#BUT ITS ONE OF MY FIRST TIMES USING CHROME POWDER AND IT MAKES ME WANT TO STEP IN FRONT OF A BUS <3

[delicatepoets]

tried to do something new with the designs for my nails and almost gave up 💀

#i’m trying to do chrome since i got some new colors and i really love the way it looks especially the silver one #BUT ITS ONE OF MY FIRST TIMES USING CHROME POWDER AND IT MAKES ME WANT TO STEP IN FRONT OF A BUS <3 #BUT WE ARE SO BACK BCS I DID IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY LMAO #I ONLY HAVE 3 NAILS DONE 💀 #IM HERE ALL NIGHT FOLKS #txt.post

[ill-skillsgard]

Blue and Yellow - Part 8 - Axel Cluney

Warning: 18+ sex/mature themes/strong language/medical themes/mentions of blood+injuries/hospitals/violence/drug and alcohol use **In this part: drug and alcohol use, violence, mentions of blood, violence/assault, mentions of alcoholism, smut**

Description: Saberrah Asta, Featherfall General’s newest nurse, finds herself entangled in the complicated life of an underground boxer with a slew of problems she can’t fix. Will Axel’s love knock out the voices telling her to run, or will their explosive romance fizzle as fast as it flourished?

Note: Thanks to everyone who continues to enjoy this series and reblogs the chapters as they come out. I really, really appreciate your support. If you can’t reblog, consider dropping a like and a comment... It really makes me happy and lets me know I’m not wasting my time posting on this website. I hope you enjoy!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

In the ruddy glow of the UV lights, eyes stuck on a woman twirling around a powdered pole. She started the show wearing a yellow underbust corset, a ruffled skirt and a matching bikini top. The music came on, and the corset flew off with it as she sidled up to the chrome pole and arched her back until her crown touched the floor. Sabi watched the sweat drip from a man's forehead onto the edge of the stage. The dancer rolled over the droplet, absorbing the perspiration, and continued bending her body into impressive shapes.

Not all eyes focused on the yellow-clad exotic dancer commanding the stage with her long legs, nine-inch stiletto boots and stiff, blond wig. Some eyes were on the girls swapping empty cups for full ones, some on the women grinding on laps, and one set scanned the floor for lost money. One of the first things Sabi noticed about the strip club—other than its low, dark, and claustrophobic ceiling and walls—was that the carpeting around the stage littered with dollar coins. They glinted under the disco lights and beckoned her pick them up. She'd asked Axel why there were so many toonies on the floor, and he told her it was because people weren't allowed to tip with coins, and since the lowest notes were shiny fivers, the dancers often came away with a day's worth of money in two songs' time if their patrons were generous.

Sabi collected the coins, stored them in the pockets of her scrubs and until she swapped them for gin and tonics.

Arty sat on the other side of a horseshoe-shaped table, gawking up at the dancers like a boy witnessing his first Christmas tree. Only between songs did he shut his mouth and make his way over to his cousin to ask, "did you see that? Did you see her? I think she likes me. Think I should buy a dance from her?"

Axel spread out his hand and waited for Sabi to take hold. When she did, Axel pulled her from her seat and asked for a cigarette since his pack had run out on the trip to Nikki's. They went outside and stood under a neon sign of a buxom woman riding a sausage in cowboy boots. The sign flashed, and the large-breasted rider's hat came off. Axel lit his cigarette first and swapped it with Sabi's dry one.

Sabi looked around the lot, then back at Axel, who leaned against the brick wall, blowing smoke rings into the night air under the deep red glow. The weed had worn off during the ride up and left a residual sleepiness Sabi continued to chase off by flexing her toes and noticing how plain she looked, still dressed in her hospital scrubs.

"So, why do you guys call it Sticky Nikki's?" Sabi asked.

Axel's mouth tilted to one side, smiling as he exhaled. "Most people say it's because the dancers here don't shower, but it's really because of the bathrooms."

Sabi's full bladder clenched. "What about them?"

"Every surface of the bathrooms besides the toilet seats are covered with oil."

She contorted her top lip in disgust. "Um, why?"

"So people don't do coke in there."

"I don't understand."

"You can't bust lines on a greasy surface. The coke will stick and clump up. They've been raided before, so I guess they took that route. Now people just do coke in the VIP booths or in their cars."

"Wow, that's very... Innovative?"

A yellow Firebird chugged into a parking space across the lot, headlights closing before the engine cut. The vehicle caught Axel's attention, and he threw his half-smoked cigarette on the ground to stamp it out.

"Come on. Let's get back inside—"

"AXEL?"

"Oh, fuck."

"Axel! Hellooo!"

The driver stepped out of the Firebird onto the asphalt in strappy silver heels coiling up her naked shins and thighs. Her matching dress ended at her hips, revealing a small triangle of silver between her legs as she walked and urged the dress down. The unforgiving material slid back up as she trotted toward Axel and Sabi, bangles, necklace and dangling earrings jingling as she went. The woman wore a bright pink, faux fur bolero around her shoulders with her silvery hair piled high on her head. Sabi noticed large, pierced nipples straining through the Mylar dish towel of a dress and an illegible tattoo seated between her breasts.

"Oh, Bluebear! C'mere handsome! Give me a hug right now!" The thin, knobby woman threw her torso at Axel, knocking him into the brick wall. He returned a brief hug and dropped his arms, but the woman clung to him and kissed his cheek. She clutched his face and peppered his jawline with kisses. "Oh my God, I can't believe you're here! Did you come just to see me?"

Axel chuckled nervously and pushed her off with two hands on her fur-lined shoulders. The woman ignored Sabi and continued trying to land kisses on Axel's face and hands.

"Marley, calm down, Jesus," Axel said.

"I'm sorry, I just can't believe you're here. I've been thinking about you. You never call?"

"Busy. Always busy."

"Apparently not too busy to be here."

Axel nodded to his left, where Sabi stood, stunned. "You can thank her and Arty for dragging me out."

Marley gave Sabi a quick glance, then turned her attention on Axel with a broad smile full of crooked teeth. "Are you gonna watch me dance tonight?"

"No, Marley. That's weird."

"Oh, come on, Bluey! We're not related anymore since Greg and Juney divorced," she giggled. "I'm fair game."

Sabi fluttered her lashes and scoffed. "Excuse me, Marley, is it?"

"Yeah?"

"Take your fucking hands off my boyfriend."

Marley stepped back, one heel wobbling on a loose stone. Axel pressed himself flat to the wall. The vicious edge of Sabi's voice cut through the din of music filtering from the inside, leaving the three of them in strained silence. Sabi took one last puff of her cigarette and flicked it at the dancer's feet. Her last few drinks curdled her blood and pumped her chest full of adrenaline.

"Damn, you're a feisty one," said Marley with a scoff. "Axe, are you just gonna let her talk to me like that?"

Axel nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. You should go inside, Marley... Before you catch hands."

"And a cold," Sabi spat, ridiculing the woman's outfit with a furrowed brow and blazing eyes.

"Wow, that's fucking rude. Can't believe you, Blue."

The front door swung open, and Arty came stumbling out with another couple of friends who'd driven up to the strip club with them. In his drunken haze, Arty missed the tension and gasped at Marley.

"Mar-Mar!" He approached her with his thick arms akimbo. Marley ducked away from the large man's embrace. "What's the matter?"

"Blue's girlfriend is the matter."

Sabi clenched her fists as the cousins murmured in surround sound. Axel caught Sabi's arm and tugged her back into the club as she twisted her neck, eyes sweltering on the blond woman. Once inside and clear of the entrance, Axel spun her to face him.

"Easy, Saberrah. Easy. Deep breath."

Instead of inhaling, Sabi launched herself at his chest, poking his sternum with a stiff finger. "I'll gouge that bitch's eyes out, Axel. I promise you!"

"No, no, no," he shook his head. "Don't. I know you're pissed, but you can't let her get to you. That's just Marley for ya. She's a dumbass."

"She's gonna be a dead dumbass!"

Axel smothered Sabi in his arms, brushed his fingers through her hair and shushed her until she stopped struggling. "Don't fucking start a fight at Sticky Nikki's, babe. You don't want to be that person."

The multi-coloured lights shifted along the walls and floor, illuminating the couple as Axel held Sabi's head in place between his hands. He ducked to kiss her in hopes some affection might disperse her anger, but it only fanned the flame.

"Who the fuck does she think she is walking up and practically making out with you? Like what the fuck is that, Axel? Have you fucked her before? Why did she do that?"

"What the fuck, Sabi? Of course, I haven't fucked my fucking cousin."

"She sure acts like there's a fucking chance!"

The bouncer at the door caught wind of the heated exchange unfolding between the bar and the tables. He snapped his thick fingers at Axel.

"Take it outside, man!"

Axel nodded, gave a courteous wave to the bouncer, and guided Sabi to a darker corner. "Babe, come on. It's done."

"No, this was a mistake. I shouldn't have let you get me drunk. We're broken up. I shouldn't even be here with you. Look what I'm wearing, Axel. This is fucking ridiculous."

Desperate terror broke Axel's composure, and he gathered her in his arms, clamping her shoulders. "Don't fucking say that. We're not broken up. Please, Sabi, don't do this to me again. I thought we were cool?"

"No, we're not fucking cool! You're a goddamn liar, and your stupid family are a bunch of fucking lunatics!"

"I know they are, I know, but please, God, just don't fucking do this, Sab. We're together. I'm here. I won't ever lie to you again, I swear on my mother's life. Can we please just forget about this and go home? Let's go home, babe."

"Why are you like this?" Sabi moaned. Her head spun, senses awash in cheap beer and liquor, anxiety mounting. She begrudged her furious outburst, but it wouldn't subside no matter how loud her inner reason screamed out to stop. "Why did I ever get involved with you?"

"Sabi, Sabi, please," Axel's tone flattened into a serious line. Sobered and despairing, Axel bent at the knees to meet her eyes, hands squeezing her arms. "Baby, I love you. I love you. Don't talk like that. Jesus, I've never loved anyone in my fucking life the way I love you. I'm sorry I'm not perfect, but please, don't do this to me again. You're just drunk, babe. Come on, we'll go home and sleep it off."

A bubble burst in Sabi's throat, and she whimpered. Close to tears, she buried her face in his chest and threw her arms around him. Axel melted into the embrace. He squeezed his eyes shut and hugged her in the UV light, white tank top glowing pale blue.

Sabi mumbled incoherently until Axel pulled away and asked what she said. She sniffled and wiped her nose, muttering, "I love you, too. I love you so much, and I hate it."

The bouncer kept eyes on the arguing couple until yelling from outside the club took priority. As the stage lights dimmed and the flaring shower of red and blue sprayed the stage, Axel took Sabi's hand and led her to a row of curtained booths. He pushed her through a heavy flap into a cubicle with a C-shaped couch and a small television on a shelf displaying a feed of the stage. To the right, on a small ledge, was an empty cup containing a few torn condom wrappers. Potlights behind the red leather sofa soaked the space and reflected off the mirrors on the ceiling and floor. Sabi chuffed as Axel pulled her close and kissed her.

"This place is disgusting, Axel."

"I fucking told you! But you wanted to come. We could have gone home and cuddled and went to bed, but you wanted to go out."

"I haven't partied in a long time. Thought it would be nice to do something fun."

"Strip clubs aren't my idea of fun," Axel said.

"What? You don't like tits in your face? Looks like the last ones in here had a great time," Sabi indicated the square foil packets in the plastic cup.

Axel sat on the lumpy cushions and pulled Sabi onto his lap. "The only tits I want in my face are yours."

"But mine aren't huge like theirs."

"You mean they're not pumped full of silicone? Oh, no," Axel rolled his eyes.

"Did you mean that?" Sabi sniffled. "Do you really love me?"

Axel stared up at her with his arms around her waist, eyes blasted open and shining as his bottom lip wobbled. "Sab... I've never loved anyone. Up until we met, I didn't think it was possible. I thought maybe I was fucked up and emotionally damaged. Maybe I saw my parents hate each other so hard, it ruined any chance of me wanting a relationship. And I'm sorry my family is so fucked up. I'm trying hard not to be like them. I've always wanted to do better, and then I met you, and everything changed. I love you."

Thunder rolled through Sabi's skull. The alcohol fuzz and adrenaline receded, exposing an agitated sore through the air of Axel's confession. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him. Axel returned the motion with a tilt of his head and two roaming hands. He hoped he was in the clear, that Sabi wouldn't turn around and chastise him or claim they weren't together. The unburdening of truth left his chest empty but warm. Axel had practiced his speech in several forms, never once thinking he'd deliver it to Sabi in the VIP booth of a strip club after she threatened to kill one of his cousins.

"Please, Axe, please... Don't lie to me ever again. I want you to tell me the truth about everything. You can't sit here and tell me you love me if you intend to lie again."

"I won't lie. I swear. You're everything to me, babe. Just stay with me. Don't say we're not together... I can't stand the sound of that."

"We are together," Sabi said, pressing her forehead to his. "We're together."

"Thank you," he whispered against her lips.

They stayed in the booth, kissing and holding each other while Aerosmith, Motley Crue and Whitesnake played over the PA system. Sequestered from their group, the couple talked shit about Axel's cousins and poked fun at themselves for indulging the white trash rhapsody they so often condemned. Sabi fought off her sleepiness by teasing Axel until he couldn't stand her grinding and whispers. Still, her intoxication erased all bashfulness, and she climbed off his lap to dance for him when Cherry Pie by Warrant blasted over the sound system.

"Oh, nurse, are you gonna make me feel better?" Axel asked.

"My routine is all method. Nurse by day, slut by night," Sabi giggled.

"I like that. You should get up on that stage and shake that sweet booty. Show those girls what it's all about."

Sabi whirled around, cheeks prickling red. "No way. I'm not dancing in front of those gross old dudes and your cousins."

Axel chuckled until he sighed. "Speaking of my stupid-ass cousins... We should probably find them. I'm about ready to split from this festering anal scab. What do you think?"

"It would be nice to get out of these scrubs. I feel like a total nerd."

"You wear it well, babe. Real well."

The two left the booth, skirted the tables and found Arty engaged in conversation with Jack, another one of their cousins, at the opposite corner of the club. For once, Arty wasn't gawping at the dancers but motoring through an explanation until he caught sight of Axel and Sabi. He slammed his fist on the table, startling Jack and sloshing beer over the plastic cups.

"There you fucking are! Christ, I was looking all over for you! Thought you left until I saw the Monte still in the lot. Where the fuck have you been?"

"We were just talking."

"Marley's pissed. Said she's gonna have the guys throw you both out."

Axel jeered. "Yeah, whatever. Marley's a fucking cunt, and we're about ready to take off anyway."

"Hey, I got a little something, Axe. Wanna pitch on this gram?"

Sabi cocked her head until Arty flashed a small vial he'd been holding in his meaty palm. She looked to Axel, then back at Arty, who pumped his eyebrows. Jack, their younger, skinnier and quieter cousin, hid a grin behind a crudely tattooed fist. It clicked then that the two had already partaken, and the full effects motored through their mouths and tapping feet.

"Man, fuck that shit," Axel said.

Sabi's heart raced. She'd never seen cocaine before, and the thought of Axel snorting drugs filled her with an itchy sensation that wasn't as worrisome as she thought. Memories of overdose patients riddled her brain, drowned only by the glamour and taboo of the powder in Arty's hand. She pinched the inside of her cheek between her teeth and looked up at Axel, squeezing his hand.

"What? You wanna do some?" He asked in a lowered voice.

"I don't know," Sabi shrugged. "I've never tried it before."

"It's really not that great."

"Well..."

"Come on, Blue."

Axel let out a hiss of air. "You only want me to so I'll pitch on it."

"Nah, you don't have to. My treat," said Arty. "You don't owe me for the 'dro either. You guys said you wanted to party, so let's fucking party."

Inside the Monte Carlo, Arty and Jack took the backseats, and Sabi sat upfront while Axel dipped his house key into the vial. Arty and Jack had already tipped a pinch onto the backs of their hands and shot it up their nostrils with ease, roiling their noses around and sniffling as the substance absorbed. The key came out with a small white peak and soon disappeared up Axel's right nostril. He sat back, eyes wide as he sniffled and cleared his throat, blinking wildly until he smiled and looked back at his cousins.

"Jesus."

"Right? It's good blow. None of that fenny bullshit. Don't worry, we already tested it."

Jack tapped the fanny pack around his waist. "Naloxone, just in case. Playin' it smart after Tracy."

Arty sighed, "rest in peace."

Sabi's palms and feet moistened as Axel dipped the key in the vial again and came up with a much smaller amount of powder. He twisted in the seat and handed the vial to Arty. "Ready?"

"Um... I don't really know what to do," said Sabi.

"Here," Axel pressed her left nostril shut with the tip of his middle finger. "When I say so, inhale like you're trying to hawk a loogie."

Sabi made a look of disgust until Axel brought the edge of the key to her nose.

"Okay, go."

Powder shot into her nasal cavity, coating the walls and setting off her salivary glands. After a few seconds, she felt her nose dripping and sucked the fluid back until her throat went numb. She hauled the mucus into her mouth and swallowed, then ran her tongue over her teeth and gums, feeling nothing.

"Did I do it right?" She asked as her eyelids drew back, and the lethargy gave way to an intense rush of energy.

Axel and his cousins tittered. "Yeah, babe. You did it right."

"Am I supposed to feel like my head is numb?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Jack. "Funny feeling at first, but you'll get used to that. It goes away pretty soon."

Axel shook his head. "Nah, there's nothing to get used to. This is a one-time thing. Just for shits and giggles, okay?"

"Okay," said Sabi as Axel grabbed her hand and squeezed.

In minutes, Sabi's top row of teeth pressed down. Her heart thumped in her chest like a spastic drum, and a sudden urge to kiss Axel overcame her. She leaned forward and crushed her mouth to his, only pulling back when a worried grunt left Arty's throat.

Ahead of the car, a muscular man wearing a braided mohawk stomped out of the club with Marley in tow. The blond pointed directly at the Monte Carlo as another pair of men followed out the door. The one with the mohawk clenched his fists and stomped toward the car, snarling viciously. He rose the hammer of his fist and brought it down in the hood of Axel's prized ride.

"I don't fucking think so," Axel said. "Arty, Jack!"

Arty opened the door and was halfway on the pavement when Axel shot out.

"Yo, what the fuck, man?" Axel yelled.

"You piece of shit! Get the fuck out of here, you pussy bitch!" Marley screeched. "And take your ugly slob of a girlfriend with you!"

Sabi choked on her battering pulse as Axel widened his stance, opening his arms in invitation. Axel chuckled at his assailant, which only toughened the menace on his face.

Axel taunted him. "Come on, cocksucker. I dare you to take your shot. I'll give you one good one, then I'll fuck your shit up so bad your crackhead mom won't recognize you,"

"Get him, Brian!"

"You're making a big fucking mistake. That's the Cobra, ya fuckin' idiot. He's a pro boxer! Like, you're gonna die, dude!" Arty laughed.

"Fuck off, Arty!" Marley stepped up to her cousin but met a wall.

"Why don't you go back inside and suck some meth-head cock for rent? Ya fuckin' slut."

The people gathering around reminded Sabi of Axel's illegal basement fight. Their taunting and jeers sounded just like the rousing of the crowd. Axel bounced on his toes, beckoning the guy with a cocky smirk plastered on his face. "Come on. Hit me, pussy. I want you to!"

Arty wrestled with Marley until the man took a swing at Axel's face. The boxer dodged the punch and reciprocated as fast as a jolt of lightning, throwing a hook that sent him stumbling backward. A stream of blood burst from his nose. With his fists up, Axel cackled and shifted back and forth, throwing jabs to the air.

"Aw, fuck yeah! Come on, pussy! Let's see if you can land one on me!" He stood still and tapped his cheek. "Right here, motherfucker."

"Fuck him up, Blue!"

Sabi had enough. Her limbs tingled while she got out of the car and took a running start at Marley, who was yelling for her protector to hit Axel. She wound her arm, closed her eyes and thrust forth in a blind fury. When she opened her eyes, Marley had toppled onto her ass, screaming and clutching her face. Her accomplices froze, and the lot went quiet for a breath. Then the doors flew open, and 3 security guards ran out. Sabi scrambled back into the car, chugging air and shaking. She stared at her quaking hands and saw blood on her knuckles. By the time the security made it to the vehicle, Axel had jumped in and locked the doors.

"Holy shit, babe. Holy shit!"

The bouncer who had yelled at them earlier to take their arguing elsewhere banged on Axel's window.

"Out of the car, motherfucker!"

Axel threw up his hands in a shrug. "No can do, muchacho!"

He turned on the engine, throwing light over the group. One guard smacked the hood while the others gathered around Marley to help her stand.

"Oh, Jesus, Axe. What if I broke her nose?"

"I hope you did. Now, let's get the fuck outta here."

Axel revved the engine, threatening to pull forward despite the human barricade in front of the car. He laid on the horn, deafening the yelling into inaudible chaos, then revved again. Pulling forth an inch, the guards and screaming members of the Cluney family dispersed, and once the way was clear, Axel peeled out of the parking lot and sped onto the road toward the city.

 The couple hollered and laughed, speeding down the country line. On the crest of a hill, Axel spotted flashing lights in the distance. He slowed the car and held his breath while Sabi squeezed his thigh. He pulled to the shoulder and waited for the police cruiser to pass. Axel watched in the rearview, then twisted around until the lights disappeared. They both let out heavy sighs of relief.

"Christ Almighty... That was fucking insane."

Sabi held up her quivering hands. "I... I can't believe I did that. Axel, I punched your cousin in the face!"

"You punched through her face. Through it. Fuck! I've never seen a girl rock someone that goddamn hard in my life. It was like... All slow motion for a second. Everyone just stopped."

"Oh my God... Am I gonna go to jail?"

Axel tossed his head back with laughter, clapping Sabi's thigh. "No, babe. You're not going to jail."

"What about your cousins? What if they tell the cops I assaulted her?"

"They got no proof. Well, except the epic shiner Marley's gonna have. But it's Sticky's. Nobody cares if some stripper gets popped in the mug. Happens all the time. It's par for the course, baby. Don't worry."

"Fuck, I think I get why you fight now. I feel so gangster."

"That was so hot, Sab. Not gonna lie. I'm totally switched on."

"Me too."

"I'm not kidding. Look," Axel nodded at his erection pressing against his jeans.

