#hence chay is covering his eyes

[kawasiki-jo]

Okay so there's a bit of lore here...

[transhawks]

So, uh, just reread "chapter"all it takes is one bad day" and does Twice have pure white pupils and irises like AFO supposedly does? Like, I haven't seen any clear official art of his eyes, but in the one back cover of him they look like they're pure white?

At this point I'm just going to have to make an entire essay on how we should be reading Japanese media with an understanding of cultural and class markers. No, Jin does not have the same eyes or similar eyes to AFO. Yes, there's connections with Jin and AFO but that's another topic. 1. AFO's eye color hasn't been really confirmed aside from that one WSJ cover that implies they can be clear and white. 2. That's not what the "something about my eyes rubs people the wrong way" means. This is what I mean about the cultural context being missing from most of us Western-readers and how we just don't get reading the manga with no guide to explain small details to us. I also wish Jin was just popular so I don't feel like I'm the only one in the fandom yammering about the ridiculous amount of depth he has as a character and in his storyline. First off, Jin's eyes are sunken in, his features abnormally "chiseled" and rough for an anime character. By the time we meet him he looks like he's had a hard life but we also find out in flashbacks he always kind of looked like that.

He's unkempt - stubbled, has the sunken eyes and dark eyebags the villains are generally drawn with. He smokes, drinks, wears a wife beater, has no eyebrows, and used to ride a motorcycle. All these things are a red flag. This is where "you really need to be familiar with Japanese media before you read BNHA" comes in, Jin, while drawing from several different Western comic characters (John Constantine, Deadpool, Rorschach), is also neatly fitting into the yanki and bosuzoku (sorta) trope. Or Japanese delinquents. What throws people "off" is the lack of eyebrows. Yanki are traditionally portrayed with no eyebrows. This link here explains that at sight a delinquent can be identified with shaved eyebrows. This is why so many villainous or rough characters are eyebrowless. It's like the Japanese equivalent of giving villains twirly mustaches and goatees - something about the imagery of that already implies villain in our minds, whereas the lack of eyebrows implies delinquent/criminal in the Japanese cultural imagination (in modern day settings. Heian-era eyebrow-lessness is a different story/class marker).

He's also blonde, or "chapatsu" which is also another "Delinquent" trope in Japan - many delinquents in the 70s-90s bleached their hair to this yellow or orange color (hence "cha" which obviously means tea/chai). Japanese schools are infamously awful at allowing for self-expression to the point where naturally brown-haired students can be forced to dye their hair, and chapatsu hair was a marker of a rebellious/delinquent student. Twice isn't the only one who Horikoshi uses this trope for. Tomura, for example, really had the "up to no good" look early on even if I think he's more of a homebody.

You know who else?

Huh, interesting, given Takami's a murderous professional career thief alcoholic. Wait a minute, wasn't Jin was one of the greatest Japanese thieves until his accident, I wonder exactly what Horikoshi meant by making Thief Takami have a similarly unkempt appearance, rough rugged facial features, and barely any brows? Wait -

Something to understand is that we've gotten information from Yoco Akiyama in TUM about how the main manga's design process works and apparently the facial feature consistency is really important for the artists. Thus the fact Keigo's parents were designed with: 1. Rough, sunken features (Thief & Jin) 2. Unkempt facial fair (Thief & JIn) 3. Deep eyebags (Jin & Tomie) 4. Similarly disordered filthy homes (Takami fam & Jin) 5. Beer Bottles lying around everywhere (Takami fam & Jin) 6. Small, beady eyes with little pupils (Takami Fam & Jin) 7. Grey-Blue Eyes (Tomie & Jin) 8. Clear mental instability (Tomie & Jin) Was absolutely intentional. For all that we see Keigo's parents, Horikoshi knowingly designed them to resemble Jin. Again, Jin was Keigo's villain to save. Keigo was Jin's hero. Keigo failed because we needed a character to fail to save "their villain". Both Keigo and Jin have clear working-class background and criminal class markers. These things tie them together, these marginalized identifications make their relationship something that should have worked. If we want an in-universe reason for Keigo's focus on Jin, it's absolutely true he likely (subconciously) saw his parents superficially reflected in Jin, and decided to "save" him because he was unable to save his parents. Of course, that was not only presumptuous, it was also wrong because Jin is not a stand-in for Keigo's parents (and unlike them is a decent person). Anyway, yeah, no Jin's design/looks made him look like a "thug" to people in his community. That's why he had issues and that's what his comment meant. People's biases about people who look like Twice made him just get...away less. If someone "looks like a thug" you will try to make connections that justify that bias. That's why things like his motorcycle accident hurt him so much. He was uneducated, likely a middle-school dropout, fired from a job, had a record and had "bad vibes". Who'd hire him? Can you understand why Jin was doomed into having to survive as a criminal? Society decided he was meant to fail years before he did fail. So much of BNHA is about people falling into traps of pre-determined outcomes. Jin's tragically so.

[ackermanbitch]

david shaw x sick!angel blurb

i woke up horribly sick yesterday and i did not even know abt the video until halfway thru this LMAO also this is like pretty far into their relationship, hence davey not being a jerk

warnings: sickness, fluff, like one innuendo cus its angel guys, also angel likes chai because i dont believe theres anyone who doesnt like chai so im sorry if u dont like chai and cant relate hjbasvgbx

Angel was awoken by their own pounding headache, keeping their eyes closed as they blindly reached out for the duvet to pull it over their head with a groan. They so badly wanted to get up and pull the curtains closed, rather than rely on the blanket to shut out the light that was only worsening their quickly growing headache, but alas, their sore muscles screamed in protest when they tried to sit up, ultimately failing and falling back onto the excessive amount of pillows with a soft thump.

They reached for David but he was too far on the other side of the bed, as they usually ended up after a night of cuddling, when the warmth became uncomfortable. Now all they really needed was warmth, sudden chills breaking out across their body.

"Davey.." They called out, the hoarseness of their own voice startling them.

He wasn't exactly a heavy sleeper, grumbling in response.

"Can you please close the curtains?" They groaned, shifting closer to him.

He hummed, taking a second or two before finally climbing out of bed and strolling to the window, pulling the curtains closed the rest of the way.

"Migraine?" He questioned softly, not bothering to pull the blanket from over their head as he sat back down, knowing the general drill for this sort of thing.

"So much worse." Angel rasped a bit dramatically, following it up with a drawn out whimper. David sighed, bringing a hand to rest on what he assumed was their head hidden under the duvet, "Isn't the flu going around your office right now? I told you to be careful."

Angel gasped, slowly pulling the blanket down. "How dare you chastise me when I'm so vulnerable." They accused, the creases between their brows deepening.

David chuckled, "I'm just saying, I warned you. Every time you get sick, it hits you like a train." He teased, moving his hand to their a face, his thumb pressing gently against the space between their brow.

"Thank god it's the weekend." They whispered, closing their sore eyes, David humming in reply.

"And if it wasn't, I wouldn't let you go to work like this, even if it meant chaining you to this bed."

"You know, I'd probably be-"

"-into that, yeah I know you would, you perv." He laughed, pulling the blanket back up over their head before standing from the bed with a yawn. "I'll get you some tea."

"Chai, please." They requested almost inaudibly but David didn't need to hear them to know exactly what they wanted, headed to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

Angel rolled over, bringing their hands up to cover their eyes as if they weren't already under a blanket. They'd curl into a ball if their back wasn't too sore to do so, every little movement triggering a flare of pain up and down their back. Since when did the flu become so brutal?

"David! Please bring tylenol too!" Angel shouted, momentarily peeking out from under the blanket and immediately regretting the volume they used as it made them painfully aware of how sore their throat really was. They groaned for the umpteenth time that morning, opting for pulling a pillow over their head instead of a blanket.

David came back a few minutes later, a steaming mug of tea in one hand and two pills in the other. "We're out of tylenol but I brought ibuprofen." He explained quietly, setting the cup and meds on the table. All he got in return were soft snores, a small smile breaking across his face as he lifted the pillow.

"Angel," He whispered, "C'mon, you gotta drink something."

They awoke with yet another groan, slowly sitting up. They winced as they leaned against the headboard, holding out both hands. "Feels like someone took to my back with a hammer."

"Well leaning over a laptop all night isn't gonna help with the muscle aches." David lightly scolded, handing them the mug and the two pills.

After downing the ibuprofen and some gulps of what they thought was the best cup of tea they ever had, they moved to lay back down.

David sighed, placing the tea onto the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed, bringing a hand to Angel's arm. "I could draw you a bath," He suggested, "Would really help with the aches."

Angel huffed, "Only if it feels like I'm bathing in lava."

He let out a genuine laugh, standing to make his way to the master bathroom.

"And if you carry me!"

"You are so dramatic."

[just-a-little-silly]

also wanted to take a moment to answer some questions from @eye-cri againn quite honestly reading these made me so happy^^

ughrgh kajal my girl🩵

(note: this is quite a long post so yk just fyi^^)

yes indeed the skirt was a nightmare to render but was it worth it? absolutely. and yeee the earrings are such an important part of her design (shes hardly ever seen w/ out them :>>) and yes, they do ring!! (trust zeus teases her for it when they’re initially meeting) the glove is actually tied to her story, she uses it to cover a symbol on her hand linked to her powers (ill go into detail about that in a bit). also kajal is of fae descent, (hence the pointed ears, i think i also meant to add a tail to her design but we’ll see abt that). as for how she got in to the academy, she just applied to the academy for fun (fae court stuff bored her- i have so much fae lore for this universe i.) and got accepted into the night class- she wanted to get away from home for a bit and thought some fancy boarding school/ academy in gedonelune would be interesting (i honestly forgot how getting into the academy works and haven’t gone back to check in a while so. i hope that works TT). she’s close friends with caesar, leslie and hiro. (i personally like that hiro and kajal both have special unique skills- ill touch on it later.)

ALSO YES. ZEUS. KAJAL. ZEJAL. IM. THEY- 💕🥺🩵✨❤️ zeus nationnnnn YES. hes just so🥺🩵🩵.

i truly cannot put into words how much they mean to me. zeus as a character is just so so wonderful and i. cannot. describe. how much i love him :>> anyways zejal (the ship name :PP) has been my precious lil thing for YEARS now im. (i’ll try to keep this brief so i dont go on forever)- zeus and kajal are very much rivals to lovers. they start out as classmates and spend most of their first year trying to one up one another. they do eventually start to begrudgingly respect one another and before he knows it, zeus is whipped for her. she too forms her own budding crush but isn’t really sure what to do about it because she doesn’t think zeus would ever feel the same way sooo she bottles it down and ignores it- subsequently (and perhaps inadvertently) ignoring him too. he doesn’t take that too well and it stays pretty tense between them for a bit until everything boils over and zeus ends up confessing followed almost immediately by kajal. thats just a ridiculously brief summary lmaoo- theres a lot to their story TT.

as for styling her uniform, i think she keeps it pretty simple just a regular night class uniform- she will however sometimes be spotted with a large floofy orange scarf (she borrows zeus’s- she likes how soft it is and he honestly loves to see her wear it)

the type of magic she specializes in are ancient curses and incantations. girl has LOADS of ancient grimoires she could spend hours translating and decoding the spells described in them. In fact she ends up using her knowledge of ancient magic to formulate her own unique spell (a concept i might have borrowed from twst in all honesty). she calls it, “evil eye” and its basically a magic circle w/ an evil eye design in the middle - it defends her from malicious intent however, considering that shes supposed to be rather powerful i took it a step further and made it so that using it, kajal can temporarily shut down people’s magic if they intend to do her any harm. she has the symbol marked on her right palm so she can activate it faster. (smthn smthn hiro and kajal bonding over having unique abilities- hiro would actually approach her bc she knows a lot about sealing magic away + she tries her best to help him research his own curse and whatnot) i also just love how both she and zeus work with magic circles i. ugh💕.

—> also the thought of her, caesar and leslie having get togethers where they gossip about random things while drinking chai she prepares hasn’t left my mind.

[tbr-agency]

i’ll be back.

“You might not want to pull that trigger, Eunhee-ah.”

summary ⟶ Due to busy schedules for both individual, Eunhee came by to say goodbye since he will be enlisting the next month but it seems Junho has more to say to her.

timeline ⟶ April 2019

characters : Ahn Eunhee, Lee Junho (2PM), Nichkhun (2PM)

a/n ⟶ slight angst but a fluff ending, unrequited love but there’s a hope (?), mention of Got7 Jinyoung, slightly a long post

“Are you sure you want to do this, Eunhee-ah?” Nichkhun commented as he parked the car in front of where the girl had told him her next destination, eyeing onto a group of camera crew.

