#and yay cafe chick!

[beneathsilverstars]

art trade for @therenaissancedungeonmaster! he asked for siffrin from my coffee shop au, café chick. good taste, they are SO cute. so here’s some after-hours flirting and a bonus sleepy ride home!!

[welcometololaland]

i've been squirrelling away at both eurotrip and the ring-in 2.0, but i never know what people want to see? and for the last few weeks i've gotten in such a flap i just gave up and didn't post anything lol. but here's something that made me smile from the ring-in sequel <3 (also i finished eurotrip ch 10 so YAY!) thanks @strandnreyes @heartstringsduet @carlos-in-glasses @suseagull04 and @kiwiana-writes :)

“TK, I promise you,” Owen insists. “It’s a total chick magnet.”

TK appears to choke on thin air and then points to Carlos. “Have I introduced you to Carlos? My husband?”

Owen rolls his eyes and claps TK on the shoulder. “Turn of phrase, son. It means you’ll look good.”

“Yeah,” TK mutters. “Right before I realise that the fabric is so old it has holes in it and my extremities fall off from frostbite.”

“Carlos?” Owen says, redirecting his attention, although his hand remains on his son’s shoulder.

Carlos clears his throat. “Sir?”

Owen grimaces and turns back to TK. “Did you just say you married this man? He’s still using honourifics.”

open tag +

@rmd-writes @celeritas2997 @reyesstrand @alrightbuckaroo @orchidscript

@ladytessa74 @lemonlyman-dotcom @nancys-braids @captain-gillian

@chicgeekgirl89 @terramous @hippolotamus @bonheur-cafe @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut

@basilsunrise @birdclowns @liminalmemories21 @freneticfloetry @safeaswrites

@three-drink-amy @theghostofashton @tellmegoodbye @carlos-tk @goodways

@never-blooms @sugdenlovesdingle @decafdino @eclectic-sassycoweyes @kiwichaeng

@doublel27 @cha-melodius @sanjuwrites @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @lightningboltreader

@vineofroses @myheartalivewrites @indestructibleheart @she-walked-away @americansrequiems

[emiyummy]

third gym babies reacting to their sister being lesbian/bi!

pairings : elder brother!bokuto x reader , elder brother!kuroo x reader, younger brother!tsukishima x reader tw : nth except for reader isn’t straight hehe a/n : hello guys welp a lot of you might know me as a reader and this idea popped up on my mind yesterday which i shared on @dearkags and @bluberryparfait‘s discord but my brain went whoooooAT if i wrote it myself jhhshsjdh. this is my first work and i’m stil trying to figure out how tumblr works. pls dont hate i’ll cry. avoid if it makes you uncomfortable ig.

bokuto koutaro

so you’re bokuto tiny sister and you two share one braincell but you try your best not to show it bc “i’m the better sIBLING.”

at first you thought the attraction you had towards your bestie was normal but then realized “waIT whaT yall dont wanna kiss ur bff all the time??”

bokuto is dumb so he prolly didn’t notice anyth and only focused on protect (read restrict) you from the BOYs

you’re usually loud and outgoing like bokuto but when it comes to your bestie that you like more than just frEnds you get absolutely red and nervous

so you decide to go with the song challenge on tiktok where you tell the person to focus on the lyrics and whoosh

do you did it yay

and just as the music goes “i don’t wanna be your friend i wanna kiss your lips” (stan girl in red uwu) you lean in and just kiss her

she kisses back!!

and bokuto is also back!!!

he never knocks. by never i mean NEVER you gotta lock your door or oops

and your dumbass didnt

so just as the kiss was getting a lil steamy from soft

“HEY DUMBASS I NEED MY HEADPH-ooh...”

you both instantly pull away and the room is filled with silence except for the music still going 

he just stares dumbfounded like O-O

and then it hits him and he goes

“y/n you’re gay?!”

you facepalm so hard pls leave koutaro

“the term is lesbian-”

‘ I NEED TO TELL AKAASHI”

he needs to tell akaashi everything

10/10 supportive tbh but doesnt change the fact that no premarital hand h*lding  >:(

will probably hide it from your parents until you’re ready to tell then

best elder brother ever ok

kuroo tetsurou

at first he thought you just prefer being around guys more after seeing you get all wobbly and nervous when any girl gets close to you

he’s a very supportive elder brother ok so you probably try talking to him abt why you couldn’t kiss your current bf

you were just uncomfortable??

he told you he prolly wasn’t the right guy until he saw you smiling at one of his classmates as you waited for him after your classes

your eyes were just shining and it your nervousness was evident but she somehow made you noT run away ig

he was watching for a while, how you were tightly clutching onto the strap of your bag and how red your cheeks turned as she gave you a headpat before walking away

and your eyes lingered

but he decided not to say anyth that day cause he wanted you to realize and talk abt it when you’re comfortable

from that day on you waited for him (her) a lot

even ditching your classmate and shared bff at lunch one day as you sat on the bench outside beside her

kenma knew

this goes on for a while until you decide to tell him when kenma came over one day

he noticed. so he just smiles and pats your head 

“you finally admitted huh?”

your eyes widened how did he know jshjsd

“it was lowkey obvious. the guys weren’t wrong, the gender was.”

teases teases teases teases

you : literally just existing  him peeking into ur room just 2 annoy u : oya thinking abt your senpai?

they both help you prepare and confess

“you need to get it off of your chest, no matter what the outcome is.”

she accepts!!

and if your parents aren’t supportive, he will speak up and fight!!

tsukishima kei

so you’re a third year and go to a different school where you’ve been dating this girl for a while

he often saw you at the cafe near karasuno often

veeeryyyy often

with the same girl

he doesn’t pay much attention to that tbh 

but on a sunny weekend morning, he was passing by the cafe and looks at you through the window when yams says your name

you seemed stressed, kinda scared

they were planning to go to tadashi’s house and study or sumn

he comes back home to akiteru and your mom sulking in the living room

“your sister is being salty again. says she had a fight with her girlfriend and is crying upstairs.”

due to the smaller age gap comparing to akiteru, you two were kinda closer and he somehow knew that wasn’t fitting

you didn’t cry that easily.

he lets you be until he need one of your his dino manga or sth you borrowed

so he knocks on your door and you open with red puffy eyes, sniffing

he enters and decides to stay silent until you burst into tears again

he kinda stares awkwardly not knowing what to do and waits for you to calm down and start talking

as salty as you might be at times, you were extremely soft at times like your elder brother

so you tell him in the midst of sobbing

“she broke up with me. it wasn’t working out. i kinda saw it coming but it still hurt.”

only after venting you realize you never told him you were into girls, or even dating one and your eyes widened upon realization

“kei i-” “i didn’t like her anyway. she seemed too uptight and self-obsessed (hah)” “how do yo-” “i saw you at the cafe. you can get better chicks than her”

you smile and gently hit his head, telling him not to badmouth her

he doesn’t make a big deal out of it and treats it just as he would if you broke up with your boyfriend

and you’re glad that he is

won’t show it but he doesn’t want anyone to hurt his sister ok, he won’t tell you but he will fiTE

actually cares abt you

[purplesurveys]

1137

created by: allwrongx - Bzoink

Do you have a bookshelf? If so, just one or how many? I don’t, actually. I have the most books out of everyone in the family, but they’re all either lined up or stacked in random points in my room because of said lack of shelves. Currently, I have three groups of books strategically placed around my room.

If you answered yes to the above, are your books ordered in a special way? Just by height since I have a lot of tall books like encyclopedias as well as smaller-sized novels and pocketbooks.

Have you ever owned action figures? I have a couple of wrestling action figures and I want to keep collecting more if my financial situation ever permits it in the future.

Why did you last smile? Andrew Ilnyckyj finally has a new cooking videoooooooo, which is the main BuzzFeed content I watch these days. I think his last one had been posted in January, so I’ve been feeling pretty starved for some new Andrew content.

Do you have a close relationship with your immediate family? I’m not close with them in that I don’t feel shy about kissing/hugging them or confiding in them; my family are not those people for me. But like we don’t fight (anymore) and we’re able to have pleasant talks over dinner, which is as close as I’d possibly ever get with them. 

Idk, we were ultimately never able to cultivate an emotionally strong relationship with one another, which I’ll always feel bittersweet about; but at least I now have a blueprint of how I’d want to build my relationships within my family, should I ever have one of my own.