The Monte Carlo slowed over a rocky strip, chucking pebbles and dirt into the stream of the headlights. Axel eased the machine to a stop beside a line of pine trees, hidden from the road going South but exposed to the North. He didn't care. Not when Sabi had her hand buried in his pants, toying with his cock. A moment after he cut the engine, Axel whipped off his seatbelt and chased Sabi to the backseat where the stick shift didn't obscure their reach for each other. Once comfortably splayed on the seat, she tore open his jeans while he lifted his hips. His chucks were another roadblock easily vanquished in their haste to undress. Axel kept his tank top on, lifted Sabi's over her breasts, and pulled down her bra to suck her nipples into his mouth.

"Axe, don't come inside me."

"I won't, baby."

He slipped inside of her, senses heightened by the drugs and adrenaline still raging through his veins. The sensation of her wetness wringing true around his length made him shiver and burn.

"Fucking you without a condom is so much better. Christ, I don't believe what I've been missing."

Axel propped her on his groin, one foot behind either seat as he sank low enough to thrust without bumping her head on the roof of the car. A moan burst from his mouth. He rested his palms on her hips and let his eyes roll from the pleasure of the slick sounds, the wetness coating his length, her dew clinging to his pubic hair.

"Love it when you ride me. God, you have no idea how good that feels, baby."

Despite his claims, Axel lifted Sabi and placed her on her back so he could deliver several harsh thrusts. The cocaine seated his teeth together, imbued him with enough stamina to rock until the car joined in with the momentum. Desensitized, Axel continued the motion, hovering inches above her, pressing kisses to her lips and cheeks.

"Do you love me?"

Sabi stared at the man above her, plunging into her, squeezing her breasts and burying his face between them. Some gelled pieces of his hair fell out of place until she smoothed her palm over his crown.

"Yes... I love you, Axel."

"You sure?" He grunted.

"I'm positive."

"Even though I'm trash? Even though you're better than me?"

"I'm not better than you. What are you saying?"

"Yes, you are. You're perfect. I never wanna lose you. Please, don't say you love me unless you really mean it. Unless you can't live without me."

"I don't want to be without you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Promise you'll love me no matter what."

Sabi giggled as though Axel made a joke. He stopped thrusting, laid his head on her chest and took a deep breath of her sweat and perfume. "I'm for real, Sabberah. Don't leave me again."

"I won't," she said in a small voice. "I love you, Axe. Why do you think I'm here?"

"'Cause, we're drunk and on drugs. I'm afraid you'll wake up sober tomorrow and realize you made a mistake."

Sabi propped her upper body on her elbows and clicked her tongue. "Don't give me a reason to feel like I made a mistake then."

"I won't. I won't, baby, I promise."

"Okay. Good. Now shut up and fuck me hard, you bad, bad man."

~*~

The sky was a gradient of royal blue and violet, crisping along the edge of the horizon when the couple untangled and drove into town. Rundown and exhausted from the night's events, they agreed on a local eatery called Ronnie's Poutine Palace for a needed meal. They wandered into the tiny restaurant and avoided the old man staring at them from the corner behind a newspaper. Sabi felt the grease clinging to her scalp, the sleep pulling her eyes, and the vapour from the grills only made it worse.

The restaurant seemed built into a wide hallway with only a few tables and a flaking mural of a chef caricature holding a dripping plate of fries and gravy. Underneath the cartoon chef, the wall advertised forty different kinds of poutine ranging from classic to mixtures that made Sabi's stomach gurgle unpleasantly. They served all-day breakfast and homemade Pogos and pastries. That morning, the pastry case was bereft of any of the advertised eclairs and cupcakes.

A young, gap-toothed girl came to take their order. Axel requested two coffees, a breakfast poutine and then turned to Sabi with shaded eyes. "What do you want, babe?"

"I'll have the French toast," Sabi said.

"Would you like any powdered sugar or strawberries? They're fresh. Just picked them from Cate's Farm yesterday."

Sabi nodded. "Sold. Uh, hold the sugar, though. Just berries. And maple syrup, please, if you have it."

"Of course."

Axel pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and instructed the girl to keep the change, then added a few dollars to the tip jar. Sabi rooted around in her pockets and found a sticky toonie to add.

"That's nice of you," Sabi commented.

"This place has cured some major hangovers in my day. I owe them my life."

The girl at the counter nodded. "We're open twenty-four hours and deliver all night. This city runs on our poutine."

Axel smiled, wheeling Sabi to a table near the front window.

They dug into their food when it arrived, Axel hacking the fried egg in half, so the yolk spilled over a pile of the greasiest fries Sabi had ever seen. She grimaced as he poked half a breakfast link in his mouth.

"Why not just have breakfast? Why taint perfectly good poutine?" Sabi asked.

"Because you don't just go to Ronnie's and not get poutine. Look at the size of this thing, and for eight bucks? Come on. You can't beat that."

Sabi prodded a heart-shaped strawberry with the tines of her fork and swirled it in a ramekin of syrup before eating it. Axel pointed at the stack of fried bread.

"Now that's gross. I don't know how you can stomach sugar right now. I'd barf."

"French toast is the tits. Don't hate."

"Yeah, but strawberries in syrup? You're weird, kid."

"You're weird. That yolk is all mixed in with the gravy. And the cheese. It's like slime."

Axel made a purposeful slurping sound, grating her nerves. She scrunched her nose and turned away to chew a mouthful of toast without the imagery.

They sipped coffee and ate as much as their stomachs could handle. Sabi blew her nose into a napkin and paled at the white snot. She sniffed the dried, flaky remnants of coke clinging to her nose hairs and smothered a sneeze with the back of her hand. "God, I feel like ass."

"Well, you look great."

Sabi looked down at her wrinkled work uniform. "I've been wearing the same outfit for a full twenty-four hours. How can you even say that?"

"'Cause I love ya."

"Stop," she angled her face.

"What? I don't care what you're wearing, and neither does anyone else. You look cute. Little rough, but we had a long night, didn't we Muhammed Ali?"

"Don't remind me."

Axel put down his fork and wiped his face with a napkin. "Hey, listen. Speaking of that... I wanted to talk to you about... The boxing."

"I'm not becoming a professional boxer, Axel. I already told you."

"No, not that. I mean, I wanna talk about my situation."

"Oh," Sabi chirped.

Axel took in a monumental breath, laid his hands flat on the table and gazed into her eyes until he was sure he had her attention. "I want to be honest with you and say I have no intention of stopping right now. I have a few more fights—"

"Wait, Axel, before you say anything, I have something to tell you as well. That night when I broke up with you for lying to me... I was at the fight. I watched you beat that guy."

"What? You're serious?"

"Yeah. I went out to the corner store for snacks and passed the gym you said you work at, but it was closed. I thought maybe you lied and had gone somewhere else. Maybe to another girl's place or something."

"Sabi, no."

"That's just what I thought. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. Anyway, I went around back, and some guy asked if I wanted to come in for the fight. It all just clicked in at that point. So, I went down there."

"Christ," Axel pinched between his eyebrows. "I don't want you around those maniacs."

Sabi pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled through a few pictures until she found the flyer she'd found on the street with Axel's face on it. She held up the screen for him to see.

"What about this? This looks legitimate. You said you don't fight professionally anymore, but why not? You could be something if you tried."

Axel shook his head. "That was a while back."

"So, what? You can do what you love, Axel. Nothing's stopping you."

"Plenty is stopping me, Sab."

"Like what?"

"Like money."

"What do you mean?"

Axel pointed at her phone, grimacing. "See, that fight earned me three-hundred bucks. Do you know how much that fight at Vince's got me?"

"No."

"Three thousand."

"Oh."

"Yeah, and that was on the lower end of the scale. Three thousand for three minutes in the ring."

"But what good is that money if you get busted?"

Axel snickered and stuck out his hand for her to take. "Babe... There's a lot about Featherfall you don't know yet. We don't get busted. Half those bets were cops, lawyers, and shit. Bikers."

"Doctors?" Asked Sabi.

"That's another thing,” Axel said. “Farber... You obviously know him from work."

"I do."

"I don't want you tangled in that life, and Farber won't want one of his subordinates knowing his business."

"Little too late for that," Sabi muttered.

"I'm serious, Sab. Some of those guys are real dangerous."

Sabi leered. "Rufus Farber?"

"Maybe not him on his own, but you don't know the types he runs with."

"Well, I know you, don't I? Are you one of the dangerous types?"

"I'm the type that has debts to pay and doesn't want his girlfriend getting involved in the mess."

"What debts?"

"I don't know, just debts."

Sabi sat back in the booth and crossed her arms. "Thought we were being honest with each other?"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it here," Axel gestured at the old man at the other side of the dining area staring at them. He leaned closer, and under his breath, said, "my mom owes some money. I'm trying to dig her out of the hole before she kicks the bucket."

"What kind of debt?"

"Sab..."

"Just tell me."

"The house. The bills. Shit, before I met you, the city shut her water off. She's so fucked, she can't work. My dad left money when he died for her to retire, and she drank and partied it away. So, now I'm cleaning up that mess."

Sabi went quiet for a while, and Axel picked up his fork and combed through the remaining fries for bits of bacon.

"I'm sorry your mom was an alcoholic."

"Is an alcoholic," Axel corrected. "She'll always be one."

"Babe... You're amazing. Helping your mom like that is a testament to how generous and kind you are. I just wish you could help her more legitimately."

"Nothing more legitimate than cash, Sab. That, and how much I love you and need you to stay out of this. Let me figure it out. I don't want you at any more fights."

"Well, I don't want you at them either."

"I have to. I'm locked in for another three matches."

"What if I help you? I make decent money. I can help with her bills."

"You help enough already. Keep your money. It's done, babe. I'm in it for a little while, then I'm out. Maybe I'll go legit after, and you can come watch me fight."

"I've seen it. You're fierce. I never knew you could move that quickly."

"They don't call me Cobra for nothing."

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[softliebgott]

LEMONADE LIPS AND MARSHMALLOWS

You and your family have managed a somewhat peaceful farm life during the war until you discover two soldiers, George Luz and Frank Perconte, raiding your barn. Disappointed, but nonetheless grateful for the army’s presence, you invite them to have dinner for a proper meal. We all need some Luz Fluff™, or just some softness in general. This is my first attempt at writing Luz, so go easy (pun? yes) on me 😅 

TRANSLATIONS: Oma = grandma, Hurensohn = son of a bitch, rag = 40′s slang for “make fun of”

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March 11, 1945

Sturzelberg, Germany 

Farm life, the absence of human pollution; sound, smell, and people themselves, until the American army came to settle in the town nearby. You didn’t mind. In fact, you were grateful. Germany’s dictator was losing his hold on the reins he sought to keep steady.

A dirt road, reminiscent of chocolate powder, cut past a field. Out of this empty land your family’s farm rose up with its buildings like a huddle of old, painted vessels floating in still water.

The sun embraced its newfound world with warmth that felt different than when the war was at its worst. Perhaps the earth felt it could finally breathe, knowing its body would no longer suffer great wounds from weaponry. It wouldn’t have to weep as it welcomed more of the dead. 

Walking the fields with your father, you bent down to pluck a ripe tomato from its brittle stalk, and then bit into it. Acidic, like an apple. Sweet, like a strawberry. Juicy, like a plum.

“(Y/N),” came your father’s gravelly voice. Knelt down beside a tomato stalk, he looked at you from over his shoulder. His gray eyes, rivaling the polished metal of a suit of armor, reflected the sun’s glare. The map of wrinkles on his face spoke of an incredible journey. His eye lines held echoes of laughter and warm smiles, while his forehead told of worries past and worries present. Sixty years of his story ingrained in him, telling of the man he became; kind, compassionate, and a little tired. Amused, he smiled. “What shall I tell your mother?”

“What both of us already tell her, papa.” You moved to his side, gripped his shoulder, and bent at your knees to whisper, “Rabbits.” You lifted your brow.

He chuckled, crow’s feet lines creasing the edges of his eyes. Your favorite laugh. The kind, when you were a little girl, you loved to feel rock his chest when you hugged him or fell asleep to in his arms. 

You straightened up, smiling impishly as you took another bite of your tomato.

“Perhaps before you tempt me to have a few, could you check the hens for eggs and milk Gerdy? Your mother is wanting to make *Oma’s Apple Cake.”

“Yes, papa.” 

You left the field, finishing your tomato as you headed for the barn. Pulling the wooden door open, light spilled in and washed over, to your shock, two American soldiers standing on a crate and raiding the eggs. One held a hen, while the other had been using his helmet to pile eggs into. Their attention was snagged by you.

“Guten tag, Fraulein.” The soldier holding the hen smiled. He gazed at you through deep-set, hickory brown eyes. A few strands of hair, similar in color to his eyes, hung loose over his forehead. His features, rugged, yet soft, seemed boyish. To you, it felt like he was one of those little boys who tried to grow up too fast.

You folded your arms against your chest, brow furrowed. “You have no right to be stealing.” You did not expect such behavior as this. It disappointed you. 

“Hey, Miss, we’re fighting Hitler,” the other soldier said. “I think we have a right.”

You chewed on the inside of your cheek. He was half right, but you were in no mood to argue, but to come to an agreement. “You won’t have a proper meal with just eggs. Come on inside and we’ll fix you something.”

The soldiers exchanged looks.

Leading them to your house, the soldier who had first greeted you matched your pace, eager in talking to you, while his friend muttered, “Luz, leave her alone.”

“Hey, what’s your name?” Luz asked.

“(Y/N).”

“I’m George. You sure do speak English well.”

“My mother wanted me to learn for when the British would come, but...”

George grinned, tuning his voice to a deeper tone in a British accent. “Ole Churchill needed an edge of Americanism in his tea.”

You giggled. “We are grateful that you are here.”

He had not made a woman laugh, or heard one such as yours, more attractive to him than woodland birdsong, in years. He wanted to hear it again, to see the way your eyes squinted, and to hear your jumbled words. The laughter and smiles of his friends would never get old, for he strove to give them those little pleasures. Now, he wanted to make you laugh so he could feel that warmth he lit for others.

Inside your family’s quaint home, you introduced the soldiers to your mother, who was washing dishes. “Momma, this is George Luz and Frank Perconte. I caught them stealing our eggs.” You looked as smug as a dog stealing a Christmas goose. “I thought we could make them a proper meal as compromise.”

“Oh, you boys shouldn’t have to steal to get a good meal. Come, sit down.”

Thanking her, George and Frank propped their guns against the wall next to the coat rack. You wondered how many lives those weapons reaped, and it made you think of your brother and cousins who had been drafted. No news had come of their deaths yet, and you often begged to God to spare them through muffled sobs in the night.

Frank offered the helmet-full of eggs to you, the edge of his mouth curling. His eyes reminded you of the chocolate your mother would melt for her cakes. Fine, smooth, and inviting. “Sorry for raidin’ your barn,” he said.

You smiled, taking the olive green helmet. “I’m glad to have caught you.”

As you moved to the counter, the wooden chairs behind you growled against the hard flooring as the men sat themselves. You looked over your shoulder to them. “Would you like some lemonade?”

“Boy, would I.” George beamed.

“Yeah, I’ll take some, too.” Childlike enthusiasm brimmed in Frank’s eyes.

You retrieved the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and then reached for two glasses from the overhead cupboard.

“They are both such handsome men. They remind me of your brother and cousins,” your mother whispered. 

“I just hope they can come home.” You poured the lemonade into the glasses, its tartness rubbing uncomfortably at your nasal cavity.

“They will. I have hope.”

“Is hope enough anymore?” You questioned, heartache softening your gaze.

Your mother tilted her head, eyebrows squished together. Truth was, she had been trying to keep positiveness afloat, but you kept punching holes in the raft. She sighed, averting her eyes and continued to prepare the meal.

A traditional roast of heavily marinated meat, bread rolls, and potato dumplings were prepared. Your father had come in for a break, taken aback by the presence of American soldiers, but had immediately shook hands with them. He was just as grateful to have them here as you were.

“Hey.” Frank bumped his elbow against George, irked. “You gonna take all the rolls? That’s your third one.”

“What are you gonna do, Per-Short-Te, punch me over this nice family dinner?”

You quietly laughed to yourself. You and your parents hadn’t had a dinner such as this after your brother and cousins left. Light-hearted, and distracting their minds from wandering into those claustrophobic tunnels of anxiety.

George noticed your quiet laughter. He caught your eyes and his face softened. Unbeknownst to you, you had the right colors to paint him where the war had watered him down to dismal grayness. He didn’t want this dinner to end. He wanted time alone with you.

You sucked in your lower lip. You had been studying him throughout the meal when he wasn’t looking. You noticed how his bottom lip was fuller, and wondered if you could taste the lemonade if you’d kissed him. Fearful that he could decipher your thoughts in your expression, you forced your eyes down to your lap.

“How long will you be staying in Sturzelberg?” Your father asked.

You felt George’s boot touch your foot, and cold, static-y surprise overwhelmed your body. You glanced up to him as he took a swig of his lemonade. He winked, and heat rushed to your cheeks while you gained a heart beat between your thighs.

“Could be a night or two. We don’t usually know for how long wherever we go,” Frank replied.

“Hey, uh, where’s your bathroom?” George asked.

“Oh.” Your mother’s eyebrows perked up. “(Y/N), could you show this young man where the bathroom is please?”

You felt air catch in your throat. “Yes, Momma,” you said quietly, rising from your seat. 

Yours and George’s movements irritated the senior chairs, triggering arthritic creaks from their legs. You led George out of the kitchen and into the hall. The cornflower blue, floral walls were adorned with framed pictures and embroideries. The wall sconces, wearing earrings of long, fake crystals, often struggled to keep their territory lit as streetlights did at night. 

A bubble of awkward silence swelled between you and George, until he stopped to look at a portrait of a young man in uniform. “This your boyfriend?” He asked. 

“No, that’s my brother.”

“Do you and your family, uh...like Hitler?”

“No, no.” You shook your head. “We loathe him, and even more-so after the men in our family were drafted.”

“I have a theory that he wears a hair-piece. He walks outside one morning, and one gust of wind turns him into a chrome-dome with a penciled mustache. Mr. Honcho holds his bald head and whines.” George placed his finger below his nose to imitate a mustache, deepening and strangling his voice to mimic Hitler. “Hurensohn!” He spoke more, but of jumbled nonsense to rag Hitler about his energetic speeches. “He’s stompin’ away, and his SS boys are chasin’ after the hair piece down the street like it’s a loose dog.”

There it was. Your smile, your laughter. His new favorite sight and sound. His chest and stomach became lightweight, as if he had taken flight. Holy shit, I’m done for, he thought.

After you had shown George to the bathroom, you retreated to your room, wanting to do your daily ritual of looking at your favorite photo album. You sat on the edge of your bed, the album open and resting on your lap. The pictures it embraced featured your favorite memories all the way up until your brother and cousins put on their uniforms. You wanted to save the last few pages for when they would return.

You knew their smiles would either go into hiding or be wrung out of them like water from a cloth. Their laughter would be hard to beckon out, and their minds would be battered vases. You and your parents were determined to help mend those cracks with the priceless gold that came from love, such as the Japanese art form, Kintsugi.

Life would be different, but at least they’d be alive.

“This your room?”

You looked over your shoulder at George, his eyes bouncing about the area in childlike curiosity.

You smiled, closing the photo album. “Yes.”

He approached your bedside. “Mind if I?” He gestured to your bed.

You shook your head and set the album on your nightstand. The bed dipped with his weight, and for a moment you felt you would lose your balance and tip backward onto him. He laid down on his back, crossing his legs. “Jesus Christ, it’s like lying on a marshmallow.” He shifted uncomfortably.

You faced him, a smile playing at your lips. “What have you been sleeping on all war?”

“Uh, well, let’s see. Cold, hard grounds with a side of foxholes.” He turned his head to you. “But speaking of marshmallows, you got any?”

You went out to the kitchen to retrieve a bag of sizable marshmallows, earning questionable glances from your parents and Frank. When you returned to your room, you sat with George and indulged in the puffy treats. Your hands became sticky and little bits of white flesh lingered on your skin like how Styrofoam would. 

Your mind kept trying to yank you back to thoughts of your family in the army, and it occurred to you that since there was a soldier right next to you, you could ask him about things you often wondered about. “What has the war been like...?” You asked.

“Well,” George’s voice was muffled by his chewing. “It’s different for every guy. Different for every army. There’s good times, and there’s bad. Some guys try to make light of things to ease the bad, right? Well, take that for the time my boys and I were in England for continued training. Our commanding officer and drill instructor was Captain Sobel. He didn’t know what the hell he was doin’, and we were hidin’ behind this big bush and couldn’t break silence. That is, until one of the boys told me to mimic Major Horton to fuck around with Sobel.” 

George pulled out two marshmallows, shaping one to appear skinnier. He held it up in one hand, “Here’s Sobel, and here’s me.” In his other hand he held the normal sized marshmallow. He began to imitate Horton and Sobel, squishing the marshmallows to make it appear as if they were talking. He told the story, earning from you grins and giggles. “I got him to cut the barbed wire fence, and he ended up releasin’ a whole herd of cows. He got his ass chewed out by the Major later.”

He wasn’t sure if you were aware of the captivating picture you made when you smiled. He hoped you did. You were more enthralling than a pulsing light show of fireflies in the night, but it gave him the same feeling of being spellbound.

“There’s moments like that, and then the real thing comes out of nowhere.” George grabbed a handful of marshmallows and scattered them to represent the trees in Bastogne. As he told you about the sudden onslaught of German artillery, he ripped the marshmallows apart just as the trees had been. Boom. Rip. Boom. Rip. 

He seemed hypnotized, like a vampire obsessively counting rice. He was lost in the memory that haunted his dreams, stained his eyes with the blurred vision of black and white explosions, and echoed in his ears with the screams of Muck and Penkala. Numb, his voice went dull as he relived it before his eyes.

You didn’t laugh or smile, but this is what you asked for. What it was like. You wondered if you shouldn’t have asked. You had disturbed those memories, and now George was lost in their raging sea.

“Two of my buddies were hit directly in their foxhole...and the other lost his leg.” He was there again, innards trembling and his mind blank as he stared at Toye lying in the snow, his leg looking like messily butchered, raw chicken. 

“I’m so sorry...I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”

“Yeah...war is hell.” George didn’t meet your eyes. The liveliness had abandoned him.

Guilt-ridden, you cautiously reached for his hand, which clutched at the torn remains of marshmallows. You unlocked his grip, the pieces falling onto your bed, and tangled your fingers with his. The stickiness from the marshmallows welded your hands together.

He released a breath he had been holding and closed his eyes, the tension draining from his body. He squeezed your hand.

