#but the rest of the people on our small street are cool and nice

[ellaa-writes]

Do you mind making a fanfic where König slowly falls in love with the reader that's the team medic. And can it be smut towards the end that's more vanilla than rough?

Hiii! Thank you for the request. Also sent back in November. I always get carried away with these. CW; alcohol consumption but over all its very tame and a little fluffy :)

Working for Kortac wasn't always easy but it sure was awarding. Being the team medic/doctor had its perks. You mostly worked on base, or different outposts. You rarely experienced field work, but you weren't completely useless. The rest of the team wouldn't allow it, specially the Colonel.

You train with them, eat with them, shower with them, cause you are one of them.

As well as going out after a successful mission, when everyone is preparing for there leave. A nice hooray before a break.

You've been with Kortac for little over a year now, you made friendships with almost everyone. The Lifesaver they call you, out of respect and also taking the piss. Getting a nickname meant you were really family.

You don't talk about your personal life, no one does and no one asks questions. But it's not like you want to talk about your failures and joining the military was you lose ditch effort to pursue your dreams. Working in the hospital wasn't ideal anymore, the mundane day after day was draining you. And your tremors destroyed your opportunity to your goal as a board certified surgeon.

Wearing your civvy clothes, nothing special. Your favorite pair of jeans, a simple top and chunky boots. It's a tad chilly so you threw a warm leather jacket over it to tie it all in. Taking a cab with Roze to the local bar. Chatting about plans and wants. Roze using her leave to go climb a mountain. Telling her you wish you had her ambition and discipline. And her telling you that she could teach you some time.

The cab stopped in front of the bar, a fairly busy night. A small group of people were gathered around chatting and smoking cigarettes. Some of them you recognize as your teammates, and the Colonel. He made you dizzy, every time your eyes find him every cell in your body buzzes. Like flies to a street lamp.

Like a million butterflies in your tummy, beating against the inside tying to break out. You waving back to the ones that waved to you, making your way into the bustling bar. Leading the way to the bar, Roze close behind.

"We should find a both, I'm not being stuck at a fucking table." Roze gritted into your ear, remembering the last time you two went out with the boys. "Go find one I'll order our drinks. The usual?" you offered. She gave you a big smile and squeeze to your upper arm. "You are a doll, do you know that?" she yelled as she made her way through the crowd.

You finally flagged down the busy bartender, ordering Roze her vodka soda and your old fashion. Looking out into the crowd trying to find the others. Spotting them at a big booth in the back, a big screen rght above playing some sort of football game.

With a loud clink the bartender dropped the drinks in front, snatching the change out of your hand before turning away to help another. Carefully making your way through the crowd to the others, watching has Roze and Hutch lively convo. Setting the drink down before sliding it over to Roze who mouthed a silent thank you to you.

You slid into the other end of the both the faced out towards the bar, right up to a very tired looking Oni who looked unintereseted in whatever Horangi was saying. "What's up cool cat." he cooed to you, his big arm snaking around to give you a tight hug. "Getting drunk." you cheered raising your drink, the two cheering in agreement as they clinked their glass against eachother.

"Room for one more?" his thick deep accent purred for behind you. Colonel König sliding in beside you, taking up the rest of the both. Causing you to shift over to Oni to your right. "You smell like shit." Horangi exclaimed, raising his glass towards König. Causing the giant to bark with laughter, raising his pint towards the Korean. Causing some to slosh to the side and drip in front of you.

Indistinctively making you jump back to not get any of the stinky lager to get on you. "Sorry about the doll." his rumbling voice reached your ears. Making you blush and say "It's all good sir." taking a big gulp of your drink. Shrinking back as the others talked, stopping once in a while to include you.

König's leg brushing up against yours every now and than. If you were any the wiser you'd think he was doing it on purpose. Downing the last of your drink you plopped it on the solid table with a clank. König eyeing the empty glass while he finished his own. Kindly taking it with him as he went to get another fill.

Roze gave you an odd look from across the table, you just shrugged it off. She's been trying to convince you that the Austrian has been pinning for you. You brush it off as him being kind, but he's never that kind. Small things like bringing you things he found that reminded you of him. Small like trinkets and tchotchkes, either hand delivering them himself or leaving at your door.

Always being the first on the team, even before the muscle. Having first pick over any new recruits, a small luxury. Like you said, he's just kind. And very straight forward and to the point. A confident and cocky man, that knows what he wants and always gets it. And it's definitely not you.

It wasn't long until the Colonel returned with his drink and yours, setting down a colorful fruity drink in front of you. Causing a laugh from the others, but you just blinked at it. "I think this is yours." as you shifted it across the table to Hutch. Who gladly took the free drink cause booze is booze baby. "Aw Koni pal, you shouldn't have." he nearly had it to his lips before König thick hand grabbing Hutch's wrist, giving it a light squeeze before saying "It's not yours." in his husky accent. Bringing it back to you, holding it out. "Do you not like?" he asked curiously.

You weren't sure what was happening, was this some joke that you just didn't understand. "No." you said flatly, eyeing Roze for some help but she just eagerly gulped down her own ignoring you. "Can you excuse me." as you brushed passed the giant now looking at the drink in confusion.

Going to the bar you ordered two shots of the strongest liquor they had. Taking them down like a champ you asked for another old fashion. Feeling a warm hard body brush up next to you, seeing the Colonel standing beside you with that stupid drink still in his hand.

"I'm sorry Katze, I thought you would like." he started to explain. The bartender interrupting to give you your whiskey, taking a quick sip before König moved the drink so it was next to you. "It reminds me of you, that's all." he finished. You snorted into your glass and nearly choked on the smooth amber. Huffing out a coughing laugh.

"I'm sorry sir, but how does that remind you of me?" you giggled, finally feeling the alcohol settle into your worn bones.

"It's colorful like you." he said confidently and also confused at how you dont see it. "I'm colorful?" you asked, taking the drink from his hand. Your fingers lightly brushing against his, bringing the liquid to your nose before downing the whole thing in one try. And setting it back into his hand that remained in place.

König eyes widened at your bold display, a fire burning into them as he watched you lips grip the rim of the curved glass. The way your necked bobbed as you swallowed the sweet liquid. The fire burning a path straight to his pants. Feeling himself grow to life and strain against the front zipper.

"It's nice to see you like this sir." you blurted out and immediately regretting it. Ok, last drink and your leaving, you scolded yourself. "What do you mean?" his curosity peeked. You waved his answer away, getting embarssed by your loose lips. "Dont get shy on me now." he pushed. Moving hs big body into yours more, pining you to the bar stool.

"It's just, your so human." you whispered. A little nervous to his reacton, but instead he leaned his head back and barked out a laugh. Causing people around to jump at the sudden loud sound. A few moving away from the big man.

"That was a good one Katze." he leaned further down to your face. "I like seeing you like this." his hand slowly running from your wrist to your neck, holding it in place. "Like what sir?" you mummured, eyeing his lips as they moved closer to your own. "Flustered." he breathed into your mouth, closing the gap and kissing you deeply. His hand moving to the back of your head to keep you in place. Your lungs seizing to produce air as you felt his soft lips move against yours.

He pulled away slowly, moving his hand to your face, running his thumb over your bottom lip. Your lungs screamed, finally sucking in a deep breath. You could feel the heat rise to your face, you must look like a tomato right now.

"So damn cute." he continued, looking away from you to your abandoned drink at the bar. "Are you done?" he questioned. You were buzzing, almost right out of your skin. So light headed all you could do his shake your head yes. König took that as his sign to make a move, so he lead you out of the bar into the cold night.

"This way doll." as he pulled you to the direction of the quiet street, you could spot the bmw shining under the moon light. "I'll drive us back." he reached the passenger door, holding it open for you as you climbed in. Closing it softly as he jogged to the drivers side, climbing in and the car roared to life.

The drive back to the base passed in a flash, König nearly dragging you through the building towards his own room. His high status warrants his own private quarters. A small living and dining area, followed by his bedroom and attached bathroom. He unlocked the door with haste and pulled you in. Spinning you around so you were pushed against the back of the door.

His strong body on yours, you heard the click of the lock slide into place. König lips once again on yours, nipping and sucking. Making a trail down your neck, pulling the zipper of your jacket down and off your arms. Tossing it towards his table, his hands finding your ass and hauling you up. You legs mindlessly wrapping around his waist, tugging him into your core more. Earning a low moan, vibrating from his chest.

He yanked at the collar of your shirt, a clean tear running down the front exposing your breast to his mouth. Pulling a yelp from you as he nipped at the sensitive skin. He turned you both around and towards his room, kicking the door open and dropping you on the bed.

"Sir-" you tried to let out but König's lips swallowed your words. "Shhh, baby. Let me make you feel good. Ja." he whispered into your mouth, making you melt into the bed. All you could do was shake your head has you fully leaned back, closing your eyes.

König made good with your clothes, leaving you only in your panties. You watched has he removed his shirt and shoved his jean and brief's to the floor, kicking them away as he climbed back on and slotted himself between your thighs.

Pining your spread knees to your stomach, rubbing his face against your clothed core. His big nose carding its self along your slit, building pressure against your clit. Pulling moans from you, throwing your head back.

König took his time, running his face up and down your thighs. Kissing from your ankle to your inner thigh, over your soaking core, and down the other leg. Licking path across your skin and blowing on the wetness, goosebumps spreading across your body.

Pulling your hard buds into his mouth, swirling his tongue around and sucking. His teeth grazing on the sensitive nipple and lightly nipping. Relishing in the noises hes drawing from you. Humming in approval, slowly pulling down your panties and letting them get lost on the bed.

His fingers find your center, the thick heavy digits ghosting up and down. Gathering the wetness that pushed through, pressing his wide thumb right against your clit. Making you buck into his hand more, König's mouth still on your tits.

He worked his thick middle finger into you, slowly opening you for him. Working knuckle by knuckle, whispering praises into your ear. Pushing another finger into you, making you whimper at the stretch.

"Ko, please." you pleaded with him, feeling his low chuckle. His hot mouth against your ear, cooing "Patience love." as his fingers pump in and out of you. Feeling your slick slide down your ass and onto the sheets.

Whining at the loss of his fingers, but feeling the head of his dick running up and down. Collecting your wetness and spreading it over him before the tip catches you needy hole. Snapping his hips fowards ripped a cry from your throat. Your legs clamping around him and tightening.

"Shh, shhh. Quiet now pretty girl. I'm sorry, I'll be more carefully." and he kept true to his word. His cock slowly stretching you open, your warm folds inviting him in. Squeezing and pulsing around him, König cherished every moment.

Sensually thrusting in and out, lazily rolling his hips. Making sure he pulls orgasm after orgasm from your body.

Not stopping until your begging and pleading with him. Incoherently going on about it being too much, too sensitive.

König could lose himself in you, deeper and deeper. Holding back to not scare you. Wanting to make it all about his sweet little medic. The moment he laid eyes on you he was hooked. Those sweet eyes and kind smile, how quick and smart you were. Such a soft thing, you shouldn't be in this line of field.

Finally letting himself go, he buried himself deeper. Releasing pressed right up against your cervix, shoveling as much as he could to your core. Letting out one last guttural moan as he collapsed onto you, only rolling over when you started banging against his back. Taking you with you, you settled on his chest.

König laid out completely satisfied, head back and eyes closed. He could feel you staring at him.

"Sleep" he commanded. Hearing your giggle as you continued to stare.

[shivayagojo]

MONACO GP, stressed out

masterlist

avaflorence + lewishamilton

Team 44 is proud to announce a collaboration with Ava Florence in our next set collection. The set will feature 44 different statement pieces designed by Lewis Hamilton and Ava Florence, which will promote the 44x95 identity, as well as give young fashion designers a chance to blossom. We are super excited for the coming collection. Look out for more.

see comments below

user01: HELP— they're too iconic ✨ ↳user02: perks of being a 7x champion and a rookie sensation is you get unlimited swagger

user03: Seeing Hamilton and Florence collab was not my bingo list.

user04: SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY 💸 ↳user05: I'm going to be camping out on their website for this release to drop ↳user06: literally don't dare if it's gonna drain my wallet, it's Florence and Hamilton!

avaflorence: Kachow! ⚡️ ↳liamawson: Please have Lightning McQueen merch! ↳user07: not lawson 🤣 ↳user08: I can't tell who he's fangirling more for: McQueen or Ava.

oscarpiastri: Not sure if I'll ever get to wear them, but I'll purchase a few pieces. ↳avaflorence: You're literally the best! ↳user09: Oscar is Ava's biggest fan 🫢

user09: I love how Ava gets basically the whole post, but it's written from Team44 ↳avaflorence: tbf, it was my idea

youtube.com

Porsche F1 | 10 Questions With Ava Florence

"Hi everybody. I'm Ava Florence; I race for the Porsche Formula 1 something-something racing team and today we're doing 10 Questions With Ava Florence... which is me, by the way. In case you didn't catch that."

"HOW DID YOU GET INTO RACING?"

"My dad was a hobbyist racer. He drove motorcycles, not cars. So obviously he tried to get us into racing bikes, but me and my brother always liked cars. So one Christmas, he got us a Go-Kart. We could only afford one Go-Kart. So me and my brother would share it on the weekends and just race around this small street by our house. It was probably the coolest thing to six year old me, and that's when I fell in love with racing. I started karting in leagues and then moved up into racing series and the rest is history. My brother now races in F2, so that's cool... I'm still better than him. That hasn't changed."

"WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE TEAM GROWING UP?"

"Ferrari. Growing up near Germany, everybody there was a Ferrari fan because of Schumacher and Seb. So, I also grew up a Ferrari fan. I loved watching them win, which wasn't a lot of times to be fair. But it was really nice to see the Ferrari flag being waved in Monza or something like that. Obviously now, my job is to make sure that doesn't happen. But like Seb said, 'everybody is a Ferrari fan.'"

"WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE AS A WOMEN IN MOTORSPORT?"

"A lot. I don't like getting too much into it, but it was much different than what my brother is going through. Sometimes it's drivers or somebody in the paddock who treats you differently. In some cases, I was denied participation in a racing series. But whatever it was, I always kept my head high because I knew I had people like my Dad supporting me every step of the way, and I didn't want to let them down by quitting. That's the one thing I don't want to be. A quitter. I'd rather try and fail, than be a loser who never stepped up."

"WHAT'S THE MOST STRESSFUL PART OF BEING AN F1 DRIVER?"

"Probably when you're not thinking about the race. You're driving 200+ mph and you have to think about the pitstop strategy, tire management, who's ahead, who's behind. Sometimes, you want to just stop thinking and drive."

"WHAT'S THE BEST PART OF BEING AN F1 DRIVER?"

"Definitely being able to travel to different countries and seeing the fans there. Back home in Belgium, I know the people there, and I know that they support me and cheer me on. But it's exciting to go another country like Australia or Italy and see people there support to you too. It makes you feel good knowing people across the world are cheering you on every race. So, I try to win every race for them."

"YOU HAVE A LONG FLIGHT AHEAD. WHICH TWO DRIVERS ARE YOU TAKING WITH YOU?"

