#Summer Shortlist

[dreamsclock]

crazy. wowhah

[foxmulderautism]

the sexual tension between me and the short story prize that still says submissions will open in august 2023 on their site

[lessi-lover]

awfully mother like II l.williamson x l.walti

summary: you and leah spend the day at the museum ★ awfully mother like II l.williamson x l.walti

it hadn't been easy the past couple of weeks in your household. mummy is on crutches now because she hurt something in her knee that she described to you as an mcl. it sounded similar to what leah told you she had a few months ago, and you think that because mummy's injury is in her knee just like leah's then they must be a little similar.

your mummy needs assistance from you and leah so that she doesn't hobble around the house doing tasks that will hurt her, so you both helped mummy do the washing, buy the groceries for the week and cleaned the house together whilst mummy was at one of her appointments.

mummy has lots of appointments now, and you know that her injury is worse than her injury last year because it didn't last as many months as this one is. but you're happy that switzerland didn't make the olympics and she can rest her sore knee instead, even if you really would like to wear your mummy's olympic medal.

mu-. leah didn't make the olympics either, it was tough watching the highlights back with mummy, she looked sorrowfully at a mourning leah when you sat together to watch on the couch one night.

it had been a few weeks now since england failed to make the olympics shortlist and things were getting slower now that the season had ended and the international window had opened. it left a lot of time for you, leah and mummy to spend time together.

today the morning sun had filtered nicely through your windows, summer had almost arrived in england, the last few remnants of the harsh winter just disappearing every passing day. beside you, lia got herself ready for her appointment, her knee a persistent bother to her usually free weekends, and today she was getting another check up to see the progress of her mcl tear.

you watched her with worry as she fretted over her laces, checking the time on her watch before looking back at you. "don't worry, little stärnli," mummy assured you, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. "i'll be back before you know it, you and leah will spend the day together."

you nodded, lifting yourself out of the covers to press your own lips against your mummy's forehead. you had gotten used to being around leah, and you were excited to spend the day together. after all, mu-, leah always knew how to make things fun.

by the time the clock had passed nine, lia was ready to leave, her girlfriend replacing her at your bedroom door with a quick peck to her lips as she sent her on her way. "how about we visit the astronomy museum today little star?" leah suggested as she lifted you out of bed.

you nodded eagerly in response, slipping your hand into hers as you picked your clothes for the day together. leah had planned a special day for you, dressing you in the dress decorated with the moon and stars she knew you loved.

your eyes lit up with excitement at mu-, leah words, lifting your dress over your head quickly and putting your light up shoes on that glowed when tapped against the floor. "really! The one with the big moon in the centre?"

leah nodded with a grin, her smile widening at how excited you were to go to the planetarium. "yes, that one little star. We'll see the moon and all the different planets up close." the drive to the museum was filled with animated chatter as you talked her ear off about your favorite constellations and planets, leah listening attentively, surprised at the knowledge you told her about the different stars and constellations alike.

when you arrived at the museum, you could barely contain your excitement as mu-, leah took you through the checkout and gave you a special wristband with all the planets on it. she held your hand tightly as you both walked through the entrance.

it felt like a dream as she showed you through the different areas of the museums, your little body lighting up when you saw the huge models of the solar system and the screens showing the movement of the planets.

you spent hours at the planetarium, exploring from the towering model of saturn with its intricate rings and reading each and every fact on the wall, before walking over to the planetarium show.

mu-, leah watched with a smile as you eagerly pressed buttons that showed different stages of the moon, asked questions to every worker, and absorbed every bit of information you possibly could.

"look, mumma!" you exclaimed suddenly, pointing at a display about the characters of the solar system. leah froze for a moment, unsure if she was to correct you or respond as if nothing had happend. "wow, that’s amazing, little star," she responded, hiding the tears of joy in her eyes as she marveled at how naturally you called her 'mumma'.

you're not really sure why mama looks at you as if she will burst into tears, but she's listening to everything your little mind can come up with so you just choose to ignore it and continue showing her the display.

"you know so much little star," mumma smiled. her head pressed against yours, lifting you up high so that you could try and touch the model that was clearly not real but you didn't care, and neither did leah only lifting you up higher above her head.

leah took you to the entrance, letting you choose a few things from the gift shop and buying herself a coffee whilst she was waiting for you to have a look around.

soon enough you were back home on the couch, lying happily across leah's body as you held your new mond toy as well as your stärnli teddy tightly in your grasp. mumma had bought the teddy when you were leaving the museum, the toy catching her eye as she asked you if you wanted it.

"thank you for today, mumma, had lots of fun" you said sleepily, your head resting against her arm as she rubbed up and down your back. "you're welcome, little star," she replied, her heart swelling at how comfortable you were in her presence, it had never taken a lot for you to earn a place in her heart and she was so happy at how much she was able to bond with you.

you were exhausted from your day at the museum, almost falling asleep on the couch if leah hadn't seen your eyes almost close sooner. she helped you get ready for bed, changing you into your planet pyjamas and reading you your favourite story about the different stars as you snuggled under the covers with your teddies.

