#Cheap ladies accommodation

[intergalacticfop]

Minoan Kilt

The large, structural skirt worn by Minoan women in art is instantly recognizable, and when I made my own I combined current best guesses with my own personal tastes.

My kilt shape follows the hypothesis laid out by Bernice Jones in her book Ariadne's Threads: The Construction and Significance of Clothes in the Aegean Bronze Age. She describes the shape of that of a labrys, a double-headed axe with apparent ceremonial significance in Ancient Minoan culture. This garment may be depicted in Linear-B logogram *166 + we, we-being the backwards-s-shaped squiggle in the center which identifies the piece as a garment.

See pages 336 and 341 in Marie-Louise B. Nosch, The Textile Logograms in the Linear B Tablets

Actual details on construction and materials below the cut:

Construction:

The top and bottom edges of the kilt are concave, so the sides are longer than the middle. This gives the chevron-shape seen on layered kilts in art. In addition, the curved top half makes the skirt flare out, accommodating the hips and giving more freedom of movement to the legs. My kilt measured from my waist to my anklebone at the longest point, and about 1.5 times around my waist.

I chose to make a flounced kilt, with smaller strips of fabric and trim applied to a large base piece, rather than a tiered kilt, in which multiple kilt shapes of varying length are layered one on top of the other, so you end up wrangling 3 layers of fabric around the waist. The flounced kilt saves fabric and gives you a lot more freedom with whatever trim you might want. Jones' diagram for a flounced kilt is seen below:

Unlike the version in the diagram above, I chose not to attach ties to the garment itself both because the linen I used was very heavy and I was concerned about weight, and also because folding the skirt and securing it with a separate tie worked just fine for my tastes. In total I had four flounces: 2 alternating rows each of fabric and fringe.

The vertical edges of most kilts are left plain, probably representing either the selvage or an edge otherwise finished off to prevent fraying. For my kilt, however, I ended up with a couple inches of self-fringe on either side as I adjusted the fabric to the correct width. At least three examples of kilts with fringed vertical edges are known, all three from the so-called "House of the Ladies" in Akrotiri

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Image 1. Image 2.

The vertical edges of these kilts are reinforced with a colored band or tape, probably to keep the garment from unintentional further fraying. Accordingly, I did the same on my kilt. I also like that it gave a nice vertical diagonal to counterbalance the horizontal ones.

Materials

I tried to use mainly linen and wool, the fibers most available on Ancient Crete, but some of my trim was cotton because sometimes you just have to use what's cheap and available in the today times.

The base of my kilt is a heavy, patterned linen in what's called a diaper weave, meaning that a repeating diamond pattern is woven into the pattern itself. A lot of the Minoan textiles depicted in frescoes are characterized by repeating geometric patterns, likely woven into the fabric itself, and that was something I wanted to capture in my own piece. My linen is woven with both cream and natural colored threads. The heavy weight is important to give structure to the garment--otherwise it would be kind of limp. My linen was from Burnley & Trowbridge (shameless plug), as was the plain cotton twill tape I used to bind the top and bottom edges of the kilt, and the dark red wool twill tape I used along the vertical edges.

I bought my cotton fringe from a rug supply store. I had to search a while to find a fringe that would work for me, and I ultimately chose fringes with a woven header rather than the more common knotted one, so that it would lay flat against the kilt. I hid the woven header under a layer of cotton fringed trim from Michaels (yes, Michaels) with this really great diamond and dots pattern woven in black.

The blue layers are from a bolt of vintage wool Kimono fabric. Blue appears frequently in frescoes, likely achieved with indigo or woad dye, or even murex/mollusk dye. The fabric is printed with an imitation ikat pattern of diamonds and squares that made me think "the vibes seem right!" because quite frankly, you aren't going to get "historically accurate" Minoan textiles (which there probably isn't enough archaeological evidence to definitively describe) without, like, hand-weaving it yourself or paying someone hundreds of dollars to do it for you (and that price is if the weaver really likes you). Neither of which appealed to my desire to just make a fun, low stress project. Good enough is good enough.

The narrow trim on the bottom of the blue flounces is vintage cotton/poly woven trim. This trim, while narrow, was quite thick and stiff, which was great because it added more weight and structure to the end of my flounces since the wool fabric itself was quite thin.

The top layer is a custom tablet-woven wool trim that I commissioned from MAHTAVAhandicraft on Etsy. I imagined this as the "centerpiece" of my kilt, and I'd arrange everything to complement it.

It's a kivrim pattern, which has itself only been traced to 19th-century Anatolia, but I didn't care. The way it looks like waves reminded me of how central the sea was to life in the Ancient Aegean and Mediterranean and it captured the idea and aesthetic I was pursuing. I mean, doesn't it remind you of these dolphins?

(I like the dolphins)

The whole thing was machine sewn with the exception of hemming and adding trim to the blue flounces. If you were to look at it from the back, you'd see lots of zigzag stitches, because i wanted to be fast! and have fun! not chase some unreachable ideal of "accurate."

As for wearing it, I chose to wear it with the top part folded/rolled down over a belt, so I have a thick tube of fabric around my waist. Many images, like the frescoes above of women with fringed kilts, appear to just show the kilt being tied closed. Other images are so fragmented or stylized that it's unclear what kind of skirt closure was used. Sculptures and figurines definitely show some kind of SOMETHING around the waist, whether this is folded fabric or a kind of belt is unclear. Different art could show different things!

I think I see evidence of a continuous line from the skirt to the waist-roll on the figure on the left, found in Troas, which I think indicates some kind of skirt-folding situation. The woman on the right, found in Crete, looks more like she's wearing some kind of long coiled belt, or perhaps snakes. Who knows? I don't! For my own part, I found the combination of rolled waist + tie belt the most secure for doing things like kneeling, stomping around, and wading into rivers to rescue bees. I also liked that it gave me the bulk around the hips that gives Minoan figurines such a powerful silhouette, and proportionally gives more of an hourglass shape. If you wanted to do something more firmly grounded in the sources, stick just with the waist tie or belt, wrapped around a couple times and tied in back. If you want to be like me, just say "well we don't KNOW it didn't happen" and just do whatever you want. Have fun! Whatever happens, it should be fairly easy to move around in the kilt--this is not a restrictive garment, just a heavy one.

[kinichval]

when our paths cross again

missing your flight to inazuma and crashing your ex's place for the holidays is certainly not in your 2024 bingo card, nor is it your ideal way of celebrating the year-end. but here you are anyway.

content. ex!scaramouche x fem!reader, modern!au, angst, tension, YEARNING, profanities. | 3.1k words.

december 23rd, 20:34.

“i deeply apologize, ma'am. however, the earliest available flight to inazuma is 72 hours from now.”

great. great.

is the world punishing you for splurging the past three days before coming home to inazuma for the holidays by miscalculating your estimated time of arrival at the airport?

not only did you not have a place to stay, your wallet is tight on cash, and also the fact that you're basically stuck in sumeru for the rest of december unless you wait a whole three days ‘til you're flying back to inazuma. it wouldn't be a problem waiting if you didn't have businesses to resume after the twenty-fifth.

sighing in defeat, you could only offer your gratitude to the lady behind the desk for accommodating your concern. neither does she hold any power to twist your situation favoring the happy ending of eating a delicious buffet with your family, drinking wine all night, and unwrapping the gifts that were held in secret for who knows how long.

now, you sit by the window of a small cafe near the airport. a cup of warm americano accompanying your bummed out ass on this extra cold winter night. there's no snow blanketing sumeru city, but tonight puts you on the border of frostbites with this god awful truth that you won't be home for the holidays.

and then there's that additional layer of coldness that hits your skin when you stood up and was about to exit the cafe, destination still in progress, but all thoughts are cut off when you look up and find sickeningly familiar purplish, cool-toned irises staring at you with wrinkled nose bridge from that scrunched up expression that makes you want to slap the hell out of him.

what a fucking self-entitled bastard to be the one looking all disgusted at this displeasing predicament when he was the one saying “we should break up.” four years ago on a just as cold monday night in december.

“are you not going to apologize for spilling cold water on my shirt?” you hiss, shivering underneath as the multitude of glaciers penetrate your skin.

“why would i apologize if i meant for it to spill?”

an asshole he is, scaramouche is a fucking asshole.

except you're in this asshole's passenger seat because apparently you're too broke to afford a few more days of ‘vacation’, so you're—not by choice—accepting his offer to spend christmas with him at his place.

considering the menacing scheme he pulled, you're wary of other ill-intent motives he has tucked in under his visage of kindness.

you grit your teeth. great. this is not what you wrote to santa, sadly there's no return system and you have to endure whatever bullshit this man is envisioning in his mind.

december 23rd, 22:08.

so far, scaramouche is acting strangely kind after purposely tipping his glass of ice cold water on you. the drive to his apartment was quiet, except for the series of korean r&b songs he hummed along to; he opened the car door and brought up your luggage to his unit; and he asked if you wanted a meal or snack.

“you're being weird. what do you want from me?” your cold tone mirrored the air of december, your eyes narrowed in disbelief and pursued to unveil the mischief playing in his head. “you're in a situation, i offered help, you accepted.” he simply responds as if it's a common thing to do for exes, for exes who have never seen each other for four years.

“how are you so casual about this? we're exes.”

“would you rather get hypothermia out in the city looking for a cheap and open place to stay?”

“i—”

“if you did, you wouldn't be here right now. but look at us.”

he has a point. he only offered, it was you who accepted.

part of you wanted to walk away out of pettiness and embarrassment because you knew if this reaches your best friend's ears, you'd be sitting down and earning an earshot of a lecture from her about not reconnecting with exes regardless of the situation.

“okay fine, you win. i'll just sleep here tonight and i'll be on my merry way tomorrow.” exhaustion is already catching up to you, a yawn escapes past your lips. “you can sleep in my room, i'll be in the other bedroom.” there's that casual reply of his again, words spill out of him like this was just a normal, platonic conversation.

