#i saw the museum from the bridge and was so excited

[acrossfromladystardust]

“He follows Remus down a staircase to the side of the museum building and eyes the bright-red sign that advertises a car engine museum sceptically. But when they get down, it’s a hidden clearing between houses with a beautiful view of the river and the Charles Bridge. But most importantly – it´s completely deserted.

Remus walks up to a shallow ledge, ignoring the bench beside it, and hauls himself up on it, swinging his legs down on the opposite side, right above the shore. Sirius smiles and follows his example, leaning his face towards the sun and closing his eyes.

Their shoulders touch and Remus nudges his foot playfully. “I love this place,” he says fondly. “It’s so quiet here, barely anyone ever comes down, even though it’s right in the heart of the city.””

The Lab - @de-sire-blog

:) Was walking through Prague yesterday and found their little hidden place. I’m very much insane about this fic and their relationship here means absolutely everything to me

[deepestnightcolor]

If you don’t mind me asking, I love your writing and I’d love to see a Sam x quiet/awkward farmer who’s *really* bad at talking to people but he just automatically accepts them. Maybe mutual pining and anything else you’d like!! 🙈💕

☾ ᴘᴀᴘᴇʀ ᴘʟᴀɴᴇꜱ ☽

ᴀ/ɴ: Hello!!~ Thank you so, so much for your request. I certainly had fun writing it. I hope this is what you wanted! ^^ Thanks again for your time and request, I hope you enjoy~

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: Sam (SDV) x GN!Reader

ᴡᴄ: 2271 words

ᴍᴅɴɪ ✧ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: No warnings, just fluff.

Slowly, the pen slipped from your fingers, your eyes wandering over the pages you had just written down your thoughts on. Your journal; a loyal companion. Sometimes, it felt like your best friend, so safe and secure.  It was the only time when you were able to articulate your thoughts and ideas without worrying about the words you chose, without fearing a stutter surfacing. You didn’t have to wonder if you sounded stupid, or your tongue twisting, disarranging your words. Your journal allowed you to share, without judgement, without the twisting in your stomach you often had when talking to people that weren’t part of your closest circle. Without feeling like you needed to run as fast and as far as possible. However, if someone casted a glance over the most recent pages, they would have found that you wanted quite the opposite. That there was a new person you wanted to talk to. That there was a person you wanted to get to know, that you wanted to share with. That there was a person that had caught your interest, and whose attention you wanted. Desperately so, even.

That’s why you took in a deep breath, carefully picking up the cactus fruit that had been sitting on your desk as if to remind you of what you had promised yourself, and you would be damned if you didn’t do it. At least that was what you had thought, up until you saw him. Sam was sitting on the bridge near the museum, picking up small rocks and tossing them in the river idly flowing by. Your heart fluttered in your chest when you heard him chuckle at an especially loud plop. His laugh was cute, you found. It started as a grumble in his chest and then brightened up like the sky after a thunderstorm. In all honesty, though, you found pretty much everything about Sam cute in a way. The blue-green of his eyes that reminded you of a cool lake on a hot summer day, the mess of hair that in all actuality was carefully styled every morning; the small freckles that had darkened over the summer season.

You were so deep in your thoughts that you hadn’t quite realized that you had started to wander towards Sam until he called out for you. “Hey, farmer! Comin’ to spend time with me?” His eyes were sparkling softly, and the smile on his lip was one of such warmth and genuineness that it made your head spin. The words you had oh so carefully sorted out and mulled about were seemingly picked up by their roots, put in a small container, and violently shaken around, just to be lost somewhere in your head, your tongue twisting into several knots all by itself.

You felt your hands getting clammy around the fruit they were holding, your cheeks heating up as an uncomfortable feeling travelled down your spine. You must have looked like an idiot; you sure felt like one. But if you did, Sam didn’t seem to care – quite the opposite. He seemed excited that you were here, inviting, even.   You opened your mouth to tell him something, to at least try to find some words to start a conversation, but it appeared that your tongue took your mouth opening as a sign to twist even more. Panic arose in you, even though the blond’s smile had such a soothing energy that it almost lured you out of your shyness. Almost. Instead of answering him, or even speaking in general, you thrust the cactus fruit in Sam’s lap, turned on your heel, and ran off.

Sam’s head tilted to the side as he watched you run off, eyes slowly falling onto the fruit on his lap. He had been genuinely excited to spend some time with you; the farmer who seemed to ghost around town, the farmer that seemed to never speak; the farmer who was so adorable and cute and sweet that it made his heart swell. The farmer that he had been trying to coax out of their shell but had never succeeded. Or at least that was what he had thought until now. One day he had met you at the beach and, as it was his nature, struck up a conversation with you. Well, in reality, it had been a monologue. You had been digging your feet around the sand and were fiddling with a seashell while he had been talking about pretty much everything that popped into his head. At some point, he had mentioned how much he loved cactus fruits and how he would love to have one again one day. And now it was on his lap, which meant…You hadn’t been uninterested. You had actually been listening. And you cared.  

You also remembered that day at the beach fondly. You had been intrigued by Sam’s ability to talk, by not having to think about his words fifteen times like you did. He made you feel a little easier, even though your body language didn’t show that once. Yet Sam’s attitude towards you didn’t change, he kept up the friendly tone in his voice, the warm smile in your direction. Plus, you were thankful. Thankful that someone other than Robin or Mayor Lewis talked to you; that someone else started a conversation. It had meant something to you, something so sincere that you held it dear.

Really, it wasn’t like you didn’t want social interaction. It just didn’t come naturally to you, and people often didn’t have enough patience to allow you to warm up to them. Sam, however, seemed like he had.

Really, it wasn’t like you didn’t want social interaction. It just didn’t come naturally to you, and people often didn’t have enough patience to allow you to warm up to them. Sam, however, seemed like he did. That was the reason you tried to show him that you were interested. That you did want to get to know him. Yet since you were lacking words, actions needed to suffice.  

The next time you found Sam he was at the beach again, the hot summer sun having reddened his cheeks – or perhaps it was the exhaustion from running after Vincent, who just didn’t seem to be affected by the heat at all. You looked at the blue, cooled-down can in your hand, a smile on your face. You had the feeling your gift would come over well.

Sam had just plopped down on the hot sand, stretching out his aching legs when a shadow suddenly casted over him. His eyes snapped up, and the smile that followed could have definitely been able to compete with the sun. “Hey. Lookin’ very cute today. The sun ain’t gettin’ to you?” An attempt to charm you, a weak one – he didn’t want to scare you away, after all, such a delicate thing like you -, but an attempt, nonetheless. It bared results with you that the sun hadn’t achieved. Your cheeks heated up, some of the redness spreading down to your throat and wrapping around your neck like a warm hand. You gave Sam the only thing you could muster; a smile. You handed the cold can to him, and before there was even a chance to open up the conversation, you were stalking back toward town. “Thanks!” Sam called after you, the smile on his lips still there, only dying down when he realized you wouldn’t come back.

That’s how your game went; you would find Sam and hand him a gift. The blond would smile and thank you, but before he could start talking more, you were gone. Some days you felt more confident than usual, some days you had your words ready again. But his smile? That stunning, pretty, sunshine and moonlight smile? It always made these words tumble down your throat, blocking any sort of noise from ever escaping again. That was the point when you just smiled back at him and vanished, making a beeline for the way you had just come from.

From the outside, it seemed like you kept your cool about this. But your journal held the truth; that you just didn’t know how to talk to him. That you just didn’t know how to overcome this. Whenever when you were close to him, seeing that radiant look on his face, smelling that scent of vanilla and cola, feeling these feelings everything around you seemed to crumble. Everything within you crumbled. The confidence, the intent to really make it happen, to actually talk to him today.  

The only thing that kept you trying was the fact that Sam didn’t appear to lose his patience with you, quite the opposite. He became more open with you, telling you that you looked good, that your smile was pretty today. He tried to talk more to you, telling you that you looked good, that your smile was pretty today, that the crops that came from your farm were delicious – he talked as much as he could before you would plant whatever gift you had brought him in his lap and then wandering off.

And really – Sam did try his best, after all, you were worth it to him. You seemed like a genuinely good person, with eyes so pretty that he got lost in them every time he had been able to catch them. You caring enough about him to find him every day and give him his gifts made him want to try harder, help you feel comfortable enough around him to speak to him.  Sam had simply never been in a situation where someone didn’t talk to him. Usually, he talked long enough and with such an energy that he lulled most people into a conversation, but not with you. Which meant he would need to try a different route.

He had heard you coming before he could have seen you. The smile was already lingering on his lips as he turned to you. You held a cactus fruit in his hand, a look of surprise fleeting over your face. Had he been waiting for you? “Hey. Had a good day today?”  He asked, now turning around completely so he could face you more easily. You gave him a sheepish smile and tried to hand him the cactus fruit, but instead of just taking it, Sam dropped something small in your hand. “Thank you,” he grinned, giving you a wink.

You swallowed thickly, your fist clenching around the object he had given you as you headed back to your farm.

You were panting when you had reached your front porch, but that didn’t mean that your curiosity didn’t get the better of you. Slowly opening your fingers, you saw a rectangle of white. Upon closer inspection, you found that it was a folded piece of paper. Your fingers were trembling as you tried to unwrap it. Was he going to tell you to leave you alone? Had he realized you were weird and wanted you to stay away from him?

The sloppy handwriting that greeted you would have made you chuckle if it hadn’t been for the anxiety cursing through you. But the words were…soothing. Warm- like his smile. “Hey, I realized you don’t like to talk much. So maybe I thought you would like to trade notes while I take you on a date to the beach? I will be there tomorrow at 6.”

Your heart swelled in your chest – maybe there really was someone that would understand you, other than your journal. Someone was willing to give you a chance like this.

The blond of his hair appeared to be of golden colour as the setting sun caught it in its soft embrace. Sam was sitting on a blanket he had spread out in the sand, his face stretched towards the warmth he could still find in the sky, only turning his head when he heard you approach. As you got closer, you could see that Sam had been true to his word; different coloured pieces of paper were sitting on the blanket next to him; he had even brought a pencil case of markers. He gave you a smile and a gentle wave as you sat down next to him.

For a moment, you weren’t sure what to do. Was this a joke? Maybe he would just make fun of you? What if he grew tired of it quickly? A note, folded like an airplane, landed on your lap. The author carried a grin of pride, giving you two thumbs up.

 “So, does a farmer have hobbies? Or are you too busy for them?” A smile folded on your lips, fingers wrapping around a pen, ready to do what you knew you could do; without the twist of tongue, without a stutter, without having to worry your words would get lost on the way.

The stack of paper had become considerably small as you were sitting in silence. The sun had set, and the pale light of the moon illuminating the beach made it hard to write. But it felt comfortable to just sit next to Sam and…exist. Sam had asked you about yourself, and whenever he had read your replies, he had looked at you and nodded, just to go back to reading. His tongue had been sticking out when he wrote, and his eyes had always been gauging your reaction when you read his replies; drinking up each smile, each snort, each giggle, each reaction. But right now, he was content with just being next to you, and not hearing you run away from him.

What he didn’t expect was a small voice next to him, unsure, and yet firm. “Thank you, Sam.”

[strniohoeee]

Hi love!! I need some heartbreaking angst pleaseee! Not exactly sure what for the plot but something super sad please 😭😭

Wonderwall

Pairing: Chris Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Y/N can’t fathom opening up to someone like Chris. A man who’s so head over heels for her. Once he gets her to let those walls down in her heart he knows she’ll be the one for him. But sometimes life gets in the way and things happen…♠️

Warnings⚠️: Mentions of drug abuse (slightly), talks of death, talks of injuries, mentions of smoking and drinking. This is also told in Chris��� POV.

