#Soft Garten

[chococricket]

Soft Garten #1

Actually, it was not "fluff" it was "soft". I forgot.

This was the very first bits of the AU. I think it all came from the idea - what if the Opila bird is so aggressive because of an underlying medical issue? Those bloodshot eyes? So, in the true medically dubious fashion, the Janitor decides to employ eyedrops. And what do you know! Opila is much calmer now. She is sort of a mix between a parrot and an emu in terms of behaviour. On another page, I have a doodle of her speaking to the Janitor for the first time and scaring the sh^t out of him.

After showing that he is not a threat to Opila, Tarta and their babies, using treats, medical help and patience, the Janitor is put somewhere "protector" and "unusually large chick".

Jumbo Josh reminds me a bit of a gorilla, but still going with a "they were supposed to take care of CHILDREN" premise, he just needs enrichment to lessen his aggression. Every time he sees a new person he just wants to play with them so much, that he forgets his own strength! After some play and a good scrubbing, he is nothing more than an oversized plush toy, perfect for naps and getting into high places.

Banbaleena wants to be a good and proper teacher. How was she supposed to know that human children do not learn advanced math in kindergarten? She woke up and just... knew those types of things! Additionally, wanting to be liked and needing to be an impartial party is a hard line to straddle. Especially if all you know about school comes from those 2000s High School movies! At least she is eager to learn about teaching.

Slow Seline is not my favourite character. But everyone has to pull their weight, so she is a P.E. teacher, who knows that being slow is not always a bad thing. Her slime is organic and perhaps maybe antibacterial? Anyhow, she is a big hit with kids who like finding bugs more then petting dogs.

[missartisticdraws]

Rhymequill my beloved...

Yes, I named the Poethead Rhymequill. His name is Rhymequill

I fricking love the design I gave this poet. Started off as a head, then I add him to my AU, gave him a body and a character design and now I just fricking love how he looks. He's just so aesthetic looking. I fricking love how soft he looks dijgbffglioglbf

I also decided to experiment with a new rendering process because I think it'd be boring if I do the typical rendering process I work with. I still have some exploring to do, but I think I'm happy with this one for now. Hope to find my process as I do more like this.

[katkalis-the-horror-fanartist]

Mmm yes I've watched the Banbans

[lynnical]

Pretty sure the conversation the devolpers had about what GOBB 4 was gonna be about went something like this;

"How do we make people actually interested in one of these characters with absolute minimum effort?"

"Let's make a clown, clown characters always hit"

And, I mean, they have a point. Game is still a big ol' dumpster fire, obviously. The total trainwreck that everybody expected it to be. But I like that one in some backwards, ironic, way:/

(Yes Ik he's a jester, I'm using clown as an umbrella term)

[stormtheskyelf2]

I don't see many people talk about how common vore is in their world, like for worldbuilding....soooo what do you prefer usually? vore being a normal thing, vore only being normal for some communities/species/ect, or vore being really rare or really taboo?

Hmm..

Contains: vore

Depends! If it's a roleplay with some really juicy vore points I could hit, vore has always been a part of that world, just because people like it and it's possible.

Sometimes if it's a game world, like among us, the realm of vore has infected among us, or, the imposters just have second stomachs and stomach mouths which leads to well.. vore.

However, vore being weird/taboo is also good for g/t stuff in say... Graten of banban? Monster wants to help, knows they'll get in trouble, also knows they'll get in trouble for eating the player.. but doesn't care :D

Or like Rainbow friends, with Green having a literal hard vore animation as a kill aniamtion-

[envyxquincydog]

Garten of banban 7 LEAKED

[surveillance-0011]

Looking at Garten of BanBan II… I actually feel kind of optimistic.

This second game feels like it does have more effort put into it- and it’s more genuine, less of a cash grab especially without the merch link right there. I’m not gonna blame the devs for charging money bc it seems they are very low budget, and I’d prefer a game costing money rather than asking you to buy overpriced merch.

