#i got new thermals from live love polish and this is one of them

[nahimjustfeelingit-writes]

Imagine:

This is a request from @dashhoney25

Erik and his boo, London, make up for lost time. 😈

Warnings: LOTS of Smut, Rough sex, dirty talk. This shit...had me wet AF.

There are four levels of assassins: the novices, dilettantes, journeymen, and lastly masters. The masters, men with military or paramilitary backgrounds who travel to their contracts have few local ties that law enforcement can use. They excel at their craft, and operate quietly and without incident. In theory, the whispered meetings will be held in secret, the job will be executed with precision and grace, and no one will witness the escape. As a class one type assassin, Erik Killmonger was genetically enhanced in order to perform physical tasks much more efficiently than an average peak-human. To keep his skills in balance, Erik Killmonger practices his combat, shooting, assassination, and stealth skills whenever he is not on an assignment. He has over his life become a myth in the underworld due to his skills. Many doubt Erik Killmonger’s existence because of his skills in completing impossible assignments to the point that the FBI and CIA denies his existence…

Erik Killmonger spawned on a beach in Miami from his F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft at approximately 9:30 PM. He’s wearing a Roka wetsuit that provides luxurious comfort and no restrictions. The ocean waters emit a bright blue glow as the waves crashed and the tide came in because of tiny organisms called Lingulodinium polyedrum. With him, Erik Killmonger has on a pair of thermal imaging goggles resting on top of his tapered locs. Frontwards, Erik Killmonger spots two armed guards pacing in front of the architect-designed luxury beach home. Erik Killmonger tugged on the goggles, bringing them down over his onyx eyes. Both of them are carrying a GLOCK 19 and wearing crisp black suits and polished black dress shoes. One beefy man and the other looking about his weight and height. Good. 

Erik Killmonger has mastered the art of stealth, being able to terminate multiple enemies in the same area one at a time and sneak up on almost anybody and quietly neutralize them. Erik Killmonger also has an expert level understanding of the use of disguises in order to access unauthorized areas of a location. He needed the disguise of one of the guards to get inside of the home so he could grab what he needed for his Nightcall mission. Keeping low, his body hidden by the Lyme grass that sprouted from the beach, Erik Killmonger spots a pool on the left side. Moving quickly,  He walks inside the pool room and finds a tool box sitting on a surfboard table. Walking back out, he went around to the left side of the house until he saw the garage. Erik Killmonger uses the screwdriver that he picked out of the tool box to short-circuit the signal box, which will allow him to open up the garage door for access. He rounded a corner and parkour rolled, finding a good hiding spot. 

“Man, this is a bust...what exactly are we guarding?” The beefy guard with a Glasgow smile and a clean shaven head says before taking a quick puff from his cigarette. He spoke with an Australian accent from what Erik Killmonger could pick up while hiding behind a cherry-red sports car. 

“All I know is I’m getting paid,” The other guard that sounded like a Florida native says before turning to grab the cigarette from his partner's hand. He runs a hand through his jet black hair that reminded Erik of how greasers used to wear it back in the 50s. Blowing smoke towards the sky, he chokes up a bit. 

“Are these M-Marlboro golds?” He says between coughs and slight wheezes. 

“Yep, the only kind I smoke...looks like you can’t handle it though,” The beefy guard laughs tumultuously. 

“I’m more of a codeine guy,” The greaser says before handing the cigarette back to the other guard, “I prefer my prescription drugs.”

“That shit will have you on the floor, man.” 

Erik checked the time on his G-Shock Casio Camouflage watch. He didn’t bring a lot of tech with him since this job is supposed to be silent, quick, and precise. He couldn’t leave any traces of himself behind. For Erik, these types of jobs were always the hardest for him, that’s why he took another week to survey the area with his Dragon X12 U11 Drone late at night before accepting the Nightcall mission. The two guards kept talking nonsense, wasting a breath with every word when Erik Killmonger could be in the luxury beach home. He only had thirty minutes left. Since taking out both of them will bring too much attention, he decided to take them down one by one. 

“Hey...what was that?” The greaser says mid laugh. He shared a look with his partner before they both went stony-faced. He pulls out his GLOCK 19, checking the magazine for rounds before turning towards the garage, “I’ll be back, you know we aren’t really supposed to leave this post. If Alma asks, tell her I’m checking for a noise.” 

“Gotcha, just hurry back, you know that bitch will have something to say,” the beefy guard reminds him. 

With his gun pointed straight ahead with a two-handed grip and unwavering eyes, the greaser walks slowly past the cherry-red sports car, Erik Killmonger’s body no longer there. Making a left turn, heading towards the pool room, the greaser aims his gun left, right, behind, and in front of him. It was dark and anyone could be hiding behind the many shelves filled with storage bins and other miscellaneous items. Erik watched the greaser walk far enough into the pool room before stepping out from behind a cluttered storage cabinet. 

Erik Killmonger got really close behind the greaser without being detected, grabbing him around his throat by putting him in a choke hold, the crease of his arm between his bulging bicep, tricep, and flexor, squeezing with ease before he went limp in his arms. He dropped him, getting down on his knees to remove his suit and get dressed. Once he was fully clothed and looking like the other armed guards, Erik Killmonger places the GLOCK 19 in the suit jacket pocket before taking a calm yet treacherous stroll out to the other guard. 

_____________________

London’s eyelids fluttered open with a hassle around 3:18 AM, just five hours before she had to be to work. London is a Cyber Security Analyst for CSOC, a five-star rated computer security company in New York City, New York. The high and wide windows within the bedroom of her Penthouse gave her a nighttime view of the Midtown Manhattan skyline and at its feet is the whole geometry of Central Park. The high end silk bedding duvet cover set in black has perfect temperature-regulating properties that would usually help her sleep but with the absence of her man there was little to no chance for her to drift off again. London scoots over towards the edge of the left side of the upholstered platform bed in black to effectively turn on the side lamp. After rubbing her tired eyes, London grabs her phone to see if she had any missed calls or texts from him. Sure enough, the busy man himself sent her a text almost two hours ago. 

Erik: I just boarded my private jet, I’ll see you when you wake up baby girl. I’ll be right next to you. 

London and Erik have been exclusive for a little over a year. They met because Erik was a longtime client of CSOC and London would personally work for him whenever he needed it. She picked up on his flirtatious cues and the way his eyes blazed every time he looked at her. It was her round, sparkling topaz eyes with sweeping lashes; glowing honey skin; high cheekbones every time she smiled; glossy full lips; bouncy blunt cut copper hair; and trim frame with a plump backside. London didn’t expect anything to happen between them since Erik could be a bit emotionally closed off but he had a deep, and in the beginning, unexpressed admiration for London. He very rarely showed a liking towards anyone around him but for some reason, London changed that. Beneath his bad boy persona is a charming, mysterious, and intellectual man. London fell in love with him before she found out what he did for a living. Erik is an Assassin. Killing people as an occupation of course terror struck her in the beginning but she couldn’t leave him alone no matter how much her conscience tried to sway her. 

The beginning of their relationship...let’s just say it was nothing short of wild. Erik used to take London on big trips to places like Dubai, Japan, Colombia, and Saudi Arabia whenever he had work. That changed when Erik almost had a near death experience when trying to escape from a mission. He ended up hospitalized in a secret facility for trained killers like himself somewhere in Arizona. London made up for his lack of being there by working more hours which led her to a position as a Lead Cyber Security Analyst. Her pockets swelled even though she didn’t necessarily need the money since Erik could afford to take care of both of them. London grew tired from working long and hard hours and whenever she would come home to find Erik there she wouldn’t feel up to doing anything sexually. He was always on the move and she was always at work back in NYC. A strain between them both began to form. 

Erik didn’t fuss much about it, knowing how demanding his job is but whenever London felt a certain way about their situation he would let her vent to him, rubbing his baby girl’s back, kissing her gently, whispering reassurance to her; that things are going to get better; that she should leave her job and stay home. As easy as all of that sounded, London couldn’t bring herself to leave all that she worked so hard for behind her. To top it all off, London is a strong, independent woman who has done almost everything herself before Erik walked into her life. Yeah, he’s her daddy, but sitting at home waiting on his FaceTime call, his text, or to even simply hear his voice wasn’t enough. Also, she had to keep in mind that the future isn’t promised for the both of them. If things didn’t work out, London would be on her own again. The lack of sexual attention was indeed driving London crazy. Taking baths alone turned into London using her waterproof rabbit vibe or the faucet to make her cum. Other times she would mount her suction cup dildo that is an exact mold of Erik’s dick on the edge of the tub to ride. If she couldn’t have daddy’s long, thick, veiny black dick, then the toy would just have to make up for that when he’s not around. 

London snatched the silk duvet from her body before walking to the master bathroom. With the lights on, London turned to stare at her reflection through the backlit vanity mirror. London gently touched one of the taps twice, the warm water flowing out and into the single copper basin of the bathroom sink. Cupping her hands, the white iced out diamond Cuban link 10k yellow gold bracelet on her right wrist twinkling beneath the lights, London watches with drowsy eyes as the water fills in her hands. A few times, London rinses her face with the warm water to calm herself down so she can go back to sleep peacefully without tossing and turning. Lifting her face from the sink basin, eyes closed because of the water dripping from her face, London blindly grabs a folded black cotton facial towel with gold trimming. She dabs her face, taking in the clean and soft fresh linen smell. 

“Why are you up so late?”

London blanched, when Erik startled her with his large hands grabbing at her waist from the back. To this day, London still wasn’t used to Erik’s stealth. His feet are like feathers hitting the floor. London is wearing a black Sheer Marabou Romper that has a cinched waist, fluffy feathery trim, and thin straps. One thing Erik loves to see her in any chance he got was lingerie or nothing at all. Looking up into the vanity, London took in Erik’s appearance. He’s wearing his usual all black from head to toe; black cable knit long sleeve top that clung to his hulking frame and black drop crotch destroyed jeans. The layered diamond tennis chains around his neck matched the bracelet on London’s wrist and the Rolex on his left wrist with its diamond bezel didn’t go unnoticed either. 

“I couldn’t sleep, it’s been that way for the past few weeks,” London rubs his strong hands with thick fingers around her waist, “How was this job?”

“Unnecessary, but I have another two million in my bank account so I can’t complain,” Erik’s thick lips circled London’s exposed neck, “You can’t sleep because of me, huh?”

“I’m used to you being next to me, yes, but I know you’re so busy,” London turns to face Erik. His hair from the dim lights of the bathroom looked almost raven, dreads messily resting against his forehead. London’s hands reach out to stroke his tapered waistline. She could feel all of the tiny raised scars beneath her manicured nails the more she lightly scratched him. 

“I’ve been getting calls for jobs left and right. Nothing else matters when I’m with you...I miss my baby,” Erik’s hand makes its way to London’s copper hair, slicking back the pressed out strands from her face before placing some behind her ears, “Haven’t been giving you the attention you need, and then you’re wearing my favorite too, probably waiting for me to come home and properly take it off of you.” 

“Properly taking my clothes off for you is ripping them to pieces,” London giggles before lifting to her tiptoes to kiss Erik’s thick, moist lips, “Why don’t you take a shower so we can lay in bed, I want you to wrap your arms around me,” London rubs Erik’s biceps. 

“Aight, ma, let me take a quick shower and I’ll meet you in bed,” Erik traced the pout of London’s bottom lip before giving her another kiss with a little bit of tongue. 

London walked back to the bedroom, pulling the silk duvet back and climbing back into bed. She propped herself up on her side to watch Erik undress. The standing shower system they have was London’s favorite. It has a square shower head with LED, remote-controlled LED, a detachable hand shower if you wanted to use it, and a thermostatic touch panel mixer with a digital display. The Rainfall mode made London experience the pleasure of a warm summer rain in her own bathroom. Her body was so tired but she couldn’t stop staring at him as he stripped out of each piece of clothing. Erik’s sinewy physique is so defined and well-built, so much so that you can even tell through his clothing. The raised marks on his torso, arms, and back caused her pierced nipples to grow taut as if she could feel his body rubbing against hers. 

Stepping into the shower, Erik puts it on Rainfall mode before standing directly under the square shower head. As the water sprouted from the shower head it trickled over Erik’s body making lazy patterns. He grabs for his favorite peppermint and eucalyptus body wash with a soap sponge to clean himself. He must have known that London was watching him because his ridiculously big dick was swaying back and forth with each movement of his body. London hasn’t had that big black dick in her for at least a few weeks now. When she first saw that fat dick in person she was sure she wouldn’t be able to take it. All that dick you’ll end up with no walls, tangled intestines, and half a stomach. She paid close attention to the way Erik grabbed his dick at the base, bringing it up against his lower abdomen to wash his balls. That heavy nut sack on him had her drooling. It had to have been almost 5 AM now. She was going to be extremely tired at work. 

________________

London arrived to work thirty minutes late with her daily homemade green smoothie in hand. She’s wearing a charcoal grey pencil skirt with a silk black top and black So Kate pumps on her feet. Her copper hair is swept to the side and bouncing with each step she took. When London woke up Erik wasn’t on his side of the bed. After freshening up and getting dressed, London went looking for him and found him in his weapons room unloading a few rounds to test out the new artillery. She didn’t want to disturb him too much so she gave him a quick kiss before leaving him alone until she made it back home. London walks past the rounded glass top receptionist desk before pushing open the commercial double glass doors to her work area. 

Having her own office means peace and quiet now. London gave some of her coworkers tight lipped smiles before entering her work space, allowing the frosted glass door to close behind her. 888 Seventh Avenue provided magnificent views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. London takes a seat at her modern black wood executive desk with a Mac desktop computer and other office supplies. She has two meetings to attend and one will be starting within the next hour. London checks her work email for any important information from clients while sipping her green smoothie. Time trickled by slowly and London hadn’t noticed that Erik had called her a few times. After receiving a reminder about the meeting via company email, London checks her phone. Erik sent her a voice message which was rather unlike him. London listens despite her confusion. 

“Hey what’s up, baby, how are you doing? I didn’t get a chance to really talk to you this morning since the new artillery came in, but...I’m sitting here just thinking about you and baby... I just want to see your face. Can you send me a picture or a video of yourself? I miss that pretty face….” he paused for a second, “I’m not gonna lie, ma...I’m feeling some type of way because I’m sitting here just thinking about you...thinking about tasting you...thinking about the other night when you watched me take a shower before you fell asleep…” Erik exhaled, “I miss that wet pussy, baby...I know that shit was wet last night...like goddamn...I know you’re panties had to be soaked, shit.” 

