#then that brings up the question of what aspect of the garden are we looking at

[wibble-wobbegong]

keys and keyholes… what do all of you mean. going wild because it’s the garden of eden being where the keys go and it’s mike being locked away and it’s will and el being the keys like Girl what is happening here. Stop

[ceesimz]

The Mountain Is You

Part 2 of 'Our Sun Is Setting'

Can confirm this part is much lighter than the first! I enjoyed writing this, I hope you like it :)

Barcelona. Once a place that felt like home to you, yet now as you clamber into the back of your taxi outside of the airport, it's the same but different.

Same sun, different warmth. Same air, different atmosphere. Same airport, different kind of departure.

Same person tying you down to this city, different dynamic.

If you thought a lot could change in two days, you had no idea what could happen in eighteen months. Turns out, a lot could change too, but thankfully for the sake of your sanity, the mental blows were not so big and not so frequent this time around. You doubt you would be in this situation now, back in the city you love, if it wasn't for your grandparents. They welcomed you with open arms and endless amounts of baked goods as soon as they caught wind of you coming home.

For the first month you stayed with them, most of that time was spent in the spare bedroom they made up for you, not quite holding the confidence or will power to do much else other than feel sorry for yourself. Some days you would walk their dog with them, other days you wouldn't leave the room. Some days you would do as many chores possible for them as a thank you, other days your Grandmother would sit beside you up against the headboard whilst you lay beside her as she read her book out loud, one hand gently running through your hair as she went. Some days you'd all laugh about shared memories of your Mother, other days you'd cry into each other's arms.

Something clicked inside you along the way though. One day you just woke up with a certain determination, and the look on your Grandfather's face as you wandered into the kitchen at 7am was enough to force a few giggles out of you before ushering him to join you on an early morning walk. That was when you voiced your new thoughts to him.

"I think I'm going to start applying for jobs again soon. You know, get out of your hair a little bit." You said to him, smiling when he tutted and wrapped an arm around your shoulders.

"Don't be ridiculous. We're happier than we have been in a while now that you're with us, sunshine." He replied honestly, hugging you into his side.

"I know. I'm happy too, but I do want a job. What job, I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to start looking."

"You don't have to pressure yourself though, okay? If you change your mind at any point, that's perfectly fine. Just do it at your own pace. If you would like, you could print off your CV for me and Granny to hand in to places."

"That's fine, Grandad, you don't have to." You laughed lightly at his suggestion, bringing your hand up to cover his that rested on your shoulder. "Everything is online nowadays."

"Of course. That rules me and Gran out the question then, in terms of advice." He grumbled jokingly, though his classic, cheeky smile rests on his face. "Absolutely no help for you there, sweetheart."

"I didn't think there would be any anyway. I've seen Grandma use the microwave." The pair of you laugh at that, before it falls silent as you walk along the cliff-top coastline. The tone of the conversation shifts a bit when you speak again. "I think I'm also going to start seeing a therapist. You know, for everything that's happened."

"Okay, love. Whatever is best for you." And that's all the reassurance you needed.

The job hunt would forever be an aspect of life you despised. But, two months later, you had secured a job within the local area that you chose to walk to most days, a piece of advice from your new therapist that at first you hated but soon it was your favourite part of your daily routine. Apart from when it rained, obviously.

Things were going well though, surprisingly well, and it set in one evening as you sat in the back garden, watching your grandparents gardening, that the choice you made a few months prior was the right one.

You had managed to keep a certain Spaniard out of your mind for most of the time after that first month of being away from her, until one night you got a notification on your phone.

Spain win the FIFA World Cup after a 1-0 victory against England!

What was the right move now? Text her to congratulate her? Or is no contact best for the time being? Would texting her give her false hope? This was arguably the biggest achievement of her career, her whole life, but as a figure of the past, was it right to dredge everything back up again at such a joyful time?

Your hands faltered over your still cracked phone screen, unsure what to do in such an unusual situation. There was no handbook on what to do if your ex-girlfriend, who you're still in love with and who (hopefully) still loves you too, wins the biggest trophy of her career, nor could a google search be any assistance. And unfortunately, as perfect as they are, your grandparents that had been married for over fifty years now may not be any help either.

So, the only decision you could land on, no matter how much you didn't like it, was to leave it.

Until your finger slipped and liked her celebratory Instagram post later that night. You still followed each other on social media, too reluctant to get rid of that remaining bridge, but your Instagram had lain dormant ever since you had left. That meant you had some insight into Alexia's life post-breakup, guiltily indulging in a late night scroll every now and then which you found yourself in now, whilst she had no idea what you were up to or even if you were alive.

Well, at least she knew you were still here and you still cared for her. Could that be shown in one single social media interaction? You hoped so. Maybe that was a tad bit dramatic though. What else were you supposed to do?

You had the same reaction a year later as you watched Alexia captain her team to an unfortunate loss in the Olympics final. However, it was still a silver Olympic medal, and not many athletes could say they have one of those. A congratulatory text from you may have seemed like the start of a pity party though, so once again you opted out of it. Time and place and all that.

A year on and you were in a much better place, there were no two ways about it. Therapy was difficult, of course it was, but people were right when they say it's one of the best things to do for yourself. You don't think you'd ever been better. Subsequently, that led to an inevitable topic to come into discussion during one session.

"What do you think the... repercussions would be if I... went back to Barcelona?" You asked nervously, looking down at your hands as they fidgeted in your lap.

"It depends what you went to get out of it. Would you go for the city itself? Or for her?"

For some reason, in your sessions, your therapist hardly ever named Alexia. It was always 'her' or 'she', never her name. You figured it was so that you never shied away from the subject which was probably close to being the hardest to talk about, but you were too afraid to ask.

"Both." You answered initially. Your therapist stayed quiet of course, waiting for you to answer truthfully, something she again always did. "Her. Mostly."

"Do you think you're in the headspace for it? You've made so much progress since we first started, so you need to think if it'll aid the healing process or cause a regression."

"Well, she wasn't the problem in the first place. Everything she did for me was perfect, it was the relationship as a whole rather than her specifically. She was... she was perfect." You smiled sadly as you reminisced on your time with her. She really was perfect. "But I was the problem, I think. I was the one suppressing so much stuff and... when I was on my own compared to when I was with her, I was two completely different people. It was like light and day. She had a great effect on me, but I guess it's just figuring out if that was healthy or not. That difference in characters, in mindset."

"See? You've learnt so much from this already. Maybe you should just sit in front of a mirror and talk to yourself, you'd save a lot of money." Your therapist jokes, the pair of you laughing lightly. "So, let's get talking then. Let's figure this out."

And you did. You spent the rest of the session discussing whether it would be suitable for you to go back to Barcelona. The conclusion you came to was a very favourable one, one that made you nervously excited. But what would Alexia be like? Had she moved on? Would she still value you the same? Or would you be old news now? Only time could tell.

The only thing you knew was that it is so much darker after a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone, and that was the case with Alexia. Perhaps your life wouldn't have been so flipped upside down if you hadn't had met her; such a sweet and loving soul, the purest and brighest light shining onto every dark crevice you'd ever hidden. You'd had a taste of her, and you'd be damned if you didn't at least try for her again. Alexia Putellas wasn't one to lose, and you'd been fortunate to have her in the first place. If it was a one time thing, maybe you'd have to come to terms with that being the case. But for now, getting to Barcelona was just the first step.

Your grandparents definitely approved of you going back, no matter how long for, whether it be one day or one month or perhaps forever. At some point in the past year you had opened up to them about Alexia and they were heartbroken for you. Of course they would be. Your hearts were one and the same. They were the biggest advocates in getting you to go back and see Alexia, and even if Alexia didn't want to see you, you were still going to go to Barcelona. You had friends there, you'd lived a whole life there for just over a year, you'd fallen in love with it before you'd even met Alexia, so regardless of her opinion (even if it did sting like hell) you're still going.

When you booked your flight there, with no return ticket just yet, your grandparents had cheered and dragged you up from the armchair to dance with them along to the music from their old radio. It was a core memory, absolutely, and you'd be lying if you said a part of you wasn't hoping to share this memory one day with Alexia.

However, the day came where you had to do the thing you'd been most afraid of. Contacting Alexia. It was an occasion that definitely called for an emergency video call with your therapist who was very pleased to meet your grandparents for the first time, albeit over Zoom, and the three of them offered any and all advice you'd take until you had carefully curated a text message to send to her.

You:

Hey Alexia, I hope you're doing well. Feel free to ignore this, but I'm coming back to Barcelona soon and I was wondering if you wanted to catch up? If you don't want to, I completely understand. It's been a while and we've both lived our lives without each other in it, so no pressure at all. Let me know if you're open to it. Take care x

Almost immediately, the message was read by her. And just as quickly, the typing icon came up. Safe to say, your grandparents were freaking out just as much as you were.

Alexia:

Wow, it is so good to hear from you. I'm doing well and I really hope things are much better for you. I've been dreaming of hearing from you since the moment you left. I absolutely want to see you again, I don't care how long it's been, so let me know when you're coming and I'll see you as soon as I can. Espero verte pronto, cuídate x

Any longer and your jaw would have been lodged into its place hanging wide open. She wanted to see you just as much as you wanted to see her. The feeling of relief that washed over you upon reading it was gone as quick as it arrived; instead, you were now filled with nerves. No, not nerves, butterflies.

And that's where you found yourself now, your taxi driver navigating the streets of Barcelona towards your hotel in mid-October. It was reaching the evening, so your plan was to start off the trip calmly with a walk around the city to re-familiarise yourself before sunset, then just order some room service for dinner. Simple, but the right way to start what would probably be a bit of a challenging trip mentally.

Despite the low-key nature of the day, you could hardly sleep later that night. There was only one reason, it was obvious. You and Alexia had plans to meet for lunch the next day after her training session. You can't recall an event in your life you had ever felt so excited for, you felt like a kid on Christmas Eve again. A few doubts trickled into your mind every now and then, but you'd grafted for too long now for petty worries to tear down the confidence you had built.

Of course you were eager to see the woman you loved again for the first time in eighteen months, but there was a bigger part of you that was desperate for her to see the progress you'd made. You were proud, and it had taken a lot to get to this point. You wanted to share your pride with her and show her the person you always knew you could be all along. All of your efforts, your hard-work, and your sacrifices had been worth it. You were right to feel proud. And after all, sacrifices were given that name for a reason.

When you did eventually fall asleep, it was with images of Alexia circling in your mind, hoping she still had a place in her heart for you and that she'd love you again for who you are now and not who you were.

Finally, finally, the time came to see Alexia again. You weren't really sure what to expect; it was a unique situation with exceptional circumstances, and you were trying desperately not to put too much pressure on the day. Yet, you were a despairingly hopeful person and the anticipation was almost overwhelming as you were getting ready.

Contact between you both had been little but often, topics never delving too deep which you were so glad about as you wanted to talk to her properly face to face. You had to, it's the least she deserved. Over text, anything could be easily misinterpreted and you weren't about to ruin your chance with words getting lost in translation. Phone calls and FaceTimes were out of the question too, and you were grateful that your individual desperation wasn't getting in the way of going about this the correctly. By no means were you a perfectionist, but there were some things in life that were far too important to be ruined by a lack of patience and all-consuming desire.

Once again, your new and probably your healthiest habit came into play as you decided to walk under the bright October weather to the place Alexia had chosen for the occasion. Neutral ground of course; meeting at her apartment or your hotel room wasn't appropriate... yet.

You arrived at the quaint, little restaurant first, a coincidence you were more thankful for than you'd admit, and you chose to seat yourself at a table off to the side. A bit of privacy from strangers could go a long way for a day like today, you figured. You didn't really want a bunch of strangers to witness the influx of emotions you'd no doubt go through when Alexia arrived.

Soon though, that became a case of if Alexia would arrive, because ten minutes passed since you had arrived practically on time and there was still no sign of the woman. And, rather naïvely, you hadn't planned for her to stand you up. You and your therapist had almost fully mentally prepared you for every other outcome except that one. She did have training beforehand, perhaps that had ran late. Still, your mind was slowly spiralling into overdrive with each second that passed.