"Probably Charles because he's easy to make fun of. Especially when I recite his memes to him. I've got like a whole collection on my phone. So, it's free real estate in his head. And then probably Max... because he'd start yapping when we run out of things to talk about. Maxsplaining. But I am worried by like hour two, I'm gonna start third-wheeling for these two."

"FAVORITE TRACK THAT ISN'T YOUR HOME RACE?"

"Probably Brazil. It's probably the perfect track after Spa. It's got fast corners, slow corners, perfect places to overtake. It's amazing on Saturday, but even better on Sunday. Plus, like home, it always rains there. Who doesn't love racing in the rain?"

"DRIVER YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO TO A PUB WITH?"

"Bwoah."

"WHAT IS IT LIKE MEETING THE DRIVERS YOU WATCHED ON SCREEN?"

"Weird, but also exciting. I went from correcting everyone by saying 'Sir' Lewis Hamilton to now calling him Lulu. It's amazing I get to be friends with these drivers. Also, Nando is just soft grandpa."

"HOW MANY RACES ARE YOU GOING WIN?"

"Hopefully all of them."

porschef1

Is it a good time to reveal that we have merch?

see comments below

user01: Porsche social media is just playing 4D chess ↳user02: how have they not missed on a single post? It's unfair 😩

user03: pls I'm going to be homeless if I keep spending more money on F1 merch ↳user04: already sold my kidney for this ↳user05: imagine wasting on your life in F1 merch (couldn't be me 👀)

scuderiaferrari: These aren't bad, but they would be better in red. ↳porschef1: Funny how one of your drivers was sporting one of these ↳user06: Not Lewis betraying the Scuderia for Ava already 😬 ↳user07: can't blame at all

scuderiaferrari: Porsche admin, a bet- if Ferrari wins, you wear our merch and we go on a date ↳porschef1: If Porsche wins, you wear our merch ↳scuderiaferrari: Deal. ↳user08: Are we interrupting something? ↳user09: weird way to propose, but you go ferrari admin

user10: Guys, I found the Ferrari and Porsche admins ↳user11: Don't be shy. Drop the @

AVA WISHED she could forgot the Free Practice Sessions. But she couldn't. It hadn't been that long since she raced in Monaco. Hell, she even won in tracks she's never raced in before. So, why was Monaco giving her hell? Consistently in the back of grid during FP1 and FP2, and crashing against the barriers in FP3. Worse, she called the circuit overrated. Perhaps this was karma. The curse of Monaco had split from Charles and crept over to her, tired of the disrespect. After rolling the car back in and settling down for Friday, she made the worst mistake she could: she opened social media. And she saw everything. The doubters, the haters, the naysayers finally had solid proof to call her out. They came out in full swing, like starved goblins seeing blood for the first time. Ava couldn't help but feel this was warranted. She could not keep up with the rest of the pack. It killed her inside.

f1

Fitted and suited for the Monaco Fashion show. It's all decided her on Sunday. Take your pick for Pole Position.

see comments below

user01: Leclerc broke his curse last year. It's time for back to back wins ↳user02: Don't know much P5 is gonna do for him.

user03: Tell me why Williams were in the top 10 during practice?? ↳user04: Cuz it's practice? Lmao itdoesn't matter in the race ↳user05: Latiffi flashbacks

user06: Florence finally stopped getting lucky 🤡 ↳user07: Oh boohoo. One bad race ↳user08: fr her streak is finally over ↳user09: Y'all said the same thing about Hamilton and looked what happened

          HAMILTON IS BACK ON TOP. That's a saying that millions of fans around the world were waiting to hear and once they came from Crofty's mouth, it brought cheer and joy to the stages of Monaco. What didn't bring them joy was their resident hero not being able to make Q3 after Antonelli's crash brought out a yellow flag and killed his qualifying. Ferrari wanted both men in the top 10, especially since both drivers have won this Grand Prix before. But now, their eyes were on Hamilton and ensure his victory. Better yet, Ava Florence was not there to steal pole. Well, not quite-

          AVA MADE IT TO Q3. She dug and crawled her silver Porsche to every next session. She knew her struggles, but it was easing. With every lap, every corner, she was learning the track all over again, trying to find the optimized line. But if anything added salt to her wound, both Williams made it into the top 10. WILLIAMS. Yet she, the championship leader, barely could?

"Hamilton is currently on pole and with three minutes to go, it looks he'll remain in pole. There's only one driver out on the track. Ava Florence. Her final lap. This hasn't been her afternoon. This hasn't been her track. Let's see what she makes of it today."

"Here we go, Crofty. Turn 1. Not the easiest of first turn. Be careful not to lock up. She doesn't. Now to Beau Rivage. Then onto Massanet... just get extremely close to the barrier and look at how close she gets. She's taking risks and, surely, she has to if she wants a shot at putting up a fight today at Monte Carlo. At Fairmont Harpin, down to 30 mph, the slowest corner in F1. Narrow. Tight. She gets out beautifully. To Portier and then down the tunnel. Crofty, she's doing wonderful."

"You would have a hard time convincing anyone that just ten minutes ago, this girl was struggling to make it into Q3. Look at how she's flying. Green sectors around. Through the Nouvelle Chicane. We saw Verstappen make up the time needed for pole here in 2023. Will 2025 be Ava's turn? Only time will tell. She slides beautifully through the Swimming Pool chicane. And just three more corners. La Rascasse and Anthony Noghes. Ava Florence, the championship leader, rookie sensation, cursed by Monaco, what time does she get today.... POLE POSITION! BY ALL ODDS, AVA FLORENCE HAS FOUGHT THROUGH THE CORNERS OF MONTE CARLO. AND ONCE AGAIN, IT WILL BE FERRARI IN DESPAIR AS AVA TAKES POLE POSITION FROM HAMILTON."

"That last sector was the closest thing to perfection I've ever seen. She gained tremendous time and I'm sure Hamilton is going to be have a hard look at the qualifying lap over and over again. How do you go from struggling in Q1 to pole position? Only Ava Florence knows."

HENRY And that is pole position for Sunday!

FLORENCE YES! OH MY GOD! YES! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

f1

Getting vintage with Ava Florence's pole lap in Monaco.

tagged: avaflorence

see comments below

user01: How on earth did she pull that off? ↳user02: I was watching qualifying Hamilton's in pole and then BAM 💥 ↳user03: because she's an icon

user05: The lap of the season! ↳user06: The lap of the decade ↳user07: The lap of the century ↳user08: The lap of F1 history

user09: RIP to yet another Hamilton pole 🪦 ↳user10: Hamilton leading the timing sheets gives Ava +10 attributes during qualifying

user10: She's winning the championship idc

MONACO GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID

AVA FLORENCE

LEWIS HAMILTON

SEBASTIAN VETTEL

CARLOS SAINZ

ALEXANDER ALBON

GABRIEL BORTOLETO

OSCAR PIASTRI

NICO HULKENBERG

LANDO NORRIS

MAX VERSTAPPEN

GEORGE RUSSELL

LANCE STROLL

LIAM LAWSON

FERNANDO ALONSO

CHARLES LECLERC

ANDREA KIMI ANTONELLI

OLLIE BEARMAN

YUKI TSUNODA

FRANCO COLAPINTO

ESTEBAN OCON

ISACK HADJAR

PIERRE GASLY

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the eighth round of the 2025 Formula 1 season and we are here in Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix. It just wouldn't be a Formula 1 season without coming to the beautiful streets of Monte Carlo. Saturday gave us a whirlwind of a qualifying, but first, let's a take a look at the track. 78 laps await us on a 3. 3 kilometer street circuit. We have one DRS zone located at the exit of Anthony Noghes and through the pit straight. And of course, the lap record set by Lewis Hamilton at 1:12. 909 in 2021. Joining me now is Martin Brundle."

"Yup. Just back from the grid. Exciting stuff to be shaping up. Monaco, as you know, not the easiest track to pass on. So, tire strategy is key here. All the teams, we're predicting, are one a one-stop strategy though there's debate on which one stop strategy is the best."

"That debate will be put to rest shortly as the drivers head out on their formation laps. Looking at the tire. All of the top ten drivers have to start on medium compound C4 tires. The bottom twelve have a choice to make as we see. Leclerc, Antonelli, and Ocon on the harder compound tires. Our pole sitter, Ava Florence, who had a shocking pole position lap yesterday leads back. I wonder how she'll cope with this situation. Monaco wasn't giving her the best of gifts. Though it did give her pole."

"As long Ava gets a good jump off the line, she'll have a relatively easy time staying in front thanks to the narrow track. Then again, safety cars are always an issue at Monaco. That would really makes pole position an unsettling feeling."

"Certainly, Martin as now the last of the drivers line up on the grid. Here we go. Round 8 in Monte Carlo. IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO! Hamilton is already gunning at Florence. Vettel is good off the line too. The two Williams behind. Close contact between Bortoleto and Piastri. Down they head to Turn 1. It's Hamilton so close to Florence- OH! THERE'S CARNAGE IN THE BACK! THERE'S SMOKE EVERYWHERE! WHAT HAS HAPPENED? Up ahead, Florence is still leading. It's yellow flags! And it's a catastrophic end to Esteban Ocon, Isack Hadjar, and Pierre Gasly's race. Hadjar and Gasly will fail to score points once again. And Ocon, after two brilliant races, will be knocked in the first lap."

"It looks like Gasly was trying to get past Hadjar, but he had just some sort of brake failure and rammed right into the back of the Racing Bull and that took out Ocon too. So, the safety car is deployed now. And that's going to help Florence just a bit because it means it cuts down the amount of the laps Hamilton has to gain her."

"But how many laps can you really survive with Hamilton chasing you down. You said, Martin, it is a tricky track to overtake on, but when you have someone as experienced and prone to winning as Hamilton, there's still going to be a shred of doubt in your mind as how you're going to keep your pole position."

LAP 7:

"After 6 laps behind the safety car, we're heading back to racing. Just to recap, Ocon, Hadjar, and Gasly are out of the race. So now we've got 19 cars running in the race. The safety car comes in and there's Ava Florence bunching up the pack. When will she go?... Now. Ava Florence is off. Good restart from her, covered quite a gap to Hamilton because now Vettel will be all over the back of that Ferrari. Behind, it's Albon and Sainz in a battle of their own. The two Williams who found themselves in the top 10 in Saturday scuffling. Out the Casino square the come and spiraling down the Fairmont Hairpin. And look at Vettel relentless on that Ferrari."

"Hamilton has two games to play now. Chasing Ava and defending against Vettel. Very tricky indeed. Behind the, Bortoleto and Piastri are in the same predicament. So, two exciting battles to look forward too."

HENRY We need to make these tires last as long as possible.

FLORENCE I don't think they'll go as long as you think, but I'll try

LAP 14:

"At the Nouvelle Chicane, Leclerc is going to be looking to make his move. He's been hounding Alonso for the past few laps, and now he's got his nose alongside the Aston Martin. They're side by side through the chicane - Leclerc on the inside, Alonso giving him just enough space. And Leclerc's through! Brilliant move from the Ferrari driver, who's now up to 14th place!"

"That's vintage Leclerc, isn't it? He's always been a master of these streets, and he's showing why once again. But he's not done yet - he's already closing in on Lawson ahead. Lawson did not get the gap to Alonso he wanted and he's going to pay for it because Leclerc is charging. He's about 1.6 seconds faster than Lawson."

LAP 28:

"Verstappen has been all over the back of Norris for the last few laps. He's getting a bit angsty now, isnt' he? He's trying to squeeze through on the inside at Hairpin! That's tricky to pull off. Norris is holding his line - oh, they've touched! Verstappen's front wing has clipped Norris's rear tire. That is not good for the Red Bull. That looks like major damage.

VERSTAPPEN I've got damage! This idiot!

GP Box immediately, Max!

"Verstappen's going to have to pit for a new front wing. That's a disaster for Red Bull, he'll be dropping well down the order. Norris seems to have escaped unscathed, but race control will surely be looking at that incident."

"Definitely. That looked like Norris just went a tad too far inside to squeeze out Verstappen. Seems dangerous if you ask me so let's see what the stewards think of it."

LAP 35:

"Sebastian Vettel is the first of our frontrunners to pit! The Porsche team has executed a flawless stop, but he's rejoining behind both Williams cars. That's going to be a tough ask for Vettel to get back on the podium."

"Meanwhile, at the front, Florence and Hamilton are still going strong. Their engineers told them to push for five or so more laps. It's becoming a game of tire management. Hamilton is pushing hard, trying to force Florence into a mistake or early pit stop. But the young Belgian is holding firm, matching Hamilton's pace lap after lap. Hamilton is just a tad bit faster, but not enough for overtaking."

LAP 42:

"Florence is in! Ava Florence pits from the lead. It's a clean stop, but will it be enough? Hamilton stays out, pushing hard on his worn mediums."

"And there's the call - Hamilton is in on the very next lap! It's going to be close as he exits the pit lane. Florence is charging down the start-finish straight, and... Hamilton just about gets out in front! But Florence is right on his gearbox as they head into Sainte Devote!"

LAP 43:

"Hamilton is in the pits - My goodness that was fast. Just what he needs because he didn't quite build enough of a gap to Florence. He's wobbling out the pitlane. There's Ava Florence. We can see her coming now. Is Hamilton ahead? He takes the safety road out... He's ahead! Oh the overcut worked for Ferrari. Hamilton will remain the lead!"

FLORENCE F***!

HENRY Don't worry about it, Ava. We still have a chance.

"A chance she does, but how big of a one?"

"Florence is all over the back of the Ferrari through Sainte Devote. She's going to get DRS on this lap. The gap is mere inches."

LAP 47:

"Florence gets a great run out of the tunnel. Look at that slipstream. Pulls alongside into the Nouvelle Chicane. Leclerc got the overtake done here before. But Hamilton holds the inside line firmly! Hamilton, the seven time champion, showing the rookie all his experience. She took the win from in Imola. He won't have that again."

"Is Hamilton's pace dropping though? We're seeing that Florence is three tenths faster on every lap. So, maybe the hard tires on Florence are more up to temperature than Florence or she's just managing them better."

LAP 50:

"Ava Florence just sets the fastest middle sector of the Grand Prix. She's flying out there in P2 and I'm sure she has plans to get into P1. Look at how she's just sticking to Hamilton. There's a lot of downforce here and she's using that her absolute advantage. She's on his gearbox! And oh- That could've been a disaster for both drivers."

"Florence had to lift off to avoid a collision at Rascasse. That was a good reaction. But you're right Crofty. That could've been race ending for both drivers. At this stage of the Grand Prix, you don't want that."

LAP 58:

"Florence goes around the outside at Casino Square. They're side by side, literally inches apart! What will Hamilton do? Hamilton just edging ahead as they spiral down to Mirabeau. The crowd is absolutely electric! INCREDIBLE MOMENT!"

"These are the moments that define careers. Florence is showing she's not just here to participate - she's here to compete. She just does not care if that's Hamilton in Monaco. She's just going go for it every time. And that's exciting for us race fans."

LAP 67:

"Hamilton's defending like a champion now. Florence is trying everything - left, right, probing for any weakness. Through the tunnel they go, and she's right on his tail! Braking for the chicane - OH! Hamilton with an impossibly late brake. Florence has to yield!"

