#Bubbly Bouquet (Andrea)

[the-poke-nebula]

"...Hey, you! Yeah, you, with the face.

Do you believe in Ghosts? Not just Ghost-Type Pokemon, but... actual Ghosts? People and Pokemon whose purpose has not yet been fulfilled in life, coming back to haunt youuu~?"

It's October and that means she gets to be playfully spooky.

[the-poke-nebula]

“Hey! Resident Ghost-Type expert here. It’s true that Gengar don’t have bones. They are ghosts after all!”

“...though I have no Arceus-Damn clue how they can mold down to little globs and back again. Or how they even have a corporeal form people can hold when it’s supposed to have a gaseous composure.

...Ghost-Types are just fuckin��� weird, my dude.”

❝ If Gengar had bones, they wouldn't be able to squish down like they do. They have some sort of internal structure, certainly, but nothing resembling what we'd recognise as a skeleton. ❞

[doubleattitude]

NUVO Dance Convention, Bellevue, WA: RESULTS

High Scores by Age:

NUbie Solo

1st: Mila Dixon-’Lose You’

2nd: Bianca Wright-’One Day I’ll Fly Away’

3rd: Avery Dowling-’You Are Enough’

4th: Deetya Arora-’House of Gold’

5th: Kensington Walton-’Broadway Baby’

6th: Zihan Dong-’Loyal Brave True’

7th: Aislinn McMahon-’Over the Rainbow’

Mini Solo

1st: Harper Ducale-’Change is Everything’

1st: Zaylee Watson-’Sunday, Bloody Sunday’

2nd: Relinda Kozol-’Lost’

2nd: Piper Perusse-’Shake It Out’

3rd: Lincoln Russo-’Mambo Rap’

3rd: Presley Nava-’Pure Imagination’

4th: Kinsley Oykhman-’Follow the Rose’

4th: Chloe Drew-’I Don’t Care’

5th: 

5th: Philip Trescases-’Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14′

6th: Sylvia Thorne-’Bye Bye Blackbird’

7th: Grace Di Spirito-’Wistful’

8th: Avery Birds-’Sad Day’

8th: Anna Zemtcova-’The Queen’

9th: Neve Colyn-’Last Chance to See’

10th: Gizelle Moroles-’The Deep End’

Junior Solo

1st: Campbell Castner-’Fallen’

2nd: Ciana Ciulla-’Sophrosyne’

2nd: Madison Mucha-’Weaver Bird’

3rd: Yubin Hong-’Forever’

3rd: Sydney Kelly-’Perish’

3rd: Emme O’Neill-’Through the Eyes of a Child’

4th: 

4th: Kessa Yee-’The Hill We Climb’

5th: Aurora Matsudaira-’Brotsjor’

5th: Victoria Russo-’Little Swing’

5th: McKenzie Snell-’Someone to Call my Lover’

5th: Phoenix Jonat-’The Last Rose’

6th: Arin Lee-’Amazing Mayzie’

6th:

6th: Tori Chun-’Until The Ice Cracks’

7th: Riley Zeitler-’Breathe’

7th: 

7th: Dakota Frederick-’Islands’

8th: London Barron-’Bones’

8th: Claire Scott-’Found’

9th: Mia Imamura-’White Noise’

10th: Morgen Dunne-’Womanizer’

10th: 

10th: Brooklyn Campbell-’Safe and Sound’

10th: Oakley Arksey-’Leave Me Alone’

10th: Kylee Ngo-’Ex Machina’

10th: Bella Murphy-’Clar De Lune’

Teen Solo

1st: Addison Leitch-’Figo’

1st: Anna Brown-’Isn’t It Romantic’

2nd: Ava Burgham-’What To Say Next’

3rd: Amillya Beech-’Bouquet De PLeurs’

3rd: Harrison Last-’Krustallos’

3rd: Kameron Couch-’Masquerade’

3rd: Chloe Ohira-’The Rope’

4th: Riley Ramos-’The place with/in/santiy’

4th: Madalyn Sawa-’Too Long’

5th: Sydney Tam-’Touch’

6th: Katie Couch-’Distant Earth’

6th: Mackenzie Couch-’Moon Light’

6th:

6th: Lexi Cairney-’Voyage’

7th: Erika Allen-’The Actor’

7th: Katie Paulus-’Someone Like You’

7th: Parker Wiess-’Piano Man’

7th: Tamara Kiyama-’Not Who We Were’

7th: Anna Rodriguez-’In My Heart’

8th: Jenna Statham-’Desolate’

8th: 

8th: Kamryn Webb-’Take Me Out’

8th: Ainsley Ercanbrack-’The First Time’

9th: Arta Negahban-’As We Lay’

9th: Savannah Frederick-’Domino’

9th: Anna Jeans-’Less and Less’

10th: Ella Yang-’Falling’

10th: Meilani Pham-’Missing You...’