Until she did arrive.

The bell over the door rang faintly through the room as it opened hastily, a frantic looking Alexia entering the restaurant. She was really here. Here, basically racing over to you whilst weaving through the tables and chairs and the light scattering of people. Here, still as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. Still Alexia.

She came to a stop in front of you, both of you stuck in a trance as if the world had stopped spinning solely for this moment right here. An anticipatory and contemplative silence settled as your eyes' tracked over every feature of the other, a refresh for the memory of the face you'd so dearly missed.

Alexia was the first to speak - a breathless whisper of your name as if she was in disbelief that you were right in front of her. It triggered something in you, because before you had even realised, you had jumped up from your chair and wrapped your arms tightly around her; a hug you had been dying for for longer than you'd admit. It took a few seconds for her to react but soon, Alexia enveloped you just as emphatically.

The embrace was paired with a few more whispered chants of your name from Alexia - in this moment, for her, it felt like the past months without you she had just been floating through her life, waking up everyday as if it were a chore more than anything. But now, in your arms, she felt alive again. The time without you had been worth it for this single moment here.

"Hey." You mumbled quietly into her neck, smiling uncontrollably when the taller woman squeezed you impossibly more in response.

"Hi." Her voice cracked ever so slightly as she spoke. "Hi."

"You already said that." You teased her lightly, meeting her gaze when she moved back to look at you properly. One of her hands came up to delicately cradle your cheek as if she was scared you would disintegrate at her touch. "Don't be so worried. I'm not going anywhere right now."

"You better not." Alexia murmured, her eyes boring down at you so deeply that it caused your breath to hitch in your throat. "I can't believe you're here."

You blushed at the intensity of her look, gesturing a hand down your body jokingly.

"Live in the flesh." You grinned cheekily, gasping slightly when she pulled you back into herself. "Ale."

"Say that again." She said so quietly you almost missed it.

"Alexia. Ale." You repeated, along with a light kiss to her cheek. She physically deflated in your arms, all the tension you didn't even realise was there dissipating immediately. You saying her name was like the last confirmation she needed that yes, you were actually here.

"I..." She started, leaning back and shaking her head whilst letting out a shaky breath. "I missed you. So much."

You smile and... almost instinctively lean in to kiss her - what were you doing?

"I missed you too." You replied, willing yourself to not ruin it, not now, not when you've made it so far. "I really did."

She returned a smile and reluctantly lets go of you in favour of finally taking a seat at the table. You sit across from her and realise that most of the tables were quite small and intimate, and if you had any remaining functional thought processes left that weren't all occupied by Alexia, you would have thought she'd chosen this restaurant for that specific feature. Your knees grazed against each other under the table and Alexia couldn't stop herself from travelling the small distance with her hands to grasp one of yours with both of hers.

"How are you?"

"Well, that's quite a question. Do you want the short answer or the long answer?" You answer humorously, Alexia shrugging.

"Whatever you want. Say it all or say nothing, I'm just glad to be in your company again." You can't help but swoon a little at her words. "But... I would really like it if you were honest with me. And open. Though I understand if not."

"I'm happy to tell you it all. You best have your listening ears on though." You say, delighted to hear her laugh.

"I do, I swear."

At that, you explain everything from start to finish. From the days you spent in bed, to the first therapy session you had, to the moment you opened up to your grandparents, all the way to the point where you made the decision to come back to Barcelona. The only slightly annoying and poorly timed interruption was from the waiter who asked for your orders, the pair of you quickly apologising and taking one glance at the menu before ordering the first thing that caught your eye.

She listened intently to every word you had to say, not afraid to ask a question every now and then whilst also respecting the privacy you still had every right to. Alexia didn't really feel like you absolutely owed her anything, she just wanted a little context to it all, a little closure and an update on your current state of mind. She just wanted you to be well, she just wanted you.

The whole time you spoke, she simply gazed at you with such a soft and earnest look in her eyes. With her presence that, despite all that time, still had the greatest effect on you paired with your newfound self, you were at peace here.

"You promise that you're better now?" She raises her hand up to you, waiting for you to link fingers with her to secure your truth. And this time, you weren't lying when you answered her.

"I'm so much better." You stated with a shy smile, and that statement felt like the final nail in the coffin to the whole journey you'd been on the past two years.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that." Alexia revealed with a disbelieving shake of her head. You lift your shoulders in a dismissive shrug, glancing down at your joined hands in the centre of the table.

"Are you... are you angry at me?" You ask. You weren't perfect still, you still had doubts and insecurities.

"What would I be angry about?" Her nose scrunched up in genuine confusion.

"Any of it. All of it."

"Hey." She said, nudging your hand to try and gain your attention. You look up at her and blush a little. "Do I seem angry?" You ponder that for a moment, eyes searching her face, before shaking your head no. "Good, because I'm not. Not at all. What person would I be to react like that?"

"An asshole." You mumble, the pair of you breaking out into laughter after a second.

"I'm proud of you and happy for you. You..." Alexia sighs and pauses, wondering if it's the right time to say what she wanted to say. It's her turn to focus her attention on your hands as she mindlessly traced random shapes on the back of your hand with her finger. "This new version of you, I can see that you're less... weighed down by things. There is a different look in your eyes and though I can't quite describe it yet, I know it's a sign that you feel better and more at peace with yourself. That is all I could wish for, for the person I love."

Sorry, what was that?

"Uh, you sti- you still love me?" You stuttered. You just had to know.

"Yes. I do." Alexia confirms, a sheepish smile on her face. "I was being truthful before you left when I said that I'll always love you. Maybe I shouldn't have said this now. You don't have to love me still. I would... I would understand."

"No, Ale, what?" You shook your head at her and squeezed her hands tightly. "I love you. I'll always love you too. Why do you think I wouldn't love you?"

"Why would you think I wouldn't love you?" She hits back, resulting in you both laughing shyly. "It would have to be really crazy situations for me to not love you, chiqui."

"Was this not a crazy situation? Me dramatically fleeing the country out of nowhere?"

"No, and don't say it like that. You had every reason to leave, okay? I told you that when you left and I'll still tell you that now. I don't resent you for choosing yourself." Alexia argues firmly, bringing your hand up to her mouth so that she could kiss the back of it reassuringly. She halts for a moment, wondering if it's appropriate to do so, but judging by the redness of your cheeks she decides to go through with it. "I... just had a few doubts about this all, but now that you're here my mind has calmed down now."

"Are you okay?" You blurt out.

At the mention of herself, your concern immediately turned to Alexia and how she coped through all this. If you knew her as well as you thought you did, you had a feeling you knew what her immediate reaction would be.

"What do you mean?"

Exactly what you guessed.

"I haven't checked up on you yet. I want to know how you've been doing." You answer, shifting forward slightly so that you were closer to her.

"Why check up on me?" Alexia chuckles nervously.

"Because your girlfriend walked out on you and went off the grid for a year and a half. Forget about me right now, Ale, I want to know how you are."

She pauses looking at you, an internal battle going on behind her eyes that you're all too familiar with, until she sighs once more and her demeanour drops.

"Well, I was worried about you, firstly. Everyday I woke up you were the first thing I thought about and the last thing in my mind before I slept. I don't think you ever left my mind, not for long anyway. I wanted the best for you. And then I guess... I had a few selfish thoughts too. But as I said, you're here, and I don't need to think about them anymore." Alexia told you, a tight-lipped smile on her face. "I don't want to say them now, today is about you."

"No, Alexia, it's not. It's a day for both of us." You urge her to understand that it's okay for her to open up, that it's been a hard time for her too, but part of you knows you most likely won't get that out of her today.

"Amor, please. Let's do this another time, for now just focus on the positive. We can talk about me any other time, just not now, please." She begs with a pleading look in her eyes. "I am okay, I swear. You being here has solved everything, it's the truth."

"Promise you'll open up at some point soon?" It's your turn to hold your hand up for her to make a promise.

"As long as you stay long enough." She jokes, but it's clear to see there is some fear and insecurity there. She does link her finger with yours though, a sentiment that's never lost on you. "How long are you staying for?"

"That's the thing. I don't really have a return date yet." You admit, and the flash of hope in Alexia's eyes ignites a feeling of longing inside of you.

Forget timings and socially standardised timelines of falling in love or healing or whatever it was you were doing, you didn't care anymore. Why delay the inevitable process? You were in love with her and she was in love with you. Taking it slow was overrated anyway.

"What does that mean?" Alexia asks, her heart palpitating at the prospect of your answer.

"It means... anything, Ale. What do you want it to mean?"

Perhaps answering questions with another question wasn't the best habit you'd picked up from your therapist.

"You want the truth?" You nod instantly, your emotions already bubbling and she hasn't even said anything yet. "As long as you are ready for it, and you must swear to me that you are because I don't want to h-"

"Oh my god, just say it, please." You beg, eyes wide in hopeful anticipation, waiting for her to admit the thing you had yearned for all these months.

"I want you back in my life, permanently. I want to be your girlfriend again. No matter how long it takes, no matter how slow you decide to take things, the thing I've wished for all this time is to just be yours again, to have you as mine. I'll do anything to make that happen, I swear by it. You want me to throw stones at your hotel window? I'll do it. You want me to sneak onto your balcony in the middle of the night? I'll do that. You want me to stand outside your door with a loudspeaker and signs? I already have the speaker and words prepared. I'll even stand in the centre of Montjuïc at the next game and sing for you if you really want."

You laugh at every ridiculous idea of devotion that comes out of her mouth, eyes glossy with unshed tears. Except, this time, the tears aren't ones of sorrow or longing, they're tears of exultation and relief. Alexia had waited for you, all this time. There had been no one else for her and no matter how selfish it was, it's the best revelation you've ever had.

"I don't think the culers would be too happy about you singing." You teased, rolling your eyes at the smug and nonchalant shrug she gave.

"I don't care, because it wouldn't be for them, it would be for you." She smirks, leaning in closer. Your foreheads were mere inches about now, a fact neither of you could ignore.

"You sure you want me back?" You mumbled shyly. It was Alexia's turn to roll her eyes now as she fought back the temptation to kiss the doubt off of your lips.

"I want nothing more than I want you." She responded, sounding so sure of herself that it was intoxicatingly enticing.

"Even if it's long distance for a little while?"

"Even then." Alexia smiles, resting her arms on her elbows as she brought your joined hands up together to rest in between you both. She pressed her lips to your hands once more, eyes closed as she does so, before looking back into your eyes. "We will figure out the logistics another time. For now, all I know is that I have the love of my life back and I want to spend every second I can with her before she leaves."

"Love of your life, hm?" You whisper with a shy grin, Alexia grunting at how you teased her for her softness. It was something you'd always done, and she was grateful that that part of you hadn't changed. "Well, what do we do now?"

"I'm hoping that you will let me kiss you, finally."

"In here? With all these people?" There really weren't that many people in there, and the few that were wouldn't even take notice of the sickeningly sweet moment occuring.

"Sí. Déjame besarte, por favor." The sound of Alexia speaking Spanish was something you could never get over, it did things to you everytime. How could you deny her when she spoke like she did?

"I guess." You rolled your eyes and sighed dramatically as if it was such an inconvenience.

Alexia simply grinned and planted both her hands on your cheeks before surging forward to kiss you. However, she pauses for a moment, just taking in your appearance and letting out a huff of disbelieved laughter, then she finally presses her lips against yours. A quiet, muffled moan leaves your throat before you can stop it, and the sound of it causes Alexia to smirk smugly. Frustratingly, the stupid but irresistible thing made it aggravatingly difficult to kiss the life out of her like you so wanted to. The smirk was wiped off of Alexia's face the second you broke the kiss much sooner than she wanted to.

"What's wro-"

"I can't kiss you how I want to when you're grinning like a maniac, pendeja!" You groan, butting your forehead against hers to further emphasise your annoyance.

