#had to start wearing braids and low ponies but it took months for it to go away

[swagging-back-to]

just found out i might have traction alopecia lolllll love that for me

[lovemesomesurveys]

If you have a job, how long is your shift? I don’t have a job. What was the last thing you received in an envelope? Bills.  Do you ever wear your hair in a pony tail? My hair is usually in a ponytail. Sometimes a bun or braid, but mostly just a ponytail.  When was the last time you got a new phone? Over a year ago. Do you wear your watch on your left or right arm? I don’t wear a watch.

What was the last kind of pop you drank? Coke. Do you think you're single because you repel the opposite sex? I’m single cause I want to be and I’m not looking for a relationship, like there’s no one I’m even talking to or interested in. It’s best that I’m single. And let’s face it, I’m a mess and no one would want to date me anyway so hey it works out. What language did you take up in high school? I took Spanish all 4 years. Why are you home? Well, it’s almost 4 in the morning, I’m always at home, and we’re on lockdown cause we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Do you like sunflowers? Sure. Whose bedroom were you in last? Besides mine, I was in my parents’ bedroom last night. My mom and I were finishing our Netflix show. Are you counting down for anything? No. Are you watching TV? What's on? I Love Lucy is on, but I’m not watching it cause I’m currently listening to an ASMR video. Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito? Yeah. Do you have a sweatshirt on right now? No. Where is your ex? Probably at home *shrug* Have any pictures on your dresser mirror? I don’t have a mirror on my dresser. Did you hang out with anyone today? What did you do? I’ll hang out with my family later on. It’s almost 4 in the morning, so they’re all asleep right now. Have you had any beer this week? Nopeee. What channel did you last watch on tv? It’s on the Hallmark Channel right now. What was the last alcoholic beverage you consumed? I think it was a rum and Coke. It was 7 years ago; though, so I’m not completely sure. Currently waiting on something/someone? Waiting for all this stuff to get under control and managed.  Last time you painted your nails? A few years ago. What was the last thing you watched on television? You just asked this. Is your shirt yellow? No. How old will you be in 12 months? 31. What did you do last night? Same stuff as always: Scrolled through Tumblr, did some surveys, watched YouTube and listened to ASMR, and scrolled through Pinterest for a bit. What woke you up this morning? I set so many damn alarms, but lately I just shut them off and end up waking up at like 230. Do you sleep naked? No.  What should you be doing right now? I don’t have anything I should be doing. I want to do this. Looking back, did you ever think you would be where you are now? No. I certainly never envisioned going through a worldwide pandemic. Does the person you have feelings for start with any of these letters: B, L, D, or M? I don’t have romantic feelings for anyone. Do you have make-up on? No. Have you kissed anybody in the last 4 days? No. Have you ever held hands with someone in a car? Yeah. The last person you kissed name started with a J or R? J. Are you taller than 5 foot 7 inches? No. Would you rather be called honey or baby? Honey, I guess. The person you have the most feelings for calls you right now, what do you do? Sigh. Why aren’t you texting the last person you kissed? We don’t talk anymore, haven’t in almost 5 years. Could you go the rest of your life without smoking a cigarette? Yeah, I don’t smoke. Never have, never want to. Your last kiss meant nothing to you, right? Wrong. Where is your phone? Right next to me on my bed. Will you kiss the last person you kissed again? No. What if you had a baby with the last person you kissed? Good thing that can’t happen. Where did you get the shirt you are wearing? Hot Topic. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years time? Nooo. Or ever. Would you ever try being a vegetarian? No. Did anyone call you babe yesterday? No. Did you ever slam a door on someone? No. Have you ever walked on the beach at night? No. I bet you’re thinking about someone right now? Nah. Are you in love with someone right now? No. What have you watched so far today? I Love Lucy was on and now The Golden Girls are on, but I haven’t been watching. I’ve been watching YouTube videos. What is the weather like right now? It’s currently low 50s F.  Are you talking to anyone on AIM right now? Who? AIM died a few years ago, but even before then I hadn’t used it since like 2009. What is your favorite card game? Uno and Apples to Apples. I’ve only played Cards Against Humanity once, but that was fun. I want to play again. What kind of pet do you have? Any certain breed? I have a German Shepherd/Lab mix. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Black. Do you wish someone was dead? No! What's your favorite ice cream? Strawberry. Wow, it’s been a few years since I’ve had ice cream. Have you ever given a toll collector 75 cents in pennies? Nooo.  Give me the link to your favorite Youtube video: Nah. The last time you hurt yourself-how did it happen? I’m a klutz. What's the name of dance you can actually dance to? I can’t dance. If you could have any pet you wanted, what would it be? I love my doggo. <3 Did you ever have an invisible friend? No. How many emails were you sent today? *shrug* I haven’t checked, yet. Favorite sleeping position? I sleep on my side. What are you drinking right now? Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink. What's your favorite alcoholic drink? None. How many hours of sleep do you get each night? Lately, it’s actually been about 8 hours, but I don’t go bed until after 6 and I don’t get up until around 230. :X Are you a good morning person? Nope. Have you ever been on a diet? I’m supposed to be on a high protein diet. What's your favorite dessert? Brownies, cheesecake, donuts, muffins, cupcakes. What was your favorite Christmas gift you got last year? All of them. What have you thought up yet for this year's list? I haven’t thought about it. It’s hard to even think about Christmas right now. With how this year has been, I don’t even know what this year will be like during Christmas. :/ What's the best activity you've done so far this summer? It’s April. What baseball team do you root for? None.

[twracehorse]

Cringing at my own videos

Training Videos Edition!

I got bored, needed motivation to start editing, went back to take a look at my older videos, and now I judge and cringe at them because that’s a given at this stage

Under the cut to keep your dash shorter :3

Determined Horse Training, the title I came up with to be a little unique. I obviously couldn’t use something akin to Northena’s “Training Is Fun...Right?” and I wanted to give it a proper title knowing this would be a series of videos. I thought, and thought, and came up with the title after thinking of Undertale and how you are filled with determination in the game. “I am filled with determination to train these horses!” is what I thought and so the title of the series became that!

I use // as a way to separate different topics I’m talking about

Brave Rebel- First off...the thumbnail. He was originally themed sort of after Nathan Drake from Uncharted, since I was into that series at the time. So the map was, you know, for the treasure hunting. But I didn’t want to stretch the map to fit and somehow decided that a brown background was a good idea?? // AH THE CLOTHES! THE NECK!! AHHH GATORADE OCEAN BLEHH. // Oh yeah I have a spelling error in the video “Let’s go defeat this traning day!”. // Been training with Sage from the start of the series. I wonder how many fails of their’s I’ve caught XD // Ah the rocks, the rocks that I caught Sage stumbling out of in a later training video. // Let’s not forget the double mouse thing going on that makes its appearance in many videos before I figured out to click off of the web pages (which had a music playlist going while training). // Omg there’s someone with the club name The Babies standing nearby when I turn in the final race. // Low-key still love this horse. He was my first true Soul Steed before we were designated to our starter. I don’t take him out much, the difference in horse animations from new to old is getting bigger and for dynamic photos, it just doesn’t look good ( @~@)

Cool Hero- The horse based off of Markiplier back when he had red hair. I also uploaded the video on his birthday! // The song choice....I mean it fits the theme, otherwise I’d pick a better song. // The mini references I’m still low-key proud of. // There’s quite the amount of gliding pons in this video and some horror texture pons. // I obviously had to max Markimoo at the observatory! // I also mimicked Mark’s outros where an image is boomeranging. It took a couple tries with my friend in the background, but it was worth it!

