#pour-some-aspartame-on-me

[ollieofthebeholder]

My unusual/rare allergens are bananas, grapes, and artificial sweeteners.

On the surface, doesn't look like a problem, right? Surely those will be obvious and easy to avoid!

Nope.

A lot of vegan alternatives use bananas in place of eggs. I'm not vegan, but a) I now basically CAN'T be if I WANT to and b) I do occasionally like to eat the yummy-looking treats at the local coffee shop, but oh, it's "vegan-friendly"? Not me-friendly, sorry. It's also an allergy-friendly alternative to eggs, so a lot more baked goods are using bananas. (Fun fact, I also found out that a banana allergy tends to mean the person also has an allergy to stevia, the new wonder sweetener.)

Grapes? Grape juice is THE most common filler juice in juice blends. I have to scour the ingredients list on bottles of juice, ESPECIALLY the ones that say "100% juice", because nine times out of ten there's like ten percent of the actual juice it's advertising as and the rest of it is either grape juice or white grape juice depending on the "main" flavor. Can't have anything with raisins in it, which makes ordering baked goods, especially carrot cake, risky - a lot of those will take the walnuts out because that's an allergen, but they still have raisins in them. Can't have anything cooked in wine, and do you have any idea how long it was before I found out why I always got sick when I ordered shrimp scampi?

With the artificial sweeteners - and it's sucralose, saccharine, AND aspartame - I've got several problems. Leaving aside the fact that I cannot order Dr Pepper at any place that serves Pepsi products unless I can see the person pouring the soda or I REALLY trust the waiter (I have had MULTIPLE instances where the waiter just wrote down "DP" and came back with diet Pepsi instead of Dr Pepper), I have to be very careful about prepackaged food like protein bars also - a LOT of them are advertised as being "low sugar", which means they have an artificial sweetener in them. I had to stop drinking the punch at the church receptions (this was pre-pandemic) because there were several people who were diabetic in the congregation and they started making the punch with diet soda, something I was not told because they figured it wouldn't matter (I also had to be careful with desserts at the potlucks, because at least one of the bakers is diabetic). I take Allegra for allergies, but I HAVE to take the Walgreens brand because it's the only one that doesn't use sucralose as a binding agent. Plus, I'm fat, and a lot of people think they're "helping" me by giving me sugar-free variants of things.

I dread the day companies are forced to label for those things. I don't even want to think about how many things will no longer be safe for me because companies decide they don't want to bother trying to figure out if something's already got those in it, so they just shove some in and call it a day.

I also don't think it's right that people have to pay extra for a label on their food assuring them "Don't worry! This won't kill you!"

the uncommon allergy haver to anticapitalist pipeline

[i-want-my-iwtv]

hey there! just asking for an invite to the discord if it's still active. have a nice evening.

Hello hello! Pardon the delay in reply, I needed time to ask around, and there still is a VC Discord! It’s on the sleepy side, it could certainly use some fresh blood.

Log into Discord first, then go to this link:

https://discordapp.com/invite/jpkcPhE

Some ppl I see in there, many of which I’ve seen around the fandom for years, and probably would love to have new ppl liven up the place:

@monstersinthecosmos, @bloodyvampchrons, @pour-some-aspartame-on-me, @amelthebravennian, @cygnaut, @daniel-james-molloy, @headfirst4hal0s, @historicalfrenchgays, @hellothisisyourlocalchair, @lestvt, @superhiki, @punkrockaryastark, @painauchocolatine, @nightfreaks, @roselioncourt, @smas405, @theballadofmrslovett, @theraphaellus, @vampires-and-witches, @writedreamlie, @sunshineandsnark, @farewelltolight, @echo-de-la-lumiere, @tatselk, @annabellioncourt​, @violeteyedvampiremolloy, @hidethesilverwaresblog,… anyone else on the server, reblog and tag yourself!

[vcsecretgifts]

Hi! I’ve never taken part before, but I would be very interested in doing so this round. I would prefer to take part in sfw prompts

(Edited this for a few grammatical errors and to clarify my responses a bit better)

Response from mod @i-want-my-iwtv: Excellent! Yep, we’re thinking of keeping this SFW, and perhaps starting up a separate kin/kmeme. 

This ask was re: a possible 2020 VC Secret Spring/Summer Santa, which got a surprising amount of support! 

…so we’re working on it behind the scenes, hopefully will have a setup and signups deadline soon! Responses to the tags/comments on that post below.

Just looking at that gif above, SUCH SIMPLER TIMES. I miss the days when our biggest fandom arguments were so fictionally indulgent and inconsequential, like Louis’ hair length and texture SIIIIIGH THOSE.WERE.THE.DAYS. 

