.

"Hiccup, you would rest. You been working nearly a month" Astrid said, as she tried to see what he was making.

"I know but if I don't keep mind busy, I.." Hiccup replied pausing. He froze as a thought floated into his brain. Toothless could see a dark cloud descend over Hiccup . This been happening more since returning home, he knew it was because Hiccup was worried about his and Merida future. Toothless gently which brought Hiccup back. "I have to be busy or…"

"I know Hiccup but you haven't been sleeping properly and you barely been eating or drinking and it's not just me but everyone is worried about you" Astrid commented trying to look at his eyes but Hiccup had turned toward the table. She noticed tears in his eyes. "I was going to ask you to come flying with us but you needed some time to recover" she advised "go flying, do your drawing, eat until you can't eat no more".

The Viking boy let out a laugh "Thanks, of course I making something of a gift for Merida" he said. Astrid looked at the drawing and items on the table.

"I think she'll love anything you make" Astrid said giving a knowing smile.

"Yeah, as soon as I cool this I'll finish up, I may join you guys around the fire later", Hiccup replied.

"Ok, I take your word on that" Astrid answered giving him a friendly punch on the arm. "See you later", she added before leaving. Hiccup rubbed his arm as his dragon licked his check, which made him grin.

"Thanks for being there for me" he said hugging the dragon's head. As he continued on his project, wondering how his princess was doing.

In DunBroch, was a hive of activity. Highland have started at morning with the other clans, Merida had enjoyed the game this time since no one was going to marry her. Even though she was having fun, Merida was keeping busy, she thought about Hiccup and how he would've enjoyed the festivities.

As she sat at table with her friends for dinner. "Hey Merida" she heard someone asked her. She looked over at young Macintosh then he added "You all right?"

"Yeah, you seem to be in a daze lately" wee Dingwall added before drinking.

"Sorry. I'm not myself these days" Merida answered.

"Are you unwell Merida, have you seen an apothecary?" Asked Penelope, young MacGuffins girlfriend. She was kind and sympathetic girl with short brown hair. Luckily she spoke Gaelic, so she could understand what young MacGuffin said. Merida liked her calm and sweet personality from their first meeting, and seeing them holding hands and sharing kisses, was making her miss her Viking more.

"I'm fine" Merida replied giving a small smile to Penelope.

"Ok" Penelope said before adding "oh I heard you have meet someone".

"Oh aye. He been visiting me every month for a while, but he lives far from here". Merida explained.

"What he's name?" Penelope asked seeing Merida's mood lifted.

"He's name is Hiccup" Merida said, she then heard young Macintosh choking on his drink. She knew he was laughing at his name, she flashed a death stare at him.

"Sorry, I thought we would meet him today" young Macintosh the said.

"He's busy with things back home, maybe next time" Merida said before having a sip of her drink.

"So what's he like?" Penelope continued.

"Hiccup is kind, clever, funny with a dry sense of humour, has crafting skills and a talent with animals" Mer explained with a small smile. She then noticed knowing smiles on the boys and Penelope. "What?"

"Oh nothing, it…you know" Penelope answered a bit of sheepishly but before they heard someone laughing. Merida recognise that laugh instantly as her father's.

"Oh Vikings, those barbarians won't step a foot on this land" it was clear that king had one to many drink as he talked freely. "If they did, then I'll stab them, crush them and tear them in two." The teens suddenly noticed Merida, her head was down hide her anger. The more Furgus talked, the more cross she became "I'll skin them and hang them like scarecrows to warn other Vikings not to dare to tread on our land, especially Stoick the Vast. Hearing this, Merida thought about Hiccup and her friends on Berk. Too many emotions floating through her. "They won't see it coming, those animals would be easy picking it would be a pleasure to slaughter them one by one with my bare hands" Furgus said his men in noisy agreement.

Blinded by rage, Merida got up lifted the table on its side, she screamed as if she was being murded. Soon she came back to her senses and realise what she done. Everyone looked at her in shock and confused. Before anyone could say anything, the princess quickly rushed the room. No one knew what to do but Elinor stood up and calmly went after her. She knew Merida had headed to her room.

"Merida, are you alright?" The queen asked, there was no answer, Elinor opened the door she was shocked, normally she would find her daughter letting out her emotions by attacking her bed post with her sword but now Merida burning her face in her blanket on her bed, wailing. "Oh Merida" Elinor said softly. She definitely knew something was wrong, Elinor gently pulled Merida up and held her close "oh shh, I am here" she hugged her daughter as Merida continued cry, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. Elinor held Merida's hand as she waited for the princess to calm down. It was comforting for the princess, she remained her of when she was a child and when she was scared. When Merida calm down, wiping her tears. Elinor asked "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what came over me" she explained trying to think cleary.

"Merida, I need to ask. Is it something to do with Hiccup" the queen softly.

"NO" she shouted but then added more calmly "yes….I don't know"

"Sweetheart, I can see that you and Hiccup have spark between you too and I know you have strong feelings for the boy" Elinor gently stated. Merida wanted to deny it but she couldn't.

"I….Love him"

Her voice come out weak and shaky. She wasn't used to saying that but she knew that she couldn't hold it any more. She wasn't sure what her mother would say but to her surprise, Elinor hugged her.

