#please talk to me about Bahn

[gatorbites-imagines]

Kinktober day 2

ftm yautja oc (Bhankui-ya) x male reader

Can Yautja be FTM? No idea, but this one can. Ive only watched one predator movie, so this is mainly just cooked up from my own imagination and attraction to Yautja, as well as the many fics I read. I used a generator for the name, so if it’s bad, blame the generator.

This is also more just “haha funny relationship between a yautja and his ooman” kinda vibes. very fun to write, i would love to write about Bhan again.

Mixed wording for the yautjas bits.

Kinktober 2024 masterlist

Dating a yautja was an… interesting experience. Bhankui-ya, or as you called him, Bhan, was no exception. But really, dating a scaley 8ft tall alien warrior who could rip your spine out of your body with his pinky really didn’t get any weirder. You were never gonna complain though, except for the times he would sit his entire weight in your lap, and you were left gasping for air. It wasn’t your fault that yautja weigh the same as three men of their size. You loved it though, and you had a feeling Bhan knew that.

How you came to date your partner, mate, as he called it, was another strange set of circumstances. You had a past of your own, and there wasn’t much left to live for. So, you had set out to take down the people who’d harmed you and your loved ones the most with you. Your body was littered with the scars they left on you, and your heart was covered in even more, aching for the siblings they’d taken from you. Be it from their abuse, or your siblings taking their own lives because of them.

It hadn’t truly registered at the time. You didn’t know what a bad blood was, or that Bhan was an enforcer. You just knew that scaley fucker, who was already missing an arm and hissing like a wet feral cat, was trying to take your kill goal from you. Bahn would later tell you, after laying in bed feeling like hed just drained the very life out of you, that you fought more feral than a kiande amedha fighting for its queen.

You still didn’t really know what that was, but you had seen skulls, trophies, Bhan kept of them. Apparently, they were a big deal, and seeing you acting like one got him wet. For some reason. But hey, you got hard seeing him cleaning his knives and spears, who were you to judge that he got heated up seeing you rip a bad bloods mandibles right out their face.

Anyways. In the end you came with him, since you’d “proven yourself” somehow. And having literally nothing and no one on earth, you just followed. You were no warrior or hunter, at least nothing compared to yautja. But you had a “look in your eye” in Bhans words, or rather clicks. The implant to understand him still itched at times. You just “needed to unleash it” whatever that meant.

Turns out the one place you can unleash this so-called power is in the bedroom. Because, where yautja may be the superiors in many ways, it seems in the way of the body humans were still more advanced. Bhan would tell you it was because “Oomans like you are controlled by bodily urges”, you just think he’s jealous you used to fuck a toy before you met him.

You honestly felt like you were on top of the world the first time you used a vibrator on his clits, because apparently his people had three. Seeing him rip holes in his seat and how he would arch, and roar made you feel euphoric, it had to be the same rush Bhan felt on a good kill. But instead, you got it from making him squirt so hard his legs were shaking.

You never got to live on that high for very long. Apparently Bahn liked to “peel you back down again” so you “didn’t get too confident”. Apparently, a confident hunter was a dead hunter, or something like that. It was pretty hard to think about his “lessons” when he was riding you though, his sheer bulk slamming down on your already aching human hips until you were making noises similar to the creatures he hunted when they were dying.

That didn’t stop you from stocking up on toys though. The next time you came to earth, you scrounged up money one way or the other, and immediately entered the best quality shop you could find. Bhankui-ya was off doing whatever he needed to do, and in the meantime you were trying to find out which wand would work on him.

The conversation with the store clerk was embarrassing, to you at least. They seemed quite entertained as you fumbled out that you were trying to find something that would work on your “taller than you can imagine, buff as hell and more dangerous than a tiger on steroids” partner. They were very helpful though, and even gave you some discounts and wished you luck on your way, as you stumbled out of the store with at least two bags on each arm.

It was only experience at this point that helped you remember where the ship was, since it was invisible and all that. But as you got inside you immediately clambered off to the bedroom, where you got to work. Bhankui-ya wouldn’t know what hit him when he got back, you would make sure of that.

Of course, you shouldn’t have been surprised when your mate came back beaten and bloody, but lugging the bad bloods head under his arm. You had gained a fascination with seeing the heads of his kills, alright? So, what if it made you morbid. And Bhan? He just seemed to almost preen as you oohd and aahd over his kill.

Patching him up was a couple’s activity, mainly just because you liked patching him up, and Bhan liked when you did it. He could have easily fixed himself up with the many tools he got as a yautja, but where was the fun in that, when he got to see his little blood thirsty ooman patch him up instead. Bhan did have to stop you from licking his blood up at times, lest he decided to ride you right then and there.

In the end you forgot all about the wide array of toys youd laid out in the bedroom, in the order you planned to use them on him. You sent Bhan on his way, deciding to be a good mate and drag his heavy as fuck armour and weapons off to where they needed to go for cleaning and polishing. It caused aches in your back, but Bhans purrs made it all worth it.

Walking into the bedroom Bhankui-ya got to see your little plan, and if the hunt and your pampering, as well as that flicker of bloodlust in your eyes hadn’t got him wet, then this did. How sweet of you, his little mate, to want to pamper him this way. Had you remembered it was your anniversary? (you hadn’t) how could he not use the gifts you set out.

Walking into the bedroom to see Bhan fucking himself with one of the toys, a vibrator against his clits made you almost pass out. Hed even worked one of the plugs into his other hole, his muscular thighs spread wide open as he purred in your direction, his noise like a siren call that had you stumbling over your own feet, almost making you eat floor.

Bahn had tried to laugh at your stumbling, but you were on his slit like a starved animal. It was only the fact that Bahn let you that you got the vibrator away from his nubs, mainly because he loved your mouth on him. It was just so much nicer to have a human eat him out than a fellow yautja, he had taken lips for granted his entire life.

Having just gotten back from a hunt left him more pliable, and willing to go along with your whims. Which was how you got four of those wired vibrators strapped to his thighs, and up his cunt, set to the highest setting as you fucked into his ass. The wand youd bought was worth all the money as well, as you used it to swap from one bundle of nerves to the other, Bhankui-ya howling loud enough that your ears were ringing. You wouldn’t be shocked if they were bleeding, but did you care? No, no you did not.

The adrenaline from his hunt, your powerful scent of want and hunger, and just the fact that Bhankui-ya didn’t indulge in other mates before you, left him sensitive and so needy, something you gladly abused any chance you got.

The bed needed to be completely replaced afterwards, but that’s how it went every time you got him like this. Never in your dreams did you think you could have someone as powerful and dangerous as Bhan, limp and panting, his entire body shaking and spent. Seeing his mandibles quivering always made your heart lurch, it felt like a symbol that you had done it all right.

Times like this were never about you or getting you off. But you also knew Bhan wouldn’t accept it if you didn’t get to finish too, so you always did it wherever he wanted it most. There was little chance of you two having offspring, mainly because Bhan had an implant that made pregnancy impossible. Because, unsurprisingly, yautja had even better prevention care than humans could ever dream off. You swore you heard him chirping about pups every now and then though, when you had him so wrung out that his eyes kept rolling back, even when you weren’t doing more than petting his torso.

Aftercare was also something Bhankui-ya could appreciate that came from humans. Yautja did care for each other after mating, but it was mainly just to patch each other up if it got bloody, or feeding the other food and water. Being rubbed all over and massaged was enjoyable, so you wouldn’t catch Bhankui-ya complaining.

You both knew you were gonna be the one shaking and limping in a few days though. He couldn’t let you get too confident, now, could he? Maybe hed even show you how some of the weapons he owned could be used in more… fun and creative ways.

[hannahssimblr]

We surface eventually, and clamber down the back stairs and out into sharp morning light, squinting against the sun. I feel like a vampire. My friends’ faces are gaunt and drawn, eyes still black. They look like they’ve been dead for a week. 

Except Jen, sober Jen, who smiles sleepily and stretches her arms, breath condensing in the cold air. “God, that was mad,” she says. “What time is it?”

“Eight,” I say. Being out in the daylight like this is always weird, with families walking around, people going to work, while we are like creatures who have dug our way out of the earth, lurching toward home amongst the living. My mouth is so dry, and my jaw hurts. I foresee an afternoon spent throwing up, head in the toilet bowl, groaning as Jonas hammers on the door, appealing to my sense of humanity by reminding me there’s only one bathroom in the apartment.   

“Oh, well, I should probably pack my bags and stuff.” Jen says.

I rub my eyes. “Oh, your flight.”

“Oh, Jen,” Dalia says with a big sad face, “I wish you could stay,” they hug, and rock each other side to side. “Please, come back and visit. This was so fun.”

“I swear!” Jen says. “I love you guys. Come see me in Dublin!”

“Don’t make them go there,” I say, to which she laughs. “Actually, yeah. Never mind. I’ll come back here! And for longer!”

“Please!” Elias and Dalia cry in unison, and then we leave, trudging toward the train station. 

She snoozes on my shoulder on the U-Bahn, while Jonas and I, wired, wide awake, stare at our reflections in the window all the way back to Kreutzberg. 

I lie on my bed, eyes on the cracks on the ceiling, while Jen shoves things into her suitcase. She’s cleaned off all her makeup, leaving black smudged wiped crumpled on the surrounding floor. 

“This was so fun,” she’s saying. “I had such a good time. I mean, last night was amazing. Did you see I kissed that girl with the fan?”

“The fan?”

“Yeah, she was carrying this weird, lacy fan. Anyway, she was dead pretty. I wish I’d gotten her number.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I tried, but she didn’t speak English. There was no point.”

“So you didn’t speak before you starting kissing her.”

“No, we didn’t need to. I just met her eyes across the dancefloor and we both knew.”

“Ah, nice.”

The mattress shifts under her weight, and her face slides into my vision, pink cheeked, with eyeliner still smudged in the spaces between her lashes. “You’re coming down.”

“Yep.”

“Poor Judie. Rough day ahead.”

“Honestly, it’ll probably be a few days. A week, even.”

“Oof. Do you do this a lot?”

“Too much, probably.”

“Oh well,” she plonks back down to the rug and continues shoving things into her case. “At least I know you’re having fun over here. I’d be worried you’re suffering.”

“Do you worry about that?”

“Kind of.”

I laugh gently. “No, Jenny. I’m not suffering. Things are good.”

She struggles with the zip, and it rasps lowly against the bulk. “I was worried I wouldn’t like your friends, you know. I’m glad I met them, because they’re amazing.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I wish they were my friends. Jonas is adorable. Elias too, so fun, and Dalia is probably the coolest girl I ever met in my life. I never got to ask her what part of America she comes from.”

“Pittsburgh.”

“I dunno where that is.”

“Nowhere close to where I grew up.”

“You sound different when you talk to her.”

Turning my head is an effort, and the room lurches a little. Later, I’ll probably be so dizzy that standing up feels like getting off the waltzers. “How so?”

“Your accent gets more American. Did you know that?”

“No.”

“Well, it does. I suppose when you’re talking to someone from the states you kind of copy what they’re doing, or something. It’s just funny, because you weren’t like that at home.”

“With dad?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s not like I really talk to him, is it?”

She pauses thoughtfully. “Well, I’ve heard you say ‘okay’ to him a few times.”

“Hm,” I say. “Well, maybe I’ll lose my Irish accent while I’m here.”

“Would you like to?”

I shrug. “Sure.”

I shut my eyes in the hopes it will stave off the wave of dizziness that comes over me. My temples throb gently with the onset of a headache. I half listen as Jen goes on about how great my friends are, Jonas, Elias, Dalia. Perhaps she’s hoping I won’t notice who she has left out, but she is wrong. 

“What did you think of Astrid?” I say, and she pauses, just for a beat, before answering with enormous enthusiasm. 

“Oh, she’s gorgeous. You were right. Even better in person than in the pictures.”

“Yeah.” I roll on my side. “She’s incredible looking, I know, but… like, did you like her?”

“Of course I did.”

“Yeah?”

“She’s so nice.”

I hesitate. Astrid isn’t that nice. At least it’s not a word I would use to describe her ahead of something like intelligent, confident, shrewd. Out of all the traits she has that I admire, I couldn’t say her niceness is something that sticks out. It’s not important to me, and I require it from her. Nice isn’t untrue, exactly, but it's not a real answer.

“Your opinion is really important to me,” I say, and she busies herself in her backpack, double checking for her phone charger and passport. 

“No, I mean it,” she says distractedly. “She seems to care a lot about you, and that’s the main thing, you know what I mean?”

On my elbow now, I look at her, pulling things out of her bag and shoving them back in, and my anxiety rises. I wanted our dinner to go a little better, sure, and they could have hit it off more than they did, but Astrid is Astrid. She’s a tough nut to crack at the first meeting. It takes a while for her to warm up, to get comfortable. She takes some getting used to. 

“I know things were a bit awkward there, when we were talking about school, and she didn’t have anything to say and all that.”

She waves this off. ‘No, it’s fine. She didn’t have to say anything. I was more worried about whether we were annoying her by talking about it so much.”

“I doubt it.”

“It’s alright, like, she doesn’t need to have the same humour as me.”

I frown. “Well, you and I have the same humour. In fact, we’re so alike that I thought you’d get along with her.”

“We got along.”

“But you weren’t bowled over.”

She sighs, “Jude, don’t make me talk myself into an awkward position.”

“I’m not doing that. I’m just wondering what you thought.”

“Yeah, but it’s like you’re not accepting my answer.”

“You haven’t answered.”

“I have. I said she’s nice.”

“Yeah, but like, ‘nice’ is a non-answer.”

“She’s not what I expected, right? But there’s nothing wrong with that. I just always thought you’d prefer to go out with a girl that laughed at the same things as you, or was silly and goofy, or, I don’t know, less… severe. I’ll meet Astrid again, and I’m sure I’ll be bowled over. We just didn’t have a lot of time to get to know each other. It was only a few hours, and, I dunno, Jonas was there too, and I was talking to him, mostly.”

“I–” I decide to ignore the first part about the girls I supposedly like. “Well, I hope so. I’d be pretty sad if my girlfriend and my best friend didn’t get along.”

“Everyone is friendly here.”

“Right.”

“I can tell you don’t believe me.”

I sigh reluctantly, and fall back onto the bed. My headache makes my brain slosh against the inside of my skull. “Jenny, I do. I believe you,” I say. “And I’m glad you like her. It’d be really fucking shit for me if you didn’t.”

“Well, I do.”

“I’m glad.”

“Good.”

