#there's a little bit of excess glue but we can clean that up with a lil detail sponge it'll be fiiiiiiiiine

[megsdoodletag]

love that he's decided to steal magnus' gravity defying hair shtick. he was like i can wear that better than you and he was right

I am a Little obsessed w the size difference they would have at this point ngl

[wuffhammer]

ULTRAMODERN/POST-APOC PARKING LOT BASE TUTORIAL

Working on some minis for Project Z from Warlord and I thought I'd share how I'm doing the bases! I'm painting them separate from the models for reasons that'll quickly become apparent.

PREP: Before basecoating, I applied watered-down PVA glue in small patches on the base, then dunked them in fine modelling sand, shaking off the excess.

STEP 1: Prime the base black. I'm using a Vallejo brush-on primer here.

STEP 2: Drybrush and lightly stipple a pale, bluish grey. I'm using Vallejo Ghost Grey. Don't worry if some parts are a little too bright, we can go over that with black later.

STEP 3: Using two pieces of masking tape, cover the base, leaving a thin gap between the pieces of tape. Try and press it in a bit to reduce bleed. Then, with a domed drybrush, heavily stipple your line colour, typically white or yellow. I'm using Citadel Flash Gitz Yellow. If you want a second line, repeat the process at a right angle to the first!

STEP 4: Using some black and a fine brush, clean up the line, chip it as desired, and bring back any areas where the drybrush was too heavy.

STEP 5: Using a heavily frayed brush, stipple on some Vallejo Dried Blood, followed by some Fresh Blood in the centre of the larger patches. And you're done!!

[aonoexpat]

Moving on

19-06-2023

It's official: I'll be heading to Te Waipounamu, Aotearoa's South island, in two weeks! I've booked a spot on the Bluebridge ferry that will take me and Elrond across Raukawa Moana, from Te Whanganui-a-tara to Waitohi. I'm not sure where I'll be going from there, and I don't intend to make plans. It will be just me and the road, which is both extremely exciting and a little daunting.

In the meantime I've been working on Elrond. I had a small list of repairs and improvements that grew bigger with every hatch I lifted. Whenever I fixed a minor thing, I discovered at least two more problem areas. For example, the brakes had felt a little off in the test ride, so my friend and I jacked up the car and leaked excess air out of the brake fluid. When testing the brakes again after that they felt better, but we discovered the parking brake pads were worn out, and during another brake test the bed fell over and broke. I found out the solar panel was actually not giving any charge at all, and the head unit needed professional replacement instead of the backyard DIY job I had hoped it would be. Brought the car to a car electrician (colloquially known as an 'auto sparky'), who proceeded take two full weeks to install the head unit and fix a headlight I wasn't aware needed fixing, then discovered the internal speakers were blown, replaced them, but in the process broke the plastic door covers. It's an exhausting and sometimes quite frustrating process, but I do feel like I'm getting to know Elrond inside and out through it. By now I've installed a new solar panel on the roof and have almost finished fixing the bed. After that there's only some minor repairs left that can be pushed back to a later date (and a cheaper town). I'm very excited to finally get to turn it into my own little home for the next however many months!

If you're wondering how you glue a solar panel to the top of a van, this was our method:

Today I took Elrond up to Petone, where I stocked up on goodies for the upcoming trip in The Dutch Shop, which offers a delightful hit of nostalgia:

I drove there all alone, and I feel like I'm rapidly growing more and more confident on the road, which I'm frankly really proud of. I'm still nervous to get behind the wheel (I do believe my driving instructor did a real number on me in that regard), but it's getting a lot better already. Driving on the left feels like second nature now, and it really helps that there aren't nearly as many bikes on the road here as at home. Don't get me wrong, I will never bash a bike-friendly traffic situation, but for somebody who easily gets stressed out and overwhelmed while driving this is quite a relief. I still took wrong turns at least three times in the span of ten minutes, but it's nice to find that that's easily solved by calmly making a turn somewhere and getting back on track. There's nobody next to me now to tell me that was wrong, or dumb, or a waste of time. It's just me and the huge pink teddy bear I bought to be my travel buddy, and he's real chill! (Will get a better photo soon, also jury's still out on a name, my inbox is open for suggestions xxx)

In other news, I have moved back into my friends' house for the remainder of my stay in Te Whanganui-a-tara. As I described in an earlier post, the house I was in wasn't great. Things reached a bit of a boiling point for me when I was violently woken up by our elderly neighbour banging her fists on my window in the morning because my housemate had parked his car in front of her driveway and she couldn't leave for work. Combine that with the unsettling amount of strangers he would let into the house, the absolute inability of everybody else to do any cleaning whatsoever and the unrelenting noises in the middle of the night, and you'll understand why I decided to stop waiting for the van to be ready and just put the room up for grabs on Facebook. It took a couple of weeks but I found a new tenant for the room. Assuming everything would be settled, I packed up my stuff and left on the agreed upon date. However, the new tenant suddenly pulled out at the very last minute, leaving the house with a gap in the rent. The previously mentioned housemate proceeded to bombard me with aggressive messages and e-mails, insisting I continue paying rent for a room I was no longer inhabiting, or there would be legal consequences. This was both hilarious, because the property manager of the house had been so neglectful as to never send me a contract during the past 2 months so there isn't a single legal document with my signature on it, and very uncomfortable, because I'm not used to confrontation. My friend was kind enough to take my phone from me and message him to, and I quote, "fuck off". I don't think I've ever said that to anyone and meant it, so it was quite the experience to get away with it. Luckily the other housemates were very understanding and agreed I didn't have to pay anything, and wished me fun on my trip. I'm glad to be out of there, and still a bit shaken. This is the second time in four months I've had to stand up for myself and be met with such aggression, and it's unpleasant. But I'm sure it'll leave me more equipped for the next time.

As a fun finish to this post, here's a video of one of Te Whanganui-a-tara's many spectacular "water features", aka broken pipes due to constantly shifting tectonic plates that the municipality simply cannot keep up with:

And!! My friends alerted me the other day to a pair of humpback whales that had swum into the harbour, so we went to look at them. My camera would never have been able to capture them, but luckily theirs did:

It's pretty mind-blowing that this just happens on a regular day in these parts. I felt super lucky to be there and catch a glimpse of them, even if it was from a distance!

[moxfirefly]

Can i get a breeding kink prompt With mikey please? 👉👈

👁👄👁 I am-

Listen, do not get me started on this...

Okay here we gooooo

Rated Explicit (18+ only)

Michelangelo had everything down to a science, which he always found hilarious since he wasn’t the science guy here. But ironic joke aside, he truly did have it all thought out to the point of near perfection.

Because Spring sucks.

Spring is annoying.

Everyone’s in a mood, everyone is in a state of perpetual chest pumping and nothing gets done. Mikey had long since learned that skating the excessive energy out of his system worked fabolously, combine that with some much needed alone time with a skin magazine or video and he could call it a night.

Spring is so annoying.

With you though, he had glossed over in a vague matter that maybe it would be best for you to hang back for a few days. Naturally that was odd, Mikey sometimes wanted to glue you to his shell if he could. A quick look of the calendar filled in the blanks, mutterings about approaching Spring Fever as they had named it were ongoing on the nights you’d been there. Mikey was being courteous, nay he was being shy at the very least.

Curiosity on your end though, would be your undoing.

So you packed your overnight bag with the essentials . He was probably overselling this whole Heat issue, it wasn’t like Mikey’s libido was at a soft two even on a bad day. That man could watch you shaver your legs with a full on mud mask on your face and still pop a boner. Naturally though you maybe should’ve listened

but your feet were already taking to the nearest Lair entrance.

Mikey felt antsy , even after spending three hours on his board. He even took out his old normal board to practice basic tricks on it, he’d played video games for an hour, thought about you for another hour and still his skin felt electric. The air in the Lair tonight was about the same, everyone was locked away to avoid unnecessary fighting. He figured he’d shower, think about you once again and retreat back to his room.

He felt a little better after the hot shower, he’d even found that you had left one of those sweet smelling body gels. That had significantly distracted him and now he couldn’t stop smelling himself, for he smelled like you. In his trance he neglected to perhaps notice that your scent had picked up a little more but he figured it was himself.

He nudged the curtain aside that led to his room (Raph had moved out a few months back) and tossed his towel somewhere in the chaos.

Then he saw you there, on his bed, flipping away on some random magazine he had lying around looking like a dream. Mikey froze on the spot, you looked up and smiled.

“So what’s the big deal? Aside from how funeral like quiet everything is around, has anybody sprouted a third arm?” You joked whilst setting the magazine aside, you sat up and assessed him. He was freshly showered, smelling of your favorite shower gel and wearing nothing but his boxer briefs.

For Mikey though, his literal reptile brain was only making him notice how gorgeous you looked in nothing but some stay at home shorts and a flimsy oversized crop top. Naturally you had settled into your relaxed attire once here, most of the time it consisted of things Mikey either outgrew or didn’t use anymore. He approached, tentatively.

“No third arms dude, just you know; tension in the air” He chuckled and so did you, you couldn’t help but notice how fixated his gaze was. He looked at every little detail of yours more intently, enjoying it even more. Mikey reached out and ran his knuckles across your chin. You kept your smile, sneaking down to press a soft kiss on his wrist. “What’ya been up to then?” You not so innocently asked as he started playing with your hair.

Mikey’s mind was too clouded, it had been clouded all day with scandalous thoughts of you. Even now as you sat in front him, the picture of sweetness and loveliness all he wanted was to consume himself in you. “Thinking of you” He answered distracted by ideas of pulling your hair, watching your mouth open in a gasp, body shaking with pleasure.

Maybe spring didn’t have to be so annoying...

“Well I’m here now, you should’ve just said so” You liked how concentrated he seemed, fascinated with your hair or with caressing your cheek. You also didn’t mind that he was barely dressed, all strong legs and thin waist for display. You wondered just how badly he was fighting to not make his arousal so evident.

Then his hand retreated and he got down on both knees. His hands rested on your knees and you swore his pupils were blown out already, you pressed your legs tightly together.

“I can smell it, don’t hide it”

That sentence shook you. Your face flushed at his words but it only served for another shot of heat to pool beneath you. Mikey seemed so different, that cheery flirtatious nature of his wasn’t all quite there and you couldn’t help but wonder what lay in store for you.

He hooked his fingers in your shorts and pulled them down slowly, his excited energy was there but more zeroed in on the task at hand. You let him take them off for you, soon your underwear as well, his firm but gentle hand nudged you backwards. You laid down, breathing anticipation and exhaling desire when you felt those strong hands of his spread you.

“You smell so fucking good” Any and all rational thought had exited. All he wanted was to taste you, fuck you and claim you as his. He bit the inside of your thigh, enjoying the muscle tremble. When you felt a string of spit on your core and that wet warm tongue flick up your slit, you bit down on your lip. Mikey was never controlled, especially in this activity, he went at it like it was his last meal. But this honed in method left you shakey and needy.

He wanted you shakey and needy.

Thus he did the same, licking and sucking slowly, calculatedly. You looked down, his meticulous attacks making you squeeze your legs against his head. That brought a lengthy groan out of him, his hands gripped your thighs more and his movements picked up a little more in forcefulness. Soon enough he had you teetering on the precipice, close and closer and each second you swore he’d give it he took it back. You whined frustratedly, hand smacking down on the bed. Your heated gaze found Mikey’s, mouth wet with your essence, pupils still so blown you could barely make out his baby blues. He sucked a finger into his mouth and found your opening, your eyes rolled back into your head.

“You’re so damn wet, like you always get this wet whenever I eat you out” He was knuckle deep, making you crossed eyed as he found your spot and thrusted. “I wish you could feel what I feel when I slide into this pussy” He angled his finger, loving how you bit down hard to muffle a moan. His thumb found your clit and you nearly sobbed. “Fuck you’re so good, you’re all mine aren’t you? This...” He made a come hither motion with said digit. “This all mine?” He asked, rubbing slow circles on your clit.

You nodded vigorously, anything for him to just apply a little more pleasure to hit that spot with just a little more force.

Then Mikey was pulling out his finger and sucking the digit clean.

Yet another frustrated sound left you and you swore he smirked. When he got up, you bit your lip. He was fully hard, leaking and staining the front of his underwear. Good, served him right for the torturing. You made do of your shirt, not missing the hungry look when he saw you were bare beneath the shirt. Opting for some retaliation you fondled them, pinching and kneading. Mikey’s eyes followed them as he kicked off his underwear.

When he gripped your waist you figured he was going to climb on you.

You didn’t expect him to quite literally turn you around and manuveour you onto all fours.

This wasn’t an usual pose for Mikey, it’s not to say he didn’t indulge in it but he preferred to watch you ride him or to be so sweetly spooned against you. This felt, primal. He still seemed unsatisfied that he couldn’t watch you, so he improvised.

Once again wrapping an strong forearm around your waist he took you towards a small dresser that had a mirror. Your wide eyes were comical at this point, this was so unlike him and yet you found yourself so insanely turned on by it. He nudged your legs apart with his foot, hand on your lower back he guided himself in with his other.

That initial burn would never stop being your favorite and Mikey had full view of your eyes leaving their sockets. That gravely churr startled you, his usually didnt run that deep more along the lines of a pleasant purr. You clenched around him and his mouth hung open. That very sensation was something he could dream about awake. He had that feeling committed to memory, often times trying to replicate it with his hand whenever he missed you.

“Jesus fucking hell, Mike please move” You rested on your forearms, trying to move back against him but he held a firm hand on your lower back denying it. He remained quiet, you whined. “Please babe, please I want it so bad” Your eyes drifted to the mirror catchi. Mikey’s heated gaze and grin, he was definitely eating this display up.

He leaned over you, mouth close to your ear. “If... if I start I’m gonna keep going until you’re filled up with my cum” He tested his words by starting to move, hands gripping your waist tightly. The relief that washed over you was immediate, this angle was always a weak point for you so you knew lasting would be difficult.

Then Mikey slammed into you with enough force to rattle the dresser and it’s contents. Your mouth opened in a silent gasp, you watched how consumed he was feeling you. “Oh fuck Mikey, that’s so good” You felt him pulse inside of you, always one for praises this one.

“You’re gonna take it for me? Mhm?” He thrusted hard, demanding. You threw your head back, a blissed out grin breaking out on your face. “God yes, all of it baby, fill me up” You moaned, more so when he wrapped his arm across you chest and held you against his hard plastron. “Yes you are, you’re gonna take it all, every last drop” He shoved his finger into your mouth, pace quickening, churring nonestop.

He continued his words, each one making you hotter, the two of you were going to be a blushing mess after this. “Gonna fill you up, knock you up” He grunted against your ear, the angle was slightly uncomfortable but you were too lost in the lust to bother. You nodded trying to say ‘yes yes yes’ with his thick digit in your mouth.

Mikey felt you tighten so suffocatingly hard that you bit down pretty hard on his finger. He took it out just as you started to scream with your pent up release. “That’s my giiiirl” He groaned against you, slamming two more times before spilling himself in you. It felt never ending, each spurt deep within, Mikey’s short hard thrust making you slump forward in his arms. “Fu-uck Mike” Your voice shook, legs trembled as he emptied himself inside of you. He remained there, buried so far in, loving the mixture of his mess and yours.

Mikey bit down on your shoulder, hips starting to move again, his member twitching back to life. Your eyes shot open, watching him through the mirror. He kept you against him, this time by gripping both your breast.

His previous statement swam inside your foggy brain.

‘If I start, I’m not gonna stop...’

Spring was officially your favorite season.

[artificialqueens]

Better Than Revenge, Chapter 1 (Multi) - Joley

ao3 link

Jan put her hands on the back of Jackie’s chair, trying to read over her shoulder as if it would help one way or another. “Still looking into the Sarah Jones case?” she asked, resting her chin on the top of Jackie’s head.

If it were anyone else, Jackie would’ve shooed them away, but she didn’t have it in her to deny Jan’s presence. “Just about finished,” she assured. “It seems pretty cut and dry, the court case is well-documented. It’s yet another instance of a straight, white boy getting off with a slap on the wrist. Did ninety days in jail and another month of community service. Sarah came to the right people.”

“She getting any restitution?”

“Not a dime,” she shook her head and clicked her tongue in disapproval, then turned to face her. “Are you taking on this one?”

Jan looked over her shoulder into the other room. “Nah, Gigi’s on this one, I have a few cases to follow up on.”

There was a beat of silence where Jan was unaware of Jackie’s internal debating before finally asking, “so, you think you’ll be free tonight?”

She bit her lip, a smirk twitching at the corner. “You missing me in your bed already?”

Jackie turned around in her chair, looking up at Jan. “You’re a cocky little brat, aren’t you?” she teased.

Jan braced her hands on either arm of Jackie’s chair. “But am I wrong?”

“I can’t really argue when I’m eye-level with your tits.”

“Well, I–” her retort was cut off by an alarm on her phone going off. “Ah, fuck, my three o’clock case is gonna be here any minute now. I’ll be in my office if you need me, gorge,” she winked before turning on her heel and making her way down the hall.