"i love you mumma." you said, your eyes shutting closed as you fell asleep. "i love you too my little star." leah responded, tucking the blanket up to your chin just like her girlfriend usually would.

not long after lia returned home to find you sound asleep, the soft glow of your star night light casting a gentle glare against the walls. she smiled as she approached your bed, noticing the content expression on her girlfriend's face as she sat down next to a fast asleep you.

"how was your day baby?" lia asked leah quietly, brushing a loose strand of hair from your forehead as they both watched your sleepy breaths in and out. "it was so, so good," she replied, her voice filled with love as she took her eyes of you for a second to reach lia's own. "we went to the astronomy museum. she even called me 'mumma' today."

lia's eyes softened at her girlfriends words, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "she’s been thinking about that for a while, told me a couple of weeks ago when she was just about to fall asleep," she admitted. "we talked about it a bit, and she said she wanted to ask you, guess it just came out didn't it?"

"i love her so much, lia."

"i know, you treat her like your own," lia whispered, her head resting on leah's shoulder as they looked lovingly down at you, eyes shining with love. "and she loves you too. we're so lucky to have you lee." leah nodded, her gaze resting on your peaceful face. "she knows so much about the stars love, i'd be surprised if she doesn't do something to do with astrology."

"our little astronomist."

[la-galaxie-langblr]

IT WAS JOVER FOR A WHILE BUT WE ARE SOMEWHAT BACK AGAIN

job rant incoming

[thearchercore]

Lando’s comments about not being bffs with max is for sure directly related to lestappen gate. 

We’ve know since the summer that Charles is Ferrari’s priority to resign. (Remember we even thought it was going to be announced in the summer?) they’ve been working hard to make sure Charles feels positive about 2024 and comfortable in the 2024 car and feels like he can win a championship with Ferrari. And Charles was full steam ahead ready to renew.

It all changed in Singapore. Charles was shafted by Ferrari and Carlos was prioritized. Carlos prioritized Lando instead of his teammate - helping him stay in DRS even though he was a competitor. In the cool down room he said that what happened to Charles was “none of his business”.  Charles raises all fucking hell and Ferrari sees they’re about to lose their il predestinato.

Suzuka happens next week. And then there’s a break before Qatar - and Charles goes back to the factory in Maranello. He’s there for a week, while Carlos is no where to be seen and never shows up. Charles has a sit down interview in Qatar where he talked about feeling positive for the future and the developments for next year's car and genuinely seemed excited for the new car.

This was all before the mess of the last few races, when we saw the real development of lestappen gate. And the possibility of Charles going after Red Bull, not feeling like he can win with Ferrari. And the emergence of lestappen as being friends. publicly at least, cause we all know they’ve been close for ages. 

Ferrari gets desperate to keep Charles and will stop at nothing to retain him. Prioritizing his contact negotiations, giving him whatever he wants, making sure he knows he is the priority and they’ll do whatever they need. They hired Fred for him, and Fred is hiring and replacing like money is free to get a better team for Charles. And made it clear - the 2024 car will be suited to Charles and what he likes. 

Now who isn’t the priority? Carlos. His contract negotiations have basically stopped because they don’t care about him right now. There’s constant talks about how it’s likely he won’t reach a deal and Ferrari already has a shortlist of who they will pursue and why they’d be a great fit, to the point Spanish media is taking these so seriously that they’re shading Ferrari. Even the Spanish GP was talking shit about Ferrari on Twitter. 

Fred shades Carlos as the Vegas GP, saying Vegas was their best race of the season (even above their only team win). Fred shades Carlos again for his crash in practice in Abu Dhabi, saying that the Vegas pothole was bad luck but he said Carlos crashing in practice was “something else”. 

And with Singapore and everything that followed after, we see Charles and Carlos move from friends to barely interacting except for required events and videos. Carlos sees clearly that he is 2nd to Charles and will be considered that way with everything going forward, and is not happy about that. 

So that brings us back to: Max and Lando. Max respects Charles more than he does any other driver on the grid (hello he apologized to Charles in Vegas for turn 1?? When has he ever apologized for anything that happens on the track). Max is taking Charles’ side and even if he knows Charles is only using Red Bull to get a better Ferrari contract, he supports him cause he genuinely loves racing against Charles in a proper car. And besides the respect, they’re great friends. 

Lando’s allegiance is obviously to Carlos. And he’s hearing all of it from Carlos and his being pissed. And I can fully see it coming up in convo with Max (after all Max and Carlos were teammates and friends once upon a time) and Max not fucking having it and standing on Charles’ side. And suddenly there’s the divide and Lando refuses to say they’re friends, because he’s so behind Carlos. 

