#hi I’ve been so art blocked and so busy and so meh but I miss this

[littlenimart]

like a dog, like a dog in the summer heat

[drabbles-mc]

My Plus-One (Part 1)

EZ Reyes x Reader

Request by the lovely @ly--canthrope​:  The reader has a large ball/award ceremony/something fancy to attend. Her and Ez have been in each other's lives for years and they make a promise that each year, if there is an event to go to, they would go together. Its been a few years since this tradition has played out, and it is brought up in conversation (maybe talking about their plans for that week, what they are doing and busy with etc) and Ez goes, “I am busy, I am going with you to your event” and he is a pure gentlemen (You can decide thing like; are they bordering that blurred line where they are really affectionate with one another and time frame like, he could be at uni still and travels to go see her just for this event because its special to her)

Warnings: none. just some good old pining 🥺🥺

Word Count: 3.4k 

A/N: I loved writing this so much wtf. I switched up the timing of it a little bit but I think it worked out well! I got a little carried away with it (hence the 3.4k lmao) but I just love EZ and I’m a sucker for friendships with feelings. Please enjoy! (requests are always open)

EZ Tag: @noz4a2​ (if you wanna be added just shoot me a message!)

(Part 2)

You wandered around your small studio apartment, phone held loosely in your hand while you video-chatted with EZ. Both of you had long since given up on making sure that you held the camera at flattering angles. Besides, you were trying to make dinner and not even EZ could stop you from getting food.

“So glad I get to have this conversation with half of your face,” he laughed, shaking his head.

You held the phone up so you could get a better look at him—he was sitting at the table in his trailer, phone propped up as he typed away on his laptop. “This better?” you laughed as you tried to set it up on your counter so he could see more of your face.

“Much,” he smiled, “I miss you.”

You glanced over at him as you turned the stove on, “Miss you too, EZ.”

“So,” you could hear the clicking of his keyboard in the background, “what’re your plans for the week?”

“Meh, not a whole lot going on. I do, though, have a gala for work this Saturday.”

“Oh?” he raised his eyebrows, “Sounds fancy.”

You chuckled, nodding as you waited for your water to boil, “Yea, kinda. I was thinking,” you looked at him through the lens of your phone, “If you aren’t busy, and if you really miss me, you could maybe come and be my date. It’s all paid for and everything already. All you’d have to do is show up and be my arm-candy,” you batted your eyelashes.

“Ah, like the good old days.”

“C’mon, it’s been a while since one of us had to drag the other to an event that was way above our paygrade.”

“What’re you talking about? You just drove out to visit me last year for an event.”

You rolled your eyes, “Your patch-in party is not the same as a fundraising gala, Ezekiel. Although,” you laughed, “it was undoubtedly more fun than this is going to be.”

“Giving me the hard sell, Y/N,” he laughed and shook his head.

“If you’re too busy with club shit, I get it. I know I didn’t really give you much of a heads-up.”

“Well…” he dragged out the word, milking every letter for all it was worth, “I am gonna be busy.”

“Fuck,” you sighed, “I get it, I do. Sorry I always protcrastin—”

“Let me finish,” he smiled, “I’m gonna be busy with you, so I’ll let the guys know that my weekend is booked.”

You laughed, clapping your hands excitedly, “Yay! Oh, I can’t wait to see you. I feel like it’s been forever.”

“Because it has,” he waited for you to look back to your phone, “When was the last time you came back home to SanPa?”

You sighed, shaking your head, “God, like, six months maybe? Maybe a little more? Work has just been nuts, you know?”

“You think they’re gonna relocate you back closer to home any time soon?”

You shrugged, “Not sure. I hope so, though. I miss bugging you all the time in person not just by blowing up your phone.”

“Well, you’ll get to bug me in person all weekend. Text me your address and anything else I should know. I can probably come out Friday night if that works for you?”

You nodded, “Yea, that’s fine by me. You can crash here if you want but I gotta warn you, my place is wicked small.”

“I’m currently living in a trailer, Y/N,” he chuckled, “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Alright,” your heart felt so much lighter knowing that he was going to be able to go with you—you hated going to these kinds of things by yourself, “I’ll text you all the details and stuff later this week.”

“Sounds good. Go back to making your gourmet ramen over there,” he chuckled, “I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“Love you too, EZ,” you waved goodbye before hanging up the call. You let out a sigh of relief as you tucked your phone back into your pocket.

The week seemed to fly by. Any time that you felt yourself getting stressed, or overwhelmed, or homesick, you remembered that you were going to be able to spend the whole weekend with your best friend. It made the rest of your problems seem so insignificant. Every night you’d come home and you’d see your dress hanging against the door of your closet, begging to be worn. You’d smile and run your fingers along the fabric whenever you’d walk by it. Back when you were in high school and college, the two of you went to everything together. Each prom, award ceremony, induction ceremony, friends’ weddings, you name it, it was the two of you showing up together no matter what. You had your own unspoken language, knowing when the other was ready to tap out and call it a night. Sometimes to keep things interesting you’d try to sneak out unseen, other times one of you would come up with any excuse you could so that you could leave early without anyone giving you a hard time about it. It’d been a few years since either of you had an excuse to get dressed up together.

You were finishing cleaning up your apartment when you felt your phone going off in your pocket. You glanced down and smiled at the sigh of EZ’s name on the screen, “Hey, what’s up? Everything okay?”

“Yea. I think,” he chuckled, “I think I’m outside the right building? Everything looks the same here.”

You laughed as you walked over and peeked out your window. Sure enough, you saw him sitting, leaning against his bike, “I see you. I’ll be right down,” you hung up and made sure to close your closet door before heading downstairs to greet him.

You came barreling out the front door of your apartment building, tackling him in a hug. He laughed, sweeping you up off of your feet and swinging you around as he held you tight to him. You wrapped your legs around his waist, forcing him to hold you for a few moments. It had been way too long since you last saw him in person.

“I’ve missed you,” you mumbled against his neck.

“I’ve missed you too.”