Songs for imagine: Wonderwall- Oasis, All I Need To Hear- The 1975

Because maybe

You’re gonna be

The one that saves me

And after all

You’re my Wonderwall

Many nights I chased after you in the darkness of the night. Flying down empty streets and coming back home to empty sheets. Chasing a high I hadn’t been able to feel again in a long time.

I picked up terrible habits, drinking and smoking here and there. Sitting in the dark for days on end without moving. My eyes bore into the white wall ahead of me. I think I believed I was going crazy because I swear I could still hear and see you…even smell you.

Life felt beautiful with you, I truly felt happiness and fulfillment. Which if you told me at 18 I’d find my soulmate, I’m sure I would’ve laughed in your face. I never saw myself as the boyfriend or husband type, but when it came to you I simply couldn’t see myself as anything but.

When I tried to be with other girls, I always pushed them away because I knew that I didn’t want to be with them the way that they wanted me to be with them. But with you, it was almost the opposite. I knew almost immediately you were everything I wanted and more, and the fact that the tables had turned, and you were the one who kept pushing me away teared my heart a bit.

“I’m Chris” I stated as I reach my hand out to the girl putting the leash back on her dog

“I am so sorry, he never gets loose from his collar” She stated frantically standing up and dusting her hands off

“No worries, he's cute, what’s his name?” I asked her

Shaking my hand and smiling “his names Bones and I’m Y/N” she replied smiling a pearly white smile at me

Smiling back I began to pet the dog who couldn’t seem to stop jumping on me.

“Hi buddy” I stated giggling as he practically weighed me down

“We’re new to the neighborhood, so I guess he’s excited to meet new people” she stated fighting against the pull of Bones

“I’m happy to meet you too bones, where’d you guys move from?” I asked her

“Not too far we came from Salem” she replied

“Oh sick I love Salem” I responded back

“It’s so touristy now and crowded, kinda takes the fun out of it” she said giggling

“But you’re in Boston now” I said furrowing my brows

“Well yeah but in a quiet suburban neighborhood, Salem was just loud and busy always” she said patting Bones to sit down

“That’s true” I said nodding

“Well I have to go now, I’ll see you around” she said beginning to walk

“Yeah sure! If you need a tour guide I’m your guy” I said as she began to walk away

“If we ever cross paths again I’ll be sure to run it by you” she said laughing a bit

After that interaction I couldn’t seem to stop smiling. I mean the way the golden sun hit her face and the way her nose was red from the cold October air. I don’t know what I was feeling, but I do know that was the most I’ve ever spoken to a girl in the middle of the street at that.

And after that day we consistently ran into each other on the streets. It was only on our fifth interaction that we finally planned a day to hang out.

So when that day came around I was so eager to show her around my city. We went everywhere I could think of. Parks, museums, stores, bridges. I mean everywhere

“Have you always lived here?” She asked me as we were seated at a restaurant

“No actually for a while my brothers and I lived in LA. We actually just moved back a couple of months ago” I said

“Oh nice, what made you come back?” She said

“We love LA, but we’ve lived there for so many years and we missed Boston so we just figured to move back” I replied

“Aww I love that” she said smiling

“How about you? Born and raised in Massachusetts?” I asked her

“Yeah actually lived in Salem my whole life up until a few weeks ago” she stated as we began to enjoy our dinner

“Did you move here with family or solo, not to sound creepy” I said chuckling nervously

“Noo you’re good, I live with my grandparents and brother” she said nodding

“Oh nice, you have a brother” I said smiling

“Yeah, he’s the best older brother ever. He’s taught me so much” she stated

“I have another older brother, his name is Justin. And my other two brothers well were triplets” I said laughing

“Shut up that’s so freaking cool” she said shocked and giggling

“You’ll have to meet them soon, they’re the best and they’d love you” I said back

“Yeah that would be nice” she said

But the more we talked about family that night the more I noticed the way you got uncomfortable and danced around many sub topics.

I avoided anything that would make you uncomfortable, but I knew there was something there. And slowly I could see those walls being put up between us.

So we continued to hang out more and more, and I introduced her to my friends and family, and we all got along.

A few months into our friendship, I kind of decided I wanted something more and I was wondering if she had felt the same.

I tried to insinuate that I was interested in being more than friends, but then those same walls kept coming back up, and I could see the avoidance in your eyes.

“ Would you ever consider being more than friends?” I had bluntly asked

“ What do you mean by that?” She asked looking up at me

“ I mean, do you like me the same way I like you as more than just friends” I asked her

“ I don’t know”she said avoiding my gaze

“ how do you not know I feel like it’s a yes or no question” I said laughing

“ I mean, I don’t know that we’d work out as more than just friends” she replied fidgeting with her fingers

“ well why not I mean, we could give it a try” I said

“ because we just wouldn’t work” she said bluntly

“ But why not, why wouldn’t we work?” I asked her desperately

“ because you’d leave me if you knew more about me” she said saddened

“ I doubt that we’ve been friends for months now and I see a future with you” I said searching for her gaze

“ don’t say things you don’t mean” she snapped back

“ What's the issue? Why won’t you open up to me? Why are you avoiding me?” I asked her

“Because you wouldn’t want to date someone like me” she replied snapping her head up

“Yes I would, I’m sure of it” I responded growing tired of this argument

“Youd date me? A girl whose parents are drug addicts and chose getting high over their own kids? A girl who watched her parents drop her and her brother off at the age of 7 and 4 to their grandparents house. A girl who hasn’t seen her parents in 18 years. You wouldn’t date a girl who watched her older brother almost die. A girl who now takes care of her brother everyday since the age of 15…. I’m fucked up in the head and amazing people like you shouldn’t be tainted by the impurities of my life” she stated with pain and hurt laced in her voice

“I’m…I’m so sorry Y/N” I replied looking into her eyes

“I tried so hard to keep you away from me because my struggles and my life were meant for my eyes only and I couldn’t imagine dragging you into my fucked up world” she said as a few tears fell from her eyes

“ Listen I’m sorry that you’ve had such a fucked up life and that you watched your brother almost die, and now you take care of him because of his injuries, but that doesn’t make you less of the woman you are and I’m still in love with you and I still want to be with you. I will stand by you in everything. I will help you take care of your brother, that doesn’t matter to me.” I replied

“You’d what?” She asked sobbing

“I don’t care, okay! I will take care of you and your whole damn family, that's how much I want to be with you.” I stated pulling her in tightly

And after that night, I kept my promise. I took care of her and I took care of her brother and I took care of her grandparents and I loved it and I loved her and you would do anything for love.

And after her grandparents died two years into our relationship, the same walls came back up again. And she tried to push me away, but I wouldn’t let her. I continued to help her with her brother.

And when her brother got his girlfriend who was studying to be a nurse, she became even more of a help. And so she was able to open back up to me and let her walls down and let me love her and let me help her.

Even when Y/N and her brother's girlfriend were at work. I was right at his door every morning at 9am. Helping him start his day. Helping him bathe, helping him shave, getting him dressed and getting him fed.

“Are you going to marry my sister?” He had asked me on day

“Donnie, I’d love nothing more than to marry her” I stated

“Please do, you're everything right in her life. She needs you more than anything” he stated as I slid her sneaker on for him

“ as long as I have your blessing to marry her” I stated

“Of course you do, you’re the best person in both of our lives. I’m truly appreciative of all that you do for her and I.” He said nodding his head at me

“ I made a promise to your sister. I told her that no matter what I will always be there to help her and her family.” I said nodding at him

“Thank you man” he replied smiling at me

But who would’ve known our lives would change so rapidly? Donnie and his girlfriend had gotten married. And a while after Y/N and I turned 25 I was preparing to pop the question.

But you see when life starts to go so well something always happens. I believe sometimes you pay with your life when you finally find joy and happiness.

Bad things always happen to good people and it sucks.

I never would have imagined that at 25 my girlfriend of 3 1/2 years would be dead. Tragically taken from us. I actually don’t remember much of that night nor the months after it was all a dark gray haze, full of anger and sadness.

Most days if I wasn’t staring at my four walls or helping Donnie when his wife was at work I’d find myself in a drunken haze sitting in front of her tombstone. Waking up cold and hung over and extremely depressed.

Everyday I traveled with the wedding ring in the pocket of my pants. Right before she got into an accident with a drunk driver that instantly killed her I had purchased the ring. I had gotten Donnie's approval and my parents approval.

The box with the sparkling Diamond sat in my top dresser for a week before I felt like I had enough courage to ask her to be my wife. And many nights I stood up thinking what if I popped the question a week sooner would that have changed the trajectory of her life? Would she not have gotten in that car a week later would that person not have been drunk a week later? Or would she still have died but at least with the idea of me wanting her to be my wife?

I used to think I believed in fate, but I don’t think her death was fate. It’s truly saddening for a woman who said that her life was stained with the family curse from her birth to have died in such a sick way. So no, I don’t call that fate, I call that evil. I call it a curse.

She deserved nothing but health and happiness and a family to properly raise unlike what was done to her and her brother. But it was taken from her by a selfish piece of shit, no matter how much anger I felt when that court date rolled around, I froze on that stand when I gave my statement to the perpetrator. I was so numb and empty like a literal piece of my heart was taken for me. I couldn’t say anything to him. I couldn’t even look at him, but I knew I wanted him dead. I wanted him to hurt. I wanted him to feel like nothing inside like I did. I wanted to take all my pain times 100 and inject into him because he was not worthy of the death penalty, he was not worthy of the easy way out. He deserved to sit in an empty white room and stare at four walls and be haunted by what he did.

I honestly stopped seeing my family for a while, and my brother came and checked on me, but there was nothing I could say or do. I quite literally went crazy.

But after a year, I was able to stop drinking and smoking. I was able to pay a visit to her murderer in jail. I was able to forgive him for what he had done. I was able to continue to take care of her brother, like I promised her years ago. I was once again able to visit my family and my friends and actually enjoy myself. But most importantly I was able to go to her gravesite clear minded not under the influence of anything and I was able to talk to her. It was painful and I cried, but I needed her to know that I was here and that I wasn’t gone and I wasn’t going anywhere. I needed her to know that she is my wife. And that I will love her in every lifetime and that I’d carry that ring around till the day I die and that she is the love of my life.

A year and a half after her death

I was spending the day with Donnie as I usually did on my days off. We were eating lunch and celebrating Y/N’s birthday. She would’ve been 27.

“I miss her” Donnie said letting a tear fall as he blew out her candles

“Yeah I miss her too” I replied chocking back a few years

And that night we sat in front of the large window in their living room. Eating Y/N’s favorite cake

and bringing up memories of her. Laughing at all the embarrassing stories we were able to share.

And every year on her birthday we did the same thing!

And here I was 10 years later at 35, placing more roses at her gravesite. I tried dating here and there, but it felt wrong. She was the only woman for me and I couldn’t see myself with anyone else.

Donnie had passed away five years after Y/N from heartbreak leaving behind a widow and two kids. And even then, I still stood around like I promised over 10 years ago.

“Who’s this next to daddy?” Donnie’s son had asked his mom

“That’s daddy’s sister, Y/N” she replied adding some flowers too

“That was Chris’ wife” she then said to both of her kids

“You were married to daddy's sister?” They both asked me

“I was indeed” I replied squeezing the wedding ring in my hand

“She passed away 10 years ago, a few years before her brother” I said to them giving them a sympathetic look

“ well at least they’ll be in heaven together and we know they’re looking down at us” his daughter stated

“That’s very true” Donnie’s wife said

And that same tradition stood two Sundays a month. We all went down to the cemetery and put flowers for Donnie and Y/N. And I don’t think we’ll ever stop that tradition until the day I die.