“Hey, Luz, c’mon. We gotta head back.” Frank’s voice sounded from the hallway.

George opened his eyes to you, his thumb stroking your hand.

You followed him out of your bedroom, having given him the bag of marshmallows. You didn’t want him to leave, but you certainly wanted to see him again. Whenever that may be. Thus an idea came to you. You snatched a small photograph of yourself from your mother’s China cabinet and wrote a note, your address, and phone number on the back in spidery handwriting.

“George, wait.” You approached him as he and Frank grabbed their rifles. You handed him your photograph, heart drumming. “A reminder that if you need a safe place to come to, it’s here.” 

George smiled at your picture, thinking, better than any pin-up girl. He carefully put it in his jacket’s inner pocket. “I’ll be seein’ ya, gorgeous, whenever this war ends.” He winked, popping a marshmallow into his mouth, and slung his rifle over his shoulder.

You had watched him and Frank leave the property, grinning when George looked back over his shoulder and smiled, his cheeks stuffed with marshmallows like a squirrel.

How you wanted to kiss those stubbled cheeks.

As the sun closed its blaring eye, you sat in bed, writing in your journal. Every sentence you tried to write started with George and ended with your heart wanting to burst open, less like gates during a flood and more like a peach growing on a vine. So ripe. So ripe, so ready for the fall.

A rhythmic tap at your window froze you. Could it be the wind using a tree branch to make its nightly tunes again? No, because you saw a human shadow, a cookie cutter shape in the pool of moonlight. You closed your journal and peeled the sheets and blanket away.

When you approached the window, your heart fluttered in surprise. George. You unlocked the window and slid it up. “George, what are you doing here?”

He awkwardly climbed through, almost stumbling to the floor. After you closed the window, you met his eyes, and you found where the sun had gone; in his smile, the warmth echoing in his voice. “I want to feel safe tonight.”

Heat rushed to your chest, and your body quivered as if on low blood sugar as George stripped down to a cotton white shirt and boxer shorts. He joined you beneath the covers, his dog tags clanking. He snaked a hand around your waist and pulled you snug against him, like two perfect puzzle pieces fitting. He caged you within his arms, and you felt a heartbeat much stronger between your thighs this time. He smelled like an ashtray, but you didn’t care as you nuzzled your face into his chest.

“You know, at first I considered you out of my league,” he said. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen into my arms.”

You laughed into his chest.

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[talesofealdancynedom]

Seiph Blugimm, in fairy robes; The mage of the Stone Gate forest is not as famous as his twin brother, but is relevant enough to illustrate

Tale 19: Meriam Craweleoth: Mage Queen of The Grand West (chapter 8.1 - At The Time 8/10) part 4. Stories of Old

Maps

none

           Sinonia Doesn’t have cities; it has a constant, and evenly dispersed, rural landscape; And heavy traffic trade routs. The roads are wide, muddy, sided by lush ferns and bamboo, or tree groves. If your lucky, one can pass a farm, with fields strategically placed upon the strata of hills. There are many hills, of many heights in Sinonia; with many bridges. Like soft old mountains that never ended. The good thing about these features, is that it’s hard to get lost. There is always one person within distance, to gesticulate for directions; And they are used to it. The bad thing is that it feels like a perpetual hike, with no change in scenery. Meriam and her men had been away from home for weeks, and had only just accepted the fact they had traveled across the world, and their only hope was a magic forest, where they might find Sirulius’s identical twin brother. Of whom was the court mage, from what they gathered. Having searched the mountains for days, they stopped at what seemed to be an elaborate building, painted red and adorned with beads, and canvas sliding doors depicting nature. The ground around it was surrounded by perfectly circular cobbled of stone, and coloured glass. Tiered and hungry, Meriam decided such a gratuitous establishment might have a good host. The door slid open without her needing to ring the brass bells, with the provided mallet.

           The odd house was crowded with gold and red charms for luck. There was depictions of fey and livestock on everything; from statues, basins, table wear, and tapestries; to the canvas walls. The owner was a short very old lady, dressed in embroidered vibrant satins. She was the only one in the house, and given the number of luxurious objects in and around the property, possibly rich. From what Meriam could tell, the entire place was completely normal; not a drop of enchantment. Though it had a certain ambiance to it, that would make some people suspicious. Like it was too comfortable, and thus hiding something. The old lady instinctively brought powdered green tea, and said they could stay the night because her eight cats liked them. Meriam was allergic to cats, but her men seemed to like them. Meriam and her party were given congii, and warm water to bathe; they had never known such gratitude in theirs lives.

“Thank you graciously for your hospitality; Are you sure you do not want compensation? I am a mage and can easily alchemize you anything you wish, enchant your house with protections-” Meriam said

“No thank you.” The old lady smiled, filling her bowl. “I’ve had enough of mages and magic, Anglian girl. That’s why I live here in Sinonia. There aren’t many fey outside the gate. And the fey that are here, are mischievous or obvious. Best to leave them alone; guard your livers while you sleep, there be foxes in these woods. And stay away from the water, there be dragons behind the falls. Sleep every night like it is your last, and be weary of things that seem too good.”

“That sounds incredible! The fey I mean, not the fact you’re not fond of magic.” Meriam said.

“Yes dear. I prefer cats.”

“I can see that... That said, we are looking for a magic gate, so we may get home. I was told, by a mage at the coast, his brother guards the Stone Gate; you wouldn’t happen to know how to get there from here?”

“Oh, our witch Seiph Blugimm! He’s a good boy. Keeps the fey away, and brings me these adorable strays. Has two children who live down river, with his wife. She grows and makes the best tea, and visits often with Seiph’s artwork for my walls.” The old lady said frailly. “You can find him ten minutes down road, if you veer off the path to your right, when you see a goblin made of moonstone. Can’t miss it.” She smiled. Everyone gave thanks, and had a good sleep on soft floor mats, surrounded by purring fur. They had a good mourning meal, and the lady sent them off with a smile. She was genuinely happy to have had visitors.

“By the way dear; Your men may go dark in the shadow veil on your way home. Magic forest,s and gates to the kingdoms of fey, aren’t the place for common men.” She warned Meriam. Meriam was so eager to go home, she had forgotten that non-mages get scared by the colourless, windless, warmthless, quiet shadow veil.

            Being refreshed by the first good sleep they had in weeks, did not prepare Meriam or her men from the incredibly creepy goblin statue. It was larger than a normal goblin, and had a crinkled face and was showing its tusk like teeth, holding a shard of crystal. It was one of the most terrifying bad omens Meriam had ever seen.

“You don’t think it’s a warning, do you, your highness? From this Seiph mage, my queen?”

“No. It is the rough work from dwarves, by the look of it.” Meriam said, inspecting the statue. Then she headed off the path, and deeper into the forest. There was an unsettling identical statue, every ten meters, leading to a flattened mountain face that was painted red, and covered in non-human hand prints. Infront of it was a different statue: it was tall beautiful man made of smooth grey rock. Behind the statue, was a perfectly carved tunnel into the mountain. It was big enough to accommodate a single file line of people. Above it, freshly painted, was the title Forest of Lost Children in Anglian runes. Meriam shrugged, and entered, then summoned luck fire to lead the way.

           As they advanced though the tunnel, it widened; until they reached a waterfall that filled the passage. Yet, there was no cracks in the ceiling, nor the floor; that water was coming from, and going, nowhere. Meriam stared at it for a few minutes, and then reached into the center, and pulled it aside like a curtain, gesturing for her men to pass. The further in the cave they went, the more eerie and dark it became. Until they noticed glowing mushrooms, and giant flowers, which radiated neon colours. They began to hear roars, caws, groans and howls coming from the thick forest they entered. It was night, even though it was dawn. Meriam stopped at a fork in the round cobbled trail, that was now underfoot. There was a waist high flat rock, with brail like dots on it. Down one path, there was glowing water, flowing from the mountain, with a dwarf carved bridge. The other way lead into the woods up and the mountain. The third path lead into a thick thorn laden part of the forest.

“I don’t know where to go, and I fear letting Nihten look ahead. I fear charming, or talking to these fey. The trees are gossiping ill wills.” Meriam said, looking around cautiously. This began to unsettle her party. Suddenly, small lights began to glow; leading them down the inner forest path. Meriam grabbed the knight who was about to follow them.

“I don’t think those fairies are the kind that are fond of humans.” She warned.

“Lies.” A small boy’s voice came from the bridge. Everyone looked down the water path, to see a small boy in a cone hat, and mucking gear on a small raft. He was using a pole to go through the water. He appeared to be a swamp wildling. Faries that resemble boys, but hate coddling and wield elemental powers to match their habitat. Meriam and her knights had seen ice ones in Grand Snow, and Storm Wildlings in Isfisceard. They usually hung in clubs causing mischief, but this one was alone. And it knew how to speak to humans; Which meant it must have met one.

“Hello!” Meriam said, dashing toward the bridge. Her men, now spooked, quickly ran after Meriam, fearing she was the only thing between them and death.

“My name is Meriam Craweleoth, I am a mage of Anglia, and me and my friends are looking for Seiph and the Stone Gate. Can you help us?” Meriam chimed.

“Play with me. The river is made by a dragon who breaths liquid fire to light the forest. The mermaids are at the bottom, and they might eat your friends. You can follow me though! You can call me Boomer. I don’t remember my fame name. been too long.” Boomer said enthusiastically.

           Boomer played tag with them, leading the party of six to a stone platform that came out of the glowing swamp. There was also no fey in the swamp, so Meriam guessed Boomer had made it as a moat around the buildings, and he only let friends pass. Meriam and her knights climbed the large stairs out of the water, and up to the top. It looked like a royal palace, made entirely of stone smaller houses, around a town square. In the center of the square, was a well that resembled an inviting fire pit. The place looked abandoned, yet lived in. There was a stable full of odd horses, goats and pigs, and a man in slate and peins grey silk fairy robes, smoking on a porch. He looked like Sirulius, down to his blue eyes, but his hair remained black, and he wore formal Sinonian makeup in a duo chrome teal. He looked surprised to see them.

“Look Seiph! New friends! And one is a mage!” Boomer exclaimed, running over to hug his knee. Seiph put out his pipe, and got up from his kneeling desk to greet his guests. He summoned short pillowed stools around the fire pit, and bowed.

“Io’s enchantments, and children, keep most folk far from here. I made this village with the stone children, for my family; all of which trust and love magic. Yet, they dare not enter the Forest of Lost Children. What makes you so brave you bare it?”

“We need to pass into the shadow veil, with the Stone Gate. We live in the capital of Anglia, on the other side of the Raven Gate. We have traveled across the world, and are desperate to go home to our own families.” Meriam pleaded.

“Your guards wear fine clothes; they are paid well. I can only assume you are The Mage Queen. Are your men aware they would have to pass the terror of the shadow veil, to get home? As if this cursed daycare isn’t terrorizing enough?” Seiph said sternly.

“My Queen, you did not say the shadow veil would hurt us…” one of the knights said.

“It won’t. It will just be unsettling to the point of causing you to go dark from sensory confussion. I know how to treat your fever and bleeding, from the magic flow that results from your …discomfort as common folk. I can quickly prepare a potion of Rosa Sanguine, when we immerge. Though, if you’re lucky, your eyes and hair may be a more radiant hue.” Meriam said. “Do you not trust me? I would not put in danger, or make you do anything I didn’t think you could do.” She finished. Her guards were so tiered, and wanted to go home so badly, but now they were torn by terror. Seiph transmuted a pot, and made them some tea. It was the same good matcha their previous host said was from his wife. They all took a seat. The glow of the fire and tree children, was like lanterns in the dark of the forest; which echoed the whispers, and calls of fey.

“Let us share some tales and tea, while your common folk decide thier fates. Do you trust your queen and the power of the love for your families, and in your hearts? Or will you sacrum to fear of the ‘darker’ side of magic. Even if you choose to battle your greatest emotions, in the ether of all enchantment, I must add it is difficult to get to Stone Queen’s Gate.” Seiph said. They took their cups of tea in silence, and Seiph gave Boomer some warm milk and a lap to sleep on. Boomer was the only wilding in this forest, and he was also one of the few fey who were kind here. If it isn’t a stone child, Seiph warned, it is not worth trusting in the magic forest of the Stone Gate. This is the magic forest the beast king’s send the fey children that don’t play nice with the kingdoms of men.

           Meriam started by informing Seiph that his brother Sirlius, had fallen in love with Asada of the Monkey Gate; to fulfill her destiny and dreams. It proved Seiph was capable of smiling. Then the knights went on about the Emperor denying their request for peace, after saving the town from Sirulius’s storm; which they needed to appease the Sultan of Indonia. All of these things where done in order to gain safe global passage, and encircle Francia into surrender, or alliance. Just saying it, reminded them of the wars going on at boarders around the world. Battles that claimed their brothers, uncles and fathers, and of which they were lucky enough to never attend.

“I can put in a good word about an alliance. Though neutrality is the best result; Sinonia is aligned with Francia and Indonia, and is attempting to take the Eastlands of Vieticia. A quarter our land is desert, another quarter is alpine. We need lush landa as much as our allies. Not to mention, our Emperor is a greedy evil bastard; Our ore alone could buy Sinonia anything it wishes from merchants; Yet he hoards it. You should see the imperial palace. But still, the emperor may align with you if I want it. You see, He wants a court mage so bad, but dare not fetch me from this forest, or threaten my family. He fears me, yet desires me. He tries to butters me, while eating from my spoon. I could care less for his cause, but his favor amuses me. I don’t want more soldiers dying for a pointless battle; It’s frankly stupid. On behalf of Sinonia, I accept the peace of the West and North kingdoms. If traveling across the plains of fire, and into this forest, then through the shadow veil, does not convince this kingdom of your value, I do not know what will.” Seiph explained. The crackling warmth fire that burned before them, was a deep unnatural orange, that comforted deep into the bones. Meriam thought she should have warned Seiph, Sirulius, and Asada, of wizards; but realized they were untouchable due to their curses. No matter the comfort of the magic flames, she felt sad. She felt guilt for not warning her guards and friends of danger, in order to preserve their ignorant bliss. Being a Seer of magic, had taught her the value of not knowing. As her heart sank, Meriam heard all five of her beloved knights agree to her terms. They, as common folk, trusted that magic would not hurt them; and they would endure the shadow veil to hug the ones they loved.

NEXT--->

<---PREVIOUS

#art #tales of ealdan cynedom #short stories #fantasy #stone king #seiph #io #nihten #meriam #sirulius

[makeitupp-blog1]

My Makeup Favorites!

When I started wearing makeup, my makeup bag consisted of only three products; foundation that was two shades too dark, bronzer that was as orange as a cheeto, and mascara that barely cost $3.00. It is safe to say that my collection has grown substantially since then. After a year working at Ulta Beauty, I have bought and or tested almost half of the products in the store and I have become officially obsessed with makeup. Due to buying and testing numerous products, I have found many of my go to favorites and I have also found a lot of makeup that I am not willing to ever buy again. In today’s post, I have decided to share my favorite products that I always keep stocked in my personal makeup collection. I would love to hear what products are your favorites. Comment on this post with your top three go to products. I would love to see what you all are loving, and even get to try out some products that I have yet to try!

Now, onto the tour of my favorite products in my collection!

Face:

1.     L’OREAL Perfecting Base Primer

This primer is amazing! I bought it soon after a coworker had told me that it was a dupe for the Tarte blurring face primer. It is a budget friendly primer that effortlessly blurs your pores. My favorite thing about this primer? It lasts forever! A little bit goes a long way with this primer, and for a product that you use every day, that is extremely important.

2.     Smashbox Photo Focus Foundation

This product is not a dupe and it will cost you around forty-two dollars, but it is one hundred percent worth the investment. I use to reserve this foundation only for special events and for going out, but it makes my skin look so amazing that I started to use it as my every day foundation. It is a perfectly lightweight, demi-matte foundation that provides a full amount of coverage without feeling like you have a lot of makeup on. I have not been able to find a drugstore foundation that performs as well as this foundation, but for the sake of my bank account, I hope I can find an imposter soon.

3.     Tarte Shape Tape

Similar to the Smashbox foundation, this concealer is not budget friendly. Although it is extremely expensive for a concealer, at twenty-seven dollars, it performs like no other concealer on the market. You can say goodbye to any sign of dark circles and you can say hello to beautiful, bright under eyes! I use this product almost every day, and one tube lasted me almost 7 months. If you have the budget to invest in this concealer I highly recommend it.

4.     Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer

Want a bronzer that smells like summer? Want a bronzer that glides onto the skin? Want a bronzer that gives you a gorgeous, warm glow? Then you need to head straight to the store to buy this bronzer. It has a fresh coconut scent with a smooth, buttery texture that sits on the skin so beautifully. Once I found this bronzer, I have not used any other bronzing product.

5.     Maybelline’s Master Chrome Highlighter

I was always so hesitant to wear highlighter even though it has become such a big trend. I never knew which shade to use or how to apply it. Then, after watching countless product reviews on YouTube, I found Master Chrome. The golden tone of this blinding highlight gives an ethereal glow without washing you out. Words cannot describe how gorgeous this highlight is for its price tag.

6.     Coty Airspun Setting Powder

For six dollars, you get enough of this product to last you a year! This translucent setting powder effectively sets your face makeup without causing flashback in photos or causing a white cast under the eyes. Unlike some facial powders, this powder is great for both overall setting powder and for baking your contour. The only thing I will warn you about with this powder is the smell. If you are sensitive to smells you may not like the perfume like fragrance that this product has.

7.     MAC Fix Plus Setting Spray

This is not a product that I use every day, but when I need my makeup to last all day without sliding and smudging, I turn to this trusty setting spray. I love this product because unlike other setting sprays that I have used in the past, it has a refreshing fine mist that does not leave my face feeling overly wet or sticky. It also gives my complexion an overall matte finish which is especially helpful in the summer when the heat causes my face to get much shinier than normal. It rings in at around twenty-dollars, but the higher price tag is worth it, especially if it is only being used for special events, because it really does work flawlessly.

Eyes:

1.     Morphe Second Nature Palette

Morphe is an indy brand, turned beauty industry power house. They are known for their high quality, but budget friendly makeup products. This eyeshadow palette is the perfect warm color story with blinding shimmer shadows and bold mattes. I have a large collection of Morphe palettes and I do not think I will ever find a better high pigmented shadow for such a bargain. I highly suggest you check out their collections.

2.     Colourpop Super Shock Single Shadows

These single shadows are only four dollars apiece. If you need a solid shimmer or metallic shadow, packed with pigment, I would check these out on Colourpop’s website. These shadows are best applied with a synthetic brush or simply your fingertip, but with just a little pat of this product on the lid, your eye look goes from average to extraordinary.

3.     Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

This mascara is a higher ticket item, but with just a few swipes on the lashes, you will have perfectly voluminous and long lashes. The formula does not flake or clump so application is hassle free with no need to reapply all day long. There are only two shades available in this product; black and brown. I use the black shade and it is the perfect intense shade of black that defines my eyes without needing to cake on the product in order to see results.

Brows:

1.     Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer- Taupe

There is only one product that I will trust day in and day out to effortlessly and naturally define my brows. The triangle shaped tip allows for an easy application, even for beginners. The formula has the perfect amount of waxy texture that keeps the brow hairs in place without causing them to look fake and overdrawn. Another benefit of this product, is its double ended design. On one end of the component, there is the actual pencil and on the opposite end, there is a spoolie brush that allows you to tame the brow hairs with a simple flip of the product rather than having to constantly switch between two separate components.

Lips:

1.     Colourpop Matte Liquid Lipstick

For only six dollars each, these lipsticks perform like a twenty-dollar luxury formula. They come in numerous shades so you will always find what you need when shopping for your ideal shade. I would highly suggest watching the swatch videos of your desired shades on YouTube before buying. The colors appear very different in the pictures compared to how they appear once applied on your lips.

2.     Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss- Toffee

I was given this lip gloss as a gift from my manager and the second I used it for the first time, I was sold. This gloss is the ideal tinted nude shade. It allows you to keep your look natural while also looking polished and put together. It also has an amazing sugar cookie smell, and who does not love the smell of sugar cookies?!

3.     Fizz & Bubble Sugar Lip Scrub

Not many people have heard of Fizz & Bubble, let alone their sugar lip scrubs. These products last forever and they keep the lips smooth and ready for flawless lipstick application. All the lip scrubs are vegan, edible and cruelty free which is awesome. They are also available in multiple yummy flavors such as, mint mojito, juicy watermelon, rainbow sherbet, and orange dreamsicle.  

#mkt400uwl

[olivereliott]

Speed Read, September 12, 2021

We’re launching into this week’s round-up with a radically reworked Moto Guzzi Bellagio, and finishing off with a look at the upcoming Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello. Wedged in between are a garage-built Honda CB450, a rescued Harley-Davidson Sportster 883, and a Royal Enfield 650 from XTR Pepo.

Moto Guzzi Bellagio by Guzzi Motobox Custom shops that specialize in a particular marque have a habit of pulling out all the stops—and Guzzi Motobox in Catalonia is probably one of the best examples. After all, how many workshops could turn the laid back Moto Guzzi Bellagio into a fire breathing cafe racer?

GMB’s work on this Bellagio is a double whammy; they’ve not only dramatically changed its silhouette, but also given it a boost under the hood.

Using cylinders and pistons from specialist outfit Radical Guzzi, GMB took the motor from 935 cc to 1,500 cc, with four valves per cylinder instead of two. The team also converted the bike from fuel injection to a carbureted setup, and ditched the air box for a pair of velocity stacks. The stock exhaust headers were tweaked to run a pair of HP Corse mufflers.

The running gear’s been upgraded too, with the Showa forks from a Kawasaki ZX10R up front, and a custom built Öhlins shock out back.

The wheels are stunning 17” spoked units from Kineo, and the brakes are Brembos, complete with carbon fiber cooling ducts on the front discs. It wasn’t all plug-and-play though: GMB boss Manel Segarra reports that matching up the front forks, wheel and brakes took a lot of fiddling.

Higher up, GMB built a whole new subframe to sharpen up the Bellagio’s lines. The fuel tank and tail section, plus the front fender, are all custom pieces. “A close friend, German Dervidson, made them for us,” explains Manel. “We made the pieces in a special foam, and German replicated them with aluminum.”

