#(how?? …there was something in the local news about it 🤣) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

delicatebarness · 6 months ago

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cry baby | chapter seven

Summary: Baby, bye bye bye?

Warning: Mentions of John Walker.

Word Count: 1252

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A/N: The NSYNC gif tho. I love Sam Wilson. Please feel free to leave feedback or let me know where and how you want the story to continue, this is just as much yours as it is mine. - B

By the time Sunday evening came, you felt rejuvenated. Thanks to your family and friends, and some relaxation, has worked wonders on your frayed nerves.

Yet, as Monday approached, the familiar anxiety crept back. You knew you had to face him again. The thought gnawed at the edges of your peace, like a shadow lingering in the background.

The office was gradually coming to life with the hum of morning conversations and the clacking of keyboards. Settling at your desk, you took a deep breath to steady yourself. A mix of anticipation and uncase grew as the minutes ticked by. Your gaze kept darting to the entrance, waiting for his inevitable arrival.

But, as the clock struck 9:00 AM, he had not walked through the doors. By 9:30, whispers began to ripple through the conference room as your colleagues glanced at each other. Puzzled by his absence, catching snippets of their conversations - questions about his whereabouts, if anyone had heard from him.

You couldn’t help but feel relieved, but, you couldn’t help but wonder: had something happened? Was this just temporary? Was someone more intense to come?

As the morning dragged on, his absence was both a blessing and a cause of concern. The office turned into full-blown speculation by lunchtime. Theories were being exchanged in hush tones, their curiosity spiking. You tried to focus on your mind, yet your mind kept drifting back to him, especially after the mumbled accusations aimed at your brother.

It wasn’t until late that afternoon that you finally got some answers. Your phone buzzed with a notification from the local news app. Out of habit, you took a glance at the screen, your heart stopping as you read the headline: Police department asks for help in locating a missing man.

Your pulse quickened as you clicked the notification, bringing up the article. The picture accompanying the story confirmed your speculations - it was John. According to the report, his wife reported him missing after not being seen or heard from since Saturday evening.

The article mentioned the police were investigating, specifically, Officer Fury would be leading the case. He was appealing to the public for any information. Your mind began to race with questions. Had he simply vanished? Despite everything he had put you through, the news of his disappearance left you with an uncomfortable mix of emotions.

Sitting back in your chair, you tried to process the revelation. As the office continued to buzz with the news, you decided to share the article in the Avengers group chat: Have you heard about this? - you asked, with the link attached.

Within minutes, you received replies:

Nat: “Why am I not surprised he was a cheater too?”

Wanda: “Yeah, it just came on the news at the bar. Everyone is talking about it.”

Sam: “*NSYNC ‘Bye bye bye’ GIF*”

Stevie: “Sam, no! 🤣 Yeah, I’m with Wanda and EVERYONE is talking about it, had to tell them at least 10 times we had nothing to do with it.”

Bucky ❤️‍🩹 : “Good.”

The usual office chatter was overshadowed by the unfolding mystery as the rest of the day passed. Whispers in corners, and gazes fixed on his empty cubicle. As much as you tried to focus on your new project, your thoughts kept returning to him and the article.

By the time you returned home, the sky darkened, and a cool breeze swept through the city streets. Unlocking your apartment door, you felt a shiver run down your spine. The weight of the day pressed down on you as you settled on your couch, your thoughts drifting back to Saturday morning, cuddling with Bucky.

Turning on the TV, you caught the last few moments of another news report about him, the anchor repeating details you already knew. Seeing it on the screen made it feel even more real. Leaning back, your mind swirled with possibilities.

The buzz of your phone interrupted your thoughts. Glancing at the screen, you expected another report about John, but instead, it was a message from Bucky: “Want some company? I’ve got pizza… and cola.”

You felt your cheeks flush as you smiled down at your phone. “You know the way to my heart. Doors open for you,” you replied as you stood from the couch, heading to your apartment door to unlock the latch.

Within minutes, the door opened, and your gaze snapped to it. You managed a smile as you watched Bucky enter your apartment with a pizza box and a small crate of cola bottles. You noticed the first thing he did after closing the door was put the latch back into lock.

“I don’t like you having that unlocked, even for me,” he mumbled as he set the food and drink aside on the dining table.

After dinner, the two of you settled on the couch, the aroma of takeout filling the apartment. Bucky had kept the conversation light throughout the early evening, you recounted funny stories from the bar and shared the latest gossip from your friend's lives. He was a welcomed and comfortable distraction.

The TV played in the background, and the same news article from earlier began to play once again, snapping you out of your Bucky-induced haze. His jaw tensed as he reached for the remote, swiftly turning it off just as they showed a photo of John. Bucky turned to you, his expression serious. “How are you feeling about all this?”

Sighing, you put your cola back on the coffee table. “It’s strange,” you admitted as you brought your knees up to your chest. “I should be relieved that he’s not, you know, around, but instead, I feel… unsettled.”

Bucky nodded, his eyes thoughtful. “I get that, Sweetheart, it’s hard for you to switch off your feelings,” he reached out, wiping a tear you hadn’t realized had spilled. “Even if the person who caused them was… well, him.” He sighed, pulling you into him.

A sniffle escaped as you rested your forehead against his, “Thank you, Bucky. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here.” you mumbled, trying to steady your breathing.

He smiled, his thumb still wiping the tears. “You don’t have to find out.”

Bucky stood in your doorway, making sure you were truly asleep before, he glanced down at his phone, dialing a number. Once he was positive you weren’t going to wake up, he closed your bedroom door and quietly slipped back into the living room.

Keeping his voice low, “Fury,” he said as the line connected. “Yeah, she’s asleep,”

There was a pause as Fury spoke on the other end of the line. Bucky’s jaw tensed as he listened intently. “She’s doing alright,” he continued, keeping his voice steady. Another pause, during which Bucky glanced toward your bedroom again, ensuring you were still asleep. “You got any updates?”

Bucky nodded slightly at Fury’s response, keeping a calm demeanor. Listening as Fury outlined the state of the investigation his responses were brief and measured as he reached for another slice of pizza.

“Got it. I’ll keep an ear out,” he spoke before giving Fury another moment to speak, his eyes narrowed. “Sure, I get it.”

Bucky ended the call, finishing the pizza. He turned the TV back on, the news report still covering John’s disappearance, the same details they’d had all day replaying.

Sitting back on the couch, his thoughts churned, the weight of the situation pressing down. Yet, his resolve to protect you was tireless.

---

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#cry baby #cry baby series #bucky barnes x cry baby #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #bucky x female reader #bucky fanfic #james bucky barnes #bucky fic #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x rogers!reader #biker!bucky #biker au

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e-dubbc11 · 1 year ago

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Hot neighbor Rumlow that you see in his yard like this one day. That's it. That's the ask 🥵💦

My lovely Lily,

You have so many great ideas roaming around inside that brain of yours and I love that you share those ideas with me and trust me to bring those ideas to life. So you wanted neighbor Rumlow? Here he is! I really hope you like it and thank you for always sending things/ideas to my inbox and for just being such a good friend ♥️♥️♥️

Hey, Neighbor

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Brock Rumlow x F! Reader

Warnings: None, really. A couple of swear words, fluff, some smooches, mentions of infidelity and divorce.

Word Count: 3.7K-ish

Summary: You’re newly single and start looking at your neighbor differently.

A/N: I don’t really have much else to say that I didn’t say above. Brock is fun to write for and even though she hasn’t read it yet, Lily said she’s already game for a part 2 🤣 I hope you like it!