If I gave you twenty bucks what would you do with it? Use it to pay my sister for the drawing commission I asked her to make. My total bill comes up to around that amount, anyway.

If dinosaurs could be tamed, would you want one as a pet? Nope, they can stay in the wild.

Do you crack your knuckles, neck or toes constantly? I crack my knuckles the most and my ankles as well. Never my neck and toes.

Are you constantly catching colds or other sicknesses? No, I rarely get sick.

Is there a movie from your childhood that you still watch today? I do an annual Toy Story rewatch because it’s my absoluete favorite kid’s movie. I will also always be in the mood to watch The Game Plan, which I watched every single weekday after coming home from school in like the 3rd grade.

Have you ever seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Nope but this has been on my list for years. Just never gotten around to downloading it and finally seeing it for myself.

Where do you do most of your shopping? I usually go to small, independent businesses that sell trendy pieces for a lot less, but I also drop by H&M from time to time. Once I feel secure enough with my savings I also wanna be able to start shopping from Zalora because they have really nice brands over there as well, haha.

Are you afraid of mice? I don’t imagine I would be since they’re tiny and cute. I’m afraid of house rats, though, especially considering how big they can get D:

What type of souvenir do you usually purchase when on vacation? I typically don’t get souvenirs for myself, but this is also because I’ve never traveled solo. My family collects magnets from all the different places we’ve been to though (and also from my dad’s work travels), so our fridge doors are filled with them. 

Do you vacation often? Yeah, my family would usually take 3-5 trips a year, usually around the country and sometimes out of; but of course we’ve had to put a stop to it since the pandemic blew up.

Are you comfortable wearing your pajamas in public places? The only place I’d be comfortable doing so is at the nearby McDonald’s, since I’ve seen residents from my village come in there wearing their PJs or housewear. Otherwise no, I’d rather dress up.

What's your favorite candy bar? Twix!!!!!!!! And while they’re not technically bar-shaped, I love Reese’s Cups too.

Do you own more than one copy or edition of a book? Hahaha yeah. I have two copies of Twilight (one is from my boxed set, another was given to me by a childhood friend, Maryrose) and Breaking Dawn (one is also from my boxed set, while the other one is the special white cover edition given to me by Angela).

If you could see any musical on Broadway right now, what would it be? Miss Saigon. That’s the only musical I’m into.

If you could put any person or characters face on money, whose would it be? I definitely want to see a woman’s face on a dollar bill or coin sometime in the future. < Oh man, this is a pretty good answer. We do already have women in our P500 and P1000 bills, but they’re accompanied by men :/ It’d be neat to see a woman take over a bill/coin all on her own, like Gabriela Silang.

The place that you'd most like to be right now is where? God I really wish I were out in a coffee shop right now but I have to saveeeeee. I’ve been meaning to check out this nearby cafe that also doubles as a co-working space (which means I can do work there without feeling guilty or anxious that I’m taking too much time there, yay), and I might visit next week.

Do large crowds make you anxious? Depends on what the context is. If I find myself in the middle of a stampede that’s quickly going ugly then I will definitely start to panic; but if I’m at, say, a concert, then personally a bigger crowd means a better experience for me.

Do you own a helmet of any sorts? None of my own, but we do have a helmet for our bike.

Will you willingly sing in front of other people besides your family? No unless a huge sum of money is up for grabs, lmao. I’ve only sang in public once, when my mom made me do a solo number on my 7th birthday.

What's in the box? Yeah, I’m not feeling creative enough for this question...

Does your family generally decorate for most holidays? No, only for Christmas.

Would you take the chance to be Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys for a day? Eh, I’d pass up on the offer. Mystery isn’t my thing.

Do you eat soup when you're sick? No. I prefer to drink lots of water as I usually lose my appetite when I’m sick anyway.

Is there a specific mug or coffee cup that you have to use all of the time? I don’t have to use it, but I’m in love with the mug Angela gave me just this past Christmas. I use it all the time now.

Have you ever watched Doctor Who? No, but I don’t think it’s my kind of genre or show.

If so, what do you think is the scariest creature yet?

Do you prefer to do your shopping online or in person? If I already have an idea of what I want to get, I prefer to get it in person. But if I need something oddly specific and have no idea where to start, that’s when I start to look for online shops or go to Shopee or Lazada altogether.

If you read, which book or series did you enjoy most as a child? Angie Sage, with her Septimus Heap series.

Do you read tour guide type books before you visit places? It’s been a while since I’ve traveled extensively, and when I was younger I didn’t really read into tourist guides. Now that I’m older, I do want to start reading up before visiting a different country – not necessarily about the best places to visit, but more about the culture and practices I have to observe. I remember being reprimanded by a Korean when I tried to snap a photo of something I saw while out in public in Jeju, and I don’t want to do something like that again.

Would you please belt out a few song lyrics here? AND IF YOU TRY TO FIND ME NOOOOW I’M IN ALL THE ECHOES THAT HAVE FAAAADED OUT soooo!!! I’M MOVING ON CAUSE I JUST WANT TO FEEL FOR ONCE THAT I BELONG, THAT’S WHAT GOING ON

How do you get rid of your hiccups? I hold my breath, which is a trick taught to me by my mom. Not always effective, but it does work sometimes.

Is there one saying that you've adopted from someone/somewhere else? I’ve picked up “Awesome!” which was Gabie’s catchphrase. My former director also liked saying “Anywhoooooo” when she wants to digress, and I’ve since adopted that into my vocabulary and mannerisms as well.

Can you lie effectively and smoothly? Yes, but I feel like shit every time I have to.

Do you buy Halloween candy when it's on sale after the holiday? No, I don’t enjoy candy anyway.

Why is your favorite teacher your favorite? She taught beyond her curriculum - music, which isn’t even part of my top 30 favorite subjects - and always made sure to inject a little bit of useful life advice in all her lessons.

Who can never fail to make you laugh? Hans.

Do you agree with the "they're just being kids" excuse? No, especially if the kids in question are already 16/17 year olds.

How many pets have you had in your lifetime? Countless goldfish, one chick, one rabbit, one cat, two birds, and two dogs.

Were you ever afraid of monsters under your bed? Sure. Still am occasionally, heh.

Would you kindly recommend your favorite movie to me? Two for the Road shows a realistic take on love told through cars and a non-linear tour around Southern Europe. If you’re into that and Audrey Hepburn’s pretty outfits in each scene, definitely check it out.

[bangtan-gal]

In the Past

Bang Chan x Fem!Reader

Guardian Angel!AU Word Count: 2.4k Warnings: swearing, angst, fluff, mentions of death, mentions of rough pasts

In the past, you had a best friend that stood at your side at all times. In the past, you were happy and always smiling. In the past, you didn’t rely on coffee and ibuprofen to survive. In the past, you lost your best friend to your own mistake.

So maybe that was the reason you were drunk off your ass, sitting on the edge of a rooftop, crying your heart out. There was a light breeze and it was warm, like a lightweight blanket. The sky was just clearing up from the storm and the half-dark, half-light pink sky was a perfect reflection of the blizzard attacking your mind.

You lost your job, your house, and your mother all in the span of one week. Your life was falling apart at the seams. You sighed and then stared at the empty vodka bottle in your hand. A scream ripped up from your throat and you threw it as far as you could. The sky rumbled.

“Yeah, well fuck you too universe!” You snapped, flipping off the retreating storm. “You keep doing these awful things to me, knowing I’m too much of a wimp to actually end myself.”

The sky didn’t reply this time, but it wasn’t silent for long. Your phone dinged, lighting up and dragging your attention to it. A text message from your old roommate was present on your lock screen. 

Mina: hey, i heard the news. Was wondering if you wanted a place to stay?

Your hands shook as you held your phone. Part of you just wanted to start sobbing again, but this time from relief. Mina and you had never been close, but she’d always been nice. You replied and then stood up, managing to walk to the access door and stumble your way down the stairs to your car. Your car was stuffed to the brim with bags of your stuff—only the stuff you could pack up in the few short hours you had. 

“Are you actually gonna drive drunk?”

A man with blonde hair leaned against the car parked beside yours. An unlit cigarette hung between his lips. He raised a dark, slit eyebrow at you, brown eyes sparkling underneath them. He looked familiar, but in your state, your memory had no reason to work. You frowned, staring at your car. You fished through your pockets for your keys, actually willing to let this complete stranger drive you to Mina’s. 