“it's even weirder sleeping in my ex's room, i'll just stay here.” you pat down on the soft cushion on his sofa, scaramouche shrugs and accepts your decision.

how odd of you to expect that he'll insist on having you sleep comfortably in his room?

december 24th, 2:21.

it's even odder and definitely out of character that scaramouche is still within your sight after declaring that you'll be sleeping a few hours ago.

but what the hell are you doing chatting and bickering with an abandoned christmas movie in the background?

somehow, you don't find it in yourself to push him out of your sight.

all those hours of biting back and forth had you writing notes of his life after you—the life that consisted of him being eligible for an exchange student here in sumeru city to which he proved he deserved that he was offered a scholarship to transfer in the esteemed akademiya, scaramouche will be graduating next year.

and you want to slap yourself for that one second of thinking what would be a nice graduation gift.

you also learned that scaramouche shares this apartment with a guy named sethos, he's currently on a holiday vacation which cancels out the wandering thought of why does scaramouche's apartment have two bedrooms.

and about his little stunt, he admitted to swearing to himself that when he sees you, he will pour water all over your top—with high hopes that you're wearing your favorite shirt—and see that horrified expression that he believes will satiate his reasonable amount of hate towards you (no, he doesn't hate you but he won't admit it.)

on the other hand, scaramouche now knows why you're stranded in sumeru and why your wallet forces itself shut in your pocket.

as one of the well performing employees in the company, your boss included you in his entourage for this business trip in sumeru. the schedule was a hassle, it was an almost three week business operation because christmas was in the middle of the whole thing so there's four free days to which your boss decided to go back to inazuma then return on the twenty-sixth. you followed his plan, come home for the holidays—you even spent the morning of the twenty-third buying presents for your family and peers—then fly back on the night of the twenty-fifth to continue your job.

but alas, you were late to arrive at the airport. underestimating the christmas rush in the center of the city, traffic clogs the road causing frustration as everyone was thinking of the same thing: it's christmas.

and you were old enough to know that santa wouldn't give you a miracle that someone was willing to give up their seat in the next flight to inazuma, not that the thought didn't give you a flicker of hope. but you end that idea with a bitter chuckle.

“why didn't you come home for the holidays?” you wonder, your mind traveling back to the last few christmas if he ever flew to inazuma to celebrate the winter holidays back home.

“i don't come home during vacations.” he avoids your curious stare when he answers, seemingly having more words stuck in his throat that he swallows. 

you don't press it further, you know that scaramouche makes up his mind whether or not the reason behind a decision is substantial. 

“is sumeru better than inazuma?” curiosity is getting the best of you, it's an innocent query to anyone. maybe you were just trying to gain insight because of migration plans or vacation ideas. “well, i like it here.” his response has you tilting your head, a subtle sign of wanting to know more.

“i don't know, i'm surviving here so i guess it's not that bad.”

“are you coming back to inazuma after you graduate?”

“no.”

the zero second gap between your sentences startles you. it intrigues you, a quiet voice telling you to find whatever truth he keeps inside his heart.

because despite scaramouche doing most things according to the law of just because and how he wants things to be, this one seems to bear a reason that he dares not to tell a soul.

there's a weighted silence draped over you, but you feel the tempting force to keep scaramouche here overpowering the former.

december 24th, 12:49.

the afternoon rays of the sun pierces through your skin as the wind gently blows the curtains allowing the sun's presence to grace over your slumber.

rubbing your eyes, you try to recover the memory of last night. oh, right, you and scaramouche… in his apartment on christmas eve, what a totally normal ex-lover reunion, truly.

hell no—

“how long are you sleeping? it's afternoon already.”

scaramouche's voice rings through your ears and suddenly you want to deactivate your sense of hearing. your brain cogs were turning, processing a remark that will hopefully crush his soul, his whole life, his dreams, his—

“lunch is ready. get up while (favorite dish) is still hot.”

and you're bolting to the kitchen, accidentally bumping on the corner of the wall, but all is well as you hide the pain in your knee under the dining table.

“you cook now?” you raise your eyebrow. four years ago, scaramouche only knew how to heat up food and modern era's favorite instant noodles. 

“how do you think i survive?” he retorts back, handing you an ice pack before sitting down across you. “that must've hurt. deserve.” he strikes, you squeeze hard on the ice pack which quickly returns your pressure with the coldness it possesses.

four years later, scaramouche changed, but somehow you still feel the same scaramouche you loved lingering. you wonder if who you were four years ago would believe that this is what happens four years later—that you'll break up on a december night and find your ex lover again on a december night.

albeit the second night feels much more colder than the first fall of snow. ironic, because sumeru doesn't experience a snowy weather.

you flinch at the contact of the ice pack to your poor knee, your face contorts. scaramouche fights back a laugh, you hear the slipping sound of him swallowing it down, “just hold the ice pack, i'll feed you.” your brain freezes, unable to wholly process his words and he's already moved to sit beside you, grabbing the spoon and put in front of your lips.

you comply anyway, parting your lips to let him feed you. it's your favorite, you didn't want to pass up the opportunity even though your face is already heating up because why the fuck is scaramouche so close—you're already in his apartment, if that's not already an invasion of personal space (as exes) then you're at loss with the chaotic beating of your heart clouding your perception.

scaramouche continues to feed you, alternating his own portion in between. scaramouche is kind, but he hasn't pulled any mean gimmicks, there's the unfriendly remarks and triggers of annoyance—but he's not acting up. not yet, you suppose.

maybe he'll pull tricks on you on christmas.

a gift of revenge, you thought he would think of it as such.

december 24th, 17:31.

you're unable to read what exactly is going on in scaramouche's mind. is he carefully watching your steps align with his plan and waiting for that go signal to surprise you with the ultimate revenge or is he secretly still in love with you and he's trying to win you back through the little things he knows would matter to you?

either way, you couldn't reject his offer to drive down the city on the evening of christmas eve.

“is this how you spent christmas since you moved here?”

scaramouche pursues his lips into a thin line, eyes still on the road, he takes a few moments to respond.

“depends, last year i just slept through the whole thing.” he shrugs it off, your shoulder drops and a deadpan replaces your anticipating look.

“but i drive a lot at night.” he says, your eyebrow raises, “you're not from here so might as well make this a free vacation.” he finally glances at you, albeit teasingly.

“what kind of ex does that?”

“your ex.”

air gets stuck in your throat, why the fuck did it sound like he's still giving you the right of ownership? your ex. yours, even if he isn't.

“did you not date anyone in the akademiya?”

“why would i?”

“i don't know. did no one seem interesting or did you get rejected?”

“they're not you.”

scaramouche is charged guilty after all.

december 24th, 18:00.

scaramouche opens a can of carbonated soda, the fizz loud enough to turn your attention on him. the stars are twinkling bright over your heads and they hear your longing.

the stars know about your yearning.

the breeze of the night grazes over your skin, you flinch at the coolness, wrapping your arms around yourself. the two of you sit inside his car, windows rolled down; scaramouche brought you to where edge of sumeru.

the coastal highway, a familiar scenery.

ah, right, scaramouche has always been expressive of sitting down staring at the ocean beside the road.

“so—”

“i—”

eyes nervously look at each other, the enemy-esque banter is out of the window when you realize that the both of you aren't trying piss the other off.

scaramouche gulps, heaving a sigh.

“i'm sorry, yn. i'm sorry for leaving you.”

you're confused, why would he apologize after four years? you remember vividly how his last words before he turned his back against you was “let's break up, i'm sorry.”

your heart sinks, unable to yield a thought. it seems you're paralyzed as if all the suppressed feelings that you buried were resurrected and has you on chokehold.

“are you sorry because you still love me?”

scaramouche is silent, he doesn't look at you.

“i'm sorry because i didn't know what to do and breaking up seemed to be the only less damaging route.”

he reasons as his head lowers down, eyes fixate on the can in his hand, “i love you, but it didn't take rocket science to see that we were ruining each other.” you notice the bitter smile curve on his lips.

“yn, i know you were sacrificing too much for us. i know that any more of it will break you.”

“no—”

“you can't tell me otherwise when i saw it in your eyes that you needed to breathe.”

well, curse the fucking tears for ruining your supposed composed being. you hate believe his words.

“i needed you, scar.”

you did, you desperately needed your scar to save you from the chaotic world.

“but i needed me too, yn. and you needed yourself.”

oh.

“then, why do you hate me?”

your voice cracks.

“if i hated you, i wouldn't have looked your way back in the cafe.” he chuckles, “if it's because i spilled water on you, that was just me trying to get your attention.” he admits, your heart tightens.

“four years since we broke up and i still love you, yn.” he chugs down his soda, doing all that he can to avoid seeing your teary eyes, “it's not that i didn't fight for us, i did. but how can i let you suffer like that when i'm already short of what i promised you? i was compromising both you and my future.” he hears you sob and he breaks, his heart equally as broken as yours.

after all, you two truly were in love.

but love as it is will never be enough.

“if we stayed, i'm afraid i'll lose you in the worst way.”

“losing you is already the worst, scar.”

time is a lousely doctor, because until this moment, there's a silent plead for the other half to come back—to love again.

“i'm sorry, scar.” you cry, reaching out to hold him but fall mid-way. your memories flash before your eyes when the nights leading to the break-up consisted of more sincere apologies than the warmth of ‘i love you's.

it kills you to hear more ‘i'm sorry’s.

well, the last blow, the ultimate death was when you heard ‘let's break up’ because after then, you won't be hearing his voice.

you bitterly laugh to yourself, you realized it would've been more painful to hear apologies like it's your routine, a cycle of missteps that muttering a sorry is also part of the egg shells.

you knew no one was to blame, but someone had to cut that cycle. if it had to be scaramouche, then so be it, even if he had to suffer knowing that you suffer because of his loss from your life.

and he knows that if you had realized it sooner, it would've been you who saved your individual lives.

now, silence envelops you, the high tide moves the waves further to the shore allowing its crash to be heard from your position.

december 24th, 23:11.

you and scaramouche still love each other, there's a mutual hope for things to fall back into place. but time isn't the same as four years ago, neither are you and scaramouche.

for all that it's worth, you lay in his arms, his chest heave behind your back.

for what love can allow you to be, scaramouche settles his chin on the crown of your head.

for what you know should just be, yours fingers are intertwined and small bits of laughter blend in with the air as you share moments in your life that made you thought of the other.

you wish for scaramouche to come back as your lover and for you to love him unconditionally, without the constraint of losing yourself.

because you and scaramouche changed over the past four years, and if love allows a second chance,

“i will get to know the newer versions of you than ever think of meeting someone else.”

but alas, things won't be that easy for love alone can not hold a lifetime.

and so, as the seconds inch nearer to christmas, you only have one wish that you hopefully will come true the next year—

“i want our paths to cross again, and maybe then, we can start anew.”

