#i need to polish up/edit today's and finish tomorrow's

[the-authoress-writes]

Safe and Sound

Or: It’s the Great Karmic Bitchslap, Jake Seresin!

Prologue

Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Seresin OC

Safe and Sound Masterlist

Synopsis: After leaving her violent and abusive husband, Anastasia Seresin has known nothing but fear for months.

Always looking over her shoulder, wondering if he’s found her and their son, Luke, again.

With nowhere left to go, she turns to her younger twin brother, Jake, hoping that finally, she’ll have fled far enough.

But when she meets Bradley Bradshaw, her world is turned upside down, and she’s left wondering…

Will she have the courage to love again, and to let herself be loved?

Series Warnings: Domestic violence and abuse, sexual abuse, PTSD, warnings will be updated as the series progresses.

This is a story dealing with very serious and sensitive topics.

Please be careful, and protect your own peace.

Chapter Warnings: Military inaccuracies 🤣

Author’s Note: This story is one that is special to me; this was one of the first Top Gun stories I came up with, soon after I watched TG:M.

I’ve been keeping this to myself, because this is going to be intense and hard, but I know that if I don’t put this out there, I’ll never finish it.

So here we go.

Title is from the Taylor Swift/Joy Williams & John Paul White song of the same name.

Not breaking my habit of naming my stories after songs, it seems!

Jake groaned as he blindly groped around his bedside table for his phone which was ringing its alarm.

He felt like he’d just fallen asleep—he’d only drank his limit at The Hard Deck, the night before, but it felt like he’d only gotten an hour of sleep.

Phone in hand, he squinted at the screen, his sleep-addled mind not quite comprehending what he was seeing.

It actually was about an hour since he fell asleep, and his phone was ringing not because of his 5:45 AM alarm, but because of a call from base gate security.

“Lieutenant Seresin speaking,” he rasped, pressing the phone to his ear.

“I’m very sorry to wake you, Lieutenant, but I have a kid and woman here at the gate asking me to let them in, she says they need to get to your house,” the guard replied.

Jake frowned. “Who are they?

Did you get their names?”

“The young man has no ID on him, but the woman’s driver’s license says Anastasia Malloy.”

Jake instantly shot up in bed, even though the action left him a little dizzy. “Let them in—that’s my sister and nephew.”

A minute or two later, he was standing outside his base housing, waiting.

Soon, the gate security car drove up with an ancient sedan in its wake.

The sedan parked, and the driver stepped out.

He knew it had to be his sister, but nothing in the way the woman who was walking towards him reminded him of the strong, capable spitfire he knew.

She stopped about five feet away from him before she looked up, tear tracks making shining trails down her cheek. “I’m sorry,” she breathed, voice broken, “I didn’t know where else to go.”

“Oh, Stacia,” Jake immediately opened his arms to his older twin sister.

To be continued…

Next Part

I know this section is so short, but the first chapter will be published tomorrow, I am just editing it today.

I’m very excited.

My subtitle for this story was the working title this story was under until I came up with “Safe and Sound” as the actual title.

It’s derived from the classic Peanuts television special, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”.

I thought about not putting it, but giving Jake the biggest karmic bitchslap was the entire reason I came up with the plot, so I’m putting it.

Stacia (pronounced StAH-shuh) is the Polish nickname for Anastasia, which I use here because I headcanon that Jake has Polish ancestry, like his actor, Glen Powell’s supposed ancestry, so here, the Seresin twins have Polish ancestry and nicknames.

With more Polish details to come! 😂

Let’s just ignore the military inaccuracies, shall we?

*In Edna Mode voice* It’s for the ahhhhht, dahhling.

Taglist

@ohtobemare

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@permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88

@tadomikiku

@malindacath

@aviatorobsessed

@lynnevanss

@djs8891

@httyd-marauders

@penguin876

@jbetches

@squidy-things350

If you’d like to join my taglist, just send me an ask!

[dutifullyshamelessearthquake]

Alright so I'm going to need to proofread and edit it first before I can share, but you guys!! I finished the Kaveh one shot I started yesterday!! I actually can't believe it!! Like I genuinely had fun writing the whole thing, the writing bug really is back! I wrote 1.5k today alone! (The one shot itself is about 2.4k words in total)

I'll stop tooting my own horn because I know my last few posts were all just basically me celebrating my own writing, haha! I'm just so happy to be writing again! But enough of that now!

I'll probably start editing tomorrow, and then post the one shot as soon as I've polished it!

Thank you so much to each and every one of you who's been supporting and hyping me up since I got back. You guys are awesome!

[word-wytch]

a little update on ch. 12 progress:

i know i sort of teased about updating this weekend but this chapter is shaping up to be twice as long as a typical chapter from me. i am 8.3k in and still not totally finished with any of the four major scenes, plus i still need to go back and do quite a bit of polishing and embellishing on what i already have. this has just been an overall tricky chapter to write.

if anyone wants to send me words of encouragement while i hammer out the rest, i could really use them. ideally i would love to bang the rest of this baby out today and then spend tomorrow in edit world, but it's gonna be done when i'm satisfied with it and really no sooner, so it's hard for me to put an eta on it at this time. thank you for your patience 💕

[manonamora-if]

May Check-In

This is a bit late, because I've been debugging the past two days.

So I bought Tropico 6 during the last Steam sale. If you haven't seen me posting for a while, blame by wish to be a benevolent dictator of a fake Caribbean island.

Onto the usual index:

Recap of last month’s progress

IF Events in the Next Month (I won't do this anymore)

Plan for the next month

Still long post under the break. If you want a mini version, head on over to itch.io as usual!

April Progress

From last month, what did we do:

Play more games: ✅

I started so good, finishing reviewing the SeedComp! entries, as well as the Revival Jam and had started on the Spring Thing... then I got distracted by the TALJ and Tropico... I also need to update @manonamora-if-reviews at some point... It's at least 100 reviews behind.

Finish the Code of Ch5✅ of Harcourt and edit the Ending Chapter ✅

YES! IT IS DONE! I have finally fixed those godamn doors in the maze that were giving me so much trouble. Also MelS has gotten my edits on all the Chapters/files (and was given extra comments because I also fixed some code in previous chapters). He is hard at work dying editing the missing text.

The only thing left for me is to: - add the maze visuals (map, book/letter formatting) - settle on a design for the final maze puzzle (need to so some research) - include the missing chapter/text (waiting for MelS)

Finish fixing The Roads Not Taken. Or An Eggcellent Preparation. Maybe the other parser too (it just needs a smidge of polish).

LOL... This is the shameful failure that is following me around, ringing that darn bell.

Should i give up on it? Maybe one day...

Complete the TALJ entry. ✅

I have been battling this one the whole morning trying to fix so many bugs. But I'm pretty happy about it. For one: it was actually tested by someone (not like last year). For two: it's actually an easy parser (like you can't lose!).

And the idea had been ringing in my head for so long, I had the prompt submitted to last SeedComp!.

But yeah, this had been happening for a while already. And even though it doesn't have the level of polish I had hopped (future me problem with updates), it is probably one of the better one I've made.

Anyway, play Lysidice and the Minotaur (I'll have an official post tomorrow). (and you can vote for it if you want...)

What else happened this month????

Well, the SeedComp! ended, so I had to deal with all the admin, and making the cool stickers for the different entries. That took quite a bit of time... but worth it! Some really cool entries this year, yet again!

Well, this is more of it's been done last month but released this month: Les lettres du Docteur Jeangille has been translated into English, for the Spring Thing (in the Main Garden, if you feel like voting for games). You can find the post there!

I've been also drafting some post-mortems, one for Jeangille and one for Lysidice. They should come out during the month, at some point.

:/ I have to update my website again now...

I wanted to do an entry in the Dialogue Jam, but my idea didn't pan out on time (too buggy for release). Or eer... cough cough... I had enough will power not to do it? Anyway, also I made the Really Bad IF Jam, which starts today!

What’s happening in May?

As mentioned at the start, I'm dropping this section from my check-in. First, it's buried deep in a wall of text, so no visibility (it should have been a separate post, oh well). If people actually check the events out, I'm sure it would be a miracle.

But mainly... a zine has popped up recently, specifically about IF called What's New in IF? (@if-whats-new), releasing weekly. Since it includes events, like the jams/comps/conferences I used to mention here (and it looks more sleek than a Tumblr post), I'll just leave them do all that hard work instead 😅

So yea... as long as the zine is happening, I'm out 😅 Well, I'll drop them links to my jams and stuff I see, because they seem to be looking for help in finding stuff.

The PLANtm for May

I'm playing Tropico, so I'm getting and will probably going to get less stuff done. Which is not a bad think. Breaks are important. Will I go on a break this month?

Probably should...

But if I don't, where's what I hope to do:

Play more games: On my juicy list I have: the Spring Thing, the newly released Dialogue Jam and TALJ, the Locus Jam and Really BAD IF is happening this month too (so more gameses!), and a few non-comp releases I've had my eye on.

Code Chapter 6/Endings: I need to wait for MelS for this, since he's editing my comments. I'll prob look for visuals for the puzzle in the meantime.

Fixing an older games. Instead of new, do something old.

Write the next Chapter/Scene of a WIP, because it would be good to actually do that. And make some actual progress at seeing stuff being done. (I want to write some Razac snippets....)

Let's have a boring month!

~

The 2024 To-Do List:

LOL, I've only done the website! :D

The hopefully maybe easy to handle To-Do:

fix the bugs in EDOC + overall the French version to match (waiting for Adventuron to get the French language)

fix the bugs of TRNT + find a way to add the missing pieces (giving up on the translation)

fixing the interface of LPM and the popups + check animal interactions

figure out the One-Button JavaScrip/jQuery issue...

edit the loading screens of the completed tiny games to include the program/format logo at least.