To my Wonderwall, I miss you and I love you

-Chris

The End

Whewww chileeee this was ASSSS. Idk I thought I had a good idea in my mind, but I just feel like I couldn’t execute it properly and this took me days to write and I don’t even know why because it’s garbage. Love yall though and thanks for all the love and support.🥺🖤🖤

-J💅🏽

[abrandnewshadow]

upset 10/2017

"WHEN I WAS 13, THAT WAS MY PLAN GOING TO MAKE A RECORD WITH STEVE ALBINI"

FRANK IERO'S NEW EP SEES HIM TEAM UP WITH STEVE ALBINI, AND AN UNEXPECTED 4 GUEST - HIS FIVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, LILY. WORDS: HEATHER MCDAID.

FRANK IERO & THE PATIENCE

KEEP THE COFFINS COMING EP

'Keep The Coffins Coming' is a glimpse at the time between 'stomachaches' and 'Parachutes',

where Frank lero and the cellabration- x-Patience worked out where they were going next. As the band now approach the post-Parachutes crossroads of 'Where next?, it feels the fitting time to release this snapshot. 'I'm A Mess' is rougher and raw around the edges, a fledgeling version of the song that would be streamlined for the upcoming album. It's got the Steve Albini touch of capturing the vibe of a room - like the basement jam version, the live version. 'Best Friends Forever' came to life years ago with Frank's kids in tow, helping with the writing and dare we say stealing the show in

the video, and here it evolves into the full band version. 'No Fun Club' leaps off with some of the 'Danger Days' swagger and Frank yells and shifts gears into the punk revelry he excels in. 'You Are My Sunshine' is sickeningly chirpy at the best of times, but put the lero twist on it, and it becomes a mellow, stripped back version of itself to close proceedings.

The EP saw Frank and co. pondering their future; it was never about perfection, but capturing a snapshot in the band's lives and a rare opportunity to work with their idols. Rarely do you see the middle step between albums, you just see the endgame transformation. But here it is - the unapologetic, raw and eclectic bridge of Frank lero's solo work, the bones of what the band moved on to be.

Heather McDaid

Frank lero knows one or two things about ticking items off the ol' bucket list. In his time with My Chemical Romance, he played a sold out Madison Square Gardens, appeared on Saturday Night Live, and headlined Reading & Leeds. He has more plaques than he knows what to do with, and that's just for starters.

"I've been extremely fortunate in the things that I've gotten to do and the bands I've gotten to play with," says Frank. "We crossed off quite a few of those bucket list opportunities with My Chem and now to be able to do that too with my solo career is unbelievable."

This latest item to be scored off the list is to work with the iconic producer Steve Albini, who produced Nirvana's final album 'In Utero, on his EP 'Keep The Coffins Coming: The obvious place to start is, how exactly do you react when you get a call saying that you're off to work with someone like Steve? "It's weird, man" laughs Frank. "I was in the middle of writing and trying to figure out the next record. My manager Paul asked for bucket list stuff, people I'd always wanted to work with. Steve was always at the top of that list."

"When I got the call that he wanted to work with us and we were booked it was like-" he bursts out laughing "-I don't think I was able to wipe the smile off my face. I'd been wanting to work with him from, jeez, like '94. When I was 13, that was my plan, I'm going to make a record with Steve Albini, I don't care how it happens, but that was the dream record to make.

"His records sound so visceral. Never before did I put on a record where I felt like I was in the room. He really is hands off in that he wants to capture the band's sound. It's a special thing, like visiting a museum and getting to be in a room with some of your favourite bands and listening to some of your favourite records. Take 'In Utero' for example, those sounds and performances are straight up what was played in that room, there's no bells and whistles or crazy magic behind the scenes. It's all about the way he likes it and the way he records it."

That was the magic Frank was excited to capture. "I kept thinking on the trip out to Chicago as I'm driving, 'Oh, man, I'm going to get the call any moment that this was a hoax and it's not going to happen!"

But it did happen, and at an interesting

FRANK IERO & THE PATIENCE

time too. Sitting between albums, Steve captured the time in Frank's career between his first solo record and the second, when he was still unsure what it was going to become. video features their vocals and adorable balaclava-clad appearances, and now it's a full-band song produced by the legendary Albini.

"They are adorable," he laughs. "Lily is the one that actually wrote the chorus to that song. Whenever she and any of the other kids would fight, she would passive aggressively stick this thing in their face, this best friends forever song and it really started with 'Best friends forever but not now. She was just like screaming at them to let them know that she was very, very upset with them." The EP is made up of four songs, one of which made the cut for the subsequent album. "I had written a couple of songs that I knew I wanted to be on the album, but I didn't know exactly what 'Parachutes' was just yet," he explains. "One of the songs was 'I'm A Mess. It might have ended up just being a standalone track, but I wanted to bring that in regardless. I knew I wanted to bring in a whole band version of the song 'Best Friends Forever' and also 'No Fun Club. I had been toying with that, and I really needed to get it out of my head. When that started to take shape, I knew that it could work as a standalone release.

"I DIDN'T KNOW IF THESE SONGS WERE EVER GOING TO SEE

THE LIGHT OF DAY." FRANK IERO

"My way of dealing with that was to take this song and make it into something. We all sat down in a circle with my guitar one day and figured out what the chording would be, wrote the rest of the song and recorded it in my basement.

I thought it would be really fun to release it and whatever profits came in can go into their college funds. I started to really listen to the structure of the song and realised, man, I can play this live, and they would get a kick out of it whenever they saw I played the song and kids sang along. I put together a full band version and thought it'd be cool to have the original version - like I did with 'Mess' - with the kids on it, and now you have this full band Steve Albini version.

That's the other thing too, a bucket list: I'm going to go in the studio with Steve Albini, someone I've wanted to record with ever since I was a young kid getting into music and punk rock and playing in bands. That mirrors my kids being young, writing songs. How cool is that? She released her first single and video at five, and I took that song and recorded it with a legendary engineer and producer. That's crazy. I knew that song needed to be done that day.

Basically what you're hearing is a stop gap where the band transforms from where we were at the end of touring 'stomachaches' and right before we really fully realised the 'Parachutes' record. That time for me is almost like this lost in translation moment. There was definitely this bridging gap between those two records - this is that hidden step. It's interesting because as a listener, you never see that step. You hear album one. wait while your favourite bands are in the studio, then hear the final step in the evolution to album two.

Exactly! Here's the thing, when we went in the studio, I didn't know I was going to record an EP. I just wanted to record these songs, whether it was just for me or not I'd be happy with it. I didn't know if these were ever going to see the light of day, it was something I needed to do."

'Keep The Coffins Coming' is a snapshot in time. It captures an opportunity beyond

Frank's wildest dreams, a crossroads where he pondered the next step, and a gift to his kids in various forms. Right now, he sits between album two and three. The question is, where next? Whether or not there'll be the chance to see the next stop gap for this particular era, we sure are excited about the upcoming ride.

An interesting side-effect of the process was double-recording songs. Frank wrestled for a while comparing the two versions of 'I'm A Mess' but ultimately grew to see they fit perfectly in their own respective worlds as two different versions. Seeing that evolution in songs is something he was also able to gift his children by including their collaborative song 'Best Friends Forever.

Frank lero And The Patience's EP 'Keep The Coffins Coming' is out 22nd September.

[ultimateaclrecovery]

Day 9 of Japan! (Still from last November, trying to finish before this years trip….)

More Tokyo

Slow start today with a cool bookstore and crosswinds, and then off to the best pizza in Tokyo. It was in fact as good as advertised. Followed by a cute little museum with great gardens filled with cute bridges. My bf plotted a route thru the gardens to go over all of the bridges becaus he knows I love them.

We then went to kawaii street to look at all of the cute things. I got the best earrings. We also enjoyed this over the top Dior set up near by.

And then it was off to Shibuya sky! We saw great views the sunset and took in Shibuya crossing, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world.

We then got ikatori, or grilled meats and skewers and it was so delicious. I even liked the chicken tail and chicken hearts! I could do without the necks tho. And then on the way home I got this fabulous waffle with ice cream and chocolate panda

Over long travel diary

Day 9

Day 9

I get pastries with card

Lunch with card pizza

Dinner with card ikatori

Anthony puts 1500 on my ic card

I pay 1090 for panda waffle.

Honestly all I wanted all day was the panda waffle with cute little chocolate panda on top and I am so very pleased.

This was a bit of a haphazard day. We start slowly and head out to a bookstore and some French pastries, it’s supposedly one of the best bookstores in the world. I think it’s a nice book store. The croissants we got were very flaky. I think I don’t actually like good croissants because I don’t really love any crunch in my baked goods.

After we’re done at the book store we head over to a highly recommended pizza store that was featured on ugly delicious and has lots of reviews calling it the best pizza in the world. It doesn’t open until 11:30 but there is already a line at the door at 11. We walk around for a bit before getting in the line at like 11:15. The place is very small with a spiral staircase to go between the floors. We get seated on the third top floor at just about five minutes after elven thirty. The whole place is beetles themed and my boyfriend is so excited.

They only have a couple pizza types so we get a margarita and a Neapolitan. This is unexpectedly a place that makes everyone get a drink so I last minute pick a ginger ale to drink because it sounds the least unappetizing. It’s a little too gingery for me but is otherwise fine.

The pizzas tho are heavenly. I’ve never had such good pizza crust before in my life. I can’t decide which one I like better because whichever one I ate last was my favorite.

After lunch we head over to the next muesuem. The tickets are a little expensive for what it is I think at 2000 yen but it’s fine. They have some lovely gardens (with like eight tea houses scatter throughout) and some cute bridges. Because I like cute bridges my boyfriend charts a path through the winding gardens to go over every bridge. My hearts melts a little.

The galleries are cool with some very very old artifacts and scrolls but it’s a small muesuem with only six galleries. We finish up in about an hour and half.

Then we head over to japans famous kawaii street. It’s so cute but so overwhelming. All of the stores are filled with adorable precious things. There’s one just full of dog jackets for example. And many of cute clothes and trinkets which I love. A lot of them tho are vaguely lollita esque which I don’t love as much but to each their own. There’s also a fair number of animal stores like a hamster cafe and a dog cafe and an otter experience which make me sad because it’s hard to imagine that being a fun thing for those types of animals. We don’t go in any of them. There’s also a store just full of earrings which is honestly a dream. I didn’t bring any earring with me because I wanted to find some on the trip but there’s been basically none anywhere. Must not be much a tourist thing here or otherwise. But I get two really cute purple earrings, one a purple rainbow and the other a purple butterfly with a sparkle. They aren’t particularly Japanese but they are kawaii especially the rainbow ones and regardless will be a good momento that I will actually use.

I am very sad tho because we see the shop for a store that sells super fun animal shaped ice cream (gelato ) cones but they are closed. I am disappointed that I wasn’t able to get any fun shapes food on the street known for cute things.

After our shopping adventures we go to shibuya to go to shibuya sky. It’s one of the best viewing points in Tokyo. It’s 45 floors high. The first couple are a mall and then it’s all offices (imagine working at a major tourist spot like that) and then the top floor is a roof top view with giant glass wall fences. We go just before sunset so we can get daylight views, take in the sunset and then get night views. The views are spectacular although it’s a little too cloudy to see Fuji. There are photo queues at all of the corners with one of them being set up as the official photo spot with roped off queue and an official photographer. Maybe I just haven’t gone to enough popular tourist spots but I’ve never seen anything like it.

I get a couple good selfies and a get another couple to take a couple pictures of my boyfriend and I. He obliges.

It does get very windy and a little cold up there and I feel bad for the Instagram girlies dressed to the nines in their short skirts and skimpy dresses and heels.

I am sad to leave the views but it is so nice to be warm again.

