#Concrete Jungle LA

[da-ill-spot]

March 25 | Rooftop Sessions | Fox Theater | Pomona, CA | Tickets

[rollinginthedeep-swan]

ADAM BRODY - Wanted,

PL recherché juste ici sur le forum Concret Jungle pour un petit frère en or massif.

Vous pouvez me MP pour les questions. **

[the-gershomite]

Predator Concrete Jungle -Trade paperback 2012- originally 4 issues in 1990

script by Mark Verheiden

pencils by Chris Wagner & Ron Randall

inks by Sam De La Rosa, Chris Warner & Randy Emberlin

colors by Chris Chalenor

letters by Jim Massara & David Jackson

cover by Den Beauvais

[sedusa-darkness]

California love

[reasonsforhope]

As relentless rains pounded LA, the city’s “sponge” infrastructure helped gather 8.6 billion gallons of water—enough to sustain over 100,000 households for a year.

Earlier this month, the future fell on Los Angeles. A long band of moisture in the sky, known as an atmospheric river, dumped 9 inches of rain on the city over three days—over half of what the city typically gets in a year. It’s the kind of extreme rainfall that’ll get ever more extreme as the planet warms.

The city’s water managers, though, were ready and waiting. Like other urban areas around the world, in recent years LA has been transforming into a “sponge city,” replacing impermeable surfaces, like concrete, with permeable ones, like dirt and plants. It has also built out “spreading grounds,” where water accumulates and soaks into the earth.

With traditional dams and all that newfangled spongy infrastructure, between February 4 and 7 the metropolis captured 8.6 billion gallons of stormwater, enough to provide water to 106,000 households for a year. For the rainy season in total, LA has accumulated 14.7 billion gallons.

Long reliant on snowmelt and river water piped in from afar, LA is on a quest to produce as much water as it can locally. “There's going to be a lot more rain and a lot less snow, which is going to alter the way we capture snowmelt and the aqueduct water,” says Art Castro, manager of watershed management at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. “Dams and spreading grounds are the workhorses of local stormwater capture for either flood protection or water supply.”

Centuries of urban-planning dogma dictates using gutters, sewers, and other infrastructure to funnel rainwater out of a metropolis as quickly as possible to prevent flooding. Given the increasingly catastrophic urban flooding seen around the world, though, that clearly isn’t working anymore, so now planners are finding clever ways to capture stormwater, treating it as an asset instead of a liability. “The problem of urban hydrology is caused by a thousand small cuts,” says Michael Kiparsky, director of the Wheeler Water Institute at UC Berkeley. “No one driveway or roof in and of itself causes massive alteration of the hydrologic cycle. But combine millions of them in one area and it does. Maybe we can solve that problem with a thousand Band-Aids.”

Or in this case, sponges. The trick to making a city more absorbent is to add more gardens and other green spaces that allow water to percolate into underlying aquifers—porous subterranean materials that can hold water—which a city can then draw from in times of need. Engineers are also greening up medians and roadside areas to soak up the water that’d normally rush off streets, into sewers, and eventually out to sea...

To exploit all that free water falling from the sky, the LADWP has carved out big patches of brown in the concrete jungle. Stormwater is piped into these spreading grounds and accumulates in dirt basins. That allows it to slowly soak into the underlying aquifer, which acts as a sort of natural underground tank that can hold 28 billion gallons of water.

During a storm, the city is also gathering water in dams, some of which it diverts into the spreading grounds. “After the storm comes by, and it's a bright sunny day, you’ll still see water being released into a channel and diverted into the spreading grounds,” says Castro. That way, water moves from a reservoir where it’s exposed to sunlight and evaporation, into an aquifer where it’s banked safely underground.

On a smaller scale, LADWP has been experimenting with turning parks into mini spreading grounds, diverting stormwater there to soak into subterranean cisterns or chambers. It’s also deploying green spaces along roadways, which have the additional benefit of mitigating flooding in a neighborhood: The less concrete and the more dirt and plants, the more the built environment can soak up stormwater like the actual environment naturally does.

As an added benefit, deploying more of these green spaces, along with urban gardens, improves the mental health of residents. Plants here also “sweat,” cooling the area and beating back the urban heat island effect—the tendency for concrete to absorb solar energy and slowly release it at night. By reducing summer temperatures, you improve the physical health of residents. “The more trees, the more shade, the less heat island effect,” says Castro. “Sometimes when it’s 90 degrees in the middle of summer, it could get up to 110 underneath a bus stop.”

LA’s far from alone in going spongy. Pittsburgh is also deploying more rain gardens, and where they absolutely must have a hard surface—sidewalks, parking lots, etc.—they’re using special concrete bricks that allow water to seep through. And a growing number of municipalities are scrutinizing properties and charging owners fees if they have excessive impermeable surfaces like pavement, thus incentivizing the switch to permeable surfaces like plots of native plants or urban gardens for producing more food locally.

So the old way of stormwater management isn’t just increasingly dangerous and ineffective as the planet warms and storms get more intense—it stands in the way of a more beautiful, less sweltering, more sustainable urban landscape. LA, of all places, is showing the world there’s a better way.

-via Wired, February 19, 2024

[ryan-sometimes]

I’ve been in LA for 3 years now and still every time I go to Brazil for a holiday I’ll come back to the US and immediately get allergic reactions all over my body again. They take days or even weeks to subside, depending on how long I was gone. Do you know how embarrassing it is to be allergic to Los Angeles?

Did you know that if you move to a distant country after spending your entire life in one country, you can become allergic to your new country? Yes. You can be allergic to your new country’s local flora and fauna, such as fungi, plants, etc. I discovered this when I moved to Los Angeles aged 18 after spending my entire life in Brazil and I developed insane rashes all over my body because I was allergic to fucking California.

