#and her bday is about to end in 8 minutes

[kaiserrreich]

October 22 1858: The Birth of Kaiserin Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein

Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein was the eldest daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Lagenburg. Tragedy struck only a week after her birth when her elder brother died from illness. In 1860, her younger sister, Caroline Mathilda, was born. Who was regarded as prettier and a brighter personality than the chubby, serious, submissive Augusta Victoria. Soon Augusta’s mother would give birth to another boy, Gerhard, who died in infancy. Their next male heir and fifth child, Ernst Gunther, was a perfectly healthy baby boy. Augusta would have two other sisters, Louise Sophie in April 1866 and Feodora Adelaide in July 1874.

In her family, she was known affectionately as “Dona.” Augusta’s obedient nature was noted on early in her youth, even by her future mother-in-law Crown Princess Frederick. ‘It is strange how good some children are – and how little trouble they give,’ she wrote to her mother, Queen Victoria, when Augusta Victoria was nine years old.  ‘Ada’s children are patterns of obedience, gentleness – the best of dispositions’. (1)

The thought of a match between Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein and Prince Wilhelm of Prussia was contemplated ever since they were children, as noted by the prince (future Kaiser, ex-Kaiser) later in the future. But was never taken seriously until after the prince was rejected by Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine. Perhaps, Wilhelm was seeking for a rebound in Dona and it was a success. As the couple married on the 27th of February 1881. The marriage has been regarded to be happy but not without struggle. As Wilhelm quickly grew bored at his new wife’s longing for a simple domestic lifestyle, having multiple affairs throughout the years. And in the beginning only saw Dona as a broodmare. It was only after an ear infection gone bad, where Augusta stayed by Wilhelm’s side throughout the duration of it did he start to see her in an adjusted light, but continued to be unfaithful to her.

She bore him seven children:

Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (1882-1951)

Prince Eitel Friedrich (1883-1942)

Prince Adalbert (1884-1948)

Prince August Wilhelm (1887-1949)

Prince Oskar (1888-1958)

Prince Joachim (1890-1920)

Princess Viktoria Louise of Prussia (1892-1980)

Her days as Empress, she was regarded by the court as a prudish, a stickler for rules who punished anyone for the simplest gesture she deemed to be “immoral.” She was deemed by many as unremarkable and plain with a gaudy and tacky sense of fashion. With Nicholas II remarking to his mother, the Dowager Empress. That she ‘did her best to be pleasant but looked awful in sumptuous gowns completely lacking in taste; in particular the hats she wore in the evening were frightful.’

Though as overbearing and a nuisance as she was in public life and a part of her private life, by some family members, such as Empress Frederick (with whom she had a very heated feud with and who Augusta enjoyed snubbing frequently) who wrote to her daughter, Sophie, she was characterized as: ‘very grand and stiff and cold and condescending at first, but became much nicer afterwards.  Perhaps it was also partly shyness.’ and by her younger sister, Louise Sophie that when she was ‘not bowing to the will of her autocratic husband she was easy and indulgent’. “Her cousin Alice of Albany, who was sometimes mildly critical of her older relations, found her ‘most affable and kind’.”(1)

She was her husband’s biggest supporter throughout everything (for better and for worse) and was crushed when she was stripped of her titles as German Empress and Queen of Prussia after the war. Her health, which was already declining ever since the 1890s (causing her to miscarry twice) went down a rapid decline in the 1920s. And it had worsened when she had heard of the news of the death of her youngest son, Prince Joachim. She passed away on the 11th April 1921, in spite of her personal flaws, she was a beloved Empress by the German people and her popularity outshined her husband’s. Thousands lined up to see her off, where she would be buried at the Temple of Antiquities in the gardens near the New Palais in Postdam. Her husband, the ex Kaiser Wilhelm II was forbidden to cross into Germany to see his wife off for the final time.

Her room in Huis Doorn was soon turned into a shrine dedicated to the late Empress. With Wilhelm ordering for the room to regularly be cleaned with flowers and a cross draped over the bed. “Once a week, for the rest of his twenty years, he would retire there on his own, to go and mourn her memory.“ (1)

Wilhelm adhered to his late wife’s wishes for him to marry someone else when she was gone. When only a year later he would marry Princess Hermine of Reuss. He passed away in June of 1941, at age 82, 20 years after her passing.

Source : The Last German Empress

#monarchy #kaiser wilhelm ii #german empire #german monarchy #imperial germany #wilhelm ii #kaiserin augusta victoria #empress augusta victoria #royal birthdays #THIS TOOK ME AN HOUR😭 #and her bday is about to end in 8 minutes #i was hella procrastinating lmao #happy birthday to Dona ig #german royalty #german royal family

[psychopasss4]

PPP Novel is out❣️

...just in time for the Lunar New Year Eve, Feb. 9th. 🎉

Noitamina Shop will hold Arata Shindo-kun's bday campaign and at the same time promotes the PPP novel sale 🥂🥳.

Have you already prepared dried persimmons? 🤗 You know, in ancient times people used to wind-hang outside Hoshigaki, thus the Japanese lantern shape we know about today were taken from. 📸 Google Images.

Quick Review:

During the premier of PPP movie before the Global launch, fans kept asking Dir. Shiotani about

The meaning of empty liquor bottle in Kogami's desk.

Why Kogami removed his jacket during his balcony scene

And his answer were simple. Kogami didn't know the difference of wearing it inside or outside. At first, I thought it was some kind of a funny little joke, or I didn't understand the words full well (I'm not a full-bred Japanese though I studied Nihonggo way back in grade school).

But if you read the PPP novel, you will realize Kogami isn't fully adjusted from his traumatic experiences as a mercenary overseas 🤧. So he doesn't feel how to act just as he used to when he's back.

And ofcourse, we all know he and Saiga only emptied the liquor after long hours of chatting and Tonami profiling.

2. It's interesting that the writing team have taken the pulse of the fans during the Q&A session, thus some points in PPP novel is what we might've expect after all 🤭.

3. Some may say it's nothing new. As it seems the writing team pretty much remain loyal to the movie summary. But if you read between the lines, you realize how it is a bit forgiving & fan-serving, compare to the movie itself 👍🏻.

4. The locations...last minute alterations... 😆😂.

5. And ofcourse the last time Akane spent with Saiga on his detention cell 😭. She literally blame herself for asking him to come to them on Dejima in MoFA's HQ to retrieve the Stronskaya Papers a day after. Which we all know ended tragically.

6. She pulls the trigger. She question the justice. Which quotes the same kind of line from PP3 novel when she's writing her thoughts down in an analogue typewriter. From that scene she thought of Kogami's action and how Sybil judged him for that.

But in PPP novel, no doubt she puts into consideration the life of Atsushi Shindo and how he was used as a pawn, only to be a master pawn who puppets the life of another pawn like what happened to Akira Ignatov.

Aswell as Akira Ignatov's sacrifice. He volunteered to be a puppet for the sake of the future generation. For the sake of his brother in particular 😢😓😓😢.

7. Frede-chan's holding back and being indecisive to keep the truth about the mission to Kogami. Is like keeping her phone number to her crush 😹🤭. Sure, she's just conscious how would Kou-chan would react since she knows Saiga and him are pretty close 😮‍💨.

8. The writing team did a pretty good job by staying true to their plot work. They know what they're doing. As if taken up some piece of advice from Gege Akutami 😅😂.

9. The last scene is pretty much heart-aching but well executed 😘🤌🏻❤️

10. The General was a medical AI but I wonder if the creator of Sybil also created that?... how about BiFrost? Oh hello, Season 4! We're waving at you ☺️😀!

11. Many hate Akane for trying to control Kogami, again?! Let me get this straight, SHE ISN'T CONTROLLING ANYONE!

There's a MASSIVE difference when he a.) first pulled the trigger against Makishima (out of revenge) and when he b.) pulls that against Tonami.

Akane knows it best.

a) She doesn't want him to be a person swallowed by revenge like Sasuke (Naruto).

b) She hopes Kogami is back for the better but instead he acted again with his animal instinct which indicates he can still be easily outplayed by emotions instead of not letting it get the human out of him.

Akane still looks up to Kogami. She knows he was labeled as a latent criminal by Sybil. But the way Kou acted is like proving to Sybil that their labeling of him as latent criminal was right. And if there's one thing Akane isn't fond of, that is proving Sybil right.

So it's not about Kogami. It's about her campaign against Sybil's false and unfair judgement! So don't mock her! 😖

Lastly, PPP novel is enjoyable because a lot of fans are exerting efforts to translate it to English for fans abroad. Kudos to you all❣️

Not everyone have the time, capacity and dedication you've spent. Including me, I'm not good in translation. So thank you. You are the heart of PSYCHO-PASS franchise global expansion ❤️🥰.

End of Review.

Okay, so that wasn't a quick one 😋 sorry about that. I just hope you guys have a wonderful day. Have fun and enjoy everything that you do!

🥰🤗

Meanwhile, the original crew of PP1 are in their podcast discussing how the series have been progressing so far 😋😂

Nah! It's just a trace sketch of CD Discussion Vol. 1

🤣🤣🤣

#psycho pass providence #pp 10th #pp anime #pp official #psycho pass committee #Psycho pass novel #Noitamina Shop #shinya kogami #tsunemori akane #arata shindo #akira ignatov #shindo atsushi #shogo makishima #ginoza nobuchika #hanashiro frederica #shinkane #koaka

[saelterlude]

Link Click Musical clips list pt.2. (pt.1, pt.3, pt.4, pt.5, pt.6 here)

guess who finally learned to navigate bilibili? me. which means i can finally start tracking down moments/clips i (vaguely) remember but has since lost. yeay :D

starting with this beloved trilogy (yes, these are three consecutive Wang Minhui-Cai Qi performances):

23. 09/12/2023, Where Wang Minhui pushes Cai Qi off the table,

24. 10/12/2023, Cai Qi retaliates,

25. 20/12/2023, and finally they both try to push the other off the table only to fail, mess up the rock paper scissors, and can't stop laughing.

And others like,

26. 02/12/2023, bonus to the trilogy above where Cai Qi fell off on his own for no reason.

27. 29/01/2024, Cao Muzhi's birthday, which has so many good moments from him breakdancing(?) to fighting over the mic until both Zhu Hanbin and Xian Dongyue fell from the table, and Cao Muzhi sang the wrong lyrics and confuses Zhu Hanbin (for more context, check out shimmeringweeds reply! thank you!).

28. 29/01/2024 bonus, Cao Muzhi try to math how to cut cake 16 ways. Zhi Bowen suggested cutting 8 slices then cutting it horizontally lol.

29. 31/01/2024, Zhu Hanbin gets his revenge(5) and slaps Ding Xingchen's ass, tbh in general he was pretty aggressive/energetic this performance

30. 08/01/2024, a pretty chaotic and fun one of Bai Zhuoming, Wu Yihan, and Qian Anqi. Voice cracks, giggles, missed lyric, false steps, we gottem all. Even Zhu Jiayan and Zhang Jiahao were cracking. Highly recommend.

31. 10/12/2023 night, thank you shimmeringweeds for finding this clip. Du Guangyi poisoning someone (Teng Chunpeng) for the first time. Bonus for Deng Xianling sitting up in concern and offering Du Guangyi something to drink too. (Also, double failed hearts and singing the last line of guiding light together!)

32. 05/01/2024, Smol Rongbo!!! And Wang Minhui (for there to be smol there gotta also be big) some other stuff also happens like Xian Dongyue aggresively pushing Shu Rongbo's legs off hers.