Jackie turned back to her desk, exhaling deeply as she allowed her heart a chance to return to its normal rate. But it wasn’t long before she sensed that once again, she wasn’t alone, and groaned. “Don’t say it.”

“She has you whipped,” Nicky observed matter-of-factly. “It would be cute if you weren’t such a stubborn bitch about it.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m an Aries. Stubborn bitch is my default setting. Ask Denali, she can vouch for that.”

Nicky furrowed her brows. “Where is Denali anyway? She left before noon to meet with a new client, she’s usually back by now.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Jackie assured, “she knows how to take care of herself.” Before they could question her whereabouts any further, her office phone began to ring. “Let me take this,” she said before answering in her ‘business voice’, “Karma Inc, Jackie speaking. How may I help you?”

——

It wasn’t uncommon for Denali or the others to make house calls for consultations. Oftentimes, someone’s privacy or safety could be at stake. So, she didn’t bat an eye as she made her way to the address listed in the email. But when she saw that she was at a scarcely used office building, her suspicions grew.

With her hand on her taser, Denali cautiously entered the building and looked around. The email said to wait in the lobby – not that she planned to wander around.

“Denali?”

The voice startled her from her thoughts and she turned to see where it was coming from. She then saw a tall woman with auburn hair and pale skin approach her. “You’re Rosé?”

“That’s me,” she confirmed before leading Denali into an empty office. “Listen, this is going to sound like bullshit, but I have a case for your organization. It’s of critical importance and could be huge for you guys as well.”

Denali’s brows furrowed as she eyed her suspiciously. “Who are you, exactly?”

Rosé strummed her fingers against the desk. “I’m a former detective and–”

“Hey, what we’re doing is completely legal!” she cut in, eyes narrowing in a glare. This wasn’t the first time she felt inclined to defend what her group did. What she considered their group was an ethical version of mercenaries (which may seem like an oxymoron, but that was beside the point).

They pick up where law enforcement, the justice system, or even society itself failed. When someone came to them seeking revenge on someone that wronged them, they took it seriously. The vetting process that Jackie would put each case through could take days depending on the circumstance. Bottom line, their goal was to help people who had exhausted their options and she would be damned if she let some cop get in the way of that. “If this is some sort of sting, I’ll have you know I have an attorney and I won’t–”

“This isn’t a sting,” she replied calmly. “I’ve seen the justice system fail far too many people to stay within it. That was why I left, but I have unfinished business. There are people out there that have hurt others that’ll never see justice and could cause even more harm. That’s where you and your associates come in.”

Denali went from defensive to intrigued in a second flat. “So, you want us to give the victims some closure by hunting down criminals? And do what, specifically? Because a lot of what we do doesn’t cause long-term damage… physical damage, anyway.”

Rosé grinned. “That’s where I team up with you guys. I can arrange for Karma Inc. to have the proper training you would need to be at the level of effectiveness we would need here.”

“We?”

“I have been working closely with some of the victims of the people we’re after. This isn’t going to be easy, but from what I understand, I’ve come to the right place.”

Denali strummed her fingers against the desk as she mulled it over. She would need to run it by the rest of the group, but she couldn’t fathom them not being on board. That’s why they had come together – to right wrongs in ways only they were able to. “You certainly have.”

——

“This is exciting!” Jan chirped, bouncing a bit in her seat. “We’re gonna be like actual crime fighters now. Think of all the things we’ll be able to do once we have all the skills for it! Maybe we should get matching leather jackets or something.”

“Take a breath, Bubbles,” Mik chuckled, then turned his attention back to Denali. “So, tell us about this detective.”

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Denali’s lips and she began absentmindedly twirling her hair around her finger as she spoke. “She’s like six foot, auburn hair, beautiful blue-green eyes, big ti-”

“That is not what he meant, you horny dumbass,” Symone cut in. “Also, I’m pretty sure you just described Jolene, like, from the song.”

“Hey!” Denali pouted, then tilted her head in thought. “Actually, now that you mention it…”

Gigi pinched the bridge of her nose. “Focus, Denali. Please just tell me you handled yourself professionally and weren’t staring at her ‘eyes’.”

“Give me some credit here, Jesus,” she rolled her eyes. “I was fine, I wouldn’t volunteer for something just to appease a pretty face. I take this shit just as seriously as the rest of you.” Once she’d taken a breath to refocus herself, she continued. “She’ll be coming over tomorrow to meet with us, then once we work out the details, we’re gonna get started on combat training. Well, you guys will,” she smirked at the last part.

“Lest we ever forget your black belt,” Nicky chimed in. “Did you brag to her about that?”

Denali scoffed. “I prefer the element of surprise, thank you very much.”

Nicky shrugged. “You’re welcome.”

As much as the group liked to joke around with each other, the seriousness of their new mission never left their minds. They enjoyed their work, but they took everything seriously. It was people’s lives, their mental and physical health. It was their safety and their future and they knew how much power and responsibility came with their mercenary work. But it fulfilled each of them in their own way - they didn’t end up doing this by accident, after all.

And they all made their feelings clear when they spoke to Rosé. Denali had texted her the address of their headquarters and led her inside to their main meeting room. “Everyone, this is Rosé. Rosé, this is Nicky, Symone, Mik, Jan, Gigi, we’re the mercenaries. And this is Jackie; she does all of the research, tech, paperwork… basically, the glue that holds us together.”

“I’m very excited to meet you all,” Rosé replied in greeting, clasping her hands together. “I know this may seem like a heavy task, I promise it’ll be worth it.”

“I’ve got a question,” Symone chimed in. “I saw the numbers you sent us. Who, exactly, is funding this endeavor?”

“It was somewhat of a crowdfunding endeavor,” Rosé explained. “But it turned into something much bigger. The community of people affected by the people we’re tracking down is dedicated and pulled in resources almost in excess. Rest assured, we can live up to those numbers.”

The answer satisfied Symone, who nodded in acceptance. “Alright,” she cracked her knuckles, “what’s the next step from here?”

Rosé’s face cracked into a grin. “From here, we get you guys into training. I have a combat specialist and range master on standby to help you guys prepare for as many possible scenarios as we could think of. This will take some time, so we’ll work with your schedules.”

“I’ll email you that,” Jackie nodded. “The rest of the day is open if you guys want an introductory session or something.”

They all looked at each other, slowly nodding before Jan, speaking for the group, said “we’re in, let’s at least get a taste of what’s to come.”

“We don’t need to know what you and Jackie are doing tonight, babe,” Gigi teased, earning a glare in response.

After that, the group took the twenty-minute drive to the private gym they would be training in. It was spacious and clean, not having an overabundance of exercise equipment. Most noticeably, there was a boxing ring towards the back of the space. “Any of you guys ever box before?” Mik asked casually.

Most of them shook their heads, save for Symone who shrugged, “a little bit in college.” She looked over at Denali, “what, you aren’t secretly a heavyweight champion on top of your blackbelt?”

“No, but I’m a fast learner,” Denali retorted, brushing her hair off her shoulder.

“Mercenaries,” Rosé redirected everyone’s attention. “This is Jaida, military trained in hand-to-hand combat. There’s no one I’d trust more to whip you all into shape.”

While most of the group had reactions ranging from neutral to excited, Nicky looked like she had just seen a ghost. Her eyes went wide, her face paled, the beating of her heart drowned out anything else Rosé was saying. There was no way, she thought. It had to be a coincidence – the universe doesn’t just align like that in real life.

But if Jaida shared those sentiments, she didn’t let them show – something that went hand-in-hand with military training, no doubt. Though it seemed that she was actively not looking at Nicky, her unwaveringly stoic expression seemed focused to her left, where Jan, Mik, and Denali were. “Alright,” she said once Rosé had finished her introductory speech, “I’m gonna work with each of y’all one-on-one to get a read on your skill level,” she looked the line-up over and tilted her head. “I’ll take the ginger one first, the rest of you start warming up.”

While Gigi left with Jaida, Jan turned to Nicky with a concerned expression. “You okay? You look kinda… sick. Do you want some water or something?”

“I’m not sick,” she assured, but let Jan lead her off to the side anyway. “I just think I might be going a bit crazy.” There was hesitation as she worked herself up to being honest – this was Jan, if there was anyone she could confide in, it would be her. “The instructor. She looked familiar… like the girl. You know, the girl.”

Jan’s expression went from confusion to wide-eyed realization over the course of the next few seconds. “Oh my gosh, her? Are you sure?”

Nicky shook her head. “I do not think I can be… she didn’t react at all. But she might just have a hard façade. I am sure the military helped with that.”

“What’re you gonna say when it’s your turn?”

“What can I say?”

Jan pressed her lips together as she wracked her brain, only to come up empty. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “I get it, this is a lot to process at once, especially if she is who you think she is. Maybe don’t even bring it up yet if you’re not ready.”

Nicky sighed, resting her head against the wall. “I guess that’s the best option,” she agreed halfheartedly.

By the time it was Nicky’s turn, her nerves had subsided. Whatever Jaida’s reaction to her was, she was sure she could handle it. “Hi. Um, I’m Nicky and–”

Jaida cut her off by firmly cupping her face and kissing her hard and for as long as her lungs would allow. “You fuckin’ think I wouldn’t recognize you? Come on, Nicky.”

It took a moment for Nicky’s brain and mouth to reconnect, for her head to stop spinning. “It’s been fifteen years,” she whispered in her weak defense. “I didn’t think… I never thought…”

“Neither did I,” she assured gently. “But here we are. We can talk later, we gotta get this assessment done before Rosé bitches at me.”

——

It had taken another few days for the details surrounding the first case to come together, and it would take longer than that for it to be put into action. But as it progressed, they all became more and more invested, and Rosé was thrilled to see her ideas, her seemingly far-fetched concepts, starting to take form.

“I’ve been working with one of the victims for this case very closely, I think it’s important to have someone like her on board,” she was explaining. “Mik,” she prompted, “I want your job in this to be working with her, I think you’ll handle that best.”

Mik tilted his head. “Sure, but based on what?”

Rosé shrugged. “Being a detective, you pick up on the ability to read people, you know, get a sense of their personalities. I think yours will balance with hers, and that’s going to be a necessity.”

“Believe it or not, one thing we’ve learned doing this is empathy. Not that we weren’t before, but this shit like, really bonds you with people,” Mik remarked.

“Definitely,” Jan agreed, “I’ve made connections with people through the process of getting them their revenge that I’ll have forever.”

Denali nodded, “I got invited to a client’s wedding. Honestly, I forgot she even hired us, I just see her as my friend now.”

Rosé beamed broadly as she listened to their anecdotes. This was what she had hoped to find in her previous career, to help people that needed it and solve problems. She wanted to connect to her community even when she was rather high-ranking. But it ended in frustration and hurt time and time again. Part of her almost envied the gang, how they had managed to achieve this all on their own. More than anything, however, she was happy to see it happening. “Can I ask you guys something? How did this happen? Like, what inspired you guys to come together to create this enterprise?”

“We’ve all got our backstories, gorge,” Mik chuckled dryly. “Took a while for us to all find each other, but we all had that in common.”

“What, that you all took revenge in your own lives?”

All of them nodded in confirmation. “You gotta start somewhere, right?” Jan hummed.

Rosé leaned forward in interest. “So… Can I hear them? Your stories?”

The group exchanged glances with each other, then nodded. “Buckle up, Detective,” Gigi warned, “this is going to be one hell of a history lesson.”

[shinsorokiri]

UA Idol | Chapter Seventeen

Hitoshi Shinsou x Reader

Word Count: 2,225

Warnings: Language, mentions of hangover, banter, big nerves

A/N: Ah and we are BACK. Sorry for the long ass and excessive break, school got to be a little bit too much and mentally I was ~struggling~ quite a bit, but here I am now. Finals week is soon and I’ll be on break and my brain has been pumping out the creativity again which is great!! I have gotten so many ideas for what I want to happen, so stay tuned! Also, if anyone has any song suggestions or anything like that let me know! I might put them in for someone! Okay, that’s all! Thank you for dealing with my inconsistency, and I hope you enjoy loves! 🖤

───────────────────────────────────

Luckily, you both woke up without Denki and Mina coming back to the room. You also were feeling so much better than before. And maybe it was because after the two of you woke up, Shinsou just refused to let you leave his arms. For like a half an hour. “Okay, Shin, I really think we should get up. It’s literally one in the afternoon and Mina and Denki probably think we’re like, dead, or something,” you say, wiggling out of his grasp. He frowns and sighs overdramatically, causing you to giggle before going to your suitcase. Maybe you’d go out to a coffee shop or something and figure out what you were going to sing there? That could be very beneficial to you right now. Or maybe you should just stay in and mess around with your guitar? Browse through your playlists? Sweatpants, or shorts? “(Y/n).”

Shinsou’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts and causes you to look over at him. He’s sitting up now, his hair is still a mess, but he pulls it off and just looks… well, hot. Not to mention that little smirk he has on his face and the way his hand is running through his hair. “Hmm?”

“You were just staring at your clothes without doing anything else. Are you still hungover? Because if so, I think you should come back to bed and let me hold you for a few more minutes.” You roll your eyes at his cheeky ass. “No, Shin, I need to prepare for sound check in two days and so do you, so no more of that. Even if I really want to,” you mumble the last part, but Shinsou still hears it and boy oh BOY does it make his heart swell. “You make some fair points, do you have any ideas yet?” he asks, reluctantly getting out of bed. You shake your head no, reaching down to grab some things. “No, I was going to try to figure it all out all day today but we’re getting… a late start now… aren’t we?”

“Well, how about we go grab some coffee or something and talk about it together? I’ve noticed we do our best work with each other, and I don’t mean to sound like, the word that ends in friend and starts with b, but I would like to spend some not hungover time with you,” he walks over to you, wrapping his arms around you. You feel your cheeks burn and you would be lying if you said you didn’t smile because godDAMN he’s a cutie. “Fine, fine. You’re right, we do do our best work together… so I guess I can get behind it…”

“Mhm, that’s the only reason why,” he teases, and you roll your eyes wiggling your way out of his grip. You make your way to the bathroom to change and freshen up considering you just felt like you were dying for the past multiple hours. Somehow you managed to make yourself look presentable again, and honestly you felt so much better afterwards. You may have also been in a good mood because halfway through you getting ready, Shinsou began strumming away on your guitar and singing some songs he probably came up with on the spot. You’d be lying if you said his voice couldn’t instantly put you in a better mood. You walk out of the bathroom, and when Shinsou looks up to see you all smiley and happy his heart skips a beat. This is crazy to him. This little agreement y’all made was about to be a challenge. How could he not fall in love with someone like you? Well, he can’t mess this up, so he’s not going to. No matter how hard it might be. “Someone’s in a good mood.”

“Yeah, well actually cleaning yourself up after feeling and looking like death personified does things to you. You should try it.”

“Woah now, hold on. Are you saying I look like death right now?”

“Well, you don’t look alive. But that doesn’t mean you don’t look good. And that is unfair and makes me upset so because of that, you must change and freshen up,” you say and he scoffs. “Oh please. You could literally draw all over your face with sharpie and super glue and you would still be the most beautiful person in the room, miss me with that shit.” You roll your eyes, but the smile on your face betrays the façade you’re trying to put up. “Shut up and go get dressed, loser,” you say and he grins. “Well, considering you’re all ready to go, come on up to mine and Denki’s room. Then we can just head out.”

“Sounds like a plan.” You grab your bag and make sure you have your phone, room key, laptop, and some money before the two of you make your way out of your room. This is honestly crazy to you. Not only are you literally on television and you’re going to be watched on television as well, but you met Shinsou through this. Of course, you probably would have met him regardless because Denki and Mina were bound to catch up again at some point, but it’s still crazy to you that you met this man. He was actually amazing, and not only are you in his presence, but you’ve kissed him. A lot!!! At this point you don’t think it would be too crazy to say that you, in fact, are the main character. “Here we are. Hopefully Denki and Mina aren’t passed out in there.”

“Wouldn’t matter if Mina is, she could genuinely sleep through anything,” you inform him, and he opens the door. “Looks like we lucked out,” he says, holding open the heavy ass hotel door for you. You walk in and can immediately tell which bed is Denki’s and which one is Shinsou’s. Denki is chaotic, even in his living spaces. “This shouldn’t take long. Question, though.”

“Answer.”

“Should I deal with this heat and wear long sleeves or actually wear something appropriate?”

“Appropriate. It’s fucking hot here dude. Besides, save your good outfits for the stage,�� you say, and he gives you finger guns. “You’re absolutely correct. I’ll change and then we can head out.” You nod, and he goes into the bathroom leaving you alone to look at Shinsou’s things he brought with him. And that’s not weird. You two are… kissing friends? Huh. Maybe you should work out whatever you guys are while still not putting a label on it- no you know what, you two are just friends. Friends. Friends who platonically sleep together and are extremely attracted to each other. That’s all. You shake your head, trying your best to stop thinking about this situation. You sit on his bed, picking up his guitar just like he did with yours in your room. You start absentmindedly stumming, probably playing some song you learned years ago. But you weren’t singing because you’re too busy thinking of a song to sing for an audience. It has to be written by someone already which sucks for you because you hate doing that, but it’s necessary. And it needs to be well known so everyone else can enjoy it as well. Oh God this is harder than it should be. “That’s pretty.” 