LAP 73:

"Florence is still desperately hunting for a way past Hamilton. The race is in it's closing stages. They're climbing up the hill towards Casino Square, Florence getting a great exit from Massenet. She's closer than ever! Through Casino Square they go, Florence is right on Hamilton's gearbox. OH MY GOODNESS, SHE'S ALONGSIDE! Florence has the outside line, she's inching ahead! Down they plunge towards Mirabeau, neither driver willing to give an inch. Hamilton's trying to squeeze her to the inside, but Florence is having none of it. They're wheel-to-wheel, you could barely fit a sheet of paper between them!"

"She's picking the most tricky parts to overtake as Into the hairpin they go, still side-by-side!"

"What are we watching here Martin? Florence on the inside now, Hamilton trying to hang on around the outside. She's got the line. Can she get the position? OUT OF THE HAIRPIN, AND FLORENCE IS IN FRONT! SHE'S DONE IT! Ava Florence has taken the lead with just five laps to go! What a move, what a drive! The crowd is on their feet, the Tifosi are losing their minds!"

"Florence has done it! She's in clean air now, and if she can hold on for five more laps, we could be witnessing one of the great Monaco victories! Pole position by a near impossible lap, and now a near impossible overtake to win."

FINAL LAPS:

"And here we go, into the final three laps of this Monaco Grand Prix! Ava Florence leads, but Lewis Hamilton is not done yet. Hamilton's got a phenomenal exit out of Rascasse. Florence weaving, trying to break that tow. Hamilton's looking left, looking right, but Florence positions her car perfectly into Sainte Devote. Brilliant defensive driving!"

"If you told me that this was the driver struggling during Free Practice and Q1 and Q2 on this track, I would ask you to see a mental hospital. This is just superb driving. I know we aren't supposed to be biased towards a driver, but I think we're all really rooting for Florence to win this."

"What's that thing Sebastian Vettel once said? 'Everybody is a Ferrari fan.' Well, everybody is an Ava fan. Hamilton is throwing everything at this! But Ava is not letting up. He's all over the back of Florence through Massenet, through Casino Square. Down to Mirabeau they come, and HAMILTON'S GOING FOR IT! He's diving to the inside! He's going for the same move Florence did on him. Florence sees him coming, leaves just enough space. They're side by side through the hairpin! Florence hangs on, incredible stuff!"

"I think Florence knew that move was coming mostly because she did the same thing to him. She was like 'No, thank you. I know how to defend this.'"

...

"Florence leads by just half a second as they cross the line. Hamilton's pushing hard, he's gaining through Massenet, through Casino Square. He's lightning quick on those corners. They dive into the tunnel, Hamilton's right in Florence's slipstream! Out of the tunnel they come, Hamilton tries to go to the outside into the Nouvelle Chicane. Florence defends brilliantly! Through the Swimming Pool complex, Rascasse, Florence is holding on! Porsche pit crew holding on their seats. Final corner, Anthony Noghes, Florence gets a perfect exit! Down the straight they come, Hamilton's trying everything, but IT'S NOT ENOUGH! AVA FLORENCE WINS THE MONACO GRAND PRIX! What a drive, what a race! Florence takes her maiden Monaco victory by just three-tenths of a second! Incredible scenes here in Monte Carlo!"

"These are the kinds of drives that make you realize that a driver is truly special. I can't imagine the weight of the expectations on her head. First female driver, driving for a new team, rookie, and leading the championship. And to pull a performance like that is just absolutely brilliant."

HENRY That was the Grand Prix of a life time!

FLORENCE YEAH! F*** YES! OH MY F****** GOD! WOOH!

MONACO GRAND PRIX RESULTS

AVA FLORENCE (+25) LEWIS HAMILTON (+18) SEBASTIAN VETTEL (+15) CARLOS SAINZ (+12) ALEXANDER ALBON (+10) GABRIEL BORTOLETO (+8) NICO HULKENBERG (+6) OSCAR PIASTRI (+4) LANDO NORRIS (+2) MAX VERSTAPPEN (+1)

GEORGE RUSSELL CHARLES LECLERC LIAM LAWSON FERNANDO ALONSO ANDREA KIMI ANTONELLI LANCE STROLL OLLIE BEARMAN YUKI TSUNODA FRANCO COLAPINTO

ESTEBAN OCON (DNF) ISACK HADJAR (DNF) PIERRE GASLY (DNF)

f1

Monaco winner Ava Florence has a nice ring to it.

see comments below

user01: HOLY SHIT SHE DID IT! ↳user02: RAAH AVA FLORENCE FOR WDC!!

user04: Only a rookie and already producing some of the greatest wins in F1 ↳user05: She somehow made the Monaco GP watchable ↳user06: She's definitely going to the wind the championship 💯

porschef1: @/scuderiaferrari ur turn ↳scuderiaferrari: But... Hamilton was second? ↳user07: Omg pls post the pictures of the bet

user07: Ava + Hamilton + Vettel + Willaims in the top 10 ↳user08: I think I'm in some alternate universe cuz wtf was this? 😆

williamsracing: What about us? ↳user09: You were amazing! Vamos Sainz 🫶

avaflorence

Sorry for calling you overrated Monaco.

see comments below

user01: No YOU made Monaco watchable this year! ↳user02: That overtake on Hamilton was CRAZY

user03: It's confirmed — you're going to win the championship ↳user04: 4 wins alr is crazy

sebastianvettel: We told you got this. Congrats 🎉 ↳avaflorence: Thank you Papa Seb🙏 ↳fernandoalonso: Hey, don't forget about me. ↳avaflorence: Yes yes u were great to Sigmando Alonso ↳user05: lmao what is this family tree? 🤣

porschef1: Thank you for helping me win the bet ↳avaflorence: Ur cheating one me tho 😡

scuderiaferrari + porschef1

[Text]: Compromised

↳user01: SO PRETTY 😍

↳user02: Its a good day to be a Ferrari and Porsche fan

↳avaflorence: ur cheating on me ↳porschef1: luv ya too 🥰

WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

WORLD CONSTRUCTOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

taglist: @freyathehuntress @allthings-fandoms

[starhvney]

𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝟑 | 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑: 𝐀 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐃

𝐂𝐖: more stalking mentions

𝐀/𝐍: sisters i'm back from war

𝐖𝐂: 4,700 +

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 ☆ 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 | 𝐀𝐎𝟑 | 𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒

a sigh of relief leaves your lips as you flop down onto your bed, the impact making a dull squeaking sound against the matress. the weekend was finally here, and you had spent most of your saturday recharging your social battery in bed.

buzz

slowly, you turn over on your side, fumbling in your pocket for your phone.

laurance: hey!

you: hi! what’s up?

laurance: do you want to hang out today?

you pause, before shooting up in place with a newfound energy. did he really want to be friends and hang out? already? your old friends usually never reached out first.

you: sure! where at?

your hands tremble. you responded super quick. was that too eager?

laurance: ok cool :) how about the park a couple streets down from where you and aphmau live?

…

you: how do you know where we live?

laurance: ohh lol i didn’t mean to sound creepy, i forgot you weren’t with us

laurance: i ran into aphmau after my practice and her detention and we walked home together, i actually live pretty close to where you guys do :D

you: ohhh! that makes a lot more sense hahaha

you: i was gonna sayyy

laurance: lmao my bad i’m not a stalker i swear

…

laurance: but fr do you want to hang out at the park? if you don’t want to it’s fine

laurance: you can invite aphmau too, she hasn’t texted me so i don’t have her number. garroth is gonna come by too

you: yeah, i do! what time?

laurance: at 1-ish? i’ll text you when i’m headed there

you glance at the time. that’s in an hour.

you: ok! i’ll text aphmau too

laurance: cool :) ttyl

you clumsily roll yourself back up out of your bed, dragging your worn socks along the floors to the living room as you send a text to aphmau about the invite.

entering the living room, you find your mom sitting in the recliner while watching one of her criminal mystery shows she’s into. is it rizolli & isles? yeah, that main character is cool.

“hey mom?”

she perks up at your voice, shifting the reading glasses that rested on her nose as she adjusts the fluffy robe she wore.

“yes?”

“my friend from school invited me to hang out at the park in our neighborhood in an hour or so. can i go?”

she leans forward with an arched eyebrow. “what friend?”

“um… one of the guy friends i made in my class. and two other friends are going, too. one of them is aphmau.” you explain. “the boys are really nice and respectful, i promise.”

“ooh, boys? do you like one of them already?” she cheekily grins at you, scrunching her shoulders up and tucking her chin down with a goofy giggle.

“mom, no! we’re just all friends.”

she hums, seemingly satisfied with your level of embarrassment.

“okay, just text me updates on what y’all are doing.”

“okay, thanks mom.” you nod, before running back up to your room to get ready.

☆

you find a tree to stand under, squinting down at your phone as small glares of the sun shine through the leaves and reflect into your eyes from the screen.

you: i’m here! under the tree by the entrance

you: like the one to my neighborhood

you: i think

looking up from your phone, you take a glance around the active park. kids played with their parents in the grass, some groups of kids around my age were messing around, and even an old couple sat peacefully on a bench nearby. a light breeze blows warm air against your face, combing through your hair and carrying the refreshing scent of the pristinely watered grass along with it. you honestly wouldn’t mind spending a day here by yourself.

back in those smaller towns south of meteli, there were a few good people with a sense of meaning in their lives, but you wouldn’t find this many people together and happy at once unless there was… alcohol involved. for the most part, at least. 

“hey.” a honeyed voice startles you as you jump and turn around to the source.

laurance looks down at you amusedly, a small giggle leaving his lips as he breaks out into a grin. his sun-kissed cheeks scrunched along with his nose, something you’ve noticed he does when he smiles.

this is the first time you’ve seen him out of the formal school uniform. he wore a loose, short-sleeved green button up over a beige t-shirt, paired with some jeans and a beat up pair of black converse. around his neck he had a brown braided leather necklace, just loose enough to not be considered a choker.

“sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“no, it’s fine! i was just lost in thought,” you wave your hand dismissively, giving a sheepish smile. “hi.”

suddenly, your phone buzzes, and you quickly look down to check.

aphmau: i’m on my way! almost there ^^

you: okok cool! laurance and i are here

“aphmau’s almost here,” you announce, before pocketing your phone away.

laurance nods with a hum before slowly and mindlessly walking forward, his hands shoved in his front pockets.

“so, you moved here this summer right?” he asks.

“yeah. i actually moved in a couple days before school started,” you chuckle at his face as he looks at you in surprise. “but recently my parents told me we actually lived here for a bit when i was younger. i don’t really remember it, though.”

“huh. so you don’t remember any friends from that time either?”

“turns out i actually knew aphmau, and i think there’s a few pictures of me with some other kids i was friends with at the time. i think our parents were close, too… but i haven’t heard anything from my parents.” you shrug. “they don’t like talking about it, for whatever reason.”

“well it’s cool you got to reunite with aphmau, even if you don’t remember being friends with her.”

you can’t help but smile at his optimistic perspective. he seemed so intimidatingly outgoing and suave when you first met him, but his confidence wasn’t overbearing or exhausting. it was refreshing, like sun rays against your face on a cool day. 

“so you moved here from the meteli area, too?”

“yeah, my parents moved us here towards the end of my time in elementary. just out of this neighborhood there’s some designated farmland and we live on some of the property close to here.” he explains, a bit sheepishly at that. “it’s nice being close to the city but still enjoying the nature and animals and stuff.”

“there’s farms here…? cool! i wish we lived out of a neighborhood, that sounds really peaceful,” you smile. “so you’re close enough to walk here?”

his shoulders sag in what seems to be relief as he grins back at you.

“yeah, but it’s kind of a long walk so my older sister drives me to school in the mornings most of the time. i think you’d be good friends with her, actually. maybe you can meet her at school or come visit sometime…” he trails off, looking up ahead. “oh, there’s aphmau.”

you smile at the suggestion before turning to see the shorter girl. she wore khaki mini shorts with cute sandals and a red square-necked cami—she looked adorable.

“hey, aphmau!” you call out as the two of you approach her. she startles abruptly as usual. 

“oh!” she gasps, putting her hand over her heart. “why do i feel like you guys are always sneaking up on me?”

laurance chuckles, scratching the side of his head. “we said hey… it’s not our fault you’re so jumpy.”

her shoulders slump as she narrows her eyes at him, amber irises framed by her wispy lashes. you snort at the sight, causing her to direct her oh-so-intimidating glare at you.

you raise your hands up in surrender with a grin, circling next to her to wrap your arm around her shoulders. “aphmau, you’re too cutesie to be intimidating, but i can admire your effort. i love your outfit, by the way.”

“wha- i- hey! i mean… thanks?” she babbles out flusteredly, her cheeks turning red as she blinks up at you.

“yeah! so, aphmau. we were talking about where we lived and stuff. did you always live here in phoenix drop?” you ask, linking your other arm with laurance as you lazily begin walking along the concrete path in front of you.

a breeze gently blows against your faces and combs through your hair, the wind warm from the late summer heat.

“um, no actually! i used to live here as a kid, and then my family moved away for a little bit for some reason...”

“huh, i didn’t know you moved away for a while, too,” you mutter, eyes drifting away in thought.

why didn’t your parents ever mention why you moved away? and if they were part of some friend group and they moved away too—like sylvanna and aphmau—what made them split apart like that? your mind wanders to the little boys from that childhood photo hanging on the wall in aphmau’s house. did their family move away, too?

“yeah, now that i think about it mom never told me why,” she wonders aloud, her eyes owlishly looking up at mine.

“mhm, weird... anyways, i was just talking about how i don’t really remember anyone from that time.”

“yeah, same here. i was too young to be able to keep up with them.”

“well, now you both have a new friend,” laurance says, before he scratches the nape of his neck. “i mean, if you guys will be mine, that is.”

“well yeah, of course!” you smile, unhooking your arms from both of them before striding forward, turning to walk backwards as you face them.

“i don’t mind…” aphmau says, placing her hands behind her back.

laurance’s gray-blue eyes brighten, his face almost lifting as his sight shifts from aphmau to you. his happiness is seemingly short-lived, though, as a deeper voice abruptly interrupts our heartfelt talk.

“gross.”

the three of you stop in your tracks, looking off to behind you where the voice came from. a tall boy in grungy attire looks at the three of you impassively, though his body language could be read as condescending. black messy hair contrasted with his complexion. he glared back at laurance, dark lashes and deep eye circles framing his dark colored eyes.

“good to see you at this park again, laurance.” he calls out to the boy next to you.

“gene.” laurance curtly responds, crossing his arms and irritatedly rolling his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

you look at aphmau out of the corner of your eye, who spares you a nervous glance. 

“what do you want?” laurance groans.

“we just wanted to say hi, laurance.” your attention turns to the lazy voice coming from behind gene.

a girl with silver white hair and sleepy amethyst-colored eyes boredly stares at your friend as she lounges under a nearby tree. next to her is another boy with furrowed brows, his lips seemingly in a permanent downward twist. his reddish-brown hair hung over his similarly colored eyes as he sat with hunched shoulders next to the girl. 

“so rude.” he muses condescendingly.

“who are these guys?” you question, your voice coming out quieter than you intended.

sharp, deep blue eyes snap down to you. you suddenly feel small as his eyes squint, observing you from where he stood.

