#Leith / Spoons

[maddytheweird]

Dark Side Of The Silver Spoon - Palaye Royale

[louroth]

wait what did that anon mean with monster leith?? is L like... generally okay? 😭

Is L like...generally okay?

They (I can't emphasize that word enough) are absolutely not okay! :) But I think you need to have faith that the future will be at least a little bit sexy. And it will have claws. BUT THATS IT. I'm not saying anymore about it.

[ffs-abalisk]

Flight of the Albatross - Chapter 9 Snippet

It was about that moment that Slapjack slammed open the door to the kitchens, a wooden skewer clenched between his teeth in a grin so wide it stood out starkly against the dark curls of his beard. “Alright you crusty sea dogs, get in here! It’s lunch time!” he crowed, blinking at Leith for a moment before bursting into a good-natured guffaw. “Well, well, if it isn’t Spoons, rockin’ a new ‘do! Lookin’ good girlie!”

“Hmph! Well, at least someone around here knows how to give a compliment.” Leith said smugly, giving her newly trimmed hair a saucy little flip of her hand before jogging over to meet the cheery chef. “Hey Slaps, you can cook and you know how to sweet talk a girl. Let’s run away together and get married!”

Somewhere in the background, Ace sputtered.

Slapjack threw his head back and roared with full bellied laughter, slapping a firm hand on her shoulder that damn near rocked her on her ass. “Hell no!”

"Damn. Well, it was worth a shot," she sighed theatrically, allowing herself to be ushered in the dining room.

[lesvieuxjoursart]

[fractured-shield]

hi so i answered all of these oc ship asks from @inky-duchess myself for fun so uh. long post ahead i have a normal amount of thoughts about idhren and leithe

Who fell first? Who fell harder? Idhren fell for Leithe emotionally pretty quickly and then realized he’d also be open to romance somewhere along the way. Leithe always thought he was pretty, objectively speaking, in the years they were friends, but fell so hard once she saw him in armor and sparring with someone

Who is the one who fusses the most? Does their S/O mind very much? Absolutely Idhren. Leithe thinks it’s sweet but sometimes she’s like “it is quite literally just a scratch calm down.” She doesn’t fuss so much as just force him to eat and sleep when he forgets

What is their love language? Some combination of acts of service and quality time for both of them. Long meandering conversations that would be impossibly boring to anyone else

Has either OC ever gotten a hickey off the other? What was their reaction? Yes, both of them, she’ll wear it with pride, he’ll be blushing whether he got or gave it

What is something they like to do together? Long conversations where they try to puzzle out solutions to her advocacy or his council work, reading books or making things and just existing in the same space

Who would ask the "would you love me if I were a worm?" question? How would their S/ O answer? Genuinely Leithe would say that as a joke to make him laugh and he would be all “yes of course love, go to sleep” but still be laughing

Who likes forehead kisses? Who likes hand kisses? Who likes neck kisses? Leithe tends to be on the receiving end of forehead kisses due to the height difference, but a simple kiss on the hand will get her so fucking good. She’ll kiss him on the neck to watch him blush, and a kiss to his forehead would probably make him cry I’m being so honest

Who is the big spoon? Little spoon? Goes both ways tbh

If there wasnt enough seats, how would they sit? One on the other's lap? One on the armrest? One on the floor in front of them? Leithe will sit anywhere so it depends on how serious the setting. Idhren would probably just remain standing

Who plays with whose hair? So Leithe has pretty short curls, and will definitely let Idhren do what he wants with her hair because it feels nice, but typically it’s the other way around since his hair is longer. She really likes it, and it feels nice so he doesn’t mind

Who is clingy? Oh that’s not even a question it’s Idhren. But like, internally, because he doesn’t want to bother her

What is something their S/O does that makes them flustered? Well Leithe has a whole thing about being reminded that her demure, serious scholarly husband spent many years as a soldier, so just seeing him in armor or sparring/training. Idhren gets flustered at nearly everything tbh but Leithe will just Say Something that’s like an inappropriate inside joke between them in public and it’s over

What is something they find hot about their S/O? She likes his hands, and the way he looks when he’s focusing on something and how that one strand of hair keeps falling in his eyes, and his profile. He likes her eyes and the way she moves when she’s doing something she enjoys, all practiced ease and confidence and sun

What is something they argue about constantly? Is it a deep-seated issue or something small? Ignoring the trauma impostor syndrome stuff, she takes her tea with honey and he insists you can’t even taste the tea if you do it like that

How do they comfort one another when the other is upset? He tends to just hold her and let her vent or cry or whatever she needs. She’ll do the same, but would also offer a distraction or want to brainstorm a solution

Who is the better caretaker? Does their S/O like being taken care of? Definitely Idhren. He’s so bad at being taken care of though. Leithe’s passable either way

Who steals whose clothes? Does their significant other mind? Leithe steals his shirts to wear at home, Idhren steals her scarves/shawls sometimes for the same use but also because he's cold, neither minds

They've had a major blowout. How do they handle it? He apologizes first and insists it’s all his fault, she sits down like “okay no we’re both at fault let’s talk about it like adults”

How good are they are communication? A lot better with time, once they realize each other’s quirks. The years of friendship first definitely helped

Who handles the spiders? Who screams directions in the background? Honestly, they’re both the “catch it and put it outside” type

Who typically tends to initiate intimacy first (this can be a conversation, action or anything)? Almost always Leithe but Idhren is quick to go along with it

What is something - either character - doesn't like about the other? She’s stubborn, which is almost always a good thing until they’re trying to decide the proper way to cook a dish with regional variants or something petty like that. He’s very negative, and it’s mostly that she doesn’t like how much it hurts him, but over minor issues it can get annoying I’m sure

Who said "I love you" first? It could go either way? Either a straightforward declaration from her or a “-because I don’t want to lose anyone else that I love” mid-ongoing crisis on accident from him