The 'Need a Bunch of Content to update but it's planned!' To-Do:

Update my website (bunch new title - also I don't think the logo clicky thing work...) + redo my itch page

Finish TTATEH (MelS dependent)

Finish Exquisite Cadaver (half-way mark by this summer - manif)

Finish P-Rix - Space Trucker (main path at least)

Update CRWL (it's been almost two years... I'm ashamed)

The Unlikely But it Would be Dope To-Do

Finish The Dinner as it was planned (and translate)

Finish In the Blink of an Eye as it was planned (and retranslate)

Finish The Rye in the Dark City

Fixing TTTT (at least fixing, maybe try adding some storylets)

And finally The 'It's impossible, but one can wish' TO-DO:

Remaster SPS IH (if I managed to start this after completing the rest... I'm going to eat a whole sheet cake).

Start the IFComp project (2025? Might end up being a ST?)

[yippee-was-taken]

Week 2/4 Puzzle Game Godot Project

Major work done since last week!

Good news I have gameplay footage I can show now!

This is a game about making chains of differently colored beads. They must have enough similarly colored beads before they're ready to chain. Making more connections in a chain leads to a higher score

I feel like I've been slowing down as of late, since the game functions it's been kinda rough finding out what I can do. There's still a lot of stuff to do but most of it is with minor polishing tweaks and that's a lot harder to spot. Still, polish can go a long way. The game doesn't look as intuitive as I hope for it to be, and there's a lot of bugs I need to fix. PROGRESS

-------------------------------------------------

Movement: Finished, just debugging edge cases when they pop up now. [Debugging.]

Making Chunks: Since there are no pointer variables I had to learn about get/set variables from child nodes. I think the end result works pretty well. [Finished.]

Making Chains from Chunks: It's been a while since I finished making code for them it's feels crazy, but I'm not worried about these anymore. [Finished.]

Clearing Chains: I'm working with a freely break system. You'll gather shatters after a certain number of beads fallen deepening on level. Once the meter fill you'll gain a shatter you can use at any point to clear every chain of beads. Might be re balanced later [Finished]

Winning and Losing: I didn't think to hard on the current parameters, I think I'll have to feel them out through play testing. They weren't too hard to implement thankfully and since they're dependent on a resource they'll be easy to edit. They function but I'll have to edit them later for the full release

The Fail condition I haven't tested enough, I'm making it the immediate goal for today and tomorrow. [Making]

Scene Manager: I think it works pretty well, it's not quite smooth yet but I just need to learn how to optimize the game better [Polishing]

UI + Menus: I pretty much have it all functional but none of it looks good. Thankfully I did get someone to help with the visuals! I'll have to spend the last week making sure they get implemented well [Making]

Sound: I have an idea for how I'll manage music, I might just get a couple of songs and have them randomly chosen, depends on what I find. As for SFX, I still need a few more. I'll have to get in a few more LabChirp sessions to make them. [Progressing]

Other: Changed the randomizer to lower the chance of beads with three. I can't think of many use cases for them. Added control remapping and audio adjustments in the options menu, and a How to Play section in the game.

[justamethyst3]

(I actually remembered to post here lol)

A little something before Ruikasa week starts

I just finished writing for the last prompt and I am so tired lol I just need to polish/edit the parts today and tomorrow, and then they'll be ready to post.

I struggled with both their faces this time. It kept not looking right even when I adjusted it a bunch. I took a break for about a day before I came back and fixed them up a little and finished up the piece.

I'm honestly still not too sure how I feel about their faces, but that's okay if it feels a little off. I can't figure out what it is, and I don't know if I'll be able to figure it out until later. And I can fix them then if I want to, if that's the case ehe

I have a bunch of drawing and writing projects I'm trying to get done, but I keep procrastinating on all of them lol I need to figure out what needs my attention more so I can get some things finished and off my list of things to do.

And hopefully I can actually sleep tonight so I can be ready to get some work done tomorrow lol

I don't remember if I was gonna say anything else cause my cat distracted me XD

.

Pls don't repost

.

time: 6 hr 48 min

[tveitertotwrites]

That Boleyn Girl (Part 1/2)

Series: Red Carpet Diaries (Post-Series)

Pairing: Thomas Hunt x F!MC (Broollyn Moore)

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 2700

Summary: Brooklyn gets cast in Six. We will see everything from the call to opening night.

A/n: As you can see by the title, this is going to be two parts. Part 1 is the fic, part 2 is the edits. Hopefully, part 2 will be up later today, but if not, it should be by tomorrow.

Brooklyn’s favorite part of the day was the little family walks that she did with Thomas and their son Matthew. It was a way for all of them to spend a little time together and take her mind off of all of the auditions she had been doing recently. It had been a while since Brooklyn was on stage and she really missed it. While she loved making films and tv shows, it could never top her love for theater and live audiences.

Not long after the three of them made it back home, Brooklyn went to put Matthew down for his nap while Thomas made them lunch. On her way back towards the kitchen, she noticed she was getting a call from Chazz. She answered with a “hello” as she walked over towards Thomas and gave him a kiss on the cheek before grabbing a glass of water.

“No, I'm at home. Why?” This made Thomas turn his head towards Brooklyn, who lifted her finger up to signal to wait.

“NO WAY!!! Really?”

Thomas had just finished plating their food and brought it over towards Brooklyn who smiled at him before going back to the call. He then kissed her temple before sitting down to eat while trying to listen to the conversation.

“Yeah yeah. I am so excited!!! Bye!” Brooklyn then walked over towards Thomas and sat down with the biggest smile on her face.

“What was that all about?”

“Well you know how I have been auditioning a lot recently, especially for a bunch of theater roles as I have been dying to dive back into a show.”

At this point, Brooklyn had taken about a year and a half, almost two years off of work to take care of their son while Thomas continued to direct and work. During the time off, she had realized she had wanted to get back into theater and had started to look at what shows she could have the potential of playing a role in. This is when she had started to look at shows such as SIX, Moulin Rouge!, Funny Girl, etc.

“Yeah. Did you book something you really hoped for?”

“I did! I got Anne Boleyn in Six!”

“Babe that great! Isn’t that the role you really wanted?”

“YES! Ever since I heard about the show I knew I wanted to wear the green dress and sing ‘Don’t lose your head’. It’s honestly one of my dream roles and from what I have heard, it sounds like there’s a great cast and crew behind all of it.”

“Well I’m very proud of you and I think we should celebrate tonight as a family, then possibly just the two of us later on.”

Brooklyn smirked. “What do you have in mind?”

“You’ll find out later.”

Thomas then stood up and took care of his empty plate as Brooklyn glared at him. She continued to stare until he turned back towards her and shook his head, which made her go back to her food.

It was only about a few weeks later when the new casting for SIX on Broadway had dropped and Brooklyn’s phone was getting spammed with kind messages from friends, family, and fans showing their support. Not much longer after that, it was time for rehearsal to start up. While Brooklyn was focusing on rehearsals, Thomas took over getting everything they needed from their home in California, brought to their apartment in New York City.

He hadn’t made any plans to start shooting anything at the moment so Matthew was with at least one parent around as much as possible. At the beginning of the rehearsal process, Brooklyn was working at least 10 hours a day, as the people behind the production wanted to make sure they could get the show through the learning stage and onto the polishing stage within a little over a week.

For a while Brooklyn was okay, but as time went on she naturally got tired as she had been out of any type of theater productions in the last few years, as well as not keeping up with her dancing due to work and family. So it wasn’t long in the process before everything was taking a massive toll on her body mentally and physically.

Thomas tried as best as she could to help her out wherever he could but there were times it just wasn’t possible and it seemed like Brooklyn was going to have to pull out of the production. She kept trying to deny that there was something going on and push through it. Eventually it had gotten to the point where both Brooklyn and Thomas would get into arguments over it and what it was doing.

“You need to rest your body. It’s not safe for you to be doing this much right now.”

“So you're saying you think I can’t handle it?”

“That’s not what I said I-”

“I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING. YOU’RE SAYING THAT I’M NOT MADE TO DO IT AND I SHOULD JUST STOP NOW.”

“NO I DID NOT. I just don’t want to see you end up hurting yourself to where you won’t be able to do it anymore.”

“Yeah sure. You just want me to drop out so we can go back and you can go do your job while I stay at home.”

“That’s what you really think? YOU REALLY THINK THAT I WANT YOU TO LET GO OF ONE OF YOUR DREAM ROLES JUST SO I CAN GO WORK ON A FILM I MOST LIKELY DON’T EVEN CARE ABOUT?”

“WHY ELSE WOULD YOU SAY THAT?”

It was at this moment when the two of them had realized that their son had been crying in the other room while they fought. Once they had fully come to the realization of what had just happened, the two of them calmly went to go see what was wrong before going back to their living room. They decided to sit on opposite sides of the couch and take a couple of deep breaths before continuing the conversation?

“I promise you that I would never make you give up something you have so much interest in. I just don’t like seeing you in pain all the time and tiring yourself out quickly.”

“I know. It’s just that I feel like if I say if something’s wrong or if I’m not a hundred percent then I will be taken out.”

“I get that but if you keep going like this you have the potential to cause so much damage to yourself physically and mentally.”

Brooklyn sighed. “Yeah I know. I just don’t know what to do and what people would think of me if something happened.”

“Well they will need to mind their own business. But also your brother has been on Broadway a lot recently, why don’t you ask him about how he does it and what could possibly help.”

“I guess you're right. I’ll go call him now. But thank you and I’m sorry for yelling.”

