Deliahna Quincy Norman

15 years old, DOB: 14/2/2009 Roo's younger sister, also goes by Delilah, Deliahn and Deli. Born under Virginia and Noah Blom.

"I miss Deli everyday, I can't see her much because she lives in Sweden and I live in the US, but after I began recovery [at 21], I got a phone-call from my Mom, she was completely disheartened, Noah had left her, it was even more surprising when she told me he had left her so long ago [7 years ago], and Noah had been required by law to take Deli and Devan into his custody due to her [Virginia] conditions, she asked me to come back to Sweden to visit her, on behalf of her [Virginia], I agreed. I came to find out Deli had been bullied for being herself, she was only 7 years old, so I did what any older brother would do and stood up for her, she never left my side since. I'll never forget the pleading in her face as I began boarding my flight back to the US." - Roo

[Rest under the cut cuz its long :)]

She's the weird kid, with her silly outfits, her "out-of-place" personality and obsession with the outdoors, she wants to explore the world, she wants to see the coldest 'bergs in the Arctic, and the hottest dunes of the Deserts around the world, but this adventurous and carefree child was almost reaped of her joy, with no mother present, a father too busy arguing with his son and nobody to fend for her, she was vulnerable to bullying. Upon starting Year 1 (Lågstadiet / The equiv to first grade in the US), kids caught onto her strange behavior, while her school encouraged no bullying, it didn't stop the kids from isolating her away from the others, she adopted this behavior, becoming introverted, and when visiting her mother and telling her about school, Virginia felt uneasy, at which point she called Roo and asked for his help.

The bullying stopped, kids may not have warmed up to her quite yet, and she still had a rather introverted personality, she was... Happier, because of Roo, she went with him everywhere, she did everything with him, she didn't really realize he didn't just live in Sweden, nor could he afford to do so. When the time came for Roo to depart back to America, time stopped, Deli's savior, her brother, the only person who cared, was leaving her, she pleaded, she begged, she even suggested hiding her away in his luggage, anything to be with someone who loved her, but he didn't budge, he couldn't budge, and that didn't click with her, he was supposed to stay forever and save her. Noah practically ripped her off of Roo, she said her broken goodbyes, and Roo expressed how much he cared for her, and how much he hoped she would continue to be herself, if not for herself, then for him, and she promised him, pinky promise.

Deli continues to be weird and be outlandish compared to the other kids, but it was charming, and she has a little trio of her own that all aspire to travel the world together, while she didn't initially recover from Roo's departure, she promises him everyday in spirit to be herself, she's almost 16 (as of writing this, and will be 16 in a couple days :)) and is swiftly on her way to Year 10 (equiv = 11th grade), she does periodically experience depression and bouts of loneliness, as a trauma response to her childhood and lack of parental guidance and parental figures. She isn't sure what is wrong with her, and she doesn't really recognize it as "wrong," and rather normal. Not only that, but she's also currently interested in a fellow student...

Hood eren tales PT 2

(hood #eren) being ur man ur mann 😜🫶🏾

warnings: oral (m received), fingering, daddy kink, i dunnoo what else this is just pure porn 😭 (MDNII!!)

mood song (GO STREAM DELI 🤍icespicee)

hood eren who even though he spoils you, does not put up with a bad attitude. every time you're mad or upset it puts him ina funk and he just doesn't like it.

hood eren who regardless of your attitude, takes you to your favorite mall with your friends on the weekend, hoping you were just having a shitty week.

hood eren who once more spoils you and your friends, taking you out for hibachi and letting you spend your time hanging around the mall, but he soon regrets this decision when you stop infront of your FAV designer store.

hood eren who makes A LOT of money from selling and has bought you plenty of designer in the past, calmly watches as you and your friends go into the store and end up absolutely RAVING over a pink handbag (https://t.ly/handbag) with the company logo embroidered all over it.

hood eren who as your friends explore the store, watches as you stay by his side begging for him to buy you the bag. (so you can brag later)

hood eren who refuses to buy you the new louie bag, after a week of giving him major side eye and sucking your teeth. he says he doesn't think you deserve it cause of that "nasty ass attitude." "no princess, i'll buy you the bag when you learn some manners." or "daddy said not right now chill."

hood eren who notices how you talk about him to your friends while waking off. he knew that your spoildness got bad but not THIS bad. he’s quick to drive your friends home so he can deal with that attitude.

hood eren who when you get home, comforts you when your eyes get watery and you start with the sniffles but stands strong on his words. "c'mere." he motions you over so he can pick you up and start rubbing you down. he knows just exactly what you need.

hood eren who lets his baby suck him off as an apology. when he pulls it out the tip hits his belly already angry, flushed red, and leaking pre. he lets you start off slow. sucking the tip and kissing his down his shaft. but when he realizes you're stalling, he works his length down your throat admiring your cute whines and occasional gags.

hood eren who throws his head back and moans as you suck the absolute soul outta him “oooh b-baby fuuuuck”, pulling your head down as he thrusts his length into your mouth causing tears to form in your eyes.

hood eren who spurts ropes of cum down ur throat as he finishes in your mouth. then after, pulls you up to kiss you, still tasting the nutty, salty taste of his cum in your mouth, which instantly gets him hard again.(how romantic)

hood eren who pulls off your shorts and slowly peels back your panties to reveal your puffy pussy lips and hard clit. he's so smooth with his work, placing you on the bed and letting you ramble on, that you don't even notice till he eases one of his long thick fingers in your pussy.

hood eren who fingers that creamy pussy enough to have you gushing but not cum. “renn baby please lemme cummm,” you moan out fully resting your body against his chest as his nimble fingers work on pleasuring you. “aht aht ma whats my name? thought it was fuck me?” and “keep them legs open or you wont be cumming atall”

hood eren who shoves his length in your pussy and sets a brutal pace. “ooh pa slow downn i said im sorryy,” you cry. clapping, smacking, and wet sounds echo off the walls and your pretty sure your neighbors hate you by now. “you gone be a good girl nd stop acting up?” eren questions, “yess- daddy i swear i will…” you moan, juices running down your legs and half brain dead now.

hood eren who knows your lying (your definitely gonna up again) but enjoys putting his pretty girl in her place even if she ends up getting what she wants anyways…

hood eren who after he's done tearing up that pussy, buys the special edition louie bag you wanted (it was in his cart the whole time)

______________________________________________

this is my first time writing a semi full smut!? so proud of myself 🥲

LMK FOR A PRT 3…shld i do a few on connie?? 🤭

who are your favorite pcs on dimension 20? (either as a whole, per season, whatever you want!)

oh gosh, that's such a difficult decision! i might go based on seasons i've seen? and as a disclaimer: i love every single pc, everyone plays so well on dimension 20 and i love the choices people make, this is all just my opinion!

fantasy high freshman year: god i love gorgug in this season, he was such a goofy guy, and i love him. he honestly was what made me switch to playing more barbarians in my own gameplay

fhsy: fig was sooooo good in this season, the stuff with her and ayda, all the skateboarding away, and just her coming into her own as a person hit very hard for me.

the seven: ostentatia wallace was so good, and izzy was so fun at the table! i'm so excited to watch her in coffin run and in burrow's end. just yelling "i love you" at her dad and all the cleric shit was amazing, and i loved every second of her.

unsleeping city: i've only seen the first season, but i loved kugrash so much!! him being rat jesus was too funny, but he also had his heartbreaking moments. he was a very well developed character and murph played him so well

crown of candy: it's a tie between 3, which i know is so bad, but they are liam, lapin, and theo. they each are just so fantastic and i love them all so much. liam was so sweet, and then when he was a war guy, that was so good too! him and primsy <3. lapin was fucking hilarious, i don't care what anyone else says. his banter with theo was unmatched, and the last episode with him was heart-wrenching and i loved every second of it. theo is also so good. casting knock on the door!!! the banter, sprinkle, the protectiveness all of it!

ravening war: god i love colin and raphaniel so so much! they are such a duo. but so are colin and deli! but then deli and karna! but then karna and amongeux! god, that season was full of top players and i probably couldn't choose one rn.

starstruck oddyessy: god i loved gunnie! the ball is rolling up is in my vocabulary now, and i honestly enjoy everything that lou wilson does, he's phenomenal. also skip is fucking hilarious in the beginning, when he's learning how to talk, it makes me giggle all the time

neverafter: tbh i loved everyone in this season! my top favs were definitely ylfa and pinocchio though. lou's voice was fucking crazy but it was wonderful. his arc with his stepmother slayed. ylfa is a character that i relate to a little too much probably, but she is so wonderful. her and the wolf are crazy. i watch way too many edits with ylfa clips, it's probably something i should work on haha

escape from the bloodkeep: tbh i love leiland! i'm only on episode three but he slays figuratively and literally (though not much literally lol) matt mercer is a great player and i love everything he does!

i'm so sorry that this was so lengthy lmao, can you tell that i like dimension 20 and dungeons and dragons???