——

@orangedarcy: Can I ask just a general question about fic posting in the VC fandom?  I know most fic is now posted on AO3, but is there another more community driven place like LiveJournal used to be? I have fallen so far behind on the fic world, where does one post stories these days? Is it all here on Tumblr or is it mainly AO3 now?

Very good question. AO3 is the main place for just fic, some comment threads there, and ppl sometimes posted drabbles here on tumblr, and there are roleplayers here who do threads that are like collaborative fics… you can check my #RP tag to try to find them, but I admit I am out of date myself having taken a big step back from tumblr to focus on real life. 

There were LJ-esque places on Dreamwidth long before Tumblr, and I believe they’re all abandoned except for VC-Media where I’m a mod. You can find it through @vcmedia, ppl do post fic there, mods post drabble prompts weekly, and there have been some wonderfully lively times!

I had started the VC-Media tumblr blog a few yrs ago when we (the mods) wanted to try directing some traffic to the DW comm, to bring in some fresh blood (pun intended), but I hadn’t promoted it much bc I didn’t want the tumblr anti-shippers and/or trolls flooding it and trampling ppl. At that time, I had seen the antis in other fandoms choosing targets to bully on tumblr and twitter, using social justice window-dressing that was really only about them wanting attention. In our fandom, I’d seen similar bad-faith arguments over problematic characters/ships and I didn’t want to engage with it or invite it to a comm setting, bc that’s not what fandom is about for me.

Not to go on a rant here but I need to say it: Criticism is going to happen, and everyone has a right to criticize media. What was lost for a few years there is the concept that no one owes you their time or engagement in a conversation, especially not one in which one side demands complete submission from the other, and nothing less. Whether or not the criticism is the “One True Interpretation,” no one owes you their time or engagement. 

That’s still a concern of mine, but I am confident that my wonderful co-mods of VC-Media are ready to freeze comments and ban ppl who attempt to bully others or provoke arguments in bad faith.

There are a few other obscure places, but I don’t like to promote them publicly, bc they have little traffic, or are older, or I’d rather that AR not be aware just in case she changes her stance on fanfic (she had waged war on it in the 90s).

So that was a long answer but AO3 is probably the best if all you want is just finding fic to read, but please check out VC-Media to post your fic and have a lively discussion, it’s still thirsty for fresh blood! 

@the-disgruntled-vc: I would like to participate but I don’t know what I have to do.

We’re not sure what the setup will be yet, but we appreciate your enthusiasm! We’ll post about it when we’ve decided and then you can choose to participate.

@the-disgruntled-vc: NYC is hell in a handbasket right now. 😰

I knowwww. I left NYC on 3/17, with 2 pairs of pants and 2 tops. I’m with my parents about 5 hours away. Wearing my dad’s clothes now :,-} Strange times.

@annabellioncourt: I’m not sure I want to commit to a direct gift exchange, but if it was done as an inktober style prompt filling thing, and we could just tag it/submit it as we did it, then maybe? I’m not sure what kind of free time I’ll have in the upcoming months as I job hunt.

Totally understandable, and I like your suggestions! We want to be able to accommodate ppl in your situation, so this is a good thing for us to keep in mind. Good luck in the job hunt! If running an awesome tumblr blog was a job, you’d be all set ;D

@amelthebravennian: //I would truthfully enjoy doing it!

We would love to have you back!

requiemforrose: Count me in. I need something to help my anxiety over the current climate

YES THATS EXACTLY THE POINT ^________^

@lestatthebiprince: Sign me up for the gift exchange!!

YASSSSS (let’s hope you still want to if we change the format ;D )

@pour-some-aspartame-on-me: I would be interested in participating in the vc secret gifts

Awesome! Would love to have you!

@desanctii: //I’d be in favor. this time around I even have the time to participate ;)

We need you for those Santino prompts! 

@amadeo-child-of-the-renaissance: //Count me in for the kink (obvs) XD

We love to see enthusiasm for the kin/kmeme… And your art is just *chef’s kiss*

@good-night-kick‘s tags: #great idea :3#It would be a good chance for me to get an excuse to draw art properly… I haven’t been drawing so much recently

Yes! We love your art and your comics and we need more of it, how can a person be so talented and so hilarious in their artwork, too?? Did you make a deal with the devil? (Sign me up.)

[covenofthearticulate]

pour-some-aspartame-on-me replied to your post “Me, for the entirety of Prince Lestat: Garbage. Where is Louis? I need...”

After I read that last chapter I had to go back and reread the entirety of Interview because I had forgotten my adoration of Louis

oh my god YES. like, i was already planning on re-reading iwtv to prep for my nola trip but now i’m like....falling in love with louis all over again lmao ugh he’s so good 

[foodbytesback]

I Finally Got My Hands on Hard Mountain Dew

Ha! I made you think I wasn’t gonna be writing about the hard Mountain Dew! Gotcha!

