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bilbobagginshome · 2 years ago

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A Deadbeat’s Journal 23

A Jotaro Kujo x blackreader! fic

1 May 20XX,

To be extremely fair, this is what I wanted but not what I expected. I love Brazil. I especially love how familiar Brazil feels to me. For a minute, looking into the distance, I see home. Though the illusion fades whenever someone speaks Portuguese to me and I have to go “eu não entendo” (I don’t understand) and then they begin speaking English to me like how embarrassing! Like it’s genuinely giving tourist vibes and I hate how I seem like a target to scammers now.

Also the gunshots?? I’ve heard gunshots before but gosh, are they always that loud? Patience was introducing me to some of her colleagues in the organisation she’ll be working with and tell me why I heard blaring police cars racing armed mafiosos that are just shooting up the streets with no disregard. Like, they definitely don’t make those kinds of moves in the richer areas.

Speaking of the inequality gap, can we just talk about race for a brief moment? I always knew I was black but damn after the tenth neighbour looked me up and down in the public pool area of the apartment complex, I noticed that all the scowlers were a bunch of wrinkly red-toned white people. Rather than minding their business and investing in some proper sunscreen, one of them even had the audacity to call apartment security and I think their saggy skin dropped in shock when they found out we are renters just like them. Mind you, they said something about favelas and only played nice when they found out we aren’t even Brazilian. When the people of Rio have their next protest, you best believe I’m front and centre.

Aside from that one instance though, the people here are a lovely bunch. I mean in the evenings when we got out of Patience's new office buildings, you see women dancing with blaring speakers and children playing football or even having mini dance competitions and I have to say, I did put my best foot forward courtesy of Step Up (The office mob dance scene is a part of my consciousness) But when it came to b-boying, I was ate up, no crumbs. Abdul however, managed to moonwalk his way through victory and Patience practically spit at the face of her ancestors with her atrocious freestyle.

Then we headed to the food stalls and I’m sorry to say this but Kenyan street food DOES NOT compare. I mean, who even thinks of a chicken kebab with cassava shavings on top? And I’ve never had healthy yet savoury hotdogs and smoked chicken. Even the scent of the food took me back to the cultural festival and I wish I could send him some food but a gloating picture of me eating will do.

Anyway, it's been a lovely week and so far, Rio has treated me kindly. Like even as we were unpacking and genuinely goofing off before we started working , I did not think (as much) about what I left. Though Mom does call me daily alongside Samosa and Granny so that kind of helps. Jojo is calling, I have to catch this call.

Third-Person Narration.

Y/n went in her finest suit, all black and tailored with a little scarf on her neck to add a layer of colour. Though this proved to be a problem as after she stepped out to the morning sun, she realised her outfit choice was not suited for a long working day. Luckily she’d be staying in an air-conditioned environment so after hailing a cab she headed straight for the Starfish Hotel.

“Y/n you do know that I love you but just know that I pulled many strings to get you this position so please don’t act up.” Joseph pleads to the speaker.

“As I said in my CV, I work well with people ” Y/n mutters to the phone as she enters the cream-coloured reception area. The brown-skinned woman with a serene smile, dressed in the hotel’s white polo shirt with the hotel’s logo embroidered on the side looks up to her after welcoming the family in. She nods politely in question and y/n quickly mutters,

“Ok bye, take care, love you.” and cuts before listening to the barrage of ‘must-dos’ that Joseph is insistent she keeps through.

“Hi, I’m Y/n and I’m here for the clerk position,” Y/n said with as much enthusiasm as she could. The receptionist's smile tightened before once more relaxing to a less frigid one and said softly in a tone that has to have been dipped in honey

“Oh, welcome, Please, let me help you to the office.”

She opens the wooden door beside her semi-circular large desk that shows her to management and it's almost like opening the doors to a mini paradise. Unlike the old office that faced the ocean, the floor-to-ceiling windows faced the nearby forest and gave the entire area a cool and refreshing look. White marble floors and a sparse yet open planned office area definitely increased the large room’s capacity. Minimalistic tables and chairs filled the area though it was soothed by the colourful pillows and decors that adorned each employee's taste. She was shown to the desk in a corner and excitedly said,

“Thank you, I can't wait to decorate it.”

She simply nodded and showed y/n to the break room. Though small and kind of claustrophobic due to the little window high up, the baby blue background, dark green rug carpet that made itself known in almost every crevice of the room, and comfy yellow bean bag chairs that were sparsely placed made the room feel brighter. Atop the white marble-walled counter sat a white smeg coffee maker and a matching fridge at the furthest left corner.

She found a few of her colleagues talking though the loud ramblings turned to hush murmurings when she entered the room. The receptionist then said.

“This is Y/n our new colleague. Please make her feel welcome.”

The blonde gave a polite smile and nodded. The taller of the man, with distinguishably blue eyes and a lean frame, nodded in acknowledgment yet the last guy, with bleached blonde tight coils and brown eyes that y/n thought would look stunning when reflected by the sun rays slightly sneered.

“Welcome Y/n I hope you have a wonderful time here with us, I’m Melanie, the supervisor.”She says whilst shaking her hand which she shakes in response.

“Hey, I’m Lucas, Head of HR, pleasure.” He says this time with a small smile as she greets him. She heads to greet the third colleague, arm already outstretched when he says,

“Are you Joseph Joestar’s granddaughter?” He questions with a glare. Y/n quickly retracts her hand and replies smoothly.

“Not biologically but yes he considers me like family.”

He murmurs something in Portuguese which the receptionist and Lucas laugh slightly at. Melanie however, stays quiet and looks onto them in disappointment. Y/n although unaware, is very much sure a slight insult has been made due to the acknowledgment of how she got here, and tightness pools in her heart.

4 May 20XX,

I can’t stand him. Honestly, aside from school, I don’t think there have been many times I’ve reached breaking point till now. It's almost like Thiago is aimed at making my life a living hell. And what’s worse, aside from Melanie, almost everyone doesn't seem to mind. Matter of fact they might be revelling in the fact that they can treat me like absolute shit. And it's not like physical bullying like forcing someone to submit to them by demanding unheard-of paperwork or getting them coffee. This one actually stings. They purposely block me out of conversations by speaking in Portuguese, they refuse to sit by me during lunch and I’m treated like a pest when I need some files translated.

To be honest, it hurts even more when it comes to Nalu. I would have taken the stiff hospitality any day in comparison to the cruelty she displays when she and Thiago scoff in my presence. I can tell she likes him and could be also doing this to win his favour or she’s just a bully that likes stomping on people. I feel like I’m in kindergarten, trying to fit within the already tight-knit groups, but I don’t think even then the kids were mean to me.

Melanie however, despite her busy nature, has been my saving grace. She's too busy helping Pedro in managing the hotel but is always checking up on me. She and the lovely janitor Julietta, who’s surprisingly Thiago’s cousin, are the sole reason I’m not eating lunch in the locked bathrooms. Julietta, especially, has been loud about her disapproval of the way they treat me and seems especially annoyed at Thiago who she assured is ‘Not like that’.

Well, Julietta, he is like that and he should be grateful I’m taking meds and went to therapy. Speaking of which, I need a new therapist, it seems like I’ll need it.

Third Person Narration

“Hi, my love.” Jotaro’s even deeper voice voices out as y/n places herself sideways whilst looking at him.

“Hi, Jojo. I miss you.” Y/n says softly.

“I miss you more. Why do you look so sad? “ Jotaro questions while peering at the slight pout that seems more of a permanent fixture as the days go by.

“Nothing.” She withdraws while attempting to smile.

“Baby, just tell me, and I’ll listen to you vent.”

And this ensures a long ranting session where he calmly listens, eyes never looking away, ears fine-tuned to the soft ramblings of her troubled work life, nodding and interjecting only when he couldn’t get a point to its fullest.

“So this Thiago is harassing you, and you can't tell Lucas 'cause he seems uncaring for your issues.”

“Yes !”

“Do you want me to book a plane there? I will at any moment if you need me.” Jotaro calmly replies

“No, no don’t. I’ll get over it, Just need to keep up taking my meds.”She replies in a slightly cheery tone.

“I wish I was there, or should I tell Gramps? The old man should be worth-”

“No, don’t think of it. This happened because they know I’m related to him and think I’m some pompous rich kid. And you know what, they aren’t far off, I do have the privilege that comes with having connections and my mom being a partner of the law firm but I have never acted as so. Or have I?” The once confident tone dims to a silent murmur of contemplation.

“Of course not love.” He reassures her. He wishes he could teleport to her rather than remain helpless in Zanzibar but he knows his girl can pull through and when she can’t anymore he’ll aid Thiago in finally using that dental insurance coverage.

“Anyway, what’s up with you? Where is your anchor currently stationed, Captain Kujo.” She ends with a salute

Jotaro tells her of his tales, omitting parts that may cause a heart attack and explaining the beauty of the city and the marine biologists he’s already met up with as he plans on working with them a bit for some research.

“And I hope that ring is on display y/n. Everyone must know that you are a kept woman.” He reminds her

“‘Kept?’ babe this is the 21st century, not 1AD and yes it is always around my finger.”

“Y/N DINNER!” Abdul shrieks out.

“It seems you are needed, don’t keep them waiting,” Jotaro says with a slightly disappointed face.

“They can wait, I still want to talk to you.” Y/n whines out. Right on cue, Patience shouts.

“Stop talking to your man and get here already.”

“This is the reason you sleep alone at night,” Y/n shouts back in mild frustration and Patience shrieks out

“Says the woman in a long-distance relationship. Will Jotaro cuddle you virtually? I don’t think so, I guess we are riding the same waves.”She argues back, tone increasing as she decreases the distance from the dining to y/n dimly lit bedroom.

“I think she’s actually coming to beat me up. Bye. I love you, my starfish.”

And before Jotaro replies back, mind swirling with the affectionate nickname and breath hitched, she cuts the call. And as he hears the waves crashing on the seaside, he texts back

“I love you too, my koi.”

8 May 20XX,

I resent Thiago. It’s not the not-so-subtle insults, the ignorance even in more professional settings like group meets, or even his thinly veiled sneers whenever we meet paths. No, it's just him. He reminds me a lot of my former self for some reason. At least I never stopped as low as bullying anyone but still. To see a representation of who I could have been doesn’t make me grateful that I worked so hard to rid my ego, actually, it seems the world favours such behaviours.

It may sound crazy but then why on earth is he head of marketing? Like he for sure can’t put himself in the same position as the consumer as his head is too busy stuck up his ass to care about anything other than his fade and the Brazilian football team. The point is, I worked so hard to be a better person. I moved to another freaking continent in an attempt to understand the world around me and it seems like my hard work was all for naught. Why did I spend hours in therapy if someone like him gets the easy way out? He’s well-liked, has an outstanding social dynamic, and gets to have quick lies with someone as stunning as Nalu whenever he feels like whereas I was reduced to feeling like a monster for having his traits. It's not fair. I put in the work, I put in the hours to become a good person and yet I’m the pathetic new hire that everyone hates because I got this job through connections.

Was this all for nothing? Does it seem the world rewards bad behaviour so what benefit do I have from staying good?

Third-Person Narration.

“Y/n if you don’t bash the head of this nigga one of these fine days I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.”Patience tsks on one of those rare days when all of them are coincidentally off.

They are seated on their couch, a beautiful, rust-coloured shade with the finest of leather that spans the majority of the sitting room. The couch was a delightful find in a second-hand refurbishing furniture shop nearby. All of them are looking onto y/n as the tunes of some classic hip hop play in a low tone, and their brown shades dimly light up their sitting room creating a cosy atmosphere as dusk settles tonight.

“I’d love you to but I promised Grandpa Joseph I won’t be a bother.”Y/n moans out.

“Look babes, give him a taste of his own medicine. You genuinely can’t be allowing anyone to be talking to you like that . Personally, I’d be talking back.” Abdul says in an encouraging lilt.

“I just want a peaceful working environment. That doesn’t sound peaceful. And Dr. Hose said I should just ignore him.”Y/n countered.

“Well, Dr. Hose is not taking the insults for you. Or defending you. The man is seated making $25 an hour for telling you something soft feminine girls say on the internet regularly. When did you become such a wimp?” Patience sighs out while aggressively munching the popcorn sat on my lap.

“Stop eating that, dinner is almost here,” Abdul chides.

“I’m not a wimp, I just don’t want to undo my hard work over some man-child who could be a xenophobe.” Y/n quietly mutters.

“Therapy has made you soft. University you would have started a sumo match on the first day. Where did that fire go? You are a Goddamn lawyer l/n, the basis of our job description is to shit-talk with really good arguments!” Patience exclaims, still chomping the last of the popcorn to the point of crushing the unpopped seeds

“I know you still don’t know why I went MIA after graduation. Or why I’m taking therapy but trust me when I say that my anger issues were not just that and returning to that would be bad.”Y/n expresses in a low tone.

A chill swept by causing y/n to hug her blanket in comfort. After a near-deafening silence, Abdul then asks

“So what will you do?”

* * *

After taking her morning coffee from the break room, Y/n heads to the conference room. Since it's her first time, she seems captivated by the mural depicting the nightlife of Sao Paulo at the back of the room and is only brought back to the present when Melanie softly mutters to her

“Y/n let's sit, the meeting is about to begin.”

This is the first time she is introduced to the Hotel Director Fernando. He seems like a sweet pal and if it weren’t for the grey hairs you’d think he’s much younger. He and Joseph share the same vibe and y/n understands why they get along well.

The meeting went well. The monthly quota of yadda and the marketing yadda seems to be well and by the end of it all things seem to be in more order and thus everyone leaves with a smile.

