#They have a tour option so you can look around without joining.

[wardenswateringhole]

I AM PUTTING THIS ON BLAST!

So yeah, used to, I understood Tumblr's desire to not allow NSFW content. They wanted to keep their relationship with their payment platform. Fine. I get it. Kinda hard to find a payment service that will allow payment process for NSFW platforms.

BUT NOW I'M CALLING BULLSHIT!

I decided to take a closer look at Pillowfort. It looks nice btw. Very Tumblresque without the nonsense. Allows NSFW content!

And they have a payment processing platform that works with them.

Authorize.net is a subsidiary of Visa and they don't care about nsfw stuff.

There is zero reason for tumblr to not allow nsfw other than trying to look good to other investors. It was never about the users. It was all about peacocking to advertisers.

Now the biggest issue with Pillowfort right now is they too are a wee-bit broke. Not surprising, I had never even heard of this site before today. They are fully user funded, no advertisers, no third party information selling.

I personally think it'd be neat as a new home and i think i will join their current waiting list.

If you don't want to wait, and want to support pillowfort, they do have a $5 instant access fee.

No, i'm not sponsored. Just kinda mad at tumblr now.

And I can be a spiteful git.

[hayleythesugarbowl]

you should do a spencer agnew x reader but reader is the new smosh games PA and she has a slow burn / flirty relationship with spencer :)))

Cool Shoes || Spencer Agnew x reader

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ masterlist • smosh masterlist • part 2  ⋆˚｡⋆୨୧⋆

summary: when you join smosh as the newest addition to the games crew, you are immediately attracted to spencer. but will your little crush turn into something more?

word count: 3.7k

warnings: mild language

a/n: thank you so much for this request ml!! i love writing for spencer sm and honestly i kinda fell in love w him a little bit while writing this so ty 🤭 this isn’t superrr slow burny (i got to excited and eager lol oops) but there’s plenty of flirting and i hope you enjoy this!! 🎀

edit!! i have a part two now, so if you enjoy this fic go check that out 💋

<— some more spencer fics • next part —>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     “And this concludes your official tour of Smosh,” Shayne said, throwing his arms wide. “Any questions?”

     “Yes,” you answered, “Is that my ring?”

     “(Y/n),” Shayne whined as he slipped the ring that was definitely yours into his pocket quickly, “That’s what you got out of my tour?”

     “You’re right, I’m sorry Oh Wise Guide,” you teased, “You know I wouldn’t be here without you. Or if I was, I’d be really lost.”

     You had just officially begun your job at Smosh that morning. Shayne had immediately started showing you around and you really were grateful.

     You’d known Shayne for years and he was the one that suggested you try and get a job with Smosh when you’d moved to LA a few months ago. 

     You’d gotten a job as the Smosh Games PA and you couldn’t wait to get started. You already knew a lot of the people who worked there—either because you’d met them through Shayne outside of Smosh or from the multiple times you’d visited the studio before you’d applied for the job.

     Plus, this was the first job you’d had where you actually felt like you’d be doing something you enjoyed. 

     “Who’s lost?” You heard a voice from behind you and you spun around quickly.

     “Oh, (Y/n), this is Spencer, the director of our games channel,” Shayne introduced you to the man who had spoke. “Spencer, this is (Y/n), the new games PA.”

     You knew you should’ve said something to him along the lines of ‘hi, nice to meet you. i’m (y/n). i look forward to working with you’ but all that came out was “Cool shoes.”

    You didn't know why that was what your mind had landed on—he was wearing basic gray sneakers—but you were so caught off guard by how attractive he was that you’d kinda choked.

     Because damn. He had the most gorgeous eyes you’d ever seen on a person before. 

     Spencer smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Either you’re just trying to kiss ass already or you’ve got really bad taste in shoes because these babies are mid at best.”

     You smiled, looking down at your own shoes. “Definitely the second option—these are someone’s grandma’s shoes. Seriously, I scavenged them from my Nanna’s closet.”

     This got you a laugh from Spencer and you continued, “Unless I should be kissing ass?”

     “Nah,” Spencer waved the thought away, “most of your job’s just gonna consist of bringing me Mountain Dew. So unless you can screw that up…”

     “He’s not serious, is he?” You turned around to ask Shayne. “Because you said this wasn’t gonna be like my last job.”

     “You slung Mountain Dew at your last job?” Spencer asked. 

     You shook your head. “Just had a lousy boss who took the assistant part of my job a little too far. But I appreciate your concern for my employment history,” you teased. 

     You were surprised at how easy it was to talk to Spencer. Usually you wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to joke around with someone you just met—let alone your new boss. Your new boss who you had almost undressed with your eyes upon first sight. 

     “Settle down, I was just gonna ask if you had any cans left over,” Spencer winked.

     “Spencer’s kind of addicted to Mountain Dew Kickstart,” Shayne piped in. “And by kind of—”

     “He means I’ve already had four today,” Spencer finished.

     You made a face, “It’s 9:00am.”

     “Ooh,” Spencer winced dramatically, “Sorry, but I don’t think our values align. Go ahead and bring in the next one, Shayne.  (Y/n), it was nice meeting you—good luck with the shoes thing.”

     Now it was your turn to raise an eyebrow, “You already have another person lined up for my job?”

     Spencer leaned towards you and you felt your pulse pick up ever-so-slightly. “Shayne doesn’t know it yet, but it’s actually just him,” he whispered loudly.

     “Well then I may have to quit, just to see how this goes,” you said, turning to Shayne who crossed his arms.

     “Not when I was just starting to like you,” Spencer pouted and you felt your cheeks warm.

     “I was just starting to think you’re not so bad yourself,” you shot back.

     “Woah, I just meant ‘cause you have a secret stash of Mountain Dew.”

     “And I meant because you have cool shoes,” you teased.

     “Well, now that we’ve got that settled,” Spencer smiled, “I expect to see you here by 5:00am sharp tomorrow morning.”

     “Seriously?” Your job description hadn’t said anything about getting to work when it was still dark out!

     Spencer shrugged. “I guess I can give you a few more hours. Y’know, so you can shop for some decent footwear beforehand. See ya later, grandma shoes.”

      He began to walk backwards and you said a quick ‘it was nice to meet you’ before he turned around and walked back the way he came.

     You couldn’t stop the smile that was forming on your face. You could already tell this was going to turn out to be a great job. You couldn’t wait to get to work tomorrow. And you couldn’t pretend part of that wasn’t because you wanted to see Spencer again.   

     And not just because that’s what your eyes wanted. You had enjoyed talking with him. You felt like you’d really hit it off. You felt like you two could really become good friends and coworkers. 

     You turned to Shayne, aware that you were probably still smiling like an idiot. 

     “What?” He fixed you with a quizzical look.

     “Nothing, I’m just excited to start working here,” you said.

     Shayne raised an eyebrow.

     “And,” You added, reluctantly, and only because you knew Shayne would find out  eventually, “you didn’t tell me my boss was hot.”

     Now Shayne raised both eyebrows, “Spencer?”

     “What?”

     “Nothing,” he said, “I mean, he’s single, so go for it if you want. He seemed like he really liked you and—”

     “No,” you cut him off, “Definitely not. He’s my boss. I don’t want to ‘go for’ anything other than a good, friendly, professional relationship.”

     “Okay,” Shayne nodded. 

      You nodded back and he was silent for a moment before smiling, 

     “‘Course that’s what I said about Courtney…”

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

You took a sip of your coffee from the mug you were holding as you made your way down the hall and towards your office.

     You’d been working at Smosh for approximately seventeen days and you had finally stopped getting lost throughout the building on a daily basis.

     Once Spencer had showed you the ropes and made sure you knew what you were doing, you had joined right in to the well oiled machine that was Smosh.

     Unfortunately, your sense of directions wasn’t as good as your work ethic and so it had taken extra time for you to remember where everything was. Much to Shayne’s amusement.

     You were deep in thought as you rounded the corner and you didn’t see the person right in front of you.

     You ran straight into Spencer and as you collided with him, your coffee drink spilled all down your front as you were knocked to the floor. You quickly picked yourself up off the ground. 

     “I am so sorry,” you rushed, “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

     “It’s all good,” Spencer said, standing up, “I am officially awake now, so I guess I owe you one.”

     You laughed with him but you felt your face getting hot in embarrassment. You looked down at your blouse and found it more brown than it was purple from the coffee. You tried in vain to wipe it off.

     “Damn, I hope that wasn’t a family heirloom too,” Spencer pointed to your shirt, “Here, take my hoodie.”

     He started to pull the sweatshirt over his head as you protested, “No, it’s ok—I’ll be fine. It’s not that bad—it’s kind of a look.”

     “Really, I insist,” Spencer said, handing you his hoodie. “Gives me a chance to show off my anime t-shirt anyway.”

     You took the sweatshirt from him, mumbling your thanks and pulling it over your head.

      Spencer’s scent engulfed you as you put on his warm hoodie and you tried not to get distracted by the way his cologne made you a little bit dizzy. 

      Over the last several days, as you’d been adjusting to your new job, you’d almost forgotten your tiny crush on Spencer. 

     Almost. 

     You’d been so focused on work that you hadn’t really had time to stop and think about your feelings towards your boss. 

     You really enjoyed working with him and he was quickly becoming your favorite person at Smosh—other than Shayne, of course. You sent a silent apology to him in your head.

      And then there were the moments when Spencer would laugh at one of your jokes or compliment you on a task you did or smile shyly at you up through his lashes and you felt all warm inside.

     Like right now—him giving you his hoodie. That brought you out of your reverie as you remembered where you were. Standing in front of the man you were currently lost in thought about.

     “Right, well, I better get back to—” You gestured in front of you, trailing off as you had honestly forgot what exactly you were headed to your office for. 

     “Of course, I wouldn’t want to keep you from—” He gestured in the direction you had, as if the nothing that you had indicated was what needed your attention. 

     You rolled your eyes at him amicably before heading in the direction you had been going. 

     After a quick stop in your office—you hadn’t found what you apparently had been looking for in there. And if while you were in the office by yourself you pulled up the collar of the sweater to your nose for a second or seven, who was there to see you?—you set off for the break room. 

     You saw Shayne sitting at a table with some other cast and crew members and you walked over towards him, plopping down across from him and Erin, an associate producer for Smosh.

     You had gotten to know her a bit throughout these past couple weeks and already felt like you had been friends for months.

     “Hey you,” Shayne greeted, “What’s up?”

     You shrugged. “Oh, you know, same old same old. What’s new with you?”

     “Well, we filmed a TNTL this morning, and I had this new idea for a character. So basically—”

     “(Y/n), is that Spencer’s sweatshirt?” Erin interrupted, her eyes fixed on your top. 

     “Oh, um, yeah,” you told her.

    At the same time Shayne asked, “How do you even know what Spencer wore to work today?” 

     “I’m a woman, we know these things,” Erin paused. “Come on, he wears that thing four times a week, like it’s hard.”

     She turned her gaze back to you. 

     You cleared your throat. “But, yeah, anyways, I spilled coffee on my blouse so he gave me this.”

     Erin raised an eyebrow, “Did he now?”

     “Why are you looking at me like that?” You asked her, trying your hardest not to blush. 

     “No reason,” she leaned back, acting casual, “It’s just Dude 101, a guy doesn’t give a girl his hoodie unless he likes her.”

     You scoffed, “That’s crazy, Erin. He was just being nice.”

     This you felt sure about. Whatever your feelings were towards Spencer, you were sure he only though of you as his coworker. 

     Right?

     “Well, it’s obvious you like him,” Erin added, as if that was an absolute fact.

     “What?” You spit out, probably faster and louder than was necessary or convincing.   

     You glanced at Shayne and he raised his arms as if to say, Don’t look at me, my lips have been sealed!

     “I’ve seen the way you act around him, (Y/n). And the way he acts around you.” 