Ok, so I’m visiting a friend in Florida, one of the few states that actually have it in stores, so I made him drive me around town until we found it.  First we went to Wal-Mart, because we heard that some Wal-Marts had it, only to find out that that specific one didn’t, but then we checked online and found a liquor store nearby that did, only to spend 5 minutes walking in circles around the building, struggling to find the front door.  But these were all but temporary setbacks in our righteous quest, and now it’s time to crack these bad boys open.

Regular

Unsurprisingly, it tasted a lot like Mountain Dew Zero Sugar, although, surprisingly, not quite as flavorful? That might’ve been just the fact that we drank it on ice, though.  My friend noted the straight-up-grain-alcohol aftertaste was reminiscent of Four Loko, something that I’ve never partaken in and, at this point, am just too damn old to.  It’s not bad, but we both ended up regretting dedicating ourselves to drinking the entire can, knowing there were better flavors in store, but it was easy enough to chug down before moving on.

Watermelon

I don’t even like watermelon.  There, I said it.  Whenever I eat any melon, the second the taste of it enters the back of my throat, my throat seizes up, as if to say, “NO! Get that foul fruit OUT OF HERE!” (Am… am I allergic to melons?) I will admit, however, that this was a much more flavorful beverage than the last one.  The watermelon taste also does a better job of masking the alcohol taste, so, again, as much as I don’t like watermelon, I have to admit this is a slightly better tasting drink- perhaps, even, my 2nd favorite of the batch.

Black Cherry

First thing I noticed as I poured the contents of the can into a glass was that it was the same pale pink as the watermelon, which I found alarming for superficial reasons I can’t really put my finger on.  Anyways, if you’ve had black cherry White Claw, you pretty much know what this tastes like.  The only real difference is that it’s slightly sweeter (in that “Zero Sugar” aspartame-y kinda way… Side note, there’s no ingredients label anywhere, so I’m assuming it’s aspartame.) and doesn’t have quite as much alcohol aftertaste.  My only question is… why didn’t they try to brand this one as Code Red? Or the watermelon one as Major Melon, for that matter?  I literally JUST wrote about how strong the Mountain Dew branding is, how could they betray me like this?

Baja Blast

Ah, yes, the moment we’ve all been waiting for.  It smells like Baja Blast.  It looks like Baja Blast.  And goddamit, it tastes like Baja Blast (Zero Sugar).  Admittedly, we did get a little hungry at this point and each had a “palate-cleansing” donut that may or may not have de-aclimatized our taste buds to the aspartame (?), throwing this tasting out of whack. I’d say this one probably had the 2nd strongest alcohol taste to it.  But, there’s just something so soothing about that pastel teal hue we’ve all come to know and love that you can’t not love it.  It’s Baja Blast, baybee!

In my opinion, the Baja Blast and, surprisingly, the watermelon were more or less tied for best, with the black cherry being just alright and the original being pretty tasteless.  The only real complaint I have at the end of the day was that they were only available in Zero Sugar, and not the full sugar that my taste buds crave, but, they ultimately are trying to cash in on the hard seltzer craze, so it makes sense that they want to limit the calories.  

None of this really matters, of course.  They’re literally only available in the variety pack, you can’t just pick and choose your favorites.  

[dantes-wombat]

Tagged by: @pour-some-aspartame-on-me - a while ago, admittedly ;D thanks!

Rules: Answer 20 questions +5, then tag whoever you want

Name: Julia

Nickname: Giuli

Zodiac: Leo

Height: 1,67m

Language: German, English, remnants of Japanese and Spanish

Nationality: German

Favorite Season: spring

Favorite Flower: changes with the seasons

Favorite Scents: spring blossoms, the sea, coconut

Favorite Color: burgundy

Favorite Animal: dogs

Favorite Fictional Character: Magnus Bane, hands down

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate: hot chocolate mixed with cappuccino

Average Sleep: reality: six hours, wishful thinking: eight

Dog or Cat Person: dog person! Love interacting with pets in general though

Number of blankets: one, sometimes two

Dream Trip: a few weeks in Japan followed by a month exploring New Zealand from north to south

Blog Established: February 2011, apparently O__o

Followers: 120

Random fact about me: looking for a wife to go to cons and do fandom stuff with *strikes seductive pose*

Bonus: since a lot of my followers seem to enjoy The Witcher as well: if you love Joey Batey as Jaskier you should really listen to his band’s new album

Favorite music genre: used to be Gothic & J-Rock, now it’s mostly games & TV show soundtracks

Current hyper-fixation: have a look at my blog and take a wild guess xD current might not be the right word for it

My hair color: dark blond

Hair type: a lot straighter than I am

Current goal: in real life: get through home office hell and recover my motivation for work; in fandom: finally post the tons of fic I’ve been writing

I’m tagging @oneiricjourney, @shitbiscuits, @live-life-in-movies, @ell02jen, @quebeda Only if you’re in the mood for it, of course!