“Oh, and by the way Y/n, our new data analyst has been doing such a splendid job already. A round of applause. Sorry, we didn’t meet earlier but welcome to Starfish Hotel. She did law consulting for our new branch in Kilifi, Kenya so she’s become quite experienced in the hospitality industry.” He says as they lightly clap sans Thiago, Lucas, and Nalu. Y/n lets out a tight smile. Kind of like the ones people who accidentally meet each other's eyes give.

This time though Thiago gives off a slightly shocked face.

‘Yeah, I’m experienced. Thought I was just an unsuccessful nepo baby huh.’ She thinks with a slight smirk.

“And as usual, I’d like to welcome her with a nice group dinner, so I booked a reservation at that Brazilian fusion restaurant nearby. Mandatory.” He says with a smile, punctuating his sentence with a semi-serious tone.

The room buzzes in glee. It seems like a popular restaurant and when y/n questions why Melanie responds.

“It’s not that it's posh, it's just the food is really good, and sometimes since we are are closer to a stadium, footballers eat there after the game.” She excitedly remarks

Y/n says nothing though she thinks that it would be wonderful to eat there. If she likes it so much, she can even take Patience and Abdul there.

Aside from the meeting, the day went surprisingly well. Largely because Thiago is out and Lucas is busy but still it seems better than most. She’s introduced to one of Lucas's subordinates, Richiarldo and they get along well once they discover their love for similar Anime. Though bickering ensues on whether Jujutsu Kaisen is good or just that it was a well-written Naruto and Y/n, despite hating Gege’s sadistic ass, defends the show like she’s personally getting paid.

“Damn, no wonder you are a lawyer. I was moved enough to even read the manga.” He laughs after her last defence.

“I only got the degree so that I could properly argue out controversial anime opinions.”

“Though you do admit, the similarities are uncanny.” Richiarldo teases.

“Kind of. He definitely took the foundation of Naruto.” She admits.

Then he’s called over by Lucas who has an undefined scowl on his face and he cheerfully bids her bye, brunette ponytail swishing as he moves away from the lunchroom and encourages her to get back to work.

By the time the orange hues in the sky get significantly darker, y/n is done with her current assignment and quickly heads over to the staff parking lot where everyone is meeting to wait for Fernando. She detects mutters in Portuguese of the orders they will make and she just seems excited that she is slowly understanding the dialect.

Soon he walks out and the group of 12 heads to the restaurant. The open-planned restaurant is brightly lit and has fairy lights in every booth. Alongside those strings are threads of fake vines that lead up to the large circular bar at the centre. The ground is covered in fake grass and luckily the spot reserved sits at the perfect point to see the ocean. The large table is properly dispersed and despite y/n being able to sit beside Richiarldo and Melanie, she directly faces Thiago and Lucas. Nalu is nowhere near them and for some reason, that earned her a glare.

Dinner went smoother than expected, Y/n had a lovely prawn cream known as Vatapa, recommended by Richiarldo. He then ordered some Pastels and Pao de queijo which we shared. His personal dish was a Feijoada, a dish his mom used to sell. They chatted the entire time and y/n felt comfortable around new people for the first time in a long time. Smiling and chatting with them in spite of the language barrier and despite the odd accent as she tried saying phrases in the dialect, they still cheered her on like a child learning to walk.

By the time nine reached, Fernando ordered beers, and y/n ordered a mocktail. And the night went on and on. Melanie just slumped out after arguing with absolutely no one. Richiarldo wants to call his girlfriend and hasn’t been off the phone since and Fernando has been even more jovial, encouraging bad behaviour by asking for even more beers.

“So y/n, how’s life as a rich kid? I haven’t seen you driving a Porsche or is that for your one-year working anniversary.” Thiago snarls with a slur. Some at the table look at her yet most seem unaware of the brewing tension between the group.Y/n stays silent, instead eating her lukewarm Canjica.

“Or will you be made a COO under some mysterious circumstances ?” He pressured on. Those who were merely eavesdropping seem to look at him questioningly, and soon the cheer and loud yapping seem to dilute to murmurings.

“Hey, shut up. Take your bitter ass elsewhere.” Richiarldo slurs out in Portuguese

“How about I punch you instead.''Thiago lunges at Richiarldo and what should have been a table-crashing, glass-shattering argument was instead a total smackdown. Thiago punched the already too-drunk Richiarldo to the floor and the entire restaurant erupts into murmurings. Soon, the group is forced out and Fernando talks to the manager wide-eyed, pleading to not get banned.

Y/n, is at her breaking point, in comparison to all the drunkards, she’s the soberest and so after putting most of them in a safe Uber home, she’s left with Thiago, Lucas, and Nalu. Then she calls her own Uber.

“What about us?” Nalu questions.

“Thiago can manage. I mean he could beat up his own colleague. He has the strength to call for an Uber.” She calmly responds once confirming the location.

“Yeah, all you rich people are the same. Couldn’t care less for us because we aren’t worth much huh.” Thiago shouts out in an odd mix of English and Portuguese.

“Jesus Christ ENOUGH WITH ALL THIS. Why are you so bent on making my life a living hell? Ok, I got my job based on pulling a few strings and so what? Clearly, I’m good at it. I couldn’t give less of a fuck if you had to work hard. And if you haven’t already figured out that life isn’t fair, here’s a quick reminder.” She gestures dramatically at her full figure.

“Do you know that my aunt worked hard for your position? I promised her that after struggling to get her diploma in IT I’d get her a job here. To get Juliette to university at her chosen school which she couldn’t be able to get because they are poor. And then at the last minute, you waltz in and suddenly I’m told the job that I promised her is gone. And her daughter has to scrub floors and I have to watch you have the life I so desperately wanted for them.” Thiago chokes out, eyes watery. Nalu attempts to hug him and he softly shoves her away as he stands more upright.

“And, so what? You blame the burdens of life on me , someone you didn’t even care to know properly? You think I’ll feel pity for you because you had it hard? I don’t give a shit. Cry me a river for all I care and the world would remain unfair. To think, you could have told me this issue and I would have aided you but instead, it seems acting like a middle school bully was the better option. “ She punctuates the sentence with a click and a ding from her phone notifies her of her requested driver. After bidding Fernando bye and assuring him that all is well despite the outburst, she leaves, not once looking back at them.

12 May 20XX

Do I feel bad for Thiago? Kind of. My mom wasn’t born wealthy and based on what I heard from my childhood she was barely able to afford the roof over her head. I don’t remember that much because she landed a case that got her paid well and hasn’t struggled since. Typical rags to riches. But that was a one-in-a-million opportunity. Not everyone has that kind of advantage.

Guess you’ll always be a villain in someone’s story no matter how minuscule your involvement in their life may seem to you.

Third-Person Narration.

The next day was awkward, yet people politely asked if y/n was fine after the outburst. Juliette, almost teary, seemed close to bowing in apology for her cousin, and Y/n feeling more awkward than ever, bought her a juice and hotdog from the canteen and made her promise to not feel bad about the instance.

She went to Fernando’s office with a brown letter in her hand.

“Y/n, come sit down. How have you been?” He remorsefully asks.

“I’m fine. These things happen .” Y/n politely replies.

“So, what brings you here?” Fernando asks, a thick eyebrow raised.

“Here.” She says whilst sliding the letter.

Fernando reads it slowly and says softly.

“Did what Thiago say hurt you that deeply?”

“It wasn’t about being hurt. It felt like the moral thing to do. I’ll manage on my own.” She says in a monotonous tone.

After a long sigh, and a look at his window which directly oversaw the pool area and beach, now filled with cherry children and scared parents, he says.

“You’re a grown-up. Ok, I accept the resignation.”

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Apologies dear coven, I have been bestowed the work of administrating the work of my fellow sisters {Yes we have adopted to modern technology for convenience} and thus have been unable to update the holy writings ( Work and school has made me busy and thus unable to update. Don't worry , what was to be only fifteen chapters is drawing to a close. Thank you once more for the eyes that grace my noob like writing. Its very encouraging.)

#Jotaro x reader Jotaro x black!reader Jotaro x black reader Jotaro kujo x black reader jotaro kujo x black reader #jojo no kimyō na bōken #jojo #jojos bizzare adventure x reader

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wonder-kid-pugh · 5 years ago

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Family - USWNT x reader

Y/n's Pov

I rub the sleep from my eyes and check the clock beside my bed. I sigh and just stare at the ceiling for a bit. My first Christmas without my parents. Thankfully my childhood home got left to me in the will so at least I didn't have to worry about anywhere to stay for the holidays. I contemplated just staying in bed and sleeping through the day.

Christmas isn't as fun when you don't have anyone to spend it with

I decided I better at least get out of bed rather than mope in bed all day. So I settled to mope all day on the couch. I put on some hallmark Christmas movie but I barely pay attention. All I can think about is all the Christmas day traditions I used to do with my parents. We would always wake up and open presents. Then we would always have a mini soccer match which almost always ended up with us pelting each other with snowballs. We would come inside and warm up with hot chocolates, always with marshmallows. My favourite was always the cookie exchange. We would all make our own cookies and we would swap with someone else. Then we would all cuddle up and watch a Christmas movie together. It was perfect.

But now I don't have anyone to celebrate with

I was snapped from my daze as my phone rings. I look at my phone confused, "Why is Kelley ringing me?". I shrug, it's probably just to wish my a happy Christmas. None of the team knew I had no one to celebrate Christmas with. They knew my parents passed away earlier this year and they were with me every step of the way, but I couldn't bring myself to tell them I had no one to spend the holidays with. They were gushing about spending their holidays with family and I didn't want them to feel guilty knowing I no longer had a family to spend it with.

I answer the phone, "Hello?". "Y/n! Open the door!" Kelley shouts down the phone. I take the phone away from my ear and look at it before putting it back to my ear, "What? Kel what door?". "Your front door! Duh!". "Kelley what are you-" "God Y/n just open your front door! It's cold out here!" And she hangs up before I can ask her more. I huff that squirrel gets weirder by the day.

I haul myself off the couch wrapping my blanket around my shoulders as I trudge to the door. I open the door and my eyes widen as I see who's standing outside. Not only Kelley, who is grinning madly at me, but the whole uswnt squad is standing shivering on my porch holding bags of what I guess to be food. "Wha-what are you guys doing here?" I question. Before anyone can answer Ash pushes her way to the front and picks me up and carries me inside the house, "Ash what are you-" "Sorry kid but it is freezing outside and you took forever to answer the door. Also that was mean leaving us outside there for so long" Ash interrupts me. The whole teams starts to pile into the living room. I go and get the extra blankets and start to pass them around to my shivering teammates.

Just as I give the blanket I was using to Mal Becky comes up to me, "Why do you barely have any food?". I shrug, "Well I wasn't exactly expecting a make a huge Christmas. I was just gonna make a salad or something later for myself". Becky shakes her head and grabs a pen and paper and starts writing stuff down. Once she's done Alyssa and Julie look over her head and both grabbing their coats again, "We're going to head to the store and pick up everything". And before I could say anything they were off out the door. "Why don't you have any decorations up? And where's your tree?" Alex asks. "I didn't see the point of putting them up only to have taken down. Again wasn't expecting to be celebrating with anyone this year" I wave off. "Well now you do. So where do you keep all the decorations because I know you have them" Christen says. I lead them to the attic and with everyone's helps the door is decorated within the hour and by the time Becky and the others are back.

I staring at the tree in the corner, all decorated and shining when I feel someone grip my wrist. I turn and see Mal smile at me, "Now want to go outside and play soccer for a little while?". I bite my lip trying to contain the smile, but it's no use as I can feel myself already grinning ear to ear, "Yeah I would love too". The whole squad when to the pitch just around the corner. The field was covered in snow but that didn't stop us. We didn't organise teams or anything, we just started kicked a ball around and tackling random people. Mal had the ball at one point and I went to tackle her but we some how ended up falling with my landing on top of her. We just stare at each other for a bit not knowing what to do, "Hi" "Hey". Her cheeks were red, no doubt like mine, but I couldn't tell if it was from the cold or what.

Before I could do anything though I felt something hit the side of my head. I whipped around to see Kelley and Sonnett laughing hysterically at us. Mal and I looked at each other before bolting up and chasing them while throwing snowballs at each other. Eventually the whole team joined all pelting snowballs at each other.

Once we came back in we all made hot chocolate to warm ourselves up. "Do you have your cookies made?" Tierna asks. I shake my head, "I had no one to trade with this year". "Well you better get started so" she says dragging me into the kitchen. Tierna and I laugh as she helps me start off my cookies before going to join the others in the living room. Just as I take the cookies out of the oven Mal enters, "You almost finished? Becky's looking to start making the food". I nod just finishing putting the icing on the cookies, "Yeah almost". Mal goes to tell Becky but I grab her wrist, "Mal wait". I pull her back into the room and silently hand her a cookie. "No we have to wait for the cookie exchange" she argue trying to give me back the cookies. I shake my head and gently push it back into her hand and wink, "No one needs to know". She rolls her eyes but relents and takes the cookie.

Becky soon comes and ushers me out if the kitchen. And a few hours later we are presented with an amazing dinner. We all laugh and joke around over dinner. And I take a moment to look around the table. I see Christen and Tobin talking amiably, I see Emily and Kelley flinging small bits of food at each other from across the table and then Becky reprimanding them for it. Rose and Alex seemed to be talking about their dogs and Ali and Ash were talking as if they were the only people in the room. "You okay?" Mal nudges me. I smile at the family around me, "Yeah I'm perfect".

