#but it was nice to be smelling the north woods while i plan it lol

[angelmush]

we had a very beautiful time stomping around in lake superior n staring into the woods

[sickandtideeeee]

By Bast - Chapter 15 (Erik x Reader)

A/N: Fluffier than expected... I hope it’s not a waste of time lol. Comments, likes and reblogs are appreciated! 

The next day, you woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and the soft running water of a nearby stream. Then the widespread itch came. The bugs had gotten you through your robes somehow, and your skin was etched with raised bumps on all four limbs. You sat up under the makeshift lean-to Erik had built in the dead of night and scratched your legs exasperatedly.

Erik was nowhere to be found. You wondered where he had slept, if he did sleep. A small part of you wanted to panic at the thought of abandonment, but instead you pulled your knees to your chest, took a deep breath and focused on observing the terrain around you. He would return, you were sure of it… 90% sure.

By the height of the sun in the sky, you guessed it was about midday. Your stomach finally began to protest yesterday’s antics with a loud grumble and you tried to ignore the gnawing sensation in the pit of your belly. While gorging during T’Challa’s feast had lasted you quite a while, it was finally time to refuel. You shuddered at the idea of having to resort to eating bugs, and silently cursed yourself for not preparing better to camp out in the jungle. Maybe next time you’d pack a survival kit before starting your daring rescue.

“Finally awake, huh?”

Erik was walking towards you carrying a large bunch of greenish-yellow bananas, likely fresh from a felled tree. It was as though he had known you were starving. He tossed them in your direction and while you did catch them, the bunch fell on your lap harder than you expected. Erik ignored your wince of pain and took a seat next to you.

“Better eat fast so we can get going.”

With that, he pulled off two bananas and peeled both, eating them at once. Once he was done, he ripped off the bottoms of his soiled pants, revealing his well-developed calves. Unsatisfied with this, he did the same with the long sleeves of his shirt, tearing them effortlessly to free his arms from the heat.

“Aren’t you worried about mosquitoes?” You asked, peeling your own banana with just the tips of your likely dirty fingers. It was barely ripe, but edible.

“We won’t be out long.” You raised an eyebrow. “You’ll see,” he insisted.

You decided not to question it. The two of you finished the rest of your meal in silence. Eventually, Erik got to his feet and started walking to the north with a purpose.

“Let’s move.”

You hurriedly obliged, ever afraid to be left behind.

---

It was when you finally reached a quaint cabin in the jungle that you had to say something. Your mouth hung open as Erik turned over a large fallen leaf by the side of the structure and pulled out the key that was laying underneath.

“N’Ja-.. I mean, Erik… did you-... are you clairvoyant? What the hell?” You were at a complete loss for words. How had this man legitimately prepared for everything?

He raised an eyebrow at you and then proceeded to unlock the door.

“No-no-no-no-no!” You protested the very sight before your eyes, following him into the small home. While this cabin obviously did not have the luxury of running water, electricity or gas, the fact that Erik had led you to a fully built shelter in the middle of literally nowhere equipped with a bed (!), a wood stove (!!), cabinets (!!!), and a fireplace (!!!!), was just too absurd for you to comprehend.

“This is unbelievable.” You said, swinging one of the cabinets open to reveal stacks of canned soup and beans, beef jerky in sealed plastic and bottles upon bottles of filtered water. “Unbelievable!”

You whipped around in shock, a box of powdered milk in one hand and a jar of peanut butter in the other. “Are you serious?! Is this really yours?”

That last question you probably did not want the complete answer to. “How did you know we’d need this?!”

Erik, for the first time since you met him, started to laugh.

Not the cocky or mocking laugh you were used to, but a true, unbridled, amused laugh. You were so surprised, the box you were holding almost slipped out of your fingers, making him laugh harder. Erik trying to get ahold of himself was humanizing but almost as bewildering as there being a fully stocked cabin in the woods just waiting for the two of you. Almost.

Erik wiped a tear from his eye, and sat down at the small round wooden table next to the stove. He waved you over to sit across from him.