Spottedleaf for the ask game ;>

sexuality headcanon; i think like ace lesbian for her personally!! i am electing to ignore her feelings for firestar because they are Weird FHDGGG

gender headcanon: probably cis molly but maybe demigirl? with she/they prons

a ship I have with said character: i'm a big fan of spottedmouse as queer platonic partners......

a brotp i have with said character: honestly her and firestar! but i also would've loved to have seen how she interacted with yellowfang tbh if the timeline was... different i guess. i feel like they would've been fun!!! imagine super traditionalist medcat spotted vs yellowfang and her chaotic apprentice cinderpaw HEHE

a notp have with said character: already mentioned but spottedfire 🤢

a random headcanon: this is weak but i can't think of a better one; i always imagined she's really, really soft spoken, like she's incapable of raising her voice. she would not be heard at a deli counter

general opinion over said character: ngl she's definitely not one of my favs LMAO i love her concept but the way she was executed in canon just irks me. she was way overused in starclan too imo

Good evening! Coming at you with a list of numbers from that unique questions post you rebloged: 2, 7, 12, 34, 48, 58, and 78

Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?

Oh, fuck, no. The whole rest of my family does and never fucking uses them??? So they just pile up? “For our next trip!!!” WHEN, MOM?? WHEN?? If I take anything, it’s the lotion for my purse, which I fucking USE, thank you. Omg. My grandmother has so much, she’s started putting them in large jars and decorating with them???

Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?

I wanna say bear because one of the things I was actually taught in school was bear safety but no matter how much “safety” you’re taught, that sounds like a load of horse shit if one is charging you. I’m gonna go bees, because it’s gonna suck, but you’re gonna live. Well, I am, anyway. I don’t have an allergy.

Have you ever peed in the woods?

I used to be an archaeology student. Not only have I peed in the woods, I have peed in the woods on the top of a mountain in Mexico. 

Favorite kind of sandwich?

This is gonna get hyper specific. 

French bread, sliced with one side toasted. Miracle Whip --NOT mayo-- on both sides. Vermont white sharp cheddar cheese on one side. Thin layer of sandwich pepperoni. Ham. Like, good, premium cut deli ham. Cut on the diagonal because I’m not a heathen. At least not with sandwich cuts.

Do you sing in the shower?

Sometimes. Usually I’m brainstorming for fic or rehashing old arguments. But if I actually have music on, I’m definitely singing. 

Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?

All the fucking time.

Who would you like to see in concert?

I’m not sure, tbh. I’ve only been to a couple of concerts in my life. They’re cool. Not something I can see myself really going to super often.

Maybe Marianas Trench or SZA or Seether. They’re my favs.

Asks from here.

THE TIG ARCHIVES│TRAVEL│INSIDER’S GUIDE TO THE LOWER EAST SIDE

“It wasn’t until filming the pilot for Suits that I began to know NY. And it wasn’t until a good year after that, that I began to know NY well. I found my nook. My downtown: a little grubby, a little rough around the edges, a lot stylish, and as cool as I aspired to be - we’re talking the Lower East Side. I love a neighborhood that you can get lost in, always finding new nooks and crannies, interest and intrigue. And while the West Village is high on my list, and nothing is more convenient for work than staying uptown, this neck of the woods deserves a post all its own. And trust me when I say, editing this down to our favs was a task in and of itself. Bon voyage, friend!”

- Meghan Markle, February 2015

STAY

The Ludlow - “When my dear friend, Markus (you know the one), intro’d me to Johnny Christ to check out the new property he had his hands in, I was tickled pink to try it out (after all, Johnny had been the main man at The Bowery Hotel, followed by The Nomad, and then West Village gem, The Marlton) - the man has taste. The Ludlow was generous in allowing us to use the space for a Tig photo shoot, both in the perfectly styled rooms, the welcoming lounge, and breathtaking rooftop. It really is a LES treasure which I can’t wait to call home next time I’m in the city.”

The Bowery Hotel - “An old standy, known for its cozy charm, who’s who nightlife scene (let’s not discuss the nights I’ve had on the back patio with everyone from my Suits cast mates, to Jess Stam, Dianna Agron, and the countless celebs you end up clinking glasses with). And yet, with all of that star power, it remains one of the most down to earth properties you could dream of - friendly staff, soaking tubs that wash away any bad day, and also small balconies from the baby suites that make it feel like your own LES sanctuary. Ask for Gigi. She’s my favorite.” 

EAT

Dirty French - “Since opening on the ground floor of The Ludlow this fall, Dirty French has been booked solid with reservations - and for good reason. It’s not only the classic, #throwback French restaurant that’s opened around the city recently, but it is one of the best (and considering it’s brought to you by Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi - the same team behind the much lauded Torrisi Italian Specialties, it’s not exactly a surprise). They’re not messing around with the food here because with plates like duck a la orange and cote de bouef for deux, you don’t come here if you’re just looking for a nosh.”

Contra - “It’s difficult to describe the food at Contra (they like to call it ‘contemporary New York cuisine’), but we can say this: whatever they’re serving today on their seasonal, locally-sourced 5-course tasting menu is delicious and like nothing you’ve ever had before. They use a ton of vegetables that tend to not get a lot of love on other menus (like kohlrabi) and combine flavors in unique ways that will certainly pique your tastebuds. Plus, at $55 for a tasting menu, you’re not going to get a better deal in the city if you tried.”

Freemans - “Hidden in the back of an easy-to-miss alleyway, Freemans has that hipster vibe that shows itself not only in the flannel clad crowd that heads there for brunch, but in its cool, eclectic decor. The food is great and the place is one of the coolest in the city, but note that they don’t take reservations, so bring your phone to flip through your Instagram feed while you wait.”

The Fat Radish - “A delightful and delicious British (yes, British!) restaurant, The Fat Radish may have one of the greatest restaurant names of all times, but that’s not why we keep going back to this beloved spot (okay, not the only reason). On top of its delectable, locally-sourced cuisine (featuring sharable plates like Montauk diver scallops and peeky toe crab gratin), The Fat Radish just has a happy, bright vibe that we simply love.”

Clinton Street Baking Company - “Hands down the most-loved, most-talked about, and most crowded bakery and brunch in all of NYC - and that’s really saying something. New Yorkers from every side of town flock to CSBC for their fluffy blueberry and banana-walnut pancakes and brioche french toast. But the real secret is that the restaurant serves their menu all day, including dinner, so if you ever have a hankering for breakfast at 9pm, you know where to go.”

SHOP

Reformation - “A brand that’s cute and eco-conscious - now that’s what we’re talking about. Reformation may be LA-based, but it fits right in to the Lower East Side, where doing things that are good for the earth while still remaining chic gives the area its mojo.”

Frankie Shop - “What was once the cult e-comm site Pixie Market’s brick-and-mortar is now the concept shop Frankie - a much more grown-up version of the original boutique. Head here for creative work wear (like tuxedo dresses and oversized turtlenecks) at prices that you’ll scoff at - for how low they are for the quality the goods are.” 