London was seated on the edge of her seat while her free hand gripped the handle of her seat. She couldn’t believe he was saying this to her in her voicemail. She instantly needed her man. 

“I’m saying...I’m not complaining at all because I love that wet ass pussy on my face and in my fucking mouth...grinding that pussy across my lips and my beard...Still tasting your pussy juices on my mustache...I wanna suck on that clit...that shit make you so goddamn wet, girl...spread them fat pussy lips and slowly guide my tongue up and down...up and down...fuck,” Erik hisses, “I miss that pussy gripping my fingers...you like that shit don’t you? Daddy’s fingers in your tight little pussy? Goddamn...fuck that I want you to take a picture of how wet your pussy is right now...yeah, I know that’s a little naughty but I know you’re my nasty little girl so you’ll do that shit anyway, right? I’ll spank that ass if you don’t send me a fucking pic, girl...I’ll spank that ass just how I do when I’m busting that pussy open from the back…”

London closed her eyes, praying to god that she would go through the rest of her day after this voicemail. She’s definitely wet alright; fucking soaked. If London pulled her panties to the side right now it would probably reveal a sticky, slimy mess. He had to be beating that fat ass dick right now. 

“Man...now you got me wanting to fuck the shit out of you, London...put my hands on your hips and start off nice and slow in that pussy...shit, we both know that pussy good...puss will have me busting a fat nut so fast...hell nah, girl…” Erik’s voice lowered over the phone to a whisper that ran down London’s spine and straight to her clit, “I just want you to know how good that pussy tastes and feels baby...pussy so fucking good...I love when you say don’t stop daddy, you know daddy ain’t stopping for nothing. Daddy got something long and thick for your ass…and I want that fat pussy in my mouth…”

The voicemail had ended two minutes ago but London was so frozen with shock that she couldn’t move enough to close her mouth. She finally removed the phone from her ear before checking to see that no one was watching. They couldn’t anyway because of the frosted glass doors but London wanted to be absolutely certain. Scooting back in her black Sterling Leather Executive Chair, London gathers the bottom of her skirt, bringing it up and around her waist. London brings her left hand down between her legs to pull the crotch of her panties to the side. She scoots to the edge of the chair so her pussy is sitting nice a plump for a perfect picture. Grabbing her cell phone, London activates her camera from her lock screen, turning it to selfie mode before aiming it as best as she could to achieve a good angle so he can see everything. London takes a few pictures, one with her lips sitting nice and fat and the other with her lips spread so that he can see how hard and poked out her clit is and how much of her creamy wetness spilled from her pussy. 

“There you go daddy,” London says before sending it off to Erik. She wasn’t happy at all that she had to leave for her meeting. London brings all the necessary material for the meeting before exiting her office for the conference room. When she entered the conference room, everyone was already in their usual spots so London quickly found hers near the front right across from the manager of CSOC, Linda Yeager. 

“Goodmorning, London, do you have the contingency plans packet for the meeting today?” 

London’s eyes swept over Linda’s appearance. Linda has her long strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail and a navy blue women’s suit on with a white blouse underneath. Her veneer smile is wide and similar to that of a horse and her thin lips are painted red to bring out the heavy makeup look she went for today. 

“Yes,” London opens her portfolio, handing Linda the packet that she created yesterday, “I made sure that everyone received a new one before today.” 

“Excellent,” Linda stands from her seat before making her way to a podium situated in front of the conference room, “Okay...Good Morning everyone! I know today is going to be yet another stress-filled one but we all know this is a necessity,” Linda pulls out a laser pointer, aiming it at the presentation behind her, “Today we will be discussing contingency plans that the company will implement in case of a successful attack. Since cyber attackers are constantly using new tools and strategies, cyber security analysts, such as yourself, need to stay informed about the weapons out there to mount a strong defense.”

Linda went on and on for about an hour before everyone was dismissed to assist with clients to keep intruders, attackers or hackers out of networks in order to protect digital files and information systems against unauthorized access. London made it back to her office with a bottle of Fiji water, taking her seat again. Before she started any type of work, London grabs her phone from her desk drawer because she knew Erik had a response for what she sent him. Sure enough, he left her yet another voicemail. London prepared herself for a lustful ear full. 

“Baby...fuck...I just wanna eat that pussy up...I might have to come see you for lunch today...Goddamn...mmmhhh...you know eating pussy is my shit, right? Ima tear that creamy pussy up, girl...make love to that pussy with my fucking tongue...put that whole pussy in my mouth...mmmh…damn, I wish I could eat that...Look at the lips on this pretty motherfucker.. gawd dayum! I’d slurp the hell out of them lips...call me back...call me the fuck back, London.” 

London calls Erik back with no hesitation. She could feel her heartbeat in her throat almost with the amount of anticipation running through her veins. 

“London...can daddy come eat that suckable pussy for lunch?” That was his greeting as soon as he picked up. 

“In my car? baby, you know it’s an open lot...people will see,” London says with a sultry voice. 

“London... I’m tryna eat that pussy… you gon’ make me wait?” 

“I can try to get home sooner...that way, you can eat my pussy all day if you want to.” London’s tongue dragged across her upper lip, “it’s been a while, I know you miss this pretty pussy.” 

“Yeah?” Erik says, “All day baby?”

“Uh-huh, all day...any way you like…”

“That’s a mouth full of pussy ima need a lot of time to eat that shit up,” Erik chuckles, “I guess that will be dinner then, swallow all that pussy juice and slurp up that clit, yeah?” 

London ran her pink and white ombré acrylics through her copper hair. She could feel her clit poking against the crotch of her panties and her pierced nipples stiffen behind her silk top. She wanted Erik to suck on her nipples so damn bad that she thrust her chest forward like his wet mouth was wide open and waiting. London is a B cup so she could easily go without a bra. She wished she would have now because her nipples are rubbing against the silk of her shirt. They are so damn hard. 

“Ima be face first in that ass as soon as you walk through the door, London.” 

“I know, baby,” London spoke softly while using a single finger to circle her taut left pierced nipple. 

“Yes, sit that fat pussy on my face.” 

“Daddy, I gotta go,” London’s voice didn’t match her words. 

���Aight...just Gon’ leave me drooling all over myself until you get home, huh?” 

“I’m sorry, daddy.”

London knew Erik had to be fiending since they haven’t had sex in over two weeks. He would have another job lined up soon and from his words and the harsh, uneven sound of his voice, that told London everything she needed to know. Erik needed her. Part of it made London feel guilty because there were times when he would simply watch her masturbate in the tub. He would sit on the toilet after coming home from a job, his body just as tired. London would be in the jacuzzi whirlpool tub, her waterproof rabbit vibe going to town on her clit beneath the water. She didn’t mind him watching her, he didn’t even complain about her pleasuring herself instead of letting him do it. No, Erik would simply sit there with this sexy, devilish grin on his face, his eyes all low and seductive while they peered through the soapy water to take a look at how she worked that vibrator over her clit. 

That’s it baby..make that pussy cum

Mhm, good girl...you making that fat kitty cum, baby?

Then, there were the times he walked in on her riding her dildo in the shower with it mounted to the wall. These times she hadn’t expected him to be home so soon. His sudden appearance would make her feel timid to finish but Erik would insist that she continue because he really wanted to watch her. He would stand outside of the shower, his eyes focused on the way the dildo that’s an exact mold of his dick would slide in and out of her creamy pussy. The look on her face is so beautiful while she fucked herself. She just looks so helpless and useless with each stroke. Water mixed with her creamy mess would drizzle down her inner thighs with each stroke and it made his dick chub up real fast but he didn’t intervene. He knew he wasn’t around often to take care of his baby girl, she deserved to play in her pussy. 

You’re opening that pussy up beautifully, baby

Definitely A Greedy Pussy Indeed. I Love It. 

His words made her cum in an instant. 

________________________

[ Greetings Killmonger…..]

Erik heard the alert from his personal work computer all the way from the bathroom. He walked into his master bedroom with water still trickling from his body and a towel wrapped around his hips. His office was just in the other room where his laptop was located. He walked up to the laptop, tapped a series of keys and his Oracle message popped up in green letters with a black background that reminded him of the Matrix. 

“Oracle,” Erik spoke lazily before taking a seat at his desk, “another mission?”

 [Yes...do you accept the mission? ]

“...yes,” He says while stroking his goatee, “Lay out the details.” 

[ Russia’s ambassador to Turkey named Andrey G. Karlov is supposed to be attending an art exhibit two weeks from now on Monday in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Your assignment is to get to him and kill him before he reaches the art exhibit. We can’t have any witnesses. This job will require special gear and technology. We will provide a black Ducati sports bike and you have a suite booked at the JW Marriott Hotel Ankara. If the mission is successful, 3.5 million will be wired to your offshore bank account in Belize. ]

“Sounds legit...send me all the information I need on Karlov along with my hotel and I’ll be ready.” 

[ Excellent. Happy killing Mr. Killmonger….]

His laptop screen blacked out which meant that whatever information that was previously mentioned would be deleted without a trace. Erik has two weeks to prepare for his next job. He trained all day to keep up with his skills. It’s never a good look to take too much relaxation time. Standing from his desk chair, Erik makes his way into his master bedroom to rub his body down with cocoa butter body oil and slip on a pair of lounge pants. The body oil softened and conditioned his body perfectly. He slipped on a pair of black joggers and walked to the bathroom to finish his facial routine. Erik believes in taking care of himself, in a balanced diet, and in a rigorous exercise routine. Erik applies an herb mint facial masque which he leaves on for ten minutes while he prepares the rest of his facial routine. After rinsing the mask, Erik applies a moisturizer, some under-eye balm to help alleviate the dark circles forming, then finally, he sets it with a protective lotion. 

Back within his bedroom, staring out at Midtown through one of his wide, ceiling to floor windows, Erik realizes that London couldn’t make it home earlier like she promised. After their call ended, Erik decided to train so he could clear his head. He did his usual routine that involves jackknife crunches, crucifix push-ups, single leg burpees, jumping lunges, and other workouts. Then, Erik trained a little in combat; your fighting skills can always be improved. To end it, Erik let off a few rounds from his new Smith & Wesson pistol with a crimson trace sight. Erik walks down the modern stairs that ended within a corridor. He made his way towards the kitchen, turning on the lights and opening the fridge. Grabbing a box of leftover egg foo young, he places it within the microwave for 2 minutes. The front entrance to the penthouse opened and from the surveillance cameras in the kitchen Erik can see London removing her pumps before walking barefoot further into the penthouse. 

“Hey, baby,” her silvery voice soothed his ears, “I’m sorry I didn’t make it home earlier, today was yet another busy day...what are you heating in the microwave?” 

“It’s okay, I figured you were tied up,” Erik opens the microwave, grabbing the hot takeout container filled with shrimp egg foo young smothered in extra gravy, “Some Chinese I never ate yesterday, you wanna share?” 

“Yes,” London places her black Louis Vuitton tote bag on the galaxy storm granite countertop of their kitchen island before taking a seat on one of the stools. She finger combed her blunt cut bouncy copper hair away from her face while Erik grabbed two forks for them and after that two water bottles. He sat across from her before passing her a fork. London hissed from how hot the food was against her tongue before blowing it rapidly.

“Mmm...I haven’t had egg foo young in so long,” she licked her fork before going for more. 

“How was work?” Erik asks between chewing his food.

“It was alright, I’m exhausted,” London rubs her neck with her free hand, “How was your day?”

“Productive, did some training most of the time. I got an alert from my Oracle for a new job.” 

“...oh, yeah?” London swallows her food, hoping that her eyes didn’t read disappointment, “I figured it would be happening soon. When is it?”

“Within the next two weeks. It’s a big job so I gotta do some research over the next few days…” Erik reaches across the counter to rub London’s chin, “Hey...it’s two weeks from now. You got me for two weeks before I go away.”

London played with a piece of egg with her fork, “I know...I just get really lonely when you’re not with me, daddy.” 

“You sure about that? Still using the dildo I bought you?” Erik gave London a lopsided grin. 

“I am...but there’s nothing like daddy’s dick,” London laughs, before yawning, “I didn’t get any sleep last night.” 

“If you weren’t watching me take a shower and rub down with my body oil you would have,” Erik teased. 

“It’s your damn fault, you’re so sexy,” London strokes a single vein on Erik’s left hand with her pink and white ombré acrylic nail. 

“You know what I want, right?” Erik drags his tongue across the corner of the inside of his mouth to catch some food, causing a single dimple to form in his other cheek.

“Yes, let me shower first and I’m all yours,” London takes one final piece of egg foo young before grabbing her tote bag, walking around the kitchen counter to kiss Erik’s lips before walking away. Erik finished off the food before trashing it. He drank his water before tossing the bottle in recycling. Upstairs now, London is already out of the shower, her naked body seen walking into her walk-in closet to find something to sleep in. Erik brushes his teeth before joining her in the walk-in closet. London is wearing a sheer babydoll with berry-red trimming. 

“I got you something,” Erik says while walking up behind her. He picked it up in Miami for her. Reaching inside one of London’s many drawers, he pulls out a Cartier box. Erik presses his crotch against London’s curvy backside while leaning over her shoulder. London watches him open the box to reveal a stunning 18k white gold necklace with 264 brilliant cut diamonds. London’s topaz eyes locked with Erik’s onyx ones. They twinkled and it made him smile. He grabs the necklace, opening the clasp before placing it around her neck. London touches it with her delicate fingers. Erik’s thick lips lightly kiss the baby-soft skin of her cheek. 

“You look good in diamonds, girl,” He whispers to her before kissing along her neck, “icy just like your daddy.” 

“Thank you, daddy,” London fought for oxygen when Erik’s hands began to lift the bottom of her baby doll up. 

“Come sit on daddy’s face,” His nose was in her hair smelling the strands. Erik strolled back to the bedroom, laying back on the bed. London follows him, crawling onto the bed between his wide legs before climbing onto his lap to straddle him reverse cowgirl. Erik lifts the bottom of the baby doll completely up and around her waist to reveal her dangling fat pussy from behind. He takes his thumb to rub her protruding clit and labia that sat stunningly between her fat pussy lips. Lifting his thumb away, a slimy string of her fluids connected with it. Erik sucks it off before grabbing London by her thighs, roughly scooting her back towards him so that her pussy hovered over his lips. 

“Mmm, I miss this fat pussy,” Erik brings his lips to her pussy. He starts off by placing soft, lingering kisses that caused her to let out little gasps. Erik continues kissing her outer lips until her hips start oscillating back and forth. 

