#i have all the paint and foam to make the mask . probably don’t have a wig that works . would have to buy the jacket

[theenderwalker]

>con is less than two weeks away

>what if i .

[maximilliansblog]

How to build your first fursuit head for ~$100 USD (2023)

What’s good furries? I’m sure a lot of you have a fursona and want to make your first fursuit. I recommend starting with a partial just in case you mess up or fall out of the hobby. It’s also less expensive!

This tutorial will only cover the head. I haven’t made any of the other stuff and I’m probably going to buy it online premade because I’m lazy.

1.) Have a reference sheet for your fursona.

If you are an artist, draw (the best you can) a reference sheet of your fursona from the front, side, and back. I made a little turnaround animation for mine, but this is not necessary.

Not an artist? Don’t want to draw? Commission someone to do it for you. I recommend Etsy, but you can find furry artists with open commissions all over the internet.

No money for commissions? You might be out of luck. Ask a friend or draw it the best you can. Alternatively, you can edit someone else’s fursona reference sheet to make it look like your fursona. Yeah, it’s stealing. Just don’t post it and act like it’s yours 👍

You can also go into the Roblox game, Catalogue Avatar Creator, and assemble something that looks kind of like your fursona. Take a screenshot of it from the front, side, and back, then go into a photo editor (I recommend IbisPaint or MediBang Paint, they are both free) and add in your special details.

I recommend not making your first fursuit super complicated or some kind of rare species. But you do you. It will just be really hard.

Also determine what style of fursuit you want. Toony? Kemono? Realistic? (I don’t recommend realistic for your first fursuit but you do you). This will be important later.

2.) Find Shit to Build It With

Once again, I recommend Etsy. You’ll need:

+ all the fur colors you need (try 2-3)

+ eye mesh

+ 3D printed mask

+ hot glue gun and hot glue sticks (dollar store)

+ needle and thread (dollar store or Walmart)

+ balaclava

+ styrofoam head

+ fabric scissors

+ extra foam pieces for ears or horns

Assemble all of that. It should be around $80-120 USD.

Your 3D printed mask is the most important thing. Another reason to get a relatively common species. Mine was a dragon. Remember the fursuit style you picked earlier? Search on etsy “3d printed [style] [species] furry mask” and you should be able to find one. You can also get pre-made foam heads. I don’t recommend trying to make your own head base, because A) it’s hard and B) those materials cost more money.

This shit will take a while to come in so don’t get too excited about it. My mask took like a month because it came from Germany.

3.) Mark the Color Spots on your Head Base

Basically just take a sharpie and outline the different color regions on your headbase. You can also use a pencil if you’re a pussy /j

4.) Uhhhh Eyeball That Fabric Pattern and Hot Glue the Pieces to Your Headbase

Some people use duct tape to make a pattern. That did not work for me! So I eyeballed it. Made some mistakes. That’s okay.

5.) Trim Down the Fur Length

Most people use clippers for this but I didn’t want to buy any and I didn’t know how to use them so I did it VERY CAREFULLY with scissors.

6.) Fill in the Cracks Between Your Hot Glue Seams With Loose Fur

Look at all this damn fur on the floor! If only there was something to do with it!

Put hot glue between the super visible seams where you hotglued different pieces of fabric next to each other, then pack in some of that loose fur. Cut it down if it’s too long. The seams will be less visible.

7.) Hot Glue the Eye Mesh Behind the Eye Holes

VERY CAREFULLY hot glue this so your character isn’t cross-eyed. You can try follow-me eyes but I didn’t do that with mine.

8.) Add Your Extra Details

You know like whiskers or plastic teeth or a tongue or anything else you want to put on there.

Now you’re done with the mask part.

9.) CAREFULLY Hot Glue Your Balaclava to the Inside of the Mask

The eye hole should be where your eye mesh is so that you can see out. Also make sure some of the balaclava is glued to the top of the mask.

10.) Weigh Down Your Styrofoam Head With a Heavy Rock

Or put it on a stand. Or hot glue it to the table. Whatever works.

11.) Put the Balaclava that you Glued to the Mask on the Styrofoam Head

Pretty simple. The reason we weighed down the styrofoam head is because the front of your mask will be heavy and make it fall over while you’re trying to work.

12.) ????? Put Fur On the Balaclava

You’ll also need to like add some fur connecting the sides of the mask to the balaclava. Hard to explain. You’ll probably figure it out?

13.) Trim that Fur and Put the Trimmings in the Seams Like Before

14.) Take it off of the Styrofoam Head

You may need to cut a slit in the back of the neck of your fursuit head. Not only will it help get the styrofoam head out, now your head can get in and out too!

15.) Put it on

Edit it if something is wrong. It might feel crooked but it’s probably not.

16.) Enjoy!

Hopefully this was helpful! This is how made mine.

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Going Trick or Treating with Ted Logan would include~

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(This is super late but it was in my drafts and finished so here~)

- Ted spent a lot of his childhood being “the older brother” so even though Halloween is arguably his favorite holiday, he’s very lax about how he wants to spend it. He’s down for whatever you want to do and sort of just tags along; happy to be there and spending time with you. 

- Don’t expect a ton of input when you ask what he wants to be/dress up as. You’ll get a very excited and adamant “for sure” when you question him on whether or not he wants to dress up; and probably if he wants to be in a couples costume with you, but he’ll always respond with an enthusiastic “I don’t know” whenever you ask for any specifics. 

- So yeah, it’s more or less your decision to make. You probably choose to be something like a Rockstar and his girlfriend; since it’s a fairly fitting costume all thing considered, but if you’re more of a “this is my one chance a year to dress like an idiot” kind of person, he’ll gladly wear one of those silly foam outfits as well. 

- Whatever you guys choose; he’s not embarrassed in the slightest. It’s Halloween, you’re supposed to dress up and look silly. And what’s silly anyways? He’s having fun so who cares.

- But, speaking of costumes: he has absolutely zero focus while browsing the aisles of the Halloween store. He’s bouncing from image to image and getting distracted from/forgetting about the ones he’s already considering because he’s immediately focused on another one. You’ll probably not even wind up buying any of them either, you’ll go home empty handed and just choose something from your closet at the very last minute. 

- I don’t think Ted is capable of getting embarrassed: like he legitimately can’t feel shame; at least 90% of the time. He’d happily go trick or treating with you and wouldn’t even bat an eye at the prospect of people your age seeing and making fun of you. He’s simply here to have a good time, and honestly? Good for him. 

 - As much as he loves trick or treating, he loves sitting on the curb and talking with you even more. The longer the night drags on and the more you decide to “stop for a second” the better; especially when you shiver and he gets to scoot in extra close to “keep you warm”. 

- He’s constantly touching: holding your hand, leaning on you, hugging you from behind, rubbing his hands on your arms to warm you up, etc. He’s affectionate and considerate, thank you very much. 

- He insists on carrying your candy when he see’s that you’re struggling; even if you insist that you’re fine. How he manages to carry both your bags, along with you on his back a majority of the time, never ceases to confuse and amaze you.

- On that note: piggyback rides; especially if you were dumb and decided to wear uncomfortable shoes.  

- The two of you probably cross paths with his brother during the night and the two of them have a stand off in the middle of the street. He almost runs after and tackles him when he makes a comment about how good you look. 

- If he was wearing a big latex mask or let you put makeup on him, you’d have to lift it up to kiss him or would wind up with lipstick/face paint all over your face from him kissing you everywhere. I don’t know, it’s just a cute thought. 

- He wreaks havoc on his bag of candy. He leaves the night with half of what he collected because of just how much he snacks on his stash. How he doesn’t throw up before morning is genuinely beyond you. 

- He would be conflicted but he’d wind up giving you the last/only piece of candy that he has that the two of you mutually love. Like if you had one snickers bar in both your bags combined, he’d really want to have it but he’d know that it’s your favorite so he’d drop it into your bag instead. 

- Speaking of: he knows what you love and hate so he swaps stuff out without even saying anything, or grabs something to eat from your pile without asking because he knows you’re gonna give them to him by the end of the night anyway. 

- Bill would probably tease the two of you for going out and trick or treating but he’d definitely feel a bit conflicted about whether or not he should have gone afterwards. 

- By the end of the night you’re an itchy costume, makeup covered pile of limbs and you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

[lildevyl]

Tommy Innit's Secret Clinic, Chapter 11: Attempted Kidnapping

Summary: Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo go out Trick-or-Treating and enjoy getting all the candy they can get! Not realizing this night will change their lives forever.

TW: Attempted Kidnapping, Small Explosions, Mention of Attempted Vehicle Manslaughter (Scarlet tries to run over the kidnappers but the kidnappers jump outta the way).

If the Kidnapping is a big Trigger but you want to read this Chapter. The Attempted Kidnapping Starts with "Uh, you know, maybe Boo had a point? Tubbo nervously said. and Ends with Scarlet got back into the car, slammed the door closed, yanked the car into drive and stomped on the gas pedal.

Feel free to read the first half of the chapter but then skip the the section of the Attempted Kidnapping and enjoy the rest of the chapter! If I missed anything please let me know!

A/N: I'm back but I will be going on a temporary hiatus for this story. Midterm literally starts next week and I'm working on some future chapters! Inspiration came to me so, I'm writing when I can. I probably won't be updating again until possibly Summer. But I wanted to give you guys something.

Scarlet Pinkett’s House)

It was Halloween!  And everyone was getting ready for the spooks and the most important part of all Halloween.  Trick-or-Treating!  Tommy, Tubbo Ranboo were all getting ready, with their costumes, accessories and make-up.  Then grabbing their Trick-or-Treat bags and started heading to the Kitchen.  Where Michael was busy trying to eat as much candy that he got during Trunk-or-Treat earlier that day.  It was a nice event for the younger kids to Trick-or-Treat during the day at the Community Center.  Where everyone comes and decorates their cars, then gives out the candy to everyone!

Scarlet of course was busy trying to make sure Michael didn’t eat too much before dinner and was trying to get herself ready too for the Trick-or-Treaters.

“Michael, that's enough!  You’ll spoil your dinner.”  Scarlet lightly scolded taking the rest of the candy and putting the candy in the Jack O’Lantern bucket.  Then putting it on the counter.  Scarlet then turned around and beamed at the trio.

“Oh don’t you three look nice!  Tommy, you’ve really got a knack for this!  Ever think of being a designer?”

Tommy blushed at the comment.  Truth be told he had thought about it.  Maybe if being a Hero or a Vigilante didn’t work out he could be a professional designer.  Give him a sewing machine, the materials and Tommy could make almost anything!  Huh, maybe Tommy was born with two gifts then?

“The Captain!  The Warden!  The Demon!”  Michael squealed happily upon seeing them.

Tommy had dressed up as the Captain.  One of his favorite heroes.  The Captain and the Archangel were Tommy’s favorite.  However, there was no way that Tommy could have the Archangel’s Costume done on time so he went with the Captain.  Still a cool Hero.  Tommy had, small Sheep Horn on top of head attached to a headband.  White puffy Pirate Shirt, black pants, black boots with a heel, a Red Coat with white accents (he couldn’t afford the silver material for the accents), a wooden sword, and a black Masquerade Eye Mask.  Tommy didn’t look like he was plucked right off of a sixteenth century Pirate Ship, like the Captain herself.  But Tommy really did a good job in replicating it.

Tubbo was dressed as the Warden.  A brand new Superhero that debuted a few months ago.  The Warden was a Creeper Hybrid with Technology Enhancement Powers.  He could control any technology and with his natural ability to invent on the fly.  The Warden became a very well known Hero in a matter of weeks!  He helped the Heroes improve their suits and weapons and even improved the Hero Towers Security.  TO say that Tubbo became a huge fan was understatement!  Tubbo wore a black shirt, “Netherite Armor” (it was foam painted purple), black pants, combat boots, fingerless gloves and a green trench coat.

Ranboo decided to be different and go with L’Manburg’s infamous Vigilante.  The Demon.  The Demon was a Nether Being that made waves in L’Manburg.  The Demon was a Shadow Demon, able to control the Darkness and Shadows of others and also able to slip through and disappear through them.  Light and Fire are their main weakness but despite that, the Hero Committee had been trying to recruit them and their partner Diamond Warrior for a long time now.  The Demon had been stopping a lot of petty crime all around L’Manburg and had even helped the Archangel and the Captain out a few times.

Ranboo wore a black shirt with sequence, black sequin pants, black sequin jacket, black boots, and fake bat-like wings.  And Ranboo felt brave enough to let his Hybrid Features out!  Ranboo stopped hiding his horns and instead redid his hair so that his horns were showing.  His tail was out instead of being tucked in, his claws were fully on display instead of looking like sharp fingernails, Ranboo even let his fangs show.  He wore a black Masquerade Eye Mask with white mesh over the eyeholes.  

Tommy couldn’t have been more proud of Ranboo even if he tried!  This was a huge step for Ranboo.  Hopefully, with the Demon being around it might encourage Ranboo to show who he is more instead of trying to hide it.

After several pictures and too much gushing, and making sure they all had their flashlights and glow-in-the-dark bracelets so that the cars would see them.  The trio headed out to start their Trick-or-Treating.  They were going to get so much candy this year and set a brand new Neighborhood Record for Most Candy Trick-or-Treated.   First stop was Mrs. Smith house for the tootsie rolls!  Then the haunted house on the corner for waxed lips.  And then the next house and the next house, and the next house  .   .   .

A couple of hours and several houses later, Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo, stood at the corner of Center Street and Oak Street.  Revisiting their calculations to see how many more houses they have to hit to beat the record.  They only have a few more blocks then they have made a new record for the Most Candy Trick-or-Treated!   Ranboo looked over the map of the neighborhood and frowned at the one place they would have to hit.

“Um, guys do we really want to go there?”  Ranboo asked, pointing to the block.  “You know that there have been some disappearances in the past few months?”

“Don’t worry Boo!”  Tubbo said.  “They caught the person who was doing that.  The Ringleader is in prison now!  The Warden made sure of that!”

“Yeah, Boo!”  Tommy agreed.  “Now, come on guys!  We got a record to beat!”

(Spooky Neighborhood)

“Uh, you know, maybe Boo had a point?”  Tubbo nervously said.

They were walking the street of the last block they needed to hit for the record but something really didn’t sit right.  Some of these town houses looked abandoned.  Tubbo double checked the map and it matched up with everything.  It didn’t make any sense!

Three guys came from the side of the building they were passing.  Grabbing Tommy, Ranboo and Tubbo and trying to drag them to an awaiting white van.  Tommy was kicking and screaming until his attacker let go.  Then Tommy, body slammed into the guy that had Tubbo.  Tommy punched the guy for good measure then the two of them went to get Ranboo.  All three of them were dashing to the alleyway next to the apartment building at full speed.

But the men were faster and managed to catch up.

“Let us go!”  Tommy shouted, banging his fist on the guy’s arm.

“Chill kid!  You know you’re quite a spitfire.  No wonder Midas wants you as his son.”  One of the kidnappers said.

Tubbo’s heart sank.  Midas?!  The “Golden King” Midas?  The number five Supervillain?  The one with the power to turn anything gold with his touch?  The one who was so dangerous because he turned that one Hero into an actual golden statue?  That Midas?!

“Yep, that’s him!  Don’t worry, he doesn’t hurt kids.  He kinda has a soft spot for them.”

Tubbo didn’t realize that he said that out loud but that just made everything worse!  If Midas somehow found out about Tommy?  Wait, oh Primes!  Did that one guy that Tommy saved worked for Midas?  Was that how he found out about Tommy?

Pure rage boiled in Tubbo at that thought.  The burning was in his core reagan then it went to his chest then it was burning his arms and then his hands.  Tubbo looked down at his hands when heard a gasp from his capturer.  Tubbo’s hands were glowing a bright yellow-orange and it was really hot and felt like it was burning.  Tubbo quickly tossed the glowing yellow-orange light orb at the dumpster and watched as it blew up and was set on fire!  It was enough of a distraction for Tubbo, Ranboo and Tommy to get the hell out of dodge!

Unfortunately, the men caught up to them and were dragging them to the van.  

“You know I’m pretty sure after that little stunt that Midas wouldn’t mind your friends being his as well.  Then again he does have a few friends who are looking to adopt.”

They were crossing the street when the sound of screeching tires, blaring car horns and blinding lights came barreling down the street.  Tommy never thought he would be so happy to see Scarlet's ‘97 Buick aka the “Tank” until now.  Scarlet came barreling down the street at top speed aiming to hit the kidnappers with her car.  The kidnappers quickly jumped outta the way so as to not get hit.  Scarlet went to the end of the street, with tires squealing and nearly toppling the car over as she turned the car around.  Scarlet came back up the street and made sure that doors where the trio were.

“Get in!”  Scarlet yelled.  Getting out of the car with a tire iron in hand.  A couple of the guys tried to grab Tommy and Tubbo but Scarlet made sure that they were flat on their backs and seeing stars.

Scarlet got back into the car, slammed the door closed, yanked the car into drive and stomped on the gas pedal.  Burning rubber, Scarlet got the hell outta there.  Tubbo rolled down the window, leaned out and with one final explosive  He lit the kidnappers' engine on fire!

Scarlet made sure to take several back roads, and double backed a few times just to make sure that she wasn’t being followed.  Then she headed straight to her brother's house.  If anyone could help it was Alex.

(Alex’s House)

Scarlet was bound furious!  The Police did absolutely nothing!  They filed it as a prank!  A Prank?!   They thought that someone had set off a firecracker in the dumpster and that’s what caused the dumpster to explode.  There were no traces of the white van and of course the neighbors saw nothing and heard nothing.

The boys were all piled together in one bed in the guest bedroom.  Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo and Michael.  When Ranboo called her, Scarlet immediately knew something was wrong.  She just didn’t think that kidnapping was possible.  Not for someone so young.  The Underground Fighting Ring has been around for years but they usually didn’t take anyone that wasn’t over eighteen!  Scarlet grabbed Michael and put him in the car with her and then she broke about every single traffic law imaginable.

It was a good thing that she got there when she did.  When she saw them trying to take her Runts!  Scarlet saw red.  She didn’t care if she committed Vehicle Manslaughter or not.  No one was kidnapping her Runts and getting away with it!

But now the question was, where to go from here?

“Scarlet, I hate to say it but if Midas did find out about Tommy.  Then he’s going to have to prepare for the worst,” Alex said.  His monotone voice caring throughout the Kitchen.

“I know Alex, I know.”  Scarlet said, sinking into the chair.  Both of them sat in the Kitchen around the Kitchen table with mugs of coffee in hand.  There was no way that Scarlet was going to be able to sleep tonight.  “What do you suggest?”

(The Next Morning)

The next morning all four boys pile into the Kitchen very groggy and grumpy.  Neither one of them got that much sleep.  Well, except for Michael.  He enjoyed the sleepover cuddle pile.  When they walked into the Kitchen they were greeted with a round of pancakes and waffles.  Breakfast was eaten in silence and when everyone finished, Scarlet asked Alex to take Michael into a different room.

“Alright, I think it’s time that we address the elephant in the room,” Scarlet started.  “I’m not mad and I’m very proud of how you boys handled that situation.  But Tommy after a lot of back and forth with my brother on what to do and where to go from here.  I think that he’s right about this.”

Tommy waited with bated breath.  Was this it?  Was this the part where Scarlet says that she can’t have Tommy around?  Was this when Scarlet tells Tommy that he would be moved to a different Foster Home?

“Tommy, you have healing powers and unfortunately you had to find out the hard way that your powers are not only rare, but very valuable.  You need to learn not only the dangers of your powers but also you need to learn how to harness your powers,”  Scarlet explained.

“I have a friend in Hermitcraft City, who like you, Tommy.  Has Healing Powers and is a Healer.  What I’m trying to say is, Tommy, how would you like to become a Healer?”

****

Previous Chapters:

Chapter 1: Head Wound Tumblr Here AO3 Here

Chapter 2: Nuke and Ender Tumblr Here A03 Here

Chapter 3: Some New Faces Tumblr Here AO3 Here

Chapter 4: Some New Places Tumblr Here AO3 Here

Chapter 5: Unexpected Visitors Tumblr Here AO3 Here

Chapter 6: Getting Help Tumblr Here AO3 Here

Chapter 7: Group Home Tumblr Here AO3 Here

Chapter 8: Michael's Birthday Tumblr Here AO3 Here

Chapter 9: Tommy's Healing Power Tumblr Here AO3 Here

Chapter 10: On Patrol Tumblr Here AO3 Here

*****

Tagging: @weirdmixofweirdness, @nightfuryobsessed, @isa-ghost, @septic-dr-schneep, @tracobuttons, @a-humble-narcissus, @ghostsknewmynights, @luna-moonblood, @ashedflower

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

Dark Shenanigans - Nandor x (f)reader

Summary: It’s Nadja’s something hundredth birthday, with that said, you’re on a mission to make it great.

Warning: fluff, general vampire nonsense

Masterlist

“Yeah being a half vampire half human does have its perks. I mean for one I can do all that cool vampire shit and I can go out in the sunlight...so that helps for when they’re all being really annoying.” You admit with a casual shrug to one of the documentary cameras before turning to an isle of party supplies. “So anyways we’re at this store.”

The camera shifts to the multiple arras of supplies and materials at the local supermarket in Staten Island that you and your vampire lover’s human familiar, Guillermo, currently are. Specifically on the hunt for birthday decorations for Nadja and ghost Nadja who’s possessed a strange looking doll for the time being.

Since the other four actual full vampires can’t shop for themselves at this time of day or really in general, you and Guillermo have been given such an honorable task in making Nadja’s birthday the best one yet. Considering she’s the most well balanced in the head out of the four of them and is the only other lady of the manor.

“Hey Y/N, how’s this look?” Wonders Guillermo as he holds up a bunch of Mardi Gras beads of yellows, purples, and greens. “Comments, questions, concerns?” He adds with a small smile.

Eyeing up the beads, your head shifts over to the other various colors, “Hrmm, G I’m feeling the vibe you’re going for this year and I like it, but let’s go with Nadja colors.”

Guillermo’s dark eyes light up at your positive suggestion, “Right! So the red and black ones then?”

“Yup. She’ll love that shit.” You state with a satisfied nod of approval, “Let’s get some black and gold confetti from over there and oh, those masquerade masks look cool as fuck.”