[hannibals-cheekbones]

pour-some-aspartame-on-me

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the September date was debunked by Christopher Rice. There still is no official filming or casting news, only that they have a show runner and are partnered with Hulu 😔

You just broke my heart but thanks for the info. I’m not on FB anymore so I can’t keep up on new info with Anne and Christopher. 

[cinnamonbunsinmyhair]

I was tagged by @pour-some-aspartame-on-me for the selfie thingy, thank you😘.

Look it me.🙈

I'm tagging @gwil-lee @jamiemoriartyy @novellaqueen @not-all-the-prayers @shinyyellowsunshines @dobbypussssyindulgence @ishipitiwriteit

[i-want-my-iwtv]

@pour-some-aspartame-on-me, Claudia relates.

[boogiewrites]

A Girl Walks Into A Bar 2

Characters: Declan Harp x Bella (OFC)

Word Count: 3600+

Summary: Frontier Modern AU. Declan is a bar owner and local urban legend with a reputation he’d like to leave in the past. Bella is a rough around the edges, low key sweetheart that isn’t from his part of town. After meeting with the help of some bad luck and perhaps a touch of fate, how far will their undeniable chemistry take them until their histories catch up with them?

Warnings/Tags: Language.

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

Click on my screenname then go to Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.)

You lay in your bed for over an hour looking at your phone. You weren't surprised you were having trouble sleeping, the two of you were very old and close friends at this point. With there being a man you barely knew in your living room, just on the other side of the wall you were staring at, you were even less surprised you couldn't sleep.

So you kick off your covers and move quietly to your door, your feet in thick knee socks, wearing leggings and a pulling a large hoodie over you before you click open your door. You peak your head around the corner of the wall, trying not to be obvious.

He's sound asleep, looking entirely unbothered and you found it comforting in a way. At least he felt safe around you, that was something. What you'd give to be able to fall asleep in a strangers house without reservation. But if you looked like him you'd be scared of less too. It's not like you'd learned to defend yourself and worked out just for the vanity of it, after all. From the intimidating vibe the men outside the bar were giving you, you're guessing that he looked the way he did for many of the same reasons.

You see you haven't woken him and when a small snore and grunt make their appearance your nerves ease as you see he has no intention of doing anything besides sleeping and he's apparently doing well in his endeavors currently. You rest your hip against the doorway, watching him.

The night is biting cold, you can feel it creeping into the house from the window, the heater balancing out the warmth of the room. You can see him in the warm orange glow of the light of it, his relaxed face looks soft, despite the hair that covered it and the scar marking his brow. He looked hard but not menacing, which seems like a very difficult thing to achieve for a man looking the way he did. You wouldn't deny he was handsome, how could you? It was the heat that rose to your face when your eyes first met that made you admit it to yourself. You were working on trying to admit when you found a man attractive, having learned too many lessons the hard way in your youth, you now found it hard to trust men. Well, hard to trust just about anyone. You'd buried yourself in your hobbies which turned into a career, keeping your head low, focusing on yourself and being independent of your past. Perhaps you needed to start working on a new phase of accepting new people into your life. This polite and kind man seemed like a decent place to start. His friendship would even come with a bar, and thus even more new people to meet. You weren't sure if you were ready to make new friends, but a part of you knew that you would never be fully ready and perhaps the universe was intervening, making you walk into that bar yesterday to give you a push in a new direction.

You eventually fall asleep, telling yourself this Declan Harp wasn't going to kill you, he wasn't going to try anything in the middle of the night and you eventually grew tired, meditating to tell yourself it was okay to relax enough to fall asleep. And eventually, you did.

You wake up to your work alarm and you groan, smacking at the phone in annoyance. Work? No. Not today. Not after yesterday, not with this snow. You call Karen and tell you aren't coming in. She doesn't seem surprised in the least. Apparently, the weather was bad where she was too, there'd already been cancellations on appointments today so she wasn't worried, it's not like you missed work often anyway.

You still didn't hey nearly enough sleep, but you were used to functioning at this capacity. At just before nine you creak your door open, peaking out just the same as the night before, but now you could see a lamp was on. He'd already put up the bed, bless him, sitting snuggly on the couch with a blanket over him, scrolling through his phone.

You move into his view, running your fingers through your sleep-tousled hair before stretching and tugging back down your hoodie.

"Mornin' Bells." his voice is deep and gritty and sounds like honey being poured over whiskey stones looks. You let out an involuntary grunt as it hits your ears, clearing your throat to cover your reaction.

"Morning, Dec." you grumble, another yawn coming as you walk slowly into the kitchen. You figure if he can already manipulate your name, that you could do that same to his. He doesn't seem to mind as you can feel him watching you walk by.

