#pssst I don’t know where else to write this because I don’t think anyone will see it here but I didn’t love the Barbie movie.

[yer-a-fangirl-harry]

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[thetradeway]

Session 40 10 Apr 2021: Thunderbuns and Timothy P. Fuckapple

Sophie and Matthew are on their way back from somewhere, so we start a little later than advertised.

Quick recap - where were we? Most of us were having dinner with Mirt, Kessler had left, and also Tarragon not long after, having made Brother Charity wear her drink.

Tarragon arrives back at the Dagger and Kessler has her translate what she managed to scribble down of Carl’s book:

The rest eventually arrive back, in various states of drunkenness. We have eaten, so the DM exempts us all from hangovers. Yay!

Brother Charity, Matthew tells us, had all the sinful posh foods including foie gras.

Joe has added character sheets for the baby flumph, and Simon the mouse who has rat stats (including a whole hit point!) but is not a rat. Did Gideon add a flumph pouch to his sleeve? Yes, his friend Bromrick helped him make one.

Okay, so! Are we all in the taproom, and does Kessler want to share what she learned about Carl? She wants to have a quiet word with Brother Charity about it. She’ll have a time of it, Matthew says; Brother Charity has wedged a chair under his door handle so he can be undisturbed while he calms Brother Carl down.

Sophie, OOC: “He’s dead, how calm do you want him? Resting heart rate of zero beats per minute!”

Kessler knocks on Brother Charity’s door. He ignores it. “He has to come out at some point!” Or she could just tell the party we’ve been bringing a zombie around with us, or tell the bar staff he’s been keeping dead animals in his room. Still nothing. (Matthew, OOC: “Riveting game playing, isn’t it?”)

The rest of us make Perception checks, Ahleqs rolls the best as he is perpetually on edge waiting for danger, even in his sleep. We all roll well enough to hear Kessler banging on Charity’s door. Ahleqs listens at his door to see what the exasperated goblin sounds are about. He opens his door and asks her what she’s doing; she says she wanted a word with Brother Charity.

She makes a Perception check - she can’t hear anything coming from Brother Charity’s room. She turns back to Ahleqs and asks him to go and get Gideon and she will get the rest of us. She wants us all to meet in her room.

He does as he’s told, and goes and knocks on Gideon’s door. He throws it open; he is wearing his little jammies.

Ahleqs: “Kessler’s being weird.”

Gideon: “And?”

We gather in her room. What has she woken us up at this ungodly hour for?

She tells us about the Identify spell - Brother Carl is under the influence of an Animate Dead spell. None of us are especially shocked by this news. She says Brother Charity won’t speak to her.

Ahleqs notes that Charity seemed upset because we haven’t really given him a chance.

Kessler says that Carl told her Charity ‘saved’ him. Gideon doesn’t seem worried, he just wishes Charity had been honest about it!

Do we think Carl can communicate, has he perhaps told Charity that Kessler knows? It’s a possibility.

We should hear him out before we burn him. We’ll wait for him to come down to breakfast and ask him about it. Wait, let’s check and make sure they haven’t done a runner. Melaina climbs out of the window in Kessler’s room and around the outside of the Dagger to Charity’s room to see if he’s in there. She looks into the room - which is empty. The window is closed, so he likely didn’t go out that way.

He’s scarpered! We go downstairs to ask the bar staff if they’ve seen him.

Well we don’t have to ask, because the Brothers are in the taproom eating breakfast. Well, shit. Okay so maybe they didn’t scarper.

Ahleqs, nervously: “Good morning, normal to see you.”

Brother Charity calls us straight away on Kessler’s investigation; Ahleqs asks why he didn’t just tell us Carl was dead. Well it’s not a great opener with a new group of people, Charity explains.

Besides, we’re dragging Tarragon around with us.

Tarragon: “… Excuse me?”  

Charity: “She came back from the dead, I don’t see the difference.”

Tarragon, indignant: “I’m not literally rotting!”

We have judged Carl, so we must be experts on his condition, yes? We know everything there is to know? Charity asks.

Tarragon: “No, that’s why we’re asking!”

“I see.”

He insists he’s not a necromancer. He cast spells of the necromantic variety, but so did the Unicorn to resurrect Tarragon -

Gideon, out of the blue: “How does the group feel about summoning demons?”

Us: “ - …”  

Kessler goes to the bar; it’s too early for this conversation.

(BC is smiling and drinking his coffee as we have a sidebar about this.)

Tarragon asks Charity to enlighten us about Carl’s condition.

He shows us a piece of paper with a drawing on it by Carl, of all of us holding hands.

He says that Carl was horrified when Kessler demanded he undress her and threatened to kill him.

Kessler lets slip that she was born in a human household, while Charity is berating her by openly making assumptions about goblins, the way we’re making assumptions about Carl.

Tarragon asks about how he came to animate Carl; he says he found his corpse in a field and cast a spell on it. Carl had been bitten by a snake, and Charity happened upon him. He says his previous zombie had been eaten by a bear.

Wait, his previous zombie? When did he start raising zombies?

Two hundred and three years ago.

“Are you undead?”

No!

How did he come to raise zombies two hundred or so years before he was born?

He says that’s an interesting story, and he might tell us if we share something about ourselves. He starts by turning to Ahleqs, while Kessler goes to the bar and orders a keg of everything and as much food as they can bring to our table.

Jirr, seeing her approach: “Gonna be one of those, huh?”

It’s a bit early for Charity, he’ll stick with coffee. (Not at all like Matthew, who will have a PINT OF WHISKEY! That’s roleplaying for you.)

Charity asks about Ahleqs’s wild magic; what would he say was the most significant event to happen to him other than the acquisition of his magical powers on the day he discovered he had them?

Ahleqs stares into middle distance. He says that’s when he escaped; he never found out why they did it to him, but he’s not going back.

Woah.

(Charity tries to backpedal, and offers Ahleqs a scotch.)

Before Ahleqs can elaborate, his amulet starts to pulse and Mr Pickles appears. He looks around the table and his gaze settles on Carl.

“What’s this?”

Ahleqs, relieved: “Mr Pickles will sort everything out.”

Mr Pickles sniffs Carl. Ahleqs says he’s just coming around to the idea that Carl might be okay.

Mr. Pickles, sniffily: “it’s nothing to be frightened of. It’s just magic. Low magic, but just magic.”

Charity: “How dare you!”

Mr. Pickles, ignoring him: “I have an offer for you and your friends, anyone who can cast arcane magic, from the temple. We have a mission that you and your team would be perfect for.” He will explain further, but not here.

Tarragon says she can’t cast arcane magic, can she come anyway? Yes, all can do the mission, but the reward only benefits arcane casters. (Tarragon says that’s fine - everyone here has helped her with stuff before.)  Mr. Pickles tells us to eat our breakfast and join him later.

Ahleqs talks about the glowing orb he found, which he thought at first was elf poo; it has stopped glowing now so he thinks it might be something else.

Melaina, nodding: “My poos don’t stop glowing.”

Ahleqs takes Carl’s picture and puts it in the bag of holding. Aww.

Charity comforts Carl as we leave, rubbing his back. “See, I told you no-one was going to kill you.”

Duncan, OOC: “Guys, I think I love Carl!”

Charity makes a Perception check; he is not shit-hot at these. He rolls a 15, perceiving a medium amount of things. He spots one of Mirt’s paper cranes; he immediately pockets it without drawing attention to it. (There is something for him in the handout section of his journal. He will read that anon.)

Tarragon rolls Perception as well; she sees a black cat looking at her. It goes “PSSST!” She shakes her head and keeps walking.

We walk back through the fancy part of town where we were last night, toward the House of Wonder.

Ahleqs has been to the House of Wonder before, yes? He leads us there, excitedly telling us all how good it is. This is the temple if the Goddess of Magic, in the middle of the Sea Ward. Mr. Pickles is waiting for us.

Ahleqs asks him, if he gets really good at magic, so he hardly ever kills any of his friends, can he have a set of those robes?

“Of course, my boy.”

Gideon takes a look at the pillars - at ADV because of his Stonecunning, which he is going to use EVERY session. They’re pulsing with magic. Can he do an arcana check?

Yes. at ADV as well. 26! He is going to fondle those stones until he unlocks all their secrets! They are conduits for magic. Each pillar channels a different form, adding to the ambient magic in the temple.

We have to peel him off the stone at this point. “What are we here for, again? Missions! Yes!” 

Mr Pickles, somehow raising one eyebrow at Gideon even though he doesn’t have any: “Are you done?”

Gideon, still looking longingly at the pillars: “Yes.”

Mr. Pickles says there have been developments in the Shadow Weave. He would like us to undertake a journey to Candlekeep to find a book. Are we familiar with the Castle of Tomes?

Ahleqs makes a History check. He is from Baldur’s Gate so he can do it at ADV. 14; he has heard of it but never been there. It’s the greatest repository of knowledge in the world, guarded by monks. People come from all over to seek knowledge.

Do we just ask them for this book?

Mr Pickles asks Charity if he’s been to Candlekeep before; he has, once or twice. As he knows, the monks require a gift for entry; a book that is not already in their possession.

Melaina: “We could write one!”

Sadly this probably won’t work as they are stringent about the quality of the books they accept, and Mr. Pickles doesn’t know how we would get a good one. His head priest will write us a letter which should convince the monks to let us have the one we want to take away, but we must find a book that will be acceptable to the monks in order to gain entry.

Hmm.

Poetry, arcane arts, history, all of these would be acceptable. Erotic fiction? Ahleqs knows where we can find a lot of that.

Mr Pickles wants to talk about the reward; Charity already has a familiar, he says. (Does he mean Carl?) Would any of the arcane casters like a bond with such a creature? Ahleqs brings out Simon. “I already have one.”

Melaina says she would like ‘a little aminal...’

Mr. Pickles says they could bind Simon to Ahleqs as a familiar so that if something happens to him, he could be brought back. (Mouse Frumpkin!) He thinks Simon would love that; yeah, let’s do that.

Mr Pickles leads him to a chamber - Ahleqs skips after him, he’s so excited.

Ahleqs can add Find Familiar to his spell list - it will only summon Simon, and Mr Pickles will show him how to cast it as a ritual.

Mr Pickles offers the same to Gideon, for his flumph; he accepts.

Mr Pickles returns again and offers Kessler a familiar. She’s not sure she should keep a pet; she’d probably lose it.

Charity and Ahleqs both say “Or eat it” at the same time. Ahleqs holds his hand up for a high five; Charity is briefly confused before Ahleqs explains the concept of high fives. Charity feels included in the group for the first time, and accepts the high five.

Mr Pickles, ignoring all this, tells Kessler to trust him - this is a good idea. She finally agrees. Mr Pickles leads her into the ritual chambers and performs the ritual. Upon casting, a curious creature emerges from the portal created. It looks like a tiny clockwork beholder.

Mr. Pickles asks if Melaina wants a familiar - “Uhhh yes please that sounds awesome.”

She can choose which aminal she wants and let the DM know as and when, but she can add the spell now.

Joe goes to move on - and Sophie suddenly knows what she wants: “Weasel! Weasel!”

Weasel it is. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2CTVqt2wxU

Mr Pickles can’t help us with finding a suitable book; he will think on it. Will we be around for a while?

Do we have to sort of guess which books they have at Candlekeep already, or do they have a published catalogue?

There is some sort of divination magic we can use to discern whether or not they have a particular book. They will take annotated copies if they’re interesting, or first edition copies, of books they already have.

Tarragon makes a Perception check - the black cat is sitting at the entrance to the temple, watching.

Tarragon waves to the cat - it raises its paw. It stretches, then lopes slowly toward her.

“By the gods but you are stupid!” says the cat, aloud, in Common. “I have been trying to get your attention for ages! Come to the shrines of nature!”

Tarragon says she will go along at some point today, and the cat leaves.

“Well now, run along,” says Mr. Pickles, lighting his pipe.

He says as we leave that he has something special for Ahleqs if we do well.

We go to the shrines of nature. (Ahleqs at least will come with; it sounds nice and relaxing.)

Charity and Melaina get chatting; after a while Charity notes, “I think this is the most we’ve spoken, you know.”

Melaina, immediately: “Fuck off.”

We arrive at the shrines of nature - Amithrel, the High Druidess, approaches us. She says she has been speaking to her colleagues about Tansy. Some have heard about this type of curse or poison before - there is a book that might be of benefit. She says the cat told her that we might be travelling to Candlekeep soon? This would be a perfect opportunity.

It involves a ritual cast on the heartstone that Melaina gave Tarragon. It’s in a book of ancient rituals and spells. It fell into the hands of a lore keeper and ended up in Candlekeep. The monks likely won’t part with it, so Tarragon will have to find a way of copying it.

Mr Pickles is going to give us the title of the book he wants us to borrow. The High Druidess can’t remember the name of the druid who told her about the book, but he will be coming here soon. Are we okay with waiting a few days for him to arrive, before we leave for Candlekeep?

Yeah, we need to find a book to give the monks anyway.

Amithrel asks if we’ve thought about how we’re going to get to Candlekeep. It’s about 900 miles by land. The best way to make the journey would be by boat; didn’t we have a friend with a boat? Didn’t he look like this guy (Charity) but ‘infinitely more handsome’? Perhaps we could contact him, he has friends at the Docks Ward who could get a message to him.

We could charter a boat, couldn’t we? Charity asks, clearly reluctant about contacting Gunna. Might be a little expensive, though. But Gunna was pretty clear that he was off doing family things, he might not want to come back just to ferry us along the Sword Coast. If he’s two weeks out, it’ll take him two weeks to come back, Charity points out. 

Ahleqs thinks we should either buy passage or gain employment as protection on a ship. Or we could ask Larissa, maybe she could get us passage?

Speaking of Lord Walrus, does Charity have anything he needs to be getting on with? He says if we’re near the Dagger he’ll go and look for some books and - the thing… (no idea what that means. Oh! Probably the Harper mission from Mirt.)

We head back to the Dagger and Charity and Carl excuse themselves to go off and look for ‘stuff’.

Kessler goes to the Watchful Order to see if they have any books that might be suitable. Ahleqs accompanies her. We just need to borrow one, right?

No, it would have to stay at Candlekeep.

Melaina: “Well they’re not called CandleBorrow.”

Charity puts his head back in the door to the Dagger to ask Gideon if he would like to accompany him and Carl on his mission to find a talking horse. Wait, what?

Gideon agrees, apparently not needing to ask any kind of follow-up questions. Where is this horse? Charity says it’s pulling around some kind of dray. (A wagon or cart type thing.)

Gideon asks Ria about drays; who around here might own one?

Ria says there are some companies, and some independents who own one. They’re mostly to be found here, though they travel all over the city.

Ahleqs has the Urchin background, so he knows his way around cities - comes from always keeping his eyes peeled for escape routes. Sadly, he’s already gone to the Watchful Order with Kessler, so that’s of no help here.

Gideon and Charity go off in search of the talking horse. Goes by the name of Maxeene apparently.

Perhaps they could take a dray carriage on a tour around the city? Would be a good way to get to know their way around. Well, not much use if they’re looking for a particular horse, unless they happen to get the one dray that Maxeene pulls. 

Tarragon and Melaina saw Ahleqs and Kessler leave for the Watchful Order; they also see Gideon and Charity (and Carl) looking around the street and arguing heatedly. Tarragon goes back to her wine and Melaina plays excitedly with her new weasel; neither seem to care overmuch about what Brother Charity is doing.

Outside, Charity approaches a guard to ask about the dray. Where do they run to and from?

“Any particular service? They run the length and breadth of the city.”

Any that have violet flowers as their emblem? Or horses that wear a violet flower?

The guard looks at him funny. “Are you drunk?”

Charity makes a persuasion check - a 13.

The guard isn’t sure that any of the horses have taken to wearing flowers in their hair.

(This seems to be getting him nowhere; maybe Charity should look them up in the Yellow Parchments instead.)

He gives up and walks away from the guard. He doesn’t quite know how to talk to ‘the lower-downs’.

He and Gideon make Survival checks; Gideon spots some dray tracks.

“Onward!!”

He splats his way down the street, following the tracks which lead to the market. There are a lot of drays going to and fro; if they found a vantage point they might get a better chance at finding the one they’re after.

“Maxeene!” Gideon shouts, in desperation and to no avail. Can they get onto a roof? It’ll be a DEX check. Would that be untoward? Would people think he’s a loon?

Wait - the familiars! Gideon could send his flumph! He sits on a bench and instructs Charity not to let anyone pickpocket him, as he’ll be blind and deaf as he looks through the flumph’s eyes.

He whispers into his sleeve and sends out the flumph, warning it not to talk to strangers. Baby flumph makes a Perception check as it floats into the air. Gideon brains over the relevant information: A horse with a violet flower behind its left ear.

Through the flumph’s eyes, Gideon spots the horse in question. He points, but he’s seeing through the flumph and still sitting on the bench so he’s pointing at the ground.

Charity forgets that Gideon is deaf while he’s using this spell and demands to know what he’s pointing at.

(Matthew, OOC: “This whole scene is a combination of See No Evil Hear No Evil and Weekend at Bernie’s.”)

Gideon withdraws from the flumph’s vision and he and Charity go in search of the horse. They catch it up and Gideon walks alongside the dray and asks the driver what time he finishes; the driver says he’s not his type.

Is there room for three more on this dray? Gideon asks, ignoring this. The driver pulls to a halt and introduces himself as Marcus. He says yeah, we’ve got no passengers. Fare is 4 cp; Gideon throws him 12. They scatter; Marcus scrabbles around to pick them up and tells them begrudgingly to get on.

Another human already on the dray introduces himself as Morgan. He is Marcus’ brother, and he gives Gideon the tickets.

They ride around the city on the dray, while Marcus happily chatters away to them. They make Insight checks; if one of them keeps Marcus talking, the other might be able to make contact with Maxeene.

They decide instead to take a tour of the city. They spend a very pleasant afternoon, even stopping for sandwiches. Finally they reach the last stop. Do they ask to go along to the stables…? Would that be untoward? Marcus is looking at them like he’d like them to get off his dray now.

Gideon suggests posing as inspectors. Charity loves that idea, “but. We have taken the entire tour. That might be a hard sell. But it’s not a terrible idea.” He suggests following the dray after they get off, finding the stables, and then engaging Operation Pretending to be Inspectors.

Gideon gets up slowly because they’ve been sitting down for hours and he’s a creaky old dwarf, and hops off the dray. Charity tries to attract the attention of the horse, but it’s tricky. He makes a Performance check - a ten.