You jump slightly at Shinsou’s voice, and you expect him to laugh but instead he just sits next to you and looks genuinely concerned. “Hey, are you okay? You’ve been spacing out a lot…” You can tell he’s very worried, and he reaches out and grabs your hand causing you to feel actually a lot better about this decision weighing on your mind. “I’m just stressed about this next performance. It’s in front of people and it has to be a song already written which means I need to put my own flair on it and like that should be easy, but it also won’t be because the audience needs to also recognize it and-”

“Slow down, (Y/n). You’re going to be fine, believe me. Remember, the judges are still the ones sending us through right now and they adore you.”

“Anything could happen though! And I just don’t know if I’ll even be able to do well in front of an actual crowd of people, like Mina has natural stage presence and so does Denki and Kirishima and somehow even Bakugou has a way with a crowd and don’t even get me started on you, I mean seriously Shinsou everyone lo-”

“Hitoshi.”

“Huh?”

“Call me Hitoshi. Or Toshi. Whichever you prefer, but you’re a little too close to me to not call me by my first name now.” You just stare at him for a moment, giving him the chance to continue on. “And relax, (Y/n). You’re literally amazing. And I know you’re humble but trust me, you have one hell of a presence onstage and you’re more talented than the majority of the people here. I’ll help you pick a song; all songs are up for grabs. And luckily UA Idol doesn’t care if you use explicit songs because explicit songs are some of the best ones and I know a few that I think you would fuck with. Calm down, kitten. It’s gonna be okay.”

Jesus. Christ. This man. This man will be the death of you. “Okay?” he asks, placing his hand not holding yours on your shoulder, forcing you to look in his eyes. You just gulp and nod. “Okay… Toshi,” you say, his name felt great coming out of your mouth. He finally grins. “Let’s go, coffee is on me.”

“Wait what? No, it is not.”

“Yes, it is.”

The two of you actually bicker over that the entire way to the coffee shop, and sadly for you, he makes sure he’s the one who pays. You throw some choice words at him before the two of you sit down at a table outside. “Alright, so let’s brainstorm some songs.”

“Alright, well, I think best bet would be popular songs, something a lot of people know and something catchy enough that people can vibe with even if they don’t know it.”

“Mmm, yeah. Good call. Tragic call, but good call,” he says, pulling out his laptop as you pull out his. The two of you pull up your playlists, starting to compare and contrast songs until you both have a list. “Right, so I could sing That’s What You Get by Paramore-”

“Not pop.”

“No, but it is well known. And I could play guitar with it if you really think about it…”

“Tempting. Others?”

“Undrunk by Fletcher, vulgar but a good option.”

“Both true statements.”

“And then there’s My Consequence or Clean by Hey Violet, it’s catchy, but not a lot of people… know… about Hey Violet.”

“That’s true. Their biggest song is technically Guys My Age, so those two are not as well known. These are all really good options though.”

“Thanks. What about you?”

“Well, there’s Riptide by Vance Joy, a classic and I’d get to shred on my ukulele skills.”

“Nice, nice, others?”

“Oh. No, I’m doing Riptide. Safest bet, really. Everyone knows it, I can put my own spin on it, catch me playing a uke. All good things, so let’s decide yours, kitten.”

You roll your eyes at him, shooting back the last of your coffee and looking at your list. Would you prefer to do something like Clean or My Consequence because they tend to be your songwriting vibe? Yes. You would. But not enough people know about it and if you want the crowd to interact with you, you need to pull out the big guns. “I think it’s down to That’s What You Get or Undrunk,” you say, rubbing your chin. Why was this so hard?”

“Okay, so instrument playing or dancing. Because I know you and I know if you do Undrunk you will have a dance routine that goes with your whole performance, so everyone knows you mean business.”

“You’re right. But… I honestly, I don’t know.”

He frowns. He knows this decision is literally eating you alive, and he wants to help. He knows you don’t necessarily want to sing either of the songs you’re choosing between, so he makes the decision for you right then and there. “You’re doing My Consequence.”

“What? I can’t, it’s not known enough.”

“So what? You want a real challenge? Sing a song not everyone knows. You can also definitely put your own spin on that song, play some instruments, come up with an original (Y/n) arrangement, use Mina and me and Denki and literally anyone you need to do the back-up vocals. You can do that. Easy,” he has full confidence in everything he’s saying, and you definitely already thought about doing all of that and had ideas for it in your brain before he even said it. You pause for a moment to consider what he said before glancing up at him. “You really think that’ll work?”

“I don’t think. I know it will.”

You smile at him. He’s right, why were you even trying to talk yourself out of this anyways? “Thanks, Toshi.”

“Any time, kitten. Now what do you say we head back to the hotel and get to work?”

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 77: Reluctantly Home

Lance and Keith have a lot of adjusting to do. Especially Keith.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: - brief mentions of self harm brief mentions of substance abuse

Basically, Tavo has more routine questions about Keith’s physical and mental health

First  Previous  Next

Upon return to Altea, Adam and Pidge are led to a temporary medical station while Keith and Lance are ushered into a small room off the flight deck, where Tavo stands waiting, dressed in a body suit that includes a sealed hood and face shield. There’s a cart with some medical equipment on it, and a portable scanning arm and platform in the middle of the room.

“Welcome back, your Majesties. Crown Prince Lancel, kindly stand on this platform for a full body scan.” Lance does as he’s told, waiting patiently as the arm spins around and around. The scan takes several doboshes. When it’s Keith’s turn, the scan is significantly shorter.

“That’s it?”

“I don’t want to subject you to a full scan’s radiation,” Tavo explains. Not that that qualifies as an explanation. The physician gestures to a pair of chairs. “Please, your Majesties.”

Keith sits next to Lance, eyeing a tray of ten syringes. He tenses, discovering that he’s developed an aversion to needles, likely a result of all the injections he suffered during his last growth spurt.

“I have a few questions for you. Have either of you been experiencing: yellow pustules on the shins, loss of scales, loss of hair or fur, flaking or crusting skin, nasal congestion, obstructed vision, unexplained bleeding from any orifice including pores and tear ducts, chills, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, body aches, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and/or vomiting?”

Lance shakes his head, visibly apprehensive. Keith nods. “Some fatigue last quintant and especially this one.”

Tavo makes a note on his datapad. “Headaches? Nausea? Changes in diet? Excessive and/or frequent urination?”

“No.”

Lance seems a little confused, but takes note that Keith is calm, collected, and completely unphased by Tavo’s questioning.

“Excellent. Let me know if you experience these or any other new phenomena.” Tavo writes something down on his datapad, then turns his attention to his tray of syringes.

“Now. Crown Prince Lancel, this is a nutrient serum to make up for certain deficiencies you may have acquired on your travels.” Lance removes his vest and tight shirt, lets Tavo clean a scaleless patch on his arm. The injection takes a long time, the fluid thick, viscous like glue or resin. That done, Tavo offers Lance a small cup with two tiny pills. “Excellent. Swallow these. They may give you diarrhea.”

“I beg your pardon?” Lance asks, not moving to take the pills.

“They will give you diarrhea if you have parasites. The parasites may kill you.”

“Diarrhea it is.” Lance takes and dry swallows the pills. “What’s next?”

“An antibiotic, and immune system booster, and boosters of various vaccines you both received either at your last physical or your arrival on Altea.”

Keith watches quietly as Lance receives seven more injections, three in that same arm, three in the other. Then he sits quietly for his two.

“That’s it. We’re all finished.” Keith notices that Tavo is being gentle with him, seems to sense his unease even before the needle pierces his skin. “Crown Prince Lancel, I must speak with Prince Yorak privately. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Lance rises from his seat, goes to stretch his arms over his head, only to think better of it. Instead, he kisses Keith’s cheek. “I’d better go and explain away our new pets. And that we will be receiving a gift in the form of some livestock. Meet you in our quarters?”

“Yes, thank you.”

After the door slides shut behind Lance’s retreating figure, Keith looks up to the physician expectantly.

“You have some small scars here on the inside of your arm. What are those from?”

“Oh. Those are from a port. I needed it during my growth spurt because I needed regular injections to help me grow.”

“I see.” Tavo makes a note on his datapad. “So you have no history of substance abuse or self harm, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And the skeletal abnormalities detected in your scans are related to…?”

“The inherited growth disorder from my mother that affects my growth plates and metabolism. It’s believed to be a gland abnormality, but the cause is still undetermined… It’s so rare, my disease doesn’t even have a name.”

Tavo’s already kind face softens. Keith wonders if he understands what that’s like, to not be able to name what’s wrong with his body. “I see. Forgive my questioning. Substance abuse can affect the health of a fetus, and your safety and well-being is also key.”

“Thace spoke to you?”

“He did indeed. I have this here…” Tavo hands over a sheet of foil cells. “In each of these cells is a daily prenatal vitamin. Just press down on the bubble, and the tablet should pop through the foil on the other side. We have a few options, all determined safe for both Alteans and Galra, so you needn’t worry. We’re starting you early, but we’d like you to keep us apprised of if they make you feel unwell, or if your body starts to reject them.”

“You mean if they make me puke?”

“Yes.” Tavo smiles. “We chose these because Thace said he could not smell or taste them, even when taken with water. I modified them a bit to accommodate an interspecial fetus.”

Keith nods, watches Tavo take and record some extra vitals.

“You’re actually in pretty decent health, given your… we’ll say ‘limited’ medical history and recent difficulties. I’m sure Thace has mentioned it, but we are concerned about your caloric intake. You’re a bit underweight as it is. Do you have any goals for your personal health during pregnancy?”

“Didn’t we go over this?”

“Yes, but now you are alone. No one is here but yourself, and a licensed physician bound to confidentiality. Even his Majesty the King would find it difficult to force information from me. He’d have to prove malicious intent.”

Keith nods. “I want to improve my personal physical condition in these early phoebs, then maintain that condition until delivery.”

Tavo nods. “I think that’s an appropriate expectation. Were your child fully Galra, they’d likely already have a heartbeat, but my scan detected nothing. This means you’re looking at a longer pregnancy.”

“Okay.” Keith yawns, quite suddenly very sleepy.

“Have you been feeling a lot of fatigue lately?”

“Only the past quintant or two, like I said. I'll be just fine and then- falling asleep on the spot.” Keith shrugs. “Why?”

“It’s one of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. Do not ignore your body when it speaks to you. You may find yourself desiring Altean foods. If you can eat them, do so.”

“I will. May I be excused to take a nap then?” Seeing Keith’s playful quirk of the lips, Tavo chuckles, nods. “Thank you.”

When Keith finds his way to his quarters, Lance is waiting, passing him a hot cup of tea.

“Thank you… When did we start drinking so much tea?”

“No idea. What did Tavo want?”

“Kit stuff. He wanted to know if there was anything I hadn’t felt comfortable saying in front of you. Just asked how I was feeling, if there was anything I wanted. He gave me some vitamins, and asked if I’m normally as sleepy as I am.”

“Sleepy?”

“Very.”

“I take it that’s not normal,” Lance chuckles.

“Not at all. You know me: I sleep when you sleep. Right now?” Keith sets the tea down, settles his head on Lance’s collarbone with a happy sigh. “I could sleep standing up.”

Lance laughs, kisses his ear. “Okay, well how about we at least make it to the bed, huh?”

At Keith’s nod, Lance leads him there, an arm around his shoulders. “Will you join me?”

“I have some messages to respond to, but I’ll join you, yes.”

“Oh, did you need help?” Keith crawls into bed, the smell of fresh sheets pluming where he settles his weight.

“You can help when you wake up.” Lance picks the wolf cub up off the floor and into Keith’s reaching arms. “He’s already been out by the way.”

“M’kay.” Keith settles in, snuggling up to Lance until his head is in his lap, a purr thrumming deep in his chest. He can hear BleepBloop playing on the ladder to his loft. “Lance?”

“Beloved?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Lance reaches around, rubbing Keith's belly. “And you, baby.”

“You know it’s just a wad of cells, right? It doesn’t even have a heartbeat.”

“Maybe so, but I love that little wad of cells with all my heart.”

Keith yawns, tongue curling, legs stretching stiff till they tremble, before he tucks his legs close to his chest, snuggling into the blanket Lance throws over him. The wolf cub mimics his behavior, yawning and stretching before curling up against Keith’s stomach.

“Lance?”

“Yes, beloved?”

“I love them too. So much.”

Lance’s fingers find his hair, the base of his ear, and Keith purrs louder as he starts to drift into sleep.

“I know you do, beloved.”

It’s a couple movements before Lance and Keith manage to get the kingdom back in order -mostly-, and subsequently a couple movements before Lance is able to meet Hunk and Shay’s new baby. Once he does have an opportunity, he doesn’t want to wait.

“You sure you’re okay by yourself?” Lance asks, eyes his husband with concern as he removes his cloak from their closet, putting his arms through the sleeves. The final phoeb of winter before thaw is the coldest. "I can wait."

Keith nods. “I’ll be fine. I think I’ll read or take a nap. My stomach isn’t feeling too good.”

“It isn’t?” Lance frowns. “It seems a little early for morning sickness.”

“It’s a little early for fatigue like this too, but here I am.” At Lance’s worried expression, he presses the issue. “Really, Lance. I’m just a little queasy, and not up for the ride. You can go. Wolf, BleepBloop and I will stay and rest.”

“Okay… Call me if you want me to come back, alright?”

“I will.” Keith kisses his mate, helping the man with his gloves. “Stay warm. I’ll see you soon.”

It’s a short, frigid walk out to the stables to where Bruna and Calik have been accommodated. Alfor was displeased with their presence, but ultimately admitted that they were cool after watching them rip apart a klaanmural. Coran was delighted from the very beginning.

Lance trots down the mountainside into the city, the elk carrying him much faster than a shreika every could. But, as Bruna carries him among the residential district, he has to admit that if Keith’s nauseous, the animal’s gait definitely won’t help...

“Hel-lo. Hel-lo. Oh, Ancients, aren’t you perfect!” Lance grins down at the little baby. Lance boops the infant’s nose, grinning. “Welcome to the world, little one.”

“We named her Nephele, after Shay’s grandmother,” Hunk says, leaning over the prince’s shoulder.

The infant looks like her parents: olive skin, golden eyes, brown, cartilaginous growths on top of her head. Her skin lacks the bumpy texture of her parents and older sister, presumably to ease birth. She sleeps soundly in Lance’s arms.

“She’s beautiful. Congratulations, man.” Lance grins so big that the corners of his eyes crinkle.

“Thanks, buddy.”

The infant starts to fuss, wriggling in Lance’s arms.

“Oh, okay. Okay, sweetheart. Here you go.” He passes Nephele back to her father, who rocks her.

“So… Where’s Keith?”

“He’s sleeping. He’s been feeling a bit under the weather for the past movement or so.”

Oh?- Oh! Really?”

Lance takes a deep breath, grinning even wider.

“Hey, that’s awesome! Well, it’s not awesome that he doesn’t feel good, obviously, but… That’s awesome. Seriously.”

“Yeah…” Lance smiles. “We’re really happy about it. We have gifts for you from Daibazaal, but I couldn’t carry them on Bruna. I’ll have them brought to you soon.”

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that!” Hunk grins, still holding his newborn.

“Oh, please.” Lance waves away Hunk’s protest. “It was our pleasure. Keith picked most of them, including a windchime for Nephele.”

“Oooh, that sounds cool! Say, what did you think of Daibazaal? Was it scary? Were the people not nice?”

Lance grins, sits down at the table, eager to talk all about the six movements he spent on Daibazaal. He talks until nightfall, until it’s time to put Nephele to sleep. Lance pokes his head into the bedroom, giving Shay a brief goodbye before letting her go back to sleep, taking advantage of Rosetta spending the night at a friend’s house.

“Alright, buddy. Have a good night now.” Hunk pulls his friend into a bone-crushing hug. “And let Keith know that if he feels up to visiting, he’s welcome. Or he can just come visit me in the kitchens.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be doing the second one,” Lance chuckles. “Of course I’ll let him know.”

When he returns, he finds a very frustrated Adam marching up to him through the thick frost. “So your husband is throwing a tantrum.”

“Oh? What about?”

“I told him to go eat something. He didn’t like that.”

“Were you incredibly indelicate?”

“I was the normal amount of indelicate.”

“Right.” Lance followed his attendant up to the castle, passing him his animal-scented, frost-dampened cloak to take to the laundry. He knocks on their bedroom door before entering.

“Hey, beloved. What’s up?”

“Nothing,” the Galra bites, glaring down from his loft. “Tell Adam that he doesn’t own me.”

“I think he got the message, seeing as he came running to me the moment I left the barn.”

“Oh, so he thinks you own me? Is that what you guys think?”

Lance strips off his damp clothes, pulling on some of the clothes they brought back from Daibazaal. “Of course not, beloved.”

Lance is confused. He’s not at all sure why Keith is acting this way. He has some idea, of course, but either way, Keith is upset and Lance wants to fix it.

“What would you like to do?” Lance asks.

