#but i can usually pick a path. could not do that tuesday. its amazing i didnt physically turn in circles about it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

raggaraddy · 3 years

Text

Sugar Daddy turned sour

Request: Hi!!!! read all of ur works its all amazing cant believe ur new.. can i request for a yan sugar daddy taehyung x reader x yan sugar daddy jungkook. they found out that that y/n have 2 sugar daddies and they lost their sanity(as if they even have that)...Thank u and YOU GOOD,KEEP GOING💜💞💞💞💞😘😁

A/N: I don't know how to post a reply to a personal message yet because I am new and Tumblr deficient 😅 But I hope you like the scenario ^-^ thanks for the request 💜

Here for Part 2

Summary: Juggling two guys and getting everything you want from them has always been easy for you, and Taehyung and Jungkook are no exception. Or so you thought.

Trigger warnings: Mentions of non-con, assault, cheating, violence.

Yandere! Taehyung

Yandere! Jungkook

Sunday. Taehyungs day.

You open your webcam, checking your eyeliner quickly in the startup view as you wait for the Tae to pick up on the other side. He pops up quickly a beaming smile filling his face.

“Y/n! Baby, I’ve missed you.” He’s radiant. As happy and as bubbly he always is.

You go along listening to him excitedly run through his past few days, telling you everything in excruciating detail as he jumps from one half-finished thought to another. He may be an adult but he certainly has a young soul. The whole while you feign attention, your fingers continually fidgeting with the diamond necklace or the matching bracelet he had sent you a few weeks back.

“How was your weekend?” He finally gets around to asking.

“Not so good. I always have to work so much," You complain, batting your eyes at the camera.

“You could always quit and come live with me.” He jokes-but not really. It’s a topic he has raised 3 times already. And you have the same answer ready as always.

“Daddy, you know I’m a strong and independent woman. I could never let someone else pay for me.” You pout, running your tongue over your lower lip while pushing your chest up a little to draw attention. “It’s just my rent is so expensive. I feel like I work just to pay the bills.”

In truth, your rent is already being covered by someone else. But he doesn’t need to know that.

While you continue to run through the fabricated details of your weekend, Taehyung is distracted, looking down at his phone. You know what's happening. It’s like a game. And you’re winning. Your banking app sends a notification, letting you know that K. Taehyung has just sent you a payment.

You open it up. Yep. That's rent for the month. Or more, money for that new TV you wanted.

“Oh! Daddy, noo.” You whine down the camera. “You can’t. I am okay. Really. Please don’t spend your money on me.” You frown if only to stop the smile that is fighting to fill your face.

“I want to baby. I have the money, and I just want you to be happy. Don’t stress about bills okay. I’m here.”

Sometimes, it’s almost too easy.

“Okay Daddy, if you insist.”

Tuesday. Jungkooks day.

With Jungkook it’s a much more straightforward transaction. He has said he wants to pay for you and he hates the back and forth pretences. He just wants you to say thank you, smile pretty, and give him all your attention.

“Do you need anything more for the week?” He asks through the camera.

“No Daddy, you take such good care of me. Thank you.” You smile.

“You still have the weekend of the 14th off?” He raises his eyebrows suggestively. Off-screen you quickly scan through your calendar.

14th, 15th and 16th: Jk weekend.

Hmm, that came up quicker than you expected. You try to keep your booty calls with them as far apart as possible.

“Of course, I’m so excited! I haven’t seen you in weeks.” You say, it been less than 100% truthful.

“Months.” He corrects with a surreptitious undertone.

“Where are we staying this time?”

You always insist to stay in hotels. Because ‘your apartment feels too busy and mundane, and you want the time you spend with him to be magical and undistracted’. Honestly, you just don’t want him, either of them, in your personal space. You purposefully chose boys who live a few hours away. It’s hard enough to keep them separated in your everyday life with them being far away. It could only get messy for them to know where you live and how to reach you in person.

You’ve certainly gotten smart at this. Arranging the two men into different days of the week, scheduling them into your calendar to keep them apart and unaware of the other. Both had specifically said very early on that they do not want to share you with anyone else. And that you were all theirs. And while both of them seemed to trust you, you knew their reactions would be unpleasant, to say the least, if they found out about the other.

Sugar Daddies can be so possessive.

But while both these men are very handsome, money is better and more reliable than boys. And if they are stupid enough to spend it all on you, why should you care.

The week passes quickly and it’s the 14th. Once more you find yourself in the lobby of a 5-star hotel. Jungkook arrived in town early and sent you a message with the room number.

Time to actually work for your money.

You knock on the door only to find it slightly open. Entering there is a trail of rose petals lining the floor leading into the suite. All the lights are dimmed with a warmth of candlelight filling the room. This is so typically Jungkook. Pulling out all the stops to try to impress.

Dropping your bag at the entrance, you close the door behind you and explore inwards.

“Daddy?” You call out in a singsong voice. Your heels clack on the tiled floor as you round the corner into the living room. Jungkook is sitting on the lounge, one leg crossed over the other, arms rested up over the back. You smile at seeing him. You always seem to forget just how stunning he is in person.

“Which one of us are you referring to?” A deep voice startles you from behind. You jolt, spinning to see Taehyung standing behind you leaning against the wall.

Holy fuck.

Your mind starts to jumble through what is happening. Thinking about what it was that might have given you away. Evaluating how much they may know. And planning your next move.

Damn it. You doubt you’ll be able to smooth talk your way out of this with Jungkook. He’s too direct and absolute. So you’ll just have to accept that that relationship is over. However, you might be able to salvage this situation with Taehyung if you play your cards right. Being defensive should do the trick.

“What is this?” You snap, keeping focused on Taehyung. “This is such a violation of my privacy! You keep smothering me Taehyung! See this is why I tried to find someone else to hang out with.” You stomp your foot. He would always wrap around your finger so quickly with the little girl act.

“Ha!” He blurts out a short laugh in contradiction to how you expected him to react. “Wow. No, go on. I want to see where this is going.”

“Do you think we only just found out about each other?” Jungkook pipes up, coming from the couch.

You sigh. You had almost saved enough for a holiday to the Maldives too. But they seem to know too much. Fine. You can burn both relationships. They were starting to get too clingy anyway. “Whatever.” You roll your eyes. You got all you could from them. Time to move on to the next.

As you shrug them off, Taehyung steps into the path of the front door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Both he and Jungkook start to close in tighter. There is a cold tone to his words. Something far too close to a threat for your comfort. Even in heels, both men naturally stand taller than you which usually wouldn’t bother you. But with an unsteadiness to your footing and a very short dress on, in a dark room with two men you have used and spurned, you are feeling even more vulnerable than you feel you should.

“Move.” You order.

A smirk on his lips, Taehyung lifts his hand up and backhands you, knocking you back a few stumbled steps. You gasp, your hand clinging to your cheek, eyes wide in shock. He starts forward, Jungkook intervening, standing between the two of you.

You can not believe he just hit you! He has never done anything like that before.

“No, don’t do that.” He stops Taehyung as he starts to swing again. Shaking all over, you’re relieved that one of them is seeing sense. You take the outstretched hand of Jungkook, lip trembling from the burn on your cheek. He draws you closer and you wrap into him for protection. In the same motion, his free hand swings down punching you in the stomach, doubling you over, dropping you to the floor. “If you hit her head, she might get spaced out. I want her to feel this.”

His words send a chill down your spine. This can not be happening.

“Are you crazy!” You gape, trying to speak while gulping down air. Your head is dizzy, your lungs burning. Kicking off your heels for better movement, you climb back up to your feet not wanting to engage either man. Eyes focused you look past Taehyung to the door, storming forward. “I’m leaving. We’ll forget all of this, okay.” You bargain through short, panicked breath.

Taehyungs large hand slams you into the wall, pressing his palm against your shoulder. He follows Jungkooks lead, pounding his fist into your gut. And then again. And again. His hold removes letting you free and you plummet to the ground, crying within broken huffs while cradling your battered torso.

“You’re right. That is better.” He laughs at Jungkook.

“Stop!” You beg, unable to raise your voice above a soft yelp.

“What's wrong baby? You wanted two men. Now you have them.” Taehyungs bright smile returns to his face. This time with an entirely different meaning than it had ever had until it shifts into a straight, harsh look that you have never seen from him. “Didn't you always say you wished there was some way you could repay me?”

“You said that to me too.” Jungkook joins his side, both hovering above you, trapping you between them, the wall, and the floor.

Leaning down Jungkooks hand follows you as you squirm away from him. His fingers wrapped around your throat and lift you up, keeping you against the wall. He takes advantage of you being stuck, leaning into you pressing his lips to yours as you resist as much as you can.

“Baby, you’re going to pay us back for every dollar we spent on you.” He snarls.

Taehyung turns your face to him, also forcing a kiss on you. “Don’t worry, Y/n, you’ll see that we know how to share.”

Part 2

#yandere bts #yandere jungkook #yandere taehyung #sugadaddy #cheating #bts smut #bts fanfic #bts #yandere #yandere bangtan #taekook #bts reactions #bangtan reactions #jungkook #taehyung

482 notes · View notes

ryozoro · 3 years

Text

Hades Playlist - ii.

NOW PLAYING: Vampire [Dominic Fike]

cw; nothing really, very small mentions of manipulation and murder

an: SORRY FOR THE LATE UPLOAD , THINGS GOT BEHIND SCHEDULE :(

“The curious are always in some danger. If you are curious, you might never come home.” – Jennette Winterson

She couldn’t get him off her mind; ever since she met him, all her thoughts have led back to the droopy eyes and the slick back hair that seemed a lot softer than what the gel presented it as. The whole idea of her thoughts tracing back to the eldest of the Haitani’s and her heart beats mimicking each time the octave of his voice dropped with every word he spoke to her, made yn almost forget all the rules her big brother placed when it comes to men.

Why does she yearn to be in the presence of someone who would not hesitate to take her life for a laugh amongst his gang? Why does she want to run into the back allies of each street in hopes of accidentally bumping into him? Why isn’t she able to use common sense and erase the memory of him out of her head? Why does she feel like fate has strung their paths together on purpose? Why – you know what? Maybe she latched onto Ran so fast in hopes of forgetting someone else that continued to plague her mind daily. Maybe she is becoming obsessed with idea of someone not seeing her as a kid. That has to be it, right? Ran, ‘Tani-Senpai,’ shares the same interest and even wants to talk to her later as if they have been old friends. That has to be it —

“Yn!” her brother’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Are you okay, ya idiot?” She took note that everyone at the table was staring at her, waiting for her to answer Draken’s question. “You’ve been spacing out since we got here,” Draken frowned as he plucked a piece of food from her plate, “are you sure that nothing happened on your bike ride to the shop?”

“If you were riding to the shop, I would have gladly picked you up,” Inupi chimed in with a soft smile. “I told you to treat me like I’m another older brother.”

“Hm,” yn hummed while avoiding eye contact with the blonde man, “wanted to surprise my troll of a brother and I figured you were off because its Tuesday.”

“Ah,” Inupi gently laughed as he watched her play with her food, “you remembered my schedule?”

Of course, she remembered his schedule. Yn knew almost everything about him; from the origins of his beautiful burn mark to his favorite snack in the vending machine back at the shop, yn knew and fell in love with it all. Draken always teased her about being in love with Mikey or Hakkai since she always seemed relaxed around them, but little did he know that his little sister was in love with his best friend and business partner.

“I’m honestly shocked that you kept it the way you did,” yn side-eyed him as she raised the other hand to pick at the bandages that wrapped along the underside of her jaw, “but at the same time, I’m not that shocked considering old people love to stick to their schedules. Wouldn’t want you straining your back, Oji-chan.”

Inupi laughed – God, she loved that laugh - whole heartedly to the point he began choking on his food. Of course, sitting with their friends and family, Inupi’s contagious laugh spread amongst the others and the people around them either ignored it very well or gave them silent glares in hopes they would stop; surprise, they did not. Hell, if anything, it got worse – so much worse – to the point that Mikey, Takemichi, and Chifuyu all fell out of their chairs.

“I – what did I say that was so funny?” yn pouted as she fished her phone out of her pocket, “I just called him the old man he was.”

“That’s why, brat,” draken flicked her forehead and chuckled, “we had made a few bets on what you would say when Inupi had talked to you. Surprisingly, Mitsuya guessed you would have called him a grandpa.” Draken and the others proceeded to give Mana’s big brother 200 yen as they got up off the floor and calmed down.

“So, Yn,” Takemichi looked her in the eyes with a dopey flushed face.

“Watch it ‘ Mitchy,” Kazutora playfully warned, “don’t wanna embarrass the poor girl since she just got back.”

“What is it, crybaby,” she asked hesitantly as she scanned over his face, noting signs of mischief lurking in the corners of his smile. “It better not be something stupid, or else I’m telling Hina-san about what you did last time you came over to the shop.”

“Oi, you’re so mean – just like your brother,” Takemichi pouts and fans his hands towards you, “but it’s just a simple question, neh.”

Yn enjoyed Takemichi’s presence more than someone from an outside point of view would have thought. He always served as a hero in her eyes as he saved Mikey from the dark path he began to walk and how he constantly reminded her brother on how much his deceased lover, Sano Emma, watches over him and guides him to all the good things that happens in his life. He was an amazing guy and one that she wished had set her expectations for her taste in men, but her heart yearns for those who are completely out of her grasp.

“Just ask or else I’m calling Hina-san,” yn smirked as she brought her phone screen into view for Takemichi to see that “Hina-san <3” contact was pulled up and only one press away from being dialed.

“Oh, you bully!” Takemichi sighed dramatically, “I was just going to ask how long you have been into gilfs?” Draken choked on his drink and Pah-chin was patting his back in hopes of easing the rough coughs. Everyone at the table began to cause even more ruckus with tears of laughter as yn sat there dumbfounded.

“w-what,” she scratched her head and looked around the table in hopes of someone taking note of her clear ignorance at the word that Takemichi had claimed her to be attracted to. Since no one answered, she decided to speak on her own, “what the hell is a gilf?” Much to yn’s dismay, the table went silent for a brief second before bursting out into an even louder fit of laughter. “Well?! What the hell is it?”

“Yn, love,” Smiley spoke between hiccups and giggles, “it’s the same thing as a Dilf or Milf, but for old people.” After he finally finished his sentence, he leaned against his twin and laughed even harder.

“I-,” yn stood up and threw her dirtied napkin and spoon at the man who made the joke, “I’m not attracted to gilfs you fuckin idiot.” Yn moved behind Takemichi and put him in a headlock, “what made you even think to say that ya CD sellin’ pervert.”

“Oi,” Draken said from above her, “let ‘Mitchy go or else I’m taking you back all the way to Fukurodani and asking them to volunteer you for the summer school tutoring.” Yn dropped her arms in defeat and made her way back to her seat. “And you,” Takemichi looked up at her brother with a teary-eyed smile, “go clean your hair up before your wedding. It’s in three days and anyone can tell you pick at your split ends during your down time at work.” Draken laughed as Takemichi’s expression turned into a pout and he began punching Draken’s solid abdomen.

“Oh,” Angry stood up abruptly, “yn, could I see ya outside really quick?” Despite his rough tone, everyone knew he was asking in the kindest way possible.

“Yeah, sure,” yn got up with a pout and made her way to the exit with Angry trailing her with a hand on her mid-back. She was confused as to why they went outside at such a fast pace, but she just assumed that Angry wanted peace and quiet away from the others. “So,” yn smiled at the younger twin, “what did you – why is your face angrier than usual?” She titled her head at the man but he was quick to grab her hand and guide her towards his bike.

“Hop on,” he straddled the seat and waited for her to do the same, “don’t worry, Draken texted me to take you back to me and Nahoya-nii’s shop. So… hurry up, please.” Souta stopped her right before she got on and placed a helmet on her head, “safety first because I’ll hurt you if you get hurt,” he said as he proceeded to adjust the straps enough to keep her safe and comfortable. “Get on, Princess,” he kicked up the kick stand and took off fast out the parking spot.

“So – uh,” yn spoke aloud as they arrived at a stop light, “why did nii-chan tell ya to take me to the shop… I wasn’t done eating.” She felt her stomach rumble and she pressed her cheek to Angry’s leather cladded shoulder blade and readjusted her grip on his waist as they began moving towards the backroads to get to the Kawata’s Ramen shop.

“I’ll make you a bowl when we get there,” he relaxed his upper body so yn wasn’t laying against hard muscles, “and we left because everyone kept staring at you.”

“Psh,” yn rolled her eyes, “they were staring because I am a strong, independent woman who managed to put a MAN in a headlock like a bad bi-.”

“Enough of your ‘bad bitch’ talk, I believe you, but I promise you that was not the reason.” Angry spoke through a breathy laugh, “the cook and the table in the corner was kept looking over you. Don’t you think it was weird how when they brought our orders out and Draken said your rice was missing an egg and the cook came out and apologized himself?”

Yn pondered on the question for a bit but then shook her head gently and nuzzled inbetween the center of Angrys’s back, “no, to be honest, I thought that the cook just hates when he messes up. It can’t be that deep, yanno? Oh! Maybe they mistook me as an idol?” She felts Angry’s laugh bubble from his chest to his shoulder blades; Souta’s laugh honestly made her feel like her jokes were genuinely funny to listen to.

“Hate to break it to you,” Angry brought the bike to a gentle stop as the arrived towards the ramen shop, “but you don’t present yourself as the ideal image of the idol you probably think you are.” Yn joined Souta in the small fits of laughter as she gently punched him in his side.

“Oh, shut up,” she let out a soft breath as she hopped off and carried the helmet with her as she made her way to the employee back door. “Open up, yeah? ‘M reeeeeally hungry.”

“Already ahead of you, ya dumb brat,” Angry bumped his hip gently against yn’s and unlocked the door and pushed her inside. They placed their helmets and jackets off in the staff room and made their way towards the kitchen where she sat at bar stools and Angry started up the stove to boil a few eggs and moved to chop up some green onions. “You want beef or chicken, idiot?”

“Sheesh, souta-kun, if ya wanted to marry me – just say that,” Yn teased as she propped her head onto her two hands, “your terms of endearment have been getting sweeter and sweeter by the minute~ but! I do want chicken please, been not feelin like eating cow and pigs lately.”

“Yer annoying,” angry threw a small, chopped onion at her, “in your dreams I’d marry you. Plus, I KNOW I’m not your type. You go for mechanics with burn marked boys that work with your brother -,”

“OKAY, NOT NEEDED,” Yn pressed her face to the counter, “asshole… He’s my type, but I’m not his. He’s like, Makima and I’m Denji… please tell me you understand that because it’s the best I got.”

“I understand it, and I just want to say that that is the most tragic thing I have heard from you in a while – oh, but back to the restaurant,” Angry said as he slid a small chocolate mochi from out the freezer and towards yn on a cute, small plate, “there was a customer who went into the back the second he heard that your order was wrong. I thought it was weird because what cook comes out that frightened when they get someone’s order wrong, but then your brother texted me saying that every man there had their eyes on you as if they were in charge of watching your every move. At first, Hakkai noticed some of the men sporting a ‘Bonten’ tattoo on their wrist, so we thought maybe they were after Mikey, but then Mitsuya texted us when he went to the bathroom that he heard some of the guys saying your name. Once that was said, Draken immediately told me to take you away from there… I do have a question for you though.” Angry began whipping up the ramen in the most tasteful way and side-eyeing the young ryuguji, “did you by chance get into it with a few Bonten member’s when you first got here? Is that why you’re all bandaged up?”

“Souta,” yn felt her heartbeat pick up but remained composed, “nothing happened with what ever ‘Bonten’ members… you know how weird some gangs are…”

“I trust you, brat,” Angry’s frown deepened once he noticed that the eggs were ready to be cut and the chicken was ready to be fried, “I just don’t want to lose another family member, okay? We babies have to stick together.” With that, he paid no mind to the situation, making a small mental note to tell Draken that one of the members there probably just thought yn was pretty. “Oh,” Souta looked back at yn, “one more thing.”

“Y-yeah, of course,” yn snapped her eyes to meet his gaze, nervous that he might have picked up on the fact that she lied about not coming into contact with any members when she first arrived, “what’s up stinky?”

“Just be careful,” Angry passed her a water bottle, “don’t trust anyone who isn’t in our toman family; especially not a Bonten member. He’ll take you in, manipulate you into believing you can’t live without him, and sell you off with no cares in the world. That is, if you’re lucky enough not to be killed in the middle of the street for entertainment.” Souta turned back around to finish up the ramen.

“Yeah,” yn felt a chill go down her back, “I’ll be careful… I promise.” She honestly didn’t know how to feel, after all, she just met with the man who presented her with an unrequited love, another man who made her heart yearn to lurk into the depths of the shadows, and someone whom she considered family just told her that one of those men would lead her onto a road of misfortune. Lost in her thoughts, she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She pulled on it and felt her stomach drop as she was greeted with two notifications.