Maxeene looks at him blankly. She and the other horses are untied and led down the alley, but Charity and Gideon have seen the direction they went.

Matthew wants to go outside for a cigarette, so we cut back to Tarragon and Melaina; Melaina is mucking about with her weasel, and Tarragon is busy getting wine drunk. Over to the other group then…

Ahleqs and Kessler have gone to the Watchful Order (Mina is not responding so we pick up with Ahleqs until she returns).

He tells the librarian he is looking for esoteric knowledge. Could they direct him towards the rare book section?

Is he looking to buy rare books?

Potentially…

As a paid member he can read or borrow anything here, but they don’t sell stuff. The librarian can recommend a number of good bookshops. Some Guilds might deal in rarer volumes, too, she adds... 

Ahleqs makes an Insight check - 18. The librarian is hinting that thieves’ guilds or Xanathar might have something akin to what he’s looking for. Ahleqs is way out of his depth, but nods as if he knows what’s going on.

He will peruse the shelves here anyway, he says.

Kessler pops back in and says that we recently did some work for someone who might be able to acquire rare books; what about Shanks? Perhaps her lot could steal to order? We might even get a discount on services if Melaina goes along on the job. (Sophie, enthusiastically: “Yeah!”)

Matthew is back from smoking now so we pick back up with Charity, Carl and Gideon.

It’s early evening by now. There are people around, they are still in the vicinity of the market. Charity finds a door to the stables, but it’s locked. He makes an Investigation check and rolls a 19. He could probably pick it without too much trouble but he doesn’t have thieves’ tools. They could go and get Melaina…?

(Sophie OOC: “Just text me.”)

Charity is reluctant to ask ‘the elf’ for help. She’ll just say no. Well she won’t say no, she’ll say ‘fuck off’. He asks Gideon to go, as she’s more likely not to swear at him.

“What? No! We can do this by ourselves! There must be a way. Is there an open window or something…?” Gideon looks for anything that doesn’t involve lock picks or asking the elf for help. Does he perhap have a spell…?

He looks for a spare key under a bucket by the door or something. He makes an Investigation check and gets a 22 - he spies a key on top of the doorway! He points it out to Charity who reaches up and grabs it. Gideon arcana checks the door to see if it’s trapped; it is not. Well, not magically, anyway.

They enter the stable. There are four horses in here - one of which has a violet flower behind her left ear.

“Maxeene,” Brother Charity whispers. She looks at him but doesn’t respond. He shows her the Harper button. She greets him and asks what she can do for him.

He says he has been sent on a mission and introduces himself, Carl and Gideon. He is here looking for information, and has been told that Maxeene might know about agents in hiding with ‘an unpronounceable name’. Would she be so kind as to let him know what she knows, and Charity is willing to pay for the information.

DM, laughing: “Are you offering the horse money…?”

Matthew, OOC: “Nah, like sugar lumps or something.”

Maxeene tells him that sugar lumps are bad for the teeth.

“I know that, I’m a doctor.”

Gideon, scoffing: “No you aren’t!”

Charity, miffed: “Bloody well am.”

Maxeene interrupts the squabble to say that she gave a ride to a sun elf and a half orc two days ago, dropping them at the Yawning Portal. They spoke of planting agents in the guild, in a weird way. The Xanathar guild, their enemies. They might be Zent agents.

Charity makes notes on his letter, while Carl holds the ink pot for him in his open hand.

Maxeene says he could seek them out at the Yawning Portal.

DM: “Kessler might know about tha - ”

Gideon, immediately: “No! We don’t need any help from the goblin!”

After some History checks, they know that the Yawning Portal is a famous tavern in Waterdeep. There was a tower that exploded, now it’s a portal to the Undermountain. Famous tourist attraction. Lots of adventurers pay money to be lowered down the hole to seek their fortunes.

This is starting to sound like more than a two-person adventure...

Gideon asks Maxeene why a horse of her ability is pulling a carriage? She is an agent for the Harpers, she tells him. You get to see all sorts in her line of work. (The irony.)

Charity says he thinks his job is done - apparently all Mirt wanted was to know what Maxeene knew.

But wait! Charity has a plan. He thinks they should go to the Yawning Portal and ask around. But in order to forestall any investigations, they should disguise themselves. How would Gideon feel about dyeing his beard to pass himself off as a different dwarf? He supposes he could. (Charity pulls out a little bottle that says ‘Just for Dwarves’ on it.)

Charity rubs some boot polish into Gideon’s beard, and they set off for the Yawning Portal. Wait - they need names!

Gideon, after a short pause: “Sledge Rock-Eater.” And what about Brother Charity? “Human names, human names… Paul?”

Charity says he will go with ‘Timothy’. (Is that a Tal’Doreian name?)

Before they go in, Charity suggests that Carl wait for them in an alleyway. He casts Disguise Self to look like a ‘cribbly old man’ (direct quote) and plops his wig on his head. (He could have given himself hair with Disguise Self, but anyway.) He also has ‘a manky eye and a hump’.

Does Gideon have a weapon? He blusters. “I use magic, I don’t usually bonk things.”

Carl offers his mace; “It’s all yours,” he says, the first words we’ve ever known him to speak - something that seems to pass everyone by.

(The scene that follows is not easily captured in text form which is a shame, as much of the nuance and high comedy - not to mention the abominable accents - are completely lost. My apologies to Thunderbuns and Ross Kemp.)

They enter the Yawning Portal. Trophies line the walls, and there is a big hole in floor into which people are being lowered on a rope. The bards here are really good, and obviously well paid.

They start to look around for a half orc and a sun elf who are together. Charity spots a balcony that runs around the edge of the main tap room. From his position he can see a male sun elf standing talking to a female half orc. That seems promising. They are hoping to get their names, and to find out if they are Zent agents.

Publicly, the Zent mercenary guild have a respectable face but they have a shady reputation. They are called the Black Network in underground circles, and most don’t trust their intentions. They undercut the prices of other mercenary guilds. They’ve been at war with Xanathar’s guild, who are also fighting with the Shadow thieves.

Charity, getting ready to make his move: “What was your name again, Thunderbuns?” He suggests dropping Xanathar’s name in a negative way as they walk by, initiating a conversation and seeing what they can glean.

Charity gets fully into character as Ross Kemp as he orders whiskey for himself and Gideon at the bar. It costs 2 copper, but he flicks the barmaid a silver piece and tells her to ‘buy herself summink pretty’. She winks and stuffs the silver piece into her cleavage.

Charity slams the whiskey and makes the face that people who aren’t used to drinking whiskey make. A couple of people at a nearby table notice and start to laugh; Ross Kemp points to the glass and tries to insist that it was ‘the shit stuff’. It’s unclear whether they believe him or not, but it seems unlikely.

Right, time for phase two.

They go up to the balcony, talking shit about Xanathar’s guild in the worst cockney accents anyone has ever heard. The half orc girl is picking at her nails with a dagger and looks up to warn them to watch what they’re saying.  

Charity tells her he is looking to get revenge on Xanathar and his Guild - “They’ll rue the day they crossed Timothy P Fuckapple!”

(Duncan is crying with laughter by this point, and we’re all not far behind him)

The sun elf says if he buys them a drink, will they go and drink it somewhere else?

Timothy P Fuckapple asks gruffly if they would be open to a game of cards…?

The sun elf, looking down his nose: “Absolutely not.”

Timothy P. Fuckapple/Ross Kemp: “What if I sweeten the deal with a bit of cheddar cheese, by which I do mean money?”

Still no.

Timothy says he was told that if a person wanted revenge on Xanathar then they should find two individuals who look like the elf and the orc, but clearly he has been misinformed.

The elf asks, do they have business with the Zent? Are they wanting to hire mercenaries?

Thunderbuns: “No - we wanted to join.”

The elf falls about with laughter. “Did you hear that, Yagra? These buffoons want to join!”

They have a name! Thank fuck for that…

Thunderbuns has an idea, and says he will bet the elf a gold piece that Timothy can guess his name. The elf sighs. “Fine, if you will leave inside a minute.”

Timothy makes his guess - “Silver Frond!” he says, confidently.

“No. My name is Davil Starsong, as anyone here could have told you.” Thunderbuns dutifully hands the elf a gold piece.

“And this here is Yagra Stonefist - she will happily see you to the door.” Yagra pushes them both toward the door; they offer no resistance. They have both names, yes!

Charity writes the information he has discovered on the back of the paper crane, once out of sight in the alley. The crane takes flight and disappears.

And with that the buddy cop movie ends, as does the session. Duncan has two new abs from laughing. (I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of Thunderbuns and Timothy P. Fuckapple.)

[iamfallinforeverything]

Twinsisters

This is my first request and I’m so happy about it! I never thought I would get requests. Thank you so much for requesting this @rachelcarroll1819  Hopefully you’ll like it 😅  Also it’s super long but I got carried away and it was super hard to end it and I really didn’t wanted to make this a two-part-thing. Sorryyy

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries, The Originials 

Summary: You’re Elenas twinsister who is dating Klaus and who has a good relationship with the rest of his family. But that changed just before the Mikaelson ball.  

Warnings: swearing, mention of alcohol and underage drinking, angst (literally the only thing I can write, I swear 😂), mention of murder

I sat on one of the couches in the Salvatore house and smiled at my phone. It showed me the new message from my boyfriend. I’ve never had a boyfriend before so I was more than happy to have finally found him. He was charming and so unbelievably handsome. At first I thought that he was joking when we first met in the Mystic Grill. Someone like him could never want someone like me. That’s what I thought but he proofed me wrong. He wanted me and he showed me that in every possible way. 

“Are you even fucking listening Y/N?”, Damon asked and practically yelled at me. 

“Always Damon.”, I answered and rolled with my eyes. Why am I even here?

“Yeah, so what’ve I said?”, he asked back and crossed his arms infront of his chest. 

I’ve tried to think of something, but my mind has been somewhere else the past few minutes. 

“You listened, clearly. You need to listen so the fucking plan works. Do you even want to save Elena from that Hybrid Bastard?”, Damon was pissed, like always. 

“Of course I want to save my twinsister! But how the fuck are we supposed to? He’s stronger than us.”, I answered. 

“That’s why you have to fucking listen Y/N.” 

“Yeah, fine. Text me the details. Elena is going crazy being trapped inside our house and I’m going home now.”, I said, stood up and took my jacket. 

“Of course litte Princess. Everything for our highness.”, Damon said contemptuously as I walked out. 

“Thank you, my faithful servant!”, I yelled back and let the door fall shut behind me. 

I sat myself inside my car and started to drive. But I didn’t drove back home. I drove to my boyfriends house. He lived with his family in a mansion a little bit ouside of Mystic Falls. Lately he was the only one who could lift my mood.  I hadn’t even gotten out of the car yet, when Kol stormed out of the house. Fucking vampire hearing.

“Our dear Y/N! What a pleasure to see you.”, he smiled as he opened the door of my car for me. 

“Thanks Kol.”, I laughed and got out. 

“Why do you honor us with your presence?”, Kol asked and closed the door. 

“I wanted to see Klaus. Am I not allowed to?”, I mocked him. 

“Ouch, and I thought you came to see me.”, he theatrically grabbed his chest right there where his heart was. 

“I am, but pssst, don’t tell Klaus or he’ll get mad and we don’t want that.”, I answered and Kols smile got even bigger. 

“What shouldn’t he tell me Darling?”, Klaus appeared right by my side and gave me almost a heartattack. 

“Stop doing that you fucker! I hate it! Behave like a normal fucking human.”, I said and shoved him away from me. 

“But I’m not, so why should I sweetheart?”, he smiled so innocently. But I knew what was behind that. 

“Or else your girlfriend is going to die because you’ll give her a fucking heartattack.”, I answered and started to walk towards the entrance of the house. 

I could hear Kols laugh and I just knew that Klaus was rolling with his eyes.  I love him. More than anything else and I loved his family, but it was so wrong. He wanted to kill my sister. My twinsister. Twice. I shouldn’t love him. I should hate him. Him and his whole family but I couldn’t change my feelings for him and honestly I was tired of fighting against them. I just had to find a way to save Elena from him without losing him or anyone else. Why was everything always so complicated?

“Before you’ll die I would make you to one of us.”, Klaus answered and took my hand in his. 

“No, you’re not. We had this conversation.” 

“And I still don’t get it. Eternal life. Eternal youth. Eternal life with me. What’s wrong with that?”

We stopped in the entrance hall and he spun me around, so that I was facing him. He took also my other hand in his and looked me deep on the eyes. 

“What’s so wrong with having an eternal life with me and maybe all your loved ones?”, he asked again and looked at me through his thick lashes. 

“I don’t know. Maybe the blood lust? Or the murder that comes with it? The inability to have children? Do I need to tell you more?”, I answered and let go of his hands to wander through the hall. 

Some people were decorating the house. Probably for the ball tomorrow. 

“I could manipulate your blood lust away and you’d never have to kill someone. There are enough blood bags and we could adapot children and give them a loving home.” 

“Klaus. No.”, I shook my head. 

He just sighed and rolled with his eyes before he wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed a kiss to my temple. 

“So stubborn.”, he smiled against my skin and I just giggled. 

Klaus let go of me and together we went into one of the many rooms downstairs. Kol sat in some kind of armchair and played with something that looked like a dagger. It didn’t even surprised me. He was always playing with some kind of weapon. Elijah was reading some papers that laid across the table and just gave me a quick smile and a Hello as he saw me. Rebekah was probably somewhere else and I saw Finn in on of the corners. 

“Hello Finny.”, I smiled widely and he just rolled his eyes. He didn’t liked me or the nickname I gave him. I found it quite intertaining. 

“Leave him alone. He just found out that mother is going to abandon him when she’s done with this bullshit of ball.”, Kol said and threw the dagger playfully up in the air.

“Poor Finny.”, I answered and Finn just sighed and left. 

He was always so.. stiff. As if he had a stick up his ass. I sat myself on one of the couches and looked over the papers that laid across the coffee table. Elijah was still looking through them. 

“What is that Elijah?”, I asked. 

There were letters and symbols on the papers that I had never seen before. They looked funny, but also terribly interesting. I wanted to know more about them. 

“That’s the old, first script. With this we have recorded the first things in writing.”, Elijah explained without looking at me. 

“It looks really interesting. It’s so different form what I’m used to.” 

Elijah nodded and kept on looking. Klaus went to God only knows where and Kol was still playing with the dagger. I was getting bored and I’m the most annoying little bitch when I’m bored. So I had to do something about it.  I got up and started to wander around. I always started with wandering around. Maybe I could find Rebekah?  Downstairs was nothing interesting. Only the people who where working on the decoration but they stopped working when I got in the room. So I decided to went upstairs. I wasn’t often upstairs. As I thought about it I realised that I was only upstairs to sleep in Klaus bed when I stayed here for the night. It was kind of strange but I didn’t thought more about it.  One of the doors led to Klaus bedroom, I knew that. There was a big double door that drew all my attention. So I decided to look behind the closed doors. 

Right as I had the handle in my hands appeared Klaus once more right next to me. 

“What are you doing my love?”, he asked from beside me and gave me another heart attack. Couldn’t he come up to me like a normal human being?

“Oh my god Klaus.”, I said and laid my hand on my chest. 

“What are you doing?”, he asked again and smiled at me. But his smile was kind of.. wicked? 

“Nothing. I’m bored and I’ve never really been up here before and wanted to know what’s behind the door.”, I answered truthfully and shrugged. 

“And then you thought you just wander around and open doors that you are not supposed to?”, he asked back and turned around and looked at one of the paintings that where hanging here. 

“I didn’t thought that it would be a problem for you. I’m sorry.”, I said and walked away from the door to stand next to him. 

“You better be Y/N.”, he hissed and I pulled my eyebrows together. Why was he making a big deal out of that? 

“No reason to be pissed Klaus. I was just curious.” 

“Curious or did you wanted to get some information for your friends?” 

Confused I looked at him: “What the fuck are you talking about?” 

“Do you think I’m dumb? I know that you and your little friends are planning something for tomorrow to save Elena and I’m sure you’re just here to get some information.”

“Are you mental? What are you thinking about me? Of course I want to save my fucking twinsister from whatever you’re planning, but I don’t want to lose you during that. I want to find a solution that’s good for all of us. I’m not here to spy on you. I’m here to spend some time with you because I love you. I’ve proofed my loyality more than once towards you Klaus and I’m sick of your fucking paranoid shit and your constant accusations.”, I answered and turned around to leave. I don’t need his shit today. 

“So you want to save her, hm? Do you know that this means that the little friends of yours are trying to kill me and my whole family?”, of course he had only heard that part. 

“How can you blame them? They are trying to save a friend. A loved one.” 

“And I’m not?! I’m trying to save myself and the ones I love!”, he started to raise his voice. This is going to be our first fight and I knew it would be over Elena.

“You’re trying to save yourself? Bullshit Klaus! You just want to have your hybrids to not be alone. Can’t you see that you’re not alone?”, sadly I looked at him. There was so much rage and fire in his eyes. 

“Because I have you or what?”, he practically spat the words in front of my feet. 

“Yes! Also there is this wonderfull family of yours downstairs! They are all here and I’m sure if you would apologize they would forgive you because they love you.”, I spat back. 

“You have no idea Darling. You have no idea what it’s like to be all by yourself. What it’s like to not be able to trust someone and to be always on the run.”, he said and put his hands on the railing. He looked down into the entrance hall.

“How am I supposed to? You’re never speaking with me over this kind of stuff. I would be there for you Klaus. I would listen to you and there is nothing in this world that could change my feelings towards you. But you just don’t trust me and that hurts.” 

He just kept on looking downstairs and didn’t gave me an answer. 

“Do you want me to leave?”, I asked. 

My voice was quiet and I was scared of what he would answer. I didn’t wanted to leave but he was clearly in pain with me being here. 

“Yes.”, he answered firmly. 

“Just this house or you?”, I asked with tears in my eyes. 

“Me.” 

I nodded and swallowed the tears. I didn’t said anything more. It wouldn’t matter. He had made his mind up and in his mind I was a traitor. I was just here to find information to make it easier for Damon and Stefan to kill him. Klaus couldn’t see that I was trying to do the exact opposite. I wanted to save him from my friends and my twinsister from him. But that wasn’t possible, I knew that know. I had to chose and this decision was an easy one. 

As I went down the stairs the tears started to fall. In only a couple of seconds my cheeks were wet and I tried to hold back the sobs. Kol was standing outside next to my car. They had all heard my conversation with Klaus. 

“You shouldn’t be driving like this.”, Kol said and opened his hand. 

