#eco stuff all these countries passing their

[beardedmrbean]

French farming unions are taking aim at the European Union’s free-trade agreements, which they say open the door to unfair competition from products arriving from overseas. At a time when the EU is urging farmers to adopt more sustainable – and sometimes more costly – agricultural practices, unions say these trade deals are making it hard for them to stay solvent.

French farmers say that one of their biggest fears is that Chilean apples, Brazilian grains and Canadian beef will flood the European market, thereby undermining their livelihoods. France’s farmers continued to demonstrate on the country’s motorways on Wednesday, protesting against rising costs, over-regulation and free-trade agreements –partnerships between the EU and exporting nations that the farming unions say leads to unfair competition. 

The EU has signed several free-trade agreements in recent years, all with the objective of facilitating the movement of goods and services. But farmers say the deals bring with them insurmountable challenges.

"These agreements aim to reduce customs duties, with maximum quotas for certain agricultural products and non-tariff barriers," said Elvire Fabry, senior researcher at the Jacques Delors Institute, a French think-tank dedicated to European affairs. "They also have an increasingly broad regulatory scope to promote European standards for investment, protection of intellectual property, geographical indications and sustainable development standards."

South American trade deal in the crosshairs

Some non-EU countries – such as Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland – maintain comprehensive free-trade agreements with the EU because they are part of the European Economic Area. This allows them to benefit from the free movement of goods, services, capital and people.

Other nations farther afield have signed more variable agreements with the EU, including Canada, Japan, Mexico, Vietnam and Ukraine. The EU also recently signed an accord with Kenya and a deal with New Zealand that will come into force this year; negotiations are also under way with India and Australia.    

However, a draft agreement between the EU and the South American trade bloc Mercosur is creating the most concern. Under discussion since the 1990s, this trade partnership between Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay would create the world's largest free-trade area, a market encompassing 780 million people. 

French farmers are particularly concerned about the deal’s possible effect on agriculture. The most recent version of the text introduces quotas for Mercosur countries to export 99,000 tonnes of beef, 100,000 tonnes of poultry and 180,000 tonnes of sugar per year, with little or no customs duties imposed. In exchange, duties would also be lowered on exports from the EU on many “protected designation of origin” (PDO) products. 

At a time when the EU is urging farmers to adopt more sustainable agricultural practices, French unions say these agreements would open the door to massive imports – at more competitive prices – of products that do not meet the same environmental standards as those originating in Europe. French farmers are calling out what they say is unfair competition from farmers in South America who can grow GMO crops and use growth-promoting antibiotics on livestock, which is banned in the EU. 

Trade unions from various sectors went into action after the European Commission informed them on January 24 that negotiations with Mercosur could be concluded "before the end of this mandate", i.e., before the European Parliament elections in June.      

The FNSEA, France’s biggest farming union, immediately called for a "clear rejection of free-trade agreements" while the pro-environmental farming group Confédération Paysanne (Farmers' Confederation) called for an "immediate end to negotiations" on this type of agreement.   

A mixed record

"In reality, the impact of these free-trade agreements varies from sector to sector," said Fabry. "Negotiations prior to agreements aim to calibrate the opening up of trade to limit the negative impact on the most exposed sectors. And, at the same time, these sectors can benefit from other agreements. In the end, it's a question of finding an overall balance."

This disparity is glaringly obvious in the agricultural sector. "The wine and spirits industry as well as the dairy industry stand to gain more than livestock farmers, for example," said Fabry. These sectors are the main beneficiaries of free-trade agreements, according to a 2023 report by the French National Assembly.

"The existence of trade agreements that allow customs duty differentials to be eliminated is an 'over-determining factor' in the competitiveness of French wines," wrote FranceAgriMer, a national establishment for agriculture and maritime products under the authority of the French ministry of agriculture in a 2021 report. The majority of free-trade agreements lower or abolish customs duties to allow the export of many PDO products, a category to which many wines belong.

However, the impact on meat is less clear-cut. While FranceAgriMer says the balance between imports and exports appears to be in the EU's favour for pork, poultry exports seem to be declining as a result of the agreements. Hence the fears over the planned treaty with New Zealand, which provides for 36,000 tonnes of mutton to be imported into the EU, equivalent to 45% of French production in 2022. France,however, still has a large surplus of grains except for soya. 

‘A bargaining chip’

Beyond the impact on agriculture, "this debate on free-trade agreements must take into account other issues", said Fabry. "We are in a situation where the EU is seeking to secure its supplies and in particular its supplies of strategic minerals. Brazil's lithium, cobalt, graphite and other resource reserves should not be overlooked."

The agreement with Chile should enable strategic minerals to be exported in exchange for agricultural products. Germany strongly supports the agreement with Mercosur, as it sees it as an outlet for its industrial sectors, according to Fabry.

"In virtually all free-trade agreements, agriculture is always used as a bargaining chip in exchange for selling cars or Airbus planes," Véronique Marchesseau, general-secretary of the Confédération Paysanne, told AFP.

Michèle Boudoin, president of the French National Sheep Federation, told AFP that the agreement with New Zealand will "destabilise the lamb market in France".  

"We know that Germany needs to export its cars, that France needs to sell its wheat, and we're told that we need an ally in the Pacific tocounter China and Russia. But if that is the case, then we need help to be able to produce top-of-the-line lamb, for example," she said.

Finally, "there is a question of influence", said Fabry. "These agreements also remain a way for the EU to promote its environmental standards to lead its partners along the path of ecological transition, even if this has to be negotiated," said Fabry. 

Marc Fesneau, the French minister of agriculture, made the same argument. "In most cases, the agreements have been beneficial, including to French agriculture," Fesneau wrote on X last week, adding: "They will be even more so if we ensure that our standards are respected."

Mercosur negotiations suspended? 

As the farmers’ promised “siege” of Paris and other major locations across France continues, the French government has been trying to reassure agricultural workers about Mercosur, even though President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva relaunched negotiations in December. "France is clearly opposed to the signing of the Mercosur treaty," Prime Minister Gabriel Attal acknowledged last week.

The Élysée Palace even said on Monday evening that EU negotiations with the South American bloc had been suspended because of France's opposition to the treaty. The conditions are "not ripe" for concluding the negotiations, said Eric Mamer, spokesman for the European Commission. "However, discussions are ongoing." 

Before being adopted, the agreement would have to be passed unanimously by the European Parliament, then ratified individually by the 27 EU member states.

[fiascox0xo]

We were not supposed to do anything for the eclipse. I made alters for my feminine energy protection deities. I adorned the outside pentacle with sun flowers that were seed and other pretty flowers and plants creatures could eat<3 I keep the outside one free from inorganic litter & the one in my room cat safe.

I’m working on cleaning my issue with waste/litter sometimes it gets hard because idk how to dispose of things properly- I hate thinking of the landfills not being properly maintained. Humans are so wasteful. And I save things for art or make art from litter I pick up <3 I try to make a difference even just locally.like picking up trash while walking to the store or the dogs. Whatever you pick up, I try to get plastic & styrofoam out of the water/habitats of animals. Anything dangerous- please take precaution or contact professionals/local enforcement agencies or nature conservation groups. I do pick up glass or mowed over aluminum cans & even paraphernalia from drugs (I’m a recovering addict & know the dangers/risks(like hep c , hiv/aids , tetanus - overdosing ) & safest ways to pick up biohazard ☣️ products. Please use a bleach/laundry jug with this plastic if you can’t get a sharps container from your pharmacy/local syringe 💉 exchange. <3 I think of all the innocent animals, kids, humans…. Wearing flip flops or walking around in a confused state like dementia/drunk/diabetic issue/ mental health episode who could hurt themselves…. On any of the stuff- EVEN STRING OR WIRES. Fencing. Things you don’t think about….

I know I look nuts sometimes picking it up- or collecting seeds & nuts to feed the birds & squirrels & plant next year (especially native plants that are keystone /cornerstone species for many creatures (meaning more than a couple species of 🐝🦋) so it helps the delicate eco system- the web 🕷️ 🕸️ that we as humans are Part of - not the spider who made it…. So we’re here to help but are a part of it…. I know that made it more confusing but we aren’t “top of the food chain” and not meant to help keep the balance 💟☮️☯️⚛️❤️💛🖤🤍 we are supposed to listen to the people who lived on the land we stand on now (whatever area code you live in- see which Indigenous Communities lived there - because they lived off this land before & know nature is Meant & able to be lived WITH - not destroying her & depleting the resources. How can we stand by and let them kill the only planet we have - we borrow her from future generations- whether it’s your bloodline and dna in her he suture or not is irrelevant , we are not the most important creatures on Earth. We (USA especially) think as a “me” society (me, myself & I) instead of others cultures who think as “We” & it shows in the amount of garbage in their city’s, the way the build things, what energy they use, how they travel, and how they generally act character wise as a society. I am embarrassed to be laughed at as a country- because we’re like reality tv- a joke to everyone else while wondering what’s real and what’s not and why would anyone wanna live like that fr? Idk - I know not everyone’s the same that stereotyping and wrong - but our elected officials, laws voted on/passed, volunteer work , and literal TRASH EVERYWHERE speaks for itself. Everything here is single use plastic wrapped in plastic and more plastic - it gets thrown in the trash - not recycled and ends up in the landfill or ocean? 🌊 maybe your yard, or soil? Gets burned? In the air, or you think mowing it up is cool? Nope microplastics in out soil, water, animals we eat, food, even in our own bodies and blood. It’s gross and I’m unable to eat lots of processed food now. It’s like- I feel wasteful supporting companies who use so much waste - but also preservatives, chemicals, dyes, idk. It’s so phony - obv some is okay & in moderation- but when everything is fast, easy, cheap, sugar, salty, or whatever- it’s all just fake food: I feel like I’m eating junk for every meal.

I want to learn all the native plants for my region so I know what grows best in the is climate survived winter and tolerates drought . I want to know all the plants you should never eat too obv. But gorilla gardening - is the best. Urban gardening. Setting up community gardens or growing food randomly <3 especially wild native plants and fruits /veggies (roots)!

^_^ I don’t like taking all of anything - little bit here little bit there & the rest for nature to work its magic- feed creatures, grow plants next year, whatever<3 I like knowing my plant from this year will kinda be with me when they grow from seed again. ^_^ I’ve gotten better with plants even with adhd and forgetting to water

If you live in apartments or rent- Raised garden beds can be made yourself EASILY- CHEAP- even free depending on the materials you can get for free from around your neighborhood (apps like let go and fb market place always have stuff for free - like fence boards & other stuff you gotta haul away yourself like bricks or stone or dirt or wood. You can build one with PVC pipe or Use a tote . They have all kinds of ways to grow food & flower where you can bring them with you easily - but honestly just pull back grass and make a garden -<3 but I’ve seen an old kitchen sink like a restaurant or auto shop sink- be used as a planter ! You can be artsy and creative . CHAOS GARDENING IS FUN & worth it.

Do whatever makes you happy but I promise bird baths and seed helped me in. Early recovery- then planting flowers & stuff helped me even more grounding and shutting my racing thought off & helping me plan for a future even just a tomorrow- helped with my depression and suicidal ideation & hopelessness / feeling lost. Now that I have been healing my inner child & attempting to address the trauma I experienced throughout my life - layer by layer : & fix relationships . … gardening has been a constant. Helped me take care of another living thing. Water; light; soil, correct environment-like the right pot/container; & kindness- be gentle & give the plant TLC & positive energy. I promise they grow better.

It’s okay if you lost some plants. Once you figure out what plants work easiest for you, you’ll get confident. Start out with easy plants, or things you use & a couple cacti- forget about them lol don’t over water ! ^_^ but an aloe plant is nice if you burn yourself - or GET PET SAFE PLANTS IF YOU HAVE CATS OR DIGS OR HORSES

you can plant wild flower seeds for your eco region anyplace outside too. You won’t get in trouble & it can be a secret- go make your neighborhood prettier ^_^ <3

Alright well random rant over

💟☮️☯️

⚛️

Kitty

[shangrillamaus]

Enjoy Your Hiking Trip With Llama Walk Tour to Irish Castle

Now people are searching for an effective way to get some relaxation by taking a break from their daily stressful life. Due to these reasons, most of them are planning to visit other countries, roll around the mountains, and walk through the quiet forests to get some fresh air and a peaceful environment for relaxation and enjoyment.

Among the different forest tours, the Llama walk tour to Irish Castle is the perfect hiking tour to make your trip the most memorable one. On this tour, you will get a Llama as your partner because they have a low impact on the trails and are very friendly. While walking in the forest, you can roll over hills and follow along the creek.

Another best thing about the Llama walk tour to the Irish castle is, you can take perfect pictures with your chosen Llama in different spots of the place and enjoy the majestic nature with the mountains all around the castle. At the end of the tour, you will definitely find it to be a unique and delightful experience for all ages and athletic abilities.

Why you should consider the Llama walk tour?

When people are exploring a new country like North Texas, they are always looking for a peaceful place to spend some quality with themselves and with their loved ones. If you are one of them, then you can consider the Llama walk tour that incorporates with woodland and a green stream of forest to provide you some countryside experience.

Thus, the best thing about the walking tour is, you will get a Llama as your partner during the whole tour who is very gentle and inquisitive to make your castle tour the wonderful and unforgettable one. While walking in the forest, the Llama will carry your entire rucksack so that you can immerse yourself in the surrounding and enjoy the outstanding natural beauty.

The uniqueness of the Llama walk tour

People generally prefer the Llama walk tour to get some unique and unforgettable experiences in their life. The following points define the uniqueness of the Llama walk tour to the Irish castle.

Eco-tourism

People who are looking for an eco-friendly tour, for them the Llama walk tour proves to be an effective option. On this tour, you can get a Llama who will carry your backpack so that you can enjoy a stress-free trip. As the Llamas have padded feet, they can walk through the steep and rocky paths of the mountains and forests easily and smoothly to make the trip enjoyable.

Carrying loads

Compared to the other animals, the Llamas are attentive, smart, and social animals who will carry your stuff throughout the tour. They are carrying heavy loads of things when you move around the forest to explore every corner of the place smoothly. In this way, at the end of the tour, you have the energy to visit the countryside.

Highly endurance

Another best thing about the Llama walk tour is, your chosen Llama have excellent endurance to handle all types of situation in the forest because they have a very gentle nature. Thus, the versatility and low maintenance of the Llama are the best bring to involve them in hiking tours to forests and mountains.

Enjoy nature magnificently

In general, the Llama walk tour is providing you something calm and peaceful tour to enjoy the magnificent scenery at a comfortable pace. When you enjoy the beautiful scenery of the forest and mountains, the lovely Llamas are holding your backpacks on their back along the trails. In this way, you can pass through thousands of attractive places without getting tired.

Conclusion

In general terms, the Llama walk tour to Irish Castle is always defined as eco-therapy for the soul. During this tour, when you walk with the Llama into the mountains or forest, you don't need to carry any heavy packages because all your stuff is carried out by your Llama.

So, it can make the tour logistically easier and more enjoyable. If you are planning to visit North Texas, then consult with the reputed Llama walk tour provider to make your hiking trip to the Irish castle the most memorable and pleasant one.

[yuta-nakamots]

we go up - l.mk

Pairing - Mark x Reader

Genre - Fluff, College!AU

Warnings - one single mention of sex but no descriptions of it

Summary - Growing up was a part of life. Though you were scared of all that the future holds, you looked forward to going through it all with Mark right by your side.

Word Count - 4.2k

A/N - this was supposed to be released 4 days ago ahaha I passed all my classes so that’s really what matters. anyways, here’s this fic to celebrate Milly’s 3 years on Tumblr and 5 years for me and my blog

Written for the Moodboard Collab hosted by @bumblebeenct​​. Also part of the Neowinter Festival hosted by @czennienet.

Song: We Go Up. Color Set: #1.

Never would you have thought that you’d be on the path to living in the real world so soon. Summers were for relaxing and having fun but you’ll never regret jumping at the opportunity to travel the world with Mark Lee instead.

Mark’s parents were executives for a travelling company that offered a variety of trips all over the world. You knew it was part of their job to visit those countries and survey the different options available and put together plans based on them but with Mark having just graduated from college and you going into your final year, it was soon to be a job shared by both of you as well.

It hasn’t been long since you first began dating him, in fact, it hadn’t been long since you first met him on your first day on campus. Both of you were moving in on the same day and crossed paths as you were lugging your two loaded suitcases in through the main entrance of the dormitory. Your family hadn’t come with you, putting their faith in you to make it to your school on your own, so you could only guess how pitiful you must’ve looked to others.

“Hey those look pretty heavy, I can help you with that if you’d like,” you looked up to find the owner of the voice and were met by a handsome boy with a smile you’d never forget, “my name is Mark, by the way.”

“Uh, y/n, nice to meet you and yeah, actually, if you could take this one it would help me so much.” You told him as you pulled up the smaller of the two suitcases.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take the larger one? I can handle it.” He looked at you with eyes full of interest, his pupils almost resembling boba thanks to the odd lighting in the hall.

You shook your head before turning to head to the elevator, “I only just met you, I wouldn’t make you do this. Besides, it’s not even that much heavier than the other one.”

“Alright, whatever you say. What floor are you on though? I can help you move in if you don’t have anyone else.” He offered kindly.

“I’m on the third floor,” you informed him, “but don’t you have somewhere to be? You couldn’t have just been sitting around in the lobby.”

You say his expression morph into one of panic before quickly relaxing, “oh, I was just on my way to the university center to pick up my keys and get my mail. Gosh, you made me think I was late to something important.” The laugh he let out was so full and loud, it felt as if it were reaching out to you.

“Are you sure you don’t have anything else you should be doing?” You question as you pressed the button for the elevator. “I’d hate to be the reason why you missed a meeting or something.”

