#like i plan on doing another spicy drawing tomorrow but this time its a self ship drawing

[cuddlesworks]

Love making pieces that only i will enjoy 🩷

[megan-is-mia]

So I'm not sure if you'll do something like this but Azul's groovy line, "let's enjoy tonight to our heart's content, let me hear you scream so loud that it'll reach the moon" can you do a yandere prompt where he recognizes her at the venue sees she's not taking pictures secretly drags her away with bandages to reward her for obeying the rules spiciness please. If not it's totally fine!

(Okay confession, i have zero idea what was going on in the Halloween event. But from what I can infer people were taking pictures of the boys without their consent? So I guess Reader is a good girl who’s gonna get dicked down for being obedient) Groovy Line:  "let's enjoy tonight to our heart's content, let me hear you scream so loud that it'll reach the moon"  (Yandere! Azul Ashengrotto x Fem! S/o) (WARNING NSFW AND NON-CON AHEAD)

Azul had never liked having pictures taken of him, and had tried his best to rid the world of every photo of his childhood self. Even now when he was on the cusp of adulthood, he still detested the flashing lights and clicks of cameras being aimed at him. So it would be an understatement to say he was relieved to see at least one person obeying the “no photography” rule during the Halloween party.

In fact, his attention remained on the solitary figure who did not hold their phone at the ready for picture taking. After looking at them long enough, recognition kicked in and he found himself grinning softly. (Y/n) was just one of the many first years that had been sorted into Octavinelle at the start of term. However, she’d carved out a unique niche for herself with her talent for song. Despite himself, there had been times Azul had been distracted from his work on contracts by the sound of (Y/n)’s soft voice ringing through the empty Monstro Lounge before opening time and after closing time each day. Over time, the octopus boy had come to the revelation that he had a crush on the girl and struggled with how to confess his feelings to her without embarrassing himself severely. He’d made up his mind just to never tell her how he felt. Yet tonight… he was feeling a bit bolder than usual. So as he gazed at (Y/n) a plan began to form in his mind, he quietly excused himself from the others claiming that fatigue had finally caught up with him. Only he did not leave, instead concealing himself in the shadows of the room waiting for the right moment to grab (Y/n). The opportunity eventually arrived as the girl parted from her friends to grab herself a drink and with a simple spell, Azul was able to bind her in the excess bandages dangling from his costume. Without wasting a second, the octopus scooped (Y/n) up and headed back to Octavinelle cooing into the young woman’s ear as they made the journey to the dorm. (Y/n) tried to scream for help but the bandages over her mouth muffled her cries completely.

Azul kicked open the door to his room before locking the door behind them with a magic spell. He didn't want any interruptions, not even by the twins, tonight while he showed his affections for (Y/n). Dropping the girl on the bed he used another spell to remove the bandages from his costume but not from the girl’s arms which bound themselves neatly against the headboard above her head. “I’ll never understand why land-dwellers are so bad at following instructions. Everyone at that party knew damn well they weren’t supposed to take pictures and yet they were snapping photos left and right. Except you, you were the only person there who respected the no photography rule. Good behavior like that deserves to be rewarded, don’t you think?” Azul said with a purr as he sat on the bed and caressed (Y/n)’s cheek.

