#i got them a cute yellow house from the gallery

[youlooklikeasixtiesqueen]

i've recently started actually playing the sims 4 again instead of just building and it's actually much more fun than i remember?

[pumpkinsy0]

fuck it, more Purly Haitian vacation thoughts:

On the first day, Ponyboy got sunburnt to all hell. Yeah he was made fun of for it, but whatever they gave him wasn't regular aloe, it was better.

Runs out of clean clothes (he didn't have much to pack anyway) so he makes due with the clothes given to him (and insisted he keep and bring to america)

Curly jokes he'd look cute in a karabela. Pony doesn't know what that is and just rolls his eyes.

Sandals! Everyone wears them. Ponyboy watches fondly as Curly's aunt weaves him a pair, asking him if he likes the color purple, which he responds "Wi Matènèl." Just like Curly taught him.

The mornings come early and while Curly would love nothing more than to lay in bed all day with Pony, he does want to wake up early and take him for scooter rides. Ponyboy holds on to him tightly as they weave around corners. Curly is in heaven.

Ponyboy is interested in the literature and art of Haiti and loves the bright colors of the homes. He loves their cheap art galleries and after dinner he's read to in Kreyole first and then English second because he wants to try and learn what stories are being told to him.

Darry has asked him to call if possible. There's only one phone avaliable and it's at "the big house." it costs a lot of money to call but The Shepards don't bat an eye giving him the coins he needs to tell his brother he's okay and what his day was like.

Curly avoids all questions asked to him about family back in America. He can't stomach the thought that his relatives think he's living it up and couldn't be further from the truth.

He hates America. Hates the racism. Hates their stupid laws. He hates how their mother left this beautiful place to chase a man that doesn't give a hang about them.

Curly needs a cigarette. On the porch, he pauses:

Ponyboy is given a pretty red and yellow choublack flower crown (cause it's still the 60s) and is out on the street with a bunch of Curly's younger cousins who ask him to draw on the sidewalks with them. Ponyboy never got the opportunity to be a big brother, so it's all fun and games with him. It's lightly raining, a sunshine shower. Ponyboy is smiling, laughing and singing along to some child's song, slightly butchering the words.

Curly is whipped at the sight.

i JUST woke up to this absolute GEM of an ask im going insane im like a dog with zoomies after a shower another BANGER anon ask about haiti omg

AND AND I WANNA ADD MORE THOUGHTS☝🏽☝🏽☝🏽☝🏽

•the shepards has family in the countryside of haiti, and they have a fucking donkey and that thing would nibble on ponys shirt everytime he came near and it was ALWAYS him and him alone like dude???fuck of?????

•pony would LOVE ti kawòl (its this ice cream in a bag thing, comes in different flavors) but he likes it when its melted so he literally WAITS till its a liquid again, pokes a hole in the bag and drinks it and curly, tim, angela, and their family think hes so WEIRD for that

•curlys aunt is always making malta ak lèt (just means malta and milk) and its curly, pony, and the younger cousins fault that its always gone within a few days like my god

•theres a good chunk of reptiles in haiti and curly used to spend his time catching the fuckers when he still used to live in haiti, and ik he took pony to the best places he would find em, however outside of that sometimes pony would find them on accident and his body would take a ss

•kite flying is pretty important, i think pony and curly should be allowed to make their own cool looking kite at least once

•tim and curly were def stealing cool looking plates from their aunts and was forcing pony to be apart of it, he was a mess trying to keep it together

•OHOH sometimes they would have to ride tap taps (just look it up im WAY to lazy to explain it) and pony was a bit nervous bc theres rlly no specific individual seats and no seatbelts, so curly would hold onto him to make him feel safer so gay

•pony def accidentally got some mannerisms from his time there, this is more of a “if u get it u get it” thing, but if yknow that look ur haitian elder gives u when they catch u doin some stupid shit and they just stand there w their hands crossed???yea pony started doing that LMAOOO

•angela made pony this bracelet w seashells, she was makin em w her fav aunt :3

•the whole family went to the beach and curly hit pony w a wet sandbl and IMMEDIATELY fell and got a cut on his knee by a seashell and i promise u, when there was a collective sound of “gade” (means look in creole) in a ‘well thats your karma’ way, i mean it

•pony and curly both have to share a place on the couch to sleep on so they r just all up on each other by the time 4am rolls around

•curly has this scarf thats used in haitian folklore dances and he is NOT using it to dance, hes using it to pull pony in by the neck or hips, i can feel it trust me on this

•one of the shepards family members is a snack vendor, like the kinds w the snack cart right outside schools, and they would always get free snacks, in return they helped w the homemade snacks they sold, but that goes as well as it can w pony and curly making food, they r NOT allowed to make fresco again

•curly would climb treats for fruits pony wanted he def would

•pony brought the gang lil souvenirs :P

[nochuelinha]

Chapter 7: Ulkun

   The year was coming to an end, Edward went back to school after two more days at home, he went back to teaching me too, everything was quiet now. Bella went to school every day with Jacob and they are definitely together now. As the school year is coming to an end, I'm swamped with exams and assignments to hand in, but luckily for me I have five vampires who have already graduated from high school many times over, so I don't lack for help. Alice is already planning a family vacation, but Rosa and Emmett want to go on a couple's trip. The two of them were sitting on opposite sides of the room, in a staring match, while one was making an argument defending her idea, the other was disagreeing.

___ It's the first time we're going on vacation with Stella, she's part of the family now - Alice pointed at me - Look at her puppy dog eyes - I looked at Rosa and quickly denied it, I gave a yellow smile and tried to run out of there, but I ended up bumping into Emmett who was standing with his arms crossed looking at the two of them in disapproval, for the first time I saw him serious.

___ We're going to be married for 80 years on this vacation, we want to do something special - Rosa pointed out, I looked at Emmett and he agreed, Alice seemed to ponder.

___ We could go to Paris, it's romantic enough and it's also a beautiful time because of Christmas - Jasper butted in, they both looked at him, it was a good idea, I sat back down and waited for the final verdict. Rosa looked at Emmett, who gave her a thumbs up, Alice also seemed to like the idea, it was decided, let's go to Paris.

     Two weeks later, classes finally finished, thanks to my brothers, I managed to pass all my subjects successfully. The winter break has begun. Everyone was packing and preparing for the trip. Alice was making a surprise for Rosa, she planned a small wedding ceremony in Paris, with the help of some friends from Carlisle, Esme and I helped with everything. I packed a small suitcase, we were going on the family plane, Alice was carrying so many suitcases that it looked like she was moving.

___ That's all you're taking? - before I could answer, she continued - You're going to buy clothes there, aren't you? How clever of you - she jumped up and continued storing her things in the trunk. Shopping was not my intention at all. There was no more room to put my suitcase, so Edward took my suitcase and put it in the trunk of his Volvo, along with his own.

___ Come here, Alice needs two cars to carry her luggage - he joked.

     Once everyone was ready, we set off for the airport. I've never traveled by plane, in fact, I've never traveled anywhere, so I'm a bit anxious. The journey took about three hours, but as the plane wouldn't leave without us we weren't worried. We boarded the plane and everyone sat comfortably, I'd brought a book to distract me, but the conversation was much more lively, we laughed and even sang songs, spending time with them was wonderful. We arrived and it was already evening, Carlisle had rented a house in the city center, I was delighted with everything, again I was in the car with Edward, who looked at me amused.

___ You look like those puppies who stick their heads and tongues out of car windows - I looked at him indignantly - Don't be angry, it's cute.

     We were arriving at the house we were renting and I could see the Eiffel Tower, illuminated and shining. The house was older on the outside, but very modern on the inside. The rooms were separate and I got one with a view of the Tower. I took a shower, put on my pajamas and sat in the armchair by the window, admiring the view. It seemed magical. I spent hours there, but I looked for things to do, managed to find the Paris aquarium, three museums nearby and the street of designer galleries, now I just needed to convince someone to go with me. I left the room and walked around the house, finding Alice typing furiously on her cell phone.

___ I think that if you carry on like this, there won't be a cell phone left before you've even finished typing your message - I said, and she jumped in fright, wow, she was really concentrating so she didn't notice me.

___ I'm finalizing the preparations for the ceremony, there are so few details left - she was looking forward to it. I stayed with her watching and deciding on the details. Rosa's dress was plain, white and long, with a bare back and lace on the sleeves, delicate and sensual, just like her. We had to tell Emmett, so he could help too, but he was more excited about what he was going to do on his honeymoon. The ceremony would take place in two days' time and I still hadn't chosen a dress. After helping Alice, I went to my room to change, I wanted to go out and explore Paris. I put on pants, a boot and two coats, fixed my hair and before going downstairs I met Edward at his bedroom door.

___ Are you going out? - he asked me.

___ Yes, but first I need someone to accompany me, I have no sense of direction, but I have a schedule of what I want to do - I showed him my cell phone with the list of places I want to visit, he laughed and started walking.

___ I'll go with you, I don't have any plans, but I don't want to stay in here - everyone was excited to leave, each with their own plans. We were separated into 4 groups, or rather 4 pairs. The day was cloudy and cold, great for vampires. Our first stop was the aquarium, I felt like a kid again, everything was so beautiful and fun, I took lots of pictures of everything I saw, and I took some with Edward too. Then we went to two museums nearby, and more and more photos filled my phone. Edward's company was great, the conversation flowed naturally and his presence was comfortable.

___ What do you say we go to a coffee shop? - he suggested - I know one you might like not far from here - he looked at me waiting for an answer.

___ Show me the way - I slipped my arm through his and pulled him along, he laughed and took the lead.

     The coffee shop was the most charming thing I've ever seen, it looked like something out of a Disney movie, we ordered our drinks and sat down to talk.

___ What do you think of Paris - he leaned back in his chair comfortably, his eyes were soft and sparkling, it was nice to see them like that again.

___ It's all so incredible, it's like I'm in a fairytale - I said excitedly and showed him the photos I'd taken, even one of him in which he was standing - I still need to buy a dress for Rosa's wedding, Alice has everything planned and I don't even know what I'm going to wear - I worried a bit, but he also needed a suit, so we agreed to look for a store that could help both of us. The day passed quickly and we were already back home - Thank you for spending the day with me today - I thanked him before getting out of the car, and he smiled.

___ Apparently everyone has plans for this trip, as you and I don't have anything in mind, we're going out exploring Paris together, as well as having an appointment with suits and dresses tomorrow - he replied with good humor.

     The wedding day arrived, I had managed to buy a nice dress, the ceremony was going to be simple and intimate, I met Carlisle's friends who lived in Paris, Alice was probably getting Rosa now. I was sitting next to Edward, the ceremony was going to take place in a vineyard, outdoors, even though it was cloudy, the decorations were impeccable. With arches of flowers, hanging lights and musicians playing, Esme entered with Emmett who was wearing a dark blue suit, his dark brown hair was neatly combed, for the first time I saw him like this. My dress was gray silk, with long sleeves and a side slit. Edward was wearing a black suit, but only his jacket, and in his pocket was a handkerchief in the same tone and fabric as my dress. My make-up was simple, but there were touches of glitter. The music started playing and we stood up, Alice was next to me with Jasper, Rosa was walking in with Carlisle, looking as beautiful as ever, her hair in a pretty bun, a transparent veil covering her face and a red bouquet, her dress was impeccable. She looked splendid. The ceremony was beautiful and I cried with emotion. Next to me, Edward laughed when he saw me crying, but he offered a handkerchief and put his arm around my waist. 

___ I'll never forget the moment I met you, I thought I was going to die, but you appeared, like an angel who came to save me, even if I didn't survive, it's worth it to have laid my eyes on you at least once. But I've been given one more chance to live and I more than deserve to stay by your side, it will be us for the rest of our long lives and I couldn't imagine being this happy - Emmett's speech was emotional, Rosalie herself let a few tears fall, they kissed and the ceremony came to an end.

     The party was a lot of fun, the music was soft and elegant, we took lots of photos and drank a lot, Emmett and Rosa didn't leave each other's side for a second and they were all smiles. Night had fallen and the clouds had cleared, as we were a little way from the city the stars were more visible here, I was distracted as I sipped the wine that had been served, I recognized the song that was playing now, Can't Help Falling in Love, a classic, I turned my eyes to the dance floor and towards me, illuminated by the party lights, with a graceful and sensual air he came towards me.

___ Give me this dance - with one hand back and the other outstretched towards me, looking into my eyes he asked, I smiled and took his hand.

___ I have two left feet - he pulled me onto the dance floor, his hand rested on my back, the other held my hand, I rested the remaining one on his shoulder, he guided me slowly and delicately, we didn't break eye contact for a second, it felt like there were only the two of us there, at least that was my perception, I followed him as best I could, he pulled me closer, I leaned my head on his shoulder now it felt more like we were hugging as we took small steps to the left and right. The song ended, but he didn't let me go, another song started playing and we continued, it was French now, a bit faster, he guided me firmly across the dance floor, it was fun, but I was afraid of stepping on his foot. He laughed.

___ Put your feet on mine - he read my thoughts, in a pause between one song and another, I took off my high heels and put them under a table, I went back to Edward and did as he asked, our height difference a little bigger now, it was funny, now he totally commanded the movements. My two arms were crossed over his shoulders, his hands on my back. We danced all night.

Uklun means us in a language I've forgotten the name of.

[lynzishell]

Prev // Next

Transcript + Lot Credit below the cut:

Atlas: Are you ready? Dawn: I think so, just grabbing the rest of Aspen’s things. The bags by the door are ready if you want to take them down.

Atlas: Already got ‘em. Dawn: Okay, I’m hurrying. Aspen, love, where did we put your coat? Phoenix: It’s right here. Dawn: Oh, thank you.

Aspen: Tonton! Atlas: What, no yellow boots? Aspen: Mommy said no more boots.

Dawn: They were getting too small, poor thing got a blister. Plus, we needed winter boots, didn’t we, love? Aspen: Uh-huh, so I can play in the snow. Atlas: Good idea. Don’t want frozen toes.