33. Wang Minhui's 5 minutes vlog, we got glimpses of other scenes, the cast messing around, a tour(?) of the set, and snippets of other songs.

34. 07/01/2024 day, short one of sulky Wang Minhui, very cute 8:)

35. 23/11/2023, Overall, pretty tamed performance but the curtain call? Really chaotic. Wang Minhui messed up Director Li Haolin's name, which I realized is even funnier bcs right before that he messed up Guo Zhenyan's name and Cai Qi gotta intervene. Man cannot focus lol.

yea I waited until we got a clip of this livestream to post this pt.2

36. Faith of Friendship, <- Official, here's a subbed ver. Cai Qi and Wang Minhui did a good job, singing about their first meeting and basketball. The choreo is also really cool and the song too. Got sad when you remember Wang Minhui once said his Lu Guang has witnessed Cheng Xiaoshi's death.

37. Words Can't Convey My Love, this!!! Shu Rongbo as Chen Xiao being absolutely flustered, (trying) and failing to confess to his crush is so cutee with Wu Yihan trying to wingman in the background. The ending is so funny too lol, with Shu Rongbo running away and Wu Yihan shouting at him. The song is good, the choreo is good, Shu Rongbo's voice is also really good.

Nothing related to Link Click but I went on a Wu Yihan binge so have this bonus clip of him being cute in the Love Musical

Enjoy and byee. pt.3 in end of march? mid march? whenever I got a long list of clips I like. Definitely gonna put a 10/03/2024 clip in pt.3 bcs Shu Rongbo and Wu Yihan bday, and also 11/03/2024 bcs Teng Chunpeng bday.

#link click #link click musical #cai qi #wang minhui #cao muzhi #zhu hanbin #xian dongyue #zhi bowen #ding xingchen #bai zhuoming #wu yihan #qian anqi #zhu jiayan #zhang jiahao #du guangyi #teng chunpeng #deng xianling #shu rongbo #guo zhenyan #lc musical list

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Screw politics. Let's talk apple pie for a minute.

So that earlier post, somewhere in yesterday's timeline, about kiddo wanting apple pie for her birthday instead of cake...here's a few more pics, to help illustrate. Keep in mind, I can't be holding the camera and stirring something on the stove at the same time, so I can't take pics of some of the process.

So, back to the Ancient Grimoire...

From 1959, the year I was born. This is the book that shaped many a mid-century kid's diet. With some things you have to translate (at times) into modern day. ie: This is before baggies were invented, when Waxed Paper and Foil ruled the day.

The recipe for the pie filling in here is good, but I found a much better way to get the kind of apple pie I love (rich, thick, syrupy, apples soft), and that's what I'm gonna talk about here.

First, kiddo's bday party is gonna be about ten kids, so I needed to make two pies, back-to-back in one day. The oven just isn't big enough to accomodate two pies at once. BTW, pre-heat that sucker to 425 degrees.

First thing to do in this day-long affair, is to make the two batches of double-crust pie crust, forming each batch into a disc, about 1/2-inch thick, about 6 inches across. Put each disc in a separate baggie and chill in fridge while you start in on the apples.

For each pie, I peeled and chopped 8 big Granny Smiths (both pies was a total of about 5 1/2 pounds). Lemme tellya, peeling and chopping apples is not "unskilled labor"! This is another reason for doing them back-to-back instead of simultaneously: to give the hands a rest! My hands were FEELING it by the end of the day.

So you have a large bowl with the chopped remains of 8 apples, and In a small bowl or ramekin, mix up one tablespoon of flour, one tablespoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 3/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Sprinkle the mixture in the ramekin over the apples, evenly. Take a large slotted spoon and stir/mix until all the apple pieces are coated.

Now this is the part I couldn't really take photos of, as it is labor/focus intensive:

In a small saucepot, melt 1 stick (1/2 cup) of real salted butter. Once butter is melted, turn heat up to medium and sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of flour. Stir until flour is incorporated, and then simmer for ONE MINUTE, stirring constantly.

While still stirring, pour in 1/4 cup of water, and add 1 cup granulated sugar. Stir, stir, stir, and keep stirring, and bring it up to a boil. It will begin to thicken fairly quickly. Once it's boiling, turn the heat back down, and let it cook for THREE MORE MINUTES, stirring constantly. It will become a gloriously thick syrup as you stir, THEN REMOVE FROM HEAT and SET ASIDE!

Now is the time to get one of those discs of pie crust out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes so it's more pliable. I need to take pics of how I roll out pie crusts, as I'm pretty sure it's not how you'd think:

I lay down two 24" sheets of waxed paper so that they overlap about 4 inches. Put disc of pie crust in the middle of that roughly 2-foot-square expanse of waxed paper, then put 2 more sheets atop the disc, and have at it with a heavy marble rolling pin.

Once it's about two inches larger than you need it to be, just peel off the top two layers, pick it up so your hand is in the center, and invert the pie-pan over your hand, flip, adjust so it's centered, and peel off the other two layers. Now continue to settle the crust into the pie pan and let the excess lay over the edge of the pan.

Take a sharp knife or razor blade and cut that excess off, mash it all together into a rectangle, and once again put between waxed paper, rolled out to a managble thickness, and then you'll slice it with your blade to make your woven strip top crust later.

And since you did all that between waxed paper, you should have less of a mess than normal!

NOW that your bottom pie crust is ready, take the semi-cooled syrup, and pour over the spiced apples and stir until everything is coated. Pour it into your bottom crust, and lay out your woven strips. Pile as much of the apple mixture, and syrup, in the center as you can. The apples will cook down.

When you lay out the woven strips, any excess will go to help make the outer fluted edge. Sometimes the filling will breach containment, and that's kinda part of the beauty of it, but sometimes it's nice to have an orderly fluted edge. Ironically, today's two pies turned out to be an example of each.

So...First pie ready to go in the oven:

Put it in at 425 for 15 MINUTES, turn the heat down to 350, and bake for 45 MORE MINUTES, or about 1 hour total. It ends up lookin' like this:

This one breached at the top of the photo there, but no matter. It's still pie.

So, once it's out of the oven, put the oven back up to 425 for your second pie. Speaking of second pie, here's yesterday's:

And here they both are, done and ready to go:

Two happy birthday pies.

[queerdesire]

September 30, 2022

It's been a minute since my last update.

What have I accomplished this week? Well I drove for the first time in the dark last night and honestly I think I smiled all the way home. I'm getting so much more comfortable driving and it's starting to feel so fucking good. I'm hoping to have my license by the end of the year. Driving is not as scary and anxious as I always imagined. I'm proud of myself for this.

Let's see what else am I proud of? Oh! I have paid all my bills but two, both are due on the 6th so not late but I'll probably do it right now as all the other payments should of went through. I'ma be a broke ass bitch but it feels so fucking good to be able to pay everyone time.

I also deleted some girls number! She's been semi dicking me around for a month, and I let her >.< She was the one who hit me up and was interested and wanted to go on a date. I was going with the flow of it. Started out texting strong and things like that but then it became 8 separate times of excuses. Like we were not anything where a conversation of her no longer interested would of been perfectly okay. I even said as much during excuse number 6 lmao. But deleting her phone number and not replying back to her bs felt good. And then my toxic side may have left her on Snapchat 🙈🤡, I don't look at her snaps but she has replied to three of my hot story ones since I've deleted her number and ignore last excuse text and it feels kinda good to be like yeah I'm hot and you missed out. Even if it's in my head and even if that may be a bit toxic lol regardless I'm glad I was able to be like I'm done, and it was okay that it took me a month 😭 because I still was able to stop the pattern instead of continue the pattern of letting ppl use me like that.

I've had two therapy sessions now, the first session I felt hella guilty leaving and the second one I felt like I was on a good high. I was given therapy homework though and I haven't accomplished it :( and I don't think I will before Tuesday. I'm supposed to go out with someone and do something out of my comfort zone. The issue with this assignment is I'm scared to ask ppl to hang out that I wouldn't normally cuz that fear of the rejection and I guess that's the whole point. I did ask a girl one hinge if she wanted to hangout in person and I didn't get a reply so I'ma go with that as my assignment completed lmfao. Oooh and in therapy my therapist at one point said "I'm seeing a pattern here do you?" And I didn't so hopefully I will see the pattern she spoke of with the more sessions I have as she didn't tell me lmao.

Hmm what else? Oh completely over my ex! Well for the most part. Obviously I'll always wish it would be different but I've come with terms that she will never want to be friends and I haven't looked at her socials so much so that I missed her bday lol so that felt like a win. Only looked at her socials the last few days. But to be honest I think I'm using Tumblr as a distraction 😅 I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing tho.

Let's see what else...oh the new job is going very well! Last night it felt so easy, I think I asked someone one question and I remembered to bring silly things like the pizza stand, app plates, pepper mill, instead of forgetting until last minute. Oh and a coworker has now started to play with my hair and honestly makes me feel a bit loved, as touch is my love language. She's super sweet. Also last night one of the "favorites" told me I was, "the better new servers" and that I am a "hard worker" my cocky ass knew this, my cocky ass knew i would be but I can't say that :P I'm playing a political game here. But I said thank you lol oh and I was sitting next to some girls and they included me in conversation and one was like yeah when deena first met me she told me she thought I was gonna be a bitch 😅😂. So then everyone wanted to know what I thought about them. One of the girls was like did you think I was gonna be mean? And I told her yes I said "we didn't speak until Sunday!! So yes I thought you were going to be mean but you're very nice." Turns out she told me she's shy and I 100% can see that. I did not tell any of them that I think all pretty girls are going to be mean because they are hot lmao

I don't think anything else happened this week that is note worthy. I havent cried or felt hopeless in awhile and that is a wonderful feeling. I honestly think that has to do with therapy tho.

My period is very late and I'm pregnant jk jk jk 😂 but it is late af. That bitch needs to get here.

OOOH I REMEMBERED SOMETHING. One of my best guy friends works at my new job, he is why I went there. And a different coworker came up to me and was like "do you know Sean talks about you alot?" "I think he likes you" etc etc. And I was dying absolutely trying not to laugh because Sean is such a homie, I would say brother but we playfully flirt sometimes to hype the other up so what ever that makes him. But I had to explain to the coworker that Sean is a close friend, my homie is how I think I worded it. The dude was so small minded though and wouldn't stop and I was like I'm extremely gay and Sean knows this so there isn't anything between us. (I think it's because Sean and I hug at work) because the kid still didn't let it go. I went over to Sean immediately after and him and I got a huge laugh. Sean also said he had never even spoke to the dude before lmfao so I'm real confused but find it amusing nonetheless.

