#stamp added some extra layers to this too

[general-cyno]

do you ever think abt how knives lived in such a constant state of fear since discovering tesla that he weaponized his body and forsook his ability to produce, the very thing plants are exploited for, and turned it against his (indirect) creators (the ones he had wanted to be accepted by, yet turned out to have hurt another independent like him) in retaliation

[sanctus-ingenium]

I was wondering how achieve such a wonderful textured finish on your pieces? They are wonderful and I love their resemblance to aged photographs and the speckles of colors in the backgrounds. Your art is mesmerizing :)

you can see some of the texture brush sets i use in my #info_asks tag but i have some more (procreate) tips aside from just brushes

also hi i made this whole thing and then stupidly hit ctrl z to erase ONE word and i lost the entire bottom half of the post and all my image descriptions so fuck you tumblr i had to make this twice

to get a faded photo or old digital screen look, consider duplicating the canvas (once all the layers are merged) and using a gaussian blur tool on the new duplicated layer. then set that to low opacity to add a misty sort of look. looks nice in combination with some chromatic abberation and a small bloom effect. then a subtle noise filter on top:

for faded print effects, it's really worthwhile to learn how to use layer masks. you can use a layer mask to non-destructively 'weather' blocks of colour or lineart, without erasing the layer itself. the weathered ink/block print effect here was made using layer masks which means that if i just hide the mask, the lineart becomes solid black again and easy to alter or colour in:

for old paper effects you can just set a paper texture on multiply over the art sure, but you can also combine it with the blur & bloom thing, a really subtle drop shadow and canvas tilt, and highlights to make it look like an aged photograph of a card. this originally had a transparent bg but i'll post it here with a white bg so that the drop shadow is more obvious. the scuffed edges of the card (left) were hand drawn, simple white stucco brush. the bigger patch of scuffed ink (top right) was a texture stamp.

for block print looks you can move the colour layer out of alignment by a few pixels - but only after you're absolutely sure you're done with it, otherwise you'll get something like this -

i forgot to erase out her eye before i moved the red layer so now her eye defeats the 'look' of a misaligned print. the black lineart and red layer were also given the same layer mask treatment as described above to make them look faded or like the ink didn't stick down right to the paper

you can do this with multiple colour layers too. if the colour layers are separated and set to multiply (as in this cmyk example), it'll leave halos and edges around each shape which mimic old comic book print

just to show what you can do WITHOUT any special brushes, here's a piece of one of my mez tarot cards from before i got any extra brushsets at all. for this one, i added a green tint over everything to mimic a sun-bleached or faded print (my actual goal wasn't 'medieval illustration' but actually 'trading card from the 60s that got left on someone's windowsill for decades'). the background texture is the procreate noise brush. the texture under the green lion drawing is the procreate concrete brush (to make it look painted onto a wall). the lettering and lineart is procreate's 6B pencil. but to properly aim for The Look of it being a printed physical object, i also used a perspective blur so that the edges are out of focus, and metallic gold highlights which don't match the lighting of the actual illustration and appear to be catching some other external light. that texture was made from the procreate noise brush

it's pretty simple compared to my later stuff but i still really like the effect

in terms of colours, you need to keep them unified so that they all appear to be acting under the same external light source, like if someone is holding up a torch to a painting then the painting colours will be glazed with firelight even if there's no painted fire. a really easy way to do this is to slap a multiply layer over everything in one shade - grey-yellow for a weathered paper look, or greenish blue for sunbleached photos. this unifies all the colours of the drawing. or you can apply a gradient map at a low opacity so that there's only a subtle change. or just do it by hand - if you want everything to be slightly tinted yellow, just pick the colours you normally would, but move the colour wheel towards yellow to get a yellowfied version of the base colour. easy

it's really important to consider how fading and weathering can affect printed colour. white paper yellows, black fades. you will rarely see pure black or pure white. which means you can use pure black or pure white to add external effects like the white scuff marks on the hierophant card. if the whole drawing is yellowed from age but there's some white somewhere, it's an easy shorthand to show that the scuff mark or whatever was not originally part of the drawing (great way to add some nasty stains lol)

[packet-of-staples]

So I found some Rawfury videos of Yuri Lowenthal, Krizia Bajos and Cissy Jones talking about their characters and talking about the game before it was released (I was looking for clips for OC voice claims) and there was something in Cissy's Vivian video that kinda stuck out to me.

So what she says about Vivian exactly is: "Arcadia to her is- its not only where she's built her career, its where she's building her legacy, and uh, for her this is something really important. She wants to leave something of value, something that's worth a lot to people-"

Now, from a non spoiler point of view this is like, oh yeah rich Ceo lady wants to leave a mark on the world. Ceos are always talking about legacy, wanting to leave something behind, be something great yadda yadda. Added bonus if you know that she's supposed to be Elijah's '''Granddaughter''', she wants to continue her family's legacy all checks out.

But, knowing who she really is, not Elijah's granddaughter but one of the Arcadia 6, makes this sentence a lot more interesting. You could see this as her wanting to remake her legacy, because she technically already had one. Emily Garland is one of the 6 Arcadian born citizens to escape the dome, that's something pretty cool to be known for. But she threw that away, she sold out and chose to support the very company that oppressed her and many others like her. So now she has to make something more of herself to justify that choice. If she can make Arcadia greater, bring it out of its current slump like Howard Ashman did for Disney, then she's no longer the escapee who sold out because she was too weak to handle the outside world, she's the amazing woman who made American Arcadia popular again!

Cissy goes on to say: "-and so she works really really hard to make this thing, um, the best it can be with the most interesting people-" (She also goes on to call Trevor 'a bit of an L 7' or a square and I think that's really funny, like yeah, yeah he wouldn't be there, he would be square)

She does work really hard to leave something that, in her eyes, is positive to her image. She's reinventing herself to make her crawling back to the company worth it. To prove to herself that it wasn't a mistake and to leave a legacy that, hopefully, most people will look fondly on instead of in contempt or betrayal. She wants to leave something of value, because I can imagine there is a part of her that doesn't hold any value in herself, not after failing to make a difference that actually mattered and becoming part of the problem.

And I dunno I feel like that adds just an extra layer to her which is pretty cool. I could also be reading way too much into this idk.

Anyway, the other two videos are very cool too. Yuri talks about how Trevor's life isn't boring like Walton thinks it is, its just 'Exciting in the wrong way'. He also talks about how he thinks lots of people will relate to Trevor (So true) and how just because your life may be simple, it doesn't mean its boring and not worth living which I think is very sweet. Thank you Yuri. Krizia talks about how she really related to Angela because she grew up on Puerto Rico and how she got to add a couple of 'spicy words' as she put it, in her dialogue for a bit of extra authenticity. She also talked about how Walton was the job Angela always wanted, but after 'peaking behind the curtain' she realised that it wasn't the dream she thought is was, it's both kinda heart breaking but also very relatable, especially I'm sure to those in the entertainment industry. It makes me really want to know what her 'peak behind the curtain' moment was and what the steps where to get her to this point in more detail (Hey hey, Out of the Blue, hey please. please make that prologue thing you said was a good idea of mine on twitter. Hey, please? Please? It has the Regi Davis stamp of approval, please?)

The videos are very cool I'll put them under the cut if you're interested. I just wanted to have a ramble cause I haven't in a while and I've just been thinking about this.

[granulesofsand]

What would the differences in programming be in someone who was higher up in a group vs lower if you are aware? I have trouble finding info on this.

Also in some groups is there specific programming/abuse used to train certain children for the role of a programmer or handler or kind of more in charge? What could that look like? I know most people exposed to RA have been forced to abuse others so I am talking about if someone was specifically being groomed to specifically become a programmer or a higher up member of the group.

Differences in Programmed Roles

🗝️🏷️ RAMCOA, programming and deprogramming, torture, trafficking

This is going to vary by group, but I can give some examples from our cult of origin. I will also assume the group is programming a CDD as opposed to OSDD-2, which does not include alters.

There were/are three paths to get into leadership.

The first is being born into it: your parents are influential or important, there was a prophetic foretelling you fit, someone looked at you and went “that baby looks like a priest”, etc.

The second is growing into it: caregivers notice you’re crafty or cruel or showing signs of leadership qualities, you do well in competitions for power, your programming is well-suited for a particular group role, and so on.

The third is lack of successors: too many kids died before taking on a role, the group was small to begin with, you have traits no one else does at the time they’re needed, that kind of thing.

There are overlaps in the kinds of programming each pathway comes with, and there are places where they blur or become more distinct.

Early Start

A child born for or sorted early into a role will have different torture experiences. This could look like more extreme torture in early life, more use of fancy equipment, or more double binds and catch-22s to convince the child they belong in the position or have the desired trait.

The tricks used for these trainings include more coerced perpetration, intricate arrangements of the system and higher ups, and more splitting to keep trauma memories away from internal authorities.

Subsystems were extra common for these kids in our group. The perps needed higher ups who thought they were living the good life while still keeping them in check and adding more layers of backups. Inner children were present in many adult alters, but the shell of the subsystem rarely knew of any such others.

They got a lot of conditioning to stamp out empathy and encourage that creative cruelty programmers function off of.

Leadership roles intended to be used in ceremonies or in ‘knowledgeable’ positions would have more training to view themselves as above and continue learning, while those who arranged meetings or kept money might have more fear and self-preservation as a base.

The extremes were also more visible in those kids, and eventually the adults they became. Their cover alters could be absolutely clueless while their workers orchestrated large events behind the scenes. Higher ups would be either godly or almost naive, and the trauma-holding alters behind them were terrified and skittish.

Many children are told they are ‘chosen��� or ‘better’ in some way to keep them behaving, but the variations on how far a group goes with each child matters. Some of those kids are rebellious and being ‘tamed’, others are perfect candidates who stay long into adulthood.

In Childhood

Kids, or sometimes adults, who were routed in later had different bases. Some of them might have been intended to fill a different role and so undergo restructuring. Others have organic systems who are arranged for the abusers’ benefit. Some were programmed for one thing and ended up fitting better in this role.

These systems might be simpler compared to same-age peers. Often they are led on with praises and rewards to entice particular alters into loyalty. Tortures might be worse, harsher and longer-lasting to recover lost time.

Most leadership roles were filled by kids placed in around 4-7 years old. They usually had other branches started, some of them still in use, and were a safe bet for perps because they had time to get to know the system and program fine details.

By 8-12, children were taking on more practical responsibilities. They may have some branches still open, and each will be in active use, if a bit lower-risk in tasks. Rank changes were more common around here because children were becoming more cognizant of their surroundings. Some were placed lower for inability or resistance, others rose up through demonstration of skill.

Different ≠ Better

It’s important to know that every system was hurt badly to create their programming. Children with rank early on might have had luxuries, but that didn’t mean it was better.

They might have been guaranteed longer lives or only received punishment behind closed doors, but neither of those options are truly worth their cost.

Plenty of systems have this divide internally as well, the ones who didn’t suffer or didn’t believe they were suffering and the ones who did.

Alters in this stage may be told they are gaining higher knowledge, getting closer to a deity, or achieving power. Those things might have been true to the alter, but don’t hold up in safe environments.

It takes support for those wounds to heal, and the system can’t function healthily if internal programmers are still enforcing training or punishers are still doling out torture. It may take them longer, especially if they’re integrating with subsystem members, to get to a point of understanding.

Later Life

Age 13 was important for our group, some mix of fundie traditions and the satanic-pagan mix they created, and this was when formal inductions into roles began. They usually didn’t fully take over the position, but they became eligible to do so if the opportunity arose.

Few children were herded in at this point, usually only if there were no other options of any age. Adults or teens getting slapped into a role was more common, especially when there were no options or they had been a runner-up.

They were rarely given the same apprentice-role, instead moving in after a death or absence of the last occupant. If the previous system was only away for a short while, they would likely be substituted with their younger trainees. Longer leaves followed by return would fall to older members, as would positions with no young option.

Older members suddenly placed would receive intensive torture and programming for longer than a pre-trained member. They got neither the privilege nor the freedom from expectation, and accidental deaths were proportionally more frequent.

Across the Board

All these systems would be programmed with Delta-Zeta sets (violence-desensitization). Most would get some strong degree of Gamma (loyalty) and Eta (neverending abuse) keep them feeling responsible to the group. Our group used a lot of heavy Theta (ideology) programs to make higher ups feel important and imbued with meaning.

Less obedient commanding roles might have emphasis on Chi (callback) programming and Alpha (base/access) cues to allow a handler to switch in relevant alters.

The conditions and details are very different between roles, but they are all tortured and controlled to the extreme.

Our System

For us, we had pathways kept from around 5 up until we found ourselves out of the group for programming and ritual roles. We were lucky to have less visible damage to our body, but torture was still dangerous and left us permanently disabled.

There were more large ceremonies around us specifically, and we weigh heavy in programmer and priest(ess) alters. Most notable incidents of punishment were with the family group only, and our following absence was explained as sickness or a short trip even to the larger cult.

There was versatility in how we were used until we were 10, and even afterwards we were trafficked and taking other pathway roles. There was less of everything after 13, but still heavy programming that only faded after we moved away, and that isn’t completely gone.

Probably we’ll be stuck getting pulled in for reprogramming until we escape and deprogram to the fullest possible. The group we came from does harass ‘traitors’, but rarely continue physical attacks.

That’s All

I can think of some more differences, but most require details we aren’t willing to share currently. I hope that made some sense, even if your experience is far from ours.

This information is not private, but in the future I feel safer with some indication of common ground, even if only a ‘we’ or ‘couldn’t tell from my/my acquaintance’s group’. It is not required, but it provides background on how much we should explain and what information would be useful.

[tricked-out]

Hi there. I have a prompt request for your anthology. It includes Ivy being sick at home and off school. Her parents are out for the day and she doesn’t want to be alone so, you guessed it, she goes to Jack. Cue Jack doting on his human while she’s ill. Hope you like it.

(Thanks Anon, I did!! Read the full excerpt below the cut or on FF here)

Ivy scowled at herself in the mirror. That in itself wasn't particularly new, but the ever-present redness in her cheeks and the weird shine in her eyes was. Her throat and back were sore, but she ignored them stubbornly and doused her face in cold water instead, hoping that might clear the stupid fog in her head.

It didn't work. And now her face was cold. Great.

She stumbled her way back to her bedroom, wondering if she could get away with adding another layer without looking suspicious. The autumn weather was setting in, so that might help mask the chills that were starting up and down her body. She wasn't sniffing or anything, so hopefully the increasing soreness of her throat could pass by undetected. The fluffy warmth of her bed was calling, covers pulled back perfectly to display her spot, but Ivy resisted and pulled on an extra sweater. She'd be fine. Pop a DayQuil, maybe drink enough water for once, and it'd be fine.

It had to be. She may…not have to go to school at the moment, but somebody had to make sure Anton got up, and since – she checked her watch – both her parents were at work now, it had to be her.

Steadying herself against Anton's door, she took a deep breath and knocked. "C'mon, Little Leite. Up 'n at 'em."

No response, but even with her blocked ears Ivy could hear her little brother groaning and pulling the covers up higher. Enhanced hearing had its benefits, after all.

She knocked again, wincing as the sound bounced off the walls. (Ok, maybe not.) "Anton, dude, you've gotta get up. Wach auf, Kind. You're gonna be late."

A high-pitched whine and no movement. Normally she'd be just plain frustrated, but today Ivy felt a surge of jealousy that she couldn't be the one under the covers. But noooo, she had to be responsible today, because if she wasn't –

New tactic. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the door, mentally preparing herself for the pain in her throat. "All right, you asked for it." She dramatically cleared her throat, grinning to herself.

"Waaaaach auf, wach auf du deutsches Kind! Du hast genug geschlaaaaafen!"

"Nein!" Anton yelled from within. "Nein no no nein NO!"

„Drum magst du wohl aufaaaachen!"

Ivy was many things, but a singer was not one of them. Anton burst through the door, full of six-year-old fury. He stamped to the kitchen for his Muesli and Ivy cut off the song, grinning despite the renewed pain in her throat.

It was easy enough from there – pretend to run a brush through his hair, shove some snacks in his backpack, help him tie his shoes. (Only after he insisted on trying it himself half a dozen times, naturlich.) But the moment her little brother walked out the door, waving once before sprinting down the road to Kindergarten, her symptoms came back in full force. The distraction was over.

Ok, fine, a bit more sleep. Ivy checked the locks and trudged upstairs, swallowing down what was (hopefully) the correct dosage before flopping back into bed.

This wasn't too bad, she thought. Her classmates were off learning calculus or whatever, and she got to (had to) stay home, instead of learning or studying or seeing her friends or –

She rolled over and yanked the covers up over her head.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Ivy woke up - or, at least thought she did. The room was pitch black, her mouth was dry, and her heart still pounded from whatever strange fever dream she'd had. She was under every blanket she could find but her teeth still chattered. She rolled onto her stomach and fought to breathe, trying to piece together where reality and the dream world were separate.

Her principal reading aloud the contents of a letter, exposing her for being connected to Halloween? Ok, not real, but almost -

Being recruited for some strange interdimensional team that wore bright pink? Definitely not real.

Both her ears totally blocked? Real.

Jack talking to her? Not real.