"Pobrecita bebé." Alexia pouts sarcastically at you whilst gently grasping your chin with her thumb and forefinger. That idiotic, childish grin soon forced its way back where it belongs, and you can't help but smile at the sight of it. "I can't help it, amor! What do you want me to do?"

"Be normal and not do that stupid smirk!"

"Oh, perdóname, I'm sorry I'm so happy that I have you back!" Alexia exclaims, arguing solely to rile you up. What people didn't know about this layered Catalan is that she loved bickering with you or just annoying you in general. You didn't realise quite how much you missed it until this moment now.

"I swear to god, stop being so infuriating and just get o-"

And get on with it she did. You couldn't even finish your sentence before she silenced you in one of the best ways you could think of. And god bless the poor waiter who just wanted to do his job, because when he came to give you your meals, the sight he walked up to was somewhat less than PG. The young guy, who honestly looked no older than 18, cleared his throat louder than normal and the pair of you jumped a mile apart at the unexpected presence. Alexia had to grip the edge of the table to prevent her chair from tipping back, trying desperately to disguise her embarrassment with a tight-lipped smile and rambled thanks to the boy, all the whilst you had to stifle what would be a very loud belly laugh.

"Calláte, that was your fault." Alexia hushed out, her eyes scanning the room to figure out if anyone else had just witnessed that monstrosity. Meanwhile, your face was now bright red due to the laughter threatening to escape out from behind your palm that covered your mouth. It was Alexia's fault really, the shot burst of laughter that barrelled out of you, because she kicked you in the shin as she sipped from the water that had been dropped off at some point during the afternoon. "Dios mío, what is wrong with you!?"

"Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry." You choked out. You took a page from Alexia's book and drank some of your water. As you did, you noticed that Alexia's face wasn't contorted to one of irritation, it was the face she did when she was trying to suppress the overwhelming amount of joy she felt. As someone who was so keen to convey a certain persona, it was one you'd seen a few times since you'd known her, and this was perhaps your favourite look of hers. "I think you'll find it was your awkwardness that was at fault, Ale."

"Yeah, yeah. Eat your food, idiota."

There were periods of peaceful silence as you ate, some conversation here and there, but despite all that has and hasn't been said so far, it felt like there wasn't anything that needed to be uttered. You were both content to enjoy each other's presence again, your eyes meeting every other moment as you ate which resulted in you both blushing and laughing like lovesick teenagers.

It really was tooth-rottingly sweet, and though the dynamic wasn't all too different than it was before, there was solace found in the knowledge that a lot of things had been changed for the better. The prospect of it all was exhilarating, a new path for you both to walk together, and for you there were no longer question marks looming over every part of your life.

The main thing that hadn't changed too much for you, a thing you were relieved about, was the way Alexia made you feel. It was the same as it used to be, except about a million times better. There wasn't so much guilt or gloom that was masked by Alexia, it was all genuine and you already knew that feeling would bleed into your everyday life with her around.

"You said you told your grandparents about me?" Alexia wondered, sitting back in her chair with her hands linked over her stomach.

"I did. They said if this goes well, I have to bring back Barça shirts for them." You revealed with a smile, Alexia chuckling.

"I can organise that for them. As well as tickets to a game if they'd like."

"Alright, Miss Marketing." You roll your eyes at her offer, pausing to take a sip from your half-full glass. "We get it, you love your club. You don't have to spread the message like a missionary."

"I have to win them over some way." Alexia laughs, before her face turns a little more serious and you have a feeling you know what she's about to bring up. "What about your... Dad?"

"Haven't spoken to him since the day I left." You answer, eyes focused on the tracks your finger left behind on the condensation of the glass as it ran around the curve of it. "No idea what he's doing or where he is. Just know that he's alive and that's all I have the energy to care about."

"That's good for you, amor. He doesn't deserve you."

"I know that." You smile genuinely at her, and that's another one of her worries she had for you erased. "I think, out of anyone, my therapist is the one you must give tickets to."

"Mm, yes. I must meet this magical woman one day, I owe my life to her." That charming smirk is back on her face, and you blush at that as well as the sentiment she holds in her words.

"I don't want this meal to end." You mumble in a disheartened voice, reaching your hand across the small gap between you both to grasp one of the hands on her stomach.

"It... it doesn't have to, amor." Alexia starts, catching your attention as you look up to meet her eyes. "You could come over to my apartment. It's been a while since you've been there. The indentation on my balcony chair has left, I think you need to reinstate it."

You roll your eyes at her humour, a soft smile on your face at the laugh she gives at her own jokes. You do think the offer over though - is it too soon? Maybe, but if this counted as a first date, milestones were out the window considering you'd already confessed your love for each other. Did time and patience count when it came to re-conciliating a relationship? Screw it, who cares.

"I'd be happy to come over, Ale. If you want that."

"Are you sure? Because I would love that, except I don't want to rush you or ruin anything if we move too fast."

"Fuck that. I know what I want now and that's you. Who cares what is too fast. I've delayed our relationship once already, I'm not doing that again."

She stares at you from across the table and if it was possible, you'd say her pupils were the shape of a heart with the look she fixed you with. Then she was standing out of nowhere, shrugging her jacket back on whilst you watched her, completely confused, until she held her hand out for you.

"Let's go, ay?" She hums, wiggling her fingers to urge you to move. "No wasting time, you said."

You jut your tongue into your cheek, heart fluttering at her forwardness, and gather your own coat before taking her hand. She presses a soft kiss to your cheek before guiding you towards the exit with a hand on your lower back, a notion she's always done and one you'll always adore.

Silently, she leads you to her car that's parked around the corner and watches with a shy but proud smile as you climb into the passenger side of the car. With every little thing you did, whether that was humming contently as you ate your food or smiling at her absentmindedly every time she spoke, or even just blinking and breathing, she realised she could never verbalise the love she held for you because she'd never experienced it before in her life, ever. Not with pets, not with friends, not with her family. It was otherworldly, unexplainable, and though she wasn't religious, her devotion to you was just as close to that.

Again, there is just light, scattered chatter as she drives you back to one of your favourite places in the world, and once more she guides you to the elevator with her palm pressed to your back. As you stand in the lift, shoulder to shoulder, there are modestly triumphant smiles on your faces, a wordless shared notion sitting between you that everything was worth it in the end. Even if it took a journey and a half to get there, the climb was always worth it for the view at the top.

"What would you like to do now?" Alexia asks as she unlocks her door and allows you to step in before her.

"Uh, can we chill on the balcony? You know it's my favourite spot." You reply with a grin, and Alexia somehow knew you were going to say that, almost as if she's heard those words leave your mouth maybe a few hundred times in the past.

"Of course. You go ahead, I'll get us some drinks."

You nod and walk through to her bedroom, one thing standing out to you; everything is exactly the same as it was before. That comforts you impossibly more than you yourself could ever understand. Future therapy topic?

However, there is one thing that jumps out at you. You walk over to where it stands on Alexia's dresser and pick it up, holding the object in your hand with a smile on your face.

"Ale, why do you have my favourite perfume here? I never once brought it to your apartment." You shout to where she was in the kitchen, no doubt her cheeks a bright pink colour at the fact she'd been caught out.

"Because I bought some, after you left." She replied, and you giggle to yourself at the ever so slightly embarrassed tone that creeps through.

"Liked the smell, did you?"

"Mm. Something like that." She grumbled.

You grin and place it down, heading over to the sliding door adjacent to her bed and opening it. The air that hits you and the sight that greets you causes a wave of familiarity to wash over you, one that you welcome straight away. You take a deep breath and bask in the feeling, leaning on the railing as your eyes raked over the view you adored.

A few minutes later and you hear Alexia walking out behind you, first placing the drinks on the small side table before joining you at the edge. She wraps an arm loosely around your waist and rests her chin on your shoulder, admiring the view of the city that was literally right on her doorstep.

"I missed this view." You break the silence first, voicing what Alexia already knew.

"I missed you." She murmurs, turning to press a kiss to your shoulder when she notices something. "Ah, I knew you never gave that back."

Delicately, she runs her index finger along the necklace that sat around your neck which she had gifted you way back when, quietly delighted to see you still wearing it. And it also aided her in not feeling so embarrassed about the earlier incident where you had found the perfume she bought in memory of you.

"Yeah, sorry about that." You mumble sheepishly, shivering when Alexia chuckles into your neck where her lips soon leave a kiss.

"No, I like that you still have it."

You hum in acknowledgement, content to stay here in the arms of your girlfriend as the locals carried on with the hustle and bustle of city life below you.

"This was my favourite thing about your apartment." You state a little while later, leaning your head against Alexia's.

"I remember." You feel her say it more than you hear it, before a thought clearly captures her attention as she stands up fully, still with her arm around you. "You could come here, uh... full time, you know?"

"You mean move in with you?" It's not the most surprising thing you'd heard from her in all honesty, but it was still a bit of a shock to the system.

"If you'd like. I know I would be happy with that."

"I would too, but... I think that maybe does cross the line of 'too soon' though." You reply with an apologetic smile, but Alexia understands instantly, of course she does.

"That's okay." She comments, one more kiss to your shoulder. "Do you think you'll ever come back to live here again? Barcelona, I mean."

With this city before you, this woman holding you and loving you so gently, and the sea and the sky merging into one in the far distance, you think that maybe life can be simple after all. That starts and ends with Alexia.

"I think it's only a matter of time."

[weirdsht]

cale with idiots in love trope

- "You're cute" "hm?" "I said you look like a boot."

- casual displays of affection, hand holding bc s/o would space out and may or may not get lost (directionally challenged)

- pretending everything is casual, but they're soooo in love with each other

- "I look like a mess" "the prettiest mess"

- the kids absolutely love when they get cuddles with cale and s/o

- maybe braiding cales hair??

- whenever cale goes somewhere and can't bring them, they'd go like "I'll be going for a while" (cale) "I'll always be here" (s/o)

- stealing cales clothes bc its comfy!!

- "are you asleep?" "...no" "wanna talk?"

- "I love you" "I've loved you my entire life"

Can’t Two People Be Friends? - Cale/Gn! Reader

tags: gender-neutral reader, deputy commander reader, getting together fic, vague novel spoilers, is told from Alberu's perspective, tired Alberu, save Alberu from his dumb dongsaeng, use of degrading words (e.g. stupid) but it's in a loving way, have I mentioned Alberu is tired of Cale's shit?

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms and any kind of interaction are more than welcome

Requests are currently closed but my ask are still open (read navi)

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another anon said: cale who acts like a lover to his "closest confidant", though they are not in a relationship, they certainly do act like one– to the point that his crew would question them, to which they'd respond "We're just friends" "What do you mean? They look at you like you're their entire world"��� which then starts their operation, get cale a lover

Cale Henituse is someone who has a lot of people under his wing. He's a heroic person busy saving the continents– no, the world. Which was why it is no surprise to find out that he has a close confidant. He has a second-in-command who helps him plan everything and is in charge of backup plans in case something goes wrong.

All of that is normal. Expected even.

What isn’t normal is how they act towards each other.

They act like… people who have a deeper relationship than just friends, for lack of a better term.

Like right now. [Name] is holding onto Cale’s arms as they navigate through this tiresome ball. Looking at him as if he had hung up the moon and the stars.

“Your Highness, you are quite close to the both of them… are we sure they are merely close friends?”

One of the nobles talking to Alberu Crossman questions as everyone watches the commander-and-deputy-commander duo dance in the centre of the hall.

“Of course they are. They have said so themselves.”

Alberu adds on at the end about how they shouldn’t inquire about another person’s private life.

However, Alberu himself is quite frustrated.

It was the truth when he said the two are nothing more than friends. And that’s what frustrates him. The two idiots can’t see the way they stare at each other. Can’t notice how they are unconsciously each other’s priority no matter what happens.

Alberu also knows that he isn’t the only one feeling this way.

No, as a matter of fact, everyone in Cale’s group feels the same frustration the future king feels.