As always, thank you for reading! I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

The early morning sun peeked through the very small opening in between your bedroom curtains. The warm rays beamed into your room, directly onto the foot of your bed where your dog, Beast, was sleeping peacefully.

It was Saturday and he seemed quite content that he also did not have to wake up early this morning however your internal clock never let you sleep in too much. Waking up with the sun was a lot better than being jolted awake by an alarm while it was still dark outside though so you reveled in the restful sleep you had last night.

You rolled over to look at your clock. It was 7:00 AM, birds were happily chirping outside your window, and you couldn’t wait to get up to do…nothing. It had been over a month since you had a free weekend and all you wanted to do today was relax, maybe start the new book you just bought, or just do whatever you felt like doing.

The house was quiet.

Since you finalized your divorce eight months ago, it had been very quiet but most of the time you didn’t mind. You thought maybe there was something wrong with you because you didn’t really have a problem being alone, sure there were times where you were lonely but you still didn’t mind being alone…maybe you actually preferred it.

You didn’t have any children so the divorce was quick and easy, he let you keep the house because he was moving in with his girlfriend, the one he was seeing while still married to you.

Yeah, that felt like a punch to the stomach. How could you not see it coming? Were you that blind? You thought you were happy together but it was all a lie, a lie that had dragged on for the past two years. It was humiliating and you felt like everyone knew he had been cheating on you except for you.

Even though they weren’t, you felt like everywhere you went people were looking at you, talking about you, and feeling sorry for you. But you were better off without him and you had everything you wanted right now.

You lived in a nice house, had a good job, friends, family, and your dog. What else did you need right now?

Coffee…coffee is what you needed.

“C’mon Beast…time to go outside, buddy. Let’s go.” You said, patting him on the head as he blinked his eyes and yawned, showing you all of his teeth.

After your divorce, you went to a local shelter because you wanted a dog for protection and companionship as you were now alone in your house.

When you walked in to where all of the kennels were, at first none of them felt like “the one” but as you moved toward the end of the rows of kennels, a young gray and white pitbull pushed his nose through the hole in the cage door and started wagging his tail, aggressively. Whimpering, he licked your fingers when you held them up to the kennel, he was such a sweet boy.

“What’s his story?” You had asked the employee.

“Not much to tell really, this guy has had a couple of homes but each owner said they didn’t really have the space for bigger dog like him and couldn’t give him the attention he needs.” They replied.

You had a decent size home and nice big yard for him to run around in so the decision was made that he was coming home with you and Beast smiled for the entire ride to his new home.

He did his little happy dance with his front paws before you opened the door and as soon as you opened it, he took off running for the very back of the yard where he did his business. As he sprinted back toward you, he stopped quickly in the middle of the yard to bring you his ball that he loved for you to throw for him.

The air was still slightly chilly as it brushed against your exposed skin. Your sleep clothes left little to the imagination, maybe you were still not fully awake yet, but you looked down and realized you were out in the middle of the yard in a thin strap tank top and shorts, with no bra on which of course is when your neighbor stepped outside to get onto his motorcycle.

You didn’t know what he did for a living but he was always out until crazy hours of the night or going in on weekends. You didn’t think he was a doctor; his wardrobe didn’t exactly scream “healthcare professional” but anything is possible. Dressed in all black wearing combat boots, he walked out of his side door with a scowl on his face and a furrowed brow.

His side door faced your yard and he actually did a double take when he saw you standing in the yard, half naked, playing with Beast so you gave him a little wave and a slight smile. He seemed a little flustered and quickly waved back but in an awkward manner.

His name was Brock Rumlow and had just come home from work the day you were moving into your house so he introduced himself to you and your then husband.

At the time, you didn’t really pay that much attention to what he looked like but now that you were single, you had noticed that Brock was quite handsome in a grouchy, angry sort of way.

Brock had dark brown hair, days old stubble on his face, and his eyes were a warm golden brown like the color of amber or whiskey. It was one of the first things you noticed about him when he introduced himself.

But you’ve had little interaction since besides the occasional “good morning” or a wave here and there. You felt yourself staring as he climbed on his bike and sped off down the street. You probably wouldn’t see him again today.

“Beast! Inside, now. Go on, time for your breakfast.” You said, holding the door open for him.

The temperature outside warmed up nicely since this morning and after cleaning for a little while, you decided you were finished with that for the day and were ready to relax with your book and a cup of tea. Part of the reason you bought your house was because it had a reading nook. You had always wanted one and you finally had one, it was your favorite place in the house.

With Beast asleep on the floor next to you and your tea resting on a little table behind your head, you were fully immersed in your book. Since it was such a nice day outside, you had opened the windows to get some fresh air and the curtains swayed as the cool breeze blew in through the screens.

You were so lost in the story, you almost didn’t hear Brock’s motorcycle pull back into his driveway. That’s strange. Usually when he left for the day, he was gone until sometime in the evening but you didn’t think much of it and went back to your book.

The reading nook faced Brock’s house and at one point you looked up from your book to rest your eyes and look out the window. To your surprise, when you looked up, Brock was standing in his driveway…and he was shirtless.

“Holy fuck.” You said out loud.

Oh shit…hopefully he didn’t hear you.

He was quite the specimen, warm tan skin, tight arm muscles and abs you could wash clothes on. How have you not seen this before? It couldn’t be the first time he’s been outside without a shirt but then again, he usually isn’t home during the daylight hours where you could see him clearly.

Beast picked his head up off of the floor as the words escaped your lips and he cocked his head to one side as he looked at you.

“Oh don’t look at me like that.” You said narrowing your eyes at him. “I didn’t know he was hiding that body underneath his clothes. How could I?”

You felt a little crazy talking to your dog like he was a person.

It looked like Brock was doing some stretching. Biting down on your thumb, you continued to stare out the window, hoping he was too far away for him to notice you gawking at him. With your thighs clenched together, you inched closer to the glass but you weren’t paying attention to how close to the glass you were.

Your forehead hit the glass with a slight “thud;” Brock looked up from his stretches and looked in your direction, thankfully you were quick enough to duck away from the window.

The pillow cradled your head as warmth rose to your cheeks and you watched as your book, resting on your chest, rose and fell with your nervous inhales and exhales. Beast had started to bark when he heard the thud against the glass. You tried to get him to stop by whisper yelling at him.

“Hey! Ssshhh, stop it! It’s just me!” You said.

Peeking out from behind the curtain, you saw Brock had gone back to his stretching. It looked like he was getting ready to go for a run. Beast finally stopped barking and Brock took off down the driveway.

You watched him until he was out of sight; finally, you could breathe easy but now you were wondering if he had noticed you watching him. You didn’t think so but it was still a possibility especially after the dog started to bark.

Maybe you were done reading for now.

**********

Since you had the entire day to yourself, you had the time to make your grandmother’s spaghetti sauce. You were the only one she trusted the recipe with and each time you made it, you reminisced about all the times you helped her make that sauce.

It would cook on the stove all day and your reward for helping her was she would give you a small bowl filled with sauce and a couple pieces of Italian bread for you to dip with. You would always get to have some before anyone else did, it was one of your favorite memories of her.

To get even more fresh air inside the house, you had opened the front door and kept the screen door shut plus Beast loved to sit in front of the door and watch people and cars go by.

While stirring the sauce, your back was toward the front door when Beast started to whine and scratch at the door. You figured he just saw another dog walk by; he loved to say hi to every person or animal that walked by the house.