Thomas then moved over and gave her a hug and a quick kiss on the lips before she got up to talk to her brother, Parker. The next day he came over with some of his friends who had been doing theater for a while and they told her about their experiences and what could possibly help her out. After they left, she began to make a game plan as to what could be done to help her get back to what she was like before rehearsals started.

Over the next week, she had noticed many improvements as she went to physical therapy and had a schedule of when she would do certain things like work out or going out with her friends and castmates. It wasn’t long before she felt herself again and was in a position where she felt she could succeed. Not much longer after that it was about time for the show to open.

The whole cast and crew had done multiple run throughs of the show with the costumes and everything that would be needed for performances. Everything was completely ready to go by the night before they opened and as everyone was happy with the current outcome, they had stopped the rehearsal a little early and Brooklyn’s castmate, Alexa Thompson, who was going to be playing Katherine Howard, invited the whole cast and their families out to dinner to celebrate.

About an hour and a half after she returned to the house after rehearsals, Thomas, Brooklyn

and Matthew were on their way to the restaurant. They had a huge section for all of the cast and their families, which took up the whole private room of the restaurant. Brooklyn, Thomas and Matthew were straight across from Charlotte Garcia Williams, who was one of the alternates in the show, and her family. Everyone had an amazing time at dinner, sharing stories, and just enjoying the company before diving into the first of many shows to come.

The next day, Brooklyn felt like she could bounce off of every wall in the apartment and still have way too much energy from how excited she was that it was finally time to open the show. She ended up getting there a little early after saying goodbye to Thomas and Matthew so she had plenty of time to hang out with the other queens and do her makeup before warming up. Since she had a lot of time, she decided to go with a very dramatic eye look but ended up having to rush the rest of her makeup as she decided to mess around with her dressing room roommates Elizabeth Jones and Sarah Chang, who were playing Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr.

By the time they had 5 minutes to places, all of the queens, including the alternates, were backstage talking and having a little bit of fun to try and calm their nerves before the start of the show. Once there was about two minutes left, the alternates went off the stage and the six principal queens who were on for the show formed a little circle, holding hands and talking about what each of them were going to bring to the show that night. They had finished at the perfect time as their stage manager had told them it was places as soon as they finished and they had started the show.

The show was running very smoothly as everyone was in the spot they needed to be in at the appropriate time and said their lines with no problem. Once it got to the point of the show where it was time for Brooklyn to sing “Don’t Lose Ur Head”, she knew that at some point in the song, she had wanted to make eye contact with Thomas and Matthew and she had a couple points in the song to where she could do that as they were sitting stage left and she had a couple points in the song the song where she wasn’t too far from them. She decided to make some funny faces and do some crazy moves when she sang the line “I wanna dance and sing” while looking at Matthew. She then smirked at Thomas when the line “And soon my daddy said, ‘You should try and get ahead’” came up before running up the steps for the next parts of the song.

The rest of the show went amazing as well. Brooklyn and some of the other queens did cry a little bit during “Heart of Stone” and “All You Wanna Do”. Her favorite part of the show was definitely the “MegaSix”, as they had a little more freedom in terms of choreography. She also felt that it was the time to show herself and what she could do more than any of the other songs or moments in the show. As the queens lined up for the last part of the show, she waved and smiled to both Thomas and Matthew, who smiled and waved back before she went back to finishing the show.

Once the show was over, everyone got out of their costumes and into some formal wear for the afterparty. All of the cast and crew was there, along with their friends and family and some other celebrities. She immediately went to go find Matthew and Thomas, and noticed that they were standing right next to Chazz, Matt, Victoria, Seth, and Teja, who she ran up to and gave them a big group hug.

“Where were you all sitting because I didn’t see you next to Thomas and Matthew.”

“We were up in the mezzanine, house right.” Victoria said

“We’ll thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate it.”

Brooklyn began to talk to the rest of the crew as Thomas sneakily walked away with Matthew. She didn’t notice they were gone until the conversation began to wind down and Thomas slowly tip-toed behind her.

“Rawh!” Both Matthew and Thomas said.

Brooklyn let out a little scream as she turned around and saw who was actually behind her. She then put her hands over her heart as she took deep breaths and glared at Thomas, who was laughing alongside their son.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“No. Just trying to have some fun.”

Brooklyn just shook her head and kissed both of them on their cheeks. The three of them continued to mingle for a little bit before it was time to go home. On their way out, they ran into Brooklyn’s siblings, Elizabeth and Parker, as well as their significant others.

“You guys were able to come?” Brooklyn said as she hugged her older brother.

“You really think we would miss seeing you in a show, not to mention one you have been dreaming of playing in.” Elizabeth stated before hugging her younger sister.

“Well I’m glad you were here, but we do need to get going and put this one to bed.” Brooklyn then tickled Matthew under his chin to make him giggle before blowing a raspberry on his cheek.

“Actually, we thought that I should take him for the night.” Parker said as he walked closer to gently grab Matthew from Brooklyn’s arms

“Really. And who do you mean by ‘we’.”

“Me and him.” Thomas chimed in from behind her as he walked up and put his arm around her shoulder. “I have some plans and we thought it would be better if Matthew wasn’t home for the night.”

“We were going to try and see you before the show but we wanted to make sure we had everything we needed before we took him and we didn’t have enough time.”

They continued chatting for a few more minutes before Brooklyn and Thomas each gave Matthew a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said their goodbyes. They then began to slowly walk towards their apartment.

Once Thomas unlocked the door, he took Brooklyn’s hand and helped walk her through the door, turning on the light as he did so. Once Brooklyn was inside, she looked up and over towards the kitchen to see a huge vase full of her favorite flowers, some cards, and a little cake with some green frosting on it in the same color as her costume.

“Who did this?” She said as she walked over to get a better look.

“Your brother and sister helped pick everything up and set it here but I ordered the flowers and cake. They decided to add the cards though.”

Brooklyn looked up to Thomas with slightly watery eyes. “Really? Thank you babe! It means a lot.”

“You're welcome. I know it’s been a little rough the past couple months so I wanted to surprise you with this.”

“Well thank you. I really appreciate this.”

“Good cause I also hope you’ll appreciate what I have planned for later.”

Brooklyn looked at him and smiled. “Are you going to tell me what that is?”

Thomas smirked. “No. I’m going to show you.”

With that, the two of them ran off to their bedroom, leaving the stuff on the counter for the morning.

Perma tags: @driverstveit @crazy-loca-blog @rookiemartin @zahrachoices

@choicesficwriterscreations

[misskasu]

Module 2: Blog Assignment

 Today’s digital media diary was slightly different from the one posted about two weeks ago.  The first thing I usually do is check my Gmail from both accounts around 7 am. This I decided to bravely kill two birds with one stone finish this blog assignment along with the extra credit today before 7 am unlike my last post.                       

5:20 am - logged into Canvas. And watched " In a Nutshell Zuboff: surveillance capitalism and Democracy on YouTube, " about a 17-minute video. After watching the video, I better understand how technology has shaped our lives. I also became aware of the potential hazards of data used in our society. I am now more conscious of the importance of data privacy, even if I have nothing to hide.

 YouTube link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AvtUrHxg8A&ab_channel=AlexandervonHumboldtInstitutf%C3%BCrInternetundGesellschaft

5:40 - 6:10 Read the article "Surveillance Capitalism: What It Is and How It Impacts Democracy" and created a mind map of surveillance capitalism. Started writing an essay on the topic. Developed a thesis statement. Researched more information about this topic. Checked the essay for errors. As part of the essay, I wrote a conclusion and submitted it.

6:10 - I posted the final result online on my Tumblr page.

6:26- Responded to Melissa Radojevic by mentioning that I was aware of the issue of data metrics, and posting at such a young age was a blessing. And since then, I have taken extra steps to protect my personal information. I have also been more conscious of my content. Further, I have taken the necessary steps to ensure that my accounts are private and that I only connect with people I trust.

7: 30- 8:15 AM After I shower, I always start my morning with maintenance. I check my email out as much in the spam and check in with all the clubs and my grandmother. I like to do wordle/digits from the New Times.  My Grandmother lives in Michigan, so she almost will Always do it before me and often gives me hints. But today, I finished before she did. I also cleaned out my spam from both email accounts and double-checked assignments from my other classes

10:00 am to 12:30 — Pandora (in the background) 

I turn on Pandora working on while I work on today’s blog diary and take a look at the extra credit.   I turn on Pandora working on while I work on today’s blog diary and look at the extra credit.   I make sure to take breaks every 15 minutes to stretch and clear my head. I review the content I wrote and make any necessary changes. At 12:30, I'm done with the line, almost done polishing, fixing, and editing grammatical mistakes along the image layout before I post on my Tumblr account.  

At 12:45, I'm done with the blog and publish it. I take a break to reward myself for a job well done. I grab leftovers for lunch and a cup of water before moving on to my next task with 3 episodes of Flash.

2:00 p.m. — Finished lunch break after watching 3 episodes of Netflix series (in this class, the Flash. No spoilers, please I am only on Season 2, Episode 13 I have binge watching prior to this post). After lunch, I felt energized and ready to finish the remaining tasks for the day. I then took a quick swim to get some fresh air and get back to work!

I finish up at 4:45 p.m. — Revising my to-do list for tomorrow. Some assignments take longer, especially if they are papers or essays with multiple responses to that one assignment.I try to make sure I'm done with the assignments that require a lot more effort before I leave. That way, I don't have to worry about them the next day and can focus on the smaller tasks. If I need more time, I'll stay a bit later.

5:00 p.m. — I check my emails and respond to any urgent messages.