Draken bacon >:D : You okay kid? We’re heading to the restaurant right now, ‘m sure nothing was wrong – just wanted ya to be safe. me and inupi there in a bit, the other boys are getting stuff together for our dinner tonight. don’t annoy angry too much <3

Tani-senpai <3: why did you leave so soon pretty girl? Didn’t mean to alarm you, but I sent your picture to quite a few of my juniors and underlings, delinquents if you will – just wanted them to know not to touch what isn’t theirs. N e Wayz, I have time now, do you want to call now?

Were the gods telling her to remember her caring brother’s rules on men or to listen to faint voice of curiosity that lingered in her young and ignorant mind?

Previous Song | Playlist | Next Song

Taglist: @richiyo @haitanigigi @chifuyusprincess

ryozoro©

#tokyo revengers haitani ran x reader #tokyo revengers haitani ran #tokyo revengers haitani #tokyorev haitani ran #tokyorev #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers #tokyorev haitani #haitani ran x f!reader #haitani ran #ran haitani #haitani ran x reader #haitani brothers

141 notes · View notes

mimithings97 · 4 years

Text

7:41pm Pt.2 (M)

FuckBuddy Tae wanting a taste of you early in the morning

Warnings: SMUTTTTTT. Tae just wants to lick you all over. Like SPIT!

A/N: Follow on from the 7:41 FuckBuddy Tae with the spitting kink. Same Y/N but can be stand alone’s if you want. Again, zero excuses as to the dirt I’m spewing. Actually black swan Taehyung is my excuse, he needs to STOP.

Taehyung’s adamant he drew the short straw last night. You called him over, all sultry and seductive with the pictures on snapchat to match, but followed through with a mere one round. Call him selfish, but his mum always taught him to be an overachiever and, fighting his way through the cold on a Tuesday evening for a one pump chump kind of booty call, left space for selfishness.

It’s why he wakes up hornier than usual. Or maybe it’s your warmth next to him and the feeling of your dip in the side of the bed. Or maybe how the sheets are cast far away from your body because you can’t stand the summer heat, so you’re in all your naked glory. Either or, his boxers are tight and he doesn’t even need to feel himself up to get to full mast.

Your smell is all over him from last night, as well. The pillow he nestles into whilst still in the thrones of sleep is too. He follows it until he meets the source. Your hair, graceful in its splay, and lit with morning sunlight from blinds left untouched. He’s no romantic, and neither of you are relationship material for one another, but you look like a home he can get lost in right now.

His idea of such intimacy, however, doesn’t come in the form of soft spoken pillowtalk or light trailing touches across your hip. He will admit his fingers do twitch at the thought, though. His lips seek you instead. An overwhelming desire to taste you and taste you again. That damn smell. And your damn nakedness.

It has him lapping at the junction of your neck which you normally crawl into because you’re ticklish like that. But you merely stir, still lulled in sleep by the ambient noises projected from the slit where you left your window open. So he takes his share. Tasting from neck to shoulder. From shoulder to ear. The occasional nip of his teeth at skin just so he can confirm to himself that you’re real, wholesome and so fucking soft.

Soft enough that he keeps his touch light when he decides his hands destination is your pussy. Maybe with a quick detour so he can pinch at your nipples. They’re hard. Been exposed to the light chill of having no covers or protection for quite some time. His mouth has to busy itself at your ear so he doesn’t succumb to the desire to suck one nipple harshly and play with the other harsher.

“Taee.” It’s a whine. An impatient one though that tells him you’re not to be roused from your slumber.

“Shhh, just let me.” But he’ll persist.

He cups where you’re bare and warm, wet also, because maybe he insisted you went to sleep stuffed full like a chistmas turkey, but he’s all the more happy, now, that he did. He gets the lubrication he needs to tickle around your clit in perfect cirles - almost a game to see when he slips up. He’ll know because you’ll whine.

The sheets crumple under him as he shuffles into your back, skin to skin, and his boxers, under the strain of where he’s stiff, find a home between your cheeks. He’s sensitive. So damn sensitive from a pent up night that he moans a lick up the side of your neck. Wet. A path of saliva he’s happy about.

“Urgh, sleeping Tae, just get yourself off without waking me up.”

He doesn’t care that there’s no romance, no intimacy in your tone. Not when he’s got a handful of your pussy and a cockful of your bare ass.

“Kiss me first.” Yet he’s selfish and in dire need of your lips. It’s the taste.

“Kiss my fucking ass, you bitch, I’m sleeping, already told you.”

But the way you rock into him a little, lay a claim on his boner by moving back and forth, has him smirking. It’s hot when you’re all denial in your words, but your body. just. can’t. help. itself.

“I’ll kiss your ass if you ask nicely. Promise.” He means it. He promises he’ll duck under covers just for a taste of your hole. His insides tighten at the thought. And he thrusts, just a little, but enough he’s biting your neck again.

He hears you laugh, and then suck in a little too much air to still find the humour of it all. Not when he slips his thumb shallow into your pussy.

“Wet little cunt.” It’s deaf on your ears, he knows, but he’s not here to sweet talk you into submission because he knows you’ll give out anyway. No, he narrates for his own purpose.

You groan out when he sinks his thumb further and he swallows his own moan down into your jaw. “Talk shit about being asleep but your cunts beggin’ to be filled.”

He’s so damn dirty. Horny and filthy. It has you being chipped away bit by bit as the sleep on you fades and his boner digs in a bit deeper.

“If only you’d keep up on your promises.” You’ve lent into the way he laps at your throat, now, and Taehyung knows he’s stolen you from where you were hiding. You’re his for the taking if he plays his cards right.

“I could, yeh. But where’s the fun in that, baby.”

He’s played the perfect hand it turns out, luring you through words and the push and pull at all of your sensitive spots so that you’re fastening a grip on his hard on and steering it in line with where you gush.

Taehyung’s very in tune to your incentive. Perhaps all too quick to jump on the train because his thumb leaves you gaping just as quick as he’s got a cockful of that same hole.

“Urgh, I hate you.”

Keep saying that, is all he thinks. It does wonders for his ego having a girl too much of a slut for him that her words can’t keep up with her body. And your body’s writhing all over him.

“Yessss. Wet. Deep. Fuckk.” He’ll make home in your pussy because it’s that damn tight. Tight enough he becomes senile every time. “Could fuck you all day, jesus.” And spouts the most shit.

“At this speed, yeh, christ Tae.” You’re having a dig, as per usual, and he’s not going to let it be one of those rare occasions where you’re allowed to run your mouth. Not when he’s this horny and wanting to have you just ‘shut the fuck up’ unless it’s his name on your breath.

So he resolves the matter. Finding pleasure in how you’re silenced when he gets a good grip on your throat, and buck back into one of his thrusts also.

The sun is high enough in it’s morning glory that he gets a good sight of the pleasure written on your face, mouth agape and struggling for air and your breast spilling from left to right as he puts your cunt through its paces.

“Fucking kiss me.” Is what he thinks out loud. And you have no choice but to oblige. But it’s no kiss, not the conventional kind anyway. It’s Taehyung with a filthy tongue that paints the outside of your mouth and occasionally catches between your lips.

He picks up his pace when you moan at how he licks from one corner of your face to the other. He just wants to be all over you. Call him an animal, but he can’t help that he’s some kind of primitive when he’s this deep in you.

“I want to cum in you.” He spells out. Desperate and wholesome. “Really deep in you, baby.”

Shit. It’s a name for you that is only dragged out of the locker if he’s really struggling to keep tabs on his sanity. You’d claimed the first time he used it, it wasn’t degrading enough, so he opted for other routes. But there’s a few times where he’s too damn lost at the sight of you sucking him in whole, or tasting you deeply that he finds himself calling out for you with zeal.

“Yeah? Please.”

Urgh, ‘please’. He’s a sucker for the silk you speak.

“Tell me how much you need it, baby.”

Your eyes are at their whites now that he’s heading home, fast and hard and without reserve.

“Fucking neeedd it Tae. All of it.”

“Shitting hell, yeah you do, slut.” And with his new found pace, a pile drive reaching up into your throat, you’re loud.

“Pleaseee.” He lodges two fingers into your mouth for the sake of how fucked out he is. It’s probably a possession kind of thing. To have him in every part of you. He unconsciously makes you choke, too.

“Fuck, tighten like that again and I’ll cum.”

You gargle.

“Open your eyes baby. Look at me, fuck,” and you do it, but barely, with the need to shut your eyes tight and just take the orgasm in it’s load, fighting at you. But you obey. He watches your eyes glisten and mouth drool as you follow the darkening of his gaze.

You scream from somewhere under his fingers as he tightens his hold so you’re flush against him.

Quick, sharp hits, deep into you and your cervix.

It has you so fucking undone, and he knows because you cry. Eyes pooling and drowning at the strain of watching him follow.

“Fucking hell, Y/N, oh my god,” he’s shocked at the power that overtakes him, “oh m- holy fucking shittt.”

He can’t help when he sticks his tongue down your throat as he cums at the same time, juttering messily both with his hips and tongue.

It’s so damn hard. A band snapping somewhere. A fire down to his toes. The fucking visual of you crying and quaking even though it’s the first thing in the morning.

In the tresses of his orgasming state he kisses you wholly.

“You’re amazing, fuck. All day. Want this all day.”

“Mmm,” he’s deaf and probably rightly so, because he doesn’t want to know whether you’ve reciprocated his drunken incentive. A lustful exploration of the boundaries of whatever the fuck you two are. But you seem unabashed, at least, still quivering, and lapping at his tongue as he does yours.

Always so damn messy.

“Cumslut.”

His head spins.

“Says the guy who can’t get his fucking fill. It’s 7 in the damn morning, Tae.” True.

“You provide your pussy, who am I to say ‘no’?” Also true.

You draw yourself away so his dick falls flaccid onto the mattress, a sad awakening to the day, especially when you look as though you’re headed straight back to sleep.

But, instead, he’s left a little wordless when you’re turned, naked again, with the sheet kicked away, and grabbing at the skin of his back so he’s drawn closer. An intimate kind of closer. He thinks maybe he should out you.

But you beat him to it.

“Hmmm, I’m amazing aren’t I? You could fuck this pussy all day yeh? All yours apparently.”

It’s his words spouted back to him, carelessly. But now he knows you noticed him drunk on your sex, he might just be blushing.

#ive lost all dignity #filthy tae #bts smut #taehyung smut #kim taehyung #bts taehyung #bts taehyung smut #7:41pm #kim taehyung smut #taehyung things

433 notes · View notes

saltyfrieswhywontandusernamework · 3 years

Text

Anna West was a normal- well average young woman. I was the First and BEST female mechanic in town. I just got back from fixing her friend Genreals car. And I noticed someone standing in front of my cousin Skys Bakery. "It smells good right,? Tastes the part too!" I says popping up behind the short person. They jumped at My sudden appearance. They seemed to take in my appearence. "Hello there! I didn't see you there." They say. I laughed this person was definetly new. "Well, that means your are new in town as there's barely a person that doesn't know of Anna West!" I say proudly. "Hello Anna, I am Deer and as you said, I am new in town!"

"Knew It!" I say clapping my hands

"If you don't mind me asking, why isn't there a person in town that doesn't know you?" Deer asks

"Not only am I the first female mechanic in town, I am also the best!" I say

"Really!?" They say amazed

"Absolutely!" I say nodding.

There was a short silence that was ened by Deer when they asked: "So why are you here at the bakery?"

I smiled before answering, "My cousin owns this place! She is the best baker in town! I love all of her honey-based pastries, which is all of them!" I say giving her the reason behind the name.

We stood in silence which was broke by the sweet voice of my cousin Sky Moone saying: "I see you brough someone with you, Anna!" Sky was a short woman with blonde hair tied into a low bun. She wore a white dress shirt and a navy blue, knee length skirt. She also wore a bee pin on the shirt, white stockings, and black shoes. She wore her wedding ring as well.

"Hello there!" She said walking over to us, "I am Sky Moone, and I am the owner of this bakery."

"Hi! I am Deer!"

"What brings you here to Bee-lightful?" Sky asked giving Deer a sweet smile.

"Oh, I was hoping to get something for Lily Rust." Deer says. Sky smiled recognizing the name. I wasn't suprised everyone knew and liked Sky, it was a small town afterall.

"Oh! I know her! She always comes on Sundays for the special!" Sky says clapping her hands and giving us a gentle smile. You want to know the Sunday special? Well you see for every day of the week there is a special for that day. Sunday- Honey Bee Cupcakes, Monday- Honey Muffins, Tuesday- Honey Bee Cookies, Wensday- Honey Donuts, Thursday- Honey Beignets, Friday- Honey Roll, Saturday- Honey Cake.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts when Deer says: "Well, can I have the special? I want to bring her something special." Deer says smiling.

"Of course! And Anna, do you want the usual?" She asks me.

"Sure thing, cuz!" I say giving her a thumbs up.

Sky gave us her usual gentle smile and walked to the back of the bakery. The two of us sat in silence. I thought about visiting my friend Dead afterwards. I was brought back to reality when I saw Sky had returned with a box of pastries. Deer smiled at her in return. "Thank you so much!" Dear said, "And how much will that be?"

"It will be 5 dollars!"

Deer handed the money over to my cousin and takes the box from SKy. They were waving goodbye when I yelled: "HEY DEER!"

They turned around and looked at me. I smiled before saying, "If you are nervous, don't be afraid to come to us. You have to remember that nothing bad happens in this town!"

They smiled once more. "Thank you!" They say before closing the door.

"Anna I'm going to go get my mail, would you like to accompany me?" Sky asks me. "Of course!" I say as we walk out the door. "We should do some clothes shopping, I've been thinking about getting a new dress." Sky says as we walked on the gravel path. When we got to the mail box, Sky picked it up and we walked back. When we got back she looked through each and every letter before stopping at one. I knew just from her face it was from her Wife, Abi Moone. Abi was a writer who was currently overseas. She opened it delicately like it was a fragile piece of glass. As she read it her smile grew and she blushed a bit. I looked over her shoulder and read the letter.

My Dearest, Sky

How are you dear? I hope the bakery isn't to much work by yourself! I myself am doing wonderful but alas, Paris would be so much lovelier if you were here beside me, The beauty of this city an not compare to your angelic looks. I've been getting so many ideas for my books! Paris is truley an amazing city. But my dear no place could be better than being with you my love. For I am waiting day and night for when I can hold you in my arms again. I will most definetly bring you a recipe for macarons.

With most Love,

Abi Moone

"Aw how cute!" I say. Sky giggled. "Well I'm going to go visit Dead!" I say. "Bye Sky!" I say walking out the door. I walked through the town seeing so many people I knew. I see Deads house and walk to the front porch and knock on the door. The door opens and I see Dead, "Anna! Its so wonderful to see you!" She says hugging me. "Its great to see you as well!" I exclaim smiling at her. She lets me in and we walk to her library. I sat on the Velvet couch and she sat in the armchair she had a notepad and a pencil. "Any new stories to share?" She askes me her eyes sparkling with intrest. "Yup!" I say popping the "p". "A few days ago I was swimming in Hellen lake when a croc came by and tried attacking me, So I wrestled him and swam off." I say proudly. "I'm not suprised you did." Dead says snorting. "Oh yeah! I also threw a dictionary at my enemy when they said "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." I then yelled "HOWS THAT FOR WORDS HURTING YOU DUMBASS!" Sky bailed me out." I shrug. Dead laughed "I mean you proved that they're sentence was incorrect!" She says laughing. "How does Sky even have the money to bail you out still?" She asks wiping a fake tear from her eye. "Skys wife is a famous writer and poet but more famous as a poet, With her most famous Poem being Angel that is my Wife." I say. "Oh! Right forgot!" Dead says rubbing the back of her head. "Its Okay Dead." I say smiling at her.

Later

Dead and I were walking to the bakery mainly because Dead and I were chaotic so Sky would be worried if we did something stupid. Since I'm a total dumbass that is really fucking hard. Sky was sweeping the shop while listening to music, She was always a good singer. "Hey cuz!", I say "Dead is gonna stay over because were writing a story!" I say. Sky gives us both a sweet smile. "Of course he can stay! Have you two eaten?" She asks. "No but it o-" Dead starts before Skys eyes widen. "Oh dear! You need food to stay strong and healthy you two! I'll cook something up right away!" She says panicked she ran to the kitchen. Her house is also her bakery and I live here to sometimes. "Shes such a innocent bean...." Dead sighs smiling. "Don't underestimate her thoough, she'd make a terrifying leader." I say. "Anyways lets go to the roof!" I say. The roof was covered by a glass dome, it was basically a relaxing place. I took out our writing tools and sat down. "Ok so what about a story where kingdoms exist and etc!" Dead says. We talked for 20 minutes when Sky yelled: "Dinner is ready you two!"

After eating Sky led us to my room and a guest bedroom. "Make yourselves at home!" She says flashing a smile. "Thank you Ms.Moone!" Dead says. "Dead I've told you before, please just call me Sky!" Sky says. "Right sorry!" Dead apolgizes. "Its ok!" Sky says. "Anyways its 10pm you should both head to bed." Sky says. "Goodnight!"I say walking to my room and laying on my soft bed before lulling slowly to sleep

@skyliecrescents @the-undead-writer-and-artist @theundertalehuman @cd-a-deer @lowkeyjustvibing

#town of suwali #town of salem #Anna West #Sky Moone #Anna is a florida woman #Bee-lightful #Sky is an angel that needs to be protected #They/Them pronouns for Deer ONLY #She/her for both Anna and Sky #Sky is a Bicon #Town of Hellen #Deer #Lily Rust #Abi Moone #Dead

9 notes · View notes

prettywordsyouleft · 5 years

Text

Through His Eyes - Part 3

Summary: Losing your sight after your accident was traumatic, and Jaebum’s guilt of knowing it should have been him instead creates an intricate bond between you both, as you overcome adversity and try to find your way in life again.

Genre: angst / romance

Characters: Im Jaebum x female reader

A/N: This story is emotional and raw compared to some of the content on my blog. It is in no way an attempt to glamourise or undervalue the lives of those who suffer from something similar. This story is purely fictional.

Through His Eyes will be posted every Tuesday at 10am NZST.

Index: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 [M] | 13 - FINAL

“Where are you going?”

Jaebum turned and smiled at his manager Yong, jiggling the car keys in his hands. “I’m going to go out.”

“Where to?”

“Do I have to break down my every step?”

Yong rubbed his face tiredly and then stared at Jaebum. “Again?”

“What?” Jaebum shrugged nonchalantly as Yong gave him a knowing look. “We made plans, and I’ve already arranged Youngjae’s track for the OST as promised. I have no planned schedule for the rest of the day. Now can I go?”

“I won’t be able to stop you from going to Y/N, will I?”

Patting the manager’s shoulder playfully, Jaebum smiled again. “Why would you want to?”

“Your obsession with her needs to stop, you know this right? Fans aren’t dumb; they’ll start to think something is going on.” Yong waved him off all the same and Jaebum promised to be careful and resumed leaving the building.

Once in his car, Jaebum drove out into the sunny afternoon, heading towards your apartment complex. After parking in one of the car spots allocated to your apartment, Jaebum placed on his cap and mask before exiting the vehicle, locking it and going inside. The elevator ride to the fifth floor was its usual juttering self, and he wondered how scary it might feel to you to ride it now.

The doors sprang open after the jolting stop and Jaebum exited the potential death trap, going down the hall and then climbing the small set of stairs to your front door. Your apartment was larger than some of the others on the floor, but it also was in the corner and raised above its neighbour. Jaebum couldn’t quite understand how the building design worked, but it maximised as much of its space as possible. Pressing the doorbell, he waited for someone to answer, smiling as he could hear your voice nearing.

“Who is it?”

“Someone handsome,” Jaebum called out teasingly. The door opened and you peered around, as if you were trying to see. He smiled at the habit and then frowned. “Well, aren’t you going to let me in?”

“I’m searching for someone handsome, but I forgot I can’t see!”

He laughed and stepped into the apartment, removing his hat and mask whilst slipping out of his shoes and into the guest slippers. “You seem to be in a good mood.”

“I don’t know, this morning I fell over.” You fumbled for your leg and then winced as you pressed on an area near your knee. You then extended your leg out to Jaebum. “See, I apparently bruised myself.”

“You’re only adding to your bumps and bruises collection daily it seems.” You shook your head as you navigated over to the sofa. Jaebum sat down beside you and gazed around the room looking for your Mum.

“She’s not here,” you mentioned as if you read his mind and Jaebum blinked rapidly, somewhat amazed at the connection you both sometimes had. It wasn’t the first time you had managed to read him and he tapped you gently, investigating you curiously.

“How do you do it?”

“Since losing my eyesight, I’ve gained magical powers,” you explained, not missing a beat in the conversation. Your personality had come a long way over the past month.

You then started to move your arms about. “They say when one sense dies off, the others pick up. I’m kind of special, you know.”

“You don’t say.” He eyed your arms, quietly avoiding them as they waved about too close to his face. “So, magical being, what are we doing today?”

Your arms dropped to your lap and you sighed. “It was you who contacted me first saying you could come visit, how was I meant to plan something?”