The Guzzi also wears new rear sets and foot controls, with clip-ons, Beringer levers and switchgear from Renard Speed Shop up top. Other add-ons include new yokes, a small GMB speedo and an LED headlight. A custom carrier at the back holds the license plate, along with a pair of combo taillight and blinker LEDs. [Guzzi Motobox]

Honda CB450 by Scott Loyet There’s something special about hobby builds, and the blood, sweat and tears that are poured into them. This tastefully stylish Honda CB450 cafe racer is Scott Loyet’s first build—a project that took him four years to complete, because he resolved to only work on it when he “felt like it.” And it’s a pretty remarkable first effort.

Scott picked up the 1973 CB450 around the same time that his friend, Cory, also started working on a 70s-model CB.

“Cory has been my ‘Yoda’ throughout this project,”says Scott, “a man who has been around engines and motors all his life. My dad was a grease monkey, and I always admired the way he could fix anything on our family cars—and frankly, anything around the house, including hair dryers!”

“With no mechanical experience and new time on my hands since my kids had gotten older, I embarked on ripping apart my first bike. As my dad said to me, ‘you learn more from your mistakes’ and I learned A LOT. With parts and assistance from not only Cory, but also Dime City Cycles, Common Motor Collective and lots of YouTube videos, I was able to get over the finish line.”

Scott first stripped the bike down, then sent a bunch of parts off for fresh powder coating. The engine was refreshed with new valves and top end gaskets, and is now hooked up to Mikuni V32 carbs with velocity stacks from Speed Moto. Sparck Moto supplied a new wiring harness, and Scott installed an electronic ignition, new coils and plugs, a rebuilt starter, a Lithium-ion battery and a new regulator and rectifier.

Scott refreshed the front forks, but replaced the rear shocks with a new pair of Progressive units. The brakes were rebuilt, and the wheels re-laced with stainless spokes from Buchanan’s. Up top are new bars with wrapped Trip Machine Co. grips, and new dials. And all the lighting’s been replaced with LED units.

Scott had help along the way. CJ at Pullman Fabrications handled the custom battery box, rear loop and frame reinforcements, and built the new exhaust headers, which are connected to Lossa Engineering mufflers. Aaron at Pleasant Hill Auto Body massaged the fuel tank so that it’d transition with the seat better, Brian Jennings handled paint and Armand’s Auto Upholstery covered the seat.

“This bike was therapy for me,” says Scott, “with endless hours cleaning, shining and building. In the end, it is a tribute to my dad and an heirloom for my son or daughter.” [Images by Shirley DeFrancisci]

Harley-Davidson Sporster 883 by Minority Custom At a glance, this 2000-model Sportster 883 from Indonesia’s Minority Custom doesn’t break any major new ground. But it is very pretty and extremely tidy—impressive, when you consider that it started out as a wreck.

“’Simplicity is beauty’ is what our garage strives to show in our designs,” explains shop boss, Jonathan Evan. “We found this motorbike in a dull and damaged condition. Some parts of the engine were leaking and broken, oil was everywhere, and it had malfunctioning rear brakes and broken pistons.”

Minority rebuilt the Sporty inside and out, making a number of changes along the way. The crew wanted to give it a slight chopper stance—so they stretched the front forks and swapped the front wheel for a 21” hoop. There’s a solid 16” rear wheel at the back, hooked up to a custom-made sprocket.

Next, the OEM fuel tank was cut-and-shut to shrink it, and to make it sit tighter on the Harley’s backbone. Behind it is a custom leather seat, and behind that, a hand-made mini sissy bar that adds a touch of chopper sass, without going overboard.

Up front, tucked under the standard-issue Sportster headlight nacelle, is a smaller-than-stock light mounted on a custom-made bracket; a neat touch that most eyes won’t notice. The handlebars are one-offs too, as are the stainless steel slash-cut exhausts.

Top marks to Minority for the lush color scheme too—the frame’s been done in turquoise, with some green hues mixed in on the bodywork, and a smattering of chrome. The tank bears the shop’s own unique take on the typical Harley eagle motif, and was completely executed by hand. [Minority Custom | Images by Val Willson]

Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 by XTR Pepo A number of custom builders have already shown that Royal Enfield’s new generation Continental GT 650 is ripe for remodeling. But in the hands of the mad scientist Pepo Rosell, it’s really come alive.

This 2019-model Continental GT 650 is sporting a number of signature XTR Pepo touches—not least of all its heavy endurance racing vibe and protruding headlights. They’re mounted just forward of a custom fairing, which in turn sits on custom brackets.

Tucked behind are a CNC-machined top yoke from Riga Billet Parts and XTR Pepo clip-ons. The quick-throttle and right switches are from Domino, the brake master cylinder is a Brembo item, the clutch assembly is from a Suzuki GSX-R, and the levers are CNC-machined XTR Pepo parts. There’s also a new oil temperature gauge, and foot pegs and controls from K-Speed in Taiwan.

The custom fiberglass fuel tank lightly mimics the original design, but has a transparent strip on the side for checking levels, and an aluminum filler cap from ACC Endurance. The solo seat is Pepo’s design too, and the subframe’s been modified to match it.

Pepo replaced the rear shocks with new ones from YSS, swapped the 18” wheels for 17s, and shod them with Continental Road Attack tires. The exhaust headers have been shortened and now exhale through a pair of Turbokit megaphones.

Elsewhere, Pepo’s added LED turn signals, a custom license plate support, and a CNC-machined chain tensioner and sprocket cover from Riga Billet Parts. Artenruta handled the cheeky red livery—the perfect finishing touch for this rapid-looking Royal Enfield. [XTR Pepo | Images by Belen Piqueras]

The new Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello No, you’re not looking at a modern reinterpretation of the iconic Yamaha TDM850. This is the new Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello—a brand new ‘tall rounder’ with a brand new motor, that’ll make it’s official debut at EICMA in November.

Moto Guzzi have revealed nothing more than images and a teaser video [below] that desperately wants to remind you that the marque’s logo has an eagle in it. But there are a few dead giveaways and easy speculations. The engine looks to be all-new, with liquid cooling and an assumed capacity of 1,000 cc, and power is still directed via a shaft drive.

The video also reveals air channels on the fairing that open and close, and a windshield that moves up and down. It’s not clear whether these will operate automatically or not, but we’ve seen the term “active aerodynamics” bandied about, so make of it what you will.

Guzzi specialists Classic Co. either have inside info or are master speculators. They’ve pointed out a large airbox where the tank would go, an under seat fuel tank, and a four-valve-per-cylinder engine layout that can be bumped to 1,300 cc and used in a wide variety of applications. They’ve also cleverly noticed that the air intakes sit above the cylinder heads, and the exhaust ports below, unlike Guzzi’s current V-twins.

Looking at the red and green bikes that Guzzi have shown, it’s also clear that the V100 Mandello will most likely come in two models. Both are sporting Brembo brakes, but the green version [above] also has Öhlins suspension at both ends.

Overall, we’re digging the slightly 80s aesthetic, and it looks like it’d be a fun ride—as long as it delivers enough power in a decent weight class. Color us curious. [Moto Guzzi]

[kzbrandt]

Alcoholism

 Clink, Drink, Sink… Did I just walk off the brink?

    Alcohol has taken everything from me. I hate it more than you can ever imagine. First, it took my mother and birthed the horror of our relationship. Then, right under my nose, without even noticing it, it took my father. Both walked over the ledge into a sea of addiction and carelessness. One lost their sanity, while the other drowned his impetus.

    To be honest, my mother was one of those people where the habit became painfully obvious, she dug herself an early grave and it was no surprise to anyone once she lied down in it. My padre on the other hand, all could see it but me. Maybe I just didn’t want to believe it, maybe in my eyes the man who saved me could do no wrong. He only had a few each night just to take the edge off. What was wrong with that? It’s not like he ever hurt anybody? What I didn’t realize is he was only hurting himself.

    It would take 10 years to finally recognize this rug pitifully covering a dirty floor. How could I condemn a man who raised me, he was given no favors, no easy paths were ever found around here. How can I blame someone whose own mother abandoned him to a mental institution, while his father found solace in whores rather than anything outside of a bar? They bowed down and worshipped their demons, at least he was still putting up a fight.  

    Every Night I dreamed of the one who possessed him, he was oblivious of course, but like always I was burdened with the truth. You can't lie to an empath, especially when various superpowers were already in play. Fear. This alone consumed me, every dark corner or shadowy precipice filled my heart with dread. I knew what might linger there, hidden under the opaque and terrifying sheets. I’ve heard his roar and felt his grip, seen its reflective eyes mirrored within my father's itching for complete control.

    The Devil always finds me, since I was very young I have felt the horned one’s pursuit. Prayers and protective signs only kept them away for so long. Sometimes I dreamed of ending it all, but I wouldn’t let them entrap me so easily. Most teenagers prefer late night parties and social frivolity under their parents' slumbering eyes. Not me, I never bode well in this respect. People are simple when you know what to expect from them. Humans let you down, disappoint or betray you. Even my own dad, as much as I love him, would rather drown, shipwrecked in a bottle, rather than try to swim for shore, not even if I begged. When it came down to it, I always believed I was more important, wasn’t it easier to choose his only daughter rather than addiction? How many times did he promise me and his words fell as empty as his glass each night?

    Piece by piece he lost himself until he wasn’t my father anymore. He had chosen the one who sneers and had only one ambition. He had already taken so many and most fell too easily into his grasp, while others were coaxed gradually and didn’t realize until it was too late. The conquest was what he loved the most, the select prey that was clueless even as they were devoured. Not even when his cancer spread terminally did they look up from their limitless loch of gluttonous, idolized debauchery.

    His true name was Holicus, one of the old ones festered and brought to life in the realm of the Abyss. Many evils were birthed there, where even a single ray of light refused to enter. The Catholic Church likes to claim only a venerated man has the power to exercise and cleanse a soul, but this is just another lie. One of many they like to tell. Religion is nothing but a plagued web men in power loved to weave. It spun their cruelty, secured their dominance, they didn’t spread hope, but disquietude. This isn’t to say there aren’t select individuals who still serve Abiel, but they grow fewer by the second. Not even the whitest soul is immune to the draw of Lucataerius or as many know him, Diablo.

    I can’t believe looking at the past and present, that this could’ve been what God wanted? A church that was blind to the monsters it invited in and when finally granted the sight, hid and obscured the truth. In it’s omission pacified crimes too horrible to speak of. The violation of all those poor children was just the tip of the iceberg.

    I was never very good at small talk or making eye contact, but slaying demons was something I was quite good at. Demoniac was a condensed powder extracted from the center of these godless creatures. Over the years I have accumulated a very impressive collection. By day my bedroom was that of a normal fifteen year old teenager. It was simple with pink walls, a small spring mattress and the expected amount of clutter associated with disorganization. By night with the click of a button hidden under the floorboards, this seemingly average room was transformed.

    Under the cover of night when my chronic insomnia took hold, I would work in my secret laboratory, tracking and experimenting with strange and unnatural substances, harvested for one purpose. Under my father’s nose I was fighting the shadows, the demons, the monsters that continued to ravage the living.

    Certain things only grow in the moonlight and some bloom for one night, others a couple months. The trick is knowing the location and time of year. This knowledge is only granted to the elite, initiated into the Vulvun Oculus. At the head of this secret organization was Japunte Black Moon. He found me when I was only a baby, plagued with a strange supernatural illness. As an infant I had one birthmark in the shape of a cross centered on my forehead, the sign of Abiel, King of the light realms. This insignia called to both forces of nature, good and evil. My mother couldn’t stand to nurse or even touch me and so only a newborn, I dwindled on the ledge between life and death.

    My father grew desperate and Harold, who was raised catholic got the number of a strange voodoo doctor. This was how it all began, the first steps taken before the journey. If it wasn’t for Japtunte I don’t know how I would’ve survived adolescence. Some girls were concerned with normal things like boys and accessorizing, not me, I got nightmares that animated before me changing the fabric of my reality. No wonder I barely slept, too afraid to relive the darkest recesses of my imagination, sleep deprivation was a welcome reprieve. The things we dream aren’t supposed to come true, such things were meant to remain in horror flicks.  

    I remember looking at the other girls wishing I could be like them, so pretty and perfect, so happy. Why couldn’t that be me? Usually this is when my lovely African mentor would pipe in, “Krista with such gifts comes with specific obligations, you have a responsibility to use your talents and not waste them.” So serious all the time, how does he do it? How does he stay the course so consistently?

  I reached my breaking point in my 17th year, my maiden hood would leave me to make room for young everlasting-love. It was right about this time I abandoned the Vulvun Oculus and moved in with my uncle. I needed a change of scenery, something different and new. Running seemed to be branded into my DNA.

    It worked for maybe a year. I joined the cheerleading squad, made some friends, fell in love, I was just your regular junior in high school. It was bliss while it lasted. No matter how hard I tried, they would never forget who I was, the shadows always found a way to creep in.

    Friday, October 31st, the day of the Halloween dance, 2010. It was unseasonably warm, 75 degrees and humid. Typical Michigan weather. It was just outside Belleville High that I received the call that would shake me awake, dreaming for too long now. How could I ever forget this conversation, if you could call it that?

    “Kris, you need to come home now. He’s taken your father, I’m sorry.” Click.

    Running my soft cashmere hands through blanched but radiant yellow hair, I felt the chill of a rogue breeze, ominous and dark. The message was clear, a demon had possession of someone who was very dear to me. Jetting off in my blue and white uniform, I needed a pair of wheels no matter who they belonged to. Something fast…

   Two monstrous wheels ensconced in chrome and leather, off all alone begging to be saddled. What kind of woman would I be if I didn’t oblige? I was surprised how easily this metallic stallion roared to life. Barely flicking the throttle, the engine purred and miles blurred the colors of Columbia Drive. Imagining how peculiar I must have looked never entered my mind as I kept the ocean calm within, readying for any outcome, any obstacle.

    Japunte liked to call me the Exorcist, but like any skill it needs to be practiced, rehearsed. I was more than a little rusty, how did I know if I would I be strong enough? Calling to the angel who always stood by my side, silently I prayed for strength and protection. In the reflection of passing carrs I swore that I could see white wings extending out. There was such a rooted comfort in knowing that I wasn't alone in this fight.

    The closer I got to Saint Clair Shores, the more prominent his smell became. It was Holicus, how could I not recognize his repugnant oversaturated odor? My father finally reached the bottom of the bottle and found who was waiting for him, on Halloween no less.

     Holi. impregnated man with the knowledge to brew him into being. Most of the time he’s harmless, even Jesus partook, although he had a vigor that was intangible. It was the ones who possessed something he lusted for and not easily acquired, those were the souls he needed, such a feast was worth the wait. Arriving at a familiar destination, 20220 Rosedale drew near. This was my childhood home. While I lived with my mother, this was heaven, my one and only escape from the corrupt black iron doors that reached out and never retracted, entrapping you in their icy grip for all eternity.

    Imagination can be a dangerous game, it can build bridges and towers to the most magnificent places, or it could host your worst nightmares. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to stop playing.

    Even though it grew late with no sunlight left to spare, I could see the past so easily. There I was only ten years old making mud pies with a strange boy who loved to climb our made up kingdom atop the trees. How easily time passed us by, never had I been so happy or had a more suitable playmate.

    Now that I thought about it, Doug was a mystery to me. I couldn’t remember a single thing about his family or his life, only the time we spent together. I didn’t even know his last name. A few months later he had just up and disappeared, moved out without saying a word. That would be the last time my partner in adventurous endeavors would venture to my side of the road.  I liked answers and the reasons why, but sometimes we are only made and never opened, keys amiss this door would remain forever closed and elusive. Life would wash it away, another memory, another dream.

    Silencing the engine, I slid off my lustrous brushed and borrowed hog slowly walking towards the front door. Not a single light was lit, an eerie sense of dread settled over me and I wondered what was waiting for me inside… Turning the cool door knob, the entire house felt dead and rotten. What had happened here? Where was my dad?

    Striding through the dark living room a shadowy figure was seated across a dusty checkered floor. The shell of my father breathed uneven, choppy and shallow.

    “So, you finally came home, Krista Star. It’s too bad you just missed your daddio, haha.”

    “It’s time for you to leave.”

    “Leave, why? He invited me in, little by little he made room and I won’t be evicted, not even by you. What can a cheerleader do against me?”

    “I have dueled you before, if only by blood. You may remember him, Constantin Excalibur.”

    Silence chilled the suddenly very small room. Continuing to shrink and contract with a petrifying veiny pulse.

    “One daughter remade, one thorn wrapped in crimson shade, Excalibur remains, forged from the far away Valean glade… This isn’t possible?” Sweat trickled down a grey and sickly looking brow, lined with three distinct wrinkles.

    “Believe it… Holicus. You took my mother, but you won't’ take him, I won’t allow it. I reveal myself to you, Holicus demon of the under realms, by the order of Abiel we cast you out!” As I finished speaking, angelic symbols of the Vale, once hidden, burned brightly illuminating the kitchen, and so the rest of the house. Light from an insurmountable army of Angels obliterated every demon in sight, pulling the plug on Holicus and all who followed him. Of course, most drink would still be stained with his residue but it was now devoid of flagitiousness.

    My power came from the soldiers of Abiel, who served him willingly. I am one of them, maybe not a worthy comparison but a follower all the same. An unholy screech pierced the walls and everything vibrated so hard the foundation threatened to crumble around us. With all the strength my soul could muster, I whispered the sacred, hidden words of Abiel, secrets of the white fire.

    Few knew of them, even among angels. I won’t abuse what he has given me, I may lose faith in myself, but I’ll neve lose faith in him. Straying in thought I fought against the current, thrashing against the tide I managed to come to the surface.

     “K-Krista? What’s happening, where am I?”

    “Dad don't worry it's all okay now, but we may need to talk about some things...”

    Alcoholism, it sneaks up on you, before you know it the reflection you thought you knew morphs into something alien and unfamiliar. I may have removed the demon, but his essence remains. How many more will you drink before you put down the glass and live your life? Prepare yourself, the Darkness is coming, how will you be fighting drunk or sober?

Happy Halloween, Sincerely, the Exorcist.

#halloween #alcoholism #fantasy #darkening #universe

[polefitnessdancing]

Best Spinning Dance Poles For Home Or Studio Use

The best spinning dance poles for home and studio use mainly depend on the quality of the upper bearings located in the dome and the lower bearings located in the base of the pole. There are several different brands of dance poles you can choose from, but not all spinning dance poles have bearings made of equal quality. We have purchased and used all the spinning dance poles recommended (and not recommended) in this review and here, we will share our thoughts based on the results.

What is a Spinning Dance Pole?

A spinning dance pole is a pole used for pole dancing that can rotate, which is called spinning mode, or can be static (or stationary).   Spinning dance poles often come with both spinning and static options.  There is usually a hex key or lock that you twist on the base that switches the pole from spinning to static and vice versa.

What Make A Spinning Dance Pole The Best Option For Home Use?

Static dance poles are often said to be a good “beginner” dance pole because its safer to learn in static before attempting to dance on the pole in spinning mode.   However, this is a matter of opinion throughout the pole dancing industry.   In my experience teaching pole fitness classes, all of my beginners prefer spinning mode because they said it was easier to learn on.   It is worth it to learn about the advantages and disadvantaged of dancing on a spinning dance pole before your purchase. Regardless, at some point, every beginner will want to progress forward into inverting tricks, spinning pole moves, pole sits, and many other pole dance moves that look more beautiful (and fun I might add) on a spinning dance pole.

The Best Spinning Dance Poles For Home Use

Based on our experience (no, we didn’t just write a “dance pole review” about the best dance poles for home use by reading other people’s materials) these were our top 4 best spinning dance poles: Lupit Classic Dance Pole X-Pole Xpert Pro Dance Pole PDF Chrome Pro Quality Dance Pole Lil Mynx Rotator Dance Pole Here are our review and reasons behind the above ratings: #1 Lupit Classic Spinning Dance Pole Uses Top Notch Aerospace and Automotive Technology You have to admit, the better technology, the quality.  Technology moves fast, even in the world of manufacturing dance pole bearings and the most current technology usually trumps outdated versions. The Lupit Classic pole has the most updated and advanced bearing technology that we know of here in the USA.  After dancing on the Lupit Classic and feeling how smooth the bearings rotate, I think it’s the very best.   There is no noise and slide light and easy. In addition, the Lupit Classic is the easiest pole to put up and take down which is super important if you if want to install a dance pole in an apartment and it must be taken down often due to landlord or other visitors who may be offended.   You can learn more in depth details about the Lupit Classic in this video dance pole review:   #2 X-Pole Xpert Pro Is The Most Versatile Spinning Dance Pole The X-Pole Xpert Pro model is a favorite due to the ease of putting the pole in spinning or static with a simple twist of the X-Lock.   The bearings seem to have the same spinning smoothness and actions as their standard Xpert model dance poles. X-Pole has been a leader in providing dance poles for home and studio use so they have the most adaptable poles meaning you can choose from a wide variety of finish types including brass, chrome, silicone, chrome (which is most common), stainless steel, and powder coated colors.    If you haven’t had the time yet to decide which finish type is best for your skin type, check out this article here. X-Pole is also the most adaptable dance pole to various ceiling heights which is important in case you ever change your mind and decide to live in a different location.   Here is a great article about the best dance poles for various ceiling height here. Here is a video review on the standard X-Pole XPert Model that may help you see some comparisons to other types of spinning dance poles:   #3 PDF Pro Quality Spinning Dance Pole Is The Best Quality On A Budget The Lupit and X-Pole Brands are perfect quality, however, they are very expensive and not everybody can afford it.   Many people start with a cheaper dance pole and then save for a better-quality dance pole. That being said, buying a cheaper dance pole can actually be unsafe so you need to know what to look for in a good quality dance pole that is cheaper.   Even though many cheaper poles look alike on Ebay and Amazon, they aren’t necessarily made with the same quality. When I opened my first studio, I couldn’t afford the name brand poles, so I bought various cheap brands of Ebay and Amazon.  Here is a video that will show you everything I encounter buying cheaper dance poles and all the mistakes I made doing so: The PDF Pro Quality Dance Pole has all the good qualities you need to look for in dance pole for a cheaper price.  (Plus is comes with free pole dancing lessons online). I still use my PDF Pro Quality Dance Pole (I used to call it the “no brand” dance pole) till this day in my home.  It’s 8 years old and still spinning just fine! #4 Lil Mynx Rotator Dance Pole Is The Best Single Piece Dance Pole Lil Mynx is a very stable and old brand.   They have been around a long time (maybe longer than X-Pole) and the spinning quality of the Rotator Model has shown effective for years. When I used the Lil Mynx Rotator in my home, it was easier to install because it is in one long piece.   The other top 3 dance poles come in pieces that you have to put together during the installation process.   The down slope is that shipping one long dance pole is very expensive. The bearings and spinning quality of the Rotator is smooth and good.   At first, I noticed a little rubbing noise but it didn’t affect the spinning action at all.   However, Lil Mynx assured me this was normal and once the inside parts broke in better through use, the noise would go away.   They were right, it did go away and it spins great! Here is an in-depth video review on the Lil Mynx Rotator so you can see the details for yourself: Summary: We hope you enjoyed this article and understand why we rated the best spinning dance poles the way we did.   Buying top quality spinning dance poles is especially important to help ensure you get good quality bearing in the dome and base parts. If this article helped you, please like and rate this article below. Additionally, if you have any question, you can also comment below as well. Happy Poling! Read the full article

#poledance #dancepole #polefitness #poledancingpoles #polefitnessdancing

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Mar 30, 2018 We put in 74 hours of research and did 41 loads of dishes to find the best dish rack for most kitchens. Heres what we recommend. Jan 18, 2018 The best designed and most stylish dish racks and dish drainers available right now for any budget! . Kitchen Storage Tips. Use your walls. Aug 8, 2017 The Best Dish Rack The Sweet Home; Top 5 Best Dish Racks Reviews and Customer Opinion Dishwashers Guide; Your Dish Rack is. Jump to Additional Tips and Ideas Steps to Clean the Dish Rack: Take the rack apart as much as possible. Wash each piece separetly in the sink with some dish liquid. Rinse the dish rack well. For extra cleaning, fill one side of the sink with enough water to cover the dish rack parts and add 1 cup of white vinegar. Sep 28, 2018 5 Clever Ways to Use a Dish Rack (Beyond Using It to Air-Dry Your Dishes) . kitchen linens that would otherwise just tip over and make a mess. Find the best dish rack for your kitchen from this list of Real Simple-tested drainers. Feb 23, 2016 Another useful tip is to put your dish drainer into one side of your double sink, if you have a double sink. Itll free up a ton of counter space you. Feb 26, 2011 That was my first reaction to seeing my friend Jans dish drainer (Jan writes CommuterCruiser.com, filled with tips for part-time cruisers). Feb 10, 2012 Dish Drainer Tips for Hand-Washing Dishes How to Use Less Water on Your Soapy Dishes Another Idea for Draining Dishes Silicone Dish.

