sage-nhu

[sage-nhu]

Sage paused as she listened to the woman, a small smile forming. She had never met someone who felt so passionately about socks and sandals. Sure it was a look that was hated by many, present company included, but to feel so deeply about it that she wished she could burn the man���s feet off was something else. “I can see you’re very passionate about this.” Sage’s tone betrayed her amusement as she continued to pull at the soft yarn, undoing line after line as she continued. “I’m surprised you don’t rip them off his feet and beat him with them.” She dropped the thread she held to raise her hand, mimicking someone holding a sandal and winding back. “Knock the sense in and the socks off.” She completed her pantomime with a smile before picking up the yarn and continuing to undo her work. “I bet he’ll never do it again.”

Renata quirked an eyebrow at the other woman, yet a ghost of a smirk spread across her lips at the fact the other agreed. Renata didn't typically care for the opinions on what she deemed the common people. But she had been in a more charitable mood at least so it made her indeed more sociable. "It's still no excuse for such a travesty before my eyes, it almost makes me feel physically sick. I worry for the minds of those that have such a bizarre thought process. If ones feet are cold, wear actual shoes" she stated, her thick accent evident as she spoke. "Hm, either way I want to burn his feet off of the face of this Earth" she waved off.

[sage-nhu]

Having the day off, all Sage wanted to do was sit in her air-conditioned apartment eating rocky road ice cream with potato chips crushed into it, but she knew that she should tackle the seemingly endless list of things she needed to do instead. Starting with the bookstore. While it wasn’t all that high on her priority list, she knew herself well enough to know that if she didn’t start with something fun, she would simply not go at all. So, she took the opportunity to start adding more books to the baby's already extensive library, because if there was one thing she was not about to do, it was raise a kid who didn’t enjoy a good book. Holding the already half-full basket, she soon found herself perusing the shelves for a new read of her own as if she didn’t have shelves and piles of unread books at home. After all, was it even possible to enter a bookstore without leaving with a book for yourself? If it was, she had yet to achieve that. She picked up a book because the cover was pretty and was glancing at the inside jacket when a woman spoke up, pulling her attention. “Hm,” she hummed as she turned to look at her and then glanced at the book then back to the woman with a small smile. “How insufferable are we talking? Because I don’t think I have the patience for a really annoying character right now.” She was always down to give someone’s favorite book a shot -even a stranger's- but she needed to know what she was getting herself into. Especially now that her fuse seemed to be so short when it came to annoying people or characters in this case.

who: ( open !! ) @bhqextras location: cover to cover

often times when maddox found herself with nothing to do, she would go to the bookstore. it was a knee-jerk reaction, fuck knows she had too many unread books already. but who couldn't resist the excitement of a new book? besides, it was commonly agreed upon that just being in the presence of books was fulfilling enough. she was so enthralled by the stacks, she almost didn't notice the person beside her until she'd wandered far too near to them.

"if you're debating on whether or not to get that one, you should know it's my favorite. though, i'll be honest, the main character is a bit annoying at first. have faith in knowing it is an integral part in the story. i promise she gets way less insufferable."

[sage-nhu]

With a heavy sigh, Sage sat down on the closest park bench, eager to get off her feet. She had been out all morning, running errands and getting some more things for the nursery. While she hadn’t hit the worst of it, lately she found herself wanting nothing more than to clean her apartment and organize the baby's things. Her aunt said she was probably doing something called nesting, but she thought that was bullshit. After all, who doesn’t like a clean apartment and knowing that every new thing that came into their home had its own place? She placed her numerous bags beside her on the bench and pulled out a onesie she had purchased. Jesus, it was so fucking cute. Even before she had gotten pregnant, she loved looking at baby clothes. They were just so tiny and adorable. However, now they also filled her with fear because soon enough that adorable little onesie she held would be on a baby. A baby that some idiot doctors would let her leave with, with the expectation that she could keep it alive. Something she wasn’t sure she could do on her own now that she thought about it. When she first decided to keep the baby she was all ‘girl power’ and ‘I don’t need a man’, and while she still stood by the not needing a man bit, she did wish that she had someone, because this was a lot. Before long she was going to have some screaming infant depending on her for survival and while she could keep plants and a cat alive, she didn’t think a baby would be quite so easy. And sleep. She was really going to miss sleep. She shook her head with a soft sigh before her attention was pulled from her spiraling thoughts as she refolded the ominous little onesie. Turning her head, she finally noticed that this bench wasn’t entirely unoccupied just as her companion spoke up. “I did not,” she answered honestly, thankful for the distraction. Her gaze drifted from the woman’s face to the little bumblebee on her hand. She always loved bumblebees even though she was fairly certain one had either bit or stung her when she was a kid. They were cute little things, but she had no idea they had quite so many eyes. “I think that would be pretty cool, but that really would be a lot of contacts. Cost a fortune too. Though, I suppose you could ask about bulk pricing, and the glasses would be insane. Unless you get frames big enough to cover all of them. You just have to hope they’re all the same prescription.”

open @bhqextras

where: somewhere outside

"Did you know that bumblebees have five eyes?" Marina asked the nearby person. Looking at the fuzzy bumblebee perched on her hand, she grinned. "Two big ones, three smaller ones. Could you imagine having more than two? I think it would be neat, but that would also be a lot of contacts to go through in a day."

