#Sandra Farms Coffee

[elijones94]

🇵🇷 Yesterday was a long and insightful day of exploring in the mountains. After driving through varying mountain roads, we joined a group tour of a coffee farm in the middle of the island. Among the highlights of the tour was sampling different types of coffee before we all left to search for a waterfall nearby. ☕️🌴

[tgmsunmontue]

Season to Taste - 16/? WIP

Explicit Hangster - Celebrity Chef Bradley and Naval Aviator Jake Seresin who have a relationship spanning the globe before they realize how tightly bound they are to one another. Heading into this little world.

PROLOGUE/ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE

TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FORTEEN FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

                He walks out the front to find Vi sitting at one of the tables groaning, her head rested on a pile of books and her laptop set to the side.

                “What are you doing?”

                “Studying. Go to University they said. It’ll be fun they said. It was all bullshit and lies.”

                “You could always run away to another country.”

                “Oh, I am not fool enough to think my life is as blessed as yours is. If I ran away to America I’d probably end up dead.”

                “You don’t want to travel?”

                “I didn’t say that.”

                “But…?”

                “Can you imagine my parents agreeing to let me go?”

                “What if I went with you?”

                “Where?”

                “Anywhere…Everywhere.”

                “Are you serious?”

                “You’re like my sister –”

                “Cousin.”

                “I might actually have cousins somewhere. Anyway, we could always go together. If you wanted.”

…            …            …

                Sandy, Olivia, Maria, Nicola and Mandy are all sitting at the large twelve-seater dining table when he finally steps into the kitchen. He doesn’t say anything, silently pours himself coffee from the pot and takes a sip while he just looks at them. They all look back. They’ve clearly been talking about him, or Leo, or more likely his relationship with Leo. Not that he’s told Maria anything, and for her to be the sister that knows the most is unusual. He doesn’t know whether she would have talked or not.

                Sandra is the oldest, nine years Jake’s senior and got to get the whole college experience before their lives came crashing down around their ears. She’d married her boyfriend from college, a man named Daniel who had uprooted his life in Montana to live in Texas. If that didn’t show love and devotion Jake doesn’t know what does. They have three kids, two girls and a boy, ten, eight and six years old. They call him Uncle Jake and think he’s cool. He doesn’t need the ego boost, but he’ll take it regardless.

                Olivia is six years older than Jake, and of all his sisters he’d have to say she’s the one he has the least in common with. He doesn’t know what happened while she was at college, but he just knows she’d come back angry and upset, raging at the world with no time to consider comforting anyone, or being comforted herself. Now though, she seems happy, her own little house built on the farm a ten-minute walk away from Maria in the main house. She cooks and creates things, rescues animals like it’s her job.

                For a reason he’s not one-hundred percent sure of, Maria lives in their family home where they all grew up and where he’s standing right now; looking at the large table where they all congregate around for every special occasion whether he’s there or not. He has always assumed that Sandra didn’t want to live here and raise her own family. Maria is only three-and-a-half years older than Jake, was still in high school and living at home and he’s always considered her the bridge between them all, a middle child acting as glue. Maybe that’s why she stays in the house, reels them all back in every chance she gets.

                Nicola and Amanda are twins, the ones he’s closest to in age, only two years older than him, but he’s definitely closest to Nicola. Nicola came out as a lesbian before Jake even realized that he was maybe not straight and their parents’ easy loving acceptance and support had made it so much easier for him when he figured himself out. The fact that he’s away much of the time means he makes the perfect roommate, only around for a few weeks, always with an end date in sight so she never seems to get sick of him. Amanda, he thinks, is maybe the bravest out of them all, her decision to go after parenthood and take it on single-handed, refusing to wait for some person to come along to make it happen for her. She currently breastfeeding her son and only half of her attention is really on Jake.

                “You going to say anything?” Olivia asks.

                “What’s there to say?” Jake asks, shrugs and takes another sip of coffee. There are collective eye rolls and scoffs around the table and he pulls a face. “What?” he asks again.

                “Maria told us you have a boyfriend.”

                “Did she now…” Jake says dryly, shooting Maria a look and she gives it right back.

                “Did you take the idiot route?” Maria asks, one eyebrow shooting up like she’s daring him to prove her right or wrong either way.

                “No. I didn’t. However if you think me bringing him here for dinner tomorrow isn’t an idiot move on my part then you all need your heads examined.”

                “If he can’t put up with a little ribbing from us he’s not worth your time,” Nicola states, and she leans back from the table and folds her arms, looks like she’s ready to throw hands.

                “After seven days? You think introducing a guy to all of you, what,” he looks to Maria. “Forty-eight hours after we actually decide to try having a long-distance relationship when he leaves, that meeting my entire family isn’t a complete overkill?”

                “But Maria got to meet him!”

                “That’s because I knew she’d be able to help him better than I could. And I wasn’t… we were just hooking up.”

                The looks his sisters all now exchange have him throwing his hands up in the air in annoyance, no idea what they’re communicating silently. He skulls back the last of the coffee in his mug, regrets it almost instantly given how hot it still is, but it looks like Amanda is finished breastfeeding Lincoln and he grabs the burping cloth and makes grabby hands for his three-month old nephew. While he’s around he gets first dibs on everything and he’s totally going to use Lincoln to hopefully redirect the conversation.

                “You sleep well for your mom last night?” Jake asks, and Amanda snorts.

                “Stop trying to deflect Jake.”

                Damn. He’s out or practice. Not even one question before he’s getting called out; although trying with someone unable to answer back was probably a mistake. Ah well, it was worth a shot.

                “This is the first guy you’ve ever brought home. It’s a big deal.”

                “Okay. First off. There was no conscious decision to bring a guy home. He just… I literally bumped into him at the market on Saturday.  Until yesterday afternoon we were just fucking –”

                “Jake!” “Language!” “Can you not?” Their voices all overlap and he’s reminded that while he spends most of his time with guys who are trying to get their photo in the dictionary beside curse like a sailor, his sisters have never liked curse words, although when he’s with them one on one they usually let it slide.

                “Making sweet sweet love,” Jake says, giving them all an annoyed look while jiggling Lincoln and patting his back. “Look, I wouldn’t be bringing any guy home after a couple of dates.”

                “Except it’s not just a couple of dates. This is your guy from Italy…” Nicola states.

                “Nicky…” Jake starts, because only she knows quite the extent of his maybe little thing for Leo which he’d built up in his mind. The fact that he’s pretty much had all of that in more the last few days cementing some of his wildest fantasies isn’t something he wants to examine too closely yet.

                “What guy from Italy?”

                “I thought you said it was Bradley Bradshaw?”

                “Yeah. It is. And apparently they met years ago in Italy and Jake calls him Leo,” Maria provides, like she’s repeating something and Jake frowns.

                “It’s what his Italian family call him…” he says defensively, not adding that it’s also what he’s called him in his head for around eight years.

                “It’s how he introduced himself to you,” Nicola provides and Jake shoots her a glare over the top of Lincoln’s head.

                “Italy… didn’t you stop there as part of your first deployment?”

                “Yeah, it was, he sent us a postcard.”

                “Wait. Was he your first?”

          ��     Jake feels hunted, as he often does when they’re all pursuing the same thing or all trying to get him to do something, or find something out.

                “You’re all a bunch of gossips!”

                “Like this is news…”

                “Also that wasn’t an answer. You know…” Amanda says, turning toward Nicola instead of Jake and he groans. Nicola cannot keep anything from Amanda once she knows there is something to know.

                “He wasn’t my first…” Jake mutters, hoping to maybe head them off, but Amanda is studying Nicola with narrowed eyes, Nicola is looking between her twin and back to Jake helplessly and he shakes his head and Amanda’s eyes go gleeful.

                “Ooohhh… there is definitely something. He was –”

                “He’s the first guy Jake ever kissed.”

                “Maria!”

                “What? You told me when you came home very briefly in between rounds of sweet sweet love. Remember? I didn’t realize it was a state secret. We all know who each other’s first kiss are…”

                “Well, we do now.”

                “My first kiss was actually Suzanne McKenzie,” Jake says smugly.

                “You were four. That doesn’t count.”

                “Oh… he was the first man you kissed. And DADT was still in effect.”

                “Yeah,” Jake says on a sharp exhale, and he swallows, looks down at Lincoln to avoid looking at any of them. It was one thing to have their support when he decided to apply to USNA, but they had each taken him aside and told him that DADT was going to make it difficult. They hadn’t been wrong, but other than Nicola he’d felt at the time it was all I support you but…. Nicola had said, fuck them, you go in there and show them what you’re made of.

                So he had.

SEVENTEEN

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Diner Journalism

Tom the Dancing Bug – Chagrin Falls: "Diner Journalism"

TOM the DanciNg Bug Chagrin Falls "DINER JOURNALISM" by RUBEN BOLLING

==

Panel 1: a sign outside a diner

CENTRAL DINER WELCOME BACK ELITIST COASTAL REPORTERS

==

Panel 2: a reporter talking to a waitress

Waitress: Hey, Bill. It's been a while! What's your angle, hon? Reporter: Trump's enduring popularity with salt-of-the-Earth real Americans. Waitress: You'll want Roger and Abby over in booth 4. Roger (in a red cap): Over here!

==

Panel 3: A reporter calling out to men in red caps in booths

Reporter: Anybody here a real American farm owner with a severe labor shortage who doesn't know that Trump opposes immigration? Man in red cap: Me! Have a seat!

==

Panel 4: A reporter and a cameraman at a booth with a woman (Sandra) eating a hamburger

Reporter: Hi, Sandra. Just sit here while I tape my intro... Sandra: Alright. Reporter: "Here in America's real heartland, very real Americans have not wavered in their support of Donald Trump."

==

Panel 5: The reporter from panel 4 continues to speak, while a woman reporter holding a notebook calls out to men in booths wearing red caps

Panel 4 reporter: Outside the ivory-tower confines of the coastal bubble where not-real Americans live, the prosecutions of Trump are seen as... Woman reporter: I'm on deadline! Anyone here a charismatic White Supremacist? Man in booth: Yo!

==

Panel 6: Reporter with a laptop at a booth with a woman drinking coffee

Reporter: Maybe with less racism, tell me again why you support Trump. Woman: Well, when he talks about non-Whites, he really tells it like it is. Reporter: Mmm... A little less.

==

Panel 7: Angry man in MAGA cap at booth talking to rapt reporter

Man: Yes, I'd like to punch you in your lamestream vermin face. Reporter: Fascinating! What are your views on Bud Light? On the price of eggs? Tell me *every*thing!

==

Panel 8: Couple talking to reporter while new man enters diner and speaks to Beth, the waitress

Man from couple: Everyone at January 6 was an FBI agent! Woman from couple: And everyone was a freedom-fighting patriot! Reporter: Got it. Both. Man talking to Beth: Table for one.

==

Panel 9: Man who entered restaurant turns to leave while Beth the waitress talks with him

Beth: Are you coastal media elite or heartland real American interview subject, hon? Speech bubble from out-of-panel: "Then Jack slams his real American fist into my effete, overeducated jaw!" SFX: POW! Man leaving diner: Never mind. I'll eat at home.

==

The End

[shady-lemur]

Horsegirl summer

(do you guys get it… like hot girl summer but horsegirl summer 🤭🤭)

Farmer Ellie x reader

After your parents pass away in a car accident you decide to use the money left in the will to move to your aunt’s farm and fix it up for her and you to live. you end up reconnecting with an old friend.

The reader's like 22, Ellie's 21, Sandra is like mid 40s.

no smut, just some kissing. a lot of it is just them crushing on each other lmaooo

"Babyyy!!! How are you?!!" Your aunt smiles as you get out of your car. She's getting up out of her creaky rocking chair and running down the steps to give you a hug as soon as she sees your face.

