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beatriceeagle · 2 years

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HI ITS ME IM MAKING MY BOYFRIEND WATCH NMTD AND LOLILO AND I GOTS A QUESTION FOR METAING

What extent does Pedro's crush on Beatrice affect LoLiLo?

Ah, this is refreshing. I haven't overthought LoLiLo in such a long time.

If what you're asking is whether Pedro's NMTD-era crush affects LoLiLo, the answer seems to be straightforwardly yes. Pedro's crush leads to him asking Bea out in "All Round Great Guy," which leads to her rejecting him, which leads to him flipping out all over the back half of the series, which leads directly to the events of "one foot," and also indirectly to his protracted breakdown in between NMTD and LoLiLo. So the crush is foundational: Remove it and the major events of both series just don't happen.

However, I'm guessing you're asking about it in an ongoing way—that is, how much does Peter's old crush continue to affect events in LoLiLo? And that's harder to settle.

No one ever explicitly references Peter's crush in LoLiLo. "All Round Great Guy" isn't even included in either of Ben's ten-second montages! I assume the reason no one ever mentions it is the same as the reason that no one but Peter ever explicitly mentions the events of Hero's birthday—those are very emotionally raw events, and these people are all ostensibly friends who don't want to hurt each other.

But there are implicit references to Peter's crush. When Ben and Peter start locking heads in "RULES," for instance, Ben makes a roundabout reference: "I assume you're alluding to Rule #5, and my long-distance, happy relationship that doesn't need to be tangled with any more conceit from you, Peter." (And then, later: "And unlike you, I'm in a happy, stable relationship.")

We know from "one foot" that Ben is aware of Peter's motivations in "MAKEUP BLOOPERS"—he knows it was a kind of fucked up thing Peter was trying to do, and he knows that Peter was doing it because Bea rejected him. He knows Peter knows that, because they talked about it in "one foot." So although this isn't a direct reference to Peter's crush, it kind of dances up to the edge of being one.

Peter himself never even comes close to bringing the subject up—he references "MAKEUP BLOOPERS" briefly in "*CLASSIFIED INFORMATION*," but in a very lighthearted way that entirely elides any ulterior motives. But there are moments where it's clearly on his mind. I'm thinking of the shot in "*CLASSIFIED INFORMATION*" where the camera pans over to Peter looking at Bea and Ben cuddling, and of the stretch of "TEA" where he less obviously does the same thing.

Unfortunately, we never get much evidence for whether Bea is still thinking about it. But she can't possibly have forgotten.

I think that to the extent that Peter's crush influences LoLiLo, it mostly does so indirectly, by making up a small part of the tapestry of factors that determine how the characters feel about each other at any given time. Sometimes, with Ben and Peter, there seems to be some lingering resentment. Sometimes, with Peter and Bea, there seems to be some lingering wistfulness. None of this is really a huge factor in the present-day events, but the characters still remember it, and feel things about it, and sometimes those feelings bubble up in ways that likely do influence the plot. For instance, I don't think that Peter's old crush on Bea caused the rules, but I do think that it was one of a number of undercurrents in Peter and Ben's relationship that made their relationship unstable, which then led to the rules. I don't think that Peter seeing Bea caused him to start to pursue Balthazar in "TEA," but I do think it was one of a number of factors that led to him reconsidering that relationship. And so on.

#lovely little losers #meta #lolilo meta

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the-angry-pixie · 4 years

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camboy AU... but make it romantic

Camboy Bill AU feat. the OT7.

- basic stuff really

- Bill is a camboy (billoncam) on those websites that I don’t know enough about to be able to give a name.

- and he does sessions every few days in private chatrooms

- mostly solo stuff - either a vibrator or dildo in his ass whilst jacking it to the camera

- his fans love him because he is really chatty and responsive. and when he gets really turned on, he stutters. he always moans and thanks the person when someone sends him a tip - its like the tip button is directly connected to his vibrator, the way he moans every time it *dings*

- he has regulars. people who always seem to tune in and leave lots of tips. he comes to recognise their usernames.

- “welcome mikey-mike. i hope you’re having a good week.”

- “its good to see you again bigdickrich, what filthy things are you gonna say to me today?”

- stuff like that.

- he holds competitions among viewers - whoever gives him the most tips in a session gets to choose a name for him to call out when he cums

- as a result billoncam ends up moaning out “oh fuck carsforeddie! oh fuck you feel so good carsforeddie! oh fuck OH FUCK!” a lot.