We all layed around digesting the festive feast we just had all talking amongst each other. "Cookie Exchange!" Rose shouts out. We all grab our tins of cookies and put them on the table. When it's Mal's turn she picks my tin and sits back down beside me. "Good choice I see" I whisper to her. "You tempted me with the first cookie" she whispers back. Once we all trade cookies and sit back down again. "Not that I didn't love today, but why did ye come and spend Christmas with me? You were all so excited to spend the holidays with your families" I ask. "Well when we were all talking about our family Christmas traditions. T brought up how you didn't seem as excited as you usually do. But then Mal realised it's because your parents aren't here to celebrate with you" Christen explained. I turned to the girls either side of me. "But your families" I start. "We weren't going to let you be alone for the holidays. Your our family too" Tobin says. I can feel my eyes start to get watery and I wrap my arms around Mal and Tierna in a big hug, "I love you guys so much". "We love you too Y/n" Tierna says as the rest of the team join in making a big group hug.

"I'm going to go get a drink before we start the movie" Mal says. "Hey I want one as well" I say getting up with Mal. I grab two waters from the fridge and hand one to Mal, "Thanks" "No problem". I just fidget with the bottle before looking at Mal, "I just want to thank you for remembering. I didn't want to make a big deal about it, but you turned a day where I would have stayed on the couch all day to one of the best days ever. So thank you". Mal just smiles at me, "Of course Y/n. But I didn't do much". I shake my head, "No remembered and told everyone. Nobody would be here if you didn't tell them". Mal smiles but looks up and immediately blushes. I tilt my head at her confused. But my eyes widen when I spot the mistletoe hanging above our heads. Before I can utter a word, Mal cups my cheeks and kisses me slowly but full of passion. After getting over my shock I kiss her back. Finally after pulling away both of us no doubt with a dazed look on our faces.

Merry Christmas to me.

Okay so first off. I had tried to post theses earlier and I thought they did post but then when I checked my blog these were up. So yes these are late but I genuinely thought they were posted. So I'm sorry. Hope you enjoy!

#mal pugh #kelley o hara x reader #abby dahlkemper x reader #alex morgan #kelley o hara imagine #tobin heath imagines #rose lavelle imagines #ali krieger x reader #uswntsoccer #uswnt x reader #uswnt imagines #uswnt woso #uswnt imagine #uswnt #kelley o hara #Christen Press #becky sauerbrunn #emily sonnett #lindsey horan

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findmeinpops · 5 years ago

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FindMeInPops’ 12 Days of Christmas: Day Twelve - Southside Archive Secret Santa

Merry Christmas Liz ( @worriestothewind )! Here we have a festive friends-to-lovers oneshot for Female!Reader x Sweet Pea. I hope you enjoy reading this and that you have a wonderful festive season; I wish you all the best for the new year (and decade!). Harry x

P.S. Thank you @southsidearchive for organising the Secret Santa, it’s much appreciated.

Prompt: Friends to lovers

Ship(s): Sweet Pea x Female!Reader

Rating: T

CW(s): Cursing, alcohol

Gifted: Liz ( @worriestothewind )

@riverdalebingo : A Christmas Bet

Reindeer Games: Prancer - Parties

As Y/N was pushing the pins into her hair to hold up her half-up half-down do, she could only think about how little she wanted to go out tonight. Every year the Southside Serpents held a festive party in the Whyte Wyrm - she had no clue how they could even afford the place considering their low budget but it probably did not hurt that FP, the current leader of the Southside gang, was brothers with the owner.

Y/N had joined the Southside Serpents three years ago so there had only been three parties since Y/N had first been permitted to go, and she was rather glad that she had only ever been roped into attending one of them; every other time she had been quite happy to stay at home, curled up in bed. Her best friend Sweet Pea had voluntarily attended each one, unfortunately for her, so she had been left at home alone to entertain herself. But this time he was dragging her along with him.

“I still can’t believe you persuaded me to go to this party,” Y/N complained, casually strolling out of her ensuite bathroom and standing in front of Sweet Pea, hands on her hips in the only act of defiance she could muster right then. He drew his eyes away from his phone, looking up from his position on her bed, not batting an eyelid at her half-clothed state.

It was an almost amusing contrast to see Sweet Pea in the setting of Y/N’s room; the floral pink duvet cover against the fully-black biker look, that Sweet Pea seemed to have had ever since he left the womb, would have been shocking to most. To be fair, his dark attire wasn’t all that different from Y/N’s typical outfits of choice, but she had an affinity for all things pink, pastel, and floral when it came to her decor and belonging, only preferring grayscale when it came to clothes.

Y/N and Sweet Pea had been best friends since birth, or near enough; they were both Serpent legacies, but Y/N’s family was somewhat more stable than Pea’s. When Sweet Pea hit the ripe old age of six months, his father took it upon himself to high-tail out of Riverdale to go and live with his pregnant mistress. A single, working, new-mother, his mom often resorted to leaving Pea with the Y/L/Ns’ and the pair became fast friends. They grew up together and, although they did occasionally venture outside of their partnership, they were each other’s closest friend. And it was for this exact reason that Sweet Pea had no reaction to Y/N standing in front of him in only a black mini skirt, fishnets, and bra.

“We need to leave in half an hour. Are you going like that?” Sweet Pea commented dryly.

“Pea,” She moaned, continuing to complain just in case he would allow her reprieve from their plans.

“It’s up to you, but I think FP may have something to say about your outfit of choice.”

“Pea, please?” She pouted, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

Sweet Pea sighed, dropping his phone between his crossed legs. “I believe we had an agreement, sweetheart.”

“Yes, and I will be forever grateful that you are not forcing me to go to the New Year’s party or any other Serpent festive gathering for the rest of this year, but,” Y/N crouched down, a hand on each of Pea’s knees, “would you not much rather be curled up with yours truly, hot chocolate, and a Christmas comedy on the TV?”

She tried to pull her most enticing puppy-dog face--which nine times out of ten melted Pea into a puddle at her feet, but not this time.

“A deal’s a deal.” He gave her a pointed look which softened slightly when he saw genuine disappointment flicker through Y/N’s eyes. “Hey,” he placed his hands on top of hers, running his thumbs over the back of them, “I’ll be there and I promise we can be back here by one am. I’ll even try to persuade your mom to let me sleep over and we can cuddle with hot chocolate and a comedy then.” The placating smile he offered did nothing as she rolled her eyes, pushing up from her position.

“You don’t need to persuade my mom to do anything.” She wandered over to her dresser, picking up her makeup bag before plopping herself down on the floor in front of the full-length mirror attached to her wardrobe. “She fucking loves you.” And didn’t Y/N know it.

‘Sweet Pea is such a nice boy’, ‘why don’t you date Sweet Pea’, ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if Sweet Pea was my son-in-law,’ – Y/N never heard the end of how much her mother adored Pea but what her mother (or Pea for that matter) did not know is how much Y/N and her mother were in agreement in wishing that Pea would date her.

For as long as they’d been friends, Y/N had known that she loved Sweet Pea, but it was not until a moment in their teens, when she had had the sudden urge to grab him by the neck and crush his lips to hers, did she realise the love was no longer solely platonic.

Y/N had a crush on her lifelong best friend and he did not have a single fucking clue.

She had briefly entertained the thought of initiating something between them but the potential of losing Pea over such a thing was a devastating concept and so the idea was killed in moments. Regardless, Y/N knew that Sweet Pea had a huge crush on Toni, not that he had told her this, but she had noticed the way he smiled at her - that was the smile of a boy who was crushing on a girl.

Each time Y/N saw that smile, there was always a small twinge in her gut but she was determined to make her best friend happy, no longer caring that it would not be with her. Sweet Pea deserved to be happy.

“But she doesn’t love me as much as I love you.” He sent her a faux sickly-sweet smile in the mirror, forcing her eyes to roll yet again.

Drawing on her eyeliner, Y/N could not stop her mind from imagining him meaning it the way that she secretly hoped he would. No, she had to reprimand herself, Sweet Pea had been with her through thick and thin, spent many evenings soothing her as she sobbed over this and that as well as always having her back. She loved him regardless of context and, because of this, she wanted and needed him to be happy – if Pea wanted to be with Toni then she would make it happen.

“I fucking love you.” Their little phrase left her lips as she finished up the liner on her second eye.

“And I fucking love you,” he replied, as they shared a genuine smile before delving back into their respective tasks – Y/N applying minimal makeup for the forced exertion from her home and Sweet Pea texting whoever.

******

Riding on the back of a motorcycle in a skirt was never really the best of ideas, but it was a dark December evening and no one would see. But what Y/N had not considered was how bad of an idea it was to ride on the back of a motorcycle, in the middle of December, at night, in fishnets and a skirt.

“Holy shit, I’m freezing,” she exclaimed, jumping from the seat as soon as Sweet Pea turned the engine off.

“Yeah, probably not the best of our ideas,” Sweet Pea reasoned, sliding off the seat a lot more smoothly. He placed a hand on either of her arms, rubbing his hands up and down her clothed skin, trying to create a little heat.

“Our idea? Please, I wanted to take the car but no, we were already late so you wanted to freeze my tits off.”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes at that before gripping her wrist in one hand, pocketing his keys with the other, and all but dragging her towards the bar door.

“I’m freezing, my legs are going to fall off, and I do not want to be here.” Y/N continued to complain and Sweet Pea could only compare her to a toddler having a tantrum.

They stopped just shy of the closed door, muffled music and chattering could be heard on the other side, and the glow of multi-coloured lights could be seen through the frosted panes of the windows. It all looked rather cozy and, if there weren’t fifty other people in there, Y/N would have probably been quite happy to enter.

“Stop being dramatic, we had a deal. These parties normally suck--”

She opened her mouth to interrupt but a slight glare from Sweet Pea stopped the words in their place.

��--but my bestest friend in the whole entire world is here and you’re going to make the experience so much better. Then, we will go home, maybe catch a lift with someone since I quite like your legs being attached,” he spared a glance to her goose-bump covered skin, “and we will drink hot chocolate and watch a movie.”

He took one of her hands in his, neither of their fingers particularly warm, and began to push on the door before stopping and turning back to face Y/N. “Oh, and Toni’s here.”

Ah, how could she forget her plan, although she wasn’t entirely sure why Pea thought that this would be an incentive for her to enter, he had no idea that she was aware of his crush. Y/N was going to somehow get her best friend to ask out Toni by the end of the night, whether she said yes was out of Y/N’s control, but she would be sure to get Sweet Pea to confess... somehow…

With a small smile now gracing her lips, they both pushed through the door into the large bar area, welcoming the overwhelming warmth that hit them as well as the tangy smell of alcohol. Hog Eye, the owner of the Whyte Wyrm, had strung fairylights along the walls and a small Christmas tree sat on the bar, adorned with the same multi-coloured lights and several red shiny baubles. People were scattered all over the large room, drinks in hand, and loudly chatting away as Bing Crosby was crooning out ‘White Christmas’.

Y/N hummed along as she handed her coat to Sweet Pea to hang on the coat stand, nodding a silent thanks as she continued to take in the room. It was whilst doing this that she spotted several bunches of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling, and then she had her plan. Now she just had to lure Toni and Sweet Pea over to one of the many bunches of mistletoe. She began to search for Toni but the latter had already spotted them and was waving them over to where she stood with a small group of her friends.

“Let’s join Toni,” Sweet Pea spoke before Y/N had the chance, sending a nod towards the fellow Serpent.

“Hey guys, cold out isn’t it?” Toni greeted each of them with a hug once they made their way through the crowd. This was not too much of a feat, though, as they tended to part easily for Sweet Pea as he towered over most people.

“Sure is. This idiot decided to ride on the bike wearing fishnets.” Sweet Pea knocked Y/N with his elbow, sending a kind smile to let her know he was only joking.

“Sure, sure, my fault, I know.” Y/N rolled her eyes goodnaturedly, bumping her best friend back with her hip.

“Well, at least it’s warm in here, you’ll be alright in no time,” Toni replied before pulling on the arm of a tall redhead beside her, who turned away from her current conversation. To say Y/N was shocked to see Cheryl Blossom in the Whyte Wyrm would be an understatement. It had been a few years since they had all graduated from Riverdale High, but Cheryl had always been an incredibly preppy individual, to put it kindly, who had deemed herself higher than most others around her. She and her brother, Jason, had practically ruled the school, hardly sparing a glance to others, particularly the transfers from Southside High who were made bottom of the food chain. She had obviously come a long way from her time in high school.

“Sweet Pea, Y/N, I’m sure you remember Cheryl.” Cheryl wiggled her fingers in a small wave and offered a sheepish smile as they were introduced. “She’s a ‘trainee serpent’, so to speak. FP is considering her for the initiation.”

Both Y/N and Sweet Pea’s eyes widened comically. Tonight was full of surprises. It was one thing for the Cheryl they knew to willingly surround herself and be associated with Serpents, but for her to also desire to become a Serpent - perhaps she had hit her head.

Cheryl must have noticed their expressions as she was quick to pull her hands together in a pleading gesture. “I know and I sincerely apologise for the unacceptable and truly horrible way I treated you and your fellow Serpents throughout our time at Riverdale High. I promise that I have changed my ways since graduation and, with the help of TT, I hope to show you how true this transformation is.”

“Of course, I’m sure we’ll see more of each other through Serpent business, but we can always hang out. It’s a regular thing we do with Toni,” Sweet Pea answered for both of them, swinging an arm around Y/N’s shoulders, signalling for her to nod her agreement.

“Brilliant.” Cheryl grinned.