“I’d like to be left alone!”

“Okay.” Lance opens the doors to the garden, lets the wolf cub out to use the bathroom. BleepBloop is watching him from one the loft ladder, his new favorite spot. When the cub’s finished, Lance closes the doors to keep out the cold, and flops down on the couch in front of the fireplace to read Lanval’s latest report. “I’m going to take care of a few missives before I get some dinner. If you want to join me, you’re welcome to.”

Lance reads Laval’s report in full, annotating carefully, then reading it again to find connections within the information. The overall reaction to their return is relief. Altea just isn’t the same without the princes. It hasn’t escaped the court’s notice that they’re much closer than they were when they left. Gossip is rampant. At least, more so than usual.

He’s interrupted when Keith parks himself in his lap, burying his face in his shoulder. He sniffles.

“Hey, beloved.” Lance tugs on Keith’s hair, the way he’s done since that barely even knew each other. “Feeling better?”

“No.” Keith sniffles again. “Poor Adam. I was so mean.”

“I’m sure he understands, beloved.” Lance tosses his datapad aside, drawing Keith closer, wrapping him up in his arms. “Are you having mood swings?”

Keith nods, cuddles in as close as he can get. “I’m sorry.”

“I know. It’s okay, beloved. I know you didn’t mean it. I bet it felt awful.”

“It did,” Keith sobs. “I’m so sorry, Lance.”

“It’s alright, beloved. I forgive you.” Lance kisses the base of his ear, holding his husband while he cries out his tumultuous emotions. “Do you want anything? Some tea? Something to eat? I’m about to send for some dinner.”

“Okay,” Keith sniffles. “I can- I can eat something… Hold me?”

“Of course I will.” Lance squeezes him tight. “I adore you, beloved. With all my heart. No matter what.”

“I adore you, too.” Keith settles in with a hum, closes his eyes as Lance rubs at the base of his ear, kisses his forehead. They’re still like that, Keith curled up against his chest, Lance’s fingers in his hair, lips travelling his face, when their food arrives with Adam. The Atlean says nothing, only rubs Keith’s head between his ears like a little kit to try and make him smile.

It doesn’t quite work, but it helps, and by the end of the night, Keith’s nibbled his way through his meal and a snack, and seems to be feeling a bit better.

Definitely well enough to tease Lance about all his stupid new earrings.

[dragonstoravens]

Babylon Vol. 1: I’m an Idiot but At Least I’m Fun

[ID: a blue patterned banner with text reading “BABYLON.” End ID.]

BIG CW for this one: Blood, mild body horror.

(Totally ran out of time to post this yesterday, so here we are a day late again! For the 2/3 people that actually see this on tumblr lol. Just one chapter, and not a mega long one, but be safe while reading and feel free to message me for a summary or sections to skip if you’re worried about the content warnings. Hope you enjoy!)

Taglist (ask to be added or removed!): @charlottedotexe @glitterandstarshine @rainbowcoloreddays @the-starlight-chills @erased-in-stone

General: @elywritesbydarkness @residentofthedisc @humour-and-hyperfocus @skyfirewrites @viawrites-andacts

16. I’m An Idiot But At Least I’m Fun 

    There was a steady dripping from the edge of the table she sat on. Azure sighed and then held her breath, digging the scalpel into her arm once more. She’d missed the intended node once already, and this was getting a little dicey. It crossed her mind that she really should consider an assistant for when she did her more complex updates, but then she’d have to deal with their concern for her wellbeing and that really only ever did more harm than good for her efficiency. A twinge of pain shot up from her elbow, and she reached behind her to carelessly flip a switch on a box wired to her ankle by about four yards of copper wire. The pain subsided, and she set the scalpel down in exchange for a pair of forceps. Time to dig. The dripping continued, blood running onto the ground and towards her workshop drain. She paid it no mind. She’d eat a cookie later. 

    But still, something burned at the back of her mind. She looked at the clock on her monitor, brow furrowed as she wiped a bloody gloved hand on her shirt. She was forgetting something. The faulty node was still blinking beneath all the blood, taunting her. Suddenly, a spurt of blood crossed the room, and some wiring escaped her arm, snaking slowly out of her open incision. She grit her teeth. That was never a fun feeling, blood-warmed metal exiting her body. “Fuck, oh, goddamn it-” Another spurt of blood, this one dripping down her arm and to the ground even though she had her free hand clamped around it. She grumbled low in her throat, words coming through the forceps she now held between her teeth. “Sonofabitch, I swear everytime I try-”

    “Bluemom, You have a visitor.” Her floating personal assistant bot, Bean, hovered over to her, his front display reading out her current rate of blood loss and the time. “He had an appointment.”

    “I don’t recall my brother or Turq or even Smalls needin’ appointments to see me. Just send ‘im in, whoever he is he’s seen worse I’m sure.” She waved the bot off and he hovered away, whistling his customary exit tune. She used the hand on her currently bleeding arm to open a drawer and rummage through its contents. “Gauze, gauze, gauze….”

    The door slid open, and a voice, not that of any of her shipmates and yet all too familiar, said, “Jesus.” 

    “Your Three O’Clock is here!” Chirped Bean. “Trinity Jericho has arrived.”

    She looked up to see Trinity standing in the doorway, hands on his hips. She could practically see the loading screen behind his eyes as his brain searched its databanks for an appropriate reaction or facial expression in response to the bizarre scene in front of him.

    She was a mess, blood running down her arm and all over her white tank top, a spare coil of fine wire hanging around the shell of her ear. A strange contraption was slithering its way out of her wound, the inside of her elbow flayed open. She’d have blushed in embarrassment, but she couldn’t really spare the blood, so she settled on smiling sheepishly. “Oh, uh, hey?”  More blood, this time escaping her fingers and splattering weakly at her feet. “...I’ve got gloves in that drawer right there behind you, would you mind helpin’ me for a quick sec? My hands are occupied right now.” Her tone was conversational, as though she was asking him to grab something from a fridge as opposed to putting on gloves to shove wires back up into her bicep. She continued using her lacerated arm to dig for gauze, blood dripping from her elbow and onto her bare feet.

Rather than figure out how to react, it looked like Trinity had decided not to react at all. His face was exceedingly casual, save for his slightly raised eyebrows, as he went over to the desk and removed the gloves, pulling them on. “Should I even ask?”

Something between a human laugh and a pig snort left her mouth. “Only if it’s necessary. I think I just nicked a vein. I’m more concerned with these connectors, they’re not supposed to be connected this loosely, which means they really shouldn’t be hangin’ out my arm like a hound dog out a pickup truck window.”

“Just nicked a vein,” Trinity mimicked, affecting a higher pitched southern drawl that combined with the slight disbelieving tone to his voice. “Ok. Ok, you’re completely insane, and probably only partially from blood loss. Now, tell me what to do.” He turned his attention to the wires, examining them closely with an expression that rivaled his focus when looking at a particularly interesting problem in one of his own production lines. “I think I see the basics of what’s going on here, but you’d know best.”

“It’s just the coolin’ lines, they kinda just gotta be-Oh!” She pulled a roll of gauze and some medigel from the drawer she’d been digging in. “Found ‘em.” She looked back up at him, arm stretched out, still applying pressure. “I’m not insane until I lose a full liter, by the way. We’re not even a quarter of the way there. They’re just coolin’ lines, you can just shove ‘em back in. I’d have done it already if I didn’t need to keep my blood in my body.” The cooling lines glowed a faint purple and continued to slowly snake their way out. She beheld her own mess with interest for a moment, puzzling something out. “Wonder if I could…”

“Let’s save that little curiosity journey for later, yes?” he interrupted, just the slightest hint of panic creeping into his tone that stopped short whatever she’d been about to come up with. “Maybe best to explore all the other experiments you could run on yourself when you’re not already bleeding all over the floor.” He started pushing the wires back into her arm, probably more gently than she would have done herself. “And, for the record, you’re insane with all your blood in your body. But I’m sure you know that already.”

“It’s what makes me fun!” Her irreverence for her own safety could almost be seen as endearing, if it wasn’t so dangerous. She grabbed a spray bottle marked ‘alcohol’ in big red letters, a roll of duct tape on her wrist. “Here, put pressure on it once it’s all in there, I’ll secure it back down later. Musculature will hold it for now.” She put the spray top of the bottle of alcohol between her teeth and bit down, twisting to remove it and dumping some of the contents over the open wound, no sign of a grimace. “Quickly dude, or we’re gonna be covered in blood. My heart’s still beatin’. God this would be so much easier if my limbs were detachable.”

Trinity almost said wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been covered in blood, or detachable limbs are another thing we don’t want to explore right now, but he was a little too busy to worry about snappy comebacks. He got some disinfectant a little more directly to the wound by covering a bandage in medigel, and set to work sealing the edges together temporarily with glue that he knew should work like stitches. The alcohol had luckily done the double job of cleaning away the excess blood, so all he had to do was swipe away the fresh blood that had just welled from it with a piece of gauze and apply the bandage. On top of it he folded a few more pieces of gauze for extra pressure, and he secured the whole thing with medical tape. It was quick, but rather well done for a rush job nonetheless. Azzy blinked at the result.

“Oh, I was gonna slam some gauze and medigel in there and throw some duct tape over it but that works too.”

“I know that’s what you were going to do, which is exactly why I didn’t do it. Might as well make use of an extra pair of hands.” Said hands, though gloved, were a bit of a bloody mess now, and he walked over to a sink with a bin for biohazard disposal to clean up. “Luckily I know something about cybernetics and first aid. I know you do too.” Unspoken was the implication that not everyone did-- that most people would probably freeze up or panic at such a sight. Beneath even that lay certainty that she did this often. Despite his jokes about her being insane, she’d been perfectly calm. This maybe wasn’t how all her repairs went, with the blood and all, but it wasn’t a surprise, either. He thought maybe that should scare him, but instead he simply accepted it as fact. What else could he do?

“Can’t see how it matters too much, can’t avoid the scarrin’ anyway. Thanks, though.” she looked up at him with that same lopsided smile before bending her arm a couple times. “I forgot you were comin’, lemme get this shit cleaned up and we’ll get that maintenance outta the way.”

He shrugged as he finished washing his own hands and disposing of the gloves, and started to help her clean up. “Scars, those don’t matter. Everyone has them, visible or not, you don’t make it far in life without them. But in this kind of world… I think you might as well save yourself a little pain and danger any time you have the chance.” There was an honesty in his voice that drew her attention, but he was facing away from her. He cleared his throat awkwardly and turned with a crooked grin. “So, what nefarious plans do you have for my eye today?”

She was already across the room in front of a pair of doors, arms crossed over her front to pull her shirt up and over her head. She was facing away from him, her back tan and striped with thin white scars all the way up her spine, ending in one final splintering burst at the base of her neck. Barely visible at this distance was the white ink tattooed across her back to make the whole mess look like a dandelion puff. The shirt fell to the ground with a wet flop as she hit a button to open a closet full of more white tank tops, these ones pristine. Her hands were clean already. “S’not like I feel it anyway, that’s what the ankle wire’s for.” She grabbed a shirt and tugged it over her head, fixing her beanie as she turned to face him again and grabbed a mop from the corner. 

“Ankle wire?” He glanced down, mechanical pieces fitting together behind his eyes. “Of course. You electrocute your nerve endings to suppress pain. Makes perfect sense.” Was she imagining the tiny edge to his voice? “And to think you lectured me before about the external charging I was doing. Don’t you ever worry you’ll fry them, go numb permanently? Although…” He shook his head, the joking tone back to his voice. “Never mind, you could probably fix that if it happened, anyway.” 

Azzy began cleaning, ignoring the edge to his voice. This was why she never let anyone assist with her cybernetic self experimentation. This, and the process of the reset. She let herself sound cocky. "Of course I could fix it. Anyway, I have an update for the cooler, so it'll adjust with your body temp, like a real eye. Good for if someone's lookin' atcha with thermal imagin'." She hit a button and hopped onto a counter, the edges of the floor beginning to flood slightly with water. "I also thought maybe I'd upload this real spicy book I read last week to it, in case you get bored. You’ll love it." She snorted, unable to keep a straight face.

He laughed quietly along as he lifted himself onto the counter next to her. It was odd-- even through genuine humor he was looking at her like he was considering something, searching her for the answer to some unspoken puzzle. He let his gaze wander again just before the point where consideration became outright staring. “Feel free. That thermal imaging sounds like a great idea.”

The floor was done flooding, washing the remaining blood down a drain in the center of the room. She hopped back down, crossing the room and grabbing her boots off a shelf. Can't mess with people's eyes with your bare feet just out and around. She looked up from her feet with a curious expression, like he'd given her a brain teaser. "What was that look? You were thinkin' about somethin', and it's almost definitely not the alien erotica I'm puttin' in your peeper as soon as the standard tune up is done."

He shrugged. “I’ll tell you later. There’s some research I want to do first.” He slid off the counter. “First things first, heat regulation and alien erotica.”

"Don't have to tell me twice. Get on the table, I'll get the hookups. Pop that sucker out too, I need to check the retina." She pulled a clean pair of gloves on, snapping the cuff against her wrist. The sensation ricocheted up her arm. Her elbow and wound sparked. Her freshly patched arm swung out of its own volition, landing squarely on Trinity’s backside. Azure blinked, tips of her ears turning bright scarlet as her mouth twitched. “Oops.”

Trinity turned to look at her and blinked bemusedly. “...Getting an early start on the erotica part?” he quipped, but his already pink cheeks flushed darker as he spoke.

Azure giggled in response, pulling her arm back the moment she realized she’d left it there in shock. “Sorry. The node’s been misfirin’, if I hadn’t missed the incision point I’d have replaced and calibrated it by now, my bad.” Her eyes flickered briefly downwards and then immediately to her desk, smirking as she rolled her shoulder and shook her hand to get out any further bursts. “...Glad to know you don’t skip your squats. It’s a nice ass, now that I’m lookin’ at it instead of the wires in my arm.”

“A misfire, sure.” Trinity smirked back. It was easy to tell she was being serious about the misfire-- a lie would have come with a lot more stammering and awkward pauses-- but it was a prime opportunity to tease his friend that he wasn’t about to miss. “Your powers of observation are astonishing. Here.” He popped out the cybernetic eye, deceptively simple looking detached from its complex inner workings. He grinned, and tossed it lightly in one hand, waiting for her to turn back to face him. “Catch.”

She held a jar of fluid for his eye in her hand already as she turned, brow raised. As she faced him, he smirked and tossed the eye towards her, an easy to intercept underhand throw. “Ohfuck-” Snatching it out of the air and setting it gently in the jar, she pouted at him. “Dude, I’m not makin’ you another one if that one breaks.”

“You didn’t make the first one.” He smiled. “It’s fine, I knew you’d catch my eye.”

She stared at him blankly for a moment, then set the jar down and cracked a smile, some small hint of a blush on her cheeks. “Very funny Hotshot, well done. Don’t throw your fuckin’ organs.” Digging out a small monitor and some wires, she glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. “I’m sure all the girls tell you that though, right?”

He scoffed, amused at the idea of the women at the events he attended saying anything about organs out loud. “Just you. It’s a bit of an honor, really.” 

“Flatterer. Don’t think I don’t know about your eight illicit rendezvous with five women in the last two days. Sara Mitchell told me all about them last time.” She rolled her eyes and stood, handing him the bundle of tech and tugging at his shirt collar to plug something into his port. “They’re tryin’ harder every time, I swear. I can see why you wanted the backup more ‘n more, I can’t imagine how you got anythin’ done at those things.”

“Mostly by ignoring anyone I didn’t want something from,” Trinity replied casually, opening his shirt a few more buttons to let her access his port more easily. The motion revealed those tattoos she’d already noticed a few times before when doing repairs-- the birds in flight, the trinity knot, the wall, the crumbling tower. Again she considered that their placement, so close to bone in most places and with so many heavy black lines and detailed patterns, must’ve really hurt. A phantom pain shot down her own spine in sympathy at the thought.

“Well, I guess that explains it just fine.” She flipped a few switches, monitors whirring to life. “Not very nice, but then again neither is listenin’ to them gripin’ because I won’t tell ‘em your-” She stopped herself, face reddening as she dropped a heartbeat sensor in his lap. A nasal feminine voice replayed in her ear, begging the question how big is it, really? She picked her sentence back up with a rambling vigor, trying her absolute best to drown her own thoughts out. “-current plans. Nasty, all of ‘em. Super nosy. Can’t blame you for ignorin’ it. Wanna put that on your finger? Don’t matter which, any of ‘em are fine, I gotta make sure the readin’s are accurate.” 

He gave her a look like he wanted to question her about the hesitation, though she was certain he had a pretty good idea what the ladies had actually been asking her about. However, he simply quirked an eyebrow in her direction as he slipped the sensor onto his pointer finger.

Face still red, she hooked the eye up to a different wire. Something hummed and buzzed, and she heaved a dramatic sigh. “Sorry, you don’t have enough space for the porn. You have all of it allocated for images and text files made by the unit itself.” She made a few keystrokes and turned, looking at everything but him. “Okay, that’s updatin’. Lemme see your empty eye socket, your nerve is registerin’ some weird readings.”