“And you’re gonna let a stranger drive you home at night?” He asked again, his voice dripping with sarcasm. You frowned at him and then tossed your keys at him. Shock raced through his face and he scrambled to catch them.

“Don’t be an asshole and take back your offer,” you slurred, waving him off. He unlocked the car and then helped you into the passenger’s seat. It was dark so you missed the worried sparkle in his deep eyes. Although if you’d seen it, you wouldn’t have believed your eyes. Nobody worried about you. They all helped you for their own benefit. 

Human nature caused ulterior motives.

“So can you give me directions to the place you’re going?” He asked, slowly turning the car on. His face was illuminated orange by the lights on the dashboard.

“You take a left,” you mumbled.

He frowned. “When? Right now?” You opened your mouth but found that you couldn’t remember, so instead, you shrugged.

“Hell if I know,” you huffed. The stranger stared at you, almost as if he couldn’t believe his luck. He’d successfully found a dumbass! Yay him!

“Look,” you said, “you find Mina’s place and I’m gonna take a nap.”

“Wait—”

You were already asleep.

You woke up in a bed, practically drowning under piles of blankets. Your head was spinning and you felt like you were gonna throw up. A loud groan rumbled from you and you rolled over, shielding your eyes from the absurd sunlight bursting through the window. 

“Ugh, took you forever!” If you didn’t feel like your brain was about to explode, you would’ve jumped out of bed and screamed.

Mina sat at the foot of your bed, fully dressed and ready for the day. She had her cellphone balanced in one perfectly manicured hand and an aspirin bottle in the other. She tossed the medicine at you and then pointed to the glass of water on the nightstand. It had almost a year since you’d last seen her and you were surprised. She looked a lot different.

“Thanks a ton.” Your throat burned.

“You shouldn’t thank me, you should be thanking the blonde cutie who carried you here,” she commented, standing up. She was skinnier. “I should be shouting at you for being so irresponsible and letting a total stranger drive you home, but honestly, I’m more impressed because he was hot and polite. Dealt with your whining as if it didn’t even bother him.”

She glanced at the clock.

“I gotta scoot, but try to take care of yourself. Your car keys are on the table and you know where everything is, so…” she shrugged and then waved goodbye. You muttered another thank you after she left and then collapsed back onto the bed. 

The room was silent for a few seconds.

“I have to shower,” you said aloud, staring at the ceiling. Then you grimaced. “Let’s get it.”

The shower was the nicest thing ever. Sitting on the tiled bottom, head resting on your knees, just letting the warm water hit your skin. Being alone gave you time to think and your mind kept wandering to last night. You could barely remember who the stranger was and what exactly he looked like. There was the vaguest memory of a small conversation.

You didn’t remember giving him the directions to Mina’s house, but you must’ve considering you were here. Your mind was trying to convince that you’d fallen asleep before you could give him an address or instructions, but you didn’t believe it. You were here, weren’t you? After the shower, you stole some of Mina’s pajamas and wandered around the apartment. It brought back a lot of memories; some sad, others joyous, the majority of them weird from when you were slightly high or tipsy. You ended up making yourself a bowl of cereal, ignoring the storm in your stomach and sat down at the table. 

You took one bite and then decided that it was a bad idea. You scratched aimlessly at the grooves and dings in the table. Your eyes scanned over the table, looking at your keys and then back to the bowl in front of you. You yawned and rubbed your eyes. 

When you opened your eyes there was a piece of paper beside your keys.

“That wasn’t there before,” you mumbled, reaching for it. The handwriting was clean and in all caps. A smiley face sat at the end of the note. It was from the guy who dropped you off last night with his number on it. You stared at the number and then went to grab your phone from the nightstand.

There was a part of you that didn’t want to call him, it would be embarrassing considering he got to see you at your worst. But at the same time you had to say thank you. Plus, if he really was as hot as Mina claimed, was there really that much damage?

Your heart stuttered and your hands grew clammy as the phone started to ring. Maybe he wouldn’t pick up and then you could say you at least tried. 

“Hello?” 

Holy shit even his voice was hot.

“Um, h-hi,” you squeaked out, “this is Y/N, that drunk chick you drove home last night?”

“Oh,” he started laughing, “hey. You’re alive.”

You huffed.

“Very much so… all thanks to you,” you sighed, “thanks for driving me, even though you didn’t know me. I was probably a total pain in t—wait.”

You fell asleep a few minutes after you got into the car; you never told him Mina’s address.

Your eyes narrowed.

“How the hell did you get me back here?” You asked. A nervous laugh vibrated through the speaker.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” he murmured, “is… is it possible we could meet somewhere?”

“How do I know you won’t kill me?”

“I would’ve killed you last night if I wanted to kill you.”

⦽⦽⦽⦽

The cafe was crowded and smelled of freshly baked cookies. People milled around you as you looked throughout the tables, trying to spot a vaguely familiar blonde boy. It was hard to focus with so many people walking around with mouth-watering treats.

“Hey, Y/N!”

You turned around and made eye-contact with one of the prettiest guys you’ve ever seen. He wore a black tanktop, broad shoulders and biceps on full display. His blonde hair was curly and eyes were a deep brown. He tilted his head to the side and smiled at you and your heart skipped a beat.

“Chan?” You asked as you walked towards the table. He nodded and you sat down across from him. You were about to ask him what he wanted to talk about, but the longer you stared at him, your mind started to roll back in time. Back to a day you didn’t want to remember, but it was a day that was ingrained into your mind.

The car, Christopher, blood, screaming, sirens. The bridge of his nose and his lips were what was setting it off. It didn’t make sense of course, because Christopher was dead. He’d been dead for years now. But staring at the boy in front of you, all you could see was an older, blonde Christopher.

“Who are you?” You asked, leaning back. 

He blinked.

“My name’s Chan—”

“No, there’s—” you cut yourself off because Christopher was dead. This person was not dead, he was very much alive. “I’m sorry, it’s just, you look a lot like someone I used to know.”

“Y/N…”

His hand reached across the table, but he didn’t hold your hand. Instead, his fingers rested delicately on top of your knuckles and your eyes pinched shut, even more memories flooding your mind. It was what Christopher would do whenever you were upset. Was this another one of the universe’s cruel jokes?

“Christopher Bang, died October 2011 from getting hit by a car. He saved your life,” Chan stated. You stared at him.

“How’d you know that?” Your voice was sharper than you meant it to be.

He pursed his lips. “You recognize me, don’t you?” “But y—Chris died, you can’t be him,” you whispered, but you already found yourself believing it. Sure, the two of you had been young and little, but this boy before you had so many of the same characteristics as the boy from your childhood. Your best friend.

“You don’t believe in angels.” The sentence was random, but it sent chills racing across your body. Chan raised an eyebrow. “So you probably won’t belive me anyway.”

“You’re supposed to be an angel of some sort?” Your voice was blank. You sounded dead. Hell, you felt dead. “Why would there be an angel in my life? What kind of shit is that? The universe basically hates me.”

“Guardian angels Y/N, everyone has one,” he huffed, leaning across the table. You didn’t understand this boy. If he really was an angel, then why did he look like your past best friend? “Christopher Bang never existed. The boy that saved you from the car was me.”

You scoffed. “He had to fucking exist, I have vivid memories of him. His favorite color was—”

You didn’t actually know what his favorite color was.

Chan shook his head, sympathy flashing in his gaze.

“It’s really hard to say what happened, but humans always have a way to reasonably explain supernatural events. I believe that what happened as that when I touched you to push you out of the way, the… emotion at the moment gave you the ability to see me. So then your mind made up a story around the boy you saw and everyone else believed it because there was no other way to explain how you were pushed out of the way by thin air,” he murmured. You felt like you were going to be sick. It made no sense because the memories you had of this boy were so fucking vivid. You remembered the talks you used to have in the tree behind your house. You remembered the boy that used to give you his lunch when you forgot yours. 

He was the first boy you said ‘I love you’ to. 

He was the only boy.

And now this guy was trying to tell you he never existed?