She followed his gaze as she finally saw whom the camera crew were shooting, to see Junho sitting on a bench with a cake and a plush toy. 

“Yeah, I just want to bid my farewells to him.” Eunhee muttered, turning towards Nichkhun as the older man could only nod. 

Nichkhun wanted to say more but he figured out Junho had to man up and say his own words to the bodyguard-investigator. 

He wanted to indicate towards Eunhee that Junho had some sort of feelings towards her a few months back but after seeing how she interacted with a member of Got7, Nichkhun held back his words.

The older men quickly told Junho about it and it seems Junho was truly heartbroken which is normal for every unrequited love, hence Junho started to avoid Eunhee.

“You know Junho—

“Likes me? Yeah, I realized that,” Eunhee cuts Nichkhun’s word, turning towards the older one as his face went frozen. He didn’t expect her to say that at all. Nichkhun tried to mouth out words but it turned out that he couldn’t say anything.

He was too shocked to hear how her words came out - she sounded confident. Nichkhun thinks he couldn’t cover it up because she isn’t wrong.

Eunhee knows that he was avoiding her - it was so obvious that Eunhee just accepted it and she somehow got to know that Junho had developed feelings for her after analyzing how Junho interacted with her all this while.

Eunhee was too blind and distracted with work to realize this, but the real question is, does Eunhee develop feelings for Junho too? 

The answer is obviously a yes. It was impossible not to have feelings for Lee Junho. The way he portrays himself makes Eunhee attracted to him. 

The day where she accompanied Junho home after attending the wrap-up party for ‘Just Between Lovers’ and till then, Eunhee was always there for him in unexpected timings and Junho somehow called this fate, bumping into each other for more than 3 times in the company building.

Eunhee learned that Junho was rather shy back then. She noticed the way he would always initiate to greet her with a shy smile while trying her very best to make eye contact with her. 

Until one day Junho mustered up his courage to have small talks with Eunhee as it turned into more.

One fine day Eunhee received a text from unknown number - which Eunhee asked a lot taken aback questions incase the unknown number was a sasaeng or someone that is a threat then to be revealed it was Junho himself who get her number form his manager, asking her out for lunch or a cup of coffee, it somehow turned into a regular routine.

Both getting to know more in depth about each other and Junho finding out Eunhee is Got7’s bodyguard.

“You might not want to pull that trigger, Eunhee-ah.” Nichkhun warned her, his face somehow turned seriously which he showed rarely - he only showed his serious expression when in meeting with the executives ever since 2PM are appointed as the directors of JYPE.

“He knows that Jinyoung somehow too had feelings for you. We all know, some of us saw how the Got7 boys looks at the 7 of you,” Nichkhun’s continued as his words came out soft yet firm as he sees Eunhee’s eyes went downcast, leaning back against the passenger seat as she was having her own thoughts.

Nichkhun knows how she feels. It’s strange that he would gain friendship with someone who isn’t from the entertainment industry. In fact he was happy when he made friends with The Bloody Roses’ girls. 

It all started with just one schedule that Eunhee had to accompany Nichkhun till now as friends who accompany each other to other member’s schedules or places one needs to go. 

Eunhee was torn apart from Junho and Jinyoung. 

“If things went bad for me and Junho, would you still be my friend?” Eunhee questioned towards Nichkhun as he chuckled softly, shaking his head. His hands went towards her hair, ruffling it slightly.

“Eunhee, we’re not kids. We’re adults! And of course we would still be friends - and I know Junho really well. He wouldn’t unfriend you just because you are going to reject him,” Nichkhun replied honestly with a weird look - hearing how weird Eunhee sounds with her statement.

Eunhee’s eyes slowly widened, hearing his words.

“How did you…” Eunhee trailed off, seeing Nichkhun smiling a little.

“I know you somehow had feelings for Junho but I guess you spent more time with Jinyoungie - Got7’s Jinyoungie, not our JYP-pdnim—

“Nich, that’s.. I don’t even want to think about it. That’s gross..” Eunhee made a disgusted look causing Nichkhun to gasp slightly while hitting Eunhee’s arm jokingly.

“He’s our boss!”

“Not anymore, he’s not exactly boss-boss, you get what I mean— okay, alright! I think they are wrapping up! Thank you for accompanying me Nichkhun, pee chai,” Eunee bowed to him slightly, earning a chuckle from him as it was a cue for her to get out of his car.

“Update me after seeing him! If I didn’t reply, I might be in Thailand custom’s,” Nichkhun informed her, seeing her looking at her phone - analyzing the timing since she was aware of Nichkhun’s schedules that day and the day where she would be fetching him when he returns back.

“Yes, you will be in Thailand custom’s. Drive safely,” Eunhee greeted him off as he could only waved towards her - driving him as Eunhee looked towards his car slowly disappearing from sight.

From far, she could already see Junho sitting on the bench alone while he was checking on his phone. Eunhee waved towards the camera crew people as they acknowledged her presence - and that’s when Junho looked up from his phone to see some of the crew waving towards a certain direction, also indicating her to have small talks.

Junho turned towards where they were waving at, to see the girl that had been on his mind since the day he had met her for the first time. 

His legs quickly jolted up, slightly running towards her with a smile that he was trying to hide.

“Eunhee! What are you doing here!?” Junho exclaimed slightly as Eunhee gulped slightly, her eyes glancing towards the crew that was eyeing to both of them with cheeky smiles.

“Urm.. can I talk to you, privately?” Eunhee’s voice came out softer than she expected, earning a reaction from Junho as he was examining her expression. He slightly glanced towards the staff crew, before turning towards Eunhee.

“Alright then, follow me,” Junho instructed as he told his manager that he would be in his own car with Eunhee to have a private moment. Junho wordlessly led Eunhee to his own car with Eunhee sitting on the passenger seat while Junho sat in the driver’s seat.

“Isn’t this… too private?” Eunhee commented, seeing Junho turning his body towards Eunhee with a raised brow.

“Well, this is the safest place since we are facing the walls unless you want to go public—

“No! Of course, not! Do you want to get unnecessary rumors and scandals!?” Eunhee exclaimed, causing Junho to chuckle - his eye smile showing.

“I don’t mind,”  

“Junho.” Eunhee dead-panned, seeing Junho leaning against the seat as he turned towards her with a playful shrug - with a smile unknowingly formed on his lips.

He was obviously lost in her features.

That’s how bad Junho fell for her.

“There’s a reason why I came here,” Eunhee decided to bring the original topic to why she is there that causes Junho to sit up, his eyes still making eye contact with her.

Junho’s face fell as he gazed into her expression, Junho is great at reading other people’s expressions - he was starting to doubt himself. He regretted not telling her the truth and he knew he was too late. 

“You’re in a relationship with Jinyoungie?” Junho whispered and Eunhee’s eyes slowly widened. She could only look at him in disbelief while trying to say out words but instead, silence filled the car.

“Junho—

“I knew it, actually. I guess I was the slow one. I should have made the first move.” Junho confessed with a sad smile that made Eunhee’s heart torn into pieces.

“It’s understandable actually. I mean, I see it too. The way you looked at him and the way he looked at you - although the two of you weren’t that touchy in public, which I am thankful for.” added Junho with a slight chuckle, his eyes never breaking eye contact with Eunhee who was being silent.

“I didn’t blame him, nor did I blame you. It’s just childish, isn’t it? That’s what Nichkhun hyung and Taecyeon hyung said. We promise not to stir any unnecessary drama or hatred towards each other in our own company. We are a family, they say,” Junho continued, his eyes finally turned away with a small sigh.

“I treat Jinyoung like my younger brother so… God, wait. I’m sorry, it’s not that you are unnecessary.. I mean—

“Junho! I.... I’m not in a relationship with Jinyoung!” Eunhee finally cuts his words - causing Junho to snap towards her with widened eyes.

“Not now,” Eunhee muttered slightly, earning a small, sad smile from Junho. He knew what she meant - Junho knew she was interested in Jinyoung but he guessed Eunhee hadn't made a thought of being together with his junior. 

Junho then realized what he had said.

“I guess you have finally known my true feelings then,” Junho confessed and Eunhee smiled towards him, but soon it faded.

“We.. we’re still friends right? I don’t want our friend—

“Eunhee, you should know that I’m not young. You know very well that all 2PM members are falling into the less than 40s category. We are old and mature,” Junho informed her as Eunhee rolled her eyes slightly, while tilting her head.

“40s or less than that aren’t considered old. 90 years-old is old,” Eunhee dead-panned as she folded her arms, earning a chuckle from Junho - he knew he can’t be all sad when it comes to her, Eunhee has ways to make him laugh in every situation.

As Eunhee was about to say more, a knock was heard on the window to see Junho’s manager - indicating to him that he has to get ready to leave for another schedule. 

“Urgh.. I really want to say and talk with you more,” Junho muttered and Eunhee finally let out a smile - gesturing to him to come out of the car then followed by herself.

Junho proceeded to ask her more about Eunhee’s schedules in the near future, realizing she was getting really busy till the day he enlisted.

“You know I came here to wish you goodluck for your enlistment but you cut me off with you giving me a confession,” mentioned Eunhee as she stood in front of Junho in an area where people couldn’t see them yet they were near the staff crew.

“I know. Thank you for coming all the way here although you didn’t need to,” 

“You know I have to. You mean a lot to me as a close friend,” Eunhee smiled softly as she was met by Junho gripping onto his heart while making a hissed jokingly.

“Ouch! I’m close-friend zoned!” Junho playfully whines, causing Eunhee to chuckle while hitting his arm. The two proceeded to laugh and giggle due to hearing each other’s laughters.

Eunhee’s laugh drifted off as she turned her gaze towards his eyes, as she decided to make a first move by engulfing him into a side hug.

“I’ll see you when you return back,” said Eunhee softly, waiting for Junho’s response as she was instead met by Junho engulfing her with a tight hug - causing her legs to stumble backwards but due to Junho’s strong arms, he managed to make the both of them stood still.

Eunhee could hear a sigh at the back and when she could feel Junho pulling away from her, instead Junho stopped inches away from Eunhee’s face, gazing at her eyes - before giving a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Do I still have a chance?” Junho whispered and Eunhee’s eyes fell towards his lips then towards his eyes.

“If you are willing to wait for me,” Eunhee answered softly - she didn’t elaborate more but if Junho was clever enough and if he was into literature, he would know what she meant.

Junho finally let out a sincere smile, after seeing one from Eunhee as she nods before walking away. 

“Eunhee-ah!” 

Eunhee stops at her tracks, before turning towards him. 

“Good luck on your future endeavours! I’ll be back,” Junho slightly yelled since they were a little far from each other. Eunhee frowns slightly, letting out an amused chuckle.

“Just like your song- 2PM’s song ‘I’ll be back’?” Eunhee tilted her head, her smile automatically shown.

“Yes! I’ll be back!” Junho exclaimed jokingly with him posing, the way he sings his lines in the song.

Eunhee chuckles before waving towards him, as she took a few steps backwards before finally turning her back towards him with a smile on her face as she walked off.

masterlist : Got7 Bodyguard Au

[thatesqcrush]

Possibilities

Rafael Barba x Lucy Huston

CW: language, implied smut, mostly fluff.

WC: 1258

AN: For @amirightcounselor​ who put this ship in my head. Also - for those who have seen Seared, there is a line from the play in here. 10 points if you can spot it.  Tags: @madpanda75​ @ottosuricato​ @delia26​ @dreila03​ @sass-and-suspenders​ @glimmerglittergirl​ @melsquared79​ @mommakat32​ @garturbo​ @southern-magnolia @niyashell​ @tropes-and-tales​ @imjustreallynosy​ @whyissvuruiningmylovelife​ @sweetsummertime99​ @evee87​ @scarletsoldierrr​ @kscarlett1 @cesarofangirl78​ @redlipstickandplaid​ @zoeykaytesmom​ @differentshadesofgray​ - anyone else just ask

***

It had been an unseasonably warm February afternoon. Dressed in jeans and a tailored charcoal grey lightweight sweatshirt, Rafael bounded down the steps of his apartment in search of coffee. He was in the middle of practicing his closing argument when his well-loved percolator broke. The same percolator got him through college, then law school, and through most of his career as an ADA. “Okay, so maybe it wasn’t completely random that it broke,” he admitted out loud to no one but himself.