"Are you there or not?"

Wait, what?

Jack's voice following her out of her dream and into the (presumable) waking world cleared away the exhaustion, but not the delirium. She considered, briefly, sitting up. The thought of dealing with whatever auditory hallucination this was and moving was way too much.

"Jack?" She whispered, holding perfectly still and unsure of what response she wanted.

"Ah, you are there! Why are you in the dark? Why do you sound like that?"

Questions. Too many questions. Ivy reached out a hand and fumbled for her Rollladen strap, yanking the blinds up and burying her face into the bed as the sunlight shot into her cave of a room.

"My, that is quite bri- ah. Um. Am I interrupting something?"

The human counted to five before turning her head, grateful that Jack's lanky ass frame wasn't really in her room. Instead, his voice (and image) came from a small mirror hanging on her wall. Jack looked puzzled; his head tilted in its usual cat-like fashion. Ivy considered flipping him off before deciding it was too much effort.

Oh, he had asked something, hadn't he.

"Yes." She grouched, pulling the covers up higher under her chin. "Go away."

Because he couldn't take a hint to save his life, Jack only clicked his teeth at her. "Come now, I thought you're only supposed to be nocturnal in Halloween! It's midday, my girl, let's go!"

Ivy inhaled deeply to start arguing, but at that moment her throat gave a warning tickle before she launched into an eye-watering coughing fit. She clawed her way upright, leaning against the back wall and tried to breathe it out. God, weren't you supposed to feel better after resting?

She fumbled for her water bottle and downed the rest until the cough finally eased. Head pounding, she turned to glare through bloodshot eyes at Jack, who had the decency to look at least slightly sheepish.

"Human ailment, I suppose?" He offered weakly. This time, Ivy managed to find the energy and flipped the skeleton off, sniffing as she did so.

"If you want me to look at new Halloween decorations again, I'm throwing something at you," she said through the phlegm in her throat, waving the empty bottle warningly. "I'm so serious, Jack."

Jack frowned. "You sound awful."

"Gee, thanks."

"Do you need anything?"

Ivy sighed, looking around her room. She had meds. She had water. She even had a bucket in case things got worse. Realistically, she had everything she needed.

But it wasn't everything she wanted. A memory flashed by of her dad cutting toast into strips, of her mom making lavender tea with an amount of honey that would be way too much normally but somehow felt perfect. And sure, she could get up and hobble to the kitchen and get those things, but it wouldn't be – it wouldn't be the same.

For a moment, she let herself imagine Jack's no doubt cool hands on her face but dismissed it immediately. Jack had better things to do, especially this close to Halloween.

"I'm ok, Jack," she said, shrugging. Her chest was hurting, her voice raspy, and all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep (maybe after a good cry). "I'll just sleep some more until Anton gets home."

She wasn't looking at him, but Ivy could tell he was squinting his eye sockets at her, trying to see how far he should press.

"Are you parents there?"

"Nah, but it's fine. They'll probably be back tomorrow."

Another long silence. Ivy drank more water and fiddled with the top of her bedsheet, already feeling herself slip into a doze.

"Alright," Jack finally said, though she could hear the doubt in his voice plain as day. "I'd come in there properly to check but – "

"The Rules – "

"Yes, those Rules. But if you need anything – anything at all – you find the nearest Gateway and come to me, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah." She waved her hand, flopping back down and tucking herself in haphazardly, stubbornly ignoring the sweat on her sheets. The mirror went fuzzy, and Jack's face vanished.

Yes. Leave off with the pesky, cranky, sickly human and dive back into Halloween prep. Ivy held the water bottle close to her chest, a faux comfort item. She'd be fine, she decided as she closed her eyes. Maybe just a bit more sleep…

The next thing in her awareness was the sound of rain absolutely slamming into her window. Her limbs seemed to be filled with wet sand, and even blinking felt way too exhausting. She winced from the grey light coming in through the window, squinted eyes tracking a stray raindrop before she slid her eyes closed again.

Her mouth was dry, but the bottle in her loose grasp was empty. She couldn't have been asleep long – there were still hours to go before Anton would be home, when the house wouldn't feel quite so empty.

God. Even if they couldn't do anything, she wanted her parents. The fever made her vision watery as she thought about it. Would they even be willing to look after her like they had when she was little? Or was that only for the daughter she'd been before?

How did anybody do this, getting sick all alone?

Teeth chattering, she stumbled out of bed and shoved her feet into her Hausschuhe, yanking her robe on for good measure. It did absolutely nothing – the chills were coming from within, despite the sweat on her back. She sneezed and gripped the banister, making her way downstairs. She needed another dose of medicine and some honey, jezt.

The process felt far more tedious than usual. Get the kettle. Find a clean mug. Try not to pass out while she waited, swaying from side to side on the cold kitchen floor. She blinked at the kitchen clock, the hand doubling before her eyes. She rested her forehead against the cabinet door, breathing through her mouth. It made her chapped lips worse.

"Yeesh, kid, you look like a walking corpse. And believe me, I've seen way too many of those things."

As it turned out, Ivy's normal senses weren't the only things dulled. Her Halloween instincts, buried deep within her and hibernating, suddenly leapt to life at the sound of the voice. Adrenaline reluctantly flooded her body as she grabbed the handle of the saucepan (thankfully not yet filled with water) and swung.

"HEY! Watch where you're swinging that – uh…"

Oh, hell, that had been a mistake. Ivy didn't bother to feel relieved, crouching down and coughing as the adrenaline seeped from her body. Dizzy now, very dizzy, world spinning very very fast -

"Ah, shit." Marvel – because who else would it goddamn be – seemed to shuffle next to her as she sat (collapsed) on the floor before one invisible hand patted her back. "There ya go, kid, crunchy cough it out."

"I – hate – you," Ivy wheezed. She jabbed the handle of the saucepan into the invisible man's side, too tired to properly appreciate his small yelp of pain.

"Yeah, sure ya do. You gonna get up?"

"No."

"Eh, fair." She heard the slap of skin on linoleum (ew) as Marvel sat down next to her, one naked shoulder bumping hers.

"Ok, so what are you – "

"Jack sent me to check on you," Marvel replied almost lazily. If he was visible, Ivy was sure she'd see him stretched out across her floor. "Wouldn't shut up about it either, so you'll forgive me for seeking some peace."

Ivy sniffed and leaned back fully against the cabinets. The thought was… well, ok, it was a little comforting, but not without a slight burn of humiliation. "Look, I know I'm, like, centuries younger than you guys, but I'm not a little kid." She glared at Marvel, hoping her anger made up for her less than impressive appearance. "I'm not gonna drop dead from a cold; I can take care of myself just fine."

"First of all, you're only a few decades younger than me, so don't go aging me more. Second, no shit you can take care of yourself; you've been doing that for months. But that doesn't mean you have to."

She wanted to argue, really she did, but that took energy, energy she just didn't have. So she crossed her arms instead, fighting back against the frustration in her throat.

Neither of them moved for a long moment. Marvel, for once, was keeping his mouth shut, seemingly content to play with a rubber band left on the kitchen floor. Lazily, she tracked it with her eyes.

"So you're feeling like - "

"Shut up." Her lips were dry and cracked. The kitchen was dark, the rain outside casting a soothing pattern against the glass. She couldn't quite focus her eyes get her night vision to kick in, leaving the edges of her awareness blurry and soft. The whole world seemed to match the image outside her window: smeared and unfocused and very, very distant. "C'n…my meds, on the – they're on the counter, can you toss 'em down?"

"That's Jack's job, kid, not mine. I'm not doing this for you."

"Bullshit," she whispered drowsily.

"That's – whatever. Not arguing with you. We're going to – you know, let's get horizontal, ok?"

"Hmm?"

She thought she heard Marvel huff, though the sound didn't seem as annoyed as she'd expected. "Ok, that's enough of that. Don't pass out on me."

"Jack," she whispered. Nausea suddenly struck her stomach.

"Uh, nope, wrong monster. Marvel, remember? Your favorite invisible pal?"

"No." God, she was tired. Who filled her limbs with wet sand? "Jack…can Jack…"

"Look, if I try and punt you through a Gateway right now, you're gonna dissolve. You get that? Rupture, scatter across the cosmos, all of that. No Halloween trip this time, kiddo."

Ivy's breath came a little faster. "Jack – I – Jack – "

"I'm not - are you gonna hurl? Oh, damn, don't do that. Ok, look, c'mon, let's get you off the – "

"An – Anton –"

"Covered." There was the sound of fingers snapping together, somehow close and far away at the same time. "Look at – kid, look at me."

"How'm…how am I supposed to – "

"Ok, fine, you know that - that one's on me. When do your parents get home?"

"Weiß nicht." Whispering was a lot harder when you were trying not to cry. "I don't - I don't know what – time is it? When is… I don't know…"

"Shit. Don't go – do not cry on me, you little -"

She couldn't even retort. Her throat hurt so bad. Everything hurt.

"Son of a…alright, alright, listen to me."

He was really close, Ivy noted distantly. Normally the thought would freak her out, but right now, with the world as fuzzy as it was, she couldn't find the energy to care.

"Close your eyes, kid."

Well, that wasn't a hard request.

"Great. Good. Alright, now, just focus on not passing out, alright? Keep those eyes shut. Don't want you yakin' up everything you've got." He heaved her to her feet, and Ivy's knees buckled.

She didn't know what happened next – maybe she passed out, maybe she just blocked the memory of whatever strange travel she'd made, but the next thing to come to her awareness was the familiar press of bone against her cheek. There was a low voice speaking to her, tinged with amusement, but she couldn't understand a word of it. All the same, she fought to turn her head towards the hand, a shiver running down her spine as the laugh she got in response, steady and deep.

Blinking her eyes open – or at least, half-open – gave her the sight she was expecting. There was Jack: still fuzzy in her squinted eyesight, but there all the same, his black jacket off and white sleeves rolled up. He didn't seem surprised to see her stirring, but he patted her cheek all the same.

"I'll wait to say, 'I told you so' until you're a bit better," Jack teased, in almost a whisper. "So focus on curing that human ailment of yours, alright?"

"M'not sick," she said, closing her eyes all the same to avoid Jack's grin. "J's tired."

"If you say so. Now go back to sleep."

"N'pe."

She didn't hear his response, already dead to the world once more.

XXXXX

Time was pretty irrelevant, Ivy thought. Her watch wasn't on her wrist, but she didn't think she could read the tiny numbers anyway. The room was dark every time she opened her eyes from naps that felt like they stretched on forever but took no time at all. Even with her ears blocked, she could hear one familiar sound: Jack's bones creaking as he sat next to her or walked over the floorboards, Jack humming to himself, Jack whispering something to her. She should listen, she knew she should, but all she could do was snatch snippets before sinking back into the soft surface beneath her.

"Alright, my girl. Ready for some water?"

"Easy, easy now. You're safe."

"It's over, love. I promise. You're not there anymore."

"Please don't cry."

She'd been crying? God, her head hurt.

When she could focus enough to hold her eyes open for more than a few seconds, Ivy's sweaty brow furrowed in confusion. Instead of the candlelit rooms of Skellington Manor, with scratchy blankets and the sound of screams in the background, she was facing her rather plain kitchen. Strewn across the sofa, with several (too soft) blankets piled on her, Ivy took in the sight of the empty room. A single light was on, the dishes from Anton's breakfast still piled high, and a clock ticked comfortingly in the distance.

The loneliness crashed harder than she could've ever expected. A pain seized her chest, her breathing becoming shallow. Had she imagined all of it? Was she really so much of a baby, so pathetic that she'd thought up Jack being there? Did she really want to be back in Halloween so bad that she'd hallucinated him?

"Not a single bit of elderflower or yarrow anywhere," came an annoyed grumble from the next room. "Honestly, humans, you'd think you'd – Ivy?"

What. What. Ivy stared, her breathing picking up in pace as she stared at the impossible sight.

Because – Jack? Jack was here? The image before her made no sense, no matter how long she looked. Jack was standing there, slightly hunched over to not hit her ceiling. He had a collection of loose tea leaves in his hand and a disgruntled look on his face that melted instantly upon seeing her. And that was – it was a welcome sight, sure, but it was still Jack who was here, looking so odd next to the microwave and picture of her family and he was in her house –

"Ivy? What's wrong?" Jack came closer, freezing when Ivy scrambled back, pressing herself against the couch. Her eyes were wide and glassy, and she was gripping the armrest with impressive strength for her state. He set the tea onto a side table and held his hands up, slowly crouching and approaching once more. She didn't move, eyes tracking his motions and he knelt in front of her, putting them at eye level. Her breaths were ragged, and she wasn't quite looking at him anymore – she almost seemed to be staring through him, to something that wasn't there.

"Ivy, can you take a breath for – "

"Are you here?" Ivy whispered, voice small and cracked. "Like – really here."

Jack frowned. "Of course, love. Why would - "

"Please don't lie to me," she begged. Her eyes were shiny, not just from fever but the tears he could see forming. She still wasn't looking at him, her hands shaking. "I can't, I don't know what's – don't lie, are you here, please – "

He took her hand (ignoring the way she flinched) and guided it to the top of his ribcage, then clasping her other in both of his own. "I'm here, Ivy. I promise. It's just you and me right now, alright?"

"I think I'm seeing stuff," Ivy whispered, still as a statue. Her hands twitched. "You're – how are you here? I thought the Rules – "

Jack couldn't help but snort at that. "I'm the one who set the spell, you don't think I can amend it?"

"But – but I told you I was – "

"And you think I'd just believe that and let you go on your way?" Jack tsk'd at her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Even if I didn't have my own concerns, Marvel running into the Manor like the Town was on fire told me all I needed to know."

"Marv…he was…so he was here too? I wasn't – "

"He was here," Jack assured her, not liking the way her voice shook in the slightest. "You're not going crazy, I promise. No more than any of the rest of us, anyway." She swallowed at that, eyes still darting around as though she were in a crowded room. "Can you look at me?" He slid in some of his persuasive charm, just light enough to calm, and waited patiently as her eyes finally met his sockets. She gasped and shuddered, blinking furiously. "That's it, Ivy. Can you see me?"

"I – yeah."

"Can you see just me?"

She shuddered again, and Jack watched curiously as the gooseflesh traveled up her arms. She closed her eyes and shook her head forcefully, as though attempting to knock something loose. Jack tapped out a mindless pattern on the back of her too-warm hand, waiting. Finally, she opened her eyes once more and bit her lip, staring at him.

"Alright, now – Oh!"

Ivy's grasp on his lapel tightened and she fell forward, giving a rather clumsy but forceful hug. She shook in his thin arms as he hastened to return it, keeping her steady as she shook off the last of her confusion.

"Jack?"

"There's my girl," he said with a smile. "Are you with me?"

She nodded against him but made no move to get up. It couldn't be comfortable, slumped over the way she was, but she didn't seem to mind. Jack eyed a nearby candle and urged it to light, letting the warm flame slowly bathe the room in a soft glow. Another mental nudge and the switch on the wall flipped down, plunging the two into a more familiar darkness. Slowly, gradually, Ivy's breathing slowed as she calmed down. Carefully, Jack gathered her thin hair and peeled it away from her skin, feeling the heat where her face was pressed against his chest. He gently laid his cold bone hand against the burning skin of her neck, feeling her sigh in relief.

"Oh, dude, that feels awesome."

Now that sounded more like his human. "I'd imagine," Jack answered. "That fever feels terrible, if I do say so myself. How do you go about living with no treatments for it?"

He could feel her lips turn into a frown. "What do you mean?"

"You've no medical plants in this house! Where is your supply, eh? Have you any yarrow I can use, or is every human determined to stubborn their way through illness like you?"

"We don't use that, Bone Boy," came the muffled response. "If you'd grabbed me the Tylenol, that would've been fine."

"…the Tylo-what?"

"Human medicine," she said, still slumped against him. "For dumb sick humans like me."

Jack urged her up, gently taking her chin in his hand. Her face was pale aside from the red splotches on her cheeks, the skin creased where she'd been laying on the couch. Her hair was an absolute mess. "Listen here," he said sternly, "it's not your fault for being sick – I presume, anyway. You are fragile, yes, very. However – "

"But Jack – "

"It was 'dumb' to not ask for help." He knew she still wasn't in the state to accept advice – if she ever was – but a sense of duty moved him to speak. "If I ask you if you need help, I expect an honest answer."

The human squirmed, trying to get out of his grip, but Jack held fast. "But…we're pretty close to Halloween, Jack, don't you have – "

"Oh, ye human of little faith." Jack sighed and tapped her nose. "We have been running Halloween for centuries, my girl, my absence of a few hours won't derail things."

In fact, a dark voice in his head whispered, it runs too smoothly, doesn't it? No need for a Pumpkin King when things are the same as they were before and before and before and –

"Still feels stupid," Ivy muttered, oblivious to the skeleton's thoughts. "Sixteen and I can't even – wait, did you say a few hours? Anton – "

"Your brother is fine," Jack said patiently, keeping his hold on the human that attempted to launch off the couch. "He's asleep now, upstairs. As you should be, young lady."

"No way." She shook her head rapidly. "I can't, it's – no, Jack."

"I'm getting déjà vu from this conversation, love."

