#i did find all of my supplies i bought like two years ago when i thought id use them too

[gingiesworld]

At My Worst

Chapter One

18+ MINORS DNI

Warnings: Reader is intersex.

Taglist: @username23345

Leigh Shaw X Fem Reader

After Matt had died, I never truly thought that I would be happy again. Even when I had tried to move on with Danny. Yes, he is my dead husband's brother. Even with Danny I was never free from the grief. The hold Matt had over me even after learning what I did about him and a colleague. So it ruined everything between Danny and I so I cut ties with him. Hoping it would help me find my solace in a dark place. And I did, I found her unexpectedly.

Leigh was just trying to do her usual things after she had cut every tie that she had with her dead husband and his brother. Wanting to move on with her life, wanting to feel free. That was when she bumped into Y/N unexpectedly.

"Hi, are you ok?" She asked Leigh as she steadied her on her feet.

"I'm ok." Leigh nodded as she smiled stiffly.

"Are you sure?" She questioned as Leigh nodded unsurely. "Do you want a drink and maybe you can tell me a little about that sad life you have."

"How do you know it's sad?" Leigh challenged as Y/N smirked.

"Just by looking in your eyes. You smile tells people you're ok but your eyes tell another story." She told her. "I'm Y/N."

"Leigh." She took Y/N's hand and shook it.

"So, how about that drink?" Y/N questioned as Leigh nodded. The two making their way to the bar. "So what are you having?"

"A martini please." She requested as Y/N ordered a beer.

"So, why do you look like the saddest person here?" Y/N questioned as she took a sip of her beer.

"How can you tell I'm sad?" Leigh smirked as Y/N chuckled.

"Because you look sadder than I feel." Y/N smiled as Leigh sighed.

"I lost my husband a couple of years ago." Leigh spoke honestly. "I uh recently also cut ties with his brother who I had a sexual relationship with."

"Wow." Y/N whispered as Leigh chuckled.

"I know. It's messed up." She waved off as Y/N shook their head.

"No, it was just a lot to digest." Y/N told her. "We all have our different ways of grieving. You tried to move on and it just didn't work out."

"You sound like you know." Leigh chuckled as Y/N nodded.

"Well, I never lost a wife but I lost my family." She stated as Leigh gave her look of sadness. "It was about three years ago, I was on tour and we were helping the villagers with supplies and we were ambushed. None of us expected it but only a couple of us survived the ambush."

"I'm sorry." Leigh whispered as Y/N shook her head.

"It's ok." She smiled. "I was honorably discharged and now I am working as a prison guard."

"Seriously?" She questioned as Y/N nodded.

"Yeah, it's the kind of job I'm used to." Y/N shrugged as Leigh nodded. "But what I'm trying to say is that you won't be sad forever Leigh." Y/N stood up and paid for their drinks before they started to leave. Leigh jumping to her feet and following them.

"Y/N, can I see you again?" She asked with a nose scrunch.

"I would love that." Y/N smiled before writing down their number on a piece of paper from the pad in their pocket. "Text me when you get home safe." With that Y/N had left a smiling Leigh and for the first time she felt like she was genuinely happy. Like meeting Y/N was meant to be.

And so the two had conversed a lot through text a lot. Amy even had suspicions as she would see Leigh smile brightly as she typed away on her phone.

"Who have you been texting?" She questioned her daughter. "You have been smiling at your phone for over a week."

"Y/N." Leigh stated as she shrugged.

"Who is this Y/N?" Jules questioned as she joined in the conversation.

"We met last week at the bar. She bought me a drink and we just started talking." Leigh told them.

"Do you like her?" Amy questioned as Leigh laughed. "There's nothing wrong with it if you do Leigh. You deserve to be happy and if this Y/N makes you happy, go for it."

"Yeah." Leigh smiled. "Even just by text she makes everything not feel as dark anymore. I don't want to cry or scream all the time anymore."

"You're moving on." Jules smiled softly as Leigh nodded.

"I am moving on." Leigh told them both before she decided to make a bold move and ask Y/N out on their days off. "I'm going to start being the source of my own happiness."

"That's awesome." Amy smiled as she hugged Leigh. Although they all would miss Matt dearly since he was a part of their family for so many years, Leigh deserved to live a happy life out of the shadow of grief.

So she bit the bullet, asked Y/N out to go to the same bar they had met. Leigh was nervous as she stood at the bar, wearing a dark green dress as she nursed a martini, hoping to calm her nerves.

"Hey pretty lady." She heard someone speak beside her.

"I am waiting on someone." Leigh stated bluntly without sparing a glance.

"I know." Y/N smirked. "Hi." Leigh smacked her arm as Y/N just laughed at her. "But seriously, you look beautiful Leigh."

"Thank you." Leigh blushed as she ordered another drink and a beer for Y/N.

"So, you said you wanted to talk." Y/N smiled as she took a sip of her beer.

"I think I like you." Leigh blurted out. "Like a lot because I haven't this light in a very limg time and you only live once right."

"Leigh." Y/N started softly as Leigh sighed shaking her head.

"I'm sorry." She downed her drink. "I just that we may be had something special and thought I would take a leap but you don't feel the same. I get it Y/N. See you around." With that Leigh started to walk away as Y/N paid for their drinks before chasing after Leigh.

"You didn't let me finish Leigh." Y/N called after her as Leigh didn't stop running from her. Y/N reached for Leigh's wrist and turned her around to face her. Lips meeting in an unexpected kiss under the moonlight as cars passed by. Not caring about the people passing by. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since the moment we met Leigh." Y/N confessed as their foreheads rested against one another. "It's just not easy for me to show my feelings since I have been closed off for so long from everyone. Until you." Y/N gazed into her green orbs. "You make me want to be a better person than I ever was."

"You're a war hero." Leigh stated as Y/N shook her head.

"I'm barely a hero Leigh, but if you would let me, I can be your hero." Y/N spoke as Leigh chuckled. "I know. I'm a cheesy clichè."

"Yeah you are." Leigh smiled as she calmed down. "But I would love nothing more." Y/N leaned in and kissed her once more, making a silent promise to make her happy for as long as they could.

#leigh shaw x you #leigh shaw x reader #leigh shaw imagine #leigh shaw #elizabeth olsen x female reader #elizabeth olsen x reader #wandavision #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff

[feelbokkie]

Random dates with BF!SKZ

☀️Feelbokkie M.list☀️

genre: nauseating amount of fluff

pov: 2nd person

description: Random dates you would go on with BF!SKZ

pairing: bf!skz x reader

warnings: mention of drinking

word count:  1,348

©feelbokkie (2023) — all rights reserved. reposting/modification of any kind is not tolerated.

방 찬 (Bang Chan)

Card Sleeving

You cannot tell me that this man did not collect Pokémon cards at some point in his life

I feel like he would just keep them in a box somewhere

It wasn't supposed to be a date originally

He just asked if you had any plans for the next day and you told him you had to sleeve and put your pcs in a binder bc your collection was also in a box somewhere

So he said he would come over to help you

He just wanted to spend time with you

He loves spending time with you, he doesn't care what you two do

And you remember finding a box of his pokemon cards when you were over one time

💡

You snuck over while he was still at the company and stole his Pokémon cards

Sat there and counted all of them before going out to buy binders and the appropriate sleeves

Along with a few new packs of cards

Set everything up the next day before he came over: the show you two were watching was queued and ready to go, supplies on the table, and wine chilling in the fridge

Chan said he would bring lunch

"Here, I grabbed you some more cards from the office." "I have a surprise for you too!"

Is surprised and touched

And excited

You two spend the rest of the night organizing your respective collections

이 민 호 (Lee Min-Ho)

Couple's Cooking Class

You mentioned once that you wanted to go to a cooking class and he suggested that you two go to one together

You said yes because you love helping him out in the kitchen

You bought matching aprons for the class

Thought it would be easy since Minho knows how to cook already

Boy, were you wrong

Turned into a menace in the kitchen

You didn't mind, you were having fun

You two made a mess in that kitchen

Pretty sure the instructor was just waiting for you two to set the whole building on fire

Somehow didn't

Manages to out cook the 3 star Michelin chef

"This was fun but I can teach you how to cook if you're serious about learning."

서 창 빈 (Seo Chang-Bin)

Buy Stuff For Each Other (Idk what else to call it)

It was a trend a couple of years ago where couples would go to Target and seperate, buying things for their partners following a prompt to see how well they know them

You'd take it one step further and do the challenge at a mall

You would set a budget specifically for him because you know he would just go overboard and buy expensive things like a Cartier bracelet

He will still go over the budget and try to say it was on sale

He is bouncing from joy on his way back to the dorm

"I'm hungry, should we order each other food too? We can have it delivered so it'll be ready by the time we get home." "I'm dating a genius."

He went overboard with his shopping

You should have known better, he goes crazy when it comes to spoiling you

Is ecstatic with the things you bought him

"Wow, my baby knows me so well!" "Bin--" "I'm going to show the guys! They're going to be so jealous."

황 현 진 (Hwang Hyun-Jin)

Comedy Show

He's always laughing so it's perfect

He insists on sitting in the front

"Jinnie, we can't sit in the front." "Why not?" "Crowd work." "That's exactly why I want to." "Did you forget who you were in the last few minutes?" "What?" "You're an idol." ."..I'll make up a fake job if I get asked." "What if the comic recognizes you." "We lie."