     Was it that obvious that you had a little, tiny crush on Spencer? I mean, you guys got along really well. And we’re constantly making each other laugh. But that just meant you were friends, right? He definitely didn’t act any different around you than he did with anyone else at Smosh, did he? 

     Granted, you hadn’t even been working here three weeks yet and you weren’t one hundred percent sure how he acted around everyone else. But you had no reason to believe it was any different than with you!

     “You’re crazy,” you told Erin.

     “So you deny, it?” She folded her hands on the table in front of her, “You don’t have feelings for Spencer?”

     “Well,” you started. You didn’t want to lie to her, not when you were just starting a friendship. You sighed, lowering your voice so only Erin and Shayne could hear you, “I might have some feelings for—”

     “Spencer!” Shayne said loudly and awkwardly, as if to warn you of his sudden presence behind you.

     You spun around probably too quickly and found yourself looking up at him. 

     “Hi, Spencer,” you said, sincerely hoping he hadn’t overheard any of the previous conversation.

     “Hey (Y/n), long time no see,” he smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. “So, I was wondering, since we’ve got that big project coming up next Wednesday, do you think you’d be able to meet me outside of work to get a head start on it? We could go to a coffee shop or my place or something?”

     He almost looked…nervous asking you to work on a project outside of normal work hours. Probably just figuring you’d decline at sacrificing your free hours.

     You watched as Erin raised an eyebrow and you promptly ignored her. 

     “Yeah sure,” you said, “Sounds like a plan.”

     “Really?” He sounded relieved, “Ok awesome, I’ll text you some dates.”

     “Perfect,” you said, “And it’ll give me a chance to give you back this hoodie once I have other clothes to change into.”

     “Keep it,” Spencer shrugged, looking down “It looks way better on you that it ever did on me anyways.”

     You brushed your hair behind your ears. “I might take you up on that offer.”

     “‘Course you will have to give me something in return,” he said, “I mean, fair’s fair, man.”

     “Naturally,” you looked down at your body to find something suitable, your eyes landing on the scrunchie at your wrist. 

     You handed it to him and he took your offering, slipping the scrunchie into his wrist. 

     “Classy,” he nodded, holding his arm out at different angles to look at it.

     “Very,” you agreed, giggling. 

     You both fell silent and you looked back down at the table. Shayne said something to Spencer and they began a conversation—the chosen, something something—and you were silent until Spencer left the table, laughing at something Shayne had said.  

     Immediately after he exited the room, Erin pounced.

     “Okay what the hell was that?” She asked.

     “What was what?”

     Erin put on a high voice and then a low voice and back again, mimicking your conversation “Oh, hi, Spencer. Hi, (Y/n). Wanna come to my place? Oh, I’d love to. You look so sexy. No you look sexy. Wanna exchange wardrobes?” 

     “Okay, that’s not how any of that went,” you said, but you couldn’t help yourself from smiling.

     “That’s what it sounded like from over here,” Shayne added. “He invited you to his house, man. And he’s gonna text you?”

     You’d exchanged numbers right after you began your job, but you hadn’t actually had many text conversations. You didn’t really think it was a big deal.

     “Yeah, we’ve texted before,” you said, “But don’t think it means anything, so far he’s mostly just sent me memes.”

     “What kind of memes?” Shayne asked, as though this was severely important. 

     “Cat, SpongeBob, the occasional wombat.”

     “Trust me,” he said, “that means something. I’m a psychologist, so I kinda know these things.”                                

“Havingapsychologydegreeisn’tthesameasbeingapsychologist,” Erin coughed into her hand.  

     “You know what—” Shayne started, turning to Erin.

     “Guys,” you interrupted.

     “Right,” Erin agreed, “not the time. What I’m trying to say is, that was flirting Miss (Y/n), whether you like it or not.”

     Had you and Spencer been flirting? You weren’t exactly an expert on the subject, so maybe Erin was right. A part of you definitely hoped that was the case. 

     “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Amanda leaned in from the table next to yours, “But I also think there was definitely flirting going on.”

      You, Shayne, and Erin all turned to look at her.

      “Come on people, you know I like kissing scenes, why should this come as a shock?” She threw up her hands and you laughed.

       “Who’s kissing?” You hadn’t seen Courtney enter the room, but now she came and sat down next to her husband and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

       “We were just talking about how it’s just a matter of time before Spencer and (Y/n) are totally gonna ba—”

      “Erin!” You cut her off, definitely blushing now as Courtney giggled.

      “So you and Spencer, huh?” She asked, smiling. 

      “That’s what these two seem to think,” you gestured to your friends.

     “Not think,” Erin said.

     “We know,” Shayne finished.

     “Fine,” you relented a bit, “I do like him, a little. Well, okay a lot. I guess I like him a lot. He’s smart and sweet and funny and charming and so cute and has great cologne, apparently,” you gestured to the hoodie. You took a deep breath. “And I really really like him.”

     You realized as you said it, that it was true. You’d spent the past couple of weeks trying to convince yourself that you only thought of Spencer as a friend and a coworker. But you realized, the more you talked to your friends, that you really did have feelings for him. That were more than friendly or coworker-ly. 

     Maybe this was something that you really did want. And that could maybe happen. You had felt the connection between you and Spencer, so it was possible he might feel the same way about you.

     Unless you were reading this all wrong and—Oh God, what if you told him how you felt and he rejected you and then you had to work side by side with him in awkwardness forever? 

     “But so what? It’s not as if he feels the same way. I don’t want to make things weird between us,” you finished.

     “Trust me, my guy, he likes you,” Courtney contributed. “I’m married to a psychologist, I know these things.”

     “See!” Shayne crossed his arms triumphantly and Erin rolled her eyes. 

     “Stilldoesn’tcount,” she cough-spoke. 

     “And I’m taking this back!” You said, noticing the ring on Shayne’s middle finger and reaching over to grab it, once and for all. 

     “Anyways,” Courtney finished, “I say tell him how you feel, see where this goes.”

     “I concur,” Shayne said and his wife raised an eyebrow at him. “What? I’ve always wanted to say that!”

     “She’s right,” Erin said, “and by the end of the week you’ll be ban—”

     “Erin!” 

     She merely smirked as she picked up her soda drink and took a sip. 

     “So I just go up and ask Spencer out?” You messed with the drawstrings of your sweatshirt. You were encouraged by your friends’ words, and you really wanted to go up and just do it, but you felt doubt creeping in. 

     “What if I mess up what I’m trying to say?  Or fall on my face walking up to him? Or worse, what if he says no?”

     “He wouldn’t.” You heard his voice first. You looked up and found him walking slowly through the doorway as he kept speaking. “Say no, I mean. If I know him as well as I think I do—and I pride myself on knowing him pretty damn well—then he’d say yes.”        

     He was in front of you now. “Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.”

     You tried to catch your breath as you processed what was happening. “Oh yeah? What else would he say?”

     “Well, uh, he’d probably that he’s attracted to you. And that he wanted to ask you out the moment he met you and is so glad you did it first because now he doesn’t have to continue his poor, pathetic attempts at making a move,” he said, placing a hand in the back of his neck.

     You stood up, coming to stand right in front of Spencer. “When did you come back?” 

     You’d thought he’d walked away a few minutes ago after your conversation had ended. 

     “Never left,” he said, “Bent down to tie my shoe, and then I heard way too many nice things about myself to leave.”

     You giggled, shoving his shoulder. “So humble.”

     “Hey, when you hear someone professing their love for you…” Spencer shrugged. 

     “Ok, that’s not what was happening,” you crossed your arms.

     “I beg to differ,” Erin piped in.

     “Not what it sounded like from our side of the table,” added Shayne. 

     You had forgotten both of them were there. You’d been so caught up in what was happening with Spencer, you’d forgotten anyone was there, actually.

     But as you looked around, you found that everyone currently occupying the break room was stopped to watch the two of you. 

     Angela whooped from a few tables over. 

     “Well since it’s unanimous, apparently,” you joked, “What do you say? Will you go out with me.”

     “I most certainly will,” Spencer said, smiling at you.

     You reached out and took his hand, linking it with yours. He looked at you for a moment before leaning in and giving you a quick kiss on the cheek.

     You placed your hand where his lips had touched yours. You couldn’t believe this was happening. And you couldn’t wait to see where this went—you and Spencer, you thought. You felt giddy with excitement.

     “Well, I’ll see ya later then,” Spencer said, beginning to walk backwards. “and I already have an idea for our first official date.”

     “And what’s that?”

     “I’m gonna take you to a Payless ShoeSource.”

     “I thought you liked my grandma shoes,” you crossed your arms.

     “(Y/n), I like everything about you,” he said, “but those things have to to go.”      

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ˋ°•*⁀➷ hope you enjoyed this one!! have a lovely week all my spencer girlies 🤭🩰

<— some more spencer fics • next part —>

[roosterforme]

Old Habits Die Hard Part 16 | Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

Summary: After you visit Chicago, you understand just how hectic your life is about to become. And Bradley finally gets a very important piece of mail. There are things you want to say to him, but you don't know how. 

Warnings: Angst, swears, smut and fluff

Length: 3000 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader (fuckboy college student Bradley)

Check out my masterlist

Bradley helped you pack your bag and sat with you while you waited for your ride.

"I wish I could come with you. But I guess I'll have to wait to see Chicago when I visit you in the fall," he whispered, kissing your neck and holding you.

You were going to check out your new school for a long weekend since you'd be moving to Illinois next month. You were kind of terrified to go alone, but you needed to meet your advisor and look at your course of study. If you had the money, you'd take Bradley with you, but it really wasn't an option. 

"I'll scope out the city and see what looks fun," you told him, running your fingers through his soft hair. 

"Don't do the fun stuff without me though," he murmured. "Promise me, Sugar. Promise me you won't visit that big, silver bean. It looks dumb as hell, but I really want to see it."

You laughed against him and nodded your head in the crook of his neck. "I promise."

"And no deep dish pizza either."

You gasped and pulled away from him. "Now that's where I draw the line, Beer Boy."

Bradley laughed and pushed your hair away from your face. "I'll miss you." His face was so earnest, you had no doubt that he would. 

"I'll call you as soon as I land. Behave without me this weekend."

"I will," he whispered against your lips. "I'll be thinking about you the whole time." You dipped your tongue into his mouth and eased yourself further onto his lap, and just when you started to get cozy, your phone alerted you that your ride had arrived.

He walked you down to the street and kissed you one last time before you got in the car to leave. The urge to make some big proclamation about your feelings was filling you up inside, but you had to tamp it back down. Your feelings were honestly scaring you a bit since Tyson's birthday party. Nothing was making much sense to you now, and you needed to keep in mind that you wouldn't be seeing Bradley on a daily basis starting next month. The idea of it felt like too much weight to carry around with you as he stroked your neck with his fingers and told you he'd miss you so much.

You watched the Virginia countryside in the morning light, and when you landed in Chicago, the juxtaposition of continuous urban sprawl was alarming. You figured you would get used to it in time, but the sheer volume of traffic and city noise started to give you a headache almost immediately. 

You managed to get a taxi to your hotel, and you quickly changed to meet with your advisor. Sometimes you wished you had a closer relationship with your parents so you had someone to rely on. It made you want to put all of your trust in Bradley, and you wanted to be the person he could trust with anything. But you'd only known each other for a few months. 

But you texted him anyway. You snapped a picture as you rode past 'the bean' and promised him you weren't going without him. You texted him photos of the school campus as you walked along, searching for your advisor's office. 

When you found her spacious workspace, she jumped up and introduced herself to you. "I can't tell you how happy we are to have you joining us for the fall semester. Have a seat. And please call me Carmen."

"Thanks, Carmen. I just got lost walking through the campus, but it looks amazing here."