You finally let go, dropping your feet back to the ground. You helped EZ get his two bags and had him follow you up the stairs to your apartment. You kept apologizing in advance for the fact that all you had was a studio, so there wasn’t going to be a lot of room, and there was no grand tour to give him. He smiled and shook his head, constantly telling you that he didn’t care.

You opened the door, dropping one of his bags next to the couch, “This is,” you chuckled, “my beautiful kingdom.”

EZ smiled as he looked around your apartment. It was a studio, so there wasn’t a whole lot of space, but it was all modern and renovated. He was impressed by how much you had managed to utilize the space. He also liked being able to see how you chose to decorate a space that was completely your own. The last time he got to visit you, you had been sharing an apartment with a roommate and the two of you had completely opposite tastes in décor. He liked the vibe you had created—a lot of bright, happy colors. He recognized some of the art on the walls as things you had commissioned your friends to make for you because you liked having things that were one-of-a-kind.

“This is a pretty great spot, Y/N.”

You smiled, “Thanks. It’s home for now,” you sighed, “I have no guest room to offer you, but the couch does pull out so you won’t be too crammed for the next couple nights.”

He chuckled, nodding, “I appreciate it.”

“You eat before you left?”

He nodded, “Yea I’m all set. Didn’t want to be taking any of your ramen from you.”

You gave him a playful slap to the arm, “So considerate.”

The two of you spent the night sitting on the couch together catching up, a show on the television just for background noise. It crept late into the night before the exhaustion started to show on EZ’s face. He had had a long day but he was enjoying the fact that he was actually face-to-face with you for the first time in months.

“I’ll let you get some sleep,” you smiled as you stood up off the couch, “If you’re up for it in the morning there’s a really good coffee spot a few blocks from here.”

He smiled, nodding, “Sounds good.”

“Bathroom is right through there if you wanna change. I’ll see you in the morning,” you leaned in and gave him a hug that you dragged out to last a little longer than you usually would, “Goodnight.”

The morning and afternoon flew right by, and before you knew it the two of you were getting ready for the gala. You chastised EZ for leaving his dress clothes in his bags for so long. All these years and he still hadn’t figured out that they needed to hang to cut down on wrinkles. You ironed out his slacks and shirt, impressed by the fact that he had also brought a suit jacket. It was an all-black ensemble that you knew would make your coworkers drool over him, and you were going to soak up every second of that.

You left the bathroom open for him to get changed as you retreated to the semi-privacy of the space that passed for your bedroom. You shimmied into your dress, pulling the straps up onto your shoulders. You zipped it up as much as you could without risking ripping any of the stitching, thankful that you had EZ to help you with it the rest of the way. You looked at yourself in the mirror and smiled, still loving the dress as much as you had the day you tried it on in the store.

You had settled on a deep burgundy dress. It was a little low-cut, but not so much that you felt overly exposed. It was floor length, and had a slit up to just below your hip that you could only see once you started walking. You had picked up some simple jewelry—a few gold bangles and a long necklace that draped down your chest. Deciding to pull the whole look together with your favorite pair of black heels. A little height boost when you were walking with EZ never hurt.

“Hey, EZ? Can you come finish zipping me up?”

You heard the sounds of his dress shoes on the hardwood. He poked his head around the half-wall that separated your bed from the rest of your apartment. His eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of you. He cleared his throat, trying to get his thoughts in order as he remembered the actual reason you had called him over.

You pulled your hair off to the side and turned so your back was to him, thankful that it gave the added benefit of hiding the giant grin on your face. He tried to be as gentle as possible, the rough pads of his fingers grazing lightly against your back as he pulled the zipper up the last of the way.

“You look amazing, Y/N,” he smiled at you.

“Yea, we clean up alright, don’t we?” you patted his chest, practically salivating over the sight of him in dress clothes for the first time in years. You reached and undid the top button of his shirt, allowing a little bit of his collarbone to be exposed.

“Feeling a little risqué tonight?” he chuckled.

“Who knows when we’re going to get to do this again?” you smiled, “Might as well make the most of it.”

“I was gonna offer to take you on the bike,” he laughed as he looked you up and down for the hundredth time in two minutes, “But I don’t think that dress would make it.”

You nodded, “You’re right. We’ll take my car,” you walked over and grabbed the small clutch that you had picked up just for this occasion, pulling your keys out of it, “You ready?”

“I think so,” he patted his pockets down to make sure that he still had his phone and wallet, “You gonna give me the dirt on all your coworkers on the ride over?”

“Of course,” you smiled as you ushered him out the door, locking it behind the two of you.

You parked the car at the venue and EZ all but leapt out of the car to come and open your door for you. You chuckled as he held his hand out to help you step out onto the pavement. He hadn’t even wanted you to be the one to drive there, but you insisted since he knew nothing about the area.

He gently wrapped his arm around your waist as the two of you walked into the venue. You knew that your coworkers weren’t expecting you to show up with a plus-one. You had been quite clear about the fact that you weren’t dating anyone, and that no one at your job interested you enough to break your, “I don’t date coworkers” rule. There were quite a few lax jaws as the two of you strolled into the event room. Anyone else might have been nervous, but EZ saw how much you loved it and he was eating up every second of it.

You brought him around and introduced him to everyone, reveling in the fact that his arm never left your waist. After a handful of introductions, you dragged him across the room to introduce you to your boss.

“Cynthia,” you smiled wide, “This is my friend Ezekiel. Ezekiel, this is my boss Cynthia.”

“Please, call me Cindy,” she held out her hand, eyes slowly raking over the man you had put in front of her, not that you could blame her, “It’s nice to meet you, Ezekiel. I have to admit, Y/N here is a bit of an enigma around the office,” she turned her attention to you, “You look amazing, by the way.”

You smiled, “Thank you, so do you. A little more than business casual, huh?”

She laughed, nodding, “That’s for sure,” she paused, “Also, don’t forget, it’s open bar. So help yourselves.”

You tapped your fingers together mischievously, “Ah, don’t mind if I do.”