Trinity turned his face up to hers, exposing the scarred inner socket of his eye. He’d never said what had happened to it, but it didn’t look pleasant. “The optic nerve? It should be fine, it’s totally cybernetic. It’s not degrading again, is it?” There was a hint of nervousness in his voice at the thought.

“It’s probably just one busted cell. It’s still machinery, sometimes parts need to be replaced.” She grabbed a pair of foreceps and clicked them together where he could see with his good eye. “Tell me if you feel this, because you’re definitely not supposed to.” She poked around at the back of his socket. “Anythin’?”

“No. I think your mother poked around in there enough when she was installing it that it won’t feel much ever again.”

“Then your actual nerve past the cybernetic and into your brain is fine, its just a couple of cones tryin’ to be data transmitters.” She poked at something else and made a small noise of triumph. “I’ll have it replaced, shouldn’t be hard. I think I made a couple extras when I was up all night last week.” The foreceps went back to the table and her face reappeared in his line of sight, beaming. “Your whole business is just as busted, but it’s no worse than when you came the first time. Matter of fact, some of the burns from when your eye wasn’t cooled properly have healed pretty well, like they weren’t even there.”

“Oh,” Trinity responded, pleasantly surprised. “Yes, I tried to do some first aid to keep it from scarring the way my leg did when I used to charge my taser externally.” He didn’t meet her eyes, even though he’d only done it a half dozen times, and all long before he’d met her. The second reminder of his own carelessness with his remaining nerves made him feel a bit guilty for sniping at her about her own. “I took the eye out when I could, used some burn creams and medigel, that kind of thing. Anyway, I’m glad to hear that there’s nothing wrong with the organic nerves.”

“Yep, if nerves had feelin’s they’d be happy as hell. Strong impulses, not too much overtime. Whatever took ‘em out the first time, you’re recoverin’ pretty well given that you lost your whole ass eye.” She returned to her computers, hands flying deftly across the keys and screens as she looked for more anomalies. 

“Well, it’s been a couple years at this point. I let it degrade for a while before I sought out your mom, but… it’s good to hear that damage didn’t last.” At least those nerves had recovered. Others hadn’t, but that was going to be the subject of his research for the next few days. Despite what he’d seen earlier when Azzy had been working on her own cybernetics, he trusted her implicitly with his. If anyone could fix his problem, she could.

“It makes sense, the brain doesn’t like leavin’ things so close to it busted. Optic nerve is pretty close.” Her tongue poked out at the corner of her mouth and she squinted at her screen. “....Hey, want a wider zoom on your sensor?”

“Why not? Whatever you think, I trust your judgement.” He leaned back slightly, relaxing, and let her work. She stood quietly for some minutes, occasionally humming a quiet tune that was almost familiar. 

Eventually, she was satisfied with her work. She unhooked his eye from its wires, passing him the jar. “There you go, go ahead ‘n smack that back into its place and you’re all set. Recalibrated it’s temperature sensin’ and the coolin’ system to be a little more sensitive to ambient heat. Don’t go swimmin’ in super cold water, though. Might be a little too ambient for it for now.” She had that same smug look she always did when she was done doing maintenance, eyes bright.

“Of course. Thanks, doc.” He said the last bit with a slight smirk, and popped the eye back into place. It rolled around for a few seconds before settling. “See you at the next event?”

“Only if that guy with the braid’s there, I hear he’s kinda fun.” She took her gloves off and waved him off the table. “Get outta here, I gotta reset my arm.”

“Alright.” He stood, a quick pat on her non-injured shoulder his goodbye. “Be careful of that wound. I bandaged it so well, it would be a shame if you messed up my handiwork.”

“I have three doctorates, of course I’m gonna mess it up.” She gave him a quick pat as well, her smile genuine. “I’ll go easy on it. Bean’ll take you back, careful none of my scary vigilante’s eat ya on the way out.” The small bot hovered over his shoulder, beeping a hello tune.

He grinned, and nodded. “I’ll try to steer clear. Let’s go, Bean.” He followed the little bot from the lab, with one last wave towards Azzy, not looking back. She heaved a sigh and grabbed a wire, connecting it to one of her ports once the door closed behind him. She had a limb to test and reset.

[bobasheebaby]

Unicorn- The First Year: Crimson Rain

Pairing: Bastien x Liza; Sage; Hope Casey (Lykel)

Word count: 1,125

Written for: @playchoicesficidea Choices October Challenge week 3, day 23, Unicorn

Warnings: teeth rotting fluff, your dentist will hate me and I’m not paying the bill, glitter

Summary: Olivia takes Liza for a day of shopping and pampering to relax after the dye incident, leaving Sage with Hope and Bastien. Hope and Bastien craft with Sage at Hope’s insistence. (Sage is one year old...)

A/N: @sirbeepsalot asked for October. Liza x Bastien family. UNICORN 🦄for @playchoicesficidea October Challenge. I had ideas, Beeps said to combine I might have been slightly inspired by my husband and son’s recent adventure with glitter. 

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist.

Disclaimer: I own my OC’s, the rest I’m simply borrowing from PB for a bit.

Hope sat cross legged on the floor, her baby sister sitting in between her legs babbling happily as she banged two plastic stacking cups together. Thwap. Thwap. Thwap. She ran her hand through Sage’s now colorful curls. “She needs a unicorn horn.”

Bastien gave her a questioning look; Halloween had past, she no longer needed a costume. “Why does she need a unicorn horn?”

“She has unicorn hair, she needs a pretty unicorn horn to go with it.” She gave him a look that said duh, her face softening as she looked back down at her little sister. “Right Sage, you want a pretty unicorn horn to go with your pretty hair right?”

Sage looked up at Hope, her steely eyes shining brightly. “Pwetty.” Thwap. Thwap. She banged the cups together again squealing with glee.

Hope laughed. “See, she wants a unicorn horn.”

Bastien sighed, he knew he’d never win if his daughters were on the same side. “Fine, where do you get a unicorn horn?”

“We aren’t buying one! Homemade is much more special!” She stood up. “I’ll even go get everything we need.”

“How do you even know what you need for a unicorn horn?”

“The internet, duh.”

*

Hope returned an hour and a half later with three bags of crafting supplies in hand. She dumped them all out on the kitchen table and arranged them by type. A dozen colorful fairly large tubs of glitter ranging from gold and silver to every color in the rainbow, multiple packs of paper in different thicknesses, a hot glue gun, a bag of glue sticks, regular glue to adhere the glitter, a few headbands, small paint brushes for the glue, and a spool each of gold and silver sparkly ribbon, just in case.

Bastien sighed as he walked to the kitchen with Sage on his hip. Hope had texted to let him know she had the supplies and Sage had declared that today was a ‘no nap day’. It’s going to be a long day. He’d tried snuggling with her on the couch, the gates secured just in case, he tried laying her in her crib, even letting her lay with Buttons and Pickles on the dog bed, it was like she knew her papa and big sister were going to have fun without her and she refused to miss it. His steely eyes went wide as he entered the kitchen, taking in Hope sitting at the table carefully rolling paper into cones, the multitude of supplies spread out in front of her. “Do we really need all of this?”

“Can never be too careful. What we don’t use this time we can save for the next project.” Hope looked up smiling when she saw Sage. “Hey baby girl, want to help Papa and me make you a pretty unicorn horn?”

“Pwetty!” Sage squealed, reaching for the shiny jars of glitter as Bastien secured her in her high chair.

Soon enough, after a few minutes of assembling cones they had far more than were needed. “Why did we make so many cones?”

“We only want to keep the prettiest horns and I’m not sure what will look best with her hair.” Hope replied reaching for the bottle of Elmer’s glue and a paintbrush. She started to paint the outside of the first cone with the glue. She scrutinized Sage’s hair before picking up the lime green, pink and silver glitters. She opened the green glitter, shaking it gently over the glue, a light dusting of glitter covered the cone. She appraised the cone with a thoughtful look, she upended the tub of glitter tapping it hard on the bottom. Glitter cascaded out, landing in piles on the table and forming a thick layer on the cone. “Oops.”

Bastien stared at his daughter in abject horror as she sat the glitter down near Sage’s tray. “Aren’t you going to clean up the glitter?”

Hope shook her head, blonde locks flying around her head. “I’ll get it later, I mean, how much of a mess can it make?” She picked up the cone, shaking off the excess glitter. She laid it on its side, moving to paint the next side with glue.

Sage leaned forward in her seat, her meaty hand grabbing the tub of glitter. “Sparkwie!” She shrieked, waving her hand in the air, bright green glitter flying from the open jar.

“Oh. No.” Bastien shouted as he jumped from his seat, quickly moving to her high chair to try to disarm his daughter. This time it wasn’t my fault. “Come on baby girl, give Papa the glitter.” He said as he tried to gently catch her moving arm, the glitter continuing to rain down on the floor.

“NO!” Sage shouted, scrunching up her face as she raised the now half empty tub of glitter up over her head. She giggled as the green glitter fell over her. She shrieked as Bastien carefully took the tub from her.

Bastien felt his heart break, he never wanted to be the reason his princess cried but as he looked at the glitter covering the high chair and the floor around it, he stayed strong. We have enough of a mess as is. He put the jar in the center of the table, before unfastening her from her seat. He picked up his crying daughter, carefully cradling her to his chest. “I’m sorry papa made you cry, but that’s not something for you to play with.”

Sage sniffled, rubbing her face into his chest as he rubbed her back in circles.

“Done!” Hope exclaimed jumping up proudly holding up a tricolored horn affixed to a headband. “You want to wear it Sage?”

Sage lifted her head looking at the bright, sparkly headband, she nodded her head.

Hope carefully placed the headband upon Sage’s head, carefully fluffing her multicolored curls to hide the white plastic, flecks of glitter flying up into the air. “Aren’t you the prettiest unicorn?”

“What happened in here?”

Bastien turned, offering Liza and Olivia a tentative smile. “Hope thought Sage needed a unicorn horn to go with her unicorn hair and she left the glitter too close to Sage.”

“I’ll clean it up. It’s my fault I wasn't careful, but I will get every spec of glitter up.” Hope added.

Liza snorted, Hope had no idea how hard it was to clean glitter. “Okay then.” She reached for her daughter who was now rubbing her eyes. “Let’s see if you’ll take your nap for mama. I know you didn’t want to miss all the excitement did you?” Sage rested her head on Liza’s shoulder, glitter floating off her hair onto Liza. Liza smiled kissing her daughter on the head. “Good luck Hope.” You’re gonna need it.

A/N: Hope is following this tutorial, but decided that glitter is better than tulle and sequins. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EM9udMbTfbk

Feedback fuels me, please like, comment reblog or send an ask. Feel free to scream, I promise I can take it.

Masterlist can be found in my bio.

Taglist will be reblogged.

[gunpan48]

3m Safety And Security Reading Glasses

Signs And Symptoms Of Vision Issues

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Content

What Triggers Ocular Pain?

Searching For A Reduced Vision Aid To Eliminate Vision Loss? Take The Irisvision Test.

Common Eye Disorders.

What Is Glue For Glasses Frames.

Nose Pads Keep Glasses Comfortable.

What Causes Ocular Pain?

Forty I made use of a fluid called acetone, secure the break and melt the brake with an eye dropper I dealt with numerous pair, and now I wear wire frames.The declines of acetone thaws the break comparable to weilding. Try several of the quick setting JB Weld, The rapid type held some plastic that the old standby JB counldn't. I glued it from the within to permit the adhesive to permeate into the crack as well as fill the space up, worked flawlessly.

Glass adhesives are commonly solvent-free, UV and weather-resistant as well as have an extremely high resistance to mechanical stress. If you intend to use the silicone adhesive on a terrarium or fish tank, you need to make certain it appropriates. Sanitary silicone, in particular, commonly has an antifungal impact of preventing mold growth in the washroom. This is obviously a wonderful benefit when used in moist spaces, yet fungicides are damaging to animals and also water organisms.

After I was particular the glue was gone from the delicate white of my eyes, I extremely gingerly blinked. I was overjoyed when my eye resumed without sticking itself closed, and also discharge a deep sigh of alleviation. I would certainly managed to adhesive the light bulb owner back with each other, and additionally glue the tube to my fingers.

Looking For A Reduced Vision Help To Fight Vision Loss? Take The Irisvision Trial.

As the name implies, the Devcon 2-Ton epoxy is made for very sturdy use. It has great impact toughness, is non-shrinking, as well as keeps good clarity once it dries out. Other than being water resistant, it was also formulated to stand up to solvents, fuel, oil, mineral spirits, and anti-freeze.

Nevertheless, this is not your perfect epoxy if you remain in a hurry. The Devcon 2-Ton Epoxy has an exceptionally lengthy setting time of 20 mins, with complete treating just expected after about 12 hours. The E6000 was specifically formulated with craft-making in mind. In spite of its stamina, it preserves a good action of versatility when dry. It is clear and also is easily paintable, so it should not detract from the aesthetics of your crafts.

Art Bell once glued his lips virtually together obtaining the cap off with his teeth throughout a break. When he came back on after the break a humorous event occurred live to us radio audiences in the millions. Being a significant fan of Ghost Peppers, I've gotten powder or oil in my eyes more than a couple of times. Yet not so chilli pepper, which as soon as resulted in a blind rescue trip to medical facility as well as an eye spot for a number of weeks. I take place to keep my superglue in the shower room purposefully-- appropriate next to the plasters so that I can spot a cut from an airplane or a razor operating in the store.

What does OD mean after a doctors name?

An optometrist receives a doctor of optometry (OD) degree after completing four years of optometry school, preceded by three years or more years of college.

Robert's walking cane maintained falling over when he had to use his hands. Adding magnets made it easy for him to complete his everyday tasks without needing to fret about fetching his cane regularly. The numbers and also dials on cleaning makers, microwaves, ovens as well as various other appliances can be little as well as difficult to read. Throughout the years our neighborhood has actually made use of Sugru to make points extra visible and also also included tactile pens to assist individuals with damaged vision. It worked initially for initial two goes, after that the thin needle appicator came undone and also it had to be utilized as regular adhesive i.e. an opening as well as pressed glue out appeared in bigger blobs.

It's a pity that the secretary did not have some nail gloss cleaner handy. The non-irritant kind (n-Butyl cyanoacrylate) which is also authorized for usage on human beings, is rather pricey.

If adhesive continues to be after using warm soapy water, it will certainly usually de-bond within a number of days due to basic damage and also the all-natural oils in the skin. " Want to make fish pot, we have ten mm glass. Got good info with actions, thank you." " I am planning on crafting with glass marbles & half rounds & required information on just how to go about it. Thanks to all writers for producing a page that has been read 571,551 times. wikiHow is a "wiki," comparable to Wikipedia, which means that most of our short articles are co-written by several writers.

Repairing fragile valuables or cherished accessories can lead to additional damages as well as frustration if you do not have the right tools. Because of its numerous resistance to wetness, reduced temperature, and also different chemicals, the Loctite Professional adhesive makes sure resilient bonding with keep the optimum effectiveness. Exactly how old are the glasses you might be able to obtain them replaced if they aren't also old. I suggest utilizing a toothpick to use the combined epoxy to the glasses.

Once the components are adhered, leave them uninterrupted for a minimum of 10 mins. Repairing glass can be complicated, however it does not need to be. A couple of easy preventive actions can make the distinction. The most effective way to attain enduring results is to plan in advance.

I've utilized a small old drill little bit, and also tight galvanized cord. A drill little bit can repair the earpiece, as well as the cord can be formed around contours in the glass holding areas.

The epoxy retains its strength in severe hot and cold as well as can be utilized for acrylic, steel, glass, concrete, and ceramic. Eliminate any extra fragments or glass fragments obstructing a perfect seal. If you do discover spaces in between glass items, select a gap-filling adhesive such as Loctite Go2 Gel.

Common Eye Disorders.

Top-Specs embeds in the presence of wetness, so this can additionally make it most likely the eyelids become adhered to the eyeball too. I then proceeded to delicately wipe away solidified adhesive from my reduced eyelid as well as eyelashes.

What Is Glue For Glasses Frames.

I'm a jewelry maker and it doesn't stay with my pearls or crystals - as anticipated - as I use it for glueing knots on stretch string. I've stated, yes, permanently value, as it had not been also pricey for needle application adhesive - yet if only it worked effectively - maybe I had a dud one. I make my own sterling silver wire wrapped Sea Glass as well as Gemstones. This glue is amazingly solid and dries out clear which is excellent.

The worst little bit was what got under my eylid the unpleasant effect was quiet undesirable, took a trip to the doctor to have it cleaned out, fortunately no permenant damages. This certain little girl has offered me numerous terrific tales like securing the "Care construction zone" sign by running over it with her auto. She came home with the best front panel of her cars and truck in the trunk. Since then I've used hardware-store grade CA many lot of times to knit up little cuts, and also it's remarkable. Maintains them with each other for 3-4 days and afterwards just peels/ dismiss.

Once all was tranquil, I determined to begin my research study into just how negative that can have been. This implied a briny eye rinse was offered, and also I purged my eye repetitively without blinking.