10th: Meghan Gombar-’Rhythm of the Night’

10th: Cara Ricciardi-’The Lone Soldier’

Senior Solo

1st: Kailyn Yi-’I Never Left’

2nd: Avery Gay-’All Phases Complete’

3rd: Kate Gombar-’A Song For You’

3rd: Genevieve Antonetty-’Bird On A Wire’

3rd: Dahlia Levine-’Colors’

3rd: Kaili Tam-’Me Museum’

4th: Nathan Bear-’Body of Land’

4th: Yana Sologub-’Fall Creek’

4th: Madison Yaremchuk-’Something Like This’

4th: Brianna Lannard-Ghini-’The Things We Cannot Say’

5th: Phoebe Campbell-’Me’

5th: Avery Douglas-’River’

5th: Sydney Long-’You Don’t Leave Here’

6th: Reese Anderson-’Time’

7th: Natalie Chan-’Ain’t No Sunshine’

7th: 

7th: Andrea Arguelles-’Work’

8th: Abigail Swank-’Here With Me’

8th: Hannah Wang-’Lost Without You’

9th: Natalie Corona-’I Believe’

9th: Abigail Osterink-’Mothership’

10th: 

10th: Taylor Martindell-’Next To You’

NUbie Duo/Trio

1st: IGNITE-’Surf’s Up’

2nd: IGNITE-’Through the Eyes of a Child’

Mini Duo/Trio

1st: The Company Space-’Beauty and the Beat’

2nd: The Company Space-’Candyman’

3rd: 

Junior Duo/Trio

1st: Accolades Movement Project-’Caught in a bad dream’

2nd: The Company Space-’To My Future Wife’

2nd: 

3rd: The Company Space-’#BAD’

3rd: Elite Dance Studio-’Eyes On Me’

Teen Duo/Trio

1st: Accolades Movement Project-’I Remember Her’

2nd: The Company Space-’Sister’

3rd: INGITE-’Lay Low’

Senior Duo/Trio

1st: Tri-City Dance Centre-’Just Me and You’

2nd: Westlake Dance Center-’Cola’

3rd: Westlake Dance Center-’Hit and Run’

NUbie Group

1st: Melba’s Dance-’Bubble Bath’

Mini Group

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Junior Group

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Teen Group

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Senior Group

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Mini Group

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Junior Group

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Teen Group

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Senior Group

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Mini Extended Line

1st:

2nd:

Teen Extended Line

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

High Scores by Performance Division:

NUbie Jazz

1st: Melba’s Dance-’Bubble Bath’

Mini Jazz

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Mini Ballet

1st:

2nd:

Mini Hip-Hop

1st:

2nd:

Mini Tap

1st: The Company Space-’Dumb, Crazy, Stupid Love’

Mini Contemporary

1st:

2nd:

Mini Musical Theatre

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Mini Specialty

1st: The Company Space-’Addicted’

Junior Jazz

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Junior Hip-Hop

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Junior Tap

1st:

2nd:

Junior Contemporary

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Junior Lyrical

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Teen Jazz

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Teen Hip-Hop

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Teen Tap

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Teen Contemporary

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Teen Lyrical

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Teen Musical Theatre

1st:

2nd:

Teen Specialty

1st: The Company Space-’Like That’

Senior Jazz

1st:

2nd:

Senior Tap

1st: Elite Dance Studio-’Emotions’

Senior Contemporary

1st: Westlake Dance Center-’Headspace’

Senior Lyrical

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Senior Musical Theatre

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Senior Specialty

1st: Westlake Dance Center-’Sad Day’

Best NU Groups:

NUbie

Melba’s Dance-’Bubble Bath’

Mini

Junior

Teen

Senior

Studio Pick:

-

[vendettacanons]

❤️ 💖 💝 for andreas x vi!

⚔️ Heart Headcanons // ACCEPTING ⚔️

❤️ for 4 romantic headcanons of our muse’s relationship

Andreas studies flowers routinely with Mama Haines so that he can give Virote custom bouquets. And not like cut flowers either— like actual whole plants ready to be put in the ground. And he never gives the same bouquet twice.

Andreas always makes sure to take Virote out to dinner at least once or twice a week. He lets him pick the place he wants to go eat at and he always enjoys it because 1) he gets to try new things, 2) he’s with Virote.

One of Andreas’ main talents is his ability to dance, and he loves being able to dance with Virote. Mostly in private where no one can see them but it’s a start!

Andreas likes to tell Vi that he loves him just as he is but that he’ll also love him for who he becomes. He recognizes that Virote grows and changes, that he’s not going to be the same person forever. So he likes to acknowledge him as a dynamic being that’s going to be different from the man he met and assure he’ll love every version of him, not just the one he met.

💖 for 4 fluffy headcanons of our muse’s relationship

Andreas does his best to coordinate outfits with Virote from time to time. He’s not the greatest when it comes to fashion but he does his best.

One of Andreas’ favorite things to do is go shopping with Virote. The commentary is fun, but also he thinks it’s just fascinating the way Virote picks out fabrics and pieces and all the ideas for outfits he comes up with along the way.