Dawn: Anyway, we should—[gasps] Oh my god. Ash, are you sure you’re okay to drive in this? Asher: Of course, it’s just a bit of snow, we’ll be fine. Dawn: Just a bit of snow? It’s a blizzard out there. Asher: [laughs] I’ve driven in worse, plenty of times. Besides, we’ll be out of it soon enough, and the mountain pass is totally clear, so no need to worry, I promise.

Dawn: Okay. If you say so. And you got the car seat? Asher: Yep, all set. Dawn: And you’re sure we’ll all fit? Asher: Definitely. You know that book about the house that’s bigger on the inside than the outside? My car is like that. It looks tiny from the outside, but inside it’s roomy as sh—[looks at Aspen] It’s very roomy.

Dawn: Really? Asher: Nnno. [laughs] It’s going to be very cramped, but on the bright side, the extra weight in the back will be helpful on the icy roads.

Dawn: Good to see you so optimistic again. Asher: What can I say? I’m looking forward to getting out of the city. Dawn: You and me both.

...

Asher: You know what I love most about being here? Atlas: What? Asher: I don’t remember what it was like the last time, so I don’t have any expectations for what it’s supposed to feel like. I can just let it be what it is. I feel like I can finally relax.

Atlas: I wonder if it will be best to get a new apartment sooner than later. If our place feels off, maybe it will be good to be somewhere new. Asher: I think so. I mean, the whole city feels off, but yeah, I think the more we keep moving forward, the easier it will get. Atlas: Me too.

Asher: And in the spirit of new experiences, I think I’m gonna go snowboarding with Phoenix tomorrow. Atlas: Oh yeah? Asher: Mhm. You wanna come with us? Atlas:  Nah, I’ll hang back and keep Dawn company with Aspen. You go have fun. Asher: ‘kay.

...

**LOT CREDIT** I need to give full credit to Nina Schmidt and THIS yt video for the rental cabin. When building, I fully copied the shape, and floor plan of the main house. The only reason I didn't just download the lot from the gallery is because I wanted to practice my roofing skills, so I basically followed the first part of the video like a tutorial, and it worked out so well!! Anyway, it's such a cute build, and you should check out the video too!

[cu1tofdionysus]

TRAVELING DELPHI: Woodstock, NY

(See above link for all pictures)

Schools out for summer and I need a strong drink in the wilderness to recover. Junior year is intense. In the city, there are so many places to go for a breath of fresh air. Just a short car, bus, or train ride and you could be away from the humid hustling and bustling. Some can go to the Hamptons, if they can’t they might get a weekend AirBnb near the Rockaways or something. Some go upstate, some go to the shores of dirty Jerz to gamble or bake to a crisp. I chose to go to Woodstock, New York. In my head, it’s synonymous with the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival. I love a place where something happened. I love a live music venue. 

Most of Woodstock’s whole thing is that it has the bohemian art culture of the city, only in the woods. Bob Dylan owned a house here. I learned about the Hudson River school in history class, landscape painters in the Hudson valley that invented a new art movement in the mid 1800s. In 1903, Ralph Whitehead founded Byrdcliffe colony in Woodstock, intended to be a utopian art colony. My roommate got into their summer residency. Hi Sonia! We missed our exit on the highway. Don't do that, because if you do, you’ll have to spend 30 more minutes driving to the next one.

The decoy main attraction is the Woodstock festival grounds, which are an hour away in Bethel, New York. The real main attraction is Tinker St, the Lower East Side of Woodstock, (main street), nestled at the end of a large hill. It is lined with pinterest board boutiques, cafes, a few restaurants and churches and places to buy incense or expensive tie-dye. After Tinker St it’s green. Ancient trees, winding roads, wildflowers, hidden homes, cottage homes with long and twisting driveways. A sign in someone’s yard says: “KEEP WOODSTOCK WILD. SAY NO TO OVERDEVELOPMENT!” We swerved often, narrowly avoiding mini squirrels darting across the road. I registered a bit later that they were chipmunks. Cute!!!! RIP to the ones we passed, already flattened

PEARL MOON

Our first time stretching our legs from the 3 hr car ride and our first time eating that day. Pearl Moon has a pretty string light patio, can’t miss it from the road. The inside has a stage with gold curtains for live music. The walls are painted with rich teal paint. Our waitress and hostess were both very friendly and attentive in a way that initially threw me— were not in NYC anymore! I got a $30 burger in front of me swiftly. The $30 made it less enjoyable, but it was good, and the hot toddy my boyfriend got was strong. His duck quesadilla was unique. Go there for dinner instead of lunch, when there's music. They have some drag events too. 

TINKER ST SHOPS

We perused in and out of a bookshop, some spiritual shops, gift shops, smoke shops, antique stores, consignment stores, home goods stores. Most of them had the owner behind the register. 

Bookstore- The Golden Notebook

Ice cream- Sweet Dreams Organic Ice Cream

Vintage shop- Rock City Vintage

Record store- Woodstock Music Shop

Antiques- Woodstock Way Hotel – There’s a little shop owned by the same people directly in front of the hotel. 

Free Gallery- Woodstock Artists Association & Museum

AIRBNB

Our lodging was right on Tinker street, perfect location, but hidden behind a bigger house with a garden. But we didn’t read the full description. It turns out our yellow cottage is more like a guest house attached to a main house. Our host runs “authentic writing workshops'' out of her main house. Even though the house was a bit closer for comfort than we were used to— no Midnight drives, headlines too bright— we never saw the host. The place was too sweet — studio sized, sunny, surrounded by wildflowers. Adorable mugs, quilts, a rocking chair, sky light. A nice queen bed to finally fuck where your roommates cant hear. We couldn’t take our trash outside because of the bears. We only had a kitchenette, so no cooking. Sleeping in such a quiet place took a couple nights to get used to, we heard the screaming of a fox and music lofting over from the bar across the street. We were also getting some kind of allergy sickness, ushering in summer, so we had tea in green mugs with fortunes on the tags at 3am. 

LEVON HELM STUDIOS

My boyfriend, a musician, wanted to go to the Levon Helm Studios show for our first night. Levon Helm was a famous drummer, and Levon Studios is a tricked out barn. Its main attraction is their midnight rambles, where Helm's daughter, other extended family and invited guests put on a Midnight tribute. They didn’t have one tonight, so we’re seeing John Moreland, a big guy from Texas with sailor type tattoos and an old soul. 

The stage was a nice red rug laid out over an elevated sector of the floor. Helm Studios Shows are acoustic. The stage  wasn’t much but a few guitars, some harmonicas and vintage looking light bulbs in funky modern industrial stand up lands. But it was beautiful and intimate. 

John Moreland could make anything sound good. His voice is warm and full and raspy. His opening was Ken Pomeroy, a folk singer who was about my age (22.) Her vibrato danced sweetly through our ears as she sang and told stories about what her songs were about. 

The con? The crowd was a double edged sword. Mirroring the town's general population, I was one of very few young people there, one of an even smaller number of people of color. It was a lot of people over 60, music enthusiasts eager to listen, so much that the stillness and quietness dragged after a while. Some people brought their babies and toddlers though it was getting late for a farm town. Another con, Levon Helm doesn’t serve alcohol, and we didn’t know that, so we didn’t bring any. We had to resort to smoking in the car beforehand, which didn’t feel too good around a bunch of old white people. I could hear the couple behind me talking about my tattoos. They didn’t have any, but the man was once thinking about getting a cross. 

It was before midnight, but too late to get food after, something I’m not used to. We had to drive to the McDonalds in the neighboring town, which made me really sick later. 

EUPHORIA YOGA 

Not sure if it was the leftover salad from Pearl Moon or the Mickey D’s but I got super sick from 3-5AM. I took the car out to try and watch the sunrise. Pulled into the parking lot of Euphoria Yoga and The Station bar, just across the street from AirBnb. Euphoria is a yellow two story house turned yoga studio. Station bar is a neighborhood bar housed in the remains of an old train station. I am very dumb and know nothing about terrains and tires. The dirt parking lot turned to mud with the night rain. I got the car stuck. We had to wait for a cleaning lady for one of the stores opening to help us maneuver the tires of my bf’s audi in a crazy way, to get us unstuck. We fell back asleep and slept through our morning level 1 yoga class. I regret missing it. Book a $20 yoga class and get reconnected. 

SWIMMING HOLE

I’m from Texas, where it gets hot in April. In New York it doesn’t get hot until after memorial day. I figured this would be a summer weekend trip, so I ordered a silver bikini for the swimming holes. A lot of them were closed until the aforementioned memorial day. The weather was wet and rainy and foggy and muddy. We drove about 10 minutes away from Tinker St to find a hidden stream safe to swim in, but it was ice cold water. 

TINKER ST TACO

Google reviews lie. I so wanted to like this place. It was an indoor/outdoor situation overlooking a stream, like a lot of the set-ups in this town. The owners' three fluffy adorable dogs were present and available for petting. Both employees were kind, one of them was wearing a bandana around his neck and a boater hat. Go here for drinks and great vibes, not so much for food. The tacos were… not good. Cold and warm at the same time. But the reviews were raving! Perhaps this has something to do with the lack of POC in the area. 

MONASTERY

My streak of bad luck continues. We drove all the way up the hill passing grand lush trees and deer and chipmunks, to the Buddisht Monastery. Lines of Tibetan flags are strung on every tree. People are mountain watching near the parking lot. The monastery is a gorgeous white stone building with bronze roof panels and ornate window panes. A lot of the monks were converts, a lot of them were caucasian. These woodstock hippies are something.  It’s open to the public and even available to tour. I donated three dollars for a candle to be lit in my name, for happiness. I got kicked out for wearing shorts that were not that short with a baggy cardigan, so it felt like I got kicked out for being a harlot. 

CHURCH OF TRANSFIGURATION 

The monastery is at the tip top of the hill, nothing neighboring it, but the nearest plot belongs to the Church of Transfiguration. A black, hand built, wooden, single-room church stands in an overgrown lot, built in 1891. You can’t go in it, but you can smoke weed in front of it sitting in your car, if you get kicked out of the Buddhist Monastery. Come, smoke weed as you are. 

CUCINA

We have reservations at Cucina, a fancy Italian spot inside, yes, an old yellow house. We sit on the veranda, warm bulbs twinkle above our heads. Both pasta dishes were fire, the best meal of the trip. Our waitress was young and cool, which gets me thinking, where do all these hip young people hang out?

TINKER ST TAVERN

There weren’t many 20-somethings at Tinker St Tavern, either, but they were the most I’ve seen in one place. One girl had a leather jacket, “QUESTION AUTHORITY” scrawled across the shoulders. The bar is owned by the same people who own Do or Dive in Bed-Stuy. Both bars have a retro dive meets honky tonk vibe, pool table, repurposed old fluorescent signs. There was a girl band playing, composed of a bunch of rockstar moms who put their own spin on Tom Petty, called The Tom Pettys. They were all wearing tight pants and sunglasses and top hats. Two big dogs were behind the bar. at some point hopped up, leaned on the counter and looked like he was the bartender. 

ALISON

Now, this is a place for lunch/ brunch. Inside an old house. This place, casualish Italian/ American, looks like the set of Practical Magic. Steak and eggs were yummy. Pesto sandwiches were so good we tried to make our own later. Not overpriced. 

SAUGERTIES LIGHTHOUSE

Last stop! If you’re in the area long enough, it might be worth checking out Saugerties, the bigger neighboring town. We stopped by to walk the lighthouse trail, which, yeah, leads to an old lighthouse. Bring shoes you can get muddy and make sure the tide isn’t high. Apparently, you can rent it out for the weekend or tour, but we didn’t do that, and it was still nice to see. A lot of them were…….closed until Memorial Day. Next time :(

[indefinitelyjaded]

Current Save - Not So Berry

I've kind of fizzled out of playing this one (for now), but here's the progress so far. The only photos I have are in-game selfies, since I never planned on sharing this with anyone.

Gen 1 - Mint

Verde Berry married Darrel Charm when their daughter, Petal, was a teenager. I knew Darrel was engaged to Emilia when the relationship began; however I DIDN'T know they'd already had a baby, Kelley, together. I discovered this by happenstance when checking the family tree. So the drama got started early. At some point, I bulldozed the Mint Gen house, so I don't have any screenshots of it. It started out as the default Sandtrap Flat lot in Oasis Springs, which I renovated to be a tiny house (and green).

Gen 2 - Rose

Petal Berry didn't enjoy not having any privacy in her childhood tiny home, so as a teen, she began a relationship with a (young adult) guy named Gordon Burton. She fell pregnant, got engaged, and moved out with Gordon into a cute, renovated courthouse tiny home (that I found on the Gallery) in Newcrest. Obviously, Petal and Gordon's wedding was called off, and Petal retained ownership of the house. She raised baby Saffron alone, doing the bare minimum of course. Toward the end of her Adult years, Petal met a (newly Adult) Dalton! Landgraab, who she married after becoming an Elder. A fitting match for a cougar politician.

Now, this Dalton Landgraab... I don't remember his name, which is a shame, because it was a great, bougie name totally fitting of a Landgraab. He was one of a set of twins - his sister was Dina Landgraab (later Feng) - that Geoffrey and Nancy had right before they became Elders. As such, Malcolm (and his wife, Summer Holiday - who had their own son, Brice Landgraab, as well) ended up raising them. To his credit, Dalton never remarried or had children after Petal's elderly demise.

Gen 3 - Yellow

Saffron Berry was a loner and overachiever as a teen, completing the handiness skill and breaking in to the Forgotten Grotto before she even finished high school. The day she became a Young Adult, she moved out of Petal's courthouse and into her own tiny house (noticing a pattern yet? This one was also from the Gallery) on a huge lot across the street from the Landgraabs in Oasis Springs. Through her work in the Astronaut career, she met Matthew Gunn, an alien, of course - to be clear, she met him through exploration, not abduction. (She had a previousclose relationship with Brice Landgraab, but it just seemed too weird/too soon to pursue that further.) They never married, but he was a relatively active part of his son, Blanford's childhood... I mean, as active as he could be, living on a different planet and all. I don't remember much about this generation, so I think it was pretty calm in the drama department. Gen 4 - Grey

Blanford Berry is permanently in his alien form because my game is glitched. I think it might have something to do with the fact that he's also a spellcaster, thanks to Darrel Charm all the way back in Gen 1, and there's no double-dipping in occults. ANYWAY, Blanford grew up across the street from the Landgraabs, and was childhood BFFs with Dina Landgraab Feng's kids, Kamrynn and Manuel... but moreso the former. Blanford had a series of short-lived relationships in high school (literally, like one date and done), because a part of him knew he was always destined to marry his BFF - who had the Neat trait randomly generated! Seriously, it was like fate and made my life SO much easier. The happy couple moved to a tiny gray Tudor (why yes, it was from the Gallery) in Windenburg, and baby Portfirio was born shortly thereafter.