You pick up and test out various masks in the background as Guillermo adds some bits of dialogue for the documentary crew, “Um yeah she’s really cool isn’t she.” He says with a smile while glancing at you then back to the camera, “Which is kind of odd since Y/N’s been with Nandor since 1793 so you’d think she’d be a little more like them but no, she’s super chill and really nice.” Suddenly his face goes a bit serious as he leans in to whisper, “But she did kill a whole street gang once when they threw a slur at me so I wouldn’t mess with her. For your safety.”

The camera pans back over to an oblivious you who’s put on a masquerade mask and is swinging a plastic light saber around with a whole lot more accuracy and grace then would a normal person. The camera then pans back to Gullimero, “Um, I’m just gonna....make sure she doesn’t smack anyone.”

——

Arms full of groceries of food for you and Gullimero, as well as random party decorations for Nadja’s birthday tomorrow night, you use the bottom of your boot to skillfully open the door as the documentary crew and Guillermo follows suit. Guillermo now on the verge of falling over with the large heart shaped pillow in his arms that’s covering most of his body.

You don’t feel tired in the slightest due to your half vampiric abilities so this is nothing to you, “Alright.” You state, turning on your heel to face the crew and Guillermo, “They’re asleep so we gotta be extra sneaky now, I don’t want Nadja catching us with all this cool spooky birthday shit. Everyone to the attic!” You whisper yell before leading the charge to the attic.

They all follow as quietly and as quickly as they can and then soon enough in no time are you and Guillermo back outside in the sunny garden trying to figure out if you should blow up the giant sea monster pool floaty.

“I mean it would look cool as hell and no doubt out-do whatever the fuck boring thing Lazlo probably has planned.” You quip with a shrug while the two of you stare thoughtfully at the small gloomy dark pond. “He’s got no chance with us. I’ve won best decorator and card maker for two hundred years in a row.”

Guillermo side eyes you in honest amazement, “Wow that’s a lot of years. And cards.”

“I know. I was an artist in the 12th century but my no good terrible good for nothing piece of garbage trash sexist human husband, who I was forced to marry when I was only sixteen, took all the credit for my artwork in that era.” You confirm with a growl, “But it stings less because once I finally grew into my powers and strength at eighteen I simply made his untimely demise look like an accident.” You add with a smirk.

“Oh, wow.” Mutters the intrigued familiar.

“Precisely. The old fool was thrown off his horse because I told Philip, the horse, to throw him off. And he did. Which killed the idiot so I got the house and all of his money.”

“That’s......neat.” Mutters Guillermo as he shoots the camera crew from behind you and him a nervous look. “Uh the suns going down so I should probably help Nandor out of his coffin.”

Raising your head to the sky you immediately see how the sun has begun to paint the clouds in beautiful colors of oranges, reds, light pinks, and darkening purples. “Oh, how bout that. Yeah alright let’s get inside.” You nod to Guillermo before turning to walk towards the manor’s giant mahogany doors.

——

Turning the handle and walking a couple feet into the large main room that holds itself as a sort of crossroads for all the other various connecting hallways and staircases. You don’t make it even three more steps towards the left ascending staircase before you hear the highly recognizable voice of your one and only.

“Y/N! My lovely wife and favorite person still ever so lovely!” Announces Nandor loudly with a grand smile showing off his pearly white fangs, “How I have missed you and your morning kisses. Where have you been off to?” He wonders softly as you smile a big dumb love-struck grin right back up at him, you’d absolutely die to hear that accent one last time.

“I can’t tell you right now it’s a secret!” You whisper yell back, causing his thick dark brows to scrunch up in confusion.

“But I am your lovely strong puff dragon Y/N.” Whines Nandor adorably as you roll your eyes at the cameras before looking back up at him.

“Fine. Come here then.”

In an instant he’s at your side, excitedly awaiting what secretive news you will tell him, “Okay, so we know it’s Nadja’s birthday tomorrow right?”

“Yes. I remember because she hasn’t shut up about it.”

“Right. So me and Gullimero got some fun surprise birthday party decorations and they’re in the attic and we can’t tell Nadja.”

Nandor gives you a knowing look of affirmation as he leans in closer to you, his demeanor suddenly shifting into a more saddened one, “You went shopping without me?” He says quietly.

Leaning up to give him a quick peck on the cheek your hands instantly find his, “Just for a little while, but I still need to find more stuff so....you wanna come?”

Nandor’s big dark eyes light up with joy as you hand him a kind smile, “Yes! Let us go in search of unknown treasures for our lady friend Nadja so she will not be mad at us for terrible dull gifts of friendship.”

Laughing you give his hands a playful squeeze, “Come on I’ll race you to Party City!” You say before leading him past the camera crew and Guillermo who simply watches the two of you leave, glad to have an hour of peace.

“There’s a whole city for partying? Y/N why have we never been to this place?”

——

“Y/N there are no people partying here.” Whines your vampire lover in puzzlement as he follows you from the entrance to a side isle. “You said this was a city for partying.”

“That’s just the name of the store Nans.” You retort with a small chuckle as he looks from right to left at all the color coded party plates and napkins galore.

“Well the title is very misleading.”

“Agreed.”

Turning to the right you guide him towards the decretory pirate themed isle in search of something that will peak his interest. Also you wanted so badly to make it to this spot but Gullimero was a man on a mission so your intention was thwarted for when you had Nandor with you.

Speed walking down the pirate themed isle you quickly halt all movement as Nandor’s large body stops within less than an inch from your back. Smiling brightly you snatch the desired object in front of you and as swift as a cat turn to face him.

“Have you come for a dual my old enemy?” You speak slyly, eyes narrowed as you hold the foam sword right in front of his face. “I sense a nervousness about you. Tell me, are you ready to face your inevitable bloody end?”

Staring at the pointy foam, his dark puppy eyes shift over to you as an adorable fangy grin breaks out across his pale face, “Seems you have come prepared, oh radiant and alluring seductress. Well, so have I!” Shouts Nandor before grabbing two foam swords from off the rack and swinging them in both hands like a mad man.

Taking a cautious step back you hold your pathetic five dollar sword in both hands like a true warrior ready for battle, “Only one shall leave this place alive.” You affirm with a smirk, “And it’s not going to be you.”

“Arrrrrggg.” Bellows your lover as he charges you like the true conqueror that he once was. But all to soon do you swiftly duck under his arms and swat him over his stomach with a confident thwack sound.

He makes a puny little “oww” as you turn around to face him once again, “Y/N you hit me kind of hard.” He complains, looking rather defeated and genuinely hurt that you could have intentionally injured him on purpose.

Bringing the plastic weapon down to your side once again, your face suddenly softens as you walk over to him, “Come here you big baby.” You quip sincerely as he leans down so you can give his cheek a quick kiss.

Rising back to his full height, Nandor almost blushes as the corners of his eyes crinkle into a happy smile, “Actually it didn’t hurt at all I just wanted you to kiss me.” Reveals the vampire with a proud grin as you simply roll your eyes.

“Should have known.” You add before turning and snatching up four more plastic foam pirate swords for the others. “Alright let’s get outta here, follow me my love, to the checkout line we shall purchase our weapons of war and partying on the high seas.” You announce with gusto as Nandor stands proudly at your side, ready to follow you anywhere.

“Yes. To check out.”

——

Kicking open the unlocked door, Nandor bursts into the vampire residence with bags full of goodies for Nadja’s birthday party. You right behind him but less dramatically, “We’re back!” You shout to no one in particular as Colin Robinson suddenly appears from out of nowhere, looking ready to leave with his funny little hat and usual beige jacket.

“Oh hey guys,” He starts with a friendly nod, “I’m just heading out on the town tonight. I guess there’s a fair or something in the park and I wanted to test my skill at the ball toss. I’ve been reading up on the body mechanics and how the game is set up which seems pretty basic all in all. Also I really want to win a stuffed bear this time, it might add a little pizazz to my room. Welp see ya’round.” Adds Colin before walking past the two of you without another word and out into the night he goes with some of the camera crew following close behind.

Nandor turns to you with a look of annoyance, “Jeesh I thought he would never leave. Let’s go to your room I want to kiss you some more now.”

“Why my room?”

“Because since you are half vampire you get to sleep in a bed and because I am a full vampire I sleep in a coffin.” Inquires Nandor while looking at you with those big beautiful dark eyes of his, “And my coffin is too small for cuddles so your room will suffice.”

“Yeah that’s a fair point.” You shrug before following him to your room.

After many cuddles leading to other more rated R type activities that lasted until just about sunrise, you finally got some well needed rest while the sun shone high in the sky until she began her dramatic descend back into oblivion. Opening your eyes you slowly rise from out of your comfy bed, already missing the presence of your obsidian eyed lover.

He gets too nervous about your closed windows for fear that the sun might burn him which would be impossible because you black out the glass. But alas, he’s very cautious about these types of things and won’t risk it for anything, though he feels bad about leaving you in the morning, you understand.

Suddenly it dawns on you that today or perhaps tonight, is Nadja’s birthday and you completely forgot to set up any decorations. Shit, how stupid. Throwing the blankets off of you, your feet move quick as you speedily change yesterday’s outfit for something a bit nicer and more clean.

Racing out of your room and into the dimly lit manor hallway, you make a bee line for the attic but before you’re able to reach the steps, Guillermo runs into you, just about knocking you into a wall of various stolen ancient weapons. Sharp ones at that.

That was close.

“Y/N are you okay!” Worries the familiar as you quickly gather your bearings.

“Guillermo! The decorations! Nadja’s birthday!” You whisper yell as the human man simply smiles. “Why are you smiling, this situation does not call for smiles.”

“Don’t worry. While you were sleeping I set up all the decorations.” He replies with a shrug, “No problem.”

“What? But that must have taken you all day, you could have asked me for help. I would have come.” Your brows furrow as he shakes his head, though you still feel bad for not helping with anything.

“Well I did try, but um,” Gullimero awkwardly clears his throat, giving the camera a quick glance, “Nandor was with you and last time I asked for you while you and him where having alone time he threatened to carve out my eyeballs and force feed them to me.”

Pinching the bridge of your nose in annoyance you take a deep breath, “Sounds like him. Very creative when he wants to be, alright, well....where’s everyone?”

“Oh, they’re not up yet. I was actually on my way to get you. I made blood popsicles and the pool floaty is all done and in the pond.” He says with a sense of pride for his decorating skills. “I think she’ll like what we’ve come up with this year.”

-

Standing in the living room with your three fellow immortals you search a dresser for her card, “Oh shit where’s my card? I could have sworn I had it yesterday on my dresser but I don’t remember seeing it there in the morning. Maybe it’s in this one?”

“Witches!” Hisses Nadja as you huff in frustration, where the hell did you put that damn card?

“Oh, Y/N my love,” Intervenes Nandor with a gentle tug of your sleeve, “I took it with me when I left your room before sunrise because I wanted to put my name on it too so she would know it’s from us.”

“What?” Replies Lazlo dramatically, “Now hold on just a damn minute, this card competition is individually scored so I won’t be having any of this nonsense. I worked really hard on mine this year.”

“Oh lick a donkey’s arse, look here,” You retort with, quickly holding up the card for Nadja, “there are two separate drawings on ours so either way if one of us wins she gets both our pictures. So you better hope your drawing doesn’t resemble a night clubs bathroom wall.”

“Yeah.” Mutters Nandor, who’s hiding behind you while resting both hands on either one of your shoulders as you glare at Lazlo.

“Fine.” Agrees Lazlo begrudgingly, “And mine will be amazing, this bitch of paper took me a whole six months to plan and produce. Can’t get quality this good anywhere else I guarantee it.” Adds Lazlo with a firm nod of self approval as you glance at the nearby camera.

“Right, okay everyone sit it’s time for presents. I want to know what you all got me.” Beams Nadja excitedly as she smiles a fangy grin in delight, plopping herself down in one of the arm chairs. Lazlo quickly finding the other one while you and Nandor seat yourself on the large couch. Colin and Guillermo finding somewhere to sit close by respectfully.

“Well, all I can say is hold onto your socks my dear cause this is going to blow you away.” Smirks Lazlo as he pulls a small box from out of his jacket pocket.

“If it’s a self made business card that says invitation to sexy town I will puke.” You deadpan while Nandor laughs from beside you, causing Lazlo to lose his smirk as Nadja hides her amusement the best she can manage.

“He he, sexy town, nice one Y/N.” Mutters Nandor with a proud grin as you raise a brow at Lazlo who’s giving you a hard glare.

“Oh, my dear pumpkin pie love, don’t listen to Y/N I will love anything you gift me.” Encourages Nadja with a bright welcoming smile, no doubt immediately boosting Lazlo’s once irked mood.

Rolling your eyes you shift a bit to find yourself leaning into Nandor’s body as Nadja opens up the rest of the vampire residents various gifts. A joyous fangy smile gracing her pale features every single time, revealing this birthday party was a thrilling success.

After much more fun that just about lasts throughout the whole night, and some rare but hilarious attempts at dancing between the five of you vampiric individuals. You’re feeling rather sleepy and you can tell Nandor is ready for a trip to dreamland as well.

Swaying to the lowly playing record instrumental, you hold Nandor tight while simultaneously enjoying the feeling of him so close, him doing just the same as he keeps you firmly pressed against his chest. His long dark hair tickles your face as he presses his head to your cheek, doing his absolute best to keep the flow without tripping up.

Sensing his growing fatigue, you gently squeeze his hand, “My love the sun will be up soon, let’s get you to bed, yes?”

A small lazy smile tugs at the corners of his lips while he looks down to meet your gaze, “But my dark angel I’m not tired. I want to dance with you a little longer.” He whines adorably before failing to conceal a big yawn.

Giggling, you lean back to slowly lead him towards the door, “That yawn says otherwise.”

“That wasn’t a yawn Y/N, I was just smiling really big.” He protests, though he still follows your lead to the door.

“I’ve never seen anyone smile like that.” You add with a raised brow.

“Well maybe that’s just how I smile.”

Letting out a breathy snort, you pull away from him to at last take his one hand, “Come. I can’t have a single ray of that dreaded sun to get a taste of your precious skin. Not on my watch.”

Glancing at the closed front door, Nandor squeezes your hand, “Well um, now since you’ve mentioned the sun...I think I’d like to go to my crypt now.” He says, the flash of worry crossing over his face for only a brief moment.

“You sure? I mean a sunrise is pretty beautiful if I’m being honest and I know you never get to see them...”

“Not funny Y/N. And not fair, you know I can’t because I am full vampire.”

“And you’re missing out.”

“And I’d like to stay alive Y/N.”

“Aren’t you dead?”

“Yes and I am your only husband so I need to stay not burnt to a crisp.”

Chuckling, you follow him down the hallway, “Oh really? Don’t want me finding myself with another vampiric lover? Some new beast to sweep me off my feet and take me away into the night.” You tease.

Side eyeing you, he frowns, “No. Don’t I sweep you off your feet?”

Stepping into his crypt you stop him with your hand against his bicep, “Always.” You whisper sincerely with a quick wink, causing him to break out into a big fangy grin.

“Good. And if anyone would try and whoo you I would make sure there would be no more whooing again!” Exclaims Nandor, making the candles rise in flame for only a short second at his rise in emotion for how much he loves you.

“I don’t doubt they would fall by your blade. Not for a second.”

[cosplayinamerica]

Spamton from Deltarune : @p4tr1_k

I chose Spamton because I just really like the character, I think he’s really well written and Ppamton Neo is pretty badass. I also just really love Deltarune and Undertale, they’re some of my favorite games. I’ll be honest, I don’t really know much about anime, so I just chose to go as a video game character lol

I put it together using mostly Eva foam and hot glue, this is the fist costume I’ve made mostly by myself (with some help from my brother, who’s more experienced of course). There were different millimeter foams I used, but it was most 8mm for the limbs and spikes and stuff (the wings and chest piece were 12 and 10 however). For the color, I just used spray paint. I made almost all of the patterns myself, but the only pattern I didn’t make was to the mask’s. I bought the pattern for that of Etsy.

Probably the most unusual reaction was the amount of people that recognized me lol. Like, I knew the character was popular, but I didn’t think it would receive as much attention as it did due to the fact that there were barely any other deltarune cosplayers there (I thought that there would’ve been a lot since chapter 2 came out not too long ago, but i only saw like 3 at most)

Since this is my first cosplay, it hasn’t really impacted my life, but I will say it did take up a large portion of my time over the last few months, and it felt weird to just come home and have nothing to worry about or do (I have off of school for a week so I really don’t have anything to do). I do plan to do another cosplay next year though. Just not as big as this one was. Maybe Ghetsis from Pokémon.

The thing about cosplaying is that it’s gonna be harder and more time consuming than you think. Even if you go into it thinking that it will be, it’ll still be more than you expected. It might seem stressful, but honestly in the end, the whole process is pretty fun.

As for Spamton, there were a few parts I was unsatisfied with, and I would touch up if I had more time. But overall I’d say it came out pretty good for my first cosplay lol. I’ll probably make some adjustments to the size of the peices and repaint a little, and wear it next year along with Ghetsis. I think it’d be fun to wear a more casual costume like Ghetsis around the con, and spamton for like an hour at a time. But all in all, being a [[BIG SHOT]] for the weekend was pretty cool, and I’m excited for next year!

https://twitter.com/p4tr1_k

[adhd-disaster-willie]

you’re the one that brings the sun; chapter 2/6

Chapter 1

Warnings: Swearing, mention of death (very brief, not graphic)

Notes: Yes it is six chapters now lmao

---

Alex is one month, 4 breakdowns, and probably $100 worth of coffee (even with his employee discount) into his first semester of college and more than prepared for his daily screaming into a pillow session. He stumbles into his dorm, but comes to a screeching halt as soon as the door closes behind him.

“You’re painting the walls.”

Willies spins around, narrowly avoiding falling off his step stool, and gives Alex a lopsided grin. “Wonderful observation,” he quips, hopping down with a paintbrush still in his hand.

“You- you can’t do that.” Alex gapes at him, dumbfounded.

“Ah, can’t I?” Willie raises his eyebrows, smiling. His cheeks are flushed and his hair has been haphazardly pulled up, flyaways falling to frame his face. Alex shakes himself from his reverie. This is not the time to be admiring Willie, idiot.

“No- that’s… that’s against the rules,” Alex says desperately. “The RA lives like, right next door.”

“He’s colorblind,” Willie reassures Alex. “And a homophobic asshole.”

“He’s- what? I…” Alex runs his hands over his face, breathing in deeply. “Okay. Okay. Uh, why are you painting the walls?”

Willie settles into the couch, humming thoughtfully. “I was working on that one essay but couldn’t focus because-” he waves his hands around his head vaguely, like that’s supposed to explain his thoughts. “-and then I remembered that there was a sale at Home Depot so here we are.”

Alex looks up at the wall, trying to ignore the anxiety clutching at his chest like mistletoe to a tree. It’s fine, it’ll be fine. “Why blue?” His voice comes out much less calm than he’d hoped.

“It’s my favorite color,” Willie replies like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m only painting that one wall anyway, the sale was just for the mini paint buckets. I think a pop of color is nice, y’know?” He jerks his hands in the direction of the wall, grinning.

“You’re gonna have us killed,” Alex states simply. “I’m gonna be expelled and have to crash at Julie’s again and I won’t have a college education and the band is gonna fail and I’ll be uneducated and living on the streets.”

“Woah, hey.” Wille stands up, face knitted with worry. He sets a hand on Alex’s shoulder, steadying him. “Dude, I didn’t know it would freak you out. Shit, uh, I can paint over it. Really, it was stupid and impulsive.”

Alex shakes his head. “No, no it’s fine. It’s just-” In for 4, out for 8, deep breaths Alex. “Just stupid anxiety, I’m overthinking.”

Willie tilts his head to the side slightly. “Yea? You sure you’re cool with it?”

And he really is… cool with it, at least sort of. Apparently there’s an override switch in his brain that makes it so of something makes Willie happy, Alex can’t help but be okay with it. Huh. That’s new.

“Um…” Now that his brain is less foggy, Alex is realizing that Willie is like… really close. “Uh, yea. Just… don’t go painting any murals in the bathroom.”

Willie laughs loudly, throwing his head back and bouncing slightly on his heels. Alex’s gaze rakes over his face, golden sunlight seeping through the window and dancing across Willie’s cheeks. There’s a certain comfort to the way the sun comes through the window each evening. Miraculously, their dorm is positioned in an odd way that gives them a west and east facing window; and the way the light drapes over Willie is different at sunset compared to sunrise. It’s looser, makes him look free and like he keeps the sun right in his pocket, only letting it out when Alex is near. Stupidly, Alex thinks he wouldn’t have much trouble forgiving any future bathroom murals. One month, they’ve known each other for a month and Alex is already waxing poetic about him. He scolds himself internally.

“Tell you what,” Willie starts, stepping back and gesturing vaguely. “I’ll buy you a coffee to make up for it.”

“Dude it’s like 5pm,” Alex reasons, but his resolve is already dwindling at the sight of Willie’s playful grin.

“And? It’s the weekend.” Willie tosses an arm over Alex’s shoulders, sticking his bottom lip out in a dramatic pout. “It’s just coffee.”

“Remind me what happened last time you drank coffee.”

Willie sighs mournfully. “We do not speak of the carnation incident.”

“Right,” Alex chuckles. “Okay. Fine. But no more painting the walls.”

“Aye aye captain!” Willie gives a theatrical salute before waltzing out the door with Alex at his heels.

5:30pm in late September means it’s just chilly enough to wear jeans instead of shorts and just sunny enough to see light slipping through the trees and grass. Willie seems to be a magnet for the sunlight, leading it in a subtle dance as they walk across campus. Alex follows the way his hair sways in the light breeze, painted in a sheet of gold and bronze, like it’s been dipped in a liquid campfire. He wonders if his heartbeat is synced to the rhythm of Willie’s feet, marveling at how each step seems to send a ripple through Alex’s entire body. It’s unfair, the way the evening sun makes everything seem softer and more poetic, and Alex thinks that he could write an entire song about the way Willie glances over at him with a teasing smile. In a- a friend way of course. Because everyone thinks about how beautiful their friends look while walking. Of course.