Narnia Vintage - “Vintage shops are like Starbucks on the Lower East Side - they’re literally everywhere, but Narnia Vintage is one that stands out. It may be a teeny tiny storefront, but its offerings are selected so perfectly that you won’t even need to rummage around through tons and tons of clothing. Narnia is known to be the fav of vintage pros around the world, so you know that it’s definitely at the top of its class.”

Russ and Daughters - “Historically, The Lower East Side housed mostly  Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, and you can still get a taste of that (literally) today. And in a city filled with a deli on every corner, Russ & Daughters is where you should be getting your lox for all those bagels and schmear you plan on eating later. The food shop celebrated its 100th anniversary last year (which they celebrated by opening up a cafe around the corner), so you know they’re at least doing something right (and that something is smoked fish.) Seriously - run, don’t walk over there.” 

Bowery and Vine - “Rather than raiding your mini bar for a $50 half bottle of mediocre wine, hit up this local wine shop that carries wines from nearly every region you could possibly think of. And their liquor offerings are notable as well, particularly with their whiskey selection. Plus, the staff is incredibly helpful and knowledgable, so holler at them if you need any help or if you just want to chat about booze.”

FROLIC

Yoga High - “Even though the Lower East Side isn’t as hectic as, say, Midtown, it’s still tough to find peace and quiet in a city like New York. So slow down, take a breather, and take a class at Yoga High. It’s crucial to slow it down for a quick hour or so while you’re in NYC, so finding a great yoga spot is critical, and Yoga High is the absolute best in the Lower East Side.”

The Tenement Museum - “Hands down --this is the coolest museum in New York City. And considering all the wonderful museums in New York, that’s saying quite a lot. But you’re not going to get the same experience that you do at The Met or The Guggenheim - The Tenement Museum is a hands-on experience. You’ll be taken on one of their many tours - either a walking tour of the neighborhood (including their legendary food tour) or a tour of an actual tenement. The Lower East Side is filled with so much history, and The Tenement Museum gives you a look at what it would be like to have been an immigrant in the turn of the century. This is something that you won’t want to miss - so make sure you sign up in advance on their website.” 

Meghan’s outfit credits: Dress - Piazza Sempione, Sunglasses - Stella McCartney, Shoes - Gianvito Rossi

Easy Dinners for College Students (or busy/ low-energy people) that aren’t mac and cheese

These are more aimed for people in apartments, who have access to a stove top/ oven/ toaster/ toaster oven 

Stir Fry- ingredients: frozen veggies, ramen noodles, oil, & teriyaki sauce. Dump 1/2 bag of frozen veggies (some grocery stores have “stir fry” or “hong kong” veggie mixes that work well. carrots and peas work too) into a frying pan with a cover on medium-high heat. let them defrost that way and once they’re soft pour in a bit of oil and cook them in that for a few minutes. boil the ramen noodles in a separate pot, drain them, and then add them and the sauce to the veggies. makes 1-2 servings. 

Fish and Chips- ingredients: frozen breaded fish, frozen french fries (or tater tots), and tartar sauce. optional: lemon juice, if you wanna be/ feel fancy. follow the directions on the packages to cook the fish and fries. put them on the same plate, and cover in tartar sauce. This is what I make when I’m not feeling like cooking, but want something besides cup noodles and canned soup. I usually do a 1/3-1/2 of a bag of french fries and like 2-3 breaded fish for a single serving, because I fricken love fish and chips. You can totally still do less and feel full (especially if you paired it with an apple or steamed veggies or something) 

Avocado Toast- listen, avocados get hate but they’re tasty and filling. ingredients: two slices of bread (soon to become toast), 1 avocado, lemon juice (to keep the avocado green & for taste), and ~spices~ (I like garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and paprika. you can use more, esp. chili powder. I’m just boring). Toast the bread. Cut the avocado in half around the pit. Scoop out half and smush it onto a slice of toast with a fork. add spices/ lemon juice and smush them around with the fork to distribute them evenly. repeat for 2nd slice of toast. 2 servings.  (I eat them at once, because I’m terrible at storing open avocados, if you aren’t-- BOOM! dinner and breakfast.) 

Spaghetti and Meatballs- ingredients: angel hair pasta, salt, tomato sauce, and frozen meatballs. cook frozen meatballs in the oven/ microwave as per the directions. boil water (with some salt in it) and cook the angel hair. angel hair is really thin pasta, so it’ll cook in ~4 minutes. spaghetti or fettuccine (my fav.) will take more like ~7-12 minutes, depending on the thickness/ your stove. drain pasta. put the pasta back in the pot you boiled it in. add sauce (~1/3 cup?)  and meatballs (~4). Boom! easy sunday dinner. If you don’t like tomato sauce you can substitute it with alfredo, pesto, pumpkin sauce (or even pumpkin puree, but you’d need to water it down with water or broth), vodka sauce, or even terriyaki/stir fry/ some other sauce from asian cuisine. 1-2 servings. 

Teriyaki Salmon- ingredients: mushrooms, red bell pepper, and salmon. This one involves more prep than others, but there’s not too much actual cooking. slice the bell pepper and as many mushrooms as you want (I usually use ~6), and throw them in a pan. put salmon on top of the veggies (I just use a piece of frozen salmon). Put in a 350 F degree oven, and cook for ~20-25 minutes. 1-2 servings. 

Loaded Mashed Potatoes- mashed potatoes (I like the microwave kind. the box kind work too), 3 chicken strips (either frozen or from your local grocery store or pizza place), and veggies of your choice. Microwave/ make the mashed potatoes. Cook the chicken strips or nuggets (if you’re using frozen ones). Slice or dice (your preference) the strips/ nuggets. Microwave any veggies you want to use. Corn, peas, and carrots work well for this. Mix everything into the mashed potatoes. It might sound gross, but honestly it’s a really good comfort food type meal. 1-3 servings. 

Tortellini Soup- ingredients: tortellini, 32 oz of chicken (or veggie) broth, baby spinach, frozen meatballs. Follow package direction for the meatballs. Bring the chicken broth (can be made from bullions!) to a boil. Cook the tortellini in the broth. Once the tortellini are cooked, add the cooked meatballs and spinach. Let the spinach wilt a little, and then serve. Herbs and salt can help the soup a lot, so if you have those definitely add some salt, basil, and maybe parsley or chives or oregano. like, 4 servings? It’s been a while since I made this (lactose intolerance, yay!), but I feel like it made so much. You might need to top it off with more broth, when reheating it, though. The tortellini tends to absorb it in the fridge. 

Bonus- pancakes. the cooking and clean up is kind of tedious, but get yourself a box mix that just needs water. mix them together (maybe spice them up with cinnamon, or blueberries, or chocolate, or deli ham. listen, i don’t know you. add whatever the hell you want. spinach and protein powder? sure, why not. #healthcakes! nutella centers? hell yeah. #nutsaboutthatidea). cook them in some butter/ oil/ cooking spray. Don’t worry too much about the shape, just try to cook them all the way through.  Add some syrup and bada-bing bada-boom. fucking pancakes for dinner. 

So these recipes might not work for everyone, but they’re the ones I’ve been going back to since I started cooking for myself. I hope someone gets something from this post, and thanks for reading. Happy cooking and, more importantly, eating! 

Sorry for asking this but may i know why devils own luck is not one of ur personal favs? Bcs to me the plot is so damn well written, the characters are so lively, n there were so many scenes tht pull strings in my heart i love it so much haha. I mean is there a specific memory to u while writing the fic?

oh what an interesting question. I’ll start off by saying that over time my feelings towards certain fics do change. I might post something I don’t like it or think it’s not my best work. But as months and months go by, I look back and become nostalgic or I’m able to see the story with a more clear mind.