Your parents were business partners and you grew up in a penthouse in Manhattan. You rarely got to see your aunt who lived out in Texas because of your family's busy life but the summers you spent with her were the best. Sooo once your aunt heard the news of your parents death she told you to pack your bags and sell the penthouse. "Family needs to stick together, especially in times like these." Finally after a few months, you accepted.

Her farmhouse was old, the paint was cracking and the steps on her porch looked like she had tried to fix them with a few spare nails five too many times. But you had a huge inheritance from your parents so what better to do with it than fix a farmhouse?

"Hi auntie! I'm as good as I can be. Forgot how beautiful this place was." She pulls you in for a hug and squeezes your shoulders. "Isn't it? Air quality's nine times better than that city shit you've been breathing. I bet you're already getting smarter from standing here."

You giggle and shake your head before turning back to your SUV that had been filled to the brim with clothes and appliances from your apartment. "I should probably start unloading things before the sun goes down. Don't wanna get stuck in the dark."

You aunt shakes her head and slaps your arm. "Slow down girl. You need some dinner and a nice night's sleep before trying to unload everything. Get your toothbrush and get in the house. I bet my neighbors will help you in the morning."

You turn back to her and smile, "mkay, let me just get my main suitcase so I have some pajamas."

She gives you a 'mhmm' while turning around and going back into her home. You quickly gather your phone, phone charger, and your suitcase before following her in. You're immediately hit with the smell of her famous beef stew and the sound of her laughing in the kitchen.

This is going to be wayyy different than before.

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

The next morning, you sit on your aunt's half-broken porch swing and and sip your coffee as the sunrise paints beautiful colors in the sky. You'd woken up at 5:30 this morning to try to freshen up before aunt Sandra took you around the farm to meet all the animals.

You're completely intranced by the pinks and oranges in the sky until the sound of the creaky wood porch stairs snap you back into reality, making you jump and almost spill your coffee everywhere.

When you whip your head around you swear your heart skips like 10 beats. The freckles, the short auburn hair, the green eyes that look like they'd been filled in with watercolor. No fucking way.

"Oh my god... Ellie?"

Ellie!! The little girl you'd play with during the summer's you'd visit. Your first crush, your gay awakening, someone you somehow completely forgot about when deciding to move here. She sure isn't little anymore... You take notice of the muscle in her arms and her fern tattoo.

"Shit.. Y/n? I haven't seen you in ages, what the fuck?" Ellie grins at you but you don't miss the way she licks her lips nervously. She definitely still has the same vulgar vocabulary..

"I know. Wow... You're face hasn't changed in the slightest." You giggle slightly as you get up off the swing, "can I give you a hug?"

Her eyes widen slightly but she relaxes them and nods, opening her arms so you can fit between them. Your arms lock around her neck as her's go around your waist. "How are you?" She asks once you pull back from the hug. Concern is written all over her face, she definitely knows.

You shrug and give her a dry laugh. "Best I can be doing. I decided to move in with Aunt Sandy."

Her smile reappears on her face and she puts one of her hands in her back pocket. "Are you serious? Dina's gonna be so fucking excited."

You smile at the mention of one of your other friends you'd play with at the farm. "Oh my god! What's she been up to?"

"Motherhood." Ellie holds a completely straight face and doesn't continue on or anything. You just stand there for a second and look at her and then it finally hits you. "No way!! Oh my god that's so exciting."

"Mhm, maybe we should just go see her soon." You nod and you feel butterflies in your stomach when Ellie looks at you. She said "we"!?!??!??!!??!! Her eyes are scanning your face.

After a couple seconds of silence Ellie's smile reappears and she points to your front door. "I usually just help Ms. Sandy out with some errands before starting farmwork.. sooo.. I'm gonna go.."

You shake your head and snap out of your trance. "Oh yeah! Of course..! Um, I should probably take my mug in anyway.. Aunt Sandy's in there watching the news."

🤍🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

"Holy shit.. How do you do that everyday..?" You plop down on the couch after a long day of learning all the yard work and meeting/feeding all the animals. You aunt shrugs and rolls her eyes at your theatrics.

"That wasn't even half of it. Now how 'bout you come help me cut some of the vegetables for the community potluck tonight." She waves you over as she walks out of the living room and into the kitchen. You groan and follow.

"Tonight? I just wanna go to bed.."

She clicks her tongue at you and smiles, "we all do. But I want the town to see how big my girl has gotten!" She pinches your cheek and you laugh. "Plus, Ellie will be there. She DEFINITELY likes girls."

She winks at you and you just stare in somewhat shock but mostly excitement at the new found information. Eventually your aunt puts a knife in your hand and tells you to start cutting the potatoes.

After about an hour of prep and another hour of cook time that you spent playing cards, your aunt's dish was ready and she had shooed you upstairs to get ready. What the fuck were you supposed to wear?? Maybe some jeans and a T-shirt...? Maybe one of the sundresses you had brought..?

Eventually you decide on a mid-thigh length dress. (Whatevs style you want, I'm think like a white flowy.. Maybe with some flowers.) You do some quick makeup, throw on some converse and put your lip gloss in your bag before heading back down stairs.

"Aww, baby you look so beautiful."

You smile at your aunt and thank her before giving her a quick hug, "you look beautiful aswell." She shrugs playfully and flips her hair, "what can I say?"

You giggle and get your jacket, "do you want to take my car to town?"

You aunt makes and face and sheepishly smiles at you. "I forgot to tell you.. I'm going with my girlfriends," she laughs but stops when noticing that you are not. "Buuut!! Joel's gonna give you a ride. I didn't want you going down alone without any directions."

You blink at her and jump when you hear a honk. Her face lights up, "that must be good ole' Joel now! You best be on your way."

You open your mouth to say something but close it once she's successfully pushed you out the door. You sigh and wave at the truck that's pull up in front of the house.

Ellie pops out of the passenger seat and smiles at you. "Hey! Are you excited?"

You laugh and shrug while making your way down to the beat up, rusty, blue and white, truck. "I guess.. What about you?"

"Dina makes it fun."

You nod in agreement, even though you don't really know. You just know that Dina is one of the most fun people in the world. You say hello to Joel as you get into the back seat. He gives you a small, but friendly, smile and nods his head. "How've you been?my condolences 'bout your parents. It's all that big city traffic, I'm telling ya."

Ellie shakes her head at him and clicks her tongue. You smile at him as he pulls out of your driveway and shrug. "I'm good. We were never super close and I'm happy to be living with my aunt."

He looks at you through his mirror and nods before you talk again, "what about your family?"

"Well I've been enjoying my alone time, Ellie's moved out to the garage and Sarah's got a husband and two kids."

You're eyes widen. Joel had an older daughter before he adopted Ellie and she was a little bit younger than your aunt. How had so much happen in the 7 years you weren't around?

"That's great. I'll have to tell her congratulations. Is she gonna be at the potluck?" Joel sighs and shakes his head, "she moved 'bout an hour east from here. Doesn't think weekly potlucks are worth the drive."

You nod and Ellie turns in her seat to look at you. "Dad keeps using the 'I don't have much time left' to try and get her to come visit but she never falls for it because he won't stop doing any fucking farm work."

You quietly laugh and notice how nice her hair looks half up like that..

Joel side eyes her and parks in the community center parking lot, "no more slandering me. We're here." Ellie shrugs and laughs before getting out and opening your door for you.

"M'lady." She grabs your hand and helps you get out. You take her hand and playfully bow your head, "thank you kind sir."

Joel looks at you both before turning around and shaking his head, "you guys are so weird." Ellie scoffs but smiles at you and doesn't let go of your hand until you make it into the church.

"Y/N???????!!" You see and familiar but much more mature face appear right when you walk in the door, Dina's huge smile greets you as she engulfs you in a hug. "Oh my god! I haven't seen you in forever!!"

You chuckle into her shoulder as she squeezes you, careful not to spill her drink on you. "Hi Dina!!"

She pulls away and boops your nose before giving Ellie a not-so enthusiastic hug. "After you guys say your hellos come to the dance floor!! Jesse's parents finally convinced me to leave JJ with them for the night and I need to dance with my girl." She winks at you and waves before running off to find something to entertain herself with.

Ellie scratches the back of her neck and laughs. She looks so scrumptious in the tank top and jeans she has on oh my lorddd. It's literally taking every thing in you to not stare at her chest. She doesn't have a bra on, probably because of the heat.

"I'm gonna go scope out the food.. Do you need anything?" You shake you head and give her a thumbs up.

"I guess I'll just go talk to some people I recognize. I'll find you afterwards?"

She nods and smiles at you before leaving you on your own. You wipe the sweat off your palms onto your dress and prepare yourself to talk.

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

Dina chuckles as she twirls you, making you twirl her afterwards. "Are you loving the farming lifestyle so far?" She asks you and cracks a smile when you make a face.

"I do! But the heat is unbearable. I've only been here a day and I swear I'm going to die by the end of this week."

"I feel you. You'll get used to it soon though."

Dina had finally convinced you to dance after begging a few times. You loved to dance but you needed some courage to do it here. She was over the moon about it though, claiming that Jesse and Ellie were just 'mediocre dancers.' Effectively making them both upset because they were sitting right there when she said it.

"You need to come see JJ! I'm having some friends over for board games this Friday night if your free? Ellie could give you a drive." You smile at her and nod, "sounds great. I'll have to check with my aunt but I'd love to come."

Just then, Ellie taps on Dina's shoulder and points behind her, "Jesse says he needs you."

Dina furrows her eyebrows but let's go of your shoulders and blows you a kiss before dancing towards the table Jesse was at. You look at Ellie and grin before holding out your hand, "wanna dance?" She groans playfully but gets in position anyway.

"You look really nice tonight." She talks softly in your ear as she moves her hands to hold your waist. Yours go around her shoulders and you shudder at the feeling of her breath next to your ear.

"Thank you. You look nice too.." Your throat feels dry as she sways with you.

"I missed you." Her hands are rubbing up and down your sides carefully.

"I missed you too. I wanted to visit.."

Ellie hums and pulls you closer, resting her head on your shoulder as you dance. You both stay silent for a few minutes before you giggle.

"Dina was right.. you need some practice."

Ellie's head shoots up and looks at you with a very offended look on her face. "Are you fucking kidding? I'm a great dancer."

Your smile grows and you shake your head. "I've felt you step on my foot like 5 times els." She frowns and goes back to resting her head on your shoulder, "I thought you wouldn't notice..."

"You thought I wouldn't notice you stepping on my foot?" You start to giggle again and it makes Ellie laugh too. You can feel her smile against your neck. "Shut the fuck uppp!"

You try to stop laughing but you can't, everytime you think about it you start to giggle even more. It makes ellie laugh even harder. you both look like fucking idiots.

by the time you’re both done laughing you have tears streaming down your face and ellie’s shaking her head. “oh my fucking god, we’re so stupid.” you hit her shoulder and fake scoff while wiping away your tears. “speak for yourself.. i think i’m quite a catch.”

“whatever lets you sleep at night.”

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

“hi pretty.” ellie says teasingly as she approaches you, she’s wearing a signature wife beater with some dirty jeans shorts and work boots. her hair is tucks behind her ears and she squints because the sun is so bright (but it makes her freckles pop out more!!!)

it’s been a few days since the potluck party and you and ellie have been bothering each other when working on the farms sooo much.

you jump slightly at the voice and stop from pulling the weed you had in your hands. your favorite task on the farm was the garden!!! you cover your eyes to look up at her and smile. you’re wearing a white tank top with lace and some cute short overalls. topping the outfit off with a pair of your own work boots, and gardening gloves. “hi els, what’s up?”

she looks up and points to the clouds, “the sky..”

you click your tongue and shake your head before going back to trying to DEMOLISH THIS FUCKING WEED.

ellie cackles and grabs her work gloves from her back pocket to help you weed. “are you going to dina’s tomorrow night?”

you shrug, “i think, me and aunt sandra have to be out of the house at like 4 tomorrow so some carpenters can come look at the place. are you?”