Willie turns to Alex with his head tilted slightly. His expression is frustratingly unreadable. There’s blue paint brushed across the bridge of his nose and his left cheekbone, like his skin is stained with bits of the sky and Alex has a weird urge to bring his hand up and brush it away, but also a weird desire for that paint to be there forever; it suits Willie. His eyes, shining amber in the light, glance over Alex’s face and Alex feels like he’s being put under a spotlight except Willie’s the only person in the audience. Willie finally speaks his mind, his voice gentle. “Your hair looks golden in this light”

Alex feels his entire face go pink and he almost squeaks “You can’t just say those things!” But his tongue seems to be caught in the back of his throat so he opts for a mortified smile before turning to focus on the sidewalk right ahead of him. Willie doesn’t elaborate, or pressure Alex into responding, and they lapse back into a comfortable silence.

It isn’t until they’re just outside the coffeeshop that Alex comes to what is probably a mildly important realization. Bobby’s working right now. Bobby, Carrie’s cousin who’s known Alex as long as Luke and Reggie have, occasionally plays with the band, and has been involved in too many conversations about a certain long-haired skater. Alex’s stomach fills with an unmistakable dread at this thought.

“Alex? You good?” Willie bumps their shoulders and shoots him a smile that’s soft around the edges. “You can just get tea if you’re that anxious about the coffee.”

“No,” Alex chuckles, attempting to mask his stilted breathing. “It’s fine, coffee’s a good idea anyway. I need to stay up and practice that one horrible drum solo my professor insists I perfect.”

“And you have to do that tonight?”

“Yea, the band has a gig on Sunday so Luke’s probably gonna lock me in the studio to rehearse all of tomorrow.”

Willie giggles bubbily, his eyes squinting in the way that makes Alex’s stomach flip. Alex opens the door and a stupid piece of his mind itches to grab Willie’s hand to pull him in. He doesn’t.

Alex likes his workplace. The lights are warm and drape like a blanket over the building, the walls are decked in posters and paintings and vinyls, the windows are clothed with too many plants to count, and the chairs are the type you can just melt into and fall asleep. If he was still religious, he’d thank god for the fact that he was able to score a job here instead of a stiff, concrete chain store. The place is owned by the sweetest middle-aged lesbian couple who like to bring their cats by and let Alex take home leftover food when he has the closing shift. He likes it, and finding a customer service job Alex enjoys is like finding a needle in a haystack. And yet, his whole body is buzzing with nerves. He loves Bobby, he does, but the boy is just as fond of teasing Alex as Luke and Reggie are, and of course Willie had to pick right now.

Willie’s grinning as soon as he processes his surroundings. “Dude you didn’t tell me this place was so cool!” He grips Alex’s forearm excitedly and Alex’s entire brain just… short circuits. He’s sure Willie’s gushing about the mural on the back wall, because he has the awestruck and giddy expression he always gets when talking about art or skateboarding, but Alex’s brain is not registering a single thing Willie says.

Alex hears a loud and deliberate cough and is swiftly pulled from his mind, realizing three things: He is blatantly staring at Willie with a smile he doesn’t even want to see, Willie is still holding onto his arm and rambling, and Bobby is looking on with an expression that tells Alex that there is most certainly a new picture on his phone that will make for wonderful blackmail material.

“Alex, who could this be?” Bobby asks, and of course he’s the one with a scary good poker face because Alex almost believes that he truly is clueless.

Willie lets go of Alex’s arm, a cruel trick of the light making it look like he’s blushing. He gives Bobby a wave. “That’d be me. I’m Willie, Alex’s roommate.”

“Oh!” Bobby smiles innocently. “The famous Willie!”

“Famous?” Willie cocks an eyebrow at Alex. “You talk about me, hotdog?”

“Hotdog?” Bobby gives Alex an expression identical to Willie’s, but laced with mischief instead of fondness. Alex has an inexplicable urge to flee.

“Let’s just get our drinks,” Alex squeaks, herding Willie up to the counter and sneaking a death glare at Bobby on the way over.

“Hmm, and what’ll that be?” Bobby asks, making a point to plaster on his customer service smile.

“Medium cold brew with cinnamon almond-milk foam for me and a medium green tea for Willie, decaf.”

Willie looks at Alex incredulously. “You know my tea order?”

“It’s- it’s all you drink!” Alex squeaks defensively, picking at the collar of his shirt because when did it get so warm?

Bobby snickers. “Okay, one pretentious-ass cold brew and a horribly boring tea.”

Willie goes to pay, chuckling under his breath.

“Your drinks should be ready shortly, by the way Alex, I like this one,” Bobby snickers.

“Oookay!” Alex blurts, dragging Willie from the counter in hopes that he didn’t hear the last bit of Bobby’s sentence. His cheeks are burning as he directs them to his favorite corner of the shop. There are two chairs nestled in the corner, partially hidden by a rickety bookshelf and a wall of plants that hang down and will occasionally brush against the chair’s occupant. In the mornings, the sun shines through in a way that makes the chairs perfect for curling up like a cat seeking warmth. Alex sinks down into the seat nearest to the wall with a contented sigh and shuts his eyes, humming softly. “This is my favorite chair,” he mutters, eyes still closed.

“Hmm.” Willie’s response sounds odd, so Alex cracks open one eye only to find Willie sat in the chair beside him, elbows on the armrest closest to Alex, his chin resting in his palms. He’s looking at Alex with his lips curled into an almost wistful smile and suddenly Alex feels awfully overwhelmed. “It’s a very nice chair,” Willie says, leaning back to relax his head against the cushion and swinging his legs over the arm rest. Alex almost mourns his gaze, but he quickly shakes that feeling. It’s silly.

A gentle breeze drifts in through the window, which is always open slightly at this time of year, when it’s not too hot and not too cold out. Alex’s nose wrinkles, feeling the plant hanging above his head dance across his face in response to the wind. He hears Willie giggle beside him and he whips around, definitely not pouting. “What?”

“You made a face,” Willie responds, gesturing to his own face and mimicking Alex’s previous expression. “It was cu- it was uh, funny.” Willie goes red for a split second, but Alex writes it off as the heat and is about to ask if he wants the window closed when Bobby comes walking up, drinks in hand.

“I’m obligated by contract to warn you, Willie, that Alex with caffeine past 3 is never a sight you want to behold,” Bobby says, handing them their drinks and pulling up a chair to sit across from them.

“There is no such contract,” Alex protests. “And you’re exaggerating.” He takes a sip of his coffee, glaring at Bobby from behind the cup.

“Maybe not a formal one.” Bobby turns to face Willie now. “Seriously, caffeine at night makes him emotional for some reason.”

“Liar!”

“No dog movies when Alex has coffee at night, he’ll be sobbing for hours, even if the dog lives.”

“Noted,” Willie says, laughing. Alex contemplates kicking Bobby.

“Hey Bobbers, remember that time when you tried jumping an electric fence half naked because you got caught sneaking into a pool at night to impress a girl?”

Bobby blinks, his expression uncaring. “You cannot embarrass me,” he says. “I have no shame whatsoever.”

“Of course you don’t,” Alex grumbles.

“Anyway, as I was saying, Willie-”

“We should get back before dark!” Alex interrupts. He grabs Willie’s hand and all but shoves him from the shop, shouting at Bobby the whole way to prevent him from saying anything more to embarrass him.

Willie looks up at Alex, clearly amused, and they begin the walk back to their dorm. “Bobby seems nice,” He says nonchalantly.

Alex groans loudly. “No, no he’s terrible. He is one of my best friends and I despise him.”

Willie nods, sipping his tea. “Your friends are all pretty cool.”

“Yea… yea they’re great.” Alex pauses, sighing. “I don’t know where I’d be without them. The streets, probably,” Alex snorts bitterly at the last bit. It doesn’t cross his mind that Willie hasn’t been filled in on this. He doesn’t want to get into it. Willie seems to get the hint, brushing the confusion from his face in favor of looking up at the sky.

“I’ve always wished I was better at landscape paintings,” Willie whispers, his tone practically reverent. “Some people can just… capture every detail and emotion in- in sunsets and what-not. And it’s- it’s insane!” He gestures wildly with his hands as he talks, tea threatening to spill everywhere. “I can do abstract just fine, it’s my favorite. But my landscapes are always so… bland. I wish I could paint the feeling behind it as much as the plain details.”

Alex has seen his landscapes, and thinks them far from bland, but he doesn’t say anything. Willie has a way of turning the most horrifically boring pieces into storms of color and emotion, and Alex thinks that each brushstroke holds a piece of his soul. But he keeps his mouth shut.

“The sunset is nice,” Willie says. “I love when the clouds are pink like this. My mom used to-” he laughs nostalgically, remembering something. “-she used to tell me stories about the clouds. They all had their own personalities and lives and families. She would sit at her easel, painting the clouds, and I would be at her feet just… absolutely mesmerized.” There’s a certain shine in Willie’s eyes that Alex hasn’t seen before; it’s bittersweet and sort of disconnected. “And somehow… somehow she could show the cloud’s personalities in the paintings. I wish I could do that. She was the one who made me love art; I remember when I got my first skateboard, I stayed up for hours painting the bottom and I was so proud of it. And after I grew out of it she... she hung it on the wall above the mantel and would tell everyone who saw it how awesome it was”

Willie’s taken on a new demeanor, and Alex realizes this is the first time he’s spoken about his parents. “She seems amazing,” Alex mutters, voice quiet like he’s afraid of breaking something.

“Yea,” Willie replies. “She… she was.” He lets out a shaky breath. Oh. “She was a single mom, I never knew my father, never had the chance to ask about him. She died in a car crash when I was 14, I’ve lived with my uncle Caleb since.”

“Oh. Willie I-”

“It’s fine. I miss her, but it’s been four years y’know? I’m not… shrouded in grief like I used to be.” He gives Alex a genuine smile to prove it, and bumps their shoulder together. “C’mon, we’re almost home.”

Home. Home used to be Luke and Reggie and Julie, now… now Alex isn’t quite sure. College still feels new and different, and he often feels like his doesn’t belong. His dorm doesn’t feel much like home, it feels like a hotel room, like he’s a guest. But Willie… Willie feels more like home than anything in that dorm. Willie and his stupid blue wall and his long rambling and loud laughing. Home is Luke and Reggie and Julie and Willie, and that’s completely and utterly terrifying to Alex.

---

Chapter 3

chapter 4

chapter 5

chapter 6

Notes: This chapter was gonna be longer but I felt like that was a good place to leave off. I hope you liked it :)))

Taglist: @thatsanewflavor @spookiest-sapphic @dovesgrangers @julie-n-phantoms @frostknyte @thegaylink @nervousmiracletrash @crummycassidy @fairygclds @reallyintrospectivepeople @madsmax-37 @swamp-acad @kat-maybe-not @sunsetcurve123 @lookingthroughmirrors @queer-fandom-enby

[novelconcepts]

fic: something to hang on to

When Jamie buys a camera, she isn’t really thinking about it. They’re driving through Virginia, stopped off at a little gas station; Dani’s outside filling the rental Jeep, which puts Jamie on snack-duty. At the counter, she spots a display of disposable cameras and, almost without thinking, adds one to the pile of sugar and caffeine. It isn’t a plan. Isn’t for any particular reason. 

Dani, pawing through the plastic bag of their spoils, raises it from a mess of M&Ms and Pringles and says, “You like photography?” She asks it the way she asks everything, like every little detail she learns about Jamie is another brand-new color added to the shine of the world. Jamie shrugs. 

“Never was much for it, but this brave new land is pretty enough. Don’t mind keeping track of it for later.”

It’s more than that, she thinks as Dani raises the viewfinder to her eye and clicks a photo of Jamie behind the wheel, one hand steering, the other stretching across the center console to rest on Dani’s knee. I almost lost you once, Poppins. Wouldn’t have had anything but my own memory to remember you by. This...this will help. 

Later, much later, years later, Jamie will look back on that moment as one of her wisest. Later, on a bed she can no longer sleep in, holding a thick album between shaking hands, she’ll think some of the most important choices you ever make are split-second recklessness. A camera, tossed in at the last second. A habit, built on nothing more than needing Dani’s smile immortalized. 

Open the album. Take a breath. Flip the page. 

***

A photo: Dani sprawled on a red-and-white beach towel, chin propped on folded arms, gazing out away from the camera as though she has no idea anyone is watching.

They’re with Henry and the kids--the first time they’ve seen the Wingrave family since the events at the house, and, though they don’t know it, one of the last times they’ll see them all together--in Florida. It’s strange, Jamie reflects, watching Miles chase Flora across an endless strip of sand. Strange how much world can fit into one country. England was green, rolling with hill and fog and haunted by things older than any of them can imagine. Florida feels...young, somehow. Too warm, too bright, too perfect on a Saturday afternoon. 

She’s hugging her knees, seated on a blanket with Dani sitting just an inch further away than she’d like. It’s the safe thing, the smart thing, but she misses her--misses the way they sit in hotel rooms and empty bars, knees touching, pinkies overlapping. Dani, in a sundress that matches the blue of her right eye, is laughing as Miles grabs Flora around the middle and tries with all his ten-year-old strength to hoist her off the ground. 

“Miles,” Henry calls, his voice laden with the anxiety of a man who has only just begun learning how to parent. “Miles, be careful--”

“They’re all right,” Jamie interrupts, tossing a handful of warm sand toward Henry’s precarious perch on a plastic chair. "Have you been wound this tight the whole fucking time?”

He looks pained. “You’ll excuse me for never having raised two children before. They’ve been a bit...”

“Precocious?” Dani suggests brightly. 

“Demonic?” Jamie says at the same time. Henry sighs. 

“Adventurous, shall we say, to meet in the middle.”

“They haven’t been...” Dani’s smiling, the way Jamie has grown accustomed to over the last few months: a beautiful smile that never entirely reaches her eyes. It’s the way she smiles when she thinks she needs to wear a mask of stability, when she needs everyone to think she’s doing all right. 

Henry frowns. “Haven’t been what?”

Dani shrugs, looking uncomfortable. “Scared? Having nightmares? I don’t know...”

She’s asking-not-asking about that night, like she told Jamie she wasn’t going to do. They don’t need me bringing it up, she’d said back at the hotel, holding tight to Jamie in a way that said she very much needed to talk about this against her own will. They deserve to just live their lives. 

Henry looks puzzled. “Strange, but no. No nightmares. Flora had a few at the very start, before we left London, but...no. Not since arriving here.”

Dani nods like this is all she wants to hear, and rubs her cheek with one slightly-sunburnt hand, the moment passing into obscurity as Flora shrieks and Miles trips directly into an oncoming wave. It’s all good here, all sunshine and ease of temper, and Jamie watches Henry stand. Brush off shorts that look truly insane set against his pale legs. Go awkward-jogging into the surf to lift a giggling Flora heavenward. 

“They make a fine little family,” she says, pitching her voice so only Dani can hear. Dani nods. There’s a tightness to her mouth that says she’s only half here, only half able to let the sun bake away the shadows. Jamie touches her ankle lightly, wishing they were somewhere less requiring of distance. 

“I’m all right,” Dani says. Not a lie of intent, at least, though Jamie suspects it’s more that she wants to be all right. She watches Dani roll onto her front, eyes on the endless ocean, the children tumbling around in its gentle grasp, the man doing his best to keep up. 

Could watch her forever, Jamie thinks, knowing it’s far too early to say something so catastrophically huge. She’s been having these thoughts more and more, wild notions of turning this brand-new adventure with Dani into a lifetime event. It turns a key somewhere deep within her chest, some far-off engine making a deep rumbling sound that sends her tripping toward a very real, very powerful feeling of terror. 

Her hand slips toward the bag of sunscreen, paperback novels, sliced oranges. A camera, small and yellow and used mainly in moments like this one, emerges. Dani never notices as she brings it to her eye, frames Dani’s blonde ponytail and sun-pink skin, snaps a photo. 

Later, when the pictures are developed and spread out across a hotel bedspread, shots of Miles with an orange-peel grin and Flora standing before a monster of a sandcastle intercut with Dani’s far-off pensive expression, Dani will touch the print. Lingeringly, fingers trembling just the slightest bit.

“Why this one?”

Because I loved you more than words could capture, Jamie will know it’s far too early to say. It’d be reckless. It’d be testing the bounds of something still fragile, still one-day-at-a-time hopeful. 

“Why not?” she’ll say, and tuck the photo safely back into its sleeve. 

***

A photo: Jamie and Dani, backs to the freshly painted Leafling sign, standing carefully apart with shoulders back and a small bouquet of flowers clutched in Dani’s hands.

They keep to themselves, mainly, but some of the nearby shopkeepers have been kind as The Leafling goes from mad late-night concept to brick-and-mortar reality. They bring welcome-to-the-block plants and casseroles that are mostly-edible, and Dani accepts each one with true Midwestern courtesy. Jamie leans back, watches the art of neighborly behavior being painted before her eyes: older women who compliment Dani on her earrings, young men bullied into helping move heavy boxes into storage by their mothers. Dani, in the middle of it all, wearing a soft pastel sweater and a smile that has finally remembered its own strength. 

She wasn’t sure how this would go, if Jamie’s honest about it. She’s been telling Dani not to worry for weeks, telling Dani they don’t need to know much about a business to run this one. I grow, you arrange, we make out like bandits with all the nice Americans who value pretty things. It’ll be perfect, Poppins. She’s been saying it, and she thinks she even believes her own words most of the time, but there have been dreams. Anxiety running its red thread through her sleep, telling her she has no skill in this arena, no education to speak of, no idea how to survive in American business while hiding her relationship with her “business partner”. 

The day the shop finally opens, Jamie has been saying “it’s going to be great” for so long, she almost surprises herself by rushing into the bathroom and vomiting into the toilet. Dani, expression warm and just the tiniest bit teasing, leans against the doorframe.

“You all right?”

“Perfect,” Jamie gasps, staggering to the sink and thrusting a toothbrush into her mouth. “Jus’ great.”

“Too late to turn back now,” Dani points out. “What would we do with all the business cards?”

Jamie groans, spitting mint foam and rinsing out her mouth. “You could show just the slightest bit less glee, Poppins. I’ve just run us into a brick wall of imminent failure.”

Dani laughs, coming up behind her to hug her tight around the middle. “We should probably at least unlock the doors for the first time before you decide it’s time to shutter them again.”

She’s good today, Jamie senses--not the fake-good where she tries her best to pretend she isn’t listening for some deep-down movement Jamie can’t register, but truly happy. Her body is relaxed, her hands certain as she tips Jamie’s cheek and kisses her calm. 

“How,” Jamie gasps when they break, “are you not out of your bloody mind right now?”

Dani shrugs. “It’s like the first day of school. Spend all summer planning and worrying, but now it’s happening. Just gotta jump in.”

There are already people waiting when they arrive, to Jamie’s mingled horror and delight. Most of them are their fellow shopkeepers, waiting with the brilliant smiles of people who have already lived this particular nightmare themselves, and just want to pay forward the relief of customers actually turning up. They’re kind, these people--they don’t know Jamie in the least, don’t have the first idea what shadows lurk behind Dani’s eyes, but they take their hands, squeeze, and congratulate them all the same. Jamie thinks they even mean it, most of them. Americans are complicated, boisterous, scandalous people--but they can have such heart. 

One woman, old enough to be Jamie’s grandmother, presses a bouquet of peonies against Dani’s chest. “For luck,” she says croakily, patting Dani’s cheek like she’s known her since Dani was three feet tall. “Dry ‘em, hang ‘em somewhere in the back. Remember we’re all rooting for you.”

“Rooting,” a man who owns a nearby pizzeria hoots. “Good one, Carol!”

Jamie almost rolls her eyes, but Dani is beaming. When the others make flapping get in front of the sign gestures, they can’t help but obey, standing with a perfectly-maintained half-person between their shoulders. She wants so badly to reach over, to take Dani’s hand, to kiss her with all the terror and relief she’d never known she could feel at once. Instead, she smiles as professionally as she knows how for the camera someone produces. It’s enough.

Later, tapping a finger against the print the photographer drops on their counter, Jamie says, “Look like I want to pass out.”

Dani glances toward the window, takes note of the empty street, presses a quick kiss to her cheek. “I’d have caught you.”

***

A photo: Jamie, sitting just behind Dani on a plush couch, arm wrapped around her waist, cheek pressed to flyaway blonde hair. Dani, grinning her widest, cheesiest grin, leaning back like she knows there is no world in which Jamie would ever let her fall.

There are parties, occasionally--usually thrown by other under-the-radar couples they get along with well enough for drinks, not so much that they truly build relationships. They like the quiet life, the two-person road trips, the easy silence after a long day. But, sometimes, life is grand and big and loud, and on those nights, they venture out into the world.

There are a pair of men maybe five years their senior who have been together for “a decade”, if you ask Mike, “a century”, if it’s Paul telling the tale. They’re good people, and their home is a safe space Jamie doesn’t anticipate finding. 

Friends are hard, she thinks. Always were, but they’re so much harder once you’ve lost a couple.

Still: when Mike and Paul are set to celebrate a round ten years together (”An eternity,” Paul clarifies, leaning against the Leafling counter to invite them over), they go. Dani wants to, and it’s good seeing Dani want things like this. It’s been almost a year together, almost a year of exploring the map and one another, and Dani’s been getting softer around the edges, less prone to jumping at shadows. The Dani Clayton of a year ago wouldn’t want to attend parties, lest the beast inside leap while her guard is lowered; the Dani Clayton of tonight is holding up a dark green dress, brow furrowed. 

“Too much?”

Jamie hums a moment to buy herself time. “Depends.”

“On?”

“Whether you’d like to actually leave the house tonight.” Jamie wiggles her eyebrows, buttoning a black shirt and searching for a good pair of suspenders. Dani laughs. 

“I think you can keep your hands to yourself for a few hours.”

“You,” Jamie points out, sidling up behind her and kissing her neck, “have always had entirely too much faith in me, Poppins.”

Dani is, however, a woman of her word when it comes to accepting social invitations, and soon they’re sitting on an exceptionally soft couch in an exceptionally loud living room. Jamie glances around, reading the environment, registering the two women holding hands by the coffee table, the men dancing near the kitchen, the way even the male-female pairs seem not to see anything odd. Mike and Paul have been doing this a long time. This is as safe a space as their own home. 

She likes the way Dani relaxes, a little more with every drink tucked into her hand, a little more with a lit cigarette pulled from Jamie’s, a little more still when Mike nudges her and mutters, “Your girl looks good tonight, Clayton.”