Beginning // Prev // Next

[oceansprompts]

𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕠𝕡𝕤 // 𝕕𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕪 𝟚 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤

this dialogue taken from destiny 2's vanguard ops strikes; hypernet current, lake of shadows, and the arm dealer. . . . adjusted for general use. . . . change as needed for usage

Let us hope that your technology continues to be resilient.

We need to get in there and stop them.

Screams, weird voices, nightmares... you name it.

It's resilient, but not impenetrable. A backdoor wouldn't be impossible.

Hopefully getting rid of whatever is at the center of this will shake all that weirdness out of the system too.

It looks like you're getting closer to the source of the problem. That track nearby looks like your best bet!

Let's just hope it's stable.

What-what was that?

Such a fragile space. This will do.

You don't want to see the pot of tea I made this morning.

Civilians are depending on you.

Mobilizing team for Operation, uh... Babydog? Why does this say Babydog? I must have forgotten to reboot the name generator.

Operation "Babydog?" Well, it has a certain ring to it, huh?

Yes... "Babydog" ... Well, the protocol is already running. Can't stop it now.

Yes, sorry, Operation "Babydog" ...We need to determine the source of — Haha! — I'm sorry, I can't.... Stand-by!

Our purification tech can only do so much. If the contamination spreads, people will die.

Good work. There's bound to be more than one.

We're making good progress, but energy readings are still off the charts.

This place is old; good thing we can't get tetanus.

If for nothing else but principle, I'm glad you're reclaiming it.

They just left that unguard...? This smells fishy to me.

Time for me to step out. I leave it to you.

Usually for an operation like this, logistical support would be provided. But it sounds like it's just us this time around.

Where'd you put my datapad? It had the notes about that thing I'm in charge of.

Into the action right away. I'm not surprised. You're up.

Whoa, wait wait wait, I'm not ready! I had a whole thing for this guy — I had charts and pictures — you know what, the one time I get it all — geez, forget it. You know what, just forget it.

Door's unlocked. But I couldn't get through without tripping their master alarm.

Not a trade I would have made, but you're the one on the ground.

Come on, how bad could one little alarm be?

Good different or bad different?

Did I just see a FLARE shoot into the sky?

Did you shoot up a flare? I thought we weren't allowed to have flares anymore after I… had nothing to do with why we're not allowed to have flares.

That's me! I must have… Oh, wait a minute. Nope not me.

Plan, schman. Take the radioactive thing, put in explode-y place. There! There's your plan.

Is this what "be brave" means for you? Didn't know it was a prayer.

Yeah, not blowing up is as good as you can hope for sometimes.

Way to reach for the stars.

Sounded like a nice dunk!

This guy's no ordinary space rhino. His weapons ain't half bad, either.

He's bound to have more. Insecure men tend to surround themselves with others like them.

Nope, she's totally right. Which is why I work alone.

I'm sorry, painted it what now?

Yeah, funny story about the Oh-roh? Oh-roh… Oh-roh-bahn… uh…

I think you should call it "payback."

Could be some really weird defenses in there. Not just flame turrets - I'm talking REALLY weird.

Why would they put a tank inside a ship?

Remember that elevator? Looks like we have to bring it down again.

Ok. Well, there are many… levels of easy.

Please don't encourage him

Oh, come on! ANOTHER one?

Wait, wait wait! Let me guess — giant flame turret.

Try to grab his flame turret blueprints after he's dead.

Watch for air support. This guy's too smart to not have a backup plan.

Eh, backup plans are overrated.

This is it. We've got him cornered… in an airfield. OK…

Now we've got you! In a… place you know way better than us. But that won't stop us. Let's get him!

Watch your six. And your twelve. You know what — just — just be careful

Sounds like I returned at just the right time. Excellent work, team.

Thanks, boss! It was by the book, the whole way.

Ok, you all are getting way too formal. Where's the energy? Let's hear some chatter out there! Huh?

The job's done. You can handle the chatter for a while.

You ever been hit with a rock? Don't joke about that.

YOU miscalculated?

Yes. Do you have any further questions?

It seems this new guy has done some “redecorating.” Although I don’t think I can call this an upgrade in terms of taste. But perhaps the cannons could be of use?

Names hold power. It is not unlikely that this new guy is a successor, who has taken up the mantle.

Unless we disable that shield, we’re sitting ducks out here!

That shield is making me mad! We’ve got to get rid of it!

Well fought! We’ve cut another head off the proverbial Hydra.

[theroundbartable]

As a German, someone who lives in Germany, someone who's grandfather was by all means a Nazi, someone who grew up close to an old Arbeitslager and has therefore seen the pictures, yes. Yes, this is happening.

(Except the 'train tracks were laid' because the Deutsche Bahn sucks and we actually have less tracks than ever.)

We're talking Antisemitism, racism, calls for deportations remigration, purity culture, sprayed Nazi symbols, organized attacks on politicians, closing borders etc. Etc.

I want you to take a second and look at those terms. Terms that were used in Hitler's propaganda. Words you know are bad because you know exactly what they mean. Mass genocide, euthanasia, excessive censoring in art and books. Burning of knowledge, of investigations and studies. Misinformation, populism, death and much more.

Look at the things that are happening and look what your representatives are offering you for your country. Because this is horrible and terrifying, but this, like back then, isn't a national, explicitly German, problem. This is an international disaster and you too are part of it!

My country is about to derail yet again and I've been educated on that history too much to not be terrified of that happening. But when your president talks about closing borders and reimigration, when they talk about cleansing their country of 'the foreigners', if they tell you they will make your nation 'great' again, remember who came up with that first.

Then you'll know where you're headed.

It was your country who taught mine what human rights are. We are failing. Please tell me you haven't forgotten.

#vote blue

[edithhaimbergernotebook]

Cement and Sugar: Architecton & Architecture at the Berlin International Film Festival

At a lively press conference in Berlin on the morning of Monday, February 19, 2024, the makers of the documentary film Architecton faced questions from international media. Architecton is in competition for this year's Golden Bear award for best film.

Image: The Berlin International Film Festival's red carpet, at the Berlinale Palast, on February 17, 2024. Photograph by me. License: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED)

Architecton Itself

Viktor Kossakovsky's film explores the international popularity, but also the pitfalls, of concrete and its component cement as building materials.

These pitfalls were vividly evident when earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria one year ago, reducing buildings to rubble.

In contrast, according to publicity materials, the film takes the viewer to ancient sites like Baalbek that used techniques, for example of stonework, that are irreproducible in modern architecture.

These ancient buildings have lasted millennia, their craftsmanship sublime.

Image: Libanon, Baalbek: Tempel; Detailansicht Kapitell. Photographed by Annemarie Schwarzenbach (1908-1942) in the 1930s. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

What did ancient architects and construction workers know that we don't?

*

Evgueni Galperine composed the music for the film. The Leipzig & Berlin-based producer of documentary films Heino Deckert is the producer. Italian architect and designer Michele de Lucci is the main protagonist. All three were available for questions in the Berlinale Palast.

It is not only Deckert who has ties to Germany. Michele de Lucci may be well known for co-designing the Tolomeo lamp in the late 1980s for the Italian firm Artemide. But he has also done projects in Germany, like his interior designs for the Deutsche Bahn in the late 1990s.

In the end, Kossakovsky held forth the most in the group. Wearing a discreetly sized Berlinale pin, in the colours of Ukraine's flag, on a grey suit, he took the moderator's hints to keep his answers short smilingly.

He talked enthusiastically about living in Berlin a few years ago.

The Grounds of the Former Tempelhof Airport

Kossakovsky praised Berlin's former airfield Tempelhofer Feld as a refuge during his stay, which coincided with Covid lockdowns.

"It was amazing to see that in the middle of Europe, in the middle of Berlin, there is empty space. And knowing the history of this place, Berliners stood up and said: No, don't put any buildings, don't put any skyscrapers, don't put any shopping malls, don't put any fitness centres. Keep it alive. [...] It's a unique place — unique for everyone"

Pressure to build more housing is intense in Berlin's overheated real estate market. The city government is making motions to reopen the question of building apartment buildings on parts of the field.

"I know that behind every politician there are developers, construction people, and they probably will convince us. But please stay strong."

-Viktor Kossakovsky, Berlin film festival press conference on February 19, 2024

Potsdamer Platz

He also criticized the architecture at Potsdamer Platz.

Residential buildings from the pre-war years in Berlin generally reach 7 levels including the ground floor at most. The Brandenburg Gate and the buildings surrounding it are even lower.

So Potsdamer Platz's skyscrapers, built in feverish haste after Germany was reunified in 1989, are described by some Berliners as a misguided attempt to inject slivers of New York City into the landscape.

Kossakovsky described the square as empty "three hundred days a year" — except during the Berlinale in February and the Christmas market in November to December.

Image: Potsdamer Platz, looking down the building valley of Alte Potsdamer Straße, on October 22, 2023. Photograph by the author. All rights reserved.

Concrete as the Modern Go-To

Next, Kossakovsky addressed the Holocaust Memorial in the city centre of Berlin. Stelae (blocks) built of concrete on an undulating ground, construction was finished in 2004. Not yet 20 years later, a large part of it is now crumbling, surrounded by metal security fencing that is an eyesore.

To the film director, in antithesis to the expected role of a memorial to last a long time, the Holocaust memorial exemplifies the short lifespan of modern concrete.

The ancient Romans made concrete in durable materials and techniques that were finally understood in 2017 and 2023 respectively. But the current lifespan of concrete is more like 80 years, he argues.

Fact Check? A construction draughtsman whom this author asked for comment took a different perspective. 40 years may be the standard estimate of durability for concrete (and incidentally also brick) buildings in German planning. But buildings will not inevitably crumble at that point. The draughtsman made the analogy that these estimates are like setting a best-before date for salt. If salt is adulterated with other substances that spoil quickly, a best-before date will make sense. But it's not fair to assume that salt will be adulterated. If modern concrete is properly poured and maintained, it could last for a thousand years.

At the same time, Viktor Kossakovsky sees Berlin's architectural landscape as a paradigm for the future of architecture around the world.

Berlin's hastily built residential buildings of the 1950s and 60s, which he characterized as sometimes "ugly," nevertheless reflected a serious purpose: the urgent need to shelter the city's population after the last weeks of World War II left the landscape shattered.

As real estate development is not keeping pace with the projected growth of the world's population, it is likely that around the world we will see much more ad hoc planning. A mixture of "beautiful" and "ugly" areas, like the mixture in Berlin, will become common.

'Harm Architecture'

But, looking beyond Berlin entirely to the world at large, not all shoddy constructions are the result of desperation.

In the last question of the press conference, a reporter asked why the documentary film had failed to name classism and colonialism as the root causes of architecture that harms or even kills residents.

Kossakovsky insisted that the root cause of 'harm architecture' is broader: the human urge to kill. Cannibalism may have finally disappeared this century, a step forward for humanity: but the slaughter of animals, fish, and fellow humans persists.

Message of the Film

The film director may have spoken dismissively of cement and concrete as the foundation of an "insane pandemic of boring architecture."

But the problems go beyond aesthetics and even longevity or quality. The environmental footprint of these building materials is colossal.

Jonathan Watts wrote for the Guardian five years ago that "All the plastic produced over the past 60 years amounts to 8bn tonnes. The cement industry pumps out more than that every two years."

He added, "Concrete is a thirsty behemoth, sucking up almost a 10th of the world’s industrial water use."

Each year, more than 4 billion tonnes of cement are produced, accounting for around 8 per cent of global CO2 emissions.

-Johanna Lehne and Felix Preston in the Executive Summary, "Making Concrete Change: Innovation in Low-carbon Cement and Concrete." Chatham House, 2018. Link (pdf)

Concrete cannot be the answer, as a building material, to housing the world's population of billions.

To end with the words of Viktor Kassakovsky:

"We have to face reality: sugar, cement — they are two drugs of our century."

===

Three Berlinale screenings of Architecton have sold out, but as of midnight on February 20, tickets were still available for 9:15 a.m. on February 21. The film is 98 minutes long.

The first 7 ratings are in on IMDb, for a score of 7.0.

Press conference in full: Berlinale Live 2024: Press Conference "Architecton"

Due diligence/disclaimer: I have not watched the film itself before writing this post.

The post has been amended on March 11, 2024, to reflect that the fencing around Berlin's Holocaust memorial is not a construction fence.

[sunmarketing]

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

  Welcome to Dr. Mary Travelbest’s 5 Steps to Solo Travel Guide for women like you who need extra support traveling (slowly) one woman at a time. Please share this podcast with your mom, aunts, and friends. I appreciate your feedback.

  I’ve returned from a 90-day trip around the globe to every time zone on the planet. My mission is world peace through cultural exchange. I was sustainable when I could by using local transportation, buses, and trains. I was solo, carrying a small backpack, called a “personal item,” that fit under the seat in front of me on a plane.

  In this episode, FAQ is: What did you wear in Vietnam?

.

Today’s Destination is Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, formerly known as Saigon (south)

Today’s Mistake- Currency exchange rate was high, and I got taken

Travel Advice: - Shoulder season travel will be less costly and more flexible.

  FAQ: What did you wear in Vietnam?

  Like other Southeast Asian countries, it is tropical and humid. I was always hot. I wore the lightest possible clothes and took three showers daily when possible. I also found swimming pools to cool down. I wore a short dress instead of shorts and a blouse. I wore a skirt instead of jeans. I wore sandals. I carried an umbrella for sun protection and wore sunscreen daily. I went out early in the morning and late in the afternoon or evening and slept during the day when I could.

  Today’s destination: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

  Formerly Saigon, it’s on the coast in the South of Vietnam. The city has 18 districts, and most tourists go to 1, 3, and 5. I took the Hop on Hop Off bus at night, which was pretty amazing because the city is lit up at night like a Christmas tree. This experience covered the main tourist attractions in about 90 minutes. I never could have seen all this during the daytime, with the traffic patterns. Most cars I saw were in traffic jams during the day.

  How did I plan this part of my trip? I used Booking.com to find hotels. I read guidebooks and talked to friends who have been to Vietnam, especially recently.

The taxis are safer, especially the green ones. I shared a ride from the airport to my hotel at midnight with two people I met on the plane. The traffic is light at midnight.

During the day, that’s different.

  Quickly, I learned that driving here is a challenge, especially in the Mekong Delta. Listen to that episode. The current exchange rate here is 22,600 dong to the dollar. Your dollar goes far.

  What did I eat? Fhish sauce and pho, bahn mi.

When I got back to HCMC, I was so hungry. Bong Sen Buffet for a $12 buffet.