Violet Mystery- I hope when I introduced her as “The winner of the Jorvik Wild horse competition” I mean, she was the first coat to be picked. Back when it was only one horse coat is being made. They added the top two coats afterwards. // Oh yeah the character’s whole head would move to the side to keep eye contact with the camera. // It’s so weird to think that I caught a bit of footage of Swifty just before meeting her. Then again I remember NOT editing this training video until months later and uploaded it in September. Mind you that I got Cool Hero and Violet Mystery at the same time and Cool Hero’s video was out in June...oops. // Ironic that I have the pandoric cracks around when the horse is based off them. // People running up from the riding arena, ah the fog glitch that would happen when you left your horse in the riding area, ran all the way to the dino valley elevator, took it, and there was no fog in the valley! 

Megalove- Ah the first Undertale horse! I mean technically still the only Undertale themed horse I have, but I do have others planned. Haven’t gotten them yet and some plans changed. // The thumbnail....why did I make the stickers super tiny?? // Finally changed Elsa’s hairstyle to the ponytail I still wear to this day. We need updated ponytails with side bangs! I know we have the awesome braided ponytail in Mistfall, but there’s too much forehead! // Also the first training footage with the meet up....was 4 hours long. This was back when I recorded all stages of training and went through the footage in real time....I’m glad I changed strategy. // Can’t remember if crashing into a jump and the jump of the music timed at the same point was on purpose or if it was editing magic. // Oof cringing that I put comic sans as Sans “talking” in the video nnngghhhhh! // Ah my old club name Royal Ambassadors. I gave that club over to my side account Chiara Monsterhope for obvious reasons. // Annoying Dog in the credits, I still love that

Lucky Hero- I’m still proud that I came up with his nickname Vien short of Vienna where the famous riding school is. He, along with Brave Rebel, are my top horses. Please get an update eventually boys! // Finally Mac users had clear water! I was so happy over this you do not understand XD // Warriors by Imagine Dragons fits this horse, but quite a pain when I got Dark Warrior and didn’t want repeating songs. // Oh yeah early on, the Lipizzaners had a weird reflective tail glitch going on. // Vien was the first horse of mine that I got the day of release, bright and early in the morning! // I love how in the face of danger, an approaching bull dozer, I just stare at it. It wasn’t even a “oh no I should get out of the way” and instead was “huh that’s a thing”. // ALLY CHUM! I forgot that was a nickname to good friend!

Grey Ghost- OH BOY HERE WE GO!! Honestly my favorite training video. It was so much fun to edit with the music and the Halloween stickers hidden around the screen! Despite waking up at 5am to train for that aesthetic™. // Okay but that mushroom with the dark green sign did legit give me a spook. My body froze for a second and then I remembered that Slenderman doesn’t exist in Star Stable XD. // Ngl two of the stickers are hard to see cause of their surroundings. // GALLOPER THOMPSON MY MAN! Honestly I waited till midnight for him to be in Goldenleaf forest, just to see what would happen if you were racing and he caught you. By the gods of editing magic, the song was at a good point that fits perfectly with that scene. // For the scarecrow race I did actually take two different takes. I failed the first one and when I was editing I noticed that the two runs looked similar. So I put the first part of run 1 and cut before I failed and then put the remaining of the race with run 2. Looks almost seamless! 

Silent Promise- My favorite mare in my stable! She ends up being my AoT cosplay photo horse...until I get the actual themed horse XP. // Shadows were a little glitchy at first. // Why am I using Rud instead of Rude. Like I know why cause that’s how we got around the filter, but I didn’t need to put it like that in the video. It’s like back in my WolfQuest days where I learned to use Cuz as a short version of Cause and it bled into my text vocab. // The witch bombs...I wanted to make it dramatic, but in hindsight it’s just tasteless really. Also to note that the sound which was fine before uploading, got more rough once it was on YouTube

Small Potential- Real cringe theme here, Hetalia. It was fun while watching and all that, but since then I’ve seen some well done anime! Growth! // I love the nickname Finny. Not too sure if I want to keep this pony or not, sadly. // The Christmas remix song is because I had no other ideas XD

Brave Eagle- Oh this is another slight cringe theme. Even more cringe is the fact that I had to re-upload this training video since it got blocked all over the world! due to the Hamilton musical songs. So I....had to layer over the songs with other songs....it’s a whole mess and was a whole pain since I had to re-edit the sound effects. // I’m proud of the thumbnail though....that’s it

Winter Dust- Why did I make the “there’s a new app with these foals you can train” with the dramatic music? // I think because I had less levels to train, I tried filling that space with “cool looking shots”. // Ah, yes, my How To Get Over A Jump wikipedia step by step

Hollow Phantom- Had to bring a creepy vibe even though it was February. So he’s like a Halloween not Halloween horse. // Can you believe that I found the main song from a Haikyuu!! crack video? XD. // That zoom on the pony surrounded by magic shires was weird. We’re saying “SO TINY” but the clip was so short it was done and over without much sense. // Mmm that slight irritation that the music and clip didn’t match with the drop. // Tried to blend the music together with itself....it’s obvious. // Of course had to max the Galloper horse where I first met the phantom himself

North Guardian- I wanna talk about the thumbnail....that background...is literally just the horse’s hindquarters. I wanted something mossy since the horse is sort of based off of Pelagia from Shadow of the Colossus. I couldn’t find good enough backgrounds, so I used the horse itself. // Again that urge to want to make the clip and music match but ahhh

Lucky Lucky- Still wish I could name this horse Gold Luck or something. // I think one of the camera turns during a race was just to show off the rainbow nearby. // Ahh! back when we could say “demon” in the chat. // Hmm instead of letting the clip run, I could’ve just cut to Reed calling the askew fence “a disgrace”. // Text was onscreen for just too long. // Trying to do the riding arena jumps with a good camera angle. But at that point, the camera kept moving and wouldn’t hold still. I’m glad it’s better now. Maybe I’ll try it again with a future horse. // Huh, forgot to add sound effects when I hit something on the last race

Silent Surprise- Cause I had to let the people know that I bought the horse after watching the Belmont. // AH STILL THE NECK! // 2 minutes in and we haven’t even gotten to the actual training yet. // Another day, another SSO glitch, this time it’s shadow rocks. // Oop missed a sound effect

Hot Spot- THE MUSTACHE! // I forgot I put a filter over the video to give it an old timey look. I should do more like that if it’s in theme. // Of course I had to have The Wanted be playing with this song since it’s old west sounding. // What was the purpose of editing the scarecrow race like that? XD. // Random running clip. // Walking the whole bobcat race would be nice if I didn’t keep moving the camera

Pumpkin Candy- As much as I love my Halloween horses, this training video isn’t up to the standards that the first Halloween training video set up. It’s still got Halloween themed music, it’s still got stickers hidden in the video, but it doesn’t feel the same. // Having text be their default instead of making them the same agh. // The spooky filter I overlayed the clips with changes at times. Would be nice if it stayed consistent

Dragon Dawn- Hmm now that I have more songs to choose from (getting into another artist as much as I did with The Wanted), I would have another song playing to fit the horse better. Maybe Euphoria or Mikrokosmos. Oh well those will be for future horses eventually! // Didn’t drop with the music...disappointed

Thunder Spirit- The horse that trains through three months. You can easily tell by the Valentine race, the rainbows of March, and April Fools. // Man I really need to work on making the text not be so BIG. // The first rainbow race had lots of sound effects. After that one I was just like “yeah not doing that again”

Sun Chaser- Eh the slowed down music is not the best idea. But I think it was also an intro to a remix of the song. So it was only so long and I had a bit to say for the intro of the horse. // The second clip of the mysterious Icelandic cryptid you can’t see them once it zooms in....annoying. // Too much of a slow build up with another cryptid spotting. // Also using the same sound but slower after just using it...smooth (not). // You know the very last clip of the horse as he’s turning around on the beach? Yeah that’s the exact moment I did the intro for the horse XD

Dragon Warrior- The contrast between me and Sage’s bantering vs the sadder song (I found the song because of a Zeno AMV) well it’s kinda weird having laughs and then sad melody. // YouTube again ruins the quality of the mic as it sounds fuzzier than it was pre-uploaded. // Low-key recording voices was fun aside from having to make sure the clips matched the voices and clicking of the mouse. // I’m still annoyed I couldn’t find the perfect snoring sound effect when Sage’s Connemara is sleeping and starts gliding away

Smoke Mirror- A little too much of a pause between text in the intro. // I love how I’m wearing a Halloween shirt because no other shirt matched with the blue of the hat except for the dress it came with THAT I GOT RID OF! 