- like previously stated, he’s known for his highly interactive solo stuff but every now and then his audience gets a guest appearance from other people. it always seems to be the same guys but we never get to see their faces

- one has lovely golden skin that matches his golden curls that Bill loves to grab onto when he’s fucking him

- the other is this buff dude with dark blonde body hair that makes the most delicious sounds when he’s railing Bill

- thats right, billoncam be versatile as fuck

- even more versatile than first anticipated because one time during a session Bill is holding a photo on his phone up to show the camera and he accidentally swipes to the next photo which is of some redhead woman lying on a bed in lingerie

- the comment section goes wild and Bill is like “oh fuck, oh fuck you weren’t meant to see that, ah ha ha ha lets forget that happened pls” and he goes on with the session. trying to ignore all the questions hounding him about who the fuck that was and why was she on his bed??

- two days later when billoncam is next scheduled to cam it is immediately obvious that things are very different when the session starts on a shot of Bill sitting fully-clothed talking straight to camera

- “thanks for tuning in everyone. I just felt I wanted to do something a bit different today. There’s been lots of discussion and questions about what happened the other day and I’ve thought about it a lot and have decided that I would like to be honest with you. This is a part of who I am and I don’t want to feel ashamed of that. So the truth is... I’m bisexual. And this...”

- Bill holds up his phone showing a photo of Bill and the redhead from the lingerie photo hugging each other and smiling giddily at the camera

- “... this is Bev. She’s my girlfriend.”

- again, the comment section goes wild. Obviously Bill has been camming himself on a website for gay men and well... gays can still be mean and weird sometimes when it comes to bisexuality.

- “I know. I know. It’s not what you’ve come to expect from me. I’m sorry if you’re offended or something. Well actually I’m not sorry at all. I would never be sorry for being in love with Bev. She’s my rock. We’ve been together for so long and she means the world to me. And the only reason I’m showing her face on here is because she’s given me full permission. In fact she has her own camming channel. Which I can link you to if there are any fellow bi’s out there.”

- Because the internet is the internet, Bill notices he’s losing viewers quickly, but he’s kind of happy to note that some of his regulars are among the ones being super supportive

- sitonthis: you’re not really gay. get the fuckk outta here!

mikey-mike: thanks for being honest with us Bill. I’m bi too and some people on here need to be quiet and stop being rude.

erotic-cum-on-my-hole: where’s the dick??

bigdickrich: daaaaaaaaaaamn Bill. she’s fuckign hot! gimme dat link please >______>

br000ny: sick of these bi s trickin on us. im out.

carsforeddie: YO EVERYONE NEEDS TO SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LEAVE BILL ALOONE!@! WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO DATE BILL?! HE’S FUCKING GORGEOUS AND PERFECT!! I SWEAR TO GOD YOU ALL NEED TO MEET ME IN THE PARKING LOT RIGHT THE FUCK NNOW!!e@!

- but it doesn’t stop there. Bill has more to tell. He doesn’t get naked at all that session. But he does come clean about being polyamorous. Apparently Bill and Bev were together for years before she started dating Ben. Who then eventually started dating Bill as well (mystery solved on who buff dude is). And then a little while after that Bill started dating Stan who also began dating everyone else eventually (mystery number two solved on who golden curls is)

- of course to respect privacy Bill doesn’t give names or photos for those two (they’re not into camming and only ever fuck Bill on cam as a favour cause they know Bill loves it so much). But he does wax poetic for a further half an hour on just how much he loves all his partners and then unexpectedly signs off.

- billoncam disappears for awhile. his sessions just suddenly stop. his fans reckon its probably got to do with the negative response he got to coming out as bi.

- they try to reach out to him on his social media but never with any luck. its funny, billoncam’s sessions have weirdly become a bit of community thing. its strange. the regulars all kind of know each other and it feels wrong to not be coming all together (pun not intended) a few times a week on Bill’s channel. but whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore because it seems billoncam is no more. he’s been scared away.

- struggling radio personality Richie Tozier is definitely not expecting to run into Bill aka. billoncam in a random Los Angeles Starbucks one day. But he does. Thats him. That’s totally fucking him. The only way Richie could be more sure is if Bill whipped his junk out in the middle of this cafe.

- Richie is so stunned he can’t even think what to say. How to approach this guy that he has been jacking off to for the last year or so.

- He ends up chasing Bill down the street and kind of pouncing on him.

- Bill is understandably wary at first. But of course he’s kind of charmed by this nervous motormouth with his ridiculously syrupy-looking frappuccino concoction. Its strange how familiar he seems. He almost whispers the name to himself just as Richie practically yells “Oh by the way. I’m bigdickrich. Did I mention that? I might have forgotten to mention that. Fuck!”

- And well, a week or two later... billoncam makes a comeback suddenly.