“You mean I just travelled here and you have no form of entertainment for me?” He laughed and then nudged you, in which you instantly nudged Jaebum back, your past flinching upon sudden contact nowhere in sight. He smiled again, enjoying the confidence that you had started to exude with lately.

“Stop evaluating me.”

“Stop reading me!”

You both laughed and then fell into a comfortable silence. Jaebum glanced around the small living area as an idea came to mind. He wondered how annoyed your Mother would be by the thought though, and sighed.

“What are you thinking?” you asked, your voice halting his thoughts.

Jaebum glanced at you and smirked. “You mean, you don’t know? What happened to being magical?”

“Har-har. Tell me?”

“When did you last go outside?”

Your expression grew nervous. “The other day. We went to my physio appointment.”

“I mean, just to get out, not for an appointment or task?”

“You know I don’t go out much.”

“So maybe we should?” Jaebum gauged your expression, hope and dread mixing as one. “We could just walk around a park?”

“You’ll get recognised,” you instantly replied, your eyes glued to the wall in front of you. Jaebum leaned forward, trying to break your stare. You blinked at his movement but didn’t falter.

“I have a hat, mask, and besides, you said no one handsome was at the door. So no one will be paying attention.”

“My Mum would never agree to this. It’s dangerous. I can’t see.”

“But I can. And I’ll be with you the whole way.” Jaebum could see your judgement changing, the hope out-winning any doubt. “And if it gets too overwhelming, we can just come straight back.”

“Mum is meeting with her friends for a few hours, so I guess it won’t be any harm to go in and out whilst she’s away.” You smiled and turned to him, making Jaebum shift back as he hadn’t realised how close he had been leaning. You also moved and stood up. Pressing down your tee, you then sighed. “I can’t believe I’m asking, but-”

“You look perfectly good to go for a walk around the park,” he assured and a light smile crossed your lips. Then you looked down. Jaebum followed your gaze to your feet and then got up. Heading to the shoe cupboard, he found some blue sneakers and came back to your side, guiding your hands to grab the right shoe. You slowly tied your laces up and then looked at him expectantly. Jaebum double knotted them for good measures and then stood back up.

“Shall we?” you asked, your voice lighter than it was before. Jaebum grabbed your hand and led you to the door.

“Wow, the air smells so crisp!” Twirling around, you grinned and stretched out your arms, experiencing all the new sensations as you walked along. Jaebum stayed near your side without holding onto you, allowing you the freedom to grow outside again. It was like watching a young bird getting ready to take flight after failing its first attempt, and he proudly walked along, soaking up as much of your energy as he could. The air did feel crisper, and not because it was heading into autumn. It was as if you were both breathing in new life together, and Jaebum smiled behind his mask as your steps grew bolder.

“There’s a tree just ahead, do you want to touch it?” he asked and you nodded excitedly, your arms already out and ready to collide with it. Jaebum gave you verbal directions, not wanting to hinder your temporary independence, and soon you were feeling the textures of the bark on the tall tree.

“Jaebum, this is so much fun!” He merely smiled and then your face lost all its colour. He tilted his head to the side at your sudden change in demeanour. “You’re still there, right? Jaebum!”

“I’m here.”

“You didn’t answer,” you mentioned with a grumble, pushing away from the tree and spinning around to find him. Jaebum quickly shifted into your path and you reached for his shirt, gripping it and then smelling tentatively. Relaxing when you realised it was him, you then hit him and Jaebum yelped at the sudden attack. “Too much freedom!”

“Alright, so that was wrong of me. But you were doing so well.”

“I’m still blind, you can’t expect me to understand and hear and smell everything in a foreign atmosphere.”

Jaebum nodded softly, placing his arm over your shoulders to pull you closer. You stiffened as he chuckled. “Is this good then?”

“Oh my god, what if someone recognises you? Get off!”

“You just said-”

“Your skinship is out of control for a new friend, Im Jaebum. Are you like this with all the girls you know?”

Jaebum chuckled and then grabbed your lower arm gently. You accepted this readily, your own hand slipping to grab onto the hem of his shirt again. “I don’t normally have girls rely on me so much.”

“No, because they’re not blind like me.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Jaebum groaned and you sighed. You both started to walk again in silence and Jaebum wondered what to say to excuse his poor wording yet again.

You beat him to it though, your head turning away from his direction as you spoke. “I like it, you know. Not because I’m a fan or anything. But your constant touch, it calms me.”

“It does?”

You nodded. For some reason, Jaebums’s heart started to beat irregularly at your statement and he too had to look away to calm down.

“That’s why I panicked. I couldn’t smell you or feel your touch. Don’t do it again okay? If you take me out somewhere, stick to my side so I don’t feel alone in this world.”

“You won’t ever be alone,” he told you firmly, your lips curling up into a shy smile.

“You promise?”

“Of course.”

He then nudged you and you returned the playful gesture, soon feeling confident again to walk without holding onto him. As Jaebum stared at you, he thought over his words to you just now. His promise was one thing he would always keep. It was his fault you couldn’t see the world anymore. However, letting you feel it as normally as you could was just as important to him as making music was.

_________________

[Part 4]

[GOT7 Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

192 notes · View notes

nevereacheaven · 5 years

Text

a fic for @bastardyuu for the trc exchange, they wanted some blue and noah friendship

ao3

The first time that Blue Sargent meant Noah Czerny was, in the simplest terms, a disaster. Of course there was nothing about the resulting friendship that echoed such a horrible meeting, but both still recalled it from time to time.

It started on Blue’s most troublesome day, large dog Tuesday. A surprisingly small collection of massive dogs that she had to walk twice as far to tire out.

The biggest problem this caused, of course, was that she had to walk near the houses that were usually only grand enough to be owned by Aglionby boys.

She avoided the worst areas, of course. The houses that could fit Fox Way five times over. The ones with three garages, each one full. The ones that made her stomach turn over just to walk by.

The dogs didn’t care. They just needed to be tired out before Blue returned them to their owners. And they loved to do their business all over the elegant green Aglionby lawns.

Those were only the precursors for her run in with Noah Czerny.

It was less of a run in and more of a run over, though.

Lacy, an absolutely massive Great Dane, has been pulling the entire group that day. Usually Blue could keep them all in check, but she’d been up late helping her mother and truly didn’t have the energy to tame them.

Unfortunately, the path the dogs were rapidly overtaking was also the path that Noah was trying to cross. Noah, with a stack of five boxes balanced precariously in his arms.

Blue didn’t have time to react before Lacy barreled into him, knocking each box to the ground and almost ripping all of the leashes from Blues grasp.

Blue said a word her mother had taught her never to say, and Noah, on the ground, echoed it. “I’m so sorry!” Blue gasped, completely throwing her Aglionby boy rules out the window.

She pulled the leashes all in tighter, forcing the dogs to pull away from him. Lacy sat by Blue’s feet, seemingly done with her moment of rebellion.

“Lots of force there,” Noah said, dazed. He managed to stand, fixing Blue with a lopsided smile. “Too excited?” He asked Lacy, petting her softly.

“Are you okay?” Blue asked, trying to discreetly keep the dogs from swarming him. It wasn’t working. She watched in horror as one of the mastiff’s nose moved closer and closer to his butt.

“Oh, I’m alright. The boxes, though, not sure.” He started as the mastiff finally made contact. “Hey, you,” he said affectionately.

Blue was a mix between curious and mortified. “Stop it,” she scolded the dog, mostly begging. She stepped around Lacy, who was trying to hide in her leg, and bent down for a box.

“Oh no, don’t worry about it.” He said hurriedly.

“I just ran you down with a pack of dogs,” Blue said bluntly.

He shrugged. “They’re cool dogs.” He stuck his hand out over them. “I’m Noah.”

“Blue,” she said, shaking his hand the best she could. “Are you moving in?”

Noah smiled that smile again, this time matching it with an equally lopsided shrug. “Sure.”

Blue managed to pick up one of the boxes finally, carefully depositing it in Noah’s arms. “Sorry about that,” she said again.

“Bring the dogs by again and I’ll forget all about it,” Noah said with a wink.

Blue had no idea how to respond, but she felt her mouth tug into a grin regardless. “Good luck moving in.” She said, and coaxed the dogs around Noah to continue.

A few of them tried to linger, sniffing at him as he picked up his boxes. He gently turned them away, smiling at Blue one more time before resuming his path up to the house.

Blue didn’t see Noah again for a week, which made sense. She passed by his house with her other dogs twice, but it hardly seemed like anyone was home.

Come Tuesday, though, Noah was sitting on the porch, apparently waiting for her.

“Hey Blue!” He called as she passed.

Blue stopped, reigning in the dogs before Noah reached her. She wasn’t a hundred percent sure why she’d stopped, but Noah’s easy smile and affectionate greeting to each dog didn’t make it a bad choice.

“How is moving in going?” She asked because it seemed like a good way to make conversation.

“It’s going well,” he said, scratching Lacy’s face like he’d already forgotten the trouble she’d caused him. “It’s pretty fun living out of boxes.”

Blue wanted to ask why he didn’t just unpack them, but he didn’t seem like the type of boy to immediately finish a job. Not like she was one to judge. “Cool,” she said instead.

“You could say that,” Noah dropped to the ground to get closer to the dogs. “How are these beauties?”

Blue scratched one of the dogs as she answered, pleased at how his tail wagged furiously. “They’re doing well. I only take them out once a week,” she shrugged.

“What do you do the rest of the week?” Noah asked, peering up at her from his somewhat permanent residence on the sidewalk.

“Well, I work at Nino’s most nights, and then on Wednesday and Thursday I walk the other dogs. I also help my mom out sometimes.”

“Oh, you have other dogs? What does your mom do?” Noah asked excitedly.

“Yeah I do have a whole small and medium group. And my mom is a psychic,” Blue said bluntly.

Noah jumped up, startling two dogs in the process. “More dogs! A psychic! That’s awesome!” He started to reach for Blue then stopped. “Can you read my future?”

Blue blinked at him. “I don’t have any sort of cards with me,” Blue faltered.

“That’s fine, do the other dogs come by, too?” Noah’s eyes were wide and joyous.

“Yeah, sure,” Blue said. She didn’t know what it was, but she was really warming up to Noah. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Until tomorrow,” Noah said with a mock salute. He gave each dog a pat goodbye before letting Blue go.

“Don’t get jealous,” Blue told the dogs. “He’s not going to like the other ones as much as you.”

Noah, as it turned out, didn’t have size preferences when it came to dogs.

“Oh my god!” He said, already running down his driveway to catch up with Blue. “They’re amazing!”

Blue grinned, watching as the much smaller dogs swarmed him. “Glad to see they liked you back.”

“Blue, I think I officially owe you my life now,” Noah said, laughing as the dogs jumped up on his legs.

He reached over, smoothing down a chunk of her hair that was escaping its clips. Blue let him, mildly pleased.

“I’m sure it’s exciting,” she commented, vaguely gestering to the hugeass house behind them.

“It is, but not as exciting as your dress,” Noah said, his hand grazing some of the tulle.

Blue had made this one by meticulously shredding and braiding an old sundress, adding in tulle until the skirt seemed to float around her like a stubborn cloud.

“Thanks,” she said. She reached into one of the pockets she’d hidden in the skirt, lifting her spoils to show Noah. “Did you want to try this?”

“Holy mother are those actual tarot cards?”

Blue didn’t bother explaining to him the intricacies of what made a deck ‘real’. “Yep. Did you want to try it?”

“Uh, fuck yeah,” Noah said, already teaching for them.

“Wait,” Blue said, moving the cards out of reach. “You need some intention.”

“What?”

“Ask it a question,” she offered.

Noah’s face scrunched up in concentration for a moment. “Got one.”

Blue carefully shuffled the cards for him, mourning the loss of a flat surface she could spread them out on. She did the best she could between her two hands. “Go ahead.”

Noah’s nimble fingers touched each card, separating them so he could reach one that was stuck under another. “This one,” he announced, brandishing it at Blue.

Blue collapsed the deck and took Noah’s card. “Ace of cups. What did you ask it?”

“Doesn’t that sort of ruin it?” Noah asked.

Blue, who was knowledgeable but not psychic, frowned. “Well, this is sort of a love card,” she started, because that was usually what people were looking for.

Noah perked up. “Oh?” He said, like he didn’t care when he did care very much.

“Yeah,” Blue said, now gaining traction. “It’s about finding new love.”

“Fuck yes,” Noah exhaled, looking at Blue. For one terrifying moment Blue thought he was going to confess his love. There was no way she could escape with all the dogs in time. “There’s this guy in my Latin class and he’s probably like, the hottest person in the world.”

Blue’s panic vanished. “Oh?” She said like Noah had.

“The hottest,” he repeated for emphasis. He took off down the sidewalk, obviously expecting Blue to follow.

Blue gathered the dogs up and followed him. He was already rambling.

“His name is Ronan, which is already a good sign. And he has the bluest eyes, and he’s such a dick but I know,” he looked at Blue. “I know he’s got a soft side. He just hates the teachers which, I mean, stick it to the man.” Noah sighed.

“Sounds like a real catch,” Blue commented, maneuvering the dogs so they didn’t go under Noah.

“Yeah, I think I’m going to try talking to him soon.”

“You haven’t yet?”

“No! I told you he’s scary. Scary hot.”

Blue didn’t understand raven boys.

“Cool,” she said. “I hope that works out.”

Noah sighed. “I hope so too.” He bent down to pet one of the yorkies. “These guys gotta get home I’m guessing.”

Blue nodded. “Yeah, I’ve already sort of exceeded their usual walk limit.”

Noah hugged Blue with one arm. “Thanks for bringing them.”

Blue, who was quickly realizing that Noah was a physical person, returned the hug. “Good luck with Ronan,” she said.

“Thanks, Blue.” Noah pet the dogs goodbye. He took off towards his house while Blue circled the block to bring the dogs home. She’d see Noah again soon enough.

The next time that Blue went to Noah’s house she went without the dogs.

Blue went right up onto the porch in her too heavy shoes that sounded like they were about to break through the wood. She knocked three times once she reached the door.

A blonde girl, Noah’s sister probably.

“I’m here to see Noah,” Blue told her.

“Noah!” she yelled back into the house. She looked back at Blue. “He’ll be right out.”

Blue nodded, rocking back and forth on her boots.

Noah emerged with a plate of cookies and a smile. He let his sister close his door behind him and spread his arms wide. “Blue last name pending you will not believe it.”

“It’s Sargent,” she said.

“Czerny.”

“Oh, is the Russian?” she asked.

“Austrian actually. I think.”

“Cool, cool. So what was the news?”

Noah sunk down onto his porch steps, letting Blue sit next to him. “Ronan asked me out.”

“Noah! That’s great.”

Noah nodded. “Yeah, I know. We’re going out with his friends sometime. You should come, you’re my friend.”

Blue smiled and took Noah’s hand, because he really was her friend. They sat on the porch and talked about everything. Later Noah would visit her house and meet her whole convoluted family. Eventually Blue would meet all his raven boys. But for now it was just Noah and Blue. And that was all they needed.

#trc exhange #trc #raven boys

4 notes · View notes

babyyeom · 6 years

Text

Love like that: a short Taehyung fluff

Hey, I wrote this fluff from the hours of 12am - 3am while listening to lofi because I was thinking about Taehyung way too much.

In which you spend the months of June, July, and August waiting for your college boyfriend to come home from art classes waiting on the couch in whatever lingerie is clean, watching whatever anime happens to be on TV.

The summer was long, and it’s presence was almost a bother, or it would’ve been if you hadn’t been anticipating it all year. You had counted down the days until school would finally reach its dreaded end. You missed the winter months, you couldn’t lie, sweaters and leggings and boots, and the pretty snow especially that would coat the town like sugar on zeppolis. It was a lot to miss, especially since you were a winter baby, but none of that mattered when summer finally hit with it’s sticky heat waves and skimpy clothing. Because summer time meant you could finally see Taehyung again and kiss him as much as you wanted to, you two could hold hands again and walk around aimlessly on the boardwalk at the beach listening to the ice cream truck drive past.

It was June 15th, school was finished and so were all your major tests so you didn’t bother showing up, you had maintained perfect attendance all year except for those few brutal snow days but summer was here now, so nothing else mattered. It was the scent of sunscreen from now on, the sticky feeling of melting push pops, the taste of the ocean and the idea of Taehyung that were keeping you alive. He said you two could meet up at his dorm whenever you were free, so you ended up surprising him each day out of habit - which eventually weren’t surprises anymore, just mandatory visits almost. You had to see him. Jimin had lent you the key so you figured why not just move in for the summer with the two. But,of course your parents objected because Taehyung’s dorm was a good hour bus ride away from your house, which meant two hours away from your summer job at buildabear.

You’d wanted to work at buildabear since you went there for the first time as a little kid. Everybody wanted a buildabear growing up, and you were no exception, the process the was still very vivid in your mind and it just brought back wonderful memories. People always told you to do something you love when it came to picking jobs so you ended up at build a bear, stuffing soft teddy bear skins and filling them up with love. Taehyung would always tease you about how that was probably the purest job anyone could get besides reading to children or something of the sort. He loved kids, but you didn’t really, it was more the stuffed animals you loved.

Hour long bus ride or not, it didn’t stop you from making the daily commute to see possibly the prettiest man in the world. Taehyung loved art, and he had gushed about almost a million times that was also one of the reasons why he loved you. It was cheesy, and you usually let it fly over your head, but eventually it just kinda stuck. He’d softly mumble things while you two were always making out on the couch in the dorm. “My masterpiece” was a common nickname he grew to calling you, which only made you embarrassed to a little point, but it never halted the kissing. Your typical summer dates usually included the beach, random art museums Taehyung stumbled upon, the park, and sometimes the pet shop but only because he worked there and you loved dogs. You two would wash up the pups and he’d always call you his “little intern,” but you’d just scrunch your nose at him and shake your head.

Taehyung took up the job at the pet shop for the same reason you decided to work at buildabear, he loved dogs. Whenever you two would wander around the park going on walks, if a dog ever crossed paths he’d turn into a little kid almost immediately, his eyes lighting up wanting to pet it and make friends. He loved dogs so much in fact, that you weren’t even surprised the first time he invited you over to your dorm and Soonshim practically attacked you with her excitement and kisses. The tail wagging and barking was intense, but it was a welcoming gesture, and you grew to love Soonshim, sometimes even teasing Tae that she showed more affection than him, which you all knew to be untrue.

It was like magic almost, waiting to hear the sound of the keys in the door again everyday, turning to make eye contact as if you weren’t expecting him, as if you weren’t waiting for him, as if your heart wasn’t about to jump out of your chest right at that moment. Him setting his messenger bag down wherever, you usually keeping your eyes on him just to see what he had on. There was no need for mood checks with him, he was always happy in the summer after art classes, always. His whole aura was warm, and despite it being summer and you needing something cool, you still looked forward to his touches. Sometimes a beret would adore his head, other times it would just be his messy and somewhat curly hair that you loved tugging from time to time, just to have something to hold onto, and he loved it too.

He strolled over onto the couch and pulled you into his lap, you wrapping your arms around his neck, and kissing him on his forehead almost whispering,

“How was class?”

“Amazing,” he kissed your chin and smiled, almost radiating content. Tease. “And how was your day?”

“Good, better now that you’re here.” You could smell the sunshine on him, but you also noticed the acrylic paints he managed to get on his hands. Messy boy. You kissed his nose, he kissed your cheek, you kissed the corner of his mouth, he kissed both your eyelids and you both did this all very softly. It was a bunch of quiet I missed you’s but, the real objective of the game was to see who could last the longest.

Usually it ended with Taehyung managing to make it to your lips, still smiley about his amazing day. You two would sit there for a while, just kissing, slowly, getting lost in eachother. Tae furrowing his eyebrows just a little to show how concentrated he was on kissing you. You’d usually have on a white lacy set but it wasn’t anything close to a thong or bikini top duo. It was more of a lacy bralette, paired with matching boy shorts. They’d always be white because it was cooler colors to calm the hot summertime, and it looked better against your sun kissed skin. Six times out of ten he’d manage to cup one of your boobs and slip you out of whatever bralette you had on that day, and he’d just continue kissing down your body, sweetly, desperate to know what pretty noise you’d make next.

Two times out of ten Jimin would walk into the dorm on you two, but he wouldn’t say anything except maybe an “I’m h-” which never got finished once he realized you two were busy. But it was okay, because Tae had walked in on him and Rosie way too many times before for it to matter. Jimin and Rosie had been together longer than you and Taehyung had been, sometimes it made you a little jealous because despite the longer timer stamp the puppy love was still there and prominent. Maybe it was just the college setting that kept them fresh.

Usually on Thursdays, Taehyung would bring home the canvas he had been working on all week, sometimes it was scenery, and it usually was because he loved nature. It was alway so satisfying, to see his hands somewhat tattooed with paint, the little color stains on his shirt. You would photograph things and he would paint them and you would gush about how talented he was, making his cheeks warm so you could kiss them all over again. He loved being praised, but mostly from you, your compliments were sweet and filling. Your most common subject of art, was probably Taehyung. You were always taking pictures of him, while he was sleeping, his back profile, when he was drunk. Whenever, wherever, Taehyung was your muse. You asked him to paint himself one week but he merely shook his head.