“I’ll make sure to catch up with you two later,” she smiled at EZ, “It was nice to meet you, Ezekiel.”

“Nice to meet you too,” he nodded politely before she walked away, swept up in a sea of other conversations.

“Remind me to keep a close eye on you around her,” you laughed, “Don’t want her snatching you up.”

The night wore on, and you were impressed with how easily EZ blended into the crowd with everyone from work. He made his way through a lot of small talk, a lot of, “So how do you know Y/N?” and other questions of the sort. The whole night he couldn’t help but to keep looking over at you, making sure that he had physical contact with you in one way or another. You couldn’t pretend that you minded it.

By your fourth glass of wine EZ had managed to get your keys from you, promising that he would drive the both of you back to your apartment safely and responsibly. His largest obstacle of the evening was hiding your bidding number sign from you so you didn’t spend money that you didn’t have.

“You’re the one who told me,” he said quietly in your ear, trying to suppress a laugh, “that your financial contribution was the, and I quote, buttload of money you paid for our tickets here.”

You huffed, trying and failing to give him a displeased expression, “But I wanna feel like a fancy rich person, EZ.”

He smiled at you, resting his hand on your thigh, “You’re certainly dressed like one, Y/N, so for tonight that’ll have to be enough. And besides, I’m your personal chauffer, so it doesn’t get more fancy rich person than that.”

You smirked over at him, placing your hand on top of his and interlocking your fingers, “I’m really glad that you’re here.”

He squeezed your fingers lightly, “Yea, me too.”

The evening was beginning to wind down, and EZ could see it on your face that if he didn’t get you out soon, you were going to start causing trouble. It was fine when the two of you were out among people you didn’t know, but he didn’t think that he’d be a very good friend if he let you start drunkenly stirring the pot with your coworkers. He convinced you to start saying your goodbyes, his hand placed on the small of your back as the two of you maneuvered through the small crowds of people in the event space.

You were walking through the parking garage, your hand entwined with his as you swung your arms back and forth, “What a night!”

EZ chuckled, spinning you carefully so you didn’t fall over, but still got to enjoy the flow of your dress when you spun and moved, “I’m honored I got the invite.”

“You sure you’re good to drive?”

He laughed, nodding, “I’m sure. Not like you could take over for me anyway.”

He helped you into the passenger seat before going around and getting in, sliding the seat back so he could actually fit. He chuckled as he saw you out of the corner of his eye, peeling your shoes off before you even left the parking garage. The whole drive home you went on and on about how much your coworkers loved him, you could just tell. He smiled and nodded, letting one hand stray and come to rest on your thigh.

He parked outside your apartment building and you looked over at him with your biggest puppy-dog eyes, “Ezekiel, I don’t wanna put my shoes back on. Will you carry me upstairs?”

He laughed and nodded, “Yes, but only because tonight you’re a fancy rich lady.”

“You’re so good to me. I love you,” you smiled over at him.

He felt his heart beating harder inside his chest, “I love you too.”

He carried you bridal style up the stairs with such ease. You loved every moment of it. He held onto you as you unlocked the door, still wrapped up in his arms. You giggled into his neck as he kicked the door shut behind you and turned the deadbolt. He carried you to your bed, setting you down gently. You smiled up at him from your mattress, reaching out and taking his hand in your own.

“I’ve missed you so much, EZ.”

He traced his thumb over your knuckles, “Yea, I’ve missed you too.”

Before he could walk out to collapse on the couch you asked him, “Can you help me with my dress?”

He swallowed hard, nodding, “Yea, of course, whatever you need.”

You pulled your hair off to the side again so he could pull the zipper down. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say that there was a slight trembling to his hands as he fumbled with the zipper, pulling it down slowly. He took a deep breath as he gently pushed the straps down off your shoulders. You hummed in approval as you leaned back against him, melting into him as he wrapped his arms around your waist. There were a few beats of silence before you felt him lightly press his lips against the bare skin of your shoulder, gently kissing the soft skin there.

Your breath caught in your throat and it took you a second to get the words out, “You could, um,” you were thankful that you weren’t facing him so he couldn’t see the nervousness on your face, “you could stay in my bed tonight…if you wanted. It’s probably…you know…more comfortable than the couch.”

His lips were still pressed against your shoulder and you could feel his laughter vibrate against your skin, “Yea? You sure?”

You turned around so you were facing him. He leaned in, resting his forehead against yours. He was holding you close enough that you were certain that he could feel your heart palpitating, “Yea. I’m not ready to give up your company yet.”

He kissed your forehead, “Let’s get to bed then.”

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Having a whale of a great time!

Scuba diving in the Crystal Blue Lagoon? Check. Collecting pearl oysters and whatever else lies at Sea Glass Shores. Check.  Crafting a bunch of cool floaties and braving the Shimmering Whirlpool? Check and check. Riding whales towards the sunset? Check!

Vacationing at the Sparkle Islands has been exactly what I needed! It's nice meeting up with Lenie again as well as Nico and Dewey. The Fairweathers have been taking a break from recording and performing so they've been focusing on adventuring and solo endeavors.

I can't believe that Lenie's a college senior now - where did the time go? Jimmy's busy with family stuff so that's why he's not with us. It feels like forever since I last saw him - but that's what video chats are for! Also, his kids are adorable and I'm glad to finally meet them as well as his husband. Nico's been globe trotting as usual, full of fun and exciting stories to tell us. Dewey's been taking it easy, trying to create a better work-life balance after taking on too much last year.

So far their break has been going really well. With everything going on in their personal lives, they could really take some time off. Artist's block sucks but sometimes there's nothing you can really do about it other than wait it out and focus on other things. Creativity can be finicky, especially when you've got other things on your mind like responsibilities, burnout, or a busy schedule.

I've been in a bit of a creative slump as well. From running events at the camp to personal life stuff getting in the way, I've been feeling off this past week. Like I can't relax because I have a million things running in my mind. If I'm expecting a call or email I find myself unable to focus on anything else because I'm too busy mentally preparing for having to do something that makes me nervous and often drained at the end.