Who kissed who first? Oh yeah that was Leithe

Do they have any pet names for one another? See I don’t want to get into conlangs yet but he’d call her “sunlight” or something in Fairalmin, or “dearest” or something. She’d favor “love,” or something vaguely teasing and very specific I haven’t settled on yet

Who gets jealous most often? How does their S/O deal with that? Leithe doesn’t do relationship jealousy, she would’ve been open to sharing Idhren with Maithyr if a poly arrangement had been in the cards and Maithyr had been more available. Idhren doesn’t so much do traditional jealousy, like he trusts her, he just worried that she’ll find someone more capable and less difficult to deal with

Who tends to drive on long journeys? Who navigates? (In a modern au) they take turns, but she gets headaches from reading in the car so it’s mostly just infrequently repeating phone directions

Do they trust one another? Are comfortable discussing their fears with one another? Leithe is pretty open voluntarily, but talking about her parents wishes for her and some of her more serious fears took a while. Idhren trusts her but tends to not want to burden her with things, but eventually she knew more or less everything about his past

What's an insecurity they hold about their relationship? She sometimes thinks she’s too much, too loud or brash or excitable. He tends to think he’s too dreary and somber and is dragging her down

Describe how one character would cheer other up after a hard day. Idhren would make Leithe tea and something warm to eat and offer to listen, because she tends to work through things by talking. Leithe knows Idhren responds better to physical comfort and reminders that his mind isn’t an objective judge of things, so she mostly just holds him

How would they describe one another. He’d describe Leithe as sunny, and vibrant, all contagious smiles and passionate speeches and gestures, brave and just, so pretty and doesn’t she just have the nicest laugh and have you heard her talk about the amendment she’s pushing for in Lauthein’s assembly, she gets that look in her eyes, her eyes are so beautiful- She’d describe him as more than he seems, and gods have you ever seen him in that old Linadorin vanguard armor, quite the sight, with his hair up and everything, and he’s so kind and softspoken and attentive and oh, you should hear him sing, his accent is so pretty, and honestly the tired vaguely ill look is sort of endearing of you ask her

Can they communicate private thoughts whilst in company? If so, how? Lots of sidelong looks and little half-statements, where the meaning is only clear to each of them

Which one of them gives "that look" when the other is acting like a fool? Leithe will just fucking look at him with the meaning “stop thinking so hard you’re doing it again” so clearly present

How do they address a problem in their relationship? Typically they talk it through like adults, but he’s always been sort of quick to overthink things and she tends to try to fix things that should be left alone at times

How does each significant other view any exes and former relationships? He’s on friendly terms with her various short term relationships and the person her parents tried to set her up with. She liked Maithyr well enough, and understood why things ended how they did, but she was always aware of how badly he hurt Idhren without meaning to

What is something that would break their hearts? Leithe absolutely hates seeing those moments where the truth of how cruelly Idhren thinks of himself comes through unfiltered by the polite unbothered facade. As for the reverse, well. It’s less a hypothetical, and more a “everyone he loves dies and leaves him behind to grieve.” but also some alternate version where she lived but gave up the work she cared about and lost hope in its success would've hurt him so much to see

Who is more likely to avenge their S/O if they were hurt or killed? Oh, Leithe. She’s a force to be reckoned with. Idhren would (…did) internalize it and get stuck in a cycle of grief. He doesn’t really do revenge

What would be their ideal evening in? Long discussions about current events and policy that turn into sitting by the fire curled up together reading. and then whatever other activities Leithe gets the idea for

Do they dance? If so, who's better? They’re both pretty good dancers, with her being raised among nobles and him learning the nuances of polite company for council work. As for who’s better, it depends on the dance

What is a song that reminds you of the OCs' relationship? I have a playlist for him so lots of the songs remind me of both of them. Seafret's "To the Sea" is a good one for them

Who sings to the other? Are they any good? Actually they both sing, often together. They’ll both say the other is better. She has a nice bright soprano voice, and he’s an unassuming but very pretty sounding tenor

Who teases who? What about? It goes both ways but usually she’s teasing him, typically about anything to do with him getting flustered easily. He’ll tease her about the armor thing or about her being short sometimes though

Who gets up early? Who stays in bed late? She’s more functional in mornings than him, but they’re both night owls to varying degrees (his sleep schedule would be nocturnal if he let it)

Who's more likely to bring the other coffee or breakfast in bed?Probably Leithe, if only because she rarely lingers in bed for more than half an hour, and Idhren would fucking rot in bed all day if he had nothing to do

What's the worst thing the other can say to one another? Probably for him to say there’s no point to her work, or for her to say he’s right about himself

If they were ever in a life or death situation who risks their life? They both would, but he’d do it first, even if neither of them had to risk it. It’s a bad habit. He’s got no fucking self preservation instinct

If it ever came down to it, who is turning to the darkside to save the other? Oh, absolutely Leithe, we’ve established Idhren goes the “unhealed grief and blaming himself” route instead of revenge

If they ever had less that 5 mins to tell their S/ O something before never seeing them again, what would they say? Damn, what would she have told him. (taking the interpretation of impending death, because...yeah). Probably not to blame himself. That he deserves better than to mourn forever, that he’s allowed to enjoy life, that he’s a good person and that their child isn’t wrong to look up to him. If the situation was reversed (if things went a little worse when he was trying to sort everything out just after the war...) he’d tell her that he’s sorry, that he knows she’ll achieve everything she’s worked for, and also that he doesn’t want her to grieve too severely and that she had no part in it

Is there a word or gesture that makes either of them melt? Sometimes he’ll kiss her hand and she’ll just like, short circuit for a second. Or he’ll wrap his arms around her from behind. She’ll play with his hair while they kiss. I need to think more about words though

Who's the romantic? Idhren, he’s just bad at initiating anything

Are there any characters who ship them? You know the entire Third Watch thought of those two as their second parents, and Hal and his wife were their closest friends so they definitely had their support

Who cooks? Who does the dishes? They take turns, but she’s better at cooking and he’s better at baking, maybe

