#i may have gone a little bit crazy yesterday

[victorian-wizard]

Yesterday I was in Whitby, the place in which Bram Stoker set the novel Dracula. It's a regular-sized seaside town with lots of interesting naval history as well as folktales of ghosts, ghouls and pirates!

To the interesting part! I went on a replica of the HMS Endeavour, which had its maiden voyage in 1768, commanded by Captain James Cook. Of course I took my camera with me and I took many pretty pictures (See below)

Now for the next bit. I could not stop thinking about @ganymedian the whole time I was there. One might say I got Ganymedian brainrot. i understand why they enjoy ships and naval history so much now. I may have unlocked a new hyper fixation.

Anyways I wanted to commemorate my day with a piece of art inspired by Ganymedian's art-style mixed with some touches of my own style. I painted this almost completely while in a pub so it's missing a few things I would've added if I was at home but, without further ado, here it is. A watercolour portait of Captain James Cook!

[dyns33]

Family's fever

I have so many, sooo many, Alfie and his wife stories waiting to be posted.

It was only pain.

For a moment, Alfie wondered if he had died and gone to hell, where his body burned and caused him a martyrdom such as he had never known.

The first time was during the war. Between the trenches, the bombs, the fighting, it had completely destroyed his back, and it had never healed. As if he had stayed there. Maybe it would have been better.

A panting breath was heard on his right, but fatigue was stronger than his survival instinct. So Alfie remained motionless, waiting for the intruder to strike.

It was impossible to tell how much time passed, until a light made him wince, immediately soothed by a cold, damp cloth placed on his forehead and eyes.

"My poor darling, you are even hotter than yesterday."

The soft voice and the hand caressing his cheek almost made him forget the torture he had been living for several hours, at least enough for him to find the strength to move his eyelids enough to see what was around him.

First, he discovered that the danger blowing was a dog, which barked happily at seeing him awake, resting its big head on his hand.

The animal seemed familiar, like the room, but Alfie's foggy mind forgot his questions when he laid his eyes on the woman who was now sponging his sweaty neck.

"… I'm dead."

"Not yet, Alfie. But if this continues I'll call the doctor, no matter what you say."

"Doctors are quacks."

"Like you've been telling me since you caught that cold. And yet you did send one to my house when I was sick."

"I couldn't leave such a beautiful angel to die."

"Ah, maybe you're feeling a little better, you're talking nonsense again." she joked, massaging his shoulder.

However, Alfie wasn't joking, and he didn't understand why his angelic vision didn't take him seriously. He was very serious.

Never in his entire life had he seen such a beautiful woman. If he could have gotten up without crying out in pain, he would have taken her hand to kiss it reverently, before apologizing for having the impudence to touch her without permission.

Maybe she wasn't entirely wrong about his fever, because he laughed, repeating that he really was saying ridiculous things.

Obviously he was mumbling his thoughts without even realizing it. Or maybe it was madness. Alfie had always been a bit crazy, and being stuck with his brigade in the middle of the bombs hadn't helped matters.

His mind was still lucid enough to see the wedding ring on his angel's hand, though, and to know what it meant. Of course, such a woman was married. All the men had to grovel at her feet, begging her to be their wife, and one of them had been given the privilege of being chosen.

"Lucky bastard."

"If I make some soup, will you try to eat it ?"

"Anything for you, видение рая."

"Good. Thanks for finally being reasonable."

"I'll need strength to question your husband." he sighed, patting the dog on the head as it came closer to lick his face.

"…Excuse me ?"

"I wouldn't kill him, I wouldn't want to hurt your tender heart, but I have to check that he deserves you. And if he's not worthy, I should train him until he is."

"… Okay, I'll call the doctor. Cyril, stay here."

Obeying his mistress, the dog guarded the sick man despite his protests and pleas. Alfie would have liked her to stay by his side a little longer. There was no hope that he would see her again.

He frowned when a small man in his lab coat entered the room, putting his briefcase on a table and asking him a lot of questions. Damn doctor.

The man only got his attention when he turned to the angel and called her "Mrs. Solomons.", which made him frown even more.

Hmm.

Alfie knew only three "Mrs Solomons", his grandmother, may she rest in peace, who had always hated being called that, his poor mother who was no longer of this world either, and his sister who had long since taken the name of her stupid husband.

Even if he was not well, he could still recognize these three people, he was certain of it.

"He talked about having a discussion with my husband."

"Mr Solomons often speaks about himself in the third person… As he often speaks to himself."

"I agree, but could the fever be playing on his memory ?"

"You are me wife ?"

The sad smile she gave him as she came back to sit next to him seemed like a sufficient answer, but Alfie couldn't believe it.

Him, married to this perfect being ? Impossible, there had to be a mistake. Someone was playing a joke on him, there was no other explanation, or the devil had decided to punish him for all his sins by torturing him with a twisted scenario, mixing pain, sweetness and vain hope.

But Alfie didn't really believe in this bullshit, and he didn't see anyone suicidal enough to play such a trick on him.

"But why are you married to me, love ? Did I threaten you ? Did your father have debts ? Would I have become rich ? No, an angel like you doesn't marry an old fool like me even if he is rich."

"Maybe I fell in love." she sneered, capturing his attention enough for him to let the doctor take his pulse on his other arm.

"Ah ! I tricked you, my poor treacle ! I blinded you and made you sink into madness to have you. Damn me ! I mean, I am honored that you love me, even if using such subterfuge to have you is terrible."

"I knew exactly where I was going, don't worry. Doctor ?"

"He is simply exhausted by the fever and his back, which makes him delirious. But he will be better soon, I will write you a prescription."

Still not convinced that he could have married the one who was called Y/N, Alfie stared at her with wide eyes in silence, captivated by her every move and accepting everything she asked of him, wisely eating his soup, taking his medicine and letting her change his soaked shirt.

He thought he was going to have a heart attack when she entered the room in her nightgown, lying against him, her head on his shoulder.

"Try to sleep, okay ?"

"But if I sleep, you might disappear." he whispered like a child.

"My sweet idiot. I promise to be here tomorrow morning, sleep now."

As promised, Y/N was still there when he woke up, noticing that his fever had gone down and his memories had returned.

She gently mocked the event when he had fully recovered, and even though he claimed not to see what she was talking about, unable to not make the pout that always betrayed him whenever he tried to hide something from his wife.

Alfie was not ashamed of having been sick. He was still human. He wasn't ashamed of saying strange things either, because it wasn't a change from his usual behavior, nor of falling madly in love with Y/N ​​again, which was perfectly normal.

What he didn't like was the expression on her face when she realized he wasn't joking when he said he didn't know who she was.

"I was worried, you know."

"I know, love. Sorry."

"You really need to stop covering up all over London when it rains."

"Tell your brothers to stop making trouble all over London and I can stay in my office."

"At least this time you were a decent patient. All the other times, you were impossible to hold, refusing to stay in bed and not scare the doctor away. Do you have to take me for someone else's wife to listen to me ?"

"Of course not." he mumbled, pulling her closer. "Other times, I was only able to handle myself, you didn't need to waste your time on me."

"I never waste my time on you, Alfie."

Ah, Y/N. His sweet love. Of course he had taken her for an angel fallen from the sky. That was kind of what she was, even if it wasn't God but Thomas fucking Shelby who had put her on his path.

No doubt her brother was still as shocked as he was that she could have fallen for the idiot he was.

Even in good health, Alfie sometimes wondered how he had done it, how fate had been able to give him such a gift.

"Stop mumbling nonsense, Ollie is waiting for us outside."

"Yes, мой ангел."

Y/N rolled her eyes with a smile, guessing what he had said and taking his hand to urge him to leave their house, because she knew very well that if she gave him time, he would have pulled her even further onto the couch, and they would have been very late.

[ros3ybabe]

Daily Check-in: May 22, 2024 🎀

Wednesday was such a long day, a day for no reason at all. It was a good day, tho I ended the night all moody. But it was a good day!

