#so used to smaller communities i forgot people outside of my little bubble also like the same things as me

[gl1tt3r-b0mb]

guh!!

uhh uhh ihsve nothing new to post umm FLAVOR FRENZY ARTDUMP GO

super duper sorry if the second ones too bright i couldnt figure out how to like censor it or anything 😞i dont know how this shit works still

[thetravelingbard]

A Weekly Aside (2)

09/21/2024

“Travel does not exist without home....If we never return to the place we started, we would just be wandering, lost. Home is a reflecting surface, a place to measure our growth and enrich us after being infused with the outside world.” - Josh Gates

I have taken up writing in the park near my house these past few weeks. I have never been especially good at consistently journaling. However, from my perspective, moving to Scotland is as good a time as any to try, try again. Anyway, today it was what could be considered “typical Scotland weather” with gray skies and horror movie-esk wind. I found myself sitting in shorts, of all things, writing again in my teal little notebook.

When writing today, I found myself considering the idea of ‘home’. I’ve always believed that home is defined by the people you lay your heart with and not so much any actual location. As I settle myself into life in Edinburgh, with love and light in my heart, I find myself missing the people stretched across several thousand miles. This is not a new phenomenon for me, do not let me fool you. Growing up I had family stretched all across the east coast. In college, some of my closest friends ranged from CST to GMT. I am no stranger to long distance friendships. Now that I am outside of the bubble of childhood and my undergraduate degree and forging my own path forward into my 20s, I find myself wishing I could share these moments with my people. It’s these moments that I thank the wonders of modern technology. I know there is endless harm the media has caused in modern society, I am by no means dissenting that. However, I will always be grateful for the ability to connect with people so effortlessly. It’s a bit like being able to bring home with you.

Retrospection aside, let’s get to the life update. This week was the first week of classes. I’ve been trying really hard to compartmentalize things and focus on only one semester at a time. I’m taking three classes this semester: International Relations Theory; Gender, Politics, and Representation; and Core Quantitative Data Analysis 1 & 2. My favorite is by far the second one. I was worried about the quantity of readings required, but so far it hasn’t been too bad. I’m still waiting for the shoe to drop, haha. 

I wanted to pursue International Relations not necessarily for just laws or specific policies, but to learn about people and demographics. My background in Psychology and Communications should hardly make this a surprise. Honestly, I am interested in applying my studies, in all three courses, to people in some way or another. I hope to steer my dissertation in this direction as well. I’ve been told by probably every professor and advisor to start thinking about a potential dissertation topic, which I have been, do not worry, but beyond that…I’m trying to not get too ahead of myself. I don’t really have to begin planning until February, so I do not need to get ahead of myself. 

Aside from that, I’ve been really just trying to adjust to a new routine. I went to a female singing group this Thursday that I am optimistic about as well. I forgot how much I love singing in a choir. Once my tutorials (smaller groups based on the lectures) start this upcoming week, I’m hoping to get a better grasp onto what my schedule is going to be looking like. I’ve also been applying to jobs like crazy, but haven’t had any luck so far. Finger’s crossed! 

Cherish those you call home, wherever they are. 

<3 Serena

[reaganwarren]

A/N: This doesn’t have a tag or a title outside of character tags and the justiquill ship tag, but this is a continuation of that one night stand story. Continuing for “Gay Simon Blackquill Week.” Posting it early because I can. First part here: http://reaganwarren.tumblr.com/post/153196672780/an-i-love-my, second part here: http://reaganwarren.tumblr.com/post/155134212480/an-thought-i-forgot-about-that-au-where-simon. I also reference a comic I really like because as a prosecutor who studied psychology, if he’s worth a damn at the psyche stuff, he’d have Inside-Out figurines to help children he may or may not be interviewing for cases to help them communicate their feelings better. I just . . . can’t remember the url of the comic artist because my memory is shit. 

A/N: EDIT: I FOUND THE COMIC! http://cprartsalot.tumblr.com/post/131546447070/blackquill-insists-that-they-are-merely here it is! @cprartsalot is the artist and I really liked the idea so yeah. pls support them and their art! 

Apollo stepped out of the elevator and walked up to where he had been told Simon’s office was. He took a deep breath, then reached out and knocked on the door. 

“Come in,” came Simon’s gruff tone. 

Apollo grabbed the doorknob and turned it. 

Simon looked up, his eyebrows subtly furrowed, then he saw who it was. His eyes widened, his brow un-knitted, and he otherwise sat frozen in his chair. Taka turned his little bird head so he could get a better look at Apollo. 

Apollo stood in silence, waiting for Simon to say something. But when he continued to not say anything, Apollo cleared his throat, hand tightening on the doorknob. 

“Hi,” Apollo said. 

“. . . Hello.” 

“Are you busy?” 

“N-no, not really. I’m not working on a case right now, at least.” 

“Can we . . . talk, then?” 

“Yes. Of course. Um, please, sit down,” Simon said, getting up and going to a smaller desk that was against the wall. 

Apollo closed the door behind him and looked around the office. Samurai swords hung on one of the walls, and a Steel Samurai poster was pinned on the other side. On Simon’s desk were a couple photos and some little figurines from that Disney movie about the personified emotions. In the photos, there was a recent one of Simon and Athena and a much older photo of Simon before his imprisonment with Aura and Metis. 

The table that Simon had gone over to held a traditional Japanese tea set with a much more modern water heater. Simon turned the water on to boil, then opened the tea leaf container. Apollo could smell it from where he sat. It did smell good.... 

But he didn’t think he’d be able to drink any of it. He was far too nervous. 

Simon then returned to the desk. Taka sat on his perch, watching them closely. That wasn’t helping Apollo’s nerves, either. 