"Oh love, it's ok"

"Mum?" The princess asked in confusion.

"I knew, the way the two look at each other is plain to see. You light up even when you say he's name. You light up when he around, I'm happy for my daughter to have someone at your side" Elinor explained proudly.

Merida didn't reply, instead she gave her mum a bear hug. She was glad to hear that from her mum but she had a twinge of guilt.

"But tell me, did you and Hiccup have a fight" Elinor then asked looking at her daughter.

"No, I mean we have been questioning our relationship" Merida said, rubbing her arm.

"Like what

"Well.." Merida wasn't sure how to explain it, mostly the Viking part. She thought for a moment before saying "I'm scared, it's feeling like a wall between us and we can't think of a single way to break it down. I also scared of losing him, he means the world to me. I wish things were different, I wish….he live closer to me"

The queen could plainly see the sadness and pain Merida was feeling. Elinor then took her sleeve and wiped Merida tears away.

"Here, here. Being far away from the one you love is difficult, I worry about your father every time he gone to battle" she said then asked "have you two talked about this",

"Well…maybe" Merida answered . Yes, they did talk about the problem, but not in the way Elinor thought.

"Maybe you should write to him. Tell him how you feel, talk about your fears and worries. It's better to have this conversation for both your sakes", the queen said. Merida pondered for a moment. She rather wanted to talk about it face to face but it was tearing her to pieces and she didn't want to embarrass herself again, she nodded to her mum before Elinor hugged her again. "Right I'll tell everyone your a bit under the weather and you need sleep, I'll make sure nobody will disturb you" Elinor stood up and helped Merida up "I'll being a drink for you, would you like anything to eat?"

"No, don't have an appetite", Merida replied.

"Ok, get comfortable, I won't be long" Elinor asked and kiss her daughter forehead. After Elinor left, Merida changed into a nightgown and wrapped a tartan shawl around her shoulders and hugged to the shawl to herself. She then looked over to the box that held Hiccup's letters, pondering over her mum's advice. She decided to write a letter. The redhead sat at the window and with a quill and paper. She began to write.

My dearest Hiccup,

I know we talked about our relationship but we need to talk again. I heard people saying rude things about Vikings and all I can think about was you. I lost my temper, tipped over a table and ran out. I know if you and my family knew the truth. Things will get worse, I wish that I wasn't a princess of Scotland and you weren't a Viking. We wouldn't be afraid to be together. I imagine us living in a cottage in the woods, where we make our home and a family. I imagine the happiness and laughter from our children. We could explore the world and no one prejudice would stand in our way.

It's strange now, dreaming of my freedom, doing everything I want but now, I want to share all of this with you. I hope we can find an answer to our problem so we can start our lives together and even if they try to separate us I will never stop loving you for the rest of my life. I know that sounds cliche, but it is true.

I hope you get this letter soon and we can talk this through when I see you again _

I love you_

Merida _

When she finished, Merida place it in an envelope and stamped it shut. She climbed into bed as Elinor returned with a cup of water. The queen gave the drink to her daughter, she noticed the letter on the bed and asked if it " was ok for her to send it off tomorrow". Merida said " Yes", Elinor kissed her goodbye and leave to place the letter with other mail for the next day.

The letter arrived in Berk soon after. The Terrible Terror put it among the other letters. The Viking in charge of sorting out letters, Boothead, was sorting them out, Stoick came in.

"Morning Boothead" he greeted.

"Oh Stoick, surprise to see you" Boothead replied as he turned to the chief.

"Surprised" Stoick asked.

"Yeah, usually Hiccup is down here first thing in the morning. He would ask if there was any letter arrived for him", Boothead explained. Looking toward the letter. "But he has been missing recently"

"Aye, he has been busy recently. Working on something that keeps him up all night, I'm a bit worried about him" Stoick as he scratched his head thoughtfully, Boothead found the right letter.

"Well here's his letter. Give it to him when he wakes up" Boothead said passing the letter on.

"Alright" the chief answered and left. He walked toward his house, he saw his son earlier that morning still asleep. Knowing how tired Hiccup has been lately, he left his son sleep in a little. He then noticed the seal on the letter, it looked familiar. Without thinking he opened it and began to read but the more he read the angry he became.

"So bud, where would we go today?" Hiccup asked Toothless who simply shrugged. "Yeah maybe we'll let the wind take us", Hiccup had just finished his breakfast, he place his bowl and spoon in the sink. Just as the duo turned to the door when Stoick burst in through the door. "Dad?" Hiccup murmured, seeing the anger in his father's face. The giant man marched right up to Hiccup who backed into the table.

"YOU BEEN AMONG THE SCOTS, THE PRINCESS NO LESS" Stoick roared shaking to letter in front of Hiccup before throwing it to the floor. "You lied to me " ,the night fury tried to step in but… "don't you dare" he warned. Toothless know this was personal, but he wasn't going to abandoned his friend.

"Dad, please. It just happened", Hiccup tried to reason.

"Did she bewitched you?" Stoick blustered on standing towering over him.

Hiccup wasn't sure what to do but he wouldn't going to back down "No, no she isn't like that. She's fearless and strong and care for her family…"

"They are nothing like us, they would kill without second thought" Stoick interrupted talking over his son, he wasn't listening to his son he was furious.