“It’s really hard to explain Y/N… it’s not that Chris never existed. Actually, the majority of your memories were of things that actually happened. When I touched you with that much force, it somehow… all the moments I was with you before that day I came into existence. All those times in the tree, you thought you were alone, but I was there, you just couldn’t see me. Whenever you forgot your lunch, I would sneak one into your bag. Something about me touching you…”

“It made you a real person,” you murmured. As the truth was laid out in front of you, the fake memories started to separate from the real. It was giving you a headache because it was like there were two versions of each memory, all of them equally real. Your eyebrows furrowed.

“Then did I say ‘I love you’ to thin air?” You whispered. Chan blushed.

“That was actually another boy… I don’t know why you see me in his place, but it might be because you never actually loved that boy. You just thought you did and well,” he mumbled, looking away. You rolled your hand, signaling for him to continue. “I guess in some ways, you were always aware of me.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose.

“So I was saying that to you but it looked like I was saying it to him?” You asked and then groaned. You covered your face. “Holy shit, this is actually real.”

Chan nodded.

“He didn’t say it back… but in my false memory…”

“I did,” he confirmed.

“Great,” you said, throwing your hands up, “I’m in love with my guardian angel.”

[anonsally]

Day 2 in New Zealand: Wellington

We slept in this morning (yay!) and had a leisurely start, so we didn’t leave until past noon. We took the Cable Car (I love funiculars!) and shuttle to Zealandia again, this time to see it in daylight. 

Wife went to the cafe to have lunch (I had eaten my leftovers from last night’s dinner) and I set off into the ecosanctuary. I had about 20 minutes on my own, during which I got good views of some fantails, a tui singing loudly and proudly with its white throat tufts showing, and all three of the takahe (two parents with a nearly fully-grown chick!). The fantails are acrobatic fliers and one flew very near my face. The tui is kind of amazing; it is like a mockingbird in its ability to mimic other birds (and non-bird sounds), and I watched that one singing for quite a while and marveled at how it was making every possible type of sound. The takahe were especially exciting; they were once thought extinct and are still critically endangered, with only about 300 living at all. So I have seen 1% of them! It is very exciting that the pair, which (like many of the creatures living in Zealandia) had been reintroduced, has reproduced. They look like very large, round, blue chickens with big red beaks. Unfortunately, the takahe had wandered off by the time Wife joined me. 

But she got to see everything else. We spent about 3 hours walking around, some of the time along the same paths we’d followed the night before, but some of the time exploring other areas. We saw another tuatara (the reptile we’d seen at night), and lots more birds: many more tui, a few kaka (a big brownish parrot), a little flock of hihi (so cute!), a rifleman (also very cute!), and a few saddlebacks. We also saw various truly spectacular fungi ranging in size from about 3mm to 20cm!! At the end of our visit, Wife decided to get a closer look at the paradise shelducks... but she got a little too close and the female chased her away!!!! That was simultaneously alarming and hilarious.

We took the shuttle and the Cable Car back down and walked along the water to Te Papa Museum, where my conference is being held. I picked up my badge and program, then walked on my own to the Parliament building where the conference opening reception took place. New Zealand is serious about occupational health and safety! There were good speeches by a government minister and a regulator, plus drinks and appetisers. 

[hana1379]

Free Love Vol.4

Pairing: AU Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: language, smut (nothing too extensive but still if you are minor please turn around and leave) and I guess cheating? 

Words: 5k

Notes: Yay it’s finally here and let me know what you think in comments or wherever couse there’s nothing that makes me happy than knowing what you think about any writings 

 If you spot any mistakes, please blame my lack of education or Grammarly

And as always credit to the gif owner

July 2017

"Hey Buck, it's me Y/N. Yeah, I can't believe either but I forgot your phone number after I had deleted it, it was stupid I know but anyway you gave me your office number once and I don't want to talk through the phone so I'd really appreciate you calling back. It's a matter of life and death but rather life in this case. You know the drill, call back if you're still interested in what I wanna tell you, I promise I won't be a bitch this time. Bye"

You ended the call and looked at your sister. Maria soon reached her arms to you and hugged

"I'm so proud of you little sister. You pocketed your pride" Maria was swaying left and right with you in her arms and you couldn't believe she talked you into calling Barnes but she was right. The baby needed his or her father. You needed Bucky.

"You think he'll call me back?" you asked pulling away from her "The last time we spoke I was a bitch to him"  "If he cares about you as much as he states he does- he will or he'll call from clear curiosity"   She was right but there was a day where she wasn't?

October 2018

"You've got to be kidding me" Bucky opened his door and checked time, two hours earlier. Two. Hours. Earlier. "Happy to see you too Barnes" you moved past him and entered his apartment. You were here only once, in June when you and Bucky were discussing when he could see his son. The deal was simple- he would take him Friday afternoon or Thursday if he decides not to work on Friday and you would have your son back Sunday afternoon.  "You're earlier. I should've accused you of obstructing my time with son, the judge would agree with me" Bucky was pissed, on Friday he had to wait for you because you 'overstayed' at your friend's place and now you were here to take his son earlier. Two funking hours earlier. "You hid the fact that you were pregnant and I have a son for a year and now you came here two hours earlier to take him. Stop being such a bitch Y/N" You only blinked  "I'm sorry for being such a bitch but we were supposed to go buy some clothes for Andy you were actually eager to pay for them. You were saying it was not a problem for me to come earlier and after that, you'd drive me home" Fuck. He had forgotten. "And don't threaten me with a judge cause if you want I can stop playing nice and we can be at war" you looked around his place, last time you haven't got a chance. His house was enormous, a lot of space and furniture like from a cover of 'Home & Design'  magazine or 'IKEA' or such crap like that. Although his apartment was beautiful it was too spacious and too clean regardless of toys scattered on the rug in his living room. "Where is he?" you asked when you didn't find your son among his favorite toys  "In his room, down the hall on your left" so your Andy had his own room. While your son was sleeping in his own room Barnes could freely do some chick. Clever. You entered the room and you saw your child sitting in his crib and reaching his chubby hands to you "Hiiii" you beamed at your son and he squealed happily "Come here little fella" you lifted him and cradled in your arms kissing his head, he smelled like Barnes and baby oil which meant Bucky gave him a bath so it was progress- on the beginning his sister had to help him.  "You have a new onesie? It's so cute" you said admiring his new clothing with Tigger and Winnie the Pooh and he laughed when you 'accidentally' tickled him "It's from my sister, he was sleepy so I laid him down for a nap but we can go to the mall, he won't sleep anyway"  Bucky stood in a doorway looking at the back of your head. Was he wrong or you didn't want to look at him? "No, we don't have to if you don't want to" you were thinking if it wouldn't be strange to go shopping with Bucky, you were trying to do as little as possible with him, you both barely spoke but you still could see his lingering looks at you and a couple years back you'd have thrown yourself on him but you were repeating to yourself 'he brought it to himself, he never called back'. You knew it wasn't his fault- something must've happened to the phone or your message was accidentally deleted and you didn't call again- you were too stubborn. "Don't paint me as a bad guy here Y/N. It's up to you, we can go or we can hang out here"  "And do what exactly?"  "Watch cartoons and play with Andy. I don't know, it's your choice"