Adtwixt - News source https://adtwixt.com/blogs/news/comfortable-dish-drainer-tray

[samuelmmarcus]

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Connecticut Beach House

    Hello my wonderful friends! How are you today? It’s great to be back with this new “Beautiful Homes of Instagram” post especially because I am featuring such a talented and kind woman! Marcie, from @designsixtyfive, is a busy mom of two little boys, and, together with her husband, she managed to renovate and decorate this gorgeous Connecticut beach house.

I can’s stress enough for you to follow her on Instagram because she’s one of those rare people you meet and instantly feel connected to. Here, Marcie shares more details about her home:

  “When we began planning for our home renovation, Home Bunch was one of my go-to sources for inspiration, so to be sharing our own home on this platform now is such an honor! I first started Design Sixty Five as a way to document our renovation for posterity, not thinking anyone would actually be interested in following along with the progress. A year later, I am truly amazed at how it taken on a life of its own and has become such a fulfilling creative outlet. It brings me so much joy to exchange ideas and inspiration with others and I couldn’t be happier to share our renovation experience here with you!”

  Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Connecticut Beach House

“We bought this 1920’s colonial in 2012 (before having children) when it was only 1,300 square feet with 3 small bedrooms and 1 bathroom. After growing our family to include 2 kids and 2 dogs, we felt it was time for us to either expand or move. We fell in love with the location of this home, which is within walking distance of downtown as well as the beach, so we decided to renovate in order to make this home work for our family in the long term.”

Front Door Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray.

Front door knocker is Michael Healy Designs.

Roof: Cedar Shingle & Standing Seam Copper.

Lighting: Restoration Hardware Union Filament Sconce in Polished Nickel – Others: here, here, here & here.

Expanding your Dreams

“As part of the renovation, we essentially gutted the existing house, demolished an old detached garage and 3-season sunroom, and added on an attached garage, mudroom, kitchen, master suite and junior suite. While it might have been easier to demolish the entire house and start from scratch, we loved the original house and wanted to stay true to its history, charm and character. We replaced the windows, siding and roof and added architectural details to create interest and dimension while honoring the style of the original house. The newly renovated house is approximately 2,400 square feet and has 5 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.”

Garage Lights: Restoration Hardware 18” Vintage Barn Outdoor Sconce in Weathered Zinc – similar here & here.

Foyer

“When winter rolls around, this becomes the hardest working little corner of our house! A few years ago, we added a small powder room to this corner, which allowed us to create a “mini-mudroom” on this wall using board & batten and some simple wall hooks.”

Entry Door Set: Rejuvenation.

Runner: Dash & Albert.

Foyer Built-ins

A built-in bench and a tall cabinet adds storage and a place to put on your shoes and store coats.

Hardware: Here & Here – similar.

Console Table

Shiplap walls and a distressed console table with beautiful decor complements this space.

Console Table: Home Goods – Others: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Table Lamp: Pottery Barn.

Vase: Target.

Beautiful Greenery: Here, Here, Here & Here.

Mirror

Mirror: Umbra.

Timeless Coastal Vibes

“On the interior, we opened up walls and added windows wherever possible to create an open floorpan that is flooded with natural light. Given the home’s location, we wanted to achieve a subtle coastal aesthetic that is classic, yet fresh and organic. The decor is simple with timeless elements of natural wood and textures, plenty of white, live greenery, and hints of blue.”

White Armchairs: Lee Industries Model #C1935-01SW in Boomer White – similar here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Pillows: West Elm.

Poufs: Wayfair.

Paint Color

All interior walls and trim are painted in Benjamin Moore Super White.

Fireplace surround is Pietro Cardosa and the beam is reclaimed chestnut.

Artwork: This is actually a tv (Samsung 55″)! The art on the tv is Lauren Martilla’s “Hesitation”.

Sofa: Restoration Hardware 8’ Maxwell Sofa in Italian Brompton Cocoa – no longer available – Others: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Woven Chairs: Loom Arm Chair in Sand.

Coffee Table: Target.

Coffee Table Plant: Here.

Kitchen

The living room opens to a large and bright white kitchen with hardwood flooring. Notice the beautifully styled bookcase on the right.

Kitchen Island

Island Cabinet Paint Color: CliqStudios “Urban Stone”.

Backsplash: Capella White Brick 2-1/3 in. x 10 in. Glazed Porcelain Floor and Wall Tile (painted in white chalk paint) or here (already painted).

Range hood is solid maple with custom stain.

Kitchen Island Dimension: 8’x4’.

Counterstools: Target – Other Beautiful Counterstools: here, here & here.

Kitchen Lighting

Lighting: Restoration Hardware 19” Antique Brass Harmon Pendants – Others: here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Antique Dough Bowl: Here & Here – similar

Countertop

The kitchen countertop is Silestone Statuario Quartz. It goes perfectly with the white perimeter cabinets and the grey island.

Mirror: Here & Here – similar.

Cabinetry & More

Kitchen Cabinetry: CliqStudios Dayton cabinets. Doors are shaker-style.

Floating shelves are solid oak with custom stain.

Hardware: Door pulls are Hickory Hardware in polished nickel – Bin pulls and cabinet latches are Martha Stewart in polished nickel.

Range: KitchenAid.

Hardwood Flooring: Hallmark Alta Vista Malibu (7.5” European White Oak engineered hardwood) – similar: Here – Other Beautiful Flooring: here & here.

Corner Sink

I love kitchens with corner sink, especially when they’re placed under a row of windows like we see here. Sink is by Kohler.

Faucet: Glacier Bay – similar here.

Sink Pendant Light: Pottery Barn.

Dining Room

This dining room is a dream! It’s beautiful without compromising on practicality.

Wall Sconces: Forma Wall Sconce (painted satin black) – similar here.

Host Dining Chairs: Here & Here.

Side Dining Chairs: Sawyer Solid Wood Dining Chair By August Grove (custom stain).

Dining Table: Pottery Barn (discontinued) – similar here, here, here & here.

Plantation Shutters: Home Depot.

Chandelier

Dining Room Chandelier: Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse (painted matte black) – similar Here & Here – in matte black.

Mirror: Here.

Paint Color

The paint color is Benjamin Moore Super White.

Flush Mount Light: Three Posts.

Powder Room

The powder room is as good as it gets! It features classic wainscotting and herringbone marble tiling.

Bathroom Vanity: 30″ Single Vanity (Carrara/White).

Rug: Here.

Floor Tile: Greecian White Herringbone Pattern Polished Marble Mosaic Tile.

Similar Faux Fiddle Leaf Tree: Here.

Laundry Room

This laundry room is everyone’s dream! The gorgeous grey cabinets works perfectly with the white marble quartz countertops and the white marble herringbone backsplash. Brass and acrylic hardware accentuates the shaker-style doors.

Backsplash: MSI Arabescato Carrara Herringbone Honed Marble Mosaic Tile.

Lighting: Adjustable Brass Finish 1 Light Wall Sconce.

Faucet: Pull Down Single Handle Kitchen Faucet in Chrome.

Floating Shelves: Here – similar.

Floor Tile: Dimensions Gris 12″ x 24″ Porcelain Field Tile in Gray By MSI.

Cabinetry

Laundry Room Cabinets: CliqStudios Urban Stone.

Countertop: Silestone Statuario Quartz.

Woven Basket: West Elm.

Canvas Utility Carts: Here & Here.

Hardware: Hamilton Bowes Chiaro pulls in brass/acrylic & Knobs.

Mudroom

Mudroom Cabinet Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Nimbus.

Flooring: Montauk 6″ x 24″ Natural Stone Field Tile in Blue By MSI.

Hardware: Hamilton Bowes.

Home Office

Marcie used two desks from World Market to create this “built-in desk” look.

Chairs: World Market.

Lighting: Globe Electric.

Window Treatment: Designer Woven Shades in Bali White from Select Blinds.

Rug: Safavieh.

Built-ins

Office Built-Ins Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron.

Similar Pulls: Here.

Similar Baskets: here & here.

Playroom

Having three kids I know the importance of having enough storage in a playroom. These cubbies are great because the kids can easily learn to put their toys away after using them. Make it as a game (“who will finish it first?”) and they will clean-up after themselves in a blink!

Chandelier: Dome Pendant By Mistana.

Organizer Shelves: Target (2x).

Cube Storage: Target – similar here.

Daybed

This “window-seat daybed” is so dreamy… I would love to read for my kids at this spot.

Beautiful Daybeds: Here, Here, Here, Here, Here & Here – similar.

Pillows: West Elm, Pottery Barn, Cotton Pillows & Lumbar – similar.

Candle Sconces: Here.

Similar Palm Plant: Here.

Rug: Here, Here & Here – similar.

Serene Bedroom

Marcie made sure to design kids’ bedrooms that will grow with them. Everything feels serene and neutral.

Chandelier: SINNERLIG Bamboo Pendant Lamp from IKEA – Others: here, here, here & here.

Nightstand: Target.

Chair: Target.

Rug:  Here – similar.

Headboard: Here & Here – similar.

Pillows: Here.

Guest Bathroom

Bathroom Vanity: New Yorker 30″ Single Vanity By Kitchen Bath Collection (painted Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron).

Countertop: Honed Carrara Marble.

Mirror: Here.

Faucet: Glacier Bay.

Lighting: here.

Floor & Shower Floor Tile: Calacatta Cressa Hex Honed 2″ x 2″ Marble Mosaic Tile in White By MSI.

Shower Wall Tile: Fresh White 4 in. x 12 in. Ceramic Field Wall Tile.

Hardware: Knobs.

Son’s Bedroom

Featuring a black metal bed and comfortable white and grey linens, this bedroom exudes a timeless and inviting feel.

Chandelier: Basket Weave Bamboo Pendant Shade – similar here & here (in grey).

Bed: Target.

Rug: Pottery Barn.

Bedding: Here & Here.

Drapery: Here.

Junior Suite Bathroom

This bathroom is one you should keep in mind if you’re building or renovating. The layout is perfect and the size is something you will find in most homes. Notice the attention to detail and how the homeowner used every space to add storage to this bathroom.

Vanity: Bella 60” Double Vanity By Kitchen Bath Collection (Carrara/White).

Lighting: here & here.

Medicine Cabinets: here.

Tile

Floor Tile: Carrara Tile.

Wall Tile: Daltile – similar here.

Master Bedroom

Featuring white grid board and batten accent wall, vaulted ceilings, white furniture and natural elements, the master bedroom balances coastal design with an elegant approach.

Similar Beds: Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here & Here.

Bedding: West Elm (highly recommended!).

Nightstands: Here & Here – similar – with these Knobs.

Rattan Trays: McGee.

Rug: Here.

The bench is from Ikea but unfortunately no longer available – Other Beautiful Benches: Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here & Here.

Wall Sconces: Permo (Black) – similar here.

Dresser

I love how Marcie decorated her dresser. It’s simple and elegant.

Dresser: Here – similar – Other Beautiful Dressers: here, here, here & here.

Dresser Hardware: Hamilton Bowes Chiaro pulls in brass/acrylic & Knobs.

Drapes

Drapes are from West Elm.

Rods: West Elm.

Door Stop: Here.

Balcony

The French doors open to a private balcony.

Bedroom Chandelier: Pottery Barn Amelia Bead Chandelier.

Master Bathroom

Serenity is also found at this spa-like master bathroom. The master features herringbone marble floor tile, white beaded chandelier over a freestanding tub surrounded by windows dressed in white bamboo Roman shades.

Chandelier: Large Antique Whitewash Wood Bead Chandelier.

Floor Tile: 4″x16” Honed Italian White Carrara Marble floor.

Vanity

Vanity: Gazette 72 in. Vanity in Grey with Marble Vanity Top in Carrara White.

Countertop Tray: Pottery Barn.

Mirrors: Pottery Barn.

Baskets: Here.

Faucets: Kohler Purist in Polished Chrome.

Sconces: Pottery Barn Classic Sconce in Polished Nickel.

Shower Wall Tile: 4 in. x 12 in. Ceramic Field Wall Tile – similar here.

Floor Shower Tile (not shown): Arabescato Marble Mosaic Tile.

Tub & Tub Filler

Tub: AKDY – Tub Filler: AKDY.

The mirror is an older Ikea mirror that the homeowner covered in faux grasscloth wallpaper. Isn’t she handy?!

The wallpaper is “NuWallpaper NU2215 Wheat Grasscloth Peel & Stick Wallpaper, Neutral” – Other Beautiful Floor Mirrors: here, here, here & here.

Master Bedroom Balcony

Decking & Balcony: – Brazilian Ipe – Railing is steel cable with Brazilian Ipe handrails.

Siding Paint Color

Siding: James Hardie Arctic White; all trim is Azek painted Benjamin Moore Super White.

Home-Sweet-Home

“I firmly believe that our surroundings can have a tremendous impact on our state of mind, feelings and productivity. In my opinion, a house it not just a shelter for those who live there — it is a living, breathing expression of its inhabitants and should be a sanctuary that serves as a source of calm, positive energy. For our family, this home is exactly that and we look forward to enjoying it for many years to come!”

Patio: Bluestone.

Outdoor Patio Set: Safavieh.

Windows

Windows are Jeld-Wen Siteline 2-over-2 Black exterior.

Back Patio Lighting: Beachcrest Home.

  Many thanks to Marcie for sharing all of the details above.

Make sure to follow Marcie on Instagram & Pinterest to see more of her beautiful home!

    Click on items to shop:

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Thank you for shopping through Home Bunch. I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular. Feel free to contact me and always make sure to check dimensions before ordering. Happy shopping!

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Serena & Lily: Amazing Rug Sale!

  Wayfair: Up to 70% OFF on Furniture and Decor!!!

  Joss & Main: Up to 70% off “Don’t Think Twice Sale”!

  Pottery Barn: 40% OFF plus free shipping. Use code: FREESHIP.

  One Kings Lane: Outdoor Sale Up to 60% Off.

  West Elm: Up to 40% Off on Sofas, Sectionals & Chairs!

  Anthropologie: New Fall Arrivals!

  Nordstrom: Sale – Incredible Prices!!!

  Posts of the Week:

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Charlotte, NC

Beach House Tour.

Florida Beach Cottage.

New-Construction Home Ideas.

Craftsman Beach House.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Modern Farmhouse.

2019 New Year Home Tour.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s Home – Full House Tour.

Dark Cedar Shaker Exterior.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Coastal Farmhouse Design.

Lake House Interior Design Ideas.

Neutral Home.

Before and After Bathroom Renovation.

White Kitchen Renovation.

Kitchen with Blue Island.

Coastal-inspired Home Renovation.

Southern-inspired Modern Farmhouse.

Coastal Farmhouse Home Decor.

Small Lot Modern Farmhouse.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: British Columbia.

Reinvented Classic Kitchen Design.

Florida Beach House Interior Design.

New England Home.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Urban Farmhouse.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Fixer Upper.Beach House Interior Design Ideas.

Tailored Interiors.

Modern Farmhouse with Front Porch.

Classic Colonial Home Design.Grey Kitchen Paint Colors.

Follow me on Instagram: @HomeBunch

You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch

See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

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[kyuteajaem]

My all time fav makeup (so far...)

So @park-oppa said that I should make this list lol. So I will include links to everything and a description with each product :D

For reference: my skin is extremely dry so most of the makeup being referred is mainly for dry skin :)

Jaclyn Hill x Morphe Palette : Ummmmmm okay so I have officially decided that this palette is my all time favorite palette??? As soon as I got this palette I pretty much stopped using all my other ones. The shadows are so nice and pigmented and the blend so well 😩😩 there’s a reason why it’s always out of stock! 

Stila Magnificent Metals Liquid Eyeshadow in Kitten Karma : I. LOVE. this damn glitter sm. it’s so easy to apply and the color is gorgeous!! I always get compliments when I wear this on my lids and like :/// who doesn’t want that?? I will say it is very quick drying so work one eye at a time and you’ll be good to go!

Becca Moonstone Highlighter : Soooo don’t laugh at me but I got this today! HOWEVER!!! I will say that every single time I’ve gone into a Sephora or Ulta, I have put this highlighter onto my skin and I just love the texture and finish of this powder. Tbh I recommend all of the Becca highlights bc the formula is amazing! And if you buy cruelty-free only makeup 👀 this is your friend

Pixi x Aspyn Ovard Glow-y Powder in London Lustre : So this highlight is really pretty 😫😫 it’s a more affordable option compared to the Becca highlight since it is sold at Target and the formula feels really nice. The only negative is that there is no mirror :/ but I look past it bc it’s so nice

Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray (Single and Duo [duo is a better deal imo]) : Ummmm this really sets your makeup??? Like a damn mom went viral bc she gave birth with her makeup looking perfect bc she used this damn spray?!?!?! It feels really nice on skin and it smells good too 10 out of 10 definitely a recommend lol

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer in Fair Beige : this concealer. THIS CONCEALER!!! Listen everyone loves this concealer for a reason. It feels really nice on the skin and if you’re looking for a hydrating, full coverage concealer then this is the one you want! Just make sure to set it bc it will crease but it’s really nice and isn’t dry feeling.

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in Porcelain : This is so comfortable for being a medium to full coverage foundation. I will say that even though the undertone says it’s neutral to pink, I still find it to pull yellow as most of the shades seem to.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (Original and Waterproof) : This mascara.... IS A BLESSING!!! Literally first time I tried it I noticed an immediate difference to my lashes!

Rimmel Kohl Kajal Eyeliner : So I don't wear eyeliner very often, but these liners are so good for tight lining and they stay on the waterline for a while plus they're so affordable. I use Black 1 and Brown depending on the look I’m wearing.

Colourpop Creme Gel Liner (Get Paid and Cry Baby) : These are great for a pop of color and they're only like $5??? I like to use cry baby on my waterline when I want to brighten my eyes, and I use get paid on my inner corners as a highlight!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams : These are so great 😫😫 they are moussey and apply great! I will say the darker shades are patchy but that’s to be expected since they are known to be more difficult to make. These are exactly how they sound, they're lip creams with a matte finish, but I do find them comfortable on the lips

ABH Liquid Lipsticks : These are the extreme version of the NYX soft matte lip creams. They're moussey but dry down completely matte. Make sure that if you do use these, you wipe the excess product off the wand otherwise it’ll be clumpy and a hot mess bc of its mousse like formula.

Too Faced Melted Matte Liquid : This formula is one of my favorites!! (Obviously that’s why I’m including it lol) It dries matte, doesn’t transfer, and has a lip plumper in it so it doesn’t suck all the moisture out of your lips.

Estée Lauder Pure Color Love Lipstick in Rose Xcess : Sooo I got this in the mail today and swatched it on my lips and omfg this formula is so comfortable for being a matte. The color is perfect for fall too 🤧🤧

NYX HD Finishing Powder in Translucent : This powder makes my pores DISAPPEAR!!!! I will say though that this powder will flashback as it does say it is an “HD” powder, but if you don’t use flash photography often then you should be fine with using this powder.

Clinique Blended Face Powder in Invisible : This powder is soooo finely milled that it just disappears into the skin and even though there’s a slight tint to it. It doesn’t actually appear on the skin.

NYX Proof It Eyeshadow Primer : This eyeshadow primer is so good at keeping the shadows on even when your eyes get wet bc the primer is waterproof!!!

Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer : This shadow primer is great if you want to use glitters. The nyx primer isn’t good for glitters but aside from that. 

Nature Republic Aloe Gel : This makes an amazing face primer just make sure you don’t wait too long for this to set bc you want it to be nice and tacky for it to stick to your foundation. Aside from using this as a primer though, I love this as my everyday moisturizer and definitely recommend it.

MAC Lipsticks in Velvet Teddy, Spirit, Del Rio, and Twig : These lipsticks!!! omg these are some of my fav traditional nude lipsticks they last a long time and feel great on the lips.

MAC Pigments in Tan and Blue Brown : These pigments are amazing!!! I love blue brown’s duo chrome it adds to any makeup look for when I don’t just want neutral eyes and Tan is for when I want a frosty neutral eye both are great. I would recommend buying the travel sizes and it’ll take a very long time to go through these.

NYX Dark Circle Concealer : This concealer is really great at hiding my under eye circles. it’s affordable and doesn’t feel cake-y.