“yep. do you want a ride? one less car.. and you could always come over to my house when you need to leave. we can hang out before going to dina’s.”

you look over her and grin, feeling butterflies in your stomach. jesus christ… have you seriously not gotten over this childhood crush…

“that sounds great… also what the fuck are you doing weeding my garden? aren’t you suppose to be mowing?” ellie looks at you dumbfounded and just sits there for a second before shrugging.

“whatever. i like spending time with you… what’s this flower?” she points to a flourishing pink flower with bulbs shaped like hearts.

you him and look over before smiling, “that’s a dicentra. most commonly known as bleeding hearts. it’s my favorite.” she watches you as you studying the plant, carefully touching the flowers as if you’re transferring your energy to them. the love in your eyes matched hers. she thinks that if her heart starts to beat any fast it might explode. (i tried to make a pun about the bleeding hearts but i COULDNTTTT)

“shit.. it’s really pretty.” she says softly, still tracing the shape of your chin and bridge of your nose with her eyes as she talks. you start to ramble on about them before finally realizing that she’s studying your face. your cheeks get hot and you try not to make her gaze. “um- sorry. i didn’t mean to start talking nonsense with you.”

she shakes her head and finally snaps out of it. “i love hearing about these things. please.. tell me more about the garden.”

she swears your eyes start to actually sparkle and your smile gets huge. “oh my god! okay wait let me get you some lemonade before i get to talking about the lemon balm verses lemongrass!!”

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

you knock a few times on ellie’s door before stepping back and grabbing the basket you brought with you up off the ground. a couple seconds later you see the door swing open to reveal a very tired looking ellie. her hair messy, her cheeks flushed, a big faded band tee and some gym shorts for an outfit.

she rubs her eyes before taking in your outfit. an off-white tank top with different flowers embroidered all over it and a short jean skirt (maybe a little too short for ellie to be okay with the thought that you’d be wearing it in front of a group of people..) with your beat up converse, bag, and basket.

“fuck.. hi pretty girl. sorry i was gonna get dressed before you came but i fell asleep when i got to my room..”

you frown at her and shake your head, oh ignoring the pounding in your chest from the nickname. “are you sure you don’t want to rest? you don’t need to entertain me..”

but she wants to sooo fucking bad.

“nah, it’s good. come on in.” she smiles at your concern and leads you into her house, very similar to you and your aunt’s except no buckets around the rooms to collect the water that get through the roof and no broken staircases. a lot of extra empty beer cans scatter around though.

“i brought you guys some of the jam i made last night. there’s strawberry and raspberry. i also made some cookies for dina’s get together tonight.” you gently shake the basket and ellie’s eyes light up. “do you still shape them into hearts?” she questions while taking the basket from you and walking to the kitchen, you trail behind her like a baby duck.

your cheeks heat up and you nod your head when ellie turns back around to see you. she laughs and takes the covering off the basket before grabbing a heart shaped chocolate chip cookie and taking a huge bite. “still just as amazing as i remember.”

you smile at her and shake your head, “you dickhead!! they were suppose to be saved until we get to dina’s!!” ellie laughs even harder at your whiney tone. “don’t worry baby, i won’t eat ‘‘em all” you immediately have to stare at the ground after she says that.

having a crush on the same girl for so long must be life threatening.

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

oh my god.

ellie kissed you at dina’s house.

ELLIE FUCKING KISSED YOU AT DINA’S HOUSE.

let’s go back a week and a half, shall we?

you bounce JJ on your lap as he sleepily starts to lean in your warmth.

ellie was sitting at the other side of the room, talking to Jesse and glancing over at you and much as she possibly could without looking like a psychopath. you look so good with a kid on your hip. jesus christ if ellie had a dick-

“y/n!!! come onnn! let’s play something.. you’ve been talking to JJ all night.” dina frowns at you and rests her on your shoulder. you pat her shoulder and also frown, “can i help put jj to bed first? he’s so eepy..”

she nods and get up before helping you up. laughing as you situate the sleeping toddler in your arms. “you look like his mom.”

you smile at her teasing and shrug, “i wouldn’t mind taking care of this cutie! would i get a sexy wife out of it too?”

she playfully tucks her hair behind her ear and smiles, “of course. you could stay home and garden and hang out with jj while i worked to make my wife happy.” you laugh at her make believe world and shake your head. “sounds like the dream.”

if ellie saw anymore of the scene that was playing out infront of her there might’ve been smoke coming out of her ears. she knew it was just friendly flirting, dina friendly flirts with everybody. but she couldn’t help the fact that seeing you in the tight outfit you wore with jj and dina and-

before she knew it ellie was excusing herself from the small group she was in and was walking over to you and dina. “hey y/n, can i talk to you real quick?”

you perk your head up at her voice and turn around to look at her, “yeah sure. can i put jj to bed first? he’s clinging onto my neck so hard.”

ellie can’t lie. the sight of you with a toddler clung on your side made ellie weak in the fucking knees.. she never thought she’d have kids, but ellie would do anything if it was with you. ellie smiles and nods before pointing her thumb to the door, “meet me on the porch?”

you give her a ‘mhm!!’ before following dina up to jj’s bedroom.

after what felt like years for ellie (5 minutes… impatient ass) you were finally walking out the door and sitting next to her on a porch step. “hi, what did you wanna talk about?”

“can i kiss you?”

you just stare at her blankly for a second before opening your mouth, closing it again, and slightly nodding. she smiles and grabs your face gently with both hands before slamming her lips into yours. you squeak at the movements and immediately melt into her.

your hands go around her neck as she lightly bites your bottom lip, making your mouth fall open for her tongue to explore. she moans when you start to grasp at at hair, yanking on it. your cunt starts to ache, the feeling only egging you on more.

ellie finally pulls back and looks at you before cursing and getting up.

“ellie?” you call out as she turns to get off the porch hastily. all you hear is a ‘fuck’ before she turns back around to look at you, “i’m sorry- forget that happened i- i’m gonna leave now.. jesse can drive you home” she SPEED WALKS away before you can even get a word in.

“what the hell?”

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

so yes, it’s been a whole week and a half and you haven’t had a conversation with ellie since. it was too confusing, you liked her… you think she likes you…. you kissed…. you should be planning a date or sucking her clit or something.

but instead you were nervously hyper fixating on your garden, making sure it’s picture perfect 100% of the time.

ellie would be lying if she said she wasn’t watching as you try to tame the horse your aunt gifted you or noticing when you’d be out at 11 pm trimming your hedges. she was just too much of a coward to say anything. and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t trying to look extra enticing when picking the blackberries that grew between your house and hers or feeding the pigs.

but you couldn’t avoid this any longer. your aunt had been getting on your ass about asking joel to fix your stairs. he’d do a great job for half the money other contractors were asking for. so you straighten out your short sundress and apply some lipgloss before knocking confidently on the millers’ door.

a few seconds later joel swings the door open and nods his head in a greeting. “haven’t seen you around for a while, you and ellie have a fallin’ out?” the confidence leaves your body immediately… wow, straight to the point joel..

you shrug and tug up the smile that had faltered, “something like that… my aunt and i were wondering if your taking any new clients right now. our stairs are a death trap.”

joel chuckles and checks the smartwatch that ellie and sarah had gotten him for his birthday last year. “i could take a look at ‘em tonight, 6ish. then i can tell ya’ how much it’ll be.”

you nod and smile even wider, “thank you so much! my aunt’s making some chicken parmesan tonight if you wanna stay for dinner when you come. ellie’s more than welcome to join.” joel thinks for a second before shrugging.

“i guess not cooking dinner for once would be nice. me and ellie will be over.”

you take a triumphant breath and give joel a nod. “great! i’ll see you tonight then.” joel gives you a wave before shutting the door and you walk away with a newfound confidence.

now ellie has to talk to you!

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

“you guys should come for dinner more often! i always end up makin’ too much of this shit.” your aunt scoops some more chicken parm on ellie’s plate and smiles. “don’t be scared to take seconds!” ellie awkwardly smiles at her and thanks her before going back to quietly eating.

jesus fucking christ. she has barely said five words the whole meal and joel’s had to smack the back of her head at least 2 times so she’d be polite and answer you. you were on your last fucking straw. she was being such a little bitch about it.. why did she even run away in the first place?

after a few more minutes of silently eating and listening to joel and sandra talk about the ants this year you finally stand up, accidentally bumping into the table, making ellie’s eyes shoot up to you. you smile at her angrily, “ellie? can we talk privately?”

she starts to shake her head until joel smacks her again. she sighs and rolls her eyes before getting up. your aunt gives you a confused look but you just smile at her and grab ellie’s arm before dragging her upstairs.

once you finally make it into your room you close the door behind you and click your tongue at ellie, who looks like a guilty dog. “ellie what the fuck!? you suck the fucking soul out of my body and then leave me fucking stranded at dina’s. i had to sleepover and borrow her shit! and then you ignore me?! what is your deal?”

ellie furrows her eyebrows and just looks at her feet, “i don’t fucking know. can we just forget about it?” you scoff and sit in your bed.

“forget about it? you clearly have some sort of feelings towards me and i want to know where you stand.” ellie groans and sits next to you, a couple feet away. “y/n, i don’t want some stupid feelings to ruin our friendship.”

you look at her, dumbfounded, before speaking again. “how the hell is avoiding me like a fucking std saving our friendship? i like you ellie!! i really fucking like you. and if that ruins our friendship then i guess we can’t be fucking friends anymore.”

ellie just sits in silence.

“can you please say something??”

“how long?”

you watch as she messes with her bracelets and bites her lip anxiously.

“years. ever since you let me ride your pony and taught me how to get on her without eating shit.”

ellie looks you in the eye for the first time all night and laughs. “not without you spraining your ankle first though.”

you playfully scoff at her and throw one of your many stuffed animals at her. “shut up!! i had never even seen a pony until that summer!”

ellie catches the stuffed animal and smiles. “i’ve liked you for a long time too.”

you tilt your head and smile at her, “what made you fall for me, hmm? was it the camp leggings with the hot pink shirt?”

ellie chuckles and shakes her head, “it was when you purple nurpled that bitch that made fun of me for being adopted, at the pool.”

your smile slowly starts to grow and you laugh. “oh my god!! what the fuck happened to her? i didn’t hear her annoying laugh any of the potlucks.” ellie purse her lips together.

“she left for the city to try to make it big on broadway” she does jazz hands and plops down so she’s laying on her back. you smile and move to hover over her. “i hope she makes it big and then her costume falls apart on stage.”

ellie snorts and throws your plushie before grabbing your face in her hands, your heartbeat quickens and you move so your straddling her waist. she smiles at you and traces your cheek before whispering.

“i’m sorry i was avoiding you. i got so damn nervous because i’ve never felt this way about anyone. i swear i almost shit my pants every time i see you. you’re so pretty and kind.. you’re so sweet and.. perfect. i tried avoiding you because i know you deserve someone so much better than me.”

you shake your head and lean down to kiss her forehead. “you are the funniest, bravest, strongest, most amazing person i’ve ever met. except you get a few points docked for playing so hard to get.”

ellie laughs as you press light kisses all over her face. “i’m sorry!! what can i do to make it up to my favorite girl?”

you pretend to think for a few seconds while ellie brings your hand up to her mouth and presses kissed on your knuckles.

“hmmm…. be my girlfriend maybe- maybe give me a billion dollars-“

ellie brings one of her hands down to your thigh and gives it a gentle squeeze. “i think i’ll take the first option.” you smile down at her and feel a shiver go up your spine as her fingers trace your back, slightly pushing you down to get closer to her. she cups your cheek before bringing your lips to hers, perfectly slotting your lips together as you melt into her.

this kiss is full of so much passion, slower and calmer than the last one you shared.

you whine as she brushing her fingers against your side and then-

“y/n! can you please help put- oh.” you aunt just kind’ve stares at your position as you and ellie both look like deers in headlights. you quickly get off of her and smile at your aunt.