Fortunately, I managed to get pretty much all the boring and stressful adulting stuff out of the way. But after spending most of last week being on edge, it's hard to fall back into my normal rhythm. I've been kinda on autopilot, just trying to get through the day. Up until a couple days ago I've been feeling pretty meh most of the time.

Usually, to de-stress, I turn to art. Doodling, journaling, knitting - whatever creative medium I'm in the mood for. But when you're in an art block, it causes more stress. As someone who's been journaling for years, there will be times when you've hardly touched your notebook in days, weeks, and even months. I have to say, though, since running the camp I've been journaling in a somewhat regular basis - especially when I started incorporating art journaling into it - but I still have times when I'm just not feeling it.

Sometimes getting your feelings out on paper doesn't help, especially when you don't have the words to explain exactly how you feel without it sounding forced or an incomprehensible mess of words. There are times when I want to write about something but the words just don't come out right, so I end up scrapping the whole thing. And of course, there are times when I want to write about something that's been on my mind, only to end up rambling about something else and going off on that tangent.

Then there are times when your mind is so fogged up that you come up completely empty. Up until today, I've been head full of fog, thoughts completely empty. Still kinda feels like that, to be completely honest, but the fog's slowly clearing up. I think the whale ride really helped with that.

As someone who believes a change of scenery and a good distraction helps when life takes a lot of out you, I find that I have a hard time following my own advice. I'm all about taking time to forget your troubles and worries for a bit, but yet I'm having difficulty doing so. I don't know why, but I always find it difficult to completely let loose - like I let myself have fun but at the same time my worries are always there in the back of my mind. It's like I'm subconsciously telling myself to have fun, but not too much fun. As much as I want to let go, there's a part of me that holds on, making me afraid to let myself fall freely.

What's the point in telling people to escape their troubles for a bit when I can't even do that without feeling like I'm doing something wrong? It's not that I don't know how to have fun - though it's taken a lot longer for me to catch on than most people - but sometimes it feels forced. I don't know, it's always something I've struggled with - at least compared to most of my peers growing up. Maybe part of it comes from being a convenient person - one who doesn't ask for much, someone who doesn't go out of their way to bring attention to themselves - the kind of person who tags along and is just there.

It's kinda like I don't know exactly how to have fun. Sort of like I'm second guessing myself by wondering, "Is this what having fun feels like? Am I doing it right? Is this enough?" and of course, that totally defeats the purpose of escaping and letting go.

I have to say, being at the camp as helped a lot in terms of teaching me how to live in the moment and enjoy the good times to the fullest. It's still a bit of a new concept for me, but at least I'm coming out of my shell - and that's what counts. Maybe I'll never be as carefree as some people - I've been told that I'm kinda low-key and serious by nature - and I'm okay with that. Sometimes I wish that I could be a bit more vocal and expressive and active, but most of the time I'm happy with being an observer and doing my own thing in the background.

It was Chai and Rhonda's idea to visit the Sparkle Islands. It was on the list for a while but for the past year the islands were undergoing a lot of reconstruction so a lot of places were closed. Leyla, who's one of the princesses of the islands, was behind a lot of the restoration and repair of various sites.

Turns out that I just missed her when we visited Maron Heights to watch our friends perform in After Hours at the Opera. Because she was so busy getting the islands back in shape, she dropped by to see the show the night before we came and went back home the next morning.

Like with Kat, Hawk, AJ, and Elara, Leyla's been going through a bunch of changes as well now that things are settling down. Aside from rebuilding the islands, Leyla's getting reacquainted with her mom Archer, who disappeared about twenty years ago in a disaster that left part of the main island in shambles for years. Having her back is still a huge adjustment for Leyla and her momma Rosie as she missed out on a lot. Leyla and Kat are pretty much on the same page when it comes to reuniting with a parent who was presumed dead for most of their lives. Despite the initial awkwardness, things are going well.

As for Leyla, a heated reunion between her moms led to an unexpected surprise - three actually. In about five months their little family of three will double in size. While her moms are terrified, Leyla's at the point where she's fully looking forward to having three new siblings. Sure, it'll be tough as her moms are out of practice with taking care of a baby (or babies). The way Leyla sees it, the 20 + age difference is more of an advantage because she can easily help take care of the babies as her moms will definitely be overwhelmed.

So along with overseeing the islands, Leyla's been helping Rosie take care of Archer, who's on strict bedrest. Archer's doing okay for the most part but the pregnancy has taken a toll on her, especially since there's a high potential for complications. Now with reconstruction almost done - about 98% according to Leyla - she has been spending a lot of time with her moms.

It was by chance that we ran into Lenie and her brothers as well as Leyla and her moms. Leyla's been dropping by to check in on us but it wasn't until today she joined us on a fun filled day of crafting floaties and riding whales. Rosie insisted that Leyla take a well deserved break and invited us for dinner when we got back.

Crafting floaties was a lot of fun and so was diving in the Shimmering Whirlpool. It does take some getting used to though, and one should be a somewhat experienced swimmer as the currents can get quite unpredictable. A bit too rough for my liking at times - not a fan of being spun around quickly because motion sickness, ugh - but overall it was an interesting experience. Definitely more into crafting floaties though.

Maybe I would be more of a thrill seeker if I didn't get so dizzy easily. I can't even look at something spinning for more than half a minute without feeling a headache coming on.

Late afternoon and evening were much more chill, thankfully. Bubble tea, sandwiches, and ice cream at the beach. Building sandcastles and breaking open coconuts. Lying on a beach towel under an umbrella and watching the waves. It's hard to believe that a couple months ago this place was left in ruins.

The biggest highlight was the whale ride. Leyla set us up with some of her friends, who were more than happy to let us hop on and show us the ocean. And I have to say, it was an amazing experience!

