#sorry my bad habit is i have to burger post... just trying to figure dinner out rn... maybe grilled cheese idk...

[volfoss]

I think no one could stop me from a beautiful and delicious 7 am burger...🍔

[peter-parkourwrites]

Searching For Forever ~ Part 1 (Peter Parker x Stark!FemReader)

Warnings: Swearing,, mediocre writing, uh angst ig??

Summary: When everything seems almost too perfect, your family is starting to fall to pieces. Your father chooses his path, and Steve chooses the opposite, and you’re in the middle of it all. Only confiding in your best friend who just so happens to be everyones favorite Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and the one you fall for.

Part 2 is here

A/N: Hi!! Part 1 is here!! I hope you all love it as much as I do, thank you for reading. I am going to hopefully have part 2 up sometime next week. I will let you all know the night before I post it. Enjoy! Love you all,, xx ~ Devyn <3

Civil War Part 1 -

“Miss Stark?” FRIDAY’s voice rang through your ears. You lay disheveled on your floor. Hair up in a messy bun, and stains covering your clothes of chemicals, food, and water.

“Yes, Friday?” You called back as you jotted down another equation into your notebook for later solving. School was most certainly your least favorite thing, well, that and your dad being mad at you. Your father, Tony Stark a world-famous billionaire and genius, and he loved to add onto that with ‘playboy and philanthropist.’ While the last part was true he had now had a steady relationship going with Pepper Potts. When you were dropped off at your father’s house at the age of three, by your mother, Pepper had been the one to whip Tony into shape and made him realize he had a responsibility now. You.

“Your father is asking if you could join him for something to eat.”

“Eat? It’s only three…”

“Miss, it’s seven o’clock. He said dinner is ready and he needs to discuss some things with you.” You pushed yourself up off the floor and closed the notebook, making sure to mark your place with a pencil.

“I swear if this is about me stealing all of Caps sweatshirts again…” You grumbled and walked out of your room after putting on a clean shirt. You feet collided with the cool marble flooring, a soft pitter-patter echoing off the walls of the tower. As the elevator whirred and took you down to the dining area, you picked at your cubicles, a nervous tick you had picked up since you had found out your dad was Iron Man. You had snuck into his lab one night when you were seven. Trouble sleeping and lack of comfort from him led you to where you were standing in the lab. Your jaw hits the floor, the teddy bear in your hand, -who you ironically named snuffles because really what kid didn’t have a weird name for their stuffed bears- had hit the floor with a gentle thud. Right in front of your eyes was your father testing out his new suit, DUM-E right by his side holding up a fire extinguisher.

~

“YOU'RE IRON MAN?!” Your voice filled the lab, and Tony jumped slightly, one of his arms getting knocked loose from the suit.

“(Y/N)!” He hissed, “What the hel-heck are you doing in here! You should be asleep!” Tony yelled, his face turning red from anger or embarrassment, you couldn’t really tell. You bent down and picked up snuffles drawing him into your chest as you held him close.

“I-I couldn’t s-sleep and Miss Potts isn’t here so…” You shrugged and Tony sighed, a greasy hand running through his hair as he climbed out of the suit. He sat down on a stool and motioned for you to walk over. A small smile graced your features as you happily walked up towards him, hair bobbing around as you jumped with every step. Tony let out a small chuckle as he wiped his hands with a rag and reached out for you. He lifted you up and sat you on his knee.

“Listen pumpkin, you can’t tell anyone about this. This is our little secret… okay?”

“Okay!” You cheered nodding at him and holding up your pinkie. He laughed and linked his with yours.

“You can’t tell anyone, not Miss Potts, Happy, your uncle Rhodey… no one. This is dangerous and I don’t want anyone to know.”

“But why not?” You asked moving your attention from the bear in your arms up to his face. Your big (y/e/c) doe eyes made his heart warm at the sight.

“Because pumpkin, you could all get hurt. And I can’t let that happen. Especially not to you.”

“I’ll be fine daddy, you’re iron man!” You giggled and he shook his head a small laugh escaping past his lips. You were so young and had yet to figure out the dangers of this world. Tony wanted to keep it from you for as long as possible, he was going to protect you no matter the cost. His hand cupped the back of your small head as he gently pulled you closer to his chest.

“I love you.” He whispered and placed a gentle kiss to the top of your head. You smiled warmly and looked up at him.

“I love you too Papa.” You hummed and rested your head against his chest again, your eyes scanning the room around you as you asked, “Does this mean I get my own suit now?”

“No.” He stated, before laughing softly. “You’re too young, and-”

“Then can I try on your suit?!” You cried out, raising your head from his chest and giving him a goofy grin. He let out a defeated sigh and shook his head.

“Not tonight pumpkin, it’s time for bed.”

~

“(Y/n)!” Your father’s cheery voice filled your ears as the elevator doors slid open.

“Hey Old Man, Miss Potts.” You greeted the pair as you walked up to the kitchen island and climbed up onto one of the obnoxiously high stools.

“(y/n/n), sweetie how many times have I told you to call me Pepper?” Pepper said, looking over at you with a teasing smile. You chuckled nervously and shrugged.

“Heh, sorry force of habit I guess… Anyways uh what’s for dinner?”

“Cheeseburgers and I made them.” Tony grinned and you sighed shaking your head.

“Well, Pepper guess we had better start apartment searching.” You said nudging the blonde woman's arm. She laughed and nodded in agreement.

“I’ll call the relators now.”

“No no no! There is no need for that. I didn’t even burn the kitchen down!”