“Besides I’ve been waiting for awhile to do this you know. Ever since I heard that lovely singing voice of yours, I’ve been wondering what you’d sound like in the throes of pleasure. How you’d sound when you’ve completely lost your rational mind to a fit of passion” the octopus went on pressing a hungry kiss to (Y/n)’s lips as he made himself comfortable between her legs and continued caressing her cheeks. “The thought of it all makes me so excited” Azul crooned as he broke from the kiss, panting lightly as he did so. He went in for another greedy liplock, his hands dropping from the girl’s face to tug at her clothes insistently. When the fabric did not give as easily as he wished, the young man simply tore it apart before groping roughly at (Y/n)’s boobs and drawing a gasp from her that allowed him to slip his tongue in her mouth. Azul brought his knee against (Y/n)’s crotch, grinding insistently as his fingers pinched at her breasts through the bra she still wore. However, he would not be satisfied by this indirect contact for long and ripped the girl's bra in half so her bust spilled free into his waiting hands. Once again he broke away from a kiss, this time to start peppering hickies on the young woman’s neck and shoulders before latching onto one of her tits. Sucking roughly on (Y/n)’s breast left one of Azul’s hands free to dart between her legs and start teasing her cunt through the fabric of her panties before eventually pulling the garment aside to tease her clit directly. The girl let out a soft moan and tried to squeeze her legs shut to deny him further access to her intimates but found that quite impossible with the octo-boy situated so snuggly between her thighs. Azul removed the hand still toying with (Y/n)’s chest to start fumbling with his own clothes and free his already half-hard cock from its leather prison. He jerked himself off while at the same time beginning to finger the girl in earnest and drawing even more cute noises from her lips. In fact, if the young man wasn’t careful he might just lose it from hearing her voice tremble so sweetly for him. It took a great force of will to stop, forcing himself to stop jerking it even as he was about to burst and pulling his fingers free of (Y/n)’s pussy which clung to his fingers like a vice as he removed them. The girl let out a disappointed whine that made both Azul’s heart and cock twitch in longing. However, the octo-boy contented himself for a moment by licking his fingers clean of her sweet fluids and then positioning the head of his cock at her entrance. “Let's enjoy tonight to our heart's content, Angelfish” Azul said as he began sinking into her warm depths with a groan. The term of endearment slipped off his tongue so easily and it felt so right. (Y/n) was his Angelfish, and she’d always be his Angelfish as long as he had a say in the matter. “Let me hear you scream so loud that it'll reach the moon” he added as he continued sheathing himself in his darling’s tight cavern with another groan leaving his lips. Once he was all the way in, Azul stilled to allow (Y/n) to get used to the sensation of him being inside her. Only when the girl’s body had relaxed did he begin to move, thrusting in and out of her with a slow but steady pace. At first, the young woman tried to stay quiet but eventually she couldn’t hold back her cries anymore as a series of moans slipped from her lips like a waterfall. Azul smiled softly, picking up speed a little but still making an effort to hit (Y/n)’s sweet spot as he took hold of one of her bound hands. Entwining their fingers as he pressed his lips against his love’s and swallowing the adorable sounds she made before they even reached the air. The octopus picked up the pace once more as the climax he’d denied himself before began building again and this time he would see it through. He came with a low growl and his hips stuttered as he filled (Y/n)’s cunt with his seed. However he was not finished quite yet, no he wanted to make his darling see stars before he’d be satisfied. So after a few breaths to collect himself, Azul began thrusting once more, focused on making (Y/n) cum as he latched onto her breast once more and sucked until the combined stimulation drove her over the edge and she came all over his cock. Having achieved his goal, Azul collapsed while still buried deep in (Y/n)’s pussy. He was careful not to put his weight on her as he panted softly and nuzzled his face between her boobs. After he’d somewhat recovered he set about undoing the bandages around his darling’s wrists before removing her ripped shirt and bra. The next thing he did was finally pull out of her if only to remove her skirt and panties and throw them on the floor. With (Y/n) totally naked, Azul attended to himself discarding his clothes onto the floor beside hers and tucking both of them under the covers. He pulled the young woman against his chest, intent on spooning her when he noticed she’d begun to tremble. The octo-boy held her closer, mumbling words of affection into her ear hoping that his feelings were being conveyed properly. Eventually, the girl’s trembling stopped as she drifted off to sleep. It didn't take long before Azul was nodding off as well, the fatigue he’d claimed to have finally kicking in now that the adrenaline of making (Y/n) his one and only was draining from his system. He barely had the energy to set his glasses on the nightstand and get comfortable again as thoughts of what he’d do with his love tomorrow began swirling in his head and a sleepy smile spread across his face… THE END

[bygosscarmine]

W: Worlds Apart - Volume 3: Worlds Aligned

Kang Chul X Oh Yeon Joo - Fix-It Fic (T)

Read from beginning or find previous chapters here: Stories

The closer they get to the moment of truth with Chul returning to W, the harder it is to pretend that it doesn’t matter that they’re going to be separated. But how does it get quantified that right now they’re saying goodbye and half hoping to not see each other again? Is it now the time to be dealing with things going unspoken? Will there ever be another a chance to say it?

Chapter 103 - Sometimes Preparing for the Worst Sets You Free (1497 words)

Yeon Joo met with Chul for lunch at some point every day to plan it through the week. They didn't always agree. Sometimes Soo Bong was there, and invaluable because he had the amazing assistant's attribute of taking notes only of the good ideas or flawed but interesting ones, and leaving the rest. There were arguments: Yeon Joo believed that since she'd already been pulled into W once there was no way for her avoid going again. Chul thought since she was thinking about him when it happened, and going through a doorway of some kind, she could just avoid this behavior.