She just smiled at you and promised to take you on a tour tomorrow morning. "Now, I want to give you a brief overview of what will be expected, and then we can select your first semester classes later this weekend. However, I must say, I am so impressed with your undergraduate studies. I've spoken extensively about you with your advisor from UVA, and he assures me that we couldn't have picked a finer PhD candidate to add to our program. So welcome, once again."

You weren't used to hearing such high praise about yourself, and you felt a little uncomfortable in the leather seat. What if they had all actually made a huge mistake? What if you couldn't hack it? You'd be sleeping in the park under the bean, calling Bradley to come out to Chicago and rescue you. 

"Wow," you managed to say with a soft laugh. "I guess the pressure is on then."

When Carmen nodded with a very serious look on her face, all pretense of teasing on your part vanished. 

"It's going to be intense if you want to graduate in four years. And that's one of the things that will be required for you to keep your scholarship. You'll need to maintain a high GPA as well, so you'll be spending a lot of time in the labs and working closely with me."

You pressed your lips together. "It doesn't sound like I'll have much time for a personal life."

Carmen laughed and shrugged. "That's probably true. But when you finish your schooling in just an additional four years, you'll have your pick of careers. You told me in an email that you wanted to be a college professor someday? Well, after we're done with you, I can almost guarantee you'll be able to work anywhere you want to."

You let that sink in for a few minutes while Carmen told you more about the graduate dorms and your monetary compensation.

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

Bradley spent all day Friday in the study room, bored out of his mind and missing your body perched on his lap. He read his final novel for his English class, and he would have no problem finishing his final paper this weekend. His economics class was so easy, it was boring, and he'd already finished reading his political science textbook.

He'd started counting down the days until graduation. He was ready to move on, simply dying to hear back about flight training. Then he would be able to make some decisions, because at the moment, he was feeling so lost. He was happy for you though. You knew exactly what you wanted, and you were going to get it. He just hoped he would be that lucky this time. 

When his phone went off with texts from you, he scrolled through the photos you sent him, stopping on a selfie of you smiling in front of a fountain. He set it as his background. Then he texted you back.

Dev was sorting the mail when Bradley got back to the Beta house, and the rest of the guys were getting ready for the weekend parties. "Here," Dev told him, tossing a thick envelope to Bradley when he walked past.

"Thanks, man," Bradley replied, expecting it to be the annual information on his mom's life insurance policy. But when he turned it over in his hands and saw the US Navy emblem on the front, he nearly tripped on the stairs. He took the remaining steps two at a time and locked himself in his room. 

With shaky hands, Bradley tore into the envelope and sat down hard at his desk.

"Welcome to officer training and the Naval Aviation Academy," he read out loud to himself, and Bradley could see the tears clouding his vision before he could feel them. 

He set the letter down on his desk and cradled his face in his hands and just cried. This was the thing he had wanted for so long, and this time he wasn't going to let anyone take it away from him. 

Bradley wiped away his tears and let himself smile. His grades had improved so much, especially since he had a 4.0 so far for his senior year. In some sick, twisted way, he thought he had Chase to thank for this, because Bradley wasn't sure he would have been able to find the motivation to drink less and study more on his own. 

He wanted to text you right away. He also wanted to tell Hannah. But he would wait until you came back on Sunday night before he said anything. 

So he read through every bit of information twice and sent an email to the officer listed as his contact person for housing inquiries. As soon as he gave up his room here, he'd have absolutely nowhere to go otherwise. He also asked about guest accommodations, so he would have a good idea about what he should tell you for when you came to visit him.

His schedule looked absolutely wild. In his first year, he'd be in Rhode Island, Florida, Texas, and then California. And now he was hoping he'd have time to see you in Chicago.

So Bradley partied a bit all weekend, silently celebrating his acceptance letter. He avoided the hard liquor and the mob of girls asking him what happened to his girlfriend. You'd be back soon enough, and he couldn't wait to show you his letter.

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

Your campus tour and lunch with the head of the math department went smoothly. Then you picked out which dorm you'd be moving into, with the option of coming early in May to get a jumpstart on your classes. Then you sat down with Carmen again to select your schedule for the fall semester and see which textbooks you would need to acquire. 

You'd be learning about things you never even dreamed of at UVA. And you'd be working with some of the most intelligent and well studied people in the field. It was a lot for you to absorb.

When you flew back to Virginia on Sunday, you were so antsy, you couldn't sit still. When you landed you texted Bradley and told him you were going to get a ride directly to the Beta house, he said he'd be waiting for you.

And he was. You saw him sitting on the porch when your ride dropped you off, and he walked down to get your bag and pull you into a tight hug. 

"I missed you, Sugar." He scooped you into a hug as the car pulled away, and you let him hold you until you were sliding out of his arms. "How much did you love Chicago?"

You kissed him softly and then nodded. "It was kind of a shock to the system, but...yeah, I think it will be good."

You just inhaled his scent for a few moments while he rubbed your back and asked you for some details. Then it struck you; if you missed each other this much after just a few days apart, how were you going to date each other in two different time zones? You held onto him tighter and kissed the scars on his neck.

"Can I show you something? Up in my room?" he asked softly.

You huffed out a laugh. "I would certainly hope you'd wait until we got to your room for that, Beer Boy."

He rolled his eyes and picked up your bag. "That's not what I was talking about, and you know it. But...yeah, I can show you that, too."

You laughed as Bradley chased you up the stairs, and you opened his door, running your fingers along your phone number as you went inside.

"What do you want to show me?" you asked between kisses. Because now that you had him alone, you needed to touch all of him. His fingers dug into your hair, a little rough along your scalp as he pulled your body against his. 

"I want you to read something," he told you, guiding you backwards until you were sitting at his desk. He pointed to an envelope that looked like it had been opened very hastily, and he kissed your neck as you reached for it.

"Bradley," you gasped when you saw the return address. 

You spun around to face him, but he just nodded and said, "Go on, read it."

As quickly as you could manage, you pulled everything out of the envelope and started to read. You made it through two lines before you were out of your seat and climbing Bradley like he was a tree.

"Oh my god, Bradley! You did it!" You were kissing him all over his face while he held onto you. At first you thought he was crying, but then you realized your lips were met with your own salty tears. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Sugar," he whispered against your lips. "I got the letter on Friday, and I've been dying to tell you in person. And now you're the first one I told."

"You could have told me during one of our dozen phone calls, Bradley!"

He just shook his head and climbed on top of you on his bed. "It's not the same."

"What are we going to do when phone calls are all we have?" you asked him softly. But Bradley just shook his head.

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

He didn't want to think about that yet. He didn't want to think about any of it at all. 

"We'll figure it out," he promised. Your hair was spread out across his pillow, and you were looking up at him like you trusted him with everything. Graduation was so close now, and both of you knew where you were headed next. But none of that mattered, because you'd still have each other.

"I trust you, too, Sugar," he told you, even though you hadn't said anything. "You're so smart. You always know what to do. I trust you."

Your hands were in his hair, pulling him impossibly closer to you. "I knew you'd get in," you told him. "I never doubted you for a moment."

Bradley smiled as you kissed him. "You're the only one who feels that way about me."

"Lucky me," you whispered, wiping a stray tear from your cheek before you started to pull his shirt off. Nothing you did felt rushed, and even though you were pinned underneath him, Bradley knew you were the one in control.

He basked in the feel of your hands on his bare skin and your soft body beneath him. You had changed him so much; or rather, he had changed because of you. He had known he wanted to be better, but he really did it for you as much as himself. 

"Sugar." Your lips were on his shoulder, gliding across his skin, leaving a trail of not quite kisses as you reached for the front of his jeans.

He wished he could make you cum a million times tonight. He wanted to watch every inch of you as you got off on him, because soon he would have to go long stretches without you.

He stripped your clothing off as well, and you were already wet and moaning when he dipped his fingers down along your pussy. 

"Beer Boy!" you whined. "I need you."

He needed you more. Once he had rolled a condom into place, he rolled onto his back and guided you on top of him. He was hard and ready for you, but he watched the look on your face as you straddled his abs and let your forehead rest against his. 

"I need you." You whispered it this time as his fingers gently memorized the curve of your hips. Then you eased yourself down his body and guided him inside you with a soft hiss.

Eyes slightly out of focus, you moved above him, the bump of your thighs against his body just perfect. Bradley was mesmerized, just like he always was when he was with you like this. He let his fingertips trail up along your ribs and across your tattoo and you gasped for him.

"So perfect," he said, and you kissed him hard while you rode him. You tasted his lips and his teeth and moved with a rhythm that had him close to the edge.

He guided his fingers to the space between his body and yours where you could rub yourself against him. And then you were crying out into his mouth as your pussy squeezed his cock, and he came too. 

"So perfect," he repeated into your hair as you buried your face against his neck.

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

You changed into Bradley's tie dye shirt and sat on his floor sharing a pizza with him. 

"What's your dormitory going to be like?" he asked, folding a slice in half and taking a huge bite. 

"It's in this ancient building with insanely intricate architecture. I picked it because it looked fun, which I'm sure wasn't the best decision," you said with a laugh as he finished the piece of pizza. "But the best part? It's all mine. No roommate!"

Bradley grinned. "That'll be nice for when I come to visit."

You smiled. "It's a long walk to the bean, but if the weather's good, it's doable. And there's literally deep dish pizza on every street. Jealous yet? Are you still sure you want to go to Rhode Island?"

Bradley leaned across the pizza box and placed the softest, sweetest kiss on your cheek. Your eyes fluttered closed and you smiled. "If there was any option for me to be closer to Chicago, I would have taken it, Sugar. Promise."

You just looked at him, longing for him to understand how you felt inside, but you were way too afraid to say anything to him. You were in love with him, and it was eating away at you. There was no way you could tell him. Not when you were graduating and leaving so soon. It would have to wait. Maybe there would be a better time later. But not now.

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

One. More. Chapter. Left. A million thanks to @mak-32 for helping me the whole time with this fic. This one is for you!

PART 17 (the final chapter)

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[blametheeditor]

Voretober Day 8 | Haven

Voretober Prompt List

First | Previous | Next

If given the opportunity, would you take the chance to go to space and travel the stars? What if the person offering to take you was someone you trusted more than anyone else?

What if that person is no longer entirely human?

MENTIONS OF SOFT VORE

Content Warnings: Soft, non-sexual vore (only mentions for now). Mentions of body horror. Mentions of experimenting on people. Mentions of death and murder, violence. Being trapped against one's will. Dehumanization. Abductions. Cursing. Darker themes/tone

___________________________________

“How do you feel about a market run?” 

Scott can’t help but tense up at the question, tearing his eyes away from watching Vincent cook what they determined as breakfast to meet his best friend’s questioning gaze. One that says yes, a market run will include giants. 

The thought of being completely surrounded by beings capable of holding him in the palm of their hand leaves Scott shaking. It’s one thing for his best friend to tower over him, it’s another when it comes to creatures who don’t even look human with unknown intentions having the power to simply grab him. Who might not free him from a pocket when he asked to be or watch the ground to make sure he doesn’t end up underfoot.

The fact Scott is also dreading the moment Vincent will grow again says a lot about his current level of comfortability interacting with giants as a whole. Had been more than grateful the purple man had the hindsight to put in coordinates for the ship to go without needing him to actively pilot. It meant there was no need to go to the giant side after the tour officially ended. 

It certainly helped calmed Scott’s nerves about his fear of Vincent being too far away to reach. Gave him enough peace of mind to sleep for several hours while his best friend moved items from the smaller ship and recalibrated a few things, including having everything run on Earth’s time. Not once did he need to step into the giant area, meaning Scott woke up to mutters of what they need to stock up on. 

Now it’s been a full day, and they’re approaching the planet Vincent had mentioned previously, with a list of items that need to be purchased. Including things made for a giant. 

“What’s the plan?” Scott asks. 