He barked then scratched at the door so hard that he nudged it open and ran outside. You turned to see the screen door ajar and swaying back and forth.

“Shit! Beast! No!!” You shouted after him.

After you ran outside and down the driveway, you looked around for him and finally found him licking Brock’s face just past your mailbox.

“Oh my god, Brock I am so sorry! He just pushed the door open and ran out before I could stop him.” You said apologetically.

Brock was kneeling down next to Beast, gently patting his head.

“Oh that’s alright, doll. He’s a good boy, he just wanted to say hello. Didn’t ya boy?”

The smile on Brock’s face was probably the most genuine smile you’ve ever seen on him which made you smile.

“Well thank you for catching him for me.” You said.

You then did something very out of character. You had always been very shy and quiet but you liked Brock and you definitely couldn’t eat that sauce all by yourself. So even though it made you feel nauseous, you decided to ask him anyway.

“B-brock? W-would you like to come over for dinner tonight? I, well I made my grandmother’s spaghetti sauce and I forgot that it’s enough to feed a small army.” You said, struggling to get the words out.

He looked shocked and didn’t really know what to say, like it was the first time he’s ever been invited to dinner.

“Oh…thank you y/n, but I’m all sweaty from my run just now.” He said, politely.

You noticed the sweat glistening off his body and on his forehead. It was hard not to notice. He really was extremely handsome, especially when he smiled.

“Well you have plenty of time to shower and change. I’m not quite finished cooking yet.” You said.

Brock looked a little uneasy, almost like he didn’t want to hurt your feelings by telling you no. You finally felt ready enough to talk to another man in a way that’s not platonic and you were terrified that he was going to say no. And then to think you would be reminded of that rejection every time you saw him after that.

Glancing down at the ground, you thought maybe it would be easier if you didn’t look at him. Maybe you could keep the tears from stinging the back of your eyes but he surprised you with his answer.

“Well in that case, I’d love to, doll.” He said softly.

Butterflies formed in your stomach and the words that fell from your lips were a little shaky but you managed to get them out without stumbling too much.

“O-ok. Great! I’ll see you in about an hour then.” You said. “Come on, Beast. Let’s go, ya troublemaker.”

**********

Not wanting to look like you were trying too hard but still wanting to look put together, you put on a pair of jeans and changed from a white t-shirt to a black one in case the clumsy version of you decided to show up and get marinara sauce all over yourself. You kept the minimal makeup look you had on from earlier in the day and kept your hair back.

Brock knocked on your door exactly an hour later, Beast helped you greet him at the door by barking and wagging his tail. Brock had brought over a bottle of wine which was very sweet of him.

“Hi Brock…Beast, get down! I’m so sorry…oh, thank you for the wine. That’s very nice of you…BEAST, get down! I know you’re excited that someone else is in the house.” You said.

A slight smiled stretched across his lips as he looked at you with his honey colored eyes.

“I had a grandma once too…she taught me never to show up any place empty handed. I woulda got ya some flowers too but I only had an hour.” He said with a wink.

Brock was dressed almost exactly like you were. Black shirt and jeans but he was wearing black boots; he looked incredibly handsome.

He took one look at the dining room table and admitted to feeling a little underdressed. You had set the table nicely with placemats, cloth napkins, and candles. You didn’t think it was overly romantic but maybe he did and you were afraid you might scare him away but it didn’t.

“Do you need help with anything?” He asked.

You were caught completely off guard by that question. Your ex-husband didn’t help much with the cooking or anything, really.

“Oh! Thank you, I think I’m all set though. Actually, you can open the wine…let me just find the corkscrew.” You said.

**********

Surprisingly, Brock was very easy to talk to. The wine probably helped a little but you had a feeling that maybe he wasn’t as angry as he appeared to be sometimes. Eyebrows pulled together in a straight line, lips pressed together, the gruff raspy tone to his voice when he said “good morning…” maybe he just didn’t want people to know that he’s actually kind of sweet and soft.

“I’ll admit, I was a little surprised when I saw your ex movin’ out. I thought you two had a decent marriage.” Said Brock.

With raised eyebrows, you said, “Yeah well, I wasn’t having sex nearly as often as he was sooooooo.”

Brock looked surprised as you confessed your ex had cheated on you.

“Wait…he cheated on you?” He asked.

“Brock, I feel like everyone else knew except me, like everyone on the street was looking at me differently. I felt really ashamed.” You said with a hitch in your voice as you looked away from him.

Tears welled up in your eyes quicker than you anticipated and before you could prevent one from streaking down your cheek. It was slightly embarrassing because you didn’t know your neighbor all that well and now you were crying in front of him.

“Hey, hey y/n…it’s ok.” He said softly as he gently brushed the top of your hand with his calloused fingers. The rasp in his voice was so sexy. “If it makes you feel any better, I had no idea and I doubt anyone else knew either. Plus…just…well, fuck that guy.”

You weren’t expecting him to say that; it caught you off guard and you let out a little laugh.

“Ya know what? You’re right…fuck that guy!” You exclaimed with a wide smile.

The two of you finished the bottle of wine and Brock insisted on doing the dishes, he actually looked cute with the dish towel draped over his shoulder which, you couldn’t help but notice, was filling out that part of his shirt nicely. Was it the wine that was making you warm or was it him?

You continued to talk for a while longer before Brock got up to leave. You really didn’t want him to go though.

“In my line of work, they don’t really care that it’s Sunday. I have to get up early tomorrow.” He said.

Nodding your head, you replied. “Oh of course. I understand.”

You followed him over to the front door, he turned to face you, and said, “Thank you for this, y/n. It was really nice, haven’t had a home cooked meal in awhile so thank you again.”

Your bodies were close, sharing the same air and you could smell the wine on his lips as he spoke.

“You’re very welcome, Brock. I’m sure I’ll still be eating that sauce for days but thank you for trying to help me make a dent in it.” You said, nervously.

Your heart was beating so fast, you thought it was going to burst out of your chest. You knew your skin would be warm to the touch as your heart beat faster and faster.

“Well…goodnight y/n.” He whispered.

His warm breath brushed against your ear, the air between you felt thick, like you could cut it with a knife and you wanted him to kiss you so badly.

You replied. “Goodnight.”

He walked out and turned back once more to wave and smile at you.

Before you closed the door, Beast whimpered while staring out at the street. He was probably wondering where Brock went.

“He went home, buddy. He doesn’t live here, ya know.” You told him with a slight smile but in a disappointing tone.

As you closed the door, Beast whined again and you whispered, “I know, I wanted him to kiss me too.”

After your shower, you decided to read a little more. The lights in the house were dimmed, the only bright light in the room was your book light and you had only been reading for about 20 minutes when Beast let out a low growl. You looked down at him, his tail started to swish back and forth then started to whine.

“Ya know for a big bad pitbull, you whine a lot like a little baby. What is it?” You asked.

Immediately after you asked that question, there were three loud raps against your front door. Confused, you put your book down, threw the blanket off of your legs, and walked over to the front door. Beast followed you, wagging his tail.

Brock was leaning against the screen when you opened the front door.

“Hey doll, I uh…well, I forgot something.” He said, opening the screen and stepping inside.

You looked up at him, then looked back over at the dining room chair, still a little confused.

“Oh…I don’t remember you bringing a jack—“ You tried to say before he cut you off.

Brock’s lips collided with yours, as he closed the door behind him. Suddenly your back was against the wall, running your fingers through his thick brown hair, while your lips parted, giving his tongue access to your mouth.

He was a really good kisser.