I just nodded and gave him my keys. I took my seat on the passenger side and buried my face in my hands. I let the sobs out and cried uncontrollably. I’ve never did something wrong, was always loyal towards him and his family and he still thought that I was just there to spy on him. Bullshit. 

“Nik didn’t desevered you anyway Y/N. You’re to nice to be his girlfriend.”, Kol said as the started the enginee of my car. 

“I just don’t get it. I never did anything to make him think I’m only his girlfriend to spy on him. Elena and the others dosen’t even know that I’m his girlfriend. Or that I was his girlfriend.”, I answered and looked at Kol. 

“He’s paranoid. He’s always been and will always be. Don’t think to much about it.”, Kol said and smiled at me. 

I just nodded and for the rest of the drive we were quiet. I just looked outside and watched what was passing me as we drove. Maybe I should really give Klaus a reason to doubt my loyalty towards him.  Kol parked infront of my house. He didn’t care about my family and my friends and honestly I didn’t as well. Should they see me with Kol. I would be telling them everything anyway. 

“Thank you for driving me home Kol.”, I smiled at him. 

“No Problem Y/N. And if you need anything, just call me and I’ll be right by your side.”, he grinned. 

“I will.” 

I hugged him and went inside. Damon was already standing in the hallway and looked at me as if the wanted to kill me. 

“Can you explain me what the hell happend? I thought you wanted to drive back to Elena. And why did Kol bring you home?”, Damon said and raised one of his eyebrows. 

“Can you please just shut up Damon? I’m not in the mood for your bullshit.”, I answered, rubbed my forehead and dropped me next to Elena on the sofa in the living room. 

“My bullshit? You’re the one who was brought home by Kol Mikaelson!”, he said angryly. 

I sighed and looked at him. I was so done with all of that. I just wanted my normal life with my siblings back. Even if that meant I had to help Damon with his plan. Alone the thought of killing the Mikaelsons hurt in my chest, but I wanted my family and my life back and that was impossible with them alive. 

“He brought be home because Klaus and I broke up and I was crying so much that I couldn’t see the fucking road.”, I answered Damon annoyed and avoided to look at him or Elena.

“Hang on. You and Klaus broke up? What the fuck means that?”, Damon asked. 

“What I said. We broke up. I was in a relationship with Klaus and we broke up.” 

“Since when? Why didn’t you tell me Y/N?”, Elena asked. 

“I don’t know. A couple of weeks. We met in the Mystic Grill and we just clicked, I don’t know. I’ve tried to change his mind about the whole hybrid bullshit, but he’s such a stubborn dickhead and it’s impossible. He’s so paranoid and he always thinks everyone is going to betray him and trying to kill him. I’ve tried to find a solution for all of us. So you would be saved from him and he would still get his stupid hybrids but he didn’t wanted to listen. He just wanted to do it the way he knew, even though it meant your death. And I wasn’t having that. I’m never ever going to let him kill you. And even though I love him and his family, we need to kill him first. He won’t give up unless he has want he wants.” 

“Are you sure?”, Elena asked.

“Yes. I’ve spent more than enough time with him to know that. He won’t change.”, I answered and nodded with my head. 

It would be the most difficult thing I had to do, but I needed to protect my twinsister, my family. I wouldn’t let him destroy that.

After damon got over his initial anger, we all met at the Salvatore house and revised our plan for tomorrow. I had new information that we could incorporate. It wouldn’t be easy, but feasible. Damon had the necessary weapon and I could distract him well enough. Hopefully. 

Elena and I decided to sleep over at the Salvatore house. It was super late when we finished with our plan and we were to lazy to go back to our house. Also it wasn’t the first time that we both slept there. 

The next Day Stefan und Damon went back to our place to get Elenas and my dresses and other stuff to get ready for the Mikaelsons ball. I really didn’t wanted to go. I didn’t wanted to see Klaus or his family. I really felt like a traitor. They were all so nice to me. Helped me with everything and always listened to me when something was wrong. But Elena was way more important for me. She was my twinsister. My family. She and Jeremy were the only ones I had left and I needed to protect them. With everything I had. 

The day went by quite fast. We spoke about the plan once more, added a couple of things and Elena and I started to get ready. Stefan was so nice to give us his room for that. 

“Are you really sure you wan to do that Y/N? Even though Klaus is a horrible person, but he was your boyfriend. You must have seen something in him, or else you wouldn’t have been his girlfriend. I know you. You wouldn’t have let him in your life.”, Elena asked. 

She was just about to put some curls in my hair. I looked at here through the mirror and smiled sadly. 

“I have to Elena. I can’t let him win. He’ll do everything to get what he wants. He would kill you and I will not let him do that. I love him, yes, but I love you more. You are my twinsister. The only one I have. You and Jeremy are the only ones I have left. We’ve lost Mom, Dad, Jenna and so many more. I don’t want to lose you as well.” 

Elena looked at me with tears in her eyes and she had a sad smile on her lips. 

“Thank you Y/N.”, she said and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. 

“That’s my job.”, I laughed. 

She smiled back at me and kept curling my hair. Elena and Jeremy were the only ones I needed in my life.  After that Elena and I put on our dresses. Elena had this beautiful blackish dress on. My dress was red. Klaus had bought it for me. 

It made me a little bit sad to look at myself in the mirror. This is going to be hard for me. I loved him. And his family. Actually, they were good people. They tried to protect each other. Their ways were just not the best. They went over corpses, had no problem wiping out a whole bloodline in a tantrum. After many years they were blunted and that was wrong. But I wasn’t any better. I was doing exactly the same thing. I would help erase a bloodline to save my own family.  

Elena and I drove together to the Mikaelsons Mansion. I was driving, because I knew exactly where the house was. 

“You went to them a lot, didn’t you?”, Elena asked. 

“Yes, almost everyday. Damon got so often on my nerves with all his crap and that was the best place for me to switch off. They were always nice to me. At first I couldn’t believe how nice all of them were. Exepct for Finn. He’s strange.”, I smiled and Elena nodded. 

“That’s not easy for you, isn’t it?”

“No, but it’s necessary.”, my grib around the wheel got thighter. I was nervous. 

“It’s fine Elena.”, I assured her after she kept on looking at me strangely.

She sighed and soon after that we arrived at the Mansion. Everywhere were fairy lights and it looked so beautiful. I loved it but it made me even sadder. I actually wanted to tell everyone today that Klaus and I were a thing. I wanted to show them and prove them that he wasn’t as evil as they thought. And now I did exactly the opposite here. 

I parked infront of the mansion, like I always did. My spot was still free. It hurt because I knew that one of them had hired someone to make sure my spot was free when I got there. 

“Are you alright Y/N?”, Elena asked as we left the car. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.”, I nodded. 

“I’ll see you inside.”, I said to Elena and went to one of the back entrances.

One of the Mikaelsons would be at the front entrance to receive the guests. Probably Kol. And I didn’t really wanted to see anyone before I had a glass of alcohol. So the first thing I did was to go to the bar and order a cocktail. Klaus didn’t want to offer cocktails at first, because nobody would drink them. At least every second person here had a cocktail in their hand. It tasted really good and it had a lot of alcohol in it, which I didn’t really mind. I needed alcohol to survive this bullshit. As I was wandering around I noticed some of the Mikaelsons. Kol was talking to some girls and Elijah just looked around with a drink in his hands. He spotted me and smiled sadly at me. I smiled back and kept on walking around. Everything looked so different from what I was used to. It looked kinda friendlier, more alive. Like there was really a family living here that was just having a party to celebrate the move. 

In one of the many rooms downstairs was Klaus. He was sitting on one of the tables and was talking with a women. I immediately wanted to turn around so he wouldn’t see me, but it was already too late. Of course he knew I was here. He knew it before I even entered the room. Fuck supernatural senses.  He stood up and walked in my direction. 

“Don’t Klaus.”, I said before he was near me. 

He stopped and just looked at me. I could see his broken heart. I could always see what he was feeling in his eyes. And it hurt me to see him like that. But he made his decision and I made mine. He wanted to kill my twinsister and I wouldn’t let him do that.  I turned around and left. A few tears had formed in my eyes, but I just swallowed them. I needed to be strong for this. 

I saw Elena standing at one of the many possibilitys to get a glass of champagne. Finn was making his way over to Elena before I could and I decided to look what he was up to. I got a little bit closer so I could understand what they were talking about. 

“Elena Gilbert, I presume. I’m Finn Mikaelson.”, Finn said. I didn’t liked his ton. He never spoke like that. He had something in his mind that involved Elena and I wasn’t having that. 

“You’re here to see my mother.”, Finn added. 

“Is she here?”, Elena asked and looked around. 

“Her request did not include your friends.”, Finn almost whispered. 

“They’re protecting me.”, Elena answered, “You may not know, but your mother’s already tried to kill me once.” 

“If you want to see my mother, you’ll need to be alone.” 

Fuck that. Elena is not going to see Esther all by herself. She was at least as crazy as Klaus was. I haven’t seen her here yet, although I’ve been here several hours a day for a few weeks almost every day. Sometimes even over night and I haven’t even seen her in all that time. Elena could forget to meet Esther alone. Only over my dead body. 

After that I could her Elijah talking: “Uh, if everyone could gather, please.” 

Curious as I was, of course, I immediately went there. All of the Mikaelsons were standing on the stairs. Yesterday I rushed down those stairs to get away from Klaus. On the railing of the upper part had he been leaning when he told me to go. And now he was standing there as if nothing had happened with his glass of champange in his hand while Esther let her hand slide over the railing as she went down. 

“Welcome. Thank you for joinig us.”, Elijah said. 

Kol stood some steps above him and played with his glass. Like a little kid. Always playing with something. One of the many things I liked so much about Kol. Esther stopped as she was standing next to Kol and looked attentively down into the crowd.

“You know, whenever our Mother brings our family together like this, it’s tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance.”, Elijah continued, “Tonight’s pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom.” 

Everyone startet to clap around us. Elijah was the first one to walk down the stairs. His siblings kept on looking down into the crowed while Esther went back upstairs.  I could see how Elena grabbed her dress and how she wanted to follow Esther. I walked right into Elenas way. 

“Forget that. I’ve heard what Finn said to you. You’re not going to Esther all by yourself Elena.”, I said to her. 

“It’s the only way to find out what she wants from me. I’ll be fine Y/N.” 

“No Elena. If spend so much time here and I’ve never seen here once. She is strange and somehow even creepier than one of the other mikaelsons. Forget it.”

“I know what I’m doing Y/N. I’ll be careful.”, Elena passed me and headed for the stairs but she didn’t get far. 

“Don’t even think about it.”, Damon said and he stood in her way.

 “She wants to see me alone, Damon.”, Elena answered annoyed and tried to walk past Damon. 

“Well, it sucks to be her, then. Was I not clear this morning? You have to tell me before you walk into a lion’s den.”, he lowered his voice for the last bit of his sentence. 

“Why? So that you can stop me?”

“Yes.” 

Damon and Elena looked at eachother for a while. Neither of them wanted to give in. 

Damon reached out his hand to Elena and said: “It would be rude not to dance, you know.” 

Elena rolled with her eyes and laid her hand in Damons and said: “It is tradition.” 

Damon smiled and off they went. After they went to the ballroom I could see Stefan who had seen all of it. He looked hurt and I could understand what he was feeling. It must be hard for him to see Elena with his brother. I wouldn’t want to be in his position.  Before I could go into the ballroom myself to watch Elena and Damon dance, Kol appeared infront of me. 

He held his hand out for me, smiled one of his biggest smiles and asked: “May I have this dance Y/N?” 

I laughed and gladly took his hand. One dance wouldn’t hurt. 

“If Klaus sees that Kol.”, I answered while we were making our way into the ballroom. 

“I don’t care. You’re a single lady who can do whatever she wants.”, he smiled.  

I shook my head with a grin and together we line up for the dance. Of course, we were right behind Elena and Damon. I rolled with my eyes as I saw them. Finn was behind us. 

“You’re such an idiot.”, I said. 

“Why? Because your sister and the Salvatore are infront of us? That was an accident.”, he smiled. 

“Clearly Kol.”, I smiled back. “And that Finn is right behind us is also an accident I suppose?”

“Of course.”, he said and I just nodded. 

After we turned I’ve noticed that Klaus was right infront of me. It hurt me to see him with someone else, but it hurt even more to see that he was dancing with Caroline. Was he trying to hurt me with it? If so, he definitely did.

“Don’t look at them Y/N. He’s your pain not worth it.”, Kol said while we were dancing. 

“It’s not that easy.”, I smiled sadly. 

But I could hear their conversation because they were always near by. 

“I’m glad you came.”, Klaus said while he was looking at Caroline. 

I looked at Kol and tried to ignore them. I didn’t wanted to listen to them, but it wasn’t possible. I could hear every single word. 

“Well, it was either caviar or sympathy casseroles.”, Caroline answered. 

“I heard about your father.”, Klaus just ignored what Caroline had said and jumped to the next topic. 

“Don’t. Seriously.”, Caroline answered and I had to smile a little. 

“Very well. On to more mannered subjects then, like how ravishing you look in that dress.” 

“I didn’t really have time to shop.” Had Klaus bought that dress for Caroline? When?

“And the bracelet I gave you, what’s your excuse for wearing that?”

It felt like as if a dagger had been rammed into my heart. He had bought her stuff? When we were still a couple? But why? 

“You know, you’re quite the dancer.”, Klaus said as Caroline didn’t gave him an answer. 

“Well, I’ve had training. I happend to be Miss Mystic Falls.”

“I know.”

It was time for the change and somehow I ended up with Finn. He didn’t look too excited, but what was I supposed to do? I hadn’t chosen Finn either. Still, I tried to make the best of it. 

“Na, Finny.”, I smiled when I was forced to put my hands into his. 

“Why of all people is it you that I have to dance with.”, he sighed. 

“Can I ask you something Finny?”, I just ignored his rude comment. 

“You already did.” 

“What have I done? Why don’t you like me?”, I asked and tried to look him in the eyes, but he looked away. 

“It’s not you. It’s the circumstances. You’re just some human being and another toy for Niklaus. I stopped liking the girls he brought in at some point.”, he answered and looked down to me. 

I nodded and looked around. Kol had a blond girl in his arms and he was clearly enjoying himself. I smiled as I saw how happy Kol was. 

“Can I ask you a question?”, Finn suddenly asked. 

“Yes.”, I answered and looked at him. 

“Why do you like my family? I mean, Niklaus has done so much bad to you and your family, and he’s still trying to. Why don’t you hate us?”

“Because I can see the good side in all of you. I know you’re not bad people. All the bad that has happened to you has made you who you are today. Basically you are just trying to protect yourself and your family. Your methods are a bit questionable, but it is… human. I would do everything to protect my family as well.” 

Finn nodded. It looked like he was trying to understand what I just said.  Soon after that the dance ended. I let go of Finn and looked for my twinsister, but I couldn’t see her. Where the fuck did she went?  I started to wander around again, trying to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen.  After 20 Minutes of just wandering around I gave up. Elena had probably managed to get past all of us and was with Esther for sure. I went outside to sit on one of the benches. I didn’t wanted to see Klaus who was happily hanging on Caroline’s ass all the time. 

After a while Kol came out of the house and sat next to me. He looked pretty pissed.

“What happend with you?”, I asked and looked at him. 

“Rebekah spoiled my fun.”, he sighed and looked back at me. 

“What fun?” 

“Killing Matt to make Elena suffering.”, he shrugged. As if it would have been normal to do something like. 

“You sick fuck.”, I said and got up. Right now I didn’t wanted to be near him. 

“What? You’ve asked and we didn’t do it because he was nice to Rebekah.” 

“Are you even listening to yourself Kol? Matt is also my friend! To make Elena suffering… What the fuck is wrong with you!?”, I said loudly and startet to walk back towards the house. 

“She’s the reason for the suffering of my family! She’s the reason why Nik and you broke up! She’s the reason for everything bad!”, he screamed back at me and appeard right infront of me. 

“She’s my sister you bastard! She is the only family I have left and you, all of you, are trying to kill my family! She isn’t the reason for everything bad in your life! You are the reason and no one else! Don’t blame it on her or anybody else!”

I was so full of rage that my whole body began to tremble. Tears from rage came up my eyes and ran down my cheeks. How could he dare to say something like that. Elena never did anything wrong to them. We always tried to live our life. To get along again after what had happened and Kol blamed her for all the bad things in his life? That wasn’t fair. Actually it was the other way around. He and his family regularly made Elena and I lose someone important. Maybe I was really wrong about them. Maybe they had nothing good in them. Not anymore.

“How could I be so wrong about all of you?”, I said while I let my tears fall freely.

“What do you mean?”, Kol asked. 

“I really thought there was something good in you, but you and Klaus showed me the opposite. There is nothing good in you. You kill for fun and as it suits you. You don’t care about people.“, I cried. 

I could see Stefan, Damon, Klaus and Elijah. They must have heard Kol and me fighting and came to see what was going on. 

“We’re Vampires Darling. It’s our nature.”, Kol answered and took a step back. 

“No, it’s not. Caroline is different. Stefan is different. Even Damon changed and is different. It’s not your nature, it’s your personality.” 

“What’s going on?”, Damon asked and stood next to me. 

“None of your business Salvatore.”, Kol spat. 

“If you’re going to hurt her, then it is my business. She’s one of us.”, Damon answered. Stefan was standing on my other side. 

“Y/N, tell me what happend?”, Elijah asked and looked at me pleadingly. 

“Nothing. I just found out what kind of a monster your brother is.”, I answered. 

I wrapped my arms around my body and looked at Klaus. I consciously didn’t say a name. After all, they were all monsters. My whole body was shaking. There were still tears running down my cheeks and I just didn’t know what to do anymore. I knew Damon was right about everything. They were monsters and had to be killed, but it felt so wrong. Everything hurt inside of me because of the pain that was in my chest. I just wanted to do the right thing. I wanted to protect my sister, my twinsister, from the evil. But what was that evil? What was the right thing to do?

“Come on Y/N, let’s go.”, Damon said and wrapped his arm around my waist and gently pulled me away from Kol and his brothers. 

After a couple of steps Damon let go of me and I turned around once more. There was one more thing that I had to get off my chest. Even if that meant more tears and pain. 

“You know what, Klaus? I really loved you. Honestly. I didn’t care what anyone told me. I didn’t care that everyone told me that you are a monster that’s not worth to be loved. I didn’t care that your own brother warned me about you. I wanted to give you a chance. I wanted to see with my own eyes what kind of a character you have. I wanted to get to know you and not the monster everyone was talking about. But… you showed me yourself what a monster you can be. I trusted you, was always loyal to you and you just played with my feelings to be closer to Elena or whatever. I don’t care why. But now I know what kind of a monster you are because you showed it to me yourself. And Kol? I thought you were my friend. My best friend, but I was just as wrong about you as I was about Klaus.”, I said while more and more tears were running down my cheeks. I was surprised how strong I had sounded. It felt like my heart was only hurting more with each word. 