“There will be two runs. The first one will be in an area for smaller species where we’ll pick up provisions, a few things the kitchen is missing, and some basic necessities as well as anything you’d like. Once we’ve got everything, we’ll come back to the ship and unload.” Vincent stops stirring a sweet smelling orange sauce to turn to Scott. “The second one will be in an area dedicated for the larger species to pick up a few things mainly for the medbay. Would you like to join me on both, or would you like to stay on the ship once we return from the first run?” 

Scott jolts at the question. “I can come with you on both?” 

He’ll admit, when Vincent said there would be two runs, he thought he’d only be able to go on the first one. Which would make sense considering he could be sold in a market made for giants, and if it’s anywhere close as busy as the previous one they were at, it’d be all too easy for someone to snatch him away when Vincent isn’t looking. 

But Vincent’s smiling earnestly. “Of course, Scotty. If you’d like to come, I’m happy to bring you.” 

Scott’s being given a choice. He gets to decide whether or not he’s willing to be in the middle of tens of giants walking around with booming voices to match. Won’t be forced to stay or go despite Vincent having the power to do so. 

A feeling of warmth spreads through his chest at the same time terror does. “What does joining you look like?” 

“I was thinking you could sit on my shoulder, but my pocket and hands are always available,” Vincent says as he motions to each option, Scott’s eyes widening as he tries to imagine himself sitting on his best friend’s shoulder as it shrugs. “Whatever you feel the most comfortable with. And no matter what you pick, I will keep you safe.” 

Safe. Even though he’d be vulnerable to grabbing hands on a shoulder. Would be sitting high up in the air where he could fall if Vincent gets pushed or tripped. Protected by a giant that will be one in a crowd of hundreds. 

He can trust that kind of promise. 

“I want to join you,” Scott says, excitement and fear fighting a war inside him. “And I’m up for trying the shoulder.” 

“You can try all three before deciding,” Vincent grins, not even trying to hide his joy at being able to have a pocket Scott again. 

“It’s a definite no on the pocket option.” 

“You’ll learn to love it.” 

Scott hesitates, unsure if he should take it as a threat, worried if he should be genuinely concerned about being randomly pocketed if he finds himself near a giant Vincent. If there’s other things he should be worried about if he starts to get used to being near someone so big. 

Before he can start a list, a plate is set in front of him to effectively steal his attention. “Will you miss me if I land the ship while you eat?” 

Technically he won’t, not when his stomach can’t decide whether it’s hungry or nauseous. He will in the sense he knows that if he wants to check on Vincent for any reason, it will take him several minutes just to walk through the common area. 

But what is he worried about? Vincent knows how to pilot a ship, and if Scott keeps the purple man in the smaller area then he’ll essentially be volunteering to join the giant. He might’ve agreed to going on both market runs, but he’d rather save his courage for such an event. 

“Make sure we don’t crash,” Scott waves, sounding a lot more confident than he feels. 

Vincent smirks as he walks toward the door leading to the giant section. “I’ll try my hardest.” 

With that the purple man disappears. The ground doesn’t tremble from catastrophic footsteps, but Scott knows his best friend is currently the size of a skyscraper. Is making his way to the pilot’s chair if he isn’t already there. Is capable of accidentally stepping on Scott if he for any reason decided to follow. 

Shoving the thought away, Scott focuses on his breakfast. Can’t help but roll his eyes at the sight of cursive lettering having written ‘Scotty’ in the orange sauce on one side of the plate. Fights to keep a smile off his face as he erases it one letter at a time by dragging thin slices of seared fruit through it. 

The fruit itself almost tastes buttery, the sauce is sweet but tasting almost nothing like oranges, or even fruit for that matter. If he had done a blind taste test, he would’ve mistaken it as French toast, the only difference being the texture and the syrup being a little more bitter. 

By the time Vincent walks back through the door, he’s eaten everything, his stomach no longer twisting into knots. Though now that the food is gone and the purple man back, Scott’s nerves begin to return at the reminder of what the day holds. At what he agreed to. 

“Ready to go, Scotty?” 

Far from it. “Lead the way, Vince.” 

His best friend offers a smile as he walks toward the hallway leading to the smaller ship. “If you need us to come back here for any reason, just let me know.” 

Scott takes a deep breath. Reminds himself they’re starting on the smaller side. Something he’s fairly familiar with after the refuel station and the underground market. And Vincent will be right next to him the entire time. 

He quickly stands behind the purple man when he spots the door that looks like it will lead outside of the ship. Nods to say he’s ready at the silent question. Winces as the door opens to let blinding sunlight wash over them. Jumps when a rather cold breeze ruffles his hair. 

As his eyes finally adjust against the harsh light, he stares at the sight of the ground having an almost reflective quality. Not like the water for an ocean, more like how he would imagine ice would look like if there was ever enough to cover an entire street. It is blue, though, or even silver, but a distinct red hue. 

“Welcome to Bak Toth,” Vincent announces. “A titan planet known for its mining industry, a well as a haven for those who have a track record. No one will turn you down if you’re willing to go into the dangerous parts of the mines.” 

Scott leans out to see further outside, his breath catching at the sight of tall buildings in the distance. One that looks much too big despite being a few miles away, meaning it’s meant for giants. 

Before he can start trembling at the thought of walking toward it, at a resident suddenly walking toward them, a hand is set on his head to gently turn it away, forcing him to focus on a vast plane void of life. 

No, not entirely. What he thought was a completely smooth surface turns out to have large cracks big enough for them to fall into if they just blindly started walking around. 

Finally, it clicks. “We’re going underground?” 

“Exactly,” Vincent grins. “There’s tunnels spread far and wide across the planet. Everything a thousand feet below belongs to the residents. But from the surface down to about a hundred, it’s open for the smaller species to use.” 

There’s no hiding the relief of it being virtually impossible for them to be stumbled upon by a giant. “I’m starting to see a running theme.” 

“You’ll be hard pressed to find a titan planet with residents that have both small and large species,” Vincent begins as he slowly walks out of the ship and into the open, Scott staying no more than two steps behind. “It’s hard to trust something big enough to hold you that isn’t raised around a smaller species their entire life. There’s a few who integrate the two sizes seamlessly, but there will always be opportunists. Beings who don’t see those smaller than them as anything but something to keep or a pest to get rid of.” 

Scott glances up at his best friend, at the stoic expression as he leads them toward a crevice that, now that he thinks about it, would be no bigger than a crack in the sidewalk to a giant. Something that would be overlooked and impossible to get through unless they have the right tools. 

Suddenly, he remembers what Vincent said ack on Earth what feels like a lifetime ago. About how the universe wouldn’t see humans as something to respect, but something to keep. Considering the fact Vincent had been taken, that planets claiming to be welcoming to all sizes have the smaller species hiding underground, that humans themselves also couldn’t be trusted to not take advantage of such vulnerable creatures if given the chance, it’s not hard to imagine what happened throughout those 6 years. 

Scott looks over at the giant city. One he should be genuinely terrified of walking into if it wasn’t for the fact Vincent can tower over him like the residents can. 

“Vince?” 

“Hm?” 

“Do you like being giant?” 

The smile he’s given is a painful one, filled with technicalities and specific instances that wouldn’t be needed if he was never taken from Earth in the first place. “There’s pros and cons to it.” 

“Can I ask for one of each?”

Vincent hums thoughtfully, something that nullifies Scott’s fears of making his best friend uncomfortable, possibly even upset. There’s no anger at being asked such a question, but he can see the want to not talk about. Bring up memories that are better kept buried to never be retrieved again. 

For a while, they walk in silence. To a yawning crevice with a path that safely leads them down along the cliff. Walk through the bottom of the canyon toward a tunnel with light and music waiting at the end of it. 

Just as a bustling city comes into view, Vincent finally speaks. 

“Pro, it means I can protect you. Con, I can’t eat anything.” 

Oh, well that’s- 

Scott sputters. “You can’t what?” 

[enjoythesilentworld]

Simon's Month - Food

day 2! thank you @youngroyals-events <3

Alone in a foreign country, Simon must find a stranger to join him on the romantic couples food tour he’s accidentally booked.

read below or on ao3 (T, 2.3k).

Simon curses under his breath as the confirmation email comes in.

So, he’d booked the food tour a little quickly, possibly without reading all the fine print. He can’t even blame a language barrier because he’s in Spain and, thanks to his mamá, his Spanish is really better than his English.

The solo-travel thing had been a bit of a last-minute decision. Spurred by the post university graduation crisis of, ‘Oh Fuck What Am I Doing With My Life?’ whichled twenty-somethings around the globe to grab a backpack and buy a one-way plane ticket. Simon’s decision was also encouraged by the fact that he’d woken up one day and realized he was in a toxic relationship, quickly packing his bags and saying Hejdå to a two-year relationship. He’s only about three weeks into the whole self-discovery shtick, but it seems to be going well so far. He enjoys the independence of it all. Not that he’s not independent at home — in fact, he’s been a little bit too much of an adult since he was 10 — but more so that he doesn’t have to worry about anyone else. Simon goes to museums when he wants to, stays for as little or as much time as he wants. He eats when he wants, goes to shows he likes, and doesn’t spend every second of every day worrying about everyone else. (Of course, he’s called his mama and sister nearly every day since he left, but he’s working on it.) He also, apparently, incorrectly books guided food tours that are actually romantic couples excursions. 

Glancing around the nearly empty breakfast room at his hostel, he chews on his options. One is to show up to this tour alone and look like a dumb tourist. Two is to find someone willing to go on it with him.

There’s a pair of British girls in the corner, giggling over their plates of breakfast. Simon recognizes them from the stand-up comedy show the hostel had organized the night before; they’d been attached at the hip the whole night. Slim chance of separating them. Crowding around the cereal bar is a group of American guys who all look like fraternity brothers. If Simon remembers correctly, he’d overheard some vile words from them in the bar last night, and so he’s is not too keen on participating in any sort of tour with any of them, romantic or not.

The only other person in the room is sitting a few seats down at the communal table: a very good-looking man with light auburn hair and high cheek bones. His long fingers, nails painted a deep purple, hold up a book with one hand and gingerly lift a coffee cup to his lips with the other. He’s dressed quite casually, in an un-done button up over a tank-top and baggy trousers, but somehow makes it look refined. Simon noticed him yesterday afternoon in the hostel café, noticed the way the man’s eyes tracked Simon from across the room.

His pretty brown eyes are no longer locked on the pages of the book, but have found Simon again and caught him staring. Simon forces himself to hold his ground and smiles, glancing down at the book title. It’s by a Swedish author, he realizes, and a gay Swedish author at that.

Gesturing with his head, Simon asks, “Is it good?”

The pretty man places his coffee cup down clumsily. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorites.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“I’ve read it a million times,” he says, closing the book. “I’m Wille.” 

The light blush on his cheeks is endearing.

“Simon.”

Wille smiles softly and nods, “Trevligt.”

He’s polite and looks suspiciously rich to be in this hostel, but his eyes are kind and has a rainbow pin on his tote bag so, before Wille can say anything else, Simon slides one chair closer.

“Are you doing anything today, Wille?”

Wille moves to the chair across from Simon. “Nope.”

Simon props his head on both his hands and gazes at this beautiful stranger, wondering why he didn’t speak to him the day before. “Would you like to join me on a romantic food tour around Barcelona?”

Wille quirks an eyebrow, then mirrors Simon’s position. “I would love to.”

The tour doesn’t begin for a few hours, so they sit and chat while the breakfast room fills up around them. Wille laughs when Simon explains how he’s gotten himself into this situation, and the sound sets little sparks bursting in Simon’s chest. What luck he’s had this morning.

Simon learns that Wille is also at the beginning of a self-discovery trip, running away from a family legacy and a desk job he desperately did not want. He also learns that Wille is incredibly funny and quite flirty, though whenever Simon starts flirting back he becomes incredibly flustered. His stare, though, is the thing that gets Simon the most. Wille looks at him so intently, gaze flitting between Simon’s eyes and his mouth, listening to every word and seemingly staring directly into Simon’s soul. It would be troubling if he wasn’t so goddamn beautiful.