🩷 What I Accomplished

24 Minutes of Leg/Thigh Pilates

studied Spanish for 25 minutes

morning journaled

did my morning skincare

took a nap before worked

worked a ~6 hour shift

did my morning routine

💞 Good Things That Happened

got to hang out with my work friend for a bit

made plans to go shopping with that work friend next week

got to talk with my dad a little bit

did really good at work despite walking in and being told I had one hour to prep my station for the 400+ people we had coming in that night

started studying Spanish again!!

💗 Stuff For Thursday

study spanish

do my morning routine

read

take a nap

go to my psych doctor and therapy appointments

go to an early dinner with my dad after my appointments

order some groceries + things I need for the next few weeks

send my friend my cashapp info

video call with my boyfriend tonight

💕 Song of the Day: BTS - IDOL

I have loved this song since I was like, 16 or 17? and I'm 21 now, and this is still a favorite of mine.

Dang, I was not as productive yesterday as I had thought. And there's not really much to do today either. Crazy! but I always enjoy the more mellow days, that's for sure! and I'm so excited to spend time with my dad today, I haven't gone out to eat with him in a while.

til next time lovelies 🩷

[metaphorfordeath]

Dream Home

No one knows how it chooses, only that it does. 

It is smart. It knows you. It has preferences. Maybe your mother has died, or you’re an alcoholic. Things like that. It likes people for whom the veil is thin. People who want to go home, even when they already are. It knows you want to go home, and is more than happy to oblige.

When it has decided on you, you won’t know it. But it may start to appear to you. You may, some dark evening, be standing at your sink, washing the dishes. You may look out of the window over the sink and see there in your yard a lone window, staring into your home like a great glass eye. When you go to the door, it will be gone. But it is not really gone. It is simply waiting for the right moment.

You will see it more and more. Unless you already know what it is, you will not understand. It will come a bit closer. In pieces, at first. Perhaps you will come home from work and at the edges of your mind be aware that the birdbath on your lawn is not yours. Perhaps there will be an extra step up to your porch, the wrong color, which will be gone when you turn around. 

This is the manner in which it chews its food. 

It will madden you. It will remind you, at all times, of the things about you which helped it to decide. You will lie awake and miss your mother, or miss the bottle, or miss the way the world used to make sense, and it will use that to hurt you. The more you hurt, the closer it can get to you.

Your life will slowly begin to show signs of stress. Hairline cracks will form, in your job, your relationships, your well-being. You will feel the urge to run, or hide, or both. You will want, more deeply than you thought possible, to go home. Home is not home anymore. Home is something else now.

Other people may start to notice. Your partner may ask you about those long, late walks you keep taking, and you will not have a good answer. Your boss may tell you to take it easy with all those late nights working, or he may dismiss you for your absences. You may be waiting for the bus some sunny afternoon and realize that the one of the windows in the building across the street is different. It is familiar. It is looking at you. When the bus comes, the other people waiting will board, glancing nervously over their shoulders at you, hoping you do not follow.

When you take those long walks around your neighborhood, pay attention to the houses. Are they all the same as they were yesterday? Did the portico on the corner always look like that? You may begin to notice the pattern. It likes you to notice. It’s a lot of effort, doing all this to you. Everyone likes a little recognition, from time to time.

But by the time it starts to get close, you may not even realize that you are being acted upon. You internalize it. You are the crazy one. You are the problem. The room where you wake up is not the one you fell asleep in—the ceiling too high, the windows all wrong—and then you blink, and it’s right again. Just a trick of the light, you will think, and dismiss that irrational bit of your mind that tells you something is very wrong. Ignore it, and go about your life. Enjoy that feeling while you can. 

At night, lay awake in your bed and listen to the sounds of your home. The settling foundations don’t sound like they used to. Now they sound like breathing.

Eventually, you will not be able to take it anymore. You will break. You will scream at your surviving parent, or you will empty a bottle into yourself, or you will, all alone, take actions that you hope will make the world make sense again. Home is not home anymore. You cannot stay here anymore. And when you step outside, there it will be, in its entirety. Showing itself to you at last. You will see it, and your thoughts will instantly calm. You will forget the way things used to be. You will think, how did I never notice that house there before? What a handsome house. How well-designed a house this is. I wonder if anyone is home?

And then the porch light will click on.

Like the light on an anglerfish.

And the house will say, so quietly that you will think the thought is yours,

welcome home.

And then you will go home.

And it will be so happy to have you.

Listen to this story narrated by Heather Thomas on the Creepy podcast Patreon.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

You know how sometimes you feel like there's a scream trapped under your ribcage like a frantic bird? Or maybe it should be, you know how you constantly feel like there's a scream trapped under your ribcage like a frantic bird and sometimes it's more active than others? Well, mine is currently flailing like an angry fucking swan.

I'm going to have to write an email to Scruffman about New Girl. I'm fed up. That email will read, "Dear [Scruffman], I wondered if you could have a word with [New Girl] about working in chronological order when she types. I had reason to note that yesterday she was typing all of that day's typing while we still had a large number of reports from the previous day to type." And I may add, "I felt obliged to work an extra twenty minutes yesterday to clear Monday's typing so that we would remain more or less on schedule, which would have been unnecessary had she gone through the queue chronologically". Because I did - and that was after I stepped out to go to the shops for some necessary bits. She is driving me fucking crazy, and I was left with so many of the long-ass bits of typing and the complicated accents and I know that's part of the job but it feels hideously unfair that I should be the one stuck with it all because I'm the only one who seldom cherry-picks what typing they want out of the queue (and then only when I have done ten long-ass complicated bits of bullshit in a row and refuse to do every single one of them just because the rest of my colleagues can't be arsed).

And of course the US election is today and I am nervous as fuck. It's not just about my friends in the US, either. I mean, it's a lot about my friends in the US, but ... seriously, this country went to the right wing idiocy place when Trump got elected, and currently the leader of the Tories is a boomerang bigot who said out loud that Muslims are a "lesser culture" who don't deserve to be here, and as for Labour ... well, Starmer's not even a centrist - he's a straight-up right wing bullshit artist. We're struggling for hope as it is over here, and if Trump wins again, it's going to embolden the far-right assholes who have protests and riots like once every couple of months over here. I could not take that. I couldn't take more right-wing agitation here, I could not take what a second Trump term would do to my friends, I just could. Not. TAKE IT.

And I have no chance to chill even a little because it's fucking Guy Fawkes Day and I thought the fireworks were bad over the weekend ... and they were, but now they're WORSE. So I'm stressed, I'm tired, I'm in pain, I'm angry, I'm badly frightened, and it sounds like World War 3 outside so now I'm getting a migraine.

Good luck to the USians. I wish I had something more positive to say to you, but I wish you all the best, for all our sakes.

[l2bbocsstuff]

HAVE LOVE WILL TRAVEL

Another drabble from prompts I get on a Discord server I belong to.

Asami answered her cell phone on its third ring.  Opal was on the other end of the call and she blurted out, “Where the hell are you right now?  I tried the mansion but no one answered.”

“I’m never home on Sundays…at least I haven’t been since Korra’s down south.  I thought you knew that.”

“I guess I didn’t put two and two together, sorry!!  How long has she been gone?” Opal questioned.

“She’s been gone for two months and I’m going crazy without her.  She tells me all the time how much she misses me and I miss her too.  I mean we talk every second day but I’m just not sleeping well without her.  I just need to feel her next to me.  Plus, our anniversary is coming up and I don’t know if she’ll be home or not.  I feel like I’m losing it Ope.”

Asami knew that the confession she had just made would have Opal’s problem-solving skills kick into overdrive.  It did not take long for Opal to respond.

“Aren’t you the CEO of a multi-billion yuan company?”

“Yes, I am and that’s why I’m in the office right now.”

“And you’re missing your wife?”