“yeah, you’re not even gonna properly introduce us to them?” questions gene, who seemingly is the leader of this trio.

“if rather not, no.” laurance says, his voice clipped as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

“fine then, i’ll be a gentleman and do it myself,” he slowly walks closer to us, eyes finally leaving you as he glances over to aphmau. “i’m gene, i’m the leader of the shadow knights.”

“shadow knights?” your eyebrows pinch together.

“it’s our group. if you want to know more, you could always join us.”

“enough, gene. leave them alone.”

gene looks back at laurance with a mix of amusement and annoyance, his eyes narrowing as he smirks at him. you glance over at aphmau again, who is glancing between the two boys with a look of utter bewilderment.

“in any case, if you’re interested in having some close friends, you should check us out. we usually hang out at this park to talk and do group activities, so feel free to stop by.” gene’s hooded eyes dart from aphmau’s back to mine.

“uh, thanks… i’ll think about it.”

“no.” laurance sharply interjects.

“huh?” aphmau questions. 

“laurance used to be in our group, but he wasn’t hardcore enough.” gene vaguely explains, but it’s enough for you to know which side to take in this situation. especially as he crosses his arms, the faint smell of a musky cologne mixed with a cigarette meeting your nose.

“what?” aphmau questions again, seemingly too naive to understand what’s happening here.

“we’re walking away,” laurance grits.

“a guy who walks away from his problems? i wouldn’t want to be with someone like that.” the boy under the tree taunts, his lips curving up into a smirk.

“so true, zenix.” the girl replies, her dark shadowed lids narrowing in amusement.

“come on. let’s go somewhere else.” laurance’s hands grab both yours and aphmau’s arm, dragging you away from the group.

“what?” aphmau repeats like a broken soundboard, still not catching on.

“you used to be cool, laurance!” gene calls out after the three of you. 

you quickly make your way from the group, finding yourselves on a bridge that went over the river. laurance releases you from his grip, sighing irritatedly and crossing his arms to try to calm himself down.

“laurance? what was that about?” aphmau seems exasperated in her confusion at this point.

“gene and his gang.” he poorly elaborates as he glares back at where you came from.

“gene… oh wait, dante’s older brother?” she puts a finger on her chin.

“you know dante?”

“uh, kinda. we’ve met.”

“anyways, gene is the leader of his group of “mischief makers” at school. they’re delinquents really. they call themselves the “shadow knights”. it’s… real stupid. in any case, they’re bad apples, so you two shouldn’t hang out with them.”

“sounds like you know that from personal experience.  when he said “you used to be cool”… did you?…” you tilt your head.

“when i was a freshman, i thought their group was cool because they were so confident and just seemed… well, anyways, they just like to cause drama and rebel against any authority. gene isn’t as crazy when he’s around dante, but he’s definitely encouraged his recent outgoing spurt.”

“oh, i see…” aphmau nods. 

“yeah, i highly recommend not talking to them. you should stay away from them in general.” laurance uncrosses his arms, taking another deep breath and rolling his shoulders back.

“hey guys!” a familiar deep and smooth voice calls out. 

aphmau’s eyes widen as she whips around. all of our attention turns to garroth, who gives a small wave in our direction. his hands are pocketed inside his navy blue and gold letterman jacket. he wore a simple neat white tee underneath, paired with light wash jeans and dark red sneakers. bright white teeth flash at us as his mouth widens into a perfect model smile.

“hey, garroth!” laurance greets with equal cheeriness.

“you didn’t tell me they were gonna be here too?”

laurance scratches the nape of his neck, ruffling the wavy strands that flipped out messily into his fingers. he seems much more relaxed than he was mere moments ago, his posture lax as an easygoing chuckle left his lips.

“yeah, i invited them last minute, my bad. plus… i knew you’d be late.”

“what, you have their phone numbers?” garroth turns to you and aphmau with a pout. “wow, i see you’ve picked a favorite friend over me already?”

yours and aphmau’s jaws drop open and you make a shocked noise as you try to come up with a response before crossing your arms as garroth and laurance begin to laugh at you.

“if you want my number you can just say so,” you clear your throat, satisfied with the way garroth’s ears redden in embarrassment.

laurance clutches his stomach and belts out a laugh, clapping the now quiet blonde on the back before wrapping his arm around your shoulder.

“wow, you actually made him shy for once!” he cackles. “stay humble, garroth.”

garroth finally gathers his bearings, rolling his eyes at his best friend’s exaggeration.

“shut up.”

you cover your grin and snicker, hoping your cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.

“i was just messing with you, but i really don’t mind sharing numbers if you want.”

“oh? so i’m just a side piece to you now? leaving me for garroth?” laurance waggles his brows, leaning into you with an insufferable smirk on his lips.

you shove him off with a groan, now being the one to roll your eyes at the very charismatic boy. 

“oh, whatever.”

you turn to aphmau, who had gone very quiet, and is now blinking up at the three of you with her mouth slightly agape. laurance and garroth curiously turn their attention to the girl as well, causing her to snap out of her awkward daze.

“oh! um,” she clears her throat. “the sun is getting kinda hot, wanna go sit on that bench under that tree?”

☆

the four of you end up talking for almost half an hour about whatever random topic came to mind. you learned garroth has two little brothers, both of them being in aphmau’s class, laurance likes to cook dinner for his family some nights, and aphmau is obsessed with cats.

a car honk interrupts your train of thought, and you hear sylvanna’s voice shout from out of sight, somewhere behind the two taller boys who blocked your vision.

“aphmau! i’m going to the store and i was wondering… wait, are those boys you’re with?!” she yells, uncaring of who hears as her voice projects from the car window.

“oh wow…” you start to cackle, buckling over from where you sat on the bench as aphmau’s cheeks burn from embarrassment.

“mom! you said you trusted me!!”

“well, i do! and i’m respecting your privacy by staying in the car! but you said you were gonna meet with-“ you decide to fully stand, sparing aphmau from further mortifying humiliation as you cheerfully wave at the woman.

“hi miss sylvanna!”

“-oh, hi mija! i’m glad to see you’re here!” she completely switched her tone, giving you a cutesy little wave with a bright smile.

“this is so embarrassing…” aphmau covers her face, groaning into her hand. “i’m sorry, guys…”

“it’s fine, my dad is that way about my sister, too.” laurance waves off the apology, giving the poor anxiety ridden girl a lax smile.

garroth shrugs, scratching the nape of his neck as he looks over at sylvanna.

“i can feel her staring into my soul…”

you snicker, and aphmau releases a deep sigh.

“um, sorry to cut this short, but i’m gonna go with her to the store. i’m gonna have a talk with her about her telling problem.”

“no worries, we’ll see you at school.”

she nods, mumbling a, “for sure,” before waving and awkwardly walking over to the red car.

garroth opens his mouth like he wants to say something, before quietly sighing and pressing his lips together.

“hey, i’m gonna go say hi to her but i’ll be right back,” you say, jogging after aphmau to her mom’s vehicle before waiting for a response.

as the younger girl clambers into the passenger seat with a pout, you near sylvanna’s still rolled down window. she smiles up at you in her athleisure wear outfit and cute ponytail.

“hi! gonna go grocery shopping?” you ask, smiling cheerfully at the woman to hopefully relieve some tension.

she nods enthusiastically, gripping onto the steering wheel as her shoulders shrug up in excitement.

“yep! i’m going to try a new recipe for dinner tonight! a friend of mine sent it to me. it's gonna be supes delish!”

you giggle at her strange way of acting young and hip.

“sounds good!”

“if you want, you can come have dinner with us tonight!”

you raise your eyebrows at the invitation, feeling a genuine, giddy smile lift on your lips.

“wow, really? i’ll ask my mom but i’m sure i can come.”

“great! i’ll see you later, sweetie!”

“bye! bye, aph!” you wave at your friend, who is still slumped in her seat.

she halfheartedly waves back, before you step back onto the sidewalk and begin to return to the two boys. as sylvanna slowly lets off the breaks and rolls up the window, you can already hear them begin to bicker.

“are you mad at me, mija?”

“yes!”

you snort and shake your head, quickly pacing back to garroth and laurance with a small grin on your face. they seem to be having a strangely serious conversation as they reset their elbows on their knees, speaking to each other in low voices.

“i’m back. having a secret meeting without me?” you announce, not wanting to awkwardly overhear something private.

the two flinch, straightening up in surprise at your approach. laurance leans back, scratching the side of his head while garroth looks up at you with wide eyes.

“uh, just kidding…”

they both laugh off their weird behavior, standing and stretching from the bench. laurance raises his arms in the air, before resting one on garroth’s shoulder and leaning closer to you. you suddenly feel dwarfed by the two boys in front of you. is this how aphmau feels all the time?

“we were just… arguing over something. hey, do you like soccer or baseball more?”

garroth strangely glares at laurance from the corner of his eye, before quietly looking back at you for your answer. your nose wrinkles in confusion.

“huh?”

weren’t they the captains of each team?

“just answer.”

“uhh, well i’m more familiar with baseball…”

you watch as garroth’s eyes light up, and he elbows laurance’s side with a… very cute giggle. laurance pouts, falling onto his friend's shoulder similarly to a wet noodle and stumbling over dramatically.

“you should come watch some of the games when it’s baseball season, then.

“but soccer is cooler! you should come watch the soccer team.”

you huff out a nervous laugh, tugging on a loose strand of hair as you try to think of a smooth way to turn off the bright spotlight that had been put on you. 

“well- um- i think… both are cool…”

nailed it.

laurance snorts, covering his eyes for a moment as he laughs at you. you think you hear a small “cute” between his quiet giggles and suddenly your feet are much more interesting than the faces of the two boys in front of you.

“then you can come to watch both of us, deal?” he extends out his pinky finger to you.

“yeah, that sounds like fun, actually!”

your pinky locks with his, but when you try to pull away he pinches your finger between his.

“garroth you have to also be in the pinky promise? what are you doing?” laurance sasses the blonde boy who stood slightly taller next to him.

he sighs, before reaching forward and linking his pinky around the two of yours.

“it’s a deal.”

☆

you hop out onto the front porch, leaning back in the doorway to call out to your parents before shutting the door behind you.

“i’ll be back in a bit!”

your eyes trail along the tree-lined neighborhood as your feet meet the pavement, scanning the street as the early evening sun casts a foggy orange glow against the ground.

the reflection of the sun glinting against a car catches your attention, and when you focus on the offending glass your breath catches in your throat. a familiar-looking all-black suv with heavily tinted windows sits looking out of place against all of the other family vehicles on the street.

it’s not parked in front of any particular house, and the sun reflects too brightly on the dark windows to see if anyone is sitting inside. you swallow down the thick saliva that had begun to coat your mouth, clearing your throat as you kept your eyes trained on the suv.

no. you moved far away and so suddenly. they wouldn’t have found you so quickly. it’s just your imagination. plenty of people have that type of vehicle. you’re overthinking. you’re overthinking.

the sidewalk leading up to the red door in front of you seems longer than the last time you were here, and you couldn’t have stretched your stride out any further as you held yourself back from sprinting the distance. your heart thuds erratically, pushing against your rib cage as you attempt to knock as casually as you can against the wood.

the door lifts almost immediately from beneath your knuckles, revealing a familiar comforting warm face—your saving grace. her excited smile loses its charm as the corners of her mouth drop.

“are you okay sweetie? you look like you’ve seen a ghost…”

she steps up to you, placing her hand against your clammy forehead to check for a temperature. when she doesn’t sense you’re sick, her sepia tinted eyes scan behind you, a fierce looking protectiveness in them as she guides you into her home.

“i’m fine… i’m probably just hungry,” you laugh it off, the noise sounding forced and your voice wobbling uneasily.

she stares at you for a moment, lips pursing as she rests her hands on your shoulders, the cool metal of her gold rings somehow helping you calm down. she seems to let go of your anxious state, humming in slight disbelief as she guides you toward the kitchen.

“well, i have the perfect solution to that.”

aphmau stands by the fridge, sipping on a pepsi and grabbing another one out of the fridge. she’s changed out of her earlier outfit, instead wearing a casual red tee and gray sweat shorts.

“hi!”

“hey!” you grab the can from her, returning the smile she gives you. “thanks.”

sylvanna clears her throat, gesturing to the oven in front of her. in one large saucepan was some pasta with a cheesy, orange sauce mixed in, next to a pan with some delicious-smelling chicken breast.

“spicy rigatoni! and some chicken to go with it. i didn’t add too much paprika because i wasn’t sure how much spice you could handle. but i promise it’s gonna be so delish, yo!”

“i love spicy food. it sounds delicious! thank you, sylvanna.”

“aw, of course mija! now both of you get your plates first and we can eat at the table!”

you gratefully pile your serving into one of the pretty talavera bowls she handed you, and soon the three of you sit at their polished dining table.

“so,” sylvanna suddenly instigates, leaning towards you with a fiery look in her eyes. “who were those boys you two were with earlier, hm?”

aphmau groans, thudding her head back against her dining chair and dramatically sliding down.

“mom.”

“i’m just curious!” she giggles, before comically turning serious again. “but seriously.”

“uhhh…” you laugh nervously, poking into your dish with your fork. “they’re some friends aphmau and i made. they’re in my class so i talk to them a lot. they’re pretty nice, actually.”

she hums with her eyes narrowed, before clearing her throat with an uneasy look.

“well, even if boys seem nice, don’t trust them. you never know their intentions.”

you blink at her grave tone and scary expression, nodding stiffly. aphmau pinches the bridge of her nose, shaking her head and distracting herself by shoving some pasta in her mouth. sylvanna laughs loudly, waving her hand and moving on to another topic.

“anyways, how is school for you so far?”

“um, the classes are pretty easy so far, actually. but it is only the first week.”

“have you run into anyone mean?”

your eyes dart to amber ones, and aphmau merely gives you a pleading look of refusal in return, her cheeks full of pasta.

“…no.”

“good! if either of you run into trouble you tell me and i will take care of it! you may not be my daughter but i’m close enough with your mom to take care of you like one, okay?”

you nod, and the home cooked meal suddenly felt a lot warmer in your stomach.

“thank you.”

©starhvney, 2024. please do not steal or repost my works as your own

tag list: @orinlin @pain-in-the-ashe @youmake1mistake

[gayeroticafiction]

Cocktail Italiano

A Gay Erotica Story

After four weeks travelling around Italy, we spent the last few days relaxing in Rome before flying back to Australia. My wife and I decided to take our adult kids on a trip, thinking it may be our last family holiday before they left home, and we had been having a great time. So much to see...and lots of hot guys at the beach or poolside for this straight-acting guy to check out.

Two nights before we flew out, I was feeling like seeing a bit of night life of Roma and remembered seeing a cool little cocktail bar about two or three blocks away from our hotel. The kids were hanging out with some other people their age, who they had met on the trip, and who were also stopped in Rome. It was getting to about 8.30pm and I had got ready to head out. The weather had been really warm while we were in Italy and the evening was quite balmy. I dressed in shorts and a linen shirt and slip on shoes. My wife was really tired and decided to have the night in and get some sleep. That was fine with me...happy to have a night on my own and do the things I'd like to do.