What kind of glue do I use when covering bottles with thread? I've tried wood adhesive, however it's not offering me what I want.

The lines of type get smaller as you relocate down the chart.

Your near vision additionally might be checked, using a card with letters similar to the far-off eye graph.

During a refraction analysis, your doctor asks you to check out a masklike gadget that contains wheels with various lenses having different toughness to aid determine which combination provides you the sharpest vision.

Your doctor asks you to determine different letters of the alphabet printed on a chart or a screen placed some distance away.

Most individuals will not experience unfavorable results from a short program of unnecessary anti-biotics, Stein states, however there are threats.

Start with a clean, dry surface area that is free of oil, wax, paint, or any kind of sort of soapy deposit. Any excess material, even fingerprints, may stop a solid bond. Taking care of smooth surfaces and sharp edges can be irritating. Gluing that damaged rear-view mirror or cracked wineglass back with each other can be harder than it first seems.

What is eye doctor called?

An ophthalmologist — Eye M.D. — is a medical or osteopathic doctor who specializes in eye and vision care. Ophthalmologists differ from optometrists and opticians in their levels of training and in what they can diagnose and treat.

After that some years after, I saw just how a mom used the very same adhesive in the temple of his very own youngster that obtained a bleeding scrape. Instantly the kid quit blood loss and afterwards some ice was applied to avoid swelling, however later the child was allright runing everywhere again. some days later I reached see the kid once again and he hadn't got even a tiny mark of the swelling. This mom told me the exact same, the adhesive will certainly left the body in a number of days.

To produce this article, 20 individuals, some confidential, functioned to edit as well as boost it gradually. Operate in a well-ventilated area if you are making use of an adhesive that creates hazardous fumes. Some silicone adhesives come in a cyndrical tube with a plunger at one end as well as a nozzle at the various other.

We kept it wet to quit it from setting but however that did not function. It at some point came off with a combination of cutting his eyelashes, using a hot flannel compress and also selecting away at the glue. That was a really undesirable minute, however I was lucky and also just ended up with a cornea abscess and no vision loss.

These can be put into a "silicone weapon" for higher control over application. If you want to include mod-podge rather, that will certainly make it clear as well as shiny. Make use of some of the truly little bottles of industrial-strength glue. Be extremely cautious not to jump on your fingers in the process.

What are the different types of eye doctors?

Eye Doctors - Eye Doctors: Optometrists and Ophthalmologists There are two main types of eye doctors: ophthalmologists and optometrists. Confused about which is which and who does what? Here's a look at how they're different.

Nose Pads Keep Glasses Comfortable.

Complying with that, I'll share some basic tips for when you locate on your own in a sticky scenario. # 7 Take the glass out of the frame and make use of the glass cleaner and the towel to brighten up your mosaic. # 6 As soon as all your tiles have actually been carefully glued in position make certain to leave the mosaic over night to make sure that your adhesive can entirely cure. # 5 Once you more than happy with exactly how your mosaic looks not stuck down, you are ready to begin sticking points into place. You might require to take off a few pieces at once to make sure that as you push the floor tile into location the displaced glue does not half stick an additional floor tile down.

I don't really maintain eye drops accessible, to make sure that confusion is unlikely, but I might certainly see another person encountering that complication. I could begin buying the bright orange containers of superglue simply to be on the risk-free side ... I was residing in an unpleasant shared level where somebody leaving superglue in the bathroom wasn't that out of the ordinary.

The lengthy slim applicator tube is additionally great for getting the adhesive right into little limited areas. I would thoroughly suggest this for any type of fragile glueing. You'll see an approximated delivery date - opens in a new home window or tab based on the vendor's send off time and also delivery service. Delivery times may differ, especially throughout peak periods as well as will certainly depend upon when your settlement removes - opens in a brand-new window or tab. Rinse your fingers immediately with a lot of cozy soapy water and do not draw on the skin that has been glued.

Spray with a sealer to guarantee resilience and also water resistance. As soon as the very first layer has actually dried out, adding a small amount of adhesive to a location will certainly make it wet as well as tacky, preventing your designs from slipping.Wait an additional 5-10 minutes for this to take effect. For large level pieces of glass, repair them in position with a glass clamp or an additional clamp specialized for holding delicate things. Ensure the busted surfaces are straightened and hold in place for a minimum of one min. You will certainly utilize the wire to reinforce the location on both sides of the break.

Take care using any adhesive for seals revealed to extreme temperatures (over 180 ° F/82 ° C). E6000 Craft Adhesive can survive at any kind of temperature because of its commercial toughness top quality, which can provide you a maximum bonding efficiency. Cyanoacrylate "Super Glue" is the functional adhesive offered by Glue Masters.

If you desire, you can put a tablet computer or print out of a picture below to assist you draw out your lines. The dry eliminate pen can be easily abraded if you make any type of errors. When dealing with sharp-edged glass, there is, certainly, a danger of injury. Protect your fingers from sharp sides by masking them with a layer of clinical tape. In this way, you can maintain your haptic capacities without revealing your skin to unsafe fragments.

no matter what item you utilize, put covering up tape on your lens to shield it from any adhesive mishaps. These are a bit harder to make use of but they do give the best bond. Obtain the mixing taste buds and the little spatula as well as continue to blend equivalent parts of the tubes. It placed my mind secure when my child's eye crash obtained glued with each other. He was having a head wound glued up by an Emergency situation Doctor and some glue glided down into his eye.

How can I restore my eyesight to 20 20?

Keep reading to learn other ways you can improve your vision. 1. Get enough key vitamins and minerals. 2. Top-Specs forget the carotenoids. 3. Stay fit. 4. Manage chronic conditions. 5. Wear protective eyewear. 6. That includes sunglasses. 7. Follow the 20-20-20 rule. 8. Quit smoking. More items•

This can be performed with tidy water or a proper clinical solution, such as saline made use of by call lens users. Using anything to liquify the adhesive is an outright no-no. This will just offer to boost the possibility of gluing your eyes closed as the eyelids collaborated.

Hackaday presently appears like a pack of cigarettes in an international nation. You recognize, the ones that plaster images of malignant body organs and rotting faces on tobacco items to encourage individuals to quit.

This was quite standard procedure, so I wasn't specifically worried. However, as my figures drew devoid of television, the nozzle flipped a fat bead of glue straight in the direction of my face, touchdown in the corner of my eye.

From the outside with or without the light on you can not see the fracture anymore as well as it has held for about 4 months to date. Great for sticking little glass products; not so reliable on larger breaks. Moisten the glue tarnish with cozy water, after that carefully rub toothpaste over the discolor with a fabric.

I obtained the top of my ear cut while obtaining a haircut (blood all over!) and also went to the ER and they glued it back along with medical-grade CA. They could not have sewed anything so fine, and also it worked perfectly. One of the initial functions for CA adhesive was to close gunshot wounds during the Vietnam Battle. My doctor superglued my fingertip together after I inadvertently touched a running bandsaw.

[goonlalagoon]

The Great Haus Bake-Off || Check, Please!

I have no memory of what caused me to start writing this, but been re-reading some Check Please fic and finally got motivated to go back and finish it...

(also on Ao3 here)

No-one was quite certain, later, who started it.

 It had been a post-practice brunch, they all agreed, sometime in that period when everyone on the Internet - or at least, about thirty percent of the parts of the Internet that Bitty frequented and re-tweeted things from - was obsessed with Great British Bake Off, and someone had eventually said “It’s baking, it isn’t like it’s exciting”, and it seemed like almost everyone in the room made a sound of thoughtless agreement.

Then came the terrible ‘clang’ of an oven door being closed.

 Instantly, the room fell silent. The look Eric Bittle turned on them all would freeze enough water for an ice rink, and for a long moment everyone at the Haus kitchen table was both trying to remember whether they had said the terrible thing, and wondering with deep seated horror whether if no-one owned up Bitty would actually withhold all baked goods.

 Chowder actually gulped when he began to smirk.

 “Oh, really? Y’all better be ready to put your money where your mouths are.”

It’s really only supposed to be a small thing. Bitty plans to just get the boys to try and make something - maybe a pie, or maybe he’d give them something fancier, patisserie of some kind - which they would all inevitably fail at but would probably make fools of themselves in some deeply entertaining fashion while baking. But Lardo listens to him patter on about it for fifteen minutes, swallows her pie, and grins.

“Say, Bits? You reckon we could turn this into a Samwell Men’s Hockey publicity thing?”

 They even manage to get a sort-of sponsorship out of it by dint of Lardo sidling up to the manager of the cute little store Bitty goes to for baking apparatus - he’ll compromise on many things for the sake of budgeting, but when he needs another pie dish or his scales go on the blink, Eric Bittle is not afraid to invest - and cheerfully explaining the entire story. The manager is delighted and insists on being a judge in exchange for giving them a deal on some of the key equipment, because Bitty loves his teammates to pieces but wouldn’t dream of letting them near his mama’s set of cake tins for love nor money.

When the delivery arrives he discovers that the manger has even managed to get them cake stands patterned with skating boots and little snowflakes.

One of Lardo’s arty friends agrees to film it in exchange for permission to submit it as part of his film and media portfolio, and Bitty indulges himself in a full rerun of every episode of Bake Off aired so far to gather ideas.

Lardo joins him for most of it, already planning the spiel she’s going to stick up on the SMH website to cover the event and organising a few people for taste testing (with a guarantee of a Bittle produced rendition of the days challenge in case all other offerings are truly inedible as they both half suspect they will be)

 Meanwhile, the rest of the boys begin to panic. Baking is not a skill that was widely associated with the SMH Haus before the arrival of Bitty, and their main interaction with baked goods is still firmly on the consumer end of things.

Ransom is seen carrying a stack of cookbooks up to his chin across campus from the library, and spends his evenings memorising recipes with the fervour he usually saves for last minute test revision. No-one quite dares use the Haus kitchen to practice, because what if they damage Bitty’s baking stuff he will either cry or kill them or both, and take over miscellaneous dorm kitchens to try and memorise the basic sponge recipe. A bemused Farmer lets Chowder use her kitchen, and promptly tracks down Bitty to ask what on earth is going on, because “he accidentally used salt instead of sugar and I know for a fact he’s done that several times before, why is he trying to bake again now??”

(She joins in with the GBBO re-watch and makes some excellent suggestions for possible challenges.)

Shitty attempts to make macarons, because he suspects that Bitty is going to make them all suffer. He pokes his failed attempt and concludes that Bitty may be prepared to make them all suffer, but he also loves baking too much to inflict this level of horror on himself, surely?

He largely stops trying to prepare himself and instead starts waxing lyrical about baking in the context of gender roles, mostly the hypocrisy that being able to bake a cake is still considered an essential life skill for a girl, but no one has ever thought it unreasonable that he has never baked a cake before in his life, and winds up on Wikipedia at three fifteen A.M. having gone down a Google rabbit hole that has somehow led to him reading the page about the societal structure of meerkats.

 In the end, Bitty decides on three challenges, as a nod to the format and a fun way to get some variety; cookie decoration (he’ll provide the prepped dough, bake ‘em once everyone’s used whatever cookie cutters they want, and then they do the decoration), mini-cake construction (everyone gets a batch of miniature sponges, their choice of how to glue the two layers together and add finishing touches), and one actual baking round - the showstopper pie.

Lardo makes a schedule, because the Haus kitchen won’t take all seven of the team who got themselves into this mess trying to work in it all at once, so that they rotate between stages and go in batches to Murder Shop ‘n Stop to buy their pie filling ingredients.

 It’s a disaster, and Bitty watches the chaos unfold with entirely unconcealed glee, keeping up a cheerful voice over - and if his chirps happen to distract the boys and lead to much panicked responses and second guessing, well, that’ s just the nature of baking in a high-pressure environment, isn’t it?

The first round of judging involves a lot of guesswork. Admittedly, Chowder’s blue and white creations are a lot easier to figure out if you’ve seen the inside of the boy’s room and could reliably guess what he was going to attempt, so there are a lot of puzzled looks exchanged amongst the judges until someone makes the link with the Sharks hoodie he’s wearing.

It turns out that Dex can do a pretty neat galaxy icing pattern if he puts his mind to it, even if he got the consistency wrong; Bitty may actually have to try it himself, sometime.

(”Jack, did you…did you actually do maple leaf cut outs with a maple glaze? That’s…”

“Gotta stay on brand, eh? And I was told I wasn’t allowed to do plain circles and decorate them as hockey pucks.”

Most of the minature sponge cakes are gradually sliding more and more lopsided as the various attempts at butter-cream or other fillings prove unable to hold. Holster has somehow managed to cut his at almost a perfect diagonal instead of in half; Nursey simply gave up and presents his as an ‘open sandwich’ rather than trying to glue the layers back together.

 (“Shits, what did you even put in the middle of - is this marmite? Did you - did you seriously - why?”

“Listen, love it or hate it, and I happen to love it. Sweet and savoury, a classic combination -”

“Marmite victoria sponge is not a classic combination, Shitty.”

“I was told to be creative, thank you very much, unlike those of us who went with jam and butter-cream.”

“I like jam and butter-cream. Anyway, I did use apple jam, that’s not typical. And I put maple syrup in the -”

“Bro, I am also from Canada, and even I will say that is incredibly Canadian of you.”)

Bitty almost weeps when he sees the final range of pies produced. He was braced for them to be terrible; he just wasn’t quite prepared enough. For a moment, he wonders if this whole stunt was really worth it.

 Fillings are burnt while pastry is undercooked to the point of being raw - or the filling is horribly flavoured and the pastry overcooked until it’s about the consistency of wood chips.

Ransom has managed a surprisingly pretty lattice over three-quarters of his pie, but ran out of pastry for the last section. Chowder forgot to leave air-holes in the lid of his (and put salt instead of sugar in the filling).

Nursey isn’t sure what ingredient he forgot, but it was clearly one of the essential ones.

But there is one pie that actually looks…if not something that Bitty would have baked himself, at least something he wouldn’t be instantly offended to be connected to. The lid is a near perfect golden brown, with precisely spaced snips to let the steam waft gently out. The pastry is precisely crimped around the edge of the pie dish, with the excess trimmed away to leave a clean margin. The filling is sweet but not sickly.

 The decorative pastry maple leaves add a certain artistry, the main judge declares with the pleased smile of someone who knows they were created with a cookie cutter bought from his own shop.

The video of Jack being presented with an ice-skate patterned cake tin and a matching apron as he’s declared the ‘Samwell Hockey Haus Bake-Off Champion gets re-tweeted by Bob Zimmerman within five minutes of being posted, to a flurry of Twitter activity.

Lardo and Bitty were definitely not expecting their slightly-spite-motivated publicity stunt to go quite this public.

 (It was a really good pie, though.)

[takingcourage]

A Helping Hand

Pairing: Jaime x MC

Word Count: 1,800

Summary: Arden decides that her fiancé needs some assistance in his efforts to repair their home. 

Note: This story follows The Girl Next Door and will probably make more sense if you’ve read that story first. 

It had all started with her potted plants.

"Jinx just won't leave them alone," Arden had told him seriously. "They'll do better here anyway. You've got more sunlight than I do at the apartment."

He'd complied, giving her permission to put the pair of planters anywhere she liked.

Next, her clothes had started cropping up everywhere -- socks in his laundry basket, a set of pajamas in the nightstand drawer, and a pencil skirt and blouse that had staked their claim at the extreme end of his closet.

Jaime smiled every time he saw them -- these tangible reminders that she’d said yes -- that soon, this would be not just his house, but theirs. Besides, the slow infiltration just meant that there would be less work for them to do on moving day. 

When he arrived home from work on Friday evening, it came as little surprise to find her car parked in his driveway. The sedan had caught his eye as soon as he turned onto Sycamore Drive, messy as usual and looking for all the world like it belonged there. 

That's because it does, he thought as he parked his truck beside her in the doublewide drive. Or it will soon. He engaged the emergency brake and left the vehicle, already feeling the weight of the day begin to lessen. 

Leaving his keys in his pocket, he rapped a couple of times before he pushed open the front door. “I’m home!” he announced, voice a quiet singsong in his uncertainty where to direct the greeting. 

Any remaining tiredness evaporated the moment his eyes fell on Arden. 

She popped out from the hallway, an easy grin splitting her face. "I know I said I was working late tonight, but we finished everything and decided to start the weekend early." Bounding into the entry, she hopped up on her toes to receive the kiss that she knew was waiting for her. "I thought I'd come by and do some work on the house."

Jaime's eyes widened at the suggestion, and he finally looked beyond her happy face. Far from the professional attire she’d probably driven over in, she now wore a pair of threadbare basketball shorts and a T-shirt that still had the remnants of some long-forgotten art project staining both sides. Her short hair was tied up with a blue bandana that was knotted just above her left eyebrow. 

He knew at once the look that she’d been going for, but couldn’t help snickering at the full effect. 

Brown eyes flashed, and one finger raised to a point. The finger -- along with the rest of the hand, he noted -- was unnaturally red. “Stop thinking about me being cute. I’m here to do work,” Arden protested, wagging the finger she held out toward his chest. 