A slightly awkward silence settled around the four of them, something that was most likely due to all of their being unsure how to act with Cheryl around. Y/N’s eyes flitted around the room, not knowing where to land, trying to avoid having to make stilted conversation. Her eyes just happened to catch on a particular bunch of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling above the bar.

Being in such close proximity with Pea heated her skin, something that was putting Y/N off of the whole scheme she had created, but the look that appeared on Pea’s face each time he saw Toni reappeared in her mind; she wanted only the best for him and for him to be happy and, because of that, she would continue forward with her plan.

“I don’t know about you, but I need a drink” Y/N broke the silence, and relief noticeably appeared on Pea and Toni’s faces, Cheryl seemingly oblivious. Pretending to notice Toni’s lack of drink in hand, you added, “Toni, why don’t you join us at the bar.”

Pea’s eyes narrowed slightly, trying to work out why she had intentionally omitted Cheryl from the invitation but seemingly settled on ignoring it for now, he released his arm from around Y/N’s shoulders before chiming in, “yeah, I’ll cover this round.”

“And I’ll stay here and make conversation with my soon-to-be fellow Serpents.” Cheryl did not seem overly bothered about her exclusion, smiling and nodding before making her way across the room to a group of younger Serpents.

Y/N led the three of them over, placing herself at the front of the group so she could strategically lead them over to the right-hand side of the bar where the mistletoe hung. She settled herself at the very far end, resting her arm on the sticky surface so that Toni and Sweet Pea would be forced to stand together at her left.

“Y/N, Sweet Pea, nice to see ya,” Hog Eye greeted, coming directly to the trio, bypassing a few already waiting patrons.

Y/N and Sweet Pea had helped out Hog Eye quite a bit over the last year. The Ghoulies, before they were run out of town, had made an attack on the Whyte Wyrm, destroying half of the bar, and the pair had been a part of a few Serpents who had helped reassemble the place. Veronica had pitched in the money necessary, due to feeling guilty about her father being partially responsible for the attack, so Y/N and Sweet Pea just offered some manpower, as well as occasionally taking up some shifts at the bar while Hog Eye was recovering from injuries he sustained during the ordeal.

Nevertheless, Hog Eye had been incredibly grateful and had no qualms ignoring the already waiting customers to serve them. “Toni too, I see. What can I get you three?”

“I’ll have a bourbon, please, Hog Eye, you know how I like it,” Y/N replied. “Pea’s driving so he’ll just have a coke?” Sweet Pea nodded to her question. “And Toni, what do you want?” Y/N turned to Toni who seemed distracted but requested a Jack and coke at her prompting.

As Hog Eye was pouring the drinks, Toni zoned out again, slowly gaining a mischievous twinkle in her eye paired with a not-so-hidden grin. “Y’know, Y/N, you’re looking hot as hell tonight.”

Y/N turned bright red at Toni’s words, and she wanted nothing more than to hit her head on the bar counter in embarrassment. A similar, but more subtle, pink dusted Sweet Pea’s cheeks. It was also joined by a small smirk.

“Um, thanks I--”

“Yeah, you look amazing, let me take a photo of your outfit. And Sweet Pea! Sweet Pea can be in the photo as well.” She was talking so frantically that neither Y/N or Sweet Pea really understood what was going on so when Toni suddenly gripped Y/N’s arms and spun her around for the picture, Sweet Pea had to grab Y/N by the waist to stop her toppling over.

“Perfect! Just perfect!” Toni exclaimed, pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket. “Now Y/N just move a little closer to Sweet Pea.”

“Do you know what the fuck is going on?” Sweet Pea whispered into Y/N’s ear, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She shook her head in answer but also to rid herself of the odd sensation, she could use that bourbon now.

“And smile!”

Toni took the photo. The pair began to move apart from the too-close position before Toni stopped them with a hand, that mischievous look taking over her entire face.

“Would you look at that!” She feigned surprise, tilting her head to the ceiling. Y/N and Sweet Pea followed suit, freezing at what they saw. Shit.

“Mistletoe. You know what that means?”

“No, Toni you were--”

“You’re under the mistletoe, you have to kiss.” Toni seemed to be enjoying Y/N’s squirming, but Y/N was more concerned about Sweet Pea unwrapping his arm from around her waist and pulling away, taking it as rejection. Although it was nothing short of what she expected, it still stung.

“No, Toni, I think Y/N wants you to come here.” Sweet Pea stepped back, motioning Toni over. Y/N could almost scream in frustration, this was not going how she had wanted it to go.

“No, it was supposed to be you and Toni under the--”

“Guys, just get on with--” Toni tried to interrupt Y/N, but Sweet Pea stepped in.

“Wait, you were trying to set me up with Toni?” Y/N swung around to face him, now incredibly concerned that he had taken offence. She had not considered Sweet Pea might consider her scheming overstepping.

“Yes, I just wanted to see you happy and I know you have a crush on--”

“Me? Have a crush on Toni?” Sweet Pea’s eyes were almost bugging out his head.

Their outbursts had gained the attention of a few of the nearest Serpents whilst Hog Eye was trying his very hardest to hold in laughter, his face beginning to resemble a tomato.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to--”

“I thought you had a crush on Toni!” His exclamation caused Y/N to freeze, both of them oblivious to the listening ears and the amused smiles of the entire bar.

“You--I--What?” Y/N could not believe a single word that she was hearing. How had he gotten the idea that she liked Toni? Y/N had noticed how he had always smiled when they approached her and whenever she was mentioned in conversation the same look reappeared; how else was Y/N supposed to interpret this?

“As entertaining as this is, we would all appreciate it if you both shut up.” Toni’s words brought their attention to the silence that otherwise filled the room and the fact that every pair of eyes were trained on them. If Y/N had been embarrassed before, it did not compare to how she felt now.

Heat filled her entire body, and not in a good way, her face radiating as she chewed at the skin on her lower lip. Sweet Pea was hiding his embarrassment somewhat better, but pink still tinged his cheeks and the tips of ears.

“You’re under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss!” a shout came from somewhere in the small crowd.

Sweet Pea shot a glare in the heckler’s direction before he took a step closer as Y/N was still frozen in shock, reaching his hand to cup her cheek, gently tilting her head upwards to face him. His thumb smoothed over her warm cheek as he scanned her eyes for any form of protest--there was some hesitation but also a hefty amount of want. The same thumb ran over her lower lip now, his ring cold on her skin as he pulled her slightly bruised lip from between her teeth. Pea’s gaze left her lips, meeting hers and silently asking for her permission. After a nod, so small that only he would have seen, he brought his other hand up to her unoccupied cheek, guiding her face up so they met in the middle.

Sweet Pea wasted no time in pressing his lips to hers, unable to believe that this was happening and savouring the moment. Y/N broke out of a trance, bringing one arm up to wrap around his neck, threading her fingers through the short hairs at the nape of his neck, ensuring he would not pull away quite yet. It was too soon.

Her lips were on fire, but it was the sparks that spread from their connection through all the nerves in her body that racked her with shivers and set her akin alight. Her other arm settled against his chest, clenching the material of his jumper in her fingers as one of Sweet Pea’s found its place at her waist, pressing her against him, trying to get as much contact as possible.

And then Y/N began to move her lips in a gentle caress, Sweet Pea following suit. There was no rush or urgency, they had time but also a passion as they poured their love for one another into this kiss. The pair moved almost in opposites, caressing each other in turn. Y/N took a gasp of air so Pea seized the chance to run the tip of his tongue along her lower lip, not needing to deepen the kiss further, but savouring the feeling, her touch, her taste, when they were no longer connected. Y/N moved to wrap her other arm around his neck but a loud clearing of a throat registered, triggering Y/N to remember just where they were.

She leant her forehead against Sweet Pea’s chest, her cheeks turning even redder whilst her lungs were still trying to catch up, snickers beginning to filter through to her ears. How could she forget where they were? She probably would have allowed them to progress to a full-on makeout session, without intervention, completely oblivious to the audience they had gained.

Sweet Pea pressed a kiss to the top of Y/N’s head, the hand not on her waist smoothing through her hair. The contact of his skin sent a shiver down her spine, her body obviously not registering their audience.

Once she finally caught her breath and calmed down, she pulled away enough for Sweet Pea to press a small kiss to her nose. An involuntary grin took over her lips and stayed in place as she finally twisted her head to look at the Serpents gathered around.

A chorus of cheering and wolf whistles broke out. Toni still stood behind her, only now joined by Cheryl, who had wrapped an arm around her waist; the former wore an incredibly smug expression whilst the latter simply looked thoroughly entertained. Fangs, on the other hand, who stood a few metres from them, had a slightly childish pout on his face aimed solely at Toni.

“Told you I could do it tonight,” Toni simply said in answer to his expression. “You’re going to have to pay up.” She held her hand out, making a ‘gimme’ motion.

“I don’t have the money on me right now! I was so sure…” the last part seemed to only be spoken to himself.

“You bet on us!” Y/N cried indignantly, wrapping her arms around herself, interlocking her fingers with Pea’s at her waist.

“Only last week,” Toni placated, as if that made it any better.

“If it’s any consolation, Y/N,” Hog Eye spoke unexpectedly. He was leant casually against the wall behind the bar, a smug smile that rivalled Toni’s, adorning his face, “me and yer’ mom have had one going for years.”

“My mom!” Y/N was not angry, per se, but more frustrated with the fact that everyone seemed to have been in a secret conspiracy, even her mom.

“Just don’t tell her about all the mistletoe I put everywhere.” Hog Eye began to full-on belly laugh when Y/N’s eyes bugged out of her head. The rest of the bar, still listening, joined in too.

Y/N twisted back around to properly hug Sweet Pea, wanting to fully gauge his reaction. It seemed she was not alone in her embarrassment, but by the chuckles that were beginning to vibrate through his chest, he was finding the humorous side of things. Y/N sighed. She supposed it was all good-natured.

Y/N‘s gaze flickered over Sweet Pea’s face, taking in the small smile, the slight flush to his handsome features and the twinkle in his forest green eyes. He was truly gorgeous.

“I fucking love you,” she whispered to him, smoothing a lock of his hair back from where it had fallen into his face.

“And I fucking love you.”

#southsidearchive #riverdaleevents #prancer: parties #sweet pea x reader #sweet pea #female!reader #findmeinpops 12 days of christmas #harry's creations and additions #harry's word creations

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meditationadvise · 5 years ago

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Blossoming with Summer

Mother nature has her transcending regimen. The sun collections and also increases each day. With the summer season solstice just passed, the apple trees branches hang reduced, birthing the weight of their fruit. It appears every little thing is in wealth: family members, close friends, food, sunshine, old hangouts, new locations, should do's. Our detects, feelings and body all accept the warmth which the summer period needs to offer.

Welcome the summer season with caring open arms. Give on your own (and your own) some love as well as remain top of your game this season. Right here are simply a couple of concepts to obtain you going ...

Love your body

1. TLC pampering:

Do points that make you feel attractive and special. This is a necessary component to caring your body, as well as maintaining your temple shipshape. Treat on your own. Light candles, play some songs, sing along if you wish. Style your favorite hairdo, use your favored Yogi Surprise products and also make use of that fragrance conserved for special celebrations. Feel special currently, there's no time like the present.

2. Dress for success:

Add a dash of color in your day-to-day closet. It's regarding feeling comfortable, lovely and also certain all day long. Think chakra, believe Anahata 'Heart' chakra, assume environment-friendly, the color of harmony, development, abundance, and nature.

3 Food-loving:

Increase your nutrient consumption by complimenting your diet which is a wonderful seasonal fruit shake. Spinach, blueberries, coconut milk, with a pinch of honey as well as a pinch of cinnamon is my favorite.

4. Strike a love body Yoga exercise posture:

Pump up your lung capability, boost your thyroid glands, whilst toning your abdominals and also quads with full power Ustrasana, camel pose.

Love your mind

1. Set your intention

How do you want to start your day? Most of us have our suitable routine and also experience shows us time after time that we gain the benefits when we proactively roll this into our lives. So take time out to arrange your ideas and create area. Summer constantly produces a busier schedule. You may have 101 things-to-do today, however exactly what if you could only do 3? Establish your purpose, draw understanding from your Yogi self and live a more conscious as well as willful life.

2. Gratitude meditation

Unwinding after your day, pause for a minute in representation. Quietly state, think or list what you're happy for. Take several occasions or people as you can, huge or small, no matter, it's the method you really feel. As your gratitude expands, it triggers your internal joy and also opens your heart. Try this just before bed and dream sweetly.

3. Strike a caring mindful Yoga exercise pose

Boost your psychological power by practicing Shirshasana (head stand), the king of all asanas.

Love your energy

1. Eating

Eating could have a profound effect on our energy degrees. The color from blue, purple and also red berries, for instance, originates from anthocyanins, an energy increasing effective anti-oxidant. Fiber from foods like nuts, beans, grains, fruit, aid to level out your energy levels and can aid your digestion.

2. Sleeping

Sleep, we all do it, all of us need it, yet do we get the suggested 7-8 hours a night? Obtaining a good evening's sleep assists our bodies to fix our heart and also capillary and has actually additionally been connected to enhancing our memory. Yes, please I truly need extra peaceful, peaceful, sleep-full evenings! 3 things have actually become important to my wind-down, bedtime routine:

No caffeine after 3pm, alright 4-5pm at a push.

No devices 1 hr prior to bed time.

Writing down my want list for the next day.

4. Breathing

Awareness of breath connects body and mind to the existing moment, to claim it has actually improved my life is an exaggeration. I utilize this method constantly and regularly advocate it to my enjoyed ones. The next time you capture on your own having a 'minute' where your tension levels increase, check yourself and take a few moments to simply take a breath. Breathe in peace, breathe out love-- resolve that negative energy.