I went out onto the street and started walking to the cocktail bar. It was a busy night and there were lots of people out, enjoying the weather and the nightlife. I walked through the door to the quaint little building; an old, double story shop. It was busy, but not crazy. I found a small table and sat down. The waitress came over and took my order. I looked over to the bar and noticed the cocktail waiter. His firm arms bulging from his tight t-shirt, as he shook a cocktail. I ordered whatever was their most popular cocktail.

The waitress went over to the cocktail waiter, gave him the order and he looked my way. He was so sexy...those gorgeous Italian eyes just catching the light; his face almost in need of a shave, but enough hair to be really sexy!! He looked like he was well-built, but he was behind the bar, but I was keen to see the rest of him.

He made my cocktail, and the waitress brought it over. I offered to pay, but she told me it was on the house. I took the glass and lifted it to the cocktail waiter, who nodded in return. I drank it quickly, as it was very good. Standing up, I moved over to the bar and took a seat. The cocktail waiter was wearing an apron, but I could see he was most likely wearing shorts underneath. He walked over to me, and I noticed his name badge - Matteo. His name was so sexy!

"Bongiorno" he said politely.

"Bongiorno" I replied. "Thanks for the cocktail. It was amazing".

As we began to chat, and Matteo flirted with me, I felt my stomach start to turn and my heart flutter. I have had guys come onto me before and knew what it felt like. Maybe this time it would actually go somewhere!

"You are an Aussie?" he asked.

"Yeah mate" as we shook hands. "My name's Scott. We've just got a couple of nights in Rome before heading home. I saw this bar and was really keen to give it a go" I told him.

"We?" he asked. "You are travelling with others?"

"Yeah, my wife and kids." I replied.

He looked confused for a moment.

"So, you are married...but you want to have a good night tonight? he queried. "I have just the cocktail for you" he said, as he turned and started to prepare my drink.

Fuck...those shorts!!! Very short...very tight...ripped on the ass!!! God he had a nice ass. I felt my cock go instantly hard.

I stared at him as he shook the drink, poured it and brought it over to me. He leaned on the bar, as I sipped it.

"This is so good" I told him, as he smiled back at me.

He turned and walked over to the waitress, chatting with her as he removed his apron. I could tell that he had an amazing body, as his shorts and t-shirt were very tight. He clearly looked after himself.

Matteo headed over to a door and looked back at me, grabbing what seemed to be a pretty large cock in his shorts. That was my cue. I quickly gulped down the last of my cocktail and followed him out the door, trying to conceal my hard cock. He was at the top of the stairs as I approached them. I climbed the stairs and, as I entered the door to what seemed to be his apartment, he was there waiting for me. I closed the door behind me, and he walked up to me, placing his hand gently on my neck and pulling me into him. We began to kiss, his warm tongue sliding into my mouth as his right hand caressed the back of my neck and his left hand started to touch my groin.

I was completely lost now. This was a very new experience for me, but something I had wanted my entire life. My hands started to touch him, as he moved his hands to my shirt and undid the buttons. Taking my shirt off, he caressed my nipples and ran his hands over my chest and stomach. Fuck, I want this so bad! He undid my shorts and they dropped to the ground. My cock was the hardest I had ever experienced, and I knew that I was very wet in my trunks. Matteo slid my rod out and started to stroke it. I began to lose balance as more blood ran to my cock. I leant up against the wall and, as I did, shot a huge load over his shorts, legs and the floor.

"Oh fuck," I exclaimed..."I am so sorry. I have never been with a guy and you have got me so fucking horny"

"All good...I'm sure there will be more" he said calmly, as he stood back and removed his tight t-shirt, dropping it onto my load on the floor.

Matteo took me by the hand and lead me to his bed, guiding me to sit down. He moved in close to me and I undid the buttons on his shorts. As they opened, I could tell he liked to go commando, his pubic hair inviting me to taste what I had wanted forever!

I moved my face in closer and my nose touched his pubes. I could smell him...and it was turning me on! I slid his shorts down and his hard, nine-inch cock stood to attention. Playing hard to get, Matteo dropped to his knees and, taking my cock in his hand, started to stroke it, pulling my foreskin back more and more each time!

With my wet knob completely exposed, he ran his tongue slowly around the rim as I groaned.

"Does your wife do this?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

I shook my head. She had never actually pulled my foreskin back and probably only sucked me every couple of months.

He moved his tongue to the tip of my knob, gently running it over the very tip. I really wanted to hang onto my load this time, but didn't know how long I could. With his tongue on my knob, he slid my foreskin back over it and began to run his tongue around inside my skin. I fell back and grabbed the sheets.

"Oh fuck...I'm cumming" I screamed as he slammed his mouth down over my dick, taking my load right down his throat!

He pushed me back further onto the bed and pushed my legs back, lifting my ass up. He pushed his body in underneath me and grabbed my ass cheeks with both hands. Prying my fuck hole open with his thumbs, he dribbled my cum into my tight hole and then moved his face down into me and began to toy my rim with his tongue.

"Oh fuck!!!" I exclaimed loudly as I began to moan more and more.

My body was now his. I had nothing left in me and I let him do what he wanted to me.

Licking me deeper and deeper, he knew what I really needed...his nine-inch cock deep inside me. He wanted it too! Moving his body out from underneath me, my back went down onto the bed. Matteo pushed my legs back again and, knowing where he was going, I grabbed myself behind the knees. He rubbed his wet knob against my prepped hole, and I nearly lost it again.

Feeling a cock against my hole for the first time was the best thing I had ever experienced. As he slowly slid it in, deeper and deeper, I was in ecstasy. My eyes rolled back in my head as his cock rubbed my prostate. He fucked me slowly for what seemed like an eternity, and it was the most amazing thing I had ever felt.

Lowering my legs, he lay his body down on top of mine, as I then wrapped my legs around him. He began to kiss me and caress my body with his strong hands as he made love to me.

I could take this all night, I thought to myself. The feeling of his large cock inside me; his warm, strong hands all over my naked body; his mouth kissing my neck and shoulders; his tongue in my mouth. I didn't want him to stop.

With his body motion changing, and the pace of his thrust increasing, I could only assume he was about to orgasm and cum deep inside me.

He started to breath heavier and moan louder...

"Cazzo, sto venendo"! he yelled out and I felt the most amazing sense deep inside me.

His massive load injected deep inside my bowel, and the warmth of his semen filled my entire body. He looked me in the eye, both of us breathing heavily.

"My God, that was so amazing!" I exclaimed. "Fuck me again".

With that, he began to make love to me again...and again...and again. I lay there the entire night, as Matteo did to me whatever he wanted...whatever I needed! The more he fucked me, the more of his semen dripped from my man cunt and onto the bed. I don't know when we finished having sex, but we must have both dropped from complete exhaustion.

______________________________________________________________

A cool breeze blew across the bed, as the sun filtered through the rustling curtains. I woke, not realizing where I was, but pleasantly surprised at the gorgeous site in the bed next to me.

"Fuck" I thought to myself..."I stayed out all night". Panicked thoughts started to run through my head.

My thoughts were quickly overshadowed by the site of the hot, naked Italian guy sleeping next to me. I turned to him and ran my fingers gently down his hairy, muscular chest toward the sheet that was covering his waist. Slowly lifting the sheet back, the amazing cock that satisfied me all night lay there across his body; still impressive, whilst not even erect! I then began to notice the throbbing feeling inside my ass from being pounded all night.

I ran my finger along his shaft; slowly, back and forth, from his pubes to his head. His amazing cock started to stir, as did Matteo. He moaned as his cock became harder, and I moved into a position to take him in my mouth. I never had the chance last night, and I was so eager.

As I moved in closer, I could smell the aroma of sex on him. He fucked me so much; the smell of semen and ass were ever-present...and a complete turn-on!

Moving my head in closer, I started to run my tongue along his shaft, making Matteo stir, and I felt his hand run from my ass, up my back, to my head. He was fully erect now and I took him in my mouth. Matteo was clearly well practiced at being with guys, and I was able to suck him for ages before he blew his load in my mouth.

I swallowed every last drop.

He pulled my body over on top of his and I mounted his face, his tongue pushing deep inside my hole. I pulled his legs back and, grabbing his amazing ass cheeks, opened his hole and went for it, getting my face right into his hairy man cunt. Fuck, he smelt so good...and tasted even better!!

As we enjoyed tasting each other, there was a loud thump at the door downstairs. It sounded urgent, so I rolled off of Matteo and he went to the open balcony doors, completely naked and as hard as a rock.

"Bongiorno" Matteo called out.

...and then I heard a very familiar voice...

"I am looking for an Australian man, about 50, tall, well-built, greying hair..."

"Aren't we all?" replied Matteo, jokingly.

I liked the joke, but I was really nervous at the same time.

My son continued..."apparently he came here to have a few drinks last night, but he didn't return to the hotel. Do you think you might have seen him?"

"No, I don't recall serving an Australian man, but I will ask my staff today. But if you need a good time...come and see me!" Matteo said, winking at my son.

"Any other time I would, I mean, fuck, you're hot, but not today. Ciao" and he walked off.

Damn...my son is actually gay too!!! FUCK!!!

Matteo turned back to the bed, where I lay there on my back, naked and still hard. He climbed over the top of me and slid his ass down on top of my hard cock. As he moved up and down on me, I knew this was going to be over quickly.

I groaned...louder and louder...

"Ohhhh....fuck...I'm cumming," I cried out as I unloaded in his hot ass.

He lay down on top of me, my cock still inside of him, and we kissed.

"So, your son is gay too?" he asked.

"It seems so" I replied. "I'd better go, they are obviously worried about me. They've probably gone to the police already".

Matteo rolled off of me and I got up from the bed and found my clothes...well...most of them. I ended up going commando, as I could not find my trunks. I bent down to the bed and kissed Matteo goodbye.

"I had a great night" I said. "I wish it could have been longer".

"It could be" he replied, as he held me tight.

"I must go". And I slipped out of his hold, our hands being the last parts to touch.

I closed the door behind me and walked, but not back to the hotel. I didn't know what to do. I am gay! I have lived a lie my entire life. I headed to the river and sat down on a bench to think about what I needed to do next.

I messaged my wife to meet me at the river. When she arrived, I sat her down and told her everything. It's all I could do. I also told her that I could not return to Australia with the family and that I was going to stay in Italy.

She stood up and slapped me across the face and, looking me in the eyes, said that I needed to be the one to tell the kids, and she walked off.

With my face in my hands, I sat there crying, unsure if I had done the right thing or not. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and, looking at the screen, saw that Matteo had messaged me. I could not remember giving him my number, but I must have.

Along with a picture of him laying in bed in his ripped denim shorts, he wrote:

I have never been with a guy like you and loved every bit about last night. I want that to last forever. I will miss you. xx

As I sat there thinking about my life and what I had actually done, I found myself texting him back:

I am down by the river. Haven't gone to the Hotel. I don't know what to do.

And I left it at that, as I just sat there, face in my hands and sobbing.

I heard the sound of running feet, but did not look up. They seemed to stop near me, then I heard a familiar voice:

"Forza tesoro, andiamo a casa!" he said.

I looked up, and there was Matteo, looking hot as ever in his skinny jeans, one hand on his crotch, that other hand out for me. I reached for his hand and looked at him, unsure about what he said to me.

"Come on honey, let's go home" he said as he smiled at me.

I got up and he pulled me into his arms. We kissed passionately, our tongues deep inside each other's mouths.

I could not wait to spend every day with this man.

An original fictional, gay erotica story by @soyouthinkimstraight, @gayeroticafiction, NW,2023

All images have been removed due to Tumblr flagging, but were from the personal collection of @matteo-jeanslover and have been used by permission.

@matteo-jeanslover

[brooklynislandgirl]

Advent Calendar | Day One

@kit-just-kit

In many ways, Beth feels positively blessed by Kit being in her brother's life. It's nice to solidify the female presence to combat what even she can admit is sometimes toxic masculinity. It's nice to have someone who works in the same place and often with the same schedule to pal around with. And Kit Prince is a really sweet and special person, even if she is a doctor. At least one of those kind. This moment, Beth is glad to have a bestie to go shopping with. Later in the afternoon they're going to meet up with the rest of the girls; Jay, Tabby, and Cory for drinks and dinner. They might choose to got to a movie together or a show, or maybe ice-skating. The opportunities are endless. Warmth, camaraderie, and peace outside the bustling walls of their hospital. And tasty nibbles, which is a solid bonus. The streets are bustling, the air is crisp and cool and filled with seasonal spells; pine and colognes, food but particularly at the cart they've stopped by because Beth asked so sweetly, the smell of actual real roasted chestnuts. Beth loves that sweet, delicate nutty taste, and swears by hints of caramel and vanilla. All around them the city seems to share that joy and while waiting in line, she can't help but to people watch, and make up little stories in her head about them. "So, I know, you go back t' England f' Christmas every year, but I was hopin' dis year, if y' okay wi'd it, dat mebbe da kids could come here." She holds her hands up to brook any argument Kit might make until she's spoken her piece, or at least explained her request. "Now, I understand dat can be difficult, which is why I'm aksin' you now raddah dan lattah, wha' wi' logistics an' all. But you know dere's your place an' ours. Dere's a number of quality hotels we can look into. I can pay for da tickets as part of my gift. "But really, for Andy an' me, Christmas is particularly a time for family. We spent a lot of ours growin' up wi' it jus' bein' da two of us. In no way tryin' t' guilt ya into it of course. But as important as you are in our lives, as much as ya come t' be family to us, well...I was t'inking, maybe it's time den t' blend everyone. See how we all get along, how we fit togeddah. An' doin' it at Christmas, when people are inclined t' peace an' joy, of takin' surprises wi' gratitude and offerin' back love? What could be mo' perfect dan dat?" She looks up at Kit with an abundance of hope that could by itself cure the entire world. Head cocked, crooked little grin showing sharp little teeth, small gloved hands lifted and spread upward. "Dat's it, dat's my whole request, an' jus' somet'ing f' t'inking about. If not dis year, den maybe next." She then turns with a little bounce and moves up in the queue for the chestnuts. Avid curiosity to know Kit's thoughts is eating her up from the inside out, but as delicate as the request is, Beth knows the other woman needs at least a few moments to take in all of the request. To roll it around and ponder it. To sort her feelings about the situation as Beth has laid it out. And that's okay. Perfect, really.

[charlesandmartine]

Thursday 31st October 2024

Today, we left our glamorous glamping for pastures new. It seems incredible that the week has gone by so quickly in Kakadu. But we have managed to do so much in that time. It was time to pack up shop and head off to Pine Creek and then on to Katherine. Final check to ensure there are no crocodiles hiding in the suitcases.

