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hurricanery · 3 years

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hurricane

A/N: shoutout to everyone that sent me song recs I'm feeling hella inspired and I’m gonna keep them in my inbox to come back to for future one shots! <3 credit to the anon that sent me this song...i wrote this so fast in my head and now it’s here! This is pretty amelia-centric but there’s a hint of amelink in here too, so hope u enjoy!

TW: implied drug use

also this is for @wordsxstars bc chloe ur my angst buddy forever !!

_______

I’m the violence in the pouring rain

I’m a hurricane

Come and fade me

I’m a hurricane

_______

It rained the day she was born. Like really rained. It was the kind of torrential downpour that turned the whole sky a threateningly dark mix of indigo and grey.

Her Mother hadn’t planned for it. Hadn’t considered the impact that the weather would play on her child’s entrance into the world.

And she’d felt a lighthearted resentment towards this child, for deciding to push her way out at such an inconvenient time.

Because they’d sat in traffic.

Full of panic.

In the middle of a city-wide weather emergency.

“Leave it to baby number five,” her Mother had breathed through a contraction, hands gripping tightly to the cushions of the passenger seat. “To be born….during….a hurricane.”

“This hasn’t been classified as a hurricane yet, Carolyn-”

The glare she’d given her husband was enough to shut him up as she exhaled through the pressure of her contractions.

And she’d gripped the edges of the seat even tighter.

The same way Amelia does now, 18 years later.

Her fingers grip the edges of the seat, and her fingernails scratch over the fabric lightly, as she stares out the passenger side window.

It’s raining out. Not a downpour or anything. But steadily enough to trigger that feeling. That feeling that’s uncertain and nostalgic at the same time. Two practically opposite notions that crash together like the thunder that’s threatening the sky.

She hears Derek clear his throat, and her gaze snaps to his just in time.

Just in time for her to witness her brother’s eyes dart from her tightly-wound fingers to the road ahead as he drives.

She quickly moves her hands, on instinct. Burying them in her lap instead. There’s an overly-positive inflection to her brother’s tone as he speaks out into the space between them.

“I was nervous, too,” he laughs a bit under his breath, like he’s recalling a specific memory. “When I went away to school.”

“I’m not nervous.”

Disbelief flashes quickly across his face, but then he replaces it with something more soft. Like he’s deciding to give his younger sister the benefit of the doubt. Like he’s actually letting her have this one.

“Well, then….I’m impressed.”

Amelia rolls her eyes. And then she shivers involuntarily.

There’s something about being in an air-conditioned car, protected from the heat of the storm outside. It causes chills to rise through her body, despite it being the end of August. She turns in her seat, reaching towards the back of the car, to where all of her belongings are packed. Pulling out a crocheted blanket, she twists forward in her seat again and covers her bare legs with it.

She stares at the road ahead, finding patterns in the wet pavement, before she tentatively opens the conversation back up.

“Was Mom with you?” She utters the question, and she doesn’t let herself look in Derek’s direction. “Was Mom there to drop you off at college?”

It’s not until after she voices the question, that she realizes. Realizes that’s the thing that’s potentially been bothering her.

Derek sighs. And his hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter.

“She was.”

Amelia nods.

This answer doesn’t surprise her. And it doesn’t hurt either. It’s mostly just numb acceptance at this point.

She finally turns to him, and she almost doesn’t recognize herself in her next question.

“It’s because I look like him, right?”

It’s the first time she’s comprehended it out loud. The weight of it hits her like a ton of bricks. The fact that it all comes back to that.

“Who?”

Amelia gives him an incredulous stare, her mouth forming in a tight line. It amplifies her refusal to feed into Derek’s decided lack of wit.

Because he knows what she’s asking.

And Derek knows that Amelia knows that.

Amelia refuses to blink. She lets her eyes become unfocused as she stubbornly holds her gaze.

Until Derek eventually nods, giving up.

“Amelia….” He sighs. “You look like me.” He turns briefly in her direction, like he’s hoping her stare will have faltered slightly at his explanation so far. But it hasn’t. She’s relentless sometimes.

He exhales a bit shakily before he continues, eyes shifting back to the road.

“You look like me….and you look like Dad, too.”

Amelia finally lets herself blink at that. Relief floods her dry eyes and her mind, too.

She turns back to the window, focusing instead on the world around them. Her eyes land on two particular raindrops against the window. And she smiles slightly as she watches them drop down towards the ledge. Like it’s a race to see which raindrop finishes first. Which raindrop will dip first into the crack of the window pane, where it’ll disappear forever.

It’s a game she played as a child, too.

She loved to watch the raindrops race against the plastic walls of her playhouse. In the quiet corner of her vast backyard.

It had rained on the day of her 6th birthday party. And Amelia had almost been glad for that.

Her Mother had talked it up the entire week.

“Saturday is Amy’s birthday!”

“Saturday is all about Amy!”

But it felt false to Amelia, even as a 6-year-old.

The forced element of the celebration. And the way her Mother had demanded her siblings participate, too.

But the party was cancelled. And Amelia instead found herself in her favorite place to be during a rainstorm. Surrounded by the yellow walls of her plastic playhouse.

Derek had found her that day. A smile playing at his lips as he ducked his wet head of hair into the window of her little hideaway.

“Whatcha thinkin about, Amy?”

“What are you thinking about?”

Amelia quickly shakes from her daze, abandoning the slight pride she’d just felt at her choice of raindrop winning the race against the car window.

She turns to Derek, and she even smiles a bit in his direction.

“I’m thinking about….starting over.”

“Starting over?!” Derek gives her one of his classic smiles. There’s an element of surprise to it, that lands in his eyes. But ultimately it’s laced with excitement, through and through. “Starting over is good.”

Amelia beams at him. It starts off small but she can feel the way it grows on her face. It’s the kind of grin that makes her cheeks dimple.

Derek shakes his head, laughing under his breath as he faces the road again.

“You know….no one wants you to start completely over, Amy.”

She raises her eyebrows at this, her grin transforming into more of a doubtful smirk at her brother’s words.

“Well I, for one, don’t want you to change.”

Amelia exhales a slight chuckle.

“I’ll try not to get rid of the good parts,” she mutters.

Derek is focused on the road in front of them, so all Amelia can really decipher, is his side profile. But she can see it. The hint of glassiness in his grey-blue orbs.

Silence falls between them, and Amelia feels a tightness form within her own throat. She attempts to clear it, tries to alleviate what the moment is turning out to be. But then Derek starts speaking again in a low tone, and the tightness spreads itself further.

“Dad would be so proud of you, you know.”

Amelia smiles tightly.

She only half believes that statement.

Because truthfully, she has no idea how she got here. How she managed to make it this far anyway. That realization hits her hard and fast and suddenly she doesn’t care that her eyes are stinging the same way Derek’s were a moment ago.

“I wish I remembered him better,” she admits, and her voice is notably thin.

Derek turns to her, his eyes filled with something Amelia can’t quite place.

“I feel like….” She continues, ignoring the way her voice wavers. “My idea of him comes from the pictures I’ve seen? If that makes sense? And I don’t have the actual memories anymore….I don’t….I wish I remembered what he was really like, you know? His voice, his mannerisms, everything-”

“I know what you mean.”

They exit the freeway, the car slowing at a stoplight as they enter the college town.

“You’re so like him in so many ways, Amelia.” Derek says it in a whispered tone, as they turn onto the main road. Like the comprehension is overwhelming to even him. “So….just like you said….don’t get rid of the good parts, okay?”

Amelia lets herself smile as she turns away from him, eyes scanning the surroundings of the town that will be her new home. The rain has died down significantly, and Amelia questions whether that’s an accurate observation, or if it’s just that they’re driving at a slower speed now.

“Okay,” she eventually responds.

“Are you okay?”

The question had come from Derek.

“Jesus Christ, you scared me,” Amelia had practically gasped upon slipping through the front door. She thought she’d been inconspicuous.

Derek stared at her expectantly.

“I’m fine,” she muttered, but she couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering.

“It’s pouring out. Did you walk?” There’d been criticism in his voice.

“You’d be more upset if I said I drove, right?”

“Amy.”

“Derek.”

They’d been at a standoff. In the middle of the entryway. Both of them seemingly unphased by the mix of mud and water that tracked all over their Mother’s favorite area rug.

Derek sighed. And Amelia stared at the floor. Unable to make eye contact, too aware that her eyes were hinted red and full of haze.

“Why didn’t you call me for a ride?”

“I didn’t know you’d still be here.” Her reply sounded bitter. But maybe it had just been the tightness in her jaw, the pressure from fighting off the wet and the cold.

There was a moment of stunned silence.

“You missed Dad’s birthday dinner.” Derek’s tone had been accusatory again.

“Dad missed it, too.”

“Amelia-”

She’d cut Derek off with a bizarrely edged laugh.

Their Dad’s birthday dinner. They’d celebrate every year as a family. They’d sit down and have dinner together. And Amelia ultimately despised it. Mostly because they’d started grouping it together with her own birthday celebration. Her birthday followed a week after their Dad’s. And it just served as another reminder. Another reason for displaced resentment.

Amelia bit down on her laugh, stunned. She’d be turning 16 the following week.

“Amelia.” He said it again, this time more cautionary.

She finally looked at him. And she could see genuine concern in his expression.

“Are you okay?” He asked for a second time.

All Amelia could do was nod.

“Are you on your way out?” She whispered the question.

And then it was Derek’s turn to nod.

“I just wanted to say goodbye before I took back off to school,” he explained. “And I wanted to tell you happy birthday.”

Amelia smirked coldly at him, and finally started moving towards the stairs.

“Bye, Derek.”

2 years later and they’ve yet to improve this part.

It’s a rushed goodbye. Like it usually is for them. They don’t do goodbyes very well. Maybe that had something to do with shared past experiences.