"No, dad if you could just meet them, then you'll see we the same" Hiccup tried to reason.

"NO! I should have done this years ago. To put an end to it" stoick raged. It was then dawned on hiccup, Stoick was heading go to Scotland and kill everyone. The boy shook his head as his father headed to the door. Hiccup wasn't to let that happen.

"IF YOU GO AND KILL THEM, I, I NEVER FORGIVE YOU" Hiccup shouted with all of his courage. This makes Stoick pause, he never heard Hiccup raise his voice, to anyone. Hiccup waited hoping his dad would calm down and listen but blinded by rage, Stoick walked out and banged the door shut.

Hiccup dropped to his knees, not wanting to believe what was happening. He picked up the letter and read it, tears welled in his eyes, this was too much! He was feeling differing emotions-rage because of his father's response to the letter, guilt for not keeping their secret better hidden and sadness of the thought of losing Merida. Toothless the dragon wrapped a wing around his friend, Waiting for him to calm down. Soon Hiccup felt better and wipe his eyes and nose. Hiccup then turned to Toothless.

"Come on bud, we need to get the others".

Astrid tapped her foot. She and the other teens and dragons were waiting at one of the highest point of Berk, it has become normal for hiccup and toothless to be late. But she soon noticed Hiccup and Toothless running toward them.

"About time you two ", Astrid said but then she noticed the worry on their faces.

"My dad found out, he heading to DunBroch to attack them", Hiccup explained. Before the teens had time to react, they heard the sound of a horn ringing in their ears. They looked down to the dock as ships were setting off. "We got to warn them" Hiccup said and quickly jumped onto Toothless.

"To Scotland?" Fishlegs then said.

"Are you crazy? Is easy for you go there but what about us", Snoutlot stated as fishlegs, and the twins hopped on their dragons.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Hiccup replied clearly frustrated.

"Let's just get there then we'll see, come on" Astrid said and they all took to the sky. They flew above the clouds so the adults wouldn't spot them, Hiccup hoped they would make good time and beat Stoick. The dragon flew as fast as possible, even when they felt tired and hungry, they pushed themselves. Hiccup saw the sun rising though sleepy eyes, seeing it was next day. He then saw a foggy outline of a familiar land.

"Guys, look. We're here" Hiccup cried making the other riders woke up, growling. They soon were wide awake and they had reached the highlands.

"It's beautiful" Astrid commented as Hiccup led them to DunBroch Castle. Soon they could see the kingdom and also could see the Highland Games on the field. "We need to land somewhere away from the Scots" Astrid said looking around But Hiccup feared that his dad and the other Vikings could turn up at any moment.

"There's no time. We need to just land" He answered. He knew it was going be bad but they needed to find Merida and warn her. Hiccup and Toothless dived down along with the others.

From below, the Scottish clans were enjoying the games until they noticed huge shadows across the ground. They looked up to see creatures they had never seen but they knew what they were.

"DRAGONS" everyone ran like headless chickens. Mothers and fathers quickly grabbed their children just as the dragons landed. The rides heard screaming and people running for their lives.

"What is wrong with these people" Tuffnut said confused.

"Yeah, have they never seen a dragon before" added Ruffnut watching the people around them in disbelief.

Ignoring the chaos, Hiccup jumped off his dragon and turned to the others " Come on the castle is this way". Hiccup, Toothless and the teens ran towards the castle to find Merida, the other dragons stayed and looking around curiously. Stormfly found a tent that was serving cooked chicken and she helped herself, while the people escaped the deadly nadder. Barf and belch had rip a tent down and play tug-a-war while women screamed at the two headed dragon. Hoodfang was sniffing at another tent. The monstrous nightmare's nose went under it, causing a crowd of men to escape as Hoodfang crawled into the tent and Meatlug was enjoying munching coal, rocks and even iron balls.

Meanwhile Merida had been looking towards the window in her room, wanting some alone time when she noticed people shouting and when she looked out she could see the people running in fear. Concerned, the redhead left immediately to investigate.

"What's going on?" Merida asked one of the maids she met in a hallway.

"Dragons, there's dragons attacking the kingdom", the maid explained still panicking.

"Seriously " Merida said to herself, she turned back to the maid "bring as many people as you can to the kitchen until the coast is clear. The young maid nodded and headed to the kitchen. Merida quickly ran, she didn't know why dragons suddenly appeared but she knew she was the only one here to stop them. As Merida ran she turned a corner, she bump into something and fell "Ow", she groaned, rubbing her head.

"Merida", heard a familiar voice, Merida glanced around to see Hiccup who also fallen, he was rubbing his head.

"Hiccup" Merida cried happily, they hugged each other as Toothless and the teens join them.

"Why are you guys here?" Merida asked as the couple parted.

"Just in the neighbourhood" Astrid joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Well thank the gods you here" Merida said "There are dragons in DunBroch".

"Yeah that was us, sorry", Hiccup admitted.

"What?", Merida asked bewildered.

"Never mind that. Mer. He knows my dad found out about us and headed here to destroy the kingdom, once and for all", Hiccup explained holding Merida's hand. The princess eyes fill with fear. Hiccup didn't needed to say more, she knew what's happened.

"This is my fault", Merida whispered, feeling tears run down her face.