[sage-nhu]

She had been thinking about it all morning long. Bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel with a peach Snapple. It plagued her. She thought about it mournfully while she rushed to get ready and out the door in time to open the shop with nothing more than stupid overnight oats to fuel her. She thought about it with longing as she did paperwork and trudged through her first appointments of the day. She even thought about it tearfully as she finally escaped the shop long enough to make her way down to the store and pick it up. Sure, she could have asked any of the other employees to pick it up for her, but she didn’t want to bother them with something so trivial when their own schedules were already packed. Besides, the time had finally come. It was in her possession and she would finally satisfy her cravings. Making her way out of the little shop, her attention was so focused on both the bag in her hand and the fact that she was literally so happy that tears were filling her eyes that she failed to notice that she missed her bag when trying to put her wallet away. With a deep breath, she did her best not to actually cry with joy because that would have been fucking embarrassing and continued on. It was only when someone called out to her that she stopped. At first, she thought they were talking to someone else, but as she turned she saw a man sprinting towards her with her knock-off Pochacco wallet in his hand. “My wallet.” Her tone was surprised and she opened her messenger bag to see that her wallet really wasn’t in there. “Thank you so much,” she added shakily as she looked up at him again and took he offered wallet. It was then that the tears that had been threatening to spill over finally did because it really was nice of him not to steal it. That would have been her final reason. “Oh, god. I’m crying again,” she stated as if it wasn’t obvious. “Sorry. It’s been a rough day.” And by rough, she means that she had to wait hours to get a breakfast bagel which felt more like torture than she cared to admit.

open stater @bhqextras where: anywhere outside

gavin was walking down the streets when he saw a piece of liter out on the floor going over to throw it away and as he did, he was able to catch the other drop an item unknowingly as they walked past, looking like they had somewhere to be. perking up with the opportunity to help out he's quick to pick up what they had dropped, already sprinting after them with an eager determination. "excuse me m'am/sir/mx.! you forgot this! but i found it real quick! 'm so glad i caught ya! that was an awesome team effort, there! gotta make sure you keep that somewhere safe, though, looks pretty important!"

[sage-nhu]

For as long as Sage could remember, libraries were one of her happy places. While many of the memories she had of her mother eroded with time, she could remember spending hours of her early childhood happily perusing the many shelves of their local library while her mom held her ever-growing stack of books with an amused smile. Walking up to the library the only thing she looked forward to more than finding a new read was the air conditioning. While summer felt like it had barely begun, it was already kicking her ass. “I hate stairs,” she grumbled as she trudged up the steps, one hand on her lower back and the other fixing her ‘I’m not like other girls, I’m worse’ tote that threatened to slip off her shoulder. She had only borrowed a couple books this time but was already a day late to return them. Something that was minuscule in the scheme of things, but stressed her out endlessly. Finally having made her way up the steps, she stopped beside another patron to also catch her breath. How any person chose to have a baby was beyond her. Even more baffling were the people who chose to have a second baby knowing damn well the little fuckers made it so much harder to breathe. Taking in as deep a breath as she could, Sage glanced down and noticed the tote spilling over with books. “Damn,” she said before she could stop herself, her gaze darting from the overburdened Ikea bag to the breathless woman with a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I won’t ask. Plus, I can’t judge. I usually look like I robbed the place when I leave,” she added though even she had yet to take out quite so many at the same time. Truthfully, it made her feel like she should step up her library game, but seeing how winded the woman was had her reconsidering. “Do you need help? I can’t carry all of them, but I can lighten your load a little.” She held up her practically empty tote as she spoke. Sure there wasn’t far left for her to go, but she knew that if she was struggling, she would have been happy for the help. Hell, if it had been socially acceptable, she would have asked someone to fireman carry her up those damn steps just so she could avoid the struggle.

where: outside of the new york public library open: to anyone!