Derek helps her set up her dorm room and when there’s nothing left to do, a knowing shift occurs in the atmosphere.

He pulls his hands out of his pockets, and forces a smile on his face. And when he pulls her into a tight hug, it takes Amelia a moment to reciprocate the gesture.

But Derek just squeezes her tighter until she does.

“You’re going to love it here, Amy,” he mumbles, before pulling away.

And Amelia just nods. Not able to find her words.

Because they’re bad at goodbyes. Which Derek knows. So he lets her off the hook, backs out of the small room with one last glance in her direction.

And Amelia watches him go.

Amelia doesn’t love it here, right away.

She tries to. She really does.

She sits in the shared common areas and convinces herself that maybe she’ll step up and talk to someone today.

It’s strange. She’s an outgoing person. She could be the life of the party when she really wanted to. But, she sits now, textbooks open in front of her, glancing around the library at fellow students. And she feels worlds beyond them. She questions to herself how she can even feel years beyond people her own age.

And that’s the self-inquiry that ruins her plan. She gets way too inside her own head and it hinders any chance she has at trying today.

Instead she gets up, shoving her books into her bag and walking purposefully to the exit.

It’s when she reaches her dorm, that the rain starts. She can smell it first. The distinct way the air changes when it’s about to rain. It feels humid and thick and her skin starts to feel sticky before the cold front lightly passes over her, and it provides relief.

The sky gets dark and it starts to sprinkle, just as she climbs the steps of her building.

As she enters her room, a dark cloud of restlessness storms her mind. Because she doesn’t know what her next move is. What her plan is for the rest of the day.

She looks around the small room, eyes catching on a piece of paper that’s been slipped under her door.

She picks it up, and when she reads the words on the flyer, she wants to laugh to herself. Because it simply lists an address for a party later tonight. And she’s laughing because, is this really how college works?

She decides there’s no way she’s going to the party.

After 2 hours of staring at the ugly off-white paneling of her dorm room ceiling, Amelia sits up in bed.

Because there’s a hint of it. A fleeting thought. A question that flashes through her mind almost too quickly to even divulge in.

But it’s there. The question of ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’

It’s enough to make her get out of bed. Which is confusing, to say the least. Because she hadn’t anticipated spending her evening this way. But now she’s pulling open her dresser drawers, trying to find something to wear. And she’s glancing at herself in the mirror, reaching for her makeup bag at the same time.

The last thing she remembers thinking, when she exits her dorm room is, what’s the worst that could happen?

The worst that could happen, happens almost right away.

It takes place in the form of ‘jungle juice.’

“It’s called jungle juice!”

Amelia stares blankly at the frat boy in front of her. She’s standing way too close to the bouncing speakers and the music is way too loud.

“What?!”

“Jungle juice!” He yells again, “Basically everyone brings a fifth of something and it all gets poured in there! It’s disgusting, but it makes for a dangerous concoction! Want me to grab you a cup?”

Amelia shakes her head. She doesn’t know what she was thinking.

Well, that’s not entirely true. She was thinking that she had to at least try. Give a shot at relating to people her age.

She surveys the boy in front of her. He’s attractive. Jet black hair, green eyes and even a slightly alternative vibe to him. It surprises Amelia, considering she’s in a frat house. He seems unexpected. And maybe her type. She’d probably go for him, if she wasn’t currently so inside her own head about it.

She feels her nails dig lightly into the palms of her hands as she drops her arms to the side, and she immediately catches herself. She exhales, trying to relax.

“I’ll grab something else, probably!” she yells back to the boy patiently standing in front of her.

Patiently, she thinks. Because she’s already a step ahead of him, labeling him, and she knows she’s someone that requires patience in events like these.

She shifts her eyes away from him, instead looking to the tiny window in the corner of the crowded room. It’s raining outside. Drops of condensation race against the glass in a familiar motion.

A feeling swells in her chest that’s hard to ignore. There’s a strong desire to escape her current environment and it practically makes her want to crawl out of her skin.

“I’m not supposed to be here!” She shouts over the music, turning back to the conversation.

“Huh?!”

“It’s raining!” She’s an octave louder this time.

“Yeah! It’s good we’re inside, right?!”

Amelia shakes her head, stepping away. Ignoring the confusion on the boy’s face, she turns on her heels, pushing through the crowd until she can find an exit. When she finally makes it out onto the less crowded porch, she lets out a huge exhale.

She keeps waking. The sun is setting, and the impending storm makes the sky a glorious shade of violet.

The rain pelts her skin as she walks hastily through the campus and although it provides relief, there’s also a sense of something else. It’s almost yearning. Or maybe homesickness. But it doesn’t make sense, because she’s never craved home before.

She thinks she’s crying. She can’t really tell. It’s hard to separate the rain from any potential saltiness that threatens her cheeks. The only thing that gives her away is her labored breathing.

She’s overwhelmed. And for once in her life she wishes Derek were here. He’d know the right thing to say.

Her thoughts are interrupted when a figure passes her on her left. It’s sudden. She doesn’t anticipate it and she doesn’t hear anyone approach, mostly because her thoughts are so loud and there’s thunder starting to rumble through the sky.

“Fuck,” she gasps, hand clutching her chest as the stranger passes her.

He’s running, but he slows his jog after she voices her alarm.

He turns around, taking in Amelia’s startled expression.

“Oh, sorry!” His own surprised guise shifts quickly to one of concern, though.

“Are you okay?” He asks, voice raised to compensate for the rain as he calls out to her.

Amelia nods.

“You just scared me, is all,” she shrugs.

He looks her up and down, but Amelia doesn’t even feel scrutinized by it.

He steps towards her. And Amelia finds her voice.

“Out for a run?” She’s surprised by her own curiosity.

He shakes his head as he approaches. “I was walking back from the library,” he points to the sky, in an obvious gesture. “And then it started raining….and I started running….”

Amelia feels a smile break across her face, the dimpled kind. Because there’s something about the way he looks up at the sky while he explains himself, that amuses her.

He turns to her, and he has a wide grin on his face as he catches his breath from running. Not wide in the way that he’s smiling hugely, or anything. But Amelia can tell that his typical smile just happens to stretch that far. It makes her own smile further.

“You heading to north hall?”

Amelia nods.

“I live there, too!” He exclaims. “Food sucks but we have the biggest closets out of all the dorms on the entire campus.”

Amelia raises her eyebrows at this.

“Am I….bothering you?” His grin quickly fades. “God, I didn’t mean to just start….walking with you. Sorry, shit. You must think I’m some sort of-”

“You can walk with me,” she bites down on another smile. Because it’s the most she’s smiled in weeks and it feels foreign to her. “It’s fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” she peeks sideways at him. “As long as we don’t have to start running,” she adds with a laugh.

His smile returns. And they keep waking. The rain starts to die down a bit, but Amelia questions whether she’s imagined that. She can see the rain. And maybe she can hear it, too. But she can’t really feel it. Her focus has shifted.

“I’m Amelia, by the way.”

“Amelia?” He repeats her name, and there’s a spark of interest in his inflection, like he’s really doing his best to store that information.

She nods.

They reach north hall. The rain has come to a complete halt, and Amelia thinks it would almost feel sunny, if the sun hadn’t already set.

“It’s nice to meet you, Amelia. I’m Link.”

_______

#amelia shepherd #derek shepherd #atticus lincoln #amelink #i feel like. this might have potential for a pt 2 but WHO KNOWS #amelink fanfic #amelinkfic #amelia x link #amelia x derek #greys anatomy fanfic #greys anatomy fic #grey's anatomy fanfic #grey's anatomy fic #my writing #amelinkfanfiction #grey’s anatomy #grey’s abc

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dylanhawth · 3 years

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[ LORENZO ZURZOLO, CISMAN, HE/HIM ] shh ! DYLAN HAWTHORNE, the TWENTY year old SECOND year ANTHROPOLOGY major from HARTFORD, CT is known as a TOURMALINE around here. HE was invited to join because HE PUBLISHED A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES ANONYMOUSLY THAT GARNERED A BIT OF FOLLOWING AND RECENTLY STEPPED FORWARD AS THE AUTHOR, and now, they’re here to stay. HE reminds me of THE NERVOUSNESS OF A FIRST KISS, LEAVING SECRET MESSAGES IN LIBRARY BOOKS, DRIVING AIMLESSLY WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN ON A WARM SUMMER NIGHT WHILE THE RADIO HUMS A PLAYLIST CURATED FOR YOU BY YOUR BEST FRIEND.

[ big ass bio ] | [ connections ] | [ pinterest ] | [ playlist ]

ooc.

omfg hello. i can’t tell you how excited and happy i am to be here. i was too nervous to apply for the last three months but i decided to stop being a Coward and just try. im SO happy to be here, it’s the highlight of my week tbh lmao. anyway i am mar, she/her, 24, est. i live in nyc and all i do is visit the planetarium and cry. i’m so fucking bad at these so im just gonna LIST things and hope you get the vibe. i am a pisces sun, scorpio moon. i prob have a napoleon complex a little bit lmao. my favorite social media site is goodreads and i get rlly sad when my friends rate books i love poorly dfljskdfs. i can touch my tongue to my nose. i eat a lot of persimmons. i have a favorite rock at my local park that i visit a lot. idk dfskjls. i’m v friendly tho so pls hmu. i send a lot of memes, and love making meme edits for the chars so im rlly sorry in advance if you guys hate that.

01. basics.

NAME. dylan h. hawthorne. ALIASES. dyl, hawth. AGE. twenty. HOMETOWN. hartford, ct. GENDER. cismale. PRONOUNS. he/him.

02. appearance.

EYES. green. HAIR. brown. HEIGHT. 6”0 BUILD. lean. BIRTHMARKS / BURNS / SCARS. a birthmark the shape of australia on his left thigh. TATTOOS. n/a. PIERCINGS. n/a.

03. habits.