You two ended up sitting up front

Luckily, nobody in the audience recognized him

The waiter who brought your food might have, but they didn't make a big thing of it

You eventually get called on for crowd work because of how much Hyunjin was laughing

"God, you're so pretty. What's your name?" "Sam!" "Where are you from Sam?" "Seoul!" "What do you do? I'm an artist". "That's cool, why kind of artist?" "...The normal kind?" "Are you not sure?"

Real smooth

Pretty sure he didn't breath the entire time you were at the show, he was just laughing the whole time

"Seungmin should get into stand up, he'd kill!" "Yeah, and you'd be his first victim."

한 지 성 (Han Ji-Sung)

Pretend To Be Tourist

He will try to convince you to dress up like a tourist too

"We have to be fully dedicated, babe." "Okay, but a fanny pack??" "It ties the whole look together, don't you think?" "Whatever you say, Ji."

Buys disposable cameras because why not

"Let's only speak English to really sell it. Loser has to pay for lunch."

Which will be easier for you if you're a native English speaker

You go to all the touristy destinations

Even buy souvenirs

You two also get suviouners for the guys as a joke

Snacked on street food and pretend like you never had it before

Walked by a few Stay and he got offended that they didn't recognize him until you reminded him that he was in disguise

Took a picture of them to post on bubble later and tease them

Saw a few street performances

Had to physically restrain him from joining them when a skz song or a girl group song came on

He was doing so well only speaking English until an old lady came up to him and asked for directions

"That doesn't count!" "That definitely counts." "Y/N...!"

이 용 복 (Lee Felix Yong-Bok)

Paint Pottery

It would be a cute date at a place like Color Me Mine

Couldn't decided if you should make a little animal figurine or a mug so you just did both

Felix chose an animal that reminded him of you and you chose a baby chick for obvious reasons

Ended up making two mugs each so you would both have matching sets

Decided to make mugs for each other instead

Both of you made the mistake of wearing white and ruined your clothes

Felix came up with the idea of making a heart with both of your thumb prints on the bottom of your mugs

Secretly Felix wrote "I love you" at the bottom of your mugs so you would have a message every time you finished drinking

You painted a heart the bottom of his for the same reason

Neither of you had a theme but somehow made them match perfectly

Felix keeps the mugs that stay at his dorm in his room so nothing happens to them

김 승 민 (Kim Seung-Min)

Watch Horrible Movies

Trash movie night!

You two just pick out the worst movies you could think of

Just a date night where you two could be haters

Thought of the idea for a full date night of watching bad movies after making Seungmin watch most of the Twilight series and watching his reaction

Loaded up on snacks and junk food

Made a fort

Started off with Breaking Dawn part 2

"Was she not a baby literally two days ago??" "This is probably one of the most fucked up parts of the whole series, Min." "Probably? That's a fetus and a grown man! He imprinted on her when she was fresh out of Bella!"

There are a lot of movies so you also made a drinking game out of them halfway through

"I'm going to die of alcohol poisoning at this rate." "I can't tell if the movie is actually good or I'm just too drunk." "I'm nowhere near drunk enough for that yet. You're just a lightweight, Y/N."

Woke up the next morning so hungover

양 정 인 (Yang Jeong-In)

Make Matching Hoodies

Simple date, but cute af

You sent him a TikTik of another couple doing it and he agreed that you should make them too

Insisted that you two get different colors so you two wouldn't accidentally swap hoodies

You both know you were going to steal his a few times anyway

You were in charge of ironing the patches on, Innie was in charge of sewing them in place to make them more stable

Played music while you were working

And ordered food

it turned into an impromptu karaoke night

Innie always takes the hoodie with him on tour and wears it to sleep

—

Buy me a coffee?

#feelbokkie writes #stray kids #skz #chan #bangchan #bang chan #lee know #minho #lee minho #changbin #seo changbin #hyunjin #hwang hyunjin #han #jisung #han jisung #felix #yongbok #lee felix #lee yongbok #lee felix yongbok #seungmin #kim seungmin #i.n #jeongin #yang jeongin #x reader #skz headcanon #stray kids headcanon

[laurenairay]

Hello lovely! 1.5k is huge, congrats 🥳🥳♥️♥️ would you do the passionate kiss prompt with Jack Hughes please? ♥️♥️♥️ Love you Lauren!!

Passionate Kiss – Jack Hughes

Words: 950

Love you Kayla, even more so for choosing Jack for this one! I really hope you like it!

~

“Guess who’s finally coming back to the lake this weekend?”

You turned your head to face your friend, raising an eyebrow. “Who?”

She just grinned. “The Hughes boys. Bringing a few friends like usual. They’ll be here for at least two weeks, from what I hear.”

You fought to keep composure as your other friends in earshot whooped. “And where did you hear that from?”

“The cleaner they hired to give it an airing out is the same one my mom used yesterday for our guest cabin across the lake. She told me just now, because she knows that we all hang out while we’re up here at the same time.”

She wasn’t wrong about you all hanging out together. It had been a tradition as long as you’d known your friend that she would invite your friendship group up to her family lake house in the summer, drifting in and out over the various months as you pleased, and when the Hughes brothers bought their neighbouring cabin (as neighbouring as completely out of sight but the closest other people around could be) a few years ago, your friend had made a habit of inviting them over for at least a couple of cookouts and parties.

It was a highlight of the summer, that was for sure.

But not the only highlight.

“Looks like we’re having a party on Saturday night then!” you said cheerfully, earning a roar of agreement all round.

~

By the time Saturday rolled around, you were more than a little nervous. How you’d managed to keep your secret locked down for these past few summers you had no idea – hell, you didn’t even know each year if it was going to happen all over again, but you knew you’d find out one way or another tonight. You’d spent most the day going on supply runs with your friends, making sure you were stocked up for the party as well as the inevitable hangover the next day, before cleaning the cabin and setting up the expansive backyard with beer pong and a fresh firepit and coolers ready for ice. You knew by the sheer amount of alcohol you’d bought that the ‘guest list’ had expanded way beyond what you’d originally thought, but you couldn’t complain. If tonight turned out to be a non-starter then at least you’d have plenty of distractions right?

And distractions there were. 9pm rolled around to music blaring, drinks flowing, and you’d already won two out of three beer pong matches. Your gracious defeat allowed you to bow out of the running and grab a bottle of water, needing to clear your head a bit as it was barely late into the evening at all, heading down to the side of the cabin where the non-alcoholic drinks were being kept.

It wasn’t until a pair of familiar hands gripped your hips that you realised exactly who had arrived in your absence.

“Jack,” you breathed.

“Hi baby,” he murmured.

You just leaned back against him, letting his arms wrap around your waist as he pressed a few hot kisses into your neck. This was your secret – your summer fling with Jack Hughes. Ever since that first summer that the brothers had bought their summer lake house, you’d hooked up with Jack the entire time he was up here. After the first year you’d thought it was a fluke, but every year since, Jack had always approached you immediately and the two of you carried on like you’d never stopped.

To some people it might be strange, to have so little time with him. To most people, it wouldn’t be enough, knowing that he was hooking up left, right, and center when he was in New Jersey. But to you, having him as solely yours in his summer visits was enough. In these weeks, he was yours and yours alone, even if no-one else knew.

“I’ve missed you,” he sighed into your ear.

You turned in his arms, looping your own arms around his neck. “I missed you too. I’m glad you made it up here.”

“I wouldn’t miss these weeks with you for anything,” he said seriously.

These weeks with you? Not these weeks with his brothers and friends?

“I heard you’re here for two weeks?” you asked, playing with the ends of his hair.

“Yeah, two weeks. And I’m going to make them count,” he grinned.

Your breath hitched in your chest just as he leant down to take your lips in a kiss, consuming you right from the get-go. You couldn’t stop the groan that tore from your throat, kissing him back just as eagerly, threading your hands through his hair just how you knew he liked. As you tugged gently at his hair, Jack groaned himself, and backed you against the wall of the lake house, aligning your bodies perfectly as he slid his tongue past your lips. It was dizzying, to be kissed so passionately, to be desired in the way that you knew Jack desired you. How could you ever resist this? How could you ever say no to the only guy that sent you to heights like he did?

“Fuck, I need you,” Jack groaned softly as he tore himself away from your lips, resting his forehead against yours as he panted.

“Already?” you teased, more than a little breathless yourself.

“It’s all I’ve been thinking about since my season ended. You’re all I’ve been thinking about,” he admitted.

Well…that was new.

But it was something to think about when his large hands weren’t spanning your waist.

“I’ll head in the side door and you head in the back?” you suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jack grinned.

#my writing #lauren celebrates 1.5k #jack hughes blurb #jack hughes imagine #jack hughes fic #follower milestone

[desertdollranch]

My DIY WellieWishers Playhouse

A few weeks ago, I found this Our Generation brand beach house at a secondhand shop. A little doll playhouse has been on my wish list for a long time, specifically because I wanted to renovate it into a customized dream home for my five dear sweet Wellies!  

I love these little kiddos. They’re so cute and charming. I had originally only planned to get Emerson, but then I found Willa at a thrift store and couldn’t resist adding the rest after that. And I love making clothes for them, including these particular outfits. 

Ultimately I would have been thrilled to find the actual WellieWishers playhouse secondhand. 

But I’ve never seen it in any thrift store. And this is retired so it’s as expensive on the secondhand market as it was when it was available new from American Girl. 