He doesn't mind the nickname, but he's actually gotten distracted by how you look this morning. It having been dark in the bar and through the night, and you wearing layers he didn't get a close look at you. But now, sunlight in through the frosty panes he couldn't help but follow your lower half as you stomped sleepily across the room. Seeing a clearly strong thickness in your thighs that rested under an ass of the same description, just peaking out from beneath the bottom of your hoodie. "I didn't keep you waiting too long did I?" you say a little louder, your own voice deep and slow from sleep still.

"Nah." you hear groaned as the couch makes a similar noise as he rises.

"Not been up even thirty minutes. Just checking my phone out of habit." he shrugs, but you don't see it, pushing his phone into his pocket, wearing a tank top that you guessed was under his t-shirt from last night and his jeans.

"Mmmph." you nod in response, hearing him walk into the kitchen. "Want breakfast?" you ask, your eyes half-lidded and blinking slowly.

"After those sandwiches last night I'd be an idiot to say no."

"Mmm." your lips purse as you rest your hands on the counter, leaning against it. "Flattery, huh?" you let out a low rumbling chuckle. "This early?" you quirk your head at him.

"You warned me you'd be mean this morning..." he raises a brow and you know he's being a wonderfully intuitive person, making sure he defused any situation before it even started.

You give him a closed mouth smile. "So you're smart too, huh?" you finally give a laugh, another low rumble from your chest as you move to the fridge.

"My actions would usually speak against that." he grins, looking down at the wooden floor. "But I won't turn down a compliment." his head shakes slightly, his hair moving back and forth over his face as it hangs down.

"Breakfast burrito alright?" you ask, looking at the contents of the fridge and finding yourself not wanting to make anything from scratch.

"Fuck yeah. Sure." his voice is full of amusement and more than a bit of hunger.

You lean into the freezer, picking the pre-made burritos out of their container, all individually wrapped, part of your meal prep you tried to keep up with. "Big boy like you'll eat two I imagine." an amused smile on your lips as you push the buttons on the toaster oven to heat them up. "You make these too?" his voice sounds impressed.

"Yeah, I like to make them ahead of time. Easy to grab before I go work out in the mornings."

"Ah. Makes sense." he gives a thoughtful nod, finally moving from his position of leaning on the doorway to the table. "What's in 'em?" he asks, chin in his hand, watching you move about the kitchen, starting the coffee.

"Uhh...lots of veggies." you nod. "Eggs, goat cheese, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, pork sausage, some salsa." you name off things as you back and forth from the counters on opposite sides of the room, one with your coffee, tea and appliances, the other with the stove, toaster oven and sink, the fridge sitting daunting between the two, cabinets on either side of it.

"Sounds almost healthy." he laughs, still low and easy going, rumbling around his chest before escaping from his smiling lips.

"Could be a lot worse." you nod and sit a glass of water in front of him, sitting in the chair closest to him at the round table that took up one half of the kitchen. You look out the double patios doors for a moment, your fenced in backyard covered in deep snow. "I figure...with as much as I drink sometimes, and my tendency to eat really unhealthy greasy junk food late at night, I can try to eat well the rest of the time." you look over to him and shrug, rising when the coffee pot beeps.

"Not a bad approach. I feel like somedays I only work out because I eat so much." he laughs at himself, chin still in his hand as his eyes follow you.

"Can't relate." you laugh with a shake of your head. You make your coffee, setting it on the table. "How ya take it?"

"Fuck it, just black this morning."  you give a stern nod and comply.

"Take your coffee much like yourself." you chuckle to yourself, his brow furrows in amused question at you as you sit down. "Straightforward. Dark. Strong." you let out a laugh, your nose wrinkling as you take a sip.

"What's your's say then?" he asks with a quirked eyebrow.

You hum in thought, looking into your mug. "Bitter base with enough artificial sweetener to make it tolerable." you let out the first shoulder-shaking laugh of the day.

A grin spreads across his face. "I heard artificial sweetener is bad for you, you know." he says with no scolding, still teasing you.

"Alright, mom." you chuckle into your mug. "I'll be sure to add my emotional shortcomings to my list of things to work on. Try for more raw sugar and less aspartame." you smirk.

"Oh shit, I didn't mean it like that." you can see his posture stiffen.

"Don't worry Declan, no offense taken." you shake your head and give him a genuinely warm smile that eases his nerves. "Stick around me long enough you'll start to understand my fucked up sense of humor. I'm always like this." you grin at yourself, standing to get the burritos from the small oven after it dings.

You slide the plate in front of him, just as last night he doesn't hesitate to attack your offering. "So you meal prep...and you said you work out..." he says between bites." Do you do competitions or anything like that?" he asks.

You grin as he makes contented noises as he eats. "Oh, no." you laugh. "I just like lifting weights. I like being strong." you nod, taking a bite yourself now. "You clearly workout, you do competitions?"