Brock’s chest was pressed firmly against yours, so you were pinned in between him and the wall. He was so strong but it felt amazing to have your body pressed against his. He nipped at your jawline and peppered kisses up and down your neck while soft moans escaped your lips.

Beast stood on his hind legs and lunged toward you and Brock like he was missing out on something. He was whining.

Breathing heavily, you pulled away and smiled at Brock. Your cheeks were warm and you could feel how red they were.

“I think someone else wants a kiss.” You said. “Careful, he has a fast tongue.”

Brock bent down so he was level with Beast and he glanced up at you. “Yeah, he ain’t the only one.” He said with a wink.

You covered your eyes in embarrassment.

After giving Beast gentle pats to his head, Brock stood up and closed the gap between your bodies. He cupped your cheeks, leaned in, and kissed you again. These were gentle kisses, soft and sweet and his stubble lightly brushed against your skin.

It had been awhile since your lips had touched someone else’s, his kisses sent shivers down your spine and gave you butterflies in your stomach. These were feelings you haven’t had in a long time; you were nervous but willing to give it all another chance.

“Dinner at my place next time, doll?” He asked.

A sly smile stretched across your lips as you purred into his ear.

“Only if we can have dessert first…neighbor.”

Others that might enjoy: @munsonownsmyass @itwasthereaminuteago @fluffyprettykitty @k-marzolf @redstarsandnightmares @nutmeg17 @gijos @randomlittleimp @nekoannie-chan

If I tagged you and you didn’t want to be, just let me know and I’ll never do it again. As always, thank you again for reading!

#brock rumlow #brock rumlow fanfiction #brock rumlow imagine #brock rumlow x reader #brock rumlow x female reader

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amaleu-antmat · 4 months ago

Text

The case files of Jeweler Richard vol 8 spoiler!

Part 2?

(Continuing from where I left in the previous post)

After Seigi and Catherine finished buying the groceries, Richard and Catherine enter a little discussion about the treasure hunt again, as the air grew heavy Seigi interjected to lighten the mood "Uhm, I thought I'd make seafood stew for dinner. I got some really delicious ingredients, Bouillabaisse is from this place right?" After Seigi said that the two other people look at him with almost scared? Lol faces, they moved in sync with other indescribable intense emotions, and that scare the hell out of Seigi, the poor guy think <what did I say this time? Did I make a mistake with the menu? Or are they allergic?> 😂

Richard "Bouillabaisse....wow."

Seigi "Wow, what?"

Catherine "Oh, Seigi...Bouillabaisse is a dish from Provence, but it's very difficult..."

Richard "The shrimp and fish have to be dressed just right, and the vegetables require preparation as well. It also needs to be simmer for an extremely long time. At any rate, it is an unavoidable difficult path"

Seigi "Don't worry, I can do it, it's not a problem"

Catherine "Just the thought of preparing a meal that takes so much effort makes me want to pass out. You should rethink this, even locals don't make it, it's too much hassles"

Richard "You didn't come here to hone your cooking skills. I strongly suggest you save your energy for other tasks"

Seigi "Ah..."

Mother and son duo are preoccupied because of past experiences, I guess 😆 and don't want Seigi to go through it. Seigi catches on the fact that they are both incapable of doing basic chores. He said to give him 2 hours and to not peek under any circumstances.

While Seigi cooks, he thinks that he should feed Richard so that he'll have the energy to solve the mystery of the treasure hunt like Sherlock Holmes. He finished cooking and came out, Richard had found other marbles in the meantime, he asked where Catherine was, and Richard told him that she went to check if the pizza place was open.

Seigi "I appreciate having a backup plan, but I really don't think we're going to need it"

Richard "So it seems...." 😆 (dunno why, but this part made me laugh)

Richard set the tableware, etc, and Catherine returned with news that it's closed for vacation.

Seigi set the pot containing dinner on the table and pulled off the lid, he looks at them and see.... indescribable tension, the mother-son duo peer at the pot, <was it admiration? For me? No. For the Bouillabaisse.> 🤣

(Here's a food pic, just so that you'll feel the hunger I felt when searching for it out of curiosity)

Richard "What on...."

Catherine "C'est Magnifique! I can't believe it."

They approach the table with caution, unsure as if it was a crashed ufo...<I didn't put anything bad in it....> 😁 (I find it funny how careful he is acting right now, it's really like encountering your mother in law and trying to be liked by her, only, Seigi doesn't seem to realise this, for all this novel he is diveded between pleasing her and trying to make Richard happy at the same time? But when he is nice to her, Richard is a bit sulky)

Seigi began portioning the serving and encourage them to eat.

Catherine tells Seigi to say bon appetit, and when he does the mother son duo answer in unison "Merci" Richard pout, Catherine smiles. Seigi thinks that something of the sort must have happen in the past in this estate. Seigi ask what they thought about the Bouillabaisse, Catherine teary-eyed respond that it tastes like happiness itself.

Richard "...Well, he always has been a good cook"

Catherine "Richard, you are being rude. Thank Seigi this instant"

Richard looks mortified for a moment and then looks at Seigi <This feels like a standoff between East and West, but that would make me his opponent, and I'd be knocked out before I even got a swing in. It would never occur to me to pick such a fight, I'd just wind up on my knees begging for mercy for all eternity> Seigiiiiiiiii 😆

Richard look at him a bit bashfully "Seigi, I've known for quite a while now that you are a talented cook, but it seems I must acknowledge your skills once again. Bravo. Perhaps you could open a restaurant if you felt so inclined. But I have to ask, when did you learn to cook this?"

Catherine "what an arrogant way to say that. Does that even count as a compliment?"

Richard "Stay out of this"

Seigi "Ahh uhm, thanks Richard. Where did I learn this? Good question"

Wanting to alleviate the tension he confess to them that it's his first time cooking this and he just followed the recipe, the mother-son duo doesn't believe him and tells him to stop joking with a wave of their hand in front of them and the same expression. They gives example about how cooking is hard like if you cook an egg in high heat it'll burn or about how it will explode in the microwave if run for too long, and that the odds of Seigi succeeding in that dish in the first try was too low. 😆

Catherine think for a moment that it's a japanese men skills but immediately turn down that theory as she had a friend who married a jap man who couldn't even fold underwear. Richard blatantly asks Seigi what tricks he uses.

Catherine "Can't you just say thank you, I love it?"

Richard " I don't know how many times I have to tell you, but you have no right to interject here"

Seigi the poor potato "Oh, it's fine, I'm uhm used to it! Yes! Let's eat!"

#housekishou richard #housekishou richard shi no nazo kantei #the case files of jeweler richard #nakata seigi #jeweler richard #richard ranasinghe de vulpian

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bananasfosterparent · 7 months ago

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Recent Playthrough Updates #3

🍃🦌Enyana the Dryad

She's slowly getting through. Still stuck in Act 1 but steadily moving forward. Currently rescuing Halsin! Her romance with Gale is also going well so far uwu

I changed some details about her visually. Gave her pale yellow eyes that are more "human" just because Dryads seem to have glowy yellow eyes and I'm too lazy to find a mod to do that SO pale yellow "human" eyes it is! Lol plus this makes her easier to cosplay for my local Ren faire and get accurate

Also changed her hair and adjusted the colors!

🌑☠️Nordicai the (resist) Durge

Smoochie time! 🖤💜

Nordicai has been charmed by a pretty lady and doing what he can to enjoy their time together. He kissed Shadowheart and whatever else that lead to lol he also lied to her about his past because he simply can't remember it of course...but I think SH knows how that feels.