I also noticed, when looking at other people’s photos of their dolls using this house, that it’s actually very small. It’s not meant to accomodate all the Wellies. 

So I started looking for an Our Generation brand house, since they make tons of larger-scale doll house playsets. They’re actually made for 18 inch dolls, but they fit 14 inch Wellies a bit better. The Seaside Beach House playset seemed like a good choice. Here’s how it originally looked:

When bought new, it comes with lots of small accessories, mostly food and dishes. The one I found and bought didn’t come with any of the accessories, which was fine. If there were any that I absolutely needed, I could make them. 

Once I acquired it, I got to work with the renovations.

Kendall helped me out, since she’s crafty and likes to make things. 

First I took out the plastic bench. It folds out into a bed that can fit one 18 inch doll or two 14 inch dolls. Then I moved the kitchen around so that the shelves fit under the window and open up the floor, making it all one room instead of two rooms.

This did unfortunately disconnect the power source for the overhead light and all the little kitchen and beach sound buttons. But I plan on replacing them with maybe something better.

Once everything was rearranged, I painted and wallpapered the walls. Then I added all the little accessories. 

With the kitchen moved, the little porthole window is above the sink, which looks nice. I added a roll of paper towels and some hand soap by the sink. 

The Wellies are only six years old and not allowed to have very hot things that can bun, so their stove and oven are for pretend play. 

The fridge is “real” and holds their snacks. To the left of that you can see the oven and underneath that, a second oven that I told the Wellies is actually a dishwasher. I took the handle off until I decide how to make it look like a dishwasher.

With the countertop underneath the row of windows, the plants can get some nice direct sun. To the left of the plants is the girls’ microscope. On the upper shelves are gardening supplies.

Emerson’s job is to water the potted herbs. 

The top shelf is for toys. I had a great time compiling all these mini toys for the girls: two little rabbits, a troll, real metal toy trains, a koosh ball, a slinky, and dinosaurs. The second shelf holds dishes. The bottom shelf has mini American Girl books and magazines, plus some microscope slides, a deck of cards, and a flower press.  

This little bench, and the stuffed lamb, were also recent thrift store finds. My aunt made the two stuffed chickens. I made the felt cactus. 

It’s kind of small and will only sit one Wellie or two smaller dolls, but it’s too cute to not use. 

I made the pom pom rug also. The carpet is a rectangle of soft velour fabric. I’m still undecided whether to use carpet or to make a faux wooden floor. 

The door has a screen in the window, and the window moves up and down to let in a breeze. Attached to the outside screen is a little plastic bug. 

On the right of the door are two seahorse-shaped hooks to hold jackets and hats.

The door locks, too!

There’s still room outside to put up the table and chairs I made for the Wellies last summer. 

And there’s room for younger siblings to come by and play. 

Behind the house is the wooden tree swing, a perfect place to enjoy the evening breeze.

#wellie wishers #wellie wishers crafts #dollhouses #doll playsets #our generation

[s0urw00lf]

All the wrong things

Edward Cullen x reader

Y/n L/n just moved to forks with her uncle looking for a new start after running from her past.

Y/n had just arrived in forks Washington after a long drive. She had hoped that this would be her final destination for a long time. She had spent her whole life running, she was able to find out about her last living relative, Charlie swan. Once she reached out to him he immediately agreed saying he'd appreciate some company in the house as his daughter had chosen to live with her mom permanently. She pulled into the driveway of Charlie's house seeing him standing outside waiting for her arrival. She got out of her car and walked over to charlie awkwardly. " hey kid, it's been a while" he said bringing her into a warm hug and making y/n sigh in comfort. it had been forever since she had a hug, let alone from a family member. "yeah I don't even remember it here, it's been about what like fifteen years?" she asked with a slight chuckle pulling from the hug. "somewhat" Charlie replied. they both stood in what felt like a comforting silence as they both aren't very talkative people. charlie then moved toward her car " Need help with your bags?" he asked, Y/nshook her head "oh no, I didn't bring much" she lied. truth is she didn't have much to bring, all of her old belongings were locked away in a home, in the town she was sure she'd never be welcome back in.

At that y/n grabbed her things from her car and followed charlie through the house. the house wasn't extravagant like her old one but it was a home and that was all she could ask for. as if he was reading her mind charlie said "it's not much compared to your old home I'm sure" he said having a slight blush on his cheeks which y/n could tell was from embarrassment. "its lovely charlie" she said. charlie smiled a bit and lead her to the bedroom he had set up for her. "id remember you mentioning you liked painting so I got some supplies." he said pointing to a small art station in the corner. Y/n smiled and thanked charlie while looking around the room. charlie left, he wasn't one to hover which Y/n was thankful for. She was able to get settled in fairly quickly so she let herself wander around the house and get comfortable with the layout. She was in the kitchen when she heard a honk come from outside, she went to a window and saw two men both tan with long black hair but one older in a wheelchair, and the other much younger, maybe around her age.

Y/n went outside to greet the guests when Charlie introduced her " Uh y/n this is Jacob and Billy Black" he said gesturing to the two, "Jacob, Billy meet y/n, my niece" he said and y/n waved at the two. The older man billy spoke up "it's about time your here, he hasn't shut up about you since he found out you were comin' " he said teasingly, the two older men started tussling with each other Making y/n turn to Jacob "are they always like this?" She asked chuckling. He smiled "it gets worse with old age" he replied. "I'm Jacob by the way, which you already know. We were like best friends for the week you were here years ago" he said laughing. She smiled "you must have an excellent memory," she said shaking her head and looking down at her feet. "No I just have a lot of pictures and stories," he said. "Just from one week?" She asked now looking him in the face with her eyebrows raised. He chucked "you wouldn't believe it, I'll have to tell you some someday," he said "yeah for sure" she replies smiling. Charlie and billy came back towards the two teens "so y/n, how do you like it?" Charlie asked.

        Her face morphed into confusion "like what?". Charlie patted the back of the truck "the truck, bought it iff billy for you, you said yours wasn't holding up too great.". Y/n's jaw dropped "no way! You did not! This is awesome!" She exclaimed happily. Jacob nodded "I rebuilt the engine for you, it's as good as new" he said proudly. "This is amazing thank you!" She exclaimed opening the door to the car hitting Jacob on accident to which she apologized and he just shrugged it off. She hopped in the driver's seat and Jacob joins her in the passenger. "Okay, so you gotta double pump the clutch when you shift" he said handing her the keys. She turned to Jacob with hope "maybe I can give you a ride to school?" She asked with hope. Jacob's face fell slightly "no I go to school on the res" he said. Y/ns shoulders slumped "that sucks, I would have liked to know at least in person at school". Jacob and billy stayed for a while Jacob chatting with y/n and billy with Charlie. When they left y/n decided shed cook dinner as a thank you bit letting her stay. After dinner, she went to bed so she could get a good night's sleep before school in the morning.

This first chapter is short I know the next one will be longer I promise I’m just trying to let the story began before trying to make any extreme changes to the plot.

#edward cullen x reader #edward cullen #twilight #x reader #vampires #cullen coven #coven #s0urw00lf #fanfiction

[tricktster]

so i’ve been baking bread pretty regularly since sayyyy april 2020. you know, when we were waiting for this whole kooky covid thing to die down in a few weeks, but in the meantime some people had taken the very rational step of buying out every store’s supply of EXTREMELY PERISHABLE goods, including the extremely sad 100 calorie sandwich rounds favored by my parents.

now me? I’d read enough zombie very serious survival books to have ventured to the co-op on March 10 to stock up on dry bulk ingredients, and I’d included yeast and bread flour among the necessities - not because I thought that they’d ever get used, really, it just seemed practical if things got a lot worse than anticipated. And then? Well. You know.

So I joined the club of the tens of thousands of americans who had always viewed leavened dough with a healthy skepticism and the deep sense that these things were best left to the professionals. With the circumstances now unimaginably altered, we were now very cautiously dumping yeast into bowls of warm water, all the while doubting that this would actually work. So, obviously, that sense of accomplishment I felt when, after all the proofing and kneading and rising and punching down and rising again and venting and egg washing and etc etc etc, I actually pulled two relatively respectable loaves of bread out of the oven? Fucking intoxicating.

I’ve gotten medium good at bread over the intervening years, insofar as I can produce a sandwich loaf without needing to find a recipe, I’m pretty comfortable with adding cheese or garlic or raisins and nuts or whatever if I’m feeling like an Interesting Bread, i’ve forced a few loaves of sourdough into existence (though both I and the dough were kicking and screaming the whole way), and I recieved the ultimate tool of convenience for my birthday last year, when my parents gave me the dutch oven that finally permitted me to finally skip kneading altogether (if I so desired).

Except like.,. I didn’t ask for a dutch oven. I actually asked for something much cheaper and by all accounts more convenient: A bread machine. When I did, though, my mom (who has baked precisely 0 loaves of bread in her life) said “oh, you don’t want a bread machine.”

“I don’t?” I asked, already halfway swayed by her confidence on the matter.

“oh, no, nobody ever actually uses bread machines, they just take up space on the counter.” my mom, a woman who owns two instapots, assured me.

I considered her reasoning, and very firmly replied with a defiant “oh, okay, yeah. that makes sense, and I guess I’ve gotten this far without one, so like, it’s silly to get one now.”

I know. I have a will of steel.