“Put the peanut butter down ma, damn!” He said, his voice still light and entertained. Once you sat, he continued. “I was here for a little while before I showed up… Just planning. You know, in case shit went wrong.”

So he wasn’t 100% certain he’d take over the entire country single-handedly. I could have been fooled, you thought.

“How do you even know this place is safe?” You asked, looking around.

“Trust me, it’s safe.”

“I’ve been trusting you an awful lot in the past 24 hours.” You joked, but his expression darkened, and you let out a nervous laugh.

Erik suddenly got up and headed over to the bed. He grabbed the pillow and wordlessly beat the dust out of the mattress a couple of times before stripping down to his underwear without so much as a warning. Embarrassed, you averted your eyes.

“Shut up for a minute so I can take a quick nap.” He said, curtly. In less than a minute, he was fast asleep. You now were almost certain he’d been up all night.

That was abrupt. You were starting to get the sense that Erik was sensitive. Now what would you do while Erik was asleep?

You got up and continued to look around the cabin. In a closet you opened carefully to prevent creaking, you could find a machete, a fishing pole and a bucket. In a dresser, pushed to the wall opposite the bed, you could find three spare sets of clothing, including a pair of comfortable looking flannel pajama pants and a matching button-down shirt. Five pairs of boxers were neatly folded into one of the drawers. A towel, assorted combs in the other.. a boar bristle hairbrush? You rolled your eyes at the excess of it all. Who was this man trying to look nice for in the entire jungle?

From one of the cabin windows, you could see a cool-running stream in a short walk down a dirt path. It seemed like a good place to bathe, and you should probably take the opportunity while Erik was sleeping. You probably smelled rank anyway.

Walking down the path was mind-clearing, even more so when you could finally shed your dirty robes and slowly submerge yourself into the body of water. Under a small waterfall, you closed your eyes, letting the water crash onto your shoulders.

Water is cleansing. Water is good. Water would wash away your sins, water would replace your good food, your life in the castle. Could it? How long would it be until you were found? How long until N’Jadaka got tired of dragging you around and went off to do whatever men of his ilk did?

You exhaled heavily and sunk deeper into the water, so that you were up to your neck. You could see a couple of the gentler fauna peering from afar to get a drink. Antelope were graceful and kept their distance before drinking but you backed deeper into the base of the small waterfall cliff so that you were obscured from view. You weren’t exactly looking for another jungle cat encounter, especially naked and alone.  

Next steps were unclear, and Bast had not said anything in the past day. Now Erik only guided you and while you knew you had some sort of protection from harm from Bast, you were not sure how safe it could keep you from him if he changed his mind. You called out to her again, but no response came. Instead, you continued to sit for the next half-hour.

The next time you peered out, most of the animals were gone so you waded back out to the bank to grab your robes and rinse sweat and grime out of them as well. When you looked up, Erik was coming up the path towards you, but hadn’t spotted yet. Remembering you were naked, you swam back to your hiding spot hoping he wouldn’t spot you. Your heart pounded but he seemed to thankfully pass by you.

You decided to give it a few minutes before making your escape, but then you heard the sound of someone else plunging into the water.

Abandoning the need for discretion, you all but scrambled out of the water to cover up the indecent portions of your body with your sopping wet clothing.

“Ain’t like I’ve never seen titties before!” Erik’s voice rang out from behind as you ran down the path at full speed. You could feel your body grow so hot in embarrassment that you were pretty sure you’d probably instantly air-dried on your way back to the cabin.

--

You couldn’t face Erik once he swaggered back into the cabin. In fact, the moment you heard the front door swing open, you could feel your stomach do backflips. At least this time you were fully clothed, wearing the flannel pajamas you had located earlier while your robes hung to dry.

Erik did not say a word but you could almost feel him smirking as you gestured towards a meal placed on the table, eyes focused on the still burning stove. While he had been bathing, you had tried to figure out the best way to make something edible out of canned beans, instant rice and whatever vienna sausages were. Still, without any spices aside from salt and pepper, the food tasted like it had been doused in sugar and flour and had the texture of something that had been thawed and reheated daily for three weeks.