“How could I paint myself in the way that you picture me? I see myself.. Differently..” you nodded, he was right, if you two were to paint him two different things would come out, and it was the same for if you two painted yourself. How one sees themself is not how others see them. It could never be accurate.

Once on a Tuesday, Taehyung asked you why you always waited around in your lingerie in the dorm for him when he got home from classes.

“Don’t tell me you’re on the edge of being a nudist or something, is Jimin rubbing off on you?” he teased, it was just to get a reaction of you, you knew this, because he was smiling down at you playing with your hair while your head was in his lap.

You merely shook your head.

“You guys have no AC in the dorm, I don’t wanna be a sweaty mess when you come home Tae..” if you pouted, it was subconscious.

“Ah.. I see.. So it’s okay to turn me into a sweaty mess when I come home then?” He raises his eyebrows a little, but you can tell he’s trying to refrain from blushing at what he just blurted out.

You sit up a little and look at him, obsering his face, all his charming features that you’ve grown to adore.

“But, aren’t you already hot and bothered from being outside in ninety degree weather?” You laughed at yourself for this.

“Do I really turn you into a mess that easily? ..Are you drunk?” You questioned, noting the blush creeping up onto his soft cheeks.

He shook his head, then smiled, almost childlike, and leaned in a little.

“We might’ve gone day drinking, why?” He was still playing with your hair, he always got so happy whenever you let him do that, you hadn’t stopped him ever except that one time when you just weren’t having a good hair day.

“…You’re blushing.” you smiled at this, even if he was older than you, he always looked so cute and innocent blushing. It really just made your heart warm and you wanted to squish his face and call him precious over and over again. You kissed his cheeks and cupped his face.

He kissed you, then pulled away, still smiling, still radiant.

“How do I taste?” Your hands fell from his face and you had to remind yourself to refrain from saying lovely. He wasn’t talking about himself, but more so the drink he had. You two always did this, and Taehyung usually loved strawberry drinks, so you took a wild guess and placed a finger on his lips so he wouldn’t try to kiss you again. He let out a noise and the closest thing you could pin it to was a puppy whine.

“Hmm, strawberry?” He giggled and shook his head no. You were wrong?

He leaned in this time and kissed you longer, and held you closer. You tilted your head back into the kiss and when he finally pulled away you almost let out a whine but remembered your initial mission without a few seconds. It was hard to think past his lips and focus on a particular flavor, he just tasted sweet.

“Ah.. mmm… watermelon?” You were hopeful when you said it, and he nodded, his eyes glittery, his smile prominent, and you two kept kissing, even if you already knew what flavor drink he had.

#bts #taehyung #fluff #bts fluff #김태형 #태형 #kim taehyung #방탄소년단 #kpop #soft #taehyung fluff

5 notes · View notes

followtheruels-blog · 6 years

Text

Have you ever traveled somewhere because of a single photo you stumbled upon on social media?

No? Well, that is sort of how we ended up in Cinque Terre (pronounced chink-wa tear-a).

Actually, I have seen lots of photos of Cinque Terre over the years (specifically that ^ photo of Manarola). I have a puzzle of almost the exact same photo as the one above. It’s also the same image that’s on the cover of a Visio TV box. So, you see, I was aware of Cinque Terre, I just had no idea where it was and what it was called.

Until a fated Instagram post, which used the same image as the others, actually called the place by name! I learned it was in northern Italy and – what do you know – we were going to be in Italy later that Summer!

We worked a few extra days into our Italy itinerary just so we could make a special trip up to Cinque Terre and I am so glad we did. It was one of the highlights of our trip and very different than our other adventures in Florence and Rome. So now I am here to try to convince you to add Cinque Terre to your next Italian vacation, even if it’s just for 48 hours.

Where is it and How do I Get There?

Cinque Terre isn’t just one place, it’s actually five villages (cinque = five, terre = lands) all nestled right on the coast Ligurian Sea. Each little village is made up of pastel homes that look like they were all built on top of one another, cramming in to get a view of the ocean. But each one has its own distinct personality.

Monterosso is the beach town that is very laid back and tourist friendly. Vernazza is quaint but is easy to get around and has lots of great shops. Corniglia is nesteled up in the hill and filled with lots of narrow paths that can lead anywhere. Manarola is the picturesque village that is the face of Cinque Terre. And Riomaggiore is the small villages that looks like it was carved into the cliffs and great for any adventure seekers.

Getting to Cinque Terre isn’t all that tricky, but it may take some time. Italy has a great train system that can take you just about anywhere. Fly into Rome, Milan, Genoa, Florence…wherever, then hop on a train to Monterosso, which is the largest of the five villages. It took us about 4 -5 hours to get to Monterosso from Rome and about 2 hours to get to Florence. You can even work in a day trip from Florence, Genoa, Lucca, or Pisa.

What Should I Do While I’m There?

Cinque Terre isn’t your usual Italian vacation stop. While there is history (probably), the villages aren’t filled with museums or other historical monuments so your days won’t be filled with sightseeing. The villages are all built right to the ocean, but only one of the five villages has a decent beach, Monterosso. So if you are looking for a typical relaxing beach vacation you will want to stay in Monterosso.

However, this place would be great for anyone who loves to be outdoors! There are hiking trails that take you between each village and beyond. You can rent kayaks or boats and head out into the sea. You can even do a little bit of cliff jumping!

Even for those who aren’t really into laying on the beach or doing lots of hiking, Cinque Terre is just a wonderful place to explore. You can easily travel between the villages by train and then walk around and explore what each town has to offer.

Alternately, you can take a ferry between each of the villages to get a different view.

And if you happen to be there on a Tuesday, head to Vernazza and take a stroll through the market to pick up some fresh fruit, flowers, or any other souvenirs.

If you are only going for a few days, I would recommend maybe spending a few hours at the beach, then hop on the train and head to a new village for lunch or dinner. Maybe take a day to hike a trail or two, or just walk around the villages and do a little bit of shopping.

Honestly, 2 days was the perfect amount of time for us because we didn’t do any beaching or hiking, but we really got to know each of the villages from just walking around and spending time in each one.

What to Should I Eat While I am There?

Food is a bit part of any of my trips (surprise, surprise), so I do a lot of research on food and restaurants before traveling anywhere. Cinque Terre was a bit of a hard nut to crack because it’s not really known as a culinary town. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of restaurants, but they all cater to tourists and serve mainly stereotypical Italian food.

However, if you are a seafood fan, you will love this part of the country! This area is known for their fishing and seafood. In fact, the anchovies that come from Cinque Terre are some of the best in the world. Here, they serve them fresh (not from a can) and prepare them in lots of different ways. Even as a non-seafood lover, I can say they weren’t bad!

Another seafood specialty that is all over the villages is essentially a fish and chips cone. You can purchase a big paper cone filled with freshly fried french fries and topped with your favorite fried seafood. It can be fish, shrimp, oysters, anchovies, or calamari. Be prepared to wait in line, however, because these places are very popular.

Did you know that focaccia bread originated in this area? I certainly didn’t. But I quickly learned after passing one focacciaria after another that they love their focaccia here! And for good reason…it’s amazing! They treat their focaccia almost as a base for something similar to a pizza. You can find it topped with just about anything. Oh, and you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I highly recommend stopping and grabbing a slice whenever the mood strikes.

Another food item that originated in the area is pesto and you won’t be able to escape it. They serve pesto on everything, but they do it very well. You can even find little shops that sell jars of various pesto flavors in case basil just doesn’t cut it for you.

Have I Convinced You Yet?

Cinque Terre should definitely be added as a stop on your next Italian vacation. You don’t need to spend a lot of time there to get the full experience from the area. It would be a wonderful way to break up a busy sightseeing trip through Florence, Venice, Genoa, or Rome.

I will add that Cinque Terre may not be for everyone. If you have a hard time getting around by foot, this may not be the place for you. The streets can be steep and narrow and the roads are mostly cobblestone. Even for Billy and me, the walking just around some of the villages was a bit exhausting.

It also may not be a great place to bring young children unless you plan to be on the beach all day. There didn’t seem to be lots of activities that the kids would enjoy and after rolling three suitcases through the streets, I couldn’t imagine pushing a stroller.

But for the rest of you…put it on your list of places to go! Even if it’s just to get a photo like the one on the Visio box.

48 Hours in Cinque Terre Have you ever traveled somewhere because of a single photo you stumbled upon on social media?

#Cinque Terre #Europe #guide #Italy #itinerary #travel

2 notes · View notes

theonyxpath · 6 years

Link

Above is a piece of art by Michael Gaydos from Beckett’s Jyhad Diary, which is going live on DTRPG Wednesday so you can get the PDF and/or the physical copy, PoD versions if you didn’t back the Kickstarter. For backers, you’ve already received the backer PDF, and we’ll be sending out a link to DTRPG to get the PoD at a reduced cost if you want to. Your Deluxe version is going to press, and will come to you once we get it all printed up!

Matthew Dawkins, one of the book’s writers and devs, posted this “making of” blog about Beckett’s Jyhad Diary last week: http://theonyxpath.com/writing-and-developing-an-epic-sourcebook-v20-becketts-jyhad-diary/

This week is a bit of a short one, and next week I may or may not be able to get this posted on Monday, but expect it Tuesday for sure. Unless weather issues strand me in Milwaukee, and then all bets are off!

Of course, if you are some of the folks who usually read this on Tuesday, then expect it later in the day. Probably.

The reason for our schedule shifting is, as long-time readers know, our annual trip to the MidWinter Convention in Milwaukee. This year is even more special than previous years, because most of our in-house Onyx Path folks are going to be there this year, as well as a whole bunch of our freelance creators, and then our Onyx crew are staying an extra day to have our yearly summit.

So, there will be the usual yearly wacky posts from Maders German Restaurant, and probably from the Safe House, where Mirthful Mike will have a Spy’s Demise cocktail after 17 years (he says). I expect a lot of nostalgia waves from the Mirthful One, as Milwaukee was where White Wolf first attended Gen Con back in the dim mists of time. I expect he and I will pour one for Stewart Wieck at Major Goolsby’s, the first food place WW could afford to eat at (besides fast food) at the con.

At the con, we’ll have our booth in the exhibitor’s hall, and the Wrecking Crew will be running games throughout in the Oak Room. We also have our own table in the Oak Room, and we’ll have various Onyx folks demoing games there as well. Plus, there are our events, including the intimate Onyx Path Q&A in the Founders Room, which is like an Ask Me Anything but face-to-face. With drinks. I think that is sold out as it is a limited seating event, but we also have our Top Secret Announcement panel on Friday at 12 noon which is regular seating, I think, that will be a fun thing in itself, and a chance to ask us general questions, too!

Trinity Continuum art by Marco Mazzoni

And then there is the Summit.

Now this is not a new thing, but I found that doing it as we have been, after dinner one night at GenCon every year, was really not conducive to bringing forth sparkling fresh ideas. We were tired and full of dinner (and drinks), and often trying to squeeze the Summit in between other engagements. Not really the uber-focused strategy sessions we were looking for. But GenCon was the one time we were all already together, so it made sense. Of a kind.

This year, though, after looking at the possibilities, it just made more sense to switch our full attendance con to MidWinter and for everyone to stay over an extra day so we could really devote some intense time to our review and planning. The hotel prices and the con prices, and cooperation of the great folks from MidWinter (Hi, Anne and Bill!), really made this Summit something we could do at MidWinter this year.

Because, while we have learned to work quite well with email and texts and Skype, I think we sort of need to recharge our human communications batteries at least once a year in order to provide a physical memory or impression of folks so that we can draw on that connection when the emails fly back and forth fast and furious.

Vinsen’s Tomb art by Pat Loboyko

Ben Monk, the lead finance guy at WW for just years, used to love to quote that human communication was 87% body language. I think we could swing that percentage around a bit, but if it’s even a little bit so, then you’d think that only communicating with text would only impart so much info, and voice-only communication would be a bit better, and video-conferencing would be a bit better still. But not the full 87%, or whatever it is.

By getting together, we are reminded of all the other times we have been together over a lot of years. For good or ill, they are still shared experiences, and then those impressions of that person color and inform subsequent messages. Like have you ever read an email and could just hear the other person’s voice as you read it? That sort of thing.

So, we’ll be sitting around a conference room, and we’ve got some presentations prepared to share. We’re going to try to keep the grousing and gossiping about our industry down, but, we’ll see. Financial info, a look at the past year of releases, a little team building exercise using the dreaded Quadrants, how we can better prepare and actually train our developers, and then, as I like us to do as a group every year, we’ll discuss and decide on our release strategies for 2018 and into ’19.

Because at the end of the day, our joy is to put plans in place so we can create all these amazing games for all of you, and live up to our motto:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER:

The Trinity Continuum Kickstarter will go live in a few weeks in January! Trinity Continuum: Aeon, is our reboot of the classic Trinity (Aeon) game, and Trinity Continuum: Core is the core book that all of our Trinity Continuum game lines will spin off from. Both books will be a part of this Kickstarter. James Bell, our Kickstarter Manager, has got some fun ideas in store for how to run this KS, so we hope you’ll check it out!

As we try and find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is both rolling and rocking! It just has had its biggest update yet! There’s been tweaks to all elements of the UI, you can now preview every die type in the store, and you can use multiple die types per roll! Here are the links for the Apple and Android versions:

http://theappstore.site/app/1296692067/onyx-dice

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onyxpathpublishing.onyxdice&hl=en

Three different screenshots, above.

(The Solar Anima special Dice)

ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook stores on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble). Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Endless Ages Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage II (Kindle, Nook)

Mage: The Ascension: Truth Beyond Paradox (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Mummy: The Curse: Curse of the Blue Nile (Kindle, Nook)

Beast: The Primordial: The Primordial Feast Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

And here are six more fiction books:

Vampire: The Masquerade: Of Predators and Prey: The Hunters Hunted II Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: The Poison Tree (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Requiem: The Strix Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Forsaken: The Idigam Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Mage: The Awakening: The Fallen World Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Andand six more more:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)

Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)

Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)

And even more books are now on Amazon and the Nook store!:

Scarred Lands: Death in the Walled Warren (Kindle, Nook)

V20 Dark Ages: Cainite Conspiracies (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Strangeness in the Proportion (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Requiem: Silent Knife (Kindle, Nook)

Mummy: The Curse: Dawn of Heresies (Kindle, Nook)

OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the Screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there!

https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://theonyxpath.com/press-release-onyx-path-limited-editions-now-available-through-indie-press-revolution/

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages! And Screens…so many Screens!

And you can now order Pugmire: the book, the screen, and the dice! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=296

DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

This Wednesday, one of the most legendary of Kindred will share his personal journal with you! V20 Beckett’s Jyhad Diary goes on sale in PDF and PoD versions on DTRPG.com!

It’s ever been a loaded word among vampires. Jyhad is in force everywhere from lofty, perfumed Elysium to cloying, smoke-filled blood feasts. Jyhad’s the eternal game played by elders, Methuselahs, and worse — it’s the agenda of beings so utterly beyond humanity, one such as yourself could scarcely understand its movements.

Luckily for you, you’ve picked up a copy of my diary. With my help you may just take a step on the first rung of understanding. Information worth having is information you must earn through blood, and oh, how I’ve bled for what’s contained within these pages.

— Beckett

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary serves as the definitive book of setting and plot for Vampire: The Masquerade, containing 30 chapters spanning different geographical regions, encountering vampires of every clan, profiling obscure and profound segments of the mythology, and providing countless story hooks on every page.

Masterfully written by the likes of Neall Raemonn Price, Joshua Alan Doetsch, Myranda Sarro, Steffie de Vaan, Malcolm Sheppard, Alan Alexander, Renee Knipe, and Matthew Dawkins, Beckett’s Jyhad Diary is as fascinating to read as to use for your game Chronicles.

With a howl of RAGE, the W20 Changing Ways Advance PDF charges at you this Wednesday on DTRPG.com!

Changing Ways is an in-depth look at what it means to be a werewolf, both on a personal level and as part of a pack. It digs deep into what it feels like to have bones re-knit after breaking, the range of senses available across all forms, and the sudden heady rush of the Gifts and Rites bestowed by spirits. It also provides a look at what life is like for lupus and metis werewolves, characters who have had experiences alien to any person. It shows the many ways that werewolves organize in packs, and how those packs are designed as groups of warriors, rather than aligned to the behavior of wolves.

Changing Ways contains:

• A detailed look at what it means to grow up as a lupus or metis werewolf, and how that colors a character’s perspective.

• More information on what it feels like to be a werewolf, a creature that changes in both body and mind.

• Frameworks and organizations for packs, along with new tactics and systems for forging the pack as part of play.

Arriving at DTRPG.com this Wednesday, and soon to your tables: The M20 Mage Cookbook!

Food is Life

We are what we eat. As mages throughout history have realized, the foods that sustain our bodies sustain enlightenment as well. Such foods become extensions of the people and cultures that create them. Now Brother Oliver Lyon, Knight Templar and a humble baker’s son, travels around the world hunting the Fallen and gathering fine recipes along the way.

Enchanting Recipes

From Mandarin lion’s heads to alchemical booze, Brother Oliver’s collection of delicious recipes spans the cultural realms of Mage’s human world. Among these many culinary concoctions, you’ll find:

Lobster Bisque

Angel Torte

Chicken Nanban

Corn Fufu

Beef Wellingtons

Battenburg Cake

Cannibal Stew, and so much more

Feed Your Body, Feed Your Soul

The M20 Mage Cookbook is a non-canon but tasty culinary perspective on the world of Mage: The Ascension

The world of Pugmire comes alive in this full cast audio drama experience “Thank You, Darcy Cat” available now on DTRPG.com! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/226921/Pugmire-Thank-You-Darcy-Cat

The police dogs have called Alistair Afghan to discuss the crimes of his valet, Darcy Cat. But this misunderstanding leads to the discovery of a deadly secret deep in the heart of Pugmire society. Will Alistair and Darcy be able to save Pugmire from this threat?

Created by Audioblivious Productions in conjunction with Pugsteady. Check out Audioblivious at https://www.audioblivious.com/!

We unveil Vampire: The Requiem 2e‘s Half-Damned as an Advance PDF on DTRPG.com!

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/227500/Half-Damned

I love her, she’s family, but I don’t love what she is.

– Antonio Ramírez, dhampir

This book includes:

• An exploration of what it means to be one of the Half-Damned, dhampir, revenants or ghouls.

• Mechanics for creating Half-Damned characters.

• Information for creating and running chronicles using the various Half-Damned character types, both with vampires and alone.

• Information on Half-Damned antagonists for vampire chronicles.

Legacy of Lies, the V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart, goes undead in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DTRPG:

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/222956/Legacy-of-Lies-A-V20-Dark-Ages-Jumpstart

TWO PRINCES. BITTER RIVALS. AND A COTERIE CAUGHT BETWEEN THEM.

Marcus Verus, the vampiric Prince of Chester, secretly prepares to go into torpor. Should his plans be made public, the Prince knows the wolves — both real and imagined — would launch an attack, threatening all within his domain.

That’s where you come in.

Legacy of Lies includes:

Basic rules for players and Storytellers

Introduction to the Vampire: The Masquerade Dark Ages setting

Introductory adventure

Characters for players and Storytellers

Appearing on DriveThruRPG is the Advance PDF for Arms of the Chosen for Exalted 3rd Edition! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/226224/Arms-of-the-Chosen

Take up the panoply of legendary heroes and lost ages, and awaken the world-shaking might of their Evocations. Before the dawn of time, the Exalted wielded god-metal blades to cast down the makers of the universe. In an ancient epoch of forgotten glories, Creation’s greatest artificers forged unimaginable wonders and miracle-machines.

Now, in the Age of Sorrows, kingdoms go to war over potent artifacts, scavenger princes risk everything to uncover relics of the past, and the Exalted forge great arms and armor on the anvil of legend. These treasures are yours to master.

Discover the mystical power of the five magical materials and the secrets of creating your own Evocations. Wield weapons of fabled might and don the armor of mythic heroes, making their puissance your own. Claim Creation’s wonders: the miraculous tools of the Chosen, living automatons, flying machines, hearthstones, and more. And unleash the mighty warstriders, titanic god-engines of conquest and devastation, to once more shake Creation with their footfalls.

What dark secrets do the eldest vampires hold? Find out in Thousand Years of Night for Vampire: The Requiem! PDF and physical book PoD versions available on DriveThruRPG.com. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214130/Thousand-Years-of-Night

You may think that with a multitude of people coming, going, dying and running away, we’d be tired, done, or ready to give up. Instead, I find myself restless, looking for the next thing. There’s always a next thing, and I for one am not yet ready to die.

– Elder Kincaid, Daeva Crone

This book includes:

• Detailed instructions on creating elder vampires, including how to base chronicles around them

• A look into the lives of elders, how they spend their nights, who they work with, and why including their roles in both their clans and covenants

• New Devotions, Merits, and Rituals for elder vampires

• The kinds of creatures that pose a threat to elder vampires, including Inamorata, Lamia, Sons of Phobos, a new elder conspiracy, and more!