#working on a better me #working towards a better me #mine #personal

[steamishot]

~32~

i'm officially 32 years old! good lord. although it doesn't feel great to age, and also see everyone around me get older, i'm excited to watch my niece and the younger generation grow up. my niece is also officially 2 years old and it's been a blessing to watch her develop and now put together like 4 words. i was fortunate to attend her birthday celebration this past sunday. the turnout was huge and i was happy to get to see family/family friends that i have not seen in sooo long.

matt and i took a red eye flight back to NYC on monday/MLK day. he returned to work on tuesday/my birthday and i felt a little blue considering i went from socializing/partying a lot to basically being on my own again. the benefit to this is i feel the most energized/rejuvenated after being in my own space. all of my skincare/hygiene products are here. the bed we're most familiar with is here. and it's also nice to have quiet time all to myself - this was pretty infrequent at home living with my family who often babysat.

the job search is becoming depressing news to me again. it's a lot of waiting, waiting, waiting. however, matt has said he's not going to renew our apartment lease this year as he'll find his way back by september. with the 4 month notice, that means he needs to get something by end of april. my friend K who is always thoughtful, sent me a 90 day self-care journal for my birthday gift. i'm trying to be diligent with this as a quick daily habit which will be useful for my interim period before moving back. habits that i've kept up daily: a few minutes of chess puzzles, and at least one duolingo lesson a day. i'm now practicing chinese instead of japanese as it is more useful to me and i just hit my 41 day streak woohoo.

this week, i'm catching up with all the work i didn't do the past month i was in LA lol. i find it really hard to focus there because i get distracted easily. i felt guilty in this past meeting because i didn't seem prepared or as invested in the work (which may be myself projecting) so i'm working hard to make up for it.

recent events & future events:

went to vegas with matt's family. this trip turned into mostly meeting up with their family friends. they treated us to AYCE sushi (which was surprisingly good), provided us an airbnb to stay in, and we ate a yummy homecooked meal at someone's bougie house one night. matt, T, and i also hung out with V a 17 year old valedictorian and we all played poker together.

checked out the sphere at vegas! it's been a looong time since i've last visited vegas, maybe 7-8 years. on average, not much has changed. but it was interesting to go again, to see what my family gets up to since they visit pretty often. my parents will be going for LNY

visited BB at her new townhouse and had a girls dinner at her place with H & BT. it was a really nice visit because we talked a lot about work related things/behind the scenes gossip (i.e. a former employee who stole hundreds of thousands worth of laptops) that i'm out of the loop with. i'm the one who enters investigatory leaves on the HR system, but i rarely know what's going on until BB fills me in. at this point, i'm really looking forward to doing a hybrid schedule because i feel so disconnected to the work i do now.

introduced SZ to classpass and attended a local yoga class together. she's been checking out a number of other local yoga studios and i'm excited to try them out with her when i'm back.

party of the year - my nieces 2nd bday lol

watched hadestown broadway yesterday with matt, seated in the 3rd row from the front. these were the best seats we've had to date for any show. i remember i watched my first broadway (aladdin) show in 2014 in the balcony seats where you could hardly see the people on stage. 10 years later- started at the back and now we here lol

will be going to figure drawing at happy medium tonight with T. the model will be nude and we'll be supplied with a drink and charcoal - i'm excited!

due to broadway week and BOGO tickets, we'll be watching sweeney todd next wed!

double date with S&I next thurs, where I will make his yummy steak. i have pretty high expectations because S mentions his steaks are better than NYC steakhouses haha

equinox hotel staycation next friday-monday. i took friday and monday off this time around so we can fully enjoy the experience

[lovemesomesurveys]

Will you answer these questions as personally as you can?

I generally do.

Why are you happy?

I’m not, but that’s not new.

Who’s the last person you hugged?

My mom.

Would you pay someone to kill the person who hurt you a lot?

Uh, no.

Do you like the song ‘Sick Little Games’ by All Time Low?

I don’t think I’ve heard that song of theirs.

Last night you felt?

Alright. I watched a movie and went to sleep.

How are you feeling right now?

Right now just tired.

Are you drifting away from someone you were close with?

No.

Is there someone you’d like to fix things with?

I’d like to see certain people again at some point, but not at this time or the foreseeable future. I have a long road ahead of me and I’m focusing on that.

Have you ever liked someone that treated you like crap?

Yes.

What are you listening to?

The Golden Girls.

Have you ever stayed in a hotel?

yes, love a good hotel stay <<< Sameeee. I’ve stayed at hotels many times and that’s one of the many things J enjoy about vacations.

What is in your pocket?

I don’t have any pockets, but I never use ‘em anyway.

What was the worst feeling you last felt?

Depressed and scared.

Have a best friend?

My mom.

Does it bother you when your best friend does stuff without you?

Depends what it is haha.

Do you keep any secrets from your best friend?

Nothing major. I’d say it’s more likely that it would be I just haven’t talked about it/didn’t feel the need to but not because I don’t want her to know, or that I downplay some things.

What were you doing 60 minutes ago?

The nurses were doing their routine things with me.

Is there a secret you’ve never told your parents?

My mom is my best friend, so I answered this already about her. She definitely knows the most and knows me best. My dad and I don’t have a bad relationship or anything but it’s a different one, and there’s more he doesn’t know.

What’s something that can always make you feel better?

Going to the beach.

What do you want right now?

To get better and go home.

What would you name your future son?

I don’t want to have kids.

If you had to eat 1 thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Chicken. You weren’t specific, so I could eat it different ways and flavors as well, but it’s still chicken so it counts as one thing ha.

How’s your life lately?

Not well to say the very least.

Last person to send you a text?

My mom.

What were you doing at 8:00 this morning?

It’s only 6, but most likely I’ll be either attempting sleep or messing around on my phone.

Did you have a good birthday this year?

my bday hasnt passed yet <<< Same, mine isn’t until the end of July. I won’t be able to do anything, though.

Have you done anything embarrassing lately?

Yes.

Do you trust easily?

No.

Do you like cookies n’ cream ice cream?

Yesss.

How often do you raise your hand in class and answer a question?

I avoided that as much as I could.

Ever been mistaken for someone else, and took it as an insult?

No.

Would you get a mega bag of skittles, or three regular ones?

I’ll pass on Skittles, make it M&Ms.

What color shirt are you wearing?

A blue gown.

Is there a boy that would do absolutely everything for you?

My dad and brother.

Did you ever think you had the Swine flu?

No. I was afraid of catching it, though. Who knew what was to come down the road with COVID and it being on much larger scale in all ways.

Who was the last person to smoke a cigarette in your presence?

I don’t recall. No one I interact with smoke cigarettes and I haven’t been around anyone else who does in a long time.

Who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed last night?

My mom via text.

Are you a mean person?

I don’t think I’m mean, but I do get moody and irritable and can then be short and snippy sometimes.

Does anyone hate you?

Besides myself… I don’t know. I wouldn’t blame them.

Do you usually tell people when you’re mad at them?

not really, unless they straight up ask me <<< Yeah, but I’d probably downplay it.

This time last year, can you remember who you liked?

I haven’t had feelings like that for someone in quite awhile now. Like seriously, it’s been 6 years now.

Will this weekend be a good one?

Today is already Sunday, but yeah hopefully it ends as good as it can. Basically no major issues and I’m able to rest is the goal.

Have you ever liked someone older than you?

Just by like a year or two.

Are you mad at someone right now?

Myself. Mad doesn’t even cover it. This whole situation could have been prevented if it weren’t for my extremely stubborn ass self and just ignoring so many things thinking I could do it my way. Several people tried and tried and tried numerous times to get me to do certain things and I didn’t. Why??? Many of which wouldn’t have been that bad in hindsight.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

[likeastarstar]

8:04 PM- Taehyung

(A/N: For the anon who requested her as the bday girl and tae as her bf. I hope you like it! This is so soft lol. Feedback is appreciated!)

Things were changing as you were getting older.

Your priorities were shifting, style evolving, thoughts transitioning. The change was palpable in the way you carried yourself, the shift away from defensive traits you had held onto in your youth to deflect away from any insecurities you had. Your age showed in different ways- too much sugar made your stomach hurt. Less is more when it came to accessories. You'd rather have a few friends you genuinely liked rather than a whole posse of ones you only tolerated.

It was ironic, all of the cliches you so adamantly said you'd avoid now coming true as you got older. You just felt completely different than you did when you were younger, you looked back on some of the decisions you made and cringed. It wasn't all bad, though. You made a couple good choices, one being Taehyung.

He was one thing your feels hadn't changed about. You met him before you were fully yourself, both of you learning about each other and yourselves at the same time, same pace. Now that you thought about it, having him there helped. He was your guide, a mirror to your own soul. Taehyung very dramatically called you his twin flame, boasting to his friends about how perfect you were for each other.

But he was right, everyone knew it. If your maturity was obvious then your love for Tae was even more so, shown in the small gestures of magnetism holding you to your lover.

"Happy birthday," Taehyung whispered, pulling you into his chest.

You smile, hugging him securely. You felt safe like this, at home. He was the one consistency you had in your life and spending your birthday with him was all you could ask for. He had spent the day doing all of your favorite things, ending at your favorite restaurant with all of your closet friends. There was soft music pouring through the restaurant, courtesy of the grand piano stationed in the center of the establishment.

You looked around the table, wine glasses full around the table, reflecting soft ambient candlelight. Taehyung was specific when planning the dinner, requesting a countless number of flowers to be surrounding the table, all shades of cream with the air filled with a floral aroma. It was perfect- like something out of a dream.

It was a start contrast to the first birthday party Taehyung had thrown you years ago which had been a chaotic night of club hopping and karaoke. You were just friends then but ended up throwing up all over him on the way home and cried the rest of the way, apologizing profusely until Taehyung insisted that he didn't hate you for being such a mess. No, it was the opposite really, he was harboring a pretty strong crush on you actually.

He said it once and that was it- you were his.

"Thank you," You replied to him now, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

Taehyung looked at you with fondness, tilting his head to the side slightly, "We've been together for awhile now, haven't we? I feel like we've only gotten closer."

"I agree," You nodded, "I haven't gotten bored yet."

Taehyung laughed softly, rolling his eyes playfully, "Good- we still have a lot to do."

You hummed in response, leaning against him for a moment. Everyone else was absorbed in their own conversations, leaving Tae and you in your own little bubble.

"Yeah? Like what?" You asked contently.

"Well, we still have to get a house together. We have to get a dog together, a sibling for Tannie. We'll get married eventually, have babies. I really would love to raise a family with you. We have to travel more first, though, together. We haven't been to so many places I want to show you, we have to do it all." He listed on, a pensive look on his face as his mind moved a mile a minute, tracking all of the things he wanted to accomplish with you.

"Can we get a purple couch? I've always wanted a purple couch," You asked excitedly, tapping on his bicep like an eager little kid.

"Only if we can paint the kitchen green- like that one magazine I showed you," He bargained, equally as excited.

"This is going to be a very interesting house," You mumbled reluctantly.

"We don't have to do it all at once, obviously. We have time. I'm just saying, we have a lot to do." He said lightly, shrugging a little.

You held his hand, playing with his long fingers between your smaller ones. You circled his ring finger slowly, imagining a platinum band around it. You wondered what a matching one would look like around your own finger, if it would fit. You thought it might be nice, having a physical tether to him like that.

"And which do you promise as we do first?" You asked lightly, a slightly teasing note in your tone.

Tae smiled, dipping his head slightly so that his lips grazed your ear lightly, "Trying to make babies might be fun, no?"

"Key word on trying," You laughed, nudging your shoulder against him lightly. Tae bounced off of you, laughing softly before reattaching himself to you, as stubborn as ever.

"Well then, you pick. I'm down for anything on the list, as long as it's with you." He compromised.

You threw him a pensive look, mulling it over in your head for a moment, "I'll let you know when I've decided."

He raised his eyebrows and you knew by the soft look in his eye that he was totally and utterly whipped for you in the same way you were for him. He shrugged casually, sighing before guiding the pair of you back to the rest of your friends but not before mumbling a simple promise in your ear, "I'll be here."

masterlist.