The conversation flows so easily between them that Simon, so wrapped up in Wille’s laugh and crooked teeth, almost forgets they have somewhere to be.

They walk quickly through the streets of Barcelona together, heading towards the café at which they’re meant to meet the rest of their tour group. Wille’s fingers brush against Simon’s a few times, though his voice never falters, so Simon isn’t sure if it’s just him that feels the jolt of electricity each time.

“You said this is a romantic food tour?” Wille asks, reaching out to pull Simon out of the way of a passing cart.

The city is bustling with life around them, the sun shining hot between the buildings, people hanging off balconies, chatting with neighbors or stringing up laundry to dry. It’s absolutely beautiful, and somehow it seems a bit more colorful than it had the day before.

“Yes.”

“Is it going to be obvious that you and I just met?” he says, letting Simon go ahead of him to squeeze through the crowd, staying close, with a hand hovering over Simon’s lower back.

“Well,” Simon muses, “we could make it a bit of a game. If you’re down.”

Looking over his shoulder, he sees Wille’s eyes light up with mischief. “I’m down. What kind of game?”

Simon chuckles and shrugs, checking his phone to make sure they’re still headed in the right direction. “We could pretend to be a couple. You know, really put on a show.”

“That sounds very, very fun, Simon.”

For the last ten or so minutes of their walk, they establish some basic rules. They’ll hold hands and gaze lovingly in each other’s eyes and ramble to anyone who asks about their beautiful love story. The goal is to one-up every other couple there by acting sickeningly in love. By the time they make it to the café, only a few minutes late, they’re holding onto each other and cackling at the increasingly ridiculous ‘meet-cute’ ideas they’ve come up with.

There are three other couples in the tour: one looks like a very young newly-wed couple, another is a pair of middle-aged ladies, and the third is a pretentious-looking, older couple who already look fed up with everyone else. As the tour-guide starts on their spiel, Wille wraps a tender arm around Simon, pulling him close and whispering jokes into his ear, somehow making them look more like a couple than even the newly-weds.

They sit down to start, and Wille lets Simon order for them off the selected menu. They feed each other bites of tomato toast and gently wipe crumbs from each other’s cheeks, all the while giggling to each other and only half-listening to the explanations of the food. It also seems they’ve unintentionally started a competition with the other young couple of who-can-look-more-in-love. When Wille hands Simon a napkin before he can even ask to wipe up his splashed juice, the man of the other couple tries to lovingly whisper something in his wife’s ear but gets brushed off as she’s too busy listening intently to the tour guide. When Simon holds out a forkful of potato omelette for Wille, the man tries to do the same, but his wife shakes her head, smiling, and fondly pats his cheek then turns back to her own plate.

As they move through the next few stops — a restaurant, a food cart, and an open-air market — he and Wille fall even further into their ‘game’. There’s plenty of very intentional touches and exchanged loving glances, but Wille also asks Simon about himself. About his family and his dreams and where he’s going next. Simon learns even more about Wille’s obsession with frogs and his love for lakes and his passion for writing. The rest of the tour group fades away, and things between them start to feel a little less like a game and a little more real. The prolonged eye contact becomes less playful and more loaded. The lingering touches become less out of competition and more out of some deep urge. Simon’s eyes flick more often down to Wille’s lips, watching him lick cream off his fingers or clean gazpacho off his spoon.

Maybe it’s the wine, but as they head to their last stop of the day, hand in hand, trailing behind the group, Simon finds himself hoping Wille isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He’d made a few friends over the past few weeks, but it always seemed to work out that when he was having a great time, the person would be leaving the very next day, heading off to some new country or heading back home.

Wille grins over at him and points out a pretty sculpture, mumbling something smart about the artist and looking absolutely ethereal in the light of the early evening with his flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. Maybe it isn’t just the wine.

Their final destination is a small tapas place on the beach. Simon and Wille have given up any pretense of listening to the tour guide or of playing their little game. Instead, they sit close at their table and chat about their favorite memories growing up and tell embarrassing stories. Simon, as he’s done at every place, translates every bit of Spanish on the menu and giggles helplessly as he corrects Wille’s pronunciation. They share a plate of pulpo and split a liter of sangria and it’s one of the most perfect days Simon’s ever experienced.

“I’m really glad I misread that website,” Simon says, fiddling with his fingers. When he glances up, he finds Wille grinning at him. He takes Simon’s hand.

“Me too.”

After the tour concludes and their guide bids they all farewell, their group mostly scatters. But, Wille and Simon stay at their table, finishing off their pitcher and becoming increasingly rowdy with their jokes. After a few annoyed looks from their waiter, they collect their things and stumble down to the beach. Simon jumps onto Wille’s back, laughing loudly and savoring the feeling of Wille’s strong hands wrapped securely around his legs. Wille wades out into the shallow water of the beach, and Simon yelps when he pretends to nearly drop them both into the cool water.

Eventually, Wille lets him down but takes his hand instead, and they walk down the sand, talking about the food tour and realizing that they maybe didn’t pay attention at all.

There’s a warm buzz in Simon’s body, making him giddy and calm all at once. When they make it to a small concrete pier, Wille pulls him out to the edge of it and they stand, arms wrapped around each other, staring out at the Mediterranean.

Simon sighs happily. “Beautiful.”

“Yeah. Very,” Wille says breathlessly, and Simon looks up to see Wille staring down at him. He smacks Wille’s chest playfully.

“You’re an idiot, Wille.”

Wille laughs, “I’m being serious!”

“Sure,” Simon hums, turning back to the water, biting back a smile.

“Hey.” He turns back again and Wille’s face has sobered, and he’s now gazing down at Simon with that same intense stare. “You are beautiful, Simon. You’re also funny and kind and— I had a really, really great time today.”

He squirms slightly at the force of the words, the conviction in Wille’s tone, but can’t help but let his eyes flicker down to Wille’s lips. He’s so close and looks so pretty in the cool lighting of the twilight evening and Simon’s never thought it could be possible to fall for someone like this, this hard, in one day.

“Me, too,” Simon whispers. Then, “Wille?”

“Yes?”

“Can I—”

Wille nods, gasping, “Yes,” before Simon can even finish his sentence and then they’re both rushing forward.

Finally, after thinking about it nearly all day, Wille’s lips connect with his. He tastes like fruity wine and olives and something so Wille, and Simon melts into his arms, coming up onto his tiptoes to press further into him. Wille’s hair is soft under his fingertips and though they’ve basically been touching all day, this is different and overwhelming and everything.

When they break apart, giggling into each other, the lights have come on along the paved pathway by the beach.

“Maybe we should head back?” Wille suggests, looking just as much like he doesn’t want to head back as Simon feels. But, it’s getting late and he’s also starting to feel tired from all the wine and walking, so Simon nods and takes Wille’s hand again.

They trail slowly back through the streets, pausing occasionally to exchange a quick kiss, or to slip into an alcove and exchange a slightly longer one. By the time they make it back to their building, Simon’s limbs feel syrupy with sleep and his chest feels warm with the events of the day.

Two steps up the stairs to the front door of the hostel, Simon stops and turns.

“Where will you be tomorrow?” he asks, looking down at Wille.

Wille smiles. “Wherever you are.” 

[possumcollege]

I dont know how it took me till you posted that most recent sole survivor art to learn you were a fallout enjoyed, it fills me with joy. Fave companion/storyline?

Of the main companions, I think my favorites are Dogmeat, Nick, and Piper, but I've probably brought Ada along more than anyone.

I really love the character of this robot, built by a band of survivors from spare parts, developing attachments and feelings. I appreciate her trying to square the conflicting input of grief and justice at the point where neither really fixes anything unless the root of that injury is repaired. Ada's friends died because the robots programming was flawed and lacked the ability to see struggling humans as viable, not because Isabel wanted them to kill. At that point, killing her would be cathartic but it punishes her for a mistake she rekt didn't intend and lowers us to the level of the other wasteland factions who perpetuate the broken exterminationist view of conflict. It lets Ada continue to grow as a living being in spite of her loss and status as a robot. It's something I love about Ada in my interpretation that I felt was lacking in my impression of Curie.

The game wants to give us a romanceable female synth who is even less experienced than we are, so porting a robot's memory into a "human" works but that's a bit cheap for my taste. I don't dislike Curie but I would've enjoyed the option to help her realize a human body wasn't strictly necessary to help people. Developing the "humanity" in a machine feels more in line with rebuilding a better world than finding ways to eliminate the anthropocentric limitations of machines in a world where they can be fully sentient.

And yes, I think you should still be able to romance Robot Curie. It seems to work for Mr. Zwicky and Miss Edna! I think that's sweet and let's be play this as a world where people realize joy is precious wherever you find it instead of queueing up Curie's emergent personality. We see plenty of other robots with fully functional autonomous identities. The ability to accept them for who they are and can become in spite of their origins is a wonderful aspect of the world for me.

In general, I like keeping folks around and trying to give them another chance to make a go of it in the Commonwealth without the Institute or the Brotherhood trying to pull the strings from above or below. I try not to kill anyone I know I don't have to unless they're going to keep trying to kill me.

I've destroyed the Prydwen and the Institute every time, but I wish there could've been opportunities to bring a few BOS characters over to my side in the process, Proctor Ingram, in particular. I also like that there are hard choices to make though, that characters you would want to join you can just have incompatible ideology and loyalty.

For the game's sake I back the minutemen and the Railroad, but ideologically, the Atom Cats are my "faction" of choice. They're good people, hacking out a place for themselves, putting their skills to less genocidal use, and trying to bring a bit of light and beauty to their little peninsula. They watch out for their friends and neighbors. They ain't so keen on exterminating anything in particular. They aren't looking to rule over anything in spite of their impressive power armor skills. My favorite outfit these days is the armored AC jacket and modded Mechanist helmet.

Far Harbor has some great missions too. The hotel murder mystery is a hoot and the settlement locations offer a lot to play with. I try to strike a live-and-let-live balance there too, preserving the synth refuge, Far Harbor, and the CoA if I can help it. I never rat them out to the BoS. The memory-retrieval mini game missions are miserable though! It glitched out on my first playthrough and I couldn't finish it before my PS4 died.

Favorite settlements are probably vault 88, the Starlite drive-in (makes a fanatic multistory apartment base), Spectacle Island, Abernathy farm, Egret Tours Marina, the lumber mill, Outpost Zimonja, Greygarden, and the lighthouse. I'm a fan of modding-off the build limits and resource cheats so I can build elaborate apartment blocks out of scaffolding, warehouse bits and vault pieces. I can't get enough of encasing ruined buildings in larger buildings like warehouses or vault atrium assets too. After a while, the settlement building becomes my favorite aspect of the game after the story and world-building.

[winchester-reload]

Jackie...fellow bi needs assistance. I'm in the closet and my only outlet is Destiel fanfic and internet forums where I hide and search for friendly faces. Fic recs, advice, help me pls? Also, is there a way to buy your art without anyone knowing? I live at home and my parents are not exactly on board with this part of me.

oof, okay, well, first--

I'm gonna answer this ask the best I can, but I can't promise I won't "disaster-bi" my way through it, so I apologize in advance. I'm not sure I'm qualified to give any advice. But right at the start of this I’m gonna drop some online resources for you:

the Bisexual Resource Center

Bisexual.org - topical info, people, resources

LGBTQ+ Student Resources

Now, if you’re looking for IRL community, without knowing your age, it's hard to point you to many concrete resources. But, some options are:

If you are high school-aged or older (which I assume you are), you can always find a teacher/counselor with a "safe zone" sticker in their room or office and see if they have any contact info for local lgbtq+ groups or organizations you could join or make friends. Typically it wouldn't be a concern that any of these people would out you, but if you're especially tentative about it, make sure you speak with a teacher or counselor you trust.