Now the reason we wanted to call into Pine Creek was that it was the subject a few years ago on our favourite ABC program, Backroads. The presenter Heather Ewart travels around Australia, meeting very small communities and finding out what makes them tick. One such town was Pine Creek. We drove up and down the Main Street looking for signs of life. We thought it would be nice to have a coffee, bit all the possible places appeared shut. There was the old station and museum shut. An exhibition of the old gold mine and subsequent Uranium mine, shut. Not a soul on the streets, and then we came across the Lazy Lizard Tavern. Considering this was the only place with any signs of human habitation at all, it was packed with interest. Firstly, they had a coffee, and they appeared to be serving delicious looking food to a small collection of tourists. Then, at the rear, there was a huge barn filled with restored classic American and Aussie cars and motorcycles. The smell of engine oil and leather was quite beguiling. What an excellent collection. Old metal advertising signs abounded, and a lifetime's collection of registration plates exceeding those of the dvla no doubt. Then, just as you are thinking that the whole place is a little oasis of genius, you notice a small scruffy bloke in the corner playing with a four-foot python which he claims to be perfectly harmless; well at least it's never bitten him he said! He continued to stroke the snake until it becomes apparent something was not right. Hang on, he said, I just have to move his back end slightly. With that, he moved the tail end over the edge of the table just in time for the snake to go about his ablutions. It had never occurred to me that this was an affliction open to our reptile friends, let alone an issue that needs such close attention. However, job done we enquired, as you would after such an event, what he fed said snake with. Oh, rats, he said, I buy frozen ones. It's OK. They only eat one every 3 weeks or so.

Well, moving on, I had to ask about the program. I said Pine Creek appeared on Backroads. Do you remember them making that episode. Oh, I love that show she said. No I didn't know they came here. I'll ask Shannon. She knows everything. She didn't know either. So, there we were with no further leads, and as far as we could tell, the remainder of the town had escaped for the rest of the millennium. The trail was not cold, but dead.

Onwards then to our goal of Katherine. Stopping briefly to admire a buffalo grazing near the roadside we carried on.

Our home for the week is in an apartment on what seems to be a small farm and riding stables. The outlook is very rural and we appear to enjoy unfettered views of a field of cows that enjoy sitting in a small pond to keep cool. We, on the other hand, have air-conditioning to achieve similar aims.

We are still forming an opinion regarding Katherine. First impressions are that it clearly, sadly, has its social problems associated with a high population of indigenous peoples. Once more, we had to be checked before we were allowed to buy a couple of bottles of SB. Small groups of Aboriginies hung around Woolworths and a bit of shouting and lying drunk was occurring, but unfortunately, this can be quite normal behaviour, and it isn't threatening in itself. We made our purchases and returned to our new digs with baramundi and chips. Lovely.

ps. The ABC news showed an article about what they referred to as Pollie Perks. Apparently, politicians, including Prime Minister Albanese, have been accepting gifts, flight upgrades, and pop concert tickets! Shocking. Now, like the UK, there's to be a tightening of rules!

pps Happy 35th Birthday Liam

[j-s-archivist]

Statement of coral banks, regarding the appearances of strange symbols in her home.

I have always lived in Sukal you know, well had but anyways. Lived there all my life. Had my first birthday and my graduation there. Would've had my marriage there if it wasn't for those .. things.

I met Carlos in the fall of 2015. Laid my eyes on him and got lost in his freckled face, his deep blue eyes. Those eyes, I cannot tell you. I have never met a man with eyes as blue as Carlos. They are striking and utterly drownable. Knew from the first moment he was mine. It was just a matter of wooing him. He was an .. interesting man. He had many interesting tastes. He liked death metal music while also liking meditation and yoga. He loved collecting bones. Not like people bones, no no. Like small animal bones. Dinosaur teeth, deer antlers, rabbit skulls. I thought it was cool! I thought it was..rustic.

He also loved collecting odd art. You can imagine what the inside of his home looked like. It was a small house. One of those van houses which you can drive around with. But the inside, every wall and every surface had *something*. Be it an artistic tapestry or a case of odd statues he found in some old forgotten corner of amazon. There was barely any space to walk much less live! Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing a kitchen in there..

Anyways Carlos and I started dating by spring. It was as you'd expect, we hung out, went on dates just has a really nice time altogether. All this time though while I visited his van a few times, he refused to come to my apartment. Always made some excuse or the other about it. At first I thought maybe he was being shy but I had been to his house before and it just felt quite weird you know. But I let it be. It wasn't a big thing. So if he was comfortable that way I would leave him be.

The trouble started the day I went to his home to pick him up for a surprise date I had planned.(It was our 6 month anniversary and i wanted to make it special!). I got there and I knocked at his door, even sung a little jingle about how it was me. No answer. I figured maybe he was sleeping. I knocked again, louder. Still no answer. I tried ringing him. I heard his phone from inside the van. So he *was* inside. Was he ignoring me? Was he mad? I didn't know, I didn't think I did something wrong. And even if i did, he should talk to me about it, not ignore me and sulk in a corner. Communication is key in a relationship! Yes we should talk! So I knocked again and asked him to open the door so we could talk. I remember being so aware in that moment of how loud my voice was. Coz the atmosphere around me had gone utterly silent. Was it always like that? Or did it shift just now? It was so silent that I couldn't even hear the sound of vendors in the main street. All I could hear was my breathing and a slow moaning creak as the door of the van opened.

'Carl?' I whispered, scared to break the quiet for some reason. But I got no answer. I carefully stepped in the door. The inside was, as I recalled, covered in tapestries and bones, but no sign of Carlos. I debated if I should stay in my boyfriend's house or would it be an invasion of privacy when my gaze felt on a tapestry by the bed. It was a muted green and looked old. Older than many tapestries around. Woven in it was the shape of a eagle, swooping to catch its prey. As I looked closer, the thing it was trying to catch didn't look very much like a mouse but more like a man. I stepped closer to the bed and saw that the man had a terrified expression on his face and his body had chunks of meat missing and his eyes were very very blue.

I left the van very quickly. I messaged Carlos to msg me back when he got time and decided to spend my 6 month anniversary in the concrete walls of my apartment. Maybe it was just an odd tapestry and nothing more and I was overreacting. But my head was spinning and my eyes were starting to hurt so I thought the best thing for me would be to rest. And I'd feel better tomorrow!

I did not feel better the next day. My headache had worsened significantly so I had to go down to the chemist a couple blocks down to get some medicine.

On the way I saw a little kid playing with a dog and when I got close, she looked up and said 'Hello Coral'. She had deep deep blue eyes. And she stared at me.

Needless to say, I felt disturbed knowing the earlier events but reasoned maybe she is a neighbor's kid who I'm just not remembering. Yes that must be it. I nodded and walked forward. Next was an older man in a suit. He stopped, looked at me with those same deep blue eyes. 'Hello Coral' That was..3 days ago. Every where I go, people just know me somehow. And they stare with Carlos eyes. All of them I cannot go outside anymore.do you know how difficult the train journey was here?? I don't know what is happening. You are the only person I know who doesn't have blue eyes anymore.

Even my mother refuses to talk to me. She just stares. She just says hello.

Statement ends.

-JM

Huh…It’s interesting to see how something you thought you loved could just as easily turn into something you hate or become scared of. That’s definitely…an intriguing statement. I’ll have to look into this.

[imjustabeanie]

Here’s the infir for our trade:

My style has a rockstar gf vibe. Sometimes softer colours too. I'm hourglass shaped and almost curvy, but I spend lots of time training (MMA) so instead im lowkey athletic with some muscle. I've got dark gray almond shaped eyes and medium lengst wavy blonde wolfcut with (renee rapp-style) bangs. Ironically (for Hazbin) I often hear that I look Angel-like? Like, even from strangers on the street?? That or that I’m intimidating. Ngl, that strokes my ego a bit (as all the other times I had strangers compliment me, tho I try to be neutral abt it bc ofc I’m pretty), but idk what really makes me come across that way. Got some casual makeup on usually. I’ve got some scars and bruises from training, don’t mind most, not too fond of my scar from a sword fight (long story), bc it’s big (and I hate that somebody might think that I lost it; my ego >>> my body - with injuries like that). Also, got a hidden tattoo. Yeah yeah, my youth group (idk how to actually say it in eng) doesn’t allow it, I’ve got my rep but give me some sweet hypocrisy as a treat (/hj), I think the tattoo looks awesome (yeah, it was diy). I’m social & extroverted. I write songs and am in a band. Other than that I like to tease ppl if given the opportunity; others say I’m flirty - bold with it at that. I’m ambitious too. I don't take shit from ppl, im far from meek. I have npd (if you want to look it up without reading scientific papers, go on tumblr, bc the rest of the internet is filled with ‘demonic narcissism’ bullshit) and it influences the way I am. I care lots about my image, don’t have a ton of empathy etc. I don’t kick puppies, but it‘s noticeable how I lack in this department. Sometimes people say I’m ’too nice to have it’ cause i do well with kids and do all the youth group volunteering. Kinda skeptical of serious romance cause I had lots of it & I don’t mix well with a lot of people. Maybe I could do something serious for once if I had the right person. I try to be responsible and respectful but I have no issue finding my place at a wild party or something. I can be soft-er if I want, like with children or ppl I’m close with (I've got many friend groups but struggle to make meaningful connections). Usually I just stay my analytical, laid-back self and say my silly little comments every once in a while. Heard I’m pretty funny if I want to be. My love language is acts of service. I like small things and I do them a lot. I can do praise too, but I don't care for it in return. Like, you can be an asshole (up to a limit, I know my worth) and it’s cool with me if I see you have your ways of caring like putting on a song I like in the car. Unrelated but some say I’m kinda closed off and ‘mysterious’ or wtv . Hate it when people push me to open up and be emotional; love music and I unironically had a few guys play songs AT me and I actually like that too, tho I get why ppl clown on it; despise the ‘I can fix them’ trope, it just feels wrong; obvi love my band, we are awesome; Deal breakers r: boring ppl, too romantic or sentimental, ppl who can't be casual with me, ppl who only approach me bc of my looks (yeah they are important, but my personality’s too good to ignore in the long run, come on), for Hazbin - no Val. I like ppl who are more negative than me and aren't afraid to shittalk everything. Just saying whatever, not caring if they offend ppl (up to a point, some issues aren’t debatable ik). I like to join in sometimes. They have to be at least a little funny. And determined abt their goals, like a lot, no matter what it is. Don't really care for morality (to a certain point, again) if you're charismatic and fun to be around, I’m along for the ride and happy to support whatever you get yourself into. Like, my perfect dynamic is usually when the other person says the wildest shit and I just go like ‘yeah, go baby’. Ppl try to argue? I pull out the ‘who?… who cares?’ card.

1/2, just a few sentences got cut

-★🎶

Hellooooo! Here's my part of the trade!

Your match for hazbin hotel is.....Velvette! With Adam as a close runner up lol

Okay so as I said in messages, Velvet would be a perfect match for you (with adam as your very close runner up). You said you don’t like sentimental or boring people but you like them ambitious and audacious. Tell me how it’s not our dear Velvette. Now okay, given her little screentime there’s a chance she approached you first for your looks but put her in her place and there you go. A nice enemies to lovers’ story. Who asked the other one first? Her. She was pushed to the edge by the other V’s teasing.

Something that fits you both in the relationship is that you don’t expect the lovey dovey atmosphere. It’s more like…that’s my demon, fuck off. She likes that you retaliate and doesn’t get hurt easily because she won’t have to watch her words. It’s not uncommon to find both of you bickering but if anyone dared to try and side with one of you they’d get hurt. Velvette love language is probably gifts and fancy dates. She likes it when you do small things for her and will show it off by saying find a better lover than mine or something similar. Your relationship will be public but the amount of photoshoots you two do together depends on you, she won’t force you into an influencer life.

Now Velvette likes your style and you two give me the same vibes. But you know what she likes more? Matching outfits with you. She will probably offer to do your make up for you if you let her. As for the tattoos, if the relationship gets serious then she will get one for you. In private, she does fuss over the bruises you get during training and even proposes to….take care of your opponents. If you do any matches she will clear her schedule and assist.

Besides her brutal honesty, Velvette is the best critique you could ask for. She will help out your band as much as she can. Leave the costumes and decorations to her lol. Now onto some personal headcanons, I think that Velvette would enjoy a lover that’s stronger than her (physically. In termof powers idk) but wouldn’t abuse it. Someone who’d pick her up and spin, her around or just someone with who she can get lost in their arms in private. A lover who won’t judge her and accept her with all her flaws. I also think she’s the type that enjoys late car rides with full on music to destress. But for all of this to happen and for her to let her real walls down the relationship would have to become serious. You’re both in it for fun and it’s easy to get backstabbed in hell after all.

Hope you like it. I tried to include everything

[sygneth]

the level of randomness today exceeded critical mass and i NEED to share

so anyways, i went to the city with my roomie for an exhibition and we spent a nice evening together, everything was very cool, we decided to head back home when suddenly a slightly drunken guy approaches us and asks how to get to some place nearby. And boy, oh boy, if that wasn't a real-life NPC then I don't know what is. I started to talk to him and tried to ask him the exact place he wanted to get to, because the location he gave us was very vague and i think i accidentally accepted the side quest so somehow we ended up walking him home?? It took us like good twenty minutes to get there because when i told him we can walk him there he got a ridicously big (and heavy) bag from some bushes and was taking breaks every fifity meters or so to put it on the other shoulder

we got to his tenement, made sure he made it to the entrance and decided to go to the bus to go back home and all seemed cool but five stops before ours the bus suddenly broke, like, in the middle of the street it just started to flash red lights and beep and then just died or something, anyways the bus driver tell us we won't go any further and there should be another bus in ten minutes so we can walk to the nearest stop and wait.

But of course the impatient creatures we are, we decided 10 minutes is too long and would rather go to the tram stop. And just when I thought the randomness of this day reached its peak, he appeared. A guy in his late thirties, pushing a shopping cart (like one of those small ones that look like baskets with wheels) even though we were clearly not even near any shops, filled with the biggest chocolate bars i've ever seen. We ignored him and started to walk past him when he turned to us and started to say something, half-Polish, half-English. He somehow managed to tell us he needs a lighter (do i need to mention the guy was shitfaced too?), i gave it to him saying some random polite shit like "here you are" and the guy makes big eyes asking if we're Polish. We said, truthfully, that yessir, we are and at this point he starts to dance some, i have no idea, dance of pure joy, raising his hands to the air and screaming that he found all the answers to all the questions. After he finished he wanted to "give us everything he has on him" and reached for the rest of his cigs (that he kept in his pocket without any box or anything so you can imagine how did they look) and when we politely said we don't want them he reached to the basket and took one of those ridiculous chocolates and pushed it into my hands. Me, shocked and my roomie trying not to choke from laughter are standing there, in the middle of nowhere and this guy is rambling something about how people should be nicer to each other and help each other out and generally that we are good young folks and the future of the nation. Then he kissed our hands?? like the old, gentleman way, all cool but he clearly did notice that i am a guy, that didn't stop him, and sent his farewell to us, getting back to his lonesome road.

I have no idea what happened tonight, but if I didn't have this ass-long chocolate bar in my house right now i would never believe i just gained a Special Healing Item (heals 24 times!!) for finishing a side-quest of helping a lost NPC on his way home

[umichenginabroad]

Week 11: Xi’An

Hello hello! I just got some post Xi’An clarity and I’m excited to talk about it! Planning it out was initially quite stressful as we navigated the transportation and the booking system for the first time. Still, eventually, after the 20th reservation, the ticket-buying process was almost like second nature. (it also helped that we had someone who could read Chinese who ended up planning everything towards the end). Just as a heads up if you are interested in this program, traveling can be convenient through the high-speed railway system but if you want to go to any tourist location, you better buy tickets online beforehand. Certain attractions are hard to book, especially if you try to buy them last minute or if you are in Beijing. This trip was really fun but it did feel like we missed out on some attractions because we didn’t properly plan. Regardless, here is a play-by-play of our trip!