"No, no Mer. You didn't know that my dad would read your letter, we have to fix it somehow", Hiccup reassuring her, wipeing her tears away.

"And we're here too Mer, you can count on us" Astrid then said showing a confident smile. Toothless purred in agreement and the other grin to her and showed thumbs up. Merida showed them a grateful smile.

"Thanks, right! we need to find my parents", Merida said. They quickly searched and soon found Elinor and Furgus in the main hall, trying to get information from the guards. "Mum, Dad", Merida called out. Hiccup silently told Toothless to stay hidden ,not wanted to cause any more trouble.

"Merida?" Elinor asked then she noticed the others behind her"Hiccup? What are you doing here", they were shocked to see him.

"Nothing mind that", Furgus interupted. There's fire- breathing Dragons out there. Probably everything is on fire by now".

"Don't think that's possible" Fishlegs murmured then hid his helmet and quickly signalled for ruff, tuff and Snoutlot to do the same.

"I'm here to warn you" Hiccup insisted. Making the Royal couple turn to him.

"About what Hiccup", Elinor asked.

Hiccup took a deep breath before saying "Stoick the vast is coming".

"WHAT!" Elinor and Furgus cried and the soldiers and staff were left in silence. The triplets were listening from the balcony.

"Is this true", asked hoping it wasn't true.

"Aye mum" Merida said.

The king turned to the guards. 'Tell the others that the Vikings are coming. Get the lords to plan to and guard our defences", Furgus ordered, the soldiers quickly scattered.

"Wait please, you can't run head first into this" Hiccup protested.

"He right, we need to think another way" Merida added. Both thinking about the outcome.

"Those monsters won't understand anything but this", Furgus said showing them his sword. The teens felt a shiver down their spines afraid of what this king would do.

"Furgus please", Elinor tried to calm him down, seeing rage in his eyes.

"I won't stop till every single one is slaughtered" Furgus declared not hearing what his wife said.

"But your majesty" Astrid interrupted bravely stepped forward. "You don't understand. Hiccup's dad won't stop as well, he…" She stopped, realised what she done.

The King's eyes widened at this. He looked closely at the teen's clothes then at Hiccup. He didn't realise that this boy looked similar to his enemy.

"You liar, you trickster", the Bear king roared and rushed at Hiccup. The boy ran as Merida grabbed her father's arm.

"No, don't hurt him", Merida shouted. She tried to pull him but he was too strong and he flung Merida off to the side. Unknowingly He swung his sword at Merida, Merida wasn't hurt but it caught Merida's pendant and it was sent flying into the fireplace.

"You knew, you knew all this time", Furgus yelled at his daughter. The viking girls helped Merida up. Furgus roared out a warrior cry he was getting to attack. Hiccup shut his eyes but instead of a blow from Furgus he felt a rush of wind and a familiar roar.

"Toothless" Hiccup exclaimed seeing his dragon protecting him. The night fury had knocked Furgus away and stood in front of Hiccup.

The queen, gasped and the triplets stared in disbelief at Toothless, both in fear and amazement. Maudie was standing with the other maids and when she saw a dragon eating the fish, she collapsed in a heap, the others maids rushed to her assistance. The king managed to stand up. Still looking at Hiccup and Toothless. Too much had happened all at once, he couldn't believe Hiccup was a Viking but also his daughter had known and she had kept it a secret.

The king shook his head before saying "Take him and his friends to the dungeon, we'll deal with them when those barbarians are destroyed, and you" he turned to Merida "locked her in her room and make sure she doesn't escape. At once, soldiers grabbed the teens and Merida. Some of them managed to drag the Night Fury away.

"Toothless, don't hurt him please", Hiccup begged, even though he was being pulled by two men.

"No. Listen, we want stop this war please", Merida pleaded but it fall on deaf ears. She was pulled away as her friends were taking to the dungeon, her heart breaking seeing her love treated like a prisoner "Hiccup" she called weakly to him.

"Mer, it's ok. We'll be ok",Hiccup reassured her even know he wasn't sure himself.

Elinor watched everything and couldn't process it. She never thought the boy was the son of Stoick.

"Gather the rest of the soldiers and meet in the planning room", Furgus shouted as he walked out. Clearly focus on his goal, his wife looked at him in concerned. The last time she saw him so serious was with Mor'dun. Elinor started thinking over everything that happened. She would had been upset but she understood why Merida and Hiccup had kept a secret. Elinor also knew that their feelings for each other were real. The queen looked at the pendant burning to ashes, she was now conflicted on what to do. To let history repeat or for things to change.

[magicalmysteries777]

The Bloody-Handed and The Anguish of Loving Them - Chapter 3.

Summary: Almost a year has passed since Eddie Munson died and it feels like the only person that isn't moving on is Steve.

After spending the night studying a Dungeons and Dragons handbook, Steve is convinced he's figured out how to bring Eddie back. Not only that, but defeat Vecna once and for all too. Now he just has to prove it.

Pairings: Steve Harrington x Vampire Eddie Munson

Masterlist: Here.

Chapter: 3 of 10.

Chapter WC: 3605.

CW: PTSD, panic attack.

This story can also be found on AO3 here.

Taglist: @ohmeg 🖤

March 24th, 1987.

“Steve,” Dustin whispered, prodding at Steve’s cheek. “Steve, wake up.”