She attempted to glare at him, smacking his hands. "When you regain the ability to have freaky fever dreams, then you can tell me not to go back to sleep."

He dipped his head. "Very well. Tell me where to fetch your strange human medicine and we'll see about getting you on the mend, hmm?"

He rose to go, ready for her instructions, when her hand shot out and grabbed his sleeve. They both stared at her grasp, Ivy looking as startled as he. "Yes?" He asked.

"Sorry." She let go, clearly reluctant, and pulled her hand back to her chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to – sorry."

"It's…it's alright," he said, tilting his head at her. Something was off here, something beyond his understanding, and Jack's curiosity demanded he get to the bottom of it. "What is it?"

"Nothing, Jack, medicine is upstairs in the – "

"Tell me."

Slightly more power now, but Jack couldn't feel regretful. He waited, arms crossed, until she finally mumbled an answer.

"It's just…I know you're here, or – I'm as sure as I'm gonna get, anyway. But I don't want to…I don't know, forget that when you leave." She shrugged, forcefully casual, as if her words didn't make Jack's ribs ache.

"Come now," he said, trying to grin. "You've seen me, you've heard me, you've touched me. That feels real, doesn't it?"

Ivy wasn't looking at him again, her eyes fixated on some faraway point. "I dunno," she whispered. "There's a lot of stuff that feels real that…can't be."

Warning bells went up in Jack's mind. He crouched back down, trying to get back into Ivy's eyeline. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head.

"Ivy, tell me, what do you mean?"

It was the most power he'd used yet, but this time there was no effect. He watched, almost angry, as she closed herself off, an eerie blankness falling over her face. Ivy, for better or worse, wore every expression and feeling openly, even when she tried to mask them. To see her fully retreat inside herself, as though her soul slipped from her body, was a sight that sent a chill up Jack's spine. It was pointless; the human wouldn't say any more on the matter. Despite his question, Jack wasn't sure if he wanted her to.

Before she went too far from him, Jack leaned forward and scooped the human up, standing and holding her on his hip. It took a few moments, but Ivy shook off some of her stupor, blinking at him in confusion. "Uh, Jack? What're – "

"Easiest way for me not to vanish," Jack said breezily. "Or, if I do, we'll vanish together. Now. Which way to your cures?"

Ivy laughed for the first time since he'd arrived. It was husky and weak, but sweet all the same.

With Ivy's whispered directions, Jack navigated his way to the second floor of the Kunze residence. The hallway was dark, and Ivy insisted on peeking into Anton's door, just to be sure. Together, they watched the small human boy breathe, his fingers loosely curled around a stuffed giraffe. From there, he set her on the counter in her parents' bath, where she popped two bright red capsules into her mouth from an obnoxiously colored bottle. Jack wasn't sure what help the two pieces could be, smaller even than candy, but Ivy seemed certain they'd help. No matter: he'd take a placebo effect if it would help.

Back downstairs, he lit the kettle (thankfully their stove was one he could understand) as Ivy re-tucked herself into the blankets, swapping out the ones too sweaty for use. Her eyelids were almost beginning to drop when he returned with a new hot cup of tea and honey, with a few of his own Halloween editions crushed at the bottom. She may have trusted the capsules, but Jack knew a few of his own supplies wouldn't hurt. He sat next to her on the couch, marveling at the lack of rips and stains as she sipped. It didn't take long for her to worm her way under his arm, leaning into his ribs and sighing in deep contentment. With practiced hands, he dragged his fingers over her scalp, the repetitive motion soothing them both.

"y'r good at this," Ivy slurred. Her eyes kept dropping shut before she'd fight to open them again, with a determination that dared him to ask her to sleep. Jack didn't bother, knowing a bit of patience would give him what he wanted. Ah, teenagers.

"Well, I have had some practice," he teased.

"Yeah." She repositioned herself, trying to press even closer. Jack kept his arm tight, hoping his touch could say what words couldn't. "Did James ever get sick like this?"

Jack's fingers stilled. He hadn't meant his son from long ago, thinking more of Ivy's coma in Halloween, but the memories demanded his attention all the same. Reluctantly, he let himself comb through them. It was always hard, their clarity lost to the centuries, but the more time he spent around Ivy, the easier it became to remember his other child.

"A few times, yes." Jack smoothed a hand down her back, staring into the candle flame. "He had smallpox, as a boy. He shook for weeks." Jack could see hands replacing cold cloths on James' head, the boy's features blurred. "When that rash appeared, I thought for sure it was the end of him, but within two days he was nearly better. We were lucky, I think."

"Jeez." Ivy sighed, one hand coming up to clutch Jack's sleeve again. He pretended not to notice, smiling to himself when this made her secure her grip. "Smallpox sounds way worse than this."

"Suffering is suffering," Jack chided mildly. "It makes no difference to the illness if that of another is better or worse."

"Hmm." Her eyes were closed, but he could tell she was still awake. "Can you tell me more about him? About James?"

"I…I don't remember much."

"S'ok," she mumbled. "You always rememb'r the important stuff."

It didn't feel that way to Jack, but he wouldn't deny her this. And so, he dove back into his treasured, limited memories: the day his son first learned to walk, the time he'd caught a frog and accidentally released it into the house, the pride on his face when he'd first held his own child. His voice returned to its low, smooth monotone as he traveled through distant, misty memories. He slipped into Irish at one point, hypnotized by familiar way the words formed, but Ivy stiffening under him caused him to switch once more. He settled on Latin until the tension seeped from her body. He talked until his own throat grew dry, until he'd gone over everything he could recall, until his ribs hurt. James was long since gone from every plane, but in moments like these, he almost seemed to return to life. A perfect ghost to haunt Jack's memories, a beautiful, welcome pain.

Perhaps she'd been right. He may not remember the details, but he remembered, all these centuries later, that he loved his son. And that, to Jack, was the most precious and important memory of all.

The house was dark, the candle flame low. Jack could sense the dawn approaching. It was still a way off - perhaps another hour – but he could feel the tug to return to Halloween all the same. He didn't know where the two Kunze parents were, but he wasn't willing to risk running into them. Moving for the first time in hours, he glanced down at the human sprawled against him. Only the tip of her nose was visible, the rest of her buried beneath the blankets. She was breathing through her mouth, lips chapped, but when Jack brushed the tips of his fingers over her forehead there was no more fever. He moved slightly, ready for the next step, only to find that she was still gripping his sleeve, face tight with worry.

The faraway look she'd had, the fear of the imagined becoming real – it dug itself into Jack's mind, burrowing in the space where his worry for the human lived. (Every day, he swore, it seemed to grow.) He wished he could dig a hand into her mind and pull whatever worries plaguing her away. Instead, all he could do was crouch down and slowly extract Ivy's hand from his sleeve, gently patting at her soft skin.

"Sorry, love," he whispered. "I have to go now."

The human gave no response. He didn't want to leave her there, comfortable though she now looked. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to scoop up the unconscious human and step sideways through reality to Halloween. But one look at her still-fragile form banished the idea from his skull. Her Gateway traveling abilities were shaky at her best – he didn't want to imagine what it would be like to pull her comatose self through.

And so he brushed his hand over her hair one final time, taking care it was tucked away from her face. Water was close by, there were plenty of blankets, and she'd even brought the bottle of strange capsules with her, so she could have her next dose. All was right – or at least, as right as it could be.

"T'nks, Dad," Ivy mumbled as his hand lifted away.

Anytime, Love.

[weddingblogshere]

Elegant Gift Wrapping Ideas for Marriage Gifts That Add a Personal Touch

Elevate the Gift Experience: Beyond the Box, Beyond the Ribbon

Choosing the perfect gift for a wedding is a beautiful gesture of love and support. But the journey to gifting doesn't end with the present itself. Thoughtful and elegant gift wrapping adds a touch of artistry and personality, elevating the gift into a truly memorable experience.

Embrace Tradition: The Art of Indian Wrapping

India has a long and rich history of exquisite wrapping techniques. Let's explore some traditional approaches to add a touch of elegance and cultural significance to your gift:

The "Bandhani" Wrap: A colorful and intricate wrapping style, Bandhani uses a tie-dye technique to create unique patterns on fabric. Wrap the gift in a square of Bandhani cloth, secure it with a thin silk ribbon, and tie a small embellishment (like a miniature decorative item) at the top. The vibrant patterns and traditional aesthetic add a touch of Indian artistry.

The "Dupatta" Wrap: This technique utilizes a delicate, embroidered dupatta (a long scarf) to wrap the gift. Fold the dupatta in half and place the gift inside. Tie the two ends of the dupatta together, and add a beaded tassel or small floral embellishment to create a soft, graceful finish.

The "Zari" Accent: Add a touch of luxury and shimmer to your wrapping with a delicate strip of Zari (a gold or silver thread woven into fabric) to accentuate the edges of a simple box or fabric wrap. The Zari adds a subtle touch of traditional Indian elegance, perfect for a special occasion.

Beyond Tradition: Creative and Contemporary Approaches

While traditional wrapping is lovely, there are many contemporary ways to showcase your style and personality while wrapping gifts for a wedding:

Minimalist Chic: Choose plain kraft paper in natural hues, and wrap the gift in a simple yet elegant style. Add a touch of sophistication with a satin ribbon in a complimentary color and tie a small, minimalist embellishment like a dried flower or a wooden bead. This understated style highlights the beauty of the gift itself.

Personalize It: Create a unique touch by adding personalized touches to the wrapping. Consider using stamps to create a pattern, hand-writing a heartfelt message, or incorporating a meaningful symbol or drawing. The personal touch makes the gift even more special.

Embrace the Color Palette: Consider the color scheme of the wedding and the personality of the couple. Choose wrapping paper and ribbons that compliment their style and taste, creating a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing presentation.

Layer with Textures: Combine different textures and materials to create visual interest and depth. Use a textured paper as the base layer, add a ribbon with a contrasting texture, and adorn the gift with natural elements like sprigs of greenery, dried flowers, or woven baskets. This layering adds a sophisticated touch.

Remember the Importance of Presentation:

A beautifully wrapped gift makes a statement about the thoughtfulness and care you put into choosing the perfect present. It speaks volumes about your relationship with the couple and creates a truly unforgettable experience.

Beyond the wrapping itself, the presentation matters too. Use a stylish gift bag or box, add a small personalized card, and create a beautiful display. Consider using decorative paper or fabrics to line the box or bag, adding an extra touch of elegance. These finishing touches make a big difference and help elevate your gift into a true celebration of the couple's special day.

[m2mnailsupplyus]

Expert Tips for Using Your Nail Art Palette Like a Pro

Are you searching for an elegant way to elevate your look? Nail Art Palettecan add the perfect finishing touch for special events or everyday life. While intricate nail designs should be left to professionals, there are a number of designs you can do on your own such as duo-tones, glitter and jewels, polka dots blended colors, marbling or stamping for stunning effects.

Prepare Your Nails

To start out right, ensure a fresh slate by removing any old dnd nail polish still present on your nails and shaping them neatly to start creating nail art. Since you want more room for art-related flourishes and designs to flourish, avoid trimming them too short as that allows more room for creativity. Basecoats typically come in clear or bluish shades and can be purchased anywhere that sells nail polish. Basecoats help protect against staining from nail polish or other materials used for nail art creation and painting materials. 

They help protect from staining or damages done to nails caused by polish and other nail art materials used during application as well as provide extra protection from staining or damages done while protecting them from staining or damages done during nail art creation processes; one layer should dry completely before proceeding further with application of nail art layers - choose which basecoat you like most for best!

Beginning Designs by Selecting Two Complementary Colors 

To begin creating beginner nail designs, choose two coordinating hues that will look fantastic when applied together on one nail.

Apply a basecoat color or clear basecoat. Allow the polish to dry before placing a French Manicure Bowl across each nail, leaving only the tip exposed. 

Alternatively, a similar-shaped sticker such as those used to reinforce punch holes in paper could work just as well.

Paint the tip color above your sticker, leaving some overlap between paint and sticker. 

Before taking off the sticker, remove while paint is still wet so as not to pull off bits of it when taking it off later. 

After drying completely, apply a clear top coat as final touch.

Begin with your favorite opi nail polish color and add decorative details for added visual interest. 

After applying base coat color or clear base coat, wait a bit to allow your polish to dry completely before moving on to other projects.

Apply a dab of nail glue or gel on each of your nails, placing it either near the tip, high up on the nail, or lower corner depending on where it would look best. Consider where it would look the most aesthetically pleasing before placing it there.

Grab the jewel or sticker using tweezers, drop it onto the gel or glue and use your tweezers to gently press it in place before waiting for the glue to set. 

Finish by painting a clear top coat to prevent any of your stickers or jewels from coming loose later.

Add sparkle and glitter to your M2m Nail Supply by mixing loose glitter with nail gel or clear polish and applying it directly. After the application has set, apply a top coat. Cover one or more nails with nail gel or polish; dust them with glitter before leaving them to dry before finishing them off with a top coat.

[fmpmelissa]

Week 02: Wednesday – Production and Research 

At the end of the previous week, I continued my work on sculpting, mainly focusing on the details of the body. These details were achieved using a tool known as stamps. I have used stamps in previous projects; however, those were stylized. Since I did not have stamps designed for realism, I searched online and found some named “FREE High Resolution Skin Brushes 30 For Blender” by (Arca IRTEM, n.d). Although these didn't help much with creating wrinkles, they did add more depth by creating pores. In future, I hope to discover more of these alphas and stamps to help push my design even further. 

I then received feedback from artists I know online through an application called Discord. This is where I discuss my work with other artists and receive feedback using multiple servers. One artist informed me that the creature could use more eyes to enhance its creep factor and emphasize its spider-like qualities. Therefore, I duplicated the eyes and made smaller ones that sat on the sides. I didn't have enough room for six extra eyes, plus it would stray too far from the original design, so adding an extra pair was more than enough. 

Research

Subject 1) Researching ArtStation for potential inspiration, I found a piece by 伞仙 titled “Insect Monster” (2017). I liked it because of the amount of detail put into the sculpt. As I am currently working on the sculpt of my model, I believe it is a good opportunity to begin studying how to add extra detail. I wanted to take into account how they added details such as random lumps over the skin and scales. They also had veins added to support the definition of the model. 

I would apply this to my own work by using Blender and its sculpting tools, utilizing the stabilized stroke option to create clean, sharp lines to define muscles and create veins. I’ll also use the dotting tool to create small bumps around the body, often referring back to this sculpture to get an idea of how they did it. 

Subject 2) Researching ArtStation for potential inspiration, I found a piece by Ilaria Baldassari titled “Locust - Gears of War - Fan Art” (2023). I was inspired by this piece because of the gif they used to show the process of layering, which provided a better understanding of how they set up their art. While my project focuses on creating and animating my artwork for the final project, I also want to showcase my individual artwork. This gave me insight into how to do so in Blender, where they then translated it to Photoshop to further edit by adding dust and extra lighting, which is much harder to achieve in Blender. I think this is a great way to save time and create a high-quality render and edit. I plan to do something similar near the end of the semester and upload it to my own ArtStation. 

References

Arca IRTEM. (nd) FREE High Resolution Skin Brushes 30 For Blender. [Digital Brush]. ArtStation. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/p/2K9Na/free-high-resolution-skin-brushes-30-for-blender    伞仙. (2017) Insect monster. [Digital Art]. ArtStation. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/8dLex  

Ilaria Baldassari. (2023) Locust - Gears of war - Fan Art. [Digital Art]. ArtStation. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Keqqk9   Ilaria Baldassari. (2023) Locust (Gears of war FANART). [Digital Art]. ArtStation. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/VyE2dg    

Gantt Chart

Light Red highlights marks the day

This is in place to keep me on track what has been or needs to be done this day of the week.

[mancavebackyard]

CAN YOU PUT A SOLO STOVE ON A DECK?

With so many different types of decks out there, it's a pain to figure out what can and can't be placed on them. Wood decks, for instance, can be warped by heat coming from most fire pits. With how efficiently Solo Stoves burn and how hot they get, it's a legitimate worry. Other materials might be scuffed or warped by heat and can be a tire hazard.

Can you put a Solo Stove on a deck? We're going to break our answers down here and our suggestions for every type of Solo Stove set up to fit your needs. Get ready to sit back, relax, and roast some s'mores.

Concrete: Painted, Stained, or Stamped

Concrete decks can handle some impressive activities. Can they handle a Solo Stove? The answer is yes, for the recommended three to four hours. Unless it's painted, stained, or stamped concrete, which contains decorative elements that could warp or become scorched.

In order to avoid damage to concrete that is decorative, you'll want to use the Stand accessory. Since the heat is dispersed efficiently with Stand, your Solo Stove can sit comfortably without you having to worry.

Wood Decks

Untreated wood decks ignite at 365 degrees Fahrenheit. While most wood decks are stained or treated to prevent them from catching fire so easily, it's still a good idea to use the stainless steel Stand to prevent any unfortunate warping or fire hazards.

If you're planning to burn your fire pit for more than an hour or two, using pavers underneath your Stand will protect your deck. Wood can warp or paint can discolor with heat, so using Stand will ensure the quality of your deck will last longer. Best of all, you'll still be able to enjoy your fireside chats. Still concerned? Adding a heat-resistant barrier underneath your Stand can add an extra layer of protection.