A drawn-out sigh escaped Zahra's lips as she stared at the massive, blue Ikea storage bag filled with books to the point where it would be a miracle if the bag remained intact for the last few steps. It had become evident she would not be finishing - or even opening - most of them in time, and paying late fees for the lot didn't exactly appeal to her. So, there she stood, trying to steady her breathing before entering the building. Evidently she needed to invest in a gym membership if she were to start lugging dozens of unread books on a weekly basis.

Feeling someone's presence next to her, she glanced at them almost sheepishly. "Don't ask," she muttered before flashing a nervous smile, "please."

[sage-nhu]

Summer used to be Sage’s favorite season, and still was if she was being honest, but only so long as she had access to air conditioning or a very good fan. New York and most of the East Coast had been suffocating under a heat wave so long-lasting that she was beginning to wish, not for the first time, that she was Canadian. While, yes, she did have access to air conditioning in her apartment, she could only pace and clean for so long before she felt like a caged animal. So, with pepper gel in hand, she went for a walk and before long, found herself by a river. While she knew that it was probably disgustingly filthy, she found herself enjoying the peace which was something not easily found in a city like New York. She walked along the river’s edge, enjoying not only the fireflies but also the fact that she could just get up and wander out of her apartment without a care in the world, knowing that within a month or so that would no longer be possible. Soon, she would have another person to worry about, and getting out the door would require planning, patience, and work. She frowned at the small reminder of how much her life was about to change. It wasn’t that she resented her predicament or even the unexpected person that would soon make her way into the world. No, she loved her baby more than she thought someone could love anyone and looked forward to the new challenges of raising an awesome human being, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t also mourn the life she had now. She looked down at her stomach, placing a hand on it with a soft sigh and wishing that she could pause time for a little longer. Just enough for her to fully prepare herself for what was coming. The sound of music being raised pulled her from her anxiety-riddled thoughts and for a second, she thought of turning back and heading home. The last thing she wanted was to bump into the wrong kind of person out here. She was just about to leave when a woman’s voice carrying over caused her to stop. It was nothing more than a single word, but her tone was enough to have Sage rushing over, finger on the trigger of her pepper gel. “Are you okay,” she called out before she got close enough to see that the woman was not being attacked or harassed in any way. At least not by anything she could see. “Oh. Sorry. I thought you were being attacked or something.” She felt foolish now and lowered her pepper gel, but kept her finger on the trigger just in case.

Open to anyone / location: outside, after sunset, near a river/body of water to cool off. No need to match length. Alcohol mentions cw.

The heat has been unbearable, settling too thick and stifling over the city; their AC has broken but she has been alone in the apartment for two days straight now, going crazy, nothing to do but battle a dark, endless anxiety, too much on her mind... Being back here, means having the memories rushing back to her like a flood, drowning her in their depths; means fighting her ghosts, waking up every day and somehow finding it in her to be okay. Or at least try to pretend that she is okay. That she can be here, in this city, and not fucking implode.

Irritated and at her wit's end she leaves the apartment sometime after sundown and makes her way down to the river. It's mid July, the air swollen with languid, thick heat, but by the river, it is a beautiful summer night, and the water is alive with fireflies.  She takes off her shoes and presses her feet to wet grass, down on the banks where dragonflies shimmer in the afterglow, a rock song humming from her phone, thrown onto a little blanket on the ground somewhere near her, the old river thrumming, warm beer going straight to her head. She shouldn't be drinking and haven't in so long now but it's fucking hot and she is irritated and it's just one beer.

She's brought her camera with her, her sketchbook, and the silvery sheen of graphite lingers on her fingertips but she does not like anything she's been drawing, groans into her beer and rolls around to lay down onto her back,. She turns up the music to a full blast, doesn't think there's anyone to bother down here and even if there is, she doesn't really care; she's annoyed. She's all grass-stained frayed shorts and leaf-shaped silver earrings, a slash of pink lipstick, chipped black varnish on her nails and a nirvana cropped top, too short, a lacy bralette underneath and her curls dampened from the heat and sweat. It's too dark down here. She uses her flashlight to find her scrunchie and swats at a mosquito on her thigh, saying "fuck" at how hard it's bitten her, scowling irritably when she doesn't immediately find her band to pull her hair up, her delicate neck dappled in a light sheen of sweat.