The sound of quiet footsteps and hushed whispers faded in as Steve began to stir. “Is it time already?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“Yeah, Jonathan’s just set off to the garage and Nancy’s upstairs sorting out food. I think we’ve got about 20 minutes.”

Everyone had stayed over at the Wheelers’. After a large helping of Karen’s casserole, the group returned to the basement and continued to study until, one by one, they drifted off wherever they’d been seated. Not surprisingly, Steve had been the last to fall asleep.

The kids had fallen asleep first. Mike and El were bundled together on one side of the sofa. Dustin, Lucas, Erica, and Will had fallen asleep at the table, their arms crossed under their heads as makeshift pillows. Robin was on the other side of the sofa, letting out quiet snores from under a blanket, and Nancy and Jonathan had opted to sleep upstairs in an actual bed. That left Ted Wheelers’ tatty old armchair, tucked in the corner of the basement, open for Steve to sink into whilst he’d once again pored over a Dungeons and Dragons handbook until he passed out.

Steve blinked rapidly, his eyes adjusting to the lamps lighting up the room.

“Oh, God, I feel sick,” Robin announced, propping herself on the side of the armchair.

“Me too,” Steve groaned.

“I’m not ready to go back in there.”

“I don’t think any of us have ever been ready for this,” Steve admitted.

Nancy placed a large plate of toast on the table, accompanied by various spreads and jams. It turned out that nobody had much of an appetite; the lingering sense of dread filled everyone enough that they just sat in silence, nibbling at the corners of their toast until Jonathan got back with the last of the supplies.

-

The drive was eerie. Eerier than last time, almost. This time there was no Winnebago. No Eddie with a pair of pliers in his mouth, haphazardly ripping wires from the console with a devilish grin on his face. No reminiscent tales about how Al Munson had taught Eddie how to hot wire. No “Don’t ya, big boy?”

Steve had been so distracted he’d completely missed the turning by seventy-five yards and had to do a U-turn after Dustin and Erica had pointed out his mistake by calling him an idiot, to put it politely. He muttered his apologies as he hurried the kids out of the car shortly after.

“We don’t have long, it’ll be getting light soon. We’re already risking someone seeing us as is,” Nancy told them worriedly, peering around the trailer park. “Grab as much as you can, one trip would be ideal.”

If anyone had seen them it must have been quite the sight.

They hadn’t parked outside of Eddie’s trailer, instead, they opted to leave the cars near the small park. Ten people with bags of weapons, breaking into a trailer in the early hours of the morning was risky enough without leaving evidence that could identify them right outside. It hadn’t taken them long to get in; the trailer had been drunkenly vandalised by the basketball team numerous times over the last year, all of them still believing Eddie was responsible for the deaths of Chrissy, Jason, and Patrick. Jonathan quickly climbed through the empty window pane leading to the bathroom and unlocked the front door for the rest of them.

-

The sense of deja vu consuming the entire group was rather overwhelming.

Lucas and Erica were tucked away in a corner on the sofa assembling spears. Mike was helping El mentally prepare to reopen the gate. Dustin and Will were sitting opposite them, hammering nails through dustbin lids to use as shields. Nancy, with the help of Jonathan, was using a hand saw to remove the ends from a couple of shotguns. Robin insisted on making the molotov cocktails alone, not wanting Steve to get tempted by the alcohol while tensions were high. Instead, Steve waited alone in Eddie’s bedroom, his spiked bat made by Jonathan some years prior propped up by the door so he could go at a moment’s notice.

The room itself was oddly intact compared to the outside of the trailer. If it wasn’t for the layer of dust settling on the hard surfaces, Steve would’ve bet money that it had been in use a day prior. Not a single thing had moved since the last time they were here - no doubt Wayne’s doing, he concluded.

The echo of Eddie’s life lingered in every part of the room - his once-organised cassette collection was still scattered amongst the bedsheets and his guitar collection, minus the one residing in a different dimension, was hung with pride on the walls. There were stacks and stacks of unfinished assignments and textbooks on top of the dresser because goddammit Eddie was determined to graduate in eighty-six. The overflowing basket of washing that he’d never got round to doing and Wayne couldn’t bear to wash sat by the door. Everything was a painful reminder of what Eddie didn’t get to do before his whole life crumbled beneath him.

Steve reached out for the first t-shirt from the pile and held it close to his face. It had been a long time since he’d smelt the familiar scent of cigarettes and cologne that Eddie used to wear, the denim vest in his possession had begun to lose its scent the moment he put it on last year and got it covered in sweat and blood.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there inhaling the scent from the old t-shirt, his mind racing with thoughts of Eddie and how determined he was to see this through, but a quiet knock and some murmuring from the other side of the bedroom door indicated that it was time to go.

“You ready?” Mike asked tentatively.

“Ready,” replied El with a quick nod.

Steve had seen El use her powers countless times now but it still never failed to amaze him whenever she did. Everyone hung back whilst El stepped forward and raised her arm at the faint crack still etched into the ceiling of the Munson trailer, despite the scientist’s best efforts to remove it completely. Everyone waited with their breath held until the lights began to flicker and the trailer began to rumble, the sound of cracking slowly getting louder and louder until the gate reopened right in front of their eyes. Vines erupted from the gaping hole in the ceiling, spreading viciously along the walls and any surfaces they could cling to.