“Calm down, girl, daddy got you,” Erik spreads her pussy lips to reveal her cotton candy pink center, “had me wishing I could eat this pussy all day and I finally got it in my face,” Erik’s tongue poked out and he delivered stiff licks around her protruding clit. Erik could see her pussy contract with each lick and a single stream of slippery lubrication drip down to her labia. Erik dragged his thick bottom lip up to catch the fluid before sucking her labia into his mouth. His eyes closed one at a time after he got a taste of what he hadn’t tasted in two weeks. That sweet puss. 

“Yes, daddy,” London’s toes curled, “Fuck, baybeee.” 

Her drippy pussy was evidence that it missed his tongue among other things. 

“Sweet, tasty, pussy...sit on my face, London...THAT'S it…yeah, baby,” he groans, “Yummy pussy,” He sounded out longingly with a deep, alluring voice.

Erik loved spreading London’s lips with his tongue and tasting the warm sweet juices from her pussy. He loves when she puts her pussy on his face and rides his tongue. The loud smacking sounds from his slurping and licking mixed with London’s quickening breaths were sounds unheard of in two weeks. The way she was dripping in his mouth she was ready for his big black dick but all Erik wanted to do was eat. Both holes honestly. Erik wets a finger with his spit before sticking it in London’s tight, virgin booty hole. He was gonna get in that tight ass one day but for now he simply pushed his thick finger inside. It was so tight that it sucked his finger in. 

“Oooh, shit,” Erik says while watching his finger stroke London’s booty hole, “That ass is tighter than a motherfucker...you gon’ let me get in that ass?”

“I don’t know, daddy...fuck,” London looks back at Erik while he finger fucked her booty hole, “Damn, daddy, oh, my God…”

“I said, you gon’ let me get in that ass with this fat fucking dick?”

“Daddy it’s too big-

“If you’re used to this you’ll be used to my dick in no time, baby...taking that shit beautifully,” He wraps his lips around her clit and starts sucking. 

“Oh my God, daddy, that’s my spot,” London started speaking in tongues, “Yes, baby, suck on my pussy…”

Erik brings a finger from his other hand to slip inside of London’s pussy. The soft, fleshy ridges of her walls massaged his finger. He found her G spot and started massaging it with the pad of his finger. Erik started loudly sucking on London’s pussy and licking it sloppy with a lot of spit in between. Each time he licked London could feel his tongue print still lingering. 

“I’m gonna cum,” London says when she could feel her entire body spasm, “Daddy I’m cumming.” 

Erik continued sucking her clit, fingering her creamy pussy, and fingering her tight ass. He was working the hell out of her pussy that London almost collapsed. 

“You’re making my pussy cum,” Her voice grew louder, “Oh my God!!!!!” London started throwing her ass back, fucking Erik’s fingers before she started leaking all over his face. Her milky white orgasm covered his facial hair and lips. 

“Yes, daddy,” London became overstimulated and lifted her body from Erik’s. She fell back on the bed beside him, stroking her hair from her sweaty face. 

“I’m not finished...you said I could have it all I want, right?” Erik spreads London’s thighs before leaning over her body with a hankering desire. His tongue wiggles all over her pussy with exhilarating speed that strokes her clit in the right spot. London’s hips began to lift off of the bed but Erik held her in place. After licking it a few more times he went right back to slurping her up but this time he did it with fervor. Each suck came with a deep grunt. He was enjoying the hell out of her pussy on his mouth. He had London screaming his name. Erik was telling her through every suck and lick that this was his pussy and that she better cum in his fucking mouth. 

“Unnffttt!!!!!” London moaned out repeatedly. She yanked Erik’s tapered dreads, “eat this fucking pussy,” London rolled her hips, driving her pussy in Erik’s mouth, “yesssss ima cum in your mouth so fucking hard keep doing that.” 

Erik started sucking on London’s clit while swiveling his head back and forth. He was loving that pussy. 

“Suck on my pussy...suck on my pussy...sucking on my pussy…” London’s mouth unhinges, “Oh, yes, right there, ooooohh, DON'T stop...Yep...right there, daddy, uh-huh...uh-huh...uh-huh...FUCK YES...you’re making your pussy cum...FUCK!”

London fisted Erik’s hair as she climaxed in his mouth. 

___________________

The next day, London awoke to the sound of her alarm at 7:00 AM. She turned it off, sitting up in bed. Blinking her tired eyes, London rubbed her inner thighs together, feeling her pussy juices gathering in a puddle. She’s still wet from the repeated head she received from Erik last night. He ate her pussy three times before she fell asleep next to him then he woke her up at 2:00 AM with her clit in his mouth again. Spreading her thighs, London could see that her clit is still stiff and her inner folds are still engorged with arousal. The bed shifted behind her and London turned to find Erik stretching his built arms above his head. He blinked at her with low eyes before giving her a lazy smile.

“Good morning, baby,” Erik spoke before yawning, “You’re leaving me again, Princess?” 

“Duty calls,” London stood from the bed giving Erik a tantalizing view of her slim-thick frame. She leaned over the bed to kiss Erik nice and gentle, “I’ll miss you.” 

“Stay home,” Erik looked up at her through his long lashes, “We got some making up to do, girl...I ain’t have that puss in two weeks...we got some making up to do.” 

“I know, I know,” London was pulled down into the bed with Erik, “Daddy-

“Hush, Princess,” Erik’s hand made its way between her thighs, “That fat puss is still wet.” 

“Umph,” London shielded her face in Erik’s neck. 

“Nah, look at what I’m doing...London,” Erik yanked her hair, forcing her to focus on him, “LOOK.” 

Her eyes widened at his barbaric tone. The rough edge made her shiver. London’s eyes watched as Erik used two fingers to rub her clit side to side. 

“Mhm, I got that puss,” He bites her jaw, causing her to squeal, “Damn, that clit stiff...you going to work and leaving daddy home to take care of this fat ass dick by himself? Hmm?”

“Erik,” She could feel herself leaking all over his hand, “Daddy stop...I gotta go to work...fuck,” Erik pushed three fingers inside of her, “Fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.” 

“Princess, I plan on hitting this pussy from every angle imaginable,” Erik whispered to her before giving her sloppy kisses on her neck, “cum on my fingers, girl, you know you want to.” 

“Umph, Yes-

“I see you girl…FUCK,” Erik aggressively bites his bottom lip while he watched London cream his fingers, “Thats a good pussy, baby...such a good girl,” Erik’s fingers slip out to smack her pussy. London jumps from his lap while squeezing her thighs tight. 

“I’m gonna go take a sh-shower,” London lets out an unsteady breath while watching Erik suck her juices from his fingers. 

“Go ahead, Princess, I’ll see you in there.” 

London grabs her silk bonnet and shower cap before walking into the master bathroom. With her out of the room now, Erik grabs his cell to call London’s job. On the third ring, the receptionist picks up. 

“Thanks for calling, CSOC, this is Taylor Bianchi, how can I direct you?” 

“Hi, can I speak to Linda Yeager, please? This is Erik Stevens, a long time client of CSOC.” His eyes fall on London lathering up her soap sponge with her body wash. 

“Okay, I’ll transfer your call.”

The line clicks over and there is a brief pause before Erik could hear the phone being picked up and Linda clearing her throat. 

“Erik! How are you? Is everything alright?” 

“Yeah, everything is fine...I’m calling about London...listen, I’m requesting that she has a few days off. She’s exhausted and London needs to rest her mind and her body. With her being Lead Analyst now it’s taken a heavy load on her.”

“I understand,” Linda sighs, “I wish she would have told me she needs time off, it’s never a problem. Of course, London can take however long she needs.” 

“Thank you, Linda, I’ll let her know her vacation starts today.” Erik hangs up his cell before tossing the silk duvet back. He takes off his black joggers before walking naked to the bathroom. London has just finished washing herself a second time and now she is rinsing off. Erik opens the glass shower door, stepping inside the steamy shower, “Finished without me?” 

“Sorry, baby, I have to go to work, I’m already gonna be late.”

“Nah,” Erik closes the shower door, “I called your job, you won’t be going to work for the rest of the week.” 

“Huh?” London says with a perplexed expression.

“I requested for you to be off. Linda said it was okay.” 

“Babe…” London blushes, “You did that for me?”

“You know I got you, Princess. We can use all this time to fuck as much as we want...and I’m gonna fuck you good,” Erik approaches her with a gait that had her week in the knees.

“Okay...it’s been a minute…” London was backed into a corner, “All I’ve known is my vibe and dildo…”

“Aww, I know,” Erik takes his thumbs to twirl her pierced nipples, “That’s why I gotta remind you how daddy does it...dig that pussy out.” 

Erik snatches London’s bonnet and shower cap from her head before picking her up, walking with her until their bodies are beneath the squared shower head. Erik’s long dick began to thicken up beneath her pussy. He stuck his tongue down her throat, kissing her roughly while gripping her ass. London braced herself by wrapping her arms around Erik’s shoulders. From her lips, Erik’s kisses were on her neck now right along with his teeth leaving marks. He was so hungry for her, not even a grizzly bear could stop him from getting all of London. 

“You want daddy to fuck you in this shower?” Erik sucked on her bottom lip. 

“Please, daddy, can you fuck me in the shower?”

“You know how to ask daddy for what you want...good girl,” Erik used a little force to push London’s back against the shower wall. She sucked in a sharp breath, before raising a single brow at him. He was being rough with her. 

“Being rough with me, daddy?” She questioned sweetly because she knew that drove him crazy, “It’s okay…I know you need this pussy.” 

“You’re fucking right,” Erik growled before his mouth made its way to her erect pierced nipples, “This pussy hasn’t stained my dick in two fucking weeks...that’s way too long for me, girl...you know daddy gotta have this pussy any fucking chance I get,” With one hand, Erik places it around London’s neck, “those eyes are so sexy, baby...you better look at me just like that when I fuck this pussy,” Erik grinds his dick up against London’s pussy, “and when I cum on that pretty face.” 

“Anything, daddy, just fuck me,” London tried grabbing his dick but Erik’s hand around her neck grew tighter.

“Is that how you ask for this fucking dick? Try again,” Erik spoke through clenched teeth. 

“Can daddy fuck my little pussy, please?” London asked with a pout of her lips. 

Erik smiles devilishly, “Yeah...daddy can fuck that little Princess pussy.” 

With short, heated gasps, London watched Erik grab hold of his dick with the hand that was around her neck, rubbing it back and forth over her clit. It didn’t matter how much water covered their bodies from head to toe, London’s pussy is still drenched with her slickness. Erik strokes his dick against London’s entrance before pushing in just the tip, purposely stopping so he could watch the helpless expression on her face. 

“Yeah,” he spoke smugly, “And that’s just the tip, baby,” Erik pushes in some more with just his hips, “Damn...clenching up already? You know how this dick can be,” Erik continues without stopping this time before licking away a single tear from her face, “you know daddy gets in there, ma...this shit ain’t new.” 

“Damn,” London hisses, “You got my pussy opened up, daddy.”

“And you got my dick tickling your cervix,” Erik pulls all the way to his wide tip before pushing back inside deeply, “Like how I pull it all the way out? Huh?”

London could only nod her head.

“I asked you a fucking question, Princess,” Erik does it again. His thick, long, curved dick pushed back inside. London’s pussy is so warm and wet that it made his ass cheeks clench. 

“What the fuck did I say?” He barked out.

“If I like the way you pull it all the way out,” London’s lower lip trembled between moans. 

“Pull what out?” He asked her with narrow eyes.

“This big ass dick,” London’s head extended back, “This shit is hitting the bottom of my pussy.”

“Mhm,” Erik angles London’s hips with both of his strong hands, “That’s what the fuck I’m talking about,” He picks up speed, London’s hips loudly smacking against his, “This what you kept from me?” 

“Yes!!” London’s eyes never left his, “God...you’re stretching me.”

Their tongues flicked wildly before Erik pressed his forehead against hers. He was still watching her, his hands moving her hips in a circle while he stroked her pussy long dick style. 

“Unfff, if you keep doing that- daddy, shit,” London pouts, “Daddy it’s deep.” 

Erik wasn’t listening, he was too busy moving her hips in a multitude of angels just so his dick could reach every single part of her pussy from her walls, to her cervix, to her G spot, and then her A spot. Warm, liquid leaked from her pussy and it made Erik smile handsomely at her. 

“I got this fat pussy squirting,” Erik starts banging London’s pussy out harder, “Ima make you do that shit again...UH-HUH…nut on this fucking dick.” 

With a silent scream and her feet nudging against Erik’s back from his forceful thrusts, London gave him exactly what he wanted. Erik’s dick left her pussy and he put her down. London has to brace the wall because her knees are wobbling.

“Get down on your knees and clean this daddy dick off.” 

London was on her knees, grabbing Erik’s balls with one hand while wrapping her plump lips around the tip of his dick with just the power of her jaw muscles. 

“You better suck it good too or I’ma tear that throat up,” Erik bites his bottom lip down at London. He runs his fingers through her loose curly strands, “feeding my pretty baby some dick...see? You needed that, right?”

“Mhm,” London hums whole slurping on Erik’s dick. She had to work extra hard since his dick hadn’t been in her mouth for two weeks. She worked her jaws overtime and her head moved in a circular motion. 

“You’re such a good girl,” Erik licks his lips before leaning over, spitting on his dick. He watched London lick and suck his saliva into her mouth. 

“You sucking this dick, girl, mm,” Erik shakes his head, “You want me to unload down your throat?”

London responded with puppy dog eyes and a harder suck. Erik thrusts his hips forward suddenly, causing London to gag. She removed her mouth from his dick to take a breath but Erik grabs a fist full of her wet hair, making her look at him, “Did I tell you to stop?! You know this dick is long, girl,” Erik slapped his dick against her cheek, “Open your fucking mouth, Princess.”

London opens wide and Erik didn’t waste anytime getting back inside. His head went back while he uses London’s mouth like a pussy and started fucking her throat. London’s nails clawed his thighs. 

“Told you I had something for little ass girls like you who keep running from dick...don’t stop eating that dick up, Princess.” 

“Mmm...mmmhmm,” London blinked away her growing tears, striving to finish until his cum was down her throat. 

“I need it nice and sloppy like this. Make a mess like the good girl you are. You look so sexy when you get nasty,” Erik says between London’s sucking, “Yes baby...mmmh...fuuuckkk...make it nasty, baby, that’s it,” Erik’s face fixed into a mug, “Ughhhhhh fuuuckkkkkk, don’t ever stop sucking baby girl, make daddy bust a nut...ughhhhhhh…yes, empty me...mmmm...here it comes baby... getting the job done just drain your daddy and you never have to worry about anything...FUCK YES,” Erik’s entire body spasmed out of control. He gripped the back of London’s head before erupting deep down her throat. London welcomes her gift graciously with a flickering tongue. It was a lot of cum, definitely overdue. 