[sage-nhu]

It may have been the brightest idea for Sage to be wandering around in Central Park in the middle of the night, but lately, she found herself feeling restless more and more frequently. Normally she would walk around her apartment cleaning or head out to find something to eat, but tonight she was staying with a friend and long after that friend had fallen asleep, she found herself needing to move around. So, she went for a walk and ended up in Central Park. There was a sort of peace that could be found there hours after closing, but that didn’t mean she let her guard down. Walking around, she kept one hand on her pepper gel, finger resting on the trigger in case some motherfucker tried her. She never had a reason to use it before, but as much as she wanted to see how well it worked, she really hoped she never would. Stopping, she took a moment to stretch, hoping to alleviate at least some of the pain in her lower back. What she really needed was a bench to sit down. As nice as the night was and as restless as she felt, she found herself needing to take breaks more often the further along she got into her pregnancy. “No offense, but you’re going to be an only child,” she whispered before giving her belly a little condolence pat then continued on in search of a bench. She had only made it a few steps around a bend in the path when she stopped suddenly, a sound somewhere between a gasp and a scream escaping her as she raised her pepper gel and thankfully missed her target. “Scared you?! I almost hurt you,” she said in response, her heart hammering in her chest. It was an exaggeration, of course. While pepper gel had been created so that people would have more control, it didn’t do shit if you didn’t point it exactly where it needed to go. “I have terrible aim.” The realization was horrifying to say the least and while it wasn’t news to her, she would have thought she would have had better luck with something as simple as pepper gel.

open: @bhqextras where: just outside of central park, the middle of the night

Scoring from a dealer at three in the morning was shady, but it was the best time to avoid getting caught by her siblings or her bandmates. She didn't think any of them would be wandering around in the middle of the night like this, especially not when Central Park had technically closed two hours prior. Still, after her drugs were in her pocket, she was going to make the trek home. She was never nervous about being alone at night, to the point where she often had her airpods in and was looking down at her phone. Not the safest choice, but she didn't care. Rounding a corner as she left, she glanced up from her phone for just a moment and let out a sharp gasp, realizing she was face to face with someone else out at this time. "Jesus christ, you scared the shit out of me," she said, taking out one of her airpods for a moment.

[sage-nhu]

Leaning back on the bench, Sage glanced from the pattern on her phone to the crochet piece she was working on. It didn’t look right. She had taken up crocheting recently, wanting a new hobby she could enjoy while sitting down and still have something cool once finished. Until now, she had stuck to making things like little coasters and a cute case for her books, but she had decided to take a chance and tackle something bigger today. Something she was regretting now that she looked at the lopsided baby overalls she had been working on. ‘Oh, this is tragic,’ she thought to herself as she held it up and away from her as if seeing it from a slight distance would make it any better. If anything, it only made it worse. Her lines were somehow uneven and one leg was longer than the other because she either didn’t know how to count or fucked up the stitches somehow. It was humbling, to say the least. She was just considering frogging it when she realized someone else was there. Putting her crotched tragedy down to rest on her stomach, she looked over at the woman as she hissed and placed her phone down only to clutch at her necklace when she spotted something disgusting. Nosy as always, Sage followed her line of sight and spotted a man walking by. It took a moment more to realize what this woman had found so appalling. Socks and sandals. Possibly the worst fashion combination to ever exist, but even she wouldn’t have said anything about it out loud. That was just rude. “Maybe his feet get cold.” She stated before she could decide against it, more thinking aloud than anything. Picking up her project again, she shrugged and began to pull at the yarn, unwinding hours' worth of painstaking work. “Or he is worried about people with a foot fetish getting a free show.”

Open starter Location: Anywhere! Likely a park? Renata found most people to be entirely annoying, it was so hard to find those that she actually liked and she wondered if it was simply because she'd turned herself into such a egotistical monster as her fame grew, pulling her further away from the common person. Renata hissed at her buzzing phone and set it down, only then noting a person walking by her and seeing that they were wearing socks AND sandals. "Oh that is disgusting...." The Latina hissed, clutching her necklace at the mere sight.

@bhqextras

[sage-nhu]

[ lana condor, cis woman, she/her ] — whoa! SAGE NHU just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for TWENTY-ONE YEARS, working as a TATTOO ARTIST AND THE OWNER OF ELECTRIC INK . that can’t be easy, especially at only 27 YEARS OLD. some people say they can be a little bit HEADSTRONG and IMPATIENT , but I know them to be EMPATHETIC and CREATIVE. whatever. I guess I’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to BROOKLYN! — (effie, 33, est, she/her, miscarriage, infant/child death)

Hi! I'm Effie♥ It's been a a long while since I've written in a group setting or at all so I'm incredibly excited to meet and write with you all. I was a little too loquacious in my intro and Tumblr has a limit on how much you can write in a post so my intro can be found:

[HERE]

I also want to add that while I won't be joining the discord due to a horrible past experience, please don't hesitate to reach out. It may take me a bit to reply though. I suffer from crippling social anxiety so if I don't message back right away please know that I'm not ignoring it. I'm just working up the courage to respond.

[sage-nhu]

You Don’t Own Me - Grace