Obsidian Mystery- I love the thumbnail for her training video. It’s so spooky and cool! Favorite thumbnail of the entire series right there. // Ironic that with the three Halloween horses I’ve had. The two with the upbeat music are the ones where Galloper was present that year. The one where Galloper was missing that October, the music was softer, generic Halloween music. Not intentional, but it works. Though the first Halloween training video still gets the trick-or-treats because it has nostalgic music. // Some text isn’t easily visible

Dark Warrior- The horse I wish I could name Secret Warrior cause that would make SO MUCH MORE SENSE than Dark Warrior, but here we are. // Since Warriors by Imagine Dragons was in a previous training video, I had to search for another song to fit the horse. I literally went through those anime character theme song videos to find one! That was a terrible jump cut of the song

Ember Flame- Coming Soon

[hungergames-fanfic]

Grounded

Having to wake up before the sun is horrible. It’s cold but not really, my eyes are itchy and dry, daddy’s in a mood. I’m not having any fun. I guess that’s the point. I’m not supposed to have fun, this a punishment.

“First things first”, daddy says.

He makes me light an oil lantern on my own, at first the task makes me nervous. Last time he taught me I ain’t pay any attention, luckily all I had to really do was light it. “Easy, see”, daddy says when I smile at the flame.

In a way, he wasn’t kidding, that was the easiest task. For the entirety of the morning I’m put to collect chicken eggs. This takes me about an hour. Ari left so many behind that I fill up two buckets. Then, we have so many chickens it’s hard to walk in the coop without having to kick some. They flap around erratically and smack me with their wings. For a second there, I’m jumped by over twenty chickens.

Usually daddy only makes me do one thing and calls it a day, but not today. He’s still mad about yesterday. Ari and me getting lost, then finding out she ran away and we ain’t tell nobody. Has me shoveling up pig poop, carrying buckets of feed, tossing hay into the goat pen and spoils at the pigs. Has me working so hard I ain’t notice how hungry I am until my stomach starts to roar. Even then I ignore the noises and emptiness so daddy won’t have a reason to yell at me some more.

By the time the sun is high in the sky, hot with no light breezes, daddy calls me to the farm house. In a pen he has one of our bulls, he’s big and brown with the longest horns I’ve ever seen. The other one is just a calf. He hands me a brush and tells me “Billiard” needs to be brushed, then leaves me to this and goes out in the horse pen where I can hear him calling Spice, one of our three horses.

“Milk!”, I hear daddy a couple of minutes later, “Milk, down girl, down!”, followed by a loud distinct crash. It sounded like a wooden wall being torn down. “Goddamn it, Milk!”, daddy yells. Footsteps approach.

“Polomir!”, momma Bilmin yells at him, “now I know you ain’t talkin’ like that in front of Dora”, behind her are three men.

“Lookin’ like you need help”, Mr Oxoro says with a big smile. Usually his clothes look dirty like daddy’s after a long day but today he’s well dressed. Has cowboy hat on, in a bright red, long sleeve button up and navy blue jeans with the cleanest boots I’ve ever seen, he stunts with his attire. I say he can try all he want but he’s still funny looking. Short, with a big belly and the funniest waddled walk, he walks besides Eduardo and some other boy I’ve never seen before.

Eduardo looks nothing like his dad. Mr Oxoro is dark skinned. Eduardo looks like his momma. Tall, light skinned with pretty colored eyes. “Milk man’s kid”, Omarion said once. Whatever that means. The second I see Eddy my cheeks feel warm and I hide behind Billiard.

With them is another kid just as tall, he’s skinnier and tanned, his clothes are sun bleached and if there were a strong gust of wind it looks like he’d fly away with it. He looks amazed. His mouth open, looking all over the place like he ain’t ever seen so many animals before.

“This right here is Vano, one of my sister’s kids, they visitin’ for ah, y’know”, Mr Oxoro says tryna keep himself from saying “the reaping”. “Seen them a lil bored so I thought I’d bring’em down here to work”, he says holding on to his belt. Daddy swings his arm for a firm, friendly hand shake.

“Need help? Naw”, daddy says turning around to look at something. All the men chuckle.

“Since y’all here”, momma Bilmin says, “you ain’t gon need Dora no more. Dora!”, she calls for me.

I’ve been out here sweating all morning, I’m dirty and stink. I ain’t tryna have none of them see me, specially Eddy. My cheeks feel hot. “Dora?”, momma Bilmin calls for me just out the pen. Not having heard her creep up startles me into a shriek that makes me giggle out of sheer nervousness. Momma Bilmin laughs and pokes fun at me. “Girl look at you, almost feral, you been playin’ with the pigs?”, she chuckles.

Daddy puts Eddy and Vano work on the broken fence, who both stare at me walk out the barn. I wish momma Bilmin wasn’t holding my hand, they probably wanna laugh at me cause I’m dirty. This makes my cheeks warm again and I try my best not to look at them.

While daddy and Mr Oxoro go and catch Milk, who happens to be distracted by a patch of grass behind the pen where we keep our lactating cows, momma Bilmin talks about us spending the rest of the day together. She sounds excited and tells me about the book I read to her on Friday, how she wants to know more about corals. I’d be excited to read to her again but after working all morning, hungry and tired, all I want is a good nap.

Blessed with nice cold shower all I can do is laugh and play with momma Bilmin who despite finding all of them dead, won’t stop looking for live lice. Says she “ain’t stoppin’ until all those pests leave my baby’s head alone” and kisses my cheek. Afterwards, I’m made to wear a frilly dress and she ties my hair into half a braid, half a pony tail. It gives me the sense that we’re going out but she tells me we aren’t. Says momma is gonna love the way I look when she gets back from work.

For lunch she makes me a cheese sandwich with juice that has bits of fruit floating around. She sits with me at the table and talks about paying Efrain a visit tomorrow.

“You mean that, momma?”, I jump out of my seat so excited I almost fall off. Momma Bilmin smiles at me and nods. Says he’s better now and we can finally go visit. It’s been almost two whole months since I last seen him. I’m so excited to tell him about Ari being my new friend, I can’t wait to see his face. I also miss playing outside with him and the other kids. Wendy says they miss us too.

When we’re done eating, momma Bilmin and me go to her room and lay down on the bed. She has the ceiling fan at high velocity so it’s not as hot as it is in the kitchen. In no time, she’s fallen asleep and snores really low and quiet. It’s cute. I’m not sleepy though. Instead I quietly leave her room and go to mines. For a long second I stand in front of my bookshelf and stare at all the books that I have. Two shelves filled with them, none I wanna read.