“i'll catch up to you, yn.”

december 25th, 00:00.

merry christmas, please find me again.

[vintagesimstress]

Roman Palla (Zeussim's Desi Gita Redux)

TSR's latest collection prompted me to finally finish a thing which was sitting in my WIPs' folder for months. I'd been hoping to make some more add-ons for it, but let's face it: I lost my steam halfway through, it's not happening, so the best I can do is to release it as is. Still pretty good, I hope!

As my GBSC playthrough is slowly but steadily approaching the Roman Britain era, I found myself in need for some outfits for my sim ladies. There's a bunch of stuff out there, but rather on the 'what we'd like Romans to have dressed like' side, not necessarily what history tells us about how they really dressed. Tbh I thought it was a hopeless endeavour, but then dear Buzzard directed me towards this amazing post by Zeussim - more specifically, the Desi Gita dress, which with a bit of imagination could work for a Roman palla. So I set off to work and romanised it even further. Big thank you to @buzzardly28 for the tip and to @zeussim for her generous ToU!

The mesh is slightly edited (cutouts on shoulders, adjusted headscarf position to accommodate a wider variety of hairstyles) and recoloured in my Iron Age palette, in two versions: 'silk' (or just any smooth textile, really)* or 'wool' (or anything rather on the coarse side). AND it comes with overlays - for both versions! Which means you can mix and match not only different colours, but different textiles as well. You're a well-off lady who just arrived in Londinum and is now freezing her butt off in the cold northern climate? No worries, put a wool palla over your pretty silk dress! Or you by some miracle managed to get your hands on one piece of silk? Wear it with you wool dress to a party to show off!

Many of the wool swatches, especially in combination with different pale/greenish overlays, work quite well for common folk:

There's also an accessory fibula - pretty and golden (or silver), for the richer ones. Found somewhere on Sketchfab. (That's exactly where I got stuck - I wanted to make a variety of different ones, so that the poorer women would also have something to choose from... Alas).

As always, all packages come in HQ (default) or non-HQ versions (for those of you who want to save some HDD space). Download only one per package!

If there are any other Roman era players out there: hope you enjoy :)

DOWNLOAD (free on Patreon, no ads or EA)

*OK, I feel like I have to add a little note: my quick research revealed that silk was insanely expensive for the majority of the Roman era. Like, 'only for the emperor and fams' level of expensive. Only at the end it became... emmm... 'cheap' enough to be accessible also to the aristocracy. So just pretend it is whatever the heck you want it to be, not necessarily real silk

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias x Reader - Flight Hours Part 2/3

+18

It's so filthy yet so sweet 🙈

Part 1 Part 3

Ruben and Reader are flight attendants on their way to Portugal. Although they are of to a bad start, the two end up finding common ground.

Enjoy!

"I'm sorry miss Y/L/N there's unfortunately no booking with us in your name."

"What?"

After eight hours in the air, your flight from Dubai to Lisbon finally arrived. The layover between your next flight was 72 hours, meaning you had three days off in Portugal. However, without anywhere to stay.

"But if you're willing to pay the price of a hotel room, we'll be more than happy to help you." Said the lady at the hotel front desk, who really tired to be helpful.

"H....how much would that be....for a room, I mean?" You prayed for anything below what you were getting paid an hour.

"Aproximetly 200 euros per night."

"Oh for fuck sakes."

"I'm sorry ma'am, perhaps I can check for rooms in the hotels nearby?" Said the startled lady. She seemed fairly new at her job. Otherwise, she would have known that you as a flight attendant could only be accommodated to hotels approved by your airline. If not, there'd be no dilatory compensation for your expenses.

"It's fine, I'll figure it out." You said and sounded real convincing when in reality you had no idea what to do. You could always stay in a cheaper hotel in the city, however, your airline required that you stay near the airport in case they ever decided to reschedule and put you on an earlier flight.

It was really messy indeed. You remained in the hotel lobby for the majority of that day, really clueless on what to do. You sat with your hands covering your face when suddenly, a familiar voice.

"Have you been rescheduled for an earlier flight?"

"Huh?"

You raised your head, surprised to see the asshole flight attendant from your previous flight. "Ruben?"

He was out of uniform. No vest. No tie. He didn't smile at you either. He more so looked concerned, regarding you still wearing your flight attendant uniform with a small suitcase next to you. "Are you leaving already?" He asked.

You thought of something sarcastic to say, like, "Why do you care?" However, you were simply too exhausted to be bickering. "My airline forgot to book my accommodation in Portugal. I assume everything got mixed up between my layover in Dubai this morning."

"Oh."

"Yeah, so I'm stuck here for now until I've figured out where I can stay cheap and without being too far away from the airport."

"In Lisabon, that's nearly impossible. Unless you're staying in the city, of course, which I'm assuming isn't an option for you."

"No." You groand, hans covering your eyes again.

"Hey, hey...."

Ruben must have thought that you were breaking out in tears. He crouched down before you, forcing you to meet his eyes while he caressed your knees with his thumbs. "It's not that big of a deal, okay."

"Oh, please, Ruben, I've had enough of you today. Just leave me alone, will you?"

"I could, and I should." He smiled. "But there's no way I'm letting check into some sketchy hotel just for the sake of it."

"What are you doing?"

Ruben rose to his feet, grabbing your suitcase.

"Ruben, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing. I'm offering you to stay with me."

It was bizarre, completely bizarre for you to stay with Ruben. Then again, what were your other options? Ruben also explained that his layover was only 24 hours and that his airline would pay for his accommodation as long as he was checked into it, meaning you could continue staying in his hotel room even when he was gone.

"So, should we grab some dinner?"

"Excuse me?"

To your suprise, Ruben's airline wasn't as strict as yours, meaning that he was staying at a hotel in the city, free to roam its streets as he pleased.

"You must be hungry, no?"

You were, you really were. However, you imagined that dinner with Ruben would be a nightmare.

"I'll wait for you to take a shower. Unless... you want me to join you?"

"Fuck off."

You grabbed some clothes from your suitcase and made your way to the hotel bathroom. Ruben was a pain, sure. However, there was something about him that made you feel safe, or at least trust him. Perhaps it was his flight attendant manners? The way he accepted your boundaries and didn't push your buttons any further than you could handle. Or maybe it was the looks. There was no denying how attractive he was. Perhaps he'd let you fuck him with a pillowcase over his head? If it ever came to that, you'd make sure to ask.

"Where are we going?"

It was funny. After your shower, you stepped out of the bathroom wearing a red summer dress with white and yellow flowers. Ruben's eyes had widened at the sight of you, his mouth coming ajar as if he wanted to tell you something. However, he never did. Ruben remained quiet even as you stepped out onto the streets of Lisbon, the city with a nightlife like no other.

"Ruben?" You stopped in the middle of the street. He turned back to look at, confused as to why you stopped walking. You folded your arms. "I'm not taking another step until you tell me where we're going?"

His lips twitched into a smile. "Don't you trust me?"

"No, I don't."

His expression faltered, but only for a split second. "Fair enough. I have a friend, he owns a restaurant near the beach. You'll like it, come on."

Ruben offered you his hand. It was so arrogant of him to assume that you would take it after literally admitting not to trusting him. Still, you took it. You let the size of his palm cover yours, the walk to the beach continuing in silence.

Arriving at the restaurant, you were welcomed with open arms by Ruben's friend. It was a family business, with kids running around the tables chasing each other around. If someone would fall, an adult would be sure to pick them up, soothe their tears, and then give the child a slap on the wrist for them to go running again. You didn't mind the liveliness. It was actually quite lovely.

"I always come here if I have a layover in Lisabon." Ruben told you over dinner.

"I thought you were Portuguese. Why wouldn't you just go home to your parents?"

"My mother doesn't like it when I stay for short periods of time. It breaks her heart whenever I leave."

"I see." You nodded.

"How about you?"

"Me?" You frowned.

"Yeah, do you visit your parents when you have a layover in Germany?"

Something tightened in your chest. "I....My parents, my entire family really, are gone...." Suddenly, the sorrows of your life washed over you, reminding of the escape you had as a flight attendant. Ruben was right when he said that up in the sky was a no mans land. Down on earth is where all mans problems actually existed.

"I'm so sorry Y/N."

You flinched. Ruben had gone to cover your hand with his, his gaze sympathetic and gentle. You quickly realized that you were crying, that the tears had welled up in your eyes quicker than you could control.

"Excuse me." You stood from the table, leaving the restaurant in a hurry. You only left to get some fresh air, though. Nevertheless, Ruben found where you had gone to sit by the beach,  joining you in the sand.

"Flight attendant rule number one, never get too personal." He sighed. I fucked up and I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." You sniffled. "They died in an accident when I was six. I barley remember my parents or my siblings."

"What kind of accident?"

You shot Ruben a glance, however the way he was staring back at you softened your furrowed expression. "A plane crash." You muttered.

Ruben's eyebrows lifted.

"I always hope to feel closer to them by taking this job. Maybe even one day I'd...."

"Y/N..." Ruben shifted beside you, his hands stroking your cheek. However, you slapped it away. "Don't feel sorry for me."

"I'm not. I mean I don't."

"Not all of us are in this to join the so called Mile High Club, okay."

"Y/N, I never...."

"Yes, you did Ruben."

His expression told you that he remembered your encounter on the plane.

"Like why would you even ask me that?"

"Cuz I'm an asshole." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm an asshole who doesn't know how to act after the first encounter with the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen was while she was naked in the shower."

You snorted. Like a piglet you snorted.

"Yeah, what an icebreaker." Ruben laughed. Your laughter fuelled each other's and slowly came down to the sounds of ocean waves crashing against shore.

"Fuck, you're really beautiful." Ruben said, not even hiding the fact that he was checking you out.

"Thanks, you too." You chirped.

"And that red dress..."

Ruben's breath was in your ear, warm and soft.  "Why did you have to wear that damn dress?"