There’s a somewhat scarier atmosphere and I think the direction the story is heading could prove to be interesting.

Spoiler alert:

Saw the human experimentation thing coming from a mile away. Not the most original in the mascot-based horror niche, but I’m a sucker for it and am actually kinda interested in seeing why it’s happening in this facility posing as a kindergarten, of all places. Also, BanBan as a possible good guy is very interesting. Yes, Alice and Mommy Long Legs both send you on fetch quests with ulterior motives, but BanBan seems to genuinely care about saving the kids, even if it means he’s not heroic enough to do it himself.

It’s also interesting that he’s apparently not the “major” threat- that’s Stinger Flynn, apparently. Unless BanBan is lying/tricking the MC, which is like a 50/50 chance.

The game also, surprisingly, has a sense of humor. BanBan’s note telling you he’s gonna knock you out, his sheepish apology, NabNab’s misery, and Seline (the snail) reaching the chase scene too late all actually got a chuckle out of me.

However, it’s not exactly the most riveting gameplay. The game still seems kinda slow, glitchy, and like there isn’t as much of an “active” threat. Everything is very … compartmentalized? Until the last chase scene there doesn’t seem to be an active threat chasing you down.

And the story does have some pitfalls and confusing bits. It’s frustrating to me that they are dropping gradual hints in the notes alone- at this point I wish there was more of a why and maybe even more of an admission. BanBan sees himself as human still, yes, but certainly he’s aware everyone else thinks he’s BanBan? And that he’s in a lab? But he never says “yeah they mighta turned me into something I’m not, but deep down I’m human and you can trust me”

And while I like the idea of Stinger Flynn as a major threat I’m surprised NabNab isn’t more of an opposing force. Like they’re literally an obstacle for like the construction section and they peer out as a lil secret when you finish the chase scene and turn back. For someone teased as a big thing, they seem more like a needless red herring and underwhelming extra. It’d be better if they were more present in this chapter.

The … attempt at social commentary in the classroom segment was also just weird? There’s not really a popular kid weird kid bullying hierarchy in kindergarten of all places… and the metaphor is just very bland and fake deep and whatnot. Unless it’s just BanBaleena running the school like she thinks they’re run bc she’s a human experiment with no memory/knowledge of the outside world. Or some sort of commentary on the game community? Eh, it was just weirdly cynical and I didn’t dig it.

And it’s weird that they’re already advertising game 3. It’s a chapter system and it’s bound to happen, but it makes me think they’re rushing it a little.

So it’s not perfect by any means. There’s a couple of glaring issues of disorganization and rougher edges, hell some of the worries concerning it being too “kiddy” still ring true. But it also seems to confirm the game is growing into its own unique self and is a genuine attempt at making a decent game rather than something thrown together to make some money off of children. There’s some heart. It may be small or weak, but it’s there.

I never thought I’d be rooting for the Euphoric Brothers, but I do actually hope they improve from here and actually make something some people can dig. They’re not really some insidious force like people make them out to be, just two people trying in a… pretty flawed way? They gotta work on a lot of stuff, from the game to how they have taken criticism, but they’re not goddawful, the first game was just the worst first impression ever.

And…If anything BanBan’s popularity is inspiring. It’s a good reminder that anyone can make a game- and possibly succeed in getting what they wish.

Tldr: not winning any awards any time soon, but Garten of BanBan is not a total waste. I hope the Devs listen to the criticism they’ve gotten and improve from here, too.

And I. Do like NabNab and Stinger Flynn. And BanBan. I am not immune to silly blob thing.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Fandom things I'm looking forward to:

Kingdom Hearts IV and Missing Link

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Final Fantasy IX Remake

Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster or Remake (whichever it is. I've heard both things)

The fourth Madoka Magica movie, whenever that comes out (seriously. Where is it? First it was announced as the Concept movie. Then it was re-announced years later with a new name, and it's still missing)

The Percy Jackson TV show

The Infernal Devices TV show

Maybe the Twilight TV show. Maybe.