Kol and Elijah just looked at me silently. Klaus hadn’t even turned around to look at me.   Vater that I turned back around to get back inside. 

“I’ll go and ask Matt if he can drive you home. You need to get out of here.”, Stefan said as soon as we were inside and disappeared in any direction. 

“How can I help you from home?“, I wondered and looked at Damon desperately. I probably had just made sure that our plan wouldn’t work out.

“You don’t. You’re obviously not well and we’re not gonna drag you into this anymore. We’ll do it. We will find another way. Do not worry. All you have to worry about is that you will be fine again. We need your smart head.”, Damon answered and smiled at me during his last sentence. 

“And you’ll take care of Elena for me?”, I asked.

Damon was right. Now I wasn’t much help anyway and I’d just stand in the way. 

“Of course Y/N. I will always take care of Elena.” 

I nodded and shortly after that Matt and Stefan came back. Matt looked a little confused when he saw me. 

“What happend?”, he asked. 

“I’ll tell you in the car, alright?”, I answered and smiled sadly at him. 

He nodded, wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided me safely through the crowd.  Outside, Matt immediately took off his jacket and put it over my shoulders. 

"Thank you Mat.”, I said and pulled it tighter around me. 

“No problem.”, he replied and even opened the passenger door when we arrived at his car. 

We sat down, Matt turned on the heater and I started telling him everything. I told him how Klaus and I had met. How Kol and I had befriended each other. How I really thought that they were good people and that I had been looking for a good solution for all of us. How stubborn and narrow-minded Klaus was and how you couldn’t talk with him when he had his mind set on something. How Klaus and I had separated yesterday and what Kol had told me a few minutes ago. How I wanted to help Damon with his plan to kill Klaus and how I now had simply no longer the strength to do so. 

And Matt just listened. He just listened and then told me about his perspective. He told me that he would help me through all this and that he would always be on my side.  I knew I could always count on my twinsister, Damon, Stefan and Matt.

Matt stayed with me all night and distracted me. We ate ice cream, watched bad TV shows and waited together for the others, after all we wanted to know if they were successful or not.

We had no idea how it had actually turned out.

[fangirlinsweden]

Never Mess With Voodoo part 3

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

Warnings: Voodoo, magical things, money problems, angst, hunted,                   

Word Count: about 2 500 words                                                                   

Square Filled: Fairytale AU for star-spangled-bingo 2019       

Summary:  Prince Steven visits New Orleans and gets tangled with a Voodoo Curse and running for his life. Y/N gets messed up in his curse and together they try to find a way to break the course and free their new friends they made during the journey.

A/N: This story is based on the Disney movie The Princess and the frog. But it is my twist of things.

I would like to thank the writers on here that have always been so nice and inspiring. And a special thank you to @allaboutthebooz​, @itsanerdlife​, @kaunis-sielu​ and @banditthewriter​ that always have an ear for my writing and questions. If you have not read any of there work, you really should check it out!!

Series Masterlist                         Masterlist

It’s dark around you and it feels like you have a blanket over your head. You start moving around and suddenly you can see, but what are you doing on the floor? “What happened?” you asked out loud.  “Ah, Princess,” Steve's mouth is slightly open and he is not meeting your eyes. You look around.  “What am I doing on the floor?” you get out and then you see your reflection in the mirror. You were a frog. You yell and Steve jumps down to you from the dresser.   “Princess you need to calm down,” He says and walks against you. You swing your arm out and hit his face. “This is your fault,” you growl at him. He raises his right hand to his face and takes a step back, “I really thought it would work,” Steve says and points at the book. “Like in the fairytale.” “You used a fairytale, a make-believe story, as your fact that this would work,” you stalk around in the room. It felt like your blood was boiling. You were a frog. A FROG.  “Calm down princess,” Steve walked against you, but not near enough for you to take a swing at him again. “It will all be fine.” “How will this be fine?” you asked and then there was a loud bark. In the door to the room stood Happy, Virginia's dog. Happy looked at the two frogs before him with big eyes. Then he let out a bark and rushed forward.  “We need to go now.” Steve took your hand and dragged you towards the balcony. Happy was hot on your heels, barking. 

Steve was looking around. He was a little stressed, no scratch that he was really stressed. A dog was after them. Then he saw it. The balloons, the perfect thing to jump to and break their fall. He dragged Y/N after him to the edge.  “We have to jump now,” Steve said and Y/N looked at him with big eyes. “I am not jumping,” She got out. The dog was closing in on them.  “It be dog food or jump,” Steve yelled and with that, both of them jumped. They hit one of the balloons and it worked as a kind of trampoline. It sent them crashing down on the table with the Beignets that Y/N had baked for the party.  A woman screamed that there were frogs on the table and Robert started screaming after Happy. The barks were heard in a distance, so Steve took Y/Ns hand again and dragged her along with him. The barking got closer and people around them were screaming. All Steve could think was why do people scream over two frogs? Had they never seen frogs before? What Steve did not know was that he was dragging them away from the wrong direction. The two of them ran and ran and ran some more. After a while, they could no longer hear the music from the party or Happy barking.  

“Steve, we can stop,” Y/N gasp out. Steve stops and drops right down on the ground. He is breathing heavily. Y/N sat down on the ground beside him and started to look around her. You were in the Bayou, this was not good. Frogs got eaten in the Bayou, not only by alligators, but there were people who lived in the Bayou who ate frogs. This was bad. This whole day had gone to hell. You tried to understand when everything started going wrong. And all you could think of was that this whole week had been wrong, not just this day. Maybe someone had put a curse on you as well? But who would do such a thing? Had you made anyone mad over something? You were racking your brain but could not come up with anything. Steve was still paining on the ground, but you stood up to get a closer look around you. What you noticed almost instantly was that you had gotten a lot further from the mansion than you had originally thought and you did not really know what direction you needed to go from where you were.  “Steve, we are in the Bayou,” you looked down at him.  “I know, isn’t it great,” Steve beams up at you. “I always wanted to go into the Bayou.” “It is not great,” you sassed at him. “This is a very dangerous place for frogs.” Steve sat up with widened eyes. “What do you mean?” Steve asked and looked around.  “We are basically the food to a lot of things that live in the Bayou,” you answered trying not to get stressed up over your situation. This required a cool and controlled mind.  “Pssst, we will be fine Princess,” Steve said seemed to relax. How he could relax in a situation like this was beyond you. Then you heard it. Voices. And they were coming closer. “You see, here comes help,” Steve said and stood up. “No, Steve, wait,” you said and tried to stop him. But you could not get a hold of him. He jumped up and down and three men came into view. You swallowed and tried to get Steve's attention, but he continued to jump up and down.  “Look at this, boys,” one man smiled and showed you his discoloured teeth.  “Supper,” one of the other men said. Steve turned around and looked at you with big eyes.  “Come on,” You yelled and Steve was jumping after you as fast as he could. You could hear the men behind you, but you could not stop and try and find the way back to the mansion. Now your survival is most important. Finding back home was something you had to worry about later. Steve was jumping behind you and swearing under his breath. If he only had listened to you, but no.

Somehow you managed to lose the men. You did not know how, but you were grateful that you would not be eaten. It was starting to get dark and you knew that you needed to find a place to sleep for the night. Somewhere where you were not out in the open, somewhere you could feel safe. Steve was jumping beside you and then you saw it. An old tree stump that was hollow. You made your way there and looked inside. There was no one else there so you did not have to worry about the stump having any residents.  “What are you doing, Princess?” Steve asked and you turned around.  “I am finding us a place to sleep,” You answered. “And stop calling me Princess.” The last part you snap at him.  “What should I call you then, Princess?” Steve smiled at you. “My name is Y/N,” You tried not to smile back at Steve.  “Then I will call you Princess Y/N,” Steve bows in front of you. “Stop calling me Princess,” you take a step closer to him.  “Why,” Steve smiles at you. “Because I am not a princess,” you cross your arms in front of you. “You lied,” Steve yelled. “You said you were a princess.” “No, I never did,” You correct him.  “You were wearing a princess dress and a tiara,” Steve huffs out, clearly remembering that you had not said you were a princess. “I was at a masquerade,” you defend your outfit. Steve left out a loud groan. “Well, then I can tell you that I'm not rich,” Steve looking away from you.  “What?” you yell. Steve shrugs. “You are a prince,” you take a step closer to him. “You should be rich.” “My parents cut me off,” Steve whispers out. “They did not like my wish to be free. So they punished me by taking away my money.” “You promised me money if I kissed you,” you took a few deep breaths. “You promised me.” “Well, I was told to marry someone rich,” Steve looked up at you and this time he held his eyes on yours.  “It is your fault we are in this mess,” You huff out. “When we get out of this, you are going to get me your money. Somehow. I don’t care if you have to beg your parents for it.” Steve nods and looks around.  “So, Y/N, what are we going to do?” Steve gestures around him. “We are going to sleep here tonight. And then we will make a plan to deal with this tomorrow,” You made a gesture to their bodies and you walked into the slump. “I wish I had never met Dr Schmidt,” Steve says and walks in after you. You turn around quickly and press a finger to Steve's chest.  “Did Dr Schmidt do this to you?” you yell at Steve. He swallows loudly.

“Yes,” Steve says honestly. Y/N starts pacing around in the stump. It wasn't as it was a lot of space in there, but somehow she managed. She was muttering under her breath. All Steve could hear where: “Dr Schmidt, Red Skull, Voodoo Curse, Idiot, Clueless moron, we are screwed”. Steve figured he would have to wait for her to calm down so he sat himself down against the inside of the stump to give her as much room as possible. She stopped and looked at him for a moment before she started pacing around again. Not muttering anymore. Steve took that as a good sign.   “How the hell did a Prince get involved with Dr Schmidt?” She asked and stopped pacing again. Steve sigh and made a gesture with his hand so she would sit down. She shook her head and put her arms in a cross. Steve felt ashamed but knew she deserved the truth so he told her. Everything.  “I am no expert at Voodoo,” Y/N said when he finished his story. “But this does sound like dark Voodoo, darker than I thought that Red Skull was involved in.” “Red Skull?” Steve looked like a big question mark. “Dr Schmidt is Red Skull,” Y/N answered. “Can’t tell you anything about it. All I know is that I have been warned my whole life to stay clear of him, as well as most people in New Orleans. He is bad business.” Steve nodded.  “I would say that the fake Steve probably is your server Brock,” she continued. “That means that Red Skull probably wants something to do with Virginia or Robert, or both of them.” She let out a sound that sounded half like a scream and half like a sob. Steve stands up and goes over to her.  “We need to fix this,” she chokes out. “I can’t lose more of my family.” Steve nods and pulls her into his arms. She goes stiff for a short while before she puts her arms around him as well.

You felt the warmth from Steve's body and felt safe. It was strange. How could you feel safe in this situation? You sigh and sit down on the ground. Steve sits down beside you and pulls you close to him. “We will fix this,” Steve presses a kiss to your temple. “There must be a way to break a voodoo spell. If there are dark Voodoo there must be the opposite somewhere.” You nod feeling exhausted.  “Sweetheart, try and get some sleep,” Steve whispers as your eyes droop down. “We will find a solution tomorrow.” And with those words in your head, keeping you calm, you fell asleep on Steve's shoulder. 

You wake up in the morning with arms holding you tightly. It feels safe and warm, then you remembered where you were and what had happened the day before. You jolt up and look down at Steve how slowly opens his eye. “Good morning, Sweetheart,” he says and smiles lazily at you. “Good morning,” you give him a shy smile. You had never spent the night with a man before, well you had technically not done that now either. You had spent the night with a frog. Steve’s stomach starts growling. He looks down on it with a frown on his face.  “We need to eat something,” you say and walk out of the stump. Steve follows you out. “There are a lot of flies here,” Steve looks around. “Frogs eat flies, so let's try it.” “I am not eating a fly, it is bad enough that I have kissed a frog,” you huff. Steve just laughs at you.  “Doll, you need to eat,” Steve says.  “Then I will eat, but not a fly,” you say and start looking around. As a chef, you had to be able to find something to eat here in the bayou. You saw some mushrooms that you knew were edible. A pumpkin that you could use both as food and as a kind of pot. You looked around and found lots of things that you could eat.  “Steve, I need your help with cutting up these mushrooms,” you pointed at them. You handed him a sharp stone that you had found. He started cutting a mushroom. It was slow and looked awful. You let out a giggle. “Hey, that is not nice,” Steve whined. “I have never done anything like this before.” “You don’t say,” You say still laughing. “When you live in a castle full of servants, they do everything for you.” Steve sigh. “I hate it, but when I wanted to learn something my parents put a stop to it. It was not something a Prince should do.” He sighs again.  “Then it’s time you learnt now,” you say and walk over to him. You show him how to cut a mushroom. Then you help him by standing behind him by helping his movements. You step back and he does it by himself. “That is really good,” you praise him. “I had a fantastic teacher,” Steve winks at you. In no time you have a stew puttering away over a fire. And soon thereafter you could eat. “This is really good, sweetheart,” Steve says and beams at you.  “It was your cutting of the mushrooms that did it,” you wink at him. He blushes and looks away. You sit there in silence feeling stuffed from the food and enjoying the sun glittering in the water. The Bayou had always been a place you had spent time with your father. Picking mushrooms and telling stories. Some of your best memories came from the Bayou. Steve stands up and you look up at him. “Why is that log of wood moving against the current?” Steve asks and points in the water. You jump up. “It’s an alligator,” You whisper and push Steve back. “Maybe he can help,” Steve says trying to stand his ground. “Alligators eat frogs,” you whisper back trying to pull Steve to safety.  “Hey, you,” Steve yells and the gator chances direction in the water. “Steve!” you whisper-yell and start looking around for a place to hide. The alligator comes nearer and nearer. 

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

Taglist:

@kaithezaftig

@lumar014​

[thatishogwash]

pssst, it's me again. I don't know if you are still doing the five word prompts, but if you do... well, I keep thinking about bokuasa for some reason, so maybe bokuasa and "“it wasn’t me, i swear!” ? (I feel like my craving is only getting worse and I might drown you in bokuasa request if I lose control xD)

Drown away with BokuAsa or any other pairs you need! I love doing these prompts/requests and I love, love, love BokuAsa so feel free to send as many as you want!

AO3

Asahi bites back a groan as he stands up straight from his stooped over position.  He hadn’t realized how long he had been slumping over the sink, washing dishes with water that was always burning hot but his back was not pleased with him.  Neither were his hands for that mattered.  His fingertips had long since become wrinkled and he knew the second he dried his hands the industrial strength soap they used at the restaurant was going to make the cracks in his knuckles break open and bleed from lack of moisture.  He felt a layer of grease all over his body, his hair was surely flattened against his scalp in a rather unattractive manner, and his double shift still wasn’t over.

“Hey Asahi.”  Asahi jumped as a hand was pressed against his shoulder, sinking away from Daichi as the other man gave him a hard look.  “Why are you always afraid of me?”  Daichi asked.

“Why are you always terrifying?”  Asahi shot back, which probably proved that it had been agitated nerves that made him jump and not Daichi himself.  Asahi had known Daichi too long to be truly afraid of the other man, though he could work up a terrifying glower when he wanted to.

“I was going to tell you to go flip the chairs and go home but maybe I should make you finish all the dishes.”  Daichi said but he was already edging Asahi out of the way.  Behind him Matsukawa gave the glimpse of a smile on his usually deadpanned face.  Asahi had been working with Matsukawa for over a year and had yet to learn a single credible piece of information about the other man.  Some people said he came from a wealthy family, but his father lost it all with a terrible gambling addiction and that’s why he worked here now.  Others said he nightlifed as a camboy while a few suggested he was yakuza.  Out of all the rumors, the one of Matsukawa being involved with Daichi was the most far fetched.

They often times did stay later than anyone else, dismissing the others and finishing up the closing procedures themselves.  But Daichi had repeatedly denied it and not because he was a manager and fraternizing with the servers was against company policy.  Daichi worked full time at the restaurant and he had a two year old son to take care of and provide for, he hardly had time to sleep let alone be in a relationship.

“Thank you.”  Asahi said with relief as he grabbed a stack of clean and dry dishes to put on the runner for the morning crew to use.  As he was making his way out of the kitchen he heard something crash.  Or several somethings.

Asahi was only 21 but he had been working in various restaurant jobs since he was 13, his parents owned one and he had practically been raised in it.  He knew that sound with a familiarity that made every muscle in his body tense and his mind scream out into the void for some sense of relief.

Asahi hurried out, being careful with the stack in his arms and saw a complete mess in the small area between the kitchen and the main dining room.  At least thirty plates were shattered on the floor, the previously clean floor that Asahi knew Nakashima had just gotten done moping not five minutes prior.

“It wasn’t me, I swear!”  Asahi looked up at Bokuto, the newest member of the restaurant and the one who was almost always the cause of all their problems.  He was constantly overbalancing trays, spilling drinks, giving orders to the wrong tables and writing down orders incorrectly.  He was an absolute mess but everyone loved him.  Even tables who had to wait an extra forty minutes because Bokuto completely forgot to hand their order into the kitchen loved him.  He made more work for the staff yet was always asked to go out for drinks or to attend a barbeque.

“What is-” Daichi came around the corner, Matsukawa close behind him then stopped and gave Bokuto a dead eyed stare.  It was Daichi who had given Bokuto the job in the first place, they were roommates with cook called Kuroo.  Kuroo and Bokuto were a huge help in raising Daichi’s son, so Asahi could understand wanting to give Bokuto a chance.

“I’ll help clean it up.”  Asahi said quickly, carefully putting his plate down.  “It’s no problem.”  He said, even though it was a problem and over the past couple months Asahi had covered for Bokuto on more than one occasion.  Asahi would be lying if he said he couldn’t pinpoint why that was because he very well knew why he continually covered for Bokuto.

Everyone loved Bokuto, even Asahi.

Daichi sighed but walked back into the kitchen without another word, Matsukawa looked between Bokuto and Asahi before turning around and following Daichi.

“I’m really sorry.”  Bokuto apologized sadly, even his hair seemed to droop down as he took the extra broom Asahi handed him and they both started to sweep up the mess.

“Accidents happen.”  Asahi said, trying to cheer him up but Bokuto only slumped further.