So like, another year has passed since that exchange, and a week or two ago i finally decided that since counter space is no longer at a premium at my new place, i could at least try out a cheap bread machine? I went on ebay, got an open box deal on a decent entry level model, and took it for a spin yesterday.

And, for what it’s worth, uhhhhhhh HOLY FUCKING SHIT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THIS LOW EFFORT THE WHOLE TIME?????

LIKE I COULD HAVE BEEN JUST DUMPING INGREDIENTS IN A PAN AND WALKING AWAY THIS WHOLE TIME?????!?!?!?

it’s making brioche for me right now. It’s almost too easy. I’m actively furious.

This feels exactly like the day I finally bought a game genie so i could get Mew to finish out my red dex. I’ve been grinding and learning helpful strats from youtube and there was a fucking cheat code that would have let me skip the bread making side quest while still gaining xp this whole goddamn time.

[fandomscompilation]

The story of two broken souls (Kaz Brekker x Reader) Part 10

Fandom: Six of Crows

Pairing: eventual Kaz Brekker x Reader

Warnings: mentions of knives, mentions of Pekka

A/N: Hello! Another part is here. We're getting into plotline of the show. Working on both series at the same time is kinda hard, but I'll post another part for Kirigan soon too. Enjoy this one and let me know what you think!

Taglist: @d34drapunzel @coldheartedmar @igakc

Gif is not mine!

Finding a way through the Fold was the main topic between Crows. Kaz tried to make me come with them to the people who might know something, but I managed to stay at the bar. Going around with them would make people see me as a new addition to their group. But when the three of them failed I made a decision, that might cost me my life.

"Long time no see." I smirked at the woman who was carefully picking her fruits.

"What do you want?" She frowned looking slightly scared.

"Can't say hello to an old friend." I quirked an eyebrow making her huff in irritation.

"We were never friends." She spat making me sigh tiredly.

"You're right. I didn't really make a good first impression. But you can't really blame me, I was quiet angered when we met." I pointed out while she bought some type of sweet fruit and started to walk around the stalls.

"What do you want?" She asked again making me cheer inside.

"I've got a job at one of the clubs. I work the bar and I remember you telling me about your love for card games." I said watching her carefully. "Come by, I'll get you a drink. On my tab of course." I smiled while she hesitated.

"Alright. Any drink I want?" She asked after a second making me chuckle.

"Any drink you want." I winked before putting a small card of the Crow Club in her hand.

I walked into the Club and maneuvered my way to the table Kaz, Inej and Jesper were occupying. I nodded at them but didn't say much before Rotty brought me my drink.

"Here's what I don't get." Jesper started making Inej and I exchange glances.

"We're going to be here all night." She teased playing with her knife.

"Rude." He replied making me smile lightly. "Why haven't they tried going under it? Just dig a tunnel." Jesper said sitting upright.

"Tried that. More than a century ago." Kaz informed leaning on his cane. "Something.. heard them digging."

"It was made hundreds of years ago by that crazy Grisha.."

"The Black Heretic." Inej butted in and I looked away to the Club.

"The one who controls shadow. They've got one in their army now, don't they?" Jesper continued not minding Inej's words. "General Kirigan?"

"Your point?" Inej asked furrowing her eyebrows.

"If one of his kind made it, can't he unmake it?" He asked like it was the obvious thing. I huffed shaking my head.

"Have you ever put out fire by adding more fire?" She retored while Kaz eyed me carefully.

"Then what's the opposite?" Jesper really didn't knew things involving Grisha.

"A Sun Summoner." Inej said softly with hope in her tone.

"I found her, I finally found her. I can make Ravka better now." I frowned with his voice echoing inside my head. Was he talking about the Sun Summoner? Did really manage to find them after all those years? Did he already make them believe his words? Were they going to willingly follow his plan?

"Boss, boss." I snapped back and noticed Rotty coming up." We intercepted a note from Dreesen." I smirked his way as a good job sign.

"Did you now?" Kaz leaned back slightly, making me wish he was a bit less professional when it came to us.

"It's for the owner of the Orchid. Says they require the services of a Heartrender. Tonight." He informed and we glanced at each other.

"A Heartrender? Why?" Kaz asked confused and I bit my lip. I wasn't a Crow and I didn't want to cross the Fold, no need in helping them out.

"Doesn't say. Just they need it before midnight." He supplied making me huff. I got up leaning on the barrier behind Inej. Kaz will probably find a way to make me work with them tonight.

"You don't bring in a Heartrender unless you need an answer out of someone who isn't willing to talk." Brekker finally caught up to all the information he had. "That's how we get this job before anyone else." I heard his chair scrape the floors lightly. "Bring Dreesen a Heartrender."

"Boss, just one problem." Rotty spoke up making all of us turn to him again. "Pekka Rollins knows." My gaze met Kaz's in a second. He quietly repeated the name before walking away.

As much as I wasn't willing to cross the Fold, getting the job from under Pekka's nose would be a nice touch. I watched Kaz climb the stairs to his voice. He was already getting in the role of the Bastard of the Barrel, oh how I missed this guy.

#fanfiction #writing #fanfic #kaz brekker x reader #six of crows #kaz brekker series #the story of two broken souls #kaz dirtyhands brekker

[inkofamethyst]

November 20, 2023

Weekend thoughts.

So I've had an album to help deal with anxiety for the past couple of years, and I think I now have an album to promote self-confidence and hype myself up before an event. Beyonce's Renaissance has been played regularly this semester (almost) straight through. It's great for a power walk to campus.

UGH okay so six months to the day after my last day of undergrad my school-supplied free HBO Max subscription was cruelly ripped from my grasp without warning. I knew it was coming eventually, and I've been working on clearing my watchlist for months. Unfortunately, their bet was totally on point. I immediately resubscribed. And best believe imma watch every CENT's worth (I watch a minimum of 1-2 Batman episodes a day these days, and when you consider the convenience, the cost isn't bad). So it seems that my streaming service hopping has begun, as it's neither necessary nor responsible to pay for several services that all have the same role. (I might let Max go over break to focus on reading and watching shows on my parents' accounts at home.)

My... ceramics-friend (a cohort member) invited me to a friendsgiving she was hosting (she knows a lot of people who live in the area), and it was not a bad time at all. I get nervous in situations (lol there could be a full stop right here) where I only know the host, but a couple of people I knew/was acquainted with showed up and that made things a bit better. I employed my usual strategy of "find a place to sit and then stay there" and that was good. I didn't stay to the end, but pretty close. I did meet some really cool people!! (Side note: I don't really drink bc I don't care for the taste, but we're now at the age where a goldenish drink is more likely to be gin with other flavors than apple juice and now I know that it is absolutely necessary to ask what something is before filling a glass (but best believe I finished my whole (tiny) glass like a big girl). I tell people that I'm a bit stunted due to covid but truthfully it's just because I'm pathetic boring uh uhh.. intensely introverted (still gotta mind how I talk about myself these days, even an unchecked joke could set my progress back)).

This summer I'd bought two pairs of Docs (one on a whim and then another that I'd wanted for years and years) because they were both ridiculously discounted. I'd broken in the impulse pair over the last several months (1461 patents, they're going to be my ~conference docs~ I think) then a week or so ago decided to start breaking in the other pair (1460 Nappa). Ngl, I thought they were a huge mistake at first. Tight, inflexible, tough to put on. My feet HURT. But. After a couple of days out (only a few hours at a time), they feel quite a bit better. Still months to go, I know, but I feel relieved.

Last thing: after having my third eye opened to the idea of building equity through a house and feeling intense rage against the idea of renting for the rest of my life (specifically if I choose to settle in one place), I've come to realize that this foreverrent thing touches more than just housing. I want to own my favorite albums now, my favorite movies, shows. I don't want my ability to consume my favorite media to be at the mercy of a streaming service. The most difficult part of that though (after figuring out the list of what I want to own and also paying for it over time) is figuring out where to store the hard copies. This might be a problem I spend more time working out this summer when there's less going on, but now that I'm ~radicalized~ I just wanted to state that it's on my radar. It's probably not reasonable to chip away at this while I'm in this apartment since it won't be my final place in grad school and I don't want to move more boxes than needed.

Today I'm thankful for.. uhm uhh OH I'm thankful that the clicking noises don't wake me up at night anymore.

I wonder how much of that half circle skirt I'll be able to complete at home over break [edit, four days later: none]. May have to hem during winter break.

Also the M9 reunion post-apogee was SO FUN k bye

[rommaru]

Yesterday I got informed about some old gossip people told about me years ago in neopets.

The goddamn neopets dot com.

A virtual pets game that some adults take too seriously.

Take a sit while I tell you and old story and I hope you get a good laugh as I did.

So neopets has been running since 1999 to this day. There are two currencies: neopoints and neochash. Neopoints are the main currency, they can be earned by playing games, doing quests, random events, selling items and many other ways. Neocash are purchased with actual money and can only be used in a specific store to buy clothing for your pets. Think about this as neocash can buy awesome skins, but everything else runs under neopoints keeping the game "fair".

As any other game, users build the economy and the market based on supply and demand. Shady tricks to make your way into the rare items exist such as scamming, hacking rich accounts, taking advantage of glitches and straight up black markets.