Is a life of running and hiding a life worth living? We say yes. There’s always something between the running and the hiding, and those moments of grace make it all worthwhile.

The Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology is a perfect companion piece to Changeling: The Lost, 2nd Edition. These stories spin tales of the Lost, of those abducted and enslaved by fairies. Those who escaped, but whose captors will stop at nothing to find them. These fairies summon forth the Huntsmen, primordial hunters who understand nothing but pursuit and capture. The Huntsmen are unstoppable monsters, and the Lost can only look to each other for respite, rare comfort, and rarer trust.

The Hedge has parted and you can get the Advance PDF of The Huntsmen Chronicle Fiction Anthology for Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition at DTRPG.com! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/210042/The-Huntsmen-Chronicle-Anthology

A Land Where Legends Walk

Drawing enthusiastically on Greek mythology, the revised and re-imagined Scarred Lands nonetheless retains its place as a modern fantasy RPG setting. This is a world shaped by gods and monsters, and only the greatest of heroes can expect to be counted among them. The most populous continent of Scarn, Ghelspad, plays host to vast unexplored regions, hides unsolved riddles from ancient cultures, and taunts adventures with the promise of undiscovered riches hidden among the ruins of older civilizations.

Yet the myths of the Scarred Lands are relatively recent events. The effects of the Titanswar still ripple through the world, and the heroines and villains of many of these stories are part of living memory, if not still living.

The Award-Winning Fantasy Setting Returns

Scarred Lands has been a favorite fantasy setting since the release of the Creature Collection for the d20 System in 2000. In subsequent years, over 40 titles were published for Scarred Lands, making it one of the most fully supported fantasy RPG settings ever and the premiere product line of Sword & Sorcery Studios.

Available in both 5th Edition and Pathfinder compatible versions! PDF and PoD formats available NOW!

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/193014/Scarred-Lands-Players-Guide-Pathfinder

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/197803/Scarred-Lands-Players-Guide-OGL-5e

CONVENTIONS!

Midwinter Game Convention in Milwaukee, January 11-14 is THIS week! It’s where we’re going to be bringing a big crew of many of your favorite Onyx Path designers and we’ll be running demos and making some special announcements at the show! http://midwintergamingconvention.com

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Guide to the Night (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Redlines

Second Draft

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Monarchies of Mau (Monarchies of Mau)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

They Came From Beneath the Sea! Rulebook (TCFBtS!)

Development

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition) – with Neall for some tweaks

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

Night Horrors: The Tormented (Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition)

WW Manuscript Approval:

Editing:

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Scion: Origin (Scion 2nd Edition)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Post-Editing Development:

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Indexing:

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

Cavaliers of Mars – New art getting assigned.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

Scion Origin – Last of the art getting assigned.

Ring of Spiragos

Changeling: the Lost 2

Trinity Continuum – Stuff coming in.

Ex3 Dragon Blooded – Sending feedback to cartographer for map, color sketches to devs.

Pugmire – Pan’s Explorer’s Guide (or whatever) – Should all be in by the end of the month.

Boggans – Art notes out this week.

Marketing Stuff

In Layout

Pugmire/Scarred Lands Community Content – working on the logo.

Book of Freeholds – With Mark

Pugmire Fetch Quest – Printing out rulebooks at Kinkos for MidWinter.

Pugmire – Vinsen’s Tomb – Notes are out. Need to input the changes on the first proof.

Wraith 20 Screen – Got Dansky’s list in.

Dice Packaging – Knocking those out before we leave.

Proofing

Wraith 20 – Making fixes from WW.

Beast PG

DtD Enemy Action – With Josh

At Press

Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.

Scarred Land PGs & Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – To fulfillment shipper. PDF and PoD physical book versions on sale at DTRPG.

Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition) – Deluxe Edition cover and Screen in the works. Printer starting to assemble books.

Prince’s Gambit – Printer files sent. Uploaded updated epub, fixed layout epub, mobi, and PDF quickstart rules… should be able to use those on phones and tablets. The epub versions look nice on my iPad...

CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology – PoD Files ordered.

V20 Beckett’s Jyhad Diary– PDF and PoD versions on sale Wednesday, the 10th.

C20 Ready Made Characters – Errata fixing.

Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – Errata changes being input.

Pugmire Artisan Cards – PoD proofs ordered.

Pugmire Shepherd Cards – PoD proofs ordered.

Pentex Indoctrination Manual – PoD proofs ordered.

VtR Half Damned – PoD proofs ordered.

TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: Headed to MidWinter with almost every one of our Onyx Path crew, and we’re going to do the con thing and then sit down together and review our last few years together and plan for more. As a group, face to face, which is not how we are set up as a company: so that is in itself a cause to celebrate!

#Onyx Path Publishing

3 notes · View notes

splashrollstumble · 5 years

Text

Brasov – More than Just Dracula, a Hidden Jewel of Eastern Europe

I came to Brasov with the plan to stay just one night and, like everyone else, all I planned to see was Bran Castle: the legendary home of the Vampire Dracula.

On arrival, I checked into a very cheap hostel (45 lei / €8) called Art Hostel which isn’t in the best location but since I was only planning to stay a night I didn’t mind. It’s probably the smallest hostel in the world, with only one 8-bed room and a tiny kitchen and common area but I really liked it. That evening I headed out to explore, not expecting to find much in this pokey little village. After a brief walk around the old town square and the Black Church, I discovered a busy looking road full of bars and restaurants. Being Saturday night, it was quite packed with a bustling mix of young and old locals.

I soon came across a bar called Biblioteque, which caught my eye because I know it as the word for ‘library’. Turning up the long passageway that forms the entrance to the bar I found it was lined with bookshelves full of old books, antiques, and board games. Immediately I was enamored with this bizarre find and began to realize there is far more to this pokey little village than I first assumed. After a few beers and a bit more exploring the awesome nightlife on offer I knew I wasn’t going to be leaving Brasov tomorrow.

In the end, I actually stayed a whole two weeks AND didn’t even go to Bran Castle in that time. I did cycle the 25 kms to the Bran Castle location on my first day as planned but it was a Sunday and the place was absolutely packed. It looked like Disney World with all the cheap souvenirs, stalls and hawkers trying to sell you crap. It was not at all like the creepy environment I expected and I quickly decided I had wasted my time coming here. Also, it was never even the home of Vlad the Impaler who inspired Dracula – it just looks similar to the castle described in Bram Stoker’s Dracula book.

On the cycle home, I decided to take a different route via Poiana Brasov (the ski resort overlooking Brasov) due in part to roadworks I had encountered on the way and the feeling that I should at least do something while I’m out. The road was fairly long and steep but I didn’t have my bags so it went smoothly despite the lack of any high range gears on my bike. As I climbed I quickly began falling in love with the surrounding nature and by the time I was cycling down the hill on the opposite side back into Brasov, I had again reiterated to myself that I would be staying longer.

I entered back into Brasov through a nice dirt path and then turned on to a road that followed the ancient walls and a small river. Suddenly I came across a door in the rock face opposite the river with a bridge leading to it. It was pitch black inside and as I stood wondering if it was open to exploring, somebody popped out and confirmed that its a collection of tunnels that you can explore with your phone torch.

So I went in and spent about an hour exploring and got quite deep into the caves, having to crawl at some places. Eventually, I grew concerned I may not find my way out and started heading back. It was a bit confusing at parts but I eventually escaped unscathed. I thought it’s pretty cool to just have something like this open to the public with none of the usual worries about health and safety. Oh Romania, you silly sausage.

Getting closer to town

That evening I began to develop a rather nasty cough and spent the next day in bed at the hostel, getting some work done but mostly trying to rest. It may have been from overexerting myself on the cycle, or possibly something I inhaled while in the cave? Either way, I booked another night in the hostel and stayed in that night. A hitch-hiker showed up and we got chatting and he said hitch-hiking in Romania was very easy and people were friendly. He went out and when he came back showed me some amazing pictures from a hike he had done up to the Brasov sign, so I resolved to do the same before I leave.

The following day I abandoned plans I had made to leave Brasov and go cycle the Transfagarasan Highway and instead moved to another hostel more centrally located. Incredibly, this hostel was even smaller than Art Hostel, with only one 6-bed dorm and a tiny bathroom but a slightly bigger kitchen. I got some more work done and then went for a hike to the Brasov sign, which turned out to be quite a lot further and higher than the hitch-hiker had made out. It was totally worth the view though, and some good exercise.

When I got back, another cycle-tourer was at the hostel – a French guy who was heading in the opposite direction to me. We chatted a bit and then he headed out to an Irish bar called Deane’s where I later found him. The bar was having a 10 lei pizza special (about €2) so I joined him and some girls he had met and we had a few €1.50 beers and pizza. I guess it’s not the most traditional Romanian place but it’s a really cool bar, and they do karaoke every Tuesday!

The 7 Ladders Canyon

By now I had picked some info about the surrounding area and heard about an incredible hike up a gorge called the 7 Ladders Canyon. I headed off early the next day on the 10 km cycle to the canyon, stopping briefly for some very cheap McDonalds breakfast along the way. I locked up my bike on arrival and began the easy 2-hour walk to the start of the gorge. It follows a small river and a really awesome looking zip-line course which I planned to do on the way down. Entrance to the 7-ladders canyon is about 30 lei (about €6) so remember to bring some cash if you intend doing this. Luckily, I had enough, but the zipline is quite a bit more (80 lei), so I decided against that.

Hence the name, the canyon consists of a climb up 7 steel ladders through a huge gorge created by the river and has a similar feel to Antelope Canyon in the US. Along the way, I met a Norwegian girl who was living and studying in Copenhagen. She wanted to continue the hike all the way to the top of the mountain but was afraid of bears and asked if I would join her. I said yes, of course, because it was the chivalrous thing to do and not at all because she was drop-dead gorgeous.

After what felt like ages up steep sections over rocks and dirt where the path sometimes disappeared completely, we eventually reached a clearing with a small hut. The hut was a refuge for hikers and had some supplies so the Norwegian girl bought us a coke each since I had shared my water and biscuits with her. From here it was another hour or so hike to the highest point and we bumped into some others who decided to join us – a Norwegian guy who looked like a Viking, a French girl named Camille and an English girl from London. Just as we were heading off a small bear walked out of the forest up ahead and crossed the path but didn’t even notice us. After that, we were all on the lookout for more bears but sadly didn’t see any.

We did, however, bump into a shepherd who got very mad with us for apparently scaring his sheep off the path although we couldn’t understand what he was actually shouting. Despite taking another two hours, the hike to the top was totally worth it as the views are unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve heard that the mountains in Switzerland are even more beautiful but they would have to be pretty spectacular to beat this! If you ever get a chance to visit Romania, which you definitely should, I would recommend this hike over any other tourist attraction.

Becoming a local

During the hike, we had all become friends but sadly the Norwegian and English girls had to leave that evening, so I arranged to meet Camille and the Viking for some after-hike drinks. We went to Bibliotheque for some beers and then another bar where we drank some Bechrovka shots and then headed back to their hostel for homemade Palinka, an awful tasting local liquor. Needless to say, I stumbled back to my hostel very drunk, with the promise to move to their hostel, Boemia, the next day.

Despite a mild hangover, I was up early, packed my stuff and moved to Boemia hostel before the others even woke up. After being assigned a bed I had some coffee and got some work done. I was now quite settled in Brasov and had quite decided I might just live here now, so I no longer felt the need to try squeeze in lots of touristy stuff. Camille was a volunteer at the hostel along with a Kiwi girl, Jess, who I had briefly met the night before. They took turns looking after the hostel in the evenings in exchange for free food and board and so the young couple who ran it could get some time off.

Peles Castle

I had been hearing a lot about Peles Castle since I arrived, which people reported as far more beautiful than Bran Castle, so Camille, the Viking and I decided to go visit it the following day. We headed off early and took the €3 train to nearby Sinaia, a short walk from the castle. It really is far more beautiful, although quite expensive to visit if you want to see the whole thing. Just the first floor is 30 lei (€6) and for both floors, it’s double (60 lei), which seems excessive. The other two had student cards so they got half-price but I decided I couldn’t afford that much and just took a first-floor ticket.

After exploring the opulent first floor we attempted to go upstairs but they asked to check our tickets. I said I had accidentally given mine in at the door but since the other two had second-floor tickets, she assumed we were a group and let me in. Score! If you do go to Peles and can afford it, I suggest getting a ticket for both floors (or sneaking in like me) – the upstairs is far more impressive than the first floor! Annoyingly, they try to scam an extra 30 lei out of you for ‘photograph tax’, which is bullshit and I told them so. It does, however, mean you need to be very discreet when taking photos if you don’t cough it up. Fortunately, after traveling to so many supposedly ‘sacred’ sites around the world, I’m a pro at taking discreet photos.

That evening the Viking had to leave but Jess, another guest and I headed out to watch a live music event that the local council was hosting in the town square. It featured some local bands and ended off with an incredible opera singer that sounded as professional as anything I’ve seen on TV (although, I’m tone deaf so what would I know).

We took a bus up to Poiana Brasov the following morning despite mild hangovers and decided to hike up to one of the ski chalets. It wasn’t the most beautiful hike as it mostly followed a dirt road that is a skiing piste during winter. However, at the top, we discovered the pot of gold – free food and palinka! We don’t know why, but a small restaurant was giving away platters of bread, ham, cheese, and cake along with free shots of palinka, so we proceeded to get drunk before stumbling back down the mountain and almost dying. Good day.

Transfagarasan

I spent the following few days mostly working during the day and playing increasingly complex drunken card games with Camille and Jess in the evenings. The hostel (Boemia) had a nice flow of really interesting guests, many of which we got to join in with our game of figuring out, and then playing loudly, the song that was number one when they were born. This, I found, is a great way to get everyone in the hostel involved, even the commonly shy ones. I really should work in a hostel full time.

Anyway, during these days we formulated a plan to hire a car and drive up what Jeremy Clarkson once called the most beautiful road in the world – the Transfagarasan! The road was built by ex-president Ceausescu as an attempt to improve upon the already popular Transalpina, a few kilometres to the west. While it is admittedly more impressive, it is so treacherous that they need to close it every winter.

The car hire companies are a bit odd in Romania and require a minimum rental period of 2 days, so we collected the car the day before Jess and I drove up to Poiana Brasov to have some lunch. It was also good practice for me to get used to driving on the right. The next day we all woke up super early and hit the road at 7 am, along with Camille’s friend who had come to visit her for the weekend. Unfortunately, we didn’t choose the best day weather-wise but that just added to the spookiness of the Romanian countryside.

The road past Bran and around the back of the Carpathian mountains winds up and down along mountainous roads with beautiful scenery all around. It’s dotted with creepy old towns that are littered with interesting and bizarre sights, like strange sculptures and bizarre buildings. After a few hours driving, we eventually began the ascent up the south side of the Transfagarasan, where we stopped to visit another one of Dracula’s supposed castle – Poianeri. Unfortunately, it was closed due to bears, so we continued on across precariously built bridges and through small tunnels until we were winding up along the sides of a huge valley.

Suddenly I realized we were very short on fuel and the chances of finding a gas station out here were slim. The girls were freaking out but I figured as long as we get over the peak we can just free-wheel down the other side to the gas station at the bottom. We had one moment of panic when we stopped for photos and the car wouldn’t start at first but eventually, we made it to the top. Right at the very peak is a short tunnel which, when driven through, result in the most extraordinary event. On the side, we entered it was sunny and clear weather but as we broke out the other side it was practically snowing! The sky was dark with clouds, thick rain was falling and patches of snow surrounded the road. It was like going through a portal into another world.

We found somewhere to park the car amongst the throng of tourists and day-trippers and went to explore this strange landscape. Despite being mid-summer, large swathes of snow remained on the mountain, almost like a glacier. Despite this, many people were hanging around by the lake and some even went for a brief swim. The view from the top is incredible, looking down over what must be the windiest road ever built. Surprisingly, the food stalls at the top weren’t overpriced and we managed to get a decent lunch for about 15 lei (€3). One of the nicer things about Romania is that it isn’t spoilt by tourism…. yet.

Soon we needed to head down, so we all climbed back in the car and started to roll down the road with the engine off to save petrol. It made it difficult to brake and steer without mechanical assistance, especially considering the sharp corners and steep inclines, but we made it. We stopped briefly to explore a waterfall near the base of the pass and then got back on the road for the long ride home.

Personally, I find Brasov to be one of the undiscovered jewels of Eastern Europe but a friend of mine recently visited and found it boring. This highlights how unique the travel experience is for each different individual and how our perception is largely subjective. I always hope my blogs can help people to enjoy a destination better but in reality, the only way to know is to get out there and do it yourself.

As always, have a happy journey …. and never stop exploring!

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2ZAt3lh via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

0 notes

hkvoyage · 7 years

Text

Fic: Butterfly Wings - Chapter 42 - Epilogue - Complete

Story summary A fashion blog started at University launched Blaine Anderson’s fortune and fame. As Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, he is struggling to find an original angle for an upcoming issue. Kurt Hummel has recently arrived in New York City after finishing high school, and is having no luck building a musical theater career, so he decides to explore another passion of his: fashion. He applies for an internship at Vogue, and Isabelle sees in him the perfect fresh face to liven up the magazine, and convinces him to try out as a model. Kurt meets Blaine, and in spite of their 10-year age difference, sparks fly. Can they overcome misunderstandings and sabotage to find their happily-ever-after? Klaine model AU. Rating for this chapter: General (overall story is mature) Word count for this chapter: 5,679 Can also be read on A03 / FF Masterpost is here. The fantastic artwork produced by Cassie at CC-Graphics can be here. Thank you to the amazing @lilyvandersteen for the beta work and support. ***** “If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story” - Orson Welles