- And he’s got a companion. A companion who is showing his face. Bill’s regulars know they definitely haven’t seen this guy (or his body) before but they don’t mind at all since the session is so much more intense because they can see both participants for once. And this new guy is very cute. In a hairy, gangly, bedraggled kind of way.

- Bill introduces the guy as his new friend. He says his new friend convinced him to come back online. And his new friend even gave permission for their first time together to be filmed live.

- New Friend’s eyebrows wiggle at the camera behind his thick dark-framed glasses

- this sends a thrill through the audience obviously. such an intimate thing that theyre witnessing. New Friend doesnt seem to mind though. In fact he seems to lap up the attention and is very willing to take suggestions from the audience of just what he should do to Bill.

- the vibrator and dildo remain untouched on the bed that day.

- and its right at the end, still panting and sweating and coming down from their highs that Bill mentions that his New Friend is a previous audience member.

- “some of you might recognise the username. This is bigdickrich. Sooo... I guess we now know he wasn’t exaggerating with that name ha ha” to which Richie just grins at the camera holding his hands up under his chin.

- the comment section goes BONKERS!

- carsforeddie: THAT ANNOYING CRUDE SON OF A BITCH!! WHAT THE FUCK WHY IS THE UNIVERSE SO UNFAIR! FUCK!”

mikey-mike: good for you bigdickrich. you’re a real lucky guy.

twinksfordays: i want to choke on bigdickrich’s cock

carsforeddie: HOW?! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! EW I JUST JACKED IT TO THAT ASSHOLE! FUCK I NEED TO SHOWER”

- Bill and Richie giggle and converse with the commenters for awhile and then sign off.

- billoncam returns to regularly camming again. much the way he was before. mostly solo. though sometimes with guest stars. and Richie becomes a more and more frequent feature. He’s the only one (besides Bev popping in now and then) who shows his face.

- and then, billoncam hits 100,000 subscribers

- and Bill. Well he has to make it special right? So he auctions himself off. There has to be some careful wording and labelling so that he can’t be done for prostitution but... essentially Bill auctions off the chance for him to travel and spend the night with the highest bidder.

- of course carsforeddie is not going to let this opportunity slide by him. He’s a successful businessman. He might only be 25 but he’s got money to burn and he’s been loving lusting after billoncam for a LONG TIME

- its undisclosed just how much Eddie Kaspbrak, luxury car rental business owner ends up paying for billoncam to fly to New York and spend the night with him - for legal reasons obviously. And no, Eddie does not give permission for the deed to be filmed.

- But! Its perfectly legal to say that the 2nd time Bill fucks Eddie - the 3rd, the 4th, the 5th and the 6th and all the times that follow - are done completely for free!

- Ben jokes to Richie privately about them going to need to move into a bigger house if Bill keeps adding people to this relationship.

- It becomes less of a joke and more of a reality as Eddie moves permanently to Los Angeles 6 months (and lots of trips to LA) later.

- And thats it. Theyre nearly there. There’s just one more thing missing. One more piece to the puzzle. Bill doesn’t know why he feels this way. He just does.

- Luckily Mike Hanlon (aka as mikey-mike) has been unknowingly working away on this very thing for months. Not that he would have dared to assume that anything would happen when he slid into billoncam’s DM’s 18 months ago.

- He’s just a country boy from bumfuck nowhere. There’s no reality in this universe where he and the likes of billoncam would ever cross paths. But he enjoys talking to him. They have a lot of laughs. And Bill is surprisingly sweet and very well spoken. They like a lot of the same things. The same literature, the same sports teams. Bill is always asking after the animals on Mike’s family’s farm. Mike wishes he could get to know him better.

- Bill wants the same thing. He’d give anything to meet the sweet-souled farmboy from Maine who brightens Bill’s day whenever he gets a new message from him. I mean, it helps that he’s also gorgeous with the most wonderful smile, but thats beside the point.

- Bill ends up putting his money where his mouth is. Just enough to buy a return plane ticket to LA, so that Mike can come visit him, and cover the cost of a hotel room (ya know, in case he doesn’t want to stay with Bill and the rest of them. Bill would never want to make him uncomfortable).

- Needless to say Mike fits right into the family almost immediately.

- its a couple of months later and billoncam still exists, but its like a relic now. Bill pours all his creative energy into his new channel “the-lucky-seven”. Its a channel shared by everyone and its outrageously popular. Sure there are still a few individuals who are too shy or anxious to show their faces but the audience doesn’t seem to care. There’s so much variety to be found on the channel. Different combinations of people doing a live cam nearly every second day.

- they’re all unapologetic, they all love each other, and they don’t mind sharing it with the world.