Every time Andreas’ birds see Virote, they call him mi amor because that’s the only way they have ever heard Andreas address him. (They also love Virote and like sitting on his shoulders whenever possible.)

Andreas’ go-to method of comfort is to offer Virote hugs and cuddles. He runs warm and he always smells good because he’s super hygienic. And he doesn’t mind if Virote falls asleep on him in the process either. Naps together are great for bonding in his mind.

💝 for 4 nsfw headcanons of our muse’s relationship

Andreas mostly lets Virote take the lead because of his own lack of experience. He’s more exploratory by default and can be a bit slow the first few times around. After he gets more comfortable and familiar with everything he tends to be very passionate.

He’s also super gentle and sweet. There’s a lot of soft kisses and touches on his part because he wants to be tender and commit Virote’s body to memory. Intimacy is very precious to him and he likes to make every moment of it special and borderline heavenly.

Andreas is a bottom and mostly vanilla, but he’s not opposed to 💫spicing things up💫 if Virote brings up the idea. He’s up to try almost anything at least once. (He doesn’t have it in him to be rough, but he can be firm if he tries.)

He’s also the best at aftercare. Massages and snacks and hot drinks and gentle cleanups with a lot of checking in. He’ll run Virote a warm bubble bath and help him clean off afterwards and offer him one of his shirts to fall asleep in.

[the-poke-nebula]

"...That is the weirdest freakin' thing I've ever seen but for some reason I just can't stop looking at it."

"I mean this!"

[emotionsofthesoul]

Chapter 35 _ Te Entrego Las Llaves

The holidays had come and gone and the girls were each midway through their spring Semester. This semester was a bit hectic for Juliana and her classmates with the competition coming up in a few months. Nonetheless she made time for Valentina’s birthday. This semester she had Tuesdays off which fit perfectly with Valentina’s birthday. She had switched shifts with Andrea for that day and she spent the better part of the morning putting the finishing touches on her gift while the boutique was empty. Once her shift was over she wrapped her present and made her way to the university. Valentina’s class was about to end and she wanted to be there waiting for her to take her to lunch.

Hope shot her a text saying class was done and they would be heading downstairs within the next five minutes. After reading the message Juliana took out her bouquet of 20 pink roses and put on her sunglasses as she leaned against her Mustang waiting for the birthday girl.

Once she reached the doors, Valentina’s smile grew. She hugged Hope goodbye and jogged towards her girlfriend. Juliana set the flowers on the roof of her car just in time to catch Valentina in her arms.

“Happy birthday morrita!” Juliana said as she spun the girl around before setting her down. “These are for you.” She said as she reached for the flowers.

“Damn, V! Where can I get me one of those!” A class mate yelled playfully to which Valentina simply raised her middle finger without turning back before leaning in to give her girlfriend a kiss.

“They’re beautiful thank you.” Val said bring the bouquet up to smell it. “I thought you had work this evening.”

“Drea agreed to switch so I could spend the day with you.” Juliana said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Valentina smiled, “good because I was gonna go bug you at work.” She said with a cute wink.

“Let’s get outta here.” Juliana said opening the door for Valentina.

Once inside the car Valentina felt curious as to where they could be going but knew that Juliana wouldn’t tell her so she simply went with the flow. She hadn’t expected to be picked up by Juliana but she was more than glad to spend the day with her.

Upon arriving to a cute French pastry shop Juliana went around and opened the door for Valentina. “M’lady” she said offering a hand to the girl in her car.

Valentina smiled knowing exactly where they were and knowing exactly what she was going to order. “How do you know me so well?” She said holding Juliana’s hand as they made their way to the door.

“I couldn’t let you turn 20 and not let you get 20 macaroons of your choice. Plus this is my excuse to have the delicious macaroon rose. Aaaaaand I might have ordered a few things to go.” Juliana said with an exaggerated playful smile.

Making their way inside the girls went to the pastry counter and order their goodies along with their meals. Juliana paid and they walked to one of the tables with a comfy couch. They had gotten quite a bit of pastries so they decided to get one of the bigger tables to fit everything.

“Thank you for picking me up today, you’ve just made today so much better.” Valentina said earnestly.

“I know birthdays are a bit hard for you sometimes,” Juliana said taking Valentina’s hand in hers across the table. “I wanted to spend a few hours with you before we head over to the loft with your family.” She said bring the girl’s hand close enough to place a kiss on it.

They spent the rest of their lunch talking and poking fun at each other. After their lunch Juliana returned to the counter to pick up her order she had placed for the party later and they headed out. Juliana drove the two of them to her apartment. She told Valentina to go ahead and open the door while she got the pastries down to put them in the fridge.

As Valentina opened the door she found their friends waiting for her! They yelled surprise and ran up to hug her. Valentina was pleasantly surprised to see them.

“Happy birthday Vale.” Hope said as Valentina held her flowers tightly full of happiness to see her friends. She took in the apartment and realized there were balloons everywhere and birthday signs.