Who eats healthier? Who's got the sweet-tooth? She’s got a sweet tooth, but that being said, he regularly forgets to eat unless reminded so it’s not exactly healthy

What's something that they don't really care for but tolerate because S/O has an interest? The social circles of each other’s jobs. He finds hers exhausting and she finds his stuffy and gossipy

Who spoils who? Does their S/O tolerate it? Do they secretly enjoy it? This also goes both ways, but she’s more openly receptive to it, he’ll get flustered and say she doesn’t have to

Who tends to be the level-headed one? Who is feral? Yeah Leithe’s fucking feral, Therien had to get it from somewhere

Who reminds the other to wear a coat when it's cold out? Idhren reminds Leithe, but usually ended up giving her his coat. At least, until she realized he was lying about not being cold, and made more of an effort to remember her own

Do they hold hands? They’ll sit in front of a fire reading books in silence for hours and hold hands the whole time

Is there a spot they tend to kiss or caress habitually? Leithe has a tiny scar on the back of her knuckles from jewelry smithing, and Idhren will either kiss over it or run his thumb over it while holding her hand. He’ll also kiss where her neck joins her shoulder, or just brush his hand across her cheek. Leithe also likes touching his hands, and she likes to kiss his nose (thinks it’s a cute way to catch him unaware) or his throat (likes watching how flustered it makes him)

Are they willing to show PDA? If not, is there a reason? They’re both fine with simple gestures and quick kisses in public, within the bounds of polite society, but she tends to push it a bit further or define “in public” a bit differently

How would they describe their S/O in one word? Vibrant or warm, to describe her- and tenderhearted for her description of him, maybe

How would outside characters describe their relationship? They look like they’re made for each other, like they’re near exact opposites but somehow they balance each other out perfectly and it works

How would they describe one another in bed? I have not put much thought into this don’t ask me that they're like parents to me lmao that's gross. He’d say she's a bit energetic and rather flexible, and leave it up to the imagination what he means. She’d just say he’s not as uptight as he looks

Would they ever answer the above question if it was asked to their face? How would they react? Oh, yeah, Leithe would answer with varying degrees of mischievous honesty depending on the audience, Idhren would give some noncommittal positive response and blush so hard

Who tends to take the lead in intimate encounters? Leithe

Have they ever been caught in the act? What would be their reaction if they were? They’ve been caught making out. He was very apologetic and embarrassed but would later tell her it was very worth it. She was much less genuinely apologetic, and would agree with him later

Have they ever done it anywhere questionable? Yeah but don’t worry about it lmao. Leithe’s idea obviously. Like maybe one of those times they snuck into a garden at night or, if we want to get angsty about the time in Nar-thelyr post war, somewhere there in an attempt to add fonder memories that they later realized wasn’t a great solution

Who is more vocal? Who is more experienced? They both have nearly the same amount of experience, although she’s had more varied partners (she’s pan) and his only relationships before her had been with men (he’s bi). She’s a lot more comfortable being vocal and she leans more into talking. He tends to force himself into near silence except for quiet noises and yes Leithe is absolutely so weak to them

If they were to go shopping, who holds the bags? Who decides where they go? They plan out where to go ahead of time, making sure to hit everywhere they each want to go, time allowing, but then typically stop to look at more along the way. And they both carry the bags but she’s a “get all the groceries in one trip” kind of person

If they went out to dinner, who is paying? Would there even be a discussion? Split if it’s early in their relationship, but once they’re established they just go back and forth

If someone were to insult their S/O, how would the other handle it? Leithe would either get angry or just be like “huh, if that’s what you want to think, I guess” judgy about it. Idhren would definitely defend Leithe but typically just him being tall as fuck and vaguely scary looking on first impression is enough to get an apology

If someone flirted with or showed an interest in their S/O, how would the other react? They’re both pretty secure in their relationship so it’d be a casual “did you see that” “yeah that was so awkward, they were kind of pretty though” “by your taste or mine?” sort of laughing gossip later

Who knows the other better? Why is this? Idhren probably knows Leithe a little better, but only because she’s more open. Although he’s also a predictable fool at times so it’s close

Who's more likely to bail who out of jail? Would they give the other one shit for it? I’m pretty sure modern au Leithe would have been arrested for protesting on many occasions. Idhren would fully support her but also prefer to not be in hectic crowds if he could help it

Which - if any - other famous ship's vibe they emulate? ......... .........oh yknow

Are they soulmates? Do they believe in that? I mean soulmates in the sense that they fit well together but neither of them put much stock in fate

What is something they would never forgive the other one for doing/saying? ...That’s a good question I’ll get back to you on that

Who has memorised the other's medical history? Idhren has Leithe’s memorized because he worries. His is also much more extensive

Also, are they each other's first contact in an accident? Oh yes absolutely. I mean. Canonically he was the first informed I suppose

What tropes could be applied to this relationship? Sun and moon, black cat husband/golden retriever wife, I’m sure there’s more idk

Did they have a meet cute? Or was it a train wreck? Oh it was so good, they had both gone outside at some evening event, used to being only seen for various surface level traits (her appearance over her words, his foreign accent) and hit it off as friends

Make their relationship into a list of A03 tags. I’ve forgotten every tag I’ve ever used but emotional hurt/comfort is sure on there

Who gets frustrated more easily? How does the other calm them down? Idhren gets frustrated with himself about as often as Leithe gets frustrated with her work. They both tend to prefer distractions once it's clear it's just, frustration and not an issue that can be fixed

Have they ever almost lost one another? How does it affect their relationship? Not in the troubled relationship sense, but the whole “Idhren being so unstable when he had to go back to Nar-thelyr after Maithyr's suicide and get all of the late warmaster's postwar plans in order while grieving and trying his best not to follow” was very hard on both of them, but brought them closer, it was in the early years where the lines of friendship and romance were sort of blending between them