“yep. i’ll put the food away. i’ll even put some in a container for joel and els.” you straighten out your dress and speed walk out of the room. leaving just ellie and sandra. sorry ellie!! 🤷‍♀️

“umm… hi..” ellie waves at your aunt as she looks ellie up and down.

“mm.. i like you ellie. you’re a smart girl, and a lucky one too for getting to be with my niece. make sure you don’t fuck it up.” she smiles and makes a ‘get up and do downstairs’ motion with her hand. ellie smiles at her and stands up, “thank you, sandy. i promise i’ll be good to your niece.”

sandra smiles and nods.

now downstairs with you and joel was a little more blunt.

you scoop some food into a container for the two guest as joel comes into the kitchen to put dishes in the sink.

“she kiss you again?”

your face burns and you look over at him. he isn’t even paying you any attention, just talking while he starts to wash the dishes.

“uh- yeah. i guess we’re officially dating now..” you smile at the thought of your girlfriend and joel just makes sorta a grunting noise(?)

“finally. she kept askin’ me for advice and i was ‘bouta rip my fuckin’ ears off.”

you laugh and get some of your homemade apple hand pies for ellie and joel to take home. “well thank you. it seems like you gave her some good advice.”

joel shrugs and gives you a smile, “all i told her was that i’d be happy to have you as a daughter-in-law. you keep sending those desserts my way and i’ll keep putting in a good word.”

your jaw drops before you laugh and bag the container of food and pies, handing the bag to joel once he finishes washing the plates. “sounds like a deal.”

just then ellie and your aunt come down the stairs. you smile at your GIRLFRIENDD and she gives you a grin.

“cmon el’ we gotta get home before family feud.”

ellie gives joel a mini salute and gives you a peck on the lips before thanking your aunt and following her dad out the door.

you smile, this was your dream come true. thank god for all the summers at your aunt’s.

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

author’s note 📝

thanks for reading guys! i got really bad writers block in the middle of this but hopefully it’s still entertaining. ily guys!! reposts, likes, comments, and asks are always appreciated!

[te-araroa]

Day 12 — Hunters Hut to St Arnaud

8km walk, 12.8km hitch

To get the disclosure out of the way … I was a purist on the PCT, walking every inch. On the TA, however, I plan to skip the roadwalks — I’m here to do a ton of walking and that needn’t include hot asphalt. Find joy.

I was the last to leave Hunters Hut, taking my time with coffee and looking out over the meadow.

My feet were not in good shape. Waterlogged from the day before and close to blistering in several areas. I only had one blister on the PCT, a wet day where I walked too far. I’d rather take it easy than walk on raw skin that isn’t meant to be on the surface.

I ambled down the hill toward the road — beautiful views of the farms and valley below.

When I reached the bottom, I saw a sign announcing trail angels and food in the parking lot. Few things bring more delight than unexpected food: two breakfast coffees, a breakfast pancake, a breakfast taco and a breakfast beer. But the second layer of joy is that it was Oliver and Sandra, two TA’ish hikers who I met in the Queen Charlotte section. They are traveling New Zealand by van, walking most of the TA but covering the less interesting parts by road.

Eventually we parted ways and I started the walk to St Arnaud (pronounced Ar-Nud) … I took it easy, mindful of my feet and put my thumb in the air every time I heard a car. It started to rain so I put on my bright yellow rain jacket and cast a happy-dejected look at each passing car. At one point, I might have faked a subtle limp. Half kidding but also half not kidding. Within 45 minutes, a kind woman with two kids pulled off and took me to St Arnaud.

It then rained for two days so I was happy to kick my feet up at the lodge, periodically running across the street for groceries and downstairs for dinner. A wonderful way to spend two lazy days after the crazy terrain in the Richmonds.

[megicianniacigem]

Clarkwood Universe: Expressing Doubt

I was delivering coffee to our small town police station. Only five officers were ever in the building and Clarkwood had a total of twelve officers including the chief. I jumped out of my little red Chevy truck and carried the drinks inside.

A low whistle rang out as I approached the front counter.

"Now May you know your little pink apron gets my heart fluttering", Mat chuckled as he took the coffee cups from me and began handing them out.

A murmur of thanks spread throughout the police station.

"Oh Mat you always say the silliest things," I said while rolling my eyes.

Mat got reassigned to Clarkwood a month ago and since day one of stepping into my coffee shop, Miss M's Coffee House, he's been chasing my tail. I can't lie that I'm a bit interested, but I've learned to never show all your cards right away - a lesson I learned from my papa.

The door jingled open and Jeff Cummins walked through the station's threshold. His eyes were rimmed with worry and sunken in from what I'd expect was a bad night's sleep - or lack thereof. He came straight up to Mat and me. On closer inspection, Jeff's black and green plaid shirt was incorrectly buttoned and his boots weren't properly laced. This wasn't normal Jeff behavior - a farmer takes pride in their plaid shirts and boots.

Jeff patted my shoulder and gave me a peck on the cheek. We knew each other from birth and were raised as siblings. Our family's properties bordered each other. When Jeff pulled back I noticed Mat's face was scrunched up with irritation. I hardly ever let Mat hold the door for me, but right under his nose, I let another man kiss my cheek.

"Is the chief around?" Jeff asked Mat.

Mat huffed, "He should be walking in any minute now."

Jeff slowly moved his hand down his face - emotions ready to spill over.

"Jeff... Is everything okay?" I asked. I began to have a sinking feeling in my gut.

"Well... no. Around 2 am Sandra came pounding on my door and when I opened up she was a mess." He took a deep breath and continued, "She ran the whole mile to my farm without shoes and her nightgown was torn...Sandra was attacked last night in her own home".

Silence fell throughout the whole station - all the police officers watched Jeff finish the story. I put my hand over my mouth and then remembered seeing a strange man around town lately. I don't like to prejudge others, but Clarkwood is a small town in the swamps of Louisiana, and most people living here are generational with a few exceptions. Yet, this man made me feel unsettled. He would come into my coffee house order one cup of joe, and stare directly at me for exactly thirty minutes before he would get up and leave. Two nights ago, as I parked my truck I saw him standing in the cotton fields across from my home. We stared at each other until he took a step toward me- I turned and ran indoors. I never locked my doors until that night.

Unfortunately, Sandra was as new as Mat. She was a travel photographer who wanted to finally make a little home of her own - here in Clarkswood. She didn't have the experience like us townsfolk to know something was off.

I turned to Mat and said angrily, "I told you again and again at my shop, but you didn't listen!" tears began to run down my face.

Mat looked ashamed and Jeff was taken aback by my statement.

"May what do you mean?" Jeff asked.

I glared at Mat as I explained, "I told Mat this guy I don't recognize has been staring at me intently for the last few days and that he appeared in the cotton fields across my house." I was shaking.

Mat gasped, "You did not tell me he was at your house May! With the previous information I can't do much when a random dude is just staring at you in public". He was fuming. "I'm going to fucking kill him!" Mat raged.

Too late now - poor Sandra already experienced this man's twisted desires. Jeff pulled me into a hug.

"May why didn't you tell me this? I would have come to the shop and told him to leave for you." Jeff said as he glared at Mat. "I thought you liked May, but you just ignored her." Jeff's rage was increasing.

Mat stood there red-faced. Either from embarrassment, rage, or both. "I do like May, but I can't use my position to play power moves."

Jeff flicked Mat on the forehead and said, "Well I nor May can trust you to protect the young single women of Clarkswood. Let's go May I'll bring you round my place and we can check on Sandra. Boys' let the chief know I was here."

Jeff took my hand and began walking toward the door... I looked over my shoulder at Mat. His eyes were rimmed with tears. "May please stay here with me" Mat called out, but I just shook my head.

[professionaltimes001]

High School Grad Shares What It Takes To Be A Travel Vlogger

Mohit Manocha, aka Traveling Desi, shares his experiences as a travel vlogger and content creator on YouTube, and how he went from running his uncle’s business to making a living while pursuing his love for travel. https://theprofessionaltimes.com/2022/09/10/high-school-grad-shares-what-it-takes-to-be-a-travel-vlogger/

Mohit Manocha, more popularly known by his moniker ‘Traveling Desi’ is in Colombia with his wife Sandra.

The 36-year-old travel vlogger and content creator, who has 1.83 million subscribers on YouTube, is documenting the difference between how the country is depicted on OTT platforms and how life really is on the ground.

Not only is Mohit in the country to take in the sights, but also to meet the locals, and understand their way of life, and the local cuisine. He asks the people here about the global perception of Colombia as a haven for narcotics and their own perception of India and the small minority of Indians living there.

Speaking to The Professional Times, Mohit mentions of his encounter with an Indian who’s married to a Colombian and now runs a business there. Tomorrow, he is visiting Medellín, a city famous for its coffee, flower farms, and the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, immortalised in recent years through the Netflix series Narcos.

[qocsuing]

Shadow Slaves: Art Exhibit Brings Slavery to Light

Shadow Slaves: Art Exhibit Brings Slavery to Light

What does slavery look like? Somehow it’s both notorious and faceless. Sometimes it peeks out from bars or restaurants. Often it’s hidden in homes, brothels, and farms, then buried further in international supply chains. Child slaves—forced to haul heavy bricks at kilns in India and stones weighing as much as they do at rock quarries To get more news about Shadow Slave, you can visit innread.com official website. Sometimes it peeks out from bars or restaurants. Often it’s hidden in homes, brothels, and farms, then buried further in international supply chains.

Child slaves—forced to haul heavy bricks at kilns in India and stones weighing as much as they do at rock quarries in Nepal, forced to mine gold and diamonds, and minerals that run our cell phone batteries, while covered in toxic dust—suffer in silence, sight unseen.Slaves in Brazil, making the black oily charcoal used to run smelters that make steel for our cars, are all but invisible. Slaves may pick the tomatoes or catch the tuna that fill grocery stores around the world. By the time slavery arrives as fruit in our produce sections, shrimp at our fish counters, and coffee in our cups, slaves have been completely disappeared. But no matter how obscured or forgotten, slavery is global—it travels, and it exists as suffering.

Artist Sandra Relyea has found a powerful, thoughtful way to bring slavery out of the shadows. Her latest exhibit comprises large works of clever silhouettes that play on the use of light and shadows themselves. Her shadow-shaped figures are meant to represent real people enslaved in the world today. The images, she explains, are “distorted and elongated the way a shadow cast by the real person would be.” Many pieces in the collection are based on photographs and films from Free the Slaves.

Relyea’s point is to show slavery exists everywhere in the world, including the United States, but, she says, “it is largely unseen and lies in the world of shadow: the world of exploitation, crime, and dehumanization.” Her images are evocative in their simplicity and staggering in their force. Each work can take up an entire wall, up to eight feet wide and 12 feet high. The pieces loom yet remain calmly distant: slavery as both stark and shrouded. They are aggressive in their magnitude, and sense of action and movement—they demand you look. Yet they are also quiet and cool, restrained, reticent. The contrast of darkness and light—people defined by outlines yet disguised and indistinguishable—speaks of bondage and liberation both.

A striking, significant piece shows child slaves in Ghana fishing in a rickety boat, tossed on thick, vast waves. Relyea found it difficult at first to depict a shadow falling on water, but the final version is haunting in how much it seems to waver and pitch. “The ripples in the water signify the fact that these children are in peril,” she says. “They do not know how to swim.”In a piece with special significance to Relyea, two Nepalese children with stones strapped to their backs appear as little more than two tiny, fragile blocks, yet they are clearly holding hands. “The holding hands,” she says, “suggests to me the potential that lies in all children, which is denied them when they are not free.”