Why take risks? If you've found a fire pit you love but have concerns about your deck, don't feel dismayed. Simply find the most appropriate Stand for your needs.

What About Composite or PVC Decks?

Composite and PVC decking have different fire resistance grades based on what they're made of and what manufacturer they come from. While these decks do have individual fire-resistant gradings from A thru C—with A being the highest—being continually exposed to heat may cause damage even to the highest grade decks.

Most composite decks are made from a blend of plastics that will warp and melt when exposed to high heat. Due to this, we cannot recommend burning on a composite or PVC deck without Stand. Stand will allow the ambient heat to disperse underneath so that the PVC decking doesn't heat up. Please do not attempt to use a Solo Stove on composite or PVC decking without Stand. Since damage can occur, using Stand and pavers will ensure you can comfortably use a Solo Stove on a deck without worry of damage or fire hazard. This will keep your home and your family safe and sound.

Grass! Can I Put It On Grass?

Green grass can be scorched by Solo Stove depending on the hardness of the wood and how long it burns. To prevent unseemly scorch marks under your smokeless fire pit, use Stand. We promise, the green grass underneath will still look good. Since grass can burn at 518 degrees F, it's important to be conscious of the state of the grass as well. If it's drier than normal, then use Stand in order to avoid scorching or fire hazards. 

Beach Fun

Headed to the beach? Solo Stoves are safe to use on level sand surfaces. However, Solo Stoves rely on the bottom vents to keep a clear, warm fire burning. Make sure to keep the bottom vents clear of sand by using Stand or pavers.

If the vents are clear, you can quickly enjoy your bonfire with the waves in the distance! Once you've set up your Solo Stove on a level sandy surface, you'll be able to fall in love with the beach and your cozy spot too. The same goes for sandy surfaces that may be set up in the backyard for your smokeless fire pit.

What Are Some Safe Options For My Smokeless Fire Pit?

Solo Stoves can be put on stone or pavers without any worry. If you're concerned you might scorch grass that is growing between pavers or stone, you can use a Stand as you would on green grass. Doing so will keep things looking nice.

Gravel can be bought in different colors and styles to be used underneath your Solo Stove. Using gravel is a safe surface for your Solo Stove.

Dirt is also a safe option for your smokeless fire pit. As long as the area is clear of dry debris like sticks and leaves, dirt will not get scorched and you'll have a nice burn. If you're looking to make a fire pit area in your backyard, consider using sand or dirt for the fire pit area. Keeping a bucket of sand nearby for emergencies is a great idea, as pouring water in to cool the Solo Stove will warp the stainless steel metal. 

Solo Stoves get hot! That's the whole point of a crackling smokeless fire pit, right? However, that also means that sparks can pop off and discolor or scorch decks. While you can move to dirt or grass like we suggested above, using a fire-resistant mat in combination with Stand will keep your surfaces safe.

Can You Put a Solo Stove on a Deck?

Can you put a Solo stove on a deck? Yes, with Stand and a heat-resistant barrier for a smokeless fire pit underneath it. The Stand is stored inside of your Solo Stove for easy access and can be used on a level surface to protect the ground underneath a Solo Stove. Take away the worry of whether your fire pit will warp your deck with the 304 stainless steel Stand.

If you have a dedicated area for your Solo Stove outside, it's easy to use the Stand to make sure that the ground underneath stays safe and no stray blades of grass get unpleasantly scorched. Take a look around your backyard before you place an order. A Stand will not ruin the aesthetic of your home and it can keep you, your property, and your family extra safe while the fire pit is in use.

[theccrafttree]

Tips for Creating the Perfect Wedding Box Design for Your Special Day

When it is your wedding, you don’t want to leave any stone unturned to make it memorable. From invitations to wedding favors, everything must be done carefully. Plus, your guests are also eagerly waiting for the grand event. They know the day is special for you and want to see how you will organize everything. One crucial part of every wedding event is the wedding box you create. The wedding box design you choose will decide the impact your efforts will make on people. Here are some tips for creating the perfect wedding box for you.

Think of your budget

Obviously, you cannot let your purses loose just for the wedding box. You have to think of your budget so that you do not go overboard with the same. So think of a price figure, and then multiply that by the total number of guests expected.

The Wedding invitation basket you choose would have to be filled with gifts. Hence you have to add that figure to the total you have calculated. Also, the box design you select has to be sturdy enough. If you are going to be placing heavy gifts in the box, it should have the strength to handle that much weight.

Decide what to put in the box

Next, obviously, you have to figure out what to put in the box. Do you want to add the invitation card and box of sweets or chocolates to it? Or maybe you are giving the wedding box as a gift? If that is the case, you can add cosmetics, personalized gifts, etc.

Whatever you decide, your budget and Wedding box card design will depend on that. Neither can you afford to go over budget nor pick up a box that cannot handle the stuff. Plus, the shape of the box also will be modified basis the choice of items. If your wedding is still far, then also the selection of the box should be made smartly.

Construction of the box

The box that you pick up would house any kind of product. However, if you are adding something different than the regular stuff, your Wedding invitation box design will have to be appropriate. For example, if you are planning to add your favorite drink, then the box height would have to be on the higher side. You can add a deep tray with a panel lid to keep it from toppling over.

The mood you want to generate with your box is essential too. For instance, if you want people to keep the box, you can make it regal by adding items that will last long. If it is a destination wedding, you can add layers to the box, each of them adding a sense of discovery to the box.

Think of a theme

A lot of people are opting for theme-based weddings these days. The theme you choose can also be incorporated in your wedding box. So if you aim at a lavish wedding, you can go for a royal wedding card box design. The outer box can have elegant motifs and elaborate designs. Inside you can use a mixture of satin or silk.

Even velvet cushions give a royalty feel and would make a great combination. The best thing is that you can choose different styles so that it does not look too monotonous. Understand that the theme of your wedding is different, and if you pick a mismatched box, it will look out of place.

Buy your wedding boxes from a trustworthy source, so you do not have to compromise on the quality. Plus, they should have enough variety for you to experiment with.

Decorative elements

Now you can decide what decorations you wish to add to the box. You must realize it is these frills that would give an attractive appearance to your box. Sit down and decide what all you can add. These can be glitters, stars, foil stamping on the lid, etc. Basically, you have to first think about what all extra elements would make your box look creative.

However, one thing you need to keep in mind is that you cannot overfill your box. It is not as if you can introduce five to six elements in one box. That would look weird, and people are not going to appreciate it. Plus, it would be tough for you to handle such a box. Since it is a wedding box, try to keep it as subtle with a maximum of two elements added to it.

Choose from where you will buy the box

There are many people who deal with wedding boxes both online and offline. However, only a few of them can be trusted with quality. Find a dealer who is reliable and has good online reviews. Then go through their collection of gift boxes wholesale. It is possible that the dealer you find does not have much in variety to offer.

Instead of picking any random Wedding Box Design, go through the whole range. You will have to go through the details of each box as they should have the capacity to hold the stuff. Also, check if they have the facility to add decorative elements. Or do they customize the boxes as per your requirement?

Doing all this research would take a lot of time. Hence it is better that you start working on the boxes beforehand. This way, if there is any issue with the box’s delivery, you can get them rectified in time.

Finalize the boxes

You have finished your job, so now go ahead and finalize the boxes. You will obviously have to handle the delivery aspect too. Do you want to mail the boxes or go and hand them over personally? If your number of guests is less, it is better to do the latter. That way, you can add a personal touch to the box delivery. Keep the logistics in mind, and if you want to mail the box, then make sure you pick a strong one.

Summing up

Your wedding is going to be unique. That means the Wedding invitation card box design you choose has to be different too. The Ccraft Tree has an exotic range of wedding boxes to explore with. Not only that, the boxes are artfully designed and extremely attractive. When you share them with your guests, you will surely grab eyeballs.

The boxes available on the website are sturdy. Even if you mail them, they are going to sustain the pressure. Go through their offerings, and you are bound to get something that would suit your wedding theme perfectly.

Blog Source : https://www.theccrafttree.com/tips-for-wedding-box-design/

[abbacchiosbelt]

Hold On | Prosciutto x Reader

A commissioned fic for the wonderful Shae!

CW: Misogynistic comments [not from Prosciutto], oral sex. NSFW, 18+ only.

Word Count: 3.3k words.

The sunlight filtering through the apartment’s cheap blinds forces you to blearily open your eyes, your gaze immediately falling to the man in the bed next to you – Prosciutto. The night you’d spent with him had been more than you’d ever dreamed of, especially with a man of Prosciutto’s caliber. Handsome, mysterious, and clearly well-off by the price of the dinner he’d taken you out to. Though he’d waved you away when you asked for the price, you managed to catch it out of the corner of your eye. Prosciutto had even spent the night with you, letting you fall asleep on his chest while he stroked your hair. It was tender, intimate – not something you necessarily expected after a single date.

Prosciutto stirs, as if he knew you were thinking about him, his eyebrows knit together and his mouth pulled into a frown. When he catches your eyes, you see a brief hint of a smile before he sits up and immediately stands to start gathering his clothes.

“You’re leaving already?” You sit up, pulling the covers over your chest. Prosciutto nods but doesn’t look over at you. Your stomach falls, but you should have expected it. At the very least, you wouldn’t have been opposed to him staying for a light breakfast. Once he’s fully dressed, he finally turns to look at you. His eyes are steely, portraying no emotion.

“It was…” He waves his hand in the air, searching for the word. “Very good. But, ah,” Prosciutto hesitates, watching your expression. He remembers the text Illuso had sent him in the middle of the night; a line in English to use when he left in the morning. “I’m a busy man, cara.” It’s only a little clunky when he speaks, the pet name afterwards flowing smoothly from his lips.

It was like that, then – his warmth from the night before must have been an act. You don’t bother trying to pretend that you’re okay with his behavior, instead giving him a cool look in return. You tilt your head towards the doorway, affixing him with a look that said everything he needed to know. “Ciao, Prosciutto.” The words are no longer kind like when you saw him on the sidewalk and stopped to talk to him, instead sounding final. He sighs and gives you one last lingering look before he steps out of the room. You don’t move until you hear your front door close.

“Bastard,” you mutter under your breath, flopping back down on your pillow. You cover up the side of the bed where he’d been sleeping with your comforter, ignoring the lingering scent of his cologne. You were tempted to waste the day in bed but instead decide to strip your sheets, throwing them unceremoniously in the washing machine and adding in too much fabric softener. At least the scent of him would be gone. A part of you feels foolish for being so upset, and yet another part of you can’t let go of how genuine Prosciutto seemed. While you didn’t want to deal with it today, you couldn’t ignore the feeling that there was something more to your night with him.

-

Prosciutto stubs his cigarette out on the ground, frowning at how many cigarette butts were littered around the front doorstep of his home and workplace. He could have cleaned it up himself, but he wasn’t the only smoker in the group, so why should he have to? The filth sours his already dour mood, the blonde muttering curses as he unlocks the building’s door. It hadn’t been his first choice to live with his teammates, but since the loss of Sorbet and Gelato, the close quarters provided them with an extra layer of safety.

Prosciutto groans in annoyance when the first faces to pop up into his view are Melone and Formaggio, the pair staring at him expectantly. Melone was lounging on the dingy couch he’d brought with him when he moved in, his laptop perched on his legs. Formaggio was sitting in the large chair that Risotto usually claimed, both of them looking like the cat who got the canary. It irked Prosciutto that they were staring at him like they knew something, and he wondered if Illuso hadn’t blabbed about the whole thing. It wouldn’t be unlike him.

“Welcome back,” Melone says, practically purring. The way he spoke made Prosciutto’s skin crawl – Melone always had a certain tone to his voice when he was going to say something inappropriate. “So, the neighbor girl? What was her name again? Oh, I suppose you wouldn’t remember now.” Melone’s mouth curls up into a smug smile, his tongue poking out. Prosciutto bristles, and Formaggio lets out an obnoxious snort.

“Knew you’d get to her first.” Formaggio whistles, wiggling his eyebrows. “Was her ass as good as it looked?” Prosciutto glares at Formaggio, his eyes darkening. The banter around who his teammates were fucking was something he should be used to, despite the fact Prosciutto didn’t enjoy participating in it. Something about this time, though, was filling him was anger. Formaggio continues, ignoring Prosciutto’s expression. “I bet she was easy for you. You pretty bastards practically make those easy slut’s panties fall off just from looking at them.”

“Ooh, and how was that pretty mouth of hers?” Melone chimes in – unlike Formaggio, he’d noticed Prosciutto’s growing rage, but took pleasure in upsetting the blonde. Prosciutto growls and steps forward, Grateful Dead rising from behind him. Before he can advance on them, a voice cuts through—

“Aniki! Y-you remember what Risotto said about Stands in here.” Pesci’s unsure voice breaks the tension in the room, Melone and Formaggio recoiling back at the sight of Prosciutto’s deadly Stand. Prosciutto takes a ragged breath before recalling his Stand, Pesci’s intervention forcing him to remember where he was. Pesci nervously steps over to Prosciutto; afraid he’d made him even angrier. Prosciutto claps Pesci on the shoulder.

“You’re right,” Prosciutto says. His cool demeanor is back in an instant. He doesn’t bother to look at Melone and Formaggio when he starts to walk back towards his room, saluting Pesci with two fingers before he shuts the door behind him. Prosciutto lets out a deep breath when the door is securely locked, kicking off his expensive shoes. He preferred to spend as much time as possible away from this place, but there were no errands that needed to be run nor any missions that he and Pesci were suited for at the moment. He had a rare few hours to himself before someone would inevitably knock at his door to bother him. Alone time was something sacred to Prosciutto, but with the thoughts boiling over in his head about her, it was something he was dreading. He glances at the English dictionary Ghiaccio had (loudly) snuck into his room, his stomach twisting.

There was no denying that Prosciutto had fallen for her.

Feelings were a dangerous thing for an assassin to have. Prosciutto was trained from a young age on how to push his feelings to the back of his mind – he was primed for Mafia life. Passione and completing the missions given to him came before anything else, especially his own personal life. Prosciutto had lived that way for years. Emotions were drowned in cheap booze and cigarettes, any fleeting feelings he may have stamped out by his own harsh nature. He had never spent a second night with anyone he’d slept with in the past five years, and that was going to be how he lived until he died. Prosciutto was well aware of the dangerous life he lived – he was cold, but he wasn’t cold enough to put someone in harm’s way, even if he wanted them more than anything.

Even if they had made warmth bloom in his chest for the first time in years and made him truly feel something.

Prosciutto closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose as he sits on his bed, fishing another cigarette out of his jacket’s pocket. He preferred to smoke outdoors, but he can’t be bothered to care in his current emotional state. Prosciutto lights his cigarette and takes a deep drag, letting the smoke burn his throat before he exhales. He thinks about the previous night – how lovely his company had been and how much she’d made him laugh. How well they clicked despite the language barrier, and how easy it felt with her; her demure smile before he’d taken her to bed, and how easily she had made him fall apart.

Prosciutto knows he should ignore his feelings. It’s what he was trained to do, after all. It’s what he should do – but he knows he can’t. Not this time. He stands from his bed and opens the small window in his room, tossing his half-finished cigarette out.

He’d give her time – a week for both of them to cool their heads. Even if she didn’t want to see him again, he had to try.

-

The next few days pass by without incident. You go to work and continue life as it was before, frustrated but determined to move on. Your phone stays silent, and you try to ignore the part in you that hopes it will ring.

It’s fine, you tell yourself. It was just one date.

When you hear a knock on the door one week to the day after your date with Prosciutto, you’re cautious. The neighborhood you lived in wasn’t known for its safety, and it was rare that anyone knocked on your door. Clad in loungewear, you peek through the eyehole to see the last person you were expecting.

There stood Prosciutto, shifting from side to side. You unlock your door and crack it open, watching as Prosciutto’s eyebrows shoot up for a moment before his face returns to its grumpy looking state. Maybe he hadn’t expected you to answer.

“Can I come in?” Prosciutto asks, quiet. You hesitate, wondering exactly what he could want. He doesn’t pressure you, waiting in silence while you deliberate. You knew you might regret it, but you open the door and usher him in. He shuts the door behind himself and leans against it, biting his bottom lip. You hadn’t known him long, but you had never seen him look so anxious. “Bella, I…” He starts, trailing off.

You stop him before he gets too far, crossing your arms. “I don’t want some apology you give to every girl.” Prosciutto frowns but doesn’t interject. “You hurt me.”

Prosciutto nods, and you raise an eyebrow at him. He pauses for a second while he thinks about what he wants to say. “Mi dispiace, Shae.” His eyes meet yours, the sound of your name coming from his mouth making your heart pound. It was almost criminal how easily you wanted to forgive him, but you needed more than just an apology. Prosciutto takes a step forward and holds his hand out. You place your hand in his, hesitant. He lifts your hand to his lips and presses a soft kiss against the back of it. “Can we… try again?” Prosciutto is earnest when he speaks, your hand still resting in his. He threads his fingers through yours, a soft smile on his face. “Per favore?”