That was one of the best meals. Try a buffet if you don’t know what to order.

Here’s what I ate: pho pork, duck egg, ice cream, fried rice, red bean soup, snails with ginger, vegetable soup, eggplant, steamed veggies, prunes, watermelon, dragon fruit, banana cake, papaya, and spring rolls.

  I stayed at a different hotel: Huong Sen. https://huongsenhotel.com.vn/aboutus.php?cmblang=en

    Construction noise from a different floor was so loud at 9 a.m. after a vast buffet breakfast one morning when all I wanted was sleep. I switched to an annex hotel down the block, owned by the same company. Later that day, I Swam in the pools at the hotel, with excellent views of the city.

About two blocks away, I walked to the Sheraton Hotel for the 23rd-floor view. That was outstanding, especially near sunset.

I also got another Massage, Thai, this time.

  If you are planning Sights in HCMC, Try these: Rex Hotel, Opera House, downtown shopping malls, and Ben Than Market.

  What I Bought in Ho Chi Minh City:

A folding umbrella for $3.00

Since mine were broken, leather sandals were a good find at the market. I also bought a lock with a key.

Later, I bought Pharmacy for meds for a sinus infection. I did not need a prescription to get antibiotics here. I had them, but I have yet to use them.

  In summary,  Ho Chi Minh City had Great hotel buffet breakfasts and plenty of tourists, and it took a lot of work to cross the street safely. I had to follow someone else to travel with them, as it took experience I did not have.

  Today’s Mistake-.The currency exchange rate was too high.

  I should have talked to more locals before changing money in Vietnam. I got taken.

I changed US dollars to Cambodian dong, which I did not need. They took US dollars there everywhere. I switched to Indian Rupees, but they gave me a currency that was being removed from the country, so it was not usable. And they gave me change in Vietnamese currency, which I did not want. So I paid a fee for that exchange, too. I had a lot to learn. And still do.

  Today’s Travel Advice- Shoulder season travel will be less costly and more flexible.

  You don’t always need the “perfect” season for your travel. Go before or after the peak, and you may find a better overall experience. With climate changes, those traditional windows of weather are not exact. Plan some things and leave other non-essentials to spur of the moment.

    I want to bring meaning to your travels. Send a question or travel tip to info@drmarytravelbest.com. Sign up for the mailing list here. We can connect on my website, Facebook page, group, or Instagram. Subscribe to YouTube, Twitter, or other social channels. Find the 5 Steps to Solo Travel series on Amazon. The show notes have more details for you to connect. Support this podcast with a review, please.

  Connect with Dr. Travelbest

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Check out this Dr Travelbest episode!

[greenbagjosh]

Saturday 11 July 1998 - First time across the Oberbaumbrücke into East Berlin - Alexanderplatz and the world clock - Love Parade from 2 PM to 9 PM - supper at Escados and a long S-Bahn ride home to Nikolassee

11 July 1998 Love Parade in Berlin

Hi everybody,

Today 20 years ago, is part two of three, of the weekend in Berlin. It was also the day of the Love Parade 1998 - hence the hearts from my last post. It would not start until about 2 PM on Straße des 17 Juni, so I could get some sightseeing done before that and still take the U-Bahn.

The night was not too bad. My other roommates were not particularly noisy. The temperature was fair, about the low 50s by 7 AM. The showers were located in the hall.

My hostel had a breakfast room and breakfast was complimentary. It was the usual kind of breakfast at a typical Deutsches Jugendgästehaus, breads, cheese, butter, jam, hazelnut spread, sliced deli meats, orange juice, coffee and tea. I spent about half an hour. Then I went back to my room to get enough film for sightseeing. What I did not know was, I should have packed an extra camera battery. With the Samsung Evoca 115, it does not use conventional batteries. It uses a special U-Shaped battery about 5 volts called a "CR123". Will talk more about that for Sunday the 12th July. Then I walked the half mile to the Nikolassee train station but did not board a train, but a bus. This was because I wanted to go to Krumme Lanke along the U-1 into downtown and then take the S-Bahn from Heidelberger Platz to Innsbrucker Platz and take the U-4 to Nollendorfplatz. As for the Berlin U-Bahn map, please bear with me, as the lines have been reconfigured in the past twenty years that I last visited on my own, so I will likely mention the lines I remember from back then, rather than refer to the current line structure. As long as I still had the 72 hour pass, I did not need to worry about any "Fahrscheinkontrolle" that charged 80 D-Mark for not having a valid ticket.

I took a double decker bus from Nikolassee to the Krumme Lanke U-Bahn station and took the U-1 to Heidelberger Platz. The line ran at-grade up to Podbielskialle and went underground for two more stops. I had to come out of the tunnel for the S-41 that went to Innsbrucker Platz. The entire U-4 is still underground as it was in 1998. When the train arrived in Nollendorfplatz, there were two underground levels and one elevated one. That is what makes Nolledorfplatz unique. I went farther on the U-1 to Warschauer Straße, across the Spree by the Oberbaumbrücke. I believe I already mentioned, that up to 1995, the U-1 terminated only at Schlesisches Tor on the east, as that was where the wall was, and Warschauer Straße happened to be in the Soviet-controlled "East Zone". Many of the stations in the East Zone in 1998 appeared to be preserved as they existed in the Cold War, but have in the last twenty years been renovated, so if you happened to be born after 1989, you might not be able to recognize which stations were in the East Zone and which were in the Allied sectors. Allied being the USA, UK and France. It was a profound feeling to see the Warschauer Straße station, as it was cut off from the rest of the U-Bahn network for decades.

I had to walk across a pedestrian bridge at Warschauer Straße to be able to access the S-Bahn line. I wanted to see Alexanderplatz, the tower and the interesting world clock that must have 24 faces. The clock for many years did not have Tel Aviv or Jerusalem mentioned until that was changed in 1997, as it was GDR policy to not recognize the existence of Israel. I think The Bourne Supremacy had a scene in that particular square years later. I found a place where I might want to eat dinner, the Escados steak restaurant. They would be open until very late, I guess just before midnight, so I made a point to come back later that evening.

After seeing Alexanderplatz, I wanted to go back to West Berlin, and the Checkpoint Charlie museum. To get there from Alexanderplatz, I needed to take the U-2 to Stadtmitte and then south to Kochstraße by U-6. In the Cold War, the U-2 was an operating line on both sides of the wall. However the U-6 had several "ghost stations" that had just the lights dimly lit while the trains just passed through and did not reopen until after Reunification.

What luck, when I arrived at Kochstraße, the location of the iconic Checkpoint Charlie border crossing, the eponymous museum was open that day, so I decided to go inside for an hour or so. It was very interesting inside, with so much Cold War memorabilia. There was a Trabant that had a secret compartment to smuggle out people from East Germany to the West. And yes there was a controversial painting of Erich Honecker and Mikhail Gorbatchev, I will not go into any detail, you might look it up for yourself. As I had my passport with me, I paid 2.50 D-Mark to get a historical East Berlin border crossing stamp.

I think at Alexanderplatz, during the Cold War, that was one of the official border crossings for the U-Bahn and S-Bahn. One of the rules for entering East Berlin from West Berlin, was that you would have to change 25.00 D-Mark into 25 Ostmark. More information about the Ostmark at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_German_mark. And all the Ostmark was required to be spent before returning to the West. Because the cost of living in East Berlin as compared to West Berlin was so cheap, it made spending money difficult. One way to tell the Ostmark from the D-Mark, is that the Ostmark coins were made out of lighter metal than the D-Mark coins. There were also Intershops that accepted only hard currency and sold western wares. All I am aware of, is what my high school German teacher taught in class, and also other peoples' experiences.

After visiting the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, it was getting close to 1 PM. I stopped at a Kaiser Tengelmann store to buy food to make sandwiches, as I wanted to save money for a nice steak at Escados later. I love my Lyoner and Blutwurst so I bought some of that with slices of good looking white cheese, and some more soda cans. After that, I went on to Alexanderplatz, and then walked along Unter den Linden past the Berliner Dom and the then-standing Palast der Republik. The Palast der Republik was up to 1990, the parliament building for the East German government. Appearancewise, the Palast der Republik was made out of brownish copper and similarly tinted glass. It was a postwar brutalist style. People were gathering east of the Brandenburger Tor, as the Lovemobiles with the loud music were along Straße des 17 Juni.

So what is the Love Parade supposed to be? It was started in 1989 by DJ Dr Motte as a non-partisan political demonstration for peace and international understanding. And a great deal of electronic music which evolved from that of Kraftwerk. The Love Parade drew in later years up to 2003, about a million participants. To have a successful Love Parade, it is necessary to obtain funding and sponsors. In 2004 it was starting to be difficult to find sponsors and also the required permits in a timely manner. As for the music variety, I think there were 20 Lovemobiles in total, DJ Motte was at the head, there were others like DJ Marusha, Paul Van Dyk, Sven Väth, and Da Hool

Two of the drawbacks are, one of which, getting inadvertently dirty as a result of others drinking on the streets - glass was allowed as was aluminum and plastic, so it was necessary to watch one's step around areas where glass bottles were broken. There must have been an inch of garbage along the Straße des 17 Juni on average. I would not want to be part of the sanitation crew the next morning. Also, 11th July 1998 was one of the days that Germany had forgotten about its Mehrwegflasche recycling scheme - sad. The other drawback is if you do not have proper ear protection, you might have a horrible ringing of the ears. Foam earplugs were given out for free (someone donated for a bulk of them). Also during the Street Parade, the weather did not cooperate very well. Though it was in the upper 60s to lower 70s, there were periods of drizzle, alternating with periods of sunshine, and the DJs took special care to protect their equipment, so the music would last well into the late hours of about 10:30 or 11 PM.

The Love Parade was very large, in comparison to the little Marlboro cigarette garden parties from 1997 that I attended July 1997 in Hamburg and Munich, similar attire as the Love Parade, turnout of a thousand people each at most. Statistics show that there were 800,000 participants for 1998, so good turnout.

Recommended videos Da Hool - Meet her at the Love Parade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO4y3nkJXDA Dr Motte & Westbam - One world, one future (the theme for the 1998 Love Parade in Berlin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDJ20spGymE

There have to be about a dozen Love Parade 1998 videos online, some lasting as long as six whole hours. I leave it to you to decide whether to watch those, especially if you are on a mobile data plan – be careful of how much bandwidth you use unless you’re on Wifi or ethernet.

I have to give the cleanup crew, security and first responders compliments on their professionalism. There was a little bit of humor when an ambulance was driving through the Straße des 17 Juni, and he said "Please clear the street. You know how to do that, right? We all went to school didn't we?". Then some silly person shouted "Not I! Not I!". Both exchanges were in German.

The next such parade I would attend would be the Street Parade, on 8th August 1998 in Zürich. That had a good turnout. I will tell more about it early next month.

I got tired about 10 PM and thought it was time for dinner. I had to walk past the Brandenburger Tor, along Unter den Linden to Alexanderplatz. Escados was still open for late dinner. I ordered a 5 ounce steak with chili and summer vegetables, and had a Berliner Kindl beer with it. It was a fairly relaxing dinnertime after a long afternoon and evening with loud electronic music. But it was fun nonetheless.

To return to the hostel, I should have taken the direct S-Bahn to Nikolassee, but I chose a different route. I took a line 100 bus to Rosenthaler Platz to catch the U-8. This was part of the U-8 Ghost Station line in East Berlin, up to Gesundbrunnen which was considered to be in West Berlin. Then I took the S-1 "the long way" back to Nikolassee. Somehow Ingo Ruff's voice put me to sleep until about Mexikoplatz. I made it back to the hostel about 11:45 PM and I went to sleep.

The next day I would have to check out and make my way home to Munich. I did not know about the Third Place match for FIFA 1998, but I later found out Croatia beat the Netherlands 2 to 1.

Tomorrow, Part 3, including Spandau and my impressions of Cold War Berlin’s U-Bahn line U-5.

Gute Nacht, bis morgen.

[daydreaming-in-letters]

To you my heart grows (3)

04/10/2021

Pairing: Henry Cavill x fem!reader (3rd person)

Word Count: 913

Warnings: fluff, language, talk about heartache and past breakup, rpf

Summary: During their taxi ride, Henry finds out why the reader is visiting Berlin on her own.

A/N: This part is a little shorter than the others, but I wanted it to be a separate unit. Kind of made sense for the course of the story.

If you like my story, you are very welcome to like, comment or reblog. Please don’t copy, repost or share my work on other platforms.

Ever since they had gotten into the taxi, she had fallen remarkably silent. Her eyes were glued to the trees of Tiergarten that flew by as they neared the Victory Column. The huge handbag she had been carrying across her shoulder was squeezed tightly between them and he couldn’t help but wonder if she had put it there on purpose as to not be too close to him.

Did he make her uncomfortable? Perhaps he should have agreed to taking the S-Bahn. That would certainly have given her the possibility of keeping a comfortable physical distance.

Then again she hadn’t seemed very shy on the way to the station. She had definitely been rather chatty, even a bit flirty. Or had that been wishful thinking? Should he have misread the signs so utterly and completely? Oh God. If he had, she might probably feel entirely uneasy. After all he was a total stranger and he had practically forced her to get into the taxi with him. Way to go, Henry.

“Are you…are you alright?” he finally managed to pipe up, sounding even more self-conscious than he actually felt.

“Hm?” She turned to him, her eyes that had sparkled so brightly while she had been telling him about her love for the city, seemed a bit clouded, as if her thoughts had been some place far outside this car.

“I was just wondering if you are feeling okay.”

“Oh.”

Her teeth bit down on her lower lip, drawing his attention away from her eyes for a second. It needed a clearing of his throat to finally force his thoughts back to the moment.

“Are you?”

“Yes, sorry. I’m fine.” She shot him a faint smile that seemed a little put-on, but then again her words felt honest to him.

Awkwardly, he smiled back. After that they fell silent for a moment and he was wondering how he could make her feel a bit more comfortable around him.

“It seems we haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Henry.” He held out his hand and she didn’t hesitate for even a second before she took it.

“Nice to meet you, Henry. I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

Her hand was so soft, even though her fingers were a bit too cold for a pleasantly warm summer day like this. If it was up to him, he certainly wouldn’t have minded holding it a little longer, but if she really was uncomfortable already, he figured that would most likely not make it any better. And so he let go. For now.

“So, Y/N, from what you’ve told me, I assume you’re here on holiday.” She nodded. “All on your own?”