ALCOHOL ? socially. SMOKING ? socially. HABITS. fidgets in chairs. cracks knuckles and back often. nervous laughter. chewing on pencils. talking to his plants. dogearing books. staring off into space and applying chapstick for a prolonged period of time. getting overly competitive about boardgames. stress cleaning. carries a book in his bag always. night owl. incredibly impatient when the internet is slow. creature of habit when it comes to menus, orders the same shit over and over again. LIKES. feeding the ducks at the local pond. the smell of the earth after a rainstorm. the way music sounds coming from another room. kissing. watering his plants. inside jokes. making wishes in fountains. discussing a recently finished book with someone. making handmade cards for friends on their birthday. fireworks. coming of age films. packages wrapped in twine. jogs. the way friday nights feels when you’re with someone you love. the feeling you get leaving the movie theatre. DISLIKES. being late. having too many coins on him. coffee with no sugar. when people speak loudly in the library. doing laundry. handshakes with too much squeeze. receiving voicemails. untidiness. golf. charles dickens. lectures with no student input. hot weather. confrontation. being caught in a lie. losing his umbrella. people who cheat during games. rainboots. bad table manners. humidity.

04. personality.

MYERS-BRIGGS. infp. ENNEAGRAM. the helper. ZODIAC. pisces. TEMPERAMENT. melancholic. ALIGNMENT. neutral good. ARCHETYPE. the lover. POSITIVE. empathetic. sensitive. intelligent. charismatic. easygoing. gentle. loyal. passionate. romantic. humble. supportive. gregarious. playful. diligent. NEGATIVE. deceitful. gullible. finicky. naive. obsessive. perfectionistic. secretive. timid. possessive. weak-willed. indecisive. cynical. indulgent. summary: basically, dylan is a love starved, people pleasing nervous wreck. big ass nerd who wants to be everyones friend, wants to be liked SO BAD. very charming and charismatic, comes off as fairly confident and comfortable at first. is able to make everyone feel loved and like they’re the most important person in the world, however lacks a backbone. is both romeo and juliet, and just as dumb as both of them too.

05. hc’s.

dylan was a football player in high school, believe it or not. he was rather good at it too, which is sort of jarring considering his pacifistic nature. however, he DID land on someone incorrectly at some point during his senior year, and broke their wrist. he quickly abandoned the sport altogether because of how guilty he felt.

touched on this briefly but dylan really… loves indiana jones lmao. like, it’s quite ironic given his absolutely inability to be a badass, and lack of suaveness. however, he admires indy’s lust for adventure. he also was obsessed with the mummy as a kid. both of these were incredible sources in his very irrational decision to sudden anthropology. however, he does really love and admire anthropology. his favorite ethnography is the spirit catches you and you fall down, which makes him cry like a little bitch every time he even thinks about it.

he’s the second oldest, but he is also baby. he is SUCH a big momma’s boy. he misses his mom so much. he writes to her often, and of course calls her even more. despite being six-foot tall, he still goes home and rests his head on his mother's lap, falls asleep as she runs her fingers through his hair. he often tries to find native english plants and flowers to press, and mail back to his mother in the form of bookmarks. has nEVER STEPPED ON A CRACK IN HIS LIFE, BABY.

just leaves a shit ton of notes in books in the library. some are riddles, some are poetry, some are commentary on the book, some are doodles. just depends on how he’s feeling for that book. he doesn’t tell anyone he does it, but he’s waiting for someone to connect the dots with his handwriting and writing style.

speaking of plants, his room is basically a big greenhouse. he has so many plants, and takes serious care of them all. he has a little humidifier in his space for them, marks down when he waters what plants, and has a label maker to label them all with a name. they are all named after shakespeare characters.

dyl is a doodler, so much so that he contributes to the school paper as a cartoonist. his cartoons are usually just random thoughts he has, but sometimes they get political and he works marxism into them. (this man loves marx.)

[ suicide implied tw, death mention tw ] he dresses like a victorian boy in love with his roommate who has recently died of scarlet fever and in his mourning, plans to disappear in the bog by the school by mysterious circumstances and become a ghost that haunts the college with his lover. like lots of gray and slacks and ties ands ties and sweaters, lol. also he has glasses that he never wears because he can never find them! catch him squinting in your classroom because he can’t see SHIT. too shy to ask you for your notes though, doesn’t wanna inconvenience you! but when he’s Out on the Town®, he fucking wears like, tacky patterned shirts that are expensive but ugly. someone please help him.

all about fun socks! he loves owning socks that have dumb little images on them. if you get him a pair of fun socks, he’d absolutely go nuts. his entire week: made.

he leaves his roommate limericks when he senses they are sad. tapes em to the bathroom mirror or leaves them in the fridge. also loves buying people presents. tiny ones. like haunted looking things from second hand stores, or your favorite chocolate. also is the sort of friend that has EVERYTHING in his bag, in case someone cuts themselves or has a headache. can be a bit of a mom himself. it’s the little things, y’know?

prob still in his emo phase. listens to way too mcr to not be lmao.

eco-friendly king, will not stand for you not recycling.

if you will allow him, he will attempt to have a secret handshake with you. he’s a child. is dying for someone to memorize the parent trap handshake and indulge him.

cannot sit still in a chair. fidgets an excessive amount, the bobbing of his knee and the squirming around. it just never ends.

bi. that’s the hc.

he’s a little bit in love with everyone he meets if you couldn’t tell, and it’s fucking disastrous.

he is based loosely off: patroclus ( the song of achilles ), ponyboy curtis ( the outsiders ), laurie laurence ( little women ), eduardo saverin ( the social network ), remus lupin ( hp ), oliver marks ( if we were villains. )

( @opalsmedia )

#opalsintro #intro #his background and things are in the big ass bio dfsklds but this is the gist of it lol

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aforrestofstuff · 4 years

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Just wondering, what's OPM characters' favorite season or the kind of weather they enjoy the most? And why?

Thanks for your ask, anon! It’s been a hot minute since I did one of these. :] ❤️

Tornado of Terror: Stormy days or nights of any kind because she’s a bit of a workaholic and the rampant downpour gives her a good reason to stay inside and relax for once. She’s mildly scared of thunder so she likes to drown out the noise by blasting romcoms on her TV.

Silverfang: Hot, humid days because it eases his arthritis pain and the humidity makes for good character-building when training his disciples! Ain’t nothing like running laps on a hot day after rainfall; it’s guaranteed to make anyone wish they were dead.

Atomic Samurai: Windy days because, and he would never admit this, but the wind makes his hair look marvelous. He’ll only ever wear his hair down in public when there’s a breeze outside. Nobody has noticed he does this, everyone just thinks he picks random days to do it.

Child Emperor: Literally wtf is the outside world. I hc that he has some sort of white noise machine to emulate rainfall and other sounds of nature, because he’s always cooped up in the lab and if he didn’t hear a frog croak or a breeze rustle through the trees every once and a while, he would go absolutely insane. His favorite setting is a hot summer day by the beach, where he listens to the waves lap against the shore.

Metal Knight: same as Child Emperor except he couldn’t give a rat’s ass about going insane or not, so minus the sound machine. His favorite weather is probably violent storms because it’s the perfect brooding atmosphere and it makes him feel like a tacky-ass supervillain.

King: He’s not really an outdoorsy person so he doesn’t care too much about the weather, but he does like it overcast. Mainly because he doesn’t have to put so much effort into blocking out the sunlight so he can play videogames without that annoying glare on his TV screen.

Zombieman: I’ve said this in a previous hc, but his pale/blue-ish skin indicates that his blood flow is absolute ass, which means he’s got to get cold easily. He’s got to be cold all the time. Which I why I propose that his favorite weather is when it’s unbearably hot for the average person (around room temperature for him). He doesn’t even sweat under the heat, only when he exercises. So, while everyone seeks solace in indoor air conditioning and ice packets in 100-degree weather, he’ll be outside in a sweater saying “Hm, it’s a little chilly. Good for a jog.”

Drive Knight: Cold. Unbearably cold. The reason being that he has a lot of firepower, right? And I doubt he’s got a ton of wiggle room for any cooling mechanisms (it’s not like Drive Knight [Señor Robocop] is out here carrying a giant canister of water), so he mostly relies on the temperature of the air around him to cool down. When it’s super cold, he doesn’t have to worry about overheating. It’s not like he can really feel the temperature anyway, it’s strictly for practical purposes.

Pig God: Cold. Super duper cold the way Drive Knight likes it because my boy Pig God is perpetually on the brink of heat stroke 24/7. The reason: he is morbidly obese. Fat acts as insulation to keep heat inside our bodies, and he’s got so much of it that his body is always working overtime to make sure he doesn’t fucking die. So, on cold days, he likes to rest and give his body a break. Below zero like room temperature for him, because room temperature for the average person makes him feel as if he’s standing on the sun.

Superalloy Darkshine: Bright and sunny, baby! Perfect weather, not a single cloud in the sky and not a one raindrop. He’s super outdoorsy. He practically lives outside. His favorite activity is, of course, exercising, and he much prefers when the weather is nice so he can better focus on getting those gains.

Watchdog Man: He prefers the weather to be nice and warm with absolutely 0 wind and 0 rain. His suit soaks up liquid like a goddamned sponge and gets a hell of a lot heavier, so he absolutely HATES the rain for that reason. Wind messes up his “fur” and he ends up looking like a cumulonimbus cloud after a long day of patrol, so that’s out of the question as well.

Flashy Flash: Hail. His training regime is brutal and he prefers to do it whenever it hails, because he believes being battered by falling ice makes him grow stronger. A large portion of the scars on his body were caused by the golf ball-sized pebbles of hail that fell on one particular storm.

Genos: Bitter cold, same as Drive Knight and with a similar reason as well. I imagine Kuseno had mercy when programming how Genos’ cybernetic body would react to things like temperature and pain, so he doesn’t really mind the weather no matter it’s highs or lows. He likes the cold because, like I said previously with Señor Robocop, it aides his weaponry when cooling down and he doesn’t need to waste time worrying if he’s gonna overheat or not because he has faith that air around him will take care of it.