As tempting as it was to accept his apology, you refused to let him back into your life without making sure Prosciutto knew how you felt – about how you wouldn’t just be tossed to the side again. You keep a hold of his hand, giving it a small squeeze. “Prosciutto, I want to, but…” He raises his eyebrows, but his deep blue gaze doesn’t leave yours. “Tell me the truth. Do you want me?” Prosciutto opens his mouth, but you use your free hand to press your index finger against his lips. He looks surprised, but he keeps his mouth shut. “Not just now. But in the future?” You think for a moment that you might need to translate for him, but Prosciutto nods eagerly. He pulls you into him, wrapping one arm around your waist.

“Sì, Shae. I want you,” he leans forward until his forehead rests against yours. “Now. Tomorrow. Costantemente.” He breathes, ghosting a kiss across your lips. “Can I?”

You close the gap between your mouths as an answer, Prosciutto’s responding groan as his warm lips found your own making your lower half ache – you’d been dreaming of feeling his touch again. Prosciutto lets go of your hand and grabs the back of your head, pulling you deeper into the kiss. He was more vocal than he’d been last week, his moans needy as you slide your tongue across his lower lip.

For the first time, Prosciutto felt like he could let his walls down around someone – he can barely think with your lips finally on his again. Never had he ached so much for someone. To Prosciutto, you felt like a lover he’d been with for years. He wanted to make it up to you for being such a fool, to treat you like the goddess he saw you as. He slides his hands down your body and squeezes your ass before hauling you up, encouraging you to wrap your legs around his waist. The surprised noise that you let out makes Prosciutto’s already hardening length twitch, but it was the last thing on his mind. The only thing he could think about was hearing you cry out for him as he buried his face in between your legs. He maneuvers you to your bedroom like he’d been in your home a million times, gently laying you down on the bed before hungrily looking over you.

The fact you only had loungewear on while Prosciutto was dressed in his usual outfit makes you feel self-conscious, but the blonde barely seems to care what you have on. You squirm as his eyes rove up and down your body, Prosciutto grinning at your reaction.

“Sei bellissima,” he purrs. The words affect you just as much as they had the first time you heard them from Prosciutto, your heart thumping in your chest. To be called beautiful by someone as handsome as Prosciutto felt unreal, but you knew by the look in his deep blue eyes that he was sincere. Prosciutto crawls over you on the bed and puts his fingers under the hem of your shirt, waiting.

“Take it off.” Prosciutto hums, pleased at your eager response, and wastes no time sliding your shirt up and off. He bites his lip at the sight of your freed breasts and uses his hands to cup them, softly rubbing his thumb over your hardening nipples. The soft touches have you arching into his fingers, greedy for more. “Please,” you beg, and Prosciutto smirks. He leans down and captures your right nipple in his mouth, his warm tongue circling around the bud before he flicks it, repeating the rhythm before moving to your other breast. One hand travels down your body while he works your breasts, his hand trailing over your hip bone and dipping slightly beneath the fabric covering your lower half. He pulls back and admires his handiwork, his cock uncomfortably hard in his pants now. Prosciutto ignores it, focusing on you instead.

Prosciutto trails kisses down your torso until he reaches your lower stomach, his eyes flitting up to look at you under his dark lashes. “May I?” He asks, playing with the hem of your pants.

“P-please,” your voice is wobbly – he hadn’t done this last time, and you were a little nervous. Prosciutto presses a kiss to your stomach and lifts his head, your anxiety obvious to him. You know he’ll ask you if you’re sure, so you beat him to it, your cheeks darkening. “I want it,” Your eyes don’t leave Prosciutto’s. “Please, Prosciutto.” Asking for what you want is enough to make your cheeks blaze even harder from embarrassment, but Prosciutto’s wide smirk is evidence that he enjoys how forward you were being.

Prosciutto slides your pants down and off your legs with ease before he moves back up and gently spreads them apart, exposing your glistening pussy. You feel embarrassed at how wet you are, but it was impossible not to be with Prosciutto’s masterful kissing and touching. He licks his lips as he gazes at your sex, using two fingers to spread your lips apart.

“P, Prosciutto-” you whisper-shout, flustered. If you could see his mouth, you’d see the grin on his face.

“Hm?” He replies, leaning forward. You can feel his warm breath on you, the sensation making your body feel hyper aware. “Perfetta.” You shiver, remembering his words from your previous encounter – despite the embarrassment from being exposed in front of him, you were dying to know how his mouth felt. Your wish is granted when Prosciutto suddenly licks a long stripe from your perineum to your clit using the flat of his tongue, a growl coming from his throat as he tastes your juices.

“Oh!” You shout, the feeling of his tongue almost too good. Prosciutto doesn’t give you a chance to think before his mouth is back on your pussy again, the combination of sloppy kisses and practiced flicks of his tongue on your clit driving you crazy. He uses his arms to drag you forward so that your legs are over his shoulders while he works at you like a man starved – he uses his tongue to fuck your pussy as deep as he can, rutting against the bed for his own relief.

Prosciutto’s jaw is aching, but he refuses to stop – and how could he, when you looked so beautiful writhing above him? The heady scent of you combined with the divine taste had his cock leaking precum in his slacks. All he wanted to do was take his own cock out and fuck you until his name was the only thing you could remember, but he refused to do so without finishing his apology to you with his mouth. He feels your legs shaking around him and switches tactics, using his tongue and mouth on your clit, groaning when he feels your hands tug at his hair. He allows you to push him in just the right spot, his own body buzzing with pleasure as you use him.

You cry out and press yourself hard against Prosciutto as his tongue finally takes you over the peak that’d been building up in your body, your eyes clenching shut as your legs clamp around him, white hot pleasure coursing through your lower half. Your body feels like it’s floating as you come down, your legs and arms going limp with relief. Prosciutto lifts his head from your pussy, face glistening with your juices and a smirk plastered across his face. He gently eases himself out from below you and sits against the pillows resting against your headboard. He moves so that you can rest your head against your lap, Prosciutto gently brushing through your hair with his fingers.

“Prosciutto,” You murmur, your mind still hazy. “Let me take care of you.” He shakes his head from above you, giving your head a pat before he goes back to stroking your hair.

“Later, tesoro.” The pet name makes your stomach flutter, and you give him a lazy smile. He smiles back, the corners of his eyes crinkling. It’s the first genuine smile you’ve seen from him. You close your eyes, eventually falling asleep to Prosciutto’s soothing touches.

When you wake up, you’re covered in the comforter. There’s something warm wrapped around you – when you look over, you see Prosciutto snoozing away, his hair loose and spread around the pillow. You smile and settle back down, warmth flowing through your chest when Prosciutto cuddles closer to you in his sleep.

This time, you knew he would be there in the morning.

[thessalian]

Thess vs The Audacity

Today can only be described as a “What the fuck is WRONG with you people?!?” day.

First thing was getting to work and discovering that somehow, despite everyone having been in on Monday, and my having sorted out people’s computer issues the previous week, the backlog got worse. There were about 350 outstanding dictations when I got in. We managed to whittle it down a bit, but of course, the moment Scruffman’s back was turned, it turned into quite the gab session. Again. Also Temp tried her hardest to avoid doing the long typing again, but either someone caught her at it or she has some sense of shame and realised she couldn’t really get away with that when the time stamp would make it three hours’ worth of obvious that she wasn’t going in chronological order. So, yeah, seriously, all manner of “What the fuck is wrong with you people?!?”

Also, I honestly thought that it was pretty obvious that the first thing you do if you’re having trouble with the sound on anything that produces sound is to check the volume control, but apparently not, because when I got in, Goblin said, “Oh, hey, I travel on the bus to and from work with some of the nurses over at the Trust’s other hospital and they’re having their computers upgraded too and they were having the exact same problem so I told them how you fixed it for us so you’ve helped more than just our office with this”. I mean, yay, glad I helped, but ... seriously, how is checking the volume not your first move? Again, “what the fuck is WRONG with you people?!?”

I was a bit late home today because I needed to go and get a haircut. And that was ... well, let’s just say I am never using that salon again. Not that the haircut was bad - quite the opposite, and the hairdresser was a good guy. The lady at the reception desk, on the other hand... Well, first thing out of her mouth was, “We won’t charge you more this time but your hair technically counts as medium, not short”. Which ... I mean ... the longer end of my hair was only a bit below my jaw, so I have no idea how they’re calculating that. My hair has qualified as ‘short’ ever since I started rocking the asymmetrical pixie cut, at least at my salon, and at the one in my neighbourhood that I tried when my salon shut down because of Covid-related business problems. But ... I mean ... okay... The perils of booking online, she said, though I’m not sure how my doing it by phone would have been any better.

Anyway, after a gorgeous shampooing (wonderful neck massage as an added perk; ended way too soon) and a great haircut by a dude who didn’t feel the need to fill the entire proceedings with idle chit-chat, I went back to pay and the lady at the reception desk goes, “We won’t charge you extra this time...” and I apologised and tried to explain as how the salons I’d been to in the past considered my hair ‘short’ if it didn’t touch my shoulders. But ... that’s not what she was on about. She said, “Technically, your hair was styled, not cut”.

..................Excuse you? It was a fucking trim. The essential shape of it was not changed. It just got shorter, with the layers fixed a bit. It was like when a topiary gets overgrown and you have to trim it a bit to maintain its shape. It hardly took any time to do by salon appointment standards. No product, no tools except scissors and clippers ... so how the fuck was that ‘styled’? My hair was already in the style; it was just shaggier than I like so I got it trimmed!

So, no, if that salon’s going to move the goalposts on me, no matter how much I liked hairdresser dude ... not going back. I mean, at least they didn’t charge me extra, but the fact that she was making such a big deal about how they supposedly should have was hugely offputting. I know hairdressers have their own standards for what constitutes these things, but I tend to consider a style being something that at the very least changes the shape your hair had when you arrived in some significant way. Not a fucking tidy-up. So ... yeah, again, “What the fuck is wrong with you people?” was a theme. But I no longer look like a Briard, so I’m happy and will remain happy with it for the next few months. Then I need to find a salon that’s not going to move the goalposts if I so much as sneeze. I guess the salon in this area was okay. Not great, but okay. I’ll see what else Dulwich and Forest Hill have to offer.

Maybe it’s a Camden thing, I dunno. I guess if you’re in the major tourist hotspot, you can afford to be ... flexible about those kinds of terms. And maybe you have to be, since the guy who owns the area A) has raised the fees and rents to insane degrees and B) is now attempting to sell it for a couple of billion pounds. The Camden Lock Market, specifically. Gods, that was a blow to find out. Not only is it one of the few spots in that area that hasn’t been gentrified entirely to fuck (just ... partly to fuck), but it’s hard to read about someone selling property for a couple of billion when something like half the country has been making use of food banks.

Right. No. None of that. It’s already been a hugely bad pain day and I had to push it because the backlog my idiot colleagues let build up and the last thing I need is to stress myself out by boggling over the stupidity and/or audacity of the people around me.

[salmonmakiii]

may I request a fluffy time stamp of 8:00 for boyfriend!daichi please?

You may! I may have gone a bit extra with the word count (〃∀〃)ゞ

[08:00]

About : Daichi x reader Note : Pure Fluff! I apologize if there’s any mistakes!

Jeez, it's windy!

You shivered at the gushing wind. If you knew it was going to be this cold, you should've worn more layers. You looked down at your two hands, silently praying for the food you brought for the volleyball team would stay warm especially your boyfriend's. After all, you felt bad for teasing him last night.

It was like any other Saturday night where you and Daichi would call each other. Most of the time, your calls would include the two of you studying but last night was one of those days where Daichi would tell you about how exhausting his day went.

He had told you that his parents were out of town for the weekend and wouldn't be back till Monday morning. Being the eldest, he was responsible for his two younger siblings. That being said, he was occupied with house chores for a whole day; cooking, cleaning, waking up his siblings, and making sure they've done their school work. 

You wouldn't be lying that you were low-key worried when he mentioned he has to cook.

Make no mistake, Daichi is a great definition of husband material. He’s wise, has strong sense of leadership, cares for his loved ones - he'd make a great husband. But when it comes to cooking...?

He's not bad that it's to a point where he might burn the house down, but he's not that good either. 

"Sawamura Daichi! I just told you about the amount of water you should pour YESTERDAY!" Dropping yourself on your bed, you let out a laugh when you heard your boyfriend groan from the other line.

"I know, I know! I think I got distracted by something while you were explaining,"

"It was only the two of us yesterday. What were you distracted by? My pretty face?" You chuckled at your sarcastic question, wiggling your eyebrows as if he was right in front of you. It was silent at the end of his line and you frowned. You sat up from your position, your mind connecting the dots.

"Daichi? You weren't distracted by my 'pretty' face, right?"

"..." 

"SAWAMURA DAICHI, YOU SIMP!"

You snorted when your usual calm and collected boyfriend fall apart into a flustered, stammering boy last night. He was too precious.

Once you calmed down, you two continued your conversation. Daichi told you that the volleyball club was going to have practice at 6:50 a.m.

He sounded tired, but you could tell by how the way he talks about it that he looks forward to the training tomorrow. You know better than anyone how much he loves the team. You felt kind of bad for his busy schedule, though. So you’re resolved to give him a helping hand, at least try to cheer him up a bit and you have the perfect idea for that.

As soon as you finished your call with Daichi, you went downstairs to find your mom. You asked her if she could help you cook something for him and your mom was more than happy to help, considering that your family's already fond of your boyfriend.

Your mission started at 5 a.m. You and your mom were already bustling about in the kitchen, executing your plan to make onigiris for Daichi.

Using the ingredients that your mom had won in a lottery a few days ago (She'd won lots of things; meats, fishes, seaweeds, rice, and even sake), you were able to make onigiris with tuna-mayo fillings for the team and grilled salmon filling for the coaches and the managers. Wanting to make something special for your boyfriend, you added grilled meat to his menu.

Both of you were done cooking by the time the clock strikes 7. You and your mom made too much. Your mom suggesting that you should give some to Daichi's siblings.

At around 7:30, you started your journey towards Daichi's house that wasn't far from yours. They were outside of the house, playing volleyball using their brother’s ball. They lit up and greeted when they saw you. Without wasting any time, you told them that you were here to bring them food. 

Their eyes immediately lit up as they received the container from your hands. They thanked you, saying that the breakfast Daichi made this morning had too much salt in it. Laughing, you gave them your welcome and bid goodbyes with them.

When you arrived at school, you looked at your watch. The needles pointed at exactly 08:00. You paced towards the volleyball gym with a smile.

Even from afar, you could hear the boys' voice and the sound of squeaking shoes on the wooden floor. One particular voice made your ears perked and your feet took wider steps towards the building.

When you reached the opened door, you took a little peek inside. The boys were split into two teams as both sides battled like it was a real match. You came just in time to see your boyfriend received a powerful serve from Asahi. No matter how many times he'd done it, it always amazes you how he was able to keep his posture. If you were there in his shoes, your arm would probably fall off.

You shake your head once you realized you were getting sidetracked. You knocked on the door and the coaches’ heads’ turn to you. They gave you a smile and gestured you to come in. Kiyoko, who had seen you come in, immediately went to help you with your belongings.

"I heard you guys were having practice so I thought I'd make you guys a little something," You smiled at Kiyoko, opening the bag to show the labeled containers. Kiyoko’s eyes widen and she gave you her beautiful smile.

"Thank you so much (L/n)-san." 

Giving the bag of containers to Kiyoko, you took one out that's for Daichi. Takeda informed about the food you brought to Ukai. Ukai nodded and decided to give the boys a break.

“You guys! Let’s take a break!” He yelled. The boys stopped and straighten their backs. The noise of unsteady breaths filled the gym. They all walked to the side, all of the boys greeted you as they walked to the side of the gym to get their water bottles and towels.

"You should all thank (L/n)-san, she made you food," Coach Ukai informed. 

Not missing a second, all of those sparkly, overjoyed, teary eyes went to you. 

Except for Tsukishima. His eyes werent as sparkly as the others but they were wide.

"Thank you for the food!" They all screamed and bowed to you.

"Ahaha, it's no big deal. Really." You waved your hands at them.

As Kiyoko and Yachi distributed the food, you walk up to Daichi who was drinking alone. He gave you a side glance and finished his drink, pursing his lips as he smiled at you.

"Here ya go, a special one reserved only for my special someone," You beamed, giving butterflies to Daichi’s stomach.

"Thank you. You made them all?" He asked, putting down his water bottle on the ground, eyes not leaving yours as he did. He then took the container from your hands. 

"Mom helped out. You should've seen her, she was more excited than I am." Daichi chuckled and ruffled your hair. 

You suddenly let out a yawn. Raising an eyebrow, Daichi asked,

"It's still warm. When did you make it?" He opened his container.

His eyes grew wide at the delicious sight before him. There were pieces of juicy grilled meats and two onigiris completed with eyes and lips made out of seaweed. Unbeknownst to you, his stomach let out a quiet growl.

"This morning." You answered, rubbing your eyes a little.

"What time did you wake up?"

"You ask too many questions, Mister. Just eat it will you?" You laughed, pinching his biceps, a habit you just found out amusing when you started dating.

Daichi couldn't control the happiness in his body. He took a step and leaned in, kissing your forehead. He pulled away, seeing your shocked expression and cherry cheeks. He laughed and pinched your cheek with one hand.