He's still trudging through Act 1 as well and just got the Necromancy of Thay.

He was also finally bitten by Astarion lol Nordi doesn't have Astarion in his party so when he met the Gur, he told Astarion who of course denies being a vampire spawn. But Nordi being Nordi... He believed it. Imagine his surprise when he wakes up to Astarion's fangs. He didn't let him bite but is sympathetic towards his hunger. He can understand that all too well.

Also I changed his horns so now they're like cool, glowy horns uwu

🌊🎻Silkina the Waveservant Bard

More smoochies!!

Silkina is learning to trust and finding herself in her budding relationship with Wyll. They kissed at the Tiefling party and now she's truly smitten. Can't wait to keep going!

She's defeated the goblins and is working her way through to the Underdark.

⛈️🖤 Efenity the Storm Sorcerer

Baby girl out here living her best life. Lmao not really...at least not yet.

But she is having fun! I've played her like 6 times now and it's like it gets more fun every time 🤣 she took Lady Esther's money upfront (with no intention of bringing her the egg). Usually she has the owl bear egg and gives her that and takes her money from that. But I forgot to get the owl bear egg so I had to try something new! I also had Astarion loot her. I discovered Cacophony this way and he stole it for Efe. It's now her canon weapon 🤣

#efenity #silkina #enyana #nordicai #bg3 tav #bg3 #Baldur's Gate III #wyll #wyll ravengard #wyll x tav #astarion #astarion x tav #astarion ancunin #shadowheart #shadowheart x tav #durge #bg3 durge

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keri-mcberry · 8 months ago

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I am absolutely delighted with your comic! Oooh but now I'm curious and want to know more about Lyla's parents 😭❤️ How did they meet, where did they come from, how was their first meeting, love at first sight or something worked out? I read that Mr. Estaris didn't know how to speak the language well, did that influence anything?

Tell me more 😫

AWW thank you so much! 😭 Sorry it took me a while to answer this because I was wondering about their backstory myself LOL. I know they met in their early 20s, but I'm still trying to figure out HOW they met 🤔

Right now, I have it in my head that Luis moved from the Philippines to London to start a new life, but unfortunately he didn't speak English very well. So he struggled to find work and meet new people for a while with what little English he knew 🥺

As for Ava, I'm thinking she grew up in a very strict household with her father in London. Once she began to excel in fencing and schooling, it was nonstop lessons every day. She was suffocating under the weight of her father's expectations 😣

Maybe they met while Ava was out on an errand and noticed Luis getting bullied by some locals? She comes to his aid, and it was IMMEDIATELY love at first sight for Luis LOL. After witnessing this beautiful woman tearing his bullies a new one, he was SOLD HAHAHA 🤣

I like to imagine that their first conversation was really awkward with the language barrier 😭😂 So Ava decides to teach him how to read and speak English, (initially out of pity) but they eventually became close friends! She was so drawn to his silly and kind nature, which was difficult to come by considering her upbringing. The thing she admired most about Luis was his ability to make the most out of every situation. Needless to say, she fell in love too 🤭💕 Of course Ava's father didn't approve, but they eloped anyways! A couple years later, they had Lyla 🥰💛

One of the things they had in common was their love for reading, so now they run a bookshop together (which is something I wish I figured out sooner so I could've included it in the Spring Break series 😭) They definitely would've let Sebastian take home a few Muggle books to read!

#asks #luis estaris #ava estaris #omg i love them even more now 🫣💕

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f1-disaster-bi · 1 month ago

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I wish you would write a fic where...

I would love to read the one night stand au as a fic especially to see how long it takes max to clock that they have met before. Since he is a smart cookie i don't think it would take him long to figure it out 😂😂😂

And i would also love to read love at first sight au, paparazzi au and obvious au as fics 🤣🤣🤣

Apart from norrix i'm dying to know more about mystery au and the dando roadtrip 🥰🥰🥰

But i love all your stuff (and more pairings than norrix and dando) so whatever you write i will read it ❤️❤️❤️

Sorry for taking so long to get back to this anon!

One night stand au is in the works and you might have seen the snippet I shared. I am trying to get to it, but my brain is not liking longer fics right now so I am writing in short burst!h

Max would almost instantly sense some weirdness but he would not clock why. At least not straight away. He might sense attraction by the end of the night but no way would he pick it up at his birthday party....the next day however.....

Love at first sight and Paparazzi au are in my wips. I have drafted some starts to those, but I haven't dipped my toes into Obvious au yet 👀👀

Mystery au..,I did write some whump for it recently....I got yelled at a bit for it but it was fun! Essentially it's an au where Lando moves to a small coastal village that has a tight knit community. He gets a job in Max's bookstore, and he starts to form a bond with the local bartender, Daniel (originally Michael). However Lando is extremely closed off. He won't talk about his past or why he moved. His house is covered in security measures, and no one knows why. The reason is that Lando is a one of three survivors of a notorious serial killer that keeps evading the police and is trying to lay low so he doesn't find him again....but maybe he does...

Dando roadtrip is my baby that I want to make into a big oneshot or two or three long chaptered fic. It's based around the idea of Lando moving to Perth for his Masters. He wants a fresh start and something new, and he jumps at the chance to take a funded place in Perth. It's there he meets Daniel who introduces him to people that become his friends, and Lando falls for him quickly. However he never says anything and then, when it's possible that Lando is leaving for good now that his degree is complete, Daniel decides they should roadtrip through Australia, and Lando struggles to deal with his feelings while sharing small motel rooms with Daniel.

Hopefully I can start writing big fics again and bring some of these to you!

#norrix #obvious au #love at first sight au #one night stand au #roadtrip au #dando #daniel/lando #mystery lando au #lando/daniel #martin/lando #lando/martin

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aesethewitch · 2 months ago

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For the ask game:

🏠, 🐈‍⬛, ✨, 💎, ⭐

I picked a few because I didn't know which ones you had already answered 🤣

From this ask game!

🏠 Do you have an altar? What do you keep there?

Answered here!

🐈‍⬛ Do you have any pets? What kind?

Answered here! (With picture of the boy!)

✨️ In relation to your practice, is there anything that you're excited about? (Such as an upcoming event, new field of study, a project, etc.)

Answered here, but I'll add something else, too! (:

I recently brought my basil plants inside because it's getting cold at night, and I'm looking forward to processing the leaves!! I'm thinking about making pesto, but I'll also dry some for my success spaghetti sauce recipe to give my partner a boost at his new job. (:

💎 Do you use crystals or rocks in your practice? Which do you work with most?

I don't tend to use crystals much at all. I have a collection of stones that I've gathered from various local places of power, though! Lots of river stones. They tend to be ward anchors or altar decorations.

I do also have several pieces of granite, including a large slab that makes up the base of my kitchen altar! It's great for storing excess magical energy. It has beautiful garnet inclusions, which is a crystal I've always associated with protection and the kind of love that can only be found in hands coated in flour.

⭐️ When and how did you start practicing? What drew you to witchcraft?

Answered here!

#aese answers #ask games

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yesmissnyx · 1 year ago

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wrt: the anon asking how to find a dom [switching my giant lever labeled “SWITCH” to the “Domme” side], I totally agree with everything you said, especially about it being easier than people think to set yourself apart as a sub. Inexperienced or new subs often think they need to show that they’re more submissive than other subs, but (as you know) that’s rarely an issue. What sets desirable subs apart is knowing what they want, and being excellent communicators. The thing that determines most of all how hard I can go in a scene is my confidence in a sub to use their safeword if they need it.