We have a little bit of time before our dinner reservation so we walk around a bit and do the shibuya scramble, the busiest pedestrian crosswalk in the world. The selfies and video taking during the crossing is wild. Supposedly during rush hour over a thousand people will cross every light cycle.

And then we head off to dinner.

We get ikatori for dinner which is just grilled meats on skewers. They have a table fee so give you a snack (crackers and slightly herb butter) while you wait for the food to cook (it takes a while) we also get edamame and a rice dish so we don’t just eat meat. I also get a triple berry sochu that is so delicious I wish I got the large.

We get chicken and green onions, chicken thigh, chicken neck (way more delicious than I thought but also too much cartilage) chicken tail which was just straight delicious, and then chicken skin which I didn’t like and then chicken hearts which weirded me out but were actually delicious. The restaurant also had a “mackerel challenge” where you finish a whole mackerel (a normal amount of food) and then everyone cheers so there was also periodic cheering in the restaurant. It was a basement restaurant and had dive bar vibes with like high class dining. Some of the best food in Japan can be found in very low key places.

On our way home I stop at a food stand that sells panda egg waffles. It’s a waffle with big egg shaped puffs (instead of the grid but same vibe) wrapped into a cone shape and then filled with whipped cream. They have an option (for 300 yen ) to add a chocolate panda bear topping and I do and i am so very delighted to finally have my fun shaped food. The bear is just white chocolate but I love white chocolate so I am pleased. It’s rude to walk and eat in Japan so we stop and eat it on the side of the street and then take the bear back to the hotel in its cute little panda themed wrapper.

The area we are in is so overly panda themed, we think because it is very near to the zoo. The zoo has a set of panda twins that were born in 2021 so I think that’s why they are so insanely everywhere. Plus they’re cute.

[prrism]

Maybe Eret for the babysitter shenanigans??

Thank you so much for the ask 😁 It sure has been a while since I last posted anything (*cough* almost 3 months now *cough*), but I promise I’m still around and writing, just been taking things extra slow lately

Young Heir

Summary: You just wanted some time for yourself but instead get dragged off to aid the SMP’s king…

Characters: Eret x Reader, feat. Foolish

Relationship: platonic

Pronouns: unspecified/kept neutral

You made sure your daily chores were done early today so you could kick back and relax with a new book you’ve been dying to read, and yet just as you’re settled and about to crack open the book the sound of large footsteps shakes the entirety of your house. You hoped nothing would break from such shaking before the it stops and there’s a minute pause before frantic knocking is heard. With a sigh you place the book into your inventory and get up to see who was there. You barely have a chance to say hello before you’re practically snatched from the doorway and dragged away from your house.

“Whoa! I don’t appreciate the kidnapping! What’s with the rush?” You shout unamused, trying to pull away from their iron grip. They halt their movements and you now get the chance to notice the totem body and shark-y head.

“Sorry! Sorry! I just sorta grabbed you in a panic, but I really really need your help with Eret.” Foolish apologizes.

“My help? What for?” You ask as you both start walking at a much less panicked pace. (similar to Bad, I headcanon that Foolish can shift his size at will)

“Well…” Foolish chuckles nervously, “while I was helping Eret, we were discussing about some new expansions for the historical museum, and we sorta got on topic about that strange… ummm… moss? I think? That’s been appearing around the SMP.”

“Oh no… alright say no more, I get it.” You sigh, rubbing at the bridge of your nose. “But why my help? You know how to take care of children, you have two of them.” You point out.

“Yes, and they’re doing very well,” Foolish smiles proudly. “But no, the reason I need your help is because I can’t find Eret anywhere.”

“YOU LOST THEM!”

“It’s not my fault! I swear! I got distracted when Quackity asked if I was free to return to the casino and…” He trails off feebly. “Please, I really need someone I know for a fact is trustworthy to help.”

“Okay! Look you already dragged me out of the house and we’re basically to the castle so there no harm in helping.” You sigh

“Thank you thank you thank you.” Foolish smiles giddily, you chuckle to yourself at his own childish antics as you continue towards Eret’s castle…

“I’ll start by checking to make sure Eret didn’t somehow get outside in the time I was gone. You could check the throne room, I guess, that’s where I last saw him.”

“Sounds good to me.” With that the two of you split up, you immediately heading for the throne room. Stepping in you take a second to admire the decor, from the fine craftsmanship of the structure itself, to the multicoloured stain glassed windows and of course the throne resting elegantly at the far end of the room. Your gawking comes to a halt when you pick up the sound of shuffling, it was faint but it was there, that’s when you noticed the little head peeking around one of the curtains before darting behind it again. You smirk at the idea popping into your head.

“Now where oh where could Eret be? Maybe he’s by the throne?” You walk over and pretend to look around the throne, you hear a soft giggle. “Nope, not there. Hmmm, maybe she’s on the ceiling?” You have to stop yourself from laughing as you look up. “Darn it, not there either. Where could they be? Oh well, guess I’ll just have to walk away and look somewhere else.” You say this slowly as you walk away from the throne towards the curtains, pausing a moment before pulling them back. “Found you!” A surprised but excited shriek comes from Eret before it quickly turns to laughter.

“Again! Again again!” He claps.

“I don’t know, Foolish had a hard time finding you the first time, that’s why he got me to help.” You sigh, she pouts a little but it doesn’t last long as they start tugging your pants in an attempt to get you to follow him. “Oh? You want me to come with you this time? Hmm… alright, I see no harm in it.” You say this more to yourself then to Eret, nonetheless you follow her to a room full of different clothing.

“Dress!” They bounce on his heels pointing to the array of clothing.

“You wanna play a bit of dress up with me?” You already knew the answer but the eager nod she gives you is that extra confirmation.

You completely lost track of time while modelling the many different outfits in Eret’s closet. From suits to dresses to casual wear, you tried them all chuckling to yourself at how much bigger their own clothing looked on Eret. Now the two of you, dressed to the nines so to speak, were enjoying a lovely little game of tea party, making sure to be “extra proper” by sticking your pinkies out the entire time.

“Shall that be one sugar or two my good friend?” You ask in an exaggerated accent, this earns a small chuckle from Eret as they hold up two fingers. “A splendid choice my good friend.” You’re about to continue your game when the door bursts open, an almost panicked looking Foolish being the culprit. You all stare at each other for what feels like forever. “Right… Foolish, I forgot you were looking for Eret…” You trail off awkwardly before, “you… uhh… you wanna join our tea party?” He looks at you bewildered for a second before calming down.

“…… sure.” Is all he says. You all sit together and continue with your tea party, you and Foolish ending up having a little contest to see who can make the funniest accent.

“My verdict is… you both sound ridiculous.” You pause at the voice, having gotten so wrapped up in your little competition you failed to notice Eret was finally back to normal.

“Eret! Glad you’re yourself again… I guess you’ll be wanting the outfit back.” You say, heading over to change out of the outfit you had been borrowing.

“Actually, you can keep it if you want.” Eret waves off like it’s nothing.

“Really?! But I couldn’t-”

“It’s fine, (y/n), really. I don’t wear that one a lot anyways and it looks good on you. Think of it as a thank you for the help.” Eret encourages.

“Umm, thank you. I promise I’ll take real good care of it.” You pause awkwardly for a second. “Well, I guess I should head home. Good luck with your museum renovations.” You wave to them as you collect the rest of your things and head out.

“Thanks again for the help! And sorry for dragging you out of your home!” Foolish thanks and apologizes, you wave him off as a way to say that it was fine and continue your journey back home.

……… or you would’ve if not for one complication………

I hope you all enjoyed! Let me know who you’d like to see the childish shenanigans of next 😁

[sorakazeno]

Akasaka Hikawa Shrine

This is the shrine that was the inspiration for the 90s anime for Rei's family shrine.

Pictures were taken on December 3, 2022.

Path leading up to the shrine. You can see the long staircase in the distance.

Tooroo, stone lantern.

Hmmm. Just gave me a few story ideas but I'm not sure where this bridge would go in the 90s anime version.

Inari statues and mini shrine.

This is how it looks in the anime.

The main shrine building is a lot further back and can't be seen.

Went up the stairs and paused for a picture.

Pausing in front of the torii gate for the main entrance. Super excited at this point since after the shrine was the Sailor Moon Museum and all of Juban.

Torii gate with Tooroo (stone lanterns)

Komainu (lion dogs) are near the toorii (gate) to the entrance.

This one is un-gyoo since the mouth is closed.

The one with the mouth open is a-gyo. They are guardians of the shrine and are always seen in pairs. They are meant to represent the beginning and end of things.

One more view of the komainu from the anime. Next time I'll have to stand here and turn around to see if any of Tokyo is visible.

Shinboku, sacred tree. The closest I could find from the anime but still really different.

Rei is tying Omikuji to a tree. Ones that are bad luck are left behind at the shrine so the mikos can pray they become good luck. I did purchased one here for good luck. But this post is already long enough and will be feature in the next one.

Found Omikuji here. Same tree from above is in the background.

Emma, wooden block prayers.

Mikoshi used for festivals.

Found a miko in one of the buildings in the distance.

Another small shrine. I'm not sure who this represents.

Same type of doors we saw Rei standing in front of in crystal at the Azabu Juban shrine.

Another small shrine.

First view of the main shrine!

90s anime anime version. Please notice the different in the arches here versus the ones in the crystal shrine. I've actually had some fans scream at me the 90s anime one was also based off of manga. It is clearly not the case.

Close of the front of the building.

Shrine was built in 1729 and is a well known as a marriage shrine.

Closer look at the inner shrine. I did drop a lucky ¥5 coin to make a small prayer/wish. I can now say since the trip is over it did come true! My main concern on this trip was my husband and his allergy to fish and fish oil. No issues!

This is another entrace way to the shrine. No stairs and pretty much a straight walk to the side of the main shrine. I feel like the 90s anime combined the stairway entrance and this one for the show.

I have some more general pictures of the shrine that will be added to another post soon! I have hit the 30 picture limit.

Official website for the shrine.

[rygoespop]

Thomas and Friends: Legends of Sodor (Story 40): The Japanese Railway Museum

Narrator: The Japanese Railway Museum

Scene opens as Brendam Docks, as all 13 Members of the Steam Team are on a Rail Ferry

Narrator: One morning, Sir Topham Hatt is sending the Steam Team to Japan, to help with the Railway Museum over there

Thomas: I can’t wait to see Hiro again!

Nia: I haven’t been to Japan, but this will be a first time

STH: Now I want you all to be on your best behavior while your all over there

Stanley: You can count on us Sir!

Thomas: Bye sir, we’ll be back home when the job is done!

The Ferry set sail

Thomas: Japan, here we come!

Molly: Your gonna like seeing the Cherry Blossoms over there Henry

Henry: Yeah, it’ll be nice

Scene transitions to night, as the Ferry arrived near Tokyo

Narrator: Soon, they arrived in Japan

Thomas: I don’t believe it, we’re back in Tokyo!

Edward: So this is Tokyo huh

Nia: So nice, and look at the colorful lights

Soon, the ferry arrived at the dock and the bridge was lowered

Hiro: Hello, my friends

Thomas: *excited* Hiro! I’m so happy to see you again!

Hiro: Hello Thomas, I missed you my friend

Molly: Greetings Hiro-San

Hiro: Konnichiwa Molly

Nia: Oh, hello! You must be the Master of The Railway, I’m Nia

Hiro: Nice to meet you Nia

Scene transitions to Hiro and the Steam Team puffing into Tokyo

Narrator: Soon, Hiro took the Steam Team around Tokyo

Nia: Oooooh, so colorful

Hiro: Indeed Nia, Japan is full of Neon Lights

Soon, Molly heard a familiar tune

Molly: That sounds like, the Bubblegum Maidens!