"So I'm going to be hovering," she asked, "waiting to send you the evidence and tools you need, while also not thinking about you any time I need to leave the room? How is that going to work?"

"You're going to have to just be more disciplined," he said pitilessly.

"If you find it easy to put me from your mind, that makes sense, since you're the center of the universe. I'm different. I've been sick with worry about you and the things connected to this like my father, my work, for months. It feels like years. My mind is not so easily taken off you and W, Chul."

She hadn't meant to get angry, or let it show--and now she was starting to cry. Which didn't make her feel less angry. She got up and left the kitchen in the studio, where they'd been trying to figure out the contingencies, and went out into the garden for air.

She was almost back to herself when Chul came out after her. Because it was only almost she didn't turn. She felt a hesitant brush on her hand, and chose not to pull away.

His arms enveloped her from behind, his chin against her shoulder. She stayed with her head bent, but gently clasped his arms in her hands, noticing that he smelled right now of the same store-brand shampoo as Soo Bong, not the spicy expensive W-world products of his own choosing. And she wanted to laugh that she was noticing this, but he was saying, "Thank you for thinking of me. Thank you for making me real. It's not that I can easily put you from my mind, it's that I don't have the power to bring you to me without you wanting to come."

"I'm not sure that's true," she said. "You're very single-minded. And I haven't been part of your daily life the way you've been part of mine."

His grip softened, and he said, "Maybe before I came here that was true. Now it's not."

The words brushed her throat, and then his lips touched the skin of her neck. She had to pull away. She kept hold of one of his hands as she turned, though. Afraid to see his face she didn't raise her head. She only said, "I don't want you to think of me more. I want our plan to work and for us to have to move on. And succeed."

Finally she looked up. She'd been expecting something like the raw fear or panic that she'd seen before Chul had erased his memory, but instead these eyes were gentle and searching hers. Worried about how she felt.

Not that this was something Chul had previously been incapable of--the quiet balcony dinner to draw out their time together had been evidence of that kind of thoughtfulness. It just felt more like co-operation than a gift now.

"We're arguing about petty things because we know we've figured out as much as we possibly can," he said. "We can keep talking in circles and even coming up with ideas, but ultimately we've done everything we can. The next big unknown is there waiting for us to write across its pages."

"And I have two more meetings this afternoon before I'm done here."

She went back into the house, aware of him walking just a pace behind her, and avoiding Soo Bong's eye when they re-entered the house. Which was easy because Soo Bong was clearly pretending nothing had happened, either.

He was really a genius assistant.

-

Chul was sick of many things about the current situation: the lack of sleep, the ambiguous smells of Soo Bong's apartment, the constant rattle in his chest of the traffic. He couldn't quite say to himself that his time with Yeon Joo made it all worth it, mainly because it was a kind of delicate torture to be in her presence. And it was such brief meetings stretched out by waiting. The other things were harder to bear when he had to pretend to be business-like in his goodbyes, to be unaffected by her nearness. And yet...getting to see her at all was a gift. One he was swiftly losing.

He'd found himself playing a character, not alien to his nature, but borrowed partly from what he'd seen of his previous self's confidence. One where he was ruthlessly logical, and scientific. Which he was. But it was a useful shield when he had to sit across a table from Yeon Joo and act like solving the problem of his return to W felt important. More important than solving how abandoning her once made it was difficult to be together now.

He wasn't as good at being cool as he thought he could be. She said it was impossible for her to stop thinking about him, to prevent coming to W. "You'll have to be more disciplined," was his reply, cutting rather than casual.

And he hurt her, which he hated. Why did he have to always do this?

If she'd feared or mistrusted him, she would have faced him when he came toward her, after spending an anguished few minutes wondering if he should leave her alone or go to her. She didn't pull away when he tested his ground again, fingers gently reaching to her hand. She waited. She folded into the hug, too, and the trepidation he'd seen in her face was confirmed as he thought.

They wanted each other. They'd just made it all so difficult. It wasn't going to stop being difficult.

He told her that maybe before he'd come to her world (and lived waiting to see her like a flower waiting on the sun, not that he said that much) he could have disciplined his mind that way. (He had disciplined his mind to not think about her in his months of exile. Or he had tried.) Now it wasn't possible.