#OMFG THIS IS DONE NOW OTL #this took me like an hour to type up lmao #makeup #personal

[gothify1]

If you were to analyze my sweat as a product-obsessed beauty editor and hoarder (my vanity, desk, and car have officially reached maximum capacity), you'd probably discover the elemental ratio as follows: 50% coffee, 25% water, and 25% essence of Sephora . Despite the fact that countless brands and retailers send me products daily, nothing gets my heart racing in excitement more than entering the magical realm of Sephora —be it online or in person. It's been my favorite shopping pit stop since middle school when I first discovered beauty products, and I have a hunch it will remain my favorite until my dying day. Currently, Sephora (which debuted in North America back in 1988) has over 460 stores across the Americas, and that's not including an additional 660 locations tucked inside JCPenney locations. Impressive, right? Sephora stores open at a fairly rapid rate globally, and earlier this year, the retailer announced it will be expanding its U.S. trajectory with 35 new locations—one being a clutch location in the heart of Palm Springs, which opened just last week. "I find mists incredibly refreshing, and they are a great way to give my skin light doses of moisture throughout the day. I will admit I may be a little addicted. I mist myself constantly! "This one from Glow Recipe is one of my faves. It smells incredible, balances the skin, and combats that dry look you may get after touching up your makeup with powder. Something I love about Glow Recipe is the careful selection of ingredients that make their products so skin-type inclusive. Watermelon is known for its natural hydrating properties, hibiscus extract contains natural AHAs that smooth texture, and apple cider vinegar helps to balance excess oils. All these ingredients work together to create the ultimate crowd-pleasing spritz." "Hydration is the solution to so many skin and makeup woes, no matter your skin type. I have oily skin, but I dehydrate easily due to my eczema, so this mask from Farmacy is my go-to when I need serious moisture. Honey is a humectant, like sugar or agave, which naturally draws in moisture. I also recommend exfoliating before you do any hydrating mask (shout-out to my bestie, the Kora Organics Turmeric 2-in-1 Brightening & Exfoliating Mask, $48, shown below!) and removing it with a warm washcloth for amazingly soft skin." "I love using this to exfoliate my skin before I mask with the Farmacy Honey Potion above!" "I recently jumped on the whole 'new year, new me' train and started making a conscious effort to take better care of myself. I definitely saw some great results and even lost a bit of weight, but I was still bloated. I found it difficult to find something for gut health that fit into my travel-full lifestyle. Everything I liked had to be refrigerated. That’s when I tried these digestive enzymes from Hum. My tummy was flatter, and the overall discomfort of bloat was reduced. These are a daily must for me. I even have everyone I know taking them because I love them so much!" "A great introduction into the wellness life is this complete collection from Moon Juice. It gives you a chance to try six of their most popular blends of adaptogenic super-herbs so you can discover your favorite. As the name suggests, adaptogens adapt and give you what you need based on how your body handles stress. They’ll do something different for everyone, making it a cool, unique experience you can share with friends. They also make a great gift for your foodie friends because you can add them to your favorite treats. "My current favorite concoction is a Sleep Dust turmeric latte right before bed: Sleep Dust, turmeric, raw honey, and warm almond milk. It’s calming, anti-inflammatory, and gives me the best night’s sleep." "I’m 33, and I’ve been using firming eye creams since I was 19. I can’t say for sure that this is the reason I don’t have any wrinkles, but hey, I don’t have any wrinkles! I love the texture of this eye cream from Fresh because it’s super creamy, de-puffing, and wears well underneath makeup. The fermented black tea, or kombucha, it contains makes my eye area look smoother and immediately brighter." "Every makeup artist has a weakness, and dark circles are certainly mine. It’s always this push-and-pull with covering them completely or dealing with an overly cakey under-eye; it’s a very delicate balance. This concealer from Charlotte Tilbury has been my saving grace in this department. I can perfectly conceal anything on the face with no cakiness or texture emphasized. It can even be used as a foundation in a pinch because of how seamless it is. The only explanation for how Magic Away Concealer works is Charlotte Tilbury being an actual magician. It’s magnificent!" "I’m pretty selective when it comes to my lipsticks, especially my red lipsticks. Sephora Collection’s Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick in Always Red 01 ($14) is the perfect shade of red. The color is truly universal, lasts all day, and the formula wears comfortably on the lips. I like to adjust the depth and undertone of it by using different lip liners to get a customized shade. My favorite pencil to pair it with is Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in Limitless Brown ($18). It makes it more of a brick red that’s more harmonious with my warm undertones." "I love to pair this lip pencil with Sephora Collection's red lip I mentioned above!" "These Duo Chrome Top Coats from Natasha Denona are my secret weapons when I want to fool everyone into thinking I put a ton of effort into my makeup. The formula is a beautiful, creamy, translucent glitter that you can swipe on with your fingers. The duo chrome shades shift as you move, so everyone will be mesmerized by all the different shades they’ll see. The sheer formula can also be layered on top of a fully pigmented shadow or eyeliner for a totally different look." "I’m an all-or-nothing kind of makeup wearer. It’s either full glam or sunscreen slathered on my bare face. But on those natural days, I do appreciate a nice feathery brow. I love using this gel from Anastasia Beverly Hills because I can get fully sculpted brows with just one product and a few swipes." "Not only are these blushes from Kaja the most adorable way to apply blush, but they're also one of the most natural. The texture is weightless and blends beautifully onto cheeks for an incredibly skin-like flush. Saucy is a gorgeous all-purpose peachy-mauve, and Coy is a super-delicate, light peachy-pink shade that’s perfect to pair with a bold eye." "This product is a super-nourishing, balmy cream that really packs a punch as far as hydration goes. Its weight and texture make it ideal for naturally coarse hair, and a little goes a long way. It contains castor oil, olive oil, and vegetable glycerin, which are all ingredients my curly hair loves." "I avoid the sun as much as I possibly can. I also try to take great care of my hair, so it didn't make sense that I was being inconsistent with SPF on my curls. This primer from Bumble and Bumble is a great way to ensure that I get adequate sun protection without weighing down my hair with unnecessary product. It also has heat protectant for those days that I diffuse my hair and six different oils to ensure hydration." "This shampoo-and-conditioner duo takes some of the drudgery out of my long wash day. I typically steer clear of shampoos because they can be drying for my coarse hair, but this one from Briogeo is very gentle, lathers up beautifully, and smells amazing. Its conditioner counterpart is deeply hydrating and allows me to quickly detangle my hair while still in the shower." "This Tonic Lotion from Bumble and Bumble is the natural hair girl's version of dry shampoo. The spray contains tea tree oil to refresh your hair, soothe your scalp, and rid your hair of unpleasant smells. It was actually formulated with men in mind as a styling primer, but it has been a staple of mine for years. It also works amazingly well for the itchy scalps that often accompany box braids." "I came across this fragrance while doing a YouTube video for some of Sephora’s newest niche fragrances. I instantly fell in love with a scent that I didn't even know I needed. Berdoues perfectly captured the feeling of fragrant black tea leaves, citron, and sandalwood with Assam of India. It's incredible, and I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a teahouse every time I experience it." Next up, see everything 2019 Carrie Bradshaw would (theoretically) buy from Sephora.

[dawnjeman]

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Connecticut Beach House

  Hello my wonderful friends! How are you today? It’s great to be back with this new “Beautiful Homes of Instagram” post especially because I am featuring such a talented and kind woman! Marcie, from @designsixtyfive, is a busy mom of two little boys, and, together with her husband, she managed to renovate and decorate this gorgeous Connecticut beach house.

I can’s stress enough for you to follow her on Instagram because she’s one of those rare people you meet and instantly feel connected to. Here, Marcie shares more details about her home:

  “When we began planning for our home renovation, Home Bunch was one of my go-to sources for inspiration, so to be sharing our own home on this platform now is such an honor! I first started Design Sixty Five as a way to document our renovation for posterity, not thinking anyone would actually be interested in following along with the progress. A year later, I am truly amazed at how it taken on a life of its own and has become such a fulfilling creative outlet. It brings me so much joy to exchange ideas and inspiration with others and I couldn’t be happier to share our renovation experience here with you!”

  Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Connecticut Beach House

“We bought this 1920’s colonial in 2012 (before having children) when it was only 1,300 square feet with 3 small bedrooms and 1 bathroom. After growing our family to include 2 kids and 2 dogs, we felt it was time for us to either expand or move. We fell in love with the location of this home, which is within walking distance of downtown as well as the beach, so we decided to renovate in order to make this home work for our family in the long term.”

Front Door Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray.

Front door knocker is Michael Healy Designs.

Roof: Cedar Shingle & Standing Seam Copper.

Lighting: Restoration Hardware Union Filament Sconce in Polished Nickel – Others: here, here, here & here.

Expanding your Dreams

“As part of the renovation, we essentially gutted the existing house, demolished an old detached garage and 3-season sunroom, and added on an attached garage, mudroom, kitchen, master suite and junior suite. While it might have been easier to demolish the entire house and start from scratch, we loved the original house and wanted to stay true to its history, charm and character. We replaced the windows, siding and roof and added architectural details to create interest and dimension while honoring the style of the original house. The newly renovated house is approximately 2,400 square feet and has 5 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.”

Garage Lights: Restoration Hardware 18” Vintage Barn Outdoor Sconce in Weathered Zinc – similar here & here.

Foyer

“When winter rolls around, this becomes the hardest working little corner of our house! A few years ago, we added a small powder room to this corner, which allowed us to create a “mini-mudroom” on this wall using board & batten and some simple wall hooks.”

Entry Door Set: Rejuvenation.

Runner: Dash & Albert.

Foyer Built-ins

A built-in bench and a tall cabinet adds storage and a place to put on your shoes and store coats.

Hardware: Here & Here – similar.

Console Table

Shiplap walls and a distressed console table with beautiful decor complements this space.

Console Table: Home Goods – Others: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Table Lamp: Pottery Barn.

Vase: Target.

Beautiful Greenery: Here, Here, Here & Here.

Mirror

Mirror: Umbra.

Timeless Coastal Vibes

“On the interior, we opened up walls and added windows wherever possible to create an open floorpan that is flooded with natural light. Given the home’s location, we wanted to achieve a subtle coastal aesthetic that is classic, yet fresh and organic. The decor is simple with timeless elements of natural wood and textures, plenty of white, live greenery, and hints of blue.”

White Armchairs: Lee Industries Model #C1935-01SW in Boomer White – similar here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Pillows: West Elm.

Poufs: Wayfair.

Paint Color

All interior walls and trim are painted in Benjamin Moore Super White.

Fireplace surround is Pietro Cardosa and the beam is reclaimed chestnut.

Artwork: This is actually a tv (Samsung 55″)! The art on the tv is Lauren Martilla’s “Hesitation”.

Sofa: Restoration Hardware 8’ Maxwell Sofa in Italian Brompton Cocoa – no longer available – Others: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Woven Chairs: Loom Arm Chair in Sand.

Coffee Table: Target.

Coffee Table Plant: Here.

Kitchen

The living room opens to a large and bright white kitchen with hardwood flooring. Notice the beautifully styled bookcase on the right.

Kitchen Island

Island Cabinet Paint Color: CliqStudios “Urban Stone”.

Backsplash: Capella White Brick 2-1/3 in. x 10 in. Glazed Porcelain Floor and Wall Tile (painted in white chalk paint) or here (already painted).

Range hood is solid maple with custom stain.

Kitchen Island Dimension: 8’x4’.

Counterstools: Target – Other Beautiful Counterstools: here, here & here.

Kitchen Lighting

Lighting: Restoration Hardware 19” Antique Brass Harmon Pendants – Others: here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Antique Dough Bowl: Here & Here – similar

Countertop

The kitchen countertop is Silestone Statuario Quartz. It goes perfectly with the white perimeter cabinets and the grey island.

Mirror: Here & Here – similar.

Cabinetry & More

Kitchen Cabinetry: CliqStudios Dayton cabinets. Doors are shaker-style.

Floating shelves are solid oak with custom stain.

Hardware: Door pulls are Hickory Hardware in polished nickel – Bin pulls and cabinet latches are Martha Stewart in polished nickel.

Range: KitchenAid.

Hardwood Flooring: Hallmark Alta Vista Malibu (7.5” European White Oak engineered hardwood) – similar: Here – Other Beautiful Flooring: here & here.

Corner Sink

I love kitchens with corner sink, especially when they’re placed under a row of windows like we see here. Sink is by Kohler.

Faucet: Glacier Bay – similar here.

Sink Pendant Light: Pottery Barn.

Dining Room

This dining room is a dream! It’s beautiful without compromising on practicality.

Wall Sconces: Forma Wall Sconce (painted satin black) – similar here.

Host Dining Chairs: Here & Here.

Side Dining Chairs: Sawyer Solid Wood Dining Chair By August Grove (custom stain).

Dining Table: Pottery Barn (discontinued) – similar here, here, here & here.

Plantation Shutters: Home Depot.

Chandelier

Dining Room Chandelier: Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse (painted matte black) – similar Here & Here – in matte black.

Mirror: Here.

Paint Color

The paint color is Benjamin Moore Super White.

Flush Mount Light: Three Posts.

Powder Room

The powder room is as good as it gets! It features classic wainscotting and herringbone marble tiling.

Bathroom Vanity: 30″ Single Vanity (Carrara/White).

Rug: Here.

Floor Tile: Greecian White Herringbone Pattern Polished Marble Mosaic Tile.

Similar Faux Fiddle Leaf Tree: Here.

Laundry Room

This laundry room is everyone’s dream! The gorgeous grey cabinets works perfectly with the white marble quartz countertops and the white marble herringbone backsplash. Brass and acrylic hardware accentuates the shaker-style doors.

Backsplash: MSI Arabescato Carrara Herringbone Honed Marble Mosaic Tile.

Lighting: Adjustable Brass Finish 1 Light Wall Sconce.

Faucet: Pull Down Single Handle Kitchen Faucet in Chrome.

Floating Shelves: Here – similar.

Floor Tile: Dimensions Gris 12″ x 24″ Porcelain Field Tile in Gray By MSI.

Cabinetry

Laundry Room Cabinets: CliqStudios Urban Stone.

Countertop: Silestone Statuario Quartz.

Woven Basket: West Elm.

Canvas Utility Carts: Here & Here.

Hardware: Hamilton Bowes Chiaro pulls in brass/acrylic & Knobs.

Mudroom

Mudroom Cabinet Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Nimbus.

Flooring: Montauk 6″ x 24″ Natural Stone Field Tile in Blue By MSI.

Hardware: Hamilton Bowes.

Home Office

Marcie used two desks from World Market to create this “built-in desk” look.

Chairs: World Market.

Lighting: Globe Electric.

Window Treatment: Designer Woven Shades in Bali White from Select Blinds.

Rug: Safavieh.

Built-ins

Office Built-Ins Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron.

Similar Pulls: Here.

Similar Baskets: here & here.

Playroom

Having three kids I know the importance of having enough storage in a playroom. These cubbies are great because the kids can easily learn to put their toys away after using them. Make it as a game (“who will finish it first?”) and they will clean-up after themselves in a blink!

Chandelier: Dome Pendant By Mistana.

Organizer Shelves: Target (2x).

Cube Storage: Target – similar here.

Daybed

This “window-seat daybed” is so dreamy… I would love to read for my kids at this spot.

Beautiful Daybeds: Here, Here, Here, Here, Here & Here – similar.

Pillows: West Elm, Pottery Barn, Cotton Pillows & Lumbar – similar.

Candle Sconces: Here.

Similar Palm Plant: Here.

Rug: Here, Here & Here – similar.

Serene Bedroom

Marcie made sure to design kids’ bedrooms that will grow with them. Everything feels serene and neutral.

Chandelier: SINNERLIG Bamboo Pendant Lamp from IKEA – Others: here, here, here & here.

Nightstand: Target.

Chair: Target.

Rug:  Here – similar.

Headboard: Here & Here – similar.

Pillows: Here.

Guest Bathroom

Bathroom Vanity: New Yorker 30″ Single Vanity By Kitchen Bath Collection (painted Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron).

Countertop: Honed Carrara Marble.

Mirror: Here.

Faucet: Glacier Bay.

Lighting: here.

Floor & Shower Floor Tile: Calacatta Cressa Hex Honed 2″ x 2″ Marble Mosaic Tile in White By MSI.

Shower Wall Tile: Fresh White 4 in. x 12 in. Ceramic Field Wall Tile.

Hardware: Knobs.

Son’s Bedroom

Featuring a black metal bed and comfortable white and grey linens, this bedroom exudes a timeless and inviting feel.

Chandelier: Basket Weave Bamboo Pendant Shade – similar here & here (in grey).

Bed: Target.

Rug: Pottery Barn.

Bedding: Here & Here.

Drapery: Here.

Junior Suite Bathroom

This bathroom is one you should keep in mind if you’re building or renovating. The layout is perfect and the size is something you will find in most homes. Notice the attention to detail and how the homeowner used every space to add storage to this bathroom.

Vanity: Bella 60” Double Vanity By Kitchen Bath Collection (Carrara/White).

Lighting: here & here.

Medicine Cabinets: here.

Tile

Floor Tile: Carrara Tile.

Wall Tile: Daltile – similar here.

Master Bedroom

Featuring white grid board and batten accent wall, vaulted ceilings, white furniture and natural elements, the master bedroom balances coastal design with an elegant approach.

Similar Beds: Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here & Here.

Bedding: West Elm (highly recommended!).

Nightstands: Here & Here – similar – with these Knobs.

Rattan Trays: McGee.

Rug: Here.

The bench is from Ikea but unfortunately no longer available – Other Beautiful Benches: Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here & Here.

Wall Sconces: Permo (Black) – similar here.

Dresser

I love how Marcie decorated her dresser. It’s simple and elegant.

Dresser: Here – similar – Other Beautiful Dressers: here, here, here & here.

Dresser Hardware: Hamilton Bowes Chiaro pulls in brass/acrylic & Knobs.

Drapes

Drapes are from West Elm.

Rods: West Elm.

Door Stop: Here.

Balcony

The French doors open to a private balcony.

Bedroom Chandelier: Pottery Barn Amelia Bead Chandelier.

Master Bathroom

Serenity is also found at this spa-like master bathroom. The master features herringbone marble floor tile, white beaded chandelier over a freestanding tub surrounded by windows dressed in white bamboo Roman shades.

Chandelier: Large Antique Whitewash Wood Bead Chandelier.

Floor Tile: 4″x16” Honed Italian White Carrara Marble floor.

Vanity

Vanity: Gazette 72 in. Vanity in Grey with Marble Vanity Top in Carrara White.

Countertop Tray: Pottery Barn.

Mirrors: Pottery Barn.

Baskets: Here.

Faucets: Kohler Purist in Polished Chrome.

Sconces: Pottery Barn Classic Sconce in Polished Nickel.

Shower Wall Tile: 4 in. x 12 in. Ceramic Field Wall Tile – similar here.

Floor Shower Tile (not shown): Arabescato Marble Mosaic Tile.

Tub & Tub Filler

Tub: AKDY – Tub Filler: AKDY.

The mirror is an older Ikea mirror that the homeowner covered in faux grasscloth wallpaper. Isn’t she handy?!

The wallpaper is “NuWallpaper NU2215 Wheat Grasscloth Peel & Stick Wallpaper, Neutral” – Other Beautiful Floor Mirrors: here, here, here & here.

Master Bedroom Balcony

Decking & Balcony: – Brazilian Ipe – Railing is steel cable with Brazilian Ipe handrails.

Siding Paint Color

Siding: James Hardie Arctic White; all trim is Azek painted Benjamin Moore Super White.

Home-Sweet-Home

“I firmly believe that our surroundings can have a tremendous impact on our state of mind, feelings and productivity. In my opinion, a house it not just a shelter for those who live there — it is a living, breathing expression of its inhabitants and should be a sanctuary that serves as a source of calm, positive energy. For our family, this home is exactly that and we look forward to enjoying it for many years to come!”

Patio: Bluestone.

Outdoor Patio Set: Safavieh.

Windows

Windows are Jeld-Wen Siteline 2-over-2 Black exterior.

Back Patio Lighting: Beachcrest Home.

  Many thanks to Marcie for sharing all of the details above.

Make sure to follow Marcie on Instagram & Pinterest to see more of her beautiful home!

    Best Sales of the Month:

Thank you for shopping through Home Bunch. I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular. Feel free to contact me and always make sure to check dimensions before ordering. Happy shopping!

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Serena & Lily: 20% off Dining Event. Use code: ENTERTAINING

Wayfair: Up to 75% OFF – President’s Day Huge Sales on Decor, Furniture & Rugs!!!

Joss & Main: End of Season Sale: Up to 85% Off!!! Free shipping with code: STARS

Pottery Barn: 20% off + Free Shipping. Use Code: WEEKEND

One Kings Lane: High Quality Design Decor for Less – Save 20% Sitewide Puls and Extra 10% with code: OKLPRES19

West Elm: 20% Off your entire Purchase + Free Shipping: Use Code: WINTER

Anthropologie: Take an extra 40% off all sale items! See Joanna Gaines Exclusive line here!

Urban Outfitters: Hip & Affordable Home Decor.

Horchow: High Quality Furniture and Decor. Up to 30% off the entire site!

Nordstrom: Up to 40% OFF!

Arhaus: Up to 60% OFF!

Posts of the Week:

New England Home.

California New-Construction Custom Home.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: How to Build your own Home.

Interior Design Ideas: Home Renovation.

California Modern Farmhouse Renovation.

Atlanta Home Design.

2019 New Year Home Tour.

Classic Colonial Home Design.

Newport Island Beach House.

Stone Cottage-style Home Design.

Family-friendly Home Design.

New Year, New Beautiful Homes of Instagram.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram.

Georgian-Style Manor with Traditional Interiors.

Transitional Home Design.

Interior Design Ideas.

Grey Kitchen Paint Colors.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: California Beach House.

Follow me on Instagram: @HomeBunch

You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch

See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

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“For your shopping convenience, this post might contain links to retailers where you can purchase the products (or similar) featured. I make a small commission if you use these links to make your purchase so thank you for your support!”

from Home http://www.homebunch.com/beautiful-homes-of-instagram-connecticut-beach-house/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[kalgroup]

1989 called; it wants its colour back

Colour expert Pantone has announced its colour of the year for 2019.

Living Coral - Pantone 16-1546 for those of you that prefer your colours to have a number - is a warm and vibrant shade, already a fixture on many an Instagram account and fashion show runway.

Our creative director, Martyn Seiles, kicks back on a 1980s settee in his on-point sneakers to take a closer look at this energising hue that is described as representing the fusion of modern life.