Metal Bat: Snow days! He and Zenko used to love to play together in the snow as kids and they still fucking do it every year because time is an illusion and fun is eternal. His favorite thing to do is build very gruesome and horrific snowmen. Like, snowmen without heads, snowmen that look like they’ve been run over, snowmen that have purposefully been built to look like they’re melting and they’re in pain. That sort of stuff. He and Zenko also have snowball fights (because of COURSE) and Badd has to try his best to not hurl the ball too hard and accidentally give her a concussion.

Tanktop Master: Same as Superalloy. He prefers the weather to be picturesque perfect. I hardcore hc that they’re workout buds and that they often go on outdoor rendezvous together, whatever that may be. His favorite thing to do (besides hanging out with the homies, obviously) is to go on long hikes. He’s actually a pretty big nature lover and WILL shed manly tears if he ever sees a deer. God forbid a baby one.

Puri-Puri Prisoner: Well, he doesn’t get as much outdoor time as he would like on account of being in literal prison and whatnot but he REALLY loves a very specific time of year just at the beginning of summer when all the bugs come out and the air is breezy but still warm. His loves to look at those bigass yellow butterflies and have picnics on the green tallgrass just before it’s been dried out by the summer heat. Oh yeah, and he’ll totally be doing this with his boyfriend. That’s the dream, baby.

Amai Mask: Clear nights just after rainfall. He loves the way streetlights reflect on the wet asphalt. This is also the weather he prefers to hold concerts in because the air is humid and cool and he doesn’t get as sweaty when he’s dancing or singing. The petrichor is nice too. If someone managed to bottle and sell it as perfume, he would be the first buyer.

Iaian: Overcast. When the sun is blocked out, he doesn’t have to worry too much about getting a heat stroke while wearing his armor during training. He also appreciates how dim it is. It’s easy for him to get lost in thought and he often finds himself standing still just to look up to at the clouds. He and Kama sometimes find shapes in them for fun between training sessions.

Okamaitachi: They really love quiet rainstorms. No thunder, no lightning, just the steady pattern of rainfall. This is the perfect time for them to relax, curl up with a good book, maybe knit a sweater, and just forget about everything that’s going on. They usually use this time to update their self care regime, like doing their hair or tidying up their nails. Overall, just a great time to chill out and keep up to date with loving themselves.

Bushidrill: He loves violent rainstorms. I hc that he’s had a pretty tumultuous life, so the havoc of loud thunder doesn’t faze him at all. He actually finds it quite nice. He’s the type of old guy that keeps a door open during rainfall just to let the smell in, or walk outside with no umbrella just for the fuck of it. He’s not terribly old, but he’s old enough to not give a rat’s ass about what other people (especially Kama or Iaian) think about his weird habits. He also likes all the nature that comes out after rainfall, too. Frogs and dragonflies are some of his favorite animals.

Fubuki: Barking hot. Unbearable. Like her sister, she’s a bit of a workaholic and finds it difficult to take a day off every once and while; but once that temperature hits the nineties? Oh shit. Fubuki Gang, pack your shit because it’s beach time baby. She absolutely LOVES the beach and actively anticipates the time of year when it becomes hot enough to bask in the sun. Going to the beach with her family was one of the few enjoyable things that came from her childhood, and she still finds comfort in it.

Saitama: He doesn’t really give too much of a shit about the weather as long as no roads are closed. The reason for this is: if there’s a sale, he wants to get there ASAFP. But, like I said, he really doesn’t give a shit either way because he can be both an outdoorsy and indoors kind of person without making any major changes to his life.

Mumen Rider: Sunny and clear! He loves to have picnics and watch the fluffy clouds! It’s also the perfect weather to go on long, recreational bike rides, which he almost never gets to do anymore. He’s also a bit of a nature lover and, like Tanktop Master, WILL cry if he sees a cute animal. Rainy and overcast days make him a little sad because he doesn’t like the gloomy feel, even if it is calming at times.

Sonic: Hail. Same as Flashy Flash, since they basically grew up on the same bullshit training regime together. The Ninja Village and everything connected to it is overall a total shitstorm, but he can’t argue with the results that made him a killer speed demon. So yeah, the breakneck training persists. And he does it while enduring the incessant pummeling of some fucking ice cubes falling from the sky. Like a weirdo.

Garou: Anything extreme. From blizzards to sandstorms, he’ll take it all, baby. Bang used to train him when the weather was especially bad to strengthen his spirit, and now that same violent weather has become sort of a comfort place. He things violent thunderstorms are calming and blizzards are like a warm blanket that take him back to the few rays of sunshine that came from his absolute clusterfuck of a childhood. He also likes to train during this sort of weather for the same reason Sonic and Flashy Flash like to train during hail: he believes it makes him stronger.

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tirednotflirting · 4 years

Text

on a summer evening (baby, you’re the end of june)

please enjoy more soft lashton that i wrote for stress relief after another week of job applications

special thanks to @another-lonely-heart for giving this a read last night and saying such kind things about it and also @calumcest bc she yelled at me enough the other day to convince me to start actually posting my writing lol.

The early summer, golden hour sky is dark with swirling gray clouds and a windy rainstorm when Ashton realizes he’s in love.

There hadn’t been any rain in the forecast for the day. It was four days past the solstice so it should have been miserable out, but LA decided to give its faithful citizens a little treat in the form of a light breeze so sitting outside with a cool drink and a guitar was quite pleasurable. Which is exactly why when he received a text from Luke asking if he could play through some of the melodies he had been playing around with the past couple of weeks, Ashton replied to tell him that the front door would be open and to grab himself a drink before coming to the back deck.

Ashton locks his phone and turns when he hears the sliding door open and attempts to control the blush he feels rise to his cheeks when he watches Luke step toward the chair beside him in a white linen shirt that floats against his chest, one hand holding the neck of his guitar and a beer in the other. His hair is back in a tiny bun and his sunglasses threaten to fall off the end of his nose. He's a vision of a nice summer day, like the one they’re having right now, Ashton thinks to himself.

They spend the next couple of hours working through some of what Luke had come up with that he plays for Ashton from piecing together bits from voice notes on his phone. Luke giggles at the older boy whenever he stumbles over some of the more technical patterns, still not a native to the strings like Luke. (And okay, yes, maybe he was faking some of that a little bit. But it made Luke laugh in the way that his nose would scrunch up far too adorably so there was really no harm to it, he thinks.) The stuff he’s been working on is really good, Ashton repeatedly tells him. He can see all of them ending up in their future singles.

They've just started working on one of the last voice notes that Luke has when a raindrop splashes off of the body of the guitar Ashton was holding from when he had run down to his studio about halfway through the list. A matching pout appears against the lips of both boys as they gather up everything they had brought out as the raindrops pick up, their clothes dampening as they hurry through the glass door.

It’s within the next couple of minutes that the storm neither of them had noticed previously really rolls in and picks up. It's still relatively early, only about 4.30, but as Ashton stands just inside the sliding door looking up at the sky, he knows this is going to go on for a while. His weather app confirms the thought and Luke groans when he looks at the screen Ashton is holding out toward him. “Guess I should head home then?”

Ashton turns from his spot just inside the kitchen where he’s just plugged in his phone to the charger at the island. They’ve had a really good afternoon and for some reason he really really does not want it to end. “I mean,” he starts, a hand running through the hair at the back of his neck, the ends now wet from their escape out of the storm. “I wouldn’t mind the company. Unless you’ve gotta get back to Petunia?”

Luke shakes his head quickly, a small smile appearing as the curls that have escaped his bun fly around like a little halo. “I dropped her at Cal’s place on my way here for a playdate with Duke, I'm sure he wouldn’t mind her being there awhile longer.”

Ashton tries then to control the deepening of his dimples as he nods at the response. “Well, we should change then and maybe we can break for a bit and make an early dinner?”

Luke agrees to the plan and follows Ashton down the hall to his bedroom. Ashton hunts around for a pair of sweats and a long sleeve with the band’s logo from the previous tour, the current weather allowing him to ignore the calendar for the time being in terms of wearing something cozy. He turns to face Luke and gestures towards the closet as if to say “have at it” and changes on the opposite side of the room, leaving Luke to do the same inside the walk-in.

They all practically grew up living out of suitcases in shared hotel rooms, so naturally, all four of them have pieces that belong to the others in their closets. Knowing that any of his pants would run just a little bit too short on Luke, Ashton assumes Luke would go digging through the drawers for a pair of his own that are inevitably tucked away somewhere. He figures he’ll do the same with his t-shirts. So it comes as a surprise (though not one he’s even the slightest bit upset about) when Luke steps out from the closet with one of Ashton's bigger hoodies covering his upper half. The sleeves hang a bit long on Luke, his fingers able to wrap around the cuff to make sweater paws.

(Ashton silently prays that the lack of light in the room due to the storm blocking much natural light from entering will obscure the blush he knows is boldly sitting on his cheeks at the sight of the cozy boy.)

“Is it cool if I borrow this? Kinda chilly,” Luke asks.

“Yeah, no, of course,” Ashton nods back, knowing he answered the question far too quickly.

Luke grins his thanks. “Let's make something, I'm starving.”

Ashton soon realizes that when Luke asked if they could make something, what he really meant was if Ashton could make them something. Not that he minds at all, knowing that growing up as they did made learning skills around the kitchen a little difficult on the blonde. He needs to go to the store soon so he pulls out what odds and ends he can find - some chicken, some rice, random vegetables still in his produce drawer. Ashton sets to work cleaning and chopping up the vegetables after figuring out the spice situation for the chicken.