February 2017

'It's your choice' Bucky told you after you asked whether you should come to his office or wait for him in some cafe or wherever. You were settled for a dinner's at eight but he insisted on meeting up early. The thought of being with Bucky at some kind of date was weird but he asked so nicely and who you were to say no? It's your choice and you chose to come to his office. Sitting across a desk his secretary or assistant was seated you waited for him to call you in, he was talking with some business partner. Your eyes wandered and  'POP' Damn it. Another pop and you were gonna slam the secretary's head on the desk. Stupid bitch. She was chewing a gum loudly and popped it looking at you shamelessly so you stared back at her. Funny how people can change through the years, now you could stare at her with rage in your eyes something you were too shy to do a couple years back "You're a natural or dyed redhead?" you asked her and crossed your legs, she smirked "And what do you think?" she averted your question and let out another pop. Ha! Like you cared "I don't care but you should change it darling. You look like a Weasley" you shot her your best shit-eating grin and she narrowed her eyes on you becoming as red as her horrible hair.  The door to Bucky's office opened and you and Weasley both stood up from your places. Bucky said goodbye to the guy walking out and the secretary smiled sweetly at Bucky "Mr. Barnes..." but Bucky looked at her briefly "That's all Bonnie, you can go home. Thank you" he said to her and looked at you smirking, you took your bag from the couch and turned to the girl "Mischief managed Weasley. Run along"  Bucky let you in his office and closed the door after you both entered, he frowned  "What was that? Why did you call her Weasley?" "Have you seen her hair?" you asked and looked out the window, you were on the eighth floor and people were looking like ants. Why do rich guys, CEO's have to have office's so high from the ground? "Her hair looks awful and besides she was rude to me" Bucky shot you a questioning glare "She was staring at me all the time and she was chewing her gum loudly, if she treats all your guests or customers or partners that way so good luck to you and I'm pretty sure she wants to suck your dick" Bucky laughed "I'm pretty sure she already did"  "Eww!" You grimaced and Bucky laughed harder seeing your face  "I'm kidding Y/N, I don't date people from work" Bucky said and stalked toward you.  "Doesn't matter, we don't date either and you still let me suck you" Bucky chuckled and reached his hands to cup your face, he kissed you on the forehead and pulled back to look at your face. He smiled seeing your eyes closed and your pouted lips, you were waiting for him to kiss you properly.   "I have something for you" he whispered and you opened your eyes blinking rapidly in surprise. He moved to his desk and opened a shelf and placed a small box on his desk.  "James you know I don't like when you're giving me anything" "I know, I know, it makes you feel like I'm paying you but happy Valentine's day?" he gave you his best smile and puppy eyes so backwardly you stalked to his desk and opened the box's lid. Inside was probably the most beautiful pair of earrings you've ever seen, golden with emerald stones and zircons or real diamonds you weren't quite sure. As you were admiring the earrings Bucky was studying your face and searching for any sign of you not liking his gift. The girl at jeweler's helped him chose and said there was no way you wouldn't like them but if by a chance you wouldn't he could always give them to his... No, the word girlfriend was too heavy on his tongue and he didn't want to think about her while he was with you. In the end, you're the one that mattered, it was always you. "I can't accept that" you closed the box and put it back on his desk, Bucky's smile faltered but before he asked you why you continued to speak "They cost probably my three paycheck's or even more. Bucky please don't make it harder than it is"  "Wear them tonight, just this one time and then you can give them back or to your mother hm?" He stuck the box in your hand and you sighed "All right, I'll wear them. God, you know it's gonna be weird spending time with you in a restaurant not fucking? I think today's the only day we saw each other and didn't fuck"  "Who said we won't fuck?" Bucky asked and raised his brow you frowned "You said you have to call it early tonight because your sister asked you to watch her children after her nanny flaked out on her?" you said confused and Bucky's heart clenched, he almost forgot what story he sold you. In a matter of fact after the dinner with you, he had to go meet with his girlfriend, it was Valentine's after all. Nicole was nice and she was filling the empty space in his life but she wasn't you, he knew he had to break up with her eventually or Heaven forbid you'll find out that he's lying to you and her for almost a six months now. He didn't know what he would do without you. "Yeah but we have three hours till eight so we can spend them really nicely" he said and placed his hands on your hips pulling you closer you shook your head and laughed "Nuh-uh! We have half an hour, I don't want to stink in that restaurant for snobs"  "Why you think I'm taking you to the restaurant? Maybe we'll eat hot dogs and drink beer" Bucky quirked his brew as you sank to your knees before him. You loved having control over him even only for a brief moment "Please Buck" you scoffed "ever since you have your own company and you make real money you became an uptight fucker who is so frustrated and focused on his work that his dick is throbbing whenever I'm nearby" you pulled his zipper down smirking and Bucky groaned. He tilted your chin with his hand making you look at him "Look at me Y/N" you parted your lips and his thumb started running on your bottom lip. You were looking at each other for a while. In moments like that, you used to looking for something in his eyes, any sign of his feelings towards you and how much you wanted to hear him saying these three words while he was making love to you. You would throw everything just to be with him, you were his from the day one and he knew that, yet he did nothing. Although he wanted to date you at the beginning but you were too afraid of your parents' reaction or that you'll both grow apart during your college, so you agreed to be his 'booty call', you were friends with benefits or you were doing 'free love' as he called it nicely. But today was the breakthrough- he asked you on a date and everything was going in the right direction.  You started to unbuckle his belt but he lifted you by your arms and moved you to the sofa in the corner of his office. He placed you on your back and kissed, tenderly and deeply. You whimpered against his lips as he started to fumble with the zipper and button of your jeans. He broke the kiss and looked at his fingers to have a better look at what he was doing. Bucky mumbled something about you wearing jeans on purpose and making his work difficult, you lifted your hips and Bucky almost ripped your jeans and underwear off of you. You whined when his fingers rubbed your clitoris "Fuck Bucky! I'm ready, I'm ready. Just fuck me please" Bucky looked at you surprised, in fact, he was a little disappointed, he loved making you squirm from just his touch and having you without your previous orgasm was difficult, he would have to go the extra mile if he wanted you to come.  "You sure?" he asked and you nodded vigorously "Okay" he got rid of his jacket and threw it somewhere onto the floor, next he unbuckled his belt and freed his semi-hard cock from its prison. He spat on his palm and ran his hand on his manhood. When his dick was standing proudly in all his glory Bucky positioned himself at your entrance and slowly slid home. You expected him to be rough but instead, he was slowly moving in and out of you. His lips were hovering above yours as he started to pant slowly, you tilted your head and your lips met. Bucky started to move his hips faster. You started to moan and gasped when his tip nudged that spot in your body, he smirked against your lips and you had to pull back from his lips, too overwhelmed to even focus on the kiss.  You were a panting and moaning mess and Bucky's breath puffs against your ear wasn't helping as his dick was abusing your g spot  "You gonna come? Huh? You gonna come for me?" one of his hands reached between you two to start rubbing your clit. You almost shouted when the pad of his thumb circled your button "Yeah, I think you gonna come" he said grinning at you and you wondered briefly why he was so smug about it, you always come with him. Your interior monologue was interrupted by Bucky shifting his hips and plowing into you in different angle "You're always so good to me" Bucky panted desperately chasing yours as well as his climax "So, so good to me. So wet, so tight and warm" he placed  his forehead on yours  "It makes me wanna be inside you all the time. Baby look at me" opening your eyes you saw Bucky's dilated pupils and hooded gaze, his lips were opened slightly and he smiled at you when he hit your cervix and your features twisted in pleasure. He was shushing you when you started to chant his name louder and louder. You placed your hands on the back of his neck pulling him to you and he placed his forehead to yours as earlier. With a particular thrust into you harder than earliest you cried out and melted as your orgasm enveloped you. Bucky kissed you to muffle your screams and quickened his pace, his hips stuttered after few thrusts and he stilled coating your insides with his white hot come. Both panting and with heavy limbs Bucky finally withdrew from you and you both moaned at the loss. As soon as he pulled out of you trickles of his semen rushed out of you onto the couch.   You were both sitting on that couch looking at the ceiling catching your breaths, the bliss was starting to go away slowly and you chuckled, Bucky smiled looking at you,  you started to giggling, your fingers pinched the bridge of your nose "What's so funny?" he took your hand and intertwined your fingers, his thumb ran along your knuckles "Tell me" he whined and you shook your head "I just realized you asked me on a date on Valentine's Day and we know each other for a while yet I still didn't get you anything. I'm sucky" Bucky laughed and you continued "That's why Kyle broke up with me?"  "Kyle was an idiot" Bucky said and tucked himself into his trousers, he moved to his desk and pulled the box of tissues and Kyle really was an idiot "Huh, what about Mike?" Bucky gave you tissues and you both started wiping the mess you caused, Bucky sighed "Mike was a possessive douche" the leather couch started to get sticky and Bucky cussed under his breath and his ears became red 'the cleaning lady's gonna know' "And Greg?"  "Jesus Y/N could you stop? I don't want to hear any word about those assholes and who the fuck names their child 'Greg'?" Bucky didn't want to listen about any of your exes, they were morons who had something he didn't and it made him pissed, they had you. "Shut up! I wanted to name my son that one day and don't let me start with your exes cause boy the list and their adjectives will be long" you smirked at him and dressed up, you saw Bucky's rolling his eyes, you knew it was the sensitive subject "Anyway coming back to your previous statement; you're not terrible and you don't have to get me anything, you're enough" as he spoke he moved closer to you and placed his hands on your cheeks running his thumbs on your skin "Always a charmer Mr. Barnes" you smiled at him and he leaned to say before he kissed you "For you doll? Always"