She'd pulled away, had to leave. He understood that. He understood it even as he sat in stung silence with Soo Bong once she'd wrapped up their meeting and gone.

"Just thinking," Soo Bong said, "you could probably go by her place tonight. If you really think tomorrow is the day."

Chul stared at him.

Soo Bong's ears were red, but he didn't waver under Chul's gaze.

"Things that happen here don't really make it into the comics, so there's that, too. And while the tablet's still off, you're double-sure."

"What will I say as an excuse to be there? We just said we were finished planning."

"We have three hours to come up with something convincing," Soo Bong said. "And I'm a writer, you're a protagonist. It can't be that hard."

Chul declined his help in this matter. Still, now the idea was in his head he couldn't get it out. And when Soo Bong got the car started and gave him a quick questioning look, he said, "Sure. Let me just text her."

All he said was, Can I see you now?

And all she said was, Yes.

He forgot to say goodbye when he got out of the car, he was so focused on what he should say to her. The car pulled away without lingering, Soo Bong doing his part to strand Chul where he wanted to be. Not that anything Soo Bong was probably imagining was likely to happen.

Best not to think about what anyone might imagine, even himself.

She opened the door to the apartment, skin slightly pink from a shower after work. A sweater softened her outline and her eyes met his now like she was asking a question she wasn't sure he could answer.

Her finger came up to her lips, so he didn't speak. The television was playing just around the corner, and he followed her as quietly as possible, avoiding the living room, into her room. He had forgotten anything he had prepared to say, so it was just as well he had to stay silent in the walk through the halls. He was too overwhelmed by the gingery tea smell of her soap, by the way the line of her side curved when she held the door for him to go into her room. He remembered the taste he'd almost gotten of her skin that afternoon, and it filled the room now.

[shytiff]

May Small Wins

1 - lazed, went to racheel’s place and put my motorbike there, went to slipi jaya with silvi devi reza to watch seobok (it was fun!!), had iftar at the yumz green sedayu. It was raining when we get back. prayed maghrib and isya in some random mosque. went back and arrived at like 8 past sumn. showered, slept like a babyy

2 - lazed, slept and woke up at like 11, went to nila’s house, practiced doing eyeliner by borrowing nila's (focallure brand), iftar at green sedayu foodcourt (originally intended to go to the yumz but it enforces actual distancing) with angkot ppl minus tik will. Arrived home at about 9-ish.

3 - magang as usual. Went to rm. Took mrt to lebak bulus. My inaco salary finally came. My head kinda hurts after tarawih. Ended up skimming over bj alex lmaooo. Did not shower today lol,,,,

4 - added dr dafsah's revision to the excel database otw to rsf. Pak nardi took a while to arrive. Left rsf early to go to the bank. I (((finally))) activated m-banking lmaooo wow the features are neat wow im not jahiliah anymore. Found this method of just let it sweat anyway during tarawih lmaoo. Preferably with long sleeves bcs somehow you feel less of the sweaty feel compared to tshirt.

5 - sampling - data entry - RM as usual. Theres no new RM. Read a goood dramione fic by bex chan even if its not complete, its okay. Im okay :"))). Iftar was soup, salad, chicken katsu and french fries. Its been 2 days that i practiced sleeping-to-rain-sound. The first night was spent as a dreamless quick sleep (its over before you knew it), but tonight i dreamed abt almira's wedding lmaoo.

6 - no sampling today!! Still went to rsf tooo go to the mall w regen lmao. Did some data entry. Went to PP by mrt. Went back by going to halte gbk and thankfully the kalideres one arrived after only waiting for 5 mins. Its surprisingly quick, compared to lebak bulus - pesakih trip. Took abt 20 mins to jelambar.

7 - no sampling today too. Dr vera gave us lebaran cookies! Did gcp for bu suryati a5. Went to rm, finally finished the available rm. Went home early. Can finally relax since its the weekend.

8 - literally laid in bed til my body hurts. Rly want to read sumn but dunno what. Finally decided to read momoiro heaven. And rere hello. And after iftar i read lack of love. And just like tht, my saturday was gone. Cant bring myself to do things

9 - its another day of lazying (or self sabotaging, cant tell). Read spy family and its effin hilarious. Wasted my sunday. Cant bring myself to even move and i just laid in bed all day.