Luke watches him work silently from where he’s hopped up onto the counter, telling Ashton stories from his week. He talks about Petunia, talks about the call he had with his parents and brothers. They discuss plans for the Fourth of July (ignoring their lack of American citizenship in favor of lighting sparklers and eating loads of good food in Michael's backyard). It’s a nice, lazy (incredibly domestic, Ashton thinks) activity, catching up on the week while Ashton makes them a meal. He wonders if the simplicity of it all has Luke feeling as warm as he does.

Luke decides he wants a mug of hot chocolate and pulls the powder and milk from their respective spots, despite Ashton's complaints that it was too much sugar before a meal. Luke is stirring the powder into the microwave-warmed mug of milk when his phone starts playing a tone letting him know he’s getting a call. He drops the spoon in the sink before reaching into his hoodie pocket and swiping his thumb across the screen. He smiles as he brings the phone to his ear. “Hey Cal, my girl behaving?”

He picks up the mug and walks out from the kitchen, standing at the sliding door that leads to the backyard, a bright smile lighting up his eyes despite the lack of sunshine from beyond the glass, obviously laughing at something Calum has just told him. Ashton reduces the heat on the pan he’s just tossed the sautéed vegetables into with the chicken, knowing the rice needs a few more minutes. He turns then to lean against the counter and look at the boy standing in his living room as he wipes his hands on a dish towel.

And it's then that he feels it. Watching Luke giggle softly through his response to whatever he’s speaking with Calum about, his mug held close to his face to warm his cheeks, Ashton feels something. He’s watching Luke comfortably move through his home, wearing Ashton’s clothes, talking to their friend as he sips from his designated favorite mug while Ashton makes him dinner. It's a scene that has a mob of butterflies flying through his stomach straight up to his heart and taking over his thoughts because Ashton suddenly finds himself knowing he would give up anything to watch this exact moment play out everyday for the rest of his life if he could. Watching this person he cares so so deeply for be warm and safe and happy and with him. Ashton had always thought he had been in love before but now as he watches Luke's eyes squeeze shut as he laughs against the rim of the mug, the porch light illuminating his face with a soft yellow glow, he knows this is new to him and it’s love.

He's given about three seconds to process all of that before Luke turns to him. He's still smiling but his eyes give Ashton a confused look, as if asking if he’s okay. Ashton's lips turn up and he waves his hand as if to tell him to dismiss his concern. Luke lifts his mug to acknowledge the response as he lacks a free hand and turns away as he wanders to the couch, phone still pressed to his ear.

Ashton turns back to the stove, attempting to force himself to focus on plating the food he’s made rather than the thoughts swirling and racing through his mind about the man on his sofa. He’d come to terms with this crush a long time ago, not permitting himself to ever think about it for too long for this exact reason. He’s internally blaming the long spring of being cooped up inside his house with his thoughts when he feels a presence behind him. He moves to turn to face Luke, to try to make some joke about why he’s bugging Ashton while he cooks, when a gentle hand is placed against his left hip to hold him in place while Luke holds out his phone in front of Ashton's face.

“Look at Duke and Petunia,” he coos. “They’re cuddling.”

And the picture is incredibly cute, the two dogs cozied up together on the floor in front of Calum’s couch. Ashton tells Luke this in a tone that the drummer realizes probably sounds just a little too strained to be talking about dogs napping together. The tone must have been recognized by Luke as a puzzled look falls on his face as he squeezes the hip his hand rests at and bumps his head against Ashton’s temple. “You all good?”

Ashton reaches up, rubbing at Luke’s messy curls teasingly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just hungry.” He steps out of Luke’s hold then as he turns and hands him a plate, gesturing over to the bar where they can eat (his dining room table being covered with papers since the band’s tour meetings earlier in the week) and asks Luke to grab him a water while he finishes making his own plate.

They eat relatively quickly, neither of them realizing until they sit down that they never bothered to eat lunch before working on music earlier. Luke volunteers to clean up while Ashton flips through Netflix for something to watch while they wait for the storm to pass, the radar predicting the heavier part should be past the city within the next few hours.

Behind him, Ashton hears the dishwasher close and start a cleaning cycle as he clicks play on some indie movie that’s been sitting in his queue for awhile. He takes a seat close to one of the arms of the couch as he watches the opening credits roll. Luke flicks off the kitchen light, leaving the room dark aside from a lamp near the hall that leads to the foyer and the glow of the TV. He takes a seat beside Ashton on the couch, his head immediately falling to rest against the shoulder of the other boy.

Ashton tenses for just a moment at the pressure against his shoulder and the smell of Luke’s conditioner hitting his nose before he relaxes some. He sits up just a bit so Luke isn’t having to bend over to a weird angle to allow the position. Luke hums his thanks and pulls the sleeves of the hoodie back over his palms.

They watch the characters on screen go about their lives in pretty normal situations that indie movies tend to be fond of romanticizing. Ashton still feels warm with all of his feelings and butterflies flapping around in his body when he feels a hand reach over, fingers slipping into the spots between his own, a slightly smaller palm pressing against his. He turns his head just slightly but makes no move to change the position, only moving their clasped hands to rest against his lap as Luke’s thumb rubs gently against his first knuckle.

“Days with you are nice,” Luke says softly, so much so that Ashton barely hears him over the dialogue happening between the characters on the screen. “And slow.”

Ashton lets out a laugh, one he hopes doesn’t sound as nervous as he feels. “Slow?”

“They feel slower, but like,” he stops the motion of his thumb for a minute and Ashton lets his head tilt some to rest against Luke’s curls. “But a good kind of slow? Like the universe is allowing more time to fit into the hours somehow.”

Ashton’s heart is soaring at his words. It practically leaves him at a loss for them himself. “Nice of the universe to let us have that, I guess.”

“I feel pretty lucky, yeah.”

That’s all he says then, his focus returning back to the screen. Ashton isn’t quite sure what the short exchange just then meant but he can tell that it meant something and for now he decides that’s good enough. He wants to be big and bold but it’s obvious that Luke likes slow things. And Ashton really likes Luke. So he can do his best to do slow, for him.

He lifts his head then and shifts some to allow his hand to stay pressed against Luke’s but moves to rest his head against the fluffy arm of the sofa on his left. It’s still pretty early but Ashton suddenly feels so sleepy. He’s silently debating with himself about whether or not the exhaustion is due to his racing mind or the cluster of butterflies still flying between his head and his heart when he lets his eyes drift shut.

(It’s about twenty minutes later that Luke carefully slides a pillow under Ashton’s head and drapes a blanket over him, knowing he’s prone to getting cold during the night. He quietly moves about to slip his boots back on and leave his empty mug in the sink. He considers going back to the bedroom to change into one of the shirts he knows actually belongs to him in Ashton’s closet before heading out. But then he catches a whiff of the other boy’s sunshiney, bright cologne on the collar and thinks about the look in Ashton’s eye when he saw Luke walk out of the closet in it earlier and decides he can’t bear to part with it tonight - the hoodie of course, not the way he felt from that look. Definitely not the look.)

#lashton #lashton fic #5sos fic #will i EVER learn how to tag things in a way that works? probably not #i am not kidding i wrote most of this from like midnight-2am last night if there are some grammar things that i missed fixing i am v sorry #also i have yet to figure out a good time to post but eh

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shes-outta-sight · 4 years

Text

thank you @flowrxchild @satans-helper @pvre-mourning @cantbehandled-ever for tagging me to answer some really tough, but also very fun, questions!! ✨💛I really love reading all of these, and doing them as well!

What was the last thing you read?

my nutrition notes /:

Favourite movie?

Already a hard question lmao. I’m gonna say Almost Famous (i know, shocker!). others are Interstellar, Lady Bird, Annihilation, La La Land, Pink Floyd - The Wall, and Dazed and Confused lol.

Favourite book?

Call me basic but i’m gonna just say The Great Gatsby. It’s a classic and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read it. I have a lot of favorite books that aren’t popular, but ya girl is so bad at picking favorites.

Dream date?

Definitely a concert. I just want to be with someone with similar taste in music, or at least appreciates mine. Also stargazing, anything outside, or a museum date. idk anything really

Do you have a crush?

on sammy of course! and all of my mutuals (;

What are your hobbies?

listening/finding new music always, watercoloring, reading, and now i love painting denim! I’m trying to get back into my creative hobbies, but school really doesn’t want that to happen

What’s your favourite time of day?

dusk/sunsets. but I’m a total night owl, so late nights are my thing!

If you could look like anything, what would you look like?

Not sure what to say. Honestly I wish i had a better body. and I wish I was more confident with how I actually look!

Are you romantic?

absolutely

What’s your favourite type of weather?

If I’m inside, I love big rainstorms. I have always found the rain and thunder to be peaceful. However, i love fall weather where the sun is warm, but the breeze is present. (not like Texas fall)

What do you like talking about?

music!!

What are your turn ons?

Definitely a sense of humor. I will seriously fall in love with anyone who makes me laugh. Also intelligence, usually someone more outgoing than i am, and easily excited.

Turn offs?

no sense of humor lol, cockiness, and unnecessary rudeness!

If you got a tattoo what would it be and where would you get it?

There’s this small sketch of a half sun and crescent moon with faces together that i’ve wanted for a while, maybe on my ankle. i also used to want a small butterfly on my inner arm, and some wildflowers on my ribcage, but ouch!

Do you have any pets?

I have a siamese cat named Flash at my parent’s, but i am getting my own cat next fall when i move into a new apartment. Very excited!

Dream job?

Veterinarian

Dream place to live?

As someone who has grown up in a huge city, i would love to live in a small town with more country area eventually. Also wouldn’t mind living somewhere in Colorado closer to the mountains.

Dream vacation?

Greece and Italy has forever been a dream! I would also love to go backpacking through Europe of course.

Do you have any piercings?

i have 2 normal piercings in each ear, 2 cartilage in one ear, and a nose stud

If you had kids, what would you name them?

i’m not one of those people who has exact names planned out because who even knows what i want. However, i have always loved the name “Presley” for a girl.