It was only when her forehead started to crease that he realised how creepy that must have sounded. Christ, he was such an idiot. “Oh, no, I didn’t…it’s just…you know…I mean, what I actually wanted to say is that I find it rather brave to go on holiday on your own,” he stammered pathetically.

A crooked little smile appeared on her lips as she began fidgeting with her fingers, looking down at them, obviously to avoid his gaze.

“Well, it was either going on my own or wasting the money. You see,” she sighed heavily and he wished he hadn’t opened his stupid mouth in the first place, “I booked the trip as an anniversary surprise for my boyfriend, no refunds, because why wouldn’t we take it, right? But, as things go, we split a month before our anniversary. Apparently, none of my friends or family were free and so I decided to go on my own rather than let my money go to waste. So, as you can see, there was no bravery involved. None at all.”

“I’m sorry.” He truly was. He knew only too well how painful break-ups could be. “How long were the two of you together?”

Slowly she lifted her head, her eyes burning with sadness. If they hadn’t only just met, he would have pulled her into a tight hug instantly.

“Does that really matter? Three months, three years, a decade, the heartache is always the same. At least if you’re the one who gets left behind.”

From the corner of his eye, he could see the taxi driver nod his head in approval, distracting him for a second. And when he turned his attention back to her, he found that she had once more returned to looking out the window.

“At first I thought it would be impossible to come here without him, you know, because of all the memories. But after a while I thought that I love this city far too much to let the end of a relationship ruin that for me.”

He smiled in agreement because what was he supposed to say to that? It was a good decision, very rational and mature. And he could relate to that.

Driven by instinct, he reached over, his hand covering hers before he even knew what he was doing. Softly he squeezed her fingers and while her eyes locked onto his, he could feel the tension ease off a bit, his as well as hers.

It surprised him a little, how natural touching her felt, yet he didn’t question it for even one second. And so his hand stayed on hers for the rest of the drive, while a comfortable silence tenderly settled between the two of them.

Part 4

***

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@summersong69

@myloveforhenrycavill

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[guigz1-coldwar]

Feeling better (Fem!BellxGreta Keller)

Just after returning at the E9 Safehouse after capturing Volkov, Greta Keller is somehow worried about Bell's state and ask Adler if it's possible to take her out for a night !

Warning : Little Smut !

----------------------- A long night was finished for Adler's team !

They succeeded in their mission in East-Berlin to get their hands on Anton Volkov, a Russian mobster working for Perseus. The guy was maybe an dick but capturing him was going to give the MI6 a good & comfortable undercover positions in the other side of the Iron Curtain & and on Perseus's various operations. Adler wanted him dead but Bell decided otherwise as she was with the MI6 and with Park on the idea to capture him. Of course, they also succeed on getting their hands on the infos that Franz Kraus was going to give him but now, it was time to get out of East-Berlin to return to the E9 safehouse in the other side of the city.

During that mission, the team were helped by Greta Keller, Hudson's contact inside the BND, that helped them to have some intels about Kraus. Her help was just limited to giving the team these intels and that was it but nothing could have predict that she was going to be captured by Kraus himself as she has tried to follow him back to this apartment and found herself tied up in his secret dark room hidden in his office. She was pleading for her life when Bell somehow entered the apartment to find his briefcase. Bell was just supposed to plant a tracker in it and get away but noices coming from a cupboard brought her attention and finally found Keller but it was too late to free her as Bell was knocked out by behind by Kraus. Now, they were in the same situation !

Founding them tied up in Volkov's warehouse was for them, the end of it but like guardians angels, the team arrived in time to save them from their deaths. They were both relieved to be saved and now they could finally breathe without being tied up with a rope. The mission was done and everyone were going to come back to the safehouse. But there were something that were preoccupying Keller for a reason...something about Bell. Even if Bell was smiling, Keller saw that there were something wrong about her and that she wasn't feeling good at all. Keller knew of the true identiy of Bell like everyone else but she saw that Bell was not feeling comfortable around the team.....something was bothering her. It all begins when she met Bell back in that bar, the discussion was nice but Bell's voice during it put questions inside Keller's mind.

What's wrong with her ?

She was asking to herself that question during the way back to the E9 Safehouse as she was obliged to follow the team because her position in East-Berlin was compromised by a double agent in the BND. During the way inside the van drived by Lawrence Sims, Keller was looking sometimes Bell to see how she was feeling. Bell was either avoiding contact with the others or trying to be silent when she was asked about something like if her state didn't want her to talk and that's the thing Keller was concerned. Park tried sometimes to talk with Bell but Bell was very evasive in her voice. The others tried to put her in the discussion they were having but each time, she was withdrawing herself from it. It was strange, very strange !

After dropping Volkov to the MI6 as a 'little gift', the team was finally back at the safehouse, it was time for everyone to get some rest....a well-deserved rest but not for everyone for the moment. As Lazar and Sims decided to leave the others to be the firsts to have some sleeps, Adler stayed at his desk to make some writing, especially to make reports of their mission they just had. Park was accompanying Bell to the medical room to treat the wounds she received during the fight in the warehouse but also those she had got by Volkov. Keller was.....well.....this place wasn't somewhere she wanted to stay any longer but as her position in East-Berlin was compromised, she had no choice but to stay here until her superiors call her to relocate her in a new mission.

She was still in the same place as everyone went on their own ways, she still has her question in mind about Bell but not having her answer was....stressing her out, she couldn't explain how, the only thing now was to ask. As Bell was occupied with Park, Keller's only way to have something concrete was to see Adler himself. She decide after thinking for a few minutes, to see him. She moved at his desk when he had just finished to write his report when he saw her walking to him

"Miss Keller." He said as he put his head up

"Sir." She stopped just near the desk, not wanting to be too close to this man

"Please, call me Adler." He put his hand on a cigarette pack where he go out a cigarette before looking back to her "Smoke ?"

"Sorry, I have my own, Adler." She replied, gesturing her refusal "And I only smoke german ones."

"You want something ?" He light up his cigarette

"Well, I wanted to know about my status because I've been compromised back in East-Berlin and....I don't know where to go right now." She scratched the back of her head with her left hand as she rolled her eyes. That was one of the things she wanted to know but not the most important. "I suppose I had to wait here ?" She added "Right ?"

"Right now, it's too late to call your bosses." He raised his eyebrow with a little smile "So yeah, you will have to stay here for the moment."

"Am I supposed to sleep on the ground ?" She joked

"Haha, funny" He laughed "We got free beds in the back, so feel yourself at home."

And then, it was the silence between the two,only the sound of the rain was heard outside in the whole room, they both looked away from each other avoiding after Adler's little reply. Then, after two minutes of complete silence, Greta decided to ask....what she wanted to know. Let's hope she will have her answer. It's all she wanted to know.

"So, Adler" She started "About Bell...." She didn't have time to finish that Adler at hearing this name, turned around to look at her

"What do you want to know about Bell ?" He asked, concerned and slightly raising his eyebrow again, this time without a smile

"I know the truth about her but there's something that is preoccupying me right now." She looked at the door of the medical room, hoping that Bell will not come out by surprise

"You....you worried about her ?" He smirked

"Why ? I shouldn't be worried ?" She looked back at him with naworred eyes

"We all know who is she, so-" He cut himself out before looking Greta in the eyes "Anyway, why are you worried about her ?"

"I think that she's not feeling well. During my discussion back in that bar 2 hours ago, she wasn't at 100% of her moral like if something was disturbing her." Her words was some sort of making Adler realize that what she was saying was right.

"Yeah, you're right." He put his cigarette on the desk "Bell was dizzy before we left here to get to the U-Bahn."

"Is this...linked to the fact she was drugged ?" Greta knew that Bell was brainwashed, she knew that Bell was needed to be drugged to be sure that she stay well but she wasn't approving that sort of things on her. But if Bell still feel weird, it is because of the meds the others gave her ?

"I don't know." He said honestely "I tried to ask what she had and that we had a job to do but she told me....to go fuck myself ! Hopefully, Park was here to get her back on tracks." He added, using a sarcastic tone at the end

"Maybe something according to her personal life ?"

"I don't know, miss Keller."

Keller wasn't sure to ask the thing she wanted to tell right now but it was too late and fuck it, it's better to tell it than keep it for herself. She breathe a little and then, she was ready !

"Can I take her out for....a drink ?"

Hearing this make Adler cough all the smoke of his cigarette out of his mouth. He patted himself on the chest to take back his breath and when it was done, he looked Greta back with incomprehesion on his face. He never though that she will ask something like that.

"What ?" He simply said

"You heard me good enough, Adler" She crossed her arms, she know that he heard her well "I want, if it's possible, to take Bell for a little drink."

"You're asking me to let my asset with you for a night ?"

"Your asset, like you said, is a human being" She put her hands on his desk at listening at this "If you want her to be fully operational, give me the night to make her feeling good."

"And where do you want to go with her ?"

"I know a place, that will be just me & her."

"Well, if you want that...." He stopped himself at the sound of a door opening started to be heard "Ask her by yourself."

Greta looked behind her : it was the medical room door that was opening. Bell was the first one to get out of the room, she has some dressings on her face, covering the multiple cuts she received. She was smiling but Greta could see that this smile was a fake one as her face been all white betrayed her true state. Greta was the only one to see it. Park was following Bell and then closed the door behind her. Greta turned her back to see Adler and to faint a discussion but she realize that he left his desk without having her to notice it. She was now alone.

"See ? Told you that I'm the girl to heal you !" Park exclaimed to Bell

"Thanks, Park." Bell replied, looking at her "Appreciated it."

"Hey, Greta, still here ?" Park said, having spotted Greta near Adler's office

"Yeah, need to stay here until tomorrow." Greta responded

"Ok." Park looked back at Bell "We're going to sleep now, we all tired."

"I.....I"m not tired, Park." Bell said "I maybe going to check things on my desk."

"Bell, what did I told you ?" Park rolled her eyes, in a lovely voice "You need to rest, it's been two days you didn't sleep."

"I'm okay." Bell muttered "No need to worry." Park was looking at her worried but anyway, since Bell doesn't want to sleep, she couldn't argue more with her. It was better for Park to let her alone

"Well." Greta was surprised when Park landed a little kiss on Bell's cheek that wasn't wounded and then walked away to the dorm. "Good night, Bell....and you too, Greta." Bell was also surprised by her gesture but that didn't change her state and she wasn't feeling better.

Now, Greta was alone with Bell....just with Bell. The two didn't move from their positions and no one talked. After a few moments, Bell decided to move to her desk while Greta stayed near Adler's desk, leaned against it, arms crossed. Her gaze fall on Bell when she arrived at her desk and start to write on some papers. Greta was seeing someone that was too much focused on work....maybe that was the thing that was disturbing her ? But as Greta was looking at her, Bell was kinda feeling weird to be observed by an woman she didn't really know. Finally, after 5 minutes, Bell called her out.

"You....you want something ?" Bell asked, confused in her voice as she was still working and not looking away

"I....uh....no...I mean, yes." Greta couldn't find her words, troubled to find out that Bell knew she was watched "It's about you." Bell look at her slowly

"About me ?" She said as she raised an eyebrow

"Yes, about you, Bell." She walked a little, away from Adler's desk "I'm worried about you."

"Why ?" Bell told her

"I saw through you.....you're not feeling well....more bad than good."

"How did you see that ?"

"You tried to hide it multiples times but I could see it : your face...your eyes were betraying you. Our discussion in that bar showed it to me....and Adler told me."

"What did he told you ?" Bell got up from her chair and faced Keller, she clenches her fists and jaw putting some scares to Greta who step backwards but too late as Bell grabbed Greta by her coat collar and put her against the wall "Don't tell me that he said it to you."

"He said...." She tried to find her words but having someone who grabbed her and looking threatening wasn't helping at all "He said that you told him to go fuck himself" She joked, hoping to calm the situation down "He saw you were not well but you pushed him away."

"So he didn't tell you everything." Bell finally released Greta, relieving her

"Everything ?" Greta asked "What do you mean ?"

"You don't want to know." Bell turned her back around but she didn't walk away. Greta hesitated but she put her hand on Bell's shoulder.

"Bell, I'm asking because I want to help you." Bell, feeling Greta's hand on her shoulder removed it delicately without been brutal to her

"It's not something I want to talk here." Bell moved to get to Adler's desk, she grabbed a key from his desk and then turned back to Greta "Let's go somewhere else, we'll talk about it."

"You changed your mind ?" Greta was very surprised that Bell agreed to talk

"Just follow me, okay ?"

And then, without hesitating, Greta started to follow Bell outside where the rain was still falling down but having see her grabbing keys meaned that Bell wanted to go somewhere else, away from that place. Bell walked out to the same van they used to get out of East-Berlin where she ordered Greta to get in. If Greta wanted responses, she will have them. But Greta was still suspicious about what Bell wanted to do with her. She was the one who planned to take her out for a drink and now, Bell was the one to do it. She, of course, tried to know where Bell wanted to go but the only response that came in was 'somewhere quiet'.

After starting the van, Bell drove away from the safehouse with Greta at her side. What she has in mind was too precious to be told in the safehouse and she wanted to go somewhere else to clean up her mind. The drive didn't last long in fact. Bell stopped the van in a forest, still in West-Berlin, they were near the Havel river in a secluded place, away from the eyes of everyone else. Bell even stopped the van backward against the river to make sure to have a beautiful view on it and by luck, the rain stopped dropping in the sector. After that, Bell walked away from the driver seat and got behind when she opened the backdoors and then, sit on the edge of the van.

Greta was a little worried that Bell brought her to that place but anyway, she will have her answers there. She joined Bell by sitting next to her.

"So....what are we doing here ?" Greta asked

"You said you wanted to know why I'm feeling weird." Bell rolled her eyes, it was obvious...very obvious that she wanted to say it "You'll know."

"It's okay, I'm...ready to hear it." Greta said. Bell looked at her for a few instants and then back at looking at the horizon, she took a deep breath before starting.

"All these years inside the MI6, we've been told that....love is the worst thing to do because that got you attached to things." She started "I never fall in love because of that advice. I was never loved in my life."

"I'm sorry to hear that, that's very hard for you." Greta put her hand on Bell's shoulder again but this time, Bell didn't remove it.

"I felt so stupid to have listened to this advice but I'm not feeling well since I.....uhm.....fell in love." Bell crossed her arms

"You don't need to feel weird, Bell." Greta said with a smile, trying to reconfort her "Love is a normal thing to have."

"I don't know if I should consider it as a compliment but thanks."

"And.....sorry to be indiscreet but....who's the lucky guy ?"