10 - last day of work in the weeekend lmao. Felt better than being in AR, but still not that much productivity. Went to RM. Phone call w fianti along the way to plan food in almira's bridal shower. Went back at 12-ish. Picked up my dress from risma busana. Walked to and fro halte kebon jeruk. Prayed zuhur close to ashar in kfc's mushola. Felt better after ~8k steps. Had homelab's green tea mixed with vsoy. It honestly made me feel better. Matcha, or caffeine, sure is amazing. At least i had a sense of normalcy before losing all the will to self-care

11 - consumed internet entertainment u til i was sick and tired of it. Watched a lot of cut videos. Granny came and stayed over. So i slept upstairs

12 - same as 11 but upstairs. More relatives came near iftar time so i excused myself to shower. Slept in mom n dads room at like 12-ish. Watched hp goblet of fire since keisha and karins newest obsession was draco. We squealed together over liking enemies to lovers trope haha,,,,

13 - Somehow all of dad's jakarta relatives came for lebaran. the last time i checked, there were some bridges being burned. prayed eid at home. watched perempuan tanah jahanam (which was surprisingly not scary). ate. napped. talked about personal things w keisha and karin. i cant believe the time has finally come where we talk about this kinda stuff. watched you’re next (it barely has any plot, just gore). they went back at about 8 pm and i just sleptttt yall lmao i didnt shower today. disgusting, i know

14 - cam barely get out of bed. Managed to shower at zuhur time. Watched dalbang and laughed like crazy bcs its just that funny. Read fanfics. Tiktok. Ate once and had greenfield yogurt at the evening. Fell asleep. Woke up at 1 and snacked on 1 pack of oat krunch

15 - run bts. Originally planned to go to flavola but it was still closed, so i went to dm's dunkin. Ordered orange juice and oeanut choco donut but somehow the price wasnt package price hhh. Turns out my clires account was somehow banned. So i contacted the admin. Instead of doing dr dafsah's excel i ended up taking off the makara sticker from my laptop. Bought some stuff for almira's bridal shower. Bought arirang at hari2 (its funny bcs yesterday i was seeing online marketplace, planning to buy it, but turns out hari2 the magical place had buy 2 get +1 deal for arirang.

16 - run bts. Managed to move my body a bit. Did 20 squats (ill elaborate on this later). That improved my mood. Tidied up some of my stuff. Saw the paper bag of random memorabilias by friends.

17 - went to rsf by tj. left kalideres 06:45 and arrived at RSF 8:15. sampling. went to RM (still no new ones). picked up by mom. went to salemba for almira’s bridal shower. originally planned to get padang at citra minang behind BK but it was closed. so we drove around looking for open ones. ended up buying it in a small (but crowded) padang place near a big padang restaurant lmao. was the first one to arrive at acacia. checked in, pulled the bed near the wall. showered. its hilarious sometimes with a bit more serious discussion anjayy. went home w febby who drove and clara

18 - went to mcd to get lunch (since everyone’s fasting) and tried to muster the will to do something. i didnt manage to do anything except shopping online (brought dusty pink hijab at hijup). got spicy chicken and iced coffee. (spoiler alert: tomorrow i got mencret2 lmaooo). read my suha and beyond the skidipapap its actually rly good

19 - went to RSF (with mom as usual. quickly snapped RM pictures while mom was waiting. went with her to mami’s house bcs she and uwak will fly to banjar. finally got to meet haekal, he’s such a smiley babyy its basically free therapy. planned outing with nisa lmao. from soekarno hatta we went to vintage vibes lmao since we’re already out. vintage vibes is more crowded now. and there’s less good findings now. went back emptyhanded. ate chicken arirang since there’s no food. fell asleep at like 06:30 until early morning lmaooo

20 - woke up at 2-ish am, played my phone, fell asleep at like 9?, woke up again at 11 lmaooo. went to sbux. had matcha latte. did some inaco work. todays the most productive ive been this week.