Specifically for Devil’s Own Luck, I remember a lot of struggle during the writing process. Of course, there wasn’t problems in the plot or characters for me. Rather, it’s still my longest oneshot up to date. 28.5k. I remember encountering stamina problems. I was really running out of steam when writing it.

I remember trying to finish scenes like it was a to-do list, happy to cross off plot points as I went, happy to get it done and over with. I remember taking an entire month to write the story when it usually took me two weeks to do a oneshot. I remember being burnt out. I remember being frustrated. I remember wanting to quit writing all together and planning my retirement from writing. And when I finished, the long story was just posted it all at once.

Slice of life is always difficult for me to write when it’s long because it can be so mundane. Every time I write a new slice of life series - For Love & Money, Student Council Prez, Brass & Strings - these stories always push the limits of how much I can handle. 

Devil’s Own Luck is definitely one of the lowest writing points of the journey so far. The other was You’ve Got A Dog in Me which was something that took me a month as well and I struggled to write because I was working long hours at the deli during summer.

Well anyways, that’s why I didn’t love Devil’s Own Luck when I posted it. But now I’m fairly satisfied with it. I look back with fond memories. I love Demon!Jimin. I think it’s a cute story. I don’t think it’s my best work but it’s still pretty damn good. Perhaps on the same tier as The Deli Diaries? 

Hey :) I hope it's okay to ask that. You're my favorite Voltron blog and I've seen that you've got a lot of klance here. May I ask if you or your followers know and can recommend any good klance (Cinderella AU is my fave) fanfiction? Sorry to bother and thank you ❤️

You’re definitely not bothering me!! I don’t know of any Cinderella AU fics, but @kiilea has beautiful art for that AU. I can list some that I’ve read and everyone is welcome to add their favs.

At the End of the Road with You by RangoAteMyBaby (FormallyKnownAsFreya) | (20/?) | 133,824 | Explicit |

Incident One started the zombie outbreak two years ago. Now most only survive thanks to organized groups like The Garrison. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk are members of the Echo Scouting and Scavenging Team. They find themselves out on the far outer regions when they come across a survivor from another team that they were lead to believe were killed. This discovery leads to a new horrifying truth and the team has to find another way to survive in this cruel undead world.

This fic is sooo good and I highly recommend it! It so well written and very interesting. I’m currently reading this and it’s one of my favorite Klance fics I’ve ever read. I don’t even know what else to say but to read it bc it’s great! (Btw it is NSFW)

Love and Cheese by flyingisland | (25/25) | 115,421 |

He’s a teenage boy, in way over his head. He’s a college kid, delivering pizzas on a bike that his mom bought for him when he was twelve. He’s a media major, a movie buff, and a total moron who’s madly in love with the snooty heartthrob at the Deli, who always gives him an extra slice of cheese. He’s a trainwreck, a total lovestruck fool, and a hopeless romantic who always says the wrong thing.

But today, despite everything, his one true goal in life is to tell the cute Deli-guy, loud and clear, “It’s not Lucas, it’s Lance.”

This one is so cute and well developed. Lance is a nervous wreck and his relationship with Keith is adorable. Their dates are adorable and this whole fic is so fluffy and cute.

Don’t Break Connection, Baby by princedeadend | (10/10) | 38721 | Mature |

Keith works part-time as a phone sex operator and receives a prank call from Lance. This does not go as planned for Lance. Thus begins the adventure of our dear sweet goofball continuing to call Keith to fuck with him (but not like fuck fuck with him…at least not yet). And y'know, eventually having legit conversations with him and getting attached and growing on Keith.

This one is very funny and cute. Lance is desperate to talk to this boy. It’s great.

Call Me, Beep Me by orphan_account | (10/10) | 85591 |

(00:31) Do you think she gave me the wrong number on purpose?(00:31) Or was it a genuine mistake?(00:32) Like maybe she writes funny and I misread it?(00:32) Some of the numbers do look a little dodgy…(00:33) Cause, you know, her threes could very easily be poorly formed eights? And maybe she writes her sevens like her ones?(00:45) What(00:46) The(00:46) Fuck???(00:47) Oh good, you are awake!

where lance messages the wrong number and things kind of snowball from there

Eyes Wide to You with Wonder by aknightley | (1/1) | 8812 |

Keith doesn’t dislike his job, but he definitely dislikes Lance. Probably. Maybe.

“Coran thinks you’ll bang at the Christmas party but I think that’s giving you guys way too much credit,” Pidge says thoughtfully. “Hunk is a romantic. He thinks Lance is gonna ask you out any day now. I think he’s got a week or so before he owes me like a hundred bucks.”

“Pidge, what the fuck?” Keith says, flustered. He nudges them again with his foot, this time slightly harder. They scowl at him, swatting him away. “Why would you bet on me and Lance?”

It’s a cute office AU where Keith and Lance are always quipping at each other.

These are just some off the top of my head. I still have a list that I’ll eventually get around to reading lol

heyy girlboss/guyboss let’s talk FOOD !! lately i’ve been loving going up london to some gorg restaurants (mostly italian) and i wanted to share with u some of my favs and some places that id love to go when i get the chance 🙂

im on my last few weeks in the UK before i jet off to australia for a year so i’m tryna make the most of being in London rn haha.

one of my fav restaurants rn is Lina Stores🍝 which is shown in the pic^^ i get the truffle pasta every time and it never disappoints – if u love truffle this dish is definitely for u!! they don’t have too much on the menu but it’s great because all the pasta is made fresh and u can even buy some fresh pasta on the way out in their Deli it’s amazing!

i also love eating in pubs, their food is just yum and i love going when it’s hot out it makes me feel so good and like it’s summer time!! i went to a pub in London called The White Horse and got beef brisket and cheddar triple cooked chips with halloumi fries and it was the best loaded fries ive ever eaten in my life (pic below)

turtle bay – this was the best brunch i’ve been to its £35 and u get food and unlimited cocktails!! u can have 2 cocktails at a time so it’s easy to get so fucked up haha i was all over the place it was great fun and the food was delicious 🙂 the yummiest juicy burger and fries im going back soon !!

now onto some places i want to eat!! i recently saw a restaurant called Truffle Burger and the menu looks insane i deffo want to give it a go, also Fatt Pundit, burger & beyond, manteca, pizza pilgrims, marsha, ave mario, fallow, and sketch look great and are on my list..

anyways!! thank u for reading this far if u have and i hope u will be back again :)) let me know some of ur fav restaurants and what else u want me to talk about!! love u <333

Rainy Morning

Todays weather is literally perfect. It is raining/hailing outside, it's gloomy and I can hear the bird chirping outside my window. Its 10:50 and I am watching Zombieland, making tea and smoking my bong. Honestly, this is the best morning. Ever. Last night we had an overdue date night and it was so perfect. We made reservations at a BBQ restaurant and of course we missed it lol so we had to wait 30 minutes for a table. We decided to wait but go across the street for a drink. This place was so nice and cute, and the drinks were okay! We then went to go eat and holy fuck. The food was fucking delicious.

For an appetizer we had brisket tacos- fucking amazing, fried pickles- fucking amazing. The tacos were totally my fav out of those two. I would go there just for the tacos lol. For dinner we had the beef platter and we got brisket and I think burnt ends (which is their popular dish) but since they were out of it they let us substitute for their ribs and olhy fuck their ribs were amazing lol. It came with a side so we got fries and we got mashed potatoes & gravy and mach & cheese- holy fuck lol soooo good. Im allergic to pork so I could only eat one rib but it was soooo fucking food. The meat came off the bone and it was so flavorful, smoky, delicious, it melted in my mouth. I can literally tase it in my mouth right now lol and I am SO TEMPTED to heat up that extra platter of ribs we got lol. Sigh. But yes, we are definitely going back to that BBQ place. The experience, server, energy, everything was amazing.