For more than two decades, Relyea was as a forensic child abuse examiner and often testified as an expert medical witness. As a physician’s assistant in Redding, Calif., where she has lived for more than 25 years, she has helped deliver health services, often from a mobile van, to local homeless, uninsured, and underserved people, many of them children. A long-time advocate for society’s exploited, underprivileged, and disenfranchised, Relyea draws motivation from the act of eliminating injustice.

Several years ago Relyea took an art class at a local college “just for fun”—she ended up discovering the perfect link between her professional advocacy work, which she describes as “cerebral and mostly left-brained,” and the strong font of personal creativity she needed to let flow.

One day she created a work of shadows with a window screen. “It occurred to me issues such as homelessness could be depicted with shadow forms,” Relyea says. She later realized the subject of modern slavery also lent itself perfectly to shadow works. She discovered the work of Free the Slaves when she began researching modern slavery in general, and how it could inform her art.Relyea named her latest shadow collection Demeter’s Children. In the Greek myth, Demeter’s daughter is kidnapped and held in bondage in the underworld, trapping the globe in desolate winter. Relyea intends her slaves-as-shadows portraits to increase public awareness and understanding of human trafficking and slavery.

The human shadow is a guiding philosophical concept, developed by Carl Jung, for Relyea. Jung’s theory goes that individuals have traits and tendencies that cause discomfort, vulnerability, and are therefore relegated to the subconscious where they can be denied or ignored. “We tend to project these shadow characteristics onto others, and [judge them] as wrong, undesirable,” Relyea explains. “This can lead to dislike, condemnation, blame, and even persecution.”

The artist believes slavery is, in a way, the disastrous manifestation of the shadows—the dark side—of humanity’s collective unconscious. Her work explores how slavery can arise from the repression of our own shadow selves, and be borne out in, and portrayed as, the brute oppression of others. The spectral figures in Demeter’s Children emerge to connect slavery to the world, to what we look at, and to ourselves. Even in shadows, Relyea’s work gives us slaves we can see.

[fortheethrill]

Sandra Coffee Farms // December 2018

[redrose-arrow]

Present for @theravenlyn <333

Bunch of headcanons that are absolute chaos but also *exploding heart emoji* once again.

Couldn’t choose my favourite out of all of our convo topics so i just,,, tried to tackle them all?? No plot, just vibes.

Arald and Sandra personally tutor the wards if that’s necessary. Wouldn’t be the first time, won’t be the last.

Halt Crowley and Pauline call each other by their surnames.

In a modern AU, though Pauline can walk in heels for days, she always makes either Halt or Crowley massage her feet after a long day.

Selethen gave Gilan a kitten. He called it “Hawk”.

When Gilan was still training with Halt, sometimes David would send Arald a letter with some dad jokes he used to annoy Gilan and then Arald uses them too to mess with him.

Arald threw all the cliche seduction stuff at it when he tried to court Sandra. I’m talking serenades, chocolates, flowers, poems. It worked.

The chaos that’s Will Horace Alyss and Cassandra together? Yeah that’s how they all felt about Halt Crowley and Pauline together too.

The letters and the drawings from the wards you suggested? Arald hangs them in his office, bedroom, everywhere.

Rodney is the only Redmont friend who actually always knows what’s up, he just doesn’t say it.

Sandra calls Arald “honey”, “darling”.

Sandra is actually pretty good at sowing and since she’s the only one who actually sorta understands her husband’s fashion, she has made him things in the past.

Arald suggested his friend he write some poetry. Halt cannot and will not do that.

Crowley makes the most jokes about Halt’s royal heritage.

Halt suspects Crowley from choosing the shade of green of their formal uniforms based on what brings his eyes out the best. He’s half right. In fact, Crowley based it on which shade wouldn’t clash with Halt’s dark hair. (I mean you have to have some reason.)

Gilan thought he could escape all the dad jokes when he trained with MacNeil. He was wrong. (MacNeil wouldn’t actually be caught dead making a dad joke but he just has to mess with Gilan that one time.)

MacNeil would always put Gilan on a coffee ban when he was there.

Even though it’s the official back up plan, Arald and Sandra have never ever sent a ward to work at the farms unless they were certain they would enjoy it. They have <<invented>> new positions at the castle.

Arald likes Christmas because of all the red and green. “Red is the colour of the castle, Sandra! And green is like a perfect mix of Redmont’s colours! It’s the perfect match!” Oh and the food, of course.

Sandra proofreads all of Arald’s speeches. Just to make sure.

Gilan and Selethen make use of <<official>> shipping to send each other letters. Is it entirely legal? no. is anyone going to find out? no. reading the mail of those official shipping is a crime.

[thequeenb]

Who Knew A Car Accident Would Bring Us Closer?

I know that i disappeared but guess who is back😏

My routine is very simple. I get up early, i take a shower, i brush my teeth, i put on a glamorous outfit and i drive in the heart of the city to buy a ridiculously overpriced coffee.

Today i was in a good mood. The gala was near and things with Zoey seems to get better. What always ruin it is Poppy and her attitude whenever she sees me. I roll my eyes turning the radio on and oh my god this my song!

I sing along as my body moves to the rhythm, i am a good driver dont get me wrong but when my favourite song plays i can be clumsy. Driving in the city is an annoying habit i had to get used to. When i was driving back in Farmsville things were less complicated and ugh don't get me started with the bad driving skills some people have

I am near the parking lot of the University when my favourite part comes up and i close my eyes for a brief second to feel the music as i sing along the last verse. But then the music stops, and when i open my eyes i see another car coming with full speed towards me. My instincts kick in as i try to avoid it but soon all i can feel is glass spraying around.

I don't dare to open my eyes as i am shocked and overwhelmed. I try to move but the airbag is suffocating me. Think Bea, think. My free arm tried to reach out for my phone as i hear voices around my car. If only i was more focused on the road, damnit!

My anxiety takes over as i try to breathe and only then a man is on the side of my door screaming

"Hey! Are you okay in there? The paramedics are on their way, please hold on"

His voice fades away and my stomach turns. I didn't even notice the pool of blood around my chest, what the fuck is happening. Zoey, i need to call Zoey right now, but before i try to find my phone a familiar sweet voice calls out to me

"Bea are you okay? Please respond to me" despite the current situation i have a faint smile, how adorable she is worried about me.

"Zoey.." thats all i manage to say in hope she heard me

Everything feels heavier as minutes pass by and all i can feel is the blood running down my body. Its a weird sensation really, but i wish none of you ever get to see what it feels like. Everything is sticky and wet but all i can do is try to keep my eyes open.

I wonder who had the audacity to hit my car but then i feel guilty remembering that i am the one to blame mostly. Soon enough i can hear sirens and i am finally relieved.

After several tries the paramedics got me out of the car and the bright light of the sun is blinding. I know i shouldn't complain but what if this is my last moment? Ugh i am sure Poppy is laughing right now with her friends, i can even imagine the conversation

"Did you hear what happened to Hughes? That silly farm girl got into a car accident"

Ugh what am i even thinking. I feel a soft material underneath me and i hardly get a glance around me. I can see Professor Kingsley looking at me with her worrying eyes, then there is Zoey next to me fighting with a woman to let her come with me in the ambulance and is that? No my mind is playing tricks i lost a lot of blood. But no its really her. I see Poppy approaching the man that probably hit my car and she is yelling? Very funny brain, don't mess with me right now. She is happy not sad i am sure

Before i can think more the doors of the ambulance closed but i feel a warmth in my hand

"I am here Bea, please hold on" Of course its Zoey and she is holding my hand tight, i cant imagine how scared she is but i am glad she is here with me. I feel so tired i need to rest my eyes, no no! I have seen to many movies about people dying this way i need to stay awake.

I can feel my heart beat in every sore part of my body, the blood is now dry and uncomfortable, my breath is getting slower and slower. The bright lights above me are painful and the voices around me start to fade. Don't tell me this is the end. I didn't win the crown yet to rub it in Poppy's face, i didn't see her shock after i am pronounced the Queen of Belvoire but wait. Why the hell am i thinking of her that much?

My eyes cant stay open anymore despite my numerous tries, i can hear Zoey encouraging me with the nurses but i give up into my desire to rest. I squeeze her hand one last time before i pass out.

____

How many of you watch Grey's anatomy? Don't lie i am sure some of you have, especially with Sandra Oh that good looking woman god, but thats not the point, don't lie to me. Well despite your answers this is what it feels like. I can hear the machines around me as well as my heart beating steadily

How did things get this sad so fast? It was supposed to be a normal day for me but i guess i had to ruin it. I wonder who's here with me and oh my god i am about to have a heart attack. Next to me is standing who? No guess..i will give you a hint, blonde hair..rich girl..who am i kidding, its the one and only Poppy Min-Sinclair

I blink a couple of times and she notices. Don't tell me she was here the whole time, maybe she came to make fun of me, is Veronica here? Does she film my failure? Oh. We are alone great.

"You are awake" she says as she is slowly approaching

Its hard to speak but i try to do some effort "I guess you are disappointed" i say smiling but she doesn't, she actually looks concerned

"I knew you were bad at almost everything but being a bad driver is so embarrassing Hughes" she roll her eyes, sitting in a chair next to my bed

Oh hell no who says that? Is that what comforting means to her?

"If you are here to make fun of me do me a favour and close the door behind when you leave" i don't look at her, instead i turn around, i am to tired for this conversation

"I was the one who saw the accident" she says and to my surprise she sits up to study me closer

"When i saw your cheap- ah..when i saw your car i was the one who called the paramedics you know"

I turn around to look at her and i can see her eyes sparkling under the bright lights "I mean i didn't have a choice right? I could not help at all but.."

My eyes start to tear up, every word feel more genuine than the other but why? Aren't we enemies? Doesn't she hate me? My thoughts are flooded with painful memories, how embarrassed she made me feel and then it clicks

"But you like me" i say almost breathless. She is shocked and that's how i know i am right, this can't be happening.

I didn't realize that i was crying until Poppy laid her head over my chest carefully. I can hear her sobs, everything that she had been feeling all day come out now and all i can do is cry with her, holding her tight.

"I can't believe i almost lost you" she says as her tears take over again

"Shhh, i am here..i promise" its all i can say. Today was definitely a weird day but in the end it brought us together

After we both calm down she doesn't move, instead i stoke her hair even though i feel weak and i can feel her smiling "the man that hit you is getting sued"

A low laugh escape my lips as she stands up gazing at me "but if you tell anyone about this you will be next" but its her teasing because her eyes say otherwise

I want to thank her, i want to forgive her for all the bullshit she put me through but words aren't enough to describe how i feel. Instead i yank her by her shirt and i kiss her softly. I can feel her body relax against mine but she is careful not to hurt me. I can feel her calm down as she takes a deep breath.

Pulling back she has this grin, its my favourite "Well, your kissing skills aren't as bad as your driving ones"

We both laugh as she takes a sit next to me, we are both talking about various topics and the more we discuss the more we realize we have a lot of things in common. Poppy and i are alike, but unlike her i show my good, kind side. I am greatful she is here because now i know who she truly is.

Tag list: @mvalentine @otakufangirl-12 @princessstellaris @indecisive-choices @i-loveeveryone @kiara-36 @ognenniyvolk @somewillwin @it-lives-in-braidwood-manor @ghalind @sergeant-pepper-loves-choices @dibberdipper @aiswood @alexlabhont @dopeyouth @tyrils-star @alexroyard @uselesslesbianfr

[sandra1219]

From the Sandra Farm house  terrace, a coffee plantation in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico by Photo Krieger on Flickr.  Sigh...Not mine.

[aion-rsa]

MrBeast, Charli D’Amelio and More Nab Big Streaming Award Noms

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

MrBeast and Charli D’Amelio are among the nominees for the 2020 YouTube Streamy Awards. The tenth anniversary of the awards will stream exclusively on YouTube on December 13, and you’ll be able to watch them right here.