Also, something to add for people new to kink out there: remember that BDSM is, basically, a game that two (or more) people are playing. It can be a very intense game, physically and emotionally. It can and sometimes should *feel* very real. But underneath that, after that, it’s consenting adults playing. This is one of the reasons why the negotiation part is so important. It may seem unsexy to sit down and be like “okay I want to do this, this, and that.” “right, so this and this are a yes for me, but that is a no. how would you feel about also doing *this*?” and so on, but it is absolutely crucial to healthy, fun, and safe play. Established couples and play partners may not have to do this every time, but that kind of always-on or always-available dynamic does not happen overnight. Also, remember that negotiations include aftercare (FOR ALL PARTIES!) and what to do if a scene goes poorly. And scenes will go poorly sometimes.

Finally, a few basic things that would be red flags for me personally when meeting a prospective sub:

- “I just want a mommy to take care of me”. Being taken care of is a common fantasy, and sometimes a very rewarding one. But if someone is leading with that it will probably make me think they haven’t internalized that it’s a *fantasy*, and are looking for something that would be a very unequal relationship

- “I don’t have any limits”. Anyone who says this is either lying or has no idea what they’re talking about. Everyone has limits, and having fewer limits doesn’t make you a more advanced or desirable sub (or dom!). The opposite, if anything.

- calling me by a title without first being given explicit permission to do so

- any attempt to short-circuit or circumvent the negotiation step. I’ve had everything from physical seduction to emotional belittling deployed against me to avoid having matter-of-fact negotiations. it will not work on an experienced domme, and will get you a reputation as an unsafe person to play with. and even in major cities, most kink scenes are small; your reputation matters.

Okay, enough unsexy scolding from me. Subs: there are more doms than you think, but we usually don’t post that much about it online because frankly, a lot of subs just do not be knowin how to act. Go to munches, go to meetups, make friends. Get invited to play parties and introduced to potential play partners. [Tip: if you can’t find any munches open to the public, try your local ren faire instead ;)]

xoxo

10/10, no notes!!! All excellent advice!

Also, omg, the note about ren faires...call me out why don't you 🤣

But seriously, go where the nerds are. The more costumes involved, the better your odds get.

#ask nyx #kink community #kink advice

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thevampiremarie · 1 year ago

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I completely understand you sometimes needing to answer "no comment" to our more spoiler-y asks. 😁 I am just happy you allow us to posts asks at all, because it's fun. Not to be a perv, but I am looking forward to chapter 29's smut. I respect how you write realistic BDSM themes. 👌 I am curious if Dream's ever fully gotten to embrace the Dom part of himself before Reader? He seemed sort of surprised how quickly she responded. Also, is she just a Sub or a Switch?

MASSIVE INFODUMP INCOMING

🔞

I love writing realistic kink. It’s so fun for me. If you’ve read Heartless, my Ghost x Reader fic, you know I love me some good kink representation. Chapter 29 will be a super fun exploration of primal kink and CNC.

I want to note that without much further detail, I myself am a part of my local kink community, most of my friends are also a part of my local kink community, and I bring quite a few years of experience with me to the writing table!

(All of my friends, including myself, are queer/trans and various permutations of disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent, mentally ill, etc. Many local kink spaces to me are some of the most disability accessible spaces in our area. At least a third of the kinky people I see and socialize with on a regular basis are visibly physically disabled. We continued to mask far past the expiration of our local mask mandates.)

While Dream is and always will be a dom, Reader has more way experience with modern kink culture and norms than he has.

Modern kink was very much pioneered by the queer/trans scene of the Weimar Republic in the 1920s and 30s, and then again by Western queer people of the 50s through today. Morpheus would have been in the cage during all of this massive cultural creation and evolution.

What to him might have been something he would need to “acclimate” past partners to is now normal in this (relatively) new subculture. And Reader is very familiar with this subculture.

Reader is definitely a sub. Unfortunately, I tend to write from experience and I really cannot make myself relate to any other mindset 🤣. I do view stuff like d/s as not just actions but mindsets, personalities, and approaches to relationships.

Morpheus needs to be in “control”. He wants someone he can care for, protect, help, guide, etc. I have him characterized as someone who needs a productive, positive outlet for these existing control tendencies. Reader needs someone who can care for her, who can help her, guide her, etc. That’s something she wants and knows is good for her.

Brushing her hair, feeding her, etc, these are all d/s things that are mutually fulfilling for Morpheus and Reader.

I could literally rant about this for forever, so I’ll stop here lol.

#treehouse #the sandman #dream of the endless x you #dream of the endless x reader #sandman #dream of the endless #morpheus x reader #morpheus x you #lord morpheus #lord morpheus x reader #lord morpheus x you #Morpheus

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cir-papi-di4bl0 · 8 months ago

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Speed Dating Storytime...

So, I downloaded this app the other day to find some kink events for a group calendar I help manage. I found this event for Virtual Poly Speed Dating, and didn't really know what to expect, but I was curious. I've never even been to ANY speed dating event, really... virtual or physical. 😳

Anywho, the event came and went. There were like about 30 individual screens, some couples, some solo pplz. It was interesting since I seemed one of maybe a handFull of Enbies present. (If i'm BEing totally G about it, maybe there were 3 of us, judging by intros.) Also, can't help but notice I never crossed paths with the 4 other melanated people in attendance. Mind you, there was like 5 of us, and none of the times we shuffled rooms did I run into them. Sadness since I saw one of them (We'll call her Susie) on the app's RSVP list, and she seemed pretty dope.

To My surprise, Susie actually ended up messaging Me after the event, and expressing similar sadness for not being able to sit in company with Me during any of the shuffles. HA! 😅 We love a little synchronicity with our awkward-ass, preliminary speed dating experiences, right?! Thanks for that sprinkle of hope and irony, Universe. ✨ Well played.

Outside of that, the experience was koo, but the crowd wasn't My flavor. Many seemed to InJoy My dark humor, and Goth Boi presentation, but some (like Azzholes) talked over Me, and even grilled Me on My pronouns, making thing extremely awkward. All pale, all males, all cis. Even with that, ya Dude still handled it graceFully, redirecting the ignorance, and returning to the conversation prompts. While there were some there that were familiar with Gender Non-Conformity, and even some kinky F/folx, I just didn't feel it for Me in that space. Ugh. It would be koo though if some of them hit Me up and we walked away as new friends. Especially that other Rope Top I sat in space with. They were pretty hilarious.

In summary, ugh... I'm still working out how I feel about dating in general, and it's not that I'm not connected, (Queer Platonic local partner and LD Life Partner). Happy with them, I've just been feeling like I need to explore connection a bit differently outside of those relationships. (Did I mention I'm a bit of a comet at times?) And since I've been InJoying a brand new outlook on relationships and what healthy connection actually is for Me, I need to be able to apply this knowledge so.............. dating.

yay. 😶

In other news, Susie and I may be connecting soon to "see where we fit" with each other. Interesting how we both felt something from the other, in such a small window of exposure, right? The transmission of vibes, even virtually/remotely cannot be underestimated, yo. I've been called to do new things and step out of comfort zones and this experience definitely feels like it. Is this what the Ancestors were hinting when that "Song of the Wild" card nudged Me this morning?

In other news, at least I know a couple of swinging, Reiki-practicing, former attorneys in Florida, who live at a nudist resort, and say I'm always welcum. 😅🤣👀 LOL!

Ah... What is life if not hilarious?