21 - went to gi with febby to also meet up with fi, bought falsies and glue (later proved to be of a horrible quality), siraman and pengajian almira (first time seeing an actual siraman), went to blok m w nes ren ara gen. Tried naruto takoyaki at little tokyo, went to daitokyo (i didnt eat anything), and got matcha cake, sakura and mango raspberry gelato at kebun ide. Picked up by mom. Renata gifted me bts 2021 winter package photocard 🥺🥺

22 - iluni internship webinar by dr naldo. Grabbed fried chicken master. Stupid time management etcetc made my start makeup at 12 (febby went out at 13:30). My falsies and hijabdo was done by herrr thank god for the help. Went to swissbel. Didnt take a pic w almira bcs time. Almiras wedding at damai indah golf pik. My skin was TERRIBLE at the wedding. The make up didnt stick prolly bcs of vitacid. Thank god for masks,,, went back home w febbyy. Made tiktok lmao

23 - lazed. Went to flavola. Its finally daytime caffeine again w kopsuscok. Did dr triya's translation work and finished it at home. She transferred the fee at like 11pm

24 - off to RSF with mom. no new medical records. wrote fuad’s name on the medrec borrowing form. continued to nisa’s place w mom. lazed, played w haekal, put some patient’s phone number on the inaco excel. Off to GBK with nisa and sarah. parked at abc field (shouldve parked near GBK’s H gate). saw moja museum 2.0, took lots of pics. mo paint (moral lesson: draw the background first!! not the foreground). finished at 16:30. ashar at masjid al-bina. nisa dropped me off at gbk tj station. prayed maghrib on the bus since the traffic was so ughh. met atikah in lippo puri. decided to eat seirockya so we walked to puri. talked about a certain someone along the way. we rly talked about it while walking until we arrived at seirockya. atikah treated me uyeyy since she and racheel will stay in depok for 2 weeks starting tomorrow. got the shoyu ramen and gyoza. took the taxi to atikah’s place. mom’s waiting there lmaoo i was like “noo dont wait at jco, just wait at atikah’s”. still felt energized that night in my bed. no sleepy2. like 100% awake. 

25 - woke up at like 9:30. i basically did nothing today. didnt even shower lmao (i showered last night). read the good teacher in one go. zoom meeting w dr eva. i rly need some structure in life, goshhh

26 - showered and went to mcd. got nasi uduk, breakfast wrap and milo for 26k (thanks mcd app promo and mcd duta garden’s menu machine, i dont have to interact with another human). planning to do dr dafsah’s excel after all the data is complete, and still no new inaco data, so i ended up.... online shopping at bobobobo....... (bought outer and white culotte). tidied up the writings on my stickies (plenty of words has accumulated). ordered onejai for emir juan (expensive!!! 79k no promo lolll but free delivery. i was baited by gojek’s 1k 2 week subscription and felt like hmmm i should get something since we live in the middle of nowhere and free deliveries felt significant at that particular time when im holding my phone lmao). fell asleep after drinking vsoy + matcha lol its soft caffeine no longer works i guess

27 - woke up late as usual, went to sbux at 1 pm. tried white peach matcha frapp. the peach overpowers and u can barely taste the matcha. tried to read something useful (in medicine) but skimmed 2 ppt and then i saw solid’s bitly for isip. finished reading banana fish. couldnt bawl my eyes out because im outside.

28 - checked out rsf. Still no new ones. Immediately went back. Lazed and wasted my time

29 - iluni webinar. Here comes the impending life crisis. Ate nasi uduk and mie goreng telor today. Tried vsoy golden grain with matcha. It has almond aftertaste. Line call with kris for almost 4 hrs until 11 past sumn pm.

30 - more iluni webinar. Dr Eric, SpPD, PhD was rly cool. Tried daily box (butter soy chicken). Quite tasty. Mkg w regen. Videocalled in the mall w silvi racil bcs its ale and nadaa's wedding today. Bought gooma 500ml matcha w gofood pickup discount. Ate sushi go (the shoyu has mirin btw). 50k+ you get 6 piece of sushi (2 salmon) and matcha cake and ocha. Quite a nice deal. Talked abt cryptocurrency lmao. Went back and forth w TJ. All hail tj

31 - planned to do at least some productive stuff at home. turns out nila is outside and had some time to spare. so we went out. i met her in citra 6. we went to pik’s white beach. its scorching hot since its 2 pm. spent like 15 mins there. we had wanted to stop by monsieur spoon but THERES A QUEUEEE even if its a hot afternoon. so we ate tom sushi at green sedayu. talked a bit afterwards in nila’s place and then i was picked up by emir. tried gooma’s matcha. its not sweet like sbux. approved by mom (who doesnt like sweets). but its more expensive than sbux’s 2L 100k promo lol. (45k after gopay pickup promo for 500 ml). reread bj alex lmaooooo found new tidbits

[allsortsotings]

Peñella y Pandenis

It’s been about three weeks now since I last updated. Perhaps because the pace of life has been more fast, but arguably because it has slowed down. I feel the need more to write when stressed, frantic or in waves of mania than when calm and relaxed. It’s said that the greatest art comes from depression, which might account for the radio silence in times of peace.