What are your best traits?

Most of the time, i think my independence is the best. i also think i have a pretty great sense of humor, and my empathy.

Worst traits?

I definitely hold grudges. I try not to, but I do.

What’s your worst fear?

A few. While I love being on my own most of the time, I am afraid of ending up alone. As a kid i was very scared of being kidnapped, so that still kinda lingers. Also, losing loved ones, and I’m deathly afraid of cockroaches (everything really is bigger in Texas)

What do you want to eat right now

tacos

What’s your best vacation you’ve ever been on?

I’ve been to Isla Mujeres in Mexico many times with my family. Also had a vacation with friends in Seaside that was pretty great. Other then that, i haven’t traveled a lot sadly.

Favourite city?

I have that Houston pride (;

Honestly, I haven’t traveled enough to say though.

Favorite social media platform?

Tumblr! Occasionally twitter. I’ve mainly decided I’m done with instagram, snpachat, etc.

Favourite article of clothing?

i loveee my jean jackets. but also my doc martens, and generally sweatshirts!

Do you play any sports?

haha as a kid, i played pretty much every sport, even including dancing and cheer. I also did swimming and water polo throughout high school, but definitely not good enough for a scholarship, so that ended!

Favourite meal of the day?

i love breakfast, but i never eat in the mornings. so dinner? or breakfast for dinner !

What are you excited for?

for once i can say that there are so many things!! i am done with finals next Wednesday so Christmas break!! my bestfriend who goes to university in England is coming home next week, and gvf concert in 17 DAYS!!

Not excited for?

my ochem final

When was the last time you cried?

yesterday after i took my lab final (see the pattern?)

Dream house?

cottage home for sure!! i don’t want much, but i have always wanted a house with a front porch that has a swing or chairs outside.

What’s something you hate about the world?

idk if this is cheating, but Ricky i’m going to keep your answer here because i couldn’t say it better myself!

“Injustice, prejudice and ignorance. I have no tolerance for it and there seems to be a lot of it. Wish a lot more people would just have less hate in them.”

What’s something you love about the world?

i love that despite all of the bad shit, i can still find reasons to be happy. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a huge difference, and more often it’s the beautiful people who make it a better place!

What scents do you like?

i love eucalyptus! also fresh linen and the smell of rain.

What kind of sleeper are you?

ha i don’t sleep. but i have to sleep on my side with one leg out, and i guess i’m a medium sleeper? Not heavy, but I do oversleep early alarms if I’m not careful.

Are you a cat or dog person?

if i can’t say both, then i am a cat person. i love them both, but i have grown up with cats!

How long would you survive in a zombie apocalypse?

lol not long at all probably. idk maybe a few weeks?

Are you trusting?

I think i am?? Unless i’m given reasons not to be I guess. There are probably times where i could be more.

What fictional character do you identify with?

fuck i’m sorry, there’s honestly so many and i can’t choose!

What labels do you commonly get?

I get sensitive all the time. And you know what, I am. Also sometimes i get shy which is also true in certain situations.

What song would be your life anthem?

ooooo idk about an “anthem” but I’m gonna go with tiny dancer, gypsy, or even flower power!

What issues are you dealing with rn?

This semester of school has been really hard on me, so the usual stress and anxiety. Things are starting to look up though.

How can someone win you over?

It’s really not hard. If you’re nice to me, you probably already have. or just make me smile/laugh!

What’s something about you people don’t know?

ummm not sure what else to add

tagging: @mountainofthesunn @aint-no-denying @thatflowerpower @dreams-madeof-strawberrylemonade @gvfyeet @nosferatyou @woman-ina-dream @pennylane-gvf @highwaytunez @that-glassbottomed-ego @imacrowcawcaww

#i put a ton of thought into this #very indecisive #sorry!#i was going to tag all of you before but you beat me to it lmao #tags #about me

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earnedmagic · 5 years

Note

Roots, rainstorms, poetry from the lovely ask game

Roots: How do you ground yourself or recharge?

spending time alone, drawing and listening to a podcast/audiobook or reading. taking a walk.

Rainstorms: What helps you fall asleep?

taking a melatonin and watching claire on bon appetit test kitchen. then i find a repetitive pattern to tell myself about as i fall asleep, something like going through the process of getting dressed for an imaginary event detail by detail, or going through the pattern of a childhood route in my mind. when i’m having a really hard time sleeping, i turn on the fan and go through the beach rental my family stayed at every summer of my childhood as though i was describing it to someone else:

“...we always entered through the back door, the front door was for if you arrived very late at night or had something heavy to carry. when i was very little, the front door was very difficult to open because the locks stuck, and it was easier to just go through the back gate. you would walk down the driveway, where the wheel ruts from the cars made two soft narrow tracks of dry downy grass in the deep swathes of dewy green grass, along fuchsia bushes that grew against the house, to a gate that was weathered grey. you had to reach over the gate to unlatch it, and then there was a splintery deck, also grey...”

Poetry: If you have one, name a favorite book or poem.

books:

mink river - brian doyle

annihilation - jeff vandermeer

the children of green knowe - l. m. boston

protector of the small (series) - tamora pierce

the war that saved my life - kimberly brubaker bradley

all the light we cannot see - anthony doerr

laura dean keeps breaking up with me - mariko tamaki, rosemary valero-o’connell (i haven’t finished it yet, but i have a feeling)

#asks #suzirya #thank you <3

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burnthroughmesilently · 6 years

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i got tagged to do this question thing by @lordeharry

your favorite song(s) to sing/hum?

i’m just gonna go with put your records on by corinne bailey rae cause it’s my absolute favorite jam.

whats your favorite flower/tree/plant (all 3 or whatever you have an answer to)?

flower: poppies, tree: oak tree, plant: idk i just looked up plants and saw one called Persian Shield that looked super awesome so i guess that

favorite color(s)?

blue

what do you always doodle (if you ever do)?

i try not to overcrowd papers so i usually doodle little patterns in the margins with like triangles or something. otherwise i doodle flowers

how do you take your coffee/tea? if you don’t like those whats your fav warm drink?

coffee: i don’t drink coffee, tea: i drink black tea with a lot of honey and a splash of milk

favorite candle scent?

pumpkin or vanilla

sunrise or sunset?

sunset

what perfume do you wear, if any?

i’m way too lazy to wear perfume. i just buy body wash that smells good

whats your go to dance move when you’re alone?

i tend to do a lot of pointing and twirls when i am alone. i mean i still point while dancing when others are around but not as much as i do when i am alone. also i kind of dance like leslie knope when she is drunk

favorite quote?

i have absolutely no clue what to put here but i really like the lyrics “it’s so easy to laugh / it’s so easy to hate / it takes strength to be gentle and kind” from i know it’s over by the smiths

favorite self care thing(s)/routine(s)?

face masks and being cozy

fuzzy socks or house slippers?

fuzzy socks

what color are your eyes?

blue-grey

whats your favorite eye color on others?

i used to be partial to blue but i think i really am starting to like brown more

favorite season? why?

fall. it starts to get cold and i can start wearing comfy clothes like sweaters and i stop cursing the sky because of the horrible heat

cheek, neck, or nose kisses?

check kisses, my neck is super ticklish and nose kisses just always feel super awkward to me

what does your happy place look like?

a slightly dreary day at the beach where it’s cold enough i can wear a jacket but warm enough i can still enjoy an ice cream cone

favorite breed of dog?

all of them except great danes but they’re big enough to be classified as horses so they don’t count

do you ever want to be married? if so, what colors would you pick for your wedding theme?

i don’t really know. sometimes it sounds nice but then i think about how complicated divorces are so idk. for colors though it would depend on the time of year but probs blue and silver

cursive or print?

print usually but sometimes cursive when i am too lazy to pick my hand up every time.

silk or lace?

i like the look of silk but i feel like it’s always cold so i am gonna go with lace for maximum warmth

favorite weather?

slightly windy before a rainstorm

as always i’m not gonna tag anyone but you should do it if you wanna

#mine #personal #tag games #dancingunderstarlightglow #look i did it even though i didn't know what to put for a lot of them #rachel

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docayin-blog · 5 years

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The Best Summer Trail Camera Strategy

The most prominent trail camera strategy in today’s deer-o-sphere is using them to confirm what a hunter already suspects about local whitetails. This is why so many of us mount cameras over standing soybean fields or the edges of food plots in July. We know bucks feed regularly in those spots, and we want to get pictures of them.

It’s pretty simple, really, but often not all that productive. If you’ve got a property locked up and know that no one will come in and mess with the summer patterns, then yes, you can plan a strategy around those images. But be honest, you were going to hunt those spots anyway, because they’re no-brainer locations for early-season bowhunting setups.

The problem with scouting that way is that it works with a good summer destination food source — but then, those patterns crumble just before or right after you get your first chance to slip in with a bow and try to intercept a target buck. This is where trail cameras can hurt us if we’re not careful.

It’s easy to hunt on memory, but a buck that has bailed on his summer food pattern isn’t likely to return to it in a way that will allow you to encounter him during shooting hours. This is especially true if you’re hunting pressured ground, whether public or private.

A better bet with scouting cameras is to use them to figure out what is going on in the places where you’re really not sure what the activity level is, or to sort out the routes target bucks are taking as they travel to/from food sources. Practically speaking, this is what scouting is all about, and it’s possible with the right camera strategy.

The idea obviously is to identify good bucks that might be moving during legal shooting hours, then pin down locations you can sneak into, and actually hunt, correctly. Doing so isn’t nearly as easy as we’d like to believe, though. If it were, success rates would be much, much higher.

Each year I hunt whitetails on public land in four or five states, and if there’s one thing I find consistently, it’s that the easy spots are nearly always worthless to hunt outside the hottest part of the rut. The better bucks I see, and occasionally arrow, almost always have made the mistake of moving during daylight either on a travel route or in a staging area, both of which will be in security cover.