“Has the Upside Down always smelt that bad?” Erica asked, her hand covering her nose.

“Yeah, just as pungent as I remember it,” answered Steve, a look of disgust creeping onto his face as he stared up at the ceiling.

Dustin stepped forward, a familiar rope made from bedsheets and towels tied together in his hands, before hesitating. He glanced back at Steve, the look in his eyes asking a million questions that his mouth could not. Steve nodded quietly and Dustin threw the rope through the hole made by El, once again granting them passage to the Upside Down.

-

It was exactly how Steve had remembered it. Cold. Dark. Eerie. A putrid, desolate version of the Hawkins they’d all grown up in. Thick fog and particles wafted through the air and vines belonging to the hive mind stretched along the floor and buildings, weaving and wrapping around each other as they marked their territory.

Steve honestly thought that he would have been okay going back into the Upside Down. Sure, maybe he’d be a little bit on edge at first but who wouldn’t be given the circumstances? Tensions were running high and so were emotions; it’s expected to have some kind of reaction, the Upside Down just has that effect on you.

It engulfed him in an instant, the dread that lingers in the air and consumes anything good left in you.

“You okay?” somebody asked a visibly sweating Steve.

“Can’t breathe,” he spluttered, pulling at the neckline of his sweater.

“What?”

“I can’t fucking breathe,” he repeated.

Steve dropped to his knees, clawing at his throat desperately while he coughed and choked. Robin and Dustin rushed towards him, struck with panic. It was like it was happening all over again. The bat with its tail wrapped around Steve’s neck, constricting like a snake and depriving him of oxygen while the others gnawed at his flesh. His eyes filled with tears as he tried and tried to take a breath. The sweat and tears dripping down his face mixed with the phantom taste of copper in his mouth. He was surrounded now, countless pairs of wide eyes staring at him with concern.

“What do we do?”

“Does he need the Heimlich?”

“I don’t think it would do anything, there’s nothing there to come up.”

“We’ve got to do something!”

“Steve, you need to breathe.”

“What does it look like he’s trying to do?!”

The voices sounded echoey and distorted but Steve could still hear them, scared and helpless. The wooziness was creeping up too, his extremities going numb while his eyelids began to feel too heavy to keep open, the sense of calm washing over him too peaceful to resist. Snippets of memories began to flash through his mind as though he was watching a compilation of his life for the last four years.

Tommy and Carol. Parties. King Steve. Nancy. That night by the pool. Barb. The fight with Jonathan and having to call his parents to get him off the hook with Hopper. The lights. The Demogorgons. Nancy and Jonathan. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. Dustin and Dart. The tunnels. Demodogs. Bob. The Mind Flayer. Scoops. Robin. The Russian code. Erica in the air vent. The elevator. The capture. The torture. The drugging. The beating. The massacre at the mall. The screaming. Billy. Hopper. The night terrors. The panic attacks. Robin crying with him. Family Video. Dustin trying to get him to join Hellfire. Failed date after failed date. Belittling parents. Lucas’s basketball games. Dustin and Max bursting into Family Video the morning after Chrissy died. The broken bottle against his throat in the boat shack. Chocolate milk and honeycomb cereal. Big, brown eyes looking up at him. Breaking into the school. Max in the cemetery. Skull Rock. Water Gate. The bats. “It was pretty metal, what you did.” Morse code. Nancy’s vision. The Michael Myers mask. “Don’t ya, big boy?” Warzone.. The plan. “Make him pay.” The vines. Flambé. Dustin’s screams. Eddie’s lifeless body. The burial. The drinking. Getting fired. The crying. The breakdowns. Realisations that came far too late. Pining. Wayne outside of the trailer at 2 am. The intervention. Dungeons and Dragons. The handbook. Eleven reopening the gate. Bats screeching. The cave. Screaming. Blood. The grave. Cold, red eyes looking down at him. A sword. A red buffalo horn. The memorial. Hawkins burning.

Steve’s eyes popped open as he let out a large gasp, his hands reaching for his neck subconsciously as he became aware of his surroundings. He let out a quiet groan as he pushed himself up to his knees, his stomach churning more with each movement.

“What the fuck just happened?!” asked Dustin, his eyes flicking between each person in search of an answer.

“I… I saw-” Steve began before lunging forward to empty his stomach contents, narrowly avoiding Nancy. The ground beneath them began to shake violently and the distant sound of screeching caused all heads to turn in the direction of what they knew this time around to be Vecna's lair.

“He knows we’re here,” Will whispered ominously, his hand reaching for the back of his neck.

“We’ve got to go, now.”

-

Deep in the woods at the back of the trailer park, the group found themselves sheltering under a large, fallen tree trunk whilst they stopped to catch their breath and gather their thoughts.

“What happened back there?” Jonathan panted.

“I don’t know,” Steve admitted, hunched over in an attempt to ease his stitch. “It started as a panic attack, I think.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Erica added with a sarcastic tone. “Listen to me, Harrington, if you get our asses killed by bats because you can’t keep it together for more than five seconds, I swear to God I will-”

Lucas cut her off with a swift “Erica!”

“What?! Just the facts.”