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm - I finish this assignment and prepare for tomorrow. Didn't have time to do my daily night reading.

[thychesters]

#wipwednesday for #dickbabsweek2021! for tomorrow's prompt. i could leave it vague, but also yeah it's the smut one. lmao. no apologies. i have to post today’s prompt and finish up a bunch of work stuff, but hopefully this one will be done for tomorrow, too! and then i have to figure out what the hell to do for the rest of the week.

text below the cut:

Now her bed is empty, and Barbara’s fingers trawl across the covers toward his pillow. She wiggles her way toward the middle of the bed in an effort to make herself comfortable, but none of even the most subtle adjustments are any better. The fan in the corner of the room provides white noise and blows loose hair into her face. She huffs, running over the night’s events in her head and then thinks about all of the things she could do as sleep eludes her—finish up a book, check in on the status of the latest JL mission, or, hell, start a puzzle in the dining room.

Instead, she sighs and rolls again to paw for her phone on her nightstand before settling back in the middle of the bed again. Her lockscreen is nothing remarkable, but her thumb hovers over the messages icon to admire the picture of her pressing a kiss to Dick’s cheek as he pulls a face that serves as her home screen.

Barbara kills some time by filtering through various emails, and then starts as her phone buzzes and a similar image crops up on her screen. It garners a small smile from her before she’s swiping her thumb across the notification and bringing the phone to her ear.

“I was just thinking about you,” she says by way of greeting.

“All good things, I hope,” Dick returns, to which she only hums. He was in her ear not even an hour prior, but there are times it’s hard to have a decent conversation with her boyfriend while not on a private line and in the middle of him working a case.

[starshiningsirius]

Attention seeker (Yandere Vil x reader)

The beautiful Queen's birthday, now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go pull for his card.

Edit: I have failed and my disappointment is immeasurable. There's always Ruggie then.

A new first year to Pomifore who doesn't look like a potato face in Vil's eyes is rare. Something about her screams perfection and beauty in every way.

He never hears her talk much but she does as she's told. Her grades are always 100 marks never below that number. It amazed him how she didn't wear makeup but still looked like an angel sent down from above. When the freshmen were taught etiquette, she had no trouble at all.

What confused him the most was that she never mentioned anything regarding his beauty. Like maybe he had gotten some new makeup and graciously flaunted it to the whole dorm. She happened to be sitting in the dorm lounge and didn't bat an eye toward him, everyone else was mesmerised by his beauty except her.

Rook had to comment on his idol's sudden interest with the female.

"Roi de poison, you seem to be very interested in that freshman. She does seem like she's got something special to her doesn't she?"

"Yes, find out what you can about her." Vil was busy putting on his makeup but Rook noticed how his tone had shifted ever so slightly.

"As you wish Roi de Poison."

Rook only did as he was told though with an underlying excitement to it. It was for Vil after all and he could tell that this would go well in his twisted mind.

When Rook arrived back again, he had a surplus of info on her. From her favorite color to her daily routine. Vil noted everything he said to him about her.

She would cook for herself in the dorm's kitchen every morning for both lunch and breakfast. She never visits the cafeteria and always eats something healthy complimenting her physique. She even follows the facial routine Vil told everyone to do. When he mentions that she tutors Epel and she only spends time with him that immediately makes Vil's face turn into a frown.

He orders Rook to go and get Epel before he could even let him finish his findings. When he does come back with him Vil puts on a calm facade to mask his overwhelming envy toward the boy. He pretty much interrogates him seeing as Epel has no other choice he answers honestly.

Epel knows that charming smile on his dorm leader's face. He knew what happens when someone angers him. He could still feel the sting that had implanted itself in his memory after the blonde had slapped him for something minor.

All his questions pertained to his childhood friend. From her personality to what he knew about her that Rook didn't say to him already. He took in every bit of information. It only made him fall deeper into his obsession.

Though the fact stood out that Vil had fallen for a country bumpkin, he couldn't care less.

He just had to get her attention, after all.

* * *

"Vil senpai, is there something you need of me?"

He was outside her room door, one would say he was absolutely giddy at his plan he had concocted. Seeing her up close was even more exciting since he could take in every detail more than the pictures Rook had took of her.

"Seeing as you work so hard, I'm offering you a chance no one else gets you get to be my new makeup model! I need someone with your beauty almost as radiant as my own to test out some new makeup I ordered! I know this is such a gracious offer, so tomorrow at three after class meet me-"

"Excuse me, Vil senpai but I have to decline, it would be a waste of my time as well as yours. I ever so deeply apologize for wasting your time but I have to studying to do. Farewell." She shut the door softly leaving Vil shocked seeing as he was denied and put off to side like something to be forgotten.

That shock soon faded into pure rage. He was just denied with an opportunity as good as what he offered she could've become the talk of all social media with just one picture on his magicam page. Now that he thinks about it though, he didn't want that. All of your attention would be held up by strangers, your beauty would be flaunted off for the world to see. He's glad you denied before it could ever reach that point.

He still wanted your attention though. No, at this point he needed it. To just be forgotten just like when he plays the villain is not something he's fond of.

* * *

Y/n had been nervous as she felt like Rook had been following her for a few days and even though it had stopped altogether, she still couldn't help but be weary of her surroundings. Her vice dorm leader was always strange but it led to the question why was she the target of his interest now?

Vil had gained some strange interest in her as well and it made no sense as to why. She wasn't that special, certainly not at all in her standards. But at the present moment she didn't have the time to worry about that.

She had to go meet Epel again to tutor him in potions in the lab. They both grew up in the Village of Harvest together so they look after one another of course being good friends. Epel knows Y/n's reseved nature as well as how hardworking she is. She admires his determination just as he admires how she sees him for who he is which is thankfully not a girl. That's how the two have always been and now they both went to the same school.

She'd usually eat her lunch there before starting to mix any potions as to not accidentally mess up anything so she took a seat in the nearest chair that wasn't the teacher's desk and started eating.

Zucchini linguine was on the menu for today eating it slow with a fork not once making any slurping sounds. She noted that their was a slight difference in taste than what she was used too, considering she had made this before time and time again.

After awhile of waiting and already finishing her food she noticed that Epel hadn't arrived yet and usually he'd text if he were to be late. She found it strange, but something temporarily took her mind off it.

Her mind started to grow hazy and her eyes were growing blurry. Soon enough her body started to sway and the fork that was placed in the open container on her lap fell to the floor. Before she knew it she fell right with it feeling so dizzy all of a sudden. Her mind could process hearing for just a second, it sounded like the door.

Whispering quiet pleas was all she could do hoping it was Epel that could help him. She only saw a glimpse of purple robes, possibly nail polished fingers, and heard a few words as well as a pair of heels clicking against the floor before her mind completely shut off.

"You will give me your attention, even if I have to take you away."

* * *

Golden chains glittering, moved along with the captive that was awoken with a start.

The velvet sheets that had been neatly placed on her shifted as the chains rattled. She felt her wrists feeling the cold smooth metal on them. She immediately panicked even though she was usually calm and collected her mind just couldn't comprehend the situation. Never had she experienced anything similar to this.

She examined the walls and noticed that she was in Pomeifore, the elegant wallpaper had clued in on it. There was a dresser and a vanity next to it with all sorts of makeup neatly organized. It all looked so expensive just like the gold chains. The dread in her body had multiplied when she realized who it could be.

The room was much more luxurious then her own room. It could only be one person.

Vil Schoenheit.

As if on cue he walked in, with his manicured nails, crown on his head, and purple tipped locks accompanied by blonde roots. It only made him even more ecstatic to see her finally pay attention to him. He walked closer to her seeing her watch his every move for the first time since probably the day of the opening ceremony where he lectured the first years on Pomeifore etiquette.

When he finally reached her he lifted her chin and made her look him in the eyes.

"I want all of your attention to be on me my dear. I don't mind keeping you here to get it."

Masterlist

[hangovercurse]

Studio Nights

You and Kells spend time in the studio together.

Part ii of Losing a Friend

Colson x Reader

Warnings: cursing

A/N: the first few parts are a lot of fluff, building relationships and such but soon we’ll get into the real angst 😊 

Word Count: 1501

i < ii < iii

September 2016

You had hoped that after 3 months of hanging around the guys, you would have gotten used to their constant energy. But sitting in the studio, you realized you might never get used to it.

Lazily you spun yourself around in the rolling chair at the monitor, Kells sitting next to you with his back to the desk. “Dawg, I’m telling you, you were wasted as fuck,” his loud voice rang through your ears, making the headache you were nurturing even worse.

The boys were having a conversation about something that had gone on in the club the other night with Rook, who was arguing that it wasn’t as big of a deal as Kells was making it out to be. To be fair, Rook was that drunk, but it really wasn’t all that funny.

You tuned them out as best as possible, turning back to the computer and looking at the track again, sighing at the thought of hearing it blare through the headphones. As Slim, Baze, and Rook continued arguing, Kells turned to you.

He seemed to look right through you, taking in the bags under your eyes and the slight frown on your face. “Hey,” he spoke quietly, “you okay?”

You gave him a small nod, placing the headphones over your ears with a fake smile. His hand reached out and tugged them gently off your head. “Seriously, you look like shit.”

Rolling your eyes, you gave a monotone answer, “thanks, Kells. You sure know how to treat a lady.” You let out a dry chuckle as he continued to stare at you, a teasing pout on his face, “I’m fine, I just have a headache, it’s nothing.”

He swiveled his chair so that his front was facing your side, reaching out and turning your chair so you could be face to face. His knees bumped up against your own lightly, “we can take a break if you want, pick back up tomorrow.”