“Good girl,” Erik says between ragged gasps. 

___________________

After their shower, London and Erik had a nice breakfast that Erik prepared. Veggie omelette, turkey sausage, and a side of shrimp with cheesy grits. London did a bit of yoga, something she hadn’t done in a long while. Erik cleaned up before joining London in their personal gym for a morning workout. Erik couldn’t keep his eyes off of London stretching her body. After taking yet another long shower, London and Erik lounged around well into the early afternoon in complete nudity. Erik was supposed to start his research for his new mission but that wasn’t going to happen with the way London’s nude body was calling him. They were sitting in the living room, laid back on their luxury leather sectional sofa, music playing from the installed surround sound system. 

London couldn’t keep her eyes off of Erik’s dick sitting heavy between his toned thighs. Unable to control the urge to slurp his thick pipe into her mouth, London leans over Erik’s lap, grabbing his dick in her hand, slapping it against her tongue, and then all in one motion, his dick was back in her mouth. London arched her back, her ass sitting high in the air now for Erik to reach over and slap whenever he felt like it. She massaged his nut sack while swallowing her man’s fat dick. He loved to see her with a mouth full of his meat. All he could do was simply shake his head at her. Before he needed to remind her, London’s topaz eyes connected with his and that’s when his dick swelled to cum inspiring proportions in her throat and unloaded a fat nut that she worked for. 

“There you go,” Erik studied the way his balls tightened, “Got my nuts tight, girl, get up here.” 

London climbed into Erik’s lap, squatting over him while bracing herself on the back of the couch. 

“Nah, fuck that, grab daddy’s dick and put it in that sweet little pussy so I can fuck the shit out of you.” 

London reaches between her legs, grabs Erik’s dick, and lines it up with her snug entrance. She gyrated her hips over him before lowering herself onto his third leg. 

“Mmmm,” She locked eyes with him, “Big-ass-dick.” She tells him, even though he already knew that. 

“Tight-ass-pussy,” Erik’s thick lips practically swallowed London's, the more he devoured her with his kisses. His saliva laden tongue battled for dominance in her mouth the more he kissed. London was like putty in his arms. London didn’t see it coming when Erik’s hips elevated from the couch to fuck her. His balls slapped her on the ass with each heavy, gut-filling stroke. Her thighs shook and her toes were beginning to sweat from the hot leather. 

“Oh, shit,” Her lower abdomen clenched, “It’s deep…”

“Move your hands,” Erik ordered when London’s hands came down to press against his thighs to try and slow him up, “Move your fucking hands, London.”

“Daddy, nooooo,” She whimpered.

“Shut that shit up,” He wrenched her hands away from his thighs, “grip my shoulders...that’s it, girl,” Erik went back to fucking the shit out of her wet pussy, “I got this pussy gushing all over me and you want me to stop? You better take this big black dick...all I wanna hear is you moaning and saying how much you love daddy’s big dick, nothing else,” Erik tore his eyes away for a second so he could watch her cream his dick, “I’m beating this pussy up...shut that crying up, London.” 

“Yessssss,” London chokes up, “Daddy, pleaseeee-

“Please? Please what?” Erik wrapped his arms around London’s body, holding her in place so he could work her pussy some more, “Please what? Huh?!”

“YES!!” London buried her face in the crook of Erik’s neck. She could feel a warm sensation overpower her body and then she froze. Erik’s dick was covered in her cream all the way down to his balls. 

“Just making a mess on me, huh?” Erik sucks on London’s neck, “Daddy likes that shit...come here,” Erik lifts her from his lap. He stood up with his dick dripping cum, turning London over and arching her back. 

“Mm-mm, keep that arch,” Erik strokes his messy pipe, “Push them shoulders down...good girl,” Erik slaps London’s clit a few times before he enters her with a long exhale, “Good fucking pussy...pass me my phone.” Erik barked out. London grabs Erik’s phone from her left before passing it to Erik, “You remember how we used to do it?” Erik opens up his camera, aiming it at London’s ass, “Bring that ass up, London, I’m not gonna tell you again.”

London was holding off on purpose because she knew how deep he can get in this position. 

“How is daddy supposed to beat this pussy the fuck up if you don’t listen?” Erik pumped London’s pussy full of his fat dick with just his hips while holding the phone steady so he can capture it perfectly, “Wait until you see this shit, ummmmm, baby...widen your legs London,” Erik pushes himself in all the way, causing London to cry out, “It’s okay, Princess, here,” He did it again, “beat this pussy up…look at me.”

London looks back at Erik through her messy hair. She wished she hadn’t. Just one look at him had her squirting on his dick.

“You make that shit look so damn good...I’m spreading that pussy, baby?” 

“Uh-huh-

“What else is daddy doing?” Erik smiles.

“Making my pussy feel good,” London smiles back before her face frowned with ecstasy. 

“That’s the face I like to see...you got my dick pulsating in this pussy...got this good dick up in you all you can do is cum...I like that...too big, baby?” 

She couldn’t respond but HELL YEAH. His dick damn near pushed her stomach out of her mouth in this position. 

“Daddy…” London said so low. 

“What?!” Erik asked while hammering London’s pussy. He angled the phone so that the length of his defined body could be in view while he stroked her. London’s cheeks clapped loudly and her moans damn near blew out the speakers of his phone, “this is mine and ima remind you any and everywhere,” London gripped his dick with her walls, “yeahhhhh, make daddy bust a nut!!!”

“Fuck me!!” London grabbed the back of the couch, “beat it up, daddy!!”

“Fuck,” Erik had to drop the phone. He was about to cream all in London’s sweet, tight pussy, “Look at this arch, girl, damn...you want me to really get in this puss.” 

Erik’s mouth unhinges and his eyelids flutter. He gave London two deep, long, and filling thrusts before cumming deep inside of her. Erik slapped her ass hard a few times before pulling his dick from her pussy. 

“Come suck this big dick up,” Erik said between heavy breathing. London was on her knees in a flash, grabbing Erik’s dick up in her hand before licking their mess off. Erik twirled London’s pierced nipple with one hand. He was thickening up again and all he wanted to do was bury himself back inside her tight, creamy pussy some more. 

@tgigoldie @soufcakmistress @chefjessypooh @chaneajoyyy @pananegra @theblulife @becincere @blaqwidow91 @fish-outta-watah @eyeknowmywrites @crowngold @njadakillthiscookie @blktinkerbell @luvanxi @sheisexcellent1 @chocolatedippedinhoney @brandithecrystalgem @dababydababydababydababy @soulfulbeauty19 @btitannaaa @sunkissedebony97 @youngblackndgifted @harleycativy @rbhp @thee-germanpeach @thadelightfulone @palmstreesallday @skylahb @bakaris-shorty-deactivated20200 @nizzle-mo @truglori @queenflaws @ljstraightnochaser @theegoldenchild @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @nickidub718 @vikkidc @thehomierobbstark  @abluesforlyssa @abeautifulmindexposed @fd-writes @chasingsunlight @sickaddiktions @munteanhore @xo-goldengirl @tiava143 @33kiara @honeytoffee @asiasblackworld727 @momobaby227 @informalmelancholy @soulshinechronicles @hearteyes-for-killmonger @goddessofthundathighs @soulfxll @whazzzupmyhitta @seyven89 @lahuttor @janelledarling @shewritestheblues @fanfangal @kreolemami @thoughtsoftheantagonist @luvwitoutlimit1 @mygirlrenee @hippiesandpeacesigns @alittlejd @jaysaidhi @thewaysheis--awkward @walkrightuptothesun @shawnstacksss @theesotericqueen @mareethequeen @browngirldominion @ceeverse @therealmrsrhodes @sensitivelegend @teheeboo @yomiloo @msreshel-blog @bbygirrll05 @fahi0nanart @afteracouplepuffss @shaelyn102 @yaminax-kuss-a @lackbbaby @amyhennessyhouse @thattruckinwitch @dameshaemonique  @glittermakesmesmile @justgetitoverwith0  @notavintagecliche @pariahcolored @cydneyrenee4 @ajjiiaaahhhh @naeelyniecee @ambthegamer @efonteno @mikesteel20 @wisenerdcreator @draggingstxns @eevolsidog @xoxomyaah @asweet-serendipity​ @therealmrsmbjordan @ajspencer1892​ @queengodiva619 @niqui87​ @quietpoeticheart​ @itsjustyazz​ @dasia21​ @woah-express​ @bbgiirrll​ @backandbetter2​ @megabriahall @forbeautyandlife​ @queenflaws​ @cecereads209​ @queenbetter​ @yomiloo​ @daddys-baby-girl-t​ @lovinthemelanin​ @ladymac82​ @ambitionwood @t3mporaa​ @toniilaney​ @iv0rysoap​ @sinfully-dope​ @lovehatecritique​ @chocolategirl605​ @naysianaee​ @nyleveeee​ @erlebnissebliss​ @melinaasap1​ @woahthatshitfat​ @that-chick212​ @scarypumkin23​ @sambuckyslayallday​ @vikki240401​ @kuaua98 @enigmadivine​ @gingerylimonte​ @counterfeit-recherche​ @unholyxcumbucket​ @xdezaraex​ @missgigglesmoultrie​ @imrootingforeveryoneblack @dashhoney25​

#killmonger smut #killmonger x oc #Erik Killmonger #killmonger imagine #nahimjustfeelingit-writes

[still-finding-our-way]

W11, W12, W13

30/12/2020

Waking the dead, life, love and gossip

Flakey, flake, flake flake. I admit it, I let myself down and my nearest and dearest. Oh, the fucking self pity. Despite the ever changing rules and regulations over lockdown, we had planned to get out and walk with our respective menfolk during Christmas and New Year. We set a date and located a route. The forecast looked splendid—crisp and clear—it was going to be amazing. The day came round. I got up late, too late for my early morning climbing session with my daughter. I got dressed in my walking gear, and half an hour before leaving I couldn’t do it. I just could not walk out the door. So I cancelled and went back to bed. Yup, the diary of a depressive. Jen was her usual sage self and pointed out it was ‘twixmas’ and everyone was feeling shit, upside down and the wrong way round, and I should stop beating myself up about it. As Jen and A were already on route they continued on and later sent a breathtaking photograph of the high moor with the sun setting in one direction and the moon rising in the other. Studying the image on my phone in bed, I might have been peering into another world—a martian landscape, the light from the setting sun scattering a Persimmon glow across the moor grass—bronze and gold, molten lava, heat and searing passion. Dear Persephone, Queen of the underworld, you should eat all the seeds. These are winters treasures. Am I looking at a take from an African plain or perhaps a still from the film Dune? No, this is Dartmoor in searing clarity. The sky divided, storm grey cloud drawn low on the horizon and above an endless cyan—a blue to swim in. I could breath the freshness, feel the cold stinging my skin. Oh, the guilt and longing. So, I went out for a run to try and temper the physical yearning, and the next day messaged Jen to see if she could squeeze in another Dartmoor visit, with the promise that I wouldn’t bail this time. Two seconds later—a ping back with ‘Hell yes’. 

This time we kept our sights local, and though not a long walk we were going to colour in three whole squares on the 365 map: W11, W12 and W13. It felt like an accomplishment, nearly a full house—a line of colour beginning to emerge on the southernmost part of the map. The proposed route bypassed our previous walk to Western Beacon and headed for Ugborough Tor. The day arrived and clearly Santa Claus had been kind to Jennie. She cut quite a dash in her new walking gear, all booted and suited with military style walking shoes and thermal clothing. We exchanged gifts. From me to her a pair of essential gaiters—or ‘garters’ as Jennie likes to call them, and from her to me, some stylish ultra retro sunglasses. We agreed walking on the moor does not mean having to leave aside fashion. We parked up in the tiny hamlet of Harford and headed straight for St Petroc’s church, a Grade 1 listed building dated to the late 15th / early 16th century.

On this grey mizzly day at the very end of the year, the church looked bleak and unwelcoming. It wasn’t helped by the metal grill shuttered across the porch with a blunt no entry notice. We mooched around the graveyard at the rear of the church. Neglected and overgrown, it had a definite gothic air. We read the gravestones and pondered over the groupings of names and families. New to the term, I find out we are quickly becoming ‘tapophile’s’ or ‘grave stone tourists’—a person whose hobby or pastime is visiting cemeteries, graves and epitaphs; not to be confused with ‘necrophile’ and the perversion of showing a sexual or physical interest in the dead!  Not so much a morbid past-time, but one that is curious about past lives. Anyway we are apparently in good company as Shakespeare was supposed to have been a ‘tapophile’, and the related study of ‘taphonomy’ investigating processes of decay in archeology sounds fascinating and important. The hierarchal order of a graveyard is telling. Usually the bigger the slab the more powerful, influential and wealthy the incumbent, closely followed by the decorated memorials of war heroes protecting the former, whilst the women and children and those that had to live out the consequences of the deeds of the big slabs are marked by simple headstones. With this in mind when we came across a large plot encircled by low iron railings, containing a headstone marked John Jeffrey Dixon, 1756-1828, and surrounded by several smaller plaques, engraved with initials and the year of death all listed as 1855, we were intrigued. What could have happened? Were these children? A family tragedy, disease or perhaps a virus or infection?

I should not be surprised to discover that I have leaning towards taphophilia. Death came a blunder-bussing down my family’s own door a few autumns ago bringing with it a tsunami of destruction that took away three loved ones in a matter of weeks. In our highly polished antiseptic 21st century lives, tragedy is supposed to happen elsewhere, on the telly or as macabre titillation on news feeds. Having seen the havoc caused by the sweep of death at such close quarters, I seem to have developed an ear for the hidden tragedy that lies behind the bureaucratic recording of birth and death dates. One such story came with the accommodation that Al rented in the early days of our relationship. He lived in what was part of a 15th century manor house, in the quarter that would have housed cattle whilst the servants lived above. It was basic and cold—think rickety immersion heaters, cranky plumbing and layering up to go to bed—it was also delightfully romantic and we found our own ways to keep warm. Sometime in the mid 19th century the resident family, farm-workers, lost all 9 children in a matter of months to either cholera or diphtheria, the parents surviving probably because they drank mead and not the contaminated water. Some of our friends said they picked up prickly vibes in one room, but we never did, though there was the one time when I woke up in the night to someone blowing gently on my leg dangling out of bed. It was so focused, like someone blowing through a pea-shooter on skin, and then it was gone. It definitely wasn’t Alex, he was snoring contentedly next to me, nor were there any drafts in that particular area, and so overcome was I by my  primordial nighttime terror that I dare not look under the bed. I could never find a rational explanation for it, other than a waking dream, perhaps? I like to think that if there is any paranormal phenomena out there, spirits or otherwise, they would be up for having a laugh and hiding under the bed playing ghoulish peek-a-boo. Never mind wailing ghosts and ghouls, the universe seems set up for tragedy and comedy, see-sawing together, tempered with a dose of absurdity to keep the balance.