Their S/O is tipsy. How do they handle it? Leithe is an excited and chatty drunk so Idhren just kind of listens and humors her and gets her some water. Idhren will without fail cry when he’s drunk so he doesn’t drink often

Who gives the best gifts? Who gives the more thoughtful? Who goes for expensive? Neither of them are very big on gift giving, but it tends to be small, unique things that may have little objective value- a little piece of jewelry that would look nice with their eyes, some tea or spices from a foreign market during their travels

If they ever lost one another in a public place, how do they find the other? He just goes and stands somewhere visible and lets her sort it out, she’s too short to find in a crowd (she’s like 5’4” and he's 6'4")

What's the darkest secret they have ever told one another? Idhren’s is obviously talking about the shipwreck, like Leithe knew that it happened but the details, talking about how he watched Calenna and Lhurin die (one is thrown from the ship when it hits the rocks, the other tries to climb to safety and slips, haven’t decided which is which yet) and how he just like, sat there on the splintered deck waiting out the storm and asking the gods- first the Four, and then the banished Fifth even- to either save them or to kill him too. The ones for Leithe are harder. I think, despite her having a mostly good relationship with her parents, they were never wholly satisfied with her work since as a lesser noble family she didn’t need to be putting herself out there with such controversial things. So she cared for them, but kind of emotionally distanced herself from them, and had a really hard time when they died feeling like she wasn’t grieving in a normal or correct way because it was all so disorienting. I also want to add that she’d have a lot of that particular brand of intrusive thought, the “your brain gives you a mental image of dropping your child to make you you hold them tighter” type of weird brain thing but like, with other things too and so uncomfortable to deal with and she hates to even acknowledge it’s a thing so most people would have no idea

Would they ever consider marriage? They were canonically married yes

Would they ever consider starting a family? Therien is there yeah

Who likes kids more? Who can't stand them? They both like kids and kids tend to like them. Maybe Leithe a bit more, Idhren is kind of “I’m going to fuck it up I should not be responsible for a person” about it

There's a puddle in one's way. What does their S/O do? She jumps over it, he walks around or through it depending on shoes

One has hurt their leg on a hike. How does their S/O carry them? He’ll just pick her up either bridal style or on his back. She’s a foot shorter, so the best he’s getting is an arm around him to keep the weight off the injury

Their pet has caused destruction. Who puts the pet in jail? Who defends the pet? Either one puts the pet in jail and the other is being teasingly dramatic in the background

Who gives flowers to their S/O? What sort of flowers do they like? There’s always flowers in their home, given either way, but she likes them a bit more. Her favorites are sunflowers and yellow mums, he likes snowdrops

Who reads the newspaper? Who wants to see the cartoons? (modern au) They both do and they have lengthy conversations about it. And then read the cartoons

How do they wake their S/O up? Is it difficult to rouse them? Leithe isn’t a heavy sleeper, but Idhren never stopped sleeping as lightly as he did as a soldier. He’ll wake her with a hand on her shoulder or a kiss, she tends to wake him with a kiss, or just on accident when she sits up or something

Who would burn the world down for who? Leithe should be allowed to commit arson for any reason actually. But it could be either of them

Who gives off "they said no pickles" energy? Leithe definitely

Make a meme of this ship. scroll back up and look at my blog header

tag list: @just-emis-blog @orions-quill @honeybewrites @leahnardo-da-veggie @robin-the-blind-sniper-rifle

[fictionallyinparadise]

An Ask Game based on Lyrics from Various Songs and Artists that Make Me Unhinged!

As always, practice reblog karma <3

"I don't deserve you / You deserve the world / Though it feels like we were built from the same dirt..." (Your Sister Was Right by Wilbur Soot): What was something your f/o did that amazed you?

"For what it's worth / There's no more looking back it's looking up or looking down!" (BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA by Will Wood): What sort of advice would your f/o give? Are they good at giving advice or awkward?

"If I could, I'd be your little spoon / And kiss your fingers forevermore" (Your Best American Girl by Mitski): Describe the strangest cuddling position you and your f/o have woken up in/done!

"It's okay if you can't catch your breath / You can take the oxygen straight out of my chest" (Two by Sleeping At Last): How far would you go for your f/o's happiness/comfort?

"I will be kind and I'll be sweet / If you stop staring straight through me" (Ghosting by Mother Mother): What do you think would happen if you and your f/o went through a haunted house attraction? Would they be scared or would you be the one scared?

"You are coming down with me / Hand in unlovable hand!" (No Children by The Mountain Goats): If your f/o has any enemies, how do you act around them? If they don't, how do you act towards people who have hurt/wronged them?

"History will hate us / But they'll never forget our names!" (Hit and Run by LOLO): Criminal AU time! Describe it in as much detail as you want!!

"I don't hate that I need you..." (Another Life by Motionless in White): Which one of you is more needy in the dynamic?

"I swear that I'll be yours forever / Til forever falls apart" (Till Forever Falls Apart by Ashe and FINNEAS): What does your f/o want the future to be with you? Do they have any specific goal they want for the two (or more <3) of you?

"Depollute me, pretty baby / Suck the rot right out of my bloodstream..." (We'll Never Have Sex by Leith Ross): First kisses and first time falling asleep together is nice...but what about the first time they held your face in their hands? Did they do the little thumb stroke on your cheek? Gush on!

[pers-books]

A bollard. A thimble. A beef gravy granule. A bilge pump. A plectrum. A Pokémon annual. A doorknob. A chaffinch. An old rusty kettle. A footbath. A clothes peg. A wine stain. A pebble. A ceramic spoon holder. A fruit polo mint. A discarded tissue. A puddle. Some lint. A used toner cartridge. Some musical socks. A build up of silt. A stuffed startled fox. A plimsoll. A wingnut. A set of false teeth. A novelty wall clock with the face of Prue Leith. A beetle. A drumlin. A short piece of string. A packet of Wotsits. A plant pot. Most things.