“Yeah, this time! Besides for all we know this could be an illusion Old Man.”

“Oh, can it. I know what I’m doing.” He grumbled turning away from the both of you and grabbing the plates. He handed them out before sitting down across from you. You looked down at the burger and fries sitting beside it. You tossed a fry into your mouth and chewed, before picking up the burger. Your eyes flickered from the burger to Pepper who was looking over at you as well. A soft sigh escaped your lips as you bite into it.

You placed it down again and nodded, your eyes meeting the cheerful face of your father.

“It’s… really good. Nice job Dad.” You said with a smile as he gave you a goofy grin and cheered.

“I knew it! Now next time you underestimate my cooking you’ll be eating rats.”

“Dad!” you screeched, “Tony!” Pepper and you called at the same time making you chuckle a bit.

“Oh whatever anyways, what I needed to talk about Uhm…” Tony cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “Do you remember a few days ago your Uncle Steve and crew went to Lagos.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, Wanda… she uh. She basically contained the blast but she threw it upward near a building, which was full of Wakandan humanitarian workers.”

“Wait wait so, Rumlow the guy I told you looked like a bad guy, tried to steal that staff thing or whatever it was, and then blew himself up, causing Wanda to hurt Wakandans?”

“Yes, now we have some of it under control. We are getting word to Wakanda and they will be handling everything with the families but, Secretary Ross-”

“I hate that guy…” You grumbled taking another bite of food.

“So do I pumpkin, but he informed all of us that we need to have a meeting about what happened. So the rest of the team is coming back soon, and we will have a meeting tomorrow night.” Tony said as he took the last bite of his burger and sighed. “So just be prepared for anything to happen.”

“Already am Dad.” You said with a reassuring smile as you stood up and put your plate in the sink. “Besides you guys will work it out and come up with a solution together, you always do.” You said walking back over to him and placing a small kiss to his cheek. He smiled and hugged you before standing up. “I’m gonna get back to work… I’ll see you two in the morning, night Pepper, night Dad.”

“Goodnight (y/n), sleep well.” Pepper said as she poured herself a cup of tea. You smiled at her and waved before walking over to the elevator.

“Night Pumpkin!” Tony called off as you walked into the elevator. A small smile curled on your lips as the doors slid shut. You hit the button for your floor and up went the elevator with a quiet whir.

-

“(Y/N)?! Hellooooo?” Ned snapped his fingers in your face making you jump. You brought the palms of your hands up to your eyes and rubbed them gently before looking up across the table at him and Peter with an apologetic grin.

“Sorry Ned, uh what was that?” You asked bringing your pencil up to your face and tapping it against your lip.

Last night all seemed like one big blur. You had gone back up to your room and sat down in front of your Ap Physics homework, the equations jumbled together in your head, mixing with thoughts of how the meeting tomorrow would play out. Everything was a mess. You tried calling Steve but he sent you straight to voicemail. You assumed it was because technology was never his strong suit, but when you had called Nat she told you he was sitting alone on the jet by himself and refusing to speak. Which was never a good time in anyone’s case. And it didn’t help the fact that Wanda refused to talk to anyone either, leaving Sam and Nat to chat amongst themselves or sleep. Which Nat had problems with in the first place. So the two of you remained talking for most of the night, she explained what happened during the mission, and how she took down some of his men after chasing them through the crowded village streets. A real mess, the mission actually turned out to be, even if they did stop Rumlow… sort of. You knew this whole thing was going to be one huge lawsuit, and mess to clean up. Nat had urged you to sleep after talking until three am, and when you argued she hung up, leaving you to sit and ponder for a while until your alarm blared twenty minutes after you fell asleep. You had no clue you were awake that long, figuring you were dreaming when in reality you sat alone with your clouded and messy thoughts. They ran a mile a minute and nothing made sense. Not then, and certainly not now as you sat across from a rambling Ned and Peter in study hall.

“I asked if later tonight you wanted to come over to Peters with us and watch Star Wars? Right, Pete.” Ned asked, giving the blushing boy beside him a knowing glance before turning back to you.

“Oh uh yeah, yep. We were gonna grab sandwiches from Delmars on the way back along with some snacks and just hang out like we used to before…” He gulped and faked winced. “SAT’s.” You chuckled softly at his dramatic performance and leaned back in your chair, a yawn escaping past your somewhat chapped lips, after licking them nervously all day long.

“I would love to!” The boys perked up at that sentence, “But I can’t… I need to be at home. My father has a meeting tonight.” The boys frowned in sync before Peter’s face seemed to light up and a glimmer of hope shown in his eyes.

“Wait do you have to be there? Like will the world end if you’re not?”

“Dude, she said no. Her dad is Tony Stark I mean I don’t think she’d be able to get out of it anyways.” Ned’s disappointment was seemingly making you and Peter upset, but Peter did have a good point.

“Actually, Pete’s right. I can just call and ask him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, as long as I’m home by ten. Which won’t be a problem with Happy.” They nodded their heads eagerly and you shook your head with a small chuckle, opting to call your father later and going back to your studies.

“‘Sup Losers.” Mj stated as she dropped her sketchbook on the table open to a freshly drawn image of you. As your brow raised in confusion, you reached over and picked up the book, your eyes skimming over the charcoal drawing and chuckling softly to yourself before handing it back to her.  

“Hey Michelle, I guess I was another one of your ‘muses’ again? What was it this time, me being dead tired, or over-stressed?”