Molly puffed up to the Bubblegum Maidens

Molly: Hello Bubblegum Maidens, I’m back!

Bubblegum Maidens Manager: Welcome back Molly

Molly: It’s good to be back

Hiro: Now Henry, how about those Cherry Blossoms?

Henry: I’m honored Hiro

Scene transitions to Hiro and Henry arrived at the Cherry Blossoms

Hiro: Here you go, my friend

Henry: Woooooooow, it’s like my forest back home on Sodor

Hiro: Indeed Henry

Scene transitions to all the engines arriving at a bigger version of the sheds

Narrator: That night, the engines settle in at the sheds for the night

Thomas: I can’t wait to help with the Museum!

Hiro: I know Thomas, the excitement is building up, I’ll see you all in the morning

Thomas: Good night Hiro!

Scene transitions to the next morning, as Nia sees Hiro watching the Sun rise

Narrator: The next morning, as everyone was about to wake up, Nia saw Hiro watching the Sun rise

Nia: Good morning Hiro, what are you doing?

Hiro: Watching the sun rise, it’s one of the traditions of Japan

Nia: Oooooh *sees Kyo Yamashiro behind them* Um, Hiro, who’s that?

Hiro: That is Kyo Yamashiro, the Local Manga Artist, he depicts engines as Humans for his comics

Kyo Yamashiro shows Nia a depiction of her as a human in Manga Style

Nia: Ooooooh, I like it

Scene transitions to Noon, as Thomas and Rosie were delivering tourists from Nara to the Osaka Japanese Railway Museum

Narrator: That noon, Thomas and Rosie were taking tourists to the Japanese Railway Museum in Osaka

Thomas: It’s nice to see the Railway Museum in Osaka

Rosie: Me too Thomas

Gordon: *races past them with 3 Oigawa Coaches* Museum Express coming through!

Thomas: Hey, slow down Gordon! This isn’t a race!

Rosie: Typical Gordon

Scene transitions to Thomas and Rosie arriving at the Osaka Railway Museum

Narrator: Later, they arrived at the Osaka Museum

Hiro: Greetings Thomas

Thomas: Hiro! I’m excited of what are they adding

Hiro: I know Thomas

Sir Takaboushi Hideki showed up

Sir Takaboushi Hideki: Indeed, in fact, I figured the perfect addition to the Museum

Toby: Who?

James: I bet it’s me!

Rebecca: No it must be me!

Emily: I gotta feeling it’s my

Sir Takaboushi Hideki: No but close, it’s all of you

All (Thomas/Edward/Henry/Gordon/James/Percy/Toby/Emily/Molly/Rosie/Stanley/Nia/Rebecca): What?!

Sir Takaboushi Hideki: I decided to have replicas of all Thirteen of you, because any friend of Hiro, is a friend of mine

Hiro: Indeed Sir, that’s why they saved me from being scrap

Thomas: And we are glad to have you as a friend, Hiro

Hiro: And I’m glad to have you all as my friends

Scene transitions to the Next Day, all of the Steam Team Members and Hiro were present

Narrator: The next day, Sir Takaboushi Hideki had an announcement

Sir Takaboushi Hideki: Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, and engines alike, I welcome a new addition to the Osaka Railway Museum, I welcome, Sodor’s Famous Thirteen!

Tarps were removed, revealing replicas of Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, Emily, Molly, Rosie, Stanley, Nia, and Rebecca

Thomas: Wooooooow!

James: We look good

Gordon: Indeed

Hiro: I’m glad you all like them, my friends

Thomas: Hiro, this is the greatest addition ever, thank you

Hiro: Your welcome Thomas

Kyo Yamashiro drew the 13 Members of the Steam Team and Hiro as Humans in Manga Style

Kyo Yamashiro: Perfect

Scene shows the Steam Team as Humans depicted in Manga

Story End

[hecckyeah]

I'm visiting Minnesota for the first time outside of the airport this year and I recall you posting a bit about that state. Any recs of cool things to do/ good places to eat in the Twin Cities?

OMG yess exciting!! I grew up right in that area :))

I'll add what I can think of off the top of my head, but maybe some of my other MN moots can chime in? @3friesshortofahappymeal

I'll start with the big ones, then scale it down a bit :)

The Mall of America, for sure. I know it's a typical tourist attraction but it really is quite spectacular and worth a short trip. Sometimes there are cool concerts and events going on in the Rotunda (they have a list here), and if you've ever been shopping and thought, hmm I could go for a rollercoaster right about now, then the MoA's got you covered :) Also, I haven't been but my brother says the Fly Over America exhibit is AMAZING

Minnesota Zoo!! I haven't been there since my childhood, but they used to have this treetop rail which I think they replaced with a walkway. Either way, it's fantastic, very informative, super adorable!

The Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul!! Seriously one of my FAVORITE places ever. There's an omni-theater, which is worth the trip in itself. The exhibits are top tier, tons of interactive stuff for adults, and it takes FOREVER to get through it, so you know it's worth the admission price :)

Stillwater is about a 30 minute drive from the Cities, but it's incredible if you want to do some light hiking and visit some cute shops!

I've never actually been to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, but it's a top destination if you have the time/interest for it!

Depends on what time of year you're visiting, but you have your pick of lakes to swim in (or paddleboard, rent a boat, lay on the sand and get burned by the sun, etc) Some favorites are Long Lake, Wayzata Beach, Silver Lake, and White Bear Lake Park!

There are some super nice walking paths around the Stone Arch Bridge

The Mill City Museum is worth a visit if you're a huge nerd like me :) It's a great little peek into Minnesota history and culture!

The Guthrie Theater for SURE, especially the yellow tinted room a couple floors up. Iconic MN spot!

Asia Mall in Eden Prairie! You can get some top tier boba there

If you have time to drive a little further north, I personally love the Albertville outdoor shopping mall. They're all outlet stores, and it's enormous and a really nice area.

Again, I've never been but The Armory always has some kind of events/small scale concerts going on. I think my brother saw The Band CAMINO there a couple years ago :)

Sadly I'm way less educated on restaurants in the area :( I know the Maple Grove area has tons of elite spots, and you really can't go wrong around the downtown area around the US Bank Stadium.

That said, just a couple places I do know of--

Fogo de Chao in Minneapolis

Henhouse Eatery in Minneapolis

Teppanyaki Grill in Fridley

Hoagie's Family Restaurant in Hopkins

Also, just a side note, if you have a day or two to spare, I'd HIGHLY recommend a trip up toward Duluth and the North Shore. In my opinion that's the most gorgeous place in all of MN.

Again, MN moots feel free to chime in!! I haven't lived in the Twin Cities area the last couple years and now I'm moving back soon, so I'm a little out of touch hahaha, especially after covid :)

I hope this helps!! Have an AWESOME time, and definitely let me know how the trip goes!!! <3 I love MN, it has so much to offer <33

[ilovecupcakesandtea]

Chapter one Chapter nine My master list

Title: Chapter eight

Word Count: 1027

Archive Warnings: Smut in future chapters. Slight angst. Alcohol misuse.

Rating: E

Pairing(s): Eddie Munson/Steve Harrington Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham

Character(s): Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Chrissy Cunningham, Benny, Uncle Wayne & The Party

Tags: Smut. Angst. Steddie. Buckingham. Steve Harrington. Eddie Munson. Robin Buckley. Chrissy Cunningham. Band AU. TW Alcohol use.

Summary (optional): Two different styles of music, two boys that really don't like each other. What could possibly go wrong?

Beta Reader: Thank you so much to my beautiful beta readers @slippy-slip @ladydarklord & @dontwasteyourchances

Art link and credit: Art is by the wonderfully talented @pink-luna-moth (as is the banner)

Fic link and credit: Ao3 Link

AN: First off thank you to Alex for the art and being just amazing to work alongside. Thank you to Slip for dragging me back from the edge so many times over this. I really am so excited to have this out here!!

I wrote this for the @strangerthingsreversebigbang event and had a lot of fun doing so!!

Divider links: reblog and music notes

July 2006 saw The Spitfires doing a 7-date tour in the UK. Chrisy’s mom had taken even more of a role as their manager now with them getting bigger and had made all of their travel arrangements, making sure that they had somewhere to stay in each city. The party had also decided they were going to join as it was the summer holidays. Dustin, Max, El, Lucas, Will, and Mike all joined the band as they flew into London Heathrow ready for their first gig at the O2 Academy in Brixton 3 days later. 

They spent time seeing as many sights as they could whilst they were in London and had free time. The first full afternoon they were all in there, they headed to the London Eye. The sun was high in the sky and they were all full of energy. They went around the London Dungeons where Eddie spent the whole time trying to scare the others, successfully making both El and Max scream, earning him a punch in the stomach from Max. Worth it, he’d grunted at the time.

After the Dungeons, the group went onto the London Eye. Looking out over the city from the top of the Eye as the sun was setting was beautiful. Everyone was excited to look out and point at different things such as the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral, The Tate Museum, Tower Bridge, and The Shard.

The show that night afterward in Brixton was amazing. The crowd was loud and the band was on fire. The party loved being backstage and then mixing with the crowd. 

“Thank you Brixton, you’ve been amazing tonight! And you know what, I reckon we have too!” Eddie shouted into the mic at the end of their set, laughing. “Thank you and good night!” 

“Good night, we love you” Chrissy shouted as the band walked off stage.

As the band left the stage, the party ran at them, shouting about how amazing their performance had been and how awesome it had been to see them on stage doing ‘their thing’. To say it had been a great start to the tour was an understatement. The venue cleared out and the band packed their things up before loading it all into the large car they had hired. 

The best part of the night came totally unexpectedly as they were finishing putting their instruments into the car. As they were closing the trunk up, Steve noticed a group walking towards them, clearly excited. 

“Hi! We’ve just been to your gig and we all absolutely loved it! Can we grab a few pictures and autographs before you head off?” One of the girls in the group asked. 

“Sure! That’s fine by me if it’s fine by everyone else.” Steve answered, turning to the rest of the band who all nodded. 

Lots of pictures were taken on various different digital cameras and autographs were signed by the whole band. 

“Do you want to grab a drink at the pub around the corner?” one of the girls asked Steve. 

“Sorry to butt in but we really need to hit the road if we want to make check-in at the next hotel” Eddie interrupted before Steve could answer. 

“Sorry, guess that’s my cueto go.” Steve laughed. 

The band waved to everyone and said their goodbyes to the group before getting into the car to join the party, Eddie and Steve up front, with Robin and Chrissy in the back.

“You’re so hot when you’re jealous, baby,” Steve whispered into his boyfriend’s ear as they were setting off before settling back and resting his hand on the inside of his thigh. 

“ ‘m not jealous” Eddie responded, hands tightening further on the steering wheel. 

“Sure, whatever you say” Steve chuckled. He couldn’t push Eddie's buttons like he was itching to do whilst they were in the car with the party. 

“Stop trying to fuck the driver whilst he’s driving please, I’d like to get to the hotel in one pieceplease, we have a while to go still” Robin interrupted Steve’s thoughts of how far he could push things whilst he could. It had been a few days since they hadn’t shared a room with someone and Steve was determined to make the most of it. 

The rest of the drive went smoothly. Music turned down low and everyone else asleep gave Steve and Eddie a moment together. Robin and Chrissy were as curled up together as they could safely be and the rest of the party was curled up under blankets.

The following day, after a late breakfast, the group went and had a look around Oxford, sightseeing on the river and exploring Oxford castle and prison at Eddie’s request. He walked around with his campaign notebook and wrote many details of the castle and prison down, much to the excitement of a lot of the party. 

The rest of the tour followed a very similar pattern, typically driving to the next city in the morning before having some time to sightsee before the gig. Each gig was just as electric as the last; it seemed as though each night there were fans waiting for them as they packed up and sometimes even before the gig as they arrived at the venue a couple of hours before doors opened. 