​An Incomplete List of Things More Capable of Running the Country than the Current Government - Brian Bilston

[lhoandbehold]

I'm absolutely here for it but all the aesthetic 'beautiful Edinburgh in the rain' videos out there showing the exact same 3 locations because of course the Spoons at the bottom of Leith Walk isn't exactly dark academia is an endless source of amusement

[theart2rock]

Palaye Royale - Death Or Glory

Das elektrisierende Trio Palaye Royale aus Los Angeles kündigt heute sein mit Spannung erwartetes viertes Studioalbum "Death or Glory" an, das am 30. August 2024 erscheinen soll, und veröffentlicht eine neue Single und ein Video zu "Showbiz" über Sumerian Records.1. Death or Glory 2. Hot Mess 3. Just My Type 4. Ache in My Heart 5. For You 6. Dark Side of the Silver Spoon 7. Showbiz 8. Mister Devil 9. Addicted to the Wicked & Twisted 10. Self-loathing Conversation 11. Been Too Long 12. Pretty Stranger - Remington Leith – lead vocals - Sebastian Danzig – guitar, keyboards - Emerson Barrett – drums, piano - Andrew Martin – guitar - Logan Baudean – bass Lesen Sie den ganzen Artikel

[28whitepeonies]

Hii, omg thank you for answering! I will mostly try to walk or use public transport :) right now i have the peoples story museum, the writers museum and just like walking around on my list haha

Hi again friend

I have an ask from another blog who recently visited Edinburgh and has a better tourist perspective, I will post it right after this bc they have some recommendations for you of things they enjoyed too! I won't mention much of the tourist stuff because I suspect you'll already know about it and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

Since you've mentioned the writers museum, there's a really great, small radical bookshop in Edinburgh called Lighthouse. They sell books of course but they also do a lot of community and book events, they're one of my favourite places in Edinburgh and if you've got some spare time they are really worth a visit!

10 mins round the corner from the People's Story Museum is a plaque which marks the birthplace of James Connolly, it's a blink and you'll miss it kind of marker but if you are interested in working class history it's defo worth a wander past. This is a bit further out, but if you can manage it it is really worth a visit. The National Mining Museum is just outside Edinburgh, it's about half an hour on the train, probably an hour on the bus.

Edinburgh is on the Firth so I'd recommend a walk down by the water at Newhaven, there's a really cute lighthouse and you can walk along the edge of the water out to the old port, it's a good spot in the evening especially! Theres cold water swimming along Newhaven harbour too. (Portobello beach is another great visit but it’s a bit further out and you’d have to get a bus)

There's a fish and chip shop near Newhaven harbour that I hear is good but there is an even better one a 20 min walk away called Pierino's and it is near the Shore area of Leith which is really cute and has a lot of shops/pubs/restaurants. If you fancy the walk then either of those is a good opportunity to wander down Leith Walk from the city centre which has a lot of cafes/pubs and little shops but there are also lots of buses. There's a section of shops at the bottom of Leith Walk and a pub called Leith Depot, where they recently fought off a student housing development, it's a great pub and they do live music every night.

If you are looking for places to eat, then the very best caffe/greasy spoon in Edinburgh is called Snax, it's up a side street off Princes St/St Andrews Square and it does the best fry up you will find here! There is a great veggie bar/restaurant called Paradise Palms near the city centre if you wanted an evening place and a little cafe in Leith called Faceplant Foods which is also vegan and does the best Caesar salad & toasties you will ever experience. They make their own cheese sauce, it is incredible! Only opens 10-4 Thurs - Sun though. If you wanted a night out, then for a queer space open day/night CC Bloom's is the best around it's central and located in Edinburgh's 'pink triangle'. If you're not queer or wanted some live music then Stramash in the Cowgate is excellent!

Sunday is a good, but busy, day to visit Stockbridge, it's a wealthier part of Edinburgh but it has a fab, small Sunday market. There are fresh food vendors and different stalls selling unusual stuff. Stockbridge is also just lovely for a walk through and five mins from the market is Inverleith park which is great to spend an afternoon in. It's got a really cute duck pond and view of the castle.

Every Wednesday the Grassmarket Community Project has a free film night (donations welcome) but anyone is welcome to attend! The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are both really central, and are always worth visiting.

Hopefully that's a bit of a range of stuff that you might not already know about and places I regularly eat/drink at, I've tried to think of things in different parts of the city as well where you can wander around and just enjoy the city! Feel free to drop me a message though if you want more info on anything and defo come back and let me know how you enjoyed your visit (if you want to)!

[superbeans89]

Forbidden shipping

[maddytheweird]

Dark Side Of The Silver Spoon - Palaye Royale

[rboooks]

Sharing a piece of  the past

 For  @fanfiction-by-abalisk . Beacuse I really love Leith and the stroy of Flight of the Albatross, but mostly I love how things that are so normal to her don’t make sense to her crewmates but thought about her celebrating some holidays as a means to keep some of her old life and thought, what would be her favorite? and this came out. 

In all honesty, the crew wasn’t expecting much when Leith loudly proclaimed she was going to be celebrating a holiday of her people and there was no way any of them had a say in the matter.

Ace had taken one look at her stubborn raised chin and her challenging words but it was the fear and slight desperation which hide in the corner of her eyes that had him agreeing to her latest hair brain idea. It wasn’t like Ace was going to stop her, after all, Leith never talked about her life before she joined the crew much less how she ended up in that horrible place.

He had many suspicions of how it came to be and none of them were pleasant. If this was the only way she could cling to happier memories from her childhood then who was he to attempt to put an end to it. 

Spoons’ answering smile, so bright and soft, might have also been worth it as she appeared a little dazzling smiling like that but he would never let her know. He once got a punch in the stomach for saying she would make a good mom that one time he caught her telling little kids stories, and he learns his lesson not to give unprompted comments. 

It was a little odd, however, when she started decorating. 

A flying witch here.

Paper ghosts there.

Some howling wolves over there. And fake cobwebs all along the ceilings.