Mark pulled out his phone as both of you waited for the elevator. “No, I’m pretty sure I don’t have anything else planned for today. I just had to move in earlier and that’s it, I don’t have any solid plans.” The doors opened and let out a few other people, who you guessed were also students, before you and Mark stepped in.

“I just met you though,” you pointed out, “how do I know that you’re not some weirdo that’s gonna try steal my stuff?”

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Really? I mean, not like in a bad way ‘really’ but I can promise you that I’m not trying to do anything bad.”

You hummed in mock sarcasm, “mmhmm, that’s what they all say.”

“If you don’t believe me I’ll give you my number if you want or like my room number, even-”

“Mark I was just joking dude.” You laughed, amused by how gullible the boy was.

“Oh…” he breathed, relief settling over him as the doors opened up to the third floor, “but can I still get your number though?”

“Beat me to my room and I’ll think about it.” You took off running in a random direction, unsure which way you were even supposed to go in.

Mark followed close behind, “wait but I don’t even know which room number to look for!”

“Maybe that’s the point!” You shout back.

continue as always, wild and free

Though he did not make it to your room before you, you still gave him your phone number to thank him for helping you with your luggage. Mark was kind enough to stay and help you unpack your things and get your room set up. He even accompanied you to get dinner from the cafeteria since it was already getting late by the time the two of you finished unloading everything.

Over the next few days before classes, you hung out with Mark and any other freshmen that you happened to run into. You found out that Mark was a business major and planned to minor in tourism industry management. As for you, your major was biology with a focus in ecology.

Mark seemed to love sharing about himself as seen from the way he eagerly told you about the company his parents worked for and how he was interested in someday becoming a part of it which was why he chose his intended path of study. You had come in the college with the intent of wanting to make a difference in the world and help tackle one of the biggest global issues, which is climate change, leading you to your chosen track.

Mark was a great listener and seemed genuinely interested in everything you had to say. If he thought anything was lame or dumb, he hid it very well because he seemed to be picking up all the information you put down. You had come in knowing that most people in large corporations didn’t think much about the environment. Either Mark was faking it to keep his new friendship with you or he genuinely held the same beliefs as you. You chose to believe it was the latter.

All throughout your first year in college together you and Mark stuck together, always preferring each others company, even within the large group of friends you managed to accumulate with him. Luckily he was only one floor above you so he wasn’t far away at all. If you ever needed anything, he really was ‘one call away’ and would come running even if it was just to catch a bug in your room.

Freshmen year came and went, both you and Mark went back home for summer vacation and came back to campus as sophomores. You both kept in touch and regularly updated each other on things like Mark’s trip to Britain with his parents. That was the first real glimpse you had into his dreams and goals for his future. Meanwhile you just ranted to him about all the terrible customers that came in at your part-time job, though he didn’t seem to mind at all and always offered you his company.

Sophomore year was when he asked you to be his girlfriend. After the two of you had eaten dinner together as usual and were walking back to the dorms, that was when he had finally made a move. “So, uh, I know this may be kind of sudden but I actually really like you.” He told you.

You looked up at him as you continued walking next to him. “And in what way, exactly?”

“In a ‘I like you as more than just a friend’ kind of way.” He replied, looking down at the leaf-covered sidewalk.

“Well lucky for you, I might just like you in the same way.” Mark’s head shot up and his eyes met yours.

He blinked rapidly and his gaze never left yours, as if searching for the truth. “Wait, like really?”

“Yes, really.” You pulled him closer to you so he wouldn’t walk right into the tree that was coming up.

“Does that mean you’ll be my girlfriend?” He asked after mumbling a quick ‘thank you’.

You stopped walking and turned to face him. “If you ask properly then I don’t see why not.”

“Oh, uh,” his eyes flitted left to right before finally settling on yours, “will you be my girlfriend?”

“No.” You tried to hold your laughter in the way his eyes widened but you just couldn’t. “Of course I’ll be your girlfriend you stupid! I didn’t say all of that for nothing, oh my gosh you really are so gullible.”

Mark’s mouth opened slightly before he closed it again and then burst out going “don’t do that to me for crying out loud! You don’t even know how I was actually about to cry if you said no just now.”

You grabbed his hand and quickly interlaced your fingers with his. “There, I’m sorry. Do you feel better now? Do you want me to kiss you to make you feel better?”

“Uh, yes? To both?” He spoke, still shaken from earlier.

You raised his hand to your lips, kissing that back of his hand with a smile. “Thank you for choosing me.”

i’m gonna try flying a little further

Things continued on in this way in your relationship, always keeping things lighthearted and never too serious. Thankfully both of you had past dating experience and weren’t completely clueless on how to act toward each other. One thing led to the next and you had your first kiss with him the day he was leaving to go home for winter break. “I love you, stay safe, don’t die.” You called out to him as he got into his uber.

“Got it babes, love you too.” He sent you a kiss before shutting the door which you happily caught and held to your heart.

It was during that break that the two of you told your parents about each other and things went surprisingly smooth of both ends. Mark had even informed you that his parents were interested in meeting you after he told them about your field of study. “Yeah they were so intrigued by it! They’ve been looking into more sustainable and eco-friendly options for a while now so I think this must’ve struck a chord with them.” He chattered excitedly over the phone.

“Dude, don’t make me even more nervous about meeting them-”

“Hold up, did you just call me dude?” He questioned.

“It’s not like you don’t call me dude as well.” You commented.

Mark let out a laugh on his end. “Alright, fair enough. But not to alarm you or anything, but they said that I could bring you along for one of our trips during summer if you’re down.”

“Oh my gosh, seriously?” You exclaimed.

“Yes, seriously,” he confirmed, amused at your enthusiasm, “should I tell them that you’re interested?”

“Mark is that even a question? Of course I’m interested.” Your excitement was almost bubbling over from the way everything seemed to be working in favor of you and Mark.

The next summer, you did indeed tag along with Mark and his parents to who were more than happy to meet you and share information on their company while visiting Nevada. Mark wasn’t lying when he said that you interests ‘struck a chord’ with them. Sometimes it seemed like you were more like their child than he was with how much his parents talked with you about possible green options to inquire for. It was thanks to them that you decided to minor in tourism industry management like Mark, even though it would set you behind one year in graduation.

Going into your junior year, you were able to put together a small scrapbook of sorts with all the pictures from the trip to Nevada and gave it to Mark to celebrate your one year anniversary. “Wait, when did you even take that picture of me though?” He asked while looking at the picture of him spread out on a hotel bed like a starfish.

“You smacked me with your arm so I woke up and it was like, seven in the morning so I decided to just fool around and take pictures of you,” you explained with a smile on your face, “if you look in that bottom corner, you can see my foot because I had to stand over you but not too closely so my legs were like a triangle over you.”

Mark shook his head as he laughed at your antics before gently closing the book. “I love you, you know that right?” He placed a kiss on your cheek and sat back to adore you with his eyes practically sparkling.

“How could I not? I’d be worried that you may not know that I love you.” You told him playfully, setting the scrapbook aside and straddling his lap.

“Baby, that’s the last thing you need to worry about.” His voice fell into its lower ranges as he began kissing you in a way he never has before. It was on that night, the night of your first anniversary that the two of you made love for the first time in your shared campus apartment.

make me beautiful in the memories

When you brought Mark home for the holidays, your family was more than thrilled to meet him and you thanked whatever supreme being existed out there for blessing you with him. He got along well with your parents and even became a favorite of all the younger kids, especially when he joined them in making a snowman out in front of your house.

“Look y/n! Marky helped us start building a snowman!” Your younger sister exclaimed before running off once again to join some of your cousins.

You watched as Mark helped them roll the largest ball of snow around the yard until it was at least a third of his height. “Come join us y/n!” He called out. “You can get the rocks and sticks to make his arms and face.”

One of your younger cousins came by to join you as you sifted through the snow to find nice rocks to use. “When are you and Marky getting married?” He asked.

“Married? We’ve only been together for a year.” You told the little boy.

“Oh, hmm, well it’s never too early to start thinking.” He decided before finding a cute little stick that he deemed fit to function as a nose for the snowman.

You joined Mark in rolling the second ball of snow while the kids made the last one. “So what was that I heard about getting married?” He questioned.

Suddenly your cheeks felt warm and your eyes darted away from him and back to the mound of snow in front of you. “Uh, nothing, one of the kids just was asking if we plan on getting married.”

“He’s right, you know,” Mark spoke quietly, “it’s never too early to start thinking about it.”

“I mean, we’re still so young though.” You told him.

“That doens’t mean I don’t see myself having a future with you.” Mark commented as he picked up the ball of compacted snow.

“Gosh, you’re so chessy. What next? Names for our kids?” You joke as you watch him place the ball on top of the largest one at his knees.

He winked at you once the snowman had his torso complete. “Already on it.”

Spring semester was spent planning for Mark’s graduation in the following year and getting the classes for your minor arranged. His parents invited you to go with them to Hawai’i which you politely declined, as you did not know much about the people and culture and did not have time to accurately research before going thanks to all the summer classes you were taking to ensure that you’d graduate on time.

You and Mark decided to live off campus for his last year in college and though it was inconvenient to have to cook your own meals and walk a little bit further to get to school, it was all worth it when you got to make the memories you did with him.

“So you just crack the egg and drop it in the pan?” He hesitated, the said egg hovering over the edge of the frying pan.

You rolled your eyes at him, “Mark, how many times do I have to tell you? You just crack it and let it fall into the pan. It’s not that hard.”

He mocked your expression after you said ‘it’s not that hard’ as he cracked the egg into the pan, yelping at the way the oil splashed up at him. You left to freshen up a bit, having been woken up by the ruckus Mark had made in the kitchen only to come back five minutes later to another bout of him yelling for help. “What now?”

“I, uhh, I think I burned the egg.” His face was tinged with shame as you came over to the stove, sliding the egg in question onto a plate before lifting its side to see that it was indeed burnt.

“I don’t know how you manage to burn an egg after I leave you for such a short amount of time.” You tell him as you pull another one out from the refrigerator. “Here, try again. You’re lucky it’s the weekend.”

“You’re not gonna let me stop until I’ve successfully cooked an egg, huh?” You shook your head to answer his question, causing Mark to let out a sigh before going to add a little more oil to the pan.

look time fly, we fly, changes come with time

Days like that were normal for the two of you, though more often than not, you chose to order food since Mark was clearly not very trustworthy in the kitchen and you weren’t all that better yourself.

Living with Mark was not always happy and fun, though. Sometimes the two of you fought and sometimes it was over the smallest things like how he didn’t put his clothes into his hamper after changing out of them or how you’d leave your belongings strewn about the apartment.

Being with him taught you that a relationship is a two-way thing. Everyone has their flaws and if you truly love someone, you’ll learn to work with them to get solve problems that arise or get around them.

Getting to live with Mark and see him everyday was certainly a lot more convenient, especially when both of you were swamped with finals and had little to no time to go out on an actual date. Falling asleep in each others arms and waking up to the sight of the other was enough for those times. In those mornings where you woke up before Mark and didn’t want to get out of bed just yet, you took the time to be thankful for the path of life you were on and how thankful you were to have met the boy in front of you.

It was moments like those that made it all worth it.

When Mark graduated in the following spring, you sat in the crowd alongside his parents, watching him and your past classmates walk across the stage and receive their diplomas.

“Ah, he looks just the same as when he graduated from high school.” His mother commented. She even pulled up his old pictures and showed them to you, making you laugh at how cute he was back then. You could hear his voice in your head, whining about how he’s not cute but you paid it no mind.

The rush of emotion you felt when the name ‘Mark Lee’ was called and he stepped out in his cap and gown was truly something else. You stood up and cheered alongside the rest of his friends who were seated around you, the bunch of you only getting louder when his head jerked in your direction and he smiled and waved to you all.

the reason why i can be fearless is because you’re looking at me with your two eyes

“That’s going to be you next year, you know.” Mark’s father stated nodding over to where Mark was playfully chest-bumping his fellow graduates. “Okay, well not like that, but you know what I mean.”

You let out a laugh as you watched Mark stumble and nearly fall. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“Do you have any plans for summer, dear?” His mother inquired.

“I have a few classes from June through July but I believe I do not have anything for the latter half of June until school starts again in August.” You informed her.

“Would you like to come along with us to Paris then? We missed you greatly last year and felt you would have enjoyed the experience more than Mark did.” She explained as she pulled up more pictures of Mark though this time it was him in a botanically garden getting scared from all the bugs. “I’ll send this one to you.”

You thanked her with a smile on your face and graciously accepted her offer to travel with them to Paris. Mark was over the moon when he heard that you’d be going with them, especially since this was going to be the first time he’d be allowed to lead the meetings and events.

It felt like school hadn’t even finished from the way you went right back to work for your summer courses and Mark got to putting together his first few projects for the company. He was intent on showing the executives that he was a fully capable individual and was not trying to simple ride off of his parents achievements. You were proud of him for that.

By the time you all got to Paris, it felt like a much needed breath of fresh air from the constant hustle of school and work. One of the first places Mark took you to was one of the local night markets near the hotel you were staying at. You pulled out your light blue polaroid camera which Mark had gotten awfully used to within these past few years and took multiple pictures of him eating street food and walking around under the stringed lights.

i need you right here

“Oh, that fountain looks kinda cool.” He exclaimed, walking out of frame.

“Mark you can’t just do that when I’m about to take your pict-”

“Yeah yeah, you can take pictures here instead. It looks prettier.” You both paused to admire the sculpting of the stone and the way the water and the coins at the bottom of the fountain glittered under the night lights. Mark sat down at the edge of the fountain after a bit. “Here, you can take them now.”

You took a few before handing of the camera to him so he could take a few of you. “Have you ever thought that this is where we’d be after all this time?” He asked after giving the camera back to you and joining you next to the fountain. “Like, back when we were freshmen, we didn’t know where we’d be within the next few years and here we are, together, three years later.”

“I think you’re jet-lagged, babe, but yeah I see what you mean.” You agreed, falling into the rhythm of the way the water spilled over from the top tier into the lower ones and out from there into the base at the bottom. “We went from clueless freshmen to young adults breaking out into the real world.”

You watched as Mark dug around in his pocket, pulling out a single coin and enclosing it in a fist. “I wish for things to stay the same- no, for us to- wait, no, I wish for us to remain happy together while facing all the challenges that our lives have to offer us.” With that, he tossed the coin into the fountain and you both followed it as it sunk to the floor.

He pulled another coin out and offered it to you. “I wish…” you began, trailing off as you thought of what more you could possibly say, “I wish for us to stay together for as long as time allows and that we will get to watch each other grow and fulfill whatever plans that life has for us.”

As your coin hit the bottom, Mark pulled you in for a hug. “I really do love you, you know.”

“Yeah I know.” You hugged him back, enjoying the feeling of his arms around you.

“Look at me, babe.” He whispered, causing you to glance up at him. Whatever you were about to say was cut off by Mark’s lips against yours.

It felt like nothing else mattered at that moment. Nothing except your lips against his, his arms around you, your hearts and souls connecting as one.

we go up

[camisimming]

Elements Legacy Challenge

Welcome to the Elements Legacy Challenge Rules Sheet! (Wow, what a long introductory phrase!)

This challenge, as you’ll see, is heavily inspired by lilsimsie and alwayssimming’s Not So Berry Challenge (click here to read the rules). It’s evident that the format of the color coded generations & generation’s goals system wasn’t invented by me, but I wanted to make it clear anyway. I hope no one feels offended by the idea behind this challenge. I created this one out of boredom and good intentions! 💛

Basically each generation has its own color(s), material and style. Each one of these characteristics will have to be shown through your Sim’s aesthetic and/or in their house. However, if you don’t want to make a golden dressed Sim, but you’d like to give them a super tacky house, go for it! What matters is that these given characteristics are visible somewhere, even just a room or an object. The colors and materials for each gen are just a starting point, you can add whatever color or texture you like to them! Each generation has a few worlds they can live in, you can only choose among those listed for each gen.

As for money, the first gen is the only one with specified starting funds. In the following ones you can choose if you want to keep the money your family has, or if you want to start with less money to make the gameplay more challenging 😊

Then, each generation has of course some tasks and aspirations to complete, some skills to max and other stuff to do! When you play a generation, be sure to take a look at the following one as well, because sometimes there will be things that need to be taken care of before the start of the following gen!

You can play in whatever lifespan you want. It's a new challenge for me, too, so I don't know what's the best one to use.

To play some of the gens, a couple of packs are kind of necessary, like: Cats and Dogs, Seasons, Discover University, Get Famous, Eco Lifestyle, Spa Day, Realm of Magic and Jungle Adventure. Get Together, Parenthood and others are also somewhat important but you can do it without them. If anyone's interested I can do a basegame compatible version of the challenge!😊

If the challenge becomes "popular", I'll add some more generations🤩

Have fun ✨🥰

Camilla @camisimming

YouTube

I'm everywhere as CamiSimming if you want to tag me when playing the challenge, or to DM me in case of doubts about it💛

Twitter Instagram

Details under the cut 💛

Generations list:

🌄Earth

💎Gem

💧Water

🔥Fire

🌿Grass

👑Gold

❄️Ice

🌬️Air

🛎️Brass

🌈Rainbow

1 Earth generation🌄

You’re new in town and don’t know anyone. The only thing that moves your heart is...art! In fact, you brought only your easel with you from your old place, and you hope to make a living out of the stuff you’ll create on that thing. But staying inside all day is not good for anyone, so sometimes you’ll accept your (new) friends invitations, and follow them wherever they take you. Sometimes, however, friends can really pressure you to do things you don’t want to, and this really annoys you! You get married too young and have a kid, only to divorce shortly after the baby is born. You just weren’t ready. When you finally decide to settle down and start a family again, you’ll marry a spellcaster just for their looks (WHAT?!) and you two will give birth to a lovely little kid!