"It's Park !"

Wow....Greta was quite surprised to hear that.....Bell was not loving a guy, it was about a women all along and it was about Park. Bell was feeling weak and dizzy because of the feelings she catch for the British spy.

"Wait, you're talking about Helen Park, right ?" Greta removed her hand, her eyes went wide "THE Helen A. Park ?"

"Of course, who do you think I was talking about ?

"But why are you not feeling okay ?"

"Because I don't know if she's feeling the same right like me." Bell started to have some tears from her eyes. Greta just saw the hidden side of Bell : a woman troubled by her choices and the opinions of the others. "I'm different."

"Bell, don't say that."

"I'm a woman loving another woman and people around me said that that's not how it works." Her voice was cracking just by saying that "I'm a lesbian, that's why I'm not okay."

'I'm sorry."

"Adler always put out jokes about me and how I'm feeling. It's....starting to be too much for me. It all started back in Vietnam....and it all begin again when he came back."

"So, that's why you told him to go fuck himself ?" Greta tried to make her laugh a little and that worked

"Yeah, I had enough of him." Bell sighed, she cleaned up her mind but she didn't want to leave that place "Why I'm so different, Keller ?"

"Bell, you don't need to give a fuck about what the others say about that." Greta exclaimed "The only thing that count is that how you see things." She wrapped her hands around Bell's ones "That's how I feeling right now."

"What do you mean ?" Bell asked, confused of Greta's moves

"I'm like you, Bell. It's hard to tell the others how you're really feel about them....I also love women." She smile "I also faced the same things.....just like you."

"But, I don't know how I can say that and what can I do."

"Meaning ?"

"I was never loved, I never kissed a girl.....I never had sex." Bell sighed again in desperation "I'm not made for love."

"Bell." Greta moved her hands to put them on Bell's shoulders "Look at me." Bell complied and they both looked at each other. They were both looking troubled but then, without hesitation, Greta leaned forward and put her lips on top of Bell's ones. She didn't know she was going to do it but seeing Bell like that, she knew she had to do it anyway. Bell was very surprised at this. She didn't close her eyes or even moved her lips away. Her heart was pounding faster at this moment : it was her first kiss in her entire life....and the one who was kissing wasn't the one she loved. At this realization, Bell withdrawed from the kiss.

"What....what did you do ?" She asked, trembling

"I kissed you, Bell."

"But why ? You know that...I love Park."

"I want you to feel better, Bell." Greta looked away, ashamed "I'm sorry if that did disturbed you." She started to move away from Bell "We should get back to the others."

"No, wait" Bell take Greta's arm with her hands stopping her "I want to feel better."

"What do you mean ?"

"You know it well.....please."

"Bell, I don't know if it's a good idea to be sure."

"Just....please, I want to know how that happens." Greta wasn't so sure to do that but finally, she resigned herself and let Bell make her sit back again next to her. Bell wanted to know it but she didn't have the strengh to do it by herself "Please....kiss me again."

Greta could only give a little smile before she moved again and their lips met again. This time, Bell indeed moved to kiss her too. This wasn't a simple kiss on the lips now, their tongues were now intertwined each other. Bell put her hands around Greta's waist as Greta put her hands on Bell's face. She wanted to give her the best kiss to make sure she remember a good memory of it and to make sure for her to know that they were both alike. The kiss were so intense that the two fall back inside the van, Greta finding herself on top of Bell. The two stopped the kiss to take a breath and the two were happy....mostly Bell.

Greta removed her jacket on the side and closed the back doors of the van, Bell was looking at her with lovely eyes, she was discovering more about the German spy and the fact that this woman, in front of her, who became her first experience in kissing, was making her proud but Bell didn't want to stop now, there were so much to know about. As Greta was going to go for another kiss, Bell stopped her.

"Greta, I....I....I want to do this." Bell said, her voice sounding exhausted

"You want to have sex ?" Greta asked

"Yes, show me." Bell took Greta's left hand and put it just on her scrotch "Show me how I can really feel in love."

"Bell, I don't know....and Park ?" Greta didn't wanted to make Bell fall in love with her, she knew that she will not see Bell again after this night, only kissing for her was the thing to do. She wanted to reconfort her, nothing else but as Greta told her that Bell start to have some tears coming out of her eyes. "Please, don't cry....please." Greta was really touched by Bell right now, she cleaned up the tears with her other hand....and also her start to have some tears too. For the first time, Greta was helping someone to feel better and she was refusing her proposal to go further and after seeing Bell's reaction, she knew that she will not be at 100% for the future and that she will never tell her feelings to Park.

"Greta, help me." Bell's voice was cracking under the weight of the emotions

"Bell, I..." Greta voice's too, she couldn't refuse anymore. "Ok, I will but...."

"But ?"

"I will be the only one to do it, okay ? I don't want you to fall in love with me." Greta pass her hand through Bell's hair

"Why ?"

"Because after that night, we will not see each other again and I can't afford it." Greta was telling the truth. "You're not loving me, you're loving Park, not me."

"I just want to know, Greta."

"Bell, If I let you do this to me, you're risking to catch feelings for me and I don't want it. I don't want to take that risk." Greta's hand after passing through Bell's hair, get on Bell's cheek, slowly stroking it "You don't deserve me."

"Just do it, please." Bell finally resigned to Greta's proposition, she didn't want to take that risk too after what Greta told her. When Greta kissed her, Bell first thought that she was the one to love but now that Greta will never return to the safehouse again, she realize that she was threatening her own feelings for Park. She is always there for Bell and Bell didn't want to lose her. "I promise."

"You promise ?"

"I do."

"Ok, I need you to relax now." Greta moved away to get at the same level of Bell's pants "Relax, let me take care of you." She started to remove them slowly, being giving a little help from Bell and after a few seconds, the pants were removed, Bell decided to kept her shoes because of the cold floor of the van. Greta was giving a look at Bell's face, not wanting to hurt her. "Tell me if you want me to stop." Greta could discover Bell's underwear and it was lovely....too lovely to remove, she decided to put the underwear part covering Bell's clit to the side. Before starting, Greta took a last look to Bell, she was panicking. "Bell, don't panick, I'm here."

"Please." Bell breathed

Greta started before to blow some air onto Bell's clit, teasing her a little bit and then, she begins. She leaned forward and start to lick her clit from up to bottom. Feeling Greta's tongue alongside her pussy was giving Bell some chills inside her body. Her hands was holding the floor firmly as she was taken away by Greta. Wow....the only thing Bell was thinking right now. Everything was amazing right now for her, she couldn't think straight but she's sure as hell to love this moment.

"Bloody hell." Bell moaned in pleasure as Greta started to lick more faster

"Don't panick." Greta stopped herself but she wasn't stopping to take a breath but in fact, she told her that because as soon she finished, she started to brought her index finger inside Bell's clit, making Bell jump a little but she calmed herself as Greta ordered.

Everything Greta was doing was filling Bell with more pleasure and more lust than she never had before. The moanings were becoming loud as Greta licked faster and was fingering her at the same time, it was amazing. She never thought that she will be doing her first time with someone she only met hours ago and she realize that she was like her. She wouldn't wanted this to stop, the moment were too beautiful to stop, her heart pounding faster.

"Fuck, Greta..." Bell exclaimed, filled with all the pleasure she wanted but then, she was starting to get more close to something she never had before : orgasm. "Greta, I...I'm feeling...." Bell never felt such thing and when she said that, Greta stopped and get back at her level

"It's okay." Greta smiled before getting her lips back into the top of Bell's one while she was still stroking Bell's clit with her hand, rapidly. Getting kissed and stroked at the same time....well that was giving the best from Bell and finally after at least 30 seconds, Bell finally released everything she had and squirt on the van floor. Greta withdrawed from the kiss to let Bell see what was happening. Bell was taking back her breath, relieved to finally enjoy herself with a woman. She waited all of her life for this moment.

As they were finally finished, Greta give Bell a last little kiss on her lips.

"Greta...thanks you." Bell put her hand on Greta's cheek but then, she started crying again

"Bell, what's wrong ?" Greta asked, worried

"I shouldn't ask you, I'm sorry." Bell was feeling sorry because even she was finally able to have a little bit of sex, something inside of her hoped to have waited

"Don't say that." Greta could only lay down next to Bell. Bell, seeing her, moved her arms to hug Greta, still crying and putting her head on her chest "Why are you crying ?"

"I....I wanted to do this with Park, I shouldn't do it now."

"Bell, it's okay, you don't need to worry about her" She wrapped her arm around Bell "I'm sure that Park loves you."

"What can make you think that ?"

"I know Park very well to know when she's in love with someone. Why do you think she's still with you since you arrived ?"

"That doesn't-"

"Everything was here : that kiss she gave you on the cheek, the fact that she's worried about you. Park....love you." Greta was right, she know Park enough to tell the truth to Bell "She's like you, she doesn't know if you're like her too."

"You're sure ?"

"Of course, Bell. I saw it the first time I saw you two together !"

"Thanks you....thank you !" Bell was a little bit of disoriented right now, she just wanted to have sleep now, she didn't sleep for 2 days. "Greta, can we....can we sleep here ?" Bell asked, not sure "I don't want to return back to the safehouse for the moment."

"Bell, it's okay." Greta put her arms around Bell "We have the night for both of us to talk about anything you want."

"I just want to sleep." Bell closed her eyes "I want to think about Park."

"It's okay !"

Bell closed her eyes, she spent 2 two days non-stop to decrypt files, to kill bad guys and to capture a Perseus agent and finally finished these 2 days by discovering what was love with Greta Keller, something she never had the pleasure in her life but thanks to her, that pleasure was given. Greta showed her that her feelings with Park were real and just helped to make her feel better. Bell couldn't be more thankful than with anyone else. Greta was pleased to have help Bell in a difficult moment. Even if Adler was considering Bell as an asset, Greta saw her like just any human being with a heart....a heart that wanted to shout her true feelings about herself. Both women were happy and could finally slept in each other arms. It was just a way for both women to say to each other that this night means a lot for them.

Bell could finally feel better !

[thatsaweirdwaytospellundead]

Grand Opening! Guy’s Food Stall /3

Summary: There is going to be a Vietnamese Lantern Festival nearby and Guy has recently gotten into Vietnamese cuisine. He makes a pretty good beef Pho, but Citron feels like Guy could elevate his cooking and open his own food stall…

This is part 2 of ‘Grand Opening! Guy’s Food Stall’, read part 1 here!

Muku  

Wow, so many lanterns! They’re so pretty.

Taichi  

This place is sooo instablammable! Let’s take some pics!

Yuki  

Hey you guys don’t just stand there taking photos, come on.

Citron  

Heyyyyy I’m here to grab a quick light at Guy’s food stall before my performance~!

Izumi  

A quick bite, yea.

Kumon  

Look, that’s Guy over there!

Guy  

--- Oh, I see you all came by.

Sakuya  

Welcome!

Azuma  

Thank you so much for coming.

Izumi  

Wow you three look great in Ao Dai.

Sakuya  

Thank you so much!

Guy  

If you would like, please come in and have something to eat. Yukishiro will lead you to your seats.

Azuma  

Yes, this way. Please help yourself to some Bahn Mi and Che.

Taichi  

Ohh! So this is Bahn Mi! Wow it’s filled with tons of stuff, so delicious!

Yuki  

This Che is pretty colourful, how cute. It’s good.

Guy  

Sakuma and Yukishiro had some great ideas. I owe the success of our menu to them.

Citron  

So Guy, what did you end up deciding with the Pho?

Guy  

I really wanted to incorporate everyone’s ideas. In the end, I decided to offer each item as a topping.

Taichi  

So you mean you can choose whatever we want for toppings?

Sakuya  

Right. It was a great idea!

Guy  

I have also prepared the western-style Pho that Miyoshi suggested. It has tomato and cheese.

Kumon  

And you got sausages and kakuni, wooow!

Citron  

I’ll take the sweet shrimp!

Muku  

Huh, sweet shrimp?

Izumi  

No surprise there.

Guy  

We have that.

Muku  

You do!?

Yuki  

All this choices actually makes it harder to choose.

Izumi  

It really does, there are so many options.

Choice

It’s fun to choose yourself.

Do you happen to have any curry...?

Izumi  

Option: With all these options anyone would be excited to choose.

Guy  

Yes. I think choosing is the fun part for both the customer and the rest of their party. They can talk amongst themselves to decide what to pick.

Izumi  

Now what to choose for myself.... Everything looks so delicious, it’s hard to make a choice.

Guy  

... Hmm..

Izumi  

? What is it?

Guy  

It’s nothing, I was just a little absorbed in all the options.

Izumi  

Oh, sorry , I didn’t mean to make it sound like such a big decision.

Guy  

No worries. If the director is happy then I am also happy.

END OPTION

Izumi  

Option: Soooo, do you happen to have any curry?

Guy  

It was a bit difficult to make curry into a topping, so instead I have a curry broth Pho.

I made this just for you, director.

Izumi  

For me?

Guy  

I made it specifically to be able to mix well with any of the other toppings. However I recommend to try it with the steamed chicken and eggplant.

Izumi  

I didn’t think you would really have it.... Thank you so much.

Guy  

I tried a lot of different combinations with my research to understand the best ingredients and ways to make Pho.

I am using this opportunity to learn how I could incorporate this into Zahran cuisine. Perhaps I will also consider offering it at my own restaurant.

Izumi  

Good idea! It’ll be a hit for sure.

END OPTION

Guy  

How about that-- I had you in mind when picking that topping. Once again, thank you so much for your help.

Izumi  

Not at all, after all it was you who did all the cooking and put all this together.

Sakuya  

-- Excuse me, Guy! We have a lot of customers asking for Pho!

Azuma  

Welcome, please wait a moment to be seated.

Guy  

If you could please excuse me, I must go. Feel free to stay and enjoy your meal.

Izumi  

We will, good luck.

Muku  

Wow, Guy’s food stall is so popular there’s even a line forming outside!

Yuki  

Everyone’s ordering Pho.

Taichi  

Wow!

Citron  

What’s up, Taichi?

Taichi  

Guy’s food stall is really blowing up on Instablam!

Kumon  

You’re right! They are all talking about how you can customise the taste based on the toppings you choose!

Citron  

This is something my eyes could have never imagined.

Izumi  

Even with all these orders it looks like Guy is handling everything so skillfully...

Guy  

Next customer please, what would you like-- Coming right up. Alright, I just finished the Pho for the customer over there.

Izumi  

(Serving everyone with such efficiency and with full focus.... Definitely the trademark of a royal servant.)