“A bit of both, Stark. You always have an interesting expression. Hard to read but not impossible.” She said before closing her book and slinking back in her chair as her gaze fixated on Ned and Peter. “I think your nerds are broken, (Y/N/N).” You looked up and rolled your eyes realizing Peter and Ned’s mouths were agape, and they had confused looks on their faces.

“Ahem, Peter… Ned, this is Michelle. She’s in my art appreciation class.”

“My friends call me MJ.” She said pushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

“So… why doesn’t (Y/N) call you MJ?” Peter asked, raising a brow as he looked between the both of you. MJ let out an annoyed huff while you chuckled.

“Well, I forget sometimes.”

“No, it’s because you’re a loser like them and do it to annoy me.” MJ chimed in with a small smirk as she pulled out her notebook.

“Hey! We are not losers!” Peter squeaked making you laugh, and shrug.

“Yes you are, we all are. Right MJ?” You said looking over at her with a playful smirk.

“Nah (Y/N/N) you are because you hang out with them.”

“What’re you doing right now?” You asked leaning forward in your chair to reach for a pretzel from Peter’s snack bag.

“Touche Stark, Touche… Anyways going back to art, did you finish your assignment yet?” MJ spoke up as she began jotting down notes in her book.

“Haha no. I don’t know how I’ll get any photos of Spider-Man for the school paper. One no one reads that and two, I’m not even allowed out into the city!” You cried, wincing as people around your table shushed you. You shot them an apologetic smile before continuing. “I mean I live with the Avengers for god’s sake and I haven’t even met him. My dad talks about him and his work all the time. Although, he’s never actually met him… that much I know.” Your gaze flickered up to Peter for a moment as he shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his seat, before focusing on Ned as he spoke up.

“You know the only reason they want those photos is because for whatever, stupid… very stupid reason, Flash runs it and he wants those photos, and he thinks people will read it.”

“I swear he’s so gay for Spider-Man.” You joked as Peter let out an obnoxiously loud laugh. The three of you turned to look at him and waited for him to explain what the hell it was about.

“Uh… ahem, sorry I was thinking about a cat video on youtube… yeah…”

“Okay…? Well, I’ll leave you weirdos to it.” MJ said, standing up and gathering her things.

“What so were just weirdos now?”

“Yeah gotta keep you on your toes Stark. Now, are you coming with me to grab an early lunch or are you just gonna starve till third?”

“Nope, on my way. Bye, Ned and Peter! I’ll see you after school, yeah?” You asked pushing your chair in and walking off towards MJ as they called back.

“Yeah bye (Y/N)!” Ned called.

“B-bye (Y/N/N)!” Peter called before immediately looking down towards his notes. Ned rolled his eyes and elbowed him, hard. “Dude!” Peter hissed, looking towards his best friend.

“When are you going to tell her that you like her? We have known her since middle school, and you’ve had the biggest crush on her since then.”

“I have not!” Peter retorted before messily scribbling down the last of his homework.

“Yes, you have. Just tell her!”

“No, Ned! She can’t know, one her dad would track me down and kill me if I ever hurt her, and I really don’t need any avengers coming for my ass, and two she’s out of my league!”

“Peter if she’s out of your league then so am I. I mean come on, she chooses to hang out with us, she doesn’t have to. Hell when you dropped your orange juice all over her on the first day of sixth grade she could have hated you and had her dad kill you then for ruining her converse and she didn’t, she smiled and helped you clean it up. You were so frazzled you couldn’t even figure out how to wipe up a liquid.”

“Yeah because she was so sweet about it and ask if I was okay. I should have been asking her that.”

“Exactly! So tell her, or I will.” Ned joked before closing his textbook and standing up, as Peter stuffed his books into his bag.

“Ned, no. God, it’s just… complicated, look I’ll talk to you later I gotta get to class.” Peter muttered before rushing off down the hallway.

“Look (Y/N/N), all I’m saying is you could avoid getting yelled at by Miss Henderson if you didn’t question her teaching methods all the time.” MJ said as she closed her locker and looked over at you with crossed arms.

“Well it’s not my fault she barely knows the difference between oil paintbrushes and acrylic.”

“There is little to no difference!”

“But there is still a difference!”

“A difference in what?” Ned asked as him and Peter approached you. A soft groan fell from your lips as you pushed yourself up from your locker.

“It’s nothing, uh I’m basically ready to leave just have to ask my dad. I’ll see ya later MJ?” You asked raising a brow up at your dark-haired friend. She nodded, saluting you playfully before walking off.

“Sounds good, we'll meet you out front yeah?” Peter asked shooting you a small smile. You nodded and pulled out your phone when they walked off. You scrolled through your contacts and clicked on Tonys, it rang a few times before he picked up.

“Hey pumpkin, everything alright?”

“Hey Dad, yeah I’m fine. How’re things over there?” You asked biting at your nails from nervousness. He was silent for a few minutes before letting out a small sigh.

“Messy… uh I mean everyone is resting right now. We were shown something called the Sokovia Accords that the UN wants to pass.”

“What do they have to do with you guys?” You asked, walking towards the front doors that led outside.

“It’s a lot actually… I Uhm, they want to oversee us. The world sees us as a threat more than saviors. Which is understandable but they are hosting a meeting in Vienna and I need you to go with Nat, I can’t attend and neither can Pepper.”

“Wait but dad I-I have school?!”

“Not like you haven’t missed it before kid. You’ll be fine. But you leave tomorrow morning.”

“Fine, but if I miss any big tests and fail I am blaming you. But I was actually calling to ask about tonight. Can I go over to Peter’s? Ned and him want to watch Star Wars and study.”