“More than the three years she was gone.”

Asami could picture Opal raising one of her eyebrows as they spoke on the phone.  “Oh My Raava.  You’re the boss.  You’re allowed to say, ‘Fuck it’ and just leave the city to go see your wife you know.  I mean if I was you, I would book a first-class ticket to Harbour City right now and screw the consequences.  You have great people who work for you and they can take up the slack.  You did train them.”

Asami couldn’t argue with that.  “I so hate it when you’re right.”

“No, you don’t.  You love me!!!”

“Yeah, I guess I do.  Thanks for the pep talk.  I’ll book right now and I’ll send some emails to my team while I wait for the flight.  Thanks, Ope.  See you in a week.”

With that Opal and Asami hung up and Asami opened a travel site on her computer.  It took about fifteen minutes to get her flight and car booked.  The flight was leaving in three hours.  Plenty of time to get everything done.

___

Four hours later and in the air above the Mo Ce Sea, Asami was very glad for the tasty food she was being served by the cabin crew.  She hadn’t eaten anything since the bagel she had before she left for the office.  She could hear Korra in her head saying that she shouldn’t skip meals.  Asami smiled to herself and began to read the in-flight magazine.  She blushed because it was the newest edition of “Life in RC” and she was on the cover.  The story was about the new 3D printing machines that Future Industries had designed for home use.  Asami continued to peruse the magazine until the aircraft's captain came on the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are beginning our descent into Harbour City.  We are encountering some turbulent weather so it might get a bit bumpy.  We should be on the ground and at the terminal in a little under thirty minutes.”

Asami put the magazine back into its proper place and tightened her seatbelt.  Although the landing was a little choppy, she was relieved and grabbed her carry-on luggage from the overhead bin.  After thanking the crew, she stepped out of the aircraft and headed directly to the car rental place.  Asami knew that winters in the Southern Water Tribe could be wicked so a top-of-the-line Satomobile vehicle with all the bells and whistles was what she had booked.  As she got to the counter, the attendant was smiling.  He began, “Hi, I’m Kasen.  Are you here to pick up a vehicle?”

“Nice to meet you Kasen and yes, I’m here to pick up the SUV I booked.”

“Name?”

“Asami Sato.  I booked a new Scorpion XL this morning online.”

“Yes, ma’am.  I see the reservation right here.  I’m glad you picked this vehicle because the weather yesterday was pretty horrendous.  There were whiteout conditions in the town; subsequently, the roads were impassable.  With this machine, you will have no problems on the roads today.  May I please see your driver’s licence and credit card.”

Asami handed over what was asked for and was relieved that she wasn’t recognized this far south.  Once the transaction was complete, she walked out the front of the terminal and strode over to her ride.  She was very thankful for the heated seats and heated steering wheel.

As she drove through Harbour City along the waterfront she was amazed by the large chunks of ice washing up on the beach.  I guess it really was one helluva storm.

The trip to the Chief’s palace took about forty minutes and when she arrived, she was met at the door by the security staff.  Asami was escorted to the front door of the Chief’s living area.  She knocked.

She heard “Coming” from behind the door.  It was Korra’s voice.  Asami’s pulse began to race as she waited.  She was almost frantic.  The door was flung open and there stood the Avatar in all her glory.  Korra’s brow furrowed for a second and then a 1000-watt smile burst from her lips.

“Asami!!  What are you doing here?  I mean I love that you’re here but why.”

Asami’s voice came out as a squeak.  She pleaded, “I needed to see you.  I needed to hug you.  I needed to kiss you.”  The CEO’s eyes filled with tears. 

Korra lifted her hand and wiped the droplets away from her wife’s cheek.  Asami leaned in, embraced Korra and kissed her fiercely.  The relief she felt was almost overwhelming.  The couple's weeklong vacation brought them both the comfort and support they each needed.

[clatterbane]

That was fun. I woke up to what in context I was guessing were likely plumber noises. (Yep!)

Can't actually find when I posted about it the first time our persistent drain problem (which is down to the building plumbing 🙄) really needed professional intervention. But yeah, the main sewage drain has kept getting blocked up through nothing we can control, and it was pretty bad again when I went to bed.

(Weird backflow keeps blocking things up where our plumbing meets the main line. It's apparently at a terrible angle or something. We are also on the bottom floor, just to make it better.)

After working on it pretty much the whole time I was gone last night (not least with a bunch of drain cleaner, after going out yesterday evening to get more before the store closed). No luck, and we were hoping it would unblock overnight like it's done before.

No such luck. He came out this morning, and accidentally left one of the toilets running after flushing it again. (I think that needs a valve replacement or something, because it keeps sticking open and needing the flusher jiggled.) He can't really hear it when it is running, though the noise drives me crazy. Anyway, then he came back a little bit later to find nasty water starting to spill out into the hall. 😱

For context, this is indeed a basic Swedish standard wet room setup we're talking about, with a slightly sloping floor leading toward a big floor drain that the bathtub empties into and a lip at the threshold.

Every previously dry towel in the house is heaped in the tub now. He has actually gone to IKEA to buy more, because Out Of Towels Error. Those sodden filthy ones will also need to be hauled to the basement laundry room whenever we can book a time. 😩

That's how we get Sewage Lake going whenever that drain backs up. It just comes up that floor drain under the tub.

Similar deal in the current wreck of a small bathroom, though it doesn't have a floor drain which is why there is still some standing water after the plumber came. Otherwise a wet room setup, and (thankfully cleaner) water managed to start overflowing the sill because that was the stuck-running toilet culprit.

At any rate, he saw that little flood and was going "oh shit, we really need a plumber STAT!" when apparently some essentially condo association staff person came a'knockin' to see if we had a leak. Because someone had already reported water dripping in the laundry room right under us.

So yeah, at least this time they did arrange to get a plumber in stat! Dude apparently had to pump the horrible water out into an outdoor drain, and no wonder they were here so long.

The blockage did get successfully rooted out, and Mr. C already cleaned the big bathroom floor out with bleach so it's vaguely usable. The small one still has a bit of standing water for the moment, because Out Of Towels Error. I may have to thoroughly clean them both myself before my actual OCD feels relatively OK with not treating them like particularly nasty public restrooms in my own house.

With the disgusting flood actually breaching containment and leaking through outside our apartment, hopefully this will make them more inclined to fix that plumbing junction which is causing the issue. Can't say I'm holding my breath, though. 🤨 This has to be a long-term thing already, and I would be amazed if previous owners hadn't kept having the exact same issue. And possibly getting nasty floor water dripping down to the laundry room, which frankly may have been considered lower priority since it isn't somebody else's apartment under there.

[lampmanliveblogs]

Absolutely amazing. It could not be more perfect.

I’m gonna headcanon that Camila’s reaction to seeing Luz’ little ”Hi! I’m bi!” drawing was to respond with a ”Hi Bi, I’m mom!”

(as none of you may remember, I did say that I had an idea for something I’d do for this moment. I was gonna do another Engelsofors quote ((the scene where Vanessa tells her mom that she’s dating Linnéa, which effectively doubles as her coming out as bi))… but looking at the actual scene, it really wasn’t as funny as I remembered it as, soooo… i’m just not gonna do it)

I love this screenshot, it looks like the other palismen think Flapjack has gone crazy. By the Titan! He’s pecking at the floor! What new spore of madness is this!?

Seeing all the palismen together like this does remind me of one of the predictions I was going to make in that post I was supposed to post before this liveblog but never did.

Assuming that Philip (what’s left of him anyway) still has enough of his mind left to form coherent thoughts and plans, his first priority will likely be to regain some of his strength. And would you look at that, there we have four yummy palismen ready to be cracked open like some radioactive coconuts. Even if he wasn’t seeking revenge on the kids (which he most certainly will be doing), those palismen alone are enough of a motivation for him to show up and cause trouble.

Now, I’m not sure what exactly he could do to cause trouble, but I’m sure he’ll find a way.