#enby #speed dating #journal #polyamory #ethical non monogamy #nonbinary #dating #healthy relationships #poly life #poly love #intersex #bd/sm kink #goth boi

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virtual-winter · 1 year ago

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Frozen memories #001

My Frozen story - Part 1

It's the end of October which means it's time for me to reminisce about another year of experiences with the Frozen franchise. What's extra special this time though is of course the upcoming Frozen 10th anniversary as well as an opportunity to share it with more than just a few close friends 🙂

I never saw the original Frozen in theatres. Back then in late 2013, I was relatively fresh out of school, unemployed and didn’t have much time or interest to engage in media fandoms of any kind. Things got better the following year as I attended university, beginning my studies in structural engineering and urban planning. Despite having to travel a lot every day and trying to keep up with my studies, life was relatively simple. You did the same thing every day. I was not the most sociable person but I was making good progress getting to know and working together with my fellow peers. Most of them were fresh from high school while I had been studying a bit before applying for uni so I was a little bit older than most of them.

Being in my early twenties, animation or Disney wasn't exactly anything I was paying attention to. I couldn't remember the last time I watched a Disney movie and I think I was feeling a bit out of touch with fandom culture in general.

Entering October, I happened to notice that ABC's fantasy TV-series Once upon a time was coming back for a fourth season. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and I had actually never watched the show before (only briefly in an ad and I remember the CGI looked really bad 🤣) but thanks to my local newspaper, I learned that actor Georgina Haig was gonna play a new role in the show. I was very fond of this Aussie gal since her small role as Henrietta in the sci-fi series Fringe 2012-2013 so I was very excited to see what her new character was about.

With hindsight, I know for sure that without Georgina’s involvement, the show would have never caught my attention. And my goodness, did this change my life 😃

Oh, and that newspaper highlight? I rediscovered it a couple of years ago👇

For those of you who (shockingly) can't read Swedish, here's what it said:

Ask about TV Elsa, queen of ice, shows up and it gets cold in Storybrooke.

Will there be new episodes of the fairy tale series? In "Once upon a time" we got to know several fairy tale characters. In the last season, Emma and Hook travelled through time which messed things up for Snow White and the Prince, and Robin Hood and Lady Marion were reunited. When the series is back in Channel 11 on October 20th, a recap episode will be broadcasted at 7PM before the saga continues at 8PM. Queen Elsa of Arendelle (Georgina Haig) shows up.

I obviously had no idea who Queen Elsa of Arendelle was (I barely even knew what story she was from). I was aware that the movie Frozen was a thing and I had seen the teaser with Olaf and Sven around Christmas 2013 but it had left no impression on me whatsoever. I had a vague idea that the song Let it go had become very popular but I didn't understand the fuss behind it. Yet.

October 20th, 2014. My first introduction to the Arendelle sisters👇

It’s hard to describe exactly what my initial reaction to watching the first few episodes was. In general (since I had no experience with the show) I was of course confused about what was going on but the consistency of the Frozen-story definitely helped. Much later on, having seen the entire series, I understood much better how the characters and their story tied into the main plot and especially Emma Swan’s character development. But at the time, it was just cool to take part of some new and (to me) pretty unique fantasy storytelling in a modern setting. For any true Oncers out there, regardless of the quality of the show as a whole, I'm sure you would agree that it was a heck of a fun ride while it lasted!

I knew for sure that I had found something that I truly loved and that was pretty rare for me. Several years back I had been pretty passionate about other franchises like Star Wars, Stargate, Fringe and Hannibal but this modern fairy-tale world was truly something different. And I know a lot of that can be said to be thanks to the Frozen-story. No offence to the main cast, but I would be lying if I didn't credit Georgina, Elizabeth Lail (Anna), Scott Michael Foster (Kristoff) and Elizabeth Mitchell (Ingrid) as the true stars of the fourth season for me! They truly helped bring their characters to life and I still can’t picture anyone else playing them outside of animation (looking at you, Frozen live action-rumours). It should also be said that compared to the rest of the show’s characters, the Frozen characters did have a very strong presence on screen, a look and a feel that was carried over beautifully to the small live-action screen. I may not have known it at the time, but it would be equally true for the original movie.

About four weeks into the season, I knew for sure that I had found something that truly resonated with med and I knew I had to watch the "source material". But that will be a thing to cover in Part 2. 😉

See ya soon!

#Frozen memories #Frozen observations #Frozen #Disney Frozen #Queen Elsa #Princess Anna #Once upon a time #frozen fandom #personal #ouat elsa #ouat anna #arendelle archives #ouat #ouat s4 #Georgina Haig #Elizabeth Lail #frozen 10

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a-very-fond-farewell · 4 months ago

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Hello!! I'm very curious about the Far From the Madding Crowd draft (also I see that Auditors/Unicorn crossover) 👀

I am ashamed to report that the Far From the Madding Crowd project was mostly inspired by the movie rather than the book, but this didn’t stop me from reading the book after me watching it (for Researching™️ purposes 💪😤)... but my writing project never got to ch3 even ahah 🤣 mostly bc I wasn’t confident in my English and bc Hardy likes his fictional places too much and I got distracted learning about all the fancy names he used for his beloved Wessex.

so. it was supposed to be set after the end: Gabriel and Bathsheba manage to dig Boldwood out of prison through a royal pardoning and make him their gamekeeper.

since Boldwood has not being sentenced to death and was made to stay in “confinement during Her Majesty’s Pleasure” (so, technically, indefinitely) after claiming insanity, I figured he would have been sent in one of those forced labor prison quarries for debt-collectors (or something on those lines) known in the Victorian era to be awful places to be at the time. I researched the system of the allotted working hours a day to earn “tickets” to get out of prison, the eventual move to Australia for the luckier ones, how life was shaping up to be for someone getting out of prison etc...

I wanted to explore the concept of a land-owner turned prisoner as he struggles to find his way back to his hometown. the people who found a way for him to get out of prison are well-meaning, but they don’t know what he went through. it’s unheard of for a murderer like him to have been granted to leave prison too, so the people who used to work for him in the fields are wary of him now, new workers adding to the fuel of the rumors being spread about him.

moreover, I still wanted to show how the church usually was made to be in charge of a reintroduced criminal’s redemption, asking him to sing in the choir and do errands for the poor, forcing him to go to mass and then listen to Sunday lectures in the afternoon with the local children as if he were not an adult anymore. in this situation, Boldwood would have felt less than human, his mind spiraling back to his prison days, especially his first few years of confinement in isolation. so I would have liked for people who had known him for a long time to be kind and understanding to him despite the social stigma, while newcomers would have been less eager to be associated with him.

the married couple now handles both of the neighboring domanins, but the larger one is mostly empty for the majority of the time. Boldwood is made to live in a small cottage away from the rest of the townsfolk and the workers, so he is able to see his old house only occasionally, feeling like a ghost haunting it’s grounds when keeping watch. he cannot handle kindness anymore and feels out of place with new clothes and good food on his plate, his body arguing with him due to his new limitations.

feeling misguided anger towards the woman he went to prison for while feeling unworthy of her, Boldwood can’t stand the sight of her and only manages to interact with her husband due to his gentle and understanding nature, but he still cannot fathom why they have picked the smaller residence rather than the larger one to live in, or why they wanted him back to begin with. he feels mocked and wronged and lonely above else.

in truth, after getting their happy ending, the Oaks had started to feel guilty about living there while he rotted in prison, feeling indebted to him for freeing them from Troy’s poisoning presence in the past. they thought that bringing him back from his confinement would have eased their conscience, but they found themselves unable to handle his new temperamental nature and mood swings, only hoping to treat his newly acquired illnesses after years of forced labor as a way to welcome him back into their lives.

it was meant to be a healing journey through kindness and simplicity, while still eyeing the changing expectations of society at large with a focus on how even someone of the gentry like Boldwood would have struggled to be back into the world.. especially since he was not that well bred to begin with and only had barely enough connections to survive the death penalty. still a murderer, no matter the circumstances, Boldwood would try to atone for his sin by denying himself happiness, feeling guilty for having wished for love when that should have been precluded to him long ago.