“Steve, what did you see?” El asked, changing the subject back to the previous matter.

“What?” Steve asked in response along with Mike, Lucas, and Nancy.

“When you woke up, you said you saw something before you threw up and we started running. What was it?”

All eyes turned to Steve, expectantly.

Steve let out a deep breath and began telling them what he’d seen while he was unconscious, except for a few details he’d still like to omit, adding extra emphasis to what he’d seen after they crawled through the gate.

“So that was-”

“Another one of Vecna's warnings,” Nancy finished. “Just like the one I got last year.”

“So, something to do with a red horn and the memorial?” Mike repeated.

“Yep.”

“That’s not a lot to go on.”

“Oh, well I’m sorry that I didn’t stay unconscious for longer to get you more details,” Steve answered back.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Oh, I know what you-”

“Shut up!” Nancy snapped at the pair of them, earning a chuckle from Robin. “We can figure this out, without arguing like five year olds, while we find this cave. We might have lost them for now but we can’t just hang around and wait for them. Where are we going?”

“Somewhere up near Roane Hill according to the game notes.”

-

They’d spent twenty minutes walking through the bleak woods discussing their different theories as to what the things Steve had seen actually meant. Dustin, Lucas, and Mike theorised that the sword must have some kind of magical enchantment on it and that was the key to defeating Vecna. El, Erica, and Will all came to the same conclusion upon hearing their theory - they were talking out of their asses. Robin, Nancy, and Jonathan were talking amongst themselves a few feet ahead. Steve kept quiet, trying to hide away at the back of the group.

The last time he’d walked through the very same woods he found himself in now, he’d been brushed up shoulder to shoulder with Eddie. Eddie had compared him to Ozzy Osbourne and told him how shocked he was that Steve was “a good dude” just like Dustin had insisted. Steve hadn’t appreciated either of those compliments enough at the time. Then Eddie had told Steve about how he watched Nancy dive into the water after him in what was an “unambiguous sign of true love” which Steve thought was ironic, really. If only Eddie could see him now.

“You know you can still talk to me, right?” Robin asked.

“What?” Steve replied, jumping slightly at her sudden, quiet appearance.

“I just mean, you know, if you had something going on or if you maybe had any questions about certain topics that you feel like, maybe, you can’t talk to anybody about because they wouldn’t understand,” Robin rambled, earning a raised eyebrow from Steve. “I don’t want to, you know, assume or anything because that would be-”

“Robin-”

“-a little rude of me, but I can’t help but notice that-”

“Robin, would you spit it out already.”

“Why do you want to bring Eddie back so badly? I expected it from Dustin, but-”

“I think you already know the answer to that one, Rob. Has your radar ever been wrong before?” Steve asked with a smirk on his face and a small piece of the weight he’d been carrying around on his back lifted.

“I knew it!”

“How long have you known?”

“I’ve had my doubts ever since I saw your reaction to him flirting with you in the Winnebago. Oh, and I saw you cuddling his vest in your sleep.”

“Yup, that’ll give it away.”

“It’s okay, Steve.”

“I know, but I’m not ready to be answering any of their questions yet,” he admitted, gesturing at the group ahead of them. “So if we could keep this between us, I’d really appreciate that.”

“Obviously, Dingus,” Robin grinned, placing a supportive arm around his shoulder.

Steve joined in with the swapping of theories regarding Vecna's warning as they drew nearer to Roane Hill. Lucas and Mike stood firm in their decision that the ‘magical sword’ was the answer to all their problems. El and Erica were still calling bullshit. Dustin had been swayed towards the idea of the horn being the key by Will. If Nancy and Jonathan had come up with any theories, they had not yet shared them with the rest of the group.

“I’m just saying, the horn seems equally, if not more important than the sword,” Will argued.

“How are we going to kill him with a horn, Will? Hit him over the head with it? Jab his eyes out?” Mike argued back.

“He would be easier to kill if he was blind,” Erica chimed in.

“Guys-”

“If he was blind he’d be easier to stab with the sword,” Lucas agreed.

“Guys, stop, we’re here,” Dustin announced, compass in hand.

The group quieted instantly, all peering around at their surroundings.

“If we’re here, where’s the cave?” asked Jonathan.

“It’s not going to be stuck out like a sore thumb, is it?” Mike asked.

“He doesn’t play, man, cut him some slack,” Lucas defended.

“It’s either going to be concealed or closed off. Somewhere you wouldn’t just stumble across it. It might be guarded.”

“It’s definitely guarded,” Erica retorted. “Will said he knows we’re back. If he knows we’re back then he knows we’re back to finish him off. It’s not going to be a walk in the park, is it?”

“Erica-”

“Just the facts.”

“There!” Steve yelped, running away from the rest of the group.

Steve found himself in front of a collection of large rocks tucked in between the trees. Vines wrapped around the stones haphazardly, making a point of entry not only difficult to locate but nearly impossible to pass through without triggering the hive mind. “El, can you open it?” Steve asked, gesturing to the stones.

El closed her eyes and breathed deeply, her arm stretched out in front of her. Everyone waited for something, anything, to happen.

“El?” Mike asked, always airing on the side of caution when it came to El’s powers.

“They’re not moving,” El muttered through gritted teeth, her focus not faltering.

“Don’t strain yourself.”