Bored, I stare outside from the back kitchen door and watch Eddy and Vano still tryna fix the fence. Vano holds a plank, Eddy nails it in place making the whole fence wobble. Meanwhile daddy and Mr Oxoro walk around the open field pointing and talking amongst themselves. Looking around my eyes catch a glimpse of some of daddy’s mecate. Thin ropes he’s braided with horse hair. This gives me an idea. Daddy won’t teach me how to use a lasso cause I don’t have my own. What if I made one myself? I seen how he makes the ones he sells. It’s just four ropes braided into one that’s thick and slightly stiff. If he sees that I made one he won’t have any other choice but to teach me!

First rope over third rope, second rope over fourth rope, fourth rope over first rope. I go on and on and the ropes never seem to finish, but i am determined. Some duct tape where the braid is loose, a haircut where there are too many hairs poking out and lastly I put the lasso inside a water bucket to make it look wet and pretty. Daddy and Mr Oxoro joke and laugh while they inspect one of the cows. I’m not sure how long it takes for me to finish but by the time I do, daddy’s walking back to the barn, probably to check on Vano and Eddy.

It takes me maybe an hour to finish the world’s shortest lasso, still proud of myself, I go to them around with it in hand. “The roll of hay comes out to four-hundred, five-hundred, the O’doyles are flexible with the price”, daddy says to Mr Oxoro when I pull on the back of his shirt.

“Daddy look what I made!”, I interrupt with a big smile on my face.

“Girl you made a whip?”, Mr Oxoro asks. This makes daddy laugh but the second he sees it his smile fades away.

“That my mecate? Who gave you permission, Isadora?”, he sucks on his teeth, smacks me hard on the shoulder and takes it out of my hands. “Isadora”? Oh, he’s mad. “It took me a week to make these damn braids! I got Samsonite waitin’ and this girl..”, he pauses and pinches the brindge of his nose, “..when I open my eyes you best be on your way back inside”.

Stomping back to the house, holding in my angry tears, I notice Milk is out on the horse pen. She’s staring right at me and wags her nubby hairless tail. For some reason it feels like she’s calling me. Behind her, at the other side of the pen, Eddy climbs the new fence only to break it. Vano laughs and disappears behind the barn house. I crawl under the fence and make kissy noises to Milk. My dress is covered in dirt now. I don’t care, I making noises for her to come. After a few long seconds she finally starts walking over to me. This makes me happy. When she’s close enough I extend my arm and slowly try to touch her face. She lets me and even sniffs the palm of my hand. I remember daddy saying this is a good thing.

Eddy and Vano make me a little nervous cause I ain’t tryna embarrass myself in front of them but having broken the fence again they’re busy tryna look for more wood in the barn. With no possibility of judgment I get up close to Milk and give her a hug. Her letting me get this close for the first time makes me so happy I can’t stop giggling. Maybe this is why Ari is all giggles too. I feel Milk’s buzz cut mane and caress her face, when I stop she sniffs my hand and nibbles on my palm as if asking for more. With my yellow saddle already on, I dare myself to ride her. Part of me wants to, the other talks me out of it. I’ve only ridden her once and daddy was there to calm her down. “She already looks calm though”, I tell myself.

I stare back at daddy who’s not that far away. Him and Mr Oxoro stare and point a the hills past our land. I figure if anything happens, he’s right there. Picking up the courage, struggling to do so, I manage to climb the saddle and sit on her. All she does is huff and move a few feet. Nervous but thrilled I giggle. So happy to have climbed Milk all on my own I try to make her move forward so I can get the hang of riding a horse. Poking Milk’s neck I whisper for her to “go”, but all she does is huff and sniff the ground slowly walking towards the broken fence. I keep poking her and even dance back and forth tryna make her move to another direction but she doesn’t.

”This way”, I say wiggling my feet. She doesn’t budge. Disappointed, I give her a hug tryna hop off but suddenly Eddy speaks up. “Ain’t know you knew how to ride a horse”, he says popping out the barn. This spooks Milk. She neighs and stands up on her hind legs. Suddenly she leaps and takes off in a run, thrashing and kicking her hind legs tryna hit Eddy and fling me off. My scream is so loud that for a second I wonder who it is. My feet no longer on the stirrups, along with her trashing, makes me hit my face on the saddle horn. Unable to hold on, scared out of my mind, I let go.

Hard, dry mud rocks poke at my shoulder and my fall knocks the wind out of me. Having landed on top of my hand hurts so much I can’t move, I was screaming but not anymore, I can’t breathe and hot tears are rolling down my cheeks.

Milk thrashes and neighs running away. Eddy and Vano run up and help me sit up. Eddy takes one look at me and covers his eyes, rubbing his face and head. Vano sucks air through his teeth, he has a pained look on his face.

On their way back, daddy doesn’t run to me, he goes after Milk who kicks anything in her way. For a second I wish she was dead. Daddy should be here helping me, not her. She hurt 𝘮𝘦! Instead, Mr Oxoro comes to my aid. He helps me stand up but my knee hurts too much to stick out and the sight of my hand makes me scream only to go silent again. It feels hard to swallow. Nothing I could say or do can describe how much my hand hurts. The warm tears fall dawn my chin.

Behind me I hear momma Bilmin running up to us asking what happened. She approaches and takes a look at Mr Oxoro holding out my arm. My right thumb is bent backwards. There’s a bump where it used to be. This makes her scream too. Daddy is too busy tryna calm the stupid horse to come help.

“Why wasn’t you watchin’ her, Polomir!”, momma Bilmin screams at him. I’ve never seen her so mad before. She points at him and scolds him for having let me get on the horse. Daddy doesn’t say anything, he just walks back forcing Milk back to her pen.

“She was just with us, Miss Bilmin, she was just with us!”, Mr Oxoro says taking off his hat, scratching his sweaty balding head.

Daddy looks worried when he approaches. Momma Bilmin stands behind me, holding me so I won’t fall while I stand on one foot, she shushes and wipes my tears, caressing my face tryna stop me from crying. “You’re okay baby, you’re okay”, she says.

Without a word, daddy grabs my thumb and pulls on it fast and hard. It pops so loud Eddy flinches and looks away, Vano and Mr Oxoro wince, momma Bilmin whimpers and I scream so loud I feel lightheaded. I jump and kick tryna get daddy away from me but momma Bilmin ain’t strong enough to hold on. Back on the ground I cry so loud I feel like Sasha when was a baby.

Like a sack of potatoes, daddy puts me over his shoulders and walks off. Behind him momma Bilmin tells me “it’s alright, Dora” on the verge of tears while Mr Oxoro tells her “I swear to you on my youngest that little girl was just with us”. “Dad!”, Eddy snaps at him. All of them following us look like momma running after the mayor when he does something silly like leave out the wrong door. It makes me wanna laugh but it feels like I have my heart inside my hand and every time it beats, it hurts.

Inside the house, I sit and watch daddy wrap a white long bandage over my hand and thumb with what looks like a broken popsicle stick holding it straight. Says he’s fixed it already and I don’t need to see a doctor. For a second there, I begged him to take me to the hospital, I thought I was dying. This made momma Bilmin laugh but her hands shake and she rubs them together.

“What I tell you bout that horse, Dora”, daddy scolds me while tying my bandage, “always some with you, no but you don’t stop and think, you just go ahead”, “Polomir!”, momma Bilmin snaps at daddy. “Naw, aint nobody tell’er to go climb that dang horse”, he points out the door. He stares at me really mad and leaves. Already sobbing, I keep crying knowing daddy’s so mad he doesn’t wanna look at me no more.

Momma Bilmin touches her cheeks, her eyes are glassy and she shakes her head. “I’m sorry, momma”, I say.

“It’s okay, baby”, she assures me, “now come on, we need to figure out what we gon tell ya momma”. Oh, she’s gonna kill daddy. This makes me wail, mourning daddy’s eminent death.