“Wow, how entertaining…”

“Dad, I can hear the sarcasm dripping from your voice.”

“That’s the point, but I suppose just be back bef-”

“Before ten, yeah yeah I know the drill. Bye Tin Can love you!”

“Love you too, be safe,” Tony said before hanging up. You sighed and pocketed your phone before walking outside.

What in the hell could the Sokovia Accords even mean? And why do Nat and I have to go to a conference in Vienna?! And if we live here why the fuck does the UN want to try and control us… All these thoughts flooded your mind. I mean really what the hell could the United Nations do? Your entire family did save New York and the rest of the world from impending doom from Loki, and you even helped. Sure you weren’t out there with the rest of the action but you helped back at the tower. You kept tabs on everyone, checked their vitals out in the field all while in the comfort of your fathers' lab. Sure you didn’t fly into space and destroy the entryway like your father had, but you did what you could, and it was enough.

“He said it was cool, you ready to head out?” You asked, walking up to Peter and Ned as they chatted away about legos. You let a small chuckle slip past your lips as they turned and gave you a horrified look. “Relax nerds, I won’t tell Flash about your lego escapades. Now let’s get those sandwiches I am starving.” Peter let out a nervous chuckle before nodding.

“You’re telling me… I woke up late and didn’t eat breakfast.” Peter admitted as you all began to walk towards the infamous sandwich shop.

“Pete, you know May hates that.” Ned said with a small laugh as he walked turned onto the street leading away from Midtown.

“I’m surprised she didn’t ground you. I mean I remember that one time she found out when we were over at Neds and she made you go back home immediately.” You added nudging Ned slightly who broke out into a fit of laughter at the memory.

“Yeah yeah, I remember you were in such a rush your glasses fell off your face and you stepped on them.”

“Yeah which May was only more mad about. But I mean she knows this time she just isn’t happy about it.” Peter grumbled kicking at a stone on the sidewalk. You chuckled and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Well, we can make up for it with subs and junk food.” You said with a content sigh, as you all walked off towards the shop. Conversations ensued about many things, homework, what classes were really bothering you, Flash’s shitty teasing, and whether or not Mr. Harrington and his wife were going to last. It seemed like every class the poor guy had a new sob story about something shitty she ended up doing.

“Listen, all I’m saying is if she doesn’t love him anymore leave don’t lie to the poor man,” Peter said as he held the door open and let Ned and yourself walk in. You took in the smell of fresh bread and deli meats, a gentle hum of delight escaping your lips

“Peter it’s way more complicated than that.” Ned said as you walked up to the counter to pet the cat.

“He does have a point, Peter, I mean there’s divorce papers, lawyers, court, and who even knows if they signed a prenup. Probably not with how she treats the poor dude.”

“How who treats who?” Mr. Delmar’s voice rang through your ears, and a smile perked at the sides of your mouth.

“Delmar! My man, what's up?” You said scratching behind the cats' ears once more before walking over to the main counter, Ned and Peter following beside you.

“Eh working, sick of teenagers, what else is new. I see you’re still hanging with my least favorite customers.” He teased motioning towards Peter and Ned. You laughed and shrugged as they let out fake gasps.

“Mr. Delmar, I will have you know if it weren’t for Ned and I’s reviews on Yelp you wouldn't be named the best sandwich shop in Queens!” Peter said grinning and resting his arm on your shoulder. A small blush crept up your neck and onto your cheeks, looking anywhere but Peter’s chocolate brown eyes. Taking a deep breath, you compose yourself and rolled your eyes, scoffing slightly at his comment.

“Yeah okay Pete, anyways the usual please!” You said with a small grin as Mr. Delmar chuckled and got to work.

“I’m smashing down all of them real flat… correct?”

“Yes.” You all said in unison. Ned simply shrugged before taking out his phone and typing away. Peter grabbed a bag of Doritos, and some gummy worms to eat for later, and Ned grabbed a pack of starbursts and lays. You pondered the choices for a moment before grabbing a bag of Fritos and gummy bears, along with some chips for Sam, who always complained when you never got him any.

After Mr. Delmar handed you the sandwiches, you took them with a warm smile and said goodbye before heading out and walking off to Peters. Once at Peters, the TV was switched on to Star Wars A New Hope, and you all studied away, ate snacks, and joked. Occasionally your eyes would flicker to the movie, and then back to your paper in front of you.

You jumped slightly when your phone buzzed on the coffee table beside you. You huffed slightly noticing it was 9 o’clock meaning Happy was here. You brought the phone up to your ear and spoke up.

“Hey, Hap.”

“You’re late.”

“No you’re early the drive from Peter’s to the Tower is half an hour tops.”

“Oh whatever kid, your dad wanted me to get you so let's get a move on. I have your favorite waiting for you.”

“(Y/F/F)! Okay, I’ll be right down. Bye Hap!” You called into the phone before shoving it into the pocket of your jeans. You looked up at Ned and Peter who sat noses buried in books. A small chuckle fell past your lips as you grabbed your books and shoved them into your backpack. “Bye dorks see ya later.” You said slinging your bag over your shoulder. You laughed when they just gave you simple grunts as a response. “Bye May! Thank you for letting me over!” You called off as you walked up to the door and opened it.

“Bye (Y/N)! Come by any time!” May called from the kitchen. You smiled to yourself and shut the door behind you and raced down the steps of his apartment building.

You threw the door open to the car and Happy dropped his phone from his hands and turned to you, his face slightly pale as he looked at you like you had three heads.