Valentina turned to Juliana who was closing the refrigerator door with a questioning look to which Juliana responded with a smile, “Don’t look at me that’s all them.” She said with a shrug of the shoulders.

“Thank you guys this was really sweet.” Valentina said as she handed her flowers to Juliana who offered to put them in water.

They sat down around the living room and spent the next hour playing 4 Bidden Words

“Hey no that’s cheating! No one set the timer!” Josie said as Lizzie finished the deck.

“And that’s my fault why?” Lizzie said with a proud smile as she began counting her cards.

Penelope hugged a bitter Josie from behind as she told the group it was time to give the birthday girl her presents.

“Oo okay I’ll go first!” Lizzie said as she reached behind the couch to get her present. She handed Valentina the bag and sat on her knees excited for Valentina to open her present.

Valentina grew silent as she pulled out a small wooden statue of the 6 of them.

“Do you like it?” Lizzie asked worried by the silence.

“It’s beautiful, Lizzie, did you make this?” Valentina said still inspecting the item in her hand.

Lizzie nodded her head with a bright smile, “I took a wood carving class when I was younger, it’s been a secret hobby of mine.”

“It’s so detailed, I love it thank you.” Valentina said bringing the blonde girl into a hug still shocked by the gift.

Hope smiled, happy that Valentina and Lizzie had gotten much closer over the course of the last year. “My turn, cutie.” She said handing Valentina her gift.

Looking from Hope to the box and back to Hope Valentina gasped and asked, “is this what I think it is?”

Flashing her best friend a smile Hope simply nodded causing a gasp to erupt from Lizzie leaving the other girls confused. “I wanted you to be the first one to have a physical copy.”

Valentina smiled as she opened the box to find Hope’s first published book. “Holy shit you did it… I’m so proud of you!” Valentina said looking over the book and feeling the hard cover.

“Where’s our copy?” Lizzie said with a playful smile. She knew how long Hope had worked on the book and she knew how important giving Valentina the first copy was to her.

“I actually have a copy for all of you but I needed Val to be the first one to have it because she’s the reason I wrote it. The reason I pursued writing. Val this is mine but it’s because of you and you need to know how grateful I am that you’ve been there through thick and thin.” Hope said as Valentina pulled her into a hug.

“You guys are gonna make me cry.” Valentina said as she brushed a rogue tear from her face.

After the girls congratulated Hope they continued with their gifts.

“Well mine isn’t as emotional but I needed to get it as soon as I saw it because it’s literally you.” Josie said with a cute giggle handing Valentina her bag.

Valentina opened it to find two things, the first was a camera money bank and the second was a doll of herself. “It’s literally me! Where did you even find these!” Valentina said letting out a loud laugh as she inspected the doll.

“Okay in Josie’s defense I pointed it out.” Penelope said trying to fight her own laughter.

“We were at Denios and Penelope wanted to stop by a toy stand and we found it there. It was the funniest thing and I needed to get it.” Josie said through her laughter. “The camera money bank I had it made. It has your name on it actually.”

“Thanks Jo, I love these so much.” Valentina responded genuinely as she brought Josie into a tight hug.

The next person to give Valentina her gift was Penelope, she had 3 boxes stacked and wrapped together.

“Okay this looks like a lot but it’s really not.” Penelope said as she handed the boxes over. The first box contained a piece of jewelry, a necklace. It was a glass pendent that had a picture of Juliana and Valentina. “I made that in our jewelry class.” The second box had a framed piece of paper art. Penelope had folded paper together in the form of one of Valentina’s pictures from their Italy trip. Finally the last box contained a shirt with Juliana’s confused face stitched into it with the word “que?” in a bubble.

“Why would you do that to me?” Juliana said cracking up at the image on the shirt.

“Shhhh, I love it. I’m gonna wear this tomorrow! Thank you Penny!” Valentina said laughing as she brought the girl into a hug. “Guys all of these gifts were so good, I love each and every one of them, thank you!” Valentina added as she pulled back.

“Hey loser what about your girl, she hasn’t given you her gift!” Hope acknowledged sarcastically.

Confused, Valentina said, “she gave me roses and took me out to eat.” Causing everyone to burst into laughter.

“You didn’t really think that was it, right Val?” Juliana asked as she got up and walked to her room. Grabbing a round box with a blue bow and a huge see through balloon attached to it.

“What’s this?” Valentina asked with a wide smile.

Sending back an even wider smile Juliana told her to open it. Being very cautious to not mess up the bow, Valentina removed it and began opening the box. She pulled out a notecard that read, “The only star that guides me is you.” She brought the card to her heart as she made eye contact with Juliana who simply formed a heart with her hands. Setting the card down she proceeded to remove the black tissue paper to reveal a beautiful dark blue tuxedo velvet blazer. The buttons had small stars engraved into them. She had also made and included matching pants.

“Wow.” Valentina said as she lifted the garments and ran her hands across the details. “How are you so talented?”

“Dude that’s beautiful…” Penelope said in a whisper.