[curiosityktcat]

Nino the Nurse

@lahiffed mentioned they were in the mood for fluff and I realized I was in the mood for writing! So I asked for a prompt and they wanted some DJWifi bedside care. So here’s a fluffy... drabble... thing... in my defense I just had two glasses of wine LMAO

“No, I’m serious – you have to stay in bed. I’ll take care of you.”

For all of the scenarios Nino had played out in his head as to how his date with Alya would have ended, this wasn’t in any of them. And he thought about this date a lot. Two months of careful planning for their first extended period of alone-time since her return from her extended overseas project had that sort of effect. To be fair, the fantasy he deemed to be the best-case scenario was the night together extending into a couple of days together, but not like this.

It started as soon as the night began. He had thought briefly, as they took a scenic stroll through the local shops, that she was walking slower than usual, but he dismissed it as her taking the sights and sounds of home in after being away for so long. At the restaurant, which Adrien and Marinette had given their seal of approval, she wasn’t enthusiastic about the food. In fact, with each course the tension in her posture grew, until she seemed too exhausted to chew. She hadn’t lost any of her spunk in conversation, at least, her tongue sharp and her laughter bright. Still, there was something off about her, and Nino was worried up until the last second of their date where, after they went back to his apartment for a movie marathon under warm blankets, she interrupted the final climactic fight to rip the blankets off, stand abruptly, and… run to the bathroom. To throw up. 

           Half an hour later Nino had set her up in his bedroom, nestled under the covers with a small trashcan nearby, the remote to the tv and a box of tissues next to a small glass of cool water, and a clear shot to the bathroom just in case.

“Baby, you didn’t need to do all this,” her voice was hoarse, and worry gnawed at him, “I promise I’m okay. I must have gotten it from my sisters.” He remembered Alya’s mother telling him at the airport that they were upset they couldn’t make her homecoming.

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind at all. Ah-ah,” he saw her open her mouth and held up a finger to keep her from talking, “save your voice. I’m serious, I like taking care of you,” as he spoke he pulled the blanket up just an inch more and pushed some hair out of her face, “the point of this night was for me to take care of you and that’s what I’m doing.”

           Her gaze softened as she leaned into his touch, and his hand lingered on her temple. He thought she was going to concede to him – she must have been pretty sick – but then she let out a sigh and shifted under the covers.

“Tomorrow is Saturday. You already gave your Friday night up for me, I can’t ask you to cancel all of your gigs…” He started to massage her temple, and she hummed despite her protest a second ago.

��Like I said,” his voice was warm, soft and tender, “I don’t mind.”

“That’s a lot of money babe, you can’t.” She began to sit up as his hand fell away from her, but he gently pushed her back down again. She stopped, but didn’t settle back down, giving him the best ‘look’ she could while her hair was in ten different directions and her only attire was an oversized t-shirt he lent her (Alya, in his bed, wearing nothing but his t-shirt and his too big pajama pants… he tried not to think about it too much). He didn’t back down, however, and returned the look until he was sure she wouldn’t hop out as soon as he removed his hand.

           When she relaxed just a little his hand moved to rub the back of his neck, and his cheeks warmed as he struggled to find the right words to say.

“Honestly… I had already planned… for us to be together until tomorrow… maybe Sunday…” he shrugged sheepishly as her eyes widened, “J-just in case, you know. I wanted to make sure that, you know, if you wanted to do something I hadn’t planned we had time or-“ his babbling ceased as she raised one finger up to his lips in a similar way to how he had not two minutes ago.

           At first he thought she was going to insist he take her home, but when she put her finger down she settled back under the covers comfortably. She smoothed back her hair as she shifted and finally, laying sideways facing him, she smiled at him.

“Thank you.”

           His face heated until his entire face was reddened, and his fluster kept his tongue tied for a good while, “N-n-n-no problem. J-ju-ust call m-me Nurse Nino!” The last line had him groaning internally, but she chuckled.

“Alright, Nurse,” her tone turned playful, “could you fetch me some Tylenol? My head is kill-ing me. And I wouldn’t mind another massage.”

           Five minutes later the pain medication was kicking in, or maybe it was the way Nino’s fingers seemed to unravel her sinuses and clear the haze of a post-nausea hangover.

“You didn’t have to braid my hair, you know.”

“It’s more comfortable than a pony-tail and it keeps your hair back, so why wouldn’t I have?”

She rolled her eyes and nestled into the pillow further. When he felt his massage was adequate, he let his touch drift into a light caress of her cheek. Her eyes were closed, and Nino took the opportunity to take in the sight of her. She hadn’t had the opportunity to take her make-up off yet, so her eyes were slightly racoonish with smudged eyeliner, stray glitter shimmered every now in then in strange places, and her lips were still tinted ever so slightly with whatever lipstick had managed to cling on. God, was she beautiful.

His revere was interrupted when her eyes popped open, and he felt his face heat again as he quickly averted his gaze. Coughing awkwardly, he stood up to give her some time alone, but a tugging at his shirt made him look down. Alya’s hand peeked out from under the covers just enough to catch the bottom of his shirt between her fingers. She didn’t look angry, or annoyed. Rather, she looked a little flustered.

“Hey,” she looked like she was going to say something more but stopped short, and Nino imagined some sort of quip about him being a bad boyfriend, but her features softened until she seemed completely relaxed, a small smile playing at the edges of her lips, “Stay with me a little longer. I need my nurse nearby.”

           She shuffled the blankets off enough to free her arm to pat the empty space next to her in bed, and Nino summoned every bit of self-control he could muster. Stiffly, he went around to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers like she’d asked. Unsure of what to do after, he simply watched as Alya shuffled her body around to face him. They both waited for the other to make a move before Alya huffed impatiently at him.

“What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” he struggled to respond, “I’m… doing exactly what you said. I’m right here. Nearby.”

“Are you afraid of getting sick?” The thought seemed to just occur to her.

“No!” he answered quickly, then coughed uncomfortably, “I mean, of course I don’t care. I said I’d take care of you, didn’t I?”

“Then…” this time she was the flustered one, the redness in her face having nothing to do with her sickness, “then take care of me. Make me feel… better.”

           Dumbstruck, Nino was frozen in place. At first his mind raced, a million different deconstructions of her request happening at once as he tried to accurately pinpoint the response she was hoping for, but as she began to look more and more uncomfortable he forced himself to stop. This wasn’t helping, whatever he was doing. He tried to think differently then, of how to make her feel better. More comfortable. His thoughts drifted back to when he was little, scared of the rolling waves of nausea, crying for his mother. Chicken soup. Soft words. Her warm hands stroking his hair… and he got an idea.

           He shuffled closer to Alya, apparently startling her, but she relaxed and watched his movements curiously. When they were side to side he wordlessly pulled her body to his, not in such a way to incite desire in her, but simply to envelope her completely in a warm embrace. At first, she was confused, but melted into his touch as he began stroking her hair. They shuffled about until her head was resting on his arm and nestled into the crook of his neck, his other arm was draped around her midsection and rubbed her back in soothing circles, and their legs were entangled. She hummed low in her throat and his head shifted slightly as he attempted to look down at her.

“You feelin’ okay?” He felt her nod against him and his gaze wandered back to the wall ahead of him.

“Stomach hurts a little but I’ll be fine- just keep massaging that spot there… to the left… thaaat’s it…” She felt the chuckle in his throat and smiled, “Hey, thanks for the dinner.”

 “Oh yeah,” his nose scrunched as he thought of how painful the multiple courses must have been to a nauseous person. Then he groaned as he thought about just how long they had walked on their date, “Sorry about that. You could have told me. Tonight must have sucked.”