“Jeez Hap, head of security getting scared by a teenage girl? Dad should know about this don’t ya think?” You chuckled and tossed your bag into the back seat, and climbed into the passenger's seat. He scoffed and handed you your food.

“Please, Tony wouldn’t know his ass from his head if I wasn’t around.”

“I think you’re confusing yourself with Pepper… but true. I mean I know I would be okay but my dad? Ha, no.” You said as you took a bite from the food and looked over at him. Happy pulled out of the parking space and began driving down the main roads back to the tower.

“Please kid, I remember you called me sobbing because you killed a bird with Clint’s arrows, after stealing them, and you thought it was a person. Then when I told you it wasn’t a person you made me plan a funeral.”

“Oh so what you’re saying is I can’t plan a funeral for a bird on my own?” You joked with a small laugh as Happy simply shook his head and chuckled softly before merging onto the highway. You let out a small sigh as you finish off the meal and leaned back in your seat.

“So, do you know anything about this trip to Vienna?”

“Not much, your dad told me it was basically about the accords, and you’re going to represent him and Stark Industries there tomorrow since he can’t go. I think he wants you and Nat to sign them? I don’t know for sure but all I know is Cap is completely against it. Thinks you should all have free will to take down threats.” Happy said as he turned down the main road of the tower and pulled into the garage.

“So Steve…?” You raised a brow and looked over at him as he let out a small sigh.

“Him and your dad never… got along well, but I think this is going to be worse than any threat we will face in the future.” You gulped at his words and nervously began to pick at your nails. ‘What the hell did Ross do?’ You thought to yourself. The Avengers as a group always just kind of… clicked. Sure your father and Steve did butt heads about a lot. You were the one to originally bring Steve to your fathers' attention, the super-soldier, frozen in the ice for years. I mean, why wouldn’t that be interesting? But according to your dad, it just meant bad things. You had grown up around those ‘bad things’ and sure your life wasn’t perfect, but no one’s was. But when you met Steve he didn’t come off as a threat. Sure he needed a little help around the edges of figuring out the new era he was suddenly thrown into, especially with wardrobe and hair cuts… But you and Steve always remained close, you would show him around New York, show him old movies and all the new memes. Although he didn’t understand it meant a lot to you that he tried and cared enough to do so. Steve was like another father to you, an uncle. He wasn’t some stranger who worked with your father, he was family. All of the Avengers are your family… and Ross will be damned if he thinks he can split it apart.

Taglist: if there is a line through your URL it means it wouldn’t let me tag u,, I’m sorry abt that I will try and figure out how to fix it <3

@inmydefenseyouletmedoit @thatwhitemutant @fangirlingisajob @parknochuism @holymotherofchickennoodlesoup @pnkthunder @rororo06 @darlingtholland

[victakestaipei]

WEEK 3 RECAP: 9 min mile, SZA, and The Red Poop Scare

This week was not very eventful. Sorry to say folks, but it’s not going to be exciting all the time right? You have to have boring/uneventful days to balance out the exciting ones. I guess it makes you appreciate them more... But regardless of this fact, I still am going to write about the week due to the fact that I’m trying to stay consistent and make blogging feel like a habit/hobby, rather than a chore (at times). If you keep reading and get to the end of this post, you the GOAT!

Monday: 

I was super exhausted this morning from the long weekend (visiting Longdong and Fulong)... I didn’t want to get out of bed and it took all of my strength to get up and climb down the ladder from my bunk bed. I also was still recovering from the first real sunburn I’d had in years, so pulling on my sports bra and t-shirt this morning was definitely a wake up call. In class we had our third test of the course. It was definitely harder than the previous two, but I still think I did well. Class dragged on harder and slower than ever before... I found myself counting down the minutes until 1:10pm.. and it seems like I wasn’t the only one hehe

At the gym it was floor day/abs. So I did mostly floor work with a matt. The weight lifting area of the gym is pretty small so usually when I use a matt I take it outside of the weight lifting room and do my sets in the hallway/foyer. But, there is no air conditioning out here so I find myself dripping sweat onto the matt and it’s just a mess.  ALSO!! I actually ran a mile today, in 9 minutes! That was my goal cut off time and I made it by the skin of my teeth. So I ran the 1.6 kilometers in 9 minutes... Not too shabby from last week ;)

For lunch Bunny and I grabbed potstickers to go (I got the curry flavor) and hopped on the bus to head home. We didn't feel like sitting and having lunch because we are still recovering from the weekend and were super tired. After I got home I hopped on FaceTime and caught up with Karis and some other loved ones. I wanted to take a nap, but I figured it might be better to just stay up so that I can sleep real good when I finally hit the hay. For dinner Bunny made rice, scrambled eggs, and we picked up some fried chicken from the food stand place by our dorm. I had bought a dozen eggs the weekend before in the grocery store, and they were going to go bad soon so we had to figure out what we were going to do with them. It turned out to be a really good dinner. I finished my blog post about Fulong today, and also did some personal journaling of my own before starting my homework. Today was a bit of a moody/emotional day, and I'm not sure why. But it feels good to write. It always feels good to write...

Tuesday: 

So as it turns out, I got a 97% on my test from yesterday!!! Feelin’ good. Feelin’ like a smarty pants. We also had a written quiz today too on the dialogue. I got a 94% on that. I’m really starting to get the hang of writing traditional, and I’m actually glad I chose Taiwan as my study abroad destination, so that I could learn both forms of written Mandarin. I know it’ll pay off in the long run when I’m making dem big bucks! Hehe (kidding)... ((kindof)).