John Krasinski, James Charles and Addison Rae have also received nominations this year, as have Will Smith and Jack Black. Disney and Netflix will almost certainly be fighting it out again to snag the top brand award.

MrBeast aka Jimmy Donaldson is also up for a Social Good award for his Feeding America Food Drive. The popular streamer dropped out of college to pursue a full-time career as a YouTuber, and has become one of the most-watched creators on the planet, dabbling in a winning combo of expensive stunts and philanthropy.

Here’s a complete list of 2020’s YouTube Streamy Awards nominees:

Overall Awards

Creator of the Year

Addison Rae Charli D’Amelio David Dobrik Dixie D’Amelio Emma Chamberlain James Charles Larray Marques Brownlee MrBeast Sarah Cooper

Show of the Year

A Heist with Markiplier • Markiplier Binging with Babish • Babish Culinary Universe Challenge Accepted • Michelle Khare Epic Rap Battles of History • ERB Game Master Network • Rebecca Zamolo Good Mythical Morning • Good Mythical Morning Instant Influencer • James Charles Liza on Demand • Liza Koshy Nikita Unfiltered • Nikita Dragun UNHhhh • WOWPresents

International

HIKAKIN (Japan) Mikecrack (Spain) Mythpat (India) Sandra Cires Art (Cuba) Whindersson Nunes (Brazil)

Individual Awards

Breakout Creator

Addison Rae Charli D’Amelio Dream Spencer X ZHC

Collaboration

David Dobrik and Justin Bieber – SURPRISING PEOPLE WITH JUSTIN BIEBER!! The Hype House – TURNING THE HYPE HOUSE INTO A TRAMPOLINE PARK! Jackie Aina and Naomi Campbell – NAOMI CAMPBELL GETS GLAM WITH ME!!! Sway LA – Most Likely To Challenge! Zach King and David Blaine – David Blaine Tricks Zach King with Zoom Magic

Crossover

Jack Black Jason Derulo Kevin James Naomi Campbell Will Smith

First Person

Alex Warren David Dobrik Emma Chamberlain Larray Logan Paul

Live Streamer

NICKMERCS Ninja Pokimane Shroud Typical Gamer

Show Awards

Indie Series

20 Seconds to Live Arun Considers Choose Me: An Abortion Story Chris and Jack The Lock Down Buddy

Live Series

BET’s House Party Bright Minded: Live with Miley Cyrus D-Nice’s Club Quarantine Reunited Apart with Josh Gad Verzuz

Live Special

Graduation2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020

MrBeast’s $250,000 Influencer Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament Some Good News Prom with Billie Eilish, Jonas Brothers, & Chance the Rapper Travis Scott and Fortnite Present: Astronomical YouTube Dear Class of 2020

Podcast

Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain H3 Podcast Impaulsive On Purpose with Jay Shetty ‎ VIEWS with David Dobrik and Jason Nash

Scripted Series

A Heist with Markiplier • Markiplier Could You Survive the Movies? • Vsauce3 Epic Rap Battles of History • ERB FPS Logic • Viva La Dirt League Liza on Demand • Liza Koshy Unscripted Series Brave Wilderness • Brave Wilderness Challenge Accepted • Michelle Khare Instant Influencer • James Charles Jeff’s Barbershop • Jeff Wittek UNHhhh • WOWPresents

Subject Awards

Animated

illymation Jaiden Animations Ketnipz The Land Of Boggs TheOdd1sOut

Beauty

Bailey Sarian Brad Mondo Hyram Jackie Aina James Charles

Comedy

Brandon Rogers Brittany Tomlinson Gus Johnson Nigel Ng Sarah Cooper

Commentary

ContraPoints D’Angelo Wallace Danny Gonzalez Jarvis Johnson Tiffany Ferguson

Dance

BFunk Dytto Matt Steffanina Michael Le Sofie Dossi

Documentary

AntsCanada Justin Bieber: Seasons Nikita Unfiltered The Secret Life of Lele Pons State Of Grace

Fashion and Style

bestdressed Bretman Rock LaurDIY Sneaker Shopping Wisdom Kaye

Food

Alex French Guy Cooking Babish Culinary Universe How To Cook That Joshua Weissman Tabitha Brown

Gaming

Dream FGTeeV Jelly LaurenzSide PrestonPlayz

Health and Wellness

Chloe Ting Demi Bagby Doctor Mike The Fitness Marshall Kati Morton

Kids and Family

A for Adley Goo Goo Colors Kids Diana Show Rebecca Zamolo Ryan’s World

Learning and Education

ChrisFix Mark Rober NileRed onlyjayus Peter Sripol

Lifestyle

Alexa Rivera Calle y Poché Jennelle Eliana Larray Rickey Thompson

News

All Gas No Brakes Complex News HasanAbi The Philip DeFranco Show Some More News

Sports

2HYPE Braille Skateboarding Dude Perfect No Days Off: Sports Prodigies Ryan García

Technology

iJustine Marques Brownlee Michael Reeves Simone Giertz Stuff Made Here

Craft Awards

Cinematography

Cole Bennett – Lyrical Lemonade Devin Graham – devinsupertramp Niels Lindelien – Lindsey Stirling Peter McKinnon – Peter McKinnon Pierre Wikberg – Climbkhana TWO

Editing

Casey Neistat – CaseyNeistat derkslurp – derkslurp Emma Chamberlain – emma chamberlain Evan Puschak – Nerdwriter1 Hayden Hillier-Smith – Logan Paul

Visual and Special Effects

Aaron Benitez – Aaron’s Animals Buttered Side Down – Buttered Side Down CyreneQ – CyreneQ Sam Wickert and Brendan Forde – Chalk Warfare 4.0 Zach King – Zach King

Writing

Akilah Hughes, Milana Vayntrub, Brian McElhaney, and Nick Kocher – Making Fun with Akilah and Milana CalebCity – CalebCity Chris W. Smith and Jack De Sena – Chris and Jack James – Casually Explained Zach Sherwin, Nice Peter, EpicLLOYD, and Carter Deems – Epic Rap Battles of History

Social Good Awards

Company or Brand

Barbie – Career of the Year • Mattel Dave’s Killer Bread – Second Chance Employment • Tastemade Lyft – Undercover Lyft with Alicia Keys • LyftUp

Creator

The Game Theorists – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital #CancelCancer LIVE MrBeast – Feeding America Food Drive Nabela Noor – NoorHouse

Nonprofit or NGO

Arbor Day Foundation – #TeamTrees • MrBeast and Mark Rober COVID-19 Response Fund – Post Malone x Nirvana Tribute – Livestream • Post Malone Equal Justice Initiative – Bear Witness, Take Action • YouTube Originals

Brand Awards

Agency of the Year

BEN Portal A R and CPMK Reach VaynerMedia

Brand of the Year

Barbie Disney Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Netflix Old Spice

Brand Engagement

100 Thieves Cash App Compound Reveal – Cash App 5-Minute Crafts – Barbie Need for Speed Heat x David Dobrik – Electronic Arts Rihanna’s Summer Fenty Face Tutorial – Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Under the Influencer – Comedy Central

Branded Content: Series

Cold as Balls – Old Spice • LOL Network No Days Off: Sports Prodigies – Got Milk? • Whistle Second Chances – Dave’s Killer Bread • Tastemade Under a Rock with Tig Notaro – Amazon Alexa • Funny Or Die Undercover Lyft – Lyft

Branded Content: Video

Aladdin Meets Parkour in Real Life – Uzbekistan Tourism • devinsupertramp ASMR SNAP SHADOWS TUTORIAL W/ AMANDLA STENBERG – Fenty Beauty by Rihanna I Trained Like Black Widow – Marvel Strike Force • Michelle Khare James Charles Spills the Tea on His Glow – Ole Henriksen Skincare • James Charles We Lost A FaZe Member – G FUEL • FaZE Clan

Creator Product

Chamberlain Coffee – Emma Chamberlain Dragun Beauty – Nikita Dragun Hairitage – Mindy McKnight McKinnon Camera Pack – Peter McKinnon Pro Ant Farms – AntsCanada

Influencer Campaign

ALLNIGHTERLEGEND – Urban Decay

HotGuysMakingLipstick – Bite Beauty

Google Pixel 4 Nebula Superstars in Training – WWE

Multi-Platform Campaign

Disney+ Launch – Disney Gift it Forward with Cardi B – Pepsi The Greatest Challenge of All Time with Cristiano Ronaldo and Marta – Clear (Unilever) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Star Wars Tito’s Made To Order – Tito’s Vodka

Social Good Campaign

DistanceDance – PandG • Charli D’Amelio

My Vaping Mistake – The Real Cost • AwesomenessTV Seize the Awkward – The Jed Foundation • Ad Council Teens for Jeans – Aéropostale • DoSomething.org Undercover Lyft with Alicia Keys – LyftUp • Lyft

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The post MrBeast, Charli D’Amelio and More Nab Big Streaming Award Noms appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3of9HLb

[protectcosette]

favorite genre of music that people might find odd? what’s your go-to comfort food that you make? favorite recipe for impressing anyone? best feature about yourself? any hobbies you’d like to get into? what’s one topic you have an oddly astute amount of knowledge in? coffee, tea, or some other beverage?

favorite genre of music that people might find odd?

honestly, the weirdest genre of music i listen to is probably like. Kid Pop and Barbie Movie Soundtracks. And I don’t mean Kidz Bop or traditional kids songs sung badly kind of shit, I mean like. Phineas & Ferb songs, and Sandra Boynton’s Philadelphia Chickens, which, looking back, has quite the star-studded line-up? Like, Meryl Streep is singing nonsense words, Patti LuPone is singing about throwing temper tantrums, Kevin Bacon and Michael Bacon are singing about all the fucking chickens in Southeast Pennsylvania breaking out of the farms and swing dancing??? What the fuck was my childhood.

what’s your go-to comfort food that you make at home?

either toast with butter or a toasted tortilla with butter, and hot chocolate, coffee, or tea.

favorite recipe for impressing anyone?

copycat panera macaroni and cheese or this really yummy creamy basil salad dressing

best feature about yourself?

i assume you mean like, my physical form? i think i have nice legs and pretty eyes

any hobbies you’d like to get into?

i just started playing bass guitar, and I want to get back to knitting

what’s one topic you have an oddly astute amount of knowledge in?

this one is a legitimate challenge for me. I really don’t know what I know a lot about, I don’t know what the parameters are for that kind of thing, like, what quantity of knowledge is considered average, or above average, or A Lot?

Anyway I have really good spacial awareness; I’m good at putting things together physically (puzzles? ikea furniture? costumes? yeah baby). I know a lot about character analysis, and music, and ballet, and art, and neurodivergencies, and when i tried to ask my mom for her perspective to help me answer this question, she said i have a LOT of trivia in my head.

Also I realized I know a LOT about sexual health and lgbtq+ history after moving to Utah, where most people really do not know much about those topics.

coffee, tea, or some other beverage?

I love coffee, I love tea, I love hot chocolate, I love most warm beverages.

Send me asks, let’s amuse each other so we don’t die of absolute boredom in quarantine!

[takingcourage]

The Start of Forever - Part 3

Part 1, Part 2

Pairing: Drake x MC

Word Count: 4,036

Series Summary: The wedding has passed and the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria are free to begin their lives together away from the constraints of court. While honeymooning in Texas, they’re confronted with questions from their past that raise implications about their future.

Chapter Summary: At the Walker family farm, Jena gets more than she bargained for when she meets her mother-in-law.

Note: Clearly, we’re getting into AU territory here. I headcanon that Mrs. Walker can’t stand the idea of going back to Cordonia -- even if it’s for her son’s wedding, but obviously that isn’t the choice that PB made. I typically err on the side of canon compliance, so all other details should be accurate to the books and my interpretation of the characters (at least through Chapter 18). 