(Yes, Blanford's grandmother was married to Kamryn's uncle (for like a week, or however long the Elder lifespan is). But he was Saffron's stepfather, so she - and therefore Blanford - isn't related to the Landgraabs.)

Gen 5 - Plum Portfirio L.(andgraab) Berry is currently a child whose room in the house consists of a bed shoved in the corner of the living room. I haven't played much of this generation yet, so I don't have anything to report here. I don't even have a picture of him...

EDIT: Here's a really shitty picture of the current family tree, with a tiny pic of Portfirio.

[secretsofblackthornhall]

Julian to Helen and Aline

Dear Helen and Aline,

So Emma and I took the train from Paddington Station pretty early in the morning (I suppose we could have gone to the Institute and seen if they’d let us use their Portal, but it seemed like trouble and besides, it’s not our first train trip in England.)

We got off the train at Exeter, a sprawling town with a big Gothic cathedral. Tessa was waiting to pick us up in a racing-green Mini Cooper with Mina strapped into a kid’s seat in the back, wearing goggles. She reminded me of Tavvy when he was littler. Emma got in the back and played peek-a-boo with Mina, and I chatted with Tessa while we rolled through gorgeous green countryside. I hate it when people say “It looked like it does in the movies,” but it kind of did. I kept wanting to get out and paint the scenery.

We drove through a big gate, and then up a long road lined with oak and poplar trees. I thought we were in a national park of some kind — there were trails, and lots of greenery and flowers. Tessa told me the purple ones were bluebells (you’d think they’d be blue), and the yellow ones were celandine. We passed a big glass house and then we came out in front of what I swear I thought was a castle.

I think I knew Cirenworth was fancy, but I don’t think I realized how fancy. It’s this huge pile of gold-colored stone with little turrets, and windows full of leaded glass. There’s a big circular driveway in front, and we parked there in front of steps that looked like they could be outside a museum. Jem and Kit were waiting for us at the top and Mina started squealing with delight the moment she saw them. It was pretty cute.

We got a tour of the house — it turns out they only use about half of it, and the other half is closed off because it’s too much to take care of. I asked if they’d had to renovate the place and Jem said no, it had never fallen into disrepair like Blackthorn Hall. Tessa said she’d had to redecorate because it had been pretty dark “and a little moldy” when they moved in, but she said she’d redecorated before — apparently she fixed up the whole Institute a long time ago. I asked her about renovations, but she pointed out that back when she’d done the Institute, indoor plumbing had been a new thing.

Kit said they had put the internet into Cirenworth (do you “put the internet into” things? Emma says you “wire things for the internet.” I think neither is probably right) for him, because he uses it for school. I think he’s happy here. He pointed out things in all the different rooms that he liked — and there were a lot of different rooms. A big library with gold rugs, a games room with a pool table (only they call it something else), an inground swimming-pool, a bunch of offices, a music-room, a sewing-room, I mean, they probably have a room just for licking stamps and putting them on envelopes.

I realized this was the most I’d really seen of Kit since he left to go live with Tessa and Jem. I fell back to talk to him while Tessa was showing Emma the portrait gallery of Carstairs Past. He’s so much taller, almost my height now, and his voice sounds deeper. And I realized he looks older just like Ty looks older; I’d been almost thinking of him as the same age he was when I first saw him. But no, he’s growing up. Is grown up, maybe. Almost.

He said he wanted to show me something in the garden, so I followed him out through a French door. It was an overgrown spot — there were strawberry bushes, though no strawberries (not the season) and there was a cracked sundial in the middle. Kit said, without looking at me, that if it made me uncomfortable to be around him, or I didn’t want to see him, he could claim he had a headache and go to bed.

I was thrown. I asked him why I’d mind if he was there. He kicked some dirt around with his boots, and finally said, “Because — because of him.”

I didn’t say anything at first. I was a little frightened to. Kit had seemed fine inside, laughing and joking around and picking up Mina so she could climb on his shoulders. Now he reminded me more of the way he’d been when we first met him, or even the way Mark was when he came back from the Wild Hunt . . . Fragile.

“You mean Ty?” I said.

He nodded stiffly. “You’re his brother,” he said. “I mean, I talk to Dru, and she’s his sister, but — you were always more than just his older brother. You were like his father. I know you raised him. I guess I just meant that if you were on his side — I wouldn’t blame you.”

I said, “Ty has never indicated to me there’s a side to be on.”

Kit looked up. “He — hasn’t?”

“I know you two don’t talk,” I said. “I don’t know why. Ty’s never told me why. But he’s never blamed you, or said it was because of anything you’d done. People fight,” I added. “It happens. I wish you were friends again, because when you were, it was pretty special.” Ty was so happy. But I didn’t say that. “But either way, regardless of anything happening with you and Ty, we all went through so much together. You’ll always be one of us. Family.”

He said in a hoarse voice, “That means a lot.”

We all went and had dinner after that, and a lot of stuff got talked about — including that Tessa’s son James Herondale once had a gun that worked on demons, which Kit was pretty excited about — but this letter is getting pretty long, and I mostly wanted to tell you about Kit. I guess I didn’t realize how unhappy he was about the situation with Ty. I wonder if our whole hands-off attitude is working? I mean, I know it’s their business, but what if Ty is unhappy too? Is there something we should be doing?

—Jules

[winter-fox-queen]

The Gentry’s Gifts:  Pero

Pero Tovar might meet the woman of his dreams, if he can make himself trust a mysterious visitor.  My  Writer Wednesday thingy.  I am tagging @hnt-escape @sharkbait77 @autumnleaves1991-blog @clydesducktape

Warnings:  No smut, a little kissing, eating but it’s Tovar so the pace of that is quick, the S/O is female blank canvas.  I think there is cursing.  Not beta’d — I should be working on something else but this bit me hard, and there may be a second part with Max Phillips.  I have this idea of connecting each story and telling several tales but you know how speedy I write stuff.  So if there are any mistakes, I am sorry.  Basically wrote this and did not read it over even.

Pero’s dreams were sometimes horrible things.  

Sometimes he dreamt of monsters surging over a wall.  Of death and blood, of his sword, or his axe, slicing through men and beast.

Sometimes he dreamed of the wide sky of the desert, the starts shining bright, almost as numerous as his regrets.

And sometimes.  Sometimes.  He dreamed of you.  It filled him with such longing he would wake to the alarm clock’s cry to realize his face was wet with tears.

But, he would put on his suit (wool or polyester, not leather and metal) fill his satchel with the armor of his craft (law briefs, good pens, post it notes) and step out into the world.

He would look for you.  He would look for you on buses.  In bars.  Sometimes he would think, “If I were her, where would I go?”  And he would find himself in libraries.  Museums.  Once he took High Afternoon Tea at a Victorian style house, a dark, grumpy shadow alone at his pwn table, surrounded by ladies wearing fancy borrowed hats and gossip.

The one place he never wanted to see you was the other side of his desk, and so far he had lucked out.  He was a public defender, and the people who came to his door were almost always desperate.

Almost always.  The woman across from him was not.  Steel grey hair in a chignon, cool dark eyes that seemed to be able to read everything about him, a story in every wrinkle, in the scar over his eye, in the silver in his hair.

“We’ve been here before, you and I.”

She said it so seriously, he took it as such…looking at his pile of files.  “Have we?  Forgive me, I have a lot of cases…what is your name, again?  My secretary wrote it down, but it smudged.”

She placed a hand over his, stilling his search.  “I know how you got the scar over your eye.  The first time.  And the second.”

He shivered, pulled his hand away.  “What are…”

“You dream of the Great Wall of China.  You dream of monsters with scales and monsters who are men.  Sometimes the monster is you.”

His back straightened as his heart started to race.  “Lady…”

She folded her hands on her lap.  “I know your dreams because they are not dreams.  You helped me, once.  You could have demanded payment, but you did not.  You told me such stories.  Stories about the endless desert.  About your friend William.  And about her.”

He looked in her eyes.  “You are not yourself.  Let me call a friend — we have social services in this building, they can find you someone to talk to, to help you.”

She stood with an amused smile.  “You didn’t believe me last time, either.  But my people…we always pay our debts.  I will not rest until I have paid mine.”  She leaned forward and whispered your name in his year, like a lullaby, like a promise, and his hand, hovering over the phone on his desk, froze.

She threw a card down on his inked over desk calendar.  “If you want me to help you find her, come here tonight.  Dress nice.  Surely you have something better than that suit.”

He picked up the card.  Writing appeared, an address, in shimmering emerald.

It wouldn’t rip in half.  If he folded it, it popped back, pristine.

It wouldn’t fall into the trash — it stuck to his fingers like tape.

But it would slip into his breast pocket, where it burned throughout the day.

Pero’s after work plans were boring as usual.  A new Thai place opened up on the way home, all beautiful paint and murals.  He thought, maybe, maybe you would like it.  He stood in the doorway, he looked at the people within.

You know where she might be, a voice reminded himself, the card burned.  

He backed out.  “Fuck it.”  He muttered.  “Subway is good enough.”

He ate quickly, hunched over his food in his green and yellow booth.  He was angry.  He hated being manipulated, he hated the idea that his life, his dreams were all a game to some white haired woman who thought being mysterious was cute.  Well.  He’d show her.

He threw out the wrapper and stomped out the door,

He slumped in his car and looked at the GPS.  The card burned in time with his heartbeat.  He took it out.  “If I can’t find the address in the GPS, I’m going home, having a beer, and calling tomorrow off.”

The GPS found the address before he even typed most of it in, and the card flashed in his hand, as if saying, “I told you so.”

“Fine.”  He said, pulling in his seat belt.  “But I’m not getting dressed.”

He did check his teeth in the mirror, take off the tie and unbutton a few buttons, fix his hair, chew a couple of Altoids…

And drove.

It was dark, by the time he got there.  One window like a gold beacon.  “Not exactly the place I’d go to make all my dreams come true.”  He muttered.

Well, not the GOOD dreams, anyway.

He climbed up on the porch.  A man with short hair in an immaculate business suit that cost more than Pero’s whole wardrobe was seated at a card table.  The Queen of Hearts and the Queen of Spades face up before him.  He stared at them like a man trying to decide which chalice was poison.

Pero stood over him a moment.  The other man glanced up.  “She’s inside.”

“What are you doing?”

The other man placed his hands on either side of the Queen cards.  “Trying to choose.”

“Between?”

He smiled a little, his lower lip catching on a fang.  “Life and death.  Go on in.  She;s waiting for you.”

Pero grunted and opened the door.  

“Be kind to her,”. The other man’s voice added softly.  “She’s a good woman.”

He walked down the hall, looking into room as he passed them.  The place was like some screwy version of the TARDIS and was much, much bigger on the inside.  He passed three libraries.  A gallery.  A room with a pool table and another room with a pool.

And there, in the last room was a cozy parlor where two women sat talking.  One of them was the stern woman with iron colored hair.

And one of them was you.

“Pero!”  You almost knock over the table in your excitement.  He held out his arms, shaking, and you plowed right in.  “I thought you were a dream!  I thought you were nothing but a dream!”

He gathered her close, trying to focus past the sudden blurriness in his eyes.  “I never stopped looking.  I didn’t know if you were real but I couldn’t make myself stop looking.”

The woman at the table smiled.  “One debt down.”  

He ignored her, looking down into your eyes.  Your hands came up to gently trace his cheeks, to wipe away the tears.  You beamed at him.  “You are the most beautiful thing in the world,”

“Kiss me,” You whisper.  “I have waited far too long…”

And he did.

The clock started to toll.  “Midnight.  Good.  Take her hand, Pero, and take her out of here…and don’t look back.  Take the stupid vampire with you, if he’s not already left.”  The grey haired woman started pushing them out.  The hall was shorter.

“Th…”. Pero starts to say, wanting to thank her for her help, for bringing you to him.  The older woman pushes him hard.  “No.  No thanks.  No more debts!”

“I…I understand your kindness.”

“That was good!”  You say.  “I like that better than what I said to her, earlier…”. You both step out onto the porch.  “Where’s Max?  Max is my boss.  I don’t know why she called him a vampire…he’s very nice.”  

It’s empty.  Good.  “I don’t know, but he had his own troubles to think about.”  Pero pushes you into the car.  “Close your eyes, sweetheart.”  He says.  “I do not want you to be taken away from me…I do not know how this miracle happened, but I will follow the rules.”

He turned the car around with his eyes closed, hoping that his memory of the wide drive being surrounded by grass was true.  Good.  The car did not hit anything, and soon they were heading down the driveway.  

“Are you hungry?”  He says a moment later.  Your hand is curled in his, and he feels lighter than he’s ever felt.  “I know a great place that’s open late…”

“Take me home.”  You say, instead.  “I want to sit up late and find out everything about you.”

“I want to do everything at your pace,” he says, as she types her address into the gps.  “But I don’t need to wait.  I know perhaps once you get to know me you’ll think the dream far better than reality, but…”

She touched his face.  “But it’s a dream we’ve both had for a long time. We will have to be sensible.”

“Of course.”

“We don’t want family and friends to be like, who the hell is that?  Are you out of your mind?”

He laughed.  Snagged your hand again so he could kiss it.

“But I won’t ever let you go.  I did it once.  But I will never, ever do it again.”

[toonqueen]

DAY 8: LITTLE DUCK

I’m gonna talk about a bunch of  Mighty Duck OC children no one wanted to hear about. FUN TIMES.