In the gym I ran another 9 min mile. It was also leg day (my favorite)!!... When I got home I bought my SZA ticket. I AM SO EXCITED YOU ALL HAVE NO IDEA. I have been listening to this woman for years now and she’s finally getting the recognition she deserves and I’m so happy for her :-’) I’ll be seeing her with Poirshea in Sacramento in September. Can't wait. Gonna die of excitement!!! P and I really bond over SZA and love her to death and I’m so glad we’re going to experience her music live together. Twin bonding at it’s finest. 

I miss you Twin!!! 

Sza is so adorable I just can’t!!!! Ugh. 

Anways, for lunch the three of us went back to the soy sauce braised place, and filled up on udon noodles, veggies and tofu. I got it a bit spicier than last time.. and it was really really good. WAYY better than last time! For dinner I was still pretty full off of lunch, so Bunny and I went to the street market around 10:30pm to get some fruit and egg scallion pancakes. I NEED to learn how to make these pancakes at home because they're so dang good. I will make them everyday for every meal. BOMB.COM. Egg scallion pancakes are basically green onions, eggs, and dough in pancake form... sounds odd, but man is it tasty!

Wednesday: 

Today I jumped up out the bed at 9:52am like I was just ressurected from the dead. And for those of you who don’t know, my class starts at 10:20am. Bunny was still knocked out when I was startled out of bed.. so we found ourselves throwing on clothes and rushing out the door. We ran to the bus stop, and was only about 10 min late to our class. Thankfully our teacher wasn't upset or anything... But right after we arrived we had a quiz waiting on us at the do’

I’m not sure about my grade yet, but I don’t think I did so well. I was drawing a lot of blanks because I was still frazzled from rushing this morning. After class we got something small to eat before the gym because at this point it's 1:30pm and I'm starVING!!! At the gym I did a really really quick back day, because there’s a class that meets in the gym at 2:20 on Mon/Wed/Fri so usually I have to do short workouts on those days. 

After the gym we headed to a fruit stand to get mango smoothies and dragon fruit... *REMEMBER THIS* 

I wasn't super hungry because of the food I had before the gym. And then we went home, did homework, took a nap, and watched netflix. At around 9 Bunny and I went to get potstickers at the place by our dorm. That place is the best ever. 

Thursday: 

This morning we actually woke up on time. We were even able to gnab some bread at the local bakery before class. I usually pair my morning bread with a tea of sorts... I’ve been drinking alot of green tea lately, and I really really love the green tea infused with passionfruit. So so good. But, I’ve come to find out on days that I don’t have any tea or milk tea, I get massive massive caffeine headaches. I used to get them alot when I would stop drinking coffee after a few days... But I didn’t think this would still happen to me because the caffeine amount in green tea is so much smaller... who knows. But nonetheless, the tea is worth it!!! 

We had a quiz in class today, and before the end of the three hour period, she sprang a test on us right there at the end. She did this because alot of us (4 out of the 9) will be absent tomorrow due to travel. There’s another student in our class (the Swiss guy) who’s going to Seoul, South Korea this weekend, and he left midway through our class. And then the three of us (Bunny, Nick, and I) leave for the Philippines tonight at like 2am.

Also in class I got called Beyoncé more than I wanted to... Our teacher first brought up Shakira, and asked us if we all have heard of her before (which obviously we have), but she just learned of this Columbian singer’s existence and was tickled/excited to share the news. She then brought up Beyonce and drew the conclusion that I look strikingly similar to the superstar mother of three. I can admit it is quite the compliment, but Lord knows she only thinks this because we are both lightskin, tall women. Hooray for racial insensitivity!!!

At the gym it was leg day once again (it’s Thursday, duh!). I ended up running a 8:40 mile! I definitely shaved off some seconds. SO Proud. Drenched in sweat!

For lunch we went back to that Malaysian place with the sweet lady who showed us pictures of her 8month old grandson. I love her. I ordered the hot/sour Chicken with potato wedges... so incredibly bomb. 

Bunny and I went home after lunch and packed for our trip to the Philippines this weekend, as well as napped. I went to the bathroom and had the fright of a LIFETIME. Which brings me to the “Red Poop Scare” segment of this blog post.... 

I have had problems pooping regularly since I’ve gotten here, I think partly due to my change in diet and stress levels... but nonethless it has only just started to get more regular/consistent. So just IMAGINE my shock when I went to handle my business and my poop was RED!!! I’m talking BRIGHT RED/MAGENTA!!! I thought I was dying!!! Blood in my stool??? Can you IMAGINE!!! I would have had to find a doctor here in Taiwan and omg the HORROR. But when I was handling my business there was no pain or strain or anything... so it was also pretty confusing. After I went back into the room and talked to my roommate I realized that I had DRAGONFRUIT YESTERDAY!!! Which is conveniently the same exact color as my poop. So that was exciting and a relief to realize. It was only that color because of the fruit I had the previous day. THANK YOU JESUS I AM ALIVE AND HEALTHY AND IT WAS NOT BLOOD. 

....I’ve come to realize that maybe this segment of the blog is a bit TMI... but I also told myself that if I’m going to blog, It’s going to be as open and honest and transparent as possible.. everyone has poop probs am I right??? 

Anyway,

We also did a quick run to the night market before taking the MRT to the airport. At the night market we got some more food to eat because we knew the journey to get to Philippines would be long. We were to land at 4am. And we left to the airport around 10:15pm. It takes about 45-hour to get to the airport, plus we wanted to allow enough time to check in, go through security, etc before our plane departed at 1:45am.