"You made food at god knows what hour for me and the whole volleyball club. You walked here, carrying all of it ON YOUR OWN, not to mention you gave me a special one with extra meat and cute onigiris. Who's the simp now?" He raised an eyebrow, the teasing grin he wore made you want to wipe it off from his face.

"Shut up, we're both simps." You giggled, hitting his chest lightly.

The two of you ended your little flirting banter and went to the group that was sitting in a circle on the floor, devouring the delicious onigiris you gave them.

Daichi watched you interact with his team. If people looked closer, they might actually see hearts in his eyes. There’s a genuine smile of admiration appearing on his lips whenever he hears you laugh with the members.

His team loves you, his family loves you.

He loves you.

You turned around, feeling like someone was boring holes to your back. Your eyes instantly locked with his dark brown ones. Usually, he would look away, looking like you didn’t just caught him staring at you. 

But this time his eyes lingered.

Knowing the meaning behind his gaze, you returned it by flashing him a smile. Your eyes gave him the same amount of love and affection before returning back to the conversation you had with Sugawara.

It was a quick passing moment, but it was enough to make this man’s heart combust.

[weddingblogshere]

Elegant Gift Wrapping Ideas for Marriage Gifts That Add a Personal Touch

Elevate the Gift Experience: Beyond the Box, Beyond the Ribbon

Choosing the perfect gift for a wedding is a beautiful gesture of love and support. But the journey to gifting doesn't end with the present itself. Thoughtful and elegant gift wrapping adds a touch of artistry and personality, elevating the gift into a truly memorable experience.

Embrace Tradition: The Art of Indian Wrapping

India has a long and rich history of exquisite wrapping techniques. Let's explore some traditional approaches to add a touch of elegance and cultural significance to your gift:

The "Bandhani" Wrap: A colorful and intricate wrapping style, Bandhani uses a tie-dye technique to create unique patterns on fabric. Wrap the gift in a square of Bandhani cloth, secure it with a thin silk ribbon, and tie a small embellishment (like a miniature decorative item) at the top. The vibrant patterns and traditional aesthetic add a touch of Indian artistry.

The "Dupatta" Wrap: This technique utilizes a delicate, embroidered dupatta (a long scarf) to wrap the gift. Fold the dupatta in half and place the gift inside. Tie the two ends of the dupatta together, and add a beaded tassel or small floral embellishment to create a soft, graceful finish.

The "Zari" Accent: Add a touch of luxury and shimmer to your wrapping with a delicate strip of Zari (a gold or silver thread woven into fabric) to accentuate the edges of a simple box or fabric wrap. The Zari adds a subtle touch of traditional Indian elegance, perfect for a special occasion.

Beyond Tradition: Creative and Contemporary Approaches

While traditional wrapping is lovely, there are many contemporary ways to showcase your style and personality while wrapping gifts for a wedding:

Minimalist Chic: Choose plain kraft paper in natural hues, and wrap the gift in a simple yet elegant style. Add a touch of sophistication with a satin ribbon in a complimentary color and tie a small, minimalist embellishment like a dried flower or a wooden bead. This understated style highlights the beauty of the gift itself.

Personalize It: Create a unique touch by adding personalized touches to the wrapping. Consider using stamps to create a pattern, hand-writing a heartfelt message, or incorporating a meaningful symbol or drawing. The personal touch makes the gift even more special.

Embrace the Color Palette: Consider the color scheme of the wedding and the personality of the couple. Choose wrapping paper and ribbons that compliment their style and taste, creating a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing presentation.

Layer with Textures: Combine different textures and materials to create visual interest and depth. Use a textured paper as the base layer, add a ribbon with a contrasting texture, and adorn the gift with natural elements like sprigs of greenery, dried flowers, or woven baskets. This layering adds a sophisticated touch.

Remember the Importance of Presentation:

A beautifully wrapped gift makes a statement about the thoughtfulness and care you put into choosing the perfect present. It speaks volumes about your relationship with the couple and creates a truly unforgettable experience.

Beyond the wrapping itself, the presentation matters too. Use a stylish gift bag or box, add a small personalized card, and create a beautiful display. Consider using decorative paper or fabrics to line the box or bag, adding an extra touch of elegance. These finishing touches make a big difference and help elevate your gift into a true celebration of the couple's special day.

[uas-fics]

Chapter 1 -Chapter 2 -Chapter 3

AO3

---

Chapter 2:

With only a little help from Mr. Rime, Leon made his way back to the training area three days after his first visit. Both he and his pokemon nearly skipped with excitement towards Piers. Perfecting their appeal performance had become a highlight of their evenings. With Mr. Rime's enthusiasm, Leon knew they had a fighting chance to win the contest.

"Good evening, everyone!" Leon called, waving his arm over his head.

Piers lifted his head in a curt nod to greet them. Skuntank yawned, still unimpressed with both Leon and Mr. Rime. Aegislash waved at his trainer but ignored Mr. Rime.

After Aegislash's night at Spikemuth, he was still upset that Mr. Rime would be in the contest and not him. He glared at Mr. Rime and refused to be in the same room when Leon took him home.

So Leon asked Piers if he would mind letting Aegislash stay a few extra days with him and Skuntank. Ten years of training his team taught Leon that Aegislash would forgive Mr. Rime or be tolerant of his presence in time. It wasn't so different from the time Haxorus and Seismatoad were at odds after Seismatoad accidentally flooding Haxorus' favorite napping spot.

Aegislash just needed a few days away.

As Leon neared Piers, something shook in the tree at the edge of the training area. He winced, praying it wasn't that skwovet Piers picked on earlier in the week. That little critter still chattered and lashed its tail when they walked past. The last thing Leon wanted was to knock out a weak pokemon for throwing berries at him.

With a ground-shaking thud, an obstagoon landed on his back. He blinked up a few times, dazed, before rolling onto all fours. Like a spring, he jumped up, landing next to Piers.

"Ah, so that's where you wandered off to." Piers patted Obstagoon's shoulder. "Should have known." To Leon, he explained, "When he was a wee zigzagoon, he used to climb up there for naps when he didn't want to train. I'd join him sometimes. I say we're a bit too big now."

In response, Obstagoon opened his jaws wide in a yawn. His long tongue curled. He smacked his lips. Piers simply nodded in understanding.

Piers and Obstogoon's closeness sparked a flame in Leon's chest. He wanted everyone to know what it's like to be friends with pokemon and fight alongside them. Everyone should have the opportunity to feel the connection and strength that only comes with befriending a pokemon.

"You're never too big for naps." Leon chuckled. "You two just need to find a bigger tree."

Piers ran his finger and thumb along his jawline in thought.

"That sqwovet had a pretty big tree." He smiled wickedly at Obstagoon. "How about we go see if we can make enough room for us in it?"

Slobber flew from Obstagoon's tongue as he nodded. He punched his fist into the palm of his other paw, his smile mimicking his trainer's.

Seeing the wince on Leon's face, Piers rolled his eyes. "I'm jokin'— mostly." He added the last word with a sideways glance at Obstagoon.

"Anyway," he walked around Leon, "let's stop wastin' time. How do you feel you and Mr. Rime's performance is goin'?"

Thankful for the change in topic, Leon put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. Mr. Rime mimicked him.

"Mr. Rime is a natural. You've seen how much we've improved. I think we can win." Leon crouched to put a hand on Mr. Rime's shoulder. Mr. Rime nodded in agreement. Aegislash scoffed, earning a glare from his teammate.

"You're confident in your performance stage, but what about the battle stage?" Piers smirked. "Let's see how confident you are against a proper opponent."

He tapped Leon on the back of the head as he strode past. Leon nearly fell forward, taking Mr. Rime with him.

"W-wait!" Leon scrambled to his feet. "Do you mean we get to battle now?" His heart skipped a beat. Contest performing might be new, but battling was old hat to Leon.

Piers snorted with a smile. "Arceus, you're like a puppy with battles, aren't you? Yeah, we're going to battle. Get to your side."

Leon hurried to his spot. His mind raced through what he knew about Piers and Skuntank. Skuntank was dark and poison, so he had a type advantage over Mr. Rime, but Piers announced his tactics. If Leon acted fast on Piers' announcements, he could easily counter.

In the last tournament, Piers used Skuntank to inflict toxic on the opponents. Mr. Rime would need to avoid that or risk putting an even tighter time limit on their battle.

He had to counter status with status--teeter dance, then. Confusion, and maybe he could paralyze Skuntank with a thunderbolt.

Piers put his hands on his hips. "This is a contest battle. The time limit is five minutes. We each start with ten points. Every failed move loses a point. If you impress the judges, I lose a point and vice versa. A knockout is an auto-win, but those are borin' as hell. Are you ready?"

"Bring it on," Leon called back. "You and Skuntank are going to lose—in style."

Piers scoffed. "Who said I was usin' Skuntank? Someone's gotta be our judge, and Skuntank has the most experience."

Skuntank trotted to a backpack beside the tree Obstagoon fell from. He rooted around in it. With a flip scoreboard in his mouth, he came back to the edge of the battlefield. He dropped and fiddled with it until both sides showed 10 before settling beside it.

Of course, Leon realized, that's why Piers brought Obstagoon with him, to use in battle.

Leon quickly readjusted his strategy for a fight with Obstagoon. Dark and normal, still a type advantage, but the toxic risk was gone. Obstruct, though, could be tricky to deal with if—-

"Let's rock, Aegislash!"

Leon's mouth fell open as his own Pokemon floated in front of his opponent. Aegislash tossed his shield up. He snatched it from the air in his sword form, ready to battle.

"Wait, but..."

"Aegislash spent some time practicin’ with Skuntank while they were together. He deserves to show off the work he's done, don't he?" Piers smirked at Leon's shocked expression. "What's wrong? Worried you'll lose? Well, you probably will."

Leon shook off his shock. "I don't think so. Aegislash is strong, but Mr. Rime and I know all his tricks."

Mr. Rime stamped his cane in agreement. This was no longer a matter of practice to him. Now, it was a matter of pride. Leon knew Mr. Rime would give it his all to show Aegislash he deserved to be in the contest.

Aegislash rolled his eye and Piers snorted.

"If that's what you wanna think, I 'ppose."

Piers took out his phone. He pressed a few buttons then whistled to Obstagoon. Obstagoon took the phone carefully in his paws. He jogged to Skuntank's side and set it in front of Skuntank. The two dark-types nodded to each other. Obstagoon raised his paw.

"Obs? Goon?" He looked between the combatants. "STA!" He threw his paw down, beginning the battle, as Skuntank pressed a button on the phone.

"We're going to cut you to ribbons!" Piers threw out his arm, his leg bouncing to an unheard rhythm. "Use air slash!"

Aegislash jumped into the air. With blinding speed, he repeatedly slashed an X until a ball of blue energy grew from the middle of the X. Aegislash jerked back then slammed the tip of his blade into the ball.

The air slash ball burst into spinning blades and raced towards Mr. Rime.

Mr. Rime danced back, expertly dodging the blades, except for one.

The blade slammed into Mr. Rime's shoulder. He stumbled but regained his balance with ease.

Skuntank flipped the scoreboard so it said 9 to 10.

"Mr. Rime, teeter dance! Confuse Aegislash!"

Leon winced. It felt wrong telling his pokemon to attack each other.

Mr. Rime tapped his heels together then wavered from side to side, spinning his cane hypnotically.

Aegislash tried to look away, but his gaze kept returning to the dance. Aegislash swayed side to side before tottering around, confused and lost as his trainer on Route 2.

Piers swore, "Shit! Aegislash, snap out of it! Shadow Sneak, like when you and Skuntank practiced!"

Aegislash wobbled to the left, then wobbled to the right, then flopped face down into the dirt.

Obstagoon laughed. Leon flinched. Piers groaned. Skuntank sighed.

9 to 9.

"Sorry, Aegislash, but Freeze-dry, Mr. Rime!"

Mr. Rime held his cane to the sky. Blue energy swirled into a ball at the top. With a flourish, Mr. Rime threw the ball at Aegislash.

An icy wind blew out from the collision, burning Leon's eyes and cheeks. A thin layer of frost coated the battlefield.

Aegislash shook. Shards of ice clung to his hilt. He attempted to push himself up, but his ribbony arms gave out on him.

9 - 8.

Mr. Rime bowed to Piers, the turn to bow to Leon. As he turned to bow to Skuntank and Obstagoon, Aegislash melted into his shadow.

Piers smirked. "Of course the undefeated champ's pokemon would be a bragger. Looks like we have to teach him how to lose. Like we practiced, Aegislash!"

Aegislash's shadow circled Mr. Rime. Mr. Rime jumped back, but the shadow circle kept under him no matter where he went.

Shadowy tendrils raised out of the circle. The ends of the tendrils divided into fingers. The hands waved in a mesmerizing dance of their own.

"Wow, he's gained a few new tricks," Leon muttered then shouted, "Uh, Mr. Rime, use thunderbolt! See if we can drive away that shadow!"

Before Mr. Rime could gather the electric energy for the thunderbolt, Aegislash burst from the ground behind Mr. Rime and slammed the edge of his shield into Mr. Rime's back.

"The dark is just as fast as the light," Piers remarked.

Skuntank hollered, stamping his paws. Obstagoon flipped the board, 7 to 8. Aegislash's move landed and was impressive. Piers had to tell Leon how he taught Aegislash to do that with his shadow sleek attack after the battle.

Mr. Rime rolled head over feet. He skidded on his stomach to a stop. With a groan, Mr. Rime pushed himself back up.

"Prepare to be pushed back into defeat!" Piers yelled, "Now, sacred sword!"

Aegislash's blade glowed with a mysterious energy. The blade doubled in size. With a clattering cry, Aegislash rushed at Mr. Rime.

Mr. Rime's eyes widened. He tried to move but fell to his knee with a wince.

The collision of the attack threw dust into the air, obscuring the trainers' view.

"Mr. Rime!" Leon cried.

His heart pounded. He heard Skuntank shouting, Obstagoon cheering at the power of the attack, and Piers calling out in approval, but he couldn't focus on them. His eyes straining, he tried to pick out Mr. Rime from the settling dust.

A shocked silence fell over the trainers and spectators.

Mr. Rime sat back on his rump, holding himself up with his arms. Between his legs was Aegislash stuck deep into the earth.

Aegislash struggled to push himself out of the ground to no avail.

Skuntank hurried to flip the score, but Leon didn't check the numbers. He couldn't risk letting this opportunity slip away.

"Mr. Rime! Shadow Ball!"

Shadow energy pooled in front of Mr. Rime's nose-like belly. Aegislash's eye widened. He braced his arms on the ground, trying and trying to pull himself out in time to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough.

The force of the shadow ball dislodged Aegislash. Spinning in the air, Aegislash flew across the field. He crashed to the ground. His shield rolled away out of reach.

Leon took a breath to order a second shadow ball when Obstagoon let out an ear-splitting cry. Behind the ringing in his ears, Leon faintly heard a beeping. Mr. Rime hobbled to his feet, glaring at Obstagoon. Aegislash flopped down, holding his arm over his eye.

Piers groaned and fell to his knees. He threw his head back and slumped his shoulders.

"Piers! Are you hurt? What's wrong?" Leon gasped, about to rush over.

Without moving from his dramatic pose, he lifted his arm and pointed. Leon followed his finger to the scoreboard.

7 - 6.

Leon won.

Besides the scoreboard, Obstagoon fiddled with Piers' beeping phone. With a huff, he marched over to his trainer and dropped the phone in his lap. Piers' head rolled forward. With a sigh, he turned off the alarm.

Leon walked over to Mr. Rime. He patted his back.

"You took that shadow sleek right on the chin," Leon squeezed his shoulder, "like a proper champ. Take a rest." Mr. Rime leaned against Leon's side as Leon took out his pokeball to return him.

Mr. Rime shook his head at his trainer. He pushed himself to his feet and slowly hobbled across the field. He picked up Aegislash's shield and brought it to his teammate.

"Rime, rime?" He asked, holding up the shield.

Aegislash lifted his arm to eye Mr. Rime, then slowly got up. Aegislash slowly took the shield back. He turned it over so it faced whatever way Aegislash considered upright. Mr. Rime held out his hand.

"Aegi. Aegislash," Aegislash said, shaking Mr. Rime's hand.

Leon smiled--The status quo of his team finally regained.

With each of their pokeballs in his hands, Leon asked, "Are you two ready for a rest? That battle was something to see. My heart pounded the whole five minutes. I'm proud of both of you."

Mr. Rime and Aegislash bowed, still holding hands, as Leon returned them to their balls.

"That was sickenly sweet display of affection," Piers remarked when Leon came towards him. "If Aegislash hadn't missed that last attack, we would have won. You got lucky."

"If that's what you want to think, I suppose." Leon laughed. "But that was a brilliant battle, Piers. When was the last time you and I had a battle?"

When he was champion, Leon battled all the gym leaders at some point or another, but he couldn't remember exactly when he and Piers had a battle last. In his defense, though, some gym leaders battled him more than others.