5. Strike an energy offering Yoga pose

' Soham' is utilized to represent 'Inhale' as well as 'Exhale' and in Sanskrit really suggests 'I am that'. The following time you do Marjaryasana, pet cat posture, practice stating 'Soham' 10 times with your regular breath flow, then do another 10 rounds at a fast lane for an immediate Yoga energy pick me up.

Love your karma

Karma in Sanskrit means activity, work or act. It is among the four ancient paths of Yoga exercise. When we function as well as live our lives in a selfless style, we help other hearts and also ours also. Karma Yoga exercise is the course of self-transcending action. A course most of us walk, albeit unwittingly or mindfully. Take conscious activity, smile, send a note of admiration, be kind to somebody you do not like. The results might just astonish you.

Love your environment

1. Home

Now is the time to obtain entailed with that Do It Yourself you have actually been indicating to do. If it's a monster, take into consideration the enjoyable you might have obtaining loved ones to lend a helping hand. Also the smallest points, such as transforming your table establishing to reflect the very best of summertime, can make a buoyant difference.

2. Outdoors

It's growing terrific exterior. There are lots of communities organising wonderful occasions, sporting events as well as tasks, celebrations in all forms and also dimensions. If smaller sized groups are you thing, bring it house. Link with family members as well as close friends by hosting your very own mini festival. A BARBEQUE or picnic to celebrate the period is a terrific chance to get innovative with your themes.

3. People Power

What a benefit it is to border on your own with wonderful individuals. People motivate individuals, so get linked with others that make you really feel excellent. Assume shiny delighted people.

4. Eating seasonally

Take a leaf from Ayurveda approach. Consuming in your area and seasonally helps to sustain and sustain your regional atmosphere. It could be more budget-friendly on your pocketbook as well as preferences much better as well. Superfoods including corn, tomatoes, strawberries and also peaches are bang in season today. Enjoy!

5. Outdoor Yoga

Warmer, longer sunny days are best for a spot of outside Yoga. Recommend to your teacher hosting a class outside, or start a Yoga club with friends and family. Component of the fun is choosing a Shanti spot and appreciating what you love in the heart of Mother Nature.

The connection you have with your-self will last a lifetime, so make it count and also obtain, maintain and also invest your power carefully. Determine the elements in your life that bring much less worth. If you could reduce them out or readjust your priorities, you'll discover more energy and much less tension, pathing the way for love, light and also happiness.

#meditation #meditation timer #yoga

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hcafilm21 · 3 years ago

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Gabriel: Silver Award Unit 1 Part A: Plan an Arts Challenge

What art forms are you interested in/do you like?

I am in interested in both literature and the dramatic arts. My favourite playwright is Pirandello whose plays I would to act in in future. I am very much interested in filmmaking also and I have always wanted to discover how films are made.

What arts/creative skills do you already have or feel confident in?

I studied English literature at A-level and used to take acting classes at YATI. Thus, I feel most confident in acting and writing, rather than painting or sculpting. I have looked into pursuing an English Literature degree at a Russell Group university and the future and so something involved with writing or acting out a script might interest me best.

What arts/creative skills would you like to develop or try out?

I would like to work on cinematography. While at YATI, I attended a film-making course, which I very much enjoyed. However, the course was only temporary and I was disappointed when it ended. I feel it would be beneficial for me to boost my cinematography and filmmaking skills using different cameras, so perhaps another film-making course which involved me taking more of an active role now that I am older would be good.

Do you have any ideas for possible challenges you could set yourself? You could discuss this with your adviser and record notes here.

I am very enthusiastic but I am not used to cinematography. I think it would be good for me have a go at giving whichever group I am working in some good cinematography ideas. It would also be useful for me to learn how to better deal with criticism. I feel I respond appropriately to criticism, but there is always room for improvement.

Your challenge

I will be trying a new skill: cinematography. I will be developing my skills using different cameras, both behind the scenes and on-set, as well as exploring shot types, lighting and composition. It will be over a three month period over the summer.

Describe your arts challenge here:

I will be developing my cinematography skills on a film-making project with the Holborn Community Association (HCA) and it involves a group of young people making a film about transportation in London. The project is done in association with the London Transport Museum and will get the opportunity to visit their depot in Acton, which is normally open to the public only three times a year. Once complete, we will have the opportunity to screen our film at a local festival. I am focusing specifically on the cinematography aspect and will be engaging in camerawork.

Why have you chosen this as your arts challenge?

I am already familiar with the HCA, as my mother works there and I know one of the people who is running this course (Chloe). As well as developing my film-making further, I also want to make new friends, who may have similar interests to me, as they will likely also have ‘creative’ personalities. I chose cinematography specifically because it is something I know little about and thus will be a challenge in terms of my creative skills.

What will the outcome of your challenge be? (E.g. an end product, a performance, a demonstration?)

The outcome of my challenge will be a finished product which has been edited and made ready to present to an audience. I will be Director of Photography for two scenes of our film. Our on-screen performances will be shown to an audience. A previous film this group did in 2019 was a protest piece in support of Black Lives Matter. Perhaps our piece will incorporate similar themes but explore them in relation to public transport. The outcome of my cinematography aspect will be to create a movie using a wide array of shots which have been perfectly planned and which add to the message of our film. That will be the end product.

Arts challenge plan

What steps will you have to take to achieve your challenge?

I am planning to document my progress using an online blog.

I will make sure to learn about relevant movie techniques, such as dutch tilt, which I can use to develop my skills as a filmmaker and to document these. I will practise using different cameras, as well using iPads and professional film cameras and I will explore shot types, camera angles, camera movements and how to piece together all the shots.

Who or what will you need to help you? (E.g. other people, materials, resources)

I will need a film camera, editing software, a large sheet of A4 on which to plan with my group and a Google Docs document with which we can keep a diary of all our ideas and chart our progress for our Arts Award. I will need the help of the transport museum organiser who is helping us, as well as Jack (a filmmaker) and Chloe (HCA) who are involved in our project. In terms of resources, I will need to look up relevant online information. I will also need to take part in the filmmaking workshops that HCA are running.

I will need a professional movie camera and I will need a pen and paper to draw the shot types I have in my head. I will need help and discussion from group members.

How will you arrange this?

I will write an action plan which has mini-goals for my own personal research for the project, as well as goals relevant to the overall group project and also an overall target. I will also include a schedule for each day, although that will be subject to change based on the wishes of the group. I will write a schedule for myself in my own time to make sure I meet all the requirements of my Arts Award and keep track of my development as it progresses.

I will make sure to ask Rio, an intern who is supervising us, and to look at movies of a similar genre to our film to look at how they created a specific mood/atmosphere and conveyed their themes and characters concisely using the cinematic medium.

What targets will you set to achieve throughout your challenge and how will you show you are working towards them?

Firstly, I I will set a target firstly of learning about films, which I will achieve through the assistance of Rio (the intern on the project) and by watching iconic films such as The 400 Blows and The Godfather to learn the value of cinematography in conveying a mood. We will aim to have a movie idea which is ready to put into action and which our whole group likes and agrees upon.

I will document through photos video and writing, the early stages of how I develop skills in cinematography in the workshops leading up to shoot week, as well as during shoot week when I will be Director of Photography for 2 scenes of the film. I will use the shot list I made and upload evidence of shots I took to our blog. I will then make sure our movie is coherent and complete and show clips from it on our blog to prove this (with the consent of those appearing in those clips).

I will develop my understanding pof various film techniques (related to camerawork (shot types, manual settings, lighting for example) I will continue to chart the filmmaking process in my booklet and how our ideas changed along the way.

I will use relevant images, as well as reels/clips from the film which show my developing film knowledge and teamwork.

How will you collect feedback about your arts challenge?

I will collect feedback by asking the mentors and those associated with London Transport Museum what they think of my development in my arts challenge, as well as my peers on the project who I will be shooting with. Also, I am going to collect audience feedback after the screening of the film.

#gabriel #parta #silveraward #unit1

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hcafilm · 3 years ago

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Unit 1 - Part A

SILVER ARTS AWARD

Silver Arts Award Unit 1 Part A: Identify and plan an arts challenge ARTS SKILLS

What art forms are you interested in/do you like?

What arts/creative skills do you already have or feel confident in?

What arts/creative skills would you like to develop or try out?

Do you have any ideas for possible challenges you could set yourself? You could discuss this with your adviser and record notes here.

Your challenge

Describe your arts challenge here:

Why have you chosen this as your arts challenge?

What will the outcome of your challenge be? (E.g. an end product, a performance, a demonstration?)

The outcome of my challenge will be a finished product which has been edited and made ready to present to an audience. I will be director of photography for two scenes of our film. Our on-screen performances will be shown to an audience. A previous film this group did in 2019 was a protest piece in support of Black Lives Matter. Perhaps our piece will incorporate similar themes but explore them in relation to public transport. The outcome of my cinematography aspect will be to create a movie using a wide array of shots which have been perfectly planned and which add to the message of our film. That will be the end product.

Arts challenge plan

What steps will you have to take to achieve your challenge?

I am planning to document my progress using an online blog.

Who or what will you need to help you? (E.g. other people, materials, resources)

I will need a professional movie camera and I will need a pen and paper to draw the shot types I have in my head. I will need help and discussion from group members.

How will you arrange this?

What targets will you set to achieve throughout your challenge and how will you show you are working towards them?

Firstly, I will aim to have a movie idea which is ready to put into action and which our whole group likes and agrees upon. I will write a brief summary of this idea in this Silver Arts Award Booklet. Then I will aim with my group to put this idea into practise immediately. I will document the early stages of our filmmaking process to show this and I will write a list of the various film techniques (whether related to camerawork, plot, structuring, style, script or acting) and provide links or footnotes to the websites or books in which we found them. I will continue to chart the filmmaking process in my booklet and how our ideas changed along the way. I also aim to have a finished film, which I will show in my booklet and I aim to show this cohesive, well-structured film to an audience and will document this by writing a brief summary/memo/’manifesto’ of what the film will entail and why (and if there is a political message behind or not, and if not, the reasons why). Essentially I will detail the reasons for everything in the book and I will collect audience feedback to put on the blog I have created. The blog will be updated weekly, as well as at the end. I will make important signposts in the blog (at the beginning, halfway through and end of the project) so that a clear structure can be seen and my progress can be noted. I will use relevant images, as well as reels/clips from the film which show my developing film knowledge and teamwork.

I will set a target firstly of learning about films, which I will achieve through the assistance of Rio and by watching iconic films such as The 400 Blows and The Godfather to learn the value of cinematography in conveying a mood. I will then put ideas forward to the group and we can come up with a storyboard together and I will record my progress on our online blog. I will then begin shooting the movie using the shot list I made and upload evidence of shots I took to our blog. I will then make sure our movie is coherent and complete and show clips from it on our blog to prove this (with the consent of those appearing in those clips).

How will you collect feedback about your arts challenge?

I will collect feedback by asking the mentors and those associated with TFL what they think of our project and if it relates directly to the theme of transport. This is necessary to ensure I do not go on a tangent, as before starting this project, I was unfamiliar with the ins-and-outs of the London transport service. I will also talk to people who work for TFL to see what they think of the direction I am going in and see if they think I am being faithful to the work they do and their daily lives. Also, I am going to collect audience feedback after the screening of the film. I hope to have the opportunity to screen the early drafts of the film prior to the private screening we do for our parents, as I want to see what people and think and how I can improve. I will take notes and then write a new plan using these notes of what to do to improve my film in all aspects (e.g. camerawork, acting, dialogue, editing, scenery, colours). I will ask for specific subject-related/arts-related feedback (e.g. symbolism).

#gabriel #unit1 #part A

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doomedandstoned · 5 years ago

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Elder Druid, Barbarian Hermit, Satlan, and Slowbro Play Coventry

~By Reek of STOOM~

Photos by Luke Orchard

Friday, November 29th, at The Phoenix in Coventry, England

On the coldest night of the year so far, we ventured into the frost and made our way to the well-renowned Phoenix venue in the heart of Coventry to witness a four-band spectacle organised by Heathen Mirth Promotions out of London, UK. The venue itself is impressive and inviting: traditional pub downstairs with the live area above and an expansive beer garden.

SLOWBRO

Split (With Those Amongst Us Are Wolves) by Slowbro

First up on the bill were SLOWBRO, a three-piece local band who I hadn't encountered before and who surprised us with their dexterity and musicianship: A Stoner/Doom/Progressive crossover with heaps of energy and enthusiasm that won over the small but rapidly-filling room. After their set, I caught up with the members, James, Sam and Zeke for a quick chat.

Hi guys, you're new to the Doomed & Stoned radar, please tell us a little about yourselves.

Sam (guitars): "Well, James & I knew each other from the area and we both had guitars gathering dust in our rooms, so we decided to do something with them. We met up in a practice room once every two months or so, found a slot on a gig, came up with a name and just took it from there."

James (guitars) pipes in: "People started asking us to come back. We kept telling them no, but..." and laughs.

So why have you kept such a low profile on social media?

Zeke (drums) replied: "These guys just like to go abroad for three years or so" and laughs. "We're not trying to be the next big thing, just going about it and seeing what happens".

You had a split release out last year. Are there any other releases?

Sam: "Yes we had a full album out in 2018 called 'Nothings,' recorded locally and released on a small local label Creature Lab Records."

Are you signed to a label now?

James: "We're not tied to anyone long-term yet, we're just hoping to make our next album and see if it gets any interest."

Looking ahead to 2020, what plans do you have?

Zeke: "To play outside Coventry."