Duke and @fluxchix OC Gallery have two kids. 

Luke, who's the oldest of all the earth duck kids. I just explained him, do I have to explain to him again? NGhhhhhh. Well, as a kid since he was the first kid born and was the only kid around for several years he started out being spoiled by the whole team with some IT TAKES A VILLAGE raising. Everyone from the canon team and other OC teams we had made have baby sat this child at least once.  He pretty much looks exactly like Duke but a little bit lighter grey. And he has his mom’s eye color which I forget what that was. SORRY.

Their second kid is Mollisa. She was the most quiet of all the kids, but not meak. Just a good sweet little quiet child and not a shit starter like the other half of the kids that were had. Looks a lot like her mom with her dad’s eyes (Green is what we headcanoned for Duke  I think?)

So I have Nosedive and my OC Duluna L’Orange. Duluna being Duke’s little sister. Their daughter is name Mercedes because Nosedive decided to name her that because she ended up being born in the back of Phil’s Mercedes.  Looks more like her dad, yellow feathers but black hair and green eyes like her mom. SUPER CUTE. Unbiased opinion but the most cutest of all the duck babies okay. Phil would probably have her in a gerber baby ad who knows. As a kid she calls Grin SMILE instead. Ha. And very giggly. Woo. And very much a daddy’s girl and gets away with everything.

Sooo I ship Tanya and Wildwing and their kid was Tayshia. Their daughter was smart tech like Tanya and also good leader when it came to tactional moves. As a kiddo she used to get in shenanigans with Mercedes but at some point switched to acting like a little adult and narcing on the other duck children when they were causing trouble. She looks more like her mom but, um ,flatter hair. And Wildwings eyes, which I headcanon brown. Where she learned to be a little snitch we’ll never know. 

Grin has three kids with @fluxchix OC Nina. Mind you we named the kids back in high school and we made the older son named Karma and then two twin girls later be Dharma and  Krystal and it bugs me this day because the twins should be Karma and Dharma to match and then the big brother should have a different name AHHH. Anyways. Their mom Nina is a duck frum Cheribu, a planet where centuries ago Saurian and Duck crossbreeding was happening- ending up with ducks with brightly colored feathers, hair, and beaks. Nina is pink feathered but only one kid got that. Ha.

Karma is pretty much a clone of Grin but blonde, same feathers and eyes and everything. But has  I guess California hippie guy energy. I mean still metatitive and stuff, and usually the chillist out of all the kids, breaking up fights between the fellow kid ducks and what not. 

Dharma and Krystal weren’t as fleshed out as much as characters. Krystal though is supposed to be buff and big like her dad and got her mom’s pink feathers. Dharma is tinier like her mom but still quite a fighter too. Oh BOY.  I can’t explain how two children can be well behaved but also rough house with each other a lot but that's them. 

Mallory has twins with @fluxchix OC Crono. Crono is the leader of the second team that comes to Earth (Gallery is from that team too MINOR DETAIL) Her twins were born much later and were never really fleshed out. Their nicknames were Blaster and Caster. Both redheads. Like their mom. They look identical but one is a boy and the other a girl and I don’t remember which is which. Gender is a construct anyways. These two also rough house a lot. Blaster becomes a weapons expert and Caster a magic user. CLEVER NICKNAMES SEEEE. 

Then there is Maestro that is Canard and Lucretia’s baby that happens in limbo. He falls out of a portal at age 13 into California. Ha. He has his mom’s purple hair and dads brown feathers (but a little lighter?) and bright blue eyes which I don’t remember what parent he got those from ha. Rather sweet kinda shy boy but his mom taught him how to fake confidence in  intense situations so people don’t bully you. Whee. Maestro is actually a nickname given to him by some good Saurians they were hanging around with in Limbo.. Canard named him after Wildwing his BEST FRIEND. Maestro actually spent more time with his mom before landing on Earth and weirdly would go by Wildwing Decoy if he could. SO WEIRD. But yeah.

[anniesocsandgeneralstore]

Normal Love and Superheroes: Three - superdawgs

Summary: Bruce Wayne is nicer than expected and Leena finally gets her bike back. 

Pairing: John Blake x OFC (Leena Duckett) 

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: Bruce Wayne being intimidating, awkward first date things, uuuuhhhh I’ve forgotten how dialogue works so like that’s my b

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven

“Are you seriously wearing that to meet Bruce Wayne? And on your first date in over a year?” Jamie asked as Leena shrugged on her long yellow jacket.

“What? What’s wrong with this?” Leena gestured down at her clothes.

She hated dressing up — plus, she didn’t want Bruce Wayne or John Blake thinking she was taking either of these meetings too seriously. So instead of a cute skirt or even a dress, she opted for her favorite pair of khaki green overalls and a red and white striped turtleneck, all matched with that classic yellow jacket. She thought she looked cute.

“You just look very…Casual,” Jamie said from her spot sitting cross legged on her bed, “You could borrow something of mine you know.”

“Jay — “ Leena shoved her worn brown Docs onto her feet. “You’re six feet tall. I don’t think anything of yours would fit me. It’d look like I was wearing a sleep shirt.”

“Oh, God, I remember sleep shirts!” Jamie laughed.

“Always came from relatives back from vacation.” Leena stepped in front of the full length mirror and started giving herself double french braids. “Like — I’m five Aunt Georgia I definitely don’t wear a youth large.”

“Was Aunt Georgia the one that married that really old guy when she was like twenty then he mysteriously died a few months later and left her his entire estate and fortune?”

Leena turned to Jamie as she tied off the second braid. “That’s the one.”

“Do you ever wonder if she actually killed him or not?”

“Every day of my god-damn life.” Leena pulled out a few baby hairs to frame her face then grabbed her bag along with the canvas carrying case the gallery had let her borrow, painting stowed away safely inside. “But she lives in a beach house in the Cayman Islands and my dad hates her so I’ll probably never get to ask.”

“Unless — “ Jamie held up a finger. “She asks for you on her deathbed, pulls you in close, and whispers that she done it. And, also, leaves you all of her money that you also generously share with your best friend.”

“Uh-huh.” Leena shook her head with a smile and grabbed the car-keys from the dish by the door. “Alright, I gotta go. Thanks for letting me borrow your car.”

Jamie got up from her bed and moved to where Leena was standing. “Hey, no problem. I got nowhere to be today. And, just so you know, if anything goes wrong today I’ll have a bottle of tequila waiting for you.”

Leena gave her a skeptical look.

“I’ll have half of a bottle of tequila waiting for you.”

“Hm, much appreciated.” Leena pulled open the door. “Bye!”

“Bye!”

Leena stayed outside the door until she heard Jamie lock it, then she was off. Jamie’s car was a piece of junk. A leftover from the 80s that somehow still managed to function on most days. It needed to be retired. But it was also the only car between the two roommates and neither of them could afford even a newer junker at the moment. So, Leena climbed into that Jeep Cherokee with wood paneling on the sides fully prepared to feel extremely out of place at Wayne Manor.

The drive to the grand estate just outside of Gotham City proper and across the Strang River felt neverending to Leena. Especially since she kept glancing into the backseat at the bag that held her painting and wondering what on earth her and Bruce Wayne were supposed to discuss. Then her mind would jump to later in the day when John Blake would come pick her up for their date. What were they supposed to discuss? The only men she talked to anymore were Mr. Nooley, the Community Center director, a few of the older men at the center who came in for water aerobics, the gallery owners who only seemed to half pay attention to anything she said, and she didn’t even know if she should count the boys who partook in her art lessons twice a week. With those men it was simple and route. She knew what to say and could gain control of her mouth that seemed to have a mind of its own sometimes. But with Mr. Wayne and John? She was lost.

Even the driveway up to the actual manor was long. Lined with trees and shrubs, all perfectly trimmed. Leena could feel her heart beating quickly in her chest. Could feel the sweat pooling in her palms as she adjusted her grip on the steering wheel. Then, she suddenly came out of the woods, turned a corner, and there it was. She had never seen a manor in person before. It was beautiful, ornate, huge for just one person and his butler. The stone it was made of seemed nearly golden in the afternoon sunlight. There was a fountain in front that the driveway curved around, water glittering and splashing down. Leena pulled the car up and put it in park. Yeah, that Jeep Cherokee really looked odd out in front of a house like this. She should be in a carriage instead.

She got out of the vehicle and stared up at the manor with a slack jaw. The curved double staircases up to the front door were something out of a Jane Austen novel. She could see unkempt gardens expanding to the left. It was a very inspiring house she had to admit. It made her want to wear a ballgown and run down a long, gilded, candle lit hallway to some violin music.

Alfred came out the front door with a smile on his face wearing a finely pressed black suit. He came down the steps and called, “Do you need help with anything, Miss Duckett?”

“Oh, no!” She quickly snapped out of the trance the manor had put her in and opened the backseat. “I’m fine, Alfred, thank you!”

She pulled the canvas carrying case from where it was leaned against the seats, but then it was gently being taken from her. “I’ll give you a hand anyway, Miss.”

“Well, thank you.” Leena smiled and slung her bag over her shoulder.

“I’ll have tea set up in the drawing room — what do you prefer in your tea, Miss?” Alfred led her up the front steps and into the manor.

Leena’s jaw dropped all over again. Vaulted ceilings, marble flooring, ornate crown molding, a gold inlay table with an overflowing bouquet of flowers sitting on top. Everything was so clean and pure and so unlike anything she had ever existed in before. Through a wide and tall archway ahead she could see what she could only describe as the great hall of the manor. Littered with stone artwork, gilded light fixtures, and seemingly designed for some form of grand ball.

“Miss?” Alfred asked again.

“Oh, sorry — um, is it black tea?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Then I’ll have honey and lemon — if you have it, please.” She could hardly keep her eyes on Alfred, she kept getting distracted by new details throughout the space.

He seemed to notice this with a smile. He gestured to further inside the house. “I’ll take you to the drawing room so you can get settled. Master Wayne will be with you shortly.”

Leena’s head twisted and swiveled like an owl searching for prey in the night as she walked behind Alfred through the manor’s great hall and up a short set of stairs. This was where Bruce Wayne grew up? She couldn’t imagine living in a place like this when she was a kid. Especially since her house as a child was nearly the exact opposite of this one. It was small, barely enough room for them all, and constantly had problems. The ceilings leaked, the floors creaked, the paint on the walls was always chipped, the water always ran too hot or too cold, there was a harsh draft in the winters that left her with constant illnesses they couldn’t afford to go to the doctor for. It hadn’t been much, it had been tough sometimes, but it was her life. A life she couldn’t go back and change.

The drawing room was equally as beautiful as everywhere else. Maroon wallpaper that somehow didn’t look garish. Wingback chairs and wooden armed sofas. A large set of windows looked out over the gardens. There was an empty easel set up off to the side. Leena took the canvas case from Alfred with a smile and let him go complete his duties. She walked over to the canvas with a nervous, shaky breath.

What did this man with billions of dollars even want to talk to her about? What made him think that he was so utterly important that he could call her to his house on a Saturday that she actually had off? Probably the billions of dollars…But that wasn’t the point. The point was that this guy had some nerve and she was about to tell him as such. She had never been afraid to speak her mind before and she wasn’t now.

She pulled out the painting that was set in a frame that probably wasn’t ornate enough for this kind of house, and set it up on the easel. She hid the canvas case behind one of the sofas. Her limbs were too fidgety to sit down so she moved to stand before the windows with her hands in her overall pockets. It was a beautiful day for a walk — she hoped that the weather stayed this nice for her trip to the park with John later. A smile, involuntary and attempting to be contained, krept onto her face.

“Alright, Alfred, what do you need that is so important?”

Leena turned to see a man standing there. He looked just about as shocked as she did to see her standing in his drawing room. Though he was better at hiding it. Only his brow furrowed as he stared at her. Was he wearing…Sweatpants? And a robe? His brown hair was long, probably usually worn slicked back, but he couldn’t have been bothered. A few strands flopped in front of his face that could use a shave.

“Uh — “ Leena spoke first but instantly regretted it. “Mr. Wayne?”

“That’s right — Who’re you?”

Alfred came into the room as if he had been waiting for that moment to do so, carrying a silver tray with tea assortments on top. “That is Miss Leena Duckett — she painted that picture from the gallery website you mentioned, Master Wayne.”

“Alfred,” Bruce Wayne sighed with a drop of his head, “Did you seriously convince this girl to come here because I mentioned I liked her painting once?”

“No.” Alfred set the tray down on the coffee table. “I told her to come here because you have a job offer for her.”

“I do?”

“He does?”

“Both of you, please, come sit down.” Alfred began to pour the tea as Leena and Bruce Wayne reluctantly did as they were told, albeit sitting on sofas across from one another. “Several years ago — there was a fire that burned down Wayne Manor — “

Bruce Wayne seemed to catch on. “Oh, no.”

“And along with the house all of the portraits of the Wayne family through the years were destroyed.”

“Alfred, please — “

Leena only continued to stare in visible confusion.

“Master Wayne would like to see those portraits back up in the halls of this manor.” Alfred finished pouring the tea with a small, triumphant smile and took a step back.

Bruce Wayne had his head in one hand. Leena looked back and forth between the two.

“So you — you want me to repaint the portraits of all your dead relatives?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Bruce Wayne looked pointedly at his butler. “Alfred, thank you, I think you’ve done enough.”

Alfred, not looking offended in the slightest, gave a slight bow of his head before walking out of the room. Leaving Leena alone in the room with Bruce Wayne. He was silent for a moment. Which somehow made it all the worse. Leena sat there, messing with a button on her jacket absentmindedly as she stared, lips sucked between her teeth, at his slippers.

“Am I — Am I still getting paid for the painting  — Or?” Leena asked with a squint of her eyes.

Bruce Wayne sighed and turned his head to the canvas over in the corner. He stood up to take a closer look. He had a slight limp. “Did you really paint this?”

“Um, yeah.”

“It really is very good.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “How much?”

“$500.” Leena got up from her seat and joined him. He was nearly a head taller than she was. “Alfred said you liked it because we share similar views of Gotham.”

“Did he?”