For a moment, I was able to let go completely. No worries, no doubts, no second guessing myself. Just bliss and exhilaration. A rare moment in which I get to be in the moment instead of being aware that I'm living a memory that I'll be looking back on fondly someday. It's strange, to lose yourself like that and not feel... weird? Guilty? Disconnected? Like you're not enjoying it enough because a part of your mind is elsewhere.

Riding a whale towards a sunset - what a way to spend an evening! I guess my takeaway from this mind blowing experience is that I need to learn that a part of having fun is letting happiness come to you instead of forcing it or telling yourself that you should be enjoying this. I need to keep that in mind.

[bleachanimefan1]

In Noctem

Chapter 1

Reunion

1991, Hogsmeade

Dear Ms. Craft, I have sent this letter in hopes that you would consider in helping. Strange incidents have been occurring involving disappearances and I fear that they're getting closer to Hogwarts. We need someone of your talents to investigate on this matter. Someone will also be accompanying you to meet with your informant. The meeting will take place at the Three Broomsticks at midnight.

P.S. You still have not responded on my other offer. Hogwarts is looking for a staff for the Defense Against the Dark Arts. Please reconsider it. I will awaiting your owl for your response. Sincerely, Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

In the pub, a woman no younger then 18 sat in a chair away from everyone else. Fae took a sip of her fire whiskey and slammed the glass down on the counter. She glanced over the letter again before crumbling it up. She casted windgardium leviosa on it making the crumpled ball float.

"Incendio." Fae mutters as she downed another drink from her glass.

The letter began to catch ablaze and disintegrated into ash. She shakes her head and snorted. He just doesn't give up. This was the fifteenth letter this week that she received from Dumbledore. Then her thoughts began to drift of her memories from Hogwarts. Becoming a prefect, hanging out with her friends in the grand hall, playing gobstones with them, kicking Merula's butt in wizard duels.

Fae's lips curled into a smile and she snickers. She sighs, downing another drink. Merula...I wonder what's she's doing now... She swirled her drink in her glass, still lost deep in her thoughts. Her vision began to get blurry, slightly spinning and the noise from the other customers in the pub began to fade in and out as she was starting to get drunker.

She heard someone clear their throat from behind her and turned around, nearly falling out of seat as she did, to see who it was.

Green eyes met with black as they stared back into hers, drawing her into them as if they were staring into her soul. A tall man with a crooked nose, long greasy black hair, dressed in black, and a long cloak which gave him the appearance of a bat, stared down at her in slightly annoyed as if he had began calling out to her for awhile. She felt her heart skipped a beat.

She first laid eyes on him sitting with the teachers during her first year at Hogwarts at the sorting ceremony "Severus." Fae slurred. She felt her cheeks grew got as she blushed.

Severus sneered "Oh, nice to see that your ears do work for a change, Miss Craft. Not that you ever listened to begin with." He said, agitated.

"And you're still the sour and bitter professor who still teaches potions class." Fae said, sarcastically as she smirked.

Severus frowned "I see you're still the same mouthy little brat." He said.

Fae glared up at him "I'm not a brat anymore, Sev." She tells him.

Severus eyes widen in shock. There was only one person who would ever call him that. He was furious. How dare she?!

"Don't call me that. Ever." He said, coldly

Fae raises an eyebrow taken back by his sudden attitude "What? Did I struck a nerve?" She retorts

Severus scoffs and huffs "So, this is what Hogwarts finest student reduced to? Sitting in a bar getting drunk."

"I'm not drunk, *Hic, you greasy git." Fae said as she stumbles, trying get out of her seat. She falls to the floor as she did, losing her balance.

"Pathetic." Severus said. He looks at the fire whiskey sitting on the counter and turns to Madame Rosemerta "How many did she have?" He asks.

"Just one. She only taken a few sips." Rosemerta answered. "If I'd had known that she couldn't handle alcohol, I wouldn't have given it to her."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighs. He looks down at the witch on the floor who was still trying to stand up but was failing miserably. He bent down and grabbed Fae by her arm pulling her up. She stumbled into his chest. Severus pushed her back off of him, but hold her arms supporting her until she was able to stand on her own.

"Are you going to be able to do this or not?" Severus asked, irritated.

"I can do it, *hic,-" Suddenly, Fae felt something coming up her throat as an unpleasant feeling hit her and she quickly ran towards the trash can and hurled up the rest of her dinner.

Severus looks away in disgust, as well as some unfortunate customer who witnessed it, and shakes his head "Let's just get this over with. The sooner the better. We're supposed to be meeting him here at the three broomsticks, correct?" He lets out an annoyed sigh "He's late."

"Well, It is a full moon out." Fae explained, feeling a little better.

"How very observant of you?" Severus retorts.

Fae wipes her mouth then walked over to him "Why are you always like this? So distant. So cold?" She asks.

Severus looks at her as he narrows his eyes "I believe that's none of your business, ." He said.

"What? Did someone break your heart or something?" Fae questions. Severus glares at her, staring in silence saying nothing.

"We're in the same house. I don't see why we can't share secrets. You know, get to know one another. We're both adults here." Fae replied.

"The sorting hat made a mistake. Ever since you were in slytherin, you've been a walking catastrophe. Always, sneaking off in the middle of the night." Severus said.

Fae interrupted "To help Hogwarts. And it's a good thing that I did! If my friends and I, hadn't the cursed ice would have spread throughout the entire school."

"Costing Slytherin house points." Severus adds.

"We still won the house cup. Six years straight, I might add." Fae interjected.

"Would have been seven if you've hadn't just quit. The other professors were disappointed, such as Mcgonagall and Flitwick. They claimed that you've had so much potential, of being an professor at Hogwarts. Although, I've never seen it. " Severus said.

Fae shrugged, ignoring his comment, not looking at him, and said "I've taken advanced classes and learned hard spells that most students wouldn't be able to do. I learned all that I needed to know. So what's the point of staying another year? I'm perfectly happy with just being an auror."

"There's more to life than just simply casting spells, Craft. Clearly, what you're lacking in, is judgment."