Tagging: @liam-rhys,  @speedyoperarascalparty, @andy-loves-corgis, and @walkerisbae

Sunday morning, Jena woke early. It wasn’t light yet, but her mind was already racing by the time she realized she was conscious. Trying to fall back asleep would be an exercise in futility. Even so, she spent several minutes nestled in the warmth of her husband’s chest. One ankle had snaked around his calf at some point during the night, and she could feel his even breaths with the slight rise and fall of his shoulder.

She was meeting her mother-in-law today. The woman who had raised the man she adored more than life itself. The woman who had abandoned that same man when her grief over her husband’s death had become too much to bear. Jena had never even spoken to Drake’s mother, and yet her feelings toward her were already remarkably conflicted. The only thing she knew was that she wanted to make a favorable impression.

Anxiety gnawed the pit of her stomach. She needed something to distract her -- something that could turn at least part of her mind to other matters before she drove herself mad. She felt like she was fifteen years old again, talking with her therapist about coping mechanisms and dealing with stress in a healthy way. Back then, she’d come to realize that writing poetry was the most effective means of processing her thoughts. She’d long since given that up, but talking to herself still served a similar function. At least when her worries were being spoken aloud, her mind ceased to occupy a thousand thoughts at a time.

Cautiously rolling away from Drake so as not to disturb his sleep, she took measured movements to extract herself from their bed. Once out, she found her robe by touch in the dark room and tugged it over her shoulders as she padded out of the bedroom and into the main living area. The harsh green light from the microwave informed her that it was just after 5:30.

When Drake found her almost two hours later, she was seated on the porch swing with a mug of lukewarm coffee between her hands. Talking through her feelings had helped her gain some clarity, but her stomach had still been too unsettled to take more than a few sips of the drink.

“Morning, Wittman. Did I steal all of the blankets or something?”

She smiled at his jovial tone, but saw the tender concern in his wide eyes. They both knew that hadn’t been the reason for her early departure. “I just woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep. Figured I may as well enjoy the view.” Jena swung her legs down from the bench and patted the seat next to her. “That heron has been back -- he’s searching for food again,” she informed him as he sat beside her. She stretched out a finger to gesture to the lanky bird.

“I think wild animals are just attracted to you. I still don’t know how I feel about sharing our balcony with that hawk.” Drake shook his head in jest. He turned to regard her weary features and his demeanor shifted to reflect the worry he felt. “Hey, I know today isn’t going to be easy. For the record, I hope that the two of you get along like a house on fire. But no matter what happens, it means a lot to me that you wanted to meet my mom.”

“I know,” she whispered thoughtfully, locking her gray eyes with his. She was close enough to see where the brown spindled into gold at the center of each iris. For a moment, she wished that she had the luxury of losing herself in his eyes for the rest of the morning, but she quickly banished the thought. 

“I was going to get some breakfast before packing up the car. Do you want to join me?”

The simple invitation was all the encouragement she needed to leave the porch swing and her overthinking behind. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to manage more than a piece of toast, but it was quite likely that she’d feel better after she’d had something to eat. The last thing she needed this afternoon was a grumbling stomach.

The three-hour drive to Bur Oak Farm passed interminably. They’d tried to hurry the time along by listening to various podcasts, but Jena couldn’t remember a single thing she’d heard. Her mind had been traveling the world as her eyes fixated on the horizon line.

Every few minutes, she tugged at the hem of her sundress, hoping to prevent creases from settling in her lap. Eventually, her action drew her husband’s attention and his hand moved from the gear shift to rest instead on her knee. She wrapped her fingers around his hand and squeezed in appreciation.

“We’re here,” he announced quietly, breaking the silence that had pervaded for the better part of an hour. He pulled his hand away to flip on the turn signal.

Jena covered the bereft skin with her own palm as she scanned the surrounding terrain, taking in the seemingly endless plain that stretched before her. “How much of this does your uncle own?”

His eyes narrowed in concentration at her question. “It’s been years since I’ve been out here, but I think upwards of 2,500 acres. It looks like we’ve missed the bluebonnet season, unfortunately. When I came before, the fields in front of the house were covered in blue.”

Jena smiled at the fond remembrance in his voice. “You told me about them while we were freezing our butts off in Lythikos…” She trailed off as she recalled the context of that conversation. “I can see why you’d want to have a wedding out here. It’s beautiful. Everything is so lush and green -- I don’t know how it is in this part of Texas, but back home, all of the grass gets brown and crunchy by the middle of June. We get all heat and no rain.”

Jena was well aware that she had shifted into rambling -- she needed a distraction from the nerves that had reappeared now that they were within sight of the house. She hated it when her habit of talking to herself extended to making conversation, and her cheeks flushed despite the fact that no one but her husband was around to hear her nonsense.

Minutes later, they stood outside the front door, waiting for Drake’s knock to be answered. There was the sound of a deadbolt turning before the door opened to reveal a woman in her late fifties.

Jena’s smile came automatically, the product of endless introductions to various diplomats and nobles. For just a moment, she slipped into the persona she had come to create for herself as a duchess before remembering who it was that stood before her. Was her mother-in-law expecting a polished noble or a down-to-earth everywoman? Jena had no idea. Her smile faltered almost imperceptibly before instinct kicked in and brought it back in full force.    

Seeing Karen Walker in person, the strong similarities to Savannah that she’d noticed in the few photos she’d seen became even more prominent. They shared the same rounded face with deep-set, steely eyes, though Karens’ seemed more piercing than Savannah’s had ever been -- perhaps they had grown so with age. Much of Karen’s dark hair had come in gray, and the weariness of years had settled into deep wrinkles over her skin. Her shoulders were bowed forward slightly, as if a weight had pressed her body into the unnatural position. Still, Karen was a pleasant-looking woman -- friendly even, and Jena felt a renewed sense of purpose as she considered that this woman might soon come to feel like family.

“Mom,” Drake greeted, meeting her in an embrace that warmed Jena’s heart, even for all of its awkwardness. The hug ended quickly and they both turned their attention to her. “This is my wife, Jena.”

Her heart skipped at the pride in his voice. How long would it take for her to get used to having him introduce her like that?

“It’s so good to meet you, Mrs. Walker,” Jena gushed, relieved to have the opportunity to say something -- anything to break out of her uncomfortable silence. She extended a hand toward her mother-in-law, resisting the urge to pull it back as she questioned whether a hug would have been more appropriate. Clasping the other woman’s hand, she shook it with more fervor than she had intended.

“And I look forward to getting to know the woman who’s made such an impression on my son,” Karen countered warmly, squeezing Jena’s hand before releasing it. “Come on inside. Greg and Sandra are out of town, so we have the whole house to ourselves.”

Jena recognized the names of Drake’s uncle and aunt, the ones who had inherited the farm after his grandparents had passed away several years before. Karen led them into the house, giving them a brief tour of the common rooms before pointing the way to the spare bedroom they would occupy for the night.

“I’ll get our bags later,” Drake suggested as he glanced down the hallway.

“Are you planning to run off on me?” Karen’s smirk caught Jena off guard. Drake had mentioned that there was a streak of sarcasm in his family, but she’d expected that particular mannerism to have come from his father. As uncanny as it was to see her husband’s traits in another person, the connection to his mother had the effect of helping to settle her nerves. Perhaps her anxiety had been misplaced. 

“No,” Drake assured her, “I just figured you’d want to talk.”

“I do. You can go ahead and find a seat in the living room. I’ll get some lemonade.”

They both nodded in assent before finding a place on the overstuffed couch. Drake sat first before motioning Jena to sit beside him. Ordinarily, she would have settled near the edge of the cushion so that her feet could reach the floor, but she took him up on his offer, determining that this audience was more likely to favor signs of affection above propriety. It was amazing how quickly her subconscious had adapted to having to perform in front of nobility.

Karen returned shortly and handed off the two drinks before finding her place in the rocking chair across from them. “You’re looking good, Drake. I take it the Lone Star State has treated you well?”

“It’s been a good week,” Drake admitted, running his fingers through his hair. “We’ve both enjoyed having some time to relax.”

“Weddings can be exhausting, can’t they?” she asked rhetorically. “ I’m a little surprised you didn’t get married here in the U.S., actually. You’re American, aren’t you?” Her calculating eyes fell on Jena.

She nodded her answer, uncertain how to proceed further. “We have some pictures if you’d like to see them,” she offered weakly. She had the sense that there was a missing link somewhere. Had Drake not told her anything about the wedding? She knew that he had called to invite her, but she seemed entirely clueless about why it had been essential to have the wedding in Cordonia. The anxiety that had been on its way to subsiding crested over her once more, and she had to consciously loosen the muscles in her face so as not to betray her disquiet.

“We talked about it,” Drake broke in, “but we decided to elope. It was very private. Just a few of us overlooking the sea at sunset.”

Drake was definitely avoiding the subject. A fit of panic swept over her as she considered whether it was possible that Karen knew nothing of the events of the past year. Drake stroked a reassuring hand along the small of her back, but she couldn’t help shooting him a questioning glance while Karen’s face was turned. How could he not tell his mother about their wedding? About Valtoria? Was it possible that they could make it through the next twenty-four hours without any of those subjects coming up? She found it extremely unlikely.

“It sounds beautiful,” Karen smiled. “And you would never have a big wedding anyway. You’ve always been so private.”

“It was a lovely service,” Jena added, following the words with a long sip of her lemonade.

Karen turned to consider Jena. “I’m honestly surprised that Drake decided to get married. I always thought he’d die a brooding bachelor.”

Jena’s mouth quirked. “He seemed very intent on that when we first met each other, actually.” She couldn’t help considering how far he had come since those days.

“Well, I’m glad he came to his senses,” Karen put in.

“Me too.” Jena stole a look at her husband. He was nursing his lemonade, an indiscernible expression on his face. “Thank goodness for Cordonia and its ridiculous custom of choosing queens…” she trailed off, hoping to lighten the mood. Drake’s silence did nothing to appease her worries.

“Is that how you ended up there?” Karen inquired quickly.

“Yes, the Beaumonts sponsored me. It was quite a way to get to know a foreign country.” Forcing herself to appear more comfortable, she gave a short, breathy laugh.

“I suppose it must be. I wasn’t there to see Constantine marry, but I heard a lot of stories during my time.” She rubbed a temple as if in thought. “So Liam must have found someone else and Drake found you? I guess the social season is worth something after all.”

Jena attempted a tentative grin as she considered how to respond, the muscles in her cheeks quivering at the affectation. “Actually, he still isn’t married. It’s something of a break from tradition, but he hasn’t really had time with everything else that’s been going on.” Jena took another drink, taking stock of every word she’d said. She didn’t want to reveal too much about the terrorists or the attacks on the palace, but it somehow seemed preferable to admitting that she had been the one to ruin the process of selecting the queen. Uncomfortable with the lingering silence, she added, “He’s done a lot for us though. We’re very grateful for his friendship.”

“I never knew that man was good for anything but getting you in trouble, Drake.”

Jena felt her husband stiffen beside her. Tension fired over her spine and shot out through her extremities. She hadn’t expected Karen to have an overly favorable impression of the king, but surely she knew enough of his history with Drake to make a more informed judgment of his character.

“Liam has been very supportive of us both,” she argued before he could speak, feeling the need to defend the man who had meant so much to both of them. “He took a lot of pains to help me fit in with the court during the social season, and he --”

Drake’s hand pressed at her side, emphatically indenting the skin. Catching herself, she finished lamely, “he’s been a good friend.”

The other woman scoffed, and Jena’s neck prickled in response. “I just wish you’d stuck up for yourself instead of letting him use you all the time, Drake. You’ve given up everything for him and he’s never done anything for you in return. But then, you always were in awe of him. Ever since we moved to the palace, you wanted to be just like him.”