And it all just further enforces how powerful Lestappen is together. 

solid points! my little own theory was that lando wants to go into 2024 with an internal goal to be THE rival to max (how realistic that is, that's another discussion) and so the friendship with max no longer benefits him.

when lando was up and coming driver, the clout that he got by hanging out with max benefitted him. he was seen partying with the world champion, got more publicity thanks to that etc. it was in general a very appealing friendship to be in for lando.

fast forward, mclaren built a car in the second half of 2023 that could fight max in certain scenarios (singapore comes to mind). however, lando did not manage to maximise the potential due to little driver errors that always cost him a better starting position.

it's 2024 now, ferrari and mercedes have great drivers but they are fully dependent on the state of their car and the team strategy. mclaren seemed to work out some of that already so mclaren goes into this season maybe more confident than they should be.

lando's friendship with max no longer benefits him, he will be now seen as a rival, not a friend. he could be fighting him on track, and so he probably wants to push his own agenda and distance himself from max. in this scenario, carlos is a safe option as any other friend on the grid (i assume tensions will rise between carlos and oscar as oscar will no longer be a rookie)

on the other end, charles is doing the exact opposite, he maximised potential of ferrari's car and also stopped following ferrari's pr guidelines. in vegas or abu dhabi, he hung out more with max than his own teammate. during the winter break he had only one scheduled appearance with another f1 driver on the grid, again, max.

charles publicly connecting himself with max does no good for ferrari's image and how they're pushing the "friendship" between carlos and charles. in that sense, charles is not hanging out publicly with max because it benefits him, quite the opposite.

he's doing it to manipulate the narrative and take over some control himself.

that's how i see the situation right now. it will be definitely interesting to see how these grid dynamics develop because yes, they are co-workers but also in the season where so many contracts expire, it's also a big powerplay so there's definitely a lot of decisions behind the scenes

[makingqueerhistory]

Could you please give me recs for books that bi people should read at least once in their life?

I have a couple of questions about books about bisexuality, so I am going to use this ask to make a bit of a shortlist of great bisexual books that I have read.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

Akwaeke Emezi

Into the Drowning Deep

Mira Grant

Jane Steele

Lyndsay Faye

Sadie

Courtney Summers

Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative

Melissa Febos

(Affiliate links above)

[thecouchsofa]

A shortlist of some of my favourite fics from Wireless Fest 2024, while they're still anonymous. Go read these (and the rest) here!

💿🎵🎷🎧📻🎼

💿How to Begin – Anonymous (8k, E) 💿

Harry is completely, pathetically besotted with his flatmate, Draco. Fuelled by liquid courage, he finally makes his move when he's absolutely sozzled. What could possibly go wrong?

Read for: Flatmates, Friends with Benefits, Mutual Pining

🎵Seasons – Anonymous (9k, E) 🎵 Seconds pass, and it’s like he can see Draco worrying the sliver of glass in his heart, looking for a way to press it out, to expose the wound to the sun. It’s life; Harry can be patient.

Read for: Snapshots over time, Older Drarry, Slice of Life

🎷The most he’s ever said – Anonymous (16k, E) 🎷 It takes them twenty years.

Read for: Down and Out to Redeemed and Competent Draco, Draco-centric, the Situationship of a Lifetime

Warning: Infidelity, but not between Drarry

🎧Closing Time – Anonymous (18k, E) 🎧 Draco’s been invited to Neville’s stag party in Bristol, and he's confident he knows what to expect. There’ll be too many Gryffindors, for starters, plus a few humiliating team-building activities, some dodgy clubs, and a truly preposterous level of alcohol consumption. But… a drunken Harry Potter climbing into Draco's bed when he’s having a wank? No, he definitely didn't see that coming…

Read for: Bristol, Stag Do, Draco & Neville Friendship

📻Heartbeat – Anonymous (22k, E) 📻 Harry hates Draco. Draco hates Harry. Only it's not hate, not even a little bit. Featuring: a cooperative independent study, golden hour on wrecked sheets, strawberries in the summer at Grimmauld Place, water from fountains of dubious origin, purple Mardi Gras beads, and a bird with silly legs. Also featuring: heated arguments, infidelity, unquenchable desire, and heartbreak. Over and over again.

Read for: Angst, Toxic Relationship, ‘Nobody else compares’ vibe

Warning: Massive amounts of infidelity, but mostly not between Drarry. There’s a scene that I interpreted as Harry emotionally cheating on Draco, although their relationship hadn’t been defined as exclusive.

🎼Antelucan Ruins – Anonymous (29k, E) 🎼 From the bloody Prophet, Draco discovers Harry Potter’s death splashed in grey ink printed on the front page. Potter is dead before Draco gets to see him again to fulfil a half-spoken promise. And yet, these days Draco has the power to bend the world to his heart’s desires, and that includes fucking Harry Potter even after he personally saw Potter’s pale, lifeless body lying in a coffin before it got buried under the soil. — "Do you realise that you're just as pathetic and insane? You're so hung up on the idea of me that you'd fuck a ghost, Malfoy. You risked your life for it." Draco puts an arm around Potter's body, "Whoever says I am sane? Certainly not me. It's calculated risk with more success rate than failure. And you are dead, Potter. You refuse to move on to the next realm because you crave for my cock."