Starting funds: 18,000 S Traits: Loner, Art Lover, Snob Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

Goals:

Max the Painting, Singing and Piano skills

Complete the Renaissance Sim Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Painter career – Patron of the Arts branch

Complete the Feathers collection

Earn the Night Owl satisfaction reward trait

Color(s): dark brown, dark green, orange

Material: stucco, wood Style: craftsman World(s): Willow Creek / Brindleton Bay / Windenburg / Britechester 

---

2 Gem generation💎

As a spellcaster’s kid, you’re fascinated by what’s out of the ordinary. You don’t have many friends, and your parents are your best friends, until they pass away together in mysterious circumstances. Therefore, you decide to move in with your closest friend from high school, and of course, as it  happens with anyone you say more than a ‘hello’ to, you fall in love with them! But it looks like this time this is for real! After some ups and downs, you win them over (did you use a love potion? You didn’t?! You sure?) and you turn your roommates’ home in a place ready for a family. With a lot of cats. You also have just one child, who you love more than anybody else. You’re gonna be the best parent EVER!!!

Traits: Romantic, Family Oriented, Cat Lover Aspiration: Spellcraft & Sorcery 

Goals:

Max the Cooking, Gourmet Cooking and Parenting skills

Complete the Spellcraft & Sorcery Aspiration

Complete the Magical Artifacts collection

Complete the Crystals collection

Earn the Beguiling satisfaction reward trait

Color: purple Material: glass, gems Style: boho World(s): Glimmerbrook / Forgotten Hollow / Newcrest

---

3 Water generation💧

You are sick of mountains and rocks, you want to see the SEA. You are also sick of working (although you’ve never had a job, but just the idea of it makes you SICK). So you are determined to make a living out of vlogs, videos, videogames, juice fizzing and song recordings. You get married but your significant other can’t stand this lifestyle, so you get divorced. You adopt a kid to raise on your own in your little beach house. And you’re freaking HAPPY. Oh, another thing: one of the best memories you have is the one of your parents cooking together, so you want to learn how to make that grilled cheese they used to prepare for you. You want to learn it VERY BADLY.

Traits: Self-Absorbed, Vegetarian, Perfectionist Aspiration: Computer Whiz

Goals:

Max the Fishing, Media Production and Juice Fizzing skills

Complete the Computer Whiz Aspiration

Unlock and complete the Grilled Cheese Aspiration

Complete the Fish collection

Earn the Marketable satisfaction reward trait

Color(s): blue & white Material: light woods Style: coastal beach or tropical World(s): Sulani / Windenburg / Brindleton Bay / Evergreen Harbor / Newcrest

---

4 Fire Generation🔥

Your parent was a freak. Seriously, how could they expect to make a successful living out of videogames? No, no, no. You won’t make the same mistake. You’re gonna study hard and get a degree. Oh yeah. And you won’t stay home with that freak, you’re staying on campus. You will get a degree in Language and Literature, so that you can become a best-selling author. Unfortunately, having been so focused on your education, your love life is non-existent. So you think a meaningless fling could help you in that field but--OH NO. You get stuck with an unwanted pregnancy (even though you’ll never get married) and you have to leave campus and study between milk feeding and diaper changing. Anyway, you end up loving that little thing more than you’ve ever loved your parent, who never stops judging you (you end up hating each other)

Traits: Genius, Bookworm and Mean Aspiration: Academic

Goals:

Get a degree in Language and Literature

Max the Research and Debate, Writing and Charisma skills

Complete the Academic Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Writing career – Author branch

Have at least one enemy

Color(s): red & orange Material: red-toned woods, stucco Style: industrial World(s): Willow Creek / Oasis Springs / San Myshuno / Evergreen Harbor / Britechester

---

5 Grass generation🌿

Having seen your parents struggle with university, you have decided to go by a different path. You want to live your life surrounded by nature and by your big, happy family. A job is important though, so you’ll begin working when you’re still a teenager. You enter the Gardener career once you are a bit older, and you LOVE IT. You marry a co-worker and you have many many kids and animals playing in your backyard. AHH how beautiful life can be! Countryside life really works for you.

Traits: Cheerful, Loves the Outdoors, Family-oriented Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

Goals:

Max the Gardening, Flower Arranging and Handiness skills

Have a full household when you’re an Adult (pets count)

Complete the Freelance Botanist Aspiration 

Complete the Lord/Lady of the Knits Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Gardener career – Floral Designer branch

Complete the Gardening and the Frogs collections

Color: green Material: wood in all forms and colors Style: homey / craftsman / colonial World(s): Willow Creek / Brindleton Bay / Windenburg 

---

6 Gold generation👑

Country life doesn’t really work for you as much as it did for your parents. You want fame and glory, you want the glam, you want a penthouse or a mansion in which to display your wealth. You still love your family, and one of your siblings is basically your best friend, and always will be. You always organize a Winterfest lunch to reunite with your folks. You also like music and everyone has to know you love it, you know you’ll teach your kids how to play the violin. You climb the social ladder (or marble staircase?) till the TOP. You have many lovers and many pregnancy scares, until one of them brings you an actual kid. Who would’ve thought you could love someone more than you love yourself? Oh you’ll get married, but only as an elder.

Traits: Good, Materialistic, Music Lover Aspiration: Mansion Baron

Goals:

Max the Acting, Violin and Dancing skills

Complete the Musical Genius Aspiration

Complete the Mansion Baron Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Acting Career

Become a Global Superstar

Earn the Shameless satisfaction reward trait

Color: gold Material: gold, marble Style: glam! (you can choose the amount of tacky-ness of your Sim’s glam style) World(s): Del Sol Valley / Strangerville / Willow Creek / Britechester 

---

7 Ice generation❄️

Your parents are hella famous. You don’t know if that works for you, though. The only thing you know is that you can kind of play the violin. You go live on your own when you’re just a teen, with your beautiful dog, and make sure no one knows who your parents are, you don’t want to be treated differently. Part-time job after part-time job, you have a cute little house that you can call home. Another thing you become good at is photography, so you start working in the Freelance photography field, and you LOVE IT. You fall in love with one of your models and marry them. You have kids together, and the  look in your spouse’s eyes when they look at your children is everything.

Traits: Goofball, Dog Lover, Bro Aspiration: Soulmate

Goals:

Max the Photography, Comedy and Pet Training skills

Complete the Soulmate Aspiration

Complete the Simmies Collection

Go on a vacation at least once in your life

Earn the Independent satisfaction reward trait

Color(s): white and light brown Material:  fake fur, wood Style: Asian-like / Scandinavian / minimalistic World(s): San Myshuno / Mt. Komorebi / Windenburg / Newcrest

---

8 Air generation🌬️

You want to make this world a better place. You want to make yourself a better person. To actively make your world a bit greener, you decide to become a Civil Designer. When you’re not working you like to focus on your mental well-being with some yoga or meditation. You’re married with kids but your inner wellness and the one of the world matter to you more than the one in your house. Your spouse will take care of the kids while you’re cheating on them with your neighbor. Hey! It’s for your inner well-being! At some point you also decide to leave your family and go live on your own. But it’s too hard, so you make peace with your spouse and come back home.

Traits: Geek, Neat, Hates Children Aspiration: Eco Innovator

Goals:

Max the Fabrication, Wellness and Guitar skills

Complete the Eco Innovator aspirations

Reach level 10 of the Civil Designer career – Green Technician branch

Do at least one yard sale

Live in at least three different worlds

Complete the Metals collection

Color: beige Material: glass, Style: mid-century modern World(s): Willow Creek / Mt. Komorebi / Sulani / Evergreen Harbor

---

9 Brass generation🛎️

You are in love with adventure and discovering new things, they can be anything really. You just love knowledge, therefore you become a professor. Someday you find out about this place called Selvadorada, and want to know EVERYTHING about it. You explore it in your many trips there, and you also fall in love with a charming local. Ahhh their accent is so lovely!

Traits: Ambitious, Active, Bookworm Aspiration: Jungle Explorer

Goals:

Max the Selvadoradian Culture, Archaeology and Fitness skills

Complete the Jungle Explorer Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Education career – Professor branch

Complete the Ancient Omiscan artifacts and the Omniscan Treasures collections

Color(s): grey, bronze and blue Material: metal Style: contemporary or European World(s): Del Sol Valley / Oasis Springs / Mt. Komorebi / Britechester / Windenburg

---

10 Rainbow generation🌈

Woah, your family tree is huge, isn’t it? Anyway. You’re a very outgoing person, you love meeting new people and making friends. You found a club where everyone is welcomed and accepted. You love, LOVE, parties, because you can meet more people there! You don’t care about the gender of your lovers, you love them because of who they are! When you finally find your person, you get married and have a beautiful pair of twins.

Traits: Cheerful, Outgoing, Foodie Aspiration: Friend of the World

Goals:

Max the Comedy, Dancing and Bowling skills

Complete the Friend of the World Aspiration

Complete the Leader of the Pack Aspiration

Complete the Voidcritters collection

Reach Level 10 of the Style Influencer Career – you may choose whatever branch you like

Found at least one club

Color(s): any/every color of the rainbow Material: metal Style: anything from the 50s > 90s designs World(s): San Myshuno / Willow Creek / Windenburg /Evergreen Harbor

---

Thanks for reading up to here!

-Cami

[softspt]

The Divine women are made of stronger stuff than most. Here is their legacy: four generations of women bearing daughters and chasing off their husbands. Four generations of peace and quiet with their house that sits right off the Chattahoochee without a single goddamn man to ruin it for them. This is how the Divine women raise their daughters, too. Ever since Janice Divine ran off Great-Grandpa Thomas in 1948, the Divine house has been a haven for their women. 

At least it was, until 2000 and something, when Henry Divine crashed the party, and Dolly-Jean’s never gotten over it a day in her life. See, here’s the thing: the Divine property’s something special. All divine feminine, a haven for women, and then here comes this little gutter punk to ruin it all? You’d lose it too. It’s a special place, right on the banks of the river, with trees hanging heavy over the water, and goats and chickens running amok in their yard. The Divines have a rather large plot of land too, which brings them almost right up against the hotel development. This, naturally, has caused some issues for them: Dolly’s about to go eco-terr*rist and take some drastic measures to protect her home and the fragile ecosystem, and both her mother, Barbara Mae, commonly referred to as Barbie, and her aunt, Nell, are trying to sort through their own (complicated) feelings on this.

The third Divine sister, CeCe, is Henry’s mother and she’s… off doing something, somewhere. Basically, she’s gone, disappeared into the wind except for the biannual text she sends people saying Happy Birthday four months after it’s passed.

This is basically just a request for Barbara Mae and Nell, both intense and passionate women in their own rights! While Barb is definitely the Divine matriarch, Nell is the Cool one, with lovers in fifty different countries and a new story every time you talk to her. Age-wise, Barbara is 45+ probably, and Nell is at least 38, but I’m not very picky with age! 

It’s all fairly open-ended, really! I just want the dynamic of the Divine women because I think it’ll be super fun!! Ok thank u kiss kiss take them !!! 

Barbara Mae “Barbie” Divine, 45+, Bad Bitch/Matriarch

The eldest of the three Divine sisters of her generation, and the only one who’s never really left Miriam’s Well. She’s never had a reason to, not with the animals to take care of, and her business to run, and mouths to feed, and it’s never worn against her – until recently. She’s coming up onto her midlife crisis, and it’s hitting her that she’s never seen anywhere past Panama Beach in Florida, and even that was for three days in 2002. 

As the hotel goes up, she’s thinking of doing the unforgivable: selling the Divine house and running off to see the world. Now that Dolly’s grown, and Henry is.. Henry, there’s nothing really holding her here. Her sister, Nell, is the only one to know of her plan and Nell is unhappy with it, to say the least.

Sidenote: no one knows who Dolly’s dad is, except for Barbie! Go wild if you want to explore this area. Maybe it was a one night stand with a traveler passing through town, maybe it’s a Mamma Mia situation, maybe it’s just too tragic to delve into. Let your imagination guide you here! 

DJ and Barbie are very close, especially after DJ’s divorce, but there’s been some rising tension between them recently. No one can quite put their finger on why, but it’s there, ready to blossom and explode into something much bigger.

Resents Cece for being the selfish one who got out of Miriam and didn’t look back until she needed her sisters (unlike Nell, who did it the “Right Way”), and it definitely made things tense with Henry in the beginning (it didn’t help that he was and is a smart-ass, much like his mother). Barb’s sort of always exasperated and/or sighing at Henry because well….he can be A Lot, but there’s the tiniest bit of pity? sympathy?  when it comes to him because she recognizes her sister could’ve and should’ve been a better mother so she did her best to take care of him when Cece would disappear for months at a time. Still threatens him with hot sauce if he runs his mouth.

Eleanor “Nell” Divine, 38+, Cool Aunt™ (Reserved for Celine)

Nell has seen the world, done it all, and come right back to roost in Miriam’s Well. She’s more of a free spirit than her older sister, though that’s arguably because Barbie held down the fort and allowed her to be. 

Now that she’s growing older, she’s more intent on spending time here on the property and sticking around town. Her wild oats have been sown, and now she’s interested in settling down. For the majority of DJ’s childhood, Nell drifted in and out, spending six months away and six months here, but has been consistently around for the past ten or so years. 

More like an older sister to DJ, truthfully. They’re quite close, but have more of a friendship than Barb and Dolly do. 

Nell’s never been afraid to put Henry in his place or Keep it Real with him, and somehow she’s always approached it in a less-parental/antagonistic way than Barb so Henry actually listened. She might honestly be the only person in Henry’s life that he listens to and trusts 100%

Barb and Nell are truly the best of friends, close as can be, but things are fraying at the edges now that Barbie’s considering jetting off to Europe. Sure, she could give the property to Nell, but she needs the money to fund her worldwide tour, and it’s all just a mess. Nell isn’t the type to give up without a fight, though, so I’m sure this’ll all blow up eventually!! 

[chaescupofdepresso]

✧ 9th of september

                                                                                  (banri settsu x reader)

𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘳𝘪 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘢𝘪 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵.

𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿, 𝗃𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗎𝗌𝗒, 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩: 2,175 words 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚: happy (late) birthday to my mushroom head, banri! — [♡] I know his birthday is on a weekday but let’s just pretend it’s during a weekend. I was already in too deep into writing this when I realized September 9 falls on wednesday. — [♡] it’s late because i struggled in finishing this and i don’t like how it turns out and i almost made this into an angst lol.

“This is annoying.” He scoffs, eyes rolling out of irritation as the young man skids to a stop in front of Omi and Taichi’s room, a burning sensation creeping up from the pit of his stomach and consuming every inch of his body as his ears pricked up at the sound of her hearty laugh through the door, followed by Taichi and Kazunari’s muffled voices. Banri gritted his teeth, hand clenching on his side while he glowers at the wooden barrier separating him and his best friend, who had come over early on a weekend to the mankai dorm to hang out with him since he could only be with her during lunch time on weekdays as he needed to get home in time for their practice for a new play. Though he would not openly admit it, he had been looking forward to spending his weekend with her especially on his birthday that following day.

He woke up early on a Saturday but has been asked to accompany their director to a morning grocery run. Of course, he can’t say no to Izumi—sakyo would kill him, and he could not possibly let the brunette carry bags and bags of grocery all the way home.

When they came back, Izumi had to call out to him to slow down but he was already sprinting to the lounge, with a few eco bags hanging on each arm, expecting to see her waiting for him only to find out from Omi that the puppy pair had stolen his raven-haired girl, much to his dismay. He didn’t like that information, one bit. The old Banri would have kicked the door down and thrown the duo out of the window but this Banri—the leader of autumn troupe, a proud actor of Mankai, won’t do anything to hurt his fellow troupe members even when standing outside of the door, glaring at it as he listens to Kazunari crack up his lame jokes that had her bursting into fits of laughter, made him feel helpless.

Prior to him becoming an actor, it was just her and Banri. Not that he didn’t have friends before meeting her but they were not as steadfast and deep as it is with her.

His birthday has been the one thing he only genuinely enjoy celebrating with his family, he couldn’t care less for the gifts from the girls who admired him or of the ‘happy birthdays’ from his schoolmates, whether they were sincere or not he simply can’t be bothered. He’d just scroll through them anyway—clicking each messages and closing it just as fast he had opened them without so much of a glance. He would rather be out of the godforsaken place, taunting some other student from another school to a fight, he knew damn well he would win.

On his 16th birthday, however, the dull day took an unexpected turn—far different from what he had plan.

Autumn has started to come around. Wind is blowing a little colder in contrast to the warm hues of red, orange, and yellow that line the trees. The leaves that had parted from their branches and laid rest on the ground, breaks into hundred fragments under his expensive pair of shoes with a soft, satisfying crunch.

Hauling the hood of his grey jacket over his head, Banri languidly stride through the crowd of students pouring out of the building and dispersing into different directions—some made their way to the cafeteria while others excitedly ran to the field. The boy with light brown hair, however, is headed to a different route. At the far back of Hanasaki high.

Only known to a handful of delinquent, like himself, who skips classes almost on a daily basis. Lunch period is the perfect time to escape since students are scattered about the school grounds and he has about a few minutes’ window to flee before the next set of guards make their rounds.

“What the-” he muttered under his breath, halting in his tracks to observe the girl standing a few steps away from him. Her small hands tightly gripping the straps of her brown leather backpack with her head tilted towards the brick wall towering over her, she’s staring ahead most likely mulling over her plan.

Banri has heard about her quite a few times since the beginning of the term—the new student who transferred to Hanasaki from a foreign country but she is the least of his concerns for today. There has been talks of a tough guy from Ouka High with purple hair of some sorts and he wanted to see if he is as strong as they had made him to be.