Guy  

-- Thank you for waiting. Please enjoy our specialty homemade Pho.

END STORY

[mauerfrau]

lilli-of-the-mountain replied to your post: [SMS]: Hello. Äh, I know that this is sudden but...

[SMS]: Thank you. I’m about to take the U-bahn over. We will talk about this ‘Herr Beilschmidt’ address when I arrive.

[SMS] If you’re going to try telling me to forgive him or some nonsense please reconsider. Let me have a peaceful evening.

[stories-of-the-nrm]

The Great Race Part 2

Narrator: That night at Tidmouth Sheds, all the engines were talking about the Great Railway Show.

Thomas: Can you imagine if any of us actually get a chance to compete?

Percy: I think you would do a great job if shunting was an event Thomas.

Edward: Did you hear what any of the events would be, Thomas?

Thomas: I only heard the famous, Flying Scotsman say that there's going to be a racing event.

James (laughing): Oh we know Gordon would want to compete in that. He'd love to have the chance to show off.

(Henry rolls his eyes.)

Henry: It's not as if you wouldn't want to show off your paintwork, James.

James: Ha! I'm sure the judges would love to see my glorious paintwork.

Emily: I do think you would do an amazing job if you did a freight pulling competition, Henry.

James: Oh please, Emily. Henry isn't even the strongest engine on Sodor.

Henry: I'll have you know James that I pull heavy goods to the Mainland all the time. Murdoch only provides goods work for the farmers and Sir Topham Hatt wouldn't want to take him away from that. They would need two engines to pull the trains I can all the way to the Mainland.

Percy: What about Hiro? Isn't he pretty strong?

Edward: Hiro would most likely represent Japan, Percy. He is a JNR Class D51 after all.

James: Yes, yes, we all know what his class is, Edward. Why would that matter? He doesn't live in Japan anymore so he should be able to compete for Sodor.

Emily: Victor's still a Cuban engine despite living on Sodor, James. Donald and Douglas are still Scottish despite living on Sodor. It's possible Sir Topham Hatt would let both of them compete where Hiro would represent Japan as his native land.

(Gordon backs into the sheds groaning.)

Gordon: Are you all still blathering about the Great Railway Show?

Thomas: It's not blathering, Gordon. We're all very excited to see engines from other countries compete against each other.

Gordon (scoffing): I think it's nothing but a waste of time. I wouldn't want to be racing against my brother like some show pony.

Percy: But you like showing off how fast you can go.

Gordon: You don't understand, little Percy. I have to boast about my speed because I'm the pride of Sir Topham Hatt's passenger fleet.

James: Gordon you don't have lovely red paint like me. If anyone's the pride of Sir Topham Hatt's fleet of engines it would be me.

(Gordon groans.)

Gordon: You are the same size as Edward, little James. You could never keep to my schedule. You simply aren't able to go nearly as fast as I can. There isn't a single engine on this island who could pull the express like me.

Edward: You do know Gordon that Connor and Caitlin were designed to go up to 123 mph.

(Gordon rolls his eyes.)

Gordon: Connor and Caitlin are STREAMLINED Edward. They only travel from Ulfstead Castle to the Mainland. They are not express engines like me.

Emily: Spencer's an A4 and can go up to 125 mph.

Gordon: Spencer wouldn't dare risk his position just for some frivolous race. And again Emily he's STREAMLINED. He serves the Duke and Duchess of Boxford which means his work load isn't nearly as large as mine.

Thomas: But why wouldn't you want to at least see your brother the Flying Scotsman again?

Gordon: That is not of your concern little Thomas.

(Gordon rolls backwards into his shed.)

Edward: Well everyone I suppose that's our cue to turn in for the night. Good night everyone.

(They all say good night except for Gordon.)

Narrator: One by one all the engines fall asleep. Although, Thomas could've sworn that he heard Gordon crying as he fell asleep.

(Thomas falls asleep as we fade to black.)

Tagging: @thefedoragirl, @jayde-jots, @colaxcoco, @ethereal-capricorns-blog, @pxmun, @pxmun2, @glitterking599, @gordon208, @nlliah, @bluy1206, @tetsudomoe1304, @klein-sodor-bahn, @ladychandraofthemoone, @sketalya, @postmodernpre-grouping, @thesudrianchronicles, @milkagaisme, @ihatewoodpeckers, @lavenderrosiefan, @eyesinspaceisgone, @jordeynnotgordon, and @asktheoriginalorder.

[theladylikesfics]

First Encounters

You had a moment of “Fuck It. I’m just going to go.” You held a major garage sale cleaning out some clutters and old memories than you felt it was finally time to let go of, held a small going away party, bought a plane ticket and were off. You were going to spend the next three months exploring Asia. It felt cliché and white girl mid-life crises but there were some spots you been dreaming about visiting since you were young and now it was time. Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and finally Korea. You were currently in your second week exploring Vietnam, and you were absolutely in love with the city of Da Nang. You were on your daily trip through the Con Market when you heard the commotion of several children laughing playing and running behind you. The cacophony of noise surrounded you as they raced towards you, then finally past you. As quickly as it happened you noticed the strap to your shoulder bag had been snipped and was gone. You quickly began to shout and chase after the kids. As a precaution you never brought all of your money with you just enough to purchase a few things and go back to your rented room. As you continued to chase a looming figured appeared in front of the pack of children making them skid to halt. “Arrête ça, tu sais mieux, maintenant, dites-leur que vous êtes désole. I’m so sorry they are normally really good kids sometimes they are just mischievous.” Your heart lodged in your throat as you heard the deep voice of the man standing in front of you holding out your hand bag that he’d quickly tied into a tight knot.       He was handsome with a strong defined face and jawline; you could see he had bit of tattoos on him from the thin cotton button down that he was wearing that was currently damp from sweat and the humidity of the city. To say he was muscular was an understatement. His pectoral muscles stood out as the camera strap hang between them, his biceps were full and the bulge from them as he flexed gently made your core clench. Hearing french roll off of his lips as easy as water sliding down a wall made you want to fuck him right there on the spot. “I know all of the kids, so please check your belongings and if anything is missing, I’m sure I can get it back for you.” You stood there gawking trying to find your words as you assessed and undressed that fine ass man. Your eyes roamed down as you noticed he was in ripped jeans. Thick muscular sections of thigh, a broad knee and legs were exposed soaking up the sun. Your eyes couldn’t help but follow the trail of sweat that rolled down his neck, collar bone, down a section of his chest and eventually got soaked in by the tank top he was wearing.       “Excuse me are you alright, can you speak?” “Oh Yes, ahh thank you.” You were so lost in your assessment of him you had completely zoned out that he was speaking to you. “Please check your things if anything is missing, I should be able to retrieve it for you.” The deep rumble of baritone that was his voice rippled through you like a pebble hitting the water; his presence was leaving you speechless. You hadn’t been this affected by anyone like this in such a long time you’d forgotten that it was possible. Willing yourself to actually pay attention to what he was saying and not just him, you went through your bag and saw that nothing was missing; however, the strap had been cut. “Everything is there but my strap has been cut. Fuck.” “I’m so sorry about that, here come with me I know a place that can repair it. Just stay close to me and hold on.” Before you could measure his words, his strong hand wrapped around yours as he pulled you through the crowded market and in to the opening of an alley.           

      “Hey Tony, everything all good?” He asked as the shop keeper poked his head out the side door. “Ahh! Yeah yeah yeah Monster. Everything o.k.” He pulled out a 20.00 Korean won and passed it to the shop keeper whose eyes were so large they could compete with the moon. “Ahh Monster no no no this is too much just to watch your bike.” “Tony, that bike is everything. Take it. Be well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He pulled out a second helmet and passed it to you. “Monster?” You asked suspiciously He chuckled looking at over his shoulders and he moved things around on his bike. “Don’t be alarmed it’s just a nickname you may call me Woo. Now helmet on and hold on tight to me.” You gasped softly and bit the corner of your lip as you watched his ass when he threw his leg over the side of his motorcycle and straddled it. You were still standing there in awe of this mass of man. “Are you coming or what, you’re not afraid are you?” he said over his shoulder, you could see the slightly corner of a smirk on his face under the helmet before the snapped the visor down. This trip was the year of the ‘Fuck Its’ so hoping on the back of a stranger’s motorcycle was par for the course; you didn’t mean to, but you moaned slightly as your arms wrapped around his robust frame. You squealed and squeezed tighter as the bike came to a roaring start and accelerated at a high speed turning out of the alley and on to the main strip. You could feel his body tighten and flex as he laughed at your reaction; a quick seven-minute ride later and you pulled up along a strip of business in a part of the city you’ve only explored once. 

“First thing’s first, let’s get you a temporary bag, I can tell you by your expression you’re really attached to that one so just throwing it away isn’t an option.” Again, taking your hand, he led you into a little shop full of just bags of various sizes and purses, coin purses and wallets of all types. You selected a cute bag about the same size as the one that was damaged, a new backpack and a wallet you’d been meaning to replace. “When we go up to the counter, let me handle everything.” He said looking at you. Walking up to the counter everything came up to roughly 50.00 dong. “That is 50 dongs.” The shopkeeper said eyeing you. “Seriously Sandy, 50 Dong, for all three. I know you can do better than that.” Sandy scoffed loudly and rolled her eyes at Woo. “No, You! No Discount! 50 dong, matter of fact price went up 55 dong now. Pay me or leave.” “Sandy, Thực sự, chúng tôi là bạn.” Woo said in flawless Vietnamese “Chúng tôi không phải là bạn connard!” “Wow! Sandy, an asshole really. Are you really still mad at me for going out with your cousin, that was last year?! Now come on, I’ll give you 35 for everything, plus I’m going next door to see the old man to get my friend here bag repaired, and you know I will tip well because he does such an amazing job. Come on Sandy you can’t hold this grudge for forever.” “Are you really going to see Papa??” Sandy asked with a scowl still heavily plastered on her face; Woo held out the damage bag to her to inspect, she carefully took it from him and examined it in here hands before laying it out on the counter and turning it over. “Hmm. It’s well used got some spots fraying towards the ends, cut strap, did the corner kids get you?” She spoke in your direction, eyes still roaming over the bag. “Yeah they ran past so quickly I don’t even know how they manage to cut it and not cut me as well.” “Papa can fix it, might take a day two days max. Depending on what he’s working on now he maybe able to fix tonight, if not by the end of the day tomorrow he should have it finished. Do you know this asshole?” Sandy pointed at Woo who was standing at another counter looking at wallets. “Ahh no actually I don’t, he just saw the kids steal my bag and got them to give it back to me and said that he knew where I could go to get it fixed is all.” Sandy scoffed again as Woo tossed a wallet with a chain on the counter next to your items. “I’ll give you 40 for everything.” He winked at Sandy as he slid two bills to her; she snatched up the bills and muttered ‘connard’ once against as she rang in the sale. The two of you made small talk as you transferred items from your damaged bag to the new one you just purchased. You learned that her grandfather, father and uncle ran the seamstress shop next door and her mother and sister the dry cleaner next to it. After dropping off the bag, Woo offered to take you around the city and then dinner and you decided to take him up on his offer. 

     You sped through the streets of Da Nang visiting all the non touristy areas that everyone that had advised you not to visit; half of your instincts were screaming ‘no this isn’t safe’ while the other half was saying ‘no it’s cool we trust this guy’ but was it your instincts or lust talking? Over dinner you learned that he was a well known well trusted photo journalist, who’s work had been published in National Geographic, The Smithsonian, Architect Digest as well as seen on the Travel channel and Discovery Channel. You two swapped tales as to how you both wound up in Vietnam at this point in your lives, you having had an epic fuck this I’m out moment and him half working/half sabbatical. You allowed him to do something you never let anyone do, he fed you. He took his time when ordering and explained everything that he ordered and using a pair of chopsticks and a spoon fed you Bun Cha, Banh beo, Thit Kho, Bahn xeo stuffed with shrimp, and Bun rieu. Seeing him still damp from sweat, hair up in a top knot and being so delicate and gingerly in the feed of you made your insides quiver. The way he licked his lips, slurped in noodles and soup and suck crab out of the shell made you wonder just what that would feel like on your pussy, the mere thought of it made you squeeze your thighs tighter together and bite the inside of your cheeks to stifle a moan. If given the opportunity you didn’t see yourself not fucking him. 

     Over the flickering candlelight and full stomachs, the conversation was almost as delicious as the meal it self. “Do you know that you have the most gorgeous eyes?” You almost choked on your green tea, as \the compliment struck you so off guard. He chuckled at you, before picking up a cloth napkin and gently dabbing your mouth and chin. “Truth be told its not just your eyes that have my attention, and please excuse me for being so forward but, watching your lips slide off my chopsticks all night has me so fucking hard right now.” He leaned back in his chair jus as cool and confident as ever and took a long pull off of his beer. Meanwhile you were sitting there stuck. All night long you’ve been watching the tension in his arms any time he moved, the way his peck muscles would flex when he laughed, the way his laughed sounded like a thunderstorm rolling in over the cliffs, the way his lips moved when he spoke, drank, moaned after a bite of food. The moan. The first time he did it you nearly came in your shorts and it took all of your will power not to appear as utterly wrecked by it as you were; and now here he sat across from you looking like pure sin, hitting on you. You had a decision to make, to give into his antics and eventually fuck the shit out of him or to laugh it off advise him that you’d see him tomorrow maybe in order to pick up your bag. ‘This is the season of fuck it you thought to yourself.’ You’d brought condoms on your trip that you had yet to use and so you decided why not now and why not him. “You know it’s funny you mentioned lips,” you began, “ever, since I saw you suck the meat out of that crab shell whole and I couldn’t help but wonder what that would be feel like on my pussy.” It was now your turn to smirk and sip. He sputtered on his drink and you couldn’t help but laugh, it was soon cut short by how quickly he moved to your side of the table and his tongue slid into your mouth effortlessly as if it was made to always be there. He pulled away from you, dragging his lips against your cheek and up against your ear and whispered “Je tiens a vous baiser si mal. Monte avec moi.” Followed up with a trail of kisses down your jawline, over your chin and back up to your lips. “Come with me.” He spoked against your lips standing up and reaching out his hand. “My room is just upstairs on the twelfth floor, or if you want we can get back on the bike and I can take you back to your place, but one thing I’m certain of, I have a need to spend the rest of the night with you.” Between the French, his body and the way he kissed you, your juice box was beyond ready to be slurped on; you took his hand and followed him to the elevator. 