“Are we sure this is the right place? There’s not a single bat or Demogorgon in sight,” Jonathan questioned.

“Mike, pass me your backpack,” Steve requested. He rifled through the notebooks with a torch wedged between his teeth until he found the page he was looking for. He held the page out for the others to see and pointed the torch to it. “The door can only be opened by someone carrying the… Spirit Stone of Azuth? Mike, your handwriting is awful.”

“Who and what is that?” Robin asked, confusion plastered across her face.

"Azuth, also known as The Lord of Spells, servant of Mystra. The Spirit Stone is a blue sapphire that sits on the top of his staff,” Mike answered. “Looks a lot like the one Will is wearing around his neck.”

Every pair of eyes turned to Will, who sunk into himself at the sudden attention.

“Still think you’re not a wizard here?” Steve asked, cockily. “Touch the stone.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Will scoffed.

“Will, touch the damn stone,” Dustin urged.

Will rolled his eyes, turning to face the rocks once again. He looked at it for a couple of seconds before poking at a gap between the vines. “See, nothing happened-”

The ground around them began to shake again slightly and the vines began to squelch as they retracted from the stone, leaving it uncovered. The largest of the stones lifted into the air, hovering above them. Mouths agape, everyone stared at Will.

“Is this where I get to say ‘I told you so’?” Steve asked, smugly.

“I- But- What-” Will stuttered.

“Who’s going first?” Dustin asked, peering into the now uncovered cave entrance.

Steve and Jonathan went in first, approaching cautiously with their weapons at the ready to check that the coast was clear before signalling for the rest of them. The sloping passageway was long and winding, taking them deep below the surface of the Upside Down. The narrow passage opened up to reveal a small circular room, torches mounted to the walls lit up, engulfing them in a dim, flickering light. There, in the centre of the room, was the answer to Steve’s prayers all bundled up neatly, waiting to be taken. The scroll of revivify.

With one hand wrapped around the scroll and the other one clasped tightly to Dustin’s shoulder, Steve was on top of the world. It felt electricity zapping through his veins, shocking him back to life one spark at a time as the hope spread through him. This was it. He was going to get Eddie back and all of them, together, would defeat Vecna and everything was going to be okay again. Everything was going to be perfect. Except nothing is ever perfect, which Steve realised as he caught sight of Nancy’s wide, panicked eyes looking over his shoulder before she let out a long, blood-curdling scream.

[digitalbyte357]

Spooky Video Game Music No. 313: Ancient History- Night in the Woods (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC/iOS/Android/Steam)

Night in the Woods returns to this list again and we’re back at the Historical Society. Mae Borowski and Gregory Lee both visit the Historical Society at night to try to find clues about the mysterious ghost that is haunting Mae since Harfest. While exploring the Historical Society, they noticed that an elevator is locked. Gregg’s solution to fix it is finding a paper clip and some pliers. Mae and Gregg decide to go inside some rooms to find what they need. They do find a room where an interactive map of Possum Springs suddenly turns on. After it finishes its little tune, a loud noise can be heard and it confuses the two. Suddenly, they look back and see a large figure behind them…

It’s quite a short song but like the other songs from the Historical Society, it’s quite unsettling and creepy. However, unlike the other songs from the area where they have a bit of goofiness on them, this one sounds a bit more somber and sadder. The piano gives off this intimidating vibe to it as if we’re not supposed to be at this area as if danger could be nearby. The sadder tone of the song really sets the mood of Mae being haunted by that ghost from Harfest, even more fitting in the scene when she suddenly recognizes a mysterious painting of a dragon. It may be a short song but it does fit with the creepy vibes of the Historical Society. 🎃

[snowdressedinblack]

Snow!!

Where'd you get those dragon scales? They look sick and that singular image inspired me to try it out.

I got them from a lovely company in Canada called The Ring Lord.

https://theringlord.com/ I've been getting all my chainmail and scalemail supplies from them for the past... 16 or so years. Wow, has it really been that long?

They have kits for the pauldrons, and a lot of other things as well.

I'd also recommend https://chainmaillers.com/ as they are a great community, and have a ton of helpful folks

Tips: Stay clear of machine cut rings. They might be cheaper, but there is always a chunk missing from the edge of the ring where the cut was made and it catches on everything. Saw cut rings are the way to go, and look much nicer when closed.

On that note, practice your closures. You want to get the edges of your rings as flat against each other as possible. A clean closure is smooth, looks nice, and doesn't catch on anything. Start with Aluminium. Your wrists will thank you, and it comes in fun colours. Silver is beautiful to work with as well, but expensive. Stainless steel will give you a workout. Titanium is like army boot camp. Everything will hurt from working with it. Galvanised Steel leaves your hands smelling like zinc for a while and is also a bitch to work (never again).

Get good pliers. I have a pair of Xuron Chisel Nose, which are my everyday workhorse pair. I also have a pair of big Stanley Linesman pliers, for working with the difficult stuff (Stainless, Titanium etc). Because sometimes you just need the leverage to get rings closed. I'll stop here, because otherwise I'll just go on for hours and hours about different materials, rings sizes, projects I've made, people I've met because of my chainmail etc. But really, if you do get into this, have fun with it. Don't be afraid to take things apart and re-work them. And I'm happy to answer questions.