Read for: BAMF Draco, Ghost Harry, a surprisingly hopeful tone considering one of them is fully dead

💿🎵🎷🎧📻🎼

Disclaimer: I have not read two of the longer fics, so they will not appear here

[frownyalfred]

Thank god that anon mentioned Superman, green lantern, and Batman cause now I get to remind everyone of the fic you wrote with all three of them and also remind youu that you mentioned a part two and hope that with a simple reminder you’ll somehow magically have the fic published without seeming like a rude person pushing for free entertainment

Anywho

@januariat is that you??? Jk. It’s on my shortlist for this summer! That fic was so fun. Poor Hal only got like .7 seconds of action so he deserves more.

I have a whole note in my phone with all the sequels I’ve promised people and I’m trying to tick them off one by one.

[tes-summer-fest]

Here’s the form to submit prompt suggestions for TES Summer Fest 2024!

Same as last year, we’ll have TWO prompts for each day of the festival to inspire writing, drawing, or any creative project.

ONE of these prompts will be an ADJECTIVE. For example from last year, ‘beloved’, 'starlit’, or 'forgotten’. Think words for strong feelings or words for descriptions of characters, places, or objects.

ONE of these prompts will be a NOUN. They can be an abstract idea or concept, for example, 'devotion’ or 'language’, or they could be something more concrete that you could find in-universe, such as 'tavern’ or 'sword’.

You can write in more than one prompt suggestion. If you’re not sure whether your prompts are adjectives or nouns, we recommend quickly checking a dictionary, e.g. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

We will keep suggestions open for a few days, compile them and create a shortlist, then vote on them.

Thank you for participating! 🌹

[lonelyroommp3]

running shortlist for Drink Of The Summer as of june 19th 2024:

ginger beer (alcoholic)

literally just sparkling water

screwdriver (the vodka can be terrible; the orange juice must be amazing)

mogu mogu (the most niche flavour your local corner shop carries)

drink you were briefly obsessed with on holiday ten years ago and you don’t even know if you can get it in shops in your country but you would consider paying an obscene amount of money to ship it here

bubble tea (passion fruit with raspberry popping bubbles, but don’t let me tell you what to do)

spiced rum and lemonade (if i don’t say this alex will send me death threats)

[justforbooks]

Paul Auster, American author of The New York Trilogy, dies aged 77

The writer of The New York Trilogy, Leviathan and 4 3 2 1 – known for his stylised postmodernist fiction – has died from complications of lung cancer

Paul Auster, the author of 34 books including the acclaimed New York Trilogy, has died aged 77.

The author died on Tuesday due to complications from lung cancer, his friend and fellow author Jacki Lyden confirmed to the Guardian.

Auster became known for his “highly stylised, quirkily riddlesome postmodernist fiction in which narrators are rarely other than unreliable and the bedrock of plot is continually shifting,” the novelist Joyce Carol Oates wrote in 2010.

His stories often play with themes of coincidence, chance and fate. Many of his protagonists are writers themselves, and his body of work is self-referential, with characters from early novels appearing again in later ones.

“Auster has established one of the most distinctive niches in contemporary literature,” wrote critic Michael Dirda in 2008. “His narrative voice is as hypnotic as that of the Ancient Mariner. Start one of his books and by page two you cannot choose but hear.”

The author was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1947. According to Auster, his writing life began at the age of eight when he missed out on getting an autograph from his baseball hero, Willie Mays, because neither he nor his parents had carried a pencil to the game. From then on, he took a pencil everywhere. “If there’s a pencil in your pocket, there’s a good chance that one day you’ll feel tempted to start using it,” he wrote in a 1995 essay.

While hiking during a summer camp aged 14, Auster witnessed a boy inches away from him getting struck by lightning and dying instantly – an event that he said “absolutely changed” his life and that he thought about “every day”. Chance, “understandably, became a recurring theme in his fiction,” wrote the critic Laura Miller in 2017. A similar incident occurs in Auster’s 2017 Booker-shortlisted novel 4 3 2 1: one of the book’s four versions of protagonist Archie Ferguson runs under a tree at a summer camp and is killed by a falling branch when lightning strikes.

Auster studied at Columbia University before moving to Paris in the early 1970s, where he worked a variety of jobs, including translation, and lived with his “on-again off-again” girlfriend, the writer Lydia Davis, whom he had met while at college. In 1974, they returned to the US and married. In 1977, the couple had a son, Daniel, but separated shortly afterwards.

In January 1979, Auster’s father, Samuel, died, and the event became the seed for the writer’s first memoir, The Invention of Solitude, published in 1982. In it, Auster revealed that his paternal grandfather was shot and killed by his grandmother, who was acquitted on grounds of insanity. “A boy cannot live through this kind of thing without being affected by it as a man,” Auster wrote in reference to his father, with whom he described himself having an “un-movable relationship, cut off from each other on opposite sides of a wall”.