Under the clothes was a wooden canvas with a painting of two silhouettes sitting on a playground looking up at the stars giving Valentina the impression that it was the two of them at FC Park. “Did you paint this?” Valentina asked impressed receiving a nod from Juliana. “Wow, babe… again, how are you so talented?” Leaning in to give her girlfriend a kiss. “Gracias amor. I’m obsessed with this suit, and I need to create an occasion to wear this ASAP.”

After taking a few selfies to commemorate the day the couple’s friends left in order to give the girls some time alone before they made their way to the Carvajal dinner party. Once at the party Valentina couldn’t believe how united her family was. Her sister had changed so much since her last birthday party and it truly felt strange to not have her fighting everyone. She had even come around to accepting Juliana’s family. Their fathers had become great friends and they often spent time together as one big family.

When the dinner came to an end Leon asked Valentina to accompany him to the office so they could pick up her gift. She didn’t see why she would need to go but since it was only down the street she agreed. Leon asked Juliana to head home with the promise of dropping off Valentina once his surprise was done. They had spoke ahead of time and he knew Valentina would want to spend the night with her girlfriend.

Once they arrived at the office Leon guided Valentina to a wing of the company she hadn’t quite explored yet. She wondered what they were doing there thinking this must be the location for their storage rooms.

“I brought you here because I wanted to give you this.” Leon said as he handed his daughter a small box. As Valentina opened the box she saw a golden colored key.

“What’s this key for?” Valentina asked with a confused smile.

“Open that door and find out, princess.” Leon said motioning to the main door.

As she brought the key to the door she looked over her shoulder to her father only to have him usher her to continue. Turning back she took the entire room in. There was a tripod stand with the words “Valentina’s Magazine” written on a poster board.

Noticing his daughter’s continued confusion Leon proceeded. “Princesa, I know we spoke about doing this after graduation but I think you’ve more than earned it. I wanted to give this to you today because you’ve proven that you’re serious about your photography and I think this can help you as you go forward with your career. I think it’s the perfect timing because I also think it’s time I retire, you and your siblings are more than ready to take over. Eva has been running the show for nearly a year and things have been going smoothly and with Guillermo keeping everything in check they’ve proven they no longer need me ahead of the company. I want to begin enjoying life full-time with Lucia. I want to give her all my attention now that I know you are all ready to continue without me.”

It came as a great shock to Valentina, not only was she getting full control of her own magazine to do whatever she could dream up but her father was retiring from his empire and passing it down to her and her siblings. “Papi, you are the wisest man I know and I trust you wholeheartedly. If you think it’s time, I promise to do my best to not let you down. Thank you for not only believing in me but for believing in my siblings as well to continue your legacy. I’m so happy you want to give yourself completely to Lucia, she deserves that and so much more.” She said bringing the man into a tight hug.

Before letting go she playfully told her father, “and please give me a little brother or sister, Lucia deserves to be a mother and Renata’s baby is going to need a friend.”

After showing his daughter around the entire wing Leon brought the tour to a close telling his daughter, “This is all officially yours, you now hold the keys and you decide what to do with it. I couldn’t be prouder.” He said as they locked it all up once again.

Once they were back in his SUV he opened the glove compartment for Valentina’s final gift of the night. “Baby girl, I know today has been quite the day and I know regardless of how happy you are, you still need your mother here. I don’t want to dim your mood but this is something she asked me to give you today as the day come to a close and I’d like to honor that.” He said as he handed Valentina a letter from her mother.

Hesitantly Valentina opened the letter and began to read it. She hadn’t seen her mother’s handwriting or doodles in years. The last letter she opened was for her 15th birthday and she hadn’t touched it in years. She began to silently cry as she read her mother’s words.

“God, I miss you so much.” Valentina whispered closing her eyes and bringing the letter to her chest. By now the tears were falling freely and she refused to fight them.

After a few minutes of letting his daughter absorb her mother’s words Leon brought her into a comforting hug. He had never read the letters left for their children but he knew how much they meant to each of them. He was instructed to give them out and read his own every few years. He wasn’t meant to read his next one till his 50th birthday which was approaching soon and he, like his children, felt the words deep within his soul every single time.

“Thank you, papi, I needed that. I needed to have another piece of her. I miss her so much.” Valentina said nonchalantly as she snuggled into his hug.

“I know baby, we all do.” Leon said as he kissed his daughters forehead, “what do you say I take you to Juliana’s now?” He said knowingly to which Valentina nodded knowing Juliana’s arms were the one place she wanted to be at.

Before getting off the car Valentina thanked her father for the trust to run her own magazine. She gave him a tight hug as a silent thank you for honoring her mother’s wishes every time even if it’s difficult.

Reaching the door she didn’t even have to knock, Juliana stood their in her pajamas waiting for her with open arms. Arms that Valentina gladly stepped into. “How did you know I was here?”

Placing a kiss upon Valentina head Juliana responded, “I’ve been opening the door every five minutes for the past hour,” very relaxed.

Valentina pulled back shocked before she relaxed seeing the goofy smile on Juliana’s face. “No, your dad text me that you were here.”