“That Gotham — despite it’s flaws — was still worth saving.”

“But Gotham is saved,” he sighed, “The Dent Act is going to put all the criminals in jail — for good.”

She looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “Do you seriously think that’s the only thing that Gotham needs?”

“They — those criminals — are the reason that Gotham is the way that it is. This city wasn’t always this way. When my parents were alive, it thrived.” He turned to face her now with crossed arms.

“See, I never knew a Gotham like that, Mr. Wayne. I grew up with the slums of Burnley and the East End. Kids joining gangs because there were no jobs for people like them or their parents just couldn’t afford them anymore.” She looked up at him now with a challenge in her eyes. Her heart racing and unable to stop her mouth from opening and letting her true feelings fly. “Then again, I didn’t live in a place like this growing up.”

Surprisingly, he smiled at her. A small thing full of intrigue — but still a smile. One that made her uneasy. “How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-one,” Leena replied.

“God, you’re just a kid,” he chuckled, “So — What do you think Gotham needs?”

“Love. And someone willing to love it enough to save it.” Leena looked back at the painting. “To see the people who live in this city  — and not just the elite in their penthouse suites. Because love is generous and good. Love does not manipulate, take advantage of, or abuse. At least — it’s not supposed to.”

“Those elite in the penthouse suites give a lot of money away you know.” Bruce Wayne limped back to the couch and sat down.

“And for every dollar they give, 100 is given back to them by the companies they run where they underpay their employees.” She crossed her arms and shook her head. She should have rehearsed what she was going to say to this man. “Gotham doesn’t just need money. It needs…Someone willing to give of themselves. Like Batman.”

“But Batman fought crime — which you’ve said is not what Gotham needs.”

“I’m not talking about the man under the mask. I’m talking about the symbol. He may dress as a bat but he gives a lot of people hope. Hope that things will get better. Hope that — anyone could be Batman. Anyone can make a difference.”

Bruce Wayne stared at her for a long time. The more he stared, the more uncomfortable she felt. Leena glanced around the room. Hoping Alfred or literally anyone else would walk into the room and get her out of here. Or at least make him stop looking at her. One minute he was so gentle, the next he was all intensity. It confused her how he flipped around his emotions like that — his tone. It reminded her of her father in a way. A man who fought long and hard during a war that could gently and encouragingly teach her how to ride a bike one minute and then the next scream at her for falling off.

“Come with me,” Bruce Wayne suddenly spoke as he lifted himself from the sofa.

Leena reluctantly followed. He took her upstairs and into what appeared to be a spare bedroom. Curtains closed and bed covered with a white linen sheet. She looked around the room for a moment then to Bruce Wayne who she hadn’t noticed had stayed just beyond the doorway.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Your new work space.” He put his hands in his pockets casually. “If you want it.”

She paused, brow furrowed. “Wait — what?”

“I’m offering you a commission.” He stepped further into the room. “But I only want one portrait. Of my mother and father.”

“Portraits aren’t usually my style. How much?”

“Let’s say…$100,000. Plus I’ll pay for all the supplies.”

It was now Leena’s turn to stare at Bruce Wayne. Her eyes were wide and unbelieving. That was more money than she made in a year. In two years even. Just for one painting? He looked like he was about to start chuckling.

“Is this some kind of joke?” She made to leave. “Cause I can just go right now — keep the painting for all I care.”

“No! No! It’s no joke!” He held up his hands to stop her exit. Which she did with a bit of reluctance. “I — I think you’re a great artist and you seem like an amazing girl. I would love for you to be the one to recreate the portrait of my parents. Only stipulation is that you have to paint it here. As all Wayne family portraits have been done.”

“You’re — You’re not joking?”

“I am not.” He looked so sincere. So earnest. “Do we have a deal?”

Leena nodded her head. “We have a deal.”

_______________________________________________________________________

“Yeah, I’ll have a superdawg without the onions and a water.” John Blake leaned into the window to talk into the drive thru microphone better, then he turned to Leena sitting in his passenger seat. “And whadda you want?”

“Uh — “ She glanced over the menu even though she already knew what she wanted. “Yeah, I’ll take a superdawg — everything on it’s fine. And I’ll take a lemonade to drink.”

He repeated her order into the microphone. While he wasn’t looking, Leena took the opportunity to admire him. He looked nice — casual. Plaid button up and jeans. The ride over to Superdawg was nice, albeit quiet. She just didn’t know what to say, and apparently neither did he. She wanted to ask about the orange bike on the rack attached to the back of his car but felt that would’ve been rude. It was nice to be getting it back, but it wasn’t really the most important thing right now.

“Alright, hon, your food’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.” John leaned back in his seat and rolled up the window. “So, uh — how was your week?”

“It was good…Until today.”

“Oh, uh — “

Leena’s eyes widened. “Oh, God, no! Sorry! This is great — I’m having a good time! I mean I’m starving, but that’s not something you can control. Uh, sorry — anyway — um, what I mean is, I met Bruce Wayne today.”

He looked at her a moment with raised brows. It wrinkled his forehead in a way that made him look older than he really was. “The Bruce Wayne? Like Wayne Enterprises Bruce Wayne?”

“Yeah, that one.” She chuckled nervously. “Apparently his butler tricked me into coming out to the manor so I could….Re-do some old portraits that got burned up in a fire? But Wayne didn’t know about it — but he offered me the job anyway.”

“That’s good right?”

“Yeah, I guess. Just weird.”

“What’s the butler’s name again? Albert or something?”

“Alfred.” She put one foot on the seat and leaned her chin on her knee. “Wait — have you met them before?”

“Yeah — the Wayne Foundation donates to St. Swithens. He…Uh, he visited once.” John suddenly looked away from her and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“St. Swithens the — ?”

“Yeah.” He smiled but it didn’t really relieve the tension that had suddenly settled between them. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

Leena swallowed thickly and turned her gaze towards her lap. She wanted to keep quiet. She wanted to not dredge up something that never sat well with her — that often made her soul sit at a tilt. But she could see from the way he now nervously popped his fingers and the way his forehead was buckled in on itself, that his soul too sat at a similar angle.

“I know this probably isn’t really comparable,” Leena said, “But my dad died when I was thirteen.”

“I’m sorry.” His voice came out huskier, deeper than usual.

I’m not, Leena thought. She accepted his condolences with a smile.

The food came shortly after. John paid and they drove over to Robinson Park. They set up to eat their food at one of the many picnic tables. One that was closer to the water and off to the side of the few groups of people that were playing games in the park's large open field.

Before they could even take the first bite of their hotdogs, however, John spoke up with a sigh. Leena had her hotdog poised ungracefully before her wide gaping mouth.

“Look, I’m sorry I brought that up. I didn’t mean to.” He sighed again. “Not great first date material I’m sure.”

Leena reluctantly put down her hotdog. “Oh, no! It’s okay! It’s a part of who you are. And I’d like to get to know…Who you…Are. That came out weird.”

“No, no, you’re good.” He laughed and took a huge bite of his hotdog. Leena gratefully dove into her own food after his lead. “I’m John Blake. I love hotdogs — “

They both laughed.

“I started at GCPD a little over six months ago and I love Stargate.”

Leena raised her brows with a smirk. “Stargate, huh?”

“It’s a good show!” he defended, picking up a few of his fries and popping them into his mouth.

“Isn’t it just discount StarTrek?”

“No! Look — have you ever even watched it?” She pulled a face and he pointed at her. “See! Watch it and then maybe you can judge. You can even borrow my DVDs if you want.”

“I might just take you up on that.” Leena smiled at him, admiring the way his ears tinged pink when he blushed, holding the sloppy last few bites of her hotdog delicately over her cardboard container.

“What about you?”

“Oh right, me,” she spoke around those last few bites of food she made into one giant one. She swallowed. “Well, my name is Leena Duckett, I too love hotdogs — I work at the Sheridan Art Gallery as a tour guide, I find a guilty pleasure in lawyer shows, uh…What else…I went to Gotham University for a while…”

John’s brow furrowed. “Did you graduate?”

“Um, no.”

“Why not?”

“For reasons that are…Also probably not great first date material.” Leena picked at the last of her fries.

“Look, I don’t mean to push,” he said, voice gentle and caring, “But we did just talk about our dead parents so like — I don’t see how it can get any worse.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I feel like it’s a little taboo to bring up your ex on a first date.”

“Oh.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Sorry. Must have been…Pretty bad?”

“You can say that.” She nodded. “You can also say he cheated on me. Was seeing the girl for months while he was going to school in Metropolis and when he showed back up for the holidays he had her on his arm instead of me — he told me he forgot to break up with me.”

John looked at her for a moment. She stared right back. She hadn’t meant to say all that. But once she was started, it was so hard to stop. But she didn’t see any judgement or awkward feeling in his eyes. She only saw sympathy and maybe a hint of offense lying underneath. The expression didn’t help her relax. Great. First date in over a year and she blew it. All because she couldn’t keep her stupid mouth shut. He seemed so great too. With those hard yet kind brown eyes, that button up flannel, the fact that he liked Stargate enough to offer her his DVDs, that similar tilt she could sense in him. Leena put her hands on the wooden picnic table and prepared to get up, give some excuse as to why she had to go back home immediately. He wouldn’t have to drive her, she would just take the —

“Jesus,” he finally said, “What a prick.”

The tension in her shoulders let up a little, but she didn’t move her hands. “I’m sorry — I’m not saying that to like — you know what I mean? You’re not a rebound or anything. This happened like a year ago. Cause I know it’s like, oh, if she’s talking about her ex on the first date then you’re just being used — “

“Leena, I get it.” He smiled, closed lipped but soft and understanding. “We’ve all got dirty laundry and baggage. Trust me, I know. And to tell you the truth, this has been the best first date I’ve ever been on so far.”

“Seriously?” Her shoulders visibly lowered as she dragged her hands from the table top. “I feel like I have about ten feet in my mouth right now.”

“Nah, only about five.” He smiled at her again, boyish and sly and it made her heart beat funny in her chest.

She had a quick reply though. “Oh, look who’s talking around at least thirty toes.”

He laughed and rolled his eyes in that semi-dramatic way. “Come on, let’s take a lap around the park before it gets too dark.”

They leisurely strolled around Robinson Park and talked for at least an hour. Maybe even more. Leena definitely couldn’t tell you. She was too enraptured in the way conversation now seemed to flow so easily between them now that both of them said something they regretted. They talked about Gotham, sports (they both preferred baseball to Gotham’s more popular football), other pop culture things they liked besides Stargate, their experiences growing up in the city, Leena even talked about her art a little bit but only because he was genuinely interested in her art style and why she liked it. Jacob had never been interested in her art. Neither had her father. John kept his hands in his jean pockets the entire time, Leena had her’s balled up tight in the deep recesses of her yellow jacket. Part of her wished their hands were free. Maybe their hands would accidentally brush as they walked and then he would take her hand in his, gently, reverently. But the other part of her was glad that there was no such intimacy. She was more comfortable that way.

When they finally made it back to the picnic table, Leena fetched one of the Superdawg cardboard boxes out of the trash and tore off one side of it. There were a few grease stains, but it was still usable. It was a good thing she always kept a few pens in her overalls. She told him, with a mischievous grin as they sat back down, that she was going to draw him. He immediately protested with a wave of his hand.

“Would it make you feel better if I was in the drawing too?”

“I suppose.”

The cartoon doodle took her all of ten minutes. Bean shaped heads that vaguely looked like the two of them with tiny little bodies, floating on either side of a ridiculously large glowing hotdog. John cried he was laughing so hard when she let him see it.

“Oh, my God!” He wiped at his cheeks and let out one last laughing breath. “That’s a good one.”

“It’s for you.” She held it out to him with a smile.

He took it from her gingerly with his forefinger and thumb, his brow furrowed. “Why?”

“For being….” She thought for a moment then sighed. “For being understanding. And kind. Being up for the stupid challenge of getting my bike back just so you could go on a date with me. Which I’ll admit was a bit cruel of me.”

“Hmm, just a bit.”

“I wasn’t done,” she laughed, “This is the best date I’ve ever been on, to be honest. And, uh — “

“Hold on. I gotta admit something first.” John got up and went over to his car parked next to them. Leena got up and followed. He put a hand on the bright orange bike secured to the back. “This isn’t your bike.”

Leena looked at the bike for a moment. It sure looked like the Orange Streak of Lightning. Orange paint, white basket — it even had those stupid tassles. She looked back at him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

He back a bit with a look of guilt then said, “The guy who stole your bike only lived a few blocks away from the Community Center. I saw your bike leaned outside. When I asked him about it — he immediately confessed. He said he stole it for his daughter’s tenth birthday. The only thing she asked for was a bike. So, uh, I let him keep it. I found another orange one at the store but it didn’t have the basket or tassels. So I had to add those on. And, please, as far as you know I never found the guy — “

He let out a huff of air as she crushed him in a hug. Leena was overwhelmed. How could one person be so good? So generally wholesome and kind and generous to others? He broke the law by letting that man go. He probably even lied on reports he had to send in to his boss. All because he saw a father doing what he could for his daughter.

“How are you real?” she mumbled into the collar of his flannel.

“What?”

Oh, thank God he didn’t hear that.

Leena let go of him and readjusted her jacket. “Sorry. That was just…Really nice of you. Now you really deserve my dumb doodle.”

“I think it’s a nice doodle.” He pulled it out of his back pocket and looked at it again with a smile.

“Thank you. Seriously. You didn’t have to do all that.” She looked back to the bike. “I get around just fine without the bike.”

“You’re welcome. And I want you to have the bike. Makes me smile to picture you riding around the city on that — tassels flying in the breeze.” She punched him in the shoulder when he cracked a smile and he laughed at the sad attempt. “And, ya know, I wouldn’t mind doing something like this again.”

She smirked with a quirk of her brow. “Are you asking me out on another date, Officer John Blake?”

“Yes, I am, Artist Leena Duckett.”

“You have yourself a deal.”