Auster’s breakthrough came with the 1985 publication of City of Glass, the first novel in his New York trilogy. While the books are ostensibly mystery stories, Auster wielded the form to ask existential questions about identity. “The more [Auster’s detectives] stalk their eccentric quarry, the more they seem actually to be stalking the Big Questions – the implications of authorship, the enigmas of epistemology, the veils and masks of language,” wrote the critic and screenwriter Stephen Schiff in 1987.

Auster published regularly throughout the 80s, 90s and 00s, writing more than a dozen novels including Moon Palace (1989), The Music of Chance (1990), The Book of Illusions (2002) and Oracle Night (2003). He also became involved in film, writing the screenplay for Smoke, directed by Wayne Wang, for which he won the Independent Spirit award for best first screenplay in 1995.

In 1981, Auster met the writer Siri Hustvedt and they married the following year. In 1987 they had a daughter, Sophie, who became a singer and actor. Auster’s 1992 novel Leviathan, about a man who accidentally blows himself up, features a character called Iris Vegan, who is the heroine of Hustvedt’s first novel, The Blindfold.

Auster was better known in Europe than in his native United States: “Merely a bestselling author in these parts,” read a 2007 New York magazine article, “Auster is a rock star in Paris.” In 2006, he was awarded Spain’s Prince of Asturias prize for literature, and in 1993 he was given the Prix Médicis Étranger for Leviathan. He was also a Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

In April 2022, Auster and Davis’s son, Daniel, died from a drug overdose. In March 2023, Hustvedt revealed that Auster was being treated for cancer after having been diagnosed the previous December. His final novel, Baumgartner, about a widowed septuagenarian writer, was published in October.

Auster is survived by Hustvedt, their daughter Sophie Auster, his sister Janet Auster, and a grandson.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[rimouskis]

1. What’s your favourite picture of Sid ever? (or a shortlist)

2. What are two things you’re looking forward to this week?

3. Can I have a tomato please?

if you want the full list, my friend, you merely have to click here to be transported to a land of wonder. but my shortlist is:

2. I am looking forward to.........................an event I have later this week that will remain nameless so as to maintain the very thin veneer of internet safety I practice, and I'm also looking forward to the many PACKAGES I have coming my way. I may have ordered a new lamp. I'm very excited about it. I've been in an interior design frenzy for like three months at this point.

3. I paid five damn dollars for this heirloom tomato and I've already used half of it in an excellent caprese salad. but you know what? come over and we'll use the other half. but I will warn you that I'm still going to be making a caprese salad with it. it's summer. we're all obligated to eat caprese salads.

[hairtusk]

[honestlyspookytyphoon]

Little Cupid

Summary: you meet an adorable little girl at your friend’s wedding. At the end, she happened to be the best possible wing-woman her really attractive cousin could have asked for.

Wordcount: +/- 3.5k

Pairing: non-famous!Charles x non-famous!reader

Warnings: Angst, but I am also a hopeless romantic so the end might turn out sweeter than Pixie Sticks 👀  Not really proof-read. My apologies for any incoherence and bad writing. Feedback is, as always, more than welcome! 😊

L/G/N: Little Girl’s Name - Y/N: Your Name - I will go with Charles for now as male lead (I mean, look at him!) but feel free to change it yourself - Y/F/S: Your Favourite Song

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

It was July 23rd, meaning that summer was at its peak. It was 1.30 pm and the sun had been shining brighter than during every other day that year, which you believed had to be a good omen. It is not that you were superstitious, but life had been rough on you the past couple of months and you made it your personal mission to find those little sparks of happiness again everywhere you went and in everything you did.

A few months ago, you and your boyfriend went separate ways after almost 6 years together. It was truly a wonderful relationship and, in contrary to what everyone seemed to expect once you break up, you did not regret a single second of it. He had been your everything, your rock-bottom. He was the person you first called when something happened in your life. He was there through all the highs and lows. He was your first ‘good morning’ and last ‘good night’. He was the one who loved you when you did not. Your family absolutely adored him and you really thought you two were endgame.

However, after 5 years together and looking for a little house for you two, you noticed him slip away. His texts became shorter and less frequent. Instead of going on holidays with you - under the guise of not being able to close his business for so long - he chose to go on holidays with his friends or to go to the track to support the GT3 team he used to work for. He did not seem keen on moving in anymore, on sharing his life with you. His own dreams became bigger than the dreams you shared. He always said he wanted to marry and have kids - god, you two even made a shortlist with names -, but he seemed to become more and more reluctant to both ideas. You were no longer his number 1 and your future together was no longer the reason he worked long hours for. You both did not known when exactly things started to go south but they did and there was no going back. The split rather came as a shock to you two and both of your families and you were still not entirely over it, but you knew it was for the best.