Here’s some pics of the wanton/noodles I bought and the really really good burger I had at the Night Market.. THE BURGER MIGHT BE BETTER THAN IN-N-OUT DONT @ ME

I’ll come back with another post about the Philippines!

until then, xoxo

[imaginaryculturepress-blog]

TFTP: Rise Against in Perth, WA

In which we photograph Rise Against and have the best shuttle and replacement bus experiences ever. *Mexican wave.*

Hi, hello, and welcome!

My name is Skyler and oH MY FUCKING LORD YES I PHOTOGRAPHED RISE AGAINST. I honestly cannot believe it either, but here we are. I guess I make up for that with my really shitty lenses and positioning though, so I'm back to being a pathetic idiot. For real though, I was using your standard 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens and it made me want to die.

We're only one paragraph down and I've managed to include an abundance of self-hatred and suicide references... how fun.

Before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to thank the lovely lads at HBF Stadium and VenuesWest for their assistance in gaining a photo pass, even if it wasn't a "proper", "entry-to-the-pit" one; this experience was actually extremely educational, teaching me to try out new angles, avoid photographing the same people (for social images) twice, that I really need to pay more attention to my camera modes, and that I should just get new freaken lenses. Furthermore, it's only necessary to thank the amazing Bare Bones for hooking us up with a reviewer pass. The guys are some of the kindest and talented people I've had the pleasure of meeting, and seeing them live was incredible. So thank y'all kindly.

Anywho, let's get to it:

T'was a lovely Wednesday 7th February when I found myself doing some last-minute transport calculations and failing to print a ticket. After dragging my lazy ass out of math class I headed home, only to realise that I hadn't worked out a proper schedule for our train-to-train-to-Grill'd-to-bus-to-HBF Stadium trip. It was at this same point that I realised that the Freo line wasn't operating that evening from 7pm till Thursday morning; you know, so it'd be closed

after the concert ended and busses stopped.

Furthermore, I had a pathetic excuse for a digital ticket that refused to transfer or print itself, thus I was in a complete panic.

So I did what any good concert photographer would do: I decided to wing it. The trains, the busses, heck, even the mushroom burgers and tickets. Just go with the flow. What ever will be, will be. Et cetera.

I was of course to regret this when I found myself sprinting to the Freo train and not regaining my breath until we reached Claremont Station, but it's fine. It's all fine. Just go with the flow. I had to become Boxer from Animal Farm;  "I will work harder". "Napoleon is always right". I will plan better. Grill'd burgers make everything alright. Something like that.

Soon enough, we found ourselves at Grill'd, ordering mushroom burgers; you know, those vegan ones we get every single goddamn time because Grill'd only has two (though very amazing) vegan options... besides the chips. But nobody counts that. Regardless, t'was an incredible lunch/dinner/linner and I might've become addicted to it.

We soon headed for HBF Stadium, where after an hour of hectic "I've never photographed here before", I was assisted by a wonderful VenuesWest employee. (I don't want to mention names as I don't know if they'd be all right with that.) The place was crawling with eager concert-goers, and there's nothing I love more than listening to their conversations. It's weird and creepy, I know, but they're usually highly opinionated and I love to answer or debate them in my mind.

After a little while longer of waiting, the show was about to start.

First up were Bare Bones, some of the best lads in the whole of Australia. I first met them last year through an interview for Hysteria Magazine, in which I was wrongly credited by the publication. I also reviewed their album Bad Habits (2017) and was a fan of their music, giving them a 5/5. Anyone gonna comment on how that's a plain numeral and not "play this at my funeral/5"? No? Well regardless, I've matured since my days at Hysteria and now use fancy ratings, not those basic af number things. (I'm still salty at Hysteria. That will never change. They're in my book of Most Disliked, alongside Gina Rinehart and Supposed Manager.)

Though I'd only had a five-minute phone call with the band back in May, they appeared to be very humble and down to earth. This was confirmed that night, with Bare Bones playing one hell of a set before Rise Against. I was proud to say the least; I realise it's not my place to care, but I've been attentive to these guys' music for a little under a year, and had seen them grow as musicians. Sure, I had no clue as to what was occurring behind the scenes, but from a fan's perspective, they were progressing in the right direction.

Their performance was phenomenal. A slightly tough crowd, considering the majority of people were too busy waiting in lines for booze, but those present seemed to love the set. The lads did a fantastic job, and I had a bit of a fangirl moment when they played "Thick as Thieves"... stop judging me...

They were the perfect way to start the evening, even with the red lighting.

Intermission.

The lights dimmed, the crowd screamed, the blogger wrote the same "a band is about to go onstage" line that everyone uses, and lo and behold, Rise Against appeared before us. I had a bit of a restrictive photo pass, and could only shoot from the crowd (the photo pass part of it allowed me to bring in professional equipment, which the general admission was prohibited from doing). It was quite the spectacle, really. The guys were super energetic and immersed the entire audience, which is always fun.

We had a three song shooting restriction, which nobody but myself actually followed. I wanted to enjoy the show from a fan's perspective, so after the third song, "The Violence", I set down my DSLR and realised just how incapable I was at audience-ing. But before we get to that, let's focus on this last shooting song:

I was granted permission to run around the venue like a headless goose, so long as I got some decent imagery out of it. So for this song, I ran to the nosebleeds to capture some crowd shots. I received quite a few concerned expressions from staff and security, mostly due to my weird singing whilst shooting; apparently normal people don't do that. But as I was at the top of the crowd, looking down at each and every attendee, I felt at peace. There was something rich and raw within that moment, something that united the entire stadium as one. It was that same emotion that grasped me during SOTA Fest last year, and I loved it. So I took it in. A moment of admiring the scene.