You put out the fire and turned to finally eat. Erik was already seated and making his way through his plate. Shirt off, he was brilliant to look at and you couldn’t help admiring his built chest. But those scars… You focused on filling your stomach, not your eyes. Shame on you.

Keeping your eyes on your plate, you chewed carefully, suddenly startled by a fork clattering on the table. You looked up at Erik.

“Did I… desecrate you or something?”

Your eyes grew wide.

“What?”

He ran his hands through his dreadlocks, letting out a sigh. “I mean, like, seeing you earlier, titties out and shit. Since you a priestess virgin and all.”

Now you lowered your fork hard on the table.

“Can we just not talk about it?” You asked, sternly, now more annoyed than embarrassed. Erik opened and closed his mouth, deciding against saying whatever he had in mind. Realizing he probably actually wasn’t meaning to be crass, you started to feel bad.

“Okay, well it’s not gonna rain fire and lightning so don’t worry about that.” you offered. “I can tell you’re really from the West with all that puritanical thinking though.”

Erik took your teasing surprisingly well. He smiled warmly.

“Your food tastes like ass, by the way.” He said, clearing his dish off the table.

You frowned. “I tried my best.”

Cheekily, he replied, “I know.”

Tagging:  @syndrlla97 @iwantsomethingeternal@1killmonger @chasingsunlight22@hoopshoney @destinio1 @wakanda-inspired @thadelightfulone @lalasparkles @pessimisfit @youreadthatright @stark-red19@ruruly20@bossyboyd03 @autumn242 @heybriheyyy @thelovelyliterary@muse-of-mbaku @bidibidibombaclaat @supersizemeplz@romanceoftheeveryday@chaneajoyyy @lildashofmelanin @blackpinup22 @imayhavemisunderstood @raysunshine78 @killmongersbaby @fonville-designs

[thebananniediariesbyannie]

What’s Your Signature Fragrance?

Citrus? Floral? Musky? What fragrance family is your favorite?

There are so many different fragrances to choose from, but knowing what fragrance family you like can make your decision easier.  I’ve composed a list of fragrances based on their scent families:

Floral:

Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Seduction Eau de Parfum

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Intense

Ariana Grande CLOUD Eau de Parfum

Gucci Bloom Eau de Parfum

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Parfum

Fresh:

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau Intense

Victoria’s Secret Love Eau de Parfum

Tory Burch “Tory Burch” Eau de Parfum

Kate Spade Walk on Air Eau de Parfum

Clean Original “Clean” Eau de Parfum

Chloe Fleur de Parfum

Fruity:

Ariana Grande Sweet Like Candy Eau de Parfum

Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy Eau de Parfum

Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Eau de Parfum

Vince Camuto Ciao Eau de Parfum

Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris Eau de Parfum

Warm/Spicy:

Kat Von D Sinner Eau de Parfum

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum

Tom Ford Ombre Leather

Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy Eau de Parfum

Michael Kors Sexy Ruby Eau de Parfum

and now…here’s my story on how I found perfumes that are in my favorite scent family: Musky

A lot of people tend to have one fragrance that is their “signature” scent.  When I was little, I remember telling my mom that my grandma was scented (LOL).  I was too young to know what perfume was (and my family thought it was hilarious) so I always just thought she lived her life smelling like that…until the day I saw her spray her favorite perfume.  Btw, she still wears the same one to this day.  

 Personally, I never found a perfume I loved so much that it was the only one I wore.  I tend to switch back and forth.  Victoria’s Secret used to be my go-to perfume shop.  But every time I found a perfume I liked there, it would be gone within one year.  Some of my favorites included Sexy Little Things Noir, Fearless (I wayyyy overstocked on Fearless so I do still have that left), and Bombshell Nights.  

So this year, I ventured out to some other brands and here’s what I found.