In my early years playing there I made a friend who made his path to richness by reselling items and playing games. The problem is that this guy loved to give polemic opinions and talked without filters so he quickly became a despictable person for some users. People tried to hack his account and stalked him on his social media, luckily none of that worked. Tired of all this drama he decided to take a break from neopets but before that he asked me to take care of some of his most expensive items so even if his account was compromised on his hiatus they would be safe on mine.

I doubt a little because while I was always aware of the drama surrounding him, he was always kind to me and our friendship was not so public so it was unlikely that my account would become the new target for hackers. What I didn't thought through was how suspicious our transaccion would look like at the eyes of the staff.

The next day both accounts were frozen. Imagine little Rommy all sad because I loved my ugly pets so much and my little account that I had worked for sevenish years. I submitted a ticket explaining how I never cheated and provided all possible evidence. Neopets customer service is well known for being slow and inefficient, so I just waited and waited and waited.

People quickly noticed my friends account was frozen and somehow they found out about me, not entirely but they knew there was another user in the formula.

What is the juicy gossip?

People said that I was some kind of celebrity influencer offering sexual services in exchange for items and neopoints. I was frozen because my friend was a client of mine...

Ok, hold on, let me just...

I haven't laugh so hard like this in a while. Do you know what is even worse? I was a minor when this happened.

Whatever they knew about me it was very little and probably they were just trolling because it was a popular thing to do back then ¯_( ͡• ͜ʖ ͡•)_/¯

I never got harassed on my side account or social media.

Speaking of my side account. I have a confession to add to the story. The usernames of both accounts are fairly similar so I would be easy to tell it was me. Remember neocash? Neocash has a different economy system based on item trading. If you want an item, you offer your items, find a trader and agree a fair deal.

I got into neocash trading before my main was frozen, but I became really good at it in my time using my side account. So while strangers shit talked about me I was taking advantage of a glitch.

To summarize it, neocash could be bought from the neopets website or by redeeming physical cards that could be found in stores such as Walmart. Cards were available in a couple countries outside USA and due to actual currency convertion it could be cheaper to get foreing card codes rather than buy them from the website. Keep in mind that 1000 neocash equals $10 USD in regular price. Of course getting cheaper cards is not against the rules and it's still a common practice.

The glitch would not recognize what currency was used to buy the card and would assume that the amount was in USD. Let's set an example, if I remember correctly, someone told me that 1000 neocash would cost 10,000 CLP, the glitch would reedem for the amount of 10,000 USD. I'm not saying that Chilean cards would do that, I'm not even sure if they were sold in Chile but this is the most dramatic scenary I can think of.

I had a lot of neocash for dirt cheap. I'm pretty sure more people knew about this but neopets was a messy place (it still is) that recently had took multi language support away, so I can see why non native English speakers were mad and unwilling to repport their glitchy cards.

Anyway, if those trolls were aware of my neocash trades back then (because most trades are done in a public forum) I could't blame them for thinking I was a hoe selling its body for real money to waste on a game lol.

At the end, it took a year but I had my account back. I continue to play neopets with no consequences from those days.

#not a doodle

[severinesaloppe]

"Mama didn't raise no impolite witch" Vincent Griffith Fanfic Ep 1

Mélisse

The rush had simmered down about an hour ago. I skimmed through the last batch of orders from my desk at the soap shop, the amber lights attuned to the rainy day we were having in New Orleans today. On the radio, a potpourri of Haitian music from the sixties played in rotation bringing me back to those joyous moments growing up with my parents, all of it a memory now with a sour twist. 

The room smelled sweet, of cracked stems, and wild herbs picked from our garden outback. I carefully placed a rosemary leaf on the brown wax paper enveloping the order of soaps a client bought online earlier, and tied a string around it with my business card and a coupon which all were inscribed with the same cursive letters spelling Jardin de Mélisse. 

A knock at the door brought me to a halt. Standing at the door was Simoli, my cousin, who's been helping me run things around ever since he decided to stay in the states permanently. " Sa pou m fè avè w? What am I supposed to do with you?"

I rolled my eyes and tcheupsed, resuming the monotonous cycle I've been repeating for the three hours since we opened. I placed a series of glass bottles from my hibiscus and okra hairline into a shipping box and stuffed it with bubble wraps. Thank you note, close, tape, and repeat. 

"I'm almost done" 

" Yeah you said that about an hour ago when there was still a line at the register" 

I looked up at him, his face seemed refreshed, despite the long hours we've been pulling. He's wearing a coca cola red t-shirt, jeans and leather flip flops, his hair a tapered fro around his scalp. I think the change of pace and environment has been good for him. My shoulders relaxed a bit. The scissors in my hands suddenly weighed heavy, the piece of lavender between my fingers limp and awkward. I've been stuck in this room for far too long, my eyes were so adjusted to the darkness I could feel them disappearing into their own sockets, I needed a change of pace. 

" Fine" I slammed the metal scissors on the wooden desk. " i'm gonna go get lunch" i said, rising from my seat and scanning the room for my belongings. Wallet, umbrella. It was impossible for me to find anything in there, with all the pillows, the tapes, the boxes and endless inventory on the floor. The place was a fucking pig sty. I needed some fresh air, that's for certain. I scratched my head, gathering my things as I went and fighting Simoli's scrutinizing stare while he watched me rummage through my life like a raccoon digging through a pile of trash in the quarter. If he had any judgments, he said nothing. 

I threw my jean jacket on, and smoothed my hand over my tapered dress " do you wanna come with?" 

He snorted, as if I had insulted him, then threw his hand up " Mélisse, I got it from here, go". He shooed me away with a gesture of his hands, from the office, to the main floor of the shop. I stopped at one of the vintage mirrors on the wall, a fascinating relic i bought at a yard sale over two years ago, and was frightened by what i'd seen " jesus fucking christ" i muttered, digging through my bag for some lip balm. I glided it over my big lips, smoothing the layer of cracked skin that had been there before. I was immediately invaded with the scent of brown sugar and anise. Another one of my creations, not yet on sale anywhere, I was still doing a trial run on the product and was clearly failing. I sighed deeply. Simoli leaned on the counter, resting his chin in his palms

 " The AC company called. They wanna know if they can come in monday and take a look at the unit" 

I fiddled with my keys " Did they send you a price quote yet? " 

" Well, technically they have to come in and see what's wrong with it before we know how much all of this is going to cost" 

I exhaled " i uh, i don't know, let me think on it i'll get back to you" 

" Before monday" Simoli supplied, not a request, but a statement. 

I nodded. My stomach rumbled. " Do you want me to get you anything?" I interjected, moving the conversation towards something more fun, because all this AC stuff was making me anxious. I couldn't afford it, but I didn't know how to say it without causing my cousin to freak out. We were already behind on rent. The last thing I needed was for the two of us to pace around this place like anxious chickens. Leave it all to me to worry and figure out a way, Simoli deserved to just relax for a little while and not have to dive head deep into the travesty that was "the american dream" 

The boy flipped through pages of a messy white binder absentmindedly " No" 

I cocked my head to one side " Here i was thinking i was the only workaholic around here" 

His light brown eyes shot back at me, from this angle I could see how grandma's features have carved his cheeks, his forehead and fierce glare to be like hers. He sneered " Ou toujou ap pale kaka ou menm, you' re always talking shit" 

After agreeing on a meal for him, I walked out of the store, umbrella in hand, dodging the disgusting sewer water flooding the streets and made my way to Rousseau's. Not necessarily the idea of fresh air i had in mind but oh well. The small bar was situated in an old townhouse, with shuttle doors and peeling paint, identical to quite a few buildings here in New Orleans. A slow trepidation of old times amid the rise of modern, more expensive new developments. My sandals clattered on the wooden floor, the sight of dead leaves and debris clinging to my soles and feet, causing me to frown. I shook the water off from my umbrella and took a seat at the bar, on one of the stools that was designed far too small for people with big butts and thighs like mine. After a few trials and errors I finally felt comfortable enough to rest my bag on the metal hook beneath the bar. I pulled my now wet and frizzy orange coils on top of my head, tying them and fluffling the ends into a pineapple bun. 

A white man with blue eyes and an irish accent strolled through the swinging doors, noticed me and brought over a menu. " How ye doing? can i get you anything?" 

I ordered an IPA while I read through the small menu he had handed me. People sat in groups, some alone, all around me the room boiled with small chatter, rocks glasses knocking over wood, forks clicking and salt shakers clattering against beer bottles, hot sauce and so on. On my left was a mail lady, having a small cup of coffee and reading a newspaper, on my right was an old man slurping on a bowl of chicken soup, on a stool a few feet from him was another man, this one i had seen before, of about 6 feet tall, with umber skin and a bird tattoo clawing at his skin , having a bourbon, a small plate of french fries in front of him. 

The bartender slid a coaster in front of me and handed me my beer. The handsome man with the claw tattoo coaxed a book over his face. I can recognize a cover of Marcel Proust anywhere. He read with laser interest, his index finger bejeweled by a plain silver band, tracing his lips. 

" Miss…" 

" Yes" I blinked, " sorry long day" I laughed. When he didn't smile back, i cleared my throat and proceeded to say " i'll have a jambalaya to go, and uh " tapping my fingers against the hard menu cover, i quickly inspected the appetizer list "the pulled pork natchitoches and a small soup for here" 

He nodded, his expression solemn and bored as he took the menu back and shoved it inside an obscure shelf behind him. "Cash or card? " 

" Card" i thrusted the blue card in his hand

 " you want to keep the tab open?" 