The animated Smallville continuation that Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum are working on, whenever it comes out

I was going to put Baron and Toluca on this list (that's, like, a spiritual successor to the OG "Roswell" TV show. Majandra Delfino who played Maria in the show wrote the script, and she and Brendan Fehr who played Michael star in it. They're also planning for more Roswell cameos in later episodes), but it came out and I didn't even know it? But I have no idea how to watch it, though, as I guess it only came out in theaters in Albuquerque. Here's hoping it comes out on DVD or something...

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

The alleged Firefly reboot

The new Daredevil show

The Batman Part II

The next part in Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies

The DCU, starting with Superman Legacy in 2025

The Five Nights at Freddy's movie and Help Wanted 2

The Iron Lung movie

The TV show that it sounds like Markiplier will be working on after he's done with the Iron Lung movie

The next Bendy and the Ink Machine thing being worked on

MAYBE the Hello Neighbor sequel. I know. I KNOW! (It's really only because the second game had to end on a cliffhanger.)

Five Nights at Candy's 4

Frozen III

Disney's "Wish"

The next and final season of the Clear Card arc of Cardcaptor Sakura

The new Avatar series (the one about the third Avatar in the cycle: the Earth bender)

The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, perhaps

The Chosen season 4

[catnausea]

epic crossover time!

there is a soft place in my heart for jester characters. here is humanised bittergiggle from garten of banban and sun + moon from fnaf sb. i hope to inspire (1) more humanised jester fan in this world.

i'm just drawing these characters for fun, but in an au it would be like costumes for their respective franchises (instead of science experiments gone wrong / animatronics). if anyone would like to use these designs, feel free, but do credit me ^^

[chococricket]

Soft Garten #2

Some more interactions with the Janitor trying to fix the Banban Crew the best he can.

From the top, on the basis that the mascots are a bizarre mix of biology and child-safe materials, Zolphius' face was fixed by using a blowtorch. His neck is made from rubber and a bendable, metal skeleton underneath. His faceplate is also made of metal and his eyes... grew back? Sure. The tongue was simply tucked away in his neck, away from the jagged mess of his mouth.

Stinger Flynn was found by the Janitor in Sherif's jail. The octopus (?) was in bad shape, both mentally and physically. Blaming himself for the fates of the children, he could at least soothe his aching body in the pool, made in one of the tiled rooms. Barely fitting, he was transported on a large flatbed for building materials. Perhaps he grows in water?

+ a bonus doodle of Sheriff Toadster investigating a very important case of disappearing cookies. He takes his job very seriously.

[vidavalor]

Ever since you mentioned Crowley cooking while listening to "Evil Woman" and jiving his hips, this song and this image have been stuck in my head. I have tow follow-up questions: 1. What is he cooking and 2. is Aziraphale going to be the main course or dessert ;-)

Hi @procrastiel! How are ya, babe? Sorry the song is an earworm of the best kind lol. Aziraphale is actually putting Crowley on the menu at this point. Crowley has tried to kick him out of the kitchen once already ("go do your book things") but Aziraphale is now pretending that he's concerned that Crowley's had too much wine to be cooking as an excuse to watch ("three glasses, angel, that's a glass of water for me"). Crowley knows and keeps slapping his hand away from ingredients he's prepping while also handing him stuff to taste. There is a serious possibility, though, that Crowley might not finish the dish if Aziraphale keeps sampling and making the little sounds in front of him so he's tossed a little bunch of grapes and some manchego on a plate and sent Aziraphale to his desk with it until dinner is ready.

Crowley is making Ina Garten's Fresh Crab and Pea Saffron Risotto. Naturally, this is slightly doctored to his and his angel's tastes. Aziraphale is the amateur baker because the preciseness gives him comfort but Crowley is the cook because you can experiment and just add more stuff to the pot without the whole thing exploding. Usually. There was that one time he set the kitchen on fire that caused them to use four of the fire extinguishers, Crowley to have a panic attack, and for the Chinese takeaway people to make a small fortune that night. Other than that, starting cooking more again has been a success.