“Sneaky man. Wait so did you know?” Valentina asked half hopeful that she didn’t.

Juliana nodded no adding, “All he said was to have hot chocolate ready and be ready to snuggle you because you might need it. Do you?”

The birthday girl’s eyes welled up with tears and she nodded as she walked through the door pulling Juliana’s right hand by the pinky.

“Do you want me to serve you some hot chocolate and we can snuggle on the couch for a while?” Juliana asked as she hugged Valentina from behind and rested her head on the girl’s shoulder.

Turning around in Juliana’s arms Valentina kissed the younger girl deeply as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was overwhelmed with emotions, here she was with someone who always put their best effort to make her life easier because they wanted to, not because they needed to.

The couple’s kiss was cut short as Valentina let out a sob. “It’s okay baby, let it out.” Juliana said comfortingly, pulling Valentina into a tight embrace.

They stood there in silence as Juliana rubbed Valentina’s back gently in different sized circles. Once Valentina’s body relaxed a bit Juliana asked her if she wanted to go to bed to which Valentina silently agreed to.

As they made their way to bed, Juliana gave Valentina some pajamas she could change into. They made themselves comfortable under the covers and Juliana held Valentina while she played with her hair. That always seemed to sooth the older girl.

“Thank you for today, it was very emotional but so lovely.” Valentina said nuzzling into Juliana’s chest.

“Oh yeah?” Juliana kissed Valentina’s head as she rubbed the girl’s back. “I’m glad it was a good one regardless.”

Valentina lifted her body up in such a way that she was leaning her forearms on Juliana’s chest in order to make eye contact.

“He gave me the keys… he gave me free rein to do whatever I want with the magazine with no oversight much sooner than I anticipated.” The birthday girl said still with disbelief. “He said the entire department is mine and that he’ll be retiring this year leaving Eva, Guille, and I the entire company.”

Juliana looked at Valentina speechless at the news that Leon would be retiring.

“I know, it was a shock to me too, apparently he’s telling the employees sometime this month and then holding a press conference about it.” Valentina responded knowingly to Juliana’s reaction.

“I’m sure your magazine will be super successful though, babe, congrats!” Bringing Valentina down into a hug Juliana continued, “have you thought of what you want do with it yet?”

Valentina smiled because though she thought it was still years away she had thought about her plans repeatedly crafting her business plan for when the day finally arrived.

“Yeah, I have, actually… If I can get everyone I need by July we can start production and printing by August and I think I know the perfect person for the first cover photo.” The girl said having everything planned out.

Curious as ever Juliana smiled remembering the day they met and how focused the other girl was knowing that same focus would be applied to this new project. “Should I even bother asking who you’re thinking of or is it a surprise?” She said half jokingly.

“It’ll be a surprise until I can confirm it, just so I don’t jinx it. When it comes together I promise you’ll be the first to know.” Valentina said snuggling further into the girl.

Juliana nodded knowingly. She reached over to turn off her light and the girls snuggled closer as they began to fall asleep.

A/N: I don't remember if I specified birthdays but Val's is March 10th and Juls' is October 24th. In case any of you were curious.

[twistednuns]

March 2020

Not having to show up at school before 1pm. Getting Spotify Premium that morning. Having a private dance party in front of the mirror.    

Lena’s new apartment. I envy her garden. But we had a nice afternoon playing board games, eating my salty peanut cookies and going for a walk. Side note: the flower bouquet on the table; full red tulips and freesias with purple accents.

Small books that actually fit into my handbag. I usually have one of these at hand so I can always take a book with me even when I don’t want to bring my backpack.

Sarah Andersen’s comic Fangs. The werewolf is exactly my type…

Strawberries with coconut yoghurt, hemp seeds and cacao nibs.

Astor lip butter in Dewy Plum. Cherry red nails.

Getting Spotify premium. Listening to David Bowie and Frank Zappa (also I just got Zappa’s Baby Snakes T-shirt). Tuning out the noise. Dancing at the bus stop.

These unreal, elevated experiences I keep having. Sometimes it feels a bit like synesthia but mostly it’s quick thinking, associations, a flow of ideas or stream of consciousness. Sinking deep into memories and feelings.

Coming up with a really nice topic for art class (metamorphosis/composite beings). Working on a wooden bowl. Making, creating, sketching.

Motivation and excellent mood on a Monday morning.

When the lady sold me a buttered pretzel for 60ct instead of €1.50.

Actually having some kind of conversation in Spanish! At least Lorena was able to guess what I was trying to say. So proud.

Sunny Saturdays in bed surrounded by books.

A really nice sunset in lilac, yellow, rosy pink and blue shades; making rooftops glow.

New woodworking tools. Working on my large limewood bowl and the tiny bird sculpture.

Meeting Merlin at Pub Quiz for the first time. Bonding over our mutual love for woodworking. Geeking out over my new projects and tools.