Seven Years Later

“Kurt, you’re not going to believe this. I just got off the phone with Matt Bomer. He wants to commission two bracelets for his and Simon Halls’ wedding anniversary. He said that money was no object.” “When’s their anniversary?” “In May.” “That sounds doable, Tina. As a matter of fact, I’ve been tinkering away at a new design. I’ll send you a preliminary sample next week. Tell Matt that his anniversary bracelet will be part of my new line, but he’ll be the first one – after Blaine, of course – to have the limited-edition bracelet in precious metals. How’s everything else going?” “Our back order will keep the factory going for the next three months. The Pride bracelets are still selling like hotcakes. I’m getting all the quarterly figures together for when you and Blaine visit in two weeks’ time, and I think you’ll be very happy.” After discussing forecasted silver prices and the inferior jewelry findings recently delivered from China, they end their call. After graduating FIT, Kurt had decided to start a jewelry business labeled ‘Buckeye Designs’ and sold brooches on Etsy. His dad thought he had named the business after his favorite Ohio football team. Only Blaine knew the real reason for the name – after all, it’s Kurt’s favorite butterfly. On their wedding day, Kurt surprised Blaine with a bracelet using differently colored precious metals to create a rainbow. Blaine was thrilled with it, but refused to take off his silicone rainbow wristband, and he now proudly wears both. Blaine urged him to sell his version of the rainbow bracelet on his Etsy site. Once Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka bought them, and the bracelets were noticed in a Vogue photo spread, it became an instant bestseller. The demand was so great that Kurt couldn’t keep up. After discussing it with Blaine, he called Tina to enlist her help. Tina immediately quit her job at Vogue – she wasn’t happy there once Blaine had left. She established a workshop in Long Island and ran the company, and it now has its own website and also sells through Amazon. This allows Kurt to focus on creating designs and infusing capital when it’s needed. It also means that Kurt can work anywhere he wishes and set his own hours. It works perfectly into Kurt’s life. Kurt looks at the clock on the workshop’s wall and starts tidying up his area. He’s finishing earlier than usual, but tonight is very special. He walks to the tiny store front and covers the display cabinets. The shop is tucked away in a little back street in Key West’s historical district. It’s one of those places you need to know about, otherwise you’ll miss it. The only reason Kurt keeps the shop is so that he can see people’s reactions to his work first-hand without them knowing he’s the designer. Kurt sends a text to Blaine saying that he’s on his way home and asking whether he should pick up anything. In record time, Kurt receives a reply: Nothing needed except you. Hurry up! I miss you <3 <3 <3. Kurt smiles at the text, wondering how he got so lucky with Blaine. Even after seven or so years together, his heart races at the thought of going home to his sweet Blaine. Kurt locks the front door to his store and peeks into the window display of the art gallery next door. His chest bursts with pride when he sees a few of Blaine’s photos on display. They certainly have fun exploring the Florida Keys and knocking things off their bucket list. Blaine’s passion for photography is still strong and he continues to be inspired by the vibrant colors of Florida’s subtropics. “Kurt! Buena suerte (good luck). Toda la familia (the whole family) will be watching tonight,” the local Cuban cigar and bar owner shouts as he passes by. “Gracias, Martín. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.” Kurt loves that he knows all the local shop owners in the area and that they’re supportive of Blaine and himself. Sexual orientation isn’t relevant in Key West, and the LBGT community seamlessly blends into all aspects of the island’s laid-back lifestyle. When Kurt was finishing his associate’s degree at FIT, Blaine took a one-month job in Miami as a back-up musician for Jason Derulo’s latest album. At the end of the month, Kurt flew to Florida for a long weekend in Key West. They fell in love with the island and the lifestyle, and decided to move there once Kurt graduated. Kurt crosses the street and heads into Kermit’s Bakery. After a thorough taste-testing throughout Key West, leaving no shop or restaurant untouched – and Blaine groaned when there were semi-finals and finals – Kurt reached the verdict that Kermit’s has the very best key lime pie. Kurt had always thought that cheesecake was the best thing on earth, but now he knows better. The rich tangy key lime filling with the crispy base now holds the number one spot. The best part is that Blaine’s lips pucker with every tart bite that he takes, and Kurt knows exactly what to do with those puckered lips – kiss them senseless. Kurt purchases the key lime pie, hoping that the Anderson-Hummel household will have something to celebrate tonight. Kurt walks the few blocks to Mallory Square, the main plaza and the tourists’ focus for the famous Key West sunsets. He walks past El Meson de Pepe, where he and Blaine are the kings of the dance floor every Tuesday on salsa night. Pepe himself jokes that he could charge people to watch them move their hips together. Kurt walks on board the small old ferry and takes a seat on the wooden bench. It’s a three-minute ferry ride home. When they first arrived in Key West, they rented a house in the historical district, but found the island too busy. Blaine had been nervous around so many tourists with cameras. After house hunting in the area, they found the perfect lot on Sunset Island. The 27-acre island is only 500 yards away from Key West, but it feels like another world. There are fifty private homes and one exclusive resort on the island with strict access controls. They purchased a vacant lot on the waterfront and then spent a year building their dream house. As the ferry approaches Sunset Island, Kurt can make out two silhouettes on the dock. When it finally anchors, Kurt races off to be with his family. “Papa! Papa! Daddy said we could visit the butterflies on Saturday!” Kurt feels stubby arms wrap around his legs. Kurt rolls his eyes fondly at Blaine and groans “Not again” before giving him a kiss. Blaine laughs as he takes Kurt’s messenger bag and the key lime pie. “You know you like the butterflies.” Kurt picks up three-year-old Lizzie and tosses her in the air before kissing her. Since the first time they held her, minutes after she was born, she has been the central focus of their lives. When they were looking for a surrogate mother, Rachel had insisted that she wanted to carry their children. They will always be indebted to her for giving them Lizzie and the baby due next month. They get into their golf cart – no cars are allowed on the island. Blaine drives and Lizzie sits on Kurt’s lap. “Tell me the wedding story. Pleaasse, Papa,” Lizzy pleads. Kurt smiles and gives Lizzy a gentle squeeze. Even though he has told the story countless times, she never tires of hearing it. “There was a special area on the beach set up for us, and our closest friends and family. I walked down a white carpet that was covered in rose petals. At the end of the path was a special pagoda covered with flowers, where I saw your Daddy waiting for me. He looked like Prince Charming, wearing a black tux. His hair…” “I know! I know! Grandpa said stuff. Nana cried. You and Daddy kissed. Now get to the good part!” Blaine chuckles, “That was the good part, angel.” Kurt presses a lingering kiss to Blaine’s cheek and whispers, “No, the good part was later that night. Maybe I can give you a refresher course this evening?” “Come on, Papa. Stop kissing Daddy!” “When Daddy and I kissed, hundreds of butterflies were released into the air. They fluttered around us and then flew towards the sun.” Lizzy lets out a big sigh. “I wanna wedding like that. Only I’m gonna be a princess and wear glass slippers. And I’m gonna ride a white horse into a castle.” Blaine stops the golf cart in front of their house and lifts Lizzy from Kurt’s lap. He opens the white picket gate and says, “Come on, princess. Go inside and wash your hands. It’s almost time to eat.” When Kurt joins him on the veranda, Blaine pulls him into his arms and gives him a kiss that he can feel down to his toes. When Blaine finally releases Kurt, he murmurs, “I expect the advanced and intensive refresher course.” They giggle as they enter the reception area. The two-story house is light and airy, with honey-colored wooden floors and ceiling fans throughout. Blaine’s baby grand piano is situated in what is usually used as a formal dining area. Kurt had wanted to make the guest cottage in the backyard Blaine’s special music room, but Blaine had insisted he wanted to play the piano and still be around his family. Amy now lives in the guest cottage, giving them the privacy they need at night for refresher courses. “Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” Amy shouts from the kitchen. She had moved with them to Key West when they built their house. They now have someone come to clean twice a week, allowing Amy to help with Lizzy and keep the Anderson-Hummel household humming along. Even though it’s February, it’s plenty warm enough to eat outside on the patio. Kurt and Blaine have a simple meal of conch chowder and salad, while Lizzy eats chicken fingers, carrots and peas. “I don’t wanna eat yucky veggies!” Lizzy protests as she pushes the plate away from her and pouts. “Come on, sugar plum,” Blaine coos. “Veggies are good for you.” Blaine starts singing as he pushes the plate back towards Lizzie. Grab a plate and add some peas Then a carrot and a broccoli Take a bite, chew it around Lovely taste, crunchy sound Eat your vegetables they’re so much fun to munch! Kurt smiles as he watches Blaine sing and Lizzie quite happily eats all the vegetables on her plate. It’s a well-tuned dance that they play every mealtime. Blaine is about to go into the music studio as Mr. Healthy and record a children’s album. He has composed songs about pancakes, snappy beans, sweetie corn, table manners and the like. Blaine certainly has a way with children, and is very happy staying at home with Lizzy during the day. Whilst Kurt needs to go to a separate and quiet space to be his most creative, his husband is the opposite. Blaine takes inspiration from the little things in their daily life and squeezes in song writing during naptime and weekends. This perfectly suits Kurt – after all, he has a regular tea party with Lizzie on Sunday mornings, complete with scones and cucumber sandwiches (with the crusts removed, of course). After dinner, Kurt gives Lizzy her bath. She has bubbles, color bath drops and rubber toys. It’s almost impossible to get her out, and usually Kurt loves this one-on-one time each day. But tonight, Kurt is working to a strict timetable. He goes through the usual routine, but he does not give in to Lizzy’s pleas for an extra goodnight song. When Lizzy’s eyes shut and her breathing evens out, Kurt adjusts the covers and gives her a peck on the forehead. Kurt quietly leaves her room, closing the door very slowly, and joins Blaine and Amy in the main living area. The large flat-screen TV is turned on to the Grammy Awards. “You’ve got the DVR going?” Kurt asks, plopping down next to Blaine on the sofa. Amy nods and whispers, “Shhh! They’re showing the interview with Rachel when she walked down the red carpet.” Kurt sees a heavily pregnant Rachel discussing her return to Funny Girl after she delivers the baby. “God, Blaine. Rachel’s so huge and there’s still a month to go. Do you think she’s going to have twins?” “That’s not what the scans say, but I would love to have two babies that look like you,” Blaine replies. Blaine is Lizzie’s biological father - it’s so obvious with her curls and hazel eyes. They initially agreed that they would have two children, one sired from each of them. Recently, Blaine has been begging to adopt an older child, someone who could benefit from their love. They agreed to put the discussion on the backburner until their second child is one year old. Kurt knows that eventually they will have a family full of children. The Grammy broadcast returns to the stage. LL Cool J and Ed Sheeran are announcing nominations. LL Cool J rips open the envelope, “And the song of the year is ‘You Move Me’, composed by BK Viceroy.” Kurt leaps into Blaine’s lap, kissing him all over his face, chanting, “You did it! You did it! Oh my god! I’m married to a Grammy winner!” Before they can get carried away, they look back at the TV. Marley Rose is walking onto the stage to accept the award. BK Viceroy asked me to accept this award on his behalf. Personally, it’s been an incredible journey to go from a jazz nightclub singer to performing the song of the year. BK Viceroy is the most talented songwriter I know and composes songs that anyone who’s in love – or wants to be – can really connect with. BK wishes me to thank the love of his live, the inspiration for the song, the inspiration for his everything. BK and I are collaborating on our next album, so watch this space. Thank you. Kurt’s eyes tear up listening to Marley Rose’s acceptance speech. “You know that the song was written about you.” Kurt nods his head, but that doesn’t stop the tears from flowing. ***** One month later “Don’t you cry, my sweet Tracy Michael. Papa and I are going to take care of you and love you until the end of time,” Blaine coos, cradling the newborn baby in his arms. He and Kurt took him from the hospital yesterday, and they’re staying in a self-catering apartment in New York City for another two days. Blaine’s mother has taken Lizzy to Alice’s Tea Cup for afternoon tea, and Kurt is catching up on his sleep in the bedroom. “You’re a real natural,” Michael comments, who’s in the kitchenette preparing the bottle. “I love being a dad, but honestly, I couldn’t do it without Kurt. He keeps me grounded. While I throw myself into the moment, Kurt reminds me about what matters in our lives.” Michael hands Blaine the bottle, which Tracy greedily latches onto. “I’ve always been proud of your accomplishments - at Dalton, Harvard and Vogue. The Grammy award proves that you can do anything that you set your mind to. But honestly, Blaine, seeing you in a loving marriage… watching you raise children… well, that’s in an entirely different league. I wish I could have been the same sort of father.” “Hey, that’s not true. Look at us now. Sometimes a struggle is necessary before really connecting. God knows, that’s the way it was with Kurt.” Blaine takes a good hard look at his father. SONY Records donating a percentage of the sales proceeds from his songs to the Monarch Foundation has allowed them to move along at record speed. After the sixth Monarch House was opened, Michael quit his job at the insurance company. He’s now the chairman of the Foundation and overseas operations in nineteen locations. There are plans to open a Monarch House in Tate, Georgia – the first presence in the South. Michael has been inspirational to other parents of LBGT kids, telling his story of finally accepting Blaine for who he really is. “Hey, Dad…. Once Lizzy and Tracy get older, I’m sure that they’re going to throw a curve ball or two at Kurt and me. Some things that we’re not prepared for and don’t know how to deal with. Could I come to you for advice?” “Yeah, I’d like that. I have learnt a few tricks over the past seven years.” ***** They arrived back in Key West two days ago, and Blaine is relieved that the flight went so well, with Tracy sleeping the full three hours. Lizzie now wants to be a flight attendant, with glass slippers and a tiara, of course. After feeding Tracy, Blaine lays him down gently in the crib set up in the nursery. Even though Blaine had wanted to have the crib in their bedroom, Kurt wouldn’t hear of it. He claimed he needs his beauty sleep and their down time alone. Blaine couldn’t say no to that. Blaine heads to the patio and sits in the lounge chair, and just as his eyes start drooping, his phone starts ringing. “Congratulations, man. How’s my godson doing?” “Tracy is gorgeous, Sam. He has Kurt’s beautiful blue eyes. I pray each night that his eyes won’t change color over the next few months. He mainly sleeps, eats and poops - but that’s how it is the first few weeks.” “Getting much sleep?” “Enough. Amy takes the day shift, Kurt the evenings, and I’m on from midnight till 6 a.m. We’re managing.” “Well, tonight, when you do the midnight feed, you’ve got look at the new story that JiffyFeels started.” “A new story?” Blaine asks. “There’s only one chapter posted so far. Biffy is a shy nerd who gets bullied in high school and works at the local bakery on weekends. Jamie’s a bad boy, and when he gets out of juvie, he’s transferred to the same high school. Jamie’s openly gay, and when he goes to his first class, he sits down next to Biffy and hits on him. Biffy is shocked and brushes off his comments, but secretly he thinks that Jamie is hot. The story’s rated explicit, so I’m sure stuff will go down pretty soon.” “I’ll read it tonight.” “During the 3 a.m. feed, you can read the new one-shot by KrianFeels. It’s 20,000 words and it’s epic. They’ve got this superhero fantasy thing going on in the bedroom, but it’s got a twist. Brian is dressed up as the superhero and is tied to the bed and Kevin is the evil one, having his wicked way with Brian. He…” “Enough, Sam! Don’t spoil it for me. I’m not sure this is the sort of thing I should be reading with a newborn baby in my arms.” “Dude, relax! Don’t you know that Tracy can’t read yet?” Blaine rolls his eyes, because the problem is that certain parts of his body would get far too interested when he’s reading. Even though he and Sam haven’t lived in the same place for years, they still manage to remain close. “So tell me, Sam, how’s the filming going?” “It’s really happening! Everything’s on schedule. Mark September 6th in your calendar – that’s when the pilot is going to air.” Sam’s Surfs!Up webcomic now has over a million followers. When Sam had attended the Swarm Con convention last year, a production company offered a substantial amount for the TV rights. It is now being filmed in LA, and Sam is the lead story advisor. After finishing the phone conversation with Sam, Blaine shouts for Amy and Kurt to come join him. “Two updates, Amy? Where do you find the time?” “For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been a writing ninja. I knew I’d be busy when Tracy arrived. I posted them when Rachel went into the hospital.” “I can’t believe that Sam hasn’t guessed yet that you are both KrianFeels and JiffyFeels,” Blaine remarks. “Don’t tell him, Blaine!” Kurt shrieks. “Naw, there’s no fun in that,” Blaine chuckles. “A superhero bedroom fantasy one-shot?” “Kurt had a stroke of genius to replace the eye mask with a blindfold.” Blaine gives Kurt a pointed look. Kurt blushes and shrugs behind Amy’s back. Once Kurt had found out that Amy was posting smutty fanfic, he volunteered to be her beta. Whenever Blaine finds the two of them in the kitchen, whispering and giggling, he knows that they’re brainstorming new story ideas. It has certainly kept things interesting in the bedroom. Once Tracy starts sleeping through the night, Blaine knows for sure that Nightbird will rise again. ***** Blaine is panting as he enters the house after his run on the beach. He goes to the kitchen and Amy hands him the power smoothie she’s just finished making. “All good here?” “I put down wee Tracy for his morning nap ten minutes ago. I’ll pick up Lizzy from preschool in a couple of hours.” Blaine nods and heads to the patio to cool down and drink his smoothie. As a man in his late thirties, he knows how important it is to keep fit and healthy. Blaine wants to be with his family for a very long time. It was easy to replace morning runs in Central Park with runs along the beach. He keeps up with yoga, which Kurt very much approves of. Now that the ocean is at end of their back garden, Blaine enjoys swimming as well. Blaine admires the lantana shrubs in the garden that are in bloom with red and yellow flowers. Kurt planted them years ago because they attract butterflies. The pool and Jacuzzi look very tempting, but Blaine discards the idea of jumping in. He’ll wait until Lizzie comes home and they can have a swim together after lunch. It’s been challenging to combine parenthood with his songwriting, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. While some of his friends tease him about being a househusband, Blaine wants to be home while their children are still young. Blaine had really enjoyed recording the Mr. Healthy children’s album while they were in New York City, waiting for Tracy to be born. Blaine decided long ago that his music career was going to be spent behind the scenes writing songs for others. The royalties are more than enough to keep them in the lifestyle they want, with regular savings tucked away for retirement and college funds. Blaine writes songs under a pseudonym – he doesn’t want fame or media attention. However, when he came up with the idea of creating a Mr. Healthy album to help parents with fussy eaters, he couldn’t resist singing the songs himself. Lizzy would have been so disappointed if he hadn’t. Blaine mulls over the Skype conversation he’ll have next week with the music producers. He’s looked at their proposals for a tie-in TV program, and it’s a very interesting idea. Blaine is thinking of setting up a production company and hiring someone to create the show. He thinks that Sebastian Smythe might be the perfect person for the job. After his truce with Sebastian, Blaine meets him for lunch whenever he and Kurt are in New York City for Buckeye Design’s quarterly board meetings. Sebastian is still a very generous patron of the Monarch Foundation. Blaine now understands better how he ticks, ever since Sebastian told him how he was outed the summer before high school. Sebastian has said many times that the editor-in-chief job at Elle isn’t as interesting now as it was when Blaine headed up Vogue. Sebastian doesn’t have it in him to keep up a serious rivalry with Isabelle Wright. Maybe moving into television is exactly what Sebastian needs. Sure, he has no experience, but Sebastian is smart and will soon pick it up. His business acumen will help keep the concept on the right path. Blaine chuckles when he thinks that Sebastian has gone through every hot gay male model from New York City to Milan. Maybe hot gay actors will be his next challenge. In whichever direction Mr. Healthy goes, Blaine will make sure that it somehow includes his brother. Cooper met Cassie when she was an extra on The Young and Restless. Within six months, they were married and expecting their first child. Cooper quit the show when their second daughter was born. Cooper’s on-screen wife murdered his character, and it was epic. She served him a strawberry milkshake full of sedatives before bludgeoning him to death with his golf clubs. She then rolled his body up in a carpet and had it placed in their storeroom in their Park Avenue complex. Cooper’s dramatic death scene won him a Daytime Emmy Award. Cooper capitalized on this fame and opened up an acting school in LA, where he gives master classes. He supplements his income by doing voice-overs for Doritos. Blaine is sure that Cooper can supply students to audition for the Mr. Healthy show, as long as they don’t do too much pointing. ***** As Blaine reads the latest Vogue issue, he glances over from time to time at Lizzy cooing at Tracy, who’s in the baby swing. Blaine likes the direction Vogue is going under Isabelle’s leadership – the magazine now has a blend of fashion and thought-provoking stories. “Hey, bud. Can I get you anything?” Burt asks, as he enters the living room. “No, I’m good. Come have a seat,” Blaine replies. Burt arrived yesterday to spend time with his grandchildren. He retired from politics three years ago. Burt still works at the garage, but has given Timmy more responsibilities, allowing him to visit them often. Burt says that Key West is good for his heart. While Kurt thinks that his dad means his medical condition, Blaine knows that Burt means that they’re food for his soul. “Have you heard from Bentley recently?” Blaine asks. “Yeah, we’re headed to Lake Superior in June for our annual fishing trip. It’s the perfect time of year to catch trout and salmon.” When Blaine and Kurt had moved to Key West, Isabelle quickly snapped up Bentley to be her personal driver. “Next year, you two must have your annual fishing trip in Key West. You need to check out deep sea fishing. I want a stuffed marlin hanging outside the guest cottage.” When Blaine hears a ping, he grabs his phone and quickly swipes across the screen, eager to read the text message. I’ll be home in an hour. Can’t wait until you’re back in my arms again - K xxxx Blaine smiles at his phone, knowing that the four kisses are for each person in their family. Over the years, Kurt has become quite the master at cheesy texts. Blaine looks lovingly at his screensaver, which is a photo of him, Kurt, Lizzy, and Tracy the first day they returned to Key West. He snaps out of it when he hears Burt clear his throat. “That was Kurt. He’ll be home in an hour. We usually meet him at the dock, if you want to join us.” “How about I stay here with Lizzy and Tracy, and you go on your own? Maybe take the boat out and enjoy the sunset.” “Are you sure?” “Amy and I will be fine holding down the fort. Go spend some time on your own with Kurt.” Blaine jumps up and nods, before running to their bedroom. He wants to look his best for Kurt. He takes a quick shower and uses a little hair product to tame the curls. He puts on his favorite board shorts and the Surfs!Up T-shirt that Sam gave him last Christmas. It’s a size too small, so it clings to his upper body - Blaine loves how Kurt’s eyes darken when he wears it. He pulls out some clothes for Kurt to wear during their sunset sail, knowing that he won’t want to wrinkle his work clothes. When Blaine returns downstairs, Amy has an ice-chest ready for him. Blaine peeps inside and sees drinks and little containers filled with finger food. He then takes a deep breath to tell Lizzy the evening plans. “Hey, angel. I’m going to meet Papa by myself at the dock today.” Lizzy looks up from her coloring book. “Grandpa told me. We’re gonna play Chutes and Ladders, and then have a special picnic in the backyard. You and Papa aren’t invited.” Blaine chuckles and silently mouths ‘thank you’ to Burt. Blaine grabs two beach towels and drives the golf cart to the main dock. Blaine glances at the time on his phone – there’s still ten minutes before the ferry arrives. Blaine reflects upon their decision to build a house on Sunset Island. When they decided to marry, Kurt had wanted to renovate a large house in the historical district of Key West. However, Blaine wasn’t comfortable with living so close to all the tourists. It would have only been a matter of time before fans would have found out where they live, so Blaine suggested that they look for a place at one of the other Keys. If Kurt had still been the way he was the year they met, he would have assumed that Blaine wasn’t happy with their relationship and was getting cold feet about the marriage, and Kurt would have fled to Lima or far-off lands. Thankfully, Kurt has changed and matured over the years, so he took the time to find out why Blaine felt that way. Kurt came up with the perfect solution of building a house on Sunset Island – it gave Blaine a sense of security, but allowed them to enjoy the Key West lifestyle as well. When they signed the deed to the vacant lot, Blaine knew that they could work through anything. There have been discussions about whether to send Lizzy to private or public school (Kurt won that one – Lizzy’s already on the list for the best private education), and how to keep their careers in check so they don’t rule their lives. What makes their day-to-day marriage work is their commitment to figure things out together. As the ferry is getting closer to the island, Blaine feels butterflies in his stomach. When he sees Kurt leaves the ferry, Blaine’s breath hitches at the beauty before his eyes. Kurt looks incredible and effortlessly sexy in his dress trousers and short-sleeved shirt. There’s a scarf draped around his neck, secured by one of his signature brooches. When Kurt smiles at him, a warm tingly feeling flows through Blaine’s body. There is so much caring and love in Kurt’s eyes. Kurt wraps his arms around him and pulls him in tight, and Blaine’s arms immediately clutch onto Kurt. Blaine can feel Kurt rub his back gently as he nuzzles closer into Kurt’s neck. Blaine sighs, feeling as if he were the one who had just arrived home. When Blaine tries to nibble that spot that gets Kurt feeling good, Kurt pulls back. “Where’s the rest of the welcome committee?” “Your dad and Lizzy are having a special picnic in the backyard. Amy’s looking after Tracy in the house. I’m on strict orders not to come home for at least a couple of hours. Let’s take the boat out to watch the sunset.” “God, that sounds so freaking good. I miss our alone time together.” Blaine drives the golf cart to the private dock where they moor their 17’ sailboat. Blaine plans to go to the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show next year to buy a bigger model that will accommodate their growing family. As Blaine makes the safety checks, Kurt artfully changes into his swim trunks beneath the beach towel. When Kurt pulls on his rash guard swim shirt, Blaine’s eyes rake over his body, loving how it fits so snugly. Kurt is still very careful about protecting his skin from the sun, but has loosened up significantly since they moved to Key West. Blaine loves the freckles that now grace Kurt’s face – they’re like sun kisses for each happy time they’ve had together. Blaine pulls up the anchor and starts the engine until they are a few minutes away from shore. He then hoists the masts up, kicks off the engine and sails towards nearby Wisteria Island. Blaine shares the details of his day and what he did with the children. Kurt confirms that he signed up Lizzy for the summer dance program during his lunchtime. Kurt excitedly talks about the new café that is opening up one street over from his workshop, and Blaine makes a mental note to reserve a table for two on its grand opening day. When the boat reaches the little hidden bay at Wisteria Island, Blaine drops the anchor and hoists down the sails. Blaine pours the mojitos into two plastic tumblers, and Kurt spreads out the food nibblies. Kurt kicks his feet up and scooches along the cushioned bench so that his back hits the end, and opens up his arms. Blaine immediately sits in front of him with their feet tangled together along the bench. He loves it when Kurt holds him like this. “I love you,” Kurt whispers. “I love you too, husband… papa of our children… lover… best friend,” Blaine replies. “When I was younger, I had thought that New York City was the only place for me. But now, I’m living my personal teenage dream,” Kurt sighs. Blaine squeezes Kurt’s arms that are wrapped around him. He’s living his dream as well, and life is good… Life is perfect. Blaine looks at the red burning sun as it sinks into the sea. For all the gay bashers, rivals, spies, and especially the paparazzi… They can’t touch them or what they have. *fin* Author notes Author notes Song Blaine sings to Lizzy at dinner – ‘Eat Your Vegetables’ by Little Baby Bum.