In SoHo, it seemed like every door and window that could be opened, was. Rafael made his way down the busy Manhattan side walk. The street was bustling with throngs of native New Yorkers and tourists alike who had come out of their winter slumber, quick to enjoy the warm weather - a respite from the winter doldrum - that had settled in for the weekend.

Rafael made his way towards his favorite coffee shop/bakery that supplied coffee from a local roaster complimented with modern twists on French pastries. As he waited for the light to change, Rafael took notice of a sign on a restaurant window: Valentine’s Day reservations almost all booked - call now! It dawned on Rafael that it was indeed almost Valentine’s Day in a few weeks and that yet again, he was single.

Despite living the soltero life, Rafael’s bed wasn’t so lonely. He had his fair share of partners - women who like him, had an itch that needed to be scratched every once in awhile. It was all very business - almost transactional. Rafael sighed, as he crossed the street, his hands shoved in his pockets.

Rafael made his way into the coffee shop, ordering a latte and a pistachio loaf cake, choosing to sit by a window. He scrolled through his phone, sipping the hot elixir, when a shapely brunette in a cream colored sweater and light washed jeans caught his eye. He couldn’t see her face as she chatted with the vendor of the flower stand in front of the shop.

The waitress brought over Rafael’s pastry, and he quickly thanked her. Just as he did, the flower shop prospect turned her face, a small breeze blew her dark hair from her face.

Rafael felt his face turn pink as he realized he was gawking at none other than Lucy Huston, Olivia’s nanny. 

And to add further embarrassment, she was staring right back. *** Lucy smiled at the flower proprietor, bidding them a nice day as she took her receipt. She made her way towards the coffee shop, assuming it��d be rude to not to say hello to her boss’ colleague - she’d spent enough time in Rafael’s presence anyway.

“Rafael — it’s so nice to see you,” she greeted.

Rafael gave her a trademark half smile. “Likewise. Enjoying this beautiful day, I presume?” He motioned for her to sit, and she did so. 

“I am,” Lucy replied. “I have the next few days off - my folks are coming into town, so I am just shopping and getting ready, hence the flowers.”

“Where are you from?” Rafael asked, his brows furrowed. The waitress returned, spotting that Rafael had company. Lucy shook her head, politely declining. “Let me treat you,” Rafael insisted and Lucy acquiesced, ordering a dirty chai latte.

“I’m from the city, but my parents moved out to Connecticut,” Lucy replied. “It’ll be nice to see them. Anyway, I don’t want to bore you - I am sure you’re plenty busy. I just wanted to say hi.”

Lucy moved to stand and grab her latte, but Rafael placed his hand on hers, stopping her. Rafael wasn’t sure what had come over him, but suddenly he was sure his closing could wait. Lucy bit her lip, feeling the spark when his large, warm hand covered hers. Lucy slowly sat back down, curious. She and Rafael had plenty of exchanges before - it was just nature of the job. But suddenly something felt different.

And it was there, in the a quaint coffee shop that tiny buds of something more began to be planted. As Rafael got to know her, beyond the quick chats at either the precinct or at Olivia’s apartment, he realized she was incredibly intelligent and witty. Rafael was enchanted with the way she laughed - her dark eyes sparkled. His eyes landed on her plump pink lips and he wondered how soft they were. Subconsciously he licked his own lips.

Lucy listened intently as Rafael talked about this frustrations with his closing argument. Lucy would never admit it to anyone but she always found the Cuban attorney devastatingly handsome. He radiated a presence that was captivating. She made a small joke to which Rafael laughed and she felt her cheeks pink, not realizing how someone laughing could even render her. They lost track of time, each of them eventually ordering second and third coffees.

Eventually Lucy did happen to glance at the clock and she gasped in horror. “Oh my God, I have to go. I have to do a few more pick ups. I am so behind.”

Rafael stood and helped Lucy gather her belongings. He admitted he too to get back himself. Rafael watched Lucy as she walked away. It took every ounce in Lucy’s being to not turn around as she walked away. It was the briefest encounter. But it stayed with her and she wondered if he felt it too.

Rafael did. And he jogged after her.

Lucy approached the corner of the sidewalk and waited for the light to change when she felt a finger tap her shoulder. She turned, and upon seeing Rafael, gave him a smile.

***Weeks Later***

Rafael helped Lucy slip her coat on. As she moved to button her coat, he dipped his head to kiss her neck. “You know, we will have to tell Liv,” Lucy sighed.

“We will,” Rafael murmured, sweeping her hair away to gain greater access. “Soon.”

“And what if it doesn’t work out, hmm?” Lucy wondered out loud. “Then I’ll be heart broken and out of a job.”

Rafael stopped what he was doing, and moved to stand in front of Lucy. He placed his hands on her waist, drawing her close. “Who says it isn’t going to work out?”

Lucy cocked her head. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out.”

“We’ve barely started and you’re not even giving us a chance,” Rafael protested. “You and I know we are perfect for one another.”

Lucy nodded. “I know. This is just fucked - I don’t want to hurt Liv or worse, hurt Noah if this doesn’t....”

“It’s not fucked. It’s difficult. Life is difficult. But we owe it to each other.”

Lucy bit her lip, nodding. Rafael cupped her chin with his thumb and index finger. He bent his head to capture her lips with his. Lucy moaned into the kiss, as his tongue traced her bottom lip, seeking permission to enter, which she happily obliged. She pressed herself tightly against him, gripping the back of his neck. Rafael groaned, before running his hands from the roundness of her hip up to swell of the side of her breast.   Lucy broke the kiss hesitantly, a bit breathless.  Her pupils were wide, and her face was flushed with want.  “If we keep this up, we’ll be late for our Valentine’s Day reservations.” 

Rafael shrugged, his own eyes dark and blown with lust. “To hell with dinner.”

Lucy threw her head back, laughing. “Thank God.” She grabbed his hand and led him to the bedroom. FIN.

[katzuyas]

I’ve been tagged in so many things over the past couple of weeks that I honestly don’t even have much more bookmark space left in my browser RIP so I finally decided to do all of it at once, hence the title and the rest of this longass post under the cut

bc there’s a lot of the tag games down there and tagging a million people would be annoying, I’m gonna tag 10 of you to grab a dice and roll it to figure out which meme you’re tagged for ^u^)b if you roll the same number twice, count that meme as the start from which to count and roll again! I hope you like this idea, but it’s only a suggestion so feel free to do whatever you want tbh?

@sweet-vitya, @gabzjones, @and-then-yoi-happened, @etherealalchemist, @joeys-piano, @quadruplyyours, @yuliaplisetskaya, @dreaming-fireflies, @teekettle, @iwritebetterthanispeak, @chessala

enjoy, if you want! 💕💕

tagged by @endlesscloudsoftime, thank you for the tag!!

rules: answer 20 questions, then tag 20 bloggers that you want to get to know better.

1. Name: kat

2. Nicknames: same tbh

3. Height: 170cm

4. Orientation: who knows who cares (it’s pan)

5. Nationality: polish

6. Favorite fruit: mango, cherries, I love watermelon too but the seeds piss me off too much to fully enjoy it

7. Favorite season: anything that doesn’t make me sweat off my skin but isn’t also freezing my toes is more than fine with me ^u^)b

8. Favorite plant: I don’t think I have any favs here

9. Favorite scent: I have this yankee candle ‘sweet candies’ and I can just DIE wrapped in that scent holy sheet (when it comes to perfume tho I’m a sucker for the original chloe, but I also love calvin klein’s euphoria bc it’s just Fresh)

10. Favorite color: any pastel really

11. Favorite animal: MY SWEET PUPPER HINA (so yes, dogs)

12. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: coffee sometimes, TEA AND GREEN TEA AND VANILLA CHAI!!!!!!, hot chocolate is a nope

13. Average sleep hours: I always try for 8h bc otherwise I’m a zombie, but it doesn’t always work out so... I’m a part-time zombie anyway lmao

14. Dog or cat person: ISN’T THE PIC PROOF ENOUGH THAT I LOVE MY FURRY DOGGO SON

15. Favorite fictional character: victor nikiforov. that’s it. that’s all. we can all go home now

16. Number of blankets you sleep with: 1 + a duvet bc I like being cosy

17. Dream trip: japan, always. but another one would be a trip to the harry potter universal store or the noble collection store I guess

18. Blog created: who even remembers this pffff (somewhen in august 2011 I think)

19. Number of followers: I’m just gonna say it’s a four number figure ;3c

20. Random fact: I’m currently rewatching lord of the rings and procrastinating writing so YES I’M A NERD AND A BAD PERSON AHAHA //sweats

tagged by @story-kat -- thanks love, I actually really like these so it was great fun to do 💕

Rules: using only song titles from one artist/band, cleverly answer the questions and then tag people

artist/band: one ok rock

what is your gender: stuck in the middle

how do you feel: jaded

if you could go anywhere: start again

favorite mode of transportation: mighty long fall

your best friend: wherever you are

favorite time of day: taking off

if your life was a tv show: liar

relationship status: hard to love

your fear: bombs away

tagged by @endlesscloudsoftime, thanks again!! ahaha I feel like I’ll be saying this a lot today, but you spoil me /)u(\

Rules: tag 9 people you want to know better or just because you feel like it.

Relationship status: taken ;3c

Favorite color: any pastels, really

Last song I listened to: still the lord of the rings ost

Last movie I watched: lord of the rings lol two towers ^u^)b

Top 3 tv shows: game of thrones (bc I love my fantasy shit), rein (bc I love my history shit), and american housewife (bc I love laughing and this show is Hilarious with the capital H)

Top 3 characters: victor nikiforov bc I adore him, hinata shouyou bc he’s my sunshine son and I gotta mention miyuki kazuya bc his smirks still keep me awake at night 😍😍😍

What I’m currently reading: honestly? my own writes bc I have no time for anything other than editing orz

tagged by @themayflynans and @endlesscloudsoftime, thank you both!! 💕

A - Age: 26

B - Birthplace: poland

C - Current time: 11:50am

D - Drink you last had: just some coke

E - Easiest person to talk to: nowadays it’s gotta be @saniika and @and-then-yoi-happened bc I know I can be as salty and upset as I feel when I talk to them and that it’s alright to just let it all out which is something I wish for everyone to have 💕

F - Favourite song: don’t have one tbh

G - Grossest memory: back in elementary school my class was in warsaw to see the big zoo there and one of the chimpanzees just projectile shat all over our teacher and it was simultaneously the most awesome and the fucking WORST bc she smelled like shit the whole trip back home ugh

H - Horror yes or horror no: depends on what kind of horror but generally? meh

I - In love?: no idea tbh but definitely comfortable in my relationship

J - Jealous of people?: you’ve no idea. jelly and bitter.

L - Love at first sight or should i walk by again?: walk by and actually tell me you’re interested bc I’m a blind pan who is easily confused

M - Middle name: magdalena ;3c

N - Number of siblings: 0

O - One wish: Been keeping Salty’s answers here - yes, to learn to love myself.

P - Person you called last: my mom lol she’s the only one I call, really

Q - Question you are always asked: "so when will you start looking for a job?”

R - Reason to smile: VICTUURI!!!!!!!!!!!!!

S - Song you sang last: oh man I don’t even remember, I don’t really sing out loud

T - Time you woke up: these days? 6:30am

U - Underwear colour: sea green-blue, turquoise?

V - Vacation destination: I’m going to japan next year to see ice adolescence even if it kills me

W - Worst habit: biting the inside of my cheeks bloody

X - X-rays: my hand when I had a small accident playing badminton, my jaw for my braces

Y - Your favourite food: PIZZA HELLO

Z - Zodiac sign: gemini ;3c

tagged by @theexitgarden and @endlesscloudsoftime, bless you both and thank you for thinking of the old me 💕 

1st RULE: Tag 9 people you want to get to know better:

we’ll be skipping this one bc of reasons //sweats

2nd RULE: BOLD the statements that are true.