“Accidents happen even more with me around.”  Bokuto bent down to grab a piece that was stuck in a place his broom couldn’t get to.  He let out a hiss and jerked his hand back.

“Careful!”  Asahi took Bokuto’s hand carefully and looked at the small cut on his finger.

“I can’t do anything right.”  Bokuto said in a surprisingly small voice.  Asahi looked over at Bokuto, he thought the other man might be a hair taller than Asahi, which was unusual for him.  Asahi curled his hand around Bokuto’s palm and gently pulled him over to the hostess stand, where there was a first aid kit.

“No one’s perfect Bokuto.”  Asahi reminded him softly as he used a disinfectant wipe to clean the small cut.

“You are.”  Bokuto mumbled, causing Asahi’s face to feel suddenly warm.

“I started off as a server but my nerves would get so bad I would end up hiding in the supply closet, so Daichi switched me to kitchen and bus boy.”  Asahi admitted.  When Daichi had pulled Asahi into the managers small office, Asahi had thought he was done for but instead he had been given a job that would better suit him.  “For a week straight everything Kuroo cooked was either burnt or raw.  The scar on Kita’s arm is from a bad saganaki accident.  Matsukawa still confuses the hell out of all his customers.”  Asahi finished wrapping Bokuto’s finger before looking up at him.

“And Daichi?”  Bokuto asked, fingers curling around Asahi’s and a brilliant smile breaking through the dark clouds he had been feeling.

“What about Daichi?”  Daichi asked, causing both Bokuto and Asahi to jump.  He eyed them before rubbing his face.  “Both of you are useless, go home and get some sleep.  If Kuroo has kept Shouyou up, he better be in bed by the time I get home.”  Bokuto nodded quickly, eyes wide.

Bokuto quickly pulled Asahi out of the restaurant by their still clasped hands.  Asahi felt as if his face would permanently feel warm even as the cool night air hit him.

“Thank you.”  Bokuto said as he turned around to face Asahi.  His smile was a little hesitant but still beautiful.  “For everything.”  Asahi gave a half shrug as he looked down at their feet, but he squeezed Bokuto’s fingers gently in response.

“Do you want-”

“Would you like-”

They both laughed, a little breathless and embarrassed.  Asahi felt as if he had to get his words out, that they had been eating away at him for a long time now and it was his turn to be brave.

“Would you like to have dinner with me?  Preferably not at the place we work.”  Asahi felt the need to specify because they have had dinner together before at work.

“Yeah!”  Bokuto’s smile was blinding.  “I know the best ramen place, tonkotsu is your favorite right?”  Asahi felt like there was a breath caught in his chest, he didn’t know that Bokuto knew his favorite food.  That he had heard it at some point during their time together and remembered it for later, as if that little bit of information was important.

“That sounds great.”  Asahi agreed easily.  The wind blew through his thin white button up shirt and he shivered, reminding of something he had forgotten.  “I forgot my coat, it has my keys in it.”

“I’ll come back with you.”  Bokuto said with a grin.

“You don’t have to.”  Asahi didn’t stop Bokuto from walking him back into the restaurant, to the closet where the workers stashed their items for their shifts.  As they were walking out, Asahi peaked into the kitchen to say goodbye and quickly clasped a hand over Bokuto’s mouth to keep him from shouting in surprise.

Matsukawa and Daichi weren’t doing anything salacious, they were in their work place after all but it made it all the more intimate because they choose not to do anything, even though they thought they were alone.  Daichi was simply washing dishes while Matsukawa had his arms wrapped around his middle, his cheek resting carefully on the top of Daichi’s head.  It was intimate and Asahi quickly ushered Bokuto out so they wouldn’t disturb them.

Neither said a word for a few minutes as they walked towards the bus station together, Bokuto’s fingers slotting almost perfectly between Asahi’s.

“I thought Matsukawa was some rich woman’s boytoy?”  Bokuto finally asked, causing Asahi to laugh as they started to exchange all the rumors they had heard about Matsukawa and the one they had quickly dismissed as unbelievable even though it was the truest one.

[ask-svt-hearteu]

Hogwarts! Mingyu

@itsmultifandomshit requested: “Heyyy could you do Hogwarts! Mingyu??😊” and “Could I possibly ask for a mingyu Hogwarts au? I really love your writings their so cute~ ^^“ 

the boy's crazy 

okay not really 

but WHAT is he ON to be so good at everything?!?! 

like everyone wants to know how the hell he has those looks and aces everything in school 

the running joke is, "what potion are you drinking?” 

even though they were highkey serious in his first year 

he just gives them a smile and laughs while answering honestly, 

“studying.” 

okay but that doesn’t explain everything else Kim Mingyu 

like Qudditch 

was legit keeper since second year because he’s a tower compared to the others 

and coming pretty close to being the same height as a fifth year likeee 

basically LONG arse limbs  

it's rare someone gets the ball through the hoop while he's playing 

like the first time he played, the other team is all cocky like 'lol fresh meat ain't gonna be that good' 

so right away they get a chance to shoot the ball 

everyone's like the first goal of the game, on the edge of their seats 

because they all think Gryffindor’s new clumsy keeper won't make it 

but Mingyu stretches his hands out super calmly and catches like YOU THOUGHT AHAHA 

flying around with a happy grin on his face, everyone SHOOK 

and not only quidditch, he’s good at cooking, knitting, calculus, basically you name it he could do it 

potions is and will always be his best and favorite subject

and his creations always turn out good too

he can space out in class all he wants and doesn’t even need a textbook

just starts throwing things in his cauldron from the top of his head and the teacher will walk by like “great job Mingyu!”

Minghao will be half-glaring, half 'what-are-you?' at the side

top of the class of course 

obviously at least half of the younger portion of the girls has had a crush on him at one point or another 

it kinda goes away though because Mingyu’s obviously not looking for anything and just subconsciously friend zones everyone 

so he’s just known as that cute boy who can do everything 

except like not hurt himself everyday 

at this point no one's even surprised when Mingyu comes in with a bandage around his pinky or a giant bandaid on his head 

the professor will be looking around for people that can perform the spell first, and her eyes will stop at Mingyu expectantly 

and gets surprised when Mingyu’s struggling to even hold his wand correctly let alone perform a spell 

“Mingyu, what happened?" 

he’ll chuckle sheepishly, "well i was knitting a friend a new scarf and got scared by something so somehow my thumb broke in my process" 

and by something he means one; Jun. two; Jun getting Hoshi to mess with their fireplace 

he attempts to scratch his head with that hand and reels back in surprise because he forgot about his thumb 

the dork 

"why didn’t you go to the nurse? come then i’ll write you a pass" 

"ah! nope it’s fine I'm trying to practice healing spells so i think my thumb will be fine in a couple hours" 

yeah, him preforming the spell with his non dominant hand is way better than a nurse 

but he manages and actually

that’s how you meet him

no not by an accident 

pfft how clichee pfftt 

your friend’s birthday was coming up and you know how she’s been wanting mittens and a scarf 

so you go to out to hogsmeade and scavenge for some and can’t find anything perfect enough 

you were a third year Hufflepuff and happened to be kinda close to Joshua 

so you were just telling Joshua the prefect about your problem 

and he’s like, "hey i have a friend in Gryffindor, your year, he’s great at knitting" 

"OMG REALLY PLEASE PLEASE CAN YOU TELL HIM FOR ME" 

he just smiles and shakes his head, "nope go make new friends, Mingyu’s really nice" 

he really just wanted the both of you guys to have another friend since he thought you guys would get along well, no other intentions 

well at first 

you're just like okay no biggie, Joshua wouldn’t recommend him if he wasn’t good right?

one night after dinner you manage to see someone who fit Joshua’s description 

and man he was cute 

going up to him, you smile, introducing yourself 

"hey my name’s y/n, Joshua told me you're really good at knitting so could you help me with something?" 

you're half excepting him to be like no i don't make things for random people 

“yeah sure! you can come back to the common room with me and choose yarn and stuff" 

so the two of you make small talk, about how you know Joshua, how you guys are in the same year, random stuff 

until you reach the common room and he brings down his yarn collection for you

and you're low key surprised because wow there's literally every color you could have asked for 

"so what colors are you looking for" 

"um my friend lives for blue and silver like the Ravenclaw she is,” you tell him laughing 

he laughs also, “alright i’ll make it for you as soon as possible!" 

"no!” you shake you head, “take your time i’ll need it in like two weeks” 

he shakes his head and grins, “I'll give it to you when it's done” 

and that’s pretty much it, you say thanks and leave 

except not because you were expecting it like a week? later 

because i mean you guess you kinda knew Mingyu, just as that smart Gryffindor keeper 

but when MIngyu comes up to you two days later 

“psstt come to the library after supper I have it” 

you're not even processing it right away, just kinda like ‘what is he talking to me for’ 

then you're like oh dang ALREADY??? 

walking to the library, your mind is running miles 

and you realize like damn the library is huge how am i gonna find him 

nvm this guy is a clumsy third year giant,, not the best match 

you catch him loudly shuffling through books 

“pssst Mingyuuuu” you say, laughing as he turns around with a little jump of surprise 

“AH!” he chuckles nervously at his slightly loud yell 

coming back to his senses, he reaches in his bag, and pulls out the most beautiful scarf you’ve ever seen 

“here i finished” he grins 

“omg it’s so pretty THANK YOU” you reach into your bag trying to find your money 

“here” you hand him a few galleons, making his eyes widen 

“WOW WAit i can’t take this!!” he whisper yells 

shaking your head, “yes you can!! this is way nicer than anything i could find at hogmeade” 

you push the money into his bag and grin, “don’t worry about it alright” 

thanking him again you turn around to leave with him waving at you 

then stopping in your tracks, you bite your lip subconsciously, and turn around 

“hey don’t be a stranger! we’re friends now!” 

a bright smile spreads across his face 

“yeah!” 

his simple answer making you smile, you walk out a little happier than normal 

you not knowing why 

you both start talking together more and realize you share a few classes since you're both in the same year

but lord 

don't let anyone ever tell you Joshua Hong isn’t nosy, 

especially when it involves his friends

“Y/nnnnn...” he sings happily, walking down the stairs and sitting on the couch next to you in the common room

"yes?" you answer looking up from the essay you're stressing out about 

"how are you and Mingyu doing?" 

you raise an eyebrow at him 

like okay maybe you're dense but you're not THAT dense

you know exactly what he's implying 

"we're friends" you say emphasizing your words 

he smirks with the gears obviously turning in his head 

"well okay then," he says cheerily, "how do you feel about him" 

when did he become so BOLD 

you know better than to lie to Joshua, he can find out anything 

so it's better to not say anything at all 

you just sigh, biting your lip and get back to your essay 

faintly hearing Joshua chuckle and walk away, your mind drifts away from transfiguration to a different subject 

Kim Mingyu 

‘agh, whatever,’ you think

you don’t wanna stress yourself out about a guy that doesn’t even think of you as more than a friend

WELL 

Joshua Hong is pretty talkative with Seungcheol and Jeonghan

and you know Junhui be nosy and eavesdropping always playing that matchmaker ever since he got himself a girlfriend

then telling alllll 12 of them

so they all know, 

and not a day goes by where someone doesn’t mention you to Mingyu 

seriously Minghao was about to just walk up to you to scream “MINGYU LIKES YOU A LOT AND WANTS TO TAKE YOU ON A DATE SO SAY YES” 

except he got stupefied by Mingyu who was totally not blushing like an idiot at the thought of Minghao exposing him

then Mingyu got detention curtsy of Jeonghan

“for not being a man” 

but Mingyu’s good at stupefying people so this whole process actually gets drawn out for a while

like a couple of months of just you and Mingyu being friends

and you trying to hide your blushing cheeks whenever Joshua walks past giving you the look

until Seungkwan overhears that your birthday is coming up

gets Mingyu in a panic on what to get you 

will not stop talking to Seokmin and Minghao about it

until Minghao kinda just sighs like, “knit her a scarf? go bother her friends about colors or something”

“OOH OOH” Seokmin screams getting hype, “MAKE HER FOOOOODDDDD”

Joshua walks up to you the night before your birthday

“go to the empty potions class room!” he whispers to you

you're confused as hell, flashing him a confused look, “it’s after curfew? JOshua HOng your a prefect!” 

“sssh no one has to know” 

you're walking to the classroom carefully, with zero clues about anything

opening the class room door, peeking your head inside slightly

your jaw drops, hands automatically pushing the door wide open at the sight

Mingyu standing right in front of you, a flower in hand, shyly grinning at you

all the classroom desks are gone and somehow it’s just a cute vintage table for two right in the middle

with beautiful arrangements of food, one flower placed on the table perfectly

“happy early birthday” 

you take the flower he hands you, getting flushed

“i love this,” you sigh gently, staring at it all in awe

he smiles, the apples of his cheeks showing, and leads you to the table

pulling out a chair for you, “sit please”

you do so, placing you flower in the vase ever so carefully

you're at a lost for words honestly, “i ... why would you put so much effort in for me?” 

it really is a dumb question

“because...,” he trails off for a moment, “i like you, i like you a lot”

“i-i-i” you stutter stupidly

“i should've confessed after we ate right? then at least you don’t feel...” you hear the words he mutters under his breath nervously

“no no no wait stop!” you reach over the table and food to grab his hand, holding tightly in yours

“i like you a lot too”

he just stares blankly at you, and you can see the emotion slowly coming into his eyes 

“so let’s eat yeah? i don’t want to let all this food go to waste~” 

the time you guys spend eating and talking really goes by quickly 

as the night naturally comes to an end the both of you are much more comfortable with each other 

“hey so i got you something” he scratches his head nervously

“what no you really didn’t, especially after all this” you exclaim

already he’s pulling out a prettily wrapped box out from somewhere, you don’t know

“just open it” you can tell the smile he shows is laced with worry

carefully undoing the ribbon, opening the box, your hand touches a soft material

eyes meeting a scarf in your favorite color

“Mingyu... this is gorgeous, beautiful, seriously there’s not enough words in the dictionary” 

picking up the scarf, he chuckles quietly and walks close to you

wrapping this around your neck, he softly asks, “wear this at my next game?”

“that sounds awfully girlfriend-like of me to do,” you say, playing with the ends of the scarf 

“will you be my girlfriend?” he asks, the tone in his voice heavy with many emotions 

even though he shouldn't be worried or nervous at all

“are you expecting any other answer besides of course?” 

you stand up, wrapping your arms around his waist, resting your head against his chest

suddenly you feel the wand in his pocket buzz quietly

giggling into his chest, you lift your head up to look at him, “Mingyu what even?” 

“oh that!” he moves his arms from your shoulders to your waist, “well this didn’t go as smoothly as planned” 

laughing under his breath for a moment, he then stares into your eyes

the corners of his mouth twitching upwards, “Happy Birthday!” 

leaning down he presses a kiss right at the corner or your lips

your cheeks can’t help turning a red pink and your giggle can’t help but come out

“you dork, you really set a wand alarm?” 

shaking your head, you tippy toe

and press you lips over his, smiling into the kiss

leaning back, you smile satisfied 

“but that’s why I like you.”

The Seventeen Hogwarts AU Series:

| S.coups | Jeonghan | Joshua | Jun | Hoshi | Wonwoo | Woozi | DK | Mingyu | Minghao | Seungkwan | Vernon | Dino |

MASTERLIST 

[shipcestuous]

The Gifted

Anon #1:

hahha i feel guilty leaving this knowing that you've more than 100 asks but that happens because we (shipcest community) dont have many active blogs or ppl to talk about these topics and you're the most active+kind one. Anyways, back to my thing, you totally need to watch 'the gifted' episodes (8-9) because I swear to God the writers are asking us to ship lauren x andy. You can totally feel the tension between them now that they held hands, and the way they described what they felt was WOW 

No worries, Anon! Please don’t feel guilty. Like I said, just keep sending them in. I could turn off my inbox until I catch up but I would rather not take the chance of missing out on anything. I just wish I had more time. If only I could quit my job and answer asks instead...

Anon #2:

You need to watch the last Gifted episode (1x09). There were so many good Lauren/Andy moments and some scenes had some suggestive lines about using their powers together "You think I hated that?” “I couldn’t get it out of my mind” “All I want to do is try it again”. Also their cells are right next to each other in the next episode and it seems they are being kept separated from everybody else.

Anon #3:

Man watching the latest Gifted and it's SO full of incesty subtext. No text, but like the kids accidentally touching once with mutant effect and the bro not being able to stop thinking about it, trying it again and feeling like they were "one", admissions that she enjoyed the feeling too, etc, I mean I know they're talking about mutant powers not sex/romance, but I seriously think an incest shipper is writing it and trying to get away with as much as they can without it actually being incest.

Even though I don’t watch The Gifted regularly anymore, you better believe I watched this episode after seeing these asks in my inbox AND IT WENT WAY BEYOND MY EXPECTATIONS. 

Wow, what a ride. 

I don’t even know where to start. 

I hear the beginning is a very good place to start. And it starts off with a bang. Andy and Lauren are being adorable enough skating together. Even though Lauren is the older sister (and has had manifested mutant powers for longer), Andy was the expert at skating which showed us a different aspect of their dynamic. And then we had Andy steadying her while she tries out the skateboard. Obviously they had to hold hands but I kinda wish he had caught her around the waist when she started to fall. 

Then their magic hand-holding moment which is ridiculously shippy every time they do it. Time slows down, wind blows, a golden light. I mean...It doesn’t look like destructive power, it looks like LOVE.

But best was probably the way they were acting afterwards, like they had just kissed or something. When their parents were calling them back and they were all nervous and awkward and confused. Lmao. I live. 

And what Andy said about it afterwards - that he started doing badly in school because he couldn’t stop thinking about it. HE COULDN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. Bless the writers, because the language they use to describe this phenomenon makes it sound more and more and more like incestuous feelings. And when Lauren talked about liking the feeling of her own powers - but using language that circumvented specific terms and made it sound like sex - and the reasonable assumption that she likes the feeling of what she can do with Andy even more because of how powerful it makes her feel. 

Pssst. Lauren, are you asleep? They might not be in the same bed anymore but they practically are. And every time they get compared to Andrea and Andreas I laugh. Those two might not be canonically incestuous on the show (...yet???) but anyone who knows who they are from the comics thinks villainous incest first, right? 

Then their parents want them to try it. And all they do is hold hands, they don’t try to access the power, so they’re just standing there holding hands and Lauren points out that it’s weird. I mean, she didn’t say incestuous, but it was the kind of weird that she was referring to. And she made that deflecting joke about Andy’s hands being sweaty. Maybe they’re sweaty because he likes holding her hand, eh?