Reading a graphic novel about Alexander von Humboldt’s journey through South America. Being fascinated by his report of the 1899 Leonids and the corresponding illustrations.

Nice words: parsimonious, persnickety, askance, obstreperous (the last one courtesy of Frank who is currently rereading Moby Dick; the word evokes a mental image of the Moomin character Little My).

A very Taurean Tuesday: deciding to make the best of a 3,5 hour waiting time. Spontaneously deciding to get a massage. Having a snack from Hofpfisterei across the street. Treating myself to a new headband and perfume oil from &otherstories. Onigiri from the little Japanese store in the street behind Isartor. Meeting Manu at the library. Finding really old volumes of the Brockhaus dictionary. Filming a creepy video at the drugstore, spontaneously deciding to make pancakes. Then he gave me weed and put VR goggles on my head. I played Beat Saber for the first time. Mind blown.

The next day we ended up lying in a nest swing together (at the playground near my house) and I showed him some constellations with Sky Map.

Watching an episode of Sailor Moon with hooker-bassist (an evil nickname for Alex); realising the show isn’t actually half-bad. We watched dozens of clips of our favourite series from our childhood that evening and ate weird candy like Center Shock and those little cookie koalas that are sold in a hexagonal box.

Actually giggling upon waking up just because the smell of sun-dried bedclothes is THAT awesome.

Reading about nihilism. Deciding that this could be my thing. Watching The Big Lebowski because it features a trio of nihilists.

Some plants I had already declared dead are actually budding right now. I already forgot what some of them are so I’m in for a surprise.

A very green apartment in São Paulo.

Blooming flowers in time lapse. Gorgeous.

Related: my Alocasia Dragonscale and the Anthurium Clavinervium keep producing beautiful new leaves and blossoms.

Playing Drawful 2 with the pub quiz gang and Manu. Margit made me realise that I do have in fact a very specific type when it comes to my taste in men when she saw Manu’s photo…

Manu introducing me to Erik. Kitten videos, delivery, happy me.

Making a pub quiz for the others - quarantine edition so we played via Discord. I got really drunk on a leftover bottle of red wine from Lena’s and Christian’s wedding which made the Cards Against Humanity round we played afterwards so much more hilarious. Nice references: The Great Cornholio from Beavis and Butthead. And the original video of the Escape Song (Rupert Holmes looks like a middle school biology teacher).

A very easy recipe for vegan apple cake. I also adapted it to raspberry mango cake. Yum!

Chocolate covered pretzels. I love my snacks sweet AND savoury at the same time.

A spontaneous little yoga mat picnic with Manu on the grass behind the St. Andreas church. We practised the cup song and recorded it but after an hour we were asked to leave by the police. Apparently it isn’t allowed to sit down anymore. Oh but we managed to amuse a little girl who was chasing our soap bubbles.

A very decadent first breakfast course: a skewer with strawberries dipped in milk chocolate. Poking constellations into the styrofoam with the tip of the wooden stick.

[the-poke-nebula]

"...that's not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice."

"If I had a nickel for a girl that I had a crush on that, in some variant, was directly involved with a Legendary Pokémon, I'd have two nickels."

Sighs.

"Guess I'm sticking to men, then."

[the-poke-nebula]

...Y’know what? I’m in the big mood for some RP Battles. Doesn’t have to be made in Showdown either, since I wanna give competitive a rest.

Anyone up for trying to earn some badges or face some Elites? You’ll face some Fakemon that I developed. Here are the Leaders and Elites in question;

LEADERS:

Noelle Kristoph: Ice-Type Leader (Reborn Reserve)

Gives the Flashfreeze Badge.

Andrea and Tomo Thorne: Ghost-Type Leader (Uplyria) (Double Battle) (Can have Fakemon)

Gives the Afterlife Badge.

Aenon: Water-Type Leader (Zenturia) (Fakemon)

Gives the Changing Tides Badge.

Morgan: Water-Type Leader (Uplyria) (Fakemon)

Gives the Lure Badge.

Terra ‘M3G4T3RR4′ Pierce: Ground-Type Leader (Reborn)

Gives the Gravity Badge.

ELITES:

Alexander: Fighting-Type Elite (Reborn Reserve)

Ambrose: Psychic-Type Elite (Reborn Reserve)

Rose Thorne: Dark-Type Elite (Uplyria) (Fakemon)

[parfumery-wiki]

Empathy (eau de parfum) The House of Oud Nose: Andrea Casotti, Cristian Calabrò

Floral

The storytelling of an istant. Our bubble of perfection.

Empathy takes us on an evanescent journey, between dream and reality. The delicate bouquet of Pear blossom Raspberry flower and Davana envelops a sensual heart of Fruity Tobacco and a juicy Infusion of Raspberry. The base is enlivened by the notes of the Transparent Musk that pervade the deepest notes of the Iranian Oud and the White Fir. A festive fragrance that celebrates the purest sensations of wonder, enthusiasm and openness to the others. Simply wonderful.