That mainly means that this dish is a little herbier and a little boozier than the recipe but is otherwise the same. Crowley watches Barefoot Contessa when he can't sleep (this is what he tells himself and Aziraphale but, really, he just watches it lol) because as much as he always bitches about Aziraphale needing a soft show (which Aziraphale insists are called "cozy shows") to balance out anything more intense, Crowley does, too. He loves this rich American woman who appears to do nothing but live in this nice gaff with a massive kitchen garden and make up new dishes for her husband to try. She's living Crowley's dream over here. He is currently on Season 17.

Crowley managed to get Aziraphale to pivot to his secret cooking show by a) admitting that he secretly watches a cooking show and b) by hinting that more frequent cooking might be the results if they watched said cooking show. It's been a long pandemic, yeah? and he could not watch the new All Creatures Great & Small for a fourth time, no matter how much Aziraphale insisted it would be fun. (And even if Crowley very reluctantly confessed, while completely smashed one night, that he was, in fact, crying during that episode in which Tricki Woo was in danger. And, also, that Siegfried can get it.) In truth, he'd watch anything on the television they magic in and out of the living room because it's all just an excuse to cuddle on the couch with Aziraphale but he's not about to admit to that. Or remotely use the word 'cuddling' or anything like it, of course.

[stormtheskyelf2]

..sir dadadoo from garten of banban

but.. make him pred

nonono make him tiny and prey

[wie-sagt-man-noch]

Lellinger: The way I love you - Part 10 /10

Masterpost | AO3 | FF | Prev

With a soft sigh. Past exhaustion and frustration and despair, like it’s the only good thing left. Sometimes it is.| 1.1k

April 2020, Weißbach

Der Himmel über seiner Heimat ist strahlend blau. Die Sonne scheint, der Wind gleicht einer lauen Brise – für April ist es ungewöhnlich warm. Der Garten seines Elternhauses erstreckt sich vor ihm, gepflegt sieht er aus. Die ländliche Idylle wird von Vogelgezwitscher begleitet, während Andreas auf dem hölzernen Balkon sitzt und missmutig die Augen schließt. Eigentlich sollte er die Ruhe und das gute Wetter genießen – unter normalen Umständen würde er das vermutlich auch tun. Von der gewohnten Normalität ist derzeit allerdings nicht mehr viel übrig, auch wenn die malerische Szenerie, in der er sich befindet, etwas anderes vermuten lässt.

Die Welt befindet sich seit einigen Wochen in einem Ausnahmezustand, Corona hat die Nachrichten und das Leben aller fest im Griff. Das Virus grassiert und hat alles bis dato Gekannte auf den Kopf gestellt. Kontaktbeschränkungen, überfüllte Krankenhäuser, leere Straßen – nichts ist mehr so, wie es vorher war. Er selbst wäre beinahe nicht mehr zurück nach Deutschland gekommen, als er seine Schwester im März in Australien besucht hat. Die Zeit dort war wunderschön und unbeschwert – zum ersten Mal seit langer Zeit hatte er dort das Gefühl, endlich wieder im Moment zu leben. Er konnte abschalten und seine eigene Verletzungsmisere des vergangenen Jahres ausblenden.

Zumindest so lange, bis Stephan Anfang März gestürzt ist und sich ebenfalls sein Kreuzband gerissen hat. Die Nachricht hat ihn jäh auf den Boden der Tatsachen zurückgeholt. Er hat seinen Freund umgehend angerufen und war bereits dabei, seinen Rückflug vorzuverlegen, aber Stephan hat darauf bestanden, dass er in Down Under bleibt. So entspannt wie die letzten Tage hab’ ich dich lang nicht mehr gesehen, bleib'. Bitte. Dabei hat er ihn fast schon flehend angesehen, als sie gefacetimed haben. Hier kannst du eh nichts machen, bleib' so lang wie geplant – ich lauf' nicht weg hat er gesagt und Andreas musste tatsächlich schmunzeln. Andreas ist geblieben, auch wenn zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits die ersten Reisewarnungen wegen des Coronavirus ausgesprochen wurden.