They played the O2 Institute in Birmingham, the O2 Academy in Liverpool, the O2 Apollo in Manchester, the O2 Academy in Leeds, and finally the O2 Academy in Edinburgh. Taking in as much of each city as they could in the packed schedule they had. 

A couple of days after the final show they returned the car and flew back home. They had a couple of weeks free from shows and didn’t plan on having any band practice or writing sessions during most of that time either. Some real time to relax, which naturally meant that, according to Steve, this was the perfect time to house hunt. He and Eddie had decided to buy a place together as they both still lived at home and they wanted more privacy than that allowed.

[iantimony]

yay tuesday is back

return of tuesday! i had two weeks in the UK which was very fun but i am definitely vacationed out - i miss my routine. longer trips like that are only fun towards the end if you have a home base that isn't just a hotel room.

listening: newest coral bones ep is very chill. it's only three songs and they're all very vibey but i think my favorite is 'seatac'. i wish they were still posting on bandcamp. alas.

SeaTac - Coral Bones

also got back into listening to the altogether - their album 'when we were kids' is very travel-coded to me for some reason, it was on loop my entire train ride from london up to edinburgh. (i'm also pretty sure brian david gilbert of all people is featured on this album haha)

Billy & Anne - The Altogether

finally, i saw st. vincent live in london this past weekend!!! it was a really good concert, lots of fun, interesting venue. she's definitely got an insane stage presence. the opening act (heartworms) was fun too, my brother and his friend weren't interested and described it as 'moody goth bullshit' and i was like well. that is right up my alley. you boys enjoy the bar im gonna go be moody and goth. it was good!

i think if i do standing room tickets again i need to invest in some platform shoes, at least two or three inches, because some of that was a struggle to see Anything ... i did manage to find a spot where i had a decent little corridor between heads to see the stage, however i was directly behind a guy in a bowler (?? fedora?? idfk) hat and his boyfriend who kept moving around and dancing (fine) and gyrating (also fine ?? i do not consider st. vincent particularly gyrate-able music but what do i know) so i also had to do some leaning side-to-side to see around them. one of her songs has a line about jumping off the london bridge and the way they both looked at each other and pointed gleefully at themselves while going "meeee" was very funny. i bet they're on tumblr, they had the vibes. hello gay guys at the london st. vincent concert, if you're reading this.

reading: i read 'when the angels left the old country' by sacha lamb in the two days that i was alone in edinburgh before my brother came! it was good, speedy read, i enjoyed the characters and overall conceit well enough. probably not on the to-buy list, i'd just rented an ebook for my trip.

some miscellanous articles from my pocket emails:

How to Coexist With a Belligerent Catbird by Caitlin Gibson (<3)

The Last Kid in Ninth Grade Without an iPhone by Liz Kreiger (this was relatable as a kid whose parents did Not let her get anything more complex than a flipphone for emergencies until i got myself one as a senior in high school and i think i was better off for it)

The Case for Doing Laundry Every Day by Rebecca Onion (insane, IMO)

watching: mostly fallow, did watch one of the dunmeshi eps that came out when i was gone with the boy yesterday and will probably watch the second one tonight.

i have Opened the jenny nicholson star wars hotel video, not yet watched, but saw in my patreon emails from friends at the table that the tablefriends did a related episode on their star wars podcast, which, i then noticed like [leo decaprio pointing meme] xeecee spotted in the credits for the cover art ?? i'm not surprised they are aware of each other but i thought it was funny

playing: fallow! completely, for once! no ttrpgs, no video games, etc. i guess i played a Lot of solitaire on my flight back from the uk, maybe that counts lol

making: i did a lot of sketching on my trip! i made a watercolor travel journal that somehow doesn't have enough pages so i'll have to rebind it but oh well. no watercolor pics for now but i'm excited to share those as i go! in the meantime, some sketches i did in the east princes street gardent, the scottish parliament, and the victoria and albert museum in london respectively:

i think once i finish the travel journal ill try to do a higher quality scan of it and upload a pdf somewhere, i feel like that will be fun.

eating: ough i ate a lot of good food in the uk. mostly the non-british food unsurprisingly but i Did have some really good fish & chips moments. last meal of the trip especially we got a recommendation from one of my brother's friends who goes to cambridge and ouuuugh that shit was So good.

misc: it's good to be back ... now i'm back in The Grind (work) but i don't mind it. despite the jetlag i'm feeling refocused and excited to get moving on stuff again. i liked a lot of stuff about the uk (trains, vibes) but i also did not like some stuff (why are the cold meds So weak there lmfao) and overall i'm glad to e home :)

[menacing-menace-rat]

Hey, could you do a headcanon for what it's like to date Data?

Sure thing! Thank you for asking! You are my first ask and I'm super excited to make this for you! 🤗

🤖💕Dating Data Headcanons💕🤖

You two had known each other for months. You loved to hear him talk. He was so well versed on everything you could think of and he seemed to enjoy talking to you so much.

It was Will who convinced Data to ask you out when you all were stationed on earth for a few days.

At first Data didn't see the point. He couldn't see how your relationship could be any better. He loved the late night talks about everything. How could that get better?

It was only when he saw a couple holding hands that it hit him.

He wanted to hold hands, he wanted to be close with to you in ways that would be inappropriate for friends.

Funnily enough sex wasn't really one of the things he was thinking about. He wanted to share a room and hold you as you slept. He often thought about holding you on nights when you'd fall asleep during the very long talks.

He deemed it highly inappropriate and never did but the want never left him.

He very much wanted to have more time with you so he decided what he had to do.

He knew well enough to wait till you were alone in the lab before he asked.

"Dr. (Y/L/N) I enjoy your company and it has been brought to my attention you enjoy my company as well. Would you please accompany on a date down to earth? It has a museum dedicated to earth trends, I have read alot about. I know how you enjoy early 21st century trends from earth.

He continued by telling you about every exhibit that was there.

How could you tell this inorganic man no?

That night the two of you shared an incredible time at that museum during which you had to explain boy bands and skinny jeans to him.

After he took you to a small restaurant for dinner. He talked about the entire physiology of Klingons while you eat after you asked a question about Worf's hair.

The conversation carried late into the night as talks with Data often do but you adored it.

Days after you had to ask to date him officially.

He cocked his head in the familiar way he often does and then smiles and agrees.

It was soon after he started to move your stuff into his room. (His room was slightly bigger and closer to both the labs and the bridge.)

Dating him gave you some new insight into this funny Android man.

For one his skin seemed to take on temperature easily.

At first his hands were cold until they rested against your skin long enough to become warmed.

Speaking of his skin it was the smoothest thing you'd ever felt. His face would rub against yours and it felt almost like cool hard velvet

He seemed to have a very human ritual to his day.

You were a little ashamed to admit you figured he'd plug in somewhere to sleep but no.

He lays down in bed with you and relishes in the act of holding you.

He doesn't seem to sleep though.

He had learned some things about you as well it seemed.

He knew all your favorite food and the spots you'd like to sit in.

He also learned that humans can cry when happy as well. Before the discovery he thought he'd done something very wrong.

Data had memorized your work schedule and would wait for you to be done with your work before proudly taking your hand and walking you to your next experiment.

It almost reminded you how 21st century high school kids would walk each other to their classes.

While this hand holding made you both happy some crew members would tease you for it. (They tried to tease Data about it as well but he didn't take its teasing. He was very excited to talk about your guy's perfect hand holding positions.

There were some rough patches though.

Before Data was confident in his ability to be a good partner he'd ask much of the bridge for advice.

Some advice was better then others.

Will told Data to be adventurous. To keep things exciting. (He was speaking mostly in the bedroom.)

This of course lead to a terrifying trip to the Holodeck where he took you rock climbing while being chased by giant birds of some kind, resulting in you spraining your wrist.

Worf recommend combat. Thankfully Data knew better then to actually try and fight you but he insisted interpreted worf's recommendation as 'play fighting'

This started a whole week of being lifted over Data's head and gently tossed on some softer surfaces.

Or at random points he's take you down to the floor and pin you there with a wide expectant smile.

Geordi was your saving grace. Finally he sat Data down and explained that you like him because he's himself. That he doesn't need to act like Riker or Worf to keep you happy.

This didn't take Data long to understand. Quickly you two were back to long talks and going to museums again.

You couldn't be more pleased.

Data would do almost anything for you. He wasn't blind to the effort you put into the relationship he regularly told you so (at less than opportune times) but all the same it was appreciated.

You couldn't imagine how this less then conventional relationship would work and yet you never had any doubts all at once.

Thank you so much for reading. I'm sorry if it is clunky. I hope this was what you had in mind.

I left out any sex stuff because the ask didn't say anything about it.

[trufflemacandcheese]

The curse

"She could have died today for me, and I didn't even know her name."

 -------------------------

First part of a sequel

Watch out, dear reader. It's getting long, dark and epic - but I will do everything to bring also some light into this story.

The turtles are aged up! Minors, stay away!

There will be many intense emotions, conflicts and concrete descriptions of battle scenes, fluff and smut (and movie spoilers) But maybe also a happy ending if we stick together until the end.

 Are you with me?

 -------------------------

 rottmnt belongs to nickelodeon

and OC belongs to me

 Edit: the woman in this story is described concretely. if you have trouble with that, this story is probably not for you.

 Start 21/11/22 end 19/01/23...

-

-

-

#1

"It's just an ordinary alarm in the natural history museum and I strongly recommend that we leave this matter to the cops!!"

Donnie flew close to Leo with his drone pack, annoyed, he gestured in the direction of his brother who jumped enthusiastically over the roofs of New York.

"I was SO CLOSE to beating you! You were just looking for a reason to get away from the game!" Donnie spouted

"No way! Firstly, you will never beat me at gaming. And ehm... secondly... Imagine, there's another portal thing being stolen and an alien race trying to take over the world?!" Leo was a little too outraged by his brother's accusation, and Mikey spoke up while jumping to catch up with his two older brothers.

"I also think he was close to winning..."

"Ha!" exclaimed Donnie triumphantly. Leo snorted and started to reply when Raph interrupted the three and pointed east

"Hey, what was that? Did you see that?!"

They stopped and stared spellbound in the direction indicated by the eldest turtle. A second or two passed, and then they saw it too. A black shadow flitted across the rooftops, just like themselves - but it was moving away from them. They had to be quick now! The mood among the four changed abruptly - something emanated from this shadow that could not be described. Mikey gave a little shudder as they started sprinting again, and Leo clenched his fists.

Donnie checked his left forearm gauntlet to detect the shadow, so they could follow him more easily. He hastily typed while flying to activate his algorithm. It worked perfectly, he noted with satisfaction.

"Got him! He's moving towards Harlem! By my calculations, he will take the Willis Avenue Bridge - we have an 87% chance of intercepting him before then if we cut across River Park!"

"So let's GO!" shouted Raph and accelerated, and his three brothers did the same.

Only a few minutes later, they were crouched in pairs on two different roofs. Donnie followed the dot on his display with utter excitement. It came closer. This had to be the thief! And it wasn't one of the villains they knew. An unknown variable that could not yet be assessed. Beside him, Raph swallowed nervously. On the roof opposite of the street, Mikey and Leo could hardly be made out. Next to them, a thirty-story behemoth of skyscrapers towered into the sky. A shell consisting of a skeleton made of steel and concrete. The wind whistled through and, lending an ominous roar to the scene with its howl.

Donnie focused on his display and almost whispered into his communicator, which connected him to Mikey and Leo.

"8 seconds. Get ready."

"Mikey and I will start!" they heard Leo say when they could already make out the shadow in the near distance. It jumped nimbly over the roofs. Fast and silent. Seemingly tireless. And then he was with them and jumped over the street between them.