But how to imagine the desperation and hopelessness of loosing all your children, of not being able to do anything—no mercy forthcoming, from god or layman, through prayer or witchery. Heart wrenching, gut wrenching, unrelenting grief. The stuff of nightmares and surreal in the telling. A tragedy, they say. Indeed, a tragedy that reveals the limits of knowledge, failing systems and medical bungles. Death can tell so much about a time, and I needed to find out what had happened to this family in 1855. 

I found limited information online so I contacted the church secretary and swiftly received a response that explained that a memorial existed inside the church to the Dixon family. The Dixon’s had been a local family, the father John Jeffrey Dixon dying in 1828 leaving behind a family of six daughters and one son. The daughters never married or had children and continued to live with their mother Mary Romeril Dixon. The son married and moved away. The eldest daughter Sophie Dixon (1799-1855) was a poet, of the Romantic tradition, and had had some of her work published. Maintaining a household of seven women and living the life of a published female poet in the early 19th century suggests a level of education, cultural knowledge and financial comfortability, however I could find no further detail on the fathers preoccupation. Instead I was delighted to find copies of Castalian Hours. Poems by Sophie Dixon (1829) online, alongside two travelogues she had written about walking on Dartmoor: A Journal of Ten Days Excursion on the Western and Northern Borders of Dartmoor (1830) and A Journal of Eighteen Days Excursion on the eastern and Southern Borders of Dartmoor (1830). 

I find an online copy of the two journals bound together with an unauthored handwritten note that describes how the ‘two journals are seldom found together, and in this state are exceedingly rare’. The unauthored note instructs the reader not ‘to despise the untutored writing’ instead recognise that Dixon recorded what she actually saw, and ‘that she really saw a great deal more than most people’. Written nearly 200 years ago, the journals read anything but ‘untutored’ instead they present a style ahead of their time, combining acute observation with opinion that covers a range of subjects from education, poverty and religion that would not be out of place amongst the current plethora of travelogues and writings about place today. Nor was Dixon a faint heart—she was an endurance walker, with Donna Landry writing in The Invention of the Countryside how Dixon was not averse to enduring ‘incredible discomfort and fatigue’ walking up to 28 or 30 miles a day, and that she wrote to ‘expend feeling as much to capture or contain it’ (2001: 239). This is an impulse I can relate too. She was 30 years old when these works were published and was writing at a time that saw the countryside shift from being seen, at least by the middle classes, as a dangerous and impoverished place, to becoming appreciated for its leisure and therapeutic value. Despite Sophie’s passion for Dartmoor and poetry, little is recorded of her life unlike her male contempories—the walking poets—Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, nor are her writings given due acknowledgment in the round up of important historic literature about Dartmoor. A woman writing about walking across Dartmoor—a harsh and unforgiving landscape at the best of times—and being published at a time when women weren’t allowed to go to university is no mean feat. Sophie’s poetry and writing reveal a sensitivity, of trying to capture the immensity and rich diversity of the moor; an artist, creating through doing, striding out in all weathers, feeling the raw elements, being buffeted by the wind on the high tor’s. And all in Georgian attire, heavy skirted, possibly with pantaloons and with no GORE-TEX or triple layered waterproof performance technology in sight. Despite her absence in the text books Landry observes that ‘the slightness of Dixon’s oeuvre is no measure of the significance of her achievement’ (239). My impression after reading her works, is a writer who is capable, forward thinking, engaged in current affairs and confident in communicating her thoughts, yet I have so many remaining questions about Sophie that perhaps a historian will give the time to uncover. She deserves to be more than just an initial or a footnote in history.

But what of her death and her family? In her preface to Castalian Hours Sophie writes about the loss of her father and subsequent grief and illness effecting her writing, however further tragedy was to come. According to the GRO death certificate her mother died of heart disease on the 14th December, 1855 aged 80. Three days later her younger sister, Emma Romeril, died of Peritonitis, and ten days after that, on 27th December, Sophie herself died from what is recorded as Typhus at the age of 56. The two other sisters, Cora and Lucy, who are listed on the church memorial and on the grave stones as dying in 1855, actually died two weeks apart in 1876 at the age of 69 and 70 respectively of Bronchitis and exhaustion, a contagious illness undoubtedly spread through close contact. How they all came to be listed as dying in 1855 is a mystery, with the assumption given that the memorial was erected when the brother Clemsen Romeril died in 1893, and that somehow the dates were conflated or misremembered. 

***

Wide, open moorland, away from the clutter and noise of modern life where we are constantly ‘ON’, hyper-stimulated, reading the codes, the signs, the subtext. Classification and analysis, polish the mask and smile ‘ta da', who do you want me to be today? It is exhausting. From my studio, I used to watch my chickens scratching and busying—pre bird flu lockdown—and envied their freedom, whilst I was penned in, tied to a screen and working 10/12 hours a day. Sometimes I forgot to move, going hours without drinking or eating. I had become a battery hen and no matter how many golden eggs I laid it was never enough. Putting in numbers and words that churned out more numbers and words until one day the machine broke. Now I have become frozen, a glitch in the matrix, stuttering and locked in. I have to rebuild, start again, set a new framework but to do that I have to first find a way to reboot the frozen system.

We marched up the hill chattering eagerly, airing and giggling over the silliness of families and Christmas frivolities. Despite the chill in the air we warmed up quickly and had to stop to strip off layers, breathing heavily and taking in the sweeping view. It stopped us in our tracks, the vastness of the rolling landscape calming us down, bringing us back to rights. Body and earth, right here, right now. We were heading for Spurrell’s Cross, a medieval stone cross that marks the crossing of two old tracks, one running from Plympton Priory to Buckfast Abbey and the other from Wrangaton to Erme Pound, but we had been too cocksure on setting off, wrongly assuming we were on familiar ground. As a result of our cocksurety we had missed the path and, as is becoming routine on our walks, we once again found ourselves stomping over tussocky ground. The lesson learnt from this walk is that perspective changes everything—so obvious in hindsight but familiarity, as they say, breeds contempt, which in our case was for the map. We were walking on the east side of Western Beacon and though only a few miles into our walk we had quickly become disorientated. The ground undulated unexpectedly hiding the tors previously used as landmarks and we realised that we hadn’t quite got to grips with distance on the map, and as a result could not work out whether we were too far north or south? Scanning across the moor, and with better long distance eyesight than I, Jen spotted a shape partially camouflaged against the moor grassland. With nothing to lose, except our bearings, we ploughed ahead and thankfully hit base, laying hands on the cold stone of the old cross in gratitude. Back on track, we were able to stroll comfortably up to Ugborough Tor.

A space to decant—we talk about all sorts, everything and nothing, from work to children, to ageing and sex; to clothes, cooking, cars, consciousness and ex's—the ex's are most fascinating, the other women, they are set up as the opposition that we share so much in common with and who you can never, ever, know too much—to fungi, lovers, philosophy and death. It is not so much Sex and the City but Sex and the Moor. Everything gets emptied out and overturned. Nothing is trivialised, it all has its place—the worries, the niggling anxieties, superstitions; the casting thoughts that might dissolve into nothing or rankle away and fester without the ear of a trusted confident. Our grandmothers were right all along, a good airing, whether clothes, houses, babies, people or thoughts, makes everything feel better. Men and children so often fascinated by what women talk about… and no wonder, women talk about the under belly of life, paring back the fat and gristle, sifting the wheat from chaff. The talk that unites, strengthens social bonds and builds trust—what social psychologists refer to as cultural learning. In the stone age, this chatter was crucial for sharing information that would enhance survival, and whilst we no longer have wild animals to fear, sense checking about who’s who and what’s what remains essential for our well being. 

As children, Jen and I used to be fascinated by our mothers afternoon chats, tongues loosened by a dab or two of sherry. We’d quietly linger in the kitchen, turning the tap ever so softly to get a glass of water, or sit on the stairs ostensibly playing, all the while zoning in on the hushed tones, regularly punctuated by raucous laughter, our eyes widening at what we heard. Rogue men and wildish women, the drawn out agony of someones death, money—the lack there-of; clothes and weight gain, diets, boobs, hot flushes and farting. When they caught us listening they’d call us elephant ears and the conversation would drift to more mundane matters. On occasion the conversation would lower to a whisper, to more darker talk. We’d strain hard, catching snippets of a violent man and a vulnerable child. The school bully, the blond and pretty girl, always with shiny new things turned out had a not so happy home. This was a grown-up world that was somewhere else, far more entertaining and scandalous than watching an illicit late night episode of Dallas or Dynasty huddled together under the bed clothes.

Today out on the moor we find ourselves talking, amongst other things, about the origins of cellular life—as you do. Where once life was understood to have started at a particular point in time and from there on in evolution began spiralling outwards in a chronological timeline from A to Z. We’ve all seen the poster, some of us have the T-shirt—cell blob, lizard, monkey, ape-man, human, Trump. Then some clever spark asked the question, if life started at A—assuming it was down to 'abiogenesis'—where life emerges from non-living matter through natural processes as opposed to counter theories that posit life came from outer space, then surely life must have emerged previously, and continues to appear at point B and C, and so on and so on? Between huffing and puffing up the hill, it is not so much the biology but the shift in the question that fascinates us—alter the boundaries and framework of the question and a whole different perspective opens up, revealing the wood and not just the trees; the whole picture and not just the jigsaw piece. No surprise that Jen and I have dabbled in statistics—she in teaching the subject and I by presenting different sets of data, coloured pie-charts illustrating how the Arts can change lives, which is very difficult to prove in evidential terms but ask a slightly different question and the coloured pie-charts will look ever so pretty, so give us some money, please. It is all about the questions, the scientists and statisticians cry. If only we could step outside of ourselves we might understand so much more. But it is hard to shake off our human skins. 

Keep turning the stone over and take a walk around the hill. Anything and nothing. Our conversation continues to spiral upwards and outwards. We bat around ideas, snippets of information snatched from radio, social media, books, conversation—finding relevancy, knitting them together. It feels like moulding and sculpting, work in the studio with most falling to the floor as detritus. The artist Paul Klee said drawing was like ‘taking a line for a walk’, and so it is with conversation—take it for a walk and give it a good airing. Walking in the time of viral contamination is vital. It has become the new 18th century coffee-house, the place renowned for scintillating conversation (if you were a man of course); it is George Seurat’s glistening Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, minus the fancy pants and with walking boots, purpose and pace. It is the city flaneur but without the pomp or privilege. It is Piet Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie, but without the boulevards and pulsating lights. It is our mother’s sherry and Sophie’s journals. Hitch up your skirts and put on your garters and take a walk on the Wild Side. A walk in the park. An escape. Let the words wander or wonder, drawing shapes, hitting dead-ends and taking u-turns.

From the origins of life, depression and death our drawing circles around to the language of love, with Jen telling me how the ancient Greeks had several words for different kinds of love: love for children, love for god, sexual love, self love, whereas in the English language ‘love’ is pinned to its romantic roots—the all or nothing kind, of passion and intensity, valentines cards, red roses and the impossible happy ever after. We find ourselves wondering what is the word to describe the love between old friends? 

We reach Ugborough Tor, the temperature has dropped and we think it might snow. In truth, this is the southernmost tor as Western Beacon is not classified as a tor. There are four rocky outcrops: Creber’s Rock, Eastern Beacon, Beacon Rock and Ugborough Beacon; several cairns and a tumulus—an ancient earth burial mound. The view to the East is striking, what is known as Beacon plain slopes gently away then suddenly descends steeply into a valley, so abrupt is the descent that we can’t see the bottom from our vantage point on the tor. The effect is dizzying; the fields and houses rising upwards on the yonder side of the valley look like play mobile houses. We are 378 metres high (1240 feet) above sea level and can see the A38, or the Devon Expressway, snaking northwards. Jennie points out a prominent landscape feature, what looks like a Drumlin, a large teardrop shaped hill probably caused by the receding ice flow of the last ice age some 11,700 years ago. It was previously understood that Dartmoor lay beyond the ‘Quaternary glaciations’ however recent research of the landscape has challenged this notion. We amble our way back and it starts to snow; big heavy flakes, some the size of coins come down thick and fast. We are alone in this vast landscape and run and whoop like children. Back at our cars, as we turn to say good bye, we shout ‘I love you’ to each other. I think we might have always said this, but now we know somewhere it has a name.

Later, I look up Aristotle’s definitions of ‘love’, in particular ‘philia’ which is usually translated as friendship love, or ‘brotherly love’, denoting an altruistic loyalty between equals. This research takes me on a journey that considers what Aristotle defined as ‘good’, and ‘diakaios’, meaning what is ‘fair’, ‘just’ and ‘right’ in accordance to the laws of the universe—laws that draw on the ancient Greek idea that there exists within the universe an order. According to Simon May in ‘Love: A History’, Aristotle elevates ‘philia’ above all other forms, including romantic love and the virtuous love of god. May then goes on to explain how self-knowledge, a virtue much prized by the Greeks, is essential to becoming a well-balanced human being, yet Aristotle understood that ‘it is hard to know ourselves’, we are masters of our own deceit and that we need the aid of a ‘second self’, a person who holds similar values but serves as a mirror reflecting back to us who we are. May goes on to explain that it is not so much that our second self tells us who we are, but that we see in them a part of ourselves, quoting Aristotle directly ‘… with us [humans] welfare involves a something beyond us, but the deity is his own well-being.’ Of course, for this to work the second person has to be the right person—a person who has similar virtues, or values, as ourselves, then ‘philia’ becomes ‘diakaios’—‘when it is in accordance with the laws of the other person’ nature … If love isn’t in such accordance it is inauthentic and hollow’. (67)

How does this analysis of love, nearly 2400 years old, relate to my life long friendship with Jennie? Without a doubt Jennie is suitably different in character to myself—more gregarious and outgoing, her humour is deliciously wry and observant; she is clever, astute and canny, her readings of people and situations are always spot on and she is open-minded whilst still being firmly rooted in reality (the latter being a virtue that I cannot always say about myself); she is a fierce and protective mother, committed to family; ambitious and tenacious. Equally, she is interested in ‘self-knowledge’, if not ‘self-love’, which our deferent Englishness finds a little too gushing, however, she has never been afraid to look in the mirror and face her demons, to own up, reflect and rebuild. Her honesty about our lived contradictions—how we say one thing and do another, that we self sabotage to avoid shattering our fragile self-image and so on—is so refreshing in a time when you might be socially hung drawn and quartered for taking thoughts and words for a walk that do not directly fit the current view. Some of these characteristics I share, others extend my world view. If she serves as a second self, then hell, I need to learn to love thyself! I can count on three fingers the friends I share this type of relationship with, though I’d argue that we are constantly shaping ourselves against our interactions with others—whether children, parents, the shop-assistant, the teacher or colleague. Perhaps I need to be more discerning in my choice of lovers and husbands, as when it comes to the language of love I am clearly better at ‘philia’ than the ‘eros’ kind. In the meantime I’m going for a walk.