You shook your head, “I’m fine, there’s just a lot of noise right now, but it’s nothing. I just want to finish this song; we’ve been working on it for way too long now.” You tried to play off the throbbing in your brain as Slim and Baze laughed obnoxiously a few feet away from you.

He rolled his eyes, “You are the one that keeps editing it.” His tone was teasing, but you couldn’t help but agree. There was something about the track that just wasn’t right yet. “But it can wait another day, go home. Or I’ll send these fuckers home.”

You chuckled, “aren’t you guys technically at home?” He sent you an unamused look, making you pout, “look, I can’t figure out what it is, but something needs to be fixed.”

He let out a breath through his nose, imitating laughter, “I know, you keep saying that. And I trust you, but you’re not going to figure it out if you’re in a mood.”

A glare came over your features, directed at him, “I am not in a mood.” You shoved him playfully, his chair spinning slightly, “I’m just in pain. My head feels like it’s eating itself.”

“That’d make a good lyric,” he commented with a smirk, shoving you back. “Go home.”

You smacked his hand away lightly, “don’t tell me what to do. Now let me work.” You tried to turn back to the computer while placing the headphones back over your ears, but Kells just spun you back towards him.

“How about you let me listen to it for once,” his tone was playful, but you couldn’t help but gape at the audacity.

You handed him the headphones, “I have been trying to get you to do that for the past 3 hours!” He chuckled, placing the speakers over his ears, and pressing play. “Is this what it takes to get you to work? My pain?” you teased halfheartedly.

Truthfully, Kells had a way of distracting you from whatever happened to be bothering you, including your headache. It was one of the many reasons you liked being around him so much.

He nodded his head to what you assumed was the beat, making you giggle lightly. He paused the song midway, taking off the headphones and frowning. “What if we tried carrying the initial guitar riff through at that little middle part.”

You raised an eyebrow, turning to the computer and fidgeting with the track to add the raw guitar into the space. You didn’t notice, but you and Kells were very closely huddled around the computer.

The other guys in the room, however, did take notice. Slim elbowed Rook, pointing over in your direction as you and Kells cracked lighthearted jokes and worked on the song together.

Rook let out a chuckle that was lost on your ears as Baze quietly teased, “I give it two months, max.”

The younger boy shook his head, “hell naw, you think Kells is gonna wait that long?”

Baze flicked Rook in the head, “that’s why I said max, dumbass.”

Rook shoved the older one, starting a small war between the two of them. Slim rolled his eyes, speaking over the two’s fighting, “she’s way too smart for that, it’ll take way longer for her to come around to that.”

After another 15 minutes of you and Kells working intensely on fixing the music and the guys teasing you about how cute you were behind your backs, you could listen to a rough sample of your new and improved track.

“This is fucking fire, dude,” Kells said loudly as he listened with the headphones. You laughed at the volume, feeling better than before and giddy at the thought of having fixed the track.

Once he had finished, he placed the headphones over your ears and played the song in its entirety, your voices flowing together naturally over the music. When the revised part came, you were shocked at how much better it sounded, even if it was still just a rough edit.

You took the headphones off, beaming at him, “you are a genius.”

He teased, “so I’ve been told.” You rolled your eyes, knocking his knee with yours playfully. He shoved your shoulder softly, voice lowering, “you should go home. We can polish this part tomorrow and get it ready for a release.”

You shook your head, volume matching his “I’m fine, Kells. It’s just a headache and we’re almost finished, I can manage.”

“I’m not touching another button today and you are going home, end of story.” You whined but gave no real protest, reaching for your purse and keys. He patted you on the head mockingly, “good girl.”

You glared up at him, “call me that again, and I will hurt you.” He chuckled, standing up with you, and walking you to the door.

He called to the guys, “thanks for all the work today guys, really helpful.” His words dripped with sarcasm, making you giggle.

Slim shrugged, “looked like you two had it handled, we weren’t gonna interrupt.” Rook and Baze snickered, making you roll your eyes.

“Well, I’m out. See you guys tomorrow.” You threw up a peace sign to the men.

Baze checked his phone, “are you sure you want to drive this late? It’s almost 3 am.”

You sighed, realizing he was right. A pout fell on your face as you muttered, “it’s fine, I’ll be okay.” You turned to head out the door, throwing a smile at the boys. Kells followed you out to the main area of the house, grabbing your wrist gently in the living room to stop you from leaving.

“You can stay here tonight if you want. It’d probably be better anyways if you still feel bad.”

His gentle touch on your arm seemed to send a soft feeling throughout your body, something unfamiliar to you. You shook it off, giving him a small smile. As much as you knew you probably should stay, you needed to get out of this house before any other unexplained feelings arose. “Thanks, Kells, but I’ll be fine. I live all of 10 minutes away.”

He shrugged, acting nonchalant, “fine, just text us when you get home.”

You rolled your eyes, walking to the front door, “okay, Dad.”

He chuckled, “shut up, loser.” You flicked him off playfully as you left, the door closing behind you.

Mere moments after you left he heard three laughs from behind him, “oh Y/N! Please stay the night with us.” Rook mocked an overly dramatic Kells impression.

Baze continued with a “I’ll do anything for you Y/N, I’m just so in love with you!”

Slim shook his head, walking over and clapping his best friend on the back, “ignore them.” He said, “we all know you’ll confess to her in your own time.”

Kells scoffed, an eyebrow raised, “I am not in love with Y/N. She’s just a friend. A better one than you three.”

The boys laughed and rolled their eyes, “okay,” Rook said, unconvinced.

tag list: 

@bakerkells​ @elviablo​​ @iambashfulperson​ @sunflowerbebe107​ @crystalbaby12​ @stormrider505​ @ticketstomydaydreams​ @mvrylee​ @daddyavesxx​​ @pettyvxbes​ @prettydreamboy​

[whentherewerebicycles]

walked for an hour and a half around the lake late last night with michelle before she leaves for korea 😭 it was so good to see her. I also took ruthie with us because I’m trying to work on her socialization around large unfamiliar groups of people, and she was such a good girl!! she still hates to be approached by an unfamiliar dog on leash but she was super quiet and wide-eyed about all the people, bikes, scooters, etc. got back pretty late and then slept for uhhh like nine hours? lol. the heat really takes it out of me!! 

today mmmm what’s on the agenda. I just finished outlining a new cover letter so I think I want to make breakfast and then challenge myself to sit down and write a full draft of the letter with no self-editing or pausing—just bang out a rough version of it and then focus on cleaning it up. I also need to finish editing AH’s website content before our meeting tomorrow. mmm okay let’s see how about this:

10:15-10:30 finish lounging

10:30-11 make breakfast

11-11:30 set a timer and bang out the first draft using the outline—no stopping!!

11:30-12 pause and switch over to updating resume (move categories around and add more language from the job ad)

12-1 return to cover letter and polish it up. GOOD ENOUGH IS GOOD ENOUGH DOES NOT NEED TO BE PERFECT

try to submit by early afternoon!

[pretchatta]

a little bit more of the university au I started here, inspired by @bythevay‘s amazing sweater vest kanan and date night hera. I still haven’t made it to the actual date yet... but it does exist in draft form! I’ll be putting the whole lot on AO3 as soon as I have a title (suggestions are welcome!) but until then it’ll be small sections on tumblr as and when I feel they’re finished.

edit: it’s on AO3!

rating: general; kanan jarrus/hera syndulla; 1.3k words

---

The soft, burbling sounds of the café reached his ears as Kanan pushed open the heavy wooden doors to the library. The foyer was grand, if a little tired, with wood-panelled walls and a polished marble floor that contrasted sharply with the modern security barriers cutting through the middle. Sweeping up one side was the long reception desk that served both sides, though only those with a university ID card could pass through the turnstiles to the café and, more importantly, the university’s precious trove of knowledge beyond. 

Kanan made his way to the desk, not needing to enter the library proper today, absently greeting the old librarian who sat on the other side.

“Morning, Okadiah.”

The human raised a white-haired eyebrow as Kanan reached over the desk to a currently unused library staff computer. “It’s past one.”

“Oh. Good afternoon, then.” He twisted the monitor around to face him and tapped a request on the keyboard in a practised way.

“Someone’s a little distracted,” Okadiah commented. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were thinking about a woman, but since you’re never off campus and the gender ratio of your department is abysmal, that’s about as likely as you reading my sign.”

The sign in question read ‘DO NOT LEAN ON THE DESK’, and Kanan had been ignoring it since graduation. That had been when he’d started working at the library to support himself through his PhD and learnt that Okadiah was far less formidable than he’d first appeared. Since accepting a permanent position in the School of Chemistry faculty he’d not stopped acting like a member of library staff, and he was pretty sure Okadiah only allowed it because Kanan was still one of the few people who could actually work the library’s archaic cataloguing software. 

“Well, maybe next time I’m here for a book I’ll ask you to call it for me, because this woman… I don’t even know how to describe her.”

“Oh boy.”

“She was incredible. She’d dropped a lab coat, and she had these eyes… I’m telling you, I’ve never seen eyes like hers before.”

"Eyes, huh -- is this her, coming in now? Lab coat, check. Eyes, check..."

Okadiah had no idea what Hera looked like, but Kanan's head whipped around to see if it was her nonetheless. He tried not to look too obviously disappointed at the diminutive sullustan woman in white who’d just come through the doors. Her huge eyes roamed around the room before landing on the desk, which she then made a beeline towards.

"Excuse me," she said, peering up at the librarian. The lanyard around her neck proclaimed her to be a guest speaker from one of the university’s affiliate companies by the name of Zaluna Myder. "I'm meeting someone inside, a member of university staff."