Fae shrugged her shoulders " Meh. "

"You're just as arrogant and naive as your brother. Another Slytherin, also a rule breaker. He went looking for the cursed vaults and look at where it got him. Expelled. "

Fae steps towards him narrowing her eyes up at his, glaring "Don't talk you ever talk about my brother that way." She growls "My parents and I are worried sick! We don't even know if he's alive or dead! We've hadn't heard from him in years!"

"Am I interrupting something?" A voice interrupted them. Fae and Severus turned to see a brown shaggy haired man, with yellow-green eyes, and a scar of a slash mark running over his nose and half of his face.

"Remus!" Fae exclaimed as she ran over to hug him.

" Lupin. " Severus said, bitterly.

Remus chuckles and returns Fae's hug and looked at the two of them "I heard from Dumbledore that you two were close, but I didn't expect that close. "

"We're not." Severus replied emotionless.

"Dumbledore told me that there's been strange incidents that's been occurring. People disappearing in the night as if they vanished. No trace of evidence left. And what's more troubling is that it's growing closer towards Hogwarts. I fear that who ever is behind this may attack the school."

"Could it be Voldemort?" Fae asked.

The entire pub went quiet and a few customers shot a few glances at the witch, before going back to their conversation. "Shh!" Rosemerta scolds "Don't say his name out loud!"

"I'm not scared." Fae said as she shrugs her shoulders "It's just a name."

"You should be." Severus replied "You wouldn't be so confident it you knew what you were facing."

"What? Did you know him or something?" Fae prodded. Severus stared back at her in silence.

He ignored her then turned to Remus "Getting back to the question at hand, Is there anything else that you heard about the disappearances?" He asked

Remus was about to answer him until a blood curdling shriek screamed outside. A window broke as a stray spell shattered it into a billion pieces. Suddenly, dark cloaked figures apperated into the pub. They began to shoot off spells casting at everyone in the room. Rosemerta took cover behind the counter. Patrons shrieked as they tried to move out of the way, while some disapperated out in a panic.

Then, Fae was on the floor as she was pushed down by Severus as he knocked her out of the way from the bombardment of spells. She didn't know if it was still the alcohol in her system but she blushed as she saw that Severus was still on top of her. Remus casted a protego charm to block some of them, defending the two of them.

"Are you going to sit there and stare, or are you going to make yourself useful and help?" Severus retorts as he blocks some of the spells then casting back a few, attacking back trying to disarm the intruders.

Fae pulls out her wand and joined in. Remus, Severus, and Fae were being pushed back as the intruders started to surround them. She casted a protego charm blocking spells as they bounced off.

"We need to get out of here!" Remus exclaimed.

"Protego maxima!" Fae screamed out loud. A bright light erupted from her wand engulfing the whole room and blasted the intruders sending them flying out of the Three Broomsticks. Outside, they landed on the ground roughly as some were knocked out by the blast. As the light dimmed, Fae looked at her wand to see that it was starting to crack and split apart. Her wand can't take much more.

Severus and Remus looked at the witch, stunned to see such powerful magic that she had casted. Rosemerta peeked out from behind the counter "Is it over?" She asked, nervously.

As Fae looks back at the intruders, she noticed one of the them starting to flee and chased after him, leaving Severus and Remus to fight off the remaining attackers.

"Fae!" Remus shouted.

" Craft, get back here! " Severus calls out to her.

Fae continued to chase after them. They shot out spells but she deflected them. As she managed to get closer she shot her hand out and grabbed the good of the intruder's cloak, pulling it back. She pointed her wand at their face.

Fae's eyes widen in shock and she steps back from them. Her mouth drops and her arms fall to her side, lowering her wand. Red eyes stared back into hers.

"B-Brother?!" Fae stuttered in disbelief.

[johnnyonespur]

Santa Fe

So ever since visiting Meow Wolf on my own (back in March 2017), I’ve wanted to bring the kids there. But summer was busy (and hot), and then both the kids had school, so...

Anyway, so last weekend I finally brought them! The weekend:

Friday: Rocky pulled the kids out of school early, and the kids and I left Denver about 2:50 p.m. I’d stayed home that day to do road-trip-snack-shopping, get the car’s oil changed, pick up some maps, and do the packing. We stopped for gas in Trinidad (about 3 hours’ south of Denver), and dinner at Blake’s Lotaburger in Las Vegas, NM (incredible green chile burger!). Also, like, three pee stops. Got into Santa Fe about 9:30, which means we made it in 6 1/2 hours, which is about half an hour less than I had thought it would take. Checked in at the Sage Inn hotel, and we watched half of Captain Underpants (a colleague had loaned me an HDMI cable so I could use my laptop as a DVD player!).

Saturday: Got up around 8:00, had the hotel breakfast, but it was still only 9:00, and Meow Wolf didn’t open until 10:00. So we walked to the farmer’s market a couple blocks away. Beautiful food! I got a coffee, and the kids got to play in a little park there. Sunny and clear, but the temperature was around freezing.

Drove to Meow Wolf. I’d bought the tix last night online, so didn’t have to wait in line.

The kids loved it, as I’d thought they would. It was kinda hard keeping them corralled, since there are so many directions to go, and so much to see. But we managed to see everything (I think). We spent maybe two hours, then went to the kids’ art area, where they painted, built forts with big foam blocks, and built towers with magnetic blocks. We probably spent at least an hour and a half there in the art studio. Then we went out for lunch, and came back to MW and went through it all again for another 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

The kids were really excited by the idea of the Art-O-Mat--an old cigarette vending machine that’s been repurposed to sell small (cigarette-box-sized) works of art for $5. The lass got a beautiful painted rock. The lad got a print on a wooden block that he wasn’t super fond of, so I took that one and he got a Japanese fish print that he did really like.

After that, we went to the Harrell House Bug Museum. Unfortunately, the lass had fallen deep asleep, so she missed the entire thing! The lad bought some little plastic animalitos with his own money (he loves them!). He got to handle a bunch of different bugs--a millipede, a tarantula, hissing cockroaches, and a vinagroon. But the highlight of his evening was the place had some axolotls and tiger salamanders.