Who am I fighting? Barney?  

“The guards will be here any minute. If you don’t do it now, you’ll get caught.” He lets out a bored sigh, making his presence known by standing beside her, his hands casually tucked inside the pockets of his blazer.

“I don’t know how to.” she replied, truthfully, in a quiet voice. He peered at the girl, blue eyes scanning her features—short ebony hair falls about her face, creating a soft shadow against her cheekbones, the contrast of her dark locks against pale skin made her undoubtedly spectral. When she turns to look, her eyes are golden as the colors of the leaves that pirouetted in the air. It was bewitching and he couldn’t look away, not when her lips quivered and she is staring back at him with a silent plea.

His eyes shut closed, taking a deep intake of breath before glancing over at her again and groaning in response, “you owe me.”

The corner of his mouth turned up into an amused smirk as he watches her bounce on the balls of her feet, a small grateful smile gracing her features while she places a hand on his shoulder and a foot over his clasped hands, allowing him to hoist the shorter female over the wall. He had to avert his gaze when she raises both legs, ultimately hiking up her skirt as she turns around, letting them dangle on the other side.

“Do you need help?” she offered, a hand stretched in his direction but he shook his head in response while taking a few steps back, just enough to give him a boost to climb up the wall.

Having done it countless of times, it took him less than five seconds to get to the other side of the barricade, a smug grin etched on his face as he steals a glance at her; his fingers slipping through the gaps between hers and holding them in his before pulling her along as he started to run—heart pumping, feet slapping against the concrete floor as the two of them sprint along the alleyway.

Her calves were burning and she didn’t even know the guy yet she allowed him to lead her to wherever because it turns out, her escape plan wasn’t so much of a plan after all and he, somehow, ended up ditching his to show her around town. Leaving her to explore the foreign place, alone, wasn’t an ideal choice and there are a bunch of creepy men targeting naïve highschool students out there, she could end up dead in a ditch somewhere.

Banri has always been indifferent to people for as long as he can remember. Befriending them? Sure. but having a meaningful, genuine connection? No, at least not until her.

On the 9th of September, instead of chasing after trouble or wasting away his day at the arcade, he is sitting down in a stall at the market with a tower of takoyaki and a single blue candle adorning the top as his “cake” yet it still happened to be the perfect birthday, in every sense.

She is tranquil and soft spoken—the loudest her voice got was almost in par with Banri’s normal tone, she is someone who he’d pass by the halls of school giving not even a second of his attention and their friendship might seem like a string of unrelated events to other people but what they have is unbounded. And he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

She never tried to change him—she said, change is something he should do for himself not because she told him.

and though he is a blasé teenager, she still quietly adored him.

Whenever he is bored and feeling a little impulsive, she would stir him away from trouble but on days she is unable to stop him she would be anxiously waiting for him to knock on her bedroom window. Unable to calm until she’s seen him and tend his wounds and bruises all the while nagging at him and struggling not to cry at the same time.

“Oi,settsu. Quit staring at the door.” He whipped at the sound his Juza’s deep voice and sneered.

“What are you doing here, dumbass?” when her name left the latter’s lips, Banri’s nostrils flare as though smoke is going to come out of it. “Why is everyone suddenly best friends with my best friend!”

Banri is aware of how good he is at everything he does, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when he passed the audition for autumn troupe albeit the lack of passion for it. She teased him for being juza’s stalker but if it wasn’t for her friend following the purple haired student into mankai, he wouldn’t discover that there are stuffs he could be passionate about—pour his heart into, eventually keeping him away from starting brawls. She stood by his side, almost every morning she would be at the dormitory to have him up in time for rehearsals and when she can’t come, she’ll call him a hundred times until he answers. Even with the absence of drive in the beginning and only ever interested in beating his roommate, she supported him.

He could have the craziest, utterly questionable dream and she will be there, sitting at the front row.

He recalled standing backstage after their first show, when he started getting serious and acting like a true leader of autumn troupe he had requested for her to watch him at the show instead. It was the first time in weeks since he’s seen her and he hoped their performance had blown her mind.

Holding a bouquet of dahlia in the lightest shades of pink, a wide contempt smile adorned her features and her amber eyes glistens at the sight of him.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, leaning forward, large hands framed her small face while his thumb wiped the tear that had unknowingly rolled down her cheek.

He held her with a gentle, affectionate gaze, heart swelling as she told him how proud she was of him.

“Dahlia has a lot of meaning.” Tsumugi answers while the two of them work in the garden that is slowly coming to life thanks to the older guy’s skill. Recognizing the small flower that has started to bloom he couldn’t help ask if it hold any significance.

“Standing out from the crowd because of their undeniable beauty is one.” definitely Settsu Banri.

“Offering a support, good luck, or a congratulation.” For falling in love with acting.

“Commitment and honesty.” Two words that best describes their friendship.

The last sentence definitely quirked his attention. “Proud love without compromise.” Hmm, interesting.

He certainly was not hoping the last one was one of the reasons why dahlias are her favorite. Sort of.

“Sounds like you’re jealous.” Juza shrugged his shoulders, unaffected by banri’s tantrum, and popped a lollipop into his mouth as he walks past the latter to enter room.

“Banny! Juza!”

“Hyodles and Settzer are here.” Banri briskly walked to the couch she is sitting on and plops over the empty space beside her. while listening to kazunari’s story, she bumped her shoulder against his quietly giggling making him break out into a smile, the crease between his brows soften as the familiar warmth rush through him at the sig her beaming at his direction.

He isn’t one to get easily jealous not even in his past relationships but why does the green-eyed demon visits every now and then, clawing at the seams of his heart every time she gets close to the other guys at mankai or when they steal her attention from him.

He has yet to unearth the reason though he has his suspicions and he can only pray that it does not ruin what he has with her or that she does not hear the thumping against his chest as she lie her head over it. For now, he basks in the light that is her.

“is there anywhere you want to go, tomorrow, before your party?” she inquires in a whisper, scooting closer to his side as he wraps an arm around her shoulder.

“Anywhere with you.” To the ends of the earth or the depths of hell, she only has to say the word.

[shadow-assassin-blix]

It Belongs in a Museum

CHAPTER 3

A/N: Okay. Lots sexy times for this one. A sex scene that was slightly inspired from... a certain... scene.. from Narcos. If you’ve seen it, you’ll know. (sex, blowjob, fingering, light choking). The scene in the lake was inspired from a movie called 6 Days, 7 nights. Um. That’s about it. 

Everything tag: @mikeisthricedeceased​

Pedro tag: @fioccodineveautunnale​ (another person requested to be tagged in pedro stuff, via the form but i cant find you? i know its m-1234 starts it but i think a number may have been left off? let me know)

A full week has passed since their new protectors had joined them. Vixen, Ezekiel, and Reina had spent the majority of the week creating a new path to the other side of the temple. They also set up lights and were in the process of documenting as much as they could. Vixen, who had plans to go to the nearby town to try and develop photos, wanted to bathe first.

She made her way to a nearby lake, with her eco-friendly soaps and shampoo/conditioner, and change of clothes. She had attempted to ditch Veracruz while he was barking orders, but he apparently caught on quickly.

“You don’t take your security very seriously, do you?” Veracruz asked behind her, quickly catching up to her.

Vixen rolled her eyes at that. “No. I just wanted privacy. Like most people do when they want to bathe.”

“Yes. Do you also want to be attacked again, all by yourself, against a group of men who would also probably try to take advantage of you in your vulnerable state?” He mocked.

Vixen sighed, annoyed, continuing to the lake. They arrived at the lake, and she quietly set her stuff down onto a flat boulder. She began to take off her clothes, reveling the bikini top and swim shorts she had on underneath. She took a few steps hesitantly, expecting it to be cold, but was pleasantly surprised by the warmth.

She sighed happily as she waded into the deeper waters. She dunked underneath, scrubbing her hair in the water, making sure it got wet throughout.

As she came back up, she noticed Veracruz had taken a seat on another boulder and was watching her with mild amusement.

She raised an eyebrow and began to ask him what was so amusing when she stopped suddenly. Something…. Had just crawled into her shorts.

“Veracruz… ummm… can you… can you help me? Please?” She asked horrified.

“Oh, now you want my help?” Veracruz asked teasing.

“Be serious, V. I think… a snake… is in my shorts… please, get off your ass… and help me,” She said through gritted teeth.

He coughed trying to cover up a laugh as he stripped down to his boxers and joined her in the water.

“I mean… I could… try and grab it...” She muttered worriedly.

“Hmm. Wouldn’t do that… might be poisonous,” He countered in a tone that suggested he was enjoying this far too much.

“Well. What do I do?” She asked growing annoyed.

Veracruz moved closer to her and said, “I’ll get it and kill it.”

He gently slipped his hand down her shorts, a smile tugging at his lips.

“I better not see you smiling,” She warned, her eyes narrowing at him.

“Never,” He replied, failing to conceal his smile.

She felt his hand brushing her thighs and hips, purposely missing the very obvious creature that was wrapping itself around her leg.

When he finally lifted his hand, he presented a small snake, of which he snapped its neck and threw its corpse to shore.

Vixen shuddered slightly, “Gross. Now I see why the professor hates them.”

She looked up at Veracruz who eyes had darkened. He hooked a finger into her shorts and pulled her forward. The sudden movement caused her to stumble into his chest, her hands splaying out onto his pecs.

She returned her gaze back up to his, just as his hands reached down, grabbing her ass firmly, and lifting her up. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist, as her arms encircled his neck. His lips find hers swiftly, dragging them into a deep kiss. One of his hands slid up and under her top, taking her breast into his hand, flickering over the nipple teasingly.

The sensation made her gasp, giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. Their mouths battled each other for a moment before she pulled away trying to catch her breath. She bit her lip as she looked at him, motioning with her head over to the shore. He took the cue and carried her back to land.

As he laid her down on the ground, his hands made quick work of the top strings of her bikini and her shorts. He hovered over her, pressing kisses to her neck and chest, biting here and there. His tongue lavished over her nipples, before drawing them into his mouth to suck on them. When he pulled away, he allowed his teeth to drag across them.

Her moans were soft for the most part, but when he moved further down between her legs, gently blowing on her cunt, she groaned loudly.

“Now, now, princess. You have to remember to be quiet. Don’t want anyone… interrupting us and seeing do we?” He teased pressing a kiss to her thigh. “Unless… you want us to get caught? Does that excite you? The possibility of getting caught?”

Vixen shook her head no, biting her lip.

Veracruz dragged a finger up and down her slit, commenting, “I think you’re lying. Look at how wet you are?”

He showed off his finger, as it glistened.

“I was also just in a lake. What makes you think that’s from you?” She challenged, raising an eyebrow at him.

His eyes narrowed as his smirk grew. He lowered his hand back down dragged the finger up and down once more, before plunging it deep within her. His finger was soon joined by two others while his thumb brushed against her clit several times. Her hips began to wiggle and thrust to his movements, wanting more, but Veracruz was having none of that. His other hand came forward and stopped her movements, with a firm push.

His fingers moved swiftly, finding a spot that made her see stars as she came. She had to slap her hand over mouth to muffle the small scream that threaten to break out.

He pulled his hand from her, showing her them, “I’m pretty sure that’s not from the lake, sweetness.”

She rolled her eyes, before sitting up, and grasping his face and kissing him. As they kissed, she slipped her hands into his boxers, running it up and down his length. She gently tugs at his boxers, wanting them off. He shoves this down haphazardly, not wanting to break the kiss.

She positioned herself into his lap, slowly lifting herself before easing down onto him. The both of them moaned softly as she took him. Once she was fully seated, she gently grinded against him, before lifting her hips up and down. Her pace started slow, but picked up speed, that was assisted by Veracruz; his hands holding her in a bruising grip.

He thrusted up several times, which just added to the intensity of it all. He suddenly stops her and pulls out. She looked at him confused for a moment. He moved her on to her hands and knees, re-entering her from behind. The new angle threw her for a loop. The thrusts felt deeper and it felt amazing to feel him drag along her folds.

One of his hands, curled around to her front, and lightly grasped her throat. She could feel his grip tighten and ease randomly, the movement adding a taste of danger. He pulled her off her hands, his grip still around her throat, while his other began to play with her clit.

Her hands reached back for him, one around his neck to bury into his hair, and the other grasped the arm that was holding her throat.

His movements quickly led to her orgasming again, his following a moment later. When his thrusts came to a stop, he held her to him for a moment, kissing up and down her neck, praising her.

“You did so well, my dear. Good girl,” He whispered into her ear.

He slowly pulled out and she fell forward a bit, trying to catch her breath. It took a few minutes, before her legs would cooperate and let her stand back up. Veracruz had already redressed by that time and was staring at her with a proud smirk.

She quietly cleaned up, and washed herself off, like she originally had planned, this time not caring to be au natural in front of him. Got dressed in her clean clothes, and they began to make their trek back to camp, to drop off her things, and grab all of the film and SD cards from the digital cameras. Once she had gathered all that she needed, her and Veracruz made their way back down to where his team had parked their jeeps.

They jumped into one of them and began making their way back to civilization. The drive to the nearby town took 2 hours. Developing all of the photos took another 2 hours, by the time she had printed off the last of the photos, and paid for them, it had begun to rain.

They raced to the safety of the jeep and sat inside it for waiting for the rain to pass. While they waited, they talked.

“So, how long will you be staying in Colombia?” He asked somewhat boredly.

“3 months. We have 3 other countries to explore, before heading back to the states. Why? You going to miss me?’ She teased with a smile.

“Hmm. No. Not at all. Just wondering how long I’ll have you to myself,” He replied with a roll of his eyes.

She didn’t quite believe him but didn’t push the subject.

“Were you born and raised in Colombia?” She asked curiously.

“Si,” He answered simply.

“Have you ever been anywhere else? Or is this there a place you’ve traveled to that you really liked or want to go see?” She questioned, resting on her side against her seat.

“Yes. I’ve traveled to several countries and while many of them were beautiful, none were Colombia,” He said in a tone that was surprisingly soft.

“I’m actual kind of sad that I only get to be here for a few months, before traveling elsewhere,” Vixen admitted with a sigh.

She turned her gaze to stare out the windows and watch the rainfall. As she did so, she missed the way Veracruz eyed her up and down curiously.

He cleared his throat, trying to shake away the thoughts that had creeped into his mind.

“It appears we may be stuck here for a while. We may as well go get a hotel and some food,” Veracruz noted, starting the jeep.

They drove down a block or so and stopped at a small motel. Veracruz jumped out to go get a room for the night. He came back with a key that had the number 8 on it, and he moved the jeep closer to said room. The two of them unloaded what few things were in the jeep, into the room for safekeeping.

The room was small and dimly lit, and there was only one bed. A bed that honestly looked like it had seen better days. There was a small table and 2 chairs, and one couch. They set their stuff near the couch and turned on the main light that was obnoxiously bright.

With the extra light, they could see that the room appeared clean, but Veracruz was not taking chances with the bed. Veracruz pulled out some spare sheets from the linen closet and threw them over the entire bed to cover it. He then unrolled a blanket they brought inside and threw it on top of that, finishing it off with a sleeping bag unrolled and acting as a pillow.

Vixen stared at him with mild amusement as she watched this entire process. He looked up at her and just muttered, “Trust me, you don’t want to be under these covers, or touching them.”

She mouthed an okay with a silent snicker.

He grabbed the keys, telling her, “I’m going to get food, don’t open this door unless it’s me, got it?”

Vixen nodded her head, locking the door behind him.

She grabbed the stack of photos she had printed and began trying to decipher what the runes, and inscriptions were describing. From her understanding, it was a center of worship for a deity. A deity that appeared to be either a sun god or one for agriculture. She noticed sun motifs and depictions of farming/fruit. She would have to have Professor Jones look it over to be sure.

She was so focused on her work, she didn’t notice the time pass by, and jumped when she heard a knock at the door.

She got up and looked through the peephole to check who was there. She spotted Veracruz standing there and opened the door for him.

“Next time ask me to identify myself. Don’t look out a peephole. That’s how you get killed,” Veracruz tells her gruffly as he moved past her with a bag of food.

“Okay...” She said slowly following him over to the dingy table, hungry.

“It’s just a couple of empanadas, most places have closed because of the rain. I radioed my men to let them know we would be in by morning,” Veracruz informed her handing her a few wrapped in aluminum.

She took them, and some napkins, and went back to her spot on the bed. She set them down to cool for a moment while she looked over some more photos. She at some point very slowly, unwrapped them with one hand, and took small bites, trying not to make a mess.

By the time she had finished one, Veracruz had devoured both of his and was quietly observing her from afar. He found it strangely attractive watching her work. Her face would crinkle as she tried to identify a symbol, before marking it down in her small notebook between bites.

By the time she finished eating, night had fallen, and the rain was coming down harder. There was no heater in the room, so the chill was intense. She found herself a stopping point in her photos, to clean up her mess. She took off her shoes, and her pants, before undoing her bra from under her shirt. She set her clothes on one of the bags, not trusting to leave it on the furniture.

Veracruz was already in just his boxers, relaxing on the bed, watching her with a smirk.

“Don’t get too excited. We are just sleeping,” She said rolling her eyes, as she slipped under the blanket.

“Why... whatever do you mean, Vixen?” He mockingly asked, his smirk growing.

He reached over and turned off the light, and they awkwardly laid there for a moment. She shivered and tried to huddle further into the blanket to fight off the slight chill. She hears Veracruz sigh and move around.

He was suddenly close to her, pulling her into his arms.

“Neither of us are going to sleep if you keep shivering,” He lightly complained.

She blinked in the darkness of the room, biting her lip to stop the smile on her face. She simply made herself comfortable and settled into his arms, feeling warmer within seconds.  