Amity. Sweetie. Luz already loves you. You do not need to try this hard.

Hm… can I wring some symbolic meaning out of these outfits? Of course I can. Observe:

Gus At first glance, it’s easy to conclude that Gus probably just picked out what he thought looked cool and that’s most likely the case. But you’ll notice that out of the four newcomers to the Human Realm, he’s the one who’s got the most ”normal” outfit. Which makes sense. His knowledge of the Human Realm has often been played for laughs, but he’s still very passionate and interested in everything human. And his stated wish back in Hunting Palismen was to become an ambassador to the Human Realm. With this in mind, it makes sense he’d try to assemble what might be considered a ”normal” human outfit, to blend in and show respect for the human culture.

Willow Seeing as there is no flyer derby in the Human Realm, it seems Willow opted for the next best thing and is trying her hand at roller derby (which, fun fact, the only reason I know that sport exists is thanks to a Steven Universe fanfic I read years ago). Despite her threatening pose with her hands balled up into fists and the intimidating spikes on her helmet, she is still smiling brightly and her outfit is brightly colored. Willow is at heart a very caring and kind individual, but when need be, she can be tough and powerful, This is a theme we’ve seen repeated several times with her character.

Amity The events of Clouds on the Horizon saw Amity more or less disowning her mother (take note of the absence of Odalia in the drawing of her family in one of the previous shots*). There wasn’t much time to process the meaning of that at the time, since they were a bit busy dealing with the end of the world and everything. Now, however, Amity is finally free of her mother’s overly controlling attitude and enters her rebellious edgy phase. These are all likely clothes Amity would not be allowed to wear if Odalia had a say in the matter. ”Ripped jeans? Not in this household, young lady!”

(*speaking of the previous shots, before I forget… when the mutant rat from Yesterday’s Lie bursts through the board, we can briefly see Hunter’s hands without any gloves. I’m fairly certain that’s the first time. I didn’t notice any scars)

The hat looks familiar to me. Is there a character in one of the Mario games that wears a hat like that?

Hunter Sorta similar to Amity, but even worse, Hunter likely never had any say in what kinds of clothes he got to wear growing up. Having been raised the way he was, he likely has no real grasp of what his own identity is (no doubt made worse by the grimwalker revelation and finding out he’s a clone). Thus, he can’t really express himself through his clothing the same way the other kids can. But one thing he does realize is how large part of him Flapjack has become. Flapjack, in many ways, has become a part of Hunter and a fundamental piece of his identity. Flapjack is symbolic of Hunter beginning to stray from the path created for him by Belos and him eventually breaking free of his control to become his own person.

That’s why he’s dressed as a giant red chicken.

And Vee coming in with her new form as well! I don’t even care that I was spoiled on her new look, I’m just so happy to see my snake daughter thriving.

Speaking of which, there is a noticeable difference between Vee’s Luz form and her new form. The difference in appearance is obvious, but if we look at this before and after, we can see some important differences in how she carries herself.

Luz!Vee still looks a bit timid and with a very neat appearance, much like how we saw her in Yesterday’s Lie. In her new form, she looks a lot more confident and her clothes & hair are a lot less neat and picture perfect. Her eyes and hair are also closer to her eyes and hair* in her basilisk form. She’s still disguising herself as a human, but it’s closer to the real her. In some ways, I think Vee has become herself.

(*well… reptiles don’t have hair. It’s as ridiculous as feathers on a mammal. Maybe the ”hair” basilisks have are closer to the pycnofibres you’d find on pterosaurs)

(i am honestly surprised at how good this edit turned out. especially seeing as I don’t have any actual image editing software. no, i did this in pages.)

Honestly? Same, Camila. Same. You love to see it.

[oc-lootcrate]

@frogprinceus​ LIKED for a starter !!

Tamiyo was used to being on her feet most of the day, wandering the forest around her home for ingredients or just a nice and peaceful walk, or whenever she entered town with her family to go shopping or spend some quality time together, so having a day for her to just sit back, relax, and bask in the beauty of the day was something she felt was well deserved. As such, she was currently sitting at a nice little picnic table placed just in front of a small food stand, looking down at her plate of fresh potato mochi as she waited for it to cool. While she waited, Tamiyo grabbed her cup of boba tea she’d ordered alongside her food, unwrapping the straw and poking it through the lid to enjoy her beverage.

❝Sitting most of the day was pretty nice,❞ she spoke to herself, ❝especially with there being nothing I need to worry about while out here; the house is already stocked up on groceries, I’ve gathered all the ingredients I’ve needed for my potions yesterday, and all the supplies we need for missions are taken care of and all stocked up as well!❞

She tried her luck with her potato mochi now, taking her index finger and gently poking one to test the temperature, gently and quickly at first, then giving a few more to confirm she wouldn’t burn herself eating them. She smiled giddily to herself at the thought of eating all of it by herself, though the longer she spent looking at the plate the more she realized that she may have ordered a bit too much, at least, too much for one person like herself to eat alone.

❝I may be starving right now, but even I know that this... won’t all be eaten...❞

Tamiyo sighed as she counted all eight of the mochi on the plate before her, taking the one she’d poked with her finger, glancing around her to see if anyone was looking at her like she were crazy for eating all of this by herself. Thankfully, it seemed that no one was paying her any mind, the only person even remotely close being an older gentleman sitting on a nearby bench, looking closely at a small notepad and writing something occasionally while deep in thought. He didn’t look as though he lived here in Iwagakure, though she wasn’t exactly the reliable sort to remember considering her being a homebody and all that. Regardless, she considered this as her good deed for the day, deciding to ask if this man would like some of her potato mochi. It was much better than her letting it go to waste, right?

❝Excuse me?❞ Tamiyo walked over to the man in question with one hand holding her boba and the other holding the plate of food, making sure to be a polite enough distance away should he want her gone, but close enough to him that he could still hear her clearly. ❝I don’t mean to bother you or anything, but I seem to have ordered way too much food for just one person and was wondering... well... I was wondering if maybe you’d like to share?❞

[rqlaji2]

Hey I know ive been dead but I went to 2 more they might be giants shows

15th i went to first avenue the first time. I havent even seen purple rain. I went on a walk every other day for the past month but it was surprisingly (sarcasm) not enough to prepare me for standing up for two hours straight. I saw the first first ave show was apollo 18 and while narrow your eyes is the best song ever and the guitar wouldve been astronomically fun i thought about it and if I actually got to choose which two i saw it wouldve been these. Now that I write that though my flood show was about a quarter mink car. But did your flood show have wicked little critta. No.

And so im up on the balcony i am directly outside the owners box, I have to get out of the way a fair amount which maybe helped a little with the pain that comes from standing in one place for two hours. But im wondering which one will be the comfortable show and they come out and i don’t even cry or anything like the first time im just like hey its those guys i know. Im a little far away and i need an eye exam yesterday though so maybe thats why. Anyway they come out and they play subliminal and im like AHHH cause its the best song ever. Actually im with a guy I do like a lot and I havent gone to too many shows, but I am so shy at the beginning a lot of the time..so maybe not AHHH but okayyy!!! And inside im like AHHH yknow? I wish snail shell was later in the set/i was less really fucking shy because I dont remember going crazy for it and I shouldve. SNAIL SHEEELLLLL. I listened to the venue song like two days before, it is so funny and great. More like mid james ensor. Its ok though cause it segues into the famous polka which is the best song ever. HEY! Im legitimately getting chills thinking about the famous polka, its so good. I always love slightly country tmbg and i have all of one single out of jail scrobble i didnt even recognize it 😭 in my fake fan era. Ah this was my first mesopotamians, so classic. More else pleaseee. Oh god spider was so good, so much more cacophonous than the recorded one. First flans doing a silly voice moment i can remember seeing, i love it when they do silly voices. Dirt bike might be my favorite tmbg song ever. You may have already noticed a theme with this post where i call every song the best song ever but I am not joking here, it might just be my favorite ever. I clap for all but I never cheer for the horns, and I wonder if that makes me a bad person, especially when dirt bike without horns would be shit. That intro is sooo perfect . A self called nowhere kicks total ass. Spy literally gets better every time I see it oml, I could not stop laughing at the back in black bit. SPY x16. The end of the tour is the best song ever, just so so lovely.