Ernst genommen hat er sie nicht, wie so viele andere auch. Was soll schon passieren, hat er zu seiner Schwester bei einem gemeinsamen Abendessen gesagt. Sie sehen sich ohnehin viel zu selten, seit Julia in Australien lebt. Er hat die nächsten zwei Wochen mit ihr mehr als genossen, die neu gewonnene Leichtigkeit hat ihm unfassbar gutgetan.

Vermutlich hätte er dennoch abreisen sollen, aber später ist man immer klüger, heißt es. Im Nachhinein betrachtet ist es auch nicht sonderlich klug gewesen, bei stärkerem Wellengang surfen zu gehen. Andreas hat es trotzdem getan und dafür die Quittung bekommen. Eine Welle hat ihn unvorbereitet erwischt und ihn von seinem Bord geworfen - dabei ist unglücklich mit seinem Schlüsselbein auf dem Bord aufgeprallt und hat es sich prompt gebrochen. Der heiße Schmerz hat ihm im ersten Moment den Atem geraubt, dann war er auch schon unter Wasser. Zum Glück war er bereits relativ nah am Strand, sodass er sich schnell aus dem Wasser begeben konnte – aber ihm ist in diesem Moment klar geworden, dass die Verletzung ernst sein muss.

Stunden später ist er bereits operiert worden. Als er später aus der Narkose wach geworden ist, war ihm zum Heulen zumute. Wieder ein Rückschlag, dabei wollte er diesen Sommer doch endlich wieder voll ins Mannschaftstraining einsteigen. Wieder Schmerzen, wieder Reha, alles wieder von vorne. Dazu noch Stephan, der ihn dieses Mal nicht mit seinem unerschütterlichen Glauben unterstützen können wird, weil der seinen ganz eigenen Leidensweg vor sich hat.

Hinzu kam, dass sein geplanter Rückflug wegen des Virus annulliert wurde und er deswegen beinahe nicht hatte ausreisen können. Ja, Andreas hätte seinem ersten Impuls nachgeben sollen. Dann würde er jetzt nicht mit geschientem Arm bei seinen Eltern auf dem Balkon sitzen, sondern fit bei Stephan sein und zur Abwechslung mal für ihn da sein können. Hätte ihm im Alltag helfen können, weil er weiß, was Stephan gerade durchmacht und an welcher Stelle er ihm das Leben leichter machen kann. Er hätte ihm Tag für Tag sagen können, dass er an ihn glaubt und dass das alles wieder wird, hätte Stephans Launen ausgehalten und ihm gezeigt, dass er sich auf ihn verlassen kann. Dass er ihn liebt – in guten wie in schlechten Zeiten, egal wie kitschig sich das anhört.

Andreas hätte so vieles tun können, aber die Realität sieht anders aus. In ihr hat er jedes Mal starke Schmerzen, wenn er seine rechte Schulter nur leicht bewegt und Stephan hat er seit über einem Monat nicht mehr persönlich gesehen – Andreas fühlt sich schlicht und ergreifend miserabel. Er ist erschöpft, kann nachts kaum schlafen, weil seine Schulter dumpf pocht und seine Gedanken rasen. Seine Laune ist unfassbar schlecht, er spricht mit seinen Eltern häufig nur das Nötigste, obwohl sie die Letzten sind, an denen er seinen Frust herauslassen sollte. Andreas weiß, wie privilegiert er eigentlich ist. Seine Eltern kümmern sich liebevoll um ihn – er ist nicht allein wie so viele andere Menschen in der aktuellen Situation. Er weiß das alles, aber es ändert nichts daran, dass er unglaublich enttäuscht und wütend ist. Auf sich selbst am meisten, was ihn nur noch frustrierter werden lässt. Dazu kommt, dass er Stephan wahnsinnig vermisst und ihm gegenüber ein unglaublich schlechtes Gewissen hat. Der wiederum hat ihm vorhin am Telefon gesagt, dass er das nicht haben muss, Unfälle passieren, Andi, und war wie immer unglaublich verständnisvoll.