 Inside the elevator, his hands roamed over your body, drawing you into him more, kissing you deeply, making your mouth water and your pussy pulse. You couldn’t remember the last time you wanted someone so badly and the thought of you fucking him made you beyond antsy, the door the elevator couldn’t open fast enough. Swiping the card key over the door to his suite he pushed the door open with his hip, walking the two of you backwards through the sitting area where he tossed down both of your bags and finally made your way into the bedroom. He laid you down on the bed his hands gliding over you frame. “I hate to interrupt this moment, but I need to freshen up just a little bit, want to shower with me?” His voice was low, lush and intoxicating. “Only if you allow me to go first for a few minutes, you know just a little bit of privacy.” Your words felt heady and laden as you spoke them. “Be my guess.” He replied as his eyes drifted over your frame as you got up and walked towards the bathroom. You quickly stripped down and freshen up the most important parts before calling him in to shower with you. You stood before the glass door of the shower watching him strip, his body decorated in elaborate tattoos, everyone ounce him worked out to perfection. He was truly a work of art and he was naked with a full erection just for you. Stepping in to the shower he immediately pressed you against the back of the wall as hot water cascaded off his body, his hard hot body pressing into you, the the slightly warm tiles that were still cold enough to make your nipples hard against your front, his wide thick dick pressed against your ass, he bit down on your ear; one hand found a nipple and began pinching and twisting it, making your body jolt, the other hand snaked its way between your thighs and found your throbbing swollen clit. He teased at the entrance of your opening barely inserting the first digit in, mere fraction of an inch away from your clit that so desperately wanted attention. You were panting as his mouth assaulted your neck, sucking deep hickies on to the side of it, he was still toying with the notion of stroking your clit and you let out the most desperate needy whine you could muster. “What’s the matter Baby Girl, tell me what you need.” He released your neck just long enough to ask the question and right back to sucking on it hungrily. “Touch… touch me please.” You begged. “Vous touche ou? Touch you where? Tell me?” “Touch… touch my clit PLEASE!” The pulsing of your engorged clit made you sound much more needier than you intended too. He was still teasing at your entrance, when finally, he stroked a finger over it; a shudder of pleasure tore through you and made your body jerk. You couldn’t remember the last time you were so wound up and in need, you’ve never nearly came from first contact before until that moment. He re-positioned both hands, moving over to your other breast and nipple, he now maneuvered his hand so that his thumb was over your clit and two fingers slid inside of you. “Gotdamn Baby Girl! Why are you so tight? I may have to put four fingers inside of you to get you ready for my cock.” As he spoke, he began to slowly move his fingers in and out of you. Your hips couldn’t help but begin to undulate to the rhythm he was setting in your pussy; he felt amazing and you couldn’t help but moan and slightly bang your head against the wet tile of the shower wall. He kissed over your neck and shoulder continuing to suck deep bruising hickies onto your skin the pleasure/pain of it made you moan louder. He quickened the pace in which he was pushing and pulling his fingers out of you as his thumb was swiping over your clit in a variety of patterns. Your legs were quivering as the fire in your belly grew bigger and bigger. His arm snaked up your torso as his hand gripped your throat. “That’s it, cum on Daddy’s fingers. Cum for Daddy Woo baby girl.” his teeth sank in to your earlobe just as his middle finger brushed against your G-spot; a shattering screaming chorus of fuck fuck fuck! Left your mouth as your body thrashed against his, his fingers never stopping their stimulation of your pleasure points. He removed his hand just in time to support your frame, your legs were weak and quivering and he used his frame to support you up against the wall. “Good Girl. Now taste yourself for me.” He slid his two fingers in your mouth and worked them back and forth on your tongue as you began to suck on them. “Suck a little more, a little harder. Good girl, just like that, keep going.” He inhaled sharply through his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, you could feel his erection bob against your leg as he slid his fingers out your mouth. “Baby girl, you sucked my fingers so well, I can’t wait to feel that on my cock. But first, lets get out of this shower.” Stepping out first, he wrapped an oversize towel around his waist before pulling another one out of the warmer and wrapping it around you. He then picked you up in his arms and carried back into the bedroom and laid you down on the bed. “I’ve been waiting all night to see if you taste as sweet at you look.” He wasted no time spreading your legs and plunging his tongue into your saturated love hole as far as it could go. He swirled his tongue around clockwise, then counter clockwise seeming to hit new spots he didn’t the first time. One hand was fisted in his hair the other stuffed full of the blanket as your eyes rolled back in your head. “Woooooo fuuuuck. Daddy!” You moaned and quivered. “Damn I was wrong, you taste even sweeter, like pure sugar cane sweet, fuck I need another taste.” This time his full lips sucked on your clit with the tip of his tongue flipped up and down over it, you started to cum again immediately, you  never cum this quickly back to back; you were starting to understand just why they called him Monster. You were on your back panting heavily heart racing, trying to gain composure after an orgasm that left your near numb. “Come here baby girl show me again just how good you are with that mouth.” You nodded and rolled over and got up to your hands and knees and crawled the rest of the way to him. “Merde! Tu es si beau comme ca” The sound of French rumbling from his lips made you moan as you took his dick in your mouth. A loud deep groan roared from him as he leaned forward to give your right ass cheek a firm slap; just at that moment your deep throated him and the slap made you moan again his balls, earning yet another loud groan and praise. “FUCK! Baby Girl, you’re so fucking good.” He began a steady rhythm fucking your throat, not to fast, not to slow, just the right pace and rough enough to make you gag, tear up, and dig your nails in to his thighs. “Fuck let me get my dick into you before you make cum down your throat. Stay right where you are.” He came up behind you on the bed right in front of the full mirror; you screamed and quivered on his dick as he entered you; he was so damn fucking thick and wide and long for no gotdamn reason. You moaned loudly into the mattress as your hips immediately gave into the pace of his thrust. “Look up! I want you to see how good you look when you’re getting fucked.” “Hooomygaaaawd. Yes Daddy!” You whined and stared at yourself getting some of the best dick ever. He looked like a fucking pornstar and you were nothing but his prey and you never wanted to be used as nothing but a cumslut more in your life. Strong forceful immaculate backshots were giving your body a rhythm it had never experience before, a chorus of moans, grunts and skin on skin made a melody so beautiful you would carry it with you the rest of your life. This what quality fucking felt like, you thought you’d known it in your life previously, but you now knew that was a lie. He slid out of you and pulled you back on the bed, he was on top of and back inside of you as soon as your body hit the bed. “Wrap both legs around me as high as you can.” You followed his instructions as he rolled his hips slightly pivoting with one leg while he balanced on the other, and just like two magnets connecting the head of his dick was firmly butting against your g-spot. It was like a waterfall of orgasms he never left the positions and the orgasms just kept flowing, you were literally five seconds from overstimulation, you had tears streaming down your cheeks from the pleasure, after checking to make sure you were okay he kept going; this time he choked you during your next orgasm and your nails dug into shoulder breaking the skin. His eyes were dilated as though the perfect drug had just hit his system as he peered down at you. “More!” He changed up the depth of the stroke just enough to get your g-spot a break and your were thankful for it. Pulling out he slightly straddle you chest as if to not put his full weight on you and dipped his cock down your throat. Gagging. Choking. Sucking. Slurping. Stroking. “FUCK! You look so good like that, Fuck I’m ready to Cum!”  He slid back inside of you, finding that angle to wreck your G-spot with his strokes, “Fuckin bite my nipple and suck it!” He panted out breathlessly, giving into his request your nails raked down the other nipple and pinched it hard just as your teeth bit down on the one currently in your mouth. Fuck bellowed out of his chest as his hand gripped and shook the headboard so hard the entire bed shook. The forms of his orgasm pushed you further into the mattress. 

     Over the course of the next two days you spent every moment possible with Woo, both in and out of bed. When a major disaster hit Indonesia, he was the first person the networks called to document the relief efforts. You were preparing to head to the next leg of your trip which was Korea. Not wanting to make it a sad affair you both agree to have dinner and spend the night together and go separated ways in the morning. You woke up the next morning to find a note and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers on the nightstand 

Baby Girl, Enjoy the room for the next few days that you’re here everything is already paid for and any new charges will be paid for on my card. Enjoy Room Service.I never expected to find you but now that I have, I know that a large part of me needs you. I’ll see you in Seoul

Yours  -Monster Woo.

                                                 Part II Coming Soon

[antecedentlypod]

EPISODE 3 TRANSCRIPT

-opening music-

LORRIE

Alright- [soft movement sounds] recording time. Reeecording time. One, two, three. [flip through the book, door opens]

Ah- fuck-

FISH

Oh! Shit- sorry- were you in the middle of something? Uh...sorry. I made lunch. Bahn mi! Y’know, the one I begged my brother for the recipe of? Uh- do you want some? I mean, I can’t guarantee it’s gonna be great ‘cause...it’s me...but it is getting cold! So...

LORRIE

I was just about to start recording, but lunch sounds...awesome, actually! But before we go, do you want to introduce yourself to the mic? I decided I wanted to keep the extra recordings and stuff, just for… me, I guess? Like- kinda like a journal. [brief pause]

My therapist did recommend I start journaling, but writing out my thoughts is hard as fuck. Talking into a microphone is much easier.

FISH

Oh. Okay, so just like...lamer scrapbooking- Yeah! Yeah, I guess. [taps the mic] uh. Check check? ...Right, okay. So, my name is Fish. Just- just Fish. I picked it out myself, actually, ‘cus i really like fish? Y’know? Uh, stonefish specifically but...I think sharks are really cool- are sharks fish? Anyway! [drifting off] I like she/her or they/them pronouns...um...that’s about it. Anyway, I’m here to make sure that Mr. Skeptic over here isn’t going haywire, given all the bullshit I’ve been hearing recently.

LORRIE

[soft laugh] That’s...enough, that’s good. Maybe I should do one of those myself. [pause, deep breath] Okay, uh. Hi, I’m Lorrie. I also picked that name out, sounds like a bird name. There is a bird named Lorrie, but it’s spelled differently. And it’s really colorful, which is the opposite of me! Um, I mainly use he/him or it/its pronouns, they/them is okay sometimes, but it’s best to stay away from it? And I’m not going haywire! Things are just… a little bit weird. It’s probably just hallucinations, it’s nothing.

FISH

A little bit? With all- [sigh, in a sarcastic tone] Okay, fine. Reaaaal convincing. Yeah! Believe that, 100%. ‘Kay, anyway... [laughter]

LORRIE

[sigh] Listen- just. Just shut the fuck up. [more laughter] I’m excited for lunch, though, I don’t remember the last time I ate, actually-

FISH

That’s...not ideal, but kind of the point. So...oh! Well, hopefully you ate before getting that tattoo, did uh- it looks...new. When did you…? [sigh] Okay. What’s with the eyes?

LORRIE

I think they’re cool. I got the tattoo a couple days ago, I’m pretty sure I got something to eat before it? Not a big deal.

FISH

[pause, dumbfounded and concerned] A couple days? Okay, holy shit, Lor. Let’s go get something to eat, okay? Lunch is getting cold, so.

LORRIE

Y-Yeah, that sounds good. Let me ju-just- [muffled movement, recording stops]

LORRIE

Aaaand we’re back. Lunch has been eaten, I feel- a lot better, honestly, and I think it’s a good time to record? [papers rustling] Um...where…? [collects himself] Uh, Fish left for work a little bit ago, which means the only idiot in the house with me is my dog! I’ll be able to work now, I think. Even if reading it makes me feel all- fuckin’ weird. It’s not a- not a great feeling. Not a great feeling at all. Fuck. Okay. Um. Take one of Rumpels-

[cut]

[weary] Take...five? I think? Of Rumpelstiltskin.

[cut]

Take nine of Rumplestiltskin. Read by Lorrie Adams.

RUMPELSTILTSKIN

Once upon a time, there was a miller who was poor, but he had a beautiful daughter. Now it happened that he was talking with the king one time, and to make himself seem important he said to the king: "I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold."

"That's an art that pleases me;” the king replied, “if your daughter is as talented as you say, bring her to my castle tomorrow and I will put her to the test." 

When the maiden was brought to him he led her into a room that was filled with straw. There he gave her a spinning-wheel and a spindle and said: "Now get to work, if you don’t spin straw into gold by morning, then you must die." Then he locked the room himself, and she remained inside all alone.

 The miller's poor daughter sat there feeling close to her wit’s end, for she knew nothing of spinning straw into gold, and her fear grew greater and greater. When she began to weep, the door suddenly opened and a little man entered, saying: "Good evening, Mistress Miller, why are you weeping so?" 

“Oh,” answered the maiden, "I'm supposed to spin straw into gold, and I don't know how." 

The little man then said: "What will you give me if I spin it for you?" 

"My necklace," the maiden said. The little man took the necklace and sat down at the wheel, and whizz, whizz, whizz, three times round the spool was full. Then he put on another one, and whizz, whizz, whizz, the second one was full; and so it went on until morning, until all the straw was spun and all the spools were filled with gold. The king appeared right at the sunrise and when he saw the gold he was surprised and pleased, but his heart grew even greedier. He locked the miller’s daughter in another room, one that was even larger than the first, and he ordered her to spin all the straw into gold if she valued her life.

The maiden did not know what to do and began to weep; then once again the door opened and the little man appeared and said: "What will you give me if I spin the straw into gold for you?" 

"The ring from my finger," answered the maiden. The little man took the ring, began to work away at the wheel again, and by morning he had spun all the straw into shining gold. The king was extremely pleased by the sight; but his lust for gold was still not satisfied. So he had the miller's daughter brought into an even larger room, and said to her: "You must have all this spun to gold tonight, but if you succeed, you shall become my wife." To himself he thought: Even though she’s just a miller's daughter, I’ll never find a richer woman anywhere in the world. 

When the maiden was alone the little man came again for the third time and asked: "What will you give me if I spin the straw for you once more?" 

"I have nothing left to give," answered the maiden. 

"Then promise me your first child when you become queen." 

"Who knows whether it will ever come to that?" thought the miller's daughter, and since she knew no other way out of her predicament, she promised the little man what he had demanded, and in return the little man spun the straw into gold once again. When the king came in the morning and found everything he had wished, he married her, and the miller's daughter became a queen.

After a year she gave birth to a beautiful child, and the little man had disappeared from her mind. But now he suddenly appeared in her room and said: "Now give me what you promised." The queen was horrified, and offered the little man all the treasures of the kingdom if he would let her keep her child. But the little man replied: "No, something living is more important to me than all the treasures in the world." Then the queen began to grieve and weep so much that the little man felt sorry for her. "I'll give you three days time," he said, "if you guess my name by the third day, you shall keep your child."