And then, like you said, Anon, the way they described it when they finally did it was hecka incestuous. (Are we calling it Fenris?) Andy said it was like everything disappeared and they became one. (Could it sound more like getting physical with each other? I’m not sure it could.) And they’re both explaining it together, finishing each others’ sentences and saying the same thing at the same time. And Lauren sees their complementary powers so clearly - Andy pulls things apart, she pushes things together. 

Then when their parents are afraid of what they can do and Andy storms off, Lauren is the one who goes after him and can get through to him. She was the cautious one then, realizing how destructive they could be and how many people they could hurt. But then at the end when they start to use Fenris to save themselves, Andy is the one who stops them, and reminds her that it might kill a lot of people. They’re not just stronger together power-wise, they’re also stronger together in terms of doing the right thing and making good decisions. 

I also just really love all the implications of Fenris. If Andy and Lauren want to have their full arsenal at their disposal, then they have to be together. They’re always going to be partners. (And we already saw that Lauren’s ability to direct Andy’s power gave them an advantage that they didn’t have alone.) They can’t really go their separate ways. And just speaking biologically - so to speak - they were given a gift in which they are two halves of one whole. A gift that their incestuous great-grandparents had. 

And just a last note about the episode: I don’t know what’s going on with Lauren’s love interest who was introduced right around the time I stopped watching, but it was nice that he wasn’t in last episode or this episode at all. Or at least not with Lauren. 

It’s like you said, Anon #1: It’s like they’re asking us to ship Lauren and Andy. 

[agilenano]

Agilenano - News: An old friend is back in town and her name is Agony…Design Agony

This time, we are planning for her to embark on a more permanent residency both on Instagram and here on the blog. If you follow Emily on Instagram, she started answering followers’ design agony questions on stories. It’s been awesome and so far you guys are really into which we love. One of the aspects all of you responded to was getting real product resources. I mean, who doesn’t love that?! So for today’s post, we thought we would recap some of the more product-focused agonies that Em has already tackled but with even more resources. PLUS, so there is something new for everyone, we chose one new agony we think could be helpful to more people. Shall we just get into solving the world’s (design) problems? Yes, I think we should. The Agony: How to Avoid Harsh Lighting For our first Instagram Design Agony, we chose Jenny who was having an issue with her floor task lamp next to her sofa. In her own words, “it’s like looking into the center of the sun.” We get it, directional lamps don’t give off the best light and can be harsh on the eyeballs (yet seem to be everywhere as they’re pretty on trend right now). Why not just use a drum shade lamp? Well, on the other side of her sofa, she already has a lamp with a drum shade and didn’t like the look-alike look. There wasn’t enough contrast and visual interest for her taste. See what she means?? Emily’s Four Solutions 1. Start simple. Try a lower wattage bulb like a soft white 40 watt. We get why people opt for a super bright LED bulb: bright spaces make you happy, right? Well, in the wrong lamp, it can be too harsh for the eyes. Here are three options: 1. EcoSmart 40W Equivalent Dimmable LED Light Bulb | 2. GE Lighting Soft White Long Life | 3. AmazonBasics 40W Equivalent 2. Double arms. To keep the super sculptural look of the task lamp Jenny already has, she could replace it with a double-armed directional lamp. That will help distribute the light a bit more. We think these could be great: 1. Avallone | 2. Geneva Multiple Glass Globe | 3. Bruno Double-Arm 3. Opt for color. Jenny didn’t like the two drum shades but we think she shouldn’t give up on the idea because a drum shade will most often give you the softest light diffusion. To break up the “sameness,” she could change the color of the other drum shade so it doesn’t visually compete. These are our picks: 1. Black Drum | 2. Natural Burlap Drum | 3. Blue Drum 4. Lastly, she could try a hanging sculptural pendant that gives off ambient light. This way, it still looks architectural and cool but the light isn’t so harsh. We are very into these three: 1. Bonbon | 2. Sphere + Stem | 3. Mater Terho Jenny, we hope this helps to solve your “sun” problem and you find the perfect light match. The Agony: What To Do With A Big Empty Wall This is a VERY common “agony” we get asked about…How do I fill up my big empty wall?? Well, in Emily’s instastory, she went through three great options that will hopefully not only help Kristin but also be useful for anyone else having the same issue. But before we get into the tips, the main thing to remember is that you want to break up the wall to add depth and dimension since it’s, well, a pretty big empty wall. So, if you have a truly large wall, stay away from the “one huge piece.” That’s not to say overscale art never works, it does. It can be powerful and fantastic, but to get anything large enough for a wall-like Kristin’s, it would be VERY overwhelming. Now onto the issue at hand. Here is Kristin’s living room… She’s got a great foundation here with some beautiful pieces, but the wall definitely needs some love. Emily’s Three Solutions 1. Create a personalized gallery wall with an articulating sconce like we did in the Atlanta living room we did earlier this year. Also, adding a little sculpture in a wall display box adds a ton of depth and will really make your wall three-dimensional and pop. Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp for EHD | From: Reveal: A Budget and Rental-Friendly Living and Dining Room (With 80% Thrifted Finds) Here are some sconces we think would look great. 1. Envoy Swing | 2. Alto | 3. Nymane These are the kind of display boxes we are talking about. Box #1 was the one we used in the photo above. 1. Bjoernarp | 2. Black Metal Cube (set of 3) | 3. Barkhyttan 2. Another option is to make a grid of art with two matching flanking sconces. In the photo below, the sconces aren’t technically flanking since they are above but it’s the same principle. Photo by Geneieve Garruppo | From: A 120 Year Old Barn Makeover With The Frame TV + Shop The Look These are some great options. 1. Simon Adjustable | 2. Savannah Single | 3. Perry 3. The last suggestion was to hang a large diptych (two corresponding pieces) or triptych (three corresponding pieces) with an added sconces or two to fill and make the space more dimensional. For Kristin’s particular space, if she wants to do just one sconce, we recommend something really sculptural, articulating and placed on the right side of the room (if you are standing in front of the sofa). Two would also be great but wouldn’t need to go so sculptural because it wouldn’t overwhelm the room. Photo by Zeke Ruelas for EHD | From: Silver Lake Hills Living Room Reveal Here are some diptychs and a triptych we think would work in Kristin’s space… 1. Reticent 2pc Printed Tinted Gel Canvas | 2. The Line No 12 + The Line No 16 + The Line No 13 | 3. Calm Forest No. 20 + Calm Forest No. 18 (Pssst…For Emily’s IGTV on how to create a gallery wall, click here!) The (NEW) Agony: An Unstyled Entryway This is a NEVER before shared Design Agony from a reader named Sara. Sara messaged Emily asking if there was styling hope for her entry or if she should just rip it out and start over. Start over??? No need! This is a very cute entry that just needs a bit of styling to bring it to its full potential. The design team has four solutions for Sara… EHD’s Four Solutions: 1. Put some leaning art on the shelf. It will help to draw your eye up and add visual interest to that empty space above the hook ledge. Here’s a good example from Erin Francois’ home tour we shared on the blog last year: Photo and Design by Erin Francois | From: House Tour: A Home Crush A Year In The Making We really like these combos below. Go with only two pieces so it doesn’t feel cluttered, one larger in scale (by at least 4 or 5 inches where they overlap) and the other a bit smaller. 1. Folded Lines + The Chiton | 2. Landscape 151 + Shade | 3. 2:54 AM + Cactus Line Drawing 2. Next up is adding a bud vase on the shelf with a little greenery (it’s a little detail that’s instantly inviting). 1. Bud Vase | 2. Clear Glass Mini Vase | 3. Small Ceramic Vase 3. Mix in a couple of pillows on the bench to add warmth and texture. Photo by Tessa Neustadt for EHD | From: My House Tour From Good Housekeeping It might seem silly to some to add something like pillows (or a throw) to an area of the home that seems like it could benefit mostly from utility, but hear us out. Some softness goes a long way to making a vignette feel purposeful and not forgotten. Plus, you know…a little lumbar support for when you’re grunting your way through pulling on your boots. Here are a few combos we are very into. 1. Anchal Crescent + Rebecca Atwood Waterfall Stripe | 2. Liana Fringe + Tweed Lumbar | 3. Woven Stripe with Fringe Lumbar + Cable-knit Cushion Cover 4. Spray paint! The last solution we suggest to Sara is to spray paint the woven bins she already has black. Having a contrasting color will create some more dimension. It’s also budget-friendly. (Take a look at the below entry—it’s my house!—where I spray painted the peg rail black to set it visually apart from the “blonder” tones below.) Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp for EHD | From: Makeover Takeover: Jess’ Long Awaited (Small Space) Living Room Reveal Alright, that’s it for today’s agonies. Hopefully, some of you have found some inner design peace on this fine October Tuesday and are feeling empowered to conquer your problem areas. For the rest of you, don’t worry because this is just the beginning. We will still be covering agonies with Emily on her stories (we’ll be running those every Tuesday, so be sure to check back) and then every now and again, diving into them a bit further here with more product resources. If you have any design agonies of your own, feel free to DM Em on Instagram (be sure to write DESIGN AGONY in the prompt so it stands out) and check out the Design Agony highlight on her profile to see what we’ve covered already. For an issue you’re having that might be a deeper dive, be sure to email us at designagony@emilyhendersondesign.com. Love you, mean it. The post 3 Design Agonies, 1 Post: Tricky Lighting, Big Empty Walls & Foyer Styling appeared first on Emily Henderson. #Advice #DesignAgony

Agilenano - News from Agilenano from shopsnetwork (4 sites) https://agilenano.com/blogs/news/an-old-friend-is-back-in-town-and-her-name-is-agony-design-agony-2

[aceprosecuties]

For the writing ask- is it possible if you could do Phantomquill for 32?

32. “I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”

------

Simon Blackquill’s execution day was fast approaching.

The international spy masquerading as Detective Bobby Fulbright had thought he would have been in the clear by now.  He was nothing if not extremely competent, so he originally had believed that destroying all evidence of his involvement in the sabotage and the truth of his identity wouldn’t take too long.  

He hadn’t anticipated Prosecutor Blackquill’s resilience, however. 

A potentially dangerous miscalculation he was now aware of and trying to make up for, slowly but surely. 

Most of his time was spent with the doomed samurai. 

And as the metaphorical noose grew closer and closer, Simon had finally begun to crack, albeit in small ways. 

This just made “Fulbright” visit him more, of course. 

One night, “Fulbright” decided that even though it was after lights out, he would sneak in some rice balls for his favorite prisoner, knowing that Simon  - with nightmares consistently plaguing his mind - would most likely still be awake.  With few to no eyes on the two of them, perhaps the Phantom would finally be able to elicit some new information about where that cursed psychological profile was. 

“Pssst,” the false detective said, not exactly being quiet.  Simon had his back turned to the cell door while lying on his bed, so the loud whisper caused him to sit up.  At first he seemed annoyed, but “Fulbright” could have sworn he saw a small smile when Simon spoke. 

“Visiting my cell so late, Fool Bright?  You’ll give people the wrong impression.” 

The Phantom of course knew what the word ‘impression’ implied, but Bobby - in his naïveté - would not have caught on.  So, he just smiled and saluted, forgetting to whisper.  

“What wrong impression, Prosecutor Blackquill?  We both have strong hearts of justice, so what on earth would anyone think that was so wrong about us meeting now?” 

“Forget it,” Simon replied.  If the Phantom would believe it, he had almost seemed...disappointed?  Was that the right word?  “What brings you to me at such an hour?  Don’t tell me that a case has happened, because I will tell you that it could wait until the morning.” 

“Ah, no no, nothing like that!  I just wanted to bring you a little midnight snack!”  He held up the bag that was in his hand, smiling widely as Simon inspected it without moving an inch.  

“...Really?  Why?” 

“Do I need a specific reason?”  He laughed a few times, just for effect.  “I just wanted to do something nice for you!” 

Simon stared at him before nodding, indicating that it was alright for the detective to open his cell and give him the delicious gift.  He couldn’t help it when he saw what they were - he dug into one almost immediately and indicated for “Fulbright” to sit down next to him.  The Phantom did, his eyes not leaving Simon’s face.   

“Why, must I ask, am I granted such special treatment, Fool Bright?” 

The Phantom looked up and appeared thoughtful before he answered.  “Not many people in this place have just hearts like yours Prosecutor Blackquill.  Besides, I’ve already said, I believe...no, I know that you’re innocent!  Doesn’t that count for something?”

“Well, unfortunately, Fool Bright, my end is drawing closer and closer.  You’ll have to find another to bring midnight snacks to soon,” Simon said, his voice trailing a little bit.  Despite the proud and fearless display he showed off in public, he was frightened, and was showing that more and more to the detective who constantly claimed to have faith in him. 

“Nonsense!  First of all, there is still time for your innocence to be proven!  And secondly...there is no one else I’d want to bring midnight snacks to anyway.” 

“Fool Bright...” 

Simon said the nickname in a way that seemed as though he was in disbelief over what Fulbright had said.  He was staring at the detective’s face as the Phantom made sure that he was still showing off Bobby’s trademark genuine smile.  

“I already said that I believed in you, didn’t I?” 

“...You did, Fool Bright.  You did.” 

Silence passed between them for a moment.  

“...You are an annoyance, you know that, right?  In more ways than you could possibly imagine.” 

The Phantom made sure to pout this time, looking dejected.  “I know I can make things difficult for you sometimes, but I’m trying, and-”

“That’s not entirely what I meant.” 

Now he was curious - what other way could Blackquill have-

Suddenly, he was being kissed. 

Simon had dropped his rice ball and leaned over to press his lips against “Fulbright’s” gently, and all the Phantom could do was widen his eyes and appear shocked.  Though...that hadn’t been what he was expecting at all. 

“Prosecutor...Blackquill...?”  He even tried to manage a blush when Simon pulled away...was he doing it right?  

“I...think I am in love with you and I am terrified,” Simon whispered, his eyes downcast.  

“What-”

“I...have tried to deny it.  I didn’t want to upset you because I am doomed to hell very soon, but...it has been weighing on me.  And it makes me even more afraid of my time coming to an end because...it will mean the end of...things like this, Fool Bright.” 

“I...I don’t know what to-”

“You need not say anything, Fool Bright.  I perhaps shouldn’t have said anything-”

“No!”  The Phantom blurted out, meaning it somewhat genuinely, though not for the same reason Bobby had.  “That...I mean...I’m happy you told me, Prosecutor Blackquill!”  He smiled, making sure to stare into Simon’s eyes as he did.  “I...I’ve always known you were special.”

Simon chuckled.  “Why you would take such an interest in me is beyond my comprehension, though I cannot say I regret it.”

“Could we maybe...talk more tomorrow?  I could sneak in again after lights out and bring you something else.  I’m afraid if I stay longer people will notice, and we’ll both get in trouble!” 

“Very well, Fool Bright.  Tomorrow, then.” 

“Fulbright” stood and...after thinking about it for a split second, placed a soft kiss on Simon’s forehead before heading out. 

This new information about Prosecutor Blackquill’s true feelings would be...very useful in the days to come.    

[gunsandfics]

Safe Place (Anthony Ramos/Bullied!Short!Reader)

a request from @dianaftop !!!

They requested three fics: this is one of them!

dianaftop: on the Anthony Ramos x reader, the reader (me lol) meets Anthony in school while she was being bullied, because of the readers height. 

so here it is !!!!

hope you enjoy !!!

pssst I had to look up what a school day in America is like because I live in little old Wales ^^

also I used the name Annalise for a bully because I know a really horrible girl with that name so if that’s your name just replace it okay? :)

Safe Place (Anthony Ramos/Short!Bullied!Reader)

The school bell rings at 8:30, announcing yet another 7 hours of torture from your peers. You ttake a deep breath, steeling yourself up, and open the door. You groan as you see the crowd filling the hallway, all much taller than you. People are barging into you left, right and center, when all you wanted was to get to your locker!

Finally, you arrive at your locker - locker number 46 - and you freeze up as you notice something.

Scrawled across the metal door was a variety of insults.

Shortbus!

Loser!

Nobody likes you!

Just go die already, midget!

Fag!

Slut!

You look down at the floor, not wanting to let any of your abusers see how they had affected you. The corridor slowly empties as everyone leaves to homeroom, leaving you alone to cry silently. 

Quiet footsteps begin tapping down the hall and you involuntarily flinch, even though you know that your bullies would normally have shouted out to you by now.

The footsteps come to a halt beside you, and you turn away from the person, snivelling.

“Hey,” A hand rests on your shoulder. “Are you…okay? Is this your locker?”

The voice, a guy, was nice. Soothing. You unconsciously lean towards him, towards his hand.

“Yeah. This is my locker.” You whisper hoarsely.

“Look at me.” The guy says gently. You reluctantly tear your eyes away from the floor and-

Oh. He’s attractive, You think, and silently curse yourself in your head for noticing that when you’re upset. 

It was true though. A puff of curly brown hair, tied back in a low ponytail, sat atop a smiling, freckled face in a way that could only be described as cute. Cute in both a hot and an adorable way. He wore a deep blue polo-neck and tan trousers, and you stifled a smile when you saw a woven leather bracelet with a -was that a turtle?- charm around his wrist.

“My name is Anthony. Anthony Ramos. I’m new here.” He introduces himself, keeping one hand on your shoulder but offering his other hand to you.

“…(Name) (Last Name).” You mumble, shaking his hand. He surprises you by raising your hand to his lips to kiss. You flush bright red. Who even does that any more? You think, but you can’t say you didn’t like it.

“Now, why would anyone bully such a cute girl?” Anthony asks, cocking his head in puzzlement. You blush even brighter. Surely he was messing with you?

“…I don’t know. I guess I’m an easy target because I’m short and un-intimidating.” Your voice trembles on this. You let out a noise of shock when Anthony pulls you into a tight hug, resting his chin on your head.

“…You can cry if you want. I don’t judge.” He murmurs. The waterworks start and you bury your face into his chest as the tears start flowing freely. Anthony holds you and rocks you as you continue crying quietly. When you’re finished, he fishes a small pack of tissues out of his pocket and hands you one. You sniffle lightly.

“Why did you comfort me? I’m just a stranger.” You ask shakily. To your surprise, Anthony blushes and struggles to find the words.

“I…I don’t like seeing other people upset…but I thought you were really pretty so I really wanted to wipe away your sadness.” He stutters. He takes a deep breath and smiles at you. “Hey - I think we’ve pretty much missed Homeroom, so we may as well get to first lesson. What d'you have?”