She likes, most of all, the way Dani doesn’t flinch away when a Polaroid comes out. These are good people, brave people, smart people. If there are photos taken tonight, they will be pressed straight into the hands of their subjects, gifted away before the chemicals have even processed. 

Dani presses back against her, seated on her lap, laughing at some joke Jamie hasn’t really been paying attention to. She’s too busy watching Dani’s profile, the way her head tips back when she’s really laughing, too hard to care what she looks like. Too busy reveling in how it feels to hold Dani in a setting so much more public than usual, her fingers stroking the soft material of Dani’s dress, her body burning and the most comfortable it’s ever been. 

Later, with the Polaroid on the nightstand, the green dress on the floor, and a sheet tucked up against the fall chill, Dani says, “We should do that more.”

Jamie chuckles against her shoulder, kissing a patch of freckles. “This?”

“Yes.” Dani wriggles a little, giggling. “But also that.” She’s gesturing to the photo, propped between a lamp and copy of some old Shirley Jackson novel. “It was nice, wasn’t it? Not...”

“Hiding,” Jamie supplies. Dani makes a humming noise soft in her throat. 

“I like not hiding you.”

***

A photo: Dani, eyes dark with a smolder only Jamie ever sees, a cigarette between her lips, hair loose around her shoulders. 

Nights spent home with Dani, nights where there are no groceries to pick up, no accounting to be done, no errands waiting to be noticed, are Jamie’s absolute favorite thing in the world. There’s just something about this sense of home they’ve been building together, this sense of locked door and secured window and no one else invited to partake that gets Jamie the way nothing else does. 

Especially Dani. Dani at home is less reserved, less careful. With every month that passes quietly, no sign of anything but her own mind, Dani gets a little less tight. A little less prone to gazing off into the middle distance. A little less likely to disappear from an otherwise-normal conversation, emerging several minutes later like she’s pulling herself out of a dream.

And, some nights, she’s not just here--she’s utterly present, every atom of her tuned to Jamie like they have no need of space between them, no need of separation. These nights, the nights where Dani strides into the room on a mission, are Jamie’s favorite of all. 

“Why,” Dani says, leaning back in a kitchen chair with legs spread and head tilted to exhale smoke toward the ceiling, “are you looking at me like that?”

“Me?” Jamie teases. “You’re the one gazing at me like I’m some terribly interesting new buffet.”

She’s half-joking, but there’s something about the way Dani looks at her on this very particular sort of night, with every line of her body tuned toward Jamie’s, that makes her feel a stupid kind of brave. A reckless kind of excitement unwinds outward, until her fingertips itch to grab at Dani’s hair, her knees weak with the desire to pull Dani close. 

She’s doing it now, smoking that cigarette with all the languid energy of a woman perfectly at home, watching Jamie with a faint smirk playing around her lips. No one else sees that smirk, Jamie understands, and it makes her a little faint every time she thinks it. To have something of Dani, some integral comfortable part of Dani that belongs solely to their apartment, their life together, is still a good fortune Jamie can’t entirely parse out. 

Her hand moves toward the camera, small and plastic and containing some of the best memories of Dani she desperately needs to keep. Dani lets her snap off a shot, shakes her head when Jamie lowers the camera.

“That’s going to be one of yours.”

She says it every time Jamie tries to capture the white-hot energy of this kind of evening. Dani doesn’t like to see herself through this particular lens, gets fidgety and embarrassed at the sight of her own face etched with such a confident hunger. Jamie asked the first time if Dani wanted her to stop taking the photos altogether, and Dani had shaken her head.

“I don’t mind. But they’re yours, okay?”

She sets the camera aside, moving to take the cigarette out of Dani’s hand, taking a long drag and dropping it in an ashtray. The rest doesn’t need anything in the way--no lens, no embarrassment, nothing but the way Dani’s mouth opens beneath hers, hands already roaming. The rest is not Jamie’s, but theirs, a joint ownership of soft moans and soft skin and soft assurances that this is still, always, home. 

Later, with Dani asleep, one hand thrown loosely over Jamie’s hip, Jamie will look at the photos that are hers and hers alone. Dani, mouth wet and swollen from a night spent confined to their bedroom around their anniversary. Dani, grinning and half-asleep, glancing over her shoulder to coax Jamie into putting the camera down, joining her among the blankets. Dani, smoke-haze around her face, wine glass in her hand, looking just past the camera at Jamie’s own desire. 

Dani’s choice to share a life with her, Dani’s decision to share every inch of herself with Jamie, is more than Jamie feels anyone deserves. 

***

A photo: Dani in front of the Eiffel Tower, sunglasses on, arms spread wide.

A photo: Dani kneeling at the Grand Canyon, gesturing bewilderment at the sheer scope of the place.

A photo: Dani standing before the alleged largest ball of twine in the world, looking rather like she regrets letting Jamie pick the destination this time.

They travel until Dani can’t stomach it anymore, can’t take the uncertainty of unknown roads and unmapped hotel beds--but, first, years of travel. Years of postcards and rental cars, of Jamie turning maps upside down and Dani being shockingly savvy in small-town situations. 

These photos, more than any other, feel like they have to be taken for someone else’s idea of posterity, and Jamie feels a little strange, at first. Dani’s already seen much of Europe by the time they meet, and has no photos whatsoever to show for it. Jamie, who started turning up in photos for the first time as an adult, says, “It’ll be good to show ‘em off,” while never quite bringing herself to the edge of an unspoken follow-up question: to whom, exactly? It isn’t as though she and Dani are having children, isn’t as though there will be grandkids tottering around down the line to tune out their stories. Who, exactly, are these mementos for?

Dani is far too kind, far too pragmatic, to put the question to her. Dani only poses, grins, lets Jamie take all the pictures she wants, and then--camera tucked safely away once more--grabs Jamie’s hands and leads her into living it: the food, the outdoor markets, the snowstorms, the sun-kissed hikes. As the years go by, Jamie takes more and more photos, never quite able to explain to herself why it’s so critical. Never quite able to look away when Dani finally covers the lens with one hand and brings her close, kissing her like it’s the first time. 

They stop looking at these photos together, after a while. Stop trying so hard to go back, as the days grow shorter and the exhaustion begins to steal the warmth from Dani’s smile. At first, it’s about moving forward--always one foot in front of the other. At first, every photo taken is set aside as a gift to another life. And then, finally, it’s about the moment they’re in, nothing more. Jamie sets the camera on a shelf. Refuses to look at Dani through any barrier but her own two eyes. Dani doesn’t like the snap-click of the camera anymore, anyway--each time, she flinches, like Jamie is about to show her a glimpse of whatever horror she’s been seeing in the mirror. 

I only see you, Jamie promises, the ache in her chest so great, she’s sure it will swallow them both. But Dani can’t bring herself to look. Can’t bring herself, just in case Jamie is wrong. 

Later--so much later, with eyes stinging and arms empty--she flips through the album and remembers Spain, California, Minnesota, Greece. Later, she finds Dani sticking her tongue out, spinning like a deranged nun out of musical, sitting quietly in a cafe with a small cup of coffee warming her hands. Dani, stiff-shouldered and trying not to laugh as Jamie made faces the one time they ever ventured back to Iowa. Dani, hair blowing back into her face, arms looped around Jamie at a terrifying, exhilarating first Pride parade. 

And, in the back, the photos of Dani as only Jamie knew her. The sly grin a second before pinning Jamie to the couch. The sweet surprise from Jamie coming home early with dinner. Shot after shot of no make-up, or smudged eyeliner, or ruined lipstick, of Dani in pajamas on Christmas, or Dani in bed after a shower, or Dani laughing herself silly at nothing Jamie can remember now. 

They’re all here, and they’re all Dani--all of Dani Jamie’s got left now--and still, they’re wrong. They sit, plastic and unyielding, beneath flimsy protective sheets, and they don’t laugh like Dani, don’t breathe out against her skin like Dani, don’t smell like Dani’s shampoo or swear like Dani tripping over a shoe in the dark or look at her with that solid, palpable love like Dani did and should still and never will again. 

Jamie sits, album in her lap, staring down at Dani with paint smudged on her cheek and their then-new bedroom behind her, and suddenly can’t remember how to breathe. Had she known? Somewhere in the back of her mind that day in a gas station, picking up a little yellow disposable camera, had she known that one day, this would be all she had left of Dani? Surely not. Surely, she hadn’t believed it would go this way, all the way back then. Surely, it was one day at a time, and we’ll have time, and any day with you, Poppins. 

Had she known? No. No, of course she hadn’t.

And yet, the idea of not having these in front of her--the idea of Dani’s face slowly, surely, washing away over time as Jamie fails to find her in a world so uncompromisingly cruel...

She touches a shot of Dani with her left hand covering her mouth, her ring gleaming gold against her smile, the day the state had legalized civil unions. Dani as gold as sunshine, in one of the last truly clean moments, before old ghost stories dug rotting fingers into their life. Her vision grays, her head suddenly too heavy to hold up. 

She hadn’t known. But she’s glad. She’s glad she has, at least, this much to hang on to.

[author-of-worlds]

If you can, can you do one with Vien and Sky? I was gonna write one myself until I realized that they haven’t interacted in a hot sec and I don’t really know how any interactions now would go between them-

Withdrawal from the club was something Vien did periodically, but it was never this bad, or this charged. Normally she came in, did a bunch of missions and training, vanished for a bit, then came back again. And sure, Sky wasn’t keeping up with Vien’s habits too much these days, but they knew enough to know that this was a consistent thing that happened. Whatever Vien was doing right now though? It was… different.

Ever since the Summit, Vien had been off, something that Sky truly did understand. That was her voice after all, and she’d never lost one before. This was her first time losing a voice, not to mention the way it’d all gone down… but it was still strange, sort of. She busied herself and didn’t talk to many people, then had a small break period. Easy. But she just seemed different for some reason. A little less anxious… more… apathetic. Kind of. Or maybe that was just what they could pick up. After all, they knew that Vien did have their problems with them, and they’d recently added more to the list. That was why Sky was looking to find her.

Having gotten wind of Vien’s current solo mission, Sky had prepared to intercept the kid at some point while she was out and about. Vien was, at least usually, very quiet, so getting the shape out wasn’t something they figured they’d have to worry about. Well, they could always foam some lucids and get the shape out themselves, but this was the time for an apology, not for chaos. Not right now at least. So they waited, doing what they could to preoccupy themselves until they heard the faint sound of a window opening. Ah! That was the kid they were looking for! TMC mask, tank top, lavender pink jeans… there she was! I mean it did take them a minute to realize it was her at first, but the TMC mask was a dead giveaway. And, what proved to be even more of a giveaway was when Vien approached.

“Sky?” As Vien approached, she removed her mask, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sight of her former group mate. “What’re your doing here? I’m kinda in the middle of something.”

“Vien!” Smiling a bit, they got to their feet, doing their best to try and steel their nerves as they tried to study her reactions. “I uh… Well normally I’d say I’m here to help, because data tap’s a big mission and you usually need all the help you can get with eating those laptops, but that’s… not why I’m here!” Nailed it!

Unfortunately, Vien didn’t look all that impressed. “…Why’re you here then?” she asked, confused. But Sky, after a moment of fidgeting, was able to give her an answer.

“…I’m mostly here to apologize for all of the stuff I did… I know you were really mad about the arson, and I also know you’re usually big on not hurting the stalkers if we can help it… plus probably some other stuff? I don’t fully remember-“ Sky couldn’t have done that much, could they? It was hard to tell, what with how long it had been. “I’ve got a new roommate now, and they’ve been super helpful with getting me on the right track. Them and Jinx, but I figured you may want an apology since… I didn’t really want to upset you.”

Sky then let those words hang in their air a bit, the kid trying to sneak a few glances at her face, but it was… difficult. They were nervous, incredibly so. Was it just them, or were tensions rising? It was hard to tell, and it didn’t help that they were finding it hard to make eye contact. But eventually, they did get a better look at her face, and it was… not a great expression. Oh dear.

“…This is gonna sound mean, my dude, but sorry doesn’t cut it this time,” Vien started. “The stalker debacle was a fucking mess. Yes, I was there to read and respond to that. I don’t know if Jinx showed you or just painted me and everyone else to be villains, but I did hear about that and I was pissed that you let things get that far. Granted I wasn’t as angry about it at first; I was mostly concerned as all hell for that kid, but Jinx’s bullshit sure did piss me off, and no, I’m not accepting an apology from them either. You I can work with. Jinx? No. Nada. I ain’t doing that shit. The second anyone gets all up in my face and calls me ungrateful for being fucking concerned, I’m out.

“But that’s that bullshit. The fucking recent bullshit you did? That’s what’s got me fucking mad. What the hell were you thinking?!” Vien’s voice immediately rose at this topic, causing Sky to flinch and shrink back a bit as she continued. “I know you didn’t set the fire, but you really decided to help out without a second thought, huh! Just fucking fuel Milo’s pyromania and expect it to not get out of control?! To not do any sort of damage at all?! What the hell dude!”

At this rate, Sky had shrunk back completely, no longer really knowing what to expect from Vien. They’d seen her angry before, but Vien almost looked like she was losing it. Almost. But after that tirade, after the string of grievances, Vien seemed to finally, finally, calm down.

Letting out a sigh, Vien shook her head, the kid pacing just a little bit in place. “…Sky, I don’t hate you, and I need you to understand that, but god you’re fucking reckless sometimes. You and Milo both. And at this rate I don’t think I can fully be around you anymore without getting angry or having a heart attack.”

That was calmer. That was better, but… it didn’t stop them from being unable to speak. Getting yelled at was not something they could fully handle, even after all this time spent away from their family. It just wasn’t something they were equipped for, and normally it lead to either a shutdown or an outburst. This time though, it was a shutdown, because even though Sky was sorry, they knew very well that this was just… they couldn’t expect everyone to forgive them, and Vien… didn’t seem to be able to. Not now.

As silence hung in the air once more, the two kids simply stood by, Vien waiting for a response and Sky waiting for Vien to either leave or maybe even keep going. But, when Vien realized what was happening, she did speak up again, her expression softening just a tad before she slid her book bag off her shoulders. “…Sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. But I do think my points still stand. Sundown’s approaching, and we can’t have this level of recklessness when we go save Bells.”

Book bag on the ground, Vien knelt down and began fishing through it, eventually pulling out a couple candy bars and a bag of chips before standing up and holding them out to Sky. “…I know that sounds like a shit apology though, so I’m hoping this makes up for it for now… If you’re wondering if it’s safe to talk to me still, I mean… I don’t plan on sticking around much longer if I’m being honest. Got a little escape plan, and I’m getting the hell out of dodge. I hope you have one too, you and Milo. And hey, maybe we’ll meet again on the outside. But if not… just know that I don’t hate you. I’m just… It’s a fucking mess man. Everything’s a mess.”

As she continued to hold out the snacks, eventually, Sky did take them, the kid placing them inside their own bag, though they still didn’t respond to Vien. But that was okay. Vien seemed to get it, at least a little bit. And so, with a nod, the girl slung her backpack back on and began to head back to her mission. “Good luck.”

[rawiswhore]

Various WCW, WWF, and ECW Wrestlers x Fem Reader- “I Touch Myself”

I actually originally planned on typing and posting this fanfic on Sunday, but Wrestlemania was on that day, and I wondered if I should type a fanfic set at Wrestlemania or what I originally planned on typing, so I typed and posted a fanfic set at Wrestlemania instead.

Also, I typed this fanfic yesterday and wanted to post it yesterday, but didn't have time to finish it, so I'm posting it today.

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In 1996 and 1997, a wrestling company known as WCW had higher ratings than the WWF, and the WWF was once the most popular wrestling company in the world, and even still is today now known as the WWE.

You had signed with the WWF in 1996, and one of the rules you had under their contract is that you weren't allowed to work for other wrestling companies, which was so lame.

You've seen some of WCW, and some of the wrestlers over in WCW are hot and sexy.

You wish you could hook up with some of the hotties over in WCW, but sadly, you can't.

Lousy contract.

So what can you do?

Simple, and I'll explain it later.

When the summer of 1997 was almost over, you were lying in bed one night in a hotel room, with all of the lights in the room turned off.

You thought about how hot some of those men in WCW were and what you wish you could do with them if you were with them.

You had shut your eyes, though you're trying to not fall asleep, and one of your hands had slipped down your thong panties and the pads of your fingers had touched your vulva.

You started picturing and fantasizing about a wrestler in WCW that many people probably have never even heard of, and the reason why is because he was never pushed that much and was booked as a "jobber": someone who makes another wrestler look good, and that wrestler is Jim Powers.

What a cookie cutter sounding wrestling name.

Despite that corny wrestling moniker, Jim Powers is really hot and sexy, so hot, there was even a WCW moment involving him, an Ultimate Warrior knockoff named the Renegade who had ditched his face paint and fried, crunchy hair, a wrestler named Joe Gomez and a skinny twinkish wrestler called Alex Wright walking on the beach together and taking their shirts off.

This moment was obvious fan service for some of the women watching WCW.

When you fantasized about Jim Powers that night, you fantasized of him wrapping his huge, muscular arms embracing you and pulling you close to his chest, and you had lifted your hands and wrapped your fingers atop of his biceps and gently squeezed them.

His biceps were rock hard, and that wasn't the only thing that was rock hard on him (winkwinknudgenudge).

Jim isn't the only hot one in WCW.

One of the more popular wrestlers that was in the biggest, most notorious wrestling faction in WCW; the wrestling faction that would increase WCW's ratings, was Scott Hall, who used to play Razor Ramon in the WWF.

Scott was even hotter in WCW than in the WWF as Razor Ramon, and he'd get even sexier as the 90's were coming to a close.

Scott Hall/Razor Ramon is known for having a very hairy chest, and your brain switched to now thinking about yourself in front of Scott Hall with your face buried in his chest hair, while Jim Powers was standing behind you and had his massive, strong arms wrapped around your waist.

As you were fantasizing about this, the tips and pads of your fingers started gently caressing and stroking vertically up and down your clitoris.

The tip of your finger scratched your clit underneath your clitoral hood, trying to make sure you feel something, and you felt a slight little tickle under that hood.

Rubbing your clitoris isn't the only thing you can rub on your body to make you feel good.

Your other hand slipped underneath your oversized T-shirt you slept in tonight and let the pads and tips of your fingers touch your stomach, where you began to vertically slide and elevate those fingers up your torso.

As you slid your fingers up your flesh, you fantasized about that scenario with your face buried in Scott Hall's chest while Jim Powers was behind you with his arms wrapped around you.

Blood is already rushing to your clitoris fantasizing about this, swelling your clit up and making you even hornier.

Room for one more, honey.

There's another wrestler in WCW who had gotten even sexier when he ditched the face paint, messy hair and even the Ultimate Warrior knockoff gimmick, and that wrestler is the aforementioned Renegade.

The hottest the Renegade ever looked was probably in 1996, before he grew facial hair, so you imagined the way the Renegade looked that year, where, while you have Scott Hall in front of you and Jim Powers behind you, the Renegade is on one of your sides, wrapping his massive, huge muscles around your waist, but not squeezing and hugging onto you too tight.

It's like you're trapped and can't be released from these hot men all over you, but you want this.

It's also almost like these men are shielding and protecting you.

It feels good when you take your clothes off and the air is all over your skin, maybe you can undress tonight and masturbate naked.

These little fantasies are tame and mild, so you decided to make your fantasies get a little bit naughtier.

Lex Luger has crossed over to WCW during the late 90's, and for those who don't know, Lex Luger was promoted by the WWF in 1993/1994 to be the next Hulk Hogan and the next face of the company since Hogan left, and they turned Lex's character into a patriotic, all American hero, except Lex didn't have any of Hogan's charisma and audiences didn't really click with Lex.

Lex eventually joined WCW by the end of 1995, and he actually was kind of sexy.

Lex's body, even during his days in the WWF, was always glazed and slathered in baby oil, and your mind had abandoned the thought of Scott, Jim and the Renegade all around you and switched over to just Lex.

You imagined being with Lex the way he looked in 1996/1997 with his hair hanging down and not wearing a shirt, and you imagined one of your hands caressing baby oil vertically up and down his torso, your palm and fingers feeling the ripples of his muscles on his torso.

You didn't just imagine caressing baby oil on his torso, but also sliding it up and down across his arms as well.

He, meanwhile, is just staring at your hand caressing that baby oil on his body, the baby oil making his body shinier.

Baby oil isn't the only thing that can make someone's skin shinier, and so your mind thought of something else.

This time, your mind began to think of him the way he looked in 1996 and 1997, his hair hanging down and not tied back in a ponytail, his body is stark naked with not a single stitch of clothes on him.

You pictured that Lex in a locker room's shower, where the floor is white little tiles, and you were fantasizing that you were naked in that shower with him, where your hand was caressing and stroking his body with body wash while he stood under a showerhead, the water pouring and washing away the foamy wash off of his washboard abdomen.

When the body wash had evaporated and disappeared off of his abs and trickled down his legs, his abdomen looked shinier, like you had smeared baby oil on his abs.

You didn't just rub his abs with that body wash, but his pecs as well, where, of course, the water had rinsed the foam off of them, his pectoral muscles looking shiny under the buzzing lights on the ceiling.

Lex doesn't really look all that hot with wet hair though, and to be honest, Lex isn't really that sexy or hot of a wrestler.

As you fantasized about Lex, your fingers, especially the pads and tips of them, were crawling up your skin to your breasts, you felt these cold little tingles while your fingers brushed up your skin.

If you had any body hair on your legs and even arms, you're pretty sure the hair on your body would stand up over the sharp feel of your fingers caressing your skin.

Rushes are transmitting to your areolas whilst your fingers elevate up your flesh.

Honestly, these fantasies involving Lex Luger are a bit too tame for your taste, now to go all out wild, what you really want.

Your brain switched to thinking about something else.

This time, you fantasized about a sauna or steam room, and inside that steam room was WCW alumni Scott Hall, the Renegade circa 1996 with his hair hanging down, Jim Powers, Lex Luger circa 1996/1997, Scotty Riggs without facial hair (looking how he did during the last months of '97), Eric Bischoff in January of '97, Joe Gomez, Raven (who just joined the roster and left ECW), Stevie Richards without facial hair, the blond one in this WCW duo called High Voltage, Chris Benoit (yes, THAT Chris Benoit, before he, well y'know...), and maybe even Chris Jericho.