[takimakiiiii]

¡Cosmic Girl Records!

a smau series in which y/n accompanies her boyfriend Ollie Bearman around the world whilst beefing with the 2019 rookies (especially Lando) and Charles.

spotify playlist here ✨

Part1: did you order pasta, miss?

Part2: singapore lovin’ had me a blast

Part3: new york, concrete jungle where dreams are made of

Part4: make tacos, not war

Part5: la mano arriba, cintura sola, da media vuelta, danza kuduro

Part6: might sound crazy but it ain’t no lie, baby bye bye bye

Part7: g’day mate, how are ya?

Thanks for reading! - xoxo takimakiiiii

[goliath-de-senfina-sango]

Danny Phantom and the Riordanverse

I have some thoughts about a Shared World kind of crossover between Danny Phantom and Percy Jackson & the Olympians. I haven’t done a full rewatch of DP in ages, nor have a read outside the core 5 PJO books, the HOO books, the Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, and about 2 and a half of the Trials of Apollo books, also been a while. Apologies for any inaccuracies but hey, fanon.

A Glitch In Time canonizes that the Infinite Realms and Material World were once one and the same, but a global war - waged by people who were naturally half ghost the way Danny and Vlad are - split the world in 2. All things regarding Pariah Dark, I’d say he was one of the major powers in this war.

Realms can range from a 10x10x10 room to entire islands with their own celestial bodies like Dora’s kingdom and its sun. Technically we don’t know if the Far Frozen even has an End Point. Doors can lead to alternate timelines; Desiree, Ghost Writer and Clockwork are all able to warp reality, time included, and the Observant Council perceive time in at least 2 dimensions.

In the Riordanverse it is revealed in the few books of the Trials of Apollo that I read and remember that mortal belief from even a relatively small cult can elevate a mortal man to immortal status a la monsters and Gods. Apollo even muses about the way the Gods don’t want to acknowledge how dependent on mortals remembering them they are.

All of this considered, if you want DP to exist in the Riodanverse and even keep the lore of both, then the Realms/Planes/Worlds of the Gods - of Hellas, Kemet, the Æsir and Vanir, the Heavenly Beauracracy, etcetera - are Realms connected to the Spirit World but managed to remain intersected with the Material World through the efforts of the Gods and the memories of Mortals.

The Duat could even be a layer of the Infinite Realms, frankly.

Danny states that his accident was a month ago as of Episode 1, Mystery Meat, which is set April 3rd, 2004. Based on the few concrete date indicators we get in Danny Phantom, the series takes place over 3 years. 4 if you count Claw of the Wild, but that means the trio stays Tiny all the way into Senior Year lol.

Prisoners of Love begins on May 18th, Fright Knight is a Halloween episode, and in Lucky in Love, they’re at a waterpark, which only open in May at the earliest. The Fright Before Christmas is obviously set before and during Christmas and then Reality Trip is set at the beginning of Summer 2006.

In Urban Jungle, Tucker remarks that it’s 90 degrees outside, which means it’s either late May or early June since I do believe they Are in school at that point and iirc global warming hadn’t made it 90 in the midwest early in 2006. Claw of the Wild is an odd camping episode featuring Danny’s class, and I forget in episode details so if this was during school time it had to be during the spring since, again, they live relatively close to the Great Lakes, so it’s gotta be during a naturally warm time. A Glitch In Time, therefore, is set in late spring or early summer of 2008.

Percy Jackson is 12 at the beginning of The Lightning Thief & 13 at the end Iirc since his birthday is August 12th. Either way, this is in 2005. Sea of Monsters and Titan’s Curse are both set during 2006; Battle of the Labyrinth is in 2007, and iirc The Last Olympian is set next year during 2008 and Percy is 16.

Thereby when the Heroes of Olympus books begin in 2008-2009, Danny is 18 and either a senior or highschool graduate. This is a hilarious point in time for Percy to meet Danny, actually, or any of our protagonist crew, if you want to maintain canon for both.

I know most people don’t, in fact, care to keep up DP canon nearly this rigidly, so some other fun thoughts.

In Reality Trip, Freakshow acquires the Reality Gauntlet, and begins the summer (as this begins on a last day of school event I’d say probably even on the Solstice) of 2006 with a reality warping bang. Once he gets the gems, Freakshow transforms the whole world into his circus, until Danny tricks him and gets the glove back, fixing reality to exactly how it was before the change, wiping his identity from the memories of everyone save Tuck, Sam, & Jazz, and then destroyed the Reality Gauntlet in a single shot.

This, I imagine, would grab the attention of The Gods. That’s if the Pariah Dark situation didn’t register to them, even. Considering Percy is 13 at the time and due to deal with the Sea of Monsters situation, the Kane siblings haven’t been recruited yet (I think) and Magnus is still just a homeless kid in Boston, I dunno if anyone from New Rome would be sent but the Gods of various pantheons may investigate directly or through minor gods/spirits.

The House of Life certainly wouldn’t approve of the Ghost Portals, Vlad, or possibly even Danny. Hell, Luke might actually be sent to recruit Danny or Vlad to the Titan’s cause now that I think about it.

With the fact that Danny, Vlad, and Dan were destroying other timelines while smashing into them from sheer speed through the Spirit World during A Glitch In Time, I’d say Danny is at least a 6D being (existing in at least 4 dimensions of space and 2 of time.) If that doesn’t count him as a God, idk what would. Also during Infinite Realms, Vlad and Danny time travel to both ancient Rome during an event in the colosseum and ancient China at a monetary. If these are the same universe as Danny’s, then he and Vlad should have a myth or two regarding one another, which would also put them on the watch list for Olympus and the Bureaucracy of Heaven.

But hey, what do you think? I’m open to talk about this and wanna hear other people’s thoughts and opinions.