#bts timestamps #bts drabble #bts fic #taehyung drabble #kim taehyung x reader #taehyung timestamps #taehyung fluff #taehyung x you #bts x oc #tae x you #tae x reader #bts fluff #taehyung imagine #kim taehyung fic

[tenthgrove]

feel free to pick la squadra or the bucci gang for this one: you celebrating a member's bday! can be either a party or just surprising them with a present or cake. how would they react?

Birthdays at House Buccerati

Team Buccerati x Reader (GN), Platonic/Romantic (Interpretable), SFW

Bruno Buccerati- When he comes downstairs to find you've decorated the house for him, his face lights up with a warm smile. It's so very sweet of you to have taken the time to set this up for him, and he is very quick to let you know that. If there's a cake, he treats it like the best thing he's ever tasted regardless of how good a baker you are. Throughout the whole day, he makes reference to your kindness in making this happen at every little treat you have planned for him. By the end, Abbacchio is quite tired of hearing it.

Giorno Giovanna- As a child, Giorno was never really able to celebrate his birthday much as his parents never saw it as worthy of their time. Nonetheless, he has always been intrigued by the festivities that go on in other households when someone has a birthday, so when he gets wind you're planning to make his special, Giorno is absolutely delighted. You notice his demeanour appears to lighten up considerably throughout the day, becoming almost child-like. You're reminded that Giorno isn't always the unreadable mystery he seems.

Leone Abbacchio- Who needs birthdays anyway? They're just another pointless way to mark the ceaseless passage of time in his opinion. When you blow a party popper in his face the moment he leaves his bedroom on the morning of his birthday, he is not impressed. He does his best to keep scowling through the whole day, but eventually he has to admit there are some things about your plans that are quite fun. The cake is certainly nice, and he liked the part where you sent the kids out to buy more last minute snacks. Giving him some peace and quiet is the best present he could ask for.

Guido Mista- It doesn't matter how old Mista gets, he will always want his birthday parties to look like they belong to an 8 year old. Come on! Let's play games in the garden! Go invite some actual kids to come along and pad out the guest list! Make Abbacchio want to commit murder! Really, Mista probably would have still had an amazing party even if you hadn't made your own plans in advance, but he really appreciates the effort. Just don't expect to have much cake. It only takes one turned back for the Sex Pistols to dive in and eat the whole thing.

Narancia Ghirga- Similarly to Giorno, Narancia has always wanted a birthday party, but hasn't had one since his mum was alive. It's actually a bit of a sad point there because the parties remind him of how his mother used to love him, but no matter. He'll make sure to still enjoy himself. Like Mista, Narancia just wants to run around and be childish. It's not often he gets to just go feral these days, what with all his work in Passione. He's quick to pounce on the cake, but makes a point of leaving a couple slices for you.

Pannacotta Fugo- Leading up to the day itself Fugo just kind of avoids the topic. He acts like his birthday is just another day, nothing to be dreaded or hyped for. Having none of this, you arrange the party anyway, and for a rare moment in his life, Fugo can't help but show his joy. It means a lot to him that his team cares enough to make special time for him, and you even get a rare thank you when you give him your presents. Perhaps you should arrange parties for Fugo more often, if this is how he'll act.

Trish Una- Trish's birthday is her favourite day of the year, without fail. What better time to sit back and relax while her friends present their wonderful gifts? She gives hints about what she wants for months in advance, so you don't have to worry about getting the wrong thing. As for the cake, you get a couple, to make sure there'll be something Trish can adore (and so the others get their fair share). Seeing all her favourite colours and brands included in the decorations, foods and presents assures Trish that you really do listen to her, which leaves her very chuffed.

#team buccerati #team buccellati #bruno buccerati #bruno buccellati #bruno buccerati x reader #bruno buccellati x reader #giorno giovanna #giorno giovanna x reader #giorno x reader #leone abbacchio #leone abbacchio x reader #abbachio x reader #guido mista #guido mista x reader #mista x reader #narancia ghirga #narancia ghirga x reader #narancia x reader #pannacotta fugo #pannacotta fugo x reader #fugo x reader #trish una #trish una x reader #trish x reader

[bluebandana]

The LP Show Act 2: Summary

helloooooo we started off with some technical difficulties and got pushed back like an hour and a half (yes we are tired)

mae started off singing a few songs!!!

two minute waiting period!!!

a little intro video!!!

liam looks super cute!!!!! he has crowd sounds playing and the comment section up again!!!!

song 1: first time

he did a really cute giggle in between songs which i feel like really needed to be mentioned

song 2: slow

“i keep forgetting the fan sounds” 🥺🥺🥺

song 3: midnight

*forgets the sounds again*

“the reaction to the first show was amazing and this one seems even better. AND IT’S MY BIRTHDAY. i keep forgetting it’s my birthday”

showed merch and shouted out some fans

question: when are you coming to australia?

answer: he doesn’t know when he’s going back but he loves it!!! australia was the first place they went to after the uk (when 1d first started) and they loved the reaction to the band and “niall gave a helicopter the bird”

question: how does it feel to be performing by himself?

answer: talked about 10th anniversary!!! and how long it’s been and how amazing everything has been 

“i’ve got a mustache now” (when talking about the changes in the past ten years)

song 4: night changes “i’m gonna need you guys to help me sing since i’m alone now” 🥺🥺🥺

“that felt good” (after the song ended)

“some of my favorite 1d songs are in this set”

song 5: what a feeling “we’ve never really sang this song” 

“i’m sorry i put off the end of that song but it’s my birthday”

talked about how many people are at the show!!!!!

question: what’s your favorite memory from 1d?

answer: THE BREAD VAN

question: 1d performance he remembers the best

answer: Wembley stadium when the place was dark and the only light was his light up shoes lmao

question: wish for his birthday

answer: “not telling you because then it won’t come true”

looked at all of the countries people are watching from!!!

look at throwback 1d pictures!!!!

first picture

1d in the onesies that they always used to wear and said that they “got told off for wearing them by someone in xfactor:

second picture

them from when they went go carting with nintendo “mario cart style” lmao and said that “i won.....no one else is here to tell me otherwise so”

third picture

them in ghana!!!!!! he talked about how much he loved going there and said that it was “at the perfect time” and mentioned the music video they filmed there!!!!

fourth picture

him in his “favorite picture of me in a vest ever” from a 1d concert with the crowd and a “little H 🥺” in the background!! he said he didn’t remember where the show was but to “circle if you can find yourself in a crowd”

showed us unseen footage of himself recording remember!!!!

the lyric “how can i forget someone who gave me so much to remember?” came straight from pinterest and they based the whole song on it dsfghjkhgfd

at one point he was in the recording booth without a shirt on edsfghjhgfds 

back to the show

the next few songs were “new remixes just for tonight”

song 5: for you live remix

song 6: get low live remix

song 7: stack it up live remix

question: new genre to bring to music?

answer: he’s gonna keep doing dance music!!!

questions about djing and such!!!!

answer: basically he talked about working with all of the djs he’s done stuff with but it was really fast and i couldn’t write it down :(

showed pics of previous birthdays!!!!

talked about the bday pic where the story of not having friends come celebrate again came from and how it’s a lie

“i’ve had a lot of extravagant bday cakes......i hope you guys got me one this year” and they said they didn’t get him one :(

all of the songs from 8-12 were all partial songs and smushed together which was a little sad :((( but he still sounded so good!!

song 8: familiar

song 9: drag me down 

he said “that was a surprise” when the song switched (later during the after party they were talking about how he had never heard the mixes before so either it was about not knowing when the songs switched over or about the remixes from earlier)

they played the studio version in the background and i gasped at the sounds of the other 1d boys’ voices

song 10: polaroid

song 11: bedroom floor

song 12: strip that down

song 13: best song ever!!! 

it was on the set list he gave to us after what a feeling and he skipped it but he brought it back here as a bonus!!!! and he sang the full thing!!!!

he ended the song with “it was the best birthday party after party ever....coming up right after this”

intermission before after party!!

after party!!!!

we came back to him wearing a full blue suit!!!

“this is me in my birthday suit”  sdfghjhgfd

thanked us for coming!!! talked about enjoying singing 1d songs!!! especially what a feeling!!!! gave a hand for mae!!!!!

read the itinerary for the after party like a cute host

fan vs. fan on zoom!!!

presents!!!!!

live on tiktok after

birthday messages!!!

we were trending worldwide!!!!!

question: favorite dance

answer: the wap dance jfkdksal

zoom game!!!!

threw a dart with a number!!! number is the number of the zoom fan!!!! another fan asks a question!!!! if zoom fan gets it right, they win a prize. if they get it wrong, the question fan gets a prize!!!

it wasn’t not working too well and he said “it’s my birthday so that’s my excuse” and “i’m gonna stand here very awkwardly and make funny faces” then “now i’m staring at myself which is even worse”

fan question: what is liam’s middle name?

liam said “they better get it right” or something like that implying it was easy dfghjkjh

then they didn’t get it :(((

prize!!!!: liam’s burberry shirt that he was papped in a few years ago!!!

back to liam

question: most emotional thing about going solo

answer: “finding out that someone didn’t know my middle name.....nights like tonight when i perform these songs by myself......night changes is a tear jerker for me”

fan said they would donate $500 if he writes her name on his hand “how do you spell the name...i did go to school it’s just polite to ask”

presents!!!!!

first present is from his parents

something popped out and he got scared!!!!! but he loved it!!!!

birthday messages

zedd

alesso

did a tshirt cannon but social distanced style and gave them away to people in comments

he shot a little cannon every time!!!!

back to zoom game

the person who asked the question wasn’t there so liam had to read it and he said “i hope i know the answer” before reading it

fan question: (the number was 18 and he sang a bit of the song) at what age did i take up boxing? 

the fan didn’t know so he gave them the answer so they would win

answer: 13

gift was one of his gucci shirts

another present

it’s a HORSE COSTUME.....one of those ones where he’s riding a horse

birthday message

from dj khaled 

he called him “lima” LMAOOO

“i shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as i am” about wearing the costume

#1 trending in australia!!

“you took a long look at my crotch area there and i hope it was because of the horse”

“i’m getting used to it now....it becomes quite fulfilling after a while”

zoom game #3

fan question: name 5 artists that liam collabed with so far

they got it!!!!

another shirt that he got papped in once!!!

did another tshirt cannon!!

birthday messages 

rita ora 

NIALL FUCKING HORAN

moved to tiktok

made a tiktok with the reactions of when you like your birthday present vs. when you don’t like your birthday present but you’re pretending

his family got him a birthday cake in the shape of a giant cookie!!!! and they played the cookie song for him!!!!! he talked about that trend about how everything is cake!!!! 

#okay the format is a little weird but im tired fghjgfds #once again if i got anything wrong or left anything out please let me know!!!!!!! #liam payne #the lp show #the lp show act 2 #liam93productions #i don't know what else to tag but i did this again because people asked!!! #please love it #mine

[moonlightjinko-kun]

Best Gift (Happy Bday Atsushi 2021!)

This is for my cinnamonroll who’s a beaming ray of sunshine, hehe ily atsushi

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Atsukyou // Atsushi x Kyouka

Words: 960+

Summary: After a long day of work and a birthday party thrown by the ADA members, Atsushi and Kyouka finally get to spend some alone time to celebrate Atsushi's (first) birthday as a couple.

Read it on AO3!

A/N 1:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATSUSHI! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! THIS IS THE HAPPINESS YOU DESERVE HEHE another year another bday fic :) since I had written about the Agency throwing him a party last year, I thought it'd be fun to do atsukyou celebrating atsushi's first birthday together this year!