Ace had to duck under multiple fake bats she hung up, and tiptoe around punkins with faces carved into them while being mindful of the fake spiders she placed on the floor. Spoons spent a good amount of time getting each “Jack-o-lantern”  just right and any fool that accidentally trips over them had a flying banshee upon them in minutes. 

She seemed highly offended when Pitch attempted to make her see reason and move them away from the door sides to somewhere less likely to get in the way. Luckily she did end up moving some, but the one by Ace’s room stayed where it was. 

He wanted it gone, it was unnerving, but when he brought it up with her she claims that one just had to stay near a door. 

“It’s tradition. What? Scared of a little-carved face?” She told him, her sarcastic tone almost had him missing the way she clung to the Pumpkin. Almost but not quite.

He took a big breath and let it out in a long huff before grunting.

“Fine. It can stay but if it falls over and burns the ship it’s on you.” 

“He won’t burn us.” She taps the laughing skull carved into the orange vegetable with a grin   “Jack Skellington is the King of the Pumpkin Patch you know?”

Ace had no idea what that sentence even meant but Spoons had been happy and that was all he needed to know. She had then thrown herself into putting up odder objects around the ship but mindful of them not getting in the way. 

She was oddly thoughtful like that. Ace knows she thinks they can’t tell, but deep down she’s a big old softie. 

 It wasn’t overly....attractive what she made the ship look. If anything Tex comments on how it almost made it seem haunted had her puffing up in pride, preening like it was her goal all along.   “I know right? Get’s all the spirit of the holiday in here”

Pitch gave Ace a look of long-suffering but the captain pretended not to see it and the two men left her alone about it. Sailing with this much decoration wasn’t so hard but it was confusing. 

No one knew just what this holiday even was, the few times Spoons talked about it she always said confusing things as a response.  “Oh, you know the night to get a good scare!”

“Free candy”

“It’s all about the costumes”

“Trick or treating”

Which honestly created more questions than answered. Some of the men wanted to call quits after the first few days beacuse according to her, it was a month-long holiday and they weren’t so sure how long they could keep it up. 

 Ace watch her bounce around all throughout the month and he liked what he saw, so he keeps the men’s complains at bay. So what if they worried a little? Ace thinks the way she seems just a little more at ease is what really matters. Even if it started to feel a little like a Witch Cult with all these black cauldrons and dry ice.  

“You all need to have a costume by the thirty-first,” She told them one-night during dinner. Ace was trying his damnedest to keep his eyes upwards beacuse she forgoes pants again.

“What for?”

“You can’t have Halloween without costumes!” She then did something. Something Ace hadn’t been prepared for. She reached over and settled her hand on his.  It was....a good sign she was opening up to them. Spoons rarely touched others, not unless it was to flirt or hurt, this small act of trust made him feel honored and gave him hope she was getting better. Just a little.

“What kind of costumes do we need?” He asks, keeping his eyes on her face as she laughs  

“Anything you want. As long as it’s a costume anything goes. But you could make it fun and be a sexy firefighter” She purrs beacuse of course, she would.

Ace chokes on his spit while Tex drawls  “That’s a bit ironic don’t you think?”

Spoons wink at the other man with a far too amused look. “The more ironic the better”  

She then processes to make more suggestions each racier than the last and honestly how could anyone make a taxi or a book sexy? What goes on in her head?

“D-do we need anything else?” Ace stumbles, trying really hard to get the conversation away from sexy anything.

“Candy. Lots and Lots of candy,” Leith nods then taps her chin as she thinks  “We could give some too little kids too if we dock that day.” 

“Yes beacuse children are going to take candy from pirates.”

“It’s tradition. Little kids get free candy.”

“From strangers? How is that safe?”

Suddenly her eyes go dark and Ace panics  “We can set up a booth or something!”

She smiles up at him, and butterflies jump in his stomach for the shortest of moments.  “now your talking, flame boy”

It was fun. 

He dressed up like a zombie and he made a bunch of children happy. They were each handed a bag of candy and Spoons even handed out some paper masks so they could dress up too. 

She was dressed like a vampire, makeup and all, and she seemed pretty darn happy about it. Especially when some of the adults jump at her appearance. 

The adults were given their own goodie bag after the fright so none were angry if anything they seemed intrigued.  

The villagers had all taken a liking to them, most staying for some of the celebrations. His crew had a party and Spoons had been in the center of it all singing her heart out to a song she claimed was a must. 

Since she had been singing it all month Ace was able to join in and had even gotten Spoons to dance with him as their voices mix in the chorus of “This is Halloween, everybody scream! everybody scream!”

But the part he liked the most was after they all went to bed, Spoons waited till she thought he was sleeping before giving him a large hug and a whispered thank you.

She would have never done it had she known he was awake but when she settled down, the places she touched tingled ever so slightly in a pleasant way. 

Ace fell asleep with a smile on his face and a promise to himself to celebrate this again next year. 

[ffs-abalisk]

Flight of the Albatross - Chapter 9 Snippet #2

WE'RE AT 40% EDITING COMPLETE. I REPEAT 40% EDITING COMPLETE!!

also the chapter is now sitting at a whopping 9.1k words and I'm parked at 3.7k edited so far with more additions to come yay! :)

Anywho, have some unedited chapter snippet below to tide you over~

--

“Uh…” Leith began to back off, feeling self-conscious and more than a little wrong-footed, slinking around the door frame to head back outside. “Well you have fun with that! I’m just gonna—”

“Nonsense, in you go, Spoons. It’s social time.”

“I. Don’t. Wanna!” she’d grunted, straining against the doorframe with a strength that would have been impressive, if Pitch had actually been trying. As it was, he was just pushing against her upper back with a flat hand.

Tex snorted and slapped a hand over his mouth, looking away. Ace bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

Traitors the lot of em!

Apparently, Pitch finally had enough and just planted his hands under her armpits, making her fold like a paper bag.

“Oh, you’re ticklish,” he observed mildly, lifting Leith up in the air like he was holding aloft a particularly damp and bitey cat or something.