She fell asleep in minutes. Veracruz took a bit longer to fall asleep, for he was mentally berating himself for suggesting this. He was being ridiculous. He could feel himself starting to care for her. He knew that he should reassign someone to guard her, but he couldn’t do that. The thought of anyone else getting close to her made his jaw tense, and fists clench.

She was his.

With that thought, he fell asleep.

The next morning, Vixen woke up comfortably warm and vaguely aware that her pillow was moving. She opened her eyes and sees that she’s lying on Veracruz’s chest. He was still asleep. She took a moment to quietly admire him. He was painfully handsome and seeing him relaxed made it even more apparent.

She languidly sat up, taking a moment to stretch her arms and back. Her movements woke Veracruz, who quietly admired her. He ran his hand up her back, a shiver going through her at the tickling situation. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder.

“Good morning,” She greeted with a small smile.

“Indeed… but I feel like it could be better,” He teased reaching up to pull her back down.

He rolls slightly onto his side, running his hand up and down her sides. She raised an eyebrow at him, noticing his hand move lower and lower.

“We have to get back to the others. We don’t have time for this,” She whispered.

“Hm. We have time for me to do just one thing…” He smirked, his hand slipping into her underwear.

She went to protest, but the only sound that came out was a moan as he dipped a finger into her, his thumb brushing over her clit.

She bit her lip, cleared her throat. Tried to regain some sense of composure.

“V. We… we have to be back on the… r-road. Soon,” She tried to speak, but struggled as he played her like a fiddle.

His response was simply to pepper her neck in kisses and bites and move his fingers faster. It didn’t take him long, but soon her vision went white, as her back arched up.

She took a couple of deep breaths as she came down from her high. Veracruz slowly withdrew his hand from her underwear. He got up and went to the bathroom for a few minutes.

She gets up, once her body had calmed down and grabbed her clothes, tossing them on before going into the bathroom once Veracruz stepped out. She cleaned herself up, and they moved their stuff into the jeep. They were back on the road in minutes. Vixen spotted a local vendor selling arepas and she had Veracruz stop. She ordered a dozen or so for the team as a treat.

She knew that they might be a smidge cold by the time they got back to camp but she knew they would appreciate the food. She ate hers while they drove up. Veracruz shook his head at her as she very messily ate it.

He chuckled as some of the filling dropped onto her chest.

“Shut up,” She mumbled her mouth full, as she scooped the food up and stuffed it into her mouth.

It didn’t take long for them to return to the camp. As he parked, she looked over at him.

“I uh. Never got repay you for this morning,” She mentioned looking him over.

“Don’t need to. I enjoyed watching you come undone with just my hand,” He told her looking over at her.

She smiled secretively and reached over to run her hand over the growing bulge in his pants.

She gently undid his pants, slipping her hand in to run it over his length before pulling it out. As she ran her hand over it, she repositioned herself in her seat. She slowly lowered her mouth to the tip, her tongue lightly lavishing it.

She could hear him groan as she began to take him into her mouth.

She pulled back to mockingly admonished him, “Now, now princess. Mind your volume. Wouldn’t want anyone to hear you?”

Veracruz opened his mouth to say something back but before he could, she took him back into her mouth. She took as much of him into her mouth as she could handle; her hands taking care of the rest of him. She bobbed her head up and down, at a set pace. She loved hearing the noises that were coming from him.

She continued until he came, swallowing as much as she could. Some lightly spilled out, and she wiped it from her face as she sat back up. He cleared his throat and tucked himself back in. He turned to her, reaching into the center console pulling out some wet wipes for her.

She ripped one open and used it to clean herself up. Once that was done, Veracruz pulled her into a kiss.

He bit her lip as he pulled away, muttering to her, “Don’t ever call me princess again. Or I’ll put you over my knee.”

“Promises, promises,” She teased him, getting her stuff and stepping out.

When they got back up to the camp, she pulled out the food and photos for her team. They all began to eat and check over her work and give their opinions. As they talked, Professor Jones asked to speak to Veracruz for a moment.

“Comandante. I just wanted to state I appreciate the work you and your men are doing for us,” Indiana began.

“But…” Veracruz provided sensing it.

“But I would appreciate it if you kept your eyes and hands to yourself. Vixen is one of my best students, I will not tolerate anyone using her to their advantage. She may a grown adult, and she can make her own choices. But I will not tolerate you using her,” Indiana informed him.

“What happens between the 2 of us is none of your business, professor. As you said, she’s an adult. It’s all consensual, if that’s what you’re worried about?” Veracruz replied back, trying to control his anger.

“No. What I’m worried is in about 3 months’ time, we will be leaving here. Moving onto the next dig site, not in Colombia. Knowing her, she will be conflicted in leaving here, you. She will continue on with us, but I know she’ll think about the what ifs. Do not get her hopes up where there is none to be had,” Indiana warned him before walking away.

Veracruz glared at his back as he rejoined Vixen and the other students. He went to check on things with his men, to distract himself.

Vixen caught the professor up on what she had discovered. Once they were caught up, they began to discuss their next steps involving the site. There were still several hallways left to discover and go through. They decided they were going to split them up between the 4 of them and work through each path.

Later that day, it was just Vixen and Reina talking strategy on how to get better pictures on some of the inscriptions they found.

Reina stopped midway through a sentence and said, “I’m sorry. But. I’m slightly bored. Do you mind if we gossip for a few minutes?”

“Always,” Vixen said taking a seat in one of the camping chairs.

Reina joined her, sitting next to her.

“So… what’s the deal with you and the Comandante?” She asked trying to hide her smile.

“Whatever do you mean?” Vixen replied looking away.

“Uh huh. Lies. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Like you’re a 5-course meal, and he’s starving,” Reina whispered to her.

Vixen choked out a laugh. When she controlled herself, she tells Reina about what happened their first night there.

“Damn girl. You move fast. Explains why, he wanted to be your personal bodyguard. Wanted to be as close to you as possible,” Reina joked with a laugh.

“What about you and Tadeo? I’ve seen you do your hair twirl thing when you talk to him?” Vixen asked, redirecting the attention.

“I don’t know. He’s very handsome, but I don’t know if he’s interested in girls? He hasn’t reacted much to my flirting… like at all,” Reina tells her, her tone sad.

“Or he could be oblivious to when a girl is flirting with him?” Vixen offered trying to be comforting.

“But also, there’s like 15 other men you can shoot your shot with. If it doesn’t work with him, I am sure there is someone else who will gladly… stare at you like “you’re a 5-course meal,” as you say,” Vixen mentioned, waving her hand to the group of men that was standing 30 ft from them.

Reina chuckled at her.

They spent a few more minutes talking about girly stuff, not noticing Professor Jones and Ezekiel were walking up to them.

“Hm. Makeup and boys. Doesn’t sound quite educational does it, Ezekiel?” Professor Jones ribbed as they joined them.

“It can be educational. So, are we going to start our work tomorrow?” Reina asked, straightening up in her chair.

“Yes. Four hallways. Four paths. Slow and steady. All of you. I don’t want any more injuries,” Professor Jones firmly stated.

They all nodded their heads. They spent the rest of the evening planning out their safety strategies and what equipment to take with them.

It was a somewhat tedious process, but it was necessary for them to complete so everyone was on the same page.

None of them knew just how valuable these procedures were going to be come morning.

[snowdice]

Espionage and Iced Coffee (Part of the Cuffed Universe Series)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Remus/Logan (Logan/Remus/Virgil for the universe)

Characters: Remus, Logan

Summary: Remus catches Logan for the first time. Nothing about it goes as expected.

This is a Cuffed Universe fic.

Previous fics in this series:

Tea, Cookies, and Handcuffs 

Matboards and Subway Sandwiches

Extras:

Moving Day

Notes: Non-consensual drug use mentioned, morally grey Logan, cop Remus, fighting, blood, biting, fear of death

This was… surreal. Remus spent a split-second gawking at the familiar figure standing at the ice machine for the motel he was staying at. This, Remus had not been expecting. True, he had taken to staying at places like this when trying to track down Logan because he knew it was the type of place Logan stayed at when on the run, but it had been more about getting into the right head space. He hadn’t expected to stumble upon the man himself while wearing sweats and a t-shirt 10 minutes before he was planning to go to bed.

He’d lost Logan’s trail once again 2 days ago when Logan had ducked out of the research lab he’d been working at for the last month (with a few electronic souvenirs) and had yet to pick it back up. It hadn’t been a surprise after the last 6 months, but it had still been unbelievably frustrating. Logan always seemed to be 2 steps ahead of Remus and 5 steps ahead of everyone else.

Remus had taken it upon himself to personally track down ‘Logan Berry’ after he’d been drugged and left on a kitchen floor by the criminal. His boss seemed inclined to give Remus free reign especially after he’d managed to catch that first trail a couple of months into the investigation where no one else had gotten anywhere close.

‘Logan Berry’ was good. There was a reason he was called “The Ghost of the Dark Web.” He could easily disappear in a moment from the internet and, as Remus had quickly found out, real life. He could fade into the chatter of everyday life in a moment and he could do it incredibly well. This had been made clear as Remus dug into the identity of Logan Berry.

The thing about Logan Berry was he looked so real. It’s why when he’d originally been sent to look for the hacker and eco-terrorist, everyone had thought he was looking for Virgil. Virgil who had no one in his life but dead parents and a roommate, lacked a college degree, and worked a bunch of odd jobs, many of which had paid cash. It was a laughable thought now that Remus had gotten to know Virgil and contextualized his history, but at the time he’d seemed like the obvious cover story for a cybercriminal.

Logan Berry, on the other hand had two living parents that lived in the next state, had spoken at many colleges around the world, and had a string of connections from his undergraduate professors through his PhD advisor. Clearly, he was real.

He was not real.

Remus would find with a bit of digging that the nice couple whose names were on Logan’s birth certificate had never had any children. The degrees and references were mostly fake, though he had actually presented at many colleges and he did seem to know his stuff. Remus had a theory that he had gotten a degree under a different name at some point.

The only person who seemed to actually know him as more than as a passing acquaintance was Virgil, and Remus was convinced at this point that Virgil was completely in the dark when it came to Logan’s criminal activities.

Knowing all of that, he was sure to have slipped away and created another just as good cover within a week of the drugging incident. The trail had run cold. Or, so it would seem, but Remus was nothing if not stubborn. He’d found just the lightest trail after months of looking in the form of a name Virgil had mentioned in passing once. That name had ended up being an alias of Logan that had gone dormant two days after Logan fled the first time, but it had given him something. He’d dug his teeth into that something and had managed to track Logan down, but he’d slipped away into the night once again. That had set off a vicious game of cat and mouse between Remus and Logan that had spanned the last four months.

The cycle had been doomed to repeat again when he’d lost him a couple of days ago. In defeat, Remus had retired to this little motel in a nearby town to regroup. When he had, he had not anticipated this.

Logan’s back was to the door giving Remus a few precious seconds to think. He darted back to his room next door to grab his wallet, car keys, and handcuffs. Everything else, he could come back for later. Remus heard footsteps as Logan left the ice machine area. He walked past Remus’s open motel door, likely to return to his own room. Remus dashed out behind him and grabbed his arm. One of the cuffs locked around his wrist before he could even think to react.

There was a single second of shock as he jerked his head around to look at Remus. Then, in the next second, a bucket of ice was brought down onto Remus’s head. He did not let go of Logan’s wrist as the other man was surely hoping he would. Instead, he gritted his teeth and yanked him closer.

They wrestled for a few minutes; Logan was not a fair fighter. He instantly went for the eyes, nose, and groin, but Remus somehow managed to subdue him. The other cuff snapped closed around his previously free wrist, but he was not finished. He reared back and bit Remus’s shoulder as hard as he could, drawing blood. Remus shoved his head away with a curse and began the process of dragging him to Remus’s car. He fought to get him into the car, and, not wanting to give him free range of the backseat of his personal car, Remus struggled with him until he was hooked to the interior grab handle.

The small town they were in didn’t even have a police station, so Remus started his car, intending to drive to the slightly bigger town 10 minutes away. Logan spent most of the drive cursing, rattling his restraints, and contorting himself to try to kick Remus despite that risking killing the both of them.

“Would you stop that?” Remus snapped. The answer was a sharp kick to the back of his seat. “I’m going to ask them to put you in one of the dog kennels instead of the jail cell if you’re not careful,” he threatened.

“What?”

“Yeah… the county sheriff department and the pound are in the same building. We are not in the city anymore. Guess it makes sense though. Doggy jail. People jail. Eh.”

There was a pause. “You are taking me to a police station?” Logan asked.

“Well, I’m not taking you to a Chuck E. Cheese,” Remus scoffed. There was a heavy silence following that statement. Remus glanced back at him. “What?”

“I just… After the circumstances of our first meeting, the ferocity with which you have pursued me, and the fact that we’re driving into the countryside, I had assumed I wouldn’t survive this encounter, at least on your whim.”

“What?” Remus said. “Jesus fuck, dude.”

There was nothing but sincerity in his tone when he said, “It is a reasonable prediction from what I have observed.”

“Well, I don’t know what you think you’ve ‘observed,’ but while you’re lucky I don’t drug you out of your mind and make you ride in the trunk, I’m not going to murder you and throw your body in a ditch.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” he asked, and the tone of his voice had Remus’s foot lifting off the gas. The car rolled to a stop at the side of the road.

He reached down to put the car in park. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Remus said. He turned in his seat to meet Logan’s eyes. “Look, you’re a bastard and I’m pretty pissed about the whole drugging me thing, you being two steps ahead of me for months, and the fact that you bit my shoulder a few minutes ago, but this is just an arrest.”

There was something jagged in his eyes that spoke of being wronged, and Remus wondered for the first time in his single-minded mission to bring the man down if there was something more to his story than just being a ruthless hacker and competent criminal.

“Hey,” Remus said softly. “How about something to drink?”

“Is this the drugging me out of my mind portion of the day?” Logan asked skeptically.

“Nah,” Remus replied. He leaned over the center console to the cooler he kept under the passenger seat. “I’d use a needle for that, much faster.” He sat back up. “How do you feel about iced coffee?” He shook the bottle at him.

He arched an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking me to a police station?”

“Always time for a nice drink.”

“I believe that ended badly for you last time,” Logan pointed out.

“I’m trying to be nice, Logan.”

“Fine,” he agreed after a moment, still eyeing Remus cautiously.

Remus gave him a toothy smile and opened the top of the iced coffee bottle with a pop.

“You first,” Logan insisted. Remus rolled his eyes and took a sip himself before offering one to Logan.

“So, where’d you disappear to in Detroit, anyway. I’ve been curious. I thought I’d lost you permanently there.”

“I have safe houses all over the country,” Logan divulged as he watched Remus take another sip. “You’d never find them.”

Remus hummed and offered him another drink. “I bet you thought I wouldn’t find you either.”

“Lucky break,” Logan replied, “and only after months of being a persistent gnat.”

“Mosquito please,” Remus requested. “At least let me be able to do some damage.”

“So, you’re a malaria carrier?” Logan asked.

“Yellow Fever. I’m a classy mosquito.” He almost chocked on the sip he was taking and Remus grinned. “Careful, if you get snot in the coffee… I’ll probably still drink it, honestly.” Logan gave him a look that teetered somewhere between amused and disgusted.

“You should probably be more careful about what you drink,” Logan said sweetly, leaning close to him so their noses almost brushed.

“And you should probably learn to not be so cheeky,” Remus said, poking him in the cheek for emphasis. He startled at the action, but then smiled a bit.

They continued bantering until the drink was finished, and then Remus tossed it into the backseat opposite Logan.

“You should get a garbage bag for your car,” Logan said, frowning down at the trash.

Remus rolled his eyes.

“I hope you know this doesn’t mean I’m not going to screw you over at the first opportunity,” Logan said lightly.

“Looking forward to it,” Remus said.

“Don’t bother.” He was vaulting over the center console into the front seat in the next moment; somehow, he had picked the handcuff lock. He went straight for the pressure point on Remus’s collarbone, but he managed to jerk back and away. Remus struggled to get the car door open and they went tumbling out. They rolled around in the grass for a few long moments before…

Click.

“Shit,” Remus said, doing his best to pull himself and the wrist with the one cuff on it away from him, but the next second he was on his stomach with a knee pressed into his back. The other handcuff snapped around his other wrist.

“How?” Remus spat.

“If it’s any consolation, I would have still gotten free without stopping. You just allowed me more time and a stopped vehicle.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Remus grumbled into the mud.

Logan rolled him over and helped him sit up. Remus glared at him. He just turned back to the open car door and searched it for a few moments before coming back out with Remus’s phone in hand.

He walked over to Remus and looked at him for a moment.