"You'll have to wait here until they arrive," Okadiah replied kindly. “When they do I can sign you in.”

The woman nodded. “Very well. I’ll just take a seat here then.” She slid down to sit on the floor at the base of the desk. 

Kanan frowned in confusion, but was distracted by a besalisk with an armful of books arriving at the other side of the desk. 

“You requested this one, Oke?” the woman grunted, passing the topmost one over to him.

“Thanks, Lal, it’s for Professor Jarrus here.” Okadiah took the slim textbook and the library assistant departed again. He glanced at the cover before sliding it over to Kanan. “Hey, this has got to be the fourth Physics book you’ve ordered this term. Is it for that kid again? I don’t know why you don’t just give him Young and Freedman and be done with it.”

Kanan rolled his eyes. “He’s fifteen. I’m trying to encourage his passion for the sciences, not break his spine.” 

“If you’re hoping he makes it to higher education,” came a new voice from behind, “a little strength training maybe wouldn’t go amiss.”

Kanan almost couldn't believe his ears, but there was no mistaking that voice. He turned, and sure enough, there she was. She was wearing different overalls today, but those eyes were the same as he remembered, if not even more beautiful.

Play it cool, Kanan. 

"Hey, Hera," he said casually.

“Kanan, right?” She was smiling at him again, and it made his heart flutter in his chest. “I thought you said you teach Chemistry? Do you often teach extra subjects?”

“Yes -- I mean, no --” He was flustered, and forced himself to start again. “I’m tutoring this kid, and sometimes he gets curious about non-Chemistry topics. Sometimes I worry I’m losing him to Physics, but then I give him a sheet of algebra and he’s back to asking about rates of reactions.”

He felt like he was rambling and stopped himself from saying anything further, but she was nodding.

“I’d be interested to hear more about your teaching.”

“I -- well, you’re always welcome to come by during my office hours.”

He heard what sounded like a disappointed sigh from Okadiah.

“Dr Syndulla?” came a voice from below; the sullustan woman had stood back up. 

“Zaluna!” Hera said brightly, apparently recognising her. “I’ve booked one of the private study rooms for our meeting - unfortunately we can’t use my office today, I share it and my colleague has a tutorial in there right now.”

“If you show me your staff ID, your guest can sign in here and I can grant a temporary day pass to the library,” Okadiah said, bringing out the visitor log book. Zaluna took the pen and started writing as Hera rummaged for her ID card.

Kanan started to feel a little awkward and wondered if he should leave - he had his book now, after all - but he didn’t want to. He wanted to talk to Hera some more, but he didn’t know how to start with Okadiah and Zaluna there.

“There’s a new restaurant that’s just opened up on Gorse Street, y’know,” Okadiah said, interrupting Kanan’s train of thought.

“Huh?” Kanan was momentarily confused, but caught the twinkle in the old librarian’s eyes.

“There,” Zaluna said, finishing signing her name.

“Great, let’s get going. It was nice to see you again, Kanan,” Hera directed the last part to him as she started walking towards the turnstiles with Zaluna.

“Wait!” he called, and she paused to look back. “Do -- would you like to get dinner? With me? There’s a new restaurant…” he finished lamely, gesturing at Okadiah, who covered his face with his hand.

But Hera didn’t seem put off. She smiled at him again, and he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of seeing that smile. “That sounds nice. I’m free tomorrow evening -- meet me under the Illum Bridge at seven?”

Kanan couldn’t help the smile that split his face. “See you tomorrow at seven!”

He watched her walk away, feeling like he was floating. He was taking Hera on a date! Him! And her! For a whole evening, at--

“Wait, what restaurant did I just invite her to?”

Okadiah’s eyes sparkled with mirth over the tops of his glasses. “Luna Cynda has received nothing but rave reviews since it first opened last week, and is fully booked for the next month.”

“What?” Kanan’s heart rate spiked with anxiety. “Fully booked? Where am I supposed to take Hera tomorrow?”

The old man merely smiled at him. “I’ve been meaning to give it a go myself, but since I can’t stand the thought of you taking such a lovely woman on what would otherwise undoubtedly be a terrible date, I suppose you can have my table reservation.”

“Really?”

“Tomorrow at seven-thirty. I’m living vicariously. Treat her well, please.”

---

Continue Reading

[cosmicfurby]

okay gang it's that time of the day

oh yeah

it's time for a ✨fic update✨

i decided this afternoon that i really needed to finish writing the first chapter and so the gods delivered, because HABEMUS FIRST CHAPTER! i am going fully insane, this is the first time I've ever felt this good about something I've written, let alone a fic. it's around five pages long, full of typos and i love it with my soul because I'm writing for FUN and not for anyone's approval and it's GOOD on my book which is all that matters

so this may very well be the last update before the fic is actually published, which is exciting! the chapter is already written, all i have to do is add a couple details and improve the writing before it's ready to go out into the world. you know, what i call "polishing" the text. hopefully the final product is acceptable to my beloved audience *like three people clap*

as i have established before, the first episode is basically trucy and kay looking around in their attic and finding things related to ryuunosuke + the letter from kazuma i shared a post or two ago. basically, I'm setting the scene for the "now" part of the fanfic, which will take up much less than the "then part". i am still debating whether to put kazuma's letter before or after the actual episode, but I'm pretty sure it'll go before. still unsure about that though, I'll figure it out

if i actually get to work and manage to edit it well enough first try i might publish it tomorrow?? EXCITING TIMES i have to choose a good time of the day tho lmao time zones are A Mess

the main problems, or rather, questions to solve i have as of right now are as follows:

1. make sure the characterization of trucy isn't off and is more upbeat because i tend to make my narrators a bit stern and calm and trucy is not exactly like that

2. be careful with kay's characterization (i have not in fact played the investigations games but i hope i can do a decent job, she doesn't appear much but i do think she's a key player and it would suck for her to be a bore)

3. add a few elements i absolutely forgot and only remembered like. hours after I'd closed the document dw these things happen it'll be alright, i think narratively I've said everything i wanted to say on that episode

4. maybe, just maybe, i will add a bit of narration by ryunosuke in the end. i think it will be useful to help establish the three main narrative stages i have set up –letters, the now and the then– and it will be a good exercise on narrative tones. if i get fancy i might alternate between trucy and ryunosuke, though that might be a little whiplash-ey of me. i don't know, still thinking about that one

also! i may or may not have gone absolutely overboard and crafted a Spotify playlist with the music i listen to while i write 👉🏻👈🏻 i am just a little nerd with my little nerd soundtracks

as i said it's mostly soundtracks and instrumentals that have the right vibes ✨ this playlist has single handedly destroyed any semblance of normality my Spotify wrapped could've had but anyway you win some you lose some

that's all we've got for today's fic progress update! hopefully I can start publish as soon as possible this story has been with me for more than a month now and i can't wait to put everything into words. so that would be all ^^

"It was a collar pin in the shape of a spark.

unless you want a sneak peek.

do you want a sneak peeeeek? come on i know you do don't run away take the sneak peek take it take-

"It was a collar pin, shaped in the form of a little spark.

And spark something it did."

[sunflowerandco]

After the Fact: Act IV - Resolve

Act I / Act II / Act III

Rating: M/T 

        Courtney put the finishing touches on her final history paper. She had spent the better half of her morning, not to mention the week, perfecting the last portion of her thesis statement equipped with a counterargument and conclusion to complete. With her last task being editing, she gave herself five minutes to look at her phone. She noticed an abundance of messages from an assumed-to-be-hungover Bridgette in the aftermath of her bachelorette party.

         thanks for taking me home court

         at least i assume u took me home

         i don't remember much haha

         Courtney chuckled as she read the amount of mind gymnastics Bridgette put herself through. The coffee she attempted to sip on was beyond cold at this point.

         Yes, that was me lol. Rest up for tomorrow's rehearsal dinner.

         She shifted her focus to her laptop again before she heard their bedroom door close, and footsteps grow closer. Duncan entered the living room with his flannel half-buttoned, and his hair still wet from the shower. She remembered his excitement from the other day about having two new clients book appointments at the tattoo shop for today, and figured he was getting ready to head out. "Morning, Princess. How's the paper going?" She responded with her eyes still on the screen, studying each sentence's legitimacy.

         "I'm done actually! Now all it needs is a little polishing."

         "Even after being partying all of last night?"

         "Luckily, I never get drunk to the point where I can't function the next day," Courtney stretched her arms out. "And can still tend to my maid of honor duties." Duncan caught her wrists by his hand in a flirtatious effort to get her attention, encouraging a longer break from her extensive work. She had been going at it for nearly four hours before he walked in. He had no intention of breaking her focus earlier, but this moment was an exception.

         Courtney looked at him over her shoulder signaling for him to let go and placed her fingers on the keyboard again. "What about you? Were you handling the 'best man' title properly?" Duncan smirked before teasing her. "I am. But I could hardly focus with all the attention I was getting last night." Courtney rolled her eyes while he added on. "How was the club last night?"

         Courtney played up her response to throw him off. "Oh, nothing. The usual strip club activities. Drinks flowing, ass and abs in your face," She turned to face him over her shoulder again. "Bridgette and the girls seemed to really enjoy themselves."

         Duncan hunched over to the level of her desk chair, placing his hands on her shoulders. "They can't do this though," he said softly in her ear. He kissed slowly down her neck and Courtney's head automatically tilted to the left to give him better access. She still tried to keep her eyes on her paper, but the lower his hands went down her arms, the more her concentration wavered. She inaudibly gasped when she felt his fingers cling to the hem of her shirt, his knuckles grazing her sides. His voice still rang softly in her ear. "Want me to stop?" Duncan faced her and waited for her answer.