James: "We want to get our next album recorded - just get back into the studio and put down all the new stuff we've been working on."

You really impressed me with your style, Who are your influences?

Sam: "Sleep, Kyuss, Electric Wizard, first 2 Black Sabbath albums.." James interjects; "Christina Aguilera" and the three of them collapse, laughing. "Old School riffing, classic stuff, you know?"

What's your long-term ambition?

James: "Just to give people something good to listen to and get them to come out and see us."

Final question: What was the last piece of equipment you had to kick to get working again?

Sam creases: "The amp we borrow from Steven Bennett for every gig. We DO take care of it, honest!"

James: "We want to thank you and Doomed and Stoned for all your support. It means a lot."

No problem guys, thanks for talking to me and good luck for next year.

SATLAN

Next up on the bill were SATLAN, a four-piece outfit based in London and fronted by erstwhile Dead Witches vocalist Soozi Chameleone. The band are seriously tight and their drummer is a superstar. Soozi herself was having an off night, but still delivered a powerful performance despite not feeling at her best. Musically, a combination of Dead Witches and Alunah in style, but Satlan have a distinct Sabbath-esque motif generated by guitarist Roy Nadel. I caught up with Roy and bassist Alex after the set.

Firstly, the name Satlan, where did that come from?

Roy: "It's actually Hebrew slang for 'Stoner', someone who is too lazy - it fits our style."

Are you originally an Israeli band?

Alex: "No, we're from all over the place. Roy is Israeli, I'm Russian and Jake (drums) is Malaysian. We all got together in London and just started jamming, so we're an International mix. Roy and I have known each other since we were 16, playing in various bands together in Israel's Punk scene - Roy was actually a drummer in one of our bands! Our current drummer, Jake we found playing in thrash metal band THE BLEEDING and we knew straight away we wanted to work with him. I remember saying I wanna work with this guy!"

Do you have any recordings planned in the near future?

Roy: "We've just recorded an album. it's in the mixing stage right now and it'll be ready sometime in the next couple of months. We also have a gig with Church of the Cosmic Skull coming up in February and we're planning a UK tour, including a few dates in Scotland around April."

Final question: what was the last thing you kicked to get working?

Alex: "My cat." They both laugh.

Roy: "No animals were harmed really - we both have cats and we love them."

BARBARIAN HERMIT

Solitude And Savagery by Barbarian Hermit

BARBARIAN HERMIT are no strangers to us, having been included on our recent England compilation. Manchester's finest took to the stage around 10pm and proceeded to blast the eardrums out of the room with their signature Stoner/Sludge crossover. Compelling frontman Ed Campbell is a madman on stage and the most heroic poser since Bruce Dickinson! The dual guitar assaults from Mike 'Big Daddy Reeg' Reagan and Rob 'Spadge Fafner' Sutcliffe are ferocious and tighter than drainpipe jeans. After a blinding set, I caught up with the lads in the pub's pool room.

Thanks for attending the interview, tell me - how did you hear about the job?

Ed: "Well we had an email from a guy saying he was gonna pay us from a Somali bank account if we played. He said he wasn't a pirate. Seriously though, Heathen Mirth Promotions got us onto this and we've really enjoyed sharing a stage with everybody."

Since the Doomed and Stoned in England appearance, what's been happening?

Mike: "We opened for Bloodstock during the summer, that was a great laugh and we had a mini-tour in Edinburgh, Carlisle and the north with Widows and Drudge in October, then joined up with this lot for the dates we're doing now."

You guys have a new release coming out soon and a new tour next year. In hindsight, is there anything you'd have changed about the process?

Rob: "Phew, fair question that. Working on the details, in a studio when you've got a deadline in the studio and label commitments like "How's it sounding?" and y'know, general pressure to get it finished; it's all in those final little details."

Ed: "At the same time we did some of our greatest work under pressure. My personal favourite on the album is the one we put together right at the last minute, well, not the LAST minute but near."

It's normally always the way. When the pressure's on, some bands do their best stuff.

Mike: "We find that even though been playing these songs for about a year, you pick up little things and think, “Wish I'd done it like that instead,” but it's been great to get people in like Ten Foot Wizard and Boss Keloid to help us out."

ELDER DRUID

Golgotha by Elder Druid

At just after 11pm the monstrous apparition called ELDER DRUID took to the stage and detonated. Massive waves of Doom flood out from the barely-intact cabs as frontman Greg conjures spooky sounds from the Theremin, ghosting over a sea of intense riffing. Mass worship ensued as the congregation got down and dirty at the Druid's altar, the dual guitar assault of Jake and Mikey crushing everything in its wake.

Devastatingly heavy, Elder Druid came to preach The Old Religion and the flock lapped it up like manna from the heavens...pure class! I caught up with them before their set:

Good evening gentlemen. First question: what brought you to Coventry on a freezing cold night?

Greg: "Soozi from Heathen Mirth contacted us and got us onto the bill. We played a different venue last time we were in Coventry, but we heard that The Phoenix was the #1 place so we just had to be here."

Moving on to the new album. You're in the finishing stages now and it's due for release on 17th January. How have you found the recording?

Jake: "Yeah it's been great. Last time we had an engineer record and mix us but this time we've done it entirely by ourselves so it's good to have that freedom so we can get everything organised properly before we went in to record. you get to do it on your own timescale. Then it's good having the time to get all the details together, tinkering as it were."

There's a danger of "over-tinkering," though. Did you fall foul of it?

Mikey: "100% yeah, there is risk of being too critical, but I think we got it right this time. There's a few surprises on the album, Electric Piano and the Theremin to name a couple."

Is there anything you would have changed given the chance?

Greg: "The whole band" and laughs.

Dale (bass): "Better equipment would be nice. When you have the best gear etc it makes a big difference to the sound and inevitably it would be nicer to work with, but what's come out the other end we're really happy with it."

You can always ask Slomatics if you could borrow some of theirs?

Mikey: "Yeah, like can we borrow a riff off you please?" they all crack up.

What's the plan for 2020?

Brien (drums): "The launch day gig will be @ Voodoo in Belfast on the 17th Jan and the day after @ Fibber McGee's in Dublin then we're playing a festival in May over in Antrim, then we're heading over to play at Stonebaked Festival in Leeds, (Formerly BOOM fest) which we're really up for."

What was the last piece of equipment you had to kick to get working?

Mikey: "Greg."

Jake: "Funny you should say that...one of the amps blew up last night, but I managed to sell it on eBay." (laughs)

Any message for the fans?

Brien: "We don't have fans."

Greg:" Anyone out there who likes what we do, thank you!"

Thanks guys, it's been a pleasure!

Jake: "Thank you and thanks to Billy and Doomed and Stoned for looking after us."

#D&S Concert Review #Elder Druid #Barbarian Hermit #Slowbro #Satlan #Coventry #England #UK #doom #sludge #metal #stoner rock #Reek of STOOM #Doomed & Stoned

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nikki-reuclife · 6 years ago

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Wedding Cupcakes

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walkingthroughthepages · 6 years ago

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One of my absolute favourite part about the holidays has to be the fact that it means seeing my family. Even though Belgium’s not really that big? All my aunts and uncles, cousins and their children are basically spread out of the entirety of it. So getting to see all of them? And at the same time? It’s busy, it’s loud, it’s madness… And it’s absolutely amazing to be reunited for the holidays!

I was offered these ARCs by Netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are strictly my own.

A Christmas Gift, Sue Moorcroft

The story

Georgine loves Christmas. The festive season always brings the little village of Middledip to life. But since her ex-boyfriend walked out, leaving her with crippling debts, Georgine’s struggled to make ends meet. To keep her mind off her worries, she throws herself into organising the Christmas show at the local school. And when handsome Joe Blackthorn becomes her assistant, Georgine’s grateful for the help. But there’s something about Joe she can’t quite put her finger on. Could there be more to him than meets the eye? Georgine’s past is going to catch up with her in ways she never expected. But can the help of friends new and old make this a Christmas to remember after all?

The opinion

Last year, I got the chance to read The Little Christmas Village, which was also written by Sue Moorcroft. At that point, I wrote something to the extent of me really loving it when chicklit actually has a story to tell. Basically, The Little Christmas Village had character development, so many people to fall in love with, and of course: Christmas! Well, guess what? Sue Moorcroft’s done it again with A Christmas Gift. First of all, there’s Georgine who is, just weeks before Christmas (and, let’s be real, in the months before that as well), faced with money-problems and all the bad memories that go hand in hand with that. She starts out as someone who lets herself be manipulated quite easily, maybe even walked over (a realisation she reaches about halfway through the book!). In just a couple of weeks, though, she is faced with elements of various stages from her past – ranging from the “okay” to the “terrible” that face her to do a lot of growing. Two of the main reasons for that growth? Joe, who, as it turns out, is an old friend and has a bit of a hidden past ànd present himself. And Blair, Georgine’s sister who is trying so hard that even when things went terribly wrong? I couldn’t help but root for them. That is probably one of the main reasons I loved this book either way: whenever things go wrong (and, trust me, that happens quite regularly)? You can still see how those situations originated, you understand the why and the how. Sue Moorcroft has that most precious of gifts for an author of knowing just when to give up what piece of information to make for the most natural of progress – in relationships as well as in plot! What’s more, I’ve noticed recently that I’m finding it increasingly difficult to find books, especially cosy and fluffy books, that really hit the spot for me. I mean, if your characters fall in love, fine, but at least show your reader why, you know? Reading A Christmas Gift came as something of a relief, in that aspect. Sue Moorcroft manages to get the set-up of every piece of her story just right so that when fear, betrayal and joy hit? They hit not only the characters, but you as well. So if you’re in need of the kind of book that’ll have you smiling along, rooting for that happy ending and definitely some Christmas spirit? This is the book for you!

Rating: 3.5/5 (Goodreads)

Another Day in Winter, Shari Low

Story

On a chilly morning in December forever friends Shauna and Lulu touch down at Glasgow Airport on a quest to find answers from the past. George knows his time is nearing the end, but is it too late to come to terms with his two greatest regrets? His grandson Tom uncovers a betrayal that rocks his world as he finally tracks down the one that got away. And single mum Chrissie is ready to force her love-life out of hibernation, but can anyone compare to the man who broke her heart? After the success of the No1 best seller ONE DAY IN DECEMBER, comes the second unmissable read in Shari Low’s Winter Day trilogy.

Opinion

If there’s anything studying literature and linguistics will teach you, it’s to appreciate a well-executed multi-perspective story. This one is a couple of steps above well-executed. Within the span of 24 hours, these Shauna, George, Tom and Chrissie’s paths will cross, their stories will meet and – as it turns out: it really is a small world after all. There are few things as difficult as making sure that every loose thread of a multi-level story gets tied up at the end. Making sure that the tone for each of the characters is distinct enough that as a reader, you don’t even need the name on top to know who you’re reading? That’s a gift not too many people have. I honestly loved every single thing about this book. I loved the strong friendship between Shauna and Lulu. I love their willingness to do something that most people would – rightly so – call a bit crazy. I loved Chrissie and the way her friends of all ages pushed her to go beyond what she dared to do. And that she actually took on that chance, that she was willing to look back to the past to be able to face the future. Also – her son? The cutest smart-mouth I’ve read in a while. I love George and the backstory of him and his two sisters, in this totally different world and time. For someone so near to death, he really did have a lot to say. And considering some rather important conversations took part on his bedside? I’m quite happy he turned out to be such a good listener. And then there’s Tom who, in the span of 24 hours, has his world turned upside down more times than most people could handle in a year. He just takes it all in stride – somewhat, at least – and still manages to hand out maybe the most satisfying type of punch: the warranted one. A thing which definitely shows, as you’ll learn in this book as well, that he takes after his grandfather. With Christmas running in the background, as a decoration, as a motivation, but never as a plot point? This was maybe the best winter book I’ve read so far, this year.

Rating: 4.5/5 (Goodreads)

Snowflakes over Holly Cove, Lucy Coleman

Story

As the snowflakes start to fall, the village of Holly Cove welcomes a new tenant to the beautiful old cottage on the beach… For lifestyle magazine journalist Tia Armstrong, relationships, as well as Christmas, have lost all their magic. Yet Tia is up against a Christmas deadline for her latest article ‘Love is, actually, all around’… So Tia heads to Holly Cove where the restorative sea air, and rugged stranger Nic, slowly but surely start mending her broken heart. Tia didn’t expect a white Christmas, and she certainly never dared dream that all her Christmas wishes might just come true… Set in Caswell Bay on the stunningly rugged Gower Coast, the cottage nestles amid the limestone cliffs and the woodlands; the emotions run as turbulently as the wind-swept sea.

Opinion

I really seem to have a thing about reading books with journalists as the MC. Or, maybe journalists just make for easy people to push into new situations. Either way, this particular journalist starts Snowflakes over Holly Cove with some serious hard break. As Tia has suddenly had pointed out to her: she’s an orphan now. Doesn’t matter what age you are – that’s never an easy thing to handle. That actually brings me right to maybe my *favourite* point about this book. It deals with working through loss so carefully, so respectfully. Lucy Coleman doesn’t shy away from the ugly parts of grieve – from that feeling of not knowing how to handle anything to maybe getting a little *stupid* because of it. Snowflakes over Holly Cove tells the story from the last Christmas Tia Armstrong spends with her mum, giving some background to exactly how deep their relationship is, to the next Christmas – her first without her mum. Considering that she’s been working on a Christmas feature for months by the time Christmas rolls around? The reader could easily have grown tired of Christmas already. That, instead, I was sat here just checking my countdown app *yet again* (yes, I’m that person)? Just shows how nuanced Coleman’s writing is. Now, I know that this book is at least partially a romance novel, but, for once, that is not the main thing making we want to immediately reread this book. Rather, it’s the attention to detail, the beautiful descriptions of the Welsh scenery and of course… That one plot twist near the end. And then that dramatic twist at the end… I honestly was not okay. And need to get back to this book ASAP.