[yami-writes]

Autumn Leaves

(🏷️) paring(s):  Todoroki x reader (🔮) summary:  Class 1-A’s Halloween day, how exciting! (⚠️) warning(s): just sum fluff (🔖) word count: 2.1k (💌) note from Yami: ending off our Seasonal Love Event with somewhat of a bang ;)

Season: Autumn/Fall words: Halloween, Harvested, Cobweb

A gust feathered atop your hair, making it dance in the breeze. You moved your small bag to your left hand to use your right index finger to remove a small strand of hair from your face. You took a quick look around you, admiring the scenery. It looks quite lovely outside. The sky looked as if it was raining leaves of all autumn colours. Yellow, orange, red, brown… it all looked so pleasing. You could practically smell the sweet sap in the oak trees, ready to be harvested. While the breath-taking view in front of you was georges, something- no, someone even better was walking right beside you. You looked up at him, being greeted once again by his seemingly perfect appearance. His red and white hair mashed together as the wind trickled through it, creating a non-symmetrical pattern that was surprisingly pleasing to the eye. His heteomocratic eyes seemed to be admiring the view in front of him as well, as they glicinded with a slight tint of the autumn leaves dancing in the wind. He seemed to be just as mesmerized by the sight as you were.

‘God- why does he have to be so kissable?’

The two of you continued walking, soon to be met with your destination. You both crossed onto a street the two of you knew all too well and, before you knew it, you were in front of a tall building you’ve been living in for the past 3 years, this year surprisingly being your last. The building full of memories to be remembered forever. The classmates you trained with, and will become pro heroes with, Heights Alliance. You excitedly skipped in, your boyfriend following close behind

“Careful, y/n. Remember your carrying a bag.” he warned, closing the door behind him. “It's fine! I won't break the pumpkins, have some trust in me, Shouto!” you replied, carefully setting the delicate bag on a table. “That's not what i meant, i just don't want you to break them-” 

“says the guy he almost didn't even let me hold the bag in the first place” it took you almost 10 minutes to convince him to hold the bag and even after, you felt his missed-matched eyes glance at you every now and then

“Whatever. lets just go do this before you get the chance to destroy one.” “hey!!” Before you were able to contest, you felt his lips line up beautifly with yours. 

Admittedly, this was his sweet way of shutting you up, an overpowered weapon used too often.

The two of you went up to your dorm and prepared for an event class A’s  been planning for what seemed like months. Halloween day! Not the most creative name, sure, but the name wasn't the important part. It consisted of a Jack O'Lantern contest before taking a quick trip to an Amusement park. Simple, yes, but you were looking forward to it non the less. 

“How do we do this?” Your boyfriend asked, as he placed a small, bright pumpkin on the floor in front of him. You reached into your bag and grabbed a small knife you had bought. You then got out your phone and opened a screenshot you had taken of the steps on how to make a jack o lantern “okay, first step is to scrape out the insides of the pumpkin” you read out, as you handed him a knife. You placed your phone down beside you and started slicing around the stem of the pumpkin, and surely enough, todoroki followed your lead. 

Not before long, the room filled with the sweet scent of pumpkin. As if the two of you were baking a pie and just took it out of a steamy oven. You finished slicing the top of your soon to be Jack o’lantern and picked the top off by the stem, chunks of pumpkin coming out along with it. “Oh….” your boyfriend mumbled upon seeing the overwhelming amount of pumpkin coming out “don't worry, just take them off and place them in the bag” you dragged the plastic bag you had been using to carry your stuff beside the two of you before using your knife to cut and rip off the access pumpkin. “Here, do the same to yours” you said, picking up a pair of gloves you had previously put to the side. 

The two of you continued scraping out the insides of your pumpkins. It had been about 10 minutes but you finally scooped out your final piece and placed it in the bag with the rest “done!” you exclaimed, wiping a drop of sweat from your forehead with the back of your hand. You could hear classmates downstairs already debating who was going to have the best jack o’lantern, with a few mentions of the haunted house trip. It was clear they were excited. You glanced over at your boyfriend’s pumpkin. Empty. “I was waiting for you to finish yours.” he said, his usual stoic expression on his face, impossible to read. Not even his eyes would give any hints this time. “Why? You could’ve asked me for the next step! My phone is right there!” you pointed towards your phone, it being right in front the two of you, facing upwards and unlocked. “I wanted to do this with you…” you couldn't help but hold back a giggle at his cute answer, but it was no surprise, considering its the most used reason he has for anything.

You picked up your phone and looked for the next step, “okay, now we need to choose our design” you searched through your gallery for some pictures you had previously saved as inspiration. “Ah here they are! Look!” you nudged you boyfriend, somehow catching more of his attention. You slowly scrolled through the photos, all of them being amazingly good. The orange glow coming from inside of the jack O’lantern, lighting up the bitch black atmosphere. For some of them, you could partly see the candle on the inside, lighting up the picture even more. There were bats, faces, ghosts, words, and everything in between. 

It felt like the two of you were scrolling for a while before you came to the end of the photos of inspiration you saved. “Oh, I have an idea!” you said, putting your phone down where it was before “i'm gonna make a cobweb!” your boyfriend looked down at you, looking slightly confused “i didn't see any cobwebs, y/n,” he said. You only now remember who you're doing this with. He’s never celebrated any holidays, let alone participated in Halloween activities, now it's your job to teach and help him enjoy himself. “You don't have to do one of the jack o’lanterns I showed you, those were just for inspiration! You can do whatever you like! Just try to make it Halloween themed.” you watched as the gears turned in his head, despite seeing so many examples he could just copy from, considering he’s so new to this. 

“Can i do a cobweb too?” his heterochromatic eyes met yours in an instant, matched with his usual unreadable expression, but you can usually tell when he’s joking. 

“Why a cobweb? Did I not show you enough examples to choose from? I can find more-” 

“no. i wanna do what you're doing. i already told you this, y/n.” you laughed at his somewhat child-like answer, but there's no denying his answer made your heart flutter. “Okay okay! We can do the cobweb design together!” you watched as todoroki’s usual stoic expression disappeared and was replaced by a sweet smile, something you wished you got to see more often, no matter how many times you've seen it. You did a quick search for cobweb reference, placing your phone back down when you found a simple one to copy from. “Okay, now use this to draw out that shape in your pumpkin.” you handed todoroki a black sharpie before taking out your own, already beginning to start drawing on your own pumpkin. 

The next 30 minutes went by in a blur, filled with silence to the point of being able to hear each other's heartbeat, creating a soothing melody able to lull anybody to sleep. You finished up the last details of your pumpkin before snapping out of what seems to be a dream fuelled by concentration. “Does this look good, y/n?” your boyfriend asks, seemingly in desperate need of your validation. You look over at Todoroki’s pumpkin, only to be met with a masterpiece. His pumpkin looked incredibly similar to the photo and would definitely make a very pleasing jack O’lantern. You stared at the pumpkin in awe, ‘how is he so good at everything?’

“y/n?” your boyfriend gave you a gentile shake, bringing your attention back to his slightly saddened features “does it really look that bad? I thought it was okay...” 

“w-wait no! It looks really good! I just didn't think it would be that good, ‘cause, you know, this is your first time,” every word that came out of your mouth sounded like you mashed it all into a single one, making it slightly difficult to understand, but your boyfriend understood very well. 

He let out a small chuckle, something you were not mentally prepared for, before looking back down at his pumpkin “thank you, y/n.” 

You swear your heart skipped more than a single beat, in fact your entire pulse was gone a second. ‘He-he’s so perfect…’

You grabbed a pack of candles from beside you, ripping open and allowing all the small candles inside to fall to the floor. “I don't think we got any matches,” your boyfriend reminds upon seeing the candles that would need to be lit. “We don't need them, we have you.” you replied, taking out two candles and holding them in front of him with pleading eyes, he couldn't refuse. You watched carefully as he set his index finger ablaze, lighting the two candles in your hand. The flames fluttered, causing the lighting around you to flutter along with it. You placed both the candles inside your pumpkins, now the two of you had your Jack O’lanterns.

You got up to turn off the lights, wanting to get the full Jack O’lantern experience. Your room went dark, black even. The Jack O’lanterns glowed, tinting the area around them a bright orange, just like the flames burning inside. Quite the beautiful sight to see. You heard your phone vibrate before the screen turned on with a message. You picked up your phone, the bright screen slightly blinding you; 

⚡denki⚡: “hey y/n! Come down now! Were gonna see who has the best Jack O'Lantern!!”

You put your phone in your pocket before picking up your newly made Jack’ O lantern “it's time to judge the other Jack O’ Lanterns now, lets go!” Todoroki got up from the floor, taking his Jack O’ Lantern with him and the two of you made your way down.

“Ah, y/n! Todoroki! Come put your Jack O’Lanterns over here!” Mina joyfully gestured to a table that had been previously set up, everyone else's Jack O’Lanterns sitting on top. You and Todoroki placed your Jack O’Lanterns on the table “okay, now c’mon! We're gonna go to the amusement park now! Don't be slow!!” Mina skipped out the door and you followed close behind.

Half the class was already waiting outside.

The next 3 hours went by~ you and the rest of class A enjoying your time. You dragged your boyfriend across the park, making stops at the rides, food stalls, and finally, the Halloween Haunted house. The wait was long, almost 30 minutes. It was cold, the Autumn breezes coming often. Todoroki used his quirk to keep you warm while you wait, allowing you to borrow his sweater since he didn't need it. He kept his arms around you, resting his head on your shoulder. 

He “protected” you from the feared attractions in the Haunted house, as you were hiding behind him as you hear the screams of everyone in front of you. Lights flickered and noises were loud, but after about 10 minutes of walking, you met the end of the haunted house. The winds outside were even more violent than before, yet your boyfriend's sweater battled it off.

You and the rest of class gathered around a big tree behind the Amusement Park. you were able to see everything. The festival lights illuminated the sky, bright yellow, red and orange lights spread everywhere. You lean your head on your boyfriend's shoulder, drowsiness starting to consume you. You could hear Uraraka and Mina’s loud conversation about the Haunted House, pointing out the scariest part of it. 

You made yourself comfy underneath your boyfriend’s arm, feeling the warmth emit from his left side. Before he knew it, you had fallen asleep by his side. He pulled you closer, resting his head on yours

“Thank you, y/n...Happy Halloween.”

[purplesurveys]

1032

survey by danceamydance

Have you ever witnessed a birth? Never have. I wasn’t present when my mom gave birth to my younger siblings and other than that there’s been no reason for me to be around for the birth of my other younger relatives.

What pattern does the closest tissue box have? I don’t have one in my room, but the one in our bathroom is brown. I think. I never actually checked even though I use it everyday lol.

Where did you lose your virginity, if you have? I truthfully didn’t really keep note of what counts as the first time because we had already been fooling around quite a bit. I’d guess either a hotel room or my room, or maybe hers. The one thing I can remember was that I was 18, so there’s that.

What color car(s) do your parents drive? We have two white cars and one teal. I still don’t know why my dad got a teal car when none of us in the family are into colored cars, but according to him getting the Vitara in white would’ve looked like an FX (a form of public transport here), so I’ve learned to make my peace with the teal car lol.

What are your views on getting rid of the penny? I can’t relate, because we don’t use pennies.

Which Asian country would you most like to visit? Aside from the ones I’ve already gone to, I’d love to take a trip to Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India.

Have you ever had a nosebleed? Nope. I fear the day I get one; I’m scared of blood haha.

How far away do you live from your birthplace? Maybe around 30 minutes without any traffic. A realistic drive to Manila would take me anywhere between 1 to 1.5 hours.

Do you have bangs? Yep, and they’re starting to get pretty long as well so thanks for reminding me that I’ll have to trim them soon. I want to get rid of them already as I’ve had my fun with them, but NO ONE HAS SEEN ME WITH BANGS loooool so they are still staying. 

Are you a good driver? I wanna say I’ve been better through the years? Hahaha the consensus is that I drive a little crazy, but my friends still always pick me to drive them whenever we go somewhere because everyone apparently still finds me the safest driver to ride with despite my temper on the road. Having a tiny car, being bullied by bigger pickup trucks and SUV through the years has helped toughen me up.

Have you ever kissed someone underneath the mistletoe? No. My ex and I always celebrated Christmas separately, with our own families, so we never got the chance to do this.

Do you watch the Olympics on the television? No. It’s not really something that interests me.

What was the scariest experience of your life? The time I nearly crashed into a car that I didn’t realize was stopped in the middle of the road while I was going 80 kph, and having like 3 seconds to hit the brakes.

Do you have a Tumblr account? I mean...

Are your nails painted right now? What color? Nope.

Have you ever played truth or dare? Several times, though I always pick truth because I’ve never had a problem saying it. I also hate picking dares because my friends would usually make us do dumb things, like dance, or worse, make out with someone in the circle.

How long is your driveway? Not very.

Are there any tv shows you keep up with religiously? Mmm it used to be The Crown, but I probably won’t be watching it for a while despite the new season because 1) I used to watch it when my past relationship had still been smooth-sailing, so watching it would just remind me of that; and 2) Gabie loves the shit out of Gillian Anderson and she was brought in for season 4 lol. 

Right now my focus is on a new Korean drama called Start-Up, which is currently ongoing and is so fucking good. Nam Joo Hyuk is also there, so it’s a sweet bonus for me <3

What is your favorite iPhone app? I’m using YouTube the most these days, so it may as well be my favorite.

Where is your mother right now? She’s at work.

Do you know anybody named Carl? I don’t think so. The only person that came to mind is an uncle named Carlo who I haven’t seen in more than a decade. My dad’s college group used to be super tight-knit and I used to be friends with his friends’ kids, so it’s sad to see them kinda grow apart and notice the others be more reclusive over the years.

Are you more of a night owl or a morning person? Morning person. Ugh, work is changing me as a person haha.

What is your favorite song at the moment? Saw You In A Dream by The Japanese House has taken the top spot again. It’s just too goddamn good of a song.

Do you have a weak stomach? Very. I’m awful with car rides, bungee jumping, fair rides, you name it.

Have you ever been to a party where people were drinking underage? Hmm, yes. Kaira’s 18th birthday – it was held in May but most of the people at her party weren’t going to turn 18 until the end of the year, so it was a lot of 16 and 17 year olds drinking. I had just turned 18 then, so I allowed myself to take my first sip of a margarita.