Man its so loud in here is really another contender for genuine serious most favorite tmbg song, I love it so so so so so much. Theyve played it at all my shows except the bowl, it wouldve been too powerful. I am so grateful for all the actual shows having it though, actual best song ever even if they play it a little different! Please compare my all time top played song man its so loud in here with all time 1 scrobble out of jail. (I really do not dislike out of jail, I dont know why I havent listened to it. I dont remember how it goes. John henry is my second favorite tmbg album. I dont know whats wrong with me.) When will you die just makes me think about how nothing will ever top the hollywood bowl when will you die, what a surprise and also great song. Doing the working undercover for the man sha la las in a crowd is so fucking cool!!! OH IVE HEARD ALL OF FINGERTIPS LIVE TWICE NOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU KNOW WHOVE HEARD FINGERTIPS LIVE NOT ONCE BUT TWICE. I have to mention cloisonne, idk what to say about it but I heard cloisonne live, lmfao <3. Where your eyes dont go is so spooky and awesome. Brontosaurus is so great. Doctor worm is the best song ever. Letterbox is the best song ever. Last song of the night was no one knows my plan and they did not even make us conga. You may be thinking, no particle man? No istanbul? Well this ran long so im making a part 2 LOL

Also during the course of this show I sweated fucking tons, I was like legally an ocean. Anyways

[senseicowpoke]

October 18, 2023

TW: Suicide

As I sit here in front of my computer, I can't help but feel the weight of the anniversary that looms over me. It's been fourteen years since my best friend took her own life and the ache in my heart is still as raw as it was on that day. Being from a small town like ours, mental health was often swept under the rug, and anyone struggling with it was immediately labeled as "crazy." But I'm here to tell you that mental health is just as important as physical health and should be treated as such.

Our town may be small, but the effects of mental health issues are still prevalent. It isn't uncommon to hear whispers and rumors about someone that is struggling, and it's even harder for them to seek out help without fear of judgment or ostracization. As such, my best friend kept her struggles hidden, and we never knew the depth of her pain until it was too late. Mental health is not something that should be taken lightly. Just like how we go to a doctor for a physical ailment, we need to seek out professional help for our mental health as well. It's important to know that having a mental health issue does not make you weak or less of a person. It's a medical issue, and it needs to be treated with the same care and attention as any physical ailment.

It's been years since that fateful day, yet it still feels like yesterday. I remember finding her and feeling like everything around me was a blur. The image of her lifeless body is etched into my mind, and I can't seem to shake it off. Her death sent me spiraling down a road of pain and grief that I wish no one ever had to go through.

But life has a funny way of throwing curveballs at you. It seems like every time I think I'm starting to heal, something else happens. The Grim Reaper has come knocking at my door one too many times, and it's starting to feel like I'm cursed. I've lost friends and relatives, and the pain never truly goes away.

It's hard to explain to people who haven't been through it, but being the one who finds a loved one's body is a trauma that never goes away. It's a memory that replays in my mind every time I close my eyes. And yet, it's something that I've had to deal with more than once. Since my friend's passing, I've lost other friends and family members, each one a tragedy in its own right. But it's my nana's death that hit me the hardest. She was one of my biggest supporters in the world and losing her felt like losing a part of myself.

My Nana was my rock through it all - the one person who never judged me or made me feel like I had to be strong all the time. There's something that she told me, "You can't expect a broken clock to still tell time. It's okay to not be okay." And she was right. Time doesn't always heal all wounds. Sometimes, we just have to learn to live with the pain. It's been a few years since she passed, and I'd like to say that time heals all wounds, but that's just not true. The pain doesn't go away, it just becomes more bearable. There are still days when I pick up the phone to call her, forgetting for a moment that she's gone. And it hurts all over again when I remember.

One of the hardest parts of dealing with all of this is trying to talk about it. People always mean well when they ask about my friend's suicide or the other deaths I've experienced, but I dread those conversations. I don't want to relive the pain, and I definitely don't want to be known as that person who's been through so much loss.

But through all of this loss, one thing has become abundantly clear to me: kindness is key. We never know what someone else is going through, and a little bit of kindness can go a long way. One of my old coworkers used to say, "You never know what day you'll need someone, so be nice to everyone." It's a sentiment that I try to live by, because it's true. We're all fighting battles that no one else can see, and a little bit of kindness goes a long way in making those battles a little easier to bear.

So, if you're still here, then thank you for reading. And if there's one thing that I hope that you take away from my ramblings today, it's this: be kind to everyone you meet. You never know what struggles they're facing or what demons they're fighting. And if you're one of the people who has lost someone, know that you're not alone. You'll may never fully heal from the pain, but you'll learn how to live with it. I wish I had the answers, but in the meantime, remember to be kind to yourself as well. You deserve it.

[anonymousjos]

Six:

God gives blessings in strange ways: Reading Day 6

Happy Birthday to meeeee! I am 33 today. We bought a new battery for my husbands van and I no longer have to start it every morning before I leave the house haha. It’s just a boring old Wednesday and I’d rather die than take my children into a restraunt so tonight we are going to get burgers at the dairy bar and eat outside on the pic nic tables. It is officially my faviorte time of the year, Summer- Sigh in contentness. I live for summer. 

Also, just a quick health update. Today I am down 18 pounds. I will admint that I’ve been a little bit embarrassed about the fact that this drug has made me drop so much weight so quickly when I have been unsuccucessful on my own and I’ve worked so hard at it. But yesterday I read something in a group I follow and it really resignated with me. Also, it just so happed to come from the girl who first told me about this drug. She said this medicine is life changing, it’s too importiant to gate keep. She’s right. If she hadn’t told me about this drug I would not have done my research and decided to give it a try. I would not be down all of this crazy inflimation from my auto-immune issues and I would not be feeling like myself. So, thank you to her.  My ankles have not been this skinny in FOREVER. On that note, I had a realization yesterday! Since my double steroid shots a week and a half ago I have not taken an antiinflamitory! I think it’s a combanation of the steroid shots (although my knee hurts again lol) and the simaglutide but (fingers crossed) I think the combo may have pushed me out of this crazy four month long flair I was  having! I am so happy and shocked. I thought swolen pain was just my life now. Thank you, God. Amen. I do wish I could have gone to the Rumo during the flair but I hope we can just still move forward with a diagnosis without the flair.  

Anywho, back to business… This morning on my way to work I listened to Genises 19-21 and let’s just say that that esclated quickly! I’m talking Angel murder and insest.

In today’s passages two angels go to Sodom and Gamorrah to see if it is as wicked as believed and Lot convinces the angels to stay at his house instead of the town square,  in an attempt to save the city. The men of the city come to Lots house to find out who the men are. Lot begs the townsmen to not be wicked and even offers them his two virgin daughters- um, thanks dad! The men refuse and try to break into Lots house. The angels tell Lot to take his family and leave. Lot tries to warn the two men who are to be his son in laws but they think he’s joking. When Lot is hesitant to leave the Angels throw him, his wife and two daughters out of the town. In the valley, Lots wife turns back and turns into a pillar of salt. For whatever reason Lot decides to take his daughters into a cave instead of the city he was fleeing to. In despair the daughters decide they will never have husbands so they get Lot drunk and sleep with him so they can both get pregnant. Seriously, like what? 