My eyes shifted to the man again, this time he was brushing his beard, his eyes still glued to the pages of the book. I must've been staring a little too intensely because suddenly his brows knotted and his round eyes, two pools of deep brown, shaped so sensually looked back at me. My heart thudded. The bartender noticed, shifted his body to the left side of the room. I squeezed by glass, letting the chillness kiss my fingertips " No i'll close out" 

The bartender pursed his lips and nodded

 " very well then" 

I sipped on the orange brew in my glass, letting the tangy flavor flood my taste buds and slowly closed my eyes. Everything else around me, the pressure at the store, Simoli, the people inside the bar faded into the background. 

Vincent 

" People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive. It is as though they were traveling abroad. " 

I stumbled upon this quote at some point while reading a shriveled copy of The captive/ the fugitive which i found at the clearance section of my local bookstore earlier this week. I haven't sat down and read for pleasure in a long time— not since college which felt like ages ago— A capsule in time where i was young, an eager witch, stupid and burning with love for Eva. There was a time where i would hear that name and would automatically feel the pull of guilt, the hollowness of losing someone, by my own volition, my own ambition creeping up inside my chest, sinking me away from this reality into one where Eva's ghost was seeking vengeance for my wrong doings. 

That feeling is dead now, my love for the woman dead with it. The only thing left is the empty space that once blossomed—Healed shut—-At least i was trying to heal. Camille had put me in touch with a friend from school who ran her own practrice now. For the last two years since the Mikealsons been gone and Marcel took over as king, i've been sneaking weekly sessions with Judith on the other side of town, trying to unpack all the shit that went down. She's suggesting medication for the insomnia and nightmares, but i'm not gonna lie, i am a bit apprehensive. I wish Camille was still with us to discuss this with, i wish my friend was still here in general to breath in the peace we've been fighting so hard for, i miss her smile.

I wetted my tongue with some of the bourbon in my glass, now watered down. I signaled to Declan to spin me another round and went back to reading my book, hunting the wisdom the renowned author penned centuries ago, when suddenly i felt a prickle at the back of my neck, the knowing sense that someone's attention was on me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and raised my eyes. I noticed a woman sitting at the other end of the bar watching me. Instictvely her gaze veered towards the content in her glass, downing it halfway like a pro, then rested it on the coaster in front of her. There was a particular nervousness about her that didn't quite travel to her round face. Her cheekbones glistened not from sweat, but rather from the products she used to maintain her appearance— she looked like she really took care of herself. Her skin was deep as a harvest moon night, as if calla lillies themselves lived beneath it. Her hair was dyed serpia orange, fixed on top of her head in a way that complimented her features.

 She was striking. Was she a witch??? I don't think i've ever seen her around here before. With the new leadership and reforms i've implemented as regeant, i wouldn't be surprised if news traveled to neighboring states and was bringing outside witches into our walls. A weird sensation sliced through my chest, and managed to somewhat buzz around my shoulders and legs. I inhaled, exhaled, i needed to get my shit together. With this new awareness therapy had provided me with, it was hard at times to know if the sensations living in my body was weariness or something else—A warning or excitement? —The alertness of a Tremé witch or the fragility of a damaged man. I hung back, balancing this particular dilemma in my head while playing with my beard as though all the answers were hidden inside it. As tempting as this new witch was, i didn't necessarily think introducing myself to this new comer was a good idea. I felt no urge to interrupt her lunch break, god knows this is the last thing any woman needs right now. 

Declan rattled the silver shaker in one hand while pouring a golden brown liquid—my drink— into a clean glass. 

For the next hour, i've given up on trying to understand pretentious literature. Leave it to some old white man to throw a pile of random shit on the wall that barely make sense, and watch the world revere him as a literary genius. This shit can get exhausting. So i scrolled through facebook instead, when that wasn't enough, i cleared Freya's emails and text messages from my screen. The apologies were getting redundant. I didn't have anymore space for anymore Mikealson guilt, not now, not in the near future. She fucked up and put a teenager's life in jeopardy and now Davina is dead. This is her burden to carry, her shame to live with. I'm done being the errand boy, the witch for hire, the punching bag and everything in between. 

Once the woman finished her meal, Declan came back with an order neatly wrapped in a plastic bag and handed it to her. She gathered her things, thanked him, and put back a pocket size book she was reading earlier into her burgundy bag, then her notebook, her headphones. Not once had she turned to look at me since i caught her in the act. The haste in her movements made me rethink a last minute introduction over. Keep it cool, maintain good distance, there couldnt possibly be any harm in doing so right?  but before i could make up my mind and muster the courage,  she was already charging for the door, belongings in hand, her large hips swaying from here to there rythmically. The gold anklets she stacked around her ankles came to view. My gaze lingered in the poetry that was her curves, my throat felt tight and dry. I snapped myself out of it, averting my attention to the ceiling fan instead. My mama didnt raise no impolite witch. I shifted in my seat, cleared my throat and made sure no one else had caught me looking—-no, lusting over this beautiful stranger. I had a reputation to uphold, that is of a widower, a regeant who wielded strong power, a leader of his community. Do leaders not allow themselves the distraction of entertaining the pleasures of the flesh?  Can good leadership coexist with the simplicity of desire? 

When her hands pressed against the dusty shuttles and disappeared behind it, i mumbled a silent prayer, ever so intimate to the universe, to let me see her again.  

Photo credit: Dorcas E Jacob on Pinterest

#black writers #tvd fandom #fanfic #vincent griffith #vincentgriffithfanfic #the originals #black tumblr #writblr #fanfiction #the originals fanfiction #the originals fandom #black witch

[elminx]

When Life Gives You Sour Cherries, 1: Cherry Jam

The summer harvest is in full swing here in Southern New England. It was the very day that I pulled out my books on canning and preserving that my partner surprised me with two quarts of sour cherries that he harvested off of a friend's trees.

I haven't done a lot of work with cherries in the past. A number of years ago, I bought some from a farmer's market and attempted to make my own Maraschino cherries (in infusion in Maraschino liquor) but it turns out that I am of the opinion that Maraschino liquor tastes remarkably like cough syrup and the cherries were less than desirable. They tasted better than the liquor itself but weren't better than the expensive "real" Maraschino cherries that you can buy at specialty stores (better than the corn syrup ones you can source at your average grocer, though).

That said, I've been very into jam-making this year. This spring I made jam from both forsythia and violet and last month my bestie and I made strawberry jam the old-fashioned way (sans pectin). Since I was momentarily feeling sugared out and didn't want dessert - I decided that jam was a great way of preserving the sour cherries.

Jam making is deceptively easy - it's really just fruit, sugar, and sometimes some pectin. If you want to can your concoctions (which I highly recommend - there's nothing better than getting to open a can of summer goodness in the dead of winter) - you need to do slightly more work and have extra supplies (cans, fresh lids, etc.) but well-made jam will keep in the fridge or freezer for a number of months.

The main work of the cherry processing was having to pit and then cut up the cherries. I'm honestly not sure, given the size of the sour cherries, why the recipe called for chopping them further, but I followed through since I like to follow recipes exactly if I am not familiar with the process. Pitting sour cherries is actually pretty easy - if they are ripe, you can simply squeeze the pits out and into a separate container. It's so easy that I did it with one hand while drinking a mango lassi out of the other.

From there, you need to follow your recipe for making jam. I'm not going to give an exact recipe since the method depends on the type of pectin that you have available to you. This is more important than many recipe blogs on the internet let on - YOU NEED TO MATCH YOUR RECIPE TO THE PECTIN THAT YOU ARE USING (or use an alternate source for pectic such as green apples if they are available to you).

In season, I will use apples to pectinate my jams and jellies but since I can't find organic apples at this time of the year (and with my endo, it's very important that I avoid pesticides as much as possible), I tend to go with high-quality pectin that I can buy at stores. Note: not all jam/jellies require pectin - I love making jam that does not but will add pectin when necessary for setting.

That said, following the recipe on this pectin label, it called for a lot of pectin which it definitely didn't need. Now I know, next year I'll halve the amount. And there definitely will be a next year now that I know that my friends have wild sour cherry trees! (Wild now, they must have been planted at some point)

So my "jam" is about the consistency of homemade cranberry sauce - it actually tastes remarkably similar as well due to the sourness of the cherries. Though set beyond my preference, it is very, very tasty.

And we had some cherries left over after I processed them and added in the requisite 4 cups called for in my jam recipe! (More to come next week on what I did with the rest of my cherries.)

#witchblr #words #mine #kitchen witch #kitchen magic #kitchen witchery #plant allies #sour cherry #cherry jam #jam making #summer bounty #summer harvest

[mitchipedia]

Tom Persky is the self-proclaimed “last man standing in the floppy disk business.” He is the time-honored founder of floppydisk.com, a US-based company dedicated to the selling and recycling of floppy disks. Other services include disk transfers, a recycling program, and selling used and/or broken floppy disks to artists around the world. All of this makes floppydisk.com a key player in the small yet profitable contemporary floppy scene.

While putting together the manuscript for our new book, Floppy Disk Fever: The Curious Afterlives of a Flexible Medium, we met with Tom to discuss the current state of the floppy disk industry and the perks and challenges of running a business like his in the 2020s.