If you're in college or around the age where you can tour a college, I highly recommend talking with an admissions counselor at your local community or liberal arts college (on your own, without parents) and request resources for campus clubs or organizations you could join--

You also don’t have to go to the college to speak with them. You can simply email asking for resources, you don’t have to attend. A counselor or office admin would be more than happy to dig up some local resources for you or give you the contact info of someone who can - it’s literally what they do (trust me).

However, I know there are a lot of people who use destiel and this community as an outlet, or their only outlet, for lgbtq+ community and content, and, for the record, I think that’s great. There are a ton of friends to be had around here. If you’re comfortable, you can try to connect with some people on tumblr, maybe about fanfic you like, or fanfic you write, or art - hey, like me! - and start establishing some friendships. You can hang out via Discord, do voice and video chat, do watch-a-longs, you name it. 

As far as the art question goes: All the art you order from me comes in a nondescript box or flat mailer, but you can always email me or message me in advance to request more packaging or discuss specific concerns you may have.

Now for the fic rec part!

A great one (that I’m also hesitant to recommend because I don’t know your age, but is very topically appropriate) is Four Letter Word by Bendingsignpost. In it, Dean explores is bisexuality - but please mind the tags. I’ll let other people recommend their favorite fics in the comments if anyone has one they’d like to add!

Now--  I sincerely hope some of this helps. even if just a little. (and if it doesn’t, or its not even close to what you wanted to know, I’m so sorry *finger guns*)

[positronicdream]

Fizzbin's Fabulous Cabin, part 5

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5)

The most special part of Fizzbin's Fabulous Cabin is undoubtedly the personalized bedrooms for each party member. I got to design them with each character's preferred colors and style in mind, and it was a lot of fun!

✨

Monograms

I thought it would be nice to have signs on the bedroom doors, so I reached out to @calsabatini to design monograms for all the party members. He knocked it out of the park!! The bedrooms would not be the same without these gorgeous signs!

✨

Valmont

Our warlock Valmont was the first to see his room. Since he's a sailor, I went for a "captain's cabin" vibe with lots of nautical decor, plus a green feature wall to represent his swampy homeland. The golden scales on the shelf are a nod to Valmont's mercantile heritage (he's also the manager of all the party's money). It's all very fancy and expensive-looking.

don't look at the ivy clipping through the wall ignore it don't look at it

✨

Ezhno

Ezhno's (the rogue/artificer) took a while to put together, because there were so many options for clutter on and around the desk and I had to make it all fit coherently. That's actually a wooden desk layered on top of a metal one! For the aesthetic I settled on Western-esque, with dark wood everywhere and some purple crystals scattered around to reflect his goggles.

Ezhno's reaction to seeing this room was utterly shocking: he gave Fizzbin a hug!

✨

Fizzbin

It may look like Fizzbin made her own the biggest room, but that's actually just a gnome-sized bed! (I've never understood why resizing objects was a core feature of the Sims 4 - before even moveobjects - but it can definitely be fun.) All the cutesy florals and pastel colors of the rest of the house are turned up a notch in here. The bard has granted herself a glass dome ceiling and a proudly mounted feather collection!

don't look at the wonky shadows around the awning you see nothing

✨

Yakone

Yakone the druid also gets an octagonal glass-roofed room, in her favorite cheery yellow. The aesthetic was tricky to balance between all the patterns (I had to use that stripy wallpaper because it evokes her tattoos), the "Southern comfort" vibes, and the Realm of Magic furnishings that would tie it to the rest of the house. But the most important feature to make Yakone happy was the stuffed animals! And indeed, she loved them!

✨

Vesper

The fifth bedroom is for NPC party members or guests, although our current NPC companion Eradon is sharing a room with Valmont because they're canoodling dating. So for now I've left the room as I had it for Vesper, our paladin friend. She worships Selûne, hence the moon stuff, and her favorite color is blue, although I did put some orange cushions on the sofa to reflect her hair color.

There are a lot of other NPCs I might redecorate this space for, and you can be sure I'll post an update if I do!

✨

Thank you for joining me on a tour of Fizzbin's Fabulous Cabin, my interpretation of Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion! I had lots of fun designing it, and I'm so happy to have finally revealed it in game!

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5)

[justheretoreadfanfictions12]

The Love You Want - Part 1

Sleep Token Fan fiction, the introduction

I look at myself in the mirror, long black hair, it reaches down to my waist in slight waves. My body is covered in tattoos, full sleeves, tattoos reach from my stomach up to my neck, I have a flower on the side of my face. I changed my outfit 7 times just to go back to option nr 1, a black pair of jeans that hugs my curves perfectly, a black shirt with a deep neckline that shows off my huge chest tattoo, gold chains, gold rings, black leather coat & boots, a bloody red belt which matches my lipstick & a winged eyeliner make the look complete.

I landed an incredible job, finally. After years of working for boring bands & artists I can finally show my talent in marketing for one of my favourite bands, Sleep Token. I have listened to metal music for my whole life, I'm so done with working for wannabe metal bands with bad screaming. Sleep Token have been looking for someone to take care of their entire marketing, from social media to stage presence, tour campaigns, everything & they stumbled across my website & sent me an invite to talk to me personally about all their plans & what they need me for.

When I arrive at the concert hall, one day before their next show, I see lots of security outside & I hear a soundcheck being done, Atlantic is playing, on of my favourite songs. I show my ID & they let me in, so I go watch the band play. I need to use my chance to get a private show, so I walk to the front row, give the group a bright smile, close my eyes & enjoy their music. They know who I am & greet me with a smile, at least I think so because I can't see their faces underneath the masks. They play for 30 minutes & I just stand there listening to them perform for me. When Vessel is singing Take Me Back To Eden, I could swear he was singing it for me only. He never breaks eye contact, he leans forward until he can almost touch me. I smile at him, he smiles back. When they are done, the lead singer Vessel gives me a sign to wait, they will come get me. III talks to the others while leaving the stage, loudly enough for me to hear his words: "is that our new marketing agent? I knew she was hot but damn guys, I wasn't expecting THIS. How should we focus on anything when she's there?" I giggle quietly, I can hear Vessel say "Focus, she does an incredible job, we need to be professional to not scare her off cause we NEED her. I don't care what she looks like, she seems to be our best chance of improving our media presence without giving personal information." Oh so serious, I always knew he was the Dad of the band, taking care of the others.

I act like I didn't hear anything when approach me, I just smile & say "thanks for the private how, I loved it!". I can hear all 3 laugh, but Vessel keeps a straight face & shakes my hand. "You must be Iris from Hava Social Marketing, right?" he asks, I nod. "Let's sit down in the back office & talk" he says, his eyes never lose trace of mine while he speaks, his voice is deep & calm. I follow them to the office, we end up talking about their marketing concepts for over 5 hours, the three guys are super funny & nice, Vessel warms up too but keeps a very professional language, he hardly jokes around or laughs about anything. "Okay Iris, I think we've talked about everything remotely important, I'm sure you are tired by now." Vessel says. I shake my head "It's totally fine, I would rather get too much information than too little. I'll start working on the new concept tonight, I'm a night-worker." Vessel looks at me like he wants to stop me from working so much & convince me to get some rest, instead he just says: "perfect, no stress by the way. You are more than welcome to join tomorrow's show if you'd like. You can watch from backstage or front row." Wow, that's an offer I can't turn down. I can't hide a bright smile on my face.

We are on our way out of the concert hall, when Vessel asks: "are you here by car or did you take public transport?". I respond: "I walked here, it's only 15 minutes from my apartment & I love walking". He looks at me, shakes his head & says: "I won't let you walk home at 11pm on a Friday". It sounds like a command, his voice is full of worry & frustration. "It's fine, really. I always do that & I have pepper spray in every purse I own". I answer jokingly. IV says: "I'm sure you can defend yourself, you seem like a tough woman, Iris". It makes me smile, his voice is so soft & caring. But Vessel doesn't agree. "I'll drive you, we have two cars here, the boys will go back to our hotel & I'll quickly drop you off at home. I won't allow you to decline my offer, Iris". He says my name like it's his favourite word. I find myself staring into his eyes, I can only see his mouth & eyes beneath his mask. Time stops for a second when he looks back into my eyes, almost challenging me to just accept his offer. I give in & say: "Well, if I've got no choice to decline, looks like I have to take the offer & let you drive me home". He nods, he looks satisfied. Vessel tells the rest of the band to drive back to the hotel, he'll be there in 30 minutes. Then he opens the passenger door for me & closes it after I've gotten into the car. He doesn't take his mask off. I don't question it, they are very careful to not reveal their identities to anyone. He doesn't say a word, it's quiet, no music on the radio. After a few minutes he turns his head towards me & says: "Do you want to play DJ? I'd love to hear what music you listen to except for our weird little band". He chuckles. Vessel just laughed. It took him 6 hours to allow a laugh to come out of his mouth. I laugh: "oh I'd love that, let me show you a few bands I've recently discovered". It's friday night, I'm sitting in a car with the lead singer of my favourite band who i swilling to pay a hell lot of money to have me work for him, we are listening to new metal bands & reviewing their songs, life feels surreal. When we arrive in my street, I almost get a little sad. I wish we could keep driving for hours. I unbuckle my seat belt, when Vessel jumps out of the car & opens my car door for me. He reaches for my hand, helps me out of his car & bows down jokingly. "My lady, we have reached your destination" he says. I thank him for driving me home & tell him how excited I am for the concert tomorrow, when he looks at me, all smiles have faded from his face, his eyes are focused on mine. "I know what your name means, Iris. Goddess of the sky & the sea. It's not a coincidence, it can't be. You were sent to us. You are here to bring change. I just need to be careful to not let you change me too much" he says. I want to respond but he doesn't let me. "Good night Iris, I'm looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow". His hand shakes mine slowly, his fingers are cold. I can feel my heart pumping so loudly, I'm afraid he can hear it. His silver eyes are locked with mine. They move for just one second. He looks at my bright red lips. He bites his lip & looks back up to meet my eyes again. I hear him sigh quietly. "Good Night .. Vessel? What do you want me to call you?" I ask. A smirk appears on his lips when he says: "Whatever you want to call me".

[goldenpinof]

First of all I agree with you about how every time they've given up a little control its gone a bit sideways. The other example I can think of is the rize liveshows during II which were literally awful, but they had to do because rize sponsored the tour.

With the britcrew thing. So im not the biggest expert on this, this is just sort of knowledge ive gained over the years so if anyone knows more, feel free to correct me, but my understanding is that around about 2014 when the british youtube scene started popping off, the big channels including zoella, alfie deyes, louise, joe sugg, casper lee, and all the others that I cant remember the names of rn, were all offered contracts under this one company (whose name I cant find), an MCN (multichannel network) that basically said you give us some control over your content + a percentage of your revenue and we can guarantee you a lot of veiws for a long time.

At this time YouTube was very much still a new concept so the idea of big companies being interested in channels and treating them more like mainstream media was a big thing. The members of the britcrew, as far as Im aware, were all contracted under the same MCN. In terms of content this meant that they were all constantly collabing, going to the same events etc, and basically building up that image of a big group of best friends even more. And obviously it worked for a time, because thats exactly how they were seen.

Dan and phil did not get contracted under the MCN and they have both said that they never wanted to give over that kind of comtrol to anyone, but as they have also both admitted, that it did mean they were much more isolated from the britcrew scene. Now i do think that this worked out well for them anyway, because I dont think they would have enjoyed, or looked like they are enjoying constantly being content for other people.

By 2017ish (i might have the timeline a little off) everything started going sideways because the MCNs were trying to turn youtube in to too much of a mainstream media copy, making bad business decisions, plus they were screwing over creators left right and center, so people were ending their contracts, veiwers stopped watching etc. In the end the MCNs tanked and went bankrupt, which meant that a lot of the channels that had been relying on them went with it. That coupled with all of the controversy that happened with various people meant that the brit crew sort of ended by 2018, where as dnp, who never joined any sort of management company in the first place, were still going strong, even years later.