“No! I’m not!” Leith protested in a shriek that she was certain was entirely unconvincing, her face red and legs flailing. Trying desperately not to hyperventilate and cackle at the same time.

[dassandre-00qpidsarrow]

Grilled Langoustines

Q and Eve love eating together.  Homemade, takeaway, dine out, it doesn’t matter.  Food and wine are their love languages for one another, even if that love is purely platonic.  From practically the moment Eve confessed in the lift to Q about having killed (or so she thought) 007, food has been the way they connect and share with one another.  He’d taken her out for sushi that night, and somewhere between the Dragon rolls, the Spicy Tuna rolls, and more sake than either of them care to remember -- if they could remember, it was a lot of sake, after all -- they’d realised they were soul besties.  

One of their favourite places to eat is Bocca Di Lupo, a small Italian restaurant in Soho.  The food is off the charts amazing, but particularly the Langoustine with Garlic, Chilli, and Coriander.  The langoustines come out so tender and flavourful, and the sauce is perfect for sopping up with chunks of rustic bread.  

Bocca Di Lupo is also close to Q’s favourite lingerie shop, Masqueline, and with James coming home from a long assignment in a few days, perhaps it’s time he and Evie go shopping for some new sexy togs in silk and lace and have some lunch afterward. See the recipe under the cut ... and click on the link above to read the story in which this recipe appears!

Langoustines with Garlic, Chilli, and Coriander

INGREDIENTS

1/2 garlic clove

1 red chilli

1/2 bunch of coriander

1 lemon

150ml olive oil

Very small pinch of crushed dried chillies

20 langoustines

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

Heat the grill to its highest setting. Peel and crush the garlic and halve, deseed and very finely chop the chilli. Coarsely chop the coriander leaves and juice the lemon. Put half the olive oil in a small saucepan, add the crushed dried chillies and garlic and gently warm over a low heat for 2–3 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse while you prepare the langoustines for grilling (see footnote). Pour the cool, infused oil into a large bowl, add the langoustines and toss to coat. Place the langoustines shell side down on a lipped baking tray, season with salt and a little pepper and grill for 3–5 minutes, depending on size. Halfway through cooking, baste the langoustines with any remaining infused oil from the bowl. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the remaining olive oil with the chopped chilli, coriander and some salt and pepper. Once cooked, the langoustine tail meat will have turned opaque and will be starting to shrink a little from the shell. While still hot, drizzle over the dressing. Serve immediately. To prepare a langoustine for grilling...

Put the langoustine belly side down on a board and cut down through the head and tail to divide in half.

Remove the grit or stomach sac from each langoustine half.

Remove the intestinal tract from the tail. Any liver in the head area can be left in or spooned out and used in a sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Leith’s School of Food and Wine

[juliandev0rak]

Lapine

Dinner at the Lonan manor doesn’t go to plan.

a side fic to the Hallmark Yule Series by @leila-of-ravens

characters: Lysander Lonan, Leila Lonan, Leith Lonan, Lachlan Lonan (of @leila-of-ravens), Ella Sagen (of @leechobsessed), Beatrice Viano, Bramble the rabbit, also sort of Julian Devorak

words: ~1800

notes: takes place somewhere between chapters 4 and 5 of the Hallmark Yule Series

Beatrice has been running on nothing but excitement and lots of tea for the last few days.

She’s been busy being introduced to the city of Umbra and to her home for the duration of her stay. It’s hard to rest when there's so much she wants to see and do while she’s here, there are museums and an opera house and most exciting of all- a university. She wants to see it all, wants to soak up every moment of being in this place.

She finally has a break in her busy itinerary, an hour to herself before dinner which is usually served at eight. She finds it difficult to stay awake now that she’s not on the move, and she decides a nap is in order. But as Beatrice lays down on the still unfamiliar bed, she finds it impossible to fall asleep. 

As she tosses and turns fitfully, her mind wanders back to the house tour Lysander had given her after she’d arrived a few days ago. Beatrice had probably looked like a fool, all wide-eyed and curious about everything. She’s never been in a house this grand, except for the palace in Vesuvia which is well, a palace.

The Lonan manor is large, beautiful, and filled with all sorts of wonderful things. She’d noticed a grand piano on her way in, and books, books everywhere. If someone had asked her to describe her dream house, this would be it. 

Even the guest rooms are nice, tasteful if a bit impersonal. And Lysander is just down the hall, the second to last room he’d told her. She feels slightly strange at the thought of him sleeping so close to her, just a few walls away. Beatrice can hardly believe she's here, seeing where he lives and works and spends his free time. She's in his home.

Trying to sleep seems useless, so she gives up on her nap and decides to read. But she’s restless and even her novel can’t hold her attention for long. Hiding away in her room has less of an appeal when she has so many more interesting things, and people, she could be seeing. 

When it’s time to get dressed for dinner Beatrice stands in front of the wardrobe for far too long, trying to decide on an appropriate outfit. She wants to be casual, this is simply a family dinner after all, but she wants to look nice too. Beatrice finally picks a dress and tries to fix her hair, which is beyond repair after a day spent out in the cold and wind. She pins it back from her face and fluffs her bangs- good enough.

This is just a dinner with Leila’s family, but her family happens to include Lysander. If she’s making a little more effort on his behalf, who could blame her?

Beatrice shakes off her sudden bout of nerves and checks the clock on the wall, it’s five minute till eight so she heads downstairs to the dining room. Bramble hops along beside her, sticking close to her side. Her familiar has been uneasy since their arrival, on guard around the other animals who inhabit the house. There’s a dog, a fox, and multiple birds of prey- it’s not the safest environment for a rabbit, and Beatrice has been careful to keep an eye on her.

When she enters the dining room she finds nearly everyone seated already. She takes the seat between Leila and Ella, and notices that the only person missing is Lysander and the only vacant seat is directly across from her. She wonders if someone had arranged the seating like that on purpose. 