APPEARANCE: - I am 5'7 or taller - I wear glasses - I have at least one tattoo -I have at least one piercing - I have blonde hair - I have brown eyes - I have short hair - My abs are at least somewhat defined - I have or had braces

PERSONALITY: - I love meeting new people - People tell me I am funny - Helping others with their problems is a big priority of mine - I enjoy physical challenges - I enjoy mental challenges - I am playfully rude to people I know - I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it - There is something I would change about my personality

ABILITY: - I can sing well - I can play an instrument - I can do over 30 pushups without stopping - I am a fast runner - I can draw well - I have a good memory- I am good at doing math in my head - I can hold my breath underwater for over a minute - I have beaten at least 2 people arm wrestling - I can make at least 3 recipes from scratch - I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES: - I enjoy sports - I’m on a sports team at my school or somewhere else - I’m in a orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else - I have learned a new song in the past week - I exercise at least once a week - I have gone for runs at least once a week in warmer months - I have drawn something in the past month - I enjoy writing - Fandoms are my #1 priority- I do some form of Martial arts

EXPERIENCES: - I have had my first kiss - I have had alcohol - I have scored a winning point in a sport - I have watched an entire TV series in one sitting - I have been at an overnight event - I have been in a taxi - I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year - I have beaten a video game in one day - I have visited another country - I have been to one of my favorite bands concert

MY LIFE: - I have one person that I consider to be my Best Friend - I live close to my school/work - My parents are still together - I have at least one sibling- I live in the United States - There is snow where I live right now - I have hung out with a friend in the past month - I have a smartphone - I own at least 15 CDs - I share my room with someone

RELATIONSHIPS: - I am in a relationship - I have a crush on a celebrity - I have a crush on someone I know - I’ve been in at least 3 relationships - I have never been in a relationship - I have admitted my feelings to a crush - I get crushes easily - I have had a crush for over a year - I have been in a relationship for over a year - I have had feelings for a friend

RANDOM: - I have break-danced - I know a person named Jamie - I have had a teacher that has a name that is hard to pronounce - I have dyed my hair - I’m listening to a song on repeat right now - I have punched someone in the past week - I know someone who has gone to jail - I have broken a bone - I have eaten a waffle today - I know what I want to do in life - I speak at least two languages - I have made a new friend in the past year

tagged by @story-kat and @endlesscloudsoftime (astea m’dude ur tagging me in everything and I love you for it)

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SONG(S) TO SING?

I will most often hum or mouth lyrics when I’m writing and my brain gets distracted so it usually is some sort of acoustic cover of a rather popular song, like despacito? lol WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE FLOWER/TREE/PLANT?

I don’t have one tbh FAVOURITE COLOURS?

anything pastel!! WHAT DO YOU ALWAYS DOODLE?

I don’t anymore but it used to be some random squigglies??

HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE/TEA?

2.5 teaspoon of sugar into both + 1/4 milk/cream into the coffee and 1/4 cold water into the tea FAVOURITE CANDLE SCENT?

SWEET CANDIES FROM YANKEE CANDLE. BURY ME IN THIS. SUNRISE OR SUNSET?

sunrise bc I don’t even see sunsets anymore (I’m asleep then lol) WHAT PERFUME DO YOU WEAR?

the original chloe is what I like most but I would die for dior’s j’adore, it’s so nice 😍😍😍 in the summer I’m wearing masaki’s fluo tho bc it’s sweet and summery

WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO DANCE MOVE WHEN YOU’RE ALONE?

butt wiggling? maybe? idk man I never really thought about it? lol FAVOURITE QUOTE?

“Because people don’t have wings, we look for other ways to fly.” -- somehow this one always sticks with me bc it’s so beautiful and vivid that you’d never say it’s from a japanese cartoon lmao

FAVOURITE SELF CARE ROUTINE(S)?

sleeping, kicking back and watching some dumb movie that won’t make me think of anything but how dumb it is

FUZZY SOCKS OR HOUSE SLIPPERS?

both? I like fuzzy socks in winter but in summer I go barefoot but sometimes u gotta have something between your skin and the floor so = slippers WHAT COLOUR ARE YOUR EYES?

brown

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE EYE COLOUR ON OTHERS?

I don’t honestly care but blue eyes when they’re very light creep me out somehow FAVOURITE SEASON? WHY?

don’t have one but as long as it’s not too hot or too cold I’m good NECK, CHEEK, OR NOSE KISSES?

depends on what you want to achieve? neck kisses will have me melting, cheek kisses smile and nose kisses giggle and possibly blush so YEA THERE’S THAT

WHAT DOES YOUR HAPPY PLACE LOOK LIKE?

it’s my room. that’s it. this is my happy place

FAVOURITE BREED OF DOG?

ANY DOGGO IS A GOOD DOGGO AS LONG AS IT’S NOT THOSE SMOL ONES WHO BITE UR ANKLES FOR NO REASON DO YOU EVER WANT TO BE MARRIED?

idk, I mean yes I’d like to be married one day but I’m not really in any hurry to get there? CURSIVE OR PRINT?

I don’t honestly care

FAVOURITE WEATHER?

cloudy but not too cold

tagged by @story-kat, thanks for the tag babe!!

Rules: bold what you prefer and tag 10 people.

coffee or tea

early bird or night owl

chocolate or vanilla

spring or fall

silver or gold (BOTH! BOTH IS GOOD)

pop or alternative

freckles or dimples

snakes or sharks

mountains or fields

thunderstorm or lightning

Egyptian or Greek mythology

ivory or scarlet

flute or lyre

eyes or lips

witch or fairy

opal or diamond

butterflies or honeybees

macaroons or eclairs

typewritten or handwritten letters

secret garden or secret library

rooftop or balcony

spicy or mild

opera or ballet

London or Paris

Vincent van Gogh or Claude Monet

denim or leather

potions or spells

ocean or desert

mermaid or siren

masquerade ball or cocktail party

tagged by @endlesscloudsoftime, thanks for this omg I actually wanted to do this one!! 💕💕

THE AO3 TAG GAME:

WHAT IS YOUR TOTAL WORD COUNT ON AO3?

869 938! holy sheet I’m so close to 1mil???? wowowow o.O

HOW OFTEN DO YOU WRITE?

I try to write every day, but these days (with renovations going on and my sleeping schedule all fucked up) it’s really hard to find the time and focus to do it orz

DO YOU HAVE A ROUTINE FOR WRITING?

I actually do! or I did when I was still regularly writing lol it was something like this: cracking open an energy drink, lighting up my fav scented candle, booting up itunes and my writing playlist and generally just spending 5-6h just writing 💕  

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE KINKS/TROPES/PAIRING?

kinks: pet play, public or semi-public play, voyeurism, doggy style, also actually BOTTOM VITYA,      

tropes: reverse au, time travel, famous aus,

pairing: victuuri. no seconds. we die like man and only stan one (1) gay ship

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE FIC OF YOURS?

I don’t necessarily have an absolute fav but a fic that I still remember fondly and am beyond sad that got little to no attention is: if there’s a will, there’s a way bc I worked my ass off for it and I love every bit of it so? give it a read if you want to?

YOUR FIC WITH THE MOST KUDOS?

dazzle me with gold which will be getting an update this weekend ;3c

ANYTHING YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT YOUR WRITING?

recently? everything. I’m just broken and idk how to fix it bc I can’t even find a good moment to try so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

NOW SOMETHING YOU DO LIKE (ABOUT YOUR WRITING)?

how sweet and soft everything is when I’m in a good mood bc victuuri deserves this kind of love and I’m so happy writing it for them 🙏🙏🙏

tagged by @amaanogawa, thanks so much ems!!!

1) How many works in progress to do you currently have in progress?

one actual wip and like... 5 more that just sit and wait their turn? //sweats

2) Do you/would you write fan fiction?

rip that’s all I write too... tbh I used to write original fiction before but I find myself much less constricted by fanfic? I can explore the characters here more than I can in original fiction where worldbuilding takes most effort

3) Do you prefer paper books or ebooks?

oh definitely paper! if I could I’d buy printed out fanfic too!

4) When did you start writing?

I was about 12 I think? it all started with harry potter, like everything else has, and I regret not a second of it!

5) Do you have someone you trust that you share your work with?

sometimes when i get very excited about what i’m writing i’ll tell my fandom friends about the specific AU that i’m writing about but in terms of reading the full length fic, i don’t have anyone that i let read before anyone else. it’ll be on ao3 for everyone at the same time.

6) Where is your favourite place to write?

my desk, my pc. I can write on my phone but I like to edit as I go and it’s hard to do on the phone.

7) Favourite childhood book?

do I even need to say it? harry potter

8) Writing for fun or writing for publication?

for fun, but with the aim of possible future publication maybe?

9) Pen and paper or computer?

always computer. i have only recently begun writing fics on my phone because i’ve been traveling a lot and i don’t always have my laptop on my person, but it’s still much more comfortable to sit down and type on a proper keyboard.

10) Have you ever taken any writing classes?

at my uni, yes. and it completely sucked bc they didn’t teach anything, just had us write random shit for 3 years so eh

11) What inspires you to write?

everything? like, any random thing or thought I’m instantly trying to weave into my writing, turn it into a prompt. every new experience is just a basis for me to write on.

but if you’re asking WHY I write: I don’t even know, I’ve never thought about it? it’s kind of like asking why I breathe ahaha I just do? it’s a part of me? idk man idk

tagged by @themayflynans, thanks for this love!!

7/7/7 tag

The rules are as follows: Go to page 7 of your WIP, go to the seventh line, share seven sentences, and tag 7 more writer-bloggers to continue the challenge.

oh wow ok this is a difficult one bc I don’t think I even have a wip 7 pages long //sweats let me see... aha, okay, I found one! from back in march when I asked people to send me over some numbers for one of those writing memes and @theexitgarden I believe (??) sent me the prompt “I don’t think anyone could be as lovely as you” for victuuri and I kind of got a blind!victor au from it?? wELP here’s the fragment of it:

His music is vibrant in a way that he couldn't play on his piano alone and the clap of the blades that he can hear from the speakers of his TV makes him only more certain – this boy, Yuuri Katsuki, is skating to the sound of Victor's soul as if it's his own.

He never notices the tears that well up in his eyes until they roll down his cheeks and Makkachin presses against his side, whimpering in concern. Victor runs a trembling hand through her soft fur and takes a deep breath. And then, he decides.

"Yasha," he says when his former coach, his father in all but blood picks up Victor’s call. "I want to do this."

And he does it.

tagged by @endlesscloudsoftime again, boy you spoil me ahaha

1. Which fictional character would be the most boring to meet in real life?

I have no idea tbh bc even the characters I don’t like wouldn’t be exactly boring, so??? I honestly don’t know

2. What problem or situation did TV / movies make you think would be common, but when you grew up you found out it wasn’t? (i’m lowkey taking a jab at hsm because thanks Disney for making me think high school would be awesome)

hooking up with people ALL THE TIME when you’re in your 20s bc wtf what a bold-faced lie omg

3. What would be on the gag reel of your life?

"how many times can kat click her tongue at random strangers who piss her off by breathing the same air?” and a manip of all the eyerolls I do bc let me tell you... THERE’S A LOT

4. What does “infinite” mean to you?

my love for victor nikiforov

5. If your life was a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?

definitely lots of acoustic vibes and harry potter tunes and I can bet your ass that I’d have the yeah yeah yeah ost from yoi bc it’s such a banger and I LOVE IT but also dramatic classical violin and piano bc they pull on my heart and I am weak

6. What item would be your top choice to make into a horcrux?

honestly? my phone probably. I don’t necessarily have other things close to me that I’d use with enough heart to be of any significance to me

7. Who would play you in a movie about your life?

??? no idea lol I’d love for it to be katherine mcnamara bc 1) we share names, 2) her red hair is gorgeous and I’m a redhead, 3) SHE is gorgeous and I’d love to be portrayed by someone that hot 😍😍😍

8. Most relatable scene from any book/movie/anime/etc.?

yuuri’s little gasp when he first saw victor skating bc HARD SAME MY SWEET SON HARD SAME

9. If you were shrunk down and somehow got stuck in a blender, how would you get out?

I’d jump from side to side of it to try and rock it a bit and see if I can flip it over and get out that way? idk man what is this question lol

10. Would you count manga as a piece of literature? Why or why not?

ofc I would? honestly, some manga have even better storylines than written fiction why WOULDN’T it be counted as a piece of literature

11. compliment yourself. (joey, you’re just to freaking good to at making up questions).

oh man... //sweats umm??? good job me on not breaking down yet bc the renovations keep being awful and you’re handling it well?? maybe lol

tagged by @theexitgarden, thanks love, once more!

RULES: Choose any three fandoms (in random order) and answer the questions, then tag 10 people you want to know better.