Sie telefonieren oder facetimen täglich und Andreas ist unfassbar froh über diese Routine. Manchmal witzelt Stephan darüber, dass sie ab nächstem Jahr das Kreuzbandzimmer sein werden. Er plant voraus, glaubt an sie beide und lächelt wissend in die Kamera, wenn er davon spricht. Ohne Stephan würde er durchdrehen, da ist Andreas sich sicher. Andreas bewundert ihn für seine Stärke, seine Ruhe und seine Zuversicht – vorhin hat er ihm genau das auch gesagt. Stephan ist ein wenig rot geworden, während sich ein Strahlen auf sein Gesicht gelegt hat. Bei dem Anblick hat sich eine bekannte, wohlige Wärme in Andreas' Bauch ausgebreitet, während sein Herz etwas schneller geschlagen hat. Das leise geseufzte Ich liebe dich konnte und wollte er nicht zurückhalten, weil er es genau in diesem Moment überdeutlich gespürt hat. Ich liebe dich auch hat Stephan ohne zu zögern geantwortet, bevor sie sich kurz darauf voneinander verabschiedet haben.

Inzwischen hat sich ein leichtes Lächeln auf Andreas' Lippen gebildet. Er öffnet die Augen, blinzelt der Sonne entgegen, atmet tief ein und wieder aus. Zwischen all dem Frust glimmt zum ersten Mal seit seiner erneuten Verletzung ein wenig Zuversicht. Wenn alles um ihn herum zusammenbricht, nichts mehr so ist, wie es war, und alles schief zu laufen scheint, dann ist da immer noch Stephan. Stephan, den er liebt und der genau dasselbe für ihn fühlt.

Wenn das am Ende bleibt, ist alles mehr als okay.

[centeris2]

I wonder which game (franchise) is more nonsensical lore wise: Star Stable Online or Garten of Banban

Garten of Banban is truly some nonsense, with each new "chapter" (a new game that costs more money to buy and play) adding new characters and "story" that make less and less sense. They even skipped Chapter 5. Just straight up didn't release it, they went right on to Chapter 6 because??? I guess the devs got so ahead of themselves they forgot what number they were on, so the games go from 4 to 6. But it does not actively go back and release the previous games, requiring people to rebuy the game from the beginning to see the "new lore" to understand the "new" and updated story.

Star Stable, meanwhile, also has a great deal of nonsense and lack of foreshadowing so you can't guess where the plot or next story beat is going. Their magic system is so soft and irrational (or veers very deep into Looks Cool rather than Solves Problems, depending on how you want to 'classify' their magic system) that there is basically no way to guess what new magical plot development is going to be pulled out to save the next installment. This is further frustrated by constant retconning and full on redoing intro quests, to the game and NPCs, that can only be accessed by making a brand new account with a new email and buying the game all over again. What's the story in SSO? Hell if I know, when I started my character was there for the summer before starting college in the fall at the Hippological Institute and Anne was missing for 2 years.

[multi-level-shipper]

Is It That Bad? (Garten Character Design Analysis)

It’s time to revisit the fucked up bird and her cousins in crime.

Opila Bird’s model is a perfect example of the textures found on most Garten of Banban characters- plasticy, veiny, and overall a bit unappealing at first glance. But there’s something I’ve noticed concerning the designs: they look a lot like soft sculpt play structures.

This may not have been on purpose at all, but I do wonder. The entire point of the mascots was to entertain children (assumedly...) so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say they may have been based off soft-sculpts. Stinger Flynn and Opila/Tarta strike me as the better examples of this out of the whole cast- Opila being more detailed, and Stinger being a large-scale character that seems to take up most of the room- sort of like a play area.