5 May, 8:07pm

“Finally home!” Atsushi sinks into the sofa,letting out a contented sigh. He hears his girlfriend busying herself in the kitchen, the clinks and occasional thuds the only sounds in the apartment.

“Kyouka-chan?” He calls softly. The noise stops momentarily and he hears her soft “yeah”.

“Can you come here first?”

“Mm, one minute.”

Atsushi pushes himself off the sofa. Kyouka’s soft humming fills the little space between them, pulling him toward her, a note by a note. He reaches her and in a swift and gentle motion, wraps his arms around her waist. So close to the nape of her neck, he inhales the sweet floral scent that she always wears - the perfume that he had given her for Valentine’s Day. He feels her relaxing into his embrace, and the bento boxes she has been washing slip to the bottom of the sink.

“I’ll do it for you later. Take off the gloves and come with me.”

Kyouka lets out a small chuckle and turns her head slightly to look at him. “I can’t make the birthday boy do this. I’ll come over soon, just be patient.”

At her words, Atsushi rests his head on her shoulder. “Please?” He turns his puppy eyes on her, hoping she would soften and give in.

Kyouka purses her lip, insistent. With a small “hmm”, he releases his hold around her and slips his hand into the gloves. He entwines his fingers with hers, a cheeky grin on his face.  Atsushi turns his puppy eyes on her again and finally, after a few minutes, she relents. Her rosy pink lips part in a sweet smile and taking her hint, he slips his right hand out to pull off the gloves.

With her fingers out of the gloves, she wove his fingers into his. A grin tugs the corner of his lips at the gentle squeeze of her hands, as she leads him to the sofa. He follows after her, his eyes following the sway of her hips as she waltzes through the room on the balls of her feet. A laugh bubbles out of her as their eyes meet, before he hurriedly turns away with a blush creeping up his face.

Atsushi feels her tender touch on his face, and her hands move ever so gently to turn his face back to her. She has pulled herself close to him; the silence and grace that she moves with always catching him off guard. Standing on tiptoes, her lips are just inches away from his.

There is a subtle tease to the way Kyouka’s lips move, the breath that comes from her a brush on his cheeks, painting them a rosy pink.

Did she drink too much at the birthday party just now? I thought she only had a bit...

His face crumpled into a confused expression at the wide grin on her face.

“Kyouka-chan?”

“Mm-hmm?”

“You’re … are you okay?”

Kyouka nods before narrowing her eyes at him. “Why?”

“Nothing.” Huh, okay.

Kyouka holds her stare for another moment before turning away. He follows after her, letting her lead him back to the sofa. The slight tugs from her pulls him to move faster and closer to her.

Atsushi sits next to her and pulls her close to him, leaving his arm loose around her waist. She rests her head against his chest, her eyes half-closed. Her fingers curl around his, the warmth of her hand radiating into him.

“I wish we had both taken the time off today.” Atsushi blurts out.

A giggle escapes her. “Me too.” She replies, in between giggles. “At least we have four hours together now.”

Atsushi lets out a small sigh. How’s that enough?

“You sound like a whiny child.” Her hands are on his cheeks, pushing his cheeks into a pout. “Maybe that’s why your birthday is on Children’s Day.” She teases.

He blinks, before realising that he’s voiced out his own thoughts. He gives her a sheepish grin and averts his gaze.

When he was a child, he used to hate his birthday. He hated the fact that he was born on Children’s Day and he’d thought it was the biggest irony in his life. That he was the loneliest child on Children’s Day, all chained up in the basement, spending the day wishing he was never born. But now, looking at how Kyouka is patting him, her face aglow with love and affection, he finds himself loving his birthday and wanting to spend every single birthday with her.

“What are you thinking about, Atsushi?” Kyouka asks, her eyes alight with curiosity.

“Mm, you.”

Kyouka tilts her head, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Kyouka-chan, can you make me a promise?”

Shs nods.

“Can you… promise… to always spend my birthday with me?”

With the words out of him, he realises how selfish he sounds. Yet, he still longs to hear her say “yes”. Moments later, she raises her pinky with a gentle smile on her face. Atsushi hooks his pinky around hers and bends his thumb to reach hers.

“There, Atsushi. No matter how busy or tired I am, we’ll always celebrate your birthday together.” She leans in and gently presses her lips to his. A blush brightens her cheeks. She quickly lets go of his pinky and nestles her head into the hollow of his chest.

Atsushi’s heart drums to a faster beat in his chest. He wraps his arm tight around her waist and laces his fingers through hers.

“Thank you,” he whispers into her ear. Thank you for the best gift ever.

With his free arm, he lifts her chin and kisses her tenderly on the lips.

“Happy birthday, Atsushi,” she mouths, her voice a soft whisper against his lips.

A/N 2:  As always, thank you for reading to the end and I hope you’d enjoyed this super short bday fic! I didn't have much time to do a super detailed/complex fic this year, since work has been busy, but this has been a very fun piece to write! >< Comments, reblogs and any form of feedback are always appreciated, thank you!

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #atsukyou #atsushi x kyouka #nakajima atsushi #izumi kyouka #HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYY #ATSUSHI HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYY #birthday fic #them kissing because CUTE FLUFFS #this was super duper fun to write and it has been a major stress reliever heh #cinfics 🎀

[bean-pole-art]

Ed’s Borderlands Fics Masterpost

well finally

here is the masterpost of all of my Borderlands fics posted. most of them are Rhysothy focused to various AUs. I’m gonna update it as I post more but here it is, along with some of my commentary

right from the start big big BIG shoutout to @spoks-illogical-art​, my partner in crime, my biggest inspo, without them honestly most of these fics wouldn’t exist, please check out their amazing art <3

(latest edit - 21/02/2021)

Atlas AU - our main timeline, follows events of Moxxi’s Heist. lots of different concepts and ideas but the core really is Tim moving to Promethea to get help from Rhys. gonna sort em here with posting date, check the ao3 series for the “timeline”

Hypothetically - 2240 words summary: Rhys talks a lot, but usually thinks about it too little.

coffee, cats & monographs - 2880 words summary: “Hey hey, easy. You don’t want to repeat the accident from last week, do you?” Rhys cooed towards the cat and picked her up, just as Timothy instructed him to. Hearing these words, Felicity meowed. “Oh, don’t say that. This is my office and I have the power here,” he answered, carrying her back to his personal space.

Or Timothy's cat pays a visit to Rhys' office in the morning. note: I am a stupid mofo and at this point Tim would also have Loader Bot fkjbfd just imagine hes not mentioned cause hes wandering off, typical LB

Have Faith - 1470 words summary: During the 7 year lockdown at the Handsome Jackpot, Timothy couldn't really have any hope for himself. But maybe on Promethea it could be different. note: sudden feelings while watching JoltzDude139′s stream

Warm Cheeks, Cold Hands - 1170 words summary: Rhys comes home early and wants to say hi to his husband. With no ulterior motive. None at all. note: first fic Ive ever posted where characters are married, actually. fuck it, Rhysothy Real, his name is Rhys Lawrence

the battle (and the aftermath) of the ages - 2970 words summary: In a situation like this everything was possible, they could pull any punches they could think of. Four beasts playing against each other, every single one of them thinking of striking the winning blow.

Or Promethea Squad plays UNO. And then watches a movie. note: I love Promethea Squad with my whole heart

okurimono (贈り物) - 4/4, 17170 words summary: “Not a bomb. Just a device with a message for Rhys. Trust me on that,” this time an emoji of both winking and showing off a tongue [;P] appeared on the surface of Zer0’s helmet. Ah. So they were definitely trying to mess him up. In a way. Unfortunately, he really didn’t have any other options. Almost with a defeat, Timothy took the ECHOrecorder right from their hands and looked around it again. Or Zer0 gives Timothy a peculiar mission. note: my first ever multichapter fic. took me legit abt 8 months to finish but I am absolutely satisfied with this. also the bonus ending. yes

(there is) something I see in you - 8690 words summary: How one Rhys Strongfork met one Timothy Lawrence and how they fell for each other. More or less. note: best to go into this one blind, I swear. dumbest fic Ive ever written and please take this as a recommendation

this world is gonna pull through - 14380 words summary: Timothy really hoped it wasn’t anything important. He had that tendency to forget things easily, even if he tried to fight it. But Rhys kept on smiling and went by his side. So it couldn’t have been that bad. Still dumbfounded, he felt Rhys leaving a kiss right on his cheek.“November 11th? 

That- That seriously doesn’t ring any bells?” Rhys continued, brushing his hands against his shoulders. Or how Timothy spent one of his birthdays. note: also a love letter for Tim but a nicer one I guess kdjfnb dont ask how old is he i have no gdamn idea man

Strawberry Sweet - 3560 words summary: Rhys surprises Timothy with a gift for their date night in.

Happy Mercenary Day, Mr. Lawrence - 4670 words summary: How Timothy spent his first Mercenary Day on Promethea. note: I swear this is the best writer night Ive ever had. Ive written this whole thing in one night on Christmas day, solely on the inspo of that song I linked

Don’t Go Wasting Your Emotion - 4/4, 17080 words summary:  Afterwards, he went around with his usual duties. Getting a quick roundabout from his PA, checking several sectors himself and looking through the thousands of messages already sent to him via ECHOs. Rhys was ready to finally take on the day, yet when he made his way to the office, he saw the unusual envelope right by the edge of his desk. “For Rhys” was written on it. Straightforward enough. Or Rhys gets a letter from a secret admirer. note: another multichapter fic!! this one also took some time and well. its inspired by ABBA songs. cause only I would write a Rhysothy fic inspired by ABBA

Ratchet Effect - 7130 words summary: Knowing just how much overworked Rhys has been, Timothy wants to let them have a nice getaway in Lazy River Land. There's only one problem to overcome - ratch infestation. note: first fic of 2021!! Ive been playing a lot of bl3 suring the writing of it so it has a lot of stuff I had observed both on Promethea and on Jackpot

Reflections - 2250 words summary: Sometimes, Timothy needs a reminder.

Tales AU - second most important timeline. it’s Tales but Tim is a part of the group. sorted chronologically

A Story For Another Day - ongoing, for now -  2/25, 15280 words Tales AU main fic. it’s gonna be a big one

Connection Interrupted - 3240 words summary: With his driving shift finished, Timothy checks up on Rhys and Vaughn's plans.

Completely Hopeless - 1040 words summary: In which Fiona notices that Rhys behaves differently in front of a certain doppelganger.

infinity times infinity times infinity - 3460 words summary: Rhys and Timothy share some dreams and secrets underneath the stars. note: the beautiful combination of Sleeping At Last and Minecraft parodies. I promise it makes sense

reality can be whatever I want - 11420 words summary: “Hey, Tim?” Timothy didn’t even spare him a look, “Are we alone, or is he there with you?” Oh, this definitely won’t be pretty.

After the confession of Handsome Jack's AI in his head and his plan to infiltrate Helios, Rhys needs to set things right with Timothy. Somehow. note: thanosdancing.gif to Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” 80′s remix and a guest appearance from Ferocity but I cant legally say her name here

still here - 2820 words summary: It all had to go down, after Helios crashed. note: I have...a love/hate relationship with this one kjdfbfg I like it but it’s honestly an alternate ending and doesnt fit within our usual bad ending, so take it with a grain of salt. i ten jebany błąd językowy w summary, kiedy ja go poprawię

together at last - 5590 words summary: It all struck him down in an instant, in this one minute. They were all safe. And they were all alive. Nothing was threatening neither him, nor Timothy, nor Fiona. He could finally breathe out.