Basically dnp have a) never let anyone else hold control over their image and b) never gotten themselves involved in big controversies, which has meant that even though their channels are naturally declining (which considering phils been doing yt for nearly 2 decades is really impressive), they still have tons of options for their careers in future and at no point did they become at risk of losing the phouse.

okay, with Rize that i also forgot about there are quite a few things they let go the control of. also the super amazing project like @foreverjustanemokidatheart mentioned.

when you said about contracts for the britcrew i 1st thought you were talking about Gleam Futures (and our infamous gleam team). but they still exist somehow and it's not an MCN, so i also don't know. very interesting things with %. i find it quite naive since collaborations could be done without a third party involved. i would love to know what kind of work that MCN was providing :) for me, it felt like the britcrew started falling out after Hello World. i couldn't find who was organizing it and how much Gleam Futures got involved. but the majority of creators were Gleam's clients so, it's not a surprise that people started leaving (Tanya is still with them, what a plot twist).

Dan and Phil had their controversies followed by Dan deleting some of his videos in 2018. interesting how it never blew up like a lot of this stuff does. also their friendship with f*lix. i remember people leaving the phandom after that Emma Blackberry's bday. rightfully so. and despite Dan distancing himself from that person, looks like we're going backwards.

with us investing in forever home for years, they just can't lose it.

[worldsbestvacationrental]

Family-friendly holiday rentals in Pompano Beach

Planning a family getaway to sunny Pompano Beach? At World’s Best Vacation Rental, we offer family-friendly holiday rentals in Pompano Beach that are designed to provide both relaxation and excitement for every member of the family. With luxurious, spacious accommodations and convenient access to the best of Pompano Beach, our rentals—Pompano Paradise and Boho Paradise—are perfect for creating unforgettable family memories.

Why Choose Family-Friendly Holiday Rentals in Pompano Beach?

Our rentals offer families a home away from home, complete with child-friendly features and amenities that make vacationing with little ones stress-free and enjoyable. Pompano Beach itself is a vibrant, family-focused community with beautiful parks, safe beaches, and endless entertainment options for all ages.

What Our Family-Friendly Rentals Offer

Our Pompano Beach rentals come equipped with everything your family needs for a comfortable stay. Here’s what to expect:

Spacious Living Areas and Bedrooms

Both Pompano Paradise and Boho Paradise sleep up to 8 guests with three bedrooms and plenty of space, providing room for everyone to unwind.

Heated Saltwater Pools

Each rental has a private, heated saltwater pool with pool toys, perfect for hours of family fun without having to leave the comfort of your rental.

Entertainment Options

With 52" HDTVs featuring Disney+, HBO Max, and Netflix, plus board games and yard games, our rentals keep everyone entertained on quieter nights in.

Pet-Friendly Accommodations

Traveling with your pet? No problem. Both rentals are pet-friendly, so your furry family members can join in the fun too!

Fully Equipped Kitchens

A full kitchen stocked with all the essentials makes it easy to prepare family meals, helping you save on dining costs and enjoy quality time around the table.

Family Activities in Pompano Beach

Pompano Beach is packed with family-friendly attractions. Here are a few local highlights just minutes from our rentals:

Beaches and Parks: Pompano and Hillsboro beaches offer pristine sands and calm waters, ideal for swimming and sandcastle-building. Nearby parks with playgrounds, picnic areas, and walking trails are also family favorites.

Water Sports and Adventures: Try family-friendly activities like paddleboarding, snorkeling, and jet skiing. The gentle waves and clear waters of Pompano Beach make it safe and fun for beginners.

Mini Golf and Adventure Parks: Family-friendly fun awaits at local mini golf courses and adventure parks, perfect for a casual day out with the kids.

Wildlife and Nature Tours: From boat tours to nature reserves, Pompano Beach is home to abundant wildlife. Take the family on an adventure to see dolphins, manatees, and diverse bird species up close.

Your Ideal Family Retreat Awaits

At World’s Best Vacation Rental, we understand the importance of quality time with family, and our family-friendly holiday rentals in Pompano Beach are designed with this in mind. Each property provides a safe, comfortable, and fun-filled setting that caters to all ages, making it easy to relax and enjoy your vacation. Whether you're looking for a quiet retreat or a home base for exploring Pompano Beach, our rentals offer a blend of luxury and convenience that will keep the whole family happy.

Book your family-friendly holiday rental with us today and start making lasting memories in beautiful Pompano Beach!

[divecentrebondi]

Exploring the Best Scuba Gear Sydney: A Guide for Beginners and Pros

Sydney is known for its beautiful beaches, the vast marine life around it in the waters, and its thrilling diving activities. From getting into the best scuba gear Sydney to explore the prolific marine environment of Sydney to diving with sharks, or snorkelling leisurely, or even an advanced rescue course, Sydney has everything that would suit all your needs. Here's a guide on how to get the most of your Sydney Diving Adventure.

Choosing the Best Scuba Gear for Sydney

Be it your first time or you have been a diver for long, quality scuba gear Sydney ensures comfort and safety. From wetsuits and fins to snorkels and masks, there is always an enormous variety of quality equipment that Sydney dive shops have to offer, meeting every type of need, budget, and requirement. The experience of the staff in these shops will guarantee a proper fit of all types of diving sessions-be it for an afternoon of snorkelling or for more technical dives.

Top Picks for Diving Gear in Sydney:

1. Dive Shops in Central Sydney - Most of the shops offer both rentals and sales, so you can rent it beforehand before deciding to buy it.

2. Local Dive Schools - They normally provide a package that includes pieces of scuba equipment if you enroll in their courses or join a dive tour.

3. Online Options - Check some online Sydney-based retailers when you prefer shopping from the comfort of your home, though make sure to know their size charts for not buying something which is going to be short of size.

Thrilling Shark Dive in Sydney

For the more adventurous, there's a shark dive in Sydney that just has to be done. Many dive centers offer shark diving excursions, giving adventurers the unique and unforgettable opportunity to swim beside some of the ocean's most majestic predators. Shark dive Sydney are normally conducted in captive environments for your safety, and you're guided through the whole process by experienced instructors.

Pre-Dive

You will receive an orientation that will cover such aspects as safety and what to expect on the day of your dive.

Close Encounters: Have an up close and personal encounter with Grey Nurse Sharks, Blacktip Reef Sharks and many more species from the waters of Australia.

Safety Measures: While sharks may send a chill down your spine, trained professionals adhere to the utmost safety for the tour.

Popular Shark Diving Spots

Manly Sea Life Sanctuary - great for both newbies and seasoned divers alike.

Bare Island - It is a marine-rich area with huge prospects for those seeking minimal structured experience.

Snorkelling in Sydney

Snorkelling Sydney could be an excellent alternative if you feel that scuba diving seems a bit too intense or you just want to experience something less serious. The coastal sites of Sydney offer crystal clear waters and vibrant marine life, which allow snorkelling in freely opulent scenery without the need to obtain special training.

Top Snorkelling Sites in Sydney:

1. Shelly Beach - Manly: An intact marine reserve, Shelly Beach is fantastic for beginners and for families.

2. Gordons Bay: Being rich in marine biodiversity, Gordons Bay is a snorkeler's paradise to witness octopuses, starfish, and other wondrous creatures.

3. Clovelly Beach: Known for calm waters and friendly blue groper fish, snorkelers are guaranteed fun at Clovelly Beach.

All snorkelling equipment can be hired from most dive shops around Sydney, so you do not need to go out and spend money on your own equipment.

Continue Your Education: Rescue Course in Sydney

For the person looking to increase skills and take on more significant diving responsibilities, the rescue course Sydney is a very rewarding option. That training course is appropriate for divers who are interested in adding to their set of emergency response skills and learning how to assist others.

What is a Rescue Course?

Self-Rescue Skills: You will first become proficient in your own self-rescue skills, including controlling your own buoyancy and dealing with emergencies.

Help Others: The course involves using real-life experiences, such as detecting a dive stress, doing rescues, and giving emergency oxygen.

Diver Rescue: This will encompass the mandatory skill set in taking care of an unconscious diver, making them safe with ascent and providing initial first aid. 

Successful completion of the Rescue Course in Sydney will help create access to a whole new horizon of diving options while providing more confidence to rescue divers in trouble.

Plan Your Sydney Scuba Diving Adventure

For making the most out of scuba diving in Sydney, it is savvy to plan according to experience and aspirations. Whether you are obtaining your first scuba gear Sydney, booking a shark dive, snorkelling, or signing up for a Rescue Course, the underwater life in Sydney has something for everybody.

Today, Sydney is among the world's ultimate destinations for divers, snorkelers, and marine life enthusiasts. The area is exciting for all levels, from shark encounters that will give you an adrenaline rush to those that are serene enough for snorkelling in calm waters. Among the Sydney options, scuba gear, an unforgettable shark dive, and an underwater world that will astound you while snorkelling are not to be missed. And if you do have some more energy and excitment, then there's the Rescue Course in Sydney at Dive Centre Bondi where you can, quite literally, dig deep and take your diving skills to new heights.

[mygainyear2024]

Day 34 Succumbed to a full day on a bus with tourists!

I was really keen to check out Tavira and some other small villages, beyond Faro and around the expanse of the Rio Formosa Natural Park (this was a distance I did not quite feel ready for in the hire car). I managed to find a tour company that would pick me up in Portimão. I'm glad I went as I have a sense of each place and what's on offer if I were to return. But it was a longish day (7.50am-7.30pm) with rushed stops in each town.

After picking up tourists in other places, and a bus change for me in Albufeira to join the English/Dutch speaking tour, as I was on the French/German bus, we finally arrived in Faro around 10am (the place I accidentally went to, getting on the wrong train). The tour guide took us to the Bishop's Palace, and then when he went into the cathedral for an optional extra tour I darted off to find a decent coffee and a couple of shops I wanted to check out. I did like the feel of Faro and this quaint old world department store (picture below). We had a little over an hour here. We were told to meet on a corner at 11.15am. I got there right on 11.15am and saw the tour guide as I was walking toward the meeting point, then I lost him and the whole group! For uma minuto I was slightly panicked. I walked towards a bus and thought better of it, so many white buses. I went back, caught a glimpse of his shirt again and ran and started to call out, but he didn't hear me. Luckily I caught up as I think they were about to take off without me. He asked me if I was alright, told me to sit down and catch my breathe like I was frail (I was breathless, but not about to die!) He then shamed me several times after, once he said "glad to see you!" Prick!

Next stop my favourite spot, Olhão. We had two hours here and I made a beeline for lunch at Vai e Volta, all you can eat fresh BBQ fish for €16 and it was very good. I did ask what each fish was that I was served, but the language barrier was an issue. I know I had tuna, mackerel and squid, plus three or so other varieties. I saw the fresh fish come in to the restaurant while I was sitting waiting and then it was being cooked and served. Even the bread was good. I then wandered around the street art and the great little Saturday craft market that was set up along the river near the fresh seafood and farmer's markets.

We then made the briefest stop to Cacela Velha to see another side of the Rio Formosa Natural Park, it was quite beautiful. It was a brief stop because the tour guide was fixated on beating the other buses to Tavira so we could get good seats for the Fado show!

The Fado show was in an old cathedral, and I thought it was a great venue. From what I can understand the singer won a national competition, not sure what year. She was quite gorgeous, obviously nervous and authentically appreciative of the audience. The show went for 45 minutes and then we had just under one hour to explore at our leisure. Again, I felt rushed. I hopped back on the bus and belted up and then I hear "Ms Bell come with me!" I was moved back to the original bus earlier than anticipated. Unfortunately, two French women were late, very late! That tour guide had to go looking for them, was on the phone to the office, there was no number listed. I learnt later that they had to find the agent who booked the tour, who luckily had their number. They had been waiting in the wrong place and didn't think that something might not be quite right, having been there 30 minutes after the departure time.