[thegeekyartist]

The end of a year-long personal project has finally come! 💖

I'm primarily an oil painter, but I love playing around with collage. This year, I challenged myself to make one artist trading card (mini collage) every week of 2024 to complete a full 52 card deck. My theme? A collage based on one song that I couldn't stop listening to that week. I've now got a full deck of artwork plus a banging playlist. ✨

Click below to see what I was listening to, or check out the whole playlist I made for it! 💖

1. A Change is Gonna Come - Greta Van Fleet

2. Eat Your Young - Hozier

3. Coffee Cold - Galt MacDermot

4. Burning Down the House - Paramore

5. Understand - Hippo Campus

6. Bambi - Hippo Campus

7. How to Build a Planet - Kansas Bible Company

8. No Instructions - The Happy Fits

9. Hard Times - Paramore

10. Oh! Darling - Florence Welch

11. Supersonic Rocket Ship - The Kinks

12. Too Sweet - Hozier

13. Take Me to the River - Lorde

14. OutRight - Wild Party

15. Stupid Love - Lady Gaga

16. Femininomenon - Chappell Roan

17. Good Luck Babe - Chappell Roan

18. Holy - Frightened Rabbit

19. Curse Me Good - The Heavy

20. Street Player - Chicago

20. Eye Know - De La Soul

22. HOT TO GO! - Chappell Roan

23. THE BADDEST - Joey Valence and Brae

24. August - flipturn

25. Busy Earnin' - Jungle

26. The Staunton Lick - Lemon Jelly

27. Slow Sipper - The Dip

28. SOS - Timothy Fleet and Wayne Murray

29. ode to rashaan - berlioz

30. Abstract (Psychopomp) - Hozier

31. Scars - The Crane Wives

32. Nobody's Soldier - Hozier

33. Girls - The Dare

34. Star Trek Theme (Main Title) - Alexander Courage

35. Alien Blues - Vundabar

36. enknee1 - hemlocke springs

37. Six Below - flipturn

38. The Moon Will Sing - The Crane Wives

39. Arcturus Beaming - The Crane Wives

40. Concrete - Dolores Forever

41. Introduction to the Snow - Miracle Musical

42. The Bottom of It - Fruit Bats

43. Visitor - Of Monsters and Men

44. Black Water - Of Monsters and Men

45. Space Cadet - The Technicolors

46. No. 1 Party Anthem - Arctic Monkeys

47. Piece of Me - Britney Spears

48. Nobody Sees Me Like You Do - Yoko Ono, The Apples in Stereo

49. Too Close - Sir Chloe

50. DENIAL IS A RIVER - Doechii

51. Teddy Picker - Arctic Monkeys

52. Blue Hair - TV Girl

[ubescoups]

la la lost you

you both know it ended a long time ago. you were just scared to admit it.

pairing: seungcheol x oc

tags: angst, exes, talks of wedding, in denial, hurt

author's note: this piece is commissioned from twitter

...

“I’ll go now.”

You look at Seungcheol for the last time, trying to memorize the face of the man you used to call yours for the past four years. He’s heading east, trying his luck at the concrete jungle. 

He kisses your forehead. You let his lips linger on it for some more, knowing that he will never be back in your life once he turns to the door. He stares into your eyes with a kind smile on his lips. 

“Take care, will you? I won’t be around anymore to remind you to eat on time,” he says softly. 

You only nod, knowing that even a single squeak from you would send you to tears. 

This was never intended to end this way. 

You have always imagined a grand wedding with Seungcheol in your seventh year together. 

Seven 

That was your magic number. Seven years was your limit for long-term relationships. Whenever you hear the number seven, you hear the clanging of the wedding bells as you envision the long trail attached to your ivory-white wedding gown. At the end of the altar, you see Seungcheol in a black tuxedo, and his hair is long enough to cover the back of his neck. His eyes are wet with tears, joy evident on his face as he sees the woman he’s been with for seven years. 

Then you snap out of it. 

“Goodbye, Alexa,” Seungcheol mutters with reverence.

“Bye,” you reply, avoiding his gaze this time. 

Where did it go wrong with us, Seungcheol?

His back is finally facing you as he walks out the door. 

thud 

Out he goes from your life as his figure disappears after he closes the door. You grab the back of the sofa for support as you cover your mouth to muffle the sobs wracking your body. 

It’s for the good, but why does it still hurt?

It started when his kisses didn’t make your heart flutter anymore. Your mother told you it’s normal for couples to lose the feelings they used to have for each other as time passes. She said those feelings are usually replaced with more profound respect and love that isn’t measured by how one can show it superficially.

Yet, deep down, the thought of you and Seungcheol falling out of love lingers like the dark shadows in the night, disguising itself as newfound comfortability and calmness. 

The nights when you would turn your backs away from each other increased, hugging pillows to seek comfort.  You thought, “We are both just tired from work.” You were telling yourself that, ignoring the arising feeling that would get caught in your throat, making you cough painfully as it would make you feel suffocated.

You would fall asleep at night as you felt tiredness consume your body. You would wake up in dreamland, tossing and turning to see a different man beside you. You did not recognize him anymore. That wasn’t your Seungcheol. Consumed by your dream, you would sit up during the wee hours of the morning, looking at your snoozing lover—relieved would be an understatement to see his face upon waking up from that recurring dream. 

Are you still my Seungcheol?”

You were afraid to answer your question. Maybe it’s because you have gotten used to his existence, or you were starting to realize the answer deep down. You knew you were not yet ready, still holding on to the hope that maybe your mother was right. 

“Hey,” he smiled as he felt your lips on his neck the morning after a night of interrupted sleep caused by that recurring dream. 

“Can I lay my head on your chest?” You asked. 

He nodded and welcomed your body with his arms as you laid your head on his toned chest. You stayed in his arms, hoping it would prove you wrong.

“Nothing is changing,” you assured yourself, subconsciously tightening your hold on your lover.

It was as if holding on to him would help you convince yourself. 