- :) :) :) :) B) :) :)

----

Did I really just write a romance story about camming? Why yes, I think I did. Ha Ha. Hope you enjoyed. :)

#sorry - you were probably expecting more smut #¯\_(ツ)_/¯#i do what i can #i was inspired and so i HCed #poly losers club #the losers club #pixie writes #pixie headcanons #IT movie #notsfw

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mainadjacent · 5 years

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Sticking to the Script (pt.2)

Pairing: Gwilym Lee x Reader, one-sided Ben Hardy x Reader

Summary: You are the star of the hit TV show, “Winthrope Manor” and you’ve just got a new costar, Gwilym Lee who happens to bring around his friend, Ben Hardy, to set. You develop feelings for Ben, but they’re not well received. Lucky for you, your costar is there to help make things better.

Author’s Note: I just want to say how blown away I am by this response! I truly am grateful to all of you who are reading, liking and reblogging. It honestly makes writing so much easier and faster when I know people are looking forward to reading what I write! I also wanted to point out that the whole plot & name of “Winthrope Manor” is legit from the episode of “Bob’s Burgers” entitled “Zero Larp Thirty” so there’s that. Lastly, if you want to join the tag list, just add your username HERE. If you’ve already messaged me or commented about being tagged, you’re good!

PART 1

PART 2

Things don’t get automatically better between you and Gwil, nor were you expecting them to, but things have gotten easier. You find yourself spending more time with Gwilym and you are actually enjoying it. He’s funny and easy to be around and he makes the long hours on set bearable. The other members of the cast take a liking to him too which is encouraging. The two of you gain some sort of familiarity with each other and you can tell it helps with your on-screen chemistry.

The only time you feel like the two of you have regressed back to your original awkwardness is when Ben is in the picture. You figure it’s because you and Ben may be approaching romantic territory and he feels awkward being the third wheel. You try not to put too much thought into it.

What you do spend a lot of time thinking about is what’s going on between you and Ben. The day after your initial lunch, he shows up on set and jokingly tells you he’s hoping to get your number before filming wraps that day. You are more than happy to give it to him. He showed up again, the next day and wooed the cast with fancy pastries from the “X-Men” superior craft services tent, which pretty much granted him free entry for the rest of his life. It’s been a week since you and Ben had met and the two of you have been texting pretty much nonstop. Against your initial impressions of him based on the media, Ben is a true gentleman and has been nothing but respectful and sweet. The texts are pretty flirtatious in nature and that makes you scared but excited. You don’t want to jump into something or make assumptions, but you think he might be interested in you beyond a meaningless flirtation. Next time you see him, you decide, you’re going to ask him to hang out, just the two of you.

Hey beautiful! Mind if I stop by the set this afternoon? X

Not at all! You can finally see me and your boy in action! :)

_______

Despite having been filming for almost a month, you and Gwil are just getting around to the scene where your two characters meet.

Your character, Violet, is an avid suffragette and is attending a Women’s Rights rally in the city. The police show up and Violet flees from the scene and ends up running directly into Gwil’s character, Edmund, knocking him literally off his feet. The two characters exchange a “meaningful glance that shakes both of them to their core” before Violet gets up and keeps running. It’s a classic “Winthrope” scene, all dramatic and full of tropes so obviously, you’re excited to film it. And you can’t wait for Ben to see you in action.

You arrive on set that afternoon and greet Gwil with a warm smile. He smiles back nervous.

“You doing okay?” you ask.

“Yeah totally, it’s just that, it’s the first time I’m filming and not just rehearsing. Just a bit of nerves is all.”

You reach over to pat his arm comfortingly, “You are going to do great and lucky for you, you have one of the best scene partners in the biz.”

Before Gwil can respond to you, you hear someone bellowing your name from across the set.

“Ben!” you can feel yourself light up when you see the blond.

“Hello Miss Winthrope,” Ben says, slinging his arm around your shoulder, “how’s the most beautiful textile heiress in the world doing?”

You smile brightly in response and excitedly begin showing him around the antique street set, your nervous costar forgotten.

As everybody else filters in, Ben quietly slinks to the back, trying to respectfully give you the space to do your work. You, on the other hand, are accosted by makeup artists and costumer techs putting the finishing touches on your appearance. Gwil, who is suffering from a similar fate, catches your eye and you send him an encouraging smile and thumbs up.

The two of you separate and go to your respective marks as the extras are ushered in to be suffragettes and other background characters. You film the suffragette scene first, which is a lot of fun, you’re in your element in a crowd and feeding off of others’ energy. The scene is filmed in only four takes. You’re on you’re A-game which probably has something to do with your very handsome audience member.