…

20 years ago I was actually in the floppy disk duplication business. Not in a million years did I think I would ever sell blank floppy disks. Duplicating disks in the 1980s and early 1990s was as good as printing money. It was unbelievably profitable. I only started selling blank copies organically over time. You could still go down to any office supply store, or any computer store to buy them. Why would you try to find me, when you could just buy disks off the shelf? But then these larger companies stopped carrying them or went out of business and people came to us. So here I am, a small company with a floppy disk inventory, and I find myself to be a worldwide supplier of this product. My business, which used to be 90% CD and DVD duplication, is now 90% selling blank floppy disks. It’s shocking to me.

…

When people ask me: “Why are you into floppy disks today?” the answer is: “Because I forgot to get out of the business.” Everybody else in the world looked at the future and came to the conclusion that this was a dying industry. Because I’d already bought all my equipment and inventory, I thought I’d just keep this revenue stream. I stuck with it and didn’t try to expand. Over time, the total number of floppy users has gone down. However, the number of people who provided the product went down even faster. If you look at those two curves, you see that there is a growing market share for the last man standing in the business, and that man is me.

…

… my biggest customers — and the place where most of the money comes from — are the industrial users. These are people who use floppy disks as a way to get information in and out of a machine. Imagine it’s 1990, and you’re building a big industrial machine of one kind or another. You design it to last 50 years and you’d want to use the best technology available. At the time this was a 3.5-inch floppy disk. Take the airline industry for example. Probably half of the air fleet in the world today is more than 20 years old and still uses floppy disks in some of the avionics. That’s a huge consumer. There’s also medical equipment, which requires floppy disks to get the information in and out of medical devices. The biggest customer of all is probably the embroidery business though. Thousands and thousands of machines that use floppy disks were made for this, and they still use these. There are even some industrial companies that still use Sony Mavica cameras to take photographs.

…

A floppy disk has perhaps nine unique components. There’s the plastic moulding, the cookie, a shutter, a spring, etc. Maybe you can do eight out of these nine things, but as I always say, when you’re 95% done you’re only halfway there. You need all the pieces for the complete product. The amount of effort it would take to recreate a manufacturing line for all of the pieces that go into a floppy would be virtually impossible. We’ve done it before, of course, but now the demand is simply not there. Plus, in time, all the industrial machines, all the airplanes that still use floppy disks, are eventually going to be replaced. So why would you want to spend $25 million to tool up a factory to see if you can manufacture the floppy cookie that nobody has made in 25 years? People have been living off of inventory for five or ten years now. Floppy disks were a very specialized piece of technology with a very difficult manufacturing process. Compared to this, a CD looks like a piece of junk.

…

There’s a beauty and elegance to them. I can see how complicated they are, and what an elegant solution they were for their time. I’m not a watch collector, but I have friends who are. The beauty of a finely made watch is something to behold. Even though it might be less reliable than a $19 clock, it is a work of art. Just consider the human effort that went into its making. The same can be said about the floppy disk.

…

I would say that floppy disks have a future, but it won’t see a revival like Vinyl. People like the idea of the record player and it will be around for a long time as a very niche or cool kind of thing. Floppy disks are going to be a little bit more like buggy whips or typewriters. They’re going to be a collectible marvel of their time. Imagine how hard it would be to manufacture a new typewriter today. There are a number of American authors who talk about the fact that they can only write on a typewriter. It’s something very important to them that is tied into their artistic genius. I think that floppy disks are going to be a little bit like that. You’re not going to be able to replace them. There’s this joke in which a three-year-old little girl comes to her father holding a floppy disk in her hand. She says: “Daddy, Daddy, somebody 3D-printed the save icon.” The floppy disks will be an icon forever.

We spoke with the last person standing in the floppy disk business. By Niek Hilkmann and Thomas Walskaar:

[tj-crochets]

I ask this genuinely: how do you manage to create so much? I really admire how much you make things, and enjoy your hobbies so much. I'm trying to figure out how to feel motivated to do projects again

This got extremely ramble-y, so it's below a read more

A lot of it is honestly luck? I have a stay-at-home job that has a fair amount of down time* where I have to be sitting at my computer in case someone emails me/messages me/calls me but can make things while waiting for emails, and it pays enough I can afford to live and buy craft supplies. I've also had a bunch of people, including relatives, neighbors, friends' relatives, and strangers destash and give me a lot of craft supplies for free. Part of it is that I get...idk how to word it. Antsy and listless when I haven't made things in a while? Making things is enrichment for me, and I know that, so I make a point to not go more than a few days without making something. Sometimes I don't want to make things, but I know I'll feel better if I finish a project**, so I'll crochet a little monster or make a tiny witch hat or something, and usually once I start making something I feel better and want to keep making things. Part of it is that I let myself make things on a whim. I've accumulated enough colors of minky, yarn, and embroidery floss*** that I can pretty much make any small thing I think of immediately after I think of it. This isn't universally applicable advice; I have the storage space to (mostly) store it neatly, and I know myself well enough to know I will absolutely lose enthusiasm for a project if I have to wait too long to start it. If I'm making a quilt but have a strong urge to make a tiny monster, I will take a break from the quilt to make a monster (I sometimes struggle with finishing big projects because of this, but it's a work in progress, and I always finish the project eventually). I also love craft supplies as decor. I let myself switch between hobbies as I have the urge to, and trust that I will eventually go back to previous hobbies. I used to guilt myself about changing hobbies, but now I embrace it. Learning new things is good for me! I just spent like three months quilting, like two weeks making doll clothes and a doll to fit them, and now two and a half days embroidering. I'm thinking about making a teddy bear sized tricorn hat. A few weeks ago I made a chain mail/scale mail bracelet, and before then I think it had been like five years since I made anything with chain mail. Sometimes I do get caught up in guilt about crafts. Like, guilt that I promised to make someone something and haven't yet, or that I spent money on supplies but haven't used them, or that someone bought me supplies and I haven't used them. It can absolutely drain all my crafting motivation. When that happens, I try to take a step back, and find what is stopping me/causing me guilt. Is a gift late? That's okay, my friends and family understand crafting takes time and won't be upset. Did I spend money on supplies and not use them yet? That's okay, picking them out brought me joy and inspiration and I will use them in the future. Someone bought me supplies and I haven't used them? How awesome that they thought of me! Someday I'll make something cool with that stuff, and it's great to have another metaphorical crayon in my crayon box to open up more possibilities of things to make. Sometimes I also get hung up on patterns, where part of it is just utterly unenjoyable to me and I can't bring myself to start making the thing. When that happens, I try to figure out what bugs me about it. Is it too complex a pattern? Okay, I'll pick a simpler one. Do I hate hand sewing applique? Okay, I'll look up machine applique, or use a different fabric that doesn't need applique, or pick a different pattern. I think I might've gotten a little off topic? Part of it is also that I struggle to focus on watching shows or even sometimes reading if I am not also making something.

*I mean, it varies day to day, but a lot more downtime than my first job

**there's some neurochemical thing about finishing a project, especially when the finished project creates a tangible object? ***I used to make friendship bracelets

#ask away! #the person behind the yarn #sorry nonny this got really long lol #I also have unintentional automatic negative reinforcement built in #in that the weirdness of my adrenals and my allergies combined mean if I get angry or stressed enough #I will literally have an allergic reaction to my own stress/anger #(it's like adrenals dump stuff in the blood stream triggering mast cells to dump stuff triggering allergic reaction) #but it does mean it's WAAAAY easier for me to notice when I am being unkind to myself than it used to be #and if I overwork myself I tend to have a POTS flareup and my blood pressure drops dramatically #between them my self-care is a looooot better than it used to be #which helps! #making stuff for people also helps #I love making things for my friends and their kids and the kid I used to babysit #my friend's son absolutely loves dinosaurs #and I never struggle with motivation making him dinosaurs because I know it will make him happy #so...love? love is a motivation for crafting? but also so is boredom and the inability to sit still and the lure of cute fabric #and problem solving. sometimes I make stuff just to figure out how I can.

[survey--s]

477.

If I were to yell at you right now, what would you do? Seeing as I don’t know you, I’d probably scream or cry lol. Do you empathize with people often? In all honesty, I’m not great with empathy. Which do you prefer, Iced Tea or Fruit Punch? Iced tea. Have you ever been stung by a bee? Only once - on the bottom of my foot and I screamed lol. Did you read Where The Wild Things Are when you were little? No. Did you ever had one of those cash register toys? I don’t think so. I honestly didn’t have many toys like that as a kid - my parents weren’t really into the whole plastic tat/toys thing. Do you have a collage of family pictures somewhere in your house? We do not.

How many wooden spoons are in your household? Zero.