There were minor hiccups such as the waiter forgot to add our second entree (but she was amazing regardless) and she added an extra platter of ribs to our order (we honestly did not even realize when we paid and honestly, we were happy about the ribs lol). What made it better was the amazing service and also the free apple cake that she gave us which was sooo good because it tasted just like apple pie but it was just cake. We were so happy and stuffed leaving that restaurant. The one thing I do regret was chugging my beer and getting straight into the Uber. The fast movement and being stuffed slightly killed me lol. Overall, the night was amazing and we truly enjoyed ourselves. This was something that we missed doing and we also haven't done in a while because we are trying to save money and not spend as much. I cannot wait to go back and do this again!

I am debating on getting Wendys though. I want nuggets, fries and a chocolate frosty lol. Buttt I also want a deli sandwich. We have this amazing deli across from us and its so fucking good. Like delicious. The only issue is that its cash only. and the sandwiches are semi expensive because they're kind of famously known. They have specialty sandwiches and those are jobs the ones you want to get lol but yeah it depends on also what my bf wants to eat as well. I am usually a really indecisive person and can never chose something to eat so I think its great that its 11 and I know what I want lol. Im glad its just two options. Normally they're like 3 or 4 and its so annoying lol.

Lets see how this day goes!

the otp meme: my fav gays sinead & evony

we love the gays

who’s the messiest one ?

sinead. evony isn't the most organized person on the planet , but everything in her apartment has a place. she's a photographer , so she has an eye for design.

who feels the most uncomfortable about PDA ?

err .. neither ? sinead doesn't give a fuck what anyone else has to say and neither does evony.

who's the funniest drunk ?

probably sinead , tbh. evony's always cracking jokes , but she's got her guard up a lil bit more. i feel like she doesn't get super drunk bc she doesn't like feeling out of control. she'll have a couple , but for the most part she sticks to weed.

who texts the most ?

evony. they're an introvert , so they prefer texts to calls. and honestly ? most of the time they prefer texting to real in-person social interactions. it just depends on who you are , how much they like you , and how much social energy they have that day.

who has the most embarrassing taste in music ?

hmm .. sinead. evony is a music snob who listens to the classics and hates modern pop .. unless it's ariana grande. that girl can sing.

who reads the most ?

does sinead even read ? asjkdalhsj

who’s better with kids ?

uMmMmmMmm , probably sinead. evony's apartment is not kid-friendly , and kids are loud. she doesn't have a problem with them. she might even want one some day , but sinead is more personable and can communicate with them , play with them , etc. evony probably just talks to them like they are adults ( minus the cussing ) .

who’s the one that fixes things around the house ?

evony. if you want something done right , you have to do it yourself.

who’s got the weirdest hobby ?

they've both probably gotten into weird shit before. sometimes you smoke a bowl and end up on a random website learning how to do stone skipping when there are no large bodies of water near your place.

who cooks and who cleans up ?

honestly ? i think sinead probably does a lot of the cooking. she's an artist , and cooking is definitely form of art. it requires a lot of patience ( that evony doesn't always have ) but also , i think it'd be one of the ways that she could take care of evony without them getting all defensive. like bringing her a plate of somethin to help her feel better , or just makin any sort of meal. it's a nice way of showing someone you care , and evony loves food. evony would definitely do some of the cooking , but living in nyc has made them lazy. why cook when you can stop at the bodega and get snacks ? or just hit up the deli that's across the street. some of the best cuisine in the entire world is just minutes away.

Jackson Hole, WY.

Another favorite stop on our road trip was Jackson Hole. We were there in the shoulder season in late October, just a few weeks after most of the leaves had turned. While it was pretty cold, we had a wonderful time. 

Where we stayed

Anvil Hotel - Roadside motel recently renovated into a trendy midcentury hotel. 

What we liked:

Affordable

Great location, right in town

Decor is cute, beds are comfy

What we didn’t like:

Rooms are dark and almost all have windows that face directly into a parking lot. You have to keep the shades pulled down the whole time for privacy, so there isn’t much natural light. 

Overall, it felt a bit cheap. It was cheap, so I guess you get what you pay for. I’d recommend it if you’re on a budget, but otherwise would stay elsewhere. We loved the Rustic Inn, where we stayed our last night in Jackson.

Rustic Inn - I’ll admit, the branding does not impress (Anvil looks much cuter online), but the Rustic Inn is actually very nice! I would definitely recommend it, especially if you can get a creekside cabin/room.

What we liked:

Beautiful grounds complete with a creek, teepee, creekside outdoor bar, outdoor fireplaces, and a river walk.

Big cabin-like rooms or actual cabins

Our room had a fireplace and a porch

Breakfast was to-go due to COVID, but they were really good breakfast burritos!

Outdoor hot tub and pool area (we took advantage of the hot tub)

What we didn’t like:

We tried to make spa appointments day-of or day-prior (right after we checked in), but it was too late -- they were full. It wasn’t the hotel’s fault, really. We would have liked to stay there longer and leveraged the spa.

Location is towards the outskirts of downtown Jackson, it’s actually right as you’re driving out of town towards the Tetons or airport. It’s good, because it has lots of space, but not as walkable as, say, the Anvil. 

This photo was taken before we went to dinner at the creek right next to our hotel room at Rustic Inn...see, stunning!

What we did

We had so much fun in Jackson Hole and I love how much there is to see and do in the area! The Grand Tetons are absolutely stunning and are less than a 20 minute drive away...The proximity to Grand Teton National Park and even Yellowstone makes Jackson Hole one of my favorite destinations and a must for outdoor adventurers. 

Outdoor adventures:

Grand Teton National Park - Out of every National Park we visited, Grand Teton was probably our favorite and definitely the best run. Everything was very clearly marked, rangers were extremely helpful, and the trails were well kept with nice bathrooms/facilities and plenty of parking. Sounds superfluous but you notice these things after awhile!

Rockin’ M Ranch Trail Ride - BY FAR one of our favorite activities in Jackson and of our entire trip. Forgot how cathartic spending time with animals in nature is...Rockin’ M Ranch is in Alpine, about 45 minutes outside of Jackson. They were WONDERFUL. We did 3 hour ride with lunch included, which was really fun. I guess there are less little kids on the longer rides, which worked well for us. We had a great group of about 5 couples and a guide who was nice, funny, and helpful. We hiked along and THROUGH a river, up and down hills and ate lunch at this area that had a grill and picnic table. Many pictures below...

Things we did in Grand Teton National Park:

There are sooo many hikes and beautiful lakes to check out in the Tetons...what we did in our limited time below and then I’ll also link some other favs. These are great activities for summer/fall, but had we been there in the winter we would have skied Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. We will be back soon!

Hidden Falls Trail - The majority of this hike is pretty flat and wraps around the gorgeous Jenny Lake. We ended up hiking up past the falls up a step path to a few overlooks that had stunning views of the entire lake. Then, we heard about a Moose spotting from another hiker and set out to find it...and we did! I think these offshoots must have added some distance and elevation to our hike because I was exhausted by the end.

Mormon Row - OK so this is less a hike and more of a site to see, but it’s these old farm houses and barns with the most stunning background. They are located on the Antelope refuge and we saw tons of pronghorn grazing in the area. I didn’t know what that was, but pronghorn are in the antelope family and they are the fastest animal in North America and the 2nd fastest animal in the world!! 

Beautiful viewpoint on top of Signal Mountain -  Perhaps you can hike here, but we drove it. The views from the top are stunning. You can see the Teton range and Lake Jackson on one side and Jackson Hole Valley on the other!

Top 10 Hiking trails in Grand Teton National Park on AllTrails >>

Yellowstone National Park is also only about an hour away from Jackson, but I’ll cover that in my Montana post! :)

Views from top of Signal Mtn:

Mormon Row:

Hiking Jenny Lake:

Shopping:

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to get a Stetson hat in Jackson. And so I did! And there were SOOO many good ones to choose from. Chris got his second Stetson, too!

Hide Out Leathers - I got both my Stetson hat and suede fringe jacket here! They have such a good supply of leather goods, not as wide variety of hats, but they do have some.