The crew begins to reposition for the next scene: Violet running into Edmund. One of the most frustrating things about shooting scenes like this is that you can easily lose your momentum, so you try to talk as little as possible to keep in character.

Your director signals for action and you begin to run down the recreated streets of 1919 New York. You expertly weave through a throng of extras, your skirt bunched into your arms. You spot Gwil ahead of you, and just like you rehearsed in blocking, you run full throttle, into him. You land exactly as you were supposed to and out of the corner of your eye, you catch the camera coming in for a close shot of your face, inches above Gwil’s. You look deep into his eyes and you feel your heart stir as if a shot of electricity is going through you. You jolt into yourself and jump up, into your blocking. You run away from your camera and turn into an alleyway where another camera is already set up to film you from the other angle as you catch your breath. The “police officers” run past you and the director yells “cut!”.

You come out onto the soundstage to cheers and applause.

“We got the take!” the director exclaims. “That was great!”

You are smiling so much your cheeks hurt. Getting the scene in one take is an incredible accomplishment and you’ve never managed it before. You turn to Gwil, who’s approaching behind you, just as enthused. You rush over to him and throw your arms over his shoulders.

“That was amazing!”

He chuckles as his arms find your waist, “You were a great partner.”

The two of you are quickly ushered out of your embrace and off of the sound stage while the crew repositioned for a new scene. Gwil is pulled into wardrobe to change for the upcoming scene, you meanwhile, stick around. You still have another scene to film with your onscreen siblings.

You find Ben near craft services. “Did you see our scene?” you ask excitedly. He nodded silently, his lips press together.

“Yeah, you guys were great.”

You’re thrown off by Ben’s sudden coldness.

“Is anything wrong?”

“No, not at all,” he says quickly, “It’s just, er, I just got a call. I’m needed back on set for some more reshoots apparently, so I need to go now.”

“Oh,” you try not to sound too disappointed. You realize that if you want to ask Ben out on a proper date, this is your last chance to do it. It’s now or never.

“Listen, actually, I was wondering—”

“There you are! We’re needed on set!”

It’s Melanie Todd, the girl who plays your younger sister, Alice. On screen, Violet and Alice are close, even though Violet is sometimes frustrated by Alice’s flighty nature. Offscreen, you care for Melanie as if she was your sister. The girl is only a few years younger than you are and you strive to take her under your wing. You usually love Melanie, but right now you hate her.

You throw Ben an apologetic smile over your shoulder as Melanie pulls you away.

“He’s cute, are you two dating yet?”

_____

You resolve that you’ll just ask Ben out the next time you see him, which will most likely be tomorrow. No sweat. Maybe it’s for the best.

Thanks for coming today! I hope you had a good time, you text Ben in between takes. Just as you hit send you kick yourself; you should’ve sent a heart. Or a smiley face. A kissy face, maybe? Were you there yet?

Before you can agonize over it any further, you pulled into wardrobe to change for your next scene which is supposed to be with Gwil and Melanie inside a jazz club.

Violet accompanies Alice to a jazz club, so she can rendezvous with her new beau (Alice was always falling in love and she seemed to have a new love interest each week) then, Violet miraculously runs into Edmund, the stranger from the rally earlier who identifies her immediately. The scene is meant to lay the framework for the relationship, so you pay extra attention to getting it right. You’ve read and reread and re-reread the script, marking the margins with sloppy notes and gone over the blocking a thousand times. You’ve gone over this scene so much you had dreams about it.

You are ushered back to another sound stage, this one a glittering and golden night club already full of dancing extras and a full jazz band. Melanie comes and grabs your arm and pulls you towards your entrance mark as the two of you quietly run through dialogue. You run the initial scene a couple of times, trying a number of different angles. Then, Melanie runs her scene with Alice’s love interest a few times while you stand at the periphery of the set.

Your scene with Gwil is rapidly approaching and he has yet to show up. You try not to let your confusion and concern show while you’re on camera, though. Around take seven of the scene, you spot Gwil being ushered onto the stage by some costume techs and for the first time since you met him you’re struck at how handsome he is. He’s wearing a dapper three-piece suit with tails, his hair groomed back showing off his sharp, angular face and you realize you’ve never seen him in eveningwear. It occurs to you that you might have been staring too long when his eyes find yours and he smiles discreetly, making you blush and look away.

Soon, the two of you are brought together for your scene. His character, Edmund, finds Violet on the edge of the dancefloor and asks her to dance. Violet doesn’t recognize him at first but agrees. While the two are dancing, Edmund confronts Violet about being the girl that knocked him over earlier that day, having been at the rally and Violet panics.

“So, you’re the girl from the rally.”

Gwil leads you in a waltz while a camera follows your movements through a close shot.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, sir.”