"I don't know." You sighed and turned your head so that your cheek caressed his stubble. "Perhaps I wanted to tease you?"

"Well, no more teasing." Ruben grabbed your chin, tilting your body backward for you to lay down in the sand. He kissed you gently as if your lips were made out of flower pebbles. You hymned in response as his hands crept up your thighs and under the skirt of your dress. Ruben then deepend the kiss with his tongue, beginning for its access into your mouth. The white sand was warm against your back. Ruben's weight pressing you further into it, his hips grinding against your thigh.

"Can I...with my finger?" Ruben's fingertips were already brushing over the wet patches of your panties, but when you gave him the green light to go further, you were done for.

"Shit."

"Sshhhh." He hushed. "Relax baby. You're already so wet for me."

Ruben made fast circles over your clit, alerting every inch of your nerve endings. His mouth then went from your lips to your breasts, where he used his teeth to pull down your cleavage, freeing your breasts. They bounced with your grinding hips, you were begging for Ruben's fingers to enter you. However, he seemed determined to make you come this way.

"God, you're sexy. So fucking sexy." He said, in between sucking on your nipples, his hand still tucked between your thigs. You arched your back with the pleasure it gave as you moved further to the edge of your orgasm.

Ruben rose to his knees, quick to unbuckle his belt. His dick felt out of his pants throbbing and hard, with the tip leaking with cum. He was on the verge of erupting just like you. He positioned himself between your legs. You reached for his hips and used your legs to lure him in. "Fuck." You squealed as his cock crashed into you like a train through a tunnel, however not as smooth. Ruben was big and hard. Perhaps too big and too hard. Nevertheless the two of you continued to fuck each other sensless on the beach. The sound of your sinful panting evaporating into the night. It all came down to one frantic orgasm, shared between the two of you, your bodies squirming in the sand until the spasms became less frantic and more loving.

"Are you cold?" Ruben asked, kissing your lips. He then went to lay on his back beside you, pulling up his pants as he did.

"A little." You whispered.

"We should get back to the restaurant and pay for our food."

You chuckled. "I'm not going back like this."

Ruben's head shifted, seeing the damage that he had done. Your dress was practically ripped at the front, exposing most of your thigh and the bite marks that Ruben's mouth had left on the insides of the.

"Fuck, Y/N, I'm so sorry." He sat up and started checking for more bruises, however, all you did was laugh at him and the way he seemed to genuinely worry.

"What's so funny?" He asked and help you up to stand on your feet. He went to brush off the sand on your legs before pulling you towards him with his hands on your hips.

"You." You said, wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. It's funny how you pretend to be this asshole flight attendant when you're really a sweetheart."

Ruben smiled, his eyes squinting as he did. He then leaned in to kiss you, not pulling away until your need for air. "Maybe I am a sweetheart." He said. "Just don't tell anyone."

Part 1 Part 3

[yandere-fics]

♡ How They React To Finding You Sleeping Somewhere Uncomfortable After Running Away From Them ♡

(In my defense for not writing sooner in the day and starting to write my fic of the day literally minutes before minute, I just got portal 2 which I have never played before so… also it sstill counts as a fic per day I think because it's once per sleep cycle and since I'm not sleeping until like 2 here, it's fine.)

♡ Probably more enraged than any of the others about this because she has dignity as a noble so she'd be angry to find her queen even sleeping in a medium quality bed but in a cheap inn? Where it's cold and they offered you nothing but a simple cloth blanket? With less than desired food accommodations? She should burn this inn to the ground for not recognizing that they had nobility in their mix but no, she'll let it be for now, she could use that as blackmail after all. If you don't want that inn burning to the ground then you had better start accepting your place as queen, if you don't then she might tell everyone that they polluted her queen's mind! Look, her queen prefer commoner things ever since she returned from that nasty place! They ruined your tastes! You'll listen to her now right? ♡

♡ Elisha might be a bit angry depending on how bad and makeshift your accommodations are. You're rarely anywhere super fancy when it comes to her however even when you're camping outside or in an inn she always makes sure she has some fur blankets in the heavy backpack she lugs around just for her darling, at some point I imagine she would even try to learn some sort of storage magic though being the chosen one it means she's mostly incompatible with any magic that doesn't involve killing dragons so it probably would be a failed attempt. The point is though she makes sure you're decently comfortable so if she finds you cold and laying on the floor somewhere she's going to get pretty mad. I think she'd be pretty delusional about it though and think that you must not have chosen this, you just got lost and any attempts to tell her otherwise fall on deaf ears as she bundles you up. ♡

♡ While Pauline might not say this very often, it's clear by her actions that her darling is supposed to receive more luxuries than even she does and this becomes especially true when her parents are killed and you are given free reign of the master bedroom to make it as comfortable to you as possible, it doesn't matter if she doesn't prefer the fabric or whatever you chose for the bedding because her greatest comfort is you. Having said this, it would be extremely irritating to find you sleeping out in the forest, probably stuck there due to the curse banning you from going too far from her because she never wants to be like her family, depriving their darlings of luxuries as punishment. She isn't likely to say much about it except for whispering under her breath for awhile about how you're an idiot and holding you tighter as you sleep. You will however find you have a whole slew of chamber maids assigned specifically to keep you in luxuries and prevent you from going anywhere uncomfortable for you. ♡

♡ Abigail is incapable of being normal about this. While the others can refrain from taking their rage out on an innocent business, she can not. How could they let a delicate lady stay in such an unrefined place? Of course they had to have know you were a fragile little lady, it would be impossible not to, she saw it on you the first second she met you so they would have had to realize you needed better commodities. Just to spite them she'd buy out the business and turn it into a luxury inn that allows ladies to stay there for cheaper which would be subsidized by the kingdom nobles because if their darling ever went away they would also like to know they were staying somewhere better. She'll also have to send you away for training in the family manor while she is back at the capital preaching about how they need more luxury inns that are cheap because the ladies couldn't possibly stay somewhere with a rough bed even for a night. ♡

♡ She is by far the worst about this, you are of course a perfect beautiful goddess and these people had the pleasure of being the ones who were supposed to serve you while you were in their establishment yet she finds you in a filthy room that's freezing cold so now she is going to eat them all. She'll hunt them and let them know fear before she finishes their sorry lives and then she'll burn the building to the ground because it is truly a place of horror in her eyes. She hopes once she gets you home you'll understand out of all the filthy pests in the world she is the only person capable of ever serving you correctly. She'll also cry a lot. ♡

♡ Don't think for even a second just because you live in the forest you won't have a nice place to sleep. Your sleeping conditions are pretty excellent because she always goes hunting in order to find great furs and invites plenty of merchants to turn the things she steals and gathers for you into luxury goods, they even put a good bed frame and mattress in the cave though you don't sleep on that when she's in heat or it would break. She also wouldn't be super angry about it though if she just finds you asleep somewhere in the forest, she'll drag you back to the cave and lay you done. If you have a scratch on you though then it's another story and she might chain you to the bed in the cave so stay comfortable and importantly, not hurt. ♡

♡ When she finds you, into the jail cell you go, she'll laugh really hard about it too. She's not the highest court position possible but she's still close to the top being one of the few who can make Theanna even chuckle with her cruelty in her comedy and executions and nobles are generally scared of her so if she asks for their room because it's better than hers, they will generally give in because she always seems to find a reason to execute anyone she doesn't like. If you don't like those accommodations though then you two can just sleep in the jail cell together because she has never been picky about where she sleeps. She'll find it very funny that you're stuck in a jail cell when you could have had a proper bed. Might let you out if you stuck her dick. ♡

♡ Ainsley has a decent bit of delusionality to her but even this is hard for her to write off. You'll have to work very very hard to convince her you love her and that you just got lost out there or were confused and didn't realize you loved her until you were sad and alone out there. You need to make sure to convince her though because if she's not convince then she will kill you both. Eventually she'll believe that you really were just lost out there and afterwards she'll keep you trapped in the two upper floors of the tower forever. She'll be the most upset about it because it challenges her delusionality that you wanted to be away from her so bad you fell asleep under a cold hard tree. ♡

[lizzy019]

Do you think you could write a blurb of johnny or twobit with y/n bringing up the idea of riding his face? She'd be like "johnny/twobit d'ya think i could like..." Johnny/twobit: "🧍huh, ya sure...?" LMAO idk im sry i suck at asking requests 💀