After Andreas’ we found a workaway in a tiny village called Peñella. We got the train from Novellana which had a quaint old waiting house and a big field of grass and daisies which allowed me to do yoga for half an hour whilst Nik went to buy lunch of pan, plátanos y naranjas. The train cost about €7 each and was an excursion in itself. Ubiquitous sights of mountains, rivers, fields and farms passed us as we headed to Infiesto.

On arrival we were greeted by the curly headed Maya; a delightful five year old with a wobbly tooth and a love of attention. Maybe I recognised some of my younger self in her which is why I often enjoyed playing with her more than partaking in the serious grown up chats/ ‘adult moments of silence’. We talked truffles over a litre of sidra and some crisps: Adam has started a truffle plantation in some flattish land - as flat as you can find on a foothill - and needs them to be constantly weeded in order to grow and produce.

It’s a big plan: the truffle trees will act as a working farm, in order to get planning permission for a barn in which Adam and his family can live. They currently reside in a beautiful self built house on the hillside with lots of crafted wood and amazing views. But! You say. Cultivating truffle trees? Impossible!

Yea, but nay. Adam’s trees came from a man in Barcelona who impregnates other tree types, in this case the ‘holly oak’ with truffle inoculations, then ships them out to customers. It’s surprisingly consistent work, due to the rapidity of the weeds’ growth. The trees however, are relatively low maintenance, almost cactus-like in their ability to withstand drought and lack of water for up to one year. With the all-sun or all-rain weather in Asturias, it’s perfect.

At Adam and Naomi’s we stayed in their old festival truck which was used for the Tiny Tea Tent (holla Glastonbury, WOMAD, etc), until he four children came and the new, improved Tiny Tea Truck was born. Complete with bunk beds, bath and pull-down bed.

The truck we stayed in was parked permanently on the truffle field, with a balcony built around the front and covered by eight year old willow trees. The view of the mist and the mountains at sunrise was quite mystical. We loved staying there. It had a gas stove, wood burner, sink, shelving, storage, dining area, and could still be opened up at the back so one could watch the sunset whilst hanging off the rear eating dinner, if one so wished.

Our cupboards were reasonably filled as part of the volunteering agreement which sparked the idea of masterchef style invention tests using what we were given. Arancini balls, aubergine parmigiana, fishcakes, hummus, kidney bean curry, peaches with granola and homemade yoghurt were some of the plates produced under the restrictions (in the loosest sense of the word).

On this note, we got really into food whilst there, even though we are always into food, but more so. On a special level. Something seemed to provoke an excitement in me to create and experiment with different dishes and tastes.

I say ‘something’ when knowing without a doubt that it was our celebratory trip to Los Llaureles; the gourmet ten course restaurant experience we went to for our anniversary (!!!). This was my first ever anniversary in life and I was greatly pleased to be spending it eating ten courses of food on the mountainside.

The dishes were (as named by us):

Honey Spoon Agave, mascarpone, almond cinnamon crisp

Laksa Miso broth, vermicelli, seafood

Mushrooms Date paste, creamy shrooms, salmon, cheese

Foetus Chicken shaped dough ball in an eggshell filled with clear garlic soup

Bao Bun Fish, apple gel, mayo

Croquette Brûléed whipped goats cheese stuffed date

Bitter Salad Mango, spinach, peanut sauce

Merluza Con mayo, rosemary, black sesame

Chia Seed Vanilla soy, mango, papaya, almond cinnamon crisp

Woman in a Gold Dress Wallflower: sponge, creme Catalan, Valencian meringue helado. Needed a ruby goji berry twist!!

So to sum up the food was fantastic.

During this time I was also awakened to the incomprehensible stress of being a full-time Mother: where is the time?

Seeing another person constantly so dutiful and aware and organised was slightly mind blowing. It’s clear to see that the children are unaware of any stress effects of this, and it made me realise how much you can take for granted as a child. I tried to help out and play with the kids and ask them stimulating questions, etc, but its nothing compared to the generally under-awarded gallantry of getting kids up in the morning; taking them to school; making food that everyone eats; keeping up with homework; cleaning; nurturing and getting again to bed at a reasonable time to do it all over again tomorrow. Life runs away quickly when it’s paced like this.