So, in short, I really don’t think the textures are the problem! Some of the run cycles and dialogue are extremely awkward, but I feel like this particular design element is dismissed as a problem FAR too often.

TL;DR The designs of the Banban cast are likely based off soft-sculpt play structures!

[ereardon]

Golden Hour sneak peek

Summary: Willow, Georgia. Barely even a town, just a speck on a map that you tried to wipe off, mistaking it for a crumb. You’re the outsider: a fancy New York doctor, fresh out of a failed engagement, with zero primary care experience. You’re also the new town doctor, taking over for a recent retiree who was beloved. His son, Bob Floyd, is the other physician at the practice, and takes an immediate dislike to you. But you were looking for a fresh start, and Willow doesn’t seem all that bad if you can get past the fact that there's only one restaurant in town. It helps that you've caught the eye of Bradley Bradshaw, the town attorney, despite the fact that you vowed to take a break from dating. How long until you start to make friends in a town where social circles have been set in stone since elementary school? And what will it take to make Bob Floyd see you’re not as bad as he wants to believe you are?

Pairing: Bob Floyd x OC; Bradley Bradshaw x OC [Dr. Olive James]

A tall blond with glasses loomed in the doorway. He wore a blue button up shirt with a white doctor’s coat over it, a pair of tan trousers and cowboy boots hidden below the hem of his pants. When he looked at you, he scowled, and you felt his gaze searing over your skin and dark hair. It made you want to turn away from the intensity, but you forced yourself to meet his gaze and smile. 

“Dr. Olive James,” you said, holding out one hand, bangles bashing together as you waited with the hand outstretched. “You can call me Olive or Liv.” 

After a beat, he reached out and enveloped your hand in his. His fingers were long and beautiful, like a piano player’s. “Dr. Bob Floyd,” he said. 

You nodded, your hand still trapped in his. Finally, Bob let his gaze slip from yours and you let your hand fall. 

Macy looked between the two of you and blushed. The air was thick with tension. “I’ll be on my way then.” She nodded at you. “Dr. James. Dr. Floyd.” There was a way that she said Bob’s name. A sort of reverie. Macy scampered away and you heard the front door shut behind her, leaving you and Bob alone. He made no move to show you around. 

You cleared your throat. “Is, um, is Dr. Floyd Sr. around?” 

“My father is quite elderly,” Bob said and his voice was deep, gruff, but velvety. “He’s retired.” 

You nodded. “That’s why I’m here. He hired me as his replacement.” 

Bob squinted. “And what exactly are your credentials?” 

Anger bubbled inside of you. He doubted your credentials? This small-town doctor who probably graduated bottom of his class was asking about your credentials. You straightened your shoulders. “Columbia medical. I did my surgical residency at Mount Sinai where I was chief resident, and I just completed a fellowship in obstetrics.”

Bob brushed past you without a response. You frowned, trailing after him as he made his way into the back behind the desk to a small kitchen at the back of the house. He poured himself a cup of coffee and then turned around. “Why the hell would you want to come here?” he demanded. “You’re a surgeon.” 

You didn’t know how to tell him that New York was dead to you. Perhaps not the whole city, but there was no going back. Not when Peter had come home three nights before and ended a five year relationship and engagement with five words. 

I slept with someone else. 

There was no going back. Your apartment, your perfect Upper East Side apartment, the one you had searched high and low for three years, was getting packed up as you spoke. The walls you had painstakingly painted were being stripped of all of the artwork and photographs that dotted it so carefully. The kitchen where you had spent countless hours trying to learn how to properly sautee green beans and how to roast a whole chicken that would make Ina Garten proud, was standing empty like a skeleton on a gurney. The bedroom that you and Peter had shared was just a shell that had once housed whimpers and soft declarations of love. 

How could you tell a stranger that the largest city in the US was still too small to go back to? So you had done the only rational thing. You had fled. Somewhere far. Somewhere small where you could hide in plain sight. Somewhere he would never come looking for you. 

[Masterlist here]

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