Day 1

Our trip got off to a rocky start because an hour into the commute to the train station, one of my travel companions realized they had forgotten their ID. A very stressful subway ride later, filled with anxious phone calls and last-minute research on the necessity of identification (surprise it is REALLY important in China), we got someone to take the Chinese version of Uber to deliver the ID. From there, it was just a long 7-hour train ride where we desperately caught up on homework so the weekend could be worry-free. Once we arrived we bought some grapes off the street that no one touched in the subsequent days and checked into the hotel (which was only $15 per night), we took a relaxing stroll around the Muslim Quarters where we tried some street food. One of my friends was sick so we headed back early so she could rest. 

Day 2

Day 2 was all about rising and grinding as we had a day of hiking ahead of us. Unfortunately, we didn’t rise and grind hard enough because we ended up missing our train to the mountain we were planning to hike. It ended up not being a huge blunder as we just booked the next train with a 10 yuan ($1.50) penalty. Once we arrived, we were berated by a horde of taxis offering to drive the final stretch from the train station to the mountain. After picking a taxi, they took us to a somewhat sketchy area to buy tickets to go to the mountain and take the cable cars. I was 90% sure we were either about to get scammed or we were getting our kidneys stolen but it turns out the taxi driver was just a nice guy and just also got a commission off of the sale. Once we got there, we spent a solid 1.5 hours standing in line waiting for the cable cars, and sprinting upstairs before we finally got to look at the breathtaking views. It was actually initially a bit scary as the cable cars accelerated up the mountain but eventually, the view outweighed the height. Up in the mountain, the air felt incredibly clean and cool and the suffocating crowd of people seemed to magically clear up. We got to enjoy the first half and peak in utter serenity as we took in the beauty of the mountains. 

Then we realized we had an hour to climb from one peak to another before we would miss the final shuttle down the mountain and therefore also miss our train going back to Xi’an. The calm stroll through the glorious mountains quickly thereafter, devolved into a sprint up and down the steep stairs to catch our train while hitting as many picturesque places as possible. We just barely caught the last cable car but ended up missing the subsequent train. With our heads hanging low, we took the L and rebooked the high-speed train. 

Day 3

This day was probably my favorite day! We initially went back to the Muslim Quarter to visit the Great Mosque which had crazy intricate architecture and was surprisingly pretty empty. Afterward, we looked around at the various small shops where we bought some souvenirs for our friends and a nice auntie taught my friend how to put up her hair using a hair stick. Following that, we grabbed some lunch (where my favorite dish was actually a Shanghainese special) and headed to a massive Pagoda where we also saw a massive One Piece-themed mall. (also as a note, if you are a girl you have to cover up your shoulders both in the Mosque and in the Pagoda area). After walking in the sweltering heat, we grabbed some Chinese Pizza Hut dressed up in Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothes) and took pictures in the lights. 

The experience was actually pretty fun as there were racks of racks of different styles of Hanfu (most of the options were from the Tang Dynasty because Xi’an was the capital during that era). After picking out the clothes, a lot of people came in with an idea of how they wanted their hair and makeup done but I had no idea so I let my makeup artist have complete creative liberty and I think she did a great job! However, after 15 lb of hair extensions and clips, my head definitely felt a little bit heavy. I was also with guys and they also had their makeup and eyebrows done which they all liked to varying degrees. Once we were all done up, it was actually really hard to get group pictures because most people actually completely ignored us when we asked them to take pictures, which was a bit of a shock. Regardless, it was really fun dressing up and exploring the colorful streets C-Drama style. This was probably the best day because it was the least stressful.

Day 4

Day four was almost solely dedicated to the Terracotta warriors which to be honest I think were kind of average. It was quite out of the way 2 hours by subway + a 10 minute kidney risking taxi ride. I think the actual monument was really cool, it was just so horrendously crowded and busy I felt like I couldn’t properly enjoy the sight. Also, the descriptions were translated to English but according to the one person in my group who could read Chinese, the English translations were really simplified and left out big details. Also, the warriors were kind of far away and I didn’t bring my glass haha. But to each their own, because my friend really enjoyed it! Afterward, we took a calm stroll along the city wall and got a hotpot! To me, the perfect way to end the trip. 

Anyways, I think next week I’m going to Chengdu soooo see you then!

Erin Xia

Mechanical Engineering

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute

[desolatedpigeon]

I had this weird dream just now.

The first half was something about the Euro 2024. But then I got to know some blonde guy. I don't know him IRL by the way. He had some weird kind of helicopter, which was basically just the blade above and then the like 10 seats in a circle, protected by class and nothing from the bottom.

Since this was a dream, it obviously worked and flew. When we, the blonde guy, some other people (idk) and me, flew the thing, it was like in some videogame, looking in third person on the "helicopter" and even with a funny voice chat icon on the left side of the "screen", like the POV.

When that thing flew close to the ground, I jumped from it and it just disappeared. My "friends" (like I don't know these people IRL) all fell over the ground. In a mix between real-life and gaming pov I walked into one of the tents, because suddenly there was a circus next to the Euro public viewing. Inside of the tent I did some parkour. It was somehow fun, idk.

After that I met them again in some open space. There were storms going by in the distance and literally anywhere were rainbows. I've never seen that many rainbows. Like to the left, the right, forward and behind us. They overlapped and whatnot.

Then I flew with this thing again together with those people. I'm not sure anymore where we wanted to fly to, but I think it was Paris. When we landed (we basically just teleported) it was night and we walked around the street. For some reason I suddenly lost my clothes. And then put on something else. When we arrived at our BnB, a small apartment inside the city, we got in. I put on half of a costume instead of my clothes. It was like a beige costume, with a yellow basket like looking backpack and half of an orange beak on the front. In the dream I assumed it was half of an Easter chicken costume. But that one "friend" of our group, a woman who decided to cook something in the kitchen for us all, convinced me it was an Easter bunny. (Now awake I'm sure it was half of an Easter chicken costume. My brain gaslighted myself in my dream. Lmao)

Anyway, in the bedroom I found cool stickers and some snacks. I took them over to the living room and sat down next to a guy "friend". We looked through the stickers and for some reason there was suddenly a big shelf right in front of the couch. I looked through the book and papers. (Don't do that irl, if you're in a BnB, pls.) At first I found a nice drawing, then I found a paper. It looked like a test from school. I was so confused because it looked like my own handwriting. (Now awake, I know that this wasn't my real handwriting, but in the dream, it was.) He didn't believe me, so I wrote a "g" and showed him. When I wanted to write more as examples, I noticed that my name was in the paper and then I looked through the rest of the papers. I found multiple tests from my classmates from elementary school. I was scared, because this was an apartment in Paris, what do my elementary school tests have to do in Paris, when I'm from Germany? I looked up whose home we were in. I didn't remember that name (and I still don't. I guess my brain made that up.)

Then I woke up.

I can't explain that dream. Sure, the Euro2024 makes sense. But the rest? I never wanted to go to Paris, I never saw or flew that kind of helicopter. If it even exists. And who was that blonde guy? I usually dream about old schoolmates, my best friend, sometimes my crush. But that one was completely unknown to me. And what's going on with the tests? All in all 6/10 dream, would dream again.

[katoktm8]

ITS ALL WRONG

Started day early to catch the bus to Saranda. I purchased tickets online for 20 euros so we were good to go.

A “To go” breakfast was waiting for us. Sadly disappointed since this will be our only food for many many hours. Water, packs of cookies, packs of rosemary breadsticks, a peach, a persimmon, a soggy spinach pie slice wrapped in foil, and a box of cherry juice with straw. This seemed like the wrong type of breakfast compared to all the delicious tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggs we’ve been getting for breakfast. So guess who got most of our breakfast? The stray dogs in the parking lot of course.

Caroline dropped us at the bus terminal and when we got out of the car the men were yelling at us “where to where to”and we told them they directed us to a van. We put our luggage on and we claimed our seats. Jammed in the van. We takeoff on time for a four hour ride to Saranda, Albania. Two hours in, after picking up more passengers and having them sitting on stools, we arrived at our rest area. This is where the bus driver gets off and checks tickets and people can go to the bathroom. Of course we were on the WRONG VAN/bus. this one cost €10 instead of 20. it may have even been less than that. Very unclear. A lot of yelling and confusion and me looking innocent. When one helpful Albanian man said don’t worry about it. Then apparently he called the bus station and came and found us and said don’t worry about it. It’s fine. One potential disaster averted. Wrong bus!

How cool… the bus pulled over to the side of the road we heard all this zooming and dozens and dozens of race cars zoomed by. I managed to get some pictures. And from analyzing the pictures, we discovered it was a road race from Athens, Greece to Monaco. All different kinds of fast cars and colors kept zooming by us on curves and straightaways. Kept our attention for a good hour on the van. 6 to 6 European tour.

Arrived in Saranda a bit queasy. Got our luggage and walked down the hill to our hotel to check in. Having trouble checking in thinking it’s a language barrier. Waiting waiting, waiting waiting then we found out we were checking into the WRONG HOTEL. This was actually a relief because the hotel we were at was a bit sketchy. Went next-door to the hotel we were supposed to be at checked in. Very small room smaller bathroom than the night before. Nice view. Clean room. And great restaurant. We went and had lunch down the street walk walk, walk along the shore. And decided to go swimming.

Ionian Sea! We found this cool beach area that we walked down to. It had swimming ladders down into a deep blue sea area. See the photos. Of course I’m calling it “the hole”. We swam out, floated around refreshed and took our glamour shots on the shore.

Walked back, showered off and met Andrew for dinner! The strange thing is as we were going on our lunch hunt we saw Andrew walking down the sidewalk. In this huge town, how random is it that we would run into him? Then as I was telling Julie a story about this woman on Facebook that I was supposed to meet up with in Shkoder, there she was on the beach! She is from this Facebook group called female solo travelers over 50. She was going to meet carolyn and I for dinner five towns ago. Then Caroline and I randomly ran into her in another town and recognized her. Then I recognized her here. Very strange.

Dinner with Andrew was fantastic and we all really had a fun time. We kept him out way past his bedtime of 9 o’clock. Delicious grilled vegetables, whole fish, and homemade pasta.🍷🍷

And a Chimi Changa check in! They have been partying!

I really love this beach town!!!

[crystal-in-nagasaki]

crystal NOT in nagasaki, singapore: part five

Hello again! We've finally reached the final part of my time in Singapore. After this post, I'll talk next about the few days I spent in Thailand before returning to my home in Japan. Please look forward to it!

On my ninth day in Singapore, I was able to explore a bit of Singapore's Chinatown and Little India. As I mentioned previously, there are many different ethnic groups living in Singapore, including Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Muslim people. We saw some of Singapore's Middle Eastern and Muslim culture on Arab Street, and now we were able to explore more of the Chinese and Indian culture in Singapore.

In Chinatown we explored some souvenir shops, where I searched a bit desperately for novelty/authentic mahjong sets, but unfortunately wasn't able to find any. We also were able to see the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, a temple for Chinese Buddhism. It was very grand and ornately decorated. I particularly loved looking at the beautiful tapestry behind the Buddha woven with gold thread. The temple was very similar to many temples I've seen in Japan, and it was interesting to look for the differences between Japanese and Chinese Buddhism.

After this, we spent some time walking around Little India. There were some very beautiful cultural murals painted on the buildings.

We also went shopping at a huge mall in Little India called Mustafa Centre. It had TONS of really cheap foods and souvenirs. I felt like I walked forever and there were still more and more aisles of various foods laid before me. It was heaven.

In the evening, we returned to my friend's home to rest and eat another homemade dinner with her family. Our trip in Singapore was coming to an end and it was incredibly fun but tiring, so it was nice to take a quiet rest for the night.

On my final day in Singapore, one friend and I broke off from the group to go to Bird Paradise, an entire zoo park near Singapore Zoo and Night Safari dedicated to the various bird species of the world. Each section was separated by continent or region, so we got to have a world tour of many kinds of exotic birds!

We started in Antarctica, where there was an indoor penguin tank.

Next we walked through the Australian section. I don't know much about the types of birds we saw, but here's some pictures I took.

I was also able to see a real kookaburra! They're much bigger than I thought, and very round.

Since the tropical temperature in Singapore is very hot and humid, there were small air-conditioned buildings separating each of the sections. These buildings usually had small educational exhibits and diagrams about the birds that you could look at while you rested in the cool air. In one of the buildings there were beanbags all across the floor and giant screens showing bird mating dance documentary footage. It was so funny and cool.

In another building, you could rest on benches shaped like birds' beaks, which we had a lot of fun with.

And these giant eggs:

Anyway, I don't remember what region they're from, but enjoy these other pictures of birds I saw.

At the far back of the park we reached the African section, which had flamingos and beautiful macaws. They were so colorful and much larger than I thought they would be! I tried to take a picture with one of them that was waddling around on the path to show their size, but it's still hard to really understand from the picture just how massive they were.

They also held an educational bird show at a large amphitheater in the park. We got to hear a parrot sing happy birthday and witness a beautiful great hornbill fly across the arena. For the show's finale, they released a bunch of the birds into the center of the amphitheater and it was so chaotic and fun.

After that, we finished up at Bird Paradise and went out in search of lunch. We decided to try Jollibee, a Filipino fast food restaurant specializing in fried chicken. I originally thought that this shop only existed in Singapore, but they actually have shops across Asia, with shops even in Canada, the US, Saudi Arabia, and Italy! My Filipino friend in Japan told me that Jollibee is one of the only fast food chains in the world that outperforms McDonald's in their native country.

Since I have a Filipino friend in Japan and my partner is American Filipino, I had been interested in trying it while I'm in Asia and it was really good! A distinct part of the meal that makes it so loved by Filipino people is that it comes with rice as a side, which is wrapped in paper to the left of the chicken. Thank you Philippines for making such a delicious fast food chain <3

At the end of the day, we met back up with all of our friends, new and old, and enjoyed some drinks at a bar. I was surprised to find that drinks in Singapore are pretty expensive, and public consumption of alcohol is banned after midnight! So the drinking culture in Singapore is fairly reserved. As someone who enjoys a few social drinks and an early bedtime, I was completely happy with this.

I ordered Singapore's signature drink, the Singapore sling, made from gin, cherry liqueur, Cointreau, Benedictine, pineapple juice, lime juice, grenadine syrup, and Angostura bitters. If I remember correctly, it cost something like $17 which was kind of crazy, but it was really tasty. According to Wikipedia, it was created by a Chinese bartender at the Raffles Hotel around 1915. I didn't order my drink there, but the Raffles Hotel still stands today, and is still famous for their Singapore slings, which draws in many tourists each year. Apparently they sell 800-1200 Singapore slings every day, and the drink makes up about 70% of the bar's total revenue!

After a night of fun and delicious drinks, we headed to my friend's home on our last night in Singapore content and a little tipsy. The next morning we headed to the airport bright and early to catch our flights to Thailand, the next part of our adventure!