They're not the only ones in this steam room, so is some of the WWF roster: Shawn Michaels, Hunter Hearst Helmsley with his hair hanging down, Billy Gunn/RockaBilly with blond hair, Jeff Hardy, Leif Cassidy without facial hair, Marty Jannetty, Brian Pillman in late 1996, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Scott Putski without facial hair, Scott Taylor, Brian Christopher, and these Hispanic wrestlers named Heavy Metal, Hector Garza, Latin Lover and Pierroth without his mask and hair tied back in a ponytail.

You could probably even invite Thurman "Sparky" Plugg in late 1996 and Jeff Jarrett in early 1996 in this fantasy too, though you feel embarrassed to put them in there.

Finally, one wrestling icon you're putting in this fantasy is Rowdy Roddy Piper in during the late 80's and early 90's, when he had long hair and didn't have bangs.

He is kinda cute with long hair.

All of these aforementioned men were sitting in this sauna stark naked with nothing but a towel wrapped around their waists, hiding their genitals, and you entered the sauna, where you were the only girl in that sauna.

You had shed your towel off of your body, revealing you weren't wearing anything under that towel, showing your nude body off in front of them.

After they made some silly wolf whistles at you and had ear-to-ear smiles spreading across their faces, you walked up to these wrestlers and approached them, where they all disrobed themselves and it lead to you getting gangbanged, and you don't mean gangbanged as in being shot with guns, at least not the literal definition of a gun.

Though, how is that even possible?

What can you do if you're gangbanged by 30 men?

Well, you could ride these men's dicks one by one, but that's not really a gangbang, more like running a train.

You could ride one of their dicks while you're sucking on another dick and masturbating 2 other cocks in front of your face while 2 other wrestlers are rubbing the tips and heads of their penises in circles on your areolas and jerking their cocks off, while several other wrestlers are jerking off in front of your face and your hands sometimes take turns to crank up and down their shafts, masturbating them, as well as taking turns to suck on their cocks as well, and each wrestler in that sauna all gets a turn to do that or have that happen to them.

You've had a gangbang like that in the summer of '97, where wrestlers from the WWF and WCW had exercised at the same gym, and you invited the sexiest wrestlers in the WWF to the locker room of a gym, where you had this gangbang with them, and after they had all jizzed, you let who you thought were the sexiest men in WCW to do the same gangbang these WWF men did, and after they jizzed, the last ones you let do the same aforementioned gangbang to you were some other hot men from the WWF.

In fact, those hot men from WCW you had a gangbang with are some of the same men you're fantasizing about tonight.

That was one of the happiest and best days of your life, and probably their lives as well.

That was probably the only time, for now, anyway, where these men from WCW had sex with you.

Either way, you were trying to fantasize about getting gangbanged by the hottest men from the WWF, WCW and even a few hotties from ECW as well in a sauna.

While you tried to fantasize about this, your fingers had reached one of your nipples, which had become erect, and you love the feel of your nipples being rubbed and tweaked, you love that feeling even more than having your clit rubbed.

Thank God you're fantasizing about this at the right time, and the pads of your fingers at your nipple began to rub horizontally left and right, back and forth on your areola.

You actually have pressed your fingers on your clitoris before, and it feels really good, you can feel a little something under your vagina, so as you rubbed your areola, the pads of your fingers this time pressed down on your clitoral hood, pressing until you feel a hard surface under your vagina where you can feel something.

You bit your bottom lip and slightly arched your head back, your toes curled and bunched up, your lips trying to block a moan from being released.

Thank God that you didn't have anyone in bed with you to hear you moan.

Your moans sound more like a gasp than an orgasmic moan, and chills were running down your spine while you masturbated yourself.

You tried to make your fingers vertically rub up and down your clitoris while they were also pressing down on it as well, did it work?

Somewhat, yeah.

Rubbing faster might do the trick in making you cum as well, so you increased the pace when you rubbed your clit, rubbing faster than usual.

You didn't just rub your clit vertically, but also rubbed your clitoris around in circles with the pads of your fingers.

Getting gangbanged by several WWF, WCW and a few ECW wrestlers isn't the only thing that's sexy.

You've been gangbanged in locker rooms several times, and so your mind began to imagine being in a locker room instead, where you're getting gangbanged by these sexy aforementioned WWF, WCW and a few ECW wrestlers that you imagined being gangbanged in a sauna with.

You imagined being stark naked with these aforementioned wrestlers swarming all around you, masturbating several of these wrestlers' cocks in front of your face and tits and taking turns to suck their dicks and lick their shafts, getting their precum and jizz all over your face and breasts and in your mouth, where you swallow their cum.

Plus, you could maybe even ride one or 2 of these wrestler's cocks; one is in your pussy and the other in your asshole.

As you fantasized of this, your fingers on your areola began to switch this time; putting your nipple in between the pad of your thumb and index finger, where you began to tweak and pinch that nipple, turning it a bit.

You tried rubbing your clit even faster than usual fantasizing about this, and you really want something like this.

High pitched little moans are coming out of your mouth, and you hope that the neighbors next door won't hear them.

It's gonna probably take some time until you really do cum.

Your pussy feels like it's getting wetter and wetter and releasing something through the pores of your vagina while you're masturbating, and you're breathing short little gasps as you masturbate yourself.

You haven't been faking your orgasm tonight, you really do feel this way when you're touching yourself, and you keep elevating yourself up more and more.

You've also been trying to stay awake and not fall asleep despite your eyes being closed and eyelids feeling heavy.

Like your nipple, your fingers then began to place your clitoris in between the pads of your index finger and thumb, where you squeezed and pressed your clit together.

You've tried this before, and it feels really good too.

You can feel a little something down there when you're squeezing your clit together.

Goddamn it, you really want some of these hot men from WCW and the WWF right now, but at least when you can have these hot men from the WWF and you've had them many times.

You removed your thumb off of your nipple, and this time, you began to run the tip of your index finger on your areola in circles over and over again.

While these sexual fantasies are pretty hot, are these the perfect gangbangs?

Now some of these men are undeniably hot, like Shawn Michaels, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, Scott Hall, and Jim Powers, but then there's Brian Pillman, who's the least sexiest out of all of these men.

You're also unsure if you should have Jeff Jarrett and Sparky Plugg in these fantasies, hell, even the name Sparky Plugg is corny (so is his gimmick).

Speaking of fantasies, you've heard of something known as a glory hole, which can sometimes be when someone is in a stall and there's one or more holes drilled in the stalls, and men poke and stick their penises in those holes where someone sucks and jerks those cocks off.

You even tried to recreate a glory hole not once, but twice in the summer of '97.

You imagined yourself in a narrow little stall, like the stall to a changing room, with several holes drilled in the sides, and those holes were filled with the penises of these sexy wrestlers you've been fantasizing about tonight.

In your fantasy, your fingers are wrapped around their shafts and masturbating their dicks, one cock is aiming at your face while another is pointing at one of your breasts, and while you're jerking them off you're sucking and licking on one wrestler's penis and swallowing his precum.

Each of these penises get a chance to get sucked, licked and masturbated in this fantasy, all of their precum gets in your face, in your mouth, down your throat and on your tits, and your hands are scrambling to another penis to pump their cocks quickly.

One thing that you've noticed that feels really good is when you rub your fingers over your clothed clitoris and areola, so your hand vertically elevated up your vagina and exited out of your panties, and lifted your hand out of under your shirt.

The tips of your fingers were a little gooey and wet from rubbing your moist pussy, despite your fingers rubbing your clit, not being up your twat, though you can always clean your fingers off with your mouth.

You placed the tips of your fingers over your clothed breast as well as your fingers over your clitoris shielded by your panties, where you began to vertically rub your fingers up and down your clit whereas your other fingers rubbed horizontally back and forth across your areola covered by your t-shirt this time.

This feels really, really good. If you've never done anything like this, I reccomend it.

The fabric of your panties nudged and attached to your areola and vagina, and you can feel your nipple poking and pointing through your T-shirt.

As you rubbed and masturbated yourself, you continued imagining that glory hole fantasy, imagining you're sucking and licking the hottest wrestler's cock like Shawn Michaels or Jeff Hardy, swallowing his precum, while you're masturbating Scott Hall's dick pointing at your face and jacking off Jim Powers' dick pointing at your tits.

Eventually, your mind drifts to fantasizing of sucking Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Rob Van Dam, Scott Hall or Jim Powers while jerking off Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, the Renegade or even Scott Putski, and then the aforementioned ones getting their dicks jacked off get their cocks sucked as well.

Don't worry, even the likes of Brian Pillman, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and others get their dicks sucked and jerked off as well.

You're definitely not fantasizing of sucking and jacking off the really ugly wrestlers like most of the Dudley brothers from ECW, eeeech.

You actually wish you were a man, a gay man even, so that way, you can masturbate and jack off to these sexual fantasies you're having tonight.

One thing you haven't done tonight is try to put your fingers up your twat, maybe you can do that.

You wanna save the best for last; fantasizing about sucking and jacking off the hottest male wrestlers ever.

Maybe they'll make you cum, that's why you're saving the hottest and sexiest ones for last.

You're trying to rub your fingers over your clothed clitoris not just vertically, but horizontally, as well as rubbing your clit around in circles.

You're also rubbing the tips of your fingers over your fabric covered areola around in circles, you can feel your nipple sticking out in the middle.

You rubbed your clit fast and quick, running the pads of your fingers in circles over your clit.

You moaned and gasped while you rubbed your clit, your head arching back and your face and head looking like it's in an orgasmic state.

As you masturbated yourself, you fantasizing of sucking Shawn Michaels' cock, licking up his shaft and swallowing his precum, while you jerked off Rob Van Dam and Scott Hall, your fingers quickly moving to another shaft to masturbate Jeff Hardy, Jim Powers and Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

And in your fantasy, you grabbed another cock and moved it to your mouth, leaving Shawn's dick out of your mouth and sucking on Jeff Hardy or Rob Van Dam or Scott Hall while you jack off Shawn Michaels.

You mumbled and bit your lip, holding your moans back, and then, suddenly, your pussy had creamed, your twat becoming wetter than ever before, gushing your salty, slippery cum.

Your clitoris pounded and throbbed after you had came, and y'know how when you cum and you're a female, sometimes it feels like you've only came a little bit?

That wasn't the case with you.

While you didn't burst like a fire hydrant when you came, you were definitely wet in the panties, and you didn't pee your panties.

Despite that you've finally came, since you didn't get the chance to insert your fingers inside your twat, you lifted one of your hands off of your underwear and slid them down your panties, until your fingers touched your wet, slippery vulva.

Even though you're wearing panties, with your index and middle fingers attached to each other, to tried to insert those 2 fingers up your pussy hole, not your urethra where pee comes out, but the hole many cocks have entered; the hole babies are born from and menstrual blood flows out.

The tips of your fingers slowly were entering and penetrating into your wet twat hole, stretching your walls apart, and when your fingers were inside enough your cunt hole, you began to make those fingers fuck you like it's a penis, your fingers moving back and forth inside your pussy hole.

You didn't just fingerbang yourself, but you also pressed your thumb on your clit, moving your clit around in circles with your thumb, as well as still continued rubbing your fingers on your areola covered by fabric.

As you finger fucked yourself, you fantasized of these WWF, WCW and some ECW wrestlers you thought were sexy "running a train" on you, where they're all waiting in line to fuck you and each of them get a turn one by one.

You eventually got tired of finger fucking yourself, so you slid your fingers out of your twat, your fingers now gooey and sticky, but you moved your thumb off of your clit and started rubbing your clitoris with your fingers.

You rubbed your clit vertically, horizontally, and in circles with the tips and pads of your fingers.

You may as well call it a night right now, and you waited to drift off to sleep while still masturbating yourself.

When you were waiting and trying to fall asleep, you thought of these wrestlers you've fantasized about tonight all rubbing and caressing your naked body with body wash in a locker room shower, lathering your body up with foam, and they all get chances and have their hands traveling all over your body, while your hands are trying to touch on each of their chests and arms as well, rub the foamy body wash on their skin, trying to put your hands on their body parts and vertically caress them.

You have so many hot sexual fantasies with wrestlers that could be porn, and you even acted out some of your sexual fantasies with these professional wrestlers you've fantasized about.

When you woke up in the morning, your hand was still down your panties, though you still didn't continue masturbating when you fell asleep.

Y'know, Cyndi Lauper was one of the reasons the WWF blew up in popularity in the 1980's, she even guest starred in the WWF and had professional wrestlers and wrestling managers in her music videos.

And one of her most notorious songs is a song called "She Bop", about her masturbating.

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I actually tried fantasizing of getting gangbanged by so many hot men from the WWF, WCW and some from ECW (maybe even a few from modern WWE, NXT and AEW too) while I masturbated last night.

[raendown]

Pairing: MinatoKakashi Word count: 3399 Rated: E Summary: A mild kitchen accident leads to feelings being revealed and action being taken. Minato has no complaints.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

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Whipping Up A Good Time 

He would discover later, through offhand questions at the supermarket, that he had simply been one of the unlucky consumers to buy part of a defective batch of product. In fact quite a few people in the village had suffered the same sticky accident as he had, although probably without quite the same results afterwards. One of them had been a little old lady who lived alone and, reportedly, she’d almost had heart failure from the surprise. Still, that was all discovered after the fact and hindsight did nothing to save him from the shock of having the can of aerosol whipped cream explode in his hand as he held it upside down over a slice of reheated pie.

Minato’s finely honed shinobi instincts reacted without thought, tossing the small canister away from himself as they registered the ‘threat’. Unfortunately it hit the cupboard and rebounded straight towards him so he succeeded in nothing more than assaulting himself with even more sugared foam. A heartbeat passed in which his every sense sang with awareness, feeling the utter calmness of the room in contrast to the excitement he had just experienced. Then the Yondaime Hokage peeked down at himself to assess the damage.

He couldn’t help but feel just a little ridiculous. The tiny explosion had scared the life right out of him even if he hadn’t been harmed at all - unless one counted his dignity. He couldn’t help but imagine the local gossip chains in his head telling each other all about how their fearless leader had been frightened by a can of dessert topping and it made him grimace in self-deprecation as he took in the sight of his torso. He certainly wouldn’t be scaring off any enemies looking like he did right now. It was his first day off in a long while so he hadn’t been wearing a shirt all morning and thus of course he looked incredibly lewd now, like something that might have stepped right out of Jiraiya-sensei’s raunchy novels. His bare chest was liberally coated in snowy cream, some of it dripping down to catch and gather around the waistband of his lounge pants. His peripheral vision informed him that at least some had landed in his hair and he could feel the splotch that streaked across his left cheek. More than anything he felt like some sort of confectionary treat gone wrong. 

If the god’s had any kindness for him they were not exercising it that day, he decided. Just as he finished appraising the damage his kitchen door swung open and, of all the people in the entire village, the one he least wanted to see him like this walked straight in to the room. He’d forgotten in the excitement that Kakashi was only a thin wooden door away, that he’d come in to the kitchen to make tea and pie for them both since his ex-student had stopped by for a visit. 

“Sensei? What was that noi–…uh…hngh?” The younger man’s words petered out the moment he caught sight of Minato’s current state and his sentence instead ended with a rather strangled mix of letters and a low keening. The Yondaime watched as Kakashi’s visible eye widened steadily, bit by bit, until he feared for the security of its position. He watched Kakashi’s body pause between one step and the next until he had settled in to absolute stillness. Then that one eye inched down until he was staring at the mess of creamy whipped frosting and stayed there, seemingly riveted by the sight. 

“Uhm…I don’t know what happened,” The Hokage mumbled in embarrassment. “I just wanted some whipped cream. The can sort of exploded when I tried to use it.”

Kakashi gave no indication he’d heard a single word that was spoken. He was still staring at the mess. Minato drew his brows together self-consciously and fought the urge to fidget. It was hard enough to stand still around the younger man lately; doubly so now when he found himself being scrutinized so closely. 

“Kakashi?” he asked. No response. “Are you alright?” It was as if his friend were frozen to the spot, some part of his brain broken down by the admittedly silly sight in front of him. Minato spent a few moments genuinely confused about such a response until he witnessed something he had only dared think about in dreams he would never willingly admit to.

The mask hiding that face from the rest of the world had been discarded around him years ago. He therefore had a perfect view of the small pink tongue that peeked out to absent-mindedly draw across thin lips, lips that stay parted as if their owner were unaware of just how stunned he looked. What sparked the moment of realization for Minato, however, was the fact that only a second later Kakashi swallowed. Hard. And that one action changed his entire face, rearranging it in to an expression of desperation and want. Minato wondered what he wanted so badly. All he was doing was staring at his half naked old teacher all covered in whipped – oh.

Well. 

Well well. 

The Yondaime felt both of his eyebrows slowly crawling up in to his hairline as he allowed the idea to sink in that Kakashi had frozen because of the debauched picture he’d been presented with and because he - by some grace of the gods - liked what he saw. In the most wonderfully perverted way. Suddenly the attraction he’d been working so hard to keep hidden didn’t seem like it was as one-sided as he had assumed. 

Minato smiled while the inner child inside of him decided that a good situation could always be made better if you have a little fun with it. When he lifted the hand not still holding the can of topping, Kakashi’s eyes darted to follow the movement. The younger man made a strangled noise when Minato drew a single finger through the mess decorating his pectorals, swirling around a sticky nipple, before raising up to pop the appendage in to his mouth. As he sucked it clean his ex-student finally made eye contact with him again so he rewarded him with a slow deliberate wink. He could swear that Kakashi actually stopped breathing for a few heartbeats. 

“Sensei…” The single word seemed to be all that Kakashi was able to muster, and even that came out breathy and uneven. He looked unsure of what he wanted to say, as if his brain wasn’t functioning at full capacity right then, especially evident when he barely twitched to be beckoned forward with that freshly cleaned finger.

“Kakashi,” Minato purred. “Come here.” He’d never seduced anyone of the male persuasion before. His first attempt didn’t appear to be going too badly if the way Kakashi was drifting towards him in a trance-like state was any indication. When the younger man was close enough Minato reached out and snagged him by the mask pooled around his neck, using the material to draw him in until they were less than a foot apart. “I could use your help cleaning this up.” 

Alright, so maybe all of his seduction knowledge had been gleaned from his mentor’s pornographic novels. Maybe that was the cheesiest line that he had spoken in his whole life. Anyone else might have laughed at him. Kakashi, however, happened to enjoy the same raunchy literature and his reaction did not disappoint. Minato had the pleasure of watching a slow flush paint itself across that pale countenance while the deliciously exposed throat bobbed in another thick swallow. His ears twitched when they picked up the sound of harsh breathing. 

As if in a dream Kakashi swayed forward, his torso arching to keep his own chest out of the sugary mess decorating the Hokage’s form. Minato almost squealed aloud when something wet dragged up his left cheek. He turned his head to see Kakashi’s tongue withdraw back in to his mouth and watched as he seemed to contemplate the sweet cream.

“Was that the kind of help you were looking for?” 

That was all it took for Minato to all but physically melt in to a puddle right there. He’d only heard that kind of rumbling growl out of Kakashi in his most secret fantasies. Unable to properly formulate enough words to make a coherent response, he yanked on the mask still in his grip and pushed his head forward to meet the other man in the middle.

Kakashi moaned in to their first kiss, the sound reverberating through his lips and all the way down to his toes. They tilted their heads in unison, seeking a better angle as they both poured all the passion they’d been hiding from each other in to this one moment. It was hands-down the hottest kiss Minato had ever been a part of. His friend seemed determined to short-circuit his senses with nothing more than lips and tongue and it was definitely working. He was panting already when Kakashi moved his kisses away, down the side of Minato’s neck to nibble across his clavicle.

He gasped when Kakashi licked him again, cleaning whipped cream off of one peaked nipple and lapping at the surrounding area. He arched like a cat, pressing in to the sensation and letting go of Kakashi’s mask at last, his hands instead falling to grip the counter behind him as he abandoned the exploded canister to roll across the floor. His knees felt as though they were seconds away from collapsing with unexpected pleasure but he desperately wanted to stay upright. There was absolutely no way he was ending this when he’d been waiting for it for too long already. 

Like the complete tease he was, Kakashi licked his way down Minato’s chest, making random patterns and leaving patches of cream behind without care. He traced the lines of hard-earned abdominals and dipped a tongue in to a slightly ticklish belly button before following the rather prominent oblique line. Minato’s jaw hung open as he watched helplessly, unable to do more than pant and shiver and let the other man do as he wished. Kakashi’s half-gloved hands traced around his waist to give his rear a firm squeeze before trailing down the length of his legs only to come back up the sides. Clever fingers toyed with the drawstring on his trousers while that sinful tongue traced the last visible edge of skin. 

“Ah…” Minato mouthed wordlessly, small breathless sounds escaping him when Kakashi looked up to catch his eye. The moment their gazes locked Kakashi pulled on the string and Minato swallowed thickly as the only item of clothing he was currently wearing loosened and slipped off his hips, bunching on the floor around his ankles.

His cock jutted up, nearly brushing the other’s chin now that it was allowed to hang free. Kakashi smirked at him and held his eyes as he leaned down to slowly lick the tip, tiny kitten licks with just a brush of his tongue. Despite the barely-there touch it was still the best thing Minato had felt in years and it sent trembles of anticipation racing through his veins. Kakashi licked his own lips with a hum as though he’d found a flavor he thoroughly enjoyed. Then without any warning he leaned forward and took the cock before him in to his mouth, sliding down as far as he could go. 

Minato very nearly collapsed as an echoing moan was dragged out of him. Almost immediately he had to have a quick but very stern talk with his body just to avoid coming straight away from the incredible sensations threatening to overload his brain. Kakashi sank down until he could fit no more in his mouth and then stayed there, breathing through his nose and waiting until Minato met his eyes again. Then he slowly pulled away to swirl his tongue around the head and sank back down.

The rhythm he picked up was slow but steady, paced just right to bring Minato to the brink of insanity within less than a minute. Never before had he experienced such glorious torture - or at least if he had then he couldn’t think of it at the moment. He couldn’t think about very much at all just then. Every last ounce of brain power he had was steadily being sucked out of him through his cock by a very eager Kakashi. If he wasn’t sure he would die if the man stopped just now he would have tackled his friend to the floor and done what he could to show that he had a few talents hidden under his own tongue as well. But that would have to wait until he was able to unroll his eyes from the back of his head or even think a coherent thought around the mind-numbing sensations in his lower half. 