It felt like Rehain challenged him at least once a month. How many times had he been woken up at five in the morning by Bea banging at his flat's door challenging him? If Melony came close to beating him, Gordie would take a shot. Kabu, Nessa, Milo, Allister, Opal, Leon remembered his most recent battle with each of them, but his memory of his last battle with Piers was fuzzy.

Piers shrugged. "When did the My Little Ponyta movie come out?" At Leon’s bemused look, he explained, "Marnie dragged me to the premier the day before our battle. Had that fuckin' theme song stuck in my head all day."

Leon swallowed a laugh. He imagined Piers in a theatre showing a movie about the magic of teamwork and flying ponyta. Piers would tower over all the little kids. If he sat close to the front, children probably threw popcorn at him.

"I wasn't the only grown up there. The show is pretty popular with adults, too, you know." Piers rolled his eyes as if he could read Leon's mind.

"Of course," Leon placated. "I think I remember it now. It was close."

Piers smiled towards Obstagoon. "We nearly clobbered him. 'member that, Obstagoon? If Charizard hadn't Gigatanmax before you landed that hit, I'd be the champion right now and every child in Galar would have dollies of you."

His memory sharpened at Piers' comment. It hadn't been as close as he implied. Piers had only a half-beaten Leon's team and had a paralyzed Obstagoon left while Leon still had Charizard and Haxorus, and each was completely healthy.

Leon bit his tongue from correcting Piers. What did it matter? He had beaten four out of six of his team. Raihan didn't even get that far half the time. Besides, Leon didn't want to change Piers' cheerful expression as he reminisced with his partner. The pink flush of pride across Piers' pale face made Leon's heart skip in his chest.

"Do you want to have a rematch sometime?" Leon asked instead. "Not of our contest battle, but the first battle, err, the champion title battle, but without the title."

Piers raised an eyebrow. An amused expression crossed his face as if he just watched a growlithe puppy tumble over itself while chasing its tail.

Leon chuckled nervously. He hadn't meant to babble like that, but his tongue just kept tripping over itself.

"I mean, we could battle at the Battle Tower. Have you been there since it's been the Battle Tower? I'd be more than happy to give you a tour. I won't get lost there. I promise it'll be fun. What do you say?"

Piers' lips twitched upwards with a sharp snort of amusement. Leon's stomach tightened. Was Piers going to deny his offer?

"I'd be honored."

---

Piers whistled, craning his head to look at the Battle Tower.

"Battles are goin’ on every floor of this place?"

Leon bobbed his head. "More or less. Some floors are dedicated to research or resting up. It turned out better than I could have ever imagined."

"Impressive," Piers conceded. "Now, explain to me why you're dressed like a silver spoon aristocrat?"

Leon looked down at his outfit, a maroon double-breasted tailcoat, white undershirt, ascot, and dark trousers. The only clothing that wasn't professional was his hat.

"It's my business outfit," he stated simply. "I have to look professional as the league chairman."

He'd gotten reprimanded for wearing 'unprofessional' clothing when he started attending meetings as the chairman. He had several meetings earlier that day, so he had to have on his business outfit.

Piers opened his mouth, then slowly shut it with a shake of his head.

"Don't worry." Leon slapped Piers on the back, "You're not underdressed."

Piers glared. He straightened up and pulled on the hem of his leather jacket before readjusting the messenger bag strap across his chest.

"You are a wild card of a human bein’," he muttered. Louder, Piers said, "Let's head in. We have more to do today than just a tour."

Excited to show off the Battle Tower, Leon ushered Piers inside. The reception area of the Battle Tower bustled with activity. People and pokemon chatted and compared strategies. Two trainers argued over the best rental team at the rental counter. An abra played tag with a pichu under the careful watch of a clefable.

Leon's chest swelled with pride. The people of Galar would be the strongest in the world with the deepest bonds with their pokemon.

Piers tapped the heel of his thick-soled boot against the shiny tile. His gaze wandered the room.

Did he like it? Leon hoped he did.

"More lively than when it was the Rose Tower," Piers commented. "More useful too."

Leon released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Thanks. Come on, I'll show you--"

"Mr. Leon!"

Leon winced as one of the attendants of the Battle Tower rushed towards him. She doubled over, panting.

"We have a problem."

"What's wrong?"

"Mrs. Melony is here, and so is Mr. Gordie, and it's not going well," the attendant explained, wringing her hands together.

Leon wrinkled his nose. He'd thought Melony and Gordie were getting along now. They seemed to put their differences aside after the Darkest Day.

Before then, the two barely handled sharing gym leader responsibilities. More than once Rose had to go to the Circhester to settle an argument before an all-out battle broke out in the lobby of the stadium.

With no other choice, Leon told the attendant to lead the way.

"Sorry, Piers, you can wait--"

Piers strolled past him behind the attendant. When Leon caught up to them, Piers shrugged.

"You might need help when this goes," Piers put his closed fists together then flared out his fingers, "ka-boom."

---

"Seriously? Can't you drop it?"

"No, I cannot."

Gordie threw his hands up. Melony wagged a finger at him. The attendants of the tower pressed against the walls, eyes wide. One hid behind a pokemon recovery machine.

Shuckle wrapped his tentacles around Gordie's leg. Frosmoth tugged at Melony's hair. The tension in the air could choke a snorlax.

All in all, it wasn’t so bad.

Leon took a breath, bracing himself.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" Leon bellowed out, interrupting whatever Gordie was going to say. The attendants' faces lit up.

"Oh, Leon, dear, nothing is the trouble at all," Melony assured with a fake smile.

Gordie clenched his hands into fists. "There won't be trouble if you drop the matter."

Melony's smile fell to a frown. Frosmoth landed on her trainer to lower a wing in front of Melony's face. Shuckle dropped his full weight to the ground, attempting to stop Gordie from stepping forward.

Leon sent a question glance at the attendant that brought them up. The attendant shook her head with a shrug. She didn't know what they were fighting over.

Holding his hands up, Leon stepped between the gym leaders.

"Well, what's the matter? What is causing the trouble?" Leon asked.

Gordie tsked his tongue and scowled towards the wall. Melony waved back Frosmoth's wing, huffed, and looked towards the other wall. Neither answered.

Leon sighed. He couldn't force them to tell him what was the matter if it didn't involve their gym. Given their silence, it probably didn't.

From the door, Piers snorted loudly, gaining everyone's attention.

"If you're gonna fight over personal matters, do it at home, why don't you?" Piers rolled his eyes dramatically. "Or at least tell us what the fight's over so we can enjoy it properly. Just seein’ you bicker isn’t any fun at all."

Melony covered her mouth, a little ashamed. Gordie crossed his arms.

"You want to know? Fine! Mum is prying, like an old biddy." Gordie glared. Shuckle slipped into his shell and shook.

Melony gasped. "I am not prying! I deserve to know!"

"No, you don't!" Gordie snapped. "Who I'm seeing is my business, not yours!"

Leon's hands fell to his side. They were fighting about whom Gordie was dating? That wasn't something Leon wanted to deal with. Why couldn't it have been about the gym's paint color or whose name should go on the sign first? He could solve that problem. Personal matters like this were well out of his domain.

The attendants, still scared out of their wits, started to scoot along the walls towards the door. The one behind the recovery machine crawled on hands and knees.

"I just want to make sure she's not using you. You sometimes make bad decisions," Melony responded coldly, "like forgoing ice-types for stubborn pebbles."

Piers set a hand on Gordie's shoulder, stopping him from surging forward to confront his mother.

To Melony, he said, "Believe me, I am a supporter of cruel jabs, dark-types and all that, but I think you're takin’ this a bit far."

Thankful for the support, Leon agreed, "Yes. Piers is right. Gordie is an adult, after all."

"He a teenager!"

"I'm twenty!"

"You're still a child."

"I am not!"

"Just let me meet her!"

"No!"

Melony waved Frostmoth off her head. Frosmoth fluttered just above Melony, close enough to dive down again if she needed to.

The tension built. If Leon didn't do something soon, he might have a disaster on his hands. At least Mr. Rime and Aegislash could fight out their differences. Melony and Gordie couldn't--

"How about a bet?" Leon offered. "We are in the Battle Tower. You two battle it out. The bet is if Gordie wins, Melony, you have to leave him alone about his girlfriend for three months, or until he's ready to introduce you. If Melony wins, Gordie has to tell Melony his girlfriend's name and show her a picture." Melony started to oppose the idea, so Leon quickly added, “That way you can look her up on social media or ask people about her. You can see if she is up to your standards before you meet her.”

Gordie glowered but held out his hand. Melony took the offered hand and shook.

"Deal."

---

Eiscue flipper-slapped Shuckle's shell to no avail. One of Shuckle's tentacles whipped out and smacked Eiscue across the beak before hiding back in his shell.

Piers leaned back in his seat. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Leon lifted a shoulder. "It was better than letting them keep shouting like loudred."

"Guess so."

Melony recalled Eiscue, throwing out her Frostmoth. Frosmoth sent a blizzard at Shuckle, leaving him half-frozen with only two openings in his shell to attack from.

When Shuckle peeked out of one of the openings, Frosmoth hit him with a hurricane. The pillar of wind tossed a crying Shuckle into the air. The pillar vanished and Shuckle crashed to the ground. The ice encasing him shattered and freed him, but it didn't matter. Shuckle was out.

Leon leaned forward in his chair as Gordie sent his stonjournor.

As the battle raged, Leon couldn't help grow more excited. A smile spread across his face. Two top-tier opponents throwing their all at each other! It made his heart raced. Any other circumstance, he'd ask for a match with the winner right after the final bell. Maybe he could find a good excuse to visit Circhester and talk one or both of them into a battle.

While Charizard could melt any of Melony's ice-types, her Lapras was not only part water type but incredibly strong. One G-Max Resonance would cause problems for his team. He'd have to prepare with electric moves if he wanted to stand a chance.

Gordie liked to set up stealth rock, and that would hurt Charizard, but Aegislash proved how powerful his sacred sword could be. Gordie's Coalassol, though, knew fire moves. That could be a problem. Seismatoad, then, would be a good pokemon to have on the ready.

Leon nearly bounced in his seat as Melony and Gordie sent out their last pokemon. This was it, the climax of the battle.

Suddenly, Leon felt someone's eyes on him. He turned abruptly to the side to find Piers staring intently at him. The heat rose up his cheeks when they locked eyes.

"I like your enthusiasm," Piers commented with a half-smile. "It's earnest."

Unlike the last time, his tongue couldn't even make any words to trip over.

Piers raised his eyebrows as if he realized something. He opened his mouth but an explosion from the battlefield stole their attention from each other.

Melony's darmanitan fell backward, fainted. Gordie's tyranitar bellowed a victory shout.

Melony sighed as she returned her pokemon. Gordie ran to Tyranitar. Trainer and pokemon shared a high five.

"I knew you could do it," Gordie proclaimed. Tyranitar puffed out his chest. A slab of ice fell from his back. Tyranitar raised his tail and smacked the slab, shattering it. Gordie patted him on the shoulder with a wide grin.

"Gordie..." Melony straightened her back. She took a few careful steps closer.

Her son tensed.

"Gordie, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'll wait until you're ready to introduce me to your girlfriend. I won't pry into it anymore."

Gordie patted Tyranitar again. He looked at his pokemon then at his mother. Tyranitar rumbled reassuringly.

"I don't have a girlfriend. Alex isn't a girl. They're nonbinary. They work at a cafe, and maybe, sometime, I can take you there to meet them," Gordie offered. “Sometime. In the future. Not right now.”

Melony's eyes brighten. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. His glasses clattered to the ground, exposing his beet-red face. Tyranitar chuckled, picking up the glasses as his trainer struggled against his mother’s tight grip.

Leon let out a breath. That could have been much, much worse. He stood but didn’t go over to the mother and son. Gordie had his phone out, showing a picture to Melony. Melony cooed approvingly.

Leon wouldn’t dare interrupt the two finally getting along.

From his seat, Piers asked, “You ever jump through hoops like a trick ponyta? For a person you’re datin’, I mean. A girlfriend or whatever?” He fixed his icy blue eyes on him as if Leon was a puzzle Piers was trying to solve.

Leon’s stomach twisted. For someone with constant bags under his eyes, Piers had a nice face. Leon’s heart skipped. He’d been trying to avoid thinking about that since he noticed it during their contest training. The first day, after he’d wiped the sweat from his face, he noticed Piers looking at him intently, and the overwhelming urge to walk over and brush his fringe aside rose in him.

Luckily, Piers didn’t notice Leon tense. Unluckily, Piers turned his face away so his fringe hid his face from view.

Instead of looking into his eyes, Leon focused on a wall panel just beyond Piers’ face.

“No, I haven’t.” Leon’s tongue felt limp in his mouth.

“Huh. I had a few times. Nothing like battlin’ my mum, though." He turned his head with an aloof expression. The urge to brush his fringe back crept down Leon’s arm. He clasped his hands behind his back.

Leon swallowed, thankful his limp tongue didn't go down his throat. "Yeah, but I'm raring for a battle myself now."

"I can help you with that, but don't you owe me a tour first?"

Leon grinned. "Tour first, then a battle."

---

Leon laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was nearly eleven and he hadn't left his blankets. His mind spun from the day before. After everything with Melony and Gordie, then the tour, he and Piers had no time for a battle, let alone the other plans they'd made to work on Leon's contest disguise.

Though Leon refused to admit it, it was for the best. With his luck, he would have fumbled calling out moves. He barely got through the tour without sounding like he'd been hit with a confuse ray.

When he was champion, he was too busy to focus on guys. He needed time for training his team: Haxorus' defenses to endure a dragon tail or Rypherior's speed to dodge a power whip. The time off he did have usually, he went to visit his family.

Dating ended up very low on the priorities list.

As chairman, he didn't have to constantly train his team every day--though he still trained more days than not. He more or less made his own hours and visited his family at least once a week, so he could date if he wanted. Nothing stopped him now--nothing but himself.

And Piers was an attractive guy in more ways than one. He was nice enough to help Leon with the contest. He cared about his sister. He had a great relationship with his pokemon. He was a strong battler, a good leader, and...

...he probably didn't know Leon was interested in him at all.

"Mixing politics and your career is a messy business," Rose warned Leon once when he was about thirteen. "I think it's best to keep your focus on training and let romance stay to the sidelines, hmm?"

At the time, Leon deferred to Rose's judgment. Rose was chairman and the person who sponsored him in the gym challenge, so he had to know what was proper for a champion.

That’s what he’d thought for nearly ten years.

After all that happened during the Darkest Day, Leon had been picking through all of Rose's advice to decide what was worth listening to, and as far as Leon could tell, that particular piece of advice could be flushed down the john.

Times had changed since he was a kid. Fewer and fewer people cared about who was gay or straight. Why keep himself a secret anymore?

Piers sure didn’t care who knew what he liked.

Once, Piers wandered into a gym leader meeting a half-hour late. To Rose's less than pleased inquiries on why he was late, Piers shrugged and replied in a deadpan, "Makin' out with my boyfriend sounded more interestin' that whatever you're going to ramble on about."

Two meetings later, Leon saw Piers kiss a lady square on the lips before heading in, leaving her swooning. He didn't much care what people thought of him and whom he dated.

Leon had to admit, he was a little jealous.

"Piers is so cool..." Blushing, Leon groaned. "I sound like a schoolboy. Arceus."

He should give Sonia a call. She knew more about dating and romance than he did. She'd been telling Leon since they were preteens that she would be his wing gal if he ever had a crush.

"You're a little too, you know," Sonia had spun her ponytail with her finger, "blockheaded in matters of the heart. You need my help. I bet you wouldn't even know what to do with a man if one threw himself at you."

"I would so!" Leon had retorted, sticking out his tongue. "I just don't have time. Some of us have important jobs to do."

Having grown into a still romantically blockheaded adult, Leon would one-hundred percent swallow his pride if Sonia would come to give him advice and help.

The door creaked open and Charizard poked his nose in. He tilted his head at Leon before wandering over. Leon patted Charizard's neck.

"I'm alright, don't fret." He sighed. "I just have a little crush on my contest teacher and he doesn't even know I'm gay. Even if he did, I don’t know if I’m brave enough to ask him on a date."

Charizard rumbled as Leon scratched his scales.

"Luckily, he's not supposed to be here until five tonight. I'll give Sonia a call," Leon continued. "I have plenty of time, after all."

From the bedside table, Leon's phone buzzed. Scratching Charizard with one hand, he picked up the phone with the other.

"open your door. let me in. i think your neighbors are gonna call the cops on me soon. :\" The text message from Piers read.

Leon jolted.

"What?" He gasped. Charizard craned his head to look at the screen as if it could explain his trainer's distress.

Swearing, Leon jumped to his feet. He darted past Charizard to the closet. Changing quickly, he then rushed out his flat door and down the steps. He threw open the door to find Piers fiddling with his messenger bag strap.

"You're here early," Leon leaned against the door frame, trying to look nonchalant.

"I figured you'd be awake." Piers pointed to Leon's feet. "Clearly not."

Pink dusted Leon's cheeks as he realized he wasn't wearing any shoes. He wiggled his toes.

"If you need me to come back, I--"

"No, no, it's fine, come on in." Leon gestured for Piers to follow him. Piers eyed him but followed without complaint.