Rating: 4/5 (Goodreads)

Now, as I said – I now the entire “reunited for the holidays” can be a bit busy. And loud. And overwhelming. So if you’re in need of an escape from the reality of it? Why not hide out with some stories showing its possibilities? Don’t worry – it’s my backup option too! Or, you know… You could go ahead and read the rest of my Christmas tag or check out this year’s blogmas-posts!

-Saar

Mini Reviews #9: Reunited for the Holidays One of my absolute favourite part about the holidays has to be the fact that it means seeing my family.

#Blog-mas 2018 #book reviews #christmas #christmas books #Mini reviews

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allroundermag-blog · 7 years ago

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The Duke of Edinburgh Adventure 2017

It was only a few weeks ago, at an impromptu Tuesday drinking session now set in the Outlook calendar as a recurring meeting called “Boozeday Tuesday”, that someone brought up the Duke of Edinburgh Award. The general consensus from three men who did their bronze twenty years before (the fourth had a silver, which meant he was some upper echelon of human for the next two hours), was that it was a wonderful experience, the kind of memory that makes you look into the distance at some long-lost halcyon days, sighing at how perfect the world once was – I’ll be honest, I just remembered it as a camping trip. I was pretty unfit as a kid though, so maybe I repressed a few memories of it.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is, to those who have no idea what I’m talking about, a charity that helps to give young people access to skills and experiences that’ll help them in later life. As well as camping expeditions and physical activities, it offers the chance to learn life skills and volunteer for worthy causes. It’s pretty cool in fact, the only problem is that you have to be a young person to take part in it. Well, that was the case.

A few days after my pub discussion on the subject, I received an email from The Duke of Edinburgh Award about a new initiative they’re running, specifically for adults. A fateful opportunity that would let me rekindle the memories we all had and see if it was as fun as everyone said.

Like the youth version, there are two elements to the DofE Challenge. The first is the challenge itself, this could be anything from baking cakes to skydiving (as done by a grandma as part of the campaign). Basically you just choose something, get sponsorship and carry it out. The second, and this was the bit I was interested in, is the DofE Adventure; a two-day hike across the Peak District with camping overnight. Perfect.

The event started at 8am in the morning at the village of Bamford in Derbyshire. The first thing to note about this, as a Londoner without a car, is that there’s train station right near the start. I’ve been invited on loads of events in the past where I’d have to somehow get to places in the middle of nowhere, the only option being to either rent a car or pay for a taxi. Neither I particularly like doing. So we were already off to a good start.

After a bit of admin and safety chat, we all set off in our waves. There were two route options for the weekend. The first a signposted route that would take us 50km across the Peak district, stopping overnight at the village of Hope. The second was a self guided option where people would need to take on map reading skills to find the route without any help. I took the first option. And yes, I know part of the DofE is all about the map reading, but firstly, I’d planned to do the walk alone – I didn’t fancy getting lost in the middle of the Peak District with very limited ordinance survey skills, and secondly, I really wanted to catch the train before 4pm on the Sunday. Something I’d have no chance doing if I was reading my own map.

I’d only ever been to the Peak District once before to take part in the Red Bull Steeplechase, a gruelling race that would see us going up and down some of the highest peaks in the area. It was because of that which I knew the event may be a bit harder than the 25km a day distance might suggest. Although after spending a few days in the Lake District the month before, I did have it in my head that I was perfectly prepared. I wasn’t, it was really tough. I’d also, wrongly, assumed that a lot of the walking would be through the valleys, no idea why. Wishful thinking probably.

Day one was a pretty heavy day of walking, largely because it rained for the majority. Not only did this mean being completely covered in water, but also the ground was waterlogged at certain points. This meant for some fairly wet, muddy shoes as well as making the legs a bit more tired than they would normally be.

As walking goes, even in constant rain, the Peak District is one hell of a beautiful place. The rolling clouds and grey skies in some ways probably make it more visibly appealing than if it was a beautiful summers day, especially from the point of view of someone stopping ever five minutes to take photos.

The organisers, against my previous beliefs, had decided not to make this a nice leisurely walk. Instead the 25km route wound its way up and down some pretty damn steep climbs. There was even one point where I saw one in the distance and said to a chap walking next to me “imagine if we had to walk up that” jokingly. An hour later we did, and it was even harder than it looked.

By about 5pm on the first day I’d made my way to the campsite at Hope. At that point I was completely drenched and, although the sight of a pre-made tent was a lot nicer than the prospect of having to make one for myself, I wasn’t that keen on clambering inside. Instead I had a wander around the events area, complete with cooked food, beer, free smoothies and a live stage ready for the evening’s entertainment. Yep, you don’t get all that on the normal DofE.

To be honest though, I was at the event for the hiking, not for the entertainment, so instead of hanging around to watch the live show I decided to have a shower then explore the village. I ended up finding a nice little pub and sat down for a couple of hours drinking beer and drying off my clothes, before heading back to get an early night. My plan the next day was to leave as early as possible and power through in order to catch a train that meant I would get back to London early enough to have a bit of the evening left.

Everyone there seemed to be having a great time though. It was a bit like a mini festival, with people singing and laughing as the band played various cover tunes. It appeared the most of the people who took part in the event came as part of a group, so were probably looking forward to the entertainment more than I was.

I woke up at about 6am on the second day, quickly packed my stuff, grabbed a wash, then set off before anyone else. Although my sleep in the tent wasn’t too bad, the fact I haven’t used one for a large chunk of my adult life hadn’t adequately prepared me for it. Add to that the close proximity to other sleepers, some of them snoring, and I was desperate to make some distance. I’d also promised myself a Pizza when I got to Nottingham, so I had some heavy walking to do.

Day two was actually a bit easier than the first, largely because it wasn’t raining but also the fact the hills seemed to be a bit less dramatic. Without the need for a map I had absolutely no idea of the actual route we were taking around the Peak District, but after running through it on the train back to London it appeared we made a sort of winding circle around the two villages.

The highlight for me on this second day was walking through Castleton, a beautiful little village which marks the start of an amazing pass that appears like a chasm in the mountain, before heading out onto the high ridge behind it.

Aside from a few tricky climbs covered in mud, I managed to make my way to the finish line long before the 4pm train I’d planned to get on. By 1.30pm I’d already had a nice chat to the event staff at the Bamford and made my way to the train station. The promise of pizza can have an incredible effect on amount of effort I put in.

As events go, it’s a lovely way to spend a weekend. The signposted route, although the easier option, was still pretty challenging as walking routes go. I have absolutely no idea how long it would have taken me with a map, but I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have been able to get the train back. Maybe next year.

Event organisation and planning was spot on. Not once did I miss a signpost or worry that I might be doing something wrong. Food and drinks stops are conveniently placed throughout the route each day, with friendly marshals on hand for a chat. The fact that they put up the tents for you is a massive bonus, literally, they put up hundreds of the things, from a couple of miles in the distance I thought it was some sort of solar energy filed.

If you’re completely new to walking then it’s the perfect opportunity to see what it’s like, safe in the knowledge that you have a load of people there to help along the way if you’re struggling. The range of abilities across the day was enormous.

2017 marks the first year for the event, but you can register your interest for both the challenge and the adventure elements for 2018. Click here to find out more.

The Duke of Edinburgh Adventure 2017 was originally published on The Allrounder

#DofE #Hiking #The Duke of Edinburgh Award #The Peak District

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lindoig · 7 years ago

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Days 92 to 102 - 27 July to 6 August

Thursday, we headed for Port Hedland, calling in at Eighty Mile Beach on the way – very hot, dusty and windy on the beach, but there were heaps of people in the very full and obviously popular caravan park. Fishing and the beach seemed to be the only activities and we weren’t into either of them on the day. We drove just over halfway to Port Hedland, a bit over 300km for the day, and camped in a cleared area a little way off the highway 60km short of Pardoo. Not another bloody sunset……

Friday started with a mini-disaster. I decided to make a cheese and herb damper for brekky, so we built a fire and used the camp oven we had purchased in Broome specifically for the purpose. It was my first attempt, a complete experiment with no recipe, but I think the main problem was that the fire was way too hot. I also suspect the dough was a bit too stolid and maybe we let it cook longer than necessary. The lump of charcoal that came out was almost axe-proof, but we managed to salvage some of its innards - moderately edible dryish bread that became breakfast once smothered in butter. No probs – life is a learning experience and next time, I am sure we will do better.

On arrival in Port Hedland, we booked in at the Big 4 Park (I said in an earlier post that I have never liked Big 4s) and they put us on a ‘premium’ site. What a joke! It was tiny, simply a small patch of sand, on a corner, with traffic squeezing past us day and night. I badly bent part of our stabilising gear when I had to jack-knife the van to get it on the site – and that cost us $35 to have it straightened before we could move on anyway. When we complained that it wasn’t concreted like all the other premium sites, they said it was a gravel site – oops, no gravel. Oh sorry, it is a grassed site – but no grass this decade. There were numerous other problems – cracked bowl in the toilet with sewage on the floor, toilets that don’t flush, a dump point with a perished hose that sprayed everywhere and soaked me, no light in the shower, the washing came out dirtier than it went in, etc., etc., etc. (I made a list of about 20 complaints.) By the time we decided we had to stay a second night, the office was closed so next day, we read the riot act to them and refused to pay for the second night. That was when they admitted that our site was supposed to be for a small camper-trailer only – and that they knew about all our other complaints because other people had also complained, but they hadn’t got around to fixing them. We posted a comment on the Big 4 Facebook page (as invited to do) and Heather ended up getting an abusive phone call from their Customer Relations people. Seems my prejudice against Big 4 may have some substance.

Notwithstanding the Caravan Park, we did get around and saw a few things in the area on the Saturday. We did a harbour cruise conducted by the Seafarers Centre. It is run by the Anglicans and provides a service for seamen from the bulk carriers and other ships in the mining industry during their short stopovers in Port Hedland while their ships are being loaded. They collect them from the ships, bring them to shore, take them to the supermarket or other shops, give them internet access and other services along with a package of goodies (lollies, etc.) to take back with them. We tourists are allowed on the cruise around the harbour as they visit all the ships to collect the seamen – and our tour fees go toward providing the services they deliver – a very neat arrangement all round. We got up very close to lots of things in the harbour that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise and they gave us a really interesting commentary and DVD show before we actually left for the cruise. Seems like a great service to men - and women - whose life is less than enjoyable and a cause we were happy very to support.

We went to the pub for lunch and drove around much of Port Hedland and out to Finucane Island in the afternoon. It is a very spread-out town spanning about 20km or more and does a huge volume of shipping. I counted at least 25 ships on the horizon and they are apparently just the ones in the front line waiting to be filled. There are two more lines behind that and there are often more than 100 gigantic carriers anchored out there, sitting idle waiting to be filled. They can only get in and out of the harbour on the high tides and it takes a day and a half to fill a ship so keeping everything running smoothly is critical given the billions of dollars of shipping anchored out there looking for a profitable load. Driving to Finucane Island gave us lots of different aspects of the loading process to look at – we saw more of the giant loaders, the 3km 250,000 tonne trains and all sorts of other massive mysterious plant and infrastructure sitting in the middle of nowhere. As we drove through the whole Kimberley/Pilbara area, I have been staggered by the number of projects with giant infrastructure sitting out in the middle of the desert - squillions of dollars, maybe even more, all quarantined from we plebs,but hopefully feeding zillions of dollars into our economy - hopefully, if the resources go overseas, not all the profits follow them.

Obviously, iron ore is the main export from the Pilbara, but the world’s second largest area of salt extraction ponds is at Port Hedland and as you drive in and out of town, you pass a massive 50 metre high pile of salt and adjacent loading area – not sure what they do in the monsoon season: maybe they have a big umbrella or maybe, it just all dissolves and runs back into the sea?? And Port Hedland is only one of our salt mines - we have seen at least 2 others that look (to my untrained eye) to be about as big.

There was a small festival in town, presumably in honour of our visit. Leastways, they put on a reasonable fireworks display across from the Caravan Park to wish us well on our journey further south.

We drove to Karratha on Sunday and it was a nice surprise. Port Hedland didn’t have much to recommend it, at least for us, but Karratha is quite a large town of about 25,000 and a pleasant dormitory area for all the industry surrounding it.

En route to Karratha, we called in at Point Sampson, Wickham, Cossack and Roebourne – in that order despite the geography suggesting the opposite. We had a fish and chips lunch at the Port Sampson pub and did some shell collecting on the beach afterwards. We then drove around the port and loading area, but we couldn’t get in to see much – apart from being staggered by its size. There is not much to at Wickham, mainly workmen’s houses and barracks, but the abandoned town of Cossack was interesting. We had a walk around some of the old buildings and the wharf area. There is an annual art competition at Cossack (I think it has the richest or second richest art prize in Australia) and we just happened to call in while it was on – but shortly before it closed for the day. We then went onto Roebourne, smaller than I imagined, but still a pleasant little town, and then on to Karratha.

We called in at the first caravan place we saw, but it was not very suitable so we rang and booked at another one – and would you believe it, the woman running the place was the same woman who had booked us in at the awful place at Port Hedland. Fortunately, all went smoothly and our problems up there were not mentioned so we set ourselves up in what was really quite a good caravan park.