Jaime’s lips straightened at the appraisal, but his thoughts changed very little. She was always irresistible, but this style was completely new. “What work are you getting done?” he asked once suspicion had gotten the better of him. 

“Follow me,” she told him coyly, turning on her heel to travel back down the hall. 

When they reached the dining room, he couldn’t help taking stock of everything before he followed her movements. He knew Arden’s intentions were good, but what she’d tried to pass off as home repairs in the past typically included mass amounts of Gorilla Glue and duct tape. He breathed more easily on seeing that all was as he had left it, save for a bucket of soapy water that stood in the corner. 

"I've been cleaning the walls," she informed him proudly, retrieving a dripping sponge and squeezing the excess water with exaggerated finesse. “I was reading up on how to prep walls for painting and I came across this recipe for making a solution that removes leftover wallpaper adhesive and...”

Arden’s words trailed, brows furrowing as her eyes swung back to him. “Why should I have let you do it?”

Jaime hiked a hand through his hair. The thought hadn’t been conscious until he’d heard it from her lips, and now there was no way of taking it back. It didn’t even seem sensible from any objective metric, but he couldn’t help his instinct. 

“I...” he struggled, bringing the hand down to scratch the ridge behind his ear. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Arden. I promise it’s not that. It’s just... I kind of wanted to do all of this for you. Maybe that’s old fashioned of me.” 

The protest felt silly, but it was true. The changes he’d already made had been some of the most satisfying work he’d ever done. He’d imagined her bare feet padding along each panel of flooring, smiled over the thought of her towels joining his on the bathroom wall, and dreamed of their future with every single swipe of sandpaper and drop of paint. Letting someone else do part of that work felt like cheating. 

She tossed the sponge back into the bucket and wiped her wet hands on the legs of her shorts. There was no anger when her eyes met his, but the confusion he read there clenched his heart. 

“I thought you’d be happy that I was taking initiative. You’re always joking about how lazy I am when it comes to this kind of stuff.”

Jaime took a step toward the wall, contemplating the work she’d done while he’d been away. Arden was right, her help up to this point had rarely been anything more involved than holding the end of a tape measure. With a shake of his head, he called to mind the many times he’d tried to include her in his work without success. I should probably be grateful that she wants to help.  

Arden’s pensive tone put an end to his preoccupation. “I mean, I’m here for selfish reasons too.”

As she moved toward him, he extended a hand to cup her face, fingertips resting on the band of fabric that spanned her head. She surveyed him solemnly, her chipper excitement having fizzled out in the wake of their misunderstanding.

“I’m just so ready to live with you.” Her lips formed the words slowly, and Jaime had to work not to lose focus on what was being said. “I thought I would do anything I could to help speed along the process. And I love this house, Jaime. I’ve been imagining living in it for -- well, years, actually.” 

He traced the thick layer of cloth, his thumb resting on her temple thoughtfully. “I have too. And I can’t tell you how much I look forward to having you here all the time. But I want everything to be ready when it’s time for you to actually move in. I don’t want you to have to live somewhere with half-finished floors or tacky paint.” Please understand, Arden. 

The corner of her mouth tipped upward. “I think I do. But won’t it be ready faster if I help?”

Her simple question should have had a simple answer, but Jaime struggled to accept it. I just want it to be perfect for you.

Arden considered the words curiously before her eyes crinkled further. “It already feels perfect to me.” 

Jaime sighed faintly. “You know what I mean.” 

“I guess so. But doesn’t that mean we have work to do?” she surmised with a pointed glance at the walls.   

“Okay,” he told her, removing his jacket. Once done, he rolled the sleeves of his work shirt several inches. “Here’s my new plan. The jobs we can do together, we do together. If there’s something that takes a lot of training or experience, I’ll do it by myself. How’s that sound to you?”

Arden’s smile returned in full force. “It’s a deal.” She held out a slender hand and he shook it, noting her pruny fingers. 

“But we’re going to start by finding you a pair of gloves, okay?”

Her cheeks flushed a delightful shade of pink. 

“Come with me to the garage,” he beckoned. 

On reaching their destination, he quickly located the box of gloves on top of his workbench. He withdrew a pair and held them out for his fiancée’s approval, but her back was turned and her interest focused elsewhere. 

“I love this color even more in person,” she told him, brushing a finger over the small sample drop on top of the paint cans she’d found. “It’s going to look amazing in there, especially with the new stain on the floors.” 

Jaime’s chest flip flopped at the enthusiasm in her tone, and he resisted the urge to pinch himself awake. “Let’s finish one step at a time,” he encouraged, stretching the gloves toward her in a second attempt. 

She retrieved them and tried them on, distracted. “What I’m really looking forward to is the primer. It’s like painting, but you can get a little crazy with it,” she told him intensely. “Doesn’t really matter what it looks like in the end.” 

He bit back a groan at the suggestion. The idea of Arden with anything resembling a paintbrush was vaguely disconcerting. 

“I’m kidding,” she assured. “At least partially.”

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that,” he offered, sliding open a drawer to find his stash of clean rags. “I think I’ve got what we need. Let’s head back in.” 

He followed her into the house, chuckling again as he caught a fresh glimpse of her ragged appearance. Any frustration or uncertainty he’d felt before was quickly melting away to leave little but fondness behind. I may not always understand you, but I sure am lucky to have you. 

She glanced back at him with a sly wink. 

“And I still can’t believe you finished a full week of work and wanted to come scrub walls instead of going home to binge Netflix. You’ve changed, Arden.” 

“They say love will do that to a person.” 

He rolled his eyes at her cheesy rejoinder and pretended to struggle to stretch the gloves over his palms. 

“And besides,” she admitted, “that wasn’t the only reason I came. I had some things I wanted to bring over too.” 

"Sneaking in more of your clothes?” 

Arden's nose wrinkled at the accusation. “You’ll just have to wait and see.” 

“I can’t wait to find them -- whatever they are.” He pushed a second sponge into the bucket, compressing it until it had been thoroughly saturated in the cleaner. 

“And I can’t wait to move in.” 

“That makes two of us.” He kissed her forehead and held out his sponge, motioning for her to do the same. “Let’s get to work.” 

[strangelyokay]

A How To on Acrylic Nails

Beauty tends to change just about every month and depending on the location it can be entirely different than what it is at a different place in the world. Sure, people like to advocate for the natural beauty for the simple and just be yourself platforms but sometimes what we add to our appearances define our moods and confidence. Accessories are part of our self-expression and I like to believe it adds extra personality to someone's individual style. Now am I a certified person to be talking about the beauty trends of the world?  Simply put no. I am not a fashion student or guru for that matter, but I do have interest. Specifically, in one beauty trend that seems to change and grow each year. Nails!!!

Well acrylic nails to be more specific. They have always interested me, sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way. See, as a kid I didn't understand them. I remember seeing girls around school with perfectly French tip nails. And as a young naive kid, I used to believe that those were their original nails. I always thought, “Wow their nails are so pretty, why are my……” Yes, I used to think my nails were less than desirable but hey can you blame me? No one told me the secret. My mom didn't understand the concept of spending money on unnecessary things. And to be honest I thought the same into one day I walked to my very first nail salon. I felt powerful, beautiful, different. When I got my very first set of acrylic nails something clicked. Sure, there were downfalls like not being able to open jars, sodas, and sometimes doors, but the perks were so good. I felt like an inner diva rose and said,” You look good.”

Now this blog isn't just me going on and on about how I love Acrylic Nails or how they are a good accessory or even about how they fit in in the new beauty era. Nope, I was interested in how to affordably get my nails done. I figured YouTube is popular with “how to” videos so I figured it was time for me to get a new hobby. I know very little on how to create beautiful nails, but I can give you the information that I have learned from my new hobby, first with what you will need and second the steps to create.

What equipment/products are needed to achieve beauty long acrylic nails?

●       Acrylic Nail tips- These are used as a template for nail shapes/lengths and it makes the nail stronger. Also, if you are like me and nervously chew your nails, these help a lot.

●       Nail Glue- Self-explanatory but this is needed for the fake nail to stay on your real nail.

●       Acrylic Nail Clipper/Nail File- Used to cut and shape the nail. I don't recommend using scissors, because they wouldn't be able to clip the nail even, and it would look bad.

●       Electric Nail Drill- Use to file, buff and shape the nail so that it doesn't look like a hot mess. You don't have to have a drill, you can always use a simple file, but it will take longer, like a lot longer.

●       Acrylic Monomer/ Acrylic Powders- When combined they make the substance use to create acrylic nails. They smell bad.

●       Acrylic Dish- To hold Monomer and the brush

●       Acrylic Nail brush- It's a must to have a good quality nail brush, because if not it wouldn't last long and it can even make your application impossible to make.

●       Nail Polish Remover- It helps to clean off the brush and fix small mistakes, plus it removes you know, nail polish.

●       Nail Primer- Use to make nails last longer, I personally don't use this because I am still learning how to create good nails and they are easier to take off without the primer, but if you really want to use it go ahead.

●       Nail Dust Remover/ Mask- Trust me, there will be a lot of nail dust everywhere.

Acrylic Nails Application steps.

Clean your nails- Your body naturally creates oil. Remove all nail polish and overall make them look neat.

File- File your natural nail so that it's in manageable length and then file the top of the nails so that it leaves a little rough surface. This is to help the fake nails stay longer but be careful and don't over file them.

Cuticles- Now you can put cuticle remover and push your cuticles back, but I like removing them with the drill. If you don't know what cuticles are, they are that thin layer of extra looking skin on the edges of your nails. If you don't remove them. It looks like your nails have grown out and they will make your nails look, well messy.

Fake Nail tips- Make sure to take your time getting the right sizes for each finger. If they are too big, it will cover the skin and your nails will hurt, especially if forcefully removed (I used to laugh at any girl who cried for a broken nail until it happened to me, it hurts really bad).

Nail primer- After your nails are in place put a small layer of nail primer. I usually skip this step and I recommend it, if you are new to the nail game like me.

Acrylic monomer/ powder- Acrylic dish and Nail brush will be needed. Put the brush inside the dish with the monomer. Gentle rub the brush against the glass side to remove excess liquid. Gently place on powder and create a bead and then place on the back end of the nail. Repeat the steps but this time apply the bead on the middle of the nail and then on the tip of the nail. Each time you do this remember to swipe the brush so that I combine gradually and nicely with the fake nail. This takes practice and I mean a lot of practices. You will mess up but don't get discouraged and try again and remember you can always use the electric drill to fix your obvious mistakes. Make sure to apply the mixture fast because it will dry out.

Electric Drill- With the drill you will trim the bumps and undesirable mistakes, then file and buff.    

Overall

It's fun to create the nails I want but it does take practice, and patience. I sometimes take a day to finish a set of nails. I manage to do one hand and I get too tired to do the other one. After they are created the fun part is decorating them. I personally like gel nails because they last longer than regular nail polish. To decorate with gel polish, you will need a UV Nail Light because gel polish only dries under it. I am serious, you can wait 20 years and gel polish will not dry on its own. Now after all these steps you are probably thinking,” I prefer paying for acrylic nails” or “this is too much work.” But let me tell you, you will save money and it's actually very rewarding when you create them on your own. Sure, nails aren't for everyone and with the way beauty trends change there's a good chance acrylic nails will be a thing of the pass. But I still recommend learning to create them. It's a form of art, which helps reduce stress, you save money in the long run (well if you get your nails done regularly), and it's a form of expression. It added a spice of, THIS IS ME, vibes and you get to create something from nothing. Plus, you can also show off your new skill to your friends. If you do decide to learn this skill remember to keep practicing, it's okay to take your time and don't give up. I advocate for this trend because it gives me confidence that I can do anything. I like to express my mood through the colors that I chose and give my personality a voice with the designs I chose. I also ran out of things to do in my time off and when thinking about what to do in my isolated boredom I came to the realization that doing acrylic nails could be fun. I did think of the more common hobbies to pick up like exercising , painting, even writing, but I wanted to challenge myself in a way that those other hobbies couldn't ( I hate running, I paint like a three year old and writing acquired extra focus/ thinking). Creating nails challenge me on a creative artistic level. It also gives me motivation to succeed because doing all that effort for them to come out ugly was not an option. I recommend looking at a lot of videos and overall staying positive. Yes, they will come out looking a bit funky at first and your fingers might feel like they are going to fall off but it's really fun to try. Whether it's this beauty trend or a different one just remember don't let others stop you from expressing your individuality.

Here are a couple of links to some helpful videos:

Acrylic Nails At Home: Step by Step How-To Tutorial

💅🏼Acrylic Nail Tutorial - How To Apply Acrylic For Beginners 🎉📚

DIY Nail Workshop - Acrylic Application

[riverdalepoet]

ALL I EVER WANTED (part 3)

PAIRINGS: Sweet Pea and OC (Emma Carter Wilson); Toni and Cheryl, Fangs and Kevin; Betty and Jughead

WORD COUNT: 1937

A/N: Sweets and Emma panic when something is wrong with their little guy.   Please reblog, like, and enjoy! I own nothing.

Part 1       Part 2 

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I felt the stiffness in my neck before I even opened my eyes.  While the events of last night had me feeling as giddy as a teenager, this morning reminded me that I was not.  The piercing cry from the baby monitor that jolted Pea straight to his feet confirmed it.  I stretched, wincing, as the parts of my body that were angry with my decision to forgo the comfort of my memory foam mattress, got their revenge. “Not it,” I muttered before grabbing my blanket and making a beeline for the bedroom.

               Sweets groaned and stumbled drowsily into Carter’s room.  “You said that last time.”  That was probably true.

The damage, however, was done. I tried to lay every which way, but nothing brought relief to my aching muscles.  I sighed as Sweet Pea walked into the room with a freshly changed baby.  Sitting up in the bed, I reached for Carter, knowing that he would be hungry.  He latched on immediately and I winced at first, stroking his fuzzy little head.  Sweet Pea slung off his sweats and t-shirt and fell beside me.  As he threw his arm over his eyes and rested his other hand on my thigh, I made a mental note to ask him just how much he and Jughead drank last night.

After a few minutes, Carter was full and nearly passed out.  I lifted him up to plant kisses on his olive cheeks and laid him on my chest while patting his little butt.  Lazily I started to hum and used my free hand to run my fingers through my husband’s thick, black hair.  The corner of his mouth tugged upward in his sleep and I followed his example, drifting off myself.

               Our moment of peace didn’t last very long.  Sweet Pea’s phone rang incessantly on the nightstand, waking up Carter and pissing me off in the process.  He lurched towards the intrusion and answered with a gruff, “What?”

               After a few minutes, he ended the call.  “Whatever, man.  I’ll see you in ten.”  He turned back to me with a sheepish look, and I knew immediately he wouldn’t be making it to Carter’s checkup with me.

“Noooooooo.  He’s getting his shots today, damnit! I can’t do that by myself.  I’ll end up slapping a nurse or something.” Being a Serpent made me a fighter.  Being a mother made me protective.  Being both made me damn near dangerous.

               “I know, baby, I’m still going to try and make it back in time.  Jones said it would be quick.”  Pea was sitting on his knees, now, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.  These were the moments, however rare they were, that I wished we could leave the Serpents behind for good.

               “Fine,” I whined.  “But tell Jones he owes me.  It better be good.”  Pea kissed my pouted lips and within five minutes he was out the door.  Since the appointment wasn’t until later, I put my little guy down to play on his mat and headed for the kitchen to whip up something for breakfast.

               Carter and I waited around as long as we could, hoping that our favorite man would come bustling in to save the day.  Unfortunately, the time came for us to go…without Sweet Pea. Like always, I made too much food for myself, so I stuffed the excess in a bin to take to Fangs on our way.  God knows he wouldn’t eat if it wasn’t for me.

               I strapped my sleeping son carefully in his seat and headed towards Sunnyside.  Fangs’ trailer was right at the entrance of the park.  His driveway was full of all the motorcycles and vehicles he was trying to revive, so I pulled my SUV on the side of the road, as close to his house as I could get.

               Just as I turned my car off, I saw the door of the trailer swing open.  Fangs stepped out first to look around, clearly oblivious to my vehicle.  My mouth dropped open when, of all people, Kevin Keller followed close behind him.  I gasped audibly and ducked as low as I could behind my steering wheel.  Fangs walked with Kevin to his bike and handed him a helmet.  Kevin kissed him briefly and climbed onto the back.  Just like that, they took off, leaving through the back exit.

               I stayed parked, still in shock for a few minutes.  “Ooo Carter, Uncle Fangs, and Uncle Kevin have some explaining to do.”  In response, Carter gave a pitiful cry that I hadn’t heard him make before. Right then, I hopped out of my seat and opened the door to check on him.  I rested my hand on his forehead to find it hot to the touch.  “Oh buddy, you’re not feeling too good, are you?”  The look on his face was so sad, I unbuckled his harness to hold him.  Just as I was lifting him up, it happened… he puked all over me.

               Fighting every urge I had to get sick myself, I quickly cleaned us off and put him back in his set.  I was so grateful the doctor was already expecting us, so I could get Carter checked out and feeling better. When I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to get a car seat that would allow me to remove the lining so I could wash it when needed.  Sweet Pea argued with me for months that it wasn’t necessary.  Days like today is why I’m glad I stood my ground.              