“No, no!” she didn’t look up, but he could hear the sincerity in her voice, “It was wonderful, I loved all of it. Plus, like… you know how you throw up something and you can’t eat it again for a while?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“I admit it wasn’t very pleasant going in, but that was probably the most delicious barf I’ll ever have to upchuck. Hopefully.” The laugher reverberated in his throat, and she found herself chuckling despite the rolling waves in her stomach. She felt his lips touch the top of her head.

“I love you, you know that?” His voice was like liquid chocolate to her, smooth, warm, and inviting. She pulled him close, burying her face into his shirt.

“I love you too.” The warm breath on his skin sent pleasant tingles down his spine, and he realized that this was comforting to him, too, and he relaxed into her touch. They stayed like that for the rest of the night, in a warm tangled embrace, soothing her stomach, melting their hearts.

           Okay, so the night didn’t end the way Nino thought it would. Not really. But he had to admit that it probably couldn’t have ended any better.

[robertshugartca]

Braided hairstyles are the bread and butter of our hair...

Braided hairstyles are the bread and butter of our hair repertoire for a few reasons. A) They’re perhaps the most versatile antidote when it comes to creating a momentous hair look and can play a starring or supporting role in the end result, B) they’re the most brilliant way to camouflage an otherwise hopelessly bad hair day, and C) even the braided hairstyles that look complicated are usually pretty effortless to achieve. Yep, you read that right. In fact, creating optical illusions via tucks, wraps, and twists can easily mimic the essence of skill and intricacy, and adorning them with unexpected accents by way of bows, pearls, hoops, and crowns immediately adds extra spice and interest.

Easy braids and twists get a lot of attention and love in the summer months (no effort, duh), but we’d like to play devil’s advocate and say they’re even more clutch come winter. Of course, easy braided hairstyles transition seamlessly regardless of season, but they’re a dream at masking hat hair, static, frizz, or grease—all factors that come into play with an extra vengeance when it’s bone-dry and cold. Since celebrities are constantly dishing up tons of braided hair inspiration—and to prove our point—we’ve sifted through all the options to bring you 18 braided styles that are beguiling and easy alike. Keep scrolling!

Thanks to her multitonal color and the enchanting add of a jeweled headband, Amandla Stenberg’s basic milkmaid braid is taken up about 10 notches.  Actress Gemma Chan is known for her romantic hair MO on the red carpet, and we’re especially smitten with the way she’s punctuated her low-hanging braid with a chic black bow on either end.  If you thought braided hairstyles were solely reserved for those with a longer length, think again. Ruby Rose’s teal-dipped faux-hawk situation is equal parts edgy and easy and proves even short-haired girls can play with effortless plaits.  Sure, you could simply part your hair in the middle, braid both sides, and call it a day, or you could do the same and add a pretty sprinkling of pearls à la Rita Ora for a more elevated (yet still so easy) take.  It’s no secret that FKA Twigs just might have the coolest hair in all the land. We appreciate that she alternates her super-intricate hair moments with easier nods like this high ponytail wrapped in a medley of braids.  When it comes to color, cut, and style, Drew Barrymore has experimented with the kitchen sink’s worth of hair looks. If you’re simply wanting to dip your toe into the braid pool—versus diving headfirst—we suggest adding a few hidden braids to a mermaid-esque beachy texture just like Drew.  PSA: The previously frumpy French twist has had a major comeback in 2019, and Zoë Kravitz in a gilded bralette and tiny micro-braids is the most poignant proof we’ve yet to witness.  Before you start shouting at us that this braided hairstyle courtesy of Lupita Nyong'o isn’t, in fact, easy, hear us out. Take a look closer, and you’ll see the actress simply gathered the majority of her braids into one long, twisted number while leaving a few long, braided tendrils out to lend some modern edge. (Because yes, tendrils are very much having a moment as well this year.)  Is it a ponytail, or is it a braid? The answer is both, and we couldn’t be more eager to try Amanda Seyfried’s easy hybrid come the weekend.  Yara Shahidi has been a hot-and-heavy hair muse for a while now, but this polished, braided topknot complements her perfectly swooped edges to a very covetable T. Thus, it’s one of our favorite hair moments from the actress yet.  Janelle Monáe knows braids like the back of her hand. In fact, it’s probably her most-worn style when it comes to performances and red carpet appearances alike. We’re always murmuring with admiration, but we appreciate how she upgraded a more basic style like pigtail braids with pops of shine. And now we think we might actually prefer hoops in our hair over our ears this season.  For those mornings when you literally have two minutes to get ready, take a page from Emily Ratajkowski’s book and simply sweep your hair back and down into a super-loose, super-romantic braid. It’s the easiest in the bunch by far.  You need not dismiss braided buns as too galactic, too festival, or too childish. Margot Robbie proves a looser, lower take can look super chic. Plus, the style takes about two seconds.  Like Monáe, Blake Lively has proved herself Queen of Braids on the red carpet over the years. That said, we still can’t get this sleek, high-drama number out of our brains. Even though this look packs a punch in the drama department, it’s actually so, so easy to achieve. Just pony, braid, and secure!  We rarely see Priyanka Chopra wear her hair like this, but the deep-parted side braid offers the perfect change-up.  This wouldn’t be a braid roundup without a fishtail. There are plenty of ways to style it, of course, but we like the classic route actress Madelaine Petsch took with her low, off-the-shoulder style.  Again proving you don’t need super-long strands to pull off the prettiest of braided hairstyles, Lucy Hale shows off simple side braids embellished and pinned back with a dusting of floral accents.  Technically, you don’t need bangs to re-create Kate Bosworth’s simple hairline twirl, but if you’re in the infamously frustrating grow-out phase, we can’t imagine a more flattering antidote.  Next up, celebrity hairstylists say these are the best haircuts for every single face shape.

source https://gothify1.tumblr.com/post/183306413185

[gothify1]