Without thinking Minato reached out to thread his fingers through the silver hair bobbing in front of him. And when Kakashi swirled his tongue just right he jerked his fistful of hair more by instinct than through any efforts to be intentionally sexy. The moan that drifted up would have been utterly filthy even if it hadn’t been delivered around a mouthful of cock, complete with vibrations that had Minato trembling against the countertop. 

“Don’t judge me,” he managed to choke out, “but I’m- fuck- don’t stop- I’m so close Kakashi!” 

His only response was another moan and fingers coming up to cup his balls ever so gently, an area he generally ignored on the rare occasion he indulged himself while alone. It had been long enough that he’d entirely forgotten how sensitive he was there. A simple roll of Kakashi’s fingers was all it took to send him tumbling over the edge. 

Embarrassment that he hadn’t been able to hold off for all that long would have to wait until later. Minato closed his eyes and curled around the body kneeling in front of him as he came with a garbled call which might have started out as Kakashi’s name. It was hard to tell. The fingers not cupping him curled around the length Kakashi hadn't been able to fit in his mouth and stroked him so gently he could only clench his own fingers around their fistfuls of hair to stop himself from curling down farther and whimper a cry for mercy. 

“You have no idea,” Kakashi murmured in a hoarse voice after he slowly pulled away, “how many times I have gotten off to the idea of doing that.” 

“Nngg!”

“Why, whatever is the matter? You looked a bit flushed.” 

Minato gurgled a few disconnected syllables in a very serious attempt to find words. When it became clear that talking was still a bit beyond him at the moment he opted instead for sliding down the countertop - ignoring the way several drawer handles dug in to his flesh uncomfortably on the way down - and pulled Kakashi in to a kiss that nearly sent smoke signals pouring out of his ears. Strong thighs found their way overtop of his own and he suddenly found himself with a lapful of his most scintillating dreams. 

While he certainly had entertained a number of fantasies that involved both of them in a kitchen, eventually sitting on the cold linoleum was enough to bring him back to reality and remind him that there were much more comfortable places they could be in. Namely the bedroom. Or the couch, that was a lot closer. He had an inkling that Kakashi would be amenable to either. It still took him a couple minutes longer to remember how proper speech worked but that had quite a bit to do with the phenomenal kisses stealing his words all over again. 

“You should stay for dinner,” he managed to blurt out eventually. When Kakashi pulled away a few inches to look at him consideringly Minato licked his lips with a nervous twitch. “Or if you’re busy tonight then I could take you to dinner this Friday? No ramen, I promise. You deserve better than just ramen!” 

“Maa, if you’re trying to sweet talk me it’s a bit of wasted time.”

“Oh.”

For a single heartbeat Minato wondered if he could convince the ground to open up and swallow him. 

“I’m already as sweet on you as I’m going to get.” Kakashi winked, his lips pulled up in a mischievous grin. Minato wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss it away or swat it. He settled for an exasperated huff. 

“That was terrible,” Minato scolded him. Kakashi laughed and ducked in for another kiss. 

“Excuse you, my jokes are masterpieces!”

“Of terribleness!” 

Both of them glared playfully, sizing each other up like they meant to go to war, until eventually Minato realized he was sitting on his own kitchen floor with his pants around his ankles and a fully clothed man across his hips. If the awkwardness of being the only one naked weren’t enough, his ass was definitely feeling the chill of the poorly insulated tiles now. He cleared his throat with a distinctly sheepish note and tilted his head towards the hall.

“I don’t suppose we could take our dinner negotiations to the bedroom, could we? Before I freeze both of my buns off?” 

He’d never seen Kakashi move so quickly outside of battle, leaping up and pulling him to his feet within seconds. 

“We can’t have that!” he declared. “I have a vested interest in those buns and freezing them off is not on my to-do list. At least not until we’ve had our first big fight and I toss you out in to the cold to think about what you’ve done.” 

“Ah, I see. And I suppose making it up to you will take some begging?”

“Quite a lot of it, yes.” Kakashi nodded solemnly. Then he turned his head away to hide the smile breaking out across his face, enjoying his own joke just a little too much. Or possibly he was imagining what filthy deeds the two of them might get up to once begging got involved. Minato had to admit that he was very tempted to ask. 

Instead he shuffled his weight from side to side, kicking his trousers off each ankle one by one. When he was free he set both hands on his hips to display his body in all its naked glory. He knew very well that he was an attractive man, although hopefully the little bits of creamy residue left on his skin didn’t take away from that too much.

“First one to the bedroom gets to be on top,” he declared. Then he bolted.

Behind him he could hear the echo of Kakashi’s indignant protests that this wasn’t a fair contest, going up against the fastest man in the village, and the laughter bubbling up in his chest very nearly put him off balance as he raced down the hall. He couldn’t find it in himself to be upset when he almost lost because of that. The two of them collapsed across the bed in a messy heap of tangled limbs and Minato could only think that this was it, this was the missing puzzle piece he’d been yearning after for years. 

And he owed it all to a faulty can of whipped cream. When Kakashi came over that afternoon neither of them could have predicted that this was where they would end up - but as he listened to the sinful noises playing out beneath him Minato thought happily that neither of them seemed all that disappointed. He was sure most customers would have immediately taken the canister back to the shop and demanded a refund. As for him, well, he was already drafting a letter of thanks in his mind for the company that made them. He owed them every smile and every laugh that he would ever taste for himself from this day forward, every anniversary they would ever celebrate, every touch of calloused fingers over old and faded scars. All this because of a little whipped cream.

Excited as he was for their current activities, Minato couldn’t wait until later. Of all the people he knew only Kakashi, with his equally terrible sense of humor, would appreciate the pun of how very sweet the results of this accident had been. 

[innittowinit]

Abandoned amusement parks are the best place for young children (chapter 6)

Fic summary: 

Techno, Tommy, Wilbur and Phil have been hanging out at the abandoned amusement park in the woods since they moved in. Techno likes knowing he's definitely alone with his brothers Tommy likes climbing on the old rides Wilbur likes having a place to play his music Phil likes spending time with his younger brothers 

That is, until a group of brothers calling themselves the 'dream team' move in down the road. Will the sleepy boys give in and share the park or will they succeed in scaring the new kids off?

Chapter summary: 

 The dream team attacks Wilbur's asleep Phil's busy Tommy-proofing the park

Chapter Word count: 2363

AO3

Fuck…

It was so hot, so humid, that Techno could feel himself swaying where he was standing; his signature red jacket had been tossed aside in a feeble attempt to cool down for just a minute. With Wilbur having fallen asleep on top of  the ticket booth roof and Phil trying to clean out some of the glass and brambles from one of the old gift shops before they let Tommy play in it -the white house needed to be safe after all- Techno was left to watch over Tommy on his own. Having taken on board everything Phil said to them, he managed to keep an eye on his brother the entire time.

He even climbed up a bit with him, making sure not to go too high and set a bad example, he was still a kid though and it was fun to mess around. He’d keep Tommy safe and have fun doing it, he wouldn’t let Tommy get board enough to warrant him wanting to venture higher.

“What are the kids in your class like then? They nice to you Toms?” Techno already knew the answer, Tommy could be a bit obnoxious at times but as far as kids would see it, he was miles more ‘normal’ than Techno and Wilbur had been. They probably loved him, that was a nice thought. He loved him too.

As they sat, feet dangling off a track, that wasn’t too high, as Techno had checked many many times, and was very sturdy, Tommy gave an excited nod. That was good news. “Love ‘em, we’re all super good friends! Tubbos my best friend though, he’s way way better than the others” he nodded, as if it was a well known fact that Tubbo was objectively the best, which made Techno chuckle.

Only now was he realising that he never really spoke to Tommy like this anymore, it was nice. Wilbur was always with him, he needed Wilbur nearby to be able to be calm enough to talk, so it was rare to find a conversation without the brunette at all. At times, he found himself wishing he could be more confident with his verbal abilities, it would be amazing to be like a character from a movie, to be able to just go out and maybe order himself a coffee, talk to a stranger as he waited for the bus. So often he found himself fantasizing about the most mundane things for most people, but really he did crave them a lot. He was working incredibly hard in his speech therapy, there had been so many times where he felt like just giving up, like maybe he could get away with not talking for the rest of his life, but then he’d hear how assertively Wilbur could tell their doctor that he was getting overwhelmed and needed a break and.. It just reminded him of how badly he needed to crack this.

He couldn’t stay silent forever, not when he wanted to talk so bad. Even now, as he sat with his little brother, he was reminded of how badly he needed to get his issues sorted out. It was grim to think about but he knew that if he didn’t have full confirmation Wilbur was close, he wouldn’t be able to communicate with Tommy.

“Don’t tell the others I’m getting soft but I really love you, you know that right Toms?”

Tommy giggled and then he nodded. Ah, confident as ever. Techno was incredibly grateful that Tommy hadn’t turned out like him or Wilbur. It was such a relief, at first he had been so sure that the social issues were hereditary, why else would Wilbur struggle too? Recently though, he had figured out that it likely was a mix between his adhd, which was genetics, and the lack of attention he and Wil had gotten while they were little. With Two parents who were constantly out working, babysitters were usually the only people they saw in the day, their parents leaving before they had woken up and arriving back home after they had been put back to bed, it was a bad cycle of them only getting to see them a few minutes a day at most.  

He wasn’t a psychologist, if he was he probably could have started talking by now, but he guessed Wilbur had likely clutched onto one of the only consistent things, that being him, and he had developed a fear of talking. Out of fear of getting close to temporary people? Out of spite? He didn’t know.

What he did know though, was that perhaps through the constant praise and adoration he and his brothers had always given Tommy, they’d somehow prevented him from turning out like them.

Tommy could be happy, he didn’t need to fear random things.

Techno was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of someone throwing fun-snaps along the entrance to L’manburg. Fucking Dream Team, why couldn’t they leave them alone? And what was best was that the only people available to confront them were Tommy or Techno, a seven year old or a mute.

Nudging Tommy, he glanced towards the entrance knowingly, Wilbur was a lot better at reading him but Tommy and Phil were pretty decent too. After a couple knowing glances at each other, seemingly an entire silent conversation taking place, the two brothers started to climb down the coaster and back to safety. Techno would have been happy enough to just hide and wait for Wilbur to wake up or maybe Phil to come out, he could definitely take any one of them in a fight but he didn’t want to.

What he did want was for Wilbur to wake up and come do the talking because although he loved Tommy, he didn’t want to be represented by him.

He just couldn’t get that though; the second Tommy’s feet touched the floor he dashed into the centre of the entrance way, causing Techno to dash out of him, Dream visible despite the fact that he was hiding behind a bush. Huh. The idiot must have ran out of Fun snaps since he wasn’t throwing any more.

“This is war! It’s war! Your tyranny over L’manburg cannot last forever, sleepy boys!”

Dream stood up quickly, his green hoodie tied around his shoulders as he stood in a white tshirt and grey basketball shorts. As the blonde raised his crossbow, pointed directly at Tommy, Techno couldn’t help but wonder just how he was planning to aim through the small eye holes in that mask.

“You’re dead! You hear me! We’ll win this war.”

And with that he fired two shots, the foam bullets bouncing off of himself and Tommy pathetically as they watched in confusion. What was his problem? Seemingly, Tommy had been shot on the cheek, the boy was rubbing it with small tears in his eyes. Being hit with something, even if it was a toy bullet, must still be a shock when it hits you directly in the face.

Techno wanted to comfort him, but he couldn’t, not when Dream was standing mere feet away. Instead he opted to run his thumb over Tommy’s cheek then taking his hand as a sign he understood that he wasn’t happy - he didn’t know why or how but holding his brother’s hand’s hand started to be the thing guaranteed to let them know he cared when he couldn’t talk. It was dumb but at least he had a way to communicate it now.

“NOW!”

Right as he was distracted, he heard Dream yell out, causing him to snap back to reality, standing in front of Tommy protectively, only to realise Sapnap and George were scuttling in from a hole in the wall. Techno wanted to yell out, he wanted Phil to come, he felt scared and overwhelmed, logically he could take any of these boys physically but he was scared. This was new to him, they were new people, and he had someone to protect!

It wouldn’t be so bad if Wilbur was awake.

Wilbur could yell and get Phil to come and Phil would do something.

The two boys were charging towards them now, Dream still had that stupid toy crossbow pointed at them too. God why were they so awful?!

“Give it up Techno!” Sapnap yelled, waving a toy sword, it looked like it was made of wood. He wasn’t holding it right, Techno had noted to himself, if he were to try and hit someone with that he wouldn’t get much force. The other boy, George -He only remembered his name because that was the one Wilbur hurt- was carrying a wooden axe, it didn’t look sharp and the handle was painted in a way that made it clear it was also from a toy set, probably the same set that the sword was from.  

That made it all the more clear that they were bad kids. They wanted to hurt them.

He repositioned himself in front of Tommy as the boys drew closer.

Sapnap had tried to hit him first, he was able to block that with his arm, then came George with his axe. The boy jumped up and swung as he came down, even though it was blunt, he had still been hit hard with it and it fucking ached.

Techno didn’t want to get violent but he would protect Tommy no matter what, he knew Phil said no more fights but as he saw Sapnap swing the sword, the wooden blade brushing past Tommy forcefully and leaving a splinter in his arm, he couldn’t hold back his anger. He gently turned Tommy around, nodding towards the ticket booth, before turning back to the two boys in front of him, shaking his head as if to tell them not to even think about going near him.

Techno had faith in Tommy, he knew he’d be able to get Wilbur, that’s why he had to be quick here. In all honesty, he didn’t care about George, he hadn’t hurt Tommy, but Sapnap had and so he felt no shame as he pushed him hard, letting him bounce on the sandy dirt of the warm summer’s day. He didn’t want to start an actual fight, Phil would kill him if he actually punched someone but pushing wasn’t that bad.

“Okayyy Okay kids”

ThankGod,ThankGod,ThankGod

He heard Phil’s voice as he jogged over to Techno, Sapnap and George; by now Dream was standing in the open, by the entrance to L’manburg, as if waiting for his brother’s to finish up their game since his part was over. Techno hated that they seemed to think of this as a joke. They didn’t need L’manburg, they just didn’t like that they couldn’t have it. In his opinion, they were just spoiled rotten, why was their discomfort a source of their amusement?

No matter how he thought of it, Techno couldn’t understand their thought process. Even though he had already pushed Sapnap over, Techno was still boiling over with anger, strong tension dripping from any motion he made.

“Boys get up” Phil sighed as he helped Sapnap off the ground, as well as George who had got down to make sure he was okay. “Techno we don’t push people..Okay I’m sorry about him, you head back home now”

The blonde ushered the boys out of the park as fast as he could, trying to be polite all the way, even though they had been nothing but rude to them.

…

Everything was silent for a minute.

“Techno-Blade Reid, How many times do I have to tell you violence isn’t okay?”

Okay, he used his full name, fuck shit. Phil rarely got this mad but it was obvious Techno had messed up. He hated making Phil mad, he never wanted to yell back, it always just made him disappointed in himself. Everybody knew that Phil was a nice guy and to be the one that forces him to lose composure? It felt horrible.

“Phil I-”

“No no! Listen for a minute okay? How hard actually is it to just talk? Why couldn’t you just call out to me? You know I would have got rid of them for you! Tommy said you had a sword fight, Techno, a sword fight! Did you even realise that Tommy got a splinter? What if that gets infected?”

Techno felt simultaneously that his heart had been stepped on and that he wanted to puke. It hurt, so, so bad, to hear his brother say these things. With the once comforting summer heat choking him up and threatening tears, Techno crossed his arms against his chest, walking directly to Wilbur.

Wilbur never would have said something like that, not even out of anger.

“Phil, I wanted to… You think I didn't realise Tommy got hurt? Why else would I have shoved him?! They attacked us!” He had to stop for a moment, getting a bit choked up, he had been so relieved to hear Phil’s voice, he really hadn’t expected this.

“No, fuck, Tech’ I didn’t mean that… I don't know why I said it. I promise I didn’t mean it”

Phil’s face had contorted slightly, he looked pained and guilty. Techno was well aware that he had just been frustrated and went for the easiest jab possible, he just hadn’t been expecting it.

No matter how much he told himself that Phil didn’t actually think any of that, no matter how much he told himself that his brother still loved him despite his speech issues, he still couldn’t help but find himself being hurt.

He knew what Phil said hadn’t been on purpose but it still stung.

“Take Tommy home and get his splinter out, me and Wil are gonna stay back here for a bit” Voice weak and mellow, he pushed the words out as if it was a physical struggle to talk right now.

He heard Phil sigh, the one he did when something was really hard. “Okay, I love you Techno, and you Wilbur.”

Techno nodded “I love you too.. I just need to be alone for a minute”

[artificialqueens]

Let the Love be Your Life (Branjie) - Athena2

Summary: After their kid doesn’t know one of their favorite movies, Brooke and Vanessa have a little movie marathon introducing favorite movies to them.

A/N: This is a Christmas gift for Writ because they’re the absolute best. It also fulfills the prompt ‘List’ for Ficmas over @writethehousedown, so you can find it there as well! It’s pretty much pure fluff and I hope you enjoy! I’d appreciate any feedback you have!

Also, thank you to everyone who’s read and commented on my fics this past year. It’s been a really hard year for most of us, and sharing my stories with you made it a little brighter for me, and I hope for you as well.

Title from Mother from Carole and Tuesday.

—

“Brooke, can you get me a bowl?” Vanessa calls over from the stove, where she’s stirring a pot of rice.

“As you wish.” Brooke snorts after she says it, trading smiles with Vanessa. One of their favorite movies, and the first couples costume they did all those years ago for Nina’s world-famous–or at least city-famous–Halloween party, where there was always full catering, a DJ, and at least one rumored celebrity hidden behind a mask. One person isn’t smiling though, and it’s their kid, pausing table-setting to stare at them.

��‘As you wish?’” Sam repeats in confusion. “What is this, the Middle Ages?”

Brooke’s mouth falls open. “What? No, it’s from a movie.”

“Oh.” Sam shrugs and goes back to setting the table, clearly unimpressed.

Vanessa is nowhere near as calm, her wooden spoon clattering on the counter. “Brooke, our child doesn’t know The Princess Bride!” She leaves the stove to stand by Brooke, shaking her head in outrage.

“We’ve officially failed as parents,” Brooke agrees.

Sam rolls their eyes. “It’s just some old movie, right?”

“‘Some old movie,’” Vanessa mutters under her breath. “‘Some old movie.’ Brooke, we gotta fix this.”

Brooke nods. She and Vanessa have always let Sam be themself, reading and watching stuff freely, as long as it wasn’t too dark or upsetting. But in all that, they must have forgotten to show Sam all the movies they had wanted to, the movies that Brooke and Vanessa love.

When Vanessa got stuck on bed rest towards the end of her pregnancy, she watched movies to pass the time, and Brooke joined her when she could, rubbing Vanessa’s aching back and massaging her shoulders, doing anything she could to make her more comfortable. They talked about all the movies they wanted to watch after their baby was born, the things they wanted to do and memories they wanted to make as a family. They had even made a list of movies, but it got lost somewhere in the chaos of having a new baby. Sam might be nine now, but they can still make those memories, and Brooke claps her hands. “We need a movie marathon!”

Vanessa jumps up and down. “Yeah! This week, we’re gonna watch a bunch of movies! Sammy’s on winter break, it’s perfect! We can do one every night! Peter Pan, and the Peanuts, and Muppets Christmas Carol–”

“Jurassic Park,” Brooke adds, grabbing a notebook and pen. “And Star Wars, and Matilda … my movies are way better than yours, babe.”

“Nuh-uh!” Vanessa yells. “Mine are classics!”

“I guess Sam will be the judge of that, then.” Brooke grins.

“They will be, and you can do dishes for a week when they like mine better,” Vanessa says, raising her eyebrow mischievously.

“What do I get if I win?” Brooke asks. It better be something good, something Vanessa hates as much as Brooke hates doing dishes.

Vanessa thinks. “I’ll do the laundry for a week.”

Vanessa hates folding clothes since she does it all day in her boutique. Brooke doesn’t mind laundry, exactly, but she’ll happily let Vanessa take over and fold the endless amounts of clothes for a week.

“Deal.” Brooke smiles, all thoughts of rivalry gone and replaced with excitement of the memories they’ll make.

—

i. The Princess Bride

“Okay, is everyone ready?” Brooke stands in front of the TV, making sure Vanessa and Sam are settled on the couch with pillows and blankets and the cats, canyon-sized bowl of popcorn and cupcakes from Brooke’s sister Kameron’s bakery all ready for the night.

“Ready!” Vanessa yells. Brooke presses play, and Vanessa opens her arms for Brooke to snuggle into as the movie starts.

“At least you two aren’t wearing your costumes,” Sam teases. Vanessa and Brooke have probably been a little too eager in showing Sam that picture over the years, but Vanessa looked like a literal princess in her red Princess Buttercup dress, Brooke was the perfect Westley, and they got compliments through the entire party, so sue them for showing off. Vanessa still remembers the cool silk flowing around her and warming her hand on the soft bit of skin revealed by Brooke’s shirt.

“Don’t think we weren’t tempted,” Vanessa says. “They’re in the attic somewhere, I bet I could still fit in that dress–”

“Do we need to pause it already?” Brooke asks, and Vanessa swats at her before snuggling back down and watching the movie.

Vanessa finds herself watching her family more than the movie, watching Brooke’s eyes widen and her lips stretch into a grin like she’s never seen it before. Then she turns to Sam, who really has never seen it before. They’re skeptical at first, face blank, but then their brown eyes–so warm and expressive, like Vanessa’s–light up when the Dread Pirate Roberts reveals himself to be Westley. By the end, their smile is huge.

“You liked it, huh?” Vanessa asks.

Sam looks down. “I guess,” they say, and Vanessa knows their nine-year-old heart can’t quite admit something their parents like is cool, but it’s a start, and she’s counting this as a win in both her and Brooke’s column.

“Well, I’m ready for tomorrow!” Vanessa yells, pulling Brooke in for a kiss.

—

ii. Star Wars

Brooke knows the baby Yoda ugly sweater and Star Wars pajama pants are overkill, but she can’t help it. From the moment she first saw the movie as a seven-year-old, all she wanted was to be a Jedi like Luke and save the galaxy. She and Kameron made lightsabers out of foam swords and spray paint, and they ran around their background slicing through enemies and saving the day. Kameron had even made truffles decorated like the Death Star when Brooke told her what they were watching, her brown eyes warm with memories of their Jedi days.