Beaver Creek Hats and Leather - Chris got his hat here and they have a loooot of great hats. I was tempted to buy another hat here after getting mine at Hide Out, but I resisted. 

High Country Outfitters - They have fly fishing trips out of here and outdoor gear/apparel.

Pendleton Store - Pendleton stuff just says “the West” to me. So it makes sense they’d have a flagship store in Jackson. They have such cool blankets and even make custom ones at this store.

Breakfast / Lunch:

Persephone bakery - An adorable bakery and cafe. You order at the counter and then they bring you your food. Really cute outdoor dining, too! I got the croissant breakfast sandwich and it was so tasty!

Cafe Genevieve - Another wonderful little breakfast spot, right next to Persephone. More of a sit down and order kind of place. And more traditional breakfast food. I loved my waffles and chai latte.

Creekside Market - Great deli to get to-go sandwiches for a day of adventures!

Dinner:

We should have booked dinner reservations further in advance, because it was pretty tough to get reservations once we got there. 

Our first night there, we met up with some friends who have a place in Jackson Hole. We wanted to sit outside (COVID and we had a dog with us), so we got drinks and dinner at Cutty’s, a local dive bar. Very divey, but fun! A bit out of the town square so less touristy but also you need to drive to get there. Not really a “must-see”. 

Local restaurant & bar - This was our favorite dinner in Jackson. We both got really good steaks! They also had really great wine selection including many natural wines, which we loved. 

StillWest Brewery & grill - When we couldn’t get reservations in town, we called StillWest. Stillwest is still technically in town, but not right in the town square. It’s closer to the local ski mountain, Snow King. It’s a really fun brewery and restaurant with good food!

On our third night we went to dinner with friends in a nearby town, Wilson, and went to an old-school Italian restaurant: Calico. 

Recommendations

Because we had such a limited time there, I enlisted the help of my friend Kaelyn (a regular, and a local for a good chunk of COVID) to help me with all of her faves. So comments below are from her POV, which I trust, of course.

Restaurants:

Glorietta's - New-ish Italian spot. Literally everything I've had is next-level good, but Meatballs are a must. 

Persephone Bakery - Breakfast/lunch spot. The one in town is tiny and always insanely crowded, but a new one just opened in Wilson and is bigger/way less crowded. We went here, too...Linked above!

Cafe Genevieve - Southern comfort-ish food (lol we did our late night wedding food from here). We went here, too...Linked above!

Pinky G's - Best pizza in my opinion — you can dine in but we usually take out Get the Abe Froman with balsamic glaze! 

Snake River Grill - Fancy spot, probably best steak/bison place in town Make a reso NOW if you're going months from now haha 

Bin 22 - Mini liquor/wine + mart that's also a tapas/happy hour spot

Calico - especially in the summer! We went here, too...Linked above!

Hikes:

Hiking in the park

Delta Lake - ~7 miles with elevation gain (takes 3.5-4.5 hours to hike, roundtrip, plus ~1 hour at the lake)...I'd say moderate-to-difficult but worth it. The views are unreal (it's that gorgeous bright blue lake!) and it's never too too crowded.

Bradley and/or Taggart Lakes - A 5-mile loop, not hard at all. Bradley is less crowded if you want to pick one.

Phelps Lake - Scenic and easy, more of a walk than a hike. Has a massive boulder that people jump off of into the water (great photo op!) — kind of a "rite of passage," if you will.

For both of these hikes (Bradley/Taggart and Delta), you'll enter through the park, which driving through IS an adventure in and of itself; you can buy a park pass that'll last you seven days

Also I HIGHLY recommend to everyone visiting Jackson that they rent a car

Hiking in Teton Village:

You can hike to the top of the gondola (~1.5 hours) OR ride the gondola and hike one of the trails that starts toward the top of the mountain...there are TONS

Did the Cirque trail this summer and LOVED it...It summits Rendezvous (the main skiing mountain in the village) and there were basically no people doing it.

Hiking in town:

Snow King - This is a ski run in winter but a steep and quick trail in the summer. Super quick but tough! A great workout.

Hiking with a bit of a drive

Table Mountain - You actually drive through Victor and Driggs (Idaho), then back through Alta (Wyoming) to get to the trailhead. Hike takes 4-5 hours and the first part (~3 miles) is really freaking hard BUT then it gets easier. On a clear day, you can see the Tetons from the other side!

Other Activities:

Float/raft Snake River - We usually just float it and drink beer but you can also do a guided rafting excursion, there are tons to choose from (just Google). 

Get sloshies - Sloshies are alcoholic slushies that you can find at most of the gas stations in Jackson Hole. My favorite's at Hoback Market, but that's a bit south of town. They also have them Creekside Market (also has my favorite, most epic sandwiches), Basecamp (the gas station in Wilson), Albertson's and the liquor store attached to Aspens Market.

Visit Jackson Lake - Super scenic lake in the park. Kind of a hike to get to but if you devote a day, you can rent SUPs, walk around, etc. If you have a boat (or can rent one) you can boat around and water ski, etc. 

Drive the big loop in the park - You'll see wildlife, the Tetons, the Chapel of the Transfiguration. Before leaving, grab a drink at Dornan's.

Granite or Astoria Hot Springs - The "official" Astoria ones aren't open to us non-Wyoming resident peasants BUT there are natural hot springs (called "hippie" hot springs) before Astoria/the red bridge that goes to the Snake River Sporting Club. Just park by the other parked cars, and you'll find a path that leads to them! (Def bring sloshies)

Below:

Pic 1 - Chris and I in our new Stetsons out to dinner

Pic 2 - Chris with our delicious steak dinner at Local

92 TRUTHS TAG Rules: once you have been tagged you are supposed to write 92 truths about yourself. at the end, choose 25 people to tag! Tagged by @weirdcutecat thank you(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ LAST… 1. drink: nestea 2. phone call: dad 3. text message: my best friend 4. song you listened to: Tove Lo - Not On Drugs 5. time you cried: 2 hours ago HAVE YOU EVER… 6. dated someone twice: i haven’t dated anyone lol 7. been cheated on: i can’t get cheat on if i’m not seeing anyone 👉👉 8. kissed someone and regretted it: nope 9. lost someone special: no 10. been depressed: i don’t think so 11. gotten drunk and thrown up: no  LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS: 12. Black 13. Burgundy 14. Dark green IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU… 15. made new friends: i think 16. fallen out of love: nope 17. laughed until you cried: yea 18. found out someone was talking about you: idk 19. met someone who changed you: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 20. found out who your true friends are: bruh i did 21. kissed someone on your facebook list: i don’t even have facebook GENERAL… 22. How many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: i don’t have facebook 23. Do you have any pets: nope 24. Do you want to change your name: nah, it’s fab 25. What did you do for your last birthday: :) i had a party :) 26. What time did you wake up: 6:55 am 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: reading fanfiction 28. Name something you cannot wait for: summer!!! 29. When was the last time you saw your mother: a few minutes ago 30. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: oh man so many i don’t even know where to start 31. What are you listening to right now: music 32. Have you ever talked to a person named tom: i did not 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: doing things i don’t like 34. Most visited website: this webiste :)  35. Elementary: glad it ended 36. High school: boring and i don’t like it very much  37. College: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 38. Hair colour: uhm brown with green tips (it looks better than it sounds) 39. Long or short hair: medium 40. Do you have a crush on someone: fictional characters and famous people own my heart 💖 41. What do you like about yourself? my hair and my eyes 42. Piercings: ears 43. Blood type: idk 44. Nickname: deli, del 45. Relationship status: lonely alien 👽 46. Zodiac sign: aquarius 47. Pronouns: she/her 48. Fav tv show: supernatural and shadowhunters 49. Tattoos: tatoos are cool  50. Right or left handed: right FIRST… 51. surgery: nope 52. piercing: ears 53. best friend: @velvetnikiforov 54. sport: sleeping  55. vacation: probably to the seaside 56. pair of trainers: what RIGHT NOW… 57. eating: no, but i’m quite hungry 58. drinking: nothing 59. i’m about to: finish this tag and watch a movie  60. listening to: Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill 61. waiting for: a miracle tbh 💫 62. want: a lot of things 63. get married: maybe  64. career: something that makes me happy WHICH IS BETTER… 65. hugs or kisses: hugs 66. lips or eyes: eyes 67. shorter or taller: taller 68. older or younger: older heh  69. romantic or spontaneous: ? 70. nice arms or nice stomach: idk  71. sensitive or loud: sensitive 72. hook up or relationship: relationship  73. troublemaker or hesitant: troublemaker i guess HAVE YOU EVER… 74. kissed a stranger? nope  75. drank hard liquor? I think so 76. lost glasses/contact lenses? no  77. turned someone down: i guess 78. sex on first date? definitely not 79. broken someone’s heart? I hope not 80. had your own heart broken? meh 81. been arrested? no 82. cried when someone died? yes 83. fallen for a friend: no i haven’t DO YOU BELIEVE IN… 84. yourself? yeaaaa…. 85. miracles? yes 86. love at first sight? only if it involves my ships 87. santa claus? No💧 88. kiss on the first date? no 89. angels? yea OTHER… 90. current best friend’s name: she knows who she is  91. eye colour: brown 92. favourite movie: Dead Poets Society