Are you excited to go back to school? I finished education twelve years ago and have absolutely zero desire to ever, ever go back lol. Has anyone ever thrown a cup of liquid on you? Not on purpose, but it’s happened by accident before. Have you ever faked sick at school just to go home? Yeah, loads of times ha. Do you always watch something on tv on your home sick days? Yeah, I normally put something like The Simpsons or Friends on in the background and just doze all day. Can you recommend me a book, right now? Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Are any of your siblings friends like family to you? I don’t have any siblings. Do you prefer colouring with crayons or coloured pencils? Coloured pencils. Do you watch the SuperBowl because you like football? I don’t watch the Super Bowl because it’s not a thing here. Are you sick of all of these people trying to find love on VH1? Ha, how old is this survey? Did you ever watch Beauty and the Geek? No. Do you enjoy cleaning? I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the process of it, but I love the feeling of being “done” and the house being clean and fresh and tidy. Have you read any of Ellen Hopkins’ books? No. They never really “made it” over here I don’t think. Do you even like to read? I do like reading but I’ve found that I don’t really have the attention span for it anymore. When I’m on holiday from work I do read a lot more. If your house was on fire, what would you save? Assuming all my pets were out and safe, then I’d grab my keys, my phone and my bank card. Have you ever pretended to have a good time for the sake of someone else? Yeah, of course. Are you good at understanding baby talk? Sure, I guess so. What wouldn’t you want anybody to steal? Someone’s virginity. What was the last movie that you saw in the theaters? Cats - about four years ago lol. Have you ever gotten your clothes mixed up with your mum’s? No. Do you share clothes with your friends? No. Who was the last person/thing to lick you? Purrlock. Have you ever read one of those PostSecret books? I had about four of them at one point - I think they’re all at my mum’s house. Do you have a favorite Armor For Sleep song? Car Underwater. Can you pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time? Yes. Have you ever changed a babies diaper? Nope. Did you have many baby dolls when you were little? I had two - one named Cathy and another named Rosie. Does the peanut butter or jelly make the sandwich? I’ve never had the combination of both together. I like just peanut butter alone. Have you ever kept a diary? Yeah, I did for a while as a teenager. Is there always a supply of KoolAid in your fridge? We don’t have KoolAid here. What is your favorite show on Nick At Nite? We don’t have that here either. If you had the chance to live anywhere in Europe, where would it be? Switzerland or Norway. Do you have a favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? Michaelangelo. Are you good at drawing self portraits? No. A plane crashes on the border of Canada. Where do you bury the survivors? You don’t bury survivors. Do you think that you’re good at riddles? Generally I’m not actually, but that wasn’t really a riddle lol. Trix or Cheerios? We don’t have Trix here but Cheerios are pretty good. Saying that, I’ve not bought any for years now.

#survey #surveys

[brightgnosis]

Had the energy, so I did a bunch of gardening today to fix all of the squirrel damage. Also sprayed what we had left of the Squirrel Stopper to try and keep them out again; the last two cans we have, for some reason, won't spray. So fingers crossed that what little I had left in the first can was enough 🤞 Maybe for now, at least.

I looked online to see if I could get more since our Tractor Supply has stopped carrying it for some reason- and I can. But it's like double the price of what Tractor Supply carries it for 😬 I really don't want to pay $12 a spray can (plus the shipping) when they used to sell it in store for $5, you know? But it works- and it works well. And gardening without it's nearly impossible at this point ... They're such a menace here ... I may just have to fork over for it in the end if Tractor Supply never gets it back in.

My Husband and I "sat down" over Discord over his break and looked at our bills. We decided to cancel my consult for my Tubal Salpingectomy for now and wait until after we've paid my Hearing Aids off before moving on that again- unless it looks like they may come for sterilization procedures too (on top of Contraception, like they're already trying). In which case we'll haul ass and get it done come hell or high water ... But for now? We don't have a sex life anyways, honestly, and we're pretty happy with that. So there's no need to rush it, and I'm ok with that; I'd honestly rather hear right now anyways.

I also made the decision to cancel my Lunar Bath Ritual subscription. They send a wonderful number of emails each month, and I was really surprised by that. But I just wasn't getting anything out of it while I had it, personally ... It's very Eclectic NeoPagan based and that's just not what I practice or connect with. So I went ahead and cancelled it; we also decided together to "cancel" our DeathWish Coffee subscription now that we can buy it in local stores 9though technically we didn't truly cancel it so much as I'm just pushing back the shipping date because we were grandfathered into the old pricing and I really don't want to lose that if we ever decide to get it back; the new price is so expensive).

Because of that, I went ahead and did a Pay-In-4 setup through Paypal and bought myself some new Head Scarves from the last shop I purchased from instead. Now that I've increased my wardrobe options finally, most of my emotional breakdowns surrounding clothes lately have been centered around the fact that I don't have a headscarf to go with certain niche Items I really want to wear. So I'm really hoping that this goes a long way in reducing the number of breakdowns that I have about clothing again.

I already had Hunter Green, Charcoal (which def looks more Dark Blue and I use it as such), Pink Lemonade, and Teal ... So this time I bought myself their Cream, Sand Cream, Mint, Salmon, and Plum. Then I looked round to try and find a similar one in a proper Red and settled on this one as well.

The final Pay-In-4 total came out to $22 and some change every 2 weeks, which is easily doable for us; though the second payment is quite close to my double Dentist + Hearing Aid payment so 😬 Gonna have to keep an eye on that week. Still.

I'm about halfway through with the art piece of Chava and Adam an the Tree of Life and Death that I drew to replace the old Egyptian Heka piece that someone on Tumblr drew for me several years ago; I felt like it was time to finally change it in the frame, and I'm really happy with how the replacement piece is coming out. It's slow going because of the Neuropathy in my hands, however. But it should still be done by the end of the week if I keep at it.

Trying to occupy myself with small, non-strenuous things after all the gardening; I'm really glad I had the energy for it this morning, but it definitely still wiped me out.

#Personal #Daily Life #Life of a Disabled Homemaker #Alphabet Soup #2022 #Gardening #Garden 2022 #NonTrad Housewife #NonTrad Homemaker #Pagan Homemaker #Pagan Housewife #Veiled Pagan #Verderer #Hearthkeeper #Pagan Homemaking #Queer Homemaker #Queer Homemaking #Queer Housewife #Disabled Homemaker #Disabled Housewife #Disabled Homemaking #Domestic Witch #Domestic Witchcraft #Green Witch #Green Witchcraft #Cottage Witch #Cottage Witchcraft

[tergridguy]

Cigar of the Day: Mad Minnow by Big Sky Cigar Co.

The Mad Minnow is a pint-sized figurado, coming in at 4.75” long with a ring gauge of 44 at its widest point (pictured against a standard 5” x 52 Robusto for comparison).  It looks like nothing if not a fishing lure, complete with a petite band adorned with a stylized fisheye.  The men who made this want you to know they’re from Montana, and they like fishing.  If you take a look at some of Big Sky’s other offerings, you will get the distinct impression they like hunting a lot too.

That Rocky Mountain aesthetic is what attracted me to Big Sky’s Mad Minnow in the first place.  It stands out in more ways than one; Montana, after all, isn’t really where we expect cigars to come from.  We have come to expect that our cigars mostly come from the new world south, and with a few exceptions for Cameroon or Connecticut wrappers, our palettes are not nearly as international as, say, pipe smokers, who are regularly treated to blends from north and south, new world and old.  It seems incongruent that fine cigars should come from some northerly mountain, but then again, tell that to the Swiss.

Montana, as it turns out, has a legacy of cigar rolling dating back to the early 20th century, and Big Sky is a modern-day product of that legacy.  No, they don’t grow the tobacco there, they never did, and from what I can tell, these present day offerings are mostly rolled in Esteli, Nicaragua, rather than Billings, Montana where Big Sky calls home.  That’s probably for the best, though, because Esteli is the blazing sun at the middle of the cigar world right now, with more cigars being rolled there than probably anywhere else in the world.  That means that producers there have access to the most experienced cadre of torcedors as well as supply lines that lead everywhere that’s anywhere in cigar tobacco, a claim that Billings surely cannot match.  Billings, Montana sure does look good seared into the box though.

I bought a box of 30 Mad Minnows about a year and a half ago—then as now I was always on the hunt for some interesting small cigars that I could enjoy on a typical dog walk without feeling like I was rushing or wasting the experience.  They were weird, which always gets my attention, and seemed to fit the bill, so I took a chance on them.  In the ~18 months since, my opinion on them has varied widely.

When they first arrived, I smoked two or three of them and failed to find many redeeming qualities.  They were harsh and bitter, the draw was a bit too loose, and it was hard to enjoy the experience.  They last a bit longer than I expected, typically clocking in at an unhurried 35-40 minutes, a burn time which seemed to last a lifetime when they were initially so unpalatable.

There was something interesting underneath there, a full bodied experience in a small package hiding under the roughness and static that hit me at first.  These sticks were just entirely too green, and maybe a bit dry, so I laid them down to rest hoping they would eventually improve.

It was slow going, and the next few times I tried them over the following months they were a continuing disappointment.  Eventually, I gave up on them and buried them in the bottom of one of my humidors as filler.  Then three or four months ago I decided to give them a try one more time.

This time, it was different.  All the potential that I knew was waiting there in the wings was front and center; they were still strong, but with a more moderate pull, and the influence of a year’s rest mellowing the palette, they were pretty damn good.  From then on, I started to think of them as the kind of box I’m happy I got once but would probably never buy again.

Since then, every time I have had one, my opinion of the Mad Minnow has gone up.  I have smoked about 15-20 of these, give or take a few I’ve given away, and the last 5 were just golden.  Yesterday I took the dozen or so I had left in their box along with some other assorted selections as my contribution to the spread at a good friend’s wedding.  Their stock rose so much in my eyes I felt proud to put them out alongside other premium sticks at a major affair, and having smoked so many of them, I felt like I was ready to let the rest go.  As I left the reception, I wound up hitting the bar one last time to pocket one of the few that were left.  I wanted one last one!  Now, with the prospect of finally being finished with them, I’m starting to think this is one box of cigars I might well purchase again.  I wouldn’t expect to smoke them any time soon though.

#cigars #recovery #mental health