October 2018

"Is it me or today's cartoons are becoming more and more stupid?" You were sitting in Bucky's living room watching some dumb cartoons, you were hoping they'll screen Spongebob or Scooby-Doo or at least Fairly OddParents but nooo, instead they were showing ducks selling bread or about a dog in a black t-shirt. To your relief Andy wasn't interested in watching anything, you didn't want him to watch TV at such a young age. He was playing with Bucky on the floor with toys his father had bought him. It started to annoy you. With both you and Barnes in the room your son wanted to be carried by his father and wanted to play with him but who was carrying him in a womb for nine months? Who was with him after your hard delivery? Shit. Bucky didn't ask you how it went. "The cartoons are dumber year by year" he answered and you scoffed  "You probably remember 'I love Lucy' being made" you mumbled under your breath and Bucky gasped dramatically  "Are you driving at my age young lady? Swear to God the youth of today is so ungrateful" you snickered and he smiled at you, his eyes were sparkling and you averted your gaze to the screen hoping he won't see you blushing. Why it was so hard to even be near him? Bucky's phone placed in front of you on the cafe table started to vibrate and you leaned to reach him the phone, you briefly looked at the screen and your previous heat quickly disappeared. Obviously, how could you be so naive?  Looking once again at some woman's name and surname you gave Bucky the phone "Your girlfriend's calling"  Bucky frowned and looked at the screen before he declined the call and you looked at him surprised, he shrugged and slid the phone further on the carpet "What? I'm spending time with my child I don't want to talk with anybody" he said with a serious face and you  smiled at the thought of him treating fatherhood seriously "and for the record, she's not my girlfriend, she's my secretary" well you were kind of surprised "She's not your girlfriend? She's calling you on Sunday afternoon, something must be going on. Come on you can tell me, we are friends after all" you were teasing him and you hoped he knew that but his next question convinced you he was really oblivious "We are?" he asked with a smile on his face and hope in his voice  "No" His smile faltered and he gave you the look of a hurt puppy, you turned the TV off and crossed your arms looking at him "I mean once we could be considered friends, after all, we did pretty nasty things together" Bucky was watching you as you spoke and he couldn't believe how in a year you could turn from the girl he couldn't stop thinking of to a cold person, you were only showing emotions near Andy and all Bucky's affection you turned down immediately, he wondered were you the only woman with that problem Bucky adjusted Andy on his lap and you smirked, "I even opened my back door to you"  Bucky placed his hands on Andy's ears covering them and the kid squealed happily "Restrain yourself with a language like that near kids" you laughed and he smiled at the sound, how much he missed it "besides you wanted me to do it" he whispered still pretending the toddler understood everything  "Yeah it's not like that you never wandered there"  "Don't tell me it wasn't good" Bucky chuckled but as soon as the words fell from his mouth, he regretted them for your smile had disappeared and you looked at one spot in his apartment with a blank face "Yes, it was" you remembered the time you had with Bucky, you both knew your relationship whatever it wasn't couldn't stand the test of time. You couldn't always use each other, you couldn't be always in love with him. "I uh" your eyes snapped to Bucky as he was lifting himself with Andy from the floor "I should pack his things. Go to your mommy, buddy"  The drive to your home was silent. Bucky occasionally glanced at you through the driving mirror as you were sitting on the backseat with Andy. He was gripping the wheel hardly making his knuckles turn white. He wondered whether ask you today or wait some time but he had to fight for his family no matter how little it was.  You opened your flat's door and walked in, Bucky followed you. He had bought you this place after your sister got married in August but it still wasn't finished, your stuff was in boxes in closet and walls were empty the only decoration were plants. Bucky knew you didn't have  time for playing interior decorator, you were living alone with a kid with no one to help you while working as an editor to boot it all on Fridays you had to go to the office.  You placed Andy in baby jail and took a bag with clothes from Bucky "You want something to drink?" you asked as you were heading to the spare room which was supposed to be Andy's but you decided he would be sleeping with you in main room until he will shoot up a little  "No thank you. Listen Y/N there is something I wanted to discuss with you" Bucky was standing awkwardly in the center of the room not knowing what to do with himself until you'll come back "Oh, okay" you sat on the ottoman and Bucky sat across you on the couch. You were looking at him and he looked nervous for a moment the only cause of any noise was Andy playing with his stuffed toys.  "Listen I really want Andy in my life but I feel like having him for a weekend it's not enough" Bucky started, you opened your mouth but he continued "Please let me finish. I'm really grateful that you're letting me take him every weekend and as much as I'm not a fan of the whole 'staying together for the kids' thing I really want to try with you. After today I realized how much I miss you and you know I still love you" "Bucky..." "so we could go to the restaurant or somewhere to see how it goes and I don't know have a kind of probation" "Bucky" you tried to interrupt him but he was still talking about you two getting back together like you ever have been actually together "because you need someone to help you and I want you both in my life" you tried to hold back tears but the longer he was talking the harder it was, you had no choice "Bucky I met someone" he went silent for a moment blinking at you before he let out a soft 'Oh', it was a second time you saw James Barnes' heart breaking, it was a second time you were the cause of it and you hated it  "I met him in work" "But you work from home" Bucky was avoiding your gaze he was breathing harshly and his eyes were watered, your own spilled from your left eyes and you wiped it quickly "It was on one Friday when I was in the office, he was new and he asked me about something, we started talking and it clicked. Something that never did between us Bucky" Bucky nodded, he was looking at the floor at that moment, his left knee was bouncing rapidly and he was biting his lip  "Does he know you have a child?"  "Yes and he's okay with that" he hated the idea of Andy calling someone other than him dad, he hated the idea of you being someone's else and no matter how good that guy was when the other children will appear Andy will be spurned because he has other father.  "Okay, I understand. I should go now" Bucky’s voice cracked, he stood up from his place and you did as well. He came to the baby jail and lifted Andy cradling him in his arms. He sniffed but he allowed himself to because you were facing his back and you couldn't see how much he was wrecked  "I love you, I love you so much. I'll take you on Thursday"  He placed him back in baby jail and moved to leave your flat, without looking at you "Bucky wait!" you called after him but he didn't stop, he didn't even want to, it would be better if he'd leave this place as soon as possible "You're not working on Friday?" "Yeah" was the last word he said before he closed the door after him.  You were looking at the door for some time in the place you've last seen him before you were pulled back by Andy's whimpering.  He was sitting surrounded by his toys with tears in his eyes and he was reaching his hands to you but you knew he was sad because Bucky left and he loved his father with all his little heart maybe even more than he loved you.  "Oh honey I know" you lifted him and kissed his head "I know, I know but daddy's gonna be back" you looked at his pouty face as he was looking the door intensively like he wanted Backy to walk through the door again  "I hope" you added and you went to the window seeing Bucky's car still on its place. As much as you hated the idea of staying together for the kids you knew your child's welfare was the most important thing to you so you moved to where your bag was placed and drew your phone. Bucky stood by your door for some time with his face in his hands, he didn't cry, he cried enough but it still hurt the same. Finally, he moved to leave this place, he wanted to go home, to sit on his couch and watch some comedies or horror movies certainly not dramas- his own was big enough for a movie.  He was walking through the narrow street to his car when he was pulled back by someone calling his name, he turned around "Buck! Up here!" you called out from your window on the fourth floor, he wanted to ask you what the hell you were doing but you added "Check your phone!"  He hesitatingly pulled his phone from his pocket and he saw he had a message from you, he looked at you before reading it and you had a smile on your face 'Four months probation, no sex but if you're good we can arrange sth xo'  He read it three times and every time the message was the same and he wasn't dreaming at all, he lifted his head to look at you and you were still smiling and for him, you couldn't be more beautiful,  "Does that mean you'll go out with me on Friday?" he shouted to you and grinned, you laughed and shook your head in disbelief  "Go home Barnes!" you closed the window and Bucky stood there for a moment looking at your window before he went to his car, he knew everything will be alright and if not- he's gonna fight for you and for your son. For his little family.