SC

Reading

Crossing, William. (1888) Amid Devonia’s Alps; or, Wanderings & Adventures on Dartmoor Plymouth: Simpkin, Marshall & Co. Online, 05, January, 2021: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Amid_Devonia_s_Alps/lfoVAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

Dixon, Sophie. (1829) Castalian Hours. Poems. London: Longman, Orme, Hurst, Brown, and Green, Print.

Dixon, Sophie. (1830) A Journal of Eighteen Days Excursion and Dixon, S.(1830) A Journal of Ten Days Excursion on the Western and Northern Borders of Dartmoor. Online, 05, January, 2021:https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=d_4GAAAAQAAJ&hl=en_GB&pg=GBS.PA2

Evans, D.J.A. and Harrison, S. and Vieli, A. and Anderson, E. (2012) 'The glaciation of Dartmoor : the southernmost independent Pleistocene icecap in the British Isles.', Quaternary Science Reviews., 45 . pp. 31-53.

Landry, Donna. (2001) The Invention of the Countryside: Hunting, Walking and ecology in English Literature, 1671-1831. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

May, Simon. (2011) Love: A History. London: Yale University Press.

Sampson, J. ‘Women Writing on the Devon Land: The Lost Story of Devon Women Authors up to circa 1965’. August 13, 2018. Online, 05, January 2021: https://newdevonbookfindsaway.blogspot.com/2018/08/on-ways-to-old-literary-roads-around.html

[sally-annesstories]

Tips and tricks from my travels

Interrupting the usual posting schedule for something a bit different (I’ve got time up my sleeve and thought it would be handy to document my packing list for later on).

My packing list!

Clothing:

7x tops (light/short sleeved)

3x sports tips

2x thermal tops

1x long sleeve top

1x 3/4 sleeve top

2x bikini top and bottom

1x full piece togs (with sleeves to avoid jelly’s!)

1x denim skirt

1x denim shorts

1x jeans

1x full length tights

2x 3/4 length tights

1x sport shorts

1x elephant pants

1x wool stockings

1x normal stockings (I find these good to wear under jeans to make them warm)

2x dresses

14x underwear

4x bras

2x sports bras

2x sneakers (I left with one and bought a second in LA. My ones I bought with me have lived a good life so second was in case they die)

2x jandals/sandals (again left with one but on the road realised my sandals weren’t waterproof so new jandals were needed for showers. Picked some up for 28 pesos in Mexico!).

Accessories:

1x travel pack (I went with the MacPac Orient express as it felt the best when I put it on. It’s 65L including the smaller bag)

1x day pack (mine came with my big bag)

1x drink bottle (stainless steel/insulated to keep whatever is inside cold/hot - which ever it was to begin with!). This is one of my absolute must haves and it surprised me others aren’t travelling with them. Mine as a wee handle and I loop it to my bag with a carebena

1x travel pillow

5x luggage (TSA approved) locks. My large pack uses two, small pack one. Then two spares. One is for on lockers at hostels. The other has a longer loop which Kimberley said was handy to have in India for long bus journeys. Haven’t used so far but nice to have.

2x random shoppings bags (to use for beach or food carrying)

1x headlamp

1x torch

1x money belt (I got the gotravel one as it truely can’t be seen under clothes)

2x hat (1 is a sports one so good for sweat and water)

1x fast dry towel

1x sarong (I picked this up in Mexico to use as a beach towel)

1x sleeping bag sheet

1x sunglasses

1x 5 pack of carebenas from Kathmandu

Bathroom:

Shampoo/conditioner - I don’t use sunsilk at home but discovered they do 200ml bottles the day I left (and I couldn’t fit my 350ml bottles I normally buy!)

Moisturiser

Face wash

Razors

Toothbrush x3 (I don’t like using a tooth brush for too long, especially on the road)

Toothpaste

Floss and floss sticks (I love these!)

Hair brush (mini) and wide tooth comb

Hair ties

Face wipes (you could use baby wipes!)

Cotton buds/pads

Nail polish (purchased a mini one on the road)

Sunblock - one large liquid and also a large aerosol spray (so I can do my back alone). Also special face sunblock.

DEET!

Medication:

Vaccinations - I went to the doctor and was topped up on everything needed for stock standard vaccines you get at home. I had done this also for Asia a few years back so it wasn’t many.

On top of this I was vaccinated for rabies, yellow fever and I had dukoral (a vaccine you drink) which covers you for cholera.

Paracetamol

Ibuprofen

Immodium

Antibiotics

Allergy medication

Ondasetron

Nausea

Altitude sickness

Malaria medication

Eye drops

Ointments for every skin ailment

Vitamin C tablets

Melatonin

Mini first aid kit

Plasters of a variety of shapes and sizes

Strapping tape (had ankle issues before I left)

Eyedrops

I don’t have charcoal tablets but I’ve met a lot of travellers who do

Electronics:

Cellphone

Kindle

2x portable chargers (left with one but picked up a second in LA as it was cheap and smaller than my Deloitte one). 2 is excessive.

1x headphones (I have the wee ones so less bulky)

1x book (not electronic but sits with them in my pack)

What was overkill:

<this will be updated as the trip progresses>

Travel insurance

Research research research!

I ultimately went with Cigna because they would cover hikes at altitude from 4,000m - 6,000m above sea level (if you’re with a guide company).

Usually I go with Southern Cross Travel Insurance (without thinking about it) but they didn’t have any kind of cover for high altitude cover from what I found/spoke to them about. I also spoke to 1Cover and they suggested their sister company itrek. I found itrek to be double the price and seemed to need go be booked from Australia. Cigna was a last minute find! But a good one.

As they say if you can’t afford travel insurance you can’t afford to travel.

Doctors visit

See medication section of my packing list for both the drugs I took with me and the vaccines I got.

Highly recommend seeing a travel doctor (only they can do the yellow fever injection in NZ / I went to WorldWise in New Market).

However for prescriptions I went to my normal GP as this way they are subsidised to 5$ per script. Travel doctor prescriptions aren’t subsidised (this is what they told me). But they will help you figure out what prescriptions you need.

For melatonin, I picked it up in the USA last year. You can get it in NZ (prescribed) but it’s more expensive (5-15$ a pill versus I spent that amount on 100 in the USA). I prefer melatonin to other sleeping pills that the doctors offer which are subsidised. I only really use it on planes to help with time shifts).

Also, book doctors appointments as early as possible.

Rabies is typically 3 shots over a month plus there is currently a shortage in NZ. I was only able to get it because they gave me another type of vaccine (4 injections in a week in your skin rather than muscle) and because the particular vile had previously been approved and I was deemed high risk (given length I’m away).

Medicine bag and bags packed at the start!

[shannrussell-blog1]

Toronto has a lot of names. The ‘Foodie City’, ‘the Baby New York’, ‘T.O’ (T as in Toronto and O for Ontario), are just a handful of them. I never categorise a complete city experience into one label, I certainly do see why Toronto is the city you come to, to eat… or get an entree of the Big Apple, but served up on a friendly plate.

With a population of nearly 2.8 million, it’s a sizeable city. I must admit, when I first arrived last month, I was a little, let’s say, confused. Sure, I had come from New York (and we seem to have a special talent for comparing every city to NYC after living there), but I was surprised at how spread out Toronto is.

“People leave the city to do things, actually”, a new friend said, when I was looking for Toronto’s ‘Manhattan equivalent.’ The penny dropped.

Welcome to Toronto, the baby New York.

Toronto’s lively neighbourhoods & nooks

Alright, this is where the action happens. Just like New York (sorry, I can’t help myself), you can pick where you hang out, according to what you feel like doing (or eating).

I’m smack-bang in between ‘Little Portugal’ and ‘Little Italy’, which could easily be mistaken for the ‘burbs. But, wandering around the main streets and you’ll find coffee shops, bars and boutiques a-plenty.

Explore the coffee shops, boutiques and bars in the city. 

West Queen West

My two favourite spots so far are West Queen West and Chinatown. Follow two main thoroughfares, Queen Street and King Street, which connect the two areas.

Having an affinity for street art, which both neighbourhoods are known for, I enjoy tackling sections of these two main streets, stopping in the various eateries and shops along the way.

Explore the streets and check out the street art along the way. 

Chinatown

In Chinatown, Graffiti Alley is worth a look (especially if you’re familiar with and love Melbourne’s laneways). Slightly north is the Kensington Markets – the famous and colourfully quirky area that attracts both tourists and local weekend market-goers.

Distillery District

St. Lawrence Market, further east in Toronto’s trendy Distillery District (a spectacle in itself with its 19th Century whiskey distillery buildings), is another Saturday activity, as it’s shut on Sunday. Meander at your ‘market-pace’ around the 100+ vendors, bakers, butchers, artists and collectors.

While the quaint Distillery District has enough indie restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, outdoor sculptors and music performances to keep you occupied, you’re in for a special treat if you visit in November or December – as this is when Toronto’s Christmas Markets is on. Picture a big Christmas tree, fairy lights, mulled wine, sweets, carols and, most probably, snow.

Again, there’s plenty of opportunities for more food eating, but that’s okay!

Wander through the old distillery district to see what it has to offer. 

Where else should you visit?

If you’ve got time, visit the world’s tallest free-standing structure in the western hemisphere – the CN Tower.

And, if it’s warm enough, head to the Toronto Islands which is only a short ferry ride from downtown Toronto.

The CN Tower is an iconic landmark to visit in Toronto. 

Poutine, pancakes & coffee

You can literally eat your way around the world without leaving Toronto… Latin American, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Indian, Chinese, Polish as well as many Canadian-themed dishes.

Get ready to eat more than you should (but it’ll be worth it) consuming triple-stacked pancakes, sweet Canadian bacon or poutine – french fries, cheese curds, brown gravy and usually some delicious meat.

And yes, it’s as good as it sounds. Forget the calories.

Toronto is known for its food, so sample as much as you can!

Enjoy some craft beer tasting

Brunch is also religion here, as is craft beer tasting. Check out Bellwoods Brewery, Kensington Brewing Company and Junction Craft Brewing.

If you’re stuck in food choice paralysis, Blog TO is a great resource for finding somewhere to dine.

Daily brunch is not to be missed during your visit. 

Organising your trip to Toronto

Life in Canada is pretty darn close to home, culture-wise. You don’t need to worry about vaccinations or learning the basics of a new language.

Organising and planning a trip here is fairly straightforward. 

Transport to and from the airport

When you’re booking your flight, keep in mind there are two airports. If you’re travelling from Australia, you’ll most likely arrive at Pearson International Airport. Jump in an Uber to the city, which should only be around CAD$24 vs. a $55 taxi.

However, if you’re connecting in North America, you might land at Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto Island. Walk 10 minutes in the underground tunnel and you’ll come out in downtown Toronto.

Getting around the city – Uber Pool and the Subway system

Getting around the city depends on two things: the weather and where you want to go. I use Uber pool most of the time, but there is an underground subway system, Toronto Transit Commission, and something locals call ‘the trolley’, which is like Melbourne’s tram system. Visit TTC for more information.

But given that Toronto’s public transport is notoriously poor, many Torontonians ride their bike. And yes… that’s in sunshine, rain, hail or snow.

Ride, walk or use ride-sharing services when getting around the city. 

Booking accommodation – where should you stay?

As for pre-booking your accommodation, don’t assume that you need to be right in the city’s downtown (near the water). Remember, the outer neighbourhoods are where it’s at. I’d suggest looking for AirBnb’s around Chinatown, Little Portugal, and King West Village. I spent most of my time in the Chinatown district. It’s always best to book a week or two earlier, especially during the warmer months.

Packing for the weather

The last part of your preparation, and probably the most important part, is packing for the weather. The summer sits at a perfect mid-twenties, but as soon as we get closer to November, it gets chilly… and I mean bone-aching kind of cold. Rug up, Aussies.

Pack your warm down jacket, a beanie and a scarf to keep yourself warm. 

What gear to bring to Toronto

Thermals

Thick socks

Gloves

A scarf or /shoes

Daypack for sightseeing

It’s cold here, particularly in winter! So pack accordingly. 

Visas and getting there

As for the visa, Australians can enter Canada (and stay for up to six months) on something they’ve recently introduced called an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA).

You can apply for your eTA through the Government of Canada website. As for the currency, they take Canadian dollars, which is virtually one for one with the Australian dollar.

  What’s your favourite city in Canada? 

The post The Essential Guide to Visiting Toronto appeared first on Snowys Blog.

#>Buff</a></li> #/specFilters=38m!-!2129&pageSize=40&orderBy=-1&pageNumber=1 #/specFilters=5!-!2163&manFilters=250&pageSize=40&orderBy=-1&pageNumber=1>Insulated

[componentplanet]

ExtremeTalk: What, If Anything, Do You Miss About the Old Days of Computing?

A

Computers today are so enormously improved from the devices I used in my childhood, it scarcely feels accurate to refer to them with the same word. Mostly, that’s a good thing. I do not miss the days when hard drive specifications had to be manually keyed into BIOSes, when CPUs would cheerfully drive themselves into thermal runaway until they melted to the board. I am glad end-users no longer have to manually set the CPU voltage for a new chip using a series of jumpers or DIP switches, knowing if they got it wrong, they’d fry the CPU, the motherboard, or both. I don’t tear up when I remember hunting for a SoundBlaster Live OEM CD because Creative wouldn’t put the OEM drivers online.

But there are things I miss about the era. Back in 2000, I had a 16MB PC66 SDRAM DIMM that I could overclock to 133MHz — so long as I put it in the RAM slot farthest from the CPU. I overclocked my network card by pushing my system bus clock beyond rated spec and meaningfully improved network transfer speeds in doing so.

There’s one specific way in which the computers of the late 1990s and early 2000s blow the machines of today out of the water: achievable price/performance ratios. Want a low-cost dual-processor system? Grab an Abit BP6 and a pair of Celerons for a fraction of the price of a normal 2S system. Want Pentium II performance at Celeron prices? Grab a 300A and overclock it.