“When will they get together? They deny their feelings as if we didn’t see them cuddling last night while reading a novel.”

On complained one day while eating the crown prince’s cookies.

“I’ve always known that our young master was quite dense in the aspect of love but… hmmm, I must say that this level is getting frustrating.”

Ron shared his own opinion as he served everyone tea.

Well everyone except the two people who are the topic of their discussion. Of course, they aren’t. For they were busy cuddling in the newly installed swing in the garden of the black castle while reading a novel. [Name] is busy platonically nuzzling their head in Cale’s chest, while Cale himself is busy platonically draping his legs over [name] as they lay down on the large swing.

‘Merely friends my ass’

Alberu thinks to himself as he watches the two from the window while sipping on the tea Ron served.

The people inside the room merely complained about Cale and [Name]’s relationship. They did not say anything about forcing them to get together and be in a romantic relationship.

And it’s not because they respect what the two have now.

No, it was simply because they didn’t need to say such things out loud. The complaints they have said out loud are enough confirmation to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

That everyone will be doing their best to show those two knuckleheads that what they have is more than platonic.

“You do know that you only let [Name] braid your hair like that. Do you realise just how much special privilege you give them?”

“What special privilege? The kids also braided my hair.”

Alberu’s dumb dongsaeng stared at him in confusion and the crown prince swears his about to have an aneurysm.

“Yes, but they are your kids. Of course, you’ll indulge them.”

“That is true…”

For a moment Alberu thought that they were finally heading somewhere.

“But [Name] is the only one who can braid my hair neatly like this.”

Turns out the only place they are heading to is back to square one.

Alberu pushed down the urge to smack a chair in his beloved dongsaeng’s face. How could he forget Ron’s existence? The Ron that does every task perfectly, but still could not braid the redhead’s hair because ‘only [Name] can do it perfectly’.

Cale better be glad Alberu didn’t transform Taerang into a hammer and threw it in his face.

“I love you, you know that right?”

[Name] had asked Cale during one of their cuddling sessions and Raon’s ears perked up.

“Of course I do.”

Cale answered casually and it got Raon’s hopes up.

“Are you guys together???”

He asked, eyes full of hope.

“What do you mean silly? Of course, we’re together, we’ve been friends for years now.”

That night Raon did not speak to any of them, and the two idiots only thought he was sick and tried to coax him to talk to them.

Subtle advances like that continued for a while before they all admitted defeat. One day Rosalyn even straight up asked [Name] how they felt about Cale. To which the deputy commander only responded with “he’s my best friend of course” before going on their merry way to steal another one of Cale’s clothes.

Just when all of them are about to give up Alberu caught the two of them talking in that same swing one night. 

He was about to go back to the palace. Only went to sneak into Raon’s castle to talk to Cale about an important business that cannot be said through a communication device. However, just as he was about to teleport back he heard the two.

“Why are you still awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep. You weren’t in bed.”

“Wanna talk then?”

Alberu silently scoffs at them. Even their conversations sound like their married already.

They talk for a few minutes. Topics vary from the mundane to philosophical questions no one can answer. 

It didn’t look like Alberu would get anything from eavesdropping so he thinks about going home.

But then…

“I know we’re both too busy. I know this will only add more burden to you. However, I must say it.”

[Name] spoke gently. Their eyes which were previously watching the stars shifted their focus to stare at Cale’s face.

“I love you. I love you so much. I love you more than life.”

That made the crown prince stop in his tracks. For a moment he remembers Raon’s complaints about how they seem to say “I love you” to each other without it meaning anything. For a moment he doubted if it was a confession.

Of course that didn’t stop him from recording the whole thing.

“I love you too. I’ve loved you this entire time. I’ll love you even after death.”

At Cale’s reciprocity, Alberu finally moved to give the privacy. He may want to see the two of them get together, but he does not want to see them kiss. A confession was enough to satisfy him.

But the irritation he feels from waiting for them to confess did not go away.

Hence why instead of going home he first went to his instructor, Choi Han.

Alberu Crossman did not say to the swordmaster. He only hands him a piece of paper before going back to his palace.

In that paper wrote:

The two idiots are finally together. I have a recording if anyone is interested. I’ll show it in exchange for a recording of you lightly smacking my lovely dongsaeng head upside-down. I’m sure my instructor will understand where I’m coming from.

Choi Han does. He greatly understands where his student was coming from.

That’s why, the next morning he was setting up a hidden recording device with a smile on his face.

Oh, he also got everyone’s permission before he set it up. In fact, most of them cheered at the thought of him physically knocking some sense in their young master’s head. 

[murdercide626]

Thoughts on the Sonic 3 trailer:

First of all, HOLY S***!! This trailer was frikkin amazing!! :D

Shadow looks so badass, and just from the three lines we hear from him in the trailer I can tell Keanu is gonna be great in the movie!

I'm also glad to see that they won't be shying away from the darker elements of Shadow's origin.This movie is definitely gonna make me cry I know it...

Also, Eggman finally has his chubby gut! lol

Speaking of, it seems that Eggman and Stone aren't the ones to awaken Shadow as they seem unaware of the situation until Sonic goes to them asking for help. I can see why they changed it because if Eggman was teaming up with Shadow, like in SA2, it would probably feel a bit too similar to the plot of the second movie, with Eggman's partnership with Knuckles. So it's interesting that it seems that Shadow could be working alone in this version of the story. Actually, that brings up another aspect...

WTF!! GERALD IS STILL ALIVE???

This is definitely an interesting turn, and it brings up so many questions! The most obvious question is HOW?? Well, some people think that Gerald might have been changed to being Eggman's father rather than grandfather to justify him still being around. But maybe he is still Eggman's grandfather but he was in suspended animation for all these years, like Shadow. Or maybe he's a ghost or hallucination? Or maybe it's time travel, who knows! XD Eggman called him "pappap" which could mean either father or grandfather, depending on who you ask.

So, if that really is Gerald "in the saggy flesh" could that mean that he's actively manipulating Shadow into destroying the world, or is he going to be somehow instrumental in stopping him? I'm really interested to see what direction they go with this!

Also, it looks like the Ark has been changed up and is significantly smaller. I wonder if this shot is showing it going up to space?

And in this shot that appears to show Tails flying from the Ark, you can see some sort of attachments on the front that resemble Eggman's, or rather Gerald's, mustache.

I love this Japanese Chuck E. Cheese-like place called the "Chao Garden". lol

Also, hello Shadow 2005 game reference!

Eggman actually getting to hug Gerald is something I never expected to see, but damn is it wholesome! ^^

Omg, this drawing Sonic made!! My heart!

And I really dig Eggman's new mobile base that resembles a giant crab! lol

Nice Akira reference!

Anyway, I'm starting to ramble, so I'll just end this by saying that I am so effing excited for this movie! Just a few more months! I can't frikkin wait to see it! :D

And this time I'm gonna try to avoid any more trailers or spoilers, but we'll see how that goes... lol

[sugaimhome]

country house setting - kth - part one

pairing: 19th century taehyung x reader

minors do not interact!!!

warnings (this part): age gap (10 years, readers 18, he’s 28), masturbation (v brief), loads of smut in the next chapter hold ye horses, yandere (? he’s very obsessed with her and her innocence lol), hints towards previous abuse, distant father figure, the messed up society of 19th century britain, biscuits.

part summary: taehyung wasn't looking forward to the isolation of his fathers manor, when you knock his door, that isolation is shattered, he has a new obsession. When taehyung visits your father to introduce himself as his a new neighbor, he makes you an offer you just can not decline.

words: 4.4k

series summary: your isolated manor house has nothing interesting going on. but when the abandoned manor near to yours has a new occupant, things change. taehyung is obsessed with you from the day you first knock his door. he’d do anything for you, even if it meant going against your father’s wishes, even if it meant you losing something very important to your future marriage on the way, something that would force your fathers hand.

part one  part two  part three  masterlist 

explanation of the title: a literacy genre where fictional characters are often isolated and alone living in a country house.

A/N: i’ve been so excited to post this, then suddenly, min yoongi decides to post a picture with the same vibes... least to say I changed some names around to better suit next chapters 😫😫 he will be appearing more than once in this story. this hasn’t been proof read by anyone but me so sorry about that 😶‍🌫️ i love reader so much i just want to protect her 🥺 also the writing on the banner is jane austens writing, what a queen. I did try and copy the speaking of the time a little but I think I failed 😀

“A ball?” you ask, hope filling every inch of your heart, you’d never been to a ball, you were dying to go “Oh, father, we must go” It had been over two months since you’d properly left the house, and that had only been to the local market. You could only paint the garden so many times before going mad.

“We won’t be going to Min Yoongi’s ball” he replies, not looking up from the letter he’s holding. He sounds so resigned you wonder if he even heard you. 

“But father-” you begin, hoping to say your piece to him.

“No Y/N” his answer is blunt, you know it was final; there's no point arguing with him when he’s in one of these moods, it will only end with you getting hurt. 

“Okay”. This had been the third ball invitation this week and the third rejection from your father. You sigh. How were you ever to find a husband if you didn’t socialise? All the rich men would have found young brides now, and you, at the age of 18 would be seen as too old. The two of you stand in awkward silence for a while as he flips through his letters. 

“Someone is making residence in the manor beyond the brook.” he tells you, licking his finger to separate two pieces of paper from each other. 

“Really?” you ask. “I hope it’s a family, I would love a friend so close!”

“It’s a single man, according to the Park family, they are acquaintances with him in London.”

“London!?” you exclaim, you had been disappointed by the lack of friends the move in would bring but a new excitement had begun with the aspect of the man being from London. You had so many questions about the place. It was another world to you. “When does he move in?”

“You must not bombard him with your incessant questions.” he complains, wiggling a finger at you without looking up at you.

“I only wish to make him a cake, or maybe some biscuits” you admit, trying to lace honesty into your voice.

Your father sighs, putting down his papers and turning to you. “The 10th”

“But father, that is today!” you think he’s playing with you. “Don’t be mean”

“Read the letter if you do not believe your own father.”

The letter did in fact say the 10th. You’re almost jumping on your feet, but that would be impolite so instead you pull the letter, signed by the park jimin your father had always spoken about to your chest. “What great news” you say, trying to hide the excitement in your voice. “If you don’t mind, father, I will begin to make biscuits for him now”

“Do as you please” he replies, not really listening, still flicking through the pages in front of him. Curtsying you leave the room, the letter balled up in your fist. You make a bee-line for the kitchen, you’d get Annie to put the oven on straight away.

*** 

Taehyung had been hesitant to move back to the country. When his father had died 4 years ago he’d left his childhood home in his inheritance. Taehyung had decided that after so long it was time to return home after nearly 10 years in London. Home was a loose term. The manor had been miss kept, the garden overgrown, the surfaces dusty. Upon his early morning entrance to the house he had been ushered in by an elderly maid, Victoria was her name, he only vaguely remembered her. Apparently, he'd been paying her a monthly wage to maintain the place since his father had died. She hadn't been doing a too-great job. Though he was grateful that the house wasn't entirely empty when he arrived. Victoria had made him tea, lit his fire and explained to him that she was happy someone was living in the house again. She left, explaining she lived in the town across and had a family now. He granted her a smile as she went.

With the door locked shut and Victoria gone the only sound the house offered was the low snapping and crackling of the flames. It was so different to London, there was always something going on, someone coming to visit him, a servant cleaning or, even in the silent moments, the sound of the street at the end of his carriage-way. He missed it already. 

Yet the quiet of the house offered an odd privacy and an odd tranquility that he had missed. It dawned on him that he could do anything here and the only witness would be the flames of this fire and the wildflowers that had overtaken the garden. It gave him a sense of freedom.

Leaning back in his chair, cup of tea in one hand the other lying across his thigh. He relaxed in the blissful, slightly creepy, silence until the door knocked. He sighs. Maybe he wasn't as isolated as he thought. Nearly forgetting that no one is here to open the door for him as he had been so used to in London he quickly shoots from his chair. For a moment he struggled to open the front door, Victoria had locked him in it seemed. 