I have to do this with Two-Bit lmaoo I have an idea!

~~~~~~~~~ 18+ ~~~~~~~~~~~🌿~~~~~~~~~~~ 18+ ~~~~~~~~~

Seated on the couch with a blanket draped over your lap, the screen's flashing lights displayed Mickey Mouse. Two-Bit was happily watching a rerun and drinking his beer as he did so.

He was enthralled with the cartoon, and his sweet laugh could be heard whenever something he found funny or amusing came up. It was nice in a way, to share something he enjoyed and see why he loved it so dearly. Maybe it was a bit childish, sure, but he really seemed to like it.

"Oh lord, Pluto's so dumb! The dog ate a damn piece of wood thinkin' it was a bone." Two-Bit giggled, turning to you and smiling.

You smiled back. Soon, the commercials had interrupted the show, and Two-Bit frowned.

"You alright? You haven't talked much." He asked you, putting his beer bottle down and looking at you.

You shrugged, thinking back to something Dally had mentioned earlier.

"Y'know, I met up with this girl who was drunk offa cheap alcohol and she told me she wanted to put her face on me. I ain't gonna lie, that was some good shit, man." His words rang clear in your head.

It was certainly a bold question, but you looked at Two-Bit, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Can I ride your face, Two?" You had dropped the bomb.

The poor guy was stunned speechless, almost choking on a sip of his beer as he stared at you incredulously. You were struggling to keep your eyes on his, and you were so nervous that he'd start berating you on whatever the hell you just asked him.

But he didn't.

Instead, he smiled and shrugged.

"Is that what you want, little lady?" Two-Bit hummed his question, smirking down at you as he placed his beer down.

With a hesitant expression, you nodded your head vigorously and waited patiently for his next move. In all honesty, you began to question whether this was a good idea or not, but slowly enough, Two-Bit had accommodated.

His body was adjusted to lay flat onto the couch, his hands pulling your soft body onto him as he made sure to assist you in taking off your pants and undergarments to make sure you were ready for him.

Once your lower half was stripped naked, you haphazardly got yourself situated onto his face, nervously beginning to drag your hips forward and backward along his now open mouth to get his tongue to make friction.

Soft moans were happily fleeing from your mouth, making a lovely little melody that Two-Bit would absolutely adore hearing on the daily.

Your hips grinded against him, your hands grappling at the couch's arm rest as you let yourself slip away into a state of pure passionate pleasure.

Regardless of your pathetic movements, Two-Bit helped move you back and forth with his hands firmly cupping the fat of your ass. He was trying (and failing) to get you to slow down since you were getting a bit of your slick on his nose and cheeks. But did his attempts work?

...No.

It didn't take long until you had found a rhythm that had you climbing up the stairs of ecstasy in no time. It was fast, brutal, and his tongue was practically raw from how much you were using him like a sex toy.

The cord in your tummy was tightening, so much so that your legs began to tremble and your pace slowed. But luckily Two-Bit was there to help move you and keep you going up those stairs of pleasure.

"Oh, Two! Two, your tongue feels so good!" You mewled, your hands digging into the fabric as you teetered on the edge of pure passion.

And soon enough, with a cry of his name, your legs seized up as your pussy made the creamiest mess on his mouth and chin. It felt hot, your veins and your nerves. It rattled your body just a bit too much, and you slouched instantly after.

Two-Bit was lapping up the excess, relishing in how sweet your cum was and how much you so graciously handed to him.

But once he noticed that you were all tired and worn out, he made himself useful and at least put on your panties before putting you back in your regular spot and covering your lap with the throw blanket once again.

And for the rest of the evening, it was lazy cuddles and innocent kisses.

[positivelybeastly]

Hi!! Is me, Stray! After many a trial and error, I now have an RP blog! Just letting you know I'm here and, uh, favorite music genres & favorite song headcanons for Hank?

Welcome to the roleplaying community! There's always a few ups and downs when you're first getting set up, especially if you've only ever set up the one Tumblr for personal use, but there's always room to learn, and I find that people tend to be generally pretty accommodating if you're as polite as you've been on Anon! If you have any questions about roleplay etiquette or the like, feel free to send another ask or just IM me.

As for favourite music genres and song headcanons for Hank, I generally think he's a pretty open minded fellow? There are a good few bands and types of music we know for certain that he enjoys.

Jocko Homo, by Devo.

Dead Man's Party, by Oingo Boingo.

Chopin's Nocturne.

60s rock! I can see him being a Creedence Clearwater Revival kinda guy.

Acis and Galatea!

The Rolling Stones!

Something you'll often see assumed of Hank is that just because he's a man of the arts, well read, and eloquent, is that he's some kind of music snob, that he only listens to opera, that he only enjoys classical, that he looks down on 'lesser' forms of music. And I honestly just don't believe that would be the case?

Like . . . here's the thing. Hank may talk fancy, but he is still, at best, a middle class farm boy from Illinois. If he has an accent, it's probably closest to a Chicago accent, if he hasn't trained his voice to do something entirely different - he does mention his voice has changed during his feline mutation to a baritone, so it's not out of the question. But he is not (or at least, he should not be) a hoity toity snooty asshole.

This is something even writers often get wrong about him - they assume that he's the smart character, ergo he must be the snooty, elitist character, which is something Ben Percy leans into, but it's not even just him, it's Paul Di Filippo in X-Men Unlimited vol. 2 #8, too. It becomes an asshole trait, and it's just. Not. Accurate.

Hank likes all kinds of music. In fact, I struggle to think of a kind he's outright stated he hates, though he's been around for 60 years, I'm sure someone can correct me. He's a curious fellow! He likes to explore! He'll consume any media, he quotes 1940s Superman comics, he watches Robin Hood movies with Wonder Man, why in god's name would he be a snob?

As for headcanon? I have tons! I often think, hmm, this feels like a song Hank would like, or a song that feels like a Hank song, when I listen to music, because. You know. Big blue guy's p much always on the brain.

I have a Spotify playlist that I occasionally add to, but currently on there is:

Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Joe Jackson - self deprecating, but also kind of a banger.

Carry on by fun - fun is an amazing band, and I definitely feel the lyricism and scale of their music would appeal to Hank.

Rain on Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande - I don't know if Hank would listen to this, but it has his vibe.

Cells by They Might Be Giants - I'm sorry, but have you fucking heard a band that more encapsulates Hank's personality?

Dr. Wanna Do by Caro Emerald - my old Abigail RP partner used to use this as her ringtone for Hank. I think Hank likes some jazz.

Cure for Me by Aurora - again, not one I think Hank would listen to, but again, it feels like Hank to me.

Very Good Advice by Robert Smith - Hank totally digs new wave and the Cure, and literary references mixed in with that vibe? Totally.

Moonshine by Caravan Palace - this song leads into Lone Digger by the same band, which I put on Dark Beast's playlist, representing the continuity between them. It has the right energy.

There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards by Ian Dury and the Blockheads - songs Hank would sing in the middle of the fight if it weren't full of swearing and comics were allowed to do that.

I Want You to Want Me by Cheap Trick - he does.

On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz - this just has exactly the right energy.

I Will Dare by The Replacements - "How smart are you? / How dumb am I? / Don't count any of my advice. / Oh, meet me any place or anywhere or anytime / Now I don't care, meet me tonight / If you will dare, I might dare."

Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift - another one that doesn't feel quite like something Hank would listen to, but I think we can all relate to this song a little bit (does that make me a basic bitch? Maybe), and some of the lyrics are so awfully Hank. "I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror," like, fuck.

Turning Japanese by The Vapors - Iunno, I just think he'd like it. I often think that if I were gonna make an OG X-Factor movie, this is what would start the movie during a fight scene.

I would also like to give @brw a shoutout for their excellent Hank playlist, which introduced me to, among other things, Touch-Tone Telephone, which feels like Hank's theme song.

Oh, also, The Plastic Age by The Buggles. Hank absolutely loves prog-rock, you know he does. Oh, and showtunes! The man just will not stop singing, in the middle of fights or while being filmed for the nightly news, so he totally vibes with some Broadway. I'd also be lying if I said that Dust and Ashes doesn't feel like a New X-Men Grant Morrison Beast vibe all over. And Hank would love it! A musical based on War and Peace? Sign him the fuck up!

[aminocamino]

Day 12 21st April - Navarette to Najera 17km 215m

We were both sad to leave our beautiful accommodation. Its been so relaxing here. We had a quick coffee and croissant at the local cafe, chatted to an Irish lady named Carol and arranged to meet her in Najero for food.

The walk today was probably the easiest so far. Very slow gentle climbs and descents. We took the detour to Ventosa - very pretty village well catered for with 2 cafes. The one we stopped at was spotless. Unfortunately the church was closed but the views from the church yard swept right across the vineyards and farmland.

Not sure what this is - looks like our dovecotes at home but don’t think its that.

We arrived in Najera at 12.40. The Albergue was closed till 1pm so we wandered over to a cafe nearby. The shops were all shut which was a shame as Carrie’s pole tip covers had come off in Viana. All poles usually have to go in a stand and when they were pulled out - Carrie thinks they slid off. We may end up getting them in Burgos but hopefully sooner.

The Albergue isn’t bad. We have a wee twin room in a very quiet area. Also there is a lit fire in the communal living area and the flue heats up the whole house.

Re Najera - neither of us liked it much. Noisy, dirty and too busy with a main road cutting through it. Its Sunday and we had difficulty finding somewhere to eat. Carrie ordered a vegetarian pizza and I ordered same but with ham. They took both our orders. They brought me red wine when I ordered white but worse - they only brought out one pizza - with ham. The ham was chopped up cheap processed ham not the advertised ‘Serrano’ ham. After much confusion we gave in and Carrie and I shared the meat pizza. It wasn’t easy getting the meat off it and Carrie ended up eating it. Then….then when we got the bill Carrie spotted they had charged us for two pizzas! 🤷‍♀️😡 Worst restaurant the entire trip!

The church in Najera on the way to our Albergue. But no stamp! Every church we go into we get our pilgrim passport or Credenzial is stamped at every church usually.

The monastery in Najera is the only part worth stopping for! It held some amazing sarcophagus.

[spectralsleuth]

HELLO - love LSoW! I'm curious as to if the boys being dumb rich celebrity kids will play into their schooling experience?

Mikey offering to buy his friends' snacks at lunch period like that meme where the lady says "it's one banana, how much could it cost? 10 dollars?"

I think Mikey would be more likely to be the kid who brings in food for everybody than buy lunches- which is its own kind of privilege itself!