The AMD Athlon might have gotten all the accolades, but I always loved the original Duron more. As far as I can tell, just about every Duron 600MHz ever manufactured could hit at least 800MHz (8x100MHz). Plenty of them ran faster — my own Duron 700 was capable of 1045MHz on a 190MHz FSB (more on that in a moment). The equivalent improvement today would be buying a Core i3 with a clock of, say, 3.5GHz and cranking it to 5.2GHz while increasing your DRAM clock from DDR4-3200 to ~DDR4-4500.

The components to pull these kinds of tricks, moreover, were remarkably cheap compared with today, even accounting for inflation. Back then, Duron’s didn’t like to hit high bus speeds and generally could not boot at a 133MHz FSB clock. Motherboards of that time had just switched over to what were called Soft Menu settings for overclocking, instead of physical DIP switches or jumpers. Soft Menus were much easier to use, but they had a known flaw: There was a non-zero amount of time before the motherboard would adjust the CPU voltage to whatever was programmed into the Soft Menu.

When the CPU initialized, it had to be capable of hitting its default multiplier * the programmed FSB, and it had to be able to do this at its default voltage. If the CPU couldn’t initialize at these rates, even for a fraction of a second, the overclock failed. Plenty of Duron CPUs could hit 800MHz to 1GHz, but they mostly couldn’t do it at default voltage. As a result, Duron’s couldn’t run at a 133MHz FSB.

But I had an idea. You could also pencil mod the voltage on a Duron. I intuited that by locking the CPU to the highest voltage (1.85v), I could ensure that the CPU had all the voltage it needed. Once booted, I could bring the voltage down to something saner. Because the CPU initialized before the BIOS did, it would pull 1.85v for the split-second required to initialize the motherboard.

So what did all this cost me, in terms of specialized components or aggressively binned CPUs? Nothing. I paid a small premium for a 256MB stick of Tonicom BGA-mounted SDRAM clocked at 166MHz. I bought an IWILL KK266-R, then one of the best-regarded KT133A boards. I used a cooler I already owned and cranked my Duron up to 1045MHz on a 190MHz FSB. When the first-generation DDR motherboards shipped, my SDRAM-equipped KT133A was faster than any VIA KT266 board ever built. It took the KT266A chipset to put my SDRAM system in its place. I unlocked my CPU multiplier and voltage with a pencil.

I’m not just telling this story to toot my own horn. The point is, these intuited moments and enthusiast angles existed. You didn’t have to be rich or capable of affording top-notch hardware to take advantage of them. It wasn’t unusual, back in the day, to discover that a midrange GPU was actually a high-end card in disguise, with more performance potentially on tap. Today, companies like AMD, Intel, and Nvidia are far better at extracting every ounce of value from their own products. Launches are far more polished, products slot neatly into segmentation, and generally speaking, things are very orderly. We still get surprises, to be sure — but they’re usually not aimed at the kind of ill-advised, risky, and fun tinkering that used to define the industry. Insane overclocks used to involve large tanks of water. Now they require large tanks of liquid nitrogen.

The flip side to this is that you don’t need to wonder if your motherboard southbridge and sound card will disagree and irrecoverably destroy all of the data in your RAID array. Being on the bleeding edge may cost a lot more money these days, but you’re a lot less likely to get sliced trying to balance there. Computers today are a hell of a lot better than the Windows 98SE machines that typify the era I’m discussing, but they aren’t necessarily quite as much fun.

99 percent of the time, I think this is a good thing. The rest of the time… well. Patrick Stewart sums it up better than I do:

That’s what I miss about the old days. What about you? Is there an OS you felt had tremendous potential but never got a chance? A CPU architecture you favored?

Also, if you absolutely hated them and just want to complain about Plug’n’Pray or, say, ATI’s 16-bit color implementation, that’s fine too. There are a lot of reasons to prefer the modern era as well.

Now Read:

Overclocker: Intel’s Core i9-9900K May Run Fine On Older Motherboards

Why Moving the Mouse in Windows 95 Made the OS Faster

When the Atari ST Was the Future of Computing

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/computing/309566-extremetalk-what-if-anything-do-you-miss-about-the-old-days-of-computing from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2020/04/extremetalk-what-if-anything-do-you.html

#ExtremeTalk: What #If Anything #Do You Miss About the Old Days of Computing?

[renegade-is-in-my-blood]

Summer 2019 was full of exploring for me. Not only did I got the chance to travel to Poland for a few days and share my travels with you, but I also explored Hungary’s capital city Budapest. You can find all of my polish trips in my Travel section. Our small group of five wanted to get to know Budapest at it’s best so we got ourselves a private tour guide guy to walk us through the city.

After our Polish trips, we stayed one day at home to kind of get our shit together. Early morning we headed to Budapest what’s like 5 hours car ride from my hometown.  We were given directions by our tour guy beforehand.

My sister found the guy in our research part of the trip. She simply googled Slovakian speaking tour guides for small group and found the one. She messaged him on facebook and asked for more info of his tour. He was quite young, freshly married guy from east of Slovakia just like us and it was great to have a tour in our native tongue for a change. Late we found out he’s been living in Hungary for 7 years and eventually married there. Generally, he was a very nice and funny guy and not only was his speech about Budapest interesting, but he also found a nice subtle way to turn his tour into sort of friends gathering and discussing the history of a city. The six of us were walking down Budapest’s streets chatitng and learning.

I have never had such a private tour and I must say I loved it.

When you’re in a regular-sized tour group what is usually like 25-30 people it could be difficult to speak your mind or ask questions when you’re shy. But when you’re surrounded by your family it’s much more open. What I appreciated the most was the fact that he adjusted our tour to our needs and requirements. When we were setting the tour up we mentioned to him that I like to take photos and I’d like to see some places worth the shot and he did. He also accommodated the tour to our age. There were 3 people under the age of 23 in our group and my parents so our tour guy showed us places we all could enjoy.

I’m sure you’re wondering how much does private tour guide costs. Well, it was 120 euros for 4 hours paid in advance.

Due to the traffic, we were 20 minutes late for our meeting with the tour guy but we called him about it and he patiently waited for us. We met near the Heroes square where we were looking for a guy in a yellow shirt as he was navigating us to free parking spot and later on showed us how to pay for the parking.

Our tour started at the Heroes square where our tour guy introduced us to the basics of Budapest.

I must say we chose the hottest day to explore Budapest. It was like 33°C and we would not have survived it without a bottle of water, shadow and my beloved MINERALIZING THERMAL WATER from VICHY but I’ve also tired THERMAL SPRING WATER FACE MIST by La Roch Posay and I honestly can’t pick my favorite. Everyone in my group was all over them and they managed to use them all up for me. That’s how hot it was.

It’s very difficult to focus when you’re sweating so much but we managed to have a good time anyway. Our tour guide took us from Heroes square to St. Stephen’s Basilica by metro and let me tell you that buying metro tickets was a very interesting experience.

You’re standing in front of a big digital screen that offers you several different languages even Slovakian among them. Everything is laid out so easily it’s really hard to mess up. Unfortunately, you can only buy one ticket at once and you can only pay by card. So every time you have to start again with all of that typing. Takes time.

24 hours ticket we bought was like 5euros.

Budapest’s yellow metro line, M1 or Millenniumi Földalatti Vasú was nothing like I imagined. It’s a really old small train and it’s actually the oldest metro line in Europe.

What was unfortunate was that all of the names of the stops were only pronounced in the metro and not displayed anywhere. So if you don’t understand hungarian you just have to hope for the best and just wait to see what stop you’re at.

We also took other lines that were pretty modern and standard. Just like the ones in Prague.

What was different from Prague’s was that there were ticket inspectors standing at every stop checking peoples tickets. Almost impossible to travel for free.

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As it was summer Budapest was adequately full of tourists. Despite the heat. St. Stephens basilica was spectacular. I’m a sucker for over the top golden churches and this one was one of the best I ever visited. St. Stephens Basilica is named after the first king of Hungary and his actual right hand is still displayed in the basilica as a relic

Just check out the photos.

We arrived at the time of Hungarian local elections that will happen this October 2019 so there were many campaigns going on all over Budapest. Several stands were in front of the St. Stephens basilica or Castle hill where we were headed next.

Besides the metro, we used local buses for transportation which was great cuz our tour guide could give us his lecture in the comfort of the bus. On our way, we had to pass through the famous Chain bridge guided by the lions’ statues. During that day we would pass it several times but I was stung by it every time.

The best thing about castle hill was the panoramic view over the Budapest. Even better it was for free. There is Fisherman’s Bastion on the Buda Castle Hill that looks phenomenal but everyone thinks so and the place was so crowded.

Supposedly you can take better photos of the Budapest from there for a price, but our tour guy told us it’s really not worth it and we believe him.

  There is plenty to do at Castle Hill district, lots of museum and attractions.

The streets there look like from a fairytale. Small, cute houses of different colors. Looks like a very sweet neighborhood.

Next, we stopped by Matthias Church that had the most interesting rooftop I have ever seen. It looked like it was made out of bottle caps. In a combination of pure white walls and towers, it was sigh like no other. Another famous attraction is right in front of it – Holy Trinity Statue.

We were pretty tired from the heat already so our tour guy led us to Ruszwurm Confectionery. It was founded in 1827 and till this day the interior looks the same. It’s one of the oldest confectionery in Europe and its Budapest best one. They serve Hungarians famous The Ruszwurm Cake, referred to as creamy and it’s hard to describe the heavenly taste of it.

Ruszwurm is highly rated and it’s a must when visiting Budapest.

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After our coffee stop, we visited the Dohány Street Synagogue that’s the worlds second biggest synagogue. The bigger one is only in New York.

Slowly we headed to my favorite part of the whole Budapest trip. As I mentioned our tour guy accommodated our trip to our age and showed us the famous bars.

He led us to Ruin Bars.

When he tried to explain what we’re about to see, he hot all tongue twisted and told us it’s really hard to explain.

Ruin bars are built in the old Jewish quarter in the ruins of abandoned buildings. From the outside, it looks like nothing special. Empty building.

Once you step in it’s like you entered another dimension.

At first glance, it looks like a mess. A shit-ton of random stuff either hanging or laying all over the place. The light is dim, sort of reddish. Feels like you’re suddenly underground. Lots of flora in the strangest places. There are several bars in there that all together create the spirit of the Ruin Bars.

Hands down it’s the most hipster, funky, artistic place I have ever been to and I was overwhelmed by it. You could spend days there and not fully take in what was going on. Each bar had its own style. Lots of lights, statues, stickers, electronics, graphite and general mess that created the beauty of ruin bars.

Ruin bars look like how you feel when you’re high.

I’m gonna show you some photos I took but they didn’t capture the great, lay back atmosphere of the place.

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Ruins bar is not something many tourist visits in Budapest but I think they should. It’s an experience like no other.

Our 4 hours of the private tour were almost up and our guy gave us some tips on what to do in Budapest on our own. With helpful recommendations for our tour guide, we went to have late lunch and head to the Budapest’s zoo. All of that’s gonna be in a separate article soon.

We were staying the night at Hotel Bara we found on booking. Simple bed and breakfast close to the center. Great for one night.

Toatlly recommending.

The bus stop was right in front of the hotel and it took us like 4 stops to get to the main center. At the first stop that sounded familiar from our tour guy tour, we got off. We didn’t have any particular place in mind so we wandered the streets and got some souvenirs.

My sister and her boyfriend wanted to go to the Budapest eye but there were just too many people waiting in line so instead, we all had dinner with a great view over nigh Budapest. I’m sure Budapest from up there would have been incredible.

We were still missing one major tourist attraction of Budapest.

The Hungarian Parliament Building.

We got there by metro. Right that day was held some big football match so we were traveling with plenty of loud football fans in sweaty green jerseys. They were all singing and screaming so I guess they have won the match.

I’m so glad we got to visit the parliament so late at night.

The parliament building was perfectly lit. There were fireflies flying all around and the magic was enhanced by the lack of people. It was so peaceful to take in the sigh of light up Budapest so late in the night. Temperatures were finally bearable and I would stay there forever if we weren’t all so freaking tired.

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During the whole day, I was amazed by the romantic architecture of the city. I just love old European towns and the vibe of them. What surprised me the most was the number of vintage shops. There were old retro clothes selling all over. Antique books selling from the cart in the middle of the street. Music shops. Ruin bars.

I never thought Budapest would be so artistic and I didn’t even see the half of it.

There and then I promised myself I’ll be back.

This was just the first day of our trip to Budapest and I was surprised by how many new information I could gain in a day. I was exhausted from both the heat and the full day of activities.

I’m sure Budapest would have been memorable even without a private tour guide but he made sure we understand why is Budapest so fascinating.

  Our private tour of Budapest Summer 2019 was full of exploring for me. Not only did I got the chance to travel to Poland for a few days and share my travels with you, but I also explored Hungary's capital city Budapest.

#adventure #architecture #art #bar #budapest #city #explorer #exploring #hipster #hungary #personal #private tour #reading #review #ruin bars #tour #tour guide #travel #travel blog #travel blogger #traveler #traveling #writing

[shanie-the-toyaddict]

The following is a rant about nail polish trends.

I will NOT be able to sleep until I get this off my chest. It is EATING at me.

OK. Proceed at your own risk if you like the current state of nail polish affairs.

So, full disclosure, I am NOT a full fledged “Millennial”. I am one of those ‘butter-zoned Gen-Y’ folk that are old enough to easily remember life before the internet, but young enough to have had it shape at least some part of my youth.

That being said, the VERY FIRST bottle of “nail polish” I ever owned was a Miss Piggie pink nail tint liquid from when I was like 3. It was nearly completely clear, smelled like death, and burned my heavily bitten toddler cuticles, but it was still my first bottle. Another bottle would not come around for about another 12 years, when, at age 14 I was deemed old enough to start using some forms of cosmetics. My first “real” bottle of nail polish was an un-named bottle of Wet N Wild polish in a magenta shade. It was a creme and a lovely pinkish shade. Soon after I got a cotton candy pink shade from Wet N Wild to go with it. However, by the time I was about 15-16 I was a budding goth and witch and was no longer happy with pinks. I bought my first green shade, again - a Wet N Wild polish that was ID’d by number only, and then quickly started looking for that “perfect black creme” color. I eventually found it at age 17 in, again, Wet N Wild. However, my perfect Red at the time was a drugstore brand “Jane” polish called Hot Blooded. Also, in 1999 I believe it was, I conned my dad into “Buying my mom” a couple of really wild shades of nail polish, including Chanel’s famous “Ciel De Nuit (Night Sky)” and a Claire's polish called “Prowler Glitter”. Both polishes were ostensibly my mom’s but I wore them frequently.