"Give me a moment!" he shouts, hoping his visitor hasn't already left.

He finds a key hanging from one of the plant pots. What an odd place. The door unlocks with relative ease and as he pulls it open he peeks his head around the door.

A teenager. He has opened the door to an unaccompanied female teenager who seems to have a box of biscuits. "Good Evening" she curtsies, the too small corset she's wearing almost over spilling her breasts. He gulps. "I live in the manor across the brook" she explains to him, he can hear the unease in her voice. The naivety and innocence. "I brought you biscuits."

She extends the box to him at arms length, squeezing her breasts together in the process. Was she doing this on purpose? "Thank you," he smiles, taking the box from her. "Would you like to come in?" When she nods he pulls the door open entirely, displaying the very dusty entryway. "Do excuse the disorder, as you can imagine it hasn't been well looked after" 

"I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't said" she admits, purposely keeping her eyes away from the dust. He appreciates the small action. She scans the reception hall, obviously waiting for him to lead her through to a social area. "My name is Y/N" she tells him as he leads her into the living area. When he doesn’t immediately reply she asks, "Would it be impolite to ask yours?"

She's oddly quiet, he probably wouldn't have heard her voice if he were in the hustle of London "Taehyung" he replies. "My father used to own this manor. He died four years ago, would you have known him?" 

"I would have been 14 then, with little consideration of what was going on around me" Y/N replies. "I am sorry for your loss"

She was 18. Many questions filled his head. "Is your father a respectable man?" He asks her. "Is that whom you live with?"

"Oh, yes, as respectable as yours once was I should imagine" she replies, he turns to look at her, a little blush covers her cheeks.

"Then you would have been in London for the season this year" he asks, wondering if he had ever crossed paths with her.

"I have never been to London," she replies. "Though, I have heard it is exquisite."

An Eighteen year-old who has never seen London. "Then you must have an arranged marriage with a local man. I hope that is going well for you"

There is a pause between his statement and her reply. "My father does not have time to threat over my marital arrangements"

He is shocked, he had not heard of such a scandalous thing in his life. He feels sorry for her. Puzzled, he leads her into the living room where she gently sits down on a sofa he desperately hopes is not dusty. When no little particles rise to meet the sun he assumes he is safe. "I assume you'd like one of these biscuits" he asks her, turning around to place them on the small, delicately decorated table. When he turned around she'd moved, as quietly as a mouse, to the fireplace. Her dress was so close to the flames. Y/N's attention does not seem to be upon the fire though but more towards the painting placed above him. 

"This is not an appropriate place for such a lovely painting." she turns to him. Instinctively he walks up beside her, looking at the painting. "The heat will ruin the watercolour" 

There's a pout on her lips, this was obviously something she was very passionate about. "This is Thomas Girtin" she comments, reaching out and ghosting the frame of the painting with her fingers, above her finger is the signature of this Thomas Girtin. "It is a rare and expensive piece."

Taehyung is no longer staring at the painting but rather at her. He was surprised at her confidence to come into a strangers house and advise them on both the placement of their paintings and the stupidly of it. He smirks. "I'll have it moved at soon as possible, Miss Y/N. I am sure it will look a lot nicer in your premises"

"No, sir" she exclaims, stepping back from the painting and turning to look at him. "That is not what my intentions were when telling you about this piece."

"Perhaps it will persuade you to bring me more of those biscuits," Taehyung replies. He thought of his moment on the chair earlier, when he had the small epiphany of the freedom this house would bring him, how he could get away with anything. He places a hand on the small of her back and leads her back towards the front door. Grabbing two biscuits on his way past and passing one to her. With the hand on her back, she seems to have silenced a bit. "It's nearly dark, I would like to walk you back across the brook." 

"You do too much, Sir. I grew up here. I know quite well my way across the brook" Y/N defends. Taehyung is adamant as he places his boots on, and his overcoat. 

"So did I. I insist" he replies. "I left only 10 years ago, at your age. I'm sure I will find my way back quite safely." She doesn't reply, just stands in front of him with her arms crossed. "If you'd had a season in London you'd know well this is what a true gentleman is supposed to do." 

She blushes at the mention of a season in London. It only gives Taehyung an inflated feeling of power. It is clear that this young woman had no idea how to navigate herself around men, or perhaps other humans. She was as isolated as he was when he had lived in this place. He felt an unwelcome feeling of wanting to show her everything.

*** 

Taehyung had, clearly, known his way around the grounds of both his and your land. As he left you at the bottom of the steps to your mansion, offering you a little smile and a wave as you climbed the steps, he had mentioned something about the biscuits running out soon, his maid had family and once he had shared with them, he'd need more in at least two days' time. You reached the top, turning to see if he'd moved away, he had not. He bows and you curtsy before you slip into the warmth of your home.

As soon as you close the door you place your back against it, as if to block him out. That was not what you had imagined him to look like, you had expected a man in his early forties, perhaps a similar age to your father. You had not expected a young man, a man who's waistcoat fit snugly around his figure, a man who had beautiful fluffy hair. With eyes as dark as the chocolate you so rarely had. Your heart had been beating too fast the whole time you were there, that's what happened to all the women in the books you read when they loved someone, but surely that was over dramatic? Too soon? You wished you had someone to ask but it was just you and your father here now and you doubted he had the answer to this. 

The real problem did not lie in your beating heart, nor in the new strange emotion you felt but rather in the fact that when he had asked you if you'd bring more biscuits, you'd said you could bring some the very next day. And after all of that, you hadn't asked him a single question about London. Sighing, you make sure your door is locked before heading up to your chamber. The rest of the house is dead quiet, you can’t bring yourself to care anyways. You didn’t particularly want to see your father. You'd get up early in the morning and make more biscuits.

***

When Taehyung woke up the next morning he realised two things.

that it would be rude of him to not go introduce himself to Y/N's father, they were neighbors now after all.

that he had some very interesting dreams last night and the majority of them involved Y/N. He had woken up with a very prominent erection. He would need to see her again and soon.

He sat up in bed, having disregarded the bedclothes last night. He was alone, it wasn't like there was a risk of being indecent, plus he'd needed to touch himself. Taehyung could see his reflection in the mirror opposite the bed. Whilst looking at himself he wonders if she'd be able to handle the size of him. He places his hand around his dick, dragging it up and down in a loose grip- pretending his hand is Y/N. He assumes she is a virgin - only tightening his grip with this thought. He tries to imagine how she'd sound, but that's something he won't be able to tell until the moment comes, he would make that moment happen, he'd do anything to insure it. What would he have to do, and to what extent, to make Y/N his? The movement of his hand along his dick is almost painful now. Balls tightening more and more with every thrust his hips make into his hand. He cums, shooting white liquid up his stomach. It runs through the valley of his abdominal muscles like a river between two mountains. He would never look at Y/N the same again. In less than an hour he would be introducing himself to her father with the traces of his cum on his stomach the thought of it oddly turned him on. Instead, he headed for the bathroom where he would wash it off. There were times for such things and they weren't for when he was introducing himself to an elder.

***  

An hour after you'd baked the biscuits you were standing in your chamber, paintbrush between your teeth, painting a figure into one of your old landscape photos of the house across the brook. You hated to admit that the figure was Taehyung, but it only made sense, you hadn't stopped thinking of him.

You step back from the painting, wondering what it was that was missing exactly. There was Taehyung in his blue overcoat as he had been yesterday. It doesn’t seem enough. You can hardly tell it's him in the picture but if you had studied his figure, as you had plenty of times in the hour you had with him, you would know it was him.

There's a knocking at the door downstairs, it echoes around the whole mansion like the chiming of bells. Climbing over the pots and brushes you have thrown across your room, you hang your head from the open window. From this angle you can't see the front door but you can see the carriage drive. It's empty. Who would visit who didn't have a carriage?

Not caring much about your paint splattered dress you step from your room. Vaguely aware of the paint on your face, you choose to ignore it as you race down the stairs. At the door is your father, who is just opening it as you make it to the landing. However you're much more interested in what's behind the door. Your father obviously doesn't connect the dots as he sees the young man standing at the top of your steps. You, however, become much more worried about the current state of your appearance. "Good morning sir, I'm Kim Taehyung" 

Your father stares at him blankly as Taehyung offers his hand to shake. "The new gentleman across the brook?" He asks. Nodding Taehyung smiles at your father, perfectly white teeth on show. From where you're standing he can't seem to see you. You debate running back upstairs before your father lets him in. But you're too late, your father's shaking his hand and pulling him through the door at the same time. There's no hiding now. "My God Y/N!" your father exclaims at seeing you. "I told you not to wear such disgraceful garments out of your room! you'll have to excuse her" he turns to Taehyung, "she's not very well socialised."

You blush, Taehyung must notice you backing away. "It's really not a worry sir, I am already acquaintances with your daughter, she brought me biscuits yesterday evening, I suppose under your instructions"

If your father was to take credit for your ideas, you would have cried, instead your father explodes "I did not advise such an act! I apologise for her rogue mannerisms." You knew he had not been listening to you yesterday. As the pair walk past the bottom of the stairs, therefore past you, Taehyung rolls his eyes and then winks at you. 

"I very much enjoyed the biscuits" he announces, it's a response to your father, but he's looking at you as he says it. Tickling erupts on the inside of your stomach. You place a hand on it, having never felt this feeling before. Taehyung watches your hand as it lands on your abdomen. You don't understand why but he's smirking as he follows your father into the study. It dawns upon you that you do not have a great understanding of the outside world nor the feelings that Taehyung has brung with it. The two men disappear behind the study door, and you run over to place your ear to the key-hole.

“Does she paint?” he asks your father, why this isn’t a question he can just ask you is unbeknownst to you.

“I believe so” your father mumbles, the topic of his daughter seems to put him in a foul mood.

“You believe so?” Taehyung sounds upset, as if the response he had received wasn’t enough.

“There becomes a stage in a man's life when he stops caring about the women around him. He stops caring about silly things like paintings. You understand me don’t you.”

“I don’t believe I do, sir,” Taehyung replies. There's a harshness to his voice you had yet to have heard. You bring a hand up to cover the huff of surprise your mouth admits. If you were to talk back to your father like that you’d be slapped and denied food for a day. When your father doesn’t reply Taehyung continues. “I would like to view her paintings if you would permit it.”

“Of course,” Your father replies, annoyed. Then he asks Taehyung a question using so many business words you give up trying to listen to their conversation and focus more, or panic more, on the fact Taehyung was coming to view your paintings. There seems to be no other option than to sprint up the stairs and at least try to tidy it up a little. 

You’re in the middle of stuffing an old awful painting under your bed when the door knocks. “Give me a moment father and I’ll be out!” you shout, trying to be oblivious after eavesdropping.

“It’s Taehyung,” he replies. “May I come in”

You pause before answering. You could probably tell him to go away and he would. “Oh! Come in!” You’re up from under your bed now. Currently the main painting on display was the one with him in, you figured that he wouldn’t have looked in a mirror long enough to tell that it was his figure anyway. It was still slightly embarrassing. The door knob twisted and he filled the doorway with his figure.

“This is your chamber and workroom?!” was the first thing he asked, you blush, embarrassed both with the fact he was in the only place you stood naked each night, and that he was judging your way of life.

“It’s not ideal.” you reply, deciding to go for the truth. “I tried painting in the parlor but father was not best pleased.”

He nods his head but doesn’t reply to you, beginning to walk around your room of paintings. Wildflowers. Your father at his desk. A deer in snow. The view of the fields beyond from your window. You're shaking. Stopping at the painting you were most dreading, he tilts his head.

“Are they...” he pauses and his lip curves to the side, “kissing?”

"Um" you begin. "Is it off?" no longer caring that it's him and more concerned with your painting. "Her neck is at the wrong angle isn't it!" you exclaim, you're next to him now contemplating the painting together, as you had done with the portrait over his fireplace. This had been one of your very first paintings of people, you’d read from a men's guide to kissing that you had brought from one of the second hand stores in the town. It was the best you could do, you’d never seen two people kiss before. 