It probably starts out with him bringing Japanese lunches to school(nothing fancy bc Yoshi can't cook anything fancy) and some kids maybe trying to tease him? The way that kids do about other kids lunches. But instead of letting it bother him he decided to start bringing in enough for everybody, and it stops the teasing real quick.

Yoshi, helping Mikey make enough onigiri for his class: And you didn't just fight them why? You know I'm fine with you boys fighting in school-

Mikey: This is better. :)

Mikey's that kid at school that has a lot of friends very effortlessly, and being mean to him just makes you feel like an asshole. Otherwise they have a pretty weird school experience; Leo filming movies, Donnie and his... projects. A lot of stuff I'll cover, but normal celebrity troubles. I think people underestimate how normal celebrity students become among a student body. When you see someone in class every day, often multiple years in a row, it becomes really easy to see them as normal and every day.

On the subject of money;

Yoshi is very very wealthy, and only getting wealthier since he is also working full time at the dojos on top of filming new movies. But outside of certain accommodations for the boys (soaking pool, full sized townhouse, LAWYER FEES, expensive lamps, etc) I think he probably lives relatively simple. He's probably lost a lot of his taste for fame and fortune, after the Nexus. he's the kind of rich person who would pay for your hospital bills without a thought, but he simply wouldn't think to do it, or see it where it's needed. Social warrior he is not. He is just a rich old(ish) man with little turtle kids.

Xander is his personal assistant on top of nanny, so the boys all pick up being cheap and thrifty from him. Even when Xander has the credit card, if he goes shopping for the Hamatos he brings coupons, supermarket flyers, etc. They'll go to three separate stores to get the best deals. I think Leo would love this the best; he gets very good at math as a kid, sitting in the grocery cart with a calculator and seeing how much they save while Xander piles in groceries around him.

AGAIN sorry this took so long to answer I got shy!! :') I hope this isn't too long either. But these asks are so good and are making me think.

[winterdeepelegy]

Prompt #22 - Fulsome

Trembling steps into a world she had forgotten Dusty roses on a royal velvet seat And the letter in her name brings her back again Familiar are the words upon the sheet -"Opus of the Night", Kamelot ------------------------------------------------------------

It would have been a lie to say she wasn't reluctant to accept the contract from a recently established opera house. This had once been her dream, and it was a dream she actively enjoyed for a time until the world and its problems decided she was needed elsewhere. Now, however, it felt so foreign to Ciel, sitting in a dressing room again and primping ahead of a performance. It didn't feel like "her" after so long away from the limelight. She tried not to focus on the mirror whilst stroking the soft bristles of a brush through her platinum hair to smooth it before working it into an elaborate coronet of braids around her head, and finally into one long braid down her back. Into this weave she intertwined delicate flowers of golden color and baby's breath. Makeup came last, a light application of powder, a soft swipe of rouge across her cheekbones, and a dob of rose pink lip paint from the tip of a fine brush. And just as she set the brush down and wondered if this was good enough, if she was worthy of reclaiming this moment, there came a knock at the door. It opened with neither hesitation or her blessing. "Lady Ciel!" A cheerful yet rotund Lalafell gentleman burst into the room, and she closed her eyes for a moment to steel her patience, and her response. "What an absolute honor it is for you to join us!" he chortled, his plump hands rubbing together under a bearded chin. "I've followed your career closely for years, my dear! Years! And now here you are, the jewel of the opera house, about to grace my stage! Oh, truly Nald has smiled upon me... us." Inwardly did she chide herself. Mistakes were made. She could feel the greed rolling off of him as easily as she could smell his cheap cologne, both threatening to spoil her mood and her own perfume. She smiled, "Aye, of course. What a fabulous opportunity, how could I possibly pass it up?" Sandy colored bangs bobbed around the Lalafell's head with his brisk nodding. "Grand fortune for us both! I trust the accommodations are to your liking? Is there aught else I can get for you? A glass of sweet red, mayhap? I keep only the finest in my stash but you're more than welcome to partake, of course." Mayhap a draught of laudanum, she thought. "No... ah, no thank you, sir. It tends to do my voice little favor, you see," she gently declined.

"Then perhaps after the show?" he stepped a little closer to peer up from the floor to her face, and everything in between. "A private dinner. My personal chef will prepare the finest meal you could imagine." She looked again to the mirror and slowly inhaled with one of her hands pressed to her abdomen and released it the same way. "I must respectfully decline. After all, given my fame, I have a chef of my own and entire wine cellar to spare." She lied, of course. She cooked for herself and kept no such reserves but if it made him back down, she might still be able to salvage this night. "Oh, bugger." He seemed genuinely dismayed but this didn't last. Another hopeful perk up came with the next question, "Another time then? We are, after all, just getting to know one another, 'twouldn't do to be too forward, now would it?" "No, quite right. And now, sir, if I may, I should like to finish getting ready." He issued a sound affirming his realization and quickly turned to totter back out the way he came. "Right, right. I must beg the beautiful Lady's forgiveness for trespassing in such an unseemly way. I shall see you again after curtain call, madam!" A wink and he closed the door behind him. Ciel slumped back in the chair and sharply exhaled all of the discomfort and tension that had seeped into her shoulders. This was the first time she ever truly regretted her career choice, and the night was just starting.

[scamsm]

Hostel-hopping

Last year when I came back from travelling, my neighbour said ‘well, you must have been doing it on the cheap’, and wondered at how I could afford it. 

Odd comment aside, this is true. Of course I stayed in some shocking accommodations and returned with no money.  

‘Worst arrival experience’ prize can be given to the hostel pictured. With a modern art museum looking hallway in a bright yellowish green colour, the sense of unease crept in. When I burst into the dorm, it was empty of people... but not of cold meats.

Salami, pepperoni slices, beef salami and for some reason, gummy worms were strewn all over the floor. One bed was safe, the rest were covered in tobacco and coins.

The hostel receptionist arrived to show an older lady up to the dorm, and said to me ‘how have you done this to the room already?’ 

I replied that he couldn’t let the old lady can’t stay here and that we need to get a broom. For some reason I didn’t arrange to change rooms that night, as the  smell of raki covered the table (maybe explaining the person’s messy exit) and soggy towels gave a general feeling of dampness. I did take the coins though.

The rest of the trip was a mix of incomparably better hostels and also some situations I could’ve left earlier. 

Writing this from the warmth of my parents home, I sometimes miss the excitement of braving it through a shitty hostel: waking up to loud snoring, guys trying to sell drugs from their dorm bed, or extra charges for ridiculous things.

 What a rush you get from retelling bad hostel stories to new friends over a game of cards and whatever tea previous travellers left! Wouldn’t have swapped it for the world. 

[mystichearttyphoon]

The Ultimate Guide to Spring Break Destinations

For cheap and best Travel Bookings - https://tripsdeals.com/

Spring break is the perfect time to escape the routine and indulge in a much-needed vacation. Whether you’re looking for adventure, relaxation, or a mix of both, there’s a destination to match every traveler’s taste and budget. Here’s your ultimate guide to some of the best spring break destinations that will make your getaway unforgettable.

1. Cancun, Mexico

Cancun is a classic spring break destination for a reason. Its pristine beaches, lively nightlife, and all-inclusive resorts attract visitors from around the world. Snorkeling, scuba diving, and exploring ancient Mayan ruins are just a few activities to enjoy during your stay.

2. Miami, Florida

For those seeking vibrant nightlife and trendy hotspots, Miami is a top choice. With its famous South Beach, art deco architecture, and diverse dining options, Miami offers a mix of relaxation and excitement. Don’t forget to check out the buzzing music scene and cultural events.

3. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Punta Cana is the ultimate destination for those craving a tropical paradise. This Caribbean hotspot boasts crystal-clear waters, luxury resorts, and endless opportunities for water sports. From lounging on the beach to zip-lining through the jungle, Punta Cana has it all.

4. Austin, Texas

For a unique spring break experience, consider Austin. Known for its live music, food trucks, and outdoor activities, Austin is perfect for those who want to combine culture with adventure. Explore Barton Springs Pool, kayak on Lady Bird Lake, or enjoy the city’s famous BBQ.

5. Tulum, Mexico

Tulum offers a more laid-back vibe compared to Cancun. This eco-chic destination is known for its stunning beaches, bohemian atmosphere, and ancient Mayan ruins. Yoga retreats, cenote swims, and farm-to-table dining experiences make Tulum a memorable choice.

6. The Bahamas

The Bahamas is an idyllic escape for families and groups alike. Nassau and Paradise Island are great for beach lovers, while the Exumas offer incredible experiences like swimming with pigs. Crystal-clear waters and luxury accommodations complete the experience.

No matter your budget or interests, there’s a perfect spring break destination waiting for you. Start planning your trip today to make the most of this much-anticipated vacation season.

[locum-studios]

Locum Studios: Living life with Nicholas

Summary: Sebastian has finally moved out of his shitty ex-friend’s apartment and has temporarily become roommates with his porn actor coworker Nicholas. Sebastian is at first happy with this arrangement, since Nicholas' luxurious home is a huge upgrade from before and it’s a lot closer to school.

But things get complicated when Sebastian starts to suspect that Nicholas might be into him romantically, and Sebastian doesn’t know how to deal with his coworker’s advances without revealing that he is actually straight and very much not interested in sleeping with guys.

This domestic bliss is sponsored by Dubious Consent! In this house, we like our 18 year old college student uncomfortable and sexually confused! 🩷

-----------------------------------------------

Chapter 1: And there was only one bed

Day 1 - Saturday

The apartment was ridiculous. 

Sebastian knew that this neighbourhood was expensive. He had briefly looked into renting a place in this area since it was close to school, but he had quickly closed the tab when he saw the prices.

Nicholas’ apartment was much larger than Zach’s place, to put it mildly. The first thing Sebastian noticed was the kitchen, which seemed very modern with various pricey looking machines and utensils that Sebastian had only seen in movies. 

“Welcome home, I should say,” Nicholas said jovially and took off his shoes before sauntering inside. “I hope my humble abode will make up for your previous accommodation, but I don’t wanna assume–”

“You have an oven?”

Nicholas turned around to see his younger company beeline to the kitchen in excitement.

“Well, if that’s where we set the bar…” Nicholas stated and followed his charge.