         Courtney shook her head no, and Duncan's hands made their way underneath her shirt and lightly brushed up and down her waist. His lips traveled from her neck to her shoulder, and his hands brushed up once more before they cupped her breasts. She gasped lightly at the sensation the pattern of his thumbs circling gave. Every flick sent shocks down to her core. She could barely get his name out of her mouth.

         "Duncan..." She could feel him smirking against her neck, and she rolled her eyes.

         "Tell me what you want." His hands remained under the tight fabric of her shirt. Truth be told, he wanted her since last night. Being surrounded by other women just made him want Courtney even more. His mind filled with visuals of the two of them, and he couldn’t, would never complain.

         It increasingly became more prevalent to Duncan that he didn't want to see anyone else the way he saw Courtney. It had been that way for five years, and he couldn't see it changing at all.

         "Take me. On the couch."

         In one motion Duncan turned the chair on its wheels so that she was facing him. He wrapped one arm around her waist and one hand to the back of Courtney's thigh. Courtney was finally at eye level with him, and her hands cupped his face when she hungrily drew kisses on his lips, lightly tugging on his lower lip with her teeth. When she let go, he planted soft kisses on her inner thighs. Duncan had every intention to burn her tension away to construct new pressure by some incredibly desirable design. Courtney lied back when they heard her phone ring on the desk. Duncan sighed and loosened the grip he had on her thighs when her attention shifted.

         She reluctantly got up from the couch to see Bridgette's name flash across the screen, and she picked it up to answer. "Hello?" She was met with a panicked, hasty voice on the line. Bridgette's words seemed to all get launched into the air at the same time.

         "Courtney! I really need you! I woke up to go to the bathroom and I tried to take my ring off before going in the shower and it's not on my finger!" Courtney tried her best to calm her down and retrace her steps.

         "Okay, okay, Bridgette. Slow down. It could've fallen off somewhere in your place. Or in your bed?"

         "No I swear I looked everywhere! What if I l-left it at the club or something?"

         "Then, we'll look there. We'll look everywhere we can, okay? Do you need me to pick you up?"

         "Yes"

         "Okay, then I'll be there in twenty minutes. See you soon." Courtney set her phone down and took a deep breath. Duncan made his way to her to rub his hands along her arms. "Go ahead. You have maid of honor duties, and I have to go head to the shop." She gave him a peck before turning to their bedroom to get dressed.

         "Don't forget where we left off! And good luck today!" Duncan wouldn't forget feeling extremely lucky in their version of a predicament.

                                                         ***

         Courtney entered their apartment after having dropped off Bridgette once again from a panic-filled escapade that ended in good resolve. Her ring was found, back on her finger, and all each had to worry about was the rehearsal dinner happening on the next day. Courtney was more than prepared for the day.  She was already looking forward to a night on the couch before another eventful day.

         Courtney dumped her purse on the table in the hallway preceding the living room. She could make out that the lights were on, but it was eerily quiet. She called out for him.

         "Babe? Are you in there?"

         Duncan affirmed in a low voice. "Yeah. I'm in here."

         When she walked into the living room, she found Duncan sitting on the couch. His head was down, and he was covering one side of his face with his hand. She hastily walked up to him and gently lifted his head by his chin to see fresh, major discoloration around his right eye that extended down to his cheek. His bright teal eyes stared into Courtney's earnestly. She instinctively opened her mouth in shock.

         "What happened to you?" Courtney quickly turned on her heels. She grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and placed it above his cheek. He took hold of it before he started talking.

         His voice remained as low as possible. His explanation was simple, but he couldn't express it simply. His tone seethed with unresolved anger. "I got in a fight at the shop." He got up from the couch and his back toward Courtney.

         "A fight?! What the hell were you thinking?!" She followed behind him. "You could lose your job doing stuff like that!"

         He finally turned to her in disbelief. "Is that all you care about?!" Courtney couldn't help but feel misunderstood. She was angry at him for misinterpreting; she was angry at herself for her choice of words. It grew harder for her to control the volume of her voice.

         "No! Thats not the case. I just thought you'd learn not to risk good things for yourself and let your anger go for once!"

         They usually bickered. Got under each other’s skin as a way of flirting, but this time felt incredibly different from the others. They could see each other's upset, their words jumbled up and void of understanding for the other's point of view. A passionate need for one to grasp onto the other's words but failing in execution.

         Duncan's desire to explain himself diminished when he realized she already made her assumptions, but he still took offense to Courtney's words. "I’m not gonna be perfectly poised like you, so you can forget that Courtney." There wasn't much more she could say before he passed her to slam their bedroom door shut.

         Courtney got so worked up she holed herself into her studying nook. She read over passages in her textbook until she wasn't thinking about Duncan anymore. One, two, three hours would pass by before she realized midnight had rolled around, and she was five minutes away from falling asleep onto her textbook. She had to join him in bed eventually.

         She peered through the door. The light from the hallway highlighted the curves of Duncan under the comforter. She quietly lied on her side, but still faced the opposite way of him. It was the first and only time she ever felt cold under so many blankets. Courtney closed her eyes tightly and thought of every possible scenario she could imagine until her mind let her slip away.

                                                        ***

         Duncan's eyes fluttered open slowly when the morning sun beamed on his face through the window. He looked next to him to see the girl he pulled in every morning wasn't on her side of the bed. The gel pack he steadily held to his eye for most of the night landed off his body and onto the floor when he lifted the blankets. He left the room, and still no sign of Courtney. He assumed she already met with Bridgette to help prepare the rehearsal dinner.

        Duncan stepped into the bathroom and was reminded of incident that gave him this very bruise. The memory of the conversation before the incident rang in his mind repeatedly. He had followed all the guidelines taught to him by Anya, kept his cool to the best of his ability, and he still managed to fuck up. He managed to mess things up with Courtney.

        "I'm sorry, dude. You're way too drunk. I cannot give you a tattoo."

        Still, he was met with hostility. An angry drunk who wouldn't take no for an answer. He thought about her once.

        "Then what the fuck do you assholes get paid for?! Either you do what I ask, or I'll make you!"

         He was shoved. Punched. He thought about her once more. He knew what she'd say, and situations like these kept her voice in the back of his head. But Duncan had a difficult time facing the habit of establishing this desired image in a new public setting. It worked out for him at times in his youth; hurting before he could get hurt and maintaining the reputation that kept people out of his way. Yes, his job is still intact, and he could thank Anya for her judgement. However, all he saw in the mirror was a mark brought onto him that, in retrospect, wasn't even worth it. The ice prevented it from shutting his eye completely, and only gave his lid a grim, purple hue. All he saw in their room was the empty bed he fell asleep angry and woke up in.

                                                          ***

         Duncan pulled up to the old manor the wedding and dinner were taking place. He stopped short of the fountain that led to the path of the entrance for valet. He opened double doors and was swept into high ceilings, music relevant to the occasion, and too much dark wood. He was seen by a few members of the wedding party, Marie, Chet, and Betty, by the coat room. He gave an efficient wave before realizing why their mouths were agape.

         He gave up and instead walked down another hall, into another room, and there she was. The only woman that could catch his eye when he walked into a room. She had her back turned and was engaged in conversation with Bridgette and their high school classmate, LeShawna. She was wearing that red backless dress she brought home last week; her beautiful, warm skin uncovered. He knew he stared a little too long when Bridgette noticed him from across the room. Bridgette's halt in conversation made Courtney turn around. Their eyes automatically locked, and all the supposed anger expressed the night before didn't matter to him. He wanted to talk to her, to talk things out between them. He could admit they were both hurt in the process, and maturity begets resolve. But he was brought out of his thoughts when Geoff put a hand on his shoulder.

        "Dude! I was looking for you! I need to-" He was cut off when Duncan turned to face him, and his focus ceased. "What the hell happened to you?" Duncan brushed it off, shook his head, and deemed it not worth explaining.

        "Don't worry about it. What did you need?"

        "Last minute question that I totally forgot to ask you: steak or fish?"

        "Uh... steak?"

        "Okay, great! That's what I told the caterers." A voice projected over the loudspeaker.

        "Dinner is now served. Everyone can enter the dining room at this time."

                                                          ***

        After hours of preparation and arranging, Courtney and Bridgette were able to enjoy the venue they spent the entirety of their day in. Courtney stuck to the nervous bride's side throughout conversations she'd have with the wedding party. Of course, they were all people she grew close with over the years, but months of preparation would leave any bride fretful of failure. They were both truly able to relax when LeShawna arrived. They were free to talk and laugh about anything they wanted, and Courtney could take her mind off the one guy she looked around for every now and then. It was a special bond for those who've met in their youth could only describe.

        "Yes, he told me he loved me after throwing up on a Ferris wheel. Thing was going 5 miles per hour!"

        "He did not!" LeShawna said in between laughs. "Why am I just hearing about this now?"

        "To save him from total embarrassment, LeShawna. That's why!" LeShawna turned to Courtney this time.

        "What about you, Courtney? I think we all know Duncan said it first." Bridgette giggled as she added along.

        "Oh my gosh, yes! I remember the day you told me like it was yesterday." Bridgette's voice wavered towards the end of her recollection. "You were so freaked out..." Her eye contact came to a complete stop, and Courtney's curiosity made her head turn.

        That's when she saw him.

        She felt a warm wave flow through her when she noticed his gaze. All the fear that kept her from hopeful thinking vanished after her eyes locked with his in some natural happenstance. He was wearing the black suit jacket and tie they picked out together last week. She hated to admit it, but the bruised eye and darkened knuckles made him even more enticing. Seeing him look for her created this magnetic pull that she couldn't fight off. Both of her friends' comments fell into the background; the sound of their voices fading more and more.