See, for the last few months, the lad has REALLY been into salamanders (not lizards). Also diplocaulus, but they’re not as common to find, and they’re also extinct. But I don’t think he’s ever seen an actual live salamander--just photos in books. So he was super-excited. And I asked the guy if he could hold one of the tiger salamanders, and since we were the only ones there, he said sure. So the lad got to hold one for a few seconds. He was positively giddy! We also got to see a water monitor eat an entire dead rat, which was cool (though not as cool as the salamander).

We went back to the hotel, and got a couple salads to finish off dinner (since we’d had lunch so late, we didn’t really need much) while we finished Captain Underpants. The Caesar salad was pretty good, but the caprese salad was literally two slices of tomato and two slices of supermarket mozzarella. Kind of a ripoff.

Sunday: We had the hotel breakfast, then got donuts from a place that was supposed to be really good (they were meh). Then we went to the plaza to walk around, but there’s nothing there for kids, really (they’re not into the Native American jewelry sales or fancy art galleries). They did enjoy chasing pigeons around trying to catch one, though. And while doing so, the lad’s second tooth came out! Yay!

Then we went back to the Bug Museum, because the lass was sad that she’d missed it. A different guy there this time, though, so she didn’t get to hold a salamander, though she did hold the bugs.

Then we had a picnic for lunch, and then went to the Museum of International Folk Art, which is the one I’d wanted to see. It was alright, but not a lot to see for $12 (at least the kids were free). One of the halls was closed for remodeling, though. They had a kids’ play area, where they spent about an hour, and there was another area downstairs where later we did some origami for maybe another 45 minutes.

By then it was 5:00, the sun was setting, it was getting cold, and there’s nothing to do for kids in Santa Fe at 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday night (I looked to see if there were any kids’ movies in theaters, but no...). So we got pizza for dinner and gelato afterwards, and then went back to the hotel. I’d like to say we got to bed early, but the kids stayed up (probably the gelato) and I stayed up way late looking at the photos I’d taken and such.

Monday: hotel breakfast and packing. Both the kids got showers, which is an achievement. Got out about 10:30. Stopped by the Flea Market, but it’s only open on Fri Sat Sun, apparently. I was going to go to the outlying, loser section of Bandelier that has a nice rocky hike and petroglyphs, but then the GPS was like, “Bandelier is 7.6 miles away.” So I decided just to go to Bandelier, since the kids had never seen cliff dwellings or Native American ruins. (I’d forgotten that the GPS measuring attractions just gives the distance as the crow flies, so 7.6 was actually 12, and that was just to the entrance--the ruins were another 3.5 miles, and then back like 25 miles to the highway. So it was a pretty big detour.)

Bandelier was cool--the kids liked climbing the ladders and the caves, but they were more interested in finding pretty rocks in the gravel pathway than appreciating the history of the site. Still, it was a beautiful walk, and they did get to see their first cliff dwelling/Native American archaeological site, so...

I was going to stop at Taos Pueblo, since that’s another thing the kids have never experienced, but by the time we got to Taos, it was like 3:00, and there’s still another 4 or 5 hours to Denver. So we had lunch at another Lotaburger, and then just drove straight through. It was a long push, but no traffic at all, and we got back to Denver at like 8:30. And made it on one tank of gas all the way from Santa Fe, too!

Anyway, it was a great trip, though because we only had three and a half days, it was a little rushed. But we got to do almost everything I’d wanted to do, the kids had a blast, and couldn’t wait to tell Rocky about everything they saw and did. I figure between the hotel, the food, the gas, and the entry fees, it was probably about $550. Maybe next time we’ll aim for a cheaper hotel, or the hostel (which has a kitchen, so less money spent on restaurant food).

Hotel: $230 (3 nights)

Food: about $100 or so--three dinners, two lunches, and donuts, for three of us.

Entry fees: about $80 for Meow Wolf, the Folk Art Museum, the Bug Museum (twice), and Bandelier.

Gas: two half-tank fill-ups at $25 each, plus I’ll need to fill the car up again once more.

Other: $15 for the Art-O-Mat, then a housekeeping tip, animalitos for the kids, a coffee for me, etc. Maybe another $30 total.

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

All aboard the Midnight Train

One of the hardest parts of embarking on a big journey is taking the first step. I can say for certain that you will definitely stumble and fall - believe me, I’ve fallen further than I’ve moved forward - but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

That’s not to say you don’t have every right to be ticked off when things go wrong. I mean mishaps can be a good learning experience, but it’s okay to get frustrated when you lose your way. 

Hell, it’s absolutely okay to bail out and throw in the towel when you’re just not feeling it. Perseverance is good, but sometimes it’s okay to say “fuck this shit, I’m out” - not to mention freeing if it’s about something that’s really dragging you down.

Sometimes life doesn’t work out. It fucking sucks but in most cases there’s nothing you can really do other than carry on. As my mom says, what’s done is done. Stop trying to build a house if it brings you more frustration than joy - tear the whole damn thing down and burn the remains if you have to.

Funny how far your mind can wander when you’re on a train. With nothing but trees, beautiful landscapes, and the starry night skies, deep thoughts are bound to run free. Especially when it’s about something that’s been on your mind for a while.

At the start of the new year, Daisy Jane decided to leave Rosevine. Like many other old friends - and myself - as much as we love our charming little town, we were starting to outgrow it. After spending almost two years at home stuck in a limbo, Daisy Jane had enough and packed her bags. Her mom wasn't too on board with the idea as she doesn’t really have the means to support herself but nevertheless she gave her daughter her blessing to go out in the world.

Daisy Jane’s one of those people who deserve so much more and yet usually ends up with the short end of the stick. She’s one of the most creative people I know and could easily make it as an artist if she had the support. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not nagging on her family, but at times they don’t respect her enough - especially her sister. 

What I’m saying is that Daisy Jane could've become an artist if she wanted to, but disapproval from family is a hefty roadblock. They say doubt kills more dreams than failure but what about strict family expectations? Asian parents, amirite?