These are the perfumes I have come to love:

Coach Love-  This was the first brand I tried out other than Victoria’s Secret.  Today, it’s not the easiest to find, but a few online retailers still sell it.  I liked this scent because it still smelled musky but it was lighter. I still have the rollerball bottle of this scent. I like to bring it with me when I travel. It’s nice to freshen up while traveling and this bottle makes it travel-friendly and convenient.

Here are the main notes in this scent: white floral, floral, patchouli, powdery, musky, warm spicy.

 Dolce & Gabbana Rosa Excelsa -  Again, I was on the hunt for a “signature” perfume and I ended up at Sephora.  I went through their wall of perfume and found this one by Dolce and Gabbana.  It even comes in the prettiest bottle with a rose flowered lid.  I looked this perfume up elsewhere and I ended up purchasing it on Last Call by Neiman Marcus for more than half off of the regular price.

Here are the featured notes in this perfume: Neroli leaves, Papaya, White Water Lily, White Daffodil, African Dog Rose heart, pink-flowered Turkish Rose Absolute, Musky, Cashmeran and Sandalwood.

 Ouai Mercer Street – OMG!  I am so happy that Jen Atkin and Ouai Haircare decided to make perfumes.  Ever since I started using their shampoo and conditioners, I was hoping that this would happen.  The one I chose is Mercer Street because I love the scent of their shampoos and conditioners.  It’s actually the only one left in-stock on their website.  When they do a re-stock, I plan on trying out either North Bondi, which is scented like their famous wave spray.

Here are the featured notes in this perfume: Top Notes - Orange, Peony, Itlian Lemon, Iris, and Lily - Middle Notes - Magnolia, Jasmine Sambac, and Turkish Rose - Base Notes - White Musk and Orris.

 Ouai Melrose Place - When Sephora did a re-stock of the Ouai Perfumes, I was able to get Melrose Place. This fragrance is the same scent as their Scalp and Body Scrub. It smells awesome! Something that’s really cool about the Ouai Fragrances is that the bottle itself is magnetic. I figured this out by accident and I just think that it’s cool that this company puts so much thought into their products.

Here are the featured notes in this perfume: Top Notes - Champagne, Pink Peppercorn, Berry, and Lychee - Middle Notes - Peony, Rose, Freesia, Jasmine, and Bergamot - Base Notes Amber, Sandalwood, White Musk, and Cedar-wood.

My next perfume to try….Fucking Fabulous by Tom Ford.  Fingers crossed that I like this one.  "Fucking Fabulous is a decadent, oriental leather with an intoxicating grip. It evokes the private exchanges where fantasies come true. It’s undeniably the most straightforward name for such a beautiful scent."—Tom Ford

Here are the featured notes in this perfume: Fresh lavender, Bitter Almond , Vanilla , Orris Root, Irris Flower, Leather

That completes my list of my personal favorites in the Musky Scent Family.

There’s just something about musky perfumes that I just love.  They say that everyone’s body reacts differently to perfumes. It’s just in our each unique chemical makeup. So whether or not I end up finding a ‘”signature” scent, I will most likely be sticking to the musky and/or spicy scent family.

xo, Annie

[breaksandbites]

This was one of the best days of our trip, I have been holding back the urge to jump over and share the detailed happenings of this super adventurous day with you all since so long. This is going to be an extensive post with lots and lots of amazing images from medieval castle to stunning beaches and awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, spectacular (insert all such adjectives here) landscapes with a bonus video and pictures of closer to nature species. So you better bookmark it for later read in case you are in a hurry (just a suggestion). Don’t miss out the video I have attached at the end of post which has some terrific scenes from our day’s escapades.

Dunedin is a treat to the eyes! Also our accommodation was an archaic site from 1860, let me know if you want to have a look around that place as well, I can share the video of it. So this particular day was one ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ (this is an english word, trust me); extraordinarily wonderful to put in simple terms. It was all unplanned and everything was coming as a surprise for us, a pleasant one!