Monday morning was a slow start, just doing things around the van, dealing with email and getting ourselves a bit better organised. In the afternoon, we went for a drive to Dampier, some 15 km away on the sea. We were interested in doing a mine tour so called in to the Dampier Information Centre (the Seafarers Club) but were told that there are no such things. We had a good look around the town, went to the local lookout, and took a drive out along the Burrup Peninsula to where the port and industrial area is located. It is only about 15km out there, but there is a huge amount of development there, including an Information Centre to tell the tourists about the whole area and what they are looking at. Alas, we arrived as they were closing for the day, so we retraced our steps and visited Withnell Bay – a little further along the Peninsula. The road was so bad that we gave up just short of the actual Bay, but it was basically just a marshy mangrove area anyway – but apparently a favourite spot for fishermen. We also called in to Hearson’s Cove: a lovely long beach, sheltered on both ends by long promontories. On the way back, we went in to Deep Gorge, but it was approaching dark and the few people we met in the parking area were unsure of where the Gorge actually was – they had trekked 2 kilometres in and seen nothing (they took the wrong track as we found out next day) – so we decided to leave that to tomorrow – that would be Tuesday.

Our trip list of birds topped 250 since we left home that day – a mini-milestone. I also found out that the ‘lumpy’ termite nests I have tried to describe a couple of times are called Cathedral Mounds and they can be up to 8 metres high – and they all are twice as deep underground as they are above ground. That’s quite a construction project for such tiny workers. The last termite census conducted by the Bureau established that they have about 8 million workers in the larger mounds, so the workforce is substantial even if the individual workers are small. The mounds all have a nipple on top and the termites apparently use airways in that to maintain a constant cool temperature underground irrespective of how hot it might be above ground. Maybe their air conditioning technology is better than we humans’.

We got a reasonably early start on Tuesday and headed for the North West Shelf Gas Project Visitors’ Centre that was closing when we arrived the previous day. It is a really excellent display with loads on information about the project, including a couple of new DVDs showing how the oil and gas is formed and collected underground and how it is extracted, processed and exported by Rio Tinto. It was all very informative and because we expressed interest, they actually gave us copies of the 2 DVDs and a bit of other material to take with us. It was definitely worth the time spent there!

We had lunch at Hearson’s Cove and the tide was out so we walked a couple of hundred metres out to sea on the wet sand. That was when Heather got her annoying 20-minute call from Big 4 when she almost hung upon them – she has a lot more patience than I have! By then, the tide had turned and we had to return to the beach without really discovering anything on our walk out.

We had rung early in the day to find out a bit more about Deep Gorge, including which track to take. It was really only 3-4 hundred metres in among the huge piles of rocks and there were thousands of ancient aboriginal etchings on the rocks. Many were not recognisable, but there was obviously a huge artists’ colony there at some point in early history. The path in is simply a metre-wide line of jagged rocks so we trod carefully and made it there and back without injury. We had been warned of a lot of snakes in the area including a big grumpy olive python, but we saw none.

And about the landscape/rockscape around here….. It is quite extraordinary, composed very largely of spinifex country with a few stunted trees and gigantic piles of higgledy-piggledy red rocks, all jumbled together, big and small, all shapes and sizes, some as big as a car, but mostly maybe just car-boot size and smaller. They are almost completely exposed with few places where enough erosion or wind-blown sand has collected to support plant life. It is a combination of huge piles of dramatic dark red-brown rock and plains of creamy-grey spinifex – and man! is that prickly!! Fortunately, the spinifex grows in clumps and it is often not too difficult to tiptoe between the clumps to creep up on a bird or photograph a flower. Interestingly, as the spinifex plants die, their seeds grow around their perimeters forming quite large fairy rings – or vicious circles, depending on your fancy.

We tried to get to the end of the Burrup Peninsula and drove several kilometres in, but the road was deteriorating rapidly (it started as a narrow, rough, rocky bush track) to the point of impassibility (impossibility?) so we spent some time photographing some painted finches (another first for us) and then headed back to the caravan – and yet another of those sunsets. There was a BBQ and entertainer on that night, all welcome by donation with proceeds going to Variety (a great children’s charity) so we went along and ate our sausages and tapped or sang along with the entertainer’s songs and jokes. Three Irishmen went into a pub…..well, they would, wouldn’t they?

Some people at the same table as us told us not to believe what the Seafarers had told us. There was a tour and they were going on it in a couple of days. So we rang and booked to go on the same tour as them on Thursday.

Next day, Wednesday, we went for a long loop drive to Python Pool, through the Millstream-Chichester National Park and back to Karratha. Python Pool is a beautiful big swimming hole at the foot of some massive cliffs – with an obviously massive waterfall during the Wet. Heather braved it and had a very cold swim, but I guarded her towel and took the photos. We ate our lunch there and drove on, stopping at several places to look at birds and/or plants. The people who had told us about the tour had previously spent a couple of weeks camped by the ocean at Cleaverville about 40 clicks north of Karratha and said it was just fantastic! We decided to check it out on our way back to Karratha, but decided that it was not our scene at all. It was crowded and unfriendly – one couple had even set up their van in a big area on the top of the hill overlooking the sea and parked their car sideways across the road to prevent anyone else getting in to disturb their solitude. Selfish people!

I had seen a sign for some Plankton Farms 4 kilometres off the road near our caravan park so we went exploring. Unfortunately, after nearly 4 km, we came to a locked gate with the usual ‘No Admittance’ signage. In the absence of first hand enquiry, we had to explore the business by Google and it seems that it is a new industry, supplying algae and plankton, mainly to the pharmaceutical industry.

We topped up our larder from the supermarket before reaching the caravan because we knew we would be off the grid for the following few days.

As I said, we did the mine tour on Thursday. It wasn’t actually a mine tour, but very interesting just the same. They drove about a dozen of us from Karratha to Roebourne where we were shown a DVD about the mine and loading facilities, in fact quite a lot about the whole Pilbara area, then went out to Point Sampson where we were able to drive right through the mammoth Port Lambert Loading Facility. It was amazing to get within touching distance of so many of the things we had seen in the far distance from our own car a few days earlier. It is mind-bogglingly massive and all the statistics are off the chart – needless to say, I can’t recall much, but the scale of some of these developments is almost unimaginable. I think there are 13 separate mines feeding into the stockpiles – massive trains, 65-metre road-trains – even quite a flow of scrap metal trucks/road trains constantly feeding the export markets. We saw them tipping the train-trucks upside down to empty their few hundred tons of crushed stone onto the miles-long conveyor belts to the stockpiles and from there to the loading machinery. It is all highly automated with most of the control being effected from Perth, 1300 km away. People in Perth even drive some of the 150-tonne driverless dump-trucks they use. They are working on driverless trains too, but I understand the TWU has a problem with that.

Our driver and guide was a mine of information and never stopped talking the whole time. He lives in Roebourne and is a passionate local history and conservation buff and had plenty to say wherever we went. He took us to Cossack for a cut lunch and a walk around, including the Art Gallery that was then open – then for a drive around Wickham and Roebourne with lots more local facts and fables before we were driven back to Karratha about 1.30pm or so.

We had left our car and van parked at the Visitors’ Centre so had a coffee and topped up our tanks and headed to Pannawonica (love the sound of that). The ‘caravan park’ there only has 4 sites adjacent to the sports oval and all were occupied so we free-camped in an open gravel area 50 metres further on. Just in time for another glowing sunset!

Friday was Day 100 – and a really great day. We drove less than 150 km on the day, but took all day to do it. We stopped numerous times for longer than usual each time looking for birds and photographing many of the roadside flowers. We just moseyed along slowly, stopping often, eventually camping in the middle of nowhere about 4pm – quite early for us. We were itching for a bush camp and this was on the Karratha-Tom Price Road about 53km from the closest turnoff. It was just a cleared area 50 metres from the road but I think the first car that went past us was not until early next morning. We lit a fire and sat under the stars until it got too cold and we went inside for a really scrumptious meal. I cooked the rissoles and Heather made a delicious red wine and caramelised onion sauce as well as a cheesy potato bake. It was a great meal, supported as it was with a bottle of bubbles and a little supplementary red wine. A wonderful day, a wonderful night: one of the best.

This place was so enjoyable that we decided to simply stay there in the middle of nowhere for an extra day. We kept our fire going all night and next day and made a MUCH more successful damper in the coals for Saturday lunch. Maybe a bit too hot again – we need to keep practising – but dripping with jam, honey, cream, butter, cheese and the remains of our red wine and caramelised onion sauce, it made for a rather tasty meal – with half the damper left over to form the basis of our evening meal with a tinned meal and a swathe of veges. We sat around the campfire for a couple of hours – another really great day and night. I reckon only about 15 or 20 cars passed us in the 36 hours we were there and the freedom of being away from everyone and everything was wonderful. The only distraction was the caravan that pulled up right next to us to have their lunch. The clearing we were in was about 300 metres long, but they chose to park no more than 5 metres from us. At least they only stayed for an hour – with some broad hints from us about how much we were enjoying the peace and quiet with nobody around! Sitting by our fire watching the stars and the almost full moon that night attracted a toot from one of the two cars that passed by after dark.

We spent the day blogging, researching our bird and plant books, photographing the many grey-headed honeyeaters and painted finches that surround us, and generally hanging out, just relaxing. Maybe we should all make time in our lives for regenerative experiences like this.

Sunday saw us back on the road, a little uncertain about exactly where we were, but wanting to call in at Wittenoom. We had been told in Karratha that the authorities didn’t encourage visitors so they had removed all the directional signs and the road would probably be pretty terrible, but we decided to give it a go anyway. Turns out we were not actually on the road we thought we were, but it was a superb gravel road that eventually took us to where we wanted to go. It was just a little further on that road and I was a bit concerned about having enough fuel. We carry 50 litres in jerrycans so we put that in the tank when we got to Wittenoom and decided we had plenty.

Wittenoom is backed by the Hamersley Range and that is truly magnificent. It is rugged with huge cliffs of rich red rock running down to wide slopes and plains of spinifex – truly remarkable country. The town itself is supposedly almost deserted – we understood from Karratha and a TV program we saw some time ago that there were only 3 people still there who the authorities had been unable to dislodge, but I reckon at least 4 houses were moderately well-maintained and still in regular, if not constant, use. We drove around and ended up eating our lunch on the edge of town and in the short time we did that, 2 huge road-trains and about 5 or 6 other cars passed us so the road through town is still getting a lot of commercial use (and a bit of tourist traffic), despite all the big government warning signs on all the approach roads. It is actually a sad little place, heavily vandalised, but obviously still loved by a few souls willing to chance it with all the warnings about potential asbestos-related disease.

Onwards to Tom Price after lunch, driving along the foot of the beautiful Hamersleys. Close to the Gorge turnoff, the road becomes a series of single lane no-stopping segments with the rocks crowding both sides of the road a mere metre or so away. They are the starkest red I have seen and I would have loved to stop and look more closely at them and take some photos, but I didn’t want to be caught in a cutting with a massive road-train coming at me from the opposite direction. The gap between the rocks is so narrow in places, it is hard to imagine a road-train squeezing through, but obviously, they do.

Still cognizant of our fuel situation, we stopped a guy coming out of the Hamersley Gorge access road and asked how far in the road went – I didn’t want to drive 40 kilometres in and out to an unknown destination only to run out of fuel a couple of clicks out of Tom Price. He assured us that it was only 15 minutes or so in so off we went – and it was barely 5 minutes. Lo and behold, there is a free Wi-Fi hotspot at the entrance to the Gorge – so we sat in the car in the middle of absolutely nowhere and downloaded 3 days’ worth of emails and dealt with some texts that had been waiting for us to get a signal! Amazing?

More amazing was the Gorge itself. We only went to the observation platform above the Gorge – the sign said it was 400 metres down and to allow an hour! Very steep and probably quite beyond us to climb back up – much easier going down. The Gorge is quite narrow with a series of small waterfalls cascading down into quite a large swimming hole at the bottom that let out into another section of the gorge that we couldn’t see. There were a couple of people swimming – and it would probably have been nice – but the rocks were what captured our attention. The strata is extremely convoluted and has many layers of different colours, all exposed in a craggy cliff across the Gorge from the platform we were on. The Sun was on it and the colours glowed richly – reds, browns, yellows, black and white. We just marvelled at it for 20 minutes or so and then drove through to Tom Price where we set up in the caravan park for the night. Washed a lot of mud off the car and van (we later found that park rules prohibit such heinous practices) and then washed a few days’ dirt off our own bodies. It is delightful to feel clean after days of feeling your skin almost being sucked dry by the layers of dust covering everything, including us! I think the dust in the Pilbara gets into everything far more than the dust anywhere else we have been. Maybe it is finer, maybe the colour just makes it more obvious, but it had leached our skin much more savagely than any other place we have been.

One interesting little thing as we travelled the dusty track was the frequent sound of things rolling across the roof of the car. At first, we took no notice, not even sure where the sound came from, but it happened quite a lot of times and we figured it was from the roof. I was concerned that the nuts on the roof bars or roof rack could be coming loose but when I climbed up, there were 20-odd small pebbles up there and it was them that were rolling off from the wind and bouncy road. We figured that passing cars must have thrown up stones that lodged in the stuff we had up on top and gradually shaken down to the roof where they rolled around. Some lodged between the edge of the roof and the top of the tailgate and crunched and ground paint off when we opened the back of the car. In the end, we decided that the stones were flying up from our own wheels, hitting the sloping front of the van and bouncing forward on to the roof – then rolling off again. We have a flexible stone-guard, but it is hard to get properly fitted so we don’t always use it – but once fitted, we had no more ‘Rolling Stones’.

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