We've finally made it to the end of my time in Singapore, after five long parts. Thank you for sticking with me through all of my long posts. <3

I'm so so grateful to Chrystal's family for not only allowing me to stay in their home, but showing me around, feeding me delicious food, and overall taking very good care of me. It meant so much to me and made this one of the most memorable and fun trips of my entire life. I'm forever grateful to have been accepted into their family for this short time.

Finally in the next part, I'll talk about the few days I spent in Thailand in the first few days of 2024. Stay tuned!

[studiomkm]

Buck Barnaby final prototype opening

Finally got a flow and a feeling I'm happy with. Now BEHOLD!!! My opening chapter, the heinous crime...

A gentle autumn breeze blew leaves down the sidewalk and shook the lighter Halloween decorations that still held their places in the yards of the neighborhood Ethel Freeman took her weekend morning walk. A two-piece jogging outfit kept the 62 year old woman’s body warm despite the sense of melancholy that cooled her heart. It was November 1st and thus all the wonderful decorations that had given her street such vibrant life for nearly a month would soon have to come down.

“Good morning, Miss Freeman!”

Ethel stopped at the end of her driveway and politely greeted her neighbor, the young werewolf Roan.

“I hope my pack’s Halloween party last night didn’t keep you up. I try to keep them from getting to crazy but you know how it is with us wolves…” he said with a slight sniffle.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I stayed up late grading papers once the trick-or-treaters stopped coming anyway so I could enjoy my weekend. I have to ask though, are you coming down with a cold?”

“Oh no,” he assured her as he wiped his nose with a napkin from his back pocket, “Somebody just pranked our party by tossing this weird wolfsbane potpourri bomb into the living room through the back door. We had it wide open so anyone could come and go for fresh air as they please. But yeah, combine sneezing werewolves with drunk werewolves and you’ve got a recipe for sleeping in well past noon the day after.”

“Well I assume that you being up and talking to me this morning means you were a little more responsible than your guests,” Ethel replied with a small bit of admonishment in her tone.

“Oh yeah. Pack rules: I hosted the party so I had to stay sober in case somebody needs a designated driver, which three people did,” he explained.

“I thought you didn’t have a license?”

“I don’t, but-” he said as he shifted from fully human to partially wolfish with a mischievous smirk, “-I’ve got a strong back, fast legs and a killer jump.”

Ethel smiled and rolled her eyes then walked to her front door to unlock it.

“How’s Evan by the way?” Roan asked as Ethel fiddled with her house keys.

“He’s fine… had a lot of fun last night floating our decorations around with his powers. I bet he’ll be tuckered out for the rest of today though. I’ll be surprised if he lifts up anything heavier than the TV remote today.”

“I didn’t know ghosts could get tired.”

“Maybe not all ghosts, but definitely little Evan.” She replied as she finally got her door unlocked, “Well you take care now, Roan, and maybe put on some tea to help with your stuffy noses.”

Roan chuckled and smiled warmly.

“Will do, Miss Freeman. Hope you and Evan have a relaxing day,” he said before bounding back to his house, still half-shifted.

Ethel entered her home, unable to bother with her still open front door just yet as she went to hang the jacket of her jogging suit up. The door closed behind her right as she got her jacket on the coat rack in the hallway and a smile lit up her face.

“Thank you, Evan. You didn’t have to do that. I know you’re still recovering from last night,” she called out cheerfully as she made her way to the kitchen.

Evan floated down through the ceiling, his ghostly glow painting the walls around him with a sky blue light, and pointed towards the door as he followed Ethel into the kitchen by her side.

“Yes, I know. It was very nice of you,” she said while smiling at the spectral child.

On the kitchen table was some mail from the previous day that she hadn’t yet bothered to open. Ethel grabbed it on her way to the coffee maker and pulled out one of the pods from the cabinet above, along with her second favorite mug. The machine hummed into action and the smell of French roast filled the air within moments as the woman of the house flipped through what she had received.

Most of it was the usual, predictable spam but one envelope in the middle of the pile put an immediate frown on her face. The unnatural smile of the local big shot real estate man, Darryl Bell, stared up at her from the envelope’s face and she didn’t need to open it to know its contents. She tore the envelope up with moderate prejudice then tossed its remains in her trash right as her cup of coffee finished brewing.

“First he won’t make that boy stop calling and now he invades my mailbox. I’m about ready to march right on up to that office of his and tear him a new one so hard I’ll be able to hear Mama gasp from Heaven,” Ethel growled.

Evan silently chuckled at her display of indignity. The act had finally stopped his pointing at the door and Ethel shook her head, smiling as she took her first sip of coffee. The perfectly bitter brew caused a pleased hum to escape her lips.

“Nothing hits you quite like that first little bit of coffee, Evan,” she said to her ghostly companion as she took a seat at the table.

Evan floated down and mimicked sitting down next to her, though it wasn’t actually possible for him to touch the seat.

“Can you believe that in just two measly little weeks, it’ll be twenty-five years to the day since I started sharing this house with you?”

Evan smiled and shook his head no.

“Well I certainly can. I get a little more tired and a little more sore every morning. I’m finally starting to understand why Mama was always so grumpy when she was my age.”

A loud crash from the hallway interrupted their pleasant morning conversation so suddenly that Ethel jumped in her seat while swearing. The startling noise had also caused her to spill her coffee, which elicited a second swear. Ethel moved quickly to grab some paper towels to clean the mess with while Evan floated towards where the sound had come from.

“This had better not be an omen for the rest of my day, I swear to God…” Ethel grumbled.

Once the coffee had been cleaned up and the paper towels tossed in the trash, Ethel made her way back to the hallway. A vase, along with the water and lilies it once held, lay shattered on the floor.

“Oh come on, I just bought this… and it was in the middle of the table!” she whined.

Evan cocked his head and floated through the floor until his eyes were level with the shattered pieces. The position made him look like a glowing toupee with eyes but Ethel was too upset to find it amusing.

“Evan, did you do this?”

The ghostly youngster shook his head no.

“Then how did it break? I was nowhere near it and we didn’t just have a little earthquake, so how did it fall off the middle of the table in our hallway?” she demanded as she crossed her arms, “Accidents are accidents but don’t you dare lie to me, young man.”

Evan rose out of the floor with fury on his face. The temperature around them dropped so sharply that the water spilled onto the floor froze as the ghost boy violently shook his head no. Ethel leveled the same glare she gave her students when she was trying to catch them in lies but Evan continued to silently deny any guilt. After a few more moments of intense staring, offset slightly by Ethel’s equally intense shivering, Evan disappeared entirely from view.

Despite Evan’s absence, the cold he had created remained and so had the ice. Ethel let out a large breath along with an angry moan then turned around. She would have to get something from the kitchen to help break up the ice before she could clean it, along with more paper towels to clean up any wet spots that might remain.

“That boy’s getting an earful once I’ve calmed down…” Ethel grumbled to herself as she stomped back towards the kitchen.

She only managed four steps before another loud crash from the hallway caused her to stop dead in her tracks. It was the unmistakable sound of glass breaking and the only glass in the entry hallway were photos of her family. A terrible fear overtook her features as she bolted back to the hallway as quickly as she could, followed by a terrible sadness as her worst fear was confirmed.

The broken picture was the last one she had taken with her mother while the woman was still healthy enough to exist outside of hospice.

“No no no no no….” she softly chanted as she bent over to pick up the precious memory.

There wasn’t even enough time to wipe all the tiny shards of glass off the photo before a third crack filled the room, this time accompanying a terrible pain in Ethel’s head. The poor woman instinctually grabbed at her head, the photo still gripped tightly in her fingers. It took several seconds for her to register that she’d just been hit in the back of the head and as she stumbled groggily backwards, she spied her coat rack move all on its own.

It smashed into her legs like a baseball bat and sent her to the ground. Her head suffered more damage as she collided with the hard tile underneath her and Ethel’s vision filled with stars. She was blinded but felt the full weight of her coat rack as it slammed down on top of her prone body. She cried out in agony and irrationally curled herself around the photograph she had somehow managed to keep hold of. More blows rained down upon her and in her state of terror and pain Ethel could only think of one thing. She gathered what air was still left in her lungs and cried out as loudly as she could.

“EVAN!!!!”

[oliviamartinphotography]

Over the break shoot

I started this shoot by photographing my living room. I haven't taken many interior shots so wanted to play around with this. They were taken around 11 when the sun was shining in perfectly through the window. I thought this cast great shadows into the space and illuminated it beautifully. I played around briefly with capturing different angles of the space, noticing the shapes that the light and shadows created which provided some nice still life shots. I wanted to explore my street a little bit more too - I find it very interesting and there's lot's to look at so I expect I'll be revisiting it as a subject many times. It's a great back street - I've been finding back streets very intriguing as they tend to contain the more run down buildings with lots of graffiti and cheap apartments. As usual, graffiti caught my eye so I played around capturing some. There was a red car parked up against a building that I find quite brutal looking - it's old and fully grey with no windows on one side. I thought the red car created an interesting juxtaposition amongst the mostly colourless setting. I've noticed that I find shots like this interesting - images that contain one pop of colour where the rest of the colours are very dull/grey. It makes the colour in the image pop. Again I wanted to capture the shapes that the shadows created and also the dynamic lines of the buildings. These initial images were shot in the morning but I continued later in the afternoon around 3. I love shooting at this time as the colours are very warm and the shadows cast are very dramatic and long. I work on K road so afterwards I explored Pitt street, Hobson street and K Road. Another thing I've found interesting to capture is scenes that should be busy yet have no people in them - they look quite apocalyptic especially if the setting is a bit rundown. The presence of cars also hints at the presence of people without them being there which is also cool. I captured more graffiti as I went too - what I find interesting about it is that it's people marking their place. It's another reminder that we share our environment with so many others. It's also cool when I notice the same tag but in several different places. In week 7 I took a photo of an old bank building on the corner of Queen street and K road. During this shoot I shot the same place and when comparing the 2 I noticed that in the second one, the graffiti was gone. I thought that the impermanence of graffiti was interesting and also the fact that our environments are everchanging - photography really allows me to note those small changes that are happening all the time as I have a photo record of it. After exploring some scenery in the Jewish cemetary at the Grafton Bridge intersection, I went back to shoot on my road again. I found it interesting to compare the same scene at a different time. The light and shadows were totally different which alters the lines, shapes and colours of the location. The photos taken at the beginning of the day compared to the end have such a different feel to them.

[bike42]

Tuesday September 5th

Up before 7am as breakfast was going to be served at 7:45am as Patricia’s “help,” her young neighbor boy was back in school. We had a more decent sized “Irish Breakfast,” with very yummy bacon.

Jeff is more congested and heading towards a full-on cold, so I was trying to get him to drink the echinacea tea I’d brought. We didn’t unpack much, but it was still a bit of a struggle zipping up the cases. Looking forward to three nights for the next stop so we can have more relaxed mornings.

It was a pretty decent night for a B&B. It was quiet, and the bed was comfortable but my pillow was like a cement bag. About midnight, I took off the pillow case and stuffed my puffy jacket inside - worked much better!

We waited for the bus to pick us up, and it did about 9:30am. We met our guide, Peter Crann, and driver Fionan Cronin. James and Kort were also on the bus and came out to greet us.

Then we were on the motorway heading northwest towards County Sligo.

After about an hour, we stopped at Coole Park. It is a beautiful park setting that had once been the grounds of a large manor, where many of the famous writers of Irish decent had hung out (there was a large old Tess that they’d all signed). We formed a circle and M&M performed their song “Sacred Ground,” which gave me goose bumps being in such a cool place in Ireland with this small group - what a great 10 days it’ll be! We did more in-depth introductions … some a little too rambly! It was good to hear more about our guide Peter’s background. Besides tour guide, he’s also a musician, primarily a drummer. He has guided many times with M&M and they seemed to have good chemistry which is really cool. Our driver, Fionan, has been driving for 16 years and has driven with M&M many times as well. His family owns the bus company. One couple, Janette and Gary, had just arrived this morning, and another couple, Glenn and Anne, had done the medieval buffet dinner at the Folk Park last night, so we just met them today.

We drove another hour or so, with Peter talking now and then about this history of Irish (Gaelic) language and some sites along the way. The scenery was very lush - green fields with cattle and sheep grazing, fences made of rock piles or hedges. We went through many small villages that actually remind me of rural Germany. Many houses looked a lot like the one I’d lived in when we lived in Kindsbach!

We stopped in Claremorris for 90 minutes on our own for lunch. Jeff and I went to a pharmacy where we bought Sudafed, nighttime cough syrup and a few COVID tests just to be sure. With Bill, we checked out a few pubs but didn’t find one that served food. We sat outside at a coffee shop where they had sandwiches and I had an amazing salad. Just as we got our food, Wayne and Sue came out of the pub across the street. They put in a quick order and we had lunch together, then went back across the street for a quick pint before heading back to the bus. The guys in the pub were a lot of fun, and seemed to enjoy having visitors to chat with.

We drove another 10 minutes for a quick stop in the village of Knock in County Mayo. In the 1870’s there was an apparition here that supposedly lasted for two hours and was witnessed by a variety of people. You hear of those now and then, but I’d never heard of building a shrine and massive development on the spot, but that’s what Knock is all about! The grounds were beautiful and it was an interesting spot. I’m open to believing it happened.

Another hour drive, through what felt like dozens of roundabouts (backwards to me). I’m not one to get car sick, but those get to you after awhile when you’re in the back of a bus!

We checked into the Sligo Park Hotel for three nights - nice spacious room. Queen bed to sleep in, and a twin bed on either side for our “stuff!” We had a couple hours to unpack and rest, and then gathered at 6:30pm for group dinner and music.

Dinner was nice, but I guess I was surprised to be having another nice dinner when I expected to be in a pub! We sat with Christa and Terry - retired music teachers from Grand Island, Nebraska. It’s their fourth trip to Ireland, their second with M&M.

We weren’t quite sure how our “special music” was going to happen, but after dinner they told us to go next door to a conference room in the hotel. There we met Cathy Jordan and Rick Epping. They were awaiting the third member of their group, “The Unwanted,” but eventually just started without him. Rick played the harmonica, the concertina (amazing tiny accordion-like thing) and the mouth harp. Cathie sang (incredible voice) and played the bodhran and a tenor guitar. They played a few songs and eventually the door burst open and their third member, Seamie O’Dowd, burst in and unpacked his guitar and fiddle and jumped right in mid-song. They played for over an hour and it was magical.

Jeff had gone back to the room to get our bottle of Jameson Crested, which we shared with Bill, Peter, M&M and a few others … drank half of it, but it was so right listening to Irish music drinking Irish whiskey! The night was like an out of body experience for me - the music just carried me away. M&M played one of their songs, and joined the trio on their last song (as did Peter on the bouhran). Fantastic night to end the first day of our trip.

Hoping JT gets a good nights sleep and feels better tomorrow!

More about The Unwanted:

https://compassrecords.com/artist/the-unwanted/#:~:text=The%20Unwanted%20is%20a%20group,that%20encircle%20the%20Atlantic%20Ocean

More about a cool project Peter and Cathy are working on https://www.crankieisland.com/