Braided hairstyles are the bread and butter of our hair repertoire for a few reasons. A) They're perhaps the most versatile antidote when it comes to creating a momentous hair look and can play a starring or supporting role in the end result, B) they're the most brilliant way to camouflage an otherwise hopelessly bad hair day, and C) even the braided hairstyles that look complicated are usually pretty effortless to achieve. Yep, you read that right. In fact, creating optical illusions via tucks, wraps, and twists can easily mimic the essence of skill and intricacy, and adorning them with unexpected accents by way of bows, pearls, hoops, and crowns immediately adds extra spice and interest. Easy braids and twists get a lot of attention and love in the summer months (no effort, duh), but we'd like to play devil's advocate and say they're even more clutch come winter. Of course, easy braided hairstyles transition seamlessly regardless of season, but they're a dream at masking hat hair, static, frizz, or grease—all factors that come into play with an extra vengeance when it's bone-dry and cold. Since celebrities are constantly dishing up tons of braided hair inspiration—and to prove our point—we've sifted through all the options to bring you 18 braided styles that are beguiling and easy alike. Keep scrolling! Thanks to her multitonal color and the enchanting add of a jeweled headband, Amandla Stenberg's basic milkmaid braid is taken up about 10 notches.  Actress Gemma Chan is known for her romantic hair MO on the red carpet, and we're especially smitten with the way she's punctuated her low-hanging braid with a chic black bow on either end.  If you thought braided hairstyles were solely reserved for those with a longer length, think again. Ruby Rose's teal-dipped faux-hawk situation is equal parts edgy and easy and proves even short-haired girls can play with effortless plaits.  Sure, you could simply part your hair in the middle, braid both sides, and call it a day, or you could do the same and add a pretty sprinkling of pearls à la Rita Ora for a more elevated (yet still so easy) take.  It's no secret that FKA Twigs just might have the coolest hair in all the land. We appreciate that she alternates her super-intricate hair moments with easier nods like this high ponytail wrapped in a medley of braids.  When it comes to color, cut, and style, Drew Barrymore has experimented with the kitchen sink's worth of hair looks. If you're simply wanting to dip your toe into the braid pool—versus diving headfirst—we suggest adding a few hidden braids to a mermaid-esque beachy texture just like Drew.  PSA: The previously frumpy French twist has had a major comeback in 2019, and Zoë Kravitz in a gilded bralette and tiny micro-braids is the most poignant proof we've yet to witness.  Before you start shouting at us that this braided hairstyle courtesy of Lupita Nyong'o isn't, in fact, easy, hear us out. Take a look closer, and you'll see the actress simply gathered the majority of her braids into one long, twisted number while leaving a few long, braided tendrils out to lend some modern edge. (Because yes, tendrils are very much having a moment as well this year.)  Is it a ponytail, or is it a braid? The answer is both, and we couldn't be more eager to try Amanda Seyfried's easy hybrid come the weekend.  Yara Shahidi has been a hot-and-heavy hair muse for a while now, but this polished, braided topknot complements her perfectly swooped edges to a very covetable T. Thus, it's one of our favorite hair moments from the actress yet.  Janelle Monáe knows braids like the back of her hand. In fact, it's probably her most-worn style when it comes to performances and red carpet appearances alike. We're always murmuring with admiration, but we appreciate how she upgraded a more basic style like pigtail braids with pops of shine. And now we think we might actually prefer hoops in our hair over our ears this season.  For those mornings when you literally have two minutes to get ready, take a page from Emily Ratajkowski's book and simply sweep your hair back and down into a super-loose, super-romantic braid. It's the easiest in the bunch by far.  You need not dismiss braided buns as too galactic, too festival, or too childish. Margot Robbie proves a looser, lower take can look super chic. Plus, the style takes about two seconds.  Like Monáe, Blake Lively has proved herself Queen of Braids on the red carpet over the years. That said, we still can't get this sleek, high-drama number out of our brains. Even though this look packs a punch in the drama department, it's actually so, so easy to achieve. Just pony, braid, and secure!  We rarely see Priyanka Chopra wear her hair like this, but the deep-parted side braid offers the perfect change-up.  This wouldn't be a braid roundup without a fishtail. There are plenty of ways to style it, of course, but we like the classic route actress Madelaine Petsch took with her low, off-the-shoulder style.  Again proving you don't need super-long strands to pull off the prettiest of braided hairstyles, Lucy Hale shows off simple side braids embellished and pinned back with a dusting of floral accents.  Technically, you don't need bangs to re-create Kate Bosworth's simple hairline twirl, but if you're in the infamously frustrating grow-out phase, we can't imagine a more flattering antidote.  Next up, celebrity hairstylists say these are the best haircuts for every single face shape.

[matredaen]

bread & circuses

CHAPTER 3

dishonored; 1.6k

1, 2, 3

<<< prev

Emily gets to school with three minutes to spare – Corvo pulls her off his shoulders and swings her down, crouching so she can throw her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. When she finishes with that she turns to Jessamine and throws herself at her, pressing her face tight against Jessamine’s side, squeezing the breath out of her lungs.

“Have a great day!” Jessamine says, bending down to kiss the crown of Emily’s head.

“Be good for your teacher,” Corvo says, ruffling her hair affectionately, “Don’t fight your classmates.”

“’Kay!” Emily says brightly, smiling up at them. Her hair really is going everywhere; Jessamine wishes she’d braided it, or given her a headband. “Bye Mom, Bye Dad! See you later!”

She runs off through the gate, waving as she goes. Corvo loops an arm around Jessamine’s shoulders and she leans into his side and they wave until Emily pulls open the door of the school itself and disappears inside with a pack of other children. Jessamine sighs, leaning her head back against Corvo’s shoulder, reaching up to hold his hand.

She frowns. “Does she fight her classmates?” she asks, voice dipping low in concern when she remembers what he’d said. Corvo laughs, the sound reverberating deep in his chest. When she tilts her head to look at him, still frowning slightly, he’s got the slightest smile on his lips. She nudges his hand. “Corvo?”

“Uh,” he starts, “Not all the time? But I got a call from Ms. Curnow, y’know, before her last parent-teacher conference and apparently, she’d pushed a classmate.”

Jessamine’s frown deepens. “Why didn’t I hear about it?”

“I thought you knew?” he confesses, “I’m sorry. I did have a talk with Emily about it, though, that night I took her out for ice cream.”

Jessamine sighs. “I remember,” she says. She’d thought that she had seemed unusually quiet that afternoon, though she’d brightened considerably when she and Corvo had returned home. Curiosity still bites at her – she pulls out from under Corvo’s arm but keeps her fingers threaded with his, and they walk back down the street toward the trolley station. She asks, “Did you find out why she got into the fight?”

Corvo shrugs; they cross the street. “Emily didn’t want to talk to me about it, but Ms. Curnow said it was to do with something that Pendleton boy said to her, I think,” he glances at her sidelong, expression apologetic, “Again, I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”

Jessamine waves her free hand through the air, tightens her grip on his hand. “It’s fine. I’ll be sure to talk to Mr. Pendleton the next time he comes to the PTA meeting,” she says, her eyes narrowed while they wait for the light at a crosswalk to change. “If he ever comes to another PTA meeting. This is probably why he hasn’t been coming to PTA meetings.”

Corvo makes a sound of agreement. The light changes, and they cross the street, the sound of traffic briefly drowning out any conversation they might have. They walk quietly for another block, passing a large group of Jessamine thinks are tourists, judging from their sweaters and the cameras some of them carry.

They turn at the next block, and the sun is in their eyes, no longer blocked by the long shade from tall buildings. Jessamine must make some show of discomfort, either a sound or some flinch, because Corvo steers them into the shade in an alcove of a bodega. Reaches into his jacket’s breast pocket and pulls out their sunglasses.

“Should have been wearing these to begin with,” he grumbles, passing her pair to her, his mouth quirking into a smile. They slide them on and then they keep on down the street.

The station’s one block further – the train they’re taking is a street-level line. There are others, snaking through Dunwall’s belly, that go further, but she and Corvo are only going to Waterfront Station, the closest stop to Claverling. They could have walked there, if they weren’t on a schedule.

It’s a shame, Jessamine thinks. It’s a nice day, and the walk would have been nice. She should have told Esma to meet her later.

She’s almost hesitant to check her phone – she’s sure Esma’s left a dozen more increasingly irate messages for her. She’ll go through and delete them later. It’s always been easier for her to deal with the woman when she’s speaking with her face to face.

Ergo, brunch.

They board the trolley, sitting in an open space on the bench that’s probably meant for one person, but they make it work. Not much of an option besides it, given the lack of other vacant seats. It gives her an excuse to tuck herself up under Corvo’s arm again – it’s the twenty-second of Harvest, still technically summer, but she gets cold. It’s helpful, then, that her husband is so warm all the time.

The windows on the trolley are open, and a breeze comes through them. Jessamine shivers and bundles a little closer to Corvo’s side, feels him laugh. His arm draws her closer, fingers tapping idly on her upper arm. She could close her eyes and sleep like this, and on another day, if they were going further, she might have.

“Hey, hello, yeah,” Jessamine’s gaze slides from the light falling in through the windows to meet the eyes of the woman sitting on the bench across from her. Older, lank hair drawn into a low pony-tail, tourist t-shirt and Dunwall City hoodie rolled up at the wrists and stained, somewhat. She smiles pleasantly, insistently, leaning forward in her seat, continues, “Hi, sorry to bother you, Miss, but do I know you from somewhere?”