He laughs, a mouthful of food before forgetting his manners. "Nah." he shakes his head. "Kind've comes with the tough guy territory," he explains with a slight shrug. "Bar owner, ex-member of a biker gang. People try to start shit with me a lot." he rolls his eyes.

"Makes sense." you add to show you're listening. "Ex biker? I didn't think they let people out of those things?"

"Well these guys did. After all the shit I've done for them, sorry, all the shit I still do for them, " he chuckles, "You tell them you want out, they listen." his eyebrows raise with his explanation. So he certainly seemed to be someone you wouldn't want to fuck with and his words back up this theory. He was becoming more and more intriguing the more he spoke. "I saw the vests and patches on the guys out front that gave me a hard time, I was hoping I wasn't going to walk in and someone tries to make me ride bitch with them." you joke.

"Oh ignore them." he moves his hand dismissively. "They like to act all tough but they won't give you any trouble. Not with me around anyway. One of them so much as insults you, you let me know. I'll set 'em straight." he gives you a friendly wink.

"What if I'd rather set them straight myself?" you grin.

"Well if you think you can take them, go for it babe." he chuckles, "I won't stop ya."

"They behave better when you're around?"

"Yeah. They know I don't want all the violent bullshit in my bar. Not like I can totally avoid it, kind've comes with the territory.  We get too much flack as is with stereotypes. Don't want to attract the wrong kind of people ya know? I don't' want to deal with that bullshit anymore."

"Very smart and professional of you." you say supportively.

"Can I get that in writing? You do reviews?" he laughs, finishing his burritos. Taking down two in the time it took you to eat one.

"The Trading Post. 5 stars. Personal chauffeur service. Personal attention and great fuckin' music. If you love the smell of years of liquor being spilled into old wood floors, you've found your new local." you let out a slight giggle.

He opens his mouth to retaliate against your comments.

"That was all meant to be a compliment." you push your chin into your chest.

"Ah, I see." he nods slowly. "Good thing you came in then, wouldn't want to lose you to one of those gentrified gastro pub's that keep popping up."

"Now my friend Charlotte, that's more her scene," you explain, taking the plates to the sink. "She took me to one once, not my style." you shake your head, "I like dives. I like age and grit and rough around the edges. Dark and rugged...that's more my style."

You turn to face him, he's already standing, stretching and letting out a roar of a groan as he does so. You can't help but notice the line of skin exposed from the raising of his shirt, warm tan skin with a light dusting of hair that you blink rapidly to forget. Don't go getting distracted by a nice body, that's never done anyone a bit of good. Even though this body seemed to have a good brain inside it, you'd wait to hold judgment until you'd known the man at least 24 hours.

You look at the clock on the wall as he smacks his lips and rubs his neck.

"Salt truck should've ran by now. Let's see the verdict, shall we?" you shrug and walk past him to the window in the living room. "Good news!" you lilt, turning quickly to let him know the roads were salted but he's already towering over you, peaking out of the curtains above your head. Jesus, he was tall. You bet he was around a foot taller than you and you can't help but feel physically intimidated standing in his shadow. Who would be stupid enough to mess with this guy?

"House arrest over." he laughs.

"Salt trucks ran, sun's out, you've got four-wheel drive...you should make your break to freedom before another front moves in." you look up at him with big blinking eyes, he meets them with a warm smile, seeming to study your face for a moment before moving to the couch to grab his t-shirt.

"You need a ride anywhere?" he asks, pulling on his boots.

"Thanks but no." you shake your head. "I'm not going anywhere today." you frown but not in a sad way as you move to the front door.

"Well...in case you do..." he says, leaning over the small desk in the hallway by the door, scribbling down something. "There's my number. The buses suck shit in my part of town so don't think you're gonna be bothering me."

"Written down instead of texted. Old fashioned. I like it." you give him an approving nod. You pull your phone from your pocket, entering in the number and texting him your name. He puts on his coat, seeing the numerous locks on your front door, trying not to be obvious as he thought about why'd you have so many. Three deadbolts seemed a bit much but...you were a woman who lived alone.

"I'm not as cool as you so I just texted it to you." you shrug.

He flicks the screen with his thumb. "Bella Fiore." he grins. "So that other half is Italian huh?" That explains the olive complexion and dark hair he thought. He'd known you were half Irish but only the light freckles on your cheeks that he could see now that you weren't wearing makeup, and your green eyes gave any illusion to the heritage.

"Afraid so." you grin.

"Well..." he lowers his head almost as if he were bowing. "Thank you, for letting me stay. For real. And you fed me...twice! So I owe you." he chuckles. He brings you in for an unexpected hug, but you certainly weren't going to fight him. You'd seen him do the same to the girl the night before so you still don't feel like he's being forward with you.