Hence, you were a bit scared to arrive at the townhall alone instead of with your expected +1, not ready to be met with pitying looks and well-meant but unneeded break up advice. It even took quite some convincing from your friend’s part to get you to come to her wedding in the first place, but after a while you gave in. You owned her that after everything she did for you the past months and, as a close friend, you were more than happy to celebrate this special day with her.

The ceremony had been brief but wonderful. While the newly-weds got into the car that would bring them to the party venue a few kilometers up north, you looked back one more time and you hoped that you would ever be able to find that type of love again.

After returning home, you replied to the most urgent emails and ran some errands before you got ready for the wedding reception and afterparty. Luckily for you, the thermometer still indicated 25°C , which allowed you put on the most gorgeous festive attire you owned. It was a mustard-coloured one-shoulder jumpsuit that hugged your petite frame in all the right places. It highlighted the few female traits you did have and, helped by a pair of solid nude heels, it made your legs look endless. After a last quick check in the mirror, you closed the door and made your way towards the party.

Although you were right on time, the reception was already in full swing when you arrived. You spotted some friends in the back of the garden, so after congratulating the couple again and having a short chat with the family, you got yourself a glass of champagne and walked to their table.

On your way, you were stopped by a small girl who was without a doubt the most adorable little creature you had ever seen. With her braided curly hair, cute mint green dress, matching shoes and little tiara, she looked like she walked straight out of a Disney movie. You guessed she was not older than 4. To your surprise, she had a mustard-coloured flower clamped firmly between her two small hands, almost as she was scared to lose it.

You looked around to see if someone was searching for her but since nobody seemed to be bothered, you kneeled down to meet her level and greeted the little girl.

“Hello there, what is your name?”, you asked. 

 “Ello. My name is L/G/N”, she said. 

 “Hi L/G/N, I am Y/N. How can I help you?”. You did not know her and you were curious what she was up to. 

“I wanted to give you this”, she answered and handed you the flower. “Also, I think you are really pretty”, she giggled coyly.

“Oh, thank you! That is very kind of you”, you smiled and signaled her to come closer. “Can I tell you a secret?”, you whispered. She nodded eagerly, causing her tiara to wiggle up and down so hard it almost fell off her head. 

 “Did you know that I wanted to buy this dress as well?”, you asked, slightly tugging at the small sleeves of the little dress. 

 “Really?!”, she whisper-yelled. 

 “Yes, really. But the shop assistant said that I could not buy it because it belonged to a real princess. And since you are wearing the dress, you must have been the princess she was talking about! Do you like princesses?”, you tried. 

 “Uhu, my favourite princess is Belle, she is so pretty. And I like Pendule too”, she said, showing a toothy grin.

“He is really cool indeed”, you replied, remembering him from the times you watched Beauty and the Beast yourself. “Are you here alone?”, you asked. 

“No, I am here with mommy and daddy but they are talking to nanna so uncle Charles decided to play hide-and-seek with me. But I found him, look!”, she exclaimed enthusiastically and she pointed towards a guy you had not seen before. He was already looking your way, probably alerted by the squeals from the little girl.

Charles was absolutely breathtaking. He seemed to be your age and he was wearing a slick black suit, which was perfectly tailored and highlighted his athletic form. Together with the black tie and patent shoes, he just radiated confidence - something you found widely attractive. His dark brown hair looked thick and healthy and the small golden earring in his left ear gave him some edginess. He really was what you called a picture perfect. Charles smiled at you politely, already intrigued by the gorgeous woman his niece was talking to and wanting to meet her later that night too.

You smiled too and averted your attention back to the cute girl in front of you. “Oh, okay. What about you back to Charles and continue playing?” 

 “I want to play with you too”, she said softly, clearly disappointed that you were leaving. 

 “Look, what about I go to my friends now for a while and you come to me after dinner? Then we can draw and do silly dances?”, you asked, “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, ‘s good”, she giggled, “Bye Y/N!” and off she went.

Later that night, not even a minute after dinner had finished and the speeches were given, you found L/G/N standing next to you. This time, however, she was not alone. 

“I am so sorry”, Charles said, “But I really couldn’t hold her down any longer”. He gave you an apologetic smile. “She seems to be very fond of you”, he continued. And I can totally see why, he whispered to himself. 

“It is okay, really. I promised her to play after dinner, didn’t I?”, you said, picking up the little girl. “And I mean, isn’t she adorable? Come on L/G/N, let’s draw and dance, yeah?”

After an hour or two filled with drawing and dancing, the little girl started to become tired. “Oh, look at you”, you said, “you are almost falling asleep. Let’s go find your parents, okay? They can bring you home.” She nodded sleepily. You stood up, but soon realised that you had no clue who her parents were. So you decided to look for Charles instead and ask him to get her parents. You spotted him sitting at a table with other relatives of the groom and although he was surrounded by people, he looked lonely.

“It’s sad, isn’t it?”, you said, “so many people here to talk to and have fun with, but everybody is still on their phones. A sign of the times, I’m afraid. I hate it.”