Bramble settles into her lap and Beatrice reaches for the full wine glass in front of her, taking a polite sip as she listens to the others talking around the table. She’s a bit overwhelmed by all of the chatter and is content to observe rather than interact for the moment. She notices that Ella is avoiding any and all eye contact with Lachlan, who is similarly avoiding her by conversing with Julian. Beatrice looks away, unsure how to offer Ella support in this moment, and watches as Leila jokes with Leith.

Lysander enters the room then and her eyes immediately go to him. 

She stares at him, dressed in his usual white shirt and blazer combination, and he stands in the doorway looking back at her. The eye contact stretches on, neither looking away until Leila laughs loudly at something Julian says and breaks the moment. Lysander clears his throat and crosses the room to take his seat across from her. He nods at her in greeting and she dips her head in response, wondering if she should say something.

Bramble stirs in her lap and Beatrice suddenly wonders whether it’s rude to have a rabbit at the dinner table. She’s pretty certain that the laws of etiquette don’t dictate what to do with your familiar, but she isn’t about to let Bramble roam the house alone.

“Dinner is served!” Leith announces from the head of the table. They’re served some sort of stew, the meals in Umbra are always warm and hearty. It smells good but Beatrice decides to try the bread first. She’s learned over the course of her stay that Leith is a very competent cook and usually makes every meal himself. As she spreads butter on a piece of warm bread she notices Leila turned to face her.

“So, Beatrice, did you manage to nap?” Leila asks, and her friendly smile puts Beatrice at ease as it always does.

“No, I think I’m quite immune to sleep at the moment.” Beatrice takes a bite of the bread, savoring the soft texture. “I read instead.”

Leila laughs, “I’m not surprised to hear that. Is the book any good?” 

“Yes! Lyse recommended it to me. It’s got so many characters that it was a bit difficult to keep up at first, but I’m enjoying it.” Beatrice turns to look at Lysander across the table and finds him already looking at her. She smiles briefly and quickly averts her eyes, staring down at her plate instead.

“Lyse, is it?” Leila laughs at the casual slip of the nickname and Beatrice blushes, wishing her hair was down to hide behind. She picks up her spoon to cover for her embarrassment and is just about to eat a spoonful of the flavorful looking stew when Ella’s voice rings out over the other’s conversations.

“Beatrice, don't eat the stew!” 

“I beg your pardon?” Beatrice lets the spoon fall back into the bowl, careful not to make a splash. Her eyebrows draw together in confusion as she stares into the bowl, it looks like a perfectly normal meat stew to her.

“It’s rabbit.” 

“Oh.” She stares down into the bowl, unsure how to react. She doesn’t eat rabbit, how could she when she’s got an adorable one sleeping in her lap right now. Beatrice looks up from her bowl to find everyone’s eyes trained on her and she blushes again, embarrassed to be making a fuss.

“Leith! How could you serve us rabbit with Beatrice here?” Leila asks, shaking her head in disapproval.

Leith looks horrified as he stands up from his chair to make his way over to Beatrice. He bends down towards her as he talks. “I’m so sorry Beatrice, I forgot entirely! Rabbit is a very common meat here and… well that probably doesn’t make this apology any better. I am sincerely sorry for having served you this meal, can I get you something else to eat?” 

“Oh it’s fine, please don’t worry about it!” Beatrice is trying to sound reassuring but her voice raises to a slightly squeaky pitch as it does when she’s uncomfortable.

The chunks of meat in the stew seem to stare at her accusingly and she tears her eyes away. She looks up to see Lysander still watching her with a peculiar expression on his face, he looks a bit upset but it’s always so hard to tell what he’s thinking. Beatrice hides her discomfort by taking another sip of wine.

“It most certainly isn’t fine, I’ve greatly offended you and your familiar.” Leith’s voice pulls her attention back to him. “Please accept my most sincere apologies, I’m sorry to have caused you any discomfort.” 

Beatrice frowns as he talks, but she’d made up her mind to forgive him before he’d even apologized. It was a simple mistake after all, and one he clearly hadn’t intended. “Your apology is accepted of course, but I’d appreciate if you didn’t serve rabbit again while I’m here.”

Leith puts his hand over his heart as if he’s swearing an oath, “Of course, it won’t happen again I promise. Now would you like something different? I could make a vegetable soup if you’d like?” 

“Oh, that’s alright! I’m not very hungry, I think I’ll stick to bread, thank you.” Beatrice reaches for her piece of bread and takes a bite for show. Any appetite she’d had has pretty much disappeared. 

Leith doesn’t return to his seat, still intent on making amends. “I’ll have to make something special for dessert sometime to make it up to you, any requests?” Beatrice drops her piece of bread and nearly knocks over her glass in the process. She hates being an imposition, especially as a guest. “That’s very kind of you to offer, but you don’t have to go to any trouble on my behalf!”

“Beatrice loves cake,” Leila interjects before Beatrice can demure too much.

“Well perhaps I’ll make a carrot cake then, to apologize to both of you.” Leith smiles warmly at her, and Beatrice returns the gesture.

“May I help you bake it?” She asks, surprising herself with her boldness. Beatrice has only just met the oldest Lonan brother, but she can already tell that he is a very kind person. She’ll willingly accept his apologies, and his baked goods.

“Sure, if you’d like. I’d be happy for the help.” Leith gives Bramble a scratch between her ears and then returns to his seat. 

The dinner continues on, though everyone seems to enjoy their meal a bit less than before. She notices that Lysander hasn’t touched his stew at all.

As the rest of the group continues to talk and drink, Beatrice sits back to observe again. She had worried that she’d feel out of place here- in a fancy house, in a city so far away from home. But the Lonans have tried their best to make her feel welcomed and included, and she appreciates the effort.

Though she’s still trying to get her bearings in this unfamiliar place, Beatrice realizes that she wants this. She wants to believe she could belong here, in a fancy house with a family like this. With this family. As long as they don’t serve rabbit again.