Three Fandoms:

Yuri!!! on Ice

Ace of Diamond

Haikyuu!!

The First Character You Loved:

victor. he’s voiced by suwajun, do I really need to say more?

miyuki!! gosh I do love my asshole sons snarky and mean

hinata bc he’s a ray of sunshine and I even named my doggo after him 💕

The Character You Never Expected To Love So Much:

I gotta copy you garden bc chris took me by surprise too! my love for him started from that little sad look he gave us in the kiss and cry and it blossomed beautifully over time ahhh

sanada omg?? he is literally baseball kuroo so I was not expecting it but I fully embraced it lmao

iwaizumi bc I’m not one to like the mothering types but he’s??? actually so kind and sweet under all that harsh Manly facade it’s so cute

The Character You Relate To The Most:

victor, I’d say, or so I like to think

honestly? miyuki. just look at my url lol

oikawa, probably...

The Character You’d Slap:

I wouldn’t actually, but yurio deserves a good kick on the butt

um??? kataoka? bc TF U MEAN U DON’T KNOW WHO THE ACE SHOULD BE WE KNEW IT FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER YOU DUMBASS

early tsukki bc he’s could use it tbqh

Three Favorite Characters (in order of preference):

victor, yuuri, chris

miyuki, eijun, mei

hinata, kuroo, oikawa

A Character You Liked At First, But Don’t Anymore:

no one like that in yoi tbh, my love is only growing

kataoka lol

umm???? idk

A Character You Didn’t Like At First But Do Now:

seung-gil, I’d say. he grew on me lol

raichi, I guess??

to say tsukki, I’d have to actually like him now but it’s more difficult than that bc I didn’t like him at first but now can tolerate him so?? does it count?

Three OTPs:

victuuri, phichimetti, and the third would be very problematic bc I honestly don’t ship anything else in yoi?

miyusawa, chrisawa, sanasawa

KUROHINA YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, oihina, bokuhina

tagged by @sleep-furiously, thanks for the tag, love!!

post five facts about myself ❤

I have a sweet doggo who is the light of my life 💕

I write good shit sometimes

I believe I have good taste

I’m a snark machine when certain buttons are pressed

patience levels run at 0%

wow ok this was A LOT to go through and it took me like 3h to do this holy sheet but at least I had fun and now I have my firefox bookmark free so that’s awesome ahhh!! thanks so much again to everyone for the tags, you guys are amazing and I’m lucky to have you 💕💕💕💕

[libertariantaoist]

“Can you keep your crescent soul from wandering can you make your breath as soft as a baby’s can you wipe your dark mirror free of dust can you serve and govern without effort can you be female at Heaven’s Gate can you light the world without knowledge can you give birth and nurture but give birth without possessing raise without controlling this is Dark Virtue”

-Lao-tzu- (Taoteching, verse 10, translation by Red Pine)

RED PINE begins by saying, “The Chinese say that the hun, or bright, ethereal, yang soul, governs the upper body and the p’o, or dark, earthly yin soul, concerns itself with the lower body. Here, Lao-tzu mentions only the darker soul. But the word p’o also refers to the dark of the moon, and the opening phrase can also be read as referring to the first day of the new moon. Either way, dark of the soul or dark of the moon, Taoist commentators say the first line refers to the protection of our vital essence, of which semen and vaginal fluid, sweat and saliva are the most common examples, and the depletion of which injures the health and leads to early death.”

HSUAN-TSUNG says, “The first transformation of life is called p’o. When the p’o becomes active and bright, it’s called hun.”

WANG P’ANG says, “Life requires three things: vital essence, breath, and spirit.”

CHIAO HUNG says, “The mind knows right and wrong. Breath makes no distinction. If we concentrate our breath and don’t let the mind interfere with it, it remains soft and pure. Who else but a child can do this?”

CHUANG-TZU says, “The sage’s mind is so still, it can mirror Heaven and Earth and reflect the ten thousand things” (Chuangtzu: 13.1).

WU CH’ENG says, “Our spirit dwells in our eyes. When the eyes see something, the spirit chases it. When we close our eyes and look within, everything is dark. But within the dark, we still see something. There is still dust. Only by putting an end to delusions can we get rid of the dust.”

WANG AN-SHIH says, “The best way to serve is by not serving. The best way to govern is by not governing. Hence, Lao-tzu says, ‘without effort.’ Those who act without effort make use of the efforts of others. As for Heaven’s Gate, this is the gate through which all creatures enter and leave. When it is open, it is active. When it is closed, it is still. Activity and stillness represent the male and the female. Just as stillness overcomes activity, the female overcomes the male.” (RED PINE notes that the images of young women were often carved on either side of the entrance to ancient, subterranean tombs.)

SU CH’E says, “What lights up the world is the mind. There is nothing the mind does not know. And yet no one can know the mind. The mind is one. If someone knew it, there would be two. Going from one to two is the origin of all delusion.”

LAO-TZU says, “The Way begets them / Virtue keeps them” (Taoteching: 51).

WANG PI says, “If we don’t obstruct their source, things come into existence on their own. If we don’t suppress their nature, things mature by themselves. Virtue is present, but its owner is unknown. It comes from the mysterious depths. Hence, we call it ‘dark.’”

                                                         –

Today’s verse hearkens back to the dark and elusive, yet inexhaustible, Tao Lao-tzu talked about in verse six. He asks seven rhetorical questions to explain Dark Virtue to us.

Red Pine’s commentary on the first line, concerning “your crescent soul” elicited a chuckle from me. We must protect our precious bodily fluids, after all. But seriously, crescent, I think refers to the fact we have both a light side, and a darker side. Lao-tzu’s emphasis on the darker side, makes the “crescent” imagery quite good.

You may have noticed, the last few days, we have been talking about the many ways in which the way of Humankind is different from the Way of the Tao. One of those ways, as Lao-tzu pictures for us in today’s verse, is that we prefer light to darkness. We “go crazy” for a full moon. But “new” or even “crescent” moons are “meh.”

But, Lao-tzu, always prefers the darkness. He calls this virtue, dark. And while he calls it dark because it is deep, mysterious, even unseen; let’s not forget that it isn’t just dark, it is also virtuous.

And, if we are going to practice this virtue, this dark virtue, it is going to take practice.

Can you keep your mind from wandering? What was that again,? I was thinking of something else. No, seriously, I know how much we value activity. But you really need your mind to be still. Just don’t try to still it. That defeats the whole purpose. Let your mind wander. Go ahead, don’t worry about it. Let those thoughts come and go. Don’t worry about them. Just breathe. Concentrate on your breath. By not thinking about what you are thinking about, your mind will empty. But what was that he said about breathing?

Can you make your breath as soft as a baby’s? So easy, even a baby can do it. Or maybe, only a baby can do it. The point here, isn’t to try to make your breath as soft as a baby’s, though. The point is to let go of your need to focus on your breathing, now. We have moved on with time. Our minds now empty. Now we just breathe softly. No need to pay attention to the breathing any longer. It just happens naturally, after all.

Can you wipe your dark mirror free of dust? That dark mirror, a reflection of your true self. Covered in dust because there is so much dust. That is life’s cares, life’s worries. Let them go. Wipe that mirror clear.

Can you serve and govern without effort? Serving and governing without effort is, perhaps, the whole point of Lao-tzu’s teachings. We talked about this a couple of verses ago. It is about choosing “not competing” over competing.

Can you be female at Heaven’s Gate? Well, it doesn’t get any more yin than “being female.” This doesn’t mean embracing your feminine side, boys. This means being female in the truest sense of the word. Embracing the darkness, choosing passivity over activity. There is simply a time to be still. And the time is now.

Can you light the world without knowledge? Oh, so now we have light? Yes, but with a twist. We all know about lighting the world with knowledge. It wasn’t called the Enlightenment for nothing. With the invention of the Gutenberg printing press, there was a massive expansion of knowledge. But, can you light the world without knowledge?This “without knowledge” calls attention to all we presume we already know. And that presumption is a huge problem for us. The world would be a much “lighter” place if we didn’t presume we knew so much. Maybe now is a good time to go back to emptying our minds again. Concentrate on your breathing….

Can you give birth without possessing, raise without controlling? Well, that certainly makes “being female” important, if we are talking about giving birth. Unless you are a sea horse. But I don’t think I have any sea horses following me. Yet Lao-tzu isn’t talking about making babies, or raising children, here. What he is talking about is not “who” we give birth to, but “what.” It is all the things we do. From beginning to end. We talked about the work we do, in the last two verses. First, do it with skill. Next, when it is finished, let it go. Don’t try to possess it. Don’t try to control it. Just let it be.

Yes, this requires dark virtue. Something deep and mysterious, and unseen, inside of each one of us. But it is there. And we can all tap into that hidden strength. Use it. It is inexhaustible.

                                                         –

Red Pine introduces the following sages with today’s verse:

HSUAN-TSUNG (R. 712-762). One of China’s more famous emperors, he was also a skilled poet and calligrapher and was deeply interested in Taoism as well as Buddhism. I have quoted from his own commentary, written in 732, as well as from another commentary compiled under his direction that expands on his earlier effort. Yu-chu tao-te-chen-ching and Yu-chih tao-te-chen-ching-shu.

CHIAO HUNG (1541-1620). Noted compiler of bibliographic works. His 1587 edition of the Taoteching includes his own occasional comments as well as selected commentaries of mostly Sung dynasty authors, notably Su Ch’e, Lu Hui-ch’ing, and Li Hsi-chai. It remains one of the most useful such compilations. Lao-tzu-yi.

CHUANG-TZU (369-286 B.C.). After Lao-tzu, the greatest of the early Taoist philosophers. The work that bears his name contains some of the most imaginative examples of early Chinese writing and includes numerous quotes from the Taoteching. The work was added to by later writers and edited into its present form by Kuo Hsiang (d. 312).

[justwravel-blog]

A plethora of memories from my recent road trip to Spiti with Justwravel.

Drizzling meadows, catching rainbows, taking halts at every corner that we found picturesque, I never could have imagined this trip would leave such a long-lasting and deep impact on my soul. From watching the sun and the clouds play hide and seek in the lap of the mighty Himalayas, every moment has made a home in my heart. What acted as a cherry on the top was an amazing company of enthusiasts who were full of life and positive vibes. So let me take you on a journey of a lifetime and share my personal experience on a recent road trip to the land of the higher Himachal.

Day 1 Shimla to Narkanda

After leaving from Delhi the night before we reached Shimla the very next day, we left for Narkanda, a small town around 100 km from Shimla famous for its apple and plum orchards. We were welcomed by heavy rains and cold winds as soon as we reached Narkanda, which got our trek to Hatu Peak cancelled due to the bad weather. But what came next was far beyond my expectations. Instead of cursing the weather for getting our mojos off on the very first day, I had a very nice time interacting with fellow travellers, who had come from the rest of the parts of the country. A nice introductory chit-chat followed by catching amazing views of the valleys with glistening apples which peeped out of the settled mist that had covered the complete landscape.

On the very first day, all of us got so friendly with each other that the night was spent in one room playing dumb charades and listening to some nice melodies in the background.

ABOUT THE HOMESTAY

The best part about the local stays is the homely feeling they offer. My stay in Narkanda was no less than a home for me. I was served simple “Ghar ka Khana” topped up with warm buttery love. Our host and trip leads were so humble that they organised a delightful Maggi meal even in the bad weather. The best part about the homestay was its location which was secluded from all the noise of the city and vehicles.

The very next day when we had to leave for Chitkul, being an explorer myself I left early in the morning for a walk to find out the source of the voice of falling water which was coming from somewhere around. Only to my surprise, I discovered a small waterfall just a few km ahead from my homestay. This is the best part about staying at local locations. You never know what gem you are missing on.

I always make it a habit to wake up early in the morning to discover such gems. The fragrance of the morning sunshine and the earthly aroma you get in the environment is an experience that everyone should at least have for once in their lifetime.

Day 2 Narkanda to Chitkul

The next day we all left for Chitkul which was a 7-hour drive from Narkanda. I have never been to Chitkul before and the very first reaction that I had when I took my first step off the tempo traveller was beyond any comparison. I was awestruck by the beauty of this Himalayan village and I instantly fell in love with it. After having a small rest at our stay, I left for a small trek to Baspa river via exploring India’s last ‘Dhaba’ (restaurant) where I had my morning ‘chai’ the next morning. It was a small and easy trek where we all had a good time. Since it was a long journey I could not walk around the place much as it was getting dark too. Hence I decided to calm down the Dora inside me and to set her free the next morning.