Top notes: Pear blossom, Raspberry blossom, Davana Heart notes: Tobacco, Raspberry Base notes: Wood, Transparent mosses, Benzoin, Silver fir, Oud

[the-poke-nebula]

"How about a pretty girl with pink eyes? Though I'll understand if I'd have to take you to dinner first~"

☠🌏– "Kisses from a pretty girl with brown eyes would surely fix me, alright..."

[the-poke-nebula]

"Ayo, "Girls with freckles" club???"

Has Freckles

[thegalexandra]

Saturday, June 3, 2017; G.Alexandra hosted their first pop-up dinner party series, #ThymeOut in the Nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. over-looking The District skyline. The sun was setting so perfect at 8:15pm ET as hues of yellow, burnt orange and red illumined the sky. Guest decked in vintage lace, flowy linens and bohemian prints began arriving and the cocktails started flowing. If you can imagine; Anthropology + Urban Outfitters and Free People having a baby this was the dress code of the evening! Not to mention my New Yawker girlfriend, Alex impressive floral head piece complimented with a flawless three-strand twist out- talk about #InRealLife GOALS!

Saturday, June 3, 2017 – Washington, D.C. (photo: G.Alexandra, Sundaynior photography)

Two signature cocktails were provided; District 6 (Strawberry Cucumber Dill cocktail + Smirnoff Vodka) and Shaw Sunset (Pineapple Allspice & Mint cocktail + Jack Daniels Bourbon). These delicious punches were super easy to make with minimal preparation thanks to Shurb District’s fine cocktail vinegars paired with top-shelf liquor and delicate garnishes. Trader Joes’ was a huge lifesaver for the budget-friendly wine that if total quality foolproof for impressing a large group. We took a tour of Italy, South Africa and Napa Valley- selecting whites, reds, rose and of course bubbly. And to refresh and rehydrate we provided Acqua Panna Natural water with fresh cucumbers and mint.

Shrub District, left: “District 6” , right: “Shaw Sunset” | Saturday, June 3, 2017 – Washington, D.C. (photo: G.Alexandra, Sundaynior photography)

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The sun finally set and the rooftop had a beautiful glow of stringed lightbulbs and Melted Element candles burning, filling the air with spicy Moroccan aromas of Marrakech. Watercolor tapestries and pillows are supplied by Home Goods and Husdon & Crane while accompanied with custom floral arrangements provided by Paper Bag Flower Company, based in Annapolis, MD- were the statement piece of the evening. Our florist took it a step up and incorporated our favorite herb- Lemon Thyme in the bouquets. Thank you Amy! Be sure to be on the lookout for monthly delivery subscriptions from Paper Bag Floral Company x G.Alexandra – coming soon!

Flowers: Paper bag Flower Company|| Saturday, June 3, 2017 – Washington, D.C. (photo: G.Alexandra, Sundaynior photography)

And of course and can this be a G.Alexandra event without delicious food to pair with the beautiful decor. Private chef, Taherrah Bilal from Seattle, Washington was called in by our founder & editor-in-cheif, Gabrielle to help create the perfect menu for the guest. The two met days after Taherrah relocated back to the nation’s capitol and hit the ground running trying to bring Morocco to D.C.. By incorporating exotic Mediterranean spice blends for the meats and fresh fragrant herbs for the sides dishes brought the food to the next level. The time and preparation was a true labor of love.

“It’s something about food, that brings people together which I absolutely love. So focusing all our energy into delivering a sensational food experience that anybody can prepare in their home with no professional training is my goal.”- Gabrielle Easley

left: Andrea O’Neal (PR & Events Manager), right: Gabrielle Easley (Founder & Editor-In-Cheif) || Saturday, June 3, 2017 – Washington, D.C. (photo: G.Alexandra, Sundaynior photography) – MUA: Alicia Watson @coutureduchess | dress: Alice + Oliva (Gabrielle Easley)

The menu was as followed:

Appetizer Simple garlic Kale salad Grilled Flatbread & Roasted Garlic Hummus with pickled vegetables & assorted olives

Entree Spiced Rubbed Lamb & Beef Meatballs Herb Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers Vegetable Chickpea Fritters Moroccan pilaf with dried cherries and toasted pinenuts

Dessert Vanilla Thyme cupcakes – @floursinyourhair, D.C. Food Blogger Rice Pudding – @shanellystaste, NYC Food Blogger

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Stay tuned for more events coming this Summer and Fall!

G.Alexandra’s Thyme Out Dinner Party 2017 – Washington, D.C. Saturday, June 3, 2017; G.Alexandra hosted their first pop-up dinner party series, #ThymeOut in the Nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.

[the-poke-nebula]

"Boys and Girls of every age,

Wouldn't you like t'see something strange~?"

[the-poke-nebula]

"That's my secret- I'm always thinking about boobs.~"

[the-poke-nebula]

"I mean good on ya! Maybe you can find some slime that won't just spread everywhere.

As a Spooky-Season Afficionado I approve of this."

"...That is the weirdest freakin' thing I've ever seen but for some reason I just can't stop looking at it."