“There is no need to lie, I remember you. Beauty like yours does not escape easily from one’s memory.”

“What if it was me? I don’t suppose you are interested in turning me into the police.”

“On the contrary, Miss…”

“Winthrope. Violet Winthrope.”

“Miss Winthrope. I am a supporter of women’s suffrage and I want to know more about your opinion.”

“You tease me, sir.”

“Not at all. I am an editor for the Post. We’re looking for an interesting female voice to write a column of women’s politics for our opinion’s section. You’re a high society lady who risks her position by going to rallies in the city. That seems pretty interesting to me.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. Let me take you to luncheon tomorrow and we can discuss it further with some of my other editors. Stop by the Post’s office around 1 o’clock and just let them know you’re meeting with Edmund Nottingham. “

Gwil delicately places a card in your gloved hand and leaves you in the middle of the dancefloor.

“Cut!”

______

You run the scene with Gwil a few more times. It’s interesting to see him transform. You know the silly, laidback Gwil that you’ve come accustomed to. On camera though, Gwil transforms completely into the mysterious and suave Edmund and you can feel both yourself and Violet being charmed.

You finish up filming for the night and by the time you are stripped of your beautiful costume, your intricate hair and your delicate makeup, it’s pretty late into the night. As you walk to your car at the edge of the lot, you check on your phone. Ben has yet to respond. Internally, you’re a little freaked out. He seemed weird this afternoon and now he was not responding to your texts. You try to placate the surge of panic by trying to convince yourself that he might still be filming, or his phone might be dead although you know how unlikely those two things are. Still.

“Hey! Wait up!”

Gwil jogs up behind you breaking you away from your panicked reverie.

“Oh, hi,” you say, slightly surprised, “I thought you would have left by now.”

It’s true, the men take much less time to get out of wardrobe at the end of the day than the female actors.

“I was waiting for you actually, I wanted to walk you to your car,” he says sheepishly.

“Oh, there’s no need. It’s safe here, we have security patrolling.”

“Right, er,” he pauses for a second, running his hands through hair, “I also wanted to say that you were great today. Working with you was… really… You make falling in love with you easy.”

“That’s just the writing,” you shrug and smile noncommittally. “They don’t call it ‘award-winning’ for nothing.”

Your car beams at you from a distance.

“Anyway, this is me. Thank for walking me. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” You shoot Gwil one last smile before opening your car door.

“Right, see you tomorrow.”

TAGS: @xbarrjallenx @alexfayer @chlobo6 @softbenhardy @thathufflepuffbitch

#ben hardy imagine #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy x you #bohemian rhapsody imagine #borhap fanfic #bohemian rhapsody fanfiction #gwilyn lee imagine #gwilym lee x reader #gwilym x reader

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passportandplates · 7 years

Text

Disclosure: I was a complimentary guest of Sigulda Tourism and the Investment and Development Agency during my time here. All opinions and recommendations are my own. This post also contains affiliate links.

I’ve been on a roll with surprising destinations lately. I told myself I would make 2017 the year I explored lesser-visited destinations, and I took that promise particularly seriously in May. I started by traveling Estonia and Romania and ended my whirlwind adventure on a strong note in Latvia.

Rather than start my trip in Riga, Latvia’s capital, Chantell from Adoration 4 Adventure and I decided to head straight to the charming countryside town of Sigulda.

Although it’s located just an hour outside of Riga by train, Sigulda feels a world away, a charming town surrounded by gorgeous greenery and adventure activities. The scenery is seriously drool-worthy. So while many people choose to visit Sigulda as a day trip from Riga, I recommend spending a couple of days here instead. For nature and adventure lovers, this is the true way to experience all the wonderful things to do in Sigulda.

Best Things To Do in Sigulda:

Learn about Olympic history at the Bobsleigh and Luge Track

Fun fact: Latvians are excellent at the luge, bobsleigh, and skeleton, and Sigulda is home to the giant track where the Olympians train. The country has won a significant number of medals in these sports and Sigulda has hosted numerous championships over the years.

So, what’s so cool about this track anyway? Well, not only is it over 1200 meters long, but it’s also six floors high. It’s one of the only tracks in the world that’s open to the public, where visitors can either walk down the track…or do a little bobsleighing of their own. They offer both summer and winter bobsleighing here, with sleds reaching speeds of 80-85 km (~50 miles) per hour! How’s that for a dose of adrenaline?

Get in touch with your inner child at Adventure Park Tarzans

I’m not going to lie – I was a tad bit surprised when we arrived at Adventure Park Tarzans. Not only were there tons of children around, but the park was also HUGE – the largest outdoor adventure park in the Baltics, I later found out.