“Alexa,” Seungcheol called out. 

“I love you. I hope you know that,” you said, looking up to see his face. 

He only nodded. 

You gave him a small smile and stayed there for a while. 

“Will marriage solve this worry of mine?” You asked Lara, your closest friend.

She shook her head as you both lay on your living room carpet one afternoon. You poured your heart out to her, hoping that your best friend would be able to assure you. 

Seven years was just your limit. If you and Seungcheol were really sure of each other, he could’ve married you in a heartbeat. 

“Your mom could be right, you know?” She trailed. 

“But?” You asked. 

“Seungcheol has the answer. You will have to ask him, Alexa,” she finished. 

You were afraid to do so. You didn’t know what was happening in your lovely boyfriend’s mind. 

“Do you still love me?”

If you asked that question a year ago, you know Seungcheol would answer yes naturally, as if his tongue was created to give that answer smoothly with the roll of it. Yet, when Lara brought it up almost two months ago, you didn’t know anymore. You were unsure and scared to hear Seungcheol’s answer. 

Why did it become so difficult to be sure of something you used to have confidence in? 

You used to be sure. 

Alexa and Seungcheol forever, right? 

Whatever happened to that love? 

The answers to your many questions came unexpectedly in the form of a velvet box collecting dust on top of your cabinet. 

Your weary mind couldn’t process anything you were trying to feed it to assure yourself. You decided to clean the master bedroom of your shared apartment with Seungcheol. You decided to do general cleaning that day. It was something your mind wanted to keep off from the things you were worrying about. 

You opened the box, and there was a diamond ring, a princess cut, to be specific. It was the heirloom ring passed down by the Chois to the next family bride for each generation. 

“Alexa?” Seungcheol called out. 

You were frozen in place like a deer in headlights. You felt like running. 

“You were not supposed to see that,” he sighed, dismay evident. 

“Since when did you have this?” You asked. 

“Since Pops’ birthday,” he replied. 

He was holding on to the ring for almost a year. 

“You were holding back,” you answered. 

He sat on the edge of the bed, trying to find the right words to say. Silence flooded the room, and you were trying to hold your breath as if under that water and trying not to drown. You handed him the box and just sat beside him. The sinking of the bed as you sat on it felt dizzying. You just had a confirmation of your fears. 

���Did I do you wrong?” You asked.

He shook his head. 

“You have always been wonderful, Alexa,” he answered. 

“Why were you holding on to that goddamn ring?” You croaked, fighting the sobs that were arising from your chest to your throat. 

“Life suddenly started for me, Alexa,” he told you. 

“I thought my life would end with me marrying you and having a big family with you like what Pops did, but the band happened. I didn’t know that a reunion with the old band I had back in high school would give me an opportunity of a lifetime,” he continued. 

You looked at him, betrayed. 

The band. Seungcheol was a vocalist and guitarist for an alternative band in high school. He used to boast that to you, telling stories of how he was playing with them at bars, events, etc. 

“End?” You shot. 

“You think your life will end when you finally marry me?” You asked. 

“It’s not what I’m saying, baby,” he sighed. 

“Your own words are betraying you, Cheol. Don’t call me baby, too. This conversation will not end until you finally tell me what’s on your mind,” you told him. 

He went silent once again. For a while, you were just sitting quietly. You wiped your eyes and your tear-stained cheek as you wept quietly. You could not believe the words that came out of his mouth. 

“When our performance from the homecoming went viral, and Jihoon reached out to us, I suddenly felt alive. It was just like the old times again. I felt free from all of my constant worries,” he explained. 

“You felt free from me as well,” you concluded. 

He shook his head. 

“When Pops handed me the ring, I realized what was coming for me. I have to marry you. I have to make sure you will have a promising future with me. I suddenly realized I was still behind on things I needed to take on for us to have a comfortable life,” he told you. 

You were lost for words, so you let him speak his mind, hoping to hear that he still loved you. 

“Those worries would keep me up at night, Alexa. Then the band happened. I got excited when I saw the comments online, especially from those who used to watch us back then. I realized that I do not have one ending. I am still the one who gets to decide on my future. Life suddenly became exciting for me,” he said. 

You were a witness to that sudden change in his aura. When the reunion happened, and the invitations to play at events started, you saw how joyous he was. It just didn’t occur to you that he was burdened with the future with you that everyone pictured for the both of you. 

“The future with me felt like a chore,” you pointed out. 

He cried softly, muttering apologies. 

“Do you still love me?” You asked. 

“I do,” he cooed softly, holding your hand to kiss it as the tears flowed down his cheeks. 

“I just don’t know where we stand anymore,” he admitted. 

You sobbed and pulled away your hand. 

“You can’t do this to me, Cheol,” you said. 

He apologized again, crying. Your questions finally had their answers, and none of them were the things you wanted to hear but the confirmations to your fears instead. 

“The band’s flying out to New York in a month,” he told you. 

“Alright, let’s break up on the day you leave,” you replied. 

“Alexa,” he trailed. 

“I do not want to hold you back, Cheol. I can’t put my life on hold for you as well. I want to get married to someone who is sure of me or doesn’t think that the future with me is a responsibility,” you told him. 

“We are partners, Seungcheol. Our future together is a collaboration for me. I see us building that future together, hand in hand. We are equal. Your problem is mine as well. Why do you think of it like I would only sit on the corner and watch you do anything?” You ranted, tears falling continuously. 

“I was raised to be like that, Alexa,” he answered. 

You only shake your head. 

“When do you leave for New York?” You asked again. 

“On the 30th of June,” he replied. 

You nodded. 

“When you leave on that day, we’ll be done. Don’t hold yourself back for me. You deserve to be happy,” you tell him. 

After that day, it was as if life was playing a cruel joke on you. In everyone’s eyes, you were still Alexa and Seungcheol, the ever-perfect couple with a happy ending on the end of the horizon. Things started reminding you of what you would have if things had never changed. 