tagging : @velvetnikiforov  @yuriiangels  @hisparliament                        @rliey-blue @deianameowd  @lizcantspell  @strawberrystarlet                    you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to 🌺💫

New York City: Artist Scott Ewalt’s life-long passion for burlesque is unparalleled. It inspires his art, has guided his career, and has lead to many friendships, but it’s perhaps most apparent in the spectacular interior of his East Village apartment. In 2000, when Giuliani’s mission was to clean up Times Square, Scott’s mission was to save as much of it as he could possibly store. His one-of-a-kind collection celebrates the trailblazing performers and venues of New York City’s legendary burlesque scene. In his own work Scott continues this obsession, blurring the lines between collector, historian, and visual artist. His last show at Participant Inc. was a grand installation that mixed theatre signage, wallpaper, and memorabilia. The star pieces were his depictions of gangs of seductive devils roaming through intricately detailed cityscapes of Time Square at the height of it’s sleazy chaotic glory; a decadent zone where all pleasure is encouraged. Talking with Scott is a brilliant web. His back-stories have back-stories. He’s obsessed with the origin of ideas. As he speaks he connects lines through history in order to explain where concepts in fashion, art, music, and culture began. His militancy about this has made him a leading expert in downtown subculture, some of which he’s lived first hand, playing a leading role in what are some of the city’s best moments. Scott’s fairy tale introduction to New York began with being discovered by Thierry Mugler while still an architecture student at Princeton. He became Mugler’s muse for his iconic Vampire collection, starting a collaborative friendship, and long wild ride through the height of the acclaimed designer’s dominance in fashion. Let’s start with Betty Boop. Was she your first introduction to burlesque? Probably. I was a big fan of Max Fleischer cartoons. He created her, Felix the Cat, and Popeye. I had a special interest in him because my great aunt was his nurse. Why were you so fascinated? I read that when Betty Boop danced, every tenth frame she would be nude. You can only see it if you stop and actually look at the individual frames. That made Max my hero. So, that I love strippers so much now makes perfect sense. Also, in the early cartoons, the backdrop for Popeye was always the Bowery, and I thought, ‘That looks great. I wanna live there’. How did you end up getting this apartment? The worst possible way. I was close friends with Luciana Martinez de la Rosa. I helped her move in here. She was only in the apartment for eight hours and she caught spontaneous meningitis and basically exploded. She had the boy in the bubble disease, but before they had even discovered it. Had they diagnosed it she would have had to live her whole life in germ free seclusion but instead she had this insane career as a Carnaby St. DJ, glam rock muse (Roxy Music), punk rock muse (Vivienne Westwood), and then she was the queen of the Blitz. As much as I miss her, out of everyone I’ve ever known she crammed the most into the fewest years. Yikes, how strange. Luciana was a painter. I know she would have been happy that a friend and fellow artist took the space. Yeah, so that’s the story. What was it like when you moved in? It really was the encyclopaedia of CBGB’s. You’d go to the deli and you’d see Suicide or two of the Ramones, and on the other corner, Gerard Malanga Lenny Kaye lived next door so Patti Smith was always around. And all the old beatniks like John Giorno, Robert Frank, who I’d see hanging out with that Broadway legend Uta Hagen. Almost anyone that wasn’t a bum was someone quite celebrated. I was in hog heaven and then all of a sudden it felt almost like someone unplugged a drain and all my heroes slipped through it. Everyone that made it special for me got pushed out. But you stayed? Well, in 2000 the building went up for sale for a ridiculously low price. Today I would get something the size of this bed for that amount of money I paid. So the other tenants and I pulled together to buy the place. We knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, plus I’d already collected all this burlesque signage and there was no way I’d be able to put this puzzle back together anywhere else. So, I decided to bite the bullet. I did everything I could, sold things, ran credit cards to the limit and borrowed. Even Thierry Mugler lent me money to close. I just barely made it. Once it was yours did you renovate? We had to. That’s when we found all the goodies. When we opened the walls they were stuffed with human hair because the top floor used to be a wig factory and when they would sweep the left over hair from the wigs would get trapped in the walls. Eventually it filled up the entire negative space of the whole building. It insulated great but at the same time it was kind of horrifying. And isn’t this place also rumoured to be the notorious Suicide bar? There was some debate about whether it was across the street or here. But when we excavated we found bottles of benzene which they used to make the cocktail so… Can you explain the bar? In the 1870s they served the Suicide cocktail, which was benzene, cocaine and rum, and it was served to prostitutes. One would make you high, and two would kill you. A lot of women would drink two and then jump out the windows… Dark… Let’s talk burlesque. At what point did you start collecting stuff? The first time I visited New York I stayed in Times Square and I was completely blown away. It was at its Koch-era peak of sleazy broken-down-ness. Everything was a hostess house, there was still taxi-dancing, and porno theatres that people lived in. I even saw a topless shoeshine booth. It was the Wild Wild West but in the middle of the city. And it was all based around Burlesque? Yeah, the girls didn’t have pimps. The majority of them weren’t even sex workers. I became fascinated with them. They didn’t sing or have a band but they were like: I’m starring in a show and that show is just ME! That takes such confidence. I have a lot of admiration for those performers because I wouldn’t be able to do it if my life depended on it. Do you remember buying your first piece of memorabilia? Around 1987 I became friends with Paula Klaw. She’s know for beating Betty Page with a hairbrush in all those famous pictures. She and her brother ran the notorious Movie Star News. They made those iconic Klaw movies with Paige, Tempest Storm and Blaze Starr. I started buying photographs from them. Paula saw I was hooked and said, ‘You know I have an actual Tease-o-Rama poster from 1955, do you want that?’ I told her I would kill to have it. She sold it to me for six dollars. Today it’s worth something stupid like $6000. That was my first piece of burlesque memorabilia and I still have it in the other room. How did you jump from that to signage? Giuliani started ‘cleaning up’ Time Square and with the space I have in this apartment I finally had the room to store stuff, so I made friends with all the Greek women that ran all these theatres. I told them, ‘I’m on your side, Giuliani sucks and I think your business is fantastic, so if you are ever in a position where you want all of this excellent stuff to go to a great home where it will always be preserved and eventually end up in a museum, then call me and I’ll pay you good money for it’. One by one they all called and that’s how I got everything. I also would go down to the south side of 42nd street and go to all the construction and… Pull stuff out of the trash? No. I would ask for whoever was supervising the demolition. And it was, you know, a construction guy that would always ask, ‘Why do you want this crap?’ And I’d say, ‘You’re just throwing it out, but I’ll offer you 50 bucks for it’. The next thing you know I had a team of construction scouts that would call me whenever they thought I might like something. I heard your collection has the oldest male strip club sign in New York. I think it’s the oldest in America period. (He points to the sign to right of his bed) That is the first outdoor sign that advertised showing all male films. They used to show Vapors by Andy Milligan at the Eros Theatre. That movie kept people coming to the theatre for fifteen years because a guy takes his towel off and goes off screen and you could see his blurry cock for like three tenths of a second. So, obviously when you put this house together it was about showcasing your collection. It was my therapeutic way of dealing with Giuliani. I thought if he is going to remove this amazing world from our city then I’m gonna make my own Time Square and sleep in the middle of it. Plus, I think it’s sexy. As I get older it may get creepy, but right now I still find it very sexy. I love that you collect both the male and female history of burlesque. It’s post-gay. My gender politics have always been that I like everyone. Gender equality for strippers? Exactly. I have definitely seen just as many of both. I like the exaggeration no matter what sex it is. They never look the same in real life as they do under a pink and blue light with music and costume. It’s a living illusion. Were you recently inducted into the Las Vegas Burlesque Hall of Fame? No, I was honoured with what they call a ‘Sassy Lassy’ award for outstanding contribution to the world of burlesque, and for my work helping the ladies figure out what the original soundtracks to their acts were. Some of them only had a memory of what they used to dance to. A lot of them hadn’t performed in over 30 years. It was a perfect symbiotic relationship, I got an inside track on the true history and they would get their act back together and a new friend. How did they feel about the Museum? Some of them, especially the ones that got married and found God, had guilt about their life in burlesque. The nicest thing about the Burlesque Hall of Fame is that it alleviated their shame and made them realise they were important sexual revolutionaries. Out of all the ladies you worked with who was your favourite? My favourite strippers of all time: Are Zorita, Kitten Natividad, Lilly Christine, Marinka, Liz Renay and Tempest Storm. Thanks to John Waters, Liz Renay and I struck up a friendship long before I started working with the museum. We were close for about fifteen years until she past away in 2007. She was like Debbie Harry and Mae West all at once, and super sexual. Up until she died she scheduled three dates everyday. She told me once that she was truly blessed because she never walked into a room where she wasn’t the most beautiful woman. I’m sure it was true. I met Tempest Storm through the Hall of Fame. That was a big moment for me. She did not disappoint. How old was she when you met? 80. She still looked absolutely unbelievable. She’s a real spitfire too. The ones with the names like Tempest and Satana have intensely strong personalities, and the ones with the softer names like Kitten really are the sweeter ones. They’re like comic book characters. They completely live up to their character’s names. Do they also honour male performers? Not yet. Male burlesque has been going on just as long as female burlesque but being a male stripper is even less socially understood. Not only are you a sex worker but you’re a sex worker based on a female profession. There’s double guilt so the history has been pushed underground. Many of the famous male performers still won’t talk about it. Is that something you try to correct in your own artwork? I have been working on the same series of images forever. I started off wanting to document what Time Square looked like. I didn’t want them to look like Edward Hoppers or nostalgic ‘70s photo-realistic paintings, because the whole thing about Times Square that made it magical for me was the confusion and chaos and the constant overlapping of pop culture. I needed something to inhabit these cityscapes and I decided the only logical occupant would be devil versions of the male strippers that I hire to work my night at The Cock. Obviously. So you combined all your loves? Yeah, that’s what I think art is about. It’s like a potion. You put in all the ingredients that you love in order to get what you want. I shopped the show around for years and got practically laughed out of town. Then, thanks to encouragement from Charles Atlas and Kembra Phafler, Lia Gangitano from Participant offered me the show last spring. It was super fun. I got to do everything I wanted to do. The press release mentioned ‘psychotronia’.What’s that? It’s the more exaggerated version of pop culture. If Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor were the norm, then Jayne Mansfield and Liz Renay were psychotronia. It’s this whole attitude of life where everything is completely turned to eleven. The violence is ridiculously violent and the sex is ridiculously ridiculous and all the people that made the movies were incredible hustlers. The most successful psychotronic filmmakers were Russ Meyer and Roger Corman. For me psychotronic movies were actually closer to reality than what Hollywood was doing, trying to imitate reality. I’ve always loved this definition of camp: the lie that tells the truth. That is what psychotronia is. I never heard that definition. I love it… OK, one last topic. Is it true that you were one of Thierry Mugler’s muses? Hmm... Well. He heard about me form a mutual friend. When he approached me he said, ‘You’re the person I’ve been looking for this vampire collection I’m about to do. I heard you study architecture and you’re clearly a vampire’. (Laughs). He liked the way I cut my hair at the time because it was cut to a point and completely flat, when everybody else had their hair moussed as high as they cold get it. My group of friends were all going against that. We had flat hair-dos and were working outfits with unadorned silhouettes, basically black body stockings. He became fascinated with all of us. I was still in school at Princeton and he started sending me sketches of ideas for the vampire collection and invited me to come to Paris and model in the show with Jerry Hall. Wow. A New York City fairy tale! At the time I was a wallflower. I never considered myself good looking at all. He was the first person to say, ‘I love the way you look and that you go to this prestigious school and you’re a swimmer’. All the things I thought were social spurs he thought were super great. When we finally hung out I knew all of his references and he knew everything about everything. I fell completely under his spell. If he wanted to see a certain colour of red, he would take a Concorde to China and go see a parade. In that period he was really, really strong and his fragrance made him incredibly wealthy. From ’88 to ’98, he had his finger on the pulse more than anyone else in fashion. Why was he coming to New York so much? He was bored with the aesthetic repetition of Paris. At that point his entire social life was seated dinners with half men and half women and everyone dressed in Mugler, telling him, ‘Yes, you’re the greatest’. He needed to shake things up and find new inspiration, and he found us. We were all wild kids that lived ‘pedal to the metal’. It was really exciting because he took all of our suggestions seriously and could really make anything happen. He would ask, ‘Who’s really making a wave in pop-culture right now?’ And I’d tell him, ‘Everyone is in love with Traci Lords and Crybaby and the next thing you know, Traci Lords was on the runway. I was about 22 and he was 40. It was funny, we used to take a limousine that was a block long to Boy Bar. For a while, his New York family actually equalled his Paris court. Did he dress in his own clothes? He actually was the caricature of the Mugler man. I always felt that I could be brutally honest with him because I had nothing to lose. He once showed me a couple of the tapes from his shows so I told him, ‘The only thing that’s not incredibly excellent is the music’. At that time, fashion show soundtracks were either disco or classical. Those were our two options. Maybe, jazz if you were really feeling wild… (Laughs). So he said, ‘OK, you want to take the challenge. Here are the different themes for my next show’. So in ‘91 he invited me to Paris and we did a burlesque themed show starring Diana Ross, and everyone thought that it was the most revolting thing that they had ever seen in their entire life. Were you fired? No, it became the beginning of a new era for him. His Vampire and Atlantis collections had both done amazingly well. And by the third time we collaborated he was comfortable with my perspective and let me include all these odd bits of music. Some of my choices then, I would never dare do today. Like when in 1991 when I played Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n’ Roses as the woman that was about to become the First Lady of France walked the run way. At another show I used all this super racist, Chinese music from the ‘50s because the theme was ‘Hong Kong Honky Tonk’. Are you still friends? You said he loaned you money. He’s always been super, super generous with me and he’s just always been the most amazing guy, but unfortunately, when he became Manfred Mugler he started to pull away from most of us. That’s too bad. So now you know nothing about the apartment and everything about me. Perfect. As a nightlife veteran do you have any parting wisdom for the new kids? My advice for living in New York is to keep your overhead low. Also, this city is an endurance test. If you don’t pace yourself you’ll burn out. That elasticity that you have when you’re in your 20s really ends. After that you have to have six drinks instead of 20, and if you’re gonna do drugs, do them once a month. You have to realise your health and your time are extremely important.