“I’m unsure if your kindness will continue if we ever meet again,” Logan said. His eyes flickered a bit and he leaned forward to press a kiss to Remus’s cheek. “I do appreciate it though and not because it allowed me to escape.” Remus blinked at him in surprise, speechless as he dialed something on Remus’s phone and then pressed it against his ear. Remus scrunched up his neck to keep it there as he heard the sound of the phone ringing. Logan turned to walk back to the car.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

Want to read more? The next installment is:

Popcorn and Podcasts

[pokeverse-amethyst]

Sooooo… this is gonna be a long one, strap in. What follows is a metric ton of HCs about every single evil team and how they have worked themselves into every aspect of daily life, as to make them way more difficult to get rid off than just with a couple of arrests. Timeline wonkiness when trying to explain what likely happened first is to be expected, I’m playing fast and loose with all of this stuff. I might be way off topic in some regards but HECK HERE GOES. ~~~

TEAM ROCKET: This is pretty much of a no-brainer. What we have here is a classical mafia structure, and you just need to look at countries with extensive mafia presence to know that they are baked into every single fucking thing. Giovanni has worked years upon years to cement himself straight into Kanto and Johto, consequently making it impossible for any of the other teams to even THINK about gaining a foothold there. No further explanations necessary. ~~~ TEAM AQUA / TEAM MAGMA: This one is a bit of a more difficult one. But then again, let’s presume that most of the teams recruit a mixture of people who fully believe in the team’s message, who misunderstand the team’s message, and who see themselves in the team, but not necessarily in the message (so just looking for somewhere to belong and to gain some kind of direction). Oh, and monetary gain. Can’t forget that. So in the case of both Aqua and Magma? I like to believe it started out with Maxie and Archie working together on a plan to give nature back to Pokémon. Like, with trying to get more protected zones established, kinda like Fiore has them? But they were hitting resistance too often. Now I’m not saying that they were on the wrong track from the start or developed into what is basically eco-terrorists, but… they probably saw way too much bad shit happening to Pokémon around them. Maybe they heard what Team Rocket was doing to Pokémon in Johto and Kanto. Maybe they heard rumors about what Cyrus nearly accomplished, what Lysandre almost triggered, what Ghetsis managed to fuck up with his whole power play madness (TWICE, too!), what the Aether foundation might have had triggered if not for the intervention of a Legendary, what Rose made possible in the GALAR REGION of all places… Suffice to say, they probably felt like they needed to seriously up their game… to make sure that the other teams didn’t fuck up the world beyond repair before THEY could make the world a better place. The only thing that finally broke Archie and Maxie up though, was an inability to settle on what would be better. More landmass, more sea? What would be the gentler way of resetting humanity? Suffice to say, their vision might have attracted way too many who nudged them along. So TLDR: Archie and Maxie mostly reacted to what the other Team Bosses were doing and were helped along by Grunts/Admins that were way too into the whole “we will be the only humans deserving this new, shiny world”. They were numerous enough and determined enough to turn into a slightly terroristic group, but until the ultimate use of Kyogre/Groudon, they never really registered that much on Interpol’s radar. And when Interpol learned of them stealing a whole ass sub? It was already too late stopping them in their tracks in time. After all, Interpol had all the other regions to monitor as well… ~~~ TEAM GALACTIC: So. Charon doesn’t need much of a head canon fuckery. He just did it for the money, that much he stated openly. And Jupiter, Mars and Saturn? They all admitted openly to being along for the ride because they believed in Cyrus and the world being fucked up beyond repair, thus needing a good ol’ divine intervention from the whole-ass creation trio. But I don’t think any single one of them fully understood what Cyrus’s goal was. The commanders (that are not Charon) squarely fall into the category of “misunderstanding the ultimate purpose of the team”, as do all the Grunts. And as mentioned above with Team Aqua and Magma, Galactic probably saw some of the stuff that was happening around them and ultimately decided (and this is mostly for the Grunts and the Commanders) that Cyrus probably wasn’t so far off with the human spirit being incomplete. But they made one crucial mistake (pretty much the whole team, even Charon). They thought that Cyrus’s assertion over the incomplete nature of the human spirit was a reason for the man to believe in a world that should be made whole, not in wiping the whole fucking slate clean and going Tabula Rasa on the whole of creation. Much to the annoyance of everyone involved (and with that I mean the Creation Trio and the big boss of them), he actually went far enough to step on everything just to gain the power to control the legendaries. Also, time to unearth an already yoinked HC of mine that Giratina mostly retreated into the Distortion World to get some good alone time in, only to be disrupted by Cyrus bursting in. On that point also: time not really working all that clearly in the Distortion World. Kinda like Narnia rules, in as there is no fixed constant for time moving forward in either one or the other extreme. Sometimes, time will move forward extremely fast, other times, you spend years and years in the Distortion World and only a few seconds passed. After all, everything gets a bit… wobbly in there. But around the time Cyrus entered, Distortion World time became… more orderly. And that was what prompted Giratina to go VERY UNAMUSED ON HIS ASS. Think of it as time being influenced by what is thrown into the Distortion World. BACK to the Team, though. Galactic honest to Arceus believed that what they were doing would give the world a much needed boost… and were unpleasantly surprised when they were later on all shown that Cyrus wanted to go destruction and rebirth on the world. But that is not to say everyone was unhappy about this revelation. ~~~ TEAM PLASMA & NEO PLASMA: What easier time to convince disparate beliefs than with the apparent reason that they were just helping Pokémon that would have been unhappy in the care of their trainers? Wether the Grunts believed that the Pokémon should then consequently be released back into the wild or that they THEMSELVES deserved the Pokémon way more than others? What easier way to convince them of Plasma’s ideals? And there was no real discussion amongst the Grunts over this dichotomy. Sure, a few were disputing the one or the other stance, but most were still agreeing that the trainers they took the Pokémon from did NOT deserve them. No matter how pure their reasoning was. No matter how reality really looked like. Sure, they were removing Pokémon from some really nasty trainers? But on the greater scale of things, they mostly took Pokémon from trainers who they loved being with. And Ghetsis had his thumb on this a lot. See, Ghetsis didn’t want N to sway too much, before he finally met the protagonist. So Ghetsis made sure that only obviously abused Pokémon removed from trainers were brought to N. …why, no, this doesn’t mean at all that they were usually just from the outside. Ya think Ghetsis only had his main team? Dream on. ~~~ TEAM FLARE: What is there to say about Team Flare? They are basically a mix of the worst of the self-viewed elite of the region. There is entitlement to being viewed as the best of the best (and you can’t tell ‘em otherwise), there is doomsday fans who would do the whole shit with bunkering down and then fighting in an apocalyptic wasteland and fancying themselves new leaders in that changed world, there’s the ones who just think they will be able to surpass even Lysandre… What about the Admins of Flare? They half share Lysandre’s views of beauty. But mostly, they are in too deep to quit, and also half about relishing the fact that they get to work on something truly unique and devastating. They want this whole power thing to work out for them because some time in their lives, they might have felt like they were owed power and didn’t receive it. They were owed recognition and didn’t receive it. They want to be the new top of Kalos without working TOO hard for it. Without anything laying rocks in their path. Without any obstacles telling them that, no. They fucked up. ~~~ AETHER FOUNDATION: The moment Lusamine found out about the Ultra Dimension, she ostensibly was lost to her goal of getting her hands on the power to change the face of the world. And to preserve beauty. In many ways, her goal was similar to Lysandre… to a degree. The Aether Foundation is half staffed by people who truly believe that conservation work is the most important factor in the Pokémon World, to preserve some of the more endangered species around the world, and half staffed by people who truly believe that the Ultra Dimension holds answers to problems humanity might not even have recognized as such. This latter half was unpleasantly surprised when they started to learn the truth from the Ultra Dimension researchers. Finding out that Necrozma had destroyed the natural light of that world and was now the only source of more light for the city? That was a shock. But that didn’t necessarily mean that the Aether Foundation would have been broken up by that. Because honestly? The part of the conservation enthusiasts who were not deterred by the Ultra Dimension incident made the Foundation bloom beyond what it was possible to become. So in short: this foundation survived its leader far better than many others, and actually managed to get accepted. ~~~ MACRO COSMOS: This is the team that shocked their region with just how far their influence had gone. And that is to say that they existed at all, right under the noses of the region. Rose’s whole deal is a big part why Leon would later be plunged into a crisis of conscience, despite everyone assuring him that he had no way of knowing just how far Rose was willing to go to show the region how wrong it was to not immediately acquiesce to all that he envisioned for the future. The mere fact Rose was UNWILLING to wait what would at most have been half a day for Leon, to celebrate with the others after another big Champion Tournament? That was what sat so ill with many in the region. It wasn’t so much the message that Rose felt everyone had missed (that was actually just his version of events - most of the Macro Cosmos Grunts were attached to him solely for the reason of having privileges that none other had, and when they saw how he was acting, only the most dedicated few could ignore what was going on). So we are dealing with another team that was shocked how far the leader would go, but even more so than the Aether Foundation, the members scattered when Rose enacted the Darkest Day right out of nowhere. There is still worries that remains of Macro Cosmos could be out there, trying to bust Oleana and Rose out of prison and actually finding another way with which to scare Galar into complicity. How well that would even go is a whole different question… because the new champ is even stronger than Leon, and THAT is real fucking bad news for anyone who would want to establish themselves.

[i-choose-liam]

Two’s Better Than One - King Liam x MC

Summary: Liam is more stressed than he's ever been before. A certain guest coming to the palace has prompted this anxiety in the Cordonian King. How will Liam fare against his special guest? 

Book: The Royal Heir 

Characters: King Liam, MC (Riley Spencer), Dani Spencer (OC), Hana Lee, Maxwell Beaumont, Drake Walker, other original characters. 

Rating: T 

Word count: 1k+

A/N: This is a short series about Riley’s family. If you read this, let me know if you like it. Reblogs are always appreciated. Thanks! 

Cordonia

The staff at the palace was rushing back and forth. “Yellow! Not pink! How do you get the two confused?!”, Liam’s assistant yelled at a staff-member. The unwanted linen was taken away in a cart, the sound of the wheels just a part of the entire hustle-bustle. Dani witnessed the scene in passing as she walked past the staff towards the nursery. One of Riley’s incompetent bodyguards, the hot one, was guarding the doors to the nursery. They gave her a nod. “Miss Spencer” She gave a mock salute and walked in as the doors were opened for her. The light from the windows was the first thing to catch her eye. Cordonia sure had a lot of sunshine. And said sunlight was making the couple standing in the middle of the room look like ethereal angels. Liam was talking to someone on the phone, but he perked up at once on seeing Dani. He hung up and walked over to give her a hug. “You made it”, he said, smiling. Dani hugged him back and kissed his cheek as they parted. “’course I did”, she said, “As if I would miss my niece’s first ever party” Riley spoke in that supercilious tone her voice took on when she was trying not to be condescending. “It’s a ‘royal luncheon’ in honour of Eleanor, not a party” Dani walked to her, saying, “Leave it to you to literally take the word party out of an actual party, Riles” Riley smirked, “Good to see you too, my evil twin” “You’re the evil twin” A gleeful gurgle came from the bundle in Riley’s arms. Dani got close enough to look at the cuteness-bomb her niece, Princess Eleanor of Cordonia, was. “Hiii, angelll”, Dani cooed. “You wanna hold her?”, Riley asked. Dani was still smiling down at little Eleanor. She said, “What do you think I flew all the way here for?” Riley quipped, handing over the baby to Dani, “The free booze?” She was already making kissy faces at her niece, holding her with utmost care. “No, no, no”, she said, “Aunt Dani came here for Eleanor. Didn’t I, sweetheart? My god, Riley, she’s sooo cute! I can’t believe she came out of you” Dani bounced Eleanor a little in her arms. She was doing her best to be careful, the baby was only three months old, after all. Eleanor fixed her dark, bright eyes on Dani’s face, smiling as if she enjoyed the bouncing. She gave another heart-melting gurgle, forming a tiny drool-bubble at the corner of her mouth. The bubble rose above her face, startling Eleanor. Her eyes went wide and she exclaimed “Wooh! Wooh!” as she stared at this strange anomaly near her face, shaking her fists and legs all the while.

“It’s just flight information. What is so- you know what? Meet me in my office. I’m coming down there in a minute”, Liam was saying on the phone. Dani exchanged a knowing look with her twin. She raised an eyebrow. Riley nodded. “Did you scare him?”, Dani asked.  Riley said, “I didn’t. He has been researching about them for almost a week” Liam walked to them then. He sounded frantic. “Dani, I hope you’re being taken care of well. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office. Don’t hesitate to ask for anything, okay?” Before she could reply, he was saying, “And I’ll see you as soon as I can, my love. I’ll be back” Both Dani and Riley stared at him in surprise as he kissed his daughter’s forehead, having clearly meant the words for her and not his wife. Liam strode away to the door, leaving Riley gaping after him, narrowing her eyes at his frame. As if realizing he had forgotten something, Liam turned around and walked to her. He was grinning. “Sorry”, he kissed her on the cheek, “Won’t happen again. I love you” “Uh-huh”, Riley replied. Dani bounced Eleanor in her arms again, taking in the look on her sister’s face. She smiled at Riley, “Poor guy” Riley just sighed. 

***

Maxwell was humming under his breath as they sat in the antechamber to Liam’s office. Hana was saying to Drake, “And you made sure to ask the chef that he only use halal meat and sustainably sourced seafood?” “Um…”, was Drake’s answer. Maxwell chimed in, “Relax, Hana. You’re still in-charge of everything else. Liam just asked Drake to supervise the prep for the American dishes” “I know that”, Hana said timidly, “I’m just making sure” She sighed, saying, “Sorry if I seemed to be meddling, Drake. I prefer discussing this stuff with Liam and Riley. But Riley is spending time with her sister and Eleanor. And Liam’s just been so preoccupied lately” “Speaking of…” Drake indicated the door to Liam’s office. The King walked towards them at a brisk pace, taking a seat across from Maxwell. “Thanks for waiting, guys”, Liam said, tugging at his cravat.

Before he could even catch his breath, Liam was talking again. “Maxwell, I hope you followed the instructions for the entertainment program”, he said. Maxwell nodded, remembering all the non-party-esque instructions he had had to follow. “Of course. Nothing too loud, no fireworks, no confetti. Nothing un-eco-friendly. And Celine Dion will be performing shortly after lunch” “Thank you. Drake, the food and alcohol?”, Liam turned to him. “Yep. I talked to the chef. She said this might be the first time we’re going to serve fried chicken for a luncheon at the palace. Vegetarian options are available in three different Asian cuisines. And I personally selected the single malt…” Liam shot up in his chair, surprising everyone in the room. “No, no, no. No whiskey. I specifically told you she hates whiskey. Vodka. Vodka and cocktails are what she will be served”, he said, face harried. Drake said slowly, “Okayy…” Liam turned to Hana next. He said in a pleading voice, “I know you’re the only one who would never disappoint me, Hana. How are the rest of the arrangements?” She assured him, “I have followed all your instructions to the letter, Liam. And I have done my fair share of research on Analyn Torres. I’m going to do a debriefing for the palace staff before the flight lands. Maxwell will be with you at the airport for the welcoming” “No, I need you with me at the airport. I mean, I need Maxwell and you there with me” Drake scoffed, “Gee, thanks, Liam” Liam tugged at his cravat again and walked to the coffee table. He poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher and emptied it in one go. Maxwell looked at Hana with meaning, who looked at Drake, quietly urging him to talk to the King. “You know”, Drake said to Liam, “I haven’t seen you this nervous ever before. You okay, man?” Liam didn’t answer. He flopped down into his seat again, closing his eyes and absently rubbing his forehead. Hana tried, “You have addressed an entire congregation of world leaders at the UN, and you didn’t sweat a drop. This can’t be more difficult than that, Liam” Liam replied, “I have to make a good first impression” Maxwell said, trying to lighten the situation, “You are the King of one of the wealthiest, coolest countries in Europe, Liam. And she’s what? A college professor?” Drake seemed to agree. “Maxwell’s right. I don’t see why you have to be so afraid of meeting your mother-in-law. She’s probably the opposite of Spencer. She’s probably like Dani, and not Riley” Liam mumbled, “The other one is” Maxwell was confused. “What?”, he asked. Liam sighed. “Riley told me her “Mom”, Razia Spencer, is the relaxed, carefree one like Dani. My other mother-in-law, Dr. Analyn Torres, is an activist and a tenured professor at Columbia University, who’s known for her scathing criticism of capitalism and monarchy. She made the High Chancellor of Auvernal cry during his first and last visit to the USA” The room was suddenly quiet enough to hear the ticking coming from the clock on the wall. Hana said nothing, looking sympathetic to Liam’s cause of concern, as if she had known these fun facts all along. Maxwell just stared at one face from another, not knowing what to say. Drake broke the silence. “Well, damn” 

***

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean –

Analyn scrolled the webpage on her laptop. The plane lurched a bit, sudden turbulence rocking her in her seat. She stayed calm enough to finish reading the latest from the Cordonian Daily. She kept assuring herself she was not trying to gather ammunition to use against her son-in-law, but part of her felt guilty just the same. She had promised her wife she wouldn’t judge their son-in-law before she even met him, and she always kept her promises to Razia. “Baby?” Analyn closed her laptop and turned to her wife, who was just stirring from a four-hour nap. She smiled at the look of confusion on her wife’s face, something which amused her to no end even after thirty years of marriage. Razia’s short hair fell across her eyes, which she was rubbing sleepily. “Are we there yet?”, she asked, half asleep. “No, my love. Still an hour or so, I think” “Okay” Razia clutched Analyn’s arm and rested her head on her shoulder again. She said, with her eyes closed, “Did you finish reading about Liam?” “I-I wasn’t… um…” “It’s okay. I won’t tell Riley. Hehe” Analyn smiled and put an arm around her love, saying,  “Go to sleep, you. We’ll be in Cordonia soon” “I hope Eleanor’s got Riley’s eyes” “I quite like Liam’s eyes too” “He’s good-looking but, you know. Our baby’s our baby” “A stubborn 26-year old, yes” “Shush. We haven’t seen her in forever. We’re just going there to see her and our granddaughter, okay? No fighting” “Yes, darling” “Good. I sleep now. Good night” “It’s morning”, Analyn grinned. “Mhm” Her wife was asleep again in minutes. Putting away her laptop, and her inhibitions for the time being, Analyn wrapped her arm tighter around Razia and closed her eyes. She hoped to get some sleep before meeting her royal son-in-law for the first time. They had so much to talk about.

[mcrmadness]

my ask meme: 1, 5, 10, 12, 14, 21, 26

Thank youuuuuu!!!  These were for this Ask game.