Larnach Castle & Grounds

We set out to visit ‘New Zealand’s ONLY castle‘ called The Larnach Castle which was built in 1871. It was later adopted (read purchased) by the Barker family in 1967, who are now responsible for the restoration and conservation of this beautiful historic site. Sharing the magnificent pictures of the whole property, look out for the captions below each image for more details.

The Castle Panorama

The breathtaking scenic drive towards the castle

we were driving through the clouds

The entry gate of the castle

The castle

castle gardens

This was not a huge palace kinda place but this is what New Zealand’s only castle looks like :)

Entering the castle

The Dining Room

Music Room

This painting I am posing with depicts the castle, Otago Harbour And Heads in 1889

This was the ladies drawing room, here ladies took tea and entertained their friends

This is the library where Mr Larnach held court after dinner, entertaining heads of state and his friends

We posing in the tall mirror which is a part of Master Bedroom

This is the North Bedroom on first floor

This was the only washroom on first floor – No attached bathrooms in the castle mannn

The master bed made of original kauri- on the bed is the warming pan, this was filled with hot coals from fire and used to warm the bed. This was a pretty small room with lights coming in from all directions

This is the wedding dress of Constance (3rd wife of William Larnach)

These were her possessions

Some insights about the fashion of that era

Who doesn’t love nice smells!

Mr Larnach with his wife (not sure which one she is out of the three)

This lady was hung at the ceiling in fashion room, was a little creepy :/

The solid kauri and mahogany Staircase leading all the way up to the nursery floor and tower

The baby room

Some statue in Gun room

Tower room that offers amazing view

The gun owned by William Larnach

some more of his weapons

The fireplace in Gun room

The foyer leading to Ballroom

The Ballroom is now turned into a cafe

The view from tower

The gardens spreading at the left side

The beautiful sights from the top

The gardens that welcome you

This is castle view from main garden

I did a live tour of the baronial house on my Facebook page as well, embedding the session below.

The castle is surrounded by lush green gardens. There is a beautiful, well maintained native plant trail in the gardens area that will surely attract you if you are a nature person. We took a stroll around the gardens and loved the serenely peaceful setting. Check out for yourself.

The picturesque setting <3

<3

Some interesting facts about the castle:

The location of the baronial house was chosen by William Larnach and one of his sons when they went for a horse ride along the top of the Otago Peninsula to choose the best site for their home.

The construction of castle began in 1871; it too 200 men and 3 years to build the castle shell.

Master European craftsmen spent a further 12 years embellishing the interiors.

It is built in Gothic Revival architecture and holds the crown of New Zealand’s only castle.

It was initially built for William Larnach’s beloved first wife Eliza but the possessions of Constance (third wife of Willaim Larnach) are displayed in the boudoir.

Materials from all over the world were used – marble from Italy, slate from Wales, floor tiles from England, glass from Venice and France. Many New Zealand native woods were also used – kauri ceilings, rimu floors and honeysuckle panelling.

William Larnach took his own life in the New Zealand Parliament Buildings in 1898.

50 years have been passed since the restoration and innovation work has begun. And it is still in progress.

The Gardens of castle are home to 17 species of plants that are found nowhere else.

The melodic call you hear as you take a stroll along the gardens is from a native bellbird.

The castle is now one of the top tourist attractions of Dunedin.

After touring the majestic castle and it’s grounds we headed towards an unknown destination. Since, nothing was planned we just drove around the breathtaking peninsula until we arrived at some residential area. We stopped by a grocery store, bought some bottles of milk since it was the only option available for lunch. Yes, there are no petrol pumps on the peninsula as well so go well prepared if you are planning to. We grabbed a map from the salesgirl and decided to check out Allan’s Beach.