The queen spent the entire night trying to recall all the names she had ever heard. She also sent a messenger out into the country to inquire high and low names there were. On the following day when the little man appeared, she began with Kaspar, Melchior, Balzar, and listed all the names she knew, one after the other, but to all of them the little man said: "That's not my name." The second day she had her servants ask around in the neighboring area which names people used, and she came up with the most unusual and strangest names when the little man appeared. "Is your name Ribs of Beef? Or Muttonchops? Or Laced Leg?" But he always replied: “That’s not my name.” On the third day the messenger returned and reported, "I couldn't find a single new name, but as I was climbing a high mountain at the edge of the forest, where the fox and the hare say goodnight to each other, I saw a small cottage, and in front of the cottage was a fire, and around the fire danced a ridiculous little man who was hopping on one leg and screeching:

“Today I'll brew, tomorrow I'll bake,

Soon I'll have the queen's namesake;

Oh, how hard it is to play my game,

For Rumpelstiltskin is my name."

And you can imagine how happy the queen was when she heard the name. As soon as the little man entered and asked: “What’s my name, your highness?” 

She responded first by guessing: "Is your name Cunce?" "No." "Is your name Heinz?" "No." "Can your name be...Rumpelstiltskin?"

"The devil told you! the devil told you!" the little man screamed, and he stamped so ferociously with his right foot that his leg went deep into the ground up to his waist. Then he grabbed the other foot angrily with both hands and ripped himself in two.

LORRIE

[yawn] There’s another number for me to read. [stuttering] Another story. I didn’t- say this in my personal introduction, but I’m [trying to snap himself out of it. literally] working for like, something akin to an audiobook company? These are my- story recordings. Not perfect, by any means, but they’re alright enough, and not really ever my final takes. Um. I like this job. Fully remote, surprisingly good pay for it being paid by commission mostly- I don’t know...why people would want these stories read out, but that’s beside the point. I make enough to get a pretty nice apartment, for me and Fish. They sent me this collection of stories to read from, it’s in this [stuttering and snapping again] big book- this big paperback book, um, and they...they- I get emails with the story numbers that they want me to read? Because they’re all numbered in this book. And the stories are never more than a couple pages at a time, which...is kinda weird because the recordings end up being pretty short that way? I don’t know if they want...more from me for it, but that’s also beside the point.

Anyways. Take 1 of Briar Rose, read by Lorrie Ada-

[very tired] Take 3 of Briar Ro-

Ppppbbbt. [hyping himself up] Okay. Okay, you can do this, Lorrie. It’s not that hard, you’re just talking into a fucking microphone. Okay. Okay. Hm. [drinks something. water..?] Take 13 of Briar Rose, read by Lorrie Adams. 

BRIAR ROSE

In times of old there lived a king and queen, and every day they said, "Oh, if only we had a child!" yet they never had one.

Then one day, as the queen went out bathing, a frog happened to crawl ashore and say to her: “Your wish shall be fulfilled. Before the year is out, you shall give birth to a daughter.”

The frog’s prediction came true, and the queen gave birth to a girl who was so beautiful that the king was overjoyed and decided to hold a great feast. Not only did he invite his relatives, friends, and acquaintances, but also the wise women in the hope that they would be generous and kind to his daughter. There were thirteen wise women in his kingdom, but he only had twelve golden plates from which they could eat. Therefore, one of them had to remain home. The feast was celebrated with tremendous splendor, and when it drew to a close, the wise women bestowed their miraculous gifts upon the child. One gave her virtue, another beauty, the third wealth, and so on until they had given her nearly everything one could possibly wish for in the world. When eleven of them had offered their gifts, the thirteenth suddenly entered the hall. She wanted to get revenge for not having been invited, and without greeting anyone or looking around, she cried out with a loud voice: “In her fifteenth year, the princess shall prick herself with a spindle and fall down dead.” That was all she said. Then she turned around and left the hall.

Everyone was horrified, but the twelfth wise woman stepped forward. She still had her wish to make, and although she could not undo the evil spell, she could nevertheless soften it. “The princess shall not die,” she said, “instead she shall fall into a deep sleep for one hundred years.”

Since the king wanted to guard his dear child against such a catastrophe, he issued an order that all the spindles in his kingdom were to be burned. Meanwhile, the gifts of the wise women fulfilled themselves in every way. The girl was so beautiful, polite, kind, and sensible, that whoever encountered her could not help but adore her. Now, on the day she turned fifteen it happened that the king and queen were not in the palace, so she wandered all over the place and explored as many rooms and chambers as she pleased. She eventually came to an old tower, climbed it’s narrow, winding staircase, and came to a small door. A rusty key was stuck in the lock, and when she turned it, the door sprang open and she saw an old woman in a little room sitting with a spindle and busily spinning flax.

“Good day, old granny!” said the princess, “What are you doing there?”

“I’m spinning,” said the old woman, and she nodded her head.

“What’s the thing that’s bobbing around in such a funny way?” Asked the maiden, and she took the spindle and wanted to spin too. But just as she touched the spindle, the magic spell began working and she pricked her finger with it. The very moment she felt the prick, she fell down on the bed that was standing there and was overcome by a deep sleep. This sleep soon spread throughout the entire palace. The king and queen had just returned home, and when they entered the hall they fell asleep, as did all the people in their court. They were followed by the horses in the stables, the dogs in the courtyard, the pigeons on the roof, and the flies on the wall. Even the fire flickering in the hearth became tired and fell asleep. The roast stopped sizzling, and the cook, who was just about to pull the kitchen boy’s hair because he had done something wrong, let him go and fell asleep. Finally, the wind died down so that not a single leaf stirred on the trees outside the castle. Soon, a briar hedge began to grow all around the castle, and it grew higher each year. Eventually, it surrounded and covered the entire castle, so that it was no longer visible. Not even the flag on the roof could be seen. Eventually the princess became known as “beautiful, sleeping Briar Rose,” and a tale about her began circulating throughout the country. From time to time, princes tried to break through and get to the castle. However, this was impossible, because the thorns clung together tightly as though they had hands, and the young men got stuck there. Indeed, they could not pry themselves loose and died miserable deaths. 

After many, many years had gone by, a prince came to this country and heard an old man talking about a briar hedge. Supposedly, there was a castle standing behind the hedge and in the castle there was a remarkably beautiful princess named Briar Rose, who had been sleeping for a hundred years along with the king and queen and their entire court. The old man also knew from his grandfather that many princes had come and had tried to break through the briar hedge, but they had got stuck and died wretched deaths. “I am not afraid!” said the prince, “I intend to see the beautiful Briar Rose!”

The good old man tried his best to dissuade him, but the prince would not heed his word. Now the hundred years had just ended, and the day of which Briar Rose was to wake up again had arrived. When the prince approached the briar hedge he found nothing but little flowers that opened of their own accord and let him through, like a hedge. In the courtyard, he saw the horses and the spotted hunting dogs lying asleep. The pigeons were perched on the roof and had tucked their heads beneath their wings. When he entered the palace, the flies were asleep on the wall, the cook was still holding his hand as if he wanted to grab the kitchen boy, and the maid was sitting in front of the black chicken that she was about to pluck. As the prince continued walking, he saw the entire court lying asleep in the hall, with the king and queen beside the throne. Then he moved on, and everything was so quiet he could hear himself breathe. 

Finally, he came to the tower and opened the door to the small room where Briar Rose slept. There she lay in her beauty, so marvelous that he could not take his eyes off of her. And then, he leaned over and gave her a kiss, and when his lips touched hers Briar Rose opened her eyes, woke up, and looked at him fondly. After that, they went downstairs together and the king and queen woke up along with the entire court and they all looked at each other in amazement. Soon, the horses in the courtyard stood up and shook themselves. The hunting dogs jumped around and wagged their tails, the pigeons on the roof lifted their heads from beneath their wings, looked up and flew off into the fields. The flies on the wall continued crawling, the fire in the kitchen flared up, flickered, and cooked the meat, the roast began to sizzle again, and the cook gave the kitchen boy such a box on the ear that he let out a cry while the maid finished plucking the chicken.

The wedding of the prince with Briar Rose was celebrated with great splendor, and lived happily to the end of their day. 

LORRIE

[with a bad taste in his mouth] Reaaaally can’t say I’m a big fan of the whole, like...lack of consent thing? Like, who just kisses some sleeping 115 year old? Like jesus fuck, get some manners! Like, why didn’t the prince just...try shaking her? Why did he just immediately kiss her- what the FUCK- 

Anyways, I couldn’t stop yawning during that recording, if that says anything about my thoughts on it. I hope I didn’t put you to sleep, at least. Whoever ends up listening to this. I think I need to go to bed. Goodnight, end recording.

[barefootandaimless]

Unfiltered

Hey you, how’s it going? (I wrote this a few months ago now in understandably quite different times, however after sharing this with a couple of friends of mine and seeing their reactions, I feel it is still just as much worth sharing.) Fancy having an unfiltered chat about what it’s like to move to a new country? You know, not all the shit you see on your friends facebook/insta’ feeds, the real stuff. I don’t want to talk about the instagrammable locations, the cool clubs you’ve found, the interesting food you’ve eaten or fun drinks you’ve drunk. I want to talk about how much you miss boring stuff like breakfast cereal – seriously why didn’t Branflakes make it here? Or how about that fear you have that one day you may need to have a doctors appointment here? Or that you prefer to wait till you go back home to have your next dentist/optician appointment? Or that you feel like a child whenever you try and speak this new language? I think moving to a new country is a worthwhile experience and can be amazing but in my opinion similarly to mental health and loneliness (especially), it’s taboo to talk about what life is really like once you’ve moved to your chosen destination. To make matters worse social media presents us with a platform that makes us feel we should showcase the best parts of our lives or we watch others do so. How do you tell your friends that actually your struggling, when their big move seems to have gone so well?! (Surely all those cool pictures on their Instagram feed mean they’re killing it over there…right?) Do you recognise yourself anywhere in there? Or do you have a friend who’s made the big move that you feel a little jealous of because it looks like she/he are doing so well? Well hey, grab a coffee and lets talk. We’ve (Tom and I) lived in Germany (Berlin) a year and a half now and I’m finished with pretending that moving here was easy and I’m having soooo many great adventures. Dude, do you know how many times I’ve cried on the U-bahn (tube)? I’ve met some amazing people and had many great experiences but lets be real, it’s not all bloody sunshine and rainbows. It can be bad, good or just plain meh! I’m going to pick a theme each time I write to you and tell you the whole truth – for example: making friends. Yes I have made some great friends here and yes I did meet some of them in a bar but no it wasn’t quite that simple. Hopefully talking about the things I’ve struggled with will help you understand that we’re all in the same boat and it’s ok…we can sail it together (bit too cheesy that one?). It’s not all going to be doom and gloom though, I’ll include some funny or uplifting stories and also a few tips and tricks that might help you out. Please get in touch with me too, whatever it is you’d like to say I’d like to hear it. Maybe you have something you would like me to talk about? Maybe you just want to say you feel the same or perhaps you disagree with something I’ve said. I’m up for a debate too. Honestly I’m up for anything that means we stop pretending.

Stay safe everyone.

Amish

[madebysimblr]

Character Tag

Thanks @ariellesimblr​ for tagging me

OC question tag - Rules: 1. Pick a character you’ve created. 2. Fill in the questions/statements as if you were that character. 3. Tag at least four people to do this!

QUESTIONS:

1. What is your name?

Susanna Rose Cortes

2. Do you know why you were named that?

My sister and I are both named after Saints I think.

3. Single or taken?

In a relationship with Lukas Key. It’s going well.

4. Stop being a Mary Sue!

No no it’s Mary Susanna.

5. What’s your eye color?

Green.

6. How about hair color?

Dark Brown.

7. Have you any family members?

Yup, Mom and Dad and my sister Gloria.

8. Oh, how about pets?

We used to have an Italian Greyhound named Plum.. I wasn’t there when she died. It still hurts and I still miss her. We recently got a cat. His name is Coconut. No idea what breed he is. He’s kinda an idiot.

9. That’s cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don’t like?

People who talk shit about my friends.

10. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?

I like to dance. And I am decent at guitar.

11. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before?

Yeah. My mom. I said some awful things to her a while ago. We are much better now.

12. Ever… killed anyone before?

No. That’s illegal. And a fucked up thing to do?

13. What kind of animal are you?

Probably like a ferret or something. Cute but will fight you.

14. Name your worst weaknesses.

I have a bit of a temper.

15. Do you look up to anyone at all?

My Dad.

16. Are you straight, gay or bisexual?

I’m straight. Much to Kim’s dismay.

17. Do you go to school?

Yeah, for like another week. Then I graduate.

18. Ever want to marry and have kids one day?

Jeez I don’t know. I don’t know if I would be a very good mom.

19. Do you have fangirls/fanboys?

My Dad is my #1 fan. It can be tiring.

20. What are you most afraid of?

Being a failure.

21. What do you usually wear?

Something blue. The ring Lukas gave me. I own a good amount of sweaters and flannel.

22. What’s one food that tempts you?

Bahn Mi. I had one when I went to the city once with my Dad when I was younger. I love them.

23. Am I annoying you?

You are pretty nosy.

24. Well, it’s not over!

Tight.

25. What class are you (low class, middle class, high class)?

My parents are middle class by now I think. Mom is a pretty successful Doctor. Dad is about to be a partner at the gallery. I’ll be a struggling artist soon though

26. How many friends do you have?

Close friends? 3 or 4. Lukas, Kim, Grace. Rory when he is around..

27. What are your thoughts on pie?

I don’t like my fruit cooked. But I’ll go for like a chocolate cream pie. Yum.

28. Favorite drink?

Earl Grey Tea.

29. What’s your favorite place?

I would say the beach in front of my house. But it’s not the same since Rory has been missing.

30. Are you interested in anyone?

Lukas, but don’t tell him. I’m trying to keep it on the DL

31. That was a stupid question.

Little bit.

32. Would you rather swim in a lake or the ocean?

Uh lake. Less likely to be eaten by a giant squid or something.

33. What’s your type?

I don’t know? I don’t think I have just one? Dogs?

34. Any fetishes?

Having all my homework done.

35. Camping or indoors?

Let me stay inside please.

I tag: I suck at taggin and it gives me anxiety b/c I dunno if someone has already done this and doesn’t want to get annoyed by me taggin them and blah blah blah so YOU I TAG YOU.