I wanted it to be a mixture of Crime and Punishment and Elective Affinities, and if the poly agenda won in the end.. what then?? XD

but since it didn’t happen.. now I have a bunch of trivia about Victorian prisons to yap about to unsuspecting friends :D

#thank you for asking dear :)#I stopped working on this last October... then I began writing my current fic xD like. the following month??#so maybe the ‘newly disabled person comes back home and has to learn how to live again’ trope stuck with me for the new project as well #I think it’s the burnout talking at this point ahah #anyway. take care of yourself alright?#I’ll get to your DMs soon :)#lovely mutuals #niki answers #sneaky niki #[for the Auditors/Unicorn crossover I’ll make a separate post since I got an ask about that! I’ll tag you tho!]

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fireangelsstuff-inactive-2024 · 5 months ago

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Angels Journal

If money wasn't an issue what would your life look like?

I'd probably be living as close as I could to something like Homesteading 🏡

If I didn't have to worry about money my entire focus would probably centre around how I set up my house. I dont necessarily need a lot of company all the time and prefer to spend my time at home so it would be designed to function as off grid and self sustaining as possible ♻️

Built as sustainably as possible but also all the energy use reducing architectural aspects I could jam into it

On one hand I hate the idea of a massive house it just seems like a lot of work to take care of so I guess it would also depend whether I was with someone or not. Say the other person was something like an engineer then I would want to build them their dream home workshop or whatever and I get my dedicated Photography studio etc

I'd build my daughter a house "next door" that she could have however she wanted instead of designing her bedroom, it would be something entirely of her own choice 🏘️

Otherwise I'm still very tempted to keep it reasonably simple, I'm not really a high maintenance life person, I've lived that and it's just more unnecessary stress 😌

Definitely semi rural, I need neighbours nearby but I don't need the fence right outside my backdoor, but I'm gonna need a greenhouse and space for a small orchard as well as the applicable outdoor sheds 🌳🌳🌳

Mostly I'd love a garden I can hang out in. My home town has a wonderful set of themed gardens and I've always adored the English garden they have in there, maybe not quite in that particular style as it would need to match the house but it would be the base template for it, maybe a bit more of a low maintenance cottage farmhouse vibe 👩‍🌾

I would NEED a beautiful full sized Rotunda with a comfy swing seat in it created specifically with the idea of being my main hangout spot

Maybe invest in a local cafe I can hang out in with friends so I can pretend I have some sort of business interests 🤣

I guess I'd spend the rest of my time as a volunteer dogwalker at the SPCA 🐕 or at least something useful to the world. I wouldn't want to be taking up a paying job that someone else needed more than I did

I don't think life would be terribly different overall, I might go out to eat slightly more often and I'd own all of my stuff but thats about it

Admittedly Holidays and travel I would more than likely be more than happy to just go all out on, especially if it was a new place to explore and was just getting my bearings for the first time, I don't tend to travel well out of a suitcase under normal circumstances so I'd take all the comfort there I could ✈️

#angelstardust #angels gratitude journal #angels journal

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gaymergal · 6 months ago

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:3 happy pride 🌈 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

I unintentionally came out to my older sister (again) by wearing a piece of clothing.

💚💜🤍 😂 she remains the best

(Story followed by small spiraling below the cut 😃👍🏾✨)

Forever ago when I was in high school, I was only out as gay at school with friends. And didn’t come out to family until later (Highschool for me was 2004-2008 Bush era. And though my family is and has been very liberal leaning, we were also raised catholic which definitely fueled my personal hesitation to come out at home. Spoilers alert when I told my mom it went hilariously well)

One day after school myself and a pair of friends were at the mall, and the three of us bought a three piece matching friendship necklace at Claire’s on clearance that said roughly Best (star charm), Friends(heart charm), Forever(rainbow charm)

(90% sure that was the breakdown important thing is my section of the necklace had a rainbow charm)

It was like the only rainbow thing I owned, and I would wear it sparingly cause wasn’t 100% out. I had left the necklace on at home and my sister immediately clocked it and pulled me aside and asked if I was gay.

It was a very brief side bar conversation, I was in the kitchen and she literally pulled me into another room and was like “u gay? Your wearing a rainbow necklace”

“Uh yeah”

“Ok cool”

I never did a big announcement to family. Starting with my sister (actually, one of my brothers might have been the first family to know followed then by my sister🤔)

I just told family in one on one conversations as it came up, and eventually even extended family just knew I was gay.

(When I told my mom, because of the way I nervously started the conversation, on the verge of tears saying “i have something important to tell you” she thought I was teen pregnant and when I said I was gay she was like that’s it? That’s fine!)

Anyway! In 2020 with the support of my wife I experimented with pronouns and found that in addition to she/her I really do vibe with he/him pronouns (🥰 I am both her wife and boyfriend and absolutely love being called either)

I really only use he/him privately online and at limited irl queer gatherings and haven’t explicitly told my family (There is a hesitation that family might not fully “get” use of he/him pronouns and for now I’d rather keep it away from them for the time being. At this point its less of a fear of rejection and more of a…I don’t know how that conversation is going to go, and that gives me anxiety to bring it up and start a conversation about it.)

We just had our local pride weekend and I was wearing a pair of black socks that had stripes of green purple white at the top of them 💚💜🤍 for genderqueer and did post a family picture of me my wife and our son at pride to FB (socks visible) not thinking anyone in my fam would clock it.

Got a text from my sister yesterday: “Random question. What are your pronouns?”

Which prompted a phone call (that went super well :3 🥰)

At first she thought they were non binary colors and googled to confirm, but saw that the colors didn’t match but “knew it meant something” and then asked my niece (gen z theater kiddo) what the those specific colors represented. (Lol like straight up queer pop quiz style “hey green white purple, what’s that flag? 🤣)

When the dreaded “what do you want me to use for you” came up (idk why so much anxious, it is very much use one or the other or a mix, i genuinely like and respond to both. the only strong feeling i have is please don’t directly ask me which to use, or why he/him in addition to she/her)

It was a very quick, “so i can still use she/her”

“Yep”

“You sure?”

“Yep”

“well if that changes, I’ll just keep an eye out for new colors”

“🥲💖” (which I found to be very sweet!)

On the one hand, part of me is like, ah history repeating itself, just tell family as it comes up.

But with Pride and (:3 my first!) Father’s day coming up I am tempted to make a FB post just to set the record straight on my pronouns but, (anxiety)

Its weird, like I don’t necessarily feel like I’m in the closet as much as I did with being gay in high school. I’m not afraid of someone finding out. I don’t think my pronouns are something that needs to be kept secret. If asked I am comfortable enough to respond to the question, but the thought of anoucing them publicly is just a big no-no. 🙃

😅 Anyway!

🥳 happy pride! ❤️🧡💛💚💜💙💖

💚🤍💜 treating myself to an early father’s day hair cut tomorrow ✌🏾 :3

#happy pride 🌈#random personal post #genderqueer #anxiety

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