When I purchased my Puma X Han Kjøbenhavn coral trainers last year, who knew I’d be leading the charge for this most 80s of shades?

Kanye West’s clothing brand Yeezy has also just dropped a coral accent sneaker and now that it has been named as 2019’s colour of the year, you can rest assured that there’ll be a whole host of other fashion and design taking its cue from this bold colour.

Pantone describes Living Coral as “An animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge” and add that it “embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment.”

A little bit pretentious perhaps, but you can see where they are coming from; a nice bright colour can do wonders for the soul on a dreary day, and given the current state of much of the political and social landscape, there are plenty of days that need a splash of colour.

I’m certainly not surprised that it has been chosen for the colour of 2019; with 80s and 90s vibes both in vogue, a current take on a retro colour is an obvious choice.

Hats off by the way to Adria, who, like me, were ahead of the curve in 2018 with their coral infused soft furnishing accents in their motorhomes (The picture incidentally is the aptly named Adria Coral Axess 670 SC).

In another of Pantone’s extravagant descriptions, Living Coral is described as a reaction to “the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedding into daily life,” and many people are, they say “seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy.” That concept is certainly familiar across the mobile leisure industry, as more people than ever seek to reconnect with the outdoors and leave their everyday lives at home as they enjoy adventures and experiences with friends and family.

For all this, I’m not sure how much of an impact Living Coral will make with caravan, campervan and motorhome manufacturers, which is a bit of a shame, it would be nice to see all manufacturers taking more notice of, and responding to the colours that are in season. For those of us old enough to remember it the first time round, the thought of a coral comeback is a distressing one, but this is not the insipid, salmony eyesore of yester-year. Instead think bold accents against warm greys, pair it with teal and dark French blues for a fresh look. Keep lines and designs clean and sharp and the coral will work its magic.

While neutral greys, creams and browns rightly look set to stay as the main upholstery colours in leisure homes, it is easy to introduce seasonal accents, which in turn is a cost-effective way to keep your caravan, lodge or motorhome completely on trend and ahead of the crowd.

Living Coral does make a great seasonal, spring colour, so keep your eyes peeled as I’m already looking forward to using the colour in a campaign for at least one lucky customer!

Let’s just hope that the Pantone Colour of the Year 2020 isn’t a soft mint green, or powder grey, otherwise we’ll be mullet-deep in polished chrome and 8-bit synth music before you know it.

#pantone #livingcoral #fashion #design #pantone colors #colouroftheyear2019 #interior design #website design #graphic design #80s #90s

[imagines-oneshots-blog]

A Lesson in International Etiquette

Archive of Our Own: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9923021

Pairing: Arthur (Mr.) Ketch x Reader Word count: 7,311 Warnings:  Lots of Smut and Cursing, Unprotected Sex, Riding, Vampire Killing, Violence Authors Note: That was my first stab at a Mr. Ketch paiiring, if you liked it please follow the link to AO3 and let me know your thoughts!!  

He was following you.

You were sure he thought that he was being stealthy, that he’d underestimated your observational skills, but you could recognize the sleek chrome of that beautiful bike, a Norton Commando by the looks of it, anywhere. Shit, if it had been anyone else you would’ve approached him, tits shamelessly displayed, hips swinging brashly, and asked for a ride in a tone that left little room for dissent. But this was him; a goddamn Brit, and you weren’t exactly positively inclined towards the Commonwealth.

Sure, you’d heard the whole “World Without Monster’s” punchline from his green eyed friend whose name you couldn’t quite recall, but frankly you weren’t buying what they were selling. Perhaps it was some deep rooted sense of national pride, but the thought of American hunters needing help from their long-lost Daddies sat poorly with you. You and your ilk could handle your monsters just fine, thank you very much.

You’d promptly told him to go fuck himself, however in retrospect you’d probably taken a beat too long to reply, and blatant interest had probably sparked a bit too brightly behind your eyes. They did have an insanely impressive arsenal, and those accents….

Mmm, talk about a panty dropper.

Not yours though; your lacey numbers would stay firmly on your admittedly luscious ass, no matter how startlingly pretty that friend of his , Mike or Matt or whatever the fuck his name was, eyes had been or how much your fingers had itched to trace the sleek lines of his gun, a high tech number that occasionally peeked out from behind the tailored, obviously moneyed suit jacket that clung to his broad shoulders. Indeed, everything about the lot of them had reeked of superiority, of status, and that pissed you the fuck off.

Though nothing annoyed you more than the fact that you were currently hunting a vamp nest all by your lonesome and you kept spotting that fucking bike every time you rounded a corner. Did this Brit, this Mr. Ketch, really think that you couldn’t handle one pitiful nest by yourself? Did he think that you’d make a mistake, leave a loose end? No; vamps were easy, its people that were difficult. Especially smirking, smartly dressed, gun toting British men who didn’t know when to back the hell off. Seriously though, did he expect to gank monsters efficiently in the best that Crockett & Jones had to offer?

You sighed, shaking your head as you strode through the small, somewhat shabby downtown that this barely-a-spot-on-the-map had to offer. You’d just finished your afternoon coffee, the perfect people watching cover to scout for cocky vamps that dared to come out into the open of the town square, and were walking back to your car when you caught a flash of something in the side mirror of a powder blue Subaru parked on the curb; a dark, well-tailored suit-like something that had your jaw clenching and your fingers tightening around your car keys. That bastard had the nerve to tail you in public? Creeping after you from town to town was bad enough, now he was stuck to your shoe on your errands too? There was no way in hell that you’d let yourself be followed like one of the monsters you hunted. Enough was enough.

With an extra huff in your step you continued walking down the street, aiming straight for the nearby alley way, your footfalls hurried and assured. You rounded the corner into the darkened path, the high brick walls successfully obscuring you from the view of the street. You pressed your back against the brick, settling in one of the shadows playing in the high walls, the cool clay bricks pressing icily into your back. Your chest rose and fell rapidly as you sucked in silent, rage filled breaths. You quietly slipped your large knife from its sheath at your hip, where it was safely covered from public view by flannel or cotton. You counted your heart beats anxiously, wagering that your Brit would round the corner behind you in three, two one…

Sure enough he followed suit, his steps fast, almost jogging as if he sensed you were trying to lose him. One large hand was curled around his gun, the one you’d been dying to check out. Obviously he sensed something awry. He was right.

Before he could react or spot you out of the corner of his eye you darted at him, shifting the knife so that it faced outwards in your grasp and gripping the smooth, slip of his lapel in your other fist. Using your momentum and his surprise to your advantage, you flipped him to the opposite wall, slamming his back none-so-gently against the brick. The sharp huff of his breath was music to your ears as you slid the knife against his skin, the blade’s edge pressing keenly against his pulse; a pulse which strangely didn’t seem to have sped up despite his compromised position.

You fervently tried to push away the rapidly dawning realizations that not only was he was much bigger than you’d remembered, but his eyes, which had at first glance seemed black, were in fact a deep, stormy green so aphotic they were nearly grey. You could see flecks of true emerald ringing his pupil; such a beautiful color for such a hard man. And damn, was he hard; this close you could practically feel the strength surging in his immense body, seated in the coil of his shoulders, the thick set of his neck, the clutch of his expansive hands that were raising in surrender. You did like them big…

No! Don’t lick your lips, you commanded yourself as your set about your task once more. You were pissed off, not turned on, damnit! But then again, wasn’t there such a fine line between the two?

“Why the hell have you been following me?” You grated out, pleased with how steadfastly angry your voice sounded. No hint of the arousal flaring traitorously in your belly.

“So you noticed that, eh?” His accent was even more lilting that you’d remembered, though his friend, Mack, Mark, what the fuck was his name, had done most of the talking during that meeting.

“Yes, I fucking noticed, now answer the damn question before your jugular spray decorates this alley way.”

“Quite the mouth on you,” He muttered under his breath, though the heat, the near admiration in the statement, and in his eyes, had your stomach doing strange flipping motions low in your belly, “As you might’ve noticed my task here in your country is to recruit hunters, and you are a hunter that the British Men of Letters has shown interest in. I was hoping to observe your technique to better gauge whether you would be cooperative or not.” He emphasized his doubt at your cooperation with a downwards glance at the knife you had pressed against his throat, and with something that was almost embarrassment you relaxed the blade an inch, giving him some room. Oddly, he didn’t look like he’d been disturbed by the threat whatsoever.

“Then why didn’t you just approach me instead of making me think you were a stalker on my heels?”

“I wanted to observe your habits. Learn your techniques. I see now that this approach was not the most fortuitous.”

“No, Mr. Ketch,” You said, anger still coiling hotly in your veins, nearly strong enough to stamp out the lust that had begun to fire through you at the clean, musky masculine scent that was all him, “It really wasn’t. Stay out of my way. If I see your face again..” You trailed off, running your knife against his throat in one last warning. You’d found that sometimes non-verbal threats worked best. To your increasing ire he didn’t look frightened. In fact, he looked almost amused, like a cat watching a fish in a bowl.

Pissed off and just reckless enough not to give a damn, you nicked his flesh, right below his adam’s apple, and delighted in the spark of real anger that flared behind his eyes in response.

“Don’t fuck with me.” You whispered to him, your face so close to his you could feel the heat of his mouth, the mouth that was no longer smirking. Good, served him right.

Turning on your heel, satisfied that you’d left him properly spanked, you practically pranced away, feeling almost high from that tense, charged interaction. It had been awhile since you’d gone toe to toe with what you deemed a worthy adversary, and you came away from it feeling more alive than ever. As you strode you swore you heard him mutter, “What if that is exactly what intend to do, love?” but you decided to graciously, democratically, ignore that comment and the heat it left sizzling through your veins.

However you couldn’t ignore the way that your body tingled as you felt his eyes, those dark, dark eyes, boring into you from behind, all the way until you were out of sight. You hurriedly climbed in your car and turned your stereo, which was currently spewing Bad Company, all the way to the max. You were amped up, full of something that urged your muscles to clench, your heart to race. You knew there was only one way to dispel this adrenaline, this hot coil of emotion, and push thoughts of that snarky, smart ass Brit out of your head.

Watch out vamps, it’s hunting season.

__________________________________________________________________

You reveled in the hefty swing of your machete, in the powerful bite of its sharp edge. Heads rolled beneath the flick of your wrist, eyes deadened and fangs retracted. You heard hisses from all around you but by your count you had finished off six of the ten. That meant four left.

Your careful steps barely echoed in the halls of the long abandoned warehouse you were currently traversing, the ground zero for this nest. Figured though, vamps liked dark, secluded places and you couldn’t get more hermetic, or dingy, than this. Many of the glass windows were long broken, letting in the howling wind in long, moaning gusts. This place was fucking creepy, but then again so were these monsters.

Suddenly one jumped out at you, stupidly revealing its hiding place and sealing its fate. Within a matter of seconds it was a pile of flesh and bones on the floor, the last mark it felt on this earth a puddle of cooling vamp blood.

Seven down three to go. You flicked a willful strand of hair that had managed to escape your high ponytail from your eyes, wiping the sweat beading down your forehead on one arm, eager to get this over with. The sooner these monsters were dead the sooner your ass would be getting trashed at the nearest bar, and quite possibly getting lucky. It’d been awhile since you’d had any action to write home about and you would need somewhere to direct all this post hunt adrenaline. Hot, nameless, wild sex was your most favorite way to do just that.

Your fingers curled anticipatorily around the hilt of your blade, itching, anxious. “Come on, bastards,” You muttered under your breath, “Come and get me.”

As if on cue all three remaining vamps came forward, their ghastly teeth bared and their short, wicked claws out. They circled like vultures, eyeing your neck, the juncture of your arms, your wrist, all the places where your pulse pounded the strongest, all the places they could attack. Fat lot of good it’d do them, you’d taken the precaution of injecting a healthy dose of dead man’s blood in your veins. One bite and theses suckers would drop like rocks, writhing on the floor, just begging to be decapitated.

You smirked at the nearest one and beckoned it with a crook of your finger and a tilt of your head. And suddenly they were on you, hissing and clawing and biting, trying their damndest to take you down. Your swung mightily, measuredly, and delighted in the delicious sounds of heads rolling. When the red cleared from your vision you glanced down at your prizes, smirking slightly. Wait…

Two heads? Hadn’t there been three vamps. Oh shit, you thought as you heard movement behind you, a slight shuffling of feet that told you it was preparing to pounce. You braced, grasping your machete and whirling, only to see claws swiping at you, raised and glinting in the low light. Running on pure instinct you leapt back, but they grazed your middle, slashing the skin below the wire of your bra, and you could tell in an instant that your quick motions had rendered the cuts barely skin deep, though they still smarted like hell.

Cursing, you prepared to swing your machete, only to see the pallid gleam of a blade flashing suddenly behind the vamps head, the wicked knife they belonged to coming to rest at its throat. The creature stilled instantly, eyes wild, fangs bared, claws dripping with your blood.

“There, there my boy,” Mr. Ketch’s smooth, accented voice rang in the quiet of the warehouse, lilting over the howl of the wind and the creaking of old chains, “is that any way to treat a lady?”

Through your shock at seeing him here despite your adamant warnings to kindly fuck off you could acknowledge the healthy modicum of gratitude filling your chest at his presence, the much needed break allowing you to slump against a nearby crate and clutch your bleeding wound. Though it wasn’t deep, the upper layers of skin tended to bleed heavily, making it look much worse than it actually was. Some antiseptic, most likely in the form of the whiskey sitting on the dresser in your motel room, and some bandages and you’d be good as new. With your wound assessed, you turned your attention back to Mr. Ketch and the vampire he had at the end of his blade. He was staring at the creature with mild disinterest, as if this were as tedious as picking up milk from the grocery store. In a way you assumed for him it was, especially if these damned Brits were as prolific as they claimed.

“Look at me,” He said, his voice almost bored as he taunted the vamp, “Look who brings your death.” The vamps eyes flicked to the ancient looking cross tattooed on the back Ketch’s hand and it snarled before stilling once more.

You’d heard rumors that this Mr. Ketch was a psychopath, that he was slightly unhinged, but you couldn’t quite picture it, couldn’t quite see it in your mind’s eye until now, as his dark, forest green eyes glinted with malicious, calculating rage and his lips curled into a cold sneer just before he slid his machete through the vamps neck, the cut as unhampered as a hot knife through butter. The creatures head tumbled to the ground, followed momentarily by its lifeless body, the weighted, fleshy whomps the only sounds that rang in the dank warehouse.

After watching the vamp fall Ketch’s gaze fell on you, those dark eyes intense and stormy as they drank you in. You swore you could almost see lust glinting sharply in his gaze as he swept that rapt stare up and down your form, the heat that answered within your body from his petting gaze staggering you with its strength. You wondered briefly what you looked like, hair thrown in a haphazard ponytail atop your head, loose strands sticking to your neck, skin gleaming with a fresh sheen of sweat, chest heaving as you licked your lips. Would he find you captivating this way, fresh from a hunt, with vamps blood splattered on your skin and blood lust in your eyes? The answering gleam in his dark gaze told you yes, he found you utterly captivating like this.

Post hunt adrenaline, you chided yourself, fiercely adamant that this, whatever it was, was nothing more than that simple explaination. Two hunters high on the good fight.

Then why did you feel the need see what else he could do with those long fingers, those smirking lips, that refined tongue. Why did you want to know how many vamps he’d killed and watch his chest huff with exertion as he took on a werewolf. Why did he suddenly look traitorously delicious to you now?

“Were you trying to kill it or make out with it?” You grated in a pain roughened voice as you began to stand uneasily, eager to dispel the carnal thoughts running through your head and the heavy tension filing the dank space, “I couldn’t tell for a second there. I don’t usually give a fuck unless it puts my ass on the line.” You said gesturing to your bleeding middle.

To your immense relief a smile curved his lips, lips that suddenly looked leagues more inviting, and he sheathed his blade in a previously unseen holster hanging from his belt, striding over to aid your rise. The fingers he wrapped around the uninjured portion of your waist were dry and warm, and that simple touch sent tingles skittering down your spine. Inwardly cursing your reactions to him, you looped your arm around the shoulder he had lowered in offering, trying hard to ignore the thick coil of muscle that roiled beneath your fingers, and leaned into him as he helped you rise.

“I’ll take that as an American thank you,” He said, a smile coloring his voice as he began to lead you to his car, “You’re quite welcome. Though I was impressed by the talent you showed here tonight. You had the situation quite in hand. Well, up until the end that is.”

Despite your annoyance at his somewhat backhanded compliment you found yourself laughing lightly, “Yeah, yeah, I’m just surprised your ascot didn’t get in the way.”

“Actually this is a windsor knot t-” He began but you cut him off with a sharp squeeze to the shoulder and an exasperated exhale.

“I know the difference between an ascot and a tie, dickwad! Jesus Christ…” This time he chuckled, the way the sound hummed in his chest doing interesting things to the knot coiling in your lower belly.

You passed the quick journey to your humble lodgings, a room at the Motel Six at the edge of town, in pleasant conversation about weapons, a conversation you’d started when you’d asked where his “fancy vampire vaporizer” was. He was hasty and eager to fill you in on the details, and proper name, of that weapon and the countless others he had in his arsenal. You assumed this was a standard part of the sales pitch, and even though you resented it you couldn’t stem your curiosity about him and his resources.

“Do you have the necessary medical supplies to tend to your wound?” He asked once you’d stopped in front of your section of the Motel.

“Whiskey, check. Bandages, check. I’m all good.” You said, just barely suppressing a groan as you shifted to get out of the vehicle.

“You aren’t serious.” He said, his tone incredulous.

“Quite,” You replied, mocking his accent teasingly as you shifted in the plush leather seat. When he didn’t reply, you realized he was staring agape in obvious horror, and not for the first time today you felt something akin to embarrassment creep up your neck due to him and his impossibly high British standards. At your sudden silence and lack of ability to meet his eyes he seemed to decide upon his next course of action.

“Alright, I’m coming in to tend to you. Let me grab my medical kit.”

“No, really, that’s completely unnecessary, I swear-“ He cut you off with the curt slam of his door, leaving you to sigh heavily, his footsteps sure and decided as he retrieved a black briefcase from the trunk and came around to your side. He opened the passenger’s side door, and you peered up at him, stubbornness coloring your features. He extended a hand to help you stand but in your rebelliousness you hung onto the door frame for support instead. You swear you saw him smirk as you passed him on unsteady feet, but you pushed aside the pleasure blooming in your chest at that, focusing instead on digging your room key out of your jeans pocket.

You felt the heat of his body, warm and immense, as he stood behind you at the door. You took a moment longer than was necessary to unlock the door, happy to bask in his heat for just a few extra seconds. That post hunt adrenaline was singing through your veins, heightening everything from the lamplight filtering in the thin curtains hanging on the windows to the way the cut of Ketch’s jaw had you biting back a sigh. Judging by the gleam in his dark eyes he’d caught it, and his smirk widened in response.

“Alright let’s get this over with,” You huffed, turning away from him so that he wouldn’t see the blush deepening on your cheeks. You flicked on a few lights as you strode about, casting a warm glow around the room. Standing close to the lamp on the nightstand, facing away from the small table that Ketch was currently setting up his medical station on, you drew up your shirt to assess the vamp’s damage. There were three light marks raking from one side of your middle to the other, and though they had bled profusely you were sure that with time and care they’d heal without a mark. For that you were thankful; your body already sported a myriad of scars, and you weren’t keen on adding another one to the mix just yet.

“Ready when you are.” He said from behind you, nearly making you start from your thoughts of old wounds from monster fights long past. You cleared your throat and crossed to the mini fridge, drawing out two cold beers and striding to the table. As you moved to the chair closest to his you caught sight of him, and for just a moment your breath caught harshly in your throat.

He’d stripped off his jacket and tie, leaving him in just that crisp dress shirt, unbuttoned for good, tempting measure, sleeves rolled up on his thickly muscled arms, and his loose slacks as he lounged in that chair with all the grace of a panther; predatory, beautiful. The shed clothes had revealed glimpses of more tattoos; what looked like a wing peeking out from his left forearm, and what could be its twin on the right; an unidentifiable crest peeking out from the buttons on his dress shirt. Suddenly you were filled with the thrumming urge to sit in his lap and trace those intricate designs with your fingers, and then your tongue, exploring the other secrets hidden beneath his uptight getup. Those wicked tats, combined with the undeniable badassness of his kill and the cocktail of self-preserving chemicals rushing through your veins had you clearing your throat loudly to stem the low moan of want that threatened to slip from your lips as you twisted the cap of your beer off and took a hearty swig.

“Ready,” You announced after draining half of the bottle, shifting uneasily when he leaned forward to grasp the hem of your blood soaked t shirt.

“May I?” He asked quietly, his voice low and almost throaty, his fingers hesitating near the clasp of your jeans, skirting the low hem of your shirt. You nodded twice, your hands clasping your beer, bringing it up to your lips once more as those slender fingers probed at your wound, tracing lightly over dried blood. His touch was tinged with perfunctory purpose, but there was something else flashing behind his eyes…appreciation maybe, or more accurately admiration.

And suddenly those slender fingers were gone, preparing a swab of peroxide to swipe the blood away and cleanse the scratches, which only smarted lightly at the touch of the cleansing chemicals. You drained your beer, plunking it down on the table as you swallowed, grimacing slightly at the sour taste.

“What do you usually do after a hunt?” You asked, desperate for a reprieve from the pain, and more importantly from the heated carnal thoughts rushing through your mind.

“Well, I’ll help a bit with cleanup and disposal, and then I’ll write up a formal report for the Organization. I might celebrate by cleaning my weapons.”

You waited for him to elaborate, to add on something, anything, but he didn’t. “Really,” You prompted, glancing at his handsome, concentrated features that were affixed to your midriff, “That’s it?”

“That’s it.” He affirmed, his tone distant as he wiped away caked blood, “Why, what do you do?”

You grinned, sighing as you remembered countless nights of celebratory debauchery, some of which included the Winchesters. “Well,” you began, cracking open that second beer, settling your sock feet into the empty space in his chair,  wedged beside his right hip, steadfastly ignoring the questioning looks he threw your way, “Us American hunters celebrate with libations. Preferably of the whiskey variety. The more the merrier.”

“So you get snookered?” Ketch asked in an amused tone as he began to tape bandages onto your healing flesh. You noticed the bandages had some sort of rune work ingrained in the ply of the cotton; some kind of accelerated healing spell work maybe?

“Well, in a word, yeah.” You scowled at the judgement in his tone, “What’s wrong with that?”