Nine months, 42 chapters, 210k words later… and the story is now completed. This story has been an incredible journey, for Blaine and Kurt, and myself. There will be no sequel to this story. I believe I’ve left Kurt and Blaine in a very happy place. However, I’m open to writing one-shots so please give me any ideas you might have.

Hopefully, I’ve given you many hours of enjoyment reading this story. Please take a minute or two to let me know what you think in a review. Whether you’ve read the Epilogue ten minutes after I posted it or ten plus years later, I’ll read it. If you decide to reblog’, it will also bring a huge smile to my face.

Before I wrote this story, I thought this was my one and only Klaine fic, so I went for the long multi-chapter story with my favorite elements included. Go big or go home was my motto! It turns out, I have another Klaine fic to tell – a Downton Abbey inspired AU. If you’re interested, follow me as a writer to get a notification for ‘Westerville Abbey’. I’ll start drafting it next month and won’t post the first chapter until the story is fully drafted. I promise that you won’t need to have watched Downton Abbey to enjoy this historical AU set in the 1910s in Britain. Look out for it sometime this summer.

Thank you to @lilyvandersteen for her beta work, Cassie @cc-graphics for the fic artwork, @sunshineoptimismandangels for giving me the encouragement to write this fic at the start, and @lady--divine for politely answering random questions and reviewing my first smut scene. I also thank every single person who left a review or messaged me. Your words of encouragement and constructive feedback helped to keep me motivated and wake up early on Saturday mornings to post a new chapter.

#my fic: Butterfly Wings

10 notes · View notes

expeditom · 4 years

Text

It was a fine autumn day, when we found the most wonderful lake of the Swiss Alps in a remote valley and encountered a wild vulture.

http://expeditom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ExpediTom_The-Vulture.mp3

[btn text=”Download Audiobook” tcolor=#FFF thovercolor=#FFF link=”http://expeditom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ExpediTom_The-Vulture.mp3″ target=”_blank”]

Spontaneity

ExpediTom in awe taking in the views

The Swiss Alps exert an irresistible attraction. Not only do they amaze overseas’ visitors, but also its inhabitants are in awe at the glance of these spectacular mountains. Every time I return from abroad, I cannot wait to see this majestic sight again.

Summer was quickly retreating and gave way to colder nights and richer earth tones. It was at this time that Philippe called me up on a Tuesday, whether I would like to do another overnighter. For many people this might refer to clubbing and going out. Yet, for me this meant prime time outdoors and sleeping under the stars. It appears to me that there is a turning point in adulthood, when outdoor becomes more important than outgoing.

Introducing Philippe – eagle-eyed, adventurous and one of a kind rascal

Swiss Alps Overnighter

Many visitors in Switzerland are struck by the extensive public transport system. There is hardly any corner you cannot reach. Even though its reliability does not always live up to the expectations, it mostly is a pleasure to just sit back and enjoy the scenery unfolding through the window. The train ride to this remote corner in Graubünden took more than four hours and it was not until midday that we started hiking. It was a leisure hike at first, became a well-trodden path and eventually changed to a single trail.

Provisions: Sweets – check

Rhaetian Railways

Philippe doing his thang

Short-cut or Detour?

We approached a thundering waterfall dropping of the cliff, which we were about to circumvent on the trail. This was the outlet of the lake – our ultimate destination. Unfortunately, our path did not cross the base of this wonderful waterfall, but we had an idea.

The thundering waterfall we attempted to reach

Instead of following the usual path, Philippe suggested taking the detour and try out the straight way up. This would allow us to see the waterfall up close. The route did not seem that difficult from below. Yet, I had some reservations about its feasibility. The last time, I refused to join in on an idea by Philippe during the West Coast Trail in Canada, he was quite bummed. Therefore, I overcame my reservations and agreed.

The thundering waterfall we attempted to reach

Slowly we drew closer to the waterfall along the steep creek. The loose gravel and massive rocks posed some serious difficulties to reach the sight. They reminded me of our Huemul Trek. The further we got, the clearer it was to me that there is now way of finding a short-cut to the lake by going straight up. Furthermore, the lose stones and Philippe in front of me posed a danger beyond our control. My gut feeling told me to turn back and after a couple more hesitant steps, I gave in. I retreated along the same path, partly on my butt and ripped my trousers. Philippe continued a few more meters before he also turned around.

The moment I gave in

Victim of the detour. Usually, I wear underpants. Usually.

Marmots and Rainbows

After eating some snacks at the bottom, where we had left off for the detour, we were refreshed and continued along the ordinary, official hiking trail. Even this one was not easy by any means. It was steep and narrow at times. Slowly gaining altitude, the weather increasingly deteriorated. First, the wind picked up and shortly after the precipitation reached us and caused a rainbow right in front of us.

The weather changed for the bad

Opting for a short break in order to sit out the rain, we found refuge under a ledge along a mountain cliff. Meanwhile, our gaze met the rugged landscape that is the Swiss Alps. The granite peaks were impressive. Suddenly, the marmots whistled loudly, and all disappeared in a rush into their earth holes. Generally, marmots either whistle repeatedly to just raise awareness or once for an immediate threat. A huge shadow appeared in front of us, but we were not sure what it was. While Philippe followed the winged creature as good as possible with his eyes, I grabbed the Sony 200-600mm Tele zoom lens that I heaved up the mountain and put it on the tripod. Paired with the APS-C camera (A6500), this gives you a full-frame equivalent of 900mm – in other words: solid reach. Luckily, the massive bird landed somewhere on the other side and Philippe was able to direct my gaze to the right spot. Thanks bro!

Swiss Alps Marmot

Ledge of the mountain

Sony 200-600mm and vulture

Ledge of the mountain

The bearded vulture

The bearded vulture – critically endangered and only about 40 individuals remaining

Serendipitous Sighting: The Vulture

There it was. About 300 meters away, the magnificent bird sat relaxed on a bolder overlooking and scanning the desolate landscape. It turned out to be a bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus). These enormous creatures can reach a wingspan of up to three meters and used to populate the entire range of the Swiss Alps in the 19th century. With the increasing use of the mountain regions by humans, their food became increasingly scarce. At the same time, vultures were subjected to rigorous hunting. Contrary to popular beliefs, vultures do not kill livestock or steal children. Their diet almost entirely consists of bones from naturally deceased animals. Back in the 19th century, the sovereigns in Switzerland even offered premiums on killed birds. The last vultures were hunted in Visp in 1886 and here is an ornithological journal from 1918 discussing the matter. The bearded vulture was reintroduced in the late 20th century, but is still critically endangered. Nowadays, there are only about 40 individuals living in Switzerland. Therefore, sightings should be reported to the Bearded Vulture Foundation. They might even tell you the name of this specific vulture.

Mind-blowing size difference between an alpine chough and a bearded vulture

Eventually, the bird took flight and after a couple of rounds close to the granite pinnacles it disappeared as quickly as it had emerged. Stoked from this experience, we continued our hike.

Bearded Vulture

Our very own island

On our final stretch to the lake, we came across a fellow Italian speaking hiker. He made us understand that he urgently needed to call someone. After checking reception, Philippe handed him his phone. Neither Philippe nor I understand Italian very well (not every Swiss speaks three national languages). However, the hiker’s exclamation “porca la miseria” clearly indicated certain annoyance. We wished farewell to him and crossed a meadow with lots of sheep. The vulture was clearly not interested in them – at least as long as they were alive.

The Italian speaking

Arriving at the wonderful lake nestled amidst the huge mountain peaks, we scouted the area for a suitable camping spot. It was not long, until we settled for the small island. Who has not dreamed of their very own little piece of heaven surrounded by water? We explored the area, had a look down the waterfall, which we attempted to climb and laughed about our silliness while gazing into the valley below. After observing an approaching thunderstorm in the distance, we quickly set up our tent and ate dinner from the stove. We anticipated the storm would arrive during the night, but so far, the weather at this amazing place cooperated. It was hard to believe that the scenery could change the better or the worse in any way.

Overlooking the valley and the approaching thunderstorm

Magnificent mountain lake and our very own island

Setting up camp

Mediterranean Views

The sun light just hit the surrounding peaks, when we looked out of our tent.

The sun light just hit the surrounding peaks, when we looked out of our tent. We slept well and the night was quiet without any thunderstorm. Immediately, I got up and regretted to have left my down jacket at home. The temperature at 2300 meters above sea level was only slightly above freezing, but at least there was no wind. Grabbing my camera, I climbed up on a small hill behind the island. The dark waters we had experienced the day before, turned with the soft morning light into various shimmering turquoise hues. It was hard to believe the views got even better overnight. This place is without a doubt among my top five camping spot I have ever been.

The most wonderful lake in the Swiss Alps

Edelweiss

Most wonderful lake in the Swiss Alps

Philippe and I enjoyed the scenery for some time, before we had breakfast on our island. While the sun rapidly increased the temperature, we came up with the brilliant idea to go for a swim. Nevertheless, the lake was still freezing cold. The thought crossed my mind how awesome it would look like from above while floating with a mattress in the blue lake. Without further a do, I took my Thermarest Neoair X-Lite and tried to distribute my weight evenly. Yet, there was not much afloat of me anymore. Depending on the perspective, either the sleeping pad provided too little uplift, or I was just too heavy.

Mediterranean views in Switzerland

Floating in the blue

Our very own island

Drying

I was in there too

Gear

Cheers

Now it was Philippe’s turn with his Exped Synmat UL, which has been leaking air since our Huemul trek through an untraceable hole. In contrast to my attempt, Philippe was successful and floated above the turquoise water. Moreover, the plunge allowed Philippe to locate the tiny leak and he fixed it with glue. After drying our sleeping pads and underwear, we packed our tent. We hiked over the next mountain pass and returned to civilisation. By now, the weather changed and dark clouds predicted rain.

the weather changed and dark clouds predicted rain

Overnighter

We embarked on the journey home and contemplated about paying a visit to Robert in Zurich. The three of us had travelled to Canada together the previous summer. The following day was Robert’s birthday but due to our tiredness, we decided to pay only a brief visit. So, we arrived in Zurich with all our outdoor gear – including the smell. After the first few beers at Robert’s place, we changed our plans to stay the night and celebrate with him at 12 o’clock. The night continued with bars, clubs and more drinks, before Philippe and I finally went home with the first train in the morning. We were exhausted, yet it was a weekend to remember. Perhaps one does not outgrow outgoing though. Yet, If I had to decide between outgoing and outdoor, I would opt for the latter. There is so much more to explore.

Summary

Admittedly, outgoing in Zurich was a harsh contrast to the pristine nature and solitude at the lake. There are some other kind of vultures around in those streets. Furthermore, while seeing the dump hole that the Zurich nightlife is, I instantly wished I were back in the mountains.

Nonetheless, this journey was an incredible trip to a wonderful place in Swiss Alps. There were lots of serendipitous moments such as witnessing a wild vulture. This majestic creature truly was my personal highlight. Apart from that, we were lucky with the weather, that no one was injured during out detour and found a small piece of heaven.

Stamp from a bar saying “Erledigt” (German for “Finished/done”)

This was one hell of a trip! Read, watch or listen now! #vulture #overnight #swissalps #outdoor #outgoing It was a fine autumn day, when we found the most wonderful lake of the Swiss Alps in a remote valley and encountered a wild vulture.

#animal #camping #Graubünden #Hiking #outgoing #overnight #Swiss Alps #Switzerland #travel #Trekking #vulture #Waterfall #Wildlife #Zurich

0 notes

jeremystrele · 6 years

Text

Brem Perera · Senior Designer, Fiona Lynch

Dream Job

by Elle Murrell

Fiona Lynch, Director of her eponymous interiors design firm, alongside Senior Designer Brem Perera. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

The 30-year-old is almost two months into his dream job! Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Studio details. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Fiona Lynch is a firm celebrated for its emotive sensibility to materiality and light. (Side note in case you can’t take your eyes off that amazing ring: when Brem was young, he wanted to be a chef; but he ended up marrying one instead!) Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Brem and colleagues at Fiona Lynch HQ in Collingwood. Together the collaborative team works on everything from concepts to design development, documentation, styling and furniture procurement.Photo – Caitlin Mills.

‘Ultimately I find the results are more fruitful when the client is included in more than just the drawing reviews and sign-offs,’ says the senior designer. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

‘There’s music, laughter, collaboration, respect, and the highest regard for thoughtful and original design,’ Brem says of the collaborative culture at Fiona Lynch. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Though Brem Perea may be only two months into the job of his dreams: Senior Designer at Fiona Lynch Interior Design, landing this one has been eight years in the making!

The 30-year-old holds a Bachelor of Architectural Design and Masters in Architecture, both from RMIT. As a diligent and driven final-year student, he reached out to Fiona Lynch, an artistic Melbourne-based interiors firm, where an inventive use of space, materials, and custom detailing are the creative hallmarks of projects, from residential to hospitality and retail. Brem was rewarded for his bold approach, picking up a formative part-time role early in his career.

This first break allowed the young Melburnian to hone his skills, as well as gain a valuable mentor and foster a genuine friendship that would later lead to full-time employment.

In-between this first role, and his recent return to Fiona Lynch Interior Design, Brem was also able to gain a variety of enriching experience at other renowned firms, including Hecker Guthrie and Chelsea Hing.

Today, the ultra-stylish creative shares an inspiring insight into career navigation and staying ahead of the pack in Melbourne’s interior design world.

The most important verb in the get-your-dream-job lexicon is…

Perseverance.

Totally cliché, I know, and it’s the kind of word that someone would have said to me when I was in my 20s and I would have rolled my eyes!

I originally thought of the word ‘patience’ but on further reflection, I realised that I was never really a patient person, it’s just that the two need to work together. You need to be patient in some situations and persevere despite difficulties at the same time. It’s about learning when to work hard, and when to see an opportunity for progression and make a move.

People will recognise you for your work ethic and design integrity, but ultimately it’s up to you to watch your course and make sure you are always striving for more, if you are deserving. Things won’t be just handed to you, and ultimately I don’t believe employers want anyone working for them who isn’t a little ambitious!

I landed this job by…

I landed this job, for the second time, this year!

Eight years ago when I was still at university, I made cold calls and hand wrote to Fiona Lynch. She gave me a chance, when I was just finishing uni, to work with her at her old firm for a few days a week, which is where our working relationship started.

Late last year, I made the decision to move on from my previous job. In many ways, the big decision for me was to actually commit to the move, despite not knowing where I wanted to go. I made a list of firms I was interested in and started making some calls – each contact was the result of a relationship I had formed over the years.

I think today that your personal brand is as important as the brand of the workplace you represent. It was important for me to be able to use the connections I had made to best effect, and to be honest with all the prospective employers about what my expectations were from them, and from myself, moving forward.

Of course, Fiona Lynch was on the top of my list – and our meeting was over lunch. Fiona had always made the effort to keep in contact with me, checking in to see how I was tracking, and discussing my work. This was very important to me – that someone had taken the time to be a mentor and a friend, and was genuinely interested in my design perspective.

I still wanted to make an impression as a prospective employee, so I made a hand-stitched mini folio to give her… sometimes these things start with good intentions until you realise at 1am in the morning that you really shouldn’t pick up the needle and thread if you don’t know what you’re doing!! In any case, it somehow worked out in this concertina style layout and I’m glad that I made the effort!

A typical day for me involves…

… Ninja-style tiptoeing around and getting ready first. I’m usually the first one up, and I’ve found that if I don’t organise clothes for the week on my Sunday, I end up spending a good half-hour choosing between two extremely similar black outfits. I listen to ABC news while getting ready, and scroll through Instagram at the same time. If I can squeeze a cup of tea into the morning routine I’m doing well.

I like to be early to work so I can be alone for 15-20 minutes to start my day quietly. I’ve learned from my partner (who usually does emails at 4am in the morning) that it’s a good way to stay on track and attend to many tasks without people immediately replying to you and interrupting a good flow of thoughts. I like to make a to-do list, and I also like to get in first to set the temperature on the air conditioning: freezing cold is generally how I like it.

The team likes to catch up and do coffee/tea in the morning, and we chat about who went out the night before, where they went and what they saw etc. The days here are never the same, especially so when you are new like me!

We chat as we work and collaborate on every job, which is a new concept for me. It’s a more intimate team than I’ve had in previous jobs, and adjusting to this has been a welcome challenge. To be honest, it can be difficult to adjust when you place pressure on yourself for immediate assimilation, particularly when in a position of leadership. Thankfully for me, Fiona and her team of experienced management have supported me in my new role.

Depending on the job I’m working on, I prioritise what’s most pressing based on my lists. Typically, I like to split the day into at least two jobs: one for the morning, and one for the afternoon. I prefer morning meetings so that the afternoon is freed up to attend to immediate tasks while they are fresh in my mind and then more concept-based work in the afternoon.

Incidentally, after lunch is the perfect time for me to take control of our office soundtrack and hit up some classics. ‘Sorrento Moon’ is a favourite of mine. I waited a good three weeks before I let this one out of the bag, but I’ve received surprisingly favourable reactions.

The most rewarding part of my job is…

… client contact. Of course, completing a job and getting it photographed is an amazing feeling for the entire team, but I really do love to be one-on-one with our clients.

It’s an intimate business, interior design – people let you into their homes, into their wardrobes, into their lives. They spend money, small amounts or large amounts but nonetheless money that they’ve specifically put aside to invest in our guiding minds and hands.

For me, the schedules and imagery can only go so far, but taking a client to a gallery and watching them try out furniture or letting them lie down on the carpet in a showroom the way they would at home is the best part. We guide them yes, and use our knowledge to make the most informed suggestions, but ultimately I find the results are more fruitful when the clients is included in more than just the drawing reviews and sign-offs – they too want to feel part of the project of re-inventing their home, or office, or café!