You almost cried when you saw Seungcheol holding your niece in his arms during a family dinner. It was as if you were reminded of what could have been. You always saw Seungcheol as a doting father to a daughter who got his eyes and lips and always cried for him. You always imagined him chuckling to his wailing princess, shushing her little sobs with the assurance that he’s with her always, in all ways. 

“I dreamt of the future with enthusiasm,” you told him as you lay on the bed you shared. 

“I did, too,” he admitted. 

“What was the future you always pictured?” You asked.

“Our first child would be a boy. He adores you the way I do and would cry for you. In my head, he’s my best friend. I imagined him running to me after a long day at work. His grubby, little hands would reach for my face to kiss my cheek. His hands are dirty because he enjoyed the snack you gave him, so he could wait a little bit longer for the dinner so we could all eat together,” he narrated with a slight smile. 

“It was so vivid,” you told him. 

“I know. I was so sure of you, Alexa,” he said. 

“Was,” you repeated. 

“Sorry,” he quietly said. 

Was

The word repeated on your head over and over again like a dagger being pressed deeper into your chest. You breathed deeply and cried yourself to sleep, wishing that the pain would finally go away. Yet, it won’t. Instead, you realized Seungcheol’s version of your future differed from yours. It was evident with how you pictured your kids. Seungcheol envisioned you as a stay-at-home mother. Though you love the idea of being focused on your kids, you know in your heart that you want to identify as something else aside from being a mother. You want to continue with career aspirations and have money for yourself. Your mother taught you that when she was still separated from your father. 

Sleep didn’t come to you quickly as you counted off the days before Seungcheol left for New York. You were racking your brain, trying to understand when you felt the relationship was about to end. 

Maybe you were also changing your mind about the future with Seungcheol, and the seven-year limit was your safety net. 

“Did I rely on that limit to distract me from the fact that that future might never even happen?”

You knew it wasn’t just him who was ready to jump from this sinking ship. You were just in denial because you were already accustomed to thinking it would be him in the end always. 

Were you just like Seungcheol, who saw it but did not look at it as one should when deeply in love? 

Did your relationship end a few months ago, and you were both cowards to admit it? 

You hug your knees to the floor, crying after Seungcheol finally walks out the door. There is no turning back now. You were the one who decided on this. When he leaves for New York, he leaves everything about you and him as well. 

While you understand that this breakup was happening before you both realized it, the pain remains. It still feels like the half of you is torn and tossed into the ocean of flames. You still want to scream your head off. 

Because you know that nothing is more painful than living with the fact that you have wasted years of your life with someone who doesn’t see the end of it with you, nothing is more hurtful than living out the remaining days of a shared relationship that should have ended with wedding bells and a kiss after the priest said so. Yet, this is your reality now.

Seungcheol will be in New York riding subways and taxi cabs going places when you have always imagined him driving the family car with you in the front seat as your kids sat in the back sleepily as the drives always lull them to dreamland. 

You will always feel cold in San Francisco but never freezing like he would when the cruel winter visits New York. You think of how whiny he gets when cold, especially when the heat packs on his coat and his hands don’t warm him enough. 

You will start your life again with half of you still in the thoughts of him out there without you. You love him, that’s for sure, but with everything that has happened for the past few months, you know that it’s for the best that you won’t be marrying him. 

You just know that your mother was wrong. 

You did not love him any deeper. Being deeply in love doesn’t equate with having lesser affection for someone you’ve been with for a long time. It’s not maturity or having profound reverence towards your partner. 

You fell out of love with Seungcheol, and he was the same as you. 

You were in denial, and he was scared to tell you the truth as he was used to the idea of you beside him. 

You lie down on the carpet of the living room like you always do, letting the new reality of being alone in this apartment you used to share with someone you called the love of your life for four years. Everything is still here except his things. It’s complete and decorated, but it’s half empty in your head. 

You repeatedly remind yourself that it’s the only right thing to do, that it’s best to be free of him before you waste more of your years for nothing. Yet, you’re only a mere mortal dealing with a pain so unbearable that you wallow and weep. 

You just ended a relationship you were once sure of, and even though you have given yourself a month to face the ending of your greatest love story, it did not brace you from the impact of the pain it’s giving you now. 

You close your eyes and pray to the god you used to believe in, wishing he’s there and merciful enough to take away the pain that you’re feeling—wishing for him to fast forward to the days when you won’t feel this pain anymore. You never want to remember this feeling again. 

You wish never to experience the pain of being fully aware that you’re losing someone who has gotten half of you. 

[soeurdelune]

The Angry Sheperd, l'auberge des malfrats, sur Concrete Jungle

Vous êtes cordialement invité·e·s par @rollinginthedeep-swan et moi-même à venir installer vos personnages les plus grigous et scélérats au Angry Sheperd. Imaginez une auberge pour les grands vilains, le mélange incongru entre l'hôtel Continental dans John Wick et une taverne victorienne... Refuge de la lie et des bandits de passage, terrain neutre où s'échangent les bonnes (et mauvaises) adresses, le bar est poisseux de whiskey, les ex voto accrochés aux murs semblent juger les crimes commis, peut-être commencerez-vous une partie de fléchettes avec des faussaires ou des tueuses en cavale...

Votre personnage y croisera assurément Walter ou Alexandria, les maîtres de l'auberge, et peut-être se liera-t-il d'amitié avec les autres forbans locaux 👀

Pour résumer, si vous aimez les city sombre et que vous cherchez un endroit où installer votre personnage sans prendre un pl ou un scénario, on sera plus que ravies de vous réceptionner au Angry Sheperd. Les clients sont dorlotés (non c'est faux), les chambres sont un tantinet miteuses, mais vous ne risquerez pas de vous ennuyer ♡

PLUS D'INFORMATIONS ET NOUS REJOINDRE ICI ♡

☞ crédits moodboard: Swan (images 1, 4 et 5) + lune (images 2, 3 et 6)

[oddlykilledghosts]

Breakfast At Tiffany’s - Rafe Cameron x reader

Summary: Rafe surprises you with a trip to New York during Christmas, and a stop at a shop you could never afford

Word Count: 3.2k

Pairings: Rafe Cameron x pogue!reader

Nothing felt real. 