Back in his kitchen, Leon filled the electric kettle. Piers rifled through his bag at the table. Charizard dropped his head on top of Leon's. He rumbled, attempting to comfort Leon's nerves.

"You allowed to have him in here?" Piers asked. "Open flame and all?"

Charizard huffed out a puff of smoke. Leon opened a drawer and took a lava cookie to wave in front of Charizard's nose. Charizard crossed his eyes at the cookie. Tenderly as possible, he bit the cookie in half.

"What the landlord doesn't know won't hurt her," Leon replied, nibbling on the remaining half. "Besides, Charizard hasn't set anything on fire in the house in nearly six years. Tea?"

Charizard lifted his head at the praise.

The last time Charizard accidentally set the drapes on fire, Leon put it out before much damage could be done. Having four fire extinguishers hidden around proved to be a wise decision.

"I had to pay off a landlord once to let Skuntank stay, and nah, I'm fine." Piers set a star-print zipper bag on the table. "Jokes on him, I would have let Skuntank out of his ball no matter what he said."

After Leon set a cup of steeping tea on the table, Piers grabbed his arm. From the zipper bag, he took out three small glass containers. He held one against Leon's arm and shook his head, then another.

"What are you doing?" Leon asked, trying not to focus too much on Piers' cool palm against his skin. His hands were calloused. Leon prayed the calluses were thick enough he couldn’t feel his pounding pulse.

"My foundation won't work for you, so I'm trying to figure out which of these will," Piers explained.

"Why won't it work?"

Piers looked up at him with a face that made Leon think he just asked if the sky was blue.

"I'm white, Leon," Piers deadpanned. "You're brown. My makeup will make you look like death."

"Oh, right, that makes sense." Leon didn't look Piers in the face. "My mistake. Ah, I'll pay you back?"

"No," Piers took the last bottle and held it against his arm, "I think I got lucky." Dropping Leon's arm, he held up two of the bottles. "I need one darker than your skin and one lighter."

"Really? That's interesting." Leon laughed a little too quickly. Behind him, Charizard snorted at him. It took all his willpower not to turn and acknowledge Charizard's mocking.

He took his cup of tea and sat across the table. Thankful for something in his hands, he took a sip. The tea burned his tongue, but he swallowed anyway. Charizard took a second lava cookie from the drawer — even though he knew he wasn't supposed to have more than one. He nibbled on it, watching his trainer make a fool of himself. His laughing eyes dared Leon to scold him for the second cookie.

"You're jumpy," Piers observed. "What's the matter?" A smirk crossed his face and he leaned across the table. "Got a lady friend hidin' in your closet?"

Leon nearly choked on his tea.

"What? No! No, no no!" He coughed into his hand. "I mean the only person who's ever been in a closet here was me."

Piers reacted with a slight lift of his eyebrows but his face remained the same otherwise. He took a few brushes from the zipper pouch without replying.

Leon shifted uncomfortably in his seat. That was the wrong thing to say, but it just slipped out. How'd he come out to his family? He just told them flat out, right? Hadn't most of them siad they already kind of knew? It wasn't this awkward, was it? He didn’t think so, but he couldn't remember clearly just then.

His brain spun with embarrassment.

"I know it's not a funny joke, but you're not going to ask about that?" Leon ventured. Charizard rolled his eyes and tossed his cookie into his jaws. Leon did glare at him this time.

After a moment, Piers looked up from organizing his makeup brushes. "No. Wasn't plannin' on it." He took a brush and spun it between his fingers. "In Spikemuth, you learn not to stick your nose in other people's business, unless you wanna lose your nose. " He looked to the side and mumbled, more to himself than to Leon, "‘Sides, you sounded like you didn’t mean to say it anyway."

"Oh." Leon chewed his lip. Charizard hid his face in his claws from second-hand embarrassment.

Piers tapped the brush against the tabletop. The steady rhythm filled the heavy silence between the two.

Leon wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't just out and say he wanted to ask Piers on a date. Well, maybe he could, but what would that make him look like? Piers would think he was desperate! Why couldn’t Piers have come later? Sonia would know what he should have done.

Piers broke the silence. "D’you want me to ask?"

Charizard sent him a thumbs up and a grin.

Leon blew up his fringe. He could do this. He could handle this. He was the Champion--the undefeated Champion--for nearly a decade. This was as easy as catching a rookidee compared to that. He could ask a man out on a date!

"I want to ask you on--"

Piers stood abruptly. He walked around the table to tower over Leon. He put his hand on the back of the chair, boxing Leon in. He took Leon's chin between his thumb and finger.

Lifting his chin, Piers smirked down at him. "D’you want to make a bet?"

"A bet?" Leon croaked, embarrassed by the cracking at the end. How badly had he messed up his date inquiry?! He should have consulted Sonia about all this.

"Yeah, a bet," Piers met his eyes. "The bet is if you place in the contest, I promise to take you on a date."

His heart pounded in his ears. "And if I don't?"

Piers dropped his chin. "Then you have to take me." He held out his hand. "Deal?"

Leon's smile nearly split his face. He took hold of Piers' hand.

"Deal."

---

"You look like a grade-A douchebag." Piers adjusted Leon's headband once more.

"I thought you said we were going with a 'hipster'?"

"Same thing far as I'm concerned."

They stood behind the Bellonea pokemon center after leaving the flying taxi that brought them.

Leon had to say Piers outdone himself with the disguise.

Piers brushed Leon’s fringe back, held them with a clip and headband then brushed back some of the top layers of Leon's hair back into a bun. He contoured Leon's face to look rounder and his nose narrower. White eyeliner made his eyes seem bigger, particularly when contrasted with dark lashes. Piers even added a touch of color in a light dusting of mauve to his eyelids.

He'd nearly talked Leon into colored contacts, but Leon could barely handle Piers coming close to his eyes with the eyeliner. The thought of having contacts on all day made him shudder. Instead, Piers found a pair of thin square glasses with dark frames and slipped them on his face.

Considering Leon's fashion was, as Piers put it, like a smeargle waltzed in and painted everything in different shades of clashing and tacky, it took more time finding an outfit than the entire makeup process. Finally, Piers settled on a striped button-up, vest, and slacks.

Leon took nearly two hours the next day to reorganize everything. Luckily, Sonia came to help, though most of her help ended up sitting on his bed teasing him.

“You should have told me you had a crush,” she had laughed, “then I could have been your wing gal like I promised. You really are a blockhead, sometimes, Leon. And why Piers? He's kind of... Why?"

He had thrown a plaid shirt at her in response, knowing too well he would how he would sound if he tried to explain his attraction.

Piers rubbed his chin. "I still think we should have done more with the beard."

Leon covered his facial hair protectively. He worked hard to grow it, and he refused to cut it off. Besides, Leon had a meeting the day before and the next day, and he couldn’t regrow it back overnight.

"No one will know it's me," Leon promised. He paused, coughed, and lowered his voice to repeat, "No one will know."

Piers sniffed, unimpressed with the vocal tone shift. He reached into his pocket and took out a plastic case.

"Lemme see Mr. Rime's pokeball."

Leon handed the ball to him.

"Still doin’ the lightnin’-ice thing?"

Leon nodded.

"Alright. This should work then."

Piers opened the case. He took out a clear, round ball with a line down the middle, then a sticker. He popped open the clear ball to set Mr. Rime's ball inside then stuck the sticker on the outside.

"Here you go." He handed back the ball.

"What is this?"

"That's a seal case and seal. I won them back in my contest days," Piers explained. "They're really popular in Sinnoh. When you throw out Mr. Rime, it'll be more interestin' than just a flash of light."

Leon turned the ball over in his hand. "Wow. Thank you. You want me to win this, don't you?"

“‘Course. I worked too hard trainin’ you for this for you to lose.” Piers shrugged. “‘Sides, there is a nice cafe in Spikemuth I wanna take you to on our date when you win.”

Leon grinned. He didn’t even care about the limited edition hat now. He had a better prize to aim for.

"Shii?"

From the side of the center, a shiinotic stared at them. It tilted its massive mushroom head to the side. Its expression remained blank until it held thin, viny fingers to its mouth. It smiled a little too broadly, giggling.

Piers shuddered. "I hate fairy-types." He waved his hands to shoo it away. "With dark-types, you can see if they're being mean or not in their eyes. Can't tell a lick with fairies. Little devils."

The shintonic's smile fell. It huffed, spun around, and marched off at Piers' comments.

Leon chuckled. Absentmindedly, he brushed Piers’ fringe back. Piers stiffened and Leon jerked back.

“Ah, sorry.” Leon laughed nervously, thankful for the privacy behind the center.

“No, it’s nothin’,” Piers lifted his hands placatingly, “but we should get goin’ towards the stadium. Why don’t you go first? I’ll wait a bit. I need to call Marnie about somethin’ anyway.”

Leon nodded. “Right. I’ll see you after the contest.”

Piers winked. “Good luck.”

----

----

AN: while writing this chapter I learned that we Americans call them ‘bangs’ instead of fringe because of a type of haircut for horses.

Etymology is so cool

[coldasyou]

How to gif without photoshop (second method)

Hello! A couple months ago I made a tutorial on how to gif without photoshop using the website ezgif. I got a really great response for it and received some requests for the other giffing program I use when I don’t have access to photoshop. The program is called instagiffer; this is a software so it needs to be downloaded but I have never had any trouble with my version.  

Warning that this is VERY text and image heavy because I know how frustrating it can be when a tutorial feels like it’s skipping steps and I want this to be as clear as possible. Also please read this on desktop, tumblr mobile kills the quality of gifs inside text posts.

Please reblog if you found this helpful!

This is the video I will be giffing and here is the gif I will be making!

What you need:

Instagiffer

This program has been around since 2013 and I have used it since 2016. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been updated since 2016 and the download link on the official website is broken. That being said, there are a few other websites that still have a working download, which is what I linked to above.

ezgif

Although we aren’t going to use this website to make the gif, we are going to use it to add more color and brightness to the gif.

A video downloader 

This is the video downloader I use but basically any youtube/video download website works. There are two ways to gif on instagiffer; using a video and using the built in screen recorder. I will show you how to use both. 

A video to gif

This program is a lot more forgiving about video quality than ezgif is, but for best results 720p or 1080p is still the standard. Scenes with good lighting and bright colors turn out the best, but you can still make good looking gifs from darker or unsaturated scenes if you know what you’re doing. 

1. Making a gif with a downloaded video

 Step One: Getting the frames

First, you download the video you want to gif. Then you open up instagiffer and click on “load video.” Scroll down until you find the video you want to gif and click on it. 

The video will appear on the screen in the right hand side. Go ahead and put “smoothness” up as high as it can go. This increases the frames per second and makes the gif look smoother. It also makes the gif longer, so you may have to bring it down later so it doesn’t go over tumblr’s size limit, but I always start as high as possible then work down. 

Next, find the moment in the video you want to gif. You can either use the sliding bar or just type in the start time (you can use hours, minutes, seconds, and millisecond). You also want to put how long the clip you want to gif is. 3 seconds is the default but I usually bump it up to at least 4 (unless I know it’s a really short clip) just because it’s a lot easier to delete frames than add them. 

If you do this, you’ll quickly realize your gif has extra frames that appear slightly before and slightly after the moment you want to gif. It’s really easy to get rid of those frames; just click on them until you only see the frames you want in the gif. Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the gif to move around the frames, and use it to make sure the only thing on screen is the clip you want included in the gif. 

Step Two: Resize the gif, brighten the gif, change the speed and add captions

Now, it’s time to size, brighten, and color your gif! First look at the “frame size” option. Using the correct gif size for tumblr is one of the easiest ways to make sure the gif looks good. For gifs that take up a whole row, the size should be 540p wide. For two gifs in one row, the size is 268p each. For three gifs in one row, the sizes are 177p, 178p, and 177p in that order. Here is a visual of it.  You can see what the width/height of the gif is in the bottom right hand corner of the gif screen. I am making this gif 268p. Get the frame size as close to the width you want as possible; right now, it is 269x151. To get it down to 268 exactly, go up to the top of the program, click on “frame” > “manual crop”. This little box will pop up. Just set the width to 268 and make sure the size is listed as 268 under the gif as well. The height can stay the same. 

Keep quality up to 100 obviously. I almost always brighten by 2. Unless you’re giffing something with a huge spot of light, 2 is basically standard. Going up any higher usually makes the gif just look grainy, but if the scene is REALLY badly lit, you can go up to 3. Playback rate is usually -1, just to make the gif look smoother. Unless it’s a super long gif or a super short gif, I don’t mess with it further.

Captions are obviously optional but if you want to add one, click on “click here to add a new caption.” A box will pop up with options of how you want the text to look. I only use this to “caption” gifs (aka add dialogue). The settings I use are 12pt font, calibri, white, bold italic, bottom of gif, outline up to 3. You can also chose what frame you want the caption to start/end on if you want. Since this gif doesn’t have talking, I’m not going to include the caption in the final gif, but I wanted to show how to use this function.

Step Three: Color the gif

There are two parts to this. The first place I color the gif is on instagiffer, and then I use ezgif to add more effects. The second part is totally optional but they have more choices for coloring there. 

Click on the “open effects panel”. A window will open showing what the gif currently looks like, along with a variety of filters you can use. Ignore how grainy it looks, it won’t look that way when it’s finished. 

First thing is keep “enhance” up to 100. This is basically a sharpening function and without it the gif will get super blurry. There are a ton of filters you can play around with, but the only two I focus on usually are “color fade” and “colorize.” For color fade, I click it on and set it at 10. Obviously, if you’re trying to make a desaturated gifset, you can raise it up for a faded color effect, but I use it more for color balance than desaturation. Next click on colorize, and then color picker. 

I almost always pick a light shade of blue, purple or pink; it brings out the color in the gif and tends to keep skin tones from being washed out. This is usually my default: 

Then, I bring the “colorize” option down to 90 to increase the effects of shadows. 

Last thing to do is click create gif! It’ll take a few seconds, especially for longer gifs, so be patient. ALSO there is a good chance you’re going to get a message saying something to the effect of “this gif is too big for tumblr’s photo limit.” Feel free to ignore that; the software being old means it still has the photo limit as 2gb when now it is 5-6gb so almost any gif you make will be considered “too big.” 

Your gif now shows up in a preview tab! It should also show up as a file labeled “insta” on your desktop. 

Here is the gif so far. 

You can end here if you want. But when using instagiffer, I always go to ezgif to brighten up the colors further. 

This part is basically the same as how you would color a gif you made in ezgif (see this tutorial) but I’ll quickly walk through what I do.

Go to ezgif.com/effects. Click chose file and upload your gif. First, you’re going to want to up the saturation, brightness, and contrast. You have to play around with these functions a lot because every scene is different, but in general, I have my saturation up pretty high and my brightness and contrast at at least 8. For a scene as dark and desaturated as this, I put saturation at 200, brightness at 12, and contrast at 16. 

Afterwards, you want to go down to “color presets” and select “tint.” In my other tutorial, I recommended tinting with a light red or light blue, but for gifs made on instagiffer, I tend to use a light yellow/gold. I already tinted the gif purple in instagiffer so adding yellow in ezgif tends to balance it out. The shade I used for this gif is #fffcf0. 

If the gif ends up looking too yellow, either decrease saturation, or click the “effects” button under the gif and add a layer of light purple to balance the colors more. 

Your final gif should look like this.

2. Making a gif with the “capture screen” feature

This only changes the method of how you get gif frames. Everything related to resizing, coloring/effects, and adding captions is the same as above. 

What if you don’t have a download of the thing you want to gif? The great thing about instagiffer is it has a built in screen recorder so you can gif any video you want, even if you can’t download it (or if you’re like me and don’t want to deal with downloading a 45 minute episode of something just to gif one scene). 

To use this tool, click on the “capture screen” button on the top right corner next to “load video.” Then this screen will pop up.

You’re going to want to take this blue screen over to the screen you want to capture. I’m going to put it over the youtube video I am giffing. Adjust it so the only thing it’s focused on is the video and set the length in seconds. I usually set it for longer than the clip is just because it’s easier to remove extra frames than rerecord a scene. There is also sometimes a lag so starting it right before the scene you want to gif helps with that. For example, if the clip I’m giffing is 3 seconds long, I set it to 3.5. Then start running the video and click “start” on the screen!

Your frames will now show up on instagiffer. Everything is the same, except you can’t change the frame rate or timing. Go ahead and delete frames that you don’t need by clicking on them. After that, just use the same resizing, and coloring method I outlined above. 

Some notes:

When using the video download option, the effects you use will save, as will the size of the gif. So if you gif one part of a video, then move the time stamp to another part, it will stay in whatever size you put the gif as. However, when using screen capture, you have to resize the gif and go to the effects menu each time because they reset after each use of the screen recorder.

You can also just paste a youtube link into the white bar at the top of instagiffer to gif it, but I’ve found that the quality is much better if you download or use the capture screen.

To crop a gif, move the red box around (just make sure it stays the right width size!) 

If you are using the screen recorder and only want to record part of the video (like just a characters outfit) size the gif recorder so it’s just surrounding the part of the video you want to see. 

I hope this made sense lol, it took me a few days to write it all so please let me know if you have questions or need anything clarified! Support me on Ko-Fi if you’d like and are able 💕💕💕