We then go back to Abraham and Sara. Although the timing is unclear, Abram and Sara go to ANOTHER King and present Sara as Abrams sister (also, she is his half-sister we discover- I guess that was a thing in those days) instead of his wife. The king takes Sara but before he touches her God comes to the king in a dream and tells him he will be destroyed for taking another man’s wife. The king points out that he did not know and was innocent. God tells him to return Sara and be spared. The king does and asks Abram why they would do such a thing. Abram told the king it was because he does not follow God. The king gives blessings to Abram and declares Sara innocent in the whole fiasco.

Then, Sara has her son and catches Hagar’s son laughing at him. She makes Abram (even though he does not want to- but God tells him to do what Sara wants and he will take care of them) throw them out into the wilderness. – This is the servant that she gave to Abram for the sole purpose of having this son. The boy grows up in the wilderness and Hagar gets him an Egyptian wife.

So- everybody following? Stay tuned and we will see what happens tomorrow.

[lollylandgirl]

Do y'all know what Shakira just did???? A tiraera against Piqué in a Bizarrap Session.

The YouTube video.

Like. Oh my god it may not be the best song there may be parts that weren't necessary but she just destroyed that man. He cheated on her!!! He's a football player (in the European meaning, like soccer), well, he WAS a football player until coincidentally a law against some shitty stuff he was doing was approved. But I'm sure it was just a coincidence!!!

They started dating in 2010 in the South African World Cup that the Spanish team won. She sang the official song (waka waka), he was part of that team. They had kids, Shakira came to Spain to live here, they had problems with not paying all the taxes, a normal famous couple! But like almost a year ago? I think? The first mentions of infidelity started. He was cheating on her with younger girls (like, Shakira's 45 I think, he's 35 or something like that, the girl mentioned in the song is 22). He started showing in public he's a bit immature.

Oh god I have a lot of little info you won't probably get (like, Ibai being surprised he was talking about going to party like he was 17 and that was the coolest thing and all his friends had to go). You may have an idea of the whole picture already.

BZRP is an independent but super successful music editor. He just releases songs with singers he likes/he thinks they have something to share, and Shakira was one. There was a lot of talk about previous songs of her going about him and how he was treating her (Te felicito and Monotonía are good shit). Yesterday they announced this Session and at least the Spanish speaking internet has gone crazy. Two hours ago it was released. It may be the most successful one for now.

Shakira just destroys him in a song, she has fun, she mentions probably a bit too much about the girl (there's a power imbalance and age gap that doesn't sound good), Piqué only posted some emojis yesterday implying she's a clown.

[tomholland1996simp]

Caught || Peter parker

Warning: Not really a smut just detailed kissing and a few moaning.

Summary: You and Peter get caught whilst your were both about to have sex, by your mum and Aunt May. But they are a bit mad but did they know already?

Me and Peter have been dating for about 8 months now. However, we have kept our relationship secret. Only our close friends know about it like MJ and ned.

Of course we are both still very young at the age of 16 turning 17 years old. Let's just say our relationship can get very intimate sometimes. I mean me and Peter have only had sex before like once. I know it's crazy that it's just once with how intimate we get but sometimes we just make out a lot or other things.

Today I was going over to his house to finish our science project. May still hasn't found out about our relationship yet. I'm not sure If she would be happy or not.

My mum is best friends with her, that's how me and Peter met. I 100% know for a fact my mum would be angry, well just about the sex part not the dating bit.

I wore Nike pro cycling shorts with a t-shirt and a zipper hoodie, that was in fact Peters. I arrived at his house around 5p.m.

"Hey Pete" I smile when he opens the door.

"Hello Baby" he opens the door wide so I can walk in.

"May not home?" I ask, he just shakes his head.

"I missed you" he pulled me in for a soft sweet kiss.

"I saw you yesterday spidey" I giggle.

Yes I know that he's spider-man. I actually found out 2 months ago. To be honest, I knew something was going on with him.

"Let's start this project" he grabs my hand, pulling me to his room.

It's been about two hours now and I was starting to get bored. And I couldn't even concentrate on the project because I was basically staring at my hot boyfriend the whole time. He took off his shirt earlier, he said he was hot. But oh my god! Peter is so fucking sexy! Ever since he became spider man he really got abs and good muscles.

"Are you gonna keep staring at me?" He finishes writing something down then looks at me.

"Can we take a break? And cuddle on your bed" I gave him puppy dog eyes.

"Sure. I could never resist this cute face" He stands up, jumping on top of his bed. I do the same, laying next to him so he can cuddle with me. I was facing him taking in all his features. Damn he is so fine.

I was going to close my eyes, until I felt his hand slowly squeeze my ass, causing me to gasp.

"Ooo who's this?Where has the shy little Peter gone?" I tease.

"Well this Peter has a problem" He looks down at his crouch. He seriously had a boner from cuddling? "It's your fault you wore these shorts. You can basically see your whole ass with them on" he chuckles.

"Well May isn't here. So what are you waiting for?" I smirk.

We both then leaned in, our lips moving in sync. My heart decided to skip a beat as I could smell his cologne.

My whole body started to tingle, the feeling of his lips against mine still had that affect on me. We both pulled away for air, smiling at each other as he now hovered above me.

That was until he pulled me in for another kiss, claiming my mouth again but this time more hungrily and intense. My fingers had already gone to the back of his neck to play with his curls, tugging at them.

"Uh Peter" I moaned as he slipped his tongue into my mouth.

Our tongues tangled battling madly for dominance. He then pulled away, starting to kiss down my jaw line then my neck.

There would definitely be hickeys all over my neck later. Minutes later I was somehow on top of him kissing down his jawline now.

"Darling...ugh" he moaned as I found his sweet spot.

I didn't even realise that I was now starting to grind onto his clothed crouch. He grabbed my hips helping my movements as moans left our mouths.

"I need you, now." I moan loudly. As soon as I said that he pushed me off him, so he can be on top. He threw my t-shirt off leaving me just in my bra.

"Are you sure?" He asked, his soft side coming out.

"Y-yeah. Please." I beg.

"Just remember our safe word okay?" I nod. "I need you to say it, princess" he says.

"Y-yes. I'll use the safe word If I want you to stop"

"Good girl" he smirks, kissing my lips once's again.

Seconds later we were both in our underwear, I started to palm him through his boxers causing him to moan. "y/n, Fuck!"

We must've not heard the front door open because as soon as he was about to take off my bra his door opened wide.

"What the fuck-" May shouts causing us to both to stop, hiding our bodies under his covers.

"shit! May it's not what it looks like" Peter panics.

"Both of you get changed right now! I'm so disappointed in you both. Y/N your mum is here" May slams the door.

"Shit. No, no. I thought she wasn't gonna come back for ages. I'm so sorry baby" Peter apologises.

"It's not your fault. Fuck my mum is here" I rush putting my clothes back on whilst Peter does the same. We both walked out of Peters room together, worrying for what they are about to say. My mum and may were both standing in the kitchen obviously wait for us.

"Sorry for interrupting that" May said mad.

"I-It's not what you think-" I try say.

"It's not what it is! It's not like me and May walked in the house hearing moaning from both you and Peter" My mum shouts.

"For how long?" May asks.

"Huh?" me and Peter both say at the same time.

"For how long have you both been together?"

"Around 8m-months" Peter rubs the back of his neck.

"And how many times have you had sex" My mum asked this time.

"W-we never have" Peter lied.

"Don't lie Peter" May said.

"Once" I said but it came out more like a whisper.

"Pardon"

"Once. Me and Peter have only had sex once ever. I swear that's the truth" I look at my mum.

"Your both 16 years old. Guys come on" My mum walked up to us.

"Nearly 17" Peter stated.

"You both can't see each other anymore from now on" My mum looks at me making my eyes widen.

"WHAT! NO WAY" I shout. "Yeah! No way. You can't do that" Peter looked at May.

"Let's go y/n" My mum grabbed my arm but I moved away from her.

"NO! That's not fair! How comes when something good happens to me it always gets taken away?! I LOVE PETER MUM!" I cry.

"y-you love me?" Peter looks at me.