How many stores are in the mall closest to you? Malls here are generally packed compared to what people may have in the US or other countries, so even though our local mall isn’t anything notable, it still holds 200+ stores.

Do you know anybody who has been diagnosed with cancer? Yes, but they’re all outside of family. My mom’s side is very weird about cancer and never share information about family members who may have it and only ever refer to it as ‘the c word,’ so I may have more relatives who have cancer than what is made known to us.

How far away is the closest McDonald’s to you? We have one literally right beside the main entrance of our village but because our house is at the very end of the village, what should be just a couple of steps away is instead a 10-minute drive for me.

Would you ever meet someone in person that you met online? Yeah I’ve done that with a few people in the wrestling circle. Jila I met unexpectedly while we were both in line for the WWE house show in Manila in 2016; Javi I met when I lent him my Chris Jericho memoir; and Rafie was the one who gave me a free ticket to said WWE show. Rafie’s a local celebrity now and he has such a huge following, so as weird as it is I’m also glad I have that little memory with him before he blew up.

What was the last film you watched? That Thing Called Tadhana, but I was unable to finish it. I’m into TV shows these days and I’ve been all over Start-Up.

Does it snow where you live? Never has.

Have you ever been to an art gallery? Of course, I’m a sucker for those. I always go to one whenever I can; there are a lot of malls here that’ll randomly have pop-up art exhibits, so art galleries here actually aren’t limited to just museums.

What are your neighbours like? A lot of them have kids, that much I know because a lot of them play outside in the afternoon and make some noise. We all keep to each other, though, so I don’t know any more about them; the only time we get together is when the neighborhood organizes its own Christmas party for the community.

Do you visit your town’s library often? I would if we have one, but public libraries are not a thing here. If you needed to go to a library to find a book, you would have to go to a university.

Have you ever had to take care of an intoxicated person? This just gave me college flashbacks haha. Of course I have, and the most notable people for me are JM, Andrew, and Angela.

What flavor was the last ice cream you ate? It’s a red bean ice cream sandwich that also has a bit of vanilla ice cream in it.

Can you do a cartwheel? No but I definitely tried a thousand times as a kid.

Who is the last person you spoke to on the phone? Can I do video calls instead? I haven’t done phone calls in a while. The last people I was on a call with were Ysa and Bea.

^ What did you talk about? Secret work stuff.

Which website do you spend the most time on? YouTube, Tumblr, Reddit, Twitter.

Have you ever kissed someone of a different race? I haven’t.

What can you smell right now? My coffee chocolate chip cookie.

Do you read fanfiction? If so, what fandoms? I haven’t checked on my favorite authors since college, mostly because they went MIA at some point and moved on to different fandoms as well. But when I did, I mostly read ones for AJ/Punk and HHH/Steph.

What accent is your favorite? Man this question is asked a lot...

How did/will you celebrate your birthday this year? Gab gave me a cute digital present, I think I may have spent the whole day playing the Switch, and Hans and Angela sent over a box of sushi for me.

Are you more introverted or extroverted? I’m both depending on the people I’m with. If I’m with a crowd I don’t know all that much, I turn my volume down.

Do you tend to repeat yourself all the time? Yeah. I got it from my mom, who unconsciously repeats stories all the time.

How was the last chicken you ate cooked? Fried.

Is there anybody you always find yourself thinking about? Yes, but it has gotten easier to manage/ignore altogether these days.

What was your last argument about? Haven’t argued with anyone in a hot minute. It was probably my mom as always, but I no longer remember what it could have been about.

Are/were you part of any extracurricular activities in school? I had clubs in high school since it was mandatory. In college, I was in yearbook and a journalism org.

Do you want to get married someday? I don’t know about that anymore.

What colors are on your country’s national flag? Blue, red, yellow, and white.

Would you go back to your ex if he/she asked you? I’m pretty stupid when it comes to this, so yes.

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [952]

“Wha do you mean Evelyn got turtledoves? She kept them?”

“No, I did not keep them. And there’s only one turtledove, singular, which I gave to Ellana to have checked by a vet and to release into the wild when appropriate.” Evelyn rounds on to the shorter woman who’s been maintaining a suspicious and sanguine silence for the duration of the conversation thus far. “You did release it, right? You did take it to a vet and then consult on where the best place and best time to release it was right? It is no longer in your care?”

“The reason the thing didn’t fly off,” Ellana says, “Is because it laid eggs in the box. The fluff and straw and paper strips inside must have been prime nesting material. Now, I know what you’re thinking — Ellana. There’s no way that bird would’ve laid eggs in a box it was trapped in with at least one other turtledove. And I’ll tell you that the river you’re on must be quite lovely indeed for you not to want to leave it.”

Ellana reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone, unlocking and swiping to her photo gallery to show them.

“Eggs. Box. Bird.”

“Sounds like some kind of terrible movie caption,” Max mutters as he takes Ellana’s phone. And then sighs when Evelyn promptly takes the phone out of his hands. Max turns to Edric instead. “How come you already know about the turtledove situation?”

“Is it a secret?” Edric asks. “Because if it’s a secret boy is Ellana shit at keeping secrets. She’s posted pictures of the bird and the eggs to her social media accounts.”

“How did I miss this?” Max asks, “I follow you on everything.”

“Your personal accounts follow me on most things, your work account doesn’t follow me on most anything at all, and I’m willing to bet that you haven’t checked your personal accounts in a while,” Ellana replies. “Too lazy to switch between?”

“What’s the point when everyone I want to socialize is within a twenty minute walk?” Max says, hurriedly pulling out his own phone to check. “And I see most of you every day. Look at us. We’re talking right now. I can’t believe this hasn’t come up in conversation before. Alright, now are those eggs really tiny or is it just the Iron Bull’s hands that make the nest look small?”

“Both,” Ellana says. “Come over and take a look. I think this bird was raised by some kind of breeder or bird trainer or something. She’s very calm around people. I don’t think she’d do well in the wild.”

“Is that your excuse for not passing her onto someone else?” Evelyn asks as she scrolls through Ellana’s photo gallery. “Why do you have so many pictures of the bird and its eggs?”

“Ah, I was consulting with some experts. Because I, also, didn’t believe that she’d laid some eggs. I thought maybe the guy who set it all up to try and propose to you stuck in some extra eggs to make it more…I don’t know. Amorous? But no. They’re legitimately her eggs. Or if not she’s claimed them as hers now.”

“And what does the Iron Bull think of the latest addition to the household?” Max asks.

“Thinks it’s neat,” Ellana replies. “Sometimes he watches videos on his phone with the bird and provides a running commentary. It’s adorable. Mostly I think he’s bored. It’s been a while since we’ve had anything fun go on. It’s all just the same ol’ stuff every day.”

“Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you’d gotten tired of working for an extremely shady, above-most-governments, organization that’s attempting to root out terrorist organizations and stop the spread of the most dangerous drug substance in the history of civilization,” Evelyn says, shaking her head as she passes Ellana’s phone back. “Isn’t he preoccupied with you and Mahanon going off on your…baking spree?”

“That’s apples and this is oranges, you can’t mix the two,” Ellana says. “Entirely separate.”

“Are you sure?” Edric asks, “Are you really, really sure about that? Because both involve your entire house. And sort of spill over into the rest of the Inquisition.”

“I’m sure,” Ellana nods firmly. “Trust me. I know what I’m asking about. Anyway, we’re going to have turtledoves plural soon. And yes, I’m still going to figure out a way to get them released or at least transferred into the care of an appropriate person. So stop giving me the stink eye, Evelyn. You can hardly expect me to turn out a mother-to-be and her babies, can you?”

“It’s a bird, Ellana.”

“That’s a little cold of you, Evelyn.”

“The bird will be fine without you.”

“Well I don’t know why you’re talking from such a place of authority, you’ve not even met the bird in person. I’ll have you know she’s quite domesticated. Which, while troubling, is also rather endearing.”

“I’m going to look up how long it takes for turtledoves to hatch,” Evelyn warns Ellana, “And once that time period has passed and then maybe a week or so after that, I’m going to go to your house. And if this bird is still there and you can’t give me a good explanation for why, I’m going to take that bird and set it down in the woods outside of Skyhold.”

“That’s very cold of you, Evelyn,” Ellana scowls. “But fine.”

“Forget college, you should’ve taught at a boarding school,” Max says. “Way to put down the law.”

“Give me some tips,” Edric says, lightly pulling on Evelyn’s sleeve. “How do I work that on Malika and her dubious lab projects that she keeps brining home?”

“Tell the Iron Bull he better not get attached to that bird or its eggs,” Evelyn warns Ellana. “And Mahanon. The three of you focus back on your strange baking competition. That bird is temporary. Tell me you haven’t named it.”

“I didn’t name it.”

Evelyn narrows her eyes. “But someone else did?”

“We got tired of referring to her as the bird! So Bull called her Chicken and it was really cute so we kept the name. She kind of responds to it now.”

[fizzyhosh]

tagged by @kabeswaters !!!! love u big time

1. on a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about life right now? .... 3

2. describe yourself in a hashtag? #onedirectionstan

3. if you could do a love scene with anyone, who would it be? gross Harry Styles

4. if your life was a musical, what would the marquee say? get ready for disappointment but the good thing is one direction would be to my musical as abba is to mamma mia

5. what’s one thing people don’t know about you? i have strong ambitions but they are outweighed by executive dysfunction so lots of adults like teachers just think I'm lazy 🤪🥴

6. what’s your wake up ritual? currently it's get up at 2pm, look at discord, snapchat, and instagram, then eat some gosh darn food

7. what’s your go to bed ritual? this is so unhealthy I know grab a snack and a soda and scroll mindlessly on social media until I get tired, get up and brush my teeth, go back to my bed and put on my sleep playlist (called sleeby) and set a time so it stops playing after I fall asleep

8. what’s your favorite time of day? despite the fact that I get up in the afternoon, it's actually like 10am that's a goooood time

9. your go to for having a good laugh? I look up Niall Horan laugh complications it genuinely works every time

10. dream country to visit? Germany or Italy

11. what’s the biggest surprise you’ve ever had? my 19th birthday my roommates had a surprise party for me and I was so shocked and almost cried bc it was so sweet and bc made me anxious

12. heels or flats/sneakers? I thought that said heelys :(( but sneakers

13. vintage or new? vintaaaage

14. who do you want to write your obituary? uh idk hopefully none of my current family bc I don't want to die before them cause that'll mean I die young??? this question is making me overthink so I'm just gonna say Ewan Gregor and move on

15. style icon? this chick named mathilda on Instagram you might have seen her on insta or Pinterest she's a redhead but her style is brilliant

16. what are three things you cannot live without? music, dr. pepper, eggos

17. what’s one ingredient you put in everything? I sound so white but SALT I salt the heck outta everything

18. what 3 people living or dead would you want to make dinner for? Steve Irwin, Harry Styles, Freddie Mercury

19. what’s your biggest fear in life? dying while I'm taking a shower and having my family find my naked, wet, dead body falling out of love. which makes me not want to fall IN love bc then the chance of falling OUT of love becomes a possibility

20. window or aisle seat? window window window window window

21. what’s your current tv obsession? not really obsessed with anything rn but I rewatch new girl every chance I get

22. favorite app? instagram

23. secret talent? I can wiggle my ears

24. most adventurous thing you’ve ever done in your life? i flew to New Orleans during a break with two of my friends bc they found $60 round trip tickets. We bought the tickets the day before. We literally got to NOLA at 7am and left 8pm the next day. only spontaneous/adventurous thing i have ever done

25. how would you define yourself in three words? funny, understanding, quiet

26. favorite piece of clothing you own? my overalls :'))

27. a must have clothing item that everyone should have? a jean jacket !! looks good on anyone and with anything and they're so cute

28. a superpower you would want? to make people see themselves as their loved ones see them

29. what’s inspiring you in life right now? music I'm fixated on one direction and harry styles and louis tomlinson rn of you cant tell by a lot of my answers

30. best piece of advice you’ve received? don't apologize because you like something. don't be embarrassed that you have preferences

31. best advice you’d give your teenage self? be unapologetically you. life is too short to feel guilty for having opinions.

32. a book everyone should read? me and earl and the dying girl

33. what would you like to be remembered for? being kind to all

34. how do you define beauty? kindness, humor, a sweet soul makes a beautiful person

35. what do you love most about your body? I think I'm proportional? like... my size and shape... I hate how that sounds but my overall body ,,,,,,,

36. best way to take a rest/decompress? crack open and nice cold soda and put on headphones and lay on the ground (it makes me back feel better)

37. favorite place to view art? art galleries the environment and ambiance is immaculate

38. if your life was a song, what would the title be? Everything is Outta Reach cause I fail a lot but also I'm sHORT

39. if you could master one instrument, what would it be? pianoooo

40. if you had a tattoo, where would it be? I want my forearms to be filled with random little doodle tattoos I get over time (picture louis tomlinsons right arm, like the "oops!" and skateboard, and dumb things like that)

41 dolphins or koalas? KOALAS

42. what’s an animal that represents you? .....koala. also chameleon...

43. best gift you’ve ever received? so I need to be hugging a pillow or stuffed animals to sleep and I lost some stuffed animals that I loved and were huge and my go to for hugging at night and that Christmas my brother got me a huge elephant and a body pillow to replace them and I actually cried

44. best gift you’ve given? im really bad at giving gifts but my brother searches everywhere for this book in specific print and language and after years I found one and got it for him for Christmas. he's not good at showing appreciation and excitement but I could tell that he was stoked

45. what’s your favorite board game? BETRAYL AT THE HOUSE ON THE HILL it's so complicated and so good and I love it so much

46. what’s your favorite color? yellow and red

47. least favorite color? o r a n g e I just realized it's between red and yellow make it make sense

48. diamond or pearls? diamonds

49. drugstore makeup or designer? drugstore! I don't wear makeup often enough to spend money on designer but occasionally I get some good stuff from ulta then immediately regret it and go back to my Walgreens makeup HAHA

50. pilates or yoga? yoga

51. coffee or tea? I don't drink either but I like the aesthetic of tea more

52. what’s the weirdest word in the english language? pneumonoultrascopicsiliconvolcanoconoiosos because it's the longest word in the English dictionary and it's has a very specific definition and it's so extra when I was 7 i had a friend who could spell it forwards and backwards

53. dark chocolate or milk chocolate? milk!! I only like dark chocolate if it's reisens

54. stairs or elevators? stairs I'm afraid of elevators

55. summer or winter? summer

56. you are stuck on an island, you can pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat? mac and cheese

57. a dessert you don’t like? uhhhh... umm... uh... anything with tree nuts cause I'm allergic??? I love dessert

58. a skill you’re working on mastering? I'm learning guitar !!