Jena was taken aback at the woman’s cold assessment. The description did not fit her husband at all. In fact, it was so contrary that she wondered if the words had been spoken in jest. One look at her husband’s face confirmed that they had been meant. His eyes were boring into the carpeted floor and she could tell that his teeth were clenched tightly.

She looked from her husband to her mother-in-law, uncertain how she could defuse the situation without making things worse. Could Karen not see the effect her words were having on her son? What was motivating this attack? Jena guessed that Karen must be acting on some kind of fear, but if it was fear of losing her son, why had she left him in the first place? The questions rattled through the growing silence, but no answers came.

“I think,” Jena choked out at length. “I think that we should change the subject.” Her mouth opened and closed as she considered what she might turn the conversation to that would be more amenable. “I couldn’t help admiring the bushes in front of the house. Are you the one who gardens or is that Sandra...or Greg?”

Blessedly, the woman took the bait, unable to refuse the offer of a captive audience to listen to news of her plants.

In spite of the change of subject, Jena’s skin still flushed with the heat of panic that had come over her some minutes before. She found herself surrounded by invisible eggshells -- terrified to say anything that might lead to further complications. How was she to have a proper relationship with this woman if she couldn’t even discuss basic matters of her life? Worst of all, how was Karen to have any meaningful relationship with her son when she understood him so little?

Their trip to Texas had suddenly become far more complicated than she’d ever imagined.

“So...that was awkward.” Jena closed the bedroom door behind her, running her tongue along her freshly-brushed teeth as she eyed her husband’s reclining form. Relief flooded her at the realization that she had made it through the entire evening without dropping any bombshells on her new relative. Karen Walker had been quite content to talk of herself for much of dinner and the discussion that had followed.

“I should have told you that she didn’t know anything about the wedding or Valtoria. I didn’t think about it until we were talking, but I didn’t want want her to find out that way.” Drake sat up on the mattress and kneaded the side of his neck. As much as he might argue the contrary, Jena knew that the day’s events weighed on him too.

“It’s not just that, Drake. I won’t pretend I’m not upset about being caught off guard like that, but are things okay between you and your mom? The things she said...it’s like she doesn’t even know you.” Her pace quickened as she thought back to the way that Karen had spoken of him.

Drake dropped the hand from his neck and considered the quilt that was thrown over his knees. “She’s been gone for almost ten years, Wittman. I’ve only seen her twice in that span of time, so I haven’t really given her a chance to know me.”

Jena sat beside him on the bed, her brow furrowing as she tried to meet his gaze. “She’s been gone because she chose to leave you, Drake. And if she hasn’t put more effort into keeping in touch, I’m not sure she deserves to... unless you want her to.” Momentarily, his eyes flicked up to hers before dropping back to the bed.

“Jeez, Wittman. She’s my mom.” The words were spoken in jest, but the drop in her stomach suggested there was more to it than that.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you owe her anything. She abandoned you, Drake.” A fire was building within her, and every word fanned the flames even higher. She couldn’t help feeling that Karen had pulled the wool over her Drake’s eyes. Why couldn’t he see that she wasn’t the mother he thought she was? Or was it possible that she was misreading the situation? She wished she knew. 

“She did what she could, okay?” The sharpness in his voice sent a chill over her skin. “And it’s not like she left us alone. I was old enough to look after Savannah, and we had Bastien. Mom just couldn’t take it. She did what she had to do.”

“Hey,” Jena backpedaled, “I don’t want to argue with you about this. I just want to know you’re okay.” That was something of a lie. What she really wanted was to drag him back to the car and take him away from this place and her misguided attempts to make friends with his mother. But he would never stand for such a course of action.

“I’m fine,” he promised, lying down as he pulled back the edge of the blankets in invitation.

“I’ll let you take the lead then.” She didn’t want to make things any more complicated than they already were, but she couldn’t help the sickening sense of foreboding that was settling into her gut. 

Jena climbed under the sheets beside Drake, drawing her leg up to his chest as she snuggled against his side. Skin to skin, some measure of tension washed away.

“What do you think she would say if she knew the truth?” she began, still at a loss how to unravel the situation they’d found themselves. Honesty was always her instinct, but there were too many layers here for her to know whether such a simple solution could prove effective.

Drake brushed a lock of hair away from her face as he met her eyes. “She wouldn’t like the thought of me being a noble -- they never accepted her and she hated anything to do with the court.”

Jena resisted the urge to point out that personal experience was a sorry excuse to hold a duchy against her son. “So she just thinks that you’ve spent your live mooching off Liam?” She was smoothing the skin on his bicep to occupy her restless fingers, struggling to imagine any good that could come from such a depth of ignorance.

“Well, I kind of did.”

Jena shook her head against him forcefully. “He never felt that way.”

“I know, but that’s how she sees it. And if that makes it easier for her, it’s fine. I think mom always expected that we would come back to America and we’d all eventually live in Texas together. She never understood how much Cordonia meant to Savannah and me.”

“But how can she not know anything about what’s been happening there? It’s been in international news -- not all of it, but the big stories have.” Even Jena’s mother admitted to having heard about the young king’s engagement to Madeleine and the assassination attempt during the Homecoming Ball, although she’d had no reason to listen for news about the small European country until some time later.

“I think she makes a point not to know anything. When she left, she put that life behind her.”

Did Drake realize that in leaving her life behind, she’d left her children behind too? She sighed against his chest and sucked at her top lip pensively, uncertain whether to take the conversation further. 

As comfortable as she felt in his arms, his response to her questions about his mother had left her agitated. Was this the sort of problem that could be solved by a good night’s sleep or did they need to talk about it further? She had no idea.

Drake’s words rumbled against her cheek. “We should try to get some sleep.”  His recommendation came as both a relief and a disappointment.

“I love you, Drake. I may not agree with all of the decisions you’ve made about your mother, but I still love you.” Her eyes closed as his fingers combed through the hair at the back of her neck.

“What more could I ask?” he wondered aloud. They kissed softly before exchanging their goodnights.

Jena shifted her head to the curve of his shoulder and sank into her accustomed sleeping position. Rest came with a merciful quickness, but even as she drifted out of consciousness, one thought plagued her mind against the syncopation of Drake’s heartbeat: coming here was a mistake, mis-take, mis-take, mis-take...

[healthbetold]

What Poker Champion Daniel Negreanu Eats on a Vegan Diet

Much is at stake for poker champion Daniel Negreanu, who decided back in 2000 that a meat-free diet was the safest option. The six-time World Series of Poker winner and two-time World Poker Tour champion became a vegetarian two decades ago for health reasons and gave up dairy six years later to go completely vegan. Now he regularly touts that a plant-based diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds will help him stay focused, lower inflammation, and reduce the risk of all chronic diseases.

Negreanu routinely shares his meals, workouts and vegan life with his 315,000 IG supporters and posted a photo of an apron marked “VEGAN” that his wife Amanda gave him because he is “the baker now.” We look forward to when he can post about a full house … of vegans.

Negreanu has been vegan for 15 years and is proud of it

After Negreanu opted for a plant-based diet for health reasons, Negreanu is now promoting the other benefits of veganism, such as helping a healthier environment and saving farm animals. Negreanu partnered with PETA to create a campaign using cards that spell Vegan. The catchy line: Vegan? You bet!

“My diet is now better than ever, and although my veganism began with absolute health, it has evolved around the environment and cruelty to animals. The way animals are treated and the conditions are appalling. They are force-fed steroids, the chickens are beaked. You end up eating sick, sick chickens because they live in the shit. It’s like an animal holocaust, “Negreanu told PETA.

This is what poker champion Daniel Negreanu eats

During the quarantine, Negreanu enjoyed spending time at home with his wife, Amanda, whom he describes as his “ride or die”. He posted videos playing with their two pups, showed home cooked meals, and said the free time was “built for me”. He posted a photo of himself by the pool lounging in the sun, setting up his laptop and wearing a baseball cap to provide some shade. The caption gave us a glimpse into his life as he explained his daily routine:

Wake up at 10 a.m.

10:30 a.m. breakfast

12:00 p.m. Lift weights every other day. Off Days 2 workouts with elliptical 45 minutes and 3 minutes higher intensity. A day of rest.

1:30 p.m. post-workout meal

Play online poker from 2pm to 8pm

Walk on the treadmill for an hour at 4 p.m. and take 10,000 steps.

5:30 p.m. food

8:30 p.m. food

9:00 p.m. Shows with the woman, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Masters of Sex, Billions

Midnight: read. Currently reading The Last Don by Mario Puzo

Do the washing up. To repeat.

If you want to eat like a highly focused, successful professional poker player, we have compiled the meals Negreanu posted on his Instagram to give a picture of what he is eating to further this winning streak.

For breakfast, Negreanu alternates between oatmeal with berries and tofu scrambled eggs with coffee for breakfast every day. He kindly provided us with the ingredients for each:

Oatmeal recipe

1/2 cup oatmeal

A handful of blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries

Tofu scrambled eggs

tofu

paprika

onion

mushroom

His post-workout meal is homemade non-dairy ice cream, which may seem unusual, but Negreanu knows how to get creative. “This is a turning point for me. Instead of drinking a protein shake, I have the same ingredients in ice cream and I turn the flavors. I do it in the morning and let it freeze for 3-4 hours,” he said.

Ice cream with almond or coconut milk

2 bananas

Almond or coconut milk Add either:

Strawberries

PB2

Optional protein powder

mixed berries

For lunch, Negreanu enjoys a high-protein, high-fiber salad that includes spinach, lentils, pistachios, cranberries, sliced ​​apples, and half an avocado. These superfoods provide iron for more energy, protein for muscle regeneration, and fiber to help you stay full longer, especially avocado, which one study found can stay full for up to 6 hours after consumption.

Protein-rich and high-fiber salad

spinach

lenses

Pistachios

Cranberries

Sliced ​​apples

Half an avocado

Dinner is a healthy mix of beans, grains, and vegetables, especially baked beans with brown rice and a side of sautéed zucchini strips flavored with spices. Negreanu also adds chopped cherry tomatoes and chopped cilantro to their rice.

Negreanus dinner

Brown rice

Baked beans

Cherry tomatoes

coriander

zucchini

Spice

For more free plant-based recipes, check out The Beet’s recipe column or subscribe to our recipe in the daily newsletter.

Exercise is just as important to Negreanu as diet

Aside from Negreanu’s plant-based diet, he also relies on his regular exercise routine for optimal health. Last year the poker player got slim, posted a before and after picture and told fans, “I’m 45 and by a long way in the best shape of my life.” He attributes his transformation to his constant training program with the vegan fitness trainer Fritz Horstmann. Coach’s mission is to “Help Middle Aged Vegans Get Toned and Healthy” and has trained over 500 vegans to lose 20 pounds or more.

Negreanu posted his before and after photos showing his bowed body with toned muscle definition showing what he achieved with the program designed to help you lose fat. “It’s pretty simple overall and also very effective,” he said. “Once I cut off a few extra pounds of fat, the fun begins! Bulking allows for more of the food that I’m a fan of,” he added.

Speaking of mass building, Negreanu enjoys a high protein plate for dinner on her fitness plan. The meal includes Gardein Teriyaki Chik’n strips, cauliflower porridge, broccoli porridge with nutritional yeast and peas. Negreanu described the taste as “amazing”. Nutritional yeast is often used to add a cheesy taste to foods without the dairy products, and Negreanu is no stranger to experimenting with the yellow flakes. Over a year ago he showed the ingredients he used to make a vegan cheese sauce and posted them on Instagram and wrote: “My attempt to make a cheese sauce with nutritional yeast and other fun things. I don’t know if that will be a good thing. but I will try it!”

Sandra Oh and 20 others who may surprise you are plant-based

The post What Poker Champion Daniel Negreanu Eats on a Vegan Diet first appeared on Health be Told.

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