Chitkul being the last Indian Village on the Indo-China Border is a small village in Kinnaur District of Himachal. It also houses the many local temples along with homestays and flowing Baspa River. One interesting fact about Chitkul is that it is also the last point in India where one can travel without a permit. The very next morning the usual me left for a walk which was accompanied by light drizzling. Walking along the bank of the Baspa with a clear view of the snow-capped peaks was an instant treat to my eyes. I sat there for an hour fondling the beauty of Chitkul with my eyes trying to feed all of it in my mind permanently.

Day 3 Chitkul to Kalpa

The best part about staying in Kalpa was being surrounded by Khumaanee trees which is a local fruit in Himachal that resembles plum. After having a short halt at Reckong Peo for Lunch and gathering our basics from the market, we reached Kalpa.

Luckily my room had an amazing view of Kinner Kailash which was a lovely sight which invited the fellow travellers to my room.

The evening at Kalpa was spent walking down the town and roaming around. We also saw a few local temples and monasteries which had some really good examples of handicrafts and wooden work on them.

As the night approached, I started to realize that it was getting cold. Luckily one person among us had bought Old Monk with him. So we had to take a few sips to survive the cold weather. Our stay in Kalpa had this one big chhajja on which we spent time till late in the night in hope of some stargazing. But instead, we all ended up shedding our outer facades and become more close. This is one of the best things about travelling. We get to meet so many new and unknown souls with so many hidden stories full of adventure. And one lifetime is just not enough to take a ride into these adventures at all.

I do not recommend having alcohol consumption but here I am saying out loud. Thankyou old monk for giving me an amazing night full of diverse stories and experiences with an amazing view of the Kalpa valley.

Day 4 Kalpa to Dhankar Village

After an amazing night gazing and a nice time with my fellow travellers, we left for Dhankar which is the capital of Spiti Valley. Our journey to Dhankar was the longest amongst all our days. Covering a distance of approximately 220 km in around 8 to 9 hours, we covered two stops on our way. But before telling you about these two stops I would like to take a moment of appreciation for this road journey which I found the most beautiful among all the days. After Kalpa, as one starts to approach towards the higher side of the cold desert mountains, the roads have many treats to offer to its admirers.

As one goes beyond Kalpa, towards Spiti valley, they can see the beautiful transition of the green Himalayas slowly turning into the brown desert with a much closer view of the snow-capped summits. Not only this, the roads have many interesting rock-cut formations which are always surrounded by bikers taking pictures. From low rise roads with rock-cut formations to much-heighted desert valley views, this road journey has got all those adventurous feel right. We took a halt at Nako Village which is another village located nearer to the Indo-China border and houses some of the oldest monasteries in the Kinnaur region. Places that can be visited here are Nako Lake and Nako Monasteries along with several local trails that can also be explored.

Our next stop was Tabo Village via Gue Monastery. Gue Monastery is situated in Gue Village which is 10499 feet above sea level and just a few kilometres away from the China border. This monastery is popular among the tourists because it has preserved mummy of a Llama which was found during an army excavation and is said to be 500 to 700 years old. The locals there believe that the mummy is of a holy man Sangha Tenzin who decided to sacrifice his life for the well being of his village. The tourists can glance on the mummy which is kept preserved in the monastery.

One interesting thing that I saw here was that the locals here in this village were very shy but extremely helpful. Not only this they happily told me about many local beliefs and stories of the area and guided me throughout the visit.

The next stop Tabo, had an old monastery which had a mud structure which is a prominent form of primitive architecture of that time. But unfortunately, it was closed by the time we reached there. So we decided to have a nice cup of evening tea and coffee while roaming around the small and clean town.

We reached Dhankar late in the evening and resumed with our nightly ritual. Talking about lives out there in our respective places, the people and the vibe there. And ended up sleeping late in the night in the hope of waking up early the very next day, as we all had to trek to the Dhankar lake.

DHANKAR LAKE: An experience that got my eyes wet.

The very next day our trip lead, Shadab took us all to trek to Dhankar Lake. Luckily we all got up at the right time and left early in the morning when it was dark. Dhankar lake was around 5 to 7 km from my stay location and we walked and trekked the complete way.

As soon as the morning light started to rise, all of us realized that it was not an easy task to trek as all of us were getting tired and started taking small stops for resting and drinking water. As an addition, the cold winds also accompanied us which felt crisp on the ears. There were many moments at which I almost gave up and decided not to trek anymore as it was getting exhausting, but there was still a strong urge to not stop and keep moving ahead until I reach my destination. All thanks to Shadab for motivating me throughout the trek.

As soon as I reached the lake I became numb. I could not move a single inch and looked around. While writing all of this, I am still in the same feeling that I had the very first moment I saw the lake. This experience is one of those moments in my life that I will cherish all my life.

Dhankar Lake which is situated above the village Dhankar at an elevation of approximately 4140 meters in the middle of the hill provides an extremely beautiful view of Kinner Kailash range. One can peacefully meditate there for hours provided that the area is not crowded. We were smart enough to leave early in the morning as there was no one there. By the time we were coming back, we could see people trekking upwards and the crowd was increasing in numbers as the sun started rising.

Dhankar has amazing rock-cut formations which are in the form of ant houses. One interesting fact about these rocks is that they have these shaped structures because of the strong winds that flow over the area. We all left for our next destination which was Kaza after coming back from our trek and resting for a while.

Day 5 Dhankar to Kaza

From Dhankar we reached Kaza via seeing Pin Valley. We took a small halt at a local monastery which I explored only from outside as I was more interested in seeing the local town around.

Pin Valley is a national park where a variety of rare migratory birds can be spotted. Apart from the diverse flora and fauna, one can admire the beautiful valley landscapes which seem right out of some scenery painting.

We reached Kaza early in the evening and explored the market and some amazing cafes. One of my personal favourite and which I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Kaza is Cafe Zomsa. This cafe provides a nice and hippie vibe that a traveller craves for. With amazing live music and a variety of delicious cuisines served in aesthetically pleasing presentation, this cafe has got it all right. We stayed at Kaza for two nights. The next day we went to visit Key Monastery, Kibber, Komic, Hikkim and Langza. This road journey was my second favourite. Our trip leads suggested us to have a ride while sitting on top of the tempo traveller. Since Langza has roads with shallow ends which are not dangerous at all, we all took a ride and saw this beautiful side of Himachal while sitting on top of our tempo traveller. Shadab if you are reading this, thank you for giving me an experience of a lifetime.

We covered Langza Gompa, Komic, Kibber, Hikkim which also has the world's highest post office and then back to Kaza. The night was spent at Cafe Zomsa again with a bunch of some really good travellers and a nice vibe of course.

Day 7 Kaza to Chandratal Lake

Our day 7 of the expedition was accompanied by an adventurous road journey to Chandratal lake via Kunzum Pass. We also took a small stop at a nice location somewhere in Losar for clicking pictures but had to pay the price as our traveller got stuck in the muddy road. Although we managed to get it out just at the right time. We saw many glaciers lying around us as we approached closer to the lake. Chilly winds and runny nose was easily visible on each faces around me. But one thing that stood intact was our urge to reach our final destination and like our usual ritual to have a warm bowl of Maggi there. After seeing Chicham Bridge, Kunzum Pass and Chandratal Lake, we reached our campsite in the evening where we spent the night after having tea and Maggi.

As this was our final night together not a single person slept and we all spend the night talking and discussing how badly everyone wants the trip to not end.

And it seemed as if the universe also wanted all of us to stay together. You all will find out soon why.

Day 8 Chandratal Lake to Manali

We left our campsite at Chandratal early in the morning, to cross Rohtang Pass as it was the rainy season and the roads get blocked. We even got stuck at points where it took us more time to resume our journey back to Manali.

We reached Manali in the evening at stayed at a hotel for a few hours after which we all boarded our Volvo back to Delhi.

Spoiler alert! We did not reach Delhi the next day.

Around 11 pm in the night, our bus driver told us that the roads in the Mandi district had got blocked due to heavy rains due to which we all had to stay back at a local hotel somewhere between Manali and Mandi in Aut. And the best part about this mishappening, no one was sad about it. As we all were very happy to spend one more day in the laps of Himachal and with each other.

Throughout the complete trip to where there were no networks in phones, there was not a single moment when we missed our homes. It was entirely an experience which I cannot put into words. I hereby express my huge gratitude to Justwravel for providing me with an adventure of a lifetime accompanied by an amazing bunch of travellers and our trip leads Shadab and Shivam.

Himachal never fails to mesmerize me but this time it has blessed me not only with an entirely new place that I explored but also a family that I would love to travel with again.

[floraexplorer]

Doune the Rabbit Hole: The Best Music Festival You’ve Never Heard Of

  We’re going ‘Doune The Rabbit Hole’…

Up in the Scottish Highlands, close to the city of Stirling and down the road from the Lake of Mentieth, is a place called the Cardross Estate.

And every summer, it plays host to a music festival called Doune the Rabbit Hole.

My music festival history (so far)

I’ve been to a fair few music festivals in my time. The first was Exit festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, held inside a medieval fort; then I headed out to the infamous fields of Glastonbury in 2011, followed by the fancy Wilderness festival a few years ago (and again last weekend for the second time!).

I even visited my first Scottish music festival recently, which fulfilled all my expectations by featuring a wandering group of brass band players in full-on kilts.

But like most festival-lovers, I’ve never been involved with the inner workings of a festival.

Who actually runs them? How on earth do they manage to set one up and pull it off?

Arriving at the Cardross Estate

I first visited the site of Doune the Rabbit Hole one afternoon in May. The lord and lady who own the Cardross Estate invited us into their cosy kitchen, and over a bottle of red wine we chatted about festival preparations while a collection of dogs chased each other under the table.

Afterwards we walked through the fields outside the estate house and down to the riverbank amongst the sheep. So much space, and such stunning views.

I was hooked.

For each of my subsequent visits to the Cardross Estate since then, I’ve watched the place grow ever closer towards the third weekend in August – towards ‘The Festival’ – and I’ve unapologetically developed a case of festival fever.

I’ve wandered the stunning fields at Cardross, tracing in my mind’s eye where each stage and stall would eventually sit.

I’ve wandered down the tree-lined paths in the setting sun, and imagined groups of festival goers chilling out between performances.

I’ve spent evenings chatting with the folks who are building the festival up from scratch – and I’ve made immediate friendships with the estate’s resident dogs.

And the more festival-related people I meet, the more I feel sure of just how special Doune the Rabbit Hole really is.

The story of Doune 

Doune the Rabbit Hole first started in 2010 as an intimate music-festival-slash-tea-party in the Scottish town of Doune (hence the puntastic name), and for the last seven years they’ve been celebrating the very best of Scotland’s independent arts scene with a number of unique factors…

A smaller capacity = more intimate performances

Doune the Rabbit Hole occupies a modest amount of land, and there’s a maximum capacity of a few thousand people – making it one of the UK’s smallest festivals. It’s worlds apart from the hundreds of thousands swarming the Glasto fields, and due to the small size it’s easy to recognise the same faces and start making friends.

The entire Doune experience becomes much more community-driven, much more quickly.

The homegrown ethos behind Doune is also really inspiring. It’s not a commercial festival at all: the focus is predominantly about fostering and promoting local Scottish talent and celebrating what this country has to offer in terms of arts and music.

Plus the joy of such a small audience capacity means you’re treated to virtually private performances from a stellar line up.

Who could ask for more?!

Doune’s decor is like a wonderland

Alice in Wonderland, eat your heart out: Doune is one arty place to spend a weekend.

The festival’s Wonderland vibe runs through the entire site: from the Jabberwocky stage to the props and decorations (and even an occasional surprise tea party),  there’s a beautiful sense that something magical is happening around every corner.

The thousand year old oak trees may have something to do with it, too.

Everyone’s welcome – from families to dogs

There’s a strong focus on being inclusive at Doune, and every member of the family is welcome.

Camping areas are segregated, so families with young children can sleep away from the late night festivalers; all the food vendors have a £1 children’s portion on offer; and all the kids activities are meticulously planned and scheduled, making the site like one large playground.

Doune is also infamously dog-friendly – not least because lots of the organisers and on-site workers own dogs and want their furry friends to enjoy the festivities too!