Tired of sitting around at home, getting repeatedly rejected in a career involving a degree she worked her ass off for, and being put down for not being as successful as everyone else, Daisy Jane needed to get out. So she did, taking a leap of faith and jumping straight into the unknown. She didn’t have a plan in mind, but sometimes you just gotta cut and run before you lose your nerve.

Months of traveling led her to the small village of Neptunia as she was running low on funds. What seemed like a promising new start quickly fell apart as soon as she stepped into her new house. That’s because it’s not actually her house - it belongs to someone else. Because Neptunia is so small and resources are limited, Daisy Jane is stuck rooming with a stranger. And both have to pay off the remaining mortgage, adding to the annoyance of both since the main resident already paid off a huge part of it herself.

Because of the living situation, Daisy Jane’s not too keen about living in Neptunia now. Her housemate’s nice and all but neither one were prepared for the roommate situation. Had she known about that, Daisy Jane wouldn’t have gone through with the move. But knowing how bad Tom Nook felt about the miscommunication regarding housing (you just can’t stay mad at him for too long - and in his defense, Neptunia’s kinda on the bottom of his list of villages he’s overseeing so it’s easy to forget things) Daisy Jane decided to stick around and see how things work out.

Six months in and things have been pretty meh for Daisy Jane. She didn’t want to dwell on the negatives too much but I suspected that she wasn’t entirely truthful. Always eager to please and willing to silently suffer, that Daisy Jane. Instead of creating art like she wants to, Daisy Jane’s been selling pears and shells, randomly planting stuff around the village, and running errands for everyone. She doesn’t mind doing all that (well, except maybe the garden, which she admits isn’t something she’s too excited about) but it all seems kinda anticlimactic. It also doesn’t help that Neptunia’s kinda isolated so there’s rarely any visitors, so things are pretty monotonous.

And to top it all off, Daisy Jane’s experiencing the absolute worst art block ever. By spending all her waking hours trying to pay off a mortgage, saving up for a rainy day, and catering to everyone else’s needs, she rarely has time for herself - or her creativity. 

I really miss seeing her art online. It’s been months since she last posted something she made and it’s sad. You never know how much you miss something until it’s gone. The same can be said about creativity.

I’ve had my moments where my creativity and motivation for art burns out and it’s not a good feeling. Being someone who is driven by creating art, losing that spark is one of my biggest fears because without it, I’d be nothing. Art is one of those things that keep me going so to lose that means I’ve lost my purpose. I’d hate to think about what happens if my creativity is gone for good.

And what’s even worse is that I’m afraid Daisy Jane’s headed for that direction if she doesn’t take action soon. I suspected something from our texts and her posts, but seeing her in person really puts things into perspective. 

She’s not one for selfies, her last one being taken over a year ago, so seeing her face for the first time in forever, I almost didn’t recognize her. From her hair being tied into three messy pigtails instead of adorned with pretty clips to the concealer hiding away the bags under her eyes and the slightly too dark blush on her face (what happened to her naturally rosy cheeks?) as well as the slightly ragged Nook shirt a couple sizes too large, I could’ve sworn that she was someone else.

Visiting Neptunia wasn’t too bad, but it’s no Wizpire. Things are just a tad bit too slow for my liking - and a bit outdated as well, then again what do you expect in these parts? Honestly I’m surprised that Tom Nook still keeps tabs on this village, especially since he’s busy with islands and such. Then again, he does feel bad about Daisy Jane’s housing mishap so he’s been dropping by quite a bit to check in on her.

To say that Daisy Jane’s been frustrated is an understatement. She describes it as escaping from one prison only to get stuck in a trap. Except staying in the trap is more practical than going back out on the road where it’s unpredictable. So she’s in a position where she feels like she can’t really complain because it’s not like she’s stuck in the middle of nowhere. It’s not an ideal situation but sometimes you need to pick and choose your battles.

I can’t tell Daisy Jane what to do since it’s not up to me, nor should I try to influence her in any way, but I can take her away for a bit. An outsider’s perspective can be super helpful, especially if you’ve been looking way too closely and missing out on the big picture. I know I’ve fallen into that trap too many times, wasting too much time and energy on one small piece without considering the overall grand scheme of things.

So we took out the train amenity to go on a late night ride. We’ve been meaning to bring back the train and this was the perfect opportunity for it. A scenic route’s the perfect way to escape from monotony and let your mind wander without putting too much effort into it. 

Also, Daisy Jane enjoys long train rides as she’s the kind of artist who breaks out a sketchbook to capture the view outside her window. It’s amazing what she can do with a pen (yes, she uses a ballpoint pen and does so with full confidence) and paper. It would be a shame to see her talent and passion go to waste.

The train ride was super relaxing and beautiful to look at. Of course, it didn’t solve Daisy Jane’s problems, but it was a good retreat. I can tell by how much her eyes lit up that she’s feeling a lot better than she had in a long time. I had suggested that she bring her sketchbook along as well as a pen (no pencil, because that’s now how Daisy Jane works!) and that did wonders for her. 

I never thought that the sight of Daisy Jane scribbling in her sketchbook with ink stained hands would bring me as much joy as it did tonight. I’m pretty sure she filled about half the book in the span of a couple hours.

Creativity can be fickle. Sometimes it flows in a steady stream, sometimes it comes and goes, and other times it goes into a drought before flooding back like a storm. The latter is what describes Daisy Jane. Hopefully the storm will lead to a steady flow of inspiration. After all, you can’t keep the tide from coming in, even after a long dry spell.

The night’s still young and there’s still so much to see. It’s just me and Daisy Jane in the train but it feels like we’re in different worlds. There she is, scribbling away, capturing the views outside her window. Jagged shapes for mountains, curving lines for rivers, scattered stars bringing a night sky to life - even in rough sketches, you can tell it’s unmistakably Daisy Jane.

A train ride won’t solve all of Daisy Jane’s problems, but it’s a start.