        "His eye doesn't look too bad."

        "The look is actually very on-brand for Duncan."

        Their stare broke when Geoff appeared behind him, and he turned his head. She turned back to her friends slowly as well. She couldn't really say anything, nor did she want to talk about her problems on Bridgette's special weekend, so she just smiled half-heartedly. She had told Bridgette what happened before the guests arrived, but Courtney firmly restricted talking about it when the event started. She was spared of any questions when the loudspeaker ushered the wedding party into the dining room.

        Courtney and LeShawna looked for their name cards in front of seats at the table. They sat down next to each other when Duncan found his own seat across from Courtney at the table while Bridgette and Geoff entered together.

        "Hi everyone! I just wanted to thank all of you for coming tonight and taking on the task of becoming bridesmaids, groomsmen, best man, and maid of honor." Geoff continued this time. "We're really happy to share that my father, the host, has prepared a few words to say tonight." Bridgette sat down next to Courtney in the center, Geoff did the same across from her.

        He stood up from his chair, notecards in his hand, and Courtney gave him her full attention. "Good evening. I'm Daniel Patton, this is my wife, Donna, and we're so thankful you could join us on the eve of Geoff and Bridgette's wedding. I'm so honored to be speaking in front of you all for two people who are very special to me. Way back when my boy was twelve, I knew Geoff was head over heels for Bridgette. He'd never stop talking about her, and he started making changes about himself. I never complained about it because that just meant from now on, he'd shower every day." He paused for a moment while light chuckles filled the room. "If there's one thing you could take away from this lovely couple, it would be their unconditional love for each other." Daniel gestured to them before he continued. "Love, above all, is a choice you make every day when you wake up in the morning." Courtney stared down into her lap as she took in his words. She tried not to remember the flames of her anger that lead her and Duncan to the state of their relationship and couldn't help but blame herself. She felt a light tap on her leg coming from across the table and looked forward. She looked at him and she swore time stopped.

        He'd given her that look before. In times where she got so wrapped up in her own thoughts and couldn't think straight. She was brought back to her bedroom in her frantic search for their clothing and his incredulous ability to bring that sense of calm to her body with just his shirt and a look. She allowed herself to bore into his eyes for this moment as Daniel spoke words of guidance. She felt the dust of her dueling thoughts settle. "You choose the one you're in love with through life's trials and tribulations. Even in the midst of your anger, choose love. It's the ultimate test of strength. Choosing love is the reason I get welcome Bridgette to our family and celebrate the joining of two people who become better every day because of their union." Their exchange came to a halt when Daniel requested everyone to raise a toast to the bride and groom. Still, the feeling radiated in her chest knowing it would all be okay.

                                                          ***

        After the dinner came the afterparty, and as much as Courtney loved her friends, she admittedly needed a minute to give into her introverted nature. She spent the beginning of the event looking for Duncan to find her boyfriend getting swept up to party with the groomsmen. Courtney felt compelled to stop him. To get him to follow her. In an unusual feat, she snuck away to the second floor of the manor and found a balcony in one of the parlors looking over an abundance of mountains. She decided the houses on them always looked better far away. Courtney breathed in deeply and shut her eyes when a light breeze passed. Her head turned at the sound of the voice she wanted to hear all night.

       "Want company?"

        "Duncan, I-"

        "Wait," He pulled her into a warm embrace, buried his face into her neck, and his frame swallowed hers the tighter he held onto her. Courtney sighed mostly in relief, and all the words she suppressed years ago in his car came rushing to her. She needed him to know everything.

        "I'm sorry for the way I expressed my worry. I just saw the black eye and immediately thought about the past. I didn't even ask how it happened." By now they were face to face. "Losing your job is not what I care about most. It's losing you that scares me." She cursed herself when tears brimmed in her eyes. Duncan's hands traveled up to hold her face. "I-I love you so much, Duncan. You're the only person I see with me when I think of my future, and you're never this perfect version of yourself, and neither am I. We're just us, and it's enough." She didn't notice how heavy her breath felt until she let all the words out. He let her go before he started explaining himself.

        "In a way I knew what you meant. Sometimes I just go back to the past, too, knowing there were no real consequences for the shit I did. Detention, suspension, and sometimes juvie. I never really cared. But I've gained too much these past few years to let some loser take it away from me." Duncan could only lay himself bare this way to Courtney. He was always flirtatious, and he had no problem telling her exactly how he felt. "You save my life every time, Princess. If it's me who you want to ruin yours, then I'm your guy." Courtney playfully rolled her eyes at the comment.

        "Please ruin my life, Duncan." Courtney genuinely smiled knowing their lives could go back to how they love it. Duncan wasted no time to express the thought he'd been holding in since last night.

        "Don't have to tell me twice. Also, you can stop pretending my eye doesn't turn you on."

        "I have no idea what you're talking about."

        "Oh, come on, Courtney." Duncan slowly inched closer to her. "You're telling me you don't want me, right here, right now?" Courtney looked him up and down and turned her back on him as she held onto the railing of the balcony.

        She had to admit the clash of his formal wear with his bruises aroused her in every aspect. While her mind kept her too lost in thought to respond, Duncan hunched slightly over her, his hands on her shoulders, and left kisses down her neck with every statement.

        "I want you. I want to pick up where you told me not to forget, and you look incredibly sexy in this dress."

        She turned to face him and kissed him in an ardent haze. Every pattern they drew made her want to deepen the kiss. She ran her tongue lightly across his lower lip, and he parted his lips wider to give her enough space to pour all her love onto him.

        Courtney pulled him in close enough to have her back leaning on the balcony. Duncan had one hand in her hair and another hand on her bare back pressing her against him.

        Courtney stole a moment to look behind them to see no one outside currently. Duncan leaned in, and her hand stood on his chest to slow him down. Her mind jumped back and forth between chasing release in this setting, but she couldn't withstand the pull. "I can't believe I'm saying this... Did you bring protection?"

        "Always do."

        "I hate y- ah!" Courtney yelped as Duncan lifted her over his shoulder from the balcony to the parlor. When Duncan lied her down on the chaise lounge, Courtney sat up to kiss him again. Duncan used one hand to hold her back and the other to loosen his tie. In hushed exchanges and rushed session, Courtney contradicted her words over and over, and knew she would continue to do so for years to come.

A/N: I apologize if this was out of character as i'm still trying to determine their words/choice as adults this far in their relationship. ANYWAY i hope you liked. tell me what you think

[pbandjesse]

I tried to touch up my nail polish and it didn't dry right and now is more messed up then before so that's cool.At least Im in a lot less pain today. Its not all gone but its getting better.

I slept in really late. James went for a long bike ride to Annapolis. So I got to have some time alone. Which was nice honestly. I wasn't in a good headspace. I was still upset about finding out I was exposed again. And I was still aching. I needed to accomplish something big.

I got washed and dressed and got myself psyched up. And I cleaned.

I spent so much time cleaning the bathroom. Over an hour. I took everything out and scrubbed the floors. I did all the things. I even had the scrubby drill attachment out. Honestly our floor always looks dirty because the tile was put down poorly and all the edges have so much concrete build up that it just looks very dirty. But I tried my best to make it clean. I scrubbed and wiped and put things away that weren't getting used. It felt good to make the space very clean again. Like we always just touch up clean it but it was good to really work on it. The space is weird so its not always the easiest to take care of, but I am proud of myself.

Once I was done cleaning I was putting everything away and getting ready to take an animal crossing break when James got back! They smelled so bad??? Understandable with an almost 70 mile bike ride but I literally jumped away from them!! We had a big laugh about it.

James took a shower and we talked about the plan for the afternoon. Rest, lunch, groceries, and James needed to edit their podcast.

I felt weird though. After putting so much effort out. I was, and am, still hurting but I was also bored. I didn't know what to do with my energy.

James would go get us Chipolte. Which was really nice and made me feel a lot better honestly. I needed the food. And James got rid of any old food in the fridge so we would have space for groceries later. And then they spend some time editing while I laid in bed.

Groceries was fun. I always like groceries. We didn't need a ton, mostly we needed drinks and papertowels and kitty litter. But we got a few other things and it was nice walking around.

But my chest hurt and I was having some anxiety about being out of the house. I was glad when we were done. James got in line while I went to grab drink powder but I got stuck in the aisle because it got very busy in there all of a sudden and I got back to the register as she was scanning our last few items. But I made it!

We got back and James unloaded everything. And I gave sweetP the special fish treat we got for him which he loved. It was like a whole fish filet. Im glad he got something special.

After that I got to work on cleaning the kitty litter. I deep cleaned our bathroom so I wanted to deep clean sweetP's bathroom too. And I feel like I hadn't done a full change in a while so it was a lot of ammonia smell but I scrubbed everything down and disinfected everything and it was a lot of work but once I was done James was finishing up dinner.

They made us naan and chana masala and it was very good naan. Which they made themselves. And we watched a video. It was nice.

After dinner James headed to the theater to work for a bit. I worked in the studio. I finished sewing the bear faces for James's commission from me. And I worked on my brother's present because he wont let me buy him something. And then I started another stamp. I did not finish it but I made great progress. It was nice to work.

I took a very long shower. My hair was very dirty. But its very curly and pretty right now. I got to use my new oatmeal lotion that's supposed to help my skin. And then had a very tiny pumpkin pie bite. And then James was home!

We have been chilling since then. James is editing in the other room. Im laying with sweetP. Its pretty chilly right now. My hands are cold. But it is alright. It is time to go to sleep.

Let's hope that tomorrow is a fun and good day. Sleep good everyone.