While some big bucks seem to be terribly ensconced in a nocturnal lifestyle, most aren’t. They just don’t move a whole lot during daylight in any place but their favorite sanctuaries. This information matters, because those might be the only spots in which you’ll ever encounter them with enough daylight to get a legal shot.

These spots will almost always relate to a destination food source. That’s true even in the Northwoods, where there isn’t an agricultural field or food plot within miles. The deer usually have a feeding place in mind, but they’ll take their sweet time getting there — and most often, you’ll run out the clock before they poke their nose into any open areas.

So while the soybean field on your farm or parcel of public land is where the bucks will probably end up each night, how they get there and how they leave are what matter most to us hunters. The same goes for the oak ridge in the big woods or an irrigated alfalfa field out west.

My typical strategy is to start at the most obvious destination food sources and place cameras in the first patch of good cover off them, hanging in what appear to be high-traffic spots. This might be a ditch or ravine crossing or simply a trail carved down the face of a bluff. Regardless, the idea is to get an idea of which deer are moving through the cover near the most obvious food.

It’s important to remember here that the July woods can look a lot different from the September woods, and another thing entirely when you consider November. The first, most likely staging area off the food will last until the leaves drop or hunting pressure on the field edges pushes the deer deeper, or maybe persuades them to stay even farther back.

NO DICE…NOW WHAT?

The reason many of us don’t want to engage in this strategy is we won’t run in danger of having our SD cards maxed out with images. In fact, you might not capture anything that gets you excited. That’s a bummer, but it’s important. Eliminating dead ends isn’t as exciting as checking your camera and realizing that a herd of Booners has been traipsing through every day, but it’s also not nothing. Knowing where not to hunt matters, because it allows you to focus your efforts elsewhere.

This is why I try to run at least a couple trail cameras in question-mark locations. The idea is to figure out travel patterns in the cover, but you also must weigh the value of that information against how often you’ll slip in to check cameras and thus disturb the area. (That assumes you aren’t using a cellular camera, which eliminates the need to visit the spot regularly.)

If possible, I try to time my camera checks around rainstorms, but that’s far from a reliable strategy for minimizing disturbance. Instead, I force myself to give a camera at least a month in any given spot during the summer scouting period. Leaving a trail cam to “soak” in a spot for a minimum of four weeks means the deer will have plenty of time to get used to it, and all kinds of weather and the accompanying fronts will pass in that time. This allows me to compare deer movement to conditions and decide if there’s anything worth really paying attention to there.

If I do capture a good buck doing his thing a few times, it also gives me enough time to try to hang some more cameras and attempt to further pin down his daily habits. This is where different trains of thought merge onto the same track. Most of us think nailing down an exact buck’s routes is the goal, and it’s easy to slip into the mindset that deer do pretty much the same thing every day. But while they’re habitual critters, they don’t walk the same trails and utilize the same beds day after day unless they’re very comfortable in one given spot.

For most of us, those spots are behind plenty of “No Trespassing” signs and come with a serious price tag. The reality is, whitetails travel through their world in relation to the conditions and how they’ll be able to use their senses to stay safe. This means the buck that walks down a specific trail once a week is going somewhere else the other six days. Where are they? Ask yourself questions and try to answer them with long-range observation and more camera work.

For example, even though the travel pattern of a good buck on a specific ditch crossing might seem random, it probably isn’t. Think about where he’s coming from and where he’s going. Maybe there’s a pond tucked into the timber 200 yards away. Is he visiting it to get a drink? A well-placed camera can tell you.

Maybe the buck surprises you one evening as you’re swatting mosquitoes and looking through the spotting scope at a green bean field on your farm. Instead of emerging from the woods the way most of the other deer do, he pops up in a grassy swale on your neighbor’s property and hops a fence to reach the groceries where you can hunt.

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erraticfairy · 5 years

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5 Ways to Create a Work-Life Balance That Will Keep Your Marriage Safe

Do your responsibilities overwhelm you?

Finding a healthy work-life balance can feel impossible when you’re trying to juggle time with your family against all of your responsibilities.

But the best way to assure you get the quality time you need from both is to establish boundaries by using time management to figure out what tasks you need to complete in a given day or week.

There’s a ton of relationship advice and marriage advice out there about how to speak your partner’s “love language” by spending quality time with them, but knowing how to balance that against everything else you need to get done can be difficult.

“Work-life balance” has definitely become a favorite buzz-phrase nowadays. It was first coined in the UK in the 1970s, then migrated to the U.S. in the 80s, and now any savvy prospective employer will assure you that you’ll have the perfect dose if you work for them.

You can also call it work-life integration, blend, or harmony. My personal favorite is Adam Grant’s “work-life rhythm.” He says, “Work-life balance sets an unrealistic expectation of keeping different roles in steady equilibrium. Instead, strive for work-life rhythm. Each week has a repeating pattern of beats — job, family, friends, health, hobbies — that vary in accent and duration.”

Of course, there are plenty of lists extolling the best careers for work-life balance or the “highest-rated companies …” or even tips for organizations who want to encourage it for their employees.

However you label it, it all means the same thing — work-life balance is the ability to manage your professional workload and obligations in a way that doesn’t negatively impact your personal life and relationships.

And if you’re married, the commitment to creating a healthy rhythm between your working and playing hours takes on an even wider perspective.

Now it’s not just your own values and priorities you need to consider, but also those of your spouse as well … at least if you’re committed to making your relationship as successful as your career!

Many couples are on the verge of crashing and burning because one — or both — of them has lost sight of the vows they made on their wedding day. Loving, honoring and respecting your beloved does not mean routinely coming home late or working every weekend.

Of course, that’s bound to happen occasionally, but a steady practice definitely erodes your connection to the other important parts of your life … first and foremost, your partner and family.

Here are 5 simple tips for creating a healthy work-life balance that will strengthen your relationship and keep you from feeling overwhelmed:

1. Set Boundaries at Work.

This is first because it allows you to better manage all of your other commitments to maintain a positive work-life rhythm.

The first step is to simply say no. Obviously, if your boss has a big project for you, you can’t turn it down, but be clear about how full your plate is and what you’re able to take on. Don’t become the go-to person who says yes to everything … you might make everyone else happy, but you’ll end up miserable.

Make a promise to yourself to leave work at a reasonable time. Even if you can’t manage it every day, you’re establishing a precedent for yourself and your co-workers.

Another great time management tip is to plan your day in “chunks.” If your boss does hand you that major project, chop it up into manageable one- to two-hour pieces.

That way, you won’t feel like you have to complete it all at once and can leave work at a decent hour, knowing you have another block of time to work on it tomorrow.

And you get to have dinner with your sweetie!

2. Manage Your Digital Connections at Home and at Work.

This is certainly part of setting boundaries, but it deserves a spot of its own simply because of the role that all of your various “screens” play in your lives!

How much time do you spend responding to personal texts or emails during the workday? Remember that’s time you’re not spending getting work done so you can leave on time.

Let your friends know you may not be getting back to them immediately — schedule short breaks to handle personal stuff in bunches so you’re not constantly interrupted.

All those minutes you spend getting re-focused add up to one big time-eater.

Likewise, at home, turn the notifications off on your phone! Be fully present for your partner … maybe even put it in another room when you’re having a nice dinner or even just watching your favorite show.

If you have any doubts about how your addiction to your smartphone is affecting your lives on every level, read Manoush Zamorodi’s Bored and Brilliant — it’s a fascinating read and it’ll blow you away.

3. Schedule Date Nights (not Just for Couples With Kids!)

It’s all about quality time with the one you love. You’ve both got busy schedules, so don’t leave it to chance. At the beginning of each week, pull up your calendars and see what’s best for both of you.

Obviously, you’ll want to see friends after work, or get a massage, or take that cool cooking class you’ve been eyeing for a while, too. The “life” part of the work-life balance equation includes all of that, but you want to be sure to keep your marriage at the top of your priority list.

For instance, you could have your Friday nights set in stone, but then also try to come up with at least one other night during the week when you’re both home to make dinner (or order out) and hang together.

And remember to get rid of your phone during those times.

There are a ton of articles about how your cellphone is negatively impacting your brains and your relationships — even when it’s face down and turned off!

4. Create Meaningful Rituals to Anchor Your Day.

A marital ritual is really just a conscious, intentional commitment to support, nurture, and re-connect with your partner. It can be a simple one, like making sure you kiss each other goodbye in the morning, and greet each other with a hug when you come home at night.

Some ideas may take a little extra planning … like breakfast by candlelight, or scheduling a monthly couples’ massage. Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages can give you some great ideas for ways to connect more deeply with each other through your individual love languages.

Other regular rituals might be to make dinner together, to check in by phone or text during the day, to make a lunch date once a week, or to shower together. (You might want to plan that last one for a Friday or Saturday night so you can segue into the bedroom!)

Focus on creating a consistent, loving, mutual self-care practice with your partner. That way, when work is particularly crazy, you’ll still have a solid foundation to fall back on in your marriage.

5. Watch How You Communicate, Both in the Office and at Home.

If you work in one of those environments, where it’s the norm to gripe about your spouse, don’t engage!

It’s tempting to want to fit in with the crowd, but find another way to connect with your co-workers that doesn’t involve wife/husband-bashing. It’s an insidious way to undermine your own marriage, and frankly, disrespectful to the person you promised to love and honor.

And on the home front, while you don’t want to bring your work stress home with you, you also don’t want to stonewall your partner when they ask about your day. Share your frustrations and let them know what you need from them — cheerleading, advice, or just to listen.

One fun coming home ritual that can help diffuse work stress is to share your day like a weather report.

“Sunny skies this morning when I got a compliment from my boss, followed by a rainstorm when a deal fell through. But that created a tailwind, and I made a bunch of good sales calls after that.” Definitely a little corny, but it gets the information across and can open up to a deeper conversation.