On the other hand, the most challenging aspect is…

… being both the leader, and the middleman in the project. We dream, design and lead clients on a path that they could not have conceived on their own. In that respect, we are the leaders. But once the process takes form, and the entire cast starts to assemble, we can sometimes be relegated down the line – at the mercy of builders, other trades. The never-ending administration and liaising can take its toll on a project, and your self-esteem. Meanwhile, your client, with whom you first sparked the grand ideas, is watching closely and starting to feel the weight of so many different arms, as well as the costs that come with them and this can make what was a pleasurable experience start to feel murky.

It’s important to stay focused on the goal, and, as we do every day, problem solve rather than compromise along the way to achieving what you and the client first set out to do. At times like that, I like to go back to the original concept that was first presented and see if we have kept true to the course.

The culture of my workplace is…

… friendly, professional and collaborative in every aspect. We encourage and participate in lively discussions on art, movies and fashion. We regularly attend galleries as a team and visit artists at their studios. We often stop by our local pottery school for hands-on therapy and have Tuesday lunchtime meditation sessions at the Mind Room next door to our studio. There is a strict no-eating-at-desks policy, and we often wonder the colourful streets of Collingwood together to absorb the varied and exciting neighbourhood for inspiration.

I’m always…

It’s too early and I’d probably be too embarrassed to ask my ‘new’ colleagues this question! But if history is anything to go by, the answer would probably reference my weird and often-distracting ticks: foot thumping and whistling harmonies to the music are probably high on this list.

On Job Day at school, I dressed up as…

… a chef.

At the time I was very into cooking. Later on, though, I realised it was better to marry a Chef than to be one. So I did!

My idea of the perfect workplace is…

… exactly where I am. There’s music, laughter, collaboration, respect, and the highest regard for thoughtful and original design.

The best piece of advice I’ve received is…

… to share your ideas openly.

When I was younger it was either fear of being ridiculed, or a little voice inside saying ‘keep it to yourself and don’t share it, or someone will take it, and the credit’. Pretty foolish, but I’m sure we’ve all thought that at some point.

The simple fact is that you have to credit yourself with the fact that your ideas come from a place of knowledge, and the more ideas you cultivate, the better they will become. Also, when you share an idea it flourishes; with other people’s creative input it can be challenged and made better, which is ultimately the best outcome for design.

Over the years, our industry…

Exposure to interior design and the huge volume of interior design images available can be overwhelming. So too is the idea of ‘fast’ design, and I see these two things as inextricably linked.

It can almost feel like an overdose of images that become a louder and louder assault on the senses, flicking across your phone as you scroll. I prefer to see and experience as much as I can in the flesh; what you get from an image is entirely different to the experiential quality of a space, which was meant to be walked through and lived in.

At the moment, I’ve gone back to an oldie, but a goodie: books. These are often ones where the focus is not on interiors. ‘Beaton’ a retrospective of Cecil Beaton’s photography is one fabulous example – the faces, the fabric, the sets… all are so inspirational, and there is something more sedate about flipping each page in a book like this and absorbing the contents, rather than giving it the nano-second flick of a thumb!

In the next five years, I’d like to…

… travel and design more. I have a friend with the motto: ‘never-stop-designing’ as you are exposed to different places, ideas, and scenes. They are honest, wise words to live by if design is your passion.

I definitely want to do more design with my hands, while I see travel as integral to becoming a more rounded designer, and person. I’d rather experience a place first-hand than gaze at glossy styled up magazine photos. I find myself visiting Sri Lanka as often as I can – something about the tropical atmosphere, and you can be there in only a few hours most days!

I’m not sure what else I can see happening over the next few years! But with two dogs, a partner, great friends and family, and of course a fulfilling and challenging workplace, life seems like it’s on the right track!

0 notes

itdisneymatter · 7 years

Text

Day 04 - Hollywood Studios

TLDR: Hollywood Studios today. Absolutely non stop for the first five hours, attraction highlights include Frozen Sing Along, Star Tours, & Indy. Oh and some awesome guy won Toy Story Mania :P We missed Tower of Terror due to a late family lunch at a Drive In style Diner. Awesome lunch. Heavy Rain. Rain jackets on. Home. Mall. Purchased a new laptop. Missed dinner with the rest of the group, due to the aforementioned late family lunch. No appetite for dinner. Wrote today's entry on the new laptop - so. much. fastness! Good decision. End.

Hoo-ray for Hollywood!

We had to hit Hollywood Studios early for Jedi Academy registration as you can't book it in advance, which meant skipping breakfast (I really shouldn't even expect anything else, should I?). Kids managed to grab a banana but Ann and myself were good to wait, though we did receive our regular morning coffees courtesy of my parents (or their hotel rather).

Patrick loves learning about everything and has been churning out little tidbits of impressive yet totally useless facts at random intervals since we got here. So I'm introducing a new segment for the blog, Patrick's Fun Fact of the Day. So Patrick's Fun Fact of the Day for today is this:

Water is the only substance which is heavier in its liquid form than when its a solid. Hence why ice floats on water.

(Some research into this does reveal that there are a handful of other unusual substances which exhibit the same property, but I'm gonna give him this one - he's still only 10). Look out for future installments soon!

Once we reached Hollywood Studios, we made a bee-line for the Jedi Academy to register. I remember from last time that the queues and wait were massive, but this time it was much more efficient, which is no bad thing. Had a return time for late afternoon, after lunch, which meant that our morning plan (which was pretty jam-packed), was untouched.

A little light one to start us off, the Path Of the Jedi - a 10 minute video which was a compilation of some of the best bits from all the Star Wars movies. For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire. I've seen the movies hundreds of time but hearing these opening lines from Alec Guinness, sent shivers down my spine. Then seeing Carrie Fisher as the feisty Princess Leia, only added to it. One thing I forgot to mention on the first day was Robin Williams being the sole reason for me choosing The Genie for my Magic Band. There are certain people who absence on this earth you still struggle to get your head around and reminders of them bring are always laced with a little sadness. Williams is one and Carrie Fisher is another. Seeing Princess Leia on screen is amazing and heartbreaking in equal measure. The Last Jedi is going to be a sore one for many people I think. Anyway I digress. Even my brother Michael, who has never really seen the movies (yeah I know), said they looked good and wouldn't mind watching them.

Next up, was For A First Time In Forever, a Frozen Sing Along Celebration. I might have said this before but this was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time (except those funny Buzz-feed posts about people completely misspelling words - that shit is funny, man). The two main characters, some random unknown characters, though not as unknown as the Arendelle baby (family in-joke, sorry), but their patter and puns were just brilliant, I couldn't stop laughing! The show essentially was a karaoke for (most of) the songs from Frozen and the girls, who were singing away without missing a word, loved it. Side note, this scene in the movie is my most favorite-est part ever, and its not because I fancy Elsa (though it kind of is).

And here’s a few more, including Grace & Emily singing along to the finale, which covered the whole audience in a blanket of snow :)

More Star Wars-y goodness in Star Tours, our first Fast Pass, was up next. We were all placed in the first two rows so had great seats! Prior to lifting off in our little spacecraft piloted by the Galaxy's favourite robotic duo, Threepio and R2, they select a random in the audience, who has been identified as the Rebel Spy. And Emily was selected as the Rebel Spy!!! :D Great simulator ride through Kashyyyk, Naboo & the Gungan City and wee BB8 even made an appearance. The kids were howling and screaming every time we dodged a Star Destroyer or Tie Fighter - fantastic ride. Gracie then wanted to buy a Chewie and Lightsaber in the wee shop after the ride, but as we were returning though it best to do it then, instead of carrying it about all day, she wasn't too pleased (kids can be so impatient, haha).

Indy next, and this was the Epic Stunt Spectacular lived up to its name. Not really changed in the last few decades but still a must-see. Even wee Isabella was going really excited by all the explosions and acrobatics. Pictures speak louder than words as they say, so here’s a few from today.

Stopped for a breather as it was pretty non stop since getting to the park, so the guys got some lunch while we just opted for some desserts as we had lunch booked for later in the day at Sci-fi Dine In Theater.

Reach For The Sky!

After everyone was re=energized it was time for a bit of friendly competition in our next Fast Pass: Toy Story Mania, a 3-D shooting game where points mean... well just points, so the highest one wins. I’ve been unbeaten at this for the last two trips so I was psyching myself up beforehand as there were a few new contenders on the block.

The Official Toy Story Mania Leader-board 2017

Gerry: 175400

Corrie: 144200

Michael: 137300

Ann: 128300

Kevin: 121600

Patrick: 90400 (?)

Robert: 78200

Pauline: 73600

Mum: 53600

Wullie: 53400

Alessio: 30200

Gracie: 20400

Emily: 16500

Oh looks who's top... I retain my Toy Story Crown for another year and absolutely smashed last visits score of 143,000. BOOM! Now to find somewhere to get this printed and laminated! :P Just need to continue my streak on Men In Black and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Ill have won the Treble! We just made Beauty and the Beast Musical last show after that, and had pretty poor seats way at the back. It didn’t help that there was a big guy sitting right in front of me, blocking my or rather my camera's, vision. Great show which mirrored the animated classic (just like the live action movie, like seriously, no change or twist at all???).

Although we were right next to The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror after existing Beauty, we had lunch booked, so unfortunately had to skip out on our last Fast Pass. Emily talked non stop about the Tower Of Terror before the holiday so she was more than excited at this point and she absolutely loved it. She was joined with Kevin, Michael, Sarah Jane and Corrie.

Attack Of The 50ft Woman!

I think the first time I seen the iconic poster for this movie was in McFly's - a bar in Coatbridge Main St, which was my first real pub growing up. Some fond memories in there, and many hazy ones. Sci-Fi Dine In Theater - this place was the real deal, Cadillacs for booths, a huge screen showing clips of 50s classics. 50's style waiters and waitresses, milkshakes, retro decor all in the style of a 50's drive in (think Jack Rabbit Slims in Pulp Fiction with a big screen). It was phenomenal and really glad we booked it, 180 days or so ago now. I went for a Reuben sandwich (awesome), Patrick, a Caprese sandwich (possibly slightly better than mine, possibly), Robert settled on a classic cheeseburger and Ann & Gracie split a rack of ribs and a stack of onion rings. Root beer all round save for me who went with a classic Cherry Coke which came topped with a cherry on top (which that wee sneak-thief Gracie snaffled while I was watching the big screen). All served by the lovely Flora. Bonus Fun Fact Of The Day from Patrick: There were 48 cars in total in the restaurant, each representing one of the 48 states in 1955 :D Our car was from California. Highly recommend this one for anyone visiting, if you like that sort of thing.

You are no Jedi.

When we exited it started raining, HARD. We all had rain jackets, including my camera bag (thank you Manfrotto, you wonderful, thoughtful camera bag maker, you). This was similar to the other night, but I supposed we were better prepared for it this time. We found out where the rest of the party was, and caught up with them. They had just came out of The Great Movie Ride, and after a quick discussion, we agreed that heading home would be the best option. We had covered most of the main rides, with only a few smaller ones remaining, so not really missing anything. Leaving meant no Jedi Training, but they call off the Academy in the event of heavy rain anyway, so we may want to catch it again on our return (you could even call it, Return Of The Jedi! Ok, Ill shut up). We said our goodbyes (quickly) to the other party and set off from the park in a nice warm car (which is usually a bad thing, most days). We were comparing it to the day we visited Typhoon Lagoon two years ago, when it absolutely poured and it was such a vivid memory as the traffic was horrendously bad and took forever to get home. Then we ended up on Same road as typhoon lagoon, dun dun DUN! No delays this time around though, which was good.

Now Tuesday is Kids Eat Free at Miller's Alehouse and we had pre-arranged to all go there tonight, well except that I forgot that our lunch was so late at Hollywood, which meant we had not long eaten. So we dropped my mum and dad off at their hotel and said that we'd see how we felt about dinner later on. For the past few days Id been scouring the internet look for a laptop to replace the absolute dinosaur of a machine that I brought with me. The prices in general were pretty terrific, so I'd narrowed down a few from Best Buy and we made a plan to go pick one up. We got to the shop, where we were instantly set upon by a server asking what I was looking for, I explained the particular model, and she showed them to me. She then asked what it was for and I explained it was for internet and some photo editing. She then directed me towards some laptops at double the price, saying that these ones had touchscreen and had a better processor (it actually had the same processor, but I let it go). I mean don’t get me wrong she was pleasant enough, but don’t try and sell people Office by calling it 'Microsoft' - you either don’t know your stuff or that’s just a sales tactic to trip anyone up who doesn't know any better. I got the feeling it was the later after the hard sell on everything else, which is just plain wrong.

The thing is I wasn't planning to buy a laptop over here but after seeing the prices thought it would be good idea, but I really didn't want to spend a lot on it. To put it in perspective, the one I was looking at was $449 - the same spec machine in PC World back home was 500 quid! I don’t think the assistant really knew what she was talking about in all fairness, though it didn't help with Ann calling Lightroom, LIGHTNING ROOM! Haha, it was like that sketch from The Interns where Vince Vaughn kept saying 'On The Line' instead of Online. Wee soul :P

Going out to the Mall we got stuck in traffic, which meant that going for dinner was definitely out for us. Werent particularly hunger still, so just picked up some snacks, on the way home. When I unpacked and set up the laptop (it took a while to download and install Lightning Room ;) but I was more than impressed. Example - on the first night it took over 4hrs to download around 500 images from a 16Gb memory card. This laptop took less than 10 minutes to do the same. It actually seems to run faster than my Mac at home, so might need to look into a wee upgrade in the near future. On a complete unrelated note, Ann is the most beautiful-est, prettiest girl in all the seven kingdoms... ;)

To round off today, here’s our first wee family pic from Memory Maker taken this afternoon (when it was still sunny :)

0 notes

junker-town · 7 years

Text

What lessons have we learned from the 2017 NBA Playoffs?

We’re two weeks into the 2017 NBA Playoffs. In this week’s Flanns & Zillz we consider the surprises and truths that have been exposed so far.

By the end of Tuesday, all eight NBA teams still alive will have a second round game under their belts. That makes this a good time to reflect what’s happened in the NBA playoffs so far.

FLANNERY: We're through the first two weeks of the NBA playoffs, and while the games get more meaningful from here on out, they are never as hectic as the first round. The first round is a singular entity within the larger playoff ecosystem and has a pace all its own. It's more random and charmingly weird.

I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted by the end of the first round. It makes me feel like the playoffs truly start in the second round because that's when normalcy and the scheduling snap into place.

But before we get there, let's revisit what we've learned.

Let's start with the Most Valuable Player race that is still raging. We had every narrative and every argument come to life during the first round and there still is no consensus.

You and I both had Russell Westbrook. I felt bad about shortchanging James Harden, who really didn't do anything to lose his hold on the top spot, and I wasn't at all surprised by the 4-1 series outcome. Is it wrong that I still back Russ?

ZILLER: Not at all. Nothing about the series made it clear Harden is more valuable than Westbrook right now. The Thunder continued to revolve around Westbrook in every way; the Rockets continued to be better than the Thunder because of Harden's excellence and a superior supporting cast. That series was essentially a microcosm of each team's season (though the Thunder obviously had a good deal of success in the regular season).

Kawhi Leonard, however, certainly gave his MVP voters great cover by completely dominating on both ends in a surprisingly competitive Spurs-Grizzlies series. (Let’s ignore Game 1 of Rockets-Spurs for now.) I thought LaMarcus Aldridge would play a bigger role, but he struggled to make an impact. San Antonio revolves around Kawhi, and boy is he amazing. LeBron was also phenomenal in the Cavaliers' sweep. We started the playoffs with four amazing contenders for MVP, and we're still there even though one has been eliminated.

What was your biggest surprise of the first round? The Grizzlies' ability to stick with San Antonio for six games threw me off, as did the Bucks' friskiness against Toronto.

FLANNERY: I expected the Bucks to be frisky and the Raptors do love to make things hard on themselves. As I said earlier in the series, if anyone can get blown out like they did in Game 3 and come back and a win a series, it's the Raps. God love them. So that didn't surprise me, although it did satisfy my appetite for sluggo basketball. I've had enough now, thanks.

The Grizz were more surprising to me, but that's probably my fault. I wasn't fully in tune with how good this version of the Grizzlies has become and how they'd give the Spurs problems. A lot of that stemmed from trying to keep Mike Conley in check and that will be a recurring theme for as long as San Antonio is in the playoffs.

I've moved from undecided to on board with keeping the Grizz mostly intact, by the way. Your piece changed my mind.

I am far less certain about the futures for Indiana and Chicago. The Pacers kind of have trade Paul George now, don't they? And the Jimmy Butler saga feels like it needs resolution.

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

ZILLER: Yes, Indiana needs to trade Paul George. Without Larry Bird or a reasonably short path to contention, he's too huge a flight risk to leave in free agency in one year. Once we find out if PG-13 makes All-NBA -- I think he won't -- the Pacers need to offer the biggest extension they can. If George demurs, trade him and build around the return and Myles Turner.

Butler's a tougher decision because he's under contract an additional year. I think you keep Jimmy going into 2017-18 and weigh how the season goes before potentially shopping him at the deadline and making a decision next summer based on where the team is. I'm not convinced Butler's value will decrease closer to his free agency -- you listen now, but there's no real rush for the Bulls in my estimation.

Where are you at on those guys and the Hawks' future?

FLANNERY: Bleak. If I have to choose any of their futures, I'll take Indiana because of Turner, but I like Milwaukee's much better and Miami is now dangerous. Teams come up, teams go down. It's the fundamental nature of the league.

Let's look out West. Safe to say we both think the Blazers will be a factor next year with Jusuf Nurkic and a few roster-clarifying moves? I'm really interested in what Sam Presti has up his sleeve now. The Thunder can't maintain the status quo and they know that.

And the Clippers ... this is gonna get ugly.

ZILLER: I think we need to see what exactly Neil Olshey does to clarify the roster before I'm on board with Portland to be better than what they've been, which is a team winning 45 or so games. They still don't have perimeter defense, and one month per season of strong play doesn't instill a great deal of confidence in Jusuf Nurkic in me. Evan Turner seems like a difficult contract to move, no?

I'm extremely interested to see what both Olshey and Presti do to gain an edge. The Thunder so badly need shooting, but Blake Griffin might be available. Do you chase that?

If I can briefly bring in a team outside the playoff picture, it's a critical summer for Denver, too: they know Nikola Jokic is their centerpiece now, and they can build around that. The Nuggets chased Dwyane Wade last summer, and I wonder if they'll be looking to vets again.

Where are you at on the Clippers? I'm usually on Team Run It Back, but that payroll with the repeater tax is simply outrageous. The West isn't getting easier.

FLANNERY: I think the Clippers’ time is done. It just can't keep going on like this with the same ending year after year after year.

I'm going to assume that Chris Paul comes back, but beyond that I really don't know. J.J. Redick can have his pick of situations and so can Griffin. And what of Doc Rivers? There seems to be some uncertainty there.

They could all come back, of course, but it seems unlikely that everyone signs up for another year or two of this. Just don't ask me what they would do instead of Option Run It Back, because I don't have any useful suggestions at the moment.

Sure, I'd look into Blake if I was OKC. The list of NBA superstars who grew up in Oklahoma starts and ends with Griffin, and so might the list of stars who would seriously investigate the Thunder's situation this summer. Presti is resourceful and I'm sure he has several viable plans under construction. I highly doubt any of them are labeled, 'Blake or Bust.' If you are a roster management nerd, then what Olshey and Presti do this summer is fascinating.

Ah yes, Denver. It's always a critical time for Denver. They finally have a centerpiece player in Jokic, and I am quite fond of much of their young talent. They really need to figure out that point guard situation, though. And the veteran logjam. I'd like the Nuggets to be good again. That was a great basketball market back in the day and I think it can be again with the right combinations.

Let's spin this forward. What second round series has your attention? I'm all in on the East right now.

ZILLER: Spurs vs. Rockets should be educational. Houston brought the beatdown to San Antonio in Game 1, but series are long and full of twists. The Spurs will have something to say. We’ll see if the Rockets can hold up. Cavaliers vs. Raptors could get interesting too, assuming Monday’s game was more about Toronto’s typical Game 1 malaise. (I know better than to doubt LeBron. Man, what a rookie mistake not picking Cleveland to make it back to the Finals.) It's pretty clear that Wizards-Celtics will be a series of barn burners.

The good thing about the second round is that none of these teams would really be plunged into crisis with defeat. I mean, the losers may make some real changes (especially in the face of blowouts). But there are no referenda of the teams' very existence as we saw with the C's, Clippers, Raptors, Hawks, and Pacers in the first round. Now it's just basketball.

FLANNERY: True, but I do think the Raptors (and the Celtics to some extent) are still on the clock. If the Raps get dusted by Cleveland in five games, can they really afford to pay everyone? On paper, I liked their chances, but then Game 1 happened and I'm reminded of just how hard it will be to take down Cleveland. Just give me one game where the Cavs need to play up to their potential to win. That's not too much to ask, is it?

I'd also like to talk myself into Utah giving Golden State a run, but I think the Dubs are peaking at the right time. You see anything so far that makes you think we're not getting Round 3 of the Cavs-Warriors in the Finals?

ZILLER: No. You?

FLANNERY: No.

0 notes