Tags: @thessaswea @stanskarsgard @adreamemporium @chipilerendi @metalarmlover @benedrylcumbersnatch @bexboo616 @peaceinourtime82 @usernamesarelies @bulaklakas @myattemptatfanfictioning @british-men @lovely-geek

[dajeneats]

It's Friday night and I juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust got paid. Just got paid. Friday night. Party's pumpin', feeling right. No? Ok, fine. It's Friday afternoon. I may or may not have gotten paid **ahem, looking at you, boss** buuuut what's for sure is it's Fish Fry-Yay, dahling!!! We do have the party pumpin' at the cafe, and we can make you feel alright. Here are the seventyleven ways you can get down today: *Fish and Grits *Fish and Chips *Crab Cakes and Festival *Fish Sammich *Build A Bowl with Jamaican Rice and Peas featuring Jerk Chick'n, Fried Chick'n, Sweet and Spicy Cauli, Buffalo Cauli, Brown-Stew Cauli and Rainbow Broccoli Slaw with Grilled Pineapple. *Jerk Chick-n Sammich *Buffalo Chick'n Sammich *Identity Crisis Sammich (half jerk, half buffalo) *Looney Toona Sammich *Toona Melt *Caribbean Crab Salad *Manley-Castro Salad featuring @sweetbabssauces Papa's Mojo Sauce *Toona Salad. *10 flavors of Irie Cream in scoops and shakes *Irie Cream Sammiches Dahling, Fish Fry-Yay starts at 4 till 8. See you soon, yes? Let's eat in Eatonville. (at DaJen Eats) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7_me1aBPtP/?igshid=1n6xfzjvnbd7n

[mimiandmattpowell]

Week 7: Nepal

Feb 4 - 5:15 am at Kathmandu Airport - (Board plane, get off plane, board plane yet again) - 10:15 am Everest Flyby Flight - (Finally) - OMG we saw Mt. Everest! - Miss flight to Pokhara, check into later flight - (Which, of course is also delayed) - Check into Hotel Adam - Eat our first Dhal Baat at OR2K - (Learn that we really like it there) - Meet with Mr. Happy to confirm trek - The hunt for cash begins - (141,000 NPR to be exact) - Drinks and live music - Momos at Jamaican restaurant Feb 5 - Breakfast on Hotel Adam roof - (Jelly tastes like a red lollipop, yuck) - Secured trek with cash via scores of ATM visits - More gear shopping - Hang at OR2K for hours - Bumped into Rachel and the EBC crew - Watch Inception at Movie Garden - Matt gets fries on the walk home Feb 6 - Another mediocre breakfast at Hotel Adam - Rented a canoe and paddled across [Lake] - 1 hr climb up to Peace Pagoda - Run into Rachel's Nepal Tinder date - (Minus Rachel) - Hike 1 hr back down the mountain - Old man in red tries to sell Matt weed - Canoe back to town - (Mimi continues to fail at canoeing) - Early dinner back at OR2K - Matt gets sick, so we go home early - Watch movies in bed all night - (Eat Pray Love, Bucket List, He's Just Not That Into You) - (Chick flick night) Feb 7 - Breakfast at Olive Cafe - Matt sick in bed day - Worked on travel planing and life planning - More momos and hot ginger lemon honey tea - (More life planning) - (Watch guys working construction barefoot) - Dinner at Busy Bee Feb 8 - Mimi's birthday - (Yay!) - Breakfast at Moondance Restaurant - Saw our very first Asian car wreck - (This is surprisingly unusual) - Last minute errands / packing for trek - Hang at OR2K / apple pie / dinner - Tequila birthday shots and live music back at Zorba - Mimi gets Haribo for her birthday Feb 9: Trek Day 1 - 10 miles - 21,000 steps - 250 floors climbed - 8am pick up at Hotel Adam - Meet the guide and porter (look up names) - Drive an hour to Naya Pul - Climb to Ulleri - (The "Four Seasons Hotel") Feb 10: Trek Day 2 - 6 miles - 13,000 steps - 156 floors climbed - Climb to Ghorephani - First foray into the beautiful Rhododendron forest - Lots of waterfalls, streams and jungle - First great view of Annapurna Range - Meet Jonathan (The Nordic Seaman) - Meet Max (The Medical Marijuana Guru) - Meet Kelly (The Online Fitness Maven) - Miss sunset Poon Hill hike due to cloud coverage

[thesylvalining]

Now don’t get all peanut butter and jelly (jealous?) on me but it’s turning out I am on perma-cation. This time of year in my “adult” life I’d typically be slaving away at Arapahoe Cafe, or before that on a trail crew in Colorado, or before that fighting a forest fire somewhere. Occasionally I ponder how hard it’s going to be to return to normal life–but then again, I never really believed in a normal life, did I? Most importantly, I’ve been presented with a year off and I’ve grabbed it, like a bull by the horns 🙂

Recently, I reconnected with my (now married!) pal Nicolette, aka Nini. Both of us are as good at keeping in touch as two similar poles on a magnet. But as soon as one of us remembers to switch poles, it’s like nothing ever changed. I told her about my magical year off thus far and she said, “Or year on.” Ole! Nini’s right. It’s my year on–on course, on a joyful wavelength, on a big, free, unplanned adventure.

And during this exact moment of my year on, Faenza–as elsewhere in Italy and the world–is waist deep in a heat wave; two days ago, we passed a sign reading 44 C (111.2 F). In the un-airconditioned castle, post-midnight, the temperature clung to 32 C (89.6 F). The only solution: to go neck-deep in a river. Lisa and I chose the Montone, specifically a her happy place outside Bocconi. By car? I’m surprised you’d even ask!

After the quaint town of Tredozio and a decent, sweaty climb, we stopped to check out Romagna’s very own vulcano (volcano)–in all reality, a fumarole. Even if Lisa hadn’t been there many times before, it was easy enough to find…

At first glance the fumarole appeared to be dressed for Halloween–quite convincingly–as a rocky, pyramid-shaped campfire. But, perched on the dry lip of a wheat field overlooking a valley of relatively green hills, the vulcano was still impressive. Its bold orange flame licked the air like I wished I could lick a popsicle; we were careful not to get too close lest we lose what electrolytes we had left to sweating (more) profusely.

Arriving at The Guardrail, we tiptoed down the steep dirt path to the river in our bike shoes like newborn goats on an icy lake. After claiming a flat boulder, we set up shop and devoured the “cold” basil and tomato quinoa salad chef Lisa prepared. We chipped away at the afternoon happily watching leaves blowing in the wind, reading, journaling, dunking, drying off and doing a whole lot of Important Nothing.

Of course, Murphy’s River Law went into effect once we’d set up shop: clouds gathered like a band of hippies in front of the last Cannibus plant on earth, crowding in so close they blocked out the sun and the heat. Of course, every other moment had been vulcano-hot; luckily we decided to stay anyway and the mountain storms came and went quickly.

On our return, we barely dodged the wet bullet of a real soaker. We hid out under the eave of a bar where old Romagnolo men did their best to shield us from the elements with their curiosity.

Oh no, is it raining?!?!

Yay, it’s raining!!!

We capped off the day and the ride back with friends at a sagra (an Italian outdoor summer festival with dancing, music and most importantly: food) in Santa Lucia, just outside Faenza. Santa Lucia’s sagra celebrated the numerous joys of cappelletti, local pasta formed like a hat (un cappello) and stuffed with cheese or meat. Afterward, we felt like twice-stuffed cappelletti and managed to sleep with the help of our two, dueling fans.

In the midst of the worst drought in at least 60 years and a two-week heat wave the likes of which could fry an egg inside a fridge, it became apparent we needed to do Important Nothings Near Water. So two days later, we were dominating the flats from here to Marina Romea on our bikes, destination Romea Family Camping, Boca Barranca and water. The coolest part: we followed the partially gravel route along the very same Montone River all the way to the murky, refreshing waters of the Adriatic.

We made a weekend of it, setting up shop next to my favorite animal in the whole world:

And then we committed to a refreshing yo-yo between our lettini (beach chairs) and the Adriatic. The only interruption to circular heaven was a shower to rinse off the salt water before succumbing to another nap, seafood lunch and later Spritz in Boca Barranca’s breezy, outdoor dining room.

That evening, of course, said dining room transformed into the dance floor we were all too familiar with. The first night was Club Adriatico, techno beats and a young, too-cool crowd that didn’t mingle much, except among themselves. We turned in early (aka before 3 a.m.), in order to spend maximum time at the beach again in the morning…

Girls just wanna have fun! In the sun!