“So, um,” Apollo started, finding it easier to look at Simon’s face since Simon . . . seemed unable to make his eyes lift up from staring at the desk top. “You . . . were the one to send that bouquet to the Wright Anything Agency, right?” 

Simon nodded. 

“I was.... I would have delivered them in person, but I didn’t want to compromise your working relationship with Athena....” 

“No, no, you did good!” Apollo said, blanching at the idea of Athena learning about any of this. “I appreciate the discretion! Um - !” 

Apollo cleared his throat, trying to pull himself together. 

“So, um, did . . . did you ask the florist to make it however they wanted or . . . did you ask them to make it a specific way?” Apollo asked. 

Simon seemed to have enough control over his speech to avoid stuttering or pauses in his speech. When he spoke, it was in full sentences, with no unintentional breaks. 

“I know enough about flower arranging to know what types of flowers I needed to use to convey my apology....” 

“. . . Then, um, the . . . the white lilies. I, uh . . . was told by someone that they mean . . . that they mean . . . .” 

Simon turned a bright red. 

The water started to bubble significantly more than before, and Simon took it as an opportunity to get up and fix the tea. He poured the water into the pot, then picked the tea tray up and brought it over to the desk. He set it on one side of the desk, closed and removed the laptop he had on the other end of the desk, then put the laptop into a drawer. He busied himself with the tea cups, though the tea itself would still need to seep for a few minutes. 

“. . . You need not concern yourself with that. I mere want an opportunity to make it up to you.” 

“. . . Prosecutor Blackquill, you keep talking about apologizing and . . . I don’t get what you mean. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I mean . . . it’s one thing for me to go around having one-night stands. I haven’t been a virgin in a long time.” 

The word “virgin” made Simon seem all the smaller, which felt so . . . off and strange. He was used to the “Twisted Samurai” being a tall, menacing fixture in the courtroom. 

The man before him was hunching over an empty tea cup, not lifting his eyes to meet his own. 

“It’s a completely different situation for someone who hasn’t had sex ever to have a drunken one-night stand with their friend’s coworker. I mean, it could’ve been worse, but....” 

“Please do not concern yourself with that. That’s my responsibility and my responsibility alone,” Simon said. “It wasn’t like you had known. On the other hand, I do remember quite a bit of that night, and I know that I took an experience that I had not rightfully earned.... Please allow me to make it up to you.” 

“Um.... I’m not following.” Experience? Not rightfully earned? They were just drunk at a party and one thing led to another. What was he talking about? 

This was supposed to be Apollo apologizing for being partially responsible for Simon’s first time being a drunken one-night stand when . . . apparently the prosecutor hadn’t been quite prepared for it. Or else this wouldn’t be this big of a deal. 

It was just . . . so unnerving to watch Simon be so small in his own office. 

He didn’t like looking at him and knowing he felt bad for something he had done with Apollo.... Something that Apollo had very much enjoyed. 

“Will - will you go on a date with me?” Simon asked, finally lifting his head up. 

“H-huh????” 

Simon suddenly moved to pour the tea into the tea cups. Apollo just stared at him. 

“The - the way these things are supposed to work is that people go out on dates, then learn to feel comfortable with each other, then have a mature conversation about expectations of the other, then move on to the - the sexual aspects, and - at the very least, let me take you out on a date. Please.” 

Apollo stared at him, and Simon stared back. 

Apollo took a deep breath. Then he sighed heavily. 

“Just tell me one thing, okay?” 

“Y-yes?” 

“Did you . . . enjoy the night we had at least? This isn’t because it was terrible for you and you’re assuming it was terrible for me too?” 

“Wh-what? No, no, it’s nothing like that! You were wonderful!” 

Simon seemed to realize what he had said. He first moved to cover his face with his hands, then thought better of it, then didn’t know what to do with himself or his hands. He ended up grabbing the tea cup and taking a gulp of the hot liquid. He did not flinch, and when he set it down, he had an empty cup. 

Well, damn. 

“. . . Okay. I’ll go on a date with you. Dinner and a movie sound all right?” Apollo asked. 

“. . . That sounds perfect, Justice-dono.” 

“When I go out, I tend to pick one, and my date picks the other. Do you have a preference over picking the food or the movie?” 

“. . . I’ll let you pick whichever you’d like to pick,” Simon said. 

Well . . . that didn’t help much. 

Apollo sighed again. 

“Let me give it some thought and I’ll keep you posted... How does this Saturday evening look to you?” 

“It’s open,” Simon said. “I’ll . . . I’ll pick you up?” 

“Sure. I’ll give you my apartment address.” 

Apollo looked for a piece of paper and a pen, and Simon quickly produced it for him. Simon drank more tea while he watched Apollo write down his information. 

“I’ll see you Saturday then. I kinda have to get back, but . . . thanks for the tea, anyway,” Apollo said, standing up. 

Simon stood up as well. 

“Thank you . . . for coming by,” Simon said, meeting Apollo’s eyes once more. 

Apollo was the one to have a hard time meeting Simon’s this time. 

Apollo left quickly, starting out at a walk, but by the time he reached the elevator, he had broken into a run. He actually chose to take the stairs instead. 

His thoughts were moving too fast, and he was worried if his body didn’t go just as fast that he would start having a panic attack. 

He may have had two boyfriends, but he really didn’t do the whole dating thing. He didn’t . . . do the romance thing well. This just . . . didn’t feel like it was going to go well, and what if it didn’t make Simon feel better, what if this ruined what little positive relationship they had had beforehand? 

And all because Apollo’s idea of a good time was casual sex and going about his business as usual. 

But he did remember what Simon had said. ‘You were wonderful.’ 

Apollo blushed. Well . . . at least he had had fun. Even if the man wasn’t allowing himself to just . . . enjoy what it had been.