59. best thing to happen to you today? I woke up before 2pm

60. worst thing to happen to you today? my family all decided to a be in a bad mood today so that's super exciting to deal with :))))))

61. best compliment you’ve ever received? that I'm a really good listener

62. favorite smell? candles right after they're blown out and the air outside when it's cold. it has a smell. it DOES.

63. hugs or kisses? hugs

64. if you made a documentary, would it be about? the one direction boys' solo careers and eventual reunion when it happens

65. last piece of content you consumed that made you cry? if that includes music, louis tomlinsons album walls. but if not, ehm the martian that movie makes me cry don't come for me

66. lipstick or lipgloss? lipstick

67. sweet or savory? savory

68. girl crush? lily james

69. how do you know you’re in love? I've been trying to figure that out... I think it's when everything reminds you of them and you can completely be yourself around them and feel a sense of home and belonging.

70. a song you can listen to on repeat? greyhound by calpurnia or baby driver by simon and garfunkel

71. if you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be? h a r r y s t y l e s I have questions I need answered and I wanna hear unreleased HS and 1D music

72. what are you most excited for/about this time in your life? going back to school so I can be with my best friend slash future boyfriend

tagging: @lupinlongbottom @outerlacy @fortisfiliae @theseuscmander @wizardwritings

[misssunflowersandsangria]

Roses

Chapter 3- Purple Roses

Hello my lovely readers!  Welcome back!  Uhm no super important notes for this chapter.  I’m still just building up the story and their backgrounds.  Anyway, I hope that you enjoy it! 

Summary:    There was so much that was left unsaid between them. 

Purple Roses:  Purple roses primarily stand for enchantment. The giver of the purple rose seeks to convey that he or she has fallen in love with the recipient at the very first sight. A deep magnetism and charm that makes the recipient almost irresistible is what the purple rose seeks to convey.

Flashback

“What are you drawing?”

Sai looked up startled by blonde hair and blue eyes blocking his view of the pond.  Wordlessly he showed her a picture of a duck that he’d drawn.  

Her eyes brightened at the picture amazed at how wonderfully he’d drawn it.  “How cute! Can I keep it?” He peered at her confused but nodded tearing the sheet out of his notebook.  She smiled gratefully before folding it up to place in her pocket for safekeeping.

“I’m Ino!”

“Sai”

“Hi, Sai!  Are you new here?  Where's your mommy and daddy?”  She looked around not finding anyone watching him.  

“I...I don’t have one..”  He didn’t know quite how to explain what happened, but all he knew was that they were no longer around.

Ino’s face fell at the sad response.  Her mommy and daddy were the best, she couldn’t imagine not having them. 

“Okay well, then you’re mine.”

His head tilted confused by the statement.  “What?”

“You belong with me!  Daddy said it’s important to be part of something, to belong to a clan or family.  You’re mine and I’m yours.” She explained as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

Sai had never had anything that was his own, that was just his.  She was a curious creature much more excitable and intrusive than anyone that he was used to but she had a pretty smile and her eyes were his favorite color.  

“Come on play with me.”  She held her hand out to take and for the first time since his life had started to fall apart, he felt himself smile.  Her hand was soft and warm against his and it reminded him of when he held his mom’s hand. He felt safe with her. 

“No matter what happens we’re going to be best friends and you’ll be a Yamanaka.  You’ll sell your pictures and buy me a nice house with a garden of roses and bush clovers!” 

He liked the idea of a friend and the future she described. He could draw, he had Ino and a home. What more could he ask for?  

End Flashback 

  The coffee shop was just as he remembered it. Cozy with plush chairs and painted walls. On one wall he was surprised to see a painting that he’d gifted the owner years ago to thank him for always letting him hang around there. Even after they closed, on days he just didn’t want to go home, the owner would let him stay until it was all cleaned up. 

She was there in their corner on her second cup of coffee.  He could easily tell that she was worried. She had a habit of biting her nails when she was nervous.  Still, this was only the third time seeing her and he felt his heart racing. He had always known that she was beautiful but he didn’t think that she could have become this gorgeous.   

He sat down next to her taking the offered cup. 

“Green tea.” She explained looking back down at her worn nails. This wasn’t right they’d always been almost too comfortable with each other. This tension felt wrong. 

He took a sip gratefully. She had it made perfectly for him remembering how he would drink it. “Thank you.”

“Talk to me.”

He could see the pleading in her eyes for something, some kind of explanation.  He wanted to avoid this conversation but she needed to know everything, or at least most of it. 

There was no point in delaying this talk any longer. “I’d wanted to come back for a while. Exploring the world was great but it was starting to wear on me and I was feeling less inspired. I needed to come home. Danzo didn’t like that.”  Ino looked up hearing that name having her own feelings about his foster father. 

Sai just stared up at the ceiling, wanting to avoid the pity in her eyes. “He kept booking appearances and making promises that kept delaying my return. Then he died.” 

“I’m sorry Sai.”

He just shrugged. “I’m not. We both know he took me in for the money. Then when he realized he could keep milking art and money out of me he just kept me around.  When he died I asked Yamato for help. He found me the teaching job at the university. Remember, I’d always wanted to teach. I teach your class, sell my work in galleries around the world and have my studio and gallery I’m opening up.”  Since his foster father died all the money he’d hid away was finally released to him. He could live a pretty comfortable life just off of that in addition to the money he had coming from different sales. Teaching though had been another dream of his. He had such incredible teachers that helped and inspired him. He wanted to do that for others. 

Ino sat there speechless trying to process all the information he’d given her thankful that he was willing to reveal everything he had. He’d been through a lot the past few years and she was sure the last months were challenging, but why didn’t he try to reach out to her or their friends.  She thought that he knew how much they all cared about him. That she cared.  

She began to worry her pinky until he placed his hand over hers to stop her movement. She looked at him gratefully.

She paused before considering her next question.  “Why.. uhm why did you return my letters?”

He just stared at her confused.  “What letters?” 

“My dad, he asked Danzo for an address so that I could write to you.  He knew that he’d never give me a number to call you at. This seemed like a happy medium.  I was pretty torn up after you left. The letters just kept getting sent back. I just assumed you didn’t want to talk to me anymore.” She admitted remembering how worried her parents had been.  

Fuck. If he knew Danzo the bastard was probably keeping them from him to keep him focused. He’d asked time and time again if he could get in contact with his friends but his “father” said that they were just a distraction, and kept trying to convince him that they didn’t care about him anymore. Years after not hearing from them it became easier and easier to believe. He was stupid to believe anything that man told him. 

“I...I never got them.” He knew that if he had their lives right now would be very different. 

She nodded as the pieces were being put together she wasn’t surprised and felt a bit relieved.  She was thankful that there was another reason than him just not wanting anything to do with her.  “I was sure that it was a mistake at first so I kept writing, but they just kept coming back. Still, there were so many times that I needed to talk to you, to my best friend, so I started writing.” She placed a worn journal with roses embossed on the cover in his hands. “They have the first few letters I wrote to you and some other entries. I know you’re busy so you don’t have to read them all. Uhm you don’t even have to read any of them.”  She started to feel anxious about bearing her heart and feelings to him so openly but they had already lost so much time together.  They both needed to be honest.

She paused to look at him blue meeting an inky black both their eyes set in sadness but hopeful.  “Sai, I hate that I know nothing about your life anymore. We were inseparable and when you left it was like a part of me went with you. This was the only way that I could keep any kind of connection with you.”  His heart was breaking at her tears. 

“Ino…”  There was nothing else that he could say.  He’d abandoned her and she had to face life without him there.  He’d missed so much and there was no way that he’d ever be able to make it up to her.  

She knew that by handing over her journal she was giving him her heart again. She hoped that this time he’d know what to do with it.  That this time he would understand how she felt about him.  “I know things are weird because you’re my teacher but you were my friend first and maybe things can’t go back to the way they were but I still want you in my life.”  Carefully she took his hand in hers hoping that he wouldn’t push her away but his fingers curved around hers. 

“We’ll figure this out together.”

She smiled hoping that it was true.  “We always have.”

Ugh...Danzo...I still haven’t completely worked out how long it's going to be.  I feel like I have the end down but it’s all the stuff in the middle throwing me off haha. Also if it’s moving fast it’s because it is lol.  I really have no patience for writing a slow burn, I don’t have enough mental fortitude or ability to focus long enough for that haha Also I want my babies happy! Okay, thanks again for reading!  I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to read, reblog or comment.  I love you all!

*Till the next one!

Roses:

Chapter 1: Roses

Chapter 2: Yellow Roses

Chapter 3: Purple Roses 

[sunsetbxbyy]

Some BNHA Boys With A Female S/O Who Is Amazing At Makeup

Notes : None of these makeup looks are mine! They all belong to their rightful owners!

Warnings : Cussing

Characters : Bakugo, Kirishima, Todoroki, Midorya, Shinsou

Genre : Fluff :)

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💥 Bakugo 💥

He honestly didn’t think much of it at first, he knew you liked doing makeup.

But one night, he walked into your room and noticed you sitting on the floor in Nike pro’s, one of his hoodies, and fluffy socks with makeup spread everywhere and you sitting in the middle with a light-up mirror propped up on a random box

“Babe, what the fuck are you doing?” He said as you where trying out a new makeup look.

You were trying some different looks out for your little siblings marching band show. Their show was about a the Pheonix and they wanted your help to think of a makeup look.

“Um, makeup?” You said, kind of confused with him being there at that moment. It was around 1 in the morning and it was dead quiet outside of your room.

“No shit Sherlock, but what for” He asked, carefully stepping over makeup. He was trying to get to you.

“My (Brother/Sister) wanted me to try a few looks out to see if they looked good because they needed help with ideas for their marching band show” You said as you blended some of the Flames a bit more.

He kind of found a new respect for you and makeup when you started showing him the sketches your (Brother/Sister) drew and the makeup looks you made based off of them.

He kind of wanted you to do makeup for his hero costume

He thought the makeup looked badass, but he would never admit it

💪🏼 Kirishima 💪🏼

He’s always thought your makeup was amazing

He sometimes wants to ask you if you can do makeup on him

One day, Kirishima was just finishing up working out with Bakugo when he wanted to see what you were upto. So, after saying bye to Bakugo, he walked back to his room and took a quick shower.

Once he was done with his shower, he went to your room. Once he got to your door, he heard music. He opened the door and saw you leaning over something with makeup spread everywhere

“Hey princess, what are you doing?” He asked, carefully stepping over the makeup

“I just got bored and decided to do my makeup” You said as you blended your other eye.

“Well it looks good on you” He said as he sat behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist

He always loves watching you do your makeup, since you look so cute when you’re concentrated.

And once you were finished, he forced you to go out with him to go get food so he could show you off to everyone.

🔥 Todoroki ❄️

He was sort of confused with the whole concept of makeup

You’re already gorgeous, why are you putting stuff on your face to make yourself look “better”?

Well, two were getting ready for a winter party your family was holding. You were going to wear a light blue sweater, black leggings, and all-white high top converse.

He walked into your room to find you sitting at your vanity doing a winter eye look

“Why are you doing that?” He asked as he walked up behind you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders

“My family always likes it when I do these type of looks for their parties” You said as you perfected one of the snowflakes

“But, why? You don’t need makeup. You look stunning either way” He said and you smiled at him.

He pulled up a chair from your desk and sat next to you, putting his hand on your thigh, and watched you finish your makeup.

He loves watching you do your makeup, it fascinates him.

🥦 Midorya 🥦

He thought it was cool!

He walked into your room to see you doing a sunflower inspired look

“What are you doing that for?” He asked and you looked up at him. “For a contest on Instagram, the prize is new makeup from (favorite makeup brand) and it’s stuff I don’t have”

He thought it complemented your eyes so well!

The way the yellow brought out your eye color was amazing to him, since he loves your eyes

He even helped you take a picture of your makeup when you were finished!

As you finished up, he asked you if he could see all of the makeup looks you’ve done

And of course you showed him!

You grabbed your phone and went into your gallery. You clicked a folder that said “My Makeup” and started showing him all the looked you did

Let’s just say he made you walk around the dorms with him with your makeup on so he could show everyone how amazing you are at it

🔮 Shinsou 🔮

He thought you looked super cute when you concentrated so hard with blending

You two were getting ready for a formal party your parents were holding, and you decided to bring him with you!

You both were going to wear black and purple. You were wearing a beautiful purple dress with black heels while he wore a black tux with a purple tie that matched your dress.

You were right now sitting in your parent’s house in your old room doing your makeup. You were wearing Nike pro’s and a oversized t-shirt. When he walked in, you didn’t even notice over the loud music you were blairing.

“Babe” He said, but you still didn’t hear him. You were too focoused on your makeup.

“Babe” He said louder, and this time, you heard him. You looked up and he saw your makeup, which looked amazing. “How’s your makeup going?” He asked as he walked over and sat down behind you. He was all done, by the help of your older (Brother/Sister), so he decided to watch you do your makeup and hair.

“Um, pretty good. I just finished my eyeshadow and I’m about to put my fake eyelashes on.” You said as he sat down behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you into him.

“Your makeup looks really good” He said as he put his head on your right shoulder. “Thank you” You said as you carefully put your left falsie (fake eyelash) on.

Once you were finished with all of your makeup, he was beyond stunned. The way you can transform your appearance to whatever you liked amazed him.

Let’s just say he loves watching you do your makeup!