 “Yeah, it’s horrible. And I am even feeling worse since my favourite niece decided to ditch me for you!”, he answered teasingly. 

“Oh, I am sorry”, you replied, “but nobody said you couldn’t join us and have some fun too”. You shot him a wink. 

“Maybe I should have done that, yeah”, he smiled. 

 “I am Y/N, by the way”. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman, he thought.  

“I am Charles. Thank you again for doing this, Y/N, I know she can be a handful at times.” 

“No problem, I love kids - especially cute ones like her”, you smiled while looking at the little girl you were still holding and you noticed she had fallen fully asleep on your shoulder. “Do you know where her parents are? I mean, I have been playing with her for hours and it was fun, but putting this little one to bed is a bit too intimate I feel. And, to be honest, I really want to be alone for a second and get some fresh air”, you whispered. 

 “Of course, Y/N, I totally get it”, he stated, “If you hand her to me, I will get her parents. Enjoy your time off, you deserved it”, he said cheekily. 

 “Thank you, Charles. She’s lucky to have an uncle like you.”

The venue your friend had chosen for her wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was a 18th-century Renaissance building at the country side. It had a large main room, several small rooms that could be used as storage, a wine cellar, a bridal suite at the first floor and a wonderful garden. In the middle of the garden stood a small garden house, which was surrounded by flowers whose colours seemed to have darkened even more upon the sight of so much love today. The sun had started to set, turning the sky into a sea of warm red and orange shades. What a beautiful day to get married, you said to yourself. You managed not to think of your ex for the entire night, but now that you were on your own, you could not help but wonder how it would have been with him by your side.

He would have looked great in his suit.

He would have adored my outfit, saying that he could not wait to be back home and show me how much he loved me.

He would have enjoyed the mingling with the other guests and free drinks.

He would have liked the food.

He would have befriended the groom, since they share a thing for fast cars.

He would not have liked you spending your evening with L/G/N, she was too energetic for his liking.

He would have been on his phone as well, watching bits of the 1000 km of Palanga instead of talking to you. 

He would have not danced with you until he was sufficiently drunk.

He would have stopped you from saying ‘What do you want our wedding to be like?’, because he thought it was too early to discuss these things.

“Do you mind if I join you?”, someone asked, breaking your train of thoughts. You turned around and saw Charles standing there with two glasses of still water in his hands.

“No, not at all. I could use some grown-up company now after spending so much time with a toddler”, you smiled. 

“I thought so”, he chuckled. “And I could use some human interaction as well, after being around phone addicts the entire night. Here”, he offered you a drink, “I figured you might be thirsty.” 

“Thank you, Charles. That is very kind of you.” You took the glass and took a sip. “Damn, I was secretly hoping for vodka”, you joked. 

“Oh, I am sorry”, he stuttered, “I just...I just did not see you drink any alcohol tonight so I assumed...sorry, that sounded weird, I did not stalk you, Y/N. I did not mean it like that, it just slipped, I...”, he was rambling now. 

“Easy, Charles. It is fine, water is perfect, thank you. I was just teasing you a bit, that’s all”, you said, holding back a smile. 

He let a sigh of relief, “Thank god.”

Conversation with Charles flew effortlessly. The two of you happened to share several interests and opinions on both important and irrelevant things, such as political matters and which ice cream flavour is superior. You talked about your jobs, hobbies, idols and ideal holiday destinations. You talked about your families and how much they meant to you. You reminisced your childhood and shared funny stories. You gossiped about the other wedding guests. For the first time in months, you genuinely felt happy again. All thanks to him.

The sun had now set completely and the temperature had dropped, causing you to shiver slightly.

“Do you mind going back inside?”, you asked. “It is getting a little cold and I actually also need to go the toilet real quick”. 

“Yeah, sure. I was going to get a re-fill anyway”, he said, “I had a great time talking to you. This might sound a little weird, but do you maybe want to share a dance with me later? From what I saw earlier, you seem to have the moves”, he winked.

“I had a great time talking to you too”, you said genuinely. “And I wouldn’t say that, I mean, it hard not to slay the Chicken Dance”, you laughed. “Especially compared to a four-year old, but please don’t tell her I said that”. 

“You’re secret is safe with me”, he promised jokingly. “So what do you say, Y/N? Do we have a deal?”, Charles asked hopefully.

“Deal. You know where to find me”, you winked.

You had gotten back to your table after your conversation with Charles, catching up with your friends. Charles was also back at his seat, and to his surprise, his absence did not go by unnoticed. He had been listening to his brother’s and cousins’ teasing for a good hour now when suddenly one of his cousins made his way to the DJ.

“So, since you are too scared to act upon your feelings, I did”, he said upon returning, “I requested Y/F/S, so you can dance to that song with her”. 

“I am sorry, YOU DID WHAT?!”, Charles hissed. 