The food and drink are locally sourced

All the food and drink served at Doune the Rabbit Hole comes from local vendors and suppliers, like cider from Thistly Cross, locally brewed beers from Williams Brothers, and food ranging from crepes and woodfired pizzas to locally sourced game and meat.

Yet the festival itself is wonderfully international

The primary focus of most festivals is the music – and Doune has a blindingly good line-up on offer for 2017, with many of the artists coming from as far afield as Norway, the US, Canada and Mali.

There’s a host of Scottish acts, including Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble, Meursault, PAWS, Pronto Mama and The Vegan Leather.

Liars: the New York art punks open the festival’s headlining slot on Friday night.

Songhoy Blues: a punk band from Mali who played a storming set at this year’s Glastonbury and BBC 6Music Festival in Glasgow, are headlining Doune as their ONLY Scottish gig.

Start to End: this covers collective who tackle a wide range of genres are performing Daft Punk’s Discovery on Sunday night.

Steve Davis: the six time World Snooker Champion – moonlighting as a Snookerstar DJ – will be putting his considerable DJ skills to the test when headlining the Baino stage on Friday night.

Holy Fuck: a group of Canadian electro-punks who toured with MIA.

Jenny Hval: an avant-garde Norwegian who plays electronic & melancholic pop.

The other artistic offerings are equally exciting

From comedy and film to spoken word, there’s a huge amount on offer at Doune. Here’s just a few of the folks I’m most excited to see:

Neil Hilborn

A heartfelt and honest spoken word performer from the USA, whose piece ‘OCD’ went viral online recently. Have a watch here:

Petit Prance

Luke will write a story for you about anything you ask for. He writes stories for strangers in the street, in parks, on beaches and at festivals around the world using his typewriter: just give him a subject and he’ll type your own custom story for you right there on the spot!

Fail Better

This poetry, music film and spoken word event runs in Glasgow each month – and the Fail Better crew will be working their literary magic throughout the weekend at Doune.

CineMor77

CineMorr are a social enterprise bringing people together through cinema & film making, and they have a special cinema yurt to show their screenings.

The ‘NoMansLanding’ Dome

Initially devised to portray the experiences of soldiers during World War One, this incredible interactive artwork was first installed in the waters of Sydney Harbour in 2015.

It then journeyed around the world via a shipping container to end up in Scotland – and the crew at Doune will be re-purposing the acoustic abilities of the Dome for a musical experience like no other…

NoMansLanding from Turpin + Crawford Studio on Vimeo.

And then there’s everything else!

If the above isn’t quite enough, Doune the Rabbit Hole has a ton of extras on offer.

In the words of Jamie Murray, the festival’s founder: “It’s not just a music festival! We’ve got a huge kids space with multiple activities, amazing caterers, Williams Bros. and Thistly Cross, workshops for adults and kids, and glamping in yurts. This year we’ll also be hosting axe-throwing tournaments and getting some wild swimming on the go – adjacent to our mobile sauna, of course!”

Of course, there are also the moments which nobody can predict. Occurrences I’ve merely heard mention of – like the late night campfires, the tribal drumming circles, the early riser who wanders the grounds playing the bagpipes, and stories of a legendary chai tea tent.

I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the naturally hollowed-out oak tree filled with fairy lights, and the secret leafy glen hidden beside the river which serves as the entrance to a music tent too.

You’ll leave as part of the Doune community

From the lord and lady who own the estate, to the festival crew who work tirelessly throughout the weekend to make sure everything runs smoothly, everyone is welcome at Doune the Rabbit Hole, and everyone belongs. It’s a community which may only be visible for one August weekend – but it’ll get under your skin.

As Jamie says, “It’s pretty rare to find an event that embraces a family-friendly culture. There is a real sense of community-spirit at Doune the Rabbit Hole, and I guarantee you make friends for life.”

So although I don’t know what will happen at this year’s Doune the Rabbit Hole, I’m going to be there to find out. 

See you at the festival! 

How do you buy tickets?

All the Doune festival tickets can be bought online through Eventbrite, BookItBee and SeeTickets.com. The booking fees change depending on which site you use, so make sure to check first!

Adult weekend tickets: £125 (plus online booking fee)

Adult Friday tickets: £50 (plus booking fee)

Adult Saturday tickets: £80 (plus online booking fee)

Adult Sunday tickets: £65 (plus online booking fee)

Children aged 5 and under: £4

Weekend car parking: £16

Day car parking (Fri/Sat/Sun): £10.50

Live-in Vehicle plot (party zone or quiet zone): £26

How to get to/from the festival?

There are multiple Doune Buses arriving at the site from Stirling train station, all of which are timed to meet popular trains from Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Perth.  There are also direct buses from and to Glasgow.

Bus costs differ depending on timings, so check out the options here! 

If you’re driving to the festival, the SatNav code is FK8 3JY.

How to follow on social media: 

Doune the Rabbit Hole will be publicised live on various channels throughout the weekend, using the hashtags #DTRH17 and #DouneTheRabbitHole.

If all goes to plan, I’ll also be commandeering the festival’s Instagram account to film some IG Stories, so keep an eye out!

DTRH Facebook

DTRH Instagram

DTRH Twitter

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[xuxibelle]

Chai Tea - Chapter 1

“Alli,” I grumbled as my roommate Allison shook me awake, “I don’t wanna go to work.” I pulled the covers over my head and whined. “It’s so cold.”

“That’s what you get for moving to England when you are used to California,” she laughed as she yanked the covers off of me. I ran to my closet and pulled out my thick robe putting it on and glaring at her.

“Fine, you win,” I said as I headed for the bathroom to shower. The hot water of the shower warmed me up nicely and I layered my clothes in case I got hot at work later, which was doubtful. I work at the coffee shop that’s just down the road. After my shower, I let my long, black hair dry naturally. I liked the waves it created when I let it dry that way. I put on a little eyeliner and mascara to make my blue eyes stand out a little more. I never wore much makeup anyway. I put on a beanie and my gloves and threw on my heavy coat before heading out the door. I walked to work every day because it was only a block away. It wasn’t very busy when I got to work, so I took my time putting my things in the back. I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and turned the ringer to vibrate before sticking it in my back pocket. I lazily made my way out to the front counter to see what needed to be done before the other girl left. “Hey, Becca, how are you doing today?” I asked nicely. She and I didn’t really get along, but we were civilized while we were at work.

“I’m alright. What about you, Katerina?” I smiled at her.

“I’m still not used to the weather here,” I shivered thinking about how cold it was outside.

“Coming from LA, I can understand that,” she laughed.

“Is there anything that needs to be done before you leave?” I asked.

“Not much, really,” she said before listing off a few minor chores that needed two people in the store for them to get done properly.

“Okay,” I smiled. “I’ll get those done right now.” I headed off to do the chores she listed and finished up just before she was about to leave.

“Thank you for helping me today,” she smiled.

“No problem,” I told her. She walked in the back to grab her jacket and left. I still didn’t understand why she was rude to me outside of work, but other girls I will never understand so I just shrugged it off. I walked behind the counter and changed the radio to BBC1. I liked their music selection better than whatever she was listening to. A familiar song was on and I started singing along while I was cleaning up behind the counter. I danced around singing a little louder than I normally do since there were no customers and I was the only one in the shop.

The music up, the windows down

Yeah, we’ll be doing what we do

Just pretending that we’re cool and we know it too

Yeah, we’ll keep doing what we do

Just pretending that we’re cool, so tonight

Let’s go crazy, crazy, crazy ’til we see the sun

I know we only met but let’s pretend it’s love

I didn’t hear the bell over the door ring, so I was a little more than startled when I spun around mid-song and saw a tall curly-haired boy staring at me with a grin on his face. I blushed and turned the music down.

“Sorry. No one was in here and I kind of just got carried away,” I explained and he let out a little laugh.

“No need to apologize, love. It’s a good song,” he smiled. I bit my lip and looked up at him.

“Can I get you something?”

“Chai tea, please,” he smiled. I rung him up on the register before I turned around to make his drink and cursed myself for being stupid, shaking my head. I turned back around and handed him the cup.

“Here you go,” I smiled.

“Thank you very much,” he smiled back. He came in every day for the next three weeks, well on the days that I worked anyway. I wasn't sure about the days I wasn't there. Today when he came in he ordered his tea and took a seat close to the register and stared out the window. He looked like he was thinking about something. I could die just standing here staring at him. His eyes were so green and his dimples were just absolutely adorable. I caught myself staring and blushed before I turned away and went back to cleaning. “So, did you move here recently, or are you going to university here or something?” he asked before turning his gaze to me. My eyes shot up to his and I blushed.

“Um, yea, I moved here about a year ago.”

“Where from?” he asked.

“Los Angeles,” I smiled.

“Definitely a change in weather,” he smiled.

“Yea,” I nodded, “hence the layers of clothes.” I gestured to what I was wearing and I blushed as I watched his eyes rake over me. I bit my lip and looked away.

“You seem like you are adapting well. Have you had many problems?” he asked. I wondered why he was asking all these questions, but I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind grateful for the conversation. I didn’t talk to many people besides Becca, Alli, and my boss. I didn’t have any family back home. My parents had died in a car accident four years before I moved here and my brother was in the Army, so I rarely saw or heard from him.

“It’s been great for the most part,” I shrugged.

“What do you mean?” he asked with confusion on his face. I sighed and looked at him.

“I won’t get into the big details, but I really only talk to my roommate or the people I work with, and my roommate is really my only friend here,” I admitted to him.

“But you seem so nice and honest; I don’t see why you wouldn’t have tons of friends.” I blushed and bit my lip.

“I don’t really like going places by myself and Alli, my roommate, works at a bar, so she works nights,” I explained.

“Well, I can see how that would be a problem,” he said. He looked at the floor and back up at me before looking away again. “What if I gave you my number and we can text and become friends. Would you go places with me so you wouldn’t be stuck doing nothing by yourself?” he asked.

“That might work,” I told him.

“Might work?”

“Well, I don’t even know your name,” I laughed.

“Of course,” he laughed. He stood up and walked over to the counter extending his hand for me to shake. I put my hand in his and shook it gently. “I’m Harry,” he smiled and I melted when I saw his dimples.

“Katerina,” I smiled.

“Katerina,” he said smiling. “I like that. That’s not a name I hear often.”  I blushed and looked away. He let go of my hand and grabbed a napkin and writing his name and number on it before pushing it towards me. “It was nice meeting you, Katerina,” he said as he walked out of the shop. A few hours later, it was time to close the shop and go home. I grabbed my jacket and purse and walked out the front door turning all the lights off. I locked the door and dropped the keys in my purse. I pulled out my cell and looked at it. The only message I had was from Alli telling me she was leaving for work. I admit I was a little disappointed that Harry hadn’t texted me. I put my phone back in my pocket and felt some paper next to my phone. I fished it out and looked at it, and then it hit me. He had given me his number, I hadn’t given him mine. I was a little relieved. When I reached our flat, I put my things away and changed pulling my cell phone and the napkin out of my pocket and laying them on my bed. When I was done, I grabbed my phone and the napkin before retreating to the living room and turning on the TV. I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and punched in Harry’s number and sent him a text. I didn’t expect a response straight away. He was very good looking and would probably have too many girls hanging around him to remember me anyway.

To Harry: Hi, it’s Katerina, from the coffee shop. I just got home from work and I figured I better text you before you forgot who I was. lol.

I turned my attention back to the TV and started flipping the channels. I stopped when I got to the channel that was airing WWE. My brother and I used to watch wrestling all the time before he joined the Army. Ten minutes in to me watching wrestling, my phone dinged.

To Katerina: How could I forget you? –Harry

To Harry: Um, I’m quite forgettable. Just ask all the people I have met since I have been here. :)

To Katerina: I would have to completely disagree.

To Harry: Why is that?

I had no idea what he was talking about. I’m sure he was just kidding or he thought I was someone else.

To Katerina: I don’t know why exactly, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you after I left.

To Harry: Stop playing

To Katerina: I’m not playing. Ask my friends, lol

To Harry: really?

To Katerina: I am serious. There’s just something about you :)

To Harry: well, thanks, even though I don’t know what that means.

To Katerina: What are you doing tomorrow?

To Harry: nothing. Why?

To Katerina: Would you like to have lunch with me? Please? :)

To Harry: lol, sure :)

To Katerina: Sweet! What time do you want to go?

To Harry: I don’t care when. Tomorrow is my day off.