“Um.” You pull your planner from your bag and squint at it. “Intermediate Theatre Arts with Mrs Miller.”

“Eyo! Same here!” He grins, a dimple in his cheek popping. “You’ll have to show me the ropes.”

You find it in yourself to smile at him. “I’d love to.”

Over time, Anthony became close friends with a group of people in your theatre class, Lin, Leslie, Renee, Jasmine, Phillipa, Daveed and Oak. However, you stayed his best friend all throughout the year. You were inseparable. He was always helping you, with your bullies, with your friendships, and even when you got into a fight with your mother halfway through the year, he let you stay with him and his family until you made up. He even took you to prom when nobody else would, despite Jasmine’s blatant crush on him and her hinting that she wanted to go with him. There was only one thing you didn’t confide in him with.

Crushes.

You know how cliche it is, but over the year, you managed to fall in love with Anthony. He was so sensitive, smart and kind that how could you not love him?

Now, on the final stretch of your final year, graduation is looming, and you still haven’t told hI’m.

Wednesday, last period. Music.

“Yo!” Your lanky, over-the-top best-friend-turned-crush sidles up behind you with his guitar on his back and wraps his arms around your neck in an affectionate, backwards hug. You smile and pat his hand.

“Hey, Ant. My freckled babe.” You tease. This was a joke between you two, in which you would call each other babe because you were so close and people thought you were dating.

“Hiya, babes.” He boops your nose. “What’s my favourite girl working on now?” He asks, reaching out to grab your music. You quickly snatch it out of his grasp.

“Uh-uh. I don’t think so.” You wiggle a finger at him. “It’s a surprise.“ 

"Aw.” Anthony pouts. “Can’t I see it? I’m your best friend.” He whines. You giggle.

“Like I said, it's a surprise, silly!" 

"Awww…okay.” He scrunches his nose up and shakes his head to get his curls out of his vision. “I’ll see you later.” He kisses your cheek, causing you to splutter unintelligibly.

He takes his guitar over to the far corner where nobody else is and begins strumming, focusing completely on the guitar. You watch him for a while. Every now and then he’ll look up, make a disgruntled expression and shake his head, muttering under his breath.

“Hey, Shortbus.” You hear, before a hand tugs on your hair and pulls your head back.

“Ah-ow!” You wince and look up. One of the school bullies, Annalise, is smirking down at you with a smug expression. 

“Aw, has the little midget got a cruuuush? Sorry, sweetie, but he’s way out of your league.” She cooes in a horrible tone. 

“Leave me alone, Annalise.” You mutter, but she scowls and yanks your hair again.

“I don’t think so. Now.” She glances at your music sheets. “What are these? Are you writing a song for lover boy?” Her eyes glitter as she swipes up your sheets and reads them. You gasp and reach out to grab them back, protesting. She glares at you, a cruel smile curling her lip. “Are you kidding? These songs are so cringy, Shortbus. Helpless?  The hell kind of song name is that?” She giggles.

“Annalise…” You beg. “Please, leave me alone.”

Annalise laughs. “Hell no. I’m going to go and show these to Anthony.”

“No-no no, please!” You plead, staring up at her. “Please!”

She smirks and sashays over to Anthony, saying something to him in a low voice and showing him your sheet music, the piece of your heart that you had poured into this song.

Anthony grabs the sheet off of her, eyes scanning every line. Annalise smiles triumphantly in your direction.

You expect an upset expression to cross Anthony’s face, for him to look disturbed, disgusted.

You do not expect his face to form into the widest smile you have ever seen. You do not expect for him to look this happy.

He looks up at you, halfway across the room, eyes alight and hopeful.

The bell rings, and you stand up quickly, trying to exit the room before anyone else. However - just your luck, some of the class gets out before you and you feel a hand grasp your wrist, keeping you behind.

Everyone leaves the room, including the teacher, and you’re stuck standing with Anthony holding onto your wrist. You sigh and turn to him.

“Anthony…” You begin.

“I love you!” He blurts out, and you freeze.

“I…what?” You look up at him in astonishment, and hope.

“I love you, so much. Please…was that song that Annalise showed me written for me?” He asks, eyes pleading. A slow, steady smile crosses your face.

“Yes.” You whisper, and Anthony lets out a loud whoop of laughter and pulls you close. “Anthony-”

“I love you, I love you, I love you!” He giggles into your hair, and you let out a short burst of laughter.

“I love you too!” You thread your fingers through his hair and laugh, burying your face into his shoulder. "I can’t believe that Annalise…was trying to bring a rift between us…but she failed and just brought us closer together!“ You say breathlessly.

Anthony pulls back from the hug and looks down at you, studying your expression. He seems to be deliberating something before he mumbles "To hell with it,” and crashes his lips onto yours. You gasp into the kiss and pull yourself closer to him, thumb caressing his cheek.

The kiss is short and sweet, and he pulls back with a laugh. “I’m your safe place.” He says.

[dreamingofangelicflight]

If it's not too much trouble, could I request N, P, Q, and R for the wing ask meme? I find your memories and experiences so interesting and awe-inspiring so I'd love this. ^-^

OMG EEEP O///////O … t-thank you! >////////

—

N - Best shift experience?

Hmmm~ Any time I have a real strong feeling of them, a strong connection, and someone - like a spirit - is preening them. :3

I’d have to go with my boyfriend for sure since he knows how to massage the physical muscles of the back AND preen the astral wings in such a way that it somehow erases all the aches in my back instantly and doesn’t mess up my astral feathers the way every other human masseuse inevitably does. So it feels really goddamn good and relaxing, along with getting rid of all the itching that tends to happen if my feathers are disheveled against my back

(Yo, y'all are astral not physical! Why I still feel that itching all the same?!)

P - How did you use your wings to your advantage?

O.O Do you mean as astral wings in THIS life, or just overall back at home?

Because if you mean back at home, I mean they conferred the kind of advantage that two arms free to grab things and having opposable thumbs and wrists made for throwing have given all of humanity an advantage here. Aka, a huge amount of advantage that is so easy to just take for granted every day, especially in a society made specifically for those who have this advantage. (Except arms can’t get you into the sky and keep you there for as long as you want, whenever you want. Extra points for wings in that regards. ;D)

So yeah, expressions, touching/feeling, preening, protection, display, indication direction, gestures, mapping out the air currents around me, awesome gorgeous natural decoration, giving and receiving comfort, allowing me to escape into the air whenever I want, or to not worry about falls and heights at all, and just be a natural extension of my body that’s perfectly in tune with everything else. Most of all, they’re a huge part of my personal identity and how I relate to myself and think of myself and of my life. In a way, they are an extension of who I am as a person, of my soul and spirit.

For here in this life? Well I can’t use them to steady me or correct my balance sadly. Nor to fly with, nor to be seen or felt by any human around me (except for maybe my boyfriend and twin). Ummm… what would be an actual advantage is being able to write flying scenes very convincingly in my book because I know so well how it feels and what it’s like from my memories. :3 I adore flying so much I had to make the plot of my first book of my childhood memories from my home world focus ON flying. ;3 *bounces and flaps wings*

Q - Rate your wings 1-10 (10 being the best, pssst, they’re all 10s!!!)

10. -w-

Of course they are, because I specifically designed them to be my most favorite wings of all time, gorgeous and living works of art that always bring a smile to my face when I see them, and to work exactly as I want them to in flight no matter what I’m doing.

Perfectly crafted to fit my unique flying style, love of swimming, artist eye, unique and expressive character, favorite colors, and just the general way I love to live my life day-to-day. Even when most other angels of my home world retract their wings (so they don’t get in the way), I say “fuck that!” and have mine out all the goddamn time, just in a space-saving form so I don’t accidentally sit on me flight feathers ya hear?

My ref pics always have my wings in a space-saving form where the flight feathers go to like my hips, just above my butt there, at the longest. :3 Easiest for sitting down or lounging. XD For actual flight, I’d make them go to their full size again and take off.

R - Do you remember anyone else’s wings significantly?

*grins* I think it ironic and fitting that this question is labeled “R” when I remember my husband’s wings the most and HIS name starts with an “R” too!

Btw he’s demonkin in this life and part-angel, part-demon (along with feline, dragon, and other things) back in our home world. :D And yes he has feathered wings, from the tengu and angel sides of him.

He’s my boyfriend in this lifetime, and my husband and mate back at home. So I remember his wings PERFECTLY. A vague sort of sensory image that is more like visualizing an orange in your mind, without actually seeing an orange, but still knowing it well all the same.)  

It’s just a gorgeous dark, almost black color – I say almost black because of all the purty iridescence there. X3 I love each and every color shade of the iridescence, how subtle it is. Especially how if I gently take the tip of his flight feather or wrist of his wing and turn it left and right near a light source, that most of the light seems to sink into the feather itself and disappear in a gorgeous deep and soothing void, while some escape and shimmer along the surface of each feather like tiny little rainbows that just can’t quite escape the force of gravity from the cool black holes of each feather.

The overall wing shapes are that of a raven’s wings (since he loves the birds, ravens, as much as I love dark blue - i.e. to the point we fucking named ourselves after our individual obsessions!) and have notches at the tips (mine do too) for easier soaring. He doesn’t use his wings that much, but I always enjoy it when he does bring them out. His also aren’t waterproof so he keeps complaining about the wet a lot, poor dude. LOL!

Even now, I always sleep better if he brings out his astral wings to cover us like a blanket while in bed together. I can feel it subtly if his wings stroke mine and he feels it in return.

…Gawds I love the memory of the silky soft feel of each of his feathers, the sight of the gorgeous colors of his wings, the graceful and strong shape of the wings over all, and I swear sometimes I might almost remember the smell of them but then the memory goes away again and I’m sad. T.T

I do remember the soft ruffle that each of his wingbeats would cause when flying in the air, but I know he is a quiet flyer compared to most younger people. I’m an utterly silent flyer myself, apparently from my memories and what others say, so it would make sense that I could still pick up the sound of his wingbeats even then.

I’ve um *blushes purple* rhapsodized about his wings a lot haven’t I? I’ll stop the rambling here. ^////^

—

The rest of the answers I’ve already done are here: https://dreamingofangelicflight.tumblr.com/post/160305566433/wings-answers

:D

For those who are wondering, there’s like H, I, J, L, M, O, V, W, X, Y, and Z that I haven’t done yet. ^///^~ Feel free to ask me one [or all :D] of those alright? :333 *wing flaps*

[themanuelruello]

YOUTUBE + A Mad Mama Hen!

Somebody stop me, please…

… next time I attempt to pack so many things into May-September… Please? Anyone? Just smack me and say STOP.

Summertime + gardening + finishing up cookbook edits + getting the new blog design ready (pssst! Do ya like it?) + launching a YouTube channel = Jill might have bit off more than she can chew.

Thank goodness that we’re finally wrapping up most of these (well, except the garden, of course).  The tricky part is none of it feels like drudgery to me. I love the challenge of creating and building so very much. It pumps me up better than coffee. But what’s that saying about too much of a good thing though? Yeah…

Anyway.

Did you catch that?

WE LAUNCHED A YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

I have to yell because YES, I’m about 2 years behind everyone else, but who cares… it’s up and running and we’re posting new videos every Tuesday.

I’ve had many requests for videos over the years, but I just didn’t feel like it was a fit at the time.

But things have shifted. I’m craving more of candid connection with you all. I’ll still write and photograph (I love both of those mediums), but I felt strongly that it was time for y’all to see what life is REALLY like here on The Prairie Homestead: messes, loud kids, weeds, chores, and all.

So here we go, ready or not.

Our channel will be a mix of practical tutorials (kinda like the ones you’ve come to expect here on the blog), but with plenty of candid, everyday glimpses thrown in there too.

I’m already having WAY more fun with video than I thought I would, and I would be forever grateful if you’d hope over and subscribe (that is, if homesteading videos are your thing!)

So far we’ve posted videos on Homemade Fly Spray and also a tour of our unique Raised Bed Garden Boxes. And the latest video? Well, it got a little wild.

One MAD Mama Hen

We were surprised with 3 chicks! I have no idea where this broody hen was sitting, but she made it through 21 days of sitting on her nest and one day showed up in the barnyard with three little babies following her around.

The problem?

She isn’t very nice. 

I mean, all mamas tend to get a little grouchy when you mess with their babies and I can appreciate that.

But this hen pretty much hates us and will flat out attack anyone that gets too close.

Unfortunately, I don’t think she’s mean enough to take on our GIANT mastiff puppy who likes to eat chicks for snacks, so we needed to move her to a safe space.

Spoiler Alert: She didn’t appreciate our efforts.

You can watch how it all went down here:

If you liked that video and don’t want to miss future ones, you can subscribe right here. 

Chick Links:

Homemade Electrolyte Recipe for Chicks

Preparing for New Chicks

5 Easy Chick Brooders You Can Make

Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Chicken Coops

The post YOUTUBE + A Mad Mama Hen! appeared first on The Prairie Homestead.

from Gardening https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/08/mad-broody-hen.html via http://www.rssmix.com/

[agilenano]

Agilenano - News: An old friend is back in town and her name is Agony…Design Agony

This time, we are planning for her to embark on a more permanent residency both on Instagram and here on the blog. If you follow Emily on Instagram, she started answering followers’ design agony questions on stories. It’s been awesome and so far you guys are really into which we love. One of the aspects all of you responded to was getting real product resources. I mean, who doesn’t love that?! So for today’s post, we thought we would recap some of the more product-focused agonies that Em has already tackled but with even more resources. PLUS, so there is something new for everyone, we chose one new agony we think could be helpful to more people. Shall we just get into solving the world’s (design) problems? Yes, I think we should. The Agony: How to Avoid Harsh Lighting For our first Instagram Design Agony, we chose Jenny who was having an issue with her floor task lamp next to her sofa. In her own words, “it’s like looking into the center of the sun.” We get it, directional lamps don’t give off the best light and can be harsh on the eyeballs (yet seem to be everywhere as they’re pretty on trend right now). Why not just use a drum shade lamp? Well, on the other side of her sofa, she already has a lamp with a drum shade and didn’t like the look-alike look. There wasn’t enough contrast and visual interest for her taste. See what she means?? Emily’s Four Solutions 1. Start simple. Try a lower wattage bulb like a soft white 40 watt. We get why people opt for a super bright LED bulb: bright spaces make you happy, right? Well, in the wrong lamp, it can be too harsh for the eyes. Here are three options: 1. EcoSmart 40W Equivalent Dimmable LED Light Bulb | 2. GE Lighting Soft White Long Life | 3. AmazonBasics 40W Equivalent 2. Double arms. To keep the super sculptural look of the task lamp Jenny already has, she could replace it with a double-armed directional lamp. That will help distribute the light a bit more. We think these could be great: 1. Avallone | 2. Geneva Multiple Glass Globe | 3. Bruno Double-Arm 3. Opt for color. Jenny didn’t like the two drum shades but we think she shouldn’t give up on the idea because a drum shade will most often give you the softest light diffusion. To break up the “sameness,” she could change the color of the other drum shade so it doesn’t visually compete. These are our picks: 1. Black Drum | 2. Natural Burlap Drum | 3. Blue Drum 4. Lastly, she could try a hanging sculptural pendant that gives off ambient light. This way, it still looks architectural and cool but the light isn’t so harsh. We are very into these three: 1. Bonbon | 2. Sphere + Stem | 3. Mater Terho Jenny, we hope this helps to solve your “sun” problem and you find the perfect light match. The Agony: What To Do With A Big Empty Wall This is a VERY common “agony” we get asked about…How do I fill up my big empty wall?? Well, in Emily’s instastory, she went through three great options that will hopefully not only help Kristin but also be useful for anyone else having the same issue. But before we get into the tips, the main thing to remember is that you want to break up the wall to add depth and dimension since it’s, well, a pretty big empty wall. So, if you have a truly large wall, stay away from the “one huge piece.” That’s not to say overscale art never works, it does. It can be powerful and fantastic, but to get anything large enough for a wall-like Kristin’s, it would be VERY overwhelming. Now onto the issue at hand. Here is Kristin’s living room… She’s got a great foundation here with some beautiful pieces, but the wall definitely needs some love. Emily’s Three Solutions 1. Create a personalized gallery wall with an articulating sconce like we did in the Atlanta living room we did earlier this year. Also, adding a little sculpture in a wall display box adds a ton of depth and will really make your wall three-dimensional and pop. Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp for EHD | From: Reveal: A Budget and Rental-Friendly Living and Dining Room (With 80% Thrifted Finds) Here are some sconces we think would look great. 1. Envoy Swing | 2. Alto | 3. Nymane These are the kind of display boxes we are talking about. Box #1 was the one we used in the photo above. 1. Bjoernarp | 2. Black Metal Cube (set of 3) | 3. Barkhyttan 2. Another option is to make a grid of art with two matching flanking sconces. In the photo below, the sconces aren’t technically flanking since they are above but it’s the same principle. Photo by Geneieve Garruppo | From: A 120 Year Old Barn Makeover With The Frame TV + Shop The Look These are some great options. 1. Simon Adjustable | 2. Savannah Single | 3. Perry 3. The last suggestion was to hang a large diptych (two corresponding pieces) or triptych (three corresponding pieces) with an added sconces or two to fill and make the space more dimensional. For Kristin’s particular space, if she wants to do just one sconce, we recommend something really sculptural, articulating and placed on the right side of the room (if you are standing in front of the sofa). Two would also be great but wouldn’t need to go so sculptural because it wouldn’t overwhelm the room. Photo by Zeke Ruelas for EHD | From: Silver Lake Hills Living Room Reveal Here are some diptychs and a triptych we think would work in Kristin’s space… 1. Reticent 2pc Printed Tinted Gel Canvas | 2. The Line No 12 + The Line No 16 + The Line No 13 | 3. Calm Forest No. 20 + Calm Forest No. 18 (Pssst…For Emily’s IGTV on how to create a gallery wall, click here!) The (NEW) Agony: An Unstyled Entryway This is a NEVER before shared Design Agony from a reader named Sara. Sara messaged Emily asking if there was styling hope for her entry or if she should just rip it out and start over. Start over??? No need! This is a very cute entry that just needs a bit of styling to bring it to its full potential. The design team has four solutions for Sara… EHD’s Four Solutions: 1. Put some leaning art on the shelf. It will help to draw your eye up and add visual interest to that empty space above the hook ledge. Here’s a good example from Erin Francois’ home tour we shared on the blog last year: Photo and Design by Erin Francois | From: House Tour: A Home Crush A Year In The Making We really like these combos below. Go with only two pieces so it doesn’t feel cluttered, one larger in scale (by at least 4 or 5 inches where they overlap) and the other a bit smaller. 1. Folded Lines + The Chiton | 2. Landscape 151 + Shade | 3. 2:54 AM + Cactus Line Drawing 2. Next up is adding a bud vase on the shelf with a little greenery (it’s a little detail that’s instantly inviting). 1. Bud Vase | 2. Clear Glass Mini Vase | 3. Small Ceramic Vase 3. Mix in a couple of pillows on the bench to add warmth and texture. Photo by Tessa Neustadt for EHD | From: My House Tour From Good Housekeeping It might seem silly to some to add something like pillows (or a throw) to an area of the home that seems like it could benefit mostly from utility, but hear us out. Some softness goes a long way to making a vignette feel purposeful and not forgotten. Plus, you know…a little lumbar support for when you’re grunting your way through pulling on your boots. Here are a few combos we are very into. 1. Anchal Crescent + Rebecca Atwood Waterfall Stripe | 2. Liana Fringe + Tweed Lumbar | 3. Woven Stripe with Fringe Lumbar + Cable-knit Cushion Cover 4. Spray paint! The last solution we suggest to Sara is to spray paint the woven bins she already has black. Having a contrasting color will create some more dimension. It’s also budget-friendly. (Take a look at the below entry—it’s my house!—where I spray painted the peg rail black to set it visually apart from the “blonder” tones below.) Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp for EHD | From: Makeover Takeover: Jess’ Long Awaited (Small Space) Living Room Reveal Alright, that’s it for today’s agonies. Hopefully, some of you have found some inner design peace on this fine October Tuesday and are feeling empowered to conquer your problem areas. For the rest of you, don’t worry because this is just the beginning. We will still be covering agonies with Emily on her stories (we’ll be running those every Tuesday, so be sure to check back) and then every now and again, diving into them a bit further here with more product resources. If you have any design agonies of your own, feel free to DM Em on Instagram (be sure to write DESIGN AGONY in the prompt so it stands out) and check out the Design Agony highlight on her profile to see what we’ve covered already. For an issue you’re having that might be a deeper dive, be sure to email us at designagony@emilyhendersondesign.com. Love you, mean it. The post 3 Design Agonies, 1 Post: Tricky Lighting, Big Empty Walls & Foyer Styling appeared first on Emily Henderson. #Advice #DesignAgony