Brooke doesn’t know whether this movie thing between her and Vanessa is a contest, but if it is, she doesn’t really care about it for this movie. She just wants to watch it with her kid, hope they find the same joy in it that she did.

Sam seems to be enjoying the truffles at least, and they shove another one in their mouth. “Aunt Kam’s stuff is so good,” they say with their mouth full, and Brooke agrees.

The music blasts and opening crawl creeps onto the screen, and Brooke grins, even when Vanessa rolls her eyes fondly and asks her continual question of why everyone else has such ‘weird-ass names’ and Luke’s is normal.

Brooke didn’t think anything would be better than the first time she saw it, in their living room with salty popcorn burning her lips and Kameron next to her, but watching it now, with her wife at her side and their kid on the other couch watching with wide eyes, just might be even better. She never thought she would have this life, a family around her like this, and she pulls Vanessa little closer, breathing in the familiar scent of her coconut shampoo.

Sam is grinning when the movie ends, and warmth rushes through Brooke’s chest, that her kid enjoyed something that means a lot to Brooke.

“That’s my favorite one so far,” they say sheepishly, and Brooke lets out a whoop.

“All right, all right, it’s only been two movies so far,” Vanessa says. “We’re goin’ to Neverland tomorrow, and then we’ll see what’s better.”

—-

iii. Peter Pan

Vanessa feels like a professor as she stands in front of the TV, Sam and Brooke staring at her expectantly.

“Is this a presentation?” Brooke teases. “Should I take notes?”

“Oh please, you’re the one who loves presentations,” Vanessa says fondly. “No presentation–this movie did make me want to go into design, though. Oh! And it was the first sign that I was bi. Little kid me didn’t know if she wanted a flying boyfriend or a fairy girlfriend more.” Vanessa grins dreamily. She can still remember her heart fluttering the same way when she looked at Peter and his coppery hair as it did when she watched Tinkerbell pout, how it all made sense when she was seventeen and fully realized that she was bi for the first time.

“Start the movie, Ma!” Sam yells.

Vanessa does, then instantly pauses it, turning to Sam with worries in her mind. “Don’t get any stupid ideas from this movie, now!” she warns. “Don’t go flying around with people who show up in your window, no matter how cute they are! And Wendy was a child, acting all grown, Lord help us when you become a teenager–”

“Okay, Ness,” Brooke soothes, motioning for Vanessa to sit with her and pulling her into a hug when she does.

“I promise I won’t fly around with people in my window,” Sam says, and Vanessa smiles, reaching over and ruffling their brown waves.

“You better not,” Vanessa says, leaning back into Brooke, her wife still as cozy to cuddle with as she’s always been.

Vanessa’s dancing in place and belting out all the songs in no time. She’s known all the words since she was six, when she would perform the whole movie in her living room or sing them to herself as she drew fierce pirate coats and sparkly fairies with striped wings, and they’ve refused to leave her brain, even if she wishes she could have that space for something useful like where she put her phone.

Brooke’s not much of a singer, but she hums along, and when Sam’s soft voice hesitantly joins Vanessa’s, she knows the night is a success.

—

iv. Matilda

It’s not as action-packed as her other favorite movies on the list, but as a shy kid who always had her nose in a book, Brooke’s always had a soft spot for Matilda. After she had to accept that becoming a Jedi wasn’t a viable career path, it had been Matilda that gave her the idea to become a librarian. She could surround herself with books all day, and help people find the book they were looking for, introducing them to whole new worlds through the pages, just like she does with each bedtime story for Sam every night.

“This is a movie about a kid with magic powers, right?” Sam asks.

“Right,” Vanessa says, “and Mommy loves it because she’s a big nerd.”

“Hey!” Brooke protests, but Vanessa is laughing and giving her a warm hug.

“You know I love you for it,” Vanessa says simply, and Brooke hugs her back and knows it’s true.

It’s nice to watch a movie she hasn’t seen since she was a kid and find it still makes her smile the same way, still gives her the same hope at seeing a shy girl who loved books the way she did—and still does. Brooke has never been the confident, outgoing kid in so many movies. She was quiet and kept to herself, and Matilda gave her a world where she could be the hero. She hopes Sam always feels that way too, always knows that they can be the hero.

When the credits roll, Sam declares that it’s not their favorite off the list, but Brooke doesn’t mind.

—-

v. Peanuts

“Why are these even on the list?” Sam asks as Vanessa fiddles with the TV. “I’ve seen all the Peanuts movies.”

“And you’ll see them again!” Vanessa yells. “This is different. They’re official now, on the list and everything.” She starts the Easter special and shuts down all the arguments, biting into a peanut butter cookie.

“All right, all right.” Sam gives in, but they’re not complaining. Sam once tried to make Riley dance like Snoopy, and Vanessa knows they love these movies just as much as she does.

“This is another thing that got me into fashion,” Vanessa says. “Because I didn’t know why they always wore the same boring old clothes in all the movies, so I drew them wearing some new ones.”

“Of course you did.” Brooke grins.

“Well, I had to jazz those outfits up! They’ve been wearing the same clothes forever!” Vanessa laughs. She’s always wanted people to wear clothes they feel like themselves in, and somewhere in between drawing new outfits for cartoon characters, she decided that was what she wanted to do, and it’s what she still does with her own little boutique, just up the street from the library where Brooke works. She loves getting to help people pick out the perfect outfit, watching them smile as they come out feeling as good as they had hoped.

She leans back as Charlie Brown and the others take them through all the seasons, from Easter to Halloween to Thanksgiving and finally Christmas, where Vanessa reaches for tissues and even Sam pretends they have dust in their eye. Vanessa always wanted to fight the other kids for being so mean to Charlie, and even as an adult, the urge is still there.

When the movie’s done, an idea pops into Vanessa’s hand. She whips out her phone and brings up the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, yanking Brooke into the middle of the room and pulling her into a dance while Sam twirls around with Riley, cats watching from the couch, unimpressed.

“Ness, you’re making me dizzy,” Brooke giggles as Vanessa spins her faster and faster, until they almost crash into the Christmas tree.

Sam is cackling next to them, and Vanessa slows up, pressing her chest close to Brooke’s and melting as Brooke places a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

It’s her favorite movie night by far.

—

vi. Jurassic Park

All her movies on the list are special, but this one just might be the most special for Brooke. Because this is what she and Vanessa watched on their first date.

Brooke had started her first job at the library the same summer Vanessa started doing formal design sketches for a portfolio. She came to the library to get fashion books for ideas, and Brooke secretly hoped she would come back in every day, so they could make small talk and maybe she could say something funny to see Vanessa smile again. And almost every day, Vanessa came back.

Summer was half over and Brooke thought they would do nothing but talk with a library desk between them when Vanessa finally asked her to a movie in the park, both of them giggling as they set the date because they were finally going out after weeks of flirting and smiling and wondering if feelings were reciprocated. A dinosaur movie might not have been the most romantic choice for a first date, but they curled up together on a plaid blanket and let their fingers meet in the bag of buttery popcorn, and when Vanessa gave her a soft kiss as the end theme song played, Brooke knew she was the one.

She looks at her wife now, humming along to the opening theme and eating the dinosaur sugar cookie Kameron made, and knows that she’s still the one.

They snuggle up together and make dinosaur noises that cause Sam to look at them in annoyance, but it only makes them laugh harder.

They watch on the edge of their seats even though they know the ending, and Sam does the same, jumping every time a dinosaur pops out. When the end theme plays softly as the characters escape in the helicopter, Vanessa has tears in her eyes. Brooke’s not a big cryer–the last time she cried was probably when Sam was still a baby–but her eyes pool with dampness too, until she and Vanessa are holding each other and half-laughing, half-crying, because this movie is what brought them together.

“What are you doing?” Sam asks in alarm. “Why are you crying over a dinosaur movie?”

Brooke and Vanessa just laugh and exchange a soft kiss.

—

vii. The Muppet Christmas Carol

Christmas has always been Vanessa’s favorite holiday. As a kid, she fought her brothers every day to move the little Christmas tree counter on their Advent calendar, her excitement only growing as the day grew nearer. She’d just make it through the extra-long church service, and then she was free to play with her cousins and stuff herself with cookie after cookie and wake with the sunrise Christmas morning to jump in her parents’ bed.

Only now that she has her own child jumping in her and Brooke’s bed at an ungodly hour each Christmas does she realize why her parents would groan so loudly and what a little demon she must have been.

But her and Brooke don’t mind–they both love it, really, love all their traditions. There are the cookies they bake all month, the toy drive they help with at Sam’s school, and then Vanessa’s turn bringing Sam shopping to buy Brooke’s present and Brooke’s turn taking Sam to buy Vanessa’s present. The weekend after Thanksgiving, when they’re still stuffed with leftovers, the tree goes up, the three of them passing ornaments around while Vanessa narrates the history of how they got each one and almost falls on the tree trying to prove to Brooke that she can reach the tall branches. The tree is her favorite part, with the rainbow lights twinkling and the shining star looking over them. The tree is extra bright tonight, Christmas just days away, as Vanessa starts one of her favorite Christmas movies.

“This was my favorite to watch when I was pregnant with you,” Vanessa says to Sam. “The doctor said I had to go on bed rest, and I was so mad because it was almost Christmas and I wanted to do stuff. This was the next best thing.” She still remembers those long days, the pain in her back and hips and shoulders combined with the sadness of not being able to hang up lights or bake cookies or do much of anything. The Muppets at least made her smile, gave her a piece of Christmas she could have while stuck in bed. And when Sam was born perfectly healthy in January, she knew it had all been worth it.

“I swear, I heard Kermit in my sleep for weeks,” Brooke says, rolling her eyes but smiling anyway.

“You love Kermit and you know it,” Vanessa says.

Brooke just snorts, but Vanessa knows she’s right.

Vanessa knows most of the words—she really did watch this movie a ridiculous amount of times when she was pregnant—and finds her mouth moving along with the characters. The movie still makes her just as happy as it did when she was stuck in bed, makes her love Christmas and her family that much more. It doesn’t mean she’s forgotten the bet though, and the credits have just started to roll when Vanessa leaps from the couch and turns to Sam. “So?” she asks expectantly.

“So what?” Sam asks casually.

Vanessa huffs. “So, whose movies did you like better? Mine, right? Say mine.”

“No way.” Brooke pops up behind her. “Mine were way better.”

Sam just rolls their eyes. “Come on, you know I can’t pick between you two. You’re both my favorite.”

Vanessa melts then, pulling Sam into a bone-crushing hug, Brooke wrapping her arms around both of them.

“I guess we’ll just split the house stuff next week,” Vanessa says.

“You mean like we already do anyway?” Brooke snorts, holding them tighter.

Vanessa just smiles. She has her family, and tomorrow is their holiday party with all their friends, and then Christmas with her family and Brooke’s family, and her smile deepens. She watches the snow fall softly outside and knows this will be the best Christmas ever.

[kidchickpea]

Clear Shell Football Helmet Restoration

 Vintage clear shell helmets are by far my favorite type of collectible helmet. Like most old helmets, however, most of the ones we find are in bad shape. Restoration is much more difficult because you can’t just sand and paint - you have to remove the paint while trying to maintain the transparency of the shell.

Once the paint has been removed, dealing with replacement decals and painting can be just as challenging:

What to use for decals? They have to be applied to the inside of the helmet, before the paint, securely to avoid paint bleeding, and colorful enough to adequately show through the plastic shell.

How to prep the inner surface for paint considering you want the shell to be as clear as possible?

What paint to use?

How to avoid paint bleeding into the decals?

If you mess up any of this once you start painting, the only way to recover is to go back to step one and re-remove the paint and decals...yikes.

Over the last several months I've worked (and reworked) a few 1970s MacGregor helmets. I thought I'd share my experience. Some of this information may be obvious but is included for someone starting with no experience. This is by no means a complete guide, just some of what I have learned.

This work is not for the faint of heart and this information is presented without any guarantee of success. If you don’t want to deal with the heartache and disappointment that can come from trial and error (and almost certainly screwing something up bigtime) then I would recommend sticking with refurbishing regular plastic shell helmets. Those can be challenging enough just getting the paint to look right. But if you really want a reproduction of that sweet helmet worn by the likes of Joe Washington or Hollywood Henderson, without doling out hundreds or thousands of dollars, refurbishing an old clear shell might be worth it.

Paint removal

Always test a small inconspicuous area before trying to do the whole helmet. 

I found that Motsenbocker's Lift Off Paint & Varnish Remover works very well and does not damage the clear plastic shell. I applied it to a 1974 MacGregor that was painted silver and after a few minutes the paint literally peeled right off with no damage to the plastic. The helmet had red horseshoe logos under the paint and that material was actually harder to completely remove. See sanding and polishing info below for the solution.

I also used Motsenbocker's on a helmet that I had repainted with Krylon spray paint. After applying the remover and letting it sit for an hour the paint came off cleanly using a plastic scraper. Again, no damage to the plastic.

I have only done this on a few vintage MacGregor helmets so results may vary if different paints were used originally, if the plastic is in poor condition, etc. I have not tried this on Kelley, Maxpro or any other older clear shells.

If you're going to try Motsenbocker's, the only place I could find it was ordering online from Home Depot. $25 for 64oz. A reseller on Walmart.com has it listed for $100 which shows how hard it is to find. As stated earlier, test it in a small area first.

I also tried CitriStrip Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel and it was more harsh, melting the clear plastic if left on more than a few minutes (similar to nail polish remover). I would not recommend it.

Cleaning up the plastic shell after stripping paint

There will be some residual paint after the Motsenbocker's. I have had success wet sanding with 400 grit to get rid of the residuals. Follow that with wet sanding with 600 grit, then 800, then 1000. Go to 1500 if you like. A spray bottle filled with water is very handy. Also, if you have stubborn paint you can use 100 grit dry to start, followed by 220-320 wet, then 400, etc., and it will clean up OK.

After wet sanding, the shell will be hazy but should be scratch free and smooth. To restore the clear shell I use Novus 7100 Plastic Polish Kit with a cordless drill with foam polishing head. #3 (heavy scratch remover) followed by #2 (fine scratch remover). Polish each step until the material dries up or wears off. Wipe out the residual after each step.

The Novus does a good job but the residue left behind, while invisible, adds to the challenge of painting. You can wash the helmet with Dawn dish soap to remove the residue; however, you will consequently lose some clarity and get some haziness (which is when I redo #2 polishing). Balancing the transparency of the shell vs. having the best surface for painting is challenging. I have applied decals (see below for details) then wiped the exposed inside with rubbing alcohol to prep for paint. I've had mixed results.

Logos and stripes

This step is probably the hardest. One option is to not use decals or vinyl at all - mask off the inside of the helmet and paint logos, stripes and then the shell. This is a viable option but painting scares me enough that I try to only have to do one color, that of the shell, and use decals for logos and stripes.

I purchased Sunnyscopa Waterslide Decal Paper from Amazon. They offer white and clear. White is only useful for white stripes or simple white logos (like Oklahoma). Anything bigger and it's very hard to work with. And of course you can't print on the white because the sticky side has to face outwards.

The clear labels are good for small things printed in black (reversed of course), like the MacGregor or Kelley logo for the back of the helmet. I have not had luck with colors on the clear decal paper, as they do not print with full opacity (washed out). That is not to say it’s impossible - maybe I don’t have the right printer. Also, the larger the decal, the more stretching needed to fit the curve of a helmet. When stretched, the ink widens with the label and you’ll eventually get gaps in the colored areas.

I have heard there are companies that print custom waterslide decals but I have not found been able to find any in my limited Google searches. Sounds expensive (relatively) and it might be hard to find anyone that will print what may be considered copyrighted material.

I have a Silhouette Cameo 4 vinyl cutter and have had some success with Oracal 651 vinyl. However, I have also had some problems with paint bleeding inside the label. I have tried applying vinyl decals with strips of clear waterslide decal paper along the edges to act as a seal against bleeding. This does a good job of preventing bleeding but:

Applying the material along all the edges can be challenging. Depending on the decals there might be a lot of edge to cover. Also, working with larger pieces of the waterslide decal paper is difficult. The edges fold over and it’s very hard to undo that, often forcing you to start with a new piece.

The decal paper keeps the paint from adhering to the plastic because, obviously, it is a layer of material between the paint and the shell. If the waterslide material lifts or is removed, the paint goes with it.

I have also purchased 8 mil white Convex GearWrap (SKU C8155W), which is thicker than Oracal and also seems more adhesive. It is possible to place decals cut in Oracal on the sticky side of the GearWrap, thus using the GearWrap adhesive to hold the decal in place on the helmet. This is an acquired skill however.

Painting

Painting clear, smooth, glossy plastic is definitely a challenge. You want to keep the plastic as clear and smooth as possible so the decals, stripes and paint show through as clearly as possible. But that goes against the normal process of prepping a surface for paint by sanding it.

That said, I have had good success with Krylon Colormaxx paints (labeled for metal, wood, plastic...). Make sure you inside surface is a clean as possible. Try wiping a small area with alcohol. As mentioned, however, you’ll probably get some haziness in the plastic when cleaning it with alcohol. Keep in mind, though, when the paint is applied it seems to “moisten” the surface, thus removing the haze.

Spray several light coats, waiting the recommended minute or two, or even longer, between coats. After several coats, hold the helmet up to a light source and examine the entirety of the inside. If you can see any light showing through the paint, focus subsequent coats on those areas. Interestingly, even if you end up with some light spots, they are not often noticeable in the finished product.

One of the advantages of painting the inside of a helmet is that if you end up with drips they won’t be visible from the outside (unless it’s metallic paint - see below).

If there are spots inside the helmet that are not properly prepped, you might see some patches where the paint “beads”. Like drips, however, this is not as big of an issue as it might seem. Try letting the coat dry for a few minutes and reapply paint. Eventually the patches will be covered. How well the paint has adhered is another story, though. Try to ensure the inner surface is as clean as possible before painting.

Metallic paints present additional challenges and I would recommend avoiding them. If you run into drips or beading, you will most likely see these defects in the finished product. Because of the metal flecks in the paint, if it is not applied evenly the finish will be uneven, and drips will be obvious. Also, if the paint is not mixed (shaken) consistently it will come out of the can in different mixtures, further hosing up the finished product. I don’t know anything about the makeup of different spray paints but I would not be surprised if metallic paints have additional ingredients that don’t mesh will with smooth plastic.

[ourkarlanicoleuniverse]

Sweet Nothing (MHA Staff AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 20 

Warnings: Mostly sfw, slight nsfw (Mentions sexual assault and mental health), Slight Angst. 

Pairing: Shouta Aizawa x OC (Mai Montoya, Pro Hero Zion)

If you want to read of the events before this chapter here is the Master List 😊

As I looked through the exam replays while making notes about how Aizawa should tackle their training during the camp, a small cup of coffee was placed to my left, with red painted nails over the lid. I look over my shoulder to meet with a ruby red grin.

“I figured since it’s a little chilly in here, I would get you something different from your usual. Mic and Aizawa mentioned you liked hot white chocolate mochas with vanilla sweet foam and cocoa powder. Said it tasted like tiramisu cake to you.” She gave a small shrug while I reached over for the drink.

“Why the treat giving all of a sudden?” I took a sip, and my lips were immediately met with the toasted coffee-flavored sweetness. I hummed a little in delight.

“You haven’t gotten up from your desk nor stopped looking at your screen for a good two hours. I figured you needed a small something to break you away.”

“Oh… thanks. I just wanted to review everything from the exams and make sure I got all of this to Aizawa before he takes the kids to the camp.”

“You’re not going?”

“Vlad and Aizawa mentioned it was best that the least amount of people knew the location of the training camp to make sure students were safe. To be fair, I would like a little break. Sometime in the week, I am expecting a video conference about my license status this upcoming Monday. I got an email about it earlier.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. It's been months. They should’ve been giving you an update sooner.” Kayama sneered in disapproval.

“Yeah… so I kind of need a break from the students for at least a day.” I looked over to Kayama, who looked a little worried. “I promise I won’t be worrying too much about it. Or overwork myself trying to get this stuff done.”

“That’s not what I am worried about. Isn’t Gemini supposed to be in the meeting since he’s in charge of the agency you were working with?” She bit her cheek nervously, bringing up Gemini.

I sighed, “I’m trying not to think about it right now. I just want to think about the fact that I am one meeting closer to having my suspension lifted.”

“I just don’t want him to humiliate you or do something that will prevent your suspension from ending, that’s all. He was already harassing you despite it being against the court’s ruling.” She rubbed my back comfortingly.

“And I changed my number to get it to stop, so it’s fine. I can handle it.” I gave her a smile.

“Oh, okay, but just know if anything happens, I’m always here for you. You can always just stay here and continue working in Japan.” She rubbed my shoulder and made her way out of the office. “I’ll be with Snipe. If you need anything, text me.” She winked and sauntered off.

I continued typing out my worksheet for a little longer until my eyes grew tired and strained. I switched from my earbuds to Mic’s headphones so I wouldn’t get any interruptions. Clearly, someone didn’t get the memo when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I swiveled around in my chair to see Aizawa and Vlad hovering over me. I took Mic’s headphones off slowly as I looked at them in confusion, “Yes?”

“We decided that it would be a good idea to have you help us train the students in the training camp,” Aizawa spoke up with his files in hand and a bored expression.

“That is if you want to come,” Vlad added with an apologetic smile.

I blinked and looked between the two. “You decided without talking to me?”

“We’re talking right now.” Aizawa pointed.

I pushed my glasses up my nose and sighed, “I meant that you should’ve given me a heads up. First, I was sitting for hours making a whole report about tackling the students’ training. If it was in question for me to come, I wouldn’t have been wasting my time. Plus, you both need to know whether I am free enough to even go in the first place.”

Vlad rubbed the back of his neck, “That’s what I was telling Eraser when he brought it up.”

“Your schedule is free all throughout the summer break. What could you be possibly-”

“I have a meeting about my suspension Monday morning.” I interrupted Aizawa. Annoyance laced in my voice. “Don’t assume I have nothing to do.”

Aizawa closed his mouth and tensed up his jaw. He always did that when he knew he messed up and looked like an ass.