A human...? Thought Donnie when he saw it flash orange. Mikey whipped his mystic nunchaku through the air to grab the thief. At the same time, the figure could now be recognized better. A human, no question - wrapped in black, only the eyes were free. The clothing was more reminiscent of a ninja than that of the Turtles, which was not without a certain irony. But there was no hint to the Footclan. Donnie frowned.

Well, they'll soon know who's behind the burglary and how the thief was able to be so quick. Mikey's nunchaku flew perfectly into the thief's trajectory, and Leo aimed for a portal to keep him from slamming into the wall of the house when he will be immobilized by the chain and pulled out of the air.

But then it happened: The thief quickly grabbed the end of the nunchaku and - threw - it - further! In one fluid motion he spun around and let the orange glowing strand of chain continue to fly across the street line now at double speed - right at Donnie and Raph's position!

"What the...?!" Raph couldn't finish his sentence. He gasped as the nunchaku wrapped around HIM and lifted him off his feet in utter surprise.

It had all happened in a millisecond. Donnie sidestepped, and for a moment he could only stare wide-eyed at Raph, who was catapulted across the rooftops toward Mikey and Leo.

"DAMN IT!" Leo's voice yelled through the night, and Donnie turned back towards the street. The thief had already landed on the nearest roof and was threatening to escape. Donnie also started to sprint when he saw Leo's sword whirling through the air - in a split second it was level with the thief and Leo teleported instantly.

"Who do you think you a...!" Leo's words stuck in his throat as well. His hand gripped his shaft, it's sword he used to teleport over - but it wasn't alone! The thief grabbed it too and stood with his back to Leo's plastron not a sheet of paper fitting between the two as they each held the sword with their right hands.

He's... small? - Leo thought as he quickly raised his left arm to confront the thief with his second sword. Who also raised his left arm synchronously and directed Leo's attack into the void. 

Leo stared in disbelief at the hand that seemed to be guiding his left arm, and reflexively he leaned his body to the side and twisted his right arm back for balance. Something is wrong here! Those hands...

At that moment, the thief dived and took Leo off his feet with a move worthy of a breakdance. Leo landed hard on his shell and looked up, angry and confused. Who was this idiot who makes him and his brothers look like absolute beginners and...

HE HAS MY SWORD!? Leos right hand reached into nothing. Now he was really pissed. How can this guy be so fast!?

Behind them, Mikey and Raph could be heard developing. Raph seemed no less angry than Leo. There was no sign of Donnie. Leo stared at the figure standing over him. Everything went so fast. How could the situation go so wrong?! The turtle and the thief made eye contact and at that moment something inside of Leo twitched, and he realized the green eyes of the thief.

Then the unexpected happened: After a second of silence, the thief threw the sword to Leo, and he caught it in surprise. An astonished expression crossed the turtle's face.

"Don't follow me any further. I'm not your enemy." the voice was calm and soft

A GIRL!? Now everything fell into place in Leo's face and his jaw dropped. Mikey and Raph finally found their way to the roof, and Leo turned to look at them as they landed. When he turned back, she was gone.

-

#2

[beneath-the-irish-sky]

Since it was the first week at UCD, we set house rules. We decided that as a group we should not peer pressure other students to break personal boundaries, to help one another on trips or if we are upset, and to generally just be kind. We then talked about our history readings and the cultural differences between the U.S. and Ireland. It was really interesting to hear everyone's opinions on the readings.

After class, we ate at the UCD restaurant. Burgers are so different in Ireland compared to the U.S. You can tell the animals are grass fed and they add a sweet ketchup. It was not my favorite, but it was an interesting difference to notice.

After that, we decided to take a tour of The Irish Whiskey Museum! The legal age to drink is 18 in Ireland. It was super interesting to learn about the history of Whiskey and how it is distilled. I found the history of the how the 3-day wake began. The 3-day wake started when people would drink until they had alcohol poisoning from drinking too much whiskey and fall into a coma for three days. The theory behind the wake was that loved ones would throw a party and drink whiskey in hopes of waking the person from the coma. Then we grabbed a quick dinner as a group because we had to be up very early for the next day!

I was so excited for our day trip to Kilkenny and Glendalough. The bus we took left super early in the morning but everyone seemed to have a good attitude and was excited.

The greenery on the way to Glendalough was insanely beautiful. I was in awe as we passed miles and miles of green mountains. We saw so many sheep too!! Every time we passed one, I yelled “sheep” to the point where I got a few others started to join in my excitement and yell “sheep” too. We also saw many cows, horses, and pigs! They were all so cute.

Nothing will beat the rolling hills and wildlife we saw when we got to the Glendalough Park. We were crossing a bridge to get to the lake when we saw a deer crossing the river! It was so beautiful and at peace. The cutest part was when we saw its baby nursing. We didn’t want to disturb them so we left quickly! We then hiked on for about 20 minutes before we finally reached the lake. The forest was so pretty, but the lake was gorgeous and calm! It was miles long at the bottom of two mountains. We then hiked back and got on the bus where we stopped at the top of one of the two mountains. It was so windy but the view was amazing!!

We then drove into Kilkenny and went over the P.S. I Love You bridge!! I was so excited to see the bridge from the movie I watched the night before I left for Ireland! It was their meet cute. It was so cool to see and our tour guide taught us how to say I love you in Irish as we went over it.

We then got into Kilkenny and stopped at the castle first. We unfortunately did not go inside because we had to get tickets in advance and we were turned away on our guided tour. It looked very pretty on the outside and the architecture was unmatched. It was medieval, with bay windows and expansive.

We walked along the streets to shop in the little stores next. We found some souvenirs and talked to some locals who lived in the area. The shop owners were all very proud to share their life stories and what they love about their jobs! They also asked us many questions. What I found funny, however, was every person we spoke to said we had to go to this one restaurant at the Kyteler’s Inn. In the 1300’s, the owner’s daughter was accused of witchcraft. When we got there, we understood why they told us to eat there. It had amazing food! I could not believe how fresh the chicken was and how delicious it all was! We then stopped into a few more shops and explored the area before heading back to the dorms. When we returned to the dorms, I packed for Amsterdam, booked a plane to Scotland, and found a place to stay.

As a group, we then all went out to the UCD Clubhouse for some karaoke. I sang, Dancing Queen” with a group of people. It was a lot of fun!

I had to wake up early again to get to the airport in time for my flight. I was so excited to finally get to visit the Netherlands. I had to pack in a tiny tote bag however because Ryanair only allows a personal item for free. I was able to do it though and actually found out I could have packed more! At least I know for next time!

We got through security and to our gate rather quickly before boarding our plane on the tarmac! I’ve only boarded on the tarmac a few times and every time I get so excited. It feels so fancy to do it this way for some reason. I then had a middle seat between two guys who felt like my seat was also theirs and that made it feel less fancy.

After a very long hour and a half, in which I was elbowed multiple times and babies cried, we almost landed…before taking off again because a plane almost hit us! We were alright though and landed safely 10 minutes later. That is definitely something I will remember.

Passport check was over hour long! In the line though, we met a very nice British man who was very excited to talk to us about his experiences in the UK. He also explained the logistics of the tunnel that goes from London to Paris to my friends I am traveling with. We exited the airport and took a train and bus to get to the hotel. After, we checked in and locked up our things. We went out to explore for a bit! After a few hours however, one of my friends met up with her old foreign exchange student so it was just me and the other girl for a while. We went all over the city and saw places like their royal palace, the red-light district, and some of their museums! We then got dinner at a fancy restaurant before getting stroopwafel’s from a famous bakery! They were life changing! We all met back up and went out with her for a few hours to play pool before heading back to the hotel!

[observeowl]

Right By Your Side | Chapter 17 - Chase

Summary: In the world where wearing glasses makes you a different person. You were forced to swallow a pill that turned you into seven years old. Now, you're living with your crush in a small form, what would you do? Who were the ones who brought this to you? And, can you change back?

Chapter summary: Nat realised that Y/N is in the same country as her and decides to meet you physically.

Series Masterlist

Since it was your chance to go around and fulfil your inner desire without exposing yourself. For the longest time, you wanted to visit London for one purpose. To be a Sherlock Holmes' geek. It had been so long since anything of the topic came into your mind. Other than the day Conan told you he liked the high functioning sociopath himself as well.

Since you were only a 'child', Bill was going around with you. He was fine with going wherever as long as he was able to take some photos.

After a quick search and confirmation of where the museum was, you went to hail a cab and proceeded to your destination.

There were already a handful of people who were in the museum, looking through the artifacts that were mentioned in the book and imagining that the real Holmes was here in front of his fireplace on his comfy chair.

You glanced through the bookshelves where he would supposedly place all the information he collected from his years of experience. Everything from people, to buildings, to train schedules, he has collected so much information in his tiny little room.

A hand was placed on your shoulders and you turned to look at the person. "Natasha! What are you doing here?" You asked in shock.

"I thought I'd come over here because Y/N likes Sherlock as well. Imagine how jealous she would be knowing I'm here and she's not." She chuckled lightly pulling out her phone and you didn't think anything about it until you felt your pocket vibrate.

"The one with the dolphin is Y/N's..." You muttered to yourself before realising that Nat was the one who was calling you. You snapped your head towards hers and saw that she was waiting for someone to pick up the phone. Dashing out of the place as you were trying to find the special bowtie that Bill made for you and set it to your voice before you answered the phone as people were looking curiously at you.

Hey, Nat.

Y/N, I thought I was going to face the voice machine again.

Yeah well, I'm on a break now. So I have a bit of time.

Well, guess where I am now?

Hmmm, I have no idea...

Come on, use your brain and try

Well, since you are so excited.. It must be something good. You wouldn't have called if it was something bad, you tend to keep it to yourself. And considering the keyword 'brain', I think you're in London. More specifically the museum.

Dang it! I thought I could win this time.

Ah- Someone is calling me. I have to go, talk to you later.

Before she could even reply, you hung up your phone and went back in. Bill didn't even realise you went out. What a guardian he was. You stole a glance at Nat and noted her disappointed expression. 

You tugged Bill's clothes before indicating that you were ready to leave. "See you around Nat." You shot her a smile before leaving the museum.

Now with your main objective fulfilled, you were aimless and were following Bill around. Wherever excites him, his legs would bring him there and you would follow. Your mind was filled with the sad expression that was on Nat's face. Giving her your number doesn't seem like a good idea anymore.

Looking around, you realised you were at the London bridge and the sun was just starting to set while your phone rang again. More specifically Y/N's. You rushed to get the voice changer again and answered your phone.

Hey-

How dare you hang up the phone on me?!

I was-

You know I hate that! And it was already bad enough that you went on a mission alone! Why can't you just tell me where you are?

Nat I-

Just then, the church bell rang and it could be heard within a six miles radius. You cursed internally, knowing you just out yourself that you were in the same country as her.

Y/N... where are you now... Don't tell me you're in London as well.

No... that's ridiculous.

STOP LYING TO ME!!

I- I gotta g-go. Talk to you later!

"Bill! We have to go!" You pulled on his sleeves while he was taking his pictures. You started running across the bridge and he was following along in confusion. You didn't explain anything to him and ended up shouting as you ran. "She found out I'm in London!"

"But- but, why are we running?" It was hard for him to catch up as he was much older than you.

"She heard the bell! She is able to figure out where I am!" You rushed out.

Natasha POV I just found out she was in London and how dare she not tell me when she was on the phone with me earlier? Was she hiding from me? I ran in the direction of the bridge as I heard the bell from her phone a millisecond earlier than I heard in real life, meaning she was closer there than I was.