1. What was your first thought this morning? I woke up from a dream that had something to do with some cathuman turning into a werewolf-like cat creature at nights and it never had a memory of it in the daytime, and they often were asleep and we (idk who I was or who the other people were) were going somewhere with a helicopter and wondering how to keep this catperson’s neck from hurting because they had passed out and the helicopter was moving. It was like waking up in the middle of the dream so I was super tired, and then realized I was thinking about a certain episode of The X-Files and thinking how “that was actually a really good episode if you think about it!”

5. What was the last movie you watched? Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And before that we watched Corpse Bride too because we’ve have this Tim Burton movie marathon going with my siblings for the past year probably.

10. What color is the wall opposite you right now? White. Finland has normally just white walls - except for some expensive new houses (or old houses and cottages that can have wooden walls). But there’s a Deadpool poster so that’s nice.

12. Share something you have changed your mind on. You used to think one way, now you think differently. I gotta say: global warming. Or I have never really thought differently, I have been aware of it since I was a teenager (in the mid 00s) but it just caused me so much anxiety and was a part of my first mental breakdown at the age of 15, that I just totally blocked it out of my head. I basically was like “if I don’t think about it, it doesn’t exist”. I have anxiety disorder and as a kid I already had a fear of the news. Hearing the news theme song gave me anxiety attacks and I was always feeling like I need to throw up when I was reading a newspaper and saw the pages with the word “foreign countries” on it and tried my best not to look at anything said on those pages as I skipped them, so that I won’t lose my good night’s sleep. I was often having sleepless nights because of worrying about wars, atomic bombs, UFOs and aliens, planes... Finland has always felt so safe to me so I was so afraid of anything that could happen to Finland because of the foreign countries.

So I was having a mental breakdown when I was 15 and felt like I couldn’t run away from the topic “global warming”. Even my English study book was trying to guilt shame us for the things we did, I had just started wearing jeans the year before and them my English books literally says how I’m destroying the world by wearing jeans. And it was just too much. And then the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” came out and we were supposed to go to see it in the movies with my school and I got my mom to write me a note about how I don’t need to go to see that film, and I never did, because already the thought of the movie caused me even more anxiety. I still haven’t seen that movie, and never will watch it. I don’t like catastrophe movies at all.

So, nowadays I’m more aware of this and I don’t block it anymore, and it doesn’t give me as much anxiety as it did. It’s still a terrible topic but now I actually do what I can do and I tell myself that it’s enough that I try my best, it’s still better and more than nothing. Some days I still do feel very terrible and start having the anxiety from carrying the weight of the whole world’s worries on my shoulders but... in the end, I’m still trying my best. I have been told nothing I do counts because I still eat (organic, local) meat occassionally and people (well, one particular one I don’t talk to anymore...) have been trying to guilt shame me into oblivion because of that. But I do think it still counts that I choose eco-friendly cleaning products over those toxic ones (here also my anxiety plays a part, I have ocd-like contamination fears if I handle toxic cleaning stuff), and the fact I only eat organic meat whenever I eat meat, I buy only organic foods and products when possible, I buy MSC or ASC fish only, and I recycle and try to minimize the amount of water I use (also my water bill won’t be as big then). All these still count, because it’s still better than doing nothing. And it’s more important to listen to yourself because there’s no point in building a world you want if that will kill you in the process.

14. What have you learned from your time on tumblr? Nothing? :D:D:D:D No but, I don’t really have memory of anything from here. Which is weird because normally I do remember too much but with Tumblr? I follow blogs I never remember following and I’ve found old messages from people I don’t never remember interacting with and I have rediscovered a few people I had interacted with but didn’t have proper memory of and it’s just so confusing. I only know that in the beginning I was against reblogging because I wanted to be Different and I thought reblogging was stealing so I did basically nothing unless I had something to say. But then I just... stopped caring and now I reblog too much basically and I only like posts from friends and mutuals, and posts that make me so excited reblogging doesn’t feel enough, and posts that I need to find again soon, which is why I keep my liked page hidden because I don’t want to show my friends’ and mutuals’ personal posts to the world. It’s not my business to do that.

21. How do you decide to follow a blog? I usually follow blogs that reblog lots of things that are interesting to me - usually the key is to have a few posts that make me laugh and you’ve got a follower. I don’t like quiet blogs because I want to see stuff on my dash so if I see someone liking but never reblogging anything, I won’t follow. I also follow blogs that don’t have that interesting content if I’ve been interacting with the person behind the blog and it feels better to be mutuals on Tumblr too.

26. Do you drink tap water or spring/mineral water? Tap water. Finland has the cleanest water in the world so it’s perfectly safe to drink. If I don’t have water with me and need to buy a bottle, I usually buy spring water, tho. I don’t like mineral water but I drink it if I have to work in the summer because horse work is very tough work. Tap water (in Finland) is anyway a little bit better and even healthier than bottled water.

Talking of bottled water, the spring water in the bottles is basically same as the tap water - tap water just goes through the water... facilities but you can actually find small springs from the nature and drink from those, but I’m not actually sure anymore if the “spring water” is just an advertising trick - I don’t believe anyone will be sitting in a forest bottling actual spring water after all. Maybe it comes from actual springs and only from certain areas but like... yeah, idk. Anyhow, I’m googling this now.

[esckeyes]

My Quetzal Story

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you probably saw a lot of pictures of this bird called the “quetzal” recently. I am having a hard time describing why it was such a big deal for me. So I will try a longer post.

I read a history of Hernan Cortes’ conquest of Mexico once. I felt like the book itself was too kind to Cortes. But the one thing I vividly remember (and perhaps even problematic books can have glimpses of beauty) was a description of the native peoples trying to save quetzal feathers instead of gold and jewels on “La Noche Triste” (needs new name?).

I had never heard of this bird called the quetzal (or the Resplendent Quetzal, more properly). I googled quetzal feathers and found some lovely looking—but probably fake—headdresses said to belong to Aztec nobility. I also found out that the quetzal is mostly extinct in Mexico, which made me sad. The feathers were such a beautiful color and they were a great symbol of the Mexica people. 

Cut to my sister (who travels a lot because she does a job that pays her actual money and gives her vacation time. Weird!), planning a trip to Costa Rica. I was super bummed because I was the one who took Spanish in school. She took French. I knew very little about Costa Rica from my textbooks (my Spanish IV textbook had cultural pages with history and information about various Spanish speaking countries. They usually were about how some asshole treated the people like shit). Costa Rica was a nice change because it didn’t have a lot of war or upheaval--there was a lot about colorful animals and their focus on saving them.  Mostly I remember that they abolished the army and I thought that was cool.  I wanted to go.

I don’t remember exactly when, during my sister’s time researching her trip that I learned there are still a few quetzals alive in the wild of Costa Rica. That is all fuzzy. But the point is: she was going to the country with these Mexica quetzals I wanted to see AND the eco-friendly Spanish-speaking nation without me? I was a big ball of pout.

So for Christmas, my dad said he would pay for me to accompany my sister. (My parents don’t like that she travels alone anyhow, I don’t think.)

I kept showing people videos on YouTube and gifs on Twitter. (Not everyone liked that I did this) I also learned some random quetzal facts from the internet. But I was worried I wouldn’t actually get to see one because they are nearly extinct and, well, you have to be lucky. I am not a bird-watcher or an experienced naturalist. I just like stories and the myths surrounding the quetzal. Symbols greatly intrigue me.

— The quetzal was considered sacred to many indigenous peoples. It is associated with the Mesoamerican god Quetzalcoatl. Notice the similarity in the names. (You have probably heard of Quetzalcoatl as the god the Aztecs were said to have thought Cortes was. I was taught this in Spanish class. But it is an exaggeration at best and the purpose of this story seems to be “these natives are dumb” even though their society was so advanced and awestruck the Spanish.)

— Quetzal feathers were worth a great deal (obviously more than gold to the Aztecs). It is still the name of the currency of Guatemala, though they are sadly paper now not actual feathers. And this got me thinking about the arbitrary nature of “wealth” and why shiny rocks are worth more than shells, feathers, or other parts of nature. It seems like putting a higher value on life itself.

— The quetzal also is supposed to represent liberty. I read online that one would “kill itself” in captivity (more on this below) and hearing its song before battle meant victory over the Spanish. THIS IS ALL COOL STUFF THAT COULD BE USED AS A METAPHOR IN A BOOK AND WHY HAVEN’T I READ THIS BOOK.

Anyway, back to my trip to Costa Rica. We looked online for the best places to see a Resplendent !uetzal, because, again it is hard and there are only a few places they live now.

My sister already planned a visit to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve so that was a possibility. But our guide there said, when I asked him about it, that thousands of people go into that forest but that maybe only 10% get to see a quetzal.

The cloud forest itself is very cool. I learned about rainforests in school but not cloud forests. It’s wet and green everywhere. I found it a bit overwhelming. Our guide would say, look at that [insert species] over there” and I would be like, “I see trees.” There was just so much. We actually did pass by a female quetzal at one point (the female is not as brightly colored as the male) but I saw movement and that was about it.

If I am honest, I was a bit disappointed. But I kept telling myself that I was lucky to see one at all.

However, the next day we went to the Curi-Cancha reserve. (Take a moment to appreciate how great it is that Costa Rica has so many nature reserves.) I told our guide there that I would like to get a picture of a quetzal if possible but I had seen one the day before.

He knew a lot about birds. I asked him if there were any that he’d love to see and he mentioned an endangered bird he needed to go to South America to see. (I had meant in the park itself so I was thrown that he was talking about taking a trip to see a bird. But I guess that is what I was doing, wasn’t it?)

So when he heard through the grapevine of guides (if you go to Costa Rica and you should, keep an eye out for how all the tour guides alert each other if they saw anything cool down the way—it’s like an animal whisper network) that a male quetzal had been spotted in an avocado tree, he made me and the other family on the tour RUN to the tree. I appreciated this but felt bad for the other family because maybe they didn’t care.

The guide took SO MANY pictures for me. I wanted to cry.

Here is Mr. Quetzal sittin’ and showing off his long tail feathers.

This photo (and others) were taken for me by my guide through a scope. Then he made us RUN to another side of the tree because he wanted us to see that the quetzal feathers look different colors in different light. Most describe them as green or blue but—FUN FACT—they are actually mostly brown but iridescent for better camouflage. (The red spot is said to be blood from the Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado. More fun mythology!)

Look how fuzzy his silly head is. I love him so much.

Our guide also talked about the myths around the quetzal. I may have stepped on his toes there some. (Sorry!) But he cleared up the whole “They kill themselves” thing. He said they are easily stressed—aren’t we all; I feel ya, bird bro—and being caged can cause them the have heart attacks.

He also said there are fewer of them every year, so if you want to see one, go soon. This is because the female quetzal can only lay two eggs during a small window of nesting period, and said eggs are vulnerable to predators. Also the nesting period, formerly March to June, is getting thrown out of whack by global warming making it warmer earlier. This is probably why I was able to see one in February since the nesting period is when they usually come out and about.

But, possible good news, he said zoologists have successfully hatched one in captivity in Mexico recently. The only articles I can find on this are in Spanish and it sucky because I want to know everything. Can someone please let me know?

Especially considering one of the myths I read was that the quetzal would not sing in Mexico until the Invaders were defeated. Like, is it revolution time now? Should I get a weapon? And what does it mean that scientists engineered this revolution? I have questions about how this fits into the mythology, damnit!

I have a lot of thoughts.

[lovelilijazunde]

60 follower special

well well well, somehow i went a whole day without registering that I hit 60 followers, and then 61, and thusly should celebrate for it!

I decided to give you: a country I created! There is other stuff for it too, but I didn’t get images of them :( 

Warning: it’s long

Enjoy!

FACTS:

Create-A-Country

Note: all English spellings of the places and names have been implemented for the ease of the reader. We fully understand that Americans find it difficult to understand our written language, so we have translated into English as best we could.

Uzplauxvil (oose-PLOW-ville). The citizens are called Uzplauv. It was based off a mixture of the Latvian word for “flourishing”, uzplaukums, and the French word for town, “ville” because some of the first settlers of this area were French and Latvian, as well as English, Scandinavian, and German. The pronunciation is French-based.

Founded in 1790 on what is now the Canada/Minnesota border, it replaces the state of Minnesota and most of Ontario, as well as Wisconsin, half each of Illinois and Indiana, and shavings of Manitoba. It contains all five Great Lakes and the Headwaters of the Mississippi. North to South, it stretches from a point equal to the tip of Kentucky to Hudson Bay. East to West, it stretches from the Easternmost edge of Manitoba to the Western border of Quebec.

Uzplauxvil is landlocked, though there are many lakes contained inside of it, and it adjoins Hudson Bay. It contains a boreal shield in the North, with the Great Lakes-Lawrence forest region in the center, as well as prairie in the Southwest, coniferous forest in the Mideast, tallgrass aspen parkland in the Midwest, and deciduous forest in the Southeast. At the very Northmost stretch, there is a section of Hudson Plain. There are no mountains, only forests and plains.

The weather is cold and snowy in the winter, and warm in the summer. It gets colder the further north you go, and rainier the further East you go. It also rains a lot near the larger bodies of water. Those areas are also prone to thick fog in the fall and spring, as well as early mornings in the summer.

Most people in the Minnesosk region live around lakes, since there are so many of them there. People in Wixing, Bayside, and Dallirt tend to gravitate towards the central Great Lakes, just as Ryokin and Shlavto people tend to gravitate towards Hudson Bay. And of course, in all districts the people also center around the capitals of each district. Other than that, the population is pretty evenly distributed, with plenty of farm settlements and old logging settlements that turned into towns and cities spread across the districts.

In Uzplauxvil, there is a wide variety of work done, but a lot of it is centered around healthy logging and mining processes, as well as a booming trade in fishing. Since Uzplauxvil has so many lakes, and so many of them large, even though they are a landlocked country they still are a lead in quality fishing industry. Uzpluaxvil is very nature-based, and though this is a product mostly of the main religion, Quatrysm, it is truly a part of everyday life in Uzplauxvil. As a result of this, Uzplauxvil is regarded as the most eco-friendly developed country. They revolutionized hydroelectric power, and found a healthy substitute for coal and oil to fuel their wonderful system of elevated train tracks. They are amazingly quiet, as to disturb as little wildlife as possible. Uzplauvs have made many environmental-protection laws as a result of their belief that all creatures are equally important. Uzplauxvil has only one language. It is unique in the way that it is written. To the ear, they are speaking English, perhaps with a slight French accent in the North and West areas. But, written down, it is a mystifying alphabet of 37 letters. However, it a phonetic alphabet, with each letter having a specific sound, so it is simpler in that manner. Uzplauxvil is also unique in their numerical system, with completely different symbols than the traditional. Thus, the signs are completely indecipherable to someone who has not learned the language, and it would seem even more confusing that the inhabitants do not speak in gibberish, and instead in perfectly normal-sounding English. The alphabet is easy enough to learn. The numerical system is quite a bit harder, especially if you start out as a non-Uzplauv. There are definitely some challenges to living in Uzplauv, mostly concerning  the nature-based society. Lots of people think that Uzpluaxvil should focus less on the environment and more on technology. Unfortunately, this is in opposition to their eco-friendly approach to life and religion, so thankfully this is not a generally popular idea.

There is one major religion in Uzplauxvil, even though there is freedom of religion. Since it is the religion practiced by the royal family and most government officials, is is naturally the most popular and widespread. The major religion is called Quatrysm, with the practitioners called Quatrysts. It is unique to Uzplauxvil, and is the worship of four goddesses, the Quatrys: the goddess of animals, Nkumn; the goddess of families, Calmangh; the goddess of weather, Shavook; and the goddess of plants (such as harvest or lumber), Korytir. They make up the major four aspects of life. There is also a host of smaller gods and goddesses who serve the Quatrys. They are the gods and goddesses of more everyday things such as apple trees, blacksmithing, and clouds. This belief system influences the people to be more considerate towards nature and the world around us. It has also affected our modern technology, limiting the use of pollutant-creating transport systems and factories. There are four smaller important groups: the such as the Arts: gods and goddesses of the theater, music, writing, and tactile art. The religion has no food restrictions, but you must say a blessing over every meal you are presented with, because something had to die to gift you with the bounty. Many Quatrysts are vegetarians or vegans as a result of this, and, like Europe, they eat far less meats than vegetables as opposed to the U.S.A.

The other religions include the beliefs of the Anishinaabe and Dakota native americans who originally lived in the area, as well as different sects of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

My country is governed by a Queen, a Council, and a Cabinet. 

The Council is made up of elected overall heads of each district. Their job is to address issues in the Queendom and provide laws and solutions to be approved by the Queen. They focus on making sure the needs of each district are met. 

The Queen position is hereditary, with the former Queen handpicking the most worthy of her female relatives as the new Queen. The qualities that a good Queen possesses must include a sense of justice, compassion, wisdom, a cool head under stress, common sense, and a sense of equality. She may choose any relative younger than her, including sisters (Marquess), aunts (Baroness), cousins (Duchess), nieces (Earless), daughters (Princess), granddaughters (Queenling), and grandnieces (Lady). These positions pre-Queen are mostly title only. They still have to work to put themselves in positions of power and to become landowners. This is to create a sense of humility and equality with the common people, and to create a system where anyone can advance. 

It is possible that if a suitable female candidate cannot be found, that a male would ascend the throne, but it has only happened once, after the reign of Queen Judith the Progressive in 1890. There were fewer girls born into the royal family at this time, and most of them were spoiled and deceitful. Thus, faced with limited female options, Queen Judith appointed her nephew, Earl William, to the throne. He became known as King William the Just, and was a wise and fair ruler. 