My advice, spend a few days here!

My bodily aches and pains were giving me grief all day from all that sitting, so I quickly got changed and headed out to inspect the festival and watch the sunset over Praia da Rocha on the last night of my days in the Algarve.

[rentnhop]

How a Student Can Get a Bike on Rent in Delhi?

Hey students! Is the travel bug biting but the bank account isn't cooperating? I feel you. As a student trying to explore Delhi on a budget, getting a bike rental in Delhi can be a great affordable way to satisfy your wanderlust without breaking the bank.

Delhi offers tons of places to discover - from historic monuments to markets, parks, and more. But paying for public transportation, cabs, or Uber rides to see it all adds up quickly. Hopping on a bike on rent in Delhi or scooty on rent in Delhi lets you take in all the sights solo, on your own schedule, and without draining your wallet.

Here's my guide on how students can get bike on rent in Delhi on a budget and travel smart:

Affordable Bike Rental Options

The good news is Delhi has lots of options for cheap bike rentals specially targeted at students and youth. Here are some great ones to check out:

Looking for an easy and affordable way to get a bike on rent in Delhi? Check out Rentnhop! This convenient bike rental shop offers students special discounted rates for hourly and daily bike rentals across Delhi. Simply go to the Rentnhop website, browse bike rental listings, and book your wheels for wherever and whenever you need them in Delhi. With just a few taps, you can avoid public transport and explore the city at your own pace on an inexpensive rented bike from Rentnhop. 

Tips for Booking

When booking your rental bike, keep these money-saving tips in mind:

Book Longer Rentals - Daily or weekly rates are always cheaper than hourly. Book for a full day or more to maximize savings.

Share with Friends - Split costs by sharing the same bike rental with other students when your itineraries overlap.

Use Student Discounts - Don't forget to ask for the student discount when booking and show your valid student ID.

Join Loyalty Programs - There are so many Apps and Facebook groups that have free loyalty programs that unlock special promos and credits over time.

Best Budget-Friendly Routes

Once you've booked your budget bike, here are some student-friendly routes for exploring Delhi on the cheap:

Street Food Crawl - Delhi is a paradise for street foodies. Grab a bike and go tasting through food stall hotspots like Paranthe Wali Gali, Kamla Nagar, etc.

University Hop - Bike around North Campus and check out the campus vibes at DU, JNU, IIT, and more. Great for cafes, bookshops, and hangouts.

Old Delhi History Tour - Meander through ancient bazaars, old monuments, and iconic sites like the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Raj Ghat, etc.

Parks & Gardens - Pedal through leafy havens like Lodhi Gardens, Nehru Park, or Buddha Jayanti Park. Pack a picnic too. 

Saving on Expenses

Make your bike rental last longer with these handy money-saving tips:

Use Public Bike Stands - Park at public stands to avoid paying for parking repeatedly at each spot.

Carry Water & Snacks - Pack your own water and snacks to avoid having to buy overpriced food and drinks on the go.

Time Sightseeing for Discounts - Many attractions have student discounts on entry tickets at certain times or days. Plan smartly to save.

Take Scenic Detours - Skip Ubering and pedal down pretty residential areas, leafy university roads, etc. to soak in the vibe for free.

Conclusion

So don't let budget woes stop you from exploring Delhi by bike. Follow these student tips and you can get a bike rental in Delhi cheaply, save on the go, and still enjoy the ride. Let me know if you have any other questions about biking on a budget in Delhi. Ride on.

[thegoldenestat]

How Old Age Home In Gurgaon Can Help Kinless Seniors Thrive

The term "kinless" refers to someone who is over one million years old and does not have a spouse, partner, children, or siblings. In the absence of a familial support system, some seniors may worry about who will take care of them as they become older. Seniors who are kinless frequently need to look into alternate options to safeguard their wellbeing as they age. According to The New York Times, factors such as lower marriage rates, greater divorce rates, and fewer children have led to a rise in the proportion of seniors living alone, particularly baby boomers.

The positive aspect is that facilities for older citizens, like The Golden Estate, provide an effective remedy. Taking part in social events, joining support groups, becoming involved in volunteer work, and receiving the devoted care of knowledgeable team members are just a few advantages that kinless seniors may anticipate from an Old Age Home in Gurgaon. It is a common belief that each citizen should be supported. It is our responsibility to defend them when they are unable to do so and to act as their family in their absence, the woman stated.

Who Will Care for Kinless Seniors?

You can find a nurturing atmosphere that enables you to flourish in senior living communities like The Golden Estate that provide independent living, assisted living, and memory care lines of service.

Community Already Exists: Senior living facilities provide a feeling of identity and community. To establish a helpful social network and meet new people, you can develop deep connections with other inhabitants.

Support for transportation: Senior living facilities frequently provide transportation services for residents who are unable to drive, enabling them to access necessary services and activities.

Healthy Meals: Senior living facilities can offer restaurant-style dining with wholesome and scrumptious meals, relieving seniors without family members of the strain of meal preparation and grocery shopping.

Safety is given first priority in communities, which is why they have security measures in place, emergency response systems, and staff members who are trained to help in an emergency on-site.

assistance for Health and Medication: Senior living facilities that offer assisted living provide residents with individualised health and medication assistance to make sure they get the care they require.

Advantages of Independent Living Communities

If you want to live an active, maintenance-free lifestyle, independent living communities and old age homes in Gurgaon are fantastic. Several advantages include:

Housekeeping

building preservation

Lawncare

Recreational and social activities

programmes for wellness and exercise

access to food alternatives on-site

auxiliary personnel and emergency response mechanisms

Advantages of Assisted Living Communities

If you need assistance with daily living tasks, assisted living homes and old age homes in Gurgaon can support you and offer a higher degree of care than independent senior living communities can. Key advantages include of:

Individualised care programmes

help with routine activities

medication administration

Access to skilled team members around-the-clock

engaging events and activities

Tour a The Golden Estate Senior Living Community

Everyone is accompanied at The Golden Estate. If you or a senior you know is looking for a nurturing and stimulating living environment, think about looking into the possibilities provided by The Golden Estate Senior Living communities. We are committed to assisting older citizens who lack family members as they prosper and integrate into our family. Locate a The Golden Estate Senior Living facility in your area to find additional options and comfort.

[smallnetbusiness]

French Foodie in Dublin Irish Food Blog Tours and Events

In this blog, we follow our sophisticated taste as we set out on a gourmet journey around Dublin's picturesque streets. We invite you to join us on a delicious adventure that will excite your taste buds and rekindle your enthusiasm for fine dining as we relish the tastes and discover the city's culinary scene. Even though Dublin has a wide variety of delicious dining options, we self-described lovers of French cuisine have a particular affinity for classy and refined French cuisine. French foodie in Dublin Irish food blog tours and events, this blog is our journey into the heart of French cuisine. We'll be exploring this Irish city's hidden gems for the best French bakeries, cafés, and restaurants, and we'll tell you about it. In a city that fervently celebrates French cuisine, one may anticipate indulging in traditional French fare, savoring delectable pastries, and inhaling the perfume of freshly made baguettes. French foodie in Dublin Irish food blog tours and events To us, being a gourmet is about the whole experience, not just the food. We get fully immersed in the atmosphere, background, and culture of each dish as soon as we enter a restaurant or market. We'll take you on a tour throughout Dublin where you'll get to know the story behind the cuisine as well as taste it. We'll give you an overview of the local culinary scene, introduce you to food artisans in the area, and provide advice on how to mix French wine with Irish fare. This blog is intended for serious foodies looking for Dublin's best dining experience. Come along with us as we set off on our gastronomic journey around Dublin, fusing the lively energy of the Irish metropolis with the sophistication of French cuisine. Let's appreciate the city's ability to create a harmonic combination of tastes, savor delicious food, and find hidden treasures together. Welcome to the "French Foodie in Dublin" blog, where each mouthful of food is a unique experience, and cuisine is transformed into art. A Culinary Wonderland Every meal in Dublin's culinary scene is an adventure in and of itself, a paradise of tastes. The city offers a wide variety of eating experiences, from Michelin-starred restaurants pushing the frontiers of cuisine to friendly neighborhood pubs providing hearty Irish fare. Whether you like foreign or traditional Irish food, Dublin has a delicious range of dining options that will make you want to try more. Dublin's Variety of Flavors Dublin's gastronomic variety is among its most remarkable attributes. The city is open to a wide range of foreign cuisines, including Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Italian. With this culinary melting pot, you can travel the world via cuisine without ever leaving the city. There's always something fresh and interesting to try in Dublin's food scene since so many different cultures are represented. Famous Dublin Restaurants Several famous restaurants in Dublin are adored by both residents and tourists. Dublin provides a gastronomic adventure full of personality, from the substantial traditional Irish breakfasts in neighborhood cafés to the famous seafood at restaurants along the port in Howth. Take advantage of the vibrant food markets, such as the well-known Temple Bar Food Market, to indulge in artisan cheeses, fresh fruit, and gourmet delicacies. French Influence on Dublin's Gastronomic Traditions Historical Connections and Impact There is a strong connection between Dublin's cuisine culture and France. In the past, the Irish nobility often imported French cooks to satisfy their refined palates and turned to France for culinary inspiration. Dublin's enjoyment of excellent dining and sophisticated cooking is evidence of the long-lasting impact this historical influence has had on the city's culinary landscape. Dublin's French Culinary Traditions Dublin has welcomed French cuisine with open arms. The city's restaurants and patisseries take great delight in offering traditional French cuisine, such as escargot and coq au vin. Delightful croissants and éclairs honor pastry chef technique, and Dublin's restaurants have long practiced the fine art of wine and cheese matching. Blending French and Irish Flavors The charm of Dublin's food scene lies in the marriage of French and Irish cuisines. A distinctive and enticing eating experience may be found in the inventive fusion of French cooking methods with Irish ingredients. This blend of French and Irish cuisine gives a genuinely remarkable food experience, whether it's an exquisite Irish cheese plate served with a French baguette or an impressive stew with French influences. Exquisite French Restaurants The presence of outstanding French restaurants has tremendously enhanced Dublin's fine dining scene. In the center of Dublin, these places provide a taste of French culinary creativity. They welcome you to partake in a refined dining experience with their great meals and gorgeous surroundings. Showcasing the pinnacles of French cuisine, Dublin's fine-dining French restaurants set the standard high with their succulent seafood and well-grilled steaks. Undiscovered Treasures for Real French Food In addition to the well-known French eateries, Dublin has a wealth of undiscovered treasures where you can enjoy real French food. Get a more private and personalized dining experience at these smaller, less well-known restaurants, where you can enjoy traditional foods like coq au vin, ratatouille, and crème brûlée in a setting that will take you back to the streets of Paris. These restaurants' chefs' enthusiasm and commitment to their craft come through in every meal, creating an unforgettable experience. French Street Cuisine Discoveries A must-try for those who want a more laid-back eating experience is Dublin's French street food scene. Discover the thriving food markets and street food sellers with a mouthwatering selection of meals with a French influence. From fluffy croissants that go well with your morning coffee to savory crêpes stuffed with delectable toppings, these street food experiences provide a fast and delectable taste of France right on Dublin's streets. Conclusion We hope that our blog post on "French Foodie in Dublin" has encouraged you to explore this fascinating city's food scene on your own. Dublin has something for every culinary enthusiast, whether you're enjoying the sophistication of a French restaurant with a Michelin star or the pure joy of a buttery croissant from a neighborhood bakery. We appreciate you coming along on this delectable journey, and we can't wait to take you on even more culinary excursions in the future. We have only just begun our exploration of the tastes that exist in the realm of food.  Read the full article