Despite being a bit of a fraidy cat, I’m also an adrenaline junkie (you can totally be both, right?) so I was super excited when our tour guide Lelde told us we could pick which adventure activity to do. We warmed up a bit with the 40 km (~24 miles) per hour toboggan, winding our way down the track, desperately pulling the brake when it got “too fast.” I should clarify that this was a one person ride, and I was just a tad too brake-happy. Oops.

Afterward, Chantell and I opted to do the Crazy Roller together. It’s essentially a large wheel that rolls up and down a hill. Let’s just say our vocal cords got a little bit of…ahem, exercise. We finished up our adventure excursion with a chairlift back up the hill, which offered beautiful views of the Gauja Valley. This is definitely a side of Sigulda that is not to be missed!

Channel your princess powers at the castles

Despite being on the smaller side, Sigulda has an impressive THREE castles: Turaida Castle, The Sigulda Castle Complex (including both the Castle of the Livonian Order in Sigulda and Sigulda New Castle) and the Krimulda Historical Centre.

I’ve made this the year I travel to lesser-visited destinations. Last month, @adoration4adventure and I were sponsored guests of @enjoylatvia, and our first stop was the nature and castle-filled town of #Sigulda. I’m a city girl through and through but it was nice to spend a couple of days being one(ish) with nature and pretending to be a princess peering over my balcony at Turaida Castle 👸🏽. Stay tuned for my blog post, coming this week! #enjoylatvia #atklajlatvijunojauna @enjoylatvia

A post shared by Sally • Food & Travel Writer (@passportandplates) on Jun 20, 2017 at 1:50pm PDT

Turaida Castle: To call Turaida a simple castle would be like calling Big Ben a clock. While there’s a beautiful stone castle on the Turaida grounds, it’s actually a museum reserve, containing both an estate and a castle, a large garden, a church and more. One of the most memorable parts of Turaida is easily the Rose of Turaida Memorial, in memory of a Latvian girl who sacrificed her life for love…think of it as the Latvian Romeo and Juliet story, with just as depressing of an ending. Anyway, you can easily spend half a day exploring the Turaida grounds – be sure not to miss the garden with the multi-faced statues.

Livonian Order

New Castle

The Castle of the Livonian Order and Sigulda New Castle are located within walking distance of each other, despite the fact that they look completely different. The Sigulda New Castle was built in 1878 with a distinct Neo-Gothic style whereas the Livonian Order was built in 1207 in a medieval style, initially built to be a fortress. They’re both in the same compound, and you can actually climb up the towers for beautiful views of the surrounding forest. The coolest thing about this area is the stage that was built in the open courtyard; here, they hold outdoor picnics, concerts, and cultural events when the weather is warm. How cool would it be to tell people you’re casually dancing the night away in a castle? #Goals.

Marvel at the sandstone of Gutman’s Cave

Traipse through the Gauja National Park to get to Gutman’s Cave, the widest and highest cave in the Baltics. It has a ton of cool inscriptions and carvings on the walls, and many claim that the spring water has healing powers. This cave also plays a central role in the tragic Rose of Turaida tale that I linked to above.

Hike to Krimulda Manor

Views!

This was before all the stairs, obviously!

The Manor

Krimulda is technically Sigulda’s fourth castle although all that remains are a pile of stones, due to its destruction in 1601. Now, the most notable part of the Krimulda grounds is the manor, which has since been transformed into a rehabilitation center. The surrounding complex still has various houses and cottages standing. Plus, the walk from the center to the edge of Krimulda is truly picturesque – we spotted some beautiful paths, river views, the main bridge and even ran into the Walking Stick Park. However, to get up to the Krimulda Manor, you have to “hike” aka climb a TON of stairs. Not only did I wear sandals (not the smartest decision) but I was definitely huffing and puffing my way up all those stairs. My two-week foodie binge while on vacation was definitely catching up to me #SLIGHTregrets.

Get outdoorsy with Makars

Hello from Latvia! Sponsored by @enjoylatvia: @adoration4adventure and I look like total kayaking pros in this shot but if you watch my Instagram story, you'll see some of the *ahem* detours we took to get to shore 😂. We traveled to Ligatne, a small city outside of #Sigulda, to kayak 6 km through the Gauja River…I'd say we both did well considering we thought we'd be on a sailboat until we arrived 🙊. Thanks to Makara camping for the adventurous day! #enjoylatvia #atklajlatvijunojauna

A post shared by Sally • Food & Travel Writer (@passportandplates) on May 19, 2017 at 3:08pm PDT

Just outside of Sigulda is Ligatne, a small town located on the Gauja River. This was also the location of one of my favorite Sigulda activities: a 6 km kayaking adventure with Makars. Chantell and I totally expected to be on a sailboat (I think we were channeling inner laziness or something) so we were a little surprised when we realized our option was to either canoe or kayak. Nonetheless, we totally enjoyed our kayaking tour…despite the fact that I led us directly into sand on the edges…twice. I’m really dangerous and clumsy with all activities, honestly. Anyway, one of the awesome things about Makars is all the cool outdoor activities they offer. Not only can you kayak and canoe, but you can also do stand-up paddle boarding, camping, safaris, and more.