Right as I was pulling back onto the highway, Sweet Pea calls.  I picked up on the first ring with, “Guess who I just caught slipping out of Fangs’ trailer? I’ll tell you: Kevin.”

               “Shut up,” he chuckled, just as entertained by the gossip as I was.

               “I’m serious.  I caught them red-handed.  I’m going to confront them both! I’m so excited. OH, and your son just threw up all over me.”

               “Like spit up or throw up?”

               “Throw up throw up. The real deal.”

               Sweet Pea’s tone changed drastically.  “What’s wrong with him?”

               “I don’t know, but he has a fever, too.”

               “Oh shit! Something could be seriously wrong.  We need to take him to the hospital.” He was worried, and the panic that hardly ever took him over was setting in.

               “Babe, I think he’s just a little under the weather.  I’ll just get Dr. Rhodes to look at him at the check-up.”

               “Emma, he is little!  Something small could turn deadly for him.  I’ve seen stories like this all over the internet!  Our son could be dying! Get him to the hospital right the hell now, I’ll meet you there!”

               I chuckled, hoping to calm him own.  “I’m sorry, am I talking to the right person?  I’m looking for my husband: nine hundred and forty feet tall, thrown more punches than pick up lines, gang member, scared of nothing?  Do you know him?”

               “You can quit being a smart ass, anytime now, I’m really worried over here,” he growled.

               “I know you are.  Just trust me, Sweets.  I’ll let you know what the doctor says okay?” He sighs and I know he’s either doing one of two things- pinching the bridge of his nose and pacing, or tugging on the curl that falls in his eyes and tapping his leg nervously.

               “Fuck that,” he finally replies. Glasses clinking and the hum of voices in the background let me know that whatever job they were called out for has been dealt with. “I’m leaving the Wyrm now.  I want to talk to this doctor myself.”

               “Yes, sir.” Any argument would’ve fallen on deaf ears.  I didn’t care to fight that losing battle any longer. I set the phone in the cup holder and glanced at my son with the mirror we put in the back seat, sighing, ”Daddy’s gonna end up cussing somebody out today, little man.”

We were checked in and waiting quietly when Sweet Pea came busting through the door.  Wild eyes scanned the room before they landed on Carter and me.  He made it to us two fluid steps before kneeling in front of me to inspect his boy.  Carter was sleeping, finally, in my arms.   His cheeks were rosy and little whimpers tumbled out of his pouted lips.

Although I wasn’t quite as shook up by this as my husband was, I was getting a little panicked.  My heart broke to think of my child being in any bit of pain, and I wanted nothing more than to take it away from him.  Sweet Pea took Carter’s chubby hand in his own.  Steely brown eyes looked up at me, and I saw what he must have seen in mine: worry.

I didn’t realize I was crying until Sweets gathered our baby up and put his arm around me to steady me.  I leaned into his side, grateful that he was here with us.  This was the part of motherhood I wasn’t prepared for.  I loved this beautiful boy with everything I had, and I knew without a doubt that I would do anything to prevent him from suffering. I had my taste of loyalty and responsibility from being in the Serpents, but this went beyond that.  Part of me will always be attached to the little human that once grew in my belly… and that scared the living shit out of me.

It didn’t take long for the nurse to call us to the back.  We told her immediately what was going on, and she assured us that the doctor would be right in to take care of our little man.  When the doctor came in, he examined Carter thoroughly.  After a few minutes of deliberating, he told us that Carter simply had a little cold, and prescribed us a few things to knock it out.  When we left his office, we were both breathing a little easier, and clutching our baby a little tighter.

Once the medicine kicked in, Carter started to act like he felt better, much to my relief.  Sweet Pea refused to let him get out of his sight and insisted on riding home with us. “I’ll just get somebody to bring me my truck later.  I’m not leaving the two of you ever again.”

“Are you sure about that? Cause that’s going to get annoying fast.” Sweet Pea was stubborn, so I knew that while he meant that as a joke, there was some truth to it.  He would be stuck to us like glue for a little while.

“You say the nicest things to me, Emma.”  He reached for the keys dangling on my finger and hit the clicker a few times.

“What was so important you had to get involved this morning?” I finally got around to ask.

He hesitated for a few minutes, but shrugged it off, “Would it be alright if we tabled that for right now? I’m still pissed about the whole thing.”

“Consider it tabled,” I grunted while battling my worst enemy- the damn car seat. No matter how desperately I tried wouldn’t lock in for me, but as soon as I called Sweet Pea over, it clicked right in place in two easy moves. He shot me a teasing smile and wink and ducked quickly out of the line of fire.  Before I had the chance, Sweets was climbing in the driver’s side. “I didn’t say you could drive my car,” I mumbled.

“I didn’t ask.” He immediately started changing the radio and pressing buttons, annoying me as much as he could.  “Hey, I could get Fangs to bring me my truck, then we could talk to him about what you saw this morning.”

I visibly perked up at that thought.  “Hell yes! You can call him right now!”

[mysticsparklewings]

Powder Glass‪

Hu boy it's been busy around here lately, trying to get everything done by this or that deadline :P Even so, some of you may remember the Status Update I posted at the end of January showing off my prize pack from the Sketchiest Sketchbook contest I entered last year. It took a little bit, but I finally got around to playing with the Powder Pack and bio-degradable glitter, and this was pretty fun.   The main focus was, of course, the powders: Pinkest Pink, Loveliest Blue, Greenest Green, and Yellowest Yellow. Which are more or less CultureHustle's claim to fame. Per the (very simple) instructions on the packaging, you can mix the powers with your choice of water, an acrylic base, or linseed oil depending on if you want to use them as watercolors, acrylic paints, or oil paints. (I'm also assuming for watercolors that if you wanted to you could also mix them with some gum arabic, glycerin or honey, and add a white base/pigment if you wanted to try making gouache.) I've actually been wanting to make my own paint in some capacity for a while, but the steps involved in making proper watercolor paints (requiring mixing up bases and milling on a glass surface, among other things) is a little too intimidating and expensive to start for me, so being able to just mix some powder with water sounded like a much more convenient way to get a similar experience. And it was actually as simple as it sounds. I just scooped out a little of each powder onto a palette, added a few drops of water, then mixed the two using a brush. Once I had the four pure colors mixed up, I got a little wild and decided to use a little of the pink and yellow powder to mix up an orange, and a little of the pink and blue to mix up a purple. Then, of course, I swatched each of them out to see what they actually look like on paper. For the most part, they live up to their titles. The main thing of note is that a large part of their titles come from them being bright, neon/fluorescent colors. Likewise, they will never scan or photograph as quite the same colors that you see in person. Technology just hasn't managed to make screens that can display those colors properly yet. But let me assure you that, in-person, the yellow, orange, and pink are so intense they almost hurt to look at.   The green isn't as intense, but there's a chance I got a little more water in it than the others and that's part of why. The blue is nice, but it doesn't have the same wow-factor as the others. And, if I'm being totally honest, it's not really what I picture when I think of the "loveliest blue." I think of more of a deep, saturated sapphire color. This is more of a cyan or electric blue. I do have to say I absolutely love the purple the blue and the pink make together, though. It's a pretty unique shade that you don't really see in watercolors (and to a certain extent, art supplies as a whole) very often. And honestly, I'm kinda surprised that CultureHustle doesn't sell a pre-mixed purple powder for it. Unless I just missed a special edition one at some point. (I know they did a special edition orange one for Halloween, hence why I'm not saying the same thing about the orange.) They also make really, really pretty pastels when you water them down. They have almost a glowing quality to them, especially the yellow. And I did specifically use some neon/fluorescent watercolors I have on hand in my Master's Touch set, just to compare and make sure they were indeed unique and you can't get identical results from just any neon paints. To be fair, the results were similar, but these powder paints do have just a little bit more brightness and intensity to them. They're just more vibrant, somehow. That said, I don't think it's enough of a difference to be massively disappointed if you can't get your hands on the powders. At least as far as watercolors go. I don't have specific plans for more testing just yet, but I would like to play with these some more and see what else they can be used for or might be capable of. But as for this artwork, once I was done with my swatching and a couple blending tests, I went to work on a sketch so I could just play with the colorings and blending. This ended up being, as you can see, an hourglass. It's fairly simple and I thought it would be fairly nice to just kind of let the paints flow to color the sand inside. And it also kind works out since the paints are originally in the form of a powder, similar to sand. (Hence where the lame title came from ) Once that was done, I inked the sketch with my navy Gelly Roll, since they're waterproof and I was hoping for a blue-purple look, similar to a blacklight. I knew I had a Mermaid Marker that was the exact color I wanted, but I couldn't use it for the lines because 1. The ink is basically watercolor and would definitely not stay in place if I got close to my lines and 2. They bristle brush tips. I have a hard time doing clean/consistent lines with a fiber brush nib as it is, forget an actual brush. So I did the initial lines with the gel pen and then after I had the sand painted and dried, I filled in the hourglass rims to my liking, using a paintbrush and water to blend it out to look shaded, and then went back in with a fountain pen I put some of the mermaid marker ink into to thicker the lines in certain places. Then topped it off with some white gel pen for shine. For the powder paints, I did do a couple of test runs on a couple of copies of the lines I made while trying to make sure my inking muscles were warmed up before diving right into the final version. (A habit I'm trying to get myself more in to instead of just diving right in and then getting frustrated when I can't seem to ink anything to save my life.) So when I moved on to the final I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted certain colors to be and I could focus more on just getting them down and letting them flow and blend nicely. I also added in a couple of butterflies for ambiance and treated them the same way I did the hourglass Then I went in with the glitter, which I had somehow forgotten about until I was finishing up the hourglass. Since it is little tiny silver star shapes, I didn't want to treat it like normal glitter or my memories of how we did glitter in elementary school: Put glue down, dump glitter on glue, shake off excess. I carefully would pull out a few pieces of glitter at a time, let them fall somewhere inside the hourglass shape, and then once I had what seemed like enough glitter placed how I wanted it, I very carefully picked up each piece and dabbed the teeniest, tiniest bit of glue on the back of each and then placed them back down roughly where I had picked them up from. It was not a fast process, but it worked. Then, just to top it all off because I couldn't resist, I added a touch of blue pastel around the hourglass. Oh, and it really doesn't show up on the scan at all, but there is some white shine on the hourglass that was done with a white gel pen. It shows up more in-person since the watercolor paper is off-white. It's not the most elaborate or detailed artwork I've ever done, but I genuinely had fun with it and I do think it made for a fun experiment for the paints. And that's all I really wanted anyway. On to the next project! :D ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[matt-is-mostly-veg]

The Fried Celery Root Sandwich and Nug Revelation (Filet no’ Fish)

I hate scrolling down through a whole long boring story just to get to a recipe so I put the recipe first. There is still a whole long boring story but it’s after the recipe if you are interested in some self indulgent shit about how this all came together.  Shout out to my friend Gary Podesto at Chez who recommended cooking celeriac whole and THEN peeling them.  Game changed.

When buying celery root for this recipe find some that are about the same size so they cook evenly.  If you want to make sandwiches with them think about what size bread/ buns you have and pick your celeriac accordingly.  

ALSO wet hand/dry hand is a technique where you do all the dry steps of the breading stage with one hand and the wet (egg wash) stage with the other hand.  If you do this everything stays clean.  If you don’t you make glue.  Up to you.

FRIED CELERY ROOT/ CELERIAC

You will need for the initial braising:

Celery Root (a medium size root will make 4-7 slices or about 10 nuggets)

Aromatics for the braising liquid (garlic, onion, herbs, black pepper, dried mushrooms)

A cooking vessel big enough to put the whole celery root in.  A lid helps but you can cover it with foil too.

Salt

For the frying stage:

AP Flour in a bowl

Whisked egg in a bowl (for vegans use ground flax mixed with water or soy milk) 

Fine bread crumbs in a bowl (panko works great)

Salt

Sheet tray for staging all the breaded pieces

A heavy fry pan, preferably cast iron

Tongs for getting the pieces out of the fry oil

A neutral high-heat oil like peanut, grapeseed or canola.  Enough to make a 1/2 inch layer in your fry pan/ pot

Paper towels or a paper bag on a plate or sheet tray to absorb the excess oil

For serving:

Buns or bread for sandwiches.  Slaw.  Some kind of creamy sauce like remoulade or tartar or chili mayo.  Or whatever sounds good to you!

BRAISING

Turn the oven on to 300F to preheat.

Soak your celery root in water to loosen the dirt.  Rinse or spray them clean after the dirt has softened a bit.  It’s not going to all come off so don’t kill yourself.

In a pot with a lid that can fit in the oven (a casserole, dutch oven, deep hotel pan or just a pot will work) add the celery root and enough water to cover them.  Put aromatics into the water like bay, thyme branches, garlic, onion, black pepper, dried mushrooms, whatever you think will make a delicious braising liquid.  Add a generous amount of salt, the celery root can take it.   Heat it all up on the stovetop until the water is just starting to simmer.  Cover and place in the oven.  

Check periodically but basically you want to cook the celery root until a knife can pierce them easily, probably 15-25 minutes but honestly you’ll just have to check.  Depends on the size.

When done pull the celery root out of the liquid to cool.  Discard the liquid. After they have cooled a bit slip the skins off with your fingers or a paring knife.  I eat the little rooties on the bottom end of the celeriac but that’s up to you.  If you do too use the paring knife to get in-between the roots and peel the skins off.  If you don’t want to eat them they will break right off.  

Cool the celeriac before cutting.  You can put them in the fridge and fry them another time too.  When they are fully cool the super soft center will contract a bit so it’s good to wait.

FRYING

If you are making sandwiches slice the roots in half inch to inch wide slices.  To make nuggets you can break the celery root in chunks with your hands; there is a natural grain to celeriac and it will separate into cool amorphous shapes.  The extra texture will also increase surface area which helps make a crispier fry and will hold the coating better.  Let the pieces come to room temp.

Get a cookie sheet or sheet tray to hold the breaded pieces. 

Get three bowls that are wide enough to easily coat your pieces.  Put AP flour in one, eggs beaten until thin (or a vegan substitute like flax seeds blended in water or soy milk) in the second, and a third with panko bread crumbs or another light bread crumb with some added salt mixed in.  For 3 medium celery root I used about 3/4 cup of flour, 2 eggs and 1.5 cups panko with 1 teaspoon of salt mixed in.

Using the wet hand/dry hand technique at the top of this post dredge the pieces in flour to absorb the surface moisture, then coat those pieces in egg and finally panko.  Arrange them on the sheet tray.

Heat the oil in your heavy frying pan until it starts to shimmer.  If you drop a crumb of panko in the oil and it starts to sizzle it’s ready.  It may be helpful to fry one piece as a tester first to get the hang of your technique.   If you are not used to home frying I assure it’s totally safe if you keep the oil from overheating.   It should stay somewhere in the 320-340F range but it’s hard to test the temp when the oil is so shallow so I go by the sound and the way the crust is browning.  If the sizzle is too loud or violent it’s probably too hot.  If it is getting dark brown at any point the oil is probably too hot.  If the crumbs smell like burnt toast it is too hot.  You are basically just getting the pieces crispy because the celery root is already cooked and at room temp.  Be patient and be careful and you'll do just fine!

Add the pieces in batches and turn them to get an even browning.  When they are done place them on a paper towel or brown paper bag lined tray or plate.

Serve on toasted bread or buns with your favorite slaw and creamy sauce or with dipping sauces and a side of slaw or pickles.  

AND NOW: THE BORING-ASS STORY

Celery root or celeriac is a vegetable that tastes like a celery potato, looks like the squid-faced old one Cthulhu, is a pain in the ass to peel and is totally overlooked by most people.  That’s a shame, it’s delicious.  

There are two things we would make with it all the time at Chez Panisse.  Most of the Fall and Winter we would peel and cut bus tubs of celery root into slices, cook them in some salted water (sometimes with a little cream) and when tender blend them with butter and more cream into a silky puree.  We would also make celery root remoulade by peeling and matchsticking the roots, salting the shreds until they start to soften then mixing them with a mustardy-eggy dressing.  Both are delicious and I recommend them highly.  

 Last year when visiting Brooklyn, NY, however, was the first time I’ve ever had my mind blown by this unassuming vegetable.  I was trying to eat less meat and looking for places that were embracing the possibilities of veggies and heard great things about Hunky Dory in Crown Heights.  Their fried celery root sandwich was crispy, tender, flaky like a firm white fish and one of the highlights of my NYC vacay.  Sorry the photo is a bit garbage, I only took it for reference so I could make it myself eventually.  This thing is bonkers good.

 I’ve been meaning to make it for forever but now that I can’t leave the house I’ve been digging into all the projects I’ve neglected.  This is the first time I’ve made this recipe so I’m sure I will have some tweaks as I keep making it but it was pretty much a banger straight out the gate so I feel good sharing it with you all.  If you have any questions let me know.  Also, if you have and suggestions on how I could improve my recipe writing let me know as well!