Taehyung moves on from that painting to the next, your most recent painting, the one with him in it. You daren’t look at him to see his reaction, instead you wipe a little paint off the bottom of the frame, hoping to distract him from, well, himself.

“I like this one” he smiles, “though I think it's missing something”

You’re too scared to reply to him so instead you just nod your head. It’s funny how he thought the same as you. “You capture the house really well, and the blue of my coat.”

Hands shaking you go to apologise to him. It wasn’t fair of you to paint him without his permission, but he’s moving back to the kissing scene again. Following behind him like a shadow you both end up staring at the painting. You’re aware of him looking at you from the corner of his eye. Your breath catches in your throat. Down the stairs you can hear your father moving about in his study. The rest of the house seems to be in an anxious science, holding its breath, as if it expects something to happen. Do you expect something to happen? He fully turns to you, his focus no longer on the painting, placing one of his hands on your shoulder. Your body freezes, though warmth spreads down your arm and into your body where his hand touches your dress. “Taehyung?” you're aware that your voice sounds so quiet in the greatness of the room. 

He pushes your shoulder slightly so you’re facing him. The whole room blurs and it's only him that you can see. He's like an angel sent from God, his bright light blinds you. “I could show you, Y/N”

Show you what? There's so much in this world that you want to see, want to experience. “Show me what?” you ask him, your brain is too innocent, too behind to pick up on what Taehyung really means. 

“How to kiss, then after that” he pauses, looking at his small figure in the picture behind you. “I could show you anything” lessening the grip he has on your shoulders. You feel no pressure in your answer, you could say no, he’s so close to you. 

“I’d like that” you reply, your mouth staying slightly agape at the eagerness in your tone, you hadn’t realised you were so keen. Smiling, Taehyung brings his thumb up to his mouth, he runs it between his lips, as if to wet them with his spit, then he’s bringing it to your face. This wasn’t how you imagined a kiss to be and, instinctively, step back. 

“Don’t worry Y/N, this isn’t a kiss, I am wiping paint off your cheek” his thumb makes contact with your skin and a blush rushes up to your cheeks. Why were you so responsive to his touch? “I won’t kiss you today”

Your lip sticks out in immediate disappointment, “I want you to think on it more” he admits. “You only get one first kiss.” 

“How long do I have to think about it?” you ask, you were hit by the insufferable feeling of being so naïve, so behind where you should be in the experience of your life, that it was embarrassing. You’re sure a kiss will solve this. You’re sure Taehyung will solve this.

“Tomorrow” he has removed his thumb from your cheek now, but his other hand is caressing your face. He runs slow circles between your eye and your hair and, nature guiding you, you lean into his touch further. This, you realise, is what intimacy was. You had once read the definition in a dictionary

close familiarity or friendship.

When you had first read it, you had realised that you had never had any intimacy with anyone. It was as foreign to you as flying was to a dog, or walking was to a baby. Your eyes are wide in shock, your legs only just holding your weight up. Taehyung is smiling at you softly when he removes his hand. Your body is as attached to this area of your floor as a tree to soil. “I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow” he steps over a paint brush and pot, you want to stop him but your tongue has been stolen from you. He’s at your door now, pulling it shut behind him. He’s hidden behind the near closed door when he softly says “I’ll show you everything, Y/N”

Then he’s gone. 

You hear the front door shut. 

Without his biscuits. 

thank you for reading!

[uptoolateart]

Fairytales - All of us are our own Prince Charming

A few years ago, I attended this workshop about storytelling and the ancient legends of Great Britain (where I live), and the host said that as a society we are suffering from a ‘crisis of metaphor’. What he meant was that we tend to take things too literally and therefore miss symbolic significance.

An area where I see this happen over and over again is our interpretation of fairytales - namely, this idea of a princess being saved by a prince, and the modern notion that it teaches little girls they need a man to rescue them.

This is valid, but only because we fail to teach little girls (and boys!) the true meaning of such tales. In fact, the most well-known fairytales date back not just centuries but millennia, because they contain elements of older myths. For instance, the three fairy godmothers in Sleeping Beauty are the three fates found in Norse and Greek mythology - who also appear as the three witches in Macbeth. The notion of an apple of temptation in Snow White, too, has its origins in ancient Greek legend - not to speak of its allusion to the Garden of Eden.

The reason such tales have persisted in popular culture for so long is that they speak to something deep inside us, and this goes well beyond just promoting the idea of a girl needing a man to save her. For this reason, there are books out there psychoanalysing classic tales as if they were dreams, from both a Freudian and a Jungian perspective. We also got taught to analyse stories in this manner in my English degree, once upon a time.

As a brief example, I’ll return to Sleeping Beauty. As a little girl, she's hidden away and protected from all eyes, especially men’s eyes, as if trying to keep her young forever. Her parents refuse to allow her to touch that magic spindle, which is a symbol for puberty and awakening sexuality. I mean...a needle, and a bloom of blood?? However, this growth is inevitable. Despite how much they try to keep her from being exposed to the outside world, Aurora finds the spindle anyway and falls into a deep sleep.

This sleep not only affects her but the whole kingdom. Everyone goes unconscious, other than the witch / dragon. The prince then has to fight through thorns to reach the princess and defeat the dragon. A crucial question is: why would he do this? Surely there are easier princesses to win! And if we look at the Disney rendition, he literally just saw Aurora talking to squirrels and owls and immediately fell in love with her, instead of thinking she was a bit odd. All of this tells us we can’t take it literally.

The dragon and thorns are the internal defensive measures to try to keep out the prince, who represents everything that was being repressed - the awakening moment that will bring Aurora into the adult world the parents and fairies were so keen to hold her back from. In this sense, we can say that the witch and the prince are both other aspects of the princess. In other words, there is no girl in need of saving by a man. The man is part of the young woman. She is saving herself. There is no kiss to wake her up magically - this is symbolic of her emotional awakening and transition into adulthood. This is why she is named Aurora, a reference to the dawn.

We can look at every popular fairytale in this way and see that each character is an archetype. Each of us, male or female, holds all these archetypes within us. So, fairytales are not merely stories but ways of symbolically exploring growth experiences and journeys we all go through. In this way, even a little boy hearing one of these tales can relate to the princess. Every boy is the princess and prince - every girl is the princess and prince.

What is key is making sure that the symbolism is strong. Don’t explain all of this to young kids and ruin the magic. But as our children grow and begin to be aware of the symbols, we can explore it with them and teach them that each and every one of them has the power within to be their own Prince Charming and free themselves from any 'evil spell'.

[malefic-advantage]

the phases of the moon / the lunar cycle

a quick rundown on the spiritual meaning of the phases of the moon!

new moon: birth and rebirth, the beginning. this is the time to dream up plans and goals, to explore possibilities in a mindful way. opportunities flow into life, so give life the opportunity! pick up what's been put off, allow and invite change in order to see growth. clean up your workspace if you need to, you'll regain your strength and energy at this time and you'll want to use it soon.

waxing crescent: building and rebuilding, the rejuvenation. setting intentions and finding ways to implement them. putting thoughts and plans in motion, starting to work towards goals. pushing things into action and organizing where things should start, the perfect time to understand why you're dedicated to the tasks at hand. curiosity can only benefit you right now, these days are crucial for the completion of a goal!

first quarter: keeping things moving even when there are doubts and drains. taking note of what's in your surroundings/what you're surrounding yourself with, constantly figuring out what's working. stay brave and take a deeper look into what you're consuming, so it won't consume you instead. challenge is another word for game, so stay focused and remember to have fun!

waxing gibbous: align with what you've learned from what's hurt or hindered you. refine and reorganize and finally answer the question of "what's working?". your plans are nearly realized and the finish line is just around the corner. you've been building steady momentum, it's time to tidy up loose ends and get ready for the celebration that awaits.

full moon: highly charged by the opposition aspect, a clear divergence appears. symbolizes completion and harvest, this is the point where what you have been attracting and working towards has come to you. if seeking to banish, use the light and energy of this transit, as it will bring any dedicated cycle to a close. you made it.

waning gibbous: evaluate and reflect on how you've been working and what you've been working on. allow space in order to readjust and take note of your energy levels and momentum within projects. this is a time to express gratitude and realign your intentions if need be. asking yourself "how am i feeling?" will help you decide how best to take time for yourself. till your soil, turn your stones, and see how different the garden looks nowadays.

third quarter: let go of what pains you, it can be easy to let it consume you, but there are better days coming. it's not possible to always be your best. this is a point in time where what's been eating you up inside has become to be shown on the outside too, be wary of power struggles, both external and internal. blockages show their faces here, cleanse yourself of them any way you know how, these issues will seem much more manageable, do not give up your own space for it.

waxing crescent: surrender to the experience of the last few weeks. you've changed what you could have, and you cannot go back in time. now, rest and restore your energy, allow yourself this moment of letting go in order to come back stronger. this is a compassionate, replenishing time, where gratitude and acceptance will make all the difference. practice self love and self care, try to sleep in if you can!

there are a few things that influence how we interpret the phases lunar cycle from an astrological standpoint:

whether the moon is in the day or night sky

it's aspects to the sun

when the moon is found in the same realm as the sun, we compare the difference between energy and rest, as seen in the crescent phases.

when the moon is found in the opposite realm of the sun, we compare the difference between evaluation and alignment, as seen in the gibbous phases.

this has weight when considering the aspects between the sun and moon during the quarterly phases (new, first, full, and third quarters). the quarter phases are seen as a battle for dominance in the respective kingdoms of night and day, the full moon is seen as an opposition from the sun, and the new moon a conjunction.

the full moon being in opposition to the sun presents challenges, and considering that the moon simply reflects the sun's light, qualities and symbols of the moon seem to be reflective of those of the sun. during the full moon, one's pride seems to be much more egregious than normal, and the opinion of personal spotlights are heightened.

the new moon being conjoined with the sun takes this in a different, yet similar, way. during the new moon, one's emotions become synonymous with their life-force, we identify with the parts of ourselves we as human beings typically keep hidden.

of course, there's more than just these two factors to consider when drumming up information on the lunar cycle, but it's fun to look at how these work with it!

[simaddix]

15 questions for 15 mutuals

Thank you for tagging me @treason-and-plot! I rarely do these but I'll indulge(:

Are you named after anyone? Yes. But we're gonna leave that alone.

When was the last time you cried? A couple of weekends ago, our favorite duck got picked up by an owl and the shithead dropped her by the pond near our house. I looked like I'd gone a full round in the ring when I was done. Nature is beautiful but can be cruel, too.

Do you have kids? Yes, we have a 7 year old boy and a 3 year old little girl. They're my world(:

Do you use sarcasm a lot? It's a large part of my personality in most cases, lol

What sports do you play/have you played? I was a swimmer, loved riding horses and had a brief stint in boxing/self defense.

What’s the first thing you notice about other people? Their eyes. People don't realize how much they say through their eyes without speaking a word. Second is stature/handshake. A good handshake can say a lot about you, too.

Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings - I'm not a fan of horror. I've had horror in my life, I don't care to relive the feeling on a screen. I do like psychology, though, so I'm more inclined to watch a run on serial killers rather than a fictional story that's meant to simply scare you.

Any special talents? I have a deep joy in feeding people - my baking skills are subpar (I once made a loaf of bread that could have been used as a murder weapon, but that's another story lol) but I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. Design / I've found that I really love design and bringing something new out of the old. If I may be so bold, 3D design. I love this field and thoroughly enjoy creating aspects for digital creations that people can use to create realistic atmospheres.

Where were you born? Texas.

What are your hobbies? Writing, reading, history. Painting, 3D design, architectural design. Gardening (rudimentary at best, but it's therapeutic), caring and working with animals - especially horses. I also like nature, hiking, snowboarding (though it's been years), and wakeboarding - spending time at the lake. Also, exploring architectural sites/archives/museums.