"Just repaying you for dealing with and taking care of my drunk ass last night." you say, noticing that distinctly masculine smell that's unique to every man, his being particularly pleasant to your senses as your fae rests on the soft leather of his coat.

He let's go, an inviting smile on his lips as he looks down at you. "I don't get many people as cool as you coming into the bar so don't be a stranger, alright?"

"And miss out on more of that Ale? Don't be stupid, Declan." you give him the same kinda smile back before unlocking the door and opening it for him. "You be careful!" you say loudly, holding your hand over your eyes to shield it from the white reflecting off the snow-covered street. He waves before getting in his truck to leave and you watch him depart from the living room window.

The house felt oddly empty now. "Oh hello baby." you coo as Robert appears, rubbing against your ankles. "Got distracted feeding someone else and left you out huh?" you baby talk him, scratching under his chin as you carry him to the kitchen. He meows and purrs, not seeming to be angry about it.

So you feed the cat and place the heater back in your room. You sit on the edge of the bed, wondering how to spend your unexpected day off. You figure you'll check in with Charlotte, your oldest and best friend.

"Hello?" you hear the usual weariness in her voice, having just had a baby.

"Hey mama." you try to sound cheerful to offset her exhaustion.

"Hey." you hear her yawn.

"Didn't wake you up did it?"

"Ugh, no. I've not been to sleep."

"Sam being a booger still?"

"He's not stopped since conception." she hums in amusement at herself.

"I had a great night and I thought you might want to hear about it."

"Please. Yes. Let me pretend I'm not covered in spit up and breast milk and that I've showered in the past two days. because I have a life still."

She had been living vicariously through you as of late. It had been the other way around previously. She'd found a banker, a nice enough dude to marry her and those were all things that felt not in the cards for you. Rich guys she tried to set you up with just really didn't seem down with what you were offering, but then again, you weren't really looking to be anyone's wife. You'd agree to a blind date and it'd end amicably but there'd never been any follow-up. Rough around the edges was a polite phrase you'd heard one too many times now to describe yourself.

"Well I went to a new bar, I'll have to take you eventually, it's rustic and strangely endearing."  you pick at the cat hair that's gathered on your hoodie from where you carried Robert around. "And I met this really nice guy."

"You're kidding." she says flatly.

"Nope. He even stayed the night last night." you say suggestively, purposely leading her on and she bites the bait hook, line and sinker.

"HE WHAT?!" she shouts. You hear the baby start crying. "Oops." she says in a tone that shows she's only disappointed with herself. ------- Declan arrives back at the bar, Mike's already there dealing with deliveries.

"Back late I see." his eyebrows raise as he looks down on a clipboard.

"Got snowed in." he gruffs out.

"Mmmm Hmmm. Yeah, sure ya did." he chuckles.

"I very literally did." he responds flatly.

"And how was the girl? What was her name again?"

"Bella." he says, a small smile on his face as he takes his coat off and hangs it on a hook in the back room.

"Ah. Bella. Pretty name for a pretty girl." he says, checking off his list. "And how did Miss Bella treat ya last night Mr. Harp?" he grins.

"Nothing happened that would warrant that tone being used." he shoves his shoulder as he passes him with a chuckle, moving over to a pile of boxes.

"If nothing happened then how was she? Not had a woman we didn't already know in this bar for ages. You two seemed to get along really well, actually." he inquires.

"She's..." he pauses, a tilt of his head in thought. " She's really nice actually. And cool." his eyes narrow in thought.

"Oh goodness, nice and cool? Such aggressive descriptors from you about a woman." Mike cackles.

"Shut up Mike." he grunts, still grinning to himself as he lifting the boxes to carry to the walk-in fridge.

@vale0413

[monstersinthecosmos]

get to know me!

tagged by @justsomespacedust

What are your nicknames? Kacy is a nickname. :) A very select few people in my life are also allowed to call me K. 

Zodiac? Pisces!

Height? 5′8.5″

Time? 9:14pm

Favorite band/Artist? !!! DSHJKGL I’m obsessed with music and cannot answer this question but I’ll share my top artists from last.fm to illustrate:

ALL TIME: Korn, Rammstein, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Amon Amarth, VAST, Opeth, Cradle of Filth, Placebo, Perturbator

PAST YEAR: Ghost, Perturbator, Starset, Nine Inch Nails, Myrkur, Ulver, Infected Mushroom, Lucas King, Opeth, Puscifer PAST WEEK: Lady Gaga, Deaf Center, Robert Delong, Ghost, Perturbator, Infected Mushroom, Metallica, Rammstein, Starset, Alice in Chains. 

(tbh Behemoth and King Diamond really belong somewhere in there too LMAO oops) 

Song stuck in head? The past two days I’ve woken up with Swine by Lady Gaga in my head haha

Last movie I saw? Omg the weekend before Halloween I went to see Hocus Pocus in the theatre and it was so amazing!