Allan’s Beach

It was an isolated beach, literally at the end of road and on top of that there was no proper access to the beach. We crossed some fences of private properties in order to reach the shore and woahh there was a huge fur seal lying in the only passageway to the beach. We tried to bypass Mr. or Mrs. Seal by attempting to go through the long bushes but it was too difficult to manage E in one hand and keep an eye on the seal from the corners while crossing those wilderness. We gave up the idea and waited for sometime in hopes that the lazy creature will go towards the sea on its own but it didn’t. So we turned back and left the place without even touching the waves :( . The beach must be bee-you-tea-full mannn, I can tell that from the limited views we got to witness during that encounter. Have a look at the pictures and decide for yourself :)

The beach and fur seal, amazing view

It moved a little but the path remained blocked

Otago peninsula’s views

Check out this lazy bum, it was hugeee

in love with this sight <3

The fence we crossed, it was a private property.

Royal Albatross Centre & Reserve

We then turned the car and moved towards Pilots Beach, another end of the peninsula where the subject centre is located. I didn’t know that Albatross is the name of a bird until we entered the place.

Upon enquiring we got to know that they have built this reserve to protect the endangered Royal Albatross colony. They conduct tours to the colony where you can see the eggs, babies, male and female albatrosses. We were also told that you can catch albatrosses soaring in the sky from outside but only if the wind is blowing at its top knots. It was not too windy outside when we entered the reserve but still we were not quite interested in spending money on a birds’ tour. So we decided against it.

Small penguins also emerge there at the beach around sunset but we were not keen about those as well since we already had experienced that earlier at Philip island in Australia. We enjoyed a cup of coffee at the cafe and resolved to take a walk along the sea shore before heading back towards Dunedin.

My battery charger!

The centre from inside

Peek-a-boo

The average wingspan of royal albatross is about 2.9 – 3.3 m :o

They were offering tours of this disappearing gun too, we were least interested in it… lol

As we stepped out of the reserve, the wind was blowing very fast to our utter astonishment. As a result of which we were able to observe Albatrosses flying high in the sky. It was a treat to spot them, every other bird was getting unstable in their flight but the albatrosses were kissing the sky like a boss!

The part of beach where albatrosses were flying, we spotted some lazy fur seals at the rocks too.

That’s an albatross flying like a boss!

This is a picture of ‘picture of Albatross’ :p

From here we proceeded towards the basin of beach with the thoughts that we’ll just take a quick walk and will then drive back to the city. But we spent more than an hour in that section, you know why? We encountered some more lazy bums i.e. fur seals relaxing and napping over the rocks as soon as we walked down the stairs.  And that was not it, we saw 2 fur seals fighting with each other as we advanced a little more. That was a sight to see, the day was going super awesome until now and their combat made it more adventurous and enthralling. Ahhmazzing experience! :D Check out the pictures below and video at the end to catch some of the glimpses of that deadly war ;)

The Fight!

Stairs leading towards the beach

A lazy seal relaxing

Pilot’s beach

Such an awesome sight :)

I made HI run towards the car to bring my power bank so that I could conduct a live session of the crazy atmosphere. Attaching the session below:

Finally we got settled in the car and progressed towards city centre with smiles on our faces. E also had a great time spotting and watching those seals. We had zero expectations from the day’s excursions but everything we came across was just purrfect. It was one of those days when every piece of puzzle falls in its place on it’s own!

But the day can’t end without having food, right? We were starving by the time we entered the city. We initially thought to try the shawarma from the same place we had turkish tea the day before and while searching for the cafe we bumped into this Indian restaurant named Little India, located inside the Octagon which serve halal food. Our day was made, What else can we ask for! The scrumptious desi style food was the perfect ending to our super awesome day.

Just look at this killer biryani and that soft fluffy naan <3

And this is the video I have made out of the so-less video clips we recorded during the day. Watch in 4K or HD.

This was it about our lovely kinda sensational day. Behold! this is just the beginning, the upcoming couple of days are of the same nature. We were bowled out by the beauty of New Zealand totally. So watch out for more interesting posts from this beautiful part of the world as we set out to explore some more hidden gems in this ‘Trip of Lifetime’ series.

Stay tuned! :)

Outstanding Otago Peninsula – Trip of Lifetime Day 13 This was one of the best days of our trip, I have been holding back the urge to jump over and share the detailed happenings of this super adventurous day with you all since so long.