Pose for photos at the Walking Stick Park

Walking sticks are a symbol of Sigulda, due to their popularity with hikers. Back in the day, paths were incredibly rough and rocky, so sticks were a necessity. Now, they’re more of a tourist gimmick. Fun fact: they’re symbolically painted in red and green ink because those used to be the only paint colors people had access to during Soviet Times. Anyway, these sticks are so important to the town that they’ve created an entire park around them. It reminds me of a real-life Candyland!

Other cool things to do (that we missed):

Hiking in Gauja National Park: There are SO many hiking trails in Gauja National Park. While we did a few short ones and leisurely walked through, there are plenty of longer trails for the more intense hikers out there. The park is huge with a variety of activities that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Mežakaķis amusement park: In case Tarzan isn’t enough for you, Mežakaķis offers an obstacle course of various degrees of difficulty that includes lots of physical activities that I would likely fail at. But hey, Sigulda is all about being an adventure destination!

Cable Car over Gauja River: This is an excellent way to see some beautiful views of Sigulda from the top. Romantic ride for 1, anyone?

“Fly” at the Aerodium: The Aerodium is a vertical wind tunnel that allows you to experience what it’s like to free-fall….without actually free falling. It actually looks SUPER fun and I would have 100% done this if I’d had more time in Sigulda!

Bungee jump from a cable car: Yeah, you didn’t misread that. You can bungee jump with an epic view of the Gauja River. They don’t operate every day so be sure to check the website when planning!

Where to Eat in Sigulda:

Doma

Appetizer at Hotel Sigulda

Main at Hotel Sigulda

Dessert at Hotel Sigulda

Mr. Biskvits

Doma: Doma is the café where farm to table ingredients meet a relaxed ambiance. While their menu is simple, the flavors certainly aren’t. Our dishes exploded with flavor and were perfectly portioned for us to leave full, but not stuffed. Chantell and I shared both the burrito and the home burger, both of which were delicious.

The Restaurant at Hotel Sigulda: I’m going to be honest…I almost never eat at hotel restaurants. In my experience, the food is often mediocre and overpriced. The opposite was true for the restaurant at Hotel Sigulda.The menu was quite extensive and showcased many local Latvian dishes. As guests of the restaurant, we were served an amazing and beautiful three-course meal: dried beef with edible flowers, chicken breast with a turnip puree, and a gingerbread dessert with ice cream. SO. GOOD. Not only was the service exceptional, but they took our dietary restrictions very seriously, which I appreciated. This was by far the best meal I had in Sigulda.

Mr. Biskvits: After several people recommend Mr. Biskvits as a good lunch spot, Chantell and I made it our mission to try it. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get lunch there because it was SO busy but we did stop by for an afternoon cake and caffeine boost before our train to Riga. Judging by our one slice of cheesecake and how busy it was for lunch, I’d say this is a solid bet as a good spot to eat.

Where to Stay in Sigulda:

Photo Credit: Chantell from Adoration 4 Adventure

Chantell and I were guests of the lovely Hotel Sigulda. We seriously couldn’t have asked for a better location. It was a 5-minute walk from the train station and had its own delicious restaurant, which I wrote about above. The room was clean and comfortable and the staff was incredibly friendly. Plus, there’s a buffet-style breakfast included as well. Win!

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Getting Around:

We explored Sigulda both by car and by foot. If you have some extra time in the town, I definitely recommend walking or renting a bike, as both are great ways to see the various sites while enjoying the scenery. If you’re pressed for time (i.e. you’re on a day trip from Riga), then I recommend renting a car for the day or for a couple of days so you can explore without feeling rushed.

While many people opt to only visit Riga, Latvia’s capital, I suggest making time for Sigulda as well. This charming small town has more to offer than meets the eye and is a haven for nature lovers and adventurers. Come for a couple of days or more for a leisurely travel destination.

Tell me: Do you prefer visiting big cities or smaller towns? Share in the comments below!

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Best Things to Do in Sigulda, Latvia: Where Nature Meets Adventure Disclosure: I was a complimentary guest of Sigulda Tourism and the Investment and Development Agency…

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