Last thing I googled? “what does arthritis feel like” LMFAO WOW OKAY a glimpse into my fucking every day life. 

Other blogs? @thecoveninarticulate :) 

Do I get asks? YEAH AND LIKE AHJDSKLGA guys I’m so sorry if I don’t answer them, I usually see them on mobile and then get home and forget or like fall asleep or something cause I have chronic pain and when I get home from work I flop over and can’t be productive. 

Why did I chose this username? Obscure VC reference. :)

Following? 144

Average amount of sleep? I try to go to bed at a reasonable time and not stay up till 2am reading fanfic D: so I aim for like, 7ish hours, but tbh I can’t stay asleep longer than that cause my back hurts too much haha.

What I’m wearing? I have on a Friday the 13th tshirt and zombie pajama pants LOL 

Dream job? idk I just wanna get paid to do something creative. 

Dream trip? Everywhere! Scandinavia is a priority lol.

favorite food? LI bagels D: 

Play any instruments? I used to play viola in school but I haven’t in forever. 

Eye color? My left eye is blue and my right eye is blue with a brown spot haha. It’s called partial heterochromia. 

Hair color? It’s kinda like dark blonde/light brown, right on the cusp where it looks super blonde if I’m standing in the sun. 

Language you speak? I’m a native English speaker and like, I studied abroad in Spain and was really good at Spanish for a couple years but tbh no he practicado y me olvidaron las palabras cause like I switched jobs and never had to use it anymore LOL. 

Most iconic song? SATYRICON - I GOT ERECTION  !! I know like since it’s a cover it should lose some merit but honestly making it black metal is just ahjdkgla genius, amazing. 

Random fact? I grew up in a haunted house D: 

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: Chewed cuticles, frayed hoodie pockets, the soft glow of out-of-season Halloween lights, muted concert sounds from the bathroom, soft King Diamond shirts, jean pockets full of chapstick and boxcutters. 

Tagging! @yureiyume @scriptedwithprecision @belovedsheith @redversaillesrose @pour-some-aspartame-on-me @lexi-dermain @sheysira @interview-with-elliot @nellmouseanderson @superhiki @auburnandamberangel @djsoliloquy @krysatori @krisqueeracle @hedonisttrash @pandoras-crocs @terryfphanatics 

[i-want-my-iwtv]

Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt &Tom Cruise as Daniel Molloy, for @pour-some-aspartame-on-me​

[i-want-my-iwtv]

That Tom Cruise as Louis ask got me thinking, imagine the entire film where all the characters are Tom Cruise! Lestat, Louis, Claudia, Madeleine, Armand, Santiago, all of them!

Oh gawdz well, this is the best I can do w/o such an idea and I spent ages on it so I hope you like it!!! There was more than one Tom Cruise in Oblivion, but I’d love a movie where he plays an entire cast.

Tom as Lestat and as Daniel: this actually works pretty well…

Claudia: This actually is surprisingly cute and kinda terrifying, imagine that little guy chasing you down in the middle of the night and then that one big fang plunging into your neck!

Akasha: this one is a little too real… IS THIS WHAT THEY’RE PLANNING?

as Lestat and Louis: do you know how hard it is to find a decent size gif of Tom Cruise crying? It’s hard. So have this again.

Armand: hey don’t look at me like that, at least the hair color is closer to canon than Antonio!Armand. The outfit works, too.

Nicolas: basically rockstar musician IDGAF 24/7/365

Tom as Khayman when Akasha is attacking: (tbh this gif of Tom getting thrown against a car will always make me happy, sorry Tom, idk why, schadenfreude probably)

Gabrielle, to everything Lestat ever suggests:

Tom!Daniel - Risky Business, I think?

Tom!Claudia - Actual child pic of Tom

Tom!Akasha - Actual Tom in a Scientology pow-wow

Tom!Louis - Mission Impossible 3?

Tom!Armand - Austin Powers (2, I think?)

Tom!Nicolas - Rock of Ages

Tom!Khayman - Jack Reacher? Mission Impossible 3?

Tom!Gabrielle - Vanilla Sky

[its-theraphaellus]

Tagged by @vasilissia and @covenofthearticulate to post a selfie so here’s one!

Tagging @superhiki, @pour-some-aspartame-on-me, @morganeskylar, @howlnground, @revraulen-00, @redversaillesrose, @saint-rouge, @claudiasashes, @obsessional-ram, @tartara-to-eto, @satan-conduit-le-bal, @jester-knyght, @bite-me-lestat, @dingo-pants, @madshelley :P and GDI I want to tag everyone so consider yourself tagged if you’re reading this :D

[i-want-my-iwtv]

The coffee shop au is giving me life!

Thank u so much, what a lovely thing to tell me and @wicked-felina​!