Well, maybe it actually felt a little bit too real. Too good to be true. Maybe falsified by some ancient god for some universal prank. But you didn’t care. You were sitting in the backseat of a taxi with your boyfriend, Rafe Cameron, and life was perfect. Life couldn’t have been more perfect. It was snowing outside, a blaze of white flickering past the window and landing on the cars passing by. A sight you had never seen before, and your eyes glazed over watching the snowfall from outside the car.

You were leaning on Rafe’s shoulder, having been a little sleep deprived lately because of work and trying to find time to spend with friends when you weren’t working, which were both equally stressful. Rafe’s arm was protectively around you, and also radiating heat from inside his jacket. And it felt a little alright to take a break from thinking about those small amounts of stress when you were bundled up next to the Kook.

The other day, when this all began, had started out just right. Perfect sun, no clouds in the Outer Banks, and temperature of low 50s; the coldest you liked in your hometown. You had stayed over at Rafe’s the previous night, and he had pretty much insisted you do so. Unfortunately, you could never really say no to your boyfriend. But Tannyhill was also big and glorious and you never minded staying there instead of The Cut. 

After you had begun dating, it was typical of you to stay there most nights, with Rafe’s room becoming a second hideaway from the world. His room had its own bathroom, where you had showered and cleaned up before the day had started. And you kept your own things there; strawberry scented shampoo, face wash, a toothbrush, and a few other necessities. Rafe had made his space your own. The only problem was trying not to let Ward in on your little secret. You were Ward’s favorite of the pogues, only when you weren’t a group of meddling kids, but you doubted he would approve of your sleepover situation. And if he did know of it, he didn’t say anything. 

When you came out of the shower, Rafe was sitting on the bed looking at his phone, not letting you in on any simplicity of his plan. You were drying your hair with one of his white towels when he spoke up, all nonchalant-like, “You like New York, right?” His voice hid a certain nuance to it, but you couldn’t tell what it entailed.

An eyebrow shot up on your face as a laugh exited your mouth, a jingle Rafe could never get out of his head, “Like, geographically?” 

Rafe shook his head, his eyes looking up from his phone. His gaze softened when it landed on you, a gentle expression on his features. “No, like, visiting.” He shrugged where he was laying down, and pulled himself up to a sitting position to get a better look at you. His eyes were sparkling, keeping a secret to themselves.

You laughed again, not sure where he was going with this, “You very well know I’ve never been outside of North Carolina before.” You shrugged, "Can't afford it.” The truth was, you couldn’t remember if you had told Rafe about wanting to visit New York. Especially when you were younger, you would dream about living in the city. It didn’t always sound like you, as you were now an avid surfer and got tans upon tans on the beach at every opportunity. Plus, saving turtles with Kiara was always on your mind. You couldn’t very well do that in the confines of a concrete jungle. But the dream was still there, just not tangible.

“Y/N, would you like to go to New York?” Rafe’s smile peeked out from an unfortunately unsuccessful attempt to hide. You stopped trying to dry your hair. Normally, you didn’t love when Rafe showered you with gifts. But Rafe loved it, and did so at every opportunity. It was like if Rafe had all this love to give, if he could land it anywhere, it would solely be on you.

You shook your head, “No- I mean yes. But you can’t. I mean, Rafe, it’s like-”

“Y/N, it’s Christmas, please just say yes.” Rafe's eyes were so soft, melting into you. His voice was so sweet when he talked, as if he really believed you would turn down the gift and was hoping with all of his might that you would really take him up on it. You had turned down his gifts and generosity before, but that was so early into your relationship that it felt like ages away now. The real problem was, Christmas was the one exception. You loved everything about the holiday. The lights. The gifts. The tree. The music. Everything. And you had never really seen snow before. Had it snowed in New York recently…you were somewhat tempted to get out your phone and check even before answering your boyfriend. Snow. Did you enjoy the cold? Not always. But it could be something new. Something inspiring.

You looked at Rafe, trying to decipher whatever plans he had for the two of you by marking the constellations of his face. A line here, a dimple there. One faded freckle. And inside it all was a loving boyfriend. One you knew wanted the best for you. Only if that’s what you wanted too.

So you said yes. And now you could never believe you did. The Rockefeller tree. The shop windows on 5th avenue. Even your hotel was in the Christmas spirit. Wreaths were up. Halls were decked. It really felt like Christmas. And it was more than you could have ever asked for.

You would never complain about your life back home, not at all. But to really experience it all like this was magical. It was something out of a dream. Like one of those children’s books about a snow day.

Finally, you and Rafe stepped out of the cab, Rafe stopping just for a second to pay the man behind the wheel. You were stopped at Fifth Avenue, a very “Rafe” place to be (as you had decided in your mind). There was nothing spared here, and the bustling of bodies was new to you. Stuck in your mind was the thought of a tourist like you getting trampled so you hung onto Rafe’s arm for support as you walked. 

Snow fell on your nose and your eyelashes causing a blurry sight. You’d never experienced snow before. Well, New York City wasn’t the best place to make snowmen and have a snowball fight, but experiencing it this way the first time was alright to you and just as special. 

Rafe pulled you into a coffee shop, allowing you to be in awe of the city for a moment. You wondered if he had been before, surely Ward had taken him either on business ventures or family vacations. He knew his way around well enough, he didn’t seem like just some OBX boy making it up as he goes for the first time in this type of city.