Glad we got our nails did, early birthday present from Lisa 🙂

The next evening, we rode bikes north along the coast, took the little traghetto (ferry) across the canal, ate our weight in fresh, fried seafood at locally infamous Baracchina and arrived just in time at Hanabi for the concert to begin. If we had socks on for some reason, the band would’ve blown them off. Xixa (chee-chuh), from Tuscon, Arizona, played and their sound was Mex-American, like an aural taco in a cowboy boot. Their energy was infectious, the lead singer (who raucously climbed on top of the drum set at the end of the last song) was swimming in charisma. We met and thanked the entire, chill very attractive band afterwards at the merch table.

And then we beelined back and danced our proverbial pants off until 3 a.m. This time, the flavor was house and the crowd was an older, quirky group we seasoned veterans hadn’t yet spotted in the hallowed, sandy halls of Boca. It became quickly apparent the Faenza-based DJ (who may or may not have snuck away to do some coke and come back with more than enough energy to head bang to house music) had a cult following. This crowd came to dance, not pick up chicks or dudes or stand around and stare and drool and be creepy while we danced. Ages ranged from blushing youths like ourselves to–literally– grandma in her flowered mu-mu.

We were plastered to the dance floor like the sweat which clung to us like drunk flies on heat-melted proscuitto. Afterwards, we were past primed for bed. Back at the tent, an angry buzzing arose like fish burps from the bottom of the shallow river in Bocconi. A large fly? A bee? If I got a euro for every time I’ve gotten gnawed on by an insect, I’d retire yesterday so, of course, we had to find the source.

“I think it’s coming from your ass,” said Lisa, after we’d ripped the tent apart like the biggest, most mysterious Christmas present under the tree. And yet the bedding, pillows, pads and tent were oddly insect free. And we hadn’t had a drink since the bottle of wine sloshing around with our seafood. Still the buzz prevailed.

I peered under the tent–in case the idiot bug mistook itself for a gopher–and Lisa put her ear to my thick, orange Big Agnes sleeping pad. The same one with a single entrance and exit: the valve I spend 20 years of my life blowing through each time we camp.

“It’s inside your mat,” she said, as the warm three a.m. breeze came to investigate. We looked at each other incredulously, shrugged, remade our beds and laid down. Lisa fell asleep immediately with her mouth open, intent on catching whatever else was going to sting me later. Meanwhile, the drowsy buzz continued on and off–Zzzz. Zzzzzzzzz. Zz–until I flopped off the sweaty ledge into sleep.

I must say, before moving on, I didn’t think my peculiar relationship with insect-kind could get any stranger. But now I’ve had a winged tenant residing inside my sleeping pad, I realize it can always get stranger.

Miss Merighi–per usual–rose when sunlight invaded the tent and made her way to a prime beach spot. I slept soundly, like the insect inside my sleeping bag which was certainly dead and baked to a crisp. Outside, a battery-powered car driven in ever-decreasing circles around the tent by the kids next door encroached on my dreams.

“Guarda,” I heard mom say, loudly. Then, insistently, “Guarda avanti!” Or, “Watch in front!” This statement was followed by a crashing noise, which was the tree next to the unicorn and also the end of my rest.

Sunday was another beach day. That evening, once it had “cooled down,” (which was more or less the difference between riding bikes in a dry sauna and riding bikes in a dry sauna with the door cracked), we rode home.

My favorite bike fence in the rural hinterlands of Emilia-Romagna.

Back at the castle, the air crept about like a stoned tortoise and the temperature gauge once again moved about as much as the house DJ, pre coke. I’m part of a strange breed of humans whose progeny has largely died out and who naturally prefers sweating to shivering. But even I had to concede the better choice was to escape Faenza again, as if chased by a herd of zombies intent on eating only endangered, warm-weather brains.

And where better than back to Bocconi, where we could make our world a slab of rock in the shade of a quivering tree…

… or explore the neighboring world in the cool, green waters and dry off on a hot rock…

… or wander barefoot for hours upstream to discover quieter swimming holes…

For much of the day, with the heat wave in full effect, the riverbanks were crowded for a Wednesday. But once darkness curled its fingers around the stone amphitheater of the river’s bend, the crowd evaporated. So we set up our (illegal) tent by the gurgling river…

DCIM101GOPRO

DCIM101GOPRO

… tried to make dinner and realized since it’s our first time camping, we forgot a lighter AGAIN. We ate piadina and ripe melone instead and chilled in our swimsuits until we turned in around midnight. Before sleeping, we meandered barefoot downstream and laid on a flat rock, still warm with sunshine heat. I lost all track of time, observing the stars observing us.

In the morning, we logged in river nymph time (wandering around or sunning ourselves totally naked). It felt gloriously wild and free. Eventually people trickled in like a bead of sweat between… well never mind. Anyway, we frantically traded swimsuits for birthday suits and resumed our earlier positions…

They say all good things must come to an end, but first, how do they know? And also, can they end when buttressed on either side with more good things? I’m not sure, but at any rate our next adventure called so we picked up the phone, packed up our tent, left the area clear of our presence, hiked up the steep hill to the road… 

…bombed down hot pavement on bikes with a crescione break at our new favorite kiosk…

… and arrived back at the castle before the stars popped out of the hot, humid skies like mystery bugs from a sleeping pad.

I can’t even taunt you with teaser of the next adventure because this blog–for once–nearly brings us up to speed. Just in case you were worried about a lack of blog material, I’ll touch on the wonder that was my birthday (August 6th) and tomorrow (for almost the next two weeks) Lisa and I trade hot Faenza for the cool Italian alps. Alla prossima!

Water You Up To? Now don't get all peanut butter and jelly (jealous?) on me but it's turning out I am on perma-cation.

[dajeneats]

It's Friday night and I juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust got paid. Just got paid. Friday night. Party's pumpin', feeling right. No? Ok, fine. It's Friday afternoon. I may or may not have gotten paid **ahem, looking at you, boss** buuuut what's for sure is it's Fish Fry-Yay, dahling!!! We do have the party pumpin' at the cafe, and we can make you feel alright. Here are the seventyleven ways you can get down today: *Fish and Grits *Fish and Chips *Fish Bowk *Fish Sammich *Build A Bowl with Jamaican Rice and Peas featuring Jerk Chick'n, Air-Fried Chick'n, Sweet and Spicy Cauli, Buffalo Cauli, Brown-Stew Cauli and Rainbow Broccoli Slaw with Grilled Pineapple. *Jerk Chick-n Sammich *Buffalo Chick'n Sammich *Identity Crisis Sammich (half jerk, half buffalo) *Looney Toona Sammich *Toona Melt *Caribbean Crab Salad *Manley-Castro Salad featuring @sweetbabssauces Papa's Mojo Sauce *Toona Salad. *10 flavors of Irie Cream in scoops and shakes Dahling, Fish Fry-Yay is happening now till 8. See you soon, yes? Let's eat in Eatonville. (at DaJen Eats) https://www.instagram.com/dajeneats/p/BxA_KvPA1h2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=94th4se92wvi

[dajeneats]

It's Friday night and I juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust got paid. Just got paid. Friday night. Party's pumpin', feeling right. No? Ok, fine. It's Friday afternoon. I may or may not have gotten paid **ahem, looking at you, boss** buuuut what's for sure is it's Fish Fry-Yay, dahling!!! We do have the party pumpin' at the cafe, and we can make you feel alright. Here are the seventyleven ways you can get down today: *Fish and Grits *Fish and Chips *Fish Escovitch *Fish Sammich *Build A Bowl with Jamaican Rice and Peas featuring Jerk Chick'n, Air-Fried Chick'n, Sweet and Spicy Cauli, Buffalo Cauli, Brown-Stew Cauli and Rainbow Broccoli Slaw with Grilled Pineapple. *Jerk Chick-n Sammich *Buffalo Chick'n Sammich *Identity Crisis Sammich (half jerk, half buffalo) *Looney Toona Sammich *Toona Melt *Caribbean Crab Salad *Manley-Castro Salad featuring @sweetbabssauces Papa's Mojo Sauce *Toona Salad. *10 flavors of Irie Cream in scoops and shakes *decadent desserts from @blooming_pastries Dahling, Fish Fry-Yay starts at 4 till 8. See you soon, yes? Let's eat in Eatonville. (at DaJen Eats) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt6p5JCALOX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kkyq910e28jx