They all found each other again. note: I am multitasking most time of my life but I dont relate any other fic to multitasking more than this one. I was honestly doing 10 things at once while writing this dfkjbndf

David AU - this one is a sub AU to Tales AU and the plot is kind of complicated dfjkbfb please check the fic for further explanation

building in curved lines - 22490 words summary: “To be fair, you look terrible. You’re barely standing in one piece and none of your coffees will hold you together for that long,” Lilith paused, seemingly weighing the correct words in her head. “You haven’t really been holding on since… We rescued The Double.” Rhys sighed heavily. Why did she have to be so right about everything. Or how Rhys and Timothy adjust to the reality after the Handsome Jack AI. note: bday gift for Spok, EASILY one of my absolute faves and the longest fic Ive written thus far

outside of AUs - some concepts I play with that are honestly outside any of our concrete timelines/concepts + fics not focused on Rhysothy

Real - 770 words summary: Reconciling with your past is a little easier, when you have someone you love right in your arms. note: first blands fic I’ve ever written. the characterization isn’t really there yet but as a first shot at the game and my kind of “introduction”, I am still satisfied of it

(Un)Familiar Faces - 9620 words summary: Timothy pursed his lips and leaned over the wall a little. He’s had enough of this solitude of closed doppelganger cabinet. Today wasn’t the day for another self-loathing session. Today, he should go off on Helios and do something for himself.

Or Timothy spends the night at a Helios bar. But not as Handsome Jack. And not as Timothy Lawrence either. note: personal favorite of mine, tough love letter to Timothy Lawrence. I have so many fond memories of writing this, including getting drunk out of my mind just like Tim and Rhys here

basics of survival - 2010 words summary: Athena taught Timothy everything he needed to know about survival. Now, it was time to put these skills into use. note: wrote this right before rona outbreak on last day in my dorms. thats all

#borderlands #fic masterpost #fanfiction #fanfic #rhysothy #rhys strongfork #timothy lawrence #just tagging characters that I write the most #fiona the con artist #zer0 the assassin #lorelei the coffee commander #athena the gladiator #Ędi's writing

[rockcrow20]

Reasons I Still Believe in Kaylor - (Updated 3rd March)

Observations since the red “wedding” that make me still believe that Kaylor are still together.

Thank you to everyone in this fandom for there contributions, posts, observations and secret government agency level clue finding skills. (X = links to relevant posts).

Oct 22nd 2018 - Taylors forget me knots flower t-shirt while in OZ..X

Oct 31st 2018 - New Video in Karlie’s Kitchen and she still had the Kaylor photos up.. X

Nov 9th 2018 - Tay sings out of the woods on Tour and Karlie and co post photos in the woods.. X

Nov 16th 2018 - Taylors matching Karlie Clutch at the AMA’s.. X. also kinda matching outfits..X

Jan 15th 2019 - Karlie’s Astrology post with Sagittarius book shown underneath.. X

Feb 25th 2019 - Karlie rocking a Tye Dye t-shirt at Paris Week with Gigi in tow, hello lover merch and also similar to a shirt Tay was seen in also another PR episode themed tye dye (in 2020).. X X X

Feb 28th 2019 - Hanging out with Gigi at PFW X X X X

March 3rd 2019 - Karlie was in Paris for fashion week - Off White walk on 28th Feb then mysteriously posts that she was passing through NY on the 3rd of March before appearing back in Paris for the Stella McCartney show on the 4th March. Where did she mysteriously fly to and why point it out that she was back in America for some unknown reason - plus we know beginning of march is significant for them aka Big Sur or Love locked down...X X X X

March 14th 2019 - Taylor leaving/disappearing early from the Iheart awards the same night Project Runway Premiered..X

March 14th 2019 - Watch what happens live - Karlie getting asked about Taylor - there is a smirk..X

March 14th 2019 - Interesting anon telling Kaylors not to give up.. X

March 31st 2019 - Tay and KK liking the same Ciara post - X

April 2019 maybe??- The i need to make a phone call when filming ME when adopting Benjamin..X

April 16th 2019 - The Lover Butterfly Mural - 2 lady birds, giraffe print, similar previous to karlie VS wings..X X

April 2019 - Berlin video of karlie playing piano with “a interesting” female voice laughing at the end and saying you always.. X X

April 2019 - The man in the umbrella in the ME music video - looks like someone covered up with makeup, could potentially to be karlie?? Or is it Taylor giving us a nod the the Man music video?? X

May 18th 2019 - Tays ‘we’ slip on the Ellen show then saying its just me and the cats.. X X

May 30th 2019 - Karlie using ME! and 2AM in a story.. X X

June 3rd 2019 - Tay wearing a yellow T-shirt with her Wango Tango rainbow outfit.. X

June 6th 2019 - Karlie using a BBF vogue video gif.. X X

June 17th 2019 - THE HAND in the YNTCD teaser video - no one can convince me this isn't Karlie’s hand.. X X X X X

June 17th 2019 - Lover straw in the YNTCD video similar to Karlie’s bride straw. Also the Mint mojito it’s sitting in linking to Karlie’s 73 Question video where she says Mojitos are a favourite..X X

June 2019 - YNTCD with Taylor carrying out a Daisy from her burning trailer plus Daisies making a number of appearances.. X X X X

June 2019 - Taylor wearing the french fries suit in the YNTCD video then karlie saying in reply to a fan “not pregnant just love french fries!!!!” X

June 25th 2019 - KK’s Dad liking certain comments on the Wyoming stunt..X

July 4th 2019 - Abigail liking a KK insta post after the SB drama started.. X

Aug 3rd 2019 - Tay posts Lover Heart crispies pic on KK’s birthday.. X

Aug 16th 2019 - Release date of Lover Track being 13 days after KK’s bday and also track 3 aka KK birthday day also its 3.41 long (3+4+1=8).. X X X

Aug 16th 2019 - Lover lyric video with the kaylor sparklers video plus potential daises and big sur falcon pic.. X X

Aug 18th 2019 - Karlie listening to lover track on her Spotify X X X X

Aug 22nd 2019 - Lover video fishbowl scene X Also the snow-globe imagery and selling it in her merch.” dancing in a snow-globe round and round “ VSFS 2013 X X X

Aug 23rd 2019 - Lover release date may coincide with a certain date range where Kaylor may have gotten engaged.. X X

Aug 23rd 2019 - Lover album in general - Cornelia street, Lover, False God etc etc we all know it plus the release letters all over NY..X X

Sept 9th 2019 - The E news rundown video X

Sept 10th 2019 - Lover Paris Concert Mural ummm a polaroid, locket..X X X X

Nov 14th 2019 _ Karlie’s off the wall post during when SB was not letting Tay perform her songs - which i think is her being off the wall angry.. X

Nov 14th 2019 - Selena liking a Hung Vanngo post of Karlie..X

Nov 13th 2019 - Lover remix released on the anniversary of their first meeting VS2013 - “the girl in my story has always been you”..X X X

Nov 21st 2019 - The orange girl In YNTCD along with the Karlie Vogue cover in orange with cactus jewellery.. X X

Nov 25th 2019 - Use of a ballerina for her Lover AMA performance and then karlie also mentioning said ballerina months later in a insta story.. X X

Dec 4th 2019 - Taylor Wearing the VS angel ring on the kiss gate anniversary X X X X X

Dec 6th 2019 - Christmas Tree Farm song lyrics and happiness

Dec 12th 2019 - Taylor posting a pic of her with the huge cats door and then low and behold the following PR episode Karlie walks through a giant door for a Cats promo episode.. X X X X

Jan 2020 - PR episode with Cyndi Lauper aka photo with Taylor at Billboard Women awards and also having Laverne Cox as a guest too..X X

Jan 2nd 2020 - Martha liking KK’s post celebrating her vogue covers which includes the Kaylor one..X

Jan 23rd 2020 - The use of the song Karlie what you want, (karlie would you want to) song in Miss Americana when talking about her partner also the home video.. X X also this X

Jan/Feb 2020 - The cake recently that Karlie brought to a party that looks exactly like Taylor’s birthday cake from her pic in the studio with Jack plus the cake in Miss Americana X X X

Feb 6th 2020 - The song release of the Man and KK having a suits themed PR episode..X X X

Feb 12th 2020 - KK’s Daisy coat X

Feb 18th 2020 - The drawn Bethany Richards picture of the rainbow dress Taylor wore to the NFL draft on KK’s Galantines insta story..X

Feb 19th 2020 - KK scrapbook present has it open on a page featuring a daisy and giraffe in her thank you video X X

Feb 20th 2020 - Martha - Lily Ashley liking a Gigi disposable acct post of Bella with karlie in the background X X X

Feb 25th 2020 - Potentially the orange hand in the Man promo pic being Karlie’s X

Feb 27th 2020 - Photographed backstage chatting to Gigi at PFW off white walk X X X

Feb 27th 2020 - Taylor posting the picture of the Man scene where she leaves a brunette female in bed X X X X X

Feb 27th 2020 - The man video - “secret moments in a crowded room” with two women secretly touching each other on the train X X

Feb 27th 2020 - The similarity or shade with the wedding scene aka fake wedding no celebrant bride not happy during the cake scene X X X X X X

Feb 27th 2020 - Louboutin shoes - karlie at a show (24th feb), the man MV Tylers shoes, kimbys workplace X X X

Feb 29th 2020 - Hanging out with Cara at PFW after Cara has been quite vocal in her support of Taylor. X X X 

Feb 29th 2020 - Cara twice posting pics with Karlie X X X X Also previous post of Cara’s featuring Tay liked by Karlie X

Karlie Being seen with Cara Lily and Gigi in recent times X

Lily mentioning Karlie in youtube videos and liking her posts. X

Feb 29th 2020 - iwanthermidnights getting a taylor like (her second one) X X X now getting a karlie like on a insta comment

Mar 2nd 2020 - Karlie replying to youtube comments made by kaylor/taylor acct names X

General - 

These Karlie wine photos just give me kaylor feels X X X X X

Karlie continuously latergraming and the Fiordland spelling mistake incident plus always periods of days where she is  MIA aka christmas and coming back looking a bit sun reddened and wearing jumpers, posting dark pictures.. X

Often posting and tweeting within minutes of each other eg kobe posts etc

Karlie’s taking a lot photos from the rooftops in New York City and posting them after Lover’s release. X Her saying she picks gold over silver and that stating NYC is her favorite city vs Joe saying London is his favorite city.

OTHER posts to note..X X X X X X X X X X X

Thank you to everyone who responded with things i missed much appreciated!