"y-yeah. I do and I don't-" I stopped talking as I saw May and My mum laughing.

"why are you laughing?" Peter looks just as mad as me.

"Hahah. You guys are so easy to fool. You really think we never found out you've been dating for ages" May laughs.

"You do know I have cameras in the living room as well. I see you and Peter making out on it all the time and other things which I'm not going to mention" My mum also laughs.

"W-wait so your not mad?" I ask.

"No. I mean about the sex thing we kind of are. It's not nice walking in on you lot doing that. But as long as you use protection and don't do it when we are near we're fine" May finally calms down.

"Ugh. Thanks. Okay We're gonna go let you laugh it off nice joke really" I sarcastically say clapping. I grab Peters hand and run to his room, closing the door behind us.

"I can't believe them!" I laugh.

"I know. You really love me though?" he asks and I nod.

"I love you Peter Parker" I smile.

"I love you Y/N Y/L/N" He pulls me in for a passionate kiss.

However that got ruined by May shouting.

"DOOR OPEN PETER!"

"Yeah, okay!" We both laugh.

short but cute:) Please message me some requests I need some ideas x

[thegallows-world]

Part two from “The Noose Race” written by Gallows

Last, we saw Jared hanged for one minute and taken to recovery. Noose was removed and Cory and Adam standing near.

Adam :" That was the best show we have had ".

Cory :" I almost passed out just watching ".

A doctor checks Jared then says "he will be up and walking in just a few minutes."

They sit him up and he moves his head in different positions showing the red line on his neck.

Adam :" Going to take about two weeks for that red line to disappear. The ointment they give you will hide it until then. "

Eric the Hangman comes in and everyone moves aside for him to meet with Jared. "Wow, the crowd is still going crazy. I think it was the best hanging we have had. When you are up to it we will go out there together and let them see that you are alright."

They pamper him and bring him a bottle of water.

Adam :" It's going to hurt to swallow with your first couple of drinks. Just sip it a bit."

He takes a drink and a painful look appears on his face as he forces down some water. Cory's face grimaces in sympathy.

Tommy, asks :" Want to try and stand?"

He nods and guards hold each arm and help him off the examination table. He is just a little wobbly but soon finds his balance. He walks around the room and comes back to sit down. After just 25 minutes of being hanged Tommy announces :" Guys, believe it or not Jared is up and walking and is ready to come out. This is the fastest recovery ever. Let's give him a big welcome back."

The crowd again cheers a whistles as Eric and Jared come out and walk up the five steps. They tour the platform for all to see. Then Tommy hands Jared the noose he was hanged in along with the $25,000 check.

Jared looks up at the big screen and sees himself hanging.

Jared :" That was a wild ride."

They come down from the platform where Cory is waiting.

Cory :" Next year your picture will be on the hall of fame. I won't have to worry about you again."

He hugs Cory then goes on to clean up and change.

After about an hour the party thins and Adam tells Cory it's time to go. Cory and Jared exchange information and leave.

Three weeks has passed and Adam enters the sauna, Cory looks up and sees him.

Adam :" Are you OK?"

Cory :" Yes, just talked to Jared last night. He's doing good, no pain and the red line is almost gone."

Adam :" I knew he would be OK, I was worried that you may have some after effects?"

Cory :"Only for a couple of days. But I am looking forward to next year."

Adam :" It's getting harder to find volunteers. Do you know anyone that might enjoy something like that?"

Cory :" So, you did take me there to volunteer?"

Adam :"No, you were suppose to volunteer next year. This was just to introduce you to it. But I am not disappointed they really want to see you again."

...................................................

Almost a year passes, Cory sees Adam in the sauna.

Cory :" I got my invitation yesterday are we going to go together again this time?"

Adam :" Sure, we'll get you a blue tie this time, Jared will be wearing one."

Cory :" I will be happy with five grand thank you. I can't wait to see Jared again. He says he has an inch scare on the right side of his neck."

Adam :" Like this?"

Cory :" Oh wow. Looks like its faded over the years."

Cory reaches and touches the scare on his neck.

Adam :" Yeah, not much to look at now. Some guys have a scare on the whole side of their neck. Tommy has a nice scare, hard to see with his tux collar on."

Cory :" I didn't see him on the hall of fame when did he hang."

Adam :" Ha, Tommy always had big big black-tie partys every year. One year Eric came in the kilt he now wears for the hangings. Near the end of a party one year Eric tied a noose and tossed it over a beam. In the middle of the room. Tommy said

" I want to go for a ride." He was drunk as we all were. Eric made a ceremony out of it. He took Tommy into the room that is used for recovery. He made him strip to his boxers and tied his hands behind his back. Eric took off his shirt and we watched him bring Tommy out. Both of them were just awesome to look at. He pulled over a bench and had Tommy stand on it and made me tie off the end of the rope. Someone set up a recorder to video his hanging. Eric got behind him and put the noose over his head. Then he announced " how many seconds will he last before he passes out? Place your bets. " Up to this time Tommy didn't think he would really hang. But we all put up a $1,000. Eric adjusted the noose under his perfect square jaw and waited for the second hand to reach the top on the clock. By this time Tommy realized that he was going for a ride. His dick found its way out of his boxers and was throbing. I came in my pants when I saw his apple jump under the rope when he swallowed before Eric slowly pushed him forward and then the noose held him just inches off the floor. Tommy's body danced in air, it was so hot. Eric stepped down and waited for Tommy to pass out. I picked 43 seconds and won the pot. We got Tommy down and after he recovered he wanted to see someone else hang. Eric also wanted to give someone a ride. It was so tempting since Tommy made it look fun but no volunteers came forward. I split my winnings with Tommy it was only fare. We poured some more drinks and watched the video a couple of times. From the video you can see more details as we slowed it down the second time They calmed down from hanging someone else that night but it gave Tommy an idea. We planned it out for 11 months. The first year we had ballots and we voted for the one to be hanged. They had to get 51 percent of the vote. It took 5 votes and almost two hours and you know how that worked out for me. Though I didn't need the money they only paid off the ones that won the bet so I hanged for nothing. We knew there would never be enough volunteers without giving something more than just a ride in the noose. Turns out there's a lot of interest when you offer a few thousand dollars.

By this time Eric had it down to a science. He designed the platform so that it moved away from under the noose, I was the first to hang from it. Jared can tell you how intense it is to watch yourself being hanged when your neck is still sore. After I was hanged it was obvious that the betting aspect needed to be adjusted. We switched to computerized selection that also calculates the betting and odds."

Cory :" I would have liked to have been there when you hanged."

Adam :" Would you have voted for me?"

Cory :" I don't know how to answer that."

Adam squeezed his neck :" Well if you keep putting your name in then I will eventually watch you swing."

Cory :" I'm sure it is just a matter of time when I earn the right to wear a blue bowtie ".

Adam :" If you can get the time off we can go a day ahead and help set up."

Cory :" Wow, that would be awesome. I will definitely get it off."

.........................

Again a big limo comes to pick up Cory in more casual cloths since it is still a day away from the big party. On the ride there Adam described what has to be done to get the place ready then Cory picked a couple of things he would like to help with.

Cory :" What will you be doing?"

Adam :" Tommy and I will get the accounting, computers, cameras and attendance plans together. We also assign positions for all the red-tie guys and those that man the exhibits. We have a new one this year. Tommy bought a full functioning gallows from England. More than 900 guys fell through the trap door over the 155 years it was in use. There will be a harness our guest will wear and stand over the trap door. When you drop a bungy tied to a harness and a weight attached to the noose that will give you a sensation of really being hanged. We will need someone to do a practice run."

Cory smiles :" I will have to try that out, PLEASE!"

Adam :" We'll get you a free ride. Going early will give you a chance to meet the staff. They work it for three years then can come as guest for free. They help during the year finding rich guys that might enjoy either the hangings or just the gambling aspect. And they are all really hot."