Agilenano - News from Agilenano from shopsnetwork (4 sites) https://agilenano.com/blogs/news/an-old-friend-is-back-in-town-and-her-name-is-agony-design-agony-1

[agilenano]

Agilenano - News: An old friend is back in town and her name is Agony…Design Agony

This time, we are planning for her to embark on a more permanent residency both on Instagram and here on the blog. If you follow Emily on Instagram, she started answering followers’ design agony questions on stories. It’s been awesome and so far you guys are really into which we love. One of the aspects all of you responded to was getting real product resources. I mean, who doesn’t love that?! So for today’s post, we thought we would recap some of the more product-focused agonies that Em has already tackled but with even more resources. PLUS, so there is something new for everyone, we chose one new agony we think could be helpful to more people. Shall we just get into solving the world’s (design) problems? Yes, I think we should. The Agony: How to Avoid Harsh Lighting For our first Instagram Design Agony, we chose Jenny who was having an issue with her floor task lamp next to her sofa. In her own words, “it’s like looking into the center of the sun.” We get it, directional lamps don’t give off the best light and can be harsh on the eyeballs (yet seem to be everywhere as they’re pretty on trend right now). Why not just use a drum shade lamp? Well, on the other side of her sofa, she already has a lamp with a drum shade and didn’t like the look-alike look. There wasn’t enough contrast and visual interest for her taste. See what she means?? Emily’s Four Solutions 1. Start simple. Try a lower wattage bulb like a soft white 40 watt. We get why people opt for a super bright LED bulb: bright spaces make you happy, right? Well, in the wrong lamp, it can be too harsh for the eyes. Here are three options: 1. EcoSmart 40W Equivalent Dimmable LED Light Bulb | 2. GE Lighting Soft White Long Life | 3. AmazonBasics 40W Equivalent 2. Double arms. To keep the super sculptural look of the task lamp Jenny already has, she could replace it with a double-armed directional lamp. That will help distribute the light a bit more. We think these could be great: 1. Avallone | 2. Geneva Multiple Glass Globe | 3. Bruno Double-Arm 3. Opt for color. Jenny didn’t like the two drum shades but we think she shouldn’t give up on the idea because a drum shade will most often give you the softest light diffusion. To break up the “sameness,” she could change the color of the other drum shade so it doesn’t visually compete. These are our picks: 1. Black Drum | 2. Natural Burlap Drum | 3. Blue Drum 4. Lastly, she could try a hanging sculptural pendant that gives off ambient light. This way, it still looks architectural and cool but the light isn’t so harsh. We are very into these three: 1. Bonbon | 2. Sphere + Stem | 3. Mater Terho Jenny, we hope this helps to solve your “sun” problem and you find the perfect light match. The Agony: What To Do With A Big Empty Wall This is a VERY common “agony” we get asked about…How do I fill up my big empty wall?? Well, in Emily’s instastory, she went through three great options that will hopefully not only help Kristin but also be useful for anyone else having the same issue. But before we get into the tips, the main thing to remember is that you want to break up the wall to add depth and dimension since it’s, well, a pretty big empty wall. So, if you have a truly large wall, stay away from the “one huge piece.” That’s not to say overscale art never works, it does. It can be powerful and fantastic, but to get anything large enough for a wall-like Kristin’s, it would be VERY overwhelming. Now onto the issue at hand. Here is Kristin’s living room… She’s got a great foundation here with some beautiful pieces, but the wall definitely needs some love. Emily’s Three Solutions 1. Create a personalized gallery wall with an articulating sconce like we did in the Atlanta living room we did earlier this year. Also, adding a little sculpture in a wall display box adds a ton of depth and will really make your wall three-dimensional and pop. Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp for EHD | From: Reveal: A Budget and Rental-Friendly Living and Dining Room (With 80% Thrifted Finds) Here are some sconces we think would look great. 1. Envoy Swing | 2. Alto | 3. Nymane These are the kind of display boxes we are talking about. Box #1 was the one we used in the photo above. 1. Bjoernarp | 2. Black Metal Cube (set of 3) | 3. Barkhyttan 2. Another option is to make a grid of art with two matching flanking sconces. In the photo below, the sconces aren’t technically flanking since they are above but it’s the same principle. Photo by Geneieve Garruppo | From: A 120 Year Old Barn Makeover With The Frame TV + Shop The Look These are some great options. 1. Simon Adjustable | 2. Savannah Single | 3. Perry 3. The last suggestion was to hang a large diptych (two corresponding pieces) or triptych (three corresponding pieces) with an added sconces or two to fill and make the space more dimensional. For Kristin’s particular space, if she wants to do just one sconce, we recommend something really sculptural, articulating and placed on the right side of the room (if you are standing in front of the sofa). Two would also be great but wouldn’t need to go so sculptural because it wouldn’t overwhelm the room. Photo by Zeke Ruelas for EHD | From: Silver Lake Hills Living Room Reveal Here are some diptychs and a triptych we think would work in Kristin’s space… 1. Reticent 2pc Printed Tinted Gel Canvas | 2. The Line No 12 + The Line No 16 + The Line No 13 | 3. Calm Forest No. 20 + Calm Forest No. 18 (Pssst…For Emily’s IGTV on how to create a gallery wall, click here!) The (NEW) Agony: An Unstyled Entryway This is a NEVER before shared Design Agony from a reader named Sara. Sara messaged Emily asking if there was styling hope for her entry or if she should just rip it out and start over. Start over??? No need! This is a very cute entry that just needs a bit of styling to bring it to its full potential. The design team has four solutions for Sara… EHD’s Four Solutions: 1. Put some leaning art on the shelf. It will help to draw your eye up and add visual interest to that empty space above the hook ledge. Here’s a good example from Erin Francois’ home tour we shared on the blog last year: Photo and Design by Erin Francois | From: House Tour: A Home Crush A Year In The Making We really like these combos below. Go with only two pieces so it doesn’t feel cluttered, one larger in scale (by at least 4 or 5 inches where they overlap) and the other a bit smaller. 1. Folded Lines + The Chiton | 2. Landscape 151 + Shade | 3. 2:54 AM + Cactus Line Drawing 2. Next up is adding a bud vase on the shelf with a little greenery (it’s a little detail that’s instantly inviting). 1. Bud Vase | 2. Clear Glass Mini Vase | 3. Small Ceramic Vase 3. Mix in a couple of pillows on the bench to add warmth and texture. Photo by Tessa Neustadt for EHD | From: My House Tour From Good Housekeeping It might seem silly to some to add something like pillows (or a throw) to an area of the home that seems like it could benefit mostly from utility, but hear us out. Some softness goes a long way to making a vignette feel purposeful and not forgotten. Plus, you know…a little lumbar support for when you’re grunting your way through pulling on your boots. Here are a few combos we are very into. 1. Anchal Crescent + Rebecca Atwood Waterfall Stripe | 2. Liana Fringe + Tweed Lumbar | 3. Woven Stripe with Fringe Lumbar + Cable-knit Cushion Cover 4. Spray paint! The last solution we suggest to Sara is to spray paint the woven bins she already has black. Having a contrasting color will create some more dimension. It’s also budget-friendly. (Take a look at the below entry—it’s my house!—where I spray painted the peg rail black to set it visually apart from the “blonder” tones below.) Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp for EHD | From: Makeover Takeover: Jess’ Long Awaited (Small Space) Living Room Reveal Alright, that’s it for today’s agonies. Hopefully, some of you have found some inner design peace on this fine October Tuesday and are feeling empowered to conquer your problem areas. For the rest of you, don’t worry because this is just the beginning. We will still be covering agonies with Emily on her stories (we’ll be running those every Tuesday, so be sure to check back) and then every now and again, diving into them a bit further here with more product resources. If you have any design agonies of your own, feel free to DM Em on Instagram (be sure to write DESIGN AGONY in the prompt so it stands out) and check out the Design Agony highlight on her profile to see what we’ve covered already. For an issue you’re having that might be a deeper dive, be sure to email us at designagony@emilyhendersondesign.com. Love you, mean it. The post 3 Design Agonies, 1 Post: Tricky Lighting, Big Empty Walls & Foyer Styling appeared first on Emily Henderson. #Advice #DesignAgony

Agilenano - News from Agilenano from shopsnetwork (4 sites) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Agilenano-News/~3/0wMjApsSBIY/an-old-friend-is-back-in-town-and-her-name-is-agony-design-agony-1

[agilenano]

Agilenano - News: An old friend is back in town and her name is Agony…Design Agony

This time, we are planning for her to embark on a more permanent residency both on Instagram and here on the blog. If you follow Emily on Instagram, she started answering followers’ design agony questions on stories. It’s been awesome and so far you guys are really into which we love. One of the aspects all of you responded to was getting real product resources. I mean, who doesn’t love that?! So for today’s post, we thought we would recap some of the more product-focused agonies that Em has already tackled but with even more resources. PLUS, so there is something new for everyone, we chose one new agony we think could be helpful to more people. Shall we just get into solving the world’s (design) problems? Yes, I think we should. The Agony: How to Avoid Harsh Lighting For our first Instagram Design Agony, we chose Jenny who was having an issue with her floor task lamp next to her sofa. In her own words, “it’s like looking into the center of the sun.” We get it, directional lamps don’t give off the best light and can be harsh on the eyeballs (yet seem to be everywhere as they’re pretty on trend right now). Why not just use a drum shade lamp? Well, on the other side of her sofa, she already has a lamp with a drum shade and didn’t like the look-alike look. There wasn’t enough contrast and visual interest for her taste. See what she means?? Emily’s Four Solutions 1. Start simple. Try a lower wattage bulb like a soft white 40 watt. We get why people opt for a super bright LED bulb: bright spaces make you happy, right? Well, in the wrong lamp, it can be too harsh for the eyes. Here are three options: 1. EcoSmart 40W Equivalent Dimmable LED Light Bulb | 2. GE Lighting Soft White Long Life | 3. AmazonBasics 40W Equivalent 2. Double arms. To keep the super sculptural look of the task lamp Jenny already has, she could replace it with a double-armed directional lamp. That will help distribute the light a bit more. We think these could be great: 1. Avallone | 2. Geneva Multiple Glass Globe | 3. Bruno Double-Arm 3. Opt for color. Jenny didn’t like the two drum shades but we think she shouldn’t give up on the idea because a drum shade will most often give you the softest light diffusion. To break up the “sameness,” she could change the color of the other drum shade so it doesn’t visually compete. These are our picks: 1. Black Drum | 2. Natural Burlap Drum | 3. Blue Drum 4. Lastly, she could try a hanging sculptural pendant that gives off ambient light. This way, it still looks architectural and cool but the light isn’t so harsh. We are very into these three: 1. Bonbon | 2. Sphere + Stem | 3. Mater Terho Jenny, we hope this helps to solve your “sun” problem and you find the perfect light match. The Agony: What To Do With A Big Empty Wall This is a VERY common “agony” we get asked about…How do I fill up my big empty wall?? Well, in Emily’s instastory, she went through three great options that will hopefully not only help Kristin but also be useful for anyone else having the same issue. But before we get into the tips, the main thing to remember is that you want to break up the wall to add depth and dimension since it’s, well, a pretty big empty wall. So, if you have a truly large wall, stay away from the “one huge piece.” That’s not to say overscale art never works, it does. It can be powerful and fantastic, but to get anything large enough for a wall-like Kristin’s, it would be VERY overwhelming. Now onto the issue at hand. Here is Kristin’s living room… She’s got a great foundation here with some beautiful pieces, but the wall definitely needs some love. Emily’s Three Solutions 1. Create a personalized gallery wall with an articulating sconce like we did in the Atlanta living room we did earlier this year. Also, adding a little sculpture in a wall display box adds a ton of depth and will really make your wall three-dimensional and pop. Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp for EHD | From: Reveal: A Budget and Rental-Friendly Living and Dining Room (With 80% Thrifted Finds) Here are some sconces we think would look great. 1. Envoy Swing | 2. Alto | 3. Nymane These are the kind of display boxes we are talking about. Box #1 was the one we used in the photo above. 1. Bjoernarp | 2. Black Metal Cube (set of 3) | 3. Barkhyttan 2. Another option is to make a grid of art with two matching flanking sconces. In the photo below, the sconces aren’t technically flanking since they are above but it’s the same principle. Photo by Geneieve Garruppo | From: A 120 Year Old Barn Makeover With The Frame TV + Shop The Look These are some great options. 1. Simon Adjustable | 2. Savannah Single | 3. Perry 3. The last suggestion was to hang a large diptych (two corresponding pieces) or triptych (three corresponding pieces) with an added sconces or two to fill and make the space more dimensional. For Kristin’s particular space, if she wants to do just one sconce, we recommend something really sculptural, articulating and placed on the right side of the room (if you are standing in front of the sofa). Two would also be great but wouldn’t need to go so sculptural because it wouldn’t overwhelm the room. Photo by Zeke Ruelas for EHD | From: Silver Lake Hills Living Room Reveal Here are some diptychs and a triptych we think would work in Kristin’s space… 1. Reticent 2pc Printed Tinted Gel Canvas | 2. The Line No 12 + The Line No 16 + The Line No 13 | 3. Calm Forest No. 20 + Calm Forest No. 18 (Pssst…For Emily’s IGTV on how to create a gallery wall, click here!) The (NEW) Agony: An Unstyled Entryway This is a NEVER before shared Design Agony from a reader named Sara. Sara messaged Emily asking if there was styling hope for her entry or if she should just rip it out and start over. Start over??? No need! This is a very cute entry that just needs a bit of styling to bring it to its full potential. The design team has four solutions for Sara… EHD’s Four Solutions: 1. Put some leaning art on the shelf. It will help to draw your eye up and add visual interest to that empty space above the hook ledge. Here’s a good example from Erin Francois’ home tour we shared on the blog last year: Photo and Design by Erin Francois | From: House Tour: A Home Crush A Year In The Making We really like these combos below. Go with only two pieces so it doesn’t feel cluttered, one larger in scale (by at least 4 or 5 inches where they overlap) and the other a bit smaller. 1. Folded Lines + The Chiton | 2. Landscape 151 + Shade | 3. 2:54 AM + Cactus Line Drawing 2. Next up is adding a bud vase on the shelf with a little greenery (it’s a little detail that’s instantly inviting). 1. Bud Vase | 2. Clear Glass Mini Vase | 3. Small Ceramic Vase 3. Mix in a couple of pillows on the bench to add warmth and texture. Photo by Tessa Neustadt for EHD | From: My House Tour From Good Housekeeping It might seem silly to some to add something like pillows (or a throw) to an area of the home that seems like it could benefit mostly from utility, but hear us out. Some softness goes a long way to making a vignette feel purposeful and not forgotten. Plus, you know…a little lumbar support for when you’re grunting your way through pulling on your boots. Here are a few combos we are very into. 1. Anchal Crescent + Rebecca Atwood Waterfall Stripe | 2. Liana Fringe + Tweed Lumbar | 3. Woven Stripe with Fringe Lumbar + Cable-knit Cushion Cover 4. Spray paint! The last solution we suggest to Sara is to spray paint the woven bins she already has black. Having a contrasting color will create some more dimension. It’s also budget-friendly. (Take a look at the below entry—it’s my house!—where I spray painted the peg rail black to set it visually apart from the “blonder” tones below.) Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp for EHD | From: Makeover Takeover: Jess’ Long Awaited (Small Space) Living Room Reveal Alright, that’s it for today’s agonies. Hopefully, some of you have found some inner design peace on this fine October Tuesday and are feeling empowered to conquer your problem areas. For the rest of you, don’t worry because this is just the beginning. We will still be covering agonies with Emily on her stories (we’ll be running those every Tuesday, so be sure to check back) and then every now and again, diving into them a bit further here with more product resources. If you have any design agonies of your own, feel free to DM Em on Instagram (be sure to write DESIGN AGONY in the prompt so it stands out) and check out the Design Agony highlight on her profile to see what we’ve covered already. For an issue you’re having that might be a deeper dive, be sure to email us at designagony@emilyhendersondesign.com. Love you, mean it. The post 3 Design Agonies, 1 Post: Tricky Lighting, Big Empty Walls & Foyer Styling appeared first on Emily Henderson. #DesignAgony #Advice

Agilenano - News from Agilenano from shopsnetwork (4 sites) https://agilenano.com/blogs/news/an-old-friend-is-back-in-town-and-her-name-is-agony-design-agony