As I crossed the bridge, I surveyed the area and made sure I looked at every single one of them to make sure Y/N was not hiding amongst them. After passing a few people, I asked them if  they saw a lady with a description of Y/N. Each of them shook their heads before continuing. I was sure I was getting close to her as there were more people thinking that they saw a similar person.

"Oh, I think I saw her enter the phone booth." The guy pointed towards the red box behind his back.

"Y/N Y/L/N!" I shouted. "YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME ANYMORE." Slowly, the door opened and she stepped out sheepishly with her bag slung on her shoulder.

"Hi- Hi Nat." I stormed towards her and gave her a tight slap to her face. She chuckled dryly after recovering from the initial shock and said. "Yeah I deserve that."

"Do you think I am a fool? You're in the same country as me and you think I wouldn't notice?" I kept poking her as I spoke, pushing her backwards into the wall.

"N-Nat!"

I didn't give her a chance to speak. "Do you know how hard the team was trying to find you? YOU left without a trace and everyone was worried sick! Did you not think how the team will feel? Did you not think how I would feel? Even Allie got kidnapped and hurt because of you."

"I'm sorry..."

I took a deep breath before saying. "You can't tell us what you're doing? Not even me?" She shook her head sadly and that gave me the answer.

"Do you at least have time today?" I asked. She looked at me and nodded her head.

Second POV Nat dragged you to places to visit so as to not waste any time. And truthfully, you didn't know how much time you had left.

Nat brought you to all the touristy places to see. Throughout the entire way, you were looking at her face instead of the view. She's your view. It has been some time since you were able to look at her around the same height instead of looking up.

Half the day had already passed and there were limited things we could do when the shops were closing. Since we were nearby, we went to Westminster Abbey before it closed. Surely we had to pay a visit to the Queen when we're in London.

You know that Nat has a lot of questions to ask but none of them you would be able to answer, because you don't know them yourself, thankfully she seemed to be avoiding that as well.

Honestly, both of you weren't sure what to do. Both of you aren't in a relationship even though each liked the other a lot. There was always this awkward space in between. You wanted to go closer, but you didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. So, you opted to keep your hands in your pocket but there would be the few occasional times when your elbow would touch hers. It would bring a smile to your face and you would bite your lip to suppress your silly smile.

Dinner was the easiest. You fell back to the usual conversation that you would have with her in your usual days. And it was really relaxing, all your worries and troubles were thrown to the back of your mind and you had the best moments ever.

At night, you and Nat walked along the River Thames while enjoying an ice cream cone that you, or rather Nat had bought earlier.

"How come you never ask anything about what's happening in the compound? Are you not curious about what we have done?" Nat asked me suddenly and stopped in her tracks. I turned around to look at her.

"W-what do you mean?" You knew you had slipped when she asked you that. After all, you have been living with them all along, everything that you needed to know, you knew. But that's not what someone who has been away for months would do. Their first question would normally be 'how have you been doing?' or 'what are you up to these days?'

"You never asked what kinds of missions we have been going on. You used to like to know this kind of stuff."

"Y-yeah well.. I learned that sometimes it was better to know less, hurts less. And if I really need to know, the news would report it. And if really need be, I'll come and help." You tried your best to fluff your way through.

"You've changed a lot." She seemed to accept your answer and resumed walking. You nodded your head and smiled. Circumstances made you adapt. But you cherished whatever time you have with her now.

"Where are you staying in London?" Nat asked as we were sitting on a bench. It's already dark outside and the river was reflecting the moon showcasing the sky that was on the surface of the earth as well.

"I'm not. I'm taking the midnight flight out to Italy." You replied, knowing that there's a huge possibility that she would want to see you enter the hotel you were staying at if you said one. "What about you? You asked, making sure to show some interest this time.

"We're staying at the Regency Hotel. I think we're only going to be here for two or three more days." She replied.

"You should head back soon, it's getting late and I have ways to travel to the airport." You suggested as you stood up and extended your hands for her to take. Realising what you have done, you placed your hands behind your back and chuckled. "But I still have time to bring you back to the hotel."

The hotel was quite far so we took a cab. You wanted to step out of the car and follow her in but she stopped you from exiting. "Just take this cab, it's going to be hard to get a cab this late."

"Alright. See you later."

"See you."

Once the cab went two streets down, you told the driver to stop and paid for the ride.

---

"Where have you been?" Bill exclaimed when he saw me in front of his door. "Natasha wanted to check on you and I had to act as if you were showering."

"I was with her." You sighed and relaxed onto your bed, grabbing the remote from the side table. Sadly, the movies or tv shows they were playing were all boring, with a huff, you hopped out once again and went into the showers.

It was a nice experience being able to use the bathroom with ease and not having to stretch your limbs each time you wanted to use the sink. It was also so much easier to use the mirror without having to drag a small stool over. The perks of being taller...

"When are you going to turn back?" Bill asked when you got out. You shook your head as you had no idea. Hailey said it lasted around 24 hours but based on the previous pill you took, it lasted slightly longer than that.

"I'll take it as it comes, I don't want to be thinking about it anymore." You mumbled as you slid under the duvet and fell asleep after a tiring day.

While you were sleeping, Natasha was thinking about the day from the moment she realised you were in the same country as her. She couldn't understand why you wouldn't let the others help you. They were the Avengers, what could be so dangerous that they can't take on. Who could be the ones that were helping you? She surely hoped you weren't going into danger alone.

"Where have you been? I thought we were going to shop together? You left me here with a bunch of boys." Wanda complained when Natasha got back. She didn't want to be wandering alone in the foreign land but her friend left her in search of another person.

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

"Come on, tell me the truth. There's nothing to lose track of time here." Wanda pressed, knowing her friend was very regimented and would never be late.

Natasha sighed before revealing that she met you earlier and how she spent the rest of the night with you.

Wanda gasped when she heard what happened. "How did you know she was here?"

"I heard the Big Ben bell ring through the phone and I chased her down."

"You chased her down?! In London?" Wanda exclaimed. "So... you've met her?"

"Of course I met her, Wanda! I told you I even had dinner with her. Were you listening?" Natasha complained that her friend forgot what she had said to her in a short span of time.

"I was!" She defended. "I'm just surprised since we haven't seen her for so long."

Natasha shook her head and took to her bed, leaving Wanda alone to think the mess there was to clean up because you just exposed yourself to her when you were supposed to be hiding.

>next day<

You still didn't turn back to your original body the next and you kinda wished you were in this body back in New York and not here in London. After lying to Natasha that you were heading to Italy yesterday, you couldn't possibly appear in front of her again.

Bill went down to the dining area in the hotel to meet up with the rest of the Avengers informing them that you would have your own activities today again since you couldn't appear in front of them yet. All of them were disappointed that they couldn't spend their time with you since they were here on limited days.

"It was like an interrogation room, they kept hounding me with questions as to why you weren't there!" Bill exclaimed the moment he stepped into the room with your breakfast.

You laughed at him for a bit as you went to grab your breakfast from him. "It's not funny! I couldn't keep a straight face in front of them."

You decided to stay in the hotel room to avoid any trouble but you felt bad for Bill having to suffer with you so you encouraged him to go out and sightsee instead. He shouldn't have to be cooped up inside the room with you.

>few hours time skip<

There were a few movies that were interesting on the television but you couldn't bother to pay attention to it. You were so excited to go to London only to be stuck in the room for a day. The only view you could see was from the window. And despite it being a huge, floor to ceiling window, it gets a bit boring after a while. Watching the people and cars could only entertain you so much.

Just then, the doorbell rang and you groaned as you got out of bed thinking that Bill must have forgotten to take his keycard with him. You swung the door open and was met with Wanda standing outside your door.

You widened your eyes and looked if anyone else was close before pulling her into your room. "What are you doing here?"

"Wow, you really changed back." Wanda said as she looked up and down at you.

"What? How did you know I changed back?"

"Well, Nat said she met you yesterday. Plus Bill said you were slightly under the weather so I assumed you were still in your big body."

Wanda sat next to you and fell into a conversation on how to catch the person who turned your body and get back the formula to create the pill.

"Well. I just wanted to check on you. Just in case you were indeed sick." Wanda said as she stood up.

"Thanks. You are of great help." You said as you began to show her to the door.

Just then, you felt a weird sensation on your chest and you knew the time was near. You felt as if your entire body was on fire as you clutched your chest. It was as if your heart was pumping out of your chest and your entire soul was trying to rush out of your body.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Wanda panicked seeing how distressed you were

You were not able to answer her but you held your hands on her arms. Once your leg gave way, both of you dropped to the floor and you screamed at the top of your lungs.

When you looked back at Wanda, her mouth was apart and looking at you. "Wow..." She breathed. "You just shrunk in front of me." She said in a low voice.

Series Masterlist

[wow-cool-robot]

Episode 15: Katz's Sorty

less excited to see what katz contributes

listen, i have a feeling i'm going to be feeling bad for all the cyber newtypes. just a hunch, with nothing to back it up

is rosamia australian?

amuro: did you send fraw over to me? hayato: did it annoy you? amuro: not really hayato: then yes, that was me

amuro you are 22. you do not get to feel old watching the new generation rise up

katz and kamille are very polite to each other. it's good to feel like this show finally has a relatively substantial supporting cast

it's good to see katz's perspective on what was going on back then, as well as some more on what hayato's been up to since the war ended. the reason they had kennedy so easily was because he was the director there

nice to see quattro still has a healthy respect for everyone on the white base

it's the meme! quattro wouldn't meet up with amuro just to mock him, but i bet he'd make sure to do so if he was in the area

glad to see them healthily discussing lalah. i'm sure this will end well and without any counterattacking necessary

amuro talking to kamille about their shared experiences is also very good

rosamia's paranoia about this seems legitimately delusional

what the hell is anyone doing in a biplane? it belongs in a museum

katz is very enthusiastic about helping. so far i'm on board with him being here

kamille you can't sleep in a binder, it may help your dysphoria but it's super bad for you (or so i'm told, having no personal experience with the matter)

beltorchika? i thought that was sayla for a second and got excited. i know her va was sick or on vacation or something, but i still would like to see more sayla

katz does not appreciate being treated like a child

why does amuro need to be woken up for this? that's no reason to be mean, but i don't see why he needs to be there

hmm. very weird to sniff him, even if it's just because you think you recognized the soap

quattro seeing amuro talking to someone and sort of awkwardly scooting past the door

thank you for not outing quattro

san francisco? coming up while quattro is avoiding amuro? hmmm

and amuro defends quattro? what's up with them? (holy hell no wonder this ship kept the franchise afloat)

love to see a good bridge

come on katz, no need to steal the gundam when you already have a perfectly good pilot. maybe start off in a gm or a rick dias, something replaceable if you fuck up in a suit you've never piloted before

how many times has the gundam mk ii been stolen? too many. someone put a lock on that thing

has beltorchika not heard of amuro? i feel like he must be famous

yeah obviously amuro doesn't want to fight, but if there are 15 year olds in the field of battle he knows he should probably be out there too

beltorchika also afraid of the sky falling. makes sense the colony drop would have that kind of widespread effect. i saw what it did to australia

yeah no shit it's different from a zaku! the gundam was completely different, and this is 8 years beyond that!

yeah it's real obvious you aren't as good as kamille

quattro and kamille with the save

hey, at least katz didn't completely blow it. just mostly

kamille, why are you angry about her damaging the bridge. that's not the biggest problem here

oh, she escaped. and of course kamille smells the scent of a woman or whatever the deal with matilda was

there aren't many real teamwork based kills, so it's nice to see that

stop hitting your kid :(

i mean, katz fucked up real bad, but slapping him is not the answer

after the lowpoint of episode 12 the show's still going strong. kamille's been sidelined for a few episodes, so i hope we'll see more of him soon