Even with the best intentions and a passionate commitment to creating a healthy work-life rhythm, there will be days when everything just all falls apart. The perfect storm happens when both you and your partner have bad days and you haven’t had a chance to really connect in a while.

There’s not much you can do about the bad day, but if you’ve been compassionately ruthless in following most of your work-life balance hacks, your marriage won’t take too much of a hit! And maybe it’ll be a wake-up call to get back on track if either or both of you have fallen off the work-life balance train.

This guest article was originally published on YourTango.com: 5 Ways To Create A Work-Life Balance So Your Job Doesn’t Ruin Your Marriage.

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/2MUjwPe via theshiningmind.com

#World of Psychology #child psychology

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positivepsychologyinterventions · 5 years

Text

5 Ways to Create a Work-Life Balance That Will Keep Your Marriage Safe

Do your responsibilities overwhelm you?

Finding a healthy work-life balance can feel impossible when you’re trying to juggle time with your family against all of your responsibilities.

But the best way to assure you get the quality time you need from both is to establish boundaries by using time management to figure out what tasks you need to complete in a given day or week.

And if you’re married, the commitment to creating a healthy rhythm between your working and playing hours takes on an even wider perspective.

Of course, that’s bound to happen occasionally, but a steady practice definitely erodes your connection to the other important parts of your life … first and foremost, your partner and family.

Here are 5 simple tips for creating a healthy work-life balance that will strengthen your relationship and keep you from feeling overwhelmed:

1. Set Boundaries at Work.

This is first because it allows you to better manage all of your other commitments to maintain a positive work-life rhythm.

Make a promise to yourself to leave work at a reasonable time. Even if you can’t manage it every day, you’re establishing a precedent for yourself and your co-workers.

Another great time management tip is to plan your day in “chunks.” If your boss does hand you that major project, chop it up into manageable one- to two-hour pieces.

That way, you won’t feel like you have to complete it all at once and can leave work at a decent hour, knowing you have another block of time to work on it tomorrow.

And you get to have dinner with your sweetie!

2. Manage Your Digital Connections at Home and at Work.

This is certainly part of setting boundaries, but it deserves a spot of its own simply because of the role that all of your various “screens” play in your lives!

How much time do you spend responding to personal texts or emails during the workday? Remember that’s time you’re not spending getting work done so you can leave on time.

Let your friends know you may not be getting back to them immediately — schedule short breaks to handle personal stuff in bunches so you’re not constantly interrupted.

All those minutes you spend getting re-focused add up to one big time-eater.

3. Schedule Date Nights (not Just for Couples With Kids!)

And remember to get rid of your phone during those times.

There are a ton of articles about how your cellphone is negatively impacting your brains and your relationships — even when it’s face down and turned off!

4. Create Meaningful Rituals to Anchor Your Day.

5. Watch How You Communicate, Both in the Office and at Home.

If you work in one of those environments, where it’s the norm to gripe about your spouse, don’t engage!

One fun coming home ritual that can help diffuse work stress is to share your day like a weather report.

This guest article was originally published on YourTango.com: 5 Ways To Create A Work-Life Balance So Your Job Doesn’t Ruin Your Marriage.

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/2MUjwPe via IFTTT

#IFTTT #World of Psychology

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jobsbyjoce-blog · 6 years

Text

Best Places to See in Spain: Madrid, Barcelona, Ibiza, Valencia

It has been my dream to visit Spain since I was 19. This was my first time planning a trip of this length on my own, and I wanted to share some of the things I learned.

Best Sights

Planning this trip to Spain definitely proved to be a challenge. My boyfriend had only been out of the country to Mexico, and once to Jamaica. So a Eurotrip was not something he was an expert at. I had always wanted to visit Spain, but never to see any particular sight. I just wanted to soak up the culture and see if it was a place I would ever want to live.

My personal favorite places were:

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium [Madrid] home to Real Madrid CF. We watched Real Madrid beat Juventus in the 90th minute and it was insane! The energy was crazy because they hadn’t scored all game. They just needed one goal to make it to the finals so that was such a moment.

City of Arts & Sciences [Valencia] a massive science center where you can go visit the

· L'Hemisfèric a gorgeous building that houses an IMAX theater playing movies about the galaxy

· The Science Museum, which I paid to visit, where you can see everything from a dinosaur exhibit to interactive science experiments about how mirrors work.

· L'Oceanogràfic is an aquarium with a gorgeous entrance. I tried to go but I got there just as they closed.

· The Palace of the Arts, which I mistakenly thought was an art museum, is really an opera house. I haven’t been in an opera house since I visited Sydney Australia in 2001!

La Barceloneta [Barcelona] is a neighborhood right on the coast of the Mediterrean. This is the home of the famous W hotel. On this man made beach there are vendors selling mojitos and margaritas, people tanning and riding bikes. It almost felt like California, except for the extreme blue water. The best part of this spot was visiting the W hotel. It would not be my top choice to swim at this beach, but we made our way to the W and ate at Salt restaurant. Despite being overprice, the service and view just couldn’t be beat.

Valencia Cathedral [Valencia] is known as home to the holy chalice, or holy grail. I was able to lay my eyes upon what is believed to be precious cup from which Jesus drank! This cathedral really made a lasting impression on me. I’ve been to a few cathedrals around Europe (France, England) but this was the first time I did a guided tour and really paid attention. I learned about neoclassical art and gothic style architecture. This place is a must see.

Ibiza in general is a must visit, but you have to do this in the summer during season. We went and the clubs were 99% closed, and it was cold. We had scheduled a paddle boarding session that got cancelled because of the wind. But on the day that I left the sun came out in full force, and I got a glimpse of how beautiful that island can be. I have to go back and experience the full Ibiza effect. We stayed at THB Molinos, which was perfectly located and had an indoor pool & sauna. Perfect for the unpredictable weather.

Favorite Food

I am not going to lie to you – I think I lost weight on this trip. I was not feeling the food, and I fell into numerous tourist traps. From overpriced paella in Barcelona to stale chips in Valencia, I did not have much luck. Any foodies who can give me some tips for my next trip? I struggled because I do not like anchovies, olives, cheese, tomatoes, or anything I cannot immediately identify. But my much less picky boyfriend didn’t have the greatest experience in this department either. I will say that I visited Casa Mingo based on recommendation from my old roommate, and it was the best chicken I have every had. Juicy, seasoned perfectly and nice sized portions. They also served their signature cider, which was almost like a dry version of Angry Orchard. That was delicious. That was the meal I remember most in Spain.

Culture Shock

I experience a few things that made it clear I was not home in California.

Staring. From the moment I got off the plane I felt like I was being stared at incessantly. It intensified in Madrid and I felt very uncomfortable at some points.

Butter. When I was at the delicious Casa Mingo and also a trendy chain called VIPS I asked for butter for my bread. This seemed like an odd request to the servers, and Casa Mingo actually would not bring me any butter.

Tipping. I don’t think I have a good grasp on the world of tipping in Europe, but I generally believe that it is not expected. I really struggled with deciding when to tip and when to leave it be. I began to lean towards not tipping based on some google searches from expert travelers.

That is the long story short of my 2 weeks in Spain! It was amazing and I am eternally grateful I was able to visit.

Time of Year

My boyfriend and I visited Spain in April. Prior to visiting I had the idea that Spain has a similar weather pattern to California. In this case, I was very wrong. We arrived to Barcelona in mid-April and the temperature was around 63 degree Fahrenheit or so during the day. Madrid was much colder and we spent time walking around in 40-45 degree Fahrenheit. ON a trip to the Royal Palace of Madrid the clouds burst into a rainstorm and I picked up a souvenir umbrella. Not sure I’ll ever use it again but it’s cute!

#Best Sights in Spain #Travel Blog #Spain Blog #Valencia Spain #Best Cities in Spain #Madrid #Ibiza

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docayin-blog · 5 years

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The Best Summer Trail Camera Strategy

KILLABLE DEER IN HUNTABLE SPOTS

NO DICE…NOW WHAT?

All such in-person observations and clues gathered by your cameras will allow you to start homing in on an area that your target buck prefers. And that matters — a lot.

THE RIGHT NEIGHBORHOOD

While scouting for bow season we always strive to identify the exact tree from which we’ll arrow a good buck, during mid-summer we’re really just trying to pinpoint his preferred territory. Due to the fact so much can change from July or August to opening morning of the archery season, the idea is to get in the right neighborhood without letting the buck know you’re onto him.

This will allow you to set up a strategy for hunting the early season, but also be careful enough to preserve a buck’s safe zones until you need to slip in. Naturally, this is easier if you’re hunting private ground with limited pressure but is also a possibility on public land. You just need to understand there are no guarantees with the latter category, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to push it in a specific area.

What I’ve found through extensive camera work and summer scouting missions is that the areas I identify as hotspots for specific bucks in July are usually pretty close to where those bucks will be in September. There seems to be a big change in deer movement at that time, but a lot of it is simply that the big buck is becoming more cautious and not running into a field in broad daylight to munch away with his buddies.

That’s OK, though. If you run a practical camera strategy this summer, you’ll know where to set up off the easy food sources yourself. You’ll be able to tease out useful threads from the tapestry that is a buck’s daily habits, so you’ll know where to go even if the easy daylight activity dies on you.

Your Plan B will be way more well-thought-out than your hunting competition’s. So as you slip into a staging area or along a trail you know a specific buck uses under those conditions, you’ll have a better chance of filling an early-season tag.

IN CONCLUSION

Use cameras wisely. Your summer scouting mission isn’t finished just because you put out a bunch of cameras in June. Check them once a month and tweak their locations as needed in order to figure out why the local bucks are doing what they’re doing.

Tie that camera work into some long-range glassing and eventually you’ll start to see patterns emerge with specific bucks and how they conduct themselves on a daily basis. At that point, you’ll be in a good spot to get in and make the most of your early-season sits.

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