I was soon back in the crowd, and as I said before, I didn't know how to audience properly. I mean, I stood there... just... standing. I sang along to some songs, but felt awkward without a camera and was unsure of where to keep my hands. I was going to run into the pit and join the moshers who were throwing shoes at each other, but then a really sweaty muscular dude almost knocked me over as he headed for the pit, and I realised that if I can't survive the sidelines, there's no way I'd walk out of that pit alive.

So I went back to figuring out where to place my hands.

Rise Against were absolutely incredible. They're such modest people and are wholeheartedly dedicated to entertaining their fans, and anyone with the chance to see them live should do so. There's nothing I love more than (vegetarian and vegan) musicians showing a love for their fans and being the sweetest people ever whilst jamming the fuck out and hosting one of the craziest mosh pits ever. (SOMEONE GET THEM A GRILL'D MUSHROOM BURGER, THEY DESERVE IT!)

Inter- fuck, it was over. But don't fret; this post isn't. We've still got a Drunk Dudes on a BusTM story to tell. Actually, there's over an hour of bus tales to tell, so I think we're gonna summarise it as follows:

- We got to the shuttle and were greeted by a seemingly chillaxed bus driver.- Soon the bus was packed full of drunken weirdos and I loved the atmosphere.- Everything was about to intensify when the driver began, well, driving.- He actually drove like a maniac and was going way over the speed limit; everyone loved it! (Dead serious, no sarcasm. It was amazing.)- Some random dude with a thick Aussie accent screamed "SICKIIIIIIIES FOR EVERYONE TOMORROW!"- Everyone replied with "hear, hear!"- The driver should star in the next Fast and Furious film.- He was driving super recklessly so the drunk guys up the back decided it was only necessary to do the Mexican wave.- When they finally perfected the wave - sorry, we all perfected the wave, because everyone was engaged and loving the moment - someone shouted "GO TEAM" really loudly. - They were being the hilarious drunks and I wished I had some of the beer they were having. Well, I did; it was spilled on me at least three times during the show. Nevertheless, I hadn't drunk any and I regretted that.- The driver ran a red light.- It was kinda like that bus in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and my geek self was thriving.- Unfortunately we reached Claremont Station and had to get off the bus ://- The trains weren't operating so the Drunk GangTM (I'm included okAY I WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS) trekked to the bus stop. - The replacement busses were running late so we had to stand there for over half an hour. I loved it.- The Drunks were trying to hitchhike and scared a lot of passing traffic.- They started terrorising passing Grill'd employees and screaming "ONE OF US! ONE OF US!" until we were all chanting.- There was one couple who seemed to be normal backpackers but they were having some weird-ass conversations regarding red suitcases and pillows. - We were getting pretty reckless so somebody called the railway security Transperth people whose profession titles I've momentarily forgotten.- It took a fair few patrol cars to keep us at bay. It's not like we were harming anyone, though; just screaming at passing cars. - I wish I took a group photo of everyone but that would've required crossing the street and it was midnight and I had no energy left to avoid getting run over by a truck. Or the shuttle bus. In all honesty, I was mainly concerned the bus would arrive the moment I got to the other side of the road and would leave without me.- The replacement bus finally came and barely anyone paid for their tickets.- It was one of those large ones that had a caterpillar in the middle (what? I can't explain things) so we were fortunate enough all fit in and travel together.- I had a lovely chat about the comfort levels of the bus' seats with some obviously intoxicated lad.- One dude boarded at a random stop out of nowhere and was like, "Hold up, y'all are coming from Rise Against? I WAS THERE TOO! FAAAAAAM!!!" - Someone got kicked off unfairly at the side of the road and we still miss him dearly.- After he was kicked off, everyone went dead silent for a couple dozen seconds before someone at the back started singing loudly, "The wheels on the bus go round and round..." and then everyone joined in and Broadway was shook. - We went the really long way and it was like 1am when we reached the Perth bus station.- I LOVE MY BUS FAM AND I WISH WE COULD HAVE A REUNION SOMETIME SO PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU WERE THERE AND WE CAN AT LEAST ACKNOWLEDGE OUR BUS PRESENCE OR SOMETHING. PLEASE. I'M SLIGHTLY DESPERATE, I DON'T CARE HOW WEIRD OR CREEPY THIS SOUNDS.

So... that was that. I still love my Bus Family just leave me to cry.

Next up: I don't freaken know, but I'm not writing about Hyperfest because I don't have nearly as many adjectives as I'd need for that. (But Midland Grill'd make the best vegan mushroom burgers and I love them for it.)

MUSICAL SUMMARY:

Bare Bones: mY PRECIOUS FAVES I'M SO PROUD *wipes tear*/5

Rise Against: YOU FUCKEN LEGENDS I LOVE YOU/5

Drunk Dudes on Bus: Y'all should get a musical.ly account and start touring and I'll be your photographer and wE CAN ALL LIVE ON A BUS TOGETHER/5

PHOTOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY:

Lenses: Failed me/5

Camera: The love of my life/5

Lighting: Pretty. Good. Pretty good. -Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things/5

Editing: I had to crop some images I'm sorry please don't hate me/5

My sanity: I JUST WANT MY BUS FAMILY BACK IS THAT SERIOUSLY TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR/5

Live long and headbang, xx-Skyler Slate