#kaylor

[coolpolarbear123]

Band Camp Day 3

"we can either be the picconets or the clarilos." "The picc-a-nut?" "clarilo it is"

August 17th, 2021

<< 3 >>

forgive me if this is short:

4 hours of sleep later, we're heading to the field with literal mugs of coffee in hand to start the senior prank

the prank today: hanging underwear on the band director's podium

it's a tradition. I've probably mentioned it in past posts

at 8:30, we start, I'm more anxious than ever bc of all the drama

practice, fundamentals, the works

ML2 doesn't clap for the DI's and it freaks me out bc I know it's bc she hates that I have it

I've literally been texting the picc drum major (her roommate) about it all of band camp

my marching today??? absolutely awful. I could barely pay attention or anything

it's ML2's bday!! so I have been trying to mention it a lot and get her recognition so that maybe she's not as angry at me

We got put in a temporary band block yesterday and it's??? terrible? I'd like for the temporary part to end bc we're still using it

today I did a lot of messing up, and I feel really bad and gross about it

there's been this issue that when we do stuff in our big band block, someone in the middle will mess up, and by the time it gets to the ends of the block (us, the piccs), it's a huge mess, and we get blamed

this happened and our DM (the other one, the one who plays alto) was like "I know when I'm wrong" and we were scrambling to figure out where we were supposed to be

lunch!

people from random sections have been eating with us. This is fine, but?? it seems really early. Do you guys even know your own sections?

full band rehearsal! it was uneventful

our first playing sectionals! we stickered our nametags, then played through a lot of songs

we actually did really well, which is probably because we're mostly returners (re: one freshman)

and!! we were worried that our SL was gonna be super nitpicky and she's not! she's super reasonable!

back to full band rehearsal. Our band director made us watch a bunch of videos?? like they were sorta related to what we were doing but eh

I've been doing a lot of exchanging glances with the alto drum major. Mostly about ML2

we also?? have to move section bonding? which usually happens on Thursday night? I told our section leader that she needs to take that day off from her CA stuff, but she didn't, and now she works that night. Finding a replacement was aggravating, and we chose an hour and a half window on Sunday

that's not enough time, and it's... mediocre at best, really

it doesn't leave much space for fun things

dinner! the other librarian staff person is very well known for making really weird food combos that are super gross, and she is on a roll this week, lemme tell ya

a couple days ago it was coffee and chicken, there was cake and meat sauce at one point, etc

"If I can eat it, it's not a dog"

after dinner was more marching

our band director said he was writing pregame drill tonight, which means us drill librarian staff will have our hands full in the morning

did i mention the IMMENSE AMOUNT OF ANXIETY i have about being leadership bc of certain other members in the section?

it's so bad that our section leader had to give us the "don't talk about other members behind their back" speech

we did our singing at the end, and the 5th years led. One of my best friends is a 5th year, and there's only, like, 5 total, and it was really cute

very last of the real ones

and then we flash mobbed the hey song to scare the freshmen, like we do every year, even though we usually do it in the band room

our freshman caught on to the movements fairly well

the night activity was the scavenger hunt!

on the drive to the main part of campus, i asked if we are still doing the "not last" chant, and ML2 was like "I think the other sections get annoyed at it"

I texted our DM bc I was sad that we're retiring the chant

we get out of the car and the piccs aren't sitting in their usual spot which is like the icing on the cake for my stress rn

and then my SL comes up to me and is like "I'm gonna start the chant" "did [DM] talk to you?" "yeah, and I wanna do it" "let's just... wait and see"

but then later, one of the piccs started it, so at least we chanted it and I'm not the only one who cares

the clarinets only had one returner show up (one of my really good friends), so they requested to combine with a different section, and the piccolos all raised their hands up after a moment and shouted "PICCOLOS" so they joined us!

it was sorta scary bc that's a lot of people? we had all 10 of us, and there was a good amount of them, and we only have 15 minutes to run around and do things

but literally no one else wanted them (one of the clarinet freshmen even begged the drumline to take them) and we're friends with them, so

the scavenger hunt began, and SL did an amazing job of leading. I got to help with it! i called out prompts

and DANG were we efficient

we werent even late to getting back

usually while the scores are being calculated, we dick around, and every section did plenty of that, including us, but it was kinda awkward bc the senior piccs wanted no part of it

i was upset bc why can't we just,,, not separate ourselves like that. Why do we have to be different and extra and not social

I stayed with the seniors bc I was more scared of leaving them, but I was annoyed

after scores were calculated and we were all standing together, I went around and said "reminder! all we want is not last" and I get back to my place where I was standing to hear the seniors just like "idc what we get, I just wanna go home"

cool thanks

but we didn't get last!! and we did sorta scream bc that's huge!

last place had 41 points

AND THEN WE DIDN'T GET SECOND TO LAST

YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOKS ON OUR FACES

but then we

DIDN'T GET THIRD TO LAST EITHER

at this point we're holding our breath, not screaming, just giving each other Looks

how well did we do? we had such a big section

fast forward to them announcing fourth place, and that wasn't us either, we were all whispering about how we ranked. No matter what, we were first, second, or third, and that's like getting a medal

and we weren't third

"first place had significantly more photos"

that kinda where we all accepted that we got second

and WE FUCKING WON WITH 81 POINTS

WE

WON

WE WON MY FRESHMAN YEAR AND NOW MY SENIOR YEAR

THAT'S H U G E

piccolos don't win things

we don't even know the clarinets

we called ourselves the clarilos

we're so fckn stoked about our win, guys, it hasn't even set in, really

NOT LAST NOT LAST NOT LAST

#I fell asleep while writing this last night #so lets see if I can catch up and write two tonight #band #band camp #marching band #cbc #2k21 bc adventures #rant #cpb speaks

[tiny-maus-boots]

Linchpin

A/N: I know I know. Here I am with the start of something else entirely instead of finishing all the other 2734387423 other open projects I have. But this is for Kate’s bday, albeit a few days early. 

Happy Birthday Workplace Proximity Acquaintance. @smolletts

ALSO: y’all. Just...watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bql02sOBf4&feature=youtu.be

01. 

"Mind if I sit here?"

Aubrey looked up from the newspaper she was rereading for the second time that morning. She wasn't that much of an avid reader of current events to have spent the time on it, but she'd been stalling. Stretching her time in the quaint Cuban bakery from her usual routine of 13 minutes to an unprecedented 39.

She had almost given up and gone on about her day, resolving herself to stop thinking about the gorgeous brunette with mile long legs and a smile that blasted right past the barrier of cool analytic thought that Aubrey managed her world through.

And here she was in the flesh, voice as soft as all the curves that Aubrey couldn't keep her gaze from dropping to before she remembered her manners and nodded with a smooth gesture at the table between them. The other woman smiled coyly and put her drink down before slipping into the only other empty seat in the small dining area.

"Thanks. I forgot how busy this place gets at this time."

Aubrey quirked a brief smile at that and nodded again. They had been playing a careful dance of covert glances and flirtatious smiles for months. And if she were being honest with herself it was the closest thing to dating she'd done since she left the CIA to take a position with the FBI. Though was it really dating if you were just spy banging an asset for information? There were too many thoughts suddenly crowding her brain, pulling her back to a life she didn’t want to remember and she had to give herself a slight shake to settle her focus.

"It's gotten busier now that the hipsters have discovered it. I guess I should feel bad for hogging a table to myself every morning."

"Nah you're not bad. You're here what? 15 minutes tops? Long enough to read your paper, eat a pastelito and punish yourself with a steaming cup of acid."

It startled a laugh out of her, and Aubrey felt the sudden need to put distance between them. Her brain telling her that it was best to change her schedule, choose a new coffee shop, retreat, it was an echo from a past life of as an operator. She had to remind herself that this life didn't require a deft and abrupt change every time the wind blew east.

"Should I be more alarmed by the fact that you're watching me or that you think my coffee order is bad?"

"First, you've known for three months that I've been watching you. And can you blame me for having eyes? And second, this..." The woman reached out and carefully slid Aubrey's coffee cup out of her hand and replaced it with her own. It was ridiculous, they were strangers and she had no idea if the other woman had done something to the drink. Yet she was tempted to taste it the second the warmth of the woman's hands pressed her fingers around the new cup. "Is coffee, what you were drinking before is a sin."

"Did you put something in this?"

She could have cursed herself for her suspicious second nature, but the brunette seemed to take in stride, head tipping back with the bubble of laughter that erupted.

"Absolutely. Two sugars." The laugh made her own lips tug into a smile and Aubrey brought the cup up to taste the steaming liquid. The coffee was delicious of course but, in all fairness, it could have been the worst swill ever created. Aubrey couldn’t focus past the amusement in the other woman’s eyes. Her heart skipped a beat and she wondered if it was a jolt from the caffeine or the lazy smile on the brunette’s face. “So, what do you think?”

“I think I might have to change my coffee order.”

The smile grew and her heart skipped forward in double time. Definitely not the coffee. A sharp chirp broke the shared held breath between them, and Aubrey reached into the inner pocket of her jacket. She pulled her phone out and glanced at the display with a disappointed sigh.

“Time to go?”

Aubrey raised her head at the question, thumb already pressing the sleep button to black the screen out before it was seen. The woman raised a brow but didn’t ask any questions. It was different. There were always questions, and with questions came demands, and with demands came responsibilities. It was tiring always trying to remember what lie went with what cover, more tiring to just speak the truth of her life.

“Unfortunately. Duty calls so I had better…”

“Sure, I have a date to get ready for anyway.”

It was early for a date and it piqued her own curiosity and something else. Something deeper than her reflexive need to know everything about all the players in the game. Disappointment echoed through her and she knew it was silly. They weren’t a couple; they didn’t even know each other. A few months of watching each across a crowded room didn’t a relationship make. And yet… Aubrey offered a polite but blank smile and a short nod.

“I hope your date has something special planned.”

The woman stood, everything in her body suggesting so much more than a casual flirt between strangers. She leaned over and took one of the napkins that Aubrey had neatly stacked and piled on the table. Her smile turned sultry as she produced a pen, she clicked it and scribbled something before sliding it toward the blonde.

“Guess we’ll find out when you pick me up.”

Aubrey sat back in her chair as she pulled the napkin closer. It was just an address and a time. 8 pm sharp. She raised a brow but couldn’t force the smile from her face. In another place, in another time, she would have agreed and disappeared long before there was time to make a connection let alone have a date. Maybe it was time to try things differently, this was after all, her only life to lead now.

“You know I don’t normally go out with strange women. Especially when I don’t know their names.”

“My name is Stacie.” Something flitted through the gold flecked green eyes, her smile turning bemused for just a breath of a second. Stacie gave an amused half chuckle and pointed at the coffee cup. “And we’re not strangers. I bought you coffee.”

Aubrey looked down at the cup and back up, but the tall woman was already halfway to the door. She stopped to toss a smirk over her shoulder at the blonde and Aubrey felt that surprising surge of adrenaline pump through her, kicking her heart into overdrive.

“Oh Posen…you are in trouble.”

----

 “So how was that for a first date?”

“Hm. Does it count as a first date when we’ve been having coffee together every morning for months?”

Aubrey laughed and tucked her hands into the pockets of her slacks. It’d been a weird day in the office, her mind too scattered to focus on the current killer du jour. It wasn’t like her and her partner, Swanson, was all too happy to point it out. But planning out a date at the last minute had thrown her off kilter and she’d spent more time thinking about that than her job. She had to rely on something familiar and more personal instead of a perfectly planned event.

“Considering the first time we spoke was this morning I’m going to say yes.”

“Definitely a treat. I don’t know if I’m more impressed by your mastery of Latin dance or your flawless Spanish. Where’d you learn?”

“I picked up a little here and there.” It was vague and she knew it but how did you tell a date that you learned it during 18 months under cover in Belize?

“Very mysterious.”

“You say that like you aren’t intrigued.”

The tall woman at her side laughed and slid an arm through hers and Aubrey’s muscles twitched reflexively when the movement blocked access to the gun holstered under her arm. Her neck and shoulders bunched with tension as Stacie looked at her with raised a brow when she felt the hard edge of the grip.