“Wow, it has a grill too?” Sebastian asked in amazement while looking at the different settings.

“Do you mind me asking what your old roommate did have?” Nicholas inquired with an amused grin.

“A very unpredictable microwave,” Sebastian answered deadpan. “And a nocturnal lizard.”

“Oh yeah, you did mention that,” Nicholas snickered. “Did it contribute in any way to your living standard?”

“Mostly, it was trying to scratch its way out of its terrarium at night when I was trying to sleep…” Sebastian answered and shuddered at the reminder of the horrible sound of tiny claws against glass. 

“Were there any benefits to living at that place?” Nicholas asked with a skeptical look.

“The electricity was included in the rent,” Sebastian told him. “But in retrospect, I think the landlord just used that as bait to lure in new tenants, because I’m pretty sure he was cheaping out on everything else. Like the heating for example. Zach told me that one lady solved it by using her oven as a heat source. You can guess why none of the apartments have ovens anymore.”

“Well, feel free to use mine as much as you want,” Nicholas said and gave Sebastian a pat on the back before opening the fridge. “As well as anything in here.”

The fridge was more than twice the size of Zach’s, and contained far more than soda cans and chocolate pudding.

“Let me know what you like to eat and I’ll add it to my grocery list,” Nicholas told him and closed the door.

Sebastian felt a little bit overwhelmed. He wasn’t sure what he had expected when moving in with Nicholas, but this was quickly exceeding anything he could have imagined.

“I’ll make you dinner!” Sebastian blurted out.

“Thanks, but–” Nicholas chuckled but was cut off by Sebastian opening the fridge again.

“I’m no chef, but I can make you something decent,” Sebastian said as he scanned the goods. “It’s the least I can do–”

“I’ve already booked a table for us at a restaurant nearby,” Nicholas interrupted with a smile. “I figured you’d be tired from travelling, so I wanted to treat you. See it as a housewarming gift.”

Sebastian’s eyes were staring blankly at his new roommate.

“...I can clean,” he said after a moment. It sounded more like a plea than an offer.

“I have a maid who comes by every Thursday and does the cleaning,” Nicholas said sheepishly. “And the laundry.”

Sebastian didn’t know what to say. Nicholas’ generosity was stacking up to a tower and Sebastian started fearing that it would topple over any second.

“...Do you have a pet that needs to be taken care of?” Sebastian asked hopelessly.

“I wouldn’t mind getting one someday,” Nicholas contemplated. “And I can promise you that it won’t be a lizard.”

“So…” Sebastian looked at Nicholas with hesitation. “How am I supposed to pay you back?”

“You are not supposed to pay me back,” Nicholas emphasized firmly, like a teacher spelling something out for a student. “The only thing I’m expecting of you is to be a good guest. Have a friendly conversation with me now and then. Maybe laugh at my jokes sometimes. Be everything that Zach is not and you’ve done your part.”

“I should at least be paying rent,” Sebastian tried, even though he knew that he’d barely afford a Netflix subscription at the moment.

“Be my dinner date tonight and I’ll consider us even,” Nicholas said and grabbed Sebastian’s shoulders reassuringly. “You’ll do me a favor, honestly. I’ve wanted to try this place forever but felt too awkward going there by myself. Come on, you must be hungry.”

“I… Guess?” Sebastian said.

“That’s a good start,” Nicholas said and kept his hands on Sebastian’s shoulders while steering him back to the entrance. “Just leave your stuff here and we’ll get going.”

As Sebastian followed Nicholas to the car, he tried to come to terms with how he felt about all of this. He wasn’t used to people just handing him things or expecting him to enjoy something without working for it. He had assumed that being roommates with Nicholas would at least mean cooking or cleaning. Maybe even both. And he would gladly have done it just for the benefit of living so close to campus and the fact that Nicholas was a far more decent human being than Zach.

It felt like his brain needed a software update that he had put off forever because he thought he didn’t actually need it. 

“Thank you,” Sebastian suddenly said as they approached the vehicle. “I’m sorry if I sounded ungrateful before. I really appreciate all of this. I’m just saying that if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Hey, I’m honestly just happy to help,” Nicholas told him with a bright smile and opened the front seat car door for Sebastian. “And should you really feel the need to repay, I wouldn’t say no to a different kind of oral appreciation... Or whatever you’re into. I’m not that picky.”

Sebastian laughed in a way he hoped didn’t sound too awkward. “I’ll let you know when my doctor says it’s okay,” Sebastian answered sheepishly.

Nicholas just chuckled in response and started the car, seemingly not taking any note of Sebastian’s uncomfortable laugh track. 

“So it was just a joke then,” Sebastian thought to himself, realizing that he hadn’t been entirely sure. 

It was nearly 10 PM when they left the restaurant. Sebastian had been grateful that Nicholas was treating him, because based on the menu Sebastian would only have afforded a breadstick. It was a strange feeling being able to eat until he was full. An even stranger feeling was to leave food on the plate, and Sebastian had to fight the urge to ask for a box to bring home the leftovers in. He had a feeling that this kind of place didn’t offer doggy bags.

Sebastian woke up by Nicholas tapping his nose with a finger. He turned around and quickly realized that they were home and that he had fallen asleep in the car.

“That might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Nicholas said and got out with a laugh. “How about I show you your bedroom? I think you’ll be happy to hear that I have a no-lizard guarantee.”

Sebastian blushed deeply over the wake up-boop, and hurriedly left the car. He hadn’t realized how tired he was from the bus ride. Or how sleepy he got from eating his weight in pasta carbonara.

Nicholas showed him the way to the second floor. Sebastian was still in awe over how roomy the place was. He could spot a living room across the kitchen with a large white couch and a TV that was nearly as big.

“Do you really live here alone?” Sebastian had to ask.

“I’m the kind of single who likes to have options,” Nicholas answered with a non-committed shrug, and then opened a door in the corridor. “Oh, here’s the bathroom, by the way. The one downstairs has a shower, but since our lord and saviour Doctor McGillion recommended hot baths I think this one should fit your needs.”

Sebastian looked inside and dropped his jaw. He had expected a simple tub. This however was built into the floor in some kind of marble looking material. It was big as a jacuzzi and the fact that this apartment belonged to one single person boggled his mind.

The bath also reminded him of the lidocaine suppositories he was supposed to take. He had only gotten them yesterday, and had yet to open the package. His ass still really hurt, and even though a part of him wanted to get rid of the pain, another part of him wanted nothing up his butt ever again. 

He should make an attempt tonight before bed, no matter how uncomfortable it made him feel.

Nicholas headed down the corridor and Sebastian quickly followed him to another door.

“And this is where you can rest your weary head from school and work,” Nicholas introduced as he opened the door. “Just put your bag wherever and make yourself comfy.”

This was the bedroom. 

He wasn’t surprised that it was bigger than his previous one. The bed was at least queen size and the covers and pillows had warm colors. There were also large, heavy curtains covering the windows, the kinds that could easily shut out the light to make the room pitch black. On the opposite wall was another TV, slightly smaller than the one downstairs.

The luxurious room made Sebastian suddenly realize something.

“Is this your bedroom?” Sebastian asked.

“That would be correct,” Nicholas confirmed and opened a closet to his right, revealing a large interior with various expensive looking shirts and pants in Nicholas’ size.

“So, where are you gonna sleep then?” Sebastian wanted to know.

Nicholas laughed as if Sebastian had just told him a joke. When Sebastian’s face didn’t change, Nicholas’ expression froze in surprise. “We’re sharing the bed, of course,” Nicholas explained. 

“...Oh,” Sebastian replied. “Um…Sorry, I misunderstood–”

“No, I’m sorry. I should have been more clear–”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Sebastian stated reassuringly and headed back to the door. “I can take the couch. Do you have any extra bed sheets I can borrow? It’s cool if you don’t, I can make do with pretty much anything.”

“Stop, stop, stop,” Nicholas quickly intercepted Sebastian’s path. “You’re not sleeping on the couch.”

“But we barely know each other,” Sebastian pointed out, struggling to phrase his concerns. “Don’t you think sharing a bed is a bit… Intimate?” 

A chuckle escaped from the taller man’s lips. “We are porn actors, Sebastian,” he reminded him. “Our private parts aren’t exactly private, and it’s not like we haven’t been ‘intimate’ before.”

Two things could be true at the same time.

Sebastian had starred in two gay pornos so far and he was aware that a large number of strangers across the world had not just seen him naked, but watched him getting pounded in the ass by another man.

But Sebastian also really, really didn’t want to share bed with another guy. Especially a gay porn actor.

“I think I’ll be more comfortable taking the couch anyway,” Sebastian told him. “Honestly. I don’t mind.”

“Am I getting this right,” Nicholas asked with a raised eyebrow. “You’re okay with having sex with me on camera, but you’re uncomfortable sharing a bed together…?”

Sebastian was in fact not okay with having sex with Nicholas on camera. Or gay sex with anyone. But if he told Nicholas that he was secretly straight and only got this job because he was in desperate need of money, he feared that Locum Studios would sack him. And then Sebastian would lose the only income he had. An income that paid more than he could dream to earn fresh out of high school…

“That’s not why!” Sebastian protested. “It’s because… I would feel bad taking up your bed when you’re already sharing everything else. Your food, your TV, your bathroom–”

“My oven,” Nicholas added with an amused smirk.

“Don’t get me wrong, this is super generous of you,” Sebastian quickly added. “I literally couldn’t ask for more. But it would make me feel kinda shitty to also have you sharing your bed.”

“Well, the problem is that I would feel kinda shitty having my guest sleep on the couch.” Nicholas scratched his chin with a pondering look. “How about I’ll make you a deal? I take the couch and you take the bed.”

“But–”

“For one week,” Nicholas added. “Then, after I’ve made sure that the couch is comfy enough to sleep in, I’ll let you have it. But not before then, okay?”

“...That hardly seems fair,” Sebastian said with an uncertain frown.

“Well, you’re on sick leave and Doctor Mcgillion told you to not overexert yourself for 4 weeks,” Nicholas said and folded his arms with authority. “I’m going to check if the couch is serviceable for your needs, and if it is, I won’t stop you from using it if it will ease your conscience. And until then,” Nicholas said and took Sebastian’s backpack from him and placed it on the covers of the luxurious bed. “I want you to be comfy.”

Sebastian still felt a lingering uneasiness inside. It didn’t seem right, and Nicholas’ generosity felt misplaced. He really wasn’t used to people being nice to him for nothing… Maybe once he had earned enough money, he could work it out in therapy.

But for now, he at least didn’t have to worry about having to sleep with him.

“So what do you say?” Nicholas asked with a curious smile.

“Alright, deal,” Sebastian answered with a nod.

“Great,” Nicholas said and headed for the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep as long as you want. You look like you could need it.”