To Katerina: Alright, I’ll pick you up at the shop at 1 then :)

To Harry: alright. See you then :)

I couldn’t believe he just asked me to lunch. I mean, I know I just met him and it probably doesn’t mean anything, but still he is gorgeous and insanely sweet.

[justwravel-blog]

Kedarkantha - The Best Snow Trek Are you the one who was the one always fascinated about the snow-clad region shown in some of the best Hollywood thrillers and romantic movies? If yes, then the next destination on your bucket list should be the Kedarkantha Trek - The Best Snow Trek in India. Did you always dream of sleeping under the open sky, amidst the alluring and endless snow all around? No matter you say yes or no, you shouldn’t wait any longer and just grab the next chance to trek to the Kedarkantha Summit. The trek has a considerable layer of snow covering itself, throughout most of the year, especially during the winter months of November, December, January and February- perfect for snowfall lovers, this trek must be the next big thing in your bucket list. The Kedarkantha peak stands tall at an astounding elevation of 12,500 feet. Instead of this much elevation from the sea level, this trek remains a beginner’s trek. The trail is easy to follow, and Just Wravel’s trail leaders make it even more comfortable with their thoughtful inputs about the trek. The best time to trek to the Kedarkantha peak is during the winter months, the trail remains accessible throughout the year, but Monsoons should be positively ignored. Making your way to the most mesmerizing trek.  The picture-perfect setting of the snow-clad region and towering trails, these all origin with your journey from Dehradun. On the very first day of the trek, the trekkers board a group vehicle from Dehradun, and they arrive at the beautiful village at the foothills of Kedarkantha - Sankri. Usually, groups take an overnight rest at a local guesthouse or hotel and start their trekking journey the next day. All through your journey to the beautiful and cultural village of Sankri, your route will be accompanied by several rivers and creeks such as the Yamuna, the Kedar Ganga, and the Ton River. Upon arriving at this beautiful cultural hub, one can experience the vicinity of the ages-old Himalayan culture enclosed within these immobile and exquisite mountains and folds. Beginning of an epic journey. After spending a warm and long night in the warm quilts, trekkers are quite curious about trekking to the next destination, which is Juda Ka Taal, a natural pond in the colds of Himalayas. Juda ka Taal or Juda ka Talab is a freshwater lake located 8,858 meters above the sea level. This lake comes in the restricted forest area of Uttarkashi and hence is untouched from the toxic pollutants of the humankind. According to the locals, several hundreds of thousands of years ago, Devo Ke Dev or the Lord of all Lords - Lord Shiva, untied his bun (Juda in Hindi), and some water droplets fell on the ground, and the Talab (pond) was formed. This prepossessing lake has an outstanding religious value because of the local beliefs and folklore. After a 4 kilometer walk through the lush forest, trekkers are generally tired, so trek leads decide to camp at the Juda Ka Taal for the night. The evening starts by setting up the camps and preparing and serving dinner. One just can’t ignore the steaming hot puris and sabzi served in dinner. After the tasty meal, the trekkers go to their respective tents for the restful night’s sleep.   Ascending to the Base Camp.  After spending a night by the side of the frozen lake, it will be frozen if you trek to the Kedarkantha in winters, the trekkers prepare themselves for yet another hike. This time the team ascends to the Kedarkantha Base camp, situated at an altitude of 3,413 meters. From here, the trekkers will have to trek uphill and on a more steep route than their previous day’s trek. You need not worry, our skilled trek leaders will assist you throughout this enchanting and exciting journey. Post breakfast, it’s a 4 kilometers trek to the Kedarkantha Base Camp. The masala chai made by the locals of the Uttarkashi district’s Sankri village is unavoidable, and you should try some before starting your trek to the base camp of Kedarkantha. If you’re a fan of the Hollywood movies and the snowy lands they portray in them, then you will fall in love with this enthralling trek, entirely covered in snow. Be amazed at every step you take. Most visitors couldn’t take their eyes and soul off this serene, untouched and tranquil terrain of the Kedarkantha Trek. After walking for three to four hours, one reaches the famous Kedarkantha Base Camp. Post setting up the camps, the only things which remain undone is - throwing up your backpack in your tent and stretching your legs into a quick nap. Peaks of several mountains like the Swargarohini and Kala Nag can be easily identified from the Base Camp of Kedarkantha. After taking the mouth-watering dinner served by Just Wravel, our wravelers are all set to hop in their tents and stay warm till three or four past midnight. The last ascend.  After several hours of rest and warmth, our traveling group will be all set to leave for the summit of Kedarkantha. The ascent starts at 3:30 A.M. or 4:00 A.M. in the morning where you walk for almost 1.5 kilometers, 1.1 kilometers to be precise. Just Wravel prefers to start the trek so early in the dawn because we want to provide you an opportunity to witness one of the most serene and magnificent views you can have in any mountain - the sunrise. Sunrises from the summit of the Kedarkantha are just unmissable and unforgettable. The moment one witness the glistering rays of sun lighting up their eyes, the whole trek seems to be worth it. To help our Wravelers soak in the scenic beauty of this natural wonder, our trek leaders start the trek from Base Camp to the summit early in the morning. Last, but not the least - happy ending.  After spending some time and soaking in the sun at the Kedarkantha summit, Wravelers will be all set to descend from the summit. After observing the giant peaks like the Bandarpoonch from the summit of Kedarkantha, the team descends to the Haragaon camp. By evening, you’ll be at the Haragaon camp and having your dinner beside your campsite. After spending a night and recharging their enthusiasm, wravelers will be all set to descend from Juda ka Taal to the Sankri, the last motorable village in the district. At Sankri, Just Wravel’s mini-bus picks up the traveling team, and they head back to the Dehradun. All in all, the trek to the Kedarkantha is once in a lifetime experience, the sunrise, the astounding frozen lake which leaves everybody awestruck, the lush green meadows and forests, the pine trees and other Himalayan flora and fauna will leave you surprised. Looking upon the terrain of the Kedarkantha trek, it can be concluded as an easy to moderate trek with minimum risk. This trek has a mixed cocktail of medium-high ascends and slant descending slopes. All this mixed up with the enthusiasm of the snow trek, makes the trek pretty much easy for debutants trekking to their first summit. Do reach out to JustWravel to book your Kedarkantha Trek. Thank You…!!

[libertariantaoist]

“All the world knows beauty but if that becomes beautiful this becomes ugly all the world knows good but if that becomes good this becomes bad have and have not create each other hard and easy produce each other long and short shape each other high and low complete each other note and noise accompany each other first and last follow each other sages therefore perform effortless deeds and teach wordless lessons they don’t look after all the things that arise or depend on them as they develop or claim them when they reach perfection and because they don’t claim them they are never without them”

-Lao-tzu- (Taoteching, verse 2, translation by Red Pine)

LU HSI-SHENG says, “What we call beautiful or ugly depends on our feelings. Nothing is necessarily beautiful or ugly until feelings make it so. But while feelings differ, they all come from our nature, and we all have the same nature. Hence, sages transform their feelings and return to their nature and thus become one again.”

WU CH’ENG says, “The existence of things, the difficulty of affairs, the size of forms, the magnitude of power, the pitch and clarity of sound, the sequence of position, all involve contrasting pairs. When one is present, both are present. When one is absent, both are absent.”

LU HUI-CH’ING says, “These six pairs all depend on time and occasion. None of them is eternal. Sages, however, act according to the Immortal Tao. Hence, they act without effort. And because they teach according to the Immortal Name, they teach without words. Beautiful and ugly, good and bad don’t enter their minds.”

WANG WU-CHIU says, “Sages are not interested in deeds or words. They simply follow the natural pattern of things. Things rise, develop, and reach perfection. This is their order.”

WANG AN-SHIH says, “Sages create but do not possess what they create. They act but do not depend on what they do. They succeed but do not claim success. These all result from selflessness. Because sages are selfless, they do not lose themselves. Because they do not lose themselves, they do not lose others.

SU CH’E says, “Losing something is the result of possessing something. How can people lose what they don’t possess?”

LI HSI-CHAI says, “Lao-tzu’s 5,000 word text clarifies what is mysterious as well as what is obvious. It can be used to attain the Tao, to order a country, or to cultivate the body.”

HO-SHANG KUNG titles this verse: “Cultivating the Body.”

SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “Those who practice the Way put an end to distinctions, get rid of name and form, and make of themselves a home for the Way and Virtue.”

                                                         –

Yesterday, we walked through the door, beginning the journey through the Taoteching, again. In that first verse Lao-tzu told us that the Immortal Way isn’t something that changes. It doesn’t become. And, names of things that change, can’t be the Immortal name. This is very important for us to understand. I said, yesterday, the Immortal Way isn’t about what will become, but of what is and what is not.

In today’s verse, Lao-tzu explains this “what is and what is not,” further. And this, also, is very important for us to understand. We act as if our universe is only made up of what is. But that is a delusion, if we think it. The Immortal Way, or Eternal Reality, is made up of both what is and what is not. You simply can’t have one without the other. It is yin and yang. As soon as “that” becomes beautiful to you, “this” becomes ugly. If “that” becomes good to you, “this” becomes bad.

Try as you might to imagine it otherwise, there is no such thing as beautiful without ugly, or good without bad. Have and have not create each other. Hard and easy produce each other. Long and short shape each other. High and low complete each other. Note and noise accompany each other. First and last follow each other. You can’t have the one without the other.

But, it goes deeper still. We need to talk about the importance of Lao-tzu’s “that” and “this” in today’s verse. What is that? And, what is this? Why does “that” become beautiful and good at the expense of “this” becoming ugly and bad?

It should be easy to understand that “that” is something external to you. It is over there. You don’t think you have it. But you want it. Why has “that” become beautiful and good? Because you have turned your eyes to it and desire it. Meanwhile, “this” is internal. It is what you already have, what you should be satisfied with,

Ah, but the moment you look outside yourself and set your eyes on “that,” “this” becomes ugly and bad to you. It is all subjective. Don’t worry. If “that” ever becomes “this,” and “this,” becomes “that,” you will only find yourself spinning around in circles with changing desires. And, if you keep on looking outside yourself, it is no telling how many times what is beautiful and good, and ugly and bad, will change.

And that isn’t the Immortal Way, the Eternal Reality. We already covered that. What changes can’t be the Eternal Reality. But, it certainly seems to be your eternal reality. Doesn’t it? However, it doesn’t have to be this way. You can break that cycle. You can “wake up.”

Notice how sages do it. They don’t look after all the things that arise. Nor do they depend on them as they develop. And, when they reach completion, sages never claim them as their own. Now watch it. Because they don’t claim them, they are never without them.

Instead of focusing on what is outside of themselves, sages cultivate what is inside of themselves. And, being content with “this,” they are never without “that.”

                                                         –

Red Pine introduces the following with today’s verse:

LU HSI-SHENG (FL. 890). High official and scholar known for his wide learning. His commentary reflects the view that Lao-tzu and Confucius were the spiritual heirs of Fu Hsi (ca. 3500 B.C.), with Lao-tzu emphasizing the yin and Confucius the yang aspects of the Way of Heaven. Tao-te-chen-ching-chuan.

FU HSI (CA. 3500 B.C.). Sage ruler of ancient times and the reputed inventor of the system of hexagrams on which the Yiching is based.

WU CH’ENG (1249-1333). One of the great prose writers of the Yuan dynasty, surpassed only by his student Yu Chi (1272-1348). His commentary shows exceptional originality and provides unique background information. It is also noted for its division of the text into sixty-eight verses. Tao-te-chen-ching-chu.

LU HUI-CH’ING (1031-1111). Gifted writer selected by Wang An-shih to help draft his reform proposals. His commentary, presented to the emperor in 1078, is quoted at length by Chiao Hung. Tao-te-chen-ching-chuan.

WANG WU-CHIU (FL. 1056). Scholar-official. He gave up a promising official career in order to devote himself to studying and teaching. Lao-tzu-yi.

WANG AN-SHIH (1021-1086). One of China’s most famous prime ministers. His attempt to intorduce sweeping reforms directed against merchants and landowners galvanized Chines intellectuals into a debate that continues to this day. He was also one of China’s great poets and prose writers. His commentary has been reedited from scattered sources by Yen Ling-feng. Lao-tzu-chu.

SUNG CH’ANG-HSING (FL. 1700). Taoist master and seventh patriarch of the Dragon Gate sect of the Golden Lotus lineage. His commentary on the Taoteching was a favorite of Emperor K’ang-hsi (r. 1662-1722). Tao-te-ching chiang-yi.