Any candidate must have passed the Maturity Test before she can ascend the throne, and often she takes it before beginning her training.

Common people are appointed to the Cabinet and Council, and the idea is that any future Queen should rule for the people, not the power and politics. Before becoming the Queen, the Queen Candidate must undergo vigorous training and tutoring by the Queen and the Queen’s advisors. She must be able to run a country as soon as she is crowned, so this training process takes years. Knowing this, the Queen usually begins to train a candidate as soon as possible. If the Queen dies without having handed over her throne, the paperwork would be horrendous, and the Cabinet and Council would have far more than their fair share of work. In the case of an unstable or unfit Queen, the Council and Cabinet will vote to impeach her. The Queen can pose or veto laws, and has the final say in any and all High Court cases, though she is reigned in by the judge and jury. 

The Queen may marry whomever she wishes to, though it is traditional to marry an Uzplauv.

The Cabinet is appointed by the Queen and approved by the Council. The Cabinet is made up of the heads of particular parts of the government such as Treasurer, Strategist, Armorer, Judge, Cook, etc., each of them representing their entire profession as well as leading them.

Since Uzplauxvil is split up into several districts, there are smaller Cabinets and Councils within each district. In each district, the council members are made up of the Heads of each town, with the cabinet members being the same positions as the Cabinet members, just at a local level, and deferring to the Cabinet members.

There are no political parties in Uzplauxvil. Every district is focused inwards, so that is as close as they come. This is based on the Uzplauv government looking at what happens to countries with political parties, and strongly discouraging that type of behavior there.

ALPHABET AND NUMERICAL SYSTEM:

NATIONAL ANTHEM:

[donnasaufley-blog]

Public Accountability For Donna Saufley; Or, Why I Quit Working At Hiker Heaven (2019)

In March of last year, I was sitting in the southern California desert trying to find direction after years of travel and exhaustion from studying communal spaces. I decided I would take on a simpler spiritual pursuit of walking across the country and rather than walking on the shoulder of highways, I decided it would likely be more scenic to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I had about $20 in my pocket, an ILBE marine bag, and had a sharpie made sign up in a public counter-culture tourist location known as Slab City seeking donated gear for a PCT attempt. The hike in itself is a different story of its own and I invite you to follow me on social media if travel for greater meaning without allowing money to prevent it interests you, but the contents of this article surrounds how I ended up working at a famous hiker spot known as Hiker Heaven during the last couple seasons.

Hiking the PCT without finances took a great deal of creativity and ethical approaches in being honest with trail angels as I made my way up the trail. I tripled my money working at Carmen’s Garden, did worktrade for StillHouse Hostel, moved firewood for Trail Angels in Big Bear, etc. I dumpster dived and hiker boxed scored most of my calories. I had written an email and planned to stay a week volunteering at Hiker Heaven, in order to rest before continuing on was the original plan. When I finally did reach Agua Dulce, my perspective of the trail had changed a great deal. I found the rugged desolate nature I once read about on the trail was nowhere to be found in this new boom of thru-hiking popularity where every 15 minutes another person in a puffy is passing by asking how many miles you walked so far for the day. Being someone who decided to hike for solitude and ecological connection, I found the time alone rare and felt more like I was contributing to a form of unsustainable eco-tourism that made me feel ashamed. When Donna Saufley invited me to stay and offered to pay me for my help, I saw my safest route to exit the thru-hike attempt. I ended up staying for a month and a half, which turned out to be profitable to me at a rate of $100 a week for more than full-time work and access to lots of hiking gear.

I decided as Hiker Heaven closed its doors to northbound hikers on the 30th, I would take a train to Portland to work with radicals at OccupyICEPDX protesting the recent family separations and militarization of the border. When that ended, I combined my skills of frugal travel mixed with the endurance of long distance hiking to attempt bike touring down the coast. At the end of my trip, I went a route that put me through Agua Dulce on my way to visit friends in Tucson. While there I was invited to return for hiker season. I had a feeling it wasn’t going to work out as well as the year before, but had nothing better to do and no other prospects for replenishing my supplies. I kinda went out of my way to get a train ticket back from Tucson a month later, but had high hopes the season would make up for the loss.

It turned out upon returning the Pacific Crest Trail was facing very high snow levels at elevation in southern California due to the polar vortex, which pushed back the arrival of hikers by over a month. This is an uncontrollable thing for all parties involved, but meant for me I had a whole month of draining resources to take care of myself in the expensive nowhere mountain town of Agua Dulce. By the time the first groups of hikers began to show up, I’d already drained more resources than Donna was going to pay for the whole season. In a way, it began to feel like an entrapment to work anywhere from 30-60 hours a week just to make up for the net loss of getting into the situation in the first place. I began to notice more details than my short time at Hiker Heaven the year before. Suddenly the comments by Donna about supposedly “barely scraping by financially” became entangled (sometimes within hours) with talk of selling their house at a market value of $500k to move to the pacific northwest, increasing the workers’ of Saufley Electric’s pay, the possible $10-30k in donations from PCT hikers that would be flowing in, and their incessant shopping began to grate. Especially when said to someone who has been living out of backpacks (and now a bike) for nearly a decade of their life. It would be nothing for her to pay all their volunteers a stipend, but she chooses not to for her own benefit. It’s also not hard to imagine when draining resources just for the chance to listen to Donna’s opinions and finally learning some semblance of the economy behind everything, how my bohemian work gig I once thought great to avoid contributing to military violence by doing “volunteer work” for a possible $100 a week “gift” began to feel more like exploitation than the cheat code to avoid taxes to a murderous government it once was.

To make matters worse, those endless opinions from Donna were more politically fueled this year. As last year they had a “no talking politics” rule, most likely because they were an employing a hiker at the time with anti-Muslim and transphobic prejudices than for herself. An example of new frustrations began when Donna started to interrupt and point out my using gender neutral terms for everyone as “wrong.” When explained to her grammatically they/them has existed longer than he or she as a pronoun, with suggestions to learn this by googling some things her response was, “Well, at least I’m only going to be doing this one more year.” This alongside my constantly being referenced as a he/him was one of many annoyances (though it was something I was expecting to suffer for a couple months in exchange for the resources I thought I would get). It seemed I was just nodding my head at whatever the daily opinions were to get it over with, rather than debate a business owning white lady in a $500k house who gets all her news from nightly viewings of MSNBC that she might not have any clue what is happening in the streets or around the world (let alone gender theory).

Things finally came to a head when a group of rightwing hikers came through. Prior to this season you should know, I had discovered a great organization known as Indigenous Women Hike who had a campaign to bring the racism of John Muir into conversations among outdoors culture and industry. I had even been sponsored a Rethink The Wild shirt from them via an individual to wear for hiker season in order to start the conversation with people hiking across indigenous lands via the Pacific Crest Trail. Indigenous sovereignty is a very important issue for me is the reason why I would quit. I quickly began to feel uncomfortable by this group of hikers as they camped by the RV I was staying in and had late night campfire discussions where I overhead bits of Fox News-like dialogue-isms such as: “It’s not racist if it’s a fact, man” in reference to some statistics they were claiming about black people.

“I was never called a Nazi until Trump was in office and I told people I voted for him.”

And references to, “those antifa fucks” and “race wars.”

Originally I thought I would just wait out their leaving, as in all traveling it is a common occurrence to just have to put up with someone repeating Fox News rhetoric. The following day, however, Donna was taking one of them grocery shopping and I had to go along to get my own groceries. On the way back I was in the backseat listening to their discussion. It turned out this hiker (with a name I cannot recall) was an ex-military white South African and he began talking about his country/ politics. This began by Donna mentioning their liberal centrist views of not being proud of Donald Trump, in which he responded that in his country Donald Trump is considered an international hero. This he said was because he demanded white farmers stop being murdered in South Africa or the USA would intervene. The white genocide myth in South Africa is statistically inaccurate and is a story being spun by white nationalist groups around the world. He began talking about how in South Africa white people are the minority and black people would like to kill him just for his skin color. An example he had of this is how in America people consider Nelson Mandela to be a great leader, but his people call Nelson Mandela a terrorist. He lauded Fox News as the only accurate news representation, said journalists could never be trusted anywhere else and how in growing up surrounded by race wars he had a better understanding of what was happening in the world. Donna didn’t have much to say or counter any of this, other than a statement of maybe she would see things differently if she had lived his life and that, “maybe the South Africa stuff is like how everyone gets upset when Israel fires at Palestine, but never when Palestine shoots at Israel.”

The talk about all this dissipated as he spoke of his bodyguard work for figures such as Sean Connery, which seemed to delight Donna.

Back at Hiker Heaven the discussions with the rightwing hikers didn’t cease, and they seemed to get wide-eyed or talk of preparation for the future in the face of the race war stories this man had to tell them. The moment I knew I could no longer work for Donna Saufley was later that evening, while standing in the garage doing laundry. I described the kinds of things I heard these people talking about and called them white nationalists, with which Donna responded, “it makes my stomach churn to know there are people with those opinions here, but there is nothing I can do to change them.” She then followed this by describing how there are “some people” in this world who want to remove monuments or change the names of things, but they can’t change the past. Much like she can’t change their so-called opinions on race. This struck my last chord and so I brought up John Muir directly as a historical figure on the PCT and his anti-indigenous work with the Indian Removal Act that led to countless deaths. When she told me this was just the way things are and it’s silly to change it, I asked how returning the name to something as it was for thousands of years before Europeans invaded and put the name of someone responsible for their relatives' deaths as little as a couple hundred years ago was wrong? She became flustered and said it’s just the way it is, “and there’s nothing anyone can do to change it other than accept it.”

I walked back to the RV I was staying in and didn’t leave it for the night. I halfway packed my stuff up in the realization I had to leave. The next afternoon, Donna came by and asked if I was ready to start working for the day. I told her I planned to leave in a couple days and no longer wished to work for her due to her racist views toward indigenous people and her centrism to (the money of) white nationalists/ supremacists. She then got angry and told me I had ONE HOUR to get off her property. This caught me off guard, as I expected her to at least give me the couple days to get my things in order and be civil about it. I told her no, I’ll leave in a couple days. She demanded I leave or she would call the sheriff. I told her to call the sheriff, as they would have to give me an eviction notice. She stomped off and I began packing to leave within an hour anyways, expecting her to escalate the situation. Within ten minutes she had cut off the power to the RV and turned off the Hiker Heaven WiFi. I’d began separating what could be carried on my bike and tossing useless/ trash items out the door due to the space being small. She then stood in front of the RV and called all the male hikers to gather around, where she then asked them to remove me from the property. Gaslighting and twisting the things I’d said around, such as saying I referred to ALL hikers as “white supremacists” (which thankfully the actual white supremacist and white nationalists had hiked out that morning) and how I had become anti-hiker (in reference to discussions I had with her about the environmental strain of thru-hiking culture over the last years). This is when I pulled out my phone and began to record in case it took a violent direction, as I knew my legal right to be there and how they didn’t have any right to lay a hand on me. I was honestly prepared to defend myself with mace in one pocket and a knife in the other. I hoped making them understand my position in some fashion, my legal right to defend myself in the scenario, warning them of my intention to do so, and the presence of a camera would deescalate the situation. Which thankfully, at some level it did! A few of them asked me if they could help me pack and I said no, plus demanded they not come near me. As I had no idea who these people were or what they might be preparing to do. One became aggressive (older man in back of photo below) demanding I be gone within an hour or he’d make me, alongside the oldest of the men being the most hostile. He even sat in a chair outside the RV while I packed my things telling me how I should be ashamed to insult such a “well-respected” lady of the hiking community. Only one of the hikers (wearing sunglasses in picture below) came up to me before I left and apologized for what was happening, then handed me $15. The rest made themselves scarce. Donna informed me as I was leaving if I shared what happened she would leave a “bad review” of me on my WarmShowers account (an app for cyclists to host bike tourists for free) so I would never have places to stay during my bike tours. As there doesn’t seem to be a depth Donna Saufley isn’t willing to sink to.

After leaving Hiker Heaven, I had to pedal two days to the nearest REI to return some hiking bags I got in order to have some money on the road. All in all, I am traveling again with several hundred dollars less than expected, lost $90 in groceries purchased the day before, and hundreds in equipment I wasn’t given the time to mail off. Not only did Donna prove to be their own kind of racist in the end, exploited labor out of people like me for years, but also ripped off someone with very little in the world for nearly half they own. I’m writing this about a month from the incident, because it’s the first time I’ve had enough of a break to do so. As pedaling 40-80 miles a day and trying to figure out what direction to go in takes up a great deal of time. My hope in sharing this is to encourage people not to support Hiker Heaven if they have any trace of ethics in their decisions, and simply not let such a privileged person get away with doing what they did without it following her legacy.

In the future, I intend to write more about my observations over two years around the thru-hiking industry and subsequent culture. My time spent interacting with such large amounts of hikers and history I learned while working at Hiker Heaven will be used, as well as this event. This article is more to have this specific incident out in the public to warn others ASAP.

[4purplebags-blog]

Santiago de Chile at last!

January 2019

After two flights, one of which was overnight, we arrived in Chile’s capital.  It felt surreal to be at the bottom of the southern hemisphere, plunged right back into summer.  Chile is a long, skinny country that experiences every possible climate from north to south, and boasts a 2,600 mile coastline, with only an average of 110 miles from east to west.

Santiago, our new hometown, felt enormous.  With 5.6 million inhabitants, it is home to about a third of the entire country’s population.  The city sits at the foot of the Andes mountain range, which you can see from most parts of the city.

We started out in the city’s Lastarria district – a super hip, central and artsy area in the center. After a couple of days in the wrong Airbnb (to put it nicely), we moved to a great little apartment in a bustling part of Lastarria where we had easy access to restaurants, grocery shopping and a couple of beautiful city parks where the kids could let loose.  By day, we began the hunt for a house rental near the girls’ school.  Easier said than done.

Before we started this journey back in June of last year, many friends (and strangers) told me they thought what we were doing was “brave.”  That first week in Santiago, Chile, I finally accepted their description. Todd and I had to figure everything out on our own – everything was new and different and intimidating.  It takes time to settle into an environment, figure out the lay of the land and what is safe to do and what is not.  When it came to looking for a house to rent, we learned that the Chilean real estate market is not centralized through an MLS type system, so you have to go out with several different realtors to see their individual listings.  With every new realtor we approached, we had to explain ourselves all over again – very different from in North America where you need only develop rapport with a single agent who understands your needs and acts as your advocate.

So I say thank goodness for Facebook.  Even though I haven’t been actively posting on FB on this journey, I did join a FB Group for expats in Chile, and through that amazing network we found an awesome house to rent from the sweetest family.  We will be able to bike with the girls to school every day (a priority for us), and we have a beautiful view of the Andes all around.  On top of it all, we totally hit it off with the family and feel like we have made lifetime friends.

The girls spent a week away at a Chilean summer camp in a part of the Andes about 6 hours from Santiago. We sent them away on a train with 50 other campers and their wonderful counsellors (again feeling like “what the hell are we doing?!”) and they had an incredible experience hiking, horseback riding, swimming in rivers, doing carpentry and archery and singing.  When we picked them up, the whole crew looked dirty and happy. It took two showers and scrubbing down with towels to get rid of the baked-on dirt from the week.  The perfect camping experience!  The girls made friends and many happy memories.

For the rest of Chilean summer, we are making our way south.  Todd and I enjoyed a few days in the wine region of Colchagua while the girls were away at camp.  We rented bikes so we could go on long rides in the countryside in the morning, then go to wine tastings and tours in the afternoons/evenings.  The town of Santa Cruz which was our home base has dozens of vineyards within close Uber distance.  Many of the restaurants are situated next to or within beautiful vineyards, and offer delicious and varied cuisine.  A highlight was a sunset tasting at Ventisquero winery, which sits perched at the top of a hill with a breathtaking view overlooking vineyards and mountains as far as the eye can see.  Todd and I were the only guests and we had the wraparound deck to ourselves, listening to the birds chirping and the wind whispering through the vines – so peaceful.

We continue to meet interesting people wherever we go, and Santa Cruz was no exception.  We shared a tasting at Apaltagua with two American women who were traveling the country together.  We ended up deciding to have dinner together that night, sitting outdoors overlooking a vineyard at restaurant Vino Bello, and sharing stories. It’s funny…I have found that when you meet people while traveling, you tend to dispense with any formalities or getting-to-know-you stage, and instead go right to “the good stuff.”  So we learned a lot about each other :)

We are now spending a few days in Pichelimu, the surf capital of Chile about 2-3 hours from Santiago. Here we will meet up with new friends we met in Bali, Britt and Max, who are very involved in saving large parts of Antarctica through their environmental work.  Britt and Todd had met in the water while surfing off Nusa Lembongan, an island off the coast of Bali, and I later separately met Britt at our hotel.  We ended up on the same ferry to the mainland and found out that her husband is Chilean and that they would be visiting Chile during the time of our move here.  Life throws you together with people sometimes.  They are an amazing couple doing great things.

Watching outdoor movie at the Eco-lodge in Corbun

Happy dirty camper at Las Mulas, Achibueno

Arriving at Santiago airport...as residents!

In downtown Santiago, Lastarria district, there was a parade that passed our window

See any similarities between Costanera Center (tallest building in South America) and Todd’s hair?

Enjoying Santa Cruz wine country

With new friends Debra and Corrine

Ecolodge made out of former shipping containers

Visiting the girls’ soon-to-be school!!

Making new friends

Hangin’ out in Lastarria district, Santiago

View towards our new neighborhood at the foot of the Andes

Ventisquero winery and its special tasting expert, Daisy

Dirty happy camper arriving from a weeklong summer camp

Our new ecolodge friends hosted us - what a treat

The girls took skateboarding and climbing classes in Pichilemu while daddy surfed