We were lucky to finish weeding at 2pm, amble up to the house for lunch, and amble back down for a leisurely dinner or stroll into Torazo. It’s not unusual to finish work at this time in Spain, which is definitely something I love. Work hard in the morning with high brain activity, eat slowly and generously during lunch, then relax into a siesta, a walk or reading for the rest of the evening. It feels like there’s more time in the day, and that its use is efficient.

We drank beer, sidra or wine most days with food. One Thursday after a smaller lunch we paired Asturian cheeses with Rioja, become progressively merrier as the mealtime went on. Food feels so good after manual labour, so much so that I’ve come to lose the same appetite without it.

Tea breaks feel like real, restorative rests. I’ve come to appreciate a range of biscuits and their dunking abilities. The pleasure of a black tea with milk is something inextricably linked with outdoor work. Read: builder’s brew.

We spent just under two weeks at the truffle plantation, it was a lovely time for reading and cooking. I finished 1984 which was one that has been on my list for virtually ever. So poignant. May save interpretations for another time.

Adam & Naomi know a small network of fellow ecoprojects and helpex/workaway hosts, so on our last Sunday we made a convenient switchover to El Toral with Liz & Steve via a barbecue. It was one of those moments where you’re glad of however life brought you to that moment. More mountains, hills, wooden decking overlooking a sheep field, delicious food and interesting people.

There was a man named Klas who makes stone masonry fires - they’re this amazing way of making the most out of heat energy by sending all the stuff through big metal pipes which are covered usually with clay. It’s a thousand+ year old technique but for whatever reason they’re relatively uncommon in Europe despite being incredibly efficient. They take a long time to build and are reasonably expensive but they last pretty much forever. Traditionally a family home will be built around one as the main pole of the house. Steve is reading a lot about their construction and kicking himself for not building one originally, as wood collection is a constant job here.

At the BBQ we also some girls doing English teaching in Coruna which which seems like a good thing/idea. Sort of considered it but the year is quite a commitment and after speaking to Liz freelance teaching seems like a good option. A one-to-one thing with locals for an hour or so.

Liz & Steve’s is a place currently focussed on hosting guests in la cabana (the guesthouse) and the blue rainbow caravan. We sleep in a little box attached to their old caravan, wher Hugo currently resides, in a field shared with some lovely orange cows. Hugo is a talented guitarist from Madrid who has been here for half a month.

We met on the Sunday and quite quickly entered inspiring philosophical conversation. We talk about literature, ideas, music and feelings. Nik and I were immediately pleased to be chilling with him for the duration of the stay. We take it in turns to cook dinner and eat overlooking the field, the stars above us and the moon sometimes hidden by the clouds.

No topic is bounded and the other day we did a creative activity which involved taking ten minutes to draw what we visualised when imagining the superego. All three were distinct and different. And of course, in true Freudian style, in some way interpretable as phallic.

The week here has fast gone by. Starting with cleaning the chicken coop and laying down straw and manure to enrich the garden soil, ending by cooking a banquet of roast sumac cauliflower with squash, red onion, apricot and black olive tagine, spicy onion rice, mustard leaf zhoug, tahini sauce and walnut tzatziki. We eat really well here. Liz is a fantastic cook and Steve goes by the ‘Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall approach’, which is nothing to complain about.

Always a bowl piled with fresh garden greens, a hot pasta or salad and fresh bread with olive oil. Food is something they may endeavour to move onto when more comfortably in the swing of bnb work. Yesterday there was a double booking which meant convincing one party to sleep in the Mongolian yurt. As a team we somehow went from empty field to fully furnished round sleeping house with wooden steps and concrete paving (Nik’s toil). Everything inside is painted and embossed beautifully, with purple curtains behind the bed and various fabrics from Steve’s travels to Turkey and Tibet sparkling around the walls and floor. Luckily, we may have to sleep in it next Wednesday to make room for a new volunteer.

Next week we’re heading to Bilbao to get some respite before embarking on a new adventure: Classroom Alive. It’s a one week boot camp in Barcelona with the aim to plan a journey from 2 - 6 months by foot with rucksacks and tents, learning in a classroom-style format for half the day, then walking for the rest of it to the next destination. It sounds crazy and I’m excited to see what it will bring. If anyone is interested, let me know!

For now, it’s raining, but we’re not going to let that deter us from our Easter Saturday trip to Nava’s sidra museum. Hopefully there will be samples.