I shut my eyes, “Where is the location? And does it have wifi?” I can always just work around my meeting.

Aizawa gave me a folder with the name of the location and the owners of the location. I looked at him, “The Wild Wild Pussycats?”

“They’re friends of mine.” Aizawa defended.

“I swear to God, Aizawa if they’re furries…”

“They’re not furries!”

------------------------------

They were low-key furries…

As the students were forced to get to the Wild Wild Pussycats headquarters on their own, much to my dismay, I was attempting to use Aizawa’s hotspot to connect to my meeting. Aizawa and his friend Mandalay and her teammates were silently and awkwardly watching me stress out refreshing my laptop.

“Please work, please work, please work,” I mumbled mainly to myself.

“Is she usually like this?” I heard Mandalay said to Aizawa.

“Eh… depends on the situation. With hero work, she’s pretty calm and collective.” Aizawa responded.

“I would be nervous too if I was about to miss a meeting about my license.” Ragdoll chimed in.

Ding “You are now in the chat!”

“Yes! Oh, thank God!” I squealed in relief.

“Ms. Montoya? Is everything alright?” An old masculine voice came out of my laptop.

“Oh, yes, sorry. I was having connection problems… How are you today, Mr. Malcolm?” I smiled brightly even though I was ready to implode.

“Yes, I am doing well, thank you. Um, where are you currently?” The man’s bushy grey eyebrows furrowed together.

“Hehehe, I am on a bus on my way to a training camp for my hero course students. I couldn’t get out of coming since I was their counselor. I hope you don’t mind this.” I scratched the back of my neck.

“No, it’s alright, just happy to see you were able to work this meeting in with your schedule. I hope you are enjoying your time in Japan. The rest will be joining us in a moment. If you don’t mind, can you wear any earbuds or headphones? That way, the meeting stays confidential.”

I nodded, “Of course, sir. Just give me a second while I find…” I shuffled around to my purse to look for my Bluetooth earbuds but struggled to find them. The next thing I knew, they were in my face. I looked up to see Aizawa holding them out for me. “Thank you. Alright, I have them now.”

Shortly the rest of the people showed up at the meeting. The last person being Gemini. He looked extremely pleased to be in the meeting, which made me nervous. Which was probably the point. I stayed silent as they read over my file and my case. It had everything from when I enrolled in U.A. to my internships all the way to my job right now as a counselor. “So, from the updates, we have gotten from your boss Nezu and your coworker and pro hero Eraserhead, it seems that you have been following the guidelines of your suspension, which is good to hear. However, there seems to be this information about these phone calls that Gemini wanted to address.” Oh no… it was hard to hear what was said. My heart was thumping in my ears. “It seemed to be located through the Gemini Agency and U.A., meaning there was possible communication between you and someone at the agency. Which does violate the terms of the suspension.”

That’s why he kept calling…

“So, I am sorry, Ms. Montoya, as much as I would love to lift your suspension early. We would have to wait until the beginning of next year to review everything again and see if you can work in the U.S. again. However, we will allow you to continue your counseling job at Cal A if you decide that you don’t want to stay your whole suspension in Japan. I hope you have a good day.”

“Thank you. Have a good day.” I attempted to not look upset, but who knows if I was able to mask it or not. I clicked the leave button once everyone started to leave and closed my laptop. I saw Aizawa and the Wild Wild Pussycats waiting patiently from the corner of my eye to see what happened. I chewed my bottom lip to prevent myself from crying in front of people I barely knew. I felt like that was a sign for Aizawa to come up and sit next to me, gently grabbing my laptop out of my hands. He then wrapped an arm around my shoulders and softly moved my head to rest on his right shoulder. He then looked at the team of heroes and gave them a sad smile, and shook his head to motion them not to talk about the meeting or ask anything.

I felt him stroke my hair and rest his mouth just an inch away from my head to whisper, “You’ll be okay, Mai.”

The rest of the bus ride was short but quiet, so it felt agonizingly long. I felt bad that I let the mood shift so low. But we did end up there before the students were even halfway through the forest. Aizawa helped me with my suitcase while we walked off the bus into the building. “Huh. I expected an actual camp. But that’s because Eraser didn’t give me much description about your headquarters.”

“Oh yeah, that’s mainly because it’s his first time here. He’s only been to our old location a couple years back.” Mandalay explained. “I hope you don’t mind, but you’ll be rooming with me. The building might look big, but most of the rooms are meeting rooms, tech rooms, or just empty.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I just appreciate that you made room for me to come.” I quickly waved my hands in front of me as she giggled at my reaction.

“She’s a cutie, Eraser. No wonder you used to like her!” Mandalay teased.

I just looked behind me at the man standing with my suitcase. “What is she talking about?”

Aizawa’s face was mixed with embarrassment and discontent, “Nothing, I’m putting our stuff inside, and then I’m taking a nap. The students won’t be here for another hour.”

“Awe, the poor grump is embarrassed.” Mandalay leaned against me, smirking, “We met around the time you were last in Japan a few years back. So he mentioned you and was annoyed by the fact that he wasn’t over you. I thought it was cute but stupid that he didn’t do anything about it.” Someone doesn’t mind keeping things to herself. “That’s actually the reason why we didn’t work out when we tried dating. I kind of felt that his heart wasn’t in it because he was still caught up in what could’ve been with you.” She gave me a genuine smile, “Don’t worry, my heart wasn’t in it either, so there aren't any hard feelings. I’m just happy to finally meet the one that got away.”

My mouth was left hanging as my cheeks heated. I didn’t know how to respond to that. How would anyone respond to that?

She laughed again, “You are so cute. C’mon, let me show you around the place. Maybe this camp will be like a week-long slumber party with us girls?” This was going to be an interesting week for sure. Why did I agree to this?

---------------

The poor students were exhausted and took about an extra hour longer than expected. I felt terrible, but Aizawa dropped this on me like he did them, so I couldn’t do anything but nag him about it. Luckily, their actual training wasn’t starting until tomorrow. I just continued to act as if everything was normal and try to push past the news I got early.

As the Pussycats were giving them a tour around the place, I was just unpacking my suitcase to get my training outfit ready for tomorrow. It wasn’t anything special, just some running pants and a sports bra. I was also getting my nightshirt and shorts ready for when I needed to change later for bed. The Pussycats also provided the students a meal since they felt bad for leaving them to work so hard to get to camp. I sat with Mandalay and her nephew, who was looking for an opportunity to sneak away from the room.

“Mai, can I ask you a huge favor?” Mandalay spoke up. I simply nodded in response, “Do you think you can maybe talk with Kota? I feel like he needs to see someone about what happened to him and his parents. But I don’t want to take him to a therapist yet since he’s so young.”

“Well, there are children psychologists, but I don’t mind helping you out. It's better than doing nothing.” I gave her a reassuring smile when all of a sudden, my phone vibrated. I looked down and saw it was an unknown number with a video message. “Excuse me for a second, I have to check this. We could talk about a time to set up a meeting with Kota when I come back.”

I got up from the table and into the hallway as I opened the message.

Unknown Number

It was nice seeing you again, my lovely flower. I just wanted to give you a little momentum for our time together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Maybe now you’ll remember to never test me. I own your career. With one simple video, you can kiss your hero career goodbye. You can always just apologize for defying me and stay being my little flower.

I regretted opening the video file. How can someone be so vile? I felt like I was going to throw up.

The video was of the night that would haunt me in my nightmares. The only view the camera had was of my face and body being violated. No one watching the video would never know who was the one filming or the one violating me. I was seventeen, drugged up, and influenced by Gemini’s mind control quirk. And it was all filmed. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the horrifying sight. I was trying to not be upset all day, and he knew it. He somehow always knew what I was doing. It was like once he got in my head, he knew my every thought and move. My privacy, my autonomy, were not really mine after him. I quickly got out of the conversation and put my phone away. I’ll just pretend it didn’t happen and sleep it off.

To say I was jittering the rest of the night would be an understatement. I felt uncomfortable like bugs were crawling all over me. I would jump whenever the students or Aizawa would try and talk to me. I even shrunk away from Aizawa when he tried to grab my shoulder to get my attention. He looked a little offended but didn’t press me. It wasn’t until Mandalay mentioned something that I had to explain why I was so jumpy.

“I’m just thinking about my meeting, I was trying to ignore what happened, but it sneaked up on me.” I shrugged.

“I understand. Do you maybe want to use the hot spring after the students to relax and wash the bad news and stress away?” I gave her a nod and a tight lip smile. “Cool, I’ll get the robes and towels then so we can get started.” Mandalay was really nice. And really pretty, I could see why Aizawa liked her. Such a shame they didn’t last. They would’ve been perfect.

When she came back to the living room, Midoriya came running in with an unconscious Kota. “What happened?” We both went up to look at Kota. I moved out of my spot on the couch to have Midoriya set Kota down.

“Mineta was climbing up the wall to try and peep at the girls on the other side, and Kota stopped him but fell. I don’t know how he passed out, though. I caught him before he fell into the water.” Midoriya explained awkwardly, standing in a towel. I went to grab another towel to wet it so it could be placed on Kota’s forehead.

“Eraserhead mentioned that one of you boys was a little girl crazy. So I posted Kota up there to make sure the boy didn’t do anything. I could assume that it was the fall that made him pass out. Thank you.” Mandalay spoke while I handed her the wet towel, and she placed it on Kota. Midoriya shifted around a little, worried about the kid. He then asked about why Kota was so inanimate about pro heroes. Since Mandalay already told me about it, I suggested that I leave them alone to talk while I check on the rest of the students and lecture Mineta.

I waited until all the students were in their rooms to go talk to them. All went well on the girls and with the rest of the boys. However, with Mineta, let’s just say my lecture went in through one ear and out the other. So, I opted to go disrupt Aizawa to talk to Mineta. Unfortunately, he was not in his room. I ran into Tiger in the hallway as I was walking out of Aizawa’s room, “Hey, Tiger, have you seen Eraserhead? I need to talk to him about one of the students.”

“Last time I saw him, he was heading to the hot spring after the students went to their rooms.” The large man was in his normal civilian wear now, a t-shirt with a cat face on it and some Capri running pants. He was wearing some kitten slippers to walk inside the building with. It was different from his uniform but not far away from the cat theme. And Aizawa used to wonder why I didn’t hang around cat people back when we were kids.

“Thank you, Tiger. Have a goodnight, bub.” I grinned up at him as I rushed to the hot spring. He chided a goodnight as I passed by and went into his room.

Sure enough, the grumpy slug was relaxing in the hot spring like he had nothing to do. I removed my slippers to slip into some sandals laid out at the entrance to the hot spring and quietly made my way behind the man hovering over his peaceful frame in the water. He was laying back on the rocks displayed at the edge of the spring with his eyes closed and arms stretched out. His hair was damped and was pushed back out of his face. His breathing was steady, with his chest slowly rising and falling. I couldn’t help but stare a little as I crossed my arms and waited for him to notice me.

“Take a picture. It will last longer, pervert.” The man leaned his head back and opened his charcoal grey eyes that reflected the night sky above us.

I raised an eyebrow at him and started tapping my foot, not amused by his comment.

“What do you want, Mai?”

“Mineta tried to peek at the girls while they were using the hot spring, and he didn’t want to listen to me, so I need you to scare him.”

“Right now?” The man started to close his eyes and moved his head back to its original position.

“Yes.”

“I never get to relax. Can I do it in the morning? Maybe I can make him do extra training as punishment along with the lecturing?” He suggested. I stayed quiet because I didn’t feel like that was enough of a punishment. Maybe it was my own personal feelings kicking in, but I really wanted this kid to learn to not be such a perverted creep. I didn’t want him to be doing the same shit Gemini was to his future women colleagues. Aizawa leaned back again to look at me, “Is that not a good punishment?”

“Nope.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Castration.”

Aizawa’s eyes widened, and then he stood up from his spot and turned his whole body in my direction. Which he shouldn’t have done. The water cascading down his body was a little distracting. How did I not notice his muscles like this when I was bandaging him up? Since when did he have body hair? And why do I like it? God, Mai, this is not the time… “Should I be concerned that you want to castrate a student?” He had a happy trail… and toned wet abs…. Jesus Christ, I’m acting like Mineta. “Mai?”

I looked up to his eyes as he looked at me, waiting, “No, it was a joke. That’s all.” I turned my cheek to hide the blush creeping up my face.

He folded his arms, which made both his arms and chest bulge and not helping me pay attention to his face, “Is there something wrong?” He raised an eyebrow at me and had a subtle smirk plastered on his face. Great, he knows that I was unintentionally checking him out.

“Nope, nothing’s wrong, just a student harassing other students.”

“Right, nothing else?”

“Nope.”

“You know when you lie, your voice gets higher, and your eyes start widening while you get pouty and raise your eyebrows.” He gave me a knowing smirk. I hate this. I would prefer not to get teased right now.

“I do know that. That’s why I choose not to lie. Because I am a bad liar.” I honestly said. Not budging.

We stared at each other with folded arms in silence.

“Fine, you can talk to him in the morning. Only because it’s really late.” I gave in, letting out an exasperated sigh and unfolding my arms.

“Okay. I promise I’ll castrate him while I’m at it.” He chuckled, making me let out a breathy one of my own.

“Alright, well, I’m going to go to bed now and leave you alone. Goodnight.” I had an effortless and genuine smile on my face. Leave it for the grump to get me in a better mood without even trying.

“Mai, wait.” I turned back to see Aizawa lean forward on the edge of the hot spring, his head resting on his forearms. “Do you want to talk about what happened in the meeting? Or maybe what happened in the hospital? Whichever is easier to tackle first. I kind of want to get things between us situated.”

I sat down on the floor across from him, “What did you want to situate?”

“Well, you seemed to be getting serious with Vlad, and well, we can’t ignore how we keep having certain moments with each other. I don’t want to string myself along, and I don’t want to hurt Vlad. And I’m sure you feel that way too.”

“This is the first time I’m having you talk about your feelings.” I joked a little.

“I thought I was over my feelings for you from high school. But I don’t know what’s been happening. I don’t know if my feelings are genuine or just me indulging in old forgotten feelings because I never got closure. It’s irrational. And I don’t act irrationally.” He looked at me seriously, “I think we need some sort of boundaries.”

Part of me agreed with him. Part of me also wanted to tell him that Vlad and I weren’t that serious. We were just new. Part of me wanted to jump into the spring and kiss his wet plump lips. They were just begging me to kiss them. Part of me wanted to ask him what he wanted to tell me at the hospital. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Most of me wanted to crawl into a hole and be forgotten.

I am not someone that Vlad or Aizawa should be with. It wasn’t fair to either of them if they were with me. So I made it up in my mind that I shouldn’t be with either of them. Though, something in Aizawa’s midnight eyes was telling me to not agree with him. Like he was pleading for me to say something else. “Maybe we should. It’s just juvenile to let old feelings dictate what we do. You’re right. It’s irrational.” I avoided his eyes. They tempted me, to tell the truth, which was buried in the pit of my heart. As I played with my fingers, my lips slipped out a question, “What were you going to tell me at the hospital before Midoriya interrupted?”

Now it was his turn to avoid my eyes and bury his face in his arms. It took him a minute to speak up. “I was going to say that I really wanted you to… I really wanted you to know that I loved you when we were kids. That it was never just a childish crush. I was just stupid and thought it was foolish to do something about it.”

“Hmmm… well, I guess I should tell you that I loved you too, I was just too naive to know that I was. So I just assumed I was misplacing my feelings because I never knew what love felt like.” Sadly, it took me dealing with everything I did after leaving to realize it was the real thing. “But I guess we were too late,” I muttered mainly to myself, not really wanting him to hear it.

“I guess.”

“Vlad and I aren’t that serious. He doesn’t even feel comfortable enough for me to call him by his given name. And it's been a little awkward since that. So, I don’t think we’re going to last. It’s probably better off that way. I shouldn’t really be with anyone.” I hugged myself while looking at my knees. “I like Mandalay. She told me about you guys. I think you guys would’ve been cute. You guys both like naps and cats.” I joked a little more to lighten the mood.

“She’s a furry.”

“I thought you said that the Wild Wild Pussycats weren’t furries?”

“Oh, so you’re defending them now?” A small teasing smirk broke out of his face.

“At most, she’s a catgirl. Which is right up your ally.” After a second of thinking, I started to burst into laughter. “Ally cat!”

Aizawa looked incredibly confused, “Huh?”

“Ally cat! You’re an alley cat because you're an underground hero!” It made no sense why I thought it was funny. Honestly, I would be confused too if I was in Aizawa’s position. But for some reason, it was funny to me at the moment. Maybe it was the sleepiness kicking in?

He still looked at me confused, but his eyes were warm, and he was grinning like an idiot. “You have such a broken sense of humor. I blame Oboro for that. He corrupted you with his stupid jokes.”

I pouted, “I think I have a great sense of humor. It’s a little on the dark side, but at least you know I can make light out of any situation!”

“Yeah, sure.”

“You think threatening students with expulsion is funny. You can’t judge anyone else’s humor.” I yawned. “Alright, I think now, I should go. Anything else we need to discuss before I hibernate?”

He looked at me with a soft boyish closed-lip grin, “No, go to sleep. You need to rest before training tomorrow. Have a goodnight, Mai.”

I yawned again as I got up, “Goodnight, Sho. Get some sleep too, don’t stay up too late.”

“I won’t. Lov…” I couldn’t hear the last part once I returned to the entrance of the hot spring. All I was able to hear was that Aizawa stopped himself before he finished it.

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[cosplayinamerica]

COSPLAY WIP : firespunalchemy

When I decided it was time to tackle Umi Ryuuzaki from Magic Knight Rayearth, I knew this would be my first major build and I needed to do some serious research before diving in.

I’ve always kept a kind of to do list for previous cosplays, but I have about six pages of planning for Umi, covering each major component as I look up different methods and materials. I’d had the wig for her for a while, even styling it (it was a wavy wig I got from Arda on sale that I straightened and trimmed), so that part was out of the way, but there was still so much more to do.

Over the quarantine in 2020, I thought this was the perfect time to start with the most intimidating part: her sword. I found files on Etsy, and contacted a friend with a 3D printer since I don’t have one.

She asked for specifications such as layer depth and what kind of filament, which I definitely didn’t know much about, and was kind enough to help teach me (it’s printed at a standard layer depth out of PLA). It started as about 8 separate pieces that I glued together with a five minute epoxy around a ¼” thick, 52 in long aluminum rod (as specified by the files).

Then...the sanding began. I started with about a 150 grit sandpaper, working on getting down the layer lines and any epoxy that had gooped out the sides, working up to about 800 grit. Then I primed with a sandable filler primer, sanded more, and then used a nail buffing block to buff and shine. I then used some Bondo to fill in areas that were a little low, before doing another round of sandable filler primer, sanding, buffing, polishing.

After one more round of this, I painted the whole thing with a grey primer, and started painting the blade with a silver craft paint. I started painting the handle, pommel, and guard before I realized the blade’s paint felt strangely tacky. When I tried to sand it, the paint gummed up, so I had to peel it by hand until I got enough off to sand the rest down.

Ended up sanding it all the way back down to the print and having to re-prime. I did one layer of sandable primer, sanding, buffing, polishing, and felt it looked smooth enough to move on to the grey primer again. This time I didn’t want to take any chances (or more time) so I used a hammered silver spray paint for the blade. The rest of the sword was completely painted by hand, with a gloss top coat over the gem sections, then an iridescent top coat over everything.

 After all that, I figured I’d start on a smaller and easier part: her headband. This is what I’m currently working on, building out of foam and foam clay. The reference art for Umi’s armor is incredibly inconsistent on the headband, so I’ve had to choose within my options what I want to go with.

I first made the wing attachments out of 6mm EVA 50 high density foam, cutting them out from a pattern I drew in paper then rounding out with a Dremel. I primed it with about six layers of Bounce from Hot Wire Foam Factory, then realized I hadn’t accounted for several things.

So I cut them out and sanded them down again, but this time in 4 mm EVA 38 foam, etched shapes into them with a Dremel, then added foam clay to create dimension. I’m waiting for the foam clay additions to dry until I can say this will work and move forward. Thankfully, those failed pieces serve as a great way to test whether this priming method is really what I want to use, since it’s kind of a pain to apply.

I’m also working on the gems for her chest, headband, and hand, testing out methods that don’t require casting in resin. I don’t currently have a large enough setup or the budget to get into playing with resin sadly, so I’m testing the classic method of hot glue as well as using a silicone mold with foam clay. Hot glue gem creation has been an interesting process, because the eyeshadow I used to color my test gem shifted after being exposed to heat and became much greener. With the foam clay gems, I’m having trouble with air bubbles present on the surface. So I’m trying out using some Bondo to fill those holes, sanding, then priming with Plastidip. So far, the results are promising!

Other than that, I’ve ordered swatches for fabric options for the body of her costume, which I’ll have to start drafting the pattern for soon. This is my first major build, so about 90% of what I need to do is something I’ve never done before (3D printing, making gems, making boot covers, drafting a pattern…) and that’s been a great way to keep myself focused and time occupied during the nightmare of the last year. I know for many cosplayers, 2020 was rough because not having a deadline meant they felt little motivation to work, but for me it’s always been the pursuit of the craft so I’ve just been slowly chipping away at projects.

But then my cosplay journey has been a little a-typical anyway. I first learned about cosplay when some friends mentioned wanting to go to this anime convention in Dallas, A-Kon, back in around 2005. We were all in high school so we had to get permission from our parents and my boyfriend at the time drove us up there (we lived over 4 hours away). He also made my first costume of Sakura from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, while I thrifted my second costume of Melfina from Outlaw Star.

We all cosplayed and went to cons together for a few years, but then life kind of got in the way and I spent about a decade out of the convention and cosplay world. PAX South in 2015 really ignited it again, and I’ve been cosplaying ever since. For me, on a very serious level cosplay has been a way to work through some gender and body stuff, as well as stage fright/anxiety.

But I also just really enjoy coming up with creative solutions to problems and learning new skills so challenges like Sogeking’s mask or Umi’s headband are great puzzles. It doesn’t hurt that I keep cosplaying characters few people probably even remember, much less cosplay, so there are very few tutorials I can use to guide my way and I’m okay with that. I’m here to have fun and re-create some of my favorite characters, whether from recent anime or obscure and old series (just wait until I make Sabriel), learning and making friends along the way.