“I helped you, mate!”, he exclaimed, “I am sorry, but I can no longer deal with you sitting here and looking at her with those puppy eyes. Listen, we saw you two sitting outside for hours...We could see the sparks fly, I think even the astronauts in the ISS noticed. So man up, go get her. Have some fun. She’s a great gal, Charles.” 

“But...how do you know her favourite song anyway?”, he questioned, “How can I be sure that you’re not pulling a cruel prank on me?”

“Look, I know I am not sharpest tool in the shed but I am not an idiot. I can see how happy she makes you and how happy you make her. You would be perfect together and this might be the perfect first step”, his cousin said sincerely, “And to answer your first question, I follow her on Spotify and that song is her most played one”.

Just when he was about to ask more, he heard the intro of Y/F/S playing. Getting a nudge from his brother, he knew his time had come so he got up and rolled up his sleeves. Taking one last deep breath, he made his way to your table. “Good luck bro!”, his cousin shouted, “Sway her off of her feet!”.

All his doubts disappeared as soon as his eyes locked with yours. You just looked so radiant he was sure you even put the sun to shame. The glisters in your eyes were visible. You were actually excited to dance with him.

This song is good. She’s got great taste.

I hope I do not step on her toes.

Oh god, does my breath smells? Do I have peppermints?

Am I sweating? Oh no, what if...

“Could I have this dance please, Y/N?”, he asked politely as if you did not agree on this just over two hours ago. 

“Of course you can, Charles”, you said, giggling like L/G/N had done hours prior when you told her ‘a secret’.

Once he had led you to the dance floor, he took your hand in his and rested his other hand in the small of your back. “I was already wondering what took you so long”, you teased, “I thought you were going to back out”. 

“I would never, Y/N. I just...wanted to wait for the perfect song, if that makes sense?”, he wondered. 

“It does”, you smiled, “I love this song too.” He was definitely buying his cousin a beer afterwards. 

“You’re doing great, by the way. You’re a natural”, Charles said before twirling you around with ease. A soft giggle escaped your lips when he pulled you back in his arms. 

“Well, it’s hard to be bad when you have such a great dance partner”, you replied.

You continued to dance in silence until the song ended. Once the last note died down, you two kept standing on the dance floor as neither of you was ready to part again. Charles was the first one to speak up.

“I really enjoyed this dance, Y/N, and...”, he hesitantly continued, “...meeting you was by far the best part of today. I know we just met, but I like you and I was wondering if, maybe and only if you want to, we could see each other again? Preferably not with our friends and family spying on us though”, he laughed. 

“I think we can”, you smiled, “I would love that, actually.”

Your fingers intertwined for the first time that evening and at that very moment you knew you were ready to open your heart again. For Charles and L/G/N, his cute little matchmaker.

[xinyuehui]

Hi besties! Some of you may know from a while back that I participated in a calligraphy contest. I've been shortlisted and I'm going to Beijing for it ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ

Wanted to share this exciting news with y'all and also mention that I probably won't be very active for the first time ever, I will try and log on with a vpn because how else will I survive without looking at gifs (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ ) requests are open as usual but it'll only get made after I come back (not that I get requests often anyways) In the meantime, hope y'all have a wonderful summer! I know mine is gonna be hot!!

-A some what lucky calligrapher, Xinjie (。・∀・)ノ

[sepdet]

@tangerinebonfire Rather than spam @headspace-hotel 's delightful pawpaw post further, I'm making my own primate post on my favorite target of foraging.

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania nibbling wild raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and tiny blueberries on summer trips to Ontario, chewing sassafras and sipping on honeysuckle, but wineberries were queen. I probably haven't tasted wineberries in 30 years, as I moved away from the east coast in 1996. They're on my shortlist of things I miss after loved ones, lightning bugs, thunderstorms, and beech trees.

Lookit these beauties.

Unlike raspberries, they're meltingly soft. No crunchies. If you pick them unripe, they're tart, but still fairly tasty,

Unripe ones are amber-orange, ripening to lush crimson, which is the perfect blend of honey-sweet and tart/citrus, deepening to pomegranate seed red.

The NYT's Urban Forager blog describes wineberries as a "citrusy wild fruit which tastes like a cross between a raspberry and a California orange" (by which I can only assume they mean something like the 1930s Valencia orange tree in the back yard of my friends in Westminster, CA; store-bought oranges are a different animal). The Guardian's gardening columnist Alys Fowler says...

"…sherbert"

She also irresponsibly suggests planting some right after mentioning finding a forest overrun with them between Lakes Como and Maggiore, and noting her mom's own patch tended to get around. If you look them up in the US, you find a slew of articles lamenting wineberries as invasives, often while admitting ruefully that they're delicious.

Apparently they were/are planted in Japan, Korea and China as ornamentals, not just for the fruit, since the canes turn as red as the berries. Their invasiveness is the only thing keeping me from committing a deadly sin and buying seeds or plants online from unscrupulous suppliers. But I live in California now, and I mustn't.