And, for about 6-8 years, that was as fancy as I got for nail polish. Funky shades of glitter polish.

Now, in 2005 or so, I developed a Nail Polish Habit. HARDCORE. I was hooked. I couldn’t leave the house without buying nail polish. I was at Sally’s every day. I dropped hundreds on etailers. I won’t get into this too much, but what I will say is that this phase lasted about 5 years or so before I inexplicably dropped off.

Now, all that out there, I distinctly remember when the very first magnetic nail polish Came out. It was marketed as a very expensive novelty item, and the color was a rather unappealing brown shade. I remember, as my original nail polish habit died, noticing that other companies started making magnetic nail polish of their own. And I thought to my self “I really hope this doesn’t become a thing”.  But It DID.

Also, while Manglaze (yes that was the company’s name) didn’t INVENT Matte nail polish, they certainly helped establish THAT trend. Matte polishes, and then Matte Top Coats became very popular. I remember this VERY FAINTLY as I was mostly out of nail polish by this point. Again I remember thinking “Oh no. Please stop this madness”

IT DIDN’T

And THEN, somewhere during my 10 year hiatus, the trends for Crackle polish, Textured Polish, Flakie Glitters, and any number of weird and bizarre nail polish trends came around. Some lasted a year or so, some are still around to this day. But the point is that, while I was away from the hobby, Gimmick polishes became suddenly mainstream.

Now, this brings me to what mainstream is. I remember when Rescue Beauty Lounge first debuted. We had no concept of an “Indie” polish back then. We just knew that RBL featured very limited edition collections of maybe three or so polishes at a time, for an ABSURD amount of money at the time. $18 dollars a bottle to be precise. To elaborate, you could get a bottle of OPI at the time for $8.50 and a bottle of Chanel for $20. China Glaze, full retail, was like $6. So $18 bucks for a bottle of polish was WAAAAAY out of most people’s comfortable price range. Even so, the RBL colors were simple, non-gimmicked, basic polishes that appealed to a large audience.

Where am I going with this? Well, if RBL started the “Indie” polish trend, then somewhere along the way “Indie” polish went from “ordering a black coffee at a five star restaurant” to “ordering a full blown COFFEE DOUCHE order from Starbucks” 

I dipped my toe into the world of current indie polish this weekend. I shit you not the first polish I came across took a full 2 minutes to fully describe all the features this polish had. It was like a “Creme-Jelly, with multi-tone shimmer that shifts from blue to purple, a base layer of micro-glitter that shifts in some places from gold to pink, and in others from silver to green, with an over-layer of rainbow flakies...” AND IT WENT ON. By the time she finished describing this polish, I myself was EXHAUSTED. When did polish get to be this complicated??? Whatever happened to a pretty Shimmer or Basic Glitter polish? Where are the new and creative shades of cremes? You honestly can NOT tell me we have run out of colors. Because I watched a live swatching of China Glaze’s latest collection, and there, even now, were NEW COLORS in that collection. And they weren’t the polish equivalence of coffee snob. They had very basic, classic looks to them (for China Glaze) without being boring or too over complicated.

And that Starbucks analogy even goes further, because, before you had maybe one or two alternatives to “mainstream” polish. Now, the market is over-saturated with indie polish makers. I looked online, it took this reviewer like SEVEN HOURS to review this upcoming month’s ‘polish pickup’ polishes. 

THAT IS ABSOLUTELY BANANAS.

And remember Magnetics? And Thermals? And the other gimmick polishes? They are FLOURISHING in this system. So many polishes are “Scented” or “Thermal” or “Magnetic” I wanna be sick. I HATE GIMMICK POLISHES. WHY IS THIS A THING?!?! 

I love to make my own nail polish. But I realize now I never could make a living off of it because my colors are too ‘basic’ for the current atmosphere. And that’s a shame. Because a simple linear holo, or a sparkly, simple micro-glitter will get you far in the world. It’s just a shame that this trend of “indie” polish has overshadowed the mainstream polish companies so much. I still love China Glaze. I really do. I have tons of wanted polish from them. And yes, on occasion, I find myself browsing the indie sites. But the thought of spending 16 bucks on a single bottle of polish, or needing a magnet to get the most out of the experience, always turns me away.

TL:DR = Indie Polishes are the Starbucks coffee snobs of the Nail Polish world and give me a lovely China Glaze or OPI any day.

#Nail Polish #Rant #My Nail Polish Journey

[black-girl-decadence-blog]

This Web site is preserved by the MIT News Office, component of the Office of Communications. Followers could visit/ mytickets for in-depth guidelines on handling tickets using a mobile phone. After getting responses and playing with the system, the business decided to open it up to everybody. TenMarks Composing assists instructors construct jobs around many topics. If the costs passes, the Trump management would certainly be legally called for to notify Congress what intelligence would certainly be shown Russia as well as describe just how counterintelligence problems would be attended to. Za treść reklam i ogłoszeń Redakcja gazety internetowej nie ponosi odpowiedzialności. Handy and also mouth-watering host - Mr. Paul - turn over the site visitors a location and gets them back. A number of special guests attended the American Heart Association's Erie County Board Satisfying. . Erie Cops are examining a rash of violence in the city Thursday night, including two capturings as well as a stabbing. Be prepared for whatever is on your perspective by comprehending how credit score could impact your financial progression. No. Trainee NTE positions are made use of to finish temporary tasks, to do labor-intensive jobs not needing subject-matter experience, or to fill conventional summer season jobs. This is an optimal location for families or for 2 couples. In Zakopane I suggest a night browse through to the cinema Witkacy, my preferred gallery Hasior as well as a check out to one of the most lovely Polish cemetery on Pęksowy Brzyzek. Believe in your leaders as well as send to their authority, due to the fact that they keep watch over you as those who must offer an account. They just posted a 360 tour of one of their lesser-known parks, and also the scenic tour is thorough enough to allow you escape acting you have actually existed. The pupils could enjoy beautiful sights while looking through the institution home windows. Enter your email address and also we'll resend your verification. Anna's hill hut is one of one of the most beautiful places we have remained! This provides the visitor with several possibilities for experience and also different activities, whether you enjoy the hills, lakes, rivers or the beaches you will certainly discover something that suits you. They offer my sibling a knighthood - honor him - and also can not even give me an instagram account. The village already from next year will lead cycling path around the Tatras, which can be gotten to on Slovakia. They were recognized throughout the 5th annual Saint Mary's Follies at the Bayfront Convention Facility. Precious users, we delight in to welcome you to our new website. A rally was held Thursday with activist requiring justice for a little girl discovered dead in her very own house last April in the far southwest suburbs. Kelly is instilling processes to make sure that the head of state has the information and evaluation he needs to deciding," claimed White House press assistant Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Cisza spokój a jednocześnie Swoboda mieszkania wraz z pięknym widokiem na góry. Authorities state Green killed his children, Koi, 5, as well as Kaleigh, 4, last September by carbon monoxide gas poisoning by leaving them in an auto with the engine running.

The upstairs has a large bedroom with 2 large beds and also separate living-room location with sectional sofa which children enjoyed to hang out in. There is an additional sofa downstairs. The music retrospective of the life as well as work of visionary director-producer Harold Royal prince, enveloping over six decades of Broadway history, makes its long-awaited New York launching. The moves come more than a week given that the credit-reporting business disclosed a data breach potentially influencing 143 million individuals in the U.S. Digital technologies are making our actions, personal and public, right into information collections that governments and corporations can track, control, and often own outright. The suggestion, it appears, would be for programs to make added content that would certainly run only on Break as a method to boost engagement. Could receive a portion of sales for items bought from these web links. This material is available tailored for our international audience. In this age of geographical information systems, the Net, and also homeland protection, geographic names information are much more vital and extra tough. As he scuttled between the glittering capital cities of Europe-- from London and Munich to Vienna and Prague-- Lenin discovered support amongst fellow émigrés and revolutionaries in the underground movement. In the large majority of states, a freeze continues to be in position until you ask the debt reporting firm to momentarily lift it or remove it entirely.

Countless American's personal information has actually been stolen in what is taken into consideration the most awful hack of personal data in UNITED STATE background. For those who obtained lendings to go to for-profit organizations implicated of fraud as well as abuse, delays from Education and learning Department in reviewing loan-forgiveness claims are salt in the wounds. As an example, an Internship not-to-exceed (NTE) administrative position in a remote place with a close-by school being filled at the GS-4 level for the summer season may not have to be open as long as a clinical or technological Internship setting being loaded at the GS-11 level at the Division head office area. Stephanie J. Block, Capathia Jenkins, and also more collected at the non-profit August 21 to sleep outdoors and also increase funds for homeless young people. Your trip from Nowy Targ to Krakow could become a whole lot much easier if you do your study before you travel. Unlike most of strikes today, which rely on the net, a BlueBorne attack spreads out with the air. Memorials have been held around the country, including by the Millcreek Municipality Fire Departments, to remember the terrible day. Instrumental sets that gave songs for ritual and also nonreligious events both inside and also outside Jewish neighborhoods. Cleanup initiatives are already underway for the millions affected by both Cyclone Harvey as well as Cyclone Irma. L'établissement est doté de chambres communicantes/adjacentes, qui pourraient être disponibles aux dates de votre séjour. This is among the earliest celebrations of its kind as well as the Fair of Individual Art in August has been competing 30 years. Followers gain Delta SkyMiles with every passing yard this period - in the house as well as away games; subscription consists of priority boarding on all Delta flights out of Sea-Tac throughout the period. Agencies must consider the quality systems concepts when posting notices and also consider whether the notice and also time enabled will certainly offer a fair and open competitors that assures that potential applicants for the setting will get reasonable as well as fair treatment. The night rainfall expanded from a frustrating spit to a difficult shower as the mobility scooter lugging a young couple new to Main Florida splashed homeward. It is an excellent base for exploring snowboarding, mountain climbing, cross-country, near to its numerous ski lifts as well as the thermal swimming pools. This susceptability resides in the Bluetooth Network Encapsulation Procedure (BNEP) solution, which allows net sharing over a Bluetooth connection (tethering). Alongside the circulation of the river White and also Black Dunajec excellent place for fly anglers, as well as 20 kilometres towards Szczawnica is a lake Czorsztyn. A daydreamer" that asserts to have actually been unjustifiably gotten rid of to Mexico might get his day in court sooner compared to anticipated. IF YOU medicate for it, stress and anxiety triggers this issue as well as it can be TOTALLY AVOIDED. Put en savoir plus, notamment sur les moyens de contrôle disponibles, consultez la Politique d'utilisation des cookies. The company may show in the Pathways job possibility statement that they look for or favor candidates that are seeking certain level paths or programs. When n identical arbitrarily situated nodes, each efficient in sending at W bits per 2nd and also utilizing a fixed array, form a wireless network, the throughput λ( n) accessible by each node for a randomly chosen location is Θ( W/ √( nlogn)) little bits each 2nd under a noninterference method. Wbrew pozorom z dobrą strawą na Podhalu jest niemały issue. It is decorated with a heart, due to the fact that this is the location for me emotional. Apple had no susceptability in its existing versions. An amateur interpreter for the deaf was touched at the last minute to provide indicator language during a press conference-- and things got out of hand. The separation of the two elderly security specialists, accuseded of managing the credit history reporting company's defenses versus hacks, complies with the disclosure recently that cyberpunks could have taken individual data on 143 million of its UNITED STATE clients, plus credit cards as well as individual recognizing information for 400,000. Agencies could not pick a non-preference eligible professional until the choice eligibles are exhausted or the agency has actually undergone the correct pass over procedures relative to the choice eligibles that are continuing to be. Links to MKS Cracovia Krakow vs. MMKS Podhale video clip highlights are accumulated in the Media tab for the most popular matches when video show up on video hosting sites like Youtube or Dailymotion. The intent of the Current Grads Program is to offer a 1 year entry-level developing experience which may cause a long-term task in a firm's workforce. Deux personnes ont été tuées et une troisième blessée dans trois fusillades différentes dans le département. We're informed the firm's plant at Aberllefenni, near Machynlleth, will have the ability to create one to 2 tonnes of paper a year - which this will be used in a series of stationery as well as present products. Enroll in FREE day-to-day email e-newsletters (Subscribe right here) to obtain the weather condition as well as news headlines every early morning and also night. We help ensure new developments in information and also interactions innovation assistance open society worths. Each community and also village of our Podhale hosts fêtes, outdoor events and celebrations - for example Festiwal Ziem Górskich (Hill Areas Festival), which provides you a superb opportunity to discover mythology and also cultures from throughout the world. Our overview is very easy to use as each community, city and village has it's very own web page with beneficial information for the visitor. ASME Provides Ten Honors for Accomplishment in Oil Engineering. Busbud assists you locate a bus from Nowy Targ to Vienna. On top of your Firefox home window, to the left of the internet address, you must see a green lock. En incorporant des contenus Twitter dans votre website Internet ou votre application, vous acceptez l' Accord Développeur et la Politique Développeur de Twitter. Mr. Zittel had worked extensivley Off-Broadway and with nationwide tours. Miami Warm takes an assist from Golden State Warriors to assist pets after Irma. We'll have to wait and see just what type of scripted videos Break creates. I enjoy individuals and I look forward to seeing Kate and also Liz on the normal bases. Those who like skiing or snowboarding may do so on the slopes in Nowy Targ (Zadział as well as Długa Polana Ski podhale Centers), or visit the neighboring Bialka Tatrzanska (about 15km) or Kluszkowce (regarding 20km). We are continuing to engage with the White Residence, federal government regulatory authorities, legislators, and also courts around the world concerning the significance of safeguarding customer data as well as safety. There are additionally straight trains to various other significant cities of Poland, consisting of Warsaw, Zakopane, Poznan, Gdansk, Katowice, and also Szczecin. Słowacka defilada zwycięstwa w Zakopanem odbyła się przed gen. Contract with the instructor was terminated by common agreement. After obtaining your freeze demand, each credit score reporting company will certainly send you a confirmation letter having a special PIN (individual identification number) or password. The Adam Mickiewicz Library and Remarkable Circle would certainly serve as a base of operations for a variety of years, while with the initiatives of Chester Zwolak and Alina Kisluk, a 100 acre farm would certainly be discovered and also safeguarded in Franklinville. PMFs designated from the courses of 2010, 2011, 2012 (selected by January 24, 2013) are covered by the PMF policies in position prior to the Pathways Programs policies.