They roll up to the mansion and are greeted by Tommy. This time Cory can see the scare on Tommy's neck. They grab their bags and go into the mansion. Staff takes their bags to their room as Tommy leads them to the new gallows exhibit.

Tommy :"We had to knock down a wall for it to fit. "

Cory :" Wow! That is kind of awesome and a little scary ."

Tommy :" We had to shorten it to eight steps from thirteen. That is ok since we won't be breaking anyone's neck with it and we can get them off the ride much easier. With the bungy cords it will feel like you are hanged by about a quarter to a third of your body weight."

Adam :"How many times have you tested it?"

Tommy :" Eight times including me. So I was thinking that we can have someone drop every ten to fifteen minutes. We have three hangmen for it and four helpers to get them in and out of the harness. I hadn't decided how much to charge but when they sign up for it they will be issued a time. We have allowed 3:30 hours to run it until the Eric hangs number 10."

Adam :"Can we see a live demonstration, Cory here looks like he wants to go for a ride."

Tommy :" Cory is perfect for this, In fact we need to video a demonstration for the exhibit so guys will see what to expect. We are just going to have guys take off their shirts, this will save time."

He summons some staff to get cameras ready and record them getting Cory ready. He takes off his tee-shirt and they get him into a harness then tie his hands behind his back.

Tommy :" the hand restraints are real, we don't want the guest to interfere with the process and get hurt but they are much more comfortable than rope or handcuffs."

Carefully they guide him up the steps and stand him next to the noose over the trap door. The bungy cords are attached to the harness then Tommy places the noose over his head and makes it snug. Without warning Tommy pulls the lever sending Cory through the trap door. His feet nearly touch the floor but bounced back up causing him to dangle. The noose tightens and he gets the full sensation that he is hanging. They let him hang for 20 seconds before they let him down. Adam loosens the noose and staff disconnect the buggies and remove the harness.

Adam sees a wet spot on his jeans "looks like you really enjoyed the ride."

Cory :" Yeah I should have taken precautions for that."

Tommy :" Let's provide condoms for the guys that drop because they won't think about bringing a change of clothes for this."

Adam takes the noose off his neck as a staffer un-ties his hands.

Cory :"That was so awesome! But I though I would have some warning before the door opened."

Tommy :" Sorry I didn't want the demo tape to be too long."

Cory :" I wish Jared was here to see this."

Tommy :" I invited him to come, he said he can be here tomorrow early."

Cory :"Nice, I'm going to clean up and change pants."

Tommy :" This is going to make an excellent demo for this exhibit."

Work continues around the mansion and later everyone meets for food and drinks and watch vintage videos including the one where Tommy hangs, the only time he allows it to be watched.

In the morning Cory wakes with someone stroking his hair. He turns and sees Jared standing over him. "I saw the demo you made you looked awesome in that noose."

Cory sits up " It's about as real as you can get. Except for how you were hanged."

He gets up and gets a big hug from Jared. Jared feels his morning wood and smiles.

Cory moves his head side to side to see the scare on his neck. When he sees it he gives it a little kiss.

Jared :" Get dressed and come downstairs."

Cory jumps into his cloths and they go down and see a busy staff getting ready for the evening events.

Everything is coming together and just need the guest to arrive in the late afternoon. Eric arrives early to get his things ready. He brings a new rope each time. Jared and Cory greet him and make small talk. Eric checks out Jared's neck and smiles when he sees the little scare on the side.

Tommy :" We have to get you in your tux shirt and blue tie for the hall of fame picture."

Jared and Cory go to get him changed and Eric test his equipment.

They return and Jared takes his picture in his blue tie.

Eric :" Jared you look very handsome in blue."

Cory notices a small scare on Eric's neck. " We know you as the hangman but did you get that scare from beinging hanged?"

Eric :" Back in Scotland there were a few guys that lived nearby. I had chased down one of our chickens that had gotten loose. As I was bringing it back one of them saw me with it and thought I had stolen it from his friends house.

A few of the guys stopped what they were doing to hear Eric tell his story in his heavy Scottish accent.

Adam :" Please don't tell me they hanged you for a chicken?"

Eric :" There were two brothers that came to challenge me. I tried to explain but they made up their minds. The older brother Kyle was my age and he tried to hit me. I defended myself and he left with a black eye. The next day as I was coming back from school when he and his friends surrounded me. They wrestled me to the ground and ripped my shirt off. They pinned me face down in the grass and tied my hands behind my back and took off my shoes and tied my feet together. Kyle tied a noose in the rope he brought then tossed it over a branch as they pulled me up on my feet. They must have had it well planned since it was the only day in the week I did not walk home with my best friend Sean. And the prefect place since there was a small boulder near the tree that they made me stand on. Kyle put the noose over my head. He said " See this black eye? This is why you're going to hang."

He made the noose tight and was nice enough to adjust it above my apple. Then he said " I always wanted to hang you and now I have good reason to."

I said :" It wasn't even your chicken!"

Kyle :" You sucker punched me in front of my little brother!"

Eric :" One of them pulled up the slack in rope and tied it off. I knew that if I left the boulder I was standing on that I would not be able to get back and my feet won't touch the ground. My heart was racing and I was breathing hard. They all stood around as Kyle pushed me off the boulder and the noose held my from touching the ground. The branch bent enough for me to feel my feet brush through the grass as I swung back and forth. I could hear them laughing and saying things about what I looked like being hanged. And I didn't know until just then that it would make me so hard."

Everyone laughed at the face Eric made when he said that along with the emphasis in his Scottish accent.

Eric :" I woke up lying in the grass with the noose still tight around my neck. They left me there and it took an hour for me to get my hands in front and loosen the noose to get it off. I think I passed out a few times as well. A month later I got even. My best friend and I waited in Kyle's family barn as he came to put tools away. We took him down and tied his hands behind his back. He tried to yell for help but I grabbed his throat. He was sweaty from his chores and shirtless made him slippery and hard to get him up. But we got him under the main beam and I tossed the same noose he used on me over it. By this time he knew that no one would come to help, he seemed very calm for someone that was about to be hanged. I wanted him to be as frightened as I was when I felt the rope on my neck. But when I put the noose over his head he did not struggle.

He said " I hope you know how to do it right."

I was as nice as he was to put the noose above his apple to keep from crushing his throat. I showed him the scar on my neck and told him "This is why you are going to hang, then you will have one just like it."

Kyle :"I would have liked to swing the way I hanged you."

Sean and I pulled him up and when his feet left the ground I pushed his body so it would swing. His was the first body I have ever seen being hanged and though I did it for revenge it became very arousing and wonderful to watch. His body wet with sweat and muscles tight and looked like he was dancing in air. I remember thinking that I hoped my body looked as hot. We watched him hang until his body went limp. He had a buldg in his pants and I didn't know until then that hanging him world also make me so hard!"

Again everyone laughed.

"We let him down and I loosen the noose. I moved the noose down to see the bruise, I was surprised that it wasn't much at all. When he recovered he had no scare. We left him with his hands tied behind his back like he did with me.

Kyle and I actually became friends over time and we talked about what it was like to be hanged and be the hangman. Turns out that he did want to hang me for a while and I was not the first guy he hanged, he and his buddies often played with each other and had been hoping to find someone new. Looking back at how they hanged me and what I know about hanging they had some experience at it. I became part of that club but never did find someone new after me. They wanted to hang my friend Sean but I would not allow that. I was hoping that Sean would show an interest in it but never did. So when Tommy said he wanted to go for a ride I was happy to perform my lost art on him."

Tommy :" I was so drunk I don't remember saying I wanted to go for a ride on it but it was recorded."

Adam :" Too bad no one recorded Eric's ride, I would have paid very well to watch that. " Everyone nods in agreement and sporting a buldge from the image of his incredible body being hanged.

Tommy :"Guest will be coming soon let's get showered and changed and get this party going. "

To be continued.