“Thanks, I think I will,” Sebastian said with a yawn.

“And hey,” Nicholas added as he was about to leave. “Should you feel lonely, you just let me know.” Nicholas shot him a devilish smile. “Consider it a standing invitation.”

“Invitation to what?” Sebastian asked with another yawn.

Nicholas laughed again and left the bedroom. Sebastian still didn’t get what he meant by ‘invitation’, but was too tired to dwell on it. 

He started to undress and threw his clothes over a lonely chair. He left his underwear on. It felt rude to sleep naked in someone else’s bed. When Sebastian lifted his leg to get up on the bed, he suddenly winced in pain. The stinging sensation in his ass reminded him that he was supposed to take the suppositories. Sebastian weighed the agony in his butt and the task of pushing something inside his hole against the comfy, inviting bed and sleep. 

Sebastian decided that he could endure the pain until tomorrow.

Once Sebastian had snuggled down under the soft blanket, he noticed a TV remote on the nightstand. Curiosity started pushing his exhaustion aside and he glanced at the TV on the opposite wall.

Sebastian sat up in bed and picked up the remote. He wasn’t planning on watching anything this late, but he was curious what channels and streaming services Nicholas had. Sebastian had four weeks of sick leave, after all. He could use some distraction from school.

There were several apps installed that Sebastian had never heard of. He noticed that Locum Studios was on the list. Sebastian once again wondered if Nicholas ever watched his own movies. Or if he had rewatched Sebastian’s… 

The mental images from the filming and Nicholas stuffing his ass started filling Sebastian’s head and he quickly kept scrolling. He needed something to distract himself. If he went to bed thinking about Nicholas’ cock, Sebastian feared that he would end up dreaming about it…

Sebastian suddenly noticed an app called Joystix and blinked curiously. He didn’t know that there were streaming apps about gaming, and he certainly didn’t picture Nicholas as a gamer. He clicked the icon. Not that Sebastian was super into video games, but he didn’t mind a good let’s play.

The app apparently automatically started playing where Nicholas had left off, which was in the middle of a video with two naked men in a locker room. A smaller man, not much older than Sebastian and only wearing white tennis socks, was lying on his stomach on a bench. His legs were straddling each side of it, like a saddle, while his arms were pulled back by a larger man who was fucking his ass mercilessly. The other man was older and gave the impression of being some kind of coach. He was wearing a baseball cap with the team’s logo while sporting a thick beard. Sebastian watched in horror how the coach’s dick drilled deeply into the smaller man’s ass with each hefty thrust and how the bottom whined in either distress or pleasure.

“Aah… Aaagh… Nghhh… Ughh…” 

“Yeah… Good boy… Hnggh… Yeah,  you’re taking the whole thing now. See how easy it slides in and out of ya now? You feeling that?”

“Y-Y-Yeah– Ugh…! A-Auhw… Haaah… Aaah…”

“You want it harder, don’tcha… Hngh…! Mmm… Tell me you want it harder…”

“H… H-H-Hard– HAAAH!”

Sebastian was desperately trying to find the mute button. He searched the remote but all the buttons looked the same. After nearly 10 seconds of panic induced idiocy he realized that he could simply turn off the TV, and slammed his finger on the power button.

“Aah- AAAH- NNNUUUGHPLEEEASE–”

The TV went as black as the night, rudely interrupting the bottom’s orgasm.

Sebastian realized that he was panting almost as bad as the men in the video. He felt embarrassed over his stupidity, and scared that Nicholas might have heard the loud moans. How soundproof was this bedroom? Hopefully enough to not make Nicholas think that Sebastian had been watching gay porn. He wasn’t sure what he was afraid of though. If anything, watching gay porn should only help Sebastian’s cover. 

He sighed in exhaustion and went back to bed. Trying to block the two men out of his mind and his dreams.

This story (including full list of tags and warnings) can be read in full on AO3:

[vietnamexcursions-blog]

Admire the beauty of Sapa in winter

book train Hanoi to Sapa - Located in the northwestern region of Vietnam, Sapa is probably the most affordable destination with a series of unique cloud hunting and festival experiences.

Various means of transportation to Sapa From Hanoi to Sapa, you can choose to travel by many types of transport. Return bus, both ways, is only 500,000 VND. If you want to shorten the travel time to only 5 - 6 hours, visitors can choose limousine companies such as Eco Sapa Limousine, Sapa Limosine VIP to pick up and drop off at your place, the fare is about 450,000 VND/way. But if you are looking for some comfort, take a sleeper bus for the same price. Sleeper cabins of reputable bus companies such as Interbuslines, G8 bus Sapa, HK Buslines are fully equipped with amenities from wifi, charging ports, drinking water, TV, warm blankets, curtains… These car companies also have double cabins for couples for only 700,000 VND/way, both private and cost-saving.

Besides, traveling by train is becoming a new trend, so that tourists can fully enjoy the beautiful scenery along the routes.

The trains are air-conditioned and have restrooms so you don’t have to rely on rest stops. The train travels quite slowly, about 8 hours, but you’ll be less likely to get motion sickness than if you take the bus.

Train fares range from 300,000 - 500,000 VND/way depending on seat or sleeping position. However, visitors will need to spend about 50,000 VND more to take a transfer from Lao Cai station to Sapa town center.

Alternatively, you can also ride a motorbike, for those who want to take photos along the way. However, this is not a recommended form of transportation because it requires good health, steady hands and long-distance driving experience.

When arriving in Sapa, the Green Sapa electric car is a popular means of transport due to its affordable price and convenient sightseeing. Visitors can also call a taxi or Grab.

Affordable accommodation Coming to Sapa, you have many accommodation options, from motels, homestays, 3 to 5 star hotels, meeting all basic needs to high-end resorts.

Room rates range from 300,000 VND to several million VND/night. Some "cheap" but quality homestays include Moc Home, Huan Dau Dau, MT House, Eco Farmer…

Hotels near tourist attractions or with beautiful views in the center of Sapa town, Cau May, Muong Hoa have room rates of about 500,000 - 900,000 VND/night, Mi House, Arista homestay, THE 1903 Sapa, Pi's Boutique Hotel to name a few.

If you want to enjoy a view from your bedroom and high-class service at 4-5 star luxury hotels, prepare to spend at least 900,000 VND/night.

Some of the "worth the money" places include: Hotel de la Coupole, Lady Hill, Highland Resort & Spa, Chau Long, Amazing Hotel, KK Sapa Hotel…

Places not to be missed Fansipan Peak and Sun World Fansipan Legend tourist complex were awarded the title "World's Leading Natural Landscape Tourist Area 2024" by World Travel Award and are in the most beautiful cloud season of the year.

Early morning temperatures drop, causing thin ice to cover walkways and structures, creating a magical scene.

When the sun rises, a sea of white clouds covers the mountain top and the spiritual complex from an altitude of 2,900-3,143m like a fairyland.

Fansipan peak is bustling with the Stone Lotus Festival, introducing more than 50 unique stone lotus species and many fun activities to explore the culture of 7 ethnic groups in the Northwest. Especially, during this time, cable car fares are on great discount, with a price of only 550,000 VND/person.

Cat Cat Village is about 2km from the town center, where visitors can experience the space of mountains, forests, and babbling streams and waterfalls.

The tourist area exploits the daily life of the H'Mong people, giving visitors direct cultural experiences such as blowing leaf trumpets, jew's harps, and introducing craft villages.

This time, Cat Cat offers free local culinary experiences with dishes such as Banh Day, Men Men, Xoi… Entrance fees to experience the village are only 150,000 VND/adult, 80,000 VND/child.

Another emerging tourist destination is Lan Rung brocade village at lane 81, Dien Bien Phu street, Sapa town.

Visitors coming here will definitely have beautiful pictures, imbued with Northwest art with traditional brocade exhibition space.

In addition, you can also try your hand at indigo dyeing workshops - a long-standing craft of the H'Mong people, beeswax painting to create patterns on costumes, or creating brocade patterns by unique silk spinning. All activities are free of charge.

The ancient Stone Church, Sapa Lake, Ta Phin Stone Garden and the dreamy rose garden are also free of admission until the end of the year.

Go to the night market at night, explore the love market, immerse yourself in the bustling atmosphere of Sapa at night… countless activities make the trip to Sapa in the cloudy season endlessly interesting.

Delicious restaurants not easy to miss One thing that makes Sapa so attractive is its "delicious - nutritious - cheap" cuisine. With 200,000 - 400,000 VND/day, tourists can freely explore attractive specialties.

Boiled rice noodles with rich broth, served with shredded pork, seaweed, crispy sweet potatoes, boiled eggs, peanuts, delicious and attractive flavor, price only 30,000 - 45,000 VND/bowl at Mr. Ha's boiled rice noodles.

Thang Co, a meat soup prepared in the Northwest style, including horse, buffalo, beef and pork meat, is also a culinary highlight not to be missed.

Some restaurants such as A Nguyen and A Quynh sell a pot of thang co for only 300,000 - 500,000 VND, suitable for families and small groups of friends.

If you visit Fansipan, remember to stop at May village at the foot of the mountain to enjoy interesting Northwest menus such as horse meat Thang Co, herbal fish soup, buffalo meat stir-fried with wild bamboo shoots, fried stream fish, black chicken hotpot and herbal tea.

In the chilly weather of Sapa, grilled dishes around town are also a favorite choice for tourists.

Grilled skewers, grilled eggs, bamboo rice, grilled sweet potatoes, grilled chicken with sauce… delicious with prices from 10,000 - 50,000 VND per dish.

Snacks such as fragrant roasted chestnuts and hot chestnut cakes are about 50,000 VND.

Hot pot is also very attractive, especially the salmon and sturgeon hot pot, a specialty of Sapa. The hot pot broth is sweet and fragrant, the fish is crispy and firm, served with H'mong whiskers and fresh chayote picked from the garden.

Sitting in the bamboo stilt house, enjoying the cool weather, watching the colorful Sapa town at night is the best. Some good restaurants to consider are Ca Hoi Vua, Dan toc restaurant, Sapa TV, Cho Tinh restaurant…

Coming to Sapa, not only can you eat delicious food and have fun, but you can also bring back gifts with a strong Northwest flavor as souvenirs.

Coming to Cat Cat village, in addition to enjoying free snacks such as sticky rice, rice cakes, men men… visitors can buy specialties such as bamboo rice, grilled meat, dried buffalo meat, corn wine, and apple wine, with prices ranging from 50,000 - 200,000 VND.

In addition, brocade products are also popular. Visitors can buy large, highly artistic picture frames as gifts or bring back sophisticated, dedicated souvenirs from H'Mong and Tay ethnic artisans at the Vietnamese brocade village.

Estimated total cost for a three-day, two-night trip to Sapa:

Transportation: ~500,000 VND (bus, round trip ticket)

Accommodation: ~1,000,000 VND (2 nights at mountain view homestay)

Food: ~ 800,000 VND (breakfast at homestay, lunch and dinner 400,000 VND/day)

Sightseeing: ~700,000 VND (cable car to Fansipan peak and visit Cat Cat village)

With only 2-3 million VND, you can comfortably enjoy a journey of cultural and culinary discovery, snow hunting, and cloud hunting full of excitement in Sapa for three days.

Source: https://sapatrainticket.com/travel-blog/sapa-an-affordable-travel-destination-in-winter/