“Coffee first?” You asked, not sure where this particular stop of the day was leading you. 

The first stop of the day had actually been waking up at your hotel, which wasn’t that far from where you were now. Rafe had scheduled ahead of time, gotten you both a flight with great seats, and started the trip off particularly great. When you found this all out though, you initially pouted unconvinced by Rafe’s confidence that you were going to say yes. Just another way he gets ahead of himself because of you.

When you walked into the shop - a fun place called Ralph’s, you pushed some hair behind your ear. You were wearing a hat and a big coat to fend off the cold and your hair kept getting in your face. The hat was also a little itchy, but you didn’t tell that to Rafe who had thought you looked so cute bundled up.

“World’s best cup of coffee,” Rafe joked, giving you a squeeze of your hand as the two of you stood in line. He was referencing a quote from a movie the two of you had watched together to get in the Christmas spirit; Elf.

You rolled your eyes as you remembered that you wanted a cup of New York coffee. That scene had sparked an inspiration. World’s best or not, coffee kept New York upright. It was just a small thing that he had noticed and remembered. How much of what you said now lived permanently in Rafe’s brain?

When you got to the front of the line, Rafe ordered you your signature caffeinated drink and a croissant, although you weren’t hungry. 

“Next stop?” Rafe asked into your ear as you were leaving, his lips forming a smile. It was nice to see him in such a good mood it almost surprised you to see him act so carefree.

Once you were out, back into the cold, your grip on your boyfriend hardened. “And what would that be?”

“It’s a surprise.” He replied.

“No really tell me.” You pulled at his coat sleeve but he kept walking, dragging you along with him.

“We’re almost there, Y/N. Trust me.”

You leaned into Rafe, taking his word for it and sipped your drink as you went along, people watching everyone on the crowded street.

_________________

You had closed your eyes against Rafe’s sleeve for a bit before you stopped, that exhaustion from work and hanging out one to many late nights with the pogues taking over. You were glad your boss had been forgiving enough about the trip, as you had saved up sick days in advance for emergencies like this (this was a Christmas emergency) and were glad for the time off but you still needed a nap. Maybe on the next taxi drive.

Rafe had to shake you from your almost-sleepwalking-endeavor, “Y/N, you might want that croissant now.”

“Mhnm?” You hummed, content with the smell from Rafe’s coat (polo cologne and fresh laundry as well as that distinct ocean-y smell that came from living so close to the beach).

Shaking your head from any notion of sleep, you opened your eyes, and you gave Rafe a look. This is not what you had envisioned. It wasn’t some New York tradition or small town deal. Well, what it was was Tiffany and CO’s flagship store, huge and towering over the two of you as snow passed by the well-lit windows. 

You couldn’t help but smile at the store. So beautifully big and gleaming with lights and decorations of the jewelry inside. You would’ve never taken yourself here, and you knew that was most of the reason why Rafe had. You had watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s not that long ago and told Rafe how much you loved it. The characters. The glitz and glam. What the story really meant. 

Rafe handed you the croissant, “Ready to remake a scene?”

You now understood what Rafe was doing. You were going to be his Audrey Hepburn. His “Holly Golightly”. The classic croissant and coffee combo, her breakfast that she ate in the first scene of the movie.

Going up to the window, you let him take your picture as you sipped your drink and took a bite, laughing as you did so. “You know, we’re far from those characters.” You mention, trying to get back to reality.

“We’re obviously not sex-workers, Y/N.” Rafe says with a deadpan, and you’re surprised he’s seen the movie as you surely didn’t make him watch it. Maybe Wheezie did when she was going through her past decades phase a few months ago. As he talked, snow got stuck in his hair, you think it makes him look cute and you bite back a soft laugh.

“I know,” you smile, taking another bite of the treat. There was some chocolate inside, sweet and just right. “If I had a cat, I’d definitely name it.”

“But?” Rafe knew you too well to drop the conversation.

“I did fall in love with it. That nothing bad could ever happen in a place like Tiffany’s.” You took a step towards your boyfriend and used his color to pull him into a light kiss. “You’re like that for me.”

Rafe smiled against your mouth, “Because I’m rich?”

You shrugged, a playful smirk on your lips, “Want to go in?” You asked, having too much fun with this. “Just to look.” You clarified.

Rafe nodded his head, a mastermind at work behind those eyes, “Ladies first.”

_____________________

The thing was, you weren’t much for luxury stores, so this was a very new experience for you. A doorman stood by one of the doors and ushered you in, and you blushed as he opened the door for you as it’s action usually only Rafe does for you. You smiled at him as he both of you passed, and grabbed Rafe’s hand (one of your many ways to comfort yourself) as you entered the store.

The store itself was huge, ceilings going up and around, four floors all open to retail. The first floor featured cases of the most blindingly pretty diamonds and jewelry you had ever seen. Sparkles washed over your eyes as you pulled Rafe to either side of the store, looking with delight at everything offered. Every now and again, a worker would ask if you needed help, but you assured them you were only looking before Rafe could interject.

All of it was decorated with Tiffany's version of Christmas. Christmas cards and art and wreaths. The color red. Tiffany Blue. A tree here and there.

There was a time here and there where you could feel Rafe’s eyes on you, his smile widening at your awe. So in love with you that even watching you enjoy something was enough of a show for him.

By the time you had traveled to each floor, you felt very pleased with your visit. You and the pogues would’ve never come here on your own, let alone able to afford anything in its walls. But Rafe still had a surprise up his sleeve, just for you. 

When you came back to the first floor, Rafe stopped you from going out the door. His hair was now damp from the melted snow but his nose was still a little reddened by the cold. You weren’t sure it was that appropriate to kiss him in a store like this, but you wanted to because he looked so much like the person you loved more than anything, just fresh and new from the cold. He held out his hand to you again, and pulled you close before exiting the store. “I want you to pick one.” He whispered in your ear, not quite letting you pass the threshold and leave.