Do you have any pets? Yes, though our situation has changed drastically over the last year. We still have our old man, Lance - who is a 9 year old shepherd mix. We lost Ellie, our hound last year of Cancer. And we had to sell the rest of our ducks as we will be moving later this year.

How Tall Are You: 5'4''

Fave subject in school? English/History.

Dream job? 3D world design.

Eye colour? Gold.

I would like to tag - @murfeelee @omedapixel @nonsimsical @modestpixels @desiree-uk @technicallyswagpizza @katsujiiccfinds @dhalsims @danjaley @bbcopperdaisy @silvakristiina (Sorry if y'all have already done one - or have zero interest!)

[the-monkey-ruler]

How do you feel about LMK making it so that the Jade Emperor defeated and passed heavenly judgment over Sun Wukong in Xiyouji?

To be completely honest, it's what made me flip my lid, especially when *spoilers*

They killed the jade emperor??? Not only did they remove Buddha's play in SWK's punishment and made it so that he was simply too weak instead of he was too arrogant, but also killed such an important character in Chinese media that shouldn't be so easily killed? I don't think we were ever meant to root for the jade emperor, but watching that go down had me like

The scene didn't even have some big fight. The Jade Emperor just said a couple words, took it like a champ and died which undermines his actual importance? Maybe it's the shock that's making me so upset over the questionable choices that the LMK producers made, but I feel like not even the little quips or actually decent animation can cover up.

I understand that this isn't supposed to be a direct copy and paste from JTTW, but to stray so far from the og story and still try to claim representation? I'm really curious about your opinion on it, no hate if it's different I actually want to know and hear you talk about it

I will say... underwhelming...

Like this is probs the first time I've seen a Xiyouji media that has written off Buddha completely like... it just brings up why? Did Flying Bark just really want their next villain to be so strong and powerful that he defeated the one entity that Wukong couldn't? Like??? Did they really try to brush off the religious aspects of Xiyouji where it is about FOUR MONKS (and a dragon) going to the west for BUDDIST SCRIPTURES?? While also meeting Daoist gods so??? Already you can't escape religion buddy... it's in there!

The point of Wukong being taken down by Buddha is to show that he has gone too far. He DEFEATED the Jade Emperor! He was about to kill him and take the throne before Buddha stepped in. Wukong is supposed to be the strongest and could destroy heaven with power alone and that is why he had to be stopped because powerful alone shouldn't dictate who is in charge.

And it just draws more questions considering that Xiaotian even said in one episode that Wukong DID pick a fight with Buddha but a chip was shoved in his mouth so... backtracking??? Rewriting?? What is going on?

This isn't the first media I've seen where Heaven/Jade Emperor is the bad guy, though in most cases he is just a guy doing his job cause SOMEONE keeps destroying the peach gardens, but I wish there was more nuanced with this. A lot of past iterations make it that Wukong is a freedom fighter trying to overturn heaven and those could be really good! Shows that Wukong is sticking up for the people of Earth and hates that the people of Heaven are walking all over that. He demands justice in an injustice world and has the power to make them be heard.

But it looks like Flying Bark was trying to go for that angle but also... it is kinda falling flat considering that they have already shown heavenly deities on the side of their heroes and so far no antagonist demons have been in the "right." Like they can't just backtrack and say "wait heaven bad guy?" If they are trying to make it that both Heaven and Earth have areas of moral grey then killing off the head of the Heavens with a "But wait there's more" is a very... clumsy way of depicting that.

I know Flying Bark did it for the sake of "Drama" but really feels more like a cope out just not to depict Buddha in a lego form or something inane like that.

I've kinda emotionally checked out of LMK for my own sake and while I still watch it and want it to have a satisfying ending I can't really say I'm on the edge of my seat for it either. It just feels like they are always trying to hype up more than they can deliver and I rather just be met with a simple 'that was fine' than get my hopes up in more disappointment.

[sburbian-sage]

I'm a Seer of Stage and I'm trying to maximize my predictive capabilities. Having a bit of trouble though.

At the start of the session, I looked for info on what the best predictive equipment is. You know, tarot cards, magic 8 balls, futomani kits, and so on.

Stage likes constants, stability, and rules. But, most divination methods rely on randomness. I can't be drawing cards from a randomized deck and expect that to play well with Stage. Like, yes, Stage CAN put up with a little randomness, so long as it adheres to rules and patterns, but it's *better* if I find a method that's low-randomness to begin with.

Enter: numerology. It's perfect. I love it, Stage I think loves it as well, match made in heaven. Numbers have specific meanings, and you can learn shit by analyzing them. Great premise, 10/10!

So I alchemized a numerology handbook. And I've had some success with it. But it was a little clunky to use, so I started working on upgrading it.

Some stuff was simple enough. I've &&'d it with a computer and some other stuff, and now I don't need to manually flip through the pages anymore because I can just say a number and it'll bring it up, I can easily cross-reference numbers with other numbers because it just pulls up relevant ones automatically, etc.

But upgrading it for ease of use is one thing. I'm not sure how to upgrade it in ways that actually make it more *accurate* or *powerful*, without it doing things like, you know, CHANGING WHAT IT SAYS THE NUMBERS DO. Which is basically the polar opposite of what Stage wants.

Of course all this shit is arbitrary, numerology isn't real, it's my Stage powers making it work. But Stage doesn't care if it's bullshit, so long as it's *consistent* bullshit. But every time I try and mix in a magic wand or other divination tool or whatever, it just changes the entire nature of the thing, and makes very little attempt at keeping the book's contents consistent. It doesn't just re-write each number's entry to be more specific or whatever, it'll make it say totally different stuff.

I'm wondering if I should just... apply a bit of my aspect to the alchemizations? I know fucking with the alchimiter is usually a BAD idea, but is it really so dangerous to force something like raw consistency and stability into it?

...Well, I checked with my numerology book, and according to various relevant numbers (number of lines in the symbol on the alchimiter, total alchemization performed so far, etc.) it says yes, it would be dangerous.

So... any other ideas? Cuz I'm fresh out.

Mixing Aspects and Alchemy isn't inherently bad. We say that an item produced through Alchemy that was infused with an Aspect has an "Aspect Charge" (as in Aspect Charge is the unit of measurement), and indeed it's quite useful at all stages of the game. You only need to worry about the following when it comes to Aspect Charges in Alchemy.

The item will of course take on characteristics associated with the Aspect, so don't make a Doom-Charged Medkit or something stupid.

Mind Charges provide infinite energy for an item, with the downside that it might "surge" and fry your computer. Or cause it to explode, depending on the size and whether or not it is in fact a computer, because computers tend to do that in this game. I've always had good luck when it comes to this though.

Blood Charges create a living item. It's usually best for the Blood player to handle that kind of thing, especially if you're the type to get philosophical about it.

Void Charges just erase the item, and all the Grist that went into it.

Never eat Aspect-Charged food. You WILL die, the question is in what way, how painfully, and how long it takes. This is true of Life and Blood too. You shouldn't even be eating Alchemized food in the first place because it all tastes like shit and basically provides no nutrition, either use the Crystalanths, start a garden, or get your hands on a Cookalizer and Alimentator like a civilized person.

And this isn't about Charges but don't ever use Blood to make your Alchemiter, or any Alchemy-related items come to life. What happens next is The Sorcerer's Apprentice meets Videodrome. You're also likely to get a Saccharine Doppleganger situation, in which case add Carebears and Invasion of the Body Snatchers to the list.

If your numerology says not to modify your Alchemiter, or Stage-Charge it, then by all means, don't. But also... Do you have to upgrade your book? You need to alchemize stuff like weapons or armor for the stat boosts, but I don't think there's any meaningful "stat boosts" differentiating an early-game grapple launcher from a late-game one, if you know what I mean. If the numbers mean what they mean, then it seems like "the computer tells me what the numbers mean" is the height of efficiency and you necessarily can't improve from there.

There are three possibilities. Option #1 is accepting that you've peaked in this regard. Option #2 is seeing if those "upgrades" do provide any unique benefits, and if so, if it's possible to create an upgrade that beats out any inconsistency penalties. Option #3, it seems like anytime you alchemized something "magical", it randomized the numbers, but a computer kept it consistent. So maybe focus more on the tech-side of things, becoming a technomancer divination wizard, or turning your Numerology Book-puter into a supercomputer. If the superbookputer grows too big to carry around, you could turn a room in your spire into a Seer's Den. In addition to looking very cool, that's heavily resonant with your Class and will provide a bountiful RP boost.

[thrapstongardeners]

We Are Your Trusted Garden Experts

Top Gardening Service in Thrapston

Welcome to the best gardening service in Thrapston! With a strong reputation for excellence, we are the top choice for all of your landscaping needs in Thrapston. Whether it's about regular maintenance, an entire garden transformation, or expert gardening care, our seasoned team is ready to enhance your landscape into a flourishing, vibrant oasis for you to enjoy throughout the year.

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Whether it’s lawn care, setting up flower displays, or installing irrigation systems, we’re here to offer the best services available. Our staff is devoted to providing top-tier work that goes above and beyond, with every project handled with attention to detail and care.

Who Are We? As the leading gardening service providers in Thrapston, our experienced team has honed their expertise of crafting beautiful and sustainable gardens. We are committed to our craft, and our attention to detail ensures that every garden under our care receives the expert attention it needs to flourish.

Here’s a glimpse into our key services:

Planting: Our expert planting service helps your garden thrive with vibrant, seasonally appropriate flowers. We choose the perfect flowers for your space, ensuring a harmonious design that complements your overall landscape.

Lawn Mowing: A well-maintained lawn is essential for the overall appearance of your garden. Our comprehensive lawn care service includes cutting, trimming, and nourishing, keeping your grass lush and healthy, enhancing both beauty and functionality.

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Competitive Pricing: We believe that high-quality gardening services shouldn’t break the bank. That’s why we offer cost-effective solutions, ensuring you enjoy top-tier gardening without sacrificing standards.

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Are your gardening services available year-round? Yes, we offer our gardening services throughout the year, ensuring your outdoor spaces stay vibrant and well-maintained. We handle everything from winter-proofing to encouraging spring growth, we’ll be there to help.

What types of landscaping designs and themes can you create? We focus on creating a diverse set of landscaping designs, such as traditional English gardens, modern minimalist landscapes, and more. No matter if your style leans towards traditional or more natural designs, our team collaborates with you to achieve your dream garden, boosting your home's overall appeal.

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Get in Touch with Our Professional Team Today Want to upgrade your outdoor space? Reach out today for a tailored estimate. Whether you’re looking for regular garden care or a full redesign, our team is committed to making your landscape thrive. We’ll create a beautiful, lush space you’ll love for years.

[mysticalstrawberrysublime]

15 Up-and-coming Trends About Get A Life Coach Wilmington Nc

Methods for Life Coaching in Wilmington NC by 2024

Methods of Life Coaching in Wilmington, NC Have a peek at this website 2024: Enhancing personal growth and well-being

Life coaching is a powerful tool that helps individuals achieve their full potential and develop themselves. As we look ahead to 2024, the coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina, with its serene beaches and vibrant community, provides a picturesque backdrop for those seeking life coaching services. This essay explores the various methods used by life coaches in Wilmington to help clients navigate their life's journey.

A Step-by-step Guide To Famous Life Coaches Wilmington Nc

Understanding Life Coaching

Before diving into specific methods, you must first understand what life coaching is. Unlike therapy or counseling that may delve into past traumas or psychological issues, life coaching focuses on the present and future. It is action-oriented, and helps clients set their personal and professional goals. It also provides support and accountability to help them achieve these goals.

Tailored Approaches

Life coaches in Wilmington understand that every client is unique and has different needs and aspirations. One of the first steps to effective life coaching is to create a personalized approach for each individual. Coaches start by conducting comprehensive assessments to understand the client's current situation and values, as well as their strengths, challenges, goals, and desired outcomes. From this foundation, they can tailor their strategies to fit the client perfectly.