It’s a polite question, and a probing one too. Jessamine blinks behind her sunglasses, sighs privately. It’s not often that people recognize her as her father’s daughter these days, but she’s no stranger to dealing with it. She’s about to flash a silver-screen smile at the woman, sign whatever it ends up being that she and whoever else on the trolley will shove at her, then be done with it. Corvo’s fingers on her wrist stop her. He laughs.

“I don’t think so, no,” he says, shaking his head. The woman’s eyes glance to him, a flicker of annoyance fluttering across her face, chased by something more like unease. Her lips press together and she leans back, turning her gaze elsewhere. Jessamine bites down on a smile, threads her fingers into Corvo’s, a quiet thank you.

The rest of the ride to Claverling is quiet, the chime of the bell announcing Waterfront feeling obscenely loud in contrast to the muted silence. She and Corvo disembark and start threading their way up the street, dodging tourists and locals alike.

Esma’s smoking outside of the Blue café, her pale gold hair cropped short at her neck, unmade. Her eye make-up smudged artfully, intimidatingly, her dark dress crisp and clean. She blows a thread of smoke away from Jessamine and Corvo as they come up the street, and then drops the cigarette and grinds it out underneath her heel.

“Good morning,” Jessamine says when they’re about ten feet away, raising her voice to be heard. Esma turns to them, smiles bright and wide, eyes heavy lidded and mouth like a red slash.

“Good morning, Jessamine!” she says, bustling forward, her heels clicking loud on the sidewalk, “I’ve been trying to message you for the last hour.”

“Are we late?” Jessamine asks, falling into step besides Esma, who pulls opens the door to the café. She waves a hand dismissively, and they step into the building.

“No, no,” she says, with a laugh that’s more like a cackle, “It’s – what, 9:30? Let’s sit in the back, it’s chilly – and thank you for holding the door, Mr. Kaldwin.”

Jessamine blinks. “It’s Attano, actually,” Corvo says, clearing his throat. Esma doesn’t falter in walking to a table, but her smile seems to slip, if only for a moment.

“Right,” she says. They all sit, Esma and Corvo ordering coffee from the young woman who comes by to take their order, Jessamine asking for an orange juice. If the day weren’t the fourth of the week, still a solid distance from the weekend, she’d have ordered a mimosa; as it is the juice is enough.

Esma pulls a few colored swatches of craft paper from her clutch, lays them out on the table. “These are the colors we’re using for the banners and the posters. Will they match the cupcakes?”

Jessamine sips at her juice, considers the swatches. Then she points at three of the colors, sliding the other four out of the way. “These ones will,” she says. Esma sighs in relief.

“Great,” she says, pulling them back into her purse. The waitress returns, takes their orders for food and then putters off again. Jessamine reaches for Corvo’s hand under the table while Esma stirs three large spoonfuls of cream into her coffee, “I figured you’d choose those ones – and I already sent Bethanie to purchase enough for the kindergarten and first grade kids to make their posters with. I’ll need you to sign off on that report, by the way.”

“That’s fine,” Jessamine says, “Just make sure you get all the invoices to me by the end of the month.”

Esma waves her spoon in acknowledgement. She grins. “Can do, will do,” she chirps, “And hey, while we’re at it, we need to discuss the chaperones for the upcoming Ramsey-Rothwilde museum trip.”

TBC >>>

[bombayhair]

NATALIE @KINDAVOGUISH - PLATINUM TAPE-IN EXTENSIONS INSTALLATION

Check out these fabulous tips from Natalie (@KindaVoguish) installing her new Bombay Hair tape-in extensions! She shows us step-by-step how her hairdresser put them in her hair ~ Here is her blog post!

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  Hair Extensions 101: 5 Tips to Get You Started

I remember the first time I ever got hair extensions. I was 17 years old and I’d scrimped and saved to get them done at a local salon. It took over 6 hours to get them installed, and when all was said and done, I absolutely hated them.

My hair was cut quite short at the time, and I’d had 18 inch fusion extensions applied– not really the best option for fine hair, but unfortunately, the stylist didn’t care enough to tell me that. So I basically looked like I had a weird mullet until I finally got them removed a few months later.

Since then, I’ve experimented with many extension styles. On my wedding day, I wore a sew-in/weave. My hair looked amazing, but it was super painful and I ended up with horrible matting afterwards. A few years later I tried tape-in extensions and loved them, despite my poor choice of quality hair. Those came out pretty quickly (literally- they fell out in the shower because they were cheap and improperly applied).

Right after that I got pregnant with my first son, and that’s when I discovered clip-ins: super easy, but definitely not mom-friendly. And after having my second kiddo? Ain’t nobody got time to spend 15 minutes just getting those suckers clipped in. Plus, wearing them every day was actually really damaging my own hair.

So, in an effort to cut back on my getting ready time plus still feel somewhat put together, I decided to try tape-ins again. I’d heard great things about Bombay Hair, so I was thrilled when they agreed to partner with me on this post.

  But first, here is my sad, fried, and extension-less hair BEFORE…

  … and AFTER!

Y’all, let me just say- the rumors were TRUE. I’ve had them in for a month now, and they are the softest, most real feeling extensions I’ve ever tried ( Lord knows, I’ve tried so many). I absolutely love these Bombay Hair extensions! Not only do they blend in seamlessly with my hair, but they’re sleek and don’t frizz like so many others. Because no, all hair extensions are NOT created equal.

So, are you thinking about getting extensions? Regardless of the style you choose, here are FIVE tips to get you started:

  Choose the right type of extensions for your lifestyle. Are you wanting something low committment to jazz up date nights? Then you can get away with clip-ins. Looking for something more semi-permanent, but struggle with fine/thin hair like me? Tape-ins will be your best friend. Is your hair naturally thick, but you’re looking to add length? Sew-ins, Fusion or Micro Beads could work for you. Bombay Hair carries all of these in multiple lengths and colors!

Choose a quality brand. I cannot state it enough: quality, quality, quality. Do NOT cheap out when it comes to hair extensions, and here’s why. Cheap hair is poorly made, which means that it will frizz, break and someday sooner than later you may find yourself staring at a couple wefts on the shower floor. Read the reviews, ask friends you know have experience with extensions (like your truly  ), and when it doubt, you can always count on Bombay!

Choose a licensed and experienced stylist. I get it; hair services can add up quickly, so it’s tempting to look for ways to cut corners. But half of the success of your extensions literally depends on the skill of the person installing them. So no, don’t put them in yourself and don’t see someone who doesn’t regularly install extensions. Take it from someone who’s learned this the hard way. Gigi at Siren Salon does a fantastic job!

Stock up on the right haircare products. Extensions require a little extra love, but don’t let that scare you away. If someone like me- who didn’t learn to braid until recently- can do it, so can you! My must haves include a sulfate free shampoo, deep conditioner, thermal heat protectant spray, leave-in conditioner and a hair oil. Remember that your extensions don’t receive natural oils like your own hair does, so it’s super important to keep them from drying out.

 Sleep with your hair braided or pulled back in a ponytail. Sounds kind of silly and insignificant, right? But I promise you won’t want to skip this easy step. Again, since your extensions don’t receive the natural oils your real hair does, it’s a lot easier for them to tangle. Braiding them or pulling them back into a loose pony helps prevent this and ultimately contributes to your extensions lasting a long time.

  And there you have it! Not too overwhelming, right? All it really takes is a little research and TLC. If you have any tips you feel I’ve missed or want to share your experience with hair extensions, let me know in the comments.

Xx

https://kindavoguish.com/hair-extensions-101-5-tips-to-get-you-started/

from Bombay Hair https://bombayhair.com/blogs/hair/natalie-kindavoguish-platinum-tape-in-extensions-installation