“Is that a gun in your suit or are you just happy to see me?”

“You’re not even a little surprised are you?” Stacie smiled and Aubrey felt the world drop out from under her. She only knew she was on solid ground because the other woman never once faltered in her stride. “About the gun I mean.”

“Should I be? Everything about you screams cop.”

Aubrey gasped lightly at that. “It does not!”

The brunette snorted and gestured vaguely at Aubrey. “Baby, you’re wearing that suit like it’s your superhero costume. Understated make up, hair up in a stylish yet no nonsense hairdo, no jewelry save a watch. My guess is you’re trying to convince yourself and everyone else that this who you are.”

It was too much truth in one statement and gravity hit, weighting her down from her gut. Aubrey cleared her throat and raised a shoulder in a half shrug, playing it off casually despite the fact that it was anything but casual conversation to her. The knot in her shoulder tightened even more and she rolled her neck trying to loosen it.

“You don’t think this is who I am?”

Stacie stopped them in front of an apartment building and stood facing her. Their eyes met and she felt seen. No. Not just seen, exposed. Stacie was reading her as easily as she read every suspect to ever sit in her interrogation room.

“That watch you wear? It’s expensive and has more complications on it than gauges in the cockpit of a 747. I bet it cost at least seven grand and don’t get me started on those shoes.”

“Eight not that it matters.” Aubrey looked down then frowned at her date. “What’s wrong with my shoes?”

“Nothing. But they’re as high end as the watch on your wrist and I don’t recall Ferragamo pumps being standard issue to cops.”

“Well, Federal Agents get a bigger budget, so…”

Stacie narrowed her eyes slightly, her smile turning knowing and Aubrey reached up to rub her neck and shoulder to ease the tightness there. She was uncomfortable being laid so bare to a stranger. It had been too long since someone could see past whatever façade she put up.

“You’re not just a Fed. Why don’t you want anyone to see who you are, Aubrey?”

“Well that’s a conversation for a second date.”

Stacie’s grin changed, going soft and coy at the prospect of another date they both already knew would happen. As uncomfortable as Stacie made her, as exposed as she felt…she kind of liked it. Liked that she couldn’t hide who she was inside, somehow that made it all the more real to her. If this was the only life she had to lead she didn’t want to do it alone. Maybe now it was time for her to let go of the habits she already knew led to nothing but brief entanglements that ended up meaning less than nothing.

“You know you’ve been nursing that shoulder half the night.”

“It’s nothing, just a tweaked muscle.”

Stacie stared at her a moment longer and stepped in close, her hand trailing along the lapel of Aubrey’s blazer. Her heart stuttered and sped into overdrive when the brunette’s full lips twitched into a smile that said she knew so many things Aubrey couldn’t even begin to fathom to guess.

“Ah, well. You do know that I’m a licensed massage therapist. I could totally help you out with your kink.” Aubrey’s laugh tumbled out at the teasing waggle of eyebrows. “No but for serious. Come up. I promise to find all your sore spots.”

There was a hint of something just under the surface but she couldn’t put her finger on it. And maybe before that would have been enough of a red flag to make her take a pass but there was something in the other woman’s eyes that called to her like a siren song. Desire coiled low in her gut and Aubrey nodded her agreement. Stacie took her by the hand and led her up the stairs into the large brick front building.

“Nice place, how long have you been here?”

“Not long, just a few months.”

Aubrey nodded distractedly at that as Stacie casually flung her long hair over a shoulder. She was barely aware of the woman unlocking the door, too caught up in the light scent of her perfume and the soft expanse of neck that dipped delicately at her collarbone.

The first-floor apartment was larger than she expected with splashes of bright color against the backdrop of a soothing gray on the walls and furniture. The blonde’s eyes darted everywhere, internally cataloguing everything she saw and its placement in the room. The lock clicking behind her seemed so loud in the quiet, dim interior of the apartment.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

She gave a slight shake of her head. “I’m good.”

“Except for that shoulder that has you looking like Quasimodo.” Both brows shot up and Stacie laughed playfully before taking her hand once more. “C’mon, let me show you the way.”

“Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly…”

She couldn’t ignore the slight tingle of anticipation that skittered down her spine and Aubrey’s voice came out a soft rasp as she blindly followed the other woman into a smaller room that she used for treating her clients. Stacie moved to a linen closet and pulled out a bath sheet sized towel to set on the massage table. Her gaze trailed up Aubrey’s body and lingered for a few seconds before she turned away to turn on the aroma therapy diffuser.

“There is a hanger behind the screen for your clothes. Just come on out when you’re ready. I won’t peek. Much.”

If Stacie expected her to be shy, she was mistaken. Aubrey had lost any shame in her body during the early days of her career when she’d had to learn that nudity and sex were less important than keeping your cover. The screen was an unnecessary attempt to preserve modesty and Aubrey didn’t think twice about peeling off the layers of her Special Agent costume where she stood.

The sound of her slacks dropping to the ground caught Stacie’s attention and she turned, her lips pursed into a surprised little ‘o’ as she took in every inch of the blonde. Aubrey smirked and settled face down on the table, all the muscles in her body jumping with the weight of tension in the air. A finger trailed along her spine in a gentle caress making her back twitch in warning at a danger her mind couldn’t quite perceive.

Long fingered hands flattened over her shoulders and back down her back spreading warm oil over her skin with practiced ease. It wasn’t the first time that day that she thought she was in trouble, but it was less and less alarming the lower those masterful hands roamed. Maybe Stacie was dangerous for her…but what girl didn’t like a little danger?

Stacie gave a low chuckle as her hands slid over Aubrey’s hip to trail down the back of a toned thigh. “Oh…I think I am going to be in all the right kinda trouble.”

Well. At least she wasn’t the only one.

[ontochristine]

02.01.21

Two weeks since EK’s birthdate. I had hoped to write this sooner, while things were still fresh, but I’m learning that newborn care takes a lot of attention!

To recap my labor & delivery...

My EDD was 1/29. Up until January’s Kaiser appointments, EK had been measuring a little larger so we all thought he’d come sooner. Then Jan’s appointments showed he was back on track. It was both good and disappointing news. Work picked up after the holidays and my coordinator just started, so I needed the time to catch her up and get things in order. On the flip side, at 37 going on 38 weeks, I was really uncomfortable; sleeping horribly, back hurting, eating endlessly, etc. In other words, I was ready for baby to come out asap. By mid-Jan, DK & I figured baby would come closer to his EDD, whereas before DK figured he’d come around 2 weeks early and I thought he’d come 1 week early.

Fridays became my favorite days of the week while pregnant because 1) end of work week, 2) our takeout day and 3) sleep aid night (sleeping was awful during pregnancy and the sleep aid helped me get one full night of rest). So Friday, I wound down and went to bed between 9-10pm, while DK played DOTA in the second bedroom per usual. Sat am, I woke up with a spreading warmth waist down. I thought at first maybe I had like triple the layer of blankets in that area until I felt the wetness with my hands. Then thought to myself, “Is this my water breaking?” So I started to yell for DK but he was knocked out. I waddled my way to the bathroom, stripped, washed off my body & my PJ pants. At this point, I figured, “Well who knows how urgent this is. I’ll wake up DK after I’ve called Kaiser.” So I call, they advise to come to hospital as soon as possible - but no crazy rush - and I wake up DK, who doesn’t leap to his feet but more annoyed/groggy haha. This man doesn’t like to be woken up anyway. Knowing we have time, I put on makeup (I admit it! I’m vain!), try to figure out how to stop the leaking with the limited pads I have, and start packing last few things into the hospital bag. Then I eat an apple and write Janice’s bday card (whyyy do I irrelevant things during times like this). We finally head out and because of COVID, only I walk into the hospital where I’m seen in the triage area. Since it’s so early (before 8a), the hospital is really quiet and a Korean nurse comes to see me. I count both these things as God’s hand over me :) She chatters on and on about this and that and tells me that DK should definitely bring up snacks and it’ll be a while. So I send DK to Costco and he ends up coming to the hospital around 1p, after I’ve moved to the L&D unit.

The medical staff administered pitocin around 11a (?) and from 11a-4p, we just waited for the contractions to build up. Started a new show called Cobra Kai and ate the popsicles from the hospital. ALSO important to note that I sent DK to buy snacks in the am and then we later found out once Pitocin is in my system, I can’t eat solids until baby is out. I had like 8 popsicles over the course of waiting. Anyway, come 4p, the contractions were painful enough to request the epidural and by then, I started crying from the pain. It was just like the miscarriage contractions. I think the reminder of that mc coupled with the new pain made it an emotional experience for me again. The tears wet my mask, I muffled my gasps bc of the nurses and I was embarrassed, and my mind was just blank from the pain. I don’t know how women deliver without the epidural!! With the epidural hooked up and several tubes and devices on me, the pain subsided but around 6-7p, a bunch of nurses and doctors stormed into our room saying “baby is a little grumpy so we’re gonna do XYZ”. One staff member started reading off C-section risks to me to get my verbal consent, others tried to get me into an all-fours position, while another put an oxygen mask on me. I think the oxygen mask really freaked me out. Meanwhile DK was off to the side just watching and I didn’t say anything. Eventually things calmed down, we didn’t need the C-section and DK & I agreed that some calmer context would have helped haha. We waited overnight to dilate fully and by 5am on Sunday, we were ready to go! After pushing for 5 minutes, EK was born (cone-shaped and blue) and my first words were, “What the heck!” Once we cleaned up, it hit me how freaking adorable he was. DK sent photos and messages to both families and that was that!

As the epidural wore off and the catheter removed , I was introduced to the wonderful & embarrassing world of urinary incontinence. Almost immediately, I wet myself (a lot!) and the nurses had to tend to me. Thankfully, I heard, read or watched YT videos about this so I was pretty shameless about it. Like, what can I do? I have no control! We got moved to the post partum unit before Sunday noon which was slightly smaller and there, we had a nurse or doctor check on us or EK every other hour. Going to the bathroom every three hours to prevent serious leaking was annoying and the IV became super painful, since I started to move around and hold EK. I was on email for about an hour, canceling & consolidating meetings, and crafting my final week at work message. I decided I needed one more week (even while EK was here) to transition everything smoothly and feel at peace, which is another way of saying “I know it’s unconventional but this is how I want to do things!” I finally checked my phone - not sure why, but I hated the thought of texting or holding conversations during the L&B/pp time. I think I was just exhausted. I slept so poorly with the nurses coming to check on me every hour from the night before and I was just mentally and physically off. 

Come Monday am and with the prospects of going home soon, I felt better and Facetimed umma & appa. When I got wheeled Covid with EK in my arms, the nurse covered his face with the swaddle...covid things to recall years from now. Finally, we got home! And as we lifted EK out from the carseat, DK & I were both kind of amazed. “It’s like we went shopping and came back with a baby!” And the first few nights, of just me and DK, were so special. Just figuring it out. Powered by adrenaline and burning desire to do things right for our baby.

On night 2, EK’s circumcision bandaid had come undone and hung onto his skin by a thread. We didn’t know what to do, since we were told this & that about the circumcision healing process. Anyway, we decided to pull it off and EK’s cries broke me - and I’m pretty sure it tore at DK too. We knew it was already painful for EK but the sight of the swelling, bright red part + his crying was too much for these two new parents. I cried and cried and cried haha. But to conclude the whole circumcision story, after about 1 week of careful tending, he is fully and perfectly healed :)