“What?” A shiver went up your back, causing goosebumps to appear on your arm under your coat. You were sure Rafe was kidding, and also not sure at the same time. He went a little extreme when it came to you, so this was no mistake. He had planned this. 

“Y/N, please just pick one.”

You turned to face him, heat steaming in your cheeks, “Rafe I can’t do that.”

He smiled, “Yes you can.” Then at your pout of pure utter ‘I’m a pogue and I can’t take expensive gifts’, he added, “Let’s just look again. Try something on. For me.” 

As you persisted, Rafe just got more and more convincing. It was easy to fall into his traps. He was tall and charming and knew all of your tricks as well as his own.

When you perused the glass cases again, Rafe flagged down a sales associate to help you. Anxiety coursed through you, you had never done this before… let alone spent this much money on something other than bills. But there was something so calm and casual about Rafe here, like he knew how it worked. 

But you also did want to be pampered a little, give into Rafe’s love for you, even for just a moment.

Rafe picked a few items out, but only after you had shown interest. He was letting you take the reins. Of course, you cringed when they said each of the prices, but Rafe covered it casually and had no worries about how much the cost would be. You tried on a few necklaces and bracelets, weighing the options. You felt so glamorous looking in the mirrors and seeing the jewelry on. But there was one that you loved. That you couldn’t take your eyes off of. But it felt like too much to ask. Of course, the only problem was how Rafe already noticed you eyeing it. It was helpless to think you were going to leave the store, with Rafe as your boyfriend, empty handed.

Rafe side-eyed you as the sales associate walked away for a moment to fetch something Rafe had asked to see, “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking it’s Christmas and you don’t have to do this,” You put your hand on top of his, his skin was warm and cozy and his gold signet ring glinted under the lights.

“Hmm, I’m thinking it’s Christmas and you deserve this. Y/N you work so hard, let me do this-” The sales associate returned and opened up the box to reveal what you had wanted, but not said. 

“How much is-” You began to ask, already regretting your decision to let this happen.

“Don’t tell her, it’s a gift.” Rafe interrupted, his smile so charming you were sure even the sales associate was falling into his trap.

You glared at him, but tried it on. And you felt good wearing it. It glinted just like Rafe’s ring in the light, and it looked so good in the mirror. You wanted to scold Rafe, but this was one of the first things you’ll probably have forever and you didn’t want to rob yourself of that. Especially not when it’s connected to someone you loved so much.

“What do you think?” You asked, showing it off to Rafe.

Rafe gave you a look, and you sighed with a smile and turned to the sales associate, “We’ll take it.”

________________________

When you were walking out of the store, you grabbed Rafe’s hand again and pulled him out, almost nervous that he would be tempted to buy you more. You had already gotten one blue box that day, you didn’t need Rafe going especially crazy. But between you, it felt like Christmas. You had gotten an out of this world gift, you were in New York with the love of your life, and you still had more to do.

You turned your head to look at Rafe while you walked, not really in the mood for a taxi, “What’s next?” You asked, eyes ablaze with that look you always got on Christmas morning.

“So now you like my surprises?” Rafe asked, squeezing your hand. 

“It’s Christmas, I can give in a little.” You squeezed Rafe’s hand back, and went off into the wintery New York city.

[rollinginthedeep-swan]

Le pré-lien est de nouveau disponible suite au désistement de la personne l'ayant tenté. Un grand merci à elle pour ce début d'aventure. **

En espérant que la vielle chouette trouvera chaussure à son pied. <3 @soeurdelune et moi-même l'attendons avec impatiente pour remplir les vielles pénates de notre Angry Sheperd . (Vas-y, cliiiiiique) Y a du drama, beaucoup d'amour, du gâteau et des bouteilles planquées sous le comptoir. <3

MERYL STREEP - PL disponible - (F) - 70/75 - Fc suggéré mais non imposé.

Crédit : Swan

Le vieu hibou attend sa vielle chouette sur Concrete Jungle - https://concretejungle.forumactif.com/t606-f-the-owl-couple. Je vous attends avec joie et cookies. *-*

[the-gershomite]

Predator Concrete Jungle -Trade paperback 2012- originally 4 issues in 1990

(91-97 of 97)

script by Mark Verheiden

pencils by Chris Wagner & Ron Randall

inks by Sam De La Rosa, Chris Warner & Randy Emberlin

colors by Chris Chalenor

letters by Jim Massara & David Jackson

cover by Den Beauvais

[concretejungle-forum]

VERSION 5 | SPOOKINGHAM PALACE 🦇

Le 24 Octobre, CONCRETE JUNGLE fêtait officiellement son premier anniversaire. Un an sur la toile, c'est juste incroyable. Merci aux membres pour leur présence, leur patience, leur engouement et leurs idées🩷 On a tiré le méga gros lot en matière de communauté et on veut vraiment le souligner 😚 Pour fêter ça et marquer le coup, on a enrôlé la talentueuse @dynamiiiight pour un design aux couleurs folles (vraiment ce combo là 🤯) et à l'ambiance parfaite pour la saison 🖤Merci à elle pour le temps consacré à ça et pour sa patte graphique sur notre gros bébé ✨ On lance aussi non pas un, deux ou trois events mais bien QUATRE pour célébrer les anciennes versions du forum. Que ça soit des activités INRP ou HRP, on espère qu'il y en aura pour tous les goûts. Comme toujours, CONCRETE JUNGLE reste un forum city réservé à un public majeur et centré sur une vie nocturne et des activités criminelles, mais pas que. N'hésitez pas à venir faire un petit tour et découvrez notre coin, c'est sympa, vous verrez ! 🖤

[mare-avatars]

✧.* Odessa A'zion

(la plus cool des weird cool girls, Izzie Flowers sur Concrete Jungle)