Goal-Setting Techniques

Life coaching involves helping clients set clear, attainable goals. Coaches use SMART goal-setting techniques (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound, Specific, Measurable and Achievable) to ensure that goals are well-defined, attainable, and within a realistic timeline. Coaches help motivate and maintain progress by breaking down large goals into smaller milestones or steps along the way. This is often called "chunking".

12 Do's And Don'ts For A Successful Transformational Life Coach Wilmington Nc

Accountability Structures

Accountability is a key factor in helping clients reach their goals. In Wilmington's supportive environment where community bonds are strong; life coaches might integrate accountability structures such as regular check-ins via phone calls or meetings at local coffee shops or walks along Wrightsville Beach. These sessions allow for reflection and addressing setbacks.

Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques

Cognitive-behavioral methods are used by many modern coaches. These techniques help clients identify negative thoughts or limiting beliefs which may be hindering growth. These thoughts can be identified by thoughtful questioning and dialog sessions along the Cape Fear River, or in other tranquil settings around town. They can then challenged and reframed to more positive outlooks that can lead to more productive behaviors.

Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness practices have also found their place within life coaching methodologies due to their ability to enhance self-awareness and reduce stress levels - both essential components of personal growth endeavors during times of change or challenge within someone's career path especially considering fast-paced advancements technology brings our world today! Coaches encourage daily meditation, breathing exercises, visualization and even simple moments of appreciating the natural beauty found in Airlie Gardens Hugh MacRae park to foster mental clarity and focus on inner peace needed when pursuing ambitious goals.

Technology Integration

As we move forward toward 2024 technology continues evolve an ever-present aspect daily lives consequently it makes sense would play integral part innovative approaches taken my modern-life professionals utilize platforms virtual sessions webinars interactive applications keep up-to-date latest research findings neuroscience psychology enhance effectiveness programs offered!

Conclusion

No matter where you start, the variety of cutting-edge tools combined with traditional empathy and understanding will help you achieve your goals. Under the warm sun-filled sky of Wilmington North Carolina, anything is possible through commitment and collaboration between coachee and coach!

[tatiekfuji]

Revealing the deep meaning behind Denny Ja’s selected work: Gathering Ibrahim’s grandson

In this extraordinary opportunity, we want to discuss the 46th selected work of Denny Ja entitled Grunds Ibrahim’s grandson. This work presents a deep meaning that invites us to reflect and explore the values of life that are around us. In this article, we will explore the meaning and appreciate this beautiful work.    Before we go further, let’s look closer to the title of this work. The friendship of Ibrahim’s grandchild contains a very deep message. Gathering is a term in Indonesian culture that represents close kinship and social relations between human beings. In this context, Ibrahim’s grandson refers to the young generation who inherited the values of their ancestors. By combining these two concepts, Denny JA invites us to respect and build strong relationships in the family and society.    In this work, Denny JA brings us on a spiritual and introspection journey. He uses beautiful language and strong metaphor to convey his philosophical messages. One example of the use of an interesting metaphor is when it describes life as a beautiful garden. In this park, we meet various characters representing various aspects of human life. In every character, Denny JA managed to reveal the meaning of deep and valuable lessons.    In addition, the friendship of Ibrahim’s grandchildren also contains a message about the importance of recognizing and respecting our own culture. In this work, Denny Ja slipped the story of rich Indonesian folklines and traditions. He encourages us to learn and understand our valuable cultural heritage. In an increasingly modern and global world, this message is very important to maintain our identity as a nation.    Not only in philosophical and cultural messages, Denny Ja also showed his expertise in playing the reader’s emotions. He presents stories that arouse and drain tears, but also stories that tickle and invite laughter. In each page, we can feel the depth of emotions as outlined in words. This shows the extraordinary writer’s skills in creating works that can touch the hearts and minds of the reader.    In the friendship of Ibrahim’s grandchildren, Denny Ja also invites us to think critically and see the world with a different perspective. He invites us to release prejudice and be open to differences. In this work, we will meet various characters with different backgrounds and outlook on life. Through the dialogue and conflict presented, Denny Ja invites the reader to reflect and question their own outlook on life.    This work also has an interesting surprise element. Denny Ja cleverly plays a plot and presents an unexpected twist. He was able to maintain the tension of the story and make the reader continue to want to know what happened next. The author’s skills in building an interesting narrative and presenting surprises make this work very interesting to follow.    Finally, the friendship of Ibrahim’s grandchildren invites us to consider the true meaning of life. Denny Ja reminded us not to get caught up in a monotonous routine and life.

Check in full: Uncover the deep meaning behind Denny Ja’s selected work: Gathering Ibrahim’s grandson

[thewul]

How would you go about it? Any advice for the mayor?

I would look into the areas that clearly aren’t doing great economically and commercially, also higher crime rates, write them off from my list of worries by basing these co properties there instead

In the 5 boroughs?

In the 5 boroughs, and look at it from 2 perspectives, from the borough perspective and as a whole, and listen to what the people are saying, if they’re saying that now they have jobs, decent affordable modern housing and that their kids are safe, then its a win that nobody can contest no matter where they sit on the political spectrum

Perhaps many people living in the areas of these projects will not qualify?

Criminal records, drug abuse, gang members, society is a rewards system, you’re racking fails and not concerned about wins that’s your responsibility in the end, with that said there should be options for those who want out

They will argue that it’s their hood?

The hood has moved

Last question are these flats furnished?

Actually they are, mostly kitchen essentials and beds, sofas

Beds also?

We’re not fond of bringing in bed bugs, it’s hand in hand process with these families, here’s what you get, you can bring in this, you can’t bring in that, carry along with the process

You don’t seem the least concerned about people saying it’s a socialist approach?

Not whatsoever, it’s a for profit business

Is that a real wood parquet?

Thanks for bringing that up, we are looking at a passive design flat with a high energy efficiency, where overall sustainability is a key component of this project that is embedded in its planing, and the parket could well be made of recycled wood, sound panellings for acoustic isolation also made of recycled materials so there’s also that sustainability and recycled materials

The family is having a salad?

There you go, community gardens, it is a very exciting project with many different aspects

Thanks

Welcome

[nosetrimmerreview]

The Best Car Service In Montague Gardens, MA

No matter where you are in the world, there’s a good chance that you can find a reputable car service to suit your needs. In Montague Gardens, Massachusetts, that same principle holds true. From oil changes and tune-ups to comprehensive car repairs and beyond, our team of professionals is dedicated to providing quality service at a fair price. We know that not every problem requires a trip to the mechanic or dealership. That’s why we offer convenient services like car wash and detailing, all of which can be scheduled online or by phone. No matter what your needs may be, we’re here to help. Give us a call today! What is Car Service? There is no question that car service is one of the most important aspects of owning a car. Whether you're a busy professional who needs to get to work on time, or you're a busy parent who needs to get your kids to soccer practice on time, having a reliable and affordable car service is essential. And if you live in Montague Gardens, MA, you're in luck – there are some amazing car services available right here in town! One of the best car services around is Liberty Car Service. This company offers reliable and affordable transportation for both individuals and businesses, and they go above and beyond to make sure their customers are always happy. Liberty Car Service offers a variety of services, including regular vehicle maintenance and repair, 24-hour roadside assistance, and even emergency transportation. They also have a wide selection of vehicles available for rent or purchase, so there's really something for everyone. Another great option for car service montague gardens is MB's Transportation Incorporated. This company offers a wide range of services including taxi service, limousine service, and shuttle service. They also have a wide selection of vehicles available for rent or purchase, so there's really something for everyone. And if you need help booking your ride or need to contact them during business hours, their customer service staff is always happy to help! If you're looking for an affordable and reliable option when it comes to car service, these two companies are definitely worth checking out. They Types of Car Services When it comes to car services, there are a few different types that Montague Gardens residents can choose from. Full Service: This type of service typically includes a full inspection of the vehicle, an estimate for any necessary repairs, and a comprehensive report detailing the findings. Minor Repair: This type of service focuses on fixing small mechanical issues or performing basic maintenance tasks. Tire Change: If your tires are in need of replacement, this is the service you'll want to call. Most providers will also include alignment and balancing as part of their package. Car wash: If you just want your car clean without any major repairs or work being done, a car wash may be just what you need. Many providers offer special deals forrepeat customers, so it's worth checking out their website or calling ahead to see if they have any discounts available. What to Expect When You Book a Car Service When you need a car service, you want to be sure that you're getting the best possible service. Here are some things to expect when you book a car service in Montague Gardens, MA: 1. You'll be contacted by the car service provider shortly after booking. They will provide a brief overview of their services and answer any questions you may have. 2. The car service provider will send a vehicle to pick up your vehicle and bring it to the designated location. 3. The car service provider will keep an eye on your vehicle while it's in their care, providing regular updates on its condition and status. 4. If there is an issue with your vehicle while it's in the car service provider's care, they will take immediate action to rectify the situation. How to Pick the Right Car Service for You If you're looking for a reliable and affordable car service in Montague Gardens, you can't go wrong with one of the providers listed below. 1. APT Car Service: APT Car Service offers affordable and reliable car service with a wide range of services to choose from, including airport transfers, car repairs, and even whole-car cleaning. You can also book online or call them directly to get started. 2. Prestige Car Service: Prestige Car Service is another great option if you're looking for reliable and affordable car service in Montague Gardens. They offer a wide range of services, including car repairs, flat tire repair, and even car rental. You can book online or call them directly to get started. 3. A-1 Auto Repair: If you need auto repair services in Montague Gardens, A-1 Auto Repair is the perfect option for you. They offer competitive rates and top-quality workmanship, so you can be sure your vehicle will be in good shape when they're done. You can book online or call them directly to get started. 4. Top Carpet Cleaning: If you're looking for a professional carpet cleaner in Montague Gardens, Top Carpet Cleaning is the perfect choice for you. They offer competitive rates and high-quality workmanship, so your carpets will look brand new when they're done. You can book online or call them directly to get started. Tips for Safe and Enjoyable Car Service If you're looking for a reliable and safe car service, here are some tips to help you out: 1. Make sure to choose a reliable car service. Look for companies that have a good reputation and have been in operation for a while. 2. Always confirm the price of your service before getting started. Some car services may charge extra for additional services, such as picking you up early in the morning or dropping you off late at night. 3. Always be aware of your surroundings when using a car service. avoid walking around alone in unfamiliar areas, and keep an eye on your belongings in the backseat. 4. Tell your driver where you're going and when you expect to arrive there. This will help ensure that they know where to take you and will prevent them from driving too far away from your destination. Conclusion If you're looking for a reliable and affordable car service, look no further than Montague Gardens Car Service. We offer competitive rates and a wide range of services that will suit your needs. From oil changes to flat tire repair, we have you covered. Give us a call today to schedule a appointment!

[areyouawakened86]

Hello everyone, today we are discussing Ikagai, a Japanese concept for finding purpose and fulfillment in life. Ikagai is based on the idea that our lives should be filled with something that we love to do, something that we are good at, something that the world needs and something that we can be paid for.

Finding your Ikagai can make you more fulfilled on a daily basis, as you are activating all four of those important aspects. The process of discovering your Ikagai can be broken down into four questions. The first is “what do you love?” This question is all about what brings you joy and happiness every day. It could be something like cooking, gardening, creating art or playing music.

The second question is “what are you good at?” This is the aspect of your life where you can use the skills and talent that you have to help others. Could you use your creativity to design websites, use your problem-solving skills to help others with their issues or use your organizational skills for project management?

The third question is “what does the world need?” This is about looking for ways to help society and use your existing skillset to do so. It could be something like teaching, organizing charity events or even blogging about important issues.

The fourth question is “what can you get paid for?” This is related to the above question but in the context of using your skills and passion to create an income. It requires some extra effort such as setting up a business or getting a job in an industry that aligns with your ikigai.

We hope this video has helped you gain a better understanding of Ikagai and how it can help you find purpose and fulfillment in life. There are many ways to discover and cultivate your ikigai, so take the time to explore and find the things that make you happy and fulfilled. Good luck.