“Oh, nothing.” He paused, the ensuing silence heavily laden with unspoken meaning. You continued staring until finally he looked up briefly from his work to question, “But there are no reports, no one to formally address?”

“Hell no,” You scoffed, gulping heavily from your beer before you replied, “Damn, you British are so uptight! Do you ever let loose? Have fun?”

Ketch glanced up, seeming to consider carefully before he replied, “Well I do on occasion enjoy a nice glass of Lagavulin and a good cigar.”

You paused in disbelief before you replied, “Oh no that’s so boring it’s almost sad. We’ll have to celebrate properly then. Get good and smashed after a hunt together sometime, American style. Though, preferably when I’m not sporting a vampy love tat.”

Ketch finished taping your wound and sat back in his chair surveying his work, you, appraisingly, “It’s a deal, then.”

“Good.” You replied, grinning as you rose and slipped the blood stained shirt over your head, your back to him as you dug in your duffel, your fingers closing quickly around a black tank top. Once that was on you snagged another two beers from the fridge and plopped back down into your chair, cracking them both open and pushing one towards him, “Until then, let’s celebrate a bit more mildly.”

For a moment you were worried that Ketch might not accept, but finally his long, slender fingers closed around the sweating bottle and he smiled warmly at you before you raised yours in offering.

“Thank you.” You said, catching his gaze as you clinked your bottles together. He held your eyes for a moment and then canted his head in a graceful nod. Damn, sometimes he was just so sophisticated, regal even. You drank fast and hard, wanting the alcohol to embolden you, to lift some of the crushing tension off of your shoulders, alleviate the warmth of attraction crackling in the air between you.

“You know our British hunters don’t usually suffer from raging alcoholism,” Ketch began, surveying the label on the bottle he cradled in one large hand, “But I’ll be damned if a stiff drink after a kill isn’t satisfying.”

“Right!” You crooned, leaning forwards in your seat, choosing to ignore the jab in the former part of his sentence for the complement in the latter, “I’m telling you, a night at the bar after a good, successful hunt is a damn good way to let off some steam. It’s a close second to…” You trailed off suddenly, biting your lip hard to stem the flow of words that had threatened to tumble from your mouth. It’s a close second to riding your way to ecstasy on the lap of a stranger. Work off that adrenaline properly.

Fuck, just thinking that while sitting this close to Ketch had your body thrumming, wanton lust sitting low in your belly, making your cheeks flush and your throat tighten. Suddenly your mind was filled with thoughts of riding him, of slipping into that chair, working the buttons of that dress shirt loose, running your tongue down his chest. Mmm…

You took another hearty swig to cover the groan that stumbled from your throat, but you couldn’t stop your eyes from darting to the thick lines of his neck, or from running down his chest straight to the seat of his lap, your gaze practically stripping him where he sat.

“It’s a close second to what,” He prompted, that hungry, predatory, gleam in his dark eyes once more, his gaze glinting wickedly as he leaned forwards, bracing those beefy forearms on his spread knees, “Because I can think of a few, more naughty ways to  ‘let off some steam’, as you say.”

Oh fuck, he did not just say that. Jesus, that deep accented voice crooning those wicked words almost had you whimpering like a fool, but damn you didn’t want him to stop. You could play ball too…

“Oh yeah,” You hummed in response, leaning forwards, matching his stance as you licked your lips, “Like what?”

“Like my tongue running up your naked thighs, teasing your sensitive flesh, nipping your exposed skin,” Jesus, the man had a way with words, “Like my mouth at your ear while I slip inside you slowly, achingly. I guarantee you that would do the trick.”

That damn smirk of his was driving you crazy, taunting you, pushing you. Alright old sport, game fucking on…

Before you could stop yourself you were up, crossing to him in a few measured steps, bracing an arm on either side of his chair and leaning in to press your mouth hotly against his. He responded instantly, those huge hands wrapping low around your slim back, cupping the curve of your ass as your lips tangled, your tongue tracing the outline of his full bottom lip as your groaned softly, wantonly against his lips. “Stop talking,” You murmured against his mouth, threading your fingers in his thick hair, pulling him closer, “Another American lesson; put up or shut up.”

“Yes ma’am,” He murmured against your lips, causing wicked shivers to erupt on your skin, sending sharp tingles racing down your spine. You wanted to hear his moans as you rode him, hear his posh curses as you slipped wetly along his shaft, bouncing wildly in his lap. You needed that, and you needed it now.

You worked the clasp of your suddenly stifling jeans with impatient fingers, huffing against his seeking lips in annoyance, only to feel it come undone beneath the onslaught of your digits a moment later. His hands were on your waist then, pushing the denim down the sleek lines of your legs, helping as you stepped out of them. As soon as they were discarded on the floor those long fingers were tracing the intricate tattoo that graced your hip; vivid, lifelike roses scattered from your hip bone to the top of your thigh. The piece had cost a small fortune and taken multiple trips to the chair, but you were proud of it, and evidently so was Ketch.

“Do you approve?” You questioned with a raised eyebrow, loving the admiration banked in his eyes. You knew he could tell that it had been a painful, grueling process to get the artwork on your body, but somehow you sensed that this only made him admire you more.

“Quite,” He answered with a breathtaking smile before those lips were on yours once more and his fingers were wrapping around your bared thighs, hauling you into his lap, pushing your hips methodically against the rigid, throbbing steel of his hard cock.

You gasped against his mouth when you felt just how big he was; hot and hard against the slick lace of your panties, a fitting match to the rest of his bulky frame, and your belly quivered with molten want. You’d wanted a proper lay, and you now realized you were about to get it. You wanted it rough and dirty and right fucking now.

You broke away from his lips for just a moment to trail your hot mouth down his neck, nipping and sucking your way to the hollow of his throat, your fingers slipping to the buttons of his dress shirt, popping them open as your tongue slipped along his warm, firm skin. He tasted like spice and leather and something else, something all masculine strength that had your sex clenching wetly.

He was so big that you barely had to shift to reach his chest, but his hands slotted into your hair to help aid your ministrations nonetheless. You groaned when those deft fingers of his tore out the hair tie securing your locks atop your head, and you growled low in your throat when he replaced the band with the tight ring of his fist, that grasp so stunningly erotic, you found yourself clenching your thighs tightly around his hips.

You realized then that what turned this monolith of a man on was power; exchanging it, playing with it, possessing it, losing it. He was a junkie that traded in control, in domination. And he’d just met his match.

You raised your mouth from his chest to capture his lips once more, and with conscious motions you began to rock your weeping sex against the steel bar of his throbbing cock, knowing it would drive him crazy. Sure enough a low, need driven moan ripped from his throat, and you smiled against his lips, knowing you had just secured your place of power in this transaction.

You reached for the clasp of his belt, loving the gentle metal tinkle that the parts made as you tore it out of the way. You hastily undid the clasp of his pants, drawing the throbbing length of him out into your waiting palm.

“What do you want,” You murmured against his mouth, nipping none so gently at his full bottom lip as you crooned, “Tell me.”

He growled and bucked his hips up, sliding the thick, throbbing length of his cock further into your tight grasp, “I think that’s quite evident, darling.” You couldn’t stop the giggles that erupted from your lips at that, loving the way his proper accent clashed deliciously with the naked need in his voice.

“I want to hear you say it,” You whispered wickedly, your tongue flicking out against the delicate shell of his ear, “Tell me you want to fuck me.”

“The mouth on you, you naughty minx,” He groaned, palming your ass hard with both of his large hands, “I want to fuck you raw, make you feel me for days.” He growled against your exposed neck, his teeth biting, his tongue curling against your skin. You gasped, bucking your hips automatically, arousal driving your fervent actions.

Not wanting to wait anymore, you drew aside the soaked material of your panties and lined up the crown of his cock with your sex, slipping the head along your soaked entrance. You weren’t sure you could fit all of his generous length, but you were sure as hell gonna enjoy trying.

“More,” He grated, using his hands on your ass to lower you onto his throbbing shaft, inch by blessed inch. You gasped, writhing against him, panting hotly against his neck.

“Fuck,” You groaned low as he bottomed out, the fit so tight you could perceive him throbbing inside of you. Your ragged breaths rattled from your heaving chest, your skin slicked with a fresh layer of perspiration, your loose hair tumbling about your shoulders. His mouth was kissing patterns up your neck, along the line of your jaw, his fingers flexing eagerly against the flesh of your ass.

“Move on me love,” He commanded, a devil at your ear, words hot against your skin. You were helpless to do anything but obey, craving the slick slide of him, huge and throbbing, inside of you, wanting his groans against your skin.

You snapped your hips up, moving up the length of his cock, before lowering yourself down, slowly and deliciously. You repeated your motions countless times, the friction sparking from your bodies sweetening the slide of him inside you. After the long, sweet, slow fucks of your pussy on him, Ketch decided to take matters into his own hands, gripping your hips tightly and slamming you down quicker, more forcefully onto his waiting cock.

“Ketch!” You cried out, holding onto his  wide shoulders as he repeated this teeth-chattering motion, vigorously bucking his own hips up to meet yours as he worked your pliant body over him. Suddenly the dirtiness, the wicked neediness of your fucking struck you full force, causing your pussy to clench in a wet rush around his cock, and your nails to bit deeper into his shoulders.

You felt him smile against your neck as he began to piston his hips in earnest, the speed and intensity of his thrusts delighting you. His hips bumped your clit with each bruising thrust, spearing pleasure straight to your core. You let your head fall back, your hair brushing your ass, as you effectively became putty in his arms, giving your body over to his wants, to his needs.

Your belly clenched powerfully, hotly, warning you of your impending orgasm, just as Ketch captured the hard bud of your nipple in his molten mouth, biting and sucking as you slipped along his length. You cursed and moaned as he moved to the other one, his teeth sinfully rough against your flushed skin. When his mouth released you his gaze remained rapt on your bouncing breasts, his long fingers tightening almost painfully against your hips.

Pain, pleasure, friction, wetness; all sensations blurred together, capped by the deliciously naughty sound of your skin slapping, your bodies meeting, and suddenly, without warning you were cumming, dirty, filthy words slipping from your lips as you came undone in his arms, your sex clenching powerfully around his cock.

Ketch snarled at your neck, his momentous control snapping as you felt his follow suit, cumming suddenly inside you, spurned no doubt by the force and immediacy of your own orgasm, rope after rope of hot, powerful release jetting inside you, leaving you a dripping, mewling mess in his lap.

Then the after shudders; your breaths panting against his damp neck, your thighs loosening around his hips, his fingers sweeping the hair off your neck, slipping down the notches of your spine. For a few moments you imagined you felt a kind of peace here in his arms. After all, this was the best fuck you’d had in ages, endorphins were bound to get released right along-side your thundering orgasm. But then you shook yourself hard and began to ease him out of you, fixing your panties as you rose on shaky legs to grab your long discarded jeans. This was just like any other one night stand; it didn’t matter that he stared into your eyes as he eased inside you or called you ‘love’ while he palmed your ass. You would treat this just like any other booty call, despite what you felt blooming in your chest.

“I must say, that was quite different from the British way.” Ketch sighed, his tone satisfied but his eyes rapt on your body even though he’d just had you, his gaze following the long motions of your limbs as you drew your jeans arduously up your legs.

“Oh yeah?” You asked absently, shimmying your hips to draw your jeans over your curves, a smile flitting uncontrollably at your lips as you realized that he’d been right; you’d feel him for days.

“If I had a way of contacting you I could arrange to show you how we do it in the Commonwealth.”

Your fingers paused at the clasp of your jeans, your eyes flying up to meet his, which at the moment seemed more green than black, filled with more warmth than cold. Wait a minute, was he…

“Are you asking for my number?” You choked out, incredulous. After a moment that smirk morphed into a smile, and you swear your heart fucking skipped a beat.

“Well, yes I believe I am.” Ketch said, his long legs stretched out before him, his arms resting relaxed in his lap. Did you just fuck this man right into domestication?

“Another American lesson;” You said sweetly as you leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips before looking him in the eye, “you can’t always get what you want.”

__________________________________________________________________

By the time you’d pranced away, out of the cradle of his thighs, leaving him with a slightly slacked jaw and an appreciative gleam in his eyes, and indulged in a much needed hot shower, you’d returned to an empty motel room and a deeply satisfied body.

Alone, exhausted, and utterly spent in all the right ways, you climbed into the starchy sheets, leaving worries of how exactly you’d retrieve your car and why this confusing, attractive man would want a round two with you for tomorrow, when your body wasn’t buzzing and your head wasn’t whirling with memories of tattooed skin and accents whispering naughty words in your ear.

The next morning, after finishing off the dregs of the beers still on the table and scrounging for any leftovers that were in the mini fridge, you dressed and began to prepare for the 3 some odd mile long trek to your car. Every so often you’d glance that the chair, that chair, that sat innocently at the table, as if it hadn’t just been the catalyst for your cataclysmic night, and bite your lip, remembered heat flushing low in your body.

You were so distracted when you left the motel room, pulling the door shut behind you, that you nearly walked past your car, parked nonchalantly in the space right in front of your door. You stared at it warily, scanning your surroundings for anything amiss, but except for a few rowdy teens blowing up bottle rockets in the far corner of the parking lot the area was totally dead.

You slipped your keys out of your pocket, and as you unlocked the front door you noticed a bottle with an attacked note to it. Upon closer inspection you identified it as Lagavulin.

Ketch.

Of course he’d hot-wired your car. Asshole.

Despite your annoyance at the violation of your baby, you couldn’t stem the warmth that bloomed in your chest at the care this gesture showed. You gazed fondly at the whiskey, truly the only acceptable gift, and read the note, which looked like it’d come from an expensive, official stationary. Of fucking course.

If you ever want a lesson in British customs of copulation, I’d be more than happy to oblige. Until next time.

- K

Attached at the bottom of the note was what could be nothing other than the British Man of Letters phone number. Smiling like an idiot, you took your gifts inside with you, pouring a hearty glass and sipping happily. Maybe it had been a one night stand, but perhaps you hadn’t mistaken that heat in his eyes, that intensity in his voice as he’d murmured wicked words to you, that possessive grasp of his hands at your neck, your waist, your thighs.

And maybe, just maybe, you’d give him a call. Right after you finished your whiskey.

#Arthur KetchxReader #arthur ketch x reader #British Men of Letters #Mr. Ketch #smut #arthut ketchxreader smut #Vampire Kiling #unprotected sex #angry sex #Mr. Ketch x reader

[chiefbeck]

Chapter 18: Harley and Me A basket case...

I was born in 1966; I know a lady never mentions her age, but I never got a rule book, and to tell the truth, I don’t follow most of those antiquated sexist rules anyway. I believe we can all do what we need and what we want across gender barriers; it just isn’t that big a deal. Most of those silly rules are there to keep women in their place anyway. Face it, most women are not Barbie, and women do get a year older every year. We just age well I guess, kind of like wine.

So on with the story, I was born in 1966 and a friend of mine builds Harley Davidson motorcycles as a hobby. He is a technical genius and retired from the Navy and is now a firefighter. God knows why he went into saving more lives after 20 years of combat in the Navy, but that is what he’s up to. He builds these awesome motorcycles for fun.

In his garage spread around in half a dozen milk crates and baskets was a 1966 Harley engine. A basket case. Now this is a special engine; it was the year of my birth, and it was also the first year Harley made a shovel head engine. I had an old 1960 Harley, which is still in the family, but a 1966 bumps me up into a more reliable engine with the newly designed head and cam design. The problem is this was a Panhead lower and shovel upper. If you don’t know what I am talking about with all this “Harley head” stuff, look up those couple of things.... it’s kind of cool.

So the problem, it was mixed up, but that was also a really cool part ‘cause this engine number’s in the few thousands and is kind of rare. Other problem was it was all torn apart and all over his garage. There were broken and worn out parts mixed with a few Honda parts, dang. Oh yeah, a mouse was living in one of the jugs. Oh, yeah, the jug is a cylinder; that’s the part that holds the piston and the pressure from the explosions.

I begged him for the engine. He said no, he had an idea for a bike.

I deployed to Afghanistan and got back a half a year later.

I begged him for the engine, even pointing out that the mouse had kids, and I needed that engine for my project bike. It was my dream bike; one that was born the same year as me. It needed a bunch of work; it was a torn up and old broken barely anything left...kind of like me.

He said no.

Months go by and I see him at work down there in Dam Neck Navy base, and we go to some bars, and the engine is never brought up. A few months go by, and I am getting ready to go back to Afghanistan, and he sees me at the bar. “Hey Chris, you want that engine?” “Hell Yeah!” “Two Thousand and it’s yours.”

I am the proud new owner of 7 baskets of parts. I haul them to my garage in Virginia Beach. He gets to keep the mouse.

I deploy to Afghanistan. In my will that we all write up before we deploy, I leave this pile of parts and my 1960 Harley to him. He is one of my best friends and still is by the way.

When I get back from the war, I take 4 weeks off. I am going to build me a motor-sickle. I spread all the parts out on my work bench and start cleaning stuff up and measuring them out to see if they are in specifications to re-use. Three days later I have a list of parts that I need to buy to complete the engine. I start making up another list of parts to actually build the bike.

My favorite builders are “Zero Choppers.” So I build a combat style zero chopper. I get a sweet rigid gooseneck frame and some pretty big rims and tires. This is going to look a little like a Mad Max meets WWII combat motorcycle with barely any chrome or flashy junk. “Chrome don’t get you home; flash is trash.”

I start building the engine, and in a few weeks, I have a complete engine. Ported and polished out the intake and exhaust and cut some of the engine off to “customize” it. I used tractor hydraulic hoses for all the oil lines. The engine looked real cool. Hope it runs.

I get the frame, fenders and bars and all kinds of stuff sent in the mail. Luckily I have my own MIG welder at the house like any girl would, duh. And I am a welding, cutting and chopping. I am in heaven.

I go out on some more work out of the country and am gone a lot during these years. So I work like a madwoman on the motorcycle, then I am gone for a while. The project is going on near two years, dang war.

I have a buddy that owns a shop a few miles from my house, so I get back from one of my trips and ask him if I could bring the bike over to finish it out. He says yes, just keep the beer fridge full. Cool.

I load the bike up; its three quarters done. Fine tuning and then a once over to make sure I didn’t jack anything up. The shop is a story to itself. We work hard, but then start drinking beer and moonshine every afternoon, and then, the chainsaw comes out or we start welding some crazy shit. Once in a while we pull the guns out and start doing real stupid stuff. You got to love Virginia; there is no other place like it.

I get parts from all over the place. I use an old thrown away oxygen tank that was used for thermo baric cutting torches as an oil tank and old surplus weapons parts all over the bike. NO parts were added to the bike that didn’t need to be there to make it run. This is not a bozo bike like Orange County with stuff just pasted on to make it look good.

I minimized Chrome and for some things that only come in chrome I sand blasted the parts to dull them out. For paint, I used rattle can olive drab for the tanks and fenders. Frame was black. A lot of black parts, like the foot pegs and controls, needed to be powder coated to make them last. I couldn’t afford the powdered coating at the time, so I did it myself. Sprayed the powder on and used the kitchen oven to bake them at 250 degrees for half an hour. It worked great, but made the kitchen smell real bad. The oven won’t be baking any cookies ever again unless they use some of that easy off or some engine cleaner or something. Oh well.

A few weeks into our drunken monkey wrenching, the bike is rolling, and we got the engine and all the pertinence hooked up. Time to kick it. YES, kick it.

You see there are t-shirts that say “ole skool biker,” but that type of person is rare now-a-days. A Harley of this era didn’t have no electric start. As a matter of fact, the bike I built didn’t even have a battery. This was truly an ole skool bike.

We added about a gallon of gas to the tank, let the carburetor fill up and then I started giving it some prime kicks to get the gas in the cylinders and move some oil a bit.

Then, I retarded the magneto, so the spark would be late. Yes, you want it retarded a bit, which is a late spark, so when it fires off, the engine it doesn’t catch the kick peddle and break your leg. It does happen.

Ignition on, primed, spark late.... I kick with all my might. Nothing. I kick again. Nothing. Ok to keep this from going on tooooooo long. I am kicking for ten minutes, one of the guys says let me try. No way. I kick another five minutes and fall off the bike onto the ground, freaking beat me. Dang it. We go over the whole bike and find a short, dang. Well off to the races.

I start kicking and five minutes later it coughs. I am jumping up and down like crazy. It coughed. We are drinking beers and toasting.

My legs are spaghetti so I am was surprised that it even did that. I look over my beer and ask if anyone else wanted to try a kick. Bear, yes his nickname is Bear and he is a big dude. One of his legs is the weight of my whole body. He can bench press five hundred and still runs like a gazelle, SEAL Team shit....don’t ask where these dudes come from.

He steps over the bike and cranks the throttle a couple times to prime it. Gives it a kick and ...rumble, rumble. It was like ten seconds of coughing. That was awesome. It looked like he was only half kicking it. Then he gives it anther kick and bam, it roars to life.

We are all cheering. Toasting and hooting and hollering.

It is the loudest bike ever made. The rear pipe is a cut up Russian Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher (RPG-7), and it is tuned to the loudest most obnoxious Harley ever built.

It was so cool and the coolest bike to ride. I rode it from Tampa to Daytona for bike week. Rigid frame wasn’t so nice, but I did it. I entered it into the “Willie’s Old School Chopper Show.” It came in first place for shovel heads. It was awesome. They took a photo of me with the trophy and a couple of girls who were models in the magazines.

I ended up in Easy Rider Magazine for that bike.

It was a cool bike; it started out as a broken up pile of junk with a mouse living in it. Really messed up. It reminds me of me. i was messed up and broken from the many injuries that I have survived. I am barely

holding it together in my mental and physical sense. How am I even still here? I am in the basket under a work bench in a dusty garage. I had a boost when I came out to live a new life. That boost started me working on myself. Dang in the old days I took a shower when I really needed it. Didn’t shave and barely brushed my teeth. I didn’t care; I was almost dead and didn’t need this body much longer. I didn’t care what anyone thought, pain didn’t care.

Living a new life, turning a new leaf. I use products in my hair now. I brush my teeth in the morning and at night before bed; even use some whitener. I use moisturizers now and take care of myself; kind of like re-welding the parts back in place and shining up the rough spots.

I think everyone needs this once in a while. We all need someone even if it’s ourselves to clean up and rebuild. Stop waiting and do it; color your hair or get your teeth whitened; every bit counts, and sometimes that little start will lead you to bigger and better experiences and challenges. With these great challenges comes great reward; trust me.

I am glad that I was able to do this with an old 1966 Harley and this old 1966 chick.

#harley davidson #Kristin Beck